Worst Traffic Cities

Worst Traffic Cities

Worst Traffic Cities

Everyone hates traffic jams, but some people suggest we pay a “Travel Time Tax.” The typical urban commuter with a 30 minute commute wastes 22 hours a year stuck in traffic.  Check traffic cams in your area and get the latest on gas prices.

Los Angeles

The American city most associated with the word “smog,” the average speed of a car in L.A. during congestion is 14 mph. Best time to stay home: Thursdays at 5pm.

New York

In the Big Apple, with a world class subway system, you’d think the roads would be somewhat clear. No dice. There are a whopping 94 weekly hours of congestion and it gets worse right at Friday, 5 p.m.

Chicago

The Windy City has big traffic jams as well. During times of congestion, expect to drive 11.1 mph.

Washington, DC

The nation’s capital  was designed to confuse people trying to attack. That plan still works for people who pass on its excellent transit system, the Metro, in favor of gridlock.

Seattle-Tacoma

The Emerald City has ranked as one of the worst places for traffic more than once. And with a mass transit system that relies on buses, that may not change anytime soon.

Houston

Only New York City is home to more Fortune 500 companies than Houston.. With all that business, comes traffic woes.

San Francisco-Oakland

There aren’t too many alternatives when a bridge is involved in your commute and the Bay area  has major bridges that clog quickly. But BART may be the best mass transit of any major West Coast city.

Boston

Beantown has its own traffic issues. Perhaps it’s because the road layout was designed a century or two before there were automobiles.

Dallas-Ft. Worth

Things are bigger in Texas and the Dallas-Ft. Worth traffic jams are among the worst. There are 43 weekly hours of congestion.

Philadelphia

The City of Brotherly Love gets a little testy when its residents are stuck in traffic. And that congestion happens a whopping 45 hours a week

Source:Specials

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The Million Pound Dog

The Million Pound Dog

They say money can't buy love – but £1million will get you man's most expensive best friend.

A red Tibetan mastiff has become the priciest dog in the world after being sold for 10 million Chinese yuan, or £945,000.

Big Splash, or Hong Dong in Chinese, was bought by a coal baron from the north of China.

And it's lucky his new master is a multi-millionaire, because the hefty price tag doesn't factor in Big Splash's diet – enough chicken and beef to fill a growing 180lb dog, spiced up with Chinese delicacies such as sea cucumber and abalone.

His owner will need a big house too, as adult Tibetan Mastiffs have been known to weigh as much as 286lb, or more than 20 stone – the same as a sizeable rugby player. However the typical weight for a fully grown Tibetan Mastiff is around 13 stone.

But according to breeder Lu Liang, Big Splash is a 'perfect specimen' and the extravagant price for the 11-month-old is completely justified.

He said: 'We have spent a lot of money raising this dog, and we have the salaries of plenty of staff to pay' – adding that the new owner could charge almost £10,000 a time for Big Splash to breed with a female.

The high price paid for the dog is a sign that the red Tibetan mastiff has become a status symbol in China, replacing jewellery and cars as a way for the super-rich to show off their wealth.

Not only is red considered a lucky colour, but Tibetan mastiffs are thought to be holy animals, blessing their owners' health and security.

Tibetans believe the dogs have the souls of monks and nuns who were not good enough to be reincarnated as humans or into Shambhala, the heavenly realm.

Owners of the breed have included Queen Victoria, King George IV and Genghis Khan – who supposedly took 30,000 of the dogs with his army in his bid to conquer Western Europe.

These days there are only around 300 Tibetan mastiffs in the UK, and puppies sell for a more reasonable £850 to £1,000.

James Pally, a Tibetan mastiff breeder from Pantymwyn near Mold in Flintshire, North Wales, said:

'They are very smart and they think for themselves and can sense danger very acutely.

'Tibetan mastiffs were originally used to guard the livestock and they are very good with other animals and they love children.

'I have six of them and if you don't give them enough attention they sit in front of the TV.'

The title of most expensive dog in the world was previously held by a Tibetan mastiff called Red Lion, who was valued at £915,000 last year.








