My thoughts are with Bruno Mars as his mom died of a brain aneurysm in a Honolulu, Hawaii, hospital Saturday. Bernadette Hernandez was 55.
Mars is to resume touring on June 22. It is not immediately clear whether his concert schedule will be affected by his mother's death.
Not many people know how easy it actually is to get scammed on
Facebook. Me included. In fact, it probably happens to many of us EVERY DAY.
Here are three of the most common scams and how they get you!
1. "Like" Farming. This is that one where you see the
picture of a sick kid in the hospital, holding up a sign that says "If I
get a million likes, I might not get a new liver. But maybe I will!"
Do NOT like this photo . . . there's no sick kid waiting for a
transplant.
It's called "Like" farming. When you "Like" a post, Facebook puts a
copy of that post on all your friends' news feeds. If they Like it too,
it spreads to their friends. After 100,000 Likes, the page owner puts
up ads, which then show up in ALL of your news feeds.
2. Celebrity Sex Tapes. This one has been around a
while, but it never goes away. You click on a link that promises a new
Rihanna sex tape, or Taylor Swift, or whoever. It takes you to a site
where you fill out a survey, but you never get to see the tape.
Meanwhile, the website is making nasty posts in YOUR NAME on all your friends' timelines. And more likely than not, it's loading malware onto your computer. Anything from stealing your personal data, to spying on you with your own webcam.
3. Who Viewed My Profile? This is another oldie-but-goodie. But still the most popular Facebook scam by far. There's no legitimate way to check who views your page. Facebook doesn't release that information to anyone.
But it LOOKS really legitimate. It even uses your own friends' profile
pictures to gain your trust. But then you're prompted to install a new
browser extension. And those can record everything you enter on other websites, or even take over your whole profile.
4. Change Your Profile Colors. This one advertises
an app that will allow you to change your profile to a different color.
But if you’re like most people, you've been on Facebook for YEARS
already . . . and you've NEVER seen a profile that’s not blue.
Instead it takes you to another website, where you're asked to fill out
a short survey. And the information you give is sold to marketing
companies, who turn around and fill up the world with more spam. And if you entered your email address . . . forget about it.
(Yahoo! News) (USAToday.com) (Facecrooks.com) (Huffington Post)
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Your purse is a big bag of bacteria! That's the finding of a new
study, which claims that women's handbags host more bacteria than the average toilet flush!
flickr/FreeLanceingINDIA
After Earth (rated PG-13)
Will Smith and his son Jaden star in this sci-fi movie about a father and son who crash land on Earth 1,000 years after it's become uninhabitable.
Their only hope for rescue is an emergency beacon far away. But
since Will's wounded, it's up to Jaden to make the trip alone . . .
while he's also being hunted by an alien creature that was on board
during the crash.
Zoe Kravitz. . . the daughter of Lenny Kravitz and "Cosby" kid Lisa Bonet . . . has a small role in it as Jaden's sister in some flashback scenes.
And it's directed by M. Night Shyamalan . . . but
they've done a pretty good job of keeping that quiet. Because . . .
well. But it makes sense, since it's the first time he's directed a
movie that he didn't write himself . . . so don't expect any corny
twists.
flickr/concetposter.org
Now You See Me (rated PG-13)
Jessie Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, and Woody Harrelson play
a team of magicians who somehow perform bank heists DURING their stage
act . . . then shower the audience with the stolen money.
Mark Ruffalo is the FBI agent trying to catch them, and he recruits Morgan Freeman to explain how the tricks are done after they rip off Michael Caine for $140 million.
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
British/Irish boy band The Wanted dropped by the TODAY plaza this morning! Max George, Nathan Sykes, Tom Parker, Siva
Kaneswaran and Jay McGuiness -- but youngest member Sykes couldn't be on the Plaza, due to throat surgery. "He's doing all right," Parker told Matt Lauer. "Probably won't know for a month or two what the outcome is, but he's in good spirits."
Their new show on E!, "The Wanted Life," is an inside look at what
it's like for the five of them to live the bachelor life in a shared household. It premieres on Sunday night on E!
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USHER was on "Ellen" yesterday . . . and Ellen brought up the obvious topic: JUSTIN BIEBER'S recent behavior.
Usher said, quote, "I think all of us in some way have humble beginnings that pan out to be incredible and we hope in his transition .
. . as friends and family who have helped him be who he is . . . that he'll continue to just mature."
He added, quote, "It's been done by many, many other celebrities. They are product of it and some come out bad, and some come out good. I don't look at it as a negative though. I look at it as a teenager. He is a teenager having to live his life in front of a camera."
*Thoughts?
OK... According to a survey of 700 flight attendants, paying for a seat in coach doesn't necessarily mean you have to SIT in coach! You CAN get a free upgrade to business class or better... BUT a lot of things have to be in your favor...
According to the poll, you're MOST likely to get an upgrade if you're a
man in your 30's, who's a little dressed up and traveling alone.
Meanwhile, the LEAST likely person to get bumped to first class is a
girl in her teens, traveling in a group, and wearing revealing clothing.
Regardless, there are a bunch of things you can do to increase your chances of getting a free upgrade...
The top ten according to the survey:
1. Be Friendly and Polite. 82% of cabin crew members agreed it makes a difference.
2. Be a Member of the Airline's Frequent Flyer Program. Obviously that's one you have to deal with beforehand, but 80% said it gives you better odds of scoring a seat in first class.
3. Travel Alone. Again, if you're in a group, your chances aren't
very good. 72% of flight attendants said they'd be more likely to give a seat upgrade to someone who's flying alone.
4. Make Them Aware of an Injury. For example, if you go to the desk and tell them you sprained your ankle playing softball, they might take pity on you and give you an unfilled seat in business class, or just a free seat in coach that has more leg room.
5. Don't Dress Too Casual. 59% said that someone who's dressed up is more likely to get an upgrade.
6. Tell Them You're On Your Honeymoon. 58% said it boosts your chances. But obviously it has to be believable. So if you're not
wearing rings or you're headed somewhere that's NOT a honeymoon
destination, don't bother.
7. Know the Flight Attendants. Some people travel the same route for business over and over again. And a lot of those flights use the same crew members. If they remember you, 55% of them say they're more likely to give you an upgrade.
8. Travel During Non-Peak Hours. Or in other words, travel when the plane is less likely to be full. 47% of flight attendants said it
boosts your chances.
9. Come Up with a Good Sob Story. For example, maybe you're headed to a funeral, or you just lost your job. Whatever it is, 35% admitted they'll probably fall for it.
10. Look Your Best. In addition to dressing up, 31% said that being a well-groomed, attractive passenger will increase your chances of
getting upgraded to first class.
(Huffington Post / The Telegraph)
*Good Luck!
