Sunday 31 March 2013
Same Philosophy, Same Result
Same Philosophy, Same Result: No LeBron James, Dwyane Wade or Mario Chalmers did not mean defeat for the Heat against the mighty Spurs. Miami won 88-86 using a familiar formula, writes Rob Mahoney.
Google Nose Harnesses Your Sense of Smell for Search
Google Nose Harnesses Your Sense of Smell for Search: 
First, Google pranked its users by claiming to shut down YouTube; then, the search giant introduced old-school "Treasure Maps." But its pièce de résistance for this year's April Fools' Day has got to be Google Nose.
Currently in beta, the new feature incorporates scents into Search. Google describes Nose as its "flagship olfactory knowledge feature enabling users to search for smells." To learn more, watch the semi-serious video, above.
Clicking the "Try Google Nose Beta" button on its landing site produces a random search term such as "diaper." On the right-hand side of the results page, there's a description of the term ("baby powder and poop") from the Google Aromabase, as well as the option to smell and share the scent. When users click on "smell," a pop-up prompts them to "Bring your nose as close as you can to the screen and press Enter." A progress bar then indicates that it is transmitting the scent. Read more...
More about Google, Pranks, April Fools Day, Tech, and Apps Software
Currently in beta, the new feature incorporates scents into Search. Google describes Nose as its "flagship olfactory knowledge feature enabling users to search for smells." To learn more, watch the semi-serious video, above.
Clicking the "Try Google Nose Beta" button on its landing site produces a random search term such as "diaper." On the right-hand side of the results page, there's a description of the term ("baby powder and poop") from the Google Aromabase, as well as the option to smell and share the scent. When users click on "smell," a pop-up prompts them to "Bring your nose as close as you can to the screen and press Enter." A progress bar then indicates that it is transmitting the scent. Read more...
More about Google, Pranks, April Fools Day, Tech, and Apps Software
I’ll Show You Christina! Chelsea Handler Mocks Aguilera’s Skimpy Outfits
I’ll Show You Christina! Chelsea Handler Mocks Aguilera’s Skimpy Outfits:
By Alexis Tereszcuk – Radar Entertainment Editor
Christina Aguilera’s skimpy outfits and ample assets been under fire recently, and comedienne Chelsea Handler stripped down to a similar tiny ensemble to mock the singer on her talk show.
With Blake Shelton as a guest on Chelsea Lately the talk show host dressed up in a black body suit with tiny leather undies and fishnet stocking to greet him.
PHOTOS: Chelsea Handler Dresses As Christina Aguilera
“Merry Christmas to me,” he laughed as he walked on stage.
“I wanted to dress like Christina to make you feel more comfortable,” Chelsea told him, posing provocatively in her sexy get up, making fun of his Voice co-star .
“I wanted to make you feel like you’re at your real job. I know you had to travel five minutes on a golf cart from your studio to my studio and I know with your drinking schedule how hard that must have been,” she joked.
PHOTOS: Christina Aguilera Flaunts Her Curves At The AMAs
Blake then noticed Chelsea’s trusty side kick Chuy, who was wearing a red furry jacket with a parrot on his shoulder a la Cee Lo Green.
“What the f*ck are you wearing?” he asked, then questioned: “What do y’all make so much fun of my show?”
PHOTOS: More Stars With Crazy Body Piercings
Check out the hilarious video of Chelsea mocking Christina!
RELATED STORIES:
PHOTOS: 10 Celebrities Looking Totally Wasted
PHOTOS: The Best, Worst & Wackiest Dressed Stars Of The Week
Celebrity Feud! Christina Aguilera Calls Simon Cowell A (Bleep)!
PHOTOS: Christina Aguilera Struts Her Stuff In A Tight Corset
By Alexis Tereszcuk – Radar Entertainment Editor
Christina Aguilera’s skimpy outfits and ample assets been under fire recently, and comedienne Chelsea Handler stripped down to a similar tiny ensemble to mock the singer on her talk show.
