Clothing Ad Featuring President Obama to be Removed

The Inspiration Room Weatherproof Garments, no stranger to media controversy, has hit the news with the White House response to the use of Barack Obama's photograph in a prominent Times Square billboard advertisement.

It worked but is it Cenegenics or Photoshop ???

"the best by leaps and bounds"

The man going to his first Winter Games, Jeremy Abbott, may find it hard to top what he did.

And he may not need to, for Abbott's free skate was such a tour de force it not only turned an expected close competition at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships into a rout but was easily good enough to win an Olympic medal -- even gold.

If he can do it again, that is.

'Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief'

Based on the Rick Riordan bestseller, a huge fan favorite among 10-year-old boys, the film tells of young Percy, a fatherless kid suffering from dyslexia and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, who discovers that he's actually the son of the immortal Poseidon and that the mythic Mount Olympus of Greek gods is alive and well and located on top of the Empire State Building. Accused of stealing Zeus' lightning bolt, young Percy (a few years older in the film than in the books) must clear his name to avert an all-out war among the immortals.

Updating Greek mythological lore to modern times has proven enticing for director Chris Columbus, who has a strong track record on family films with not only "Home Alone" but also the first two installments of the " Harry Potter" franchise. His vision of Mount Olympus is nothing like the old-fashioned "pristine white palace where everyone is sitting on clouds and playing the lute," Columbus says with a chuckle. "I wanted real gravitas and the feeling of having actually existed. We designed it with real weight and power."

Columbus notes that Percy's perceived weaknesses in the real world prove to be strengths in the realm of the gods. "Percy Jackson's brain is hard-wired to ancient Greek, which explains his dyslexia," he says. And his ADHD "is really his battle skills. Out of nowhere, he's able to battle the Minotaur."

Get ready to be scared out of your wits again

"It's a monster movie with a great story," says director Johnston of the film set to open Feb, 12. "It's got all the gore and the action and terrifying moments, but it also has these relationships that will make it appeal to a much broader audience than just the fanboys."

The film, inspired by the original 1940s production, stars Del Toro as Lawrence Talbot, a nobleman who notices frightening changes within himself while on a quest to find his brother, who has vanished. While the film uses all the names from the original story, it's set in 1891 to allow for a "Victorian sort of horror look of London," the director said.

Johnston relied entirely on computer graphics technology for Del Toro's transformation into the wolfman, opting not to use prosthetics. While filming, Del Toro took liberty with his character's insanity. "He broke the frame of the wheelchair that he was strapped into twice because he was sort of contorting and convulsing and got so violent that he was shaking it around," Johnston says. "It was a scary process -- you almost want to cut the camera and say, 'Are you OK?' "

"The only way to fly" . . . some say!

Forget flying and all that entails these days -- Spain's AVE high-speed trains are a relaxing and fun way to travel. In fact, they've proved so popular, they're giving airlines a run for their money.

(Miguel Angel Patier)

New York, New York

The Beekman Tower in New York, designed by Frank Gehry, is scheduled to open in 2012.

Mark Lennihan / Associated Press

"AQUA VELVA"

Aqua, a new 82-story hotel and residential tower in Chicago by architect Jeanne Gang, is the tallest building ever designed by a female-led architecture firm. (Steve Hall / Hedrich Blessing)

The Beauty of Nimbus Tower

Reporter John Flinn crosses a bridge that he writes "would give even Indiana Jones the willies" on his way to the summit of Nimbus Tower in southeast British Columbia.

(Bruce Howatt)

Unflattering everyone

I'm always flabbergasted by the foaming fury with which some people regard the painter and guerrilla poster artist Robbie Conal. Over the years, letters-to-the-editor writers have said, "Conal is a cancer on society" and, "He should be behind bars, not in an art gallery."
They were mad mostly because of what wasn't in an art gallery. For a quarter of a century, Conal has slapped the powerful in the face by slapping up grotesque caricatures of them in public places. Both George Bushes, Ronald Reagan, Robert McNamara, Al Gore and many more are in Conal's rogues gallery of evildoers. The posters, wallpapered all over town, are a perfect medium for L.A., where everything is apprehended through the car windshield.

