Here's The Snoop Dogg Episode Martha Stewart Was Talking About On The Bieber Roast

The Internet crowned Martha Stewart the queen of Justin Bieber's Comedy Central roast on Monday night. Seeing Stewart crack jokes about Ludacris, Shaquille O'Neal and Hannibal Buress was nice, but the real highlight came when the lifestyle guru reminded us of the time Snoop Dogg appeared on her talk show, which began in 1993 as "Martha Stewart Living" and continued as simply "Martha" after her five-month prison tenure in late 2004 and early 2005.



"It's nice to see Snoop again," she said while tallying the guests during her time at the podium. "One of the highest-rated episodes on my show, 'Martha Stewart Living,' was when Snoop and I made brownies together. I've used his recipe ever since. As a matter of fact, I ate three of them right before they called and asked me to do this roast."



If you were wondering what the duo could have discussed while seated next to each other for two hours, don't. Their aforementioned history dates back to 2008, when Snoop appeared on "Martha" to make mashed potatoes and teach Stewart essential vocabulary like "fo' shizzle" and "ball till ya fall." A year later, Snoop returned to teach her a recipe for "green-colored brownies." (Recommended baking temperature for the "special" treats: 420 degrees.) By that point, they seemed like old friends, which means it's time we all rewatch this glorious television landmark:











Here are the mashed potatoes and life lessons from 2008's episode:















"Where's Snoop? I have brownies FOR YOU," Stewart said in a Reddit AMA last March.

What Jeb Bush Gets That Scott Walker Doesn't

Without an Embrace of Optimism, the GOP Is Dead

Mother Leave 7-Year-Old In Dumpster Overnight, Cops Say

DALLAS (AP) -- A mother has been charged with leaving her 7-year-old daughter to sleep overnight in a dumpster outside a spa in Dallas, police said.



Alicia Carroll of Garland was being held in the Dallas County jail Tuesday on charges of abandoning and endangering a child. Bond for the 28-year-old woman was set at $25,000. A message left with her attorney was not returned.



Dallas police said in a statement that Carroll left the spa in northwest Dallas with her daughter about 10 p.m. Saturday. An arrest warrant affidavit says Carroll began to run, told her daughter the police were after them and to hide in the garbage bin. The girl fell asleep in the bin waiting for her mother to return. She awoke 10 hours later, climbed out and walked back to the spa Sunday morning. There, officers found her hungry, thirsty, and with scrapes and cuts on her arms and legs.



Meanwhile, Carroll called 911 Sunday morning and reported that she had left her daughter with another person who now was refusing to return her. When confronted with her daughter, Carroll told officers that she had left the spa and drank two glasses of vodka in the parking lot. She told police she then began to walk with her daughter but could remember nothing more.



The girl was examined at a hospital and released to a family member. The case has been referred to Child Protective Services.

The 'One Tree Hill' Cast Reunited, And Made Your Teenage Dreams Come True

5 Life Lessons We Can All Learn From Deepak Chopra

The author of the novel The 13th Disciple on faith, science and love.





As told to Arianna Davis



Faith makes all things possible.







Having an inner certainty that there is something -- whether it's a god, a religion, whatever you believe in -- behind the events in our lives takes the pressure off us to try to figure everything out. I don't need to have all the answers because that certainty makes me feel less unsure.



Meditation doesn't have to be hard.







Many people struggle with the exercise because they focus on the end result or worry about what they're supposed to be doing. But it doesn't have to be all about emptying your head of thoughts. Just sit. Be still. Of course your mind won't be completely quiet at first, but if you keep practicing, you'll find peace.



We will never solve the mystery of existence through science.








Sure, science is a great measurement, but it's just a map. It doesn't reveal our destination or the stops we'll make along the way. For example, consider love: It's a riddle we can't quantify or prove, but it exists, and it makes life worthwhile.



Love means total acceptance.







Over time, I've realized that in a relationship or a marriage, you shouldn't try to change your partner. We are who we are, and when you accept people instead of trying to change them to fit your needs, your relationships can fully blossom.



I love my family and children, but that's not enough.







It's selfish to love only the people in my life. There's so much conflict today that I think it's important to expand one's efforts as far as possible. True love should be expansive. I don't want to be confined to my own little definition of who I am individually and where in the world I fit in.







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Buckminster Fuller Talks 'The Geodesic Life' In Rare, Animated Interview

The 10 Most Beautiful Public Art Shows Hitting New York This Spring

This article originally appeared on artnet News.

by Sarah Cascone





Jeppe Hein, Semicircular Mirror Labyrinth II (2013), installed at Ordrupgaard, Charlottenlund, Denmark. Photo: Anders Sune Berg, courtesy König Galerie, Berlin; 303 Gallery, New York; and Galleri Nicolai Wallner, Copenhagen.

Spring kicked off March 20, which in New York means the official start of the public art season. Once again, we've rounded up the city's most exciting art installations, from a star-studded presentation by 11 artists on the High Line and luminous gazing globes in Madison Square Park, to biblical statuary in Tribeca. Get ready for some prime Instagramming opportunities, because art is in bloom citywide. (See last year's roundup here: New York's 11 Most Beautiful Public Art Shows for Spring.





The Myth Makers (Donna Dodson and Andy Moerlein), "Avian Avatars" (2015), Garment District Plaza.

Photo: courtesy the Garment District.




1. The Myth Makers (Donna Dodson and Andy Moerlein), "Avian Avatars," Garment District Plaza
A holdover from the winter, "Avian Avatars" is a series of five massive sculptures of mythical birds from the Myth Makers, a collaboration between artists Donna Dodson and Andy Moerlein. Between 18 and 26 feet tall, the artworks are crafted from young maple trees, wire tires, and found objects.

Garment District Plaza, Broadway between 36th and 41st Street, through April 30.)








Agnes Denes, rendering of The Living Pyramid (2015).




2. Agnes Denes, The Living Pyramid, Socrates Sculpture Park,

Over 30 years since Agnes Denes transformed the former landfill of Battery Park City into a wheat field, she is back with a new public art intervention that will erect a massive flower-covered pyramid on the East River waterfront (see Agnes Denes to Build Living Pyramid at Socrates Sculpture Park). Tens of thousands of seeds will germinate over the project's run.

Socrates Sculpture Park, 32-01 Vernon Boulevard, Long Island City, Queens, May 17–August 30.







Tatiana Trouvé with Desire Lines in Central Park (2015).

Photo: Sam Hodgson for the New York Times.




3. Tatiana Trouvé, Desire Lines, Public Art Fund, Central Park
It's easy to get lost on Central Park's many pathways, but Tatiana Trouvé has made a careful survey of all 212 of them, creating giant colorful spools of thread that match the length of each one (see Tatiana Trouvé and Public Art Fund Bring Homage to Selma and Other Historic Walks to Central Park). The artist has studied historically, artistically, and musically significant walks, pairing each path with an event like the Selma voting rights march.

Central Park, Doris C. Freedman Plaza, Fifth Avenue at 60th Street, through August 30.








Paula Hayes, Gazing Globes (2015), Madison Square Park.

Photo: Sarah Cascone.




4. Paula Hayes, Gazing Globes, Madison Square Park
These post-modern terrariums by landscape artist Paula Hayes are filled with cast off technological items that have been coated in a shimmery dust created from powdered CDs. The globes sparkle in the sunlight by day, and are almost magically illuminated by night (see Paula Hayes' Luminous Globes of Predigital Castoffs Lure the Instagram Set).

Madison Square Park, Fifth Avenue at 23rd Street, through April 19








Teresita Fernández, Fata Morgana (rendering).

Photo: Madison Square Park Conservancy.




5. Teresita Fernández, Fata Morgana, Madison Square Park
At 500 feet long, Teresita Fernández's canopy sculpture is being billed by the Conservancy as its largest and most ambitious outdoor project ever. The installation is made of mirror-polished golden metal, and will appear to hover above the park's walkways, mimicking the phenomena known as Fata Morgana, a mirage that materializes across the horizon line.

Madison Square Park, Fifth Avenue at 23rd Street, April 30, 2015–January 10, 2016.








Nicolas Holiber, Head of Goliath (2015), rendering.

Photo: Nicolas Holiber.




