Remember the weird half-cat photo captured on Google Street View that stormed the Internet with viral fury today? It’s a fake.

Dangerous Minds was the first online publication we know of to post the picture, which showed an all-white cat correction: half of an all-white cat just strolling down the street having a good ‘ol time being a freaky biological abomination.

The cat was a head with no ears, a front-right leg and a rear-left leg with a little tail dangling in back.

The picture caused a minor stir online today, with MSN Now posting a tongue-in-cheek article in an attempt to figure out the origin of the monstrosity. And, another correction: They posted a tongue-in-cheek article that outsourced identification of the creature to their readers.

No big, we do it all the time here too.

Most commenters reacted with wonder, some with horror, but the most rational explanation I could find was that the half-cat photo was just some kind of photographic anomaly.

Street View is not an exact photographic science, and sometimes things get cut off or possibly merged, I guess.

But that actually wasn’t it at all, because the whole foundation of the story was flawed.

This never came from Google Street View at all … it came from Photoshop. The original was posted to imgur to clear up the confusion.

“Thumbelina. taken in 2003. around Parliament Hill, Ottawa, looking north across the Ottawa River,” reads the caption with the photo.

So there you have it. The half-cat photo supposedly from Google Street View is really just a pic of Thumbelina from Ottawa.

Half-Cat Photo From Google Street View Is Actually A Shoop From Imgur is a post from: The Inquisitr

J.A. Happ was carted off the field on a stretcher Tuesday night after the Blue Jays pitcher was nailed in the head by a line drive.

Happ was pitching against the Tampa Bay Rays when center fielder Desmond Jennings hit a shot back toward the mound. Unable to get out of the way in time, J.A. Happ was hit in the head with the line drive and went down to the grass.

The ball caromed off down the right field line, giving Jennings a triple and bringing in Jose Molina and Yunel Escobar to score. Jennings was visibly shaken after the play, burying his face into his jersey and watching on as team trainers rushed to J.A. Happ as he lay bleeding and motionless.

The play took place in the second inning of the game, leading to an 11-minute delay as medical personnel immobolized Happ, loaded him onto a stretcher, and carted him off the field.

Happ becomes the latest Major League Baseball injury to involve pitchers being hit by batter balls. Oakland’s Brandon McCarthy took a line drive to the head last September, causing a skull fracture and brain contusion that ended up requiring surgery. Detroit’s Doug Fister was also struck in the head during the World Series, though he was able to remain in the game.

In November MLB general managers discussed measures they could take to make it safer for pitchers. One idea is to create a cap lined with Kevlar, the high-impact material used by military and law enforcement officials for body armor.In March J.A. Happ signed a two-year, $8.9 million extension with the Blue Jays. He has a 2-2 record with a 3.98 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 31 2/3 innings coming into tonight’s game.No condition was available on J.A. Happ, though the pitcher was able to raise his hand and wave to the crowd as he was being carted away.Here is video of the J.A. Happ injury:

J.A. Happ: Blue Jays Pitcher Hit In Head With Line Drive, Taken Out On Stretcher [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Misunderstood black guy always gets such a bad rap. But seriously, how can you not trust that face?

Misunderstood Black Guy Saves Amanda Berry is a post from: The Inquisitr

Look at the bright side, think of how many friends you can have over! Just kidding, look at you. You have no friends.

Epic Couch is a post from: The Inquisitr

On the other hand, maybe crop circles are just alien penises.

Alien And Human Crop Circles is a post from: The Inquisitr

China has closed a North Korean bank’s accounts in a fresh sign that Beijing is becoming increasingly frustrated with the North’s weapons program.

The Bank of China, China’s largest state-owned bank, has shut down all accounts of the North Korean Foreign Trade Bank. The Pyongyang-based institution has been accused of helping to fund the North’s growing weapons program.

All transactions in the accounts have been suspended, but China did not reveal how much money was in the accounts at the time of its closure.

As Pyongyang seeks to further its development of missiles and nuclear weapons, many have accused the Foreign Trade Bank of playing a key role in funding research and testing. Earlier this year, the US Treasury described the Foreign Trade Bank as a “key financial node” to the North Korean regime.

