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  • 'The Real World': MTV Orders Season 28, New 'Challenge'

    The Real World" is sticking around MTV. The network has renewed the series for a Season 28. Along with "The Real World," MTV handed out another season order to competition series "The Challenge."

    "The Real World" is currently filming its 27th season in St. Tomas, with the new season set to debut later in 2012. No location for Season 28 has been announced. The last season of "The Real World," set in San Diego, averaged more than 1 million viewers per episode.

    The latest "Challenge" renewal brings the show to 23 seasons. "The Challenge: Battle of the Exes" was a ratings hit for MTV. The competition series paired "Real World" and "Road Rules" veterans who were at one time romantically involved was the most-watched "Challenge" in seven seasons. According to MTV, the show averaged close to 2 million viewers weekly.

    "The Challenge: Battle of the Exes" ends with a reunion special on Wed., April 4 at 10 p.m. ET on MTV. Former "Real World" cast member and current WWE star The Miz will serve as host.

    Jennifer Lopez: 'Dance Again' Single Debuts On Youtube

    It's here! Jennifer Lopez's newest single "Dance Again" (Click to listen on Youtube) has finally arrived!

    After weeks of teasing sneak peaks and snippets of photos, the full audio version of the J.Lo-Pitbull collaboration debuted on Youtube. Though the accompanying music video will not be released until April 5, today's video features the full lyrics in all their flashy, glittery glory.

    A quick electro beat and rapid clapping pushes the momentum of the song from the start as Pitbull launches into a brief introduction.

    The beat shifts from upbeat pings and claps to a bass backdrop as Lopez takes over the vocals.

    "Nobody knows what I'm feeling inside. I find it so stupid so why should I hide that I love to make love to you baby," she sings.

    The quick electro beat returns, revving up the energy before the chorus: "I wanna dance and love and dance again."

    That's the line that will surely get stuck in your head.

    J.Lo fans have been in a frenzy on Twitter today awaiting the release of soon-to-be dance hit.

    Read some of the enthusiastic reactions to "Dance Again" in the gallery below.

    Swimmer tears bathing suit before start, still beats Michael Phelps

    A split bathing suit couldn't hold back Nathan Adrian at the Indianapolis Grand Prix. The 2008 relay gold medalist overcame a tear in his bathing suit to win the 100-meter freestyle over a stacked field that included Olympic legend Michael Phelps.

    While crouching on the block before the start of Thursday night's final, Adrian felt a tear down the middle of his rear. His tight-fitting Speedo FS3 had split, leaving him with an exposed backside and considerably more drag than he'd have liked.

    Adrian dove in anyway -- "what could I do?" he said. The rip didn't have an effect on the result. He touched the wall in 48.62, more than one-tenth of a second ahead of a hard-charging Phelps. That time was good enough to be the 11th-fastest time in the world this year, but likely would have been considerably faster had the suit not split.

    The Swim Pictures and Swim Swam were able to capture pictures and reaction (site server has reportedly crashed) to the event.

    "Bending over on the block and feeling that snap is never a good feeling," a chuckling Adrian told a post-race interviewer.

    Live cricket streaming: India vs South Africa, one-off T20 at Johannesburg

    India take on South Africa in one-off T20 match in Johannesburg ahead of the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) 5 back home in India.

    Many people love watching cricket on web. There are many TV companies that offer live telecast of cricket on internet, and one would think that it would be satisfying to watch the sport via these companies, owing to the fact that there are so many of them, and the competition would spur them to good provision.

    Number of people watching live cricket on web has sprung up as the number of internet users has been growing over the years. People do multi-tasking even without being in front of the television set. Because of the demand there are several sites which stream cricket matches on the net. But not all of them are reliable. Some of them are so tedious that they guide you to other domains while some make you click hundreds of links without taking you to the streaming page.

    Here is a collective list of genuine streaming sites. These provide nonstop coverage and that too at a single click. Also you have option of multiple servers to view it.

    1. http://www.cricloverz.com/

    2. www.extracover.net

    3. www.crictime.com

    4. www.cricket-365.net/

    5. www.webcric.com

    6. http://cricket-matches.blogspot.com/

    7. www.watchcriclive.com/

    Medical records will prove George Zimmerman's story

    George Zimmerman's brother said medical records will prove that his brother was attacked and his nose was broken by Trayvon Martin before he fatally shot the teen.

    Robert Zimmerman Jr. spoke to CNN's Piers Morgan Thursday night saying he wanted to correct some of the "mythology" and untruths that have been spread about the controversial shooting.

    "We're confident the medical records are going to explain all of George's medical history," Zimmerman Jr. said. "His nose looks swollen in that video. I'm his brother."

    George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, said he shot Martin in self defense after the teen attacked him last month. Martin, who was walking through the gated community back to the house of his father's fiancee, was wearing a hoodie in the rain and carrying Skittles candy and a can of iced tea he had purchased from a nearby convenience store.

    Authorities have said Zimmerman has not been charged because there are no grounds to disprove his account that he acted in self defense. Critics say Zimmerman, who is Hispanic, racially profiled Martin, who was black.

    The shooting of Martin, an unarmed 17-year old, has sparked an intense national debate about race, birthed protests and was addressed by President Barack Obama who called the incident a "tragedy."

    Robert Zimmerman Jr. also called the shooting a tragedy but warned that some of the responses have not been healthy.

    "This is a tragedy. Her son was lost," he said trying to send a message to Martin's mother. "I feel very badly about that and I want, in the end, not for her son's memory to be seen as how we degraded our system and turned it into mob rule and went into a hate speech. Ultimately, we all wish that this was a different situation."

    Gorgeous Aishwarya at Cannes Film Festival

    Aishwarya Rai Sizzles at Robin Hood Premiere during Cannes 2010. Green Eyed Indian Princess Aishwarya Rai rocks at the opening day of 63rd Fesival De Cannes. Aishwarya Rai who is regular attendees at Cannes Film Festival was arrived with Eva Longoria at Robin Hood Premiere Show. Aishwarya Rai looks stunning though bit tired at the premiere of Robin Hood held at the Palais des Festivals during the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. Aishwarya was dressed in a violet blue fully embroidered tulle and mousseline gown from Elie Saab. Checkout Aishwarya Rai Cannes 2010.CLICK HERE MORE

    Deepika Padukone’s traditional look wins over Ash’s western one at Cannes

    Aishwarya Rai has been attending the Cannes film festival since 2002 as the global face of L`Oreal but drew critical applauds only last year when she wore a white off-shoulder Roberto Cavalli. This year, though her outfit was impressive but her puffy hairdo got some her some negative compliments as well.

    The actress who won the hearts of millions this year with her very first red carpet appearance at the Cannes International Film Festival was the 24-year-old Deepika Padukone who looked stunningly elegant in her off white, slightly embroidered saree with touches of gold, with a broad hand cuff, Kundan earrings and a stone encrusted clutch. Deepika is attending the event as the face of liquor brand Chivas Regal.

    Take a look at what various designers have to say about her traditional look as compared to Ash’s western outfit:

    “She was wearing a saree and I think that`s an appropriate outfit for any Indian diva walking an international platform. It was a nice off-white saree with a sexy blouse, making the look exude a good amount of glitz and glamour,” said designer Charu Parashar.

    Designer Nida Mahmood said: “Deepika is a beautiful woman and was looking stunning in a saree. It`s a very nice outfit that brings out the real form of a woman. It`s sensual and elegant and if you can carry it well it makes you look awesome.”

    Rohit Bal, who designed Deepika`s look for the event, had said: “As a designer, who has been observing fashion since the last 25 years, I think the only one super star at this time at Cannes is going to be Deepika Padukone. There`s nobody better than Deepika to break the rules and it`s going to attract a lot of attention.”

    Designer Kapil and Monika say, “Aishwarya Rai’s beautiful gown’s colour matched her skin tone, but the hair do was a turn off. She’s got a fuller face and a high hairdo highlighted its roundness. The neatness of the hairstyle is also questionable.” Designer Reynu Tandon also feels her hairstyle is dated but Ash looked good overall, “Her hair isn’t stylised as per 2010 trends but it is suiting her face,” says the designer.

    “Deepika gets thumbs up as she knows what looks good on her. Keeping it traditional is a very good idea. When it comes to international events like Cannes, it is always safe to keep away from experiments and sari has a modern yet traditional charm to it,” says Ekta Bhardwaj, creative writer with a fashion magazine.

    Whereas designers Kapil and Monica feel, “Deepika’s make-up for Cannes was extremely garish making her look a tone darker than her actual complexion, her sari had no element of glam, and was wrongly accessorised with gold jewellery.”

    Mom Booted from ER to die in jail was Treated Appropriately

    Officials at a St. Louis hospital on Thursday defended their actions in the case of a homeless woman who sought treatment for a sprained ankle and died in police custody after being arrested for refusing to leave the emergency room.

    An autopsy determined that Anna Brown's death in a jail cell in September was caused by blood clots that formed in her legs and migrated to her lungs, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. The newspaper also obtained surveillance footage of the woman's final moments. In the video, officers are seen carrying Brown into a jail cell. The cell door closes and Brown is heard moaning and crying.

    Brown's family says authorities treated the 29-year-old mother of two unfairly and have hired a St. Louis-based lawyer, Keith Link. Link did not respond to telephone messages from msnbc.com on Thursday.

    St. Mary's Health Center says its staff followed medical guidelines and performed appropriate tests, acknowledging the “outrage being expressed in this tragic event.”

    “Unfortunately, even with appropriate testing using sophisticated technology, blood clots can still be undetected in a small number of cases,” according to a statement released by St. Mary's Health Center on Thursday. “The sad reality is that emergency departments across the country are often a place of last resort for many people in our society who suffer from complex social problems that become medical issues when they are not addressed. It is unfortunate that it takes a tragic event like this to call attention to a crisis in our midst.”

    Police have said officers had no way of knowing Brown's dire condition.

    Brown went to three hospitals complaining of leg pain in the days leading up to her death, including her visit to St. Mary's that led to her arrest for trespassing. She was wheeled out in handcuffs after a doctor said she was healthy enough to be locked up.

    Brown had been struggling after a series of devastating setbacks, family say.

    Katie Couric to guest-host 'Good Morning America'

    Katie Couric helped start and perpetuate morning television's most epic winning streak. Now she'll try to break it.

    ABC announced Thursday that the former "Today" show anchor will be guest host next week on "Good Morning America," the rival wake-up show that has been rising in the ratings.

    She will sub for the vacationing Robin Roberts for a week, teaming with George Stephanopoulos.

