Spain’s Duchess of Alba walked down the aisle with a commoner groom more than 20 years her junior today, with a crowd of hundreds gathered around to cheer. As she left the ceremony at her 15th-century residence in Seville, the 85-year-old kicked off her shoes and danced a flamenco in…
Continue reading …Odd lawsuit of the day: Some St. Louis women who got breast implants were horrified to discover that their surgeon posted before-and-after photos on her website —with their names attached, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch . “I sincerely regret that the protective mechanisms supposedly set up by my former web host…
Continue reading …
The mastermind behind an empire that has revolutionised personal computing, telephony and music, dies in California Steve Jobs, billionaire co-founder of Apple and the mastermind behind an empire of products that revolutionised computing, telephony and the music industry, has died in California at the age of 56. Jobs stepped down in August as chief executive of the company he helped set up in 1976, citing illness. He had been battling an unusual form of pancreatic cancer, and had received a liver transplant in 2009. Jobs wrote in his letter of resignation: “I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.” Apple released a statement paying tribute: “Steve’s brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives … The world is immeasurably better because of
Continue reading …You were right, Internet. Vladimir Putin isn’t really a deep sea archaeologist . The once-and-future Russian president’s press secretary has admitted that the video of Putin finding a collection of ancient Greek jugs at the bottom of a Black Sea bay was a setup, the New York Times reports. The artifacts…
Continue reading …Senate Democrats today proposed a 5% surtax on all income above $1 million as a way to pay for President Obama’s jobs bill—throwing out Obama’s more intricate suggestion for eliminating various tax deductions for the wealthy, oil companies, and other businesses. The surtax would hit all income, including dividends…
Continue reading …The US held at least one secret peace negotiation this summer with the Haqqani Network, the militant group at the center of its current public spat with Pakistan, senior officials tell the Wall Street Journal . The meeting was set up by Pakistani intelligence, which the US says confirms its suspicions…
Continue reading …You may have let out a nostalgic, ” Awwww ” when you heard the news that ice cream chain Friendly’s filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this morning. “Oh, that’s so sad. I love Friendly’s,” says one mother whose kids enjoy the same Fribble concoctions she did as a child. Since opening…
Continue reading …Now that John Demjanjuk has been convicted of war crimes, Germany has reopened investigations into hundreds of other former Nazi death camp guards, looking for ones who might share his profile. Demjanjuk’s conviction sets a precedent that could allow others to be charged, prosecutors say, although they are waiting until…
Continue reading …In an interview with the AP about the 15th anniversary of Fox News, Roger Ailes has set off a mini-tizzy with this line about Sarah Palin: “I hired Sarah Palin because she was hot and got ratings.” He was deflecting criticism that the channel is politically biased—as in, he…
Continue reading …Arrested Development is one hot property: Showtime, Netflix, and Hulu are now in a bidding war over distribution rights to the upcoming new episodes . Showtime and Netflix were originally reported to be interested in the newly-announced “limited-run series,” and Hulu has most recently jumped into the mix, New York ‘s…
Continue reading …