Robotic jellyfish named Cyro could one day work for the Navy [video]

Meet Cyro, the latest robotic jellyfish to emerge from the engineering labs at Virginia Tech. Cyro measures 5 feet, 7 inches across and weighs in at 170 pounds. Its design was based on the real-life species Cyanea capillata, one of the largest jellyfish in the world. (Cyro is an amalgam of “Cyanea” and “robot.”) When submerged in a pool, the robot flaps its eight arms and swims gracefully. ...

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The faces of Jesus: Minister's collection numbers about 240

So think a minute. How many times have you seen Jesus depicted as laughing? Eyes lit, showing his teeth, like Mary Magdalene had just cracked a great joke or Peter had tripped overboard into his nets again. At the Broadway Church in Westport, four “laughing Jesus” portraits by different artists can be found banded together at the end of a hall. The earliest was published in Playboy in the early 1970s. The explanation on the wall: “This is a totally new image of Jesus. There is simply no tradition of mirth in Christian art....

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Student and her family sue Grain Valley School District

An elementary school student and her parents are suing the Grain Valley School District, alleging negligence in its supervision of a teacher who pleaded guilty this month to multiple counts of child sexual abuse. The lawsuit, filed Friday in Jackson County Circuit Court, alleges that the girl, while a second-grader in the 2011-2012 school year, was abused by Matthew J. Nelson, a former district elementary school teacher. The suit names names Nelson, the school district and several district administrators. The family is...

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Mother arrested for slapping wrong boy at son’s school

TO South Carolina, where 36-year-old Tyshekka Collier is on the way to Fairforest...

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Amazon to buy social site Goodreads

NEW YORK (AP) -- Amazon.com Inc., the world's biggest online retailer that got its start in bookselling, has agreed to buy book recommendations site Goodreads. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Amazon said Thursday that it "shares a passion for reinventing reading," with Goodreads. "Goodreads has helped change how we discover and discuss books and, with Kindle, Amazon has helped expand reading around the world," said Russ Grandinetti, vice president of Kindle content for Amazon. "In addition, both Amazon and Goodreads have...

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Richard Griffiths, uncle to Withnail and Harry Potter, dies aged 65

Richard Griffiths died after complications following heart surgery. Photograph: Getty Richard Griffiths, the award-winning actor famous for his roles in Withnail & I and Harry Potter, has died following complications after heart surgery. The celebrated stage and screen star, one of Britain's best-known character actors,...

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Mandela Making 'Steady Progress'

Former South African president Nelson Mandela is said to be making "steady progress," two days after he was hospitalized with a lung infection. The office of President Jacob Zuma says the 94-year-old Mandela is also in good spirits and enjoyed a full breakfast Friday morning. President Zuma said Thursday that Mandela is doing "very well," telling the BBC that South Africans "must not panic." But many remain concerned in South Africa, where the Nobel laureate is viewed as a national hero. Bokoboko Ndongo said he would be devastated to lose...

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Video shows dog belonging to Mark Kelly's daughter attack sea lion

(NBC NEWS) -- A disturbing video has surfaced on YouTube of a dog locking its jaws on a beached baby sea lion as California beachgoers frantically try to free the trapped mammal. The dog, which Laguna Beach police said was an American bulldog mix, belonged to the daughter of astronaut Mark Kelly, husband of former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, local media reported. Giffords, Kelly and his daughter -- Giffords' stepdaughter -- were vacationing in Laguna Beach on Saturday when the incident happened, reported The Los Angeles Times. Laguna Beach...

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Lawmakers planning to ban use of Google Glass during driving

Driving is fun, and is dangerous too. There are certain things you should not do while you are driving. In some states, the jurisdiction tells you what not to do while you are driving. For example, the very well known list of things which are banned in most parts of the world include no drink and drive, no talking on the phone while driving, no texting while driving, and much more. And to add to this list, we have no...

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Escort charged with attempted murder for biting man's genitals, deputies say

Priscilla Vaughn, 29 ORLANDO, Fla. (WESH) - An alleged escort was arrested and charged with attempted murder for biting a man's genitals in an Orange County hotel room, deputies said. Authorities were called to the Crestwood Suites on University Boulevard after 2 a.m. Tuesday by callers who reported hearing screaming and growling from a room on the second floor. Responding deputies...

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Madness to close BBC Television Centre with gig

Madness will help close BBC Television Centre with a gig from the car park outside the iconic building.Suggs's '80s pop collective will perform a concert that will act as a warm-up for a final two-hour pre-recorded show about the broadcaster's studios, Goodbye TV Centre. © Rex Features © Rex Features Airing in March, the show will celebrate the BBC's flagship studios, looking back at events such as the power cut on the launch night...

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The Sun - Bizarre with Gordon Smart Edited by Gordon Smart Jay-Z has a rappy marriage

Wedded bliss ... Jay-Z and Beyonce   JAY-Z has thanked his missus in a unique way – by singing about her on a track called B**** Don’t Kill My Vibe. He tells the world about his life with BEYONCE on a collaboration with KENDRICK LAMAR by rapping: “Up in the clouds, me and my spouse, rumours on the ground gettin’ too loud. Please turn them s**** down, can’t hear myself think.” It’s less hassle than his last strange gift for Beyonce...