    Couric was co-host of "Today" in December 1995, when the NBC show's streak began. "Today" has won every week in the ratings since then, 850 consecutive and counting, according to the Nielsen company.

    Yet frisky "GMA" has been making noise lately. Last week the ABC show was only 137,000 viewers behind "Today" (an average of 4.98 million to 4.84 million), the closest the two shows have been since 2008.

    "This has been one of the longest marathons of all time," said Tom Cibrowski, senior executive producer in charge of "Good Morning America." ''There will eventually be a time when the No. 1 spot turns over. We strive every day to take over the No. 1 position. We never stop working on that."

    He's not making any predictions about next week, but the curiosity factor of Couric in a new morning chair seems sure to pull in some viewers.

    Couric was co-host of NBC's "Today" for 15 years before leaving the network in 2006. Before jumping to ABC last year, she was at CBS, where she anchored the "Evening News."

    The winning streak has a big psychological impact in one of the most important parts of the day on television for the broadcast networks. Morning shows are hugely profitable at a time of declining viewership, and none has been more of a cash cow than "Today."

    Lady Gaga Wears Crown, No Pants for Her Birthday

    Lady Gaga may have told Oprah Winfrey that she didn't "intend to speak to anyone for a very long time," but she's certainly commanding attention in other ways. Her latest "look at me" moment occurred on Wednesday (her 26th birthday) — a mere 10 days after her comment to Winfrey — when the pop star stepped out in West Hollywood in a rhinestone-covered crown, studded motorcycle jacket … and no pants. Instead, Gaga, who also carried around a little dog in a white T-shirt, opted for a pair of black sheer tights over her brief-style panties. She even posted a photo of her kooky getup on Twitter, with a message to her more than 21 million followers: "I can be, the Queen that's inside of me. You guys are the best."

    Whatever Gaga does, her Little Monsters revel in it. Although wearing a crown could be considered a bit vain (even for a celebrity), countless fans re-tweeted her photo, and even more left her loving comments telling their Mother Monster how beautiful she was and wishing her the happiest of birthdays. "Thank you for being in my life!," wrote one named @JemmaLovesGaga. "Your so special to me. I love you so much happy birthday my queen!" Other Little Monsters tweeted original videos they made in honor of her big day. The "Born This Way" singer even tweeted one in particular that caught her eye. "This is so sweet!" she added to the post. "The best birthday present ever. I love little monsters so much. Thank you so being in my life!"

    Ever since Gaga's March 18 interview with Winfrey, during which she revealed she was going to purposely retreat out of the public eye, she's really done anything but. Although she hasn't been constantly out and about, she has made her presence known via her Twitter account, where she tweets out messages and photos of herself practically every day. Three hours before her March 28 birthday, Gaga uploaded a pic of a slice of her birthday cake, albeit smashed — and placed right next to a pricey Chanel purse. On Tuesday, she posted a photo of herself sans makeup, which of course made the rounds on nearly every entertainment website since it's such a rare occurrence to see the singer without her usual face paint. Other tweets have focused on her exercise routines (yoga and cycling), jokes about her gay friends, and a plug to buy her ex-boyfriend

    Bluegrass Great Earl Scruggs Dead At 88

    Earl Scruggs, whose distinctive picking style and association with Lester Flatt cemented bluegrass music's place in popular culture, died Wednesday of natural causes at a Nashville hospital, his son Gary Scruggs said. He was 88.

    "I realize his popularity throughout the world went way beyond just bluegrass and country music," Gary Scruggs told CNN. "It was more than that."

    For many of a certain age, Scruggs' banjo was part of the soundtrack of an era on "The Ballad of Jed Clampett" -- the theme song from the CBS sitcom "The Beverly Hillbillies," which aired on CBS from 1962 to 1971 and for decades afterward in syndication.

    But much more than that, he popularized a three-finger picking style that brought the banjo to the fore in a supercharged genre, and he was an indispensable member of the small cadre of musical greats who created modern bluegrass music.

    Scruggs was born in 1924 to a musically gifted family in rural Cleveland County, North Carolina, according to his official biography. His father, a farmer and a bookkeeper, played the fiddle and banjo, his mother was an organist and his older siblings played guitar and banjo, as well.

    Young Earl's exceptional gifts were apparent early on. He started playing the banjo at age 4 and he started developing his three-finger style at the age of 10.

    "The banjo was, for all practical purposes, 'reborn' as a musical instrument," the biography on his official website declares, "due to the talent and prominence Earl Scruggs gave to the instrument."

    While Scruggs' status as the Prometheus of the banjo may be overstated, many musicians feel he changed the game. The late John Hartford, a noted banjo musician in his own right, was quoted in Barry R. Willis' "America's Music: Bluegrass," as saying: "Everybody's all worried about who invented the style and it's obvious that three-finger banjo pickers have been around a long time -- maybe since 1840. But my feeling about it is that if it wasn't for Earl Scruggs, you wouldn't be worried about who invented it."

    In an article on the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's website, bluegrass historian Neil V. Rosenberg described Scruggs' style as "a 'roll' executed with the thumb and two fingers of his right hand" that essentially made the banjo "a lead instrument like a fiddle or a guitar, particularly on faster pieces and instrumentals. This novel sound attracted considerable attention to their Grand Ole Opry performances, road shows, and Columbia recordings."

    In 1945, Scruggs met Flatt when he joined Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys, for whom Flatt was the guitarist and lead vocalist. Along with the group's mandolin-playing namesake were fiddler Chubby Wise and bassist Howard Watts (alias: Cedric Rainwater).

    Scruggs and Flatt left Monroe in 1948 to form the Foggy Mountain Boys, according to the Country Music Hall of Fame website. Along with guitarist/vocalists Jim Eanes and Mac Wiseman, fiddler Jim Shumate and Blue Grass Boys alum Rainwater, the group played on WCYB in Bristol, Tennessee, and recorded for the Mercury label.

    He married Anne Louise Certain that year. In the '50s she became Flatt & Scruggs' business manager. They were married for more than 57 years until her death in 2006.

    The Foggy Mountain Boys' roster changed over the years, but Flatt and Scruggs became the constants, the signature sound of the group on radio programs, notably those sponsored by Martha White Flour, and as regulars at the Grand Ole Opry. They became syndicated TV stars in in the Southeast in the late 1950s and early '60s, and they hit the country charts with the gospel tune "Cabin on the Hill."

    But it was during an appearance at a Hollywood folk club that brought them into contact with the producer of "The Beverly Hillbillies" and led to "The Ballad of Jed Clampett." It was their only single to climb to No.1 on the country charts.

    The 1967 film "Bonnie and Clyde" featured their 1949 instrumental "Foggy Mountain Breakdown," with its distinctive Scruggs-style banjo solo perhaps the most ubiquitous of bluegrass sounds.

    The duo split in 1969, and Scruggs' fame as a solo and featured act continued to grow, even as his most iconic licks echoed through the years among his acolytes -- basically, anyone who played banjo, and many who picked other instruments.

    Playing "Foggy Mountain" on banjo became a staple of Steve Martin's comedy routine, and blossomed into a reverential tribute. In November 2001, Martin and Scruggs were joined by Vince Gill, Marty Stuart, Jerry Douglas and others on "Late Show With David Letterman" to play a fiery version of the song -- soloing alternately on banjo, guitar, mandolin, fiddle, steel guitar and harmonica. Even Paul Schafer took the chorus for a spin on piano.

    South Carolina teen’s brutal soccer attack earns assault charge

    The player who is now the subject of local law enforcement is Lewisville (S.C.) High senior Annette McCullough, who brutally attacked an unnamed Chester (S.C.) High opponent during a Monday match. While there is no video showcasing prior incidents between the two players, McCullough reacted viciously to a small trip that sent her tumbling to the ground.

    The attack, which you can see above, featured hair pulling, punches being rained down on the Chester player -- Carolinas CBS affiliate WBTV counted 11 different punches -- and a frantic attempt to halt the attack before it reached even more dangerous levels.

    Fittingly, McCullough was immediately sent off with a red card, escorted away from the field with the aid of an assistant referee. Shortly thereafter Chester County deputies were called to the scene and McCullough -- who is 18 years old -- was charged with simple assault.

    [More: President Obama opens up about coaching role on daughter's hoops team]

    Alan Parker, the referee of the match, made perfectly clear that this incident invoked a sense of violence that made it much more troubling than other girls soccer skirmishes.

    "Some incidental contact ended in one girl going down and she just got up and started pummeling," Parker told WBTV. "It's unfortunate, it really is. Contact is a part of soccer, but when you retaliate like that, obviously, there is no place in the game for that.

    "Occasionally you have players that go at it, on the field together, but in this case it was just one girl pummeling the other girl. And she didn't stop which is even more egregious."

    It's hard to watch the incident without thinking back to New Mexico defender Elizabeth Lambert, whose hair pulling and general dirty play in a game against BYU received massive Internet attention and eventually landed her a lengthy suspension. One could argue that Lambert's fouls may have been worse because she was more level-headed when committing them, but they certainly weren't as violent as McCullough's attack.

    'Dancing's' Melissa Gilbert Reveals The Inspirations Behind Her Tattoos

    As the plucky Laura Ingalls on TV's "Little House on the Prairie," beginning in the mid-1970s, "Dancing with the Stars" Season 14 contender Melissa Gilbert epitomized girl power.

    Playing "Half Pint," the tomboyish daughter of Charles (Michael Landon) and Caroline (Karen Grassle) Ingalls, she served as a model of independence for millions of young girls growing up across the country. And like the character she grew up playing, Melissa too, is a bit of a rebel.

    PLAY IT NOW: Melissa Gilbert Talks Tattoos & Nearly Falling During ‘Dancing’

    She has a similar sense of devotion to her family as her iconic television character did (the actress' sons have already been spotted several times cheering mom on from the "DWTS" audience), but Melissa has a distinctive wild side all her own. Instead of rolling in the mud a la Laura with Nellie Oleson, Melissa is fantastically fit mom with a host of meaningful tattoos.

    "I think I've always just been me. Even when I was playing Laura on 'Little House on the Prairie,' that wasn't me, that was just me in that dress. So inside me has always been the same person -- a little wild, a little rebellious, very analytical, very emotional and basically a happy person," Melissa told Access Hollywood on Tuesday following the "DWTS" results show, when asked about her ink.

    VIEW THE PHOTOS: Melissa Gilbert: From ‘The Prairie’ To The ‘Dancing’ Ballroom

    And the 47-year-old actress revealed her seven tattoos all have deeply personal meanings.

    "I have my father's initials tattooed on one part of my arm," she told Access on Monday night, referring to her late dad, actor Paul Gilbert, who passed away in 1975.

