The world's happiest people aren't in Qatar, the richest country by most measures. They aren't in Japan, the nation with the highest life expectancy. Canada, with its chart-topping percentage of college graduates, doesn't make the top 10.

A poll released Wednesday of nearly 150,000 people around the world says seven of the world's 10 countries with the most upbeat attitudes are in Latin America.

Many of the seven do poorly in traditional measures of well-being, like Guatemala, a country torn by decades of civil war followed by waves of gang-driven criminality that give it one of the highest homicide rates in the world. Guatemala sits just above Iraq on the United Nations' Human Development Index, a composite of life expectancy, education and per capita income. But it ranks seventh in positive emotions.

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A sexy swimsuit model and countless other lusty New Yorkers say tomorrow’s predicted Mayan apocalypse is a great reason to have sex, and are turning to social media and doomsday-themed parties in hopes of fully experiencing humanity’s steamy climax.

"If I die, I don’t want to die on a dry spell!" declared model Niki Ghazian.

The sexy fashion plate, who works in New York and Los Angeles, told The Post she’ll attend a fashion party with friends tonight to celebrate Doomsday Eve — and, hopefully, hook up with someone hot.

All the horny hubbub has been caused by a doomsday prediction made by the ancient Mayan calendar, which predicts the world will end on Dec. 21, 2012, at 11:11 a.m.

While some people around the world are arming themselves and digging into bunkers, many New Yorkers are simply hoping for a hot time.

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There are a few ways to let the waiter know you want to pay up and leave but setting fire to the restaurant's Christmas tree isn't one of them. Until now.

An impatient diner at a Denny's restaurant became so irate at being made to wait for his bill that he decided to take matters into his own hands.

T

he man set fire to the Christmas tree in the I-35 location of Denny's in San Antonio, Texas, causing $150,000 worth of damage before fleeing the scene.

The restaurant's motto: 'America's diner is always open' no longer has the ring of truth about it as it closed following the fire.

The cost of repair is nearly four times the $40,000 franchise fee for one of the restaurants.

No one was believed to be hurt in the incident on Sunday night, although the restaurant has suffered considerable smoke damage

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As politicians, the Democratic members of the Wilmington, Del., City Council were early and enthusiastic supporters of Obamacare.

As employers, they are suffering from sticker shock after learning Obamacare for one employee could cost as much as $17,500 per year. They say they do not want to pay it.

The Affordable Care Act requires employers with more than 50 employees to provide health insurance for anyone who works more than 30 hours a week. Some city employees who work more than 30 hours a week are considered part-time and do not receive benefits such as health insurance.

Now that city leaders have read the Obamacare bill and know what is in it, that could change.

Wilmington is a predominantly black city with a high crime rate that supported Obama in the 2008 and 2012 elections by wide margins.

But no one thought about the cost of Obamacare – other than to pooh-pooh any notion that Obamacare could cause any economic dislocation.

Not until now: City leaders want to avoid the extra expense of Obamacare for city employees – many of whom work as school crossing guards and for the city’s park system in the summer – reducing their hours and changing their status to part-time.

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Hold the phone. NASA says the world is not ending.

The agency is

swamped with phone calls and emails from concerned citizens wondering about the possibility the world will end on Dec. 21, spokesman Dwayne Brown told the Los Angeles Times.

Between 200 and 300 people have been contacting NASA each day for weeks with queries about the alleged apocalypse that some believe was forecasted by the ancient Mayans, Brown said. Normally, the space agency only gets about

90 emails and phone calls a day, according to the Independent.

NASA is confident that there will be a day after tomorrow. The agency has already issued a

press release titled, "Why the World Didn't End Yesterday' and dated it Dec. 22, in advance.

Two guns found in the area of a recent Mexican drug cartel shootout have been linked to Fast and Furious: One trafficked by a suspect in the case, and the other purchased by a federal agent.

