WORLD BRACES FOR MANDELA’S DEATH, KIND OF SEEM TO BE HOPING FOR IT IN FACT

Pretoria, South Africa – One day, perhaps one day soon, Nelson Mandela will die. Mandela, as beloved as he is by the people of his country and by millions around the world is not invulnerable to the ravages of age and time. He is just a man and a man always has his time.

At 94, nearly 95, people have at least in the back of their minds been expecting that something like that was going to come sooner rather than later. With his most recent hospitalization, one of at least three since December, it appears that has finally come to the fore and made people aware that Mandiba may be at an end.

Across South Africa and across the world people are bracing for what they now feel is inevitable. Some are even planning for such a possibility, some even seem to be embracing it even though they love Mandela. In fact many governments are already planning flights for their leaders in anticipation of a funeral and seem like they would be really disappointed if they had to cancel or change those plans significantly if the old man decides to like survive and stuff.

“It looks bad. Washington is keeping a close eye on the former leader and civil rights hero,” said one U.S. official.

Even South African leaders such as President Jacob Zuma have been expressing dire warnings about the health of Mandela, just a little too enthusiastically for some.

Recent reports suggest that Mandela is responding to treatment at least for the time being so he may survive a little longer after all.

“It’s going to be a sad day for the world. really the whole world, the day Mandela dies. It will happen though, it has to happen. He is not a superman, he is just a man and that is why people love him. I’m sure people would still love him if he was a superman because he is also a decent guy. There would be some resentment with all those cool powers but he would still be a good person so people would like him,” said Scrape TV International analyst Gustav Hander. “That’s irrelevant though because he is not a superman, that’s the point of all this. He is just a regular man who did remarkable things and even those kinds of people end up dying in the end, every single one throughout history has died before Mandela and he will join them eventually.”

It’s not clear why exactly people are so focussed on Mandela dying if they love him so much.

“I think most reasonable people understood that he would die eventually. They love him but love is not enough to overcome time and age. Luckily they have had him for a long time, probably longer than the world deserves to be honest, and soon he will be gone which I guess will at least satisfy people’s travel arrangements,” continued Hander. “it must be frustrating especially for world leaders who have a ton of things to do and to fit in. They will have to attend, obviously, but this indecisiveness about dying really has to suck for them. One day, one day Mandela will be dead and then all this will be behind them.”

It’s not clear whether or not Mandela wants to die or if he even understands what’s going on.

I lost my arms and feet after bum boost injections

High price ... Apryl Michelle Brown lost limbs

By SARAH ARNOLD

A MUM of two told last night how her quest for a bigger bottom left her a quadruple amputee – and 24 hours from death. Apryl Michelle Brown had black-market silicone injections which turned out to be BATHROOM SEALANT.
It left her in agony and led to her losing her hands and feet, as well as her buttocks.

Bubbly ... before backstreet beauty procedure

The 46-year-old former hairdresser blames “vanity” and wants to warn others of the terrible dangers of such illegal treatments.
Apryl said: “I’ve paid a terrible price for vanity and I’ll pay for the rest of my life. But I blame no one but myself.
“I want to share my story to warn others about these so-called ‘quick fix’ surgeries.
“I didn’t realise the dangers. I thought it was a harmless injection that would give me the perfect bottom. But the reality was the silicone used wasn’t suitable for humans. It was, in fact, bathroom sealant only suitable for DIY.

Triumph ... with relatives after finishing the triathlon

“My body had a massive allergic reaction to it which left me at the brink of death.
“I was in so much agony that, by that point, dying would have been a release. The only way doctors could save my life was to amputate my buttocks, my hands and feet.”
Teased as a child about her “pancake” bum, Apryl vowed to buy a shapelier one when she was older.
She said: “I didn’t know if I wanted mine to look like Janet Jackson’s or J-Lo’s.
“I didn’t even know how you could do it. I just wanted a new, bigger bottom.”
The moment that changed her life came in 2004, when two women walked into her successful beauty salon to get their hair done.
One of them ran “pumping parties” — where unqualified practitioners inject illegal silicone into “patients” at their home.
Apryl, from Los Angeles, said: “One of the women told me how she had given bottom injections to the friend who was with her.
“I remember thinking it was a miracle she’d walked into my life. Her friend showed me the work she’d had done and it looked great.

Enhanced ... shapely bum

PLANET PHOTOS

“In a split second I made the decision that I was going to go to this woman and let her inject silicone into my behind.”
That decision nearly killed her. Apryl paid the woman, who had no medical background, around £650 for two lots of injections. Doctors later discovered the substance used was industrial-grade silicone.
Apryl admitted: “I didn’t do any research. A combination of naivety, misplaced trust and insecurity led me to take this disastrous decision.
“I trusted her because she seemed so professional, and I had no reason to think anything awful was going to happen.
“She carried out the procedure in her daughter’s bedroom. She assessed my bottom and said, ‘You’ll need three or four sessions to get the result you want’.
“The first procedure took an hour. I remember asking, ‘Is it meant to be so painful?’ and she said, ‘Yes’. It felt like it was squeezing through my nerves.”
Within weeks Apryl returned for her second treatment.
She said: “After going through it again I had an epiphany. As I left her house I thought, ‘What am I doing? I have no idea what she’s putting in my body’.
“I never returned. But though I didn’t know it then, my life had already changed forever.”
Over the next two years the area where she’d been injected became hard and the skin blackened.
Apryl, mum to daughters Danye, 22 and Courtney, 21, said: “Within a few months of the second injection my buttocks began to harden. I knew something wasn’t right. But shame stopped me seeking medical help. As time went on it got worse as the skin blackened. I developed hard lumps. Then the searing pain started. I had to tell my doctor what I did. I was so ashamed.”
Apryl spent the next four years in constant pain. Two surgeons told her it was too dangerous to remove the silicone.
She said: “I was in so much agony I became a regular at hospital asking for medication to ease what was like a combination of a migraine, childbirth and toothache localised in one area.

