STORM COVERS CANADA TO EUROPE - LOOK OUT FOLKS!

By Douglas Main, OurAmazingPlanet Staff Writer | LiveScience.com – 8 hours ago

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  Livescience/Photo by NASA - An image of the storm taken by the MODIS instrument on the Aqua satellite on March 27, 2013.

There is currently a massive storm churning over the Atlantic that spans the entire ocean basin, stretching all the way from Canada to Europe, and from Greenland to the Caribbean.

It's the same weather system that brought a massive spring blizzard to much of the United States and Canada earlier this week (on Tuesday (March 26), 44 of 50 states had some snow on the ground), and which has now ballooned in size, according to Jason Samenow, chief meteorologist with the Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang.

Robert Oszajca, lead forecaster for the National Weather Service's Ocean Prediction Center, explained that the storm got this big by merging with several low-pressure systems that were hanging out over the Atlantic Ocean. The merging weather systems gave it more power, which was accentuated by a gradient between warm moisture from the southeast, delivered by the Gulf Stream, and frigid air from the north. This intensified the storm, causing it to spin, elongate and grow in size, Oszajca told OurAmazingPlanet.

Normally, the system would have drifted into Europe several days ago. However, a high-pressure system over Greenland blocked the low-pressure system's advance, which allowed it to strengthen further, fed by cold air from the north. This created winds (which move from high pressure to low pressure) up to 75 mph (120 km/h), equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane, Oszajca said. 

"We're impressed with the size of this storm," he said. Nevertheless, storms this big form about once or twice every winter.

The storm, which looks like a large comma whose tail stretches into the Caribbean, ranges from Eastern Canada all the way to Spain and north to Greenland. It has created waves up to 42 feet (13 meters) high, Oszajca said.

The storm has already begun to weaken, however, as the high-pressure "blocking" system to the north has eased. Oszajca said the central low-pressure system that has powered the storm will soon break up into several separate centers, and the storm will fragment before hitting Portugal in about four days. The storm isn't expected to be very intense by the time it reaches Europe, he added.

3 Words He Never Wants to Hear You Say

By Cosmopolitan.com | Love + Sex – 6 hours ago

You may not even realize you're doing it, but saying these three little words is an instant turn-off to guys, not to mention awful for your own self-esteem. Writer Josh Aiello wants to put a stop to the pervasive phrase forever.

By Josh Aiello

If you want to turn off a guy fast, allow me to recommend three magic words. To guys, these words are the Holy Grail of annoying things girls say, the abracada bra of instantaneous mood killers, the uglier cousin to the infamous lose-lose query: "Do I look fat in this?" The three words we pray you will never say to us: "I look fat."

Related: How Jealous Should You Get? 

Imagine the worst thing a guy could say to you (thought joggers: "I'm in love with your sister," "I killed a man..."), multiply it by 10, add a full weekend of nothing but golf on TV--and you'll start to understand just how awful it is for us to hear "I look fat" coming out of a girl's mouth, especially a girl we really like or, worse, love. Take it from my friend Adam, 34: "When a girl says she looks fat, all I think is, How can I get out of this conversation as quickly as possible? She's either fishing for compliments, she doesn't like herself, or she actually has gained weight, in which case I think, So what? Do something about it, or stop worrying and be comfortable with yourself the way you are," he says. "Whatever the reason, I'm basically like, Please, make this stop."

Now, I'm not a woman, but I'm guessing "Please, make this stop" isn't the reaction most girls are hoping for when talking to a guy. Yet that's where our brains go when we hear those three words. Here's why.

When You Say "I Look Fat," We Feel Helpless

Once we hear that, we know that no matter how many times we tell you how hot you look, you won't believe us. You've already crossed over to the dark side of deep insecurity and you're too far gone. Guys hate feeling helpless, but you already know that from that time we tried to assemble your Ikea bookshelf.

It's a Guaranteed Killer of Good Times

"As soon as a girl says those words, the night's ruined," says my friend Will, 39. "She's already feeling down on herself and in a bad mood. It's a drag." It's also totally pointless. "It's basically like saying you look ugly," says Steve, 25. "Of course, we're not going to agree. If we did, we'd never hear the end of it."

You're Planting a Seed of Doubt in Our Minds

Your guy knows you're not fat. He can see you're not fat. But the more you say you're fat, the more he'll start to question the evidence. I once dated a really pretty girl who was convinced she was overweight. She told me she thought she was fat so often that when my parents came to visit, I didn't introduce her to them. Why? Because I doubted whether what I saw when I looked at her was what other, more objective people saw. Saying "I look fat" connects you and fat in a guy's mind. And once that connection has been made, it's tough to shake.

Related: The REAL Reason That Men Cheat 

You're Making Us Feel Insecure Too!

