The pen is mightier than the sword, and apparently the scalpel as well.
New York Magazine is diving deep into the world of facial plastic surgery in their new issue, putting Madonna and her seemingly revamped face on their cover to drive the point home. Across the face of the Material Girl, lines similar to those used in plastic surgery are drawn, with phrases like “Big Baby Cheeks” and “Plumped Skin” used to indicate where Madge may have gotten a boost or two.
“The Mount Rushmore cheekbones, the angular jawline, the smoothed forehead, the plumped skin, the heartlike shape of the face,” goes their description of Madonna’s new mug. “Looking at Madonna, I kept thinking of the British expression for reconditioning a saddle: having it ‘restuffed.’ Perhaps that’s where she got the idea to have some work done. After the hunt, Madge dismounted her trusty steed and thought, ‘My saddle needs restuffing. And, by George, so does my face!’”
Madonna’s publicist recently claimed that the changes seen in her face were the result of a bad batch of photos, not any work done on the pop queen.
The cover story goes on to investigate the new trends and reasons for plastic surgery among both celebrities and commoners.
Mag Nip/Tucks Madonna’s New Face
August 7, 2008 by usanewsMorgan Freeman seriously injured in car crash
August 5, 2008 by usanewsOscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman was hospitalized in serious condition Monday after the car he was driving left a rural road in the Mississippi Delta and flipped several times. Freeman, 71, was airlifted to the Regional Medical Center in Memphis, Tenn., about 90 miles north of the accident in rural Tallahatchie County. The actor “has a broken arm, broken elbow and minor shoulder damage, but is in good spirits,” according to a statement from Donna Lee, Freeman’s publicist. A hospital spokeswoman said Freeman was in serious condition but would not discuss his injuries. “He is having a little bit of surgery this afternoon or tomorrow to help correct the damage,” Lee’s statement said. “He says he’ll be OK and is looking forward to a full recovery.” Freeman, who won an Oscar for his role in “Million Dollar Baby,” is among the stars in “The Dark Knight,” now in theaters. His screen credits also include “Driving Miss Daisy.” Freeman and a companion were traveling on a dark, two-lane highway that cuts through the expansive farmlands of the Mississippi Delta when the car ran off the side of the road shortly before midnight Sunday, authorities said. The vehicle flipped several times but landed upright in a ditch alongside Mississippi Highway 32, about 5 miles west of Charleston, not far from where Freeman owns a home with his wife. Mississippi Highway Patrol spokesman Sgt. Ben Williams said rescuers had to use the jaws of life to remove Freeman from the car. “He was lucid, conscious. He was talking, joking with some of the rescue workers at one point,” said Clay McFerrin, editor of Sun Sentinel in Charleston, who arrived at the scene soon after the accident happened. McFerrin said it appeared Freeman’s car was airborne when it left the highway. Bystanders converged on the accident scene trying to get a glimpse of the actor, McFerrin said. When one person tried to snap a photo with a cell phone camera, Freeman joked, “no freebies, no freebies,” McFerrin said. Williams said Freeman was driving a 1997 Nissan Maxima that belonged to Demaris Meyer of Memphis. “There’s no indication that either alcohol or drugs were involved,” Williams said. He said both Freeman and Meyer were wearing seat belts. The woman’s condition was not immediately available. Freeman was born in Memphis, Tenn., but spent much of his childhood in the Mississippi Delta. He is a co-owner of the Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale. “I’m definitely concerned,” country singer and fellow Mississippian Steve Azar, whose video for his hit “Waitin’ on Joe” featured Freeman, said Monday. The two have also worked charity events together. “He’s been the best ambassador our state has ever had.” “He could live anywhere in the world and he came back home,” Azar said. “I just think it shows a lot about him as a person and how grounded he is.” The hospital where Freeman is being treated is commonly known as The Med, and is an acute-care teaching facility that serves patients within 150 miles of Memphis.
Biography—-
Morgan Freeman was born on June 1, 1937, in Memphis, Tennessee. His parents migrated to Chicago when he was a young boy, while he and his five siblings relocated to their grandparents’ home in Charleston, Mississippi.