"ready for his close-up"

Fox's new adventure series "Human Target" is a brilliant reminder that if you make your characters appealing enough, their banter sharp enough and the action sequences lively enough, you can not only get away with all sorts of absurdities -- a fistfight in the ventilator duct on a runaway high-speed train! A jumbo jet flying upside down! An air marshal who uses handcuffs that can be picked by a hairpin! -- you can actually make those absurdities part of the fun.

"Human Target" is based on a comic book by the same name, and writer and executive producer Jonathan E. Steinberg does an admirable job preserving the smart-mouth humor and ker-pow, splat fun while creating story lines and characters grounded in the alpha-male charm that made guys like Pierce Brosnan, Bruce Willis and Robert Conrad so popular.

The human target in question is Christopher Chance, a man with a checkered past and jaw of steel. He is played by Mark Valley, who bears a passing resemblance to Conrad, and who is having a very good year. In February 2009, he married "Fringe" star Anna Torv; in early episodes of "Fringe," Valley played her character's traitorous partner/lover, John Scott, who turned into something resembling those awful clear-plastic-encased anatomy models.

As Scott, Valley was, frankly, a bit of a bore, even as the ghost/hallucination he eventually became, but then he wasn't given much to do, a fact Fox more than makes up for in "Human Target." Here, he's not only given plenty to do, he does it with the sort of twinkly-eyed one-liners that can take a hard-working actor (Valley has a credit list as long as your arm) and turn him into a big fat star.

"too good to be true"

SAN FRANCISCO-Tavern on the Green, the heavily-touristed restaurant in NYC’s Central Park generated a lot of news stories last year when its operators announced plans to launch a West Coast iteration overlooking this city’s urban oasis, Yerba Buena Gardens. More than $10 million reportedly would be spent on the build-out of a 43,000-square-foot space atop the Metreon, headlining an effort by Forest City Enterprises and Westfield to remodel, re-tenant and thereby revitalize the under-performing 360,000-square-foot development for success in 2010.

“The City of San Francisco, with its vibrancy, diversity and passionate dining culture, combined with the perfect setting on a park in the heart of the city is simply too good to be true.”

Apparently it was. A source with Tavern on the Green tells GlobeSt.com it never made a firm commitment to open at the Metreon and that such a commitment is now on indefinite hold as the restaurateur winds down its Central Park operation under Ch. 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code, having lost its leasehold at the end of August. Forest City did not respond to GlobeSt.com’s requests for comment. Westfield tells GlobeSt.com in a statement that it is “unaware of how recent developments may affect Tavern on the Green’s timing and planning.” It declined to say whether that means they expect the restaurant to open at the Metreon eventually and whether they are currently marketing the space to other potential tenants.

"award-winning Hollywood Hills house"

Fashion designer Randolph Duke has sold his award-winning Hollywood Hills house for $5.3 million.

The modern home, designed by XTen Architecture, won an American Institute of Architects Los Angeles chapter award for residential design in 2007. Set on a promontory, the gated 4,800-square-foot house has 10-foot-high glass panels that open to 6,500 square feet of outdoor terraces, decks and gardens.

There is a silver-leaf tiled swimming pool, a reflecting pond and downtown-to-ocean views from the three-bedroom, 3 1/2 -bathroom trilevel. A chandelier hangs from a tree in the outdoor dining area, which is built into the hillside.

Duke, who started as a swimsuit designer, gained recognition in the '90s for revitalizing Halston. He then launched his own evening couture collection, which gained favor with celebrities at red-carpet events. Duke next brought his designs to the mass audience, selling the Look line on the Home Shopping Network.

The property came on the market at $8.25 million a year ago. Duke purchased the lot in 2004 for $2.25 million, according to public records.

