Obama flies his personal barber from Chicago to Washington every two weeks

Barack Obama (AFP Photo / Jewel Samad)

TAGS: Obama, USA

No one likes a bad hair day, but who's willing to spend tens of thousands of dollars to avoid ever having one? According to one new report, that’s the kind of pampering fit only for a king — or perhaps the president of the United States of America.

German Public Radio is reporting that US President Barack Obama is so insistent on looking good that he flies his hometown barber, a Chicago, Illinois hairstylist identified only as Zariff, from the Windy City down to the White House every 10 to 14 days. The network says that Zariff has been Obama’s go-to hairstylist going back nearly two decades, dating to even before the current commander-in-chief was an Illinois State Senator.

“We make sure that he looks his best at all time,” Zariff tells the UK’s Daily Mail in a recent interview.

Full report 

SEXY, WEALTHY & SINGLE: The World's Most Eligible Royals.

Getty: Princess Madeleine and her brother, 
Prince Carl Philip of Sweden.

It's been just over a year since Prince William wed Kate Middleton in a lavish and internationally televised ceremony. Even with the most eligible bachelor of the past decade off the market, girls all over the world are still dreaming of their own fairytale weddings. (Grace Kelly, anyone?)

This week is the Queen's Diamond Jubilee–an event celebrating the Queen's 60 years as monarch–where family, friends, and other royals will all gather to honor Queen Elizabeth II.

Prince Harry, Princess Eugenie, and Princess Beatrice will all be there (you can watch them in an exclusive interview by ABC's Katie Couric).

But they don't have to be English. Here are the world's hottest and most eligible royals, ranging from Great Britain all the way to Thailand.

See the most eligible royals in the world >


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Australia is the world's happiest nation: OECD

04:45 AM May 24, 2012 - original report 

SYDNEY - Australia is the world's happiest nation based on criteria including income, jobs, housing and health, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said.

Australia led Norway and the United States, the Paris-based group's Better Life Index showed, when each of 11 categories surveyed in 36 nations is given equal weight.

Life expectancy at birth in Australia is almost 82 years, two years higher than the OECD average, the survey showed. More than 72 per cent of people aged 15 to 64 in Australia have a paid job, above the OECD average of 66 per cent.

Australia was the only major developed nation to avoid the 2009 worldwide recession and the government is aiming to return its budget to surplus in the fiscal year beginning July 1. 

A mining investment boom has spurred hiring and driven the unemployment rate below 5 per cent, even as an elevated currency hurts manufacturing and tourism.

"Australia performs exceptionally well in measures of well-being, as shown by the fact that it ranks among the top countries in a large number of topics in the Better Life Index," the OECD said.

As Europe faces years of fiscal austerity, Australia's budget surplus would make it one of the first developed nations to emerge from an era of red ink caused by the worldwide financial crisis that started in 2008. Bloomberg

Before NATO Summit, Protestors rally, march in Chicago

Published on May 19, 2012 by VOAvideo : Though the NATO Summit starts May 20th, protestors are already filling the streets of the host city, Chicago. VOA's Kane Farabaugh has more on what was originally supposed to be the opening day protest rally of the G8 meeting in the city.

Affluent Greeks moving cash abroad

Published on May 18, 2012 by AlJazeeraEnglish : As analysts start to look at what happens if Greece leaves the euro zone, its wealthier citizens have taken matters into their own hands.

Vast amounts of money are heading to countries elsewhere - to Switzerland and to the UK.

More protest in America by the Occupy Movement against big businesses.

'OWS more Ron Paul revolution than Arab Spring'

Published on May 15, 2012 by RussiaToday ; There's been more protest in America by the Occupy Movement against big businesses. A day of global action has been taking place across the US with organizers claiming countries around the world are rising up in opposition to austerity and corporate greed. For more, RT talks to Jayel Aheram - a former US Marine and Iraq war veteran who's now an anti-war activist and blogger.

Getting to Sustainable Development, Inclusively and Efficiently

Think about this: 1.3 billion people still don’t have access to electricity, a billion go hungry every day, some 900 million still don’t have access to safe, clean drinking water, and more than 2.5 billion lack access to sanitation.

Sustainable development is built on the triple bottom line: economic growth, environmental stewardship, and social development - or prosperity, planet, people. Without careful attention to all three, we cannot create a sustainable world.

