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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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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."

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.

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.

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.

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:

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 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.

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.

Employer Name: Staff Selection Commission
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Email: NA
URL: http://ssc.nic.in
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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)

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.

As George Zimmerman's supporters work to stem the rising tide of public outrage aimed at the neighborhood watchman who shot and killed Florida teenager Trayvon Martin last month, a new picture of the victim—culled from the 17-year-old's Facebook and Twitter accounts and witness testimony—has emerged.

"With a single punch," the Orlando Sentinel, citing police sources, reported Monday, "Trayvon Martin decked the Neighborhood Watch volunteer ... climbed on top of [him] and slammed his head into the sidewalk several times, leaving him bloody and battered."

"That is the account Zimmerman gave police," the paper said, "and much of it has been corroborated by witnesses, authorities say."

Zimmerman's attorney, Craig Sonner, says that Zimmerman acted in self-defense and is not a racist as some have portrayed him.

"I think we need to let the investigation come forward and let all the facts in this case come out," Sonner said on the "Today" show. "I think it's going to tell a different story than the way it's been related and portrayed in the media."

According to a CNN poll released Monday, 73 percent of Americans think police should arrest Zimmerman.

Meanwhile, the difference between the typical teenager Martin's family and supporters say he was and the way he presented himself on social media is the subject of increasing debate.

As Dan Linehan, a blogger at Wagist.com, pointed out, correspondence with Martin on Twitter before he died alludes to an incident with a bus driver. "Yu ain't tell me you swung on a bus driver," Martin's cousin wrote to him on Feb. 21.

The same week, Martin was suspended for 10 days from Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School in North Miami-Dade. "He was not suspended for something dealing with violence or anything like that," his father said. "It wasn't a crime he committed, but he was in an unauthorized area [on school property]," declining to offer more details.

But a family spokesman told the Associated Press on Monday that Martin was suspended because marijuana residue was found in his book bag.

More than 25,000 were expected to attend an afternoon rally in Sanford, Fla., on Monday for Martin, including the Rev. Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and other civil rights leaders.

Baylor has just two wins to go for 40-0. Tennessee's future is far less certain.

Brittney Griner had 23 points, 15 rebounds and nine blocks before being ejected with less than a minute left and top-seeded Baylor rolled over Tennessee 77-58 Monday night to advance to the Final Four.

Shekinna Stricklen had 22 points for Tennessee (27-9), whose seniors became its first four-year class not to reach a Final Four.

The second-seeded Lady Vols now face an uncertain future, as Pat Summitt has yet to say if she'll return for a 39th season as Tennessee coach. She announced in August she'd been diagnosed with early onset dementia, Alzheimer's type.

"This team is about Pat Summitt. This team has battled all year," said Tennessee associate head coach Holly Warlick as she fought back tears. "I'm proud of them. I thought our team and coaching staff obviously was in a difficult situation. But I thought this team was responsive. I wouldn't trade anything that we did this year."

The Lady Bears (38-0), who are back in the national semifinals for the second time in three years, will face either Stanford or Duke on Sunday night in Denver. Should Baylor win it all, it'll become the first men's or women's team in NCAA history to finish a year with 40 wins.

Baylor held Tennessee to just 30.3 percent shooting from the floor. Much of that was because of the inside presence of the 6-foot-8 Griner, who was just one block shy of her fifth career triple-double.

"Defense wins ballgames for you," Baylor coach Kim Mulkey said. "I guess learned from two of the best. I learned from (Summitt) and (former Louisiana Tech coach) Leon Barmore, you better guard people. And these kids are going to guard you."

A rather ugly game for a purist's perspective got even uglier in the final 46.8 seconds.

Baylor's Odyssey Sims, who led the Bears with 27 points, tumbled to the floor, and she and Stricklen had to be separated and were each assessed technical foul for unsportsmanlike conduct.

No punches were thrown, but Griner and teammates Terran Condrey and Jordan Madden were ejected for leaving the bench. The NCAA says none of the players will be suspended for the Final Four.

"Just got caught in the heat of the moment," Sims said. "Everything's fine now."

As for Summitt, she was given a standing ovation from Tennessee and Baylor fans alike when she came out roughly 15 minutes before tipoff. But as defeat became apparent, she sat silently on the bench with her legs crossed.

According to the intrepid reporters at TMZ, Kobe Bryant is now the proud owner of a Ferrari 458 Italia, a fancy-and-fast-as-hell "supercar" that officially makes him the coolest guy in school. (Or, at least, the coolest guy on the Los Angeles Lakers bench.)

"We're told the Black Mamba paid $329,000 yesterday for the car ... which he paid for in full with a check," TMZ reported. It was probably a designer Batman check, because Kobe is Batman. (Also: Duh.)