    And in another spot, the actress, who played Laura for nearly a decade, has another family-inspired bit of ink.

    VIEW THE PHOTOS: ‘Dancing With The Stars’ Season 14, Week 2: The Jive Vs. The Quickstep

    "I have the family motto inside my wrist," she said. "Love. Trust. Hope. Believe."

    The sentimental star said the tattoos are reminders of her history.

    VIEW THE PHOTOS: Kirstie Alley’s ‘Dancing With The Stars’ Transformation: A Look Back

    "It's such a long story for each of them... Going through difficult times, mourning the loss of my father a second time, actually, as an adult. And my family went through some tough stuff this year and I felt the need to put the motto on my arm," she said. (The actress filed for divorce from her husband of 16-years, Bruce Boxleitner, in late August 2011.)

    Earlier this week, on "Dancing," Melissa and Maks took to the ballroom with a quickstep to "Dancing with Myself," a song from her ex-boyfriend, '80s rocker Billy Idol. Showing off her own rock 'n' roll streak, Melissa admitted she's can't help but be a fan of getting body ink.

    "There's a few everywhere. I like them," she said.

    "They all have meaning. There's nothing frivolous tattooed on my body," she added.

    Apple Offers Refunds to People Who Bought Its Latest iPad on Telstra’s Network in Australia

    Earlier this morning, we reported that the Australian government had accused Apple of 4G marketing claims on the new iPad.

    Apparently the issue was raised by the company’s use of “4G” in its marketing terms for the WiFi + 4G/LTE models of the new iPad, while 4G LTE compatibility is only offered in the United and States and Canada due to different frequency bands used for LTE in different countries.

    Now, ABCNews via a tweet has confirmed that Apple has agreed to offer a refund to people who bought its latest iPad, which it admits is not compatible with Telstra’s 4G network.

    Nokia Lumia 800C And Lumia 610C Announced For China Telecom

    The Nokia Lumia 800C is the first CDMA Windows Phone in China. Apart from the Lumia 800C, Nokia also announced the Nokia Lumia 610C smartphone. It is also the CDMA variant of the Nokia Lumia 610 smartphone. The Nokia 610C is specially targeted at the youngsters for social networking and fast communications.

    “We’re excited to introduce our first Lumia smartphone, the Nokia 800C, to this important market with our exclusive launch partner, China Telecom. Working closely together, we’ve created a compelling, locally relevant experience on the Nokia 800C especially tailored for people in China.”


    Nokia Lumia 800C features a 3.7 inch AMOLED display, sporting a resolution of 480 × 800 pixels, 1.4 GHz single core processor, 8 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, HD (720p) video recording and playback, 512 MB RAM, 16 GB internal memory, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1, up to 335 hrs of stand-by time and a 1450mAh battery.

    Nokia Lumia 610C features a 3.7 inch LCD display with 800 x 480 pixels resolution, Windows Phone 7.5 Mango OS, 5 megapixel auto-focus camera with LED flash, 256 MB RAM, 8 GB internal memory, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, XBOX Live Hub, up to 720 hrs of stand-by time, up to 9.5 hrs of talk-time and a 1300 mAh battery.

    HTC Sensation Gets The Android 4.0 Update At Vodafone UK

    Earlier this month, HTC already announced their Android 4.0 update plans for smartphones. HTC has also rolled out the Android 4.0 update for the HTC Sensation and Sensation XE owners in Germany and other Nordic countries. However most of the folks living in other countries were still waiting for this update.

    Vodafone was the first carrier to sell the powerful HTC Sensation in the UK. Now, Vodafone is the first carrier to roll out the much-awaited Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) update for the HTC Sensation in the UK. The latest update comes with some amazing features such as Beats audio, face unlock, advanced voice and text input, improved email, UI improvements and much more.

    Vodafone UK sent the following message to the HTC Sensation owners.

    Great news. The testing of the ICS update for HTC Sensation is complete, and we plan to start rolling out the update tomorrow.

    The update will be rolled out in phases by the Over The Air service, so if yours doesn’t appear right away, you can either wait for it to appear, or go to Settings > About Phone > Software Update > Check now.

    Witness details Trayvon Martin's killing

    Someone has stepped up, reporting to have witnessed last month's shooting of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed 17-year-old whose death has sparked nationwide controversy. The witness detailed to CNN the Florida incident from what initially sounded like an argument to its fatal conclusion.

    "It would have to be starting with hearing voices, but not seeing, and then, after the voices, opening a window and then seeing -- with two men or two people on the ground, one on top of each other," the witness, who has asked not to be identified, even by gender, told CNN's Anderson Cooper about the February 26 incident in a gated community in Sanford, Florida.

    The witness reported hearing through a closed window voices from an area where residents typically walk their dogs. "I thought it was rather loud, but I had just shut my window because it had just started pouring out rain," the witness said. "And then I thought, 'Oh, my gosh, who's out there walking their dog in the rain?' "

    But the witness did not immediately look outside to see what the commotion was about, according to the account. "I went and did something else, and then I heard the loud voices again," said the witness, who reported opening the window. "It definitely was a very loud, predominant voice," the witness said. "I couldn't hear the words but it was like, OK, this is not a regular conversation. This is someone aggressively, you know, yelling at someone."

    The witness recalled hearing more than one shot. "It definitely was more than one pop noise, so I don't know if it was an echo or anything else. But it definitely made more than one pop."

    The witness said the shots were audible as one man was on top of the other. But the witness recalled not having been able to see clearly which man was on top because it was dark.

    Online Income tax Payment, e-Payment of Income

    To pay taxes online the taxpayer will select the relevant challan i.e. ITNS 280, ITNS 281, ITNS 282 or ITNS 283, as applicable.

    Enter its PAN/TAN as applicable. There will be an online check on the validity of the PAN/TAN entered.

    If PAN/TAN is valid the taxpayer will be allowed to fill up other challan details like accounting head under which payment is made, name and address of TAN and also select the bank through which payment is to be made, etc.

    On submission of data entered a confirmation screen will be displayed. If the taxpayer confirms the data entered in the challan, it will be directed to the net-banking site of the bank.

    The taxpayer will login to the net-banking site with the user id/ password provided by the bank for net-banking purpose and enter payment details at the bank site.

    On successful payment a challan counterfoil will be displayed containing CIN, payment details and bank name through which e-payment has been made. This counterfoil is proof of payment being made.

    For taxation of salaries employees, pensioners and senior citizens, click here

    For TDS on salaries, click here

    Varsity mulls ways to prevent student suicides

    Two days after the suicide of a talented third-year Electronics and Communication Engineering student touched the city, the College of Engineering, Guindy is now putting in place measures to prevent a repeat of such incidents in the future, even as certain questions remain unanswered. Sources in Anna University said, S Manivannan, a bright boy who had worked his way up from being a labourer to aspiring for the IAS, was found hanging in his room by his friends on Tuesday evening. The police were informed immediately, and they allegedly recovered the cell phone of the boy along with liquor bottles from the room.

    While it is not usual for a third-year student to get a room all to himself in the hostel, police sources said that his room-mates had shifted to another room owing to his alleged alcohol problem. According to two professors at the CEG, who requested anonymity, the boy allegedly threw up several times in an inebriated state a few months ago, after which a change of room request was made by his room-mates. Digressing from the usual convention, where a change of room was done only in an extreme case, the two were sanctioned a new room immediately.

    Two important questions remain unanswered, however. First, if the police account is to be believed, despite the campus being a strict non-alcohol zone, how had the student been allowed to take liquor to his room? Was there no strict surveillance of alcohol consumption in the hostel despite rules clearly making it unlawful inside the campus?

    Second, why was the mother of the student not informed of his problem despite the fact that two of his room-mates had shifted citing this as the reason?

    “Surely, if the incidents were true, the warden should have informed his parents when it became this serious,” said one of the professors, adding that the boy could have been referred to a de-addiction centre if the situation was indeed that bad.

    A senior university official said that the boy had been pulled up last month, but he had reportedly pleaded with authorities not to complain to his mother. “He was let off with a warning,” he said.

    Officials said that several lessons have now been learnt from the incident: the failure of the prevalent student counselling set up is one such lesson. “We do have professional counsellors. But, students rarely avail their services voluntarily.” Therefore, the university was now planning to hold a training session for professors on how such counselling can be done. Fellow students would also be encouraged to report unusual behavior patterns in their classmates, he said.

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    Elton John: 'I Could Have Ended Up Like Whitney Houston'

    It has come to this: Music legend Elton John is using music legend Whitney Houston as a cautionary tale for addiction. In an interview with "E! News," the 65-year-old told David Burtka that his proudest accomplishment in life was not his six Grammy Awards, but getting sober in 1990.

    "I would not be the person I am today [if I hadn't]. I wouldn't have [son] Zachary, I wouldn't have [husband] David [Furnish]. I wouldn't have anything. I'd probably be dead," he says in the on-camera interview.

    Elton continues: "I didn't want to end up like Whitney Houston, and I could have so easily ended up like Whitney Houston. It's a miracle I didn't. Because I'm sure I did as much cocaine as she ever did."

    Parents of murdered British students criticise Barack Obama

    His failure to respond to three letters sent to the White House was because there was no "political value" and not worthy of a few minutes of his time.

    They spoke out as teenager Shawn Tyson began a life sentence after being found guilty of the murder of James Cooper and James Kouzaris last April.

    The 17 year old, who shot the men as they begged for their lives, will die in prison.

    His conviction of first degree murder carries an mandatory life sentence without the chance of parole.

    The powerfully built teen even looked bored as emotional DVD presentations about the dead men prepared by their grieving parents were shown in court.
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    Tyson, who has the word 'Savage' tattooed across his chest didn't show a flicker of emotion, slumping in his seat as he was forced to watch a montage of photos showing the victims from early childhood to young men.

    Two close friends of the dead men who had attended the eight day trial in Sarasota, Florida. had also delivered highly emotional impact statements to the court prior to the sentencing.

    Paul Davies and Joe Hallett spoke of the "living hell" they and others who knew the men had suffered since the murders.

    During the eight day trial they had been shown graphic crime scene and autopsy photos shown in court.

    Later speaking after Tyson was jailed Davies and Hallett lashed out at Mr Obama saying the deaths of their friends was "not worthy of ten minutes of his time."

    Davies said:"We would like to publicly express our dissatisfaction at the lack of any public or private message of support or condolence from any American governing body or indeed, President Obama himself.

    "Mr Kouzaris has written to President Obama on three separate occasions and is yet to even receive the courtesy of a reply.

