Muller versus Messi in numbers

On track for a second consecutive adidas Golden Boot, Germany’s Thomas Muller is the leading light in Joachim Low’s side. With his fifth goal of these finals against Brazil, he took his place among a fabulous five of his countrymen (Miroslav Klose, Gerd Muller, Jurgen Klinsmann and Helmut Rahn) to reach double figures at the FIFA World Cup™.

There is one undisputed star for Argentina. The four-time FIFA Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi hopes to take his place among the pantheon of World Cup greats with an Argentina win in the Maracana. Will it be La Albiceleste’s No10 or Die Nationalmannschaft’s No13 who take the honours? FIFA.com takes a look at the numbers behind the stars ahead of their World Cup Final showdown.

HeightThomas Muller: 186cm
Lionel Messi: 169cmMuller towers above Messi, standing at a little over 6ft tall, and he is also above the average height for players at Brazil 2014 (182cm). The diminutive Argentinian maestro famously took growth hormones on his arrival at Barcelona in his early teens, but still grew to just 5ft 7ins. This makes him two inches taller than his idol and Argentina’s last legendary No10 Diego Maradona, who knows all about handling the biggest of pressures despite the shortest of frames. “Is the pressure of carrying the hopes of a nation overpowering?” Maradona asked the Times of India recently. "No-one knows it better than Messi.”

Date of birthThomas Muller: 13 September 1989 (24 years old)
Lionel Messi: 24 June 1987 (27 years old)Incredibly, Muller made his Germany debut just three months before South Africa 2010 kicked off and, at the age of 20, picked up the adidas Golden Boot and Hyundai Young Player Award at that tournament. This time around, he brings a wealth of experience, having won most major trophies in the domestic game with Bayern Munich. Almost three years his senior, Messi is playing at his third World Cup, having made his international debut in 2005. It was widely discussed before Brazil 2014 that Messi, who will turn 31 at the next finals, is in the prime of his career and will never have a better opportunity to truly shine on the global stage.

Squad numberThomas Muller: 13
Lionel Messi: 10Germany’s No13 this year will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of his namesake Gerd, who not only won the Golden Boot but also won the World Cup during his time as the main man in the German line-up. Thomas was handed the jersey after previous incumbent Michael Ballack was injured in the build-up to South Africa 2010. He relished having the shirt on his back, with that adidas Golden Boot in his first global finals. Messi also feels the weight of expectation due to previous occupants of his chosen number. Diego Maradona and the current Albiceleste No10 are the topic of much discussion as to which is the top player to have worn the coveted jersey. Maradona holds the advantage in the eyes of plenty of Argentines due to his World Cup win in 1986. Can Messi match him this year?

Record in Brazil 2014 qualifyingThomas Muller: 4 goals in 10 games
Lionel Messi: 10 goals in 14 gamesGermany scored the highest number of goals in European qualifying, with 36 shared out between ten different scorers. Muller was joined on four goals by Mario Gotze, Miroslav Klose and Andre Schurrle while Marco Reus and Mesut Ozil were the only Germans who scored more than Muller. Messi got the second-highest tally of goals in the entire Brazil 2014 qualifying campaign with only Deon McCaulay, Robin van Persie and Luis Suarez bagging more qualifying strikes than the prolific Barça man. It was no surprise that La Pulgagrabbed a brace in the 5-2 win over Paraguay that saw his side book their ticket to Brazil.

Brazil 2014 goals (up to and including the semi-final)Thomas Muller: 5 
Lionel Messi: 4There was a significantly-sized monkey on Messi’s back going into the tournament. He had not scored a World Cup goal in eight years since his sole strike at the 2006 finals, in which he became the youngest Argentinian World Cup goalscorer. The impatient Maracana crowd watched on in his side’s opening Brazil 2014 game against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Messi delivered after the hour mark, driving past several defenders before smashing in off the post. He then scored one of the most memorable goals of the tournament, a long-range curler which broke down Iran’s stubborn defence. On top of that pair, he grabbed a brace in his side’s final Group F game against Nigeria which included a sublime free-kick.

Muller started with a bang, grabbing a hat-trick in his side’s opening 4-0 victory against Portugal. The devastating attacking performance by Germany set the tone for the rest of the tournament, and Muller was at the forefront, converting a penalty, lashing home a left-footed effort and poking home from close range. He then grabbed the decisive strike in his side’s final Group G match against USA before getting the ball rolling in Belo Horizonte, scoring his side’s first in their 7-1 demolition of Brazil.

Check out the World Cup statistics centre to compare these two, or any other players at the tournament, with detailed comparison analysis, including passes completed and distance covered, at your fingertips.