Source: Dailymail

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Kim Kardashian Dresses As Gangster Girl

Kim Kardashian Dresses As Gangster Girl

To celebrate pal Eva Longoria’s birthday Saturday, Kim Kardashian got “all glammed up for a fun 1920s-themed party!”

The reality star, 30, accessorized her fringed frock with a fur shrug and a blinged-out diamond necklace. Also joining in on the festivities: Sister Khloe, 26, and Project Runway host Heidi Klum, 37!

Kim even shared a photo on Twitter of herself and Klum “getting our ganster on” at the lavish bash. “I love this ’20s era!”

Still, the E! star’s pre-party plans were notably less glamorous. “Watching The Notebook,” Kim tweeted. “I think I’m gonna cry.”






Source: Celebritieszone

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Kim Kardashian vs Paris Hilton song

Kim Kardashian vs Paris Hilton song

Kim Kardashian has often followed, intentionally or not, in the footsteps of fellow socialite Paris Hilton. Both women have privileged backgrounds, became well-known pop culture symbols, earned notoriety via sex tapes and used their fame into hit reality TV shows.

Now, Kim has set her sights on the music world. Last week, the “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” star dropped her first single, the self-released “Jam (Turn It Up),” produced by The-Dream.

In its first five days on sale, the bouncy dance number sold 14,000 downloads according to Nielsen SoundScan. That’s not enough to enable a debut on the 75-position Digital Songs chart — No. 75 this week is Nelly’s “Just a Dream,” with 26,000 sold.


How does that compare to Hilton’s start?


The hotel heiress had a more robust bow with her 2006 debut, “Stars Are Blind.” The Warner Bros. tune launched on the Digital Songs list at No. 10 with 52,000 in its first week and parlayed those sales into a No. 18 bow on the Billboard Hot 100.

Paris later went on to release her (so far) only album, “Paris,” in August of the same year. It entered the Billboard 200 chart at No. 6 with 77,000 sold in its first week. To date, the set has moved 197,000 in the U.S.

Which one do you prefer?




Source: Celebritieszone

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Catherine Zeta Nearly Falls Out of Dress

Catherine Zeta Nearly Falls Out of Dress

Just days after she was made a CBE at Buckingham Palace, Catherine Zeta Jones has received yet another honour.

The actress was given lifetime achievement award by the Welsh society of New York at the Yale Club last night.

But the 41-year-old beauty certainly wouldn't have won any awards for best supported actress.

The usually impeccably dressed star fell foul of a mammary malfunction as her revealing dress left very little to the imagination.

The actress' assets were spilling out all over the place and even her rather hideous fur coat did little conceal her plunging neckline.

The star, who is originally from Swansea, Wales, was given the Hopkins bronze medal during the St David's Day celebration banquet.


The actress was seen heading off to the Yale Club in a black gown and white fur coat, accompanied by her supportive husband Michael Douglas.

The organisation said the award was for Zeta Jones' 'worldwide stature in the film and theatre industries, her unstinting pride in Wales, her generosity in support of Welsh causes and her role as an ambassador for Wales in the United States of America.'

The star, who won an Oscar for her role in Chicago, is back in New York with her husband after a brief visit to London to be named a CBE (Commander of the British Empire).

She was given the award for services to the film industry and to charity and was presented with the honour by Prince Charles.

The couple were joined at the ceremony, held at Buckingham Palace, by their children Dylan and Carys.

After receiving her award, she said: 'It means a lot to come home with my family and to be honoured in this way - very emotional, rather nervous I must say, and it was worth (it) to have Michael in good health to be able to enjoy it (with me).'

The actress also revealed that she had chatted to the Prince about her husband's health and recent battle with throat cancer and said Charles had expressed his sympathy.