As The Bank of China closes North Korea bank accounts, some argue other banks in the region will feel pressured to suspend accounts held by the Pyongyang regime. Yet Bank of China was always likely to be the first financial institution to do this, says John Park, an expert on Chinese-North Korean relations at Harvard University:

“Bank of China, of all the Chinese banks, has to adhere to international sanctions because they have a reputation to uphold.”

However, Park adds that the move is not as significant as some might think, pointing out that the bank already lessened its dealings with North Korea years earlier. “What would be more substantive,” argues Park, “is if China revokes the work authorization documents for the North Korea state trading companies in China.”

Bank of China’s closure of North Korea bank accounts follows months of bellicose warnings from Pyongyang, including threats of nuclear war against South Korea and the US.

The North’s nuclear launch test in February, the third of its kind in seven years, angered ally China, with Beijing saying it “resolutely” opposed the test. Many politicians have urged Beijing to take more decisive action in its crackdown on the North.

China Closes North Korea Bank Account As Beijing Grows Impatient With Weapons Program is a post from: The Inquisitr

Syria’s internet access went down on Tuesday in a move that was likely made by the Syrian government, according to security researchers.

The Middle Eastern nation’s internet traffic cut off shortly before 3 pm EDT on Tuesday. Google reported a drop in the country’s traffic, along with Local Coordinating Committees, an anti-government activist group within Syria.

Syria is connected to the internet by four physical cables. Three of them run under the sea, while the fourth runs over land through Turkey. In order to shut off all access, outsiders would have to cut all of the cables off simultaneously.

But security experts say that wasn’t the case. Instead, someone with access to the cables dropped a Border Gateway Protocol in a way that caused information trying to enter the country to halt.

Matthew Prince, the founder of CloudFlare, an Internet security firm that distributes large volumes of traffic across the internet, explained, “It’s akin to someone removing all the street signs into Syria.” The same technique was previously used in the country to shut down the internet and cell phone service. That outage happened in November.

Syrian government officials blamed the internet outage on terrorists, though evidence points to involvement from the government. Dan Hubbard, chief technology officer for Umbrella Security Labs, wrote of the Syria internet outage:

“It seems Syria has largely disappeared from the internet. Although we can’t yet comment on what caused this outage, past incidents were linked to both government-ordered shutdowns and damage to the infrastructure, which included fiber cuts and power outages.”

Meanwhile, Syrian rebels are less affected by the internet outage than the country’s civilians. Opposition groups have built an alternate system of internet and cell phone connectivity through the use of two-way satellite devices. However, experts have warned the system makes it easier for the government to track their location.

There is no word on how long the Syrian internet outage could last.

[Image via ShutterStock]

Syria Loses Internet Access is a post from: The Inquisitr

A missing Yosemite hiker was found dead on Monday, after plummeting roughly 300 feet from a cliff. According to officials, the body of 73-year-old Kenneth Stensby was recovered from the base of Vernal Fall, a popular waterfall located within the park.

Stensby, a retired real estate investment executive from Edina, Minnesota, was considered an experienced hiker. According to Yosemite spokesperson Scott Gediman, Stensby frequently visited the park. Usually staying at the Ahwahnee Hotel, he was known to venture out on daily hikes with camera in hand.

Before the hiker headed out on his daily adventure, he would leave a note for the hotel staff detailing the area of Yosemite he planned to explore. It was one such note that initially alerted personnel to his disappearance.

According to Yosemite officials, Stensby checked into the Ahwahnee Hotel last Tuesday. Early Sunday morning, he left his customary note with staff before heading out to hike the three-mile-long Mist Trail leading to Vernal Fall.

The Minnesota man wrote that he expected to return to the hotel around noon. When Stensby failed to arrive by late afternoon, the staff became concerned and reported the hiker missing.

Yosemite rangers began searching for the retiree and discovered his backpack next to guardrails located near the top of the waterfall. Stensby’s camera was reportedly missing from the belongings found inside the pack.

From Sunday evening through Monday, dozens of rangers, a dog team, and a California Highway Patrol helicopter tried to locate Kenneth Stensby. On Monday evening, the Yosemite hiker was found dead at the base of the falls. However, inclement weather conditions and approaching darkness preventing the recovery of his body until approximately 1 pm on Tuesday.

The fatal hiking event serves as a painful reminder of the precautionary practices that must be used by visitors. “Yosemite by geography has a lot of cliffs, and it is a very rugged area,” explained park spokesperson Kari Cobb. “We do urge visitors to be cautious to matter where they’re hiking.”