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It’s Ellie and Cal-vid Harris - Kiss ... the stars pucker up

Cal-ling in love ... Ellie Goulding sports Daisy Dukes in the video CALVIN HARRIS won’t be showing this music video to his new Victoria’s Secret model girlfriend. Awkward ... the pair have a cheeky snog in the video Pacific Coast News The Scottish producer and singer ELLIE GOULDING play a loved-up couple in the clip for their collaboration I Need Your Love. The look of love? ... Calvin attempts to gaze lovingly into...

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Billionaire Google Board Member Is Latest Victim Of "Guccifer" Hacking Rampage

Add a billionaire Silicon Valley titan to the growing list of public figures victimized by the hacker “Guccifer.” Venture capitalist John Doerr had his AOL account breached several days ago by the same hacker responsible for illegally accessing the e-mails of Colin Powell, former White House aide Sidney Blumenthal, and assorted Bush family members (among others). Doerr, 61, is a general partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, the powerhouse...

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Asteroids: NASA say best way to handle moon rock heading for Earth is to PRAY

Getty The head of NASA revealed that the best way to handle a large asteroid heading for Earth... is to PRAY. Charles Bolden told Congress that prayer was all the experts or anyone else could currently do about asteroids that may be on a collision course with the planet. Over 1,500 people were injured when a meteor exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia, last month - generating shock waves that shattered windows and damaged buildings. On...

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JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE’s comeback is working out well.

His third album, The 20/20 Experience, will hit No1 this Sunday, knocking DAVID BOWIE off the top of the charts. After one day on sale Trousersnake was more than 30,000 copies ahead of David’s own comeback record The Next Day, according to early sales figures yesterday. And there is more for his pop rivals to worry about with news he has confirmed another album for later this year. He said at a playback on Monday night that the ten tracks on 20/20 are actually only “the first half of the album.” It’s thought another ten (making 20) will...

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R-Patz’s romp with 3 women

Romp ... R-Patz appears in raunchy advert     AS the saying goes, revenge is a dish best served cold. And ROBERT PATTINSON has knocked up a double-filthy dish for his ex KRISTEN STEWART. The screen star has acted out a FOURSOME with stunning models in a new advertising campaign — picking up £8million for his trouble. That’s one better than pulling her best pal, in my book. R-Patz indulges in some “arty” bed-hopping...

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Condoleezza Rice writing book on democracy

NEW YORK (AP) -- Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is working on a book about democracy. Henry Holt and Company announced Tuesday that the book, currently untitled, will be published in 2015. The 58-year-old Rice has previously written or co-written a handful of policy books, along with memoirs about her family and her years in the George W. Bush administration. Rice served as national security adviser during Bush's first term and secretary of state during his second term. She is currently a professor of political economy and political...

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Statue of Liberty to reopen by July 4

New York City's Statue of Liberty, closed to visitors since Superstorm Sandy hit in late October, will reopen by Independence Day, the National Park Service announced Tuesday. "Sandy inflicted major damage on facilities that support the Statue of Liberty - destroying the docks, crippling the energy infrastructure on Ellis Island and wiping out the security screening system - but we are fully committed to reopening this crown jewel...

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"FastDiet' Book Is Attracting Dieters, and Doubters

Michael Mosley is the author of the new diet book called "The FastDiet." He is also starring in a PBS series that will air April 3. (Photo: Rebecca McAlpin for USA TODAY) The FastDiet: Lose Weight, Stay Healthy and Live Longer With the Simple Secret of Intermittent Fasting (Atria Books, $24), by British physician Michael Mosley and writer Mimi Spencer, is No. 46 on USA TODAY's Best-Selling Books list. Mosley stars in an upcoming...

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1,000-year-old Chinese Bowl Sells for Over $2.22M

(CBS NEWS)  NEW YORK      A rare Chinese bowl bought at a tag sale for $3 has sold at a New York auction for more than $2.22 million. The 1,000-year-old bowl was part of the opening session of Sotheby's fine Chinese ceramics and works of art auction Tuesday. Sotheby's says it was sold to a London dealer for $2.225 million, far above the presale estimate of $200,000 to $300,000. The person who put the bowl up for auction...

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They did WHAT! Khloe officiates over a very vulgar sibling rivalry... as Kim and Kourtney get competitive over their sex life

Even for the warts-and-all Kardashian sisters who are famous for their indiscreet reality show, it was definitely too much information. In what is a new low sisters Kim and Kourtney decided to hold a very vulgar competition on Sunday night's reality show - to see whose private parts smell the sweetest! While in London staying at world reknowned hotel The Dorchester, the trio used their spare time in the luxury confines to test sister Khloe's...

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Nadal and Sharapova win Indian Wells titles

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Rafael Nadal continued his successful comeback with his third title in four tournaments, and Maria Sharapova broke through, too. Nadal rallied to beat Juan Martin del Potro 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 and win the BNP Paribas Open after Sharapova claimed her first title of the year, 6-2, 6-2 over Caroline Wozniacki in the women's final on Sunday. Nadal improved to a career-best 17-1 on the year, including 14 straight match wins since returning in early February after a seven-month layoff because of a left knee...

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Canadian prisoners captured after daring helicopter escape

(CNN) -- Even by dramatic jailbreak standards, this escape was particularly brazen. Two men posing as tourists reportedly commandeered a helicopter from a Canadian tour company, ordered the pilot to fly over a detention center near Montreal, hoisted two inmates using cables or ropes into the hovering aircraft -- and zipped away. All in broad daylight. All in full view of incredulous witnesses. It was a real "James Bond moment," witness Francis Emond told CNN affiliate CTV about Sunday's escape from the correctional facility...

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