Galleries Magazine: December 2010

Christmas celebrations

Christmas decorations are seen at a traditional Christmas market in Vienna December 21, 2010.

A boat, the traditional Greek symbol of Christmas, is illuminated in Aristotelous Square in the northern Greek port city of Thessaloniki, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2010.

A man looks at Christmas decoration in Sin El Fil, northeast of Beirut December 21, 2010.

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 21: Thousands of hoiday tourists visit Rockefeller Center on December 21, 2010 in New York City. With only four shopping days left before the Christmas holiday, many New York businesses are experiencing robust sales as shoppers ease economic concerns to buy clothes, appliances and technology goods.

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 21: Thousands of shoppers converge along 34th St. and Herald Square on December 21, 2010 in New York City. With only four shopping days left before the Christmas holiday, many New York businesses are experiencing robust sales as shoppers ease economic concerns to buy clothes, appliances and technology goods.

Children look at Christmas decoration in Sin El Fil, northeast of Beirut December 21, 2010.

Shoppers walk through a street illuminated with Christmas lights in Valletta December 21, 2010.

A boat, the traditional Greek symbol of Christmas, and a Christmas tree are illuminated in Aristotelous Square in the northern Greek port city of Thessaloniki, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2010.

Crowds throng to a shopping mall decorated for Christmas in Hong Kong on December 21, 2010. Christmas shopping is now in full swing with restaurants and retail outlets jam packed all over the territory.

People visit a traditional Christmas market in front of the Empress Maria Theresa monument in Vienna December 21, 2010.

A woman looks at Christmas tree ornaments at a traditional Christmas market in Vienna December 21, 2010.

A picture shows the skyline by night with some buildings showing fetive decoration from the Kowloon peninsula in Hong Kong on December 21, 2010. Christmas shopping is now in full swing with restaurants and retail outlets jam packed all over the territory.

A photographer takes pictures outside a shopping mall decorated for Christmas in Hong Kong on December 21, 2010. Christmas shopping is now in full swing with restaurants and retail outlets jam packed all over the territory.

A woman takes pictures of Christmas decoration in Ashrafieh, east Beirut December 21, 2010.

Hundreds of people queue outside St Pancras Station in London for the Eurostar train to France and Belgium Tuesday Dec. 21, 2010. Major delays and cancellations persisted Tuesday at European airports including London's Heathrow, and on the Eurostar train link, leaving thousands stranded across Europe as Christmas approached.

Passengers queue for Eurostar trains on December 21, 2010 at Paris gare du Nord railway station during ongoing delays caused by the weather. Thousands of angry travellers forced to sleep in airports and train stations across Europe faced more misery Tuesday as fresh snowfalls paralysed transport systems just days before Christmas.

Crossing guard Lisa Green dresses as a ginger bread house on the final day of school before the Christmas holiday break, Tuesday, Dec 21, 2010, in Brunswick, Maine. Green wears a variety of hand-made costumes to celebrate a half-dozen holidays each school year.

Pakistani Kaleem Masih paints Santa Claus and a Christmas message on a wall as he and others decorate their colony ahead of Christmas celebrations, Islamabad, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2010.

A girl wearing an Angel costume talks to children at the 16th annual Christmas Celebration for the Homeless at the Estrel convention center on December 21, 2010 in Berlin. German singer Frank Zander founded the event, which offers an evening of Christmas goose dinner, performances and Christmas gifts for the German capital's many homeless.

People enjoy a dinner in Berlin, December 21, 2010. For the 16th time German Musician Frank Zander hosts his annual Christmas dinner for homeless and poor people in the German capital.

A view of Paris' snow-covered roofs on December 19, 2010 after heavy snowfalls. Heavy snow disrupted European air travel this weekend and stranded hundreds of drivers in their cars as far south as Italy as a white Christmas appeared increasingly likely for many places.

People climb snow-covered stairs to the Sacre Coeur basilica on December 19, 2010 in Paris after heavy snowfalls. Heavy snow disrupted European air travel this weekend and stranded hundreds of drivers in their cars as far south as Italy as a white Christmas appeared increasingly likely for many places.

People enjoy ice skating on the snowcovered Trocadero gardens near the Eiffel Tower, on December, 19, 2010 in Paris. Heavy snow disrupted European air travel this weekend and stranded hundreds of drivers in their cars as far south as Italy as a white Christmas appeared increasingly likely for many places.

