News from all over the world...: January 2012

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Dogwalker Denies Posing: Who Is the ‘Smiling’ Woman in the Hollywood Hills Decapitation Photo?

Lauren Kornberg, the professional dogwalker who discovered a severed head in the Hollywood Hills this week—the one that a paparazzi agency is shopping photos of with a smiling mystery woman posing next to it—says she never snapped pics of the gruesome find. She does, however, have a theory about who did.

On Tuesday afternoon, on a hiking trail in Hollywood Hills, a pair of female dogwalkers stumbled across the severed head of a middle-aged man. Two of their dogs had been playing with a plastic bag, they told the LAPD. Inside was a human head.

After Christina Aguilera appeared at Etta James' funeral service with some mysterious liquid dripping down her legs, all productivity basically ground to a halt as the nation turned its collective energy towards figuring out what it was.

Call it Hollywood's version of a visit from the North Pole. Former "Hills" hottie Audrina Patridge donned a festive ensemble, including a Santa hat, a Santa-inspired dress, and knee-high boots, as she posed with shirtless guys at the Hollywood and Highland Center in L.A. on Tuesday. It was part of a holiday event to promote Bongo jeans, in which spokeswoman Audrina handed out cupcakes, signed autographs, and met with fans.

Actress Angelina Jolie poses as she arrives at the 18th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles, January 29, 2012.

In the neighbourhood of northeast Medell

A picture is seen on the roof of a house in the neighbourhood of northeast Medellín, Colombia, January 30, 2012.

First single from new Madonna album released February 3

The first single from Madonna's upcoming album "MDNA" is called "Give Me All Your Luvin'" and is set for a February 3 release, two days before the singer performs at the Super Bowl on Sunday.

Photo of the day from Nation Geographic

2012's rising trendsetters: Watch out for Azealia Banks, Rooney Mara, 'Hunger Games'

New York rapper Azealia Banks and actresses Rooney Mara and Shailene Woodley are among the names predicted to be 2012's biggest style icons, while films such as The Hunger Games will make a big sartorial impression.

A report published in WWD January 30 heard from a host of stylists and designers, offering their opinions on this year's biggest style influencers.

Hollywood stylist Phillip Bloch, who has dressed the likes of Halle Berry and Salma Hayek, predicts flamboyant singers Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj and Lady Gaga will continue to set trends thanks to a rise in "fantasy as fashion," although Helen Job, director of lifestyle and culture at global trend forecasting firm Stylesight, says the one to watch is hip-hop star Banks.

As well as her music providing the backdrop to Mugler's recent menswear show, the musician performed in Karl Lagerfeld's home during a dinner celebrating the launch of his Net-a-Porter clothing line last week -- watch the performance at http://youtu.be/4GIDvrRjkz4.

INDIANAPOLIS – Camilla Williams, believed to be the first African-American woman to appear with a major U.S. opera company, has died. She was 92.
Williams died Sunday at her home in Bloomington, her attorney, Eric Slotegraaf, said Monday. She died of complications from cancer, said Alain Barker, a spokesman for the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where Williams was a professor emeritus of voice.
Williams' debut with the New York City Opera on May 15, 1946, was thought to make her the first African-American woman to appear with a major U.S. opera company and came nearly nine years before Marian Anderson became the first African-American singer to appear at New York's more prestigious Metropolitan Opera.
In her City Opera debut, Williams sang what would become her signature role, Cio-Cio-San, in Puccini's "Madama Butterfly." She displayed "a vividness and subtlety unmatched by any other artist who has assayed the part here in many a year," according to a New York Times review of the performance.

Steve Jones and Nicole Scherzinger won't be on the next series of the US X Factor, the Fox network has confirmed.

Jones, who hosted the show's debut season, tweeted that it was a "shame" but added, "I can't complain as I've had a great time".
Former Pussycat Dolls' singer Scherzinger, a judge on the show, has yet to respond to the news

Occupy protesters have defied a noon police deadline to remove their camps or face arrest in Washington DC.

They have erected a "tent of dreams" around a statue in McPherson Square as part of their protest against eviction.
The camps at McPherson Square and Freedom Plaza have been Occupy's most visible sites since the one in New York was cleared out in November.

Backstage at the Miss Brazil Plus-Size Beauty contest.

Photo of the Day by http://www.thedailybeast.com

Are Peyton Manning's playing days over?