    "It would perhaps appear that Mr Obama sees no political value in facilitating such a request or that the lives of two British

    Colleges Offer Courses And Training For Flying Unmanned Drones

    For students who haven't yet declared a major, they might want to consider learning how to fly unmanned predator drones.

    A growing number of schools now offer courses and programs around building and flying drones, The Daily reported in a recent article.

    Jeb Bailey, 28, told The Daily he has taken every drone-related course at Northwestern Michigan College. It's no wonder why, when drone pilots can make $50,000 to $120,000 per year, according to Tom Kenville, founder of Unmanned Applications Institute International. Bailey said the idea of flying unmanned drones for a year in Afghanistan to pay off student loan debt sounded pretty attractive.

    Bailey originally took classes on manned flight training, but said he was swayed towards studying drones after learning about how much more he could make contracting in a war zone. "In an airlines career path," he said, "you really don't expect to make a whole lot until you’ve been in the industry 20 years."

    It's a field that's growing too. The pilotless aircraft industry is expected to create more than 23,000 U.S. jobs over the next 15 years, according to the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International. A spokesperson for the group told The Daily that 150 colleges are now offering courses.

    Northwestern Michigan's Al Laursen told Business Insider the college is expanding their program. Laursen said once drones are given increased access to fly over American airspace for domestic law enforcement, "job prospects will be tremendous."

    Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla. and the University of North Dakota are currently the only schools offering four-year degrees for prospective drone pilots.

    The New York Times recently reported that Sinclair Community College in Ohio now offers certificates on flying unmanned drones. The school made the decision to develop a program based on projections that the job market would grow domestically.

    Concept Video Shows What Touchscreen Apple Laptop Might Look Like

    After Apple introduced the iPhone's touchscreen technology in 2007, it was only natural that fans would start speculating as to whether it would ever be incorporated into the company's massively popular MacBooks. But with characteristic conviction, Steve Jobs' put at end to those rumors in 2010 when, at an unveiling for the OS X Lion, he declared that "Touch surfaces don't want to be vertical."

    For the Lenovo Yoga's sake, let's hope Jobs was wrong about that. And also because a new concept video, posted on YouTube earlier this week by French architect Olivier Terrisse, shows how awesome a 'MacBook Touch' could be, combining the MacBook's sharp display with a flip-and-fold design.

    Unfortunately, it doesn't look we can be looking forward to a MacBook Touch anytime soon. But if the latest rumors are true, Apple fans should have enough to get excited about over the next year: In addition to the 4G iPhone 5, which a number of sources have said will be released in October 2012, the company is also rumored to be developing a mini 7.5-inch version of the iPad as well as an Apple TV, which could be here in time for the holidays.

    Steve Nash keeping options open

    Phoenix Suns point guard Steve Nash, one of the top free agents this summer, joined the "Dan Patrick Show" this afternoon and made some comments that made ripples around the league.

    "I'm not coming back to the Suns if there isn't improvement," Nash told Patrick.

    Nash explained he's expecting the Suns to try to make those improvements, but that he's looking forward to becoming a free agent and deciding where to continue his career.

    The hypothetical of LeBron James asking Nash to join up in Miami for one last push at a championship was brought up.

    "I would listen," Nash said. "He's phenomenal. I love what they're doing there. A lot of people don't like them because they put all that talent there. But they're professional, they play hard, they play together. Their coaching staff has done a great job, so I have a tremendous amount of respect for them.

    "I would definitely listen."

    It shouldn't surprise anyone the 38-year-old point guard without a world championship might be enticed by the idea of joining a contender that has what many consider a relative hole at the point guard slot.

    Keeping the Heat in the conversation could be used as leverage in negotiations with other teams. But joining the Heat would mean that Nash would be leaving millions of dollars on the table.

    The Heat won't have any salary-cap space next summer, so Nash would have to settle for the mid-level exception if he wanted to join the club.

    Prom Dress Rules: High Schools Ban Sexy Gowns

    Prom is supposed to be a fairy tale evening, and some teenage girls (and boys) spend their entire senior year dreaming about it. It really would be an unforgettable night if you were turned away at the door for wearing an unacceptable dress.

    Related: Best Prom Styles for Under $100

    The Wall Street Journal reports that high schools across the country are tightening their rules about what constitutes overly provocative prom clothing in response to more and more girls pushing the envelope with micro-minis, cut outs, and plunging necklines such as the ones seen in our slideshow.

    Trend watchers attribute the upsurge in revealing gowns to television shows such as "Dancing with the Stars" and Hollywood stars' sexy red carpet looks.

    "It seems kind of petty," Cindi Lee, an Algebra teacher at Southmore High School outside Oklahoma City, told the Journal, "but we really do want them to understand we are holding them to a high standard." Administrators at the school have put together a twelve-page power-point presentation with close-cropped images to show students exactly what the rules are. "Words don't mean much to them," says Lee. Other schools are using posters and illustrated handouts.

    Typical prom dress fails include gowns that are shorter than three inches above the knee, have low backs, are sheer, or have thigh-bearing slits.

    Chaperones will be on the lookout for sneaky teens trying to skirt the regulations. Ginger Lawrence an assistant principal in Lee County High School in Leesburg, Georgia, plans to bring a ruler and ask girls to measure themselves if their hemline appears to be cut too high above the knee. Sunnyvale High School, which is located outside of Dallas, Texas, enforces a dress code that clearly states that fabric inserts may not be sewn or pinned on a gown-since girls are known to rip them out once they make it into the dance.

    iPad Factory Workers' Grievances Detailed In Report

    A team of five to seven inspectors from the FLA visited three different Foxconn factories -- two in Shenzhen, one in Chengdu -- and spent up to five days at each conducting hundreds of interviews with workers and managers in an attempt to understand what labor problems existed at the manufacturing facilities of China's largest employer.

    According to the FLA's 13 page report, the non-profit "observed at least 50 issues related to the FLA Code and Chinese labor law, including in the following areas: health and safety, worker integration and communication, and wages and working hours." (See the full report below.)

    Here's an overview of the violations and discontents the FLA uncovered at the Foxconn factories:

    Overtime pay policies can shortchange workers.
    From the FLA report:

    The assessors discovered that unscheduled overtime was only paid in 30-minute increments. This means, for example, that 29 minutes of overtime work results in no pay and 58 minutes results in only one unit of overtime pay.

    Workers are being paid on time and more than the legal minimums -- but workers say it's not enough "to cover their basic needs."

    'Mirror Mirror' Song Mystery: The Missing Woman Behind 'I Believe in Love'

    This is the true story of a quest -- the quest for a song, first, and then for the woman who wrote it.

    The song appears in the closing credits of "Mirror Mirror," the first of this year's two big-screen adaptations of the Snow White fairy tale. Its director, Tarsem Singh, first heard the song in the early 1970s, when he was a boy growing up in India's Punjab province.

    The song was called "I Believe," and it was sung -- in English -- by a woman who might best be described as the Madonna of Iran at that time. She went by one name, Googoosh, and sported a pixie haircut presumably inspired by Mia Farrow. "As kids, we used to dance to it," Singh told The Huffington Post. "We loved it."

    Three decades later, Singh played the song for his niece, who was staying with him in Montreal while he shot his 2011 film, "Immortals." "She's this clubbing girl and she loved it," he said. "Every morning when I woke up, she'd be playing it in her shower. I'd hear it in the next room. It would be Googoosh going, 'I believe, I believe, I believe in love! Love!'"

    Clearly, this was a song with broad appeal -- and a special resonance for young people. So when Singh read the script for "Mirror Mirror" and decided that his film simply had to end with a musical number, it didn't take long to settle on one, he recalled: "Suddenly, I went, 'It's perfect; the movie ends with Snow White singing, 'I believe in love!'

    "And then the fun started."
    *****

    Singh's decision set off a chain of events that spanned a year and drew in dozens of people, from studio executives to a private investigator. At the end of the trail was a woman nobody could find.

    The reason for the search was simple: To include "I Believe" in "Mirror Mirror," the producers needed to secure the rights. But they had no idea who even owned those rights. "Tarsem wanted to have that song," said Bob Bowen, senior vice president of music at Relativity, which produced the film. "And then we had to figure out … how do we get it cleared? How do we license it? Who do we get to record it? And all the other production logistics that go with that."

    "I just told them, 'We need this song; we need this song,'" Singh recalled. "And they couldn't get the rights. They kept saying they contacted Googoosh's people but … basically the rights belong to the Iranian government. And I said, 'That just sounds like something I don't want to believe.' I was a bit heartbroken."

    Before giving up altogether, a production assistant at Relativity made a call to Koo Abuali, a former musician who had done some low-budget soundtrack work in the past and was looking for a big break. Abuali had recently moved from Los Angeles to Montreal -- where "Mirror Mirror" was being shot -- in pursuit of a love interest and, with any luck, a job on the film.

    Abuali remembered getting the call on June 2, 2011: "He says, 'Um, I have a little task for you. But I honestly don't think that you're going to be able to do this.' And I said, 'If it's an opportunity, hit me with it!'"

    Working with little more than the song's title and the knowledge that a woman named Googoosh had once performed it, Abuali launched a frenzied research effort. "I knew that I had a very tiny window to get in to meet with this director," she said. "And I knew that it would be an opportunity that would change my professional life."

    Right away, Abuali had a stroke of luck. She tracked down Googoosh's lawyer and discovered that he was an old acquaintance from Los Angeles. But this success was followed by four days of round-the-clock frustration. She contacted the Iranian consulate, the Cannes Film Festival (where Googoosh had once performed the song) and practically everyone in the Iranian singer's circle, including her assistant, two songwriters who had worked with her in the '70s, her doctor -- and even her ex-husband, Mahmoud Ghorbani. "It was like one piece after another after another that was all adding up, but they were all leading nowhere," Abuali said.

    In the end, the World Wide Web gave her the break she needed. Her Iranian friends had advised her to google transliterations of the song's English lyrics "I believe, I believe, I believe in love." Sure enough, a search for "Vabeli, vabeli, vabeli" led her to an article in Portuguese that -- when entered into Google Translate -- unlocked the mystery. The article revealed that Googoosh's "I Believe" was a cover of a song titled "Love," which had first appeared in a film called "Taking Off." It was directed by Milos Forman, the Oscar-winning director of "Amadeus" and "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," and had won the Cannes Grand Prix in 1971.

    Better yet, the woman who performed "Love" in the movie was also the songwriter. Her name was Nina Hart; she was 20 years old in 1971 and an American. How hard could it be to find her?

    Duchess Of Alba Birthday: Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart Turns 86!

