What the length of your index finger says about you

What the length of your index finger says about you - The idea that the shape of your hands indicates something profound about your sexual proclivities, the films you like, your athletic ability and your prowess on the stock market seems bizarre.

And yet for many decades now, scientists have noticed an extraordinary link between the ratio of two digits on the hand — the ring and index fingers, known in scientists’ jargon as 2D and 4D — and a whole host of seemingly unrelated traits.

Evidence is growing that this ‘digit ratio’, especially when applied to the right hand, is a fundamental indicator of sexuality, aggression and ­diseases suffered by men.

Pointing the finger: Scientists have noticed a relationship between finger measurements and a host of unrelated traits

This week, for example, strong evidence has emerged of a link between the ‘2D:4D finger ratio’ and a man’s likelihood of developing prostate cancer.

Specifically, men whose index fingers are longer than their ring fingers are significantly less likely to develop the disease, according to scientists at the Institute Of Cancer Research.

Working out your digit ratio is not simply a matter of looking at your hand and comparing the position of the tips of the fingers. You must measure the distance from the midpoint of the lowest crease at the base of the finger, on the palm side, to the very end of the fleshy tip (obviously the fingernail does not count!).

A long index finger also correlates strongly with a lower risk of early heart disease and, in women, a higher risk of breast cancer and greater fertility.

People with relatively long index fingers are also more likely to suffer from schizophrenia, allergies, eczema and hay fever.

Young boys are more likely to be clingy and anxious than their low-ratio peers but also, ultimately, less attention-seeking and better behaved in school.

'People with short index fingers make better soldiers, engineers, speculators and chess players, and are better at solving problems such as crosswords. They are also more likely to be left handed'

While a long index finger is considered a more feminine hand — men who have them are more likely to be homosexual — a short index finger relative to the ring finger is a more masculine hand.

It correlates with higher male fertility and sperm counts, higher levels of aggression and increased aptitude for both sport and music.

Women who have this masculine finger pattern are more likely to be lesbians than those who don’t, and display higher levels of aggression — as well as enjoy greater professional success.

The extraordinary thing is that these assertions are based on serious scientific evidence. It was as long ago as the late 1700s that people noticed that a greater proportion of men have shorter index fingers than do women.

But it was not until the 1980s that scientists began to wonder if the digit ratio could be linked to more than simply being male or female.

The first such study was conducted on women, and found a link between a short index finger — or more ‘masculine’ ratio — and female assertiveness. Since then, the floodgates have opened, showing links between the digit ratio and more than 100 psychological traits and propensities to ­various illnesses.

Revealing your hand: Digit ratios of both men and women can suggest certain personal characteristics

So what is going on? Can finger length really determine your behaviour and vulnerability to certain ­diseases? The truth is that it is not finger-length per se that is having all these profound and dramatic effects.

According to developmental biologist Dr John Manning, who has been analysing digit ratios for more than 20 years, this subtle difference in finger lengths is linked to a foetus’s exposure in the womb to sex hormones, notably the ‘masculine’ hormone testosterone.

Put simply, more testosterone equals a greater chance of a more ‘masculine’ hand, i.e. one with a ­relatively short index finger.

And it is this exposure to testosterone in the womb that has very profound effects on our behaviour and susceptibility to diseases.

Studies have found that foetuses which have had a high exposure to testosterone — and have short index fingers — tend to be associated with an extroverted personality, a willingness to take risks, higher levels of aggression, stronger muscles and, interestingly (because musical ability is not commonly identified as particularly ‘masculine’), a much greater likelihood of playing an instrument well.

'Of course, the rules are not hard and fast, but people of both sexes with relatively short index fingers tend to be more sexually adventurous'

Of course, the rules are not hard and fast, but people of both sexes with relatively short index fingers tend to be more sexually adventurous. They are more likely to experiment with drugs; they like watching violent movies and become addicted to alcohol more easily.

People with short index fingers make better soldiers, engineers, speculators and chess players, and are better at solving problems such as crosswords. They are also more likely to be left handed.

But short index fingers have also been linked to a higher chance of ending up in prison, being murdered, going mad — and in children higher rates of hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder.

People with short index fingers may be poorer and find it harder to hold down a job. They suffer more infectious diseases and probably, on average, do not live as long.

What is a mystery is why this relationship between testosterone levels in the womb and finger length evolved.

What Professor Manning and others have noticed is that there may be an element of ‘sex selection’ going on with hands as well. Women often remark on ‘masculine’ hands and Manning speculates that this might be a subconscious assessment of the digit ratio.

It may be, as Manning says, that a long index finger in men evolved for purely functional reasons. Many evolutionary anthropologists have speculated that, along with our ability to manipulate fire, one of the key reasons why humans became so successful was our ability to project our strength from a distance by using weapons such as the spear, slingshot and the bow-and-arrow.

Scientists have found that a longer wedding ring finger can help increase accuracy when throwing objects. And men who could throw well killed more animals, ate better and thus made better mates. So they would have been preferred as partners by the available females, thus ensuring that the masculinity-long ring finger link was passed on.
A nail-biting test of your health

Doctors can tell a great deal about how healthy we are by looking at our fingernails. In particular, sudden changes in the shape, thickness or colour of our nails are usually a sign that something is amiss.

A whitening nail bed is often a sign of anaemia. White nails in general could signify that something is wrong with your liver, spotting on the nails could be due to calcium deficiency and horizontal grooves can be a sign of diabetes, circulatory disease or malnutrition. ( dailymail.co.uk )

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What Your Brain Looks Like After 20 Years of Marriage

Seperti Apa Otak Anda Setelah 20 Tahun Menikah - Bertentangan dengan pendapat umum, orang yang mengatakan bahwa mereka masih jatuh cinta dengan pasangannya setelah lebih dari dua dekade bukanlah orang gila. Setidaknya, beberapa di antaranya tidak. Dan sebagai jawaban atas pertanyaan Anda selanjutnya, ternyata mereka juga tidak berbohong. Hal ini dikemukakan oleh sebuah studi baru yang diterbitkan dalam Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience edisi Desember yang melakukan pemindaian otak pada orang-orang yang sudah lama menikah dan mengaku masih tergila-gila dengan pasangan perkawinannya.

Teori yang berlaku tentang cinta romantis adalah bahwa hal itu kurang lebih memiliki tujuan yang sama seperti roket pendorong dalam ekspedisi ke luar angkasa. Rasa geli di awal karena tidak bisa memikirkan hal lain meluncurkan pasangan itu ke orbit, namun menghilang setelah pesawat ruang angkasa mencapai ketinggian tertentu, digantikan oleh "cinta pendamping", kasih sayang yang lebih teratur dan kurang bergairah yang mengikat. dua orang, menyatukan mereka dengan sejarah dan minat yang sama.

Cinta persahabatan mendapat sedikit kesan buruk di beberapa sudut, karena bagi sebagian orang rasanya seperti mengorbit luar angkasa: dingin, tanpa udara, dan sepertinya tak berkesudahan.