In training ... Apryl

Kawai Matthews/ TAMU Artist Agency

“I suffered day and night, so I was willing to do anything — including remove my buttocks.”
In February 2011 a surgeon operated unsuccessfully. Apryl developed a hole in her buttocks — thought to be the trigger for an infection that in June was nearly fatal. She said: “I was 24 hours from dying. I didn’t think of leaving my family. It was a relief I’d finally be free of pain.”
Doctors put her in an induced coma for two months while performing 27 surgeries — starting with amputating her buttocks — and doing extensive skin grafts.
She said: “They saved me but gangrene set into my hands and feet. I was brought out of sedation shortly before I became a quadruple amputee.
“My hands looked like those of a dead person. I knew then I was going to lose them.”
She added: “At first you try to register your new limbs. The real comprehension comes when you start to live this new life.
“I had dark times. I cried a sea of tears. I had to face the fact I’d lost my hands, feet and buttocks because of complications from bottom injections. I was overwhelmed by shame and guilt... all because I wanted a bigger bottom.
“I was six months in hospital. By the time I was discharged I was determined to turn this terrible thing into something positive.
“I decided to do a triathlon. I told myself if I could achieve that I could do anything.
“I took my first steps again by the end of 2011. I built up to training six days a week, learning to walk, cycle then swim again using my residual limbs.
“I’d be crying in pain but I’d push through it. And six weeks ago I did it — completing a three-mile walk, ten-mile cycle and a 150-metre swim.
“When I crossed that finishing line with my family cheering me on, I cried tears of joy.”
She added: “I haven’t sued or sought compensation. I just want to move on. There are things I miss dearly — I’ll never be able to do my girls’ hair or feel sand between my toes.
“But I believe I survived to share my story.
“I want to warn others of the dangers of black-market surgery. We were born whole, perfect and complete.
“My greatest message is we have to learn to love and accept ourselves for who we are.”

The oldest person in the world Luo Meizhen of China - at her 127th birthday

The Chinese woman just celebrated her birthday, but she isn't on the official list

I wonder what a birthday cake would look like with 127 candles on it? I won't have to worry about extinguishing all those candles any time soon, but one woman may have.

Luo Meizhen, who lives in China's Guangxi province, reportedly celebrated her 127th birthday just days ago and if it's verified she'll be the oldest person who ever lived. However, that may be impossible because while she says she was born in 1885, birth certificates in the region only started to be kept after the 1949 Communist takeover. All she has is a faded copy of her identity card as shown in this video from 2011.
The record for the oldest known person is currently held by Jeanne Calment of France who died at 122 in 1997. However, according to the Gerontological Society of China, local records in the same country where Luo lives show a person who died in 1911 lived to 142 years of age.
The Daily Mail reports Luo lives with her only son, who she gave birth to at age 61. Where they live is known for longevity with 74 of the county's 238,000 residents being over the age of 100.

To celebrate, she had a party and ate a bowl of rice, two slices of pork, a piece of duck meat, chicken and two pieces of cake. If you get to 127, you definitely deserve two pieces of cake.
According to ChinAfrica, researchers say the reason people can live so long in this part of China is because they work from sunrise to sunset, climb mountains doing farm work, get adequate sleep, sleep in separate beds from their spouses and many soak their feet in hot water every night. People in the region eat mostly vegetables that grow naturally without pesticides, eat small amounts of meat and don't like fried food. Luo also likes soybeans and sow thistle, a bitter plant used in herbal medicine.
Researchers also credit fresh air and the lack of pollution in the region for the large number of centenarians. Luo has lived through war and famine and eats a diet influenced by scarcity over the years.

However, the region is becoming a tourist destination with people flocking to learn the secrets of a long life. These tourists may have an impact on the lifestyle of residents and conditions of the region.
The oldest Canadian to ever lived was Marie-Louise Meilleur who passed away at age 117 in 1998. Three Canadians made it to the top twenty of the list.
Luo may have some competition for her record in the coming decades because Besse Cooper of the U.S. just turned 116.

LeBron James Is The NBA's Leading Shoe Salesman

LeBron James is leading the Heat and Nike to new heights. (Image credit: AFP/Getty Images via @daylife)

LeBron James is in the hunt for a second straight NBA championship after leading the Miami Heat to an NBA-best 66 wins during the regular season. It has been a wildly successful 12-month run for King James, as he established himself as the NBA’s biggest star since Michael Jordan. James led the Heat on a 27-game winning streak. He added another NBA MVP trophy (for a total of four), an Olympic gold medal and his first title over the past year. The game’s most dominant player is also crushing the competition in stores, outselling his nearest rival’s signature sneakers 6-to-1.
Nike generated $300 million in U.S. retail sales in 2012 for James’ signature shoes, according to research firm SportsOneSource. Nike’s haul represents a 50% increase from sales of James’ kicks in 2011. “The first thing is the aesthetics. The shoes look great and his star stature continues to rise,” says SportsOneSource analyst Matt Powell. “The media attention on him helps him sell more footwear.”

