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  • Goodbye, Norma Jean: Chicago bids farewell to Marilyn Monroe statue

    Jim Young / Reuters

    A 26-foot tall statue of Marilyn Monroe is separated into four pieces in Chicago on May 7, 2012.

    NBC Chicago reports — A 40,000-pound, 26-foot statue of Marilyn Monroe's famous pose from "The Seven-Year Itch" was dismantled Monday night in preparation for the long drive to its new home in California.

    The initially controversial "Forever Marilyn" creation by Seward Johnson was unveiled last July. She now heads to Palm Springs, where the actress was discovered by a Hollywood agent. 

    Video: Late, insecure and easily offended — Memories of Marilyn

    It's a bittersweet moment for some who viewed Monroe's iconic, skirt-billowing pose as sexist. One website, VirtualTourist.com, ranked her the worst piece of public art in the world.

    Rare photos of Marilyn Monroe six weeks before her death

    VirtualTourist also questioned why a likeness of the star's famous, New York City-based stance was placed in Chicago and said the towering, blown dress forced many to peer up at Marilyn's panties.

    Marilyn's 'subway' dress sets new record at auction

    The statue will be installed in Palm Springs by the end of May, where it is expected to stay in place until June 2013.

    Jim Young / Reuters

    Jim Young / Reuters

    Jim Young / Reuters

    A collection of photographs and memorabilia from Marilyn's longtime makeup artist, Allan "Whitey" Snyder," is set for auction.

     

  • Marc Staal nets OT winner, New York Rangers takes 3-2 lead

    Bruce Bennett / Getty Images

    Artem Anisimov of the New York Rangers celebrates as teammate Marc Staal (Not Pictured) scores the winning goal in overtime against Braden Holtby of the Washington Capitals in Game Five on Monday night.

    AP reports: Marc Staal scored a power-play goal 1:35 into overtime after Brad Richards tied it in the dying seconds of regulation to lift the New York Rangers to a stunning 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Monday night.

    With goalie Henrik Lundqvist pulled for an extra attacker, Washington's Joel Ward took a four-minute penalty for high-sticking Carl Hagelin with 21.3 seconds left in the third period. Richards tied it on the first half of the power play with just 7.6 seconds to go, and Staal won it with a drive that appeared to deflect off a Washington player before beating goalie Braden Holtby.

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  • Gaping jaws of ennui: the yawns of April

    The wires are slow today, so we take a step back to see a universal behavior in different settings. Try not to yawn... 

    Vadim Ghirda / AP

    A hostess yawns while standing next to a Mercedes E Class Coupe at the Bucharest Auto Show in Bucharest, Romania, on April 4.

    Keith Bedford / Reuters

    A job seeker yawns as he waits in front of the training offices of Local Union 46, a union representing metallic lathers and reinforcing ironworkers, in the Queens borough of New York on April 30. Some 500 people who have waited in front of the offices for a week after the State Department of Labor and the union announced that they were looking to hire iron and wood apprentices were given forms to apply for the 50 available positions on Monday, according to the union.

    Edgard Garrido / Reuters

    A penitent yawns while resting on crosses to be used during a re-enactment of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on Good Friday in Iztapalapa in Mexico City on April 6.

    Jonathan Ernst / Reuters

    A member of the audience yawns behind a copy of her program for the Franklin County Lincoln Day Dinner, where U.S. Republican presidential candidate and former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney delivered remarks, in Greencastle, Pennsylvania on April 22

    Keith Bedford / Reuters

    A member of the Occupy Wall Street movement yawns after waking up from a night of sleeping on the street in front of the New York Stock Exchange in New York on April 13.

    Stringer/Spain / Reuters

    A young penitent yawns while taking part in a Holy Thursday procession at Palma de Mallorca, on the Spanish Balearic island of Mallorca on April 5. Hundreds of processions take place around the clock in Spain during Holy Week, drawing thousands of visitors.

