Best of 2011: Nicole Richie's Sexy Boob Job! (omg!)

The B-cup is the new C-cup.?

On the heels of Kate Hudson's 2010 subtle breast enhancement, once flat-chested Nicole Richie, 30, opted for small implants.

PHOTOS: Most talked-about bodies of 2011

The mom of Sparrow, 2, and Harlow, 3, -- with husband Joel Madden, 32, -- unveiled her new cleavage during a bikini-filled vacation with pals in Mexico in September.

PHOTOS: Nicole's wild to mild transformation

"Breast-feeding killed what boobs she did have," a source told Us Weekly of the House of Harlow 1960 designer. "And she wanted to stay sexy for Joel."

PHOTOS: More stars who had plastic surgery in 2011

One thing the reality star hasn't altered since becoming a mom and a wife? Her enviable style.

"I'm still wearing 5-inch heels," the Fashion Star mentor recently told WWD. "My fashion really hasn't changed at all."

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_best2011_nicole_richies_sexy_boob_job_210529066/44000189/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/best-2011-nicole-richies-sexy-boob-job-210529066.html

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Mother-Toddler Bond May Influence Teen Obesity (HealthDay)

MONDAY, Dec. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Teens are more likely to be obese if they had a poor emotional relationship with their mother when they were toddlers, according to a new study.

The findings echo previous research showing that toddlers who didn't have close emotional ties with their parents were more likely to be obese by the time they were 4.5 years old.

In the latest study, researchers examined U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development data collected from hundreds of families who lived in nine states and had children who were born in 1991.

The analysis showed that the children's risk of obesity at age 15 was highest among those who had the lowest-quality emotional relationship with their mothers when they were toddlers, the Ohio State University researchers said.

More than one-quarter of the toddlers who had the lowest-quality relationships with their mothers were obese as teens, compared with 13 percent of those who had closer bonds with their mothers in their early years, according to the report published online and in the January print issue of the journal Pediatrics.

These and previous findings indicate that the risk of obesity may be affected by areas of the brain that control emotions and stress responses working together with those that control appetite and energy balance, the investigators explained.

The authors suggested that obesity prevention efforts should include strategies to improve the mother-child bond, as well as promoting healthier eating and exercise.

"It is possible that childhood obesity could be influenced by interventions that try to improve the emotional bonds between mothers and children rather than focusing only on children's food intake and activity," lead author Sarah Anderson, an assistant professor of epidemiology, said in an Ohio State University news release.

"The sensitivity a mother displays in interacting with her child may be influenced by factors she can't necessarily control. Societally, we need to think about how we can support better-quality maternal-child relationships, because that could have an impact on child health," Anderson added.

More information

The Nemours Foundation has more about overweight and obesity in children.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/parenting/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20111227/hl_hsn/mothertoddlerbondmayinfluenceteenobesity

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Nationals bolster rotation with Gonzalez (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? The Washington Nationals have acquired All-Star left-handed pitcher Gio Gonzalez in a six-player trade with the Oakland A's, the teams said on Friday.

Gonzalez, 26, earned his first All-Star selection this year after finishing among the American League leaders in wins, strikeouts (197), and ERA (3.12) with a 16-12 record in 32 starts.

"We could not be more pleased to add lefthander Gio Gonzalez to our club," Nationals executive vice president of baseball operations and general manager Mike Rizzo said in a statement.

"Gio is a front-line starter with glowing credentials, the vast majority of which were achieved before his 26th birthday.

"Gio's presence bolsters the top portion of our rotation with yet another power arm to compete in the rugged National League East."

Gonzalez has a career record 38-32 in 95 games and a 3.93 ERA.

The Nationals also acquired minor league right handed pitcher Robert Gilliam, while the A's received right-handed pitchers A.J. Cole and Brad Peacock, left-handed pitcher Tom Milone and catcher Derek Norris.

(Reporting by Mike Mouat in Windsor, Ontario. Editing by Patrick Johnston)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111224/sp_nm/us_baseball_nationals_gonzalez

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Karen Dalton-Beninato: Damn You Nimrod! A Christmas Tale

I keep feeling like I should be buying a holiday present my mother neither wants nor needs. First because we didn't celebrate Christmas, and second because she died last month. We had the most Christian of all reasons not to celebrate the holiday, a faction of Evangelicals took to heart the fact that Christmas was designed to merge a new religion with worship of the birthday of Nimrod, possible builder of Babel and grandson of Ham. Not the meat. Circa 300, Christianity added the tree, the presents and viola - the holiday most Americans know as Christmas.

Our Too Religious for Christmas policy didn't always take. We lived on 40 acres with enough spare evergreens to drag one into the house and lean against a tree at some point mid-December. And you could certainly buy presents, you just weren't going to get any. To make up for the guilt trip that only a house full of non-celebrating kids can give you, we traveled the world. But it doesn't matter where I was, if at the ocean, I would kick the sand and curse Nimrod. If at home, my mom would fire up the 4 wheeler, tie an inner tube to the hitch and spin out as I hung on for dear life. You can't curse Nimrod when you're that dizzy.

In the meantime, my parents waited to shop the after-Christmas sales. As a child of the Depression, my dad couldn't imagine any other option. He had lied about his age, served in World War II and sent money home to his family before he could vote or drink. That giving spirit didn't die. He bought the town roller rink. And an oversized pony / casual horse. We caught bass from our pond, baked bread from our wheat and grew vegetables in a quarter-acre garden. My mother dressed us in L.L. Bean sweaters guaranteed to outlive their recipient. I still have a red velour model, circa 1980. It was mortifying. I wanted nothing more than flammable clothing with butterfly sleeves and platters of fast food. But she held her ground.