According to Cobb, a spokesperson for the park, the Yosemite hiker found dead on Monday represents the first accidental fatality at the site this year.

[Top image via Shutterstock]

Yosemite Hiker Found Dead is a post from: The Inquisitr

China’s death toll from the H7N9 bird flu has increased to 31 after the announcement of four more deaths. The number of infections also rose two to rest at 129 confirmed cases.

Two of the deaths happened in the eastern province of Jiangsu, one happened in eastern Zhejiang, while the fourth death happened in central Anhui.

Chinese health authorities also reported that the two new infections happened in the eastern coastal province of Fujian. The virus was originally concentrated around the commercial capital of Shanghai. However, it spread to Fujian in late April.

So far, the Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO) has not seen any evidence that the H7N9 bird flu strain is easily transmissible between humans. The strain was first detected in patients in China in March. It has since spread to at least one case in Taiwan.

Chinese scientists have been able to confirm that the H7N9 strain was transmitted from chickens to people, though the WHO has said that 40 percent of people infected with the new bird flu strain had no apparent contact with poultry.

The head of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also stated that the current H7N9 strain of bird flu cannot spark a pandemic in its current form, because it is not easily transmissible. However, should the strain mutate, it could result in a serious pandemic.

Scientists around the world have been watching the latest influenza strain. Some virologists have already started working on a vaccine for H7N9 in the event is spreads to other countries or mutates into an easily transmissible virus. Some of the concern comes from the swine flu pandemic of 2009, which was caused by the H1N1 virus.

Since then, at least one other bird flu virus, H5N1, has caused deaths around the world. While it is not easily transmissible either, the H5N1 bird flu strain is also being watched closely.

[Image via ShutterStock]

China Bird Flu’s Death Toll Hits 31 is a post from: The Inquisitr

As I Lay Dying frontman Tim Lambesis was arrested on Tuesday in an alleged murder-for-hire plot. The arrest was a shock for many of the metal band’s fans.

Lambesis was taken into custody in Oceanside, California on charges that he asked an undercover detective for help having his estranged wife killed.

San Diego County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Jan Caldwell, who announced the arrest, added that police previously learned the As I Lay Dying frontman was looking for someone to carry out the murder. Caldwell added, “The information came to us late last week. We acted quickly on it. I believe that we averted a great tragedy.”

Caldwell explained that the ongoing investigation prevented her from releasing any details on why Tim Lambesis may have wanted his wife killed or how police first learned of the alleged murder-for-hire plot.

The metal band frontman’s wife, Meggan, filed for divorce from Lambesis in San Diego Superior Court in September 2012. There is no information on why she requested the dissolution of her marriage to Tim.

Lambesis is a founding member of As I Lay Dying, which was formed in San Diego. In recent days, the group was touring through Asia. Lambesis wrote on Twitter on Monday, “Goodbye China. I’ll be home in about 15 hours.” The band’s 2007 album “An Ocean Between Us” debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 list.

The band released its sixth album, “Awakened,” last year. While As I Lay Dying is often described in the media as a Christian group, Tim Lambesis stated in an interview earlier this year that the group’s members wanted “to be judged on the music” instead of their “personal beliefs.”

The lead singer is expected to appear in court for an arraignment on Wednesday or Thursday. It is not clear if Tim Lambesis has an attorney yet.

[Image via Lia Koltyrina / Shutterstock.com]

As I Lay Dying Frontman Tim Lambesis Arrested In Murder-For-Hire Plot is a post from: The Inquisitr

The US newborn death rate is the worst of any industrialized country, according to a new report released on Tuesday by Save the Children.

The report shows that the United States is worse than 68 other countries when it comes to the death rate of newborns on their first day. Countries ranking better than the US included Egypt, Turkey, and Peru.

One million babies die each year on the same day they were born. Of those, 11,000 were born in America, according to the report. The group asserts that the majority of the newborns who die could be saved with fairly inexpensive interventions.

The report reads, in part, “A baby’s first day is the most dangerous day of life — in the United States and in countries rich and poor.” The majority of babies who die on their first day do so because they were born too early.

Thirty-five percent of newborns who die were born pre-term. Another 23 percent will die from complications at birth, while another 23 percent die from severe infections. Nine percent will pass away from birth defects. Save the Children adds:

“The United States has the highest first-day death rate in the industrialized world. An estimated 11,300 newborn babies die each year in the United States on the day they are born. This is 50 percent more first-day deaths than all other industrialized countries combined.”

