World's Top 10 Safest Airlines Named

While European and American airlines rarely feature in the top 10 rankings for best customer service, airlines from these regions have dominated a new list of the world's safest carriers.

A report by the Air Transport Rating Agency (ATRA), released yesterday, found that the safest carriers in the world were mainly those based in Europe and the US.

No Australian airlines featured in the top 10. Air France-KLM, British Airways and Lufthansa are the safest airlines in Europe.

The safest US-based airlines are AMR Corporation, Continental Airlines, Delta Airlines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and US Airways, while the safest from Asia is Japan Airlines, it said, without giving a ranking within the top ten.

To obtain this classification, the first of its kind, ATRA examined publicly available information on 15 criteria, such as the average age of the aircraft used or the homogeneity of the fleet, it said.

The agency explained that to understand airline safety, one needed not only to look at accident figures, but also "technical, human, organisational and external" elements.

"Even though the European Union publishes a 'blacklist' of dangerous airlines, there exists a real difference in safety between the other airline companies," ATRA added.

The agency believed the EU's list was a good start on rating airline safety, but said the list led to the belief that all airlines not on the 'blacklist' offered the same level of safety, which was not the case.

According to its website, the Geneva-based agency says it is independent of all "airlines, manufacturers, regulatory authorities, trade unions and not-for-profit organisations" in performing its aviation risk assessment.

The top 10 list is in contrast to the annual Skytrax survey that ranks airlines based on customer service. None of the airlines in the Skytrax top 10 made the ATRA's top 10 safety list.

World's 10 safest airlines (in alphabetical order)

1. Air France-KLM
2. AMR Corporation (American Airlines, American Eagles)
3. British Airways
4. Continental Airlines
5. Delta Airlines
6. Japan Airlines
7. Lufthansa
8. Southwest Airlines
9. United Airlines
10. US Airways

Apple Without Steve Jobs as CEO

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- With Steve Jobs bowing out as CEO, Apple Inc. must persuade investors and consumers that it doesn't need the force behind the iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad in charge to keep the technology hits coming.

Tim Cook, his hand-picked successor, has handled the top job repeatedly in the absence of the ailing Jobs, who resigned as chief executive Wednesday and was elected chairman of Apple's board. Though not nearly as recognizable as Jobs, Cook had been running Apple since January. The company's stock has risen 62 percent during that time.

Jeff Gamet, managing editor of Apple-focused news site The Mac Observer, said Jobs' departure has more sentimental than practical significance. He said he has been telegraphing the change for several years.

"All Apple really has done is made official what they've been doing administratively for a while now, which is Tim runs the show and Steve gets to do his part to make sure the products come out to meet the Apple standard," he said.

But Trip Chowdhry, an analyst with Global Equities Research, said Jobs' maniacal attention to detail is what has set Apple apart. He said Apple's product pipeline might be secure for another few years, but he predicted that the company will eventually struggle to come up with market-changing ideas.

"Apple is Steve Jobs, Steve Jobs is Apple, and Steve Jobs is innovation," Chowdhry said. "You can teach people how to be operationally efficient, you can hire consultants to tell you how to do that, but God creates innovation. ... Apple without Steve Jobs is nothing."

Jobs' resignation appears to be the result of an unspecified medical condition for which he took a leave from his post in January.

In a letter addressed to Apple's board and the "Apple community," Jobs said he "always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come."

Jobs' health has long been a concern for Apple investors, who see him as an oracle of technology. He had previously survived pancreatic cancer and received a liver transplant.

The company said Jobs gave the board his resignation Wednesday and suggested that Cook, Apple's chief operating officer, be named the company's new leader. Apple also said Cook is becoming a member of its board.

Genentech Inc. Chairman Art Levinson, in a statement issued on behalf of Apple's board, said Jobs' "extraordinary vision and leadership saved Apple and guided it to its position as the world's most innovative and valuable technology company."

He said that Jobs will continue to provide "his unique insights, creativity and inspiration," and that the board has "complete confidence" that Cook is the right person to replace him.

"Tim's 13 years of service to Apple have been marked by outstanding performance, and he has demonstrated remarkable talent and sound judgment in everything he does," Levinson said.

Earlier this month Apple briefly became the most valuable company in America, surpassing Exxon Mobil. At the market close Wednesday, Apple's value was $349 billion, just behind Exxon Mobil's $358 billion.