Asked for any holiday wishes, all my mother would ever say is: "The health and happiness of my family." She had a deft hand with sarcasm, so I always wondered if it was a trick to make us even more of a non-gift household. My first holiday with my New Orleans boyfriend's family, I took the drama up to a Heidi of the Alps level. "And what do you call this, Grandfather, Tin-sill?" He bought me too many presents. I married him a year later. We have a holiday home.

But this year we're doing something different in honor of my late parents. No gifts. No cards. No tree. Just gathering with family and wishing for the health and happiness of friends and loved ones. If there's enough karma sailing behind me, I'll throw in a wish for peace and earth, good will toward humans and other living things.

Because, really, who can stay mad at Nimrod her whole life?

?

Follow Karen Dalton-Beninato on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kbeninato

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/karen-daltonbeninato/damn-you-nimrod-a-christm_b_1166725.html

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Hayley Krischer: Why I'm Not Sending Holiday Cards

I haven't sent out holiday cards in 5 years.

And I tried. I really tried! Especially this year. I went through Shutterfly and Snapfish and Tiny Prints. I went through all of our photos from Long Beach Island this summer. I went through the photos from the pumpkin patch. Central Park Zoo. More beaches. More trips. More smiling. More hamming it up for the camera. Oh, my kids do it all. And I capture it all.

But when it came time to upload those photos and pick a card. Sorry, I couldn't do it. My kids are cute ya'll! Just as cute as the kids whose parents organized their labels and pictures and whose photos now decorate my mantle.

So what's the problem?

PROBLEM 1:

By the time Black Friday came around, Christmas exhausted me. ?The email assaults of sales and 30% off and 50% off and 60% off and must buy today must buy today must buy left me?craving a quiet space with simpler messages. It also left me broke! After this season, I'll be on the street with lots of cheap rugs from West Elm and gorgeous sweaters 1/2 off from J. Crew, but NO HOME.

So I scaled back. I put up our "Peace tree" -- a.k.a., our Christmas tree, read my post in last year's Motherlode for explanation -- and enjoyed the smell of falling pine needles.

PROBLEM 2:

Designing the holiday card. Which photo to chose? Jake's eyes are open. Elke's eyes are shut. Jake's face looks like a chipmunk. Elke looks like a wiggly worm. To send with bathing suits in the winter, weird? Or to send a series of them picking pumpkins, clashing with the Christmas-y colors of holiday cards.

My kids are cute.?There is not one single photo of them TOGETHER LOOKING CUTE.

PROBLEM 3:

We have three different last names in this family. There's my son's last name from his father. My daughter and my husband's last name. And there's my last name. I cannot fit all three last names on my card. They want one last name. They do not want a blended family name. I cannot be streamlined because we're more than a hyphen.

PROBLEM 4:

I am lazy.

The thought of labeling the envelopes, sealing the envelopes, stamping them and writing down addresses kills me. There is entirely too much pressure. I feel guilty about this. I think of the spirit of the season. And where am I in all of this? Writing. Here. When I could be sending out photos of my cute f@#*ing kids.

So another year goes by and I watch the adorable pictures of children filling up my mantle and I think of... how much money I saved. Kidding! I think of how wonderful it is to see smiling faces from those cards even if their parents were screaming at them to SMILE BECAUSE THIS IS FOR YOUR HOLIDAY CARD.

In all seriousness, this is the season to share joy and friendship with each other. To reach out to friends and family you haven't seen in a long time. To send well wishes. To watch "It's a Wonderful Life" and bawl your eyes out because we've all felt lonely and desperate and needed friends to lift us up.

And just because you won't be getting any of that from me to hang above your fireplace, it doesn't mean that I'm not sending it to you in spirit.

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Follow Hayley Krischer on Twitter: www.twitter.com/hayleykrischer

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hayley-krischer/anti-holiday-cards_b_1157837.html

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Expert: Autopsy of Florida A&M drum major shows badly beaten muscles

Marchers lead the funeral procession of FAMU drum major Robert Champion on November 30.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Medical examiner releases complete autopsy report of FAMU's Robert Champion Jr.
• "His muscles were beaten so badly that they were destroyed," an expert says
• "The beating was so powerful, it just squashed the tissue," another expert says

(CNN) -- A final autopsy report released Wednesday shows that Florida A&M University drum major Robert Champion Jr. suffered muscle damage commonly seen in such events as car accidents, prolonged seizures, child abuse and torture, an expert said.

The alleged fatal beating suffered last month by Champion, 26, during a marching band hazing must have been brutal, two experts said.

"His muscles were beaten so badly that they were destroyed like you would see in a heart attack," Dr. Howard Oliver, a forensic pathologist who is a former deputy medical examiner in the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office, told CNN after reviewing the autopsy findings.

Band bus a complex crime scene, expert says

The damaged muscles leaked out a protein called myoglobin, "and it's too much for the kidneys to process. It causes the kidneys to fail," which results in death, Oliver said.

The muscle damage is called rhabdomyolysis, Oliver said.

"Most of the time it's in (car) accidents or in people who freeze to death, and you get it in a lot of people who have prolonged seizures or in people who are in extreme physical activity like running in a marathon," Oliver said. "You see it in torture or child abuse and severe burns when the muscles get damaged."

In the case of seizures or freezing to death, people "shiver and it really works the muscles over a long period of time, and it damages them, and they release the protein," Oliver said.

Lawrence Kobilinsky, professor of forensic science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City, said the beating must have been severe.

"This kid took a real beating over his body," Kobilinsky told CNN after reviewing the autopsy report. "They're saying that the beating was so powerful, it just squashed the tissue.

