It is well accepted that people in top positions have to keep the ‘stiff upper lip and all’, when they appear in public.

However, you do have to ask what was going on the mind of Prince Charles as he somberly watched the contemporary dance at the New Museum in Berlin, Germany?

The Duchess of Cornwall seems to privately amused by the whole thing.

Did Prince Charles look have any connection to the couple caught having sex on the Queens’ lawn at Windsor Castle?

Ignoring the signs to ‘Keep Off The Grass’, the  couple, in their early 30’s stripped off in full view of hotels, pubs and shops.

Guests of the Garter Hotel rushed out to observe the display of horizontal folk dancing.  Japanese couples were seen comparing their videos.

The performing couple appeared dazed when arrested and cautioned for outraging public decency. People were too busy watching the 10 minute performance, to check whether the Queen’s flag was fying at the time, showing she was in residence.

Maybe Charles and the Japanese tourists would have been better of joining the other 2 million viewers in watching Snowball, the world’s most famous dancing parrot.

Dancing to the beat of the Backstreet Boys’ hit, ‘Everybody’, Snowball is capturing a lot of attention.

According to Aniruddh Patel of the Neurosciences Institute of San Diego, says “It may shed light on the evolutionary origins of sons and dance in people”.

Dr Patel and his team have been closely observing Snowball, who has been residing at the Bird Lovers Only Rescue Service in Schererville, Indiana, since he was left behind by his former owner in 2007. Snowball was accompanied by his favourite CD of music.

Dr Patel’s team discovered that if the music temp was changed, without changing pitch, so did the tempo of Snowball’s dance.

Now here’s something that will get you dancing. Go check it out at Win a Resort. You will dance all the way to the bank!

There are many who dream of being Top Dog with the top job. There may even be a few who have the qualifications to fill the bill. However, before you go chasing that illusion, take a look at some of the criteria that goes with the job, particularly if you had been in it for the past 100 Days.

• The worst economic crisis in living history
• Hot wars in Afghanistan and Iraq
• Ongoing threat and confrontation with terrorist group al Qaeda
• Rising nuclear threats from North Korea and Iran
• Broken Middle East Peace Process
• Potential global flu pandemic
• Lack of effective international policies on energy and climate change
• Somali pirates who receive up to the minute information on cargo and locations of ships and act fearlessly in the face of an International naval presence
• A depleted treasury
• An over-stretched military
• An impatient American public
• Voters who want a return on having made you Top Dog

You will be expected to:

• Tirelessly jet-set the world, making friends with neighbours and long time enemies
• Touch base with allies
• Deal with other prime ministers blatantly  breaking diplomatic courtesy
• Reach out to potential adversaries
• Diplomatically deal with those who oppose your views
• Build your team of advisers from scratch
• Assign some of the nation’s best diplomats to work on global challenges
• Restore America’s reputation as a leader on the environment and international law

You need to know that:

• Any victories you have will not be permanent
• Lasting gains require a long term effort
• Every issue must be approached on its own terms
• Progress comes not dramatically but gradually in organic growth
• You must be able to move at a brisk but sustainable pace, with energy in reserve
• You must keep a sharp look out for what your competitors may be plotting
• You will rise or fall by the decisions you make
• You will be damned by some if you do and damned by others if you don’t
• When a wordwide broadcasting TV station has nothing else to say they will discuss (at length) your ’swagga’

Finally, somewhere among all that you have to retain your sanity and health and remain a family man. It’s a tall order for any one person to fulfill.

Now, however, if you still feel you are up to being Top Dog, I suggest you knock on the door of the White House and present your credentials. You never know what kind or reception you may get!

We can’t promise you the Top Job, but we can give you the back door to being a millionaire overnight. If you’re intersted, check it out. Its for REAL. You could go from Rags to Riches, just like Michelle Obama, went from slave family to being the First Lady. Dreams do come true.

A film on the life and times of Bernard L Madoff is apparently already on its way. Film’s executive producer, Edmun Druilhet, said, “The film will be called ‘Madoff Made Off With America’. Druilhet has been heard to call Madoff a ‘scumdog millionaire’.

