In 2011, one word came up again and again: No. No form-fitting jeans, no baggy jeans, no toys with fast food, no fast food condiments in schools, no homemade lunches either. No cheerleaders in class. No service dogs in class. No dogs on planes. No babies on planes. No babies in restaurants. In fact, no baby photos either.We got up close and personal with this sign in 2011
It's been a busy year for naysayers. Everyone's got an opinion they're prepared to enforce, especially when it comes to kids. While the bans have run the gamut, a majority have to do with child-rearing. Parents have been given an earful by the proverbial "village" as to how their kids should dress, consume, and act in public. Or rather how they shouldn't. Adults haven't escaped the negative reinforcement either. While a few medically-mandated bans may be positive reforms, others are more objectionable, even downright scary. Will this obsessive self-policing continue in 2012 or have we run out things to ban?
The Year in Bans: Baggy Jeans, Burqas, Babies and More
Jim Carrey Romancing NYC Student Anastasia Vitkina
Jim Carrey's new lady has been identified!
According to the New York Post, the blonde woman the 49-year-old actor has been romancing is Anastasia Vitkina.
PHOTOS: 2011's hottest hookups
The paper reports that Russian beauty is a student in New York. A source told Us Weekly the duo enjoyed a cozy dinner date at Perry St. in October. She and Carrey were also spotted together earlier this month at a Guns N' Roses show in L.A.
Missile silo up for sale, ready to become family home
Have you ever wanted a quiet little place in the mountains with a private runway and acres of land? If so, we've got the place for you. Oh yeah, it also comes with an Atlas F missile silo for a basement.Artist's illustration of log cabin and missile silo.
Boing Boing has come across a cozy little place that any future super-villain would be happy to call home on Sotheby's International Realty website. Situated in the scenic Adirondack Mountains of New York, this silo and air park were operational for a short time in 1961. Hundreds of these Atlas F missile silos were built across the U.S. in the 1960's in anticipation of attacks on the country.
Why Men Don't Know How to Read Your Body Language
Eye contact, flirty giggling, charged conversation-you're feeling it, and you think your signals are crystal clear. But according to new research, the guy still might not know what the hell you're thinking.New Research Says Guys Really Suck At This
Yep, a recent study confirmed what we've suspected for a while: dudes are pretty bad at reading sexual cues.Researchers put 200 college students through a "speed-meeting" exercise where each participant spent five minutes talking to a member of the opposite sex. Before the experiment, each rated his or her own attractiveness and desire for a short-term sexual encounter, and then rated the attractiveness and perceived sexual interest of the other participants they met afterward.
Entry-Level Jobs That Pay Up To $60,000
Entry-Level Jobs That Pay Up To $60,000
By Mark Swartz
Senior Monster Contributing WriterYou’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.
The Most-Returned Holiday Gifts
Think that your aunt will adore the taupe twin-set you picked out for her? Think again. Clothes and shoes are the gifts that are returned to stores most often after the holiday season.Clothes and shoes are the most-returned gifts after the holidays. (Thinkstock)
According to a recent MarketTools study, apparel accounted for 62 percent of returned gifts last Christmas. Other presents that customers also brought back (but far less frequently) were:
After dining on turducken, what’s for dessert? The cherpumple
This holiday season, make six desserts in one with the “monster pie cake” sure to send everyone into a sugar coma - the cherpumple. It’s the perfect, ridiculous, 21-pound indulgence for people who have to try everything at the dessert table.
It’s been called “the turducken of Thanksgiving desserts.” It’s also been called “the world’s most insane dessert.”Neatorama’s John Farrier believes that “it represents all that remains good and right in this fallen world.”
Its creator, Los Angeles native Charles Phoenix, describes the cherpumple this way:
“Cherpumple is short for CHERry, PUMpkin and apPLE pie. The apple pie is baked in spice cake, the pumpkin in yellow and the cherry in white.”
Diamond Marshall, the little girl who hugged Kate Middleton, gets her ‘Christmas miracle’
Six-year-old Diamond Marshall made headlines all over the world when she ran into the arms of Kate Middleton last summer in Calgary.
