Paris Night Life in the 1950's (21 pics)

Romantic Retreat Villa Akrothalassia, Corfu

Akrothalassia on the north east coast of Corfu is a very dreamy, secluded property situated deep within a private olive grove, just a few steps away from the sparkling Ionian Sea. The property's romantic charm includes a Jacuzzi bath, which has superb views of the sea with an eye-catching silhouette of an offshore island.

The name Akrothalassia is literally translated as 'on the water's edge' – possibly something to do with its seafront location?

The contemporary villa with its innovative design, from its grass-covered roof to its pool and living area that fit together like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle is ideal for couples in search of something different for a holiday combining relaxation and the stimulus of interesting activities nearby.

Modern, minimalist interiors look out over stunning views of the Ionian Sea and the eye-catching silhouette of an offshore island. Green lawns slope down to the shore, and there is no lack of outdoor dining areas, while the indoor dining room is separated from the view by nothing more than a glass wall – ideal for cooler evenings. Secluded but not isolated, Villa Akrothalassia is within easy reach of north coast resorts such as Kassiopi and Acharavi, with the amenities of St Spiridon's Bay only a stones throw away.

A week's stay starts from £1415 based on 2 people sharing and includes car hire, maid service and food hamper. For further information contact CV Travel on 020 7401 1026 or visit www.cvtravel.co.uk.

So yeah, I almost died today

Recovering Soldier Reunites with His Dog from Afghanistan

A wounded soldier and Purple Heart recipient who recently returned home from Afghanistan has now been reunited with a puppy he adopted while on the front lines thanks to the efforts of The Puppy Rescue Mission, a group that helps bring soldiers back together with their overseas pets.


Donny Eslinger, 20, traded three cigarettes for the dog while on a tour in Afghanistan. He took care of the dog, whom he named "Smoke Pup Barbarian," until he was critically injured in a mortar attack.

Eslinger suffered from a broken leg, broken ribs, and other internal injuries in the blast.

Smoke Pup was left behind when Eslinger was flown out of Afghanistan to Germany and then back to the United States where he was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

President Obama awarded Donny with a Purple Heart when he was in hospital after he was hit by mortar fire while on patrol in September, suffering a penetrating chest wound, a head injury, broken ribs and leg.

That's when Eslinger's squad leader, Staff Sergeant Daniel, wrote to Puppy Rescue Mission. In the letter, Daniel described how he sent Esligner and three other wounded soldiers home while the unit was engaged in a "pretty intense fight with no visible enemy."

In the letter, Daniel described the special relationship Donny and other soldiers in his unit formed with Smoke Pup:
Smoke was the only bit of moral that made these kids forget were they were and cope with the tragedy we just experienced. It is amazing how therapeutic a little creature can be. Donny took care of that dog up until he was injured. Many of us in his Platoon would love nothing more than to see Smoke reunited with Donny. It would be the only decent thing we would see come from this place ... Donny will have a lot to deal with over the next year and Smoke could be a catalyst for recovery.

The Puppy Rescue Mission arranged for Smoke Pup to be flown to Florida and then to Bethesda, Maryland, where Eslinger is still receiving treatment for his injuries

Guy Collects All 1,850 PlayStation 2 Games, Leaves Them Sealed

Ahans 76, member of the Playstation Collecting Community, probably deserves the title of King of PS2 Collectors, after he managed to acquire a brand new, sealed copy of every game ever released for the PlayStation 2.

Ahans 76 says his passion for collecting video-game related items can be traced back to when he was 16 years old. He saw a Sega Game Gear handheld, in the window of a Game Crazy shop, and since he had always wanted yo own one as a kid, but never got the chance, he bought it on the spot. This awakened his collector's spirit and made him consider collecting more video games and consoles. As far as his unique PS 2 game collection is concerned, he didn't go for the full library from the start, he more like fell into it. He was buying a lot more games than he could play, and at one stage he had about 300 to 400 sealed games, so he looked on the Internet to see how many other games here were and landed on a website where it said the PS 2 had 800 games. Seeing he was already half through, he decided to go for the whole collection.

By the time he learned there were actually a lot more games released for Sony's most popular console ever, he had already acquired too many video-games from shops going out of business, to stop. Most of the games in his collection were bought at retail price, but for some he was willing to pay hundreds of dollars, in order to get sealed copies. Such was the case with "Wizardry: Tale Of The Forsaken Land" of which he already had 4 copies, but all of them had a whole in the case's barcode, and that wasn't acceptable. He ended up paying $300 for it. The last game in his collection was the first "Moto GP", he got it off eBay for $9.

Invented a way to put the toothpaste back in the tube!

Land as a mirror

 de Uyuni (or Salar de Tunupa) is the world's largest salt flat at 10,582 square kilometers (4,086 sq mi). It is located in the Potosí and Oruro departments in southwest Bolivia, near the crest of the Andes, and is elevated 3,656 meters (11,995 ft) above the mean sea level.