Kobe's new ride "represents one of the largest leaps forward in technology, performance and emissions ever seen from" Ferrari, according to Motor Authority. Its 4.5-liter V-8 engine won the Best Performance Engine category in the 2011 International Engine of the Year competition, so, y'know, this is some kind of engine! Also, 570 horsepower? That would be an awful lot of horses, so that's got to be an awful lot of power.

[Y! Autos: Up close with Eric Clapton's $4.75 million Ferrari]

The folks at Cosby Sweaters point out that Kobe has an endorsement deal with Mercedes — he's also got a deal with Smart — but Bryant's long been known for having a vast, wide-ranging fleet, including a Ferrari F430. (Like it's much of a surprise that Kobe loves Italian stuff.)

Kobe might have gotten taken for a bit of a ride, though — the manufacturer's suggested retail price on the 2012 458 Italia is $230,275. Oh, well. I guess you have to pay a premium for all of those horses.

President Barack Obama told Russia's leader Monday that he would have more flexibility after the November election to deal with the contentious issue of missile defense, a candid assessment of political reality that was picked up by a microphone without either leader apparently knowing.

Obama's Republican opponents pounced on the comment, saying the president has a hidden agenda that could include concessions to the Russians if he is re-elected this fall.

"This is my last election," Obama is heard telling outgoing Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. "After my election, I have more flexibility."

Medvedev replied in English, according to a tape by ABC News: "I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir," an apparent reference to incoming President Vladmir Putin.

Obama and Medvedev did not intend for their comments, made during a meeting in Seoul, South Korea, to be made public.

Once they were, the White House said Obama's words reflected the reality that domestic political concerns in both the U.S. and Russia this year would make it difficult to fully address their long-standing differences over the contentious issue of missile defense. Obama, should he win re-election, would not have to face voters again.

"Since 2012 is an election year in both countries, with an election and leadership transition in Russia and an election in the United States, it is clearly not a year in which we are going to achieve a breakthrough," White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said.

Obama's candid remarks Monday illustrated the political constraints that hem in any president who is running for re-election and dealing with a congressional chamber — in this case, the House — controlled by the rival party. Republicans have fought Obama fiercely on health care, taxes and other issues. They are eager to deny him any political victories in a season in which they feel the White House is within reach, although Obama's remarks suggested he feels good about his re-election prospects.

Even if Obama was confiding a political reality in a supposedly private moment, the comments gave the GOP new openings to question his sincerity and long-range plans.

Mitt Romney, the leading Republican contender to face Obama this fall, told a San Diego audience the unguarded comments were "an alarming and troubling development."

"This is no time for our president to be pulling his punches with the American people, and not telling us what he's intending to do with regards to our missile defense system, with regards to our military might and with regards to our commitment to Israel," Romney said.

South Korea - At the tail end of his 90 minute meeting with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev Monday, President Obama said that he would have "more flexibility" to deal with controversial issues such as missile defense, but incoming Russian President Vladimir Putin needs to give him "space."

The exchange was picked up by microphones as reporters were let into the room for remarks by the two leaders.

The exchange:

President Obama: On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this, this can be solved but it's important for him to give me space.

President Medvedev: Yeah, I understand. I understand your message about space. Space for you…

President Obama: This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility.

President Medvedev: I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir.

When asked to explain what President Obama meant, deputy national security adviser for strategic communications Ben Rhodes told ABC News that there is room for the U.S. and Russia to reach an accommodation, but "there is a lot of rhetoric around this issue - there always is - in both countries.

Kendra Wilkinson hasn’t been on the site since August, but in our defense, her fake breasts haven’t been shoved into a bikini and we’re not running a charity. So on that note, here she is hosting a pool party at Wet Republic over the weekend and just by looking at her swimsuit, I can safely say that somewhere a Barbie Dreamhouse is down a bikini.

BARBIE: Argh! Again? *dials phone* Ken, are you wearing my bikini?
KEN: Oh, c’mon, it looks better on me! Wait, are you talking about the pink one?
BARBIE: The white one.
KEN: That old thing? Ish, plea-Ohmygod, Chris Brown, you do give good head. I think I just saw Jesus. Barbs, I’m gonna have to call you back, I need Chocolate Thunder here to hold the wheel while I smoke. Tootles!

Based on a true story.

Here’s Katherine Heigl running around and doing some chores in her workout clothes yesterday afternoon in sunny L.A., and looking like a supernova of hotness while doing so. Yeah, I said it! The girl looks hot! Actually, she looks more than just hot, and it’s all thanks to her bodacious bosom busting out of her tight tanktop. Hello! Heck, even her lower half looks a hell of a lot tighter than it usually does. So it’s all good if you ask me. Enjoy!

I can't say I'm highly familiar with the Echo Awards, but I assume it has something to do with audible sounds and contributions thereof to the world; that does little to explain Katy Cocktease and her central placement at the awards, but, perhaps the Echo Awards are all about finding hot, divorcee, divas who heavily flaunt their bodies and caress their delicious D-cups on stage for an adoring ogling public.

