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Prince William, Kate Land In Canada

Amy Reiter — 2011-06-30T15:38:00+00:00

2 Minute Memo, RoyalsThe royal newlyweds are here! Prince William and wife Kate, who took off from London on a private jet Thursday morning for their two-week tour of North America, reached Canada around 2 p.m. Thursday afternoon. After disembarking from their plane at Ottawa's Macdonald-Cartier International Airport, the couple were greeted by dignitaries and cheered by thousands of fans, People reports. (The former Ms. Middleton had thoughtfully changed en route into a dress made by Montreal-born designer Erdem Moralioglu in honor of the host country - having worn a blazer designed by another Canadian, Toronto-based Smythe Les Vestes, when she boarded the plane.) After making several stops in Canada in the coming days, they will then dip into the United States to visit California.

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Medicare Will Continue Avastin Coverage

Amy Reiter — 2011-06-30T15:07:00+00:00

2 Minute Memo, HealthDespite a Food and Drug Administration panel's recent conclusion that the drug Avastin is not effective for the treatment of breast cancer, Medicare and Medicaid will continue to cover the cost of the medicine for patients whose doctors prescribe it. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid spokesman Don McLeod said Thursday that the FDA's final recommendation about Avastin's use will not affect its coverage as CMS frequently covers drugs for off-label uses, Reuters reports. "The drug will still be on the market, doctors will still be prescribing it and we will continue to pay for it," McLeod said.

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MSNBC Slaps Analyst For Obama Slur

Amy Reiter — 2011-06-30T13:58:00+00:00

2 Minute Memo, Quoteworthy"I want to offer a heartfelt and profound apology to the president, to my MSNBC colleagues and to the viewers. My remark was unacceptable, and I deeply regret it."

-- MSNBC analyst Mark Halperin after he was suspended from his on-air role for calling President Obama "kind of a dick" on "Morning Joe" - though if you watch the clip from the show (below), you'll see that he was goaded into it and assured (jokingly, it was later revealed) that his comment would be bleeped out. (MSNBC)

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Author Exposes Shoplifting Lifestyle in 'The Steal'

Catherine Donaldson-Evans — 2011-06-30T13:24:00+00:00

News, Recently on MyDaily

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Does Living Together Really Save Couples Money?

Catherine Donaldson-Evans — 2011-06-30T13:15:00+00:00

Recently on MyDaily, Lifestyle

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Men Whose Dads Cheated More Likely to Follow Suit

Catherine Donaldson-Evans — 2011-06-30T13:11:00+00:00

Recently on MyDaily, Lifestyle

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Money in the Bank!

Josh Loposer — 2011-06-30T11:35:00+00:00

Morning Rush, Daily VideoReceipt found in the Hamptons displays some impressive numbers in the available balance columnIn this clip, an ATM receipt found in the Hamptons reveals an account balance of almost $100 million. 'Good Morning America' anchor Josh Elliot takes a look at the eye-popping figures on the carelessly discarded receipt. "A bank account we can only dream about -- look at this ATM receipt found in the posh beach escape of East Hampton, New York," Elliot explains as a photo shows a balance of $99,864,731. Apparently, the receipt was turned over to the website Dealbreaker.com, which claims it belongs to billionaire hedge fund manager David Tepper.

"He is denying it at this hour. I would argue that's nothing to be really ashamed of, but that's just me," says Elliot. "He's ashamed for having it in an interest-bearing account that's less than one percent," jokes George Stephanopoulos.

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Monkey Business

Josh Loposer — 2011-06-30T11:34:00+00:00

Morning RushA French couple who manages a zoo takes a friendly gorilla home to sleep with them every nightA childless couple in France is making headlines after revealing that they bring their zoo's 13-year-old gorilla home with them after hours. 'Early Show' anchor Jeff Glor chronicles the story of Digit the domesticated zoo gorilla. Footage shows Digit hanging out with her human parents as Glor narrates, "She's been adopted by a couple who manage a zoo near Lyon in southern France. Digit stays in their home at night and returns to the zoo's gorilla enclosure during the day."

In the video, Digit climbs around her enclosure as Glor reports, "The couple says that Digit even sleeps in their bed. [I'm] gonna pass." Laughing, he turns the broadcast over to Marysol Castro for the weather. "Again, this is about the 13th time on this broadcast that I remain incredulous," she jokes.

