Odd controversy hits Obama's latest book

President Obama's children's book, "Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters," hit shelves this week to a bit of unexpected controversy.

At first glance, the 31-page book—which features short profiles and illustrations of American heroes like George Washington and Jackie Robinson—doesn't seem like it could stir up much debate.

But Obama's decision to include Native American leader Sitting Bull didn't go over well with the headline writers at Fox Nation, a Fox News website. Their initial take: "Obama Praises Indian Chief Who Killed U.S. General." (At the time of this writing, the headline has been changed to read: "Obama Praises Indian Chief Who Defeated U.S. General.")

Several bloggers and Fox critics quickly jumped on the site's overheated reaction to the children's book.

"Fox News Turns Obama's Kid Book Into Anti-American War Epic," wrote Gawker's Maureen O'Connor.

The New Republic's Jonathan Chait also poked fun at the network's coverage of the book: "Fox News Exposes Obama As Indian, Not Kenyan, Anti-Colonialist."

"Our Indonesian-Kenyan-socialist president is at it again!" wrote Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank (who has criticized Fox News in the past), linking to the Fox Nation article.

The Fox Nation headline comes from this snippet pulled from a USA Today article on the book:

His most controversial choice may be Sitting Bull, who defeated Custer at Little Bighorn: ("A Sioux medicine man who healed broken hearts and broken promises.")

Robert Utley, author of a biography on Sitting Bull, told AOL News that the Fox Nation headline—and presumably the USA Today article that Fox was featuring on the site—is a "vast oversimplification." He said that the Lakota Sioux chief was too old to fight at the June 1876 battle and that Crazy Horse led the group of tribes, including Sitting Bull's, that defeated Custer's army.

Fox News chief Roger Ailes claimed in a recent (unrelated) interview that his network doesn't take unfair shots at the Obama administration. But headlines like this one only give ammunition to the many Fox critics who contend that the Rupert Murdoch-owned network—and sites affiliated with it—will take every opportunity to criticize the Democratic president.

Chad Ochocinco gets engaged

Four years ago, Chad Johnson got down on one knee and proposed to a Cincinnati Bengals cheerleader after scoring a touchdown in a preseason game. On Tuesday, the former Mr. Johnson got down on one knee again, but this time he meant business.

According to TMZ, Chad Ochocinco(notes) proposed to his girlfriend of four months, Evelyn Lozada, on Tuesday with a 10-carat engagement ring:

Lozada is a self-proclaimed "entrepreneur personality" and, according to her website, "was born in Brooklyn, raised in the boogie-down Bronx and is always in a New York state of mind." Her claim to fame is that she was once engaged to former NBA All-Star Antoine Walker and managed to parlay that relationship into a spot on the reality television show "Basketball Wives."

America's dirtiest cities

At the ballot box this November California voters showed that they are determined to clean up their state's deplorable air quality. They quashed Proposition 23, which would have temporarily suspended key emissions-reduction tenets in the Golden State's Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006. How temporarily? Until pigs fly, or rather until the state unemployment level dropped to 5.5%--from the 12.4% it's at now.

Having survived the challenge (62% of voters rejected Prop 23) the emissions cuts are now set to begin in 2012. A carbon cap-and-trade program will be launched later. The goal is that, in eight years, California will have greenhouse gas emissions 15% lower than they are now.

That's good news for the lungs of Californians. The American Lung Association, in its report State Of The Air 2010, finds seven California metropolitan areas with air quality bad enough that they make it onto the list of the Top 10 Dirtiest Cities in America. The 20 million people in these cities are at higher risk of asthma and chronic bronchitis.

Most of those souls (17.8 million) inhabit the Los Angeles, Long Beach and Riverside area, which ranked second-worst overall and worst in ozone pollution. Aside from millions of cars on the roads, the area also suffers the effects of the nation's busiest port. Researchers at the University of Calgary found in 2008 that salty coastal air mixed with sunshine and pollutants helps create unexpectedly high levels of ground-level ozone.

The biggest problem spot in the country is California's San Joaquin Valley, where farming, industry, car culture and topography collide to trap smog. Wildfires contribute to the problem. Severe particle pollution in valley burgs like Bakersfield (the center of California's oil industry and the metropolitan area with the worst air in the nation),Fresno (third place), Visalia (fourth) and Modesto (eighth) can damage the lungs in the same way cigarettes do. Sacramento (ninth) incentivizes residents to trade in gasoline lawn mowers for electric ones, diesel-powered trucks for hybrid ones and old wood stoves for new ones. The only non-California cities in the top 10:Pittsburgh, Pa; Birmingham, Ala.; and metropolitan Phoenix, Ariz.

