Welcome to the LIVE coverage of Match 18 in the Champions League T20 Group Stage between Rajasthan Royals and Otago Volts from the Sawai Mansingh stadium in Jaipur. SCORECARD

Sanju Samson comes to the crease for Rajasthan Royals.

Nick Beard gets the BREAKTHROUGH for Otago Volts.

6.4 overs: That's OUT!! Nick Beard has got Rahul Dravid out caught at point. Dravid reaches out and slices it to Nathan McCullum who takes a STUNNING catch diving backwards. Rahul Dravid departs after scoring 10 runs off 17 balls.

6.2 overs: FOUR!! Ajinkya Rahane skips down the track and lofts it over extra cover for a boundary.

Jimmy Neesham comes into the attack for Otago Volts.

TIDY start by Nick Beard, six runs off it!!

First sign of spin, Nick Beard comes into the attack for Otago Volts.

There's NO-STOPPING to Ajinkya Rahane here!!

2.5 overs: FOUR!! Ajinkya Rahane leans forward and smashes it towards deep extra cover for another boundary in the over.

2.2 overs: FOUR!! Ajinkya rahane gets on the frontfoot and creams the drive towards deep extra cover fence for a boundary.

First change, Neil Wagner comes into the attack for Otago Volts.

1.4 overs: FOUR!! Ajinkya Rahane rocks back and tucks it past short fine leg for a boundary. Rahane looks in GOOD TOUCH here!!

James McMillan will bowl from the other end for Otago Volts.

FIFTEEN runs off the first over!!

0.6 overs: FOUR!! Ajinkya Rahane stays back and thumps it square of the wicket for another boundary in the over.

0.3 overs: FOUR!! Ajinkya Rahane picks the length early and punches it towards the sweeper cover fence for the first boundary in the innings. Rahane gets off the mark in STYLE!!

Rahul Dravid and Ajinkya Rahane are out in the middle for Rajasthan Royals while Ian Butler will open the attack for Otago Volts.

Otago Volts managed to score a moderate total of 139 runs at the loss of seven wickets against Rajasthan Royals. Otago will be reasonably happy with the score they have got. After the heroics by Rahul Shukla in his first over, Jimmy Neesham and Ryan ten Doeschate rescued the side with a fifty partnership. Ian Butler and Nathan McCullum scored briskly and got their side to a decent total. Considering that the pitch is very good for batting, Rajasthan should back themselves to chase this down.

THIRTEEN RUNS off the last over!!

19.4 overs: FOUR!! nathan McCullum walks forward and smashes it over the infield for another boundary. That went like a ROCKET!!

19.2 overs: FOUR!! Nathan McCullum manages to flick the yorker towards deep backward square leg for a boundary.

James Faulkner will bowl the FINAL OVER for Rajasthan Royals.

Neil Wagner comes to the crease for Otago Volts.

18.2 overs: That's OUT!! Kevon Cooper has bowled Ian Butler on a fuller delivery. Butler slogs across the line and gets an inside edge back onto the stumps. Ian Butler's blitzkrieg come to an end at 25 runs off 18 balls with two boundaries and two sixes.

EIGHTEEN RUNS off the over!!

16.6 overs: SIX!! Ian Buttler flays the lofted shot and sends it over the long-on fence for another maximum. This is turning out to be a GREAT HAND from Butler

16.4 overs: FOUR!! Ian Butler picks the slower ball and whacks it towards the deep midwicket fence for a boundary.

16.3 overs: SIX!! Ian Butler shimmies down the track and hammers it over the long-on fence for the maximum. That was HUGE from Buttler!!

15.1 overs: FOUR!! Ian Buttler hangs back and creams the drive towards deep extra cover for a boundary. CRUCIAL runs for Otago Volts!!

14.3 overs: FOUR!! Nathan McCullum picks the length early and lofts it over cover for a boundary.

Ian Buttler comes to the crease for Otago Volts.

Otago Volts are FALLING APART here!!

13.3 overs: OUT!! Pravin Tambe has got Ryan ten Doeschate out LBW on a flatter delivery. Ten Doeschate tried to work it towards the on-side but missed it as the ball hits his pad in front of the stumps. Ryan ten Doeschate departs after scoring 26 runs off 27 balls with three boundaries.

12.6 overs: FOUR!! Ryan ten Doeschate waits for it and steers it past short fine leg for a boundary.

Nathan McCullum comes to the crease for Otago Volts.
READ MORE

Kim Kardashian rocked leather in Paris on Monday night for an evening out with Kanye West, as Kimye continue their whirlwind European trip.

Kardashian hit the town in a patent-leather, high-waisted skirt, a cozy white T-shirt and some embellished stiletto sandals. The 32-year-old beauty and her boyfriend were seen exiting a car and heading to dinner at Hotel Costes, according to the photo agency that secured the images.

Kimye's Parisian vacation is the first time the reality starlet has been away from her daughter, North, whom she gave birth to almost four months ago. But the new mama didn't leave home without some reminders of her baby girl.

Along with a gold "Nori" nameplate necklace, Kardashian has a photo of North as her iPhone screensaver, E! News noted. Keen eyes noticed the snapshot of the infant on Kardashian's phone in a photo taken by paparazzi.

When her trip is over, she will head home with an arm full of gifts for little Nori, including designer baby duds made specially for her by Givenchy's Riccardo Tisci, Alexander Wang, Lanvin, Celine's Phoebe Philo and Maison Martin Margiela.

Syria has said it will co-operate with the mission, set up after a US-Russia deal endorsed by the UN.

It is the first time the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has been asked to destroy a country's chemical arms during a war.

Correspondents say the OPCW inspectors face a daunting task.

Syria's Foreign Minister Walid Muallem has said that seven out of the 19 chemical weapons sites declared by the government last month are in combat zones.

The BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut says it could be complicated for the inspectors to gain access to these areas; local truces may be needed to allow the work to proceed.

A spokesman for the opposition Syrian National Coalition, Monzer Akbik, told the BBC that the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) would ensure that inspectors "will be protected, and granted access to all locations".

However, the FSA is only one of several rebel factions operating in Syria, and its local commanders have often displayed a high degree of autonomy.

UN chemical weapons inspectors filed an interim report last month confirming that the nerve agent sarin had been used in an attack on the outskirts of Damascus on 21 August that killed hundreds of people.

Syria's chemical weapons arsenal is believed to include more than 1,000 tonnes of sarin, the blister agent sulphur mustard and other banned chemicals stored at dozens of sites.

Last month, it submitted to the OPCW a full account of its arsenal, as part of the US-Russian initiative that saw it accede to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).

An OPCW official told the AFP news agency on Sunday: "At this point, we have absolutely no reason to doubt the information provided by the Syrian regime."
Logistics talks

The OPCW inspectors - based in The Hague - stayed overnight in Beirut, Lebanon, before crossing into Syria on Tuesday.

