Christmas Island in New Zealand was reportedly not hit by any earthquake after local time 6 P.M., even as Harold Camping of the U.S.-based Christian group, Family Radio, had proclaimed that "Earthquakes would sweep across the earth, first starting in New Zealand."
However, what adds to the ongoing hoopla about the end of the world in 2011, is the 4.9 magnitude earthquake recorded 1305 kilometers (810 miles) NNE of Auckland, New Zealand in the south of Fiji Islands on Saturday, May 21, 2011 at 06:31:52 PM at epicenter, the U.S. Geological Survey updated on its official site.
“This event has been reviewed by a seismologist,” USGS said, asking locals to report shaking and damage at their location.
Fiji Islands’ quake is not the only recorded around the time which Harold predicted to be the May 21 doomsday 7,000 years after Noah’s floods.
National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) has issued a list of current worldwide earthquakes recorded on May 21 across 11 more places in the world, sparking fury over Camping's prediction.
The places where quake was observed include Honshu east coast in Japan (M4.6) , Island of Hawaii (M3.0), Solomon Islands (M4.8), Andreanof Islands in Alaska (M2.8), South of Panama (M4.5), Maui region in Hawaii (M2.9), Peru-Ecuador border region (M 4.6), Channel Islands region in California (M3.7), South Sandwich Islands region (recorded twice at M5.1 and M5.9) and Southeastern Alaska (M2.6).
Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean somebody ain't out to getcha. It might even be several somebodies. In the early months of the CBS hit The Mentalist, it seemed to viewers that Red John, the unseen psychopath who haunts and taunts Simon Baker's character, Patrick Jane, was operating as a solo act. But now, in the show's third season, it is creepily clear this serial killer is part of a larger conspiracy and has several operatives at his command. Red John even has an accomplice actively involved with the California Bureau of Investigation, the very organization that's trying to bring him down.
Fans finally learn the identity of that mole in the May 19 season finale, a two-hour heart-pumper — innocently titled "Strawberries and Cream" — that ends with the unmasking of Red John himself. It's true! Jane finally gets face time with the sicko who slew his wife and daughter many years ago, and that confrontation will change the course of the series in a seismic way.
"We're really stepping outside the box with this one," Baker says. "We'll see how far we can push Patrick and still keep him empathetic and likable in the eyes of the audience. There's been an increasing feeling of paranoia all season, a real pressure-cooker situation. You have to be constantly on guard and careful that you're not talking to someone who is now or has ever been a member of the Red John Communist Party. It's bad."
But only Jane knows how bad. In a scene filming at the Warner Bros. Studio in Burbank, the uncannily shrewd crime consultant has gathered together his inner circle of trust — agents Lisbon (Robin Tunney), Cho (Tim Kang), Rigsby (Owain Yeoman) and Van Pelt (Amanda Righetti) — for a briefing session in which he tells them Red John has someone planted in their midst. He's kept this a secret for months, sharing it only recently with Lisbon.
"Patrick finally has to play his hand, and it's nerve-racking for him," notes Baker between takes. "He's at a point where he's desperate — desperate and calculating — and he needs the help of the CBI team to find the mole." Taking part in Jane's plan could be lethal, so Lisbon gives everyone a chance to back out. No one takes her up on it. "Until now, Patrick has been on an almost maniacal one-man hunt for Red John," Yeoman says. "Dangerous as it is, everyone's glad to be included. For the first time in a long time, we're really bonded and working together." Adds Kang: "At this point, the Red John conspiracy is so potentially big, only Jane and his immediate team can count on each other. It has them going, 'Screw everybody else at CBI! We're circling the wagons and taking care of business our way!'"
Just as there are five definite good guys, Jane reveals there are five possible moles. All are connected to the Red John investigation and all are known to regular viewers. "We've tried to create a real Hitchcockian whodunit that puts the audience in a privileged position," says creator Bruno Heller. "We know more than the people on screen, and in suspense drama, that's always a beautiful thing."
