30 Rock's Tina Fey's referencing of her Greek ancestry when deciding upon Penelope Athena

Mirabella Bunny, daughter of Bryan Adams; and Bear Blu, son of Alicia Silverstone

A hoard of gender-benders have put new twists on old names, such as Arlo, daughter of Johnny Knoxville and son of Toni Collette, Martha Stewart’s granddaughter Jude, Mariah Carey’s daughter Monroe, and quarterback Peyton Manning’s little girl Mosley Thompson.

Arabella, after Ivanka Trump's daughter, and Flynn, after Miranda Kerr and Orlando Bloom's son enjoying popularity on the names site.

Agnes Lark is not a conventionally attractive choice,' says Ms Satran of Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany's daughter.

NAMEBERRY'S CELEBRITY BABY NAMES OF 2011:

Naming rights: Miranda Kerr with baby Flynn - which has become a trending name at Nameberry

The Nelson Eddy Memorial Award goes to: Rex Harrison, son of Niki Taylor.
Newest celebrity gender bender: Arlo, daughter of Johnny Knoxville and son of Toni Collette.
Most mini-me name: Spike, son of Mike Myers.
Best alliterative sibling set: Haven Garner, daughter of Jessica Alba and Cash Warren, baby sister to Honor Marie.
Celebrity baby names most likely to be imitated: Arabella, after Ivanka Trump’s daughter and Flynn, chosen by Miranda Kerr and Orlando Bloom.
Best roots-inspired choice: Penelope Athena, daughter of 30 Rock star Tina Fey, who has Greek heritage.
Weird starbaby name most likely to become a cute kid name: Bingham (Bing) Hawn, son of Kate Hudson.
Weird starbaby name most likely to remain a weird starbaby name:
Aleph, son of Natalie Portman.
Celebrity baby most likely to beautify her name: Agnes Lark, daughter of Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany.
Softest name chosen by hardest rocker
Willow Sage, daughter of Pink.
Name not to try east of Yellowstone National Park: Bear Blu, son of Alicia Silverstone.
Middle name least likely to be appreciated in adolescence: Mirabella Bunny, daughter of Bryan Adams.
Most bizarre name inspiration: Moroccan Scott, son of Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon.
Baddest-ass family name: Waylon Albert, nicknamed Blackjack, son of Drea de Matteo and Shooter Jennings.
Celebrity baby names most anticipated in 2012: Baby Boy Affleck and Baby Beyonce and Jay-Z.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2073293/2011-year-wacky-celebrity-baby-names--outrageous-choices-stars-make-2012s-new-arrivals.html#ixzz1gR2jBZ5t

The great detox deception: From mud wraps to drinking syrup, detoxes are 'pointless, dangerous claptrap'

By John Naish

Last updated at 1:14 AM on 13th December 2011

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Gulping pints of maple syrup mixed with chilli peppers, having enemas, being sucked by leeches or getting wrapped in cling film until your body overheats...
All of these so called ‘detoxes’ are undertaken every year by millions of women in the pursuit of good health and beauty.
The treatments promise to cure a range of vague ailments, such as tiredness, headaches, bloating, back pain and skin problems, by cleansing your body’s blood and organs of a welter of accumulated ‘toxic’ chemicals.

We have an excellent system for getting rid of potentially harmful substances - it is called the human body, says Professor David Bender

Now a leading British expert has issued a festive warning for anyone hoping to purge themselves of so-called toxins after an indulgent Christmas break: detoxing simply does not work, says David Bender, a professor of nutritional biochemistry at University College London.
At best, it is pointless — and at worst, highly dangerous.
The professor also points out, in this month’s edition of the British Society of Biology’s journal, The Biologist, that we have an excellent system for getting rid of potentially harmful substances — it is called the human body.

 

More...

