Sunday, October 31, 2010
Sandra Bullock at the Tonight Show
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Halloween: Why pumpkins are so special?
Pumpkins have become unavoidable during the Halloween season, especially in North America, for carving jack-o'-lanterns. But interestingly, the poor (but fat or obese) pumpkin got into the fray of a competitive Halloween add-on accidentally. It had no role in Halloween in the early history of the celebrations.
But, other vegetables such as the turnip, mangelwurzel, or swede (a type of Swedish turnip) were traditionally used for carving lanterns throughout Britain and Ireland. Also, until 1837 jack-o'-lantern did not appear as a term for a carved vegetable lantern, and the carved lantern did not become associated with Halloween until 1866.
As carving jack-o'-lanterns and use of it as a Halloween lantern occurred in not in Britain or Ireland, but in North America, Historian David J. Skal writes: “Although every modern chronicle of the holiday repeats the claim that vegetable lanterns were a time-honored component of Halloween celebrations in the British Isles, none gives any primary documentation. In fact, none of the major nineteenth-century chronicles of British holidays and folk customs makes any mention whatsoever of carved lanterns in connection with Halloween. Neither do any of the standard works of the early twentieth century.”
It just happened that in the United States, the carved pumpkin was first associated with the harvest season in general, long before it became an emblem of Halloween. It has also been recorded that pumpkins were easy to cultivate in the United States, and the size of them were significantly larger than their cousins in the British Isles or Europe, where the Celtic festival has its roots.
Firstly, because of their large sizes and cheap prices, it was easier to carve lanterns on pumpkins than on the traditional turnips or swede. So, someone probably experimented with the poor plumb pumpkin and others followed suit. And they, instead becoming an alternative, became the main vegetable for carving jack-o'-lanterns.
And then, there was the reverse flow of culture and tradition, as the old West started aping the New West, and now in European countries and other areas where Halloween is celebrated the Pumpkin is the King of Vegetables during the Halloween season!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Dutch Model Lara Stone
Photo: Stone in an ad for home equipments and home improvement ad
Dutch supermodel Lara Stone, 26, the new face of Calvin Klein, said , "No woman wants photos of them to be published in Playboy without permission", after winning a lawsuit against French Playboy that published her photos without her permission, telegrapgh.co.uk reported.
Stone instructed the law firm Schillings in London and Asmar & Assayag in Paris to sue French Playboy and American photographer Greg Lotus after the images appeared in Playboy in June. The case was heard in a court in Paris, and Payboy has been ordered to publish a prominent legal statement in the next edition confirming the court has found it has infringed Stone's image rights.
Stone has appeared on the covers of Vogue's French, Italian, British, Japanese and American editions, but earlier this week a risque advertising campaign for Calvin Klein Jeans featuring Stone was banned in Australia after Australian Advertising Standards Bureau ruled it was 'suggestive of violence and rape'.
Snorkeling bikini girl Gemma
This snorkeling girl is just wearing her swimwear, and no appendages like a diving mask, a shaped tube called a snorkel, or the usual swimfins are on her in the photo. The title ‘snorkeling girl…” has been originally assigned to her by the author of this beautiful photo, may be because snorkeling is her pastime, or she is about to go snorkeling.
Snorkeling is the practice of swimming on or through a body of water, such as the sea, ocean or a lake, equipped with equipments suitable for remaining underwater for observing underwater attractions for extended periods of time with relatively little effort. In cold waters, a wetsuit may also be worn.
In modern times, snorkeling has become a popular recreational activity, particularly at tropical resorts and scuba diving locations. Usually, the aim of the snorkeller is not doing anything of commercial nature, but the primary appeal is the opportunity to observe underwater ecology and marine ecology or marine habitats in their a natural settings without the complicated equipments and training required for scuba diving, and without the exhaled bubbles of scuba-diving equipment.
Snorkeling is also used by scuba divers on or just below water surface. Search and rescue teams on beaches frequented by tourists may snorkel as part of a water-based search. Enthusiasts of popular sports such as underwater hockey, underwater ice hockey, underwater rugby and spearfishing also use snorkel.
Snorkelers are most likely to be found in locations where there are minimal waves, warm water, and something particularly interesting to see near the surface. Shallow reefs which are 1 to 4 meters (3 to 12 feet) under sea level are favored by snorkelers. Deeper reefs need higher fitness and skill levels.