Tapi ada pasangan yang mengklaim lebih dari itu, yang mengaku masih jatuh cinta dengan pasangan mereka, yang orbitnya tidak suram, tapi perjalanan indah dengan Bintang Utara mereka. Salah satu teori mengenai orang-orang ini adalah bahwa mereka sedang bercanda, atau berpura-pura. Alasan lainnya adalah mereka tidak sehat secara mental, atau umumnya obsesif.

Bianca Acevedo dan Arthur Aron, keduanya di Departemen Psikologi di Stony Brook University di New York, dan rekan penulisnya, memutuskan untuk menyelidikinya. Mereka menemukan 17 orang yang mengaku masih tergila-gila pada pasangannya, bahkan setelah rata-rata menikah selama 21 tahun. Saat fMRI memindai otak, masing-masing pasangan melihat foto kekasihnya.

Mereka membandingkan hasil pemindaian otak tersebut dengan hasil pemindaian otak orang-orang yang baru saja jatuh cinta. Dalam beberapa hal utama mereka terlihat sangat mirip.
Sudah diketahui bahwa individu yang baru jatuh cinta menunjukkan aktivitas di area yang kaya dopamin ketika mereka melihat gambar — atau memikirkan — orang terdekatnya. Artinya Ventral Tegmental Area (VTA) yang merupakan bagian dari pusat reward menunjukkan banyak aktivitas. (Ini juga merupakan area yang terlihat pada pemindaian otak para pecandu ketika mereka mengonsumsi kokain.) Dan benar saja, pada pemindaian pasangan yang masih berbulan bulan setelah dua dekade, hal tersebut muncul lagi.

Namun, berbeda dengan mereka yang baru jatuh cinta, otak yang sudah lama jatuh cinta tidak menunjukkan aktivitas di area yang umumnya diasosiasikan dengan kecemasan dan ketakutan. “Individu yang menjalin hubungan jangka panjang mungkin mengalami kegembiraan, ketertarikan seksual, pertunangan, dan intensitas yang terkait dengan cinta romantis,” kata Acevedo. "Tetapi mereka melaporkan rasa rindu, cemas, dan pemikiran yang mengganggu jauh lebih sedikit dibandingkan orang yang baru jatuh cinta."

Pemindaian otak menggemakan hal ini. Faktanya, mereka tidak hanya menunjukkan tidak adanya kecemasan, namun sebaliknya. “Menariknya, kami menemukan aktivasi situs yang kaya opiat, seperti globus pallidus posterior,” kata Acevedo. “Situs-situs ini diasosiasikan dengan kesenangan dan pereda nyeri. Mereka juga diaktifkan oleh imbalan utama seperti makanan, dan zat seperti morfin.”
Tidak mengherankan jika pemindaian juga menunjukkan lebih banyak aktivasi di wilayah otak yang berhubungan dengan cinta ibu, atau ikatan pasangan. Hal ini bukan berarti seseorang ingin menjadi ibu bagi pasangannya, namun keterikatan yang terbentuk serupa dengan keterikatan yang tumbuh antara ibu dan anak barunya.

Penelitian tersebut kemudian membandingkan hasil pemindaian dengan orang-orang yang melihat foto teman baik dan kenalan yang kurang dikenal, untuk memperjelas apa akibat dari rasa suka dan apa sebenarnya yang menjadi belahan jiwa mereka. Ikatan pasangan juga terlihat jelas di sana, tapi tidak sekuat itu.

Apa dampak dari semua ini? Ya, beberapa di antaranya, Aron, rekan penulis penelitian ini memperingatkan, mungkin akan membuat orang kecewa. “Ini bukanlah sesuatu yang ingin didengar oleh pasangan jangka panjang,” katanya, tentang gairah orang-orang yang tidak pernah padam terhadap pasangannya. "Tidak seorang pun ingin mendengar tentang pasangan yang melakukan lebih baik dari mereka. Kita semua percaya bahwa kitalah yang terbaik."

Para penulis merekomendasikan agar ahli terapi perkawinan tidak mengabaikan cinta romantis sebagai hasil yang mungkin dan diinginkan dalam sebuah pernikahan—dan bukan hanya bertujuan untuk menyelesaikan konflik dan keterampilan komunikasi yang lebih baik.

Penelitian Aron yang lain telah membuatnya percaya bahwa pasangan paling sukses adalah pasangan yang saling membantu mengembangkan gagasan mereka tentang diri mereka sendiri. Ia juga mencatat bahwa pasangan yang masih saling mencintai dilaporkan sering berhubungan seks (disesuaikan dengan usia, tentu saja) meskipun tidak jelas apakah ini merupakan ekspresi dari gairah mereka yang tidak pernah padam atau merupakan penyebabnya.

Selain rasa iri terhadap kisah cinta orang lain yang lebih epik, penelitian ini merupakan kabar baik bagi para penggemar pernikahan jangka panjang dalam bentuk apa pun: "Cinta romantis tidak perlu digantikan dengan cinta pendamping," kata Acevedo. “Keduanya bisa hidup berdampingan.” (waktu.com)

READ MORE - What Your Brain Looks Like After 20 Years of Marriage

A close look at the American society

A close look at the American society - The “value system” of Jews and the traditional value system of America are NOT in line with one another. Jews have long held, and continue to hold a DUAL morality system: One set of values for dealing with other Jews, and another set for dealing with everyone else. In her early years, (most) people immigrating to America wanted ONE thing – the better life that the traditional value system of America promised. And they wanted to BECOME Americans – to ASSIMILATE into our great and highly admired CULTURE as quickly and thoroughly as possible. Jews, for the most part, had NO such desire to assimilate, but wanted only to suck at the tit of America – milking her for what she was worth.

Not being comfortable as a lone non-assimilating minority (which stuck out like a sore thumb), they started pressing SOCIAL issues, intending to stir up the country, and to divide us into a nation or quarreling factions, each group selfishly pursuing their own agenda. The Jews pushed “Civil Rights” (even founded and ran the NAACP) to create racial divisions, “Feminism” to divide the sexes, they pushed the “counter-culture” of Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll” of the Sixties and Seventies to separate a generation of children from the values of their parents. Jews pushed the “Great Society” welfare State to further divide the races, create a cycle of poverty, and more importantly, to DESTROY the family unit, creating generations of fatherless youth, shiftless and prone to criminal behavior.

A close look at the American society

Jews pushed HARD for “Immigration Reform” which saw to it that non-Whites and immigrants from non-European countries were given preference, thus diluting the Whiteness of America, while creating sub-cultures that would almost certainly *never* fully assimilate. New media-driven “hyphenations” began to appear: “African-American”, “Mexican-American”, “Cuban-American”, etc. The cohesion of the country was unraveling, just as they’d planned. Jews attacked religion on the issue of “separation of Church and State”, in an attempt to destroy the idea that the US is a “Christian Nation” the intent being to further demoralize the nation. Jews pushed Affirmative Action to give race and gender based preferences to underqualified students and employees, creating tension and animosity between “minorities” and those who were stepped on in the name of *diversity*.

