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11,474 | 209caf000144966ea13ec85b9cc38a3a24676698 | Manuel Pellegrini must have been looking for Mario Balotelli’s ‘Why Always Me’ T-shirt on Thursday night. Life could hardly get any worse for Manchester City in the Champions League. For the third successive season they were handed a ‘Group of Death’. There’s no sugar-coating it — Group E is gruesome, brutal, grim. If Pellegrini was to pick one scenario he didn’t want ahead of the draw, this wouldn’t have been far off. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Manchester City: Vincent Kompany wants the quadruple . Deja vu: Manchester City and Bayern Munich will meet in the group stages for the third time in three years . Possible: James Milner celebrates the third goal when the sides last met, in a 3-2 win for City . His mood will not have been helped by knowing that, down in London, Jose Mourinho had his feet up, with Chelsea surely as good as in the knockout stages after being given a relatively easy ride. For the second successive season, City will face Bayern Munich; the Bundesliga giants wounded by last season’s failed attempt to retain their title. Riding on the crest of Germany’s World Cup win, Pep Guardiola’s side will be one of the toughest teams to beat this season. City’s nightmare does not end there, though. Two clashes against a rejuvenated Roma will provide a huge test of their European credentials. In an uncanny twist, Roma and City crossing paths throws open the possibility of Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole going head-to-head for the first time since they left Chelsea this summer. Pellegrini will know the fixtures against Roma and CSKA Moscow are paramount to City making it to the last 16. Quick return: The draw gives Ashley Cole a first chance to return to England when Roma meet City . Tricky tie: Roma are a much better side than in previous years, led by a resurgent Gervinho . And if he thought things could not get much worse, he only needs to look at a daunting eight-day stretch next month when he must squeeze a trip to Bavaria between crucial League clashes at Arsenal and at home to Chelsea. ‘It’s a tough one,’ said City’s sporting director Txiki Beguiristan. ‘Our challenge is to be first in the group because that gives you an advantage. ‘The objective is higher now. That’s why we improved the team, to give us a chance of winning the domestic competitions but also to be better in Europe. There are five, six, eight other clubs that can win it but we can as well. Why should we not set out to win the Champions League?’ Thursday’s draw would also not have made comfortable viewing for Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. Perhaps not quite to the same extent as Pellegrini, but Wenger will yet again have to pit his wits against one of Europe’s most impressive young coaches in Jurgen Klopp. Re-match: Robert Lewandowski, now departed from Dortmund, scored twice at the Emirates last season . Achievable: Arsenal hit back in Germany and managed to get out of their group in second place last year . But facing Borussia Dortmund, 2013’s beaten finalists, will not paralyse Wenger’s expensively-assembled squad with fear. After losing to the Bundesliga side on matchday three last season, the Gunners went to Dortmund and recorded a famous 1-0 win against the odds, Aaron Ramsey scoring. Arsenal secretary David Miles said: ‘It’s tough but it’s one from which there’s a pre-requisite to finish first and avoid the likes of Barcelona at the start of the knock-out stage.’ Anderlecht and Galatasaray are likely provide a more modest test. While Liverpool ponder the challenge of Real Madrid, Basle and the Bulgarians of Ludogorets, Mourinho must have had by far the best night’s sleep. Special one: Jose Mourinho will be very please with Chelsea's comfortable Champions League draw . When he holds his weekly press conference at Chelsea’s Cobham HQ on Friday, the Portuguese will inevitably dispel the notion that his side have been handed an easy European ride. But the Special One himself could not have handpicked a more comfortable group. With all due respect, Schalke, Sporting Lisbon and Maribor hardly reads as a who’s who of European football’s elite. Much to Brendan Rodgers, Pellegrini and Wenger’s annoyance, no doubt. VIDEO Three European giants drawn in Group F . | City face German giants Bayern Munich for a third time in four years .
Arsenal also handed tough draw but Chelsea given easy ride .
Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard could have a surprise re-union as City are also matched with Roma .
Despite difficult draw Txiki Beguiristan says the aim is to top the group . |
215,853 | a3677ccb5f26811c3d11ec85d2a0baffea227f1d | A Texas teacher will be giving one of her students something far more valuable than any grade could ever be - a new kidney. First grade student Matthew Parker, 6, will be receiving a new kidney from Lindsey Painter, his teacher at Hoffmann Lane Elementary School in New Braunfels. Parker first received a kidney transplant from a deceased donor when he was two, but needs a new one because his body is rejecting the organ. Scroll down for video . Matthew Parker, 6, (pictured) will be receiving a new kidney from his first grade teacher Lindsey Painter . Painter (left) teaches Parker (right) at Hoffmann Lane Elementary School in New Braunfels, Texas . Parker's mother Lisa (right) said Painter it 'still feels like a dream' that Painter was a match for her son . Parker, one of three triplets who are all taught by Painter, and his family made a public plea for a donor in December and people from all over the United States tried to help. It wasn't easy to find a donor for Parker because of his prior transplant and doctors put the odds of finding an exact match at about one per cent, according to KXAN. After sorting through more than 80 applications, doctors finally found a perfect match - Painter. She said: 'It's hard not to feel like this is the way things were meant to be. 'Everything has fallen into place and it's happened that way for a reason.' Painter worked as a teacher in the Comal Independent School District for 13 years before coming to Hoffman . Parker and his two brothers are all students in Painter's first grade class at Hoffman Lane Elementary . Painter began working at Hoffman Lane last summer, My Fox Austin reported. She has worked as a teacher in the Comal Independent School District for 13 years but decided to transferred to Hoffmann Lane to be closer to her family. The surgery is going to happen next month and Parker and Painter will each miss about six weeks of school. Donors must be between the ages of 21 and 60, and in excellent health. Donors must understand risks and complications, and must be in a stable life situation with family or social support to help during recovery time. Donors can be family members or relatives, friends, etc. You do not have to be a blood relative of the recipient. Source: University Transplant Center . To make things even easier on Painter, the school is going to make up for her lost wages. She said: 'Matthew's insurance will cover my portion of the surgery and my amazing campus has stepped up to cover the income that I'll lose while I'm out of work.' The average donor kidney lasts about ten to 12 years. Matthew's mother, Lisa Parker, said: ''It still feels like a dream. 'For it to be an exact match too, it was a miracle. 'There's no words that can say anything because it's more than thank you, it's deeper.' Doctors performed 16,896 kidney transplants in 2013, but only 5,733 of those came from living donors, according to the National Kidney Foundation. Only 639 of those donations came from people who were not related to the person who needed the kidney. | Matthew Parker of New Braunfels, Texas, will be the kidney recipient .
Hoffmann Lane Elementary School teacher Lindsey Painter is the donor .
Parker first received a kidney donation in 2010 from a dead donor .
His body has rejected that kidney and he needs another transplant badly .
A public plea resulted in more than 80 potential donors coming forward .
There was a one per cent chance any donor would be a match for Parker . |
11,359 | 20528eb48341b50c0083fcf5a9d114b39040e5c1 | Andy Murray emerged as one of the main beneficiaries of an extraordinary day in China that saw five of the top 10 lose and Rafael Nadal discuss having an operation next month. The British No1’s chances of making the field for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals were bolstered by some of his rivals falling at the Shanghai Masters, plus those assured of qualification, such as Nadal. Murray lost only four points on his serve in the opening set as he registered a decent 7-5, 6-2 win over towering Pole Jerzy Janowicz to make the third round. In doing so he pushed himself very close to the frame for the eight-man field who will contest the season-ending championships at the O2 Arena. He is due to meet Spain’s David Ferrer on Thursday morning and victory would put him within a sliver — a mere five ranking points — of the eighth qualifying place currently occupied by Canada’s Milos Raonic. Andy Murray beat Jerzy Janowicz in the second round of the Shanghai Masters on Thursday . Rafael Nadal lost to Feliciano Lopez and has a nagging problem with his appendix that may require surgery . Heather Watson is out of the Japan Open after suffering a second-round exit against Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva. The sixth seed lost 6-4, 7-5. The British No 1 was looking to regain the title she won in 2012 but teenager Putintseva, the world No 122, proved too strong. Watson had lost in the first round of her previous four tournaments before beating Serb Jovana Jaksic earlier this week. It is still conceivable that the year’s ninth-ranked player could make it to London as there has to be a doubt over Nadal, who has a nagging problem with his appendix that he believes will require surgery. The Spaniard lost 6-3, 7-6 to compatriot Feliciano Lopez and then declared that he hoped to complete the season before having any operation, even though it could compromise his preparation for January’s Australian Open. ‘My thought is to continue and play Basle, Paris and London,’ said Nadal. ‘It’s true that I haven’t had the best of luck since Wimbledon. Murray will face David Ferrer on Thursday, and a win will take him within five ranking points of eighth . Canadian Milos Raonic currently holds the eighth qualifying position that Murray is attempting to take . 'I was having a very good year and after that I was unlucky with my wrist and what is going on now.' Nadal also found himself replaced as world No 2 by Roger Federer after the great Swiss saved five match points to avoid the pile-up of the seeds. He looked down and out against Argentina’s Leonardo Mayer before coming through 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 — winning the decisive tiebreaker 9-7. It is not unusual to have strange results at this time of the season, which comes after the US Open but before the climax at the last Masters event in Paris followed by the O2. Some players are carrying injuries, some very motivated, others demotivated and others just plain tired out by this stage of a long year. But losing five of the top 10 in one day is excessive even by October’s standards. Aside from Nadal there were defeats for Stan Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori and Grigor Dimitrov, while Raonic retired injured. The latter two, ranked eight and 10, are particularly relevant to Murray in the scramble for places in London, making Thursday's match against Ferrer, currently ranked one place below him at 10, especially important. | Andy Murray beat Jerzy Janowicz 7-5, 6-2 at the Shanghai Masters .
Rafael Nadal lost to Feliciano Lopez and is struggling with injury .
Aside from Nadal there were defeats for Stan Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori and Grigor Dimitrov, while Milos Raonic retired injured .
If Murray beats David Ferrer on Thursday, he will be within five ranking points of the eighth qualifying place for the ATP World Tour Finals .
Raonic currently holds the position that Murray is trying to hijack . |
282,664 | fa1b96f3dc19f2b5d7de10a1a13fd8926011738a | (CNN) -- BATE Borisov stunned German giants Bayern Munich 3-1 Tuesday to continue their superb start to the Champions League group stages. The Belarusians won their opener against Lille and followed that up with a famous victory in their own stadium in Minsk. It was the first defeat after nine straight wins in all competitions for German league leaders Bayern and they were always on the back foot once Aleksandr Pavlov put the home side ahead after 23 minutes. Vitali Rodionov doubled the lead with 12 minutes remaining before Franck Ribery first struck the post then grabbed a 90th minute lifeline for the visitors. Brazilian Renan Bressan sealed a famous victory for BATE with a clinching third on the counter attack in the fifth minute of injury time. "This is a sensational result for us, we will celebrate a bit but we need to keep working hard," BATE's ex-Arsenal star Aleksandr Hleb told AFP. "Bayern are still favorites in our group, we are taking it one match at a time. In the other match in Group F, Valencia condemned Lille to their second straight defeat with a 2-0 win at the Mestella in Spain. Goals from Jonas in either half clinched the vital win for Valencia. An upset also looked possible when Manchester United trailed to minnows CFR Cluj in Romania through an early strike from Pantelis Kapetanos. But a pair of goals from Robin van Persie, both time assisted by Wayne Rooney, secured victory for Alex Ferguson's men. They top Group H with two wins, while FC Braga beat Galatasaray 2-0 in the other match played. Reigning champions Chelsea secured their first victory in Group E, beating Danish minnows FC Nordsjaelland 4-0 in Copenhagen. A Juan Mata goal just before half time was all that separated the two sides for much of the encounter and Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech made a superb save to touch a Joshua John shot on to the post after the break. But David Luiz rifled home a second from a free kick, Mata scored his second, and Ramires with the fourth put a gloss on the scoreline. Juventus, who held Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in their opener, had to come from behind to salvage a point against Shakhtar Donetsk in a 1-1 draw in Turin. Willian fed fellow Brazilian Alex Texeira to fire the Ukrainians ahead after 23 minutes. But Serie A champions Juventus preserved their 45-match unbeaten run when Leonardo Bonucci scored from Andrea Pirlo's corner just a minute later. Barcelona won the heavyweight clash in Benfica 2-0 to maintain their 100 per cent start to Group G. Alexis Sanchez put Barca ahead after only six minutes and midfielder Cesc Fabregas sealed three points in the Stadium of Light after the break. Their night was partially spoilt with two minutes to go when Sergio Busquets was shown red after a clash with Maxi Pereira. Scottish champions Celtic are giving chase on four points after a 3-2 away win over Spartak Moscow. Celtic went into the match in the Russian capital with a record of 11 straight losses on the road in the Champions League and 21 games without a win away from home. But an early goal from Gary Hooper gave Neil Lennon's men great encouragement. Spartak hit back to lead 2-1 after an Emmanuel Emmenike double, but home defender Juan Insaurralde was sent off just after the hour mark for pulling back Hooper. Celtic leveled when substitute James Forrest's shot found its way home via a rebound from defender Dmitri Kombarov. Giorgos Samaras headed a dramatic and deserved late winner for Celtic. | BATE Borisov beat Bayern Munich 3-1 in Champions League .
Two wins from two for the Belarus side in Group F .
Chelsea, Manchester United and Barcelona secure away wins .
Celtic snap away drought with superb 3-2 win in Moscow . |
223,649 | ad9265c186a6f1b17de59f9280c985e7001e79cd | Nabeela Khan accepted the blame for driving 40mph through a 30mph zone in the Addison Lee taxi used by her husband Shazad Naz (pictured outside court) A law student who took speeding penalty points for her taxi driver husband has today avoided jail. Nabeela Khan, 37, accepted the blame and paid a fine for driving 40mph through a 30mph zone in the Addison Lee taxi used by Shazad Naz, 38. The couple, both of Tomswood Hill, Ilford, were caught out when police were tipped off that Naz had been on duty at the time. The court heard Naz was caught by a speeding camera near London’s Tower Hill as he took a fare from Covent Garden to Ilford, east London, in the early hours of September 1, 2012. The following month the police received a form back from Naz stating that his wife was the driver. Khan’s licence was endorsed with penalty points and she paid the fine by cheque in February 2013. Prosecutor Dickon Reid said: ‘The police later obtained information from Addison Lee confirming it was Mr Naz who was at work. ‘Khan said in a statement she had been doing her accounts and it came to her that it was not her and it was her partner. ‘She said she had made an honest mistake as she used his minicab to drive around as it was more comfortable than hers.’ Naz and Khan denied perverting the course of justice . Although the couple claimed they made an honest mistake, jurors at the Old Bailey convicted them both of perverting the course of justice. The judge, Mr Recorder Caplan QC, gave the couple suspended prison sentences after accepting it was a ‘spontaneous act’. Khan and her husband claimed they made a mistake but jurors at the Old Bailey convicted them both . He said: ‘I am sure you never expected to find yourselves on trial in court one at the Old Bailey when you completed the forms in connection with the speeding offence. ‘Quite why you both decided on taking that course when Mr Naz had only three points on his licence remains a mystery. ‘Offences of this kind are rightly regarded as very serious as they undermine the interests of justice.’ The judge told Khan: ‘You have studied hard for a legal career and it is a tragedy this will prevent you, at least for a while, from pursuing that career of your choice.’ Naz was sentenced to eight months suspended for 18 months and Khan to six months suspended for 18 months. The judge also ordered Naz to pay £1,000 towards prosecution costs at a rate of £50 a month. | Nabeela Khan accepted the blame for driving 40mph through a 30mph zone .
But the Addison Lee taxi was actually being driven by husband Shazad Naz .
She paid fine but police were tipped off that Naz had been driving the taxi .
Both were convicted of perverting the course of justice but escaped jail . |
227,576 | b2a880ccd9d946d9bce09ca284abd2f697bdf702 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . A Pennsylvania woman is outraged after being ordered by a judge to stop breastfeeding her 10-month-old daughter as part of the terms of a custody dispute. Jessica Moser, from Northampton County, said she was told by a family court judge two weeks ago to nursing her daughter Jasmine so the little girl can spend two days a week with her father. Moser said she can't pump enough milk for two days and that Jasmine will not take a bottle. 'I'm feeling frustrated ... hurt,' she told WFMZ-TV. 'I'm trying to keep myself from crying, it's very emotional. 'If I do not comply I will have my child taken away.' Scroll down for video . This must stop: New mum Jessica Moser has been told by a judge to switch her daughter Jasmine to formula from breastfeeding so that she can spend each weekend with her father. The case has sparked quite a debate . 'I'm emotional and hurt': Pennsylvania mom Jessica Moser fights back tears as she explains how her custody battle may force her to stop breastfeeding . Moser has had primary custody of Jasmine since she was born last December. However now the father has pressed for more time with his daughter. Moser said she is not trying to keep Jasmine from her father - she just wants to continue breastfeeding. The World Health Organization recommends that all babies be exclusively breastfed for the first six months, then start eating solid foods, while continuing to nurse for at least two years. However Moser said the judge told her to switch to formula. 'He did say something along the lines like, ''well she should be on formula'', or ''why isn’t she on formula?'', ''she should be able to have formula at ten months'',' she said. The World Health Organization recommends mothers breastfeed their children for the first two years, if possible . However the mom maintains that being able to choose when to stop breastfeed is her right and hers alone. 'I'm very passionate about having the right to breastfeed,' she said. 'The breast is best and that's what I'm trying to do for her.' An attorney for the father did no return calls for comment. The story has ignited a debate among mothers and parenting blogs. Frances Locke from Mommyish wrote an editorial saying the father should 'be ashamed'. 'Custody battles are complicated, personal and often brutal,' she wrote. Controversy: Breastfeeding in the media usually sparks debate, but TIME magazine created a stir with one of its covers in May 2012, featuring a mother nursing her three-year-old son. It reignited a long-running dialogue over when mothers should stop breastfeeding . 'With this situation we don't have all the facts so it's hard to point fingers, but I don't think this has to be an either-or situation. 'This child should be able to see her dad and continue nursing - and the judge should encourage this option, not tell mom to stop nursing and use formula. 'It’s important for a child to have a bond with both parents and for a baby to be nourished with her mother’s milk. 'Unless there are details that haven't come out yet, I think ... the father should be ashamed. Emily Gillette (center) was sitting against the window of a Delta Connection flight with her husband in 2006 when a flight attendant gave her a blanket and told her to cover up. When Gillette refused the blanket, she was escorted off the plane. The mother-of-four sued the airline for an unspecified amount and settled out of court only last year . In 2006, New Mexico mom Emily Gillette was kicked off a Delta Connections flight for breast-feeding her 22-month-old daughter and refusing to cover up. Gillette filed a federal lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Burlington, Vermont, in 2009. She settled with the airline in 2012 for unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.Her story, which gained national attention, prompted a protest "nurse-in" in 19 airports in November 2006 by outraged mothers. Watch video here . video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player . | Jessica Moser, from Northampton County, Pennsylvania, says a local judge ordered her to stop breastfeeding her 10-month-old daughter, Jasmine .
