charged with assaulting Michigan boy

Anthony Bennett, 20, was charged Friday with assaulting 4-year-old Carnel Chamberlain weeks earlier. Bennett is not charged in Chamberlain's death, though the charges come a day after the boy was found dead underneath the porch of his home.

HOLLY MAHAFFEY/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Photos of 4-year-old Carnel Chamberlain, from the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, hang at the tribal operations building Friday, June 22, 2012. Chamberlain was found dead under the porch of his home Thursday.

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — A man was charged Friday with assaulting a 4-year-old boy weeks earlier, a day after the missing child’s body was found under the porch at the youngster’s home on a mid-Michigan Indian reservation.

Anthony Bennett, 20, was charged in a federal criminal complaint in Bay City, where he was expected to appear in court. He is not charged in the death of Carnel Chamberlain, but the complaint details the reported physical abuse of the child.

Bennett reportedly had consulted with an attorney after Carnel was reported missing, but no lawyer is on record in the case.

Carnel was reported missing on June 21 while in the care of Bennett on the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe reservation, near Mount Pleasant. Carnel’s mother was at work.

For days, investigators searched woods, ponds and the tribe’s wastewater treatment areas to no avail. Carnel’s body was discovered on Thursday under a wood porch or deck at his single-story home, said Kevin Chamberlain, who is a cousin of Carnel’s mother, Jaimee Chamberlain.

According to the criminal complaint, Carnel’s mother told investigators that in late May or early June, she saw her son with a bruised and swollen face as well as a cut lip. She told authorities that her son said he was struck by Bennett.

A few days later, according to the complaint, she told authorities she saw Bennett pick up her son by the neck and drop him before dragging him into a room by his foot.

Friday’s charge against Bennett is assault resulting in substantial bodily harm.

“Nothing this monumentally horrific has ever happened in our community,” said the spokesman, who grew up on the reservation and served as tribal chief from 1997 to 1999.

“Right now, it’s a very somber place with a lot of broken hearts,” he told The Associated Press on Friday.

He said he didn’t know why investigators went back to the house, which had been sealed off by tribal police days earlier.

On Friday morning, a tribal police car sat outside the family’s house, less than a mile from tribal police headquarters and the offices of the Saginaw Chippewa tribe. Just beyond the offices is the gleaming Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort, which attracts gamblers from around the state and is the tribe’s financial lifeblood.

Judy Klein, 68, of Mount Pleasant, drove to the boy’s home about 70 miles north of Lansing on Friday morning to leave some hydrangeas she had grown in her garden.

She said she was “sick about it” when she learned of the child’s death.

“I’m a mother. I lost a child,” she said, trying to hold back tears. “She was 26 and died in her sleep. I know the grief.”

The tribe offered thanks Friday for those who searched for Carnel as well as condolences to his family.

At a vigil for Carnel on Thursday night near Mount Pleasant, which was attended by Jaimee Chamberlain and other relatives, participants sang, played drums and spoke urging love and healing in the face of tragedy.

Carnel “didn’t have time to grow up and enjoy life,” tribal chief Dennis Kequom told the gathering. “He’ll always be with us in our hearts.”

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/man-charged-assaulting-michigan-boy-found-dead-article-1.1104851#ixzz1zDTjchW6

Read More

Chris Brown injured after getting into NYC bar brawl

The singer later tweeted a photo of a gash on his chin after the altercation

@CHRISBROWN/VIA TWITTER

Chris Brown (r.) tweeted a photo of a gash on his chin after getting into a bar fight with Drake and his entourage.

Volatile R&B star Chris Brown suffered a gash to his chin in a bottle-throwing brawl over Rihanna that erupted between his entourage and rapper Drake’s posse at a Manhattan nightclub, police sources said.

The wild fight, which left five people with lacerations, started about 4 a.m. Thursday at Club W.I.P. in the West Village — and was reportedly sparked by a comment about Rihanna, Brown’s ex-girlfriend.

According to a police source, a round of drinks with a note about the sultry singer was sent between the two groups before the fight began.

Brown — who famously assaulted Rihanna in 2009, leaving her bruised and bloody — posted a picture of his injury on his Twitter account, TMZ.com reported.

Brown added a message to the photo: “How u party with rich n------ that hate? Lol ... Throwing bottles like girls? #shameonya!”

The picture and the tweet were later taken down.

Police received a 911 call about a disorderly group at the basement club on Vandam St., but both Drake and Brown were gone by the time cops arrived.

