Over 4,000 kilos of food was offered to the town's hungry macaques during the annual feast, including cans of soda and lollipops

We wonder if this little guy was given a product placement fee for being snapped chugging back a can of soda during the annual Lopburi ‘monkey buffet.’

There are some satisfied long-tailed macaques in Lopburi right now, having stuffed themselves silly on over 4,000 kilos of goodies at Sunday's annual ‘monkey buffet.’

Lopburi is a popular tourist town about 150 kilometers north of Bangkok famous for the small but fearless long-tailed macaques that have taken over a few of its ancient temples. Every year on the last Sunday of November, Lopburi's monkeys -- estimates range from 600 to 2,000 -- are 'invited' to dine on fruits, vegetables and other treats like soda and lollipops.

According to the Thai version of the Ramayana legend, Rama created the ancient city of Lopburi with the help of his friend Hanuman the Monkey King. Rather than view the town's naughty, thieving monkeys as an annoyance, many of Lopburi’s residents consider the macaques descendants of Hanuman. Hence this delicious monkey buffet is held in their honor -- and to promote tourism, of course.

Monkeys aren't the only Thai animal celebrated every November. Check out our video highlights of Surin's recent Elephant Roundup. (Gallery 1)


source: cnngo.com

Rocket-launching, rainbow-splattered streamline babies

In Asia, custom cars -- altered for looks or performance -- are pimped-out. There goes (Varoom! Varoom!) that J-pop painted (Thphhhhhh!) robot-transforming (Rahghhh!) Gandhi killer car around the bend.


Japanese customizers are hardcore


The land of anime and transforming robots brought out similarly badass vehicles at the 2009 Sotontokoro Motorshow. A Buddhist priest decked his ride with sutras written in Svarovski crystals. (Cost: US$110,000.) A Batman fanatic made a rolling tribute. (Cost: US$280,000, 13 wasted years and a divorce.) My favorite is the eggplant farmer’s van with a giant water rocket launcher.


Manila custom car show


The Philippines is a nation of car individualists. At the 2008 Manila Auto Salon (http://www.manilaautosalon.com), owners showed off their skilled custom work. Psychedelic paint jobs, gull wings and Gothic front plates ahoy.



Extreme modified vans in Japan
Spray-painting the side of a van? Pssshw. In Japan, tricked-out vans have towering lighting bolt extensions and meticulous portraits of Disney and Sanrio characters. Or cute J-pop stars, such as Ayumi Hamasaki.







Chinese “little sheep” scooter
Motorbikes rule the roads of Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province. In China, scooters are called “little sheep” because they are less powerful than their Harley-Davidson cousins. Hence the gold writing on this retro two-wheeler “Century Sheep.”






Patched-up Shanghai three-wheeler
I adore this jockey-shifter trike, spotted on the sidewalk of Shanghai’s hardware district. It reminds me of my dad’s old ride: rust covered with poorly-matched spray paint, seat held together by rope. Could the handicapped symbol refer to the state of the vehicle?



Gandhi killer getaway car
New Delhi accumulated a fair number of foreign autos in its colonial days. At a 2007 rally, hobbyists put their painstakingly restored vintage roadsters on display. This 1930 Studebaker has a sordid history: It was the car Nathuram Godse used to escape from Birla House after killing Mahatma Gandhi.




REVA rainbow electric cars
Designer-painted REVA custom cars were auctioned for charity at the 2008 Kala Ghoda Arts Fest in Mumbai. Some call the Indian electric car ugly, but they might change their minds after seeing one covered with rainbow streaks and patches. Or not.



Sparkly Bratz Hyundai coupé
South Korean manufacturer Hyundai is known for its inexpensive and not-too-cool cars. But the sporty Genesis Coupé takes a step up the luxury ladder. And the Bratz-themed customization -- sparkly magenta paint, fuzzy pillows, wing doors -- puts this Hyundai in the zone of awesome custom cars. (If you’re a six-year-old girl, that is…)


source: cnngo.com

Ever wonder what's behind door number two? Follow us...