Mexican beauty queen Susana Flores Maria Gamez and four others

died in the brutal gun battle between Sinaloa cartel members and the Mexican military in November. CBS News has learned that an FN Herstal pistol recovered near the crime scene in November was originally purchased by an Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) manager who was faulted by the Inspector General in Operation Fast and Furious: George Gillett. Gillett was the Asst. Special Agent in Charge of ATF Phoenix when Fast and Furious began.

The Herstal pistol is nicknamed a "cop-killer" because of its designation as a "weapon of choice" for Mexican drug cartels. CBS News has learned the Inspector General planned to question Gillett today after a hastily-opened inquiry to determine how this agent's personal weapon got into the hands of suspected cartel members.

Gillett acknowledged he once owned the weapon in question, but says he sold it in Phoenix sometime last year after advertising it on the Internet. He declined to provide the name of the man who bought it, but says he went "above and beyond" what was required by law to complete the firearms transaction. That included asking the purchaser to fill out a form giving personal information and stating that he was in the U.S. legally; and checking his driver's license, which Gillett said was issued in the U.S.

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A barbershop patron accused of firing three times at another customer discussing the Connecticut school shooting has been charged with three felonies.

Lester Davis, 57, of the 400 block of Highland Meadows Place, is facing charges of first-degree assault, armed criminal action and unlawful possession of a weapon.

According to police, Davis was at the All Cuts Barber Shop, 102 West Pearce Boulevard, about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday with five other people.

One of the patrons was discussing last week’s shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown and commented that the incident "makes me want to murder the suspect," police said.

For unknown reasons, Davis took the comment as a threat and asked, "You want to murder me?" Davis then walked out to his Volkswagen sedan, retrieved a loaded Smith & Wesson 9 mm pistol and fired three times in the customer’s direction, police said.

According to court records, Davis is a felon, convicted of second-degree homicide and unlawful possession of a weapon in Middlesex County, N.J., in 1975. Records further state he has been involved in numerous verbal altercations with neighbors, resulting in an order of protection being issued against him.

He told police that the gun he used belongs to his wife.

Lucky her.

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The family of

Noah Pozner was mourning the 6-year-old, killed in the Newtown school massacre, when outrage compounded their sorrow.

Someone they didn't know was soliciting donations in Noah's memory, claiming that they'd send any cards, packages and money collected to his parents and siblings. An official-looking website had been set up, with Noah's name as the address, even including petitions on gun control.

Noah's uncle,

Alexis Haller called on law enforcement authorities to seek out "these despicable people."

It's a problem as familiar as it is disturbing. Tragedy strikes — be it a natural disaster, a gunman's rampage or a terrorist attack — and scam artists move in.

It happened after 9/11. It happened after Columbine. It happened after Hurricane Katrina. And after this summer's movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colo.

Sometimes fraud takes the form of bogus charities asking for donations that never get sent to victims. Natural disasters bring another dimension: Scammers try to get government relief money they're not eligible for.

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A "

Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" cast member may be coming to a porn DVD near you. But, it's not Honey Boo Boo herself.

Recently, the star's cousin, "Crazy" Tony Lindsey, expressed interest in starring in a hillbilly-themed porno, provided he doesn't have to adopt a cheesy adult-film moniker

"Everybody already knows me as 'Crazy' Tony, so why change it?"

he told TMZ.

It sounds crazy, but Lindsey may soon get his chance.

Assence Productions, a Los Angeles-based porn company, hopes Lindsey will agree to star in an X-rated spoof of the show. It's tentatively titled, "Here Cums Honey Poon Poon."

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A 6th grade student brought an unloaded handgun to West Kearns Elementary School Monday.

The 11-year-old boy allegedly told other students his parents encouraged him to bring a gun to school for protection following the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut on Friday.

The boy reportedly pulled the gun, a .22-caliber pistol, out of his backpack during recess Monday morning.

"At recess, he pointed a gun to my head and said he was going to kill me," said Isabel Rios, one of the boy’s fellow 6th grade students.