It's hard to argue against cleaner air. Thus the debate leading up to the vote on Prop 23 was effectively framed as good vs. evil. On the good side were environmentalists and the sensitive pink lungs of asthma-prone children. On the evil side: power plants, oil refiners and diesel truck drivers.

The biggest backers of Prop 23 were Texas-based oil companies like Tesoro and Valero Energy and Koch Industries (owned by the Tea Party-backing billionaire Koch brothers), all of which have operations in California. Valero, for its part, put up $5 million for a media campaign attempting to convince California that the Global Warming Solutions Act is a job-killer. So too did truck drivers who spew particulates from their diesel engines while hauling loads to and from the Port ofLong Beach.

If only those workers knew that their jobs were killing them. The American Lung Association says that truck drivers, dock workers and railroad workers who inhale diesel exhaust are much more likely to die from lung cancer and heart disease than the general population.

Under the law, refiners will have to foot the bill for pollution control technology at their plants, and will also have to provide even cleaner automotive fuels than California already mandates. Valero, which owns two refineries in the state and employs 1,600 workers there, will be able to pass on some of these costs to motorists, but higher fuel prices will almost certainly mean less demand for fuel. Cars are thought to be responsible for as much as 30% of California's greenhouse gas emissions.

They didn't get any sympathy from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who opposed Prop. 23--and who signed the original 2006 global warming legislation. Last week Schwarzenegger, wearing a pair of tough-looking cowboy boots, celebrated the vote and lambasted the oil companies: "We made it clear if those interests push us around," he said, "we'll push back."

The trouble will come if that push-back pushes industry out of the state altogether. Prop 23 supporters insist that a bevy of new taxes on energy will raise the costs of doing business enough to drive companies and jobs out of California. The green crowd insists the Global Warming Solutions Act will spur a clean energy boom in the state--with Californians putting their entrepreneurial talents toward inventing new solar panels, wind turbines and the like.

Some of the biggest opponents of Prop. 23 were Thomas Steyer, whose Fallon Capital Management hedge fund says it invests in areas that will become profitable "due to a catalyzing event or change in circumstances, including regulatory or legislative change." Steyer was joined by billionaires including John Doerr, rainmaker at green-tech venture capital shop Kleiner Perkins.

One company set to benefit from the law is SPG Solar, California's second-biggest solar panel installer. SPG will likely be hiring more installers in the years to come--but will the real boom in green jobs be in California? SPG President Tom Rooney tells Forbes he's thinking of opening a panel factory in China.

Even if green energy companies don't take their manufacturing overseas, there's little reason to build factories in high-tax California. Better to invest in low-tax Texas, which already boasts the world's highest concentration of energy companies, inHouston (a perennial polluter chock-a-block with refineries), which narrowly escaped the top 10 Dirtiest Cities cut.

With any potential for a nationwide carbon cap-and-trade scheme now crushed by Republicans taking over the House of Representatives, America will be watching California for cues on whether greenhouse gases can be ameliorated without killing economic growth.

Our lungs hope for the best. According to the Lung Association 175 million Americans live in counties where outdoor air quality earned a grade of F. And if the Global Warming Solutions Act does end up being a job-killer, at least there's a bright side--unemployed Californians will have cleaner air to breathe.

Michael Phelps dating reality star

Two years ago, Michael Phelps made national headlines for bringing home his new cocktail waitr

ess-girlfriend on Thanksgiving. This year, the 14-time gold medalist may have a new lady friend to bring home to Mom.

People confirms that Phelps has begun dating Brittny Gastineau, a reality-television personality whose claim to fame is that she's the daughter of former NFL player Mark Gastineau. TMZ also reports that the two are dating and hasvideo of them together in Los Angeles . Her Wikipedia page boasts that she's a model and socialite as well. She also designs jewelry and probably wants to be an actress. Versatility. Just like Phelps in the pool.

Gastineau was a star of the short-lived reality series "Gastineau Girls" which followed her and her mother trying to live a life of luxury but as "normal people." Though she was touted as the daughter of a former NFL star, in reality, Brittny hadn't seen her father in 17 years.

Daniel Radcliffe puts his foot down

Daniel Radcliffe Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images Daniel Radcliffe has grown up on the big screen as the young wizard Harry Potter.

Now, after ten years and seven hugely successful films, the 22-year-old actor is reaching the end of the magical odyssey with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Parts 1 and 2. Parade's Jeanne Wolf found out about the incredible journey he's taken.