..to the Bollywood bathroom


the Beach



..to 17,000 feet up in the Himalayas



..to the climb



..to the couples toilet






..to the highway restaurant



..to the train



..to the urban home



.. to the wannabe 'echo hut' in a village


Don't hold your breath -- suspending, squatting and sometimes even climbing to go to the bathroom while travelling in India is something even locals are scared of

source: cnngo.com

Shanghai’s dining scene makes this city, but sometimes the culinary arena gets a bit too over zealous leading to dining trends we’d happily write obituaries for

They came, they cooked, they made our stomachs turn -- we'll happily put some of Shanghai's recent dining trends into the ground.

Each year, trendy restaurants arise, eager amateurs try to copycat them and laughable disasters result -- think canned fruit cocktail on Hawaiian pizza and Kraft dinner cheese sauce on tacos. These experiments and other failed dining trends assault the hungry masses.

Chef Eric Brown, former head chef at Mexico Lindo, Finestre and Pinnacle Peak, and now head chef at the 2010 Expo Spanish Pavilion gives us the view from amid the fray.


Dining trend 1: Mexican
“One of the biggest dining trends I’ve noticed is Mexican food, and it has blown up in a big way,” Brown says.

It started in the fall of 2009, he recalls, with Mexico Lindo, then Maya and then Cantina Agave (1/F, 291 Fumin Lu, near Changle Lu 富民路291号, 近长乐路). Those leaders are still doing well, Brown notes. However, the copycats have encircled us now.

Beware of burritos filled with mystery meat, pale guacamole and unidentifiable fried objects -- are those even beans?

Brown puts it simply: “People aren't executing the dishes how they're supposed to be. Slow cooking the meats is essential, as is cornmeal. Mexican is based a lot around maize, or cornmeal. It’s a staple.”

Flour just won’t do, muchachos!

Lesson learned: There’s no substitute for the real ingredients.



Dining trend 2: Italian
“There is nothing worse than overpaying for cardboard and ketchup and someone calling it a pizza,” Brown laments.

He’s not exaggerating, ketchup is frequently used for tomato sauce in “copycat” restaurants. Oops!

Higher prices doesn’t guarantee higher quality either. Brown hesitantly admits he’s had “glorified egg noodles and cheese” served at a well-known venue in town. “I have had better cafeteria food when I was in high school,” he jokes.

“Italian is old world food. It is centered around sauces and the longer you cook them the better they will be,” Brown says. Fast Italian just doesn’t work.

Lesson learned: Slow and steady wins the dining race.



Dining trend 3: French
In the French department, Brown gives the nod to Laris and Jean-Georges, where the food is “always past exceptional,” but wish we could say the same for the ubiquitous, more affordable bakery-cafes. The breads are baffling.

On of the most popular dining trends is the oblong “baguette” loaf that has a 3D shape, appears to exist, yet has zero texture or taste. How is it possible?

“French, as most cuisines, is territorial. It’s all about the ingredients you have around you, so it’s a struggle trying to create dishes in a foreign country,” Brown explains. “That’s why it’s so expensive.” That special je ne sais quois doesn’t come cheaply.

Lesson learned: Breads might seem basic, but just because it’s a staple doesn’t mean it’s easy to do well.



Dining trend 4: Tapas
“Tapas is one of the most overplayed dining trends. The market is definitely flooded,” says Brown.

Brown fears that “if enough people do it badly, it will give it a bad name and people will stop going. El Willy does it better than anyone, and now others are jumping on board, mucking it all up. A huge factor is having the right people there after you have left the restaurant.”

Restaurateurs can’t hire a specialized chef for two weeks to train the staff and then let the chef go. Fast gourmet doesn’t work as well as fast fashion.

Lesson learned: Two weeks of training doesn’t make up for experience in the kitchen.

Although we’ll never complain about the breadth of the Shanghai dining scene, flash-flooding a market to capitalize on dining trends, is the ultimate trend that must die.


source: cnngo.com

By Adi Narayan

Can't remember where you put your keys? Here's a tip for you: record the sound of your jingling keys and put it into your iPod. Then get someone to play it to you at night, while you are deep asleep. Chances are it'll help you remember.

