Source: News
Models present flamenco dresses during the Moda de Sevilla at the Triana bridge in Sevilla, Spain. Picture: AFP
IN THE pursuit of love, the right accent can be as attractive as a bright smile or dreamy eyes.
But not all accents are created equal.
So what are the world’s sexiest accents? Here are our top 10, scroll down to see the winner.
Do you agree with this list? Leave a comment below.
Argentine
Famous tongues: Fernando Lamas, Gabriela Sabatini
A South American melting pot, Argentina has a proud, pouty tone. With its own pronunciation of Spanish letters, it’s a hard-to-get dialect, but with an undeniable attraction.
Thai
Famous tongues: Tony Jaa, Tata Young
With five tones, those with this fragile accent can turn any language into a song of seduction. Thai is mostly monosyllabic, resulting in extra emphasis in multi-beat foreign words and then the last letter being left off, leaving captive listeners wanting more.
Trinidadian
Famous tongues: Nikki Minaj, Billy Ocean
The Caribbean island of Trinidad offers a melodic mix of pan-African, French, Spanish, Creole and Hindi dialects that, when adapted for English, is hypnotic.
Brazilian Portuguese
Famous tongues: Alice Braga, Anderson Silva
A couple watches fireworks light the sky on the famous Copacabana beach / AFP
With its French influence, this accent is more colourful than its European counterpart. The drawn-out vowels sound like a holiday.
US Southern
Famous tongues: Matthew McConaughy, Britney Spears
Being in a rush isn’t sexy, and when you throw in the warmth and friendliness of the US Southern accent, what’s not to like?
Oxford British:
Famous tongues: Hugh Grant, Sienna Miller
Proper, dignified and scholarly, the Oxford British accent promises upward nobility. Sexy from the mouths of Hugh Grant, Jude Law and Kate Winslet, just avoid thinking of the Queen or the Duke of Edinburgh when you hear it.
Irish
Famous tongues: Colin Farrell, Andrea Corr
The lilting, charming Irish accent is irresistible in its lightness and breathlessness. It can swing from vulnerable to threatening, restoring your faith in the world.
Spanish
Famous tongues: Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz
A smouldering accent, the words don’t matter: if it comes from Spanish lips, it sounds sexy.
French
Famous tongues: Audrey Tautou, Gerard Depardieu
French actress Audrey Tautou speaks during the press conference for the film “Therese Desqueyroux” presented out of competition at the 65th Cannes film festival on May 27, 2012 in Cannes. AFP PHOTO / ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT
French is paradoxically erotic. Condescending and disinterested, but at the same time elegant and charming, this accent still gives its speakers a, shall we say, je ne sais quoi.
Italian
Famous tongues: Monica Bellucci, Alessandro Del Piero
Firey and romantic, the Italian accent keeps listeners hanging on through the long, drawn out words and the rapid-fire syllables. Its cadences make it fascinating and irresistible.
Source: News
Top 10 best new skscrapers:
– 8 Spruce Street, New York City, 265.1 metres, 76 storeys
– Al Hamra Tower, Kuwait City, 412 metres, 80 storeys
– Etihad Towers, Abu Dhabi, 217.5 – 305.3 metres, 56 -79 storeys
– KK100, Shenzhen, 441.8 metres, 100 storeys
– Victoria Tower, Stockholm is 117.6 metres, 34 storeys
– Great American Tower, Cincinnati, 202.69-metres, 41 storeys
– F&F Tower, Panama City, 242.9 metres, 52 storeys
– Northeast Asia Trade Tower, Incheon, 308 metres, 68 storeys
– Reflections at Keppel Bay, Singapore, 120 – 178 metres, 21-41 storeys
– Tianjin Global Financial Centre, Tianjin, 336.9 metres, 72 storeys
The Eight Spruce Street tower has been named the world’s best new skyscraper. Picture: Supplied
The shape of the Eight Spruce Street building keeps varying. Picture: Jim Henderson
THE top 10 most amazing new skyscrapers in the world have been revealed.
Eight Spruce Street in New York has been named the world’s greatest tower to be completed last year in the Emporis Skyscraper Award – known as “the Oscars of architecture”. There were 220 buildings in the running.
Judges said the 76-storey Eight Spruce Street tower “stands out even in Manhattan’s already remarkable skyline”.
The shape of the 265-metre building changes with the angle you view it at due to its composition – it’s made of 10,500 stainless steel pipes in different shapes.
Coming in at second place was the 412-metre high Al Hamra Tower in Kuwait. It was praised for its design which protects the building from the searing desert sun.