"These are extremely forceful blows that this kid took, all over his back and his arms and his shoulders. It's kind of like in Egypt where they beat up that poor woman yesterday," Kobilinsky said Wednesday.

"It's interesting that there is no trauma to the neck or no trauma to the head. It's interesting that they are avoiding those areas," Kobilinsky said of the people who delivered the beating.

Added Oliver: "They just pummeled him." Had they aimed for his abdomen, "he would have bled to death."

The autopsy was performed by Associate Medical Examiner Sara H. Irrgang of Florida's District 9 Medical Examiner's Office in Orlando, with oversight from Chief Medical Examiner Jan C. Garavaglia. That office serves Orange and Osceola counties.

The complete autopsy report follows a press release issued last week by the medical examiner's office that called Champion's death a homicide. The medical examiners said in that statement that Champion died November 19 because of "hemorrhagic shock" -- the result of excessive internal bleeding -- "due to soft tissue hemorrhage, due to blunt force trauma sustained during a hazing incident."

Champion collapsed in Orlando on a bus carrying members of the Florida A&M Marching 100 band after a football game that included a halftime performance by the band.

Christopher Chestnut, the lawyer for Champion's family, has charged that Champion died after receiving "some dramatic blows, perhaps (having an) elevated heart rate" tied to "a hazing ritual" that took place on the bus.

Some band members have said Champion died after taking part in a rite of passage called "crossing Bus C." One member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, explained that students "walk from the front of the bus to the back of the bus backward while the bus is full of other band members, and you get beaten until you get to the back."

No one has been charged in Champion's death; the Orange County Sheriff's Office is investigating the case.

The medical examiner's office said last week that Champion "collapsed and died within an hour of a hazing incident during which he suffered multiple blunt trauma blows to his body."

The autopsy conducted after his death found "extensive contusions of his chest, arms, shoulder and back," as well as "evidence of crushing of areas of subcutaneous fat" -- which is the fatty tissue directly under a person's skin.

Champion didn't have any bone fractures or injuries to his internal organs.

The medical examiner didn't find any evidence of "natural disease except for a slightly enlarged heart," nor did toxicology tests reveal signs of drugs or alcohol.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/21/justice/florida-am-investigation/index.html?eref=rss_mostpopular

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Judge tosses lawsuit over Jimmy Kimmel sketch (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? A New York court has dismissed a lawsuit by a man dubbed the "Flying Rabbi" against TV network ABC and late-night talk show "Jimmy Kimmel Live" over its use of the man's image in a parody involving basketball star LeBron James.

At a taping for the ABC show on August 10, 2010, host Kimmel told audiences that James had met with Rabbi Yishayahu Yosef Pinto to seek "business advice" -- a meeting which had in fact occurred that month, according to the website TMZ.

Kimmel then told the audience he too met with Pinto, and he showed a video of himself in a car talking with an individual dressed in Jewish religious clothing and speaking in a different language.

In fact, Kimmel never spoke with Pinto. The footage of the conversation was assembled using a video of Kimmel in his car spliced together with footage of the plaintiff, Brooklyn, New York's David Sondik, taken from a series of YouTube videos showing Sondik greeting people on the street and talking animatedly. The videos refer to Sondik as the "flying rabbi."

Sondik, described as a "neighborhood character" by his attorney Robert Tolchin, objected to the show's use of his image. He sued in December 2010 accusing the Kimmel show of falsely presenting him as Pinto and failing to seek his permission before turning him into the butt of the joke.

Because "Jimmy Kimmel Live" is produced and filmed in California, Sondik sued under California law -- which recognizes a common-law right to sue based on an invasion of a person's right to privacy.

But in a ruling December 14, Justice David Schmidt disagreed and dismissed the suit, holding that it must be brought under New York law because Sondik lives in New York and the alleged injury took place in the state. New York law does not recognize common-law actions based on violations of privacy or publicity rights, Schmidt noted.

In his ruling Schmidt also said New York law allows unauthorized use of an individual's image for "newsworthy events or matters of public interest."

" review of the DVD of the segment supplied by defendants demonstrates that the clip of plaintiff at issue was used as a part of a comedic (or at least an attempted comedic) or satiric parody of Lebron James' meeting with Rabbi Pinto, itself undoubtedly an event that was newsworthy or of public interest," Schmidt wrote.

The judge also dismissed Sondik's claims of defamation against Kimmel.

"Even though plaintiff is not a public figure, there is no allegation in the complaint or inference that can be drawn from the DVD suggesting that the use of plaintiff's clip was mean-spirited or intended to injure such that its use would be excluded from First Amendment protection," Schmidt wrote.

Tolchin said his client intended to appeal the ruling that Kimmel's use was protected by the "newsworthiness" of the James story.

"A story about LeBron James and Rabbi Pinto is perfectly valid, you can put that on the news," Tolchin told Reuters in an interview. "But my client is a private citizen. Jimmy Kimmel took my client's image and said it was Rabbi Pinto, which he isn't. That's a lie."

"My client was the butt of the joke and made to look like a fool in front of millions of people," Tolchin said.

Calls to an attorney and a network representative for "Jimmy Kimmel Live" were not immediately returned Wednesday.

(Reporting by Jessica Dye; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Follow us on Twitter @ReutersLegal

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111221/en_nm/us_jimmykimmel_flyingrabbi

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Facebook to boost privacy after Irish probe (Reuters)

DUBLIN (Reuters) ? Facebook has agreed to improve its privacy policy for hundreds of millions of users after a three-month investigation by Irish authorities at the U.S. group's international headquarters in Dublin.

Facebook's Ireland office has responsibility for handing all of its users outside of the United States and Canada. The group operates the world's largest social networking website with 800 million users.

