Netflix experiencing second outage in December

For the second time in a month (first on Christmas Eve and now on New Year Eve today) Netflix is experiencing an outage. Netflix’s service has again gone down today, according to a message posted on the Netflix website, dozens of reports from users on Twitter, and other third-party website monitoring services. Netflix’s official accounts have not yet been updated with any details about today’s issues, which have been underway all morning long

On the Netflix website, users currently see a message that reads:
We’re Sorry
The Netflix site is temporarily unavailable. Our engineers are working hard to bring the site back up as quickly as possible.
Netflix recently recovered from a long Christmas Eve outage, which the company later blamed on issues with its Amazon host, and specifically with Amazon Web Service’s Elastic Cloud Balancing API calls. At the time, users were pointed to @netflixhelps for an update. That account, has now updated. the message was not about the outage
Because some users are reporting trouble with the DVD side of the website and others with streaming, it’s unclear at this time which aspects of Netflix’s site and service have been affected or how widespread those problems are. For what it’s worth, streaming is working for some but the DVD side of the site is down. Perhaps some users are seeing the error message upon login to Netflix.com, and are assuming that the whole service (including streaming) is affected. However, without official confirmation, thats only a guess.

[Techcrunch]

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Confirmed: Kim Kardashian finally pregnant.. for Kanye West

Popular urban site Mediatakeout first broke the story, now it has been CONFIRMED by the 'couple'!!!!!
Reality star Kim Kardashian is pregnant for Rapper Kanye West.  Kanye West first announced the news of Kim's pregnancy during his concert today at Revel in Atlantic city and it has been confirmed by Kim Kardashian's publicist.
Rumours of her pregnancy birthed online after the power couple were spotted at a popular Beverly Hills OB-GYNs office.

CONGRATS KimYE!!!
developing......

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CNN Anchor Piers Morgan wants the Bible amended to supports same-sex marriage

In an interview on his CNN late night chat show with the Californian anti-gay pastor Rick Warren, Anchor Piers Morgan urged for an “amendment to the Bible” to allow for equal marriage.

“Both the Bible and the Constitution were well intentioned but they are basically, inherently flawed. Hence, the need to amend it,” 
Morgan told Warren during a conversation earlier this week where the British presenter emphasised the need for America to separate church and state. He continued.

“My point to you about gay rights, for example, it’s time for an amendment to the Bible.”

“Uh, no,” replied Warren, in a conversation that remained civil between both parties.

 “Not a chance. What I believe is flawed is human opinion, because it constantly changes.”

In November, Warren told Morgan that the “jury is still out” on whether people are born gay or become gay and he stated that same-sex relationships remained a sin in his eyes.

Still facing the heat for his call for a ban on assault rifles. More Americans are continuously signing a petition to deport the CNN late night chat show Anchor from America.
More than 75,000 people have now signed the petition on the White House website, ensuring the Obama administration will respond.

[pinknews]

Editors comment: At this point, we think we should head over to sign the petition to deport him right now. We would also like to know why he skipped the 'amendment' of the Koran too.Sneaky!

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New Year Resolutions: how to stick to them

Compliments of the season. Hope you are having a nice holiday. Another year is upon us. Of course, you know its that time of the year again when we go back to the drawing board and make some resolutions that will guide us through the year. 
As the prospect of another brand New Year (2013) is here with us, many of us will be thinking of how to see to it that we set proper New Year’s resolutions and most importantly, stick with them throughout the new year and beyond, probably.

Most often, we start out very strongly, attacking our goal(s) head on during the first weeks of January, but by the time Valentine’s day comes around, we must've completely fallen far off the bandwagon.

This makes us all want to know what it takes to stick with our New Year Resolutions and see the success we desire. 

To help with that, here are a few tips to make sticking with that New Year’s resolution easier. 
  
Make Realistic Resolutions

Are you setting realistic resolutions in the first place? Many people often set goals that are just a bit too much for what they do know they can realistically accomplish and in doing so, are setting themselves up on the path of failure.

Try to consider your ability to commit your time, energy, and resources to achieving your goal to put into perspective what you can and cannot achieve. 

Get The Help You Need

The next tip is to make sure you get the help that you need.  If you aren’t highly advanced with exercise for instance or know a fair amount of nutrition yourself, you need to consult with a personal trainer or dietician.

Getting them on your team to guide you through the process will make things far easier and ensure that you have no problem seeing progress moving forwards. 

A well designed workout and diet program really is a must for success, so be sure that you don’t overlook this in the New Year. 

Keep Yourself Accountable 

Another important tip is for you to think about to ensure that your resolutions are something that you will keep is to make sure you have some method of accountability in check.

Try to share your resolutions with friends and family. Tell a friend or close family member what your goals are and have them check in with your progress regularly.

Or, maybe you will post your workouts in an online journal with a small community of users who are all working towards the same goal.

Just have something in place that serves as a check upon your balance. 

Make Mini Goals

Finally, set some stepping stones along the way.  Set a larger long term resolution that you want to reach in a few months’ time but also set some mini goals along the way. These are goals that will serve as benchmarks for you to work towards and help you see precisely how you’re stacking up in terms of reaching that long term goal.

Mini goals will give you a high feeling of satisfaction upon reaching them thus giving you the motivation to continue with your program. 

There you have it, some few great ideas to ensure that you meet your New Year’s resolutions this year.  Get these in place and you can sure make this the year that you finally see success.

Happy New Year!

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Rihanna Donates Equipments worth $1.75 Million to Barbados Hospital

Pop Star Rihanna has donated three pieces of equipment worth more than $1.75 million to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in her native Barbados. The donations under the Clara Lionel Foundation which is named after her grandparents, Clara and Lionel Brathwaite. Rihanna made the presentation herself outside the radiotherapy building, which was renamed the Clara Braithwaite Centre for Oncology and Nuclear Medicine.  