The US newborn death rate is certainly alarming, especially considering the country’s place within the industrialized world. Save the Children attributes the death rate to the fact that the United States has the highest preterm birth rate of any industrialized country.

Babies who are born preterm, or before 37 weeks of pregnancy, can experience multiple complications, including loss of body heat, inability to take in proper nutrition, breathing difficulties, and infections. The report explains that politics and culture play a role.

Along with announcing the high US newborn death rate, the report also suggested four simple products costing between 13 cents and $6 each that could save one million newborns each year. Those products were: simple bag-and-mask devices to help babies breathe; the antiseptic chlorhexidine to prevent umbilical cord infections, antibiotics to treat infections; and steroid injections to delay preterm labor.

Are you alarmed by the high US newborn death rate?

[Image via ShutterStock]

US Newborn Death Rate Worse Than Rest Of Industrialized World is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Dow Jones industrial average closed above 15,000 on Tuesday for the first time in history. At the close, the blue-chip index stood at 15,056.20.

The stock market’s new peak came just three months after the Dow hit 14,000 for the first time since the financial crisis hit. The previous high was recorded in October 2007. The financial crisis cut the market’s value in half.

The broader Standard & Poor’s 500-index also reached a record for the fourth straight day by gaining 8.46 points, or 0.5 percent. That market closed unofficially at 1,625.96.

Meanwhile, the more technology-heavy NASDAQ closed at a gain of about 0.1 percent after a decline in Apple shares weighed heavily. Shares of Netflis and First Solar also closed down.

Andres Garcia-Amaya, global market strategist with J.P. Morgan Funds in New York, explained the records by saying:

“The payroll report indicated that things are better than we were thinking in terms of growth, so until the market finds proof otherwise against the recovery, stocks will continue to move generally higher.”

The new Dow Jones record serves to highlight investors’ belief that the US economy is on track to a full recovery from the economic collapse triggered by the housing market. The 15,000 close marks the first major threshold passed by the Dow that goes beyond pre-recession levels.

The average hit 14,000 in 2007, but it quickly reversed its upward trends as the US was hit by its worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. By late 2008, the average stood at just 7,500 — its lowest point since June of 1997. The stock market received its latest push because of an unexpectedly strong unemployment report, as well as strong corporate earnings.

The Dow Jones’ new record was helped along by Caterpillar, a Peoria, Illinois-based construction and mining equipment maker. The company was Tuesday’s biggest gainer for the Dow, adding about 2.5 percent. Other major Dow stocks include McDonald’s Corp. and Boeing Co.

[Image via ShutterStock]

Dow Jones Closes Above 15,000 is a post from: The Inquisitr

The trailer for Alfonso Cuaron’s new movie Gravity has arrived online.

The upcoming sci-fi flick, which has been in development since 2010, stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. The movie tells the story of two astronauts who find themselves stranded after a spacewalk goes horribly wrong.

As far as movie previews are concerned, the trailer for Gravity is deeply impressive. The 90-second clip conveys quite a bit in just a short span of time. It’s also apparent that the director’s penchant for sharp visuals and palpable suspense are present in the drama.

Cuaron is already responsible for delivering a handful of memorable motion pictures. He helped usher the Harry Potter universe into adulthood with his 2004 adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The tone was drastically different from the previous entries in the series, which gave the franchise a more grown-up feel.

The director followed up this film with the 2006 action-drama Children of Men. Based on the novel by P.D. James, the movie took place in a world where babies are no longer born. One man must fight against unspeakable odds as he attempts to help a pregnant woman find sanctuary.

“It’s a two-hander with only two actors in the whole film. It is a very odd film, really. Two people in space. No monsters. It’s more like ’2001′ than an action film,” Clooney said during an interview in 2011.

After years of development, the folks at Warner Bros. hope to have the space drama in theaters by October 4. You can check out the clip for the flick embedded below.

What do you think about the first trailer for Sandra Bullock and George Clooney’s Gravity? Are you looking forward to catching director Alfonso Cuaron’s latest endeavor when it arrives in theaters later this year?

