Friday 16 November 2012

Girls, guns and yoga: John McAfee's odd life in 'pirate haven'

SAN PEDRO, Belize (Reuters) - To the many people who crossed his path on a tropical island in Belize, it was apparent John McAfee's life had taken some bizarre turns in the last few years.
The anti-virus software guru, who started McAfee Associates in 1989, has been in hiding since police said they wanted to question him about the weekend murder of his neighbor, fellow American Gregory Faull, with whom McAfee had quarreled.
Despite his disappearance, McAfee, 67, has remained in contact with the media, providing a stream of colorful bulletins over his predicament, state of mind and his claim that Belize's authorities want to kill him.
Residents of the Caribbean island of Ambergris Caye and others who know him paint the picture of an eccentric, impulsive man who gave up a career as a successful entrepreneur in the United States for a life of semi-seclusion in the former pirate haven of Belize, surrounded by bodyguards and young women.
McAfee, a yoga fan who has lived on the island for about four years, often moves around with bodyguards and sticks pistols in his belt.
"Never mind the dog, beware of owner," counsels a small sign, embellished with a sketched hand gripping a large pistol, tacked to the fence separating McAfee's beachfront swimming pool from the pier that cuts into the azure sea.
Officials suspect he used designer drugs, and neighbors say McAfee tried to chase them off the public beach in front of his house. Inside his home, a blue-roofed cottage complex, he kept a small arsenal of shotguns and scope-fitted rifles.
There were also complaints about the millionaire's numerous and noisy dogs. Officials say the poisoning of four of the dogs may be linked to the murder of Faull, a 52-year-old Florida building contractor who was shot dead at his salmon-hued two-story villa about 100 yards (meters) down the beach from McAfee.
Faull was one of the locals who had complained about McAfee's attitude and his dogs.
Now on the run, McAfee told Wired magazine, with whom he has kept an ongoing conversation, that he was disguised and holed up in what he describes as a lice-infested refuge.
In comments to the magazine, McAfee denied he shot Faull and said he fears that the police will kill or torture him. Police say they just want to talk to him about the killing.
McAfee, who has not responded to requests for comment by Reuters, blamed Belize's "pirate culture" for his troubles in an essay Wired said he had sent to the magazine.
"Belize is still a pirate haven and is run more or less along the lines established centuries ago by the likes of Captain Morgan, Blackbeard and Captain Barrow," McAfee said.
Belize Prime Minister Dean Barrow has urged McAfee to help police with their inquiries, calling him "bonkers."
'PARANOID'
Many locals in San Pedro describe the tattooed McAfee, who made a fortune developing the Internet anti-virus software that bears his name, as a generous but unstable man.
"He's a good guy, he helped a lot of people. The problem was when he wanted something he wanted it right now. And when he didn't get it, he'd get paranoid," said one islander, a former McAfee employee, who like many people here spoke on condition their name not be used for fear of retribution.
"He's a complex man, very impulsive," the islander added.
Doug Singh, Belize's former police minister, told Reuters he was at a loss to explain McAfee's recent comments.
"Mr. McAfee seems to have a bit of a divorce from reality and it seems to be consistent in his behavior and some of the things he has said recently. He's way out of line and out of proportion," he said. "Nobody has anything against Mr. McAfee."
After making millions with his anti-virus product, McAfee decided to abandon the United States for Belize, a languid coastal paradise. It is a path that has been taken by a number of rich Americans over the years.
He took a beachfront compound on the island's isolated and exclusive north side, 6 miles (10 kilometers) from the town of San Pedro by boat or by driving over badly cratered asphalt and dirt track. It is a world away from California's Silicon Valley, which he once called home.
He took the company public in 1992 and left two years later following accusations that he had hyped the arrival of a virus known as Michelangelo, which turned out to be a dud, to scare computer users into buying his company's products.
Officials at the company he created and its parent, Intel, have declined to comment on the controversy.
But one long-time McAfee manager who recently left said company executives were likely monitoring the news closely. He said they have tracked reports of John McAfee's activities over the years out of concern they might need to do damage control.
A case is already pending in Belize against McAfee for possession of illegal firearms, and police previously suspected him of running a lab to make illicit synthetic drugs.
But McAfee said this week he was opposed to drugs.
"My life is fucked up enough without drugs, and always has been," McAfee told Wired magazine.
BENEFACTOR
For all his trouble with authorities, McAfee has worked hard to be the island's benefactor. Upon arriving in Belize he bought a $1 million boat for the country's new coast guard, and donated equipment to the local police force, according to local reports.
He tipped generously everywhere he went, and hired a steady stream of taxis for frequent female guests on the $150 round trip from the small airstrip in San Pedro out to his house.
"Not two or three, a lot of women," said Artemio Awayo, 24, a local waiter. "Every time I saw him it was a different woman."
Those who knew him said he didn't drink and never hung out at the island's many bars. But employees at a restaurant near the pier where McAfee's water taxi company is based said his actions grew more bizarre following a police raid last April on his mainland hacienda outside the town of Orange Walk.
Even for casual lunches, McAfee began regularly coming to town with at least two bodyguards, clad in camouflage and each packing pistols, they said.
"Generally, you don't need a bodyguard in Belize," said Jorge Alana, a San Pedro Sun reporter who interviewed McAfee several times, noting top elected officials don't have them. "It does call attention when you move with so many guards."
McAfee's home is in a stretch of Ambergris where the wealthiest foreigners hole up. Raw lots of land 100 feet by 200 feet (30 meters to 61 meters) can cost up to $500,000 here. Even modest-looking houses reflect multimillion-dollar investments.
Like McAfee, many of his north shore neighbors tend to favor being left alone, rarely coming to town and loath to mix with tourists.
"That's why they come to San Pedro," said Daniel Guerrero, the tour guide and real estate broker now serving as the town's mayor. "They like the quietness. They like the isolation."
But even fishing, scuba diving and sunset daiquiris can get tiresome. Accustomed to hard work and achievement, newcomers established and kept up the island's charities, locals say. Quite a few foreigners, like McAfee, started local businesses. And some fall out of synch with local culture.
"It's one thing to vacation here and another thing living here," said Wyoming native Tamara Sniffin, owner and editor of the San Pedro Sun, the local newspaper.
Immortalized in song by Madonna as La Isla Bonita, Ambergris Caye stretches 27 miles (43 km) along the blue Caribbean below the Mexican border, flanking the world's second-largest barrier reef and some of its finest sport fishing waters.
Those attributes have attracted well-heeled foreign retirees and celebrities such as actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who owns a small island nearby.
"Here it's just party, party, work, party," said Iris Mavel, 27, a waitress at a restaurant favored by McAfee. "A lot of couples who come here leave divorced. That's why they call it Temptation Island."
The island also has a darker side. Dumped at sea and carried ashore by the tides, bundles of Colombian cocaine flow through the island not far from McAfee's house and on, many say, toward the Mexican border. Cocaine not recovered by the smugglers is collected by islanders, supplying a thriving local drug market that has sparked low-level gang feuds and occasional killings.
International fugitives have taken refuge here. In the summer, a Slovak man accused of murdering a woman, her 10-year-old son and a gangster in his home country was arrested on an international warrant, processed for extradition but then released by a Belizean judge.
Some townsfolk suspect McAfee is hiding on a yacht off of San Pedro. Others note that Mexico is only an hour away by the sort of fast boat McAfee owns and that passports are never checked for people landing in the oceanfront villages there.
San Pedro's mayor believes he will surface.
"I have the feeling that this guy will turn up," Guerrero said. "But he'll turn up with his attorneys. He's a big guy."