With Blake Shelton as a guest on Chelsea Lately the talk show host dressed up in a black body suit with tiny leather undies and fishnet stocking to greet him.
PHOTOS: Chelsea Handler Dresses As Christina Aguilera
“Merry Christmas to me,” he laughed as he walked on stage.
“I wanted to dress like Christina to make you feel more comfortable,” Chelsea told him, posing provocatively in her sexy get up, making fun of his Voice co-star .
“I wanted to make you feel like you’re at your real job. I know you had to travel five minutes on a golf cart from your studio to my studio and I know with your drinking schedule how hard that must have been,” she joked.
PHOTOS: Christina Aguilera Flaunts Her Curves At The AMAs
Blake then noticed Chelsea’s trusty side kick Chuy, who was wearing a red furry jacket with a parrot on his shoulder a la Cee Lo Green.
“What the f*ck are you wearing?” he asked, then questioned: “What do y’all make so much fun of my show?”
PHOTOS: More Stars With Crazy Body Piercings
Check out the hilarious video of Chelsea mocking Christina!
RELATED STORIES:
PHOTOS: 10 Celebrities Looking Totally Wasted
PHOTOS: The Best, Worst & Wackiest Dressed Stars Of The Week
Celebrity Feud! Christina Aguilera Calls Simon Cowell A (Bleep)!
PHOTOS: Christina Aguilera Struts Her Stuff In A Tight Corset
Cory Monteith Checks Into Rehab
Cory Monteith Checks Into Rehab:
Glee star Cory Monteith has checked himself into rehab for substance addiction.
Monteith's rep confirmed to People that the 30-year-old entered treatment voluntarily. "He graciously asks for your respect and privacy as he takes the necessary steps towards recovery."
This is Monteith's second time in rehab. He admitted in a 2011 interview that he had a substance abuse problem as a teenager and first sought treatment when he was 19. We wish him well in his recovery.
Glee star Cory Monteith has checked himself into rehab for substance addiction.
Monteith's rep confirmed to People that the 30-year-old entered treatment voluntarily. "He graciously asks for your respect and privacy as he takes the necessary steps towards recovery."
The Real Housewives of Atlanta Recap - Get Foxy
The Real Housewives of Atlanta Recap - Get Foxy:
It's the season finale of The Real Housewives of Atlanta and "Divas Into Focus" throws us a party where it's hard to tell who's coming and who's going. We recap all the divorces and diamond rings in our THG +/- review.
Before we jump into Kenya Moore's party, or is it a gala? Does anyone know what the heck is difference? Let's check in with the other Housewives first.
Phaedra Parks drags Kandi to check out her next venture. Pretty pink stun guns called Phaedra Sparks. Minus 15.
Supposedly Phaedra is a lawyer, a wannabe funeral director, and a wannabe fitness video producer, and now she wants to throw her name on a taser. So I guess when someone misuses one of her tasers and kills someone she can handle both the lawsuit and the funeral.
Porsha and Kordell head to therapy. Plus 20…in theory. Reality tells something different.
We all know Kordell's controlling but in therapy he comes off as an arrogant, self absorbed, ass.
He tells Porsha that if her goal is to win an argument then she better be ready for disappointment because she's going to lose every time. Minus 12. Hasn't he ever heard that relationships are all about compromise?
But it gets worse. When talking about Porsha's miscarriage he tells the therapist, "As tough as it was for her, it was extremely overwhelming for me." Minus 30. It's as though Porsha's feelings are always secondary to his.
When it comes to marriage and raising a family it's not that these two aren't on the same page…they're not even in the same book.
Let's head to Kenya's party where the theme is iconic black women in film. If you thought that sounded like a fun night, boy were you wrong.
Porsha decides she doesn't want to look like a fool so she passes on the BAPS costume and comes as Dorothy Dandridge, the first African American woman to be nominated for an Academy Award. Porsha looks great. Plus 13.
