A fish pond worker scoops up dead milkfish locally known as Bangus after thousands …
TALISAY, Philippines - More than 800 tons of fish have died and rotted on fish farms in a lake near Taal volcano south of Manila, with authorities blaming it on a sudden temperature drop.
The massive fish deaths started late last week but have eased. Officials have banned the sale of the rotting fish, which are being buried by the truckload in Talisay and three other towns in Batangas province, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources official Rose del Mundo said Sunday.
The deaths are unrelated to recent signs of restiveness in Taal volcano, which is surrounded by the lake where many villagers have grown milkfish and tilapia — staple foods for many Filipinos, officials said. The volcano and lake are a popular tourist draw.
Government volcanologist Allan Loza said Monday that 115 earthquakes were detected in Taal in the past 24 hours compared to an average of 10 to 15 quakes daily in recent weeks, a sign that magma is rising from within the small volcano. Such unrest has been monitored since April, long before last week's fish deaths, he said.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
More than 800 tons of fish die and rot on fish farms south of Philippine capital
Monday, May 30, 2011
Sean Kingston critical after jet ski accident
LOS ANGELES - FILE: Rapper Sean Kingston arrives at the premiere of Paramount Pictures' …
Los Angeles, May 30 (IANS) Singer Sean Kingston is in a critical condition after a jet ski accident that he suffered in Miami Beach, Florida.'Sean Kingston was in an accident today. No further details are available at the moment. He and his family thank everyone for the well-wishes,' tmz.com quoted Kingston's representative as saying.
The 'Beautiful Girls' hitmaker was riding on a jet ski with a female passenger when they crashed into a bridge connecting Palm Island to the MacArthur Causeway Sunday.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
An Actor Who Knows Start-Ups
Ashton Kutcher, a former model, rose to fame in Hollywood by playing a handsome ditz in “Dude, Where’s My Car?” and on “That 70s Show.” But in certain circles, people know that he is no dummy when it comes to technology.
In recent years, Mr. Kutcher has become a smart early investor in some of the most talked-about Internet start-ups, including Foursquare, the mobile social network; Path, a photo-sharing application; and Flipboard, a news-reading app for the iPad.
He has also clearly mastered the utopian lingo of Silicon Valley: “I look for companies that solve problems in intelligent and friction-free ways and break boundaries,” he said in an interview this week.
It is too early to say how Mr. Kutcher’s approach will pay off, but one of his investments has clearly jumped in value. He was part of a group of investors that bought into the Internet calling service Skype in 2009 in a deal that valued it at $2.75 billion. Last month, Microsoft agreed to buy Skype for more than three times that amount.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Your Burning 'American Idol' Finale Questions, Answered
The 10th season of American Idol wrapped last night with a two-hour-and-seven-minute finale during which baby-faced country crooner Scotty McCreery won the big prize and Lady Gaga gave the most literal performance of her career. As expected, the show was weird -- special guests included Judas Priest and Tony Bennett -- but hopefully we can answer all your lingering questions right now:
Did Idol cut away from Scotty maybe kissing Lauren Alaina when the results were read?
Possibly! Business Insider points out that cameras seemed to cut away from the two finalists whenever they got close, and there was definitely a suspicious edit (visible at the :20 mark in the below video).
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Homeless man donates thousands to single mother
Every day, Curtis Jackson panhandles on Chicago's streets, collecting spare change from passing strangers. Now, he's giving the money away.Since December, the homeless hero has given almost $9,000 to an unemployed banker and her son. When the woman was successful, he says she treated him with dignity and respect. Now that she's in trouble financially, Jackson is repaying her for her kindness.
The down-on-her-luck 39-year-old mother lost almost everything when she lost her job, including her house.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
'Dancing With The Stars' Season 12 Mirrorball Winner Crowned
It was the first time in several seasons that there was no lone frontrunner leading into the "Dancing with the Stars" final, but after 10 weeks of competition, one team has emerged as the winners of the mirrorball.
