Sharapova Wins Again

Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova won her second WTA Tour title this month, rallying past Alicia Molik of Australia 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 Saturday in the Qatar Open final.

Sharapova, seeded second, captured her ninth career title. She won the Tokyo Open this month, then took two weeks off to recover from the flu.

Dream Awake by The Frames

Dream Awake - The Frames

There's a point in all your dreaming, to every time mean has just deserves, and every time i caught you leaving..

i had to dream awake..

and for every time i came home screaming, and got sent away, with no warmin at all,

i had to dream awake..

there's a calling, a calling, a calling,, to everyone, who lost something.

and who had to dream awake.

there's a fight were not concending, where we have to the words get mixed, and the point is lost where we have to dream awake.

so take us under now.. take us over now..

there's a warning, a warming, a warning, to everyone, who found something..

They're Back!!!

Yes, American Idol with it's three judges get serious this week with three shows. The Guys sang last night and tonight it's the Girls. Results of the sing-offs are tomorrow night.

The Simple Life

 

Nicole and Paris

Moscow in the Snow

 

Pedestrians pass by the Kremlin in Moscow late on Valentine's Day with some of the Red Square landmarks in the background. From right: St. Basil's Cathedral, Kremlin's Spaaakaya (Savior) and Tsarskaya (Czar's) towers. From: Mikhail Metzel/AP

Fauquier County, Virginia - huh?

The Top 10 Progressive Farmer magazine has tapped 10 counties as the "best places to live in rural America": 1. Fauquier County, Va. 2. Oconee County, Ga. 3. McPherson County, Kan. 4. Callaway County, Mo. 5. Grafton County, N.H. 6. Gillespie County, Tex. 7. Sauk County, Wis. 8. Wilson County, Tenn. 9. Eagle County, Colo. 10. Rankin County, Miss. Fauquier's Prize Comes With a Price By Stephanie McCrummenWashington Post Staff Writer Out in Fauquier County, the news was greeted with earnest pride, a smattering of scoffs and faint feelings of dread. The rolling, green bastion of cattle farms and horse shows, Warners and Mellons -- more recently discovered by country-life-seeking suburbanites, Starbucks and the International House of Pancakes -- was ranked the best place to live in"Rural, proud of it and trying to stay that way," the article began. "With equestrian activities around every corner, no wonder Fauquier is attractive." Accompanying photos included a winery and action from the Gold Cup steeplechase, but not, for instance, the Wal-Mart and Outback Steakhouse, which opened recently and which some longtime residents fear are more accurate, if less pastoral, signs of the county's future. "Hmmm," said Keith Dickinson, agricultural extension agent for the county, choosing his words carefully. "I think most folks were surprised when they heard about it. I'm sure the tourism folks really love it. But I think for most people, it's the 'trying to stay that way' part that is the primary concern." In recent years, the sort of grand-scale suburban development that has pervaded Loudoun and Prince William counties has crossed the border into Fauquier, which traditionally has prided itself on its efforts to preserve farms and open space and such rarefied pursuits as fox hunting. While farmland in counties closer to Washington has become front lawns or open space suitable for dog walking, Fauquier has preserved about 65,000 agricultural acres, about 15 percent of the county, through various conservation programs. For more read here...

Happy Valentine's Day

Don't forget that someone specail on Valentine's Day. Give Love - Give Godiva Chocolate!!! Order some here...

Bloco da Lama

 

Members of the traditonal "Bloco da Lama" (Block of the Mud) at Jabaquara Beach in Paraty, Brazil.

This week during carnival people dress up as caveman, cover themselves with mud and parade through the streets. The sulphurous mud is suspose to make the skin healthy and beautiful.

Washington Number 1!!!

From The Washington Post
Attention, men on the make: The Washington-Baltimore area is the No. 1 place to find rich, single women, according to a new survey by Teasley, a Manhattan marketing firm. New York and Boston came in second and third, respectively.

Now That's Entertainment

NEW YORK (AP) -- Nobody, but nobody was worried when Paul McCartney stripped off his jacket midway through his halftime performance at the Super Bowl. All he revealed was a long-sleeved red shirt. Nothing malfunctioned. And if he wore any nipple jewelry, he mercifully kept it to himself. NFL officials wanted a safe halftime show after last year's Janet Jackson fiasco, and McCartney delivered. It was sweet nostalgia for the people stunned by Jackson's MTV-produced spectacle, if a bit off-putting for the kids: Each of his four songs was more than 30 years old. Surely you recall last year's climax to a body-shaking, crotch-grabbing festival: Justin Timberlake yanking part of Jackson's top off to reveal her bare breast to some 90 million viewers. McCartney's stage set -- a giant cross of video boards on the stadium floor with the singer at the center -- was visually arresting, although it made his opening song, ``Drive My Car,'' look like one of the broadcast's dozens of auto commercials. McCartney's theatrical James Bond theme ``Live and Let Die'' was a perfect backdrop for a stadium fireworks show. The lights, placards and video images also made ``Hey Jude'' a sight to see, although it was odd to see the red, white and blue placards co-opt one of the original British musical invaders for an all-American event. There wasn't any danger of a lip-synch controversy, either. You could tell it was the lived-in voice of a 62-year-old singing. P.S. Patriots won the Super Bowl 24-21

Maria beats Lindsay

TOKYO (Reuters) - Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova beat a hobbling Lindsay Davenport 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 to win the Pan Pacific Open Sunday. The Russian converted her fourth match point to take the third set tiebreak 7-5 and halt Davenport's bid for a record fifth title at the $1.3 million event.