Four of the people taken to local hospital were innocent bystanders, while the fifth was believed to be involved in the fight, police sources said.

Brown, in addition to taking a bottle to his chin, was also reportedly punched in the face by Drake’s forces, police sources said.

Read More

USADA brings formal doping charges against Lance Armstrong; could strip 7 Tour de France titles

Armstrong confirms he received letter from agency accusing him of doping

Lance Armstrong confirms he receives a letter from U.S. Anti-Doping Agency accusing him of doping.

Lance Armstrong confirmed Wednesday afternoon that he received a letter from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency accusing him of doping and banning him from future competitions, beginning a formal process that could strip the cycling legend of his seven Tour de France titles.

Armstrong received the letter from USADA Tuesday notifying him that blood samples the organization collected from him in 2009 and 2010 were “fully consistent with blood manipulation including EPO use and/or blood transfusions,” the Washington Post first reported on its website.

Armstrong, who took up competitive triathlon after retiring from cycling in 2011, has consistently denied doping despite a growing mountain of circumstantial evidence that he used banned drugs and methods.

“I have been notified that USADA, an organization largely funded by taxpayer dollars but governed only by self-written rules, intends to again dredge up discredited allegations dating back more than 16 years to prevent me from competing as a triathlete and try and strip me of the seven Tour de France victories I earned,” Armstrong said in a statement. “These charges are baseless, motivated by spite and advanced through testimony bought and paid for by promises of anonymity and immunity.”

The action comes just months after a federal grand jury investigation overseen by prosecutors in the Central District of California was unexpectedly suspended without charges. The government gathered sworn testimony in that case linking the legendary cyclist to doping conspiracies.

USADA, a Colorado-based organization that monitors Olympic sports for doping, has been known to cooperate with federal agents in criminal litigation, including the litigation springing from the BALCO doping conspiracy. In the Armstrong case, USADA conducted its own investigation parallel to the federal one.

PETER DEJONG/AP

Travis Tygart, the group's CEO and president, issued a statement Wednesday in response to Armstrong’s statement, saying that “USADA only initiates matters supported by the evidence. We do not choose whether or not we do our job based on outside pressures, intimidation or for any reason other than the evidence.

“Our duty on behalf of clean athletes and those that value the integrity of sport is to fairly and thoroughly evaluate all the evidence available and when there is credible evidence of doping, take action under the established rules,” he continued.

Armstrong can elect to ask for a hearing on the charges, which would be heard by an independent panel of arbitrators, not USADA officials, who will then determine if the violations occurred.

USADA Lance Armstrong Charging Letter 06-12-2012

"Our hearts go out to Lance and his family as they face what can only be a very frustrating and difficult time as a result of USADA's actions," said Doug Ulman, the president and CEO of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, the cyclist's nonprofit cancer awareness organization.

The news broke on the same day that a federal jury was deliberating over whether Armstrong's fellow Texan, Roger Clemens, lied to Congress in 2008 when he denied using performance-enhancing drugs. That case also saw close cooperation between federal agents with subpoena power and a non-governmental investigator.

In the Clemens case, former Senator George Mitchell was granted access to government witnesses.

Armstrong said in his statement Wednesday that USADA is repurposing the “very same charges and the same witnesses that the Justice Department chose not to pursue after a two-year investigation. ... Although USADA alleges a wide-ranging conspiracy extended over more than 16 years, I am the only athlete it has chosen to charge. USADA’s malice, its methods, its star-chamber practices, and its decision to punish first and adjudicate later all are at odds with our ideals of fairness and fair play.”

Armstrong continued, saying he has never doped, a constant refrain over his long career.

“I have never doped, and, unlike many of my accusers, I have competed as an endurance athlete for 25 years with no spike in performance, passed more than 500 drug tests and never failed one,” he said. “That USADA ignores this fundamental distinction and charges me instead of the admitted dopers says far more about USADA, its lack of fairness and this vendetta than it does about my guilt or innocence.”

USADA Lance Armstrong Charging Letter 06-12-2012

Read More

High school senior wins $1,000 a week for life from New York Lottery

Brooklyn teen is the youngest winner ever of 'Win $1,000 a Week for Life' lottery game

TODD MAISEL/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Robert Salo, 18, of Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, won the “Win $1,000 A Week for Life” scratch-off game from the New York Lottery. He plans to go to college with the money. Salo posed for a photo Tuesday with lottery spokeswoman Gretchen Dizer.

A senior at Horndog High got lucky — for the rest of his life.