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Cashing Out

Josh Loposer — 2011-06-30T11:33:00+00:00

Morning RushRegis tries using an ATM once in his life, has a horrible experience and vows never to go back againOn this morning's 'Live,' Regis reveals the almost unbelievable depths of his techno-illiteracy. "I hate to tell you this because you'll only make fun of me as you usually do, but I can take it," Regis says, building the suspense. "I don't know how to do an ATM," he admits. Kelly immediately recoils in melodramatic horror. "I'm shocked to learn of that!" she exclaims with heavy sarcasm. The audience roars with laughter as Regis remains deadpan. "I was traumatized when they first came into being. It was almost 25 years ago," Regis explains.

According to Regis, the first time he tried to use an ATM, there was a long line. "There was a woman behind me and she got me rattled," Regis recounts. Apparently, Regis forgot his PIN when the woman behind him sighed impatiently. "So you gave it that one shot and that was it?" Kelly asks. "The woman intimidated me," Regis explains.

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Shell Shock

Josh Loposer — 2011-06-30T11:32:00+00:00

Morning RushTurtles shut down JFK airport runways for a short while as they made their way across the tarmacA group of migrating turtles caused some unusual flight delays at New York's busy JFK International Airport on Wednesday. 'Today' anchors Matt Lauer and Ann Curry give us the scoop on the slow-moving turtle chaos. "About 150 diamondback terrapin turtles decided to walk across the tarmac," Curry reports as footage shows the herd of errant terrapins. "Apparently, these turtles were headed to a nearby beach to lay eggs. They used one of the runways to get there," Lauer explains. "Flights were briefly delayed while the turtles were then rounded up."

Air traffic control radio recordings captured some of the funny turtle exchanges. "American 1009, there's a report of a turtle on the runway. Do you want to have it removed first?" asks a flight controller. "Sure!" the pilot replies, "I was wondering where those things were." Joking, Lauer quips, "Imagine if he'd said, 'No, don't remove it. Full speed ahead!'"

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No Delay

Josh Loposer — 2011-06-30T11:31:00+00:00

Morning RushPolitical analyst Mark Halperin asks for a 7-second delay, then calls the president a vulgar name on the airPolitical analyst Mark Halperin caused quite a controversy on today's 'Morning Joe' after using an expletive to describe President Obama's attitude at a recent press conference. "Are we on the 7-second delay today?" Halperin asks. "I wanted to characterize how I thought the president behaved." Addressing the show's producer, co-host Mika Brzezinski asks, "We have it, we can use it. Right Alex?" Joe Scarborough assures Halperin that whatever he says will be fine. "I'm behind you, you fall down, I catch you. Trust me," Scarborough reassures.

"I thought he was kind of a d*ck yesterday," Halperin says, smiling. To which Scarborough immediately responds, "Oh my God. Delay that! Delay that! What are you doing!?" The producer says of the delay button, "I hit it. I hope it worked," but apparently he pushed the wrong button. "I'm not shocked by much, but that shocked me!" Scarborough exclaims.

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Author Rachel Shteir Exposes the Shoplifting Lifestyle in 'The Steal'

Emily Tan — 2011-06-30T10:00:00+00:00

MyDaily Originals, News & Culture

Courtesy of The Penguin Press

Stealing has been going on for centuries. But unlike thieves from the past who would snatch an apple or some bread because they were hungry, today's shoplifters are taking everything from drugstore lipsticks to couture dresses.

Author Rachel Shteir looked into the world of thievery and found that there's more to stealing than just swiping a pack of gum in her latest book, "The Steal: A Cultural History of Shoplifting."

Shteir spoke with MyDaily about shoplifting's rise, why celebrities have the urge to steal and how shops and malls have been trying to keep thieves away.

"I wanted to figure out how we got to where we are today in terms of shoplifting," she said.

