January 22, 2015

Top News Stories –

Solo hopes for better time –
Hope Solo, The US women’s team goalkeeper is suspended for 30 days by US Soccer following an “incident” during a training camp. The teams head coach Jill Ellis said “Hope made a poor decision that has resulted in a negative impact on US Soccer and her team-mates.” Solo’s husband, former Seattle Seahawks NFL player Jerramy Stevens, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in Los Angeles in the early hours of January 19th 2015. Solo who appeared in the 2011 Body Issue of ESPN The Magazine tweeted:
copyright @HopeSolo
Hope Solo

Rick puts dicks on the runway –
Rick Owens the American designer sent four of his models down the catwalk at his Paris fashion show wearing clothes with peepholes that showed full-frontal male nudity underneath. His possibly unique idea earned him the Instagram hashtag: #dickowens.
Rick Owens Rick Owens

Rihanna wins court case over t-shirt-
Rihanna wins her long running legal challenge against Topshop over selling a t-Shirt with a picture from her Talk That Talk album promotional work.
Singer Rihanna has won a legal battle against high street store Topshop over a t-shirt bearing her image. Rihanna sued Topshop’s parent company Arcadia for $5m (£3.3m) back in 2013 and the Court of Appeal in London upheld a ban on the store selling the t-shirt.
Rihanna Diamonds World Tour 2013 (Cropped)

A man’s right to pee stands up in court –
A German court has ruled in favour of a man’s right to urinate while standing up after his landlord demanded €1,900 (£1400; $2,200) for damage to the marble bathroom floor caused by urine. But the Duesseldorf judge ruled that the man’s method was within cultural norms, saying “urinating standing up is still common practice” even though some public toilets in Germany have signs forbidding the standing position – but those who choose to sit are often referred to as a “Sitzpinkler”, implying it is not masculine behaviour.

Stars out against Tescos in Haverstock Hill –
Damian Lewis, Old Etonian star of Homeland has joined up with Emma Thompson, James Corden and Tom Conti and other residents of Belsize Park in London to attempt to stop Tesco building an Express branch in Haverstock Hill. This follows Russell Brand campaigning to stop building work in Hackney, London on December 1st 2014.
Damian Lewis at the London Reveal of the New Jaguar XE

Video of the Day –

Batman Evolution from ThePianoGuys on Vimeo.

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January 23, 2015

Top News Stories –

King Abdulla dies –
Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah died today and his brother Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud became king. King Salman has named his half-brother Muqrin as his crown prince and heir in a move designed to reduce fears of a succession crisis.
This image is a work of an employee of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, taken or made as part of that person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel walks with Crown Prince and Minister of Defense Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud, to a meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, April 23, 2013 The new King of Saudi Arabia, King Salman

Tennis player asked to do the twirl –
Tennis Australia commentator Ian Cohen has asked Canadian tennis player Eugenie Bouchard “to give it a twirl” to show off her outfit after her second-round win over Kiki Bertens in the Australian Open causing upset. Bouchard who lost in the final at Wimbledon in 2014 said “… I’m fine with being asked to twirl if they ask the guys to flex their muscles and stuff.”
2014 Australian Open - Eugenie Bouchard 3

It’s teleporting Jim, but not as we know it –
Scientists from the Hasso Plattner Institute in Potsdam, Germany have invented a real-life teleporter system that can scan in an object and “beam it” to another location. Not quite the level of sophistication seen in Star Trek, the system uses destructive scanning, digital transmission and 3D printing.
Leonard Nimoy William Shatner Star Trek 1968

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June 28, 2015

Top News Stories –

Sam Smith best new artist at BET Awards as Nicki Minaj wins rap prize –
Sam Smith has won best new artist at this year’s BET Awards in LA. He wasn’t at the Black Entertainment Television ceremony, so the prize was picked up for him by actor Anthony Anderson. Nicki Minaj, who won her sixth best female hip-hop artist award in a row, brought her mum onstage. Rapping on top of a police car with a large American flag waving behind him, hip-hop star Kendrick Lamar kicked off the BET Awards. He later won best male hip-hop artist. Janet Jackson was honoured with the ultimate icon award as she made a rare public appearance. [BBC Newsbeat] See List of the Day below
Nicki_MinajNicki Minaj

SpaceX Rocket Falls Apart on Way to Space Station –
An unmanned cargo ship destined for the International Space Station disintegrated minutes after being launched from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Sunday morning, NASA said, raising questions about how the agency and its partners will continue keeping the station supplied. It was the third loss of a cargo ship headed to the space station in the past eight months. However, NASA officials said they had prepared for such a mishap, and do not anticipate any major disruptions to the operations of the space station. The countdown had proceeded without a hitch or worries about weather, and the 208-foot-tall Falcon 9 rocket, built by Space Exploration Technologies, better known as SpaceX, lifted off at 10:21 a.m. But 2 minutes, 19 seconds later, just as George Diller, the commentator during a NASA television broadcast said, “Data coming back shows vehicle on course, on track,” a white cloud emerged from the rocket’s midsection. Moments later, a rain of debris started falling toward the Atlantic Ocean more than 20 miles below. [NY Times] See Video of the Day