There are many variants of snorkeling such as bog snorkeling (popular in the United Kingdom and Australia), free-diving, scuba diving (needs a self contained portable breathing apparatus), spearfishing, underwater hockey, and underwater rugby.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Missy Malone in Clutterfly Jewellery ad
Missy Malone in ad-campaign for Clutterfly Jewellery, photo by Cherry Bomb Rock Photography
The British burlesque performer Missy Malone, 25, currently based in central England, is well-known throughout Europe for her performances that fuse the 1950’s pin-up style and modern rock energy.
From childhood, Malone took active interest and trained herself in dance, drama, art, trapeze and stilt walking. She is a graduate, a BA Hons Degree in Performance Costume Design. Malone specialized in striptease and acrobalance costumes and corsetry design for her final year of her costume design degree, and she makes or customizes all her performance costumes.
Malone now regularly performs across Europe and the UK, and has appeared in a Bollywood movie ‘Raftaar’, and on Italian television programs.
Burlesque star Miss Dirty Martini at HOWL Festival
Burlesque star Miss Dirty Martini at the 2009 HOWL! Festival in New York City's East Village, photos by David Shankbone.
Model Jassi in US Stars and Stripes bikini
Photomodel Jassi in a US Stars and Stripes bikini, showing her tattoos
Photomodel Jassi in a US Stars and Stripes bikini - rearview with a Tanga, photo by Raimond Spekking
Monday, October 25, 2010
April Hunter in red-striped bikini
American professional wrestler, professional wrestling valet and fitness and glamour model April Hunter poses in striped bikini. Hunter has appeared in many publications, from MuscleMag International to Playboy Magazine and has her own comic book series 'Code Red' by Pickle Press.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Silvia wearing a cheeky bottom
Photo: Silvia wearing a cheeky bottom
The C-string is narrow as a g-string but without the band around the waist, leaving just a C shaped piece between the legs held in place firmly by a flexible internal frame. Since there is no material around the waist, the C-string eliminates the panty lines which thongs and other underwear create, and reduces the tan lines.
A more conservative style, a Cheeky covers a little more area, but exposes the bottom part of the buttocks, and also some are used as undergarments while others function as bikini bottoms.
Brazilian women wearing black thongs
In some parts of India, just a strip of cloth (an ancient Indian version of the thong called a ‘Konaan’ or ‘Konakam’ made of any strip of cloth) used to be tied from a thread around the waist by men of all ages while bathing and changing in public ponds or indigenous swimming pools, just to cover the male genitals and it was considered perfectly within the limits of decency.
The origin of the word thong in the English language is from Old English ‘thwong’, meaning a flexible leather cord, and a commonly used name is tanga (or string tanga), like the German tanga. In Lithuanian language, it is ‘siaurikės’ (narrows), Italian ‘perizoma’ or ‘tanga’, in Turkish ‘ipli külot’ (stringed underpants), and in Bulgarian as ‘prashka’ (slingshot). In Israel the g-string thong is called Khutini. In Iran, it is called ‘Shortbandi’ (شورت بندی) in which ‘short’ (English: shorts) means ‘briefs’ and ‘bandi’ means ‘with a string’. A Puerto-Rican Spanish term is ‘gistro’, and interestingly, Australians refer to the g-string as a g-banger or simply banger. In Chinese dialects, the T-back is commonly called dingziku,
Thongs are accepted to some degree in most western countries, including most of Europe, North and South America, Australia, and parts of Asia. But thongs are banned in some countries in the Middle East. In some U.S. locations such as Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Kure Beach, North Carolina, though there is no national law specifically relating to nudity, thongs, or toplessness in the United States. At least one U.S. city passed an anti-nudity ordinance in 2007 which however did not ban thongs.
In South American countries thongs are more widely used than in USA. In Brazil the thong bottoms with different levels of coverage is used by vast number of females of all ages. In Argentina, thongs are used by many teenage and young adult women but it is not the general type of swimsuit, it's acceptable but edgy.
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woman wearing tube top and jeans
A beautiful Canadian woman wearing a tube top: she was with a group of performers at the first annual Fiestival, which took place at Olympic Plaza in Calgary, Alberta, Canada - photo dated 21 July 2007.
German model Chloe Vevrier
German model Chloe Vevrier began her career as in early 1990s and has since posed for numerous publications worldwide, especially posing for photographers in East Germany. Vevrier has studied the kabbalah intently, and is a 'certified practitioner of medicinal science'.