The order came as part of a custody battle with Jasmine's father, who is challenging Moser for more time with his daughter .
The judge suggested Moser switch her daughter to formula so Jasmine can spend every weekend with her father .
Moser says she is 'hurt and emotional' by the decision . |
77,072 | da89e9c6a70adcbd3791ecbc9858f8a35bcbf670 | (CNN) -- "MasterChef" runner-up Joshua Marks was in "the battle of his life fighting mental illness" when he killed himself Friday, his family said Sunday. His family blames the lack of mental health treatment facilities and the easy access to guns as factors in his tragic death. "It is overwhelming to think that with proper, intensive treatment, Joshua may still be with us," his lawyer, Lisa Butler, said Sunday. "He was a jewel with so much talent to offer this world. But, in his state of mind, he turned to the streets for a gun and easily got it." Marks, 26, died from a gunshot wound to his head. His death has been ruled a suicide, a spokesman for the Cook County, Illinois, medical examiner said Sunday. He was charged with aggravated battery in July after scuffling with police officers who were called to the scene after he suffered serious facial wounds from a self-inflicted gunshot, according to his lawyer. His mother believed that incident was a call for help, not a suicide attempt, Butler said. But getting Marks help was not easy because of the lack of full-time mental health facilities in Illinois that would accept his insurance, she said. Marks' mother, Paulette Mitchell, found him dead in an alley on Chicago's south side Friday evening after a neighbor called to say he was walking around with a gun, Butler said. His family is now hoping to help others suffering from mental illness by talking about what happened to Marks in the three months since his arrest, she said. 'The battle of his life' Marks -- who, at 7 feet 2 inches tall, was known by friends as a "gentle giant" -- was diagnosed with bipolar disorder a year ago, the same month he lost to to winner Christine Ha in the final round of the Fox reality cooking competition's third season. A doctor diagnosed Marks with schizophrenia just last week, Butler said. "Joshua was so kind, so gentle," his mother told CNN Sunday. "He loved life. He loved people. He would never hurt anyone; never. He was just a gentle, sweet soul; but he hurt himself. That breaks my heart, that he hurt himself." "But, behind that huge smile, Josh was in the battle of his life fighting mental illness," a family statement said. "It was extremely tough, but Josh was always positive, focused on his faith in God and determined to win; pushing forward through his illness to follow his passion for cooking and dream of being a renowned chef." That battle apparently began just as Marks was achieving celebrity status on television. "I hadn't noticed any signs of anything wrong or any mental illness until after Josh completed filming 'MasterChef,'" his mother said. "The time he was away filming was extremely stressful on him." Marks' stepfather Gabriel Mitchell, in a statement to CNN, described "the toll that being on a reality show puts on people." "Josh had a following of fans and was put on a 'celebrity' type pedestal, with the expectation from others that there was money and fame; but, his personal reality was that he was struggling mentally and financially," he said. "I think people expect that you come away from a reality show and have it made. That's not necessarily the case." Marks spoke about his mental illness in a public service video he recorded in February for the Make a Sound Project, a nonprofit suicide awareness project. The project promotes "how to use music as an alternative to the crazy thoughts you may have going in your mind," Marks said in the video. "Me, personally, I have bipolar disorder, so, you know, I'll get a little anxious sometimes. And how I cool out is, I listen to music and just listen to the words and just relax and, you know, find my melody. I wish we had some music going on in here right now." 'A mental break' But last summer Marks suffered "a mental break" that led to his arrest on July 29, his lawyer said. Marks told police he had been possessed by "MasterChef" judge Gordon Ramsay, who turned him into God, the Chicago Tribune reported. "What people don't know is that on the night Josh was arrested in July, he had just shot himself and had called police for help from the emergency phone," his mother said. "He wasn't himself, he was in a manic state, calling the police to help him after having shot himself." When police arrived, a scuffle ensued. "They said that Josh lunged at them and attempted to disarm an officer," his other said. "In addition to his gunshot wound to the face, Josh suffered a fractured jaw and injury to his face and head." He was treated at a hospital for the facial and ear wounds caused by a bullet that he fired and then transferred to the Cook County Jail, where he was placed in the general population, his lawyer said. He got no mental health treatment and no medications while in jail, Butler said. "I think people look at mental illness as if it is a crime instead of treating the illness," Gabriel Mitchell said. "They knew of his mental illness, yet they throw him in jail with no treatment?" His mother, a Chicago public elementary school teacher, bailed him out after more than a week. She desperately sought a full-time mental health program for Marks, but she could not find a one with an available bed, Butler said. "After this, Josh was determined to get well," his mother said. Mitchell "continually ran into roadblocks" as she put her focus into finding help for her son, Butler said. "Access to long-term, in-patient mental health care is extremely limited. How can you appropriately treat your loved one's mental health challenges if access to necessary care is virtually non-existent?" She "felt as if her hands were tied" but "she was doing everything she could to get him in treatment," Butler said. Mitchell enrolled her son in an outpatient program that was "the best available through insurance," she said. A new diagnosis: Schizophrenia . That program concluded Thursday, with a doctor informing Marks that he believed he was suffering from schizophrenia. The new diagnosis upset him, Butler said. "That's not what I am, that's not what I am," he told his mother, the lawyer said. "He was very distraught by this new diagnosis," his mother said. "He was just coming to terms with having been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but he just couldn't handle this new diagnosis." Mitchell stayed home from her teaching job Friday to be with her son. "I was concerned about him; he just wasn't himself, so I stayed with him at my dad's home Thursday night after we left the hospital and all day on Friday," she said. "I only left for a couple of hours to pick up my daughter from school Friday afternoon." She was stuck in Chicago's rush-hour traffic when she got a call from her brother saying that a neighbor saw her son walking around an alley with a gun. "I rushed back to the south side to get to the neighborhood, and just started driving through the alleys near my dad's house looking for him," Mitchell said. "All I could think was I have to get to him in time." She frantically drove through alleys searching. "I saw Joshua laying there in the second alley that I turned down," his mother said. "I screamed for help and held him. I just didn't get to my boy on time. I didn't get to my boy." Mitchell is determined to set up a foundation in her son's memory to help people with mental illness to address the same issues as Marks. "I am not done, this is not over," she said. "I am going to make sure that Josh's voice and dream live on by fighting for mental healthcare treatment." While police work to trace how Marks got the handgun he used to kill himself, his family is also seeking answers. "We live in a country where anyone can buy a gun on the streets at will," Butler said. "We know that Josh paid little or no money for that gun, because he just didn't have it; he was unemployed and in treatment full time. So with no money, how did he get this gun?" For help please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or call 1-800-273-8255 and they will put you in touch with someone in your area. People we've lost in 2013 . CNN's KJ Matthews contributed to this report. | NEW: Family blames the lack of mental health facilities, easy access to guns as factors .
His mother struggled to get Josh Marks mental health treatment, lawyer says .
Marks' family hopes talking about his suicide will help others suffering from mental illness .
He was diagnosed with schizophrenia a day before his death . |
213,855 | a0f96986e187b12ce22057ad79f6054d5b9a3ad8 | (CNN) -- Bill Haas should have spent Sunday celebrating a friend's wedding. Instead he was toasting a fourth PGA Tour title after beating major champions Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley in a playoff to clinch the Northern Trust Open. Haas, the 2011 FedEx Cup series victor, looked to have won the California tournament outright after shooting two-under-par 69 in his final round. But the new world No. 12 was pegged back after Mickelson, who was looking to secure back-to-back tour wins, and 2011 PGA Championship winner Bradley both birdied the par-four 18th to join him on seven under. Haas eventually sealed victory with a 45-foot putt on the second additional hole, having earlier overhauled a two-stroke deficit on third-round leaders Mickelson and Bradley. "I'm sure I'll talk to him later and hopefully his day is even better than mine," the 29-year-old Haas told the PGA Tour's official website when asked about missing friend Jon Hopson's big day. "It's pretty sweet for both of us today. "I never expected to make a 40-footer, especially in that situation. A little luck was involved. I guess it was meant to be." It wasn't just Haas who was surprised to see his effort find the cup, with both Mickelson and Bradley expecting him to come up short. "Bill hit a tremendous putt," the 41-year-old Mickelson said. "We're thinking it's a very difficult three. It's a defensive hole. You're just trying to make four, believe it or not." The 25-year-old Bradley added: "I didn't think he was going to make that one. I should have known, though, because he's a great putter and a great player." The victory means has Haas won a PGA Tour title three years in a row, and moved him up to fifth in the early-season FedEx Cup standings. Haas was battling a partisan crowd at the Riviera Country Club, with onlookers lending their backing to California native Mickelson -- a two-time winner of the event who was on a roll after clinching the AT&T National Pro-Am seven days before. "Honestly 'Phil' sounds really similar to 'Bill,' so you just kind of pretend that maybe they're for you," said Haas. "If I'm at home, I'm cheering for Phil." Former world No. 2 Sergio Garcia carded a stunning 64 to finish tied for fourth on five under, level with 10th-ranked Dustin Johnson (71), his fellow American Jimmy Walker (69) and New Zealand's Jarrod Lyle (70). American trio Bo van Pelt (70), J.B. Holmes (70) -- who is back this year after brain surgery -- and Jonathan Byrd (73) were tied for eighth on four under. Australian world No. 8 Adam Scott (70) was part of a seven-way tie for 17th which also included 2007 Masters champion Zach Johnson (72) and last month's Farmers Insurance Open winner Brandt Snedeker (70). British world No. 1 Luke Donald endured a torrid final round and carded eight bogeys on his way to a 78 which saw him finish seven over. | Bill Haas holes a 45-foot putt to seal a playoff win at the Northern Trust Open .
The American defeats compatriots Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley in a playoff .
Haas missed a friend's wedding in order to play in the California tournament .
It was Haas' fourth PGA Tour title as he denies Mickelson back-to-back wins . |
86,214 | f49bf7f34092f8dd05a68f6f13ed75f1b62aeaa5 | London (CNN) -- Alex Salmond, Scotland's First Minister, is fond of saying that when the United Nations was first formed in 1945, it had just 50 members. Today, he adds, that figure has risen to almost 200. It's a nice line, although in reality the emergence of a new nation remains relatively rare. But there does seem to be a pattern emerging, in Europe and beyond. In Spain (Catalonia) and Belgium (Flanders), as well as the United Kingdom (Scotland), secessionist movements appear to be on the rise. All three have existed for decades, yet they seem particularly lively in the second decade of the 21st century. Thus Salmond, who this weekend addresses delegates at the Scottish National Party's annual conference in the Scottish city of Perth, likes to talk of Scotland's "home rule journey" being part of a bigger international trend. His point is clear: "independence," far from being dangerous or unusual, is a natural state of affairs. Professor Robert Young, an expert in secession, says all three countries have a history of regional -- or devolved -- government (relatively recently in the case of the UK). "I was considering the old question," he says, "about whether regional government structures aid or inhibit secessionist movements. "It seems to me that they aid them, other things being equal. The secessionist party will come to power, sooner or later, because governments become unpopular. If they then govern well, this serves as a further mobilizing mechanism." Only recently a secessionist movement, the nationalist party Convergència i Unió first took office in Catalonia in 1980, while in Scotland the SNP formed a minority government in 2007 -- becoming a majority four years later. In Flanders the Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie, which wants gradual secession from Belgium, recently swept the board in municipal elections. This week British Prime Minister David Cameron traveled to Edinburgh to sign an agreement on the terms for a Scottish independence referendum due in October 2014. In Catalonia, meanwhile, opinion polls suggest a majority favor secession, while snap elections on 25 November are expected to return a regional parliament dominated by pro-independence parties. Secessionist movements in Spain, Belgium and the UK hinge upon a heady mix of national identity, history and economics. Catalonia and Flanders believe that they contribute more to national coffers than they get out. Scottish Nationalists make similar claims -- vis-à-vis North Sea oil -- although the Westminster government refutes that as too simplistic. Anecdotal evidence suggests Basque and Catalan nationalists are watching events in Scotland closely. Iñigo Gurruchaga, a London-based correspondent for the Basque newspaper El Correo, says Spanish politicians and commentators are particularly struck by the willingness of the UK Government to facilitate a referendum on Scottish secession. "For Basques and Catalans who defend their right to decide their own constitutional arrangements it is seen as proof of a British 'democratic maturity' that is missing in Spain," he says. "It is very doubtful that an agreement similar to the one announced in Edinburgh on Monday would be reached in Spain over the next two years." "Once the Scottish referendum is held and the result is known," adds Gurruchaga, "it would likely have again a substantial effect on attitudes in Spain." Young believes relations go even deeper than keeping abreast of news developments. "Sovereigntist movements," he says, "keep in close touch and learn from and encourage each other." Indeed, in Young's home country of Canada, the Parti Québécois (PQ), which recently formed a minority government in the French-speaking province, has not ruled out another referendum on secession (there were others in 1980 and 1995). The PQ also maintains links with the SNP. Visiting Paris this week, Quebec premier Pauline Marois said Scotland's quest for independence "inspires us." And on a trip to London last month, the veteran Catalan nationalist Jordi Pujol praised Salmond while warning that Scotland might opt for independence if the UK Government did not devolve more power. The SNP leader has clearly studied Pujol's style closely, echoing the Catalan's "gradualist" approach to acquiring more powers short of full independence. But while the world's nationalist leaders might monitor each other's progress, support for secession in Quebec, Scotland and Flanders remains a minority view; only in Catalonia does it appear to total more than 50%. That could, of course, change, particularly as austerity bites around the world; nationalist movements, like political parties, rise and fall in popularity. Some parts of the world might even be heading in the opposite direction. On November 6-- the same day as the U.S. presidential elections -- Puerto Ricans will vote in a plebiscite on the Commonwealth's constitutional status, choosing between U.S. statehood, independence or "free association." The governor, Luis Fortuno, supports statehood as the best option for Puerto Rico, currently a U.S. territory, although opinion polls are inconclusive. Even so, the United Nations would do well to at least clear some desk space in preparation for its 194th member. | Secessionist movements appear to be on the rise in Scotland, Spain and Belgium .
New deal this week could lead to Scotland's independence from UK .
Popular support for full independence across these regions is mixed .
Secessionist movements hinge upon heady mix of national identity, history and economics . |
194,687 | 8801ae1588a00afa36c01c750dabf8a208ba940b | Jailed: Father-of-two Derek Rigby was jailed for 30 months for the 'gross breach of trust' A care home worker repeatedly sneaked into an elderly dementia patient's bedroom and sexually molested her, a court heard. Derek Rigby, 44, was jailed for 30 months after he took advantage of the woman, aged in her eighties, who had suffered a series of mini strokes. The father-of-two was caught molesting the elderly patient after her concerned daughter planted a 'nanny cam' in her bedroom at the care home in the north east. Michael Stephenson, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court the victim's daughter became concerned a male carer was undressing her at night and coming in for a 'kiss and a cuddle'. Rigby was identified as the culprit after the secret camera caught him in the act. He was filmed coming into the victim's room to give her some medicine and then began to remove her bra and molest her. He also encouraged the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, to perform an indecent act on him. The court heard the carer continued his campaign of abuse despite noticing a severe personality change in his victim after a series of strokes that left her 'disinhibited'. Rigby of Wigan, Greater Manchester, pleaded guilty to four charges of engaging in sexual activity with a person with a mental disorder between December 2013 and June this year. Joseph Kotrie-Monson, for Rigby, said his client was suffering from stress and exhaustion at the time and otherwise had an unblemished record from his six years in the care industry. He added Rigby's life was 'in tatters' but his wife and friends were standing by him. Jailing him for 30 months, Judge Andrew Menary QC said: 'Anyone who sees your actions on that night will be shocked and horrified at the gross breach of trust by you toward this vulnerable person. 'People who have relatives in care are entitled to expect that their loved ones will be looked after and cared for for appropriately and no subject to systematic sexual abuse at the hands of someone in a senior position.' Rigby was also ordered to sign on the Sex Offenders' Register for life and banned from working with vulnerable adults and children. Judge tells Rigby,44, at Liverpool Crown Court (pictured) 'people who have relatives in care are entitled to expect that their loved ones will be looked after and cared for for appropriately' | Derek Rigby jailed for 30 months for repeat abuse of dementia sufferer .
Father-of-two banned from working with vulnerable adults and children .
Elderly victim repeatedly targeted by Rigby over a six month period .
Rigby was caught on 'nanny cam' placed in elderly woman's room .
Judge tells carer people would be 'shocked and horrified' by his actions . |
192,944 | 85ca33e479dd83bae79aea52b373824637c108fb | By . Guy Aspin And Simon Peach, Press Association . Laura Muir, one of Scotland's leading Hampden hopes, had the national stadium in full voice as she cruised into the final of the 1500 metres at the Commonwealth Games. The 21-year-old, a veterinary student at Glasgow University, came home third in a quick heat won by Kenya's World Championship bronze medallist Hellen Obiri in a Games record of four minutes 04.43 seconds. Muir looked comfortable throughout, biding her time before moving up to second at the bell and, safe in the knowledge she had done enough with the top four going through automatically, easing off in the final 30m. Class: Laura Muir sailed through to the final of the 1500m final on Monday . She came home in 4mins 05.19secs, with Hannah England, England's former World Championship silver medallist, joining her in Tuesday's final, finishing one place further back. Laura Weightman, who is trained by Steve Cram, will also be there after finishing strongly to come home third in the second heat in 4:08.58, while Jemma Simpson made it three Englishwomen in the final, qualifying as a fastest loser. Muir admitted the pace of the race took her by surprise, but was happy with the run. 'That was quick,' she told BBC Sport. 'That was quicker than I thought it was going to be. 'It was just a matter of getting around as comfortable as possible and save as much as I can for tomorrow. 'I think I did that today so I am pretty happy.' In front: Hellen Onsando Obiri (centre) and Muir compete in the women's 1500m first round . Muir got the biggest roar of the morning from the near full house and, asked about her reception, said: 'It is absolutely amazing. It feels like a Mexican wave of cheers when you go around. 'It is amazing. Usually I can pick out my mum and dad quite easily, but I'm not sure I can with all the flags here.' Kirani James, the Olympic 400m champion from Grenada and one of the biggest names in Glasgow, looked in imperious form in qualifying, less than a month after he became the fifth fastest man in history over the distance. The 21-year-old, who clocked 43.74 in Lausanne at the start of July, was able to ease off the gas with more than a quarter of a lap to go to cross the line in 45.52, with Michael Bingham behind him in second in 45.80. Close: Nigel Levine had to rely on a fastest loser spot to progress to the semi-finals . Martyn Rooney was a comfortable winner of his heat in 45.57, but England's third entrant, Nigel Levine, had to rely on a fastest loser spot to progress to the semi-finals after coming home fourth in 46.35. Rooney said: 'That was my best race of the year. I will treat the semi like a final.' English trio Christopher Baker, Martyn Bernard and Tom Parsons, along with Scotland's Raymond Bobrownicki qualified for the high jump final, while England's John Lane lay second and Ashley Bryant third after three events of the decathlon. Through: Martyn Rooney was a comfortable winner of his 400m heat in 45.57 . | Laura Muir qualifies for the women's 1500m final .
