An Army general pleaded guilty Monday to lesser charges of adultery and mistreating subordinates, as he admitted to inappropriate relationships with three soldiers who had served under his command.

As a part of the plea deal prosecutors dropped the sexual assault charges against Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair to end the high-profile case. Sinclair is the highest-ranking U.S. military officer to face court-martial on sexual assault charges. The 51 year old pleaded guilty to the lesser charges and might have to register as a sex offender. A military judge accepted the guilty pleas this morning. A sentencing hearing for Sinclair is expected to be completed this week or possibly by the end of Monday.

Sinclair had been accused of forcing a female captain under his command to perform oral sex twice, during an extramarital affair that lasted three years. Defense attorney Richard Scheff said Monday that Sinclair is pleading guilty to charges, such as adultery, that likely wouldn’t be criminal in the civilian world.

The married 27-year Army man pleaded guilty earlier this month to having improper relationships with three subordinate officers, including the female captain who accused him of assault, according to the AP. He is also charged with the improper use of a government credit card while traveling to visit his mistresses.

If convicted under the plea deal, Sinclair may face penalties of 15 years in prison and dismissal from the Army. At the conclusion of his trial Scheff expects that Sinclair will “retire at a reduced rank and go home to his family” without time behind bars. The loss of rank could cost Sinclair hundreds of thousands of dollars in pension benefits.

The case spotlights the military’s increasing involvement in recognizing and persecuting those suspected of sexual crimes.  Judge Col. James Pohl said the military may have improperly pressed ahead with the trial to send a message about its determination to curb rape and other widespread misconduct. The court questioned the primary accuser to determine if she had lied in a pretrial hearing.

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Early Monday morning, the Los Angeles-area was hit with an earthquake. The jolt registered at a magnitude between 4.4 and 4.7, and was enough to shake up one news station’s morning broadcast. KTLA-TV anchor Chris Schauble was on the air when he felt the quake and wasted no time reacting.

Schauble was especially animated, interrupting the day’s stories to say, “Earthquake! We’re having an earthquake!” He and co-anchor Megan Henderson immediately took cover underneath the news desk for a few moments, before cautiously returning to scheduled programming.

Thankfully, there have been no reports of earthquake-related injuries or significant damages.

Their quick-thinking, slightly awkward, and absolutely hilarious response has since gone viral. Watch it below.

Jennifer Hudson splits with Weight Watchers, but is feeling good.  After four years with the brand, her contract has come to a close. And the split is apparently mutual. The 32-year-old Oscar-winner tweeted, “Sometimes you have to step back and let your work speak for you, and when that doesn’t work you walk away knowing you did your best…It’s been fun and a pleasure good luck to you all. @WeightWatchers.”

After the birth of her son, David, in 2009, Hudson turned to Weight Watchers to get her pre-baby body back, and then some. She has lost 80 pounds since 2010, and has transformed from a size 16 to a size 6. (At one point, she was reportedly as small as a size 0!)

While the commercials starring J-Hud seemed to play ad nauseum, there was no denying her results. Her slender, yet curvy physique is certainly a testament to the Weight Watchers program. Hudson insists that sticking to the plan is key for maintaining her figure, and continues to sing their praises. She told E! about prepping for the red carpet, “I like to make sure I’m tracking my points. That’s what I do.”

A statement from Weight Watchers said:

“Jennifer’s healthy lifestyle and successful weight loss has inspired so many—from her friends and family to our members and staff, as well as people around the world—and we know that inspiration lives on. We will continue to support Jennifer in maintaining her healthy lifestyle and wish her the very best in her personal and professional life.”

Recently, the “I Can’t Describe” singer switched up her look, trading long tresses for a sleek pixie cut. Maybe the new hairstyle was a symbol of more changes to come. She shared with People that this year has quite a bit in store for her following the split, including exciting new projects and new music. But she remains thankful to the company.

“My experience with Weight Watchers has been life changing. I am grateful for what I have learned throughout the process and will always take it with me.”

A Pennsylvania teacher resigned last week from the high school where she taught, amid accusations of having sexual relations with a student in the very classroom where she gave her lessons.

Thirty-one-year-old Emily Nesbit, an 11th grade teacher at Cumberland Valley High School in Mechanicsburg, PA, was charged with institutional sex assault, a third-degree felony, on Friday. Police said Nesbit admitted meeting an 18-year-old male student for sex in a classroom after hours at the high school.

Nesbit received the charge based on her position as an educator. The adult age of the student was not taken to account. If convicted, Nesbit could face up to seven years in prison, prosecutors say.

The scandal broke on March 10, after a female student read sexual text messages on the cell phone of the alleged victim. The sexts included partially clothed and naked photos of Nesbit and the student in question.

The following day, police interviewed the alleged victim, learning that he and Nesbit had been in personal contact for two months and met several times in the classroom for sex. Police say the teacher’s phone number was listed as “My Lady Friend” in the student’s iPhone.

A Georgia mother of eight gives “bad mom” a new definition. The mother was arrested after two of her children were found unsupervised in their insect-infested and feces-covered home.

The eldest child, a 14 year old, told Richmond County Sheriff deputies that he hadn’t seen his mother Bethany Marie Schubert for days, after a call led authorities to the Augusta home March 13, according to the New York Daily News.

According to the incident report, the home wasn’t even fit for animals. “There were piles of trash, dirt and hair in the living room and kitchen. There was dog feces and urine on the bedroom floor,” reads the incident report. “The bathroom and kitchen were filthy. The only food in the residence were three slices of thinly sliced ham, mayonnaise and sugar.”

Deputies eventually released custody of seven of Bethany Schubert’s eight children to her sister, who has three kids of her own.

A Tennessee woman says she stabbed her husband in the chest because the devil told her the man was worshiping NASCAR, according to police.

The bizarre incident began on Sunday night, when Stephanie Faye Hamman crashed her vehicle through the front doors of Providence Church in Church Hill, Tennessee, according to a release from the Church Hill Department of Safety.

The 23 year old admitted to smoking weed all day and night. She told cops it was God’s plan she carried out in rural Church Hill, a small town in the northeastern part of the state, the NY Daily News reported. Hamman’s husband told officers he went to the scene and found his wife lying in front of the church altar. She then told him, “The devil is in me,” and proceeded to stab him on the right side of his chest.

Hamman has been charged with attempted murder in the first-degree and felony vandalism.

Watch out with those wigs, ladies, as Countess Vaughn got a scalp infection from wig glue!

After years of wearing protective hairstyles à la wigs and hair pieces that require constant application of wig glue to stay in place, Countess realized that she had developed a severe scalp infection. The former “Moesha” and “The Parkers” star recently appeared on “The Doctors” to share her terrifying testimony of wearing lace-front wigs:

“In 2004, my hairstylist introduced to lace-front wigs and I fell in love with them, immediately. You have a full-hairline; I was wearing them 24/7. Five short years later the drama came in. The red flag was the oozing from my ears, forehead, the whole nape around my head. The puss had a horrible smell and it was painful. I let it go by for six months. What I did not realize, I had a bad reaction to the glue I used to apply the wig. My hair started to fall out.”

Hear Countess tell her story and find out how this could possibly happen, in the video on the next page.

Countess also says the skin under her eyes and on her ears peeled, she’s lost pigment on her skin in the areas where the glue caused a reaction, and has experienced hair loss. However, the most difficult long-term effect she has had to deal with is embarrassment.

RELATED: A Woman’s Weave Grows Mold After 6 Months

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Last week, during an appearance on Bill Bennett’s “Morning in America” show, Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan said:

“[W]e want people to reach their potential and so the dignity of work is very valuable and important and we have to re-emphasize work and reform our welfare programs, like we did in 1996,” Ryan told Bennett. “We have got this tailspin of culture, in our inner cities in particular, of men not working and just generations of men not even thinking about working or learning the value and the culture of work, and so there is a real culture problem here that has to be dealt with.”

His comments  were troubling to say the least. But to understand why, allow me to provide some context to what lead up to hearing his comment. On Thursday night, I watched a docuseries on CNN called Chicagoland, and in this episode they were talking about how school closures in at-risk inner-city neighbourhoods directly affected the children. In the southside of Chicago, where every other block represents gang turf, going to a new school meant that kids from rival blocks would now be locker mates which would only increase the violence. Little girls in the first grade were lamenting how scary it is to walk home from school, not just because of the real possibility of catching a stray bullet, but because they are directly targeted and assaulted by older gangs. Let me repeat – little girls in GRADE ONE were scared because they frequently get JUMPED just walking home from school.

After that episode was over, I caught up on previous episodes of Shark Tank, a show where aspiring entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to a select panel of businesspersons who’ve made millions and billions of dollars through their own ventures, in the hopes that one or two of “the sharks” will want to invest money into their idea. This particular show was the children’s episode, which featured young people between the ages of 11-17. A freckle-faced, blonde hair boy led the show off by presenting a fresh-fruit, water bottle. Tearing into his idea, the sharks asked him how much money had he invested into the concept, to which he replied, “my parents have loaned me about $300,000.” Instantly, my head started to spin at the idea that this 12 year old boy received north of a quarter-million dollars to pursue a venture that ultimately had never returned a sizeable profit and was deemed “uninvestable” by a group of experienced and successful businessmen and women. And it was after watching those two programs back-to-back that I heard Paul Ryan’s quote on the “laziness” of the poor.

Cue the rage.

The problem with people who think like Paul Ryan is the fact that they believe results are the best qualifier of effort. They believe that it takes a set amount of “hard work” to achieve anything in life, therefore making it fair to say that Barack Obama worked equally as hard as George W. Bush to become president of the United States – because they BOTH became president (even though one had to work his way up in a single-parent home while battling racism, and the other had a father who was formerly president of the United States). But the problem with that logic is that it ignores the vast disparity of access between the privileged and the disadvantaged.

Photo: Manute Bol (7’7″), Spud Webb9 (5’7″)

For example, a dunk in a basketball game equals two points. Therefore it’s fair to say that the RESULT of dunking the ball through the net is all equal – but that doesn’t mean that everyone’s EFFORT to dunk is the same. To say that 5’7″ Spud Webb’s dunks are equal to 7’7″ Yao Ming’s dunks is to ignore Yao’s inherent privilege (hell, he can touch the rim with both feet flat on the floor!). The reason it’s dangerous to not recognize the difference between where each player is starting from, is because you can easily start to demonize ALL 5’7 men as being LAZY for not being able to dunk. And we all know Spud Webb is NOT representative of the average – he’s an example of an extreme exception.

If Paul Ryan thinks men in inner-city neighbourhoods are not even “thinking” of working, then he is completely out of touch with what has become the majority of the people in his own country. The number of people dealing with unemployment and economic insecurity even WITH jobs is staggering. America is a country where 60 percent of able-bodied adult food-stamp recipients are employed. And before you go demonizing fast food workers, please understand that even 33% of bank tellers are desperate for public assistance. Nearly half of America is living paycheck to paycheck. And the one thing that all of these people have in common with unemployed Black men and women in the projects is that they hate their surroundings and believe they can pull themselves out of this tailspin – if they are given the chance to. But that’s where most American politicians want to end the debate – the point where THEIR policies (or lack thereof) are correctly blamed for the conditions of the unemployed and working poor.

But ultimately, I would like to end this bullshit ideology that living in the projects is easy. That brothers are on the corner only using welfare checks to buy Jordans and women hit the salon when their public assistance comes so they look good at the club later. That is the image that the Paul Ryan’s of the world want people to believe of all inner-city folks, because it helps canonize him and his ilk as hard-workers who understand the value of a dollar. But when you realize that most people in the projects are suffering through horrendous living conditions with no real opportunity to make it out, you need to ask yourself if the rich really know the power of a dollar more than a woman who has to make short paychecks stretch for weeks to feed and clothe her children?

So why does Paul Ryan believe that Black folks in the ghetto are lazy? Well, it’s because of anti-intellectual articles written by the National Review that posit facts facts about the conditions of the poor and conflate them to nothing more than the lack of desire that poor folks have. He believes that Black folks have a “culture problem” and he’s right about that – we have the serious problem of dealing with a culture of systemic racism and poverty-shaming.

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Lincoln Anthony Blades blogs daily on his site ThisIsYourConscience.com, he’s an author of the book “You’re Not A Victim, You’re A Volunteer” and a weekly contributor for UPTOWN Magazine. He can be reached via Twitter @lincolnablades and on Facebook at This Is Your Conscience.

“I’m no expert but up close this does look like a plane and an oil slick. Prayers go out to the families #MH370 and its [sic] like a mile away Pulau Perak, where they ‘last’ tracked it 5°39’08.5″N 98°50’38.0″E but what do I know?”

– Courtney Love poses her own theory on where to find Malaysia Flight 370, which went down en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur on March 8. The Hole frontwoman (who isn’t exactly the UPTOWN demographic, but even we couldn’t pass on this gem of a quote) posted her theories and satellite imagery on Facebook. She points out where she thinks the plane went into the ocean, which she says is near its last coordinates. Love’s expertise lies in music, not aviation, but who knows, maybe she had an epiphany through the usual craziness.

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Don’t blame the victim, right?

Grayson Bruce, 9, was instructed by his Buncombe County School in North Carolina to leave his colorful My Little Pony bag at home because it was a distraction and a trigger for bullying.

Bruce’s mom, Noreen, rightfully disagreed. “Saying a lunchbox is a trigger for bullying is like saying a short skirt is a trigger for rape,” she said. “It’s flawed logic; it doesn’t make any sense.”

When Bruce took his My Little Pony Rainbow Dash bag to school, he was pushed, punched, and verbally assaulted by classmates. Some of his classmates thought the bag was only for girls, and showed their disapproval through the means of bullying. “My Little Pony” is Bruce’s favorite cartoon.

The “Bronies,” an adult My Little Pony community, has rallied behind Bruce by creating a Facebook fan page to raise awareness against bullying and to “empower kids to be who they really are.” Despite support, Bruce is still not allowed to carry the bag to school and the bullies have not been publicly disciplined.

The school district released a statement to WLOS reading: “An initial step was taken to immediately address a situation that had created a disruption in the classroom. Buncombe County Schools takes bullying very seriously, and we will continue to take steps to resolve this issue.”

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A study has found that tens of millions of children are amongst the biggest recipients of SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps. The SNAP program has, for years, been a heated political topic accompanied by numerous stereotypes and opinions.

The United States Department of Agriculture annual report revealed that 45 percent of food stamp benefits went to children under 18, totaling about 20 million kids. Nine percent of recipients were age 60 or older, and nearly 10 percent were disabled adults who were under 60.

Experts have reported that many Americans turned to food stamps due to the great recession, and that not all recipients are unemployed — a common misconception. “While people may be working, they’re working in jobs (in which) wages are not keeping up with inflation,” said James Ziliak, director of the Center of Poverty Research at the University of Kentucky. Short-term jobs, drastic cuts in hours and benefits and rising costs of living have all contributed to the number of SNAP recipients.

Despite who receives food stamp benefits, the program still comes under fire. Some lawmakers argue food stamps have minimal benefit and discourage work, while adding to the government deficit. A portion of lawmakers believe some recipients don’t need the service and, if they do, they purchase unhealthy meals.

Experts admittedly report that there are some bad seeds, but researchers have found substantial benefits, especially for children who need fuel for growing brains and bodies.

Both NeNe Leakes and Billy Dee Williams debuted their dance moves on “Dancing with the Stars” last night. The Atlanta housewife and the ’80s heartthrob took on the fast-paced cha-cha for the season eight premiere of the competition show.

Check out their moves below and let us know who gets your vote.

Rapper Kanye West gets probation after entering a “no contest” plea Monday on charges of misdemeanor battery against a photographer. A no contest plea is treated the same as a guilty plea for purposes of sentencing.

As a result, the Yeezus artist must serve two years probation, in addition to 250 hours of community service and 24 anger management sessions. Judge Alan Rubin ordered West to pay the victim restitution, and will review his community service to avoid any special treatment.

However, photographer Daniel Ramos isn’t satisfied with the verdict, he wanted the controversial rapper jailed. “I was only doing my job, and he broke the law,” Ramos said. “I believe that if I did what he did to me, I would have been put behind bars.”

West was caught on camera rushing Ramos, attempting to wrestle his camera out of his hands. After about 15 seconds of tussling, West retreated. “I simply asked him a question, and I didn’t use any vulgar language,” Ramos told the judge Monday. “In fact, I gave him a compliment and told him that he was cool.”

On behalf of the victim, celebrity attorney Gloria Allred has filed a civil suit against West.

I’ve never been one for apocalyptic theories. I scoffed at films like The Day After Tomorrow and sucked my teeth at the doomsday theory of 2012. However, when a NASA-funded study comes out stating that civilization will end in the next few decades, even I have to stop and pay attention.

The report, written by applied mathematician Safa Motesharrei and a team of natural and social scientists, breaks down how and why civilization is, essentially, doomed. The team analyzed five risk factors for societal collapse: water, climate, agriculture, energy, and population. The report explains that over the past 5,000 years societies have collapsed when all of these factors converged to create two important criteria: ”the stretching of resources due to the strain placed on the ecological carrying capacity” and “the economic stratification of society into Elites [rich] and Masses (or “Commoners”) [poor].”

So basically, this all boils down to the fact that a) we have very limited natural resources that we already use at a rate that is above that at which the earth can produce them and b) of those already strained resources, the rich are hoarding them to their advantage leaving even less for those without money. The elites will be able to hold out longer than the masses, due to their monopoly on resources, allowing them to continue on with business as usual, despite impending catastrophe. The scientists predict that this will all result in the deterioration of society. Ain’t that grand?!

[Image: Shutterstock]

There are many who would argue that technology will save us from this terrible fate, but the study gives a Dikembe Mutombo finger wave to that one:

“Technological change can raise the efficiency of resource use, but it also tends to raise both per capita resource consumption and the scale of resource extraction, so that, absent policy effects, the increases in consumption often compensate for the increased efficiency of resource use.”

More or less, technology, although it promotes efficiency, does more harm than good because it tends to increase the rate at which we use the resources. Oh. Great.

But wait! There is a bright light at the end of this tunnel. Motesharrei provides solutions!

“Collapse can be avoided and population can reach equilibrium if the per capita rate of depletion of nature is reduced to a sustainable level, and if resources are distributed in a reasonably equitable fashion.”

Oh, so stop using resources at a rate that’s not sustainable and have the elites relinquish some of their power and resources as so to provide an equal playing field for everyone? Is that all? We’re screwed.

Even Motesharrei recognizes the improbability  impossibility of the world waking up and the rich suddenly being generous to the poor. He concludes the paper by stating, ”closely reflecting the reality of the world today … we find that collapse is difficult to avoid.”

Well, I hope that sobering reality went down nicely with your morning cup of coffee. Enjoy the next few decades before certain societal collapse folks! I, for one, am going to start paying closer attention to ”The Walking Dead” and will be looking into learning how to farm and hunt … in New York City.

Have you ever been homesick and missed the smell of your mother’s cooking? Or wished you could smell your lover’s perfume or cologne when you’re away? Well, there are developers who are working to make that a reality with the “oPhone.”

Dr. David Edwards, a biomedical engineer at Harvard and founder of Le Laboratoire, a company known to produce radical sensory products, is the head of this interesting new product. He is working with Paris perfumers Givaudan and baristas Café Coutume to create a menu of scents, which will be contained in “oChips.” Eyal Shahar, an electrical engineer from MIT, designed containers that will release the scent when heated by the touch of button, but then quickly cool in order to keep smells distinct and localized, something that has been historically difficult in olfactory experimentation. When someone sends a message using the scent menu on their oPhone, the receiver’s phone would use its own menu to recreate the scent that was sent (tee hee). Up to 365 combinations will be available in the first wave of oPhones which are slated to go into beta testing in July.

“Biologically we respond powerfully to aroma, so if we become familiar with the design of aromatic communication we might be able to say things we couldn’t before”, says Edwards.

Although the first batch of phones will only be available to a select few customers, the first olfactory social network will be more inclusive.

A free app will allow anyone to compose and send a smell note by text or email, based on a set menu of aromas and variations. The message can be received by any normal phone as a text. The recipient can then download the composition from hotspots which will be set up in the launch city of Boston.

Oooookaaaay. I personally can’t see me getting wrapped up in smell texts, but to each his own. I wonder to what extent this will numb our senses of smell? Or cloud the air with random scents? And what if someone send you a smell that you do not want to experience? No, thanks.

Although Edwards is using his olfactory research for nostalgia and novelty, there are some who are trying to use it for medical advancement. Monell Chemical Senses Center is seeking to find smell biomarkers in cancer patients to see if they can create an “e-nose” that would be able to smell chemicals in the blood to delivery an early diagnosis. The idea was inspired by the fact that dogs can often smell sickness on humans.

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A new Star Wars film will come sooner than some might think. Director J.J. Abrams‘ upcoming Star Wars: Episode VII begins filming in May.

While there is no solid word on who will portray the new Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, or Leia Solo, Oscar-winning 12 Years A Slave actress Lupita Nyong’o is in talks to star in the franchise. There have also been murmurs of a role for Attack the Block actor John Boyega. If the two make the cut, they could be the first Black man and woman to have a leading role in the classic franchise.

Episode VII, which is currently slated to open in theaters Dec. 18, 2015, is set 30 years after the Rebellion took down the Galactic Empire and a second Death Star in Return of the Jedi. According to USA Today, the new film also will feature three new leads and familiar faces — Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill have been rumored to have roles in Episode VII.

So far, only R2D2 is confirmed for the 2015 film.

Kristjan Ndoj, 15, is in critical condition after being shot Saturday in Shelton, CT.

Ndoj had reportedly received death threats via text message earlier during the week and is now in critical condition.

The Shelton High School sophomore received a text message from a classmate before the shooting, which read, “My boyfriend is going to kill you,” a relative told WTNH-TV.

The gunman shot Ndoj in the head and once in the leg, outside a friend’s house around 8:45 p.m.

The homeowner called 911 after the incident.

Police have been unable to interview Ndoj, who has yet to regain consciousness, according to Shelton Police spokesman Lt. Robert Kozlowsky. However, a friend of the boy says a girl’s boyfriend threatened Ndoj in the past, saying, “If he hangs out with her or talks to her anymore, there’s going to be problems.” Police, though, still haven’t pinpointed any suspects.

Police provided extra security at the high school Monday when kids returned.

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These celebrity Aries are always at the center of something new and exciting, which means they set trends that others follow.

Diggy Simmons - March 21

For Diggy Simmons family and entertainment go hand in hand. He’s continued his father Rev Run‘s legacy by adding rapper to his resume. His sisters Angela and Vanessa Simmons are both fashion icons. Diggy can now add Uncle before his name because Vanessa gave birth to a baby girl Ava Marie Jean Wayans.

Chris Bosh - March 24

The Miami Heat power forward/ center who turns 30 this month brings his gentleman swag on and off the court.

Laz Alonso - March 25

Jumping the Broom actor Laz Alonso is turning the big 4-0, and his year is heating up with a syndicated Lexus commercial and role in NBC’s “Mysteries of Laura.”

Sarah Jessica Parker - March 25

Sarah Jessica Parker will always be known as Carrie Bradshaw, the main character from HBO’s “Sex and the City.” Parker shares Bradshaw’s love of shoes and has launched her own line of shoes under the SJP Collection.

Aretha Franklin - March 25

The Queen of Soul was honored by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. Talk about R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

Diana Ross - March 26

“The Boss” continues dazzling well into her 70s.

Mariah Carey – March 27

The festive vocalist returned this year with a new single, “You’re Mine (Eternal),” and is set to release her next album in May.

Quentin Tarantino - March 27

The D’jango: Unchained screenwriter/director shelved western The Hateful Eight after the script was leaked to the public, so that means no new Tarantino flicks anytime soon.

Fergie - March 27

The glamorous former front-woman of the Black Eyed Peas is now a mommy and could be the next U.K. “X-Factor” judge.

Lady Gaga - March 28
The provocative Lady Gaga pulled out all the stops for her SxSW show this past weekend, including fake vomit to support her Born This Way Foundation.

Celine Dion - March 30

Celine Dion has been on the U.S. airwaves since the early ’90s. With a new album and residency in Vegas, she’s carving her place in music history.

David Oyelowo - April 1

The British actor hit the radar with his performance in The Butler, but his role as Martin Luther King in the Ava Duvernay-directed Selma may make him a household name.

Adam Rodriguez- April 2

Adam Rodriguez evolved from being man candy in J. LO’s first video to becoming a serious actor on C.S.I and showing his playful side in Magic Mike.

Eddie Murphy - April 3

Funnyman Eddie Murphy is reviving his music career with an upcoming album titled 9. He hasn’t given up on acting, though, as he is working on bringing Beverley Hills Cop 4 to the big screen.

Paris Jackson – April 3

Michael Jackson‘s daughter Paris is growing up with the help of Katherine and Janet Jackson. Instead of music, she plans to become an actress.

Dr. Maya Angelou - April 4

Dr. Maya Angelou has been inspiring us for years with her use of literature to tell our stories and uplift.

Jill Scott - April 4

Jill Scott’s should feel right at home in the role of a background vocalist in the James Brown biopic Get on Up!.
Pharrell Williams - April 5

The vampire known as Pharrell Williams continues rocking crowds with Robin Thicke‘s “Blurred Lines” and his second album G I R L.

Billy Dee Williams - April 6

The movie heartthrob traded lines with Diana Ross in the classic ’70s films Lady Sings The Blues and Mahogany. He signed up to show off his dancing skills on this season of “Dancing With The Stars.”

Casper Smart -April 6

J. Lo‘s boo Casper Smart danced his way into the superstar’s heart after her divorce from Marc Anthony.

Billie Holiday - April 7

Billie Holiday performed “Strange Fruit” as a reminder of the racism she witnessed in her lifetime. Time magazine declared it “the song of the century” in 1999. Her story was told by fellow Aries Diana Ross in biopic Lady Sings The Blues, also starring Billy Dee Williams.

Jackie Chan – April 7

Martial arts expert Jackie Chan charmed us opposite co-star Chris Tucker in Rush Hour and he continues displaying his skills in action films released overseas.

Skai Jackson - April 8

Eleven-year-old Disney girl Skai Jackson’s star continues to rise as she turns 12.

Marc Jacobs - April 9

Former Louis Vuitton designer Marc Jacobs is known for his fashion creations for women, men, and children.

Keshia Knight Pulliam - April 9

Keshia Knight Pulliam may be keeping her romance with radio host Big Tigga on the hush, but we still wonder if the pair will walk down the aisle.

Da Brat – April 14

After completing a three-year prison stint most would think Da Brat would come from behind bars to deliver bars, but she is taking her time, slow cooking a new album with mentor Jermaine Dupri.

Akon - April 16

This month, Akon celebrates his tenth year in the music industry since the release of his first single “Locked Up” and his birthday.

Martin Lawrence - April 16

The comedian has been giving us bellyaches from laughing so hard over the years.

Kimberly Elise - April 17

Kimberley Elise will join the ensemble for a Lifetime production of Terry McMillian‘s A Day Late and a Dollar Short. Plus, she’ll be back as Sloane Hayes on the second season of VH1′s “Hit the Floor.”

Victoria Beckham-April 17

The stylish Victoria Beckham, or Posh Spice from the ’90s, may be the most fashionable mom to sit front row at fashion shows worldwide.

Kourtney Kardashian - April 18

Kourtney Kardashian will have a busy summer coming up with sister Kim K‘s marriage to Kanye West.

Shemar Moore - April 20

Does Shemar Moore ever age? The “Criminal Minds” actor is taking some time off from acting, but will be back in for the film The Bounce Back.

Luther Vandross - April 20

Luther Vandross will forever be remembered for that infectious smile and silky voice.

A new study has found that women wait longer than men for heart attack treatment.

According to the Globe and Mail, the report was concentrated in Canada but included one hospital in both the U.S. and Switzerland and looked at 1,100 patients between the ages of 18 and 55 who were booked into hospitals for heart attacks and angina.

Only 29 percent of women received an electrocardiogram in less than 10 minutes, whereas nearly 40 percent of men did. Similarly, only 32 percent of women received clot-busting drugs in less than 30 minutes, while about 60 percent of men did.

What is causing this alarming health disparity? Are doctors just biased against women? Not exactly. The study does not suggest that blatant discrimination is to blame. However, there may be a more unconscious bias at play.

The problem lies in the ways that we’ve been taught to identify heart attack symptoms. Heart attacks often affect men and women in different ways. Most people are familiar with the following symptoms: pain on the left side, extreme chest pain, etc. In fact, many women in cardiac arrest do not experience chest pain. More common symptoms for women include shortness of breath, dizziness, upper back pressure and the sensation of acid reflux.

[Image: Shutterstock]

Unfortunately, due to this lack of awareness, many women experiencing heart problems will put their lives at greater risk, simply because they don’t know that their symptoms correlate with heart attacks. There needs to be a revamp of the heart health awareness campaign to include the differences between men and women in experiencing heart failure.

Beyond that, doctors need to also be at higher alert for what these symptoms may mean. The way men experience heart attacks has become the standard for diagnosis and there needs to be a heightened awareness of women’s symptoms. Granted, some of these characteristics can be symptomatic of other issues, but that still does not account for such a large disparity.

Dr. Robert Reid, deputy chief of the division of prevention and rehabilitation at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, said doctors and other health providers need to be more aware that women are different than men, but that their risk of heart disease is just as serious.

“Hopefully, if there are biases that are built in … we can understand them and kind of compensate for them appropriately,” Reid said.

Awareness is needed. This news is especially alarming for Black women who are already at higher risk for heart disease and more likely to die of heart disease than white women.

Help spread this information to others and hopefully change the culture of heart problem diagnosis.

M.I.A. (real name Mathangi Arulpragasam) extended her middle finger during her Super Bowl XLVI performance of “Give Me All Your Luvin’” and now the NFL is singing “Give Me All Your Money” — $16.6 million to be exact.

The NFL started the arbitration process against the Sri Lankan singer-rapper last September. At that time, the NFL demanded $1.5 million for her alleged breach of performance contract and her tarnishing its goodwill and reputation.

Now the NFL is seeking an additional $15.1 million as the alleged value of public exposure she received by appearing on the halftime show. The number is calculated by what advertisers would have paid for ads during the two minutes she performed alongside Madonna.

M.I.A.’s lawyer Howard King responded in legal papers: “The claim for restitution lacks any basis in law, fact, or logic.” King presented evidence of other halftime shows with questionable content, including Michael Jackson’s crotch-grabbing incident during the 1993 Super Bowl Halftime Show. He also cites Prince’s use of his guitar as an innuendo of masturbation, and even Madonna’s use of female dancers in provocative positions. The legal defense hinges on the NFL using her as a scapegoat

Since the incident, M.I.A. has made light of the situation. When asked by NPR about why she made the gesture, she provided a story of a Hindu goddess Matangi, whose symbol is the middle finger. She laughed, then said, “Do you like that? It’s good, isn’t it?” Then she called the NFL’s cheerleaders more offensive than her performance.

On Monday, M.I.A. tweeted “@madonna ummm ….. can i borrow 16 million ?” She shouldn’t hold her breath waiting for a response because Madonna called M.I.A’s use of the middle finger “out of place” and a “teenager, irrelevant thing to do.”