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Zac Efron Reveals His Secret Hairstyling Tips

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:35:00 EST

Zac Efron takes readers' questions for Time magazine. He talks about his new movie, Me and Orson Welles, whose career he'd like to emulate, you know, the standard stuff. But then it gets really interesting and Zac gives his never before revealed tips on how to get that perfectly mussed up hairdo he -- and Robert Pattinson, now that we think of it -- wears. Zac's secret is to wash his hair before going to bed at night, then sleep on it. In the morning, it's already messy. He just adds hair product (he didn't say which one, but it's probably a gel), comb and muss it up more. Voila! Perfectly mussed up hair. Take a look:

Posted in Celebrity

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A Look Inside Royal Caribbean's Enormous Cruise Ship

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:15:00 EST

Here is a look inside Royal Caribbean's enormous cruise ship, Oasis of the Seas. The giant ship arrived in Port Everglades, Florida last week. The ship is five times the Titantic. It has five different themed areas, 2700 cabins, 16 decks and cost $1.5 billion to make. Take a look:

Posted in Travel

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Black Friday Dirty Secrets: Limited Quantities and Derivatives

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:04:00 EST

CNN has an article here that discusses some of Black Friday's "dirty little secrets." CNN writes that retailers may only have limited quantities of the doorbusters they list in Black Friday circulars. Another issue is that some of the electronics doorbusters may lack features. Some doorbuster items are even specially made for Black Friday.

CNN/Money reports that some of the Sears doorbusters are available in limited quantities.

Sears (SHLD, Fortune 500) has not officially revealed its Black Friday sales. However, the company confirmed to CNNMoney.com that two of its post-Thanksgiving deals include a Samsung 40-inch 1080p LCD HDTV for $599.99, "Only while quantities last, minimum three per store, no rainchecks."

The other is a Kenmore 3.5-cubic-foot high-efficiency washer and 5.8-cubic foot dryer pair for $579.98, "Limit four per store, no rainchecks."

"Sure, you probably have more, but how do you put out a circular to millions of households and only have three?," Dworsky asked.

Most shoppers are aware there are limited quantities which is why there are people lining up early outside.

Another issue mentioned in the article are some doorbuster electronics sold on Black Friday that lack features. These are known as derivatives.

The difference can be subtle. "The image contrast ratio might be 20,000 in a derivative model versus 30,000 in a standard model," he said. "Most consumers probably won't even notice the difference."

A report earlier this month in Consumer Reports called attention to HDTV models from Samsung and Sony advertised in Black Friday deals that appear to be "derivatives." The report said these one-off TVs "with unfamiliar model numbers" are usually cheaper than the standard model in their class.

Some may not mind if they buy a tv or blu-ray player is a derivative if the price is great but the CNN/Money article says retailers don't always advertise that the product is a derivative. This is unfair to consumers who might think they are buying something better than they are. A couple other Black Friday shopping woes mentioned in the article are online deals that never get shipped and in-store rainchecks that turn out to be an empty promise. The main issue consumers should watch out for are the limited amounts of doorbuster items and the derivative electronics.

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Hermes Partners With Leica For Limited Edition Camera

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:15:00 EST

Hermes has partnered with Leica, a German camera manufacturer, for the Leica M7 Edition Hermes camera. The $14,000 camera comes in orange or green "Veau Swift" leather. Wired says these are for collectors and shouldn't be removed from the box.

Make no mistake - these are collector's cameras, and should never be removed from the box. As such they are labeled with a serial number between one and two hundred.

The Leica M7 Edition Hermes camera will be available next month. Leica's M8 white edition is also an attractive camera.

Posted in Photography

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No Recovery for Housing Market in Sight

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:15:00 EST

Analysts say that the housing market has not recovered yet and that it will be next year before any improvement is seen.

The outlook for the home market dimmed this week as residential construction and mortgage applications fell and loan delinquencies reached a record. "I don't think the housing crisis is over," Mark Zandi, chief economist with Moody's Economy.com, said in a telephone interview. "I think we're going to see another leg down."

New home sales may begin to pick up by the start of the so-called spring selling season, said Toll Brothers Inc., the largest U.S. luxury homebuilder. Existing house sales may take longer. Residential construction and property sales led the way out of the previous seven recessions going back to 1960, said David Berson, chief economist of PMI Group, the mortgage insurer in Walnut Creek, California.

Mortgage applications for home purchases fell to a 12-year low last week and foreclosures rose to record highs in the third quarter, according to reports from the Mortgage Bankers Association. An index measuring November homebuilder confidence came in lower than the median forecast of 45 economists this week. The Commerce Department on Nov. 18 said residential building dropped 11 percent in October to the lowest level since April's all-time bottom.

Unemployment is at a 26 year high, which is driving more homeowners into foreclosure and keeping new mortgage applications low. The U.S. has lost 7.3 million jobs since December 2007. That is a record number not seen since the Great Depression.

Posted in Home

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