Robert Salo, who is just 18, got the graduation gift that keeps on giving when he

won the “Win $1,000 a Week for Life” scratch off game.

That means Salo, who came forward Tuesday, could collect more than $3 million before taxes if he lives to be 80 — the average life expectancy in the city.

“This is the first thing I’ve ever won,” said a grinning Salo, who is graduating this month from James Madison High School, a school infamous for its trysting teachers. “It’s a good way to start out life.”

Is it ever.

It’s also a big reversal of fortune for his single mom, who was wondering how to make her son’s college dreams come true: “We were kind of worried about paying for college,” Salo’s mom, Rabia, said. “I said if I had to work two jobs I would do it, but he’s going to the school he wants.”

Now neither son nor mother have to worry about that. But first, Salo’s getting some wheels.

“I’m definitely going to use it for college,” said Salo, who plans to go “out of state” but wouldn’t say where. “I’m going to invest in myself.”

Then, joking, he added, “Hopefully a nice car — something in my price range.”

Salo — who lives in Sheepshead Bay with his mom, a sibling and an uncle — was on the way to collect another set of wheels when he struck it rich May 15.

The family’s 2001 Volkswagen Jetta had been stolen and they were heading to the pound to pick it up, he said.

Salo said when they stopped at the BP station at the corner of Avenue T and Coney Island Avenue for gas, he bought a ticket.

“When I scratched it, I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “I thought it was a fake ticket. I had to ask them to pull over — I couldn’t drive and show them at the same time.”

Salo said the whole experience of winning so much money was surreal.

“It felt like I was in a dream,” he said. “Even after a couple of days it felt like a dream. I couldn’t sleep. I was just walking around at home. I wasn’t hungry or anything.”

Rabia Salo admits she’s biased, but she believes fortune couldn’t have smiled on a better young man.

“I’m excited for him,” the happy mom said. “He deserves it. He’s a good kid.”

Word of Salo’s good luck electrified James Madison High, which up till now was best known as the school where two female teachers were once found naked cavorting in a classroom — and where earlier this month a tattoed English teacher was accused of seducing a student.

Salo’s classmate Charles Coleman laughingly said he was a bit miffed his buddy was holding out on him.

“I can’t believe he didn’t tell me,” said Coleman, 17. “This is the first time I’m hearing about it. I need to call him up for a loan.”

Kidding aside, Coleman said “it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.”

Another senior, Anthony Drew, 17, said a grand a week in New York City isn’t all that much, “but better to win when you’re 18 than when you’re 95.”

Salo appears to be the youngest person to win the Lottery’s grand a week for life contest. In May, 21-year-old Pedro Pablo Martinez Jr. won the prize.

With Matthew Lysiak

Read More

Landlord Phillip Goldfarb lives in a nice suburban home while his buildings have many violations

Tenants Association member Judith Mosely, Carmen Parrilla and George Moton (l. to r.) with one of the faulty elevators in their apartment building at 939 Woodycrest Ave. in the Bronx. The property is owned and managed by Phillip Goldfarb.

THE KING OF the Goldfarb real estate empire lives in a 3,400-square-foot mansion on a leafy suburban cul-de-sac, miles from the Bronx apartment building he owns where fire escapes were removed and tenants last week found themselves homeless.

Phillip Goldfarb occasionally jets off to his luxury beachfront condo in Hollywood, Fla., but he also spends much of his time answering hundreds of code violations that his buildings rack up in Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx.

Goldfarb caught the city’s attention last week when he sought to close out several such violations at 2400 Webb Ave., in the Bronx. Instead, Housing Preservation & Development inspectors who showed up discovered all the fire escapes had been removed from the building.

HPD slapped Goldfarb with even more violations and the city ordered all 200 tenants out of their apartments until the problem is solved.

But long before the fire escape debacle, Goldfarb’s 14 city buildings were already catching flak from agencies that are supposed to keep housing in the city safe.

In the last decade, these buildings have amassed 307 building code violations. They currently have 226 open housing code violations as well.

In one Goldfarb building on E. 80th St., a caller complained to the city in March that entry to the lobby from the rear stairwells had been sealed off, effectively eliminating a second exit as required by law.

Yvette Lanneaux, an attorney who rents a two-bedroom for $6,600 a month in that building, says a few months back the granite mantel over her fireplace suddenly collapsed onto her 13-year-old son.

“It just fell off and broke into a bunch of pieces,” she said. “His arm was injured. It wasn’t a break, but he had a cast on for a week.”