Granite School District officials say students didn’t notify teachers about the weapon until 3 p.m.

"Once the teacher knew there was a weapon in the classroom, the student was apprehended in 30 to 45 seconds and immediately brought down to the office and the police were on site within five to 10 minutes," said Granite School District Spokesman Ben Horsley.

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Under the leadership of House Speaker John Boehner (R.-Ohio), the 112^{th House of Representatives has thus far approved legislation that has increased the debt of the federal government by approximately $18,944 for per American household.}

The 112th House of Representatives has achieved this in a little more than 20 months time—and it may not be done yet enacting laws to approve new federal borrowing and spending.

On March 1, 2011, Boehner and President Barack Obama cut their first short-term federal spending deal. That deal took effect on March 4, 2011. Since then all new borrowing and spending by the federal government has been approved in laws enacted by Boehner’s House consistent with its constitutional power to control the borrowing and spending by the federal government.

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With TV shows like "

^{Here Comes Honey Boo Boo ," "Duck Dynasty," "Bayou Billionaires" and others making their way into the hearts and homes of millions of Americans it appears that the so-called Southern stereotype has found its place in the popular mainstream.}

According to TMZ, America's "obsession" with backwoodsmen and women is so pervasive that it is no longer just limited to PG-rated shows.

The entertainment website reports that the new craze is now "spilling over into the adult industry in a big way" with

^{sales of "hillbilly porn" nearly tripling in the last two years:}

Before the reality show wave -- which has included TV hits like "Swamp People," "American Hoggers" and "Hillbilly Handfishing" -- "

^{hillbilly porn was reportedly one of the site's "worst sellers."}

It is not clear why this X-rated genre has suddenly become so popular, but perhaps -- if the reaction to the TV shows is anything to go by -- it is the attraction to the "real deal" that has people coming for more.

Could the fledgling economy be driving people to watch pornography with titles like

^{"Hillbilly Honeys" and "Ozark Sex Fiend" Now that's food (porn for thought.}

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Mark Bringhurst was Teacher of the Year in Vineland, N.J., in 2011-12, but he has no chance of turning the honor into a winning streak. Not after being fired for streaking in an apartment complex.

Bringhurst

^{was arrested for running naked through the parking lot of a Camden County apartment complex in March and was recently fired for what the Vineland School District considered to be conduct "unbecoming of a tenured teacher," WTXF-TV reported.}

Witnesses called police because they were concerned for the safety of the children in the area. It also apparently wasn't the first time that

^{Bringhurst had ran flippy floppy through the complex, one witness told police, according to NBC Philadelphia.}

Officers tracked Bringhurst down to an adult bookstore where denied being at the complex. But he then

^{admitted running naked through the parking lot,}

Bringhurst told officers he ran through the lot after someone he met online dared him.

National Rifle Association officials have kept quiet in the wake of Friday’s elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn., and they also shut down their Facebook page and have not had any Twitter activity since Friday morning.

The powerful American pro-gun lobby’s Facebook page was deactivated on Saturday. The page had been celebrating its social media success last week with a posted photo thanking its 1.7 million "Likes" on the social network. And the typically active official NRA Twitter – which has over 63,000 followers — has not had a post since the morning of the attacks

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An Austin-area gun store owner is joining the gun rights debate with a controversial offer for teachers in light of the tragic shooting in Connecticut.

Crocket Keller of Kellers Riverside Gun Store says if educators want to get a concealed handgun license, he’ll give them a discount.

Keller’s offer comes as a debate wages over whether or not educators should be allowed to be armed on school grounds. He believes they should.

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A sex romp in a public park has helped prosecutors convict a California woman of faking an ankle injury to collect workers’ compensation payments.

San Mateo County prosecutors say 29-year-old Modupe Adunni Martin reported the injury while working as a Sequoia Union High School District janitor in 2009.

Martin claimed she couldn’t walk and needed crutches.

