Gaddafi’s media strategy backfires

                                          

Libya has never been a friendly place for foreign journalists. A media ban kept reporters away as the uprising against strongman Muammar Gaddafi began on Feb. 17, and officials of the Gaddafi regime blasted journalists entering opposition-controlled areas last week as "outlaws" and al-Qaeda sympathizers.

Such hardball tactics, along with rambling speeches aired on Libyan state television, haven't helped Gaddafi in the court of public opinion. So the regime is now trying to make its case though the western media, claiming the government hasn't brutally cracked down on protesters (which it has) and that Gaddafi is firmly in control of the North African country (which he isn't).

On Monday, Gaddafi made such arguments to ABC News' Christine Amanpour--no stranger to dealing with authoritarian leaders--and journalists from the Times of London and BBC. "All my people love me," Gadhafi insisted. "They would die to protect me."

Despite the government's attempt to get in front of the story, journalists arriving in Tripoli since Saturday aren't reporting back a story that matches Gaddafi's rhetoric.

New York Times reporter David Kirkpatrick, in the lead article in Sunday's paper, described how Gaddafi's media ploy backfired as "foreign journalists he invited to the capital discovered blocks of the city in open defiance of his authority." The government tried to sanitize the appearance of destabilizing unrest, and even picked the drivers who shuttled around the media. But that didn't work.

"In some ways, the mixed results of Colonel Gaddafi's theatrical gamble—opening the curtains to the world with great fanfare, even though the stage is in near-chaotic disarray—are an apt metaphor for the increasingly untenable situation in the country," Kirkpatrick noted.

NBC's Jim Maceda had a similar take. On Monday's "Today" show, Maceda noted the "irony" in finally allowing western journalists in the country only to have them see the opposition taking control just 30 miles outside Tripoli.

"That strategy completely backfired," Maceda said, adding that the images now being broadcast to the world make "Gadhafi look even weaker and more cornered" than before.

First F-Bomb in Oscars History Plus a Few Other Funny Moments

Much of the pre-show discussion for this year's Oscars revolved around co-hosts Anne Hathaway and James Franco. Sure, they're popular young movie stars who have been successful hosting "Saturday Night Live," but asking them to host the highest-profile live event in entertainment was a considerable risk. Ninety minutes into the show, you have to wonder whether it was a risk worth taking.

Melissa Leo's bleeped-out F-bomb during her acceptance of the Best Supporting Actress Oscar -- the first in Oscars history, the Academy confirmed to Variety -- nearly made up for the rambling nature of the rest of her speech. "I'm just shaking in my boots here," Leo said when she received her trophy. "I am kind of speechless. When I watched Kate [Winslet] two years ago it looked so much [expletive] easier." Backstage, Leo apologized for her language, saying: "I really don't mean to offend, and it's probably a very inappropriate place to use that particular word."

Kirk Douglas, looking healthier after his stroke than he did when he appeared on the show a few years ago, wringed some chuckles out of his protracted announcement of the award he eventually handed to Leo. Franco's joke about the technical award winners being "nerds" was a nice touch too, but the biggest laugh of the night might have been a cameo appearance by Franco's grandmother, pointing out that she just saw "Marky Mark."

The inevitable Franco-in-a-dress moment came via his homage to Marilyn Monroe's slinky, hot-pink getup from "Gentleman Prefer Blondes." (Franco raised a few eyebrows back in October when he went full-on cross-dresser for Candy magazine.)  As Franco emerged in his skintight, satin dress and blonde wig, he told Anne Hathaway -- who had donned a tuxedo and sparkly heels for a Tonys-esque riff Les Miserables song "On My Own" -- that if she got to wear a suit that it was only fair that he get to wear a dress.

Funnily enough, some of the most interesting moments came by way of James Franco's Twitter posts, including a video Franco himself shot from his phone as the curtain lifted on the Oscars broadcast.  

Ohio man runs a commercial to propose to his girlfriend

                                        

It's getting harder out there for a guy who wants to raise big public fanfare around his marriage proposal. In the media-saturated American scene, you see proposals turning up in newspaper ads, skywriting appeals and--of course--the venerable stadium Jumbotron. So how does a lovestruck beau make his offer really stand out?  Why, he asks his lady to marry him in a TV commercial, of course. And that's just what David Jones--a Cleveland-based video producer, conveniently enough--did yesterday to in a successful bid for the hand of his girlfriend, Dee Horton.