The Irish Data Protection Commissioner said on Wednesday that Facebook had agreed to improve privacy protections for its users over the next six months, ahead of another formal review in July of next year.

"This was a challenging engagement both for my Office and for Facebook Ireland," Irish Data Protection Commissioner Billy Hawkes said in a statement.

"Arising from the audit, FB-I (Facebook Ireland) has agreed to a wide range of "best practice" improvements to be implemented over the next six months."

The improvements include giving users information on how Facebook and third-party apps handle personal information, deleting certain details more promptly and give European users a clear warning that it uses facial-recognition technology that automatically tags them in photographs.

(Reporting by Carmel Crimmins; Editing by Myra MacDonald)

(This story corrects name of Data Protection Commissioner)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111221/wr_nm/us_ireland_facebook_privacy

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Wall Street rallies 3 percent in broad advance (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Stocks rallied nearly 3 percent on Tuesday as investors bought surging banks, homebuilders and networking companies, though low volume was seen as amplifying the market's move.

Investors jumped on a banking sector that was already riding high, extending gains after the U.S. Federal Reserve released new capital proposals that turned out to be less onerous than the market feared.

The KBW Banks index (.BKX) leaped 4.1 percent while JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) was up 5 percent to $32.22 and Wells Fargo & Co (WFC.N) added 4.6 percent to $26.47.

"Investors have been looking for clarity on the regulatory outlook, and I don't think these rules are so strict that we should expect anything like significant dividend cuts," said Matt McCormick, a money manager at Cincinnati-based Bahl & Gaynor Inc.

Homebuilders also gained on strong housing figures. The Dow Jones home construction index (.DJUSHB) jumped 6 percent, led by Pultegroup (PHM.N), the second-largest U.S. homebuilder, up 10 percent at $6.15, and MDC Holding (MDC.N), up 7.3 percent at $17.35.

Networking companies completed the grab bag of diverse sectors seeing the biggest gains. Those stocks rallied after AT&T Inc (T.N) dropped its bid for T-Mobile USA, the Deutsche Telekom (DTEGn.DE) unit, as investors anticipate spending on wireless equipment will accelerate.

U.S.-listed shares of Alcatel-Lucent (ALU.N) surged 13 percent to $1.57 and Juniper Networks Inc (JNPR.N) climbed 9.1 percent to $19.76. The NYSE Arca Networking index (.NWX) jumped 5.9 percent. AT&T rose 1.3 percent to $29.11.

The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) was up 335.73 points, or 2.87 percent, at 12,103.58. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (.SPX) was up 35.95 points, or 2.98 percent, at 1,241.30. The Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) was up 80.59 points, or 3.19 percent, at 2,603.73.

After the market closed, shares of Oracle Corp (ORCL.O) slumped 7.7 percent to $26.92 in extended trading. The company reported software and hardware sales that missed its own forecasts.

U.S. housing starts and permits for future construction surged to a 1-1/2 year high in November as demand for rental apartments rose. The news reinforced the view that the U.S. economy will continue to see moderate growth.

Cyclical industries like materials were among the day's top gainers, though all 10 S&P sectors rose more than 1.5 percent. Materials (.GSPM) climbed 4.1 percent while energy (.GSPE) advanced 4 percent alongside a 3.6 percent jump in crude prices.

The day was the best for the S&P 500 since November 30, and narrowed the index's losses for the year to 1.3 percent.

Headlines and fluctuating European bond prices continue to spark high volatility. Stocks will be prone to large swings this week on expected low volume due to the upcoming Christmas and New Year's Day holidays.

"From a short-term point of view, we were probably due for a bounce given recent losses, but I don't think we would see a move of this magnitude without the light volume," said Michael Matousek, senior trader at U.S. Global Investors Inc., which manages about $3 billion in San Antonio.

About 6.83 billion shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange and Nasdaq, below last year's daily average of 8.47 billion.

Short-term financing costs for struggling Spain more than halved as banks lapped up debt at an auction. The firepower is apparently coming from the European Central Bank's first-ever three-year funding tender on Wednesday. Investors hope banks will use the cheap funding to buy debt of fiscally troubled EU nations.

Investors have been focused on how the large southern European economies will refinance debt next year if financing costs remain excessively high. Any sign yields may be easing is seen as a positive for markets.

The S&P 500 has gained an average of 1.6 percent in the last five days of the year and the first two days in January since 1969, according to the Stock Traders Almanac.

The phenomenon is called the Santa Claus rally. Occasions when the market does not rally during those dates often precede a bear market, the Almanac says.

About 86 percent of stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange closed in positive territory while four-fifths of Nasdaq-listed shares closed higher.

(Reporting by Ryan Vlastelica; Editing by Kenneth Barry)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/stocks/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111220/bs_nm/us_markets_stocks

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Guitar Center, The Nation?s Largest Instrument Retailer, Opens Its 223rd Store with New Location In Orange, California

? Company opens its ninth store in 2011 with special savings and events ?

? Guitar Center?s new Block at Orange location features on-site lessons and guitar repair services ?

Westlake Village, CA (December 6, 2011) ? On December 1, 2011, Guitar Center opened its newest retail location, at 20 City Boulevard West, Orange, California. The store?s opening brings vast product selection, along with the unparalleled knowledge and experience of its dedicated staff, to the Orange area. Guitar Center Block at Orange also features Guitar Center Studios, an embedded lesson and rehearsal facility. To celebrate the opening, Guitar Center hosted a Grand Opening Weekend featuring exclusive savings, gear giveaways and free events tailored to local musicians.

Guitar Center?s latest location features fully stocked showrooms with the latest products for the musician, from guitars, amplifiers, percussion instruments and keyboards to live sound, DJ, lighting and recording equipment. In addition to special Grand Opening Weekend programming, early shoppers also enjoyed exclusive savings throughout opening weekend with deals that included guitar and drum essentials at significant discounts.