    Kevin Frayer / AP

    An Indian boy yawns as he stands on a concrete block to get a better view while watching a procession for Mahavir Jayanti, in New Delhi, India on Thursday, April 5. The holiday celebrates the birth anniversary of Lord Mahavira, who created the defining rules of Jainism.

    Garry Jones / AP

    Kentucky Derby hopeful Daddy Nose Best yawns as he gets a bath outside Barn 38 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. on Monday, April 30.

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  • Trio of twisters spotted on Mars

    NASA / JPL-Caltech / ASU

    Three Martian whirlwinds, known as dust devils, whirl in this picture captured by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on Feb. 11.




    It's eerie enough to see one whirlwind swirling across the Martian surface, but three? Get out your 3-D glasses and spot the three dust devils rising from Amazonis Planitia, as seen by the high-resolution camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

    These mini-twisters are analogous to the dust devils that are whipped up on sunny afternoons on Earth, due to the rise of hot air through a low-pressure pocket of cooler air above it. In February, the Mars orbiter spotted a couple of prominent examples of the phenomenon that rose as high as 12 miles into the Red Planet's thin atmosphere. These three dust devils aren't nearly as big, but seeing them simultaneously in one 3-D picture gives you an idea just how active the wind patterns on Mars can get.

    "The active dust devils seem to float above the surface," says Arizona State University's Alfred McEwen, principal investigator for the camera, known as the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment or HiRISE. "There are also some bright lines present ... those are the tracks of dust devils that passed through this region in the prior two weeks."

    For more from Mars, check out the HiRISE website — and as long as you have your 3-D glasses out, take a look at HiRISE's 3-D image gallery. What? You don't have your 3-D glasses yet? This NASA webpage lists some online vendors. While you're at it, think about picking up some sun-viewing spectacles for the May 20 annular solar eclipse. On Friday, I'll be giving away a combo pack of 3-D glasses and eclipse glasses as the prize in our weekly "Where in the Cosmos" photo contest; watch for that on the Cosmic Log Facebook page.

    More about Mars:


    Alan Boyle is msnbc.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter or adding Cosmic Log's Google+ page to your circle. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for other worlds.

  • Golfer with disability shows his sense of humor in South Africa

    Nic Bothma / EPA

    Johan Jonker from South Africa plays a joke with his game partners by pretending to retrieve the ball from the hole using his amputated arm during the South African Disabled Golf Open in Langebaan, South Africa on Monday. The South African Disabled Golf Open is one of the top disabled golf tournaments in the world with more than 60 competitors competing over the 3 day event. People suffering from any number of physical disabilities including arm and leg amputees, hemiplegics, paraplegics, stroke victims, blind and deaf people that are able to grip the club with at least one hand and hit the ball can compete.

    Nic Bothma / EPA

    Robin Singh from South Africa drives the ball during the South African Disabled Golf Open in Langebaan.

    Nic Bothma / EPA

    Neal Merry from Wales plays a shot during the South African Disabled Golf Open.

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  • Inspectors search for pests in imported Mother's Day flowers

    David Mcnew / Getty Images

    A U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialist uses a loupe to find mites on the leaves of roses imported from Ecuador for Mother's Day on May 7.

    David Mcnew / Getty Images

    US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialist Robin Martin inspects roses imported from Ecuador for Mother's Day for pests and diseases on May 7, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. On a typical day, the CBP seizes about 4,436 prohibited plant, meat and animal byproducts and finds 570 agricultural pests from abroad that could harm US agriculture.

    David Mcnew / Getty Images

    A U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialist shines a flashlight on a mite shaken from flowers imported for Mother's Day on May 7 in Los Angeles, California. On a typical day, the CBP seizes about 4,436 prohibited plant, meat and animal byproducts and finds 570 agricultural pests from abroad that could harm U.S. agriculture.

    A similar set of pictures appeared in PhotoBlog around Valentine's Day, when inspectors in Miami found a tiny snail in roses from South America.