Is it really over?

"J. K. Rowling pretty much promised me that she wasn't going to write any more Harry Potter books. But, subsequently, I've heard she's been quoted as saying she hasn't ruled it out. So I think the two of us have to have a very interesting conversation at some point in the near future."

It's over for him.

"If they did actually do another film I don't think I'd be on board. No. I think ten years is enough."

What sets Deathly Hallows apart.

"One of the things that makes the biggest difference is that we're out of Hogwarts, which I think immediately lends the film a more kind of adult tone. When we've been in a school, you can't help but see us as school kids. Now, we're sort of just fugitives on the run. And there's so much action. But, actually, it does not compare to Part 2, which is coming next summer. The last film is just an all out action movie from start to finish."

And then there were tears.

"I certainly choked up when we wrapped. I was crying and so were Emma and Rupert at the end along with the crew, who also had been there for ten years. It was very sad. But six hours later, I was on a plane reading the script for "Woman in Black." Now, I'm five weeks into filming that. So we move on."

What he'll take with him.

"Working with the people I've go to work with, I've gained things I wouldn't otherwise have had. For example, an immense passion about the film industry and a work ethic that I might not have had otherwise. So it's changed me, but I don't think necessarily negatively. It's all been good."

But he had no idea what was in store.

"I don't think anyone would have been able to predict that it would get so mega. But if we'd been making bad films for all these years, they wouldn't have been huge successes. So I think it's a testament to the fact that we've always tried to maintain a certain level of quality."

Keeping it all in perspective.

Early on in your career you have to be able to separate the person they are cheering for from the person you actually are. They are cheering for a perception they have of you, which is a famous person, an actor and this particular character. So if you start to think that they are cheering for you as a real person then that's when you get big headed and you become an awful human being."

Being rich doesn't hurt.

"As far as the wealth aspect is concerned, I'm in a very fortunate position which has been afforded me by doing these films. I got paid very well for doing a job I absolutely love. When you have that kind of financial security it gives you a lot of freedom as an actor because it means you don't have to do stuff just for the money. You can afford to be selective about what you do."

Always Harry Potter.

"I think to a certain extent it's true that Harry will stick to me. I think in a lot of people's minds I will always be him. It's rather like the mafia, I guess. Once you're in, you never get out. I don't think I'm being typecast so far. But I would never be anything but proud to be associated with this film series forever."

Last chance to catch mesmerizing sky show

The Leonid meteor shower of 2010 is peaking this week and the best time to see the sky show is now.

The annual Leonids should be at their best through Nov. 18, according to skywatching experts. Avid meteor gazers graced with clear skies may see between 15 and 20 meteors per hour.

Skywatchers should look toward the constellation Leo in the eastern sky to see "shooting stars" from the Leonids, which appear to radiate out of the constellation. The best time to try to see the Leonids are in the last two or three hours before sunrise, when the moon has set.

A Leonids sky map posted here shows where to look in the predawn sky.

"From the time of moonset until around 5:15 a.m. -- when the first streaks of dawn begin to appear in the east -- the sky will be dark and moonless," advises Joe Rao, SPACE.com skywatching columnist. "That interval will provide you with your best opportunity to see any Leonid meteors." [Gallery: Spectacular Leonid Meteor Shower Photos]

Another tip: Make sure to stay warm and get comfortable.

"If you have a lawn chair that reclines, use it during your search for Leonid meteors since it will help keep your neck from getting stiff as well as make it easier to look at the night sky," Rao said.

The Leonid meteor shower is an annual event that returns every mid-November. The shower is caused by material left behind the comet Tempel-Tuttle when it passes near Earth's orbit during its regular trip through the solar system. [Top 10 Leonid Meteor Shower Facts]

When the Earth passes through these knots of comet material, the gas and dust flares up in the atmosphere, creating spectacular meteors.

Every 33 years, the Earth encounters a dense knot of material -- most recently in 2002 -- to create dazzling displays of shooting stars. During those showers, it can be possible to see hundreds or thousands of meteors per hour.

That isn't the case this year because the Earth is passing through a less dense area of Comet Tempel-Tuttle's trail, Rao said.

Still, the Leonids retain a reputation for offering impressive meteor displays.

But with fewer meteors expected this year, you may want to travel a bit to find the best spot. Meteor-gazing from a rooftop in suburbia doesn't always offer the best view.

