Oprah Winfrey

Known as the most provocative talk show host in America, Oprah Winfrey is also one of the most influential cultural icons in America during the 1990's and early 21st century.

Her talk show named "The Oprah Winfrey Show", which was part of CBS Television Distribution repertoire of most favorite television programs, is the longest running television program in America. The show was started in 1986 in the city of Chicago, Illinois. It is a review of social issues materializing around America during the end of the 20th century and early 21st century and is appealing to temperamental members of society.

Born in 1954, Ms Winfrey was fortunate enough to rise from the poverty of rural Mississippi to become the first ever African American millionaire. Ms Winfrey often tells of her hardship during childhood as well as being a victim of crime. She started her career in broadcasting after relocating to Tennessee and gaining employment in radio.

But on a more warmhearted side, Ms Winfrey is also a philanthropist who has established a charity named "Oprah's Angel Network". She has donated to numerous causes including Hurricane Katrina relief efforts and education assistance to African American men.

In 2008, Ms Winfrey declared that she will not be continuing her talk show after 2011. Her last show was shown on May 25, 2011. Her retreat from American television will be sorely felt by those who depend on her as a channel to express their anger and frustration to the whole world.

Happy 4th of July

UNICEF - Ann M. Veneman

Ann M. Veneman biography

Ann M. Veneman became UNICEF's fifth Executive Director on 1 May 2005. Appointed by the United Nations Secretary General, the Executive Director works on behalf of the United Nations children's agency to help children around the world survive and thrive by advocating for and protecting their rights.

The Madison Square Garden

The Madison Square Garden is one of the most famous landmarks in the city of New York and was built in the year 1968. 

The multipurpose indoor arena is home to the New York Rangers as well as other sporting teams like the New York Knicks. It is also a venue for musical concerts, boxing matches and WWE wrestling events. The arena is also featured in many television programs and movie films.

The Madison Square Garden has about 20,000 seats arranged in 6 levels.

The arena is currently under a series of renovations. It is currently in the second phase of renovation costing $850 million.

The $776 million Madison Square Garden is operated by the Madison Square Garden Inc. It is located on Pennsylvania Avenue in Manhattan.

The Empire State Building

The Empire State Building was built in 1930 and is one of the best known landmarks in the city of New York. The 102-story building was the tallest building in the city from 1930 to 1970, when it was replaced by the World Trade Center.

It is now the 15th tallest building in the world and is the third in America. It was named after the nickname "Empire State" that the state of New York was given in the early 20th century.

One of the most interesting events to take place in the building is the annual Empire State Building Run-Up where runners race up the steps of the building to the 86th floor observation deck. It is also used as a media broadcast station for a few of the city's radio stations.

I Support the National Front

Space Shuttle Endeavour

This week marks another episode in the final chapters of the 30 year history of NASA's space shuttle fleet with the launching of the space shuttle Endeavour on its' final mission into space. The launching was done at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.

Endeavour is one of the two remaining space shuttles in operation with NASA the other being Atlantis. Throughout the history of the space shuttle fleet, there have been 5 shuttles that were in operation and 135 missions into space.

Some of the most interesting missions by the Endeavour are the first ever rendevous between Russian and American astronauts on the MIR space station as well as numerous missions to the International Space Station.

The crew of mission STS-134 is headed by mission commander Mark E. Kelly with 5 team members.

The Royal Wedding - William and Kate on the Procession Route

UNICEF - Ricky Martin

Ricky Martin

The Richest Man in the World

For the second year running, the title of "Richest Man in the World" has been held by Mexican telecommunication tycoon Carlos Slim, who took over from Microsoft Chairman, Bill Gates.

 

Mr. Slim has an estimated wealth of USD74 billion, followed by Mr. Gates with USD56 billion and Mr Warren Buffet of Berkshire Hathaway with USD50 billion.

Mr. Slim holds a BA/BS from Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. He is Chairman and CEO of 3 companies, the biggest being Telmex and America Movil.

Mr. Slim was born in Mexico City, Mexico in 1940. His father was an immigrant Lebanese Christian from the Middle East. His mother is also a Lebanese immigrant to Mexico.

Kings of the World

Kings are paramount heads of territorial units called countries. Countries headed by Kings are usually hundreds of years old. The highest concentrations of Kingdom countries are in the Middle East, Europe, South East Asia and East Asia. There are also Kingdoms under patronage by democratically elected Presidents which are usually in Africa.

The King's family or usually dubbed Royal Families are dignified as such by Their divine authority as the owners of the ruling government, their status as the first inhabitants of the region or by virtue of being the most powerful group of people on the planet.

Other titles usually worn by Kings around the world are Sheikh, Shah, Sultan and Emperor. Their families are Princes, Sheikhs etc.

The richest Kings are located in Thailand, Saudi, Great Britain, UAE and Denmark.

There are also constitutional King's who do not have authority but are still allowed to maintain their prestige as King's by the ruling government replacing them as national authorities.

There are numerous status attributed to them like residing, pretender, usurp, deposed and crown.

Earthquakes

Earthquakes are a naturally occurring disaster occurring around the world. They are prone to areas where 2 tectonic plates collide with each other. Major earthquake areas around the world are California, Indonesia, Japan, China and Iran.

Earthquakes usually cause massive loss of fortune. It takes time for the loss to be recuperated. This is usually done by massive debts taken by governments in terms of bonds to rebuild the destroyed public facilities. The private sector will also be replacing damaged property. New business opportunities will also appear to the region as a new system is developed above the previous one.

Then there are the loss of lives as well as injuries caused by the earthquake.

But there will usually be assistance to the traumatized people in terms of public donations from around the world. The donations are suppose to pay for the food, clothing and health care needed to maintain the distraught population.

The Mariana Trench

The Mariana Trench is the deepest point on the surface of the Earth. The trench is located under the Pacific Ocean off the coast of the Philippines.

It is part of the Izu-Bonin-Mariana Arc which is the boundary between two tectonic plates. The deepest point of the 1,580 mile long trench is 7 miles deep. The pressure of the water at the bottom of the trench is 15,000 psi which is 1,000 times the atmospheric pressure at sea level.

The first expedition to reach the bottom of the trench was in January 1960 by United States Navy Lieutenants Piccard and Walsh using a United States Navy submersible named Trieste.

Although it is super-pressured, there are still life-forms that can survive the bottom of the trench. Among the organisms that can be found here are soft-shelled creatures, scale worms, shrimps, microorganisms and algae.

UNICEF - Anthony Lake

Anthony Lake – Executive Director

On 1 May 2010, Anthony Lake became the sixth Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund, bringing to the position more than 45 years of public service.

Mount Everest

Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain with a height of about 8,900 metres above sea level. It is located on the Himalayan Mountains near the Nepal-China border.

The only organisms that are able to survive here are insects and birds. The terrain is mainly rocky and full of boulders at the foot of the mountain range. Higher above the base of the mountain, the surface of the terrain is covered with snow. This may lead to avalanches happening in the area.

Climbing the mountain is usually done on foot. There are hiking tracks from the nearest township in Nepal all the way up to the top of the mountain. Along the mountain tracks are stations for climbers to take a break from the mountain trekking journey.

The peak of the mountain is usually cold with low oxygen levels in the air. Climbers usually take along a breathing tank so as to not end up grasping for air at higher altitudes while on the extreme journey. It sometimes gets foggy near the peak of the mountain as clouds start to cover the mountain top. This reduces visibility and makes continuing the journey hazardous. There are also other health hazards related to climbing Mount Everest.