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The LeBron X caused a stir last summer when the Wall Street Journal reported that the shoes would be priced at more than $300. In reality, the base LeBron X shoe costs $180 and the technology-embedded shoe with Nike+ sensors, which tracks how high players jump and how far they run, is available for $260.
Nike first signed James to a seven-year, $90 million contract in 2003 before James had finished his senior year in high school and was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers. It remains the largest initial player endorsement contract ever handed out to a Nike athlete. His early Nike sneakers got mixed reviews and sales were sluggish for the player dubbed “The Chosen One” on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 2002. But James and Nike’s designers eventually found the right fit. “LeBron VI was the first really good looking shoe,” says Powell.
Nike is James’ biggest marketing partner and helps put him on top of the NBA’s top-earners from endorsements. Nike re-signed James in 2010 in a deal that James’ business manager Maverick Carter calls “more of a joint venture.” Forbes estimates that James earns $20 million annually, including royalties from the Beaverton, Ore footwear giant.
The second best-selling active NBA pitchman is Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers. His Kobe 8 signature shoes sold $50 million at U.S. stores last year. Bryant has been part of the Nike family since 2003. The 15-time All-Star was an Adidas athlete for the first six years of his career. Bryant’s shoe sales in the U.S. were down in 2012, but he is the NBA’s biggest star in China and his Nike sneakers sell briskly in Asia.
Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks ranks third with U.S. retail sales of $40 million for his Jordan Melo M9. Anthony is part of the Jordan Brand roster, which also includes Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook.
Today’s NBA stars are all still looking up at global icon Michael Jordan. The Nike-owned Jordan Brand has been on fire with $2 billion in U.S. sales in 2012, according to SportsOneSource. Susquehanna Financial analyst Christopher Svezia estimates the brand grew 25-30% globally in 2012.  The royalty agreement is worth more than $60 million annually for Jordan, who last played an NBA game in 2003.
Nike released the Air Jordan XX8 in February. It is the 28th shoe in the Jordan franchise. In addition to new Air Jordans, Nike continues to put out retro versions of the franchise with an average selling price of $130 to $150. The Jordan Brand commands a 56% market share in basketball, while the Nike brand has 37%. Adidas has a 5% share and Reebok is at 2% in the U.S.
Adidas inked Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose to a 13-year deal in 2012, which is expected to pay out at least $185 million. Despite missing the entire 2012-13 season, Rose’s signature shoe has gained traction with sales of $25 million in 2012. But Rose still lags the top guys at Nike.
Adidas’ other top endorsers have really struggled. John Wall signed with Adidas subsidiary, Reebok, in 2010 for $25 million over five years. Reebok had high expectations for Wall, who was a heavily-hyped star after a year at the University of Kentucky, but sales of his signature shoes have disappointed. Retail sales were only $5 million in 2012 and in January Wall departed the Reebok brand for that of its parent, Adidas.
Dwight Howard continues a longtime trend of NBA big men struggling to sell shoes. Adidas moved only $5 million worth of Howard product last year. Powell says the soap opera surrounding his departure from Orlando and first year in Los Angeles hurt him in the marketplace. “Your average 10-year-old can envision being Kobe. He has no way of being Dwight Howard,” says Powell.
U.S. Retail Basketball Shoe Sales
LeBron James (Nike): $300 million
Kobe Bryant (Nike): $50 million
Carmelo Anthony (Jordan): $40 million
Kevin Durant (Nike): $35 million
Derrick Rose (Adidas): $25 million
John Wall (Reebok): $5 million
Dwight Howard (Adidas): $5 million
Source: SportsOneSource

Universal flu jab 'edges closer'

A way of creating more effective vaccines which could protect against a broad range of flu viruses has been reported by US researchers.

A different seasonal flu jab is produced every year as the virus is a constantly shifting target.
This animal study, published in the journal Nature, showed a single jab could protect against multiple strains.
Flu scientists said it was an important advance, but a vaccine which could defeat all flu was a long way off.
While there are different strains of flu circulating each year, there are bits of the flu virus which do not change.
Many groups of researchers believe that targeting these weak spots could lead to a single, universal flu vaccine.
Synthetic biology The normal seasonal flu jab is made by growing the virus in chicken eggs. It is then inactivated and injected into people to train the immune system to fight off that virus.
A group at the pharmaceutical company Sanofi used a different approach to design a new protein which was half virus.
Spikes which stick out from the surface of the virus, which hardly vary between strains, were fused with a 'transporter protein' which is naturally found in blood.
Groups of these hybrid proteins then spontaneously formed tiny spheres, which were tested in ferrets.
Flu researchers use ferrets as they are can be infected with human viruses, which results in similar symptoms.
The vaccine gave the animals immunity against multiple batches of flu ranging from viruses circulating in 1934 through to 2007.
Dr Gary Nabel, the chief scientific officer at Sanofi, told the BBC: "We think this is a step down the path towards a universal vaccine. It's not a universal vaccine yet.
"There's lots of research in the early phases and this looks as good as anything out there."
Not everything The spike used in the vaccine was haemagglutinin, but there are many different types of haemagglutinin. It is how viruses are classified - swine flu in 2009 was H1N1, with the H standing for haemagglutinin.
This vaccine was designed to protect against H1 flu viruses. It would not protect against others such as the current bird flu in China, H7N9.
Prof Sarah Gilbert, who works on universal vaccines at Oxford University, told BBC News: "It is an improvement on the current vaccine. It's not a 'universal vaccine' but it's definitely a step in the right direction."
She said it might be able to get over the problems of "mis-match" when there are differences between the seasonal vaccine and the flu being targeted.
However, the vaccine has not yet been tested in people. Clinical grade vaccine has not yet been developed so even safety trials are thought to be a year away.
There is a risk that the flu virus could find ways to evade the vaccine.
Prof Wendy Barclay, from Imperial College London, said: "I think the important question to explore in the field now is...will the virus be able to escape by 'drift' like it does each year to our natural antibody response, or can it be 'pinned in' by the immune response induced by this new era of vaccines?"
Dr Nabel agreed that viruses could be difficult to pin down: "It is like squeezing a balloon. You squish one place and another pops out. The viruses are very clever and under pressure they find a new way to escape."
Source:James Gallagher Health and science reporter, BBC News