• Sweet-toothed mothers risk having sugar addict babies and put their long-term health at risk
• 'I've never dieted. I'm a size 6 and only 5ft 3in tall': Under the microscope with Helen McCrory

However, Professor Bender’s wise warning is in danger of being drowned by the clamour of commercial propaganda.
Over the past decade, detoxing has grown from an obscure alternative quirk into a multi-million-pound industry promoted by celebrities such Beyonce Knowles, Angelina Jolie and Demi Moore.
Even Prince Charles has joined in, by marketing a Duchy Originals herbal ‘detox tincture’ featuring globe artichoke and dandelion.
But there is no doubt that detoxing can be dangerous as well as expensively pointless.

Last August, one woman died at a detox spa and another was rushed to hospital in Canada after they had spent hours wrapped in mud and plastic intended to draw ‘poisons’ from their skin.
Medical officials in Quebec said their tests showed that the dead woman, Chantal Lavigne, 35, had suffered heat stroke and asphyxiation.
In terms of human biology, the idea of detoxing is absurd. But the health and beauty industry is notoriously reluctant to let science get in the way of a money-spinner.
The basic fallacy, says Professor Bender, is that ‘large amounts of toxic waste accumulate in our bodies and must be eliminated by some kind of dietary regime’.

There is no doubt that detoxing can be dangerous as well as expensively pointless

In fact, ‘the human body processes and removes toxins very efficiently’.
This waste disposal system has evolved over millions of years and works throughout the day and night to remove unwanted substances.
The gut prevents bacteria and many toxins from entering the body.
And our organs are constantly creating highly complex chemical reactions throughout our bodies that turn food and drink into hormones, energy and even medicines, says Professor Bender.
Our metabolisms are also highly efficient at dissolving unwanted substances harmlessly into our urine and bile — a process that biologists call ‘conjugation’ — so we can void them when we visit the bathroom.
Thus the idea of ‘bad’ chemicals simply sitting around in our bodies waiting to be removed by expensive detox regimen is nonsensical, says Professor Bender.
The scientific community stands fully behind the professor’s conclusions.
The campaigning group Sense About Science has investigated 15 detox products, ranging from foot patches to ‘detox’ hair straighteners, and asked the manufacturers for evidence to justify their claims.
‘No one we contacted was able to provide any evidence for their claims or to give a comprehensive definition of what they meant by detox,’ says Sense About Science.
There is heavyweight support from other quarters, too.
Professor Edzard Ernst, the recently retired professor of complementary medicine at the University of Exeter, has argued that if detoxing really did work, it would be simple to prove its effectiveness:
‘All you would need to do is to take a few blood samples from volunteers and test whether this or that toxin is eliminated from the body faster than normal,’ he says.
‘But there are no studies that demonstrate this effectiveness. The reason is simple: these products have no  real effects.’

Nevertheless, the detox industry continues to go from strength to strength.
According to market analysts Mintel, detox products were second only to cold and flu remedies for the number of healthcare product launches last year.
The detox industry isn’t adverse to employing a dirty trick or too, either.
Professor Bender explains how the water in the footwell of ‘detoxing’ foot spas doesn’t turn brown because they have drawn nasty coloured toxins out of the body.
All you are witnessing is the salts in the footbath reacting with the electrodes in the machine.
If you don’t put your feet in the water, it will still turn brown after  30 minutes.
Such foot-spa kidology is not simply harmless, says Professor Bender.
‘Far from removing toxins in the body, the process of electrolysing sodium chloride creates substances that are actively hazardous to human health — explosive hydrogen gas and poisonous chlorine gas.’
And as for the many detox diet regimes that are promoted by bestselling books — yes, you may find yourself visiting the toilet a good deal more.
But that is not because you are purging yourself of stubborn waste chemicals. It is the natural result of gorging on high-fibre fruit and drinking lots of liquids, the typical fare of detox diets, which make everything in your bowel far looser.
At the other end of the biological scale are the ‘spiritual benefits’ — most often experienced in the shape of light-headedness.
‘To the mystic, this might signal divine revelation. And to the proponent of detox, it signals the release of toxins ready to be eliminated,’ says Professor Bender.
But to the scientist, it simply reflects the normal response to a drop in blood sugar that these regimes can cause. And light-headedness may be the least of your problems.
The experts at Sense About Science warn that many detox tonics can contain stomach irritants — including herbs such as St John’s Wort — to make you visit the bathroom more often.
These can interfere with the way that medicines can work. In particular, they may lower the effectiveness of the contraceptive Pill.
Thus, women embarking on weight-loss detoxing regimes may discover another unwanted side-effect: pregnancy.
Far from ridding your body of unwanted elements, you may get a lot more than you bargained for.

