Assateague Ponies Swim

Ponies make their way across the Assateague Channel in Chincoteague, Va., Wednesday morning July 27, 2005, during the annual pony swim. The pony swim is part of the Chincoteague Volunteer Firemen's Carnival. The ponies were then herded through town to a corral on the carnival grounds, where they are sold at auction
Ponies make their way across the Assateague Channel in Chincoteague, Va., Wednesday morning July 27, 2005, during the annual pony swim. The pony swim is part of the Chincoteague Volunteer Firemen's Carnival. The ponies were then herded through town to a corral on the carnival grounds, where they are sold at auction.

Old Rolling Stones to Tour

 
The Rolling Stones announced that their upcoming tour and album will bear the alliterative title, which they came up with last year, "reflecting their fascination with the scientific theory about the origin of the universe," according to a statement. "
A Bigger Bang" will be released in the United States on Sept. 6 via Virgin Records. The North American leg of their trek, which had provisionally been dubbed the "Onstage" tour, begins on Aug. 21 at Boston's Fenway Park.
The album marks the band's first since 1997's "Bridges to Babylon," ending the longest recording break of their 43-year career. It boasts 16 tracks, two less then their expansive 1972 tour de force "Exile on Main Street."

Lance Goes Out on Top

Lance Armstrong closed out his amazing career with a seventh consecutive Tour de France victory Sunday, and did it a little earlier than expected. Because of wet conditions, race organizers stopped the clock as Armstrong and the main pack entered Paris.
Although riders were still racing, with eight laps of the Champs-Elysees to complete, organizers said that Armstrong had officially won. The stage started as it has done for the past six years, with Armstrong celebrating and wearing the race leader's yellow jersey.
One hand on his handlebars, the other holding a flute of champagne, Armstrong toasted his teammates as he pedaled into Paris to collect his crown. He held up seven fingers, one for each win, and a piece of paper with the number 7 on it.
In retiring, the 33-year-old will manage a rare feat in sports--going out on the top of his game. Armstrong has said that his decision was final and that he was walking away with "absolutely no regrets."

Maria Sharapova at ESPY Awards

Russian professional tennis player Maria Sharapova poses as she arrives at the 13th annual ESPY Awards at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood July 13, 2005.

The taped program which honors excellence in sports performance will air on ESPN on July 17, 2005.

Michelangelo Code?

SAO PAULO, Brazil (Reuters) - Two Brazilian doctors and amateur art lovers believe they have uncovered a secret lesson on human anatomy hidden by Renaissance artist Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel's ceiling. Completed nearly 500 years ago, the brightly colored frescoes painted on the Vatican's famous sanctuary are considered some of the world's greatest works of art.

They depict Biblical scenes such as the "Creation of Adam" in which God reaches out to touch Adam's finger.
But Gilson Barreto and Marcelo de Oliveira believe Michelangelo also scattered his detailed knowledge of internal anatomy across 34 of the ceiling's 38 panels. The way they see it, a tree trunk is not just a tree trunk, but also a bronchial tube. And a green bag in one scene is really a human heart.

The key to finding the numerous organs, bones and other human insides is to first crack a "code" they believe was left behind by the Florentine artist. Essentially, it is a set of sometimes subtle, sometimes overt clues, like the way a figure is pointing. "Why wasn't this ever seen before? First, because very few people have the sufficient anatomical knowledge to see these pieces like this. I do because that's my profession," said Barreto, who is a surgeon in the Brazilian city of Campinas.

Eventually Barreto and Oliveira came to believe Michelangelo had left behind coded messages in each panel to help viewers find the hidden body part.

Their proposals, he said, "stretch the visual evidence far beyond Michelangelo's own specific vocabulary of poses, gestures and symbolic relationships."

Indeed, why would Michelangelo hide drawings of human organs in the Sistine Chapel? Barreto and Oliveira say they aren't sure, but it is well known that Michelangelo and other Renaissance artists were obsessed with human anatomy and the human body. There are also other examples of artists "hiding" objects in their paintings, images that can only be seen from a certain perspective.

Still, the two doctors have sent their book to art historians and anatomical specialists in Portugal to get their opinion, and plan to eventually get the Vatican's opinion too.