There's no denying that Katy Perry has a certain quality that makes us badly want to see her, touch her, and for some of you out there, smell her, but it also frustrates us with how 'good girl' she suddenly claims to be when we get down to the nitty gritty. So many arbitrary rules, Still, an Echo Award. We're not sure, but we think that's prestigious. Enjoy.

My return trip in 2011 was a homecoming of sorts as I was fortunate to live in this magical country when I was a kid. Although it was a relatively short period of time, it had a profound impact on my life, so when I heard about the devastating earthquake on the morning of Jan. 12, 2010, I knew I had to go back and find a way to help.

The experiences I had upon going back to Haiti and seeing the incredible poverty and turmoil this already impoverished nation was coping with have affected my life in a way that has forever changed me. I photographed my way through the trip and although I saw the most incredibly awful things, I also saw hope and defiance.

I'm creating this book to share my personal experience, to help to raise awareness, and in some small way continue to share not only what Haiti has gone through, but where they are going.

I'm very excited that the incredibly gifted Fabien Baron has generously donated his time and skills to design it, and honored that he has chosen to contribute to this project.

Actress Celina Jaitly, who got married to Dubai-based Austrian hotelier Peter Haag last July, gave birth to twin boys on Saturday, March 24.

Haag tweeted: 'I am so happy to inform you that @celinajaitly and myself have been blessed happy healthy twin boys, Winston and Viraaj. I am over the moon!'

Bipasha Basu tweeted her wishes: 'Dear darling Congrats on the birth of two bundles of love!Here's to good health fr mom n babies.'

Koena Mitra wrote: 'Congrats momma !! Lotsa love to you and your baby boys :) god bless .. Hugs.'

The fifth edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) will start from 4 April to run until 27 May. IPL 2012 will see nine franchises competing against each other in its preliminary stage. This nearly two-month long cricket tournament will host 72 matches in 12 venues.

Cricket fans around the world are excitedly waiting to see performance of local players along with foreign players. They will appear in a colorful dress. Tickets of the IPL matches will be available soon in different parts of India. However, tickets can be bought from online also. Interested people can book their tickets at Bookmyshow.com.

Price of the tickets is divided into different categories- Silver- Rs. 1500, Book Now Gold- Rs. 3000, Book Now Diamond- Rs. 5000 and Book Now Platinum- Rs. 8000.

Opening ceremony of IPL 2012 will take place on April 3, one day before the opening match between Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai. Opening ceremony will be launched at the YMCA College of Physical Education at Nandanam in Chennai.

Big celebrities from home and abroad will perform on this night. Opening ceremony will be hosted by Amitabh Bachchan, the legendary Bollywood actor. It is heard that Bollywood actresses Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor will add extra glamour with their sizzling performance. Salman Khan and Prabhu Deva will also perform for the show.

Katy Perry will also be present at the ceremony to make it a beautiful show.

Cash-strapped Kingfisher Airlines owed over Rs 5,600 crore to public sector banks as on February this year, the government has said.

The consortium of 13 PSU banks, including State Bank of India (SBI, have an exposure of Rs 5,608.07 crore to Kingfisher Airlines (KFA) as on February 2012, Minister of State for Finance Namo Narain Meena said in a written reply in Lok Sabha last Friday.

Replying to a query on whether SBI has any proposal to extend a financial lifeline to Kingfisher Airlines, Meena said," State Bank of India, leader of the consortium of lenders, has informed that no such lifeline has been extended to Kingfisher Airlines Ltd by them during the current financial year."

SBI alone has an exposure of Rs 1,408.45 crore to KFA. The airline, which has a debt of Rs 7,000 crore and an accumulated loss of over Rs 6,000 crore, has been operating only 16 of its 64 aircrafts since last month. It has quit Kolkata and Hyderabad routes completely.

I headed down to the Santa Clara Microsoft Store this morning after hearing about the Windows Phone challenge last night. For those not familiar, anyone who completes a task faster than a Windows Phone on their own smart phone can win a $1000 Special Edition Laptop assuming they meet some standard terms and conditions. Those who “get smoked” by a Windows Phone, have the opportunity to trade in their existing device for Windows Phone.

After signing a waiver agreeing to let Microsoft use a photo of me in their advertising, I got in line for the challenge. I was using a Samsung Galaxy Nexus which runs the latest Android operating system on the Verizon Wireless network. As requested, I shut down my phone and powered it on in front of an employee when it was my turn. (I’m assuming they don’t want anyone pre-launching any apps in advance.)

The Microsoft Store employee I was up against then explained the selected challenge. Her exact words were the following: “bring up the weather of two different cities.” The one who could do that first would win. I felt like I struck gold since I knew I already had two weather widgets on my home screen: one for my current location (San Jose, CA) and another for Berkeley, CA.