They were first expected to visit the foreign ministry in Damascus to discuss operational logistics before verifying the sites and making assessments.

The arms monitors are then expected to destroy the equipment used for mixing and preparing chemical weapons, as well as the munitions used to deliver them.

Under the agreement between the United States and Russia, this work should be finished by November. Some chemical stocks will be removed safely and destroyed outside Syria, while others will be collected up for destruction inside the country.

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who has his own distinct style of dancing, will be seen teaching a contestant of Kaun Banega Crorepati a step or two of what he learnt from actor Shahid Kapoor recently.

During a recent episode of the game show, Shahid taught Big B a few steps on the song Agal bagal from his latest movie Phata Poster Nikla Hero.

When Amitabh Bachchan came to know that one of the hot seat contestants, Deepika, cannot dance, he decided to don the role of a dance teacher and taught her a few moves.

The duo then grooved and matched steps on the same song. Not bad that the 70-year-old is not just preaching the show's theme - Seekhna bandh toh jeetna bandh (No learning means no winning) - but also practising it by imparting some of his talent.

Sonam Kapoor has been dazzling India with her chic fashion sense and authentic style statements. Buzz is that the young glam diva has now joined the list of 500 people who influence the fashion industry.

Interestingly, this is for the first time any Indian actress has featured on this list. As a matter of fact, the survey is done by an online portal called the Business Of Fashion.

Every year there is a list drawn by BOF 500, of 500 people worldwide who build the fashion industry.

The BOF 500 is a live, visual index of these talented shapers of the global fashion industry, curated by the editors of The Business of Fashion and powered by social media.

This list consists of people from designers to entrepreneurs to behind-the-scenes catalysts, hailing from 27 countries and representing 50 different nationalities.

Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt, in prison since May, arrived at his Mumbai home this afternoon after being granted 14 days of leave because he is unwell.

"I'm a law abiding citizen. I want to spend this time peacefully with my family," he said to reporters before entering his house in Bandra where he used to live with his wife Maanyata and their two children Iqra and Shahraan.

The 53-year-old actor was sentenced in March by the Supreme Court to five years in prison in a case linked to the 1993 terror attack in Mumbai, in which 250 people died in serial bombings. He was convicted for possession of an automatic rifle and a pistol that were supplied to him by men subsequently convicted for the bomb blasts.

The Supreme Court reduced his prison sentence to five years from the six-year term initially handed down.

The actor had served 18 months in jail before being released on bail in 2007 pending an appeal, so he was ordered to spend the next 3 1/2 years behind bars.

Mr Dutt had earlier been acquitted of the more serious charges of terrorism and conspiracy.

The 1993 bombings were seen at the time as the world's worst terrorist attack, with 13 bombs exploding over a two-hour period across Mumbai. Powerful explosives were packed into cars and scooters parked near India's main Bombay Stock Exchange and other sites in the city. Apart from the 257 dead, more than 720 people were injured in the attack.

Lady Gaga sat down with Andy Cohen to discuss sex and drugs, among other topics. She admitted to "sleeping naked," having taken "a ride on a disco stick" in the woods ... "on the floor, in the grass," and -- perhaps even less surprisingly-- using Molly.

Admitting she used to use the drug a bit more frequently in her "raver days" (whatever that means), Gaga cautioned against use of the pure form of MDMA. "Be careful with Molly," she warned.

Following her PSA, Gaga spoke out about her feud with Christina Aguilera, saying wisely, "I just think it's very unfair for somebody to pit another woman against another woman."

Agreed. However, we'll just have to wait on an explanation regarding Gaga's feuds with Azealia Banks, Perez Hilton and Adam Levine ...

Synth-pop band Chvrches is currently all the rage, dropping an outstanding full-length album last week and even delivering a sterling cover of a Whitney Houston classic. All the fame, however, isn't without it's downsides: Singer Lauren Mayberry has penned a sharply worded editorial ripping would-be fans who regularly proposition and/or sexually harass her on the internet.

The entirety of the op-ed is posted over on the Guardian's website, but here are a few choice passages:

    Last week, I posted a screengrab of one of the many inappropriate messages sent to the band's social networks every day. After making the post, I sat back and watched with an increasingly open mouth as more and more people commented on the statement. At the time of writing, Facebook stats tell me that the post had reached 581,376 people, over five times the number of people who subscribe to the page itself, with almost 1,000 comments underneath the image. Comments range from the disgusted and supportive to the offensively vile. My current favourites from the latter category include:

    "This isn't rape culture. You'll know rape culture when I'm raping you, bitch"

    "I have your address and I will come round to your house and give u anal and you will love it you twat lol"

    "Act like a slut, getting treated like a sluy [sic]"

    "It's just one of those things you'll need to learn to deal with. If you're easily offended, then maybe the music industry isn't for you"

    But why should women "deal" with this? I am incredibly lucky to be doing the job I am doing at the moment – and painfully aware of the fact that I would not be able to make music for a living without people on the internet caring about our band. But does that mean that I need to accept that it's OK for people to make comments like this, because that's how women in my position are spoken to?

Mayberry notes that sexism can cut against men, too, but states that she is speaking from her own experience as a woman who fronts a band.

    What I do not accept, however, is that it is all right for people to make comments ranging from "a bit sexist but generally harmless" to openly sexually aggressive. That it is something that "just happens". Is the casual objectification of women so commonplace that we should all just suck it up, roll over and accept defeat? I hope not. Objectification, whatever its form, is not something anyone should have to "just deal with"

     I read them every morning when I get up. I read them after soundcheck. I read them, as we all do with our emails and notifications, on my phone on the bus or when I have a break in the day. And, after a while, despite the positive messages in the majority, the aggressive, intrusive nature of the other kind becomes overwhelming. During this past tour, I am embarrassed to admit that I have had more than one prolonged toilet cry and a "Come on, get a hold of yourself, you got this" conversation with myself in a bathroom mirror when particularly exasperated and tired out. But then, after all the sniffling had ceased, I asked myself: why should I cry about this? Why should I feel violated, uncomfortable and demeaned? Why should we all keep quiet?

Counting down the days until the second "Hunger Games" movie, "Catching Fire," hits theaters? This new gem from the star-studded soundtrack should tide fans over for at least a few days. Called "Elastic Heart," the track is out from Sia. The Diplo-produced track also features The Weeknd.

The soundtrack, which will make its full debut on Nov. 19, three days before the film's Nov. 22 release, also features songs from Christina Aguilera, Lorde, Coldplay, and Patti Smith, among others.

The $9 a share tentative offer, from a consortium led by property and casualty insurer Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd(FFH.TO), will set a floor for any counteroffers that might emerge for Blackberry, which has been on the block since August.

As an investor, Fairfax Chief Executive Prem Watsa is often described as the Canadian Warren Buffett because he also takes the long view.

Blackberry shares peaked above $148 in June 2008 when the company's devices were still the top choice for bankers, politicians and lawyers.

