PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS?: america

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Thursday, January 2, 2014

The Top 25 Places People Checked In On Facebook In 2013 Shows The Most Popular Destination In The World

10:32 AM america , argentina , Australia , california , canada , DIsneyland wedding , facebook , france , germany , hong kong , japan , korea , London , mexico , new york , paris , singapore , Tokyo , travel , united kingdom No comments

Going on vacation seems to be less and less about having a good time and more for checking in somewhere on social media to improve clout to those who follow our lives online.

To prove this, Facebook has listed the 25 most checked-in places on the massive social network, from Disneyland in Anaheim, California, to the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town, South Africa.

From sporting arenas to popular city squares, the list shows some of the most famous places all over the world.

Of the top 25 places, the common theme seems to be Disney, as four Disney theme parks made the list, from California,Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong, proving people want to see Mickey Mouse and friends all over the globe.

One thing that stands out about the list is there isn’t a check-in from New York City on the list, and this may be due to the fact that there isn’t one central location in which people would check in.

Here are the top 25 places people checked in during 2013, according to Facebook:

Argentina: Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires

Australia: Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), East Melbourne, Victoria

Brazil: Parque Ibirapuera, São Paulo

Canada: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia

Egypt: Sharm el-Sheikh, South Sinai Governorate

France: Disneyland Paris, Marne La Vallée

Germany: Reeperbahn, Hamburg

Hong Kong: Hong Kong Disneyland

Iceland: Blue Lagoon, Reykjavík

India: Harmandir Sahib (The Golden Temple)

Italy: Piazza San Marco, Venice

Japan: Disneyland, Tokyo

Mexico: Auditorio Nacional, Mexico City

Nigeria: Ikeja City Mall, Ikeja, Lagos

Poland: Temat Rzeka, Warsaw

Russia: Gorky Park of Culture and Leisure

Singapore: Marina Bay Sands

South Africa: Victoria & Alfred Waterfront

South Korea: Myungdong Street, Seoul

Spain: Las Ramblas, Barcelona, Catalonia

Sweden: Friends Arena, Solna

Taiwan: Tainan Flower Night Market, Tainan City

Turkey: Taksim Square, Istanbul

United Kingdom: The 02, London

United States: Disneyland, Anaheim, California

Via: CNN, Top Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Taylor Swift Rebuilds Seaside Wall at Rhode Island Home, Locals Angered by Repairs

7:56 PM america , entertainment , Taylor Swift No comments

WENN.com

Listen, Rhode Islanders, Imma let you finish, butTaylor Swift is one of the best neighbors of all time.

There's been some misguided anger towards the 24-year-old country-pop singer for rebuilding a sea wall outside of her beachfront Westerly, R.I., home. One opinion column claimed the construction was being done on a "public" beach without "one single permit from the town," but Laura Dwyer, a spokeswoman for the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council, told The Westerly Sun Swift's "riprap revetment repair" is A-OK--and yes, proper permits were obtained.

"It all started during [Hurricane] Sandy," Dwyer told the paper. "The wall sustained damage during Sandy." She confirmed that on Nov. 6 permits were issued to Swift for repairs on the stone wall (replacing unsafe rocks and resettling existing rocks), adding that the construction being done is "a permitted activity."

And locals needn't worry, because Swift's sea wall won't be preventing them from accessing their beloved East Beach. "There must be access at all times [during construction]," Dwyer said. "We made sure of that."

Westerly's director of planning, code enforcement and grant administration, Amy Grzybowski, confirmed that town officials are aware of Swift's construction.

Let's hope Swift's Northern neighbors come around. Swift's Southern neighbors have nothing but love for the Nashville-based beauty. In fact, she was just named 2013 Tennessean of the Year.

Rhode Island, just remember, it's never too late to be brand new!

When Kids In Third World Countries Read First World Problems, They Suddenly Don’t Feel Like Problems

7:11 PM america , argentina , Australia , canada , france , germany , hong kong , new york , philippines , singapore , UK , United arab emirates , united kingdom No comments

Ah, First World Problems. If you live in a western country, for one reason or another, you’re probably guilty of uttering one of these phrases.

Sure, minor inconveniences can really make a day unpleasant, but when put into perspective, having cold leather seats when you get into your car during the winter isn’t the end of the world.

Not having clean water, however, is an entirely different story. In order to highlight what “problems” actually are, Water Is Life launched the “First World Problems Anthem” video last year.

The video consists of people in the Third World reading tweets that were labeled with the hashtag #FirstWorldProblems. The stark contrast is sure to make the line at Starbucks seem like much less of a big deal.

This Random Dude Snuck His Way Ringside And Into The Ring During The Manny Pacquiao Fight (Video)

10:27 AM america , celebrities , entertainment , Manny Pacquiao No comments

Scumbagging your way into events is one of the most important skills anyone needs to acquire to get anywhere in life.

But one man, simply known as Donnie, took it to the next level after somehow sneaking into the Manny Pacquiaovs. Brandon Rios fight in Macao while wearing an all-green Larry Bird ”suisy” (a jersey suit) and walking around like he owned the place.

Donnie recorded his entire adventure and posted it to show us all that literally anything is possible.

After getting past the first round of security, Donnie stormed right in and went straight to the ringside. He picked out some awesome seats conveniently located behind the ring girls and next to Pacquiao’s family.

After the fight, Donnie said f*ck it, and just entered into the ring. From the looks of it, he might’ve taken one of the ring girls home, as well. To say that this man is a legend is a gross understatement. That means something, especially considering that he’s a Celtics fan.

