This Incubator Humanizes The Hospital [Video]

Childbirth, though wonderful, can also be quite traumatic. That can be particularly true for the parents of premature infants, who often spend several weeks in a neonatal ICU while their children rest in incubators that, while life-saving are typically very impersonal, and serve as de-facto barriers between parent and child. The BabyBloom Incubator aims to change that experience. It's a super-innovative solution to a host of problems. More »

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Ivory Coast has its first all-women band

It took a mother's last wish, and a man to make it happen, but Ivory Coast now has it's first all-women musical ensemble in what is hailed as a little "revolution" in this fiercely patriarchal society.

"Why is it so surprising to see women play instruments?" asked Landry Louoba, one of the 10 women in the Bella Mondo band.

The energetic Louoba plays percussion -- and has the biceps to prove it -- alongside a drummer, a pianist, a bassist, singers and other musicians, most in their 30s.

The man who got things started is promoter Charly Maiwan, a Canadian from Montreal who was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo and made a promise to his mother, a passionate music lover, on her deathbed.

"You always told me you'd have me sing, but my time has come, I'm leaving. Promise me that now you'll make the women of the world sing," he told AFP, recalling his mother's words.

In 2007, Maiwan, who travels regularly to Africa, contacted Nadine Levry, an Ivorian singing in nightclubs in the economic capital Abidjan. She liked the idea and contacted bass player Prisca Allou.

Bella Mondo was born, and quickly recruited eight other members with a repertoire that ranges from reggae, afro-zouk and a local dance music called zouglou, to oldies and some of their own compositions.

"This adventure must continue and attract other women," said percussionist Louoba.

"It's the right time for our revolution," added Josiane Labi Luo, one of the group's four singers whose goes by the stage name "Jo Labi".

"Revolution", in fact, is the title the women chose for their first album, scheduled for release in 2013 and a testament to their will to overcome both the country's unbending macho ethic and the turmoil from a decade of armed rebellion and political conflict that claimed 3,000 lives last year alone.

A hairdresser by trade, Levry, the band leader and a mother, recalls the difficulty she had selling the idea to her own family. Through sheer perseverance she finally obtained their "blessing", but blamed such trouble on Ivorian society as a whole.

Women remain sidelined in both political and economic circles in the Ivory Coast, said Salimata Porquet, a women's rights activist who heads a non-governmental organisation called the Peace and Security Network for Women in ECOWAS (the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States).

"There is still much to do to reach male-female parity, a promise that was never kept" by President Alassane Ouattara since he took office last May, she charged, noting there are only six women in the 35-member government and 30 in the 253-member parliament.

Yet "in Ivory Coast, 60% of households are headed by women, after a decade of political, military and socio-economic turbulence that has disrupted social structures, triggered layoffs, closed factories and torn apart families," Porquet said, adding: "This is the state of affairs in much of the continent."

As for the ensemble, "the attitude of men was oppressive at first," said Levry. "Society viewed us so badly... Women are only meant to cook, make children and take care of the house."

The "revolution" they've undertaken is "to show that women can play instruments, sometimes even better than men!" she said.

The women perform in elegant dresses of African wax cloth and have played across Abidjan, but their "headquarters", as they call it, is a club called "Pams" in the trendy district of Il-Plateaux.

March 8, International Women's Day, brought an official "blessing" of sorts when they were asked to perform at a government-planned gala hosted by former prime minister and now speaker of parliament Guillaume Soro.

And the milestones continue. In July the band is scheduled to play in Montreal at a women's music festival organised by Maiwan, as well as some gigs in Europe.

Other requests are coming in but the group's manager, Dominique Tahi, said the band "lacks instruments" and is pressing authorities for help.

For band leader Levry, there's another wish: "If Ivorian people would have a positive attitude towards what we're doing and support us, that would really help."

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Lost Pet Parakeet Found Its Way Home By Telling the Police Its Home Address [Birds]

Squawk! Birdie's lost! Squawk! Take me home! In an amazing story of animal ingenuity, a lost pet parakeet found its way back to its owner by telling the police its full home address. The owner had trained the parakeet to squawk her address just in case the parakeet ever got lost. More »

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Justin Bieber Music Video Sneak Peeks: Behind the Scenes of "Boyfriend"

We are just hours away from the world premiere of Justin Bieber's latest music video.

But before that monumental event takes place, the 18-year old sensation has given fans a couple sneak peeks at what's to come.

First, we have actual footage from the video - the second teaser this artist has released - which features Justin hanging with friends on a rooftop and getting up close and very personal with a young lady who looks an awful lot like girlfriend Selena Gomez, about whom Bieber says he wrote this track.

Justin Bieber "Boyfriend" Tease

“The concept is really cool," Bieber then says in the second video (below), a behind-the-scenes look at what's to come. "There’s me... a bunch of cars, me doing doughnuts in a parking lot."

