How Instagram's changes affect what you see

Instagram is rolling out new changes to its Photo feed that will affect what you see. Photographer Jasmine Stars explains. Sean Fujiwara

LOS ANGELES - Instagram, the no. 1 photo sharing app, is about to change the way it displays photos.

The Facebook owned firm is rolling out a new system that ditches the old way--chronological listings for an algorithm.  

In other words, now Instagram will show you photos it thinks you want to see.

Photographer Jasmine Star just wrote a terrific blog post about this, and explains in the accompanying video and audio what the changes mean to users and small business owners. The new system is being roller out to Instagram's 400 million monthly visitors.

'Beware the Ides of March' -- What does that mean?

'Beware the Ides of March' -- What does that mean?

According to historians, sixty senators planned and participated in the conspiracy to kill Caesar in 44 B.C.

Death marked a turning point in Roman history

Caesar was popular with the lower class people of Rome, who saw his death as an unwelcome decision made by the aristocratic class. With Caesar no longer leading, potential leaders waged war to fill the power vacuum.

The civil wars eventually culminated in the end of the Roman Republic and beginning of the Roman Empire.

'Beware the Ides of March' made famous by Shakespeare

In case you really did forget your high school English class, it's worth noting the phrase “Beware the Ides of March” was immortalized by William Shakespeare in his tragic masterpiece “Julius Caesar.”

In the play, a soothsayer warns Caesar to be careful on March 15, although the ruler ignores the mystic with tragic consequences.

Famous line based on historical events

It may come as a surprise to know the well-known phrase was actually inspired by real events.

According to Greek historian Plutarch, a seer really did warn Caesar that he would be at the very least injured by the Ides of March.

Caesar did not heed the warning.

On the day of his death, he saw the oracle and joked that he had made it to the Ides of March, to which the seer responded the day had not yet ended.

So why is it called the "Ides of March?"

The Romans kept track of days on its calendar by dividing each month up into three separate points marking the beginning, middle and end of the month. You may have guessed it but the Ides fall in the middle of the month, on the 15th of March, May, July and October and the 13th for the rest of the year.

The Ides were sacred and marked a monthly sacrifice to the Roman god Jupiter. Various other religious observances also took place on the Ides of March.

By Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Today marks the Ides of March, which may vaguely remind you of a high school English class. Here are some things to know about the 15th day of the month.

>> Read more trending stories

Day marks the assassination of Julius Caesar

Most famously on this date, some 2,060 years ago, Roman dictator Julius Caesar died in an assassination by senators at the Curia of Pompey.

Tensions had been simmering between senators and Caesar before his death, fueled by Caesar's continued consolidation of power. However, Caesar considered the senators his allies. Just a few years before his death, Caesar was named “dictator in perpetuity,” a move that further strained relations.

Other famous events on this day

Today isn't the anniversary of Caesar's death. Here are a few other famous events that have happened today in history:

• 1972: Forty-four years ago (yes, that number is right) Francis Ford Coppola's three-hour crime epic "The Godfather" first played in theaters. Before "Jaws" came along in 1976, the film was the highest-grossing film ever made. It went on to win three Academy Awards, including one for Best Picture.
• 1917: Czar Nicholas II was forced by the revolting Russian people to abdicate the throne after ruling the country for more than 20 years. The February Revolution -- so named because Russia used the Julian calendar at the time -- broke out just four days before the czar abdicated his throne.
• 1767: Our seventh president, Andrew Jackson, was born on this day somewhere between the Carolinas near the end of the colonial era. His exact place of birth is disputed.

Shimshal Pamiri Yaks Amazing Swimmer !