The little girl was battling a rare form of adrenal cancer at the time.
A heartfelt letter, expressing her desire to meet the duchess, gave Diamond the opportunity to greet her hero with flowers at the airport on July, 7th, 2011.
"That hug had a lot of meaning, we're very thankful for that meet and greet for her and the whole community rallying behind her," Lyall Marshall, Diamond's father, told CTV Calgary. "From a father's point of view when you can say the whole world is rooting for you to get better, I mean that's a lot."
Family publicly scorns 'loser' snow globe thief
A Windsor, Ont., family has a message for the person who stole a Christmas lawn ornament from their front yard.
"To the loser: You helped yourself to our snow globe. We hope that you have little ones to enjoy it since ours won't! Happy Holidays!" reads a sign on the lawn where the inflatable ornament once stood in the 1300 block of Howard Avenue.
The homeowners told CBC News they put the five-foot ornament on their lawn a few weeks ago. They noticed it was missing on Nov. 22.
Britney Spears Debuts Engagement Ring At 'Magical' Vegas Bash
Britney Spears and Jason Trawick jetted to Las Vegas on Friday to celebrate their engagement, as well as Jason's 40th birthday.
The couple checked in at Planet Hollywood, where the "I Wanna Go" singer soon emerged from her suite for a congratulatory welcome on the hotel's mezzanine wearing a short, nude Herve Leger dress, with her soon-to-be husband by her side.
via ca.omg.yahoo.com
The 50 Best Places to Work for 2012
Management consulting firms Bain & Company and McKinsey & Company topped Glassdoor's annual list of the 50 Best Places to Work, a ranking created entirely from employee reviews.
"If you go and read the reviews, what employees tell you is the reason they like these management consulting firms, Bain and McKinsey, is that they get to work with some of the best people they'll ever work with in their entire life, incredibly smart people, they get to work on very diverse projects, they get to travel the world, and they get accelerated learning on a scale that they're unlikely to get again in their career," says Robert Hohman, CEO and cofounder of Glassdoor, a website where employees rate their companies.
Russia's failed Mars probe will come crashing down to Earth next month, space agency says
MOSCOW - A Russian spacecraft bound for a moon of Mars and stuck in Earth's orbit will come crashing back next month, but its toxic fuel and radioactive material on board will pose no danger of contamination, the Russian space agency said Friday.
Between 20 and 30 fragments of the probe with a total weight of up to 200 kilograms (440 pounds) will survive the fiery plunge and shower the Earth's surface, Roscosmos warned in a statement.
The agency said the unmanned Phobos-Ground spacecraft will plummet to Earth between Jan. 6 and Jan. 19, and the rough area of where the fragments could fall could only be calculated a few days ahead of its plunge.
XBox 360 Console With Kinect
Xbox 360 Console With Kinect
What is the Xbox 360 console with Kinect? The Xbox Kinect is the newest invention from the Microsoft Xbox team.
Click the picture for details
There was a time when Sony and Microsoft, Nintendo’s two main video game competitors, scoffed at the user interface of the Wii. Particularly, the way the player’s movements control the motion on the screen, but that have changed recently. The Kinect for the Xbox 360 promises to bring these technologies to the next level. The Kinect sensor allows you to play games and engage with your Xbox 360 console in ways we haven’t seen before and it is a lot of fun as well.
15 Lazy Changes that Ramp Up Your Health
Staying healthy can feel like so much, well, work (think: logging hours at the gym and whipping up nutritious meals from scratch). However, there are plenty of small moves that you can make in your everyday life that will have big health benefits. We've rounded up 15 practically zero-effort ways to fight disease, whittle your waist, lower stress, and more. Bonus: Many of these good-for-you moves feel good, too. So say sayonara to the old adage, "no pain, no gain" and try these tips today.You don't have to go on a deprivation diet or spend hours exercising to ward off disease and be your healthiest …
12 Things Not to Buy During the Holidays
Is there a new television, tool or bicycle on your holiday shopping list?(Sean Gallup / Getty Images)
Hold on there. While you can find many great deals during November and December, you're better off making some purchases at other times of the year. Here are 12 items that are even cheaper before or after the holidays.