The stock, halted pending the announcement on Monday, closed below the offer price on Nasdaq, at $8.82, indicating the market's lack of faith that other bids would emerge.

"I would think a competing buyout offer is quite unlikely," said Elvis Picardo, strategist at Global Securities in Vancouver. "The miniscule premium, and the muted market reaction, is another indication that the market views the odds of a competing bid as slim."

BlackBerry, based in Waterloo, Ontario, once dominated the market for secure on-your-hip email. But it introduced consumer-friendly touchscreen smartphones only after it lost the lead to Apple Inc's(AAPL.O) iPhone and devices using Google Inc's(GOOG.O) Android operating system.

BlackBerry has until November 4 to seek superior offers, which the Fairfax group has the right to match. The group is seeking financing from Bank of America Merrill Lynch and BMO Capital Markets to complete the deal and has until that November 4 deadline to conduct its due diligence.

A BlackBerry statement did not name members of the consortium, although many in the financial community see Canada's deep-pocketed and influential pension funds as likely participants.

"We need to be careful given disclosure constraints, but we can say that we are focused on a strong Canadian solution," said Fairfax spokesman Paul Rivett.

The pension funds, with assets around the world, traditionally take a long-term view in their investment decisions. Officials at the biggest funds either did not reply to requests for comment, said they had no information or declined to comment.

"We never discuss whether or not we plan to enter into any investment," said Deborah Allan, spokeswoman for Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan.

CANADIAN BUFFETT

Watsa stepped down from the BlackBerry board of directors in August, citing a potential conflict of interest, as the company said it was exploring a sale.

Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper quoted Watsa as saying that a significant amount of the equity in the deal will come from within the country. The consortium included neither strategic players, nor other technology firms, he said.

Sexy Colombian Sofia Vergara brought pretty much her entire family to the Emmys Sunday night. She looked predictably amazing in a red dress, rolling her Rs, and heading up to the stage with the "Modern Family" cast, for their Outstanding Comedy win.

However, it looks like the best part of Vergara's night came after the awards were over. The actress took to social media site WhoSay to share some photos of her night, like this gem, captioned "Miley Cyrus this is where the twerk was invented. Colombia!"

This unapologetic dancing photo was apparently directed at Jesse Tyler Ferguson, with the message "Sorry @jessetyler this is how we dance sometimes."

 And here's our personal favorite, explained simply with the words "Jimmy Fallons party favors."

As an American abroad she's making the most of Europe's lower drinking age.

But it seems 19-year-old Courtney Stodden may have seriously overindulged during a night out at Whisky Mist in London on Thursday night

The American reality TV star was left struggling to stay clothed following a night of partying with her Celebrity Big Brother housemate, transsexual antiques dealer Lauren Harries.

The blonde teenager, who got DD-cup breast implants in June, even needed some help from a mystery man to stay upright as she almost tottered off her absurdly high heels.

As ever Courtney was happy to flash the flesh, in a teeny tiny black strapless dress which barely covered her considerable assets.

However, Courtney appeared unconcerned, laughing, smiling and posing for the waiting photographers, once she finally made it into her cab unscathed, albeit with a huge bruise on her left thigh.

Stodden’s long blonde hair was piled on top of her head and looked noticeably more tousled by the time she left the club.

There was no sign of Courtney’s 53-year old husband Doug Hutchinson but Lauren looked like she too had a good night as she joked around with her new friend in the taxi.

Courtney married Green Mile actor Doug when she was just 16 and he was 51 after they met over the internet. 

Despite the controversy surrounding their age difference, Courtney and Doug have been married for almost three years and their union appears stronger than ever.

Although Courtney was accused of flirting with lothario Mario Falcone during her time in the Celebrity Big Brother house in the UK, she  set the record straight during her eviction interview.

One of Courtney’s most flirtatious moments in the house came when viewers saw the blonde teen handcuffed to Mario as part of a task, with the pair becoming increasingly tactile as it went on.

They starred together in the career-making film "Thelma & Louise" 22 years ago, when both were in their 30s and 40s. But the love between Susan Sarandon, 66, and Geena Davis, 57, has only grown, judging from the photographs of the pair happily posing on the red carpet Thursday night in Los Angeles. The actresses and friends held hands and sat next to each other at Montage Beverly Hills for Heifer International's "Beyond Hunger: A Place At The Table" gala, a charity event benefiting marginalized women.

On their experience working together on the Ridley Scott-directed film, about two female friends who embark on a bandits-style adventure, Davis told the Wall Street Journal in 2011 that she hadn't anticipated the impact on women the film would eventually have.

"I don't think any of us in the movie had any idea the reaction it was going to get. It was very unusual because it had two excellent female parts, and I desperately wanted to be in it," she said.

Davis added: "Afterwards, I had women holding me by the lapels, so I could hear their story. And that experience really brought home to me how few opportunities we give women to feel like that about a movie."

One day after 13 people were wounded in a park on Chicago's Southwest Side, shining a national spotlight on gun violence in the Windy City once more, shootings continued Friday evening into early Saturday in the Windy City.

At least four men were killed in shootings citywide since Friday evening and a fifth individual -- a 14-year-old boy -- was fatally shot Friday afternoon, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The teen -- Tommy McNeal, 14 -- was found lying unresponsive with a gunshot wound to his back in the 6900 block of South Vernon Avenue about 1:35 p.m. Friday, the Tribune reports.

In other fatal shootings, 18-year-old Jaleel Pearson was shot in the arm and chest about 6:15 p.m. Friday in the 2200 block of East 71st Street. He was pronounced dead at Stroger Hospital at 6:59 p.m. Friday, according to DNAinfo Chicago.

Shortly after the shooting that killed Pearson, 21-year-old Brenden Temple was shot multiple times in the head in the 6600 block of South Honore Street in the city's West Englewood neighborhood. Temple was pronounced dead at Stroger Hospital at 7:18 p.m. Friday.

Later Friday, a 37-year-old man who has not been identified as of Saturday morning was fatally shot in an alley about 11:10 p.m. in Englewood, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

About 3 a.m. Saturday, 22-year-old Jamal Coleman was shot multiple times in the leg in the 1200 block of West Washburne Avenue and taken to Stroger Hospital, according to the Sun-Times. He was pronounced dead there at 3:22 a.m.

About an hour later, around 4 a.m., a 41-year-old man was shot in the abdomen in the 0-100 block of East Chestnut Street in the city's Gold Coast neighborhood during an apparent argument over a parking spot, according to NBC Chicago. The victim was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in serious condition.

At least two other men -- ages 18 and 30 -- were wounded in separate non-fatal shootings in the city's West Pullman and Lawndale neighborhoods early Saturday.

As of today, I have finished many half-marathons and trail half-marathons, climbed mountains and ran a marathon, and I'm currently training for another marathon and various obstacle races. What made this possible? CrossFit.

