LOL! Nicole Richie Dresses as Jennifer Lopez for Halloween

She's still Nicky from the block!

Nicole Richie stuck to her guns this Halloween and avoided wearing a "slutty" costume at Kate Hudson's bash in the Pacific Palisades Saturday night. Still, Richie managed to impersonate one of Hollywood's sexiest icons: Jennifer Lopez!

PHOTOS: Nicole's wild-to-mild transformation

For her funny but prim J Lo getup, Richie, 30, donned the 42-year-old diva's iconic pink sweatsuit, oversized gold aviators, huge hoop earrings, accessorized with a Louis Vuitton bag; she wore her hair up in a bun and even made sure her skin matched Lopez's gorgeous golden glow.

PHOTOS: J Lo's most iconic looks -- and how she changed things up for her men

via ca.omg.yahoo.com

Love is in the air: Delta passenger says “yes” to mile-high proposal

He proposed where they first met — 32,000 feet in the air.

Arvin Shandiz popped the question to his unsuspecting girlfriend, Alexandra Williams, on a Chicago-bound Delta Airlines flight last weekend.

“Good evening everyone, my name is Arvin, and I’m on this flight with a beautiful young lady I met almost two years ago flying Delta Air Lines," Shandiz said over the plane’s loudspeaker. "From the moment that I met her that night, I knew I never wanted to spend a second without her. Alex, you’re the most beautiful girl in the world, and you make me so incredibly happy. So would you marry me?”

They first met on a similar New York-to-Chicago flight in January of 2010.

“It was love at first sight,” Shandiz told ABC News. “I knew from the very beginning that that she was who I would spend my life with.”

via ca.shine.yahoo.com

Royal Wedding Halloween Costume Ideas

With the Royal Wedding of April 2011, and the huge success of the King’s Speech movie, it’s pretty much guaranteed that you’re going to see quite a few Royal Family themed costumes around this Halloween. Thankfully, under this umbrella there are a wide range of Halloween costume ideas for you to choose from.

 

Click the picture for details

Will And Kate Halloween Costumes

If you’re a fan of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and want a costume idea for both you and your partner, then why not go as Will and Kate? The most instantly recognizable outfit idea will be to go as them on their wedding day – Kate in her beautiful lace wedding dress, and Will in his red uniform.

via celebritycostumesideas.com

Up to 20M tons of Japan tsunami debris could reach B.C. coast by 2014

HONOLULU, Hawaii - Up to 20 million tons of tsunami debris floating from Japan could arrive on British Columbia's shores by 2014, according to estimates by University of Hawaii scientists.

A Russian training ship spotted the junk — including a refrigerator, a television set and other appliances — in an area of the Pacific Ocean where the scientists from the university's International Pacific Research Center predicted it would be.

The biggest proof that the debris is from the Japanese tsunami is a fishing boat that's been traced to the Fukushima Prefecture, the area hardest hit by the March 11 disaster.

Jan Hafner, a scientific programmer, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that researchers' projections show the debris would reach Hawaii's shores by early 2013, before reaching the West Coast.

They estimate the debris field is spread out across an area that's roughly 3,200 kilometres long and 1,600 kilometres wide located between Japan and Midway Atoll, where pieces could wash up in January.

via ca.news.yahoo.com

Cheese: the world’s most stolen food

(Thinkstock)

Cheese has been labeled a “high-risk” food. Not because it’s addictive, high in fat, or dangerous to waistlines everywhere, but because it’s the most stolen food item in the world.

According to the --> --> --> Centre for Retail Research, cheese ranks as the third-most stolen item in supermarkets after razorblades and alcohol.

Almost four percent of Europe’s cheeses end up stolen. Globally, the rate is a bit more than three  percent.

Even in hard economic times, the rate of cheese thefts surpasses that of candy bars and gum — often assumed as shoplifters’ go-to items — of which only 2.78 percent are stolen.

via ca.shine.yahoo.com

Restaurant foods that are ripping you off

If you thought you bagged a bargain by skipping the $29 burgundy-braised short ribs and opting for the $18 baked ziti with mushrooms, marinara sauce and chicken, you'd be wrong. With food costs only accounting for about 18 per cent of the menu price, the pasta dish is where the restaurant is making the most profit. Believe it or not, the beef is actually the better deal, since it costs nearly half the menu price to source and prepare it.

