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Now You See New Pop-Up Stores; Now You Don't!
Perhaps you've seen those pop-up books -- the children's picture books in which cut-outs of characters and scenes fold out in front of you as you open each page. Or pop-up ads -- those annoying advertisements that flash into the middle of the Web site you're trying to read on the Internet. .
Cheers & Jeers: Donating mansions, plastic surgery chic
Jeer: Close to 11 million Americans had cosmetic plastic surgery in 2006, the highest number in history. Breast enlargement also became the most frequent cosmetic procedure for the first time in history, grabbing the top spot from the still-popular nose reshaping surgery. The always-popular liposuction didn't drop from the top of the charts, either - it was the third most popular procedure. These procedures are expensive, and people need to learn to live with their imperfections instead of wasting money to change them. Several thousand dollars can get your tummy tucked so you can look good in your Speedo this summer, or you can just drop 12 bucks for a 30-rack of Keystone and wear your swimsuit without caring how you look.
Cheer: Al Gore testified to Congress Wednesday in an attempt to spark greater action against global warming.
New to Town and No Friends or Family, Bride and Groom Choose West Coast's Largest Irish Festival to Exchange Vows
Who do you invite to your wedding when you are new to town and your families and friends are all in Ireland, California and the Midwest? How about a few thousand strangers who will be attending Kells Irish Festival in Portland, Saturday, March 17? Stephen Quirke, 27, a native of Kilkenny, Ireland, and his fiancee Heather Larson, 30, of Long Beach, Calif., moved to Portland just two months ago and after exploring the area, decided to make wedding plans. The judge they talked to became quite excited about the coincidence of Quirke's Irish heritage and the couple's desire to get married close to St. Patrick's Day, so he began reading Irish poetry to them and then quickly proclaimed that they should get married at Kells Irish Festival -- the West Coast's largest with more than 20,000 attending.
Thousands pay tribute to World War II Bataan in miles
Temperatures were in the mid-70s for Sundays desert marathon commemorating the Bataan Death March in World War II that claimed the lives of hundreds of American and Filipino soldiers. Hundreds more died later, either in prison camps or on transport boats. Air Force Captain Neil Aurelio was making his sixth march. On each march, he has carried the flag of the Philippines to honor his grandfather, a Filipino scout who survived the march. About 1,800 New Mexicans were among thousands of American and Filipino soldiers who surrendered to the Japanese in April 1942 on Bataan Peninsula. They were marched for days in extreme heat with little food or water. (Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) .
Splish, splash, where's the fun in a pool party?
In fact, the get-wet set dream the sort of dream that gives the rest of us the screaming ad-dabs as soon as the bonce hits the pillow. At the age of five, swimmers dream that, by getting up at four in the morning and plunging in while someone bellows at them from the sideline and occasionally hurls a half-brick at them to make them go faster, they will improve. They dream that by following the black line up and down for hours before school and a couple after school, they will end up with a podium finish at the Olympics and get to meet Lord of the Rings, Kevan Gosper. As dreams go, you could do a lot worse. Swimming has produced great dreamers over the years. Who can forget Eric Moussambani (pictured), the genius of African swimming who bobbed up at the deep end of the Olympic pool in Sydney? Eric was a man blessed with the simple dream of winning the 100 metres.
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