After a three-second count down, I hit the power button on my phone and said “DONE!” out loud. I had disabled the lock screen entirely, which is a rather awesome out-of-the-box feature of Android that takes you straight to the home screen with a single push of the power button. I didn’t even need to touch the screen, since the two weather widgets were already there.

"There is no love sincerer than the love of food," George Bernard Shaw said. Judging by the number of amazing dishes out there, he was right.

But which are the tastiest? We’ve scoured the planet for what we think are 50 of the most delicious foods ever created.

No doubt some of you will be left reeling: “How did French fries not make the list?!” That’s where our Facebook poll comes in.

Head over there once you’ve finished here and let us know: what’s your favorite food?

For now, feast your eyes and control your drooling, as we reveal the world's most delicious foods:

Also, don't forget to check out our choices for the best dishes and restaurants around Asia,
on our BEST EATS page
01. Buttered popcorn, United States

Corn -- the workhorse of the industrial world -- is best when its sweet variety is fried up with lashings of butter till it bursts and then snarfed in greasy fistfuls while watching “Commando” late at night.CLICK HERE MORE DETAIL

What started as a good day for Rick Santorum took an abrupt turn on Sunday after the GOP presidential candidate grew frustrated with reporters asking him to clarify his remark that Mitt Romney is the worst Republican in the country to take on President Obama.

During his final campaign stop of the day here, Santorum said of Romney, “Pick any other Republican in the country, he is the worst Republican in the country to put up against Barack Obama." The comments, Santorum would clarify, were in reference to the similarities between Romney's and the president on the issue of health care. It is a common critique he levels against his chief rival, but never has the former Pennsylvania senator called Romney the "worst Republican in the country" to go head-to-head with the president.

When pressed by reporters to clarify his statement, Santorum said, “On the issue of health care. That’s what I was talking about, and I was very clear about talking about that. OK? Come on guys, don’t do this. I mean you guys are incredible. I was talking about Obamacare, and he is the worst because he was the author of Romneycare.”

But the questions struck a chord with Santorum, and when he faced the same question again, he used a profane word and accused the media of "distorting" his speech.

However a press release sent out from the Santorum campaign shortly after the rally here seemed to double down on the candidate's comments. "Rick Santorum spoke plainly and clearly that of all the Republicans in the field, Mitt Romney is the worst possible candidate to take on Barack Obama, because Mitt Romney authored the blueprint for Obamacare and the issue of healthcare would be off the table," the release said.

Santorum has done a lot of clarifying lately, with recent comments suggesting Obama would be a better choice than Romney in a general election and saying the unemployment rate will not affect his campaign. In both cases, he accused the media and his opponents of taking his words out of context. But in both cases, the Romney campaign used his own words against him.

A nude cooking show is set to launch this month on the adult channels in Hong Kong.

Each 30-minute episode of the Cantonese language show will be hosted by 26-year-old Flora Cheung and broadcast on the Ice Fire channel on NOW TV, Hong Kong Broadband Network and TVB Pay Vision.

"Most men don't like to cook, but I want to get them interested," Cheung told the South China Morning Post.

For a taste of the show, check out the trailer on Youtube. The camera follows Cheung as she navigates the wet markets of Hong Kong, fully clothed. After she purchases ingredients, Cheung goes into her kitchen to cook. Here, the host strips and dons a transparent apron that protects her and yet reveals all. GET MORE Detail CLICK HERE

Pop star Katy Perry and "Avatar" actress Zoe Saldana don't exactly have the same tastes in fashion. Katy prefers out-there ensembles, like the glow-in-the-dark gown she sported at the 2010 Met Gala, while Zoe usually opts for a more sophisticated and lady-like style. Recently, though, their closets collided when the two stepped out in very similar versions of a gold-and-white Balmain Spring 2012 mini dress just seven months apart. Now it's up to us to decide who wore it better!READ MORE HERE

Saturday's UFO was reportedly so massive that it was seen in Shanghai and Beijing at the same time. [This artist's rendering is not of the UFO in question.]

An unidentified flying object (UFO) was reported above Shanghai and Beijing at the same time on August 20.

The “colossal unidentified glowing ball” was first sighted around 9 p.m. last Saturday above Shanghai by a Chinese civil aviation pilot flying China Southern Airlines flight CZ655 from Shanghai to Changchun.

The pilot, nicknamed “The girl-picking mushroom 168” (采姑娘的小蘑菇168) on the Internet, reported the incident via Sina Weibo and described it as a shocking experience.

“[The object] expanded from small to large and was spherical in shape. It was hundreds of times larger than the moon and its diameter seemed to reach 50 sea miles (92.6 kilometers),” the pilot wrote on Weibo.

The pilot added that the UFO faded gradually after hovering above Shanghai for about 20 minutes.

“The girl-picking mushroom 168” was not the only one to spot the UFO. According to the East China Air Traffic Control Bureau, its air control department received reports from several pilots on August 20 about the UFO.