6. Nicolas Holiber, Head of Goliath, Tribeca Park
The Parks Department is bringing Nicolas Holiber's Head of Goliath, a massive, colorful tribute to the fallen Biblical giant slayed by King David, to Tribeca Park (see Nicolas Holiber's Head of Goliath Kicks Off New York's Spring Public Art Season). The six-foot-long sculpture is crafted from wood, fiberglass, and found and recycled materials.

Tribeca Park, Avenue of the Americas at Walker Street, May–July.








Rashid Johnson, Plateaus (2014).

Photo: Fredrik Nilsen, courtesy David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles, CA.




7. Rashid Johnson, Blocks, the High Line
Rashid Johnson's first commission in New York City will be a sort of living greenhouse, a black steel armature filled with sculptural objects, some created to resemble work made from shea butter, one of the artist's signature materials. As the seasons change, different plant life with grow up around the Minimalist structure, located just south of the Standard Hotel.

On the High Line at Little West 12th Street, May 2014–March 2016.







Kris Martin, Altar 2014.

Photo: Benny Proot.




8. Various Artists, Panorama, the High Line
Designed to taking advantage of the elevated park's unique blend of natural and urban vantage points, this series of sculptures and installations along the High Line will feature works from 11 artists. Olafur Eliasson will present The Collectivity Project, a city panorama built of white Lego pieces; Ryan Gander will exhibit three pieces including a marble drinking fountain shaped like his wife; and a giant bronze telescope sculpture by Elmgreen & Dragset will simultaneously highlight and obscure the park's only view of the Statue of Liberty.

Various locations on the High Line, Gansevoort to West 34th Street between 10th and 12th Avenue, April 23–March 2016.







Jeppe Hein, Appearing Rooms (2004), at Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre, London (2009).

Photo: Jon Spence, courtesy König Galerie, Berlin, and 303 Gallery, New York.




9. Jeppe Hein, "Please Touch the Art," Brooklyn Bridge Park
Presented by the Public Art Fund, Danish artist Jeppe Hein will populate 1.3-mile-long Brooklyn Bridge Park with installations including Appearing Rooms, which features fountains of water for walls; fun house–like mirrored pathways; and Modified Social Benches, unconventionally shaped and situated seats which are meant to encourage interactions among park-goers.

Brooklyn Bridge Park, May 17, 2015–April 16, 2016.








Jorge Palacios, Sketch in the Air (2015) at Trump Soho, New York.

Photo: Jorge Palcaios Studio.




10. Jorge Palacios, Sketch in the Air, Trump Soho
Spain's Jorge Palacios has erected a totemic abstract sculpture of richly polished teak wood mounted on corten steel. The architecturally-inspired public art installation accompanies the artist's solo show, "Convergences," on view at the offices of Steven Harris Architects and Rees Roberts + Partners on Chambers Street.

Trump Soho, 246 Spring Street, through May 1.














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Getting 2.8 Million Syrian Kids In School Could Help End Conflict: Report

Syria currently has one of lowest education rates in the world, a consequence of the civil war that could prolong the crisis even further.



According to a new Save the Children report, 2.8 million Syrian children are out of school both inside the war zone and in refugee camps. But missing out on learning isn’t just depriving this generation of future career opportunities -- it could also lead this group to get directly involved in the conflict and perpetuate the war.



Economists agree that every additional year of education increases a person’s earning potential by 10 percent, according to the report. This is considerably critical in Syria right now where rebel groups are able to recruit soldiers who have no other opportunities and nowhere else to turn.



And while increasing secondary school enrollment is particularly helpful to keeping young males from getting involved in battle, improving education opportunities on any level could “considerably” reduce this figure, a 2010 University of Oslo report concluded.



Education creates monetary opportunities and has proven to have a pacifying effect on society.



Syria’s postwar economy could lose as much as 5.4 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) due to the loss of future earnings of kids who were deprived of education, according to Save the Children. That’s about $2.18 billion.



“Education has also been argued to promote social cohesion, such as learning how to work together peacefully, which in turn enables socioeconomic stability,” the authors of the Oslo University study wrote.



While Save the Children has established an effective education model in Syria, it’s only reaching 2 percent of kids who are out of school due to chronic underfunding and security issues.



To improve those figures, the aid organization has outlined an action plan, which includes holding the parties responsible for breaching international law.



At least 160 children were killed in attacks on schools in Syria last year, according to UNICEF. Such violence has cost $3 billion in damage to school buildings alone, according to Save the Children.



To expand learning opportunities for refugee children and those still living inside the war zone, the aid group has called on donors to recognize that education is a priority that could help facilitate the war’s end.



It also recommended that No Lost Generation -- a U.N. conglomerate that partnered with NGOs and regional governments -- update its strategy. The initiative requires a comprehensive education and protection plan for children and funding commitment from the U.N.



“Giving the vast majority of Syrian children the opportunity to learn is an achievable aim,” Save the Children said in its report. While the underlying cause of the crisis in education –- namely the ongoing war –- remains unresolved, there is nonetheless considerably more that the international community should be doing to ensure that the right of Syria’s children to education is prioritized and fully funded.”



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Pakistan's First Animated Feature Gives Young Fans What They Need -- Homegrown Heroes

Pakistani kids will finally meet homegrown heroes this May: Amna, Saadi and Kamil, the three spunky protagonists of "3 Bahadur" ("3 Brave," in Urdu). The David-and-Goliath plot (our trio rises up to fight mysterious forces plaguing their hometown) is the only classic thing about the continent-spanning production. Pakistan's first animated feature, it is also directed by a woman, Oscar- and Emmy-winning journalist Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.



Born in Karachi, the Smith College graduate rose to prominence with documentaries on the Taliban and female acid attack victims -- the latter of which, "Saving Face," made Obaid-Chinoy the first Pakistani to win an Academy Award. And yet it was "3 Bahadur" that rubbed people the wrong way. Below, she tells us why animation is so hard to pull off in her home country, and so vital.



Being the first to do something is a story in itself. What has been standing in the way of animated features in Pakistan for so long?



It’s very expensive to create animation. It also takes a long time from inception to the final delivery. Animation requires a lot of investment in terms of technology and human resources. Three years ago I decided that I wanted to do it. Most people laughed at me because it was unheard of to make an animated film, to invest so many resources when you don’t know that you’re going to make returns back.

What inspired you?







I have a daughter who's four and a half. She loves cartoons but she has nothing in Urdu to watch. She watches Thomas the Train Engine, and of course everybody at that age watches "Sesame Street." That was a huge factor for me. We are one of the youngest populations in the world and we have no programming for children or even teenagers. We’re heavily influenced by either [foreign] cartoons dubbed in Urdu or Indian cartoons that are very centered around mythology. We have a whole generation of kids growing up in Pakistan who have absolutely no heroes who are local. We need to inculcate in them the feeling that they can rise and they themselves are heroes.



Your animation studio, Waadi Studios [built for "3 Bahadur"], is now the first in Pakistan dedicated to feature-length films.



It's all men, which is quite interesting. I typically employ a lot of young women [for documentaries] but in my animation house, there's not a single female employee. That's just how it is in Pakistan in terms of who is trained in animation. When I started, I was the only woman in Pakistan running an animation house. My employees are all in their 20s and 30s. They had never worked for a female boss in their lives.

What are their aesthetic influences?







We want kids to watch the film and see their neighborhood, their town, their neighbors. Everything had to be very localized. For instance, the film opens with a vibrant fair, so we sent people out to a small town fair to photograph it and bring photos back -- this is what the Ferris wheel should look like, this is what the people should be wearing. Everything has a local flavor. If you watch [the film], you'll see that even Pakistani buses look a certain way.



How are you marketing the film?



We’ve got a comprehensive tour of schools, 50 schools in Karachi, and 35 school in Lahore and Islamabad. The message of the film is that change can come from within every child, so we are showing inspiring videos of young people doing fantastic things. McDonald's is changing the theme of their restaurants across Pakistan, so all employees will be wearing "Team Bahadur" badges. There's a special meal coming out. We have one of the largest retail outlets in Pakistan putting out a special line of clothing.

What's been the most rewarding part of the whole process?



The story is great, but no one’s ever done sound design for an animated feature film in Pakistan, for instance. So here and there we have amazing people from the U.S. working basically gratis [John Angier on scoring the film, and Dan Golden on sound design].They don’t speak our language. Most of the animators don’t speak English. But they’re learning so much about Pakistan and who we are, and we’re learning so much about how sound is done. Given that the world is so bipolar these days, so bifurcated along religious lines, to have these people stop doing lucrative projects and do this to me shows that especially in the world of art, you can still come together to create something special.

