Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Les Grossman Dance - Tom Cruise Rocks the 2010 MTV Movie Awards
BehindTheScenes73 — June 07, 2010 — http://www.behindthescenestv.net Tom Cruise reprises his Les Grossman dance with Jennifer Lopez for the 2010 MTV movie awards
Tom Cruise and Will Smith Open MTV movie Awards
From: http://www.snowspotmedia.com/
Tom Cruise jumped into his Les Grossman persona from Tropic Thunder to start off the 2010 MTV Movie Awards. The Fresh Prince himself, Will Smith, made a guest appearance with his son, Jaden . The scene takes a violent turn. GET DA AMBERLAMPS!!!
Cambodian 'Jungle Woman' Found in Outdoor Toilet
A 29-year-old Cambodian woman who apparently lived for 18 years in the jungle before emerging three years ago had vanished 11 days ago while bathing in a well behind their home, and her family thought they had lost her again.
But Rochom P'ngieng was found Monday in an outdoor toilet about 300 feet from her home, the man who says he's her father, Sal Lou, told Agence France-Presse. A neighbor had heard her crying.
STR / AFP / Getty ImagesRochom P'ngieng, center, sits with her parents in a Cambodian hospital in October. She went missing from her family's home for 11 days before a neighbor found her nearby in an outdor toilet. She was hospitalized but was reportedly refusing treatment.
"She was discovered in a 10-meter deep toilet. It's an unbelievable story. She spent 11 days there," he said, adding that she was soaked with waste up to her chest.
"We are still wondering how she could get into the toilet," he said. The toilet has a small hole covered in wood, he said.
P'ngieng, dubbed "jungle woman" after being found the first time, was admitted to a hospital after being rescued from the sewage pit, Lou said.
She was found without food or water, The Telegraph reported, adding that she ripped out an intravenous drip administered by a doctor and refused other treatments.
"The villagers pulled my daughter out of the lavatory, and we cleaned her up, but now she looks pale and weak," the father told the newspaper. "She has no strength. She has been sleeping all the time."
Lou says he's the woman's father but he has refused to take a DNA test, the Telegraph said, adding that there are theories that she did not grow up in the jungle but is really a victim of captivity and abuse.
P'ngieng vanished in 1989 while herding water buffalo when she was a young girl. She came out of the jungle in 2007, naked and bent over like a monkey, looking for food. She was identified after trying to steal food from a village and reunited with her family, who live in Rattanakiri province, about 960 miles northeast of the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh.
But she had trouble fitting back into society. She hasn't learned either of the local Cambodian languages and preferred to crawl instead of walk. She also refuses to wear clothing.
8 Abandoned American Theme Parks “Open” for Exploration
From: http://www.nileguide.com/
Amusement parks walk the fine line between fun-ish and semi-creepy. Maybe it’s the combination of sketchy rides, circus folk, questionable attractions, and way too many screaming kids, but there’s something a little unsettling about them. Add an ill-advised theme into the mix, and you’ve got a real summer-time winner.
Although for most of the 20th century amusement parks were a staple of American culture, the shine is definitely off the bumper car. Tons of new parks litter the country, but many of the old classics, unable to compete with the snazzy new parks have been shut down. Most have been destroyed to make way for housing developments and malls, but a few still remain. Mostly forgotten and in total disrepair, these abandoned amusement parks are sometimes more interesting in their decay then they were while in operation.
But be warned urban explorer! Most of these parks are privately owned and do not appreciate people traipsing through their property, taking ridiculously cool pictures. If you get stopped by some authorities…just don’t tell them NileGuide sent you!
1. The Prehistoric Forest, Irish Hills, Michigan
Imagine Jurassic Park, but instead of real, blood-thirsty-Jeep-munching dinos you get dilapidated, stationary dinosaur statues situated around a mediocre community pool. It’s a wonder this park didn’t appeal to 21st century kiddies….
Opened in 1963, the park had a smoking volcano, waterfall, water slide, and 100 fiber glass dinosaurs sprinkled across the 8 acre property. Since closing in 1999 the property has been on and off the market, all the while in complete disuse. As the years have gone by the park continues to revert back to forest, and the dinosaur dioramas have begun to blend into the natural world.