“Based on their descriptions, the glowing object was far away from the airplanes and posed no danger to flight safety and civil aviation,” East China Air Traffic Control Bureau told the press.

No flights were affected by the UFO in Shanghai. READ MORE

The attorney counseling George Zimmerman, who shot unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin as he was walking home from the store with a bag of Skittles, says if charges are filed, Zimmerman will argue that he acted in self-defense and that Florida's stand-your-ground law applies.

Attorney Craig Sonner said the public is only hearing part of the story, and when all the facts come out, it will be clear that Zimmerman acted in self defense. A grand jury is scheduled to begin hearing the case April 10.

"George Zimmerman suffered a broken nose, and had an injury to the back of his head, he was attacked by Trayvon Martin on that evening," Sonner said. "This was a case of self defense."

When asked why Zimmerman went after Martin, even though a 911 dispatcher told him not to, Sonner said: "Those are questions that will be answered."

Trayvon Martin Case: Timeline of Events

Sonner said the so-called stand-your-ground law, under which a person who feels threatened is not required to retreat and can "meet force with force" if attacked, will be applicable in the case.

Sonner insisted that Zimmerman is not a racist, pointing out that he and his wife mentored for two black children for free. READ MORE

This hasn’t, on the whole, been a great era for action heroes. Sure, we’ve got cops and spies and superheroes and gods and titans crawling out of every corner of the cineplex. But can you even remember the name of the guy who plays John Carter? Which is in theaters right now?

The movie industry has been trying to revive the Golden Age of Action since its ’80s heyday, with little success. Alex Pettyfer, Taylor Lautner, Jason Momoa, Justin Timberlake, and “John Carter’s” Taylor Kitsch are among those who’ve failed in the last year alone.

Jason Statham comes closest to replicating Bruce Willis’ deadpan swagger, while The Rock had potential, until he donned a tutu for “Tooth Fairy.” But even once-unassailable stars like Willis, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger have to band together — as they will in this summer's “The Expendables 2” — to make any sort of impression.

And when they do, will it compare with the impact we’re about to see from a 21-year-old woman? Because this year’s biggest action hero is very likely to be “The Hunger Games’” Jennifer Lawrence.

As Katniss Everdeen, Lawrence brings us a warrior tougher than any in recent memory. At just 16, she single-handedly supports her family. Stares down death on a tragically regular basis. Insists, despite intense opposition, on remaining the master of her own fate. And is far more likely to save boys than swoon over them. (Though “Twilight” and “The Hunger Games” are often compared, the self-reliant Katniss has little in common with the oft-rescued Bella, a character perpetually defined by her relationships.)

Granted, plenty of ladies have used brute force to break down barriers onscreen. Pam Grier had the ’70s covered, in films like “Coffy” and “Foxy Brown.” Sigourney Weaver and Linda Hamilton will remain eternally iconic for their “Alien” and “Terminator” roles, and Carrie-Anne Moss set the standard for “Matrix” fans before co-star Keanu Reeves even showed up.

For the most part, though, women wielded weapons because men told them to (“La Femme Nikita”) or they looked great in leather (pick a “Batman” sequel) or both (“Charlie’s Angels”)

So, there you have it, "Mad Men" fans -- we finally know the status of Don Draper's relationship with Megan.

(Warning: If you haven't watched the "Mad Men" Season 5 premiere yet, stop right here or risk being spoiled.)

In tonight's long-awaited Season 5 premiere (read Mo Ryan's full recap here), we found out that Don actually married his new Mrs. Draper, Megan (Jessica Pare). The two are living it up in their swanky Manhattan party pad -- Zoo Be Zoo Be Zoo! -- and, of course, she's been promoted from front desk receptionist to copywriter at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce.

But how will their marriage affect Megan's relationship with Don and Betty's three children? After such a fun trip to L.A. together, is the Megan-Sally friendship kaput? It's hard to tell in the premiere, with the "new" Draper family chatting over breakfast ... Sally seems happy, but you never know with that little emotional timebomb.

I caught up with Sally Draper herself, actress Kiernan Shipka (read part 1 of our chat here), to find out her reaction when she learned about the changes this season, and how Sally is coping with it. Could Sally and Megan really "become best buds this season," like she teases? Only time will tell ...

What was your reaction when you read the first script and realized that Don and Megan had actually gotten married?
I was happy and I was excited, but I was kind of surprised ... a lot went through my head.

Well, of all the kids, I feel like Sally would be happiest to have a young, fun new stepmom ... but she'd also be affected the most.
Definitely. I mean, we saw how she didn't like Faye last season, so ... [Laughs.] Who knows how she's gonna like Megan as her dad's wife?

In that scene where they're all having breakfast together in Don and Megan's new place, you can't really tell what Sally's thinking. Can you give us some insight into the new dynamic and how Sally feels about it all?
I think, to be honest, she's just kind of adjusting to the new dynamic. She's kind of coping with what's going on.