Hong Kong Harbour City 2010 Christmas

Christmas in Vienna 2010

Snow Eiffel Tower

PARIS SOUS LA NEIGE #23 (Snow Eiffel Tower)

PARIS SOUS LA NEIGE #3 (Snow Eiffel Tower)

source: Daylife
photo: AP photo, Gettyimages, Reuters

2011 Ford Explorer Top Safety Pick

All-new 2011 Ford Explorer earns Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick, adding to Ford's leading number of top safety ratings

The reinvented Explorer offers a class-leading array of airbags, including industry-exclusive inflatable second-row seat belts, Safety Canopy® side curtains, Trinity front crash architecture and collision warning with brake support

Explorer also features AdvanceTrac® with RSC® (Roll Stability Control™) with Curve Control, and MyKey® teen-safety technology – all class-exclusive innovations to help drivers reduce the risk of accidents on the road

The reinvented 2011 Ford Explorer, which offers a suite of innovative safety technologies, is the latest Ford vehicle to earn a Top Safety Pick rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

"The Explorer offers several new innovative technologies, including available industry-first production rear inflatable seat belts, and Curve Control, which can help drivers maintain control of a vehicle if they enter a curve too quickly."

"Explorer customers value safety and security. World's first production inflatable rear seat belts

Explorer's Curve Control

Additional driver-assist and safety features

"The new Explorer delivers features that both help prevent a crash and help minimize occupant injuries when a crash is unavoidable," said Erika Low, Explorer safety manager. Driver- aid and safety technologies include options such as:

Structural safety and crash protection

Other Ford vehicles that have earned a Top Safety Pick rating include:

2011 Ford Taurus

2011 Ford Fusion

2011 Ford Fiesta

2011 Ford Flex

2011 Lincoln MKS

2011 Lincoln MKT

2011 Lincoln MKZ

The award by the IIHS casts into doubt the popular auto mythology that trucks are inherently safer than cars.

The announcement about the Explorer was bundled into a larger list of vehicles joining the IIHS winner's list for 2011. The new winners include the 2011 Mercedes-Benz E-Class coupe, 2011 Kia Optima, 2011 Volkswagen Jetta, 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, 2011 Scion tC, 2011 Volkswagen GTI four-door, 2011 Volkswagen Touareg, 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe and 2011 Mercedes-Benz GLK.

The IIHS said that 66 vehicles have earned the Top Safety Pick award for 2011, including 40 cars, 25 SUVs and a minivan. Large pickup trucks have not been tested yet.

The £1.5bn freeze: As travel chaos continues, the country counts economic cost

By SEAN POULTER and RAY MASSEY

Cars on the A413 road near Amersham in Buckinghamshire first thing this morning

The economy has suffered a £1.5billion ‘big freeze’ shock from travel chaos, lost production and savaged High Street sales.

The cost is 50 per cent higher than a normal winter and has prompted a string of cut-price offers from shops desperate to lure back lost Christmas trade.

Yesterday the freezing weather meant tens of thousands of airline passengers remained stranded at major airports, with many huddled in tents outside Heathrow’s terminal buildings.

Snow gathers on canal boats moored along the frozen Kennet and Avon Canal in Bath

But Heathrow bosses snubbed an offer from transport secretary Philip Hammond to use troops to help clear snow and ice which has crippled a runway since the weekend.

He said the airport’s Spanish-owned operator BAA told him they already had the manpower they needed.

It also emerged that the airport has slashed its snow defence budget by two-thirds to £500,000, compared with Gatwick’s £8million investment.

Passengers queue for Eurostar as a train leaves at St Pancras station today. Anyone without a ticket was told 'not to bother' turning up

The £1.5billion lost to the economy would buy 9,247,842 grit bins or 75,000 snow ploughs.

Hundreds of supermarkets and shopping malls will open late today and tomorrow as shoppers try to catch up.

Not just Britain: Ireland is suffering from freezing conditions too as this picture taken in Dublin shows

Heathrow’s second runway was finally cleared last night, but the number flights leaving will remain far lower than scheduled until at least early tomorrow morning.

There were also flight disruptions at Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow, as well as Gatwick, London Luton and London City airports yesterday.

Meanwhile, about 200 passengers were evacuated from stricken trains following damage to overhead power lines at Huntingdon near Peterborough. Eurostar was operating a reduced service with the company asking customers not to travel unless essential.

Crash: A Waitrose lorry struck a farmhouse in Newton Poppleford, East Devon, after skidding on ice

Frozen poet: Frost clings to the cobweb-covered statue of Lord Alfred Tennyson at Lincoln Cathedral

A swan struggles to break free of the ice on a frozen lake at the Fairburn Ings Bird Sanctuary near Castleford

Snow angel: Photographer Alison Parsons-Smith captured this heavenly image on the Isle of Wight

Not all bad: A baby elephant enjoys a frolic in the snow at Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire

Enough now: The youngster is led back to the warmth of an indoor enclosure by adult elephants at the zoo

National scandal: Despite Heathrow's importance to the UK economy, the government is powerless to intervene because of its foreign ownership

It will have hardly helped his cause that the Chancellor was held up in New York – unable to return to London – for nearly two days while pictures of the Third World conditions at London’s premier airport (which ironically boasts a ‘world class service’) filled American television screens.