In 1955, at 18, he signed up with the U.S. Air Force and worked as a mechanic until his five years ended in 1959. He then enrolled at Los Angeles Community College, and later learned the craft of acting at the Pasadena Playhouse.
In 1967, Morgan Freeman married Jeanette Adair Bradshaw, but the marriage didn’t last and the couple divorced in 1979.
Morgan Freeman made his first big screen appearance in 1966, in an uncredited role in A Man Called Adam. Through the remainder of the ’60s, he found work in New York theatrical productions ranging from Shakespeare, to musical comedy and contemporary drama, both on and off Broadway. Morgan Freeman made his Broadway debut in an all-African-American staging of Hello, Dolly!, in 1968.
Success—–
Morgan Freeman has won a host of acting awards for his work, both on stage and screen. His performance in the play Mighty Gents earned him the Clarence Derwent and Drama Desk Awards, as well as a Tony nomination in 1978. He’s won a slew of OBIE Awards, beginning in 1979 for Coriolanus; since then he’s received the prize for his work in Mother Courage and Her Children (1980), Gospel at Colonus (1984) and Street Smart (1987). His role in the latter also earned him the New York, Los Angeles and National Society of Film Critics Awards, the Independent Spirit Award, as well as his first Academy Award and Golden Globe nomination as Best Supporting Actor.
Morgan Freeman picked up his second Oscar nod for 1989’s Driving Miss Daisy, which also earned him an OBIE, a Golden Globe, the National Board of Review Award, and the Silver Bear from the Berlin Film Festival. His performance in Lean on Me merited an NAACP Image Award in 1989, while his contribution to classical theater in America won him the William Shakespeare Award in 1993.
In 1995, Morgan Freeman was again nominated for an Oscar for The Shawshank Redemption. He received the Hollywood Outstanding Achievement in Acting prize in 2000. In 2005, he finally won an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor, for his role as Eddie “Scrap-Iron” Dupris, a boxer turned janitor (and narrator) in Million Dollar Baby.
Morgan Freeman is also a founding member of The Frank Silvera Writers’ Workshop, and has his own production company, Revelation Entertainment, which seeks to develop projects that “enlighten, inspire and glorify the human experience.”
RAFAEL NADAL
August 1, 2008 by usanewsComplete name: Rafael Nadal Parera
Date of birth: 3 of June of 1986
Birthplace: Manacor, Majorca, Spain
Civil state: Single
Height: 1,85
Weight: 85
Eyes: Brown
Hobbies: Play Station, Soccer, read some books, go fishing and go to cinema with his friends.
Place of residence: Manacor, Majorca, Spain
Odd habits: Take shower before the match.
Rafael Nadal musical preferences: Maná, Bon Jovi and Bryan Adams
Favorite actors: Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington
CAREER
Rafael Nadal won Wimbledon beating Roger Federer in a long 5 set battle. Roland Garros 2006 (Rafael Nadal over Federer again)
Masters Series of Rome (2006)
Trophy Count of Godó (2006)
Masters Series of Montecar it (2006)
Match of Dubai (2006)
Masters Series of Madrid (2005)
China Open (2005)
Masters Series of Montreal, Canada (2005)
Match of Stuttgart, Germany (2005)
Match of Bastad, Sweden (2005)
Roland Garros, Paris (2005)
Masters Series of Rome (2005)
Open Seat Godo, Barcelona (2005)
Tennis Masters Montecarlo, Monaco (2005)
Mexican Open of tennis, Acapulco (2005)
Brazil Open, Costa do Sauipe (2005)
Idea Prokom Open, Sopot (2004)
RECORDS
In Rafael Nadal records currently is a 60-match clay court winning streak—an Open Era record for a male player.
Rafael Nadal is one of only two people to win the French Open on his first attempt, the first being Mats Wilander in 1982. By defending his title in 2006, he is a perfect 14-0 in the tournament.
At 19 years 1 month and 22 days, Rafael Nadal became the third teenager in history (since 1973) to reach world no. 2 in the INDESIT ATP Entry Ranking, joining Boris Becker (18 years, 9 months and 17 days) and Björn Borg (18 years, 10 months and 2 days) as the only teenagers to be ranked no.2.