I get it--there's an incredible amount of pressure on women to look perfect. But it's easy to forgetguys feel some of this pressure too. "When a girl says she looks fat," my friend Afshin, 24, tells me, "First I'm like, Seri ously? Then I think, Wait a min ute....Is she? Followed by, Crap, now I feel fat. I should proba bly hit the gym tomorrow." On uttering those three words, a guy goes from having a good time to wondering why the girl he's with thinks she's fat to considering whether she is fat to feeling fat himself. That's quite a plunge.

So please, the next time the urge to say those three little words hits (even if it's just a force of habit), fight it. If you think you look fat, chances are, you really don't. And even if you have gained a few extra pounds, the guy you're with probably doesn't care. So take it from a guy: Don't mention it.

MARK ZUCKERBERG'S HUGE TAX BILL

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg Faces $1 Billion Tax Bill

By Stacy Cowley | CNNMoney.com 

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  Associated Press -
  In this image provided by Facebook, Facebook founder, Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, center, applauds at the opening bell of the Nasdaq stock market, …more 

Facebook's stock market debut left founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg with a paper fortune currently valued at $13 billion -- and a 2012 tax bill of around $1.1 billion.

Zuckerberg's whopping tax hit stems from his move last May to increase his stake in Facebook. On the day of Facebook's initial public offering, Zuckerberg exercised a stock option and purchased 60 million Facebook shares at a "strike price" of 6 cents each.

Even if those shares are never sold, the IRS treats them as ordinary income at the time the options are exercised. The rationale is that such options are a form of compensation, just like regular wages.

For Zuckerberg, that means reporting income last year of nearly $2.3 billion from his stock options alone. Add together the top 2012 federal tax rate of 35% and the top California rate of 13.3% -- the highest in the nation -- and you get a total tax rate of 48.3%.

That's before factoring in some deductions and any other income Zuckerberg collected last year. Only Uncle Sam and California's tax agency know exactly what's in Zuckerberg's return, but three California CPAs that CNNMoney consulted ran the numbers and believe Zuckerberg's bill for the year will probably exceed $1 billion.

That's really unusual ... even for billionaires.

"With numbers that large, it's usually capital gains, not ordinary income," said Toby Johnston, a partner at tax firm Moss Adams LLP's Silicon Valley office who works with wealthy clients. Investors profiting off their gains paid a significantly lower tax rate last year than Facebook's founder will. The highest federal capital gains rate in 2012 was 15%. It goes up to 23.8% (including a Medicare surtax) this year.

The Internal Revenue Service doesn't comment on the returns of individual taxpayers, but each year it releases aggregate data on the 400 U.S. tax filers with the largest reported incomes. Theaverage top earner had income of $202 million and a federal income tax bill of $41 million for 2009, the most recent data available.

A Facebook spokeswoman declined to comment on Zuckerberg's taxes.

To cover the giant bill he knew was coming, Zuckerberg dipped into his trove of Facebook stock. He sold 30.2 million shares during Facebook's IPO, taking in $1.135 billion. At the time, Facebook said in a regulatory filing that Zuckerberg planned to use the "substantial majority" of those proceeds to cover the taxes on his stock-option purchase.

And Zuckerberg has another big tax hit looming: He is still sitting on 60 million unexercised options that expire in late 2015. At Facebook's (FB) current share price, those options would generate taxable income of $1.6 billion if he cashed them in. If he cashed then in today at current tax rates, that would amount to a $826 million bill.

The U.S. Treasury will benefit from Zuckerberg's taxes. So will California, which is getting awindfall as thousands of Facebook employees cash in on stock grants and options. California expects to collect roughly $1.5 billion in tax revenue tied to Facebook's IPO, according to the latest estimate from the state's Legislative Analyst's Office.

So how do you pay a tax bill that's bigger than some nations' entire annual GDP? (We're looking at you, Grenada.)

California requires an electronic payment for all tax bills larger than $80,000, but the IRS will take a paper check for any amount.

Watching a sum that big vanish from your bank account sounds scary, right? The flip side is that at least you can afford it.

"Most people are thrilled, to tell you the truth," said Stan Pollock, a San Francisco area accountant who specializes in handling tax issues for tech workers. "I have had very few clients that get these huge windfalls who have resented paying the tax. They know they got lucky."

Justin Bieber: Gets Into A Fight With Neighbor

Singer accused of threatening and spitting on neighbor outside his California home after argument about noise levels

• Sean Michaels
• guardian.co.uk, 

'I’m young and I make mistakes. That’s part of growing up' … Justin Bieber. Photograph: Jordan Strauss/AP

Justin Bieber is under investigation by Los Angeles detectives after allegedly threatening and spitting at one of his neighbours. According to sources close to the singer, Bieber's neighbours are upset about parties that occurred at his home while the singer was away on tour.

