last moon

domenica 31 gennaio 2010

Whose money is that?


This half cigar belonged to Sir Winston Churchill. He left it, stubbed and half smoked in a hashtray, in Downing Street, the 21st August 1941, urging to head the Cabinet as Germans Troops had reached Leningrad.


Of course we were all lucky he didn't keep quietly smoking that cigar.


But the point is another one, as that half cigar has been sold by £4,500 in a public sale.


Who has the right to get that money?


If I were a Winnie's heir I would claim that money. Just to give it back to the bidder has won the sale and get back that half cigar which, may be, has saved the world from the nazis!


Read more on the Mail On Line


Half-smoked cigar that Churchill stubbed out as he heard the Nazi army had reached Leningrad is sold for £4,500

Cigar fan: Sir Winston Churchill
A cigar half-smoked and stubbed out by Sir Winston Churchill during the Second World War has sold for 15 times the expected price at auction.
The four-inch stub was predicted to fetch £300 to £350 but an anonymous collector from Hertfordshire paid £4,500 for it at a sale in Aylsham, Norfolk.
The cigar was left by Churchill as he dashed off for a Cabinet meeting on August 22, 1941 – the day the Germans reached Leningrad in Russia.
Whitehall valet Nellie Goble took the cigar from an ashtray when she was cleaning up. She sent it as a gift to a friend, named only as Jack, with a note she wrote on No10 notepaper.
It read: ‘Just a small souvenir to remind you at some future date of one of the greatest men that ever lived in England.’
Jack kept the cigar and note until his death in 1987. His daughter tucked it in a draw until deciding to sell.
Would-be buyers included telephone bidders from Egypt and Israel.
Auctioneers Keys, of Aylsham, Norfolk, said Sir Winston abandoned the stub to attend a cabinet meeting.
Andrew Bullock of auctioneers Keys said: ‘It was extremely rare for Churchill not to finish a cigar so it must have been something very, very urgent that demanded his immediate attention in the Cabinet Room.’
Keys said the stub - nearly four inches long - was bought by a private collector at a sale in Aylsham.
The cigar was stubbed out on the day the advancing German army reached Leningrad, leading to a historic siegeRead more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1247262/Half-smoked-cigar-Churchill-stubbed-heard-Nazi-army-reached-Leningrad-sold-4-500.html#ixzz0eBHpRQvF

giovedì 28 gennaio 2010

And next only telegenics


May be they were afraid you might forget your purse at home; or sometimes you might be hiding some stuff under large wearing clothes; or finally they have have a lot of unsold fashon dresses; whatever else could be the reason why, Tesco Supermarket in Cardiff has unveiled a dress code banning customers who go shopping wearing pyjamas or being barefoot. And next? Only people who look telegenic, of course!!!

But are them giving their stuff away for nothing?



Know more by Luke Salkeld on Daily Mirror on-line

Unwelcome: Elaine Carmody was asked to leave a Tesco store in Cardiff because she was wearing pyjamas
It’s probably not the first choice of attire one would choose for a weekly shopping trip down at the local store.
But those who like to get the groceries in their pyjamas should be aware they will be barred at a Tesco superstore, which is the first in Britain to introduce a dress code.
Wandering the aisles in your dressing gown or going barefoot is just not acceptable, according to store policy which is outlined on posters put up at the entrance.
The notices state: ‘To avoid causing embarrassment to others we ask that our customers are appropriately dressed when visiting our store (footwear must be worn at all times and no nightwear is permitted).’
While the dress code would appear to be common sense to the majority of shoppers, Tesco staff at St Mellons, Cardiff, said they were forced to put up the posters.
This is because increasing numbers of young women have taken to shopping in their nightwear after dropping their children off at school in the morning.
A store spokesman said: ‘We do not have a strict dress code but we don't want people shopping in their nightwear in case it offends other customers.
‘We're not a nightclub with a strict dress code, and jeans and trainers are of course more than welcome.
‘We do, however, request that customers do not shop in their PJs or nightgowns.
'This is to avoid causing offence or embarrassment.’

The spokesman said they were ‘unaware’ of any other Tesco store in the UK putting up similar signs to ban nightwear.
Mother-of-two Elaine Carmody, 24, was one of the first yesterday to be marched out of Tesco by a security guard for wearing her pyjamas in store.
She said: 'I just don't understand it. I go in other shops in my pyjamas and they don't say anything.
'You used to always be allowed in Tescos. But not now, it is ridiculous and stupid. I've got lovely pairs of pyjamas, with bears and penguins on them. I've worn my best ones today, just so I look tidy.'

Standards: The store in St Mellons has introduced the dress code to avoid offence among other customers
Ms Carmody was told to abandon her trolley in the aisle and leave the store. She was escorted off the premises by a security guard.
'I walked in with my trolley and the security guard came over and told me to leave,' said she said.
'He said it offends people. But I've never seen anyone offended.'
Ms Carmody admitted she is often still in pyjamas in the morning after sorting out her children for nursery.

