Pistorius to run again, this time at Paralympics

A Paralympic Games symbol hangs from Tower Bridge in London as City workers walk across London Bridge, Friday, Aug. 24, 2012. The London 2012 Paralympic Games starts on Wednesday, Aug. 29. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

A Paralympic Games symbol hangs from Tower Bridge in London as City workers walk across London Bridge, Friday, Aug. 24, 2012. The London 2012 Paralympic Games starts on Wednesday, Aug. 29. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

FILE - this is a Tuesday Sept. 16, 2008 file photo of Oscar Pistorius of South Africa, left, as he waves in front of a cameraman after he won the gold medal in the Men's 400m T44 final at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, China. With more global broadcast coverage than ever before, the London 2012 Paralympic Games in London will win its largest ever live television audience, except in the United States, where no events will be screened live by a traditional broadcaster, prompting complaints from some equality campaigners.(AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)

A Paralympic Games symbol hangs from Tower Bridge in London, with a Beefeater games mascot Mandeville, in foregroud, Friday, Aug. 24, 2012. The London 2012 Paralympic Games starts on Wednesday, Aug. 29. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

LONDON (AP) ? The Olympic rings have disappeared across London, and the Paralympic symbols hoisted in their place. Let the games begin ? again.

Thousands of athletes have already arrived for Wednesday's opening ceremony as the Paralympics return to their roots.

The familiar face of Oscar Pistorius and his even more recognizable blades have helped to take the Paralympic movement to the masses ? with 2.3 million tickets already sold.

August has been a groundbreaking month for Pistorius.

The South African will be defending the three titles won four years ago at the Beijing Paralympics, just weeks after becoming the first amputee sprinter to compete at the Olympics.

"I am incredibly excited to be back in London," said Pistorius, who raced in the 400 meters and 4x400 relay earlier this month in the 80,000-seat Olympic Stadium. "It was an incredible experience to compete at the Olympic Games and the reception from the crowd I will remember for the rest of my life."

The 25-year-old Pistorius had to contend with battles on and off the track to become the poster boy of the Paralympics, where he will be competing over 100, 200 and 400.

"He is massive," London organizing committee chairman Sebastian Coe said. "In Trafalgar Square this time last year for International Paralympic Day, (there was) a queue of kids who were screaming his name out and wanting autographs."

But Coe stressed that the medals "are not nailed on for him" at the Paralympics.

"Sport is at its best when you have head to heads," he added.

The thrilling duel should come in the 100, with Pistorius no longer the fastest man on no legs.

The "Blade Runner" experienced his first defeat in Paralympic competition in seven years when Jerome Singleton of the United States beat him by 0.002 seconds to win the 100 world title last year, while Jonnie Peacock of Britain has the world record.

"The 100m will be the most competitive 100m race I believe we will have ever seen at the games," Pistorius said.

"I am very well aware of the competition that's out there and I've never been one to be too self-assured or too brash," he added. "I'm comfortable with where I am, as far as my speed work goes on the 100m but I'm very well aware that the other guys are posting quick times."

Pistorius has helped shine the spotlight on the Paralympics more than ever before.

"The Paralympic movement has come of age," International Paralympic Committee President Philip Craven said. "Having a sellout is amazing. A sellout prior to the games starting is unheard of ... it makes you feel good as an athlete."

Many of the 4,200 athletes from 165 countries will parade in the opening ceremony that will celebrate the visionary doctor who conceived the Paralympics.

Ludwig Guttmann used sport in the rehabilitation of servicemen injured in World War II, and organized a hospital games at the time of the 1948 London Olympics that evolved from 1960 into the Paralympics.

"Without sounding too nationalistic or even jingoistic about it, it was created here in '48, we drove all the early stages of the movement," Coe said. "A lot of us do feel they are coming home."

And it's a chance to raise the profile further.

"This really is an opportunity to change attitudes and confront some of the misconceptions that are still out there about disability," Coe said.

That's achieved by creating one festival of sport in the summer in London, with the Paralympics the second element, sharing the same "London 2012" logo.

"We have never treated it as an after show and I think Beijing was a great example of it never being an after show," Craven said.