In the 25 years since sustainable development was coined as a term, there has been progress, but the pathway to sustainable development must now be more inclusive green growth.

Progress has often come at the expense of our natural wealth. We have destroyed and depleted our natural assets to the point where we run the risk of undermining the precious gains.

At the same time, while globally the planet is flatter and more equitable, within countries the gap between rich and poor has grown unsustainably.

FULL REPORT :

'US big brother role not welcome in Philippines'

Published on Apr 16, 2012 by RussiaToday : Thousands of American and Filipino troops have begun annual military exercises near disputed South China Sea waters. Tension between the Philippines and China has been escalating there for the past two weeks. Demonstrators gathered outside the American embassy in Manila in protest at the war games. Peking University Deputy Principal Jiang XueQin says the US only has its own moves in mind in the region.

Syrian Girl - DeMockracy is a Farce

Uploaded by 108morris108 on 30 Mar 2012 - Our Figureheads of Democracy are just that - they are not really Presidents and Prime Ministers - while Syria has similarities - it is not as bad. We also learn the difference between a Democracy and a Republic.

How the Elite Rule and their Goals

Uploaded by 108morris108 on Mar 15, 2012 - We are given the spin of wars for the resources, but in reality the goals are far more sociological.

The Pentagon Newest Stealth Spy Aircraft Is a Flying Sperm

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AIRPLANES

This is Argus One, the Pentagon's newest unmanned aerial spy. It can carry 30 pounds of high-tech sensors and it just happens to be shaped like a sperm because this shape is better at handling turbulences at high altitudes.

The aircraft was created by the World Surveillance Group for the Pentagon. It's now being tested at an undisclosed test range location. It's designed to be a long term spy, the military's "eyes in the sky" hovering over conflict zones at 10,000 to 20,000 feet.

It's engineering is actually quite ingenious. According to WSG, "the airship's altitude, overall response and handling characteristics and flight control utilizes a system of ballonets contained within each individual module, thereby creating a dynamically adjustable airship." They say this offers several advantages over solid drones:

The Argus One has significant competitive advantages over the existing manned aircraft, heavier-than-air fixed wing UAVs, tethered aerostats and balloons, or low orbit satellite alternatives. The Argus One has a flexible, non-rigid envelope which allows for easy storage and transport to remote locations. There is no need for large hangars or airport infrastructure, as the Argus One can be assembled and tactically launched in hours from virtually anywhere, including remote, mountainous territory.

It also looks funny. [Argus via Defense Tech] Original report

The moon race!

Dark Side of The Moon:

Dark Side of the Moon is a French documentary by director William Karel which ...originally aired on Arte in 2002 with the title Opération Lune. The basic premise for the film is the theory that the television footage from the Apollo 11 Moon landing was faked and actually recorded in a studio by the CIA with help from director Stanley Kubrick. It features some surprising guest appearances, most notably by Donald Rumsfeld, Dr. Henry Kissinger, Alexander Haig, Buzz Aldrin and Stanley Kubrick's widow, Christiane Kubrick. The tone of the documentary begins with low key revelations of NASA working closely with Hollywood at the time of the Moon landings. Over the course of the tale, Karel postulates that not only did Kubrick help the USA fake the moon landings but that he was eventually killed by the CIA to cover up the truth. First hand testimony backing these claims come from Rumsfeld and Dr. Kissinger, which lend credence to the story.

Will the Pursuit of Happiness Make You Happy?

Uploaded by ForaTv on 6 Jan 2012 - Does the pursuit of happiness actually lead to happiness? Stanford business professor Jennifer Aaker reveals surprising data from two studies that may suggest otherwise. 

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 A social psychologist and marketer, Jennifer is the General Atlantic Professor of Marketing at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business. Her research spans time, money, and happiness. She focuses on questions such as: What actually makes people happy, as opposed to what they think makes them happy? How can small acts create infectious action, and how can such effects be fueled by social media? Jennifer's work is widely published in the leading scholarly journals in psychology and marketing, and her work has been featured in a variety of media including The Economist, The New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. Most recently she has co-authored The Dragonfly Effect: Quick Effective Powerful Ways to Harness Social Media for Impact.