​A man is recovering in Munich after a nightmarish one night stand with a woman who he says wanted way too much sex. When he first attempted to leave the woman's apartment after several sessions of lovemaking, she insisted on doing it again, and as a police spokesman said, "Because the 43-year-old saw no other alternative, he complied with the woman's wishes another few times so he could finally leave the apartment." After his generous compliance, the woman demanded "even more" and the terrified (and probably exhausted) man escaped onto a balcony and called the police. When police arrived, the lusty 47-year-old woman allegedly also propositioned the officers, who declined. She may now face charges of sexual assault and illegal restraint.

This is part 2 of 4 of our "My Coachella" Series. Check back during Coachella for profiles on our favorite bands.

His name is Wally De Backer, but many of you know him as Gotye (pronounced go-ti-yay): the Australian musician whose smash hit, "Somebody That I Used To Know," is on every station, every iPhone and practically stuck in every head across America. The song is so popular that HuffPost has already put together a list of the best covers.

The Belgian-born artist has found success in Australia for years, but he is currently making waves in the US -- scratch that -- he currently has jumped from a high cliff and made a giant cannonball splash into current pop music culture. The video for "Somebody That I Used To Know" [watch above] is like an infectious disease on YouTube, and watching it once is seriously not enough.

To put to simply: Gotye, age 31, is somebody that we all should know. He recorded his most recent album Making Mirrors in his parents' barn on a huge plot of land in Australia and uses every instrument in the book. A self-professed sample junkie, Gotye mixes melody, rhythm, lyrics and beats into a sort of potion you just can't turn off. Part haunting and part enchanting, Making Mirrors is proof that this artist is only on the way up.

He is the musical guest on "Saturday Night Live" On April 14, and he arrives on the scene at The Coachella Music Festival on April 15. The Huffington Post spoke with Gotye recently to learn how he found his incredible voice, what his darkest periods are and who he's most excited to see at Coachella.

In an unusual move, national weather forecasters have issued an early warning that conditions are ripe for violent tornadoes to rip through the Midwest this weekend.

According to a story by the Associated Press, the expected weekend storms will stretch from Texas to Minnesota and could be a "high-end, life threatening event."

On Friday, a tornado was seen near the University of Oklahoma campus in Norman just after 4 p.m. local time, according to a local television station. There were no reported injuries.

This is only the second time in history that the Storm Prediction Center issued a high-risk warning more than 24 hours in advance, Russ Schneider, director of the center told the AP.

The worst weather is expected to develop late Saturday afternoon between Oklahoma City and Salina, Kan., Other areas also could see severe storms with baseball-sized hail and winds of up to 70 mph, forecasters told the AP.

The warning issued Friday covers parts of Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas.

Last year, Motorola launched the Android powered Motorola Defy+ rugged smartphone. This handset is the successor of the highly popular Motorola Defy smartphone. The Motorola Defy+ is a water resistant, scratch resistant and dust proof smartphone. It runs on the Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) OS. However, this handset is not expected to get the Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) update ever.

The Motorola Defy+ is already available for purchase in the UK from last September. Clove, a popular online retailer is currently selling this rugged smartphone at a reduced price for a limited period of time. It makes this handset even cheaper than the Motorola Defy Mini smartphone, which was launched last month for £162. If you are planning to buy this device, then check out the complete specs below.

motorola defy plus

Motorola Defy+ features a 3.7 inch FWVGA touchscreen display, sporting a resolution of 480 x 854 pixels, 1 GHz OMAP processor, Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) Operating System, MotoBLUR UI, 5 megapixel camera with auto-focus and LED flash, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, 3G Connectivity and so on.

It also comes with a 3.5 mm headset jack, FM Radio with RDS, 512 MB of RAM, Bluetooth 2.1, GPS with A-GPS, 2 GB internal memory, MicroSD card slot, 32 GB expandable memory, 2 GB MicroSD card bundled, Adobe Flash Player 10, Google Play Store, up to 7.1 hours of talk time, up to 16 days of standby time and a 1700 mAh battery.

This handset allows you to access more than 450,000 apps from the Google Play Store. Motorola Defy+ originally comes with a price tag of £159. However, you can get this device from Clove at a reduced price of £159 excluding taxes. To get this handset, head over to this page.

Angry Birds Space, the latest version of the popular Angry Birds game was released and made available for download on March 22. Just three days after its launch, the latest addition of the game was downloaded over 10 million time worldwide.

With such an overwhelming response from Angry Birds fans, hackers decided to take advantage of it by releasing a fake version of the Angry Birds Space infected with a Trojan horse virus in it. The new virus identified as Andr/KongFu-L is masking itself as the popular Angry Birds Space game for Android.

The virus was first identified by security researchers Sophos, and Graham Cluley, security expert and researcher at Sophos, noted Android users about it in a blog post stating that they had discovered fake versions of the game on unofficial app stores.

SophosLabs recently encountered malware-infected editions of the “Angry Birds Space” game which have been placed in unofficial Android app stores.

The fake version of the game consists of a Trojan horse virus in a in a file called Andr/KongFu-L, which appears to be a fully-functional version of the popular smartphone game, but uses the GingerBreak exploit to gain root access to the device, and install malicious code.

A police sergeant in Santa Fe, New Mexico is in a bad situation after a video caught him masturbating while he was on duty. The video has recently been released and it was filmed by the dashboard camera of the officer’s cruiser. The video released to the media does not show the inside of the cruiser but has audio that is quite steamy. The officer in question is Sgt. Mike Eiskant.

One former officer, Shannon Brady, was not surprised at the news of the video as Brady said that Eiskant had a bad reputation as a stalker of women and a ‘creeper.’ Brady attempted to file a harassment complaint against Eiskant years ago with the Santa Fe Police Department’s human resource division. The complaint was filed with compliance officer Raymond Rael, who is not the police chief for the department.

You can hear on the video his audio-erotic situation and the sound of a zipper can be heard clearly. The officer seems to be masturbating while looking at a nude picture of a woman on his cellphone. The video is a total of 10 minutes and at one time in the video the officer can be heard saying, “Oh, show me those big beautiful breasts, baby.”


“They had plenty of opportunities over the course of many years to do something about it and they refused to,” Brady said.


When Brady tried to file the claim, Rael asked if she was “doing this only because of all the rumors against Mike Eiskant stalking women.” Rael instead offered mediation between the two parties but Brady declined. Rael has said that he is unaware of any other complaints against Eiskant, who has never been placed on administrative leave. Eiskant is scheduled to retire in November.

“I did not have prior knowledge, and if I did, I would have acted,” Rael said.


When Eiskant was promoted to the rank of sergeant he was issued the badge number 69. Rael explained that he did not know the reason why this happened.

It's a public holiday and raining and the Tuesday 5pm session of 3D Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy at Hoyts Broadway is sold out but for a few spots in the first two rows.

Hoyts Broadway is one of three Sydney cinemas screening the film which broke the opening day ticket sale record in Hong Kong, taking the title from the $US237 million 3D blockbuster Avatar.

3D Sex and Zen, made in Hong Kong, cost just a fraction of James Cameron's epic — about one seventy-fifth as much — and is shown in Cantonese with English subtitles.

Like Avatar, its goal is to take the viewer on a trip to "a world they've never seen before", says director Christopher Sun.

So, does it succeed? During the two-hour-plus screening, news.com.au learned quite a few things.

For example, that subtitles are really hard to read while wearing 3D glasses. Also, that the women of 15th Century China enjoyed spectacularly powerful orgasms.

But perhaps the most important revelation — and the one you are here to read about — is that "3D porn" is still a long way from a must-see.

Most of the 3D effects in Sex and Zen are reserved for computer-generated graphics, rather than the wonders of nature.

3D is only occasionally applied to the movie's many — many — sex scenes, and when it is the results are hit and miss.

In one instance, when the entire screen is filled with a close-up shot of gigantic, jiggling body parts, it just looks ridiculous.

In others it makes the scene appear more "real" than usual, but also rather blurry.

In fact, Sex and Zen is a bit of a tease — it hints at the potential of porn in 3D without actually giving you much of it.

Viewers who only want to go for the sex scenes without worrying how many dimensions they have won't be disappointed.

But be warned — the sex comes with quite a lot of blood and guts as well.

Sex and Zen is a film in two halves. The first half is a light-hearted erotic comedy with plenty of softcore porn.

In the aftermath of erratic singer Courtney Love's latest Twitter rant claiming Foo Fighters/Nirvana musician Dave Grohl hit on her daughter, 19-year-old Frances Bean Cobain has cleared the air: Dave Grohl never hit on her!