“This was my way of giving back to Barbados, in a form of philanthropy, by assisting the QEH in its continued modernization program,” she told E! News. “I believe that this will have a huge impact on the people of Barbados. This was all done to save lives or at least extend them.”

In other Rihanna is Barbados news, the Pop Star's vacation home in Babados has been hit by an intruder. Police were called to the house in Barbados where Rihanna is staying after a man was found trespassing on the property.

The singer was luckily out with friends when the unidentified man attempted to enter the house wearing nothing but a pair of swimming trunks. However, by the time they showed up, the man, believed to be a German national, had wandered off. Police say they don't believe the man was s stalker.

[Huffigntonpost]

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Google Celebrates 200th Anniversary of Grimm's Fairy Tales with Doodle

Saw the picture above while searching Google.com today and wondering the reason for the doodle? Today marks the 200th Anniversary of Grimm's Fairy Tales and just like it has become a tradition, Google is celebrating the day with a Google Doodle. Who is Grimm you may ask. Jacob Ludwig Carl Grimm and Wilhelm Carl Grimm were two German brothers - who embarked on a journey of collecting the best European / German fairytales of their age.They were popularly called Grimm Brothers.

They gathered stories about prince and princesses, evil stepmothers, castles and magic and some of the most popular folklore of their time

They gave the world some of its best fairy tales such as Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast, Rapunzel, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, among others.

Thus in 1812 was born a collection of 86 fairy tales that went on to become one of the best read stories of the world and redefined the childhood of several generation of kids. 

Today marks the 200th anniversary of the first publication of the Grimm brothers' Die Kinder und Hausmärchen (Children's and Household Tales), their collection of fairy tales. 

'Little Red Riding Hood' one of the stories among a collection of about 200 folk tales by the brothers has been retold by Google doodle in 22 illustrious frames as a tribute on the 200th anniversary of Grimm's Fairy Tales. 

Grimm's Fairy Tales is the popular name of a 19th century German book called Children's and Household Tales (Kinder und Hausmärchen in German) and was written by German brothers Jacob Ludwig Carl Grimm (1785–1863) and Wilhelm Carl Grimm (1786–1859). Their first collection was published in 1812 while the second volume of 70 stories followed in 1814. The seventh and final volume was published  in 1857 and it contained 211 stories split across two volumes.

Happy Anniversary!

[thehindubusinessline]

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Miss USA Oliver CulpoWins Miss Universe

Oliver Culpo from USA has been crowned the new Miss Universe 2012. The 20 year old beauty who is a native of Rhode Island ,USA, beat 88 other contestants to clinch the crown. Meanwhile Miss Philippines, Janine Tugonon, came in second, while Miss Venezuela, Irene Sofia Esser Quintero, placed third.
Oliver Culpo is a 20-year-old Boston University sophomore and a self-described "cellist-nerd".
As Miss Universe, Culpo will receive an undisclosed salary, a queen fit wardrobe, a limitless supply of beauty products, and a luxury apartment in New York City.
More Photos from the Miss Universe Finals:

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Will Smith shares secrets to success

Very inspiring stuff. Will Smith shares his secrets to success. Learn!

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Bruno Mars 'When I Was Your Man' The Voice Finale!

In between The Voice finale, Bruno Mars performed 'When I was your Man'. Amazing! Congrats Cassadee Pope.

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Friday 21st 2012: End of the World?

 The media has been awash this particular December with the Mayans doomsday prediction of 21st December being the end of the world. Lol. Anyways, the 'doomsday' - December 21st is finally here. What do you make of it.

According to a Reuters global poll, one in 10 people have a feel of some anxiety about this date. Well, you will have to place me among the rest 9 because I just think Friday 21st December will come and go just like May 21, 2011.

Remember that date? It was the day a certain family radio preacher named Harold Camping predicted the world will end and we all sat by watching the day end.

But then this date has an all new twist to it though. The prediction is from the Ancient Mayans and the prediction was made centuries ago. Is that enough reason to worry about December 21st being the end of the world? A lot of people are really worried that it is actually ridiculous. Very funny indeed. According to BBC report:

Russians have been so worried that the Minister of Emergency Situations issued a denial that the world would end.

Also, Authorities in the village of Bugarach in the South of France have barred access to a mountain where some believe a UFO will rescue them.

And survivalists in America - many of whom use the term "prepper" - have been busy preparing for all manner of cataclysm. 

Morandir Armson, a scholar of the New Age and Esoterica at the University of Sydney, Australia had this to say.

"If you told me there were more than 5,000 people who genuinely believed the end of the world was coming rather than just having vague fears about it, I'd be surprised," he says.

Armson continues "those people are probably in the wilds of Idaho, heavily armed, and won't talk to journalists anyway".

According to him, the heightened fear around this date is almost entirely due to the internet. More specifically they blame the blogosphere.

It is not how the whole 2012 phenomenon started.

In 1987, Jose Arguelles, a man who devoted much of his life to studying the Mayan Calendar, organised what was called the Harmonic Convergence, a sort of post-hippy Woodstock. It attracted tens of thousands around the globe.

Daniel Pinchbeck, the author of 2012: The Year of the Mayan Prophecy noted the event was an attempt to "create a moment of meditation and connection to the sacred sites around the earth," .

It was also the beginning of what many in the loosely-defined New Age movement regard as a process in the transformation of our consciousness - a transformation that goes into full effect at the end of this year.

Pinchbeck calls 21/12/12 the "hinge point" of the emergence of a new, more enlightened age - not an ending point for all civilisation.