She added: 'Obviously we talked about Michael. The last time I saw His Royal Highness, Michael had just got his treatment so he was concerned, but he was very happy to hear... he's well on the road to recovery.'
Read More:Dailymail

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Mike Myers Secretly Weds

Mike Myers Secretly Weds

Mike Myers secretly wed longtime girlfriend Kelly Tisdale more than five months ago, the actor's rep confirms to New York Post's Page Six. The two tied the knot in a private ceremony in NYC.
The comedian, 47, and his 30-something bride began dating in 2006, after Myers split from his first wife, comedy writer and actress Robin Ruzan.
The Shrek star and Ruzan were married for 12 years before ending their union in 2005; he cited his then-wife as the inspiration for Austin Powers, as he played a similarly goofy character at home. Ruzan's mother, Linda, also inspired one of his most popular Saturday Night Life characters, Coffee Talk TV host Linda Richman.
Read More: Usmagazine

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Mike Myers Secretly Weds

Mike Myers Secretly Weds

Mike Myers secretly wed longtime girlfriend Kelly Tisdale more than five months ago, the actor's rep confirms to New York Post's Page Six. The two tied the knot in a private ceremony in NYC.
The comedian, 47, and his 30-something bride began dating in 2006, after Myers split from his first wife, comedy writer and actress Robin Ruzan.


The Shrek star and Ruzan were married for 12 years before ending their union in 2005; he cited his then-wife as the inspiration for Austin Powers, as he played a similarly goofy character at home. Ruzan's mother, Linda, also inspired one of his most popular Saturday Night Life characters, Coffee Talk TV host Linda Richman.
Read More: Usmagazine

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Accused Rose McGowan Stalker Arrested

Accused Rose McGowan Stalker Arrested

A Connecticut man accused of making Rose McGowan's "charmed" life a little less charming has been arrested.

Local police searched Louis S. Santo III's Derby home Friday for evidence of alleged threats and harassment of McGowan, who starred in the cable series "Charmed" and movies like "Scream" and "Jawbreakers."
Cops later arrested Santo on two counts of second-degree threatening and second-degree breach of peace.

He is being held on $50,000 bond and will appear in court today.
A California judge granted a temporary restraining order against Santo, 36, last month, prohibiting him from contacting McGowan or her agents.

In court documents, the actress, formerly married to shock-rocker Marilyn Manson, said Santo has claimed to love her and threatened violence if he didn't speak with her.

In a phone interview with the Associated Press, Santo said he wrote a script for McGowan but that her claims don't make any sense to him. He said he doesn't know if he'll try to fight the restraining order, which requires him to stay at least 200 yards away from Rose.

A hearing in California is scheduled for March 11, when McGowan plans to ask the judge to make the order permanent.
Source: Nbcnewyork

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Accused Rose McGowan Stalker Arrested

Accused Rose McGowan Stalker Arrested

A Connecticut man accused of making Rose McGowan's "charmed" life a little less charming has been arrested.

Local police searched Louis S. Santo III's Derby home Friday for evidence of alleged threats and harassment of McGowan, who starred in the cable series "Charmed" and movies like "Scream" and "Jawbreakers."


Cops later arrested Santo on two counts of second-degree threatening and second-degree breach of peace.

He is being held on $50,000 bond and will appear in court today.
A California judge granted a temporary restraining order against Santo, 36, last month, prohibiting him from contacting McGowan or her agents.

In court documents, the actress, formerly married to shock-rocker Marilyn Manson, said Santo has claimed to love her and threatened violence if he didn't speak with her.

In a phone interview with the Associated Press, Santo said he wrote a script for McGowan but that her claims don't make any sense to him. He said he doesn't know if he'll try to fight the restraining order, which requires him to stay at least 200 yards away from Rose.

A hearing in California is scheduled for March 11, when McGowan plans to ask the judge to make the order permanent.
Source: Nbcnewyork

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Jessica Hahn Embarrasses Barbara Walters On The View

JESSICA HAHN was booked as part of 'The View's' week long 'Where Are They Now?' series, but the show's producers weren't expecting the controversy that ensued on Tuesday, reports Cbs News. Hahn rose to prominence in the some twenty years ago after having an alleged sexual encounter with the televangelist Jim Bakker. The story hit the headlines in 1987 and it was revealed that Bakker had been paying Hahn to keep the story quiet. Bakker later resigned from the PTL Club, an organisation he founded in 1975. Hahn has always maintained that the encounter was rape but on Tuesday's show host Sherri Shepherd asked her to speak about "the affair". The 51-year-old took offense and began to address co-host Barbara Walters, saying, "In your book 'Audition' you had an affair with the senator". Hahn was referring to Walter's 2008 book in which she admitted to having an affair with Senator Edward Brooke in the 1970s.
Despite the unexpected jibe, Walters quickly turned the comment back around, saying, "This is about you, my dear. This is not about me, okay? I'm very happy talk about my relationships, but this is about you".
Read More: Contactmusic

