I don’t know about you but a woman politician chosen by a major party for a national position should be a cause for celebration the world over, no matter what side of the political fence are you on. That is no mean feat. In US Political History which dates back to the 1770’s!, only 2 made the cut so far, Geraldine Ferraro in 1984 for the Democratic Party and now, Gov. Sarah Palin (AL) for the Republican Party. What the Democratic Party could not do for Sen. Hillary Clinton (NY), in a surprising move was topped by Sen. John McCain, by choosing Gov. Sarah Palin. Since many of my readers are from the United States, about 40%, let me share with you what a historic day it was for women in general, in the Republican National Convention.

Sarah Palin RNC Convention Speech

Mr. Chairman, delegates, and fellow citizens: I am honored to be considered for the nomination for Vice President of the United States…

I accept the call to help our nominee for president to serve and defend America.

I accept the challenge of a tough fight in this election… against confident opponents … at a crucial hour for our country.

And I accept the privilege of serving with a man who has come through much harder missions … and met far graver challenges … and knows how tough fights are won - the next president of the United States, John S. McCain.

It was just a year ago when all the experts in Washington counted out our nominee because he refused to hedge his commitment to the security of the country he loves.

With their usual certitude, they told us that all was lost - there was no hope for this candidate who said that he would rather lose an election than see his country lose a war.

But the pollsters and pundits overlooked just one thing when they wrote him off.

They overlooked the caliber of the man himself - the determination, resolve, and sheer guts of Senator John McCain. The voters knew better.

And maybe that’s because they realize there is a time for politics and a time for leadership … a time to campaign and a time to put our country first.

Our nominee for president is a true profile in courage, and people like that are hard to come by.

He’s a man who wore the uniform of this country for 22 years, and refused to break faith with those troops in Iraq who have now brought victory within sight.

And as the mother of one of those troops, that is exactly the kind of man I want as commander in chief. I’m just one of many moms who’ll say an extra prayer each night for our sons and daughters going into harm’s way.

Our son Track is 19.

And one week from tomorrow - September 11th - he’ll deploy to Iraq with the Army infantry in the service of his country.

My nephew Kasey also enlisted, and serves on a carrier in the Persian Gulf.

My family is proud of both of them and of all the fine men and women serving the country in uniform. Track is the eldest of our five children.

In our family, it’s two boys and three girls in between - my strong and kind-hearted daughters Bristol, Willow, and Piper.

And in April, my husband Todd and I welcomed our littlest one into the world, a perfectly beautiful baby boy named Trig. From the inside, no family ever seems typical.

That’s how it is with us.

Our family has the same ups and downs as any other … the same challenges and the same joys.

Sometimes even the greatest joys bring challenge.

And children with special needs inspire a special love.

To the families of special-needs children all across this country, I have a message: For years, you sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters.

I pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House. Todd is a story all by himself.

He’s a lifelong commercial fisherman … a production operator in the oil fields of Alaska’s North Slope … a proud member of the United Steel Workers’ Union … and world champion snow machine racer.

Throw in his Yup’ik Eskimo ancestry, and it all makes for quite a package.

We met in high school, and two decades and five children later he’s still my guy. My Mom and Dad both worked at the elementary school in our small town.

And among the many things I owe them is one simple lesson: that this is America, and every woman can walk through every door of opportunity.

My parents are here tonight, and I am so proud to be the daughter of Chuck and Sally Heath. Long ago, a young farmer and habber-dasher from Missouri followed an unlikely path to the vice presidency.

A writer observed: “We grow good people in our small towns, with honesty, sincerity, and dignity.” I know just the kind of people that writer had in mind when he praised Harry Truman.

I grew up with those people.

They are the ones who do some of the hardest work in America … who grow our food, run our factories, and fight our wars.

They love their country, in good times and bad, and they’re always proud of America. I had the privilege of living most of my life in a small town.

I was just your average hockey mom, and signed up for the PTA because I wanted to make my kids’ public education better.

When I ran for city council, I didn’t need focus groups and voter profiles because I knew those voters, and knew their families, too.

Before I became governor of the great state of Alaska, I was mayor of my hometown.

And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves.