The Jewish media has long pushed interracial sex and marriage, from “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” (written by the Jew William Rose, and produced and directed by the Jew Stanley Kramer) to Murray Rothstein’s MTV, which shows Black “singers” chanting “Hate Whitey” messages, even as they grope and fondle White girls – a Jewish attempt to inspire race-mixing, and destroy racial identity. And the whole time, even as Jews worked to corrupt and pollute American society, and especially White Gentile who they sought to disempower, Jews have done their best to INSULATE themselves from the fires they started, and whose flames they fanned.

Within their OWN group, race mixing was shunned. In Israel, Jews want nothing to do with “ethnic diversity”, or open borders allowing all comers, do they? Israelis have no interest in the “civil rights” of non-Jews, they stress FAMILY VALUES, where here they champion the virtues of single mothers raising children. Jews in Israel want no part of “Freedom of Religion”, and have little tolerance for non-Jews “polluting” their religious monoculture. These are a *few* of the “wonderful” things that Jews have done for America. And when these are viewed in contrast to the way Jews choose to live in their OWN culture, any illusion that Jews may have had America’s “best interests” at heart quickly vanishes. Jews work to serve the interests of Jews. They always have, and apparently always will.

The way I see it, there is no such thing as an American Jew, a Canadian Jew, an Argentinean Jew, or a French Jew. These are just Jews who *happen* to be living in some country or other – as a temporary matter of convenience. Of course, they’ll happily support the interests of their country of residence – provided that these don’t conflict with the interests of Jews, which are PARAMOUNT. Admittedly I paint with a broad brush, because certainly MANY Jews didn’t support all of the planks in the Jewish platform for the attack on merica – but no more than Jews paint with a broad brush when they decry the Nazis. Certainly not ALL Nazis were in favor of ALL of the things that the Nazis were doing, but that doesn’t stop people from being opposed to Nazis or Nazism in general. By the same token, not ALL Jews are in favor of ALL of the things that the Jews have done or are doing to the US, and virtually every country in Europe, but that shouldn’t stop *all* thinking Gentiles who care about what is in THEIR best interests from being opposed to Jews and their pernicious machinations.

Addiction

American people are suffering from many types of behavioral and substance addictions today. Alcohol addiction is a major problem in America, and it has left untold misery in its wake. According to statistics from (Government) sources alcohol is involved in:

• 66% of fatal accidents.
• 70% of murders.
• 72% of assaults and robberies.
• 52% of fire deaths.
• 50% of problems at work.
• 60% of suicides.
• 56-70% of fights and assaults in homes.

Food addiction is becoming recognized as a major problem today, as the majority of Americans are overweight, and an unprecedented number are actually obese. Cigarette addiction is claiming the lives of hundreds of thousands of people annually, as Americans are finally succumbing to a wide variety of diseases associated with a lifetime of smoking. While some groups of Americans are giving up smoking, other groups, such as women and teens are showing dramatic increases. The death toll just continues to roll. Gambling is quickly becoming the new addiction.

Consider Adult Gambling:

There are many cities in which casinos and gambling are legal. The latest craze is for American Indian reservations to legalize gambling, creating brand new facilities in which people can lose their money. And the crowds filling these gambling halls are enormous. Bingo is sponsored primarily by churches and charitable organizations, Horse racing and Sports gambling is huge business. State lotteries have been conceived as the easiest way for governments to raise money. People who would protest vigorously against increased taxes simply do not mind losing even more money to a government sponsored lottery. Since children learn most effectively from observing role models, we might expect that, with all this gambling going on among the adults, teenagers might be developing this attitude themselves. Such is exactly the case. In high schools, 50% of the kids are now gambling; One in five (20%) has a serious problem– stealing in order to gamble.

The Drugs of Sorcery

America, as a nation, has certainly embarked upon the usage of drugs. Drug abuse and addiction are now at a high epidemic level in the U.S., accompanied by the corresponding crime rate. The greatest loss, of course, is the human one. America’s losses are occurring through several channels:

• Drug overdose is killing thousands every year.
• Drug dependency is killing family structure.
• Drugs drain the nation economically.
• Drugs drain the nation’s health care system
• Drug addicts now are being born from mothers who are addicts, passing the addiction in their womb.
• Drug addiction is contributing greatly to the spread of AIDS.

The Drug Traffickers, the Banks and the White House

If the major US banks are the financial engines which allow the billion dollar drug empires to operate, the White House, the US Congress and the law enforcement agencies are the basic protectors of these banks. Despite the deep and pervasive involvement of the major banks in laundering hundreds of billions of dollars in illicit funds, the “court settlements” pursued by US prosecutors have led to no jail time for the bankers. One court’s settlement amounted to a fine of $50 million dollars, less than 0.5% of one of the banks (the Wachovia/Wells Fargo bank) $12.3 billion profits for 2009 (The Guardian, May 11, 2011). Despite the death of tens of thousands of Mexican civilians, US executive branch directed the DEA, the federal prosecutors and judges to impose such a laughable ‘punishment’ on Wachovia for its illegal services to the drug cartels. The most prominent economic officials of the Bush and Obama regimes, including Summers, Paulson, Geithner, Greenspan, Bernacke et al, are all long term associates, advisers and members of the leading financial houses and banks implicated in laundering the billions of drug profits. Laundering drug money is one of the most lucrative sources of profit for Wall Street; the banks charge hefty commissions on the transfer of drug profits, which they then lend to borrowing institutions at interest rates far above what – if any – they pay to drug trafficker depositors. Awash in sanitized drug profits, these US titans of the finance world can easily buy their own elected officials to perpetuate the system.

Mental illness or distress

Most people today understand that millions of Americans are suffering from some form of mental illness or distress. Of course, when someone does begin to suffer mental and emotional distress, they are far more open to the temptation of substance of lifestyle addiction.

In this country, killing has reached unprecedented levels. “A violent crime is committed (in America) every 5 seconds…In a typical year: There are 8.1 million serious crimes like murder, assault, and burglary. BUT:

• Only 724,000 adults are ever arrested.
• Only 193,000 of them are convicted.
• Only 149,000 of them go to prison.
• And, 36,000 serve less than a year (in prison).
• If all this isn’t enough, the 8.1 million crimes, above, represent only 50% of the actual crimes committed. The rest are never reported to the police.”

Sexual lust

Americans today are caught up in a frenzy of sexual lust, on a wide variety of fronts. Our mass media — TV, newspapers, magazines, and movies — have been pumping sexual sin into the minds and hearts of Americans since the end of World War II; however, since the early 1980′s, depiction of sexual sin have reached ever-increasing levels of frequency and stark reality. The predictable change in attitudes and values among the population has occurred, as many, if not most, young Americans have adopted the attitude that any sexual action is OK to do as long as it feels good.

