Vending machine spits out gold bars and coins

From: http://www.usatoday.com/

Enlarge By Sean Gallup, Getty Images Thomas Geissler demonstrates his Gold To Go dispenser Oct. 21, 2010 in Berlin, Germany.

By Kelli Kennedy, Associated Press

BOCA RATON, Fla. — If you're a shopper looking for something sparkly to put under the Christmas tree, you could skip the jewelry and just go for the gold.

A German company planned to install a vending machine that dispenses gold bars and coins Friday at an upscale mall in Boca Raton, a South Florida city of palm trees, pink buildings and wealthy retirees.

Thomas Geissler, CEO of Ex Oriente Lux and inventor of the Gold To Go machines, expects the majority of buyers will be walk-ups taken by the novelty. But he says the machines are also convenient for more serious investors looking to bypass the hassle of buying gold at pawn shops and over the Internet.

"Instead of buying flowers or chocolates, which is gone after two or three minutes, this will stay for the next few hundreds years," Geissler told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

The company installed its first machine at Abu Dhabi's Emirates Palace hotel in May and followed up with gold ATMs in Germany, Spain and Italy. Geissler said they plan to unroll a few hundred machines worldwide in 2011. He said the Abu Dhabi machine has been so popular it has to be restocked every two days.

The gold-leaf-covered machine at Boca Raton's Town Center Mall sits outside a gourmet chocolate store and works just like the two cash ATMs beside it. Shoppers insert cash or credit cards and use a computer touch-screen to choose the weight and style of gold. The machine spits out the gold in a classy black box with a tamper-proof seal.

Each machine, manufactured in Germany, carries about 320 pieces of different-size bars and coins. The machines are connected to the Internet and the company says prices are refigured automatically every 10 minutes to reflect market fluctuations. At one point earlier this week, a two-gram piece cost about $120, including packaging, certification and a 5% markup. An ounce cost about $1,470.

Buyer beware: A gram of the heavy metal is much smaller than you think, about the size of a fingernail. An ounce is a little larger than a quarter.

Owners say the machine, which will hold around $150,000 in cash and gold, will be flanked by an armed bodyguard for now. Several live security cameras are fixed inside and outside the machine.

The popularity of gold is cyclical, but it's riding high these days in part because of fears stoked by financial collapse.

Geissler, who plans to have a machine in Las Vegas by year's end, said the collapse of the Lehman Brothers investment firm was the impetus for the flashy vending machines. His customers refused to buy bonds, stocks and other funds from the financial industry, so they focused on precious metals.

As investors continued to lose faith in the global finance market system, the company worked on the gold-leaf finished ATM, banking that the protection of purchasing power found in gold would lure market leery customers.

"Gold always comes back to its real value," Geissler said. "It's not diamonds, it's not silver, it's not real estate. It's just gold."

Dave Jones, who brokered the deal to bring the machines to the U.S., says there are plans to install about 40 more machines at upscale malls and hotels around the U.S.

"Gold has a place in everyone's portfolio," said Jones, of Boca Raton-based PMX Gold. 

Associated Press writer Suzette Laboy contributed to this report.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

New iPhone translator app instantly translates printed words using the camera

by Atul

from http://www.geekfill.com/

The unbelievable iPhone translator app, World Lens, auto-replaces the text with accurate camera mapping and instantly translates printed words from one language to another using the video camera on your iPhone,. No network delay, no roaming fees, and no reception problems.


Word Lens is a dictionary — evolved. It looks up words for you, and shows them in context. You can use Word Lens on your vacations to translate restaurant menus, street signs, and other things that have clearly printed words. It currently only supports Spanish to English annd English to Spanish.

UAE hotel erects 11-million-dollar Christmas tree

From: http://news.yahoo.com/

 

AFP – An Emirati man walks past an 11-million-dollar Christmas tree at the Emirates Palace hotel in the Emirati …

by W.G. Dunlop

ABU DHABI (AFP) – Christmas came in extravagant fashion to the Muslim desert emirate of Abu Dhabi as a glitzy hotel unveiled a bejewelled Christmas tree valued at more than 11 million dollars on Wednesday.
It is the "most expensive Christmas tree ever," with a "value of over 11 million dollars," said Hans Olbertz, general manager of Emirates Palace hotel, at its inauguration.

The 13-metre (40-foot) faux evergreen, located in the gold leaf-bedecked rotunda of the hotel, is decorated with silver and gold bows, ball-shaped ornaments and small white lights.

But the necklaces, earrings and other jewellery draped around the tree's branches are what give it a record value.

It holds a total of 181 diamonds, pearls, emeralds, sapphires and other precious stones, said Khalifa Khouri, owner of Style Gallery, which provided the jewellery.

