REPORT: SYRIA PUT CHEMICAL WEAPONS INTO BOMBS, COULD USE ON OWN PEOPLE: NBC News reported Wednesday (December 5th) that the Syrian military has loaded chemical weapons into bombs and would be able to use them to attack its own people if the order is given by embattled President Bashar al-Assad. According to the report, sarin gas was loaded yesterday into the bombs, but they have not yet been put onto planes. However, U.S. officials told NBC that if Assad gives the order, quote, "there's little the outside world can do to stop it." President Obama warned al-Assad on Monday against using chemical weapons in his nation's ongoing civil war, saying, " I want to make it absolutely clear to Assad and those under his command: The world is watching. The use of chemical weapons is and would be totally unacceptable. And if you make the tragic mistake of using these weapons, there will be consequences and you will be held accountable." NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has backed that up, saying the international community would take military action against Assad and his forces if chemical weapons are used.

OBAMA WARNS AGAINST TYING UP DEBT CEILING WITH 'FISCAL CLIFF': President Obama warned Wednesday (December 5th) against Republicans tying up the extension of the debt ceiling, which will have to be done not all that long into his new term, with the upcoming "fiscal cliff" deadline. Speaking before business leaders at a meeting of the Business Roundtable, Obama said he was aware of reports that Republicans may be willing to agree to let the Bush tax cuts on the wealthiest expire as part of avoiding the fiscal cliff, but then try to get spending cuts from the White House in exchange for raising the debt ceiling. Obama said yesterday, "That is a bad strategy for America, it's a bad strategy for your businesses and it's not a game that I will play." He recalled the previous debt limit fight, which he called the "catastrophe that happened in August of 2011," after which the nation's credit was downgraded. Obama also spoke on the phone yesterday with House Speaker John Boehner for the first time in days about the "fiscal cliff, but no details of the conversation were revealed.

AT LEAST 211 EGYPTIANS WOUNDED AS CRISIS WORSENS: The crisis in Egypt over President Mohammed Morsi's power grab and the controversial constitution hastily drafted by his Islamist allies worsened Wednesday (December 5th), as at least 211 people were wounded when Morsi supporters and opponents fought each other with firebombs, rocks and sticks outside the presidential palace in Cairo. Further, another four presidential aides resigned in protest over Morsi's handling of the crisis, following two others who'd previously left. The opposition, made up of liberals, leftists and Christians, vowed more protests, rejecting any talks unless the constitution is rescinded and Morsi retracts decrees he issued last month giving him near-absolute power. But Morsi is proceeding with plans to have a referendum on the charter on December 15th, backed by his Muslim Brotherhood and ultra-conservative Islamists.

MAN ARRESTED IN NYC SUBWAY PUSH DEATH: A 30-year-old homeless man was arrested in New York City Wednesday (December 5th) for the death of 58-year-old Ki-Suck Han, who died two days earlier after being pushed onto the subway tracks and hit by a train. Naeem Davis had been taken into custody a day earlier for questioning, after security video showed a man fitting the subway pusher's description working nearby with street vendors. ABC News cited sources as saying there's a question as to whether Davis intended to kill Han, or whether it was an unintended result of Davis shoving the older man in an altercation between the two. Davis reportedly told police that Han was harassing him and wouldn't leave him alone. Police are also awaiting toxicology reports, since Han was found with an empty pint bottle of vodka on him when he died.

  • Meanwhile, the freelance photographer who took the disturbing photo that wound up on the cover of the New York Post, showing Han looking at the train barreling towards him as he tried to climb out of the tunnel seconds before he was hit, defended his actions Wednesday. Appearing on NBC's Today show, R. Umar Abbasi said he wasn't close enough to reach Han in time, and was flashing his camera to try to alert the train motorman. He said that he was shocked that no-one closer helped Han, saying, "The people who were standing close to him . . . they could have moved and grabbed him and pulled him up. No one made an effort." He also said he had no say in the Post's decision to publish the photo.