Here's some beautiful photos of the Allen's Hummingbird

"Over the course of its life, it's flying to the moon three times and back"

Of all migrating birds, the Arctic tern flies the farthest -- braving cold, wind, storms, predators and starvation to travel from as far as upper Greenland to the shores of Antarctica.

But little has been known about how these birds, weighing less than 125 grams, make their grueling journey.

Now, for the first time, scientists using tiny geolocating devices have tracked the terns' migration, and discovered some surprising details.

The tern can fly an average of about 44,000 miles, nearly twice the distance that scientists had predicted -- and some individuals can fly more than 50,000 miles in a year.

"Over the course of its life, it's flying to the moon three times and back," said study coauthor Iain J. Stenhouse, an ornithologist who worked for the National Audubon Society for five years.

Scientists had guessed at the terns' routes, but had not been able to definitively test those hypotheses before now.

"We see them when they're breeding and think, 'Oh, they're nesting,' but the rest of the year we have no idea where these birds are," said Bridget J. Stutchbury, a professor in York University, Toronto, who runs a behavioral and conservation ecology lab. Stutchbury was not involved in the study.

Stenhouse and lead author Carsten Egevang of the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources found that the southbound trek is a relatively straight shot down the Atlantic. But the way north is much longer, curving in an "S" shape and potentially adding more than 1,000 miles to the journey.

Yet, the northbound birds were making the trip home much faster.

Flying north, the scientists realized, the birds were using the same trade winds merchants used centuries ago to speed their journey.

"They're really cranking," Stenhouse said.

Flying south, however, the terns made a weeks-long pit stop right after starting out -- delaying the journey by taking time to fuel up in the food-rich North Atlantic waters. Another surprising finding was that as they passed the Cape Verde Islands, birds from the same colony split up and parted ways. One group hugged the western coast of Africa. The other followed the eastern edge of South America. The two groups joined up again in Antarctica.

The study, published online this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was made possible by new technology.

The Return of Viktor Yanukovich

Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich, whose 2004 presidential win was declared fraudulent and overturned, addresses supporters in the eastern city of Dnipropetrovsk. To the surprise of many, he is the clear favorite to the win the presidency in the upcoming vote.

(Sergei Grits / Associated Press / January 15, 2010)

"the strange and compelling life and death of one of the most morally complex figures to come out of the Holocaust"

If you know the name Rezso Kasztner, you won't need any encouragement to see "Killing Kasztner: The Jew Who Dealt With Nazis." If you don't, that is even more reason to see this documentary on the strange and compelling life and death of one of the most morally complex figures to come out of the Holocaust.

From one point of view, Kasztner sounds like a classic hero. He negotiated face to face with Adolf Eichmann for the freedom of Hungarian Jews, a process that eventually resulted in a rescue train that brought 1,684 Jews to the safety of Switzerland. The film describes this action as the largest single rescue of Jews by Jews in the entire war.

But once Kasztner became a postwar émigré to Israel, things unaccountably changed. Charges surfaced that he had been not a hero but a collaborator, someone who worked a bit too closely with the Nazis and saved some Jews at the expense of others. These accusations resulted first in a libel trial considered one of the most explosive judicial moments in Israeli history and then, shockingly, in the assassination of Kasztner in 1957 by a right-wing Israeli extremist.

Director Gaylen Ross, an unapologetic Kasztner partisan, spent eight years on this project, and the kind of zeal you need to do that means her film verges on the overemphatic. But there can be no doubt as to the value of this disturbing story. As an examination of what happens when events on the ground collide with national myth and a look at how disinclined complex reality is to fit into tidy boxes, it can't be beat.

The centerpiece of "Killing Kasztner" is the film's exceptional access to Ze'ev Eckstein, the man convicted of shooting Kasztner and long out of prison, who opens the film by taking Ross back to the scene of the crime and reenacting what happened on that fateful night.