Click image to see photos of the tree

AP/Hussein Malla

"The tree itself is about 10,000 dollars," Olbertz said. "The jewellery has a value of over 11 million dollars -- I think 11.4, 11.5."

This will probably be an entry into the Guinness book of world records, Olbertz said, adding that Emirates Palace planned to contact the organisation about the tree which is to stay until the end of the year.

Asked if the tree might offend religious sensibilities in the United Arab Emirates, where the vast majority of the local population is Muslim, Olbertz said he did not think it would. "It's a very liberal country," he said.
The hotel has had a Christmas tree up in previous years, but this year "we said we have to do something different," and the hotel's marketing team hatched the plan, said Olbertz.

The tree is not the first extravagant offering from Emirates Palace -- a massive, dome-topped hotel sitting amid fountains and carefully manicured lawns.

The hotel, which bills itself as seven-star, in February introduced a package for a seven-day stay priced at one million dollars.

Takers of the package have a private butler and a chauffeur driven Maybach luxury car at their disposal during their stay, as well as a private jet available for trips to other countries in the region.

And in May, the hotel opened a gold vending machine, becoming the first place outside Germany to install "gold to go, the world's first gold vending machine," said Ex Oriente Lux AG, the German company behind the machine.

The day Niagara Falls ran dry: Newly-discovered photos show the moment the iconic waterfall came to a standstill

By Graham Smith

It's taken 41 years, but a previously unseen set of photos of the mighty Niagara Falls reduced to nothing more than a barren cliff-top have finally surfaced.
The stark images reveal North America's iconic - and most powerful - waterfall to be almost as dry as a desert.
In June 1969, U.S. engineers diverted the flow of the Niagara River away from the American side of the falls for several months.
Scroll down for video

Stark: A completely dry Niagara Falls has never been seen before or since the six months in July 1969 when U.S. engineers set about restructuring the American side of the twin landmark

Mountain of rubble: This set of photos only recently came to light when Russ Glasson found them in a shoebox in his in-laws' Connecticut garage

Their plan was to remove the large
amount of loose rock from the base of the waterfall, an idea which they
eventually abandoned due to expense in November of that year.
During the interim, they studied the
riverbed and mechanically bolted and strengthened a number of faults to delay the gradual erosion of the American Falls.
The team, made up of U.S. Army Corp
of Engineers, blew up their temporary dam in November 1969 and six
million cubic feet of water once again thundered over the falls' sides every minute.



Now, after lying unseen for more than four decades, a set of images showing the eerie calm at the American Falls that year have been unearthed by a man from Connecticut.

Plan: The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers studied the riverbed and mechanically bolted and strengthened a number of faults to delay the gradual erosion of the American Falls

Historical moment: In order to stop the Niagara River running over the American Falls, engineers constructed a dam consisting of 27,800 tons of rock, stopping the water for the first time in 12,000 years

Russ Glasson recently stumbled
across the pictures, which were taken by his in-laws, and had been left
in an old shoebox in their garage for over four decades.
Mr Glasson said: 'My in-laws took
these pictures during the six months through June to November that the
Army was working to improve the health of the American Falls.'

Two rockslides from the plate of the falls in 1931 and 1954 had caused a large amount of rock to be collected at the base.
In
1965, reporters at local newspaper Niagara Falls Gazette revealed that
the America Falls would eventually cease to flow and stop altogether if
the rocks were not removed.
Four years later, the U.S. Army Corp
of Engineers were charged with de-watering the falls to clean the river
bed and to remove any loose rock at the bottom of the falls.

Gradual deterioration: Two rockslides from the plate of the falls in 1931 and 1954 had caused a large amount of rock to be collected at the base

Eerie calm: The temporary dam can be seen in the top-right of this photograph

Thunderous: The American Falls as they normally appear, with millions of gallons of water hurtling over the edge every minute

To achieve this the army had to
build a 600ft dam across the Niagara River, which meant that 60,000
gallons of water that flowed ever second was diverted over the larger
Horseshoe Falls which flow entirely on the Canadian side of the border.
The
dam itself consisted of 27,800 tons of rock, and on June 12, 1969,
after flowing continuously for over 12,000 years, the American Falls
stopped.
Over the course of the next six months thousands of visitors flocked to the falls to witness the historic occasion.
Once
the engineers had removed the collected rocks from the falls base and
made geological testing to make safe the rest, the falls were
re-watered on November 25 in front of 2,650 onlookers.