"For your best view, get away from city lights. Look for state or city parks or other safe, dark sites," advise the editors of StarDate magazine at the McDonald Observatory in Texas. "Lie on a blanket or reclining chair to get a full-sky view. If you can see all of the stars in the Little Dipper, you have good dark-adapted vision."

Furious passengers stage protest in plane

BRUSSELS (AFP) – More than 100 angry Ryanair passengers sat in a dark cabin without food or water for four hours Wednesday, refusing to leave their plane after it was diverted to Belgium, authorities and passengers said.

The passengers, mostly French tourists who were supposed to land near Paris after returning from holidays in Morocco, refused to come out of the aircraft even after the crew had left it at the Liege airport in southern Belgium.

Reda Yahiyaoui, a business owner who was travelling with his wife, a two-month-old baby and a three-year-old, said the passengers had no water and the toilets in the plane were locked.

"The pilot left and he even left the cockpit door open," he said.

After several hours of negotiations with furious passengers, officials convinced them to leave the plane and wait inside the airport for buses that would take them to their original destination, a firefighter told AFP.

"The negotiation was so difficult that we weren't sure they would come out," the firefighter said by telephone.

"People are obviously outraged. I'm just trying to look out for their well-being," he said.

Passengers on the plane told AFP that the flight had left Fes, Morocco, three hours late at 7:15 pm local time on Tuesday but had been unable to land in Beauvais, France, because by that time the airport there had closed.

The plane landed in Liege at around 11:30 pm and passengers only agreed to come out after 3:30 am the next morning.

"This is unacceptable," Mylene Netange, who runs a network on social responsibility for business leaders, told AFP.

Eva Longoria speaks about divorce

Eva Longoria has confirmed the new Us Weekly's exclusive report that she and husband Tony Parker have split.

"It is with great sadness that after 7 years together, Tony and I have decided to divorce," she said in a statement Wednesday afternoon. "We love each other deeply and pray for each other’s happiness."

Citing irreconcilable differences, she filed for divorce Wednesday morning in Los Angeles Superior Court.

The filing comes on the heels of the latest Us Weekly, which reports that Longoria Parker, 35, recently discovered that her husband, 28, has been exchanging personal texts with a mutual female friend for nearly a year -- hundreds in just one month.

'Bizarre' scene when Bill Nye collapses

Last night in front of an audience of hundreds at a presentation at the University of Southern California, TV personality Bill Nye — popularly known as the "Science Guy" — collapsed midsentence as he walked toward a podium. Early indications are that Nye is OK, but what's odd about the incident isn't so much Nye's slight health setback as the crowd's reaction. Or, more precisely, its nonreaction, according to several accounts.

It appears that the students in attendance, rather than getting up from their seats to rush to Nye's aid, instead pulled out their mobile devices to post information about Nye's loss of consciousness.

Alastair Fairbanks, a USC senior in attendance for Nye's presentation, told the Los Angeles Times that "nobody went to his aid at the very beginning when he first collapsed — that just perplexed me beyond reason." The student added, "Instead, I saw students texting and updating their Twitter statuses. It was just all a very bizarre evening."

[Rewind: Joe Biden's quick response to onstage fainting]

Indeed, a cursory search on Twitter revealed a virtual play-by-play account of the incident. One student wrote, "Bill Nye tripped on his computer cord while speaking at USC, was out for abt 5 secs, got back up, spoke w/ slurred speech and fainted."

According to the school's student news outlet, the Daily Trojan, Nye asked, "What happened? How long was I out?" when he regained consciousness. Briskly picking up his humorous persona, he added, "Wow, that was crazy. I feel like Lady Gaga or something." Nye's publicity team didn't immediately respond to The Lookout's request for comment on the episode.

[Rewind: NBA coach faints at practice]

Still, in the annals of the digital public's civic indifference, the Nye incident is nowhere near as disturbing as another episode reported in New Orleans earlier this week, which oddly enough also involved a humorist. Anthony Barre, a New Orleans man popular for his acid-tongued comic performances on YouTube using the handle "Messy Mya," was murdered on the streets of the city's 7th Ward — the historically Creole neighborhood chronicled in the HBO series "Treme." As he lay dying, witnesses at the scene took to the Internet to chronicle the tragedy in real time, even posting photos of his body lying in a pool of blood.

Here's how the Times-Picayune's Brendan McCarthy described the incident:

Moments after gunshots roared through the 7th Ward on Sunday night, a lone snapshot appeared on the Internet.

In it, a 22-year-old man is lying cheek to the ground, crimson pooling around his neck. His eyes are closed, his torso curled.