21-year-old finishes third in her heat .
England's Martyn Rooney also breezes through 400m heat . |
39,849 | 707d0bfb4649b32bb450e45b66e57cad02780715 | By . Ian Sparks . PUBLISHED: . 11:11 EST, 2 July 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 09:00 EST, 3 July 2012 . Ill: The star the the 1970s soft porn Emmanuelle movies, Sylvia Kristel, 59, is fighting for her life in hospital after a massive heart failure . The star of the 1970s soft porn Emmanuelle movies is fighting for her life in hospital after a massive heart failure. Dutch-born actress Sylvia Kristel, 59, was found unconscious at her home in Amsterdam on Saturday. Kristel starred in five Emmanuelle films between 1974 and 1993 and another six TV spin-offs. The series of French-made erotic movies are famed for bringing soft-core pornography to mainstream cinema. Kristel also became famous for her steamy nude scenes in another 40 films, starring in the lead roles in X-rated versions of Lady Chatterly's Lover and World War One spy drama Mata Hari. Kristel - a heavy smoker since the age of 11 - was also treated for lung cancer ten years ago but managed to make a partial recovery. In her 2006 autobiography Undressing Emmanuelle, she told of a personal life blighted by her battle with drugs and alcohol, and a series of destructive relationships with older men. She lived with Lovejoy star Ian McShane in the 1980s in Los Angeles, but the couple split up after four years and she moved to St Tropez on the French Riviera. She described the relationship with McShane in her autobiography as 'awful', adding: 'He was witty and charming but we were too much alike.' Poorly: The Dutch-born actress was found unconscious at her home in Amsterdam on Saturday. She is pictured in one of the five Emmanuelle films which she starred in . Romance: Ms Kristel lived with Lovejoy star Ian McShane in the 1980s in Los Angeles, but the couple split up after four years . She had one son Arthur with Belgian author Hugo Claus, 27 years her senior. Arthur, 37, said today that he did not hold out hope that his mother - now in hospital in Amsterdam - would make a full recovery. He told the Belgian Het Laatste Nieuws daily paper: 'I would like to be able to say she will soon be well again, but we have to remain realistic.' Star: Ms Kristel also starred in Lady Chatterley's Lover. She is pictured with Nicholas Clay in a scene from the film . Famous: The actress is pictured with Umberto Orsini in the 1977 film Goodbye Emmanuelle. The series of French-made erotic movies are famed for bringing soft-core pornography to mainstream cinema . | Dutch-born actress Sylvia Kristel, 59, was found unconscious at her home in Amsterdam on Saturday .
Kristel starred in five Emmanuelle films between 1974 and 1993 and another six TV spin-offs . |
88,920 | fc5be6d7d8c32e09629aefb8c004a9c53f1f5124 | Cameroon's army has freed 24 of the 80 hostages kidnapped during a cross-border attack by bloodthirsty terrorists Boko Haram. The kidnapping took place in the north of Cameroon on . Sunday near the village of Mabass, with scores of children among those abducted. Boko Haram has killed thousands of people and kidnapped hundreds in its bid to carve out an Islamic state in northern Nigeria, with this attack among the worst committed on Cameroonian soil. Scroll down for video . Cameroon's army has freed 24 of the 80 hostages kidnapped by Boko Haram. Pictured: Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau claimed responsibility for the high-profile kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls last year . Threat: Earlier this month the militant threatened Cameroon in a YouTube post, warning that the same fate would befall the country as neighbouring Nigeria . 'The Cameroon army was able to free about 24 hostages taken . yesterday by Boko Haram in the far north. They were freed as . defence forces pursued the attackers who were heading back to . Nigeria,' ministry spokesman Colonel Didier Badjeck said. The attack came as neighbouring nation Chad deployed troops to help . Cameroon in its efforts to tackle the Islamist insurgency in the area. Yesterday government spokesman Issa Tchiroma condemned the attack, which killed three people. 'There was a Boko Haram attack on several localities in the Far North region,' he said. 'The assailants burnt down about 80 homes and kidnapped several inhabitants including women and very young children.' In an attack that gained worldwide attention last year, Boko Haram fighters kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok, in north-east Nigeria. Destruction: Last week, it was estimated that 2,500 people were killed and more than 3,000 buildings were razed to the ground when Boko Haram attacked the towns of Baga and Doron Baga, northern Nigeria . The fanatics have stepped up attacks in the region as Nigeria prepares for a presidential election in less than a month. In a video posted online earlier this month, a man claiming to be Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau threatened increase violence in neighbouring Cameroon unless it scraps its constitution and embraces Islam. Faced with increased violence along the border, Yaounde has deployed thousands of additional troops, including elite soldiers, to the area. Boko Haram outraged the world last week when they indiscriminately murdered innocent men, women and children as they attacked the towns of Baga and Doron Baga. The terrorist group slaughtered an estimated 2,500 people including a woman while she was in labour. Daniel Eyre, Nigeria researcher for Amnesty International, said this was the 'largest and most destructive' Boko Haram assault his organisation has ever analysed. He added: 'These detailed images show devastation of catastrophic proportions in two towns, one of which was almost wiped off the map in the space of four days.' February 2014: The jihadist group raided the Nigerian village of Izghe in the north of the country and murdered dozens - before going door-to-door and killing anyone they came across. April 2014: More than 200 schoolgirls are abducted from the town of Chibok, which Boko Haram burned to the ground. August 2014: The terror group kidnapped at least 97 people during raids on villages in Borno State. They killed 28 boys and men. November 2014: 120 people killed in a bomb attack on a central Mosque in Kano - the principal city of northern Nigeria. January 4, 2015: Boko Haram kidnaps 40 boys and young men, believed to be aged ten to 23, from a village in the Nigerian state of Borno. January 3-7, 2015: Boko Haram attacked the towns of Baga and Doron Baga in northern Nigeria, slaughtering an estimated 2,500, displacing around 35,000 and taking 500 women captive. | Cameroonian army frees 24 of the 80 hostages taken by Boko Haram .
Islamists raided villages yesterday, killing three and kidnapping dozens .
Scores of children are said to be among those still held captive .
Last week the terrorists killed 2,500 people including a woman in labour .
Fanatics gained notoriety by kidnapping 200 Nigerian schoolgirls last year . |
28,757 | 51a6debeeebae8bb6eb172e2908914e3ae5996de | Chelsea are assessing Ramires after the midfielder picked up a groin injury. The Brazil international is a doubt for Wednesday's Capital One Cup clash against Bolton and will be monitored ahead of the weekend clash versus Aston Villa. Blues assistant manager Steve Holland has confirmed Jose Mourinho will make wholesale changes from the side that started against Manchester City on Sunday. Blues midfielder Ramires injured his groin during Chelsea's 1-1 draw with Manchester City at the weekend . Ramires hobbled off in the 63rd minute after picking up a minor injury against the league champions . Assistant manager Steve Holland has revealed Jose Mourinho will make a number of changes to his line-up . Mourinho could hand Petr Cech his first competitive start of the season against Bolton Wanderers . Loic Remy is is in line for his first start for the Blues since sealing a summer move to the west London outfit . Petr Cech is set for his first start of the season, while Loic Remy could make his full debut against Bolton. 'It is an opportunity to rotate the squad. We will do that for sure. In terms of who definitely is and who definitely isn't play at the moment that's unclear,' said Holland. 'There will be some changes tomorrow and it will be an opportunity for some players to stake a claim. 'I don't think he's tried to specify which goalkeeper will play in which competition. It will be just judged on merit on a week-to-week basis. 'We're very lucky to have two, three, high-level players to choose from. Whatever choice is made we have total confidence in our goalkeepers.' | Ramires had to be substituted in the 63rd minute at the weekend .
Jose Mourinho is expected to make wholesale changes to his line-up .
Petr Cech could make his first start of the season while Loic Remy is in line to make his full debut . |
75,020 | d4ad653e98baa47c49b6f39b806429950a6e181e | By . Liz Thomas . PUBLISHED: . 22:23 EST, 4 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 19:28 EST, 5 September 2012 . For many, the news will never sound the same again. Four of the BBC’s best-loved voices are to depart amid the corporation’s budget cuts. Radio 4 has revealed that Charlotte Green and Harriet Cass – two of its longest-serving announcers – are taking voluntary redundancy, while Radio 2 confirmed that newsreaders Fran Godfrey and Fenella Fudge will also leave at the end of the year. Signing off: Radio 4 presenters Charlotte Green, left and Harriet Cass, right, have announced they will retire in the new year . The broadcaster is cutting back on . its radio staff as part of the Delivering Quality First initiative, . which states that most departments must make savings of 20 per cent. It . is reducing its continuity team and combining news teams across . stations. Miss Green, 56, and Miss Cass, 60, . are the longest-serving announcers on Radio 4, and have 74 years of BBC . service between them. They have been an integral part of the station . since the Seventies and have read the news for the Today programme, . introduced shows, and spoken to sailors and insomniacs alike via the . Shipping Forecast. Miss Cass joined the corporation in . 1972 and made her name editing Today In Parliament and reporting on . politics, before being made a senior announcer. She once described Radio 4 as her . ‘spiritual home’, but said of her departure after 40 years of service: . ‘It is time to do other things.’ 'Forty years later, it's time to do other things': Miss Cass joined the . BBC in 1972 and once described Radio 4 as her 'spiritual home' Miss Green – voted the Most . Attractive Female Voice on the Radio in a Radio Times poll – joined the . BBC in 1978 as a studio manager. After reading out letters on PM and . You And Yours she was made a continuity announcer and newsreader in the . early Eighties. In 2008 she famously dissolved into giggles while reading an item about the death of screenwriter Abby Mann. As Radio 4 has broadened its range of . voices with the likes of Jamaican-born Neil Nunes and Northern . Ireland’s Kathy Clugston, traditionalists have rallied around Miss . Green’s Received Pronunciation. ‘Radio 4 listeners have always been very warm and appreciative of what I have done,’ she said. ‘I will miss the buzz of live projects but I am really looking forward to getting involved in new projects.' Radio 2 star Miss Godfrey, 59, has opted for voluntary redundancy 22 years after joining the BBC. She enjoyed huge success while working on Sir Terry Wogan’s hit breakfast show. Miss Fudge joined the BBC as a trainee straight from school. She will also leave at the end of the year. Bob Shennan, controller of Radio 2, . said: ‘After long and successful careers with the BBC, Fenella and Fran . have chosen to move on and I personally will miss them, as I’m sure our . listeners will. ‘I’d like to thank them both and wish them all the best for the future.’ Long-serving freelance newsreaders Ricky Salmon, Colin Berry and Charles Nove will also be phased out. A BBC spokesman said: ‘There will be . one news and continuity teams for Radio 2 and 6 Music made up of 12 . people – six men and six women. We will use freelancers as and when they . are needed.’ | Radio 4 presenters Harriet Cass, 60, and Charlotte .
Green, 56, are taking voluntary redundancy .
Radio 2 newsreaders Fran Godfrey and Fenella Fudge will also leave the BBC at the end of the year . |
266,332 | e4f6fff0325313aaa2bcc904f95b5becb25c2dbf | LONDON, England (CNN) -- A British Royal Navy nuclear submarine and its French equivalent collided while on operations in the Atlantic Ocean earlier this month, defense ministries in Paris and London confirmed Monday. The British Royal Navy submarine HMS Vanguard. Both vessels, HMS Vanguard and Le Triomphant, were armed with nuclear warheads and suffered damage but were able to return to port under their own power following the collision. "Two "SNLE" (nuclear submarines), one French and the other British, were, a few days ago, on standard patrols in the Atlantic. They briefly came in contact in a very slow speed while they were immersed," the French Ministry of Defense said in a statement. "There is no casualty or injury among the crew. Neither the nuclear deterrent mission nor the nuclear security have been compromised." In an earlier press release issued on February 6, the Ministry of Defense said the vessel's sonar dome had been damaged in a collision. The vessel was able to return to its base at Ile Longue in Brittany, northwest France, accompanied by a frigate. The UK's Ministry of Defence also confirmed the incident. In a statement, the First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Jonathan Band said the collision occurred during "routine national patrols." Watch Band describe "slow-speed impact" » . "Both submarines remained safe and no injuries occurred. We can confirm that the capability remained unaffected and there has been no compromise to nuclear safety," Band said. HMS Vanguard returned to its home base at Faslane in Scotland on February 14. The UK's Sun newspaper reported that dents and scrapes were visible on the vessel's hull as it was towed into dock by a tugboat. Both the UK and French nuclear deterrent operations depend on complete secrecy, despite both countries' membership of NATO. But naval analyst Richard Cobbold told CNN that procedures would be in place to ensure that French and British submarines were routinely kept apart. "Either one of these submarines was doing something different or somebody made a mistake -- but we don't know that," Cobbold said. Watch why the collision is an embarrassment for both the British and the French » . Both submarines were equipped with state-of-the-art sonar technology, but Cobbold said it was possible that neither was aware of the close proximity of the other vessel. "Modern submarines are very, very quiet. In many types of water conditions they might not hear the approach of another submarine," he said. But with both nations keeping at least one nuclear-armed submarine constantly at sea for the past 40 years, he said it was no surprise that they had eventually ended up in the same area of ocean. "Even in an ocean the size of the North Atlantic the submarines are eventually going to be in the same patch of water at the same time," he said. In a statement issued Monday, the UK-based Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament described the incident as "a nuclear nightmare of the highest order." "The collision of two submarines, both with nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons onboard could have released vast amounts of radiation and scattered scores of nuclear warheads across the seabed," said CND chair Kate Hudson. "The dents reportedly visible on the British sub show the boats were no more than a couple of seconds away from total catastrophe." Hudson said the incident was the most serious involving a nuclear submarine since the sinking of the Russian Kursk in 2000 with the loss of the vessel's entire 118-man crew. HMS Vanguard, which was launched in 1992, is one of four submarines which make up the UK's nuclear deterrent. Its firepower includes 16 Trident II D5 missiles capable of delivering multiple warheads to targets up to a range of 4,000 nautical miles. The 150-meter vessel carries a crew of 141 and is powered by a uranium-fueled pressurized water reactor. Vanguard Class submarines routinely spend weeks at a time underwater on patrol in the North Atlantic. But contact with naval commanders and government officials, including the defense secretary and the prime minister, is maintained at all times by a "comprehensive network of communications installations," the Royal Navy Web site said. Le Triomphant was launched in 1994 and entered service in 1997 with a crew of 111, according to the GlobalSecurity.org Web site. Its weapons include 16 M45 missiles capable of launching multiple nuclear warheads. The UK has maintained a nuclear arsenal since 1956, with at least one nuclear-armed submarine somewhere at sea continuously since 1969. In 2006 the government approved plans to develop a new generation of nuclear weapon-carrying submarines which is due to be ready to replace the Vanguard Class by 2024. But the program, which is expected to cost around £20 billion ($29 billion), has been heavily criticized by anti-nuclear campaigners. | British, French nuclear submarines collide in Atlantic, defense ministries confirm .
Accident occured during "routine patrols," defense ministries say .
Both vessels, HMS Vanguard, Le Triomphant, armed with nuclear warheads .
Anti-nuclear group: Incident is "a nuclear nightmare of the highest order" |
221,923 | ab40995791fd3ae1116bfe1b415f0e8e6b5beb20 | (CNN) -- A hiker found the body of a skydiving instructor missing for nearly four months, police in Moab, Utah, said Wednesday. The state medical examiner's office positively identified the remains found Sunday near the west Kane Creek area as those of David Brown, 37, according to a police statement. "It's an extremely rough area," Moab Police Chief Mike Navarre told CNN Salt Lake City affiliate KSL. "It's hard to climb around in there, to walk around in there, even from the air to see something from there; it's not surprising to me that we didn't find him on those first searches." Police are awaiting further autopsy results. "Throughout the investigation, we have found no signs of foul play," Navarre said. An acquaintance who helped in the search told CNN in July that Brown left behind cash, a passport and his driver's license. Brown disappeared June 29 in the vicinity of Skydive Moab, northwest of the town, said owner Clint MacBeth. MacBeth found Brown's personal items, including an unspent paycheck. Brown's family in Halifax, Nova Scotia, filed a missing person report after he disappeared. According to MacBeth, friends initially assumed Brown had gone to Las Vegas to visit his girlfriend. But they later realized he wore only shorts, a T-shirt and sneakers, making him unequipped to deal with 100-degree-plus temperatures, MacBeth said. Moab is known for its red-rock landscapes and proximity to Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park. | David Brown was last seen in late June near Moab, Utah .
The skydiving instructor left behind cash, passport and driver's license .
Police said they do not suspect foul play . |
24,436 | 45576625ab3bf603386a568a845b6f01822795e6 | (CNN) -- Eagles may be thin on the ground for most golfers at the Bear Trace course at Harrison Bay. But up in the treetops, it's a different matter. Bald eagles Elliott and Eloise have been par for the course at the Tennessee club for the past three and a half years, scoring highly with both local and global audiences thanks to a camera installed by their nest in a pine tree behind the 10th green. "The eagles came in and started building a nest in December 2010," explains golf course superintendent Paul Carter. "The first year they had two eaglets and both fledged successfully. We were just watching them from the ground not really knowing what was going on until about mid-May when two black heads popped up out of the nest." The discovery prompted Carter to install an Eagle Cam which has been live since early 2012. This year, the pair -- who were given their names by Carter's daughter -- welcomed two more eaglets who go by the more functional names of HB5 and HB6. Bald eagles were once on the U.S. endangered species list, but numbers of the nation's symbol have risen since the government banned the pesticide DDT -- which contaminated the birds' food sources. The wingspans of the female eagles, which are larger than the males, can be up to eight feet. "Tennessee has had some good success with its eagle population, but this is the only one on a golf course that I know of. We are trying to show that golf courses can be a sustainable habitat for wildlife," Carter told CNN ahead of Earth Day -- an initiative started in 1970 aimed at improving the world's environment, and marked globally this year on April 22. Bear Trace's round-the-clock live feed has received almost a million views to date. The virtual presence has also helped business at the club. "I've been in the pro shop several times and people come in and ask which hole Eagle Cam is on," Carter says. "We've definitely had a considerable amount of play off it." The project is one of many environmentally-minded measures Carter and his colleagues have tended to in recent years. "It's not just about how we mow the grass or what fertilizer we're putting down. We have an education center which has environmental information, awards and pictures of the course," he says. Carter, who also writes about environmental improvements on a blog and gives talks, was recently recognized for his green leadership. Last November, Golf Digest magazine awarded the course its Green Star Award and in February Carter was crowned overall winner of the Environmental Leaders in Golf Award for 2013. The prestigious prize, which is open to golf courses around the world, is jointly run by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and Golf Digest. Historically, golf courses haven't attracted praise for their green credentials but rather criticism, often being held up as examples of resource profligacy for over-watering and widespread use of chemicals. But this view may now be outdated says Ray Semlitsch, curators professor of biological sciences at the University of Missouri. "Golf courses are aware of some of these negative things and actually they have done a very good job over the last 10-20 years of trying to improve environmental practices," says Semlitsch, who recently led a study on the effects of golf course development on salamander populations in the southern Appalachians. "We studied 10 golf courses interviewing golf superintendents and managers. These were young, highly educated people -- many had degrees in biology, turf science or wildlife management. "They are well aware of these problems and very excited and very willing to make changes and use environmentally sound practices." Carter says things have shifted "180 degrees" since 2001 when he started at Bear Trace, a Jack Nicklaus-designed course -- noting that the club has substantially reduced mowing, fertilizer use and water consumption. "We've removed over 50 acres of highly maintained earth in the last decade. When you figure that out from a water standpoint, we save 7.39 million gallons annually." As individuals and organizations around the globe mark Earth Day, it's good to know that people like Carter are keeping an eagle eye on the environment not just today but all-year-round. Read more: How many more majors can Bubba win? Read more: Hornet attack 'my scariest moment' | A Tennessee golf club is home to two nesting bald eagles .