Tourist hotspot: The Maid Of The Mist cruise boat journeys near to the Canadian Falls. The American Falls can be seen in the distance on the left

Van Damme Friday : Part man Part Machine

The Carol of the Bells Played on iPads

For Christmas this year the folks at North Point Community Church in Georgia wanted to mix things up a bit. Using borrowed iPhones and iPads, they formed an “iBand” and performed the traditional bell choir song “The Carol of the Bells” using only the Apple devices. Merry iChristmas!
The apps used for the performance included: SoundGrid, NLogFree, Melody Bell, Guitarist (Nylon String), iGog (MoreVox Acoustic 1 sound, drums), Bassist (bass), Guitarist (Electric)

North Point’s iBand from North Point Web on Vimeo.

Stem cell transplant has cured HIV infection in 'Berlin patient', say doctors

Keith Alcorn

From:  http://www.aidsmap.com/

Timothy Ray Brown gave an interview to German magazine Stern.

Jump to

• The case history
• The Berlin patient speaks to the press
• Implications for future approaches to curing HIV infection
• Reference

Doctors who carried out a stem cell transplant on an HIV-infected man with leukaemia in 2007 say they now believe the man to have been cured of HIV infection as a result of the treatment, which introduced stem cells which happened to be resistant to HIV infection.
The man received bone marrow from a donor who had natural resistance to HIV infection; this was due to a genetic profile which led to the CCR5 co-receptor being absent from his cells. The most common variety of HIV uses CCR5 as its ‘docking station’, attaching to it in order to enter and infect CD4 cells, and people with this mutation are almost completely protected against infection.
The case was first reported at the 2008 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Boston, and Berlin doctors subsequently published a detailed case history in the New England Journal of Medicine in February 2009.
They have now published a follow-up report in the journal Blood, arguing that based on the results of extensive tests, “It is reasonable to conclude that cure of HIV infection has been achieved in this patient.”

The case history

The 'Berlin patient' is an HIV-positive man who developed acute myeloid leukaemia, received successful treatment and subsequently experienced a relapse in 2007 that required a transplant of stem cells.
Doctors chose stem cells from an individual who had an unusual genetic profile: a mutation inherited from both parents that resulted in CD4 cells that lacked the CCR5 receptor. This mutation, called CCR5 delta 32 homozygosity, is present in less than 1% of Caucasians in northern and western Europe, and is associated with a reduced risk of becoming infected with HIV.
This is because all new infecting viruses need to use the CCR5 receptor on CD4 cells when infecting an immune system cell of the CD4 type.
Later in the course of HIV infection another type of virus emerges that can use the CXCR4 receptor instead.
Before the stem cell transplant the patient received chemotherapy treatment that destroyed most immune cells and total body irradiation, and also received immunosuppressive drugs to prevent rejection of the stem cells.
Antiretroviral therapy was halted on the day of the transplant, and the patient had to receive a second stem cell transplant 13 days after the first one, due to a further relapse of leukaemia.
The patient continued to receive immunosuppressive treatment to prevent rejection for 38 months, and at 5, 24 and 29 months post-transplant colon biopsies were taken to investigate possible graft-versus-host disease in the intestine. At each investigation additional samples were taken to check for signs of HIV infection in the abundant immune cells of the gut wall.
During the 38 month follow-up period the donor CD4 cells repopulated the mucosal immune system of the gut, to such an extent that the frequency of CD4 cells was almost twice as high as in HIV-negative healthy controls, and this phenomenon was also seen in a control group of ten HIV-negative individuals who received stem cell transfers.
The repopulation of CD4 cells was accompanied by the complete disappearance of host CD4 cells, and after two years the patient had the CD4 count of a healthy adult of the same age.
One of the challenges for any approach to curing HIV infection is long-lived immune system cells, which need to be cleared before a patient can be cured. In the case of the Berlin patient CCR5-bearing macrophages could not be detected after 38 months, suggesting that chemotherapy had destroyed these longer-lived cells, and that they had also been replaced by donor cells.

The German researchers and San Francisco-based immunologist Professor Jay Levy believe that the findings point to the importance of suppressing the production of CCR5-bearing cells, either through transplants or gene therapy.

The patient did not resume antiretroviral therapy after the transplant.
Nevertheless HIV remained undetectable by both viral load testing (RNA) and tests for viral DNA within cells, and HIV antibody levels declined to the point that the patient has no antibody reactivity to HIV core antibodies, and only very low levels of antibodies to the HIV envelope proteins.
Seventeen months after the transplant the patient developed a neurological condition, which required a brain biopsy and lumbar puncture to sample the cerebrospinal fluid for diagnostic purposes. HIV was also undetectable in the brain and the CSF.
An additional indication that HIV is not present lies in the fact that the patient’s CD4 cells are vulnerable to infection with virus that targets the CXCR4 receptor. If any virus with this preference was still present, the researchers argue, it would be able to swiftly infect the large population of memory CD4 cells that has emerged.