This isn't the first time one of Red John's associates has come dangerously close to our heroes. Last season, an innocuous secretary named Rebecca (Shauna Bloom) massacred three staffers at CBI headquarters. Religious guru Bret Stiles (Malcolm McDowell) is certainly in league with this devil, as was Todd Johnson (Josh Braaten), the cop killer who was burned alive in his high-security prison cell by the mole Jane now seeks. Quoting the 19th century Romantic poet William Blake can be a tip-off. Red John did it most memorably in last year's season finale when, wearing a mask, he whispered a stanza from "The Tyger" into Jane's ear. Then Johnson, a hick from the sticks, quoted from the same poem while taking his last breath. Even CBI director Gale Bertram (Michael Gaston) broke into a little Blake during a manhunt, instantly placing himself on our suspect list. And though we now know Lisbon's on-the-lam boss, Madeleine Hightower (Aunjanue Ellis), didn't kill Johnson as initially feared, can we really trust CBI agent J.J. LaRoche (Pruitt Taylor Vince), the nuisance who fingered Hightower for the crime?
"We don't know how Red John is creating his society, and that makes it all the more scary," Righetti says. "Are these people who work with him doing it willingly? Are they being paid off? Bribed? Blackmailed? Brainwashed? Until he's caught, we won't know." Were we tipped off to all this way back in Season 1? Mentalist groupies will recall the episode "Red John's Friends," where one of the killer's victims spent his last moments writing the cryptic message "He is Man" in his own blood. What did it mean? Was the message complete? Fans have debated these questions ever since. Finally, Baker weighs in with his take. "I think we could say at this point that 'he is man' was meant to be 'he is many,'" the actor observes. "But then that raises the question, if Jane ever gets Red John, is he getting the real Red John?"
But let's get back to that mole. "This season we've brought in so many great guest actors that it makes it really hard to figure out who it is," says Tunney. "Plus, I guess it helps" — she adds with a laugh — "that we have such a rotten security system at CBI. Our screening process is certainly lacking. It could be anybody!"
Kirk Cameron, a former teen idol who once starred in the sitcom "Growing Pains" and is now a born-again Christian, has challenged Stephen Hawking over his comments regarding the notion of heaven.
Hawking, a 69-year-old British physicist, is almost completely paralyzed by motor neurone disease and is only able to speak through a computer-generated voice synthesizer.
"To say anything negative about Stephen Hawking is like bullying a blind man," Cameron, 40, said in a message posted on his Facebook page. "He has an unfair disadvantage, and that gives him a free pass on some of his absurd ideas."
"To speak on issues of science and violate it's essential laws is like playing checkers with a someone who changes the rules when he's losing," Cameron added. "Why should anyone believe Mr. Hawking's writings if he cannot provide evidence for his unscientific belief that out of nothing, everything came?"
Cameron, who played Mike Seaver on the hit 1980s comedy series "Growing Pains," has often preached the gospel on the streets, on television and online. He said Hawking's comments revealed the physicist's "religious beliefs, not good science."
"I lost my faith in atheism long ago and prefer to stay within the realm of reality," Cameron added.
In his interview, Hawking also told The Guardian that he was not afraid of dying, adding: "I'm in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first."
Cooking with ‘Real Housewives of New Jersey’s’ Teresa Giudice
Life in the fishbowl of reality television notwithstanding, Teresa Giudice knows how to cook. The popular star of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” and author of the best-selling “Skinny Italian” has penned a new cookbook — “Fabulicious!: Teresa’s Italian Family Cookbook” (Running Press, $18.95), a collection of Giudice’s favorite Italian recipes.
Even if you’ve never watched her Bravo series, you’ll love her book. Especially once you’ve made Giudice’s meatballs with spicy red sauce, her crumb-topped baked flounder oregano, or her Calabrian pork chops with hot peppers and potatoes. Her father-in-law Franco’s fettuccine with creamy portobello sauce is pretty darn good, too.
The daughter of Italian immigrants, Giudice says she grew up helping her mother prepare meals.
“My mom always encouraged me to cook with her,” she said. “She enjoyed it. Even washing dishes. I remember washing dishes when I was 5 years old. You want to do whatever your mom is doing. I notice that with my kids.”