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Kroos finishes up top of Castrol standings

Toni Kroos is the man in question and his success is a reflection of his impressive body of work over Germany’s seven-match road to glory. Germany were the team with most passes completed at Brazil 2014 – a total of 4,157 – and Kroos’ own individual tally of 537 was surpassed by only one player, his team-mate Philipp Lahm (562).

The 24-year-old may have shone more brightly in other games – the opening victory over Portugal and semi-final rout of Brazil stand out – but on Final night his typically precise set-piece delivery created Germany’s best chance of normal time when Benedikt Howedes headed his corner against the post just before the break. Overall he completed 94 of 114 passes attempted in the eventual 1-0 triumph over Argentina – a number bettered only by Bastian Schweinsteiger and Lahm – and ran 14.3km. Again, only two players – the excellent Schweinsteiger and Thomas Muller – posted higher totals.

Kroos is one of three Germany players in the final top ten with Mats Hummels fourth and Muller fifth. Muller owes his place to his five goals – and one outstanding display against Portugal – while Hummels scored twice and was at the heart of a German defence that conceded only four goals in seven outings.

Oranje trio

The Netherlands are the other team with three players in the top ten following their success in securing third place with Saturday’s 3-0 victory over Brazil, and it is no surprise to see Arjen Robben – one of this FIFA World Cup’s most consistently dangerous forwards – in second place.

Robben’s highest-scoring games may have come earlier in the competition – when he found the net against Spain and Australia – but nobody ran at defenders with the same success as the Bayern Munich winger. The Castrol statistics show that Robben had 19 solo runs into opposition penalty areas – ten more than the second-ranked Muller. Only Lionel Messi, meanwhile, managed more deliveries into the box (26) than Robben’s 19, while only Messi and Alexis Sanchez drew more tackles.

The two other Oranje players featured are Stefan de Vrij in third and Ron Vlaar in tenth. Both played important roles in a three-man Dutch rearguard which earned four clean sheets. Indeed Vlaar, who played so well against Argentina in the semi-final, made more attempted clearances than any other player in Brazil – 29, with a success rate of 87% – while De Vrij managed more recovered balls (58) than anybody else.

South American stars

The highest-placed player from beaten finalists Argentina is left-back Marcos Rojo in ninth. The Sporting Clube de Portugal defender contributed manfully to a superb defensive effort in Brazil by La Albiceleste which – if ultimately unrewarded – brought a national-team record of 485 minutes without conceding for goalkeeper Sergio Romero prior to the heartache of Mario Gotze’s late strike in Rio.

Rojo’s work rate up and down the left flank was illustrated by the fact he covered 14.089km in the final – which, among his team-mates, was bettered only by Lucas Biglia. He recovered more balls (46) over Argentina's seven matches than any other player in Alejandro Sabella’s squad and also contributed going forward with his passing and crossing into the box. As for his captain Messi, the adidas Golden Ball winner finished in 11th place in the Index; the Barcelona man scored four goals but none after the group stage and did not make the impact he would have wished for on the semi-final or final matches.

Hosts Brazil ended up in fourth place and they are represented in the top ten by Oscar and Thiago Silva, who sit seventh and eighth respectively. Only two players made more defensive blocks than Thiago Silva’s seven, while Oscar scored two goals and – strange as it seems – finished as the player who made most tackles (11) in the entire tournament according to Castrol’s statistics.

It is a measure of Karim Benzema’s impact in a France shirt, finally, that he remains in the top ten in sixth place, despite his side’s quarter-final elimination. He was the player with most shots on target – 25, of which three were goals.

The final top ten is as follows: 
Toni Kroos, Germany (9.79); Arjen Robben, Netherlands (9.74); Stefan de Vrij, Netherlands (9.7); Mats Hummels, Germany (9.66); Thomas Muller, Germany (9.63); Karim Benzema, France (9.6); Oscar, Brazil (9.57); Thiago Silva, Brazil (9.54); Marcos Rojo, Argentina (9.51); Ron Vlaar, Netherlands (9.48).

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Klose considers Germany future

Miroslav Klose, finally a FIFA World Cup™ winner at the fourth time of asking, will decide over the coming days whether he wants to continue playing for Germany.

Twelve years after tasting defeat in the final in Yokohama, Klose took home his first World Cup winner's medal on Sunday night after Germany beat Argentina 1-0 after extra-time. Klose earned a standing ovation in the 88th minute when he made way for Germany's match-winner Mario Gotze.

Having become the leading World Cup scorer of all time in Brazil, now seems a poignant time for the 36-year-old to call it a day, but he may yet carry on.

"I do not know yet if I will go on with the national team," said the striker, who scored his 16th World Cup goal in the 7-1 win over Brazil. "I'll take a couple of nights to sleep on it and then make the right decision."

I'll take a couple of nights to sleep on it and then make the right decision.

