Elspeth A. Lodge

Pippa Middleton is on the move again— Monday she went to Paris and watched Rafael Nadal shimmy into the quarter-finals at the French Open:

“Prince William’s sister-in-law was on the Court Philippe Chatrier at Roland Garros with friends as Spanish world number one Nadal saw off Croatia’s Ivan Ljubicic 7-5 6-3 6-3,” reports the Mirror.

“After the masterclass from Nadal, Pippa and her pals saw Gilles Simon take on Robin Soderling.”

Pippa plays tennis occasionally at the Queen’s Club, the annual venue of one of the warm-up events for Wimbledon.

The Duchess of Cambridge is also a fan of the sport, she played for Marlborough College.

Directly after Barack Obama’s European tour, British PM David Cameron has removed himself as a patron of the Jewish National Fund.

It’s impossible to tell whether Obama’s stance on the Palestine and Israel issue had anything to do with the PM’s decision.

Downing Street has declined to say if lobbyists from the “Stop the JNF Campaign” were a factor in the move, and they are insisting the decision is part of a general review of the prime minister’s charity connections, says the Guardian.

Pro-Palestinian campaigners claim the decision is a result of pressure:

“There has been a change in public opinion and awareness about Israel’s behaviour and there was specific pressure on [Cameron] to step down from the JNF,” she said Sofiah Macleod of the UK-based “Stop the JNF Campaign” to the Guardian.

“We believe he has stepped down as a result of this political pressure. Given the establishment support that the JNF has received, it’s not a decision he will have taken lightly.”

PM Cameron became a patron of the JNF five years ago, not long after he became leader of the Conservative Party.

The organization was created to buy land in Palestine to establish Jewish settlements in 1901 and the PM.

Justin Bieber might have to receive a title, grow taller, attend Eton College and/or get a double-barrel surname before gaining the admiration of  Pippa Middleton, but that won’t stop the 17-year-old pop star from trying to win P-Middy’s attention.

He recently struck up a deal with the Middleton’s party supply company “Party Pieces,” where his merchandise is now on sale.

“It is one of several recent licensing deals signed by the family which experts predict could make them millions,”  reports the Mail.

The decision comes after Bieber’s admiration of Pippa in commentary and through Twitter.

According to the Mirror, Mr. Bieber “gushed on Twitter about Pippa’s stunning looks after her sister Kate’s ­wedding to Prince William.”

Justin Bieber's Twitter page

The Mail reports “He also described the 27-year-old as a ‘hit’ in her plunging, figure-hugging gown.”

Bieber’s products are  “Advertised discreetly on the website,” says the Mail, “…perhaps to avoid accusations of cashing in on their royal connection, it follows the appearance of merchandise for Disney’s Toy Story 3 and Nintendo’s Super Mario in the last few weeks.”

His products appear under the heading ‘We’ve got Bieber fever.’

Mr.Bieber’s representatives confirmed to the media that he is now selling his merchandise through the Middleton’s party firm.

“Hardcore fans can shell out £20.89 on the ­Justin Bieber ­Ultimate Party Kit, containing party plates, cups, ­napkins and balloons as well as a ­birthday ­banner,” says the Mirror.

Party Pieces Website

Party Pieces Website

Queen Anne’s Revenge, believed to be the flagship of the romanticized pirate “Blackbeard” allegedly ran aground on the North Carolina Coast in 1718.

Archeologists began a project to pull artifacts from the water and examine them in 1996 when the ship was finally discovered.

The vessel’s third largest artifact was pulled from the ocean floor on Friday— a nearly 3,000 lb anchor, reports CNN.

“Researchers retrieved the anchor from the shipwreck about 20 feet (6.1 meters) under water and were bringing it to shore,” says CNN.

“The work to retrieve it began last week. The anchor is about 11 feet (3.3 meters) long.”

Conservation of the anchor could take up to four years, reports say.

What can we hope to learn from the new artifact?

“The expedition is trying to score a trove of 18th-century goods,” says CNN, “which will be used to educate the public and raise awareness of underwater preservation efforts. The site has already yielded more than 250,000 artifacts, including cannons, gold, platters, glass, beads, shackles and rope, according to the state.”

Also— “By studying the artifacts, archaeologists are beginning to gain valuable insight into the period’s naval technology, colonial provisioning, the slave trade, shipboard life, and the material culture of piracy,” says the project’s website.

“The recovery coincides with the release this month of “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.” says AP. “The movie features both Blackbeard and the Queen Anne’s Revenge.”

About Queen Anne’s Revenge:

“In November 1717, English pirates captured the French slave-ship La Concorde near the island of Martinique. Led by the notorious Blackbeard, the pirates converted La Concorde into their flagship and renamed the vessel Queen Anne’s Revenge,” says a website dedicated to the ship.

“After spending the winter searching for prizes in the Caribbean the pirate fleet consisting of Queen Anne’s Revenge and three smaller sloops, blockaded the port of Charleston in May 1718.”

“Continuing up the coast, Blackbeard lost his flagship while attempting to enter Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina and five months later he was killed in a bloody battle at Ocracoke.”

From: http://www.blackbeardlives.com/day4/images/qarcut.gif

From: http://www.qaronline.org/archaeology/arcintro.htm

No, it’s not a story from The Onion, but it should be—Mark Zuckerberg, the famous Facebook founder and CEO has made an interesting goal for 2011: he plans to eat only animals he has slaughtered himself, CNN reports.