Giudice says food is an important part of her family’s life. She and her husband, Joe, have dinner with their daughters at least five nights a week. And many of the ingredients she cooks with are homemade
“We make our own tomato sauce. We bottle it every August for the whole year,” she said. “We also make our own dried sausage. And my husband makes his own wine. And we jar our own eggplant. You add olive oil, parsley and garlic and it lasts for months. You add it to sandwiches. Oh my God, it tastes delicious.”
As for her reality TV life, the third season of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey,” which began May 16, highlights her family — and her cooking — more than ever before.
“This season, (viewers) will see a different side of me. They’re going to see the family side of me,” she said. “This season you’ll see me cooking on the show and doing the photo shoot for the book on the show ... you’ll see me cooking on some of the holidays — Thanks-giving and Christmas.”
The recipes in the aptly named “Fabulicious!” are both easy to make and delicious.
It has not been all that long since the Cavaliers have had the No. 1 overall pick—in 2003, they chose first and, of course, picked a guy named LeBron James. We all know how that worked out. Now, though, the Cavaliers get another chance to rebuild their franchise. After Tuesday night’s draft lottery, they are sitting atop the board with the No. 1 (and No. 4) pick.
Here’s how the June 23 draft shaping up:
Celebrity Mom Partners with Suave® Body Care to Help Women Rethink What it Means to Splurge
It's not easy to find the perfect balance between work, family and "me" time and for many women, "splurging" on themselves is a rare occasion often associated with guilt. In fact, a new survey finds that the majority(1) of women associate splurging with being overindulgent and 83 percent think it is too expensive. That is why Brooke Burke is teaming up with Suave® Body Care to encourage women to rethink what it means to splurge. Brooke is sharing her favorite tips for splurging smartly, so women can do it every day – guilt-free!
"As a busy working mom of four, it's hard to find time for myself, but I think it's important for women to remember to splurge on themselves," says Burke. "That's why I've teamed up with Suave Body Care, I love that the new body washes and body lotions make splurging on skin possible every day."
Women everywhere can visit the Suave Beauty Facebook page to get Brooke's smart splurge tips and to share their own favorite tips to enter the Suave® Smart Splurge Contest. As part of the program, the first 100,000 women who entered the contest received a free full-size Suave Naturals® Body Wash or Body Lotion. And now Suave® is giving away weekly prizes and the ultimate splurge-- a grand prize trip for two to Hollywood!
Splurge Smartly on Skin
Consumers have trusted Suave® for over 70 years and it is used regularly in over half of American households, more than any other brand in the U.S. And with the new Suave Naturals® Body Washes and Body Lotions, the brand is making it easier than ever to splurge on skin every day.
•Suave Naturals® Creamy Body Washes are available in a variety of fresh scents that women prefer to Bath & Body Works®(2) and are enriched with moisturizing milk proteins. The new offerings include Milk & Honey Splash, Apricot & Orange Blossom Exfoliating and Cocoa Butter & Shea.
A Chinese global trade site is selling an item under the listing "Newest design crystal case for apple iPhone 5g," which hints that the next generation iPhone could include some big changes.
If the design of the case, made by Kulcase, LTD in Guangdong and offered for bulk orders on alibaba.com, is actually based on leaked plans from Apple, it appears the next iPhone could have a new edge-to-edge display and a new location for the rear flash. At least, that's what we can discern by looking at these photos posted on the site:
It wouldn't be the first time plans for Apple products have been leaked into an ultracompetitive Chinese manufacturing market.
Reports surfaced earlier this year that employees at Foxconn, which manufactures many Apple products in China, were arrested for leaking iPad 2 plans to accessory makers.
Lending a little bit of credence to this particular rumor is the fact that the images seem similar to an engineering mock-up leaked back in March (according to AppleInsider) that showed a bigger screen.
But third-party manufacturers have also been known to begin production based on other rumors and leaks, only to see Apple make last-minute changes.
If you're willing to take a risk and invest in some fifth-generation iPhone cases, Alibaba might be able to hook you up for as little as ten cents apiece, so long as you're willing to buy at least a thousand.
New supporters begin to speak out as Amanda Knox fights to overturn her conviction for killing her British roommate. But a controversial prosecutor is silencing that support and using the Italian court to do it.