As thoughtful and articulate as he is tortured and conflicted, Eckstein is a remarkable talker at pains to make sure that Ross understands how things happened. Speaking in English, as do many of the film's participants (likely at the director's urging), Eckstein describes "the process of ripening" that turned him into an assassin and describes himself in the beginning as "a decent Jewish boy, not a dark feverish person with a lust to kill."

"Killing Kasztner" also spends considerable time with Kasztner's daughter, Zsuzi, and his granddaughter, Israeli media figure Merav Michaeli. The continued scorn that Kasztner and the train survivors receive in Israel makes his daughter feel like "he gets murdered over and over again." In terms of plot line, the film goes back and forth between relating what happened in World War II Europe, describing what went down at the trial, and talking about the here and now.

Aside from Eckstein, who seems to be using the film as a form of confession, the most fascinating aspect of "Killing Kasztner" involves that celebrated libel trial, which began when the Israeli government, Kasztner's employer, encouraged him to sue a fringe writer who had made those collaborator claims. Things took an unexpected turn when the writer's attorney, in part to embarrass that David Ben Gurion-led government, in effect turned the tables and acted as if Kasztner were on trial.

One point that several commentators make is that the Israeli public turned on Kasztner because his pragmatic dealmaking did not fit the paradigm of how Eastern European Jews behaved. He was neither a martyred victim to be pitied like the 6 million nor a heroic model of armed resistance like the Warsaw ghetto fighters. Interestingly enough, discussions with current Israeli university students show an increased interest in an attitude that is now viewed as realistic.

Ross begins her film with a pair of quotes from Bertolt Brecht's " Galileo." One of Galileo's students says, "Unhappy the land that has no heroes," and the scientist responds, "No, unhappy the land that needs heroes." What "Killing Kasztner" is at pains to demonstrate is the kinds of damage this passion for heroes can inflict.

kenneth.turan@latimes.com

"it will cause your organs to slosh

James Cameron's film "Avatar" dreams a world where humans can telepathically plug into beautiful blue creatures of extraordinary power and speed, with glittery feline eyes and rock-hard butts.

Audi beat him to it.

The car is the 2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI -- a billion-candlepower version of the R8 sports coupe with a Lamborghini V-10 engine wedged amidships. To drive one is to mind-meld with an off-world creature of magnificent grace and dramatic pace, a being that can by turns be tender and sophisticated or -- once you kick the loud pedal -- an unholy freakin' animal. The primal aurality of this car at 8,000 rpm will actually cause your DNA to devolve. Ugh. Mook-ah.

The Audi isn't simply quick (zero to 60 in 3.7 seconds) or fast (a quarter-mile in less than 12 seconds), though it easily qualifies as among the dozen fastest street-legals on planet Earth. It isn't only that it will cause your organs to slosh to one side of your rib cage like an untrussed load of pork bellies. It's that the whole package -- the death-grip Pirellis, the mid-engine layout, the all-wheel drive, the carbon-ceramic brakes, the milfoil layering of electronic safety systems, the preternatural balance of the thing -- so thoroughly augments and flatters the abilities of the humanoid behind the wheel. The man-machine interface is so supple, so syncretic, the bit stream from the four wheels through the seat and steering so vivid and real-time that at times I could taste the carbon fiber.

I got out of the Audi feeling 10 feet tall and ready to tame the nearest Toruk.

But let's unpack the name, shall we? This is essentially the same car as the much-adored 4.2-liter, 420-hp R8, with a little suspension tuning to account for the weight of the larger V-10 engine (curb weight: 3,726 pounds) and larger side intakes to shunt air into the caldron of horsepower behind the two seats. "FSI" stands for "fuel stratified injection," but the rest of the world calls it "direct injection" (of fuel into the cylinders, that is). This engine -- 10 cylinders, 5.2 liters of displacement, 40 dancing valves, variable induction geometry, with direct injection -- usually gets marquee billing in the Lamborghini Gallardo. Lamborghini and Audi are corporate cousins under the VW Group, though I wouldn't trust Lamborghini to deliver a pleasant driving experience any more than I'd trust Silvio Berlusconi to chaperon a high school dance.