Frances Bean Cobain told Us Weekly, "While I'm generally silent on the affairs of my biological mother, her recent tirade has taken a gross turn… I have never been approached by Dave Grohl in more than a platonic way. I'm in a monogamous relationship [with the Rambles' Isaiah Silva], and very happy."

Most poignantly, Cobain added, "Twitter should ban my mother."

[Related: Frances Bean Cobain Takes Small Steps Into the Spotlight]

As reported by Gawker, the tirade took place this week on Courtney Love's private Twitter account (@cbabymichelle), which is confined to a conservative 548 followers as of right now. Apparently the Hole singer accused 43-year-old, married Grohl of making a pass at Cobain, claiming the information came from her estranged daughter's roommate and a driver. The ranting singer went on to say that Grohl was "sexually obsessed" with her late husband, Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain.

Dave Grohl's camp quickly issued a statement after the diatribe went public, saying, "Unfortunately, Courtney is on another hateful Twitter rant… These new accusations are upsetting, offensive, and absolutely untrue."

The “American Idol” results were surprising this week ... but shouldn’t have been.

Jessica Sanchez, a favorite of the judges all season, received the fewest number of votes. Of course, she wasn’t actually eliminated, a decision that became somewhat less dramatic when Steven Tyler took a look at the bottom three -- Jessica, Joshua Ledet and Elise Testone-- and told Ryan Seacrest that the judges would be using their one save of the season. Still, Jessica didn’t have to sing her exit song for more than a few seconds before Jennifer Lopez led the judges on stage to make it official.

Few would have predicted the bottom three vote-getters. Jessica hadn’t been in that position all season, and the praise bestowed on her has gotten more and more lavish each week. (Given her struggles Thursday, expect the judges to literally toss roses to her when she performs next time.) Joshua was at his best when he covered Bruno Mars, so it’s hard to figure what the voters didn’t like about that one. And Elise ... well, OK. She’s in danger every week, so the fact that she was in trouble again was predictable. Not everything can be a shock.

Many thought Hollie Cavanagh was a sure bet to go. She wasn’t even close. That likely can be credited to her fans redoubling their efforts to vote given her obvious vulnerability this week, but few would have though that the teenager in trouble would have been Jessica instead of her.

But here’s why Jessica’s poor performance in the voting this week is less surprising than you’d think: Though she’s a very good technical singer and has a powerful voice, she also has some flaws that past judges might have already recognized and compelled her to correct.

Defying warnings from the international community, North Korea launched a long-range rocket on Friday, but it broke apart before escaping the earth's atmosphere and fell into the sea, officials said.

"It flew about a minute, and it flew into the ocean," said Noriyuki Shikata, a spokesman for Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda.

He added that Japanese authorities "have not identified any negative impacts, so far," though he said the international ramifications could be significant. "This is something that we think is a regrettable development," he said.

Joseph Cirincione, president of the global security foundation The Ploughshares Fund, told CNN that the launch's apparent failure "shows the weakness of the North Korea missile program" and suggests that the threat from North Korea has been "exaggerated."

"It's a humiliation," he told CNN. "I wouldn't want to be a North Korean rocket scientist today."

In an unusual admission of failure, the North Korean state media announced that the rocket had not managed to put an observation satellite into orbit, which Pyongyang had insisted was the purpose of the launch.

In the past, North Korea has insisted that failed launches have been successful.

"Scientists, technicians and experts are now looking into the cause of the failure," the official Korean Central News Agency said in a report, which was also read out in a news broadcast on state-run television.

Worried about his fate, Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino asked colleagues whether he was going to be fired while simultaneously wondering if an investigation would uncover the content of his frequent cellphone texts, according to documents released Thursday night.

The content of Petrino's text messages still available on his business cellphone were obtained by The Associated Press through a Freedom of Information Act request. In the messages, Petrino asks assistant athletic director Chris Wyrick about his job status on April 6 -- the day after he was put on paid leave by athletic director Jeff Long after the revelation that he had hired Jessica Dorrell, with whom he admitted having an inappropriate relationship, just a few days before the two were involved in a motorcycle accident.

"Coach, I know I sometimes aggravate you, but PLEASE listen to me. Does Jeff know EVERYTHING from your standpoint??" Wyrick asked.

"Yes I believe he does," Petrino responded. "Is the mood to fire me or to keep me???"

"I can't honestly speak to (Long's) pulse on that, but my gut is he wants it to work," Wyrick wrote. "You have done the job and most feel like you are due a mulligan."

At about the same time, Petrino texted someone only identified as "Andy" to ask, "Can they get content off my text." Other documents indicate that photo or video content was shared between Petrino and Dorrell over the past seven months.

"I think thy (sic) can only get who you text," Andy replied.

The following day, the coach texted Long, who had launched a review into the hiring of 25-year-old Dorrell late last month by Petrino, a 51-year-old married father of four.

"Hey Jeff, I'm just sitting around wondering what I should be doing??," Petrino wrote. "I just want you to no (sic) how sorry I am that this all happened!!"

That was the last text available on Petrino's cellphone. He was fired three days later.

Petrino was fired Tuesday for failing to disclose his relationship with Dorrell and withholding other information from Long, including that he had once paid her $20,000 for reasons that have not been disclosed. Petrino's available texts, which don't include any that might have been deleted, don't include any with Dorrell, though other documents show that the two had exchanged more than 4,300 texts and nearly 300 calls since September.

The university also released documents related to Dorrell's hiring, which Long this week said didn't follow typical protocol. He said Petrino failed to disclose his conflict of interest in recommending his mistress get an open job as a recruiting coordinator at an annual salary of $55,735.

Long sent a March 19 request to university officials to waive the usual 30-day waiting period so they could fill the open recruiting coordinator job. The documents include Petrino stating why Dorrell was his favored choice out of 159 applicants and three finalists.

"I would like to offer to this candidate," Petrino wrote. "Out of the candidates, she had the best experience and we felt like she would be the best fit for this position."

Someone -- it was not clear who -- also wrote in the interview feedback section of Dorrell: "She has a natural networking ability who can communicate to coaches, student-athletes and donors. Out of the three (finalist) candidates, Jessica has the most overall experience of building relationships that the football program is looking for."

They’re the worst pick-up lines... and yet, these seemingly awful come-ons actually managed to charm women. It just goes to show you, romance is always full of surprises. Read on and pick up an idea or two, guys.

1. The corny-but-cute hello:
“This guy who was so not my style came over to me and my friends and asked: ‘Do you happen to know how much a polar bear weighs?’ We said ‘no’ and kept walking, and then he said, ‘Well, it’s enough to break the ice. Hi, I’m Brian.’ We all cracked up and kept talking to him.”
— Charity, 29, Cincinnati, OH

2. The line with artistic flair:
“I was shooting pool with friends, and some guys offered us a friendly challenge. Midway through the game, one of them looked at me and said, ‘Do you remember Crayola crayons? Well, they used to have this color called Blizzard Blue. It was my favorite color, and your eyes are actually Blizzard Blue.’ I thought it was so cute! He had me right there.”
— Erica, 21, Brunswick, OH

3. The overly confident come-on:
“I was at an office party when a guest of a coworker introduced himself and said, ‘Blueberries or strawberries?’ Confused, I asked what he meant, and he replied, ‘I just want to know what kind of pancakes to make you in the morning.’ He said it with such a straight face that it was like a scene in a funny movie. I didn’t eat breakfast with him, but I did give him my number.”
— Jan, 33, Cleveland, OH

4. The nonsensical approach:
“This random guy came up to me at a party, looked me straight in the eyes and said, ‘Baby, you’re sexier than socks on a rooster.’ I had absolutely no idea what he meant, but I thought it was funny and I liked how unusual it was. It got us talking, trying to figure out what that line meant!”
— Holly, 19, Milford, OH

5. The mom-approved intro:
“I was at a local bar one night, and this guy sat next to me and said, ‘Would it freak you out if I said that I’ve already told my mother about you?’ I said, ‘No, why?’ Then he told me that he’d actually stepped outside, called his mother and asked her how to approach me. I thought it was adorable that he was a mama’s boy.”
— Michelle, 25, Erie, PA

6. The “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” method:
“I fought tooth and nail with a guy over a parking space and won. When I came back out to my car, there was a note on it that said, ‘I like your style. Call me.’ It was very unexpected, and I loved the approach. See, it pays to be a lover and a fighter.”
— Lynn, 36, Boston, MA

The Brazilian beauty started her career at just 15-years-old, and her first big break came when she graced the cover of Elle magazine in Brazil.