The judges also praised its deep sculpted, angled window on the south wall, giving sweeping views across the city.
Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Towers took out third place. The huge complex is made up of three residential towers, one office tower and a hotel tower.
The Etihad Towers, Abu Dhabi. Picture: Kate Schneider
Meanwhile. The KK100 in Shenzhen, China, shared fourth spot with the Victoria Tower in Stockholm and Great American Tower in Cincinnati – a $308 million inspired by a photograph of a tiara worn by Diana, Princess of Wales.
Reflections at Keppel Bay, Singapore. Picture: Stankn/Wiki
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The Elephant, Thailand
This building in Bangkok is one of the city’s most recognisable landmarks. The three towers depict the country’s national animal and you can also see an eye and a tusk. The building is used as housing, offices and a language school.
The Wooden Skyscraper, Russia
The architect and owner of this wooden home was in prison when his construction business collapsed. Now, all he has left is the 13-storey building which he kept adding to despite the pleas of town authorities. Creepy or not? Monstrosity or quirky home? You decide.
Burj Al Arab, Dubai
The fourth tallest hotel in the world towers over Dubai on its own artificial island. The luxury hotel is designed to mimic the sail of a ship.
The Hundertwasser House, Austria
This apartment house in Vienna was designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser, an artist renowned for using irregular forms in his building design. The apartments feature undulating floors, a roof covered with earth and grass, and large trees growing from inside the rooms with limbs extending from the windows.
The Robot, Thailand
This building in Bangkok has a playfulness about it we like a lot – it even looks a bit like loveable robot Wall-E. It was designed for the Bank of Asia to represent the computerisation of banking and apparently the architect used his son’s toy robot as inspiration.
The Gherkin, England
The building in the City of London may greatly resemble a giant phallus, but it also sold for a record 600 million pounds sterling ($945.6m) in a deal thought to be the most ever paid for an office building in Britain. The 41-storey block has prime position in the city’s financial district.
Fuji Television, Japan
The headquaters of this private nationwide TV station in Japan is one of the countries most futuristic-looking buildings. Visitors can enjoy the city sights from the building’s observatory deck housed in the sphere-shaped part of the building.
The CCTV building, China
The striking structure in Beijing, China, was completed in 2008 before the city hosted the Olympic Games. The 44-storey building serves as a HQ for China Central Television.
The Burj Khalifa, Dubai
The building is now the world’s tallest skyscraper at 829.84m. It opened in January 2010 and the total cost was about $1.48 billion.
The Marina Bay Sands Hotel, Singapore
The spectacular hotel opened in 2011 and features a 150m walkway, an infinity pool and botanical gardens in the dreamy-sounding skypark. The tallest of three 55-storey towers is nearly 200m high, and inside there are many restaurants and a casino.
The Umeda Sky building, Japan
The building in Osaka was first conceived in 1988 and features in the computer game Simcity 3000. The two towers are connected by a “floating garden observatory” and there is also an underground replica of an early 20th century Osaka market.
The Lloyd’s building, England
The London office hub is also known as the “inside outside building”. It was designed by architect Richard Rogers and built between 1978 and 1986. Like the Pompidou Centre in Paris, its staircases, water pipes and electrical power conduits are all on the outside which makes for an interesting concept in the heart of the City.
The Torre Velasca, Italy
It became a symbol of the modern city after it was built in the 1950s surrounded by ancient buildings. The top third of the building represents a medieval watch tower and its features also resemble aspects of the city’s Gothic architecture.
The Lippo Centre, Hong Kong
The Lippo Centre is a pair of twin office buildings. The configuration looks a lot like a game of jenga with bits sticking out like it could all topple over. The buildings were finished in 1988.
Source: News
Passengers enjoying a business class experience on Singapore Airlines. Picture: Supplied.
TIRED of uncomfortable plane seats, grumpy airport employees and bad food?
Well never fear, the world’s best airline and airport have been revealed, according to a survey of 28,000 frequent flyers.
The survey was conducted by Global Traveler, a US-based magazine, as part of its annual reader survey in 71 travel-related categories. It also revealed the best airport staff, best type of aircraft and the top hotel in the world.
It’s a tough crowd to please – the magazine estimates its readers’ average household income to be nearly $400,000 a year. Its readers average 16 international and 16 domestic round-trip flights per year, with 76 per cent usually travelling in business class.