Of course, our school systems have gotten into the act also, as they have continuously taught that there are no absolute right or wrong and that sex between students is inevitable. This entire process of eroding the traditional values system of the population of America began in 1963, when the Supreme Court ruled that prayer could no longer be said in public schools. The resulting change in behavior is startling, to say the least:

• Pregnancies to girls 10-14: +553%
• Suicide Rates for 15-24 year-olds: +102%, 20-24 year-olds: +98%
• School dropouts: +650%
• Divorce: +140%
• Violent Crime: +160%
• Sexually transmitted Diseases: +148%
• Alcohol Consumption per person: +24%

( theunjustmedia )

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Proof that money can't buy happiness

Bukti bahwa uang tidak bisa membeli kebahagiaan: John Paul Getty III dihancurkan oleh miliaran keluarganya Selama tiga dekade, John Paul Getty III telah dihukum hidup di kursi roda - disuapi, berpakaian dan dimandikan oleh perawat sepanjang waktu, tidak dapat melihat dengan baik, berjalan atau berbicara , dan hanya bisa berkomunikasi dengan teriakan bernada tinggi.

Dia telah berada dalam keadaan sedih ini sejak tahun 1981 ketika, pada usia 24 tahun, dia lumpuh karena stroke yang disebabkan oleh overdosis obat yang diinduksi sendiri. Dan tidak ada jumlah uang—dan banyak—yang dapat membuatnya sehat kembali.

Pada saat itu, hidup yang singkat tidak beruntung. Overdosis terjadi hanya delapan tahun setelah dia dipecat, ditahan selama lima bulan di sebuah gua di Italia utara, ditebus dan dibebaskan hanya setelah telinga kanannya yang terputus dan kehancuran tiba melalui pos (ada pemogokan pos pada saat itu dan itu mendekam di kantor penyiortiran Roma selama tiga minggu).

Kematiannya akhir pekan ini di rumah keluarga Getty di Buckinghamshire menandai pembayaran terakhir yang menyedihkan, tidak hanya dalam kehidupannya yang terkutuk, tetapi juga dalam kisah sedih yang menyedihkan di rumah Getty.

Karena John Paul III yang berusia 54 tahun adalah pewaris salah satu kekayaan terbesar (dan paling tidak bahagia) di dunia. Dia adalah cucu Paul Getty, mendiang baron minyak, miliarder, perayu wanita dan pelit legendaris, dan putra Sir Paul Getty II, dermawan yang memberikan lebih dari £140 juta untuk tujuan baik tetapi menolak membayar tagihan medis putra sulungnya.

Tragedi, penghancuran diri, dan perusakan mengalir melalui keluarga Getty seperti lapisan gelap. Seperti yang ditulis oleh seorang komentator: 'Mereka dilahirkan dengan sendok emas di mulut mereka dan karenanya mereka tersedak.'

Kematian Jean Paul Getty III akhir pekan ini di rumah keluarga Getty di Buckinghamshire menandai cicilan terakhir yang sedih dalam kisah sedih yang menyedihkan di rumah Getty

Semuanya dimulai dengan kakek John Paul III, Paul Getty. Dia adalah orang terkaya di dunia tetapi memasang telepon umum untuk tamu di lorong rumahnya di Surrey, hanya menggunakan amplop bekas dan pernah membuat sekelompok teman menunggu di luar pertunjukan anjing selama 15 menit sehingga mereka bisa masuk setengahnya. -harga.

Dia tidak murah hati dengan cintanya seperti dia dengan uangnya. Paul II muda jarang melihat ayahnya selama 23 tahun pertamanya (orang tuanya berpisah ketika dia berusia tiga tahun) dan korespondensi menyakitkan — surat-surat Paul II dikembalikan tanpa jawaban tetapi dengan kesalahan ejaan digarisbawahi dan dikoreksi dengan hati-hati oleh ayahnya.

Dan pada kesempatan yang sangat jarang mereka makan bersama, ayahnya akan memotong biaya makan dari uang sakunya.

Tetapi mereka memiliki satu kesamaan - tidak adanya keterampilan mengasuh anak. Paul II juga seorang ayah yang mengerikan.

 Kaya tapi jahat: Paul Getty adalah orang terkaya di dunia pada satu titik, tapi tidak murah hati dengan cintanya seperti dengan uangnya

Semuanya dimulai dengan baik. Pada tahun 1956, dalam usia 24 tahun, Paul menikahi Gail, kekasih masa kecilnya dan mantan juara polo air. John Paul III lahir pada tahun yang sama, setelah itu keluarganya pindah ke Roma di mana Paul mengepalai operasi Italia Getty Oil dan di mana Aileen, Mark dan Ariadne lahir.

Paul dan Gail adalah pasangan muda yang berkuasa di sekitar kota, berpindah dari pesta ke pesta.

Tapi tahun-tahun bahagia itu berumur pendek. Kepala Paul segera dipalingkan oleh wanita lain, alkohol dan obat-obatan keras, pernikahannya hancur dan, pada tahun 1975, setelah diputus oleh ayahnya ('tidak ada Getty yang akan menjadi pecandu narkoba') dia menikah dengan Talitha Pol, yang cantik dan tidak stabil . cucu tiri master Augustus John.

Pada usia 15 tahun Jean Paul III telah dikeluarkan dari tujuh sekolah, secara teratur menggunakan narkoba dan berpose telanjang untuk majalah seks.

Sudah kecanduan, pasangan itu pergi ke Maroko, di mana Paul membeli sebuah rumah besar bernama The Pleasure Palace, mengadakan pesta pora bergaya Romawi dan mengonsumsi sebotol rum dan satu gram heroin sehari.

Rusak dan kelelahan karena semua pesta, Talitha kemudian bunuh diri dengan overdosis heroin sementara suaminya berbaring di sampingnya di tempat tidur.

Sekarang giliran Yohanes Paulus III untuk keluar jalur. Dia telah ditinggalkan oleh ayahnya dan kehilangan panutan ketika dia berusia sembilan tahun, dan pada usia 15 tahun dia telah dikeluarkan dari tujuh sekolah, secara teratur menggunakan narkoba dan berpose telanjang untuk majalah seks.

Dia juga memiliki banyak kekasih yang lebih tua, telah ditangkap karena melemparkan bom molotov selama demonstrasi sayap kiri dan telah menghancurkan banyak mobil dan sepeda motor.

 Wordless: John Paul Getty III dikelilingi oleh wartawan dan polisi saat dia meninggalkan kantor polisi setempat di Italia Selatan setelah dibebaskan oleh penculik yang memotong telinga kanannya

Kemudian pada 10 Juli 1973, ketika dia baru berusia 16 tahun, dia diculik di Roma oleh sekelompok bandit Calabria, yang menuntut uang tebusan sebesar £11 juta.