‘Gravity’ Movie Trailer Arrives Online [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Jefferson City, MO — An Iron Man 3 publicity stunt resulted in local police swarming a theater during the blockbuster film’s opening weekend in search of a gunman who was wearing full tactical gear.

Iron Man 3 is “killing” at the box office, but at least some moviegoers thought that they were witnessing another Aurora, Colorado, copycat situation and called 911 about an armed man in body armor.

Last July, a gunman opened fire during The Dark Knight Rises premiere in Aurora, killing 12 and wounded about 70 others.

Police who responded to the Capital 8 Theaters during the Iron Man 3 showing thought that had an “active shooter investigation” on their hands. It turned out that it was a false alarm. The man was just an actor dressed up as a S.H.I.E.L.D. operative carrying a fake gun. The theater had hired several such actors as part of the opening weekend festivities.

Jefferson City Police Captain Doug Shoemaker said that the stunt was very ill advised. “Everything was in place, it’s the opening night of a superhero movie, it’s somebody walking in all-dark clothes, everything pointed to bad things about to happen. There’s really no good that can come of this.” The officer added that the situation could have potentially turned ugly if an off-duty officer (perhaps providing security for the theater) would “have engaged the actor.”

The theater claimed claimed that the publicity stunt had been in the works for months and that it was all in good fun. He added that most of the moviegoers found the S.H.I.E.L.D  actors entertaining and only a few actually got scared. That notion seems to be borne out by comments left on the theater’s Facebook page.

There must have been some degree of backlash about the publicity stunt (or non-stunt depending upon your interpretation perhaps), however, because the theater today posted an apology to its customers:

“We apologize and are sympathetic to those who felt they were in harm’s way with our character promotion for Iron Man 3. This was not a publicity stunt. We have worked with the Cosplacon group on many movies to dress up and help entertain our customers. We have had many complaints about the members dressed specifically as S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives carrying fake guns. We didn’t clearly tell our customers and some people didn’t realize it was for entertainment purposes only. We apologize that police were called to come out to our theater. We have a wonderful working relationship with the Jefferson City Police Department. Going forward we will take the necessary steps to make sure this doesn’t happen again. Security and safety for our customers is our number one priority.”

Iron Man 3 has been setting records for ticket sales across the globe and doesn’t seem to be in any need of any local promotional help. Robert Downey Jr.’s latest movie had a $175.3 million opening weekend in North America and should continue to do big business this weekend.

‘Iron Man 3′ Publicity Stunt Gone Wrong: Police Respond To ‘Active Shooter Investigation’ is a post from: The Inquisitr

Amanda Bynes was sentenced to three years of probation today after she was arrested last year for driving with a suspended license.

Bynes plead no contest on earlier this week and has now been sentenced to three years probation. The actress was also given a $300 fine for driving without a valid license.

The former Nickelodeon star had her license suspended after she was involved in several hit and run incidents last year. She also clipped a cop car in 2012 while she was reportedly driving under the influence.

The DUI case is still pending and Bynes denies that she was drinking at the time of the incident. (She also asked President Obama to have the case dismissed.)

Bynes said:

“I am doing amazing … I am retired as an actor. I am moving to New York to launch my career. I am going to do a fashion line. I am not talking about being arrested for DUI because I don’t drink, and I don’t drink and drive. It is all false.”

Bynes has been in the headlines recently for a series of bizarre tweets and hairstyles. The actress recently had a nose job, shaved her head, and posed topless on Twitter.

twitpic.com/cnqao8

— Amanda Bynes (@AmandaBynes) May 3, 2013

Do you think Amanda Bynes will make it three years without another legal incident?

Amanda Bynes Sentenced To Three Years Probation is a post from: The Inquisitr

Mexican singer Paulina Rubio is being sued by a Houston man who claims the pop star assaulted him and stole his camera at George Bush Intercontinental Airport last month.

Photojournalist Hector Vela filed a lawsuit on May 6 saying that he and Rubio were on the same United Airlines flight from Miami, and when the passengers deboarded, he approached Rubio for a photograph.

“I saw her flying coach and I asked to take her picture,” Vela told Radar Online.

According to Vela, Rubio “became irritated, abusive and violent.”

“After I took her photograph, she approached me yelling obscenities and told me the camera was hers. I offered to delete the photograph but she kneed me in my private area and took my camera,” Vela said. “She handed it to a male companion and they left on a small airport shuttle.”