She says management eventually made repairs, but never said they were sorry or offered compensation. She withheld one month’s rent, and is still furious about the incident.

“I was so appalled that they weren’t even pretending to be apologetic,” she said. “The mantel falls off the wall. Smoke alarms don’t work. They just let the building go.”

Last fall, dozens of tenants at 1700 Grand Concourse complained to City Councilman Fernando Cabrera that Goldfarb Properties was harassing them in a bid to force them out.

At that same building, tenant Douglas Weiss was jolted awake at 2 a.m. when a chunk of ceiling concrete fell and smacked him in the face. He sued and won an unspecified settlement in 2009.

NORMAN Y. LONO FOR NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Phillip Goldfarb lives in this large house in Westchester County, while his tenants have to deal with problems in his buildings.

“He had complained about the ceiling ahead of time and nothing was done,” said his lawyer, Eitan Ogen.

Records show tenants in several other Goldfarb buildings have complained about harassment, with construction work performed at odd hours (such as 7 a.m. Saturday) and without proper permits.

At 939 Woodycrest Ave., tenant association member Judith Mosely says since 2010 residents have been hit with surcharges after Goldfarb claimed to have repaired constantly useless elevators.

“Now the elevators still cut out,” she said. “We had an elderly woman stuck in between floors. We had to call the fire department to get her out last fall.”

Phillip Goldfarb has ignored repeated requests for comment from The News about the fire escape screwup and his other buildings.

Last week, Goldfarb roared past a News reporter in his Mercedes, scurrying back into the four-bedroom Westchester manse — with swimming pool — he bought for $900,000 in 2003.

That home is a world away from the building he owns in the Bronx that thrust him into the headlines this week.

At the Webb Ave. building, the city found that Goldfarb had hired an engineer whose license had once been suspended after he pleaded guilty to criminal charges in a bid rigging scheme.

In April, engineer Roland Draper self-certified the plan to remove the fire escapes and the city marked it as approved, although a permit for the job was not yet awarded.

The state suspended Draper’s engineering license in 2005 for one month and put him on probation for two years. Though

most of Draper’s work is in the city, the state did not inform the city Buildings Department about Draper’s troubles, officials said.

Buildings officials are now investigating the cause of the fire escape incident. Meanwhile,

displaced tenants have not been told how long they’ll be forced to live elsewhere.

They’ve scattered to the wind, staying with friends, family and in lonely hotel rooms until their lives are returned.

Mike Staton, a 46-year-old MTA conductor who spent his first two nights at a hotel, is staying at a studio for another six days, and then he’s not sure where’s going.

“We have no idea in terms of when we can go back in,” he said. “It puts my life in an uproar. We’re living out of a suitcase.”

gsmith@nydailynews.com

Read More

Manny Pacquiao stunned in split decision as Timothy Bradley wins WBO welterweight title fight at MGM Grand Arena

Timothy Bradley celebrates split decision victory over Manny Pacquiao in WBO welterweight title fight.

LAS VEGAS — Timothy Bradley had youth and confidence on his side. Manny Pacquiao possesses power and speed in abundance. Pacquiao made good use of his skills to pound Bradley, but he couldn’t convince two of the judges at ringside that he did enough in one of the worst decisions in recent boxing history.

So Bradley was awarded a 12-round split decision before a stunned crowd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday night. Somewhere in a jail cell at the Clark County Detention Center, Floyd Mayweather Jr. was screaming in outrage.

“This was totally insane. What do you say after that?” promoter Bob Arum said. “Nothing has stunned me more than this decision in my career in boxing.”

Judge Jerry Roth scored it 115-113 for Pacquiao, while judges C.J. Ross and Duane Ford each scored it 115-113 for Bradley. The Daily News scored it 116-112 for Pacquiao.

“I did my best. I guess my best wasn’t good enough,” Pacquiao said. “I’ve been watching tapes of Bradley’s fight in preparation. Tonight he never hurt me. Most of his punches hit my arm.”

Did he think he was robbed? “No doubt,” Pacquiao said.

JULIE JACOBSON/AP

Manny Pacquiao connects with a punch against Timothy Bradley in the third round of WBO welterweight title fight Saturday at MGM Grand Arena.

With the victory, Bradley earned $5 million and the WBO welterweight title.

Even Bradley seemed surprised by the decision. He was booed lustily by the crowd after the fight. There certainly will be a rematch.