Shaima Alawadi's 17-year-old daughter found her unconscious on the dining room floor of her home Wednesday. She was taken to the hospital and put on life support, but she was taken off life around 3 p.m. Saturday.

"Our understanding is that she was beaten and she was hit with some kind of a tool about 8 times in the head. She was knocked on the floor and was found in a pool of blood," said Hanif Mohebi, the director of the San Diego chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Alawadi was a 32-year-old mother of five children, ranging in age from eight to 17.

"A week ago they left a letter saying this is our country not yours you terrorist, and so my mom ignored that thinking it was just kids playing a prank," Alawadi's daughter, Fatima Al Himidi, told ABC News affiliate KGTV. "But the day they hit her, they left another note again, and it said the same thing."

Al Himidi told KGTV the intruders did not steal anything from their home, and the only motive must have been hate.

"A hate crime is one of the possibilities, and we will be looking at that," Lt. Mark Coit said, according to The Associated Press. "We don't want to focus on only one issue and miss something else."

Al Awadi immigrated to the United States from Iraq in the mid-1990s.

Reaching bottom after a 2-hour-and-36-minute descent, the National Geographic explorer and filmmaker typed out welcome words for the cheering support crew waiting at the surface: "All systems OK."

Folded into a sub cockpit as cramped as any Apollo capsule, the National Geographic explorer and frilmmaker is now investigating a seascape more alien to humans than the moon. Cameron is only the third person to reach this Pacific Ocean valley southwest of Guam (map)—and the only one to do so solo.

Hovering in what he's called a vertical torpedo, Cameron is likely collecting data, specimens, and imagery unthinkable in 1960, when the only other explorers to reach Challenger Deep returned after seeing little more than the silt stirred up by their bathyscaphe.

After as long as six hours in the trench, Cameron—best known for creating fictional worlds on film (Avatar, Titanic, The Abyss)—is to jettison steel weights attached to the sub and shoot back to the surface. (See pictures of Cameron's sub.)

Meanwhile, the expedition's scientific support team awaits his return aboard the research ships Mermaid Sapphire and Barakuda, 7 miles (11 kilometers) up. (Video: how sound revealed that Challenger Deep is the deepest spot in the ocean.)

"We're now a band of brothers and sisters that have been through this for a while," marine biologist Doug Bartlett told National Geographic News from the ship before the dive.

"People have worked for months or years in a very intensive way to get to this point," said Bartlett, chief scientist for the DEEPSEA CHALLENGE program, a partnership with the National Geographic Society and Rolex. (The Society owns National Geographic News.)

"I think people are ready," added Bartlett, of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, California. "They want to get there, and they want to see this happen."

(Video: Cameron Dive Is an Exploration First.)m

Rendezvous at Challenger Deep

Upon touchdown at Challenger Deep, Cameron's first target is a phone booth-like unmanned "lander" dropped into the trench hours before his dive.

Using sonar, "I'm going to attempt to rendezvous with that vehicle so I can observe animals that are attracted to the chemical signature of its bait," Cameron told National Geographic News before the dive.

He'll later follow a route designed to take him through as many environments as possible, surveying not only the sediment-covered seafloor but also cliffs of interest to expedition geologists.

"I'll be doing a bit of a longitudinal transect along the trench axis for a while, and then I'll turn 90 degrees and I'll go north and work myself up the wall," said Cameron, also a National Geographic Society explorer-in-residence. (Listen: James Cameron on becoming a National Geographic explorer.)

Though battery power and vast distances limit his contact with his science team to text messaging and sporadic voice communication, Cameron seemed confident in his mission Friday. "I'm pretty well briefed on what I'll see," he said.

Bullet to the Deep

To get to this point, Cameron and his crew have spent seven years reimagining what a submersible can be. The result is the 24-foot-tall (7-meter-tall) DEEPSEA CHALLENGER.

Engineered to sink upright and spinning, like a bullet fired straight into the Mariana Trench, the sub can descend about 500 feet (150 meters) a minute—"amazingly fast," in the words of Robert Stern, a marine geologist at the University of Texas at Dallas.

Pre-expedition estimates put the Challenger Deep descent at about 90 minutes. (Animation: Cameron's Mariana Trench dive compressed into one minute.)

By contrast, some current remotely operated vehicles, or ROVs, descend at about 40 meters (130 feet) a minute, added Stern, who isn't part of the expedition.

Andy Bowen, project manager and principal developer of the Nereus, an ROV that explored Challenger Deep in 2009, called the DEEPSEA CHALLENGER "an extremely elegant solution to the challenge of diving a human-occupied submersible to such extreme depths."

t's official. Quebec City says it will begin construction on a new NHL-style arena this September.

Now all the city needs is a team to play in it.