Tumblr and Yahoo: Why sex, jokes and gifs are worth $1.1bn

By Dave Lee Technology reporter, BBC News

 

 Users on David Karp's Tumblr platform have posted more than 50 billion entries since the site's inception

Yahoo is desperate to be cool again.

And, like that kid at school who always got the newest gadgets and video games to impress his "friends", there's seemingly no shortage of money available to get what it wants.
Now, just two months after splashing out millions on a UK teenager's app Summly, Yahoo is set to buy one of the hottest properties in social media: Tumblr.
It will reportedly cost $1.1bn (£723m), a smidgen more than Facebook paid for photo-sharing service Instagram last year.
Yet with users already threatening to leave Tumblr en masse, will simply owning something trendy actually boost Yahoo's internet cred?
"It's very hard to just buy something cool from somebody else and for it to remain cool," says Robin Klein, a partner at technology investors Index Ventures.

“Start Quote

It feels like someone is plunging a white hot poker into the woodwork, and setting it slowly on fire.”

Tumblr user

"It's important that the leadership at Tumblr comes into Yahoo, stays in Yahoo, and is a key participant there."

Chief executive Marissa Mayer has confirmed that David Karp is to stay with the company. Jimmy Wales, creator of Wikipedia, says this is an important component if the site is to remain a success.
"For a long time Yahoo was viewed in the industry as a very marketing-led company such that any respectable technologist would cringe if they had to work there," he told the BBC.
"Marissa is herself a respected technologist, full-on, and a great business person. And I think she is making all the right moves."
Global in-jokes But what exactly has she bought?
Tumblr describes itself as a way to "effortlessly share anything" using a mixture of text, pictures, videos and various other formats.
In plain English, Tumblr can be best described as something that exists between Twitter and a traditional blog, for people who have more than 140 characters to say - but not much time in which to say it.

'We promise not to screw it up'

Yahoo's chief executive took to Tumblr in an attempt to ease the worries of users. This is what she said:
"We promise not to screw it up. Tumblr is incredibly special and has a great thing going.
"We will operate Tumblr independently. David Karp will remain CEO.
"The product roadmap, their team, their wit and irreverence will all remain the same as will their mission to empower creators to make their best work and get it in front of the audience they deserve.
"Yahoo! will help Tumblr get even better, faster."

• Read Marissa Meyer's full statement

This formula has seen the site notch up more than 100 million registered blogs, which between them have published more than 50 billion posts.

The site was set up in 2006, when Mr Karp put together the first bit of Tumblr's code in a two-week period between jobs. Within a year, Mr Karp was - according to his business partner at the time - now the reluctant chief executive of a rapidly expanding start-up.
But the huge levels of traffic came with predictable teething problems. Tumblr soon started to suffer from a lack of stability, with its equivalent of Twitter's "fail whale" - the screen presented when the service was over capacity - becoming a common and frustrating sight for users.
Several rounds of investment later, and with an employee base that has expanded from two back then to 175 today, the ship has been well and truly steadied.
And now, Tumblr thrives. Famed for its lightning-quick set-up speeds allowing people to have a great-looking, full-featured blog in seconds, Tumblr is centre stage in the internet community.
Tumblr's forte lies in viral hits or memes, global in-jokes which capture the mood of sometimes niche but passionate readers.
One recent example, White Men Wearing Google Glass, pokes fun at the ever-so-dorky appearance of those keen to show off Google's latest invention.
Last year's stand-out hit was Texts From Hillary Clinton - a collection of images captioned with humorous examples of what the then US Secretary of State may have been writing.
Clinton herself was a fan - the last image is one of her with the blog's creators.
Tumblr is even credited with bringing about the resurgence of the animated gif - an image format that until recently had been seen as tacky and outdated, but is now a key component of discourse and comedy online.
Not safe for work All that sounds very appealing to Yahoo and its investors - but there is one elephant in the room that needs to be acknowledged. Or rather, naked people in the room.