Microsoft Already Won The Battle For The Living Room When Nobody Was Looking
Two bits of news came out yesterday that illustrate how far ahead Microsoft is in the battle for the living room.
First, Microsoft announced it had sold 1.7 million Xboxes in November. That includes 1 million in the week of Thanksgiving.
More quietly, an analyst firm called Strategy Analytics released a report on "connected TV players," like Apple TV, Boxee, and the Google TV devices from Sony and Logitech.
The firm says that sales of those devices will reach 12 million in 2011, with Apple TV shipping 4 million.
In other words, Microsoft sold more Xboxes in a single week than Apple sells in an average quarter. And Apple is the market leader in that "connected TV players" space. At least when you ignore game consoles.
Apple iPod Touch Review
The Apple iPod Touch 4th Generation is the latest in the line of these top of the range MP3 players. Each generation has introduced new features to expand and improve on this multifunctional device. But just what does the 4th generation have to offer customers, both new and old?
Click the picture for details
Features Of The Apple iPod Touch 4th Generation
Here’s a pick of the main features of Apple’s latest iPod Touch:
* 110 x 59 x 7.2mm,
* Weighs 101g,
* Front facing and rear facing camera,
* PowerVR SGX 535 graphics,
* Wi-Fi, USB 2.0 and Bluetooth connectivity,
* Comes in 8GB, 32GB or 64GB versions,
* 960 x 640px, LED backlit display,
* 40 hours audio battery life,
* 7 hours video battery life,
* Ability to run multiple apps at the same time,
* Opportunity to buy a huge range of apps (and games) for various features.
The Secret to Wearing High Heels Without Pain
That pain that you feel at the end of a long night-no, it's not a hangover and it's not exhaustion. We're talking about something worse-the pain that's caused by a seemingly evil and malicious pair of high heels.wear high heels without the pain
But, believe it or not, not all high heels are created equal. In some cases, they can actually be healthier for your feet than flats. "Excess pronation is a condition that affects 75 percent of the population and has been related to many conditions, such as heel pain (otherwise known as plantar fasciitis), knee pain, and even lower-back pain," says podiatrist Phillip Vasyli.
Get the Best Sleep of Your Life
If there's one thing most of us complain about not having enough of - it's sleep.
So we went straight to the source and asked Dr. Adam Moscovitch (also known as the Sleep Doc) how we can get a better night's sleep.
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- 10 Ways to Spruce Up Your Water
- Spices That Will Keep You Healthy
- 5 Ways to Help Your Hangover
- 5 Foods to Help Beat the 3pm Slump
- 5 Easy Ways to Improve Your Mood
The Ten Commandments of Sleep Hygiene
- Schedule a relaxing period before going to sleep, to separate your body and mind from the day's hassles.
Lindsay Lohan channels Marge Simpson in leaked Playboy cover
What do Marge Simpson and Lindsay Lohan have in common? Besides inspiring much laughter (but for different reasons), they have matching Playboy covers.
Leaked online yesterday, LiLo's much-anticipated pictorial shows the nude starlet straddling a red bunny chair, arms behind her head (all the better to tousle her bottle-blonde mane), with her chest obscured by the chair's strategically placed bunny ears.
But it wasn't exactly a unique photo, as iconic cartoon character Marge Simpson struck a similar pose (albeit in a slightly more demure fashion) for a November 2009 cover story titled "The Devil in Marge Simpson." Seated sideways in a white bunny chair, Homer's blue-haired paramour became the first cartoon character to grace the cover of Hugh Hefner's 56-year-old publication.
via ca.omg.yahoo.com
Indian government backtracks, suspends plan to let in foreign big-box retailers like Wal-Mart
NEW DELHI - India on Wednesday suspended its plan to open its huge retail sector to foreign companies such as Wal-Mart in a reversal seen as a major capitulation to political opponents that further weakens the administration.
