Exploring Meghalaya, India's abode of the clouds When it comes to aptly named destinations, the northeast Indian state of Meghalaya is up there with the best. Meaning "abode of the clouds," it's home to the top two wettest places on earth, according to Guinness World Records. With an average annual rainfall of 463 inches, about 50 miles -- or a 2.5-hour drive -- from Cherrapunji is Mawlynnong, which has been called "Asia's cleanest village" by various publications. The narrow lanes are spotless and locals can be seen cleaning and sweeping the streets throughout the day "All this [focus on cleanliness] started with a literacy and sanitation drive a couple of decades ago," John Khongthohrem telled to us, owner of a small guesthouse in Mawlynnong and he says too: "And soon villagers realized that we can make this a model for tourism." Home to a population of 600 people, the village is known for its meticulously manicured gardens. Nearly every home has a private plot, with neat flower beds and carefully pruned blooms all year round. Along the bamboo-lined streets, Khasi women -- a matrilineal, ethnic community in Meghalaya -- sell locally produced honey and spices.
'La La Land' songwriters helped 'The Flash' musical episode strike lovely note
This cast can really SING "Flash" and "Supergirl" stars Grant Gustin and Melissa Benoist were joined on screen by fellow "Glee" alum Darren Criss, who took on the role of the Music Meister, a foe who put Barry and Kara into a musical reality from which they had to escape (He wanted to, in his words, teach them "a lesson"). In addition to that talented trio of Gustin, Benoist and Criss, the episode benefited from the collective talent of some regulars in the CW herovers. There was a time before he was Joe West on "The Flash" or Ed Green on "Law & Order" that Jesse L. Martin was most famous for playing Tom Collins in the musical "Rent." And Carlos Valdes preCisco roles included a part in the musical "Once." There were also guest appearances from John Barrowman and Victor Garber, both Broadway vets. They shared a cover of the "Guys and Dolls" tune "More I Cannot Wish You" with Martin But in other cases, music in incapable hands simply falls flat, literally and figuratively.
Lucky for "The Flash," there wasn't a single weak link among them
Nick Viall and Vanessa Grimaldi discuss that 'awkward' aftershow
The Bachelor" and his lady love want you to know they are the real deal, despite criticism the two seemed uncomfortable together on the "After the Final Rose" special. Vanessa Grimaldi and Nick Viall appeared on Wednesday's episode of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," along with Viall's "Dancing With the Stars" partner Peta Murgatroyd. The host brought up what fans have been saying about the newly engaged couple. "I didn't see the 'After the Rose' because I could not commit to four hours of television," DeGeneres said. "But I heard that some people thought it was awkward, that y'all were awkward together." Grimaldi was quick to respond from her seat in the audience. "I didn't think so," Grimaldi said. "I think we both went in it wanting to be honest and open about couples...sometimes things can get tough." "But we're very committed to each other, we love each other, and that's what we're focusing on," she added.
Garth Brooks gushes about the 'love of his life'
Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood are still doing "the dance."
"I can't believe this really exists. I can't believe there's somebody in this world that no matter how many times you get to be with them, all that does is make you want to be with them more," he told Rare Country. "For the first time, forever isn't long enough. That's crazy, but I'm the lucky guy that found that." Brooks and Yearwood married in 2005, after years of friendship. (The two had both been previously married and divorced.) "We're the saps that we thought didn't exist that [all] those songs are for," he said. The country stars mix their business with pleasure. The two have been touring together since 2014.
Brooks said he works to keep Yearwood by his side. He said :"I always introduce her as 'the love of my life,' and she introduces me as her current husband. So, I'm just trying to keep the gig," he joked.
Bernie Ecclestone 'made some enemies ... but he did a lot of good
Bernie Ecclestone may have been ousted as Formula One's supremo, but his legacy lives on. The 86-year-old frequently divided opinion during his 40 years in charge of the sport, but his impact on its fortunes (and his own) is beyond doubt. "Bernie Ecclestone is a little man with enormous energy," veteran F1 journalist Maurice Hamilton told "He used that energy to lift himself more or less by the bootstraps from being a secondhand car salesman to one of the wealthiest men in sport." The Englishman also took the TV companies to task as he sought to optimize F1's revenue, Hamilton says. "If Bernie is to be remembered for any one specific thing, it was his ability to realize and maximize the effect of TV coverage of the sport." Instead of allowing broadcasters to cherry-pick races to televise, Ecclestone demanded they sign deals that guaranteed season-long coverage.
