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Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Jan 2, 2013
January 2, 2013
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New Laws in 2013:
Thousands of new state laws quietly took effect on New Year's Day. A few of the more notable ones:
--Caylee's Law: Legislation named after CAYLEE ANTHONY took effect in California and Illinois. Parents now face big penalties if they don't report the disappearance or death of a child within one day.
--Abortion: Partial-birth abortions are now banned in New Hampshire. In Montana, minors wanting an abortion must notify their parents.
--Illegal immigration: Employers in some states are now required to use the E-Verify system to confirm citizenship of their employees.
--Facebook: Employers can no longer ask job applicants for Facebook or Twitter passwords.
--Food safety: In Maryland, it's now illegal to use chicken feed that includes arsenic. Though it's the first state to pass such a ban, the practice is already illegal in Canada and the EU.
--Driverless cars: Are now legal on California roads, though a human must always be in the passenger seat.
--Weirder laws: No releasing feral hogs in Kentucky, and no using a dog to chase a bear or a bobcat in California. Strip clubs in Illinois must now charge $3 at the door and donate it to rape crisis centers. Also in Illinois, motorcycle wheelies are now banned. (Maiman)It's just a J-O-B:
The new year brings with it minimum wage increases in 10 states, helping almost a million workers.
The raises are as little as 10 cents and as much as 35 cents. Nine of the hikes were part of automatic cost-of-living adjustments, but in Rhode Island, the wage was upped for the first time in five years thanks to a new law.
The increases also mean that the minimum wage gap is growing: Washington State, for example, bumped its minimum up to $9.19 per hour, while in neighboring Idaho, the lowest wage is almost $2 per hour less. (Maiman)Top Celebrity search questions in 2012, according to Ask.com:
--Will Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart get back together?
--Was Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise's marriage fake?
--What does "Gangnam Style" mean?
--When is Snooki's baby due?
--What will happen to Prince Harry because of the nude pictures?
--How big is Angelina's engagement ring?
--What is the best "Call Me Maybe" parody?
--Are Justin and Jessica getting married?
--Did Miley Cyrus cut her hair?
--Does Ryan Lochte have a girlfriend? (Kaye)Chic Sh*t:
Top Fashion Trends for 2013 (Source: FabSugar.com)
Here's what you'll be seeing on clothing racks this spring:
--Ultra-textured, floral embellishments and detailing on clothes. Lots of it.
--Cropped jackets and outerwear. To go with your belly-baring crop tops.
--Tomboy shorts. Also called longshorts. Sort of like Bermuda shorts, but slouchier looking. Or to put it in fashion terms, "effortless."
--Ruffles. On skirts. On shirts. On tank tops. On shorts. On everything.
--Denim. Again. This will be everywhere. Everything will be made out of it. (Has it ever really not been out of style?)
--Double-Breasted Tailoring is bringing back the 1980s power-suit for ladies. And speaking of the 1980s...
--"Power shoulders" are also making a comeback. Ladies, consider this a fashion warning. Designers are "blowing out" their tops and blazers with oversized shoulders again. Have you ever seen JOAN COLLINS or LINDA EVANS on "Dynasty?" Trust us, stay far away from that look. Step away from the trend now and save yourselves. (Bartha)Grace notes:
Was WHITNEY HOUSTON murdered? That's what a private detective told the UK's Sun tabloid. Paul Huebl claims the singer owed ruthless drug lords one-million dollars and they decided to kill her. Whitney was found dead in the bathtub of her Beverly Hills hotel suite last February.
Huebl says he has proof that there were (quote), "classic defense wounds" on her body that showed she was fighting for her life. The L.A. County coroner's official report says Whitney died from drowning, along with the (quote), "effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use." (Marino)Health and Medical Briefs:
According to a new study from Pearl.com, Americans are often uncomfortable having an in-person conversation with a medical professional about personal health questions. The most common topics that 54 percent of respondents are fibbing about to their doctors include:
--Poor diet (18 percent)
--Lack of exercise (18 percent)
--Sex-related issues (15 percent)
--Alcohol use (15 percent)
--Smoking (15 percent) with men more likely than women to lie to their doctors about smoking, alcohol and drug use (Kaye) -
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