Helen Mirren's Acceptance Speech On Helium Deserves An Oscar

And that's why she's "The Queen."



Helen Mirren has one of the best British accents in the biz, so on Monday, Jimmy Fallon convinced her to show off what her voice would sound like on helium. The pair talked about British dishes, Mirren revealed where she keeps her Oscar and the actress gave an impromptu acceptance speech that deserves some accolades of its own.



Between this and Fallon's previous interview on helium with Morgan Freeman, your day is pretty much set.



"The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET on NBC.

Betty White Reveals Her Greatest Regret About Late Husband - Pop Culture - TODAY.com

At 93 years old and still going strong, Betty White has the kind of life most of us can only dream of.

Real-Life 'Tatooine' Planets With Two Suns May Be More Common Than Previously Thought

Luke Skywalker's home planet, Tatooine, may exist only in the make-believe world of Star Wars, but astronomers have long known that planets with two suns exist in the real world too.



So far, mostly gas giant planets have been observed orbiting twin stars. But a new study suggests that rocky Earth-like planets can form in binary star systems -- and are likely quite common in the universe.



"Tatooine sunsets may be common after all," study co-author Dr. Ben Bromley, an astrophysicist at the University of Utah, said in a written statement. “For over a decade, astrophysicists believed that planets like Earth could not form around most binary stars, at least not close enough to support life."



(Story continues below image.)



In this acrylic painting, Bromley illustrates the view of a double sunset from an uninhabited Earth-like planet orbiting a pair of stars.



Astrophysicists had speculated that the uneven gravitational pull of twin stars would prevent orbiting rocks and dust from coalescing to form Earth-like planets -- and even send planet-forming material on destructive collision courses.



“Planets form like dust bunnies under your bed, glomming together to make larger and larger objects,” study co-author Dr. Scott Kenyon, an astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said in the statement. “When planets form around a binary, the binary scrambles up the dust bunnies unless they are on just the right orbit.”



The researchers used computer simulations and mathematical models to show that Earth-like planets could indeed form in a binary star system -- that is, if the planet-forming material orbits its host stars in a concentric, oval-shaped orbit. And the resulting rocky planets may be able to survive for tens of thousands of years, The Telegraph reported.



The takeaway, according to Bromley, is that it's just as easy for an Earth-like planet to form around a binary star as it is to form around a single star like our sun.



The study, “Planet Formation Around Binary Stars: Tatooine Made Easy,” was submitted to the Astrophysical Journal and uploaded to the online research archive arXiv.org on March 12, 2015.

VIDEO: Drained Lake Reveals Its Secrets

Officials had to drain the 4.4 square mile reservoir near Seattle, Washington to make essential repairs to a dam.

Iraq PM: Troops Advance Into Center Of ISIS-Held Tikrit

BAGHDAD (AP) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi says that Iraqi forces have reached the center of Tikrit in its push to retake the city from the Islamic State group.



In a statement Tuesday, al-Abadi said security forces already have retaken neighborhoods on the southern and western edges of the city and are moving to control the entire city.



Abdul-Wahab al-Saadi, the commander of the Salahuddin operation, says his forces fighting in from the west were still 300 meters (325 yards) from the center of Tikrit.



The large-scale operation to recapture Saddam Hussein's hometown began on March 2. It stalled until U.S. forces joined the offensive, launching airstrikes on March 25.

Meghan Daum Talks 'Selfish, Shallow And Self-Absorbed' And Being Childless By Choice

If the title of Selfish, Shallow and Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers on the Decision Not to Have Kids sounds confrontational, that’s likely not an accident.



If you grit your teeth at the idea that people of European descent should try to procreate to remain in the majority, or if you resent the implication that your life is dull and limited if you choose to have children, or if you are infuriated by the accusation that parenthood makes you antisocial or selfish, there will be passages in Selfish, Shallow and Self-Absorbed that will provoke the urge to hurl the book across the room. (Try to refrain.) “These are serious writers, and I’m not going to censor them,” says editor Meghan Daum of the sometimes “enraging” essays in the collection.



It’s this commitment to honesty that also creates room for moments of profound vulnerability and revelation. Daum, the acclaimed essayist and author of last year’s The Unspeakable, deplores how often the childless-by-choice hide behind glib lines and jokes -- e.g. “Why have kids? My shoes are my babies!” -- rather than opening up about the complexity of their attitudes toward parenthood. Those shallow conversation-changers are nowhere to be found in this searing collection.



Instead, we hear from one author who chooses not to have kids after a fear-filled childhood that left her struggling to effectively nurture herself, let alone a family. Another admits that the advent of her brother’s daughter means mourning the loss of their tight-knit sibling bond. One man concedes that he’s hesitant to have a child who would grow up with the middle-class advantages that are anathema to his political sensibilities.



Daum herself didn’t include a story of choosing childlessness in the collection, but poignantly narrated her own experience in The Unspeakable’s “Difference Maker.” She writes of knowing that she doesn’t want a child, but struggling to admit this even to herself. “It was possible,” she muses, “that nothing, not a baby or lack of a baby, not a beautiful house, not rewarding work, was ever going to make us anything other than the chronically dissatisfied, perpetual second-guessers we already were.” Parenthood, and living child-free, aren’t magical states that elevate us to higher states of being; they’re just one way or another to muddle through life, as we are. Maybe this perspective, at last, is the way past the parental wars.



Daum chatted with The Huffington Post recently about choosing childlessness, how we define ourselves and the art of the essay:



On the problem with how we talk about choosing not to have kids:

"I’ve felt like so many of the discussions around this often got reduced to just throwaway lines, like, 'Oh, I’d rather sleep late than have a child,' or 'I’d rather take expensive vacations.' It’s funny because those kinds of accusations or just labels, they often come from people who have kids, but more often I hear them from people who’ve chosen not to have kids! It’s almost like it’s easier somehow to say that you’re selfish or want to buy expensive shoes than it is to say, 'Hey, this just isn’t for me. This isn’t something that I want to do.'"



"I’m just fascinated by that. I’m fascinated by why it’s less of a taboo to say that you are a selfish, materialistic person than it is to say 'Hey, I just don’t want to do this.' That amazes me."



Why she thinks parents may feel threatened by the childless by choice:

"It’s really hard to be a parent, especially these days. The culture has ratcheted up the job of parenting so that it seems like there’s a lot at stake, all the time. It’s like a more than full-time job, and people have full-time jobs on top of that. When you’re in the middle of that, and somebody comes along and says, 'Hey, guess what, I’m not doing that, and I didn’t feel like I had to,' that can get people upset. They can get their backs up. Especially people who felt that it was something that they had to do."



Daum suggests that a defensive or angry reaction is misguided, thought understandable, arguing that "People who choose not to have kids do so because they respect the job of parenting so much that they know not to take it on if they know it’s not something that they’re up for, and I don’t know what to be a bigger tribute to parenting than that."



Why parents never need to explain their choices:

"It’s never questioned. I think when it’s the default setting, it’s easier to just sort of go ahead and do it without really thinking about the reasons why, and when it’s not the default setting, you’re sort of charged with either having to explain yourself or even explain yourself to yourself."



On whether the collection’s essays are “confessional”:

“'Confessional' -- everyone has their own definition of that. Confessional, to me, means that you have not made judicious choices in terms of what you’re including and what you’re not including. In my own work, I see what I’m doing as confiding to the reader as opposed to confessing to the reader. So I guess the litmus test for me with the pieces in the anthology was, did I feel like I was being confessed to or did I feel like they were confiding in me and the reader? Were they exploring something and taking the reader along with them?"



Why it’s tricky to write personal essays about taboo subjects:

"If somebody is talking about having an abortion, no matter how they talk about it, it’s going to come across to some people as confessional, just because it’s such a taboo."



... but also necessary:

"The point of essays is the point of writing anything. It’s not to tell people what they already think or to give them more of what they already believe; it’s to challenge people, and it’s to suggest alternate ways of thinking about things."



On the value of professional writers:

"Writers are the ones who figure out how to put their observations into words. It was more important to me to have these ideas conveyed by people who really know how to convey ideas."



