Thousands on Stranded Carnival Cruise Ship Eating Spam Provided by Navy

Source: aol.com/

It is Day Three for the thousands of stranded passengers and crew onboard the damaged Carnival Splendor, which is slowly being towed to San Diego after a fire knocked out the cruise ship's engines. And the U.S. Navy has airlifted in food supplies, including Spam.

Both the Navy, with the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, and the U.S. Coast Guard, with two cutters and aircraft, have been assisting the $700 million ship, which became dead in the water about 200 miles south of San Diego, and 55 miles from the coast of Mexico.

Some 4,500 pounds in supplies, including Spam, canned crab, dinner rolls and plastic cups, was delivered to the ship by Navy Seahawk helicopter.

The 113,000-ton cruise ship, with 3,299 passengers and 1,167 crew members onboard, has been operating on auxiliary power since the engine room fire early Monday morning, which forced passengers out of their beds.

The fire knocked out hotel systems including air conditioning, hot food preparation, refrigeration and telephones. For more than a day toilets were also not functioning and there was no running water – toilets and cold water have since been restored, Carnival Cruise Line says.

Passengers were initially restricted to the ship's open Lido deck, but later allowed to return to their cabins and are now able to move about the ship, the cruise lines says. Some shipboard programming including children's programs and entertainment has even been restored.

There have been no injuries to passengers or crew, the line says. There were reports the Navy offered to airlift any passengers who needed to leave the ship, but no one did.

A tug boat arrived at the scene yesterday, and under slow tow the ship is now expected to arrive in San Diego late Thursday. Additional tugs are expected to meet the ship to expedite the towing. Earlier plans to bring the vessel to Ensenada, Mexico, were scrapped.

Carnival says it is making hotel and flight arrangements for guests in San Diego. The ship had set sail Sunday on a weeklong Mexican Rivera cruise from Long Bach, Calif.

Carnival says guests on the Splendor will be receiving a full refund along with a complimentary future cruise equal to the amount they paid for the voyage.

The cruise line says it has canceled the ship's next cruise which was supposed to depart next Sunday. Guests scheduled on that voyage will receive a full refund of their cruise fare and air transportation costs, along with a 25 percent discount on a future cruise.

"We sincerely apologize to our guests for this unfortunate situation and offer our thanks for their patience and cooperation during this challenging time. The safety and comfort of our guests is our top priority and we are doing everything we can to allow them to return home as quickly as possible. We also apologize for having to cancel the next voyage of the Carnival Splendor. We realize how much guests look forward to their vacations and we know how disheartening it is to have their plans disrupted," says Gerry Cahill, Carnival's president and CEO.

There have been other unusual incidents on the two-year-old Carnival Splendor, leading at least one website to question whether the ship is "cursed."

A Carnival spokesman confirms the ship has been the scene of two suicides. In March 2009, a 63-year-old passenger disappeared off the coast of Chile after leaving a suicide note. And then on Oct. 13 of this year a male crew member was witnessed jumping overboard by several fellow employees, while the ship was en route to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

 

In addition, on Oct. 31, a crew member with a serious medical condition was airlifted off the ship by the U.S. Coast Guard.

How to Wear Fall's Hottest Colors

Source: instyle.com/

Cobalt Blue

Bright cobalt blue was a runway favorite, and, as seen at Burberry Prorsum and on Kerry Washington, it really pops when paired with basic black.

 Gold

Glittering gold is the it metallic this fall, but skintight styles like Jennifer Lopez's are better left to a Saturday night cocktail party. Michael Kors created a slightly more subtle version, suitable for a 9AM business meeting. The best part of this trend? No jewelry required!

Purple

Purple can be positively regal, but it's also a perfectly pretty color for a party, as America Ferrera (in Brian Reyes) is aware. Phillip Lim's asymmetrical sequined dress makes an even bolder statement; take a cue from these two looks and ground your ensemble with simple black accessories.

Camel

Classic camel goes way beyond coats this season. Try the shade in a demure slipdress, like Ashley Greene or in monochromatic separates, as seen at Chloe. (Add a skinny belt in a contrasting color if you want to break it up.)

Sheer Black

Sheer black can be suggestive without being salacious, as evidenced by Zoe Saldana's lacy number. Netting and mesh, as seen at Stella McCartney are sexiest when they still leave something to the imagination.

Emerald Green

A variety of jewel tones are in for Fall, but it's deep emerald green that best says ladylike-chic. To wear this trend, play with a variety of textures, like Oscar de la Renta did, or opt for a prim dress in an equally demure fabric like Kristin Davis.

Bright Red

Fiery in nature, red is a standout color—and should be worn when you want to be noticed, like Penelope Cruz. But what we love is the idea of a bold red statement pant, like Maison Martin Margiela elegantly executed, paired with softer reds or neutrals for a seriously stylish look.

Facebook users squint at font size change

Source: compterworld.com/

Before you make an appointment with your eye doctor, it's not your eyes. It's Facebook!

Earlier this week, Facebook, without notice to users, changed the font size on its highly popular social networking site. The type now is much smaller and users are complaining that it's hard to read.

Many users have taken to Twitter to vent their frustrations.

Laurie tweeted, "COME ON @facebook that font is just WAY too small for my old eyes. quit being mean and fix it!" 

 Checkthpavement tweeted, "Oh gods your font is small *squints* can you take it up a notch perhaps? Don't wanna hold my computer to my face."

 Karen Maeby seemed to joke, tweeting, "Zuckerberg probably made the font so small so people will struggle to read about FB privacy and eventually give up."

In an e-mailed response to Computerworld, Facebook said the small font size is something of an experiment.