Jobs' hits seemed to grow bigger as the years went on: After the colorful iMac computer and the now-ubiquitous iPod, the iPhone redefined the category of smartphones and the iPad all but created the market for tablet computers.

His own aura seemed part of the attraction. On stage at trade shows and company events in his uniform of jeans, sneakers and black mock-turtlenecks, he'd entrance audiences with new devices, new colors and new software features, building up to a grand finale he'd predictably preface by saying, "One more thing."

Jobs, 56, shepherded Apple from a two-man startup to Silicon Valley darling when the Apple II, the first computer for regular people to really catch on, sent IBM Corp. and others scrambling to get their own PCs to market.

After Apple suffered a slump in the mid-1980s, he was forced out of the company. He was CEO at Next, another computer company, and Pixar, the computer-animation company that produced "Toy Story" on his watch, over the following 10 years.

Apple was foundering as he returned as an adviser in 1996 -- a year it lost $900 million as PCs based on Microsoft Windows dominated the computer market. The company's fortunes began to turn around with its first new product under Jobs' direction, the iMac. It launched in 1998 and sold about 2 million in its first 12 months.

Jobs eventually became interim CEO, then took the job permanently. Apple's popularity grew in the U.S. throughout the 2000s as the ever-sleeker line of iPods introduced many lifelong Windows users to their first Apple gadget. Apple created another sensation in 2007 with the iPhone, the stark-looking but powerful smartphone that quickly dominated the industry.

The iPad was introduced less than a year and a half ago but has already sold nearly 29 million units as it inspired myriad rivals in a tablet computer market that scarcely existed before Apple stepped in.

There have been some setbacks. Apple was swept up in a massive Securities and Exchange Commission inquiry into stock options backdating in the mid-2000s, a practice that artificially boosted the value of options grants. But Jobs and Apple emerged unscathed after two former executives took the fall and eventually settled with the SEC.

NorCal Fugitive Captured After 36 Years On The Run

A convicted murderer who escaped from a California prison camp over three decades ago has been recaptured thanks to a clue gleaned from his dying mother, authorities said on Monday.

William Walter Asher III, 66, was taken into custody without incident at a home in the Northern California town of Salida on Friday, FBI spokesman Steve Dupre said.

Asher, who was sentenced in 1967 to seven years to life in prison after a fatal bar robbery, had been on the run since an accomplice helped him escape from a Northern California prison camp in 1975.

The trail had gone cold until 2005, when authorities learned that, on her death bed, Asher's mother had asked family members for help in contacting her son via a secret number, Dupre said.

Agents using phone records tracked two phone calls to a residence in Salida, where Asher was living under the assumed name of Garry Donald Webb, Dupre said.

The fugitive, who shared the home with a female companion of more than 20 years, was arrested there after admitting to his true identity, Dupre said.

"According to the agent who was there, (Asher) was real somber and didn't really say too much, but one of the things that stuck with agent was, he was very curious about how we tracked him down," Dupre said.

"He kept asking, 'How did you find me?'," Dupre said.

The woman was not identified by authorities and apparently did not know that Asher was a fugitive and convicted murderer, Dupre said.

Asher was originally arrested in Chicago in 1966, where authorities say he fled at the age of 20 after taking part in a San Francisco bar robbery in which the bartender was shot and beaten to death.

After escaping from the Growlersburg Conservation Camp in El Dorado County, California, he assumed the name of David Donald McFee, worked as a long-haul trucker, married and raised a family, the FBI said.

Asher eventually separated from his wife, who was later interviewed by authorities but could not provide information on his whereabouts. The FBI said one of Asher's daughters contacted the FBI several years ago trying to find her father. (Reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Jerry Norton and Cynthia Johnston)

A 5.9 magnitude Powerful Earthquake Hits Eastern U.S.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A 5.9 magnitude earthquake centered northwest of Richmond, Va., shook much of Washington, D.C., and was felt as far north as Rhode Island, New York City and Martha's Vineyard, Mass., where President Barack Obama is vacationing.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake was half a mile deep. Shaking was felt at the White House and all over the East Coast, as far south as Chapel Hill, N.C. Parts of the Pentagon, White House and Capitol were evacuated. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

It was centered near Louisa, Va., which is northwest of Richmond and south of Washington.