That's the conclusion of a recent report in the journal Science by neuroscientists at Northwestern University, who carried out a small study, with 12 volunteers, to figure out whether specific sounds played during sleep would boost the memory of information learned while awake.

First, the participants were asked to memorize the correct location of 50 images on a computer monitor. The images were shown one at a time, arranged in a random place on the screen — a cat appeared on the bottom left, a gong on the top right and so forth. Each object was shown with a related sound — so subjects heard a meow with the picture of a cat, and a crashing noise coupled with the image of a gong. After studying the 50 images and locations, the participants were asked to take a short nap in a recliner in an adjacent room.

Volunteers for the study weren't hard to find, notes Ken Paller, professor of psychology at Northwestern University and lead author of the paper: "People are happy when they are paid to have a nap."

The volunteers were outfitted with electrode caps — akin to a white shower cap with a jungle of wires sticking out of it — that tracked their brain waves in order to determine their stage of slumber. Using an electroencephalogram (EEG), investigators monitored the sleepers' brain activity, and just when the squiggly lines on the screen showed that participants had entered deep sleep, researchers began playing a series of 25 of the sounds that the individual had heard earlier in the memory game. "[The volume] was a little over a whisper, probably much [quieter] than ... your iPod," says John Rudoy, one of the study's authors and a graduate student at Northwestern.

When the participants woke up about an hour later, they said they hadn't heard a thing. But the test results suggested otherwise. On average, each person did slightly better at remembering the correct locations of the 25 objects whose related sounds had been cued during sleep than those of the other objects. The sounds appeared to have entered the sleeping brain and helped consolidate associated memories.

Many researchers who study sleep and memory were excited by this new study (not to mention purveyors of nighttime subliminal-message CDs that purport to make you quit smoking or love yourself) — but experts acknowledge that more work needs to be done. "I would consider this a very, very small effect," says Paller, so don't expect to be able to boost your SAT score while sleeping just yet.

For nearly two centuries, researchers have suspected that sleep plays an important role in learning and memory. But it's only in the last decade that neuroscientists have discovered the most convincing evidence that memory is indeed dependent on sleep. The prevailing theory is that during deep sleep, the brain replays certain experiences from the day, which, in turn, strengthens the memory of what happened. It is thought that when it comes to factual memories, like names, faces, numbers or locations, memory consolidation happens only during deep sleep — a phase of non–rapid eye movement sleep. (The other broad type of sleep, called rapid eye movement or REM sleep, which is when dreaming occurs, is believed to play a role in consolidating memories involving emotions and motor skills, such as dancing or playing an instrument.)

A minority of neuroscientists disagree that sleep actively aids memory, suggesting instead that consolidation of memories is merely a side effect of snoozing. They argue that the true purpose of sleep is to "cool down" the brain by resting the neurons that have been firing all day long. Paller's study lends support for the majority view: when sounds were played to the sleeping brain, the EEG patterns indicated activity — signaling that perhaps certain memories were being revisited — and this processing appeared to strengthen memories. "The meow somehow stimulated the association of the cat with a certain position on the screen," suggests Jan Born, a memory and sleep researcher at the University of Lübeck in Germany, who was not involved in the new study.

Born and his team have also been able to influence memory recall during sleep — not with sounds, but with odors. In that study, published in March 2007 in Science, researchers asked people to play a memory card game while the smell of roses wafted through a special face mask. Later that night, when the participants were fast asleep, the same odor was delivered to some of them. The following morning, each person played the same game, and the results were clear: the players who got the nighttime rose odor were significantly better at remembering the card pairs than the group who smelled nothing.

Commenting on the new paper, Born suggests that using sounds is more effective than smells because it lets you choose the memories you want to promote. "Auditory stimuli have the advantage that they can be very specifically linked to visual stimuli," says Born. "With odors, this kind of thing is not possible."

Beyond sensory stimulation during sleep, the timing of sleep may also be important to memory. Recent research suggests that deep sleep can strengthen factual memories, but only if the person naps within 12 hours of learning. In other words, if you have to memorize an SAT word list, you might be better off doing it at night rather than in the morning.