Kenya is furious. She claims she had events planned around each of the characters and now Porsha has ruined the show.
Is that true? Kenya claims e-mails were exchanged. So maybe she's got the right to be angry…but throwing Porsha out makes her looks like one crazy b*tch. Minus 18.
The aftermath just gets crazier. Did anyone else notice that Kordell gave Brandon all kinds of hell on Porsha's behalf but when two burly men were kicking his wife out of the party he was suspiciously quiet. Minus 11.
The rest of the Housewives turn to leave in protest.
As far as costumes go…Kandi looked kind of ridiculous as Tina Turner but it's hard not to in the 1980s What's Love Got To Do With It music video get up. Phaedra went over the top as Eartha Kitt's Catwoman. Cynthia was suppose to be Diana Ross but you could hardly tell. Her outfit looked like something Cynthia herself would wear.
Kenya rocked it as Foxy Brown. Plus 20…but then NeNe came to town.
NeNe Leakes was awesome as Grace Jones. Did anyone else notice that everyone was talking about leaving until NeNe got there and then they all turned and followed her back in. So funny. NeNe arrives and her entourage follows.
And who ever would have thought that Miss NeNe would be the voice of reason once again as she talked Kenya down off the proverbial ledge. Talk about an odd season.
In the end we find out that:
Episode total = -33! Season total = -292!
It's the season finale of The Real Housewives of Atlanta and "Divas Into Focus" throws us a party where it's hard to tell who's coming and who's going. We recap all the divorces and diamond rings in our THG +/- review.
Before we jump into Kenya Moore's party, or is it a gala? Does anyone know what the heck is difference? Let's check in with the other Housewives first.
Supposedly Phaedra is a lawyer, a wannabe funeral director, and a wannabe fitness video producer, and now she wants to throw her name on a taser. So I guess when someone misuses one of her tasers and kills someone she can handle both the lawsuit and the funeral.
Porsha and Kordell head to therapy. Plus 20…in theory. Reality tells something different.
We all know Kordell's controlling but in therapy he comes off as an arrogant, self absorbed, ass.
He tells Porsha that if her goal is to win an argument then she better be ready for disappointment because she's going to lose every time. Minus 12. Hasn't he ever heard that relationships are all about compromise?
But it gets worse. When talking about Porsha's miscarriage he tells the therapist, "As tough as it was for her, it was extremely overwhelming for me." Minus 30. It's as though Porsha's feelings are always secondary to his.
When it comes to marriage and raising a family it's not that these two aren't on the same page…they're not even in the same book.
Let's head to Kenya's party where the theme is iconic black women in film. If you thought that sounded like a fun night, boy were you wrong.
Porsha decides she doesn't want to look like a fool so she passes on the BAPS costume and comes as Dorothy Dandridge, the first African American woman to be nominated for an Academy Award. Porsha looks great. Plus 13.
Kenya is furious. She claims she had events planned around each of the characters and now Porsha has ruined the show.
Is that true? Kenya claims e-mails were exchanged. So maybe she's got the right to be angry…but throwing Porsha out makes her looks like one crazy b*tch. Minus 18.
The aftermath just gets crazier. Did anyone else notice that Kordell gave Brandon all kinds of hell on Porsha's behalf but when two burly men were kicking his wife out of the party he was suspiciously quiet. Minus 11.
The rest of the Housewives turn to leave in protest.
As far as costumes go…Kandi looked kind of ridiculous as Tina Turner but it's hard not to in the 1980s What's Love Got To Do With It music video get up. Phaedra went over the top as Eartha Kitt's Catwoman. Cynthia was suppose to be Diana Ross but you could hardly tell. Her outfit looked like something Cynthia herself would wear.
Kenya rocked it as Foxy Brown. Plus 20…but then NeNe came to town.