On Thursday, Horton and her co-workers at a Medina, Ohio hair salon tuned in to the midday newscast on Cleveland's WJW-TV. Jones had told her that he'd be portraying some sort of superhero in a commercial. But as she went about trimming a client's hair with one eye on the broadcast, she soon realized that she was the sole member of this particular commercial's target demographic. "A lot of people say we're living on love, like it's a bad thing," Jones said in the commercial. "How about you and I show the world what true love is all about?" He then pulled out a ring and proposed, and a few seconds later Jones emerged in the salon with a WJW camera crew, and dropped to his knees to propose in person.

Throngs view space shuttle Discovery's last launch

                                                         

Discovery, the world's most traveled spaceship, thundered into orbit for the final time Thursday, heading toward the International Space Station on a journey that marks the beginning of the end of the shuttle era.

The six astronauts on board, all experienced space fliers, were thrilled to be on their way after a delay of nearly four months for fuel tank repairs. But it puts Discovery on the cusp of retirement when it returns in 11 days and eventually heads to a museum.

Discovery is the oldest of NASA's three surviving space shuttles and the first to be decommissioned this year. Two missions remain, first by Atlantis and then Endeavour, to end the 30-year program.

It was Discovery's 39th launch and the 133rd shuttle mission overall.

"Enjoy the ride," the test conductor radioed just before liftoff. Commander Steven Lindsey thanked everyone for the work in getting Discovery ready to go: "And for those watching, get ready to witness the majesty and the power of Discovery as she lifts off one final time."

Emotions ran high as Discovery rocketed off its seaside pad into a late afternoon clear blue sky, and arced out over the Atlantic on its farewell flight. There were a tense few minutes before liftoff when an Air Force computer problem popped up. The issue was resolved and Discovery took off about three minutes late, with just a few seconds remaining in the countdown.

Discovery will reach the space station Saturday, delivering a small chamber full of supplies and an experimental humanoid robot. "Look forward to having company here on ISS in a couple days," station commander Scott Kelly said in a Twitter message.

The orbiting lab was soaring over the South Pacific when Discovery blasted off.

"Discovery now making one last reach for the stars," the Mission Control commentator said once the shuttle cleared the launch tower.

On-board TV cameras showed some pieces of foam insulation breaking off the external fuel tank four minutes into the flight, but shouldn't pose any safety concerns because it was late enough after liftoff.

NASA is under presidential direction to retire the shuttle fleet this summer, let private companies take over trips to orbit and focus on getting astronauts to asteroids and Mars.

An estimated 40,000 guests gathered at Kennedy Space Center to witness history in the making, including a small delegation from Congress and Florida's new Gov. Rick Scott. Discovery frenzy took over not only the launch site, but neighboring towns.

Roads leading to the launching site were jammed with cars parked two and three deep; recreational vehicles snagged prime viewing spots along the Banana River well before dawn. Businesses and governments joined in, their signs offering words of encouragement. "The heavens await Discovery," a Cocoa Beach church proclaimed. Groceries stocked up on extra red, white and blue cakes with shuttle pictures. Stores ran out of camera batteries.

The launch team also got into the act. A competition was held to craft the departing salutation from Launch Control: "The final liftoff of Discovery, a tribute to the dedication, hard work and pride of America's space shuttle team." Kennedy's public affairs office normally comes up with the parting line. Souvenir photos of Discovery were set aside for controllers in the firing room. Many posed for group shots.

Lindsey and his crew paused to take in the significance of it all, before boarding Discovery. They embraced in a group hug at the base of the launch pad.

Unlike the first try back in November, no hydrogen gas leaked during Thursday's fueling.

NASA also was confident no cracks would develop in the external fuel tank; nothing serious was spotted during the final checks at the pad. Both problems cropped up during the initial countdown in early November, and the repairs took almost four months. The cracks in the midsection of the tank, which holds instruments but no fuel, could have been dangerous.

The lengthy postponement kept one of the original crew from flying.

Astronaut Timothy Kopra, the lead spacewalker, was hurt when he wrecked his bicycle last month. Experienced spacewalker Stephen Bowen stepped in and became the first astronaut to fly back-to-back shuttle missions.

Packed aboard Discovery is Robonaut 2, or R2, set to become the first humanoid robot in space. The experimental machine — looking human from the waist up — will remain boxed until after Discovery departs. Its twin was at the launch site, perched atop a rover, waving goodbye.

"I'm in space! HELLO UNIVERSE!!!" R2 announced in a tweet sent by a human still on Earth.

Discovery already has 143 million miles to its credit, beginning with its first flight in 1984. By the time this mission ends, the shuttle will have tacked on another 4.5 million miles. And it will have spent 363 days in space and circled Earth 5,800 times when it returns March 7.

No other spacecraft has been launched so many times.

