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    Sarah B. Weir, Shine Senior Writer

    Sarah B. Weir, Shine Senior Writer

  • Rooney Mara Cast as Tiger Lily: Another Case of Hollywood Whitewashing?

    Although there have been a few bright spots such as "Smoke Signals," "Skins," and "The Last of The Mohicans," it’s true that Hollywood has a shameful history when it comes it’s treatment Native American culture and casting of indigenous people—which in turn has influenced real world prejudice and ignorance.

  • This Tortoise the Oldest Creature on the Planet. Respect

    His species, Dipsochelys hololissa, is native to the Seychelles, located in the Indian Ocean-thousands of miles away, around the horn of Africa. He managed to escape becoming a sailor's dinner and ended up living on the lawn of Plantation House, the Governor's mansion along with five other tortoises, David, Speedy, Emma, Fredricka, and Myrtle. His life has spanned the reigns of eight British monarchs and he's seen 33 different Governors of the island come and go.

  • Photographer Uses Technical Wizardry to Help Rescue Animals Find Homes

    Self-taught Hungarian photographer Sarolta Bán is best known for her surreal landscapes which have been displayed in galleries across Europe. She creates dreamlike scenes, often populated by magical beasts, with digital manipulation and Photoshop, sometimes layering as many as a 100 individual images. Now she's using her skills to help real-life abandoned animals around the world find homes. She invited her more than 100 thousand Facebook fans to submit photos of rescue pets, and she is transforming them into evocative, majestic portraits. She's received entries from as far away as India, and a number of shelters in the United States have submitted photos. "Abandoned dogs sadly have really few chances to appear on a photo that will help them get out of the shelter. A photo that stands out from the crowd, and 'speaks' to a person," she writes on the project page. "I would really like to help sheltered animals, and for sure a good picture can be worth a thousand words." The project ends in mid-April, and anyone who adopts one of dogs or cats will receive a signed portrait of their new pet. --Sarah B. Weir, Yahoo Shine

  • March 9 is Daylight Savings Time (Cue Music from 'Jaws')

    The next morning, March 3, when I rousted everyone to get up for their Sunday activities and then discovered that Daylight Savings occurs, in fact, this coming this weekend, on March 9, I was not a popular mom. More on Yahoo: 20 Solutions for Insomnia You May Not Have Tried Who out there likes Daylight Savings Time? While Daylight Savings seems like something written on the boulders of Stonehenge, an ancient tradition that's wormed it's into our very DNA, in fact it's a recent practice.

  • What the New HIV Breakthroughs Mean for the Future of the Disease

    There was exciting news this week in the battle against HIV/AIDS, much of it coming out of the annual Conference on Infectious Diseases and Opportunistic Infections (CROI), which took place in Boston. But perhaps the biggest story was that, for the second time in history, a baby born with HIV has been declared free of the virus after early, aggressive treatment.

  • Who’s Puppy is This? Dog Caught in Ugly Adoption Battle

    Accusations of selling a stolen puppy are threatening to damage the reputation of a well-respected animal shelter in southern California. On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Times posted a column about the dog, which has ignited intense debate on social media. It tells the story of Rosa Torres and her 4 year-old-son who live in Panorama City whose 8-month-old Rhodesian Ridgeback named Raffiki went missing from their backyard on February 13. Torres says she has no idea how she escaped the fenced enclosure. The puppy was not wearing tags, nor was she micro-chipped or spayed.

  • Why Ballerina Misty Copeland is Our Hero (and Should Be Yours)

    Biography is not destiny. Misty Copeland's inspiring new memoir, Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina, chronicles her improbable path to becoming one of the world's elite dancers and the first African American in twenty years to be a soloist with the world renowned American Ballet Theater. Now 31, she describes in the book how when she was two, her mother, Sylvia DelaCerna, left her father, hustling her and her two older brothers and sister onto a Greyhound bus. ...

  • EGOT Winner Robert Lopez and His Awesome Family: Please Adopt Us

    EGOT: It's the grand slam of showbiz, and composer Robert Lopez hit the ball out of the park with his Oscar win for "Let it Go" from the movie "Frozen" to become the youngest member of the exclusive club. EGOT stands for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony-the biggest awards in the entertainment industry. Only 12 people have won an EGOT, 15 if you count James Earl Jones, Liza Minnelli and Barbra Streisand, who (kind of) earned it by receiving non-competitive lifetime achievement awards from the Academy. Some other heavy hitters include Mel Brooks, Audrey Hepburn, and John Gielgud.