I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a “community organizer,” except that you have actual responsibilities. I might add that in small towns, we don’t quite know what to make of a candidate who lavishes praise on working people when they are listening, and then talks about how bitterly they cling to their religion and guns when those people aren’t listening.

We tend to prefer candidates who don’t talk about us one way in Scranton and another way in San Francisco.

As for my running mate, you can be certain that wherever he goes, and whoever is listening, John McCain is the same man. I’m not a member of the permanent political establishment.< br>
And I’ve learned quickly, these past few days, that if you’re not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone.

But here’s a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I’m not going to Washington to seek their good opinion - I’m going to Washington to serve the people of this country. Americans expect us to go to Washington for the right reasons, and not just to mingle with the right people.

Politics isn’t just a game of clashing parties and competing interests.

The right reason is to challenge the status quo, to serve the common good, and to leave this nation better than we found it.

No one expects us to agree on everything.

But we are expected to govern with integrity, good will, clear convictions, and … a servant’s heart.

I pledge to all Americans that I will carry myself in this spirit as vice president of the United States. This was the spirit that brought me to the governor’s office, when I took on the old politics as usual in Juneau … when I stood up to the special interests, the lobbyists, big oil companies, and the good-ol’ boys network.

Sudden and relentless reform never sits well with entrenched interests and power brokers. That’s why true reform is so hard to achieve.

But with the support of the citizens of Alaska, we shook things up.

And in short order we put the government of our state back on the side of the people.

I came to office promising major ethics reform, to end the culture of self-dealing. And today, that ethics reform is the law.

While I was at it, I got rid of a few things in the governor’s office that I didn’t believe our citizens should have to pay for.

That luxury jet was over the top. I put it on eBay.

I also drive myself to work.

And I thought we could muddle through without the governor’s personal chef - although I’ve got to admit that sometimes my kids sure miss her. I came to office promising to control spending - by request if possible and by veto if necessary.

Senator McCain also promises to use the power of veto in defense of the public interest - and as a chief executive, I can assure you it works.

Our state budget is under control.

We have a surplus.

And I have protected the taxpayers by vetoing wasteful spending: nearly half a billion dollars in vetoes.

I suspended the state fuel tax, and championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress.

I told the Congress “thanks, but no thanks,” for that Bridge to Nowhere.

If our state wanted a bridge, we’d build it ourselves. When oil and gas prices went up dramatically, and filled up the state treasury, I sent a large share of that revenue back where it belonged - directly to the people of Alaska.

And despite fierce opposition from oil company lobbyists, who kind of liked things the way they were, we broke their monopoly on power and resources.

As governor, I insisted on competition and basic fairness to end their control of our state and return it to the people.

I fought to bring about the largest private-sector infrastructure project in North American history.

And when that deal was struck, we began a nearly forty billion dollar natural gas pipeline to help lead America to energy independence.

That pipeline, when the last section is laid and its valves are opened, will lead America one step farther away from dependence on dangerous foreign powers that do not have our interests at heart.

The stakes for our nation could not be higher.

When a hurricane strikes in the Gulf of Mexico, this country should not be so dependent on imported oil that we are forced to draw from our Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

And families cannot throw away more and more of their paychecks on gas and heating oil.

With Russia wanting to control a vital pipeline in the Caucasus, and to divide and intimidate our European allies by using energy as a weapon, we cannot leave ourselves at the mercy of foreign suppliers.

To confront the threat that Iran might seek to cut off nearly a fifth of world energy supplies … or that terrorists might strike again at the Abqaiq facility in Saudi Arabia … or that Venezuela might shut off its oil deliveries … we Americans need to produce more of our own oil and gas.

And take it from a gal who knows the North Slope of Alaska: we’ve got lots of both.

Our opponents say, again and again, that drilling will not solve all of America’s energy problems - as if we all didn’t know that already.

But the fact that drilling won’t solve every problem is no excuse to do nothing at all.

Starting in January, in a McCain-Palin administration, we’re going to lay more pipelines … build more new-clear plants … create jobs with clean coal … and move forward on solar, wind, geothermal, and other alternative sources.

We need American energy resources, brought to you by American ingenuity, and produced by American workers. I’ve noticed a pattern with our opponent.

