Shopaholics looking for love can head to the heart of the French capital (Paris) to a newly opened store in one of the city's main shopping districts, which promises a high-end shopping experience.

Ladies looking for love can take a peek at eligible bachelors standing behind glass panels on display at the pop-up retail unit opened by French dating site adopte-un-mec (adopt-a-guy).

Alternatively they can search through hundreds of Polaroid photos pinned up on a notice board to see if anyone catches their eye.

One of the men, Arnaud Dimard, 24, told Le Point: 'It’s nothing like the girls in Amsterdam - there’s no prostitution and we’re there to serve these young ladies.'

Created in 2008 the popular site, which invites men to sign up and post profiles online, recently decided to expand its operations with a travelling road show.

It will showcase the men for ten days in Paris before going to a host of other cities including Brussels, Lausanne, Toulouse and Lyon.

Communication director Thomas Pawlowski said: 'Girls can come and do their shopping among friends; we’re just showing our fun side... it’s ironic, our marketing is all pretty wacky, there’s no smutty connotation to it.'

via metro.co.uk

Capogiro Gelato, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Made with the freshest ingredients (such as milk from Amish grass-fed cows), the artisan gelatos and sorbettos handcrafted each day at Capogiro Gelato include flavors not seen anywhere else—Madagascar bourbon vanilla, melograno (pomegranate), nocciola Piemonte (hazelnut), Saigon cinnamon, Thai coconut milk (with a dash of rum), and zucca (long-neck pumpkin).
Planning: Capogiro has four cafés in Philadelphia.
 

Ted Drewes Frozen Custard, St. Louis, Missouri
Made from fresh cream, eggs, and sugar, frozen custard is a midwestern dessert that looks, tastes, and acts like its close cousin, ice cream. The stand on Grand Boulevard has been open since 1931, serving frozen custard in cones, shakes, root-beer floats, and house specialties, such as Hawaiian Delight and Crater Copernicus.
Planning: Drewes has several locations in St. Louis.
 

Bombay Ice Creamery, San Francisco, California
Some of the planet’s best Indian ice cream can be sampled here, in the Hispanic Mission District. On offer are flavors such as chiku (sapodilla), cardamom, chai-tea, saffron, rose, and ginger, rarely found beyond the Indian subcontinent. Traditional kulfi (a frozen milk dessert) is also on the menu, plus lassi (yogurt drinks).
Planning: The opening hours change with the seasons, so check before planning a visit.

Devon House, Kingston, Jamaica
Built in the late 19th century as the home of Jamaica’s first black millionaire, Devon House is a masterpiece of Caribbean Victorian architecture and home to the island’s most celebrated ice-cream stand. The 27 flavors run a broad gamut from traditional cherry and pistachio to exotic island treats like mango, coconut, and soursop. There is even an offbeat, beer-based ice cream called Devon Stout. Grab a cone and recline in the sprawling gardens.
Planning: Devon House is in central Kingston. Admission includes a tour of the house and access to the gardens.
 

Helados Scannapieco, Buenos Aires, Argentina
This tiny, no-frills shop seems little changed from 1938, when Italian immigrants Andres and Josefina Scannapieco first opened the doors. Members of the Scannapieco clan still make ice cream the way the family have for 70 years. The menu runs 50 flavors deep, from chocolate and vanilla to other delights, such as durazno (peach), canela (cinnamon), lemon champagne, and caipirinha (a Brazilian cocktail made with cachaça and lime).
Planning: Helados Scannapieco is at Avenida Córdoba 4826 in the Palermo district.

Ice Cream City, Tokyo, Japan
With dozens of stands selling more than 300 flavors between them, Tokyo’s appropriately named Ice Cream City offers some of the planet’s more unusual ice creams, from soy chicken and orchid root to sea-island salt and unagi (eel). If you have more conventional tastes, Italian gelato and American ice cream sundaes are also available.
Planning: Ice Cream City is part of the food-themed section of the Namja Town amusement park in the Sunshine City shopping complex 15 minutes’ walk from Ikebukuro station.

Glacé, Sydney, Australia
Glacé is celebrated for its cutting-edge, ice-cream-based desserts, such as bombe Alaska, checkerboard terrines, and chocolate-dipped petit fours. Rose petal, vanilla bean, strawberry pistachio, and Belgian chocolate count among its signature flavors.
Planning: Glacé has one retail outlet, at 27 Marion Street in Sydney’s Leichhardt district.

A’jia Hotel, Istanbul, Turkey
There is nothing more romantic than a summer evening beside the Bosporus, especially when you are having ice cream on the outdoor terrace of the A’jia Hotel. The dessert menu includes fried vanilla ice cream, passionfruit sorbet, and traditional Turkish dondurma (ice cream) made from goats’ milk.
Planning: Located on the western shore of the Bosporus, the A’jia is a 19th-century mansion transformed into a hip new waterfront hangout.