No one since Adolf Hitler has ripped so much money off the Jewish people”. There is a website already advertising the film.

Seventy year-old Madoff, the former non-executive chairman of the NASDAQ stock exchange, was convicted of the largest ponzi scheme of investor fraud, ever committed by one person. The scheme, which did not generate any real business, paid abnormal high returns from investors money, at a time when the stock market was beginning its world-wide downturn.

Madoff admitted to defrauding thousands of investors. He faces the rest of his life in prison with up to $179 billion in restitution. He admitted to his sons, prior to his arrest, that his company was ‘one big lie’.

It is reported by a trustee oversighting the liquidation of Maddoff’s assests, that a longtime Los Angeles money manager and philanthropist, Stanley Chais, raked in more than $1 billion in false earnings from disgraced financier Bernard Madoff. The complaint against Chais alleges that his family’s accounts earned wildly inflated returns through Maddoff, of between 40 percent and 300 percent. The trustee says the money was never actually invested in the stock market and the returns came from the pockets of more recent investors.

“Chais’ telephone number is the first speed dial entry on a telephone list at (Madoff’s firm),” the complaint said. “He therefore enjoyed unusually intimate access to Madoff, allowing him an opportunity to gain special access to extensive information about the operations of (the firm).”

The federal court gave investors the okay to force Madoff to file for bankruptcy, in order to try to recover some of Madoff’s assets, which include:

• securities ($45 million),
• cash ($17 million),
• half-interest in BLM Air Charter ($12 million),
• 2006 Leopard yacht in France ($7 million),
• jewelry ($2.6 million), Manhattan apartment ($7 million),
• Montauk home ($3 million), Palm Beach home ($11 million),
• Cap d’ Antibe, France property ($1 million), and
• furniture, household goods, and art ($9.9 million).

The fear was that these assets would end up in the US Treasury, instead of  being proportionally returned to the victims. However, the bankruptcy will only involve any assets that are not part of the proceeds of Madoff’s crimes. (Ha! says Madoff’s lawyers).

Maddoff’s sons reported him to the authorities, effectively putting their own father behind bars for the rest of his life. Mark Madoff is in debt to his parents for $22 million and Andrew Madoff owes $9.5 million. Both boys own Manhattan apartments and homes in Greenwich, Conneticut.

It is said that at the end of a boom there is always some story that symbolizes the greed, corruption and stupidity of the era. No doubt the Hollywood version of Madoff will be a glitz and glamour version. Maybe it is one film certain people will not want to watch.

Madoff is jailed, waiting sentencing in June

Back in antiquity May Day was the festival of the Roman Goddess of flowers. In a more secular version, particularly in Germanic countries, it became the dancing of the Maypole and crowning the Queen of May. It celebrated the midway point between the spring and summer solstice, or the first day of summer.

It is customary for the Queen of May to be a virgin teenage girl, who participates in the May Day parade, clothed in a white gown for purity and crowned with flowers. In ancient times, the May Queen was sacrificed once the festivities were over.

In the Roman Catholic church, May is the celebration of the Virgin Mary, with small baskets of sweets or flowers being placed anonymously on neighbour’s doorsteps. The 1st of May is also known as the Feast of St Philip and St James, who became the patron saints of labourers.

Of course the banks had to get in on the act and made the 1st May another ‘bank holiday’. The Kingdom of Great Britain was formed on the 1st May, in 1707, by the Act of Union between England and Scotland.

May Day is also recognized as the International Worker’s Day. Or known as Labour Day, remembering the long struggle for an eight-hour working day. May Day has become a global celebration of the recognition of the economic and social achievements of the labour movement. Some use it as a day for demonstrations and political protest. (That is so long as you don ‘t happen to belong to the 54% of the world’s population that still live under dictatorial governments.)

“Another day without staff,” grumble the employers of Vanuatu, a tiny tropical island nation in the far North West corner of the South Pacific. “Another holiday. Let’s celebrate,” smile the fun loving Vanuatu people. A day to hire (if you happen to have a job) an amplifying system and boogie your way through the day. Forget about the neighbours. They should be celebrating also.