Whether we’re in a golden age of essays:

"Having been a working writer for 20 years, and being around publishing, it’s undeniable that there seems to be an appetite for essay and essay collections that did not exist 10 years ago, or certainly 20 years ago."



... and why that might be:

"I think people seem to want to read pieces that are shorter but not as short as the pieces they can read in small bites on the internet. It may be that the sort of long essays are hitting a sweet spot between the tiny morsels online and the full-length book."



She also tossed around a few more practical considerations that might be driving the trend: "Maybe people are busy! Maybe people are so busy, it’s like 'Oh, if I have this novel sitting here, it’s just sort of like, oh, my God, when am I going to sit down and read this,' you know?"



Some writing advice:

"You get to a point where you say, 'Okay, I have said exactly what I want to say, and to the best of my ability. This is the best I can do with this.'"



"You know what it is?" Daum went on, excitedly. "It’s kind of like in 'Friday Night Lights'; the coach says, 'Be perfect. All you have to do is be perfect.' And being perfect doesn’t mean getting every single thing right; it means that there is not one more thing you could have done to do a good job. It’s knowing that you have burned every calorie there is to burn on this, turned over every stone; that you have looked at every point and every sentence from every way; and that you’ve made a decision, the best decision you can, on each point, and moved on."



Why parents and non-parents should care about the viewpoints in the book:

"Ultimately, the book is about how to be an adult in the world and live authentically and make life choices that are right for you, and that is something that is everyone’s concern, and affects everyone."

The Dress Has Always Been News

This story originally appeared on Public Books







March 15, 2015 — As “the dress” befuddled the Internet’s hive mind, our newsfeeds swelled. Tumblr and Buzzfeed, recognizing the viral power of a garment that appears gold and white to some but blue and black to others, got the freight train rolling. Soon, bastions of journalism such as the New York Times and Washington Post hopped on board. Experts in cognition assured us that reality is not as fickle as a dress that inexplicably switches colors, but they could not answer a lingering question: is this news? The hive was unhinged by an unholy mix of poor lighting, poor photography, and cognitive correction, yet the existential status of news presents a much more enduring puzzle, one that’s at the heart of Andrew Pettegree’s The Invention of News.



It is, after all, difficult to conceive of news as an “invention.” Do written messages exchanged every three years by Welsh monasteries in the 11th century qualify as “news”? How did we go from that to the news as we now know it, broadcast across the globe and in cycles measured in milliseconds? Pettegree, a professor of modern history at the University of St. Andrews, in Scotland, finds answers by linking the emergence of news as a mass commodity to Western Europe’s development of communications networks between the 15th and 18th centuries. This network perspective decenters news as a singular object. Instead, what we get is a richly detailed history that shows the invention of news as a messy cultural process, with abrupt turns and setbacks. Major advances in information networks were quickly followed by retreats. Printers would reinvent news, only to fold a year or two later. When newspapers first appeared, a mass readership had to learn how to read brief accounts that provided much less context than the narrative histories with which they were familiar. Pettegree’s history of news suggests that crisis has shadowed journalism from the start.



The Invention of News divides the earliest stirrings of modern news into three epochs, starting with the 15th and early 16th centuries, when the printing press spurred the transition from largely private news networks to the earliest forms of public news industries. Next, in the 16th and early 17th centuries, improved communications networks enabled the news to spread faster and to more people at less cost. Finally, in the 17th and 18th centuries, advertising expanded circulations, and Enlightenment ideals brought an empirical approach to news that led it to shed moral overtones.






Yesterday’s News. Photograph by Mick Baker / Flickr




Pettegree’s book stands alongside other cultural histories of news, such as Michael Schudson’s 1978 Discovering the News, or Kevin Barnhurst and John Nerone’s 2001 The Form of News. Where these previous treatments foregrounded the practices and presentation of news in US history, The Invention of News is an internationally distributed affair. Though there are many prototypes cited here, including Johann Carolus’s production of the first newspaper in 1605, news has no moment or location of origin. Instead, the production of news is deeply woven into the complex fabric of life, and The Invention of News is filled with fascinating details about everyday Europeans. We read 13th-century letters exchanged via Oxford University’s postal service, in which students invoke the “promptings of divine pity” to plead for money from their parents, and parents berate their children for “strumming a guitar while others are at their studies.” We find a 15th-century Italian merchant, distrustful of the written word, imploring his partner to “Put Domenico on horseback and send him quickly by land, giving me news of what you have done.” We encounter as well the awful power of “news” to whip up mass frenzies, such as accounts of witches flying to the devil’s summon that would contribute to atrocities in the 16th and 17th centuries.



“GENTLE READERS, HOW COMES IT THEN TO PASS THAT NOTHING CAN PLEASE YOU?"



The details also underscore surprising continuities in the invention of news. Harried reporters today might see a kindred spirit in 17th-century news writer Thomas Gainsford, who wrote: “Gentle readers, how comes it then to pass that nothing can please you? If we afford you plain stuff, you complain... it is nonsense; if we add some [embellishment], then you are curious to examine the method and coherence, and are forward in saying the sentences are not well adapted.” Much like reporters today, Gainsford published in a multimedia environment. His printed reports on the Thirty Years War sought their niche in an age when news was also passed face-to-face in the market square, or conveyed in song, or referenced by actors on stage. Playwright Ben Jonson implicitly referenced this 17th-century “news diet” when, in his play A Staple of News, he lampooned a countrywoman seeking to purchase “any news, a groat’s worth” as she would any other staple item. Here Pettegree points out that the theater was itself a form of news, with many plays depicting current events, and that Jonson, like many playwrights, likely would have seen the mass dissemination of printed news as a threat to his livelihood.



As mentioned above, consumers of news pamphlets and broadsheets also had to learn how to read these new forms. The earliest newspapers contained brief accounts that were simply stamped with dates and locations, without headlines or context. This generally followed the format of correspondence in long-established private networks, such as an Italian writer’s unelaborated dispatch from 1478: “I have news from Genoa that the Doge has knighted Batistino and sent away Adorni and Raonesi.” Such correspondence might easily be understood when circulated among wealthy insiders who knew the context and the stakes. But moving into wider public dissemination, it called upon those accustomed to narrative-style manuscripts to adapt their reading habits if they were to stay current with events of the day.



The Invention of News is a catchy headline. Read past the fold, however, and you’ll find an engaging cultural history, one with great relevance to the information networks we’re building today -- and the color-switching dresses that threaten to break them.



Tim Neff is a PhD student in NYU’s Department of Media, Culture, and Communication. Prior to that, he worked for 20 years as a journalist, both in print and online.



See more at Public Books here

Katie Holmes Bares Midriff At ‘Woman In Gold' NYC Premiere

Katie Holmes wore a hot pink dress while attending the premiere of her latest film "Woman In Gold" held at The Museum of Modern Art on Monday in New York City.

'Broad City' Co-Creator Abbi Jacobson Talks Life As An Aspiring Illustrator

Detail of an mage by Abbi Jacobson.

Abbi Abrams, the yin to Ilana Wexler's yang, is one half of the fictional duo that sits at the center of "Broad City."



Fans know her as an aspiring artist whose day job consists largely of cleaning up "unprecedented" pube situations at a fitness center called Soulstice. She fits some of the stereotypes one might associate with the struggling creative -- her first "gallery" piece ends up being nothing more than an interior design element at a new sandwich joint, one of the only corporate clients eager to buy her work turns out to be deliriously racist, and when she attempts to sell her work on the streets of New York City she's greeted by a string of expletives only the coldest of Manhattan hearts can understand.



However, stereotypical Abbi is not. At least, not entirely. For, you see, Abbi Jacobson, the actor/writer/maker of stuff who birthed the character, is also an artist.



We stumbled upon this fact quite serendipitously -- Jacobson was once an artist for AOL, The Huffington Post's parent company. Yes, her art can be found on the floors of our NYC building, on some employees' business cards, and on this seemingly ancient (by HTML standards) AOL website. But you need not be staff to know the riches of Jacobson's illustration feats. You can learn a lot about the real Abbi's career as a visual artist in the archives of Internet past.







For example, there is this interview with AOL, in which Jacobson gives us the details of her ideal job: "To be able to make a living with my artwork while I pursue other passions and mediums would be envious. To have my comedy fueled by my illustrations and the other way around is a life I strive to live everyday."