"We are constantly testing new ways to make the site more efficient for people," said Andrew Noyes, a Facebook spokesman. "We listen to feedback and always try to incorporate it in future product updates, releases and features."

Noyes did not say whether Facebook would change the type back to a larger font based on negative user response. He also did not say how the smaller font would make the site more efficient.

"Well, I can see that it could make them a little more efficient, if they put more items on each page, but they could also just make the pages longer," said Ezra Gottheil, an analyst with Technology Business Research. "Maybe they meant more efficient for users to see more of the postings at one time."

Browser settings could also have an effect on the size of the fonts. While most people see the smaller type size, some do not.

These changes can be reverted by installing the Web browser plug-in Better Facebook, which lets users define a custom font size.

Baby Killed For Interrupting Mom's Facebook Time

Source: ktla.com/

A Florida mother accused of shaking her baby to death after he interrupted her Farmville game on Facebook has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.

Alexandra V. Tobias, 22, is charged in the January death of 3-month-old Dylan Lee Edmondson.

She entered her plea on Wednesady.

Tobias told investigators she became angry after the baby cried while she was playing the computer game and she shook him, the Florida Times-Union is reporting.

She also said she smoked a cigarette to compose herself and then shook the baby again, at which time he may have hit his head, the paper reported.

Tobias faces up to life in prison if convicted.

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Standby, Shut Down or Hibernate?

The choice of standby and shut down is now complicated by a second question: hibernate or shut down. For environmental and technical reasons, there is one clear answer, and most opposing arguments don't hold much water.

Power Down Options

Windows users have three choices every time they walk away from their computers: standby, hibernate or shut down (Macs only offer sleep or shut down, but all the same principles apply). The simple choice: shut down. This saves power and is good for the computer.

Standby

Standby is like "nodding off" during class or a meeting!

The computer keeps your applications running and documents open. Power is feeding to your computer memory, but peripherals are powered off and the hard drive power is minimized. The computer "wakes up" quickly from standby mode, and should look just like it did when you walked away.

The biggest drawback of standby mode is the power usage, and it should only be used when leaving the computer for a brief period.

Hibernate

Computing hibernation is more like a nap!

It recalls all open documents and applications, but shuts down power to the computer. Again, the computer should look exactly as it did when you selected hibernate mode, but the computer takes longer to "wake up" from hibernate.

The hibernate mode uses no power, but it is still active enough to automatically restart and begin using power again in the middle of the night. A virus or scheduled tasks can cause this power-wasting function.

Shut Down

A full shut down is more like a full night's sleep or even biological hibernation! 

It powers off your computer completely. It's always the best option when you are not using your computer for a while.

It is the best environmental option because it draws no power, and can even safely unplug the computer or shut off the power strip to the computer and all the other office peripherals. The power savings are also financial savings.

Slow Down. What About ...?

To be sure, there are arguments against shutting down computers, but they aren't particularly convincing.

1. The extra startup and shut-down time is a waste of productivity:

C'mon, few of us are truly productive every minute of the day. Switch on your machine before you get a cup of coffee or chat up the girl in the neighboring cube. If you can't wait five minutes in the morning, loosen up your schedule.

2. The computer needs to remain in standby for maintenance and updates: 

Schedule the updates for times during the workday when you are at lunch or on break.

3. I demand the convenience of a quick return from standby mode: 

See No. 1. Even if you can afford the added utility bill costs, the environment may not be able to.

Katy Perry - Transformation

Source: instyle.com/

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Celine Dion Gives Birth to Twin Boys

Source: popeater.com/

Celine Dion and husband Rene Angelil are doubly joyful this weekend, welcoming fraternal twin boys who were delivered via C-section on Saturday morning in West Palm Beach, Fla., joining big brother Rene-Charles, age 9.

 The babies have not yet been named, according to People.com. 

"Celine is resting now and they plan to discuss what to name the boys when she wakes up," her spokesperson says. "René-Charles has been to the hospital to visit his brothers, and is just so excited they are here."

Dion's new sons were born at 5 lbs., 10 oz., and 5 lbs., 4 oz., and are premature but healthy. They will reportedly spend a few days in neonatal intensive care, a common procedure for newborn twins, who often arrive before their due date.

At a press conference outside St. Mary's Medical Center, Dion's longtime obstetrician talked about the successful delivery -- and what the babies look like.

Dr. Ronald Ackerman (whose son, Dr. Joshua Ackerman also assisted in the delivery) explained that the surgery to deliver the babies went as expected -- with the first boy born at 11:11 a.m. and the second born at 11:12 a.m. -- and said that both twins were born with a "good amount" of hair.

The Canadian chanteuse, 42, has been open in recent years about her struggle to conceive. She revealed in May that she was pregnant, after undergoing a sixth attempt at in-vitro fertilization.

In February, the singer opened up to Oprah about her miscarriage of an earlier pregnancy.

Dion announced she was pregnant in August of 2009 using an embryo frozen eight years before, in 2001, when she and husband Rene had their first son. Sadly, she suffered a miscarriage shortly after.

"It's life. You know? A lot of people go through this, but it's not being told because it's not in newspaper. But with us, as you know, it's like, sometimes news are like mercury," she told Winfrey.

Dion says she didn't come out right away with the miscarriage news because the initial reports of her pregnancy were still fresh, and she didn't want to make such an announcement so fast.

"They said that I was pregnant, and a couple of days after, we were not pregnant again. We didn't want to feel like we were playing yo-yo. 'I'm pregnant. I'm not pregnant. I'm pregnant. I'm not pregnant.' So we didn't want to do this thing. But we did have a miscarriage," she said.