Chaos explodes around him, with the arms of others pressed to the back of his head. And someone is holding a cell phone just inches from his face.

This is how the world learned of Messy Mya's death.

Prior to this week's episodes, perhaps the best-known incident of youthful digital passivity in the face of danger was the September 2007 tasing of University of Florida student Andrew Meyer at a speech delivered by Massachusetts Democratic Sen. John Kerry. That episode immortalized the expression"Don't tase me, bro!" The crowd of onlookers trying to capture the encounter on their cellphone cameras later prompted Comedy Central host Stephen Colbert to imagine the internal monologue of a bored-looking kid seated next to Meyer thusly: "He's thinking, 'I wish they'd stop tasing this guy, so I can get home and watch him being tased on YouTube.' "

The best American cities to move to

What people are looking for when they relocate changes from time to time. In the 90s, it was a city with low crime. Then, it was places with good schools.

"These days, you want a job and to make sure you can get a house there," said Bert Sperling of BestPlaces.net, which helps people find the best places to live, work or retire.

Sperling crunched the numbers to find the 10 best cities to relocate to today. The list takes into consideration all kinds of data points from cost of living to crime rates, the number of colleges and how healthy the population is, as well as access to museums, shows, sporting and other events. Plus, one you might not think of - stability.

"We're a big believer in the concept of stability, where there is modest, controllable growth," Sperling explained. "Big booms lead to disruption, and ultimately big busts. Neither is good for livability."

Here are Sperling's Best Cities to Relocate to in America - Why they're the best and who's hiring there.

1. Pittsburgh, PA

Pittsburgh, like Buffalo, has also made a major transformation from an industrial town - in Pittsburgh's case, steel -- into the 21st Century as a hub for education, health care and the arts.

Yet, it's still surprisingly affordable: The cost of living is 12.2 percent below the national average and the average home price is $116,400, well below the national average of $171,700.

It's repeatedly ranked as one of the most livable cities: The crime rate is low, it ranks high on both arts and colleges, and it's at low risk for a natural disaster such as an earthquake, hurricane or tornado.

It's also repeatedly ranked as one of the best sports cities, with the six-time Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team and the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team. You would be hard-pressed to find a city with more loyal sports fans - a fact that should not be underestimated when it comes to quality of life.

The unemployment rate is 7.8 percent, well below the national average of 10.2 percent. Indeed.com has named it the No. 18 job market, with two applicants for every job available.

Companies That Are Hiring Now: HCR ManorCare, BNY Mellon, PNC Bank, Ernst & Young and Westinghouse Electric Company, according to Indeed.com.

2. Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY

Buffalo is an older, industrial city that has "gone through a sort of gut-wrenching transition into the 21st Century," Sperling says. And now that it's gotten over the bumps, it's a great place to live.

The Buffalo-Niagara Falls area has a growing arts scene and it's affordable: The cost of living is 14.4 percent below the national average, and the average home price is $119,700, well below the national average of $171,700.

There are more than 20 parks in Buffalo, earning it the nickname, "City of Trees," and for all you sports fans, it's home of the Buffalo Bills football team and Buffalo Sabres hockey team. As for Niagara Falls, the city has moved from an industrial center to a more sustainable tourism-based economy, and with the opening of the Conference Center Niagara Falls a few years ago, it now attracts more business travelers.

The unemployment rate in the region is 8.3 percent, below the national average. Health care and education are the fastest growing industries here.

Companies That Are Hiring Now: Synacor, M&T Bank, Kaleida Health and HSBC Bank, according to Indeed.com.

3. Omaha, NE/Council Bluffs, IA

Omaha is a great example of a city that's avoided the booms and busts, ranking high on stability.

Could its slow but steady growth be the influence of one of its most famous residents, the richest man in the world, Warren Buffett? The Oracle of Omaha, as he's known, made his money based on the motto "invest in what you know" - not getting sucked into the next big boom.

Quite possibly, Sperling said. Perhaps the bigger impact, though, is that Buffett keeps Omaha in the news, which makes it easier to attract big companies there. Today, there are five Fortune 500 companies headquartered there, including ConAgra Foods, Union Pacific Corporation, Mutual of Omaha, Peter Kiewit and Sons, and Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway.

Plus, it's affordable: the area's cost of living is 12.4 percent below the national average.

The average price of a home is $137,600, well below the national average of $171,700.

The unemployment rate is 4.7 percent, less than half the national average of 10.2 percent.