He missed out on a Super Bowl ring back in February, but with the help of professional dancer Kym Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward now has a mirrorball for his trophy shelf.
"Starting this competition, I never thought I'd be in the finals, but I owe it all to Kym. She's an amazing teacher," a humbled Hines said after learning the news that he and his partner beat out Kirstie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy for the top spot.
Chelsea Kane and Mark Ballas took third, as they were the first team eliminated on Tuesday's finale.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: ‘Dancing With The Stars’ Season 10: The Finals
Hines thanked the judges for their constructive criticism over the weeks, but also threw his gratitude to the football fans back in Pittsburgh.
"We love Steeler Nation, Bulldog Nation (University of Georgia)... I hope I represented well," he said.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
B.C. man who wins $35.7 million has plans for a Canucks game and a Texas ranch
CAMPBELL RIVER, - Canada's newest multimillionaire is still trying to grasp the concept of winning $35.7 million in Friday's Lotto Max draw.David Rennie of Campbell River, B.C., says he was shaking so hard after being told of the win that he couldn't dial the phone to call his wife with the news.
"It's just unreal. It still is unreal really, I don't even know, ah," he said trailing off to silence.
When Rennie checked his ticket Saturday morning he was expecting to win a possible dollar or two or a free ticket, instead the machine went blank for a few seconds and then trumpeted that he won over $35 million.
"I thought 'no way,'" he recalled. "I think I put my head down on the desk and then I started hooting an hollering and screaming and people were congratulating me, I was shaking."
Monday, May 23, 2011
What's really the best diet?
In the spirit of shorts season, Consumer Reports recently ranked the top diet systems, and picked Jenny Craig as their favourite. We were surprised - processed foods, really? - and asked a naturopath and a dietitian for a second (and third) opinion. And the results were shocking! Here's what they said:
Jenny Craig
Consumer Reports: Their team was convinced by research that found that 92 percent of people stayed with the program for two years, and on average, the dieters weighed eight percent less at the end. They also liked their nutrition, support, and short-term weight-loss results.John Dempster, ND: "I like that you get some good counseling in the one-on-one support; the funny thing is about dieting is that we're all so focused on food, but we forget that there's this huge emotional component to weight gain. This is definitely one of the better diets. But it doesn't take into account any food sensitivities or allergies."
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Barnes & Noble and Borders censor shirtless male model on magazine cover
Bookstores are requiring this magazine cover of a topless male model be hidden in a plastic sleeve. Photo courtesy …
Many magazines like Men's Fitness, Rolling Stone, and GQ feature shirtless men on their covers, but when androgynous male model Andrej Pejic appeared on the new cover of Dossier bookstores like Barnes & Noble and Borders banned the magazine unless it was housed in an opaque plastic sleeve like a porno mag. Seriously?! We've seen ladies pose with barely-there clothing, hands, or even paint covering their breasts on magazine covers, and those aren't censored either. Is this discrimination?
The bookstores are well aware that Pejic is a man. Lacking breasts. But they are worried some customers might be confused. We do understand where some of the confusion may come from. During the last New York Fashion Week, Pejic walked the runway for five men's shows and four women's shows, even wearing a wedding dress at the Jean-Paul Gautier show in Paris. He can be made up to look like a woman sometimes, but the fact is, Pejic is a man! And the folks at Borders and Barnes & Noble know this. He may not have jacked up muscles, and he may have his hair in curlers on the cover of an artsy fashion magazine, but no male's chest has ever been censored before, so why start now?
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Family finds $45,000 cash in attic of newly purchased home - then gives it back
SALT LAKE CITY - When Josh Ferrin closed on his family's first home, he never thought he'd make the discovery of a lifetime — then give it back.Ferrin picked up the keys earlier this week and decided to check out the house in the Salt Lake City suburb of Bountiful. He was excited to finally have a place his family could call their own.
