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.

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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.

Even though her wardrobe is full of crop tops and itty bitty shorts, Miley Cyrus' skimpy outfits still manage to shock.

The 20-year-old singer makes an appearance in the music video for Big Sean's "Fire." In it, Cyrus wears scintillating outfits like a crop top with torn booty shorts and gold lamé lingerie. Combined with some sensual moves, the final product makes for an explosive piece.

The pop-singer-turned-video-vixen is the main attraction of Sean's new visuals, even though she doesn't sing on the track. He intentionally made Ms. Miley the centerpiece in "Fire."

"I wanted somebody who was beautiful and I wanted to take her out of her element," he told MTV News recently. "People lookin at her like she's twerking and all this stuff, but she's an awesome person and she's cool. She symbolizes the beauty of a lot of women. Women overcoming different relationships and being as beautiful as a flower. You'll see a lot of metaphors in the video."

Cyrus, who topped Maxim's "Hot 100" list this year, is certainly comfortable enough in her own skin to star in something like "Fire."

"If people find that [I'm sexy], [I] take it as a compliment,” she told Amanda De Cadenet last year. "People look to sell it the wrong way, especially if you're young. It's like, 'No, this is just who I am. And thank you for thinking I'm sexy.' People are so scared of seeing a woman being like, ‘This is who I am and you’re not going to change it.’”

Pregnant Hilaria Baldwin looks about ready to pop.

Alec Baldwin's wife, who is expecting the couple's first child, stepped out in the Hamptons, N.Y. on Aug. 2 looking lovely and refreshed. The 29-year-old yoga instructor was glowing in black spandex and a tight tank top as she escorted her husband to a coffee shop. She is reportedly eight months along in her pregnancy.

So how does Hilaria stay in tip-top maternity shape? She admits that moisturizing, as well as exercising, helps her embrace her growing baby bump.

"I work out every day," she told Refinery 29, continuing, "When you get pregnant, you want to stay as moisturized as possible. Your body is going through so many changes and surprises can come up. Dry skin, stretch marks, all sorts of different things. I think one of the reasons my skin has looked so nice throughout my pregnancy is that as soon as I got pregnant, I went out and I bought cocoa butter."

Simon Cowell has reportedly been named in the divorce papers filed by his friend Andrew Silverman, after it was alleged the 'X Factor' boss is having a baby with his wife Lauren.

The New York Post reports Andrew filed for a 'fault divorce based on adultery', following Us Weekly's previous claims that Lauren and Simon only became close 'as her marriage deteriorated'.


Andrew's brother is said to have told the paper: "It is an unbelievable story of betrayal. It is a sad story and a tragic story."

The Daily Mail have also obtained a screen grab of court records which show Simon named as a co-respondent in the divorce case.

Due to Andrew's claim, Simon could face being hauled into court to reveal details of his relationship with Lauren.

"It's really a signal to the spouse who cheated that the wronged spouse is very angry and that it's going to be a very nasty, scorched-earth, high-profile litigation," divorce attorney Martha Cohen Stine reportedly told the NY Post.

However, a source previously told Us Weekly that the divorce had been in the works "for a while".

"Lauren and Andrew have been unhappy in their marriage for some time, and their divorce has been in the works for a while," they said.

"As their marriage deteriorated, she and Simon became close."

According to the magazine, New York socialite Lauren is around ten weeks pregnant with Simon's baby.

When a magazine published the millionth story claiming Jennifer Aniston is pregnant earlier this week, we admit we rolled our eyes. However, our suspicions were raised somewhat when she made an appearance on the red carpet clutching her tummy on Thursday night.

The former 'Friends' star - who has been at the centre of pregnancy rumours for longer than we can remember - was attending the world premiere of her new film 'We're The Millers' in New York, with her tight dress appearing to show a swollen stomach.

Now, we don't know if Jen just had a particularly carb-laden lunch, or whether she really is with child, but InTouch magazine recently claimed she has begun IVF treatment with fiancé Justin Theroux.

A source on the set of film 'Squirrels and Nuts', which she is currently shooting, told the mag: "She definitely seemed to have gained some weight.

"She knows the clock is ticking - she's well aware of it. She's also done her homework. She's explored all methods for having a baby and knows what her options are with IVF. She's educated herself," they added.

Indeed, the figure Jen showed off on the red carpet on Thursday is markedly different to how she appears in 'We're The Millers', where the very-trim star plays a stripper.