Companies That Are Hiring Now: ConAgra Foods, Creighton University Medical Center, TD Ameritrade and Soliant Health, according to Indeed.com.

4. Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas

"Fort Worth is like the Rodney Dangerfield of the Dallas-Fort Worth area - It gets no respect!" Sperling quipped.

But those who live in Fort Worth know the secret: It's close enough to Dallas that you get all of the amenities of a world-class city, from shopping to cultural events, but it's cheaper. The average home price is about $119,300, well below the national average of $171,700. Plus, the cost of living is nearly 14 percent cheaper than the national average.

It has a growing arts & culture scene, including an orchestra, ballet, opera, botanical garden and one of the best zoos in the country. In fact, the city has started billing itself as the "City of Cowboys and Culture."

Arlington is home to the Dallas Cowboys football team, the Texas Rangers baseball team, as well as American Mensa, the U.S. chapter of the high-IQ society, and the International Bowling Museum.

The unemployment rate in the area is 8.3 percent, below the national average of 10.2 percent.

Companies That Are Hiring Now: Texas Health Resources, JPS Health Network and Bank of America, according to Indeed.com.

5. Austin-Round Rock, TX

Austin-Round Rock ranks high on quality of life and affordability: It has at least a dozen colleges and was voted the No. 1 college town by the Travel Channel. The cost of living is 2.4 percent below the national average.

But what sets it apart is its quirk. The city has been described as a "crazy quilt," stitching together everything from art, improv and country music to environmentalism and high tech. It's home to the South by Southwest festival, featuring independent musicians and filmmakers and emerging technologies. Though, its quirky rep has been around awhile, spawning a new slogan, "Keep Austin Weird."

Round Rock is its conservative counterpart, known for its outstanding education system and as the headquarters of Dell Computers.

The unemployment rate in the area is 6.5 percent, well below the U.S. average of 10.2 percent. It's the No. 10 job market, according to Indeed.com, with two applicants for every job opening.

Companies That Are Hiring Now: Dell, Seton Family of Hospitals, Soliant Health and AT&T, according to Indeed.com.

6. Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA

Des Moines just got an overhaul in the past few years, including a new science center, Imax theater and an events center.

The city is very livable and has a nice culture, Sperling said. The cost of living is more than 12 percent below the national average, and the median home cost is $150,600, well below the national average of $171,700. West De Moines is a wealthy suburb - you guessed it - west of Des Moines.

Your vote really counts here: The Iowa caucuses have been the first major electoral event since 1972. The New York Times once observed that "if you have any desire to witness presidential candidates in the most close-up and intimate of settings, there is arguably "no place better to go than Des Moines."

The unemployment rate is 7.1 percent, below the national average of 10.2 percent. It has a lot to offer job-wise besides farming: There are over 400 factories there (to process those farmed goods), plus it's a hub for the insurance industry with nearly 60 companies claiming their headquarters here.

Companies That Are Hiring Now: Catholic Health Initiatives, Wells Fargo and Iowa Health System, according to Indeed.com.

7. Madison, WI

Madison winters can be tough but those who love it say all the winter activities available, plus all the city has to offer, offset the cold.

The crime rate is one of the lowest on the list and it's been rated one of the top cities for education, with an estimated 14 students per teacher. Plus, there are at least nine university campuses there.

It has a ton of restaurants, museums, performing arts centers, sports complexes - and a free zoo! Plus, free concerts by the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra on the Capitol lawn in the summer.

Among its quirkier distinctions are that it's home to the Onion humor newspaper and website and the Great Taste of the Midwest craft beer festival.

The unemployment rate in Madison is 5.2 percent, nearly half of the national average.

Companies That Are Hiring Now: University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, Covance, Promega Corporation and Dean Health, according to Indeed.com.

8. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN

"Minneapolis is probably one of the most progressive, greenest cities and the folks are really polite in that Midwestern way," Sperling said.

Minneapolis-St. Paul, also known as the "Twin Cities," and the southern suburb of Bloomington, have a very low crime rate, a lot of colleges and arts and cultural institutions, all of which add to a great quality of life.

Minneapolis is the third largest theater market in the U.S., behind New York and Chicago, Bloomington is home to the famous Mall of America, the largest mall in the U.S. It's home to the Minnesota Vikings football team and Minnesota Twins baseball team, and, it's one of the most literate metropolitan areas in America.

Housing prices and the cost of living are slightly higher than the national average but the unemployment rate is 7 percent, well below the national average of 10.2 percent.

Indeed ranks it as the No. 12 job market, with two applicants for every job available.