"It is quite clear that the Mayan system envisages a new cycle of the calendar beginning on the 22 December 2012," Graham Hancock, author of Fingerprints of the Gods, and something of a rock star in the world of ancient mysteries enthusiasts noted.

He says the ancient Mayan culture was a shamanic one. Those who left us the calendar were visionaries who were providing clues to this ending of one cycle and the beginning of another.

That is not to say that New Agers do not see catastrophic events as necessary in some way to this new birth.

In fact they tend to embrace eastern faiths and native cultures with their cyclical views of time. In these visions, the world has been and will be destroyed - to some degree - and we start anew.

Accordingly, some believe the Mayans were sending us a warning for 2012.

"We may see a lot of destruction," says Pinchbeck. He points to Hurricane Sandy, which recently hit his home city of New York.

Many, including the mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, linked that hurricane to global warming, which tends to be seen by New Agers as the main threat to our planet.

However the New Age movement is full of optimists. Crucially, they say we have a choice in how this story ends.

"We do not have to step over the edge of the abyss into darkness and destruction," Hancock says, calling this point in time a "cusp moment."

"It's up to us. It's totally up to us."

Morandir Armson, the Australian scholar, says the belief that 2012 marks a positive shift is one also shared by UFO groups, such as the Ashtar Command and the Ground Crew. These groups have no headquarters but for internet sites.

He says they refer to themselves as "lightworkers" who believe a fleet of alien space ships hover around our solar system.

"By doing good works on earth [they believe] you can speed up the consciousness of our humanity," says Armson.

In many ways, they emphasise the more positive aspects of the traditional Christian Apocalypse. The fire-and-brimstone part gets downplayed in favour of the glorious Kingdom to come.

Some 20% of Americans believe we are in the end times, and that they will see the return of Jesus Christ in their lifetime.

This month marks Advent in the Christian Calendar, during which Christians are encouraged to read from the Book of Revelation, the apocalyptic vision of St John the Divine.

"It's full of gory and grotesque detail of how the wicked are going to be punished," says Ted Harrison, author of Apocalypse When: Why We Want to Believe there Will Be No Tomorrow.

The twenty-first of December, however, is not on the biblical calendar and few, if any, believers in the traditional Book of Revelation are attached to this date.

The supposed date of the coming apocolypse, 21 December, also marks the Winter Solstice, symbolic in many cultures of the end of darkness and the renewal of the light.

So what do you think or what do you believe? Do you think this Friday, the 21st December is the end of the world? Funny indeed! FOH

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President Obama is Time Person of the Year 2012

President Barack Obama has emerged as Time's Person of the Year 2012 after remarkably winning a tumultous election.
Time Magazine Managing Richard Stengel unveiled President Obama as the Magazine's Person of the Year Today. He said it was remarkable that the president won two terms with over 50 percent of the popular vote as a Democrat. He also said that Obama took office in an economic crisis, and credited him with creating a new political "alignment like Ronald Reagan did forty years ago."

He will take the oath on Jan. 20 as the first Democrat in more than 75 years to get a majority of the popular vote twice. Only five other Presidents have done that in all of U.S. history.
There are many reasons for this, but the biggest by far are the nation’s changing demographics and Obama’s unique ability to capitalize on them. When his name is on the ballot, the next America — a younger, more diverse America — turns out at the polls.

Time magazined announced eight finalists for 2012's Person of the Year on Tuesday. The finalists include: Bill and Hillary Clinton, Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani girl who was shot by the Taliban for her crusade for better girls’ education; Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi; Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer, Apple CEO Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, and the three scientists who discovered the Higgs Boson particle.

This comes a week after Time readers selected North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in an online poll as their choice for the Person of the Year. According to the magine Kander was chosen "because of his remarkable ability to capture the mood of a moment":

 We chose Kander because of his remarkable ability to capture the mood of a moment. He has photographed some of the most iconic people of our time — from Sir Paul McCartney and Brad Pitt to Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically-elected president, who is also featured in this issue. The two Obama portraits appearing in the issue are the first formal portraits of the President since his re-election.

[HuffigntonPost]

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iPhone 5 or Galaxy S3?

Two great Smartphones with great techological innovations from different leading tech manufacturers who are perpetually at war with themselves makes it difficult for you to make a pick. You thought the battle is only between Apple and Samsung; no it goes down to their fabolous and latest products/innovations - the iPhone 5 and the Galaxy S3. Looking for which to buy between the two new Smartphones from Apple and Samsung respectively? Matt Warman of Uk's Daily Telegraph Newspaper tries to answer which one will make a great choice. Read below.

Go here to get the best deals on Iphone 5, Galaxy S3 or other Apple, Blackberry and Samsung products this Christmas season from Verizon Wireless.

iPhone 5 vs Galaxy S: Android v iOS (Operating Systems)
While Samsung uses Google’s Android operating system; Apple uses its own iOS. They look differntly, with Apple’s iPhone dominated by the grid of icons for apps and such functions as the web and calls. Android is infinitely customisable, with widgets that take up as much of the screen as you want sharing space with standard icons. In essence if you want to see your inbox on a main screen, rather than clicking through to it, you can do that on Android but not on iOS.

Equally, however, if you want a neat and friendly grid of icons on every screen, then you should go for the iPhone. Both will let you put apps into folders to make things easier for navigation.

At the heart of the iOS v Android debate is the idea of a highly curated experience, iOS, where everything must match up to Apple’s strict rules, or Google’s approach which is open and different on each handset. Samsung can make Android seem unfriendly to new users, so there is an easy screen mode which presents users with standard options, and the default is to a mixture of icons and widgets for, say, news and weather. It’s added features such as ‘Direct Call’ which mean you can phone someone automatically by lifting the device to your ear if you’re looking at their contact details.