The business community had hailed the initial decision to let foreign firms own a majority stake in retailers here just two weeks ago, and the government and some economists said foreign retailers would bring better prices for farmers and lower prices for consumers.
But opposition parties and even some members of the governing coalition protested, saying the local mom-and-pop stores that are the heart of Indian retailing would be crushed. Opposition lawmakers disrupted Parliament for days in protest.
Mother of six trades in $96k house for used minivan
(LaWanda Flake/Detroit News)
A mother living in Detroit has traded in her four-bedroom home for a 2006 minivan.
LaWanda Flake, a 36-year-old, disabled mother of six traded in her four-bedroom, three-bath house, located in one of the city's better neighborhoods and valued at $96,000 for a 2006 Chevrolet Uplander with 85,000 miles, valued at between $5000 and $8,500.
"I had a lot of good offers, some from out of state. It turned out I took one of the first offers I got because I felt like it helped us both," Flake told the Detroit News. "They needed the house more than anyone I spoke with. They kept telling me it was a blessing to them. I really feel like I made a good decision."
PIC: See Katy Perry's Drastic Hair Makeover
Peace out, bright pink hair!
Katy Perry is celebrating the wrap of her eight month-long California Dreams tour with a fresh, new makeover.
PHOTOS: Katy Perry's outrageous style
At the Change Begins Within Benefit Celebration in Los Angeles Saturday, the singer debuted a dramatically short new haircut and a baby pink color that looks much lighter than the bubblegum hue she sported at the 2011 American Music Awards November 21.
PHOTOS: Katy Perry's craziest cleavage moments
With her hubby Russell Brand at her side, the star covered up in a white knee-length Versace sheath with gold embellishments and matching heels at the event benefitting filmmaker David Lynch's foundation for Transcendental Meditation.
via ca.omg.yahoo.com
Massive Sea-floor Shove Triggered Japan's Tsunami
The devastating tsunami that struck Japan last March killed more than 15,000 people, disrupted power and services across the country and crippled the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant. The massive waves were triggered by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake that gave the sea floor a huge shove toward Honshu, Japan's largest island.
But exactly how much the earth moved in the quake has been unclear — until now.
A new look at the sea floor before and after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake reveals massive shifts in the ocean crust. Energy from the uplifted sea floor — which was thrust 164 feet (50 meters) horizontally and 33 feet (10 meters) vertically — triggered the immense tsunami waves that struck the coast of Japan.
Baghdad tops Mercer list as worst city in world to live
While Vienna continues to be the best place in the world to live, Baghdad holds onto its title as the worst.Political turmoil, poor security enforcement and constant terrorist attacks have kept Baghdad at the bottom of Mercer's 2011 Quality of Living rankings for the last six years.
Coming in just ahead of Baghdad on the 221-country list are Bangui, Central African Republic (220), N'Djamena, Chad (219), Port-au-Prince, Haiti (218) and Khartoum, Sudan (217).
"Most of the low-scoring cities are in countries with civil unrest, high crime levels and little law enforcement," says Senior Researcher Slagin Parakatil on a YouTube video description.
Golden Rules at the Golden Arches
No longer just a burger-and-fries haven, McDonald's serves a whole bunch of goodies - from espresso drinks to meal-sized salads. Here's your cheat sheet to enjoy the golden arches guilt-free:
Breakfast:
While the Fruit and Maple Oatmeal falls short on protein (just 5 grams), its 230 calories and 47 grams of carbs isn't bad. If you're watching your carb intake, a toasted English muffin with real butter or peanut butter would be a wiser choice.
French IT Company to ban emails in office
London, Nov 29 (ANI): Former French finance minister Thierry Breton plans to ban his office staff from sending emails to each other, saying they are a waste of time and outdated.
Breton, 56, who is now CEO of Atos, one of Europe's largest information technology services wants a "zero email" policy to be in place within as early as 18 months, arguing that only 10 per cent of the 200 electronic messages his employees receive per day on average turn out to be useful.
Instead he wants them to use an instant messaging and a Facebook-style interface.
Breton said that the staff, spend between 5-20 hours handling emails.
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