Maybe you have, too.

We’ve all heard his dramatic speeches before devoted followers.

And there is much to like and admire about our opponent.

But listening to him speak, it’s easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform - not even in the state senate.

This is a man who can give an entire speech about the wars America is fighting, and never use the word “victory” except when he’s talking about his own campaign. But when the cloud of rhetoric has passed … when the roar of the crowd fades away … when the stadium lights go out, and those Styrofoam Greek columns are hauled back to some studio lot - what exactly is our opponent’s plan? What does he actually seek to accomplish, after he’s done turning back the waters and healing the planet? The answer is to make government bigger … take more of your money … give you more orders from Washington … and to reduce the strength of America in a dangerous world. America needs more energy … our opponent is against producing it.

Victory in Iraq is finally in sight … he wants to forfeit.

Terrorist states are seeking new-clear weapons without delay … he wants to meet them without preconditions.

Al Qaeda terrorists still plot to inflict catastrophic harm on America … he’s worried that someone won’t read them their rights? Government is too big … he wants to grow it.

Congress spends too much … he promises more.

Taxes are too high … he wants to raise them. His tax increases are the fine print in his economic plan, and let me be specific.

The Democratic nominee for president supports plans to raise income taxes … raise payroll taxes … raise investment income taxes … raise the death tax … raise business taxes … and increase the tax burden on the American people by hundreds of billions of dollars. My sister Heather and her husband have just built a service station that’s now opened for business - like millions of others who run small businesses.

How are they going to be any better off if taxes go up? Or maybe you’re trying to keep your job at a plant in Michigan or Ohio … or create jobs with clean coal from Pennsylvania or West Virginia … or keep a small farm in the family right here in Minnesota.

How are you going to be better off if our opponent adds a massive tax burden to the American economy? Here’s how I look at the choice Americans face in this election.

In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers.

And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change.

They’re the ones whose names appear on laws and landmark reforms, not just on buttons and banners, or on self-designed presidential seals.

Among politicians, there is the idealism of high-flown speechmaking, in which crowds are stirringly summoned to support great things.

And then there is the idealism of those leaders, like John McCain, who actually do great things. They’re the ones who are good for more than talk … the ones we have always been able to count on to serve and defend America. Senator McCain’s record of actual achievement and reform helps explain why so many special interests, lobbyists, and comfortable committee chairmen in Congress have fought the prospect of a McCain presidency - from the primary election of 2000 to this very day.

Our nominee doesn’t run with the Washington herd.

He’s a man who’s there to serve his country, and not just his party.

A leader who’s not looking for a fight, but is not afraid of one either. Harry Reid, the Majority Leader of the current do-nothing Senate, not long ago summed up his feelings about our nominee.

He said, quote, “I can’t stand John McCain.” Ladies and gentlemen, perhaps no accolade we hear this week is better proof that we’ve chosen the right man. Clearly what the Majority Leader was driving at is that he can’t stand up to John McCain. That is only one more reason to take the maverick of the Senate and put him in the White House. My fellow citizens, the American presidency is not supposed to be a journey of “personal discovery.” This world of threats and dangers is not just a community, and it doesn’t just need an organizer.

And though both Senator Obama and Senator Biden have been going on lately about how they are always, quote, “fighting for you,” let us face the matter squarely.

There is only one man in this election who has ever really fought for you … in places where winning means survival and defeat means death … and that man is John McCain. In our day, politicians have readily shared much lesser tales of adversity than the nightmare world in which this man, and others equally brave, served and suffered for their country.

It’s a long way from the fear and pain and squalor of a six-by-four cell in Hanoi to the Oval Office.

But if Senator McCain is elected president, that is the journey he will have made.

It’s the journey of an upright and honorable man - the kind of fellow whose name you will find on war memorials in small towns across this country, only he was among those who came home.

To the most powerful office on earth, he would bring the compassion that comes from having once been powerless … the wisdom that comes even to the captives, by the grace of God … the special confidence of those who have seen evil, and seen how evil is overcome. A fellow prisoner of war, a man named Tom Moe of Lancaster, Ohio, recalls looking through a pin-hole in his cell door as Lieutenant Commander John McCain was led down the hallway, by the guards, day after day.