This was as far as it is possible to get from the image of the efficient, modern, bustling commercial centre that the Chancellor was seeking to promote.

But who is to blame? Step forward the dopey, inefficient BAA (the former British Airports Authority) who own Heathrow.

The real scandal is that despite Heathrow’s economic and strategic importance to Britain, the Government is virtually powerless to do anything because the Authority is owned by a foreign company.

Powerless: While in other countries there has been investment ministers have been unable to get BAA to buy adequate snow-clearing and de-icing equipment

And it is a scandal that goes back to 2006, when the Labour government stood idly by while a little-known, family-controlled Spanish construction group called Ferrovial was allowed to buy all of Britain’s airports at the knockdown price of £10.3billion.

What’s more, the purchase was made despite the firm already having huge debts.

This was just the latest squalid example of a British government selling key parts of this country’s infrastructure to foreign buyers. For example, control of our ports passed from one of the nation’s great historic companies, P&O, into the hands of Dubai World; and most of our power utilities have been sold to continental giants EDF of France and E.ON of Germany.

Shocking: Neither the Coalition government nor its Labour predecessor has taken proper responsibility for Heathrow and Britain's other airports

The problem with our airports is that the Government is powerless to force the foreign owners to ensure there are the necessary systems to prevent flights being grounded in bad weather. While sensible investment is made in other countries’ airports, ministers have been unable to get BAA to buy adequate snow-clearing and de-icing equipment.

Equally culpable is the regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority, which has been supine in its refusal to raise any serious objections over Ferrovial’s behaviour.

source: dailymail

Watch out Kris! X Factor winner Matt Cardle admits he has a crush on 'gorgeous and incredible' mentor Dannii Minogue

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Promotional tour: Matt Cardle at a book signing for his autobiography Matt Cardle: My Story in Manchester today

She's the mentor who believed in him from the very beginning, and helped him win the final of The X Factor.

So it's no wonder Matt Cardle has more than a little respect for Dannii Minogue.

But now the 27-year-old singer has revealed he liked Dannii more than a friend, admitting he found it difficult to resist her 'incredible' blue eyes.

Admission: Matt revealed he has a crush on his X Factor mentor Dannii Minogue

Asked who he found more attractive, Cheryl Cole or Dannii, Matt replied: 'Dannii, definitely. I have a thing about blue eyes and Dannii has the most incredible eyes.

'She's wicked. She's clever, funny and gorgeous - the best mentor I could have had.'

And Matt is already thinking about the perfect Christmas present for Dannii, although he admits he is struggling to come up with ideas.

'She's gorgeous!' Matt and Dannii together at the X Factor final

He told Grazia magazine: 'Dannii is at the top of my presents list. I need to get her something special, but I have no idea what! What the hell do you give to Dannii Minogue?'

Since Matt won the X Factor earlier this month, there has been a lot of speculation about his personal life, especially when he was pictured flirting with former S Club Juniors singer Stacey McLean last weekend.

However, Matt, who was seen at a signing for his autobiography My Story in Manchester today, insists he is very much single.

Busy boy: Matt signs copies of his book at Selfridges in Manchester

Popular: Many girls had queued for hours in a bid to catch a glimpse of the singer
He said: 'What can I say, I love women. I'm a young bloke, I'm single and I'm no angel, but I don't see myself as a typical babe magnet.'

During his time on the ITV talent show, Matt was rumoured to have started dating show stylist Grace Woodward. But the singer refused to confirm or deny the reports.

He said: 'I'm too much of a gentleman to say anything - I don't kiss and tell. When I first met her, I was terrified.

'She was so confident and ballsy but we hit it off. The whole process is so stressful and Grace was a great support.'

Matt has already found huge success since beating Rebecca Ferguson to be crowned the winner of The X Factor, and achieved his first number one with his debut single When We Collide in the Christmas singles charts on Sunday.

And he says he is hoping the success will continue, adding: 'I want people to realise this is something I've spent all my life trying to make happen.

'I'm not going to put on a suit and say I'm a pop star. I'm going to write songs, I want to break America, I want to work the hardest I've ever worked.'

The full interview with Matt appears in Grazia magazine, out now

Matt Cardle Punches Dannii Minogue in The Face 12/12/2010

source: dailymail

Lindsay Lohan 'moved to secret location after clash with rehab worker'

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Troubled starlet Lindsay Lohan has moved to a secret location after a clash with a staff member at her rehab clinic over the weekend.

The Mean Girls actress is being investigated by police over allegations that she attacked a female rehab worker, according to reports.

But the scandal-hit star insists that she was hit first by the employee at California's Betty Ford Treatment Centre, and that she merely defended herself by pushing the woman away.