Miroslav Klose, Germany forward

The celebrations for Klose and his team-mates began straight after the final whistle and an hour later some of the players formed a merry conga as they filed past the media and out of the stadium with beer in hand. On Tuesday, a huge party will be thrown in Berlin when the squad lands on home soil.

Lazio striker Klose made his World Cup bow in Japan and Korea in 2002, where he reached the final before losing 2-0 to Brazil. Four years later he won the Golden Boot but Germany only made the semi-finals on home soil, losing to Italy thanks to two very late extra-time goals.

Four years ago Klose took home a second third-place honour but he can now add a medal he really savours to his collection.

"This is outstanding, it crowns everything," he said."We finished second once, were third twice, but this is world-class. I can hardly comprehend it. It was always a dream to be up there (getting the trophy) and not just having to stand around and have to applaud others. The team's performances were important, we wanted to keep our calm because we knew we had the better quality to win it."

Just like coach Joachim Low, Germany's all-time record scorer always knew Gotze had the ability to win the tight match in the Maracana: "Before Mario came on for me, I said to him 'You can make it happen'," Klose revealed.

Bastian Schweinsteiger also has two medals for third place but now he knows how it feels to lift the World Cup too. The 29-year-old epitomised Germany's tireless and industrious attitude in midfield. The Bayern Munich man also ended the match with a nasty cut underneath his right eye following an aerial clash with Sergio Aguero. He believes the fact that two substitutes combined to set up Germany's goal showed how strong their squad is.

"I've never been in a team that has so much power off the bench," he said. "That is the reason why we won the World Cup. We're going to enjoy the moment now. It's incredible. I would like to thank all of Germany for the support. We have felt that support here."

Germany's next target is to dominate world football for years, as Spain did by winning three major trophies in succession.

The potential is there for Germany, sporting had one of the youngest squads in Brazil, and they were also without potential stars like Marco Reus, Ilkay Gundogan and twins Lars and Sven Bender through injury.

"We all had an incredible cohesion since the preparation camp, and we even had a few setbacks when we lost players like (Lars) Bender and Marco Reus," goalkeeper Manuel Neuer said. "But they are also world champions. The whole of Germany is world champion. It's unbelievable. It is a great experience."

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Dutch proved Messi can be shackled - Flick

Hansi Flick and Joachim Loew

The German camp were keen observers of Wednesday's World Cup semifinal between Argentina and the Netherlands, and watched with interest as the Dutch defenders were able to subdue Lionel Messi for most of the game.

Hansi Flick, Joachim Loew's assistant coach, also said on Thursday that while the German players realised they go into Sunday's final as favourites they know that the tag is meaningless in a World Cup final.

"All the players and coaching staff had a great time together watching the match last night, and obviously we saw the way Netherlands were able to keep Messi in check," Flick told reporters at the team's training base.

Flick declined to reveal how Germany might go about keeping the four-times World Player of the Year quiet at Rio de Janeiro's Maracana.

"We've played a lot of matches against Argentina in the past," he said. "And we've also got a plan. But we're not going to reveal that here to you."

Right back Benedikt Hoewedes, who helped Germany stop Cristiano Ronaldo in their 4-0 opening win over Portugal, said it was important to swarm Messi and not get caught one-on-one.

"Messi is a fantastic player, one of the best in the world, but so was Ronaldo," said Hoewedes. "We've got to work as a collective against him because we're not going to be able to beat him one-on-one.

"When we play together tightly even a great player like Messi will have a hard time. If we can defend decently as a team we'll contain him."

Germany have made it to two of the last four World Cup finals but have not won the title sinceWest Germany beat Argentina in 1990.

"We know that we're considered the favourites," said Hoewedes. "The team is clever enough to avoid being led astray by that tag. We're not going to let any external factors distract us."

Even though Germany knocked out the hosts in their 7-1 semifinal victory on Tuesday, Flick said the team hoped home fans would cheer for them in Sunday's final against Brazil's arch-rivalsArgentina.

"All of us are hoping for support from the Brazilians," he said. "I thought it was a wonderful gesture the way Brazilians celebrated for us on the journey home to Santo Andre on Wednesday night. All along the way there were Brazilians cheering us. It was really fantastic."

While Germany's celebrations after their massive win over Brazil in Belo Horizonte appeared muted, Flick dismissed suggestions the team would lack emotion on Sunday.

"It's not that we want to go into the match without any emotion at all," Flick added. "We know full well what it means to play in a World Cup final. But it's important to we maintain the disciple and react smart tactically.

"That's the line we're taking."

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Blame the whole team not Luiz – Mourinho

 Chelsea Coach Jose Murinho has moved to silence those blaming Captain of the night and Brazil center half David Luiz for the embarrassing defeat the host suffered in the hands of Germany.