    The Spanish royal (and we do mean royal -- she possesses 46 aristocratic titles, more titles recognized by an existing government than any other noble in the world) celebrates her 86th birthday today, and honestly, she's kind of our hero.

    Here's your Duchess of Alba primer: Her full name is Maria del Rosario Cayetana Alfonsa Victoria Eugenia Francisca Fitz-James Stuart y de Silva. (Fine, we'll 'fess up: we copied and pasted that.) The only child of the Duke of Alba, she plunged into two marriages before marrying again last year, getting controversially hitched to commoner Alfonso Diez, who's 25 years her junior. (FYI, he's formally renounced any claim to her wealth.)

    Duchess Cayetana is something of a force of nature: she's had seven children, and her fortune is estimated between $800 million to $4.7 billion, including a host of splendid Spanish real estate, paintings by Goya and Velazquez, a first-edition copy of "El Quixote" and letters written by Christopher Columbus. In her spare time, she even hangs with hunks like Tom Cruise and Antonio Banderas.

    And finally, we think the duchess has brilliantly eccentric style, and we're not alone; she appeared on Vanity Fair's International Best-Dressed List in 2009. Her penchant for mixing kooky prints and bright colors with her favorite lace tights means she's always a sartorial surprise at events.

    Mexico Needs Its Own Clothing Measurements, Study Finds

    Isn't it the worst when you just can't find a pair of jeans that fit right? Well, according to a new survey that's exactly what men and women of Mexico are going through -- all the time.

    Women's Wear Daily reports shoppers in Mexico have been complaining of sizing issues with clothing for years, generally stating the clothes are never big or long enough for the population. This problem also has Mexican retailers losing out on an estimated $4 billion dollars because of the high rate of returned goods from their customers.

    But all that's about to change thanks to a group of retailers who surveyed the average weight and height of Mexican men and women across 14 cities and several regions. According to the survey:

    Average Mexican female ages 18 to 25 is 1.60 meters, or 5 feet 2 inches, tall and weighs 62.9 kilograms, or 138 pounds. Men of the same age range are 1.67 meters, or 5 feet 5 inches, tall, with an average weight of 77.30 kilograms, or 170 pounds.

    So what does all of that information mean? It means the Mexican body is different from the body that American, Spanish and European manufacturers design for, and thus requires the creation of the much needed "Mexican molde," or a pattern designed for Mexican people. This will hopefully help both the consumer and the clothing industry, said Carlota de la Vega, director of Fashion Group International in Mexico:

    “[Manufacturers] will see how different a Mexican woman’s body is compared to a Spanish or Argentine one. Buyers will have a better idea of what sizes to bring to the market... Many stores carry sizes that don’t fit Mexicans. Some brands’ pants are often too long, with waists in European or American sizes that can be too small for this market. Now, manufacturers and retailers can have more certainty about the right size for their target segment."

    Boulder Couple Builds 125 Square-Foot House

    With grand designs on minimizing their housing footprint, Christopher Smith and Merete Mueller have spent the last 10 months building the tiny home of their dreams.

    "It's 19 feet long wall to wall,” Smith said. “The interior square-footage is about 125 square feet.”

    The interior layout consists of a sitting area, kitchen and bathroom. A vaulted ceiling makes room for a sleeping loft that can accommodate a queen-size mattress.
    Click here to find out more!

    “The interior looks a lot bigger than the exterior,” Mueller said.

    “When we set out it was to show that a normal person, who never built anything before, can take on a project like this and finish it," Smith said.

    Their design incorporates several sustainable elements, including: reclaimed windows, beetle-kill lumber, solar power and a composting toilet.

    "It’s just a five-gallon bucket that you put peat moss and sawdust in,” Smith said. “You'd be surprised how well it works and how much it doesn't smell.”

    This may sound extreme, but they're not alone; go online and you'll find tiny house blogs and videos, as well as the Small House Society.

    Smith and Mueller’s tiny house is roughly 90 percent smaller than the rented townhome they currently live in. They realize tiny living isn’t for everyone, but believe certain elements may be.

    "We are really interested in learning more about how the innovations of tiny houses can be scaled up to larger structures," Mueller said.

    The house was originally intended as a second home to be placed on land they’ve purchased near Fairplay, Colo. However, the process of building it may have led to a change of heart.

    "The more that I've been working on it with Merete, and the more we visit other people's tiny houses, it's starting to feel more and more like a home, and I can definitely picture myself living in it full-time," Smith said.

    "What makes a space into a home is all the stories that get built into it over time,” said Mueller. “And when we spend our first night in this house, it's already full of all these stories."

    Greek Kore Statue Recovered From Goat Pen

    Greek police recovered an ancient statue that was illegally excavated and hidden in a goat pen near Athens, and arrested the goat herder and another man who were allegedly trying to sell the work for (EURO)500,000 ($667,000).

    The marble statue of a young woman dates to about 520 B.C. and belongs to the kore type, a police statement said Wednesday. Police photos showed the 1.2-meter (4-foot) work to be largely intact, lacking the left forearm and plinth.

    Although dozens of examples of the kore statue and its male equivalent, the kouros, are displayed in Greek and foreign museums, the type is considered very important in the development and understanding of Greek art. New discoveries in good condition are uncommon.

    Archaeologists who inspected the find estimated its market value at (EURO)12 million ($16 million), a police official said.

    "They told us that this is a unique piece," the official said on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to the speak to the media since the investigation is still ongoing.

    Still bearing traces of soil, the statue has the hint of a smile on its lips, elaborately braided hair and an ankle-length gown.

    Police said it had been concealed in a goat pen near the village of Fyli, in the foothills of Mount Parnitha on the northwestern fringes of Athens. The 40-year-old goat herder and another Greek man aged 56 were arrested.

    Detectives are seeking to determine where the statue was excavated, which could potentially lead archaeologists to a previously unknown 6th century B.C. sanctuary or cemetery.

    The archaeological remains of civilizations stretching back thousands of years are spread all over Greece. By law, all antiquities are state property. But pillaging is a highly lucrative business.

    The police official said the suspects arrested Tuesday had put out feelers to potential buyers in Greece, and "would have sold it for a relative pittance, (EURO)500,000, given its market value."

    Charles Barkley Dons Halter Dress, Heels For Weight Watchers' 'Lose Like A Man' Campaign

    Being overweight is no laughing matter, but Sir Charles Barkley and his cohorts over at Weight Watchers clearly think some of us need to lighten up -- literally and figuratively.

    The former NBA star and perpetual jokester was photographed wearing a halter dress and heels for a new ad campaign aimed at men.

    In the "Lose Like A Man" TV spot, slated to air on April 8, Barkley pledges to do anything necessary to get the attention of men and to get them on board with losing weight, Weight Watchers says. His message: Dieting is NOT just for women, a point he drives home with his own weight-loss success story, having shed some 42 pounds (and counting) since signing on as a spokesperson for the program last year.

    Barkley's Weight Watchers endorsement came into question when he was caught calling the program a scam during a TNT broadcast in January.

    Weight Watchers later released a statement "forgiving" Barkley of the remarks, however, and agreeing that the cushy arrangement was indeed a "pretty great gig."

    Barkley, who, according to Weight Watchers, is continuing with the plan, has been spotted playing dress-up before. In 2010 he donned a wig, sat at a piano, and did his best Alicia Keys impersonation for an episode of Saturday Night Live.

    Academy Of Natural Sciences Offers Rare Look Inside

    The Academy of Natural Sciences has never been one to brag.

    Its 225,000 annual visitors may associate the nation's oldest natural history museum solely with dioramas and dinosaurs, but behind the scenes there is groundbreaking research conducted by world-renowned scientists and an enviable collection of some 18 million specimens representing all manner of animal, vegetable and mineral.

    In celebration of its bicentennial this year, the museum has finally decided that it's OK to boast a little. For what's believed to be the first time in 200 years, curators will bring the public into the labyrinthine museum's normally off-limits nooks and crannies for daily tours.

    "This is a rare opportunity to get a firsthand look at some of the most stunning, and sometimes bizarre, creatures you've ever seen," said Academy president and chief executive officer George Gephart Jr. "We can't wait to open our doors and show off nature's, and the Academy's, wondrous bounty."

    The Academy will highlight a different part of its collection starting with minerals in April and ending with fossils in February 2013. Other months will focus on birds, fish, insects, mollusks, amphibians and reptiles, plants and mammals.

    "We've done behind-the-scenes tours with school groups, and with donors and members, but not anything like this," said Ned Gilmore, an Academy collections manager.

    Depending on the tour, visitors might see drawers filled with exotic colorful birds, cabinets holding polar bear skeletons, jars of preserved snakes, boxes of beautiful shells that when alive can kill a human, a wall of enormous elk skulls, a narwhal tusk and a mounted – and extinct – Caribbean Monk Seal.

    An accompanying exhibition, "The Academy at 200: The Nature of Discovery," puts dozens of the academy's show-stopping treasures on public display – many for the first time – and highlights research that museum scientists are conducting worldwide on hot topics of climate change, biodiversity, water quality and invasive species.

    'Sea Monster' In South Carolina Said Likely A Sturgeon

    With an odd, greenish pattern, this creature didn't look like anything the locals had ever seen when it washed up in Folly Beach, just South of Charleston, S.C. on Friday, March 22. Some were quick to call it a "sea monster," but scientists say its actual identity is a bit more mundane.

    Dr. Shane Boylan, a veterinarian at the South Carolina Aquarium (SCA), saw a photograph of the beast and quickly identified it as a sturgeon. He said the body shape and the bone plates along the side gave it away. And the strange colors? They're likely evidence of rotting, or what Boylan calls a "necrotic tan." Most sturgeon are silvery or greenish, so beach-goers who had never seen a rotten one might not have recognized it.

    After Live 5 News posted the image on Facebook, commenter Cindy Fabian noted, "It looks like the result of the BP oil disaster to me; serious mutation!"

    It's not clear what's become of the specimen. The aquarium's Kate Dittloff told The Huffington Post that the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources which normally cleans up dead animals, would have only done so if the creature had been deemed a threat.

    Happy April Fool's Day Havre de Grace

    HappyApril Fool's Day, dear readers, on April 1. I hope you are not an April Fool, or a victim of someone's tomfoolery. Beware! Fair warning!

    April is Young People's Poetry Month, Multicultural Month and the Month of Mathematics Education.

    April, traditionally, brings us showers to product May flowers – at least, that's what my maternal grandmother would tell me. March has been a rather dry month.