The Berlin patient speaks to the press

The `Berlin patient`, Timothy Ray Brown, a US citizen who lives in Berlin, was interviewed this week by German news magazine Stern.
His course of treatment for leukaemia was gruelling and lengthy. Brown suffered two relapses and underwent two stem cell transplants, as well as a serious neurological disorder that flared up when he seemed to be on the road to recovery.
The neurological problem led to temporary blindness and memory problems. Brown is still undergoing physiotherapy to help restore his coordination and gait, as well as speech therapy.
Friends have noticed a personality change too: he is much more blunt, possibly a disinhibition that is related to the neurological problems.
On being asked if it would have been better to live with HIV than to have beaten it in this way he says “Perhaps. Perhaps it would have been better, but I don’t ask those sorts of questions anymore.”
Timothy Brown is now considering a move from Berlin to Barcelona or San Francisco, and, reports Stern magazine, enjoying a drink and a cigarette.
Stern also interviewed Dr Gero Hütter, who was in charge of Timothy Brown’s treatment. Dr Hütter told Stern that as a scientist he was “in the right place, at the right time” and that “for me it is important to have overthrown the dogma that HIV can never be cured. Something like this is the greatest thing one can achieve in medical research”.

Implications for future approaches to curing HIV infection

If a cure has been achieved in this patient, it points the way towards attempts to develop a cure for HIV infection through genetically engineered stem cells.
The German researchers and San Francisco-based immunologist Professor Jay Levy believe that the findings point to the importance of suppressing the production of CCR5-bearing cells, either through transplants or gene therapy.
Scientists were sufficiently intrigued by the Berlin patient that they met in Berlin in 2009 to discuss how they could coordinate efforts to identify CCR5-delta32 homozygous donors and expand the supply of stem cells from these donors, for example through sampling blood cells from the umbilical cord of babies born to mothers who are homozygous for CCR5-delta32, in order to eventually facilitate stem-cell therapy.
Gene therapy techniques which can transform stem cells – and all their descendents – into cells resistant to HIV entry may be a more practical option than looking for matching donors.
Several US research groups announced in October 2009 that they had received funding to explore techniques for engineering and introducing CCR5-deficient stem cells.
If these approaches prove successful they will be expensive, so in the early stages it is likely that they would be reserved for people with no remaining treatment options or a cancer requiring bone marrow or stem cell transfer.
As Timothy Brown’s experience shows, curing HIV infection through ablative chemotherapy, immunosuppressive drugs and stem cell transfer is not a course of treatment for the faint-hearted. It has required courage, determination and a lot of support to become the first person to be pronounced `cured` of HIV infection.

Reference

Allers K et al. Evidence for the cure of HIV infection by CCR5Δ32/ Δ32 stem cell transplantation. Blood, advance online publication December 8, 2010.
Hutter G et al. Transplantation of selected or transgenic blood stem cells – a future treatment for HIV/AIDS. J Int AIDS Soc 12: 10, 2009.
Hutter G et al. Long-term control of HIV by CCR5 CCR5Δ32/ Δ32 stem-cell transplantation. N Engl J Med. 360: 692-8, 2009.
Thanks to Greta Hughson for translation.
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Liam Neeson Confirmed for Taken 2, TV Series on the Way

By Krystal Clark
From  http://screencrave.com/



Liam Neeson has been all about action films ever since Taken debuted in theaters early last year. It was a sleeper hit, and became somewhat of a cult phenomenon. He followed that performance with Zeus from Clash of the Titans and Hannibal in The A-Team, now he’s returning to his vengeful roots in the sequel Taken 2. Yes, it is happening.


According to Deadline, Neeson will begin production on Taken 2 this spring. They also revealed that writer Luc Besson and the production company EuropaCorp have plans to bring Taken to the small screen. In terms of the timeline, it would follow the events that occur in the sequel. Does this mean that we can expect week after week of random kidnappings followed by extreme beatings and shoot-outs?

Speaking of shootouts, another action flick known for its gun play will also be turned into a TV series. The Transporter franchise, which solidified Jason Statham as a one-man ass kicking machine is a possible candidate. With the success of shows like “Nikita” it seems that renegade assassins and vigilantes are all the rage.

The Transporter will cost about $48 million and the series run will consist of 12 episodes. Production will start early next year and the first episodes will be delivered in November. Who will star as the lead in this and Taken? We’re not sure but we’ll let you know when we find out.

What Can $150k Buy in Real Estate Around the World?

Written by David Miller 

From: http://matadornetwork.com/

With the global credit crunch spiraling into an economic crisis, here’s what $150k can buy you right now around the world.

Argentina: Centro, Buenos Aires

USD Price: $149,000
Bedrooms: 2 Bathrooms: 1
Notes / Link: This place is fully remodeled and right in El Centro, 2 blocks from Teatro Colon.