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  • TSA team pulls 150,000 pound Airbus 100 feet in 32 seconds

    Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

    Members of the Nassau County Police pull a Jet Blue A320 plane 100 feet during the third annual Jet Blue Airbus A320 Plane Tug at JFK Airport on May 7 in New York City.

    Members of London's Metropolitan Police Service went head-to-head with U.S. law enforcement and airport crewmembers to see which team of up to 16 people could pull a 150,000 pound Jet Blue A320 aircraft 100 feet in the fastest time.

    The "Brits vs. Yanks" competition raises money and awareness for the Joining Against Cancer Kids (JACK) Foundation, a UK based organization that funds Neuroblastoma cancer research.

    A team of TSA employees had the fastest time of 32 seconds. 

    Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

    Kieren Marwood of the Metropolitan Police Services in London catches his breath after his team pulled a Jet Blue A320 plane 100 feet during the third annual Jet Blue Airbus A320 Plane Tug at JFK Airport on May 7.

    Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

    Jet Blue Airways ground crews pull a Jet Blue A320 plane 100 feet during the third annual Jet Blue Airbus A320 Plane Tug at JFK Airport on May 7, 2012 in New York City.

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  • Birmingham Zoo's Kumar the tiger gets a root canal

    Joe Songer / The Birmingham News via AP

    Veterinarian Dr. Robert Gaddis takes an X-ray before performing a root canal to fix the broken tooth of Kumar, the Malayan tiger at the Birmingham, Ala. Zoo.

    Joe Songer / The Birmingham News via AP

    Veterinarian Dr. Robert Gaddis performs a root canal to fix a broken tooth of Kumar, the Malayan tiger at the Birmingham Zoo.

    Zoo keepers at the Birmingham Zoo in Alabama discovered Kumar the 235-pound Malayan tiger had a broken tooth during a routine medical exam. The vets decided to perform a root canal on 13-year-old cat in an attempt to save the tooth.

    The photos were shot on May 2, but were made available to msnbc.com today.

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  • Zombies chase runners during "Run for Your Lives" 5k race

    Brian Snyder / Reuters

    A zombie chases a runner on the "Run for Your Lives" 5K obstacle course race in Amesbury, Mass. on May 5.

    "Run for Your Lives" 5k zombie races pit runners against man-made and natural obstacle courses and zombies, who chase them down and try and take "health" flags off the runners belts. Learn more about the races at runforyourlives.com.

    Related Link:

    Brian Snyder / Reuters

    A zombie greets runners arriving for the "Run for Your Lives" 5K obstacle course race in Amesbury, Mass. on May 5.

    Brian Snyder / Reuters

    Runners are chased by a zombie at the "Run for Your Lives" 5K obstacle course race in Amesbury, Mass. on May 5.

    Brian Snyder / Reuters

    A zombie waits to chase runners at the "Run for Your Lives" 5K obstacle course race in Amesbury, Mass. on May 5.

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  • Chimney sweeps celebrate 400-year-old festival in Rochester

    Dan Kitwood / Getty Images

    Men dressed as chimney sweeps on stilts take part in the annual Sweeps Festival on May 7, in Rochester, England.

    The three day annual Sweeps Festival in Rochester, England dates back 400 years and was originally the one day in the year that the chimney sweeps could afford time off to celebrate the coming of spring.

    This year marks the festival's 32nd year since its reintroduction in 1980, with traditional activities including Morris dancers, who parade to Rochester Castle, and a Jack-in-the-Green ceremony.

    Dan Kitwood / Getty Images

    Traditional chimney sweeper Bryan Pearce, who's family has been sweeping chimneys for over three hundred years, poses for a photograph while taking part in the annual Sweeps Festival on May 7 in Rochester, England.

    Dan Kitwood / Getty Images

    People dressed as chimney sweeps push their cart down the high street during the annual Sweeps Festival on May 7.

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  • The purrrr-fect cup of coffee at the cat cafe

    Alexander Klein / AFP - Getty Images

    A cat plays as people drink coffee at the Cafe Neko, in the city center of Vienna on May 7.