In the Audi application, the engine is slightly dialed back -- which is to say, it feels like it's had the first of three rounds of rabies shots. It still foams at the mouth. The Audi's numbers are 525 hp (down from the Lambo's 552 hp) and 391 pound-feet of torque (down an insignificant 7 pound-feet from the Italian job). Buyers can choose the conventional six-speed manual gearbox -- as slick as a killing floor, perfectly weighted and jointed -- or the rather less lovable R-tronic automated manual gearbox, which is a $9,000 option.

The privilege of having two extra cylinders in the engine cradle costs $25,000, for a base price of $155,000. Our test car -- in Na'vi blue, though Audi calls it Sepang Blue to avoid paying Cameron any royalties -- was fully kitted with the luxury interior and R-tronic gearbox, bringing the out-the-door number to a wintry, breathtaking $172,250.

"It's the first skyscraper in downtown Los Angeles since the early 1990s."

It's not every day that Los Angeles welcomes a new addition to its skyline.

And this week, the city did it in style with a gala for the 54-story Ritz-Carlton hotel-condo tower that is the centerpiece of L.A. Live and opens for business next month.

The guest of honor was Tim Leiweke, president and chief executive of AEG, which built the $2.5-billion L.A. Live and has been at the center of the effort to develop the area around Staples Center into a sports and entertainment hub.

The blue-hued tower is a big part of the plan. It's the first skyscraper in downtown Los Angeles since the early 1990s.

"The most admirable Angeleno of all time? "

Drum roll, please.

The most admirable Angeleno of all time?

Results of this week's Talk Back poll are in, and we've got a tie.

Would you believe Dodgers announcer Vin Scully and former Mayor Tom Bradley?

For years, one voter said, the moment he hears Scully say, "It's time for Dodger baseball," he forgets about the lousy day he had at the office.

One voter called Bradley a coalition builder and added, "He was Obama before Obama. And he transformed L.A. into a world-class city."

More than 300 people got votes, but nobody topped Scully's and Bradley's 14 apiece. Also pulling in a lot of multiple votes were John Wooden, Eli Broad, Kenneth Hahn Sr., Dorothy Chandler and William Mulholland.

It's the last chap on that list who will raise the most eyebrows. L.A.'s water czar was more than a little controversial for his central role in California's water wars and the creation of Los Angeles as a metropolis. And hundreds were killed in 1928 when his St. Francis dam collapsed.

Howard Hughes, Richard Riordan and Father Greg Boyle each got four votes. Some joker voted for Lindsay Lohan, and my favorite nominee was someone who might not be quite real, but is said to have roamed our landscape as a masked outlaw, craftily defending the common man against evil power gluttons.

One vote for Zorro.

-- Steve Lopez

Image credit: wordle.net

"The Tavern on the Green -- soon to be gone"

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The Tavern on the Green, a landmark New York restaurant and watering hole of the rich and famous, is being sold off piece by piece, right down to its topiary giraffe.

Set in a former sheep fold in Central Park, the restaurant closed after a final party for 1,700 revellers on New Year’s Eve. Its contents, including 59 chandeliers and a 14ft (4m) topiary King Kong, are to be auctioned to help to settle the owner’s debts.

The highlight of the three-day sale, which began on Wednesday, is the emerald-coloured chandelier that hung in the Crystal Room. It was made in Austria for the Maharajah of Udaipur and is expected to fetch $100,000-$300,000 (£65,000-£190,000).

Also on the block is a baby grand piano used by some of music’s most famous names. “John Lennon, Michael Jackson, Duke Ellington all sat down and tickled the keys. That makes it more than just a nice piano,” said Arlan Ettinger, president of Guernsey’s auction house, which is handling the sale.

Shown above is "The Tavern on the Green" by Anna Ginzburg. Click the heading above to visit her website.

What's next for Tobey ???