If you asked the majority of the Vanuatu people, why they are celebrating May Day, they wouldn’t have the slightest idea. Some of the more educated minority, might reply, “Because it’s numba one day of the month.” The rest simply take the advantage of having a day to lie around in the sun, waiting to go off to the Kava bar (a local type of native pub) to throw back a few shells of foul-smelling Kava with their pals. Kava, unlike alcohol, merely makes the drinkers comatose, rather than hype them up. Unless of course they choose to combine it with alcohol.

I can think of a better way to celebrate May Day. Get yourself the winning ticket that will make you an overnight millionaire! This is for real.  Take a few minutes to check it out at Win a Resort. This is For REAL. It could completely CHANGE Your Life!

Mother’s Day was first created by Anna Jarvis, an American who campaigned for one day to be set aside to honour mothers. This has become an almost universal tradition. It originated only at the start of the 20th century and not to be confused with the mother worship of ancient Greece.

Anna Jarvis, became so upset at the commercialization of the holiday, only 9 years after its inception, her and her sister spent their family inheritance campaigning against the holiday and both died in poverty. She said, “A printed card means nothing except that you are too lazy to write to the woman who has done more for you than anyone in the world. And candy! You take a box to Mother—and then eat most of it yourself. A pretty sentiment!”

Here are some out-of-the-ordinary ideas that may have even pleased Anna Jarvis. Pleases note we are not selling these items, just trying to stimulate you to think of other ideas, apart from flowers and candy (and give you a laugh at the same time).
If your mother is an art lover, you simply wouldn’t go past the Michelangelo pillow. It comes complete with an old-fashioned wind up music box, which plays the Beatles, “I Wanna Hold Your Hand”.

This pillow, which has Munch’s masterpiece on it, screams for Mum when she squeezes it. A real stress buster and saves her voice for other things.

Three legged pantyhose maybe just the thing you’re looking for. Designed for those women who can’t bear to have a snag in their pantyhose. The third leg is rolled up when not in use, ready for that emergency situation.

For Mom’s who are terrified of being robbed in the street you could get a purse no one can steal. Mum can handcuff the purse to her wrist. The handcuff is attached to the purse by a retractable chain. Or better still you could buy her an Armadillo hand bag. No one is going to think to steal an animal.

Here is a more simple idea. Surprise Mum by driving her to a restaurant where she has never before eaten, eg. Japanese, Thailand, Indian, Hungarian. Give her a new experience for her tastebuds. Of course, don’t forget to carry those indigestion tablets with you, for afterwards.

If Mum is addicted to her cups of tea, you can purchase a giant cup and saucer. Reminiscent of the Mad-Hatter’s tea party.

Then there is the digital phone wallet. The removable digital photo viewer allows her to show up to 55 brag-photos of her family to all her friends. (Now you know what those ladies do when they congregate at the coffee shop – and you thought they might have been discussing you.)

Your Mother will love this if she needs to create a stress free space. A therapy eye mask which not only blocks out all light, but plays five pre-loaded peaceful sounds, including birds chirping and a babbling brook.

Once-Bitten-Cookie Cutters. This is for those mothers who are always complaining about the kids pinching her cookies, even before they have a chance to cool. It will deter most kids, if they think someone has already taken a bite.
At the end of the day though, no matter what you decide to buy your mother, just remember the greatest gift you can give her is free. A HUG.

Then of course you could just buy her a ticket to win a million dollar property on a tropical island in the South Pacific. It is GUARANTEED TO CHANGE HER LIFE. Take a few minutes to check it out at Win a Resort.

First Lady Michelle Obama stays in strict control of building her own image. Other First Ladies submitted themselves to the demands of magazine editors and their make up artists. Not Michelle Obama, who has pointedly remained in control, methodically extending it far beyond the normal fashion barriers. Michelle is making her mark on the world, along side her husband.

Mrs. Obama is a multifaceted lady. A Harvard-trained lawyer and former hospital vice president, she is also a tough-minded professional who cares deeply about influencing public policy and sometimes promotes legislation at her events. Mrs. Obama’s aides are working with the president’s domestic policy team to help develop strategies to support working parents.

