Reuters
ReutersTue, 26 Sep 2006 12:00 UTC
PARIS - Scientists are due to unveil some of the secrets behind Western art's most enigmatic smile this week, when they present the findings of the most extensive three dimensional scan ever undertaken on the Mona Lisa.
Leonardo da Vinci's 16th century masterpiece, perhaps the world's most famous painting, is considered a milestone in the art of portraiture and an icon of European culture.
A comprehensive examination of the work, painted at some time around 1503-06, was undertaken in 2004, using special 3D technology developed by scientists from Canada's National Research Council (NRC).
ANI
By ANIMon, 18 Sep 2006 12:00 UTC
Bhopal: Superstitious villagers in Madhya Pradesh have started drinking water from a 'miracle tree' in order to get rid of their ailments.
An old peepul tree standing tall in the Sonagiri locality has become the centre of attraction for villagers.
Do streetlights suddenly go out when you pass beneath them? Do watches or credit cards stop working in your possession? Perhaps you are a SLIder
Kathmandu: After a kid who sat in mediation in the same posture without food or drink for months and a child who measured only 20 inches grabbed headlines, Nepal has now found a new teen prodigy - a girl who "grows glass".
Sarita Bista, a fifth grader in Tikapur town in western Nepal, has been "generating" glass pieces from her head for the last eight months, says Nepal's official media.
WILLIAMSBURG - Advocates of our version of "The DaVinci Code" were back in town Friday, calling for another excavation to locate the "secret vault" of Sir Francis Bacon, which they still allege is buried beneath the churchyard of Bruton Parish Episcopal Church.
It is a replay of a saga from 14 years ago that put the church in an awkward position of dispelling some very weird myths. A media circus resulted.
The perfume industry has long followed conventions: nice-smelling ingredients, usually derived from flowers and plants, are blended into a harmony of aromas, creating fragrant concoctions to allure and delight.
But an emerging trend is seeing perfumers break with tradition, as they look to diversify in an over-flooded market. Cheese, cars and the smell of sweat are just some of the latest scents to be captured and bottled for a market eager to try unique and individual new perfumes.
BEIJING, July 20 -- Chinese millionaires feel insecure and troubled, even as they enjoy the social status and the sense of accomplishment their wealth brings.
That's the finding of a survey by the Guangzhou-based newspaper Nanfang Weekend, which has selected 80 persons for its annual domestic wealth creator list every year since 2004.
Reuters
ReutersMon, 10 Jul 2006 12:00 UTC
CHICAGO - As tips go, Chicago limousine driver Abdul Faraj got a priceless one this week when one of his regular customers offered up a kidney, media reports said.
Faraj and Minnesota businessman Dave Baker underwent transplant surgeries at Chicago's Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
Your next raise might buy you a more lavish vacation, a better car, or a few extra bedrooms, but it's not likely to buy you much happiness.
Measuring the quality of people's daily lives via surveys, the results of a study published in the June 30 issue of journal Science reveals that income plays a rather insignificant role in day-to-day happiness.
John Hollenhorst
KSL.comThu, 18 May 2006 12:00 UTC
A seemingly unbelievable mess discovered last year in an Ogden townhouse has suddenly become an Internet legend.
It's all TRUE!
You know how some people, after they use something, just can't bear to throw it away. That might make sense if it's magazines or clothes. But what if it's empty beer cans? In astounding numbers?