Chile: Villarrica, Region 9

USD Price: $110,000
Bedrooms: 3 Bathrooms: 3
Notes / Link: This house is in the town of Villarrica, and has world-class backcountry terrain all around.

Russia: Chystye Prudy Area, Moscow

USD Price: $152,000 (approx.)
Bedrooms: 2 Bathrooms: 2
Notes / Link: Right in the center of Moscow.

South Africa: Jeffrey’s Bay, Eastern Cape

USD Price: $152,200 (approx.)
Bedrooms: 5 Bathrooms: 3
Notes / Link: This pad has a barbecue, garden, and you’re close to one of the sickest surf spots in the world.

Australia: Deniliquin, New South Wales

USD Price: $144,400 (approx.)
Bedrooms: 5 Bathrooms: 3
Notes / Links A full on 27-acre farm near thetown of Deniliquin. Extremely affordable Australian home loans are also available.

Portugal: Evora, Alentejo

USD Price: $150,500 (approx.)
Bedrooms: 2 Bathrooms: 1
Notes / Link: in sweet village of Viana do Alentejo.

Indonesia: Lovina, Bali

USD Price: $107,000 (approx.)
Bedrooms: 4 Bathrooms: 2
Notes / Link: A straight-up private villa on Bali with mature palms / banana trees and some kind of ‘split level swimming pool’. Ridiculous.

Croatia: Porec, Istria

USD Price: $150,700 (approx.)
Bedrooms: 3 Bathrooms: 2
Notes / Link: A 3-bedroom apartment with beach only 3 minutes away, along with the yacht marine of Cervar village.

Czech Republic: Prosek, Prague

USD Price: $144,000 (approx.)
Bedrooms: 2 Bathrooms: 1
Notes / Link: A newly renovated apartment with 74 m2 of living space and a 6-minute commute via subway to the city center.

New Zealand: Foxton

USD Price: $125,500 (approx.)
Bedrooms: 4 Bathrooms: 2

20 Overlooked National Landmarks in the U.S.

Written by Hal Amen
 From http://matadornetwork.com/

America is large, with tons of landmark sites beyond Niagara, Mt. Rushmore, and the Statue of Liberty.

 

1. Bear Butte, SD
Overshadowed by: Nearby Mt. Rushmore
Cool features: The 4,400ft igneous uplift, just north of the Black Hills, is held as sacred by the Lakota, Cheyenne, and other American Indian peoples of the region, who often make pilgrimages to the butte and leave offerings on its slopes. Respectful visitors can check it out in Bear Butte State Park.
Photo: Lars Plougmann

 
2. St. Augustine, FL
Overshadowed by: Jamestown, VA
Cool features: Founded by the Spanish in 1565, St. Augustine is “the oldest continuously occupied European-established city and port in the continental United States” (Wikipedia). The picture above is taken in front of the Fountain of Youth, a tribute to what Spanish explorers were looking for when they came to Florida.
Photo: minds-eye

 
3. Petrified Forest National Park, AZ
Overshadowed by: Nearby Grand Canyon National Park
Cool features: Adjacent to northeastern Arizona’s Painted Desert, Petrified Forest is pretty colorful itself. It’s also home to fossilized trees that grew 225 million years ago.
Photo: Skinned Mink

4. Angel Island, CA
Overshadowed by: Alcatraz Island, Ellis Island
Cool features: San Francisco Bay’s Angel Island was the point of entry for many Asian immigrants to America. Its museum and research center make it a great place to celebrate Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month.
Photo: Franco Folini

 
5. Ghost Ranch, NM
Overshadowed by: The Santa Fe art scene
Cool features: The Ghost Ranch complex is a 21,000-acre retreat near Abiquiu and is where American artist Georgia O’Keeffe found much of the inspiration behind her landscape and nature paintings. Dinosaur fossils are also frequently uncovered on the property.
Photo: Randy Pertiet

 

6. Shoshone Falls, ID
Overshadowed by: Niagara
Cool features: This falls in southern Idaho is 45 feet taller than its world-famous counterpart in the East and fills a spillage width of 1,000 feet during runoff season. Swimming, boating, hiking, and picnicking opportunities are available.
Photo: The Shutterbugette

 

7. Airplane Boneyard, AZ
Overshadowed by: Real airports
Cool features: The aircraft boneyard at Davis-Monthan AFB, near Tuscon, is one of many such storage and scrap facilities in the American Southwest, where a dry climate and hard, compacted soil make it feasible to leave huge planes to sit for decades.
Photo: PhillipC

 
8. Indian Mounds, nationwide
Overshadowed by: An apparent educational basis in the study of Native American history
Cool features: Burial mounds scattered across the country, with high concentrations along the Mississippi, belie the idea that North American Indians never created monumental structures. The mound pictured above is just outside Columbus, OH.
Photo: spisharam