If price alone isn't the best indicator of value on a menu, what criteria should we use to ensure the most bang for our buck? "Choose labour-intensive, time-consuming, complex dishes, that call for hard-to-find ingredients," suggests New York-based restaurant consultant, Clark Wolf. "If you can whip it up yourself in 20 minutes with stuff from your kitchen cupboard—do that," he says.

via ca.finance.yahoo.com

The world's best affordable new hotels

We scoured the globe to find the best new hotels out there. Making our list is harder than you think! Each of these independent properties has to meet strict criteria to even be considered: they must have a unique story; their design sense must speak to the local culture instead of being generic and corporate; and they must (no exceptions!) be available for under $150 per night.

You'll hear the owners' stories. You'll find urban retreats in some of the planet's most expensive cities. You'll take in unobstructed ocean views from your private balcony. You'll commune with nature. Bottom line-you'll never want to leave.

Hicksville Trailer Palace
Joshua Tree, California

Hicksville Trailer Palace owner Morgan Higby Night isn't the first creative type to find inspiration in the rugged, lunar landscape of Joshua Tree National Park (see also: Gram Parsons, U2). But the Los Angeles-based writer and producer (Shortbus, Talking About Sex) has certainly taken his artists' retreat there to an audaciously kitschy level. "I was already going out to Joshua Tree two to three days a week to write my latest screenplay," Higby Night says. "It made me think that maybe other artists in L.A. also needed a place to get away to work."

Higby Night installed 10 vintage trailers, a solar-heated saltwater pool, and an archery and BB gun range on his two-acre desert plot last April. Each unit has a distinct design scheme and amenities: a jukebox filled with punk tunes, a TV stocked with horror (and only horror) movies, and bunk beds that, for an extra $50 a day, can be tucked away to make room for a film editing suite. And guests don't have to worry about curious day-trippers traipsing the grounds: Directions are only given out to folks with confirmed reservations. hicksville.com, from $75.

via ca.travel.yahoo.com

Chocolate, gold, champagne and caviar: The world’s most expensive dessert has them all

If you’ve got a sweet tooth and a bottomless bank account, this dessert might be for you. I hope you like $35,000 pudding.

The English Lake District's Lindeth Howe Country House Hotel head chef Marc Guibert recently created a yet-unnamed pudding that knocked New York's Serendipity 3's $25,000 Frrozen Haute Chocolate off the most-expensive-dessert throne — by an impressive $10,000.

via ca.shine.yahoo.com

The Kindle Vs. Nook

In the world of eBook readers, two major brands come to mind: the Kindle and the Nook. These have both sold in huge numbers in recent years, and have both become more and more affordable with each new model. If you’re in the market for a new eBook reader, and are trying to make a decision on the Kindle vs. Nook, keep reading to find out more.

 

Models Available

 

Before we get going with the comparison, it’s useful to note the models available. Both the Kindle and the Nook come with touchscreen editions and color editions. Amazon has a couple of extra models in the form of the more basic, non-touchscreen, Kindle, and the older Kindle Keyboard.

via kindledeals.org

3 Dermatologist Tips You've Probably Never Heard Before

By Dawn Davis

We recently caught up with Avon Consulting Dermatologist Dr. Cheryl Karcher. Here's what she said about everything from zits to sunscreen:

1. You really do need SPF in the winter. "In the wintertime, particularly with a clear blue sky, there are more UVA rays—the kind that cause aging. I recommend an SPF of at least 30."

RELATED: The Best New Sunscreens

2. When you're going to the dermatologist, bring your products with you. "Bring in what you're using. This way you can say, 'You see my skin—am I using the right regime or should I change it?' So often, women use the wrong products—and way too many."

via ca.shine.yahoo.com

Last Chance to See Doomed German Satellite in Night Sky

This week will likely provide you with your very last opportunities to get a glimpse of a big German satellite, first put into orbit back in June 1990 and which has been dormant since February 1999.

The decommissioned German X-ray space observatory, called the Roentgen Satellite or ROSAT, will likely re-enter Earth’s atmosphere sometime between Oct. 22 and 24. ROSAT is currently moving around the Earth in a nearly circular orbit at an altitude of about 145 miles (236 kilometers) at an inclination of 53 degrees, which means that it is visible from virtually all inhabited regions on Earth.

Satellites become visible only when they are in sunlight and the observer is in deep twilight or darkness. This usually means shortly after dusk or before dawn. On any clear evening within a couple of hours of local sunset and with no optical aid, you can usually spot several orbiting Earth satellites moving with a steady speed across the sky like moving stars. [Photos: Germany's ROSAT Satellite Falling to Earth]

via ca.news.yahoo.com

Halloween Costumes For Pregnant Women

Halloween Costumes For Pregnant Women

Some Themes To Work With Your Growing Bump

Just because you're expecting a child this Halloween doesn't mean you have to cover up or limit yourself to plus size costume ideas! Halloween costumes for pregnant women can be just as fun and creative as anything else. Here are a few ideas to get you going.

