LA Times - Frederica Sagor Maas obituary: Silent film screenwriter dies at 111, Jan 10, 2012

"One of the last links to the silent film era, Frederica Sagor Maas wrote the script for 1925's "The Plastic Age," which launched actress Clara Bow. But she watched in horror as her serious treatment on women and work was turned into a frivolous 1947 musical, "The Shocking Miss Pilgrim," starring Betty Grable."
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Washington Times - Katy Perry and Russell Brand: What to Consider When You’re Considering Divorce, Jan 10, 2012

"Divorce filings skyrocket in January. Many people hold off filing for divorce between Thanksgiving and Christmas to avoid disruption during the holidays. But the minute people get past their New Year’s Day hangover, the phones in my office start ringing and the rush is on."
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ALTFG - Frederica Sagor Pt.2: Women Screenwriters in 1920s Hollywood, Jan 10, 2012

"Screenwriter Frederica Sagor Dead at 111: Wrote Movies for Norma Shearer (photo), Clara Bow, Louise Brooks
Now, whether Frederica Sagor's Hollywood Babylon-like tales bear any resemblance to what actually happened at studio parties and private soirees, I can't tell. But on the professional side, one problem with the information found in The Shocking Miss Pilgrim is that studios invariably used numerous writers, whether male or female, in their projects. Usually, in those pre-Writers Guild days, only two or three contributors received final credit, not because of the uncredited writer's gender but in large part because the final product "
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Latino Fox News - Messi Named World's Best for 3rd Year Running, Jan 10, 2012

"Barcelona and Argentina's little "flea," Lionel Messi, 24, became was named FIFA's 2011 best player in the world, the first player to win the honor three years in a row.
Widely regarded as the world's best forward, Messi received the FIFA Ballon d'Or award for 2011 on Monday, beating Barcelona club teammate Xavi Hernandez and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo."
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The Austtralian - Sydney's George St rated in world's top shopping spots, Jan 10, 2012

"FORGET New York's famous Fifth Avenue or California's Rodeo Drive, an Aussie street has been named one of the world's ultimate places to shop at.
Sydney’s George Street has come in at number six on a list of the world’s top shopping streets compiled by Paris-based market consulting company Presence Mystery Shopping.
It made the cut because of its friendly department stores and brightly lit boutiques, along with quirky shops at the southern end and top-end fashion stores and cafes in the Queen Victoria building."
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Express and Star - Messi bags Ballon d’Or hat-trick « Express & Star, Jan 10, 2012

"Barcelona’s 24-year-old Argentina striker beat team-mate Xavi and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo to the title of the world’s best player. Messi, man of the match in the Champions League final in 2011, also won the Primera Division, Spanish Supercopa, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup last year.
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and Xavi both paid tribute to Messi. Ferguson said Messi could now be judged alongside the greats of world football through the ages, even though he is still only 24."
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LA Times - Raymond L. Johnson Sr. obituary: Civil rights activist dies at 89, Jan 10, 2012

"By Elaine Woo, Los Angeles Times
January 9, 2012
Raymond L. Johnson Sr., an attorney, civil rights activist and former Tuskegee Airman, died Dec. 31 in Los Angeles of complications of pneumonia and heart failure, said his wife, Evelyn. He was 89.
Johnson, who practiced law for nearly 50 years, was a leader of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People in the 1960s and 1970s. After the 1965 Watts riots, he provided free legal assistance to African Americans who were wrongfully arrested during the disturbances. He sought redress for those who were convicted without adequate legal counsel and lost homes and jobs while they were in jail."
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CENTREDAILY - GENEVA: Bulgarian pianist Alexis Weissenberg dies at 82, Jan 10, 2012

"GENEVA — Bulgarian-born French pianist Alexis Weissenberg, whose love of music from the age of 3 saved him and his mother from a World War II concentration camp and carried him to the heights of performances with Herbert von Karajan and Leonard Bernstein, has died. He was 82.
Bulgaria's Ministry of Culture on Monday confirmed the death of Weissenberg, who was born into a Jewish family in the capital Sofia but spent most of his life abroad and became a French citizen."
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BOSTON Globe - National radio: Guinea-Bissau president dies, Jan 10, 2012

"President Malam Bacai Sanha, who was elected in this tiny, coup-prone nation on Africa’s western coast about two years ago after the previous leader was assassinated, died Monday in Paris after a lengthy hospitalization.
No immediate cause was given but the 64-year-old president was known to have diabetes, and had undergone medical treatment in both France and neighboring Senegal during his time in office. National radio announced his death Monday afternoon.
An official at Guinea-Bissau’s embassy in Paris, Luis Mendes, said Sanha died Monday morning at the Val de Grace hospital after being hospitalized in France “for about a month’’ with an unspecified ailment, Mendes said."
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VOA News - A Tibetan Lama Self-immolates in Golok Darlak, Jan 10, 2012

"Sopa Tulku, also known as Sonam Wangyal, self-immolated on the morning of January 8 in Golok Darlak, Amdo, calling for “Freedom in Tibet’ and ‘Long Live His Holiness the Dalai Lama.” Lama Sopa Tulku is the head lama of Tongkyap monastery, the highest religious figure to have taken out such a protest act to date.This follows two other self-immolations that took place on January 6 in Ngaba, Sichuan.
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ALLVOICES - Katy Perry, Russell Brand divorced over conflicting sexual desires, Jan 10, 2012

"There had been much speculation about Katy Perry and Russell Brand’s divorce, but no one really did see it coming and that too this soon.
It was news even for the couple’s friends, who were taken aback by this sudden divorce. It had only been 14 months and the couple seemed so much in love when they got married. It has left people guessing as to what the reasons are behind the split.
Media houses are looking for clues or inklings as to what really happened. Was it the conflicting schedules, extensive touring and filming which took a toll on the marriage or something else? That would be the best answer, but since it is so politically correct, the media people aren’t too happy. No scandals, no cheating, no controversy? Boring! Because that won’t sell any magazines!"