When asked if he thought he did enough to get the decision, Bradley said, “I have to go home and watch it to see if I won the fight. My corner told me if I won the last round I’d win the fight.”

It looked as if Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38 KOs) was on his way to a bounce-back victory before the scorecards were read. He appeared to have lost the zip on his fastball in a controversial decision over Juan Manuel Marquez on Nov. 12. Pacquiao wasn’t spectacular against Bradley, but then he didn’t need to be. Instead he was workmanlike in taking apart his foe.

Bradley (29-0, 12 KOs) proved that he could hang with the big boys. But he didn’t appear that he had enough to take down a world-class caliber boxer.

The fight got off to a late start as Pacquiao had to run on the treadmill to loosen up his calf muscles before getting gloved up. He had complained of cramping in his legs during his last two fights against Shane Mosley and Juan Manuel Marquez.

Neither man had an airtight defense. Pacquiao was able to sneak in a quick left-right combination down the middle in the first two rounds. But it didn’t seem to bother Bradley that much. Bradley seemed more interested in trying to earn Pacquiao’s respect through the first few rounds than landing anything telling. Bradley was trying to work the body and maul Pacquiao, who did everything he could to keep Bradley from head-butting him.

Pacquiao opened up a blistering barrage of combinations that stunned and wobbled Bradley late in the fourth round. But he couldn’t put Bradley on the canvas. Bradley closed the round by landing a sharp left to Pacquiao’s chin, an indication that he was still in the fight.

By the sixth round Pacquiao had shifted into stalker mode. He was walking down Bradley, who had slowed down. It looked like Bradley’s plan to counterpunch, something he had taken from tapes of Marquez’s fights against Pacquiao, had been shelved.

Pacquiao’s speed and power were too much for Bradley. Before the fight those were the two things that Bradley said he didn’t fear about Pacquiao. But as the fight wore on, those were the two things that seemed to be his undoing.

Much was made before the fight of Pacquiao’s rededication to religion. He had always been a practicing Catholic, but he had taken to regular Bible study after his infidelity, gambling and late-night carousing threatened to end his marriage. He had blamed those vices for his lackluster performance against Marquez.

Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer, had applauded the new adherence to strict moral principles. He said it made Pacquaio more focused and had him coming into training fresher each day.

Bradley had come into the fight supremely confident that he could take advantage of any and all of Pacquiao’s weaknesses. If Pacquiao’s skill level had slipped at all, Bradley said he was ready to exploit it to his advantage.

PUNCH LINESOn the undercard, Guillermo Rigondeaux (10-0, 8 KOs) stopped Teon Kennedy (17-1-2, 7 KOs) on a TKO at 1:11 of the fifth round to take the WBA super bantamweight title. Rigondeaux dropped Kennedy twice in the second round and again in the third before stopping him in the fifth. ... Randall Bailey (42-7, 36 KOs) won the vacant IBF welterweight title with a devastating TKO of Mike Jones at 2:52 of the 11th round. Bailey, 37, dropped Jones (26-1, 19 KOs) in the 10th and then finished him off in the 11th with a crushing right uppercut that sent Jones flat on his back. Jones rose unsteadily on his feet and stumbled back to the canvas as referee Tony Weeks stopped it.... There was a no decision in the featherweight match between Jorge Arce and Jesus Rojas after Rojas landed a low blow and a head butt and then hit Arce behind the ear in the second round.

Read More

How To Flirt With Girls

Are you attracted to a girl you think is out of your league? Read this article for some tips on how to gain her interest and improve the likelihood of successful interaction. If not, be single.