Guitar Center?s Block at Orange location offers much more than simply the biggest selection at the best prices. The store includes Guitar Center Studios, an in-house, state-of-the-art lesson facility, which creates unrivaled opportunities for Anaheim-area musicians of all ages and skill levels. Guitar Center Studios provides music lessons from beginner to advanced featuring certified instructors providing world-class curriculum, as well as one-on-one Pro Tools, Logic Pro and GarageBand courses. Guitar Center Studios is the most modern and affordable lessons facility in the area.

The store also features GC Garage, offering on-site guitar repair services. Throughout December, musicians can test drive the GC Garage, with a free restring or 50 percent off their first setup on any stringed instrument (strings and parts not included).

Building on their ongoing initiatives designed to educate and inspire artists nationwide, Guitar Center Block at Orange will offer unique opportunities for musicians to craft their skills, maintain their instruments and experience many aspects of the music industry first hand. During opening weekend, musicians interested in learning about all aspects of the industry were able to interact with and pick the brains of several industry leaders. Aspiring musicians attended a clinic hosted by Guitar Hero?s Marcus Henderson on Friday, December 2, a ?Music Production 101? session with Avid, makers of Pro Tools, on Saturday, December 3, and a session and performance by A Perfect Circle/Devo/Puscifer drummer Jeff Friedl on Sunday, December 4.

Block at Orange shoppers are able to enjoy Guitar Center?s new multi-channel ?endless aisle,? with multiple combinations of shopping options, to conveniently choose from not only the Block at Orange inventory, but also the over $400 million in gear Guitar Center has to offer nationwide. Consumers can combine a myriad number of in-store, online and phone options to purchase music equipment from anywhere, allowing for a completely personalized and endlessly convenient shopping experience for every customer.

In addition to special programs at the store, each year Guitar Center offers nationwide programs designed to spearhead creativity and highlight the nation?s most promising undiscovered talent. Orange area residents will now be able to participate in these ongoing national events from their hometown:

? Your Next Record gives artists a chance to record with some of the top recording artists in the country, including legendary guitarist Slash, country superstar Keith Urban, and rock icon Travis Barker.

? Guitar Center On-Stage gives undiscovered bands the opportunity to compete with their peers for a chance to share a stage with their idols. The most recent On-Stage competition featured Jane?s Addiction. For more info go to http://gc.guitarcenter.com/onstage/.

? Guitar Center?s Drum-Off and King of the Blues are national competitions that highlight local talent from across the country, giving them widespread exposure and the chance to win incredible prize packages.

Guitar Center Block at Orange is open seven days a week. Store hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.

Source: http://blog.digitalcontentproducer.com/briefingroom/2011/12/21/guitar-center-the-nations-largest-instrument-retailer-opens-its-223rd-store-with-new-location-in-orange-california/

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Pakistan actress sues over nude magazine photos

A man displays a copy of the December issue of FHM India, a popular Indian men's magazine that has a photograph of Pakistani actress Veena Malik on the cover, at a way side stall in Mumbai, India, Monday, Dec. 5, 2011. Malik is suing FHM India for millions of dollars, accusing it of publishing photos she says were doctored to make her appear nude, her lawyer said Monday. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

A man displays a copy of the December issue of FHM India, a popular Indian men's magazine that has a photograph of Pakistani actress Veena Malik on the cover, at a way side stall in Mumbai, India, Monday, Dec. 5, 2011. Malik is suing FHM India for millions of dollars, accusing it of publishing photos she says were doctored to make her appear nude, her lawyer said Monday. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

A man reads the December issue of FHM India, a popular Indian men's magazine that has a photograph of Pakistani actress Veena Malik on the cover at a way side stall in Mumbai, India, Monday, Dec. 5, 2011. Malik is suing FHM India for millions of dollars, accusing it of publishing photos she says were doctored to make her appear nude, her lawyer said Monday. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

A man shows the December issue of FHM India, a popular Indian men's magazine that has a photograph of Pakistani actress Veena Malik at a way side stall in Mumbai, India, Monday, Dec. 5, 2011. Malik is suing FHM India for millions of dollars, accusing it of publishing photos she says were doctored to make her appear nude, her lawyer said Monday. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

NEW DELHI (AP) ? Pakistani actress Veena Malik is suing a popular Indian men's magazine for millions of dollars, accusing it of publishing photos she says were doctored to make her appear nude, her lawyer said Monday.

Malik's racy images in the December issue of FHM India has triggered a fury across her conservative Islamic country, with one cleric calling them a "shame for all Muslims."

The photo essay appears to make light of the military rivalry between India and Pakistan, nuclear-armed neighbors who have fought three wars.

In the magazine's cover photo, Malik is shown wearing no clothing, but with her arms and legs discreetly positioned to keep her covered. She has the letters ISI stenciled on her arm, representing Pakistan's powerful spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence agency.

In a second photo, she is lying on a camouflage military helmet and in a third she is wearing what appears to be a green ammunition belt and pretending to pull the pin out of a grenade with her teeth. She appears to be topless in those images.

Malik's lawyer, Ayaz Bilawala, denied the nude cover photo was authentic and said Malik was wearing underwear throughout the entire shoot. He sent notice to the magazine and was filing papers in the Mumbai High Court demanding all copies of the magazine be removed from newsstands, he said. The suit was also seeking 100 million rupees ($2 million) in damages.

"She has been cheated, and there has been tampering, and the photographs have been morphed," he said. "She has not posed in the manner in which she has been shown."

He also disputed the magazine's assertion that it possessed a video of the shoot that would prove the photos were real.

