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Kelly Bradley

Instagram expanding to the Web

Instagram is set to launch on the Web

Instagram, the ever-so-popular photo sharing app, is expanding to the Web. This app which previously existed only on mobile phones through a user’s Instagram account is now allowing users to have an Instagram profile online. Almost identical to the mobile app, the Web profile will include a profile photo, bio and a selection of the photographs they have shared on Instagram.

Because Instagram is now owned by Facebook, many fear that this adaptation to the Web will create a page much like Facebook. However, the layout of the Web Instagram profile will include very little text and absolutely no ads. Instagram plans on staying separate from Facebook. The Instagam webpage will not link to Facebook and doesn’t ask users to log in using their Facebook accounts.

Of course, there are some small similarities to Facebook. The Instagram page will include a large cover image that’s a collage of their old Instagram pictures. The profile photo is located on the right side, while the pictures will fall down the page.

For the most part, Instagram’s webpage will accurately match up to its popular mobile app. Users can still choose to have their profile be public or private and photos can only be seen by followers that have been approved.

This service will be launched over the next few days.

Multivitamins don’t prevent heart disease

Multivitamins don’t lower the risk of heart disease in men

A new study shows that taking multivitamins doesn’t lower the risk of heart disease in men. In the study, nearly 15,000 men 50 years and older were followed for more than 10 years. Both identical treatment groups with respect to risk factors for cardiovascular disease were randomly assigned to take either a Centrum Silver multivitamin or a placebo pill daily.

Research showed that when comparing the group that took the multivitamin and the group that took the placebo, there was no significant impact on risk of heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular mortality.

Dr. Eva Lonn, a cardiologist at McMaster University in Ontario, stated “Many people with heart disease risk factors…lead sedentary lifestyles, eat processed or fast foods, continue to smoke, and stop taking life-saving prescribed medications, but purchase and regularly use vitamins and other dietary supplements, in the hope that this approach will prevent a future myocardial infarction or stroke.”

Just like ordering a diet Coke with your double cheeseburger won’t help you to lose weight, taking a multivitamin when you’re already extremely at risk for heart disease unfortunately won’t help you either.

According to study leader Howard Sesso, an associate epidemiologist in the Brigham’s Division of Preventative Medicine, “The way we view this study is that there’s no obvious reason to take a daily multivitamin solely for the prevention of cardiovascular disease.” With that being said, this doesn’t mean that taking multivitamins is useless for our heath.

Multivitamins have been found to aid in cancer prevention. In fact, it was reported that men who took multivitamins daily had a moderately lower risk of developing cancer compared to those men that took the placebo. There are also studies being done regarding multivitamins and their protection against age-related memory loss as well as eye diseases.

Shaq drops $235K on a new house

Shaq purchased a $235K home in Florida

Shaquille O’Neal, the former NBA superstar reportedly worth $250 million, has purchased a 3,900-square-foot house for $235,000 in July. Why? Maybe his 64,000 square-foot mansion fully equipped with 11-bedrooms, 13-baths, a 20,000-square-foot basketball court and garage filled with sports cars wasn’t quite enough. This new house stands just thirty miles away from his current home.

This new Mount Dora, FL house, sounding like a broken down shack compared to his other humble abode, includes 5 bedrooms, 4 baths, granite countertops, a wet bar, an entertainment room and cherry cabinets.

Shaq nor his reps were able to be reached for comment regarding the new purchase.

The NBA legend also owns a 13-bedroom home in Sudbury, MA. Shaq used to be the owner of an 8-bedroom Moroccan fantasy estate on Star Island in Miami, FL which he sold at a loss for $16 million back in 2009.

Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard expecting their first child

Kristen Bell and fiancé Dax Shepard confirmed they are expecting

Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard have shared the news that they’re expecting their first child in late spring. Shepard, 37, and Bell, 32, started dating in 2007 and got engaged two years later. Bell’s rep confirmed the pregnancy rumors. A source told People magazine “Kristen had a little bit of morning sickness early on but she just started shooting the second season of House of Lies and is feeling great now.”

The source went on to say, “They’re so excited—they’re both ecstatic. They can’t wait to become parents.”

Although the couple is expecting, they’re holding off on any wedding plans in the near future. Kristen Bell spoke on the matter saying, “The reason we’re not rushing to get married is because I don’t feel appropriate taking advantage of a right that’s denied to my [gay and lesbian] friends. That’s why we’ve been so hesitant. Dax and I have talked about it a lot, and this issue is very important to both of us. We’re just standing up for what we believe in. Period.”