As he walked into the garage, a piece of cloth that clung to an attic door caught his eye. He opened the hatch and climbed up the ladder, then pulled out a metal box that looked like a World War II ammunition case.
"I freaked out, locked it in my car, and called my wife to tell her she wouldn't believe what I had found," said Ferrin, who works as an artist for the Deseret News in Salt Lake City.
Then he found seven more boxes, all stuffed full with tightly wound rolls of cash bundled together with twine — more than $40,000.
Ferrin quickly took the boxes to his parents' house to count. Along with his wife and children, they spread out thousands of bills on a table, separating the bundles one by one.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Media zoom in on mystery Schwarzenegger mistress
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A scandal over Arnold Schwarzenegger's love child switched on Wednesday to the mystery woman at the center of one of Hollywood's best-kept secrets.As America's top comedians lampooned the former California governor and "Terminator" star, U.S. media hunted down the member of his household staff with whom he admitted fathering a child, while he was married to Maria Shriver.
The woman was identified in numerous media reports as Mildred Baena, a 50 year-old separated former housekeeper at the Schwarzenegger household, who has a registered address in the central California city of Bakersfield.
Some reports said that Schwarzenegger bought the house for her last year. Television crews and reporters swarmed to the property on Wednesday but found no-one at home.
Schwarzenegger's spokesman declined comment, citing a request on Tuesday for privacy for all those involved.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Ralph Macchio says 'Dancing With the Stars' judges' comments were 'disrespectful and rude'
In this publicity image released by ABC, Ralph Macchio, right, and his partner Karina …
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Ralph Macchio feels like the judges on "Dancing With the Stars" didn't give him a fair shake.
The "Karate Kid" star was kicked off the hit ABC show Tuesday, and after the credits rolled, he told reporters he "felt circled as the one couple that didn't get praise and built up like the others did."
The 49-year-old actor said that some of the comments made Monday by judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli were "rude and disrespectful." Tonioli was briefly bleeped while making his remarks, during which he also referred to Macchio's professional partner, Karina Smirnoff, as "a pussycat." Smirnoff was wearing a leopard-print cat suit for the performance.
The couple earned the lowest scores of the night.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
The Great Escape: Astros fan uses Spider-Man skills to avoid cops
It's been a rough year for Houston Astros fans.
Their team has lived down to preseason expectations with the worst record in the National League. Coming into this weekend's series with the Mets, the Astros had lost nine of their last 15 games. And Friday night's opener was set to bring more disappointment as they'd blown a 4-0 lead and trailed 6-4 in the ninth inning.
Someone in the stands at Minute Maid Park had all he could stands and couldn't stands no more. He was going to provide some entertainment, whether it was for himself or the reported 28,791 in attendance. With one out remaining in the game, the fan made a mad dash from the right-field stands onto the field.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Schwarzenegger acknowledges fathering child with longtime member of household staff
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has acknowledged that he fathered a child with a member of his household staff, a revelation that apparently prompted wife Maria Shriver to leave the couple's home before they announced their separation last week.Schwarzenegger and Shriver jointly announced May 9 that they were splitting up after 25 years of marriage. Yet, Shriver moved out of the family's Brentwood mansion earlier in the year after Schwarzenegger acknowledged the child is his, The Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.
"After leaving the governor's office I told my wife about this event, which occurred over a decade ago," Schwarzenegger told the Times in a statement that also was sent to The Associated Press early Tuesday. "I understand and deserve the feelings of anger and disappointment among my friends and family. There are no excuses and I take full responsibility for the hurt I have caused. I have apologized to Maria, my children and my family. I am truly sorry.
"I ask that the media respect my wife and children through this extremely difficult time," the statement concluded. "While I deserve your attention and criticism, my family does not."