Although researchers are still a long way from understanding exactly how sleep affects memory, they are certain that getting too little sleep is a detriment. A 2007 paper in Nature Neuroscience reported that in addition to consolidating recently learned memories, "sleep before learning is equally important in preparing the brain for next-day memory formation." The study found that people who had skipped a night's sleep fared worse at making new memories the next day, compared with those who had gotten a good night's sleep. Turns out, Mom's advice may have been right all along.


source: Time.com

By Alice Park and Kate Pickert

Women's breasts are not the usual topic of public discourse in Washington, at least not outside the context of a scandal. But for the past few weeks, the question of when women should be screened for breast cancer has become the subject of intense medical debate, partisan congressional bickering and a whole lot of confusion among mothers, daughters, sisters and friends, not only inside the Beltway but throughout the rest of the country.

Women's breasts are not the usual topic of public discourse in Washington, at least not outside the context of a scandal. But for the past few weeks, the question of when women should be screened for breast cancer has become the subject of intense medical debate, partisan congressional bickering and a whole lot of confusion among mothers, daughters, sisters and friends, not only inside the Beltway but throughout the rest of the country.

On Nov. 16, the 16 members of the independent U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended that most women delay routine mammograms until age 50 (instead of 40, as the panel advised in 2002). The task force cited enhanced analysis of the risks and benefits of screening as the reason for the new guidelines. But the recommendations went straight to the heart of the emotionally charged debate over the Democratic-sponsored health care reform legislation that is working its way through Congress. Republicans like Representative Marsha Blackburn charged that "this is how rationing begins. This is the little toe in the edge of the water." No one was more surprised, or less prepared, for the uproar over the new guidelines than the advisory panel itself. As a result, the merits of what the group is now recommending have been obscured by all the political smoke. Dr. Diana Petitti, a professor at Arizona State University and vice chair of the task force, says, "Our attempt to communicate [the risks and benefits of] routine screening was definitely lost."

The rumblings over the mammography message provide a useful window into why U.S. health policy does not always dovetail with the best available medical evidence, and certainly not with the best available data on costs. By and large, American patients (not to mention politicians and cancer advocacy groups) still subscribe to the view that every life is worth saving, no matter the cost, and that when it comes to prevention, screening is always good and more is always better. For decades, patients have been steeped in the notion that frequent screening is not just beneficial but also essential to the early detection of cancer. But such personal calculations do not apply in the same way to an entire population, where the benefit to some must be weighed against the harm to others.

Judging from the reaction to the new breast-cancer recommendations, that is proving to be a difficult reality for Americans to accept. But the task force's mammography advice probably marks the leading edge of similar recommendations to come. Already, new guidelines on Pap smear screening for cervical cancer have delayed the age at which young women should begin regular testing and reduced the frequency of testing in older women. Doctors are also questioning the usefulness of prostate-cancer screening among otherwise healthy middle-aged men, as studies begin to show that the test, which has many risks, may not necessarily lead to fewer deaths from the usually slow-growing cancer. The Senate health reform bill currently being debated would also rely on the task-force guidelines to determine what preventive medical services private insurers would be required to cover at no cost to patients. In a sign of how contentious evidence-based approaches may become, Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Kathleen Sebelius quickly distanced the Obama Administration from the new mammography advice. She said in a statement, "Our policies remain unchanged," and cast doubt on whether private insurance--required by most states to cover routine mammograms beginning at 40--would be affected. "Keep doing what you're doing," Sebelius advised women.

Gail Wilensky, a former high-level HHS official under George W. Bush, called the Obama Administration's response "appalling and outrageous and a very good reminder of how hard it is going to be to move to evidence-based medicine whenever it goes against a sacred cow."