Pair named Elliott and Eloise recently joined by two eaglets .
Eagle Cam set up in 2012 has been viewed by nearly one million worldwide .
Course has been recipient of several environmental awards . |
65,187 | b91775e453203661c6e36b610bf26dac382bd584 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 17:49 EST, 20 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 17:49 EST, 20 November 2013 . An Arizona judge has freed a man who was charged with the first degree murder of his son nine years ago. Judge Sally Duncan cited 'a pattern and practice of misconduct' by prosecutors during the controversial trial of Jeffrey Martinson, 43, who was being held on a charge killing his five-year-old son, Josh, in 2004 while in the midst of a custody battle. Duncan dropped all charges against Martinson and ordered he be released at noon on November 26, saying the prosecution team acted with a ruthless 'win-by-any-means strategy'. Because of the theory double jeopardy, Martinson cannot be tried again on the same charges, according to UPI. The body of Martinson's son Josh was found by a neighbor on a bunk bed in Martinson's Ahwatukee apartment in August 2004 during a court-ordered weekend visitation with his father. Free man as of next week: Accused child killer Jeffrey Martinson will walk free from prison on November 26 after nine years after his first-degree murder charge, relating to the death of his son Josh in 2004, was dropped by a judge this week . Deceased: The cold body of four-year-old Josh Eberle-Martinson was found on a top bunk bed in the apartment of his father, Jeffrey Martinson, in August 2004. While Martinson said he found Josh floating in the bathtub and could not resuscitate him, an autopsy showed he had died of an overdose of muscle relaxants . Martinson claimed he had found the child floating in the bathtub and could not resuscitate him. The neighbor also found Martinson unconscious in his bedroom with a plastic bag over his head and superficial cuts to his wrists. Martinson claimed he was distraught and tried to kill himself but failed. However muscle relaxants were found in Josh's blood, with a medical examiner ruling he died of a drug overdose. On the night the boy died Martinson was in a custody dispute with his ex-wife. Prosecutors argued it was a case of murder and attempted suicide. In a 28-page ruling, Duncan said Deputy Maricopa County Attorney Frankie Grimsman charged Martinson with felony murder, on the grounds that Josh had died from child abuse inflicted by Martinson. However, when it came to the court case, Grimsman tried Martinson as if he were charged with premeditated, intentional murder. Grimsman had been warned by Duncan several times over the course of the trial not to treat the charge as premeditated. 'When viewing the totality of circumstances, the Court finds that during trial the Prosecutors engaged in a pattern and practice of misconduct designed to secure a conviction without regard to the likelihood of reversal,' Duncan wrote. Martinson, 47, has been in jail for nine years awaiting a final verdict. 'Mommy misses you so much': Kris Eberle (left), pictured with son Josh, keeps a blog about dealing with the death of her son. She alerted Phoenix police in 2004 after Martinson didn't return their son on time and wasn't answering his phone. After several years of changing defense attorneys, Martinson finally went to trial seven years after Josh's death, in July 2011. He was found guilty in November 2011, with the jury deciding there were aggravating factors that made him eligible for the death penalty. But before the jury could sentence Martinson, a juror came forward accusing the forewoman of browbeating other jurors into a guilty verdict. The verdict was thrown out in March 2012. In fall that year, Grimsman told the judge that the original indictment and the intent to seek the death penalty had been dropped and asked that another judge and defense team be appointed. In late 2012, The Arizona Court of Appeals ruled that Grimsman could indeed re-indict Martinson, unless Duncan found that Grimsman had done so in bad faith. On Tuesday, Duncan made that finding, in addition to the finding of prosecutorial misconduct. The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office however still has options to appeal. 'We will review the Judge’s allegations as well as refer the record of the proceedings to our Ethics Committee and Appellate section for review,' County Attorney Bill Montgomery told The Arizona Republic. 'We will also review the conduct of defense counsel and that of the Judge for appropriate action.' Defending the case had cost taxpayers $2.97 million as of last July, nearly twice the amount paid for the defense of Jodi Arias, who was convicted of first-degree murder in May following the 2008 stabbing and shooting death of her boyfriend, Travis Alexander, in his suburban Phoenix home. | Jeffrey Martinson, 43, was arrested and charged with the murder of his five-year-old son Josh in August 2004 in Maricopa, Arizona .
While he claimed he found the boy floating in the bath, an autopsy showed Josh died from an overdose of muscle relaxants .
Following a drawn-out trial, which saw one guilty verdict thrown out because of a jury upset, Judge Sally Duncan this week dropped all charges, citing 'misconduct' from the prosecution .
Martinson, who has been awaiting verdict for nine years, will be freed from prison at noon on Nov. 26 .
Because of the theory of double jeopardy, he cannot be re-tried for the murder of his son .
Defending the case has cost taxpayers over $2.97 million, nearly twice the amount paid for the defense of Jodi Arias . |
128,645 | 323a69fe493b4e1941bdaabab593ccaa6a421288 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 13:30 EST, 27 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 14:07 EST, 27 December 2013 . Anderson Cooper shocked viewers on Thursday night by discussing his mother and oral sex in one outrageous anecdote. The CNN anchor was hosting a 'review of the year' on his 360 show when he (over) shared that his mother, the 89-year-old heiress Gloria Vanderbilt, once called a former lover 'the Nijinsky of cunnilingus' in her memoir - which she had asked him to proofread. The shocking tale was in response to contributor Dan Savage's remark that his favorite . event of the year had been disgraced Toronto Mayor Rob Ford's bizarre . behavior - including comments about his wife and oral sex. Scroll down for video . Anderson Cooper and his very glamorous mother Gloria Vanderbilt in 2010. He discussed his mother and oral sex last night on a CNN panel show . Overshare Anderson! Cooper discussed his mother's sexual past on his 360 show on Thursday evening . Cooper discussed sex acts with his panelists on his 360 show during a 'review of the year' On the subject of Ford, Savage quipped: 'I love a good cunnilingus joke on the evening news.' Amid peals of laughter from the presenters, Cooper shared his family memory of his octegenarian mother. Cooper divulged: 'My mom once wrote a romance memoir about men she had dated – and I use that term loosely – and she described one guy she was currently dating - my mom was 85 at the time - as the Nijinsky of cunnilingus. And she made me proofread the book.' His guests appeared stunned into nervous laughter before Cooper added: 'I said ''mom, I don't know much about modern dance''...' 'Or cunnilingus,' Savage joked. The discussion fortunately wrapped up there. The televised conversation prompted scathing criticism of Cooper on Twitter. Joe Newby tweeted: 'A new low in journalism from Anderson Cooper and CNN..' Robert Whitemore wrote: 'INDECENT: THIS IS CNN: Anderson Cooper discusses mother's 'cunnilingus' on air.' toddstarnes added: 'Why didn't CNN put Anderson Cooper on "indefinite hiatus"?' referring to MSNBC presenter Martin Bashir's resignation following comments about defecating in Sarah Palin's mouth. Gloria Vanderbilt, who belongs to the fabulously wealthy Vanderbilt dynasty, was a society beauty in her heyday who had wild romances. She had four husbands, her last being the author Wyatt Emory Cooper, Anderson's father. Socialite and artist Gloria Vanderbilt at an event in 2009 when she was 85. In her heyday (pictured right in 1954) she was renowned as a great beauty who had wild romances . | The CNN anchor was hosting his review of the year show when he made the shocking remark . |
56,189 | 9f3f5d14ee23124a35c443363acf0fa00d13a0a0 | Jim McColl has handed over his 10,000-share stake in Rangers to fans group Rangers First. The multi-millionaire Clyde Blowers boss tried to topple the Light Blues board 12 months ago when he backed Paul Murray's 'requisitioners'. But the 62-year-old has kept a low profile since failing to oust the likes of Football board chairman Sandy Easdale and his PLC counterpart David Somers at the 2013 AGM. The Ibrox faithful have been given more power after fans group Rangers First were handed 10,000-share stake . The club has stumbled from one crisis to another in the months that have followed but, while the club is still dangerously short of cash, hopes have risen amongst the Gers faithful since Dave King and the Three Bears - wealthy fans Douglas Park, George Letham and George Taylor - grabbed control of around 34 per cent of the club with two surprise share purchases last week. Anti-board campaigners are now trying to pull together a coalition of shareholders who will be able to finally secure power and lead the ailing Glasgow giants to safety. Now McColl has shown his hand by donating his total shareholding to Rangers First, a community-interest company who plan to use a similar scheme to the one which rescued Hearts from administration to save the Ibrox outfit. Rangers are still in financial turmoil but Rangers First are working hard to save the Ibrox outfit . In a statement, McColl - one of Scotland's richest men - urged his fellow fans to follow his lead, as he said: 'I was happy with the aims of Rangers First in uniting the fan shareholders and I have gifted my shares to Rangers First. 'I encourage other supporters to look at their aims and decide for themselves.' McColl's move is another boost for Rangers First, who have seen a surge in interest since last week. The group has already bought up 600,000 shares - around 0.75 per cent of the club's total equity which has been mostly paid for by donations and monthly subscriptions from its 2,000-plus contributors. Businessman Dave King bought around a 15 per cent share in Rangers last week . Since news of King's 14.57 per cent purchase on New Year's Eve, they have signed up another 424 members including a dozen fans who have splashed out £500 for life-time packages. They now plan to snap up another 40,000 shares in the coming days. A Rangers First spokesperson said: 'The Rangers First support are committing to the future of the club. 'Players and directors come and go, but the fans are the one constant. More and more fans are now stepping up everyday. The fans will always be there.' | Jim McColl has handed over 10,000 share-stake to Rangers First group .
Multi-millionaire failed in bid to topple Light Blues board 12 months ago .
Rangers First hopeful of saving Ibrox outfit from financial ruin . |
156,107 | 55cac1ce4a66dba35ca2535e261a309f7c323603 | By . Alexandra Klausner . One couple's wedding ceremony not only celebrated the love they had for each other but also embraced their shared admiration for Legos, Star wars, and all things geek. Kristin and Zachary's April 5 wedding was showered with attention after posting photos of their nerdy nuptials on Reddit. Since posting on the site the images have almost 700,000 views. 'We wanted our wedding to reflect what we love,' read their posting with images of their geeky affair. The colorful wedding invitations were modeled after a Nintendo game cartridge to set the dorky mood . The wedding cake was made to look like Legos and Lego characters who appeared to be making the cake themselves . Dobby the House Elf from Harry Potter manned the bar and their signature drink was butterbeer . Yoda guarded the jars of local honey on the party favor table and kept the force strong . Guests signed their names on board the Millennium Falcon Star Wars ship as they entered the soiree . The colorful wedding invitations were modeled after a Nintendo game cartridge to set the mood for the adorable dorkfest. A wedding cake was made to look like a pile of Lego pieces equipped with Lego characters who were shaped to appear as they were building the cake at that very moment. A statue of Doby the house elf from Harry Potter was stationed near the bar with a sign reminding guests to keep their cups when going back for their second and third round of Butterbeer. Yoda from Star Wars made sure the force was strong as he guarded jars of local honey that guests could take away with them. As guests entered the event there was a Star Wars Millennium Falcon shaped book where they could sign their names next to a sign that read, 'I love you even more than a nerd loves Star Wars.' Attendees were also able to drop their cards into Doctor Who's time traveling Tardis Box. Guests dropped their cards into Dr. Who's time traveling Tardis box . A ninja stood behind the bride and groom as they said, ' I do' The cake topper was modeled after the bride and a dark and mysterious ninja . The couple made a Spiderman tribute in this festive photograph of the groom jumping like the comic book superhero . This humorous quote from the film the Princess Bride hung on the wall during the festivities . Of the wedding guests, one stood out among the rest, as he was a ninja donning a black jumpsuit and a sword. A model of a ninja and the bride also sat on top of the cake staring dorkily . into one another's eyes. The topper was made by Garden Ninja Studios . The wood burning on their wine ceremony box had the Doctor Who Time Lord seal and read, 'companions for life' The couple also made references to films such as Spiderman in a photo in which Zachary is jumping in the air with his arms and legs outstretched as though he were the web-spewing superhero. There was also a sign on the door which was a quote from the Princess Bride that read 'Mawage is wot bwings us togever tooday.' While the brides dress and the groom's suit were fairly traditional, their sneakers screamed geek chic. The groom donned a pair of royal blue Converse and his bride sported flats with N7 armor. the shoes of character female Commander Shepard from the video game Mass Effect. When the wedding was over, a Getaway Car themed after Star Wars Rebellion sped off with the happily married dorks for life. No first wedding kiss is complete without an Xbox achievement popping up above the couple's heads . The brides shoes were Mass Effect related and the groom sported blue converse . The wood burning on their wine ceremony box had the Doctor Who Time Lord seal and read, 'companions for life' The tables were themed after video games characters and their place cards matched . Romantic Star Wars pictures that decorated the groom's changing room . Guest place cards with images of video game themed table showed attendees where to sit . The newlyweds made an unforgettable exit in their Star Wars Rebellion themed getaway vehicle . | Kristin and Zachary's April 5 wedding was showered with attention after posting photos of their nerdy nuptials on Reddit .
'We wanted our wedding to reflect what we love,' read their posting with images of their geeky affair .
The cake was made to look as though it were made out of Legos and every aspect of the wedding followed a strict dork motif . |
272,474 | ececc9c8d1447ed5819b0de2f3ca1936d079ea83 | (CNN) -- AC Milan stayed just one point behind Serie A leaders Juventus with a convincing 3-0 win over Cagliari in the San Siro Sunday. Juve had kept up the pressure with a 2-1 win over Udinese Saturday, but Milan responded in style. Star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic set them on their way as he curled home a 20 meter free kick in the first half. Antonio Nocerino doubled their lead before halftime and Massimo Ambrosini added a fine third in the 75th minute. But Milan's city rivals Inter saw their seven-match winning run ended with a 1-0 defeat at strugglers Lecce. Guillermo Giacomazzi scored for Lecce just before the break and they held out for a valuable win. Lazio stayed in fourth, eight points behind the leaders, with a 3-0 win at Chievo. Hernanes put them ahead in the first half with a late double from Miroslav Klose sealing the three points. In Germany, Borussia Monchengladbach kept pace with the leading three in the Bundesliga with an impressive 3-0 win at Stuttgart. Star striker Mike Hanke gave the visitors the lead in the first half with Marco Reus and Igor de Camargo adding further goals after the break. Valencia substitute Aritz Aduriz salvaged a point for his side in a 2-2 draw at Racing Santander in La Liga Sunday. Both teams ended with 10 men after Pedro Munitis for Santander and Valencia's Ricardo Costa both saw red in injury time. Aduriz then cropped up to score the leveler as his team stay third, five points ahead of Levante, who earlier lost 2-1 at home to Getafe. | AC Milan keep pace in Serie A title race with 3-0 win over Cagliari .
Zlatan Ibrahimovic scores opener in easy win in San Siro .
Borussia Moenchengladbach beat Stuttgart 3-0 in Bundesliga .
Valencia consolidate third in Spain after 2-2 draw . |
242,903 | c665b8216063e715ea975974fe465d7efcc9d9d5 | You might have thought the Victorian fashion for taxidermy was dead and buried. But the craze for the gruesome hobby of stuffing and posing dead animals, has been growing in recent years and now fans of the macabre art can learn to do it for themselves. Mickey Alice Kwapis began teaching her unique taxidermy classes to the public three years ago. Mickey Alice Kwapis, pictured surrounded by the work of her mentor, Chuck Testa . The 24-year-old, pictured with a living groundhog who she is helping to rehabilitate at a local animal rehab facility. The artist, from Chicago in Illinois, who works with all different types of animals, shows one of her students her technique for stuffing a hedgehog . Mickey said she found her work, turning something dead into 'something beautiful' very rewarding . Since then, thousands of people around the world have become have-a-go animal stuffers. The artist, from Chicago in Illinois, teaches the course across five different countries - US, Canada, UK, New Zealand, and Australia. Mickey, 24, said she became interested in taxidermy from a young age after collecting dead bugs. Costs of the class range from $200 to $300 based on the cost of living in a given country. She insists on only using road kill, animals who have died from natural causes or animals that have been bred for human consumption for her work. Creative or creepy: Pieces of the artist's finished work includes a mounted guinea pig with purple ribbon (left) and a rabbit (right) Mickey teaches the course across five different countries - US, Canada, UK, New Zealand, and Australia . Students can learn to create a Victorian-style anthropomorphic mouse diorama class in one session . While it's not for the squeamish, Mickey said her students were often surprised the process was not as gruesome as they feared. She said: 'Everyone I have in the classes is very open-minded. 'They wouldn't have signed up for a taxidermy class if they hated the idea of working with a deceased specimen. 'I think the most common reaction I get is that the process isn't as gross as students initially anticipate. 'It's eye-opening to be able to take something that's essentially a furry lump of frozen meat and turn it into something beautiful that looks alive and can last forever - that's so rewarding.' Mickey, pictured with her students at the Dry-Preserved Rat class, in San Francisco, only uses road kill or animals who died natural deaths for her work . The teacher, pictured with a taxidermy class in Sydney, said the most common reaction she received was that the process wasn't as gruesome as people anticipated . Mickey, 24, became interested in taxidermy from a young age after she began collecting dead bugs . The cost of Mickey's classes range from $200 to $300 based on the cost of living in a given country . The artist, pictured with a tray of dead rodents, said everyone on her unique course was very open-minded . | Mickey Alice Kwapis has taught thousands how to stuff dead animals .