If you should feel so inclined, The Prehistoric Forest is currently for sale for a cool $548,000 and according to its real estate listing, the property has an arcade, gift shop and a 1200sq foot community shower building and could be used as a campground or day care…EEEEEEKK! Now that’s frightening. Better start exploring soon before this gem gets snatched off the market!
[All Images: Debra James]
2. Six Flags, New Orleans
“Jazzland”, a New Orleans-themed park was built on acres of swamp-land outside of the city in 2000 and was purchased by Six Flags and changed names in 2002. During Hurricane Katrina, Six Flags was completely flooded and an estimated 70-80% of the park was destroyed, leaving it much too expensive to fix. The park has been slowly rotting, decaying, and sinking into the swamp for the past 5 years since disaster struck.
Images: Annie Wentzell/Annie Wentzell/Flickr
What’s extra eerie is the park features many miniatures of New Orleans itself, including a “Main Street” designed after the French Quarter and restaurants that are modeled after some of the city’s historic eateries. Like many of the buildings they are modeled after, many of the park’s structures were submerged in 7 feet of water for over a month and now clearly display the ravages of the flood.
Image: Liquorhead/Flickr
Image: Liquorhead/Flickr
Although this painful reminder of Katrina’s devastation is sitting in total disrepair, it seems like it might be that way for a while longer. Six Flags and the City of New Orleans are in a entangled legal battle over the land. If you want to visit be careful, many urban explorers have been able to enter with no problems at all, while others have been handcuffed, driven off the premise, and had their camera film destroyed.
Images: smwarnke4/smwarnke4/liquorhead/liquorhead/Flickr
3. The Rocky Point Amusement Park, Warwick Rhode Island
When it was built in 1847, Rocky Point was pretty much the neatest thing in all of Rhode Island. It had everything an East Coast Victorian family could want: a Ferris-wheel, picturesque water-front views, a classy dining hall, and a long pier perfect for strolling…ahh. And as far as amusement parks, Rocky Point lasted a pretty long time. It enjoyed continued popularity and was able to evolved with the times, that is until the early 1990s took their toll.
Images: AllPoster/Hugh Manatee/Wikipedia Commons
After some horrid (and possibly shady) investments that the park held went bankrupt, it could no longer continue operating under its investors’ heavy debts. The iconic “Rocky Point” gate closed for the last time in 1996. Since then, most of the rides have been removed and sold to other parks. The rest of the property has been left to disrepair, and has suffered two possible arson attacks. Although everything of “value” has been dispersed to needy amusement parks around the country, remnants of Rocky Point can still be seen.
Images: tmjeffers/tmjeffers/Flickr
Image: tmjeffers/Flickr
Desperate to know more? Bellow is the trailer for Rocky Point documentary made a few years ago.
4. Lincoln Park, Dartmouth, Massachusetts
This park was originally opened by the Union Street Railway Company to increase tourism on their rail line in 1894. The park expanded over time, but its most popular attraction from 1946 on was “The Comet”, a wooden roller coaster. When it was built in the 40s the coaster was the absolute bees knees. Passengers were even willing to carry sandbags to help the cars move along the track since the ride wasn’t “loose” enough to let gravity do the work. Although the coaster was the ultimate in cool, it also turned out to be deadly too.
Image: artinruins
In the mid 60s, a man stood up in a car and was killed going down a lift. Then in 1968 the last car detached from the rest of the coaster and rolled backwards until it derailed, tossing its passengers out, injuring them. Then again in 1986 another man was killed while trying to climb from one car to another while the coaster was moving.
No surprise, these “incidents” were hard hard for many people to forget (even though the two deaths are clearly caused by “user error”), and the decline of Lincoln Park began. Hoping more money would fix the problem, Lincoln Park’s owners invested $75,000 in the park, but no soon had construction been completed then the Comet’s brake’s failed and the coaster’s cars jackknifed and the last car detached. Finally screeching to a halt hanging precariously off the tracks. Not shockingly, that was The Comet’s final ride. Facing mounting debts and an accident-prone amusement park, Lincoln Park was shut down for good.
Image: gmeadows1/Flickr
Image: alohadave/Flickr
Image: artinruins
Image: LP Comet
Although most of the rides were sold off, the Comet still remains. A morbid reminder of the park’s previous glory which can be explored off rout 6 in North Dartmouth.