Then there's her tumblr, embellished with a title that reads simply, "hello you." Scroll back several months and Jacobson talks the positives of art school. "I learned how to see things at MICA [Maryland Institute College of Art], how to express myself in any medium, how to improvise. I learned how to talk about art and my feelings about art and the world... I couldn’t recommend a better place to spend 4 years of your life growing and changing and making things."



Want to know the history of "Famous Favorites," the illustration series that makes more than a few cameo appearances on "Broad City?" There's a tumblr for that too. Because timestamps are creepily exact, we can all pretend we were cognizant of the fact that, on Friday, July 13, 2012, Jacobson posted her first favorite -- an illustration of a Fizzy Lizzy bottle, jokingly cited as Alec Baldwin's choice beverage.



But enough cyber stalking. We actually reached out to the comedienne to see if we could ask her a few questions about the ups and downs of trying to make it in the art world. And to our surprise, she said yes! She's a busy lady, so we settled for an email exchange. Below is a short but particularly sweet conversation with Abbi Jacobson:



First off, how many times have we seen your illustration work in "Broad City?" I count three (Abbi's first "gallery" show, the racist dating commercial and the "Famous Favorites" in the Kirk Steele episode.) Am I close?



The hamburger drawing in the "gallery" show in ep. 104 was actually a Famous Favorite to begin with -- Sarah Jessica Parker I think. But I took the name out to be just the burger. The racist dating commercial actually isn't one of my drawings. It's very close to a drawing I did for AOL -- just that it's a group of people. It's inspired by that drawing, but our art dept. had someone else do that drawing and animation.



There's a few more scattered throughout the show; a famous favorite (Denzel Washington) on my character's fridge, and a lot of my artwork I did in college all over the apartment. There's a map above the sofa and another in the bedroom, along with a lot of other little drawings I gave the art dept. to scatter around the desk.

Get More: Comedy Central,Funny Videos,Funny TV Shows

Is "Famous Favorites" an ongoing series? I imagine "Broad City" is more than a full-time job in season, but are you continuing to make or show art anywhere else?



I did Famous Favorites a few years ago while we were writing the pilot of the show. I wanted to draw more and came up with this idea and just had a lot of fun with it. I started the tumblr and just kept adding to them.



Famous Favorites is now something Abbi Abrams owns I think -- so I'm not making anymore, I guess as me! It's fun to create artwork as another version of myself. I've always been very into maps and would love to carve out some time to do some larger paintings, and dive a bit more into the art scene again.







In "Broad City," Abbi Abrams is an aspiring artist who is pretty candid about the difficulties of actually selling art. Is this based on your experience trying to make and sell art?



Yes. All her experiences are directly based on mine in that arena. I didn't go to school for illustration. I did larger pieces, mostly drawings and paintings and minored in video, but when I moved to NYC, I didn't have a studio space anymore and downsized to my desk and started illustrating.



I started a greeting card company and sold cards all over the city. I would pack this huge bag of cards and walk into stores and just sell myself. I sold them on the street in Soho and in Union Square... just like we did in episode 208. I had an Etsy shop. I was really hustling with that, trying to get a big retail store to want them, but it never panned out.



I ended up making the money back, but there are literally thousands still in my mom's basement. That was a tough time, but I'm so happy I tried all that and ran all over the city trying to make that happen. You have to do that for your work, whatever you're doing. Then, hopefully, it will lead to something bigger and better.







You went to art school in Maryland -- what was that experience like? If you could go back and do it again, would you?



MICA was such an interesting period in my life. I hated it and then I loved it. I transferred out for one semester, junior year, to Emerson College in Boston, and when I was there I realized how much I needed to be at MICA.



Art school can be a wonderful place if you're trying to find your voice and your style and your taste. I would without a doubt, go back and do it that way. It is all about producing and making and seeing. Those things can be really vague until it clicks and it clicked for me after school when I was trying to make my own stuff, because I was used to creating my own body of work. So moving into the comedy world I sort of just did the same thing, just now a different medium. I was such an introvert there though. I bet anyone I went to college with might find it bizarre to see what I do now.







Who are your art heroes?



I love Maira Kalman. She's an amazing illustrator and writer. I've loved her since I was in college, but when I moved to New York and experienced the same city she was drawing and writing about, I developed a whole new appreciation. Her work made me observe everything so much deeper and more joyfully. I was lucky enough to have breakfast with her last year and you'd think I was having breakfast with a Beatle. I geeked out so hard it was so ridiculous.



The guy I'm all about right now is Jonas Wood. I LOVE his work. I went to a show of his in LA and was just in awe. I love [David] Hockney and [Richard] Diebenkorn and people that work with flat color. Also people like Jenny Holzer and Janet Cardiff -- their work stops you in your tracks or forces you to experience something. I really admire people that do more than one thing. That's sort of the goal, right -- to be an artist that can work in any medium. That's what I hope for my career.





A canvas Jacobson created during her time as an AOL Artist.




Last question: If you could have one hour alone with any artwork what would it be and what would you do with it?



Ohh man, this is really hard. The first thing that came to my mind was the last major museum exhibit I went to -- the Matisse cut-outs at MoMA. It was terribly crowded and I felt so stifled, like I was missing out on something so wonderful that was right in front of me. So I would pick that, the whole exhibit. Imagine that!



This interview is part of The Huffington Post's "In Plain Sight" series, a collection of conversations that aims to shine a light on the lives of professional artists. For more on the art of "Broad City," check out our interview with artist Mike Perry here.

Justin Bieber Closes His Roast With A Heartfelt Apology For His Behavior

After getting totally slayed by everyone from Martha Stewart to Will Ferrell's Ron Burgundy at his Comedy Central Roast, which aired on Monday night, Justin Bieber took it upon himself to apologize for some of the very behavior that he was being roasted for. At the end of the night, the 21-year-old closed the hilarious (and sometimes brutal) show on a surprisingly sentimental note:

There was really no preparing me for this life. I was thrown into this at 12 years old and didn't really know what I was getting myself into. There's been moments I'm really proud of and a lot of moments I look back and I'm pretty disappointed in myself for, but the things that I've done really don't define who I am. I'm a kind-hearted person, who loves people, and through it all I lost some of my best qualities. For that, I'm sorry. But what I can say is I'm looking forward to being someone that you guys can all look at and be proud of.

During an appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" earlier this month, Bieber spoke to the talk show host about why he decided to apologize at the end of his roast, which was taped on March 14.



“I was just talking about it being a new chapter for me and saying that I’m sorry for the stuff that I’ve done. It’s not like, I’m not searching for people’s approval, but I just want people to know that that’s not me and I was doing stuff that wasn’t me," he told DeGeneres.



It appears that Bieber has been on a bit of an apology tour this year, as he addressed his tainted reputation in a Facebook video back in January, assuring fans that he is a good person deep down.



"Just being young and growing up in this business is hard. Just growing up in general is hard. I want people to know how much I care about people. I'm not that person to say, 'I don't give a fuck.' I'm not that kid," he said. "I'm a person who genuinely cares."

The Five Worst Supreme Court Justices In American History, Ranked

Today is the official release date for my book, Injustices: The Supreme Court’s History of Comforting the Comforted and Afflicting the Afflicted.

If You Want To Know The Problem With Indiana's ‘Religious Freedom' Law, Just Ask George W. Bush

Just one day after Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) signed a law that’s widely expected to give anti-gay businesses a license to discriminate, two of the state’s top Republicans are already backing away from the law.

Starbucks To Release New Dannon Smoothies, Hummus And Chicken Wraps

Starbucks already has enough sweet items on its menu and now it's adding some savory items.



According to a press release, Starbucks will begin selling new Thai-Style Peanut Chicken wraps and Edamame Hummus wraps on March 31. The Thai-Style Peanut Chicken wraps are made of grilled white chicken, chili lime veggie slaw and ginger cream cheese wrapped in a chili tortilla. They'll come with a spicy peanut coconut sauce and grapes on the side.



The Edamame Hummus wrap is made of edamame hummus (duh), zucchini, bell peppers, spinach and a garlic-herb cheese spread served in a spinach tortilla and will come with roasted tomato sauce and sesame flax crackers on the side. Both wraps will have less than 500 calories and retail for $5.95 each.







