Boom!

Someone Tried To Blow Up Times Square – A failed car bomb smoked, popped and shut down Times Square, causing panic, evacuations and confusion Saturday on one of the tourist spot’s busiest nights. Most of the streets in the area were reopened Sunday morning, though a heavy police presence remained in the area. And it looks like someone might have caught it on camera. [wallstreetjournal]

North Korea Football Side To Be Hosted By Zimbabwe – Zimbabwe’s attempt to bask in the reflected glory of next month’s World Cup has backfired by reviving memories of one of the country’s bloodiest massacres. Plans to host the North Korean football squad have been condemned as a symbolic insult by opposition politicians and activists because of North Korea’s role in the mass killings of Zimbabweans in the 1980s. Fair enough. [guardian]

Uncertainty Over Malema Charges – It’s as clear as mud what is going to happen regarding ANC Youth League leader and insolent child, Julius Malema on Monday. According to the ANC, Malema has to report to Luthuli House on Monday to face a disciplinary hearing. This follows a recent statement by the leadership of the ANC that it has presented Malema with complaints regarding his “deviant behaviour”. [news24]

Google Acquires BumpTop 3D Desktop Technology – Google’s acquisition spree shows no sign of stopping, as now we’re learning that the search giant has acquired BumpTop, an application for transforming your desktop into a slick 3D interface.The acquisition, reported by Wellington Financial, brings some really innovative technology under the Google fold. [mashable]

Outdoor Workouts Improve Mental Health – If the confirmation by Virgin Active that gay sex is carrying on in their changing rooms, was not enough to cancel your membership, UK researchers have found that just five minutes of exercise in a “green space” such as a park can boost mental health. There is growing evidence that combining activities such as walking or cycling with nature boosts well-being. You should try my route – comes standard with supermodels. [bbc]

Roman Polanski Breaks Silence – Ending a long silence, Roman Polanski addressed his possible extradition to the United States over a 33-year-old sex-crime case with a statement that accused authorities here of “trying to serve me on a platter to the media of the world.” I know, how rude of them. What’s the big deal anyway? Just because you anally raped a child? So unfair.. [nytimes]

Bentley Mulsanne Review – The £220,000 (R2.5 million) replacement for the Arnage, is the acid test of whether VW is serious about building Bentleys or just in it to get rich quick. The Mulsanne is a different kettle of poissons to the Phaeton-based Continental GT. It is an ultra-exclusive, hand-built saloon/limousine that sells only to the truly rich. Your move, Atlantic Seaboard pretenders. [telegraph]

Obama Tops Leno In Wise-Crack Standoff – Saturday night’s White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner found Obama going head to head against Jay Leno, and winning. He opened with an easy laffer about Joe Biden. Obama said Biden convinced him to attend the dinner: “I work a lot so I wasn’t sure that I should actually come tonight. Biden talked me into it. He leaned over and he said, ‘Mr. President, this is no ordinary dinner. This is a big “fucking meal!” [politico]

Lindsay Lohan’s Bloody And Trigger Happy Photo Shoot – Despite her constantly erratic behavior, it’s difficult to let go of our love for Lindsay Lohan. Just when we think she’s hit rock bottom, she does something sort of awesome that makes us sit back and wonder if we could save her — save her talent, get her to be the fashion icon and/or movie star that we know she could be. Warning: pics include lingerie, blood and guns. [styleite]

Most Expensive US Residential Transaction of 2010 – The shoddy state of today’s real estate market isn’t keeping those with means from making some eye-popping deals. This week, the Boot Jack Ranch in southwest Colorado sold for $46.5 million, claiming the mantle of most expensive residential transaction in 2010 in the U.S. [huffers]

The True Lost Hendrix Album – Axis: Bold as Love, Jimi Hendrix’s second studio album, may be the most underloved record ever made by a rock god. Forty years after his death in September 1970, many fans still only talk about the guitarist’s first and third LPs: Are You Experienced?, his historic 1967 debut with the Jimi Hendrix Experience — his trio with bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell — and the 1968 masterpiece, Electric Ladyland. [rollingstone]

Diora Baird Tweets Her Cleavage – As some of you will know, American actress and former Guess Model, Diora Baird, is outrageously hot and, it turns out, very funny as well. She also has a Twitter account. And an iPhone with a camera. And a cleavage. And a mirror. Put that all into a blender and you just know what you’re gonna get. Morning! [egotastic]