'Cleansing' water left my wife brain-damaged

Mother of two Dawn Page, 55, suffered irreparable brain damage after just six days on a strict detox diet. The former conference organiser from Wantage, Oxfordshire, has been left with the mental capacity of a small child. Here, her husband Geoff, 56, a project manager for a packaging company, tells her story:

'The future has lost any purpose,' said Geoff Page (pictured with wife Dawn)

Dawn used to be a busy wife and mother who juggled family life with her work as a conference organiser.
All that changed in the autumn of 2001 when she decided to go on a health kick to lose some weight. She consulted a nutritional therapist called Barbara Nash who she’d seen on TV.
She was put on a ‘detoxing diet’ by Barbara that involved cutting out as much salt as possible and drinking a minimum of four pints of water a day. 
About six days after starting this detox, Dawn told me she’d been feeling lethargic and tired, then later that evening she became violently sick.
Dawn told me she’d spoken to the nutritionist in case it was something to do with the new regime, but she was told by Barbara to stick with it.
She’d also been told to increase the amount of water from four pints to six.
I also rang the nutritionist, but she told me in quite scientific terms that the symptoms Dawn was experiencing was normal.
She said the symptoms were typical of the detoxing process and that Dawn should maintain the diet. And she emphasised the need to keep up the water intake.
The next day, our son David came home from work to find Dawn collapsed in the bedroom. She was rushed to the local hospital in Swindon.
I was told she was suffering from hyponatraemia, or a water overdose. The body takes in too much water, which dilutes vital salt levels in the blood.
The body’s cells swell, and when that happens in the brain, it causes epileptic fits and brain damage, which is what happened to Dawn.
For a while it was touch and go if she would live.
Over the next two months, Dawn was in and out of intensive care. Her muscles wasted because she was immobile for so long and as a result her body released chemicals that caused kidney failure. She went on dialysis and then developed pneumonia.
As well as severe brain damage, Dawn had also developed epilepsy and a paranoid psychotic illness — she thought I was having affairs.
She had never suffered mental illness or fits before, but suddenly she couldn’t see or speak properly, and had barely any memory or concentration. It was devastating. 
I was allowed to take her home just before Christmas 2001, but she was no longer my wife.
She was like a baby who needed everything doing for her, from her nails to using the toilet. The bubbly, outgoing and independent Dawn is no longer with me, and communication is extremely difficult.
The future has lost any purpose and, despite the compensation of £810,000 we received in 2008 in an out-of-court settlement, I worry about Dawn if I were to die.
Last year we moved house to be closer to a network of people who can give her support and help her improve her independence. It’s been devastating for our sons.
I want people to realise just how easy it is get into this predicament. I warn everyone to stay away from these detoxes.
Scientifically, there is no proof that a detox works. And as I’ve learned from bitter experience, it can go horribly wrong.
headwayswindon.org.uk.

By Amanda Revell Walton

 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2073322/The-great-detox-deception-From-mud-wraps-drinking-syrup-detoxes-pointless-dangerous-claptrap.html#ixzz1gR051SJt

2011 celebrity hitched and ditched

 Married: Jamie Hince & Kate Moss

Kate Moss married rockstar Jamie Hince back in August. Kate wore a dress designed by the now-controversial John Galliano, who has long considered the 37-year-old model his muse.

            

Married: Prince William & Kate Middleton

Most anticipated wedding of the year Prince William and Kate Middleton have shared their first kisses as a royal couple on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in April.       

   

Married: Shane Warne & Elizabeth Hurley

Just after news broke of the pair's engagement.Warne reportedly proposed over dinner the night before, to the applause of others in the restaurant, and gave Liz Hurley a stunning sapphire ring.