Before you click away, hear me out. I'm not going to try to sell everyone on CrossFit because it doesn't work for everyone. I am going to share why it works for me. In the three years I've been combining running with CrossFit, I have not had one injury. My previous injury was a severe case of ITBS, or illiotibial band syndrome, which led to hip problems. I went from crying tears of relief over three miles to more tears crossing a finish line at 26.2 miles. So what is so magical about CrossFit?

1. CrossFit is serious cross-training. CrossFit is based around improving 10 basic physical skills: cardiovascular and respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance and accuracy. Participants work to improve these skills through weight-lifting, gymnastics and metabolic conditioning. Good trainers spend a great deal of time each week making sure the workouts for the next week are balanced in all of these things. Looking through that list of 10 skills, which ones do not improve running?

2. CrossFit incorporates functional flexibility. The age-old question: Should I stretch before or after running? That has nothing to do with CrossFit's flexibility training, which is actually mobility training. The iron-rod backbone of all CrossFit is functional fitness, and that includes skill work designed to improve range of motion for functional behaviors. In my own experience, this has been crucial to my running success. Oh, and to answer the question, I do not advise static stretching before a run. Stretching ligaments, tendons and muscles before loading them with repetitive weight-bearing impact movement is not a good idea. Dynamic stretching is a better option. Again, this is just my personal experience.

3. CrossFit demands mental stamina. This is what allowed me to finish a marathon without hitting a huge wall. Yes, most CrossFit workouts are less than 30 minutes. Include 3 to 4 CrossFit workouts a week, and the mental discipline has nowhere to go but up. All runners know that mental stamina can be the difference between a DNF and a triumphant finish.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is backing President Barack Obama's call for Congress to approve military action in Syria, Politico reports.

“Secretary Clinton supports the President's effort to enlist the Congress in pursuing a strong and targeted response to the Assad regime’s horrific use of chemical weapons,” a Clinton aide told Politico.

On Saturday, Obama announced he feels action in Syria is warranted but said he had decided to ask Congress to support a strike punishing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime for the alleged use of chemical weapons.

Clinton isn't the only one backing Obama's moves on Syria. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) both said Tuesday they would back the president's call to use military force against Syria.

Nicole Richie is apparently bored, so she decided to turn her passion for rap music into a hobby. The star of "Candidly Nicole" hit the studio with upcoming rapper Ebone to record a verse about what it's like to get your hair done. Some might say she's just as good as Macklemore! Watch the clip, which is unfortunately subtitled when Ebone speaks, despite the fact that he's not only conversing in English, but also educating Nicole.

This little girl and baby gorilla friendship is just too adorable, especially since the two new besties are just about the same size.

Watch her mimic the gorilla's movements, making him -- (we're assuming it's a he) -- so happy that he asks for a kiss.

We don’t know much about this video of a baby gorilla and young girl making friends at a zoo, but we do know it’s adorable.

The two are mimicking each other’s movements, a sign of empathy. They even share a kiss through the glass.

it was uploaded on Aug 20 by Petsami, though we aren’t sure if it was uploaded elsewhere first.

Madarsa Shiksha Sahayak Recruitment 2013

ajasthan Madarsa Shiksha Shayak 6000 Madarsa Shiksha Sahayk Recruitment Online Application Form invites. Madarsa Shiksha Sahayak Direct Recruitment Minority Affairs Rajasthan Govt. Official website www.mea.minorityaffairs.rajasthan.gov.in on date 17-08-2013 available. Online Application form available on 17-08-2013 this website.

 Post : Madarsa Shiksha Sahayak ( Total Vacancies : 6000)
 Deposition of Application Fee : From 17-Aug-2013 To 04-Sep-2013 (6:00 PM)
 Submission of Online Application : From 17-Aug-2013 To 05-Sep-2013 (11:30 PM)



Download Blank Form            Download Vigyapti            Apply Online


CLICK HERE WEB PORTAL 

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh shared that the collective figures minted by the movie on Thursday and Friday in India amounted to Rs39.87 crore nett.

Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone-starrer Chennai Express is chugging on with immense steam at the box office. The film recorded an opening day collection of Rs33.12 crore, say trade experts, and it is expected to do well across national and international quarters over the weekend.

Heavy promotions for the Rohit Shetty directorial, coupled with a release on an auspicious occasion like Eid-ul-Fitr Friday, seem to have paid off. Even before the release, the buzz for the movie was strong, giving it a collection of Rs. 6.75 crore in the home country from paid previews on Thursday itself.

"We've received an overwhelming response from all quarters and the film is being loved by everyone," Gaurav Verma, director — India theatrical distribution, Studios, Disney UTV.

"Though Chennai Express is playing in highest number of screens for any film, we still ran out of capacity in most locations due to this huge demand at the box office and the film is on its way to create new benchmarks," added Verma.

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh shared that the collective figures minted by the movie on Thursday and Friday in India amounted to Rs39.87 crore nett.

Said to have been made at a budget of Rs. 70 crore, Chennai Express had a grand release in over 3,500 screens in the country and 700 screens abroad.

The advance bookings for the film were strong, said Girish Wankhede of Cinemax chain.

"It's doing very well. On Thursday, there were 80 to 90 percent occupancy of seats. Advance booking was strong for this weekend. It will do very well in coming weeks also," Wankhede said.

Down south also, the movie has received a good response.

Trade analyst Trinath shared: "This is probably the best ever opening for a SRK film in the state. Even though people voiced about the stereotyping in Chennai Express, none had any issues with it and embraced it with a smile."

In the film, Shah Rukh plays a north Indian, who falls in love with a Tamil girl, essayed by his Om Shanti Om co-star Deepika.

The number of shows were doubled in Chennai for Chennai Express as Tamil movie Thalaivaa didn't release there.

"Since Thalaivaa didn't release, the number of shows for Chennai Express were doubled (on Friday). We had about 95 percent occupancy for the paid previews and most shows over the weekend are booked," a multiplex representative in Chennai, said.

Mumbai-based trade analyst Komal Nahta didn't find the film as entertaining as Shetty's previous films like the Golmaal series, but he didn't deny that the movie indeed got a "fantastic start" in India.

Internationally too, the film is said to be doing well.

In the Gulf region, it released Thursday and minted $435,000, with 28 screens yet to report. But it is estimated to cross $550,000 by the time all screens report, said a source.

In Singapore, two screens are yet to report, but it made $95,359 on Thursday.

Chennai Express, an action comedy, had only night show previews in Britain Thursday, numbers are 142,220 pounds with three sites yet to report.

In Australia, the paid previews Thursday amounted to $34,314, while in New Zealand, the figures came to $6,431.

Adarsh shared on Twitter that the movie took a "huge start in US-Canada", earning $2,60,000 (Rs.15, 776,020.00 approximately) out of Thursday night preview shows.

Officials at UTV Motion Pictures, which has co-produced the potboiler with Shah Rukh's Red Chillies Entertainment, are happy.