With the new food items comes another venture -- a new partnership with Dannon and Evolution Fresh called Evolution Fresh™ Smoothies. The smoothies will come in Sweet Greens, Strawberry and Mango Coconut flavors.



Seemingly playing off popular health trends, Starbucks says the smoothies are "Made from only cold-pressed fruit and vegetable juices, proprietary Greek nonfat yogurt, a dash of nutmeg and ice, these smoothies are free from added sweeteners, preservatives, colors and flavors." According to the same statement, customers will also be able to add things like fresh kale, protein powder or extra Greek yogurt into their smoothies, which should come in around 170-230 calories. A 16 oz. smoothie will retail for $5.95.



A Starbucks that serves kale in a smoothie bar? And Thai-style chicken wraps? That'll take some getting used to. Another shot of espresso, please.



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Kim Kardashian: The Master Of Contouring Makeup

Kim Kardashian is the queen of contouring makeup ... much like younger sister Kylie is queen of lining those lips.

Myanmar Government, Rebel Groups Sign Draft Cease-Fire Deal

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Myanmar's government and 16 ethnic armed groups agreed Tuesday on the wording of a draft nationwide cease-fire agreement aimed at ending decades of civil unrest.



Though it was lauded as a significant step — the opposing sides have tussled over words and rights over natural resources for months — the continued fighting between the army and small rebel groups along the northern frontier highlighted the many challenges ahead. "I'm really happy that the two sides have finally agreed on a single draft," said President Thein Sein, who briefly attended the signing. "This opens the door for political dialogue and also further peace talks."



Minutes later, representatives from the government and 16 ethnic armed groups, including the Kachin Independence Army, inked the draft accord.



The specifics were not released and it remained unclear when the final cease-fire deal would be signed.



Myanmar stunned the world by opening politically and economically in 2011 following elections that most rights groups say were neither free nor fair. Though Thein Sein started steering the country from a half-century of dictatorship toward democracy, early reforms have either stalled or begun regressing.



That's upped the stakes of getting cease-fire deals with all ethnic armies, one of the president's biggest pledges. Many ethnic armies have been fighting since Myanmar gained independence from the British in 1948, and experts say continued civil unrest is slowing development in one of Southeast Asia's poorest countries.



The Kachin Independence Army has been one of the most stubborn holdouts, and its agreement to sign was significant.



But fighting that started last month between rebels and the government in the Kokang region of Shan state continues, complicating ongoing talks. Tens of thousands of people have fled across the border to China. The Ta'ang National Liberation Army, also in Shan state, was refusing to sign on as well.

Robin Williams' Widow And Kids Might Avoid Court

Robin Williams' children and his widow have 11 days to settle their war over his personal items ... before a judge weighs in on the dispute.

30 Sunglasses That Will Definitely Turn Heads This Spring And Summer

Just like a fierce tube of red lipstick, a great pair of sunglasses have the power to transform your entire look by simply slipping them on your face.



We've noticed that more and more of our favorite celebrities and street style stars are wearing such amazing sunnies that we hardly notice their clothes. No shade.



It's amazing what a big impression such a small accessory can make. And thanks to designers like Karen Walker and Linda Farrow and trendy e-commerce sites like ASOS, there is no shortage of head-turning frames to covet.



We've rounded up a selection of stunners that will stylishly serve you well this spring and summer. Take a look and let us know which ones catch your eye in the comment section below.



Mirrored

These reflective lenses will definitely draw stares and not just because the admirers can see themselves in your gaze. Thanks to a variety of colors and shapes, mirrored shades are one of the most versatile eyewear trends.





1. Illesteva "Leonard" sunglasses, $177; 2. Ray-Ban sunglasses, $200; 3. TOMS "Booker" sunglasses, $139; 4. Oakley "Frogskins" sunglasses, $100; 5. Westward Leaning "Voyager 1" sunglasses, $195; 6. SUNSKI "Originals" sunglasses, $48



Round

By now you've probably got the memo that the '70s are back! But if you're not quite ready to go full-on Foxy Brown, in bell bottoms and fringe, then a round pair of sunglasses are enough to give you retro chic look.





1. Wildfox "Granny" sunglasses, $179; 2. 3.1 Phillip Lim "70" sunglasses, $297; 3. Karen Walker "Orbit" sunglasses, $349; 4. Chandler x Selma Optique, $225; 5. Forever21 sunglasses, $6; 6. Quay "Coco" sunglasses, $50



Flat Tops

Opt for this geometric frame if your face is on the rounder side. The juxtaposition of the severe line and rounded bottom will help elongate your face. And since they are similar to the classic wayfarers, you're almost guaranteed to look cool!





1. Jeepers Peepers sunglasses, $43; 2. ASOS "Flatbrow Clubmaster" sunglasses, $22; 3. Stella McCartney sunglasses, $119; 4. Sunday Somewhere "MVP" sunglasses, $260; 5. 3.1 Phillip Lim "Flat-Top" aviators, $270; 6. RVS "Leisure" sunglasses, $375



Colorblock

Sometimes two hues are better than one. Colorblocked shades are the easiest way to add dimension and a whole lot of fun to your ensemble -- whether you go the high contrast route in black-and-white or more punchy in teal-and-white.





1. ASOS "Half Frame" cat eye sunglasses, $22; 2. Mykita x Maison Margiela sunglasses, Price upon request; 3. Warby Parker "Winston" sunglasses, $95; 4. No Photos sunglasses, $41; 5. Tory Burch sunglasses, $195; 6. Karen Walker "Creeper" sunglasses, $329



The Showstoppers

These sunnies hardly need an explanation. Their eye-catching designs speak louder than words.





1. Le Specs "Hi-Brow" sunglasses, $90; 2. BonLook "Keiko" sunglasses, $69; 3. Grey Ant "Sail" sunglasses, $270; 4. Le Specs "Neo Noir" sunglasses, $56; 5. Quay "OMG Pinch Me" sunglasses, $45; 6. Khaleda Rajab + Fahad Almarzouq sunglasses, $339



Art by: Gabriela Landazuri Saltos/HPMG

New Research Says Anne Frank Likely Died A Month Earlier

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Teenage Jewish diarist Anne Frank likely died of typhus in a Nazi concentration camp about a month earlier than previously thought, the Amsterdam museum that honors her memory said Tuesday on the 70th anniversary of the officially recognized date of her death.



Anne likely died, aged 15, at Bergen-Belsen camp in February 1945, said Erika Prins, a researcher at the Anne Frank House museum. Frank's diary about hiding from the Nazis in the occupied Netherlands during World War II was published after the war. It became an international best-seller and made her an enduring symbol of Holocaust victims.



The new date of her death changes little about the tragic lives of Anne and her sister Margot, who went into hiding with their family in an Amsterdam canal house but were eventually betrayed, sent to Nazi concentration camps and died in the Holocaust along with millions of other Jews.



"It was horrible. It was terrible. And it still is," Prins said.



But she said the new date lays to rest the idea that the sisters could have been rescued if they had lived just a little longer.



"When you say they died at the end of March, it gives you a feeling that they died just before liberation. So maybe if they'd lived two more weeks ...," Prins said, her voice trailing off. "Well, that's not true anymore."



Allied forces liberated the Nazis' Bergen-Belsen concentration camp on April 15, 1945.



The earlier March 31 date of Anne's death was set by Dutch authorities after the war, based on accounts suggesting she and her sister died sometime in March. At the time, Dutch officials did not have the resources to establish an exact date.



The new research studied existing eyewitness accounts, documents and archives, including at least one new interview. Witness accounts said Anne and her sister already showed signs of typhus in early February. Researchers cited Dutch health authorities as saying most typhus deaths happen around 12 days after the first symptoms.



"In view of this, the date of their death is more likely to be sometime in February. The exact date is unknown," the researchers said.



In the words of one witness, Rachel van Amerongen, who knew the Frank sisters and was cited by researchers, "one day they simply weren't there anymore."

Figuring Out Your Crush's Age Can Be Hilariously Complicated

Perhaps you've been there: You meet someone who strikes your fancy. You chat. But you can't place his or her age.



Wong Fu Productions' "How Old Is She?!" hilariously peeks at one dude's dilemma when he approaches a woman at a cafe. Maybe if he drops just one more pop culture reference, he'll figure it out.