Greek debt crisis: Banks to remain shut all week –
The Greek government has confirmed that banks will be closed all week, after a decision by the European Central Bank not to extend emergency funding. In a decree, it cited the “extremely urgent” need to protect the financial system due to the lack of liquidity. Cash withdrawals will be limited to €60 (£42; $66) a day for this period, the decree says. Talks between Greece and the eurozone countries over bailout terms ended without an agreement on Saturday, and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras then called a surprise referendum on the issue to be held on 5 July. Greece risks default and moving closer to a possible exit from the 19-member eurozone. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

SpaceX Falcon 9 Explosion – June 28th 2015

List of the Day –

Black Entertainment Television Awards 2015 winners

Ultimate Icon, Music Dance Visual Award: Janet Jackson
Humanitarian Award: Tom Joyner
Best New Artist: Sam Smith
Best Female Hip-Hop Artist: Nicki Minaj
Best Male Hip-Hop Artist: Kendrick Lamar
Best Female R&B/Pop Artist: Beyoncé
Best Male R&B/Pop Artist: Chris Brown
Best International Act UK: Stormzy
Best International Act Africa: Stonebwoy
Best Group: Rae Sremmurd
Best Collaboration: Common & John Legend, “Glory”
Best Actress: Taraji P. Henson
Best Actor: Terrence Howard
Youngstars Award: Mo’ne Davis
Best Movie: Selma
Best Gospel Artist: Lecrae
Video of the Year: Beyoncé, “7/11”
Video Director of the Year: Beyoncé, Ed Burke & Todd Tourso
Sportswoman of the Year: Serena Williams
Sportsman of the Year: Stephen Curry
Coca-Cola Viewers’ Choice Award: Nicki Minaj f/ Drake, Lil’ Wayne & Chris Brown, “Only”
Centric Award: The Weeknd, “Earned It”
Fandemonium Award: Chris Brown
Lifetime Achievement Award: Smokey Robinson

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1 #HollywoodChoice #HollywoodChoice #HollywoodChoice
2 #OnurYürüyüşü #BETAwards2015 Kanye
3 거짓말 탐지기 Chris Squire #Lionesses
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5 #MeRePuedeEsoDe LA Beliebers Jonathan Pearce
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August 14, 2015

Top News Story –

William and Kate issue furious warning over paparazzi pictures of their children –
The paparazzi are using children to lure Prince George into view as they take increasingly desperate measures to capture lucrative images of the young royal, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have revealed. The tactic is one of several “dangerous” and “distressing” methods detailed in an open letter published by the furious couple, warning that a line had been crossed. The letter, sent to 24 worldwide media industry watchdog bodies, says it is clear that Prince George has become the “number one target” in the Royal Family for unscrupulous freelance photographers who sell their images abroad. [Daily Telegraph] See List of the Day below
Prince_George_of_CambridgePrince George of Cambridge with his parents in 2014

Video of the Day –

The reason every meme uses that one font

List of the Day –

Succession to the British throne [as of August 14, 2015 – list from Wikipedia]

  1. Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (b. 1948), eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II
  2. Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (b. 1982), elder son of Charles, Prince of Wales
  3. Prince George of Cambridge (b. 2013), son of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge
  4. Princess Charlotte of Cambridge (b. 2015), daughter of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge
  5. Prince Henry of Wales (b. 1984), younger son of Charles, Prince of Wales (aka. Harry)
  6. Prince Andrew, Duke of York (b. 1960), second son of Queen Elizabeth II
  7. Princess Beatrice of York (b. 1988), elder daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York
  8. Princess Eugenie of York (b. 1990), younger daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York
  9. Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex (b. 1964), youngest son of Queen Elizabeth II
  10. James, Viscount Severn (b. 2007), son of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
  11. Lady Louise Windsor (b. 2003), daughter of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
  12. Princess Anne, Princess Royal (b. 1950), daughter of Queen Elizabeth II
  13. Peter Phillips (b. 1977), son of Anne, Princess Royal
  14. Savannah Phillips (b. 2010), elder daughter of Peter Phillips
  15. Isla Phillips (b. 2012), younger daughter of Peter Phillips
  16. Zara Phillips (b. 1981), daughter of Anne, Princess Royal
  17. Mia Tindall (b. 2014), daughter of Zara Phillips

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 #EsasGanasDe #FlexinMyComplexion #CancelWendyWilliamsShow
2 #ريحه_تحبها #FlashbackFriday #FridayFeeling
3 #BuenViernes Gjallarhorn #Iliad
4 Selamat Hari Pramuka #CancelWendyWilliamsShow Prince George
5 iOS 8.4.1 #FridayFeeling #Janner
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8 Hayırlı Cumalar #ModernWorldWonders #VeryBritishProblems
9 Toy Story 4 #Cuba #Misheard80sLyrics
10 #teog John Farrell Adama Traore

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  • Masked gunmen kill 19 people and wound seven others at multiple locations of São Paulo’s suburbs Thursday night. (BBC) (ABC)

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