After winning Brazil’s Elite Model Look, she landed the Millennium Guess campaign. Since then, Alessandra has appeared on the covers of Cosmopolitan, GQ, and Vogue, and she’s walked the catwalk for designers like Chanel, Prada, and Oscar de la Renta. But she's most famous for flaunting her famous figure as one of the Victoria's Secret Angels.
Ambrosio and boyfriend Jamie Mazur welcomed their first child in 2004, and the pair is currently expecting a boy this spring.

In 2010, she ranked no. 5 on Forbes “Top Earning Model List” and earns an estimate 5 million dollars a year. Recently, she’s been doing maternity modeling and has runway gigs already booked after she gives birth!

In honor of the supermodel’s birthday we’ve pulled 31 of her sexiest looks, click “Launch Gallery” to check them out and let us know below what you think

Kevin Costner won his big break in Silverado after accepting the news he had been cut from flashback scenes in The Big Chill with grace and understanding.

Director Lawrence Kasdan was impressed with the way the young star tookthe news he wouldn't appear in the 1983 film - and made himself a promise to cast Costner in another movie.

And he remembered the actor again when he was planning his 1985 western.

Kasdan tells BlogTalkRadio.com, "He was wonderful about it (getting cut) so when it came time for Silverado my brother and I wrote the part for him which had a big place in making him a star. READ MORE

An enormous, expensive and technology-laden warship that some Navy leaders once tried to kill because of its cost is now viewed as an important part of the Obama administration's Asia-Pacific strategy, with advanced capabilities that the Navy's top officer says represent the Navy's future.

The stealthy, guided-missile Zumwalt that's taking shape at Bath Iron Works is the biggest destroyer ever built for the U.S. Navy.

The low-to-the-water warship will feature a wave-piercing hull, composite deckhouse, electric drive propulsion, advanced sonar, missiles, and powerful guns that fire rocket-propelled warheads as far as 100 miles. It's also longer and heavier than existing destroyers -- but will have half the crew because of automated systems.

The General Accounting Office expressed concerns that the Navy was trying to incorporate too much new technology. Some Navy officials pointed out that it's less capable than existing destroyers when it comes to missile defense, and a defense analyst warned that it would be vulnerable while operating close to shore for fire support.

Even its "tumblehome" hull was criticized as potentially unstable in certain situations.

The 600-foot-long ships are so big that the General Dynamics-owned shipyard spent $40 million to construct a 106-foot-tall building to assemble the giant hull segments.

And then there's the cost, roughly $3.8 billion apiece, according to the Navy's latest proposed budget.

Including research and development, the cost grows to $7 billion apiece, said Winslow Wheeler, director of the Straus Military Reform Project at the Center for Defense Information in Washington.

Britney Spears is close to finalizing a $15 million deal to serve as the new superstar judge on Simon Cowell's talent show The X Factor, according to online reports.

The "Toxic" hitmaker has been rumored to be in talks to take a seat alongside Cowell and producer Antonio "L.A." Reid on the panel for weeks and now insiders claim the big announcement is imminent.

Spears is said to be ready to sign on the dotted line after being offered a $15 million payday - after she reportedly turned down $10 million.

A source tells E! Online, "Both camps were back and forth on the money but now they have finally come to agreement on the fee.

"That was the big sticking point and now, thankfully, it's been sorted. All they need to do now is work out the smaller points. The fact the money is now set means that there is nothing stopping this from becoming a reality."

Fans had feared the pop star would be too fragile to handle the pressure of the publicity surrounding the show - but reports suggest her fiance, Jason Trawick, will be by her side as a producer.

A source adds, "Jason is expected to be there every day Britney is on set. He is her rock and will help guide her through the process. He is the person she trusts the most."

Spears will sit on the panel alongside Cowell and Antonio 'L.A.' Reid, as well as another female judge.

The two newcomers will replace Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger as judges.
SOURCE

HTC and Verizon are soon going to start rolling out a new software update for the ladies-droid, the Rhyme. The HTC Rhyme was released around September last year, and is a mid-range Droid targeted mainly towards female Droid lovers. While HTC and Verizon have confirmed that the Rhyme will be getting Ice Cream Sandwich, this new software update is a mere bug fixer. The Ice Cream Sandwich update for the Rhyme is expected to land sometime in late Q2 or early Q3.

Device Features

“ Ringtones” has been replaced with “Edit Home” when the Menu key is pressed on the home screen.
Updated signal strength meter to 5 bar Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI).
Mobile networks no longer disabled when using Power Saver.
Device is enabled with the Wireless Alerting System.

Device Dock Features

Default applications in Dock Mode have been changed to “Phone” and “Calendar”.
In-call volume control has been added to Dock Mode.
“All Apps” option has been added to Dock Mode.
Resolved issue of dock volume changing to 20%.

Applications & Widgets

Device displays available music on the device and provides an option to purchase ringtones from the MOD application when a user is attempting to set a new ringtone through a prepopulated list.
Mail shortcut now shows unread mail count.

Samsung recently announced two new multimedia devices in its popular Galaxy family, the Samsung Galaxy Player 3.6 and Galaxy Player 4.2. Both the devices runs on the Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) Operating System. These media players has all the all the features of a smartphone, except the calling capabilities.

You might have already guessed that the Galaxy Player 3.6 comes with a 3.6 inch WVGA display, while the Galaxy Player 4.2 comes with a 4.2 inch WVGA display. These devices will be available for purchase from next month in the US. Check out the complete specs after the break.

samsung galaxy player

The Samsung Galaxy Player 3.6 features a 3.2 inch WVGA display, sporting a resolution of 480 x 320 pixels, 1 GHz processor, Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) OS, TouchWiz 4.0 UI, 2 megapixel rear-facing camera, VGA front-facing camera, Music Player with SoundAlive, Front Stereo Speaker, 3.5 mm headset jack, Bluetooth 3.0, USB 2.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, 8 GB internal memory, MicroSD card slot, 32 GB expandable memory, 512 MB RAM and a 1500 mAh battery.

The Samsung Galaxy Player 4.2 features a 4.2 inch WVGA display, sporting a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels, 1 GHz processor, Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) OS, TouchWiz 4.0 UI, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, 2 megapixel rear-facing camera, VGA front-facing camera, Front Stereo Speaker, Bluetooth 3.0, USB 2.0, Samsung Apps, Social Hub, Readers Hub, Music Hub, Game Hub, Google Play Store, 8 GB/ 16 GB internal memory, MicroSD card slot, 32 GB expandable memory, 512 MB RAM, Samsung ChatON, Samsung Kies and a 1500 mAh battery.

Sony Mobile Communications finally launched the much-awaited Sony Xperia S in India. This handset was originally announced and showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2012 in Las Vegas. The Sony Xperia S is the first smartphone in the new Sony Xperia NXT series. This handset currently runs on the Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) OS. However, the company will roll out the latest Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) Operating System in the coming months.

P. Balaji, Managing Director, Sony Mobile Communications India, said,

“Now, as part of the Sony group, we are in an even stronger position to bring connected entertainment experiences to consumers in India. Bringing together the best of Sony’s electronics, networked services and content, the Xperia smartphone is a cornerstone to enjoy entertainment in this connected world.”

sony xperia s

Sony Xperia S features a 4.3 inch HD display, sporting a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, 1.5 GHz Qualcomm MSM8260 dual-core processor, Google Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) OS (upgradable to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich), 12 megapixel camera with 16x digital zoom, auto-focus, Face detection and LED Flash, Full HD (1080p) video recording and playback, 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera for video calls and so on.

Other features include a 3.5 mm audio jack, FM radio with RDS, 32 GB eMMC, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Google Play Store, Wi-Fi Hotspot functionality, GPS with aGPS, Bluetooth technology, DLNA Certified, HDMI support, Micro USB, NFC (Near Field Communication), USB 2.0, up to 25 hrs music playback time, up to 7 hrs 30 min of talk-time, up to 450 hrs of stand-by time and a 1750 mAh battery.

Sony Xperia S is also a PlayStation certified smartphone. This handset is currently available in 2 colors – Black and White. The Sony Xperia S comes with a price-tag of Rs.32,549 in India. Sony has also confirmed that the Xperia P, Xperia U and the recently announced Xperia Sola will hit the Indian market by the end of Q2 2012.

Call it a new way of branding to stay afloat in the time of crisis or the dawn of a new era in India where the most recognisable faces (read cricketers) have learned to the tread the Twitter path to keep their followers informed about every aspect of their lives.

On his return from the US where he underwent three cycles of chemotherapy, Yuvraj Singh has been hailed as the new braveheart not just by his fans across the country but also by the entire media. An obvious question also being raised by many is: why is he risking his health for the sake of publicity?

Yuvraj was tweeting about his health and posting photographs of each and every stage of his medical progress, a first by any Indian sportsperson.