Obama and many of the nation's leaders were out of town on August vacation when the quake struck at 1:51 p.m. EDT. The shaking was felt on the Martha's Vineyard golf course as Obama was just starting a round.

The East Coast gets earthquakes, but usually smaller ones and is less prepared than California or Alaska for shaking.

At Reagan National Airport outside Washington, ceiling tiles fell during a few seconds of shaking. Authorities announced it was an earthquake and all flights were put on hold.

At the Pentagon in northern Virginia, a low rumbling built and built to the point that the building was shaking. People ran into the corridors of the government's biggest building and as the shaking continued there were shouts of "Evacuate! Evacuate!"

In New York, the 26-story federal courthouse in lower Manhattan began swaying and hundreds of people were seen leaving the building. Court officers weren't letting people back in.

The quake came a day after an earthquake in Colorado toppled groceries off shelves and caused minor damage to homes in the southern part of the state and in northern New Mexico. No injuries were reported as aftershocks continued Tuesday.

In Charleston, W.Va., hundreds of workers left the state Capitol building and employees at other downtown office buildings were asked to leave temporarily.

"The whole building shook," said Jennifer Bundy, a spokeswoman for the state Supreme Court. "You could feel two different shakes. Everybody just kind of came out on their own."

In Ohio, where office buildings swayed in Columbus and Cincinnati and the press box at the Cleveland Indians' Progressive Field shook. At least one building near the Statehouse was evacuated in downtown Columbus.

In downtown Baltimore, the quake sent office workers into the streets, where lamp posts swayed slightly as they called family and friends to check in.

Social media site Twitter lit up with reports of the earthquake from people using the site up and down the U.S. eastern seaboard.

"People pouring out of buildings and onto the sidewalks and Into Farragut Park in downtown DC...," tweeted Republican strategist Kevin Madden.

"did you feel earthquake in ny? It started in richmond va!" tweeted Arianna Huffington, president and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post Media Group.

Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill tweeted that her staff in Washington was in an "emergency location. Hope everyone is ok."

John Gurlach, air traffic controller at the Morgantown Municipal Airport was in a 40-foot-tall tower when the earth trembled.

"There were two of us looking at each other saying, 'What's that?'" he said, even as a commuter plane was landing. "It was noticeably shaking. It felt like a B-52 unloading."

Immediately, the phone rang from the nearest airport in Clarksburg, and a computer began spitting out green strips of paper — alerts from other airports in New York and Washington issuing ground stops "due to earthquake."

Lil Wayne hurt in St. Louis skateboard accident

Lil Wayne said Monday he is recovering after gashing his head at a St. Louis-area skateboard park.

The 28-year-old rapper whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. was in suburban St. Louis Sunday for a performance at the outdoor Verizon Amphitheatre. KTVI-TV reported that Lil Wayne, accompanied by a large entourage, showed up Sunday at DePaul Health Center's emergency room.

Hospital spokeswoman Jamie Newell said she could not confirm Lil Wayne was at the hospital, citing privacy laws. But Lil Wayne wrote about it on his Twitter account.

"The Lou was good but I busted my ... head at the sk8park! 9stitches! Gnarly gash over my left eye! Luv the people," he wrote.

Messages left with Lil Wayne's management on Monday were not returned. Details about how he was hurt, and where, were not immediately available.

Lil Wayne is about to release his new album, "The Carter IV." A previous album, "The Carter III," was the best-selling album of 2008 and the Grammy Award winner for best rap album of that year. In 2010, he served time in a New York jail after pleading guilty to a weapons charge.

"The Carter IV" will be released digitally after Sunday's MTV Video Music Awards, at which Lil Wayne will perform. The album, which features collaborations with Drake, Cory Gunz, Rick Ross, Busta Rhymes and others, will be in stores on Aug. 29.

Stage collapse, 5 Dead at Indiana State Fair

INDIANAPOLIS (Reuters) - A fifth person has died from the collapse of an outdoor concert stage in heavy wind just before a weekend show at the Indiana State Fair, which was shut down on Sunday, authorities said.

More than 40 people were injured in the collapse on Saturday night, just minutes before the country duo Sugarland was set to begin performing, Indiana State Police said.