There's been a lot of speculation about who might replace Tobey Maguire as the new Spider-Man (Joseph Gordon-Levitt seems like a no-brainer). But almost as interesting is what happens to the man who's been playing him.

He's been associated with -- and in some ways tethered to -- the "Spider-Man" franchise for nearly a decade, and the scrapping of the superhero character opens up a new vein of possibility.

"Tonight the lights in the city's newest high-rise snap on for the first time"

The latest addition to the downtown Los Angeles skyline is expected to debut with a big splash -- make that a big flash -- tonight, when lights in the city's newest high-rise snap on for the first time.

Owners of the 54-story Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott tower are rigging lights on the top 27 levels to flick on floor by floor in a rising wave to celebrate completion of the hotel, the last piece of the massive L.A. Live entertainment complex.

The attention-grabbing stunt will cost about $100,000; by no means a pittance but still a fraction of the $2.5-billion overall cost of L.A. Live, which sits next to Staples Center and is already home to Nokia Theatre and other attractions.

The flame-on at 7:30 p.m. will be part of a City of Hope charity gala honoring AEG President Tim Leiweke, who will be saluted by the tousle-haired singer Jon Bon Jovi, hockey star Luc Robitaille and comedian and ABC late-night TV show host Jimmy Kimmel, among others. The Marriott is set to open Feb. 15, and the Ritz-Carlton should follow in March.

The Mystery Only Deepens . . .

Vin Scully says he's surprised, Joe Torre's still in shock, the mystery that is an elusive Sandy Koufax for so many years, is about to take center stage in Nokia Theatre L.A. Live.

There might never be a night like the one with Scully &John Wooden sitting together for 90 minutes as they did 18 months ago, but filling those chairs Feb. 27 with Koufax & Torre has the makings of something just as special.

Koufax has taken such a low profile that even though he gave his approval to the 2002 book, "Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy," he would not consent to being interviewed by the author, Jane Leavy.

In his 1966 autobiography, Koufax wrote, "When I told [my mom] I was writing this book, she asked if I'd give her one of the first copies so she could find out something about me. 'You never told me anything,' " she said.

Later he would add, "My folks didn't know that I was playing baseball at [the University of] Cincinnati, possibly because I didn't tell them."

But now he's agreed to sit across from Page 2 in front of 7,000 people, as good a guarantee as any that after Feb. 27 he will never speak publicly again -- making it truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

"Try not to talk to him before Feb. 27," Torre suggested.

KOUFAX, THE Hall of Fame's youngest inductee at age 36 after retiring at age 30, tossed four no-hitters, Scully's "Two and two to Harvey Kuenn, one strike away," to immortalize Koufax's perfect game, still chilling today.

But beyond the history books, we know only bits and pieces. He has run marathons, he went to college on a basketball scholarship, he almost quit playing for the Dodgers before becoming a star, retiring later because of pain in his left arm -- an arm to this day he cannot straighten.

Some of what you hear is true, so much more a matter of misconception, finally a chance to separate the two.

And so why now, why has Koufax agreed to appear in front of so many people on Feb. 27 in Los Angeles?

It was as simple, it turned out, as asking him to do it for the benefit of those in need.

"I.F. Stone's Weekly Was a Journalistic Triumph of the 20th Century"

In a journalistic poll to determine the “Top 100 Works of Journalism in the United States in the 20th Century.” I.F. Stone's Weekly was rated 16th. And this was the second highest rating accorded any sustained print journalism in the entire century (i.e., fourteen of the fifteen higher-ranked works of journalism were books or related to radio or TV journalism). By contrast, Murray Kempton’s columns were ranked 49th and Walter Lippmann was ranked 64th for “Early essays for the New Republic. 1914.”

"highly personalised service with class"

With your chauffeur driven Rolls Royce, discreet in-suite check in, private reception desk on every floor and a brigade of highly trained butlers who provide around-the-clock attention, you can be assured of a highly personalised service throughout your stay.