6. Lake Dolores, Newberry Springs, CA
From 1962 to the late 80s Lake Dolores contained the trifecta of summer fun: it was combination water park, amusement park, and campground but in an unexpected locale. Situated on the eastern edge of the Mojave Dessert between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, the park was supplied with water by underground desert springs that fed the area. After multiple owners and unsuccessful new concepts (changing its name to Rock-a-Hoola being one of them) the park fell out of style, and most of the rides were sold off.
Image: Clay Larsen/Flickr
Image: TravelingMango/Flickr
All that remained were the old water slides which must have seemed pretty bizarre hanging out on an abandoned stretch of highway in the middle of the desert. That is until Lake Dolores was happened upon by the reality TV show Rob and Big which focuses on the life of Rob, a professional skateboarders and his friends. While filming a drive from LA to Vegas, the reality show crew stopped at Lake Dolores to attempt skateboarding on the abandoned slides. EEEK!! You can watch it here.
Although no one got hurt, leaving the slides intact became and huge liability for the owners of Lake Dolores. Soon after the episode aired, most of the water slides were taking out of the park.
7. Glen Echo Amusement Park, Glen Echo, Maryland
Glen Echo was created in 1891 as a Chautauqua site (a government funded adult arts center) and slowly morphed into an amusement park in the beginning of the 20th century. The park’s gorgeous art-deco buildings and craftsman carousel drew crowds from D.C., but slowly old fashion Glen Echo lost popularity, and it closed its doors in 1968.
Image: katmere/Flickr
Image: katmere/Flickr
Image: katmere/IntangibleArts/Flickr
Glen Echo was then turned over the the National Parks Service who has donated the park to different arts organizations over the years. Although many other of the original buildings and rides and fallen into disuse, the Spanish Ballroom and Bumper-Car Pavilion host dances on Friday and Sunday Nights and art classes are held in the former Arcade building. In addition, the classic carousel (which has 2 chariots, 4 rabbits, 4 ostriches, 38 horses, a lion, tiger, giraffe, and a fancy prancing deer) went through an almost 20-year renovation, and is now open to the public for rides.
Image: chrisbb@prodigy.net/Flickr
If breaking and entering isn’t your thing, Glen Echo is the perfect out-of-use amusement park to check out since it’s legally open to the public!
8. BONUS Chippewa Lake Park, Medina County, Ohio
Image: logencz/Flickr
Disclaimer: Chippewa Lake was torn down in 2009 so you can no longer visit it, but it’s still worth reading about. Built in 1875 by Edward Andrews, Chippewa Lake Park was originally named “Andrew’s Pleasure Ground”. Luckily that innuendo-inducing name was changed in 1898 when the park switched owners and even more rides were installed. Chippewa Lake Park was super popular in the 20s and then slowly declined until it was closed in 1978. After being abandoned, it was left pretty much alone for the next 30+ years. All of the wooden rides remained and as the forest took back the land that was cleared for the park, the rides became part of the environment.
Image: Familyguyfan221/Flickr
Image: Mike Adams Photos/Flickr
Since the park lay abandoned for so many years, it became almost as beloved in “death” as it had been in “life”. There were even group tours offered on the grounds of the park in the months before its final demise.
Image: Mike Adams Photos/Flickr
Since these pictures were taking all the buildings and rides of Lake Chippewa have been destroyed to make way for a spa and hotel, which has yet to be built.
Image: history_buff_23/Flickr
Came across any sweet abandoned amusement parks we left off the list? Le us know! And keep checking back for installment two of the series aboud long forgotten theme parks in other countries!
Chinese Concept: The Train that Never Stops
From : http://www.walyou.com/
There have been many different Train concepts that aim to be the future of transportation, adding more speed, more room, more comfort and more features, but what about a new conceptual design looking to create a train that doesn’t need to stop?This innovative concept train by Jianjun Chen is made up of out of the box thinking and aims to save tremendous amount of time for passengers and train personnel.