India’s World Cup hero hardly needed any publicity to keep his brand value intact. So what compelled him do all this? Well, the batsman says he “wanted to put to rest all speculation about his health issues”.

“The moment the news of my illness became public, there was all kind of speculation. I thought it was important to let my fans know about my condition and also not allow people to cook up stories,” Yuvraj said on Wednesday, during his first media interaction after returning home.

One thing’s for sure, though. Yuvraj has emerged as a more mature and responsible person after his treatment and he could, perhaps, become a great crusader for cancer awareness in this country. “Maybe I would like to do something for all cancer patients. I know their pain because I have gone through it. But right now, my focus is to get back to fitness as early as possible,” Yuvraj said. He spoke candidly for an hour about his two-month stay in the US. He also revealed how he avoided watching cricket on television and was inspired by the practical approach of fellow chemotherapy patients, a group he called “the cancer family”.

Yuvraj confessed that he was in denial. “I could hardly believe that a fit person like me could actually have cancer. I concealed my ill-health for a long time even while having breathing problems during the World Cup. I had always presented a cheerful front to the outer world during that time.”

Yuvi also thanked Sachin Tendulkar for his encouraging words during their meeting in London. “Sachin has always inspired me. He always talks positively and motivated me during my difficult times,” Yuvi said.

On his future plans, Yuvraj says that it would be difficult for him to say anything at this point of time. “I don’t know what the future holds. It will be a great achievement if I get back to the field,” the 30-year-old said, adding, “the cancer is out of my system, but the scars are yet to be healed. All my fans want me to come back soon, I am sure you people will understand that my body will take time.”

Yuvraj also spoke about the inspiration he drew from legendary American cyclist Lance Armstrong, who survived testicular cancer. “I read Lance Armstrong’s book some five-six years back but had to leave it midway for some reasons. I didn’t know that I will have to complete it in the way and circumstances like I did,” he said.

The Razorbacks, 21-5 the past two seasons, were enjoying sustained football success and turning into a powerhouse in the Southeastern Conference.

But with Petrino, 51, having been fired Tuesday night for not being forthcoming to school administrators over his recent motorcyle accident and inappropriate relationship with 25-year-old football staff member Jessica Dorrell, his once-promising career is in limbo.

MORE: Petrino joins list of sports' great downfalls

Will another school eventually hire Petrino, long regarded as one of the brightest offensive minds in the sport?

He has not been a stranger to controversy. While coaching at Louisville, he met with Auburn officials about that school's head coaching job when Tommy Tuberville was still coaching the Tigers. Petrino abruptly left the Atlanta Falcons and took the Arkansas job with three games left on the NFL team's 2007 schedule.

There have been instances where scarred coaches have landed on their feet.

Larry Eustachy rebuilt his basketball coaching career in eight seasons at Southern Mississippi following his departure from Iowa State in 2003, shortly after photos surfaced of him partying with students. Eustachy, who will be named head coach at Colorado State, according to the Fort Collins Coloradoan, went through alcohol rehabilitation and said this season that he has not had a drink in nine years.

In May 2003, then-Alabama football coach Mike Price was fired for what the school called improper behavior after Price spent time at a strip club and drank too much the night before a charity golf outing. The humiliation continued after two women from the club were quoted in a Sports Illustrated story about a wild night in Price's hotel room.

In December 2003, Texas-El Paso hired Price, who had denied the women's allegations and sued the magazine for $20 million. The suit was settled out of court in 2005, and Price said at the time that he felt vindicated by the settlement.

UTEP athletics director Bob Stull, who brought Price to the school, said Wednesday that the Petrino and Price situations were "not even close" to being the same.

"Mike had too much to drink one night. That's really what happened," he said.

Stull said the school did an extensive background check before Price was even interviewed, and Stull, a former UTEP football coach, already had known Price for 20 years.

Stull said UTEP President Diana Natalicio also met with Price during the process. "A lot of these decisions start at the presidential level and work their way down (to the athletics department)," Stull said.

Arkansas Head Coach Bobby Petrino was fired Tuesday night after Petrino’s “pattern of misleading and manipulative behavior,” according to Athletic Director Jeff Long.

If you feel like you’ve seen Petrino have a grand exit from a coaching job before it’s because you have. Petrino has made a pattern of leaving jobs on bad terms and the Arkansas case is no different from his previous employers.

“I’m sorry,” Petrino said in a statement. “These two words seem very inadequate. But that is my heart. All I have been able to think about is the number of people I’ve let down by making selfish decisions. I’ve taken a lot of criticism in the past. Some deserved, some not deserved. This time, I have no one to blame but myself.”

The Petrino firing comes after the coach’s motorcycle accident that happened on April 1. It was reported by the LA Times that Petrino was brought to the hospital and was in stable condition after the accident.

In a statement released by his family, Petrino’s accident “involved no other individuals,” but it was discovered later that Petrino was with 25-year-old Jessica Dorrell. Dorrell was a former Arkansas volleyball player, and a current employee hired by Petrino.

When the police report for the accident came out on April 5 and cited that there was indeed another person involved, Petrino would later admit that he and Dorrell were having an inappropriate relationship.

Long would go on to say that Petrino’s relationship with Dorrell was not the reason for his dismissal but rather the dishonesty he showed about the accident and the fact he hid the relationship from Arkansas officials when Dorrell was hired.

Arkansas may have not fired him because of the relationship but they could have made a strong case for to do so. The 51-year-old Petrino is married and has four children.

“In this case, Coach Petrino abused his authority when he made a staff hire that benefited himself and jeopardized the integrity of the football program,” Long said.

Long said that Dorrell was still an employee with the university even though the report indicated that the inappropriate relationship had been going on “for a significant amount of time.”

The reaction around Fayetteville has been mixed after Arkansas competed for a national championship in 2011-12. The team was 11-2 and their only two losses came in SEC play against LSU and Alabama, the two teams that played in the title game. The Razorbacks finished their season with an impressive 29-16 win over No. 8 Kansas State in the Cotton Bowl.

Hopes were high for 2012-13 with a strong core of returning players and a relatively favorable schedule. They also have arguably the nation’s best running back in Knile Davis who was expected to carry the team to a BCS Bowl game.

Petrino’s exit from Arkansas is just the latest incident in a trend of ugly departures that he has become known for over the years. He interviewed for the Auburn job when former coach Tommy Tuberville, who had given Petrino his first big break as an offensive coordinator, was still employed by the university.

After landing the Louisville job and bringing them to the national spotlight, Petrino bolted for the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons. He didn’t even finish one full season in Atlanta before jumping ship after 13 games for the Arkansas job.

Because of his ability to burn bridges, there has not been much sympathy from his former players. Former Falcon DeAngelo Hall let his hatred for Petrino show when he was asked about his old coach last weekend.

This was my first experience. The tremors were mild in Chennai. I was in the middle of recording couple of book reviews for Makkal TV.

I was in Chennai during the 2004 Tsunami and didn't feel any tremors then. I do remember vividly the panicked crowd running on foot and in autos carrying all their valuable belongings. Yesterday was in the middle of work. Almost everyone in the office wanted to leave immediately as they felt the traffic will pile up, little knowing that they will be only adding to the chaos. Only three or four of us stayed on till 6.30 PM.

The talk now is centered on Kalpakkam and Kudangulam atomic power plants and their safety. Tamil Nadu is not in a heavy seismic zone. The tremors we felt yesterday were insignificant. In fact, Tamil Nadu didn't even feel anything of this kind during the Maharashtra, Gujarat and Pakistan earthquakes in the last two decades in which thousands of people had died

I can understand opposition to nuclear plants on the basis of strong principles. To base it on such weak arguments as lack of safety under mild tremors is ridiculous. But I guess it is futile to discuss these things as neither party is willing to listen to reasoned arguments.

Ann Romney’s debut on Twitter couldn’t have come at a more opportune time.

Ann’s first tweet came just moments after Democratic strategist and DNC adviser Hilary Rosen lobbed an insult at Ann Romney, suggesting that the 64-year-old mother of five and grandmother of 16 had never held a job.

“Guess what, his wife has actually never worked a day in her life,” said Rosen, who was being interviewed by CNN’s Anderson Cooper about the “war on women.”

And then, just like that, a familiar name popped up on Twitter: @AnnDRomney.

“I made a choice to stay home and raise five boys. Believe me, it was hard work,” Ann tweeted.

The Romney campaign confirmed to ABC News that the account belongs to Ann Romney.

The tweet came just as husband Mitt wrapped up a second day of campaigning that all but entirely focused on the “war against women,” packing events with female business leaders and accusing the Obama administration’s economic policies of hurting women.