Monday, May 16, 2011
Shania Twain Opens Up About Painful Divorce & Finding Love Again
Access Extended: Shania Twain On Finding Love Again - 'I'm In Love With My Best Friend' …
Shania Twain went from country music hit maker to tabloid headline fodder when her 14-year marriage suddenly came crashing down. And now, the 45-year-old singer has revealed to Access Hollywood's Shaun Robinson brand new painful details about her ex-husband's alleged betrayal, and how she discovered the tragic news.
"My husband just said that our relationship is over and didn't necessarily want a divorce. Well, he said, 'I may not be in a rush to get a divorce,'" Shania told Shaun in a Los Angeles interview on Thursday, referring to her now-ex, Mutt Lange. "But you certainly can't have your cake and eat it too... I'd understood that our marriage was over, but I did not know that there was an affair going on."
PLAY IT NOW: Access Extended: Shania Twain On Finding Love Again - ‘I’m In Love With My Best Friend’
The alleged affair was between her husband at the time - Mutt -- and his personal assistant, Marie-Anne Thiebaud - who Shania considered a good friend.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Azerbaijan wins Eurovision Song Contest
Frank Augstein / AP
Ell/Nikki, Nigar Jamal and Eldar Gasimov, from Azerbaijan sing their winning song "Running Scared" during the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Duesseldorf, Germany, Saturday.The Associated Press
DUESSELDORF, Germany — A mother of two and an international relations student from Azerbaijan beat out the much-hyped Irish twins and 23 other finalists Saturday to secure their nation's first-ever win in the Eurovision Song Contest.
Nigar Jamal and Eldar Gasimov, who go by the name Ell/Nikki, won 220 points for their classic pop ballad with a catchy refrain, "Running Scared," meaning next year's songfest will be hosted in Baku.
"I'm the happiest man in the world right now," Gasimov, 22, shouted to the crowd of 36,000 who packed the Fortuna Duesseldorf Arena to watch the show.
In the past three years, Azerbaijan has finished in the first 10 at the songfest, but have never before reached the top.
Diana documentary screened in Cannes slams Britain's royal family as 'gangsters in tiaras'
CANNES, France - A provocative new documentary that made its debut Friday at the Cannes Film Festival claims Britain's royals are racist "gangsters in tiaras" and Prince Philip is a womanizing psychopath.The movie "Unlawful Killing" revives claims that Princess Diana — adored by millions as the "people's princess" but viewed in royal circles as an embarrassing loose cannon — was murdered by the British establishment. The film was screened Friday for the first time at the festival.
It bills itself as "the antidote to 'The King's Speech'" and depicts the royal family as feudal relics presiding over a network of official cronies at taxpayers' expense. Director Keith Allen says, however, it's "not an attack on the monarchy."
"I don't think it's anti-monarchy," he said. "I think it may be questioning capitalism."
The film takes its title from the verdict of an official British inquest into Diana's 1997 death in a Paris car crash. The jury ruled the princess was unlawfully killed, but deflated claims of a conspiracy, blaming "grossly negligent driving" by her drunk and speeding driver and pursuing vehicles.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Teen Discovers Promising Cystic Fibrosis Treatment
A 16-year-old from the Toronto area used a supercomputer system to find a new drug combination that shows potential in treating the genetic disorder cystic fibrosis, and won top honors for his work.
Marshall Zhang, an 11th-grade student at Richmond Hill's Bayview Secondary School, received first place Tuesday (May 10) in the 2011 Sanofi-Aventis BioTalent Challenge, a contest in which students conduct their own research projects with the help of mentors.
Cystic fibrosis is a potentially fatal condition caused by a genetic mutation, or error. It causes thick, sticky mucus to build up in the lungs and elsewhere. Cystic fibrosis occurs most among white people of northern European ancestry, in about 1 out of 3,000 live births. In the past, most people with cystic fibrosis died in their teens, according to the Mayo Clinic. It has no cure.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
5.1 quake kills eight, topples buildings in Spain
A magnitude 5.1 quake killed at least eight people in southern Spain on Wednesday, sending historic buildings crashing down as panicked residents fled for their lives.