Besides the look and feel, however, Android and iOS differ in what software developers are allowed to build to enhance your phone. Baked in to the S3 is Gmail, Google Maps, YouTube and other standard Google features such as Google Now, which you can use to second-guess what you want to know and suggest it before you’ve actually searched the web for it. Think flight delays if you’ve previously searched for a flight. Apple prefers to let developers add features such as that, and its most recent foray into doing such things for itself with Maps was a disaster.


Manufacturers’ specifications: 
 
Apple iPhone 5
SIM: Nano-SIM
Dimensions:123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm
Weight:112 g
Screen:640 x 1136 pixels, 4.0 inches (~326 ppi pixel density)
SD Card slot: No
Memory: 16/32/64 GB storage, 1 GB RAM
Camera: 8 MP/1080p@30fps;1.2 MP/720p@30fps
CPU: Dual-core 1.2 GHz

Samsung Galaxy S3
SIM: Micro-SIM
Dimensions: 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 mm
Weight: 133 g
Screen: 720 x 1280 pixels, 4.8 inches (~306 ppi pixel density)
SD Card slot: microSD, up to 64 GB
Memory: 16/32/64 GB storage, 1 GB RAM
Camera: 8 MP/1080p@30fps; 1.9 MP/720p@30fps
CPU: Quad-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A9

Hardware
You can easily say that the iPhone 5 is made of glass and aluminium, the Galaxy S3 is largely plastic, and so one feels far more like a premium product than the other. But that would be a harsh, black and white view. The Galaxy S3’s 4.8” screen defines the device, making it feel large and luxurious; the iPhone’s 4” equivalent is much more rectangular, and while they are both lovely, they also look different.
You should also note that the Galaxy S3 can be upgraded with removable memory cards and for wireless charging, while the iPhone is what it is.

The Samsung Galaxy S3 weighs 133g to the iPhone’s 116g; the difference is noticeable but insignificant. The iPhone processor is dual core while the S3’s is quad core, but the difference isn’t noticeable. In terms of battery life, both, in the experience of the author, last a similar period of time but the iPhone is often just ahead. Both, thankfully, now get accessories that combine a sleeve with a built-in extra battery.
Both record in High Definition, Apple’s Siri voice assistant is less imperfect than Samsung’s S Voice. The Galaxy S3 also has features such as ‘Smart Stay’, which aim to keep the screen on when the front-facing camera detects you’re looking at it. It works, most of the time. 4G versions of both are available.
All in all, the Galaxy S3 and the iPhone mimic their operating systems: while the iPhone is neat, contained and elegant, perfectly formed, the Galaxy S3 has more options that leave things open to consumers. You could argue that makes the Galaxy S3 either harder work or more rewarding.

Apps
By general consensus, the iOS app store is slightly larger than Google's Android Play Store, but it’s the quality that really matters. For now, on that measure, iOS is still winning but Android is catching up. The really luxurious applications that are popular on the iPad, such as The Orchestra for instance, are missing from Android but that’s less of an issue on phones.
More functional things, such as banking apps, are increasingly available equally on both, and Google’s class leading maps software is finally on both platforms too.

The Score
The iPhone has become an icon, a totem among its fans. It’s not cheap, but those fans say you get what you pay for. Others argue the Galaxy S3 does more for less money and offers far greater flexibility.
There is, however, no right answer. Many argue, too, that the iPhone is an easier device for users to start with as a smartphone. But the momentum, for now at least, seems to be with Android and Samsung’s S3 is its best advert.

[-DailyTelegraph]

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Britney Spears is Highest-Paid Female Musician 2012

With no new music released or any tours whatsoever, Britney Spears has beaten both top selling music acts like Taylor Swift and Rihanna to be crowned highest-paid female musician of 2012.
Spears topped Forbes magazine's list of the Highest Paid Female musicians earning $58m from May 2011 to May 2012.
Britney is thought to have earned the money from mostly her platinum-selling LP Femme Fatale and her most recent tour, which took place from June to December 2011.

Taylor Swift followed closely behind Spears with an estimated $57m, with her tour raking in over $1m a night. Her most recent album Red also contributed to the figure after selling 1.2million copies in its first week. Added to her endorsements with CoverGirl and Sony.

Next is Rihanna with $53m - with her tour and big hits such was We Found Love and Diamonds also helping her total earnings, as well as endorsements with Vita Coco and Nivea

Lady Gaga is fourth on the list with $52m, while Katy Perry completed the top five with $45m.

We are hoping Beyonce will top the list next year with her $50m endorsement deal with Pepsi.

The list takes into account cash made from record sales, touring, endorsements, merchandise sales, as well as other projects. Management fees, legal costs and taxes are also withdrawn.

Highest-Paid Female Musician 2012 (Top 5)
Britney Spears - $58m
Taylor Swift - $57m
Rihanna - $53m
Lady Gaga - $52m
Katy Perry - $45m

[mtv]

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British Man dies while dancing Gangnam style

We all love dancing to the Gangnam song right but you gotta be careful the next time you get on that dancing floor as the first Gangnam Style Death has been recorded in England.
A british man in Lancashire in England and a father to three children collapsed and died from a heart attack at his office Christmas party - after dancing to Gangnam Style reports British Tabloid TheSun.

The man who goes by the name Eamonn Kilbride, 46, had been doing the energetic horse-riding style moves to Korean pop sensation Psy's No1 Gangnam Style tune with his workmates but seconds later suddenly dropped to the floor.

Paramedics who arrived the scene five minutes later tried to revive him but he was pronounced dead as he arrived at Royal Blackburn Hospital shortly after 11.30pm on Saturday.