NeNe Leakes was awesome as Grace Jones. Did anyone else notice that everyone was talking about leaving until NeNe got there and then they all turned and followed her back in. So funny. NeNe arrives and her entourage follows.
And who ever would have thought that Miss NeNe would be the voice of reason once again as she talked Kenya down off the proverbial ledge. Talk about an odd season.
In the end we find out that:
Porsha - Kordell filed for divorce. Really? That's all Bravo's got to say on the subject.
Phaedra's expecting baby boy #2 and is producing a workout video…no competition is expected.
Kandi and Todd are engaged. Congrats to the happy couple.
Cynthia - She's doing another pageant and helping NeNe plan her re-nuptuals.
NeNe's still jumping between Atlanta and Hollywood. Gregg gave her a 15 carat engagement ring!
Kenya Is dating an African oil tycoon and claims her dvd is outselling Phaedra's. I wonder if Bravo will release the real numbers on that.
Episode total = -33! Season total = -292!
Seoul-Based Reporter Perfectly Captures South Korea's Attitude Toward North Korea
Seoul-Based Reporter Perfectly Captures South Korea's Attitude Toward North Korea: 
So, the whole world seems to have dismissed North Korea's Friday declaration of war on South Korea.
Even reporters based in Seoul — which is around 120 miles from Pyongyang — seem pretty blase.
CNBC's Chery Kang, who is based in Seoul, was asked via satellite by a CNBC World colleague how South Korea and its markets were responding.
"Working in a newsroom in Seoul, South Korea, it certainly does not feel like I'm living in a country that is in a state of war," responded Kang very casually.
Business Insider has spoken to other South Koreans who share this very sentiment.
Kang continued to say that South Korea does "take threats seriously, even though they come nearly everyday."
Indeed, according to Korea's Yonhap News Agency, South Korea's President Park has pledged a "strong response" to North Korea's "provocation."
South Korea's stock market opened a few hours ago and they are down only modestly. Losses have largely been attributed to disappointing trade numbers.
"Unacceptable"
Late Friday evening, North Korea said in a statement that it had entered war with South Korea.
"Situations on the Korean Peninsula, which are neither in peace or at war, have come to an end," said North Korea in a statement. The also said that U.S. stealth bomber flights over South Korea were an "unacceptable" provocation, and that this was a "final warning" to the U.S.
However, U.S. officials quickly responded and said this was just an extension of North Korea's "long history of bellicose rhetoric and threats."
While any threat of war certainly is scary, North Korea has certainly solidified its position as the world's "boy who cried wolf."
Thanks to CNBC's Deirdre Wang Morris for helping with quotes.
SEE ALSO: Jim Rogers Is Buying Gold Coins From North Korea >
SEE ALSO: North Korea Is A Truly Beautiful Place >
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Join the conversation about this story »
Chinese Local Governments' Follow-Up Property Curbs Aren't Fazing The Market
Chinese Local Governments' Follow-Up Property Curbs Aren't Fazing The Market: 
A month ago, China announced property curbs including a 20 percent capital gains tax on home sales, that slammed Chinese stocks, and property stocks in particular.
Now, a bunch of local Chinese governments including Beijing and Shanghai have announced a follow-up to those measures.
First, here's a look at the announcements, via Xinhua. Big cities will carry out the 20 percent capital gains tax on property sales.
Beijing
- Single adults with a Hukou (residency permit) for Beijing, and who have not bought homes before, can buy one apartment.
- Down payments for second-home buyers will be raised.
- A homeowner will only be exempt from the 20 percent capital gains tax if he/she is selling the only home they own, and if he/she has owned it for five years or longer.
- Those who forge documents to purchase apartments " will not be registered for property ownership and will be banned from buying apartments in Beijing within 5 years."
Shanghai
- Banks are banned from approving loans for homeowners looking to buy their third home or more.
- Down payments for second-home buyers will be raised.
- Borrowers from other cities, foreigners, and borrowers that are divorced will face "greater scrutiny." [If the latter seems strange, it is because Chinese couples get divorced to take advantage of tax loopholes.]