A man by the name of Frank Sfarzo is behind a popular website that's followed the Knox trial from the beginning.
But the website, Perugia-Shock.blogspot.com, has been shut down by a prosecutor with a growing appetite for silencing anyone who criticizes him
Sfarzo and head prosecutor Giuliani Mignini aren't exactly best friends. A lone picture of the two of them is about as close as they may ever get.
Speaking via Skype, Sfarzo talked about a judge's order to shut down his popular website.
Sfarzo often criticized the justice system in Perugia, especially Mignini, a man Sfarzo says is growing more desperate as Amanda's appeal goes on.
"He's already falling apart. There is nothing against Amanda and Raffaele, there remains nothing,” he said.
In a country that doesn't have the free speech protections we do, the prosecutor - Mignini - is suing Sfarzo for defamation. He's not alone. He's just the latest in a growing list of people being sued or threatened by Giuliani Mignini.
There's Amanda Knox, already serving 26 years for killing Meredith Kercher, now charged with defaming the police by saying they hit her, called her a liar, and abused her during questioning.
Her parents Curt Knox and Edda Mellas were sued for repeating her daughter's claims.
American Crime Writer Doug Preston, another Mignini critic, who felt so threatened he fled Italy.
"In Italian, with no lawyer present, in which Mignini accused me of heinous crimes, demanded that I confess,” he said.
Mignini even threatened to sue westseattleherald.com and Steve Shay.
"It just didn't seem rational to quote somebody in context and then be slapped on the wrist by somebody 8,000 miles away,” said Shay.
Knox is appealing her murder conviction and 26-year sentence. Her case was given fresh hope earlier this year, when a judge appointed experts to re-examine the evidence against her. But the prosecutor is also appealing, asking that Knox's sentence be increased to life in prison, which is allowed under Italian law.
Brigham Young pounded out 19 hits and got a solid pitching performance by Matthew Neil as it defeated San Diego State, 9-3, to capture the final game of their three-game conference series at Tony Gwynn Stadium. Even with the loss, the Aztecs maintained their slim hold on fourth place in the Mountain West Conference standings by percentage points over BYU and UNLV.
SDSU freshman left-hander Mitch Bluman struggled from the outset in his third start of the season as he escaped runners on third base in each of the first two innings. He was not as fortunate in the third when the Cougars got to him for a pair of runs on a walk and three hits for a 2-0 lead.
One of those hits was recorded by BYU right fielder Jaycob Brugman, who tortured the Aztecs all afternoon. Brugman would end his day with four hits including the double along with a two-run homer and four RBI.
Brigham Young starter Matthew Neil held the Aztec hitless over the first four innings, but they did manage answer BYU's two-run outburst by scoring a run in bottom of the third. Dillon Bryant's grounder was misplayed by BYU first baseman Austin Hall for a two-base error. A ground out by Evan Potter moved Bryant to third and sacrifice fly by Cody Smith made it a 2-1 game.
But the visitors took control of the contest with four runs in the next frame, a rally that began with a leadoff triple by Bret Lopez and ended with Brugman's two-run blast to right. The Cougars would touch up Aztec pitching on the day for a hit total that included five doubles along with the triple and home run.
Freshman DH Ben Vasko did his part to get SDSU back into the contest with a solo home run, his second of the season, to lead off the fifth. He was the lone Aztec to reach base more than once in the game as he also drew a walk and was hit by pitch.
San Diego State's other run came in the bottom of the seventh when it put men on first and second on a single by Jomel Torres and hit by pitch to Vasko. A wild pitch moved both runners up before a grounder to short by Tim Zier brought Torres home for the final 9-3 score.
Neil's day ended after that inning and he would be credited with the win to improve to 5-4. His line included three runs (two earned) on two hits with a walk and eight strikeouts. SDSU's Bluman took the loss to fall to 0-1 although he gave up just a pair of runs with three strikeouts during his 2.1 innings.
Up next for San Diego State is a three-game conference series at UNLV next weekend to conclude the 2011 regular season. The first contest of that set is scheduled for Thursday, May 18, at 7:00 p.m. at Earl Wilson Stadium in Las Vegas.