The 24-year-old has taught taxidermy across the world for past three years .
Artist Mickey insists she only uses animals that have died from natural causes . |
222,758 | ac5d23d98daf47ee950e5a4f9288ad583d7f94cc | PUBLISHED: . 10:44 EST, 4 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:33 EST, 4 January 2013 . The trees, known as Ghost Gums lined a road 15 miles from Alice Springs, Australian, and helped Namatjira establish his place in the world-wide art world when he painted them into his Twin Ghosts painting in the 1940s. They were burnt down on December 30, just as they were being considered for inclusion on a heritage register. The remains of Ghost Gum trees, painted many times by the late Aboriginal artist Albert Namatjira, after they were destroyed by a suspicious fire, near to the outback town of Alice Springs . They were burnt down on December 30 just as they were being considered for inclusion on a heritage register . Police said they had no doubt the trees, which get their name because of their white, spooky bark were set alight by vandals. ‘This is a sad moment in our history,’ said Miss Alison Anderson, the Northern Territory’s Indigenous Advancement Minister. ‘These trees were a landmark and very special to Aboriginal people in the area. ‘In his watercolours Namatjira brought the beauty of the Central Australian landscape to the world and helped make it a symbol of Australian identity.’ The trees featured on a stamp and were also included in the song I Am Australian. Namatjira first came to the notice of Australian art circles in the late 1930s and by the late 1950s he had won international acclaim. The Twin Ghost painting captures the Ghost Gums eucalyptus trees that have since been destroyed. They were regarded as a deeply significant landmark, synonymous with Namatjira's depiction of the desert country around Alice Springs and Ghost Gums as living spirits . Aboriginal artist, Albert Namatjira, photographed by Alan Lambert during his trip around Australia in 1954. Through his watercolours, Namatjira showed the world the beauty of Australia's outback . Sotheby's employee Kate Dezarnaulds holds the first painting by famous Aboriginal artist Albert Namatjira painted in 1936 . He was not without controversy, however – he died in 1959 at the age of 57, three months after serving time in jail for giving alcohol to members of his Aboriginal community. His conviction was the subject of widespread controversy, critics of his imprisonment arguing it was racial discrimination. But his paintings inspired so many around the world that they were sought by international auction houses and galleries. A painting of ghost gums sold at an auction last year for an estimated £20,000. Standing beside the smouldering remains of the gum trees that were such an inspiration to the artist, Malcolm Connolly, a senior heritage officer, told of his shock at the vandal attack. He told Fairfax Media he had gone to the site to check on the gum trees, which were to soon to be included in the Heritage List. Police said they had no doubt the trees, which get their name because of their white, spooky bark were set alight by vandals . They were regarded as a deeply significant landmark, synonymous with Namatjira’s depiction of the desert country around Alice Springs and ghost gums as living spirits, he said. Respected art critic and author of The Encyclopaedia of Australian Art, Sue McCulloch described the destruction of the gums that appeared in so many of Namatjira’s most well-known works as ‘appalling and a tragic act of cultural vandalism’. But the Aboriginal community refuse to believe that all is lost. ‘I think that if the root system of the burned trees is still alive there can be regrowth,’ said Aboriginal advancement minister Miss Anderson. She hopes that after a lot of rain the trees will ‘come back to life again.’ Aboriginal artist Albert Namatjira at the mission in Alice Springs, near to where the two trees used to be, in the Northern Territory in 1958 . | Landmark trees were being considered for inclusion on heritage register .
Aboriginal community hopes trees will 'come back to life' |
47,101 | 84b597d30b7a133fde9bf0dbd73ecd6b7e8bd8a4 | New boss: Oil giant BG has sparked a pay row by handing its new chief executive Helge Lund (pictured) a bumper pay package worth up to £29m . Oil giant BG has sparked a pay row by handing its new chief executive a bumper package worth up to £29m, making him one of Europe's best-paid oil bosses. Helge Lund was poached from the far larger Norwegian rival Statoil to become its chief executive from March next year, with a package that has been criticised as ‘excessive’. He will be paid £1.5million a year, as well as bonuses worth up to £3million and another share incentive scheme that could pay out up to £9million if he hits performance targets and manages to turn around the flagging British oil and gas producer, based in Reading, Berkshire. Additionally, he could get another £12million in shares over the next five years if the pay committee decides he is doing a good job at Britiain's third-largest energy firm. This particular measure is so controversial that the company shareholders are being asked to vote for it at a special meeting. BG will also generously compensate Lund for the potential share awards he is leaving behind at Statoil to the tune of £3million. Lund, who celebrates his 52nd birthday today, is also being given £480,000 to move his family to Britain, and will have £450,000 a year put into his pension pot as part of the staggering deal. He resigned from his post of CEO of Statoil with immediate effect yesterday to take up the BG role next year. After a run of disappointing candidates, BG insisted it had to pay top whack to get a man suitable to lead the company. BG has been struggling following a string of production downgrades that cost the previous CEO, Chris Finlayson his job in April this year. Finlayson had himself taken over from long-serving Sir Frank Chapman in early 2013 but there were a number of profit warnings during his time in charge . Andrew Gould, BG’s executive chairman, defended the pay deal, saying: ‘The company needs a proven leader from the oil and gas industry to deliver the exceptional opportunities available to it.’ Luke Hildyard, deputy director of the independent think tank High Pay Centre, told MailOnline that the £29million pay package used to entice Lund to the BG post was 'extraordinary'. 'To be paying anyone a package worth up to £29million is too much to be paying anyone, especially who is a bureaucrat, a manager of a company, ' he said. 'The fact that it is seen as acceptable, a regular price to pay for a CEO represents a failure for corporate governance across the UK and that the reforms Vince Cable introduced are not really working.' The Business Secretary introduced changes which gave shareholders the power to stop pay packages that were too generous, enabling them to vote on company pay policies every three years. 'If you think about it you could reduce that package by one per cent of £29million and it would still put you easily in the top one per cent of UK earners and able to afford a lifestyle beyond the imaginations of most people,' said Mr Hildyard. 'He's getting 100 times more than someone who would still be seen as incredibly rich - why is that necessary?' 'The reforms the government brought in do not seem to have had much effect and the telephone number salaries have not stopped. Last year for a FTSE company CEO the going rate was still £4 or £5million and without further action I don't think we are going to see executive pay levels come down to something that is fairer and more proportionate.' In ten years Oslo native Lund was able to transform Norway's once domestic-focused state oil firm into a $77 billion global player. Package: Lund, who celebrates his 52nd birthday today, is also being given £480,000 to move his family to Britain, and will have £450,000 a year put into his pension pot as part of the staggering deal . Last year at Statoil he had earned a base salary of around £720,000, as part of a total package of a £1.3million package. '(Lund) has built a world-class exploration and production portfolio at Statoil, and the company is now widely admired for its technical expertise, financial performance and strong, values-based culture,' said Mr Gould. BG was formed in 1997 when part of the state-owned British Gas was privatised and split off from other areas of the business, which now operate as Centrica and British Gas. Shares have fallen 20 percent since the start of the year as its important Egyptian gas business performed disastrously due to lower production for exports and its huge investments in Brazil have yet to prove their value. 'In terms of global industry leaders, it is hard to imagine a more suitable candidate,' Investec said in a note. Analysts have suggested that the company might be better focused if it were to spin off either its successful liquefied natural gas (LNG) business or its deepwater Brazilian interests, which promise more than six billion barrels of oil equivalents in recoverable reserves. Salary: £1.5million per year . Assorted bonuses: Up to £3million . Share incentive scheme: Up to £9million . Shares: Up to £12million (in shares) Compensation for leaving Statoil share benefits behind: £3million . Moving his family: £480,000 . Pension: £450,000 per year . 'For leaders, there comes a time when it's right to move on, both for themselves and for the company they run,' said Lund, who added that BG had approached him about the role six to eight weeks ago. 'I've wanted one more leadership challenge. I think I'm too young to retire. This (BG) is a challenge I find exciting, and that's the main motivation.' One of BG's biggest future projects may be an LNG plant in Tanzania, to be jointly built with Statoil, after the firms found more than 30 billion cubic feet of gas in several nearby offshore licence areas. 'BG's key priorities are the delivery of the large new projects, managing decline in its mature regions, the monetisation of some assets and a reinvigoration of its exploration pipeline. Helge Lund has proved successful at this, while at the helm of Statoil,' analysts at Goldman Sachs said in a note. Statoil has already appointed Eldar Saetre, currently head of its marketing, processing and renewables division, as its acting chief executive while the firm searches for a permanent replacement for Lund. | Helge Lind poached by British company BG from Norwegian rival Statoil .
He will be paid £1.5m a year, plus bonuses worth up to £3m .
Lund could also earn £9m in share scheme, and receive £12m in shares .
New Norwegian boss will also get £480,000 to move his family .
Package is 'extraordinary', says independent think tank High Pay Centre . |
15,579 | 2c40bbc33704e7539ddde484c9cc45c3517681c6 | Bob Karlstrand, who is battling colon cancer and terminal lung disease, is giving away all his possessions before he dies . Veteran Bob Karlstrand has only months to live. The 65-year-old is battling colon cancer and terminal lung disease and fears he won’t make it to his next birthday. But the former staff sergeant, from Maple Grove, Minnesota, has one final mission before he dies: to give away everything he owns, including his home of 38 years. His only stipulation is that his home goes to a fellow veteran. Mr Karlstrand, who retired from an insurance firm, never married or had children and is an only child. So he has already given most of his belongings, including his furniture, photographs and letters he wrote to his mother – and has given his $1million retirement fund to the nursing school at his alma mater, the University of Minnesota. He says he had people come into his home and take whatever they wanted. ‘In the end, it’s only material things,’ he told TV station KARE 11. ‘I’ve had a good life so I can’t complain at all,’ he said. He has given the responsibility of finding new occupants for his home to Habitat for Humanity. When Mr Karlstrand dies, they will refurbish the property, then find and help a veteran and his family move in. He has already given most of his belongings away and donated his $1million retirement fund to the nursing school at the University of Minnesota . 'I wanted to give back to the veterans if I could,' he added. Mr Karlstrand enlisted at the age of 17 in 1967 and worked as an administrative specialist for the Field Maintenance Squadron at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia. He was then deployed to Thailand in July 1969 and spent a year supporting B-52s in missions over Vietnam. He took part in the Air Force’s back-to-school program and was released from service early to attend the University of Minnesota’s business school, graduating in 1973. ‘I have no family so everything I own would have to go somewhere,’ he told Military Times. ‘Like they say, "You can't take it with you." I was hoping that I could do all of this a little later, but it is not going to work that way.’ The 65-year-old, who never married and has no children, wants his home of 38 years to go to a fellow veteran . | Bob Karlstrand is battling colon cancer and terminal lung disease .
Former staff sergeant, from Minnesota, fears he won't see his next birthday .
The 65-year-old never married or had children and is an only child .
He has given a $1million endowment to the University of Minnesota .
And his only stipulation about his home is that it goes to a fellow veteran . |
140,321 | 4172b89ec1a8ae04b3ab2588cdebcf5a8f8cae2a | (CNN) -- Norway's official mourning period for victims of a bombing and shooting rampage ended Sunday with a national remembrance ceremony in Oslo. The Oslo bombing and Utoya island shooting killed a total of 77 people last month. "In the time behind us, we have followed 77 people to their graves," King Harald V told mourners at Sunday's ceremony in Oslo. "We have gotten to know each of them a little from the stories about them. Seventy-seven lives of people who wanted to change the world are gone. We will keep their memory alive by keeping their fight for a better world alive. I say to you as I said on the day after the tragedy -- freedom is stronger than fear." The ceremony came a day after survivors returned for the first time to the site of the island shooting, where the gunman killed 69 people. He also bombed the Oslo government buildings on the same day, killing eight more people. Most of the victims were at a political summer camp held by the youth wing of the governing Labour Party at the time of the July 22 shooting attack. Most survivors made it out alive by hiding among rocks or diving into the chilly waters around the island. Before the survivors' visit, relatives of those killed traveled to the island Friday for the first time to see where their loved ones spent their final moments. Many lit candles and left flowers in makeshift shrines. The suspect in both attacks, Anders Breivik, was ordered held in isolation for four more weeks Friday after appearing before a judge in Oslo. If removed from isolation, there's danger that he will tamper with evidence and hinder the police investigation, the judge said. Breivik, 32, had told the court that being held in isolation is "boring, monotonous and a sadistic method of torture," the judge said. The suspect admitted the attacks, a judge and his lawyer say, but has pleaded not guilty in court. CNN's Cynthia Wamwayi contributed to this report. | NEW: "We will keep their memory alive," says Norway's king .
The ceremony comes a day after survivors of the island shooting return to the site for the first time .
A judge orders the suspect, Anders Breivik, to be held in isolation for four more weeks .
The twin attacks kill 77 people, many of them youth .
The suspect admits the attacks, but pleads not guilty in court . |
195,709 | 8951788035c9d01dbba128adf832e607969b3d0b | (CNN) -- Two years removed from his disastrous 2012 presidential bid, Rick Perry is fully recovered from back surgery, sporting new glasses, reengaging with the Republican conservative base, and showing signs that he's considering another run for the White House. Immigration policy helped sink the Texas governor's previous bid, but it has now put him back in the spotlight. He met on Wednesday with President Barack Obama, who's under fire over the surge of undocumented minors on the southern border. Obama accepted Perry's offer for a sit-down following a sharp exchange with the White House. Last week, White House spokesman Josh Earnest mocked his message on immigration, saying "the truth is it's hard to take seriously Governor Perry's concerns." Perry points to his state's long border with Mexico as ground zero for the crush of mostly children entering the United States illegally. "My message to President Obama is to secure this border, Mr. President. Finally address this issue and secure this border," Perry said last week at a congressional hearing near the border in McAllen, Texas. But he may have disappointed fellow conservatives when he said that he was "tired of pointing fingers and blaming people." He added, "I hope what we can do is come up with some solutions here." Perry used more muscular language days later when he said, "this is a failure of diplomacy. It is a failure of leadership from the administration in Washington, D.C." Jeff Miller, a senior Perry political adviser, told CNN that Perry "is not saying anything different than what he's being advocating since 2010 -- that 'we've got to secure this border. There's a crisis going on.'" Obama wants $3.7 billion for immigration crisis . But Miller said the current crisis is giving Perry a larger platform. "Right now, because of the huge influx of these children crossing the border from Mexico, the media's paying more attention and more of the public is seeing the crisis the governor has been dealing with for years. Not a lot has changed, but now more people are listening to what the governor's saying," Miller said. Immigration helped sink Perry in 2012 . While a real front-burner issue in his state, Perry is also seeing political stars align. Immigration was the issue that damaged him more than any other when he ran for president last time, people close to him say. Perry launched his presidential campaign in August 2011, months after former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and the rest of the field of candidates had jumped in. Perry entered with lots of buzz and armed with big bucks and big name backers, and he quickly soared in national polls. But good times were fleeting, as Perry soon ran headfirst into Romney on illegal immigration. In a debate a month later, Perry defended his support for government-funded tuition at state schools for undocumented immigrants. He argued that if you didn't support such a move, "I don't think you have a heart." But some of his Republican rivals considered that soft. "Governor Perry, you say you have got the experience. It's a bit like saying that, you know, the college coach that has lost 40 games in a row has the experience to go to the NFL," said Romney at another debate. Rick Perry's busy summer . "The truth is, California -- I'll say it again, California and Florida have both had no increase in illegal immigration and yours is up 60 percent." Romney added. Sources close to Perry tell CNN they believe that moment did more to hurt Perry with GOP primary voters than any other. Still, Perry suffered a more memorable blow with an epic gaffe in a November 2011 debate, when he forgot the third of three federal government departments that he had said he would eliminate. Perry's campaign limped on, but he called it quits after a disappointing fourth in the Iowa caucuses and fifth in the New Hampshire primary. Political resurrection? Fast forward two years. Perry decides not to run for re-election and is again making his pitch to conservative voters. "I have a simple suggestion -- It is time for a little rebellion on the battlefield of ideas," Perry told the base at this year's Conservative Political Action Conference. And Perry's summer travel plans hint toward a 2016 bid. He recently made his third trip over the past year to South Carolina -- the state the holds the first southern primary. The visit to the Palmetto State precedes upcoming stops this summer in Iowa and New Hampshire. Perry even hosted a group of more than a dozen key New Hampshire Republicans at the Governor's Mansion in Austin a few weeks ago to wine and dine them, CNN is told. When he goes to the Granite State next month, it will be his first trip there since 2012, when he failed to make much of an impression at all on voters there. A veteran New Hampshire Republican ally setting up New Hampshire meetings tells CNN they are consciously doing things differently this time. They're opting for a manner more conducive to the way New Hampshire voters like to be approached, in a series of small, intimate meetings. But the tactical shortcomings from 2012 is not the only thing he's trying to improve ahead of another possible candidacy -- it's also his readiness on a policy level. Perry urges Congress, Obama to work together on border security . Perry sources admit that he simply wasn't up to speed on many of the key issues that confront a candidate, never mind a president. To overcome that, he now has multiple policy briefings a week, every week on issues ranging from economic policy, to education, to the environment to national security. One source tells CNN that if he is traveling and there is a think tank nearby, he will make a point of stopping for a briefing from experts. Perry has also been trying to do more international travel, attending the highbrow annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, going to Israel, and planning a trip later this year to China. But it's firestorm over immigration that may give Perry his biggest opportunity for political resurrection. Miller downplayed any impact from the current immigration crisis on a potential 2016 bid, saying "to me these are two completely separate issues." But GOP analyst Ana Navarro, a CNN contributor who's close to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, another possible 2016 GOP presidential contender, said "Perry embodies an interesting dynamic regarding immigration. "He's a border enforcement guy with the experience of being a border state governor, but he's also shown compassion towards the human angle of the immigration debate," she said. Navarro added that "If he can somehow walk that tight rope, and be eloquent as to how he defends his position, it can show him as a pragmatist and be helpful." Reality check: 5 things you need to know about immigration crisis . What Obama can and can't do on immigration . CNN Films: Undocumented . | New glasses, repaired back, Rick Perry is on the move .
He is reengaging with the GOP's conservative base .
Immigration helped sink his 2012 presidential campaign .