Mayor Regis Labeaume announced Sunday the $400-million arena will hold about 18,000 people, saying it would be comparable to a facility built for the league's Pittsburgh Penguins a year ago.

"Today, the dream becomes a reality," he told reporters at a news conference.

Labeaume said the city can proceed with the project after finalizing an agreement with Quebecor on Friday, a week before a March 31 deadline.

The media empire landed the naming rights for the future arena and was granted exclusive rights to manage the facility.

If an NHL team is acquired, Quebecor would hand over $63.5 million for naming rights, plus $5 million in annual rent. Without one, the company would pay $33 million for the rights and an average of $3.15 million annually for rent.

"There are no more obstacles... no more uncertainty about the construction of the amphitheatre," said Quebecor CEO Pierre Karl Peladeau, who was also at the news conference.

In an effort to keep the project within budget, Labeaume said the building would be trimmed down from 70,000 square meters to 64,000, a savings of about $30 million. The number of underground parking spots will also be cut, yielding another $21 million in savings.

But the budgetary breakdown of the project remains unclear, only months before construction is set to begin.

Labeaume was stingy with the financial details on Sunday and wouldn't go into specifics about the total expenses required to get the facility built.

Two Quebec ministers, Michelle Courchesne and Sam Hamad, were also on hand for the announcement. The province and Quebec City have pledged to share the cost of the project, with taxpayer money.

Courchesne said the province would make sure project stays within the projected $400-million total.

The arena is expected to be complete by September 2015, although there's no guarantee the city will ever get a team back.

The city lost its NHL team when the Nordiques moved to Denver in 1995.

Labeaume refused to speculate on whether his city was in line for a team. On Sunday, he was quick to shut down a reporter's question on the subject, perhaps trying to take a cautious approach with the league.

Just hours after the United States warned that North Korea would achieve nothing with threats or provocations, Pyongyang moved a long-range rocket it plans to test fire to a launch pad Monday, a South Korean defense ministry official said.

The news broke at the start of a two-day nuclear summit in Seoul that is bringing together leaders from the United States, Russia, China and dozens of other nations to discuss how to deal with nuclear terrorism and how to secure the world's nuclear material.

But North Korea's announcement that it plans to carry out a rocket-powered satellite launch in mid-April is overshadowing a message of international cooperation for the summit.

South Korea has said it considers the satellite launch an attempt to develop a nuclear-armed missile, while U.S. President Barack Obama said Monday such a launch would bring repercussions.

"Here in Korea, I want to speak directly to the leadership in Pyongyang. The United States has no hostile intent toward your country," Obama said during a speech to students at Seoul's Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.

"But by now it should be clear, your provocations and pursuit of nuclear weapons have not achieved the security you seek. They have undermined it."

If the rocket is launched, South Korea is prepared to "track its trajectory," said the defense ministry official, who did not want to be named.

"There are concerns that parts of the rocket may fall within South Korean territory," he said. "If that were to happen it would threaten lives and cause damage to the economy. To guard against that, they (the military) will be tracking the orbit."

The official did not say what steps South Korea would be forced to take if it determined the rocket was falling within its territory.

The rocket was moved to a launch pad in the northeastern portion of Dongchang-ri, a village in northwest North Korea, the official said.

A magnitude-7.1 earthquake struck central Chile Sunday night, the strongest and longest that many people said they had felt since a huge quake devastated the area two years ago. Some people were injured by falling ceiling material, but there were no reports of major damage or deaths due to quake-related accidents.

The quake struck at 7:30 p.m. about 16 miles (27 kilometers) north-northwest of Talca, a city of more than 200,000 people where residents said the shaking lasted about a minute.

Buildings swayed in Chile's capital 136 miles (219 kilometers) to the north, and people living along a 480-mile (770-kilometer) stretch of Chile's central coast were briefly warned to head for higher ground.

Residents were particularly alarmed in Constitucion, where much of the coastal downtown at the mouth of a river was obliterated by the tsunami caused by the 8.8-magnitude quake in 2010.

Panic also struck in Santiago and other cities, with people running out of skyscrapers, and many neighborhoods were left partly or totally without electrical power. Phone service collapsed due to heavy traffic.

"There are some injuries but nothing serious," said Interior Minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter, who was serving as acting president while Sebastian Pinera is on tour in Asia.

Hinzpeter said authorities were conducting a thorough survey of the affected regions to look for damage.

The Chilean navy's hydrographic and oceanographic service and the national emergency office called off a tsunami warning for most of the central coast after an analysis showed the quake wasn't the type to provoke killer waves.

The alert was restored for the area closest to the epicenter after police noticed the ocean had retreated about 130 feet (40 meters) from the shore in the towns of Iloca and Duao. A sharp outsurge of surf sometimes is followed by a tsunami.READ MORE

Tomorrow's world of "The Hunger Games" doesn't just showcase the reality TV spectacle of teenagers battling to the death — it also features futuristic hovercraft, force fields and bioengineered "Mutt" creatures. Those technological marvels represent tools of oppression for the dystopian nation of Panem, where the Capitol elite live in high-tech luxury supported by the old-fashioned sweat of district coal miners, farm hands and factory workers.