Shepard also touched on their marriage plans on The View in July stating, “We wouldn’t want to invite all of our friends who don’t have that right to celebrate us, who have that right. We just don’t feel right about that.”

Dax Shepard stars in the NBC hit show Parenthood and is known for his roles in Baby Mama, When in Rome and Without a Paddle. His fiancé, Kristin Bell, currently stars on Showtime’s House of Lies and can be found in film favorites such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Couples Retreat.

Pakistani parents kill daughter for eyeing boy

Pakistani parents threw acid on their 15-year-old daughter for looking at a boy

Pakistani parents, Mohammad Zafar and his wife Zaheen, are accused of killing their 15-year-old daughter because she looked at a boy. On October 29, the girl had turned to look at a boy passing on a motorcycle. Her father told her it was wrong, to which she responded “I didn’t do it on purpose. I won’t look again.” Unfortunately, her words did not save her.

Her mother recalled the incident saying, “By then I had already thrown the acid. It was her destiny to die this way.” The girl’s death represents the problem of “honor killings” throughout Pakistan in which women are killed for marrying or having relationships not approved of by their families. In doing so, they are said to have dishonored their family.

The parents now stand behind bars in separate, but adjoining jail cells.

Last year, according to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, at least 943 women were killed in the name of honor. Unfortunately, only 20 of those women were reported to have undergone medical care before their untimely death.

Women are often times killed over property disputes and inheritance rights as well.

Chris Brown dresses as a terrorist for Halloween

Chris Brown sported the Arab terrorist look for Halloween this year

Chris Brown, seemingly eager to keep up his reputation for violence and controversy, sported a fitting costume for Halloween this year—a terrorist. The 23-year-old and his buddies dressed up wearing long beards, turbans and fake guns as they made an appearance at Rihanna’s Halloween party at Greystone Manor in West Hollywood.

Brown was quick to Instagram a picture of him and his crew with the classy and grammatically correct caption reading “Ain’t nobody [expletive] wit my clique!!! #ohb.” In the photo, Chris Brown is holding a large, fake (hopefully) assault rifle in the air, surrounded by his fellow terrorist friends who are covered in fake ammo.

Chris Brown’s mother, Joyce Hawkins was quick to defend her son’s ensemble, chiming in on Twitter saying, “HALLOWEEN IS FOR FUN NOTHING MORE THAN JUST FUN. GET A LIFE PLEASE.” Calm it on the caps lock there, Joyce. If your son, who famously pleaded guilty to assaulting Rihanna, dresses as a terrorist for Halloween, it may stir up some controversy.

Although Chris Brown’s terrorist costume seemed harmless, it probably wasn’t as harmless for the singer’s less-than-perfect image.

Brown’s Carpe Diem world tour is set to kick off on November 17th.

Man left alone for 5 days after having stroke

A man was left alone for 5 days at work after suffering a stroke

David Norton, 45, suffered a stroke in his office the Friday prior to Columbus Day and was not discovered until the following Wednesday—a whole five days after the stroke. Five days after being found, Norton died in a hospital.

The senior communications specialist suffered the stroke in his office, leaving him unable to call for help. He was single and lived alone, so no one had reported him missing until he neglected to show up for a meeting. The USM police even put three parking tickets on his car. Unfortunately, no one thought to check Norton’s office.

The death of this University of Southern Maine employee has forced security to take a closer look at its policies when securing the buildings at the end of each night. Normally, campus security checks the offices by rattling the doorknobs. Due to the unfortunate event that occured, Norton’s mother, Linda Norton, is rightfully demanding an immediate change in policy. She says each office should be opened and checked.

Norton’s mother spoke on the policy saying, “I know this was a medical problem, and I know it was sudden. But the first few hours after a stroke are the golden hours and he had to wait five days.”

Due to Norton’s death, the school plans to initiate a review of security. Bob Caswell, USM Executive Director of Public Affairs, stated “As a result of this, we really feel obligated to take a look at these policies and determine if changes can be made to make sure we’re doing all that we can to ensure the safety of everybody here.”

Joe Biden jokes about a 2016 presidential run

Joe Biden recently surprised many by joking about running for president in 2016

Joe Biden is joking about running for president in 2016. At least, many hope he’s joking. Joe Biden recently grabbed a cellphone from a man in a Sarasota restaurant yesterday and began to engage in a conversation with the person he had been talking to—the man’s brother—about health care reform.