    Leonhard Foeger / Reuters

    Customers watch cat 'Moritz' sitting on a chair in Vienna's first cat cafe May 7.

    Leonhard Foeger / Reuters

    Cat 'Luca' sleeps in his basket as a waitress serves food to customers in Vienna's first cat cafe May 7. After three years of negotiations with city officials over hygiene issues, Austria opened its first cat cafe last Friday. 'Cafe Neko', "Neko" meaning cat in Japanese, was opened by Vienna resident Takako Ishimitsu, 47, from Japan. Customers can stroke and interact with their five feline hosts, named Sonja, Thomas, Moritz, Luca and Momo, who all came from an animal shelter and now freely roam about the cafe and take naps.

    I would like to hang out at this cafe - there's nothing more relaxing than a cup of coffee and a purring cat.

    AP reports: Owner Alexander Thuer tells the Austria Press Agency that the idea to combine coffee with cats comes from his Japanese wife, Takako Ishimitsu, who says such establishments are common in Asia — but rare in Europe.

    But not all guests are welcome. Dogs, which have entry to most Viennese coffee houses, have to stay outside.

  • Snickering politicians inside the Romanian parliament

    Robert Ghement / EPA

    Designated Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta, left, reacts as he chats with Florin Geogescu, right, designated Finance Minister and Interior Affairs Minister Ioan Rus, center, during the validation vote session in front of both parliament chambers, in Bucharest, Romania, May 7. Ponta, one of the main opposition leaders, was nominated as prime minister by the Romanian president Traian Basescu April 27, after the last government, lead by Mihai Razvan Ungureanu, collapsed during a no-confidence vote.

    Vadim Ghirda / AP

    Romanian Premier designate Victor Ponta, left, prepares to address a parliament session in Bucharest, Romania, May 7. Romanian lawmakers are voting on whether to approve the prime minister designate's left-leaning Cabinet, which is expected to continue a slate of economic reforms.

    I wonder what was being discussed? Caption contest anyone? 

    Full story: Romania parliament set to back new leftist government

  • Chaiwat Subprasom / Reuters

    Members of the Rotary International Convention 2012 gather to form the world's biggest smiley in Bangkok May 7. The number of participants is a reflection of the convention year, and the year Rotary reached its $200 million fundraising challenge for polio eradication. Rotary International Convention's concept of "The Land of Thousand Smiles" in order to convey in friendliness of the Thais and being the land of smile as well as to express Thailand's hospitality in welcoming participants from the four corners of the world.

    Smiles everyone! World's biggest smiley formed by people in Bangkok

    See more photos of Guinness World Record holders in our slideshow.

  • 75 years on, Hindenburg airship disaster still shocks

    NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images

    The zeppelin Hindenburg flies over Manhattan, April 1, 1936, a year before its fiery demise.

    NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images

    The Hindenburg dirigible attempting to land at Lakehurst, N.J. May 9, 1936, a year before the disaster.

    On May 6, 1937, the Hindenburg airship burst into flames while attempting to land in Lakehurst, N.J. Of the 97 people on board, 35 were killed, and one person on the ground died as well. According to the AP:

    A look back at the historic airship and its demise.

    The huge airship — more than three times longer than a Boeing 747 — was engulfed in flames and sank to the ground in less than a minute. Photographers and newsreel crews on hand for the landing captured the scene, and a shocked radio station broadcaster recorded the often replayed phrase “Oh, the humanity and all the passengers!”

    The 804-foot-long Hindenburg was cutting-edge technology, with its fabric-covered, metal frame held aloft by more than 7 million cubic feet of lighter-than-air hydrogen. Flammable hydrogen had to be used because of a U.S. embargo on nonflammable helium.

    It was “the Concorde of its day back in 1936 and ’37,” said Carl Jablonski, president of the Navy Lakehurst Historical Society. But after the fire, he said, it would be called the “Titanic of the sky.”

    Continue reading.