Married: Nick Lachey & Vanessa Minnillo

Nick Lachey & Vanessa Minnillo tied the knot July 15 on Necker Island. Cameras caught it all on tape for a TLC wedding special.

Married: Michael Buble & Luisana Lopilato

Michael Bublé married fiancée Luisana Lopilato in a civil wedding ceremony in Buenos Aires in a small civil ceremony in April.

Married: Robin Williams & Susan Schneider

Proving it's never too late to get hitched Robin Williams married for the third time this October. The 60-year-old Oscar winner wed graphic designer Susan Schneider.

Married: Lily Allen & Sam Cooper

A pregnant Lily Allen wed boyfriend Sam Cooper in an English countryside village, June 11.

Married: Daniel Craig & Rachel Weisz

Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz pulled off a 'secret wedding'. The former James Bond and one-time Blanche DuBois of "A Streetcar Named Desire" wed in New York in front of just four people, People reported

Married: Reese Witherspoon & Jim Toth

The Legally Blonde star got hitched to talent agent Jim Toth on March 26. Among those at the wedding were Witherspoon's two kids from her previous marriage to Ryan Phillippe.

Engaged: Jamie Bower & Bonnie Wright

Jamie Campbell Bower revealed he was engaged to fellow Harry Potter star Bonnie Wright. The two have been coy about their courtship, but Campbell is all smiles. "I'm very happy," he told press.

Married & Divorced: Kris Humphries & Kim Kardashian

After just 72 days of marriage reality TV star Kim Kardashian called off her marriage to basketballer Kris Humphries. E! News host Ryan Seacrest', has confirmed the split. "Yes @kimkardashian is filing for divorce this morning. I touched base with her," he tweeted.

 

Divorced: Ashton Kutcher & Demi Moore

After seven years of marriage, in September Demi Moore released a statement that she was divorcing Kutcher "with great sadness and a heavy heart. As a woman, a mother and a wife there are certain values and vows that I hold sacred, and it is in this spirit that I have chosen to move forward with my life."

Divorced: Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz

These two were so sweet together, we thought they were tight. Ashlee Simpson filed for divorce from Pete Wentz, citing "irreconcilable differences"

Divorced: Jennifer Lopez & Marc Anthony

Over seven years Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony have divorced based on a mutal decision to end their marriage.

Divorced: Arnold Schwarzenegger & Maria Shriver

After an outstanding 25 years Arnold and Maria have divorced after Arnold secretly married out an extra-martial affair and fathered a child

Divorced: Crystal Harris & Hugh Hefner

Various reports are calling Hefner and Crystall Harris' whole relationship 'a mere publicity stunt'.

Divorced: Christina Aguilera & Jordan Bratman

Christina Aguilera's five year marriage to music executive Jordan Bratman has wrapped up with a divorce. Details of the split settlement have not been made public.

Split: Sean Penn & Scarlett Johansson

Lasting only five months Scarlett Johansson and Sean Penn have ended their relationship. Reason being 'Sean didn't want to get serious'

Choosing a wife

Choosing a wife

A man wanted to get married. He was having trouble choosing among three likely candidates. He gives each woman a present of $5,000 and watches to see what they do with the money.


The first does a total makeover. She goes to a fancy beauty salon, gets her hair done, new makeup; buys several new outfits and dresses up very nicely for the man. She tells him that she has done this to be more attractive for him because she loves him so much.

The man was impressed.



The second goes shopping to buy the man gifts. She gets him a new set of golf clubs, some new gizmos for his computer, and some expensive clothes. As she presents these gifts, she tells him that she has spent all the money on him because she loves him so much..


Again, the man is impressed.



The third invests the money in the stock market She earns several times the $5,000. She gives him back his $5,000 and reinvests the remainder in a joint account. She tells him that she wants to save for their future because she loves him so much.



Obviously, the man was impressed.



The man thought for a long time about what each woman had done with the money he'd given her.


Then he married the one with the biggest tits.


Men are like that, you know.

And on another note!

There is more money being spent on breast implants and Viagra today than on Alzheimer's research. This means that by 2040, there should be a large elderly population with perky boobs and huge erections and absolutely no recollection of what to do with them.