FHM India editor Kabeer Sharma insisted the photos were authentic and said he had just come out of a meeting with the magazine's lawyers where they watched the video of the photo session proving his case.

"It's a considered decision on our part not to make that video public because of the nature of the video," he said.

Sharma said the magazine had received the legal notice.

"The allegations are entirely false and we are investigating various options, including a countersuit," he said.

Malik courted controversy last year when she participated in India's "Bigg Boss" reality show, where minor celebrities are locked in a house together. Conservative Pakistani clerics lambasted her both for appearing on a show in arch-rival India and for appearing to canoodle with an Indian actor in the house.

___

Ravi Nessman can be reached at www.twitter.com/ravinessman

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2011-12-05-AS-India-Pakistan-Photo/id-ef89bc40527d49eaa55acf13cf69ca2d

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Afghanistan opens bids on gold, copper deposits

The President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, leaves after he delivered his speech at the International Afghanistan Conference in Bonn, Germany Monday Dec. 5, 2011. A decade after the first Afghanistan conference the international community discusses the future of its engagement in Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Oliver Berg, Pool)

The President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, leaves after he delivered his speech at the International Afghanistan Conference in Bonn, Germany Monday Dec. 5, 2011. A decade after the first Afghanistan conference the international community discusses the future of its engagement in Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Oliver Berg, Pool)

The President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, delivers his speech at the International Afghanistan Conference in Bonn, Germany Monday Dec. 5, 2011. A decade after the first Afghanistan conference the international community discusses the future of its engagement in Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Oliver Berg, Pool)

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? Afghanistan opened bids Tuesday on billions of dollars worth of copper and gold deposits in four areas of the country that together are roughly half the size of the Grand Canyon.

Despite ongoing violence, Afghanistan has high hopes that its budding mining industry will generate billions in revenue to help rebuild the nation after 30 years of war. For Afghanistan, a landlocked country with virtually no exports, the minerals are a potential windfall but it will require international investment, a better transportation network and improved security.

Geologists have known for decades about Afghanistan's vast deposits of iron, copper, cobalt, gold and other prized minerals, including rare earth minerals used in cell phones, hybrid car batteries, defense industries and wind turbines.

The U.S. Defense Department put a startling $1 trillion price tag on the vast mineral reserves, but the Afghan minister said other geological assessments and industry reports estimate the nation's mineral wealth at $3 trillion or more.

The Afghan Ministry of Mines invited investors to bid on multiple contracts to unearth copper and gold hidden beneath 846 square miles (2,191 square kilometers) in Badakhshan, Ghazni and Herat provinces and a fourth area that spans both Balkh and Sar-e-Pul provinces. The tender offers were posted on its web site.

Afghan Minister of Mines Wahidullah Shahrani told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from London, where he was speaking at a mining conference, that the value of the deposits was "in the billions." He did not give a more specific estimate.

Afghanistan plans to sell the rights for up to five mines every year until 2014, when most international combat troops are to have left the country, Shahrani said.

Shahrani has been traveling extensively to woo investors to bid on mining contracts. Though the war continues, Shahrani said he was optimistic that investors are interested and that a mine protection force has already started work at several mining sites around the nation.

In late 2007, a $3 billion contract was awarded to China Metallurgical Group Corp. to mine copper at Aynak in Logar province, 21 miles (35 kilometers) southeast of Kabul. The mine is thought to hold one of the world's largest untapped copper reserves.

Mining the copper could create 4,000 to 5,000 Afghan jobs in the next five years and hundreds of millions of dollars a year to the government treasury, according to the ministry. The project also includes construction of two coal-fired electric power plants, a segment of rail and a roadway from the mine to Kabul.

In December 2010, Afghan officials approved a multimillion-dollar contract to mine gold in Dushi district of Baghlan province. It was the first mining project in Afghanistan backed by private investors from the West, who pledged $50 million for the project.

Last month, the Afghan government gave investors from India and Canada permission to mine an estimated 1.8 billion tons of iron ore in Bamiyan province, projects that government officials hope will reap revenue for the nation and jobs for its unemployed.

With rising revenues from mining projects, customs and taxes, the Afghan government predicts it can increase the ratio of revenues to its gross domestic product from 11 percent to 15 percent within four years and to 20 percent by 2025, according to the Ministry of Finance.

Still with the planned withdrawal of most international combat forces and an expected decline in foreign assistance, Afghanistan is facing a fiscal crisis.

At an international conference on Monday in Bonn, Germany, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said that Afghanistan would need the financial support of other countries for at least another decade beyond 2014.

Afghanistan estimates it will need outside contributions of roughly $10 billion in 2015 and onward, slightly less than half the country's annual gross national product, mostly because it won't be able to pay for its security forces.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-12-06-AS-Afghan-Minerals/id-892198ae09ce40bc82bf1e8f9401f962

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Cain announces he's suspending his campaign (AP)

ATLANTA ? The Cain train has come to a stop.

Herman Cain suspended his bid for the Republican presidential nomination on Saturday following a steady drumbeat of sexual misconduct allegations he said were harming his family and drowning out his ability to deliver his message.

With just one month to go until the lead-off Iowa caucuses, Cain's announcement is tantamount to a concession. Still, he told supporters, he planned to continue his efforts to influence Washington and announced "Plan B" ? what he called a grassroots effort to return government to the people.

Cain denounced the accusations of impropriety against him as "false and unproven" but said that they had been hurtful to his family, particularly his wife, Gloria.

"So as of today, with a lot of prayer and soul-searching, I am suspending my presidential campaign. I am suspending my presidential campaign because of the continued distractions and the continued hurt caused on me and my family," a tired-looking Cain told about a 400 supporters.