Review: Zootopia Gives the Old Teachable Moment a Jolt of Life

There are enough under-the-radar subtleties, rendered with a refreshing lack of smart-aleckiness, to make 'Zootopia' feel current and fresh

The world of children’s lit is already so jam-packed with talking foxes and bunny rabbits providing teachable moments that it’s unimaginable we’d need any more of them. How many animal-kingdom civics lessons can a kid—let alone an adult—process before tuning out for good? The weird surprise of Disney’s Zootopia is that it gives the canon a jolt of life. Even if the movie’s overarching message to humans is an obvious one—people of all races need to learn to live in harmony—there are enough under-the-radar subtleties, rendered with a refreshing lack of smart-aleckiness, to make Zootopia feel current and fresh. It’s a modest, unassuming entertainment that’s motored by a sly sensibility.Ginnifer Goodwin provides the voice of Judy Hopps, a relentlessly perky little rabbit whose ambition is to be a cop. To those unschooled in theZootopia universe, that’s not as attainable a goal as it may sound: The story is set in an animal world where predator and prey have learned to live peacefully. No one eats, or even chases or bothers, anyone else. Even though you’d think this would be a world where anything is possible, and where anyone can be anything, there has never before been a policebunny. Still, Judy works hard and lands a spot on the police force—but Police Chief Bogo, a majestic water buffalo with a rolling, operatic voice (it belongs to Idris Elba), doubts her capabilities and assigns her to meter-maid duty. Though Judy is understandably miffed, she becomes the best meterbunny she can be. While hopping about issuing tickets, she makes the acquaintance of Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), a fox in a jaunty short-sleeve shirt that shows off his pointy little reynard elbows.Nick is a hustler, a con-fox, and he takes great pleasure in duping the rookie Judy. But she’s bright enough to turn the tables on him, eventually forcing him to help her find a missing otter gentleman whose wife, Mrs. Otterton (Octavia Spencer), is frantic with worry. It turns out that monsieur otter’s disappearance is connected with a nefarious city-government plot to instill fear in Zootopia’s citizens by making predators aggressive and dangerous once again.

In more straightforward lingo: Zootopia is actually a movie about crooked, bigoted authority figures who recognize that the best way to stay in power is to make sure “white” animals live in constant fear of “black” ones. And if that’s not a sock-in-the jaw metaphor for contemporary life in most major American cities, what is? For a cute story about talking animals, Zootopia—directed by Byron Howard, Rich Moore and Jared Bush—is surprisingly pointed. Better yet, it doesn’t get mired in its lesson, moving along stealthily on little forest-critter feet. It’s also dotted with delightful touches: At the Zootopia Department of Motor Vehicles, the wait time is forever because the place is staffed by actual sloths—they stamp documents and snap photos with the alacrity of 90-year-old tai chi practitioners. Watching them can make you a little crazy, at least until you start laughing. And if that’s not gritty realism in cartoon form, I don’t know what is.

Monty Williams, a man of faith and compassion, one of the toughest guys out there

There is a story Monty Williams once told me about his one and only season under Pat Riley that defines that generation at Madison Square Garden and made a lasting impression on a young player who would one day become a head coach.

"Charlie Ward and I had two days off as rookies; New Year's Day and another random day," Williams said. "That's it. When the team practiced we'd lift weights with (strength coach) Greg Brittenham for 45 minutes. Then we'd run upstairs, and Jeff (Van Gundy) was waiting to run drills for another 45 minutes. And then we'd practice with the vets for three hours.

"I had never experienced anything like that. But Pat Riley set the tone for me in terms of working. Riles was the kinda coach that if you were in the fire with him, he had your back. To this day I respect that because he built something in me that nobody can take away."

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I met Monty 20 years ago and one of the first things you learn is to never question his toughness. Monty was diagnosed with a potentially fatal heart condition while at college at Notre Dame and still became a first-round pick and carved out a solid NBA career for himself. Coaching was the natural next step. Monty played for Riley, Van Gundy, Doc Rivers, Don Nelson, Larry Brown and Gregg Popovich and obviously learned plenty along the way.