Manning's slow healing reportedly indicates he will never play again.

Four-time NFL MVP Peyton Manning has hit a plateau in his rehabilitation from neck surgery, and the slow rate at which the nerves in his arm are healing indicate he will not play again, Yahoo! Sports reported Monday, citing two sources.

Tech writer Glenn Fleishman doesn't mind attractive people trying to get him to pay attention to their products. But "companies that rely on models whose various assets are stress-testing spandex or exposed to air are trying so hard that they fail, he writes in an opinion piece at TidBITS today.

Police investigating the disappearance of Maine toddler Ayla Reynolds have turned their focus to the three adults who were in the home with the girl the night she was last seen, saying that the evidence doesn't point to an abduction.

In what is being called the most intense investigation launched in Maine within the last decade, state police are now saying they believe the adults inside the house the night baby Ayla disappeared know more than what they're saying.

Joe Green is most likely the Facebook roommate you've never heard of, but the Harvard graduate is trying to make a difference in the world, with friends.

Green lacks the name recognition of company co-creator Mark Zuckerberg , or even Eduardo Saverin, who famously helped launch Facebook, although he was there with the Internet entrepreneurs in that dorm where the social media powerhouse was born. And he walked away from it.

The newest version of Firefox is now available for the PC and Mac. Its newest features include a Forward button that remains hidden until you actually need it, support for full-screen APIs, and better extensions management. Mozilla

Download here...

By now, you probably think you've seen every amazeballs piece of nail art under the moon, but even we'll admit there's still SO much out there to explore. Our favorite discovery as of late? Nail designs

Late last year, despite the fact that her major label debut, Born To Die, is out this week, MTV Artist To Watch Lana Del Rey was anointed unimpeachable Queen of the Internet -- and she's currently taking on the modeling world, and the late-night TV scene, plus, by this point next week, your mom will probably know who you mean if you just say "Lana -- based on her supernaturally popular breakthrough viral hit, "Video Games." And,

This New Year’s Day, Marina Bay Sands has been chosen as the venue to the largest BASE jumping attempt in Singapore. Seven professional BASE jumpers, participated in this adrenaline pumping display to welcome the New Year.

Jumpers / POV shots:
Marta Empinotti, James Pouchert, Amanda Vicharelli,
Anne Helliwell, Tim Mattson, Brendon Cork and Jeb Corliss.

Even though President Obama didn’t much address tech or social media during the State of the Union, the event sure stoked the social media channels. Twitter alone saw 760,000 tweets related to the State of the Union. Additional social chatter propelled that number to 2.1 million mentions, according to Trendrr.

Apple's outrageous success has a dark side. But does that mean it's time to stop buying Apple products?

Before we go there, let's get a few things out of the way. The focus of the New York Times iPad human cost story was Apple because:

Fame: Like anything that is constantly in the public eye (such as, say, a Republican presidential candidate) Apple is a magnet for reporters. There's lots and lots of reporting about Apple, some invariably negative.

The data on Megaupload will not be erased for at least two more weeks, Cnet reports citing Megaupload lawyer Ira Rothken.
The data on the file hosting service, whose founders have been accused of piracy and money laundering, was in danger to be erased as soon as Thursday, Feb. 2, as the site’s assets were frozen and it was unable to pay its hosting fees.

Watch the video...

SEC cheerleaders are stereotyped as Southern belles known for their elegance and gentleness.
And then there’s Georgia’s Anna Watson, the Mike Mamula of cheerleading.
She is the most ripped female college cheerleader you will ever see; She bench presses 155 pounds, squats 255 and can dead lift 230. Profiled in the student newspaper, Red and Black, Watson sounds like a “workout warrior” when she describes at one point working out an hour-and-a-half, six days a week and taking down 3,000 calories a day.

The largest and most advanced unmanned aircraft to Israel, able to fly to Iran, crashed into ...
field during a test flight, said the Israeli army.
As told AFP Israeli official, the Heron TP («Heron") crashed Sunday during the test were making a joint army and the Israeli Aerospace Industry.

A Southwest Airlines employee at Washington Dulles International Airport died on Friday after being injured in a collision with a luggage cart and a vehicle used to transport passengers.
The incident, according to airline spokesperson Brandy King, occurred on Thursday at approximately 7 a.m. ET.
The employee, who has not been named, was rushed to an area hospital and received medical attention. The airline learned early Friday that the employee died.

