The state beauty queen of Wisconsin has voluntarily given up her title just a few weeks before she was scheduled to fight for the national crown. Identity theft charges filed against her by prosecutors prompted this move.

26-year old Shaletta Porterfield was set to represent Wisconsin in the Miss USA Pageant in Las Vegas next month after winning the 2011 Miss Wisconsin-USA crown. However, the pageant officials announced that Porterfield decided to resign last week following a three-count criminal case filed against her by the Dane County, Wisconsin prosecutors.

Based on the complaint, Porterfield used to work as a commission-base sales representative for a company in Illinois which sells Internet and telephone directory ads. In order to increase her commissions, Porterfield allegedly drew up questionable contracts with three companies in Wisconsin and forged signatures in the process.

The companies only found out about the drafted contracts after the American Marketing and Publishing, Porterfield’s employer, sent invoices for a total amount of $4,670.

If proven guilty, Porterfield could be imprisoned for up to six years in state prison and pay fines of as much as $30,000 for all three charges. Robert Nagal, the beauty queen’s attorney, refused to make a statement and comment on the issue. He was apparently out of his office on Tuesday.

As the first runner-up of the Miss Wisconsin-USA 2011, Jordan Morkin will represent the state in the national competition next month in Las Vegas.

Stroke (Cardiovascular Accident) and all other illnesses related to estrogen pill intake disappear after women quit taking them during menopause, a study found. This is really good news for women who started taking the hormone supplement in their 50s.

This latest study also found out that there is no truth to concerns about heart attacks and breast cancers if you take the hormone to relieve hot flashes associated with menopause, for a short period of time only.

Pills containing pure estrogen are only recommended for those women who underwent hysterectomy or the removal of the uterus. 25 per cent of the study’s respondents have had hysterectomies. The rest were prescribed with combination pills to alienate or lessen the risk for uterine cancer.

However, the results of the study do not change the doctors’ advice for women taking estrogen-only pills – take the pills in the lowest dose for the shortest time possible.

The respondents of this study took estrogen for an average of six years, and were tested four years after they stopped. The slight increase in the risk of stroke while they were still taking the pills went away after stopping. Unfortunately, estrogen’s bone-strengthening benefit went away with it too.

The same study also found out that women who took pills with estrogen content only in their 50s had better prognosis, than those who started when they were already 70. Many doctors believe that at 70, women are no longer recommended to take hormonal supplements.

Nintendo finally launched Sunday midnight the most awaited Nintendo 3DS. It is the latest addition to the Nintendo gaming console family that allows gamers to play 3D games without using 3D glasses. This is a first of its kind and people waited in line outside one of the stores in New York.

After the very successful iPad 2 launch just a couple of weeks ago, Nintendo made sure that they will have an equally raving party.

Most of the stores started selling the gadget Sunday morning but many others opened at midnight and that included Best Buy in Manhattan. The president of Nintendo US Reginald Fils-Aime attended the official launch of Nintendo 3DS in New York. He sold the very first unit to Isaiah Johnson who reportedly waited in line for six long days.

Demo booths, hotdog stands, and live music were arranged on the street; and at exactly 12 midnight, people threw 3D glasses up in the air to celebrate the official release of Nintendo 3DS. The party, and the long line outside the store, lasted until 2 in the morning.

Many people, however, believe that the 3D element of this new gadget is just a gimmick; in fact, 25 percent of a 3,000-respondent survey conducted by Slash Gear, agrees. The same survey found out that 31 per cent of them would most likely purchase the device if it was not for its whooping $249 price.

Nintendo 3DS is guaranteed to be safe to use, but due to some health reasons, children below six years old should not be allowed to use the 3D settings. There were reports of headache and seizures as a result of excessive use.