Companies That Are Hiring Now: UnitedHealth Group, Medtronic, 3M, Target (office jobs) and Thomson Reuters, according to Indeed.com.

9. Denver-Aurora, CO

Denver-Aurora also scored points for stability and affordability - and because it has a very attractive downtown.

The city has a lot to offer in the way of arts - not just museums but also a lot of public art. Plus, it's one of the few cities that has teams from four major sports - the Denver Broncos football team, Colorado Rockies baseball team, Colorado Avalanche hockey team and Denver Nuggets basketball team.

Plus, the city is surrounded by some of the highest mountain peaks in the nation, making for sweeping vistas and an outstanding array of outdoor activities, such as hiking, biking and skiing. Aurora is an eastern suburb of the city, with a lot of shopping and cultural events, plus it has more than 1,800 acres of park land, at least a dozen golf courses and a 200-acre nature center.

The unemployment rate is 7.4 percent, below the national average of 10.2 percent. Indeed ranks it as the No. 11 job market, with two job seekers for every job available.

Companies That Are Hiring Now: Raytheon, Kaiser Permanente, HCA, HealthONE and Deloitte, according to Indeed.com.

10. Indianapolis-Carmel, IN

The Midwest gets a bad rap as a boring place but after the excitement of the past few years with the financial crisis, I think we can all agree - boring isn't a bad thing.

"During these tough times, we're sort of celebrating these areas that kept their head down and were sort of steady," Sperling explained.

Indianapolis-Carmel ranked high on both stability and affordability. The average home price in Indianapolis-Carmel is $120,200, well below the national median of $171,700 and the cost of living is 17.8 percent below the national average.

The downtown area was recently revitalized and Indianapolis is home to 10 sports teams, including the Indianapolis Colts football team and the Indiana Pacers basketball team. Carmel is one of the affluent cities just north of Indianapolis. Its crown jewel is the 161-acre Central Park, which features a big water park, a boardwalk, four miles of trails and 146,000 square foot fitness center.

DHA Girls Study In UK

Shimaz and Sukaynah are cute Kuwaiti girls studying in Royal Holloway University of London. Picture was sent by Shimaz (sitting left). She writes in her email that I am sending our photo, Sukaynah is also sitting beside me. This arab girl says that although its not easy for everyone to study in UK but we are really enjoying our time. Shimaz says that Sukaynah and me are cousins and class mates since class one. She more tells that study in UK promises a brilliant start of your career, with its courses ranging from Agriculture related subjects, Applied Science and Pure Science, Architecture, Business and Administrative Studies, MBA, Computers and Mathematical Science, Engineering and Technologies, Humanities, Law and Legal Studies, Social Studies and Communications, Travel, Tourism and Leisure, Creative Art and Design to many more. Along with it, there are many vocational courses too that offer ‘work-while-you-study’ options. This allows them to put into practice, what they learn in classrooms.
So UK education system encompasses not only a wide variety of schools and colleges, but a wide variety of courses too that make it a perfect education hub. Apart from the studies Shimaz and Sukaynah wants to make some sincere and like minded online friends. Well girls thank you so much for sending your photo we wish you all the best about your studies and future.
SUKAYNA WITH FRIENDD

Indian Girls Pictures

Arub Fatimah basically belongs to Libya. But currently she is living with her family in UK since last ten years. Arub has sent her photo through email. This Liyban girl is doing ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) from Oxford Brookes University. She writes in her email that today many universities in the UK are offering professional accountancy program such as the ACCA and CIMA. She more tells that ACCA students can obtain a double qualification throughout their studies. Firstly they can do ACCA Professional Qualifications and in second they can earn the degree of Bechelor of Science in Applied Accounting. Arub says that accountancy is one of the most popular professions which offer many opportunities in different fields such as auditing, tax consultancy, management consultancy, company secretarial services, financial management and so on. Accountants work in all business sectors such as private sector, public sector, banking and commerce. Individuals can study at a higher education college or university for many of the specialized qualifications offered by the professional associations.

In the end she tells that there is another adavantage while obtaining the accountancy degree that students may wish to pursue a degree in accountancy from a prestigious university and then they can apply for exemptions from certain professional examination papers. Well Arub thank you so much for sending your photo and sharing really important knowledge with us. We wish you all the best for your future life.