The Selecao were hammered 7-1 by Germany in last night semifinal clash at Belo Horizonte which was the worst ever defeat that Brazil has ever witnessed and with fingers pointing on the hapless defense that crumbled within the first thirty minutes.

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Mathematics: Why the brain sees maths as beauty

Brain scans show a complex string of numbers
and letters in mathematical formulae can evoke
the same sense of beauty as artistic
masterpieces and music from the greatest
composers.
Mathematicians were shown "ugly" and
"beautiful" equations while in a brain scanner at
University College London.
The same emotional brain centres used to
appreciate art were being activated by "beautiful"
maths.
The researchers suggest there may be a
neurobiological basis to beauty.
The likes of Euler's identity or the Pythagorean
identity are rarely mentioned in the same breath
as the best of Mozart, Shakespeare and Van
Gogh.
The study in the journal Frontiers in Human
Neuroscience gave 15 mathematicians 60 formula
to rate.
One of the researchers, Prof Semir Zeki, told the
BBC: "A large number of areas of the brain are
involved when viewing equations, but when one
looks at a formula rated as beautiful it activates
the emotional brain - the medial orbito-frontal
cortex - like looking at a great painting or
listening to a piece of music."
The more beautiful they rated the formula, the
greater the surge in activity detected during the
fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging)
scans.
"Neuroscience can't tell you what beauty is, but if
you find it beautiful the medial orbito-frontal
cortex is likely to be involved, you can find beauty
in anything," he said.
A thing of great beauty
Euler's identity: Does it get better than this?
To the untrained eye there may not be much
beauty in Euler's identity, but in the study it was
the formula of choice for mathematicians.
It is a personal favourite of Prof David Percy from
the Institute of Mathematics and its
Applications .
He told the BBC: "It is a real classic and you can
do no better than that.
"It is simple to look at and yet incredibly
profound, it comprises the five most important
mathematical constants - zero (additive identity),
one (multiplicative identity), e and pi (the two
most common transcendental numbers) and i
(fundamental imaginary number).
"It also comprises the three most basic
arithmetic operations - addition, multiplication
and exponentiation.
"Given that e, pi and i are incredibly complicated
and seemingly unrelated numbers, it is amazing
that they are linked by this concise formula.
"At first you don't realise the implications it's a
gradual impact, perhaps as you would with a
piece of music and then suddenly it becomes
amazing as you realise its full potential."
He said beauty was a source of "inspiration and
gives you the enthusiasm to find out about
things".
The hugely influential theoretical physicist Paul
Dirac said: "What makes the theory of relativity
so acceptable to physicists in spite of its going
against the principle of simplicity is its great
mathematical beauty. This is a quality which
cannot be defined, any more than beauty in art
can be defined, but which people who study
mathematics usually have no difficulty in
appreciating."
Mathematician and professor for the public
understanding of science, Marcus du Sautoy, said
he "absolutely" found beauty in maths and it
"motivates every mathematician".
He said he loved a "small thing [mathematician
Pierre de] Fermat did". He showed that any prime
number that could be divided by four with a
remainder of one was also the sum of two square
numbers.
So 41 is a prime, can be divided by four with one
left over and is 25 (five squared) plus 16 (four
squared).
"So if it has remainder one it can always be
written as two square numbers - there's
something beautiful about that.
"It's unexpected why should the two things
[primes and squares] have anything to do with
each other, but as the proof develops you start to
see the two ideas become interwoven like in a
piece of music and you start to see they come
together.
He said it was the journey not the final proof that
was exciting "like in a piece of music it's not
enough to play the final chord".
He said this beauty of maths was missing from
schools and yet amazing things could be shown
with even primary school mathematical ability.
In the study, mathematicians rated Srinivasa
Ramanujan's infinite series and Riemann's
functional equation as the ugliest of the formulae.

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Malaria: 57% of African population live in high-risk infection a

In 2010, 90% of all malaria deaths occurred in populations living in the African region of the World Health Organization. Although the past 10 years have seen major investments in malaria control in Africa, new research suggests that almost 60% of the population continue to live in moderate- and high-risk infection areas.
This is according to a study recently published in The Lancet.
To reach their findings, researchers from the Kenya Medical Research Institute, the World Health Organization (WHO) Office for Africa, and the University of Oxford in the UK analyzed data from 26,746 community-based surveys of parasite prevalence since 1980.
The surveys included 3,575,418 people from 44 malaria-endemic countries and territories in Africa.
Using this data, the investigators estimated the proportion of the population aged between 2 and 10 years who were infected with varying levels of a malaria-causing parasite called Plasmodium falciparum across Africa between 2000 and 2010.
The researchers note that 1998 saw the launch of the Roll Back Malaria initiative. This is a global framework that aims to protect vulnerable populations against malaria.
The team wanted to see how this initiative had impacted malaria control in Africa from 2000 up to a decade later.