Yahoo's Marissa Mayer is working to revive the company's fortunes

Tumblr is bursting with amateur pornography. The company does not give a breakdown of how many of its sites are adult-orientated, but it's clear it has no issue in accommodating them.
The site's terms of service say sharing of explicit pictures is fine - as long as it is clearly labelled as NSFW, meaning not safe for work.
As for explicit video, it's a no-no to use Tumblr's own video feature to upload adult clips, but embedded videos uploaded elsewhere is not a problem - indeed, Tumblr even recommends a specific pornographic site to do just that.
It's an approach that could create problems for Yahoo, predicts Index Venture's Robin Klein.
"This is where segmentation becomes so important," he tells the BBC. "Advertising must go to where it wants to be.
"There's no way advertisers will be happy to end up on porn sites."
US technology news site AllThingsD has reported a "source close to the situation" as saying Yahoo would have a hands-off approach to running the site - porn and all - once it is under their control.
Abandon ship! But that hasn't stopped some users getting nervous.
"They're going to lose a number of bloggers," predicts Mr Klein.

Much of Tumblr's development team will join Yahoo

"I'm sure they've factored that into their thinking. They're going to have to manage this."
Wordpress - a rival blogging platform - reported that more than 72,000 people imported their Tumblr blogs to Wordpress in just one hour on Sunday evening.
Within moments of the news of the probable buyout becoming public, bloggers flocked to Tumblr to express their dismay.
One user wrote: "Tumblr has been my safe place for three years now, and it feels like someone is plunging a white hot poker into the woodwork, and setting it slowly on fire. Thanks Yahoo."
A search for the term Yahoo on the site brings many more examples - some with colourful language.
Yahoo will be hoping that, like so many internet storms, this anger will drift away - leaving behind a highly active, highly profitable bounty.
"Tumblr so far has not made a huge amount of money," says Luke Lewis, UK editor of news site Buzzfeed.
"But the potential is there. The people who use Tumblr are really young, they are really engaged and spend hours a day on Tumblr."
And while seemingly unpopular, Yahoo does at least have one thing going for it, according to one user.
"At least it wasn't bought by Facebook."
Source:bbc.co.uk

'Smallest Penis Contest' In Brooklyn: New York Bar To Honor The Small Things

A Brooklyn bar is apparently planning to hold a "smallest penis competition" this summer. (Stock photo via Getty)

Life, they say, is about learning to appreciate the small things.
For proof, look no further than the first-ever "Smallest Penis Contest" at King's County Bar in Brooklyn, New York, on July 20.
According to a Craigslist ad seeking "less endowed men" to prove that "good things can come in small packages," the contest will be "pageant style" and involve "talent, evening wear, and swimsuit elements."
And this won't be just another pissing contest, either. As the Village Voice notes, winners will be selected by a "small member expert panel."
Entrants must be 21 or older and must be present the day of the contest (no photos or remote entries), the ad states. They also "should be comfortable getting hosed down while wearing only skimpy underwear."
Competitors scheming to get ahead with a Borat-style man thong (or worse), take note: Promoters will level the playing field by handing out standard-issue undies for all contestants to wear.
According to Gothamist, the victor will receive a crown, the dubious title of "2013 Smallest Penis in Brooklyn" and a cash prize, which -- should the winner choose -- can be donated to charity.
Presumably there will be no large trophies.
The Huffington Post reached out the bar for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
A similar contest, held online by a Danish erotica website, hopes to raise awareness of what it says should not be a sensitive subject.
"It's incredible how the media has frightened people from showing themselves as they are," Morten Fabricius, the website's owner, told the Agence France-Presse.

Source:HuffPost:

Yahoo to buy Tumblr for $1.1bn

Yahoo Tumblr would be operated as a separate business.

Yahoo has agreed a deal to buy New York-based blogging service Tumblr for $1.1bn (£725m; 857m euros) in cash.

Yahoo's chief executive Marissa Mayer said that as part of its promise "not to screw it up", Tumblr would operate independently.
David Karp, will continue as chief executive officer of Tumblr.
The deal is the largest made by Ms Mayer since she took the helm at Yahoo last July, and she described the acquisition as a "unique opportunity."
"On many levels, Tumblr and Yahoo couldn't be more different, but at the same time, they couldn't be more complementary," added Ms Mayer.
Mr Karp, 26, who owns 25% of the privately-owned company he co-founded with Marco Arment in 2007, said he was "elated" to have the support of Yahoo.
"Tumblr gets better faster with more resources to draw from," he added. Mr Karp emphasised that neither its aims or team was changing as a result of Yahoo's purchase.

Analysis

Michelle Fleury BBC business correspondent, New York

Can Yahoo become hip again? In buying Tumblr, the company is trying to change its reputation with hipsters.
Yahoo was once a name synonymous with the internet, but its lead has been eclipsed by Google and it doesn't generate the same kind of buzz as Twitter or Facebook.
The odds of success may be stacked against it. Websites such as Mashable.com are already reporting a backlash among Tumblr's user base in reaction to reports of the Yahoo acquisition.
Simply buying a company like Tumblr doesn't guarantee street cred. Remember when News Corporation bought the social networking website MySpace? (MySpace was eventually sold for a fraction of the price News Corporation paid for it.)
Yahoo will most likely want to integrate Tumblr into its services. The company is hoping it will boost traffic to its other properties, such as the photo sharing site Flickr. But the $1.1bn question is: will it also help boost revenue?

The $1.1bn price tag for Tumblr represents a significant premium on its $800m valuation when it last raised money from private investors.

Tumblr combines elements of blogging with social networking, and its simple design has attracted millions of users since its launch.
According to its homepage, it now hosts 108 million blogs, with a total of 50.7 billion posts.
It also has a significant presence on mobile devices.
But despite its fast-growing user base it has struggled to make money, and has traditionally resisted advertising.