The family, who live in Burnley, said the coroner told them that he had suffered from acute heart failure.

This is sure to add to the latest controversies trailing Psy the Gangnam Style cooner after he made headlines for his Anti-American sentiments he expressed in one of his old songs.

Psy's Gangnam Style” dance video  recently became the most watched video on video sharing site YouTube overtaking Justin Bieber's "Baby" which previously held the record.

What a way to die.

[TheSun]

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Verizon Wireless Holiday packages

The Xmas holidays is here again and Verizon Wireless, Americas best carrier according to consumer reports is offering some great deals on its products and services. Take advantage of Verizon packages at great discount rates this Christmas season. From Verizon Iphones to Verizon Wireless Blackberry and accessories. Get phones from Verizon Wireless with best Verizon Wireless phone deals this Christmas season.
Here are some Verizon Wireless Holiday packages and they all expire after the Christmas Holidays and coupon codes you can use for some of the offers. Enjoy

All Verizon Wireless Holiday packages 

Buy iPhone 4S 16GB only $49.99 for a limited time! Plus Free ShippingGet Discount on the Samsung Galaxy Note II! Free Shipping also availaible 

Discount on the Samsung Galaxy S III! plus Free Shipping 

Buy iPhone 5 at only $199.99. Offer is for a limited time! Plus Free Shipping 

30% off Blackbery Curve 9310, plus free shipping. Use code at checkout: VZWEXCLUSV
Note:  "New 2yr activation is required"

$50 off Casio GZ1 Commando, plus free shipping. Use code at checkout: VZWQ4PROMO Holiday Special! DROID RAZR M now only $49.99, plus Free Shipping

Free iPHone 4 8GB while supplies last! Plus Free Shipping 

30% off LG Revere, plus free shipping. Use code at checkout: VZWHOLIDAY 
Note: "New 2yr activation is required"

Holiday Deals Online Only! Plus Free Shipping 

25% off LG Revere, plus free shipping. Use code at checkout: VZWHOLLY 
Note: "New 2yr activation is required"

Merry Xmas and Happy Holidays from us here!

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Watch Paul McCartney, The Who, Kanye West, Rolling stones and more at the 12-12-12 concert for hurricane Sandy

Yesternight at the Madison Square Gardens was the 12-12-12 concert which feated All Rock Stars from Sir Paul Cartney to The Who, Kanye West, Rolling stones  and more. Sir Paul McCartney took to the stage with the surviving members of Nirvana and he performed a new song.
The former Beatle introduced Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear to the stage in Madison Square Garden during his performance at the fundraising concert for the victims of hurricane Sandy.
After a quick story about "jamming" with a few guys recently, McCartney said: "The penny finally dropped that I was in the middle of a Nirvana reunion."
With McCartney playing as Kurt Cobain, the band played a new song called Cut Me Some Slack that they had secretly rehearsed.
Cobain's widow Courtney Love told TMZ.com  that she was "not amused" by the reunion, and McCartney's role in it.
"Look, if John (Lennon) were alive it would be cool," she said.
Rapper Kanye West also gave a power performance at the show together with Singer Alicia Keys. Sporting a Pyrex hoodie and leather kilt, Kanye performed over 10 songs including “Mercy,” “Clique,” “Power,” “Jesus Walks,” “All of the Lights,” “Diamonds,” “Gold Digger,” and “Runaway,” closing with “Stronger.

Read the review of the benefit concert here via theguardianuk and support the hurricane sandy relief effort by donationg here

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70th Golden Globe Awards Nominees announced

Jessica Alba announcing the Golden Globe Awards Nominees

This morning, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association with the help of the trio of Megan Fox, Jessica Alba and Ed Helms announced the Nominees for the 70th Golden Globes Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Los Angeles and the list is looking good. Which of the nominations are you rooting for.. Check out the list of top nominees below.
The 70th Annual Golden Globes Awards ceremony holds on Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013 and will be co-hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler



MOTION PICTURES
Best Motion Picture, Drama

• "Zero Dark Thirty"
• "Lincoln"
• "Argo"
• "Life of Pi"
• "Django Unchained"

Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy

• "Les Miserables"
• "Moonrise Kingdom"
• "Silver Linings Playbook"
• "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" 
• "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen"

Best Actor, Drama

• Denzel Washington for "Flight"
• Daniel Day-Lewis for "Lincoln"
• Joaquin Phoenix for "The Master"
• John Hawkes for "The Sessions"
• Richard Gere for "Arbitrage"

Best Actor, Musical or Comedy

• Hugh Jackman for "Les Miserables"
• Jack Black for "Bernie"
• Bradley Cooper for "Silver Linings Playbook"
• Bill Murray for "Hyde Park on Hudson"
• Ewan Mgregor for "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen"

Best Actress, Drama

• Naomi Watts for "The Impossible"
• Rachel Weisz for "The Deep Blue Sea"
• Marion Cotillard for "Rust and Bone"
• Jessica Chastain for "Zero Dark Thirty"
• Helen Mirren for "Hitchcock" 

Best Actress, Comedy or Musical

• Jennifer Lawrence for "Silver Linings Playbook"
• Meryl Streep for "Hope Springs"
• Maggie Smith for "Quartet"
• Emily blunt for "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen"
• Judy Dench for "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" 

Best Supporting Actor

• Alan Arkin for "Argo"
• Leonardo DiCaprio for "Django Unchained"
• Philip Seymour Hoffman for "The Master"
• Tommy Lee Jones for "Lincoln"
• Christoph Waltz for "Django Unchained" 

Best Supporting Actress

• Sally Field for "Lincoln" 
• Anne Hathaway for "Les Miserables" 
• Helen Hunt for "The Sessions"
• Nicole Kidman for "The Paperboy"
• Amy Adams for "The Master 