Commonwealth Games gold-medallist Manoj Kumar was the biggest mover as he broke into the top-10 at sixth but rising star L Devendro Singh was the best-placed Indian at second in the latest International Boxing Association (AIBA) rankings here.

The 20-year-old Devendro (49kg), who won a silver medal at the Asian Championships last month, has risen three rungs to be second with 1550 points behind Russia's David Ayrapetyan.

Shiva Thapa (56kg), who won a gold at the Asian Championships, remained steady at fourth.

Manoj (64kg), who settled for a bronze at the same event, was 21st in the previous list but has gained significantly to break into top-10 with 800 points.

In other categories, World Championships bronze-medallist Vikas Krishan (69kg) held on to the seventh spot.

Former Olympic bronze-medallist Vijender Singh also gained a couple of positions to be 12th with 500 points in the middleweight 75kg category.

In the women's rankings, London Olympics bronze-medallist M C Mary Kom (51kg) kept her third position in the list with 2050 points.

In the 60kg division, Asian Championships silver-medallist L Sarita Devi's position was also unchanged at seventh with 800.

Sexting is a practice you tend to hear about usually when celebrities, politicians or sports personalities get it horribly wrong, and usually when the other person has revealed all.

But we're not so far removed from famous folk that the rules of sexting don't apply to us too. After all, most of us have phones which a)can text and b)take photos.

"The pros of it – you can send on the spur of the moment when feeling particularly lusty – is also the downside. Lust is a powerful emotion when we’re in the grips of it. When it wears off, what seems sexy at the time can feel either silly (best scenario) sleazy or perfect blackmail material (worst)."

To be successful at sexting, the experts say, you need to be realistic about the type of relationship you are in. Sex and relationship psychologist for Durex, Susan Quilliam, said: "It depends on the type of relationship you're in and the situation at the time you’re in at the time of texting.

"It is most appropriate when you’re involved with someone seriously and you're emotionally close enough to know that they will accept it and not forward it on. It is definitely not a good idea early in a relationship and/or if you don’t know someone very well or send it as joke."

The phrase "pinup girl" often conjures up images of hourglass figures and vintage fashion. But how often are the pin-ups we see actually plus-size women?

Not often enough. That's why we're so excited that Hilda, originally drawn in the 1950s by illustrator Duane Bryers, resurfaced on the Internet this week.

According to the blog Messy Nessy Chic, Hilda is a vintage icon who was "one of history’s longest running calendar queens" alongside Marilyn Monroe and others.

“She’s a creation out of my head. I had various models over the years, but some of my best Hilda paintings I’ve ever done were done without a model,” Bryers said in an interview with illustrator Les Toil.

Click through the slideshow below for some of our favorite Hilda images, courtesy of Brown & Bigelow.

Woody Austin couldn't decide whether he should keep his 3-iron or go with a hybrid for the second round of the PGA Championship. He accidentally went with both, which cost him four shots and likely the chance to play this weekend at Oak Hill.

Austin was assessed a four-stroke penalty Friday when he discovered he had 15 clubs in the bag. His 71 became a 75 and put him at 4-over 144.

"Can't say I was angry because it was more of a shock, so you're like pretty bummed," Austin said. "I think after 20 years, you do one stupid thing of each, and that's the first time I've ever done something like that. Now all I've got to do is figure out how to get DQ'd."

Rule 4-4 allows for only 14 clubs. The penalty is two shots for each hole the extra club is in the bag with a maximum of four shots. That was a moot point because it was on the tee at the 215-yard third hole that he looked into his bag and realized he still had the hybrid in there.

Austin gave it to his son, who carried it the rest of the front nine.

It was the first time a player had been penalized in a major for 15 clubs in the bag since Ian Woosnam at the 2001 British Open. The difference was Woosnam was tied for the lead going into the final round and make birdie on the opening hole. He had an extra driver in the bag, and because Royal Lytham & St. Annes starts with a par 3, Woosnam didn't discover it until the second hole.

Austin has made his share of blunders during his career.

He is most famous for once getting so angry about missing a putt that he repeatedly banged his putter against his head, a video sensation. At the 2007 Presidents Cup, he tried to play a shot from the bank of a lake and fell backward into the water, earning the nickname, "Aquaman."

Austin, who qualified for the PGA Championship only by winning in Mississippi last month, said this might not have happened in better weather.
       

Oak Hill already is long for him, and two of the par 3s are over 200 yards to elevated greens. He was using both clubs on the range and decided to stick with the 3-iron because he was hitting it better.

In a light rain, caddies had covers over the clubs to keep them dry. He did not blame his caddie, Dave Lawson.

"Lee Daniels' The Butler," starring Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey and a parade of famous faces, isn't out in theaters until Aug. 16, but with the film's review embargo lifted by The Weinstein Company on Friday at midnight, critics are free to let their voices be heard right now.

"Daniels knows how to push an audience's buttons, and as crudely obvious as 'The Butler' can be -- whether juxtaposing a Woolworth's lunch-counter protest with a formal White House dinner, or showing a character keeling over at the breakfast table with oxygen tank attached -- it's also genuinely rousing," Variety critic Scott Foundas wrote in his positive notice on the film. "By the end, it's hard not to feel moved, if also more than a bit manhandled."

This is only Daniels' fourth feature as a director; he was nominated in the Best Director category for "Precious," his second film, and is in full awards mode here as well, at least according to TheWrap's Alonso Duralde.

"The cuckoo-rococo side of Daniels, that boundaries-free showman behind such loony spectacles as 'The Paperboy' and 'Shadowboxer,' is nowhere to be found here; instead, he's operating very much in awards-bait mode, juggling historical grandeur, family turmoil and a changing societal landscape." For Duralde, who also gave "The Butler" positive marks, it worked: He wrote that Daniels' film is "head and shoulders above feel-good kitsch like 'The Help,'" an Oscar nominee for Best Picture at the 2012 Academy Awards.

"Lee Daniels' The Butler," starring Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey and a parade of famous faces, isn't out in theaters until Aug. 16, but with the film's review embargo lifted by The Weinstein Company on Friday at midnight, critics are free to let their voices be heard right now.

"Daniels knows how to push an audience's buttons, and as crudely obvious as 'The Butler' can be -- whether juxtaposing a Woolworth's lunch-counter protest with a formal White House dinner, or showing a character keeling over at the breakfast table with oxygen tank attached -- it's also genuinely rousing," Variety critic Scott Foundas wrote in his positive notice on the film. "By the end, it's hard not to feel moved, if also more than a bit manhandled."

This is only Daniels' fourth feature as a director; he was nominated in the Best Director category for "Precious," his second film, and is in full awards mode here as well, at least according to TheWrap's Alonso Duralde.

"The cuckoo-rococo side of Daniels, that boundaries-free showman behind such loony spectacles as 'The Paperboy' and 'Shadowboxer,' is nowhere to be found here; instead, he's operating very much in awards-bait mode, juggling historical grandeur, family turmoil and a changing societal landscape." For Duralde, who also gave "The Butler" positive marks, it worked: He wrote that Daniels' film is "head and shoulders above feel-good kitsch like 'The Help,'" an Oscar nominee for Best Picture at the 2012 Academy Awards.