The Limits of Screening

A decade ago, doctors saw breast cancer as a monolithic disease that always progressed the same way, beginning with a single mutant cell that continued to divide and spread to the rest of the body. At the time, screening all women made sense, especially since annual mammograms had reduced deaths from breast cancer 3% each year since 1990. But as Dr. Russell Harris, a professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a member of the task force, points out, breast cancer occurs less frequently in younger women, and not every cancer is the same. Some tumors are indolent and slow-growing; others are aggressively malignant and blanket a body within months. Mammography is best at spotting the slowest-growing tumors, which are most common and generally do not spread beyond the breast or require treatment. Although these tumors are malignant, they rarely go on to cause clinical symptoms. But when detected, they are still treated as if they were potentially faster-growing--with a combination of chemotherapy, radiation, surgery and hormone therapy. "We can't figure out which is which," says Harris. "So we end up having to treat them all." (Read more..)


source: Time.com

A well-wisher looks at a portrait of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadejin in an exhibition at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok November 30, 2009. King Bhumibol, who will be turning 82 on December 5, remains in the hospital since his admission in mid-September.






A vendor holds a portrait of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej inside a shop that sells flags and portraits of the royal family members in Bangkok November 25, 2009. King Bhumibol, who will be turning 82 on December 5, remains in the hospital since his admission in mid-September.



A vendor walks past holding a portrait of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej outside a shop that sells flags and portraits of the royal family members in Bangkok November 25, 2009. King Bhumibol, who will be turning 82 on December 5, remains in the hospital since his admission in mid-September.



A well-wisher looks at a portrait of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadejin in an exhibition at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok November 30, 2009. King Bhumibol, who will be turning 82 on December 5, remains in the hospital since his admission in mid-September.

credit photo: Reuters

'Broken Heels' music video is teased through on-set pictures which feature Alexandra Burke as a football girl in high heels.

Several pictures from Alexandra Burke's "Broken Heels" video shoot have emerged. Brought forward by actor Nickolas Ballard through his Twitter, the photos see the 2008 winner of "The X Factor" donning football attire and rocking high heels. Nickolas will portray one of the football players.

"Beyonce [Knowles] has lent me her choreographer. Frank [Gatson] worked with me for the video in LA last week and he's helping me out with my live stuff," Alexandra talked about the video shoot. "He's out of this world and I want him to be in my life for ever. He's given me a whole new identity as a performer."

"Broken Heels" is produced by RedOne and picked up as the second single from Alexandra's debut album "Overcome" which has been in stores since October. "Its actually one of my favorite songs on the album," she said of the track.

On another news, Alexandra Burke will help usher New Year by performing at Capital FM's Jingle Bell Ball on December 6. She will be joined by Janet Jackson, JLS, Shakira, Alesha Dixon, Flo Rida, Backstreet Boys and many more. The concert will take place at London's O2 Arena.








source: aceshowbiz.com

The Connor Owens of 'Ugly Betty' and Captain Gault of 'Lost' will join the 2010 season but the actor chose to be tight-lipped about the role he's going to take.

"True Blood" hired an Australian actor to play one of the new characters introduced in the third season. Grant Bowler, the actor who has recurring roles in both "Lost" and "Ugly Betty", will be in the vampire drama series for a not-yet-known role.

He confirmed his participation to Australia's Sunday Telegraph, saying "Mate, it's HBO and it's the King. ...It's the chance to work for an Oscar-winner [series creator Alan Ball] and alongside an Oscar-winner [Anna Paquin]." No further statement was made.

"True Blood" will be back in June next year with the production kicked off around January. Some casting calls have been made for roles such as vampire Franklin Mott, Reverend Daniels, a ringleader of biker thugs named Cooter and an "intensely beautiful" vampire named Talbot. No actors have been attached to any of them.

Bowler is still committed to "Ugly Betty" playing Connor Owens who shakes Wilhelmina's world. Upon being cast on "True Blood", he would have to juggle between shooting the HBO series in Los Angeles and "Betty" in New York.


source: aceshowbiz.com

Considering it is a challenge for him as an actor, the depicter of Peter Parker hopes to move his character 'forward a bit' in the next 'Spider-Man' film.

Tobey Maguire once made people question about whether or not he would return to "Spider-Man 4". Now that he has decided to reprise his role as Spider-Man and his alter ego Peter Parker in the next installment, the actor has opened up about his plan with his character in the superhero film franchise.