Discovery's list of achievements include delivering the Hubble Space Telescope to orbit, carrying the first Russian cosmonaut to launch on a U.S. spaceship, performing the first rendezvous with the Russian space station Mir with the first female shuttle pilot in the cockpit, returning Mercury astronaut John Glenn to orbit, and bringing shuttle flights back to life after the Challenger and Columbia accidents.

Discovery is expected to be eventually put on display by the Smithsonian Institution.

The world's most expensive handbags (one costs $3.8 million!)

                     

 Since the fashion industry is constantly recycling past styles and struggling to come up with new concepts, often "in the know" stylish types attempt to get noticed by creating or wearing the most expensive or most extravagant item possible (ahem, Lady Gaga). Until now the big status get was the $20,000 Hermes Birkin bag (made famous by Samantha on "Sex and the City"), but it's nothing compared to House of Mouawad's new "1001 Nights Diamond Purse," which clocks in at a whopping $3.8 million.

Encrusted with over 381 carats of diamonds, this heart-shaped bag has been named the world's most expensive handbag by the Guinness Book of World Records. In it, 4,517 diamonds were used—105 yellow, 56 pink and 4,356 colorless—and it took 10 artisans 1,100 hours to complete. They dedicated four months to the project. 

“The Mouawad 1001 Nights Diamond Purse is designed to mesmerize with its lavish attention to detail and elaborate workmanship incorporating thousands of diamonds,” Pascal Mouawad, co-guardian of the House of Mouawad, told the Today Show. The purse was on display at the Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition this past weekend, and it is not yet known if there was a buyer. 

Crafting luxury items is not new territory for the Dubai-based jewelry company. The House of Mouawad is responsible for creating several of the annual holiday Fantasy Bras for Victoria’s Secret, as worn by Heidi Klum, Tyra Banks, Karolina Kurkova, and Selita Ebanks. Their value is estimated at up to $11 million each.

But diamonds are not the only way to make things expensive in fashion these days. Last year a fancy sweatpants craze swept the nation, and designers like Alexander Wang, Thakoon, Bottega Veneta, and Michael Kors offered expensive sweats from $250 up to $1,000. Louis Vuitton had a line of purses that literallyresembled trash bags selling for $2,000. United Bamboo introduced $500 outfits for your cat, while Rodarte presented $500 socks. And last, but certainly not least, a brand called Pistol Panties created a $3,000 bedazzled bikini you can't even swim in. 

While it's fun to look at (and perhaps make fun of) such lavish fashion items, we're astonished that there are some people out there who actually buy these things! We've rounded up a dozen of the most expensive bags we could find ever in existence. Take a look and let us know if you think they're worth their hefty price tags.

Massive iceberg shears off after N. Zealand quake

A 30 million tonne block of ice sheared off a New Zealand glacier just minutes after a violent earthquake devastated the city of Christchurch, officials said Wednesday.

The huge iceberg crashed into a lake shortly after the 6.3 magnitude tremor rocked the South Island on Tuesday and created waves up to three metres high for 30 minutes which rocked two sightseeing boats on the lake at the time.

The enormous iceberg -- estimated to weigh 30 to 40 million tonnes -- began ripping off the Tasman Glacier at Aoraki Mount Cook National Park accompanied by a loud noise which sounded like a rifle shot, a local tourism official said.

Aoraki Mount Cook Alpine Village tourism manager Denis Callesen said locals had been expecting a major iceberg to drop from the glacier for the past month, but the "curve ball" was that the event was caused by an earthquake.

"The earthquake that we felt here was a swaying motion for about a minute, then it stopped and then it swayed for about another minute," he told AFP.

"Within about a minute of that happening, the staff at the lake heard from five kilometres away (from the glacier) a sound that sounded like a rifle shot and then over the next two minutes all the events started to unfold.

"I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that the earthquake was the trigger."

The Department of Conservation confirmed that a "large chunk" of the glacier fell into the lake but was unable to say if this was caused by the earthquake, which was only felt lightly around Mt Cook some 150 kilometres (93 miles) from the epicentre.

"You could argue whether the earthquake precipitated it or not -- the fact is that the terminal face was about due to carve anyway," area manager Richard McNamara told AFP.

"The estimate of around 30 to 40 million tonnes of ice would be at a rough estimate about right."

McNamara said the one-kilometre long piece of ice which carved off the glacier had broken into smaller icebergs, some of which were now about 200 metres (650 metres) in length, and towering up to 50 metres above the lake.

"It carved in one big lot; a face about a kilometre long carving is a spectacular sight," McNamara said, adding that the iceberg would then have popped up to the water like a porpoise before starting to break into smaller pieces.

He said that particular face of the glacier had experienced similar events in recent years and it was not unusual to see huge icebergs in the lake. However, the 7.0 magnitude quake which hit New Zealand in September had not produced a similar event at Mt Cook, he said.