He has held two winning streaks of 20 consecutive matches or more. The first one was a 24-match winning streak in mid 2005; the second is a streak of 26 matches dating from his loss to Carlos Moya in March 2006 to his retirement due to injury in the quarterfinals of the Queen’s Club tournament against Lleyton Hewitt on 16 June 2006.
ROGER FEDERER
August 1, 2008 by usanewsBIOGRAPHY
Born on August 8, 1981 is a Swiss tennis professional, currently ranked World No. 1 since February 2, 2004 for a record 194 consecutive weeks. Widely regarded as the best player of his generation, he is considered among the elite group of all-time great male tennis players. Federer is the first living Swiss to be pictured on a postage stamp, issued in April 2007 depicting Federer with the Wimbledon trophy. In 2007, he was named Laureus World Sportsman of the Year for a record third consecutive time.
Federer has won 12 Grand Slam singles titles (second-most of any male player, tied with Roy Emerson), three Tennis Masters Cup titles, and 14 ATP Masters Series titles. He has won three Grand Slam singles titles in a calendar year a record three times (in 2004, 2006 and 2007). He holds the record of ten consecutive Grand Slam singles final appearances and the only male player to have played in the finals of all four Grand Slam tournaments for two consecutive years.
In 2007, by winning his third Australian Open title, he is the only male player to have won three separate Grand Slam tournaments at least three times. By winning Wimbledon in 2007, Federer tied Björn Borg’s open era record of five consecutive Wimbledon championships. By winning the 2007 U.S. Open, Federer became the first player in the Open era to win four consecutive U.S. Open titles and the only player ever to win back-to-back Wimbledon and U.S. Open titles for four consecutive years (from 2004). He is also the first male player in the Open era to win at least ten singles tournaments in three consecutive years (from 2004 to 2006).
Rafael Nadal broke Federer’s streak at Wimbledon in 2008, beating him in a five-set thriller for the men’s singles championship… Federer’s father is Swiss, but his mother is from South Africa… Federer had no coach during 2004, the year he was first ranked as the world’s best tennis player… Nike first approached Federer with a sponsorship deal in 1996, two years before he turned pro… Federer has never won the French Open, but has won each of the other three tennis majors at least three times: the Australian Open in 2004, 2006 and 2007, the U.S. Open from 2004-2007, and Wimbledon in 2003-2007.
CRISTIANO RONALDO
August 1, 2008 by usanewsBIOGRAPHY
Cristiano Ronaldo arrived in Manchester amid a media storm. Manchester United had managed to sign the player without the Press suspecting anything. As the Stock Market was told that the player had been signed, hundreds of journalists flooded up to Manchester to get a proper look at one of Manchester United’s youngest signings.
Ronaldo was born on the 5th February 1985, on the small island of Madeira, which is owned by the Portuguese. Named after Ronald Reagan, due to his father’s respect for the man, few would have gambled that this child would make it to the very top of the Football tree, especially with Madeira mainly being used for farm-land. He has one brother and two sisters, and it is family whom he deems most important in his life at the moment.
It was on the dusty back-streets of this small island that Ronaldo learnt his first few tricks, and it was also on this Island that he was first scouted. By the age of twelve Ronaldo had established himself as the best player on the Island, able to use his ball skills and pace to get past full-grown defenders for Andorinha.
Having been recognised as a serious talent, all that was left was for the big Portuguese clubs to scrap it out for his signature. Though Porto and Boavista came in for him, he could only ever play for Sporting the club he supported as a boy.
He progressed slowly through the youth ranks, although all those who worked with him were impressed with the talent that he had for his age, as well as his maturity.
At the tender age of 17, Ronaldo was thrown in at the deep end with his first game against Moreirense. Two goals on his first appearance not only gave him his dream debut, but also endeared him to the fans, who soon learnt to chant for the ball to be passed to him. A goal against title-rivals Boavista also saw him rise to the top of the “Fan’s Favourites” list.
His skills were watched closely by all of the big clubs in Europe, including Liverpool and Juventus, in the U-17 European Championships. His dazzling skills put England U-17s out, and everyone who watched felt they had seen something special.
At the end of his first season at Sporting he was linked to Liverpool. Though he claimed he was extremely happy at Sporting, he was also flattered by the interest of such a big club, who used to do well in the Premier League.