It was a remarkable turnabout for a man that just weeks ago vaulted out of nowhere to the top of the GOP field, fueled by a populist, outsider appeal and his catchy 9-9-9 tax overhaul plan.

Saturday's event was a bizarre piece of political theater even for a campaign that has seemed to thrive on defying convention.

Cain marked the end of his bid at what was supposed to be the grand opening of his new campaign headquarters in Atlanta. Minutes before he took the stage to pull the plug with his wife, Gloria, at his side, aides and supporters took to the podium to urge attendees to vote for Cain and travel to early voting states to rev up support for his bid.

"Join the Cain train," David McCleary, Cain's Georgia director, urged the audience.

Cain said he would offer an endorsement in the near future and he predicted a scramble among Republicans in the field to win the backing of his conservative, tea party base.

Former GOP rivals quickly issued statements Saturday praising Cain's conservative credentials and appeal. His withdrawal could help those seeking to run as an alternative to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, seen by some as too moderate.

Cain's announcement came five days after an Atlanta-area woman claimed she and Cain had an affair for more than a decade, a claim that followed several allegations of sexual harassment against the Georgia businessman.

"Now, I have made many mistakes in life. Everybody has. I've made mistakes professionally, personally, as a candidate, in terms of how I run my campaign. And I take responsibility for the mistakes I've made, and I have been the very first to own up to any mistakes I've made," he said.

But Cain intoned: "I am at peace with my God. I am at peace with my wife. And she is at peace with me."

Cain, the former Godfather's Pizza chief executive who has never held elected office, rose just weeks ago to lead the volatile Republican race. But Cain fumbled policy questions, leaving some to wonder whether he was ready for the presidency. Then it was revealed at the end of October that the National Restaurant Association had paid settlements to two women who claimed Cain sexually harassed them while he was president of the organization.

A third woman told The Associated Press that Cain made inappropriate sexual advances but that she didn't file a complaint. A fourth woman also stepped forward to accuse Cain of groping her in a car in 1997.

Cain has denied wrongdoing in all cases, and continued to do so Saturday.

Polls suggest his popularity has suffered. A Des Moines Register poll released Friday showed Cain's support plunging, with backing from 8 percent of Republican caucusgoers in Iowa, compared with 23 percent a month ago.

But Cain said Saturday he would not go away and would continue trying to influence Washington from the outside,

He announced the formation of CainSolutions.com, which he said was a grassroots effort to bring government back to the people.

"I am not going to be silenced, and I am not going away. And therefore, as of today, Plan B. Plan B," he said.

_____

Follow Shannon McCaffrey: http://www.twitter.com/smccaffrey13

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111203/ap_on_el_pr/us_cain

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Peru anti-mine roadblocks lifted, government calls talks (Reuters)

LIMA (Reuters) ? Peruvian protesters opposed to a $4.8 billion gold mine project abandoned roadblocks on Saturday as government officials called weekend talks with regional leaders to try to resolve the conflict.

Earlier this week, U.S.-based Newmont Mining Corp agreed to a government request to stop work temporarily on the Conga mine after the protests turned violent.

The demonstrations in the northern region of Cajamarca, which included roadblocks designed to pressure the government to cancel the largest mining investment in Peru's history, started 10 days ago.

Local political leaders want President Ollanta Humala to stop the gold mine from being built, saying it would replace a string of alpine lakes with artificial reservoirs and cause pollution.

Protesters also have criticized Humala for moving too far to the right and for supporting the project, which would generate thousands of jobs and enormous tax revenues.

"The main access routes have been cleared after police went in and opened up the roads," regional government spokesman Segundo Mata said.

"There's access for vehicles, the situation has got back to normal and vehicles carrying fuel, food and tourists are passing," he said. The blockades around the city of Cajamarca had started to cause shortages of basic goods.

Protest leader Wilfredo Saavedra said mine opponents had agreed to dismantle the blockades. "Today, activity is normal in Cajamarca."

The unrest has challenged Humala, who campaigned on promises to steer more social spending to rural towns to help defuse social conflicts over natural resources while assuring companies they could move ahead with billions of dollars in mining and oil projects in Peru.

The administration of Humala, who has been trying for weeks to mediate in the conflict over water at the proposed mine, called regional officials and community leaders in for more talks on Sunday.

"We call on the people of Cajamarca not to let themselves be dragged into violent actions led by groups that don't want the population to prosper in peace and democracy," a government statement said.

Saavedra said protesters had not been invited to Sunday's proposed meeting with regional leaders.

The Conga project, which Newmont owns with Peruvian precious metals miner Buenaventura, would produce 580,000 to 680,000 ounces of gold a year and open in 2014.

It has gold deposits worth about $15 billion at current prices and sits 13,800 feet high in the Andes, about 600 miles north of Lima.

(Reporting by Teresa Cespedes; Writing by Helen Popper; Editing by Peter Cooney)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111203/wl_nm/us_peru_newmont_conga

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Steve Buscemi Hosts ?Saturday Night Live? (VIDEOS)

Steve Buscemi Hosts “Saturday Night Live” (VIDEOS)

Talented “Boardwalk Empire” actor Steve Buscemi hosted SNL this weekend, making light of his “creepy guy” roles. Buscemi joined in funny skits such as one [...]

Steve Buscemi Hosts “Saturday Night Live” (VIDEOS) Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2011/12/04/steve-buscemi-hosts-saturday-night-live-videos/

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Thomson Reuters CEO to end decade-long reign

NEW YORK (AP) ? Thomson Reuters CEO Tom Glocer is stepping down and will be replaced by an executive with closer ties to the family that owns a controlling interest in one of the world's largest news and information companies.