Not everyone was as enamored. "'The Butler' plays less like a personal epic and more like a glossed-over highlight reel of African-Americans’ long, difficult march to equality," wrote Tim Grierson at ScreenDaily.

CinemaBlend's Katey Rich similarly found the film's clip-package scope and tonal inconsistencies to be a bridge too far. "'The Butler' gets torn in too many directions, a story with too much to say and almost no effective way of saying it," she wrote in a mixed-negative review.

Nearly every critic, however, heaped praise on Winfrey, who plays Whitaker's onscreen wife.

"Winfrey is clearly reveling in the opportunity to shake up her image a bit and play a boozy adulteress," wrote Duralde. Writing for EW.com, Chris Nashawaty noted that Winfrey's turn was "beautifully nuanced." Even Rich found herself enamored (be warned mild spoilers ahead:


CinemaBlend's Katey Rich similarly found the film's clip-package scope and tonal inconsistencies to be a bridge too far. "'The Butler' gets torn in too many directions, a story with too much to say and almost no effective way of saying it," she wrote in a mixed-negative review.

Nearly every critic, however, heaped praise on Winfrey, who plays Whitaker's onscreen wife.

"Winfrey is clearly reveling in the opportunity to shake up her image a bit and play a boozy adulteress," wrote Duralde. Writing for EW.com, Chris Nashawaty noted that Winfrey's turn was "beautifully nuanced." Even Rich found herself enamored (be warned mild spoilers ahead:

Pakistan again violated the ceasefire late on Friday night when Pakistani Army fired on several Indian posts in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir, forcing the Indian side to retaliate. The firing continued till 3am on Saturday but no casualties have been reported.
A Border Security Force (BSF) soldier patrols near the fenced border with Pakistan in Suchetgarh near Jammu. Pakistan today suspended cross-LoC bus service between J&K and PoK. PTI

This fresh incident comes four days after five Indian soldiers on a patrol in the Poonch sector were killed in an ambush by specialist troops of the Pakistan Army.

Reports said the Pakistan Army targeted the Durga post along the Line of Control (LoC) on Friday night. This fresh violation is likely to further jeopardise the meeting between the prime ministers of the two countries which was scheduled on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly at New York in September.

Defence minister AK Antony had said in Parliament on Thursday, “This incident (the Poonch killings) will have consequences on our behaviour on the LoC and for our relations with Pakistan. Our restraint should not be taken for granted nor should the capacity of armed forces and resolve of the government to uphold the sanctity of the LoC ever be doubted.”

While Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has termed it “imperative” that the two sides begin a dialogue at the earliest, the UPA government under fire from the Opposition and people for not taking a strong line against the neighbouring country will now have to harden its stance.

While Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is unlikely to abandon the peace initiative easily, what happens in New York will depend on events on the border and how Pakistan responds to Indian concerns

If director Robert Zemeckis had gotten his way, "Forrest Gump" would have been very different.

The role of Lt. Dan, a platoon leader who loses his legs, was played by Gary Sinise in the 1994 film, but Zemeckis originally wanted a different -- and very famous -- actor for the part.

Casting director Ellen Lewis, who appears in the new HBO documentary "Casting By," talked with HuffPost Live's Ricky Camilleri about her work on "Gump" and revealed the actor who could have been Lt. Dan.

"I was working on 'Forrest Gump,' and the role of Lt. Dan, Robert Zemeckis very much wanted Kevin Bacon to play the role, and for whatever reason he passed on that," Lewis said.

After Bacon turned down the part, Lewis and Zemeckis went through a series of auditions with other actors. Eventually, Lewis came back around to Sinise, who had been considered earlier in the process.

"I said to Bob, 'Do you remember that I had shown you some tape on Gary?'" she said. "We got him in, he auditioned, he got the role."

Tom Donahue, who directed "Casting By," asked Lewis if she ever considered using a paraplegic actor for the part. She said she didn't for Lt. Dan, but she did use disabled actors for various roles in Martin Scorsese's "Gangs of New York."

Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan on Friday accused Congress chief Sonia Gandhi of extending support to suspended IAS officer Durga Sakthi Nagpal for political benefits.

Supporters take out a Mashal March in support of IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal, Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar who had taken on the mining mafia in Greater Noida region, at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. (Vipin Kumar/HT Photo)

Commenting on the letter written by Gandhi as chairperson of National Advisory Council to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking that Nagpal is not unfairly treated, Khan said, "Has her (Gandhi's) stature reduced to this level that she has started writing for a SDM rank official?"

"In view of 2014 Lok Sabha polls, this SDM will be posted somewhere and she (Durga) will get 10 fake votes in favour of Congress," he said.
related story
After Sonia barb, govt to inquire into illegal sand mining


Attacking Gandhi, Khan further said, "She has affected our federal system by interfering in the matter."

Reacting strongly on Khan's statement, former Congress chief of Uttar Pradesh and MLA Rita Bahuguna Joshi said, "Azam Khan always makes such statements...when he talks about the Congress and votes, we know who manages votes... We know who takes votes on the basis of money and muscle."

Khan should know that its Central government's policy that no honest officer is penalised and every IAS has a right to approach the Central government against their grievances, she said.

Joshi further said, "She (Sonia) has only made a request to the PM in a letter to ensure that an honest officer is no penalised... Where is the issue of affecting the federal structure involved in the matter....She was not talking about PCS officers."

The Congress leader added, "I think, she has made a very relevant point in the letter and we don't take seriously the statements made by the ministers of the state government."

Khan on August 7 had accused media of glorifying Nagpal as "Durgaji", and said her case was highlighted while other such suspensions went unnoticed.

"The media has projected Durga as Durgaji. Otherwise in such cases, officers from the level of managing director to chief engineer get suspended and not even a single line is published," Azam, who was in Bareilly had told reporters.

A Minnesota man claimed his third of a $448 million Powerball jackpot on Thursday, wasting no time before revealing his good fortune to the world and saying he had "been waiting for this day my entire life."

Paul White, 45, a project engineer from Ham Lake, said his family often gave him a hard time for frequently playing the lottery, and he had a tough time convincing many of them that he had finally won.

"The only person who didn't feel I was BSing them was my mother," a beaming White said at a news conference where he was joined by his girlfriend, brother and two colleagues.

White said he'll take a lump sum, which will amount to $58.3 million after taxes. Despite the minuscule odds of a jackpot win, White said he often daydreamed about how he'd spend his winnings if he won.

"I've totally been waiting for this day my entire life," he said, lamenting that he has to wait two weeks for his money. "Start the clock right now," he said, eliciting laughs.

The other two winning tickets were sold in New Jersey, including in a coastal community that is still recovering from Superstorm Sandy. But no one had stepped forward to claim either of those two shares as of Thursday afternoon.