However, given the number of false reports over the years (as you can see in our gallery below), we're not believing anything until we hear the happy news from the horse's mouth.

Today in horrible people doing horrible things: Day Above Ground released a song called "Asian Girlz," and it's about as bad way worse than you could possibly imagine.

Judging by the reactions, "Asian Girlz" is either the most racist thing ever or just the most racist thing you'll see all day.

Here's what happens in the music video: The band is trapped in a bird cage while an Asian model strips out of a prim outfit to reveal lingerie and tattoos, while said band sings about things like fried rice and "buttf--king all night." As Buzzfeed noted, the fourth verse is actually just a list of Asian stereotypes. While this is happening, every member of the band goes on a date with an Asian girl, nights chronicled in Polaroid snapshots. THEN, the model in question picks up the bird cage and takes it (and the band) to the bathroom where she -- of course -- draws a bubble bath and lets the miniature non-musicians out for a dive into the water.

She then rubs one of them on her breasts while another one swims between her legs, causing her to moan, because who doesn't love the tender caress of a shrunken-down, racist non-rocker?

Not only is there plenty of racist stuff to get one's blood boiling, there's also this actual lyric: "17 or 23, it doesn't matter to me!"

Levy Tran, the "Asian Girl" in the video, apologized for participating in the clip on Twitter, while the band says they're totally not racist because --wait for it -- "the guy in the bow-tie, our cutie bass player, was born in Indonesia, and he steals the show!"

Shailene Woodley calls fame "the F-word."

"I'm fine with the other F-word," the 21-year-old actress says. "But that F-word is too much."

She better get ready. An actress since age 5, Woodley earned notice – and an Independent Spirit Award – for playing the angst-ridden teen daughter of George Clooney's character in 2011's "The Descendants." Starting Friday, she can be seen in another indie, "The Spectacular Now." She may also play Mary Jane in "The Amazing Spider-Man" franchise. And Woodley has just wrapped work on a project that could bring her "Twilight"-sized fame.

"I have a very, very fun life outside of this industry, so if anything were to not happen or if things got to be way too overwhelming ... I will go and be an herbalist," says the actress, folding her lithe frame and bare feet beneath her as she sips a cappuccino made from ground mushrooms. "I never want to stop. I want to act until the day that I'm not here anymore. But the day it becomes boring is the day I'll quit."

That's not likely. Not only is Woodley "a crazy positive person by nature," she just finished filming her most empowered role yet. She plays the lead in "Divergent," the big-screen adaptation of the young-adult novel that's been compared to "The Hunger Games." And if it's as popular as predicted when it hits theaters next year, Woodley may have to leave her anonymity behind.

"I'll never, ever think of myself as famous, even if I ever get to the point of George Clooney ... because I think you might go crazy if you start referring to yourself in those terms," she says, considering a future marked by paparazzi and private entrances. "But the main thing for me is just, I'm me, and I live such an amazing life which I'm so lucky for and I have such amazing friends and the perfect family ... that I don't see anything changing."

She's already playing by her own rules where she can. She often skips makeup on red carpets to feel more like herself. And when she does submit to full regalia, she tucks a favorite crystal necklace beneath her designer dress. She also talks about herbs and the environment every chance she gets.

"In middle school, I became a really avid environmentalist," she explains.

During a recent appearance on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon," Woodley showed off some echinacea flowers she picked while walking through New York City. During this interview, she shares the vials of herbal tinctures she typically travels with, and offers a visitor an herbal cappuccino like the one she's drinking.

 Health officials in Iowa and Nebraska on Tuesday identified prepackaged salad mix as the source of a severe stomach bug that sickened hundreds of people in both states, but federal authorities said it's not clear whether cyclospora outbreaks elsewhere in the U.S. are also linked to that produce.

Cyclospora is a rare parasite that causes a lengthy gastrointestinal illness, and outbreaks of the illness have been reported in 15 states. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday that it's not clear whether all of the illnesses are linked to a single source. The outbreak has sickened at least 145 residents in Iowa and 78 in Nebraska.

Nebraska officials said the salad mix in question included iceberg and romaine lettuce, along with red cabbage and carrots, which came through national distribution chains. They did not identify specific brands. A Nebraska health department spokeswoman said the agency was working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to get a "clear picture" of which were involved and whether they're tied to one common source, such as the same farm or producer.

"Our goal is to protect Nebraskans, pinpoint the source of the illness and make sure the risk is eliminated," said Dr. Joseph Acierno, the department's chief medical officer and director of public health.