As the story is told, “When McCain shuffled back from torturous interrogations, he would turn toward Moe’s door and flash a grin and thumbs up” - as if to say, “We’re going to pull through this.” My fellow Americans, that is the kind of man America needs to see us through these next four years.

For a season, a gifted speaker can inspire with his words.

For a lifetime, John McCain has inspired with his deeds.

If character is the measure in this election … and hope the theme … and change the goal we share, then I ask you to join our cause. Join our cause and help America elect a great man as the next president of the United States.

Thank you all, and may God bless America.

Laura Manaudou is currently the world record holder for the 400 m freestyle and 200 m freestyle swimming. After winning 4 medals in the 2007 World Championships, the Laura Manaudou pictures scandal may have affected her Beijing Olympics quest. In the Beijing Olympics Laura Manaudou did not win any medal so far. In the actual swimming competition, after Laura Manaudou made a strong start and a lead for over 200 meters, she only managed to place 8th in the 400m freestyle final of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing with a finishing time of 4′11″26. The 1st place finisher was Rebecca Adlington from Great Britain finishing 4:03.22. Laure Manaudou finished 7th in the 100m backstroke final.Laure Manaudou won the gold medal in the women’s 400 m freestyle swimming at the 2004 Athens Olympics for France. Laura Manaudou is competing for France in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She was seen in the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the Parade of Nations/Athletes.

Laura Manaudou is at the center of a racy picture controversy in 2007. Her former boyfriend and also a swimmer, Luca Marin is accused of posting the video and pictures of Manaudou, and which he denies. “I know nothing about the video and have only seen the photos. Yes, it looks like it’s really her but it is ridiculous to think it was me who put them there,” Marin said.

Laura Manaudou seems to have survived this controversy as she is now in Beijing competing for the Olympics.

Slimmers World International in its 30th year in the Philippines is holding the very first international-levelling (lol) Miss Bikini Philippines 2008. Over 300 fit and beautiful women from all over the Philippines applied but only the top 25 candidates made it in a stringent set of criteria, combining beauty, presence and personality. The top 25 have a chance to win a number of titles and the chance to compete on an international level. Miss Bikini Philippines-World will represent the country in Miss Bikini World plus over P500,000 in cash and other prizes. Miss Bikini Philippines-International will represent the country in China and will bring home over P400,000 in cash and prizes. These pics are from the Pre-Pageant Night, held on May 21, 2008 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium RCBC Plaza. Coronation Night takes place at the PICC Plenary Hall on May 25, 2008.

Photo Credits: Vince Lopez Photography

Megan Fox was voted as the sexiest woman in the world by FHM online readers poll of the 100 Sexiest Women in the World for 2008. Before this i declared (lol) Megan Fox ‘ boobies as winners of an award in an earlier story, Megan Fox Nipple Slip. Her star has soared since then culminated by this poll as the sexiest woman in the world, after appearing in only one blockbuster so far, the movie “Transformers.”

Megan Fox only ranked No. 65 last year. Shades of Katrina Halili na rin kaya tong Hollywood news na etoh? That Katrina Halili will also lose to a newcomer in the local poll of the Philippines sexiest woman? The FHM online poll of the 100 Sexiest Woman in the World came in at a record nearly 9 million votes cast this year by FHM readers worldwide to choose the sexiest women in film, television, music, sports, and fashion.

Rounding out the top 10 of this year’s 100 Sexiest Woman in the World are:

2. American actress and former model Jessica Biel

3. pregnant Jessica Alba, last year’s winner

4. Canadian actress Elisha Cuthbert ( appeared in the horror movie “Captivity” last year )

5. 23-year-old American actress and singer Scarlett Johansson

6. Emmanuelle Chriqui, Sloan McQiwick in HBO’s Entourage

7. Hilary Duff, even after being photographed in an unflattering way in a bikini in Hawaii

8. Tricia Helfer, starred in the tv series Battlestar Galactica

9. Blake Lively, Serena van der Woodsen in the teen drama, Gossip Girl

10. Kate Beckinsale, was actually in the Philippines for the movie Brokedown Palace which was shot here, Brokedown Palace starred Clare Danes who was declared persona non grata in the Philippines for an unsavory remark about the Philippines. Claire Danes has since apologized.. Kate Beckinsale starred in the hits Pearl Harbor (2001), Serendipity (2001), Underworld (2003), Van Helsing (2004) and Underworld: Evolution (2006) directed by her husband Len Wiseman.