White said his girlfriend called him Thursday morning to say a winning ticket had been sold in Minnesota, and he quickly checked the 10 he had bought the night before.

Mega-jackpot winners often wait days or weeks before claiming their prizes, giving them time to prepare and make legal arrangements. White said he had an attorney and financial adviser in mind, and wasn't afraid of the publicity – noting the New Jersey winners hadn't stepped forward yet.

"I hope I'm yesterday's news as soon as possible," he said.

White said he is divorced and has a 16-year-old son and 14-year-old daughter. He said his days working for a Minneapolis electrical contractor "are over," although he said he planned to help his boss, Ron Bowen, finish some projects before quitting. Referring to Bowen, who was sitting nearby, he quipped: "He started the day my boss. He's going to end the day my chauffeur."

A long-lost Orson Welles film that was believed destroyed in a 1970 fire has been discovered in a northern Italian warehouse and will finally make its public debut 75 years after being filmed, an Italian film archive announced Thursday.

The silent film "Too Much Johnson," a slapstick comedy made just before Welles went to Hollywood to film "Citizen Kane," was found in a box that had been stored for years in the northeastern city of Pordenone before being identified, said Giuliana Puppin, a spokeswoman for the archive, Cineteca del Friuli.

How the 35mm nitrate print arrived in Pordenone remains a mystery.

Found by a shipping company, it was turned over at some point to a local film society – but the film seemed of no particular value and was left unopened for many years, Puppin said.

"We don't know where the box came from. There were no documents with it. We don't know the road it took," Puppin said.

"Too Much Johnson" stars Joseph Cotten and is less a feature film than a series of scenes made to be shown as part of a production of the play by the same name, said Circo Giorgini, an Italian expert on Welles who identified the film about three years ago. It was never finished and never shown publically.

While the existence of the film was known, the only remaining copy was believed to have been destroyed in a 1970 fire at Welles' home in Madrid. It is not known how many copies of the film were actually made.

Giorgini said he knew immediately "Too Much Johnson" had been found when he got a call from a friend saying he believed he was in possession of a Welles film that starred Cotten wearing a straw hat – the give-away.

"I said, `It is something very precious, take care of it. You have found a film that has been missing for decades,'" Giorgini said.

One of the most joyous days in the Islamic calendar, Eid al-Fitr, also known as Eid ul-Fitr or Eid, is a celebration that marks the end of Ramadan (a holy month of fasting observed by Muslims). This year Eid al-Fitr will most likely be observed on Thursday, August 8, 2013 in the United States. It is celebrated on the first day of Shawwal, the 10th month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Traditionally, the observance begins with the sighting of the new moon. While many will wait to see the moon or an announcement from Mecca, the Fiqh Council of North America has determined that Eid al-Fitr 2012 will fall on August 8, 2013, based on astronomical calculations.

According to a hadith attributed to Anas ibn Malik, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad, the two festivals of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha were instituted by the Prophet after his journey from Mecca to Medinah.

    “When the Prophet arrived in Medinah, he found people celebrated two specific days in which they used to entertain themselves with recreation and merriment. He asked them about the nature of these festivities to which they replied that these days were occasions of fun and recreation. At this, the Prophet remarked that the Almighty has fixed two days [of festivity] instead of these for you which are better than these: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.

The first Eid al-Fitr was celebrated in 624 CE by the Prophet Muhammad and his companions after the victory of the battle of Jang-e-Badar.

To mark the beginning of Eid and in accordance with the Sunnah, or practices of the Prophet Muhammad, many Muslims wake up early in the morning and pray Salat ul-Fajr, or the pre-dawn prayer. After brushing their teeth, taking a bath and wearing perfume, they have breakfast before heading off to perform special congregational prayers known as Salaat al-Eid. Many Muslims recite the takbir, a declaration of faith, on the way to the prayer ground and give special charitable contributions known as Zakat al-Fitr.

Eid al-Fitr is a day of great merriment and thanksgiving. Muslims celebrate by gathering with friends and family, preparing sweet delicacies, wearing new clothes, giving each other gifts and putting up lights and other decorations in their homes. A common greeting during this holiday is Eid Mubarak, which means, “Have a blessed Eid!”

The government said it will step in and take "firm measures" to combat leaks of radioactive water at Japan's crippled nuclear power plant, including possibly funding a costly containment project.

The announcement Wednesday came a day after the operator of the wrecked Fukushima Dai-ichi plant said some of the water was seeping over or around an underground barrier it created by injecting chemicals into the soil that solidified into a wall.

"There is heightened concern among the public, particularly about the contaminated water problem," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said during a government nuclear disaster response meeting at his office. "This is an urgent matter that needs to be addressed. The government will step in to take firm measures."

The latest problem involves water that accumulated over the last month since the operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., began creating the chemical barrier to stop underground leaks after detecting radiation spikes in water samples in May.

Government officials said Wednesday that an estimated 300 tons of radioactive water has been leaking into the sea each day since early in the crisis, which was caused by the March, 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami.

Since a major leak occurred from a maintenance pit a month after three reactors at the plant melted following the disasters, TEPCO had denied any further leaks of radioactive water into the sea, despite repeated warnings by experts, until finally acknowledging them last month.

The underground barrier on the coastal embankment has slowed the leaks somewhat, but has caused underground water to swell. To prevent an overflow above the surface, which is feared to happen within weeks, TEPCO will start pumping out about 100 tons of underground water from coastal observation wells this week. Later this month, TEPCO will remove old contaminated water from trenches near the coast – a time bomb that it had left untouched despite repeated prodding from the government.

Shinji Kinjo, an official at the Nuclear Regulation Authority, said faster-than-expected swelling of the underground water following the installation of the chemical barriers accelerated the emergency caused by TEPCO's delays.

Alarmed by the leaks, a fisheries cooperative in nearby Iwaki city decided to indefinitely postpone a test catch planned for September.

Former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney jumped into the debate over the GOP's future Tuesday night, warning congressional Republicans against forcing a government shutdown in their quest to stop President Barack Obama's signature health care law.

Romney addressed more than 200 donors on the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee at a fundraiser for the New Hampshire Republican Party, staged just four miles from the vacation home where he has spent much of the summer with his family. The event was closed to the media, but his office released his prepared remarks.

Romney, 66, warned congressional Republicans against letting emotions drive their decisions.

"I badly want Obamacare to go away, and stripping it of funds has appeal. But we need to exercise great care about any talk of shutting down government," Romney said in the first speech of its kind since his November election loss to Obama. "What would come next when soldiers aren't paid, when seniors fear for their Medicare and Social Security, and when the FBI is off duty?"

He continued: "I'm afraid that in the final analysis, Obamacare would get its funding, our party would suffer in the next elections, and the people of the nation would not be happy. I think there are better ways to remove Obamacare."