But it's putting him back in the spotlight now with his Obama meeting . |
150,519 | 4e987567a979528bff875a98adcd202c7a9a69f0 | Apprentice boss Lord Sugar has been accused of bullying behaviour after calling a plus-size model 'fatty' on Twitter. The multi-million pound business tycoon, 67, became embroiled in a Twitter row after sending the 'cruel' message to beauty queen Elena Raouna, 23. The row unfolded after she sent him a cheeky message on Sunday night, which said: 'Evening sugar ;-) can I call you that? Lol.' He replied: 'yes no problem as long as I can call you fatty,' which sparked outrage from some her 2,800 followers who branded him 'a bully', 'arrogant' and a 'miserable old goat'. Miss Raouna, who won Miss British Beauty Curve in 2013, is now demanding an apology from the no-nonsense TV personality, who made his name founding British electronics company Amstrad. Scroll down for video . Apprentice star Lord Sugar (left) has become embroiled in a Twitter row after replying to a cheeky message from plus-size model, Elena Raouna, 23 (right), from Doncaster, and saying: 'As long as I can call you fatty' Miss Raouna had messaged the multi-million pound business tycoon because she was a 'massive fan'. She is now demanding an apology from the Amstrad founder, and has received support from fellow Twitter users . Lord Sugar replied to Miss Raouna's tweet asking if she can 'call him sugar', by saying: 'Yes no problem, as long as I can call you fatty.' He received a wave of abuse for the 'cruel', 'disgusting' Twitter message (above) She said she was 'absolutely fuming' at his 'cruel' tweet and said she had only sent him a message to get his attention because she was a 'massive fan' of BBC's The Apprentice. His reply was seen by his 3.8million followers, retweeted more than 1,400 times and favourited by 900 Twitter uses. Miss Raouna, from Doncaster, said: 'The worst thing about it is I was actually a fan and all I wanted was a simple hello. 'I kind of got excited when I saw his name come up in my newsfeed until I read the end of the tweet. 'I think it’s just really rude and disrespectful, there’s no need to respond with that kind of attitude, and the fact that he can’t even apologise. And why block me? I didn’t do anything wrong. 'I just would really like it if he said sorry. He’s not just offended me, but a lot of plus sized people all over Britain. 'I never got personal with him, I just wanted a friendly tweet.' She said she is a size 16 – the average size for a woman in Britain – and claimed the tweet was an insult to all women, not just her. She added to the Mirror: 'I'm still absolutely fuming. It was so cruel. 'I can see people joking about it online and it's as if he's sent out a message to his followers saying it's ok to call people fat. 'It was just a friendly tweet to say 'hi' but my face froze in shock with his reply and I had to check it was his official Twitter page because I couldn't believe he would be so abusive. 'It's cyber bullying.' Lord Sugar, who founded British electronics company Amstrad, has been branded a 'cyber bully' for his tweet . Miss Raouna gave up her fish and chip job (right) after winning Miss British Beauty Curve in 2013 (left) The Apprentice star later told a follower who waded into the row to 'get stuffed and mind your own business' Miss Raouna, a size 16 plus-size model, said she originally wrote to Lord Sugar on Twitter to get his attention because she was a 'massive fan'. However, she is now demanding an apology from the wealthy businessman . Writing on Twitter, she said: 'A light hearted commented to get someone's attention who you are a big fan of for a simple hello did by no means deserve the response I got. 'Over 1300 retweeted and almost 900 favourites #LordSugar s***** comment. That Lord is representing it's ok to call people Fat anywhere! Tut. (sic) 'Sugar doesn't deserve to have the title Lord in front of his name after his childish immature rude choice of message. And no apology! 'Who would want that kind of man as your child's role model? Terrible...' Many Twitter users also took offence to Lord Sugar's tweet, with one branding it 'disgusting'. Imogen Grace King said: 'Just seen what @Lord_Sugar tweeted @ElenaRaouna and a hell of a lot of respect has been lost for him. Disgusting.' @BenDPB wrote: 'I am a big Lord Sugar fan but his comment was awful. You are a beautiful natural woman.' And Rachel Clark told Miss Raouna: 'I'm so sorry 4 what Alan Sugar said 2 u,digusting&unprovoked, I only hope u don't have 2 deal w things like that everyday.xx' As the row grew on Twitter, Miss Raouna said to her followers: 'Less than 24 hours and I hope a certain someone is now eating his words. Rude. Arrogant. Horrible person.' Miss Raouna took on modelling full-time after giving up her job at her parents’ fish and chip shop in South Yorkshire. She won Miss British Beauty Curve in 2013 and now describes herself as a model and public figure . The size 16 model branded Lord Sugar's comments 'childish, immature and rude' and demanded an apology . In a series of tweets, Miss Raouna, from Doncaster, condemned Lord Sugar's behaviour and his 'bullying' Miss Raouna took on modelling full-time after giving up her job at her parents’ fish and chip shop in South Yorkshire. She won Miss Britain Curve 2013 – a beauty pageant for women of all sizes – and vowed at the time to use her position to let other voluptuous women know that 'you don't have to be size zero to be a model, and you can be pretty and plus size at the same time'. The former nail technician student, who was born in Doncaster and is part Cypriot, has since gone on to appear on Channel 4’s Coach Trip and Catchphrase. Last year, she told MailOnline: 'To go from the chippy to the catwalk is a strange way to do it, but I'm so glad that I entered and the win came as a total surprise. 'My confidence has grown over the years and hopefully I can inspire other plus- size girls to be confident in their own skin. 'I wanted to show that you don't have to be a stick thin model to take part in a beauty contest.' The model, who describes herself as a ‘public figure’ on Twitter, also revealed how she once applied to appear on The Apprentice but failed to turn up to the audition after being given a place on C4’s Coach Trip. Representatives acting on behalf of Lord Sugar declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline. She won Miss Britain Curve in 2013 and vowed at the time to use her position to let other voluptuous women know that 'you don't have to be size zero to be a model, and you can be pretty and plus size at the same time . The model, who describes herself as a ‘public figure’ on Twitter, also revealed how she once applied to appear on The Apprentice but failed to turn up to the audition after being given a place on C4’s Coach Trip . | Lord Sugar accused of cyber bullying after calling woman 'fatty' on Twitter .
Elena Raouna, 23, asked tycoon: 'Evening sugar ;-) can I call you that? Lol'
Apprentice star, 67, replied: 'yes no problem as long as I can call you fatty'
Message retweeted by more than 1,400 followers and favourited by 900 .
Miss Raouna, a plus-size model, is demanding apology for 'cruel' message .
She said: 'Sugar doesn't deserve to have the title Lord in front of his name' |
256,172 | d79a7cc01e6f7cee6171e3a4da36f9cbba0f3d34 | Washington (CNN) -- As the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial was officially dedicated Sunday, speakers called for carrying on King's ideals and values and confronting issues including bullying and social and economic justice for all Americans. "Nearly 50 years after the March on Washington, our work -- Dr. King's work -- is not yet complete," President Barack Obama said at the dedication ceremony. The nation faces many challenges, he said, including an ailing economy, substandard education, war and tragedy. Progress, he said, can often be a slow and painful process. During the civil rights movement, "progress was purchased through enduring the smack of billy clubs and the blast of fire hoses. It was bought with days in jail cells and nights of bomb threats." Every victory was met with setbacks and defeat, Obama said. Today's America can draw strength from that struggle, from King's belief that we are one people and from his refusal to give up, the president said. "Let us not be trapped by what is," Obama said. "We can't be discouraged by what is. We've got to keep pushing for what ought to be." He noted that King "will stand for all time, among monuments to those who fathered this nation and those who defended it. A black preacher, no official rank or title, somehow gave voice to our deepest dreams and our most lasting ideas." "I know we will overcome," the president said. "I know there are better days ahead. I know this because of the man towering over us." The monument to the slain civil rights leader was due to have been dedicated on August 28, the anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington when King delivered his world-altering "I Have a Dream" speech, but Hurricane Irene forced the event to be postponed. Perhaps, said the Rev. Bernice King, one of King's daughters, that postponement was due to divine intervention. "Perhaps God wanted us to move beyond the dream into action," she said. "As we dedicate this monument, I can hear my father saying that oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever," she said. "The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself ... I hear my father saying what we are seeing now, all across the streets of America and the world, is a freedom explosion." She called for "a radical revolution of values and reordering of priorities in this nation." She urged attendees to also pay homage to her mother, Coretta Scott King, who even as a grieving widow with four children "raised a nation in my father's teachings and values. It was vitally important to her that his life and principles become institutionalized." The memorial site, which features a striking 30-foot statue of King gazing out on the iconic Tidal Basin, lies between the Lincoln Memorial and the Thomas Jefferson Memorial on the National Mall. The statue, representing a "Stone of Hope," sits forward from a "Mountain of Despair." Visitors pass through the mountain on their way to King's statue and an expanse along the basin rimmed with an inscription wall covered with stone carvings of some of his most famous quotes. The four-acre area will also feature the iconic cherry blossom trees that draw thousands of tourists to the Mall each spring. "The very first time that I came to the site, I was almost overwhelmed," Martin Luther King III said. "I really was impressed by this artist. He was able to capture the essence of my dad." On Sunday, he described his father as "a champion of human rights and social justice for all people," regardless of race, gender and ethnicity. "Let us not forget that he paid the ultimate price for our civil rights," he said. But, he said, "we've lost our souls," noting the recent killing of a black man in Mississippi; child bullying; wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; and the lack of social and economic justice. The American dream, he said, has "turned into a nightmare for millions." Former CBS Evening News anchor Dan Rather said that while King's main battle was racial injustice, today's fight is against greed and for economic justice. "This time we judge people, not on the content of their character, but the color of their money," he said. "Once again, we have Americans on the outside looking in." "There is heavy lifting to be done again," Rather said. "And in the spirit of Dr. King's lasting legacy, we need to start now." If King were here today, said the Rev. Jesse Jackson, he would tell the Occupy Wall Street protesters to "keep protesting. Remain nonviolent. Stay disciplined. Stay focused." U.S. Rep. John Lewis recalled protesting in Washington 48 years ago. Of those that spoke near the Lincoln Memorial that day, "I'm the only one still around," he said. He recalled that King never asked protesters to do anything he would not do himself. "He was arrested, jailed, beaten and constantly harassed. His home was bombed. He was stabbed. He suffered the slings and arrows of hate." He said he's heard talk that nothing has changed. "Come and walk in my shoes," he told attendees. "Dr. King is telling you that we have changed. We're better people. We're a better nation." Other speakers at the dedication included the Rev. Al Sharpton; the Rev. Joseph Lowery; actresses Cicely Tyson, Diahann Carroll and 12-year-old Amandla Stenberg; and Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund. Singer Aretha Franklin sang "Take My Hand, Precious Lord," a tune she said King often requested. The Obamas listened intently as she sang. Michelle Obama applauded in spots, while the president closed his eyes. The Obama family toured the memorial before the president's speech. Controversy still lingers around the statue and a quote from King. Sculptor Ed Dwight, who has made seven statues of King, objects to the memorial's depiction of the icon -- and to the artist chosen to create it. "This idea of having this 30-foot-tall sculpture of this man, and this confrontational look, he would not appreciate that, because that was not him," Dwight argues. He also objects to the choice of Chinese artist Lei Yixin. "I feel strongly that the whole thing should've been done here in America," Dwight said. Harry Johnson Sr., head of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Foundation, said: "We got the best man for the job." And Lei, for his part, said America did not have sole claim on King. "Martin Luther King is not only a hero of America, he's also a hero of the world," he said. Celebrated poet and author Maya Angelou has a different objection to the memorial, saying that one of the quotes has been edited to make King appear arrogant. It reads: "I was a drum major for justice peace and righteousness." Angelou says an important clause was taken out of the passage from a 1968 sermon at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. King's original words were: "If you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter." Leaving out the "if" changes the meaning, Angelou said. "It should not be seen like he was so full of himself. Because he was not. He was a very humble man," she said. "It is not an apt reportage of what Dr. King said. It is an edited statement." The memorial's executive architect Ed Jackson stood by the wording and said there are no plans to alter the structure. Jackson, who oversaw the memorial's design and construction, said in a statement that the memorial foundation "feels comfortable with the choices we needed to make based on the space available and the messages that we wanted to convey to visitors." He said a "council of historians" had been consulted, adding they suggested 14 quotations and two statements for possible inclusion on the monument's granite walls that "best characterize and reflect" King as a leader as well as his values. "In no way do we believe that this paraphrased statement diminishes Dr. King's intent of the words he delivered," Jackson said. "The inscription on the Stone of Hope comes directly from Dr. King's words." Former U.N. Ambassador, former Atlanta mayor and civil rights leader Andrew Young said King was sensitive about his small stature, as he stood only 5 feet 7 inches. "Now he's 30 feet tall, looking down on everybody," Young said. CNN's Athena Jones, T.J. Holmes and Roland Martin contributed to this report. | NEW: Obama: "We've got to keep pushing for what ought to be"
King's children urge that his ideals and values be remembered .
Speakers at the ceremony urge the pursuit of economic justice .
Celebrated writer Maya Angelou says King has been edited to make him seem arrogant . |
123,284 | 2b602e4dd1732f779a7176373f830a40e497dcde | Joe Hart insists he will be ready to deal with Luis Suarez and the rest of his Uruguay team-mates on Thursday. England take on Uruguay later this week in what Hart believes is a 'do-or-die' match because of Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Italy. Suarez is back in full training following a knee injury and is expected to start the match at the Itaquerao Stadium. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Luis Suarez looking sharp in training . Prepared: Joe Hart says he is ready for the challenge of Uruguay on Thursday . Suarez enjoyed a prolific year with Liverpool last season, scoring 27 league goals, and Uruguay also have the considerable talents of Diego Forlan and Edinson Cavani to call upon. Hart has been studying videos of all the Uruguay players, though, to make sure he is ready to stop whatever the opposition throws at him on Thursday. 'Dave [Watson, goalkeeping coach] studies the tapes of Uruguay and we are well aware of their strikers and their pattern of finishing,' England's number one told TheFA.com. 'We had a lot of sharp shots around the . box (in training). We cover in general, but we specify short, sharp . shots as they have got a lot of boys who get it out of their feet and . bang it.' England need to beat Uruguay and Costa Rica to guarantee their progression to the knock-out stages. Eyes on the prize: Luis Suarez trained on Tuesday and is expected to be fit to face England . Kicking into gear: Luis Suarez says he is 100 per cent fit to face England after his knee problems . No surprises: Joe Hart has faced Luis Suarez countless times in the Premier League . Head boy: Mario Balotelli (left) scored the winning goal as England lost to Italy last Saturday . A draw and a win could be enough for England to qualify, providing other results go their way, but Hart sees Thursday's game as a must-win. 'We've got to win in Sao Paulo,' said the 27-year-old, who earned his 41st cap in Manaus. 'We did play well (against Italy) and there were a lot of positives, but the outcome was not want we wanted and it's not what we've come here for. 'We've put ourselves in a do-or-die situation, which we are prepared for. We need to win. We didn't go into the Italian game with any intention of losing - it's done now, we've moved on.' | Hart says he has been watching videos of Uruguay's strikers .
England keeper says Roy Hodgson's side know they must win on Thursday .