SOFTWARE COMPANY FOUNDER MCAFEE ARRESTED IN GUATEMALA: Anti-virus software company founder John McAfee, who's been on the run for weeks as he dodged the authorities in Belize in a bizarre situation, was arrested by police in Guatemala Wednesday (December 5th) for entering the country illegally. Guatemala hasn't said yet whether they'll send McAfee back to Belize, where he's a person of interest in the killing of a fellow expatriate. The 67-year-old McAfee, who'd been blogging during his time on the run, had said earlier yesterday that he'd requested asylum in Guatemala, insisting that he fears for his safety in Belize because he has sensitive information about official corruption and refused to donate to local politicians. Police in Belize deny they are persecuting McAfee and say there's no warrant for his arrest.

HUNDREDS KILLED, MISSING IN PHILIPPINES TYPHOON: A powerful typhoon that struck the Philippines Tuesday (December 4th) killed nearly 350 people and close to 400 others are still missing, authorities said today (December 6th). A flash flood caused by the storm destroyed a military camp and two emergency shelters where people had sought refuge, with Interior Secretary Mar Roxas saying, "Entire families may have been washed away."

OBAMA TOPS MOST POWERFUL LIST: President Obama tops the annual list of the world's most powerful people that was released yesterday (December 5th) by Forbes. Obama was one of six heads of state in the top 10, while Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates was the highest-ranked businessman at Number Four. The people on the list were ranked using four criteria: power over many people; control over financial and other valuable resources; power in multiple spheres or arenas; and active use of power. A couple of notable items on the list were Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg falling out of last year's top 10 because of Facebook's disappointing IPO, and the head of Mexico's Sinaloa drug cartel, Joaquin Guzman Loera -- nicknamed "El Chapo" -- appearing on the list, showing up at Number 63. Forbes said Loera is the world's most powerful drug trafficker.

The top 10:

  1. President Obama
  2. German Chancellor Angela Merkel
  3. Russian President Vladimir Putin
  4. Bill Gates
  5. Pope Benedict the 16th
  6. U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke
  7. Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al Saud
  8. European Central Bank President Mario Draghi
  9. Xi Jinping, General Secretary of China's Communist Party who'll become the new president in March
  10. British Prime Minister David Cameron

CHECK IT OUT:

PANEL SAYS NASA SEEMS ADRIFT, DOESN'T HAVE CLEAR GOAL: A stinging report out yesterday (December 5th) by a panel of the National Academy of Sciences says that NASA seems to be adrift, without a clear sense of where it's going. However, the independent panel of science and engineering experts doesn't blame the space agency, but instead faults President Obama, Congress and the nation for not giving NASA better direction. At the same time, the report said NASA, in the wake of the end of the space shuttle program in 2011, is doing little to achieve the goal it was given by Obama of sending astronauts to an asteroid, which is intended as a training ground for an eventual mission to Mars. The panel said there's little support for the asteroid mission within NASA and the international space community, with member Marcia Smith saying, "I hate to use the word credible, but people don't buy it. They don't feel that the asteroid mission is the right one." NASA spokesman David Weaver defended the agency, saying it has clear and challenging goals. He named projects including the continued use of the International Space Station and efforts to develop a heavy-duty rocket and crew capsule capable of taking astronauts into deep space.

STARBUCKS TO OPEN 1,500 MORE OUTLETS IN U.S.: Starbucks announced Wednesday (December 5th) that it plans to open at least 1,500 new outlets in the U.S. over the next five years, an increase of some 13 percent over the more than 11,100 Starbucks cafes there already are across the country. Worldwide, Starbucks says it will have more than 20,000 outlets by 2014, up from the current 18,000, with most of that growth coming from China. The optimistic expansion plans mark a turnaround for Starbucks from its struggles during the Great Recession, with the chain saying its newest cafes are among the company's best performers.