Romney did not criticize anyone by name, but he dismissed the very strategy employed by some of his party's biggest names – potential 2016 presidential candidates among them. Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida, Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah are urging Republicans to swear off voting for any year-end spending bill that includes money for the president's health care law. Parts of the federal government would shut down on Oct. 1 if Congress doesn't approve a short-term funding bill before then.

Several Republicans on Capitol Hill have attacked the plan to strip health care funding from the spending bill in unusually harsh language, although Romney has been silent on this – and virtually every other public debate – for much of the last nine months.

It's unclear what role the former Massachusetts governor hopes to play for the GOP. He has hinted at a desire to remain an active voice on major policy debates, and he maintains ties to a powerful national fundraising operation.

His presence at the New Hampshire GOP fundraiser Tuesday night helped raise tens of thousands of dollars, according to organizers, which is considered a large haul for a state party so long before the next election. Donors paid between $100 and $1,500 and traveled from as far as California to attend the event, which was held at a lakeside mansion used in 2007 as a vacation home for French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
   
   
In his speech, Romney acknowledged that some Republicans may not care for his perspective given his recent loss.

"I'm probably not the first person you'd ask for advice," he said. "But because we all learn from our mistakes, I may have a thought or two of value."

He called on Republicans to "stay smart," in part, by backing candidates who can win. And as the pool of potential candidates for the 2016 presidential contest begins to grow, Romney suggested that most are not electable.

There is one thing every married person will tell you: marriage is hard. Anyone in the midst of that proverbial honeymoon period may have a hard time believing that, though. Those first few months after you tie the knot, you truly understand the notion of wedded bliss. But once life starts to settle in, some inevitable problems crop up for most couples. We asked married women about the biggest issues in their marriages and here's what they had to say:

    Money, money, money. We can barely even talk about it in an objective, budget-discussing sense without getting all testy and defensive. So much emotional murk tied to money.
    It's kind of cliche, but he leaves his sh*t everywhere!
    He never goes to our kids' school activities or plays.
    Our marriage has three people -- me, my husband, and his mother.
    Tempering our expectations of one another. Often we will "expect" the other person to do things in the way that we would have done it, be it showering the kids or acknowledging a birthday, or having dinner on the table after a particularly hard day. And when that doesn't happen, coming back from that disappointment is hard. But we set ourselves up for it a lot of the time because maybe the other person didn't realize you wanted things done in a certain way or maybe our expectations are unfair and unrealistic.
    He doesn't want any more kids, but I want just one more.
    I figured this out a little too late, but I don't think we are actually sexually compatible.
    We don't spend enough alone time with each other. Between work, kids, and house stuff, I feel like I never see him.
    He doesn't help enough around the house. It's like he thinks the dishes miraculously wash themselves. When I ask him to help out, he says that he's too tired. Like I'm not!
    Too much time together. I have NO breathing room.
    He never tells me what he is thinking. It's like talking to a stone wall sometimes.
    He snores as loud as a freight train and won't do anything about it.
    He is obsessed with sports. He even tried to miss our child's birthday party because of some playoff game. I'm like, what's more important here?
    He doesn't respect my career goals as much as his own.
    He spends way too much time at strip clubs.
    He is Facebook friends with his ex-girlfriend. Sorry, but that's not okay.
    We never go on dates anymore. It's just work, home, work, home. Where's the excitement in that?
    He's never around. Sometimes I feel like a single mom.
    We never have sex. Like ever. It's like we are roommates.
    This may sound small, but it drives me nuts. He NEVER replaces the toilet paper roll. He will even open a package and use a new roll and just place it on the counter instead of in the holder. WHY???!!!

Brooks Forester might have been the frontrunner all season on "The Bachelorette," but Desiree Hartsock ended up accepting Chris Siegfried's proposal on the dramatic finale last night (Aug. 5).

Following Brooks' surprising departure from the show last week, Desiree decided to continue on with her journey to find love, ultimately sending Drew Kenney home and choosing Chris to be her fiance. But many were shocked that Chris still wanted to be with Des after she revealed her love for Brooks during their heartbreaking on-air split.

So, what did Chris really think about Desiree's breakup with Brooks? Nothing, because -- wait for it -- he didn't even watch it.

"I actually didn't watch the entire part of it," Chris told "Good Morning America" today (Aug. 6). "We initially talked about watching the episodes and how we would handle that for our relationship going forward and we kind of just decided that maybe it would be best to watch the segments that we just shared together," he added.

Despite opening up about her heartbreak over Brooks leaving the show, Desiree admits that she didn't just choose Chris because Brooks was no longer an option.

"It's a different situation because the feelings are more accelerated, but at the same time I think that helped in me really getting past the hurt from Brooks leaving and being able to see all that was here in Chris," she explained. "Sometimes I think you do need to go through the hard to get to the good."

And speaking of good, Des says that seeing Brooks at the "After the Final Rose" special was fine.

t seems like common sense that sex in porn doesn't mirror what men and women do in their own, non-commercialized bedrooms. But this point gets really driven home in "Porn Sex vs Real Sex: The Differences Explained With Food," a video which shatters the illusion the porn is anything like real sex by going back to basics: fruit metaphors.

Inspired by the video, HuffPost Live spoke to women working in the porn industry, and asked them to share what they believe the difference between porn sex and real sex is.

Jincey Lumpkin, Esq., Chief Sexy Officer of Juicy Pink Box, noted that porn involves, "posturing for the camera," "flattering" angles and "cutting together of the scenes" -- all of which, if reenacted by normal people, can "take away sometimes from the pleasure and enjoyment aspect" of their sexual experiences.

Nina Hartley, an adult film actress, agreed, emphasizing the performative aspect of porn. She told HuffPost Live host Caitlyn Becker:

    Pornography is a paid, professional performance by actors. It is a fantasy, it is not meant to be a rulebook and guidebook or a how to as a general rule. And it goes to show how poor our sex education is in this country that people are reduced to looking at an entertainment medium for information about the body.

Both the "Porn Sex vs. Real Sex" video, and HuffPost Live's conversations with Lumpkin and Hartley, contribute to a greater dialogue about porn as a sometimes unrealistic fantasy. The more we discuss these subjects, the more women and men alike will hopefully realize that they don't have to force themselves to emulate what they see in porn films. Fantasy is great, but the reality of sex based on one's own desires -- and separate from the pressure to look or act a certain way -- can be even better.

Little known fact: Not all divorcés are shedding a river of tears, inhaling tubs of ice cream and blasting "All By Myself" after the split is finalized.

For some folks, a finalized decree comes after months and even years of battling it out with their ex in divorce court. The end of the divorce process is something worth celebrating, which is why we're big fans of the meme Redditor defchan posted on Friday to commemorate his finalized divorce.


A little backstory on the photo: It was originally posted by Redditor zagood about a year ago to celebrate his birthday and his new post-split life. "40th birthday," he wrote. "Going through a divorce. Moved in with my parents. Cheers!"

A sentiment that's perfectly worthy of a meme, if you ask us.