Increase of population in moderate- to high-infection areas

The researchers found that between 2000 and 2010, the estimated number of people living in areas with high malaria transmission reduced by 16%, from 218.6 million to 183.5 million.
However, the number of people living in areas deemed as moderate- to high-risk of infection increased by 57%, from 178.6 million in 2000 to 280.1 million in 2010.
The researchers point out that a part of this increase is attributable to population growth. There are now 200 million more people living in malaria-endemic regions of Africa than there were in 2000.
The research team also found that the number of people living in very low-risk areas increased by 64% over the 10-year period, from 78.2 million to 128.2 million, with four countries (Cape Verde, Eritrea, South Africa and Ethiopia) demonstrating malaria transmission levels that indicate realistic malaria elimination.

Continued support for malaria control needed

However, the investigators say it is a concern that the number of people living in moderate- to high-risk infection areas has increased.
They point out that just 10 countries account for 87.1% of these people, and three of these countries are not a part of the WHO Malaria Situation Room - a worldwide joint initiative that aims to provide support to the 10 countries with the highest malaria burden in Africa.
Dr. Abdisalan Mohamed Noor, of the Kenya Medical Research Institute-Wellcome Trust Research Program and co-author of the study, notes that the international community has heavily invested in malaria control over the past 13 years.
In 2000, worldwide malaria control investment stood at around $100 million. In 2013, it almost reached the $3 billion mark. But the researchers stress that although this study shows some successes of joint initiatives, further support is needed.
They write:

"In a period of global economic recession, these results emphasize the need for continued support for malaria control, not only to sustain the gains that have been made, but also to accelerate the reduction in transmission intensity where it still remains high.
If investments in malaria are not sustained, hundreds of millions of Africans run the risk of rebound transmission, with catastrophic consequences."

In a comment piece linked to the study, Prof. Brian Greenwood, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in the UK, and Dr. Kwado Koram, of the Noguchi Memorial Institute of Medical Research in Ghana, agree that more could be done to improve malaria control in high-risk countries.
"However," they add, "a focus on elimination must not result in a reduction in support for development of new methods (drugs, insecticides, vaccines and new approaches to vector control), and improved delivery methods, which will be needed in large areas of sub-Saharan Africa before malaria transmission can be reduced to the level at which elimination becomes a credible prospect."

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How a New Software Program Can Bring the World Together

James lives in Hawaii and his mother lives in Korea.  James speaks English (he never learned Korean), and his mom only speaks Korean.  They communicate perfectly.
Elad lives in Israel. His grandmother lives in Austria. Elad speaks no German and his Grandmother speaks no Hebrew.  They communicate perfectly.
Enrique is from Honduras, but he lives in the U.S.  Enrique just started learning English and speaks very little. But, everyday Enrique reads the latest local US news on the Web, with no problem.
What these individuals (and close to 60 million others around the world) share, is a remarkable, free software program called Babylon.
Babylon may well be the most advanced translation software in the world, and it's a must-have for anyone whose life extends beyond the borders of their own language--or those who want it to.
Once you download it, you can highlight any text in practically any program, and its instantly translated into the language of your choice.   You can use it to translate a website, email, word doc, pdf, and virtually any document in any format you can think of.
You can compose a document in your native language, and Babylon will instantly translate it into another before you send it.
The program translates 75 languages, including: Spanish, Mandarin, Arabic, Hindu, and Russian.  It also includes up-to-date encyclopedias, dictionaries, and spell checkers.
Babylon is a long way from early translation software that would, more often than not, generate an unreadable babble of grammatically incoherent text that was better suited for generating laughs than comprehension.  Babylon's ability to understand and translate is state-of-the art.  In fact, businesses are adopting Babylon as the standard when it comes to translating commercial communications and other important documents.
Babylon is also a great tool for people who are learning another language.  Use it anytime you encounter a word or passage you don't understand.
What users rave about most is the program's ability to open up a different world to them. Whether it's surfing a news site in a different country, or being able to properly communicate with a family member or friend oversees, Babylon can make it happen.