But for all Craven talks about infusing "equal splendor" between the Olympics and Paralympics, there is frustration at the lack of parity with television coverage.

In the U.S., NBC will air only 5 1-2 hours of Paralympic programming ? none of it live ? with the bulk of the highlights appearing on its cable sports channel.

"It's particularly a disappointment when I look at it from the view of the American public, they will have a great team over here," Craven said.

"It just shows the USA isn't (always) right at the forefront of new things and new ideas ... we know the American public is ready for Paralympic sport."

But there will be widespread live coverage in Brazil, China, Britain and Australia.

"Countries learn over time, they get to know the Paralympics, they don't think it's much to begin with and once they see it they can't get enough of it," Craven said.

___

Rob Harris can be reached at http://twitter.com/RobHarris

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-08-26-Paralympics/id-d9e4e204c190422f87f703fb48b7111d

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BREAKING NEWS: Triple H's arm broken following SummerSlam match against Brock Lesnar

All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, logos and copyrights are the exclusive property of WWE, Inc. and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. ? 2012 WWE, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This website is based in the United States. By submitting personal information to this website you consent to your information being maintained in the U.S., subject to applicable U.S. laws. U.S. law may be different than the law of your home country. WrestleMania XXIX (NY/NJ) logo TM & ? 2012 WWE. All Rights Reserved. The Empire State Building design is a registered trademark and used with permission by ESBC.

Source: http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2012-08-20/triple-h-breaks-arm-at-summerslam

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Humorist Phyllis Diller dies at 95 in Los Angeles

FILE--In this May 20, 1966 file photo, comedian Phyllis Diller appears in character in the ABC-TV comedy series ''The Pruitts of Southampton''. Diller, the housewife turned humorist who aimed some of her sharpest barbs at herself, died Monday, Aug. 20, 2012, at age 95 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/File)

FILE--In this May 20, 1966 file photo, comedian Phyllis Diller appears in character in the ABC-TV comedy series ''The Pruitts of Southampton''. Diller, the housewife turned humorist who aimed some of her sharpest barbs at herself, died Monday, Aug. 20, 2012, at age 95 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/File)

FILE-In this May 17, 1999 file photo, Phyllis Diller laughs in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. Diller, the housewife turned humorist who aimed some of her sharpest barbs at herself, died Monday, Aug. 20, 2012, at age 95 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Nick Ut, File)

FILE-In this May 17, 1999 file photo, Emmy award winning game show host, Alex Trebek greets actress and comedian Phyllis Diller before receiving his newly-dedicated star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. Diller, the housewife turned humorist who aimed some of her sharpest barbs at herself, died Monday, Aug. 20, 2012, at age 95 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Nick Ut, File)

FILE--In this October 1969 file photo, Comedian Phyllis Diller poses for a portrait. Diller, the housewife turned humorist who aimed some of her sharpest barbs at herself, died Monday, Aug. 20, 2012, at age 95 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/File)

FILE-- In this in this March 18, 1966 file photo, comedian Phyllis Diller models one of her 300 hats in Hollywood, Calif. Diller, the housewife turned humorist who aimed some of her sharpest barbs at herself, died Monday, Aug. 20, 2012, at age 95 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/File)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Phyllis Diller, the housewife turned humorist who aimed some of her sharpest barbs at herself, punctuating her jokes with her trademark cackle, died Monday morning in her Los Angeles home at age 95.

"She died peacefully in her sleep and with a smile on her face," her longtime manager, Milton Suchin, told The Associated Press.

Diller, who suffered a near-fatal heart attack in 1999, was found by her son, Perry Diller. The cause of her death has not been released.

She was a staple of nightclubs and television from the 1950s ? when female comics were rare indeed ? until her retirement in 2002. Diller built her stand-up act around the persona of the corner-cutting housewife ("I bury a lot of my ironing in the backyard") with bizarre looks, a wardrobe to match (by "Omar of Omaha") and a husband named "Fang."

Wrote Time magazine in 1961: "Onstage comes something that, by its own description, looks like a sackful of doorknobs. With hair dyed by Alcoa, pipe-cleaner limbs and knees just missing one another when the feet are wide apart, this is not Princess Volupine. It is Phyllis Diller, the poor man's Auntie Mame, only successful female among the New Wave comedians and one of the few women funny and tough enough to belt out a 'standup' act of one-line gags."