Suarez is back in full training and expected to start against England . |
244,594 | c88ae69a99318542d9c1eda20efa5dcd91a9d470 | Michelle Obama and her daughters were joined by the President's half-sister Auma on Tuesday as the group made a sombre tour of the Holocaust memorial in Berlin. The First Lady, Malia, 14, and Sasha, 12, bowed their heads and listened carefully to the words of a tour guide. Michelle looked lost in thought as she wandered through the vast site while Malia appeared deeply moved and reached out to touch the stones. The Obamas are in Germany for a two-day visit and while the President meets with leader Angela Merkel, his wife and daughters visited the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, a solemn reminder of the millions of lives lost during the Holocaust. Scroll down for video . Family: Auma Obama (pictured far left) joined the First Lady and daughters Malia, 14, and Sasha, 11, on a guided tour of the memorial in Berlin which is dedicated to the millions of lives lost during the Holocaust . Guide: The group looked animated as they spoke about the memorial . Paying respects: Sombre Michelle Obama and her daughters Sasha and Malia visit the Memorial in Berlin today . Deep in thought: Malia touches one of the monuments at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe . Pensive: Michelle looked lost in thought as she wandered through the site . Close bond: The two sisters look deep in discussion as they leave flowers at the Holocaust memorial in Berlin on Tuesday . Family day out: Michelle Obama and Auma Obama, U.S. President Barack Obama's half sister, visit the Berlin Wall memorial at Bernauer Strasse . The memorial consists of 2,711 concrete . slabs on four acres of land in the heart of Berlin, and is visited by . hundreds of thousands of people every year. Mrs Obama and her daughters were joined on the trip by Auma, the president's half-sister, who studied in Germany and lives in Kenya. Mrs Obama and her daughters had dressed in lightweight clothes to combat the blistering hot day in Germany. The First Lady wore a monochrome, sleeveless top over black trousers with a double strand of pearls and sunglasses. Reunited: President Obama is greeted by German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin just a short time after leaving her at the G8 Summit in Northern Ireland . Welcome back, Mr President: German leader Angela Merkel looks delighted to see President Obama . Friendship: Obama is welcomed by the German leader for the first time during his presidency . Shake on it: Obama and Merkel shake hands at the Chancellery in Berlin but the U.S. President is unlikely to get as warm a welcome following the NSA scandal . Malia was dressed in cropped camel trousers with matching pumps and a pale blue T-shirt while younger sister Sasha wore a darker blue T-shirt and patterned jeans. Auma Obama was dressed in a black shift top and trousers. Auma Obama was born in 1960 and is a year older than her President half-brother. She is the daughter of the President's father Barack Obama Senior and his first wife Kezia. In 1959, Barack Obama Senior, left Africa to take up a scholarship at the University of Hawaii. Auma appears to have been conceived when his father was home on holiday in Kenya. In America, Barack Sr met and married Ann Dunham, an anthropologist from Kansas. But soon after she gave birth to the future president of the United states, he left and returned to Kenya. Auma Obama studied German at the University of Heidelberg from 1981 to 1987 before completing her PhD at the University of Bayreuth in 1996. She married an Englishman Ian Manners in 1996 and lived in London although the couple are now divorced. She is now a development worker in Kenya. At one point during the tour, Malia reached out to touch one of the stone monuments as her younger sister looked on. The group were given a guided tour by . Uwe Neumaerker, director of the foundation for the Memorial to the . Murdered Jews of Europe. Opened in 2005 near the Brandenburg Gate, the field of 2,700 concrete slabs of varying height evokes a cemetery to many visitors and serves as a memorial for the millions of Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Visitors walk along pathways that descend into the heart of a claustrophobic maze. The fate of the millions who were murdered is documented in a subterranean information center below the paths. When . they arrived at the memorial, surrounded by Secret Service officials, . Michelle hugged her youngest daughter as they climbed out of an SUV. Later at Checkpoint Charlie -- the . well-known border crossing between Berlin's former U.S. and Soviet . sectors - the Obama family viewed a temporary display by artist Yadegar . Asisi which gives visitors a glimpse at what life along the Wall was . like. A large panorama inside a circular . building gives a photorealistic view of a divided 1980s Berlin . neighbourhood, showing the graffiti-covered West side of the Wall and, . beyond the guard dogs, barbed wire and search lights, the drabness of . East Berlin beyond. The Obama family was set to be joined . by Joachim Sauer, the husband of Chancellor Angela Merkel, on the next . stop, the Berlin Wall Memorial, a remaining 720ft section of the 95mile . 'death strip' that split the city between 1961 and 1989. Guests: The Obama group was escorted by the German Chancellor Angela Merkel's husband Joachim Sauer (second left) on a visit the Berlin Wall memorial . In memory: The First Lady places flowers in the wall in memory of Holocaust victims . History lesson: Michelle Obama, daughters and her husband's half-sister Auma, listen to Uwe Neumaerker, director of the memorial's foundation . Visit: The First Lady and her daughters met up with the President's half-sister while on a two-day official visit to Germany . Classic style: The First Lady wore a simple monochrome top with strands of pearls and sunglasses . Respectful: Malia Obama, 14, had her head bowed deep in thought while she walked with her mother through the Holocaust memorial . Family trip: Michelle Obama hugs her youngest daughter Sasha as they arrive to visit the Holocaust Memorial . Watchful eye: Members of the Obamas' security detail were ever present while they wandered the acres of the memorial . Poignant: Michelle watches her daughter Sasha as she places a flower at the Berlin Wall memorial in Bernauer Strasse . Historical: The memorial contains the last piece of Berlin Wall and is the central memorial site of German division . Respectful: Michelle places a peach-coloured flower in the wall as her daughters place yellow flowers in . Whistle stop tour: Barack Obama's half-sister Auma Obama accompanied Michelle as they walked ahead with Joachim Sauer the husband of German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin . Group stop: Michelle held court as the group paused for a discussion . Starting out: The group were shown a guide before they started their tour in the sun . Significant: Michelle Obama's motorcade passes Checkpoint Charlie, the former Berlin Wall crossing point between the former GDR and West Berlin, in Berlin . Located at Bernauer Strasse, it features a preserved guard tower and fortifications of the Wall, where at least 136 East Germans died in the city during escape attempts. The final stop was set to be the Reichstag, which housed the assemblies of the German Empire, Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany until it was destroyed by fire in 1933, leaving it abandoned for decades. Refurbished after Germany's 1990 reunification by architect Norman Foster, who added its characteristic glass dome to symbolize open democracy, it has since 1999 housed the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag. Family affair: President Obama, First Lady Michelle and daughters Sasha and Malia join extended family on Inauguration Day 2013. From left are: Craig Robinson, Leslie Robinson, Avery Robinson, Marian Robinson, Akinyi Manners, Auma Obama, Maya Soetoro-Ng, Konrad Ng, Savita Ng, and Suhaila Ng . After their tour, Mrs Obama and her daughters would relax for the afternoon, Berlin newspapers reported. Michelle, Sasha and Malia were due to go shopping near their luxury hotel at Potsdamer Platz before the girls go to a movie in a nearby cineplex. President Obama is visiting Berlin . for the first time during his presidency and his speech at the . Brandenburg Gate is to be the highlight this evening. Obama will be speaking close to the . 50th anniversary of the historic speech by then U.S. President John F. Kennedy in Berlin in 1963, during which he proclaimed the famous . sentence: 'Ich bin ein Berliner.' Next stop: Obama step off Air Force One last night with his family . Purpose: Obama will walk in John F. Kennedy's footsteps this week on his first visit to Berlin as U.S. President, but encounter a more powerful and skeptical Germany in talks on trade and secret surveillance practices . The Obama party flew in from Ireland . on Monday night. Earlier that afternoon, Michelle and her daughters had . lunch with Bono in the quaint coastal village of . Dalkey. The singer took his distinguished . American guests to favorite pub Finnegans where the menu featured local . seafood, rack of lamb and traditional Irish fare like corned beef and . cabbage. The Obamas started on Tuesday with an . hour-long visit to picturesque Glendalough in the Wicklow Mountains - . but the two girls looked like they would have rather slept in at their . luxury hotel. On Monday, the Obama women appeared to be having a great time as they giggled and pulled a series of wacky faces during a performance of Riverdance. Malia and Sasha had looked less than enthralled earlier that day as they toured the Medieval Book of Kells with their mother at Trinity College in the capital. Pub lunch: Michelle Obama and Bono enter Finnegans pub in Dalkey on Tuesday (Malia and Sasha are standing with their backs to the camera) Irish roots: Daughter Sasha holds the arm of mom Michelle while Malia looks deep in thought at the historic monastic site in the Wicklow Mountains . | Auma Obama joined the First Lady and daughters Malia and Sasha at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin .
Malia, 14, was clearly moved by memorial and reached out to touch stone .
Auma had studied in Germany and now lives in Kenya . |
200,767 | 8fe65a11355e865db7cb07ace7a5056977cfb7a8 | Under fire: David Spondike, a high school music teacher from Akron, Ohio, has been suspended with pay after school officials say he posted a series of racially charged messages on his Facebook page . An Ohio high school music teacher has been placed on leave after posting racially charged rants on his Facebook page decrying the lewd actions of a 'ghetto' trick-or-treater. David Spondike, 51, was suspended with pay Monday from Firestone High School in Akron pending an internal investigation into allegations of inappropriate behavior. The local school district became aware of Spondike's online comments after an anonymous whistleblower emailed his expletive-filled Facebook tirades to several local media outlets. According to Akron School Superintendent David James, his remarks were directed at a teenager who exposed himself in front of young children and urinated on a telephone pole while trick-or-treating in Spondike's neighborhood in Copley Township Sunday, Ohio.com reported. Spondike's Facebook account has since been deleted. The original post read: ‘I don’t mind if you come from the ghetto to trick or treat. But when you whip out your teeny d**** and p*** on the telephone pole in front of my front yard and a bunch of preschoolers and toddlers, you can take your n*****-ass back where it came from. I don’t have anything against anyone of color, but n*****s, stay out.' Scroll down for video . Foul-mouthed tirade: Spondike posted this rant filled with racial slurs and expletives after a run-in with a trick-or-treater who allegedly exposed himself in his neighborhood and urinated on a telephone pole . The 51-year-old followed up with another message, writing that he 'welcomes people who come from dangerous neighborhoods to mine, so their children can safely trick or treat. I feel sorry that they feel they need to do so, but they have been coming here for years.' However, the music teacher warned outsiders that unruly behavior will not be tolerated. 'Your [sic] are a CRIMINAL and are not welcome in my neighborhood and you should not be welcome in your own! THAT IS WHY YOU HAVE COME TO MINE TO TRICK OR TREAT. Do not treat my neighborhood like you do your own. I HAVE THE RIGHT NOT TO BE LIKE YOU.' Spondike then went on a tangent about the prevalent use of the N-word by 'black people' in his school. 'Racism is racism and to allow one race to use [a] word and not another IS racist. What I said was absolutely NOT racist by any stretch of the imagination.' Lashing out: Spondike, 51, posted the message on Facebook Sunday after allegedly spotting the black teenager outside his home in Copley Township . New calling: Spondike, a single father, was hired to teach music and orchestra to kids in 1998 after leaving a career in television . Mr Spondike further elaborated on the subject, telling his critics: 'If you want to be a language policeman, I suggest you find yourself in a George Orwell novel. When I try to get the teenagers in my school to stop using the word [racial slur], I only get laughed at.' After Spondike's controversial Facebook posts came to light, James said the teacher offered an apology 'to those who are sincerely offended.' ‘His comments were unprofessional and unbecoming a teacher,’ the superintendent said in a written statement. ‘Regardless of whether he was on his own time and own account doing this, he is a teacher; and his actions influence children. This is serious.’ Spondike, who describes himself on his Twitter account as 'Father. Educator. Musician. Sailor,' has been at the Akron School District since 1998, teaching music, music history and orchestra. In the early 90s, Spondike worked in television in Cincinnati, and at one point was an assistant director on The Jerry Springer Show. Over the past 13 years, Spondike has been investigated four times, beginning in 2000 when he threw a chair and used an obscenity in a classroom. Troubled past: Spondike's personnel records indicate that the Firestone High School teacher has been investigated four times since 2000, including for an incident where he threw a chair in class, and another instance where he spat on the floor in anger . A year later, the music teacher was again accused of misconduct after he spat on the floor during class because he was angry that a student dozed off. Around the same time, he landed in hot water for admonishing a fellow teacher for his failure to reprimand a student dressed in 'very baggy pants,' the station WKYC reported. In 2007, Spondike faced allegations of pinning a student from Goodyear Middle School against the wall, but he was ultimately cleared in connection to the incident. The school district will hold a hearing within the next week to determine what, if any punishment, Spondike will face. | Firestone High School music teacher David Spondike, 51, claimed his comment was directed at a teen who urinated on a pole near his house .
Spondike wrote several other posts ranting about the use of the N-word by African-American students in his school .
To his critics his said: 'I suggest you find yourself in a George Orwell novel'
The single father of one worked as assistant director on The Jerry Springer Show in early 1990s .
Since 2000, Spondike has been investigated four times, conduit for spitting on the floor in class and throwing a chair . |
119,489 | 26583f9e570fe7ee4d4661a92b428465c89e2abc | (EW.com ) -- This is worse than wearing sweatpants: Mean Girls isn't getting a Tina Fey-penned sequel! Despite some hopeful speculation from fans recently, Fey confirmed the news to Extra on Wednesday, saying, "We're coming up next month on the 10-year anniversary of the original movie... We're going to see if there's any way to get everyone together, but not a movie, sadly. We're all past high school age." (Mean Girls 2, the 2011 TV movie sequel with a whole new group of girls, is best not mentioned.) Like any good twenty-something, I love the movie, but the "no sequel" news is totally for the best. There's no way people wouldn't be disappointed by whatever they came up with, and now, fans can just continue to watch and love the original as the perfect high school satire that it is. For those that would like a little more, all hope isn't lost: Fey is directing her energy towards a possible Mean Girls musical (which she told EW about last year in her EW Interview). Since Fey has made it clear we aren't going to get Regina and Gretchen's High School Reunion, just for fun we went ahead and pictured where the whole fetch gang is now, 10 years post-high school. Regina George: Regina George continued playing lacrosse at the college level, and subsequently joined a sorority, which she was ultimately kicked out of after an email she wrote cleverly berating her sisters went viral. She now works in PR, and her assistant has told her she isn't allowed to tweet anymore, as her cutting, pitch-perfect insults have offended everyone from the Modern Family kids to the highest levels of the United States government. Anna Wintour has been nothing but impressed. Gretchen Wieners: Gretchen got pregnant by her loser boyfriend senior year of college, and then ditched the guy (Joey Donner). After giving birth to Bella (that name is totally going to happen), she decided motherhood was her true calling. Recently, she's the kindergarten helper in Bella's class, making sure every person gets a Valentine (including the cute single dads!). She also works part-time as an administrate assistant at Pillsbury, where she is regularly complimented on her hair. Cady Heron: After she broke up with Aaron Samuels because he was far too dumb for her post-high school, Cady listened to her mom (and Ms. Norbury) and attended Northwestern University, graduating with a degree in Mathematics. Currently, she's a teacher, and has a quiet life with good friends (including Janis, but not Damian; he knows what he did). Her secret pleasure is reading celebrity gossip, but she can't help but feel for the young women the tabloids exploit, regardless of the mistakes they may have made. Karen Smith: Karen's weather reports quickly went viral, and she was snapped up right out of high school to become one of the weather people for Fox News, a job she holds to this day. Smith still keeps up with Wieners and her daughter via Facebook; she's fond of "Like"-ing nearly every post, and still hasn't totally figured out hashtags. Regina has not responded to her friend request. Aaron Samuels: Aaron works as a model. Obsessed with his body and weight, he's often overheard declaring he doesn't do carbs. Damian totally heard he may have a little bit of a drug habit, and his new girlfriend is a total gold digger. He cries for what could have been with Cady every year on Oct. 3. Janis Ian: After graduation, Janis went to art school before dropping out because there were too many rules. She moved to L.A., and while she hates most of the people she meets, she's built a solid career for herself as a modernist painter. She never unfriended any of the girls she knew when she was 17 because she enjoys the feeling of superiority she gets while regularly checking out their social media presences. She can be found with a protest sign in her hand. Damian: Damian became a shameless social climber. After graduating from college in the Midwest, he moved to NYC where he regularly stalked celebs and appeared as a hanger-on on various reality shows. He once helped Rachel Zoe pick out a pair of shoes. He dropped whatever his last name was, and now hosts an eponymous show on E!. Ms. Norbury achieved total world domination. See the original story at EW.com. CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . © 2011 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved. | Tina Fey has confirmed there won't be a sequel .
For fun, EW imagines the characters now .
Ms. Norbury achieves world domination . |
133,179 | 3830ec73916ec90490ddc6a9ab7fc9596a7fbb7e | Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- Simon Monjack's death two months ago was caused by acute pneumonia and severe anemia, according to a Los Angeles County coroner spokesman. "Just like Brittany," Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said, referring to actress Brittany Murphy, Monjack's wife, who died five months earlier. Some prescription drugs were detected in his system, but not in lethal levels, Winter said. Sharon Murphy issued a statement saying the preliminary findings should "stop the reckless innuendos that my daughter and son-in-law misused any kind of prescription medications." "It is with great relief that Simon's preliminary autopsy findings have been released, so the media speculations can stop," Murphy said. "As I was sure of, just like my daughter Brittany, there was no kind of drug overdose." One more test will be conducted, at Monjack's family's request, before a full autopsy report is released in about two weeks, Winter said. Monjack, a 39-year-old British screenwriter, was found dead at his Hollywood home May 23, according to the coroner's office. Murphy, his wife of less than three years, died in the same home last December. Murphy, 32, died from a combination of pneumonia, an iron deficiency and multiple drug intoxication, a coroner said. The drugs involved were legal and used to treat a respiratory infection, according to an autopsy. The often bubbly, free-spirited actress appeared in films such as "Clueless," "8 Mile," "Don't Say a Word" and "Girl, Interrupted." She also lent her voice to animated works, including the movie "Happy Feet" -- in which she also sang -- and a regular role on the animated TV series "King of the Hill." | NEW: Murphy's mom: "Reckless innuendos" about drugs should stop .
The coroner says he found that drugs didn't play a role in the British screenwriter's death .
Monjack's cause of death was the same as that of his wife, Brittany Murphy, he says .
Murphy died of a combination of pneumonia and an iron deficiency, the coroner says . |
111,256 | 1b755136613c23e26f2d33063df5d398d8ebb7e1 | By . Jason Groves for the Daily Mail . Councils will today call for a change in the law to prevent them having to sell voters’ personal details to junk mail firms. Local authorities have come under fire from privacy campaigners for effectively aiding the junk mail barons who bombard families with unwanted leaflets and letters. Details from the electoral roll are routinely sold on to direct marketing firms, estate agents, fast food outlets and others who contribute to Britain’s annual mountain of three billion items of junk mail. Details from the electoral roll are routinely sold on to direct marketing firms, estate agents, fast food outlets and others who contribute to Britain's annual mountain of three billion items of junk mail . Critics point out that cash-strapped councils make thousands of pounds a year by selling on voters’ details for as little as 15p a go. But, in a significant intervention today, the Local Government Association (LGA) calls for a change in the law to bring an end to the practice. The umbrella body says councils are obliged by law to sell on data from the electoral roll under the terms of the Representation of the People Act 2002. The organisation claims many councils do not even make enough money from the process to cover their costs. And it warns the situation is even deterring some people from signing up to the electoral roll, leaving them unable to vote. Peter Fleming, of the LGA, said: ‘Councils resent having to pass the electoral roll onto direct marketing companies. 'Junk mailers and cold callers are a pet hate for many of us. It demeans our democracy for the voters’ details to be sold off as a tool to help direct marketing firms make money. Critics point out that cash-strapped councils make thousands of pounds a year by selling on voters' details for as little as 15p-a-go . ‘In some cases people have not signed up to vote because they are concerned about their privacy being compromised. ‘Scrapping the open register would spare millions from being bombarded with junk mail and would remove a hurdle which stands in the way of our efforts to sign people up to vote.’ Under the existing law, councils are required to compile two versions of the electoral register. Details of everyone entitled to vote are included on a ‘full’ version of the register, which is not for sale to businesses. But a second ‘open’ version of the register is also created containing the same names and addresses, except for those who have opted out. This contains some 28 million names, which junk mail firms can purchase in electronic form for as little as £1.50 per 1,000 entries. The electoral register is available for anyone to inspect. But by selling on details in electronic form councils make it easy for junk mail firms to send out thousands of unwanted items at the push of a button. A study by the civil liberties group Big Brother Watch last year found that 300 councils had sold on information to some 2,700 companies and individuals over the previous five years. Daniel Nesbitt, research director at Big Brother Watch, said: "The sale of the edited electoral register has to stop and the LGA is absolutely right to say so. ‘Registering to vote should be a basic part of our democratic freedoms, instead the practice of forcing councils to sell our personal details to anyone and everyone has left people confused about who can get hold of their private information. ‘The existence of the edited register is waste of everyone's time, councils don't benefit from selling it on and it leaves residents drowning in huge volumes of junk mail, there is no need to keep it and it should be abolished as a matter of urgency.' | Councils are currently obliged to sell on data from 'open' electoral roll .
This contains details of voters who have not opted to keep details private .
Critics say that councils make thousands from the practice .