Karena ayah Yohanes Paulus III telah dipotong dari miliaran keluarga, jumlah itu di luar kemampuannya, dan kakeknya yang kaya raya menolak untuk membayar, bersikeras: 'Saya punya 14 cucu lagi dan jika saya membayar satu sen sekarang, maka saya akan memiliki 14 cucu yang diculik'.

'Dear Mummy, jangan biarkan aku dibunuh... Bayar, aku mohon, bayarlah secepatnya jika kau ingin aku baik-baik saja' tulisnya sambil dirantai ke tiang di sebuah gua

Tapi dia diam-diam curiga penculikan itu adalah tipu muslihat oleh keturunannya yang kecanduan narkoba untuk memeras uang darinya.

Jadi Yohanes Paulus III yang malang disimpan di sebuah gua di pegunungan Calabria, di mana, dirantai ke sebuah tiang, dia menulis surat putus asa kepada ibunya dengan tulisan tangannya yang besar dan kekanak-kanakan - 'Ibu tersayang, jangan biarkan aku dibunuh.. Bayar, saya mohon, bayar secepatnya jika Anda ingin saya baik-baik saja' — dan dipukuli serta disiksa selama lima bulan.

Terobosan itu terjadi setelah tawanannya memotong telinga kanannya - dengan pisau cukur dan tanpa obat bius - dan menempelkannya bersama sejumput rambutnya dan catatan yang diketik ke kantor Il Messaggero, salah satu surat kabar harian terbesar di Roma.

Getty senior, sang kakek, akhirnya menawarkan £2,1 juta kepada para penculik, tetapi hanya dengan syarat ketat bahwa putranya membayarnya secara penuh, ditambah bunga empat persen.

Setelah dithering yang mengerikan dan pengalaman yang begitu mengerikan, mungkin tidak mengherankan bahwa Yohanes Paulus III tidak berterima kasih kepada ayah atau kakeknya — atau membersihkan tindakannya.

Tidak dicintai di masa mudanya: Jean Paul III telah dikeluarkan dari tujuh sekolah pada usia 15 tahun dan secara teratur menggunakan narkoba

Sebaliknya, ia melanjutkan pestanya dengan semangat lebih dari sebelumnya dan, pada usia 18 tahun, menikah dengan Martine Zacher, seorang model Jerman tujuh tahun lebih tua darinya yang mengenakan pakaian hitam dari ujung ke ujung untuk pernikahan mereka di Sienna dan yang harus menopangnya selama pesta. sumpah karena ia begitu melamun pada obat-obatan.

Sekarang giliran Yohanes Paulus III yang disingkirkan oleh kakeknya — menurut aturan kepercayaan keluarganya, dia dilarang menikah sampai dia berusia 25 tahun.

Jadi dia lebih banyak terhibur dengan narkoba dan alkohol dan, pada tahun 1981 - lima tahun setelah mereka pindah ke Los Angeles dan Martine melahirkan putra tunggal mereka, Balthazar (yang sekarang menjadi aktor Hollywood; pada tahun 2008, dia berselingkuh dengan Sienna. Miller) - dia mengalami overdosis yang membuatnya lumpuh.

Yohanes Paulus III tetap koma selama enam minggu. Ketika dia sadar kembali, tingkat kerusakan yang mengerikan terungkap. Dia hampir buta, tidak dapat berbicara dan lumpuh.

'Semuanya hilang,' kata Bill Newsom, ayah baptisnya. "Semuanya kecuali pikirannya." Dia baru berusia 24 tahun. Bahkan kemudian, Gettys dan miliaran mereka mengecewakannya. Ibunya, Gail, menerimanya, tetapi tidak mampu membayar tagihan medis £16.000 per bulan. Dan ayahnya - yang akhirnya keluar dari kabut narkoba untuk menjadi Anglophile, dermawan, dan ksatria yang mengoceh (ia diinvestasikan pada tahun 1996 setelah menjadi warga negara Inggris) - menolak untuk membantu, mengklaim bahwa putranya telah membeli semuanya untuk dirinya sendiri.

Dia, bagaimanapun, memberikan £ 50 juta ke Galeri Nasional, £ 40 juta ke Institut Film Inggris, £ 2 juta untuk pendirian baru di lapangan kriket Lord dan jutaan lainnya di sana-sini untuk apa yang dia anggap sebagai 'baik penyebab'.

Paul Getty sekarang telah mengatasi kesulitan keuangan apa pun - ayahnya telah meninggal pada tahun 1976 dan dia telah mewarisi jutaan melalui perwalian keluarga dan neneknya.

Hanya setelah menuntut ayahnya, John Paul III dapat pindah ke rumah yang diadaptasi secara khusus di Beverly Hills dengan staf penuh dan peralatan medis senilai ratusan ribu pound yang tersembunyi di balik pintu kayu yang licin.

Selama 30 tahun penahanannya - sebagian besar dihabiskan untuk tinggal bersama ibunya yang berbakti di rumah-rumah mewah di tepi Lough Derg di Irlandia dan di Italia utara - dia jarang tampil di depan umum.

Suatu kali, pada pertengahan tahun delapan puluhan, dia muncul di kursi rodanya di klub malam Tramp di London. 

Dan pada bulan September 2003, tampak kurus, angker dan kacau, dia menghadiri pemakaman ayahnya di Westminster Abbey.

Yang menarik, teman-teman bersikukuh bahwa, terlepas dari cacat fisik dan perilaku keluarganya yang mengerikan, Yohanes Paulus III tidak getir dan mempertahankan pendekatan hidup yang 'indah dan menggembirakan'.

Jika dia melakukannya, itu benar-benar luar biasa. Tetapi sulit untuk dibayangkan - karena itu tidak mungkin seumur hidup, dikutuk oleh uang, dirusak oleh perseteruan keluarga, dilukai oleh obat-obatan dan kelaparan akan cinta kebapakan. (dailymail.co.uk)

READ MORE - Proof that money can't buy happiness

Tips for Charitable Giving

Tips for Charitable Giving. What to know before turning over the dough. It can be a challenge to decide which charity should receive your hard-earned dollars. Should you support the environmental group that just knocked on your door, the police association that called to ask for your support or the children’s charity that sent you a letter with a heart-wrenching picture of an orphan?

None of them, charity experts say. Instead, you should pick the charities and give money before being asked. Not only are you more likely to find groups whose missions matter to you, but your money will go further. 

When donors give money in response to a fund-raising appeal, only a portion of the gift goes for the charity's mission, according to the American Institute of Philanthropy. The rest will be spent on the cost of the appeal.

Here are some other tips to help make sure your money is well spent.

1. Give to groups you know

It's not always possible, of course, but experts say it's the best thing to do. “Be very reluctant to give to strangers,” says Dan Moore, vice president of public affairs for Guide Star, an online source of financial information on charities. “If you know the organization and you know their work, you will know with some degree of confidence that your gift will be put to good use.”