  • Court Okays High School Ban on American Flag T-Shirts

    In a case that pits individual rights against kids' safety, the California Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Thursday that it was appropriate for school officials to ban students at Live Oak High School outside of San Jose from wearing American flag t-shirts on Cinco De Mayo. More on Yahoo: School Officials Deeply Troubled about Guns Appearing on Signs Banning Guns The ruling stems from a controversial incident in 2010, when five students were told by school administrators to either turn their American Flag t-shirts inside out or go home. In a unanimous decision, the court cited two instances where students had been threatened with violence for wearing the flag.

  • 8 Ways to Jumpstart Your Diet Before Beach Season

    More on Yahoo: High Intensity Tabata-Style Workouts are Effective for Cardio Training, Study Finds Best-selling author Ian K. Smith, M.D, is an expert at helping people lose weight and get in shape fast, without compromising their health. Smith shared with Yahoo Shine his favorite tips for jumpstarting your diet and exercise goals: The best workout is called High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), which involves short burst of energy and followed by brief periods of rest.

  • Girls Can: The Cosmetics Ad That's Surprisingly Inspiring

    Cosmetics giant CoverGirl is shouting it out again with its new #GirlsCan social media blitz. The campaign, which launched with a spot during the Sochi Olympics closing ceremonies leads with Ellen DeGeneres wistfully intoning, "Girls can't"-oh no she didn't!-and then flips that notion its head with a cascade of positive messages from P!nk, Katy Perry, Sofia Vergara, and Queen Latifah (and Ellen, of course) describing how they beat the haters and lived their dreams. More on Yahoo: See it First! Pink Gives Fans an Intimate Peek at Her Tour Prep I rap," says a steely-eyed Queen Latifah in the spot, looking like the boss she is.

  • Why Fashion is Getting Better with Age

    One of the most talked about models of the year isn't Kate Moss, Gisele Bundchen or the gaggle of early twenty-somethings who partied their way through recent Fashion Weeks around the globe, it's Jacky O'Shaughnessy, the 62 year-old face of American Apparel. O'Shaughnessy, who only began modeling in 2011, is one of a number of mature models who are challenging assumptions about age and beauty and at the same time grabbing headlines for the brands they represent. "I love when these women are paid attention to," Kristi McCormick, the founder Matchbook Company, which does casting for magazines and advertising tells Yahoo! Shine. "Women in their forties, fifties, and beyond, are better models than they were at 18. The brands are probably getting more out of the photo shoots. The models are great ambassadors for the companies." Cindy Joseph, one of the most successful older models working today and the founder and CEO of BOOM! By Cindy Joseph tells Yahoo Shine that it's about time. "When society sees beautiful, happy, healthy women being represented, it changes the perspective on what aging really is. You can be full of vitality, passion, and adventure at any age." She adds that the trend also sends a positive message to younger generations about growing older. It's good news that the fashion and beauty world is starting to embrace more diversity, but using mature women is also about the bottom line. A 2012 study found that women over 35 were 200 percent more likely to purchase an item featured with an older model. Patty Sincular, who represents legendary women in the industry such as Beverley Johnson, Cheryl Tiegs, and Carmen Dell'Orefice for Trump Model Management, puts it succinctly, "Everyone wants to see a more perfect version of themselves."--Sarah B. Weir, Yahoo Shine More on Yahoo Shine: 335 Hours of Primping a Year? Here's How to Speed Up Your Morning Routine Why Elle Spain's Plus Size Cover Model Gives Us Hope The Hottest Show Trends From New York Fashion Week

  • PCBs Banned for Decades but Still Lurking in Yellow Consumer Goods

    However, new research shows that a form called PCB 11 which is found in yellow pigments, commonly used in printing clothing and paper and in paint, is leaching into the air, water, and people's blood streams. "People thought that PCB issues were solved and they could forget about it," lead author of the study Lisa Rodenburg, an associate professor of environmental chemistry at Rutgers, tells Yahoo Shine. More on Yahoo: Hidden Toxins in Your Home But, Rodenburg says the research isn't there to determine their toxicity.