Chongquing
- The rate of growth in home prices will be maintained at a pace that is slower than per capita income growth.
- Pre-sell permits will be suspended in the case of overpriced houses or those with surging prices.
These property curbs are thought to be lacking in specifics, and inadequate in cooling home prices. Bank of America's Ting Lu writes that these follow-up measures are less strict than the markets had expected.
In terms of the policies for both cities, he writes that Beijing's restriction on home purchases is a bit of a surprise. Beijing however accounts for 4.5 percent of China's new home sales and therefore the "impact will be quite limited." Moreover, many of the smaller cities like Hefei and Dalian didn't even mention the 20 percent tax.
From Lu:
"The 'detailed measures' announced by local government this weekend reflect a tug-of-war between the local and central government (especially the previous one).
Under China’s tax system, local governments get only 40% of capital gains tax on home sales but will bear the full brunt of falling land sales and other property-related tax, so they have little incentives in implementing overly restrictively property tightening measures including the 20% capital gain tax. We will perhaps have to wait for more details on 20% capital gain tax from the State Tax Bureau."
He expects that new home sales won't see a huge impact from these measures and existing home sales already surged in March to avoid the tax, these should slow in April.
The governments preferred method of lowering home prices seems to be through increasing land supply as we have previously reported.
Chinese property stocks seem to be celebrating the news, with the SHPROP rising as much as 2.43 percent today.
SEE ALSO: 29 Crazy Things That Only Happen In China >
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Corn Prices Are Collapsing
Corn Prices Are Collapsing: 
Corn is getting destroyed right now.
Prices are down by over 4 percent, trading all the way to a 9-month low.
This comes after last week's report that corn supplies were much higher than expected.
Here's look at the trading action via FinViz:
Here's a much longer-term look:
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10 Creative Ways to Use Your Favorite Running App
10 Creative Ways to Use Your Favorite Running App: 
If running is a staple of your regular workout routine, odds are you have a favorite smartphone app to run alongside you. Whether it's RunKeeper, Nike+ or MapMyRun, you use mobile technology to measure your distance, pace and speed, and to push yourself to the limit.
But with all their features, how else could you use these apps? We put together a list of 10 ways to get the most out of your running app. Try measuring how fast your dog runs, or see how active you really are when you mow the lawn
Do you use a running app in particularly clever ways? Let us know in the comments Read more...
More about Mobile, Apps, Fitness, Running, and RunkeeperSurprise! Even Teens Love Jennifer Lawrence
Surprise! Even Teens Love Jennifer Lawrence: 
In the eyes of media and fans, Jennifer Lawrence can do no wrongThe Hunger Games star fell while accepting her Best Actress Oscar at the Academy Awards ceremony last month, but managed to recover gracefully. She then effortlessly charmed reporters during her post-win press interviews
Now, Lawrence has conquered arguably the most temperamental of all age groups: teenagers.
In the YouTube video, above, watch them react to (and fall in love with) J. Law's endearing quirks.
What's your opinion of Jennifer Lawrence? Tell us in the comments, below Read more...
More about Teens, Film, Watercooler, Videos, and Jennifer Lawrence'True Blood' Teaser Reveals a Bloody Season 6
'True Blood' Teaser Reveals a Bloody Season 6: 
HBO is gearing up to debut season six of its vampire series, True Blood, and the network released a titillating teaser to fire up fans
Posted to YouTube on Saturday, the 30-second promo features plenty of blood and gore, with stars Anna Paquin (as Sookie Stackhouse), Stephen Moyer (Bill Compton) and Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgård) at the center of the drama. Watch the entire clip, above
Season six of True Blood premieres June 16. Do you plan to watch it? Tell us in the comments, below
Screenshot image courtesy of YouTube, trueblood Read more...
More about Television, True Blood, Entertainment, Tv, and Youtube Video Lead
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