Vaffelbageriet, Copenhagen, Denmark
Tivoli Gardens amusement park is the venue for this century-old ice-cream outlet. The specialty is ice cream served in a large waffle cone, called the Amerikaner, which takes up to four scoops plus syrupy topping, whipped cream, and chocolate-covered meringue puff (rather than a maraschino cherry).
Planning: Tivoli Gardens is in central Copenhagen, and is open from mid-April through late September. The entertainments include concerts, rides, and 40 restaurants.

Perchè No!, Florence, Italy
Going since 1939, Perchè No!—Why not!—sells intensely flavored ice cream produced fresh on the premises each day. The selection varies, but favorites include honey and sesame seed, green tea, and a rich coffee crunch with pieces of chocolate. They also sell a wide assortment of fruit sorbets and granitas.
Planning: Perchè No! is in Via dei Tavolini, about two minutes’ walk from the Duomo.

travel.nationalgeographic.com

If you have got a sweet ride, but don’t have the ability to grow facial hair, the Mustache Car Decal by Urban Decal will rid you of your woes. Instead of sporting facial hair on yourself, these quirky car accessory give your precious automobile the opportunity to don a mustache.

You have probably already named you car, so why not take it a step further and give it an extra kick of personality? Urban Decal offers an extensive array of facial hair styles. From the more Parisian to the more conservative facial hair, customers are sure to find the perfect fit.  

They’re available in a variety of colors from your generic black and white to something a little saucier like orange or lime green, or if you’re into putting more bling on that ’98 Ford Escort, silver and gold.

Car lovers can rest easy knowing that these high-quality decals have permanent hold, but can be easily removed without causing damage. With the Mustache Car Decal by Urban Decal automobiles, individuals can showcase some stellar mustache styles they wish they had.

via trendhunter.com

Holiday Inn Shanghai Pudong Kangqiao's swimming pool has an exceptional view, as the image above shows.

Part of the indoor pool, which perches atop the 24-story hotel, protrudes from the main building and is suspended mid-air. Its bottom is constructed with toughened glass.



This gives guests a delirious sense of swimming in the sky -- they can see the street clearly down below while passers-by on Xiuyan Lu can see the swimmers way up above.

"I felt as if I was flying in the sky -- I could also enjoy the beautiful scenery of Pudong from here ... it's so cool and wonderful," a swimmer told CCTV.


First of its kind in China

Exactly 30 meters long (about 98 feet), six meters wide (20 feet) and 1.5 meters deep (5 feet), the swimming pool is the first of its kind in China. It was designed by Singaporean firm Chan Sau Yan Associates, which helmed the interior design of the four-star hotel.

The Holiday Inn Shanghai branch said it gathered input from various architects and even aerospace experts while constructing this sky-high glass-bottomed water container to ensure its safety.

The hotel did not reveal the pool's construction cost.

The 390-room, four-star hotel -- which opened in May 2011, is located in the booming suburb of Kangqiao, which is some 22 kilometers southeast from Shanghai downtown and 30 kilometers west of Shanghai Pudong International Airport.

According to the staff working at the hotel's gym, the swimming pool is open to hotel guests and a limited number of health club members.

Annual membership for the gym starts from about $2,400 per person.

A fishing trip in Russia's Urals ended with cries of horror as a man found canisters filled with human fetuses, some already shaped to baby bodies.

Lids on the bright blue containers apparently unlocked as the canisters hit the ground, and many fetuses spilled out. The little bodies, no longer than 15 centimeters, shrank, turning into mummies.

Arriving Monday morning, police found 248 fetuses aged 12-16 weeks in and around the four canisters. Labels attached to tiny hands and legs listed family names of assumed mothers and some digit codes, which may refer to the pregnancy period, date of abortion or the hospital where the body originated from.

The 50-liter canisters filled with formalin seem to have been thrown out of a vehicle not far from a road leading to Nevyansk, a town on the slopes of the Ural Mountains.

Later it was revealed that the horrifying content was “biological waste” from at least three hospitals in Ekaterinburg, the region's major city.


“It appears a waste disposal company has failed to carry out its duties properly,” remark local authorities as the investigation continues. The Ministry of Health has been requested to determine which companies provide biological waste disposal services to Ekaterinburg hospitals.

In Russia, embryos and fetuses are subject to immediate disposal as they are classified high hazard waste. Prior to disposal, they are to be kept in special packages, not in canisters with formalin. It is also out of practice to attach labels with any information, at least in Ekaterinburg hospitals.

But the bodies found near the Urals not only fall out of this description – the labels show they may have been stored for over ten years.


Some medical experts believe the fetuses might have been meant for studies or other purposes, as they contain stem cells. The cells are widely used for immune illnesses treatment and in cosmetic procedures.