Basically, there's a just a lot of Justin. You don't mind, do you? Watch him talk about the shoot now:

Justin Bieber: Behind the Scenes of "Boyfriend"

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'Harry Potter' At The MTV Movie Awards: Experts Weigh In

'I'm a little nervous for 'Harry Potter,' ' says one analyst, noting that 'Deathly Hallows, Part 2' is up against 'Hunger Games' and latest 'Twilight.'
By Josh Wigler

Daniel Radcliffe in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2""
Photo: Warner Bros.

Eight films. Seven books. And now, at the 2012 MTV Movie Awards, the magic number is six for "Harry Potter" fans: That's the amount of nominations earned by the final film in the epic fantasy series, "Deathly Hallows, Part 2." As the grand "Potter" finale, "Deathly Hallows" represents the last opportunity for wizards and witches alike to band together and win the elusive Movie of the Year award, among other statuettes — but the battle won't be easy for fans, according to the experts.

"I'm a little nervous for 'Harry Potter' [at the Movie Awards]," Hypable.com's Andrew Sims told MTV News about the nominations. "This is the only year that 'The Hunger Games,' 'Twilight' and 'Harry Potter' are all competing, in some cases head-to-head."

Indeed, those three massive franchises are going up against each other — all three are nominated for Movie of the Year and Best Kiss — though many believe the real showdown will be between "Hunger Games" and "Potter," particularly in the Best Female Performance race. That category includes both Jennifer Lawrence as girl-on-fire Katniss Everdeen and Emma Watson as brilliant witch Hermione Granger, and it's bound to be an epic showdown.

"It's going to be tough because Katniss is such a strong female lead, and people are obsessed with her strength and her character," said Julia Hodges of DanRadcliffe.com and RupertGrint.net. "But we have a history with Hermione. Maybe people will really acknowledge her for all of the amazing work."

Daniel Radcliffe's footing in the Best Male Performance race is a bit more certain according to "Potter" fans who refuse to believe the Boy Who Lived won't be rewarded for eight excellent movies.

"I think Daniel Radcliffe has this one locked up. When you look at that list, they're all fabulous," said LeakyNews.com's Melissa Anelli of Radcliffe's competition, which includes "Hunger Games" star Josh Hutcherson. "I especially love ['Drive' star] — I think he does fantastic work there. But I do think it's a clear win for Radcliffe."

"His acting in these 'Harry Potter' films just got better and better over time," Sims agreed. "And of course in this final film, where Harry has to sacrifice himself, it was such a huge moment in the series, and every fan connected with Harry in that moment."

Even if Radcliffe and Watson don't pull out individual wins, the "Potter" experts we spoke with said they'd be stunned if "Deathly Hallows" doesn't take home the Best Cast award.

"This is definitely the award I feel most confident about for 'Potter,' " Hodges said. "We have not only Harry, Ron and Hermione — Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson — but also Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith and all of these lead stars who really bring together the entire cast. It's more than just the trio. It's the entire whole."

"When I look at this list, I think 'Harry Potter' really does have this one," Anelli added. "The cast is so large and layered and talented. It was like the end of a symphony with this film."

But even as it approaches its last shot at Golden Popcorn glory, "Potter" can't count on nostalgia alone, especially when "there's a new 'Twilight' film and a new 'Hunger Games' film on the horizon, whereas there are [no more movies] for 'Harry Potter,' " Sims said.

"I think it still has a good shot because it's huge and always will be," he added. "But there are other fandoms knocking — very vibrant fandoms, who are definitely going to give it some tough competition."

Head over to MovieAwards.MTV.com to vote for your favorite flicks now! The 21st annual MTV Movie Awards air live Sunday, June 3, at 9 p.m. ET.

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• MTV Movie Awards Madness Starts Now!

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• 2012 MTV Movie Award Nominees

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Gingrich suspends presidential campaign, says it was 'an amazing year' for him and Callista (Star Tribune)

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Amazon Studios expands into TV series, looks to load up on content for streaming

Amazon has had a content development division for some time but today it's announced plans to expand from just movies to developing (and distributing, via its Instant Video service) original comedy and children's series. The new focus follows the competition like Netflix and Hulu which have both dived headlong into developing original TV show-style content that mirrors the content consumers seem to gravitate towards on streaming services. According to the press release Amazon Studios is willing to option one "promising project" per month for $10k and pay $55k to a creator if their series is selected for distribution. Submissions of 22-minute pilot scripts for comedies and 11-minute pilot scripts for children's shows are being accepted, which Amazon will either option within 45 days or the creator can choose between pulling it back and leaving it up for community feedback. There's more info at the site or in the press release after the break, but just remember: if we see any series picked up about dashingly handsome tech bloggers and the fast-paced lives they lead, we're coming for our cut.

Continue reading Amazon Studios expands into TV series, looks to load up on content for streaming

Amazon Studios expands into TV series, looks to load up on content for streaming originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 May 2012 12:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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