Those of a superstitious inclination may have extra reason to curse their luck today. Not only is Friday the 13th a particularly inauspicious day for them, they may be unhappy to learn that 2012 will be an especially unlucky year. Today is the first of an unusual three Friday the 13ths – the fear of which has its roots in Christian tradition – that will fall in 2012. But the good news is that they only have to get through this year and the phenomenon will not strike again until 2026. And while they may spend the day cowering under the duvet in case any ill might befall them if they leave the house – and avoiding walking under ladders or over three drains at a time if they are forced to venture outside – they can take some comfort in knowing they are not alone. More than 60 million people worldwide are claimed to suffer from fear of the day - known as paraskevidekatriaphobia, from the Greek.

A top military psychologist has suggested that the reason American soldiers urinated on dead Afghan bodies was because they were ‘stressed’. Eugenia Weiss, an expert from the University of Southern California, told msnbc.com: ‘These could be pranksters with extremely bad taste, or they could have other, deeper issues, like PTSD.’ The advice came as U.S. officials spoke out against the footage yesterday and said they have identified at least two of the four Marines in the video. The four were members of the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines out of Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. The official said that some of the four are no longer in that battalion. The 40-second clip, which has been described a ‘recruitment tool for the Taliban’, shows four men in combat gear standing over the three corpses with their genitals exposed as they relieve themselves. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta calling it ‘utterly deplorable’. Mr Panetta has ordered a high-level investigation into the incident, which has drawn condemnation from the likes of Hillary Clinton, John McCain and Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai. ‘Those found to have engaged in such conduct will be held accountable to the fullest extent,’ said the Secretary of Defense, who has told the commander of western troops in Afghanistan to launch an investigation. Secretary of State Mrs Clinton expressed ‘total dismay’ at the video and said it was ‘absolutely inconsistent with the standards of behaviour that the vast majority of Marines hold themselves to.’Mr McCain, Senator for Arizona and a Navy veteran, said the perpetrators were ‘obviously undisciplined people’, adding that the video ‘makes me so sad’. Mail Online

If there’s a badge for bigotry she must be well on her way to getting it. A 14-year-old Girl Scout is calling for supporters to boycott the groups’ traditional seasonal cookies in protest against the inclusion of a transgender child. The California teen, who calls herself Taylor and says she has been a Girl Scout for eight years, recorded a video protesting against the acceptance of the seven- year-old at a Colorado chapter. The seemingly narrow-minded schoolgirl appears to be reading off cards or an autocue creating the impression that she may merely reading a speech prepared by an adult. The issue first came to the forefront in October when the Girls Scouts of Colorado accepted seven-year-old trans girl Bobby Montoya.  The thrust of Taylor’s argument is that allowing a transgender child into the organization goes against scout values and puts the girls’ safety at risk. ‘Why is GSUSA willing to break its own safety rules and go against its own research findings to accommodate transgender boys?’ the school girl asks/ ‘Unfortunately, I think it is because GSUSA cares more about promoting the desires of a small handful of people than it does my safety and the safety of my friends. And they are doing it with the money we earn for them by selling Girl Scout cookies’  The footage of Taylor was posted to honestgirlscouts.com, a group that supports an end to sex education in Girl Scouts. Despite being taken down the film now gone viral and as of this morning had been viewed more than 100,000 times, according to the New York Daily News.

The Afghan Taliban said Thursday that a recent video of U.S. Marines apparently urinating on dead Taliban fighters won’t impede its peace talks with the Afghan government — but the government itself isn’t so sure. “Such action will leave a very, very bad impact on peace efforts,” said the top negotiator for Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s High Peace Council. The footage, which hasn’t been verified but which the military says seems authentic, could also complicate reconciliation in advance of troop withdrawals. The video shows four U.S. troops urinating on three corpses in Afghanistan and has drawn condemnation by the Council on American Islamic Relations and the Marine Corps, with military officials promising to investigate. President Obama’s administration, meanwhile, is launching a new bout of shuttle diplomacy in the hopes of finalizing plans for an Afghan Taliban office in Qatar. MSNBC