Some of the injuries were extremely serious, and more people could die, said State Police Sgt. Dave Bursten at a news conference.

"That possibility is there," he said

Concert officials had informed spectators prior to the show that the concert might have to be postponed due to the weather, but a strong gust blew the stage over before any official evacuation order was issued.

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels called the collapse "freakish," saying at the news conference that a storm was anticipated but the blast of wind that whipped through the grandstand area was unexpected.

One of those killed was stagehand Nate Byrd, 51, who was on the stage rigging to run the show's spotlight. He died on Sunday at Methodist Hospital.

Killed on the scene were Tammy Vandam, 42, of Wanatah, Indiana; Glenn Goodrich, 49, of Indianapolis; Alina BigJohny, 23 of Fort Wayne and Christina Santiago, 29, of Chicago, according to the Marion County Coroner's office.

State fire marshals and the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating the collapse, authorities said.

An amateur video posted on YouTube showed a heavy gust of wind blowing down the stage rigging. People in the crowd can be heard screaming.

Spectators tried to hold up parts of the collapsed stage that fell into the standing area below to help anyone who might be trapped, eyewitnesses said.

The fair was closed on Sunday but expected to reopen on Monday with a memorial service for the victims.
"It's a very sad day at the State Fair and our hearts are breaking," said the fair's executive director Cynthia Hoye.

Sugarland sent a Twitter message on Saturday night about the incident, saying: "We are all right. We are praying for our fans, and the people of Indianapolis. We hope you'll join us. They need your strength."

The governor said his wife Cheri Daniels and one of their daughters were at the concert but were not injured.
The Hoosier Lottery Grandstand at the state fairgrounds can seat more than 15,000 people.

No decisions have been made about the rest of the fair's concert schedule that includes performances by Janet Jackson and Maroon Five, authorities said. (S)

mChip that can tell you if you have HIV within minutes

A portable blood test that can diagnose an infection within minutes has been hailed as a breakthrough in the fight against HIV and AIDS in the developing world.

The size of a credit card, the mChip has proved almost 100 per cent accurate in testing for HIV in Rwanda.
Hundreds of tests using a prototype were carried out in the town of Kigali and returned a 95 per cent accuracy for HIV and 76 per cent for syphilis.

The plastic device, manufactured in the U.S. and developed by scientists at the University of Columbia in New York, costs just $1 (60p) to make.

Lead researcher Professor Samuel Sia said: 'The idea is to make a large class of diagnostic tests accessible to patients in any setting in the world, rather than forcing them to go to a clinic to draw blood and then wait days for their results.'

The mChip uses optics to read fluids by taking a single pin-prick of blood.

It contains ten detection zones which the blood passes through and then returns a positive or negative result for HIV/AIDS or syphilis in about 15 minutes.

The result is presented in a simple colour-coded manner similar to a pregnancy test, making it extremely easy to use and understand.

An alternative is to use a cheap detector box - the 'lab' - to check the results.

The mChip's low cost and efficiency has been hailed as a major breakthrough in the fight against HIV in the developing world.

Drugs to place HIV in remission have long been available but have been deemed too expensive to use on a widescale basis.

The mChip, on the other hand, is extremely cheap, can fit in an aid worker's pocket and produces a result with a high degree of accuracy within 15 minutes.

Researchers are now hoping to increase testing for sexually-transmitted diseases in pregnant women in Africa

Bugatti's $1.4 Million, 800-hp Sedan A Hybrid?!

Given the superlative nature and awesome speed of Bugatti’s already legendary, 250-plus mph Veyron supercar, interest in the manufacturer’s follow-up is intense. The company had previously gone on record as saying that its next model wouldn’t be a supercar, but details were scant — until now. In a recent article from the German magazine Auto Motor und Sport, Bugatti CEO Wolfgang Dürheimer confirms that the new car will be in the vein of the controversial 16 C Galibier concept, which debuted in 2009. It will seat four and have a generous trunk, Dürheimer says; you can bet that a set of fitted luggage will be one of the pricey options.