If you don't send this to five OLD friends right away there will be five fewer people laughing in the world

Boring Mark Zuckerberg

After a body building blog exposed a Facebook glitch that gave users access to private hidden photos, the best thing the Internet could think to do was post Mark Zuckerberg's super boring private photos. And now they are all around the blogs. That's because the tech world wants so badly to find something noteworthy -- quirky, scandalous, salacious, interesting in any way, at all about the Facebook founder. As the supposed "next Steve Jobs" and CEO of a tech company that will likely have a presence for a very long time, it would be really nice if Mark Zuckerberg weren't so boring. But even his "private" Facebook photos show the same old regular-dude Zuck that we know.

Facebook has since disable the glitch, but within a day of the exposed flaw, a cached album of Zuckerberg photos appeared on the Web. In theory, it sounds like an illicit act and one would think the offenders would snatch the dirtiest photos. Yet, the album depicts a very normal 27-year-old guy lifestyle.

Zuck riding in a non-tinted windowed car with his adorable puppy.

Zuck with his low-profile non-celebrity girlfriend, doing a very normal couple activity.

And there's more boring where that came from, with the most interesting of the bunch of Zuckerberg with Obama. These photos wouldn't even qualify for the "celebs are just like us" section in Us Weekly, because he is more boring than us.

This isn't the first failed attempt at scandalizing the Facebook creator. The 6,000 word New Yorker profile didn't do much -- The Atlantic's Alexis Madrigal called it "stupefyingly boring." And all the tech blogger "revelations" posts didn't reveal much of anything. A look at his Facebook Timeline, led to the same Zuck-is-boring conclusion. And his recent Charlie Rose interview didn't do much either. And as the tech world personality to watch, we can look forward to more yawn-worthy Zuckerberg personal exposes.

http://news.yahoo.com/mark-zuckerberg-private-secrets-hes-boring-205327513.html

2011 End of an era

http://yearinreview.yahoo.com/2011/us_end_of_an_era#us_end_of_an_era

2. 

   1.

   1.  Space Shuttle Program

   2. 

      2. Oprah Winfrey

   3. 

      3. Borders

   4. 

      4. Harry Potter

   5. 

      5. Friendster

   6. 

      6. Steve Jobs

   7. 

      7. News of the World

   8. 

      8. “Kate Plus 8″

   9. 

      9. Elizabeth Warren

   10. 

       10. Iraq Withdrawal

   • End of an Era

     1. Space Shuttle Program
     2. Oprah Winfrey
     3. Borders
     4. Harry Potter
     5. Friendster
     6. Steve Jobs
     7. News of the World
     8. “Kate Plus 8″
     9. Elizabeth Warren
     10. Iraq Withdrawal

2011 End of an era

1. End of an Era

2. 

   1. Space Shuttle Program

3. 

   2. Oprah Winfrey

4. 

   3. Borders

5. 

   4. Harry Potter

6. 

   5. Friendster

7. 

   6. Steve Jobs

8. 

   7. News of the World

9. 

   8. “Kate Plus 8″

10. 

    9. Elizabeth Warren

11. 

    10. Iraq Withdrawal

• End of an Era

  1. http://yearinreview.yahoo.com/2011/us_end_of_an_era#us_end_of_an_era.

