There are many easy ways to pump up your nest egg without trying too hard. The Massachusetts Society of CPAs offers these practical tips.

online–

http://www.boston.com/business/personalfinance/gallery/start_savings_account/

http://www.verleegen.com/money-accumulator-pension-plus

Legendary pop singer Whitney Houston was found dead Saturday at a Beverly Hills, California, hotel, officials said. She was 48.

Beverly Hills, California  — Legendary pop singer Whitney Houston was found dead Saturday at a Beverly Hills, California, hotel, officials said. She was 48.

The entertainer, whose incredible talent was discovered at an early age, was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m. (6:55 p.m. ET) at the Beverly Hilton hotel despite resuscitation efforts, a police spokesman said.

Beverly Hills Police Lt. Mark Rosen said there were “no obvious signs of criminal intent” and that the cause of her death is being investigated.

Houston’s bodyguard found her body, said Courtney Barnes, publicist for hip-hop artist Ray J, who was dating the pop diva.

Famed music producer Clive Davis, Houston’s longtime mentor, held his annual pre-Grammy gala at the Beverly Hilton on Saturday night — hours after Houston’s body was found at the hotel.
Guests at the party included Tony Bennett, Gladys Knight, Penny Marshall, Jimmy Jam, Paul Shaffer, David Foster, Adam Lambert and Britney Spears.

Houston was scheduled to attend the party, but was not scheduled to attend the Grammys on Sunday, her spokesperson said.

“I’m sure the whole show will be a tribute to her,” Shaffer said about the Grammys. “Here is music’s happiest night combined with such a sad note. You got to be some kind of philosopher to make some kind of sense out of this. I certainly can’t.”

According to her official website, Houston sold more than 170 million albums, singles and videos. But she also struggled with addiction problems over the years.

Houston, whose hits included “The Greatest Love of All,” died on the eve of the 54th annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. She had performed as late as Thursday night at a pre-Grammy event in the area. A pre-Grammy party was scheduled Saturday night at the Beverly Hilton.

Music producer Jimmy Jam, after conversations with those heading up to Sunday’s night show, told CNN that he believes the event will change significantly — including a tribute to the singer.

The entertainer recently returned to a movie set for “Sparkle,” a remake of the 1976 hit, which was loosely based on the story of The Supremes. It is scheduled to be released nationwide in August, according to Sony Pictures. It was her first movie role since “The Preacher’s Wife” in 1996.

News of her death elicited a flood of reaction from fans and fellow celebrities alike.

Singer Aretha Franklin said, “I just can’t talk about it now. It’s so stunning and unbelievable. I couldn’t believe what I was reading coming across the TV screen. My heart goes out to Cissy (Houston’s mother), her daughter Bobbi Kris, her family and Bobby (Brown).”

read the source:  http://edition.cnn.com/2012/02/12/showbiz/whitney-houston-death/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Each year, advertisers flock to Super Bowl to buy airtime of their advertisements to catch the millions of eyeballs of Super Bowl viewers around the world. This year, Super Bowl 2012 is not different. Companies are spending an average of $3.5 million for a 30 second television ad.

Super Bowl 2012 is great event of the year not only for football fanatics, but also for marketers, consumers, and even for music artists who will perform during the big night. That is why all news and media people are keeping their eyes on the Super Bowl 2012 this year.

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Date: Sunday, February 5, 2012

Kickoff Time: 6:30 p.m. EST

Venue: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

Referee: John Parry

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Day 2 of CJ Corona’s impeachment trial (Jan 17, 2012)