"Hopefully I'll be able to evolve the character in a new direction," Maguire said in an interview with The Boston Globe. "He'll still be Peter Parker, but I hope I can move him forward a bit and take him to a place where there will be new challenges for me as an actor."

During the interview, he also denied rumor that he was reluctant to take part in another "Spider-Man" film, saying "It's not that I was reluctant." Maguire then explained, "For me, it's a big process to decide whether or not to do a role.... I have to want to wake up in the morning and feel like I can't wait to get to work. I've got to feel OK about leaving my kids for 12 or 13 hours a day for five months. It's a big commitment."

As of late, Tobey Maguire claimed "Spider-Man 4" will kick off its principal photography in February or March 2010 since it is slated to hit U.S. theaters on May 6, 2011. Beside him, Kirsten Dunst has been set to reprise her role as his love interest, Mary Jane Watson. Produced by Avi Arad along with Grant Curtis and Laura Ziskin, the fourth "Spider-Man" movie will be directed by Sam Raimi.


source: aceshowbiz.com

The mansion reportedly is 30,000 sq. ft. and has seven bedrooms, a room just to hold his baseball memorabilia, and a garage enough to park six cars.

Derek Jeter, apparently, wants to take his romance with actress girlfriend Minka Kelly to the next level as it is reported that he has built a colossal mansion to be shared with her. Radar Online, which breaks the story, claims the house is built in Tampa, Florida.

More than 30,000 sq. ft., "the waterfront mansion has seven bedrooms, a room just to hold his baseball memorabilia, and a nine-car garage. It's located on St. Davis Island, the most exclusive enclave in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area," writes the site. The dating partners, moreover, are said already inspecting the construction over Thanksgiving holiday.

Greater than that, Derek and Minka reportedly have had decorating plans in their heads and will possibly move in next summer. And while neither of them has confirmed the report, speculation has been mounting that they might hold their nuptials in the mansion.


source: aceshowbiz.com

Miss District of Columbia USA contestant McKensie Green (R) reacts as she is named the 2010 winner alongside the outgoing 2009 Miss District of Columbia USA, Nicole White, at the Miss District of Columbia USA pageant in Washington, November 29, 2009. Green, representing the nation's capital, will compete in the Miss USA pageant in Las Vegas in April 2010.


credit photo: Reuters

SAN DIEGO - NOVEMBER 29: Antonio Gates #85 of the San Diego Chargers scores his second touchdown of the game in front of Jon McGraw #47 of the Kansas City Chiefs during the second quarter at Qualcomm Stadium on November 29, 2009 in San Diego, California.









San Diego Chargers safety Paul Oliver (27) runs for a touchdown after Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel (on ground) fumbled the ball in the first half of their NFL football game in San Diego, California November 29, 2009.



SAN DIEGO - NOVEMBER 29: Antonio Gates #85 of the San Diego Chargers celebrates his second touchdown of the game with Vincent Jackson #83 against the Kansas City Chiefs during the second quarter at Qualcomm Stadium on November 29, 2009 in San Diego, California.



San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers (17) evades Kansas City Chiefs defenders during the first half of their NFL football game in San Diego, California November 29, 2009.




San Diego Chargers Antonio Gates (85) scores a touchdown on a 19-yard pass from quarterback Philip Rivers ahead of Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Brandon Carr (39) in the first quarter of their NFL football game in San Diego, California November 29, 2009.


credit photo: Gettyimages

A troop of 64 Santa Clauses from toy store Kiddy Land's Santa Claus Academy are led by a bus guide as they march on a Tokyo street, Japan, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009.





TOKYO - NOVEMBER 29: Santa School participants march in Omotesando area on November 29, 2009 in Tokyo, Japan. More than 60 Santa Clauses participated in the walk heading to one of Tokyo's most popular toy shops 'Kiddy Land'.



TOKYO - NOVEMBER 29: Santa School participants march in Omotesando area on November 29, 2009 in Tokyo, Japan. More than 60 Santa Clauses participated in the walk heading to one of Tokyo's most popular toy shops 'Kiddy Land'.







credit photo: AP