After awhile, Biden told the supposed Republican that he was not going to argue with him to get his vote. It was then that Biden said, “After it’s all over, when your insurance rates go down, then you’ll vote for me in 2016.”

Biden’s campaign declined to comment on his potential presidential plans for 2016.

Of course by saying this, Biden made himself the punch line of many jokes. People took to Twitter to voice their opinions on Biden’s comments. Mitt Romney Central said, “Scariest part of Halloween so far is that Joe Biden said he might run for president in 2016. #Chills.” Lavar Walker tweeted, “Joe Biden is thinking about running for president in 2016. He might be the first 200 year old president.”

Others seemed to back Vice President Joe Biden’s possible presidential bid tweeting, “It’s entirely possible that I like Joe Biden more than Barack Obama. Biden 2016?”

Shortly after this exchange, Biden slammed a GOP ad on the auto industry as “flagrantly dishonest.”

Kate Moss confesses to nervous breakdown

Kate Moss confessed a Calvin Klein photo shoot caused her nervous breakdown as a teen

Kate Moss claims the Calvin Klein photo shoot she had with Mark Wahlberg caused her nervous breakdown back when she was a teen. Although these photos helped propel Moss into stardom, the black-and-white photos from 1992 reportedly caused her emotional issues.

Kate Moss told Vanity Fair, “I had a nervous breakdown when I was 17 or 18, when I had to go and work with Marky Mark and Herb Ritts. It didn’t feel like me at all. I felt really bad about straddling this buff guy. I didn’t like it. I couldn’t get out of bed for two weeks. I thought I was going to die.”

I’m not sure many girls would take issue with being paid to straddle Mark Wahlberg, but maybe I’m wrong.

Moss later went to the doctor where he prescribed her Valium. Photographer Francesca Sorrenti then told Moss, “You’re not taking that.” Moss said, “It was just anxiety. Nobody takes care of you mentally. There’s a massive pressure to do what you have to do. I was really little, and I was going to work with Steven Meisel. It was just really weird—a stretch limo coming to pick you up from work. I didn’t like it. But it was work, and I had to do it.”

Thankfully Moss was able to push through the difficulties of posing with good-looking men and being driven around in giant limos.

Things changed for the better for Moss after meeting Johnny Depp at a Manhattan restaurant when she was 20. According to Moss, Depp gave her that stability that she hadn’t felt before. She said, “There’s nobody that’s ever really been able to take care of me. Johnny did for a bit. I believed what he said. Unfortunately, the couple split in 1998.

Ellen DeGeneres dresses as Sofia Vergara for Halloween

Ellen DeGeneres channeled Sofia Vergara and her wardrobe malfunction for Halloween

Ellen DeGeneres decided to dress up as Sofia Vergara, fellow CoverGirl spokeswoman, for Wednesday’s Halloween episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. The 54-year-old comedian came out on stage wearing the glamorous, teal dress Vergara wore to the Emmy’s.

Vergara’s Emmy dress was famously remembered for its beauty, but more so because of the wardrobe malfunction the Modern Family star encountered at the Emmy’s. The Zuhair Murad dress split down the backside of the dress, leaving Vergara with a sizeable opening. She happily tweeted about the incident 20 minutes before Modern Family grabbed another award saying, “I luv my life!!!!”

Of course Ellen included the famous backside split in her Halloween imitation dress. In Ellen’s hilarious impersonation of Vergara, she attempted to speak in a thick accent saying, “Muchas gracias everybody, muchas gracias, hola! My name is Sofia Vergara. I am easy breezy beautiful CoverGirl from Colombia. Happy Halloween. As you can see, I put my pumpkins out.”

Ellen went on to poke fun at the star saying, “I like being Sofia Vergara, but it’s hard being this beautiful. I’m so busy with CoverGirl and Diet Pepsi and Burger King and my clothing line, the award-winning Modern Family…I get so much work with this fake accent. People think it’s real but…”

Sofia Vergara then walked out, surprising Ellen as she was in the middle of her impersonation. Looking at Ellen’s costume, Vergara pointed out, “Your ass looks huge…Ellen.” The two continued to joke before Vergara taught Ellen a few phrases in Spanish before exclaiming “Let’s go dancing!”