    Grace Place Serving Center will serve a free, hot meal April 3 from 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at St. John's Episcopal Church, 114 N. Union Ave. in Havre de Grace. Phone 410-939-2107. Volunteers provide the luncheon to anyone in need who enters.

    Shop for tremendous bargains! It's not too early to plan for the HdG Community Yard Sale, April 21, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (rain date April 22). Contact me for details, to reserve a space at $10 or to list your participation at your own address, 410-939-6562 or the Visitors Center 410-939-2100. Bulle Rock residents have mushroomed this eighth yard sale into a huge event with the following participants (so far): 210 Spectacular Bid Drive, 114, 204 Touch of Gold Drive, 305 Seattle Slew Place, 215 Thunder Gulch Circle, 460, 543 Majestic Prince Circle, 140, 146 Snow Chief Drive, 401 Azra Court, 220 Smarty Jones Terrace, 317, 319 Victory Gallop Court, 520/552 Ferdinand Drive, 312, 314 Native Dancer Circle, 232, 244 Whirlaway Lane, 101 Vigil Circle and 534 Counter Point Circle. Whew! That's a list, sure to keep on growing!

    Easter is coming April 8. Palm Sunday will be celebrated April 1.

    On Good Friday, April 6, the Susquehanna Ministerium will sponsor the Good Friday Way of the Cross beginning at Jean Roberts Park, 503 St. John St. (Railroad Bridge) from noon to 1 p.m. For details, phone 410-939-2464.

    HdG Parks and Recreation will host its annual Easter egg hunt April 7 at noon in Tyding's Park. Free admission, 410-939-6724.

    Maryland celebrates Arbor Day, April 4. Plant a tree!

    The Spring Chesapeake Postcard Fair will be held April 7 at the HdG Community Center, 100 Lagaret Lane; for details, 410-939-0999. 9 a.m,. to 4 p.m. Contacts: marymartinpostcards@gmail.com http://www.mary/martin.com

    Jim Dryden in the Wickie for the Friends of the Concord Point Lighthouse told about a volunteers briefing/planning meeting Saturday, 10 a.m. to noon at the HdG police station, 715 Pennington Ave. Also, the lighthouse and keeper's house will reopen Sunday for the season, at 1 p.m.

    "Who Z What's Its!" with George Wagner is a fun event to learn more about your special pieces your treasure. Let George at Buhoukas, 467 Franklin St., evaluate your items to identify them and appraise their value. For an appointment time, please phone 410-942-1290 or email bahoukas@verizon.net.

    Carolyn Colburn is seeking tour stops for the Saturday, May 19 HdG Secret Garden Tour. If you would like your gardens included, phone 410-939-5706, or email c.wco7HDG@msn.com Artists, vendors and exhibitors also are sought for the HdG Maritime Museum's flower/garden mart. A container garden competition will also be held – contact Cynthia Leffler, 410-652-9757, email rcmcrusty@aol.com.

    Uh oh! Village of Gracecroft neighbors were notified by Director of Public Works Larry Parks about the HdG city code about trash collection (162-2-15). Lidded trash cans must be used; fines can total $1,000. Beware!

    April 2 is International Children's Book Day, a day to promote books and reading around the world. This event is celebrated on Danish author, Hans Christian Andersen's birthday. For more information, go to http://www.usbby.org.

    'Tarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashma' to 'Khichdi': Gujarati shows rule TV

    Gujarati culture came right into Indian drawing rooms with the popular television show 'Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka' in 1999 and, after more than a decade, it is still one of the strongest flavours on the tube.

    Those based in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Maharashtra too abound on the small screen. Be it a weekly or a daily soap, the regional flavour is everywhere.

    But Gujarati shows dominate. Shows like Saath Nibhana Saathiya, Tarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashma and Ram Milaayi Jodi are continuing the trend that started 13 years ago and has seen Gujarati family dramas like Baa Bahoo Aur Baby and Khichdi.
    'Tarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashma' to 'Khichdi': Gujarati shows rule TV

    Ekta Kapoor's Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi took things a step ahead and was followed by a long list of Gujarati culture-based shows - Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai, Teen Bahuraniyan, Jasuben Jayantilal Joshi Ki Joint Family, Hamari Devrani, Bandini, Mukti Bandhan, Krishnaben Khakhrawala, Gulaal, Papad Pol and Sanskaar Lakshmi.

    From showing a typical Gujarati household to their festivals, functions and colourful wardrobe, the shows spread the vibrant colours of the state to the remotest parts of the country.

    Actor-director Jamnadas Majethia, the man behind Khichdi and Baa Bahoo Aur Baby, told IANS: "I believe out of all, Gujarati and Punjabi cultures are the ones that almost everyone recognises.

    "They are very colourful communities with a rich literature and the scope of entertainment is also much more than others. Shows based on these cultures get more TRPs. So for makers it becomes easier to do a show with a Gujarati or a Punjabi background." Thanks to these shows, popular Gujarati dishes like khakra and thepla have become popular among the masses. Other regions have also been highlighted.

    Ekta's long running popular show Kasauti Zindagi Kay and Tere Liye revolved around Bengali families, while Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin, Geet...Hui Sabse Parayi and Preeto were about Punjabi families.

    If Maryada is set in Haryana, Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha is set in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Mann Kee Awaaz Pratigya is based in Uttar Pradesh and Afsar Bitiya is the story of a Bihari girl.

    For producers, placing a show in a specific region or a culture makes it easier to decide on the sets, costumes and storyline.

    "When you give a show an identity like Gujarati, Punjabi or Marwadi, it not only makes the viewers connect with the show but also helps makers in giving a background to the show in terms of costume, jewellery, dialect or characters," said Rajan Shahi, producer of Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, the story of a Marwadi family.

    If people sitting in Bihar or Jharkhand these days know about Gujarati or Marathi culture, it is to a large extent because of these daily shows. "TV shows based on Gujarati, Marathi or Marwadi cultures have made audiences all over the country aware of the customs and rituals of different regions. The shows have broken barriers and brought people together," Suzana Ghai, creative director, Star India, told IANS. READ MORE

    Paoli can turn you on with her clothes on: Vivek Agnihotri

    While the industry is abuzz with the bold poster of Vivek Agnihotri’s film ‘Hate Story’, the director himself feels that Paoli Dam, the main lead of his film can turn on people simply with her eyes.

    Agnihotri cleared the rumours about his film and said that Paoli’s role was not similar to Sharon Stone’s character in ‘Basic Instinct’, as was believed earlier. Speaking to a daily, the director said, “This is the most original script by Vikram Bhatt. It has an Indianised commercial setting.”

    “A journalist told me that Paoli has left Sharon Stone far behind while doing this movie. She can turn you on with her clothes on by just having the audience stare at her eyes!" the filmmaker added.

    However, the director is miffed with the censor board as the bold promos haven’t gone down too well with them. Now, thanks to them, Paoli’s sex talk would have to be beeped from all the promos. Agnihotri feels that it would dilute the theme of the film itself.

    "The censor board has old-fashioned people and we have no choice but to live with the norms. The soap operas show so much of vulgar stuff and yet, no one has any problem with that. Lovemaking scenes are being shown on television. There is so much of vulgarity in the minds of characters from popular serials. But no one is bothered. When it comes to the promos, we are told that we have to mute certain words. We have to cut a few things here and there. The result is that the promo is not representing the boldness of the movie. It`s like buying a Merc but still having to negotiate bad traffic. However, when it comes to my film, I will not cut anything and will fight till the end. Mine is an adult film. It is not for kids and not meant for adults who think like kids," said Vivek.

    Computer Virus: How to Remove It

    Ughhhh! If your PC has ever been infected - or worse, if it's infected right now - you're probably groaning. Yes it's a pain, but the good news is: you can remove viruses yourself, for free.

    STEP 1: Back Up Documents, Photos and Videos.
    Save your important data to an external drive. Be sure to scan this drive and its contents after you remove the virus; you don't want to re-infect your computer after the clean-up.

    [Related: Five ways to help your PC help you]

    STEP 2: Reboot in Safe Mode
    You have to prevent the virus from running when you try to remove it. To do this, reboot in safe mode. Safe mode runs only the Windows operating system and a few key programs. It's a way to limit any malware from launching. Restart your computer and hit the F8 key on the keyboard repeatedly until you get to a black screen with the option of restarting in Safe Mode. Choose "Safe Mode with Networking" so that you can still get on the Internet.

    STEP 3: Download Virus Scanner/Removal Tools
    I recommend downloading two to three different programs to find and remove the malware. One may do the job, but three will almost certainly do the job. These three have worked for me and come highly recommended by PC Magazine and CNET:
    Malwarebytes
    SuperAntispyware
    PC Tools

    STEP 4: Run Virus Scanners
    Download, double-click to install, accept all the defaults they recommend, and then run each. This will take a while. When the programs locate a virus or any suspicious items, allow the programs to delete the files.

    STEP 5: Reboot Normally
    Reboot your computer normally; no need for safe mode. You should be back to normal now. If you have files backed up on an external drive, plug it in and use the security programs you downloaded to scan that drive before you open or transfer any files. If the virus is gone, go to step 6.

    **IF YOU STILL HAVE THE VIRUS**
    Many people will recommend you reinstall Windows or try system restore or download a registry cleaner. I say that at this point, most people should take the computer to a local PC repair shop. Where I live, it costs about $120 to get the virus removed and a clean version of Windows installed. It is a personal decision how you proceed from here, but take into account the value of your time.

    STEP 6: Add Security
    How did you get that virus in the first place? Even if you don't know, it's clear you need more protection. PC Tools is a real-time virus scanner that you can use as your ongoing protection, or install something like Avast or AVG. All three are very good, free, anti-virus programs. Also Microsoft's Security Essentials comes well recommended.

    You should also go to the Control Panel of your computer, and in the security section click Windows Update. Make sure that it's set up to regularly update. And if you think someone else accidentally installed malware on your computer, it's a good idea to give other members of the family their own sign-on accounts that don't have admin privileges. This way, if the kids try to download software that could harbor viruses, they won't be allowed to. And yes, this means you should keep your admin password private. (Also, if they've installed any file-sharing programs, now would be a good time to remove them. P-2-P music and movie sites do expose you to a lot of junk.READ MORE

    911 Caller Arrested after Pasadena Police Fatally Shoot teen

    A 911 caller has been arrested after Pasadena police say his false armed robbery report led officers to shoot and kill a 19-year-old college student they believed to be a suspect.

    Pasadena Police Chief Philip Sanchez told reporters Wednesday that a deadly chain of events was set into motion after officers responded to a 911 call claiming a laptop had been stolen by two armed men.