She is now said to be filing a formal complaint against the staff member at the high-profile facility.

Lohan, 24, says she was forced to shove the woman during a physical altercation in the early hours of December 12.

Celebrity gossip website TMZ.com claims the drama unfolded after Lohan arrived back 10 minutes after her curfew following a trip to a bar with her roommates.

Sources say the staff member was 'unfairly' scolding Lohan about the situation and demanded the actress take a drug and alcohol test.

Broken curfew: The actress was made to take a drugs and alcohol test, which she passed, after returning ten minutes late to the sober house

It was during this heated exchange that pals claim the woman 'put her hands on Lindsay'.

The Mean Girls star then claims she told the woman: 'Take your hands off of me' and then 'pushed back'.

Officers from Palm Desert Police Department arrived and interviewed both parties after receiving a battery report at 1.03am.

TMZ says the worker 'desired prosecution' for criminal battery.

When the investigation is concluded, it will be forwarded to prosecutors for review.

Lohan reportedly claims the worker has been gunning for her for weeks and was looking for a final confrontation before she reached the end of her treatment.

If Lohan is convicted of criminal battery, she could spend six months in jail because she is still on probation for her 2007 DUI arrest until next year.

One of the terms of the probation is 'obey all laws'.

Lindsay reportedly passed the drugs and alcohol test but was said to be upset by the way she was treated.

The actress was admitted to the Betty Ford Centre in Palm Springs in October after being ordered into rehab by Judge Elden Fox, narrowly escaping a return to jail.

The order was the result of a probation violation after she failed a court mandated drug test, which could have landed her back in jail for 30 days.

She will remain in rehab until early in the new year.

source: dailymail

Who's that singing? Matt Smith and Karen Gillan belt out a carol in sneak behind-the-scenes peek at Doctor Who Christmas special

By JODY THOMPSON

A merry little Christmas: Katherine Jenkins, left, guest stars in the Doctor Who Christmas special alongside Michael Gambon, centre, and Matt Smith, right

It's become as much a part of the celebrations as pudding, opening presents and the Queen's Speech - and now the cast of this year's Doctor Who Christmas special have revealed a sneak peak of just how festive it gets behind the scenes.

The Doctor himself Matt Smith, 28, plus Karen Gillan, 23, who plays sidekick Amy Pond, belt out Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas accompanied by Arthur Darvill, 28, who plays Amy's husband Rory Williams, on piano.

The bit of backstage silliness will be screened on BBC3's Doctor Who Confidential, on at 7pm after the main event on BBC1 - and proves that red-headed Amy has a quite an impressive set of lungs, even if she doesn't manage to quite hit the high notes.

On song: Doctor Who's Karen Gillan, Matt Smith and Arthur Darvill (on the piano bottom right) belt out their rendition of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas in a sneak peak of this weekend's Doctor Who Confidential on BBC Three

In fact, the trio pretty much murder the festive favourite, made famous by Judy Garland in the musical Meet Me In St Louis - but it's all part of the fun of the Christmas Confidential special.

As well as the seasonal singsong, it's set to show all the behind-the-scenes merriment of a good old-fashioned Doctor Who Christmas, which makers are promising will be extra-special this year.

Called Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol, it's based around the Charles Dickens classic and guest stars 20-year-old opera diva Katherine Jenkins as Abigail Pettigrew and Harry Potter star Michael Gambon, 70, as Kazran.

Seasonal scenes: The Doctor Who special is based on Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol
Katherine has said of the

In Doctor Who Confidential, Matt and the cast are to show fans around the show's Cardiff sets and go backstage with the stars of the Dickensian Christmas special.

Michael Gambon meanwhile will also talk about swapping his wizard's wand for a taste of the Doctor's time-travelling magic, Katherine Jenkins waxes lyrical about her acting debut, plus there are interviews with show writer Steven Moffat.

Special guests: Katherine Jenkins joins the cast as Abigail Pettigrew, joined by Michael Gambon as Kazran

Katherine has said of the show: 'This Christmas special is the most Christmassy Doctor Who that they've ever had.

'It has all the brilliant scientific and all the excting parts of DW that it normally has, but there is also running through it a quite emotional heartbreaking story and it's very closely linked to a Christmas Carol.

'People will be moved and relate to it. We've not set out to make people cry over their Christmas dinner, but it's heartwarming.'

'The Doctor is going pretty wild on Christmas day 'cos he's excited. As a Christmas treat, it would be pretty high on my list!'

Though he added darkly: 'There is a shark involved though, yes.'

Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol, BBC One, 6pm, Christmas Day
Doctor Who Confidential Christmas Special, BBCThree, 7pm, Christmas Day

Doctor Who cast sing a Christmas carol - Doctor Who Confidential - BBC Three

Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol - Christmas Special 2010 trailer - BBC One