Eight people perished in the deadliest tremor in Spain in more than five decades, a spokeswoman for the regional government of Murcia said, revising down an earlier toll of 10 dead without explanation.
The quake collapsed fronts of buildings in the southeastern town of Lorca and ripped open walls, which slumped into the streets.
Witnesses reported many injuries.
A church clocktower smashed to the ground and narrowly missed one television reporter as he conducted an interview in the town on Spanish public broadcaster TVE. A bronze bell lay in the rubble.
Fearful residents including families with children gathered outside with blankets as night fell. About 10,000 people were evacuated from the cordoned-off city-centre.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Alicia Silverstone Welcomes Son
She once was "Clueless," but now, Alicia Silverstone is a mom.The actress herself confirmed the news on her blog, The Kind Life, on Monday, revealing her son's name too.
PLAY IT NOW: Alicia Silverstone Goes Green With Organic Cooking
"My husband and I welcomed our 7 lb 15 oz baby boy Bear Blu Jarecki into the world on May 5th at 7:50am (PT)," Alicia wrote. "We are all three in love!"
Alicia went on to thank her fans on behalf of herself and her husband, rocker Christopher Jarecki, for the outpouring of support over the months of her pregnancy.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Hollywood’s Favorite Leading Ladies: Then & Now
"I'm so grateful to this community for all the love, support, good wishes and happy vibes you've sent me during my pregnancy...it has been wonderful. Thank you all!" she wrote.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Microsoft to buy Internet phone company Skype for $8.5 billion
REDMOND, Wash. - Microsoft has agreed to buy the popular Internet telephone service Skype for $8.5 billion in the biggest deal in the software maker's 36-year history.
Buying Skype would give Microsoft a potentially valuable communications tool as it tries to make a bigger splash on the Internet and become a bigger force in the increasingly important smartphone market.
The sellers include eBay and private equity firms Silver Lake and Andreessen Horowitz.
Skype boasts about 663 million users worldwide. According to regulatory documents, Skype users made 207 billion minutes of voice and video calls last year.
Most people use Skype's free calling services, which has made it difficult for the service to make money since entrepreneurs Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis started the company in 2003.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Are leggings bad for you?
Leggings are too comfy to be bad for you... right? Photo courtesy of American Apparel …
Leggings are one of those garments you either love or you hate, but we think they're awesome. They're great for the gym or hanging around at home, but they're equally wonderful with a tunic and boots or layered under a dress for warmth in the winter. And while they're beyond comfortable and seem to hold all your jiggly bits in place, they may actually be bad for you. Say it ain't so!
British physiotherapist Sammy Margo says that while leggings feel slimming and wonderful, they're making your muscles lazy. "They hold in and support the quadriceps (thigh muscles), buttocks and core muscles in your tummy, and do the job the muscles are supposed to do," Margo told the Daily Mail. "As a result, the muscles are allowed to relax and switch off, so when we reveal our bodies for the first time as summer approaches, they are not as svelte or firm as they otherwise would be."
Sunday, May 8, 2011
How designer kept Kate Middleton’s wedding dress a secret
Rumors swirled for months that Kate Middleton would wear Alexander McQueen for the royal wedding, but creative director Sarah Burton adamantly denied she was designing the gown. Now we're finding out that was apparently that was all part of the plan. According to a scoop from US Weekly, the lace makers were told they were working on a British period costume drama, while the McQueen seamstresses were told they were merely working on a dress for a film. No wonder the secret wasn't leaked—most people working on Middleton's wedding dress were kept completely in the dark!