“It’s the softer, domestic side that we’re seeing, which appeals to a lot of people,” Ms. Schultz said. “But a lot of us are cheering her on and hoping we’re going to hear more from that public policy side of Michelle Obama. Maybe it’s the old-fashioned feminist in me. I want to keep celebrating that brain,” says Connie Schultz, a journalist and author, whose husband is a Senator.

“I don’t have to deal with the hard problems every day,” Michelle Obama told a group of schoolchildren this week. “I get to do the fun stuff.”

Ten months ago Mrs. Obama was described as an angry black woman by some conservatives and as a liability to her husband. In a most remarkable organic-political transformation, the First Lady is widely admired for her warmth and her vibrant and accessible manner. She has the highest favorability ratings of any incoming First Lady since 1980 and is even more popular than the president. We have shades of and African-American Princess Di in the making. Princess Diana was one of the most loved female personalities of the 1990’s.

In 1976 there was a Swine Flu scare, followed by a lot of propaganda, which evolved into 40,000 Americans being inoculated in a very emotive nationwide campaign, sponsored by the US Public Health Service.
So what are the facts behind 1976?

• One cold February in 1976, a 19 year-old soldier, David Lewis, fell sick and died within 24 hours. He died from an influenza not seen since the Spanish Lady of 1918-19, which had killed approximately 40 million people
• Tests hastily taken by government doctors after Lewis’s death showed that 500 soldiers had caught Swine Flu without falling ill
• How the Swine Flu got to Fort Dix in 1967 still has not been tracked down
• A decision to inoculate the nation was made by Ford, one day after his surprise defeat to Ronald Reagan, in the North Carolina Republican presidential primary, though Carter eventually became president in November that year
• The makers of the vaccine insisted the government accept the liability for any harmful side effects from the vaccine
• Within days of the first inoculations (October 12th) three elderly people fell ill and died
• A total of 30 died from vaccine related causes
• There were fears that the vaccine was touching off neurological problems, especially rare Guillian-Barre syndrome
• The inoculation campaign did not stop until December that same year. Only 40,000 Americans were vaccinated, instead of the goal of 220 million
• Hundreds of Americans filed suit against the government
• The swine flu of ’76 became known as the ‘Epidemic-that-never-was’ with only ONE death

We empathize with governments. If they do not move in the face of a threat, they are remiss. If they move too soon and it is not a pandemic, as in 1976, they face the possibility of hundreds of lawsuits.
However, there are other factors that affect the equation:

• One of the new medications used to combat Swine Flu is Tamiflu, made and patented by Gilead Sciences and Donald Rumsfield was the chairman of the company
• Gilead Sciences stock went through the roof with the news of the Avian Flu (Rumsfield refused to sell his stock when he joined the Bush administration). Rumsfield became the richest man in the Bush administration
• Gilead Sciences successfully lobbied a billion dollar contract with the US military during the Avian Flu scare
• Now the same players are in the field again with the Swine Flu scare

It may be beneficial to take the advice of Dr Ira Longini, from Vaccine and Infectious Disease institute, Hutchinson Research Centre in Seattle, Washington. “Things such as ’social distancing’, (including wearing masks in crowded places) and seeking medical treatment can reduce the sickness by nearly two-thirds”.

Every year 36,000 people die in America alone from A and B type flu related problems. Every year 200,000 people are hospitalized with flu related problems. Whether we like it or not, winter months are flu months. The fact is that no matter what happens, there will be companies positioned to make a ‘killing’ in the face of the Swine Flu threat.

Only 8 deaths are actually recorded as being directly related to the current Swine Flu outbreak. Most cased reported outside the United States have proven to be only mild infections, with only a handful of patients requiring hospitalization.

We lived through the SARS outbreak in Hong Kong, so know what it is to live through an actual pandemic scare. As will all these things, it is the education of the next generation that is of prime importance. That is why we are so passionate about providing education to kids in a third world country. We need your help and you could win an exotic 7 day holiday for two in the safety of the South Pacific. Check it out now. First Draw closes 30th May.

Citizens of the tiny eastern state of Appenzell Inner Rhodes, in the Swiss Alps, have had enough. Last week they passed legislation banning naked hiking in their region. They were sick and tired of being invaded by dozens of mostly German nudists trampers, hiking through their picturesque area.