1. Be yourself
. Do not attempt extreme images such as macho, super-smooth, cool dude, comedian, or a pick-up artist. Even if it does impress her momentarily, the truth will surface eventually, and you will likely lose her trust and her interest. It is much better to be honestfrom the beginning, remember all girls can smell a liar.
2. Start a conversation with her. Most girls want guys to make the first move, so speak with confidence and flow, demonstrating that you are secure with yourself. You can pretend the confidence at first, and it will come more naturally when she responds to you.
3. Listen more than you talk. This doesn't mean sit there like a dud, but ask a question, wait until she is completely done talking, then make a comment that shows you were listening. Avoid interrupting her, because no one appreciates this, and doing so will kill your chances at making a good impression. Also, don't argue unless the issue is very important to you.
4. Be bold, but also courteous. If you can't think of anything else to say, look her in the eyes and compliment her. Don't be afraid to speak up, or you will never get anywhere!
   • If she has a scarf on that you think is nice, tell her, and touch her scarf for a few seconds, and ask when and where she got it. Don't forget to tell her it suits her. Use an undertone—girls love it when you lean towards them and murmur a compliment. Be careful with compliments on clothes: don't use too many or she may perceive you as a homosexual.
   • Don't overwhelm her with compliments. You should focus on going from "nice acquaintance" to "intimate friend/potential lover" smoothly. Intimate friends joke around, tease each other gently, touch each other. Start with touching her on the arm when you're laughing (don't watch the hand). See if she touches you.
5. Find out her interests and the music she likes. Then, talk to her about them. If you can't think of anything to talk about, use a conversation starter like "How has your day been?" or "Don't you love this time of year?". These most usually work only if you are already friends with her, and you see her on a daily basis. If you do see her on a daily basis and she mentions, for example, a vacation she is going on soon, inquire where she is going, and branch off from there; when she gets back, ask her how it was. Don't be extremely serious in your inquiry; just ask it casually.
6. Be funny. Most girls agree that a good sense of humor is attractive. Humor can also relieve awkwardness. If you say something weird, follow it up with something funny and turn it into a joke. Alternatively, just learn to be witty. Almost all girls like intelligence as well as confidence, and blending those with humor can be a very effective combination.
   • Teasing a girl can be a good way to make her laugh and keep things interesting. Just don't joke about something that may be a sensitive issue, such as her weight. If she strongly cares about saving the trees, for example, and you rip up paper in an attempt to get laughs, she'll just end up hating your guts.
   • Find something that you both think is hilarious. Turn it into an inside joke, so when you want to talk to her, you have something to say no matter what, and she thinks that something is funny. However, don't use it too much, or it loses its humor and her opinion of your humor is lowered.
7. Don't be too eager to start conversing with her at every possible opportunity. When she walks into the room, you do not have to jump up and say "Hi!!" immediately, but if she sits next to you and initiates conversation, go for it!
   • Girls will be touched if you make the first move. Stare at her for maybe 2 seconds and, when she looks at you, look embarrassed. She'll probably laugh and remember you--for a good reason!
8. Don't be fake--it turns a girl off. If you are trying to be more macho then you are or smarter or more confident then you really are, you look desperate and that seriously upset her.