  • Researchers Say Up to 25 Percent of Miscarriages Preventable

    More on Yahoo: BPA Exposure Linked to Higher Rate of Miscarriage Researchers in Denmark wanted to determine the preventable risks of miscarriage and find out what percentage were caused by these factors. They focused on modifiable risk factors including exercise, alcohol consumption, smoking, drinking coffee, work schedule, regular heavy lifting, maternal age, and pre-pregnancy weight. Women who had a healthy BMI and were between 25 and 29 years old at the time of conception had a lowered risk of miscarriage by more than 14 percent.

  • What Not to Say to Someone Who is Single

    What's a guaranteed way to alienate your single friends, family members, and colleagues? Just ask them what not to say to a single person, especially if you are what Bridget Jones brilliantly called a smug married, like me. But, being that Saturday, the day following Valentine's, is "National Singles Awareness Day," I recently leapt into the pit of angry snakes anyway and found that once the the venom was gone, people actually have a whole lot to say about the topic.

  • Who Needs Valentine's? Husband Romances Wife with 100 Days of Love Notes

    About a month ago, Jess Hale started writing sweet nothings on post-its as part of project called 100 Days of Valentines. Hale's mini missives are part of Give It 100, an experiment in self-discovery open to anyone that was launched in November by former Microsoft executive Karen Cheng. Hale couldn't be reached for an interview, but Cheng tells Yahoo Shine that he works as a wedding photographer, so he may have a romantic advantage over many of us.

  • Barbie Poses for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. So Wrong

    Barbie's hashtag #Unapologetic initially seemed sassy and clever in a "haters gonna hate" kind of way, obviously inspired by provocative young stars like Miley Cyrus and Rhianna (whose 2012 album was also titled "Unapologetic"). Now, paired with the announcement of the doll's appearance in Sports Illustrated's annual skin fest, it just seems cynical. Especially when Mattel is rolling out statements like this one that appeared in AdAge, "As a legend herself, and under criticism about her body and how she looks, posing in 'Sports Illustrated Swimsuit' gives Barbie and her fellow legends an opportunity to own who they are, celebrate what they have done, and be unapologetic." Yes, Mattel is actually claiming that Barbie, the plastic figurine with the human scale measurements of 36-18-33 has body image issues. For all those moms and (dads) out there who have asked themselves over the decades, "Is Barbie an appropriate plaything for young girls or is she a sex object?" you finally have your definitive answer.

  • Meet the Lykoi Cat, a New Breed That's Scary Cute. Like Werewolf Scary

    The Lykoi Cat, with its patchy grey fur and huge golden eyes has the distinct appearance of being a tiny werewolf, and its name derives from the word "lukos" which is Greek for "wolf." "The show-quality cats have that classic scary movie look," breeder Johnny Gobble, who is also a veterinarian, tells Yahoo Shine. More on Yahoo: Cat Gives Owner Bubonic Plague A spokesperson from the International Cat Association confirmed that the Lykoi Cat was recently confirmed for registration by their board. Another myth is that the Lykoi are some kind of Frankencat, but in fact, they are a naturally occurring mutation in domestic shorthairs that's basically been eliminated from housecats but still exists in some strays.

  • Harmful Household Chemicals to Ditch Today

    On Thursday afternoon, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) filed a federal lawsuit against the EPA related to two hazardous pesticides that are banned for use in most household products because of their danger to children but are still used in flea collars for dogs and cats. "We've been putting pressure on EPA for almost a decade on this," Miriam Rotkin-Ellman, a senior public health scientist at NRDC tells Yahoo Shine. "Pound for pound, they eat more, drink more, and breathe in more air than adults," Dr. Leonardo Trasande, a pediatrician and expert in environmental medicine explains to Yahoo Shine. Children also play close to the ground where toxins settle and often put their hands into their mouths.

  • Puppy Detects Owner's Breast Cancer, is Officially Woman's Best Friend

    When Diane Papazian's husband Harry pestered her to add Troy, a four-month-old Doberman Pinscher, to the family, she was reluctant, they already owned a fox terrier, and besides, she had allergies. Little did the Staten Island resident know, the new dog would be what she calls her "life saving puppy," detecting stage two breast cancer even though she had gone for a mammogram only six months earlier. Besides being a life-saving hero, he's currently the ninth ranked Doberman pinscher in the country and number one in the state of New York and is training to be a therapy dog. "He was a tiny little thing," Papazin, now 56, tells Yahoo Shine.