With beautiful views of the Arabian Gulf, the Deluxe One Bedroom Suite features a handsome spiral staircase that leads you from one floor to the next, perfectly separating the entertainment and living spaces. On the lower level of the 170 sq. meter (1830sq.ft.) suites is the living room with large lounge, dining table for 4 and private bar counter. The dressing room, bedroom with king size bed and luxury bathroom with Jacuzzi is located on the upper level. Your private butler will ensure that every little need is met at the Burj Al Arab in Dubai.

How Many ????????

Oh, you've already heard the number: 12,775. That, ostensibly, is the tally of women Warren Beatty had bedded before settling down with Annette Bening in 1992. As grand as that number is, it's biographer Peter Biskind's best guess in his new book "Star: How Warren Beatty Seduced America." And now that it's out of the way, we can get to the rest of the book. Our reviewer Lawrence Levi writes:

Packed into these pages, along with Beatty's conquests, are the testimonies of dozens of people who have worked with him over the decades, and even those who adore him sound worn down. "He will suck you dry of all your creativity," says one. "He exploits everybody," another adds....

The contentions (also old news): He's a perfectionist, a control freak, a master manipulator, a bully. He takes credit for others' work. He's maddeningly indecisive and hopelessly self-defeating.

Coming soon: "an all-electric version"

Ford Motor Co. unveiled what it boasted was a "world-beating" next-generation Ford Focus (hatchback)at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Monday and announced its intentions to sell an all-electric version of the vehicle starting next year.

The company said the electric version of the Focus would be built at a factory in Michigan that previously manufactured sport utility vehicles, which Ford President of the Americas Mark Fields observed was an example of how quickly the auto industry and consumer tastes were shifting.

The price will be competitive with other electric vehicles, such as rival Chevrolet's Volt, Fields said, but he didn't elaborate. GM hasn't announced pricing for the Volt either.

The electric vehicle will be built alongside the next-generation Focus, a compact car that Ford sees as a key part of its strategy to leverage global design and engineering to produce a vehicle that will sell well in many global markets.

"The Height of Beauty" was not always so

The Sierra Nevada reached their present height 50 million years ago -- 30 million years earlier than geologists once believed, according to a new study.

The research, part of a growing body of evidence that the Sierra Nevada are far older than once thought, has implications for understanding the evolution of the plants and animals in the West, as well as the likely climate of ancient North America.

The study, by scientists at Yale University and the Berkeley Museum of Paleontology, used 50 million-year-old chemical traces left on ancient leaves by microbes and raindrops to calculate the new height estimate for the Sierras at that time.

The western United States would have looked very different then, filled with lush forests of vines and magnolias. The Pacific Ocean would have lapped the foot of the Sierra.

Shown above is "Sierra Morning" by Carol Tarzier. To see more of her exciting images, go to her website which follows:

http://tarzier.com/new_work/landscapes.html

Frederic Chopin Commemoration

Poland in general and Warsaw in particular are ground zero for their native son. Among the major events this year:

Feb. 11-March 7: Pianist Daniel Barenboim performs all-Chopin recitals, including programs with 9 to 11 pieces, throughout European cities, including a Feb. 28 performance at the National Hall in Warsaw. www.danielbarenboim.com

May 9: World Premiere of "Ballet Chopin," a two-act ballet choreographed by Patrice Bart for the national Polish Ballet, stresses music from Chopin and others. Teatr Wielki, Warsaw. www.teatrwielki.pl

Aug. 6-14: The 65th Chopin Festival takes place in the Polish resort town of Duszniki-Zdroj, Chopin's home for most of his creative life. The festival includes daily piano recitals. www.chopin.festival.pl

Oct. 18-23: The 16th annual Frederyk Chopin International Piano Competition's finals and then three concert recitals. Warsaw. (www.konkurs.chopin.pl)

"Home Sweet Home" Cruise

In the worst economic storm in decades, a Beverly Hills company has an ambitious plan to build a $1.1-billion cruise ship, set to cast off in 2013. But instead of offering four- or five-day excursions as typical cruise lines do, the business plans to sell half the cabins as floating homes.