2. Make sure the charity is the one you think it is

That police association may be based in another state, and do nothing for your local officers. The group that says it grants wishes for sick children may have deliberately adopted a name similar to a well-respected organization. Don’t assume you know the group or what it does.

3. Ask if your gift is tax-deductible

Some nonprofit organizations that solicit gifts are not charities, meaning that you can’t deduct your donation at tax time. 

4. Make sure you understand the group's work

Charities tackle problems in different ways. For example, groups that try to lower the rate of teenage pregnancy may do so by teaching sex education, by promoting sexual abstinence or by offering programs that aim to build self-esteem among teen girls. “There’s no single right answer,” says GuideStar’s Moore. “You want to give a gift that’s addressing a cause that tugs at your heartstrings, in a way that best addresses your needs.” 

5. Make sure the charity is legitimate

The Internal Revenue Service maintains a list of all organizations registered as charities. Also check with your state’s attorney general or charities bureau, which is responsible for policing charities within the state and can provide a wealth of information about them. Don’t know your state’s charity regulator? Go to www.nasconet.org, a national association of state charity officers, to find yours. 

6. Don’t be afraid to ask questions

Charities are required to provide information about their programs and expenses. Start with these questions: How will my gift be spent? How many people did you help last year? In what way? If you don’t get adequate answers, don’t give anything. 

7. Find out about expenses

Even if the charity is a good one, you might feel cheated if you later find out that most of your gift went to pay the people who called you up and asked for money, or to pay the salaries of the group's top officers. In general, efficient groups will spend at least 65 percent of their funds on the causes they support, says Laurie Styron, an analyst with the Chicago-based American Institute of Philanthropy, which rates charities for donors. 

The percentage may be lower for groups that support controversial causes such as abortion rights, since those groups have more trouble raising money. You can ask the charity for this information, which it is required to provide, or search the Web. The New York attorney general’s office, for example, has for years published an annual report, “Pennies for Charity,” that details how much money specific charities receive from various telephone appeals. 

8. Think twice before giving to a university or hospital

While worthy, these institutions are also the heavyweights of the fundraising world, bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars a year. For example, Harvard University’s endowment, the amount of money it has tucked away in savings, now stands at more than $25 billion. 

Meanwhile, soup kitchens, homeless shelters and other groups often struggle to raise enough to keep going. Many arts organizations also have trouble balancing their budgets. Such groups may not have the resources to solicit funds from you, but that doesn’t mean they won’t appreciate your gift and make good use of it.

9. Volunteer

This can be a great way to get information about a charity before giving money. Hands-on experience will tell you how well-managed the organization is and how effectively it accomplishes its mission. 

10. Protect yourself.

Don’t give out credit card or personal information in response to phone, e-mail or door-to-door appeals: They may be fraudulent. If giving online, locate the charity’s Web site yourself rather than linking through an e-mail. Above all, don’t give cash. Your best bet is to mail a check to the organization.

If you'd like more information on a particular charity, a good starting point is the charity’s own Web site, which should include details about programs and how gifts are spent, as well as financial information such as an annual report. Another source of free information is Guidestar, which posts copies of charities’ federal tax filings, or state charity regulators. 

The American Institute of Philanthropy; Charity Navigator; and the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance also offer ratings of charities. Some of the information is available free. For Christian charities, check out Ministry Watch or the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, which will tell you whether a charity is registered with them. ( msnbc.msn.com )

READ MORE - Tips for Charitable Giving

Top 10 Sleep Mistakes And Their Solutions

Top 10 Sleep Mistakes And Their Solutions .  Although we may not like to admit it, many of the sleep problems we experience are the result of bad habits and behaviors. We stay up late or sleep in late. We eat foods that disagree with us or enjoy a drink late at night, oblivious to their disruptive impact on our sleep rhythms. 

Over time, we teach our body not to sleep and for relief we often turn to sleeping pills, which mask rather than solve the problem, and can lead to addiction. Ultimately for real success, with insomnia as with any chronic problem, one must look for the underlying imbalances and root causes and address those. Here are the common sleep “mistakes” I see in my practice and their solutions

Mistake #1: Not keeping a consistent sleep schedule. We often think we can make up for lost sleep by going to bed extra early another night but the body clock’s ability to regulate healthy sleep patterns depends on consistency. We stay up late on weekends, expecting to make up sleep later or use the weekend to make up for lost sleep during the week. Both practices disrupt bodily rhythms and late night weekends in particular can cause insomnia during the workweek. 

Solution: Create a routine and stick to it. Getting up and going to bed around the same time, even on weekends, is the most important thing you can do to establish good sleep habits. Our bodies thrive on regularity and a consistent sleep schedule is the best reinforcement for the body’s internal clock. Waking and sleeping at set times reinforces a consistent sleep rhythm and reminds the brain when to release sleep and wake hormones, and more importantly, when not to. 

Mistake #2: Using long naps to counter sleep loss. Long naps during the day especially after 4pm or even brief nods in the evening while watching TV can damage a good sleep rhythm and keep you from enjoying a full sleep at night. 

Solution: Nap for no more than 30 minutes. If naps are absolutely necessary, make sure you only nap once a day and keep it under 1/2 hour and before 4 pm. In general, short naps may not hurt sleep and in fact a short siesta for half an hour after lunch or a 20 minute power nap before 4 pm works well for many people. 

Mistake #3: Not preparing for sleep. Expecting the body to go from full speed to a standstill without slowing down first is unrealistic. Our bodies need time to produce enough sleep neurotransmitters to send feedback signals to the brain’s sleep center, which will result in the release of sleep hormones to allow you to sleep. 

Solution: Take the time to slowly shift into sleep.

1. Create an electronic sundown: By 10 pm, stop sitting in front of a computer screen (or TV screen) and switch off all electronic devices. They are too stimulating to the brain and will cause you to stay awake longer.
2. Prepare for bed. Dim the lights an hour or more before going to bed, take a warm bath, listen to calming music or soothing sounds, do some restorative yoga or relaxation exercises. Getting your mind and body ready for sleep is essential. Remove any distractions (mentally and physically) that will prevent you from sleeping.

Mistake #4: Not giving your body the right sleep signals. Our bodies depend on signals to tell them when to fall asleep and wake up, the two most fundamental ones being darkness and light. But we live and work in artificially lit environments and often miss out on the strongest regulatory signal of all, natural sunlight. When we go to sleep and our bodies need complete darkness for production of the important sleep hormone, melatonin, our bedrooms are not pitch dark, thereby interfering with this key process. 

Solution: At night, keep the room as dark as possible. Look around your bedroom: the alarm clock read-out that glows in bright red; the charging indicator on your cell phone or PDA, the monitor on your computer, the battery indicator on the cordless phone or answering machine, the DVD clock and timer. Even the tiniest bit of light in the room can disrupt your pineal gland’s production of sleep hormones and therefore disturb your sleep rhythms. Conceal or move the clock, cover all the lights of any electronic device and use dark shades or drapes on the windows if they are exposed to light. If all of that is not possible, wear an eye mask. If you get up in the middle of the night, try keeping the light off when you go to the bathroom. Use a flashlight or night light. 

