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Catholics in Philadelphia react on Wednesday to selection of the new pope.

One of the first personal tidbits to emerge about Pope Francis: He cooks for himself. But austerity and humility are two of the new pontiff's defining characteristics. And they seem to extend to his eating habits.

On an album released nearly 50 years ago Harry Taussig demonstrated an accomplished, self-taught style of improvisational guitar. This week in Austin, Texas Taussig will perform in public for the first time.

From Chris Christie to Jeb Bush, a slew of potential candidates for president have been getting attention. Most of them are speaking this week at the Conservative Political Action Conference, but a few pointedly were not asked.

A 62-year-old man had been on sick leave from work due to stress for the past few months — which is why his employer was surprised to see him wrestling a shark on an Australian beach in a video that went viral. The charity he worked for fired him. In his defense, the man said a doctor had advised him to take a vacation.

Tim Kelleher's Jack Russell terrier — named Jack — scarfs down anything he can get his paws on. Last week, his vet discovered the dog had scarfed down a bagel and, somewhere along the line, more than a hundred pennies. The vet operated and removed the pennies.

In Florida, an investigation into storefront Internet gambling parlors has forced the resignation of Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll, who is stepping down because of her involvement with a group called Allied Veterans of the World. The group runs dozens of what it calls "Internet cafes" — storefront operations where people essentially gamble using electronic slot machines.

On Wednesday, the creator of the much-loved but relatively short-lived TV series Veronica Mars took to Kickstarter to raise money to make a movie version of the show. In less than 12 hours, fans pledged more than $2 million, smashing the site's records along the way.

An Ohio judge is considering whether a 16-year-old was so drunk she couldn't consent to sex with two high school football players. The case also spurs debate over teen drinking, sex and social media.

Also: Advice on reading Vladimir Nabokov; fresh opportunities for Twitter poetry; and a new literary award.