You start the book off with Winona Ryder's shoplifting stint. Why do you think some celebrities like her have chosen to steal?
I think celebrities shoplift for the same reasons as us but obviously not because they need a loaf of bread. We live in a consumer society. And when you go into a store, there are all these gorgeous objects all around you. One of the things that struck me, watching the video of her in Beverly Hills, was how she just seems overwhelmed by all of the clothes and accessories. She's wandering through the store in frenzy, and she keeps piling more and more clothes, more and more shoes, and more and more accessories until she practically falls down on the floor. There's this transformative power in beautiful clothing and beautiful shoes. There's a kind of rush. There's a thrill that you get from stealing these objects that you don't get from buying it. I also think there's a sense of entitlement. Sometimes celebrities feel they should just be given these things.

Do you think the recession has anything to do with the rise in stealing?
Shoplifting has gone up, but I don't think it's because people are starving. I think, in some cases, people are just trying to stretch their money further. So instead of buying the luxury item, they're shoplifting it. It's like the "pay for one, steal one" plan or the "buy one, get one free" plan. That's the biggest way things have changed. There are also these professional gangs of shoplifters. They go into stores, target and steal specific things. It could be lipstick or underwear from Victoria's Secret. These gangs resell these things on eBay. Some people associate the prevalence of shoplifting with the rise of these gangs in the recession. But I don't think there's enough research to prove that.

Is stealing an illness?
If anything, it's a compulsion. But I have met people who just could not stop stealing. They were compelled to steal. They were in the store and just grabbed a bunch of Tommy Hilfiger shorts and ran out. For these people, it wasn't about reselling. There just seems to be something driving them into the store to get these things and scoop them up. So I have an issue with the medicalization of crimes. I get anxious when people talk about shoplifting as an addiction. I'm not completely sold on that. And the word "kleptomania" goes back to the 19th century and has a specific meaning. There are studies that show kleptomaniacs are a tiny, tiny, tiny percent of all shoplifters.

Does stealing give women a sense of power?
These things can transform you into somebody else. Things like makeup and beautiful clothes have so much power, especially for women. There's the idea that when you walk into a store, a lipstick is going to transform you into another person -- a more beautiful person, a more desirable person, a more famous person. There's a very seductive atmosphere in a lot of these stores. They're trying to get you to buy all these things. Sometimes it's the thrill, but the thrill is because these objects have this power. The idea of dressing up and become someone else is just a good feeling.

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Denise Richards Adopts Baby Girl

Amy Reiter — 2011-06-30T09:29:00+00:00

2 Minute Memo, CelebrityDenise Richards' two young daughters, Sam, 7, and Lola, 6, by ex-husband Charlie Sheen, have a new sister. According to TMZ, the actress has adopted a newborn baby girl, whom she has named Eloise Joni, in honor of her mother, Joni, who died of cancer in 2007.

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Justin Timberlake, MySpace Mogul

Amy Reiter — 2011-06-30T08:32:00+00:00

2 Minute Memo, CultureOne for the "Life imitates art" file: Justin Timberlake, who played Napster co-founder Sean Parker in "The Social Network," a film about the launch of Facebook, has teamed up with a company called Specific Media to buy the social media site MySpace from News Corp. The deal, which closed Wednesday, will see Timberlake installed in an office at MySpace headquarters, in Beverly Hills, with a staff on hand to develop his ideas for the site "around the clock," Fox News reports. "There's a need for a place where fans can go to interact with their favorite entertainers, listen to music, watch videos, share and discover cool stuff and just connect," Timberlake said of his vision for the site. "MySpace has the potential to be that place."

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Judge OKs Loughner's Forced Medication

Amy Reiter — 2011-06-30T08:02:00+00:00

2 Minute Memo, CrimeJared Lee Loughner, the suspect in the Tucson shooting rampage in which six people were killed and 13 others injured, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, can be forced to continue to take anti-psychotic drugs, U.S. District Judge Larry Burns ruled Wednesday. The judge said he wasn't inclined to question the prison doctors' assessment that Loughner, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and has violently lashed out repeatedly while in prison, is a danger. "I have no reason to disagree with the doctors here," Burns said, according to the Associated Press. "They labor in this vineyard every day."

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Ann Taylor: 40% Off Everything

MyDaily Staff — 2011-06-30T08:00:00+00:00

Fashion, Daily Deal

Scott Olson, Getty Images

2011/07/04
Start the fireworks early! Ann Taylor's "Red, White and Sale" has begun in stores and online. Everything is 40% off, so whether you're celebrating Independence Day with family or friends, staying at home or leaving for a weekend trip, your perfect 4th of July outfit is totally attainable.