A un pontevedrés se le ocurrió comprar un alargador de pene vía Internet, pero cual sería su sorpresa cuando el paquete que días después llegó a su casa no era el mencionado artilugio, sino una lupa. Según una información publicada en el diario ‘La Voz de Pontevedra’, un pontevedrés se llevó una chasco considerable cuando en vez de recibir un paquete que debería contener un alargador de pene, guardaba una lupa. Un artículo que adquirió vía Internet. Tal confusión provocó en el agraviado un importante cabreo que le llevó a personarse el 6 de enero en la Comisaría Provincial. Aunque, en un principio, pensó en denunciar la estafa, parece que se lo pensó dos veces y desestimó esta opción. La situación no pasó desapercibida a chistes y comentarios. Una funcionaria apuntó que “técnicamente sería discutible hablar de una estafa por que agrandar, lo que se dice agrandar, es a fin de cuentas, lo que hace una lupa”. Parece ser que este tipo de estafas a través de Internet están aumentando considerablemente. Los usarios compran artículos y el vendedor abre una cuenta bancaria con una identidad falsa y una vez que recibe el dinero, el vendedor desaparece, al igual que las webs donde ofertan sus productos.

Dr. Dre’s Beats by Dre high definition headphones just got a high fashion makeover. The Grammy-winning artist and producer has teamed up with fashion designer Oscar de la Renta to create an ultra luxe pair of his top-selling headphones. The limited edition design is covered in plum-hued silver fox and boosts ControlTalk, hands-free calling, a travel case and a 1-year warranty. Top-notch technology and plush fur will cost you–the headphones-meet-earmuffs retail for $695! Is it just us or does it almost feel almost uncivilized to blast Lil Wayne though fancy fox fur covered headphones? Either way the folks at PETA are obviously not happy about the furry music accessory. Michelle Cho, a representative for the animal rights group, has sent a letter to Dr. Dre asking him to keep fur and exotic-animal skins out of his electronic designs.-HuffPost

Adamari López estuvo en Puerto Rico disfrutando de las fiestas navideñas junto a su familia, y en compañía de Toni Costa, con quien se le vincula sentimentalmente. Al parecer, el bailarín ha sido acogido por los más allegados a la actriz. La pareja fue captada el sábado por un fotógrafo del diario puertorriqueño Primera Hora a su llegada al aeropuerto de San Juan, donde tomaron el vuelo que les llevaría de regreso a Miami. El hermano de la actriz, el doctor Adalberto López, y su madre, doña Vidalina, fueron a despedirlos y se mostraron muy apegados a ellos. López y Costa, según la publicación, pasaron tiempo juntos en el área de Humacao, de donde es natural la reciente ganadora de Mira quién baila, por lo que salta la pregunta de si don Luis López, papá de la actriz, le habrá dado también la bienvenida a Costa a su clan. A principios de diciembre, él expresó en una entrevista radial que su hija quería estar sola y que el bailarín “podía ser un buscón”.-People

According to Star magazine, Jennifer Lopez pays her “boy toy” Casper Smart $10,000 per week. The reason? She supposedly doesn’t like paying for him. “She hated having to whip out her credit card every time they go to dinner,” explains a so-called “source” for the tabloid, adding, “And it bummed her out that Casper had to borrow money from her to buy Christmas presents, including hers.” That’s why J. Lo is allegedly giving Smart an allowance, says the mag. “Jen figured it’s easier to give Casper a weekly stipend, and she thought $10K was a nice round number,” says the Star source. Wait, what? The “American Idol” judge pays her boyfriend… to pay for her? Lopez “can take care of herself just fine,” explains the tabloid insider, “but she’s old-fashioned when it comes to wanting the man to take charge.” This makes no sense. Smart “takes charge” by taking money from Lopez? Of course, we then come to the real reason Star is spreading this stipend rumor. The mag’s “source” describes Lopez’s soon-to-be ex-husband, Marc Anthony, as “livid that Jennifer is throwing money away on this punk!” In other words, Star just wanted an excuse to write yet another totally fictitious article about Lopez and Anthony. For months, the tab’s been wrong on the topic, and it just struck out again. A rep for Lopez tells Gossip Cop the Lopez-Smart stipend story is totally “inaccurate.” -Gossip

Una mujer intentó matar a su marido al untarse veneno en su vagina e intentar que éste le practicara sexo oral. Según publicó el portal Regiaonnoroeste.com, la víctima sospechó algo raro y sintió un fuerte olor tóxico por lo que decidió interrumpir el acto sexual y acudir al hospital, ya que se estaba sintiendo mal. Los análisis reflejaron que el hombre tenía niveles significativos de una sustancia venenosa en su cuerpo. La mujer sospechosa de intento de asesinato no fue detenida por la Policía. Según se informó, el origen del conflicto estaría relacionado con la separación de la pareja, solicitada por el hombre. El hecho ocurrió en Río Preto, Brasil. -Vocero