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Investigators say all 248 fetuses discovered in a Urals forest were likely intended for use in scientific research. Most were terminated after the fifth month of pregnancy.

According to police, forensic examinations showed most of the fetuses were terminated at 22-26 weeks of pregnancy. Initially, it was thought they were 12-16 weeks. All the fetuses were mummified.

Investigators continue to probe the origin of the fetuses, which were sealed in plastic containers and discarded in a remote location in the Sverdlovsk Region. The prevailing theory is that the remains were being used in scientific research, but police emphasize that it is just one of several leads they are working around.

The late stage at which all 248 fetuses were terminated has forced some to believe they are dealing with a coordinated crime.

Elena Mizulina, head of the State Duma Committee on Issues of Family, Women and Children, believes this incident is a case of mass illegal abortions, which she says are rife in the country.



For science’s sake

One of the most prevalent theories in regards to the origin of the fetuses is improper disposal of biological material after it was used in scientific research.

Investigators say they have received information that a woman who was in charge of one such project in Ekaterinburg and was fired from her position in 2011 took fetuses with her upon leaving and discarded them after completing her project. However, they do not disclose full details of the lead, saying investigators are still verifying the information.

According to experts, embryos and fetuses from miscarriages and abortions are frequently used for stem cell research.

Elena Mizulina says embryos at the later stages of development are especially valued by pharmacologists and cosmetologists since they present a great source of stem cells. “The demand for such ‘material’ is huge.”

A bloated, pig-like carcass spotted beneath the Brooklyn Bridge over the weekend has spooked New Yorkers buzzing about mutant river “monsters.”



Photographer Denise Ginley shot pics of the rotting, sand-covered corpse on Sunday. “My boyfriend and I were walking along the East River on our way to a farmer's market when we spotted it among some driftwood on a small stretch of sand below the Brooklyn Bridge that you can barely call a beach,” she emailed the Daily News.

"We were horrified by it and we took some camera phone pictures and then finally we decided to come back with my camera and I got up the courage to climb over the fence and get closer to it," she told the blog ANIMAL New York.

Ginley sent the photos to Gothamist, which published them on Monday and sparked furious speculation -- and a few conspiracy theories -- on local blogs and social media.



Vickie Karp, a spokeswoman for the Parks Department, said the creature was a “discarded cooked pig” and that the department “threw it out.”

But the purplish brute's long tail and hoof-less claws made for one freaky swine, naysayers said.

"The Parks Dept. was probably very quick to identify it as a pig and dispose of it, but it is most certainly NOT a pig,” Denise Ginley stressed to the Daily News. “The most obvious sign being the lack of a cloven hoof, instead this creature has five digits all close together."

"My best guess would be that this is some sort of raccoon or giant rodent. The missing upper jaw makes it very difficult to identify and the lack of distinct canine teeth on the lower jaw is confusing.”

In a post in New York magazine's Daily Intel blog, titled “We’re Supposed to Believe the New East River Monster Is Just a Pig?” writer Joe Coscarelli tagged the rotting hulk "Wilbur," and said it looked like something "in between a rodent of unusual size and a part-human werewolf."

Gothamist also called the beast a “R.O.U.S.” - rodent of unusual size - a swamp creature from the 1980s fantasy adventure flick, “The Princess Bride.”


Dr. Paul Curtis, a Cornell University professor and wildlife specialist, mused to Gothamist that it could be a small dog that ballooned with decay.

“All the hair has slipped off the carcass,” Curtis said, explaining the animal’s creepy smoothness. The waterlogged ghoul drew comparisons to the "Montauk Monster," which captivated New Yorkers after washing ashore on Ditch Plains beach in July 2008.

That creature was rumored to be a raccoon, a shell-less sea turtle and a dog, among other possibilities.

via nydailynews.com

It's a natural curiosity many of us have when checking into a hotel. Open the top drawer of your room, and naturally you'll find one of the best-selling books of all time.

The Bible? Uh, no.

"Fifty Shades of Grey?" Well, yes.

According to NBCNews.com, a British hotel has replaced the Bible with the steamy, summer hit by E.L. James in its 40 guest rooms.

Jonathan Denby, owner of the Damson Dene, told NBC he had purchased the hotel from a Methodist group about a decade ago and had been wondering how to replace the Gideons Bibles in each of the room.

"I was thinking originally of putting in a book by Ayn Rand - 'Atas Shrugged' was my first thought," Denby told NBC News.

"(But) because everybody is reading 'Fifty Shades of Grey,' we thought it would be a hospitable thing to do, to have this available for our guests, especially if some of them were a little bit shy about buying it because of its reputation."

Of course, the move hasn't come without controversy. The Rev. Michael Woodcock , the parish priest at a local church recently told the Wesmorland Gazette, "It is a great shame that Bibles have been removed from rooms and very inappropriate to have been replaced by an explicit erotic novel."

boston.com