In Iowa, officials said they were confident that most if not all of the product was no longer on the shelves. The affected products were traced to grocery stores and restaurants, said Steven Mandernach, the state's top food-safety inspector. Mandernach said cases were reported throughout the state, but the largest number was in the eastern Iowa city of Cedar Rapids.

Mandernach said officials have traced 80 percent of the Iowa cases to a common source, which he did not identify because officials believe there's no longer any immediate safety threat. Mandernach said it's possible that the parasite spread through contaminated floodwater and onto farm fields after arriving in the state. Before the outbreak, he said, Iowa had seen about 20 cases of cyclospora in the last decade.

Local health departments are working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to identify exactly where the contamination originated in the food production chain and where the product was distributed.

How to talk to your daughter about her body, step one: Don't talk to your daughter about her body, except to teach her how it works.

Don't say anything if she's lost weight. Don't say anything if she's gained weight.

If you think your daughter's body looks amazing, don't say that. Here are some things you can say instead:

"You look so healthy!" is a great one.

Or how about, "You're looking so strong."

"I can see how happy you are -- you're glowing."

Better yet, compliment her on something that has nothing to do with her body.

Don't comment on other women's bodies either. Nope. Not a single comment, not a nice one or a mean one.

Teach her about kindness towards others, but also kindness towards yourself.

Don't you dare talk about how much you hate your body in front of your daughter, or talk about your new diet. In fact, don't go on a diet in front of your daughter. Buy healthy food. Cook healthy meals. But don't say, "I'm not eating carbs right now." Your daughter should never think that carbs are evil, because shame over what you eat only leads to shame about yourself.

Encourage your daughter to run because it makes her feel less stressed. Encourage your daughter to climb mountains because there is nowhere better to explore your spirituality than the peak of the universe. Encourage your daughter to surf, or rock climb, or mountain bike because it scares her and that's a good thing sometimes.

Help your daughter love soccer or rowing or hockey because sports make her a better leader and a more confident woman. Explain that no matter how old you get, you'll never stop needing good teamwork. Never make her play a sport she isn't absolutely in love with.

Prove to your daughter that women don't need men to move their furniture.

Teach your daughter how to cook kale.

Teach your daughter how to bake chocolate cake made with six sticks of butter.

Pass on your own mom's recipe for Christmas morning coffee cake. Pass on your love of being outside.

If the art world and the hip-hop world have one thing in common, it's a hearty appetite for controversy. (And before members of both camps start flaming me, yes, I realize they have more than just that in common.) So it was probably inevitable that Jay Z's decision to stage a "performance piece" at the Pace Gallery over the course of six hours would stir passions. To some in the art world, ever suspicious of celebrity incursions, it was a debasement of the form. To some in the hip-hop world, ever suspicious of crossover betrayals, it was a flagrant display of elitism.

But what was Jay Z himself trying to achieve? According to Mark Romanek, who conceptualized the event and directed the resulting half-hour documentary (set to air on HBO this Friday at 11 pm), the inspiration was simple. Romanek had seen the 2012 film "Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present," which documented the Serbian-born artist's marathon series of one-on-one interactions with visitors at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and become fascinated by the intimacy she achieved. "What I pitched to Jay was: 'You regularly perform to 60 or 80,000 people at a time. What if you performed for one person at a time? What if it was like Marina's piece?"" Romanek says.

That helps explain why Romanek insists on calling the "Picasso Baby" session a piece of performance art, rather than a music video. And it helps explain why Jay Z rapped the lyrics live instead of lip syncing -- despite what you may have read in Gawker or The New Yorker. "They're both dead wrong," Romanek says. "At no point during the day did he lip sync. He did live vocals for six hours. The finished piece was always intended to be live vocals. I mean, that was the whole point of it. Otherwise, it would turn into a music video."

Romanek has directed some of the most memorable music videos of the past 20 years, including Johnny Cash's "Hurt," Fiona Apple's "Criminal" and Jay Z's "99 Problems," but he's mostly focused on features these days. His 2002 film "One Hour Photo," with Robin Williams in the lead, grossed $31 million domestically, and in 2010 he followed it up with "Never Let Me Go," starring Carey Mulligan and Andrew Garfield. So when Jay Z called and proposed a collaboration, Romanek had to ask himself if he wanted to do another music video. "And the answer was no," he says. "But do I want to work with Jay Z on this amazing album? The answer was absolutely, so how do we invent a new thing that we would both be excited by?"