More important is what’s fitted up front, of course, which the article claims will be a 16-cylinder engine, although power output wasn’t mentioned. (The W-16 under the Bugatti’s butterfly bonnet delivers a mere 800 hp, somewhat less than the 1,001 churned up by the 8-liter W-16 in the mid-engine Veyron.) The Galibier concept is big, though, so don’t expect Veyron-esque, sub-three-second zero-to-60-mph sprints no matter how much carbon fiber and aluminum the new car contains. Interestingly, a hybrid model (presumably a plug-in hybrid) is on the docket as well, with an electric-only driving range of about 25 miles, according to Dürheimer.

Bugatti hopes to sell between 1,000 and 1,500 units of the super-luxe sedan over the course of its lifetime, roughly triple the number of Veyron coupes and Grand Sport convertibles Bugatti built since 2004. The story also says that the Galibier will go on sale in the fall of 2012, about a year earlier than most earlier projections. How much will it cost? Dürheimer says it will command at least €1M, which amounts to about $1.42 million at today’s exchange rates. (S)

FC Rossiyanka, Women footballers to play in bikinis

A cash-strapped woman's football team is hoping to draw the crowds - by playing their next game in bikinis.

Members of the FC Rossiyanka team, from Krasnoarmeysk near Moscow, have already done a pre-publicity shoot to promote the event.

Coach Tatyana Egorova said: "We are the best woman's team in Russia and have won many championships, even representing our country in the UEFA Champions League.

"But few people have ever heard of us and we don't get many people coming to games so we've decided to give our profile a boost by appearing in bikinis.

"We hope it will also improve the numbers of tickets we sell. We think it's a good idea - our players are beautiful, great athletes and determined to win."(S)

$250K lottery prize to expire July 5

A Virginia Lottery player’s loss may soon become the state Literary Fund’s $250,000 gain.

Lottery officials say a Mega Millions ticket worth $250,000 that was sold for the Jan. 4 drawing remains unclaimed. It will expire at 5 p.m. July 5 if the winner doesn’t come forward.

By law, winning tickets expire 180 days after a drawing. Unclaimed prize money goes to the Literary Fund, which helps pay for school construction and teacher retirement.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that the ticket was sold at a 7-Eleven in the Richmond suburb of Short Pump.

VIDEO: A man Ripped Off his Girlfriend's bikini top in public

A man ripped off his girlfriend's bikini top in public, just because she had apparently joined the swimwear pageant without his permission. The Chinese national even pushed and shouted at others who tried to stop him, said STOMPer Nuts.

In the video, the man ripped off the woman's bikini top and repeatedly shouted "Who asked you to come here?", while pushing her around.

witness said:

"This is preposterous and they should have called the police immediately.

"Besides the poor woman who was desperately trying to protect her modesty, the man was even pushing the female organiser around, and some of the male participants.

"This man must be still living in the stone ages.

"I hope no S'porean man will behave like that, no matter how angry or how justified you may be."


"Well,,,, whats your comments? that guy is really sick!!

A man ripped off his girlfriend's bikini

Singaporean Army Getting soft: dad carries backpack for him

Someone saw this singaporean army making an older man, apparently his father, carry his backpack.

He said of the latest sighting:

"At about 3pm yesterday, as my friends and I were going to Northpoint in Yishun for lunch, I saw yet another army boy making his father carrying his bag for him.

"This is definitely unacceptable!" he added.(S)

UFOs Filmed above BBC Building in London

UFOs above BBC London. A new video about UFO has emerged purporting to show 'a mothership and its fleet' zipping around in the clouds above a BBC building in West London.

Perhaps the group of intergalactic travellers was hoping for some coverage from Auntie.

UFOs? In the video, three fast-moving white dots streak across the London skyline

Instead they were caught on camera by a passer-by, and at least one other person who can be seen filming or taking pictures on his camera phone while the video is filmed.

As the camera is pointed upwards, over the BBC's Yalding House, three white dots flash across the sky at great speed in a triangle formation, they are very quickly followed by two similar sized white dots.

As the camera pans down again, two people on the opposite side of the road can also been seen watching events unfold above them.

Then one larger, bright and more slow moving disc-shaped white object appears, circles around briefly and zips off.

Mothership: After the five white dots are seen whizzing around, one larger brighter disc-shaped white object movers around slowly in the sky

By this time a crowd of five people have gathered on the street corner to observe. A Scottish man's voice is heard off camera saying the word 'UFO'.

Shortly after another Scottish man's voice is heard saying: 'Are you getting that up there? I couldn't see before because the sun as flashing by.'