Some shoppers at the store welcomed the ban yesterday saying it was not unusual to see women pushing their trolleys in pyjamas, dressing gowns and slippers.
But other people living around the estate were furious and branded Tesco ‘snobbish’.
Wearing pyjamas outside the house became a hot topic recently on the Mumsnet website with parents drawing up lists of what is and what is not acceptable for mothers to wear at the school gates.
Some 'yummy mummies' advocate glossy hair, a full face of make-up, tailored clothes and high heels.
Then there are the 'slummies' who insist tracksuits or gardening clothes are fine - or at a push - pyjamas and slippers.
One mother wrote that she was warned to wear high heels and lipstick when she collected her daughter up from nursery or the other mothers would not invite her to social occasions.
But another suggested buying a decent coat to cover up sartorial horrors or even pyjamas underneath.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1246722/Cover-No-shopping-PJs-barefoot-Tesco-tells-shoppers-supermarket-unveil-dress-code.html#ixzz0dyqAKkx6

venerdì 15 gennaio 2010

The easiest specs to be worn



Worried to forget your glasses at home? Afraid to feel uncomfortable spectacles? No more problems with the easiest specs to be worn! It seems a real advertising spot and infact .......it is.



"Did this man really tattoo a pair of sunglasses onto his face - or is this viral video just a Ray-Ban publicity stunt?
By Daily M
ail Foreign Service


It's the latest viral video to take the internet by storm - that of a man making a spectacle of himself by tattooing a pair of sunglasses on to his face.
But the man known to the world only as Matthew may have fooled half a million people in the last two days.
YouTube footage and Flickr photos show Matthew having the outline of the famous Ray-Ban sunglasses etched onto his face in black ink while his girlfriend looks on.
Scroll down for video

Real tattoo... or marker pen? The man known to the world as Matthew shows off his new spectacles tattoo... as his girlfriend, also wearing a pair of Ray-Bans, looks on



The footage drew hundreds of comments from viewers, with many wondering what would happen should Matthew ever actually need spectacles later in life, and others defending his choice.
But, two days after the footage flew around the internet, it has emerged that the video may in fact be nothing more than a publicity stunt for Ray-Ban.
The sunglasses company has formed a production company called 'Never Hide Films' - complete with its own YouTube channel - that has to date produced 20 viral videos.
The video entitled 'Guy has glasses tattooed on his face' is just the latest in Ray-Ban's viral campaign.
'By keeping their finger on the pulse of what’s cool, unique and attention grabbing, Ray-Ban has turned their video series into a viral video factory, and now has the track record to prove it,' the blog The Future of Ads has written in a post devoted to Matthew's video.
See the video here

Some of the videos have been wildly successful. One film that shows a man catching a pair of Ray-Bans with his face in increasingly outlandish situations has been viewed four million times in one year.
'What made this video a success was that it used an existing YouTube meme (amazing and unbelievable actions performed over and over again with increasing difficulty, such as long basketball shots...) but did so in a very fluid and believable way,' The Future of Ads explained.
Another video - that of a cow giving birth to a man (a man wearing, of course, a pair of Ray-Bans) - is a success because of its shock value, the blog claimed.
Another advertising blog, Adverblog, wrote: 'Overall you can easily say RayBan is very successfully reaching a broad, worldwide online crowd spreading the Never Hide message' with the virals.
See Ray-Ban's 'Guy catches sunglasses with face' viral video here

So did Matthew really tattoo a pair of Ray-Bans on to his face? A Ray-Ban spokesman in the UK was not immediately able to comment.
Redness and some bleeding is seen around the tattooed area in some frames - and Matthew himself certainly appears to be no stranger to tattoos.
The sound of the needle can be heard on the video - although it's hard to tell if the needle is actually piercing the skin.
With the 'faked' precedent set by Never Hide Film's previous productions, the debate is continuing around the internet - and will likely just cause even more people to view the video.
For Ray-Ban at least, then, the question of whether the tattoo is real or not is irrelevant: As a viral advertising campaign, it is a wild success."


sabato 9 gennaio 2010

Love's Affairs, Heart's Affairs


It seems to be quite right what ancient believers used to say about the place where love is placed. As matter of fact, accordding to a University of Pennsylvania's reasearch, making love at least twice a week, can reduce heart disease in men by half, study reveals


Read more in the Daily Mail By Pat Hagan



Men don't usually need an excuse to indulge in a spot of passion.
But if they did, here's one that sounds more convincing than most - making love is good for their hearts, it seems.
Men who have sex at least twice a week can almost halve their risk of heart disease, according to research.