Paint Your Bump

One of the most popular ideas for Halloween costumes for pregnant women is to use your bump as a prop. Many women paint it orange to look like a pumpkin and "carry" it around with them. This is a good idea as it works with a number of different costumes. For example you could dress as a farmer with the belly/ pumpkin coming out of a hole, or even more traditional Halloween characters such as a witch carrying the pumpkin.

The Pregnant Nun

via best-costumes-for-halloween.blogspot.com

Greek Yogurt Vs. Regular Yogurt: Which Is More Healthful?

Move over, regular yogurt. Going Greek is in, and this exotic option has elbowed its way onto refrigerator shelves everywhere. Most give a big thumbs up to its taste—tangier and less sweet, as well as creamier—but is it healthier than its conventional counterpart?

First, to be clear: Both Greek and regular yogurt, in their plain, nonfat or low-fat forms, can be part of a healthful diet. They're low in calories and packed with calcium and live bacterial cultures. But our Mediterranean friend—which is strained extensively to remove much of the liquid whey, lactose, and sugar, giving it its thick consistency—does have an undeniable edge. In roughly the same amount of calories, it can pack up to double the protein, while cutting sugar content by half. Those are "two things dietitians love," says Dawn Jackson Blatner, a registered dietitian and author of The Flexitarian Diet.

via ca.shine.yahoo.com

Latest Contender Gets The Boot On 'Dancing'

One week shy of Broadway week, "Dancing with the Stars" lost one of its most colorful contenders.

(SPOILER: This story contains the results of Tuesday's elimination show)

PLAY IT NOW: J.R. Martinez Tops The ‘Dancing’ Leaderboard In Week 5

He may have jumped for joy, performing a "Wham" of an '80s-themed cheerleader styled jive to "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" on Monday night with professional partner Anna Trebunskaya, but another low score for Carson Kressley meant the end of his stay in the "DWTS" ballroom.

On Tuesday, the former "Queer Eye For The Straight Guy" guru became the fifth celebrity eliminated from the show.

via ca.omg.yahoo.com

Nikki Reed, Paul McDonald Get Married!

Nikki Reed and Paul McDonald said "I do" Sunday at a private ranch in Malibu, Calif. on Sunday in front of 100 guests, Reed's rep confirms to Us Weekly exclusively.

PHOTOS: Over-the-top celebrity weddings

"We couldn't be happier!" the 23-year-old Twilight star and former American Idol season 10 contestant, 27, tell Us. "[We were] surrounded by our family and friends. We're so glad this day has come!" 

Reed and McDonald confirmed their engagement to Us in June after just two months of dating.

The couple first met at the premiere of Little Red Riding Hood in March. "You're amazing," she told him. "I'm blushing! I should go." 

via ca.omg.yahoo.com

RIM offers free apps following service interruptions

WATERLOO, Ont. - Research In Motion (TSX:RIM) says it will offer its Blackberry subscribers a selection of premium apps for free to show appreciation for customers' patience during the recent worldwide service disruptions.

The Waterloo, Ont.-based company says the apps will be worth a total of $100 for each customer.

The list of apps provided with the announcement includes iSpeech Translator, which converts words spoken or typed into the phone into multiple languages. A variety of popular mobile phone games were also listed, including versions of the Sims, Bejeweled, Texas Hold’em Poker and Bubble Bash.

Outages for RIM email, texting and Internet services began last Monday in Europe and spread to the Middle East, Africa and North and South America for varying lengths of time before services were fully restored on Thursday.

via ca.finance.yahoo.com

What Not to Buy Used

 

Everybody loves a great deal—and often, buying things “used” or “slightly used” can save money without sacrificing quality or value. But some second-hand purchases should be avoided in the name of health, safety, or plain old return on investment. Following are eight products that are best bought new.

via ca.shine.yahoo.com

S-E-R-G-E-A-N-T: Iraq soldier surprises daughter at school spelling bee

Grab a tissue. This heartwarming story is a real tearjerker.

Nine-year-old Skylar Johnson hadn't seen her dad since Christmas.

When her father, Staff Sgt. Therron Johnson, returned from Iraq for a short nine-day visit, he worked with Skylar's elementary school to give her the surprise of a lifetime.