"He made a template, if you like, for other sports to follow with regard to utilizing television to the maximum -- not only for the coverage but also financially," Hamilton adds.
London attack: Khalid Masood named as perpetrator
Police investigating the deadliest terror attack to hit the UK in 12 years named the perpetrator Thursday as a 52-year-old British man, Khalid Masood. As the inquiry into the atrocity gathered pace, Prime Minister Theresa May revealed the attacker was once linked to violent extremism. He was thought to have been inspired by Islamist ideology, she said. In an address to the House of Commons -- reconvened less than a day after it was placed in lockdown as the attack unfolded outside -- May vowed that Britain's freedoms and values would remain undiminished. Three people died in the attack. an American man and a British woman of Spanish origin were killed when Masood rammed a rental car onto the sidewalk on Westminster Bridge. An ISIS-affiliated news agency claimed that the extremist group was behind Wednesday's outrage, which left 29 people requiring hospital treatment. Some remained critically ill on Thursday.
Neverbeforeseen photos capture The Beatles at Abbey Road
At 19, British photographer David Magnus was invited to shoot a still relatively unknown pop group called The Beatles during a concert at a Buckinghamshire private school.
Needless to say, they didn't stay unknown for much longer. The Fab Four would go on to be one of history's most influential and critically acclaimed musical acts and Magnus, who became a friend of the band, would be there to capture their career milestones. n June 1967, the band invited him to Abbey Road Studios (then known as EMI Studios) the weekend they recorded "All You Need is Love" for the BBC's "Our World," the world's first live, international satellite production, and the first time they'd performed the song in public. Fifty years later, the public can see Magnus' behindthescenes photos from that weekend at his new exhibition, "The Beatles Unseen: Photographs by David Magnus," at London's Proud Chelsea gallery.
Oscars 2017 updates: What really happened backstage at the Academy Awards
The day after Oscar's craziest, shocking moment ever, questions still linger about why "La La Land" was announced best picture when "Moonlight" was the true winner. “ I feel it would be more appropriate for the president of the Academy, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, to publicly clarify what happened as soon as possible," Beatty said. Beatty's statement follows one issued Monday by the academy, apologizing for the mistake and saying that PricewaterhouseCoopers – the accounting firm that handles the Oscar envelopes – has "taken full responsibility for the breaches of established protocols that took place during the ceremony." Indeed, just hours after the ceremony, PricewaterhouseCoopers issued its own statement apologizing for the fact that "the presenters had mistakenly been given the wrong category envelope."
The academy did not immediately respond to The Times on Tuesday to weigh in on Beatty's statement.
Remember when you couldn't get insurance with a preexisting condition? Those days are probably coming back
the measure already was designed to save money for the young and hearty at the expense of the older and ailing. But the changes would give insurers more latitude and incentive to divide Americans once again according to their health, and to price the coverage needed by those with costly preexisting conditions so high that few could afford it — if insurers offer it at all. No wonder moderate Republicans in the House and Senate are blanching. By late afternoon Thursday, House leaders had postponed a planned vote on the proposal to give them more time to drum up the necesesary support. Insurers have always tried to minimize their exposure to consumers with preexisting conditions, which is why the ACA’s protection of those consumers proved so popular. By dropping the essential health benefits mandate, the House GOP bill would give insurers a new way to avoid covering those consumers or at
least avoid providing the coverage for any costly treatments that those consumers might need. in other words, they want to turn the clock back to a time we thankfully left behind when President Obama signed the ACA seven years ago, and then make things worse. This is one Throwback Thursday that’s not worth observing.
FIRE DAMAGES CIA HEADQUARTERS AND REVEALS A GIGANTIC DRUG LAB
The detonation took place around 11:30 pm last night. The powerful blast was heard for miles around the complex and sent plumes of black smoke into the air. The firefighters of the Langley City Fire-Rescue were rapidly mobilized on the site, where they fought the fire for almost six hours before they were finally able to extinguish the flames. While inspecting the building to secure the area, they found large quantities of chemicals and over-the-counter medications that are used to make meth and fentanyl.
The firefighters transmitted the information to the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO), which dispatched dozens of deputies and investigators on the scene. After conducting a search of the western wing of the George Bush Center for Intelligence, they found more than 2 tons of pure pseudoephedrine, as well as large quantities of acetone, iodine crystals, battery acid, drain cleaner, lantern fuel and antifreeze