“This year, my personal challenge is around being thankful for the food I have to eat,” he said in an email to Fortune.”I think many people forget that a living being has to die for you to eat meat, so my goal revolves around not letting myself forget that and being thankful for what I have. This year I’ve basically become a vegetarian since the only meat I’m eating is from animals I’ve killed myself”

The  27-year-old billionaire is said to have killed goats, pigs and chickens, among other animals.

What was his first kill?  He reveals to the media it was a lobster:”The most interesting thing was how special it felt to eat it after having not eaten any seafood or meat in a while,” he said to Fortune.”I’m eating a lot healthier foods. And I’ve learned a lot about sustainable farming and raising of animals,” he says to Fortune.

Zuckerberg’s new goal was discovered via his personal Facebook page, of course, on May 4. He posted a note to his 847 friends “I just killed a pig and a goat,” he said.

Photo from Obamafoodorama

President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron left a mid-morning meeting in London on Wednesday, to help prepare a BBQ for members of the armed forces and their families.

The two high-powered politicians were immediately drawn to the grills and the President quickly rolled up his sleeves and got to work; Obama chewed gum and smiled as he began flipping burgers.

It wasn’t long before the men were shooed away from cooking by 10 Downing Street staff, who told them to go to the serving tables.

The President happily doled out sausages to  servicemen, while his wife Michelle Obama stood nearby serving up potatoes.

Mrs. Cameron also had a pair of tongs in hand, serving up Caesar salad to guests.

According to Obamafoodorama the menu included Selection of British sausages Beef burgers, Rosemary kentish lamb chops, Roasted corn on the cob, Caesar salad, Tomato, mozarella and basil salad and Hot jersey royals (potatoes).

Photo from Obamafoodorama

There were forty-seven US service members from the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force says the White House—”All are currently on active duty, and there are 3 purple hearts and eleven bronze stars among them,” says the Obama Foodorama blog.

Photo from Obamafoodorama

When President Obama raised his glass to make a toast to the Queen during a state dinner at Buckingham Palace, the orchestra mistakenly took it as a cue from the president to play “God Save the Queen.”

Obama tried to salvage the situation by acting as if it were intended background music.

But, the Queen looked uncomfortable and gave Obama an awkward smile.

During a photo-op on Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg couldn’t resist teasing the President, for continuing his toast even while the band played “God Save the Queen.” President Obama joked back that it was like something out of the movies— he had a soundtrack.

Watch the flubbed toast below:

The Duchess of Cambridge caused a fashion frenzy Tuesday when she wore a simple, knee-length, camel coloured Reiss shift dress to meet the Obamas.

Fans of Kate’s high street fashion sense immediately surged the store and the label’s website to purchase the new hot piece.

The Telegraph says she gave the label such a boost that it was unable to cope with the shopping surge and the store’s website crashed.

A Reiss spokesperson told the Washington Post that traffic to the site increased by over 300 percent after the duchess appeared in photographs wearing the dress.

The label is using twitter to keep the shoppers updated about the websites condition:

“Kate, 29, has been photographed wearing Reiss on a number of occasions and has become something of an ambassador for the high street label,” says the Telegraph.

Photo credit: Getty Images

President Obama and the First Lady met members of the royal family at Buckingham palace on Tuesday, it was Obama’s second full day of a planned six-day, four-nation trip to Europe.

One very special moment of the day?

When America’s most famous couple— the president and his wife— met Britain’s most famous couple, the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Meeting the Obama’s was Kate’s debut “official” engagement as an solid new member of The Firm.

Fresh back from their honeymoon in the Seychelles, Kate and Wills looked happy and tan, and ready to take on their new responsibilities together.

“Wills and Kate were making their official debut after their wedding,” says the Mirror. “And they were given centre stage for the arrival of the Obamas.Keen to show Kate, 29, and William, 28, as the youthful future of the Royal Family, Palace aides made sure the meeting was one of the high points of the landmark state visit.”

So, how did the Duchess do in her new royal role?

“Kate was brilliant,”One insider said to the Mirror.

“The Obamas, especially Michelle, were enchanted by her.”

“The Royal Family recognise the star power of Kate and William and know how popular they are round the world.”

The Duchess of Cambridge meets Michelle Obama

The Duchess was clad in her trademark high street chic during the event— she wore a simple £175 ($340) camel bandage dress called ” Shola” of the label Reiss—the same label she chose to wear for one of her famous official engagement portraits by world-renowned photographer Mario Testino.

Kate also threw a designer label into her high street mix— the Anya Hindmarch ‘Maud’ clutch in black silk.

Michelle Obama was a colorful contrast to Kate, pretty and summary in a dress from Barbara Tfank‘s 2011 resort collection.

She “stayed true to her colourful style wearing a shimmering blue floral brocade ‘prom’ dress by one of her favourite designers, Barbara Tfank with a metallic pink silk bolero,” reports the Telegraph.

The NYDailyNews describes the dress as a “pale green, floral, a-line dress.” While the New York Times describes the dress as ” a belted gray print dress.”

“The first lady was in girlish, almost princessly sheeny florals,” writes Jess Cartner-Morley, a fashion reporter for The Guardian.“The new princess, by contrast, looked a vision of modern, trans-Atlantic glamour. The dress, the blow-dry, the deep tan: this could be Victoria Beckham at a Los Angeles luncheon.”