After serving an apprenticeship with the Spurs, Monty moved to Portland to work for Nate McMillan before finally landing a head coaching job with New Orleans. The day after his press conference, Monty sent me a text thanking me for my support over the years. It was appreciated but hardly necessary. Monty had earned this all on his own.

When I spoke to him last month at the Garden before the Knicks faced Oklahoma City, Monty told me how much he enjoyed working on Billy Donovan’s staff and being around players like Kevin Durant. Before going our separate ways, I asked Monty about his family and told him he should be proud of the job he did with the Pelicans. The next day, he sent another text.

“Thank you for the kind words. I’m humbled by that.”

That’s just the type of person he is.

I’ve thought a lot about Monty Williams in the days since his loving wife, Ingrid, was killed in a car accident in Oklahoma City last week. The tragedy hit close to home for those who knew him well, especially one of his best friends, Charlie Ward.

You sit and wonder just how Monty, responsible for the couple’s five children, can get through it. How do you even make sense of it? Where does he even begin? But then you hear the words Monty delivered on Thursday in Oklahoma City at the funeral service for Ingrid and you remember that this is a man of great faith and compassion.

With Ward, Allan Houston, Van Gundy and Tom Thibodeau among the approximately 900 attendees, Monty told them “this is hard for my family but this will work out. And my wife would punch me if I were to sit up here and whine about what is going on.

“That doesn’t take away the pain, but it will work out because God causes all things to work out. You just can’t quit; you can’t give in.”

It was a beautiful, moving tribute from one of the toughest guys you’ll ever find.

'Hamilton' at Grammys 2016 is Alexander Hamilton in historic, hip-hop glory (photos)

CLEVELAND, Ohio – "Hamilton" will be center stage (via satellite) at the Grammys Monday night, just as its namesake, Alexander Hamilton, has been featured on the $10 bill for decades.

While Hamilton would, at first, seem an unlikely subject for a hip-hop musical, the United States Founding Father's real-life story had the kind of drama that artists yearn to capture in any form.

"It's a hip-hop story. It's Tupac,'' the show's creator and star, Lin-Manuel Miranda, said in an interview"Hamilton'' has been a Broadway sensation since its highly anticipated debut last August. Miranda, 36, plays the title character and says he was inspired to create the show by Ron Chernow's acclaimed 2004 biography, "Alexander Hamilton.'' The book portrays Hamilton as perhaps the most intriguing Revolutionary War figure and Founding Father.

In a somewhat rare meeting of Broadway and the Grammys, the cast of "Hamilton" will perform a number from the show live from the Richard Rogers Theatre in New York. The Grammys will be telecast live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles beginning Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern (CBS, WOIO Channel 19 in Cleveland).

The cast is expected to perform the opening number, "Alexander Hamilton.''Grammy nomination

"Hamilton" is nominated for a Grammy in the best musical theater album category, along with "Fun Home," "An American in Paris," "Something Rotten!" and "The King and I."

Produced by Miranda, Alex Lacamoire and Bill Sherman with The Roots' Questlove and Black Thought, "Hamilton" is the sixth cast album to reach the Top 20 chart in the last 50 years, and it nabbed Billboard's first-ever five-star rating, a perfect score, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Broadway.com says of "Hamilton:" "Lin-Manuel Miranda takes the stage as the unlikely founding father determined to make his mark on the new nation as hungry and ambitious as he is. From bastard orphan to Washington's right hand man, rebel to war hero, a loving husband caught in the country's first sex scandal, to the Treasury head who made an untrusting world believe in the American economy. George Washington, Eliza Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson and Hamilton's lifelong friend/foil Aaron Burr all make their mark in this astonishing new musical exploration of a political mastermind.''.Groundbreaking production

A mostly African-American and Latino cast portrays the roles of the white Founding Fathers. New York Times theater critic Ben Brantley said "Hamilton" is changing American theater for the better. "Yes, it really is that good,'' Brantley wrote.Hamilton and history

Hamilton the man has intrigued historians since he was shot to death at age 49 in a duel with his former friend Aaron Burr in 1804.