Best Of Great Britain

A tour of Britain’s royal palaces..

 

Exploring Britain's best royal buildings

Britain's culture, history and national identity has always been linked with the Royal Family, who are still a key feature of the country's society to this day. Spread throughout Britain are a series of extravagant buildings belonging to the Royals, some of which are over 1,000 years old and have to be seen to be believed. Here are seven of Britain's must-see royal palaces that you should visit on your trip to Britain.

Hampton Court Palace

A favourite residence of Henry VIII, London's Hampton Court Palace is an intricately designed red-brick royal palace which is now open to visitors all year round. No royals have lived there since George II in the early eighteenth century, but it's still well worth a visit to take the tour. One of the most unusual but undeniably fascinating attractions at Hampton Court is the enormous palace kitchens. Here you'll be able to see a demonstration of how the palace staff prepared enough food to sustain Henry's famously ravenous appetite, as well as the 600 guests he had at the palace every day.

Kensington Palace

Located on the outskirts of Hyde Park in London, Kensington Palace has played host to a variety of royals throughout the years, the most famous of which was Princess Diana before her tragic death in 1997. It's now the home of everyone's favourite royal couple, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who moved there after their wedding in 2011, as well as William's brother Prince Harry. Don't worry; Harry isn't cramping his older brother's style, as he lives in a completely separate wing of the palace. The palace was recently on the receiving end of a £12 million refurbishment, so now is the perfect time to pay a visit.

Sandringham House

Sandringham House isn't technically a royal palace, but The Queen's love for this huge Norfolk residence has practically made it an unofficial one. Every year Elizabeth II and family head to Sandringham to spend Christmas there, opening their presents on Christmas Eve in the White Drawing Room underneath the 20 foot royal Christmas tree. The residence is open to visitors between April and November every year, and highlights include the onsite royal museum, taking a tour through the house, and exploring the stunningly beautiful gardens housed in Sandringham's 8,000 acre estate.