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Port Authority Service Back To Normal After Heavy Snowfall

PITTSBURGH -- Most Port Authority bus and rail routes have resumed service Tuesday morning after a heavy snowstorm struck Pittsburgh forcing officials to shut down services at 10 p.m. on Monday.
Although service has resumed, buses continue to experience delays and difficulty traveling due to poor road conditions, officials said.The Monongahela Incline has also resumed service after being shut down due to weather-related issues since late Monday night.The T light rail system is operating on a regular schedule.Some Park and Ride lots have been cleared while others are delayed due to the heavy snowfall, according to officials.
Read More: Wpxi

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Port Authority Service Back To Normal After Heavy Snowfall

PITTSBURGH -- Most Port Authority bus and rail routes have resumed service Tuesday morning after a heavy snowstorm struck Pittsburgh forcing officials to shut down services at 10 p.m. on Monday.
Although service has resumed, buses continue to experience delays and difficulty traveling due to poor road conditions, officials said.The Monongahela Incline has also resumed service after being shut down due to weather-related issues since late Monday night.The T light rail system is operating on a regular schedule.Some Park and Ride lots have been cleared while others are delayed due to the heavy snowfall, according to officials.
Read More: Wpxi

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New York City Taxi in 2014

While the famous New York "Yellow cabs" will disappear before 2014 and be reincarnated as some sort of a new model, besides the already selected Ford Transit Connect and the Nissan NV200, a new concept Karsan V1 New York City Taxi. This is an interesting and well thought-out machine, which has a good chance of winning in the commercial war of the 13,237 concepts.

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Supercomputer crushes competition on 'Jeopardy'

NEW YORK — The computer brained its human competition as the first game of the Man vs. Machine competition on "Jeopardy" came to a close.

On the 30-question game board, veteran "Jeopardy" champs Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter managed only five correct responses between them during the Double Jeopardy round that aired Tuesday. They ended the first game of the two-game face-off with paltry earnings of $4,800 and $10,400, respectively.

Watson, their IBM supercomputer nemesis, emerged from the Final Jeopardy round with $35,734.
Tuesday's competition, a continuation of the game that aired Monday, began with Rutter and Watson tied. Jennings (who has the longest "Jeopardy!" winning streak at 74 games) chose the first trivia clue, which referred to a skin malady "also known as Hansen's disease." Watson jumped in with the correct response: "What is leprosy?"
It followed that with bang-on responses Franz Liszt, dengue fever, violin, Rachmaninoff and albinism, then landed on a Daily Double in the "Cambridge" category.
"I'll wager $6,435," Watson said in its pleasant electronic voice.
"I won't ask," said host Alex Trebek, wondering along with everybody else where that figure came from.
In any case, Watson's wager paid off. Sir Christopher Wren was the correct response, and Watson's total vaulted to $21,035 as the humans stood by helplessly.
The computer ran up a commanding lead as Double Jeopardy ended and the contestants went into the Final Jeopardy round. All three had to record how much money they'd risk on a final question, relating to "U.S. Cities."
The Final Jeopardy clue? "Its largest airport is named for a World War II hero; its second largest, for a World War II battle."
Jennings and Rutter bet big, and came up with the right response: "What is Chicago?" Watson bombed. All it could manage was a guess: "What is Toronto????" ... which is not a U.S. city. But because the computer's wager was just $947, it held onto the win.
The trio will return on Wednesday, when their second game is aired. The overall winner, based on the cumulative game score, will collect $1 million in real money. Second and third place will get $300,000 and $200,000, respectively. IBM says all of Watson's winnings will go to charity; Jennings and Rutter plan to give away half of their shares.
The bouts were taped at the IBM research center in Yorktown Heights, N.Y., last month.
Read More: MSN

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