Sporting finished top in the league, and Ronaldo was hailed as the future of the club, alongside Quaresma, another Portuguese Starlet.
As it was, both moved away, with the money on the table to much for the Portuguese club to turn down. Best-friend Quaresma ended up at Barcelona, whilst Ronaldo came to the bright red of Manchester.
03/04
The deal saw Ronald become the most expensive teenage signing in Britain, with Manchester United paying £12.24million over two seasons, in two equal payments.
Those who had not seen him play baulked at the price such a lot of money for someone unproven!
Those who had seen the Man Utd vs. Sporting friendly just three days before, however, knew that this player was special. Playing for Sporting, Ronaldo had taken the game to the reds, and was the main reason that Manchester United lost 3-1. After the game, all the United players could talk about was how well Ronaldo had played, and they begged Sir Alex to buy him. Sir Alex had been following him for months, but decided that the time was right not least because other clubs were getting increasingly closer to buying him.
An so, on 12th August 2003, Cristiano Ronaldo held up the famous Red shirt, with his favourite number 7 (it is hero Figo’s number) for all the press to see.
A new star had been born.
His first performance for the club was against Bolton. He entered the fray with an hour gone, with United 1 0 up. A standing ovation from the fans at old Trafford did nothing to settle his nerves, but he rewarded the fans for their trust. A man-of-the-match performance followed, and Ronaldo became legend. He had a hand in two of the goals, won an unconverted penalty, and mesmerised the Bolton defence.
The next day the media proclaimed him one of the best players ever for United, comparing him with Red-Legend George Best. Much had been seen, but much is still to come. Ronaldo got better and better as the season went on, eventually leading the Reds to the FA Cup – though somewhat suprisingly, he was not awarded “Man of the Match in that game”. It was a disappointing season for United, but no-one was questioning whether Ronaldo was worth the £12million Sir Alex had splashed out on him just eight months previously – everyone could see that Ronaldo was going to be an incredible player.
Ronaldo matured so much during his first year at United that he became a regular in the Portuguese national first team squad. He played a major role in their progress to the final of Euro 2004, where they opposed Greece. In a match that was played on Portuguese soil, Portugal deserved to win the game, but were beaten by a goal scored on the counter-attack by a defensive Greece team.
04/05
Ronaldo returned late to Manchester United following international action for the Portuguese Olympic side (Portugal were knocked out in the Quarters), and the Reds were already a good few points behind the leaders Chelsea. Ronaldo put in a number of classy performances, although his strike-rate never really picked up until after he had agreed on a £50 bet with Sir Alex that he would score 10 that season!
As it turned out, Ronaldo was on 9 goals going into the last game of the seaon – the FA Cup Final. United had failed to score in two games against AC Milan in Europe in March, and they had fallen badly behind Chelsea in the league table because of scrappy defeats. Would Ronny be able to get his goal? No! Despite conquerring Arsenal for the full 120 minutes (the game went into Extra-Time), the match went score-lessly into penalties, and United lost!
With his Summer off Ronaldo visited the tsunami-hit communities of Banda Aceh before heading off on United’s Far-East Tour, and signing a new contract that will keep him at the club for many years to come.
05/06
Ronaldo’s third season at the club started on a sad note, with his fathers death deeply affecting his performances and attitude both on and off the pitch. To lose his father so young was hard for Cristiano, but he came through.
His season was further disrupted by a rape allegation by a media-hungry untrustworthy woman (which ended up being dropped). It may have been dropped, but it caused a major furore, and Ronaldo said at the end of the season that he did not enjoy being ‘front page news’.
Chelsea cruised into an 18 point lead as United stuttered, along with Ronaldo, to find form. It finally came in ajnuary 2006, after the team had been knocked out of the Champions League in the group stage – the last match against Porto saw Ronaldo flick his middle fingers up at the rival Portuguese fans and earned him a two-match ban!
United managed to cut Chelsea’s lead to just four points but couldn’t put the pressure on Chelsea on Good Friday, when they could only draw with Sunderland, giving any kind of title hopes up.
Ronaldo began to hit top form, and was starting to score goals again, just in time for the World Cup in Germany.