“I could not disagree with Hilary Rosen any more strongly. Her comments were wrong and family should be off limits. She should apologize,” Obama campaign manager Jim Messina said in a tweet.

Top Obama campaign strategist David Axelrod also tweeted his disapproval: “Also Disappointed in Hilary Rosen’s comments about Ann Romney. They were inappropriate and offensive.”

Following the interview, Rosen herself tweeted, “I’ve nothing against @AnnRomney. I just don’t want Mitt using her as an expert on women struggling $ to support their family. She isn’t.”

Rosen kept tweeting, not appearing to back off of her comments.

“@AnnDRomney Please know, I admire you. But your husband shouldn’t say you are his expert on women and the economy,” said Rosen.

A woman staffer of Victoria Hospital was Reshma Banu’s pillar of strength in the latter’s moment of grief after her baby, Neha Afreen, died at 11.25 am on Wednesday in Vani Vilas Hospital. Tabassum is an employee of Victoria Hospital. When she learnt that Afreendied and the body was brought to Victoria Hospital for postmortem, she comforted and counseled Reshma.

Initially, Reshma was surrounded by political leaders and BBMP corporators, who told her to stop crying. They offered empty promises that Farooq would be punished. Later, Tabassum reached the mortuary and met Reshma. Tabassum was the only other woman apart from Reshma who were present in the mortuary. Reshma’s relatives arrived at 1 pm.

“When I came here, she was surrounded by men who are telling her to stop crying. But nobody counselled her. Hence, I took the initiative,” she said. Later, Tabassum told Reshma: “There are many people like Farooq. Fight them for the sake of other women in the city. No woman should suffer like you in future.” Tabassum’s first words to Reshma were: “Fight till your last breath for justice.”

“It’s 2012 and yet, people have a gender bias. It is a shame. Reshma, your fight starts from today. This is the beginning of your life. There are many women who are suffering like you and you should become a role model for them,” said Tabassum. “All these days you spent your life without goals. Now, you have to set a goal towards fighting gender discrimination. You should ensure other woman do not suffer like you,” added Tabassum.

“Farooq should receive a life-term, not the death sentence. He should realise his mistakes and men must be scared to beat women or children,” said Tabassum. She told DNA: “She was just 17 years old when she got married. Parents are forcing their children into marriage at the age of 14 or 15 years. This results in the harassment. It should be stopped.” Tabassum stayed with Reshma till Neha’s body was taken to her house

Whether you're a seasoned user or brand new to the iPhone world, chances are you're probably not using your smartphone to its fullest.

Don't worry, you're not alone, as these pocket-sized computers boast many hundreds of features buried in the operating system.

And so here we share a number of our favorite iPhone tips and tricks, some of which you may know already. Hopefully there's a good number of ones you aren't aware of yet. Most of these following 25 suggestions will work with all versions of the iPhone, but be sure to have the latest software installed (iOS 5.1).

OK, here we go:

Take a photo with your headphone cord: Now that you can use the volume up or down buttons to snap a photo, steady your hand while framing up the photo and when you're ready to take the picture, press the button on the cord so it won't shake the iPhone. Voila!

Dry out a wet iPhone: You're not the first one to drop an iPhone in a toilet or sink. If this happens, don't turn it on as you can damage the smartphone by short-circuiting it. Lightly towel dry the phone. Don't use a hairdryer on the phone as it can further push moisture into areas that aren't wet. Submerge the iPhone in a bowl or Ziploc bag of uncooked white rice and leave it overnight. If you have it, try using a desiccant packet you might find with a new pair of shoes or leather purse.

Dismiss suggested words: If you're typing an email or note and the virtual keyboard is suggesting the correct spelling of the word — and you don't want to accept it — you don't need to tap the tiny "X" at the end of the word in question. Simply tap anywhere on the screen to close the suggestion box.

Take photos faster: Even if your iPhone is locked you can double-tap on the Home button and you'll see a camera icon you can tap to open the camera immediately. Now you can use the volume up button to snap the photo, too. You can also use the volume up on the headphone cord to take a photo (if you want to) and pinch the screen to zoom instead of using the slider bar.

You probably know Siri can be used to set a reminder, like saying "Siri, remind me to call mom at 4pm today." But did you know you can set location-based reminders on your iPhone 4S? Say "Remind me to call mom when I leave here" or "Remind me to call mom when I get home" and you'll be notified accordingly.

Get word definitions: Apple has recently added a built-in dictionary and you can access it in most apps that let you select a word. Simply press and hold on a word — such as in an email, reminder, iBooks, and so on — and you'll see a pop-up option for "Define."

Revive a frozen iPhone: If your smartphone freezes on you and pressing the Sleep/Wake button on top of the device doesn't do anything, don't panic. Instead, press and hold the Home button and the Sleep/Wake button at the same time. You'll be prompted to swipe the "Slide to Power Off" tab. This so-called "hard reset" resuscitates the frozen iPhone. You'll first need to wait through a full shut down and restart.

Yesterday, a controversial tweet joking about eating disorders from Lady Gaga -- the most popular celebrity on Twitter, with over 22 million followers -- gave rise to a slew of angry responses. Gaga wrote:

It was a surprising statement from Gaga, who has publicly opened up about her struggle with bulimia and urged young women to cultivate healthy body image. During an appearance at a young women's conference in Los Angeles in February, the singer admitted that she was bulimic in high school, and said that she was obsessed with being a "skinny little ballerina."

In response to the tweet, the National Eating Disorder Association staff Twitter account wrote: "Huh? This is the same person who recently implored girls to stop dieting?"

Some of Gaga's fans defended the tweet, saying that it was just a joke and was intended to be ironic. However, the responses were largely negative. For example, one of Gaga's followers tweeted:

Miley Cyrus has also taken to Twitter recently to address eating disorders -- but in this case, she was refuting rumors that she might have a problem. She wrote, "For everyone calling me anorexic I have a gluten and lactose allergy. It's not about weight it's about health." In another tweet, she encouraged her fans to go gluten-free for a week. And although many people enjoy good health on a gluten-free diet, it isn't right for everyone -- and critics have questioned Cyrus's decision to dispense health advice to her fans.

George Zimmerman has been transported to the Seminole County jail after being charged with second-degree murder for the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.

Cameras captured a man, believed to be Zimmerman, wearing a plaid shirt and covering his face with a jacket being led into the jail. He was booked, and his photo was made public, the first look the public had of Zimmerman as he looks today.

Earlier in the day, special prosecutor Angela Corey announced the charges in a news conference.
georgezimmermanjail Zimmerman Charged With 2nd Degree Murder

A man, believed to be George Zimmerman, was led into jail after being charged with second degree murder. (CBS4)

“It is the search for justice for Trayvon that has brought us to this moment,” state attorney Corey said.

Corey also had a message for those who have been rushing to judgment on the case.

“You cannot know what it’s like to launch this type of investigation and come to this conclusion,” State Attorney Angela Corey said during the press conference.

“We don’t prosecute by public pressure or petition. We prosecute cases on the relevant facts of each case and on the laws of the state of Florida.”

Multiple reports said that Zimmerman is being held in Orange County.

Corey said Mr. Zimmerman’s lawyer can petition for a bond hearing.

The state attorney said that the decision didn’t take a long time, despite it more than 40 days since the original crime was committed.

“It didn’t take long,” Corey said. “Remember, the prosecutor’s burden is proof beyond a reasonable doubt. We have numerous homicides where immediate arrests are not made. We have to have a reasonable certainty for conviction before we file charges.”

Under Florida law, second degree murder is the unlawful killing of a person when perpetrated by any act imminently dangerous to another and evincing a depraved mind, regardless of human life, although without any premeditated design to effect the death of any particular individual. The maximum sentence for the crime is life in prison.

Corey said the decision to charge Zimmerman was made last week. She said Seminole County officials have worked with her office to set up the courts for coming hearings.

In NYC Tuesday, Rooney Mara's signature pitch-black, shoulder length hair and full, blunt bangs were absent on the set of her upcoming film, The Bitter Pill.

Rocking a long, ombre wig, the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo actress channeled her all-American looking character in The Social Network, where Mara played the role of Mark Zuckerberg's (Jesse Eisenberg) scorned girlfriend Erica in the Facebook flick.

PHOTOS: Rooney Mara's style transformation

In The Bitter Pill, the 26-year-old star plays Emily Hawkins, a woman who depends on prescription meds as she awaits her husband's release from prison.

VOTE: Which celeb has the best hair in Hollywood?

Nine workers trapped inside a wildcat mine in southern Peru were rescued and brought to the surface early on Wednesday after spending almost a week underground, officials said.