"We're not here to play around. We believe this is a great discovery for the arts," Barreto said. "The only thing we want to do is spread this knowledge."

Washington Nats in First on July 4th

The Washington Nationals did not let Chad Cordero's blown save affect them. Brian Schneider hit a solo homer in the 12th inning, and the Nationals overcame Cordero's first blown save in more than two months to complete a three-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs with a 5-4 victory Sunday.
The Nationals have won six straight to reach 50 wins faster than any season in franchise history. It was the first three-game sweep at Wrigley Field for the club since the Montreal Expos did it June 3-5, 1994.
At the halfway point of the season, the Nationals(50-31) are in first place with a six game lead over the Atlanta Braves. Cordero's blown save was one of two by in the late innings by Washington pitchers, who also could not hold a two-run lead in the 11th. ``Nobody gets down. The only cry was 'Let's pick Chief up,''' said Nationals manager Frank Robinson, referring to Cordero.
Brad Wilkerson hit a two-run double in the 11th inning, and after the Cubs tied it again, Schneider hit his sixth homer with two outs in the 12th and pitcher ``You've got to give credit to our team,'' Schneider said. ``Chad gave up the save but he's picked us up all year long, so it was our turn to pick him up.'' Joey Eischen held the Cubs in the bottom of the 12th to get the win.
Washington led 2-0 in the ninth before Aramis Ramirez hit his 18th homer, a two-run shot off Cordero that ended the closer's streak of 26 consecutive saves. It was Cordero's first blown save since April 21 at Atlanta, and third of the season. ``It was a little weird, but it was bound to happen sometime. It's better that it happens now rather than later,'' Cordero said.

Happy Birthday America

Live 8 Concert was Rock at it's Best

From AP Twenty years after a scruffy one-hit wonder first demonstrated his gift for lofty dreams and grandiose statements, hundreds of the world’s top performers and more than 1 million fans united for 10 free concerts across the globe aimed at fighting African poverty. Bob Geldof claimed Saturday’s shows would be “the greatest concert ever,” and it was hard to argue with him after the unprecedented gathering drew everyone from Snoop Dogg to Bill Gates, Mandela to Madonna.
But the ultimate success of the Live 8 extravaganza will be judged by whether the world’s most powerful leaders, gathering next week for the Group of Eight summit meeting, listen to Geldof’s demands for debt forgiveness, trade concessions and $25 billion in aid for Africa.
In Philadelphia, on the Independence Day weekend, actor Will Smith called the festivities a worldwide “declaration of interdependence.” Neil Young performed rousing renditions of “Keep on Rockin’ In The Free world” and “O Canada” before 35,000 roaring fans at Canada’s event in Barrie, Ontario.
Dave Gilmour and Pink Floyd reunited to play together for the first time since 1981 at Saturday's Live 8 concert in London. Paul McCartney and U2 opened the flagship show of the free 10-concert festival with a rousing performance of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” A thunderous roar erupted from the crowd of about 200,000 as icons McCartney and Bono belted out the first line: “It was 20 years ago today...” — a nod to Geldof’s mammoth Live Aid benefit that raised millions for African famine relief in 1985.
Bono, dressed in black and wearing his trademark wraparound shades, wrapped the crowd around his finger, enticing tens of thousands to sing along to the anthemic “One” and “Beautiful Day.” The crowd cheered when a flock of white doves was released overhead.
The first concert kicked off in Japan, where Bjork and Good Charlotte joined local bands for a show that failed to generate much interest in Asia’s only G-8 nation. Despite Bjork making her first live performance in two years, the crowd of 10,000 people was only half of what the hall in the Tokyo suburb of Makuhari could hold. For whole story read here...

Maria loses to Venus at Wimbledon

Venus Williams ended Maria Sharapova's bid to repeat as Wimbledon champion with a 7-6 6-1 win. Maria, last year's Wimbledon winner over Serena Williams, had several chances to take charge in the match but never did. Maria had a good chance to break Serena in the first game of the first set but Serena responded and held serve. 
Venus was up 5-2 in the first set but Maria stormed back to tie at 6-6 and force a tie-breaker. With momentum on her side, Maria seemed poised to take control of the first set and the match, but lost her composure and the tie-breaker 7-2. Maria was never in the second set as Venus moves to the finals against Lindsay Davenport in an all American final.