By a show of hands, the residents of the tiny canton (state) unanimously voted, at their open-air annual assembley, to impose a 200 Swiss franc ($176) fine on all nudist violators. The state government recommended the ban after residents of the area complained about encountering hikers with nothing more on but hiking boots and socks.

A government official said in a statement “The reaction of the local residents has shown that continued appearances of nude hikers, over a large area, are seen as being thoroughly disturbing and irritating?” The Appenzell region has been regarded as a favorite, with trails the nudists regarded as ‘off the beaten path’.

The neighboring Appenzell Outer Rhodes, is expected to move with a similar legislation. The nationalist Swiss People’s Party has advised that state parliament it is preparing legislation against ‘this shameless behavior’.

German Web sites promote the nude hiking trips, describing it as ‘a special experience of nature, free and healthy’. The web sites say the back-to-nature nude hiking in the Swiss Alps has roots in antiquity. While it can be appreciated that the European community grab every bit of sunlight they can, the sites make no mention of any danger of frost bite to sensitive parts of the body. I guess this could fall into the category of ‘extreme sport’?

The German sites also promote walks in France and in areas of Germany, where public nudity has roots reaching back to the 18th century. The websites have birthed a movement that is known as the ‘Free Body Culture.’ However, public nudity is less common in the more conservative areas of Switzerland.

While the citizens of Switzerland debate the issue of nude hiking in their Alps, it is to be remembered that for many nations, such as the tropical island nation of Vanuatu, in the South Pacific, nudity was a way of life. That is until the missionaries arrived.

Even today, in custom rites and ceremonies, near nudity is the norm, as was experienced by these Sydney matrons.

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A new strain of swine flu is sweeping the world, with around 150  deaths recorded in Mexico. Several other countries world-wide have suspect cases reported, from as far apart as Canada, France, Hong Kong, Israel, Australia and New Zealand. Some flights to Mexico have been suspended.

President Obama has asked Congress for and addition $1.5 billion to give the government maximum flexibility to fight the threatened pandemic, as the number of confirmed cases in the United States hits 65.

Swine flu is a respiratory disease, caused by type A influenza that frequently breaks out among pigs. Swine flu viruses do not normally affect human beings. However, the current swine flu has a lethal mix of a gene segment from bird flu, a segment from human flu, plus two genes from pig flu. Pigs are known to be the world’s notorious ‘mixing bowl’s. The never before seen virus is causing great concern, as humans have no immunity to it.

Swine flu cannot be contracted through eating pork products, however human-to-human infections are occurring, without the victims being exposed to infected animals.

Here are simple steps people need to take to provide self-protection against the threatened pandemic:

• Cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it. Have a mask handy if anyone sneezes or coughs near you.

A single achoo propels 100,000 droplets into the air, flying at around 90 mph, landing on door knobs, ATM and computer keypads, elevator buttons, escalator railings and grocery cart handles. According to British researchers, in a subway station at rush hour, as many as 10 percent of all commuters can come in contact with the spray and residue from just one sneeze. That means as many as 150 commuters can be sickened by one uncovered sneeze, or cough. The rush of air from a cough travels at speeds approaching 600 mph.

• Wash your hands frequently, for up to 20 seconds, with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Wash your hands always before you eat and where possible do not eat with your hands.

It is estimated over 80% of all infections are spread by hands. If you are unable to wash your hands, resort to using hand-sanitizers with 60% alcohol content. These come in handy pocket size containers.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth and avoid kissing on the cheeks.

Germs spread more quickly that way than any other form of transmission.

• Try to avoid close contact with sick people. Isolation and avoidance are your best protective measures.
• Eat well, watch your sleep habits and exercise regularly. Upgrade your intake of vitamin C and practice good hygiene.
• If you get sick, stay home from work or school and limit contact with others, to keep from infecting them.
• Stay alert and recognize any unusual symptoms. If you are in doubt, get professional advice.