 

9. Great Sand Dunes National Park, CO
Overshadowed by: Colorado’s mountains
Cool features: This new national park, created in 2004, is surprisingly overlooked, given it has the tallest dunes in North America and a backdrop made up of 14′ers in the Sangre de Cristo Range. It’s also a great place to get started sandboarding.
Photo: knasen

 
10. Seattle Underground
Overshadowed by: Ground-level Seattle
Cool features: In 1889, a fire burned Seattle to the ground. To rebuild, citizens raised the city, constructing the new directly on top of the old. Matador Goods coeditor Michelle Schusterman blogs about this landmark in Before the Streets Were Raised.
Photo: zaui

 
11. Chetro Ketl, NM
Overshadowed by: Pueblo Bonita and the greater Chaco Canyon
Cool features: The name of the historical culture and the canyon that housed it has penetrated into public awareness much more so than one of its most intricate and well preserved pueblos, Chetro Ketl. The canyon is a national historic park, with camping open year round.
Photo: snowpeak

 
12. Penobscot Narrows Bridge, ME
Overshadowed by: Golden Gate, Brooklyn, and other famous U.S. bridges
Cool features: The engineering sophistication that went into the four-year-old bridge seems incongruous with its location in small-town Maine. But the coolest part is the observation post built into the western tower. It’s the tallest such observatory in the world.
Photo: sskennel

 
13. White Sands National Monument, NM
Overshadowed by: New Mexico’s archaeological sites
Cool features: New Mexico’s White Sands is 275 square miles of gypsum dunes, 15 miles southwest of Alamogordo.
Photo: a4gpa

 
14. Palo Duro Canyon, TX
Overshadowed by: Grand Canyon
Cool features: Though nowhere near the scope of America’s “grand” master, Palo Duro is the second largest canyon system in the country. It’s currently protected by a Texas state park of the same name.
Photo: r w h

 
15. Natchez Trace Parkway
Overshadowed by: Blue Ridge Parkway
Cool features: Not nearly as mountainous as its Blue Ridge counterpart, the Natchez Trace Parkway makes for a smooth 444-mile cruise from southwestern Mississippi up to the outskirts of Nashville. It follows the path of the old Natchez Trace, which once served as a hunting and trade route for native peoples and later Europeans/Americans.
Photo: brandongreer

 
16. Fort Ticonderoga, NY
Overshadowed by: Gettysburg
Cool features: This strategic fort was captured by the Green Mountain Boys at the start of the American Revolution. Also overlooked is the fact that infamous traitor Benedict Arnold was instrumental in the Revolutionary forces’ 1775 victory here.
Photo: Slabcity Gang

 
17. Shiprock, NM
Overshadowed by: Monument Valley
Cool features: Like Bear Butte, Shiprock is considered sacred by the indigenous peoples of the region. To me, it looks like that sweet mobile fortress in Krull.
Photo: bowiesnodgrass

 
18. African Burial Ground, NYC
Overshadowed by: New York’s many other historical and cultural offerings
Cool features: In 1991, the remains of 400 Africans (both free and enslaved) were uncovered in Lower Manhattan. You can read more about the site at Collazo Projects, the blog of Matador’s managing editor, Julie Schwietert.
Photo: A. Strakey

 
19. Great Basin National Park, NV
Overshadowed by: Yosemite, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Yellowstone, and other Western parks
Cool features: Established in 1986, Great Basin is an infant in Western national park terms. Highlights include the Lehman Caves, plenty of backcountry camping opportunities, and the oldest known trees in the world. Find it off Highway 50, just across the Utah border.
Photo: Alaskan Dude

 
20. McDonald Observatory, TX
Overshadowed by: Mauna Kea Observatory, HI
Cool features: The height and aridity of the Davis Mountains, located in West Texas, make for good stargazing at McDonald, one of the most powerful observatories in the country.
Photo: Chuck 55

The 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards NOMINATIONS

The 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards NOMINATIONS

HOLLYWOOD FOREIGN PRESS ASSOCIATION
2011 Golden Globe Awards
For the year ended December 31, 2010
Nominations Press Release

1. BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA

1. BLACK SWAN
   Protozoa Pictures & Cross Creek Pictures & Phoenix; Fox Searchlight Pictures

2. THE FIGHTER
   Paramount Pictures and Relativity Media; Paramount Pictures and Relativity Media

3. INCEPTION
   Warner Bros. Pictures UK LTD.; Warner Bros. Pictures

4. THE KING’S SPEECH
   See-Saw Films and Bedlam Productions; The Weinstein Company

5. THE SOCIAL NETWORK
   Columbia Pictures; Sony Pictures Releasing

2. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA

1. HALLE BERRY

   FRANKIE AND ALICE

2. NICOLE KIDMAN

   RABBIT HOLE

3. JENNIFER LAWRENCE

   WINTER’S BONE

4. NATALIE PORTMAN

   BLACK SWAN

5. MICHELLE WILLIAMS

   BLUE VALENTINE

3. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA

1. JESSE EISENBERG

   THE SOCIAL NETWORK

2. COLIN FIRTH

   THE KING’S SPEECH

3. JAMES FRANCO

   127 HOURS

4. RYAN GOSLING

   BLUE VALENTINE

5. MARK WAHLBERG

   THE FIGHTER

4. BEST MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

1. ALICE IN WONDERLAND
   Walt Disney Pictures; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

2. BURLESQUE
   Screen Gems; Sony Pictures Releasing

3. THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
   Antidote Films, Mandalay Vision, Gilbert Films; Focus Features

4. RED
   di Bonaventura Pictures; Summit Entertainment

5. THE TOURIST
   GK Films; Sony Pictures Releasing

5. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

1. ANNETTE BENING

   THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

2. ANNE HATHAWAY

   LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS

3. ANGELINA JOLIE

   THE TOURIST

4. JULIANNE MOORE

   THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

5. EMMA STONE

   EASY A

6. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

1. JOHNNY DEPP

   ALICE IN WONDERLAND

2. JOHNNY DEPP

   THE TOURIST

3. PAUL GIAMATTI

   BARNEY’S VERSION

4. JAKE GYLLENHAAL

   LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS

5. KEVIN SPACEY

   CASINO JACK

7. BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

1. DESPICABLE ME
   Universal Pictures, Illumination Entertainment; Universal Pictures

2. HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
   DreamWorks Animation; Paramount Pictures

3. THE ILLUSIONIST
   Django Films, Ciné B and France 3 Cinéma; Sony Pictures Classics

4. TANGLED
   Walt Disney Animation Studios; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

5. TOY STORY 3
   Disney * Pixar; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

8. BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

1. BIUTIFUL

   (MEXICO/SPAIN)

   Menageatroz, Focus Features International; Roadside Attractions

2. THE CONCERT

   (FRANCE)

   An Oï Oï Oï Productions, Les Productions Du Tresor, France 3 Cinema, Europacorp, Castel Films, Panache Productions, RTBF (Belgian Television), BIM Distrubuzione Co., Canal +, Cinecinema and France 3; The Weinstein Company

3. THE EDGE (Kpaй)

   (RUSSIA)

   Teleshow/Rock Films; Central Partnership (Russia)

4. I AM LOVE (LO SONO L’AMORE)

   (ITALY)

   First Sun; Magnolia Pictures

5. IN A BETTER WORLD (Hævnen)

   (DENMARK)

   Zentropa Entertainment; Sony Pictures Classics

9. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE

1. AMY ADAMS

   THE FIGHTER

2. HELENA BONHAM CARTER

   THE KING’S SPEECH

3. MILA KUNIS

   BLACK SWAN

4. MELISSA LEO

   THE FIGHTER

5. JACKI WEAVER

   ANIMAL KINGDOM

10. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE

1. CHRISTIAN BALE

   THE FIGHTER

2. MICHAEL DOUGLAS

   WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS

3. ANDREW GARFIELD

   THE SOCIAL NETWORK

4. JEREMY RENNER

   THE TOWN

5. GEOFFREY RUSH

   THE KING’S SPEECH

11. BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE

1. DARREN ARONOFSKY

   BLACK SWAN

2. DAVID FINCHER

   THE SOCIAL NETWORK

3. TOM HOOPER

   THE KING’S SPEECH

4. CHRISTOPHER NOLAN

   INCEPTION

5. DAVID O. RUSSELL

   THE FIGHTER

12. BEST SCREENPLAY – MOTION PICTURE

1. DANNY BOYLE, SIMON BEAUFOY

   127 HOURS

2. LISA CHOLODENKO, STUART BLUMBERG

   THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

3. CHRISTOPHER NOLAN

   INCEPTION

4. DAVID SEIDLER

   THE KING’S SPEECH

5. AARON SORKIN

   THE SOCIAL NETWORK

13. BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – MOTION PICTURE

1. ALEXANDRE DESPLAT

   THE KING’S SPEECH

2. DANNY ELFMAN

   ALICE IN WONDERLAND

3. A.R. RAHMAN

   127 HOURS

4. TRENT REZNOR, ATTICUS ROSS

   THE SOCIAL NETWORK

5. HANS ZIMMER

   INCEPTION

14. BEST ORIGINAL SONG – MOTION PICTURE

1. “BOUND TO YOU” — BURLESQUE
   Music by: Samuel Dixon
   Lyrics by: Christina Aguilera, Sia Furler