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PAUL WALKER BIOGRAPHY

Quick Facts

• NAME: Paul Walker
• OCCUPATION: Film Actor, Television Actor
• BIRTH DATE: September 12, 1973
• DEATH DATE: November 30, 2013
• PLACE OF BIRTH: Glendale, California
• PLACE OF DEATH: Santa Clarita, California
• Full Name: Paul William Walker IV
• AKA: Paul

• Born in California in 1973, Paul Walker made his big-screen debut in the 1986 horror spoof Monster in Your Closet. After appearing in several television shows in the 1990s, including Charles in Charge, Who's the Boss? and The Young and the Restless, Walker gained attention with a role in the 1999 film Varsity Blues, and his TV days were officially behind him. After working in teen movies such as She's All That and The Skulls,
  Walker got his breakthrough role in 2001 with The Fast and the Furious, which would become his star vehicle and keep him busy through four sequels and a short prequel. The Fast and the Furious franchise established Walker as an action-film mainstay, and he went on to appear in several films in the genre, including Takers, Hours and Vehicle 19. Walker died in a car accident on November 30, 2013, at age 40.

  Early Years

  Born on September 12, 1973, in Glendale, California, Paul Walker appeared in front of the camera at a young age, modeling and acting in television shows such as Charles in Charge, Highway to Heaven and Who's the Boss. In 1986, he made his film debut in the horror spoof Monster in the Closet while also landing a recurring role on TV's Throb.
  
  After high school, Walker attended various California community colleges, but he dove into acting full-time in 1993, taking a role in the soap opera The Young and the Restless. After a handful of TV guest roles and the lead in Tammy and the T-Rex, Walker starred in the family comedy Meet the Deedles and left his TV career behind for good.
  
  Walker's next role was a big one for his career: He appeared opposite Reese Witherspoon in the critically acclaimed, high-concept Pleasantville. From that point on, Walker found himself in starring roles in such late-1990s films as She's All That, Varsity Blues and The Skulls—all pitched at a teen audience which helped turn Walker into a heartthrob.
  

  The Role of a Lifetime

  In 2001, Walker's career hit overdrive when he landed a leading role alongside up-and-comer Vin Diesel in The Fast and the Furious. A film that paid homage to road films of the 1970s, The Fast and the Furious brought Walker to new heights of fame on the way to box-office receipts of more than $200 million.
  
  Two years later, the franchise was back with its first sequel, 2 Fast 2 Furious, and Walker was again along for the ride. The film's gross was even larger than the first, and a bona fide hit series was under way. Walker then appeared in a few more action-oriented movies, including Timeline (2003), Into the Blue (2005) and Running Scared (2006), while also signing on to appear in the ensemble drama Noel (2004) and the children's adventure movie Eight Below (2006).
  Walker also showed his range as an actor in the 2006 war drama Flags of Our Fathers, directed by Clint Eastwood. He continued to take on more action movie roles in The Death and Life of Bobby Z (2007), Takers (2010) and Fast Five (2011)—the third installment of the Fast and Furious franchise.
  In 2012, Walker signed on to film The Fast and the Furious 6 (2013), keeping the series' momentum going.
  While not filming, Walker was active in Reach Out Worldwide, a nonprofit organization he formed in 2010 to bring aid to regions devastated by natural disasters.
  

  Tragic Death

  Walker died in a car accident on November 30, 2013 at the age of 40. Walker was in Santa Clarita, California to attend a charity event for Reach Out Worldwide to benefit victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. He was reportedly in the passenger seat of a Porsche when his friend who was driving lost control, crashing the vehicle into a tree. The car was engulfed in flames and both individuals were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.
  At the time of his death, Walker was working on two upcoming films: Brick Mansions and Fast & Furious 7, both slated to be released in 2014.

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How to Lose Weight as Fast as Possible With Zero Hunger

There are many ways to lose a lot of weight in a short amount of time.
However, most of them require you to be hungry and unsatisfied.
If you don’t have iron willpower, then hunger will cause you to give up on these plans quickly.
The method I’m about to describe will:

• Kill your appetite.
• Make you lose weight fast, without being hungry.
• Improve your health at the same time.

Rule 1 – Eliminate Sugars and Starches

The most important part is to remove sugars and starches (carbs) from your diet.
These are the foods that stimulate secretion of insulin the most. If you didn’t know already, insulin is the main fat storage hormone in the body.
When insulin goes down, fat has an easier time getting out of the fat stores and the body starts burning fats instead of carbs.
Another benefit of lowering insulin is that your kidneys shed excess sodium and water out of your body, which reduces bloat and unnecessary water weight (1, 2).
It is not uncommon to lose up to 10 pounds (sometimes more) in the first week of eating this way, both body fat and water weight.
This is a graph from a study comparing low-carb and low-fat diets in overweight/obese women (3).

The low-carb group is eating until fullness, while the low-fat group is calorie restricted and hungry.
Cut the carbs, lower your insulin and you will start to eat less calories automatically and without hunger (4).
Put simply, lowering your insulin puts fat loss on “autopilot.”

Bottom Line: Removing sugars and starches (carbs) from your diet will lower your insulin levels, kill your appetite and make you lose weight without hunger.