Mistake #5: Having a bed time snack of refined grains or sugars. These are metabolic disruptors which raise blood sugar and overstress the organs involved in hormone regulation throughout the body. This hormone roller coaster can affect sleep cycles by waking you up at odd times during sleep as the hormone levels fluctuate. 

Solution: If you have to eat, have a high-protein snack. It is better not to have anything before bed but at least a high protein snack will not only prevent the hormone roller coaster, but also may provide L-tryptophan, an amino acid needed to produce melatonin. 

Mistake #6: Using sleeping pills to fall and stay asleep. Sleeping pills mask sleep problems and do not resolve the underlying cause of insomnia. Many sleep studies have concluded that sleeping pills, whether prescription or over the counter, over the long term, do more harm than good. They can be highly addictive and studies have found them to be potentially dangerous. For short term use, there may be indications for sleeping pills, but over time, sleeping pills can actually make insomnia worse, not better. If you have been taking them for a long time, ask our doctor to help you design a regimen to wean yourself off them. 

Solution: Learn relaxation techniques. Aside from physical problems, stress may be the number one cause of sleep disorders. Temporary stress can lead to chronic insomnia and circadian rhythm sleep disorders. Many people tell me they can’t switch off their racing minds and therefore can’t sleep. Do some breathing exercises, restorative yoga or meditation. These will calm the mind and reduce the fears and worries that trigger the stress. 

Mistake #7: Using Alcohol to fall asleep. Because of alcohol’s sedating effect, many people with insomnia drink alcohol to promote sleep. Alcohol does have an initial sleep inducing effect, but as it gets broken down by the body, it usually impairs sleep during the second half of the night leading to a reduction in overall sleep time. Habitual alcohol consumption just before bedtime can reduce its sleep-inducing effect, while its disruptive effects continue or even increase. 

Solution: Take nutrients that calm the body and mind, getting you ready for sleep. Don’t drink alcohol to help you sleep. Look for a calming formula that has some of the following: amino acids, L theanine, taurine, 5 HTP and GABA, and herbs like lemon balm, passion flower, chamomile and valerian root. Taking the minerals, calcium and magnesium at night is also helpful. For some people, especially we folks over 50, melatonin can be helpful too. This is because the body produces less melatonin with advancing age and may explain why elderly people often have difficulty sleeping and respond well to melatonin. 

Mistake #8: Watching television to fall asleep. Because we have no trouble at all falling asleep in the living room in front of the TV many of us watch TV in bed to fall asleep. But when we fall asleep in a bed watching TV, we invariably wake up later on. This sets up a cycle or conditioning that reinforces poor sleep at night. I have had many patients over the years develop insomnia due to this type of conditioning.

Solution: Get the TV out of the bedroom. Don’t watch TV in bed, the bed should be associated with sleep (and sex). 

Mistake #9: Staying in bed hoping to fall asleep. If you can’t fall asleep within 30-45 minutes, chances are you won’t for at least another hour, and perhaps even longer. You may have missed the open “sleep gate” or missed catching the sleep wave. A “sleep gate” is the open window of time your body will allow you to fall asleep. Researchers have found that our brain goes through several sleep cycles each night where all sleep phases are repeated. These cycles last from 90 minutes to 2 hours, and at the beginning of each cycle, the body’s ’sleep gate’ opens. You won’t be able to fall asleep when your sleep gate is closed. 

Solution: Catch the sleep wave. If you find you can’t fall asleep within 45 minutes, get up and get out of the bedroom. Read a book, do a restorative yoga pose or do some other calming activity for another 1 -1.5 hours before trying to sleep again. Staying in bed only causes stress over not sleeping. It is like surfing, you need to catch that sleep wave. Haven’t you noticed that you can be exhausted and yet you avoid going to sleep and then a few hours later when you are ready for bed, you are suddenly wide awake? You missed the wave. 

Mistake #10: Making sleep a performance issue. Often just thinking about sleep affects your ability to fall asleep. What happens frequently is that the way you cope with the insomnia becomes as much of a problem, as the insomnia itself. It often becomes a vicious cycle of worrying about not being able to sleep which leads to worsening sleep problems. Like so many things in life, it is about letting go, going with the flow. Sleep needs to become a natural rhythm like breathing, something that comes automatically and you don’t think about. 

Solution: Let go and go with the flow. Use the time to practice breathing exercises or meditation and to become aware of how what you eat, what medications you take, what behaviors or certain activities can affect your sleep cycle. Increase your awareness by paying attention to your body and becoming conscious of how you react to different foods and situations. Use this time productively instead of getting upset that you can’t fall asleep.

One final point For chronic insomniacs, especially if you are heavy snorer, it is a good idea to rule out Sleep Apnea as the cause. This is a serious condition that affects at least 12 million Americans, many of whom have not been diagnosed. Usually they are heavy snorers. 

What happens is that the tissues at the back of the throat relax and in so doing block the airways. The brain senses oxygen deprivation, and sends wakeup signals. There is a release of adrenaline and cortisol, the stress hormone. Not only does this interfere with sleep, it can increase blood pressure, raising your risk of heart problems and stroke. It can also interfere with insulin sensitivity, and increases your risk of diabetes. ( drfranklipman.com )

READ MORE - Top 10 Sleep Mistakes And Their Solutions

Satanic rapists on trial

Satanic rapists on trial. Two young people are being tried in Russia for organizing a Satan-worshiping sect. Their adepts were subjected to abuse during gatherings, while some girls, including those below the age of consent, were molested. 

 The sect named “Nobilis Ordo Diaboli” – or the “Noble Order of the Devil” – was engaged in the secret worshiping of Satan in the republic of Mordovia in central Russia since 2003. 

It was organized by medical student Aleksandr Kazakov, 24, and had up to 75 adepts over the years, investigators say. Kazakov, who is the prime suspect in the trial, used his charisma to lure young people from well-to-do families into the “Order”. 

New adepts were recruited from mysticism-loving friends of sect members and through satanic websites and internet message boards. 

Every initiate had to sign “a contract”, which gave the “high priest” ownership of his or her soul as part of the initiation rituals. Under Kazakov’s guidance, members gathered in secrecy, dressed in black robes and performed “unholy rites”. 

They also indulged in orgies and drinking sessions that could last for days. For girls, sex with the man and his closest “apprentices” was a requirement, and those unwilling could be raped. The Satanists also didn’t hesitate to involve minors, say the investigators. 

The second man on trial, Denis Danshin, 23, was Kazakov’s second-in-command and was responsible for suppressing dissent and doubt among the flock, sometimes through violence. 

 When police cracked down on the cult in 2009, they seized numerous books about Satanism and occult paraphernalia like animal sculls. 