Windsor Castle

As the world's oldest and largest royal castle still used as a residence, we're definitely not over-exaggerating when we say Windsor Castle is simply unmissable if you are planning a trip to Britain. Queen Elizabeth spends most of her weekends here, spending time in the picturesque castle grounds to get away from the hustle and bustle of London life. When you pay the entry fee you'll be given an audio guide, which will tell you everything you need to know as you explore the castle. You'll learn about Windsor's thousand-year history, and if you're really lucky you might even spot Her Majesty in the flesh as she arrives or leaves the castle.

Clarence House

Built in the early nineteenth century by William IV, Clarence House is a royal residence adjoining St. James's Palace on The Mall in London. Clarence House was the home of William and Kate before they got married, and although they've since moved out it's still the official residence of Prince Charles and The Duchess of Cornwall. During the summer months the house is open to visitors, who will be given a fascinating guided tour of the building and shown items from the Royal Collection, including royal treasures and items that were owned by the Queen Mother.

The Palace of Holyroodhouse

Whenever The Queen takes a trip up north to Scotland, Holyroodhouse is her official place of residence. The palace is now almost one thousand years old, and you'll marvel at the sheer sense of history and grandeur as you wander through its gilded halls and extravagant function rooms, which are still used by The Queen to entertain guests. Be sure to check out The Queen's Gallery on the palace grounds, which contains breath-taking works of art from the royal collection. Also worth visiting are the ruins of the original palace abbey built in 1128, which are still largely intact.

Buckingham Palace

Since The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Buckingham Palace has played host to an exhibition displaying some of Her Majesty's most prized jewellery, meaning there has never been a better time to visit the centrepiece of British royalty. Don't let the inevitable crowds scare you away from the palace — this is one landmark that is well worth braving the sea of tourists for. The palace itself is made up of a staggering 775 rooms. Luckily you won't have to trudge through the whole sprawling maze of the palace — the tour takes in 20 of the main staterooms, which should be more than enough for even the most royal-obsessed visitors.

Logos of famous automotive companies





















BMW

The company’s circular white and blue logo is portrayed as the movement of an aircraft propeller with the white blades cutting through a blue sky. The German automobile company, Bayerische Motoren Werke is popularly known as BMW.


 Rolls-Royce

One of the oldest car manufacturers Rolls-Royce is very well known for its mascot on the bonnet of its cars. The silver lady also known as the Spirit of Ecstasy is in the form of a woman leaning forwards with her arms outstretched behind and above her.It was designed by Charles Robinson Sykes and carries with it a story about a secret passion between John Walter Edward Douglas-Scott-Montagu, a pioneer of the automobile movement and his secret love and the model for the emblem, Eleanor Velasco Thornton.

Toyota

There are three ovals in the logo, the two perpendicular ovals inside the larger oval represent the heart of the customer and the heart of the company. They are overlapped to represent a mutually beneficial relationship and trust between each other.The overlapping of the two perpendicular ovals inside the outer oval symbolize "T" for Toyota, as well as a steering wheel, representing the vehicle itself and the outer oval symbolizes the world embracing Toyota. This logo of Toyota was introduced in October of 1989 to commemorate the 50th year of the company.

Audi

The Audi emblem of the four rings denotes one of Germany's oldest automobile manufacturers. It symbolizes the merger in 1932 of four previously independent motor vehicle manufacturers: Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer. These companies are the foundation stones on which the present-day AUDI AG is built.

Mitsubishi

The name Mitsubishi refers to the three-diamond emblem. ‘Mitsu’ means three while ‘Hishi’(pronounced as bishi) means water chestnut. The logo is said to be an arrangement of two family crests; the three-oak-leaf crest of the Yamauchi family, Lords of Tosa, where Yataro was born, and the three-tiered water chestnut crest of the Iwasaki family.

Mercedes-Benz

Classified as one of the luxury automobiles, Mercedes-Benz has a corporate logo which describes the three-pointed star enclosed in a circle. This star was included in the design intended for use on the radiator grille and became a registered trademark in August 1923.

Hyundai

The corporate logo of the Hyundai Motor Company is a circled slanting capital H. The company was established in 1967 and Cortina was the company’s first model which was released in cooperation with Ford Motor Company in 1968.

Honda

The capital H inside a square symbolizes distinguishes Honda from the other cars. The Honda Motor Company has been one of the largest motorcycles and automotive manufactures since the 1950s.

Renault

Renault cars are recognized by its diamond logo and have been through many changes since it first was used in 1925. This French multinational vehicle manufacturer was established in 1899.










Chevrolet

Although many variations in coloring and detail of the Chevrolet bowtie has changed over the years since its introduction in late 1913, its essential shape has never changed. In 2004, Chevrolet began to phase in the gold bowtie that today serves as the brand identity for all of its cars and trucks marketed globally.