Vela’s attorney, Ivan Capellan, said, “Rubio’s actions resulted in physical harm (assault) and economic loss (camera theft). Our client’s camera, his main tool for work, was taken away along with the intellectual property contained within resulting in unaccountable amounts of lost profit.”

Hector Vela is seeking $75,000 in damages from Rubio.

Paulina Rubio has been accused of assault before. Last year, Rubio was accused of attacking her former assistant, Felipe Restrepo Betancur, after he booked her a last-minute flight in coach rather than first class.

The lawsuit alleges that Rubio struck “the Plaintiff with her fists, and verbally abused Plaintiff, calling him names.” The lawsuit also claims that Rubio was violent with Betancur the entire weekend, kicking and slapping him hard enough to cause contusions and abrasions. Betancur is seeking $250,000 for assault and battery.

Rubio’s lawyer claimed Betancur was inebriated and “concocted a fable about being beaten by a woman half his size.” The lawyer also said the alleged incident wasn’t documented or observed by anyone else on the flight.

Are you surprised that Paulina Rubio is being accused of assault for a second time?

[Photo credit: s_bukley / Shutterstock.com]

Paulina Rubio Accused Of Assaulting Photographer is a post from: The Inquisitr

It’s vaguely said of children that they “get started early,” but Suri Cruise is reportedly taking the platitude to a whole new level with her very own fashion line at the age of 7.

According to The Sun, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ young daughter will be launching a $2.2 million fashion line dubbed, you guessed it, Suri.

Suri frequently make headlines for her style (she has even been dubbed the most stylish celebrity child) and will apparently turn her wardrobe savvy into a collection for young girls later this year in a New York department store.

If it is successful, it will roll out across North America next year.

According to a source, “Suri is only seven but she is incredibly interested in clothes. She has been through a very difficult year and adapted amazingly to her new life in New York, including the upheaval of starting normal school.”

The source continued:

“This is a nice hobby for her, it’s certainly not going to take over her life. Most girls dream of being able to make their own clothes, this just means her drawings will now become a reality. It’ll be interesting to see how it pans out, there’s nothing around quite like it.”

Indeed, we’ve never heard of a 7-year-old designing and producing her own fashion line, which begs the obvious question: Uhm … how?

Well, she has help of the highest caliber. Mom Katie enlisted stylist Jeanne Yang to help turn Suri’s doodles into actual clothing.

The line will reportedly include dresses, tops and jeans, as well as shoes and accessories. Plans for Suri’s fashion line were reportedly a thing as early as last year, with several firms approaching Holmes. The initial idea was for Suri to write a fashion blog, but then talks turned to having her actually design clothes.

What do you think? Are you looking forward to seeing Suri Cruise’s fashion line, or is this a publicity stunt to cash in on her cuteness?

[Image via: s_bukley, Shutterstock]

Suri Cruise Launching Fashion Line At Age 7 [Report] is a post from: The Inquisitr

The location of Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s burial place was revealed on Friday, despite authorities’ attempts at concealing it. The Boston bombing suspect, who died in a shootout with police on April 19, was laid to rest in a cemetery in Virginia.

The internment this week at the Islamic cemetery ended a frustrating search by funeral director Peter Stefan, who accepted Tsarnaev’s body, and with it constant protests.

The burial place was confirmed by Tsarnaev’s uncle Ruslan Tsarni, as well as Imam Ammar Amonette of the Richmond-based Islamic Center of Virginia. Amonette added that the suspect was buried at Al-Barzakh Cemetery — a small cemetery in Doswell, Virginia.

Amonette added that his mosque is not connected to the small burial area, saying instead that it was arranged by 48-year-old Richmond resident Martha Mullen, who contacted the private cemetery independently after she heard reports on NPR that dozens of burial grounds refused to take the body of Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

In an interview, Mullen explained that it was her Christian faith that motivated her to contact the cemetery and arrange the burial of the Boston bombing suspect. She added, “Jesus says love our enemies. So I was sitting in Starbucks and thought, maybe I’m the person who needs to do something.”

Along with his burial location, Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s death certificate was released on Friday. It showed the suspect was shot by police in the firefight on April 18. Then, he was run over and dragged by a vehicle. He died a few hours later on April 19. Authorities have said that Tamerlan was run over by his brother, Dzhokhar, as the 19-year-old tried to get away from police.