2. “COMING HOME” — COUNTRY STRONG
   Music & Lyrics by: Bob DiPiero, Tom Douglas, Hillary Lindsey, Troy Verges

3. “I SEE THE LIGHT” — TANGLED
   Music by: Alan Menken
   Lyrics by: Glenn Slater

4. “THERE’S A PLACE FOR US” — CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER
   Music & Lyrics by: Carrie Underwood, David Hodges, Hillary Lindsey

5. “YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE LAST OF ME” — BURLESQUE
   Music & Lyrics by: Diane Warren

15. BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

1. BOARDWALK EMPIRE (HBO)
   Leverage, Closest to the Hole Productions, Sikelia Productions and Cold Front Productions, HBO Entertainment

2. DEXTER (SHOWTIME)
   Showtime, John Goldwyn Productions, The Colleton Company

3. THE GOOD WIFE (CBS)
   CBS Television Studios

4. MAD MEN (AMC)
   Lionsgate Television

5. THE WALKING DEAD (AMC)
   AMC

16. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

1. JULIANNA MARGULIES

   THE GOOD WIFE

2. ELISABETH MOSS

   MAD MEN

3. PIPER PERABO

   COVERT AFFAIRS

4. KATEY SAGAL

   SONS OF ANARCHY

5. KYRA SEDGWICK

   THE Closer

17. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

1. STEVE BUSCEMI

   BOARDWALK EMPIRE

2. BRYAN CRANSTON

   BREAKING BAD

3. MICHAEL C. HALL

   DEXTER

4. JON HAMM

   MAD MEN

5. HUGH LAURIE

   HOUSE

18. BEST TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

1. 30 ROCK (NBC)
   Universal Media Studios in association with Broadway Video and Little
   Stranger Inc.

2. THE BIG BANG THEORY (CBS)
   Warner Bros. Television

3. THE BIG C (SHOWTIME)
   Showtime, Sony Pictures Television, Perkins Street Productions, Farm Kid, Original Film

4. GLEE (FOX)
   Ryan Murphy Television, Twentieth Century Fox Television

5. MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
   Twentieth Century Fox Television

6. NURSE JACKIE (SHOWTIME)
   Showtime, Lionsgate Television, Jackson Group Entertainment, Madison Grain Elevator, Inc. & Delong Lumber, Caryn Mandabach Productions

19. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES –COMEDY OR MUSICAL

1. TONI COLLETTE

   UNITED STATES OF TARA

2. EDIE FALCO

   NURSE JACKIE

3. TINA FEY

   30 ROCK

4. LAURA LINNEY

   THE BIG C

5. LEA MICHELE

   GLEE

20. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

1. ALEC BALDWIN

   30 ROCK

2. STEVE CARELL

   THE OFFICE

3. THOMAS JANE

   HUNG

4. MATTHEW MORRISON

   GLEE

5. JIM PARSONS

   THE BIG BANG THEORY

21. BEST MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

1. CARLOS (SUNDANCE CHANNEL)
   Sundance Channel

2. THE PACIFIC (HBO)
   Playtone and DreamWorks in association with HBO Films

3. PILLARS OF THE EARTH (STARZ)
   Starz, Tandem Communications, Muse Entertainment Scott Free Films

4. TEMPLE GRANDIN (HBO)
   A Ruby Films, Gerson Saines Production, HBO Films

5. YOU DON’T KNOW JACK (HBO)
   Bee Holder, Cine Mosaic and Levinson/Fontana Productions, HBO Films

22. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

1. HAYLEY ATWELL

   PILLARS OF THE EARTH

2. CLAIRE DANES

   TEMPLE GRANDIN

3. JUDI DENCH

   RETURN TO CRANFORD

4. ROMOLA GARAI

   EMMA

5. JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT

   THE CLIENT LIST

23. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

1. IDRIS ELBA

   LUTHER

2. IAN MCSHANE

   PILLARS OF THE EARTH

3. AL PACINO

   YOU DON’T KNOW JACK

4. DENNIS QUAID

   THE SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP

5. EDGAR RAMIREZ

   CARLOS

24. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

1. HOPE DAVIS

   THE SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP

2. JANE LYNCH

   GLEE

3. KELLY MACDONALD

   BOARDWALK EMPIRE

4. JULIA STILES

   DEXTER

5. SOFIA VERGARA

   MODERN FAMILY

25. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

1. SCOTT CAAN

   HAWAII FIVE-O

2. CHRIS COLFER

   GLEE

3. CHRIS NOTH

   THE GOOD WIFE

4. ERIC STONESTREET

   MODERN FAMILY

5. DAVID STRATHAIRN

   TEMPLE GRANDIN