Man falls to death aboard cruise ship in Bahamas

By NBC News and msnbc.com staff

Authorities are investigating the death of a passenger aboard the Carnival Fantasy who fell from an upper deck to a lower deck while the cruise ship was docked in the Bahamas.

The 26-year-old victim, whose identity was not released, fell from one of the upper levels of the ship's atrium to the lobby level late Friday night, Carnival Cruise Lines said in a statement Saturday. The ship was docked in Nassau at the time.

Police officer shot, killed by fellow officer trying to arrest him

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – A Santa Maria police officer was shot and killed Saturday by a fellow officer who was trying to arrest him for suspected sexual misconduct with a minor, the Santa Maria Times reported.
The slain officer was on duty when police tried to take him into custody early Saturday, the Santa Maria Police Department said in a press release.

$14.3 million lottery 'winner' abandons claim

By msnbc.com staff and news services

Updated at 9:45 p.m. ET: The Associated Press reported that the Iowa Lottery said it had learned that Crawford Shaw, an attorney who said he represents a trust that owned a winning Iowa Lottery jackpot, was "associated with criminal proceedings and bankruptcy filings in New York and Delaware."

Skier Maddie Bowman wears a band on her arm and a purple ribbon in rememberance of Canadian skier Sarah Burke during Winter X Games 2012 at Buttermilk Mountain on Saturday. Burke died Jan 19 from injuries she sustained in a training accident.

By Kari Huus, msnbc.com

Since the death of Canadian skier Sarah Burke in January, fans and supporters from around the world have donated over $300,000 – more than enough to cover the massive U.S. medical bill generated by efforts to save her.

African Americans in Mississippi often have fewer options for high-speed Internet and spend a higher proportion of their incomes on the Internet than whites in the state, according to a new report underscoring how the digital divide splits along racial lines.

Note: The following contains spoilers if you have not seen Season 16, Episode 5 of ABC's "The Bachelor."
Buenos días, "Bachelor" fans! Week five finds us in beautiful Puerto Rico where Ben is going above and beyond to prove that he is ready to find love while wearing only henley shirts from the cool side of the color wheel. In this episode, we were reminded that black underwear

25 pays de l'UE ont signé un traité afin de faire respecter une discipline budgétaire. Mais quelles seraient les sanctions ? Des coups de règle d'or ?

Note: Do not read on if you have not seen Season 2, Episode 18 of ABC Family's "Pretty Little Liars, entitled "A Kiss Before Lying."
Our Hanna-less "Pretty Little Liars" are still keeping secrets from the foursome's only blonde and examining the video with Caleb (again) to try to figure out what was in Ali's box.

50 million users may lose data, including family photos, says Megaupload lawyer

Federal prosecutors say data from users of Megaupload could be deleted as soon as Thursday.

U.S. prosecutors blocked access to Megaupload and charged seven men, saying the site facilitated millions of illegal downloads of movies, music and other content.

So far this season there have been approximately ten gazillion ad campaigns, each setting the runway collections in a different landscape (gas stations, stormy beaches and the backseat of a car have all made appearances) on the backs of this year's hottest models (Gisele, Daphne Groeneveld, Lindsey Wixson, etc.).
Most have managed to make something original out of the ad experience -- use cool props, unexpected lighting, interesting poses, the like.

When Alessandra Ambrosio announced in December that she was four months pregnant, some quick math revealed a pretty impressive feat: the Brazilian model had walked the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show while pregnant.
Ambrosio did it again yesterday, showing off her curves at the Colcci show during Sao Paulo Fashion Week.

If you've got it, flaunt it. That seems to be the overriding theme of the outfit French pop singer Shy'm wore to the 2012 NRJ Music Awards.
As Buzzfeed notes, transparent corsets are "all the rage" in Paris at the moment. With this outfit, Shy'm is certainly cashing in on the trend.
Idolator reports that Justin Bieber, Shakira and LMFAO's RedFoo were also in attendance. But even The Bieb's slicked-back 'do couldn't compete with Shy'm's eye-catching top.
See photos of the NSFW ensemble below:

10 Tips on Dating

There are a ton of horror stories out there about people meeting on the internet trying to find love, and then there are some wonderful stories about people who have met on the internet. I am one of the wonderful stories. My husband and I met on match.com and we are absolutely perfect for one another, so it can definitely work. The internet is an unavoidable tool these days if we want to be more efficient with our work, shopping and even sometimes play.