WC06
Books could be written on Cristiano’s World Cup (and undoubtedly will). He was the best player on the pitch at times, and won many fans internationally with his attacking play – at a tournament that was characterised by dull and negativefootball and tactics. You could always depend on Ronaldo to run at people and create chances, playing in the true spirit of the game.
BAck in England, however, he won few friends as the media tried to portray him as the culprit for England’s downfall when Portugal beat them in the Quarter Finals. Rooney had a wild stamp / lunge at Ricardo Carvalho’s “tomatoes”, and Ronaldo ran over to make sure the ref had seen it. This is tantamount to grabbing the red card out of the refs back pocket and sending Rooney off himself according to The Sun, and they fully vilified Ronaldo, even demanding he be deported!
Ronaldo was through to the semis, after scoring the winning penalty against England (talk about having the last laugh), but couldn’t conjure up enough to beat a dull French side who won with an exceedingly dodgy penalty early in the game and shut up shop.
Ronaldo was then linked with Real Madrid, even saying himself that he wasn’t sure England would be safe for him amidst all the chaos.
06/07
Thankfully, Fergie refused to consider Manchester United without him, and he returned, made friends with Rooney.
A phenomenal season ensued. Ronaldo was booed at his first outing away in a friendly at Oxford, which only made him play harder – scoring two goals and setting another up!
He continued this form forwards, and was responsible for United’s better play – his darting and daring runs and tricks lighting up the pitch alongside Saha and Rooney in attack.
Over the course of the season he scored over 20 goals, winning him his bet with Fergie, the Premier League, and 14 personal accolades! That included a first-ever hatrick of PFA Player of the Month awards, and everything from the FA Player of the Year to the Writers Player and beyond.
An accomplished season saw him sign a new contract on mega-money, and establish himself as one of the true stars of the World game. He will continue to rise this season.
Name: Cristiano Ronaldo
Date of Birth: 5th February 1985
Birth place: Madeira, Portugal
Nationality: Portuguese
Height: 184cm
Weight: 75kg
Clubs:
SEASON CLUB APPS GOALS
2002/03 Sporting Lisbon 18 3
2003/04 Manchester United 40 6
2004/05 Manchester United 50 9
2005/06 Manchester United 47 12
2005/06 Manchester United 52 23
International Debut: (vs Khazakstan) August 20th 2003
International Caps: (As at August 8th 2006) 38
Honours: Portuguese League Champion (2002/03), F.A. Cup winner (2003/04), Coca Cola Cup Winner (2005/06), Premiership Champion (2006/07)
Tiny New Microscope Unveiled
July 30, 2008 by usanewsA microscope small enough to fit on a fingertip has been developed by researchers in the United States. The new microscope has tiny dimensions. The instrument operates like a highly sophisticated pinhole camera and does not use lenses. Light passes through a series of holes, each less than one millionth of a metre in diameter, and a number of overlapping images are pieced together to create a precise two-dimensional picture. The technology combines traditional computer chip technology with microfluidics – the channelling of fluid flow at very small scales. An entire optofluidic microscope chip is about the size of a US quarter, though the part of the device that images objects is only the size of George Washington’s nose on the coin. Its creators say the instrument, which which has the magnifying power of a top quality lab bench microscope, could be mass produced for just £5. In the field, it could be used to analyse blood samples for malaria, or check water supplies for infectious organisms. “The whole thing is truly compact – it could be put in a mobile phone,” said Dr Changhuei Yang, who developed the microscope with colleagues at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. “It can use just sunlight for illumination, which makes it very appealing for Third World applications. “Our research is motivated by the fact that microscopes have been around since the 16th century, and yet their basic design has undergone very little change and has proven prohibitively expensive to miniaturise.”The researchers said that in future, microscope chips could be incorporated into devices that are implanted into the human body.