Boca Raton Elementary School set up a ruse: a spelling bee in which Skylar would be asked to spell "sergeant."

Watch the touching reunion below:

via ca.news.yahoo.com

What Not to Buy at Payless

 

Payless made a name for itself by selling trendy shoes, boots, and accessories—at affordable prices. But it still can be a bit of an enigma. The store is in practically every mall and is always brimming with people. Still, browsing the aisles it can be hard to decide whether or not to actually buy anything—unless you have the following list. Here, we review what’s worth buying and what should be left on the shelf during your next visit to Payless.

via ca.shine.yahoo.com

Sexy Nurse Costumes

Halloween is all about carved pumpkins, great food, dance, fun, frolic and of course all this starts with a wonderful eye catching costume for the evening. Parties are the right occasion for one to get naughty and  sexy nurse costumes would be the perfect fit for your moods this Halloween. The classy nurse costume will not only help you pose in saintly but will help bring in the best of you. You are sure to heat up the whole party atmosphere with this sexy nurse outfit.

Click any picture for details

Take for example the naughty nurse outfits which comes in the 5 piece form.

via naughtynurseoutfits.com

Want to Buy Superman Returns Costumes?

How to buy the Superman Returns Costumes

There are millions of people around the world that have been fascinated by the super hero called Superman since the 1930s, when it first appeared in the comic books. After so many years, there were also many movies of this cartoon made and in the end, there were all sorts of costumes on the market that people (mostly kids) could dress in, especially at special holidays like Halloween. Superman is actually the hero that lives in Smallville, Kansas as the story says and he is also nicknamed “The Man of steel”.

via supermanreturnscostume.net

Cutting calories the easy way

(Thinkstock)

You may snicker when you hear your lunch mate order salad dressing on the side or ask the chef to “hold the mayo.” But these little tricks are excellent examples of calorie-cutting techniques that can help you maintain a healthy weight.

Since being overweight is a risk factor for developing high blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart disease, it’s important to make an effort to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. You may have tried many weight control strategies, but one of the simplest – and most successful ¬¬– is eating fewer calories.

via ca.shine.yahoo.com

Quadruple Rainbow Photographed for First Time

Forget the double rainbow. This year, the quadruple rainbow is all the rage.

A new photograph shows the first-ever evidence of an elusive fourth-order rainbow.

The spectacle in the image looks like a double rainbow, because it only shows the third-order (tertiary) rainbow (left), accompanied by the fourth-order (quaternary) rainbow (right). They appear on the sunward side of the sky, at approximately 40 degrees and 45 degrees, respectively, from the sun. Tertiary and quaternary rainbows can only form on the same side of the sky as the sun, unlike primary and secondary rainbows. As such, the primary and secondary rainbows are on the other side of the sky and so not shown in the new photo.

via ca.news.yahoo.com

Girls Pirate Halloween Costume

Who says that only boys get to have fun in a pirate’s world? No one ever said that girls couldn’t take over a ship, sail the oceans blue and bring home glorious chests filled with pilfered treasures of their own.

Click any picture for details

With a girl’s pirate Halloween costume, any girl can look the part of an in command pirate and carry it off just as well as Jack Sparrow did. Remember that attitude is everything and don’t be afraid to add a little swagger to your step.

via best-costumes-for-halloween.blogspot.com

They are so cute!!!!

Fashion that makes us sad: toe lingerie

Lacy lingerie for your toes. Photo courtesy of halfpretties.com

Have you ever thought about buying sexy lingerie for your toes? Neither have we. But a new company called Half Pretties makes fancy lace socklets that enhance your toe cleavage by peeking out from under your pumps. Their description, per the website:

"Half Pretties are half-foot lace stockings made from the finest French lace. The lace is hand-selected to ensure each pair provides stretch with a smooth finish. The foot bed is padded for extra comfort and ease of wear. Half Pretties come in variety of colors to complement any shoe."

via ca.shine.yahoo.com

Harvard toppled from top of worldwide rankings

US and British institutions once again dominate an annual worldwide league table of universities published Thursday, but there is a fresh name at the top, unseating long-time leader Harvard.

California Institute of Technology (Caltech) knocked the famous Massachusetts institution from the summit of the Times Higher Education (THE) league table for the first time in eight years, with US schools claiming 75 of the top 200 places.

Next is Britain, which boasts 32 establishments in the top 200, but an overhaul in the way in which the country's universities are funded has raised concerns over its continuing success.

Asia's increasing presence in the annual table has stalled, with 30th placed University of Tokyo leading the continent's representation.