Far be it from us to suggest that the video is a hoax, but were people so minded then that part of London is home to a great many production houses offering both the expertise and facilities to mock up a convincing video.

Another similar video posted by alymc01 appears to have been filmed from the office of The Mill, a company which creates visual effects for the film industry.

UFOs above BBC London

But as the person who circulated the footage wrote in order to circumvent the cynical naysayers: 'If you believe it's easy photoshopped why don't you make a video & show us all.'

The video was originally uploaded to YouTube by 31-year-old user alymc01, but it has been more widely circulated by a user called EllasVirgo, who on his YouTube profile describes himself as a farmer from Australia.

Virgo's YouTube channel is filled with space, asteroid and UFO-related snippets, including videos with titles such as 'More proof Nasa is lying'.

In the brief text accompanying the video Virgo wrote: 'UFOs Over London BBC Radio 1 Building.

'Right - took over a week to get it....but finally managed to get these critters on camera on a clear day, and even get a close-up

'It seems to be attracting quite a crowd now when they appear '

Can anyone explain what on earth these lights are please?'

The video was uploaded on June 26 and, given that Virgo says it took more than a week to source, and that he states in the description that it was shot on a Friday in June, the film was made on either June 3, 10 or 17.

UFOs Filmed above BBC London

Video: Famous Vancouver riot kiss happened

It didn't take long for the Internet to find out what the Vancouver riot kissing couple's names were and it wasn't long after that before their worldwide media tour began, to tell the tale of the iconic smooch.

In a world of social media, it's also not surprising that new videos are being unearthed daily showing different scenes of the riots from all angles of the city.

One such video has been discovered that dramatically shows exactly how Alex Thomas was injured and how she and her boyfriend, Scott Jones, were knocked to the ground. After the story broke last week, some were skeptical of the photo, saying it was staged, but as you'll see in the most compelling video yet, it was far from it:

Vancouver riot kiss, On NBC's "Today" show last week, Australian native Jones said he was in Vancouver as a "tourist" and wanted to see the reaction of the city whether the Canucks won or lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. "I didn't think we were in danger down there until the riot police came along," he said.

Why the kiss in the middle of such chaos? "I was just trying to calm her down. It was pretty scary for her," said Jones.

"It seemed like the best thing to do."

Vancouver riot kiss, The couple have now hired a PR firm to handle all of their media and endorsement matters. The worldwide exposure from the kiss photo going viral could make them worth upwards of $10 million. The publicity may also help Jones kick start an acting/stand-up comedy career, of which their new agent said, "It could set him up for life, if he's as good as Robin Williams or Bill Cosby." (S)

'Sea Monster' Washes Up In China

A massive sea monster creature has washed up on a beach in Guangdong, China. So badly decayed it cannot be positively identified, the "sea monster" is 55 feet long and weights approximately 4.5 tons, according to The Sun.

Upon seeing a photo of the carcass, three marine biology experts — Scott Baker of Oregon State University Marine Mammal Institute, Bill Perrin, senior scientist for marine mammals at the National Marine Fisheries Service, and Bob Brownell, senior scientist for international protected resources with the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration's Fisheries Service — all think it's a whale.

Based on its throat grooves, "[we agree] that  sea monster's a balaenopterid," Baker told Life's Little Mysteries. "Judging from the reported size of 55 ft., maybe a fin whale. From the photo, however, it does not really look to be 55 ft., and so might be a smaller balaenopterid, like one of the 'Bryde's' whales."

"We all hope somebody collects the bones and a tissue sample for genetic analysis as recovery of whale carcasses is rare along the coast of China," he added.

The beast is tangled in ropes, and locals theorize that area fisherman once caught it but could not haul it in owing to its gargantuan size. According to The Sun, people have flocked to see the sea monster despite its foul stench.(R)

Potato Chips are Piling on the Pounds

Blame the potato chip. It's the biggest demon behind that pound-a-year weight creep that plagues many of us, a major diet study found. Bigger than soda, candy and ice cream.

And the reason is partly that old advertising cliche: You can't eat just one.

"They're very tasty and they have a very good texture. People generally don't take one or two chips. They have a whole bag," said obesity expert Dr. F. Xavier Pi-Sunyer of the St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York.