The men had been stuck about 656 feet (200 meters) below ground since the informal copper-and-gold mine partially collapsed on Thursday. They had been receiving oxygen and liquids through a giant hose in place since before the accident. (Reporting by Mariana Bazo and Alfredo Loayza; Writing by Caroline Stauffer; Editing by Sandra Maler)

A controversial new housekeeping service in the conservative depths of Texas has caught the attention of local police, despite its insistence that it isn't committing any illegalities.

It's supposed crime? Providing an unlicensed sexual service of entirely nude maids.

The business, Fantasy Maid Service, is based in Lubbock, Texas, which has legislation requiring businesses that are sexual in nature to have a permit to trade.

Lubbock police told the Associated Press that the business "doesn't have a permit to operate a sexually oriented business and officers are watching for any violation, which would bring a $2,000 fine".

While the organisation does not deny supplying nude maids, it denies being a sexual service.

"We really just clean houses. These girls are not performers. They're maids," owner Melissa Borrett said.

Borrett started the firm after having difficult making ends meet as a waitress – she was even forced to live on the nearby Texas Tech University's Occupy Lubbock camp.

"I just decided to go a little bigger, work a little smarter."

The rules and regulations of the business seem to solidify its claim to not be anything near prostitution, steering well clear of offering sex.

The company's website states that there is strictly no touching of the maids, and no attempts to "solicit a maid for sexual services."

However it is arguable that any service which promotes its nudity has an inherent sexuality.

A massive earthquake off Indonesia's western coast triggered tsunami fears across the Indian Ocean on Wednesday, sending residents in coastal cities fleeing to high ground in cars and on the backs of motorcycles.

A strong aftershock nearly three hours later sparked a new wave of panic. Indonesia's government responded by issuing a fresh tsunami warning.

Some residents were crying in Aceh, where memories of a 2004 tsunami that killed 170,000 people in the province alone, are still raw. Others screamed "God is great" as they poured from their homes or searched frantically for separated family members.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the first 8.6-magnitude quake was centered 20 miles (33 kilometers) beneath the ocean floor around 269 miles (434 kilometers) from Aceh province.

That prompted the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii to issue a tsunami watch for Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Australia, Myanmar, Thailand, the Maldives and other Indian Ocean islands, Malaysia, Pakistan, Somalia, Oman, Iran, Bangladesh, Kenya, South Africa and Singapore.

A wave measuring less than 30 inches (80 centimeters) high, rolled to Indonesia's coast. There were no other signs of serious damage.

But just as the region was sighing relief, an 8.2-magnitude aftershock hit.

"We just issued another tsunami warning," Prih Harjadi, from Indonesia's geophysics agency, told TVOne in a live interview.

People along the western coast of Sumatra island and the Mentawai islands were told to stay clear of coasts.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centers watch remained in effect. A tsunami watch means there is the potential for a tsunami, not that one is imminent.

The initial quake was a strike-slip, not a thrust quake, according to experts. In a strike slip quake, the earth moves horizontally rather than vertically and doesn't displace large volumes of water.

An Argentinian mother has spoken of her shock after her stillborn baby was found alive in a morgue.

Analia Bouter's fifth child was born at 26 weeks - around three months premature - in Argentina's northern Chaco province.

Doctors told her the baby had died, but when she and her husband visited the morgue 12 hours later, they realised their daughter was breathing.

"That night I went with my husband to where the coffin was and he opened it up," she told journalists

"Immediately I heard her cry... I fell to my knees."

The hospital the baby was born in


Her husband Fabian Veron also told journalists of the moment they realised the baby was alive: "The baby was there and they put the little casket on a stretcher. We looked for a bar to prise it open. The casket was nailed shut," he told journalist.

"My wife jumped back," he said. "I started to prise, took a deep breath and took the top off. My wife was the first one to look at the body and she uncovered it slowly.


The baby's father Fabian Veron told of his shock


"She saw the little hand and then uncovered the face. That's when it let the first little cry out."

Clad in her mother's vintage clothing, 18-year-old Tallulah Willis invited Stylelist Blogger Network members Elisa Goodkind and Lily Mandelbaum of StyleLikeU into her Los Angeles home. There, the student displayed her singular style, from her Doc Martens to flea market finds.

Of her style influences, the youngest daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis lists Edie Sedgwick and her older sister Scout -- who used to dress her up in vintage dresses that were "10 sizes" too big. But it's mom's warehouse of vintage clothing and a super-supportive upbringing ("[My mom] was very much like 'Love your body, love yourself, run around naked....' Whatever we wanted to do, it was very accepting.") that made Scout the articulate, wise and stylish young woman she appears to be.

Tallulah also opens up about friends with eating disorders (apparently not eating for a month before Coachella is a thing--who knew?) and her own positive body image. She echoed the sentiments behind Stylelist's "I Promise To Stop Saying Negative Things About My Body Jar" when she says "It's almost weird if you're like 'I love my body" everyone's like 'you're conceited.' It's like you have to be insecure and hate yourself to be the norm. Just have fun, smile and laugh...that's the best thing in the world." Amen!

See StyleLikeU's video interview with her sister Scout, along with SLU's interviews with Tavi Gevinson, Ally Hilfiger and Waris Singh Ahluwalia.

"Marvel's The Avengers" -- succinct title! -- arrives in theaters in just over three weeks, which means it's time for the marketing to kick into overdrive.

Earlier this week, star Cobie Smulders (Robin Sparkles, if you're nasty) revealed a new clip on "Late Night With David Letterman," and now comes this brand-new video from MTV.com showcasing Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark and Tom Hiddleston's Loki.

In the 64-second segment, Stark and Loki have one of those mutually-assured destruction conversations that all heroes and villains seem to have in movies. The difference here is -- well, that none of those conversations ever referenced the Hulk. Also, Downey is pretty cool. Guy can play Tony Stark in his sleep!

Watch above and try to unpack the phrase, "If we can't protect the Earth, you can be damn well sure we'll avenge it."

We've lamented Kim Kardashian's penchant for over-the-top sexiness, whether it be her skintight bandage dresses (even the name sounds painful) or those low-cut top Tweets. Lighten up, Kim! Try a loose-fitting frock or --gasp! -- flats for once!

Thankfully, it looks like our wishes were at least somewhat granted just in time for the holiday weekend. Heading to Easter services with her famous fam, Kim looked sexy yet simultaneously appropriate in a pale pleated skater skirt that flattered her famously curvy bottom, paired with a demure blouse and a tailored black jacket.

Her Louboutins (because let's face it, it ain't a holiday unless Kim's got on her Louboutins) were more demure than usual, with ties in the front and only a moderately towering heel.

And while we don't normally do this, we'd venture to say that women would do well to take some fashion cues from Ms. Kardashian: by showing off her legs, cinching in her waist and putting a flattering flare over her much talked-about bum, she looked proportional, pretty and (nearly) church-ready. Thank God.

If laughter is the best medicine, then Jessica Simpson is probably feeling pretty great right now. The star of NBC's "Fashion Star" is uber-pregnant and has been taking some flack for how much weight she's gained. After Joy Behar said on "The View" that making fun of Jessica's verbal slip-ups "... is more fun to criticize than the fact that the girl is fat," stars like Tori Spelling came to her defense.

Simpson's response though was just to joke about it in her Twitter feed with her fans. Said Jessica, "Last chance to see me 'fat' aka PREGNANT on the cover of Elle." So it looks like the 31-year-old who is expecting her first child later this year is choosing to take the high road with her critics and laugh it off, which is the completely opposite approach than what actress Ashley Judd is taking.

The "Crossing Over" star has recently appeared in public and drawn some commentary from the press and on the Internet over the puffiness of her face. The commentary that enraged Judd was that either she had just had plastic surgery performed or that she'd "let herself go" and was just getting fat. Judd shot back angrily calling those comments "pointedly nasty, gendered, and misogynistic."

Judd wrote her response in an op-ed piece published on The Daily Beast, further deriding society's "abnormal obsession with women's faces and bodies" that she feels "has become so normal that we (I include myself at times - I absolutely fall for it still) have internalized patriarchy almost seamlessly." For the official record, Judd has explained the puffiness as being a side-effect of being on a month-long steroid treatment for a vicious cold.

So which star handled their critics the best? Is it best for a star to simply laugh off the commentary on their looks, or is it best to confront them head-on? It's a matter of personal choice, made by the celebrity and their publicity team, of course, but would the way that either woman responded help to quiet their detractors?

Both stars played to their strong suits. Simpson, certainly not considered an "intellectual" when it comes to debate, chose to let her effervescent and lighthearted nature temper her tweet. Judd, who is politically active and is even going to the Democratic National Convention later this year as a delegate, used her well-publicized intellect to craft a response.