Women — they are everywhere. From our mothers, sisters and daughters to gal pals and love interests, there’s no escaping them. You may love them, can’t live without them, but ever feel like you are walking on eggshells around the leading ladies in your life?
The words you choose may have something to do with it. That’s right – certain terms and expressions have negative connotations that trigger emotional reactions from women for reasons men may not even think of.

Feeling frustrated today about a lack of ideas to write about on your blog? If so, you’re not alone. Here’s another technique that I use to overcome it.
A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post here on ProBlogger that gave a tip for fighting blogger’s block. It asked you to identify a problem that you had three years ago and to write a post that solved that problem for your readers.

We are giving away a copy of SoulSpace: Transform Your Home, Transform Your Life – Creating a Home That Is Free of Clutter, Full of Beauty, and Inspired by You by Xorin Balbes. Check out this preview from the author and leave a comment for your chance to win the book!
Change happens. Sometimes it happens to us, visited upon our lives by an external source, and sometimes it happens within us, as a new dream or an impulse that expands our outlook. Sometimes the change is

Plastic grocery bags and plastic water bottles – those disposable environmental nightmares – have become iconic in the current green revolution. Which is why plastic grocery bags are banned in many states, with many more on the way. Alas, single-use soda and water bottles are still ubiquitous. And even those of us who refuse to buy them, somehow seem to find ourselves in possession of the little landfill disasters.

Whether we’re a vibrant Orange, or a peaceful Blue, our color preferences are a key to understanding our personalities. Find out what this color expert has to say about your favorite color. What does it reveal about who you really are?
You can vote here what is your favorite color

According to a new study, more than half of those lighting a cigarette a day hide their dirty habit from friends and family and are thus secret smokers.

Who needs a traffic light or stop sign when a topless woman walks down the street?
Traffic came to a halt on Monday in Monongahela, Pa. around 3 p.m. when a shirtless woman stepped out of her car and paraded down the middle of the road for several blocks,

A man in northern Sweden got quite a run for his money Tuesday when an ATM machine dispensed a mouse along with his 700 Swedish Kroner ($104), The Local reported.
Gholam Hafezi grabbed what appeared to be a string hanging from the machine, but suddenly discovered it was a mouse, reports Vasterbotten Folkblad, a Swedish local newspaper.

Last week Aerosmith front man Steven Tyler came under fire for his rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" ahead of the AFC championship game between the Baltimore Ravens and the New England Patriots.

The rock legend was widely panned for his failure to hit the high notes, and he also had some trouble with the lyrics. But the complaints were nothing new, and perhaps for good reason. Recording artist Erica Chase tells Pop Tarts that, in characterizing our country's national anthem, “difficult would be an understatement.”

The whole world grieves on the news of the death of Steve Jobs, who revolutionized the world of technology and also made the world realize that good simple technology is for everyone.
Being a college drop-out and a person who never completed his graduation, Steve Jobs built computers in his parents’ garage in the mid-1970s with a friend, Steve Wozniak. Together they founded Apple in 1976 to sell their innovations and creativity.
Apple, based in Cupertino, California, surpassed Microsoft in 2010 to become the world’s most valuable technology company.

Steve Jobs Biography

Whatever happened to 'don't be evil'? Google has adopted new policies aimed at giving itself an edge over its rivals. You got a problem with that? You’re free to leave.

Katherine Heigl in 'One for the Money', Ron Batzdorff / Liosngate

Heigl quit a lucrative TV career on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ to pursue romantic comedies, but her recent films have been lackluster. Ramin Setoodeh went to a midnight screening of her new movie, which wasn’t screened for critics, to find out what’s going on.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

50 million users may lose data, including family photos, says Megaupload lawyer

Monday, January 30, 2012

Whatever happened to 'don't be evil'? Google has adopted new policies aimed at giving itself an edge over its rivals. You got a problem with that? You’re free to leave.

Heigl quit a lucrative TV career on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ to pursue romantic comedies, but her recent films have been lackluster. Ramin Setoodeh went to a midnight screening of her new movie, which wasn’t screened for critics, to find out what’s going on.

Live Indices Rates

Live Commodities

Live Currency Cross Rates