Tips

• Try to get her to talk more about herself, and show interest in what she has to say. If you say, "What do you do in your free time?" she might say, "I like to edit on wikiHow." Then you might say, "What's that?" Then, let her talk while you nod, smile, say "yes," etc.
• No one is out of anyone's reach. It's all about timing, and proper procedure. If you begin a conversation with someone you are interested in, with confidence and be yourself. You may be surprised whom you can attract.
• When walking with her, give her a friendly hug goodbye or a high five, but hold it there a few seconds before letting go. Always ask her out first; guys should always make the first move.
• Strange as it may seem, some very pretty girls have never been flirted with or have had a boyfriend because other boys are just as nervous about talking to them as you are. Don't be scared off just because you're intimidated. Sometimes, these super popular girls are even lonely because they feel they have all these friends and no one wants to go out with her, so become her friend first and then move on to the flirting (don't stay her friend too long, though; she may worry a relationship may ruin a friendship); this way, you will not scare her off.
• Flirting is supposed to be fun, so the less stressed and more relaxed you are, the better. Be happy and enjoy the time you spend with a girl, even if nothing else comes of it.
• Remember, no matter if you are girl or boy, if you feel you just can't understand your 'flirtee' because of their gender, relax! Just about everyone feels this way. There's even a book making fun of this titled "Everything Men Know About Women." It's 120 pages long, and every single page, other than the front and back cover, is blank.
• If you ask a question like "So how's your boyfriend?", make it sound more only like a casual interest rather than an inquiry to check that she is free. If she says, "I don't have one", you're in! However, just remember that she might take offence to a question like that especially when she doesn't have a boyfriend.
• Be sure to use whatever makes you stand out to your advantage to help get her to notice you. Be funny, charming, a good dresser, etc.
• Be nicely groomed and brush your teeth. Make sure that you don't smell bad or wear too much cologne. You don’t want your cologne to be the ONLY thing she remembers! There’s definitely no need to overdo it. In fact, AXE recommends simply spraying under each arm and once across the chest (also known as PIT PIT CHEST!), that’s all you need to keep it fresh. This way, you’ll feel and smell your best, giving you the confidence to approach the girl and be yourself.
• After successfully getting the girl in a position where she will enjoy going on a date with you,ask her out.
• If the girl is very good looking, she may be so used to having guys flirt with her that it won't mean anything. Be cocky and funny. Poke fun at her a little bit and make her laugh. Don't be mean, but a little sarcasm here and there helps. The girl will feel like you are a challenge that needs to be conquered. Just keep it up, and soon you'll have her in your arms.
• A good cologne can make a guy irresistible. Use a little cologne or at least shampoo that smells good. Girls really notice how a guy smells. Just don't wear too much! Too much never smells good! Try stuff Girls love instead of all that car interior stuff, I know if a guy smelled like say strawberries, I would love it!
• Keep jumping from one topic to another while talking. Tell her some short wise and wonderful story if there is a long pause in the middle of your conversation.
• Tips from a girl:
  • Girls like feeling warm and safe, so if it is cold and she doesn't have a jacket, hug her. Don't give her your jacket right away. Put your arm around her and huddle together, then offer the jacket. Keep hugging, and it might lead to a kiss. Hug tightly, but without choking her. If she looks upset, ask her what's wrong. After she tells you what's wrong, hug her. Tightly, but again, not choking her. This will make her feel safe.
  • When or if you hug her, rub your hand gently up and down on her back. That will make the hug more meaningful.
  • DON'T flirt with her then later ignore and forget about her, then start flirting with another girl. Girls absolutely HATE it when they're used like that. Keep an interest in her, at least.
  • I love it when a guy makes eye contact. Hold it there for 2-4 seconds (long!) and if she looks dazed, that means she got lost in your eyes, and is into you. Do this once or twice a day.
  • Keep eye contact at all times. If you have pretty eyes, she'll get lost in them, and your chances will shoot up tremendously. Likewise, if you're getting to know someone, and you're asking random questions about her (by the way, that's a good thing), you should try asking her if she can do this--and demonstrate crossing your eyes. Seriously, when a guy with gorgeous eyes did that to me, it totally worked!
  • Some girls love sensitive guys, so maybe show her some of your sensitive side, and she'll go for you. But try not to be too sensative, or she'll think of you as someone else, if you know what I mean. Show her that you care about her and different things. And don't be a jerk. I know that's a 'well obviously!' thought, but sometimes guys forget that and it turns a girl off.
  • Girls love hugs. I cannot stress how much they do. A nice, warm and friendly hug will do the trick. A minimum of 3 seconds at least, more would be better. Don't grip too tightly or too loosely. Relax yourself when you hug a girl, so you don't seem tense and nervous. Put your cheek against the side of their head (if you can), girls love that.
  • Whenever they tell a joke, even if it's not funny, at least smile. You can tell them you thought it was stupid in a funny tone, but don't directly tell them it was bad. You'll look like a jerk.
  • Make very casual, but meaningful, compliments even if you're not all that close. These can sometimes be turned into questions. For example, she shows that she can bench more than you can, so you can ask, "Geez, when did you get so strong?" She'll appreciate it, and it may lead to a conversation.
• Some girls get confused when you mention something about you liking them, then you take it back, especially if you continue to cycle between these two assertions. Go for the girl! She might like you on the inside and she's playing hard to get. Never tell anyone else you have a crush on the girl, not even your best friend. Secrets leak out eventually.
• Sit close to her but don't breathe down her neck. Two chairs side-by-side are all that are needed. You might also be able to sit behind her and at times hit her hair a time or two. She'll turn around if she feels you, then make a joke that she finds humorous.
  • If you're going to poke her and try to be cute, do it only once or twice. Doing it much more than that will really annoy her, and she will think of you as a pest!
  • Make jokes about yourself. For example, if you have done something like ripped your trousers make sure she knows and laughs about it with you. Get her to make it yours and her little secret, this makes her think that you trust her more.
  • If she made a mistake or a flaw may be a accident and she blushes, say to her never mind and don't make her feel humaliated. Always try to cover for her mistakes and show her that you care and that you will be there by her side every time that she needs assistance and that she can have someone to lean on.