'SOCIALISM,' 'CAPITALISM' MOST LOOKED-UP WORDS THIS ELECTION YEAR: Dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster announced Wednesday (December 5th) that words tied to the presidential election were among the most looked-up on its website this year, led by "socialism" and "capitalism" in the top spot. Other election-related words in the top 10 were "malarkey," which Vice President Joe Biden used in his debate with Rep. Paul Ryan, and "meme," which Merriam-Webster said spiked in relation to Mitt Romney's "binders full of women" comment from his second debate with President Obama. The top 10 list of words looked up this year is:

  1. "socialism" and "capitalism"
  2. touche (too-SHAY)
  3. bigot
  4. marriage
  5. democracy
  6. professionalism
  7. globalization
  8. malarkey
  9. schadenfreude
  10. meme

PIZZA HUT DEBUTS LIMITED-EDITION PERFUME: Do you love pizza so much that you'd be happy to go about your day enveloped by the smell of a good pie? Well, Pizza Hut is helping some people do that, debuting a new perfume that's designed to smell like freshly-baked pizza dough with a little bit of spice mixed in. The pizza perfume idea actually started as a joke on Pizza Hut's Facebook page, but the company decided to go ahead and actually create it after enough people signed up as fans. Unfortunately for anyone eager to get their own bottle, the limited-edition run is already gone, and Pizza Hut doesn't have any plans to mass market the untitled scent.

CHECK IT OUT:

KOBE BRYANT REACHES 30,000 POINTS: Kobe Bryant became only the fifth player in NBA history to score 30,000 points last night (December 5th), reaching the milestone in New Orleans as his L.A. Lakers beat the Hornets 103-87. Bryant needed only 13 points to reach 30,000, getting there before halftime and scoring 29 total for the game. The only other players in the elite 30,000 club are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain, and at 34, Bryant is younger than they all were when they reached the mark.

NHL OWNERS, PLAYERS TALK FOR SECOND DAY: The NHL owners and players who are negotiating to try to end the hockey lockout met for a second long day on Wednesday (December 5th), continuing to talk into this morning. This latest round of labor talks that began Tuesday were the first without NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and players' union executive director Donald Fehr, as six owners and some 18 players met instead. Little information has been revealed, but both sides expressed some optimism as they kept at the talks. The lockout has now been going on since mid-September, and both sides are hoping they'll be able to salvage a shortened season.

STONE SOUR AND PAPA ROACH TEAM FOR U.S. TOUR: Stone Sour and Papa Roach will team up for a co-headlining U.S. tour that will kick off on January 20th in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Dates are confirmed so far through mid-February, with more shows to be added. Stone Sour will close every show on the tour. Stone Sour and Papa Roach are currently touring together in Europe, where the bill is reportedly selling out a number of shows.

  • Stone Sour is touring behind its fourth album, House Of Gold And Bones, Part 1, while Papa Roach is promoting its recently released seventh studio album, The Connection.
  • Stone Sour currently has the Number One song at Active Rock radio with "Absolute Zero."
  • The latest single from Papa Roach's The Connection is "Where Did The Angeles Go."
  • Confirmed Stone Sour / Papa Roach tour dates (subject to change):
    January 20 - Bethlehem, PA - Sands Bethlehem Events Center
    January 22 - Niagara Falls, NY - Rapids Theatre
    January 23 - New York, NY - Terminal 5
    January 25 - Milwaukee, WI - Eagles Ballroom
    January 27 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues
    January 29 - Minneapolis, MN - The Myth
    January 30 - Kansas City, MO - Midland Theater (Stone Sour only)
    February 1 - Amarillo, TX - Aztec Music Hall
    February 2 - Lubbock, TX - Lonestar Pavilion
    February 4 - Midland, TX - Midland Horseshoe Arena
    February 5 - College Station, TX - Hurricane Harry's
    February 7 - Corpus Christi, TX - Concrete Street Amphitheatre
    February 8 - Pharr, TX - Pharr Entertainment Center
    February 9 - Laredo, TX - Laredo Energy Center
    February 12 - Tempe, AZ - Marquee theatre
    February 13 - Los Angeles, CA - Club Nokia
    February 15 - Las Vegas, NV - The Joint
    February 16 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Salt Air
    February 17 - Denver, CO - The Fillmore

