Blog Posts by Piper Weiss, Shine Staff

Prince Jefri's sex toys on trial. (Photo via NY Daily News)If you had trillions of dollars, your own country and not much to do, things must get really boring. That's one way to rationalize why Prince Jefri of Brunei commissioned a pair of sexually active statues built in his and his fiancee's likeness. (Scroll though the photos here.) The Sultan of Brunei's brother is famous for being a perverse Richie Rich. And his reckless sexually motivated spending habits are the reason the photos of these statues are coming to light. They're part of evidence in his long running court case with his former business advisors. Despite his pleas with the judge to keep the photos of the statues private, the evidence was released to the public today. And we can't get enough of them.
First of all, the statue of Jefri looks more like a former member of 98 degrees. Secondly, the artist earned close to $1 million for his work. Thirdly: Jefri wants a mustache added to the male statue.
This all may seem shocking to those who haven't followed his exploits in the

Every time I get a stiff neck, I come down with a case of meningititis-phobia. The next two days I'm making sure, every 5 minutes, that my chin can in fact reach my chest. It may look like a nervous tick, but that's how doctors recommended checking for symptoms of the disease...in the dark ages.

Thanks to the app technology, you can monitor your health AND keep your phobias in check. And all under the auspices of "checking your phone."

Fear: Meningitis
App: Meningitis Trust
It's the disease that causes new hypochondriacs every day. It can strike at any time, it's highly contagious and you don't always know you have it until it's too late. This app will definitely save lives, but it will also put minds at ease, thanks to the detailed breakdown of symptoms, emergency departments and breaking news to track epidemics. There's also a game called Bug Blaster, "a virtual battle against bacteria to eliminate the meningitis bug."

Fear: STDs
App: AppSmear
A true hypochondriac works on a

(ThinkStock Photos)If your relationship is on thin ice, you've got a month to figure it out. According to the laws of love, Monday, December 6th will be the last window of opportunity to call it quits this year.

If you miss that deadline here what will happen: you'll be swept into office party week, a time when colleagues finally get to meet your partner. The stakes are raised even more by the following two weeks when you may end up meeting each other's families, or you may just forget how annoying you are to each other with a little distance and some parental pep talks. So maybe you'll give it another shot, after all it's nice to have someone to kiss on New Years. And hey, you can always reassess come January, but why would you do that when Valentine's day is coming up? See where this is going? Til death do you part.

While there's no pure science, the date is based on a few factors. A recent breakdown of 10,000 Facebook status updates suggests that the most popular time in the year to breakup is two

South Carolina Republican Nikki Haley is the first Indian-American woman Governor in the U.S. (Photo by Chris Keane/Getty Images)
Last night, two women made gubernatorial history. South Carolina's Nikki Haley and New Mexico's Susana Martinez both became the first women of color elected to the role of governor in the United States. Haley, a Republican, is the second Indian-American in the country and the first woman in her state of South Carolina to step up to the role.

Her own campaign was rife with accusations of extra-marital affairs, something few female politicians thus far have had to contend with. In the fight to replace infamous adulterer Mark Sanford, the allegations, which she denied, were particularly stinging. But with backing from Sarah Palin, whose home-brew of strong family values has made her a Tea Party icon, Haley was able subdue the negative press.

Meanwhile, New Mexico became the first state in the U.S. to elect a female Hispanic Governor. Susana Martinez, defeated her Democratic opponent, also a woman, in last night's elections. The Texas native, originally a Democrat until 1996, also got

80's pop singer, Peter Burns, hasn't aged a bit. And that's not good. (Photo by Reveal Magazine via the Daily Mail)
Yes, I said man. Peter Burns, the man who brought us the '80s one-hitter "You Spin Me Round," has entered into the 'Where Are They Now' Hall of Fame thanks to several surgical procedures. He's gone from looking like The Cure's Robert Smith to notorious Cat-woman Jocelyn Wildenstein.
The poor guy is hooked on surgery, despite a botched procedure last year that almost cost him his face. According to the Daily Mail, he was close to having his lips amputated that time. But it hasn't stopped Burns from going back for more. "My most recent overhaul was about a month ago," he told Reveal Magazine. "I had a minor facelift and my eyes slanted." Minor? Not exactly the word that comes to mind. Octomom, maybe.

(ThinkStock Photos)A new poll from Glamour reconfirmed what we already know: 71% of women feel fat. But only 46% percent surveyed were medically considered overweight. Will we ever overcome our body issues?

"It's happening in the tabloids, on MySpace, Facebook pages really like there is a great weight watch happening in the country and it's very hard for women not to internalize that message. I think that's what stat reflects," Wendy Naugle, executive editor of Glamour magazine, told CBS News.

But this is nothing new. Skinny models, gaunt actresses and other unrealistic portrayals of the female figure have long been targeted for making the rest of us feel inadequate. Add that to the problem of monthly PMS bloating and you've got yourself recipe for self-loathing.

But things have been changing for the better. Ally McBeal is long gone and plus-size characters like "Mike and Molly" are getting network airtime--not to mention, an army of supporters demanding more tolerance for different body

Couples who annoy their friends with constant P.D.A, may be doing more damage to themselves. (ThinkStock Photos)

Your double dates keep getting canceled. You're the only bridesmaid without a plus one. And every time you make a plan with a friend, it's followed by the question: "just you and me, right?" These are dead give-aways you're one half of an annoying couple. You could be great as individuals but there's something about your combined forces that isn't complimentary. It might have to do with the pet names, the inside jokes and the reckless P.D.A. while other people are trying to hold a conversation with you.

But you're in love! Why is everyone trying to ruin it? They're not. Those put-off peers are doing you a service. A new book asserts that the things you do as couple that annoy people, could do more damage to your own relationship. "We realized that when two people live together, they can fall into bad habits of getting too comfortable with one another. That's when the attraction starts to fade," explains Maggie Arana and Julien Davis, co-authors of the new book, "Stop Calling Him

Enjoy this humorous stock photo of an over-sized fly in soup. The pictures to follow aren't nearly as charming. (ThinkStock Images)Warning: this post is NSFL (not safe for lunch). Prepare to have the following 10 images haunt your dreams and your next meal.

The McRib is making a comeback, and while it looks delicious, it's hard to forget its urban legend origins from the '80s. Rumor had it back then a man took a bite into his McRib only to notice a tail hanging out the other side. While there's no proof that actually happened, there is some pictorial evidence of similar repulsions. Consider the new fast food diet: a survey of items reported found in to-go meals around the world. Enjoy.

A dead rat in Bacon Ranch Salad: A Texas woman sued the chain for $1.7 million when she found a 5 inch rat underneath her lettuce "drenched in dressing, wholly intact from whiskers to tail, on its back, mouth agape," according to one account. Other facts: she took about 8 bites of salad before she realized what her lunch really was. Then she had the good sense to throw up in the sink. She still claims to