Friendster

 Before MySpace hit the scene, and back when everybody was still talking about Napster, there was Friendster. One of the first social networking sites, Friendster exited that realm in May 2011 to become a social entertainment site, intended to complement Facebook -- the very social network that was blamed for its downfall.
Friendster, which was started in 2002 by Jonathan Abrams, gave its users about a month to export their profiles before they were erased, so the company could focus more on connecting people through gaming, not networking. The site sputtered in the U.S. but picked up a strong following in Asia, and stated its intent to expand there after being acquired in 2009 by a Malaysian company. The newest incarnation essentially creates a parallel social network for your avatar.
Some are comparing the Friendster reinvention to that of MySpace after Facebook trounced it. The two companies' fates are unclear: News Corp., busy managing its own problems in 2011, finally shed MySpace, having bought the company for $580 million back in 2006. Online advertising firm Specific Media acquired the company in June for $35 million -- a little more than a $1 per user. Had the sale happened in 2008 at the same rate per user, the price tag might have been $75 million.
But what's the update on the Friendster so many of us have forgotten? The latest status, from its new CEO: The company is attracting young Asians to social gaming; more than 90% of its new users are based in Asia. The epitaph of the original Friendster, however, is one of wasted potential. It had millions of users only months after its March 2003 launch. How, then, did Facebook end up with all the cool kids? A Harvard Business School professor told the New York Times in 2006 that it was a complicated question but one thing is pretty certain: Abrams, who blames missed audience targeting and terrible technology, probably should have accepted a $30 million buyout offer from Google in 2003.
Considering the launch of Google+ this year, would there have been a whole different Silicon Valley landscape if that 2003 buyout had happened? Instead of creating a social networking site to rival Facebook, might Google have prevented the now powerhouse company from even existing? Of course, Google did launch its own social networking site, Orkut, in 2004. Kind of like Friendster, Orkut really found its following outside the U.S. and is now based in Brazil -- although its members have been bailing fast for Facebook.
The Friendster makeover probably didn't take many by surprise; the change more often prompted some to ask, "Is Friendster still around?" It is, but not as we once knew it. Friendster is now dot-com vintage, a nostalgic relic we can muse about in Facebook status updates or tweets.

A former reporter for the Associated Press and ABC News, Laura E. Davis writes about gay rights and the Supreme Court. She is one of the social media editors for Yahoo! News. Follow her on Twitter at @laura_ynews.

Christmas set menu

 Poached prawns, apple and plum chutney and mustard dressing, avocado oil

 ****

 Oven baked rolled turkey with sorrel chocolate butter and hazelnut roast potato, grilled pumpkin with herbs and caramelized carrot OR Chicken galantine in lobster sauce with honey baby carrot and black olive soft semolina.

 *****

Steamed Christmas pudding Vanilla white chocolate sauce and wild berry compote 

*****

 Freshly brewed coffee and selection of teas Complementary glass of house wine or juice and Free flow house pouring red and white wines for only RM 50.00++

What is Marketing?

What is Marketing?

You see a gorgeous girl at a party.
You go up to her and say, 'I am very rich. Marry me!'
That's Direct Marketing You're at a party with a bunch of friends and see a gorgeous girl.
One of your friends goes up to her and pointing at you says, 'He's very rich. Marry him.'
That's Advertising.
You see a gorgeous girl at a party.
You go up to her and get her telephone number.
The next day you call and say, 'Hi, I'm very rich. Marry me.'
That's Telemarketing.
You're at a party and see a gorgeous girl.
You get up and straighten your tie; you walk up to her and pour her a drink.
You open the door for her, pick up her bag after she drops it, offer her a ride, and then say, 'By the way, I'm very rich 'Will you marry me?'
That's Public Relations.
You're at a party and see a gorgeous girl.
She walks up to you and says, 'You are very rich, I want to marry you.'
That's Brand Recognition.

You see a gorgeous girl at a party.
You go up to her and say, 'I'm rich. Marry me'
She gives you a nice hard slap on your face.
That's Customer Feedback. 

I want you to marry a girl of my choice

Father: I want you to marry a girl of my choice
Son: 'I will choose my own bride!'
Father: 'But the girl is Bill Gates's daughter.'
Son: 'Well, in that case...ok'

Next Father approaches Bill Gates,
Father: 'I have a husband for your daughter.'
Bill Gates: 'But my daughter is too young to marry!'
Father: 'But this young man is a vice-president of the World Bank.'
Bill Gates: 'Ah, in that case...ok'

Finally Father goes to see the president of the World Bank,
Father: 'I have a young man to be recommended as a vice-president.'
President: 'But I already have more vice- presidents than I need!'
Father: 'But this young man is Bill Gates's son-in-law.'
President: 'Ah, in that case...ok'

This is how business is done!!

Moral: Even If you have nothing, You can get Anything. But your attitude should be positive