TOOL SINGER ADDRESSES ‘DIFFICULT INTERVIEW’ REPUTATION: Tool singer Maynard James Keenan has addressed his reputation for being a very difficult interview in the latest installment of his bi-weekly online column for the Phoenix New Times. Keenan, who doesn't give a lot of interviews to begin with, has also been known to shut down during q&a sessions depending on the journalist or situation. He explained in his column that it all comes down to the way the journalist presents the questions, saying, "The awesome writers strike up a conversation and my publicist has to cut us off 'cuz we're having too much fun. We call these people journalists. The lazy ones have a list of questions to which they've already anticipated the answers, so they don't bother listening to my responses. We call these people never again."

Keenan added, "There seems to be an epidemic raging out there. A whole lot of people are calling themselves professionals who really have no business doing so . . . Their skill is squeaking and moaning in order to get their way. Which is fine with me. It makes for easier targets."

  • The vocalist also brought up the fact that he was interviewed for his upcoming "semi-autobiography" by his co-writer on the project, who told him how "forthcoming" he was during their interview.
  • Keenan continued, "She said it stood in direct contrast to some -- but not all -- of my tight-lipped discourse she'd found online. Her guess was that the journalists in question lacked enthusiasm. Her understatement was correct. This is not the case with all journalists I've encountered, but unfortunately, it's the norm."

CHECK IT OUT: Read Keenan's entire column at http://tinyurl.com/cgrxbha

METALLICA POSTS ‘MATER OF PUPPETS’ FROM UPCOMING CONCERT DVD: Metallica has posted a video clip of the band performing its classic track "Master Of Puppets" online, taken from the upcoming Quebec Magnetic Blu-ray/DVD due out next week. Arriving on Monday (December 10th), the disc merges together footage from two shows the band did in Quebec City in the fall of 2009 as part of its World Magnetic Tour. This will be the first release from Metallica's new Blackened Recordings label, which was officially launched last week.

  • Fans were allowed to vote for the DVD's track listing, with 18 songs compiled for the concert and an additional eight bonus songs included on the disc.
  • In conjunction with the launch of Blackened, Metallica announced last week that the band had regained control of all the masters of the band's entire catalog of audio and video recordings, as per its now-expired 1994 contract with the Warner Music Group.
  • Metallica is also working on a 3D feature film for release next summer, as well as a new studio album that should surface in early 2014.

CHECK IT OUT: Watch Metallica rip through "Master Of Puppets" from the Quebec Magnetic DVD:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2f1Ny74_ou0?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

ROCK QUICK HITS:

  •             Metallica's James Hetfield and late Beastie Boys member Adam Yauch are among the artists who have contributed hand-painted skateboards to a new charity project called Boards and Bands. The initiative, launched by professional skateboard legend Tony Hawk, is auctioning off decks featuring the lyrics to famous songs painted on the skateboard by the artist. Among the musicians also involved are Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Jimmy Cliff. The charity auction will raise funds for new skateparks around the country. (Spinner)
  • M83 has released a music video for "Wait," the latest single from the act's 2011 double album, Hurry Up, We're Dreaming. The clip, which features planets and pyramids in space, wolves, children and psychedelic special effects, is said to be the last "chapter" in a trilogy of videos that also included clips for previous singles "Midnight City" and "Reunion," the former of which was a Top Five hit at Modern Rock radio. (Spin)
  • Memphis rockers Egypt Central have called it quits after 10 years, with bassist Joey Chicago and drummer Blake Allison deciding to continue in a new group called Devour The Day. In a statement posted on Facebook, Chicago said that the band would rather dissolve than "put some bull**** in front of your faces and ask you to believe in it." Egypt Central released two major label albums, a self-titled debut and 2011's White Rabbit, and reached the rock radio Top 20 with the title track from the latter set. (Banana1015.com)

MICHAEL RICHARDS CAST ON TV LAND SITCOM: Seinfeld's Michael Richards has scored a co-starring role on TV Land's Giant Baby. The show also stars Kirstie Alley and Rhea Perlman. Richards will play Alley's limo driver.