Or not.



H/T Tastefully Offensive

Nigerians Await Final Results Of Tense Election

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) -- The second day of vote counting in Nigeria's bitterly contested presidential vote started late on Tuesday and electoral officials hope to announce later in the day who will govern Africa's richest and biggest nation.



Early returns from half the states have President Goodluck Jonathan winning nine states and the Federal Capital Territory and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari winning nine states. But Buhari won 8.5 million votes to Jonathan's 6.48 million. A candidate must take at least 50 percent of all votes and at least 25 percent of votes in two-thirds of the states to win.



About a dozen of the 18 remaining states still have to send results to the counting center in Abuja. Final results are hoped for by the end of the day but results from only a few of the remaining states have been delivered, electoral commission spokesman Kayode Idowu told The Associated Press.



It's the first time in Nigeria's history that a challenger has a real chance of defeating a sitting president. This is only the eighth election since independence from Britain in 1960.



Buhari swept the northern states of Kano and Kaduna, as expected, but margin of his victory was unexpected. In Kano, the state with the second-largest number of voters, Buhari won 1.9 million votes to Jonathan's 216,000. In Kaduna, Buhari won 1.1 million votes to Jonathan's 484,000.



The count in Abuja is being carried out in the presence of party representatives, national and international observers and media. The counting has started late on both Monday and Tuesday, with no explanations given for the delays.



The U.S. and Britain on Monday warned of "disturbing indications" that the tally could be subject to political interference. In a joint statement the two countries said they would be "very concerned" by any attempts to undermine the independence of the electoral commission and distort the will of the Nigerian people.



"So far, we have seen no evidence of systemic manipulation of the process. But there are disturbing indications that the collation process - where the votes are finally counted - may be subject to deliberate political interference," said the statement, signed by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his British counterpart, Philip Hammond.



Jonathan's party called the suggestions "absolute balderdash" and demanded evidence. Campaign spokesman Femi Fani-Kayode told foreign reporters that they "completely reject the assertion or the notion that we are in any way interfering" with the electoral commission.



"I will challenge John Kerry or any other foreign official to provide the evidence," he said.



Widespread rigging has occurred in many previous elections, along with violence after those votes. New biometric cards aimed at stemming fraud were used but some newly imported card readers were not working properly, and voting was extended to Sunday in 300 out of 150,000 polling stations where that problem occurred, the election commission said.



Turnout was high Saturday among the nearly 60 million people eligible to vote in the high-stakes election, which took place despite a campaign of violence by the Islamic extremists of Boko Haram in northern Nigeria.

Differences Remain On Final Day Of Iran Nuclear Talks: Officials

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Wrapping up six days of marathon nuclear talks with mixed results, Iran and six world powers prepared Tuesday to issue a general statement agreeing to continue talks in a new phase aimed at reaching a final agreement to control Iran's nuclear ambitions by the end of June, officials told The Associated Press on Tuesday.



Officials had set a deadline of March 31 for a framework agreement, and later softened that wording to a framework understanding, between Iran and the so-called P5+1 nations — the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China. And after intense negotiations, obstacles remained on uranium enrichment, where stockpiles of enriched uranium should be stored, limits on Iran's nuclear research and development and the timing and scope of sanctions relief among other issues.



The joint statement is to be accompanied by additional documents that outline more detailed understandings, allowing the sides to claim enough progress has been made thus far to merit a new round, the officials said. Iran has not yet signed off on the documents, one official said, meaning any understanding remains unclear.



The talks have already been extended twice as part of more than a decade of diplomatic attempts to curb Tehran's nuclear advance.



The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment on the talks on the record.



The softening of the language from a framework "agreement" to a framework "understanding" appeared due in part to opposition to a two-stage agreement from Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Earlier this year, he demanded only one deal that nails down specifics and does not permit the other side to "make things difficult" by giving it wiggle room on interpretations.



Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who left Lausanne Monday, was heading back to the Swiss city, also indicating that an end to the talks was near.



In Moscow, he told reporters: "Prospects for this round of negotiations were not bad, and I would even say good."



Some of the P5+1's foreign ministers joined Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif at the talks over the weekend in an intense effort to reach a political understanding on terms that would curb Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.



Kerry and others said the sides have made some progress, with Iran considering demands for further cuts to its uranium enrichment program but pushing back on how long it must limit technology it could use to make atomic arms. In addition to sticking points on research and development, differences remain on the timing and scope of sanctions removal, the officials said.



The Obama administration says any deal will stretch the time Iran needs to make a nuclear weapon from the present two to three months to at least a year. But critics object that it would keep Tehran's nuclear technology intact.



Officials in Lausanne said the sides were advancing on limits to aspects of Iran's program to enrich uranium, which can be used to make the core of a nuclear warhead.



Uranium enrichment has been the chief concern for more than a decade. But Western officials say the main obstacles to a deal are no longer enrichment-related but instead the type and length of restrictions on Tehran's research and development of advanced centrifuges and the pace of sanctions-lifting.



Over the past weeks, Iran has moved from demanding that it be allowed to keep nearly 10,000 centrifuges enriching uranium, to agreeing to 6,000, plus another 480 centrifuges in the underground facility in Fordo that the Iranians say would be used only to enrich other elements used for peaceful purposes. The officials said Tehran now may be ready to accept even fewer.



Tehran says it wants to enrich only for energy, science, industry and medicine. But many countries fear Iran could use the technology to make weapons-grade uranium.



____



Associated Press television producer Mahdi Fattahi contributed from Tehran

ISIS Kills Over 40 People In Syria's Mabuja Village: Activists

BEIRUT (AP) -- Syrian opposition activists and state TV say Islamic State fighters have killed over 40 people in an attack on a central Syrian village.



The extremist group launched an offensive Tuesday on the government-held village of Mabuja in the east of the central province of Hama. State TV said they slaughtered 44 people, including women and children.



The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the dead included 37 civilians who were either shot dead, burned or stabbed before the militants withdrew.



Central Syria is a patchwork of communities, with many minority Christians, and Ismailis and Alawites, both Shiite offshoots. These communities mainly back President Bashar Assad and fear attacks by extremists among the mostly Sunni rebels fighting to topple him.

Wrong Turn After Robbery May Have Led To Fatal NSA Shooting

The cross-dressing men who accused of trying to crash through the gates at NSA headquarters in Fort Meade, Maryland on Monday may have taken a wrong turn after stealing a companion's car, according to police.



One man died and another was hospitalized Monday morning following a confrontation with NSA police at the security gate. The driver of the stolen Ford Escape ignored commands to stop and accelerated toward a police cruiser, prompting at least one officer to open fire, the NSA said in a statement. An NSA police officer was also injured.



Police now believe that the men in the SUV had robbed a third man following a tryst at a motel in Jessup on Sunday night, according to the Washington Post. The three men checked in together and stayed the night, and the owner of the car called police on Monday to report his vehicle stolen.



Investigators believe the suspects took the wrong exit -- a restricted turnoff on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway -- that took them to the entrance to an NSA security post.



The suspects may not have stopped because there were drugs inside the stolen car. Cops recovered at least one gun and an undisclosed amount of drugs from the stolen vehicle, NBC News reported.



Investigators are looking into whether the men were under the influence of drugs following a night of partying, a federal law enforcement official said.



The FBI is leading the investigation.









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Success Is Never An Accident. It's A Choice.

Like everyone, I’ve made some pretty dumb decisions in my life. Early in my career I passed on a great job offer to go with a startup that ended up going nowhere. I later went head-to-head with a boss who just happened to be my CEO. Who do you think won that battle? I’ll give you a hint: it wasn’t me.



Then there were all the money mistakes. I invested $20,000 in Boston Chicken right before it went bankrupt. And I doubled down on tech stocks thinking the dot-com bubble was done bursting. Turns out the market had a long, long way to go before bottoming out.



But then, I’ve been around a long time. Mostly I’ve made good decisions. That, I believe, is the reason why things turned out so well. Granted, there is a certain amount of randomness to life. But more than anything, success and happiness are all about making smart choices.

Robert Durst's Wife Steps Back After Years of Defending Him

Six weeks after learning that investigators had focused on his role in the years-old disappearance of his wife, Robert Durst married Debrah Lee Charatan, a driven New York real estate executive who has been a bulwark in his life for nearly three decades.



