| Fergie Denies Plastic Surgery Claims, Criticizes Magazine
Fergie has slammed an American magazine for suggesting she has undergone cosmetic surgery on her nose and eyebrows. Two pictures of The Black Eyes Peas star - one from the 1980s, and one from 2007 - are printed side-by-side in the current issue of Us Weekly, and a surgeon tells the publication it's likely Fergie has had a rhinoplasty procedure. But the 32-year-old has denied the claims, and admits such speculation upsets her so much she has seen a therapist. Fergie says, "One of those (celebrity) magazines says I've had a nose job and an eyebrow lift, which is completely untrue. Personally, I see a therapist. It's hard, it hurts my feelings. I call my hypnotherapist and cry and let it go. That's what I do (to cope). I think that they nitpick these days so much and it's just got to the point where it's ridiculous." And Fergie isn't the only celebrity angry with this week's issue of Us Weekly - actress Scarlett Johansson is threatening the magazine with legal action over claims she had undergone plastic surgery on her nose.
Ashlee Simpson insists she doesn't Botox
Ashlee Simpson insists her smooth skin is down to a tweezer "whiz" not Botox.
The 23-year-old singer - whose father Joe recently confirmed she had rhinoplasty to reshape her nose and help her breathing in April 2006 - insists her smooth skin is the work of her great make-up artist.
Her spokesperson said, "Ashlee has never had Botox in her life. She credits her eyebrows to her make-up artist who is a whiz with the tweezer."
Last week, it was reported Ashlee visits plastic surgeon Dr. Raj Kanodia every month to have collagen filler injected into her face.
A source close to the singer said, "She is determined to stay looking as young as possible for as long as possible. The fillers get rid of any wrinkles, and keep her face looking young, taut and smooth."
Last month, Ashlee's dad ignored his daughter's wishes by speaking publicly about her nose job.
Ashlee Simpson's nose job
Ashlee Simpson's father has confirmed she has had a nose job. Joe Simpson, who manages her singing career, says the 22-year-old star underwent rhinoplasty last year purely for health reasons. Joe - who also manages eldest daughter Jessica - told Us Weekly magazine: "Girls have their own ideas. Anyway, there was a real problem with her breathing and that was cured." .
Will Tisdale Survive Jennifer Grey Syndrome?
A nose job may have fixed her deviated septum, but it has rendered Ashley Tisdale (even more) unrecognizable. Who's that girl? Mira Sorvino?! Sarah Michelle Gellar?! Known mostly as the chick from "High School Musical" who isn't dating Zac Efron, Ash showed off her new beak on Wednesday, after canceling concerts last weekend due to her surgery. Tisdale may have recovered from rhinoplasty, but will her career?! Ashlee Simpson's never did!In the early '90s, "Dirty Dancing" star Jennifer Grey's face-altering nose job went so well -- she barely worked again! .
6 Tips for Turning Shoppers Into Buyers
These basic strategies can help you close more sales.
1. Stress your unique selling proposition. Figure out what makes you different from the competition and deliver that message loud and clear. For example, one wedding/event facility touted the credentials of a new head chef they had hired from the best restaurant in town, pushing its conversion rate from 60 to 73 percent. 2. Identify bottlenecks in your sales process. Analyze the steps required to get customers to buy from you and determine your weak spots. Let's say you're in the deck building business. To make a sale, you need to schedule an appointment, show photos of your work, take measurements, propose a design, price the job, provide references and so on. Do you need new photos for your portfolio? Does your proposal package need sprucing up? Are you failing to make follow-up phone calls? Fix the flaws, and sales will follow.
Archaeology: Clues From The Mists Of Time Reveal Peru's Chachapoya
The broken skeletons were scattered like random pottery shards, rediscovered where they had fallen centuries ago.
Were these ancient people cut down in some long-forgotten battle? Did European-introduced diseases cause their demise? Were they casualties of some apocalyptic reckoning at this great walled citadel?
The "cloud warriors" of ancient Peru are slowly offering up their secrets - and more questions. Recent digs at this majestic site, once a stronghold of the Chachapoya civilization, have turned up scores of skeletons and thousands of artifacts, shedding new light on these myth-shrouded early Americans and one of the most remarkable, if least understood, of Peru's pre-Columbian cultures.
Among the arresting findings: the practice of incorporating the dead into defensive walls; the use of stone missiles to repel invaders; the discovery of gargoyle-like stone carvings; and the civilization's sudden collapse, possibly in a final, purifying conflagration.
Watercooler Stories
LONDON, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- A rare flawless blue diamond fetched a record price at auction in Hong Kong that broke down to more than $1 million per carat.
London jeweler Alisa Mousieff paid 3.91 million pounds ($7.9 million) for the 6.04-carat stone that will be locked away in a vault in London and shown only to top-shelf clients, The Times of London said Tuesday.
The newspaper said that while the diamond is not the largest in the world, it is flawless, has “an immaculate" cut and a striking bluish hue caused by a sprinkling of boron in the stone.
Mousieff said she had been following the blue diamond as it was sold and resold over the past two decades. She also noticed such diamonds seemed to be getting increasingly rare.
"It seems the blue diamond mines are extinct – nothing is coming out from mother earth any more.
CME casts its eye in Nymex’s direction
As a mature exchange with a strong brand, NYMEX represents a good opportunity. “The CME's best bet to continue to grow is to acquire entry into pools of liquidity that don't take time and money to develop," says John Lothian, editor of The John Lothian Newsletter, a derivatives markets daily briefing. Nymex gives the CME the opportunity to tap into energy trading, a fast-growing area of the derivatives market, and a share of over-the-counter derivatives trading, something it has long coveted. Getting into energy enables the CME to square up to the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), which has built up a strong position in energy and OTC trading. The CME and ICE have a fractious relationship: as the CME was moving ahead with its friendly takeover of the CBOT, ICE upset the cosy cross-town arrangement by making a surprise bid.
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