Sharapova's eighth career title means she will rise from fourth to third when the new world rankings are released on Monday. "I had belief in myself," she told reporters. "I don't want to set a timetable for myself to be number one. My job's just to go out and perform." The Siberian-born Sharapova beat Davenport in last year's Wimbledon semi-finals in their only previous meeting. She came up with the big shots again to earn four match points. Sharapova squandered three of them -- just as she did in her semi-final loss to Serena Williams at the Australian Open. But this time she held her nerve and ended Davenport's brave resistance with a forehand down the line after one hour 47 minutes.

Sharapova earned $189,000 for her third title in Japan to take her career earnings above the $3 million mark. She also won the Japan Open in 2003 and 2004.

Maria and Lindsay in Tokyo Final

TOKYO - Top-ranked Lindsay Davenport beat U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-1, 7-6 (2) Saturday to reach the final of the Pan Pacific Open, a tournament she has won four times. Davenport, the defending champion, will face Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova in Sunday's title match. The second-seeded Russian defeated Shinobu Asagoe of Japan 6-1, 7-6 (3) in the other semifinal.

Terps Football Class #18

By Rick Snider
THE WASHINGTON TIMES

The nation's top defensive end, a quarterback from California and some speedy receivers helped Maryland finish with the nation's 18th-best football recruiting class yesterday. Maryland brought in 10 of the state's top 12 players, plus four from Florida and New Jersey among 24 recruits who signed letters of intent. There was only one recruit rated as a five star by recruiting services, but four were four stars and 15 were three stars. Seven were All-Americans, and four were among the top 25 at their positions.

Terrapins coach Ralph Friedgen said the recent 5-6 season didn't have as much negative impact as he had feared. Maryland had 31 victories over his first three years.
"Some doors were shut on us, but not as many because we established a track record," Friedgen said. "Did we get everybody we wanted? We probably missed on one. You never get them all, but this area has to be our primary area." Defensive end Melvin Alaeze of Randallstown, Md., is the gem. Ranked as the nation's leading pass rusher by Rivals.com and ESPN, Alaeze was the No. 13 prospect overall. The MVP of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl could play as a freshman. Offensive tackle Jared Gaither (White Plains, Md.) was recruited heavily after spending last season at Hargrave Military Academy. Friedgen spoke of Gaither becoming the future cornerstone of the line.

Quarterback Chris Turner of West Hills, Calif., showed how the Terps' national profile has grown. Louisville and Syracuse also recruited the dropback passer, who threw 30 touchdown passes as a junior. Friedgen downplayed Turner's chances of starting next season but said he would have a better idea about the front-runner after the Red-White spring game April 30. Maryland should get immediate help at receiver with five incoming freshmen. The Terps concentrated on speed, with Nolan Carroll (Green Cove Springs, Fla.) and Terrell Skinner (St. Petersburg, Fla.) expected to make a quick impact. Maryland signed twins Tommy and Dwight Galt IV, sons of Terps strength coach Dwight Galt III. The pair were standouts at Good Counsel High School, with Dwight doubling as a deep snapper and defensive end and Tommy playing tight end.

Notes — The Terps will focus on offensive linemen and defensive backs for 2006. ... Dan Hickson was named assistant recruiting coordinator.

Coachella Festival 2005

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Coldplay and Nine Inch Nails will headline the sixth Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, to be held April 30-May 1 at the Empire Polo Field in Indio, Calif. The fest will also feature reunion performances by pioneering rock acts Gang Of Four, the Cocteau Twins and Bauhaus, as well as the first live appearance since late 2002 from Weezer.

The first day's bill will also feature rock acts Wilco (who were originally confirmed last year but forced to cancel while frontman Jeff Tweedy underwent treatment for painkiller addiction), Snow Patrol, Keane, Bloc Party, the Raveonettes, Mercury Rev, Fantomas, Ambulance LTD, the Kills, Secret Machines, Spoon, Razorlight, Radio 4, Eisley, Doves and Rilo Kiley. Beyond Nine Inch Nails, New Order, Bright Eyes, the Prodigy, Roni Size, the Faint and the rarely reunited hip-hop duo Black Star (Mos Def and Talib Kweli) are the top attractions on day two. The Arcade Fire, Junkie XL, the Bravery, the Futureheads, Matmos, Kasabian, Autolux and the Fiery Furnaces will also be on hand.

Tickets for Coachella will go on sale Saturday (Feb. 5) via Ticketmaster