Eight days later, on Dec. 19, 2000, Mr. Durst, the eccentric and estranged son of one of New York’s most prominent real estate families, was on a plane to California, where Los Angeles authorities now believe he executed a close friend and confidante, Susan Berman, who had served as his shield against demanding reporters.

UN, Red Cross Alarmed Over Casualties From Yemen Airstrikes

SANAA, Yemen (AP) -- The U.N. human rights office and the international Red Cross say they are alarmed by the high civilian causalities in the violence in Yemen, where airstrikes by a Saudi-led coalition have been targeting Shiite rebels since last week.



Tuesday's statement from Geneva said U.N. human rights staffers in Yemen have verified that at least 19 civilians died when airstrikes hit a refugee camp in northern Yemen, with at least 35 wounded, including 11 children.



There were different reports of casualty figures from Monday's strike. The Houthi rebels said 40 people died while Doctors Without Borders tweeted that 29 people were killed.



The International Committee of the Red Cross is appealing to the parties in the conflict to allow delivery of medical supplies to the wounded.

Zayn Malik's First Solo Song, 'I Won't Mind,' Hits The Internet

Less than a week after leaving One Direction, Zayn Malik has made moves to get his solo career off the ground. Over the weekend, he was spotted heading into the studio with UK producer Naughty Boy, who uploaded a demo called "I Won't Mind" on Monday night.



It's an acoustic folk song with lyrics like, "We are who we are when no one's watching/ And right from the start, you know I got you," and even in demo form it's a total departure from One Direction's heavily produced pop tracks.

What 6 Famous Chefs Eat For Breakfast

A Fifth of College Students May Have ‘Exploding Head Syndrome'

Last May, Melissa spoke with a guy who has "exploding head syndrome" — a strange and little-understood condition in which sufferers hallucinate sudden, loud noises when they're falling asleep or waking up. "[I]t sounded to me like someone literally put a hand grenade in the wood stove that’s in my living room, and it just blew up," he told her, describing the first time he experienced EHS. "I mean, I hit the deck."

An Unusual Coping Method Is Helping Nurses Find Peace At Work

For most nurses, the only constant in their days is the fact that things are perpetually changing around them. However, the majority of the training they receive before reaching their hectic workplaces is based on stable, theoretical examples. One California professor is trying to change that.

Dr. Elena Cappella, an assistant professor and the director of the online, 3-semester Master in Nursing program at the University of San Francisco's School of Nursing and Health Professions, uses chaos theory and self-reflection strategies in her classroom to help guide the latest generation of nurses in a way that will ultimately reduce their stress and improve their effectiveness in the workplace. After decades as a practicing nurse, Cappella recognized that the nursing field was changing very quickly and continues to do so as the healthcare industry evolves, meaning the nurses themselves must be willing and able to adapt accordingly.

"My profession in healthcare was in quality assurance and risk management, so I was always dealing with problems in healthcare -- where things go wrong, where we didn’t do what we intended to do, where there were errors and problems with delivering care," Capella told The Huffington Post. "So what's wonderful is to be able to train new nurses -- actually, the nurses I train are usually already working at some of the best hospitals in the Bay Area -- who are looking to reach a new level of practice where they can do more to help their patients."



In her collection of courses for the master's program, Capella introduces nurses to chaos theory to help them handle the intense needs of the emergency room, reaching a sense of calm in disaster situations.



"Chaos theory just says that things are loosely associated," said Capella. "We try and be organized and directed in our approach, we have a lot of science, we have a lot of protocols, we have all this standardization, but you’re dealing with people, and people introduce all sorts of complexities to the picture. There are patients that don’t follow protocols, there are patients that have different backgrounds and understandings, there are miscommunications, there are problems with coordination. When you start introducing so many different pieces to an environment like healthcare, then it starts to become disorganized and very chaotic."



It is at this point, according to Cappella, that you need someone to step in as a reorganization force, someone who can redirect everyone's attention and energy in an efficient manner -- which is what she is training her nurses to do.



"We also talk about how it’s not bad for things to be chaotic -- that’s just natural," she said. "You definitely want to move it in the right direction. What’s so important about teaching this is that it really helps nurses to understand what they are dealing with when things just seem overwhelming and they’re at the maximum of their intellectual limits."



She also understands that in order to be a successful nurse, students have to reach an almost zen-like mindset. Thus, her coursework includes a fair amount of personal reflection practice as well.



"We really draw upon the students’ professional experiences," said Cappella. "They’re often discussing what’s happened to them (in a very confidential way) and they describe these very murky situations they’re in, and how they either solved the problem or wished they would have solved the problem. For a lot of them, it’s really the first time they’ve reflected on their practice, and often times, you do feel as a teacher that nurses need this. They need to talk about the puzzling situations they were in where someone’s health was at stake. That reflection in the classroom is a transformational moment for students."



Cappella has been teaching at the university for almost two decades, but only in the last two and a half years has her master's program and course offerings moved entirely to an online format. The change proved beneficial for her students; she experienced more direct communication with each of them, more students felt comfortable speaking up in online forums and conference calls than in the ground classroom setting, and many of them took more time to think through their responses to complex case study problems rather than blurting out the first answer that came to mind. Each online course remains relatively small in number, capped at 25 students per class.



"As students go through the program, they are being transformed," said Cappella. "We are getting the students ready. We aren’t sure what for exactly, but we are giving them the skills and the confidence and the language they need to perform better in their practice. Over time, the students become better at their work, more scientific in their approach, they use evidence and research much better, and they are able to be champions and advocates for patients."

How To Tell If You're Doing OK, In One Chart

We all have our bad days, but that doesn't mean we have to believe we have a bad life.



When our circumstances go south, it's easy to think we're not doing well or failing somehow -- but that couldn't be further from the truth.



To put things into perspective, we put together the following flowchart. We encourage you to walk yourself through it before you label yourself or your abilities "bad" or "the worst" -- because everyone has their tough days (even this guy).





Infographic by Alissa Scheller for The Huffington Post.

Here's Why You May Not Be Losing Weight On The Paleo Diet

If you've paid attention to weight loss trends or even just the Internet over the past few years, you've probably heard of the Paleo diet. Heavy on meat and vegetables and low on carbs, Paleo claims to promote weight loss and prevent disease. Although it hasn't been around long enough for researchers to find out how it does on the disease front, some people report not losing weight on the Paleo diet.



So what's going on?



First, let's get some Paleo basics down. The word comes from the Paleolithic period, which was over 10,000 years ago -- otherwise known of the age of the caveman. The idea, according to U.S. News, is that “if the caveman didn’t eat it, you shouldn’t either.”



Popularized by Dr. Loren Cordain, who wrote The Paleo Diet in 2002, Paleo aims to get rid of all things processed including grains, dairy, legumes and refined sugar. The only items on the menu are foods that can be "hunted and gathered" like meat, poultry, fruits and vegetables.



Getting rid of processed foods and bringing more vegetables into our diet is great for weight loss and disease prevention. But nutritionist Julie Upton, who works with CrossFit athletes who follow Paleo said that many Paleo dieters don't pay much attention to vegetables.



"Quite a few CrossFit athletes I know gain weight -- and not muscle mass! -- when they switched to Paleo because they snack on a lot of nuts, avocados and oils and eat gobs of protein and not enough veggies," she explained. "They miss the point that you're supposed to eat a lot of vegetables and some fruit while following Paleo."



Another potential pitfall with Paleo is calories. It's no secret that a huge part of weight loss has to do with caloric intake, and the Paleo diet doesn't lay down any laws when it comes to calories.



"At the end of the day, calories are the main factor for weight gain and loss," Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, told HuffPost. "If someone doesn’t lose weight on Paleo or any diet, it’s because they are eating too many calories."



Finally, many Paleo dieters are actually eating a good amount of processed foods thanks to snacks sold at grocery stores.



"Any company can make 'Paleo' snacks, even if they’re full of sugar from honey and maple or hidden garbanzo beans," Dave Asprey, author of the New York Times bestselling book The Bulletproof Diet, told The Huffington Post. "So you may think you’re on a Paleo diet when you’re not: you're eating Paleo-branded junk food."



If you do it right, Paleo can lead to weight loss. Just make sure your diet is actually high in vegetables and not full of the calorically rich foods -- like bacon -- that are allowed, but meant to take a back seat.