Rule 2 – Eat Protein, Fat and Vegetables

Each one of your meals should include a protein source, a fat source and low-carb vegetables. Constructing your meals in this way will automatically bring your carb intake into the recommended range of 20-50 grams per day.

Protein Sources:

• Meat – Beef, chicken, pork, lamb, bacon, etc.
• Fish and Seafood – Salmon, trout, shrimps, lobsters, etc.
• Eggs – Omega-3 enriched or pastured eggs are best.

Protein is the macronutrient that contributes most to fullness and eating adequate protein can raise your metabolism (5).
Low-Carb Vegetables:

• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Spinach
• Kale
• Brussels Sprouts
• Cabbage
• Swiss Chard
• Lettuce
• Cucumber
• Cellery
• Full list here.

Don’t be afraid to load your plate with these low-carb vegetables. You can eat massive amounts of them without going over 20-50 net carbs per day.
The vegetables and the meat contain all the fiber, vitamins and minerals you need to be healthy. There is no physiological need for grains in the diet.
Fat Sources:

• Coconut Oil
• Butter
• Olive Oil
• Lard
• Tallow

Eat 2-3 meals per day. If you find yourself hungry in the afternoon, add a 4th meal.
Don’t be afraid of eating fat, trying to do both low-carb AND low-fat at the same time is a recipe for failure. It will make you feel miserable and abandon the plan.
The best cooking fat to use is coconut oil. It is rich in fats called Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs). These fats are more fulfilling than others and can boost metabolism slightly (6, 7).
There is no reason to fear these natural fats, new studies show that saturated fat doesn’t raise your heart disease risk at all (8, 9).
To see how you can assemble your meals, check out this low carb meal plan and this list of low carb recipes.

Bottom Line: Assemble each meal out of a protein source, a fat source and a low-carb vegetable. This will put you into the 20-50 gram carb range and drastically lower your insulin levels.

Rule 3 – Exercise 3-4 Times Per Week

You don’t need to exercise to lose weight on this plan, but it is recommended.
The best option is to go to the gym 3-4 times a week. Do a warm up, lift weights, then stretch.
If you’re new to the gym, ask a trainer for some advice.
By lifting weights, you will burn a few calories and prevent your metabolism from slowing down, which is a common side effect of losing weight (10, 11).
Studies on low-carb diets show that you can even gain a bit of muscle while losing significant amounts of body fat (12).
If lifting weights is not an option for you, then doing some easier cardio workouts like running, jogging, swimming or walking will suffice.

Bottom Line: It is best to do some sort of resistance training like weight lifting. If that is not an option, cardio workouts work too.

Optional – Do a “Carb Re-feed” Once Per Week

You can take one day “off” per week where you eat more carbs. Many people prefer Saturday.
It is important to try to stick to healthier carb sources like oats, rice, quinoa, potatoes, sweet potatoes, fruits, etc.
But only this one higher carb day, if you start doing it more often than once per week then you’re not going to see much success on this plan.
If you must have a cheat meal and eat something unhealthy, then do it on this day.
Be aware that cheat meals or carb refeeds are NOT necessary, but they can up-regulate some fat burning hormones like leptin and thyroid hormones (12, 13).
You will gain some weight during your re-feed day, but most of it will be water weight and you will lose it again in the next 1-2 days.

Bottom Line: Having one day of the week where you eat more carbs is perfectly acceptable, although not necessary.

What About Calories and Portion Control?

It is NOT necessary to count calories as long as you keep the carbs very low and stick to protein, fat and low-carb vegetables.
However, if you really want to, then use this calculator (opens in new window).
Enter your details, then pick the number from either the “Fat Loss” or the “Extreme Fat Loss” section – depending on how fast you want to lose.
There are many calorie counters you can use to track the amount of calories you are eating. I like Cron-O-Meter – it is free and easy to use.
The main goal is to keep carbs under 20-50 grams per day and get the rest of your calories from protein and fat.

Bottom Line: It is not necessary to count calories to lose weight on this plan. It is most important to strictly keep your carbs in the 20-50 gram range.

Other Weight Loss Tips to Make Things Easier (and Faster)

Pretty much all you have to do is to stick to the three rules:

1. Eliminate high-carb foods.
2. Eat Protein, Fat and Veggies.
3. Exercise 3-4 times per week.

However, there are a few other tips that you may find useful if you want to speed things up even further.
None of these are old wives’ tales, they all have scientific evidence to back them up.
Drink Water, Coffee or Tea: Satisfy your thirst with water. If you’re a coffee or a tea drinker, then by all means drink as much as you want as both can raise your metabolism slightly (14, 15).
Use Smaller Plates: Studies show that people automatically eat less when they use smaller plates. Strange, but it works (16).
Sleep Like a Baby: Poor sleep is associated with weight gain and obesity, taking care of your sleep is important (17).
Reduce Stress: Being stressed can elevate the stress hormone cortisol, which can cause fat accumulation in the belly (18).