Best Director

• Kathryn Bigelow for "Zero Dark Thirty" 
• Ben Affleck for "Argo" 
• Ang Lee for "Life of Pi"
• Steven Spielberg for "Lincoln"
• Quentin Tarantino for "Django Unchained"

TELEVISION
Best Series, Drama 

• "Breaking Bad," AMC 
• "Boardwalk Empire," HBO
• "Homeland," Showtime
• "The Newsroom," HBO
• "Downton Abbey," PBS"

Best Actor, Drama

• Steve Buscemi for "Boardwalk Empire" 
• Bryan Cranston for "Breaking Bad"
• Jeff Daniels for "The Newsroom"
• Jon Hamm for "Mad Men" 
• Damien Lewis for "Homeland"

Best actress, Miniseries or Movie

• Sienna Miller for "The Girl
• Julianne Moore for "Game Change"
• weaver, pol animals 
• Nicole Kidman for "Hemingway and Gelhorn"
• Jessica Lang for "American Horror Story: Asylum" 

Best Actor, Miniseries or Movie

• Kevin Costner, "Hatfields and McCoys"
• Benedict Cumberbatch for "Sherlock"
• Woody Harrelson for "Game Change"
• Toby Jones for "The Girl 
• Clive Owen for "Hemingway and Gellhorn" 
•  

[via CBSNews]

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Nelson Mandela 'has stopped talking'

A Top South African newspaper has quoted an unnamed person close to the Mandela family as saying: "He has not been talking ... he is not looking good. It's clear that something is troubling him."

Mr Mandela, South Africa's first black president, spent a second day at the Pretoria hospital where he is said to be undergoing tests. On Saturday he was flown from his rural home in the Eastern Cape to the capital Pretoria to receive medical attention.

President Jacob Zuma visited Mr Mandela, whose health has been frail in recent years, and "found him comfortable, and in good care," a statement said.

No details have been released about the reasons for Mr Mandela's admission to hospital, or when he will be discharged.

Mac Maharaj, a spokesman for Mr Zuma, on Saturday said the Mandela was "doing well".

Mr Mandela, affectionately known in South Africa as "Madiba," his Xhosa clan name, "will receive medical attention from time to time which is consistent with his age," a statement on Saturday said.
His former wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and daughter Zindzi seemed to not view it as an emergency, or else were unaware that Mr Mandela had been transferred to Pretoria. They attended a football match in Soweto between the Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs on Saturday, reported a local media.
The Congress of South African Trade Unions, allied with the ruling African National Congress party, responded in a statement: "We hope that it is true - as reported by the presidential spokesperson - there is no cause for concern or alarm."
Deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe had been scheduled to visit Mr Mandela in Qunu on Friday, but the meeting was cancelled.
A South African military plane crashed Wednesday after disappearing en route from a Pretoria air base to Mthatha, the nearest airport to Mr Mandela's home in Qunu village.
There have been persistent rumours that the aircraft was carrying medical personnel or medical supplies for Mr Mandela.
Mr Mandela was last hospitalised in February for what was described as "routine tests," and later turned out to have been a minor surgical procedure to determine the cause of abdominal pain.
His last public appearance was at the final match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which South Africa hosted, where he toured the stadium on a golf cart with third wife Graca Machel.
We really wish him a quick recovery, we love ourselves some Madiba!
[-DailyTelegraph]

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Gangnam style rapper Psy is 'forever sorry' for anti-US song

Ahead of his scheduled to performance for President Obama and his family at the “Christmas in Washington” concert, South Korean rapper PSY issued a statement apologizing for spouting anti-American lyrics eight years ago.

 "While I'm grateful for the freedom to express one's self, I've learned there are limits to what language is appropriate and I'm deeply sorry for how these lyrics could be interpreted," he wrote in the statement.

“I will forever be sorry for any pain I have caused anyone by those words,” said a statement from the rapper, who shot to fame when his quirky “

  "I have been honoured to perform in front of American soldiers in recent months... and I hope they and all Americans can accept my apology." continued the statement.

Psy during one of his concerts concert in 2002 protested against the US military presence in South Korea, he went on to smash a model of a US tank on stage. At another concert in 2004, Psy performed a song that described killing "Yankees" who had tortured Iraqi prisoners and killing their families "slowly and painfully".

The lyrics were from the song Dear American by South Korean metal band Next.

Psy's Gangnam Style” dance-music video recently became the most watched video on YouTube overtaking Justin Bieber's "Baby" which previously held the record.

A petition on the White House’s “We The People” website demanding President Obama rescind PSY’s invitation has been taken down under the site’s “moderation policy,” with a note saying the petition “is in violation of our Terms of Participation.”

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Nigerias Folorunsho Alakija overtakes Oprah Winfrey as Worlds Richest Black Woman

Mrs. Folorunsho Alakija is a Nigerian billionaire oil tycoon, Fashion designer and philanthropist worth a fortune of, at least $3.3 billion - contrary to a recent Forbes Magazine ranking which puts her net worth at only $600 million. That is according to Ventures Africa Magazine.

Alakija, 61, was born into a wealthy, polygamous Nigerian family. She started out her professional career in the mid 70s as a secretary at the now defunct International Merchant Bank of Nigeria, one of the country’s earliest investment banks. In the early 80s, Alakija quit her job and went on to study Fashion design in England, returning to Nigeria shortly afterwards to start Supreme Stitches, a premium Nigerian fashion label which catered exclusively to upscale clientele.
The business thrived, and Alakija quickly made a tidy fortune selling high-end Nigerian clothing to fashionable wives of military bigwigs and society women.