Basically, the train is made up of the regular train compartment and also the ‘boarding/unboarding’ compartment. Passengers may board the ‘boarding’ compartment while waiting for the train to arrive at the station. As the train arrives, it slows down and is located beneath the ‘boarding’ platform, latching on and begining to carry the now boarded compartment. Passengers are then able to go down into the actual train and continue their journey. Moreover, as the train arrived at the station and picked up a new compartment, the previous station compartment was unlatched and was left at this current station, allowing passengers to board at their own time-constraint and leisure. Check out the video for a demonstration of the Non-stop Train.
Of course, this new Future Train concept is just that…a concept, but it is also an innovative one that aims for increased efficiency and time saving. I guess the major issues would be how to be able and populate tremendous amount of passengers on the small compartments and also what about an inertia problem that could occur when the train starts carrying the compartment or letting one go?
What do you think of such a concept, is it realistic or is it just a dream that could never become a reality? What other challenges do you see it needs to solve for it to become a possible design?
30 Stunning Examples Of Wave Photography
Almost everyone loves the beauty of the sea and ocean waves are the most eye-catching and pleasing thing for everyone. Some photographers have attempted to capture the beauty as the waves roll and created these breath-taking images.
Here are 30 examples of wave photography for your inspiration.
( Photo by grantdavis )
( Photo by tasleem_cma )
( Photo by pinkhippodesign )
( Photo by DavidRphoto )
( Photo by Trent Stevens )
( Photo by sunshinesurfshots )
Click here for the complete GALLERY: http://www.digitalpicturezone.com/
Sheriff Tells Montel it’s OK to Fire Up Joint
Montel Williams
*Saturday in Maine, television host Montel Williams spoke at yesterday’s Maine Medical Marijuana conference.
He was at the event, held at the University of Southern Maine, to speak about the state’s new law allowing medical marijuana dispensaries in hopes that he could be a voice for patients and caregivers who are often not heard in public debates and conferences around the country on the legality and validity of the use of this form of medication.
At one point when his pain level became so bad and was in tears, attending Cumberland County Sheriff Mark Dion shouted from the audience “why don’t you just take your medicine?” … the audience applauded and stood as Williams sat down, pulled out a joint and fired it up, lighting up the approval meter of the attendee’s present.
Click HERE for more info.
Watch this video report for info:
'Goonies' fans descend on Oregon town to celebrate movie's 25th anniversary
Monday, June 7, 2010
ASTORIA, ORE. -- There is a compulsion, a yearning, a force that causes people to drive to this remote village, up the rocky coastline and through the hilly streets in weather that is almost always damp. They park near the olde shoppes and the gingerbread Victorians, walk to the cream house with purple trim, and then, as if fulfilling a destiny that has shaped every moment of their lives, they raise their shirts, they shake their belly fat, and they do the Truffle Shuffle.
"Oh, sure," says Regina Willkie of Astoria's Chamber of Commerce. "They all want to make sure they go to Mikey's house, do the Shuffle. It's just something that clicks with people."
This is devotion in its purest form, built on so very little, just a 114-minute movie filmed here and released in June 1985. Since, there's been almost nothing to fan the flames of fandom -- no resuscitated spinoffs, a la "Star Wars" or "Star Trek." Years ago there was a board game (but who bought it?) and a Nintendo game (but who still owns the console?). There are always talks of a sequel that will never materialize. Still the fans come, this anniversary weekend especially, to celebrate their love of "The Goonies."
* * *
Meet the Superhumans -- Videos of People With Extraordinary Skills
While we'd all like to have some sort of superhuman ability, the closest most of us will ever get to such talent is when we read a comic book or watch "Spider-Man."However, as the ABC news magazine "20/20" reported on this week, there are folks with seeming-super powers who walk among us.
Through a combination of fortunate genetics, hard work and determination, these six "superhumans" have accomplished feats that you really need to see to believe, from a man who can survive 72 minutes in the freezing temperatures of the North Pole (in shorts) and a real-life mermaid who can swim in the open sea without an oxygen tank.
Read on the check out the superhumans.
Alain Robert, Human Spider
Ability: Scaling buildings like a spider
Quote: "I'm looking for a world which is full of danger."
Interesting fact: Was afraid of heights as a youngster
Accomplishments: Robert has climbed most of the tallest skyscrapers in the world using only his hands and climbing shoes.