DAY 1: CHIEF JUSTICE CORONA IMPEACHMENT TRIAL

* By 2050, the Philippines will leapfrog 27 places to become the world’s 16th largest economy.
* Peru’s economy, growing by 5.5% each year, jumping 20 places to 26th place – ahead of Iran, Colombia and Switzerland. Other strong performers will be Egypt (up 15 places to 20th), Nigeria (up nine places to 37th), Turkey (up six spots to 12th), Malaysia (up 17 to 21st) and the Ukraine (up 19 to 45th).
* Japan’s working population will contract by a world-top 37% in 2050 – yet HSBC economists predict it will still be toward the top performing economies, dropping only one spot to the 4th largest economy. India will jump ahead of Japan to 3rd on the list.
* The big loser in the next 40 years will be advanced economies in Europe, HSBC predicts, who will see their place in the economic pecking order erode as working population dwindles and developing economies climb. Only five European nations will be in the top 20, compared to eight today. Biggest drop will be felt northern Europe: Denmark to 56th ( -29), Norway to 48th ( -22), Sweden to 38th (-20) and Finland to 57th (-19).
HSBC 2050 list of top economies (change in rank from 2010)
1) China (+2)
2) U.S. (-1)
3) India (+5)
4) Japan (-2)
5) Germany (-1)
6) UK (-1)
7) Brazil (+2) Mexico (+5)
9) France (-3)
10) Canada (same)
11) Italy (-4)
12) Turkey (+6)
13) S. Korea (-2)
14) Spain (-2)
15) Russia (+2)
16) Philippines (+27)
17) Indonesia (+4)
18) Australia (-2)
19) Argentina (2)
20) Egypt (+15)
21) Malaysia (+17)
22) Saudi Arabia (+1)
23) Thailand (+6)
24) Netherlands (-9)
25) Poland (-1)
26) Peru (+20)
27) Iran (+7)
28) Colombia (+12)
29) Switzerland (-9)
30) Pakistan (+14)
“If we step away from the cyclicality, there are two ways economies can grow; either add more people to the production line via growth in the working population, or make each individual more productive,” the report says.
In other words, demographics – the size of your working population – along with the opportunities to flex that muscle help determine long-term economic trends. Big factors on the back half of that equation: Education opportunities, democratic governments or strong rule of law (a caveat that explains China and Saudi Arabia’s high placement).
“We openly admit that behind these projections we assume governments build on their recent progress and remain solely focused on increasing the living standards for their populations,” the report says. “Of course, this maybe an overly glossy way of viewing the world.”
Chief factors that may derail economies moving forward, the report says: War, energy consumption constraints, climate change, and growing barriers to population movement across borders.

world tallest bridge

Mexican President Felipe Calderon has inaugurated the world’s tallest bridge.

The 403m (1,322ft) tall Baluarte bridge spans a deep ravine in the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains in northern Mexico.

It is part of a new highway crossing some of Mexico’s most rugged terrain, from Mazatlan on the Pacific Coast to Durango in the interior.

The cable-stayed bridge is so tall that the Eiffel Tower would easily fit under its central span.

“This project will unite the people of northern Mexico as never before,” President Calderon said at the inauguration ceremony.

Officials from the Guinness World of Records were on hand to present him with an award recognising the engineering feat.

‘Devil’s backbone’

The opening of the 1,124m (3,687ft) long bridge is part of celebrations to mark 200 years of Mexico’s independence from Spain.

It is expected to open to traffic later this year, and Mexican officials hope it will boost tourism and commerce in the region.

The Mazatlan-Durango highway replaces a notoriously dangerous winding road known as the “Devil’s backbone” that crosses the jagged peaks of the Sierra Madre Occidental.

As well as Baluarte, there will be eight other bridges over 300m high, as well as more than 60 tunnels.

Officials say it will reduce the journey between Mazatlan and Durango by about six hours.

Eventually, it will form part of a modern highway linking the Pacific and Atlantic coasts.

As the highest cable-stayed bridge in the world, it surpasses the famous Millau Viaduct in France.

source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-16434200

Filipino travel photographer George Tapan’s photo on Onuk Island, Palawan won First Place in a National Geographic photo contest, besting about 20,000 entries from 130 countries. George Tapan

source :http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/photo/13856/pinoy-travel-photographer-wins-natgeo-photo-contest#

Robbie Middleton, then aged eight, was alleged to have been sexually assaulted by the same attacker two weeks earlier.