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Does Living Together Really Save Couples Money?

Emily Tan — 2011-06-30T08:00:00+00:00

MyDaily Originals, Love & Relationships, Love in the USA

Getty Images

Instead of waiting till they tie the knot, more couples today are moving in together to cut costs. But does cohabitation really save money?

New research shows that living together can save a buck -- but there's a catch. While cohabiting couples save about 1.4 times more money than those who don't shack up, how much they put away depends on their careers and backgrounds.

College-educated unmarried couples who lived together saved far more money than those who only finished high school, according to the Pew Research Center.

This is could in part be explained by their income levels. College-educated couples who are unmarried but live together have an average household salary of $106,400 while married college grads share an average $101,160 combined salary.

In contrast, unmarried cohabiting couples who have only completed high school have a median income of $46,540 and married high school-educated couples have a combined salary of $56,800.

Pew researchers say children may factor in to the trend. College-educated couples were less likely to have kids before they tied the knot compared to those who didn't get their college degree. In addition, higher-educated couples are more likely to marry within three years of living together as well as "pool their resources" more efficiently, they said.

Cohabitation is more common among "less educated" couples, according to the Pew figures. Among women aged 19 to 44, 73 percent who only have a high school degree have lived with a mate compared to 52 percent of women with some college education and 47 percent who graduated from college.

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Men Whose Dads Cheated Are More Likely to Follow Same Path

Emily Tan — 2011-06-30T08:00:00+00:00

MyDaily Originals, Love & Relationships, Love in the USA

Corbis

If you're worried that your guy is a cheater, you might want to check his dad's track record.

A team of Czech researchers found that men whose fathers have been unfaithful while they were growing up are likely to pick up the same behavior themselves.

Women, on the other hand, weren't significantly affected by their mothers' infidelity.

Lead scientist Jan Havlicek and his team looked at 86 couples, asking each partner separately about their feelings and attitudes toward relationships and sex as well as their family histories with infidelity.

Researchers found that good-looking sons of handsome fathers were more likely to cheat. Meanwhile, pretty women who had beautiful mothers aren't necessarily going to be "unfaithful." Instead, they're just likely to be selective when it comes to choosing a significant other.

Since men's main motivation in a relationship is sex, he will likely stray if his "appetite" is unsatisfied and he wants more sex or sexual partners. But if a woman cheats, it's because she isn't happy with her significant other or her relationship, the researchers said.

The expression "like father, like son" has never sounded so bad -- until now.

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Police Arrest Saudi Women Drivers

Amy Reiter — 2011-06-30T07:30:00+00:00

2 Minute Memo, OutrageFive women were arrested Tuesday by police in Saudi Arabia for getting behind the wheel to protest the country's ban on women driving. The arrests took place in Jidda, the country's second-largest city, The New York Times reports. Four of the women, ages 21 and 22, were taken into custody by police as they were riding together in one car; they were released after signing statements saying they would not drive again. The fifth woman was arrested while driving, unveiled, with her brother in the car; both were taken into custody. "If Saudi police think arresting women drivers is going to stop what has already become the largest women's rights movement in Saudi history, they are sorely mistaken," Saudi Women for Driving, the activist coalition behind the women's driving-rights movement, said in a statement. "On the contrary, these arrests will encourage more women to get behind the wheel in direct defiance of this ridiculous abuse of our most basic human rights."

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Airline Baby Ban Sparks Outcry

Amy Reiter — 2011-06-29T16:23:00+00:00

2 Minute Memo, TravelNo babies in first class: totally understandable or a total outrage? The debate is apparently raging on Twitter after Malaysia Airlines CEO Tengku Azmil announced that the airline's existing ban on babies in the first class sections of its Boeing 747-400 planes would be extended to include its Airbus A380 super jumbo jet fleet as well. "hv many complaints from 1st class pax dat dey spend money on 1st class & can't sleep due to crying infants," Azmil tweeted, by way of explanation. He later added, ""It is a tough call.There will be unhappy p#!@%*#engers either way."

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