Daily Archives: May 26, 2013

Daredevil teeters along highwire 185 metres up in bid to set new world record despite being afraid of heights

Posted on by
Reply

m1Teetering along a highwire suspended between two skyscrapers 185 metres up is really not a good the place to be afraid of heights.

But Austrian daredevil Reinhard Kleindl, pictured here attempting to set a new world record for ‘urban highlining’ above the German city of Frankfurt, admitted he suffers from just that.

Mr Kleindl, 32, used only his arms to balance as he walked twice along a 30-metre-long polyester rope anchored to the two wings of the city’s U-shaped skyscraper Tower 185 above hundreds of cheering supporters.

Kleindl said he was trying to set a new record for walking the highest urban highline, but no one was immediately available from the World Slackline Federation to confirm if this was a new record.
According to Kleindl, the previous record was set by a group of French adrenaline junkies on a line about 120 metres above the ground, between the Les Mercuriales twin towers in Paris, two years ago.

Unlike tightropes, slacklines are not held rigidly taut, making it harder to balance.

Kleindl, who studied particle physics before becoming a professional slackliner, was due to repeat his walk three times during a two-day skyscraper-themed festival that started on Saturday.

m2
m3
m4
m5

Angelina Jolie’s Post-Mastectomy Topless Painting to Be Auctioned for Good Cause

Posted on by
Reply

angelina-jolie-s-post-mastectomy-topless-painting-auctioned-for-good-causeIn the wake of Angelina Jolie‘s inspirational story about her double mastectomy, Swedish artist Johan Andersson known for an acclaimed posthumous portrait of Amy Winehouse crafted an oil painting featuring her topless post the surgery. The portrait will go under the hammer and the money will go to charity.

It is expected to fetch around $22,000. ArtBelow, the gallery selling the painting, says proceeds from the sale will be donated to Falling Whistles to support campaigns for peace in the Congo, “a cause which Angelina Jolie herself is very passionate about.”

Andersson says he could relate to Jolie’s experience because he too lost his mother to cancer. “My mother had aggressive breast cancer when I was 15,” the artist says. “The thought of her having to have a mastectomy really scared me and she was fortunate enough to have surgery without the mastectomy.”

“The recent news about Angelina stirred an anxiety within me leading me to paint this portrait,” he continues. “There is an underlying awkwardness in her demeanor in juxtaposition to the natural beauty of her face.”

 

Sting opens doors of his 16th century estate in Tuscany for weddings and parties . . . but you’ll need a rock star budget to afford it!

Posted on by
Reply

s7Brides who dream of a glitzy rock star-style wedding venue need look no further for the perfect location.

Former Police singer Sting and his wife Trudie Styler have opened up their vast estate in Tuscany for weddings and private parties.

But Sting’s loss of privacy comes at a price –  his six cottages housing 50 guests will cost seven thousand euros (£6,000) a week each to rent.

Up to 200 partygoers will be able to enjoy the 900-acre Italian estate’s attractions which include a large swimming pool, a giant chess board in the garden, bee hives and its own, woods, lake and kitchen garden.
Il Palagio, the couple’s 16th century villa, which is 45 minutes southeast of Florence in the Chianti region, produces wine, olive oil and honey.

Guests will be able to dine in the wine cellar which is lined with ‘enormous ancient barrels’ says the Italian estate agency Immobiliare.

Since buying the run-down estate in 1999, Sting has renovated property and bought more land from the previous owner, Duke Simone Vincenzo Velluti di San Clemente.

Sting’s decision to open the doors of his home to the public may have been prompted by new property tax laws introduced by the hard-pressed Italian government.

Immobiliare spokesman Andrea Polo told the Daily Telegraph: I don’t know how much money you can make selling honey, but with the new tax Sting will have been handed a huge housing tax bill last year.

s1
s2
s3
s4
s5
s6