The change in command, announced Thursday, will take effect Jan. 1 when James Smith becomes Thomson Reuters Corp.'s new CEO. It is Smith's second promotion of the autumn; he was promoted to chief operating officer in late September.

Thomson Reuters has been shaking things up during the past six months amid dissatisfaction with the performance of its markets division, which accounts for more than half of the company's revenue.

The company's overall earnings have risen this year. But the markets division, which primarily sells data and analytical tools to financial institutions, hasn't been growing fast enough to please investors. The company's stock price, which closed Thursday at $26.88, has dropped 29 percent so far this year.

The decline translates to a nearly $5 billion loss on paper for the Thomson family, which owns a 55 percent stake in the company through the Woodbridge Co.

Glocer's departure was described as a retirement. But Glocer, 52, didn't sound ready to leave in September when Smith was anointed as his heir apparent.

"I'm going to stay for a good long time to fix and thrive under this business," Glocer said in an interview with Reuters' own news service at that time.

In a Thursday statement, Glocer said he had achieved his goals. "By the end of this year, the organizational, strategy and budget work I have been leading will be complete, and the transition plan I launched last summer will have achieved its objectives," Glocer said. In addition to giving up the CEO job, Glocer is resigning from Thomson Reuters' board of directors at the end of the year.

Glocer became the first American to lead Reuters Group when he became CEO in 2001. He quickly won over investors by cutting thousands of jobs to boost the company's earnings and then oversaw improvements in its financial trading products to be more competitive with Bloomberg and Dow Jones, which is now owned by News Corp.

Those efforts helped lead to Reuters' sale to Thomson Corp. for about $16 billion in 2008. The Thomson family thought so highly of Glocer's performance that he became CEO of the combined company.

"Tom will be remembered as the individual who turned around Reuters 10 years ago, led the company to growth and guided its sale to form Thomson Reuters," company Chairman David Thomson said in a statement.

Smith, 52, has a long relationship with the Thomson family. He joined the Thomson Newspaper group in 1987, where he remained until 2000 when that business was sold. He then moved to the Thomson Corp., where he worked his way up to chief operating officer leading up to the Reuters deal.

David Thomson, the third generation of his family to be involved in the company, said Smith "has earned the respect and confidence of his colleagues and the board alike."

As part of its latest reorganization, Thomson Reuters is creating five business units whose top executives will report to Smith. They are: David Craig, president of financial and risk: Mike Suchsland, president of legal; Chris Kibarian, president of intellectual property and science; Brian Peccarelli, president of tax and accounting; and Shanker Ramamurthy, president of global growth organization.

Steven Adler, the top editor at Reuters news service, also will report directly to Smith. The news service has been expanding its coverage recently.

The changes at Thomson Reuters will result in a charge against its fourth-quarter earnings, according to the company. Excluding those charges, the company affirmed its guidance for that period.

Through the first nine months of this year, Thomson Reuters earned $1.2 billion on revenue of $10.2 billion. At the same point last year, the company had earned $708 million on revenue of $9.6 billion.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2011-12-01-Thomson%20Reuters-CEO/id-2dc8b93454d34a31b0e280b5c6fa24c1

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Now Facebook updates can be over 60,000 characters

Facebook

By Rosa Golijan

A Facebook status update could be up to 420 characters long in March 2009, 500 characters in July 2011, and 5,000 characters in September 2011.

But now? Now you can post status updates that are over 60,000 characters long, according to?Facebook's?Journalist Program Manager Vadim Lavrusik.?In case you're wondering how far over 60,000 you can go: The character limit is set at 63,206.

How'd Facebook come up with this ridiculously large, and unusual, character limit? Bob Baldwin, the software engineer who set the new number, explains:

Facebook

Don't worry if that flies over your head ??geeky calculations tend to require several cups of coffee and a bit of homework for most of us.

Live Poll

Should Facebook updates really be up to 63,206 characters long?

• 169821

  Yes! I need all that space!

  10%

• 169822

  63,206 characters? I need more!

  5%

• 169823

  No! I don't want to see people write that much!

  43%

• 169824

  Yes, but only if people are signed up for mandatory writing classes and grammar lessons.

  42%

VoteTotal Votes: 330

What you really should know is that this change means that you could theoretically post an entire novel in fewer than nine Facebook updates. (Assuming that the average novel is about 500,000 characters long.)?Alternatively, you could squeeze over 450 tweets, about 395 text messages, or one incredibly long rant into a single new text space.

No guarantees that your friends will read it though.

Related stories:

Want more tech news, silly puns, or amusing links? You'll get plenty of all three if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on?Twitter, subscribing to her?Facebook?posts, or circling her?on?Google+.

Source: http://digitallife.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/01/9140900-now-facebook-updates-can-be-over-60000-characters

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After Rebranding, It?s Full Steam Ahead For MSN Offers For Schools

Microsoft has had their hands full with their daily deals program in recent weeks: they just finished overhauling the brand, and now that it's all done, some of their under-exposed initiatives can enjoy some time in the sunlight. Case in point: MSN Offers for Schools, the educational tie-in to the daily deals service you've probably never heard of.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/MpVnxaOL5x0/

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Photo of the day: Lights over Niagara Falls

Romela Jover

Niagara Falls, Buffalo, N.Y.

Niagara Falls are certainly stunning during the daytime, but reader Romela Jover shows that the famous falls are also snap-worthy at night.

Do you like to take photos while traveling? Join our It's A Snap Facebook community by clicking here, and share your photos with others.

You can also submit your photos for a chance to be featured in our weekly It's A Snap gallery by clicking here. While you're there, vote on your favorite pic!

Related stories:

Source: http://todaytravel.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/30/9117393-photo-of-the-day-lights-over-niagara-falls

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