Here are the winners:
Best airline in the world: Singapore Airlines
Best airline for international first class: Emirates
Best airline for business class: British Airways
Best airline cuisine: Alitalia
Best airport lounges: Emirates
Best airline for flight attendants: Asiana Airlines
Best airline for flight attendant uniforms: Etihad Airways
Best airport in the world: Incheon Airport (Seoul)
Best hotel in the world: The Address Downtown Dubai
Best aircraft type: Boeing 747
Best airport staff/gate agents: Qatar Airways
Best tourism destination: Ireland
Best frequent-flyer program: United MileagePlus
Best airport hotel: Hyatt Regency Incheon
Best WiFi service: Boingo Wireless
Source: News
THE tallest woman in the world has died in China aged 40, say news reports.
Yao Defen died on November 13 in her hometown in the eastern province of Anjui, local newspaper Xin’an Wanbao reported on Tuesday.
She had been suffering from health problems for some time.
A tumour during her childhood triggered a growth spurt that saw her reach 1.85 metres by the time she was 13. Her family put her in the circus to supplement their meagre income.
Her adult height was reported by Chinese media as 2.36 metres, while the Guinness World Records has it recorded as 2.33 metres.
Source: Independsnt.ie
Guinness World Records says the oldest person alive is now 115-year-old Dina Manfredini, of Johnston, Iowa
Wednesday December 05 2012
A woman listed as the world’s oldest person has died in a Georgia nursing home at 116.
Besse Cooper died peacefully on Tuesday in Monroe, east of Atlanta, her son Sidney said.
Mr Cooper said his mother had been ill over the weekend with a stomach virus, then felt better on Monday.
He said she had her hair set and watched a Christmas video, but later had trouble breathing, was put on oxygen in her room and died there at about 2pm local time.
Mrs Cooper was declared the world’s oldest person in January, but in May, Guinness World Records learned that Brazilian Maria Gomes Valentin was 48 days older. Ms Valentin died on June 21.
A Guinness official says the title now belongs to 115-year-old Dina Manfredini, of Johnston, Iowa.
The late Jimi Hendrix has often been named the world’s greatest guitarist, an elite acknowledgment given the stiff competition. But when asked by American reporters who his choice was, he surprised them by saying, “You believe I’m the best because you have not listened to Greek Manolis Hiotis playing his bouzouki.”
Hendrix first met Hiotis and his partner, singer Mary Linda, while they were on tour around the United States back in the 1960′s. Having attended one of Hiotis’ shows, Hendrix admitted he admired him and that he discussed with Hiotis about his playing technique.
Hendrix was Hiotis’ biggest backer even before then-U.S. President Lyndon Johnson invited Hiotis and Mary Linda to the White House to play on his birthday and offered them a Green Card for immigrants so they could stay in America as long as they wanted.
Hiotis had other successes. In the summer of 1961, he played for Aristotle Onassis and Maria Callas, Prince Rainier III of Monaco and Grace Kelly. Journalist Dimitris Liberopoulos, Onassis’ biographer, writes in his book that when the two couples joined one of Hiotis’ shows in Athens, they asked to meet him in person to congratulate him.
Callas told Hiotis that she had been translating the lyrics of his songs to Princess Kelly all night long and the American actress loved them because “she is a woman in love.” At that moment, Kelly asked Hiotis what the difference between a bouzouki and an electric guitar is.
Hiotis’ answer was rather unexpected; “Mrs. Callas, please explain to Princess Kelly that the strings of an electric guitar are vibrated due to electricity while the strings of a bouzouki right by heart.”
(Source: mixanitouxronou.gr)
The University of Ottawa museum of classical antiquities has launched a collection of Authentic Replicas from Ancient Greece. Ancient Greek art pieces were loaned to the museum by Greek Embassy ahead of the celebrations marking 70 years of Greek-Canadian diplomatic relations.
The exhibition is under the title Discover Ancient Greek Art in Ottawa: The Museum at the University of Ottawa Showcases a new Collection of Authentic Replicas from Ancient Greece.
The official opening of the exhibition was held on Nov. 30. Jacques Perreault of the University of Montreal gave a lecture and referred to the excavation and discovery of an ancient art workshop of jars of clay.
The exhibition’s opening closed with a reception by the Greek Embassy in Ottawa and the Archaeological Institute of America- Ottawa Chapter. The arts of ancient Greece have exercised an enormous influence on the culture of many countries all over the world, particularly in the areas of sculpture and architecture.
Source: CBC
The Montreal chapter of a controversial right-wing anti-immigrant Greek nationalist party, Golden Dawn, is holding a food drive for Christmas — but the food is to be distributed only to Christian Greeks.
It’s the latest move by the organization that many Greeks, political observers and human rights advocates accuse of being racist.
“This is racial discrimination in its worst form,” said Montreal city councillor Mary Deros of the Christmas food drive.