In the end, there may be a more fundamental question that Judd mentioned in her op-ed piece. As a society are we too hyper-focused on the looks of our celebrities, and specifically our female celebs? Is the criticism both ladies received ultimately two examples of the same problem?

Amanda Bynes' father, Rick Bynes, is defending his daughter's actions over the weekend, following the actress' DUI arrest.

Amanda Bynes Hits Police Car, Arrested for DUI

"She was not drunk," Rick tells People. "I was told that she blew a zero on the Breathalyzer. She didn't have a single drink that night. My daughter doesn't drink."

According to a police report, the 26-year-old former Nickelodeon star "allegedly collided with the right rear quarter panel" of a marked police car at 3:00 a.m. Friday morning, and was subsequently arrested for DUI.

Rick tells the news source that he believes the cop was at fault in the accident for "pulling out in front of [Amanda] as she was turning at the West Hollywood intersection where she was cited."

The Craziest Celeb Mugshots!

According to Rick, the only thing Amanda was guilty of was being "upset and very emotional."

"She is a good girl," says Rick. "She just chooses not to work, and because of that, people go after her."

Ashley Judd became the latest celeb to come under the media microscope last month, when she appeared on TV with a "puffy"-looking face.

Unsurprisingly, many news and gossip outlets speculated that the "Missing" star had undergone plastic surgery of some kind, although her rep quickly confirmed that she was simply battling a "serious sinus infection and flu."

That didn't stop the chatter in its tracks, however, prompting Judd to speak for herself on the matter. The star, who turns 44 next week, penned an op-ed in The Daily Beast criticizing all the media scrutiny, aimed at her and other women:

We are described and detailed, our faces and bodies analyzed and picked apart, our worth ascertained and ascribed based on the reduction of personhood to simple physical objectification.

With her willingness to talk back (and moreover, write back), Ashley joins the list of celebrities who have defended themselves in the media against excessive body scrutiny. Opening up to Self, Kelly Clarkson said, "When people talk about my weight, I'm like, 'You seem to have a problem with it; I don't. I'm fine!'" She added, speaking to People, "Of course celebrities have cellulite! We're not fem-bots!"

Christina Aguilera has also opened up about all the scrutiny pointed her way. "You can never be too much of anything. You can never be too prefect, too thin, too curvy, too voluptuous, this, that. I've been on all sides of the spectrum... [Every] female in this business at one time or another has had criticism," she said earlier this year. Jessica Simpson, too, has sounded off on how comfortable she is with her body, despite how uncomfortable it seems to make some media outlets.

But with her article, Judd has taken it further than most celebrities typically do, defending not only her own weight but criticizing the entire conversation about women's bodies in the press:

Janet Jackson has been candid about her lifelong struggle with weight, but — as you can see in this new photo from her Nutrisystem ad campaign — she appears to be winning the battle. The 45-year-old singer, whose weight has yo-yoed up and down during her long career — debuts her much trimmer figure in a curve-hugging orange dress.


In a new commercial for the weight loss company, which debuted yesterday, Jackson shows off her "after" body in form-fitting black pants and a white top, declaring, "This is what success looks like," before launching into details about the Nutrisystem plan, which is based on a low-glycemic diet. Jackson's body has transformed so dramatically in both the commercial and the photo that there's already been Internet chatter from commenters that her image was digitally altered.

A rule change that would allow transgender women to participate in the Miss Universe beauty pageant next year is a step forward for equality, advocates said Tuesday after pageant officials announced the policy shift.

Pageant officials said they are working on the language of the official rule policy change but expected final word to come soon. The rules will have to be approved by Donald Trump, who runs the Miss Universe Organization, and NBC. Trump and NBC co-own the contest.

The announcement of the policy change comes a week after the organization decided to allow Jenna Talackova to compete for Canada's spot in the Miss Universe pageant this year.

Talackova, a Vancouver resident, underwent a sex change four years ago after being born a male. The advocacy group GLAAD called on the Miss Universe Organization to review her case, as well as open the competition to transgender women, after she was disqualified from competing in the Miss Universe Canada contest next month.

"We want to give credit where credit is due, and the decision to include transgender women in our beauty competitions is a result of our ongoing discussions with GLAAD," said Paula Shugart, president of the Miss Universe Organization. "We have a long history of supporting equality for all women, and this was something we took very seriously."

The Miss Universe Organization produces the pageant, as well as the Miss USA and the Miss Teen competitions, according to the organization's website. The Miss Universe pageant began in 1952 as a local "bathing beauty" contest, headed by California-based Catalina Swimwear, the site says.

Trials for next year's Miss Universe pageant begin this summer.

"Everybody should be allowed to participate in every aspect of society," said Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality. "Absolutely it's good news, it's another pernicious structural discrimination barrier taken down."

Susan Stryker, director of the Institute for LGBT Studies at the University of Arizona, said she hoped to see similar progress in areas that would impact more people – like employment discrimination issues and anti-transgender violence.

"The next question is, can't we move beyond beauty pageants and make changes in areas that have more relevance," she asked.

She pointed out that while trans people should be able to take part fully in society, there are issues with beauty pageants overall, questions of "whether beauty pageants are the best way to advance the cause of girls, of women."

But she said trans women participating in the pageants could make a difference, and help shatter stereotypes and educate the public. She pointed to Chaz Bono, a transgender man, and the impact of his appearance on "Dancing with the Stars."

"To that extent, it's just a great thing to have a positive media representation even if it is inconsequential," she said.

Contest officials worked closely with GLAAD to change the policy, and the advocacy group on Tuesday praised the decision and the work by Talackova to remain a contestant.

"The Miss Universe Organization today follows institutions that have taken a stand against discrimination of transgender women including the Olympics, NCAA, the Girl Scouts of America and The CW's America's Next Top Model," said GLAAD's senior director of programs Herndon Graddick. "At a time when transgender people are still routinely denied equal opportunities in housing, employment and medical care, today's decision is in line with the growing levels of public support for transgender people across the country."

An 11 year-old Colombian girl gave birth last week to a daughter. The baby was born via C-section and is reportedly in healthy condition. During her pregnancy, the young girl never consulted with a doctor according to the video report by Univision's Primer Impacto.

The 11 year-old mother belongs to the Wayuu tribe, an indigenous group from the La Guajira Peninsula in the northern region of Colombia and Venezuela. She's originally from the city of Manaure.

“We've already seen similar cases of wayuu girls," said Efraín Pacheco Casadiego the director of the hospital where the girl gave birth, to RCN La Radio noticias, a Colombian radio station. "At a time when (the girls) should be playing with dolls, they go to having to take care of a baby. It's shocking."

The Colombian constitution guarantees the Wayuu land and autonomy, and allows for the indigenous tribe to maintain their own sovereignty.

"Since it's a Wayuu girl we are trying to respect all of their rights since they have autonomy and their own jurisdiction," said Alejandro Samplayo, director of "Instituto Colombiano Bienestar Familiar" a family welfare program with emphasis on attention of infants.

Little information has been reported about the baby’s father who has remained anonymous. And, according to Primer Impacto, nobody in the indigenous community is willing to speak about the circumstances of the birth.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article stated that the "Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar" is an organization similar to the U.S.'s Planned Parenthood. But the "Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar" is a family welfare program with emphasis on attention of infants.

How young is too young to model? 16? 15? 12?

It's a sticky question, and one that often comes up against the fashion industry's proclivities for youth. A recent and award-winning documentary aims to humanize this paradox."Girl Model" first debuted months ago, and the movie premiered at South by Southwest in March, but the New York Times revives the questions the movie brings up this week.

Directed by David Redmon & Ashley Sabin, "Girl Model" follows the story of a young girl from Siberia who gets snapped up by a scout and flung into the Japanese modeling scene with little money or language skills. From the NYT:

The narrative intertwines the stories of Ashley Arbaugh, a model scout, and Nadya, a 13-year-old girl from a poor family in Siberia. Ms. Arbaugh’s and Nadya’s paths cross on one of the scout’s trips on the Trans-Siberian Railway as she looks for girls who might be attractive to the Japanese fashion market. Nadya, who speaks only Russian, is handed a contract in English and Japanese and is promised $8,000. She is not told that her living costs will be deducted from that amount.

After many unsuccessful castings, Nadya returns to Russia in debt.

"The whole modeling industry and the young girls involved in it are such a recipe for disaster," Sabin told the Austin Chronicle. "I feel like in many ways we document a disaster."