Healthy love life: Sex twice a week can reduce the risk of heart disease in men
Those who make love regularly are apparently up to 45 per cent less likely to develop life-threatening heart conditions than men whose sexual encounters are limited to just once a month or less.
The study, of more than 1,000 men, shows sex appears to have a protective effect on the male heart but did not examine whether women benefit too.
Now the American researchers are calling for doctors to 'screen' men for sexual activity when assessing their risk of heart disease.
The benefits of love-making could be due to both the physical and emotional effects on the body, they said.

'Men with the desire for frequent sexual activity and who are able to engage in it are likely to be healthier,' the scientists told the American Journal of Cardiology.
'But sex in some forms has a physical activity component that might directly serve to protect cardiovascular health.
'Also, men who have frequent sex might be more likely to be in a supportive intimate relationship.
'This might improve health through stress reduction and social support.'
The scientists at the New England Research Institute, based in Massachusetts, spent 16 years tracking the sexual activity of men aged between 40 and 70.
Each of the volunteers was quizzed at regular intervals about how often they had sex.
They were then checked for signs of heart disease. Other risk factors, such as age, weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels, were also taken into account.
Although sex has long been regarded as good for both physical and mental health, there has been little scientific evidence of benefits on major illnesses such as heart disease until now.
An earlier study at the National Cancer Institute in the U.S. showed men who ejaculated through sex or masturbation at least five times a week are much less likely to develop prostate cancer.
And having sex once or twice a week during the winter months can boost the immune system and reduce the chances of catching colds and flu, according to scientists at Wilkes University, Pennsylvania.
It boosts levels of a chemical called immunoglobulin A 6, which binds to organisms that invade the body and then activates the immune system to destroy them.
Regular intercourse can even boost a woman's sense of smell by triggering the release of a hormone called prolactin, researchers at Canada's Calgary University found.
This may be a mechanism to help mothers bond with their new babies.
Every year, around 270,000 people in Britain suffer a heart attack, and coronary disease remains the nation's biggest killer.Read more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1241692/Having-sex-twice-week-reduce-heart-disease-men-half-study-reveals.html#ixzz0cBbw5tIl

domenica 3 gennaio 2010

Distrusting easy weightbust


If you want to bust your exceeding weight it's better start moving up, training or taking some advice from your own doctor. Taking pills for easy bustweight, according to a research by the EMA, can highly increase the risk on developping heart problems. It seems that Sibutramine, marketed in Great Britain as Reductil and in the USA as Meridia, raising blood pressure, can even lead to heart attack.


Read more



Heart attack and stroke fears over fat-busting wonder pill
By Jo MacfarlaneLast updated at 8:02 AM on 03rd January 2010

Overweight people who have been using Reductil could be more at risk of heart attacks and strokes
A fat-busting pill used by thousands in the UK is being investigated by medicines watchdogs over fears it could cause heart attacks and strokes.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA), which licenses the use of the drug Reductil, is looking at the results of a clinical trial which suggests that its active ingredient, sibutramine, could lead to an increased risk of developing heart problems.
Nearly 330,000 prescriptions for the drug, which tricks the brain into believing the stomach is full, were written out in 2008.
The safety data has come from an international trial of 10,000 patients carried out during the past six years.
Most of those recruited for the Sibutramine Cardiovascular Outcome Trial (SCOUT) were overweight or obese and already had cardiovascular problems.
A heart condition would normally exclude them from taking the drug because it can slightly raise blood pressure.
However, the EMA has said that, as a result of the ‘seriousness’ of the study’s concerns, it is looking at the implications for all patients offered the prescription-only drug and will release its findings later this month.
Until then, it has advised doctors to use Reductil ‘with caution’ and to monitor patients’ blood pressure and heart rate.
The UK’s medicines watchdog, The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, also confirmed it was reviewing the data.

The agency has recorded 2,094 suspected adverse reactions to Reductil since it was introduced in 2001, and 17 deaths have been linked to the drug. Six of the deaths were caused by heart problems and strokes.
Reductil works by blocking the nerve cells that release and reabsorb the hormone serotonin, a chemical neurotransmitter in the brain that affects moods and appetite.
As the level of serotonin in the body rises, people feel fuller, eat less and, as a result, lose weight.
The drug is recommended for patients who are clinically ‘obese’ – those with a Body Mass Index over 30 – or for anyone with a BMI higher than 27 who has another weight-related health problem.
A spokesman for Abbott Laboratories, which manufacturers Reductil, said: ‘Our ongoing evaluation of the SCOUT study data does not change our medical assessment of sibutramine’s risk/benefit profile when used appropriately in the approved patient population.
'Sibutramine is an important treatment for patients who are obese.Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1240147/Heart-attack-stroke-fears-fat-busting-wonder-pill.html#ixzz0bXZ1mFJp