Photos Of Kareena Kapoor

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Blollywood Gossips

Comparisons in bollywood have always existed, be it singers, actors, directors or even musicians, comparisons has always been a hot topic over mugs of coffee. In the black and white era, people compared with Nargis Madhubala, Kishore Kumar with Dilip Kumar, in the Eastman color age, it was Rajesh Khanna with Amitabh Bacchan, Mithun Chakraborty with Jackie Shroff, Rekha with the Hema Malini, Sridevi with Juhi ... the list goes on. These days the argument is rife over who is the hottest babe in bollywood - Kareena Kapoor or Katrina Kaif?

Bebo as Kareena Kapoor is lovingly known as, stepped into bollywood at a very early age with Refugee. Playing a simple Bangladeshi girl sans makeup and the razzmatazz, she delivered a strong performance. On the other hand Cat's started here career with BOOM - which went bust the moment it entered the theaters. But this is where their journey started, Bebo's character Poo in K3G was the kick start for this success. And Kat's Namastey London bought here all success.


Kareena has had here share of media space having been earlier linked two Shahid Kapur and now two Saif Ali Khan. Coming from the Kapoor background also helped here Establish here some anchor within the industry. Katrina Kaif, has been linked two Salman Khan and has had a series of box office hits to talk about (not sure if she can be given credit for it), here onscreen chemistry with Akshay Kumar is commendable and loved by many across the world.

My personal choice would be Kareena. She has come a long way since Refugee, having delivered some memorable roles coupled with strong acting skills as seen in Chameli and Jab we met. I still can not forget the outstanding dialogue delivery from jab we met "Bachpan see hi na, mujhe shaadi ka Bada Karner shauk hai By God" & "Sikhni hoon main Batinda ki" & "Ab toh mera haath chodo, itni bhi nahi hoon Sundar ". Katrina is all glamor and her biggest plus is the exceptional wow factor that she brings in front of the camera, here acting skills, however, leaves much to be desired for, particularly here linguistic shortcomings has ensured that she gets two smile more than talk or Emote onscreen.

CUTE CAR RACING GIRL

Hwang Mi Hee vs. Leah Dizon





The diamond engagement rings - a timeless expression of love and commitment.

The classic styles available - solitaire and pave, for example - still are popular today, but there are emerging trends of which you, the potential buyer should be aware.

Note: One thing that never changes is what grooms tend to pay for engagement rings - quite a bit! Latest statistics show the average amount spent is $3,000, according to these sources:

" $3,044 (Bride's Millenium Report)
" $2,982 (Bride's Magazine)
" $2,909 (Modern Bride, as cited in Weddings for Dummies)
" $3,576 (Conde Nast Bridal Group)
" $3,165 (Modern Bride Magazine)
" $2,807 (National Bride Service)


Hot ring trends - classic, antique and modern lead the way

For example, classic solitaires are very popular. Many women are choosing a classic-cut diamond solitaire. These are assured of never going out of style and make good heirloom pieces.

However, a traditional solitaire setting is upswept and raises the diamond high. Some people today select settings where the center stone sits low, creating a look that is elegant and ergonomic. Another popular setting is one that is intricately raised, as well as twisted band.

And while the round cut continues to be popular, it is becoming more common to see the oval cut, as well as the emerald.

The pave setting, where the band is studded with diamonds seamlessly, is elegant and is becoming more popular. The idea is that smaller stones are set so close together that no metal can be seen between them. This maximizes the wattage of the ring without pushing the cost too high.


Antique, vintage rings that your grandmother might have worn also are trendy, which combines an historical, period look with current fashion. Look for gold filigree settings, floral accents and gemstone baguettes. The cuts typically are cushion, round, pillow and Asscher , and their larger facets radiate more fire under less light.

Also becoming more popular are modern styles. This type features clean, streamlined designs for a cosmopolitan, chic look. The most contemporary styles feature a bezel-set and designs where the diamond seems to "float," which is a type of tension setting.

Engagement rings with colored stones also are an emerging trend, with colored diamonds being quite the rage. Many celebrities, such as Jennifer Lopez, have chosen coloreddiamond engagement rings and this has cemented their popularity.

For something different, consider new diamond cuts on the market. The Zales diamond cut has more facets than traditional cuts and can increase the stone's fire. Also consider the princess cut - a modified square.

Platinum - hands down the choice today

Regarding the ring itself, platinum is definitely the hot trend. Platinum is popular because its rich luster sets off the brilliance of a diamond like no other metal. This metal is naturally white and will always keep its shine, unlike yellow gold, which may tarnish. Platinum is the strongest precious metal, and is twice as heavy as most gold alloy rings.
Some women want their platinum ring carved with designs or inlaid with gemstones