“If you see children in schools of different races, will you only feed one community group and allow the other children to go hungry?”
Members of Golden Dawn’s Montreal chapter spoke to CBC News last October, defending the chapter’s drive to collect food donations at that time to send to Greece, for those described as “real Greeks.”
“Based on what we see everyday and based that we saw Greek people starving, we decided to contact them to see if we can help them,” said Spiros Macrozonaris, Golden Dawn’s deputy leader in Montreal, in October.
Now Macrozonaris and other members of Golden Dawn Montreal are refusing to grant interviews to CBC News, and Joanne Vrakas, the CBC journalist who filed earlier reports, has been confronted in person.
“One person went as far as telling me I should be ashamed of myself,” Vrakas said.
She’s also been derided on Youtube, where her reports have been posted. Some of the posted comments have included offensive remarks towards Greece’s Jewish and Muslim communities.
“To them, a Jew is not a Greek,” said Quebec’s regional director for B’nai Brith, Anna Ahronheim. “Jews have a very long history in Greece, so how can you say they’re not Greeks?”
B’nai B’rith recently met with representatives of Montreal’s Greek community to ask for their position on the party’s presence in Montreal.
“I think it’s a black mark on the community in Montreal, that we have such an organization in our ranks,” said Nicholas Pagonis, the president of the Montreal Hellenic Community.
The son of Golden Dawn Montreal’s deputy leader, Nicolas Macrozonaris — a champion Canadian sprinter — found himself tarred as the “son of a neo-Nazi” by someone who changed his Wikepedia page.
He issued a statement in the wake of the controversy around his father’s membership in Golden Dawn.
“I personally do not approve my father’s political beliefs,” said Macrozonaris, “however, I am 100 per cent certain my father is not a racist.”
Golden Dawn members in the United States have told CBC News they plan to open chapters shortly in Chicago, in Connecticut and in Toronto.
Some Greek Montrealers who have immigrated to Canada in the past decade say they believe the movement is growing among Greeks long-established in North America because many haven’t followed closely Golden Dawn’s actions in Greece, and the party is appealing to what George Gkockas calls “the false pretense of patriotism.”
“I don’t think people in Montreal grasp this exactly,” said Gkockas, who left Greece in 2009. “They’re Canadian, and they don’t know exactly what the Golden Dawn has been involved in back in Greece.”
“On average, the Greek Canadian household is slightly more conservative than the average Greek household,” said Theo Zanos, who came to Canada in 2004. “It’s not bad, but it does provide the fertile ground for the rhetoric that Golden Dawn has been spinning.”
Source: Dailymail
One of the most expensive houses in Britain – the former home of media mogul Chris Evans and now owned by singer George Michael – is up for sale with an £8.25 million price tag.
The six-bedroom Victorian corner house, which boasts its own tower and walled garden, is – in terms of pounds per square foot – Britain’s dearest property, but with floor space of 4,250 square feet, it is hardly bijou.
The house is in Gilston Road, a small street in South Kensington, and was once nicknamed Goldman Sachs Alley after the investment bank. It is just around the corner from other expensive addresses, including The Boltons and Tregunter Road.
The quiet west London street, with its white stucco houses, is already home to celebrities including David Bowie, comedian Rowan Atkinson and fashion designer Tom Ford. But their houses are likely to be outshone by Michael’s, as the singer hopes to achieve what would be a record-breaking price.
Jonathan Hewlett, of FPD-Savills, said: “This house always commands the most extraordinary price every time it sells.
“It is a mixture of its provenance, its appearance and its location on Gilston Road, which has become a destination address.”
The house hit the headlines last year when radio and television presenter Evans bought it for £6.7million but never moved in. Only months later, it was again in the papers when it was sold on to George Michael for £7.25 million.
In the late Eighties, the property became one of the first houses in London to fetch a sevenfigure sum after it was bought for £1 million from an elderly woman who shared it with dozens of cats.
The Flick family, whose Ger man industrial empire included the Mercedes-Benz motor company, were the buyers and brought over builders from Germany to completely redesign the interior.
“You would be thrilled every time you came home to walk up to the front door and think, ‘This is my house’,” said David Forbes of estate agency Chesterfield.
“It has great presence on the street, with its lovely walled garden. It has always been a marker house for the market.”
But not all estate agents were quite so impressed.
One said: “It’s all hat and no cattle, as they say in Texas.
“You walk into a wonderful series of reception-rooms, with a lovely library, a fine drawing room and huge kitchen, but after that it fizzles out.”
GREEK WORLD MEDIA 