This is a record I don’t think anyone needs to break. Ziona Chana lives in rural India, surrounded by his adoring family. Those people include 39 wives, 94 children and 33 grandchildren (so far). They all live together in one gigantic mansion that sticks out in the small town where they live. Chana’s wives rotate who gets to spend time in his bed, and live in dorm-like areas.
‘Today I feel like God’s special child. He’s given me so many people to look after,” Chana told one British newspaper.
It takes 30 chickens to feed the family for dinner. Not surprisingly, Chana is the head of a sect that allows men to take as many wives as they wish. One of his sons believes his father takes wives to save the poor women of the village. Hmmm… ok.
Earlier this week, The Wall Street Journal announced that it would end the use of honorifics in its sports section. For those non-journalists out there, honorifics are the use of formal titles throughout a story. In the sports context, for example, “Mr. Bryant dunked over the head of Mr. James.” Or, “Mr. Ochocinco replied, ‘I think I played like a champion.'” See, it can sound kind of absurd on the sports page.
To its credit, the Journal made fun of its ways in their article explaining the decision. They admitted they were one of the final holdouts that continued using honorifics.
Chad Ochocinco is now Mr. Ochocinco in the Wall Street Journal
The Census released a report in December on the New York City neighborhood known as Little Italy. Popular for its Italian restaurants, grocery stores and culture, the neighborhood used to be the center of Italian-American life in the United States. That, however, has changed.
The Census report found that just 5 percent of the residents of Little Italy identify as Italian-American.
Sadly, the report could not find a single person who was actually born in Italy.
The neighborhood currently has around 8,600 residents. 4,400 of them were foreign-born. Of that group, 89 percent were born in Asia.
Many of the stores are still owned by Italian pe0ple, but the community has grown increasingly fragmented. Just last year, a Korean immigrant won a tenor competition and a Chinese immigrant was elected to represent the area on the city council.
The numbers are shocking because of how quickly the area has changed. In 2000, just 6 percent of the people identified as Italian-American. A half century earlier more than half of the residents of Little Italy identified that way.
New Zealand is still reeling from a devastating Earthquake that struck Christchurch, the second largest city in the country. At least 76 people were killed in the disaster, and more than 230 remain missing today. More than 120 of those missing may be buried under one building downtown.
Was this the first earthquake in Christchurch? Hardly. There was actually a more powerful one that struck the city in September 2010. That one measured 7.1 on the Richter scale. That earthquake caused moderate damage but did not result in any serious injuries, let alone any deaths.
Why was this one so much worse? This most recent earthquake measured 6.3 on the Richter scale. Even though Tuesday’s earthquake was 10 times less powerful than the one in September, it caused much more damage because of its location. The recent earthquake was centered less than 6 miles from the center of town, while September’s occurred more than 24 miles away. The most recent quake occurred three miles from the surface, while the past quake occurred at twice that distance. This quake’s proximity made the tremor much more intense in Christchurch and shook the buildings with devastating effects.
Any good news? There’s some. Google quickly set up a message board where people could post descriptions of missing people. Several reunions have been made possible through the service. Additionally, rescuers have successfully removed people from buildings alive. One triumphant photo is particularly striking…
Are there any videos of the Earthquake itself? Yes, several videos have emerged. Two are below.
Is there something really puzzling? I think so. Take a look at this video, also taken shortly after the earthquake struck. As you’ll see, makeshift ambulances are taking people to hospitals. However, take a look at the scenery in the video. It appears that the area in the video is relatively intact. Other videos show similar things. I don’t understand why certain areas of the city were devastated, but others seemed left unaffected.
Other noteworthy pictures? These pictures showcase the devastation in Christchurch.
Devastation to Christchurch's central cathedral
The Cathedral before the earthquake
Rescuers pull a woman from the rubble in Christchurch
Eminem joined a very select club this past week, though he might not welcome his company. Along with Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga, Eminem now has 1 billion views on YouTube. Despite many critics claiming his career was on the decline, the Detroit rapper proved them wrong in 2010.
His latest album Recovery landed 10 Grammy nominations and 2 Grammy awards, and sold more than 741,000 copies in its first week. That album landed him his three most frequently watched YouTube videos: “No Love” (46 million), “Not Afraid” (203 million) and “Love the Way You Lie” (292 million).
The artist has made the transition to the digital age. Three million Twitter followers, 29 million Facebook fans and topping Billboard’s Social 50 in 2010 prove that.
For a while it seemed like third place to one billion views might go to Michael Jackson. When Justin Bieber hit one billion views last year, the King of Pop had 600 million. He’s lagged behind since then though (he’s at 630 million now).
Contending for forth place include artists like Shakira, Britney Spears and Rihanna.
Not Intent on Arriving 