What we eat and how much of it we consume has far more impact than exercise and most other habits do on long-term weight gain, according to the study by Harvard University scientists. It's the most comprehensive look yet at the effect of individual foods and lifestyle choices like sleep time and quitting smoking.

The results are in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine.

Weight problems are epidemic. Two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese. Childhood obesity has tripled in the past three decades. Pounds often are packed on gradually over decades, and many people struggle to limit weight gain without realizing what's causing it.

The new study finds food choices are key. The message: Eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts. Cut back on potatoes, red meat, sweets and soda.

"There is no magic bullet for weight control," said one study leader, Dr. Frank Hu. "Diet and exercise are important for preventing weight gain, but diet clearly plays a bigger role."

Doctors analyzed changes in diet and lifestyle habits of 120,877 people from three long-running medical studies. All were health professionals and not obese at the start. Their weight was measured every four years for up to two decades, and they detailed their diet on questionnaires.

On average, participants gained nearly 17 pounds over the 20-year period.

For each four-year period, food choices contributed nearly 4 pounds. Exercise, for those who did it, cut less than 2 pounds.

Potato chips were the biggest dietary offender. Each daily serving containing 1 ounce (about 15 chips and 160 calories) led to a 1.69-pound uptick over four years. That's compared to sweets and desserts, which added 0.41 pound.

For starchy potatoes other than chips, the gain was 1.28 pounds. Within the spud group, french fries were worse for the waist than boiled, baked or mashed potatoes. That's because a serving of large fries contains between 500 to 600 calories compared with a serving of a large baked potato at 280 calories.

Soda added a pound over four years. Eating more fruits and vegetables and other unprocessed foods led to less weight gain, probably because they are fiber-rich and make people feel fuller.

For each four-year period, these factors had these effects on weight:

• An alcoholic drink a day, 0.41-pound increase.
• Watching an hour of TV a day, 0.31-pound increase.
• Recently quitting smoking, 5-pound increase.

People who slept more or less than six to eight hours a night gained more weight.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and a foundation. Several researchers reported receiving fees from drug and nutrition companies.

"Humans naturally like fat and sweet," said Dr. David Heber, director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition, who had no role in the study. "That's why we always tell people to eat their fruits and vegetables."

Pi-Sunyer, who also wasn't involved in the research, said the study gives useful advice.

"It's hard to lose weight once you gain it," he said. "Anything that will give people a clue about what might prevent weight gain if they follow through with it is helpful."

The federal government earlier this year issued new dietary guidelines advising people to eat smarter. This month, it ditched the food pyramid — the longtime symbol of healthy eating — in favor of a dinner plate divided into four sections containing fruits, vegetables, protein and grains. (S)

Alyssa Campanella Wins Miss USA 2011

Alyssa Campanella, A 21-year-old auburn-haired California model won the Miss USA 2011 crown Sunday night and will represent the nation in this year's Miss Universe pageant.

Alyssa Campanella of Los Angeles topped a field of 51 beauty queens to take the title at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. She strutted across the stage in a blue bikini with white polka dots and a dark turquoise Sherri Hill evening gown with beading on its top.

She also answered a question about legalizing marijuana by saying she didn't think it should be fully legalized as a solution to help ailing economies.

Alyssa Campanella told reporters in a news conference after the pageant that the win validated her decision to quickly move to Los Angeles from New Jersey after losing an apartment.

"The downs happen for a reason," she said. "The path that I'm on now is the path that's been meant to be."

Campanella, a former Miss Teen USA runner-up from 2007, when she represented New Jersey, said she has been competing in pageants since Alyssa Campanella was 15 because of her mom.

Originally from Manalapan, N.J., Alyssa Campanella began modeling at age 16, graduated from high school a year early and received a scholarship to the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts, according to her personal website.

Miss Tennessee Ashley Durham was the first runner-up, while contestants from Alabama and Texas placed third and fourth.

Alyssa Campanella replaces Miss USA 2010 Rima Fakih. The 25-year-old from Michigan teared up as she walked across the stage for a final goodbye.

Similar Painting Mona Lisa Nude

Could Leonardo da Vinci also painted the Mona Lisa was naked?

This question seems a joke, but the findings of a recent painting and is now exhibited at the Museo Idealle, Vinci, Leonardo's hometown in Italy, is not a joke.