The row took place on Tuesday morning, just hours after Bieber flew home from a gig in Lodz, Poland. Around 9am, deputies from the LA county sheriff's office were called to the city's Calabasas area, where the 19-year-old has a house. His neighbour claims he got into an argument with Bieber in the street in front of their homes, on Prado Del Grandioso. "[He] has complained Mr Bieber spit [sic] on him and made some threats," sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore told the LA Times. "Mr Bieber's people say that it did not happen. Obviously, our detectives will determine what happened and take appropriate action."

Although the argument didn't escalate into direct physical violence, spitting qualifies as a misdemeanor battery charge under California law. Bieber's security detail was present at the time, Reuters reported, and may have coloured the proceedings.

According to various unnamed sources, Bieber's neighbour was more upset with his friends. Even when the singer is out of town, Reuters reported, there are parties at his house. Bieber's Ferrari has also been seen around the neighbourhood, allegedly disturbing residents; despite a contrary claim by TMZ, police suggested Bieber may not have been the one behind the wheel.

This year has been marked by a string of minor controversies for the singer, ranging from shirtlessness to lateness to an on stage collapse. While he was in London this month, the singer had to be restrained by his bouncers when he threw himself at a paparazzo. But none of these are Bieber's first brushes with the law. The singer has repeatedly been cited for speeding, and he was accused in May 2012 of kicking and punching a paparazzo. Those charges were eventually dropped.

In a new interview with US Weekly, the singer has complained about being misrepresented in the media.

"The biggest misconception about me is that I'm a bad person. I get upset about that," he told the magazine.

"I have a big heart," he added. "I want to be a good role model, but some people want me to fail. I'm young and I make mistakes. That's part of growing up.

"I know who I am and I'm not gonna let negativity towards me bring me down. I'm a positive person and I plan on staying that way."

US SOCCER TIES MEXICO, REVIVES HOPE FOR WORLD CUP

MARTIN ROGERS, Yahoo Sports

Brad Guzan (1) celebrates with Herculez Gomez after a 0-0 draw against Mexico. (USAT Sports)

MEXICO CITY – Four days ago, the United States' road to the 2014 World Cup looked perilous. After Tuesday night's 0-0 tie against Mexico, the Americans are back on track.

Fans inside Estadio Azteca went to great extremes to gain an advantage for the home team, directing highly dangerous green laser pointers at U.S. goalkeeper Brad Guzan. The laser pens, which doctors say can cause blindness, found Guzan as he prepared for goal kicks throughout the first half of the CONCACAF qualifier. But he wasn't the only target.

Forward Herculez Gomez also had a laser beam pointed at him early in the contest, although his back was turned at the time.

U.S. soccer officials were looking into the matter as of late Tuesday night and an official complaint to world governing body FIFA is possible.

"You deal with that," said Guzan. "It's obviously not ideal, but it happens in these kinds of places. When did I notice it? When did I not notice it? It is part of the environment when you come down to place like Azteca, so you can't let it affect you."

Chicharito yells at a referee after Mexico's 0-0 draw against the U.S. (USAT Sports)Despite the disruption, the U.S. defense held firm in the face of sustained pressure from a Mexican team desperate to kick-start its own qualifying campaign after two successive draws. The displeasure of the home fans was made further evident at the final whistle, when it booed its own team and launched a shower of beer cans and cups onto the field, as well as at the contingent of traveling American fans.

Mexico was aggrieved to be denied a penalty kick in the 77th minute when Maurice Edu collided with Mexico's Javier Aquino just outside the U.S. goal. No whistle was blown, and instead of a prime scoring chance, Mexico was awarded what turned into a harmless corner kick.

The home squad had several more golden chances to score in the waning minutes, but they either booted them wide or were thwarted by Guzan, who was outstanding in place of the injured Tim Howard.

Jurgen Klinsmann's visitors were on the back foot for the majority of the contest, with Mexico enjoying a series of clear chances to give itself the lead. Yet despite open opportunities for Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez, Giovani Dos Santos and Andres Guardado, there was no way through for the Mexican attacking machine.

If the U.S. appeared to be playing for the tie, it was for good reason. Never has the United States beaten Mexico in a World Cup qualifier on its home turf, and only once in six tries (in 1997) had it even earned a draw.

While the result was only enough to put the Americans into a three-way tie for second place in the six-team CONCACAF pool (from which three nations are certain to qualify), it has now crossed off two of its most difficult road games and is perhaps in the best position of all the six teams.

"We are in really good shape now," said DaMarcus Beasley, pressed into action at left back instead of his more familiar midfield role. "The next game is always important, but getting points away from home like this is huge. You don't qualify for the World Cup on one night or with one game, but this feels like a big step."

The U.S. now takes a break from international action until June, but following its disastrous opening-game defeat in Honduras, will feel far more confident about it chances of reaching the World Cup for the seventh straight time.