Kate Middleton requested that her gown remain a secret until her wedding day. Photo by …
Kate Middleton requested that her gown remain a secret until her wedding day. Photo by Getty Images
Sarah Burton worked with several members of her team assembling the dress at Buckingham Palace, so clearly they had an idea what was really happening and had to sign confidentiality agreements. Senior members of the house of McQueen who knew were told that if asked about the royal wedding dress to lie and deny the company's involvement in making the royal wedding gown.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
B.C. woman missing since March found; search continues for husband
ELKO, Nev. - It is an astonishing tale of survival against all odds.
A British Columbia woman who vanished with her husband seven weeks ago on their way to Las Vegas was found alive Friday in a remote part of northeastern Nevada, police said.
Hunters found Rita Chretien, 56, with her van in Elko County, according to a joint statement from the RCMP and police in Baker City, Ore., where the couple were last seen March 19. But there was no sign of her husband, Albert Chretien.
"We're stunned," the woman's son, Raymond Chretien, told the (Portland) Oregonian newspaper. "We haven't fully digested it. This is a miracle."
Rita Chretien survived 49 days in the wilderness by eating snow and small amounts of trail mix, her son said. She was airlifted to St. Luke's Magic Valley Medical Centre in Twin Falls, Idaho, where a nursing supervisor said she was in fair condition Friday night.
RCMP Cpl. Dan Moskaluk told The Canadian Press on Saturday that he had spoken to Raymond Chretien who had a conversation with his mother and her doctor Friday night.
Friday, May 6, 2011
If you only watch one table tennis shot this year, make it this one - Fourth-Place Medal
Mattias Oversjo was playing fellow Swede Jorgen Persson in a recent table tennis match when Persson hit a cross-table slam that took a wicked bounce and caught Oversjo short-paddled. So he did what any player would do: He hit a crazy, over-the-shoulder, turn-around, no-look forehand that bounced in for a winner.
Oversjo is ranked No. 421 in the world, which makes you wonder how much better the 420 guys ahead of him are.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Another Woman Is Cut From 'Dancing' On Elimination Night
One of the most dramatic couples on Season 12 of "Dancing with the Stars" made their exit from the ballroom on Tuesday night.
After surviving two months of competition highs and some serious lows, Kendra Wilkinson and Louis van Amstel finally were given their exit papers.
PLAY IT NOW: ‘Dancing’s’ Maksim Chmerkovskiy Reveals His Close Connection To 9/11
"I have lasted seven weeks, I mean seven weeks longer than I ever thought I would last," Kendra said after co-hosts Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke announced the news.
It was a headline raising season for Kendra, who sparred - at first - with her partner, and later with judge Carrie Ann Inaba over a comment related to her lack of dancing "elegance," but the former "Girl Next Door" persisted and found her footwork improving, eventually leaving the show on Tuesday with her head held high.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Entry-Level Jobs That Pay Up To $60,000
You’ve probably heard your parents say it. Uncles, aunts and older cousins also. “To get anywhere in your career, you have to start at the bottom.”
It’s as true now as it ever was: careers almost always begin with entry-level jobs. Usually the pay’s fairly low, the hours long. It’s like an apprenticeship. You do whatever it takes during your first few years as a full-time employee. Grunt work. Menial tasks that build up gradually to bigger, better projects.
But there are some occupations that, even at entry-level, make paying off your student loans and buying bling much easier. Some need university degrees. Others don’t. They range from finance to IT and skilled trades. Here’s five for you to think about, along with their median starting salaries from an across-Canada sampling.
Accounting and Finance
Accountant:Median starting salary: $45,000 – $60,000+Responsible for completion and maintenance of general ledgers and financial reports. May require a bachelor's degree in accounting or business and 0-3 years of experience in the field or in a related area. Has knowledge of commonly-used concepts, practices, and procedures within a particular field. Relies on instructions and pre-established guidelines to perform the functions of the job. Works under immediate supervision. Primary job functions do not typically require exercising independent judgment. Typically reports to a supervisor or manager.
Entry-Level Jobs That Pay Up To $60,000
You’ve probably heard your parents say it. Uncles, aunts and older cousins also. “To get anywhere in your career, you have to start at the bottom.”