     

    According to Asbury Park Press:

    “The Hindenburg cut the time in half of the fastest ocean liner,” said Robert Buchanan of Waretown, the last known surviving member of the civilian landing crew that handled mooring lines for the airship.

    “I find it hard to explain how horrible it was,” Buchanan told the audience. “The flames were entirely surrounding — you couldn’t see the sky, and you knew the ship was falling on you.”

    Continue reading.

    Central Press/Getty Images

    The Hindenburg in flames on its arrival at Lakehurst, New Jersey May 6, 1937.

    The crash of the Hindenburg took only 34 seconds, but it changed lives forever as passengers and ground crew tried to escape its massive flames.

  • Children learn to play the oud in Gaza

    Ali Ali / EPA

    Palestinian student Mohammed Rohmi, 15, works on an oud during a string instrument repair and maintainance workshop offered by the Gaza Music School Project at the Qattan Center for the Child (QCC), in Gaza City, March 18. Located in the Palestinian Red Crescent building in Tel el Hawa district, the center welcomes about 120 children, boys and girls, between the age of six and eleven. The children attend classes three times a week after school. Although tuition is free, all the students must show proficiency in rhythm and musical ear in competitive entrance tests. The center is the first of its kind in the Gaza Strip.

    Ali Ali / EPA

    Palestinian girl Sham Abu Maddin, 10, plays an oud during music lessons offered by the Gaza Music School Project at the Qattan Center for the Child (QCC), in Gaza City, 09 March 2012. Located in the Palestinian Red Crescent building in Tel el Hawa district, the center welcomes about 120 children, boys and girls, between the age of six and eleven. The children attend classes three times a week after school. Although tuition is free, all the students must show proficiency in rhythm and musical ear in competitive entrance tests.

    European Pressphoto Agency reports: The Gaza School of Music was founded in 2008 thanks to funds from the Abdul Mohsen Al-Qattan Foundation and the Swedish government.

    Children can learn to play various instruments such as the oud (lute), tabla, qanun, violin, piano and guitar. European as well as Arab classical music is taught.

    Watch a BBC audio slideshow on the school.

  • Protests can't stop Putin from returning to power

    Vladimir Rodionov / Pool via AFP - Getty Images

    Russia's president-elect Vladimir Putin walks down Andreyevsky (St.Andrew's ) Hall of the Great Kremlin Palace in Moscow May 7, as he arrives to take his oath of office and become Russia's president for a historic third mandate at a glittering ceremony inside the Kremlin.

    Natalia Kolesnikova / AFP - Getty Images

    Russian people march along a street during an opposition's protest rally in Moscow on May 6. Russian riot police violently clashed with protesters at a rally on the eve of Vladimir Putin's return for a third Kremlin term, arresting over 400 people including opposition leaders.

    Alexander Zemlianichenko / Pool via AP

    Russian President Vladimir Putin and former President Dmitry Medvedev, right, during the inauguration ceremony at the Cathedral Square in the Kremlin in Moscow, May 7. Vladimir Putin took the oath, saying he considers "service to the fatherland and our nation to be the meaning of my life."

    Andrey Smirnov / AFP -Getty Images

    Russian Police officers detain opposition supporters during a rally in Moscow on May 6.

    By msnbc.com staff and news services: MOSCOW --  Vladimir Putin was sworn in as Russia's president at a glittering ceremony on Monday, hours after clashes between police and thousands of protesters in the country's capital laid bare the deep divisions over his return to the Kremlin for six more years. 

    In the latest demonstrations on Sunday, police detained more than 400 people, including three opposition leaders, after tensions boiled over at a rally attended by about 20,000 people across the Moscow river from the Kremlin. 

    Putin, a former KGB spy, took his oath before nearly 2,000 guests in the Kremlin's St Andrew Hall, the former throne room with sparkling chandeliers, gilded pillars and high Gothic vaults, before being blessed by the head of the Russian Orthodox Church and taking charge of the nuclear suitcase.  Full story.