Volkswagen

Volkswagen means ‘people's car’ in German. The company is was founded on 28 May 1937 and headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. The current Volkswagen logo, which reads a V and a W inside a circle, was redesigned in 2000.

Jaguar

The leaping jaguar is the emblem used on the bonnet of the cars. Jaguar was founded as the Swallow Sidecar Company by Sir William Lyons in 1922 and is now a subsidiary of the Indian company Tata Motors.









Ferrari
  
The well known symbol of the Ferrari cars is the black prancing stallion on a yellow shield with the letters SF for Scuderia Ferrari and also has three stripes of colors green, white and red on top representing the national colors of Italy. The company was founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929 as Scuderia Ferrari.

Bentley

Bentley distinguishes its cars with a winged B badge on the hood of its cars. The Bentley Motors was founded in 1919 by W. O. Bentley and is now owned by Volkswagen.

 Lamborghini

Ferruccio Lamborghini founded Automobili Ferruccio Lamborghini in 1963 and it is said that the world of bullfighting is a key part of Lamborghini's identity. It is believed that Lamborghini was so impressed by the Spanish fighting bulls when he visited the Seville ranch of Don Eduardo Miura, a renounced breeder of the bulls that he decided to adopt a raging bull as the emblem of the company.

Porsche

The centre of the crest shows a black horse rampant, an expression both of forward thrusting power and a derivation of the city seal. The team at Porsche was giving a clear sign of the bond they felt with the town in which they were based and now every Porsche has been duly armed with this logo.The emblem of Porsche was initially put together out of elements from the history of Württemberg-Baden, as the political region was still called at that time: stylised antlers and the state colours of red and black.

Aston Martin

The full name against a pair of wings is a die-cast emblem is what the company adopted to show off on the radiators of the cars manufactured. Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford founded Aston Martin in 1913.(Photo: Getty Images)
Can you think of any more logos of car brands that are global giants?


Please share your suggestions by posting a comment below.. !


Ancient Greece Revisited

From the centuries-old ruins of Olympia, where men and gods competed for laurels at the ancient Olympic Games, to its contemporary cities of Delphi and Corinth, the wonders of the ancient Hellenic civilization still draw awe-struck tourists. Add to those destinations Nafplio, Epidaurus, Mystras, Monemvasia and Mycenae to complete a tour of Greece's vibrant Peloponnese region. It is an itinerary that will convert even the most casual tourist into a Classical aesthete.

Visitors walk in the former stadium at the site of ancient Olympia.

Visitors walk among ruins at the site of ancient Olympia, Greece. The first major excavation of Olympia, sponsored by the German government, began in 1875.

The sanctuary is known as Altis and comprises various buildings including temples to Hera and Zeus, the hippodrome (for chariot races) and the stadium. The sacred grove of Zeus, or Altis as the ancient Greeks called it, was filled with plane trees and wild olives dedicated to the father of gods and mortals.

In modern Greece, Olympia is in the region of Peloponnese. Every four years, the Olympic Flame is still lit here with sunlight reflected through a parabolic mirror.

The temple of Hera stands in the northwest corner of the sacred precinct of the Altis.

Visitors look at the former Palace of Apollo, where the oracle once prophesized the future, at the ancient archeological site of Delphi. Greece's many archeological sites are among its most popular tourist destinations.

Another view of the former Palace of Apollo.

Visitors walk by the former Treasury of the Athenians at the ancient archeological site of Delphi, Greece. Greece's many archeological sites are among its most popular tourist destinations.

Visitors walk among ruins at the ancient archeological site of Corinth, Greece.

Another view of the ancient archeological site of Corinth. The site offers great walking tours.

Columns of the former Temple of Apollo stand at the ancient archeological site of Corinth as the ancient fortification of Corinth stands on a hilltop.

Corinth is located about 78 kilometres southwest of Athens in the Peloponnese region.

Ruins stand at the ancient Mycenaean archeological site of Tiryns near Nafplio, Greece.

Visitors explore the former theatre at the ancient archeological site of Epidaurus in Greece. Epidaurus is reputed to be the birthplace of Apollo's son Asclepius, the healer.

The Lion Gate stands at the ancient archeological site of Mycenae in Greece.

Stone houses cling to a rocky hillside on in Monemvasia, Greece. Once a Byzantine port, the town is today among the major tourist attractions of the southern Peloponnese.

The Church of Saint Sophia stands at the Byzantine archeological site of Mystras in Greece.

 

Keep your wardrobe colour perfect

Isn't it pure heartbreak to see your favourite red top or that super-flattering blue dress comeback looking faded and dull after a wash? It is, right. And we've all been there. But it's not difficult to keep your clothes looking fresh, as if you bought them yesterday. Our host Nauheed Cyrusi brings you some common-sense tips to keep the colours of your clothes vivid for years.