Because Tamerlan was pronounced dead at a hospital in Boston, he could have been buried there under state law. However, Boston officials would not take Tsarnaev’s body, because he lived in Cambridge. The Boston suburb also refused to take the body of the suspected Boston bomber.

His mother, who moved back to Dagestan, Russia last year, also stated that Russia would not allow his body in the country so she could bury him where he used to live.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s Burial Site In Virginia is a post from: The Inquisitr

COMMENTARY | Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries recently made headlines for announcing that he only wanted ‘thin, beautiful and cool’ kids shopping at Abercrombie & Fitch stores.  Now, the internet is up in arms, with strongly worded open letters to Abercrombie and Fitch and Mike Jeffries, and even Inquisitr’s own Kim LaCapria calling Jeffries a “partially melted penis candle.”

My question is this: Has no one ever been inside of an Abercrombie & Fitch store?  Has no one ever seen half-naked, live models standing outside of an Abercrombie and Fitch store location?  Has no one ever seen the Abercrombie & Fitch store employees?  Has no one ever seen an Abercrombie and Fitch ad, catalog or the website?  Or has no one ever noticed the people that actually like to wear Abercrombie and Fitch clothing?

Or maybe you’ll remember a 2006 interview that Jeffries gave, in which he stated very openly: “That’s why we hire good-looking people in our stores. Because good-looking people attract other good-looking people, and we want to market to cool, good-looking people. We don’t market to anyone other than that.”

If you ever even noticed just one of these things, then you’ll know that Jeffries’ ‘cool kids’ statement isn’t breaking news, just more like an obvious statement of fact, which has been turned into some very successful, free public relations for the brand.  The fact that now everyone has decided to become angry about a store that never bothered to hide its aims or target demographic is frankly, just a waste of time.

While obviously not in agreement with Abercrombie and Fitch or Mike Jeffries’ position, my questions are as follows: “Have you not noticed these things before? And why do you care?”

As long as Abercrombie and Fitch isn’t any breaking state or federal laws, then I hate to break it to people, but as a private company, they can target their tired polo shirts and has-been cargo shorts to whomever they see fit to do so.

Truly, if people are angry at Abercrombie and Fitch’s cool kids only and no fat chicks policy, why not just vote with your spending dollars and just choose not to shop there?

Alert Captain Obvious: Abercrombie And Fitch Is For Thin And Beautiful Customers Only is a post from: The Inquisitr

TNT is canceling its drama series Southland after four seasons on the network.

Southland originally premiered on NBC in April 2009, and was renewed for a second season with an initial 13-episode order. The second season was initially supposed to premiere in August, but NBC moved the date in order to promote the show more fully. By October, the network announced that the series had been canceled.

TNT purchased the rights to Southland a month later, and the series began airing on January 12, 2010. While the series failed to match the ratings it had on NBC, Southland continued to receive positive reviews from critics and viewers. The first season received an average rating of 69 on Metacritic, and the second season garnered a 77. The third and fourth seasons received an 81 and 87 respectively, and season 5 pulled an 86.

The season 5 finale on April 17 pulled a season high of 1.83 million viewers, up from the previous season’s finale, which drew 1.69 million viewers.

TNT said in a statement:

“TNT has made the difficult decision not to renew Southland for another season. We are enormously proud of Southland, which stands as one of the best police dramas ever made. Executive producers John Wells, Chris Chulack and Jonathan Lisco, along with creator Ann Biderman and our partners at Warner Bros. Television, have given us five seasons of powerful, unforgettable storytelling, for which we are deeply grateful. We also want to thank the amazing cast for their impassioned, no-holds-barred performances, and the production team for their tenacity shooting on the streets of real-world Los Angeles. We wish everyone associated with Southland the very best.”

Several of Southland‘s stars have already landed new roles. In March, Regina King landed a role in ABC’s multi-camera comedy pilot, Divorce: A Love Story. She noted that, while the cast obviously wanted the series to come back for another season, that the season 5 finale would play out like a series finale just in case it wasn’t renewed.

King’s co-stars, Ben McKenzie and Shawn Hatosy also picked up new pilots this development season, with the pair starring in the CBS legal dramas The Advocates and Reckless, respectively.

Are you sad to see Southland get canceled?

‘Southland’ Canceled By TNT is a post from: The Inquisitr