According to Discovery, after nearly a century hidden, a painting found in the timber wall in a personal library. The painting was a half-naked woman with a face like Mona Lisa.

It is not entirely similar to the Mona Lisa, but there are allegations that the painting has to do with the original Mona Lisa painting is now hanging in the Louvre Museum in Paris.

Iceland's Grimsvotn Volcano Erupting

REYKJAVIK, Iceland – Iceland's most active volcano has started erupting, scientists said Saturday — just over a year after another eruption on the North Atlantic island shut down European air traffic for days.

Iceland's Meteorological Office confirmed that an eruption had begun at the Grimsvotn volcano, accompanied by a series of small earthquakes. Smoke could be seen rising from the volcano, which lies under the uninhabited Vatnajokull glacier in southeast Iceland.

A no fly zone has been designated for 120 nautical miles (220 kilometers) in all directions from the eruption. Isavia, the company that operates and develops all airport facilities and air navigation services in Iceland, described this as standard procedure around eruptions.

"The plume of smoke has reached jet flying altitude and plans have been made for planes flying through Icelandic air control space to fly southwardly tonight," said Hjordis Gudmundsdottir, the spokeswoman for Isavia.

Grimsvotn volcano last erupted in 2004. Scientists have been expecting a new eruption and have said previously that this volcano's eruption will likely be small and should not lead to the air travel chaos caused in April 2010 by ash from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano.

History shows that previous eruptions in Grimsvotn volcano have not had much influence on flight traffic — unlike the massive disruption caused last year.

Pall Einarsson, geophysicist at the University of Iceland, said last year's eruption was a rare event.

"The ash in Eyjafjallajokull was persistent or unremitting and fine-grained," Einarsson said. "The ash in Grimsvotn is more coarse and not as likely to cause danger as it falls to the ground faster and doesn't stay as long in the air as in the Eyjafjallajokull eruption."

A plane from the Icelandic Coast Guard carrying experts from the University of Iceland will fly over the volcano and evaluate the situation.

One eyewitness, Bolli Valgardsson, said the plume rose quickly several thousand feet (meters) into the air.
Sparsely populated Iceland is one of the world's most volcanically active countries and eruptions are frequent.
Eruptions often cause local flooding from melting glacier ice, but rarely cause deaths.

Last year's Eyjafjallajokul eruption left some 10 million air travelers stranded worldwide after winds pushed the ash cloud toward some of the world's busiest airspace and led most northern European countries to ground all planes for five days.

Whether widespread disruption occurs again will depend on how long the eruption lasts, how high the ash plume rises and which way the wind blows.

In November, melted glacial ice began pouring from Grimsvotn, signaling a possible eruption. That was a false alarm but scientists have been monitoring the volcano closely ever since.

The volcano also erupted in 1998, 1996 and 1993. The eruptions have lasted between a day and several weeks. (S)

May 21, 2011, and Other 'Judgment Days' That Have Come and Gone

No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

The Bible couldn't be clearer, right there in the Book of Matthew: chapter 24, verse 36.

But doomsayers have sworn since at least Roman times that they're better sourced than the angels themselves, boldly trotting out predictions down to the day for the Final Judgment/Judgment Day, when, Christians believe, Jesus will descend to earth and set off a chain of events resulting in the end of the world and a new heaven.

May 21, 2011, is the latest attempt to get a jump on Judgment Day, courtesy of Oakland, Calif.-based Family Radio, a nonprofit evangelical Christian group. And, assuming we're all here to follow up, it will make a nice addition on May 22 to this random list of predicted Second Comings we've survived so far.

1. Let's start with Family Radio, whose president, Harold Camping, predicted the End of Days before: Sept. 6, 1994. Camping had been "thrown off a correct calculation because of some verses in Matthew 24," a company spokesman told ABC News this month.

The Christian radio broadcaster is apparently more confident this time around, spending big bucks on 5,000 billboards, posters, fliers and digital bus displays across the country.

2. Edgar Whisenant didn't get it right the first time, either, when he predicted a mid-September 1988 Rapture, even publishing the books "88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988" and "On Borrowed Time." No Apocalypse, no problem. The former NASA engineer simply pushed his predictions off to three subsequent years and wrote books along the way, none of which reportedly sold as well as the first two.

He died in 2001. We're unable to confirm where he's awaiting the big day. (S)