Filipina American and Dancing With The Stars winner Cheryl Burke came in at No. 40. Another Filipina, Nicole Scherzinger came in at No. 62. Pinay scandal queen of 2007, Vanessa Hudgens placed No. 26. The oldest woman in the 100 Sexiest Woman of 2008 is Madonna, 50 years old who came in at No. 82.

Complete List of FHM 100 Sexiest Women of 2008

1. Megan Fox
2. Jessica Biel
3. Jessica Alba
4. Elisha Cuthbert
5. Scarlett Johansson
6. Emmanuelle Chriqui
7. Hilary Duff
8. Tricia Helfer
9. Blake Lively
10. Kate Beckinsale
11. Hayden Panettiere
12. Angelina Jolie
13. Eva Mendes
14. Rihanna
15. Erica Durance
16. Lindsay Lohan
17. Kim Kardashian
18. Cameron Diaz
19. Ali Larter
20. Beyoncé Knowles
21. Kaley Cuoco
22. Heidi Klum
23. Sienna Miller
24. Kristen Bell
25. Natalie Portman
26. Vanessa Hudgens
27. Selita Ebanks
28. Keira Knightley
29. Maria Sharapova
30. Rachel Bilson
31. Gisele Bundchen
32. Kate Bosworth
33. Halle Berry
34. Carmen Electra
35. Jessica Simpson
36. Adriana Lima
37. Evangeline Lilly
38. Katherine McPhee
39. Christina Aguilera
40. Cheryl Burke
41. Kristin Kreuk
42. Jennifer Aniston
43. Charlize Theron
44. Heidi Montag
45. Anna Faris
46. Shannon Elizabeth
47. Alessandra Ambrosio
48. Mayra Veronica
49. Katherine Heigl
50. Keeley Hazell
51. Anne Hathaway
52. Jenny McCarthy
53. Marisa Miller
54. Kate Hudson
55. Shakira
56. Tara Reid
57. Jennifer Love-Hewitt
58. Cassie Ventura
59. Eva Longoria Parker
60. Fergie
61. Ellen Page
62. Nicole Scherzinger
63. Grace Park
64. Stacy Kiebler
65. Katie Holmes
66. Leeann Tweeden
67. Liv Tyler
68. Kari Byron
69. Christina Ricci
70. Mischa Barton
71. Amanda Beard
72. Elizabeth Banks
73. Carrie Underwood
74. Kelly Hu
75. Pam Anderson
76. Rachelle Leah
77. Paris Hilton
78. Karina Smirnoff
79. Christine Lakin
80. Audrina Patridge
81. Mila Kunis
82. Alyssa Milano
83. Jenna Fischer
84. Maria from WWE
85. Olivia Munn
86. Reese Witherspoon
87. Madonna
88. Shamron Moore
89. Rachel McAdams
90. Summer Glau
91. Ashley Collette
92. Maggie Gyllenhaal
93. Whitney Able
94. Olga Kurylenko
95. Lauren Conrad
96. Carmit Bachar
97. Amber Heard
98. The Olly Girls
99. Victoria Beckham
100. Britney Spears

Baek Ji Young, a South Korean pop singer, was on the fast track to stardom in 1999 with a successful debut album, her own radio show and an advertising contract with a Korean shoe company.

Then it happened. A raunchy videotape of Baek Ji Young in a bedroom romp with her former manager turned up on an Internet pay-per-view pron site, radio stations then scrambled to pull her songs off the air and television stations canceled appearances. The shoe company put its Baek Ji Young ads on hold.

The racy tape became Korea’s Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee famous tape. An instant hit, with everyone wanting to see the video.

Then Baek Ji Young got feisty, denouncing her former manager and denying she knew he had the camera rolling. That spunky attitude has turned the young entertainer into an unlikely cause celebre for South Korea’s growing women’s rights movement.