Candice Swanepoel is a Victoria’s Secret angel – She was spotted by a model scout in a flea market at age 15. By age 16, the gorgeous angel was earning 5,000 Euros or R40,000 for a day’s work. Where is she from, you ask? Oh, just Mooi River, Kwazulu Natal! More pics.. [theblemish]

Shooter at Texas Army Base Kills 12 – A U.S. military officer is in custody after 12 people were killed and 32 were wounded in a shooting rampage at an army base in Fort Hood, Texas, on Thursday. A soldier, armed with two handguns, opened fire at about 1:30 p.m. CT in the base’s Soldier Readiness Center, where troops go through medical screening before being deployed overseas or after returning from a posting. [cbc]

Google Declares War on Facebook – After the search giant upgraded its social-networking tools yesterday, its battle with Facebook might come with collateral damage: your real-life friendships. [dailybeast

The New York Yankees Win the 27th World Series: First Time in Nine Years – Late Wednesday, the New York Yankees won game six of Major League Baseball’s World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies 7-3, earning them the championship. [examiner]

Robbie Williams Hints at a Take That Reunion – Showing off his TAKE THAT tattoo for the first time – Robbie hinted he will perform with the band again. The singer, 35, revealed he had the group’s double-T logo inked on his wrist to commemorate a private get-together with the group. Asked if a reunion might finally take place, he admitted: “I can’t say much – but yes, I hope so.” [thesun]

Michael Jordan’s Son Wears Nike and Costs His School’s Adidas Deal – A fight over the shoes Marcus Jordan’s will wear at the University of Central Florida has cost the school any future sponsorship with adidas. [espn]

Cavendish Square’s Mombasa Cafe Experiences Unprecedented Backlash – The recently published Mombasa Cafe article on 2oceansvibe, which included an email sent from the owner in response to an article published here over a year ago, has resulted in a massive backlash in the comments section from the owner’s ex staff members. [2oceansvibe]

Has Blackberry Lost its Edge? – Research In Motion’s BlackBerry phone has become a cultural phenomenon. But can it stay one? With a confusing mix of new products, poor developer support, lack of innovation and an unwillingness to take risks, RIM is in danger of being outsmarted and overshadowed. [wired]

My Father, the Drug Lord: Pablo Escobar’s Son – While on the phone with his son 16 years ago, Pablo Escobar stayed on the line just long enough for Colombian police to trace the call. Minutes later, the world’s most violent and notorious drug lord was gunned down on a Medellín rooftop. [time]

Caster Semenya Given Unconditional Apology From ASA – Caster Semenya has received an unconditional apology from Athletics South Africa for their role in the row over the athlete’s gender. President Leonard Chuene has been suspended by South Africa’s Olympic governing body pending a disciplinary investigation. [timesonlines]

100 Things Restaurant Staff Should Never Do : Part 1 – A writer for the New York Times is opening a new seafood restaurant. He wrote up a set of 100 rules for his staff to follow… He had me at “Tables should be level without anyone asking. Fix it before guests are seated.” [nytimes]

It’s a Man’s World at Harrods – Whilst shopping tends not to come naturally to most members of the coarser sex – even the most seasoned of male retail aficionados will admit to getting hot and bothered after an hour flicking the rails – the latest all-male shopping experience, devised by London retail monolith Harrods, is set to make a day pounding the aisles that little more permissible. [wallpaper]

Heartthrob Smackdown: Leonardo DiCaprio vs. Robert Patinson – “Not since Leo, circa Titanic, has a young actor been so aggressively beloved by 13-year-old girls worldwide,” writes Evgenia Peretz in her Vanity Fair profile of Robert Pattinson (Twilight’s Hot Gleaming, December 2009). [vanityfair]

Barack Obama Recruits Sarah Jessica Parker – Sarah Jessica Parker has an exciting new role – the Sex and the City actress has been hired by President Barack Obama to advise him on the arts. SJP is one of 25 new appointees to the president’s arts and humanities committee which also includes Forest Whitaker, Edward Norton and Anna Wintour.[hellomagazine]

Five British Soldiers Shot Dead by Rogue Afghanistan Policeman – Three Grenadier Guards and two Royal Military Police were attacked as they rested inside a compound. The soldiers, who had removed their body armour and helmets, were shot by an Afghan national policeman who then fled. [telegraph]

Kettner’s in London’s Soho has hosted the famous since 1867 when Auguste Kettner, chef to Napoleon III, first opened the venue. Close to the theatres and other entertainment, the venue has undergone many incarnations with regular patrons from Oscar Wilde and King Edward VII to Agatha Christie and Bing Crosby each leaving their famous vibes in the space. [thecoolhunter]

A Week in Provence: Winter (2) – It’s been a week of consolidation, unpacking and then planning for the next few months as our project starts to unfold again. But, Amazon did some deliveries while we were away and 24 – Season 7 was waiting. The firewood has been brought in and there has been a steady diet of Jack Bauer! [livingstylishlywell]

[thanks paul]