VISUAL EFFECTS BIGWIG EILEEN MORAN HAS DIED: Eileen Moran, who worked on the visual effects on films like Avatar and The Adventures of Tintin has died of cancer at the age of 60. She also worked on the visual effects for most of Peter Jackson's films including the upcoming Hobbit movie.

R.I.P. SUSAN LUCKEY: Music Man actress Susan Luckey passed away at her L.A. home on Thursday (November 29.) Her daughter told TMZ that the 74-year-old died simply of "old age."

RYAN SEACREST ACQUIRES CIVIC ENTERTAINMENT GROUP: Ryan Seacrest's Seacrest Global Group has purchased a majority stake in the marketing agency, Civic Entertainment Group. The agency handles the creative campaigns for many media, entertainment, and sports entities.

LEONARDO DICAPRIO & MIRANDA KERR HIT THE TOWN: Leonardo DiCaprio was spotted partying in NYC with Orlando Bloom's wife Miranda Kerr. The two have reportedly been friends for years and were joined by friends like Cameron Diaz despite tabloid reports that the two were getting flirty.

DONALD TRUMP AND GEORGE TAKEI DO LUNCH: Earlier this year George Takei promised that he would schedule a lunch with his Celebrity Apprentice boss Donald Trump to chat about Trump's position on gay marriage. The lunch reportedly took place on Tuesday (December 5) at Trump Tower Grill and Takei posted on his Facebook page that he hopes their chat might have an effect on "The Don's" stance on the subject.

SCOTT EVANS ARRESTED IN UNDERCOVER DRUG BUY: Former soap opera star Scott Evans was busted for trying to buy drugs from an undercover cop in Los Angeles. He reacted to his bust on Facebook saying, "Most ridiculous night of my life in LA so far. At least I made it a year before getting arrested." Scott is also the younger brother of Captain America's Chris Evans.

BRITTANY MURPHY’S LAST FILM FINALLY COMPLETED: Brittany Murphy's tragic and untimely death occurred around the same time she completed shooting for the movie Something Wicked. Three years later, the film is finally out of post-production.

The movie is about a young engaged couple who are being stalked by a man who will stop at nothing to be with the bride-to-be. According to Variety, the film is currently up for sale for distribution.

MMM...DINNER PLATES DESIGNED TO LOOK LIKE HUMAN TISSUE: A medical illustrator named Emily Evans has designed plates that have graphic patterns based on what different types of human tissue look like under a microscope. She applied the photos from the slides to fine china, and voila! Evans has four plate designs: testicle, liver, thyroid and esophagus. A full set, which includes one of each eight-inch plate, costs $200 while an individual plate is $60. (Gizmodo)

CHECK IT OUT

MAN LEFT DOG IN CHARGE OF BABY: A man in Palm Coast, Florida was charged with child neglect after he left a 10-month old baby in the care of a dog so he could go out and drink. The infant's mother left the baby with 41-year-old James Irvine so she could go to work. When she got home she found Irvine trying ot enter the home through the garage door. He admitted he had been at a bar, drinking. The mother told Flagler County sheriff's deputies that Irvine told her the baby wasn't alone becuase the dog was watching him. According to authorities, they found the dog sitting outside the baby's room as the infant cried. (Breitbart.com)

