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.