But the popularity of the "Hunger Games" series has not stopped some fans from eying the technological imbalances of the story. Some question why a post-apocalyptic North America filled with futuristic technologies would still rely upon coal for its electricity needs; others wonder about the story's complete absence of the Internet. One character in "The Hunger Games" books complains about "forgotten" military technologies such as high-flying planes, military satellites and robotic drones, even as he rides inside a hovercraft.

Such "gaps" in technology don't necessarily represent plot holes, according to historians of science and technology. Real societies have adopted or rejected technologies based on whether they suited their particular economic, political or cultural circumstances.

"Technology is not pre-determined as "better" — it becomes better when a society deems it to be better or more advanced," said Joline Zepcevski, a researcher with a Ph.D. in the history of science and technology at the University of Minnesota. "With respect to "The Hunger Games," there is no reason why a new society, rising from the ashes of an old society, would necessarily re-invent the same technologies."

Technology has come and gone throughout history, said Marie Hicks, an assistant professor of history of technology at the Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago. Electric cars appeared on U.S. roads at the start of the 20th century, but disappeared for almost a century before making their recent comeback. Supersonic civilian jetliners made their debut with the Concorde in 1976, but ended up grounded in 2003.

Are Miley Cyrus and boyfriend Liam Hemsworth taking their nearly 3-year relationship to the next level?

The "Party in the U.S.A." singer, 19, Tweeted a photo of her left hand rocking a mysterious diamond sparkler on Thursday with the caption, "I am sooo obsessed with @jennahipp nail foundations!"

Despite the accompanying manicure-related Tweet, the focus-grabbing diamond was the obvious star of Miley's photo, sparking speculation that the singer/actress and her "The Hunger Games" star beau could be engaged.

The gorgeous pair did nothing to squelch engagement rumors as they stepped out together for Muhammad Ali's Celebrity Fight Night XVVIII in Phoenix, Ariz., on Saturday evening, where Miley posed for red carpet photos with the rock prominently displayed on her wedding ring finger.

immerman's lawyer, when shown part of the interview being aired Sunday night on Dateline, emphasized that his client would be claiming self-defense.

"I think there were efforts made to render aid to Trayvon," Craig Sonner told NBC's TODAY show.

Mary Cutcher told Dateline that she and her roommate both saw Zimmerman "straddling the body, basically a foot on both sides of Trayvon's body, and his hands pressed on his back."

Cutcher added that Zimmerman told her and her roommate to call the police.

"Zimmerman never turned him over or tried to help him or CPR or anything," Cutcher said.

Sonner also reiterated what he had said in recent days, that Zimmerman suffered a broken nose and a gash to the back of his head.

Remember the Archos G9 Ice Cream Sandwich update? Well, apparently the update while adding many new features and enhancements, also introduced some new bugs. Post the update, Archos G9 users faced Wi-Fi connection issues on their tablet, with the tablet refusing to connect to any Wi-Fi network or disconnecting frequently.

There were other issues as well, like the HDMI output not working properly, VPN connection failing and the touch screen not responding to multi-touches properly. The battery life of the tablet was also affected, because of the device not going into suspend mode properly once Bluetooth was enabled. Thankfully, Archos has been quick to react to the complaints of its users, and has released a new firmware update for its tablets that fixes the above issues. Below is the full change-log of the update -:
READ MORE

Arnold Palmer was conspicuously absent from the 18th-hole ceremony at his Arnold Palmer Invitational on Sunday evening because he was rushed to a local hospital with what a tournament official said was high blood pressure.

"I just talked to his daughter Amy (Saunders) who's with him, and I think the blood-pressure situation is starting to ameliorate and improving," Alastair Johnston, the chief operating officer of Arnold Palmer Enterprises, said in a hastily arranged news conference minutes after Tiger Woods' dramatic five-shot victory. "Nobody is overly concerned about the prognosis, although he is going to remain in the hospital overnight for observation."

Palmer, 82, reportedly had been under observation all week because of his blood pressure and did not play in the pro-am portion of the tournament. Palmer's blood pressure improved after he received treatment at Dr. Phillips Hospital, Johnston said.

The golf legend left his Arnold Palmer Invitational about 15 minutes before Tiger Woods put the finishing touches on his seventh victory at Bay Hill and thus was not able to attend the awards ceremony as usual.

Palmer underwent surgery for prostate cancer in 1997. He has been remarkably active in his senior years and served as the ambassador for his eponymous annual tournament on the PGA Tour's Florida Swing.

Palmer's 62 PGA Tour victories rank fifth all-time and include seven major championships.