Jeb Corliss, Birdman
Ability: He pulls off daring BASE jumps and soars through the air using a modified bird suit.
Quote: "When I was about 5 years old I was watching these birds, and I remember seeing them start to fly and remembering saying, 'When I get older, I'm going to do that.'"
Interesting fact: Diagnosed with counterphobia, a pathological compulsion to confront fear
Accomplishments: The judge overturned his conviction for attempting to leap from the Empire State Building, ruling Corliss "was experienced and careful enough to jump off a building without endangering his own life or anyone else."
Wim Hof, Iceman
Ability: Is able to function normally in conditions of extreme cold
Quote: "Cold is a noble force, and I want to be challenged."
Interesting fact: He controls his body temperature by using the Tantric practice of Tummo.
Accomplishments: Ran an Arctic marathon at 20 degrees below zero, shirtless. Hof also holds the world record for being immersed in ice for an hour and 44 minutes.
Daniel Tammet, Brain Man
Ability: Genius of language and math
Quote: "I'm able to look from the inside out, so that gives a new perspective that scientists haven't had before."
Interesting fact: Because of an acute case of synesthesia, he sees numbers as colors and shapes.
Accomplishments: Memorized and recited the first 22,000 digits of pi. Was able to learn Icelandic, one of the most impenetrable languages in the world, in only a week.
Dean Kamazes, Marathon Man
Ability: Can run great lengths without rest
Quote: "It hurts so much and your body is saying stop, and (you) kind of override those mechanisms and force yourself to go on."
Interesting fact: Kamezes hadn't run in 15 years when, on his 30th birthday, he made the snap decision to leave his party and run 30 miles. The 47-year-old hasn't stopped since.
Accomplishments: Ran 135 miles nonstop in 120-degree, Death Valley heat. Completed 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days.
Hannah Fraser, Mermaid
Ability: With her mermaid tail, she can swim in harmony with ocean life
Quote: "I have found a way to integrate with their environment and swim with them and have a level of comfortability that most people will never experience in their life."
Interesting fact: Made her first mermaid tail out of plastic when she was 9.
Accomplishment: Can free dive up to 50 feet, and her specially designed tail allows to her swim much faster than regular divers.
Pair in photo as kids years before they met, wed
When they were about to get married, Alex and Donna were going through old family pictures for their wedding video.
The couple came across a picture of a then 5-year-old Donna and her brothers at Disney World.
A closer look revealed Alex and his father were also in the picture.
At the time, their families had not met and were living thousands of miles apart.
The couple says it was fate that brought the together then, and again 20 years later when they got married.
(Copyright 2010 NBC News Channel. All Rights Reserved)
Incredible Pencil Drawings of Animals That Look Like Photographs
Photo: beautifullife
There are some people in artistic circles who are incredibly gifted, and this Hong Kong artist is certainly among the best in the world. His images are black and white, but not for dramatic effect. That is just the way he likes it.
Photo: beautifullife
Believe it or not, these stunning images are not photographs - they were drawn using only one pencil. These incredibly realistic images show the humble pencil at its best, and are so exceptional that they can detail the fine hairs of a cat and the wisps of a beard. While most people use a pencil only so they can easily erase any mistakes they make, Paul Lung often spends up to 60 hours sketching out his latest work of art.
Photo: beautifullife
His works include stunning photo-realistic images of cats with lifelike fur and impressive drawings of friends and family. He even has to make videos of his work to make people believe they are not photographs. Despite taking so much time on each piece, the 38-year-old has to fit his hobby around his day job as a graphic artist.
Photo: beautifullife
"I have loved to draw all my life but I especially like to draw graphite realism drawings," said Mr Lung from Hong Kong.
Photo: beautifullife
"Each one will take about 40 to 60 hours and I will draw when I get back from the office after work for about three to four hours a day."
Photo: beautifullife
"Most of my drawings are A2 size and all are done using a 0.5mm technical pencil. I like graphite realism drawing because I can use just one single pencil to create millions of different textures."
Photo: beautifullife
With a talent as prodigious as this, it is small wonder that Lung's images can be found all over the world. How on earth such minute, even photographic detail can be produced by simply putting pencil to paper is a truly wondrous thing. I will happily hang these 'photos' on my walls. They would grace any art gallery worth its salt. What an artist!