Miami Black Spring Festival
Miami Black Spring Festival 2005, Miami Beach, FL, USA - two Afro-American women in bikinis sunbathing on the beach.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Magdalena Stoilova: Extraordinary Contortionist
Acclaimed as the most flexible girl in the world, Contortionist Magdalena Stoilova, presents to you the most entertaining, captivating and hair-raising performance of what a beautiful woman can do with her body. Stoilova could achieve this level of flexibility and perfection as a contortionist by adhering to a strict regimen of training and dedication. The positions or poses she demonstrates in her artistic performance are truly fantastic, looks humanly impossible unless one is born without bones, and may surpass all other contortionists. Watch this video for over 10 minutes, enjoy it and come to your own judgment on her art.
Nokulunga Buthelezi, the snake woman
Watch Nokulunga Buthelezi, the fantastic contortion star of the show ‘Africa, Africa’ in this video.
Contortionists are capable of unusual form of physical display involving dramatic bending and flexing of their bodies and most contortion performers are associated with acrobatics and circus acts. They have unusual natural flexibility, which is enhanced with gymnastic training.
Some skills performed by contortionists or contortion artists include frontbending skills, backbending skills, splits and oversplits, enterology (squeezing one's body into a small box or other containers too small for a person to fit in). Some of the most famous contortionists are Arne Arnardo, Alexey Goloborodko, Sarah-Jane Honeywell, Lou Jacobs, Doug Jones, Irina Kazakova, Major Zamora, Olga Pikhienko, Pina Conti, Ross Sisters, Richard Rosson and Lilia Stepanova.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Archana Vijaya: Volvo S80 campaign
February 24, 2010: Archana Vijaya enjoying the scenic beauty of Jaipur in the new Volvo S80 during the 1st ODI between India and South Africa (video)
Volvo S80, a medium size executive saloon/ sedan was introduced in 1998 by from Swedish automaker Volvo Cars. Volvo S80 was built at the Torslanda Plant (Torslandaverken) in Gothenburg, Sweden.
The first generation Volvo S80 had one of the highest crash test ratings in the world. The second generation S80 is better engineered than the previous model.
The latest features include a choice of five-cylinder 2.4 litre D5 twin-turbo diesel, 2.4 litre diesel, or 1.6 litre diesel engine. Also the 2.5T and 2.5FT were modified to produce more power and have lower fuel consumption.
The 2010 Volvo S80 facelift comes with a choice between a comfort-enhancing standard chassis, and a sports version that offers better handling dynamics. The 2010 S80 will be available with a S80 R-design interior package to give the inside a sportier look. The interior package contains a new sports steering wheel, sports pedals, dynamic leather seats, sports gearshift knob and a new combi instrument with blue background. The new version was unveiled in 2009 at the Geneva Motor Show.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Dancer performing during Durga Pooja celebrations
A dancer performs at the Song and Dance Festival during the Durga Pooja Celebrations at Baner in Pune, India
Women wrestlers during Mysore Dasara Festivals
Photo: Women wrestlers taking part in the traditional ‘Nada Kusti’ - Wrestling competitions (national level) during Dasara Festivals at D. Devraj Urs mutlti-purpose stadium, Mysore.
Mysore Dasara (Dusshera), also called as Navaratri, is the state festival Karnataka. It is a 10-day festival, the last day being Vijayadashami, which symbolizes victory of truth over evil and it was the day when Goddess Chamundeshwari killed the demon Mahishasura. According to legend, the name Mysore has been derived from the name Mahishasura. The Dasara celebration was first started by the Vijayanagar Kings in 15th Century.
The Mysore Palace is lit up on all the 10 days of Dasara. On Vijayadashami day, Jumboo Savari, the traditional Dasara procession is held on the streets of Mysore city.
Colorful tableaux, dance groups, music bands, decorated elephants, horses and camels form a part of the procession which starts from Mysore Palace and ends at Bannimantap where the banni tree (Prosopis spicigera) is worshipped.
Another major attraction during Dasara is the Dasara exhibition which is held in the exhibition grounds near the Mysore Palace. This exhibition goes on till December. Various stalls in the exhibition which selling articles such as clothes, kitchenware, cosmetics, souvenirs, and art items attract a significant number of visitors from India and foreign tourists.
On all the 10 days of Dasara various music and dance concerts are held in auditoriums in Mysore city, in which musicians and dance groups from all over India perform. Another attraction during Dasara is wrestling competitions which attract wrestlers from all over India.
Pakistani actress Meera
Photo: Meera in Bollywood movie Nazar
Pakistani Actress Meera, (born Irtaza Rubab, on July 15, 1976) is a popular film actress of Lollywood.
Pakistani model-actress Sana Nawaz
Pakistani film actress and model Sana (Sana Nawaz, born on 26 April 1972), has achieved success in her career since the late 1990s. According to reports, Sana was introduced to the Lollywood film industry by director Syed Noor in his film Sangam in 1997.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
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