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It announced that limited use of adverts would be rolled out in April last year, but made just $13m in revenues for 2012, according to a report by Forbes magazine.
It is unclear whether the deal with Yahoo will result in more adverts on Tumblr.
Yahoo remains a giant in the internet world, with around 700 million visitors to its website every month. The majority of its revenues come from advertising.
But it has limited mobile reach and lags behind Google in the search engine rankings.
It also shed more than 1,000 jobs during 2012 and has long been divided over whether it should focus on media content or on tools and technologies.
Source:bbc

'Violent And Dangerous' Tornadoes Strike US

One person is killed and dozens injured as tornadoes sweep through central US states, destroying homes and causing power cuts.

At least one person has been killed and 21 people injured in Oklahoma after a half-mile wide twister swept through the US state reducing homes to rubble.

Houses were completely destroyed in the towns of Carney and Pink as the tornado passed through.
More than two dozen tornadoes were spotted in parts of Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas and Illinois, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and local news reports.
They formed part of a massive, northeastward-moving storm system that stretched from Texas to Minnesota, producing 80mph winds and huge hail stones.
Forecasters say more tornadoes could hit on Monday in roughly the same area hit on Sunday night.
Thousands of homes and businesses were without power in Wichita in Kansas after a power cut.

Tornadoes swept through the town of Granbury in Texas on Thursday

At least four separate tornadoes touched down in Oklahoma, including one in the town of Shawnee which smashed through a group of mobile homes.
A storm spotter told the National Weather Service that the tornado left the earth "scoured" at the mobile home park.
Some 16 counties of the state were declared disaster areas by Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin.
Forecasters had been warning for days that a powerful front was expected to blast through the region, spawning potentially destructive twisters.
Authorities had put counties in Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois and Missouri on alert.
The storm system was described by the US National Weather Service as "violent" and "extremely dangerous".
On Thursday, 10 tornadoes tore through Texas killing at least six people and injuring dozens as they flattened homes and downed power lines.
Source:Sky news

Miguel Lands on Fans in Dramatic Jump at Billboard Music Awards

Miguel made a new friend at the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday night during his performance of "Adorn" after he miscalculated a long-jump from the stage and landed on two fans, leaving at least one of them bruised.
The dramatic collision came at the tail end of his performance, with his right leg landing on top of one woman's head and his left side bashing another fan's arm.
The singer finished his performance while splayed on the ground as the young audience behind looked on in a mixture of awe and confusion.
Immediately following the incident, Miguel emerged backstage with one of the fans, who was holding an ice pack on her arm as the two were interviewed by Billboard's editorial director Bill Werde, right.
"Well, I think it's kind of clear what happened," he said, looking visibly embarrassed. "But I'm very happy to bring my new friend, Khyati, we just met . Unfortunately we did not meet under the best circumstances, but I think we're okay."
The young woman seemed to take the injury in stride, looking thrilled to be backstage with Miguel and even dropping a pun when asked what she thought of him.
"I Adorn him," she said.
Miguel went on to say that he may have bit off a bit more than he could chew with the improvised jump, which immediately went viral, inspiring Vines and GIFs the world over as the awards show carried on.
"The crazy thing is, when you're performing and you're just kind of into it, you never know where it's gonna go and where you're gonna go with it, and how that might turn out," he said. "So this is one of the less favorable moments."
He summed it all up, saying, he "got caught up in the moment, thank goodness Khyati is okay."

Billboard MusicAwards Home

Taylor Swift dominates Billboard Music Awards

Singer Taylor Swift performs onstage during the 2013 Billboard Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 19, 2013 in Las Vegas, Nevada. / Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Another day, another domination for Taylor Swift: She was the red hot winner at the Billboard Music Awards.

Swift won eight awards, including top artist and top Billboard 200 album for "Red." She told the crowd: "You are the longest and best relationship I ever had."

Justin Bieber had three wins. When accepting the milestone award, he alluded to the tumultuous weeks he's had in the public eye. He told the crowd, "I'm 19 years old I think I'm doing a pretty good job ... This is not gimmick."

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Bruno Mars and his band kicked off the show in silky red suits that matched their silky dance moves, with bright gold disco balls hanging above them. Mars performed his new single, the upbeat and old-school flavored "Treasure."

Nicki Minaj, who is set to perform with Lil Wayne, won the first award in the live telecast for top rap artist, beating out Drake, Flo Rida, Pitbull and Psy.

"I definitely did not expect this one," she said, wearing a bright red dress.

But the awards show, airing live from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on ABC, is less about the trophies and more about the performances. Selena Gomez sang her seductive new hit, "Come & Get It," while Chris Brown danced around the stage to his latest single, "Fine China," though his voice began to crack during the performance. Duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis also performed their massive hit, "Thrift Shop," which won top rap song.

"First and foremost, gotta thank Goodwill, gotta thank Value Village," Macklemore said to laughs.

Prince, who will receive the icon award, will also hit the stage, and Madonna, to be named top touring artist, will make an appearance.

Comedian-actor Tracy Morgan is the show's host, and he dressed as Psy in a bright yellow suit when the rapper-singer was onstage to present an award. They had a dance battle to Psy's new single, "Gentleman."

Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull, Christina Aguilera, Ed Sheeran, David Guetta and Kacey Musgraves will also perform Sunday night. Presenters include Shania Twain, Psy, Celine Dion, Miley Cyrus and CeeLo Green.
R&B singer Miguel seemed to kick a fan when he jumped over the crowd during a performance of his hit "Adorn." He seemed to have landed part of his body on one girl, who walked away, and kicked another girl, who held her head low.
Source:cbsnews

Bangladesh Bloggers Face Constant Death Threats Since Government Labeled Them 'Atheist'

Islamists burn an effigy of a blogger in Dhaka, Bangladesh, during a Feb. 24, 2013, nationwide strike demanding that the "atheist" bloggers be hanged. (Photo by Munir Uz Zaman/AFP/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON -- Even though Rasel Parvez is out of prison, he isn't out of danger.
"They have pushed my life to a state in which I cannot walk free. I remain in self-confinement day after day, and my social relations are mostly snapped," said Parvez, 36, in an interview with The Huffington Post.
He is talking about the Bangladeshi government, which arrested him and three other bloggers last month for "derogatory comments about Islam." Parvez, who is currently out on bail, has been branded with the label "atheist" blogger because he dared to criticize the abuse of religion by politicians.
It took Parvez and Subrata Adhikary Shuvo, 24, another arrested blogger, more than a month to obtain bail. The other two -- Mashiur Rahman Biplob, 42, and Asif Mohiuddin, 30 -- remain in jail.
But Parvez's own home in Dhaka, Bangladesh's capital city, has become something of a prison, as he fears for his life whenever he steps outside.
After his release from jail, some of his most vociferous critics took to Facebook to offer rewards to anyone who killed Parvez, with one offer as high as $12,871 in U.S. dollars. (Per capita income in Bangladesh in 2010 was $641 a year.)
"Who knows -- some of them may be waiting just outside my house," said Parvez.
His wife, Asma Begum, said she's at her wit's end. She does her best to protect Parvez -- among other things, preventing him from taking phone calls until she has checked the caller's identity.
"His insecurity means the entire family is in danger," Begum said.
"I don't know if he could go to the office again. I am not sure if it is safe now to shift our home and find a new address. And how long should I expect him to live an imprisoned life like this?" she asked. Newcomers to Bangladesh's blogosphere consider Parvez a first-generation blogger. A graduate in physics from the University of Connecticut, he has tried to use science to challenge religious doctrine in his home country. But he said he has never written anything that was intended to defame the Prophet Muhammad.
The term blogger, let alone "atheist" blogger, was barely known in the country before February of this year, when activists took to a busy intersection in Dhaka, demanding that all war criminals from Bangladesh's 1971 battle for independence be hanged. An online call by bloggers, dissatisfied over the sentencing of a war criminal to life in prison -- even after his complicity in war atrocities was proved -- touched off the protest known as the Shahbagh movement.
Since then, bloggers have found themselves in the cross hairs, with death threats becoming part of the job. One of them was killed in February by Islamist fundamentalists, who justified the murder by saying the blogger was a nonbeliever. More broadly, a massive smear campaign was launched targeting bloggers.
Following a demand by a little-known Islamist party called Hefazat-e-Islam, the government arrested the four bloggers, including Parvez, in early April. Even before any formal charges were brought against them, the men were labeled "atheists" and paraded before the media.
"While standing before the media after my arrest, I could feel how this exposure would endanger my life," said Parvez, adding, "I have yet to get an idea about the extent of the jeopardy I am in. I need to know how well-known I am by the identity of an 'atheist' blogger."
But Parvez started to get a feel for his dangerous situation while in jail. The bloggers were put in a 10x10 foot interrogation room with other prisoners -- including individuals who clearly wished them ill, according to Parvez.
"Three of them had been arrested for a January attack on Asif [Mohiuddin], who needed 56 stitches to close the wounds inflicted in his neck and parts of his body upwards," said Parvez.
Along with Mohiuddin's attackers, the cell also contained a handful of activists with Jamaat-e-Islami, the Islamist party whose top leaders are facing war crimes charges. They were furious at the sight of Mohiuddin and proceeded to curse and threaten all the bloggers for approximately two hours, Parvez recalled.
He said the other prisoners taunted them with such threats as, "Even if we could not kill them you, our brothers will definitely succeed. Those standing against our religion deserve to be assassinated."
That wasn't all the bloggers had to endure while incarcerated. When they were transferred to the local prison, the news of their arrival proceeded them, according to Parvez, and other Jamaat-e-Islami supporters, already in prison, gathered to scorn them.
"They knew Asif, as his photograph was published in the media after he was attacked. They became sure of our identity, seeing Asif with us. They used all kinds of derogatory and dirty language as they talked. They even threatened to harass us sexually; some threatened to rape us," Parvez recollected.
The bloggers were kept confined to their cells around the clock for the first three days.
Now, the government suggests the bloggers should agree to stay in prison for the next five years for their personal security.
"How can I stay in jail for five years when I have kids and a family?" lamented Parvez.
"I have heard about the rewards announced to get my head," he said. "The amount of money promised is enough to encourage at least a thousand killers to get the job done, given that sometimes only 2,000 taka [about $25.74] can get your enemy killed in Bangladesh."
Source:huffingtonpost

Drake Gets His Afro On While Filming Cameo For Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues!