Warnings

• Be prepared for rejection. It happens to everyone at one time or another. The important thing is to not dwell on negative experiences. If you decide to, you might as well be single for the rest of your life.
• If you want to or are trying to flirt with a girl, don't talk about other girls you like when you're in her company even if they are not referred to as likable.
• Don't flirt with two or more girls at once. It will make her confused and she will stop liking you.
• Don't let her disinterest dissuade you. It doesn't always work at first, so just keep speaking to her, but don't try any of the techniques. Just learn more about her.
• Don't be TOO cocky.
• Do NOT launch into your whole life story the first time you talk with a girl, especially if you are in a fun or casual environment (like a bar or party). It's better to use observational humor or be a little spontaneous. When a girl asks you to tell her about yourself, give her a short paragraph's worth of info (just moved from this place, do such a thing for a living, just saw this show/movie/concert). The shorter, the better. If there is just a silence, keep going. DO NOT tell her about every member of your family, every detail of the recent funeral, and descriptions of your feelings and inner turmoils every day since then. Nobody wants to know that much about anyone right off the bat.
• The friend zone is a place that no man wants to find himself in. It's hard to escape from and can totally kill her romantic interest in you. Don't hang out with her constantly unless you're having a romantic relationship. Stay in that little area just below a friend and keep chipping away at her. Someday, it might work out, but note that she might see you only as a friend and not how you see her.
• Don't let her get the wrong idea that you're just an annoying pest.
• If you practice on other girls, don't hurt them. Don't lead them on just to dump them. Pick girls you are really interested in. Who knows? You might end up finding someone even more interesting than the one you have your sights on.
• Don't trust dating advice written by most high school students unless they are the type of person that can end up hooking up with many varieties of guys or girls very swiftly. Sometimes, even that doesn't work.
• Don't trap her in a corner so you can talk to her; she may find it creepy.
• Never overreact to anything she says. She'll think you're mocking her and will become slightly uneasy.
• Never tell her you like her at the beginning because she might distance herself from you.
• Never brag. It's a big turnoff.
• Lastly, don't be stupid. Don't say anything that will make her mad, sad or uncomfortable.
• If you act too sexual, she'll stay away from you.
• In closing, just be nice to her and get to know her.

Read More

Google now indexing Facebook comments

Your name might be a little more searchable these days, as Google now indexes comments you publish on Web sites using the Facebook Comments platform.

On People.com, only Facebook users can comment. (The news story in question is about Justin Bieber going on a date to an R-rated movie with Selena Gomez, by the way.)

The change came to light Monday, when Digital Inspiration noticed that Googlebots, the technology that scans Web pages, now recognizes comments encased in JavaScript platforms like Facebook Comments, Disqus, and Echo.

Matt Cutts, a Google team member, later confirmed this discovery, tweeting: "Googlebot keeps getting smarter. Now has the ability to execute AJAX/JS to index some dynamic comments."

Web sites like DailyBeast, Patch, and Examiner, which use the Facebook Social Plugin, let readers leave comments using their Facebook profile instead of forcing them to create a new account.

Comments published using the platform are accompanied by the user's name, profile picture, and a link to his or her Facebook profile.

To many users, Facebook Comments is a convenience, eliminating the need to create a unique account, username, and password each time they comment on a different Web site or blog.

The Social Plugin also makes Web site managers happy, as the convenience to leave comments without creating a new account encourages user engagement. But until today, the benefit of Facebook Comments came at the expense of SEO (search engine optimization), as comments left via Facebook were not indexed by Google.

Now that Google Search indexes Facebook comments on third-party sites, we'll likely see an increase in Web sites implementing the platform in an attempt to boost their searchability. But what does this mean for users?

• A Google search for your name may reveal your comments. Since your Facebook account is tied to your (presumably) real name, anyone googling you may stumble upon your political, religious, or general views expressed in comments you've left across the Web. Consider this when leaving comments using the Facebook Comments platform.


• Log out. If you're logged in to Facebook while visiting a site with Facebook Comments enabled, the site will automatically make you leave comments using your profile. However, there's a workaround.
  (Credit: Screenshot by Sharon Vaknin/CNET)


• Use an anonymous identity. Some Web sites that have integrated Facebook Comments will still let you create an account for leaving comments the old-school way. If so, log out of Facebook (using the tip above) and sign up for a new account with an anonymous username so you can publish comments care-free.


• Check your privacy settings. Now that Google is indexing your comments, you might decide you no longer want to leave comments via Facebook. However, some Web sites have already associated your Facebook profile with their site. Head to your Facebook Privacy Settings and click "Edit Settings" for Apps & Websites. Then click "Edit Settings" for "Apps you use" and click the "x" next to any sites you want to disassociate your profile from.

(Credit: Screenshot by Sharon Vaknin/CNET)

Also worth noting is that comments you leave on public Facebook Pages (like brands and celebrities) are also indexed by Google, but comments you leave on friends' profiles are not.

Read More