Oil Fortune.
According to the Ventures Africa report, Folorunsho Alakija’s 60 percent stake in a $10.74 billion oil well is worth $6.44 billion. Technically, her 60 percent stake in OML 127 is worth $6.44 billion.

Using the Total-Sinopec deal as the yardstick, we could also value OML 127 at $13.8 billion. In that case, her 60 percent stake would be worth $8.3 billion.
But to be conservative, we prefer to go with the lower valuation of $6.44 billion.

Real Estate
Folorunsho Alakija also has a real estate portfolio worth over $100 million.  Earlier this year, Nigerian and British media announced that Alakija acquired a property at One Hyde Park for $102 million.

Folorunsho with husband Modupe Alakija

Alakija is married to Modupe Alakija and they have four grown-up sons together.  She also has a grandchild from her first son. Modupe Alakija, her husband is the Chairman of Famfa Oil. Her sons run the company. She recently acquired a  Bombardier Global Express 6000 for a reported $46 million. For Charity, Folorunsho Alakija founded the Rose of Sharon foundation, a Christian-based charity which gives out small grants to widows.

- Read the full report Here

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Rita Ora replys Rob Kadashian: Your d*** was wack

Smh.. Another day, another Kadashian is in the news for the wrong reasons. And the drama continues. If you missed the whole drama the previous day, Rob Kadashian whose claim to fame is being Kim Kadashian's brother - whose claim to fame is 'a home video' (pun intended) went on twitter yesterday talking about how Rita Ora - his girlfriend cheated on him with 20 guys and lots more, including getting a 'supposed' backing from his sister Khloe. This caused 'Rita Whora' to trend worldwide on twitter immediately. Well it seem to be true as Rita has responded in the affirmative. The tweets has long been deleted from their twitter pages. We love ourselves some Rita Ora though. 

 

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Harvard University approves kinky sex club on campus

Oh boy... What do you think?
Harvard University said it's recognition of a new club for students who are interested in kinky sex doesn't mean the Ivy League school endorses such practices.
Harvard this week approved Harvard College Munch, a low-profile adults-only group that will be allowed to use university meeting rooms and post notices on campus.

School spokesman Jeff Neal told CNN the club went through normal approval channels and, like any of the other approximately 400 student groups on campus, is not officially endorsed or condemned by the administration.
"Applications for recognition are decided by a student-faculty committee following the review of a committee composed of students and administrators," Neal said.
CNN said The Harvard Crimson got hold of the founder of Harvard College Munch who told them the club had about 30 members seeking to learn about and discuss various alternative sexualities.
Another member told the newspaper the club had strict rules about abusive behavior and would help victims of any abuse find assistance.

[-upi]

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Xmas Gift Ideas

Xmas is fast approaching and whats a Christmas without gifts? Christmas is all about showing love and sharing. Its that time when everybody is searching for great gift ideas for Christmas for their loved ones? Lets help you with some ideas that we think will stun the intended recipient of your gift  this Christmas.
Christmas is a great time of sharing and showing love and its a always exciting to have the opportunity to share with loved ones. However, in choosing a Christmas gift, you should try to present a gift that will be appreciated.
You know Christmas happens once a year and if you are not satisfied with your gift or if you get the feeling your gift is not appreciated, you will have to wait till another year to 'upgrade'.
In essence, when selecting a gift for Christmas, it will be better to present a gift to someone with what you know he/she likes or has interest in. A more sophisticated version of that preferably. This will save you the stress of gambling. Try to keep the recipient in mind. Creativity is also nice, but you have to think it through before making your decision.
Note that apart from the gifts, you should also enclose a Christmas card to your gift. Some substitute Christmas cards for gifts or vice versa which is awful. You should enclose a loving Christmas card with your gift. Nothing beats the sweet feeling of reading a handmade Christmas card with heartfelt and personal good wishes to your friends and dear ones. Here are some xmas ideas and offers you can take up

Christmas Gift Ideas for Men and Women

Headphones

 If the person you are offering the gift to loves music, He/She will most definitely appreciate a good nicely wrapped headphone.

Gift Cards

Gift Cards will do well for gifts on clothing and accessories among others. This is will help you avoid the mistakes of choices. Just make sure the Gift card is reasonably loaded and from a reputable organization.
Use Gift card for your holiday clothing and accessories gifts.
Some of the biggest retail clothing and accessories brands rooted in the youth oriented culture and lifestyle provide gift cards. You could get lifestyle apparel, along with footwear and accessories like the backpacks, Men's Levi Denim, Men's Socks, Men's Doorbusters, etc designed for teens and young adults.


Clothing, Shoes and Apparel..
You gotta make sure the size is right. You can ask the recipient for his or shoe size for instance. Yeah, you may want it to be as a surprise but they only know you are buying them a shoe, they don't know the type! You can go here to shop for quality cloth items, quality handbags, top range jewellery and other items. Check our our top men shoe picks for 2013.

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WeWOOD Metis Black Watch

$120 USD

Xmas Ornaments and Figurines

Ornaments for xmas decorations. Grandma and the kids will sure love themselves some great xmas ornaments and Figurines.

Gadgets

From The Amazon Kindles to the Samsung Galaxy Notes, Galaxy Smartphones, iPads and the iPhones, we all love we all love ourselves some gadgets don't we.Great item for Christmas present.

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Joe Johnson makes Celtics’ Pierce fall down with low crossover

Dang... That was dirty.. lol

With Brooklyn Nets leading 74-65 and a little more than eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, Johnson isolated on Pierce on the right angle. As Pierce closed in to defend against a pull-up three-pointer, Johnson dribbled the ball back-and-forth from his right hand to his left hand, before going low, executing a series of mini-dribbles just off the hardwood. As Pierce reached down to disrupt the dribbling, Johnson sprang into action, crossing from left to right and stepping into a mid-range jumper, which he knocked down over Jason Terry. Pierce was left grasping for air in a stumbling attempt to avoid falling to his knees.