This just goes to show you, scumbagging can take you far in life and bring you to heights you’ve never even imagined. Everybody be like this guy!

You Won’t Believe What Mandela’s Fake Sign Language Interpreter Was Actually Saying (Video)

9:24 AM america , entertainment , Nelson Mandela No comments

In case you didn’t hear, there was a fake sign language interpreter at Nelson Mandela‘s memorial service the other day and it was just hilarious (as well as totally disrespectful and kind of awful). The guy was so bad at faking it that within minutes, audience members who don’t even know sign language were calling him out. He was so bad, that Jimmy Kimmelpointed out that he looked like a backup dancer for a 1990s boy band.

Confused and perplexed over the man who had the audacity to do this, the late night comedian brought on a real sign language interpreter to tell us what the guy was really saying, if anything at all, and it’s as funny as you could have imagined.

Woman Wearing ‘Convincing’ Diaper Strapped With 2.5KG Of Cocaine Receives 2-Year Prison Sentence

1:56 AM america , new york No comments

If you’re looking for ways to smuggle drugs into the country, scratch wearing a cocaine-filled diaper off the list, as two women unsuccessfully tried to do this earlier this year. Now, one of them has been sentenced for her actions.

Michelle Blassingale was busted at JFK International Airport in Queens, New York, on January 26 with over 2.5 kilograms of cocaine in a duct tape-sealed diaper she was wearing.

Alongside her partner in crime, Priscilla Pena, Blessingale boarded a Jet Blue flight wearing the cocaine diaper from the Dominican Republic to New York, where drug-sniffing dogs caught a whiff of her diaper.

The two women were detained after Customs and Border Protection officers observed Blassingale “walked away with an awkward gait,” and subjected them to strip searches.

Blassingale told Federal Judge Sandra Townes that overwhelming bills and her unemployed status made her do the desperate job for a mere $9,000.

“I felt this was the only way to resolve all these issues,” she said.

“Unfortunately, it led me to where I am here today. You shouldn’t look for the easiest way out.”

Blassingale was sentenced to two years in prison.

Via: NY Daily News, Top Photo Courtesy: U. S. Customs & Border Protection

Artist Paints Models Their National Flags While Feeding Them The Foods Their Countries Are Most Known For (Photos)

6:50 AM america , art , cool , france , japan , UK , united kingdom No comments

If you’re looking for some art to hang in your kitchen, this could work. In a recent photo project by Jonathan Icher, a French photographer, body paint is used on models to transform them into national flags while eating primary foods associated with their countries.

Anastasia Parquet, a skilled makeup artist, is the mastermind behind the art on each model.

One of the photographs, for example, concentrates on a man as the American flag while eating a greasy cheeseburger. You get the idea! The photo series is called “Fat Flags.”

Check out the photo collection below. We think Icher should do more of these for each country!

H/T: Visual News, Photos Courtesy of Jonathan Icher

President Obama Isn’t Allowed To Use The iPhone Because It Isn’t Secure Enough

3:51 AM america , apple , Barack Obama , iphone , iphone 4 , iphone 5C , iphone 5S No comments

Apparently Apple’s security isn’t quite up to par. The Secret Service forbids Obama from using the premier smartphone, which he told people at an Affordable Care Act awareness event.

“I’m not allowed for security reasons to have an iPhone” Obama

He has been photographed using Macbooks and iPads in the past, so the ban does not extend to all Apple products. The President’s phone of choice is a 2007 Blackberry, a company much more trusted by Federal clandestine agencies.

The Reuters coverage of this story had a couple fascinating nuggets of information. Obama said that only about 10 people have his personal email address, but that is enough for him to need a smartphone.

Their report also shared that former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton both did not send any emails during their presidencies.

H/T: Reuters, Top Photo Credit: Jessica Kourkounis/Getty Images

Over 260 Pounds Of Marijuana Fell Out Of The Sky Outside San Diego Because California

1:56 AM america , california , news No comments

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s… pounds of marijuana?

That’s right; over 260 pounds of marijuana fell from the sky outside San Diego, encased in a metal cage.

Don’t get too excited, stoners, as the airdropped ganja has since been seized by US Customs and Border Protectionagents.

According to federal agents, the marijuana was airdropped at approximately 4:15 am on Monday morning last week by an ultra-light aircraft.

The ten bundles have an estimated street value of approximately $157,000 in California prices.

The plane that dropped the package did not land stateside, and was traced on its journey from and back to Mexico.

CBP’s Office of Air and Marine (OAM) spotted and tracked the plane as it crossed the border and returned to Mexico without landing.

There are two suspects, including a 32-year-old undocumented immigrant and a 49-year-old man who is said to be a legal permanent resident.

This isn’t the first time people have used creative means to smuggle marijuana across the US-Mexico border, as people have done everything from using t-shirt cannons,to taping marijuana to unsuspecting drivers’ vehicles to get the plant to the States.

Via: NBC Los Angeles, Top Photo Courtesy: U.S. Customs and Border Protection

The Hottest College Cheerleading Squads In The Country

7:42 AM america , entertainment No comments

If there’s one thing that gets the people going on a college football Saturday, it’s the cheerleaders. Not only is it their sole duty to get the students behind the team and to motivate the players, but they have to look extra bad while doing it.

With over 120 schools currently competing in Division I, only a handful of programs can actually stake their claim. The market is, of course, saturated these days and you can pretty much make a clear distinction of who is the best simply based on region.

Wherever it’s sunny, there are always more hot girls. It’s simple science. So, the next time you decide to make a college tour or visit a buddy, make sure it’s worth your while. These are the hottest college cheerleading squads in the country: