Sexy Top Model Karolina Kurkova Pregnant With Fiancé Archie Drury’s First Child

Karolina Kurkova Pregnant With Fiancé Archie Drury’s First Child: "

Karolina Kurkova, 25, the former Victora’s Secret supermodel, is six months pregnant with her first child. The father is her fiancé Archie Drury, a film producer who made the documentary Voices of Iraq.

'Supermodel and actress Karolina Kurkova and her fiancé, film producer Archie Drury have announced that they are expecting their first child. The couple have been together for a little over a year.' Kurkova’s rep confirmed Tuesday.

The couple’s baby is due October. Congrats!

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Sexy Bikini Supermodel Karina Smirnoff

Karina Smirnoff: "

Karina Smirnoff is a world champion professional dancer.She is a five-time U.S. National Champion, World Trophy Champion, and Asian Open Champion. Smirnoff has won the title at the UK Open, is a three time champion at the US Open, two time champion at the Asian Open, five time champion at the Dutch Open, five time US National Professional Champion. She is ranked 2nd in the world, and took second at the British Open Blackpool Dance Festival .She is 'the first woman to ever make the British Professional Final with three different partners'. Click for beautiful bikini pictures of:

karina Jelinek

Karina Jelinek

Karina Smirnoff

Karina Smirnoff

Karolina Kurkova

Karolina Kurkova

Karolina Kurkova

Karolina Kurkova

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Disney Channel “Shake It Up” Season Two

Disney Channel “Shake It Up” Season Two: "

The hit Disney Channel Original Series “Shake It Up” will be back on the network for a second season! The show is currently the number one series on TV among kids 6-11 and tweens. “Shake It Up” was created by Chris Thompson (“Laverne and Shirley,” “Bosom Buddies,”) and is executive produced by Rob Lotterstein (“The War At Home,” “Ellen”), while the show comes from It’s a Laugh Productions, Inc.

Here is a list of some of the actors who star in the series:

- Bella Thorne as CeCe Jones - Zendaya Coleman as Rocky Blue - Davis Cleveland as Flynn Jones - Roshon Fegan as Ty Blue - Adam Irigoyen as Deuce - Kenton Duty as Gunther - Caroline Sunshine as Tinka

Are you excited “Shake It Up” will be back for a second season?

Source: Disney Channel

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Disney Channel Original Movie “Phineas And Ferb: Across The 2nd Dimension”

Disney Channel Original Movie “Phineas And Ferb: Across The 2nd Dimension”: "

Earlier this year we mentioned that there would be a “Phineas and Ferb” Disney Channel Original Movie, but now we have some more details for you! The movie will be called “Phineas and Ferb: Across The 2nd Dimension,” and it is set to premiere in Summer 2011. In the movie Phineas and Ferb will be transported to a parallel dimension where an evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz is succeeding in taking over the world! Sounds ominous! We’ll keep you posted.

Source: Disney Channel

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Disney Channel Original Movie “Frenemies”

Disney Channel Original Movie “Frenemies”: "

The Disney Channel has announced a new Disney Channel Original Movie titled “Frenemies.” The movie follows three pairs of friends as they try to find a balance when “besties go to worsties, and back again.” The movie is set to arrive on the network in 2012.

“Frenemies” was written by Dava Savel, Wendy Weiner and Jim Krieg. The movie will be directed by Daisy Mayer and produced by Les Morgenstein and Bob Levy. “Frenemies” is a production of Alloy Entertainment.

We’ll keep you posted with any new details that arise!

Source: Disney Channel

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Disney Channel Original Movie “Geek Charming” Update

Disney Channel Original Movie “Geek Charming” Update: "

Here is an update on the Disney Channel Original Movie “Geek Charming.” The movie stars Sarah Hyland (“Modern Family”) and Matt Prokop (“High School Musical 3: Senior Year”) – both of whom are actually dating in real life!

“Geek Charming” will explore the dynamics of high school and social hierarchy and is based on the young adult novel “Geek Charming” by Robin Palmer.

The movie was written by Elizabeth Hackett and Hilary Galanoy and will be directed by Jeffrey Hornaday (choreographer of “A Chorus Line,” “Flashdance”). Executive producers will be David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman (both of “The Muppets,” “The Fighter,” “The Proposal”) and Paul Shapiro (“Detroit 1-8-7″). The movie is a production of Mandeville Films and Television.

Source: Disney Channel

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Jason Earles “Kickin’ It” Disney XD Update

Jason Earles “Kickin’ It” Disney XD Update: "

Here is an update from Disney XD about the new series “Kickin’ It.” The show is a live action comedy about the owner of the struggling Bobby Wasabi Martial Arts Academy, which is the worst dojo in the nationwide chain of underperforming dojos. The owner has to recruit a hotshot skateboarder to teach his students about karate and about life.

Actors who star in the show include:

- Jason Earles (“Hannah Montana”) - Leo Howard (“Leo Little’s Big Show”) - Mateo Arias - Dylan Riley Snyder (Disney’s “Tarzan” on Broadway) - Alex Jones - Olivia Holt

“Kickin’ It” was created by Jim O’Doherty (“3rd Rock from the Sun”) who will also serve as executive producer along with Mar Warren (“That’s So Raven”). The show comes from It’s A Laugh Productions, Inc.

Source: Disney XD

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Disney XD “Ultimate Spider-Man”

Disney XD “Ultimate Spider-Man”: "

The Disney XD television channel is introducing a Marvel programming block soon and one show that will appear during the block is the animated “Ultimate Spider-Man” series. In “Ultimate Spider-Man,” Peter Parker has been Spider-Man for one year and he has fought villains and saved lives, but he still has a lot to learn about being a super hero!

The character Nick Fury gives Peter the chance to take his training to the next level, thereby becoming The Ultimate Spider-Man. However, before that can happen Peter will have to learn how to work with a team of fellow teen super heroes.

“The Ultimate Spider-Man” comes from a creative team that includes Paul Dini (“Batman: The Animated Series,” “LOST”), Man of Action Studios (creators of “Ben 10″ and “Generator Rex”), comprised of Joe Casey, Joe Kelly, Duncan Rouleau and Steven T. Seagle, and Brian Michael Bendis (the visionary behind Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man comic series).

Does this sound like a show you want to tune in for?

Source: Disney XD

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Britney Spears Performs “Hold It Against Me” On ABC’s “Good Morning America”

Britney Spears Performs “Hold It Against Me” On ABC’s “Good Morning America”: "

Britney Spears appeared on ABC’s “Good Morning America” today, March 29, 2011, to perform her hit single “Hold It Against Me” from her new album “Femme Fatale.” This is the seventh album Britney has released and chances are she is going to sell a huge number of copies of the CD! Watch Britney’s performance below and let us know what you think.

P.S. We love her outfit!

Femme Fatale (Deluxe Version) – Britney Spears

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Britney Spears “Big Fat Bass Medley” On ABC’s “Good Morning America”

Britney Spears “Big Fat Bass Medley” On ABC’s “Good Morning America”: "

Britney Spears performed a medley of her most famous songs on ABC’s “Good Morning America” today, March 29, 2011. The medley is titled “Big Fat Bass Medley.” Be sure to let us know which of Brit’s songs is your favorite and let us know if it was included in the medley! Also, lookout for Will.i.am who appears for part of the song!

Are you planning on picking up a copy of Britney’s new album “Femme Fatale,” which released to stores and online download sites today? If you listen to the album, let us know which song is your favorite!

Femme Fatale (Deluxe Version) – Britney Spears

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Britney Spears Performs “Till The World Ends” On ABC’s “Good Morning America

Britney Spears Performs “Till The World Ends” On ABC’s “Good Morning America: "

Britney Spears appeared on ABC’s “Good Morning America” today, March 29, 2011 to promote her new album “Femme Fatale.” In the video below you can watch Britney perform her new single “Till The World Ends.” After you watch the performance be sure to let us know what you think!

Also, if you pick up a copy of Britney’s new album, be sure to let us know which song on the CD is your favorite!

Femme Fatale (Deluxe Version) – Britney Spears

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Disney XD “Motorcity” Animated Series

Disney XD “Motorcity” Animated Series: "

Disney XD has announced a new animated series titled “Motorcity.” In the series, set in a futuristic Detroit owned by evil billionaire Abraham Kane, personal freedoms including automobile transportation has been banned, but there is a group of hot-rod wielding rebels who call themselves The Burners who are challenging Kane’s laws.

The Burners are led by the character Mike Chilton and they come together to stop Kane from taking over Detroit’s last oasis of freedom, an underground refuse called Motorcity.

“Motorcity” was created by Chris Prynoski and produced by Disney Television Animation and Titmouse, Inc. The show is set to premiere on Disney XD in Winter 2012 and includes the voices of the following actors:

- Reid Scott - Nate Torrence - Kate Micucci - Kel Mitchell (omg!) - Jess Harnell - Brian Doyle Murray - Jim Breuer - Mark Hamill

The show is executive produced and directed by Chris Prynoski (“Metalocalypse,” “Megas XLR,” “Downtown”) while Craig Lewis (“Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends”) is the story editor and John O’Bryan (“Avatar: The Last Airbender”) and George Krstic (“Star Wars: Clone Wars”) are staff writers.

Does this sound like a series you want to tune in for?

Source: Disney XD

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Disney XD “Tron: Uprising” Update

Disney XD “Tron: Uprising” Update: "

Here is an update about the upcoming Disney XD animated series “Tron: Uprising.” The show is set to premiere in Fall 2012 and is set in an era of the “TRON: storyline that transpires after the 1982 feature film “TRON” and before the “TRON: Legacy” movie.

Charlie Bean (“Robotboy,” “Samurai Jack,” and “Powerpuff Girls”) is executive producer and director on the project while consulting producers include Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz (both screenwriters of “TRON: Legacy” / executive producers of “LOST”) and Justin Springer (co-producer of “TRON: Legacy”).

The “Tron: Uprising” series will be preceded by a 10-part “TRON” micro-series launching in Winter 2012 on Disney XD.

The voice cast of “Tron: Uprising” include:

- Elijah Wood - Emmanuelle Chriqui - Mandy Moore - Nate Corddry - Lance Henriksen - Paul Reubens - Reginald VelJohnson - Bruce Boxleitner

Are you excited for this new show?

Source: Disney XD

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“Tangled” Arrives On Blu-ray And DVD

“Tangled” Arrives On Blu-ray And DVD: "

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has released “Tangled” on Blu-ray and DVD today, March 29, 2011. The movie was directed by Nathan Greno and Byron Howard and stars the voices of the actors below:

- Mandy Moore as Rapunzel - Zachary Levi as Flynn Rider - Donna Murphy as Mother Gothel - Ron Perlman as Stabbington Brother - M.C. Gainey as Captain of the Guard - Jeffrey Tambor as Big Nose Thug - Brad Garrett as Hook Hand Thug - Paul F. Tompkins as Short Thug - Richard Kiel as Vlad - Delaney Rose Stein as Young Rapunzel / Little Girl - Nathan Greno as Guard #1 / Thug #1 - Byron Howard as Guard #2 / Thug #2 - Tim Mertens as Guard #3

Blu-ray Bonus Features Include:

- Untangled: The Making of a Fairy Tale – Exactly how long is Rapunzel’s hair? How many lanterns were used? Where did Pascal’s name come from? Which Disney animated feature first utilized CG animation? These and many more will be answered when Mandy Moore and Zach Levi take viewers on a kooky behind-the-scenes tour to learn how the filmmakers styled this film’s “Golden Tresses.”

- Deleted Scenes – Co-directors Byron Howard and Nathan Greno introduce three scenes and illuminate why they were ultimately cut. – The Jaunty Moose – Chemistry Develops – Vigor The Visionary

- Extended Songs – The complete version of two great songs are shared in a unique feature that explains the co-directors decision to scale them down. – “When Will My Life Begin” – “Mother Knows Best”

- Two Original Storybook Openings – Two alternate versions of the film’s opening sequence described by co-directors Nathan Greno and Byron Howard.

- 50th Animated Feature Countdown – A video montage celebrating “Tangled” as the 50th film to join the Walt Disney Studios’ prestigious lineup of classic animated features.

- 9 Tangled Teasers – A collection of the most unique and quirky commercials made for the theatrical release of “Tangled.” Some are spoofs based off of infomercials and/or breaking news. Some are teasers and others are simply just funny filmstrips.

Bonus Features on the DVD and Movie Download Include:

- Two Original Story Book Openings – Version 1 & 2

- 50th Animated Feature Countdown

Let us know if you pick up a copy of “Tangled” today!

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Disney Junior “Doc McStuffins” Update

Disney Junior “Doc McStuffins” Update: "

Disney is introducing the new “Doc McStuffins” animated series on the 24-hour Disney Junior channel in 2012. The show is a series about six-year-old Dottie “Doc” McStuffins who communicates with and heals stuffed animals and toys out of her backyard clinic. The show highlights the importance of taking care of yourself and of others

The Hollywood Health and Society division of the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center is set to serve as the health and medical consultant for the series, and will advice on core health issues that are relevant to young children and their families.

“Doc McStuffins” was created and will be executive produced by writer Chris Nee (“Little Bill”) and the show will be directed by Norton Virgien (“Rugrats”). The show is a production of the animation studio Brown Bag Films in association with the Disney Channel.

Does this sound like a show your little one will want to watch?

Source: Disney Junior

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Mandy Moore Stars In New Disney Junior Animated Series “Oki’s Oasis”

Mandy Moore Stars In New Disney Junior Animated Series “Oki’s Oasis”: "

Mandy Moore is not only voicing a character in Disney XD’s new animated series “Tron: Uprising,” she will also be voicing a character in the new Disney Junior show “Oki’s Oasis.” The show is the first animated western for preschoolers and Mandy will voice Oki, a kitty cat sheriff in the town of Nice and Friendly Corners – the friendliest town in the West!

Oki has the help of her deputy woodpecker, Peck, and together the two make sure everything in town runs smoothly.

“Oki’s Oasis” deals with social skills and lessons about being a good neighbor. The show is produced by George Evelyn and Denis Morella and is a production of Wildbrain Entertainment.

What do you think of this new show?

Source: Disney Junior

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Vanessa Hudgens Shows Off Her New Hairstyle At LAX March 28, 2011

Vanessa Hudgens Shows Off Her New Hairstyle At LAX March 28, 2011: "

Vanessa Hudgens has a new haircut, and we really like it! The actress showed off her new ‘do at LAX airport in Los Angeles, California on March 28, 2011. Vanessa has been super busy this month promoting her new movies “Sucker Punch” and “Beastly.”

Have you seen either of Vanessa’s movies? If so, leave your review in the comments section!

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Justin Bieber Leaves His Hotel In Paris, France March 28, 2011

Justin Bieber Leaves His Hotel In Paris, France March 28, 2011: "

Justin Bieber was photographed leaving his hotel in Paris, France on March 28, 2011. Justin is currently overseas for his My World concert tour and the pop star has been really well received by his fans outside of the US! Have you been lucky enough to go to one of Justin’s recent concerts? If so, what is your favorite song that the star performed?

Also, we all know Justin loves to play pranks while he is on tour. Do you have any prank ideas for him to try?

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Justin Bieber Waves To Fans In Paris, France March 29, 2011

Justin Bieber Waves To Fans In Paris, France March 29, 2011: "

Justin Bieber was spotted in Paris, France on March 29, 2011. The star is currently on his My World tour, which is taking him around the world. In the photo Justin is waving to his adoring fans just outside of his hotel as he is on his way to his concert performance.

We’re loving Justin’s Stewie Griffin, “Family Guy,” necklace!

Have you been lucky enough to see Justin on tour yet?

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Drew Seeley “The Resolution” Album

Drew Seeley “The Resolution” Album: "

Drew Seeley released three EP albums recently,

- “The Resolution – Act 1″ - “The Resolution – Act 2″ - “The Resolution – Act 3″

The star is now releasing a full-length album titled “The Resolution.” No word on if the CD will feature any bonus tracks that weren’t available on the 3 already released EPs.

“The Resolution” will arrive on April 5, 2011. Let us know if you plan on picking up a copy of Drew’s album.

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Disney Channel “The Suite Life Movie” Viewer Numbers

Disney Channel “The Suite Life Movie” Viewer Numbers: "

The Disney Channel Original Movie “The Suite Life Movie” aired on the channel on March 25, 2011. The movie had 5.2 million viewers, making it the most-watched scripted telecast for the night. In addition, the movie was seen by 2.4 million kids 6-11 and 2.2 million tweens 9-14, which made it the most-watched telecast of the night in both demographics.

“The Suite Life Movie” is currently the number 1 TV movie of the year.

Did you tune in for the Disney Channel’s “The Suite Life Movie”? What did you think?

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Justin Bieber Leaves His Hotel In Paris, France March 28, 2011

Justin Bieber Leaves His Hotel In Paris, France March 28, 2011: "

Justin Bieber was photographed leaving his hotel in Paris, France on March 28, 2011. Justin is currently overseas for his My World concert tour and the pop star has been really well received by his fans outside of the US! Have you been lucky enough to go to one of Justin’s recent concerts? If so, what is your favorite song that the star performed?

Also, we all know Justin loves to play pranks while he is on tour. Do you have any prank ideas for him to try?

" USA FASHION & MUSIC NEWS - DOWNLOAD MUSIC VIDEO LEGALLY

Remastering The Beatles With Cedar Audio Retouch System

The Beatles Remastered with Cedar Audio Retouch System

Remastering The Beatles Pro Audio Features by Audio Pro Cedar audio retouch beatles remastered



Remastering The Beatles Pro Audio Features by Audio Pro - cedar audio retouch, beatles remastered, cedar audio retouch system

 
Remastering The BeatlesAndrew LowSep 8Audio Pro talks to the team of Abbey Road engineers who spent the past four years remastering the entire Beatles catalogue…
Roughly four years ago, Allan Rouse got the call from EMI that the entire Beatles catalogue needed to be remastered. Like Hannibal on the A-Team, Rouse needed only to make the call and his men sprang into action. The years between then and now have comprised long hours spent by a meticulous team that worked from the original masters and laboured over every detail at each step of the process.
The team consisted of Rouse as project co-ordinator, recording engineers Guy Massey, Paul Hicks and Sam Okell, mastering engineers Steve Rooke and Sean Magee, and Simon Gibson, Cedar Audio restoration engineer.
With the men assembled and plans in place, Guy Massey began the process for the stereo versions while Paul Hicks tackled the monos. Hicks explains: “We wanted to make the recordings sound the best they could, very respectfully. Our first process was spending a lot of time going through quarter-inch machines and a range of EMI test tapes from over the years.”
Loading the tapes
After trying out several machines, the team chose a Studer A80 tape machine with a 1972 test tape. Each song was then loaded from the original analog tapes through Prism Sound’s ADA-8XR multi-channel modular ADA converters into Pro Tools. Massey states: “Pro Tools was treated as a master machine and we didn’t use any plugins. The songs were formatted to 24 bit/192kHz and video referenced. The speed of the tape machine was always watched to make sure it was running at the right speed.
“The tapes are still in great condition – nevertheless we loaded everything track-by-track, cleaning the tape machine heads and rollers between each song.
“The original transfers were done in 1986 when digital was in its infancy. I am not knocking the original transfers, but I think from the point where we re-transferred and archived the master tapes, we were already a step ahead because the technology has come on in leaps and bounds. What some people may perceive as an added eq is actually the result of better transfers, especially in the low end and the high top. Upwards of twenty tracks were not eq’d at all because we didn’t think we could improve them in any way.”
The team at Abbey Road was very conscious of not affecting the spirit of the songs from their original versions. As such, they performed A/B listening tests with the existing CDs and vinyl at every step of the process. Hicks comments: “It’s not a project where we could forget the past. We had cutting notes from the originals so that we could see what they were actually doing.”
“Once we archived the masters we would get a print out of the lyrics and timings and listen to each track on a separate basis three or four times, make detailed notes of technical noises that we felt we would like to remove or reduce,” Massey explains. “We only addressed things that we considered to be extraneous to the performance, such as clicks from mics and faders, tape drop outs, bad edits, mic pops and sibilance.
“We then took the master 24-bit/192kHz file to Simon Gibson in the restoration suite and he used Cedar Retouch to fix anything we wanted to change. We then chopped those fixed bits back into the master file so that we had a new, edited master file. The whole team deliberated every change and we were determined to keep the audio as pure as possible.”
Massey states that de-noising was a bit of a contentious issue, thus it was used for less than one per cent of the entire catalogue – five minutes of the 535 total minutes. “De-noising was used for things like intros or if hiss was enough that it was excessive, but we have only taken it down very subtly.”
Mastering
Once all the edits were made the files were taken to the mastering suites at Abbey Road where Steve Rooke and Sean Magee handled the stereo and mono recordings respectively.
“It was an analog process from that point on,” Rooke comments. “The tracks came out of Pro Tools through the Prism AD8s into the analog domain and were then injected into the studio’s 1972 EMI TG mastering console. We then eq’d and transferred them to a Sadie Series 5 PCM 8 DAW at 24-bit/441kHz. The main carrier was going to be CD so we kept it at 44:1 to avoid the extra process of sample rate conversion, therefore keeping the signal as pure as possible. Once each album was compiled we did a digital capture through a Jünger DO1 digital limiter, the limiting was done afterwards to give us more flexibility. We didn’t want to limit as we eq’d because it would have been difficult to change at a later date. The team listened to them post limiter.
“When we were capturing the final mastered version, we played the songs out of Sadie in the digital domain through the DO 1 limiter into a Prism AD-124 AD converter for noise shaping. All the songs were noise shaped and dithered back into 16-bit and then captured back into the Sadie at 16-bit/441kHz, which is what we made the masters from.
“During the mastering process we listened to each track and decided where we wanted to go with it, if we wanted to add or remove eq to help instruments or vocals. We went through each track, made the adjustments and then recorded into Sadie.
“The next day we listened to the tracks in Studio 3, talked about it and made notes for changes. The changes were made and we started the entire process over again until we were all happy with the tracks.
“We mostly used the eq on the TG desk, but it is in dB steps so any additional eq’ing was done on a Prism ME2 to hone into something with finer steps or target certain frequencies. Different parts of certain songs were treated in different ways. If a chorus was a bit bright or brittle we would adjust that accordingly. This was especially apparent on a song like Yellow Submarine because the sound effects were so bright. I am the Walrus was another tricky one because it was so different from the rest of the catalogue.”
Limiting
“All modern day CDs are limited very heavily because everyone wants to be the loudest,” Massey states. “We spoke about this at the very beginning and it was unanimously established that the stereos would be limited slightly because they are aimed at the modern market. The monos are more for the collectors so they were not. The stereos are probably three to four dBs louder than the original, so a lot of the time the limiters are not working.”
Rooke adds: “It is just the very fast transients that would normally show over level on the digital metres that it took down. There are still waveforms to be seen. We really wanted to keep the dynamics.”
“We liked a bit of limiting because we felt it made the recordings a little more exciting, but not to the point where we would be upsetting the original dynamics,” says Massey. “Some modern recordings really shout at you and we didn’t want to do that to these songs. This is a back catalogue that has never been remastered before and everybody knows The Beatles. We knew that fans were going to be inspecting the catalogue through a microscope and we wanted to get it right.
“The purist might ask why we didn’t just transfer the songs straight from the quarter-inch machine straight into Sadie, but we felt that we wanted to address anything that they would have wanted to remove. When I do a recording I don’t want to hear pops all over the vocal – it annoys me. If The Beatles were recorded today I’m sure they would have addressed those same issues.
“With all the changes that we made, if we felt it interfered musically we wouldn’t do it. For instance, the chair sound at the end of A Day in the Life or Ringo’s squeaky drum peddle – they are part of the history and vibe of the song so we didn’t want to remove those things.”
“It takes a lot of time to get the confidence to get your head down and go for it on a project like this,” Hicks states. “I have to be happy and then the team has to be happy and then Rouse and then Apple and The Beatles and then that is where it stops. It is just too big.
 “If you went into the project thinking about all the people who are going to analyse the waveforms you would never get anything done. We did what we thought was right and hope that everyone likes it.”
http://www.abbeyroad.co.uk/
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WOW Whoopi Goldberg Explodes At Donald Trump About Obama's Birth Certificate On 'The View' (VIDEO)

WOW Whoopi Goldberg Explodes At Donald Trump About Obama's Birth Certificate On 'The View' (VIDEO): "Whoopi Goldberg got into a furious argument with Donald Trump about President Obama's birth certificate on Wednesday's 'The View.'



Trump, who has been talking about running for president, has been drawing attention for his comments about Obama's citizenship. He repeated some of them on 'The View.'



'Why doesn't he show his birth certificate?' Trump said. 'Why should he have to?' Whoopi cut in.



'Because I have to and everybody else has to, Whoopi,' Trump said. He continued that he believed Obama has a birth certificate, but that he should show it to clear the 'pall' hanging over him. Then, he said that it was odd that 'nobody from [Obama's] early years remembers him,' and that there was 'something on that birth certificate that he doesn't like.' This last comment seemed to be the final straw for Whoopi—and for Barbara Walters.



'That's a terrible thing to say,' she said, as Whoopi exclaimed, 'oh my God...that's the biggest pile of dog mess I've heard in ages.' She continued, 'it's not 'cause he's black, is it?' Trump said it had 'nothing to do with that.'



'Because I've never heard any white President asked to be shown the birth certificate,' Whoopi said heatedly, pounding her fist into her hand. 'When you become the President of the United States of America, you know that he's American. I'm sorry. That's B.S.'



WATCH:

"

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9 Things Successful People Do Differently

9 Things Successful People Do Differently: "Why have you been so successful in reaching some of your goals, but not others? If you aren't sure, you are far from alone in your confusion. It turns out that even brilliant, highly accomplished people are pretty lousy when it comes to understanding why they succeed or fail. The intuitive answer -- that you are born predisposed to certain talents and lacking in others -- is really just one small piece of the puzzle. In fact, decades of research on achievement suggests that successful people reach their goals not simply because of who they are, but more often because of what they do.



Here are nine things successful people do differently:



Get Specific



When you set yourself a goal, try to be as specific as possible. 'Lose 5 pounds' is a better goal than 'lose some weight' because it gives you a clear idea of what success looks like. Knowing exactly what you want to achieve keeps you motivated until you get there. Also, think about the specific actions that need to be taken to reach your goal. Just promising you'll 'eat less' or 'sleep more' is too vague -- be clear and precise. 'I'll be in bed by 10 p.m. on weeknights' leaves no room for doubt about what you need to do, and whether or not you've actually done it.



Seize The Moment To Act On Your Goals



Given how busy most of us are, and how many goals we are juggling at once, it's not surprising that we routinely miss opportunities to act on a goal because we simply fail to notice them. Did you really have no time to work out today? No chance at any point to return that phone call? Achieving your goal means grabbing hold of these opportunities before they slip through your fingers.



To seize the moment, decide in advance when and where you will take each action you want to take. Again, be as specific as possible (e.g. 'If it's Monday, Wednesday or Friday, I'll work out for 30 minutes before work'). Studies show that this kind of planning will help your brain to detect and seize the opportunity when it arises, increasing your chances of success by roughly 300 percent.



Know Exactly How Far You Have Left To Go



Achieving any goal also requires honest and regular monitoring of your progress -- if not by others, then by you yourself. If you don't know how well you are doing, you can't adjust your behavior or your strategies accordingly. Check your progress frequently -- weekly, or even daily, depending on the goal.



Be A Realistic Optimist



When you are setting a goal, by all means engage in lots of positive thinking about how likely you are to achieve it. Believing in your ability to succeed is enormously helpful for creating and sustaining your motivation. But whatever you do, don't underestimate how difficult it will be to reach your goal. Most goals worth achieving require time, planning, effort and persistence. Studies show that thinking things will come to you easily and effortlessly leaves you ill-prepared for the journey ahead, and significantly increases the odds of failure.



Focus On Getting Better Rather Than Being Good





Believing you have the ability to reach your goals is important, but so is believing you can get the ability. Many of us believe that our intelligence, our personality and our physical aptitudes are fixed -- that no matter what we do, we won't improve. As a result, we focus on goals that are all about proving ourselves rather than developing and acquiring new skills.



Fortunately, decades of research suggest that the belief in fixed ability is completely wrong; abilities of all kinds are profoundly malleable. Embracing the fact that you can change will allow you to make better choices, and reach your fullest potential. People whose goals are about getting better, rather than being good, take difficulty in stride, and appreciate the journey as much as the destination.



Have Grit



Grit is a willingness to commit to long-term goals, and to persist in the face of difficulty. Studies show that gritty people obtain more education in their lifetime and earn higher college GPAs. Grit predicts which cadets will stick out their first grueling year at West Point. In fact, grit even predicts which round contestants will make it to at the Scripps National Spelling Bee.



The good news is, if you aren't particularly gritty now, there is something you can do about it. People who lack grit more often than not believe that they just don't have the innate abilities successful people have. If that describes your own thinking -- well, there's no way to put this nicely -- you are wrong. As I mentioned earlier, effort, planning, persistence and good strategies are what it really takes to succeed. Embracing this knowledge will not only help you see yourself and your goals more accurately, but also do wonders for your grit.



Build Your Willpower Muscle



Your self-control 'muscle' is just like the other muscles in your body -- when it doesn't get much exercise, it becomes weaker over time. But when you give it regular workouts by putting it to good use, it will grow stronger and stronger, and better able to help you successfully reach your goals.



To build willpower, take on a challenge that requires you to do something you'd honestly rather not do. Give up high-fat snacks, do 100 sit-ups a day, stand up straight when you catch yourself slouching or try to learn a new skill. When you find yourself wanting to give in, give up or just not bother, don't. Start with just one activity, and make a plan for how you will deal with troubles when they occur (e.g. 'If I have a craving for a snack, I will eat one piece of fresh or three pieces of dried fruit.') It will be hard in the beginning, but it will get easier, and that's the whole point. As your strength grows, you can take on more challenges and step-up your self-control workout.



Don't Tempt Fate



No matter how strong your willpower muscle becomes, it's important to always respect the fact that it is limited, and if you overtax it, you will temporarily run out of steam. Don't try to take on two challenging tasks at once, like quitting smoking and dieting at the same time. And don't put yourself in harm's way; many people are overly-confident in their ability to resist temptation, and as a result they put themselves in situations where temptations abound. Successful people know not to make reaching a goal harder than it already is.



Focus On What You Will Do, Not What You Won't Do.



Do you want to successfully lose weight, quit smoking or put a lid on your bad temper? Then plan how you will replace bad habits with good ones, rather than focusing only on the bad habits themselves. Research on thought suppression (e.g. 'Don't think about white bears!') has shown that trying to avoid a thought makes it even more active in your mind. The same holds true when it comes to behavior; by trying not to engage in a bad habit, our habits get strengthened rather than broken.



If you want change your ways, ask yourself, 'What will I do instead?' For example, if you are trying to gain control of your temper and stop flying off the handle, you might make a plan like this: 'If I am starting to feel angry, then I will take three deep breaths to calm down.' By using deep breathing as a replacement for giving in to your anger, your bad habit will get worn away over time until it disappears completely.



It is my hope that, after reading about the nine things successful people do differently, you have gained some insight into all the things you have been doing right all along. Even more important, I hope are able to identify the mistakes that have derailed you, and use that knowledge to your advantage from now on. Remember: You don't need to become a different person to become a more successful one. It's never what you are, but what you do.



(For more on using each of these strategies, check out my new book Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals.)





This post originally appear in the Harvard Business Review.

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Revealed: The Secret to Long Life and Happiness

Revealed: The Secret to Long Life and Happiness: "Talk about myth-busters.



In their new book, 'The Longevity Project,' researchers Howard S. Friedman and Leslie R. Martin present the results of their 20-year study on the key predictors of longevity. The results are fascinating! The researchers re-examined data first collected by Lewis Terman. In that study, which started in 1921, Terman followed up a group of high-I.Q. children from childhood to death. To find clues as to the key predictors of longevity, a team of graduate and undergraduate students associated with Friedman and Martin over the course of 20 years searched for death certificates, evaluated interviews and analyzed thousand of pages of information about the Terman participants.



What clues did they find in Terman's rich dataset? Overall, they found that personality and social relations in childhood significantly predicted risk of mortality many years later. The findings were not what you may expect, though.



Those who were the most cheerful and optimistic, on average, lived shorter lives than those who were less cheerful and joking. According to the researchers, optimistic people tended to take more risks overall: going to more parties, using more drugs and alcohol and getting into more accidents. Friedman notes that 'fun can be overrated.'



Who lived the longest? Those who were the most conscientious and committed to their jobs, friends and community lived the longest. In fact, those working the longest throughout their lives (even taking part-time jobs after retirement) and working in the most stressful jobs lived the longest. Those working in low-status jobs were far more likely to die before the age of 60 than those working in higher status jobs. According to the researchers, 'It was the most prudent and persistent individuals who stayed healthiest and lived the longest.'



They also found an effect of divorce. While early parental loss didn't have an effect on longevity, early parental divorce was a very strong predictor of mortality in adulthood. The authors note how traumatic and painful divorce was for the children. There were also important gender differences. Men who remarried improved their odds of a long life, whereas women who stayed single after divorce were just about as well off as if they had remarried.



Exercise also played a role, but not the kind you may think. People who lived the longest weren't obsessed with health and exercise. They didn't have structured regimes, but just tried to live as active a life as they could.



Also counterintuitively, kids who started first grade at too early an age had problems later in life and lived shorter lives. Early school entry was associated with less educational attainment and worse midlife adjustment. Also, while early reading ability was associated with academic success, precocious reading was less associated with lifelong educational attainment and was hardly related to midlife adjustment at all. Parents may want to re-think whether they push their child to enter school too soon.



In sum, the authors argue that people who follow simple, straightforward patterns of behavior can lead a long life.



Of course, there are reasons to be skeptical of the study. The average I.Q. of the sample is extremely high -- a whopping 151! And as I mention in 'The Truth About the 'Termites,'' Terman's total sample consisted of only a few minority students. To be precise, he included four Japanese students, one black child, one Indian child and one Mexican child in a total sample of 168,000. Teachers at that time most certainly had a bias toward identifying white students with talent.



In reality, though, I think the characteristics of their sample actually underestimate the true effect of traits like I.Q. and 'conscientiousness' on mortality. Their sample consists of a 'restricted range,' in that there is very little variation in I.Q. scores. This actually makes it all the more remarkable that they found such relationships within such a narrow band of I.Q. scores and demographics.



In fact, the rapidly advancing field of cognitive epidemiology is showing that across a much broader range of I.Q. levels and demographics, cognitive ability predicts mortality, even after controlling for a number of related variables, such as education and socioeconomic status. This research is pointing to the inescapable conclusion that cognition is related to health and longevity. Of course, the causal path is still unclear, but research in the coming years will get us closer to understanding why there is such a strong relationship.



The relation between I.Q. and the personality trait of 'conscientiousness' isn't terribly high, but I.Q. is related to measures of self-control, including the ability to to delay immediate gratification for longer-term gains (called 'delay discounting'). This is entirely consistent with Friedman and Martin's idea that those who live longer take less risks.



And these findings are also consistent with other research showing that those who live a fast life have lower levels of self-control, choose immediate rewards over longer-term benefits, take more risks and ultimately die younger. The causes of living a fast life seem to include a combination of genetic and environmental risk factors, including living in harsh and unstable environments, father absence and parental discord. All of these risk factors make it more likely that a person will show reduced executive functions in his or her brain, areas that correlate with I.Q. (but are not synonymous with I.Q.) and contribute to long-term planning.



So what does this all mean? Perhaps the conclusion is not all that counterintuitive after all. In fact, the conclusion seems pretty banal: Self-control and interpersonal stability leads to a long life. The finding that optimistic and cheerful people died younger is surprising though-- and worrisome. Personally, I'd rather enjoy my life and cut off a few years than live a longer life devoid of mirth. All work and no play makes a dull existence (unless, of course, work is play).



I don't think that's the message of the study, though. I think it is possible to have it all: excitement, stability and a long-life. I wouldn't take these findings to suggest that we get rid of all our mirth, optimism, and risk-taking. The key is to find ways of enjoying life without taking health risks, and all the while being heavily engaged in enjoyable work and experiencing meaningful social connections. That, my friends, is the secret of long life and happiness (no need to buy another book on this topic). It may be easier said than done, though, especially for those living life in the fast lane, where the long-term planning that is likely to lead to the greatest rewards may not even seem like an option.

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Warren Buffett: Japan Disaster Presents A 'Buying Opportunity'

Warren Buffett: Japan Disaster Presents A 'Buying Opportunity': "



DAEGU, South Korea (Reuters) - Billionaire investor Warren Buffett believes Japan's devastating earthquake is the kind of extraordinary event that creates a buying opportunity for shares in Japanese companies.



Japan, the world's third-largest economy, has been battling to bring an overheating nuclear plant under control after it was battered by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that rattled global markets and prompted massive intervention in currency markets by the Group of Seven industrial nations.



'It will take some time to rebuild, but it will not change the economic future of Japan,' Buffett said on Monday on a visit to a South Korean factory run by a company owned by one of his funds. 'If I owned Japanese stocks, I would certainly not be selling them.



'Frequently, something out of the blue like this, an extraordinary event, really creates a buying opportunity. I have seen that happen in the United States, I have seen that happen around the world. I don't think Japan will be an exception,' said the 80-year-old investor, dubbed the 'Sage of Omaha' for his successful long-term investment strategy.



Buffett heads Berkshire Hathaway Inc, which has substantial insurance and utility investments globally.



Japan's Nikkei share average rose 2.7 percent on Friday, buoyed by the G7 support, but still ended the week down around 10 percent, with some $350 billion wiped off share values -- the market's biggest weekly slide since the global financial crisis in 2008. Japanese markets were closed on Monday.



Buffett said Berkshire Hathaway, which at the year-end was sitting on $38 billion of cash equivalent and last week bought U.S. specialty chemicals maker Lubrizol for $9 billion, was looking for more large-scale acquisitions anywhere in the world.



In his annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders last month, Buffett had said he was looking for more acquisitions.



'The United States is most likely where we will do something,' he said at a ground-breaking ceremony for a South Korean factory run by a unit of an Israeli firm owned by his investment vehicle.



Buffett will have yet more money to invest after Goldman Sachs buys back $5 billion of its preferred stock from Berkshire Hathaway, which the fund bought at the height of the global financial crisis.



EYE ON KOREA



Buffett, ranked the world's third-richest man by Forbes this year, said he was also looking to buy entire businesses and large-cap shares in South Korea -- where Berkshire is already a leading shareholder in steelmaker POSCO.



He said geopolitical risks associated with North Korea had not curbed his interest in South Korea, Asia's fourth-largest economy. Berkshire also owns a stake in Chinese car and battery maker BYD.



Buffett did not disclose any holdings in Japan on Monday, and Berkshire Hathaway's annual report did not show any major investments there. He had been due to visit Japan later this week, but canceled due to the earthquake.



Unlike many foreign fund managers, Buffett, who arrived in the southeastern city of Daegu on Sunday by private jet, won plaudits from ordinary South Koreans.



Sporting gray sweat pants and running shoes, Buffett was greeted by signs reading 'Mr Buffett: Daegu Loves You.'



Many in this country of nearly 50 million people have bad memories of the 1998 Asian financial crisis when a deal with the International Monetary Fund bailed out the country but at the cost of tens of thousands of jobs.



Some U.S. hedge funds have been branded 'vultures' for buying South Korean assets on the cheap in the wake of that crisis.



'It's a once in a life-time opportunity. I'm honored to meet such a respected businessman,' said Seo Hyun-joo, a housewife wearing Korean traditional dress.



Buffett later meets South Korean President Lee Myung-bak in Seoul and heads to India on Tuesday to launch his firm's insurance selling portal.



(Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin; Editing by David Chance and Ian Geoghegan)



Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for Restrictions.

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What Is Beauty? A Plastic Surgeon's Perspective

What Is Beauty? A Plastic Surgeon's Perspective: "Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it. ~ Confucius



The word 'beauty' is the most overused, misunderstood, poorly defined word in the English language. What makes a woman beautiful? The Holy Grail of beauty has never been completely understood. The cliché, 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,' is incorrect in my opinion. Perception is the key. It is 'perception of beauty' that is in the eye of the beholder. Each of us, however, has a different perception of beauty. We all have different tastes, likes and dislikes, and this affects our definition and perception of beauty with regard to the American woman. As a plastic surgeon, it is my job to counsel people about this perception of beauty because so many misconceptions exist.



We are all familiar with the 'classic' physical features that are considered beautiful in our society. A pretty face, gorgeous eyes and a nice figure are examples often cited. However, it is my contention that each of us has a different perception of a pretty face, gorgeous eyes and a nice figure. It is that perception -- believing that a blonde is prettier than a redhead, or blue eyes are prettier than green eyes, for instance -- that causes confusion. If we cannot agree on what traits define beauty, because each of us perceives beauty differently, how can a woman discover her own beauty?



Unfortunately, we rely on 'beauty authorities,' such as Hollywood, fashion designers and style experts to define beauty for us. The standards and criteria of beauty set by our society have been manipulated and bastardized and are wrong, absurd and unrealistic. Our role models have become 20-something starlets and fashion models whose photographs have been carefully orchestrated, airbrushed, Photoshopped and drastically altered. In person, these people do not look like their photos! The Huffington Post is certainly doing their part to expose this.



So, how does the non-celebrity woman compete? She cannot! Women are unduly influenced into negative opinions about themselves and forced to chase an illusion. The deck is stacked totally against them. We must change our perception of beauty and choose realistic role models. We also must abandon the notion that youth is the only path towards beauty. Women must embrace the fact that true beauty does, and must, transcend the decades as we age. We are all familiar with gorgeous women in every decade of life. If we must use celebrities as examples, there are actresses such as Betty White, Helen Mirren and Penelope Cruz.



We must change these perceptions, attitudes and behavior to make it better for the next generation. We must educate our children to recognize that physical characteristics alone do not make a woman beautiful. We must stop sending the wrong, unhealthy, superficial message to our daughters and granddaughters about the definition of beauty. It would help to choose role models who make sense: smart, vivacious, confident women, representing every decade of life.



It is my assertion that each woman has a Beauty Quotient. This quotient is made up of three distinct categories: Physical Health, Psychological Health and Personal Appearance:



Physical Health consists of corporeal characteristics that define a woman's beauty, and trust me -- each and every woman has physical characteristics that are truly beautiful. A woman's face or body can be structurally imperfect, but still exquisite.



Psychological Health involves one's personality, intelligence, sensitivity and warmth, sense of humor, attitude and overall level of confidence.



Personal Appearance includes your beauty routine. This involves habits regarding skin-care regimen, hair and makeup routines, wardrobe, posture and style.



It is the combination of physical and mental elements from these three categories that define a woman's beauty. A woman may raise her Beauty Quotient significantly by simply tweaking various elements within these categories. A combination of intangibles can make a woman beautiful.



My quest is about convincing women to recognize their inner and outer beauty by changing their attitude and being able to take an honest, positive look at themselves. I would like them to look in the mirror and see the glass half full instead of half empty. It is OK to look like yourself and not someone else. My recommendation is that women identify and embrace those attributes that make them beautiful, and then learn to accentuate them. Learn to celebrate your best features and set realistic, achievable goals regarding your own beauty.



We, as a society, must change the rules and allow a woman's beauty to evolve with her as she ages to suit her current stage of life. Age with dignity, while still looking your best and, more importantly, still looking like you. It is my opinion that a combination of physical and mental traits truly makes a woman beautiful. So much of a woman's beauty is under her direct control. Learn to take control!



You don't love a woman because she is beautiful, but she is beautiful because you love her.--Oscar Wilde



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To learn more about my concepts regarding beauty, please go to the book's website, www.TheBeautyQuotient.com, or friend me on Facebook.

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Who Wrote The Bible and Why It Matters

Who Wrote The Bible and Why It Matters: "Apart from the most rabid fundamentalists among us, nearly everyone admits that the Bible might contain errors -- a faulty creation story here, a historical mistake there, a contradiction or two in some other place. But is it possible that the problem is worse than that -- that the Bible actually contains lies?



Most people wouldn't put it that way, since the Bible is, after all, sacred Scripture for millions on our planet. But good Christian scholars of the Bible, including the top Protestant and Catholic scholars of America, will tell you that the Bible is full of lies, even if they refuse to use the term. And here is the truth: Many of the books of the New Testament were written by people who lied about their identity, claiming to be a famous apostle -- Peter, Paul or James -- knowing full well they were someone else. In modern parlance, that is a lie, and a book written by someone who lies about his identity is a forgery.



Most modern scholars of the Bible shy away from these terms, and for understandable reasons, some having to do with their clientele. Teaching in Christian seminaries, or to largely Christian undergraduate populations, who wants to denigrate the cherished texts of Scripture by calling them forgeries built on lies? And so scholars use a different term for this phenomenon and call such books 'pseudepigrapha.'



You will find this antiseptic term throughout the writings of modern scholars of the Bible. It's the term used in university classes on the New Testament, and in seminary courses, and in Ph.D. seminars. What the people who use the term do not tell you is that it literally means 'writing that is inscribed with a lie.'



And that's what such writings are. Whoever wrote the New Testament book of 2 Peter claimed to be Peter. But scholars everywhere -- except for our friends among the fundamentalists -- will tell you that there is no way on God's green earth that Peter wrote the book. Someone else wrote it claiming to be Peter. Scholars may also tell you that it was an acceptable practice in the ancient world for someone to write a book in the name of someone else. But that is where they are wrong. If you look at what ancient people actually said about the practice, you'll see that they invariably called it lying and condemned it as a deceitful practice, even in Christian circles. 2 Peter was finally accepted into the New Testament because the church fathers, centuries later, were convinced that Peter wrote it. But he didn't. Someone else did. And that someone else lied about his identity.



The same is true of many of the letters allegedly written by Paul. Most scholars will tell you that whereas seven of the 13 letters that go under Paul's name are his, the other six are not. Their authors merely claimed to be Paul. In the ancient world, books like that were labeled as pseudoi -- lies.



This may all seem like a bit of antiquarian curiosity, especially for people whose lives don't depend on the Bible or even people of faith for whom biblical matters are a peripheral interest at best. But in fact, it matters sometimes. Whoever wrote the book of 1 Timothy claimed to be Paul. But he was lying about that -- he was someone else living after Paul had died. In his book, the author of 1 Timothy used Paul's name and authority to address a problem that he saw in the church. Women were speaking out, exercising authority and teaching men. That had to stop. The author told women to be silent and submissive, and reminded his readers about what happened the first time a woman was allowed to exercise authority over a man, in that little incident in the garden of Eden. No, the author argued, if women wanted to be saved, they were to have babies (1 Tim. 2:11-15).



Largely on the basis of this passage, the apostle Paul has been branded, by more liberation minded people of recent generations, as one of history's great misogynists. The problem, of course, is that Paul never said any such thing. And why does it matter? Because the passage is still used by church leaders today to oppress and silence women. Why are there no women priests in the Catholic Church? Why are women not allowed to preach in conservative evangelical churches? Why are there churches today that do not allow women even to speak? In no small measure it is because Paul allegedly taught that women had to be silent, submissive and pregnant. Except that the person who taught this was not Paul, but someone lying about his identity so that his readers would think he was Paul.



It may be one of the greatest ironies of the Christian scriptures that some of them insist on truth, while telling a lie. For no author is truth more important than for the 'Paul' of Ephesians. He refers to the gospel as 'the word of truth' (1:13); he indicates that the 'truth is in Jesus'; he tells his readers to 'speak the truth' to their neighbors (4:24-25); and he instructs his readers to 'fasten the belt of truth around your waist' (6:14). And yet he himself lied about who he was. He was not really Paul.



It appears that some of the New Testament writers, such as the authors of 2 Peter, 1 Timothy and Ephesians, felt they were perfectly justified to lie in order to tell the truth. But we today can at least evaluate their claims and realize just how human, and fallible, they were. They were creatures of their time and place. And so too were their teachings, lies and all.



Bart D. Ehrman is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and the New York Times bestselling author of 'Misquoting Jesus' and 'Jesus, Interrupted'. His latest book, 'Forged: Writing in the Name of God -- Why the Bible's Authors Are Not Who We Think They Are', is now available from HarperOne.

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WOW Hilary Rhoda Hits the Beach in FOAM Magazine

Hilary Rhoda Hits the Beach in FOAM Magazine: "

Our favorite all-American model Hilary Rhoda covers the latest issue of chic LA-based surf mag FOAM. The editorial is Rhoda’s first since moving over to Women Management from IMG, and we love that she’s doing some less commercial work. With her rocking beach bod, dark brows and piercing blue eyes, Rhoda makes the fiercest surfer girl we’ve ever seen. Advanced copies of the mag hit newsstands today.

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Picture of the Day: Crystal Renn Covers Vogue Mexico

Picture of the Day: Crystal Renn Covers Vogue Mexico: "

Here’s Crystal Renn looking stunning as usual on the April cover of Vogue Mexico. Click through to see the full editorial spread. It’s worth it.



**All photos by David Roemer for Vogue Mexico

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