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Verizon best, AT&T America’s worst carrier - Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports issues its U.S. carrier rankings ahead of the holidays each year. And like like always, AT&T  finds itself at the back of the pack. The non-profit consumer buying guide issued its rankings this Thursday for 2012 and again, AT&T again finds itself at the bottom of Consumer Reports’ overall list. The nation’s No.2 carrier did have the best-ranked 4G LTE network despite Verizon’s coverage lead, however. Verizon was the highest-rated U.S. carrier in Consumer Reports’ 2012 rankings.

Do you agree with this report? Has your AT&T been fair to you (if you are a user).

Check out Popular Packages at Verizon Wireless 

[BGR]

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2 winners for record $579.9 million Powerball jackpot in Arizona, Missouri

Damnn.. That's All we can say! We wish it was us. Did you play the Powerball? Are you in Arizona, Missouri? This may be good for you.

Powerball officials say the record jackpot has been won. A whopping $579.9 million Officials Thursday morning, confirmed that two winning tickets were sold: One in Arizona and one in Missouri. An additional 8,924,123 players won smaller prizes. Numbers drawn Wednesday night are: 5, 16, 22, 23, 29 and Powerball of 6. A lottery official said late Wednesday that the jackpot increased to $579.9 million by the time of the drawing, making the cash option $379.8 million.
Two Powerball tickets worth $1 million each were sold in Michigan, according to the Michigan Lottery. The Lottery said the tickets matching five numbers drawn Wednesday night but not the Powerball were sold at a liquor store in the Grand Rapids suburb of Kentwood and a CVS pharmacy in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn.
The drawing the Multi-State Lottery Association’s prize followed 16 consecutive drawings that produced no top winner, boosting the Powerball to the second-largest potential lottery payout in U.S. history.
Tickets were selling Wednesday at a rate of 130,000 a minute nationwide, the jackpot enticing many people who rarely, if ever, play the lottery. It was not clear whether the winning tickets belonged to individuals or were purchased by groups.
 Arizona lottery officials said early Thursday morning they had no information on that state's winner or winners but would announce where it was sold during a news conference later in the day.
Lottery officials in Missouri did not immediately respond to phone messages and emails seeking comment. Some experts had predicted that if one ticket hit the right numbers, chances were good that multiple ones would.
That happened in the Mega Millions drawing in March, when three ticket buyers shared a $656 million jackpot, which remains the largest lottery payout of all time. And it happened again for Wednesday's Powerball drawing.

[Freep]

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False Facebook Copyright Warning Goes Viral

Did you get the warning too?

Facebook has insisted that its users keep full copyright of their photos and videos after a hoax warning went viral. Tens of thousands of people are now thought to have copy-and-pasted a statement onto their timeline, asserting full copyright over their posted content.
The viral post reads: "Facebook is now an open capital entity. All members are recommended to publish a notice like this, or if you prefer, you may copy and paste this version.
"If you do not publish a statement at least once, you will be tacitly allowing the use of elements such as your photos, as well as the information contained in your profile status updates."
Users then attach a 50-word statement saying: "In response to the new Facebook guidelines, I hereby declare that my copyright is attached to all of my personal details, illustrations, comics, paintings, professional photos and videos, etc. (as a result of the Berner Convention). For commercial use of the above my written consent is needed at all times!"
But Facebook spokesman Andrew Noyes said its users had nothing to worry about.
"We have noticed some statements that suggest otherwise and we wanted to take a moment to remind you of the facts - when you post things like photos to Facebook, we do not own them," he said.
"Under our terms, you grant Facebook permission to use, distribute, and share the things you post, subject to the terms and applicable privacy settings."
Facebook’s frequently asked questions section also specifically addresses the point of law.
It says: "Yes, you retain the copyright to your content. When you upload your content, you grant us a licence to use and display that content."
While copyright fears appear to be unfounded, Facebook does collect large amounts of data about its users.
It knows when you look at another person's timeline, send or receive a message, and the time, date and place where your photos were taken.
If you log on or post from a smartphone it can pinpoint where you are, while if you access the site from a computer it records the IP address you are using.
All of this can be released as a result of a valid court order in the UK, or a subpoena in the United States, as part of a civil or criminal investigation.
Facebook says it "stores data for as long as it is necessary to provide products and services to you and others".
This means that most information associated with an account will be kept until the account is deleted.

 [Skynews]

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Google Play reviews now requires a Google+ name and photo

Google has instituted a policy change that requires anyone who wants to review any app in the Android app store also known as 'Google Play' to use their Google+ account with a photo, a rule change that ties reviews to a user's real name and public identity. A new version of Google Play is rolling out to Android devices now, but the change has already been implemented in the Google Android store.
 When attempting to leave a comment on an app in Google Play, users are warned that going forward,

"Reviews you write will be posted publicly using your Google+ name and picture. Your name on previous reviews will appear as 'A Google User.'"

An official reason for the change has not been given yet, but it's likely meant to curb spam or unhelpful and vindictive reviews. Developers have often claimed that they believe some users give negative reviews for perceived slights or because they are tied to a competitor, and this might be Google's way of cleaning up the comments in Google Play. It is believed that someone will be more respectful and fair when their comments are tied to their name rather than an anonymous pseudonym.
A similar rational was cited when Google+ required members to use their full legal names online, though removing the cloak of anonymity has not prevented Google+ members from being disrespectful or creating second accounts that are not tied to their identity.

[mobileburn]

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