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DAILY Mail - RICHARD KAY: Divorced? Oh no we're not, says Aga, Jan 10, 2012

"Just three months ago it seemed there was nothing to prevent the glamorous divorcee Beatrice von der Schulenburg from becoming the third wife of the Aga Khan.
After years of wrangling, the spiritual leader of the 12 million-strong Ismaeli Muslims had seemingly divorced wife No. 2, the Begum Inaara, and had been ordered to pay her £54 million."

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MATANGI Tonga - Sir Frederick Gordon Ward, knighted in New Year's Honours, Jan 10, 2012

"Tonga's former Chief Justice, Hon. Justice Gordon Ward, has been made a knight bachelor by Queen Elizabeth II in her 2012 New Year's honours list, for his services as the Chief Justice for the Turks and Caicos Islands, and his judiciary service for the Commonwealth. "
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News.com.au - Top travel events of 2012, Jan 08, 2012

"FROM the 100th anniversary of the Titanic to the Dutch flower festival Floriade and Cairns solar eclipse, 2012 is going to be a big year for travel events."
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OnTheRedCarpet - Katy Perry comments on divorce gossip: no one speaks for me, Jan 08, 2012

""I am so grateful for all the love and support I've had from people around the world. You guys have made my heart happy again," Perry wrote on Twitter on Saturday, adding, "Concerning the gossip, I want to be clear that NO ONE speaks for me. Not a blog, magazine, 'close sources' or my family."
The pop star had not previously commented on the issue, but the rumor mill ran rampant with theories after Brand dropped the bombshell divorce."
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Telegraph - World's top ten places to live, Jan 07, 2012

"Hong Kong

A dynamic, sometimes frantic city, with apartments that are distinctly small and usually 30 or 40 floors up. That’s the bad news. The good news is that Hong Kong is exciting yet safe, and a 30-minute ferry ride from the city centre will take you to tranquil spots such as Lamma Island.
Hong Kong is not really somewhere to put your feet up, but a city to enjoy while your energy levels are at their maximum.
It is best to get the lie of the land by renting first, advises Mitchell Lewis of Christie’s International Real Estate’s Asia Pacific region. “You’re looking at £5-6,000 for a reasonable place to rent per month. If you’re buying, it is £800,000 for an apartment on a lower floor, and about £1.25 million for a higher floor. But you need to hold your nerve. Hong Kong is renowned for drastic market swings.”
For sale Hong Kong Parkview, Repulse Bay. A four-bedroom duplex apartment with mountain and harbour views. £1.2 million. Sotheby’s International Realty (00 852 3108 2108; hksothebysrealty.com)"
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Honduras Among World's Top Retirement Havens, Jan 07, 2012

"IIn the United States today, the discussion about retirement orbits around how much less of it we’re all going to have. While the cost of everything from healthcare to food swells… incomes, pensions and nest eggs erode, leaving baby boomers fewer and fewer options for retirement at home. But look at the right places beyond our borders today, and you’ll find you have more good choices than ever for a comfortable -- even a pampered -- retirement. In any one of our top 19 havens for 2012, a lifestyle well beyond your reach in the States could be yours for pennies on the dollar. In this, our annual Global Retirement Index, we bring you the top choices available on the planet today. From beachfront hideaways to arts-rich colonial cities, from cosmopolitan capitals to small highland villages, there’s an overseas haven to fit your fantasy… and your budget. For our Retirement Index, we only measure the very best havens against one other. So the country last on our list is still the 19th best in the world."
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LA TIMES - Ruben S. Ayala dies at 89; known as a maverick state senator, Jan 07, 2012

"Former state Sen. Ruben S. Ayala, a scrappy Democrat from Chino who fought for a controversial water project and helped create the California Conservation Corps during a legislative career that ran for 24 years until term limits forced him out, died of natural causes Wednesday in Ontario. He was 89."
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The Juice - Yahoo! OMG! CA - Look twice, because this woman is not Angelina Jolie, Jan 07, 2012

"Angelina Jolie's stunning beauty seems one of a kind, but a YouTube video reveals that Jolie isn't the only actress to possess pouty lips, gorgeous eyes, and amazing cheekbones.
Lina Sands, an aspiring actress from Spain, is featured in a YouTube clip that really highlights how much she looks like the Oscar-winning Jolie. Watching it, it's hard to believe Sands isn't a young Jolie, since the Spanish actress matches Jolie's modelesque figure, brown hair, and beautiful facial features."
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BollySpice - Katrina Kaif to have a super busy 2012, Jan 07, 2012

"Looks like the current blue eyed girl of Bollywood Katrina Kaif is going to have a chock-a-block calendar for 2012. She is currently riding the waves of her latest item number Chikni Chameli which has shown the raw and never seen before side of Kat.
Katrina will be working on the schedule of Yash Raj Production’s Ek Tha Tiger which will see her reuniting with Salman Khan. This Kabir Khan directorial venture is slated to release in June 2012 during Eid and has been listed as one of the most anticipated movies of 2012."
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