She inspired a generation of female comics, including Joan Rivers, Ellen DeGeneres and Whoopi Goldberg, who remembered Diller on Twitter Monday.

"We lost a comedy legend today," DeGeneres wrote. "Phyllis Diller was the queen of the one-liners. She was a pioneer."

"A true original has died," Goldberg wrote of Diller. "There was NO One like her, no 1 looked like her sounded like her. A FUNNY FUNNY. Classy & Smart. RIP."

Rivers tweeted that she and her daughter had lunched with Diller last month.

"I'm beyond saddened by the death of Phyllis Diller. We were friends," Rivers wrote. "The only tragedy is that Phyllis Diller was the last from an era that insisted a woman had to look funny in order to be funny."

Diller described herself as "one of those life-of-the-party types," in an interview with AP in 1965. "You'll find them in every bridge club, at every country club. People invited me to parties only because they knew I would supply some laughs. They still do."

She didn't get into comedy until she was nearly 40, after her first husband, Sherwood Diller, prodded her for two years to give up a successful career as an advertising and radio writer. Through it all, she was also a busy mother.

"We had five kids at the time. I don't how he thought we'd handle that," she told the AP in 2006.

A Chicago Tribune columnist, describing her appearance at a nightspot there in 1958, noted she was from San Francisco, hailed her as "the weirdest, wildest yet" ? and made sure to mention her five youngsters.

Her husband managed her career until the couple's 25-year marriage fell apart in the 1960s. Shortly after her divorce she married entertainer Warde Donovan, but they separated within months.

Through both marriages and other relationships, the foibles of "Fang" remained an integral part of her act.

"Fang is permanent in the act, of course," she once said. "Don't confuse him with my real husbands. They're temporary."

She also appeared in movies, including "Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number" and "Eight on the Lam" with Bob Hope.

In 1966-67, she was the star of an ABC sitcom about a society family trying to stave off bankruptcy, "The Pruitts of Southampton." Gypsy Rose Lee played a nosy neighbor. In 1968, she was host of a short-lived variety series, "The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show."

But standup comedy was her first love, and when she broke into the business in 1956 it was a field she had largely to herself because female comics weren't widely accepted then.

Bob Newhart said Diller was one of a kind.

"The thing that strikes me most about Phyllis, aside from a joy to be around, was her uniqueness," he said Monday. "There was no one like Phyllis before, and I doubt if there will be anyone after."

Cher, Larry King, Kiefer Sutherland and Henry Winkler also mourned the comedienne.

Winkler wrote that she was "a painter on canvas and in humor of the human condition."

Although she could be serious during interviews, sooner or later a joke would pop out, often as not followed by that outrageous "AH-HHAAAAAAAAAAAA-HA-HA-HA!" laugh.

"It's my real laugh," she once said. "It's in the family. When I was a kid my father called me the laughing hyena."

Her looks were a frequent topic, and she did everything she could to accentuate them ? negatively. She wore outrageous fright wigs and deliberately shopped for stage shoes that made her legs look as skinny as possible.

"The older I get, the funnier I get," she said in 1961. "Think what I'll save in not having my face lifted."

She felt different about plastic surgery later, though, and her face, and other body parts, underwent a remarkable transformation. Efforts to be beautiful became a mainstay of her act.

Commenting in 1995 about the repainting of the Hollywood sign, she cracked, "It took 300 gallons, almost as much as I put on every morning." She said her home "used to be haunted, but the ghosts haven't been back since the night I tried on all my wigs."

She recovered from a 1999 heart attack with the help of a pacemaker, but finally retired in 2002, saying advancing age was making it too difficult for her to spend several weeks a year on the road.

"I have energy, but I don't have lasting energy," she told The Associated Press in 2006. "You have to know your limitations."

After retiring from standup, Diller continued to take occasional small parts in movies and TV shows ("Family Guy") and pursued painting as a serious hobby. She published her autobiography, "Like a Lampshade in a Whorehouse," in 2005. The 2006 film "Goodnight, We Love You" documented her career.

Her other books included "Phyllis Diller's Housekeeping Hints" and "Phyllis Diller's Marriage Manual."

When she turned 90 in July 2007, she fractured a bone in her back and was forced to cancel a planned birthday appearance on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno." But it didn't stop her from wisecracking: "I still take the pill 'cause I don't want any more grandchildren."

Born Phyllis Driver in Lima, Ohio, she married Sherwood Diller right out of school (Bluffton College) and was a housewife for several years before getting outside work.

She was working as an advertising writer for a radio station when a comedy turn at San Francisco's Purple Onion nightclub launched her toward stardom.

She made her network TV debut as a contestant on Groucho Marx's game show, "You Bet Your Life." (Diller, asked if she was married: "Yes, I've worn a wedding ring for 18 years." Marx: "Really? Well, two more payments and it'll be all yours.")

She credited the self-help book, "The Magic of Believing" by Claude M. Bristol, with giving her the courage to enter the business. For decades she would recommend it to aspiring entertainers, even buying it for them sometimes.

"Don't get me wrong, though," she said in a 1982 interview that threatened to turn serious. "I'm a comic. I don't deal with problems when I'm working."

"I want people to laugh."

Diller is survived by her two children, four grandchildren and a great-granddaughter. Plans for services are pending.

___

Associated Press writers John Rogers and Polly Anderson contributed to this report.

___

AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen is on Twitter: www.twitter.com/APSandy .

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-08-20-Obit-Phyllis%20Diller/id-0975dca068d143fa9069cca988b731b3

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Skin Care & Beauty For Women| Celebrity Fashion | Weight Loss ...

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The Science of Nature and Your Skin

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Whether it?s anti-acne or anti-aging, health and beauty companies are always trying to find a better way to stop or at least slow imperfections and regain lost youth. While there have been many advances in skincare, more people are realizing that natural, organic skincare is a very viable option. Many people argue that nature-based skincare products and supplements far surpass chemical based skincare because in many cases, it is more effective and healthier from an organic sense for your body. Here are just a few examples of some of nature?s natural health and beauty remedies.

White Tea????????

For centuries tea has been used medicinally to fight obesity, as a form of cancer prevention, and as skin treatment. Most recently, it has become clear that White Tea has a higher level of antioxidants than black or green tea, making it one of nature?s best defense fighters for multiple aliments. The antioxidants found in white tea may stop free radicals from aging skin at a faster rate. Some companies have integrated White Tea into their skincare products with great results. An example of such a company using tea in their products is Origins (Link example: http://www.origins.com/product/3860/10474/A-Perfect-World-/index.tmpl).

Olive Oil

Early Egyptians used Olive Oil on their skin as it?s still known as an agent that contains amazing anti-inflammatory properties. There are several antioxidants in Olive Oil and together they go deep within the skin to help prevent redness, wrinkles and dryness. On top of fighting early signs of aging and intense moisturization, Olive Oil is also known to brighten skin.

Honey

Honey seems to be one of those natural ingredients that can be used for so many things. Popular uses include soothing sore throats and use in acne lotions. In the beauty world, it serves as a powerful antioxidant much like White Tea and Olive Oil to help keep skin young and vibrant. What really makes honey so special is the remarkable ability to keep moisture. For super soft, glowing skin, mixing honey and milk together and applying to the face is a great way to keep skin clean organically.

Ginseng

Used by the Chinese for more than 5000 years this plant extract can often be found in energy drinks. Today it?s also being added into some skincare products for it?s revitalizing properties, as well as it?s ability to help reduce lines and wrinkles and balance oily skin. Plus it?s a great natural solution for anyone looking to brighten up skin tone.

Seaside Skin Care, a medical spa located in Orange County, CA, brings Latisse to you in a special online offer.?On our website, you can?Buy Latisse Online?or browse?dramatic,?Latisse before and after photos?from real users. Our company is different in that you can?buy Latisse without perscription?- simply fill out the online medical consent form and our in-house Doctor will review the medical forms.

Source: http://yourtrendystylist.com/your-trendy-stylistfo/2012/08/natural-beauty-tips-for-women.html

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