I chanced into an invitation to the "Picasso Baby" shoot (event? happening? I don't know what to call it anymore), and thought it was pretty cool. Earlier this week, I asked Romanek how it all went down. Here are some highlights from our conversation.

Just a few simple habits can make the difference between a fit person and a couch potato, an everyday worker and the outrageously successful.

That's because those simple habits work. And these ultra-fit examples are proof.

Fit People Don't Diet

Michelle Obama, champion of nutrition and physical activity (and owner of some of the most inspiring arms in America), knows that obsessing over every calorie is no way to live. "The truth is, being a healthy woman isn't about getting on a scale or measuring your waistline -- and we can't afford to think that way," she wrote in Women's Health in 2010. "Instead, we need to start focusing on what matters -- on how we feel, and how we feel about ourselves."

They Find A Way To Enjoy Exercise

Fitness is not one-size-fits-all -- and the fittest people understand that and dedicate the time to finding an exercise routine they actually enjoy. Bob Harper, devoted CrossFit fan, takes it to the next step: "For me, working out is a form of therapy, it's cathartic for me, it's a good stress reliever," he told Parade in 2013. "I know that when I go to the gym I am taking care of myself and I know I'll feel so much better afterwards."

They Don't Compare Their Bodies To Other People's Bodies

Bow down to Queen Bey! The singer/actress/mama/superstar's weight has fluctuated for a number of movie roles, but she knows where she's most comfortable -- and accepts it. "I feel best when I'm not really thin and not really heavy, when I'm still curvy," she told SELF. "I really believe that everyone is supposed to be different, and whatever is a natural weight for you is usually what looks best."

They Get Enough Sleep

Jillian Michaels, tough-as-nails trainer of Biggest Loser fame, considers a good night's sleep her secret weapon. Get "as much as you can," she told Spry Living: "Sleep is critical for a strong immune system, metabolism, anti aging -- the list goes on and on." And she's right: Skimping on sleep ups your risk for a number of serious health conditions. Plus, even just an extra hour of sleep can help your athletic performance. "I really do prioritize my sleep," she told Health magazine. "I get seven to eight hours a night."

They Cheat

Even the most fit know that a healthy-eating plan needs a little wiggle room. Jessica Biel values a "cheat" day: "When I'm working and I eat healthily all week, I then give myself one day -- usually Sunday -- when I eat what I want," she told Glamour UK. "You have to, otherwise your mind goes a little nutso."

They Make Fitness A Priority

We're all busy, but if you want to be fit you have to make time to work for it. The most fit people strike a balance between work and family obligations, social lives and exercise. In fact, it may be what differentiates the fittest folks from everyone else, boxing champ Laila Ali told Ebony:

    I do my best to work out five days a week. There are times when I can only get in three days a week because I am traveling or just need rest due to a hectic schedule. But working out is always a priority and if I fall off due to my schedule, it is not long before I get back on track. People who are fit are the same as anyone else. The only difference is their level of commitment. If looking good and being fit was easy, everyone would do it! Most people don't want to put in the work or make the sacrifices needed in order to be fit.

Jasleen was born at University Hospital in Leipzig on July 26, weighing in at 13.47 pounds, and measuring 22.6 inches long -- and she was delivered without the help of a C-section, reports the New York Daily News.

The medical term for babies born weighing more than 8 pounds, 13 ounces is "fetal macrosomia," and heavy babies are often attributed to maternal obesity and diabetes, among other factors. In Jasleen's case, doctors said her size is due to an undiagnosed case of gestational diabetes, reports the German paper Der Spiegel, which adds that both baby and Mom are doing well, though Jasleen remains in the hospital.

Until Jasleen's birth last week the title of Germany's "heaviest" or "largest" baby belonged to one named Jihad, who was born in November 2011 and weighed in at 13 pounds.

Jasleen, however, is not the heaviest baby born this year. We can't forget about about George King, who was born in March to a British couple and weighed in at 15 pounds, 7 ounces -- and again, yes, he was delivered vaginally.

And on July 11, Pittsburgh-area woman Michelle Cessna gave birth to Addyson Gale Cessna, who was born at 13 pounds, 12 ounces, and measured 25 inches via C-section.

While big babies seem to be on the rise, the Guinness Book of World Records says the heaviest baby ever born weighed 23 pounds, born to Anna Bates in 1879. No other newborn has tipped that scale yet, but here are seven who have come close.