The symbolic sum – the largest personal injury award in US history – is being seen as a plea to police to arrest the suspect, a convicted sex abuser.

The previous largest award was a $145bn fine against tobacco companies.

Craig Sico, lawyer for the Middleton family, said his aim was to pressure prosecutors in Montgomery County, Texas to charge Don Wilburn Collins, now 26, with murder.

“The jury told us afterwards the reason they made this the largest verdict [in US history] at $150bn was because they wanted to make sure their message was heard,” Mr Sico told the AFP news agency.

Collins was convicted of a separate child sexual assault in 2001 and has been in and out of prison ever since, once for refusing to be registered as a sex offender. He is due to be paroled in September 2012.

‘Difficult case’

The Middleton family allege that Collins set Robbie Middleton on fire after tying him to a tree and dousing the eight-year-old in petrol.

The young boy managed to escape but suffered third-degree burns over 99% of his body.

He went through five months of skin-replacement surgery, but died on 29 April 2011 of skin cancer. The cancer was caused by the burns, Mr Sico said.

Lawyer David Walker told the Los Angeles Times that Collins was not charged in either alleged attack because “the case was very, very difficult, with evidence that was not clear or necessarily compelling at that time”.

Mr Walker said that Middleton’s injures made it “extremely difficult” to tell officials what had happened.

“There will be people who will say that’s an excuse,” Mr Walker said, “but the professionals here worked very hard.”

The criminal case was reopened earlier in 2011, but Mr Walker said any arrests would be dependent “upon the results of that further investigation”.

source:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16296489

Shanghai Tang erected a cluster of Mongolian yurts, called gers, atop the roof of one of the piers that juts out into Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour

Space in Hong Kong is scarce and real estate prices are high.

Restaurants flock to the upper floors of high-rises where rent is cheaper, young professionals try to find bargain apartments in fringe areas and many bars shut down after a year because they can’t make enough to pay the bills. But it didn’t seem likely that Shanghai Tang, one of Asia’s few homegrown luxury retailers, would face the same kind of rent squeeze.

The former flagship store on Pedder Street, in the heart of Hong Kong’s downtown financial district, was a two-story 1920s Art Deco space characterized by its colourful, quirky details. Earlier this year, Abercrombie & Fitch outbid Shanghai Tang for the coveted property when its lease was up, allegedly offering the landlords $7 million Hong Kong dollars a month, or 250% more than what Shanghai Tang had been paying. Forced out of a historic location – the brand’s first boutique, though it now has more than 40 worldwide – Shanghai Tang turned to Asia’s exiles of ages past to come up with a stopgap solution.

Invoking the spirit of Mongolian nomads, Shanghai Tang erected a cluster of Mongolian yurts, called gers, atop the roof of Central Pier 4, which juts out into Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour. It acts like a full-service store until 31 December, while another temporary loft-like location just upstairs from their shut-down boutique on Pedder Street will operate until 20 February. The new flagship will open its doors in the spring of 2012, but the address has yet to be announced.

Despite its makeshift location, Shanghai Tang is not poverty-stricken — it has seven other outposts in Hong Kong, not to mention plenty of business savvy and a powerful owner (the Richemont Group, a Swiss company that also controls other high-end brands like Cartier, Van Cleef and Arpels, Piaget and Montblanc). But the pop-up shop does have a rugged feel, because it’s alfresco, and continues to sell Shanghai Tang’s pricey Chinese-style haute couture as well as provide the label’s well-respected bespoke tailoring services. The gers also house a limited-edition collection of Mongolian-inspired products, like chunky jewellery, fur-trimmed leather handbags, ornamented enamel picture frames, candles

Travel world now

Travel and make-believe certainly go hand in hand.

Whether it’s royal palaces, enchanted forests or magical lagoons, traveling the world can bring your favorite fairy-tales to life!

So grab your wand, mount your white horse and take a virtual journey through the 15 most magical places in the world!

 Castle-Hill-Huddersfield

Castle-Hill-Huddersfield

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