China's top two universities hold on to their elite status, but no more institutions from the developing powerhouse managed to break into the top 200.

via ca.news.yahoo.com

The incredible legacy of Steve Jobs: From the mouse to the iPad

Apple's former CEO made furthering technology his passion

Steve Jobs died Wednesday at the age of 56. The former Apple CEO was a visionary in the world of computing and is largely responsible for the level at which computers are integrated with our everyday lives. There's a very good chance that you're reading this story on a computer, tablet, or smartphone that Jobs either invented or inspired, and that's something that is unique to his legacy.

The original Macintosh mouse

How it all started
Jobs — along with Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne — founded Apple in 1976. The first computers were simplistic but revolutionary for their time. Then in 1984, the company introduced the Macintosh 128K, the first computer that abandoned text-only commands in favor of a graphical user interface. Along with it came the mouse, a device which is so crucial to modern computing that it hasn't changed in nearly three decades.

via ca.news.yahoo.com

'Dancing With The Stars' Pro Lacey Schwimmer 'Proud' Of Her Curves

"Dancing with the Stars" pro dancer Lacey Schwimmer recently faced a rash of criticism after stepping out in pair of less-than-flattering jeans.

However, Lacey, who suffered from an eating disorder as a teenager, says she's finally learned to embrace her voluptuous figure.

PLAY IT NOW: Can Chaz Bono Prove The Critics Wrong On ‘Dancing’?

"I have boobs, I have a huge butt and I have a lot of muscle," the 23-year-old dancer told In Touch magazine, via the UK's Daily Mail. "I like having curves - I'm proud of them!"

Although the blonde beauty (who is currently paired with Chaz Bono on the hit reality competition) now loves her body, that wasn't always the case.

via ca.omg.yahoo.com

Knox leaves Italy for US as victim's family searches for answers in brutal slaying

PERUGIA, Italy - Amanda Knox headed home to the United States a free woman Tuesday, after an Italian appeals court dramatically overturned the American student's conviction of sexually assaulting and brutally slaying her British roommate.

The family of 21-year-old victim Meredith Kercher appeared overwhelmed at the ruling, saying they were shocked and bewildered by the stunning reversal of the 2009 decision. The prosecutor said he would appeal the decision releasing Knox and her co-defendant and one-time boyfriend, Italian Raffaele Sollecito.

The case has been a cause celebre in the U.S., and a staple of British tabloids, which took to calling her "Foxy Knoxy." Throughout the four-year case, Knox was portrayed either as a femme fatale with an angel face or a naive young woman caught up in a judicial nightmare.

via ca.news.yahoo.com

California man, 68, found alive by his children, nearly a week after plunge off mountain road

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. - David Lavau's children drove slowly along the perilously curved mountain road, stopping to peer over the treacherous drop-offs and call out for their father, missing for six days.

Then, finally, a faint cry: "Help, help."

Close to a week after his car plunged 200 feet (60 metres) into a ravine, Lavau, 68, was rescued Thursday by his three adult children, who took matters into their own hands after a detective told them his last cellphone signal came from a rugged section of the Angeles National Forest.

As he lay injured in the woods next to his wrecked car, he survived by eating bugs and leaves and drinking creek water, a doctor said.

One of the first things he requested after his rescue: a chocolate malt, his daughter Chardonnay Lavau said on NBC's "Today" show.

via ca.news.yahoo.com

The most successful cars of 2011

These models that are posting impressive sales gains and moving their respective brands forward throughout 2011. 

 

 

As if to underscore the time-honored notion in the automotive business that "new cars sell," most of the models that showed the biggest sales gains over the first half of the year were those that either premiered or have been redesigned for 2011.

via ca.autos.yahoo.com

5 Surefire Ways to Ruin Your Retirement

Some pieces of retirement advice are misleading and confusing. Following retirement advice that you don't fully understand or that doesn't have data to back it up can hurt your retirement savings. Here are five ways you can wreck your retirement if you decide to follow such advice.

[See 10 Places to Buy a Retirement Home for Under $100,000.]

Withdraw more money early in your retirement and reduce spending later. It's easy to overspend shortly after you retire on travel, hobbies, and other activities you didn't have time for while working. But if you withdraw too much of your savings early in retirement you may have to reduce your withdrawal rate later. The stock market could rally for multiple years as soon as you call it quits, but the opposite could also be true. If you don't catch a good break, then you will have to reduce your standard of living later on in retirement, which is very hard to do.

via ca.finance.yahoo.com