    Caller Oscar Carrillo allegedly told officers that two suspects were armed with handguns on Orange Grove Boulevard at Raymond Avenue.

    The phone call put officers on alert and led them to believe Kendrec McDade was armed when they saw him about two blocks from that location Saturday night, Sanchez said.

    "The actions of the 911 caller set the minds of the officers," Sanchez said.

    McDade ran from officers until an officer used the police cruiser to block McDade's path in an alley and rolled down his window, Lt. Phlunte Riddle said.

    McDade allegedly made a motion at his waistband and the officer opened fire. A second officer who was chasing McDade on foot also opened fire, Riddle said.

    Football standout
    McDade, who was less than 10 feet away from the patrol car when the officer opened fire, died of his injuries at Huntington Hospital. The Citrus College student was a football standout at Azusa High School.

    In an interview Monday with detectives, Sanchez said Carrillo admitted that he made up the story about the gun to speed up the officers' response. Detectives now believe McDade and the other person, a juvenile, were unarmed, Riddle said.

    Carrillo was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter in connection with McDade's shooting, Sanchez said.

    The other suspect, a juvenile, has been charged with two counts of commercial burglary, one count of grand theft and one count of failure to register as a gang member as a condition of his probation. He remains in custody.

    How Often do you Really Need to Change Motor oil?

    Do you change your oil every 3,000 miles? The majority of drivers on the road have been bombarded by advertising that recommends changing their car's oil every 3,000 miles, but the truth is that interval is no longer really necessary. Yes, engine oil does get dirty, and when that happens, it can clog engine parts, but if you’re driving a car that’s less than five years old, you’re probably wasting money — and oil — if you change it as frequently as that. Yes, knowing when to change oil is not as simple as some ad campaigns would have you believe.

    Changing the oil in your car every 3,000 miles was necessary in the 1970s, when most cars used 10W-40 oil, which tended to wear out within about 3,000 miles. Thanks to improvements in high-quality lubricants and tighter tolerances in the assembly of automotive engines, the 3,000-mile baseline simply does not apply to many cars on the road today; in fact, automakers now recommend you change oil at 5,000, 7,000, 10,000 or even as high as 15,000 miles for newer models under ideal driving conditions. For example, Toyota recommends you change oil at 5,000 miles for a 2005 Tacoma pickup, Honda recommends 7,500 miles for its 2002 Odyssey, General Motors suggests 7,500 miles for its 2007 Chevrolet Malibu, and Ford recommends 10,000 miles for its 2011 Fiesta. A 2008 Porsche Boxster can go 12,000 miles between changes, and a 2010 BMW 3 Series can go up to 15,000 miles before you change oil under ideal conditions; with this kind of complexity, it’s easy for consumers to be confused.

    Almost 15 million Californians change their motor oil every 3,000 miles or more often, using more than 150 million gallons of motor oil each year – enough oil to fill 255 Olympic-sized swimming pools, according to a recent study by CalRecycle. CalRecycle spokesperson Jeff Danzinger says their studies indicate the state could reduce total motor oil consumption by as much as 10 million gallons per year if motorists were to change oil according to manufacturer recommendations. "If you're changing your oil too soon, you're needlessly creating waste oil and putting a strain on the system and supply," Danzinger explains.

    (Photo: JASON ANFINSEN/Flickr)(Photo: JASON ANFINSEN/Flickr)And that’s just California — wonder how much oil is being wasted across the entire United States by people who have fallen victim to advertising and don’t follow the intervals recommended in their owner’s manual? Across the country, reprocessors treat about 1.1 billion gallons of used oil yearly according to the American Petroleum Institute (API).

    Unless you’re driving a car that's more than ten years old, or under super extreme conditions, there’s really no reason to change your oil at 3000 miles anymore. Let’s put that amount into dollars: Changing motor oil according to manufacturer specifications would reduce motor oil demand in California by approximately 10 million gallons per year, and could halve the amount of money those drivers spend on oil changes, which average about $25 at quick-change facilities and can cost significantly more if your vehicle uses long-life synthetic oil. Under normal driving conditions, following the automaker’s recommended intervals will not affect your car’s engine, its performance, or your warranty.READ MORE

    Video of Ecstatic Dog Welcoming Soldier Home Goes Viral

    The unconditional love of a pet stands out as being some of the most affectionate love there is. A video of a soldier being greeted by his dog is going viral, because the boxer is so thrilled to see his owner, he cannot contain his excitement. Nick served eight months in Afghanistan, and when he returned to his wife, Katie, in Germany, Chuck was overjoyed to see him.

    Two words get Chuck so excited, that he leaps out of the back of a parked SUV as if on command: "Daddy's home." He then jumps all over the soldier, licking him and yelping with happiness. The soldier cannot even get a good grip on Chuck, because he is so happy and jumping and showing how much he missed his owner.

    Katie uploaded the video to YouTube less than a week ago, and it already has more than 1.3 million views. This is not the first time Chuck has been a viral video sensation. A year ago, he welcomed his owner back from a different deployment, and he was just as thrilled to have him return home safely.

    _______________________________________________________________

    Next up, an airline passenger learned that airport security may not be as safe as she had hoped. A woman posted a photo on the social news site Reddit of a knife that she accidentally carried in her purse through security. She snapped the photograph in the airplane lavatory.

    The image of the knife is causing quite a stir, because the woman says she went through the X-ray scan, a manual inspection, and customs before she realized she had brought the knife with her on the plane. She also revealed that the knife was not well hidden.

    Her post instigated hundreds of comments by users with their own tales of incompetent airport security checks, even with all the enhanced security measures currently in place. Some users called the procedures "security theater" and said the TSA is "ridiculous."

    Alicia Silverstone pre-chews baby's food

    Mayim Bialik doesn't believe in diapers. January Jones takes capsules made of her baby's placenta. And now we have Alicia Silverstone chewing up food and spitting the food into baby Bear's mouth. Avant-garde celeb moms abound!

    Silverstone has posted a note and video on her site explaining her unusual feeding style with Bear, 10 months.

    "I just had a delicious breakfast of miso soup, collards and radish steamed and drizzled with flax oil, cast iron mochi with nori wrapped outside, and some grated daikon. Yum! I fed Bear the mochi and a tiny bit of veggies from the soup…from my mouth to his. It's his favorite...and mine. He literally crawls across the room to attack my mouth if I'm eating. This video was taken about a month or 2 ago when he was a bit wobbly.

    $363-million Mega Millions Winning Numbers Announced

    The winning numbers for the $356 million Mega Millions lottery jackpot, the third-largest prize in the game’s history, were 9, 19, 34, 44, 51 and Mega Ball 24, but they did not produce a winner, officials said.

    The lack of winner on Tuesday night’s drawing means the estimated jackpot will grow to an estimated $476 million for a drawing Friday, according to the offical Mega Millions website. Mega Millions drawings are held Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. EDT and Tuesday night’s drawing took place in Atlanta, Ga.

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    The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot were estimated at about 1 in 176 million, according to lottery officials.

    The largest Mega Millions jackpot ever won was $390 million in March 2007, according to Mega Millions.

    The winner is selected through five balls drawn from a set of balls numbered one through 56, and one ball is drawn from a set numbered one through 46.

    While there are nine ways to win a prize, starting from $2, ticket buyers across the country have their eyes on the $356 million jackpot, which has been growing since Jan. 24. That’s when Mega Millions had its most recent jackpot winner, Marcia Adams, 33, from Georgia. She won $72 million and chose the cash option of $52 million.

    The odds of winning any of the Mega Millions prizes are approximately 1 in 40.

    The estimated jackpot is based on national sales up to the time of the drawing. In the last drawing, in which there was no jackpot winner, almost 2.9 million tickets won Mega Millions prizes.

    JetBlue pilot has apparent breakdown onboard

    I’m giving you two cell-phone clips from the flight itself. The audio, alas, is poor, with someone clearly shouting in the distance but unintelligibly (at least to me). According to Fox News, though, he was ranting about Iran and Iraq and someone heard something about bombs. When he tried to get back in the cockpit, two stewardesses stopped him and then a bunch of male passengers, including a member of the NYPD, brought him down.

    Sound suspicious? That’s where the third clip below comes in, and that’s the one you should absolutely watch. Former Fox News anchor Laurie Dhue was on the plane and phoned in afterward to FNC to give Shep the scoop. From what she’s heard from the cops, the pilot is a vet and may have had an episode triggered by PTSD. JetBlue released a statement after the flight saying that he had suffered a “medical situation.” I’m curious to know if he’s suffered a breakdown before, how severe it was, and what JB’s policy is on clearing pilots with psychological conditions for flight. They managed to bring this bird in safely — as luck would have it, another pilot was flying as a passenger and was brought up to the cockpit to help land it(!) — but needless to say, things could have gotten very bad. In fact, according to Fox, at one point before he was restrained he “appeared to want to open the plane’s side door.” Gulp.

    IPL 2012 Schedule: Complete fixtures and venues

    The Twenty20 extravaganza will commence in Chennai exactly after a week from now and the first clash of the tournament will be between defending champions Chennai Super Kings and two-time finalists Mumbai Indians.

    IPL 2012: Complete Schedule

    Nine teams will be competing for the title this time.

    But before the 54-day long tournament begins on April 4, a dazzling opening ceremony will be held on April 3 at the YMCA College of Physical Education grounds, Nandanam, Chennai.

    The ceremony will see Bollywood stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra in action with international popstar Katy Perry.

    Circumcised or Uncircumcised: Does It Matter in Sex?

    About a year ago, I had my first encounter with an uncircumcised penis. I should add that there was a man attached to the penis; he was someone who I'd been out with on a couple dates, and that night was our first time. I didn't notice the difference at first -- unless you're really looking, it's difficult to discern an intact penis from a circumcised one when the penis is erect. It wasn't until the post-coital moments of relaxation and intimacy that I saw what was going on down there. Reader, I did a double take -- more out of curiosity than anything else, but I saw that he saw me staring. I was mortified. We both pretended it didn't happen.

    As someone who took many -- probably too many -- Women's Studies classes in college, I'm keenly aware of society's unrealistic definition of what's sexy, especially when it comes to women's bodies. To be sexually attractive, we're told, we must be toned, taut, tanned, plucked, waxed. We're also supposed to be free of cellulite, gas, menstrual blood, vaginal odor, sweat, and a whole slew of other so-called problems an entire commercial and increasingly high-tech industry is devoted to solving. So imagine my guilt for that double take after sex, potentially making my new boyfriend as self-conscious about the part of himself he'd only just shared with me as many women are about their bodies. Maybe some people would keep that remorse to themselves, given its intimate source. Me? I wanted to talk about it.

