US – Tuesday, February 9

Plant blast under investigation

Federal investigators headed to Connecticut yesterday to determine the cause of an explosion at an unfinished power plant that killed at least five workers and hospitalized dozens of others.

Pressure grows for sanctions

International pressure for new sanctions against Iran grew yesterday after Tehran announced plans to make higher-enriched uranium and add 10 nuclear sites in a year, raising Western fears it wants to develop atom bombs.

Stern: I’d do ‘Idol’ for $100M

Howard Stern took to his radio show yesterday to address the rumors that he’s a possible replacement for Simon Cowell for the next season of “American Idol.” To sum it up? He’s not going for it.

Dancing while the skinny lady sings

You’ve heard of the jukebox musical? David Parsons and singers AnnMarie Milazzo and Tyley Ross of the East Village Opera Co. offer a jukebox opera, playing nightly at the Joyce. Eleven Parsons dancers share the stage with Milazzo and Ross, who clutch microphones cranked to 11 and stroll through the action. On the recorded soundtrack, three drummers create a wall of sound so loud you — well, I — want to hide under the seat. Digital video of abstract patterns, natural landscapes and stunning architecture change for each song.

‘Free’ ad leads to fraud suit

NEW YORK. A Wisconsin college student is suing credit firm Experian — the brains behind the ubiquitous FreeCreditReport.com jingles — for fraudulent advertising after she inadvertently signed up for a monthly $14.95 monitoring service.

Let me count the ways ...

‘Tis the season for writing love letters. But that can be a daunting endeavor, especially when you’re not sure where to start. Should you put it in verse, use flowery language, get erotic? As with almost anything in life, the simpler you keep it, the easier (and often better) it will be. It doesn’t sound that romantic, but think of your love letter as a laundry list of the reasons why you adore your sweetheart. It’s kinda like Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Sonnet 43: “How do you love your partner? Count the ways!” Here’s how to do it without rhyming or pulling out a thesaurus:

Published 21:13, December the 11th, 2008

A fifth of teens send nude pics on phones

80

Percent of U.S. teenagers who have a cellular phone, most of which have a camera installed in them.

New York. A survey of hundreds of American teenagers claims that one in five of them have sent pictures of themselves partially clothed by text.

And twice as many claim to have sent explicit SMS messages from their cell phones, according to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, whose survey was carried out jointly with cosmogirl.com.

A majority of the 13- to 19-year-olds were aware of the potential dangers of their behavior, the survey found.

Although they conceded that there was high risk of embarrassment, or a risk of disappointing their family, more than a fifth of those teenagers surveyed said sending nude pictures of themselves and sexually explicit messages was “no big deal.”

METRO

The February MMMpod features conversation from Ozzy Osbourne. Michael Emerson from "Lost" tells us about his days enjoying punk rock in Boston. We also dig up an old interview from the late great Howard Zinn. We have a song from Delta Spirit and The Soft Pack, who tell us where they got their name.

[Flyers by PaperG]