It’s as true now as it ever was: careers almost always begin with entry-level jobs. Usually the pay’s fairly low, the hours long. It’s like an apprenticeship. You do whatever it takes during your first few years as a full-time employee. Grunt work. Menial tasks that build up gradually to bigger, better projects.
But there are some occupations that, even at entry-level, make paying off your student loans and buying bling much easier. Some need university degrees. Others don’t. They range from finance to IT and skilled trades. Here’s five for you to think about, along with their median starting salaries from an across-Canada sampling.
Accounting and Finance
Accountant:Median starting salary: $45,000 – $60,000+Responsible for completion and maintenance of general ledgers and financial reports. May require a bachelor's degree in accounting or business and 0-3 years of experience in the field or in a related area. Has knowledge of commonly-used concepts, practices, and procedures within a particular field. Relies on instructions and pre-established guidelines to perform the functions of the job. Works under immediate supervision. Primary job functions do not typically require exercising independent judgment. Typically reports to a supervisor or manager.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Pakistani computer programmer unknowingly liveblogs operation against Bin Laden
CAIRO - A computer programmer, startled by a helicopter clattering above his quiet Pakistani town in the early hours of the morning Monday, did what any social-media addict would do: he began sending messages to the social networking site Twitter.
With his tweets, 33-year-old Sohaib Athar, who moved to the sleepy town of Abbottabad to escape the big city, became in his own words "the guy who liveblogged the Osama raid without knowing it."
Soon the sole helicopter multiplied into several and gunfire and explosions rocked the air above the town, and Athar's tweets quickly garnered tens of thousands of followers as he apparently became the first in the world to describe the U.S. operation to kill one of the world's most wanted militants.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Weird ways to make money
When times are rough, people get creative.
Though the economy is recovery mode, times are still tough for many. Want proof? Ignore all positive consumer confidence scales and diminishing unemployment numbers and look here: earlier this month, marketing firm Adzookie unveiled its whacky plan to take on a homeowner's monthly mortgage payments if they painted their house, as pictured, to look like a giant billboard. It took only one morning for the bizarre, ridiculous, indefensible campaign to receive more than a thousand eager applicants, surprised Adzookie CEO Romeo Mendoza said that day.
Certainly, it may not take a recession to highlight the kooky things people will do for cash - we've been doing it for years. In honour of Adzookie's peculiar promotion, MSN looks at other weird things people do for money.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Osama bin Laden is dead, US says
WASHINGTON — Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden is dead and the U.S. has his body, says a person familiar with developments.
President Barack Obama was to make the announcement shortly that after searching in vain for bin Laden since he disappeared in Afghanistan in late 2001, the Saudi-born extremist is dead, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Details of the death were sparse. He was killed in a military operation in Afghanistan, according to sources, though it was unclear which countries were involved. CNN reported that the al-Qaida leader was killed in a mansion outside Islamabad, the Pakistani capital.
'Calm' Mariah Carey gives birth to baby boy and girl with husband Nick Cannon by her side
NEW YORK, N.Y. - Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon celebrated their fourth anniversary with another milestone — becoming parents to a baby girl and boy.Carey's representative, Cindi Berger, confirmed the births to The Associated Press. The singing superstar gave birth Saturday at 12:07 p.m. EDT at an undisclosed hospital in Los Angeles. Berger says the baby girl was born first, weighing 5 pounds, 3 ounces, and was 18 inches long; her brother was next, at 5 pounds 6 ounces, and was 19 inches.
Berger says the couple has not named the children yet. Cannon drove Carey to the hospital in their Rolls-Royce Phantom. Berger said the 41-year-old Carey, who had gone through false labour, was calm, thinking that it was another false alarm.
Meanwhile, the 30-year-old Cannon was so nervous he went to the wrong department at the hospital, and was guided to the maternity ward by a nurse.