Gates’ foundation aids smoking ban for Games
July 30, 2008 by usanewsBill Gates just says no to smoking at the Beijing Olympics The retired co-founder of computer giant Microsoft, Bill Gates, has earmarked $130,000 from his foundation to support a “smoke-free Olympics”. “Awareness of the disease burden that smoking causes is not very widespread. I’d say most people in the US know it, but in China, that’s not the case,” Gates, who co-chairs the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said at a press conference in New York City on Wednesday. The funds from the foundation’s latest commitment are expected to go toward advertisements in an anti-smoking campaign in line with the Olympic smoking ban. Beijing has pledged a smoke-free Games, banning smoking from most indoor public spaces, workplaces and spectator areas of open-air stadiums during the Games next month. The anti-smoking drive is aimed at curbing a habit that reportedly affects more than 350 million people in the country. Medical costs from smoking also impoverish more than 50 million people in China, figures from the World Health Organization have showed. Similarly, about 1 million people die from smoking-related causes every year, statistics from Ministry of Health have showed.
Gates, who stepped down from Microsoft in June to work full time at the foundation and is scheduled to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympics on Aug 8, highlighted education as a weapon in the fight against smoking. “We’ve got to make sure that we don’t wait until China gets as rich as we did before we woke up and changed how we thought about smoking,” the billionaire philanthropist said. “We want that enlightenment to come to China early on.” His foundation’s latest efforts in China are part of the $125 million it has pledged over the next five years to fight smoking, where the funds will be used to support efforts to cut high rates of tobacco use in countries such as China and India, as well as help prevent the tobacco epidemic from taking root in Africa. “Tobacco-caused diseases have emerged as one of the greatest health challenges facing developing countries,” Gates said. “The good news is, we know what it takes to save millions of lives, and where efforts exist, they are working,” he said. The foundation has collaborated with the Health Ministry on other public health campaigns, including HIV prevention.
Nadal takes Federer’s crown
July 30, 2008 by usanewsSwiss star’s reign is over after thrilling final
Nadal: first Wimbledon title The best final ever Rafael Nadal claimed his first Wimbledon title in epic fashion on Centre Court with a five-set victory over world number one Roger Federer which will rank as one of the greatest Grand Slam finals. Nadal squandered a two-set lead and two Championship points in the fourth set tie-break before summoning one final challenge and sealing a 6-4 6-4 6-7 (5/7) 6-7 (8/10) 9-7 victory as darkness fell. Nadal had stood on the brink of victory after taking the advantage in the fourth set tie-break and holding two points for the title, the second of which Federer saved with a simply sensational backhand winner. But in a match interrupted by two brief rain delays, Nadal finally seized his chance in the 15th game of the final set, breaking Federer then serving out and marking his victory by crumbling to the court. “It’s impossible to explain what I felt in that moment… winning my favourite tournament, it’s a dream,” Nadal said after becoming the first man to win the French Open and Wimbledon back to back since Bjorn Borg in 1980. Of Federer he added: “He’s still the number one, he’s still the best, he’s five times champion, now I have one.”
Amy Winehouse Rushed To U.K. Hospital
July 30, 2008 by usanewsSoul singer Amy Winehouse was rushed to a London hospital emergency room today after suffering “a reaction to medication,” her spokesperson confirmed to BBC News. According to spokesperson Chris Goodman, an ambulance took the 24-year-old singer from her home in north London home to University College Hospital late Monday night after the ambulance service received a reported call of “an adult female taken unwell.” Winehouse will reportedly be kept under observation overnight and is likely to be released from the hospital tomorrow.Winehouse received hospital treatment just last month for traces of the lung disease emphysema. *Amy Winehouse’s Father Fears for Her Life A parent’s worst nightmare… Amy Winehouse’s father is voicing his worst fear: That his hard-partying daughter could die a “slow and painful death” from lung disease. According to the BBC, Mitch Winehouse told the U.K.’s Sky News in an interview: “My biggest fear is that she would die,” he said, “but she won’t die of a drug overdose. It won’t be that quick. She would die, unfortunately, of emphysema … We would be talking about a very slow and painful death, gasping for air.” Even one more cigarette puts Amy’s health in jeopardy, he told Sky, reminding viewers that doctors found “a small amount of emphysema in the top of one of her lungs,” which could grow “a lot more serious.” That is why, he said, the “Rehab” singer will take a performing hiatus after September 6, when she’s fulfilled her five remaining contractual gigs. From that date on, she’ll be “relaxing and writing,” Mitch told Sky, according to the BBC.