Thank goodness there is NO SUCH THING as being Anchorman'd out!
Because this week has been the best kind of Ron Burgandy overload EVER, between the multitude of celebrity cameos being filmed recently for the much-anticipated sequel, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, as well as the just-released DEBUT theatrical trailer!
And get this: there are STILL unexpected celebrities showing up on set to get their '70s on…in a big way!
Like Drizzy EFFING Drake!
Yup, folks! Just add him to a cast list that already includes Harrison Ford, Nicole Kidman, Kanye West, Tina Fey, Kirsten Dunst, Sacha Baron Cohen, Amy Poehler, and Meryl Streep! AH-MAYZZZZE!
The rapper was spotted in full costume - AKA with full 'FRO - on the streets New York City yesterday afternoon while shooting scenes with Will Ferrell and Christina Applegate, and we don't even know what he'll be doing yet…but we're absolutely OBSESSED!
Source:perezhilton

Eva Longoria Wardrobe Malfunction Exposes Actress' Lower Half At Cannes

Things got a little wet and wild on the Cannes red carpet this weekend. A rainstorm hit the French fest on Saturday, presenting difficulties for arrivals at the "Jimmy P.: Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian" premiere.
Eva Longoria experienced the weather's challenges firsthand, as the petite actress' dress dragged when she made her ascent to the red carpet. Eva's seafoam green Atelier Versace gown featured an open back and a dangerously high slit, two of the 38-year-old's frequent wardrobe preferences. As Eva made her way toward the theater, she hiked up her long skirt a tad too high, exposing far more upper thigh than intended. We should note, however, that Eva's risky maneuver was a relative success -- she didn't soil her hem in the rain, after all.
Eva's surely familiar with the perils of high slits and low necklines, as she had a wardrobe malfunction at the Golden Globes earlier this year, in a dress with a similar cut.
See photos of Longoria's soggy struggle below and click over to the Daily Mail for another photo of the malfunction.
PHOTOS:




Source:huffingtonpost

Bathroom Blues: Venezuela’s Toilet Paper Crisis

JORGE SILVA / REUTERS

A man stocks up on toilet paper at a supermarket in Caracas, on May 17, 2013.

Venezuelans are used to going without staples like milk, coffee and butter, thanks to the country’s frequent food shortages. But now they’re dealing with a much more urgent crisis: a lack of toilet paper.
Stores have run out, and each new delivery sees a rush on supermarkets. The demand is so great the government has now been forced to order 50 million rolls to appease desperate shoppers. One woman standing in line at a Caracas supermarket that received a fresh delivery told the Associated Press that she had been scouring the capital city’s shops for two weeks. “Even at my age, I’ve never seen this,” another, 70-year-old shopper told Sky News.
(MORE: Kansas woman discovers circus tiger in bathroom)
Economists blame Venezuela’s shortages partly on price controls, initiated by the late President Hugo Chavez, to make goods affordable to the poorest people in society (in a government store, a kilogram of pasta costs $0.30, writes the BBC). But that has also led to country-wide shortages of staple items, and Venezuela’s “scarcity index” is currently at 21% – meaning that out of 100 basic products, 21 aren’t available in stores, notes the BBC. “State-controlled prices—prices that are set below market-clearing price—always result in shortages,” said Steve Hanke, professor of economics at Johns Hopkins University, told the Associated Press. “The shortage problem will only get worse, as it did over the years in the Soviet Union.”
(MORE: Domestic Abuse Charity to Use ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ as Toilet Paper)
But socialist President Nicolás Maduro (who was hand-picked by Chavez to succeed him) blamed the toilet paper shortage on “anti-government forces,” reports the Associated Press. While pledging to rectify the situation, commerce minister Alejandro Fleming pointed the finger at the media, who he accused of purposely creating “excessive demand” for toilet paper in order to disrupt the country. Whatever the cause of the current crisis, Fleming confirmed that he was taking drastic action: “The revolution will bring 50 million rolls of toilet paper,” he said, adding: “We are going to saturate the market so that our people calm down.”
Source:timenews  Follow @timenewsfeed

2 hot air balloons collide in Turkey, killing 1 and injuring 18

Hot air balloon crashes in Turkey, kills one

The two balloons collided near Uchisar in Nevsehir's Goreme town, killing one and injuring 18 others

(CNN) -- At least one person was killed when two hot air balloons collided mid-air in central Turkey early Monday, the country's semi-official Anadolu news agency reported.

The crash happened in the tourist region of Cappadocia, Anadolu said.

At least 18 people were injured.

Kelly Rowland's Ex-Fiance Roy Williams Says She's NOT Talking About Him On "Dirty Laundry"

Kelly Rowland aired out her dirty little secrets yesterday on her new single "Dirty Laundry," and now, the rumor mill is swirling.
Kelly initially made headlines for revealing her tumultuous relationship with her "sister" Beyonce, but she also touched on a more serious issue: domestic violence.
Most of Kelly's fans never knew she was involved in an abusive relationship, but it's lyrics like, "Post-survivor, she on fire, who wanna hear my bullshit?/ Meanwhile this nigga putting his hands on me/ I swear y’all don’t know the half of this industry," that reveal a darker side of Kelly's seemingly perfect life.
Kelly Rowland has been very private about her dating life, but it wasn't until she was engaged to former NFL player Roy Williams in 2006 that she began to be more public about her personal life.
Knowing that the public identifies him as Kelly Rowland's ex, Roy Williams hopped on Twitter to set the record straight.

Roy Williams maintains that he never hit or abused Kelly Rowland, and she's referring to another relationship that doesn't involve him.
Thoughts?