Photo: beautifullife
9 Awe-Inspiring Hot Springs
Find out which healing waters are richest in history, minerals and more
By Brynn Mannino
from WomansDay.com
Hot springs—leaks within the earth’s geothermal crust from which hot, mineral-rich water pours—exist all over the globe. And though it hasn’t actually been proven that they cure diseases (as some are reputed to), hot springs are generally known for their de-stressing and muscle-soothing properties. However, there are a handful of bubbling pools that are so awe-inspiring—whether it’s the view, the water color or frequent animal visitors—that they’re in a league of their own.
Most Dangerous
As melting snow pours out of the 8,500-foot-high Twin Lakes in Long Valley, California, it joins forces with the Hot Creek State Fish Hatchery and flows down from the Hot Creek Springs. Problem is, since May 2006, the springs have been sporadically spurting hot, sediment-filled water as high as 6 feet above the stream. The site has been a longtime recreation escape for fishing, 
Most Fleeting
The Steep Ravine Beach Hot Springs in Mill Valley, California, are quite possibly some of the most fleeting (and secret) in the world. Believe it or not, the springs are hidden below the ocean at the shoreline’s tidal zone and only revealed during low tide, which occurs four to five times a year (at the winter and summer solstices plus a few other occasions). So if you go, it’s probably a good idea to take a guide; the pools can be hard to find on your own. Photo courtesy of John Weiss via Flickr.
Largest Pool
At 529 feet long and 100 feet wide, Colorado’s Glenwood Hot Springs, originally termed “The Grand Spring” by the Ute Indians, form the largest natural hot spring swimming pool in the world. The 104°F pool water contains sodium chloride, potassium sulfate, calcium sulfate and calcium bicarbonate (known for healing dehydrated skin and soothing sore muscles). The pool is continuously filled by the Yampah Spring, which has a daily flow rate of 2.5 million gallons of water. Photo courtesy of Passion for Pics.
Highest Hot Springs in Tibet
Yangbajing, near the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, is host to a group of famous hot springs, which dot a green valley encircled by snow-capped mountains, and sit at altitudes reaching 15,000 feet. Filled with salty minerals even on the most frigid days of winter, the hot springs maintain a temperature of nearly 90°F. Photo courtesy of China Fact Tours.
Largest in the United States
Located in the Midway Geyser Basin in Yellowstone Park, the deep Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest hot spring in the U.S. (and third largest in the world). The “boiling lake,” as early explorers described it, measures 300 feet in diameter and is famous for its rainbow of colors—usually orange and red in the summer, dark green in the winter—which are the result of an interaction between the heat and the bacterial film that lines the edge of the spring. Photo courtesy of Yellowstone National Park.
Largest Known Calcium Carbonate Spring
Located in the northwest corner of Yellowstone Park, Terrace Mountain is the largest known
Most Photogenic
Considered one of the nine “hells” or springs of Beppu, Japan (others include a mud spring, white-foam spring and crocodile-breeding spring), the Chinoike Jigoku or “blood pond hell” is known for its red water, made so by iron. Considered the most photogenic of the “hells,” the spring has been around for 1,300 years. The temperature is near 172°F, which makes it perfect for your viewing, rather than bathing, pleasure. Photo by AFP/Getty Images.
Coolest Animal Bathers
Located in the valley of the Yokoyu River in Yamanouchi, Japan, are several steaming, bubbling hot springs. What sets the Jigokudani Monkey Park springs apart from all others is its frequent bathers—specifically furry, red-faced Japanese Macaques, commonly referred to as snow monkeys. Despite its relatively remote location, roughly 90,000 visitors trek through the woods each year to visit the park, which boasts at least 250 monkeys. Photo by Getty Images.
Highest Temperatures in Europe
The Aquis-Granum Springs in Aachen, Germany, are famed for both their extensive history (Charlemagne and Casanova both allegedly bathed there) and their record-breaking temperatures. At 165°F, the thermal springs in the area are among the hottest in Central Europe. Based on a small amount of documentary proof, the Romans are credited with finding and naming the springs, which can now be visited in two prime locations: Carolus Thermen complex and the bathhouse in Burtscheid. Photo by Bernd Stuhlmann.