District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe says investigators caught Martin on videotape throwing her crutches into a car and running in high heels at a public park.

She then performed oral sex at the park on a boyfriend. Doctors concluded she couldn’t have done so with an injured ankle.

Martin pleaded no contest to fraud and was sentenced on Thursday to nine months in jail. She was also ordered to pay more than $79,000 in restitution.

What began as a peaceful and solemn remembrance for victims of the Connecticut shooting massacre was shattered on Sunday by a telephoned bomb threat that forced the evacuation of a Roman Catholic church, deepening the distress of a town in mourning.

The Saint Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church has been a sanctuary for people disturbed by the tragedy in the heavily Catholic town of Newtown, a wealthy suburb surrounded by wooded hills some 80 miles from New York City.

Eight of the funerals for the shooting victims have been scheduled at Saint Rose.

On the direction of police, Monsignor Robert Weiss asked people at the noon Mass service to quickly evacuate on Sunday, two days after the shooting.

Seven men from a SWAT team emerged from an armored vehicle in fatigues and body armor, carrying rifles and shields.

They searched the church and rectory, finding it was safe to re-enter, though the building would remain closed for the rest of the day, an officer at the scene said.

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Authorities investigating the deadly US school shooting warned Sunday of misinformation circulating on social media about the massacre.

Those spreading such fake details could be subject to arrest, Lieutenant Paul Vance of Connecticut State Police told reporters in the wake of Friday's attack on the Sandy Hook Elementary School that killed 26 people -- including 20 children between the ages of six and seven.

Shortly after the story first broke, news reports surfaced referencing a Facebook page attributed to Ryan Lanza, the name initially believed to be that of the gunman, who was later identified as Adam Lanza.

It had first been floated after police found an ID bearing that name on the gunman's body. The ID turned out to belong to the 20-year-old's brother.

US media said reporters swarmed the home of another Ryan Lanza in New Jersey. A wrong Ryan Lanza also picked up a slew of followers on Twitter.

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Viewers, beware: while you’re watching TV, your TV might be watching you back. A security firm discovered that Samsung’s Smart TV can give hackers access to the device’s built-in camera and microphones, allowing them to watch everything you do.

The Malta-based firm ReVuln posted a video showing its team of researchers hacking into one of the Samsung TVs and accessing its settings, channel lists, widgets, USB drives, and remote control configurations. The security flaw allows hackers to access any and all personal data stored on the TV.

With this access, hackers can use the Smart TVs built-in camera and microphones to see and hear everything in front of it. Instead of just watching TV, viewers could themselves be watched without knowing it.

But this flaw isn’t present in just one specific model. The vulnerability affects all 11 Samsung televisions of the latest generation. The Smart TVs have many of the same features as a computer, but lack the same kind of protection. The devices do not have security features such as firewalls and antivirus software.

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Indeed, it's that time of year again: the Chicago strip club-sponsored toy drive that last year

nabbed a mention on "Saturday Night Live" is back.

The RedEye reports that the Admiral Theatre, which bills itself as the city's only "gentleman's club" showcasing fully nude dancers, will

again be holding its "Lap Dancing for the Needy" toy drive through Dec. 22.

For the third year in a row, the Admiral, located at 3940 W. Lawrence Ave., will be offering its guests a free lap dance in exchange for their donation of an unused, unwrapped children's toy. In years past, participants were

limited to receiving just one lap dance per customer per visit -- regardless of how many toys they bring in. Toys and disbursement of "pleasure bills" are up to the discretion of management according to the club's website.

The Admiral is well known for their unusual, publicity-grabbing promotions, which in the past have included a Sarah Palin lookalike contest and a "Bride of the Stripping Dead" burlesque show.

The Admiral, too, is not alone among gentlemen's clubs giving back to children in need this holiday season. The Platinum Cabaret in Fayetteville, Ark.

is hosting a "Tatas for Tots" toy drive this month.