    The next time we were in bed, I tried to mention it casually. His response was to laugh. "Yeah, I'm uncircumcised," to which I replied, "I figured; I've just never seen one in real life." He looked at me sideways. "Aren't you a sex columnist?"

    "I don't think I need to have done -- er, witnessed -- everything I know and write about," I said, which is true, but in the moment it felt like a feeble excuse. He let me feel uniquely ignorant for a few seconds before informing me that he was used to this line of questioning. Most women had the same reaction I did and were "polite" about it when the "inevitable question arose." Interestingly, our talk of penises led to an even more intimate discussion, in which he revealed that his mother, protective of her only son, could not stomach the idea of hurting her baby boy. I wanted to know, did he feel like circumcision would've hurt him? He said he never really thought about it.

    I hadn't either. Since it's done when men are infants, long before I meet them, it had never occurred to me.

    For many contemporary parents, I've since learned, circumcision is a very big deal. According to the CDC, American circumcision rates dropped to 32.5 percent in 2009 from 56 percent in 2006. Many anti-circumcision activists (also known as "Intactivists") argue that the procedure violates an individual's right to decide how to express his sexuality. The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend routine neonatal circumcision because of the potential complications, which include death. One study found that 117 boys die each year from this elective process.

    So why do we still circumcise male infants at all? In some cases, of course, the choice is religious, but many of the reasons people opt to circumcise have nothing to do with faith. They do, however, have to do with women. Intact penises are the butt of jokes on shows targeting female audiences -- see Kim Zolciak glibly discuss her son's circumcision on "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" and, further back Charlotte et. al. making fun of intact men on, "Sex and the City." The message? Leave your son's penis intact if you want women to laugh at him. Then there's the myth that intact penises are dirtier than those without foreskin, and what woman wants to sleep with a guy who isn't clean? Since most men bathe regularly these days, this probably isn't true, but the stigma persists.

    And many women (like the characters on the above-mentioned shows) are "grossed out" by the idea of an uncircumcised penis for aesthetic reasons. As my good friend Amelia put it (not so delicately), "Who wants to make love to a penis that has to come out of hiding? That flap of skin is weird; it freaks me out. What a penis looks like is important to any girl, and she's lying if she says otherwise."

    Is it just me, or does this sound reminiscent of the hyperfocus on what is acceptable for women below the belt? This is the era of vajazzling and labiaplasty, styled landing strips and feminine sprays. Did I really want to be as critical of my lover's man parts as some people are of the way women are shaped and groomed down there?

    Since that first relationship with an uncircumcised man, I've gone on to do more, er, field research, and I've anecdotally found that the intact make fabulous lovers. Here's why:

    First Look At Actor's Documentary About Today's Apathetic Youth

    The film explores the widespread cynicism of today's younger generations and features some of the worlds leading scholars, activists, and media personalities, including Andrew Bacevich, Noam Chomsky, Talib Kweli, Kalle Lasn, Amy Goodman, Sound Tribe Sector 9 (STS9), and the late Howard Zinn. Those featured share insights on how the seedlings of ideas can transform into inspiring movements and incite change.

    "#ReGENERATION" explores how education, parenting, and media can shape society, as the film traces the influence of these institutions on the generation's collective culture.

    Each group the film features brings their own unique perspective to the forefront, from an inspired collective of musicians working outside the corporate system to a twenty-something conservative family about to welcome the birth of their second child. A group of five high-school students from the suburbs looking for their place in society is also profiled.

    "#ReGENERATION" will have a limited release in theaters on May 3. It will also be available OnDemand and and in theaters anywhere across the country via crowd-sourced screenings at Tugg.com.

    Whoopi Goldberg Joins 'Glee' For Multiple Episodes; Lindsay Lohan In Talks

    Whoopi Goldberg is coming to "Glee." "The View" co-host will appear in multiple episodes of the Fox series, according to TVLine. And Lindsay Lohan may not be far behind.

    Goldberg will play Carmen Tibideaux, a professor at New York Academy of the Dramatic Arts -- Rachel and Kurt's coveted NYADA -- who comes to Ohio to oversee auditions. TVLine reports Goldberg will appear in three episodes of the series, the first of which is set to air Tues., May 1. Look for Goldberg's character to deliver the final verdict to Kurt and Rachel. But whether they get in to NYADA or not, Rachel (Lea Michele) and Kurt (Chris Colfer) will appear in Season 4 of "Glee."

    The Hollywood Reporter confirmed TVLine's casting report.

    "Glee" star Michele took to Twitter to share her feelings on Goldberg's casting.

    Goldberg, an EGOT recipient, recently filmed a guest role for ABC's "The Middle." Aside from her hosting duties on "The View," Goldberg has made guest appearances on numerous shows including "The Cleaner," "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" and "Everybody Hates Chris." She starred in a self-titled sitcom from 2003-2004.

    TVLine also reports Lindsay Lohan is in final talks to appear on "Glee." The actress, who recently mounted a career comeback with a "Saturday Night Live" hosting gig, would reportedly play herself on the musical comedy. If all goes according to plan, Lohan will appear as a celebrity judge at the glee club Nationals competition.

    Apply now : Bank of Baroda clerk Recruitment 2012

    Bank of Baroda is inviting applications for Clerical post from Indian citizens who have taken the Common Written Examination (CWE) for Clerical cadre conducted by IBPS in 2011, subject to fulfillment of other eligibility criteria.

    Online registration began on March 24, 2012 and closes on April 10, 2012. Application fees can be paid from March 24, 2012 to April 10, 2012.

    Since clerical cadre recruitment would be on State/ UT-wise basis, it will therefore be necessary that candidates apply for vacancies of a State/UT from which they have appeared for the CWE and in which they have qualified.

    Depending on the number of vacancies, only those candidates who have qualified in the CWE for recruitment of Clerical personnel conducted by IBPS in 2011 and possess a valid score card issued by IBPS and rank sufficiently high in the order of merit based on the Total Weighted Standard Score shall be called for a personal interview in the ratio of 1:4 for General category and 1:5 for Reserved category.

    Candidates are required to apply online through website www.bankofbaroda.com. No other means/ mode of application will be accepted.

    Staff Selection Commission Jobs Vacancies

    Employer Name: Staff Selection Commission
    Employer Address: Regional Director (ER), Staff Selection Commission, 1st MSO Building,(8th Floor) 234/4 Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Road), Kolkata, West Bengal-700020
    Email: NA
    URL: http://ssc.nic.in
    Phone: NA
    Required Skills: refer to the job description
    Required Experience: refer to the job description
    Required Education: refer to the job description
    Job Location: Allahabad, Kolkata, New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Across India (View Jobs in Allahabad, Jobs in Kolkata, Jobs in New Delhi, Jobs in Mumbai, Jobs in Chennai, Jobs in Bangalore, Jobs in Across India)

    Late goal ends U.S. Olympic hopes

    The Americans had only a handful of seconds left to run out the clock and advance a step closer to the Olympics. With the pressure building with each tick, victory slipped away.

    Right off their hands.

    The United States, known for producing top goalkeepers such as Brad Friedel, Kasey Keller and Tim Howard, found themselves done in Monday night when substitute Sean Johnson couldn't handle a long shot from Jaime Alas of El Salvador in stoppage time.

    The ball bounced off his hands, up over him and into the net, and El Salvador ousted the United States from Olympic qualifying with a 3-3 tie.

    "This is probably the worst feeling I've ever felt in my life so far as a pro athlete," U.S. captain Freddy Adu said. "This is going to be hard to get over. But at the end of the day things like this happen. For me, I never want to feel this way again, and I'm going to do whatever it takes to never feel this way again."

    The Americans had to win to reach Saturday's semifinals in Kansas City, Kan., and they led 3-2 on Joe Corona's goal in the 68th minute. Officials added 4 minutes of stoppage time onto the game, and U.S. coach Caleb Porter said they were "seconds away" from closing out the win and taking the top spot in Group A. A television clock showed the ball going in 4 minutes, 14 seconds into stoppage time.

    What happened is something U.S. midfielder Mix Diskerud said no one wants to experience in life, something he couldn't believe.

    "The last 20 minutes after our third goal, all those minutes felt like very, very long hours. But I thought we were going to make it. Everybody thought we were going to make it.," Diskerud said.

    "One shot."

    Alas stunned the Americans, who missed the Olympics for the second time since 1976 and second time in three Games.

    Several Americans dropped to the field in exhaustion and disbelief after the score, and Porter had to try to rally them back to their feet for one last gasp chance that didn't materialize. Porter said he hugged Johnson after the game. The 6-foot-4 keeper did not speak with reporters.

    "He feels like he's let everybody down, let his teammates down, and I told him he didn't," Porter said.

    El Salvador reached the semifinals, putting it a win away from its first Olympic berth since 1968. Canada, which tied Cuba 1-1 earlier, finished second. Lester Blanco and Andres Flores also scored for El Salvador, a team coach Mauricio Alfaro pointed out had less than two weeks to prepare for this tournament and didn't have the whole roster together until late.

    "It was just incredible," Alfaro said of the win through an interpreter.

    But Alfaro also said he had told his players to shoot more in the second half to try to pressure Johnson and the El Salvadoran coach said he did feel Johnson made a mistake on Alas' kick.

    "The shot didn't have much power," Alfaro said through the interpreter.

    Terrence Boyd scored twice for the U.S., and Johnson replaced keeper Bill Hamid in the 39th minute.

    After a 2-0 loss to Canada in the second of this three-game, round-robin tournament, the Americans needed to win to advance.

    So did El Salvador, and the crowd of 7,889 was about evenly split between the countries keeping the U.S. from a true home-field advantage at LP Field, home of the NFL's Tennessee Titans. El Salvador survived a physical game with plenty of yellow cards on each side.

    Boyd went to the sideline with blood on the front of his shirt late in the game. Diskerud said both he and Adu were bitten and showed reporters marks as proof.

    "Part of the game, I guess," Diskerud said.

    The U.S. had a little bit of time left to try and go ahead but couldn't get anything going before the game ended. The result leaves the Americans adding 2012 to 2004 and 1976 as years they failed to qualify for the Olympics, missing out on a 15th appearance overall.

    Boyd got his first start in this round-robin tournament with Juan Agudelo recovering from surgery in New York to fix torn cartilage in his left knee, and Boyd gave the Americans the scoring boost they missed against Canada on Saturday night. The Americans attacked from the start, Boyd scored 61 seconds into the game. Brek Shea dribbled out of three defenders and sent a cross over to Boyd who scored off a left-footed volley.

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