Dr Ira Longini, from Vaccine and Infectious Disease institute, Hutchinson Research Centre in Seattle, Washington, says “Things such as ’social distancing’, (including wearing masks in crowded places) and seeking medical treatment can reduce the sickness by nearly two-thirds”.  He believes that most people who have contracted the disease so far, have travelled to Mexico. He does not, however believe that travel restrictions will  stop the spread of the disease.

Six million masks have been handed out in Mexico. Even the statue of the Patron of Lost Causes, outside of St. Jude Thaddeus church in Mexico City, has been fitted with a light-blue surgical mask to ward off Swine Flu.

Swine flu is treatable, though resistant to two of the four drugs approved for treating flu. Two new arrivals, Tamiflu and Relenza are successful in treating the disease.  “Even outbreaks of swine Flu follows the standard flu pattern of dropping off in the summer months,” says Longini.

Mexico has hundreds of industrial-scale hog facilities, known as ‘confined animal feeding operations’, where pigs are tightly packed in rows. Thousands of pigs are restricted to indoor pens and grain-fed for market. Breeding sows are kept in small metal crates where they spend the majority of their lives pregnant or nursing a new litter of piglets. Studies have shown that the swine flu, H1N1, is common throughout pig populations worldwide, with 25 percent of animals showing antibody evidence of having, or having had, infection.

Up to now, hog workers with swine flu have rarely gone on to infect other people, save for close family members. And that is why this new strain of swine influenza virus is so vexing and alarming. It seems to spread quite easily through casual human contact.

Above all, don’t panic. Take one day at a time. These things do go away. The author Wendy and her husband Rick lived in Hong Kong in 2002/3, through the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). They know first hand what it is to live through a pandemic scare.

The US has declared a Public Health Emergency, as it leads a worldwide rush to minimize the impact of the never before seen particular virus, of the swine flu strain. There have been 20 cases reported in five states. The cases have been mild, with people recovering from the outbreak.

There have been up to 149 deaths reported in Mexico, over 1,500 people falling ill since April 13. Young, healthy people between 20-40 years old are dying. It appears the Mexican government may have been slow to react to the outbreak in March and early April. All schools and all public meetings have been cancelled until May 6th.

Twelve million doses of the drug Tamiflu will be moved from a federal stockpile, to where it can be more easily obtained if necessary. Priority will be given to the five already affected states: California, Texas, New York, Ohio and Kansas.

Director of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, says “People need to think of it as a declaration of emergency preparedness”. Nations around the world are on high alert for any symptoms that could be related to the swine flu. There is evidence of an efficient human-to-human spread of the virus.

Margaret Chan, WHO Director General says, “The virus has clearly a pandemic potential”. Pandemics occur when there is a radical mutation of a virus, to which people have no immunity. People are getting sick without any contact with pigs.

“The situation is uncertain and unpredictable and likely to be a marathon more than a sprint,” says Dr. Richard Besser, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

New viruses form when at least two viruses combine. Pigs are especially known to be ‘mixing vessels’. The new virus has gene segments of the bird flu, one gene segment from a human flu and two gene segments from a pig virus.

The bird flu is thought to have killed approximately 157 people, while infecting over 335 people. Over 150 million birds are thought to have been affected by the bird flu and could take several years to control the disease in poultry. It has affected birds in Southern Asia, Turkey, and Nigeria, while Britain, Austria, Italy, Greece, Switzerland, France and Germany all have confirmed cases. Humans catch it through contact with live infected birds. Some believe the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 was Avian flu virus, which killed approximately 40 million people world-wide.

The pandemics of 1957 and 1968 in Hong Kong, originated from flu viruses in birds.

The possibility of a swine flu pandemic, (where only American one soldier died from the flu) was contained in 1976. Some 40 million Americans were inoculated in a controversial nationwide campaign, where the manufacturers of the vaccine insisted the government take liability for any harmful side effects from the vaccine. The program was stopped when some apparently related serious neurological conditions and in particular the rare Guillian-Barre syndrome, were found in several hundred people. The government of the day hundreds of law suits, from families of victims who had died after receiving the vaccine, for an ‘Epidemic That Never Was’.

Then of course there was the near global pandemic, SARS (Severe Acute  Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak in 2001, which affected 8,096 people and killed 774.  The cause still not confirmed.