Opulent cabins aboard the ship Utopia now range in price from about $3.7 million to $26 million. But even at these prices, a key draw will be location.

During the Cannes Film Festival, the ship is slated to drop anchor near the south of France in the Mediterranean sea. During the carnival celebration in Rio de Janeiro, the ship plans to dock off the coast of the Brazilian city. On New Year's Eve, cruise ship operators hope to take passengers to Sydney Harbor in Australia to enjoy the fireworks display.

Dramatic Photos of Volcanic Eruptions

This photo of the volcano Reventador erupting in Ecuador.
Reventador is located in Eastern Cordillera of the Andes in Ecuador.
This stratovolcano has erupted 24 times since 1541. The most recent eruption,
in January of 1976, produced bombs, ash, and lava. - Photo sent in by Thomas L. (http://www.photoatlas.com/photo/ecuador-reventador-2.jpg)



The Tungurahua volcano erupts at the Andean centre region of Ecuador, 07 February 2008. The volcano spewed ash and rocks from its crater. At least 1,500 people were evacuated but authorities had not reported victims in the region. EPA/JOSE JACOME

Read more: http://www.monstersandcritics.com/science/features/article_1390385.php/In_photos_Volcanic_Eruptions_in_Ecuador_and_Chile#ixzz0cL1SYPLG

A Sondheim Event

In March the New York Philharmonic celebrates Stephen Sondheim's 80th birthday with a showcase concert featuring material from throughout the seminal songwriter's six decades. Among those taking part are Patty LuPone, Bernadette Peters, Audra McDonald, Mandy Patinkin and Nathan Gunn. The performances are being conducted by Paul Gemignani, who has conducted Sondheim material over the years for stage, concerts and on film.

March 15, 16: Avery Fisher Hall, New York. nyphil.org

Surfing and Art

Kevin Ancell's "Media Miracle" (1999) captures an imagined final moment before the commercialization of surfing, in oil on wood. (Laguna Art Museum)

"CityCenter of attention"

CityCenter has announced the name of its unique resort casino. ARIA, the resort casino, will form the core of CityCenter, the exciting vertical city that is under construction on the Las Vegas strip, between Bellagio and Monte Carlo resorts. City Center also features the Harmon Hotel Spa & Residences; Vdara Condo Hotel; Veer Towers, a residential high-rise; The Crystals, which is a 500,000 square foot retail and entertainment district. CityCenter is a joint venture between MGM Mirage and Dubai World.

Chicago's Red Bull Flutag Event

The Chicago Red Bull Flutag event couldn’t be more like the 1910’s in aviation if they tried. The event has been happening for at least the last 5 years inspiring creative ads and unbelievable youtube videos. The ridiculousness of the flying machines is laughable. Usually none of the entrants are engineers, so it provides lots of hilarity.

Selling a piece of 'California's Gold'

PBS personality Huell Howser, has listed his 60-acre Newberry Springs compound with its dome-shaped home for $750,000.

Vard Wallace, who built a business selling drafting machines and airplane parts to Lockheed Corp. and other aircraft companies during World War II, had the high desert retreat constructed as his getaway, according to Los Angeles Times archives. The home sits about midway between Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

Completed in 1968 and designed by Harold Bissner Jr., the spaceship-shaped home was to resemble the information center at the construction site of the nuclear power plant at San Onofre.

Built on a volcanic cinder cone, the dome has tempered glass walls at ground level. Concrete and beams form the dome, which has 360-degree views of the mountains and surrounding desert. At the apex of the dome is an observation deck.

The main house has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a conversation pit and a fireplace. The ceiling of the dome is covered with steam-bent fir. The compound also includes a guesthouse with one bedroom and one bathroom. There is a three-car carport.

Howser, 64, is host of the travel documentary show "California's Gold" (1991-present).