  • Musicians pull out the stops at weekend music festivals in Memphis, New Orleans

    Jim Weber / The Commercial Appeal via AP

    Claudio Sanchez, frontman for the rock band Coheed and Cambria, plays a few bars with his face during his performance at the Beale Street Music Festival, May 6, in Memphis, Tenn. The weather cooperated for a third straight day as crowds gathered to watch Coheed and Cambria and other acts like Bush, Herbie Hancock, and Wiz Khalifa.

    Gerald Herbert / AP

    Kermit Ruffins performs at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans, La., May 6.

     

  • Surfers honor late NFL star Seau with 'paddle-out'

    Sandy Huffaker / Getty Images

    A surfer wades into the surf for a ceremony during a "paddle-out" in honor of NFL star Junior Seau on May 6, in Oceanside, Calif.

    Sandy Huffaker / Getty Images

    Fred Hodges shows a surfboard he decorated.

    San Diegans took to the water Sunday in remembrance of hometown hero Junior Seau.

    Locals were invited to bring their surfboards to the south side of the Oceanside Pier in Oceanside, near Seau’s beachfront home.

    The group that gathered planned to paddle out into the water at 12:45 p.m. as a way of honoring Seau and showing community support and solidarity for his family.

    Junior Seau, who played for various NFL teams including the San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots was found dead in his home on May 2nd of an apparent suicide.

    Read the full story.

    Related story: Late NFL star Seau's family undecided on brain research

    Sandy Huffaker / Getty Images

    Bryn Best waves to surfers in the water during the "paddle-out" ceremony.

    Sandy Huffaker / Getty Images

    Surfers prepare go into the surf.

    Sandy Huffaker / Getty Images

    Surfers ride their boards out into the surf.

     

  • Heavy hitters: Gates, Buffett play oversize game of table tennis

    Steven Branscombe / Zuma Press

    Bill Gates, a Berkshire Hathaway board member, tries using an oversized paddle to return a serve during a brief exhibition table tennis match in front of shareholders at the Regency Court in Omaha, Neb., while board chairman Warren Buffett looks on.

     "I don't think that every deal that I made would necessarily be makeable by a successor, but they'll bring other talents," including skills to be an effective chief risk officer, Buffett said. "We're not going to have an arts major in charge of Berkshire."

    Charlie Munger, who is Berkshire's 88-year-old vice chairman and sat beside Buffett, quipped: "I rather resent all this sympathy and attention that Warren is getting. I probably have more prostate cancer than he does."

    The annual meeting is the centerpiece of a weekend of events that Buffett has dubbed "Woodstock for Capitalism." Close to 40,000 shareholders were expected to attend this year.

    -- Reported by Reuters

    Read the full story.

  • French President Sarkozy admits defeat in presidential bid

    Michel Euler / AP

    Outgoing French President Nicolas Sarkozy leaves after addressing supporters at his Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) party headquarters after the the preliminary results of the second round of the presidential elections were announced in Paris, France, May 6.

    Christophe Karaba / EPA

    Supporters of 'Union pour un Mouvement Populaire' (UMP) party candidate Nicolas Sarkozy react after learning their candidate lost the Presidential election in Paris.

    Sarkozy faced voters' anger over austerity Sunday in a presidential run-off expected to replace him with Socialist rival Francois Hollande, with far-reaching consequences for efforts to fight Europe's debt crisis.

    The election outcome could also have an impact on how long French troops stay in Afghanistan and how France exercises its military and diplomatic muscle around the world.

    -- Reported by the Associated Press

    Read the full story.

  • Yasuyoshi Chiba / AFP - Getty Images

    Grand piano performance hits notes up high in Brazil

    Brazilian pianist Ricardo de Castro Monteiro plays a piano hanging from wires during the annual "Virada Cultural" event, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, May 6. The Virada Cultural is a cultural party which offers 24 hours of uninterrupted attractions in stages around the city, such as music, dance, cooking, theatre, exhibitions of art and history and other forms of expression.

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