The documentary drops under a media spotlight that's already been exposing the potential dangers of the modeling world. Just this year, Marc Jacobs has received scorn for hiring underage models; the Council of Fashion Designers of America has refocused its best practices guidelines for the industry; and, model Sarah Ziff founded the Model Alliance to bring more awareness to the pitfalls of the biz.

"Girl Model" opens in Canada on April 13th and will be shown at screenings around the country this year.

Imagine... I have been given this opportunity to communicate with anyone who clicks onto my blog, anything I want to say concerning my passion for mothers, babies, families, pregnancy, birth, postpartum and breastfeeding, and the politics surrounding all of the above!

It's a huge responsibility and, honestly, I'm feeling a little intimidated. Where shall I begin? There is so much I wish to say to each of you about all of it.

Sitting here tonight, I feel your hearts and it occurs to me that there is no hurry to speak it all at once, for you will be kind and patient readers.

My favorite way to share what I know of these issues is by talking story: true stories of my life, and of the many lives which I have come to know and have become intimately involved in. So I'll start with some of my last 24 hours at the Bumi Sehat community health and childbirth clinic in Bali, Indonesia.

Last night began with a call for help!

I was feeling pretty good about horizontal and the prospect of catching up on some much needed rest. As I lay there, waiting to disappear into the black well of sleep, I was reviewing the day: Our weekly pediatric clinic, with doctors specializing in holistic solutions for children with special needs, had gone well. I made a mental note to find out how the two new patients, children from upcountry, who had no legs, were doing. Two mothers had had lovely births during the day, one a waterbirth. Both new babies were breastfeeding well when I left for my much-needed shower. Clinic Bumi Sehat was relatively quiet and peaceful, and with three skilled midwives on duty, I reassured myself that I would sleep through the night.

11:33 p.m., the phone rings. It's our young midwife Rena, "Ibu (mother) please, come quickly! Some tourists are here with their hurt baby. And they only speak English."

A note: I sleep in my clothes. A history of frequent emergency calls has taught me that the extra minute getting dressed is time I often cannot afford.

Peddling, like crazy, downhill, my trusty red bicycle gets me to the clinic in less than a minute. Wailing, in the arms of very worried parents, I find a distressed, but healthy, strapping toddler. "He fell... but it was just down one step. Is it really possible that it's serious?" probes the concerned British father.

Deal with the trauma first: I reach for the homeopathic Arnica and administer a dose to the not-so-little Oliver. Almost immediately, his wailing ebbs into deep sobs. Gently placing my hands on his right arm is all it takes and I know that we are looking at one, maybe two broken bones. Midwife Agung Mas hands me the Arnica ointment as we try to relieve some of the trauma topically. I used a large elastic bandage to stabilize the arm, strapping it securely to the child's body.

"Our ambulance can take you to a good hospital." I reassure the worried parents and carefully give them information about x-ray, insurance, language support, etc. We calm the parents and make sure they use the WC (toilet) before the 45-minute transport to the hospital. One of the midwives has already called Pagi, our ambulance driver, and he has the ambulance waiting. Midwife Rena, who has the best English skills, accompanies the family to the hospital.

I have been on shift for most of the last 24 hours, but, now that I'm here... I check on the postpartum moms and new babies, joke with our night crew of midwives and watchmen, and then peddle home at almost 2 a.m. The slight incline begins to feel mountainous now and I push my trusty red two-wheeler the last 20 meters home, manage a quick rinse and collapse into bed next to my insensate husband.

The miracle of life starts with its own set of miracles when it comes to a pregnant woman's body. The gorgeous glow, longer and luxurious hair, and curvier curves, as well as a boosted bust size and increased sex drive -- all the changes (flattering and not) make for some of the most memorable nine months of a woman's life.

Come what may, every woman is different, and with that comes a distinct beauty to every body -- not to mention some fantastic photo ops to document the nine-month-memories.

Celebs like Demi Moore, Mariah Carey, and Cindy Crawford have bared their "baby bods," and now it's your turn. Whether you're biking with a baby bump, in a bold black-and-white body shot, a candid capture among friends, or celebrating any other mommy-to-be milestones, share with us your favorite photos taken during your pregnancy and check out those sent by other readers in our slideshow below.CLICK HERE AND SEE PREGNANCY PIC

Brain is a organ that think, learns and grows by interacting with the world through perception and action. Mental stimulation improves brain function and actually protects against cognitive decline, as does physical exercise.

The human brain is able to continually adapt and rewire itself. Even in old age, it can grow new neurons. Severe mental decline is usually caused by disease, whereas most age-related losses in memory or motor skills simply result from inactivity and a lack of mental exercise and stimulation. In other words, use it or lose it.

Journey of the Developing Brain

Only recently have scientists been able to learn how the neural network of the brain forms. Beginning in the womb and throughout life this vast network continues to expand, adapt, and learn. Take a look inside the brain at a cellular level to find out how our three pound universe forms and even how we learn.


Hippocampal Neurons
Evolving Brains Inspired Movement

Step back a half-billion years ago, to when the first nerve cells developed. The original need for a nervous system was to coordinate movement, so an organism could go find food, instead of waiting for the food to come to it. Jellyfish and sea anemone, the first animals to create nerve cells, had a tremendous advantage over the sponges that waited brainlessly for dinner to arrive. .
Elasticity and Plasticity

Elastic comes from the Greek word for “drive” or “propulsion.” It is the tendency of a material to return to its original shape after being stretched.

Elasticity is the basic animal drive that powers your muscles, giving you strength and balance – flexibility, mobility, and grace.
Plastic derives from the Greek word meaning “molded” or “formed.” It is the tendency of the brain to shape itself according to experience.

Plasticity is the basic mental drive that networks your brain, giving you cognition and memory – fluidity, versatility, and adaptability.
The Growth of Your Amazing Neural Network

Before birth you created neurons, the brain cells that communicate with each other, at the rate of 15 million per hour! When you emerged into the world, your 100 billion neurons were primed to organize themselves in response to your new environment – no matter the culture, climate, language, or lifestyle.

During infancy, billions of these extraordinary cells intertwined into the vast networks that integrated your nervous system. By the time you were four or five years old, your fundamental cerebral architecture was complete.
Until your early teens, various windows of opportunity opened when you could most easily learn language and writing, math and music, as well as the coordinated movements used in sports and dance. But, at any age you can – and should – continue to build your brain and expand your mind.
Expanding Your Amazing Neural Network

Throughout life, your neural networks reorganize and reinforce themselves in response to new stimuli and learning experiences. This body-mind interaction is what stimulates brain cells to grow and connect with each other in complex ways. They do so by extending branches of intricate nerve fibers called dendrites (from the Latin word for “tree”). These are the antennas through which neurons receive communication from each other. A healthy, well-functioning neuron can be directly linked to tens of thousands of other neurons, creating a totality of more than a hundred trillion connections – each capable of performing 200 calculations per second! This is the structural basis of your brain’s memory capacity and thinking ability.

As a product of its environment, your “three pound universe” is essentially an internal map that reflects your external world.
Learning at the Cellular Level

Many neuroscientists believe that learning and memory involve changes at neuron-to-neuron synapses. Such changes, called long-term potentiation (LTP), make it easier for connected neurons to communicate with each other, and therefore to form memories. LTP involves patterns of synaptic strengthening and weakening that can last for weeks. Because receptor aggregation may contribute to LTP – and dispersal may contribute to the reverse scenario, long-term depression – the discovery that receptors can scurry in and out of synapses strengthens the synaptic hypothesis of learning
Learning Uses Long-Term Potentiation Study

A study by neuroscientists at Brown University provided further evidence that learning uses long-term potentiation LTP to produce changes in the synaptic connections between brain cells that are necessary to acquire and store new information

When the researchers taught rats a new motor skill, scientists found that the animals’ brains had also changed. The strength of synapses between neurons in the motor cortex of their brains had increased through a process consistent with the use of LTP.
Previously, “the link between LTP, synaptic modification and learning was tentative,” said senior author John Donoghue, professor of neuroscience. “This latest study provides strong evidence that learning itself engages LTP in the cerebral cortex as a way to strengthen synaptic connections.”1
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Where Mind Meets Body – The Neuromuscular Junction

Brain chemistry reveals an essential unity of mind and body. Neurons not only contact other neurons, they also connect with skeletal muscles, at a specialized structure called the neuromuscular junction. There the brain uses acetylcholine – its primary chemical neurotransmitter for memory and attention – to communicate with muscles. Another of the brain’s key chemical messengers, dopamine, helps regulate fine motor movement.
The role of these neurotransmitters in regulating movement underscores the intimate relation between body and mind, muscle and memory. In fact, many bodyworkers find that deep massage can trigger the release and awareness of powerful, long-held emotional memories.
Muscles Activate Brain Receptors