Blog Posts by Piper Weiss, Shine Staff

Belize looks a lot like Boca Raton
Happy Valentine's Day, fellow Bachelorettes! This week we're diving into the native culture of Belize. Ben says he's really happy he's in this most natural environment because he can really reflect on where's he's been. Like for example: the pool in Panama wasn't nearly this curvy and in L.A. it's just a rectangle.
Don't focus on the flip-flops, but the fact that Ben can tie a knot.
The editors really want us to know that Ben is a solo adventurer who drives his own boat and parks it like so. No help at all. Okay?
It's tank top and scarf weather in Belize
This week, the week before hometown dates mind you, is a little different. No one's getting kicked off until the end and everyone's going out with Ben. But only one person is riding on a helicopter...big whoop.

DATE 1: Lindzi
Still crazy after all these helicopter rides.
Ben's ridden in a lot of helicopters with a lot of girls, if you catch my drift. But Lindzi is the first one who's "taken the leap of faith" and jumped out of one with him.
This is a dumb idea, kids.
It's not long after this that conch shells start to creep into our psyche.
See those shells? Nobody throw them away.
The date's going pretty well, but it sure could use some flashbacks

Bobbi Kristina Brown's grief over her mother's death has become public fodder.(Getty Images)Mourning the loss of a parent in the public eye is a struggle all its own. Sadly, Whitney Houston's daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, is facing it head on.

Just as fans learned of Houston's tragic death, the singer's 19-year-old daughter was rushed to the hospital after an emotional breakdown. She returned to the hospital a second time over the devastating weekend.

"My daughter Bobbi Kristina is doing much better," her father, Bobby Brown, said in a written statement. "We continue to provide love and support to Bobbi-Kristina. She is dealing with the tragedy of her mother's death and would prefer to do it outside of the public eye. I ask again that our privacy be respected."

Read more: Whitney's last days

The sudden loss of a parent is unimaginably traumatic for any child, but for those foisted into the spotlight, the burden is particularly stressful.

"They face additional burdens because all of the speculations and emerging details of the death and of the parent's life," a grief

Anyone have advice on love? Anyone besides the guy in the furry hat and goggles?There's questionable dating advice and then there's unquestionably bad dating advice. This Valentine's day we've hand selected some of the worst, off-color, and unintentionally amusing feedback from self-proclaimed experts in the art of romance. In an over-saturated market of relationship how-to's, it's almost easier to isolate the worst advice and avoid it at all costs. We can't promise it will lead to love, but at least you'll be able to live with yourself.

Bad Advice #1: Speak inaudibly
Men love it when they can barely hear a woman's voice, even when she's speaking directly to them. This useless nugget from the recently published "The Geisha Secret: Ancient Dating Rituals Proven to Win a Modern Man's Heart." Author Hanako extols the virtues of being a woman of few words and much face paint. "Don't speak too loudly. Kyoto Geishas speak a special dialect that is much softer than the modern Japanese language because it is more attractive. A loud, harsh voice is unfeminine." Know what

Just a day after the passing of one of music's legends, it's business as usual. While Whitney Houston's tragic death on Saturday cast a pall over the Grammy show, the red carpet remained largely unaffected. Religious figures as accessories, sparkling gold and silver couture gowns and a bunch of Beach Boys in Hawaiian shirts. Halloween, the Grammys: is there really a difference?

Related:

Remembering Whitney Houston

Hair hits and misses from the Grammys

Top Grammy looks of the decade

Chris Brown Grammy controversy

Picture yourself on Barbie's waistline.Meet the newest version of Barbie. Still blonde, unreasonably proportioned, but now much more photogenic.

On Friday, Mattel introduced Barbie Photo Fashion Doll, a digital camera disguised as a doll. Well, not completely disguised. Her shirt actually serves as the display screen for snapshots and pre-loaded graphics. A detachable USB cord, which plugs into an as-yet-undisclosed place on Barbie's body, allows you to transfer files to and from the doll's midsection.

It's hard to believe you can fit anything in that stomach, no less a digital picture frame, but nanotechnology is just another part of being a kid these days.


Digital camera Barbie is part of a pack of tech toys the company's rolling out this year. Through software they've branded as "Apptivity", Hot Wheels cars and other non-techy toys can be rolled across the screen of a tablet and integrated into online games.

"Today's children do not differentiate between toy and device as technology is expected in their favorite

Do you have any idea what that Valentine's Day card has been through? (Photo by Stephen Chernin/Getty Images)If you think it's hard to find the right words to say to your Valentine, imagine how greeting card writers feel. Those men and women who've spent months toiling over the perfect sentiment for millions of strangers are the unsung heroes of February 14. From '94 through '99, David Ellis Dickerson was among them. During his five-year tenure at Hallmark, he told your wife how much he loves to kiss her forehead, and reminded your single friend she's doesn't need a man. Dickerson, now an author and contributor to NPR's This American Life, talked to Shine about the business of writing love notes. Make no mistake, it's all business.

Shine: Lets start with a loaded question. Do men and women shop for Valentine's cards differently?
David Dickerson: The difference in shopping behavior is huge. Women will go to stores to browse and relax. Men, for the most part, want to get in and get out. So guys gravitate to the most obvious cards: the biggest, showiest, most expensive looking one on the rack.

What looks better: the ring or the cupcake?As Valentine's Day approaches, so inevitably do marriage proposals. With around 10 percent of engagements planned for February 14th, food purveyors have started offering package deals to make the whole process easier. Of course, having your own pre-wedding planner comes at a price.

Watch: how not to pop the question

Pizza Hut, the delivery chain that caters to both kids birthdays and college after-parties, will do it for $10,010 . The pie chain just announced plans to provide limo service, a ruby engagement ring, flowers, fireworks, a personal videographer, along with breadsticks and a medium cheese pizza for the first ten people who place the order. This is not a joke .

It remains to be seen how many people will spring for the delivery deal but expect to see at least one pop up on YouTube to the delight of the Pizza Hut marketing team. Note: It only comes with one free topping so choose wisely.

It's not exactly a deal, but it's a lot cheaper than the going rate at another eatery.

Fairy tales don't always come true, even for fairy tale princesses. French photographer Thomas Czarnecki provides a crash course in growing up, with a series of haunting portraits he's titled, "From Enchantment to Down." Warning: it's not for kids.

In Czarnecki's world love doesn't conquer all, the grim reaper does. Alice meets her maker in an abandoned basement. Ariel follows the path of many a beached whale. And Snow White's poison apple finishes the job.

Models dressed in vamped-up Disney versions of famous heroines pose lifelessly, their faces obscured. While their death scenes are chilling, more haunting is the suggestion of a wicked witch who finally won.

Related:

The best bargains on fairy tale costumes for kids
5 lessons I don't want my son learning from fairy tales

12 real life fairy tale homes

Disney's newest princess is a first

Disney's fairy tale wedding gowns