MAN ARRESTED AFTER POSTING PICTURE OF ILLEGAL GUN ON TWITTER: A New Jersey man who posted a picture of him holding a sawed-off shotgun on Twitter was arrested after police saw his tweet showing the illegal weapon. Jersey City police charged 22-year-old Khalid McClenton with unlawful possession of several prohibited weapons including knives and other guns. (NJ.com)

AUSTRALIAN RESEARCHERS INVENT COCONUT-FLAVORED PINEAPPLE: Researchers in Australia have developed a new pineapple that has the added taste of coconut. The country's Department of Agriculture announced this week that they are very close to finishing up the new variety after working on it for more than a decade. One horticulturalist involved in the project told reporters, "It has this lovely coconut flavor, which you won't find in any other pineapple in Australia." Researchers said the first ones won't even be planted commercially for at least two years. (Daily Mail)

EATING TOMATOES COULD WARD OFF DEPRESSION? A study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders finds a link between eating tomatoes and lowered risk of depression. For the study a team of researchers from China and Japan analyzed the eating habits of about one-thousand people age 70 or older. Researchers found that those who ate tomatoes two-to-six-times-per-week were 46-percent less likely to suffer from depression than those who ate tomatoes less often, and people who ate tomatoes every day were found to cut their risk of depression by 52-percent. Researchers say that the antioxidant lycopene that is found in tomatoes might play a role in the lowered risk for depression. No other vegetables were found to have the same effect as tomatoes. (Daily Mail)

TEN FUN D-I-Y CHRISTMAS TREE ORNAMENTS: http://tinyurl.com/a7t6rfv

INSTAGRAM ENDS INTEGRATION WITH TWITTER: Before, when Instagram users tweeted their latest Instagram photo, the image would appear inline with the tweet. Currently the inline images are improperly formatted in mobile apps, and are appearing cropped. Going forward, users will not be able to post Instagram photos through Twitter at all. (CNN) Meanwhile, Facebook made a small change to the its site on Wednesday (December 6th), renaming the "subscribe" feature to "follow." (TechCrunch)

FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS" MAY BE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE SAFER SEX: New research from Harvard University shows couples in casual relationships were more likely to use a condom than those in traditional relationships. To find this, researchers sampled a group of about 380-people, mostly in their mid-twenties and had them complete online surveys about their relationships. The "friends-with-benefits" group was also found to be more likely to have multiple partners, and they reported less sexual satisfaction than the traditional-relationship group. (NY Daily News)

HOW TO CHOOSE A GIFT FOR A MAN (Yahoo):

  • Upgrade. A lot of guys don't like to splurge on themselves. Treat him to a luxe version of something he wears all the time, like a hand-crafted Billykirk belt or a cashmere beanie from Steven Alan. Whenever he puts on his impossibly soft hat, he'll think of you, and that's never a bad thing.
  • Choose an experience. Your man likes Scotch? Take him to a Scotch-tasting session. He yells himself hoarse watching his team on TV? Get him two tickets to a game-the good seats. And here's the key part: Go with him. He will appreciate that you're taking part in the things he loves.
  • Dig deep. Yes, men can tell when a gift came from a halfhearted browse through the mall. Instead, go for a deep dive at the nearest flea market. While there will be some junky stuff in the mix, there will be more things with great patina that remind you of your guy than you could ever fit in the car home.Think vintage sports equipment, belt buckles, desk clocks, old college pennants, weird found photos and Polardoids, incredible old trunks and briefcases, and strange postcards from places that mean something to you. Bonus: Regale him with the story of the witchy old loon who sold you the '40s-era football while he unwraps it.
  • Plan an abduction. Take him on a trip you've got all planned out. It doesn't have to be ten days in the Maldives. A night or two in the country will do. Show him you've been lovingly researching this thing for a while: Book dinner reservations in advance (at a place described as "rockin'," not "cute"); find the bar that does good cocktails; have three ideas for lazy ways to spend the afternoon, and let him pick ("in bed" should be one of them).