A Contractor Spills His Secrets

A builder of luxury homes reveals how he created his weekend retreat on a budget.

"He chose solid cherry cabinets in the bedrooms, kitchens and bathrooms; he said cabinets aren't the place to cut corners because they're highly visible. The quality of a house also shows in its doors; the home's doors are solid mahogany and 1¾ inches thick, instead of the standard 1 3/8 inches. He made the ceilings higher than standard—12½ feet in some places."

The union’s state is dire

Barack Obama’s big speech to Congress was mainly a bit of electioneering

Mr Obama’s problem is that Americans simply do not believe these good tidings. More than 48% of them disapprove of the way he is doing his job. More than 65% believe that the country is on the “wrong track”.

"Undergrads," a series produced by James Franco, depicts a band of hard-partying students having run-ins with the law. The administration is not happy.

"More accurately representative of USC are the students who provide hundreds of hours in community service, who rank among the country's most academically and artistically gifted, and who value diversity in cultures, nationalities and socio-economic backgrounds among their peers, said Michael L. Jackson, vice president of student affairs, in a statement". LOL

The End of the Peyton Manning Era?

“This should end with an entire region paying tribute to the greatest Indianapolis Colt of all time, not a blizzard of words.”

Madonna Watches the Throne

Madonna, as she preps for the release of her new movie "W.E." and a performance at the Super Bowl, sounds off about her music, her movies, and internet leaks.

 Wall Street clicks 'like' on Facebook IPO

Beyond minting an estimated 1,000 new millionaires at the company, Facebook's initial public stock offering could provide a huge boost to Wall Street investment banks sorely in need of a hot stock to excite investors. The right to manage the IPO will also generate an estimated $250 million in fees.

Bill Gates: 'I wrote Steve Jobs a letter as he was dying. He kept it by his bed’

Bill Gates talks about friendly rivalry and how to get bankers to part with their money.

Gingrich Falls Short in a Crucial GOP Debate

"There was only one question going into Thursday night's Republican debate in Jacksonville, Fla.: Would Newt Gingrich win, or would he lose?"

He lost. And even worse for Gingrich, Mitt Romney won.

Sanctions aimed at averting wider conflict

European and United States experts on Iran claim that fear of a new war is the key reason the European Union decided to phase out purchases of Iranian oil. In particular is the belief that Israel is planning an attack on Tehran's nuclear installations

"There is particular concern that Israel might act in 2012 out of concern that Iran is nearing nuclear weapons capability and in the belief that the Barack Obama administration would be obliged to support Israel in a US presidential election year"

Gingrich Opens Up New Line of Attack on Romney

Look for Newt Gingrich to abandon his above-it-all “presidential” tone at Thursday’s debate and come out rip-roaring about Mitt Romney’s investments that, Mr. Gingrich contends, profited from home foreclosures in Florida.

Mr. Gingrich was referring to a report on, of all places, the left-leaning Web site Think Progress on Wednesday, which claimed that an examination of Mr. Romney’s personal financial disclosure from last year showed he and his wife owned shares of a Goldman Sachs fund that invested in mortgage-backed securities. It linked the fund to “thousands” of foreclosure proceedings against Floridians.

Oscar De La Hoya sued by escort over 'assault during hotel room orgy’

Oscar De La Hoya, the 10-time world champion boxer, is being sued by an escort who claims that he assaulted her during a drug-fuelled orgy in a New York hotel room

Not all Romney income is on ethics forms

Obama, Mrs. Jobs, and Apple

Apple doesn’t manufacture here and it doesn’t expect ever to do so. “Those jobs aren’t coming back,” Jobs reportedly told Obama at a dinner when the President asked whether it would be possible to make iPhones in America.

How Rich is Buffett's Secretary?

This morning's reports—that Debbie Bosanek pays a tax rate of 35.8 percent of her income—are confusing.

Jeb Bush: Winning Hispanics back

Jeb Bush

Republicans will need the group to take the White House.

"When we hear foreign languages in the streets of America, that is a validation of the Republican vision to create a place where people want to come and make their lives."

The Secret to Going Viral

Marketers want to boil down people's sharing behavior to one, easy equation, but that's not how social networks work.

Felix Salmon articulates this sentiment at the Columbia Journalism Review's Audit desk "HuffPo is built on the idea that when stories are shared on Twitter or Facebook, that will drive traffic back to huffingtonpost.com, where it can then monetize that traffic by selling it to advertisers," writes Salmon. "But in future, the most viral stories are going to have a life of their own, being shared across many different platforms and being read by people who will never visit the original site on which they were published."

Florida Polls Favor Mitt

Two new voter surveys suggest Romney has a big lead over Gingrich among college grads and non-evangelicals

Part of Romney's advantage is that Rick Santorum draws slightly more from the groups favorable to Gingrich than from the groups that tilt toward Romney. Most dramatically, Santorum in the survey attracts 18 percent from Tea Party supporters

Ariz. Gov. Brewer in an intense conversation with Obama. (AP)

Obama’s dust-up in the desert

David Nakamura

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer and the president spar over her immigration book on tarmac in Phoenix.

US opens talks to establish Philippines foothold

Washington has opened talks to establish a military foothold in the Philippines to counteract China's rise in the Pacific.

"The news that the Pentagon is contemplating a return to the Philippines is certain to anger Beijing. China has already protested about the plan to increase the presence of US forces in the region, which it sees as an attempt both to encircle it and to counter its influence in southeast Asia. America already has large bases in Japan and South Korea."

Able to be flown autonomously by computers aboard ship, the X-47B could usher in an era when death and destruction can be dealt by machines operating semi-independently.

""It's a different world from just a few years ago — we've entered the realm of science fiction in a lot of ways. New rules have to be developed as new technology comes about, and this is a big step forward."

Rush Limbaugh: Resentment Fueled Gingrich's Rise

Why did those questions tee Newt up, and why did Newt know what to do with them? Very simple. I've been doing this show for 23 years, and one of my themes from the beginning, from 1988, has been that the American conservative middle class are the ones playing by the rules. They are the ones that obey the law to the best of their ability. They raise their kids. They try to shield their kids from cultural rot and depravity. They try to keep them off drugs. They try to get them into college......

The Billionaire Magnate Bankrolling Gingrich

Sheldon Adelson is reshaping the 2012 presidential race.

Newt vs. Nancy: She has 'something' on him, he demands to know what it is

"Let me just say this. That will never happen," she said. "He's not going to be President of the United States ... Let me just make my prediction and stand by it, it isn't going to happen."

 Is Facebook 'Subscribe' for real? Booming new traffic explained

As their Facebook "subscriber" lists have spiraled upward -- into the thousands and tens of thousands in recent weeks -- many journalists have looked on in awe and wonder.

Fashion writer 'praises' Obamas for teaching African-American people how to dress

French Elle writer manages to shock and offend with one story.

"Things get even more baffling when she dubs the Obamas the “black-geoisie” who dress "white" but still maintain their ‘blackness” with symbols."

Why did Sen. John Kerry have 2 black eyes at the State of the Union?

Barack Obama may have taken aim at the GOP during his address, but it was former presidential candidate John Kerry who looked like he took a beating.