Bottom Line: It is most important to stick to the three rules, but there are a few other things you can do to speed things up.

You Will Become a “Fat Burning Beast”

You can expect to lose 3-10 pounds of weight (sometimes more) in the first week, then consistent weight loss after that.
I can personally lose 3-4 lbs per week for a few weeks when I do this strictly.
If you’re new to dieting, then things will probably happen quickly. The more weight you have to lose, the faster you will lose it.
For the first few days, you might feel a bit strange. Your body has been burning carbs for all these years, it can take time for it to get used to burning fat instead.
It is called the “low carb flu” and is usually over within a few days. For me it takes 3. Adding some sodium to your diet can help with this, such as dissolving a bouillon cube in a cup of hot water and drinking it.
After that, most people report feeling very good, positive and energetic. At this point you will officially have become a “fat burning beast.”
Despite the decades of anti-fat hysteria, the low-carb diet also improves your health in many other ways:

• Blood Sugar tends to go way down on low-carb diets (19, 20).
• Triglycerides tend to go down (21, 22).
• Small, dense LDL (the bad) Cholesterol goes down (23, 24).
• HDL (the good) cholesterol goes up (25).
• Blood pressure improves significantly (26, 27).
• To top it all of, low-carb diets appear to be easier to follow than low-fat diets.

Bottom Line: You can expect to lose a lot of weight, but it depends on the person how quickly it will happen. Low-carb diets also improve your health in many other ways.

You Don’t Need to Starve Yourself to Lose Weight

If you have a medical condition then talk to your doctor before making changes because this plan can reduce your need for medication.
By reducing carbs and lowering insulin levels, you change the hormonal environment and make your body and brain “want” to lose weight.
This leads to drastically reduced appetite and hunger, eliminating the main reason that most people fail with conventional weight loss methods.
This is proven to make you lose about 2-3 times as much weight as a typical low-fat, calorie restricted diet (28, 29, 30).
Another great benefit for the impatient folks is that the initial drop in water weight can lead to a big difference on the scale as early as the next morning.
Here are a few examples of low-carb meals that are simple, delicious and can be prepared in under 10 minutes: 7 Healthy Low-Carb Meals in 10 Minutes or Less.

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"Daydreamer"

Daydreamer
Sitting on the sea
Soaking up the sun
He is a real lover
Of making up the past
And feeling up his girl
Like he's never felt her figure before

A jaw dropper
Looks good when he walks
Is the subject of their talk
He would be hard to chase
But good to catch
And he could change the world
With his hands behind his back, oh

You can find him sittin' on your doorstep
Waiting for a surprise
And he will feel like he's been there for hours
And you can tell that he'll be there for life

Daydreamer
With eyes that make you melt
He lends his coat for shelter
Plus he's there for you
When he shouldn't be
But he stays all the same
Waits for you
Then sees you through

There's no way I
Could describe him
What I'll say is
Just what I'm hoping for

But I will find him sittin' on my doorstep
Waiting for a surprise
And he will feel like he's been there for hours
And I can tell that he'll be there for life
And I can tell that he'll be there for life

Read More

Washington 'pot shops' hit by shortage on first day of sales

Cannabis City owner James Lathrop gestures as he stands in the middle of his shop days before opening

Continue reading the main story

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Legal marijuana sales in the western US state of Washington have begun amid a shortage of the drug in the state.

State officials told licensed pot shops they could open at 8:00 local time but only a few are expected to have marijuana to sell on Tuesday.
The shortage comes as fewer than 100 people of more than 2,600 who applied for a growing licence were approved.
Washington and Colorado voters legalised the possession and sale of the drug in November 2012.
Colorado's marijuana stores opened for business on 1 January.
An Associated Press survey of 25 licensed Washington cannabis dealers found only six were expected to open on Tuesday, including one in the largest city of Seattle.

Only a fraction of the growers who applied for licences were approved

Others planned to open later in the week, while some shops said it would be at least a month before they had marijuana to sell.
In Bellingham, Top Shelf Cannabis investor John Evich told the Associated Press news agency they were "pretty stoked" to be open on the first day of sales.
"We haven't had any sleep in a long time, but we're excited for the next step," Mr Evich said.
The store told the Seattle Times early on Tuesday they initially saw fewer people than expected. Their first customers were from Kansas.
Washington officials eventually expect about 300 licensed shops to open.
More than 2,600 people applied to become licensed growers in Washington, but fewer than 100 have been approved.
And as of early this month, only about a dozen growers had crops ready to harvest.
The shortage is expected to raise prices to at least $25 (£15) a gram, the Associated Press news agency reports.

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