An eye-opening look at white poverty..  

Poverty In White South Africa – The Origins Of Zef Culture? – When stories are told about African poverty, race often seems to play a large part. Reuters photographer Finbarr O’Reilly traveled to South Africa earlier this year and visited one of a growing number of squatter camps populated mostly by white South Africans. Despite the fact that impoverished blacks in the region far outnumber whites, poverty is clearly a human issue, not necessarily racial.. [boston]

Lance Armstrong Crashes Three Times In Tour De France – Lance Armstrong’s chance for another Tour de France title effectively ended Sunday, as the seven-time champion crashed three times during the eighth stage and ended the day an almost-irreparable 13 minutes, 26 seconds behind leader Cadel Evans. “My Tour is finished,” said the 38-year-old Mr. Armstrong. He will ride out this Tour, and he has said he won’t compete in another one. [wallstreetjournal + video]

Vanity Fair Praises South Africa – “But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s pause for a minute and offer a nod to the 2010 host. South Africa spent much of the past few years fending off criticism and doubt—the country didn’t have the technology or sophistication to host the planet’s largest sports event; crime rates were too high; security would be too lax; infrastructure wouldn’t be up to par. South Africa stood up to the challenge of hosting the World Cup and did so with flair and exuberance..” cntd. [vanityfair]

LA Cops Want To Get Their Hands On Mel Gibson Tapes – A tape released Monday in which actor Mel Gibson apparently acknowledges that he hit the mother of his child will be added to evidence being reviewed in a domestic violence investigation involving the actor. In the recording, Gibson’s former girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva recounts an incident in which she says Gibson hit her as she held their baby daughter, a blow that broke the model’s teeth. A voice is then heard telling the woman she “deserved” it. [latimes]

Historians Locate King Arthur’s Round Table – Researchers exploring the legend of Britain’s most famous Knight believe his stronghold of Camelot was built on the site of a recently discovered Roman amphitheatre in Chester. Legend has it that his Knights would gather before battle at a round table where they would receive instructions from their King. But rather than it being a piece of furniture, historians believe it would have been a vast wood and stone structure which would have allowed more than 1,000 of his followers to gather. [telegraph]

Ashton And Demi Are On The “Master Cleanse” Diet – Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore are looking to shed off the excess pounds they have, and for that purpose they are trying right now the Master Cleanse diet. How do we know that? Thanks to a series of Twitter posts by the couple. The latest Demi Moore tweet about the diet said: “2nd day of master cleanse and off to hike with hubby and the dogs. 2nd day better than the 1st!” and later “Let you know if I make it to day 4.” [tpi]

What Is The “Master Cleanse” Diet? – “The Master Cleanse is such a simple program. First, squeeze Fresh Lemon Juice, then add Rich Maple Syrup, and Cayenne Pepper into Pure Water. Drink a minimum of six to twelve glasses throughout the day whenever one is hungry. Take a laxative, morning and evening; or instead of the morning laxative, you can do the Salt Water Flush. Every day of The Master Cleanse that you overcome the psychological need to eat, you feel a growing sense of control..” cntd.. [mastercleanse]

US Rebuild Power Plant As Money Goes To Taliban – The U.S. has poured more than $100 million into upgrading the Kajaki hydropower plant, the biggest source of electricity in south Afghanistan. And it plans on spending much more, in an effort to woo local sympathies away from the Taliban insurgency. Yet, one of the biggest beneficiaries of this American-taxpayer-financed project are the Taliban themselves. [wallstreetjournal]

Switzerland Refuses To Extradite Roman Polanski – Since director Roman Polanski was arrested in Switzerland in September 2009, U.S. authorities have been awaiting word on whether he would be extradited to the U.S. for sentencing on charges of unlawful sex following decades on the run. The news arrived early Monday morning in America: Swiss Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf says Polanski is “a free man,” after Switzerland decided to deny the American extradition request. [newsweek]

Facebook Adds “Panic Button” – Facebook has announced it will allow a “panic button” application on its social networking site. The button, aimed at children and teenagers, will report abuse to the UK Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (Ceop) and Facebook. Once installed, the application appears on their homepage to say that “they are in control online”. [bbc]

Guy From The Office Marries Chick From Devil Wears Prada – Emily Blunt and “The Office” star john Krasinski were recently wed in Italy. The couple has been dating since 2008, and by all accounts got along very well. Celebrity guests who attended the wedding included George Clooney and Elisabetta Canalis. The couple had been vacationing in Italy for the last week leading up to the ceremony and had stayed at George’s estate on Lake Como. [spreadit]

Our Dear Leader Is Ill – Doctors in North Korea have given the country’s leader Kim Jong-il three years to live, Open Radio for North Korea claimed Friday. Quoting what it said was a high-level North Korean source, the broadcaster said a comprehensive medical check-up last month by a special medical department under the Guard Command, a military unit assigned to protect Kim, shows that he has “at most three years to live.” Rubbish! [chosun]

Turner Painting Sells For Record $29.7 Million Pounds – A view over Rome painted by artist JMW Turner was sold for 29.7 million pounds in London, setting a new record at auction for the British master. “Modern Rome — Campo Vaccino” was bought Wednesday for the equivalent of 44.9 million dollars at Sotheby’s by the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. [luxuo]

Today’s SuperEna Lottery Has R950 Million Jackpot – I might be picking up a couple Turner paintings myself, once my numbers come in for today’s Italian SuperEna lottery! That’s of course when I’m done putting the finishing touches on the ycht and the jet! Don’t forget to get your tickets safely and securely online today! [2oceansvibelottos]

[thanks michael, brendon, simon]