Friday Morning Spice

20 May 2011

They Lied, Hammerl IS Dead – A statement on Facebook by the family of Anton Hammerl, a 41-year-old South African freelance photographer who has been missing in Libya for more than a month, said the family learned Thursday that he had in fact been killed April 5 by the forces of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi. [newyorktimes]

ANC And DA Win Big - The ANC has maintained its control of most of the country’s major cities but the DA will govern Cape Town for a second term and has increased its support countrywide. A triumphant Patricia de Lille, who will be sworn in as mayor of Cape Town, said, “I feel very positive and confident. I did not go down to the gutter politics and campaigning of the ANC.” [timeslive]

DSK Gets Bail - Scandal-hit IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn was last night bailed on sex charges – but then humiliatingly ordered to wear an electronic tag. The 62-year-old had to put up a £620,000 bond and was warned by judges he must stay at his student daughter Camille’s home under 24-hour guard – at a personal cost to him of £150,000 a month. [mirror]

Save The Date: The World Ends Tomorrow – Behind thousands of “Judgement Day” billboards from rural highways to city skylines and a small army of volunteers that have traipsed across the country preaching May 21 as the beginning of the world’s destruction is a frail, 89-year-old California multimillionaire who runs one of the largest Christian radio networks in the world. [huffpo]

Lance Armstrong’s Teammate Saw Him Doping – For the first time, former Armstrong teammate Tyler Hamilton reveals details never heard in public before of how and when he and some of the former members of the U.S. Postal Service team, including and led by Armstrong used banned substances, including EPO and testosterone, to gain an advantage in races that Armstrong won. [cbsnews]

Poachers Killed By Poachers In Kruger – Three suspected rhino poachers have been shot dead in the Kruger National Park, the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) said on Thursday. The poachers fired on the SANDF soldiers, who returned fire. An AK-47 assault rifle, a hunting rifle, two axes and two cellphones were found in the men’s possession. [news24]

Amazon E-Books Now Outsell Print Books - It had to happen eventually: Amazon.com announced Thursday that it is selling more Kindle e-books than printed hardcover or paperback books. Amazon said that since April 1, it has been selling 105 Kindle e-books for every 100 print books. Free Kindle books are excluded from that count; if free books were included, the number would be even higher. [computerworld]

Gwyneth Paltrow Is Into Her Gangsta Rap [Video] - Gwyneth Paltrow’s upper middle class upbringing prepared her well for life as a movie star, a rocker’s wife and as the author of a snooty newsletter… but a rapper? Gwyn shocked the audience on The Graham Norton show the other day when she admitted to being a big fan of 90s hip hop. And we’re not just talking Vanilla Ice. [msn]

Schwarzenegger Puts Movie Career On Hold – Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger delayed his Hollywood comeback Thursday as he braced for what could be a costly divorce prompted by revelations that he had an affair and child with a housekeeper who worked for his family for 20 years. Insert ‘I’ll be back’ joke here. [associated]

Shriver Lawyers Up – Maria Shriver has retained celebrity divorce lawyer Laura Wasser to represent her in her split from Arnold Schwarzenegger. Wasser, 42, a mother of two, has been nicknamed a “disso-queen” for her reputation for handling marital dissolutions for some of the entertainment industry’s biggest names. [huffers]

Google Says Face Recognition Is Creepy - Don’t expect Google to recognize you. Eric Schmidt, the company’s executive chairman, said Google will not build a database of users’ individual faces, even though the technology is available to make it possible. Schmidt said the accuracy of facial recognition technology and its ensuing implications are “creepy”. [adweek]

Kate And Pippa Are ‘Very Competitive” – Stunning sisters Kate and Pippa Middleton presented a united front on the day of the Royal Wedding, with neither putting a foot wrong as thousands watched them walk down the aisle. You’d certainly never guess there was any sibling rivalry bubbling under the surface. [marieclaire]

Mercedes Benz Helicopter Unveiled – Eurocopter’s EC145 Mercedes-Benz Style helicopter made its world debut at the 2011 European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva. Conceived in a styling project led by the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studio in Como, Italy, the interior of the EC145 Mercedes-Benz Style is inspired by the automaker’s range of high-end vehicles. [luxuo]

Reagan’s Daughter Poses Nude At 58 – Patti Davis, the rebel daughter of President Ronald Reagan who posed for Playboy magazine in 1994 when she was 42, is once again posing nude but this time it’s for More magazine. The 58-yea-old writer wants to celebrate having a body that she is finally proud of. Go Patti. [popeater]

Will Naomi Be Kate’s Bridesmaid? - IS Naomi Campbell set to be Kate’s bridesmaid? Moss is reportedly marrying boyfriend Jamie Hince in July. “Now that would be telling,” she says. “But I am so proud of Kate. I love Jamie and I can’t wait for the wedding. Jamie’s such a nice guy, he’s the one for her. It’s going to be an amazing day and I’m on the phone with her all the time.” [popyacollar]