The defendants claim that their sect was a mere role-playing club, and everything the members did was done voluntarily. They also deny charges of sexual abuse and violence. ( rt.com )

READ MORE - Satanic rapists on trial

The real-life Da Vinci Code: Historians discover tiny numbers and letters in the eyes of the Mona Lisa

The real-life Da Vinci Code: Historians discover tiny numbers and letters in the eyes of the Mona Lisa - Intrigue is usually focused on her enigmatic smile. But the Mona Lisa was at the centre of a new mystery yesterday after art detectives took a fresh look at the masterpiece – and noticed something in her eyes. Hidden in the dark paint of her pupils are tiny letters and numbers, placed there by the artist Leonardo da Vinci and revealed only now thanks to high-­magnification techniques.

Under the microscope: Historians in Italy have discovered that by magnifying the eyes of the Mona Lisa painting tiny numbers and letters can be seen.

Hidden symbols: This eye is thought to contain L and V, the artist's initials

Experts say the barely distinguishable letters and numbers represent something of a real-life Da Vinci code.

The revelation could have come straight from the pages of Dan Brown’s best-seller The Da Vinci Code, in which the Mona Lisa is said to contain hidden clues about the Holy Grail. Silvano Vinceti, president of Italy’s National Committee for Cultural Heritage, which spotted the symbols, said: ‘To the naked eye the symbols are not visible but with a magnifying glass they can clearly be seen.

Genius: Historians believe that Da Vinci's love of riddles led him to paint himself as a woman - with some believing the Mona Lisa is a self-portrait

‘In the right eye appear to be the letters LV which could well stand for his name, Leonardo da Vinci, while in the left eye there are also symbols but they are not as defined. ‘It is very difficult to make them out clearly but they appear to be the letters CE, or it could be the letter B. ‘In the arch of the bridge in the background the number 72 can be seen or it could be an L and the number 2. ‘You have to remember the ­picture is almost 500 years old so it is not as sharp and clear as when first painted. ‘From the preliminary investigations we have carried out we are confident they are not a mistake and were put there by the artist.’

Mystery: The codes and riddles that the artist hid in his work were illustrated in the Dan Brown book and 2006 film 'The Da Vinci Code'

The search was initiated by another Dan Brown-style plot device after a fellow committee member discovered a musty book in an antique shop ­referring to symbols in the Mona Lisa’s eyes. Mr Vinceti added: ‘Da Vinci put a special emphasis on the Mona Lisa and we know that in the last years of his life he took the painting with him everywhere. 'We also know that da Vinci was very esoteric and used symbols in his work to give out messages. ‘Who knows, they may even ­possibly be a love message to the ­figure in the painting.’ Mr Vinceti is a member of a group which is seeking permission to exhume da Vinci’s remains from his tomb at Amboise Castle in France’s Loire Valley. They want to see if the artist’s skull is there so that they can try and recreate his face and establish if the Mona Lisa – owned by the French government and on display in The Louvre – is in fact a twist on a self-portrait of the artist as some believe. ( dailymail.co.uk )

READ MORE - The real-life Da Vinci Code: Historians discover tiny numbers and letters in the eyes of the Mona Lisa

Former Trump fan looks back at historic announcement with regret

Former Trump fan looks back at historic announcement with regret - Just days from the presidential election, a fervent Donald Trump supporter present at his campaign kickoff is looking back at that June 2015 day with a pang of regret.

You might not know Lori Goldberg Burch of Jersey City, N.J., but you could have heard her voice. Her howls of approval punctuated Trump’s announcement speech in Trump Tower, leading to brief repartee between them.

“Somebody accused me of this being a set up, that he was talking to me and that we rehearsed our banter back and forth,” she recalled in a Friday interview. “It wasn’t staged at all. You know, it’s the way I felt. I really thought that he could do good for us. … I had the ultimate respect for him when I was there.”

On June 17, 2015, a day after the announcement, the Hollywood Reporter reported that Extra Mile Casting hired background actors to bulk up the crowd. Yahoo News looked into the issue and ended up speaking to Burch, who works as an actor and standup comedian. She said she was not hired that day and truly believed Trump was a great candidate.

“I definitely have full knowledge of actors being paid, I just don’t want to name any. Extra Mile went and hired at least 100 actors that day,” she said. Extra Mile Casting did not return requests for comment, but Yahoo News reported Friday that one of Trump’s advisers at the time admitted that their team had hired people to help pack the hall.

Reporters gather to cover Donald Trump’s announcement at Trump Tower in New York on June 16, 2015. (Photo: Michael Walsh/Yahoo News)

Burch was holding a yellow sign that read, “Trump Makes History 6/16/15.” Few could have expected how prophetic that sign would turn out to be when the real estate tycoon descended the escalator in Manhattan’s Trump Tower with “Rockin’ in the Free World” blaring from the speakers.

Yahoo News interviewed Burch last year to hear why she was so enraptured with Trump’s potential as a political figure. On Friday, we asked how she feels to have witnessed and been part of history in the making.

“To be quite honest, now I feel ashamed knowing the type of man I was so for,” she said. “Yes, I am. I’m ashamed that I thought this man could do well for our country, because now I don’t understand how this man got this far.”

Burch began to have second thoughts when she heard his vulgar talk about women. She said that his comments about groping women in an “Access Hollywood” video from 2005 were beyond the pale. In the video, which leaked in October, Trump boasted that his celebrity status allowed him to have his way with women.

“That’s disheartening for me as a woman and as the mother of a son,” she said. “You should never feel that way, whether it’s in private or on the record. Because it’s not something we want our boys to grow up thinking, they can treat women that way.”

Ivanka Trump introduces her father at his campaign kickoff. (Photo: Michael Walsh/Yahoo News)

For years, Trump had ingratiated himself to millions of television viewers with “The Apprentice,” and stirred up support among many American conservatives with his penchant for political theater.

Burch, a longtime Republican who worked for Richard Nixon in her youth, was impressed with the carefully crafted image Trump projected through reality television: that of an expert businessman and a loving father.

“I thought this man did a great job because his kids were so well spoken and nobody got a handout. They worked hard, and I thought he was a great businessman, and that’s what our country needed. I never thought he had the temperament of a 2-year-old,” she said.

When Trump got political, she also liked what he had to say about illegal immigration and prioritizing U.S interests. She believes it’s not any one person’s responsibility to “take care of the world” but that you should “take care of yourself so that you can give back.”

“I thought this is what we need,” she said of Trump. “We don’t need these people to kowtow to foreigners. We need somebody to be strong and to make us great again, even though I don’t think we’re that broken as a country.”

Next Tuesday, voters will decide whether Trump or Democrat Hillary Clinton will be the next person to occupy the Oval Office. But Burch won’t be choosing either of them: She said she will write-in Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Blog : Charapay 

Post : Former Trump fan looks back at historic announcement with regret

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