According to a publisher's synopsis of Chernow's biography, "Hamilton overcame all odds to shape, inspire, and scandalize the newborn America. Few figures in American history have been more hotly debated or more grossly misunderstood.''

The ongoing debate about and interest in Hamilton go far beyond the musical.

More perspectives

The "Volokh Conspiracy,'' a Washington Post a blog written mostly by law professors, recently sought out a Hamilton quote for perspective on the current presidential campaign. "Alexander Hamilton is not worried about the election'' is the headline on a Hamilton quotation cited by Nicholas Quinn Rosenkranz:

"The process of election affords a moral certainty, that the office of President will never fall to the lot of any man who is not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications. Talents for low intrigue, and the little arts of popularity, may alone suffice to elevate a man to the first honors in a single State; but it will require other talents, and a different kind of merit, to establish him in the esteem and confidence of the whole Union, or of so considerable a portion of it as would be necessary to make him a successful candidate for the distinguished office of President of the United States." Federalist No. 68 (Alexander Hamilton).

Christianity Today also took note of increased interest in Hamilton with a current piece entitled "God Loved Alexander Hamilton.But did this particular Founding Father love God?''

"In a true rags-to-riches story, Hamilton's ascent out of poverty and into the political limelight reveals that miracles do happen,'' writes Susan Lim. "In the hundreds of pages that inspired the musical, a reverberant theme resounds throughout: that God loved this destitute orphan and opened doors for him. His rise parallels the story of a shepherd boy who became king. And like King David, General Alexander Hamilton had his own adulterous affair, political coup, and preventable tragedies. Yet God's tender heart and longsuffering kindness were woven throughout Hamilton's 49 years on this earth.

"But did Hamilton love God? Historians of the Revolutionary period are often asked about issues of faith. Did the Founding Fathers believe in God? Were they really Christians?''

In another way, Hamilton is falling out of favor at the U.S. Treasury that he helped create. Hamilton no longer will be featured on the $10 bill and will be replaced by a woman, though Hamilton is to maintain a presence on the note. The new note is to debut in 2020. A decision on new featured historical figure has been delayed.

Clevelanders don't have to go far to form their own view of Hamilton. He is depicted in one of two statues flanking the steps of the Cuyahoga County Courthouse on Lakeside Avenue. He seems to gaze down at pedestrians while holding papers in his left hand and his hat and cane in the right hand. He appears either lost in thought, or perhaps, as "Hamilton" fans might prefer, humming a tune.

Antonin Scalia Dies at 79: Control of the Supreme Court Now at Stake in 2016

The unexpected death of conservative Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has suddenly raised the stakes of the 2016 presidential election, giving the American people not only a referendum on who should control the White House but the judiciary as well.

Scalia's absence imperils the 5-4 conservative majority on the court. A Democratic president elected next November would guarantee liberal control of the high court, while a Republican victory would cement the conservative majority for another four or eight years.The Republican-controlled Senate is unlikely to confirm any replacement nominated by President Obama in his final months in office, leaving the decision hanging over the presidential campaign and giving the next president an enormous prize the moment he or she is inaugurated.

The issue has already emerged as a political battle, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and multiple GOP candidates arguing that a future president should pick Scalia's successor. Obama, along with leading Democrats, have countered that such a lengthy delay would hamper the judicial system.

"The American people‎ should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice," McConnell said in a statement. "Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new President."

Addressing the nation from California on Saturday night, Obama hailed Scalia as a "towering legal figure" and challenged the Senate to consider and confirm his replacement.

"I plan to fulfill my constitutional responsibilities to nominate a successor in due time," Obama said. "There will be plenty of time for me to do so and for the Senate to fulfill its responsibility to give that person a fair hearing and a timely vote."

The ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, Sen. Pat Leahy of Vermont, warned in a statement that the Supreme Court is "too important to our democracy for it to be understaffed for partisan reasons.

"Failing to fill this vacancy would be a shameful abdication of one of the Senate's most essential Constitutional responsibilities," Minority Leader Harry Reid said in a statement, setting up an intense conflict should Obama move forward with a replacement.In clarifying the already enormous implications of the election, the news could raise the importance of electability in both primaries, especially given that the influence of the courts is even more critical in times of political gridlock.

In the meantime, Scalia's death complicates a number of high-profile cases currently before the high court, including Obama's sweeping executive actions on climate change and immigration.

Both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have pledged only to nominate justices who would overturn the court's 2010 Citizens United decision, which dramatically expanded the flow of money into politics by paving the way for super PACs and direct corporate donations.

And Clinton drew a hard line against GOP calls to wait until a new president is elected to replace Scalia.

"The Republicans in the Senate and on the campaign trail who are calling for Justice Scalia's seat to remain vacant dishonor our Constitution. The Senate has a constitutional responsibility here that it cannot abdicate for partisan political reasons," she said in statement.

Sanders later echoed that sentiment, with a spokesperson saying that the candidate believes the Senate has a constitutional duty to vote on confirmation. "Let's get on with it," Sanders said.For the Republican field, the news immediately thrusts the issue of judicial nominations to the forefront of the race.

At Saturday's Republican debate, five of the six candidates on stage said they opposed Obama appointing a justice to succeed Scalia.

Jeb Bush said Obama had "every right" to nominate a Supreme Court justice and urged that the president seek a consensus nominee — but he said he was sure that would not happen.

"I think it's up to Mitch McConnell and everybody to stop it. It's called delay, delay, delay," Donald Trump said.

John Kasich said Obama should not nominate a justice so the people could decide through the presidential election what type of justice should serve. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Dr. Ben Carson also said the next president should make the nomination, not O

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said, "The Senate needs to stand strong and say 'We're not gonna give up the U.S. Supreme Court for a generation by allowing Barack Obama to make one more liberal appointee.'"

The GOP candidates rushed to praise Scalia after the news of his death broke.

Cruz, who clerked for the late Chief Justice William Rehnquist and argued cases before the court as his state's solicitor general, said in a statement that Scalia "fundamentally changed how courts interpret the Constitution and statutes, returning the focus to the original meaning of the text after decades of judicial activism.""The next president must nominate a justice who will continue Justice Scalia's unwavering belief in the founding principles that we hold dear," Rubio said in a statement.

Carson went further in explicitly calling on the Senate to reject any Obama nominee out of hand.

"Given the dire condition our democracy currently finds itself under Obama's ideological agenda, I call on the Senate to stop any attempts to fill this crucial seat until we the people elect a strong constitutionalist this November," he said in a statement.Trump has been attacked in the past by rivals for suggesting his sister, Judge Maryanne Trump Barry, would be a "phenomenal" justice despite ruling against abortion restrictions in the past. However, he also added that she wasn't interested in the job.

He criticized Scalia late last year Kasich called Scalia "an essential, principled force for conservative thought that is a model for others to follow" in a statement.

A vacancy on the court during the remainder of Obama's presidency could leave two full Supreme Court sessions deadlocked 4-4. In the case of a tie, the lower court's decision is upheld, but no Supreme Court precedent is created.

Fourteen high court nominees has been blocked at least in part because of the president's lame duck status, according to CQ. The longest vacancy in history occurred under President John Tyler, who had several nominees fail before his successor, James Polk, succeeded in filling the seat vacated by Henry Baldwin two years earlierfor comments he made during a hearing on an affirmative action case in which he suggested that underqualified African-American students might benefit from a "slower track school."

Trump was unreserved in his praise for Scalia on Saturday, however. "The totally unexpected loss of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is a massive setback for the Conservative movement and our COUNTRY!" Trump tweeted.