Britain produces three billion items of junk mail each year . |
36,065 | 665cc3ae1608438a25efcb46d34c045cf1d81c5d | By . Natalie Clarke . Ordinarily, the Rev Paul Flowers would have presided over the 10.30am service yesterday at Wibsey Methodist Church. The . gathering at the modern pebble-dashed church outside Bradford, West . Yorkshire, lasts an hour and is followed by tea and biscuits. But . having been caught buying and using illegal drugs including crystal . meth, crack cocaine and ketamine, it would hardly have seemed . appropriate to take the pulpit. Paul Flowers is being investigated by the police after being caught on film apparently buying hard drugs, including crack cocaine and crystal meth . Ridicule: The Rev Flowers during the Treasury Select Committee hearing . The Methodist Church appears to agree – Flowers has been suspended from his duties for three weeks. He . has been one of its ministers for 40 years. Laudable, you might say. But does being in such a post really make one a suitable candidate to . become chairman of the Co-operative Bank? Was there something else in Flowers’s CV that qualified him for this most demanding of positions? Well, to be fair, the openly gay Flowers did work for NatWest for four years, in the late 60s. The . position he held is not clear, but given the fact that he was 19 at the . time and became a Methodist minister at the end of his tenure suggests . the post was not a senior one. At . a meeting of the Treasury Select Committee earlier this month, when . asked to explain how he was qualified to run the bank following its . £700million loss he replied: ‘I took the exam of the Institute of . Bankers. ‘I completed part one and the best part of part two of those exams before I became a Methodist minister. ‘I would judge that experience is out of date in terms of the needs of contemporary banking.’ Who would argue with that? Especially given his somewhat shaky grasp of figures. He told the committee that the Co-op’s balance sheet had £3billion of assets, when the answer was in fact £47billion. He was also at a loss to answer questions about the amount of loans on its books. Perhaps . there is some other evidence of financial wizardry, then, in his . background? Yesterday the Mail searched long and hard, but could find . nothing. Paul Flowers was . born in Portsmouth to parents Muriel and Charles but has lived in the . North for many years. His father died in 1993 aged 70, and he had a . brother, Ian, who died the same year aged just 39. He lives in a modest . house in Bradford and shared it with his mother until her death last . year aged 85. Mr Flowers lives in a modest house in Bradford and shared it with his mother until her death last year aged 85 . After that brief stint . with the NatWest, he became a minister with the Methodist Church, for . whom he now sits as a trustee on the body that manages its invested . funds and property. Twenty . or so years ago, Flowers came to attention as vice-chairman of Rochdale . Council’s social services committee during the ‘satanic abuse’ fiasco . between 1988 and 1991. It . involved social workers making lurid claims about satanic rituals being . performed on children and, as a result, 20 children from six families . were placed in care. However, . the police found no evidence and a government-backed inquiry . subsequently blamed ‘evangelical Christians’ for the scare. Flowers maintained a high profile, sitting on committees and getting himself involved in community projects. Ironically, given recent events, from 1992 to 2004 he was prominently . involved with the Lifeline Project, which helps drug abusers. Today he . remains a trustee of the Terrence Higgins Trust, the HIV/Aids charity. Speaking . about his involvement with the charity, he once said: ‘As an out gay . man for all of my adult life I am acutely aware of the issues . surrounding HIV. ‘Like many others I have been personally affected by it in ways which are often far too painful to recount.’ Flowers was a councillor at Bradford City Council for ten years but does not appear to have been universally popular. One . former councillor told the Mail yesterday: ‘Flowers was an insufferable . and pompous man who threw his not inconsiderable weight around. 'He . always made it plain he was the most educated person in a room and . everyone else was a peasant.’ In 2010 – more irony – he was appointed by . Labour leader Ed Miliband to the party’s finance and industry board. None . of this goes any way to explain just how Flowers became chairman of the . proudly ethical Co-operative Bank. But it seems the system by which the . appointment was made goes some way to solving the mystery. Flowers rose through the Co-op’s ranks, joining the board of the Co-op Group in 2008 and becoming deputy chairman. In . 2009 the post of chairman of Co-operative Banking group became vacant. Choosing the candidate fell to the 13-strong Remuneration and . Appointments Committee, which is formed largely of former Labour . politicians and Co-operative movement veterans. It . traditionally selected directors from the board of the Co-operative . Group. On that board of about 20 people, you would be unlikely to find . any high-flying bankers. Or . anyone, it seems, remotely up to the job of running a bank. The school . leaver who worked at NatWest 40 years previously was the best they could . find. | Methodist minister Paul Flowers, 63, caught on camera buying drugs .
It was just days after he was grilled by MPs over his bank's performance .
Flowers boasts of using ketamine along with cannabis and club drug GHB .
Police have now launched an investigation into the disgraced bank chief . |
252,957 | d363be6bade931d0fec8e9cd7d431364cb5afa76 | Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- Tripoli's two million residents faced increasingly dire shortages of food and water Tuesday as rebels estimated the number of people killed during the past six months to be at least 50,000. "I cannot overstate the urgency of this moment," U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said. "Time is of the essence." Ban said his goal was to get U.N. personnel on the ground "as quickly as possible." Sixty percent of Tripoli was without water or sanitation, Ban said. The European Union said Gadhafi forces had closed water-pumping stations in Jebel Hassouna along the route from Tripoli to Sabha while fleeing the capital. The resulting disruption of the water supply in Tripoli is "a major issue," an EU spokeswoman said, adding that security concerns along the road to the stations made it impossible to predict when the flow could be restored. All 31 EU countries have been asked whether they can help if the situation worsens, she said. The U.N. children's agency was procuring five million liters (1.3 million gallons) of water to ship to Tripoli. The United Nations' World Food Programme was sending 600 tons of food commodities -- wheat flour, pasta, vegetable oil and tomato paste -- for the Red Cross to distribute in Tripoli. The impact of the parched conditions was visible at the city's main zoo, where the zookeeper said that, for seven days, the animals got nothing. By Tuesday, 10 of the usual complement of 200 workers had returned to their jobs. They said rations for the big cats had been cut in half. In the sweltering heat, rail-thin lions paced their cage, forlorn hippopotamuses looked askance at the tank of fetid water in their cage. Most of the cages were empty. Concern over the unfolding humanitarian disaster came as a rebel military commander said that at least 50,000 people, civilians and combatants had been killed in the war to oust Moammar Gadhafi. The number was calculated by adding death tolls reported in battle zones and accounts from agencies such as the Red Cross, said Hisham Abu Hajer, the Tripoli Brigades coordinator. But he did not divulge the data underlying the total and CNN cannot independently verify it. The threat of more bloodshed loomed as reports of human rights violations surfaced and the leader of Libya's National Transitional Council issued an ultimatum Tuesday for tribal leaders in towns still under the control of loyalists: Surrender or face attack on Saturday, after Eid al-Fitr festivities have drawn to a close. NTC head Mustafa Abdul Jalil told reporters that the rebels were in negotiations with the loyalists and hoped to "avoid more bloodshed and to avoid more destruction and damage," but would use force if the loyalists don't surrender. "It might have to be decided militarily; I hope this will not be the case," he said. As fighting continued for the last bastions under Gadhafi's grip, the longtime dictator's whereabouts remained unknown to rebel authorities. A clue came from a 17-year-old who told Sky News he had seen Gadhafi on Friday at the compound in Tripoli belonging to one of Gadhafi's sons, Khamis. The teen said he had been working for the previous month as a guard for Khamis Gadhafi. The leader arrived and spoke with his son for 10 to 15 minutes, Abdu Salam Ataher-Ali said. Friday's visit by Moammar Gadhafi came as rebels were taking control of the capital and Gadhafi loyalists were preparing to flee, the teenager told a translator during an interview in a rebel compound. "He said Gadhafi was visiting us at the same time when we run away from Khamis' compound," the translator said. During the visit, the leader's daughter, Aisha, arrived at the compound, where she and her father got into a convoy of vehicles and drove off, the teen told the translator. "He said one of the high-ranking soldiers come to us and we asked him, 'Where is Gadhafi going?' and he said 'To Sabha,' " the teen said. Sabha is a city in southwestern Libya and one of the loyalist strongholds. Khamis Gadhafi then got into an armored Toyota Land Cruiser and drove toward the town of Bani Walid, the teen said. Bani Walid is a city in the Misrata District in the north, another Gadhafi stronghold. An armored Land Cruiser was among a number of vehicles that were destroyed later by NATO bombs along the road northward. But it was not clear whether Khamis died in that attack. Tripoli residents greeted the end of Ramadan with celebratory gunfire amid news of Khamis' death Sunday night after a battle with rebel forces in northwest Libya between Tarunah and Bani Walid. A rebel commander said Khamis Gadhafi was buried in the area. The teen said he had been persuaded to join Khamis Gadhafi's group when he was told that foreign forces were attacking the country, Sky News reported. CNN has not been able to verify the Sky News report. Khamis Gadhafi's legacy includes his eponymous Khamis Brigade, also known as the 32nd Brigade, which has been accused of human rights abuses. Human Rights Watch said Monday that the brigade executed detainees a week ago in a warehouse near Tripoli. Forces led by Khamis Gadhafi also killed scores of captive civilians as they tried to retreat from Tripoli, according to Muneer Masoud Own, who survived the attack, and CNN's Arwa Damon, who saw the bodies being hauled off. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International both documented the alleged incident. The legacy also apparently includes Shywega Mullah, who told CNN she worked as a nanny for Hannibal Gadhafi, one of Moammar Gadhafi's sons. Her face and torso a grotesque, infected mass of scar tissue and infection, she said Hannibal's wife, Aline, had poured boiling water over her head as punishment for failing to beat into silence one of Aline Gadhafi's crying children. During her year of employment, the 30-year-old Ethiopian immigrant said, she had received no pay. But on Tuesday, she was being treated with antibiotics in a hospital, where she said she was feeling better. Another of Gadhafi's sons, businessman Saadi Gadhafi, has offered to negotiate an end to the war with the rebels who, he said, cannot "build a new country without having us (at) the table." He has made previous offers, though this time he appeared ready to cut loose from his father and his brother Saif al-Islam, once considered the Libyan leader's heir apparent. "If (the rebels) agree to cooperate to save the country together, then it will be easy and fast. I promise!" Saadi Gadhafi said in an e-mail to CNN's Nic Robertson. In a later e-mail, Saadi Gadhafi said that the NTC had asked him to travel to Tripoli to negotiate, but the rebels would not guarantee his security. Asked about the offer, NTC Deputy Prime Minister Ali Tarhouni said Saadi Gadhafi would get safe passage to Tripoli and would be well treated, but would be put on trial rather than given a chance to negotiate. Other members of Gadhafi's family fared better than Khamis apparently did: Moammar Gadhafi's wife, Safia, daughter Aisha and sons Mohamed and Hannibal crossed Monday into neighboring Algeria. Mourad Benmehidi, Algeria's ambassador to the United Nations, said his nation allowed them to enter on "humanitarian grounds." Unlike Libya's other neighbors, Algeria has not recognized the authority of the National Transitional Council and the authoritarian government in Algiers has much to fear with Arab revolutions so close to home. In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the government of Algeria had sent a letter to the United Nations about the matter. "We are reviewing that letter now in New York," she said. "But clearly, there has to be an international community decision in response with regard to the travel ban restrictions that (Resolution) 1970 imposes." The resolution, which was passed in February, imposes international sanctions on the Gadhafi regime for its use of force against peaceful protesters. Any nation that takes steps beyond the resolution has 48 hours to explain itself to the Security Council, she said. Referring to the Algerians' letter, she said, "With regard to our response to it, I think it's too early to tell." Jalil said Tuesday that the rebels would ask Algeria to extradite members of the Gadhafi family back to Libya. He also said that, once the rebels have full control of the country, courts will be set up to hear people's complaints against the Gadhafi regime. But victory remained elusive, with loyalists controlling Bani Walid in the north and Sabha in the south and Gadhaffi's hometown of Sirte, which is located on the Mediterranean between Tripoli and the opposition nerve center of Benghazi. On Tuesday, the front line of the rebel forces was about 100 kilometers (62 miles) west of Sirte and about 70 kilometers (43 miles) from Gadhafi forces. "All we're waiting for is the order from the NTC to move into Sirte," one rebel said. But he and his fellow fighters expressed the hope that negotiations would succeed in the forces laying down their weapons. In addition to expressing concern over the humanitarian situation in Tripoli, the United Nations voiced "extreme alarm" over reports of "atrocious human rights violations" in Libya, including summary executions. "We are also deeply concerned about reports that there are still thousands of people unaccounted for who were arrested or taken prisoner by Gadhafi security forces either earlier in the conflict or before it even started," said Rupert Colville, spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights. Another report, released Tuesday by Physicians for Human Rights, documents crimes in Misrata, which had been under siege from Gadhafi's forces until rebels seized control. The report cites four witnesses who said they saw Gadhafi's troops detain 107 civilians and use them as human shields to guard munitions from NATO strikes. One father told the physicians group that soldiers forced his two young children to sit on a tank, and threatened the family, saying, "You'll stay here, and if NATO attacks us, you'll die too." The report, which says Gadhafi shielded weapons by moving them to markets, mosques and schools, also details accounts of detention and torture. Still, signs of normalcy were visible Tuesday in Tripoli, where some shops reopened, traffic picked up and humanitarian aid was trickling in. France reopened its embassy Monday and Britain said it was preparing to do the same. CNN's Nic Robertson, Fred Pleitgen and Dan Rivers contributed to this story . | Dire shortages of food and water .
U.N. says, "Time is of the essence"
Teen says he saw Moammar Gadhafi on Friday in Tripoli .
Rebels set a Saturday deadline for loyalists to surrender . |
226,096 | b0c97a576bffc997815a20d3562bf145860bc322 | Fighting for his life: Martin Catterall suffered severe head injuries after being knocked unconscious by a gang in Chorley town centre . A new father is on a life support machine after he was savagely beaten up while 'wetting the baby's head' on a night out with friends. Martin Catterall, 30, had been celebrating the birth of his child on Saturday night when he was set upon by a gang in Chorley town centre, Lancashire. The midnight attack left him with severe head injuries and he is currently in a critical condition at the Royal Preston Hospital. Police say his injuries are life-threatening and that he is currently on life support. Four men - two aged 19, a third aged 20 and the fourth aged 24, all from nearby Leyland, also Lancashire, were arrested on suspicion of assault and remain in custody. Lancashire Police confirmed the altercation involved 'a number of men' and are appealing for witnesses who may have been in the beer garden of the White Hart pub in Chorley at the time of the assault. Detective Superintendent Eddie Thistlethwaite said: 'The victim of this assault was knocked unconscious and has been operated on at the Royal Preston Hospital, but he remains critically ill, with life threatening head injuries. 'He has just become a father for the first time to a young baby which makes this incident all the more tragic. 'We do need people to come forward and tell us what they may know or have seen. 'One witness that we asked to come forward has done so and we are grateful to him for doing so. 'But we still need to hear from whoever was in the beer garden of the White Hart public house in Chorley just after midnight in the early hours of Sunday morning and may have seen this assault. 'We are looking at CCTV in a bid to identify potential witnesses. 'This CCTV includes a number of vehicles driving past the immediate aftermath of the incident. 'One is a white taxi, possibly a Vauxhall Zafira or similar. We would ask the driver or passengers of that or other vehicles to contact us.' Specially trained officers are currently working with Mr Catterall's family. Appeal: Police are asking anyone who was in the beer garden of The White Hart Pub in Chorley, above, and who witnessed the incident to come forward . On life support: The midnight attack has left him on life support at the Royal Preston Hospital (above) Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Martin Catterall, 30, had been celebrating birth of child on Saturday night .
New father was set upon by a gang in Chorley town centre in Lancashire .
Knocked unconscious and he is now on life-support after having surgery .
Four men have been arrested and police are appealing for witnesses . |
144,109 | 4656322f777c962745b92533d4134cbe9ebcb3eb | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 18:43 EST, 18 February 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 19:18 EST, 18 February 2014 . Comeback: Debenhams said it has seen sales of rucksacks soar by 114 per cent . Backpacks are back in fashion thanks to the increasing necessity of busy Britons needing to be hands-free as they move around. For this once humble symbol of the budget traveller is the new brief-case, hand bag and holdall, rolled into one, according to the latest research. High Street retailer Debenhams reported yesterday that it has seen a 114per cent increase in sales of backpacks which industry observers attribute to the increasing use of smartphones as they leave the wearer's hands free to text, tweet, or surf the internet. A Nineties favourite, the utilitarian carry-all has been given an upmarket make-over and become the surprise must-have accessory of 2014. Model of the moment Cara Delevingne has given the trend the ultimate stamp of approval by unveiling her own backpack collection for exclusive Brit brand Mulberry this week, while trend-setters like Alexa Chung and Rihanna, have been seen enjoying the benefits of the reborn-rucksack. According to fashion insiders the secret to this look is to remember - size matters. Debenhams Head of Accessories Design, Natelle Baddeley said: 'Too small and you look like you are still stuck in the Nineties, too big and you may be mistaken for an actual backpacker! 'The key size is medium, get that right and the wonderful versatility of the backpack is immediately apparent. 'It provides a practical, fashion forward update to a handbag, and is also a great alternative for both sexes to a briefcase. Hands free: Industry experts have suggested the rise in popularity is due to the rise in use of smartphones, leaving women both hands to use their phones . 'There is a fantastic choice of styles available right now. Solid colours in nylon, canvas and especially leather, work well for a smart, business-look, while chic prints with contrasting trim in denim, faux leather and even mini pom-poms are right on trend.' Designer backpacks alone have shown a 23% sales uplift over the last month with Debenhams H! By Henry Holland range proving particularly popular. Ms Baddeley added: 'Backpacks were popular with bloggers at Fashion Week, and high end brands were including them on the runway in top quality leather for work, as well as casual weekend styles using innovative new materials.' The term 'backpack' was first coined in 1910 in the United States with hikers being the first group to adopt this style of bag. Today, as well as becoming a fashion item, it has evolved into a travellers' staple, and is used by school children globally. Debenhams' backpacks are available in all stores nationwide and online at debenhams.com. Prices range from £20 to £45 by designers at Debenhams, H! By Henry Holland and Red Herring. | Once the symbol of the budget traveller, backpacks are back .
Debenhams reports sales soar by 114 per cent with designer bags rising by 23 per cent in the last month .
Industry experts say the rise in popularity is down to the increase in the number of people using smartphones . |
93,280 | 03fe528631d0fc8431785415b4837ac5885744cd | (CNN) -- France have won the Six Nations rugby title for the first time since 2007 following defending champions Ireland's shock home defeat to Scotland on Saturday. The Irish needed to win by a big margin and then see Les Bleus handsomely defeated by England in the evening match to have a chance of retaining their crown. However, Scotland spoiled any hopes of a tense finale by snatching a 23-20 victory in the last rugby union match to be held at Dublin's Croke Park as Dan Parks kicked a last-minute penalty for a personal haul of 18 points. France then defeated Martin Johnson's much-criticized England team 12-10 in Paris to end the tournament with five wins from five, clinching their first such Grand Slam since 2004. England led with a sixth-minute try from Ben Foden, but France built a 12-7 halftime advantage thanks to three penalties from Morgan Parra and a drop-goal by Francois Trinh-Duc. Jonny Wilkinson, dropped to the bench for only the third time in his 12-year career but brought on as a replacement for center Riki Flutey, kicked the only points of the second half. Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll scored an 11th minute try to give his side a perfect start, but Scotland moved into a 17-7 lead thanks to a try from No. 8 James Beattie and three penalties and a drop-goal from Parks. Tommy Bowe crossed for a controversial try to put Ireland level, awarded with 16 minutes to play despite appearing not to properly ground the ball, but Parks held his nerve to give the visitors their first win of the tournament. Scotland's victory, coming after last weekend's 15-15 draw with England, condemned Italy to bottom place. Wales finished fourth for the second year in a row after beating the Italians 33-10 in Cardiff earlier on Saturday, with center James Hook scoring two tries. | France win the Six Nations rugby title for the first time since 2007 .
Ireland had to beat Scotland to have a chance of retaining title but lost to Scotland .
France then beat England 12-10 in final game of tournament to clinch Grand Slam of wins .
Wales finish fourth for second year in a row after beating bottom side Italy 33-10 . |
228,014 | b33dedc730b79b0da49ebd23144ddb2aa7cba962 | Former referee Howard Webb has finally hit back at claims which dogged his career that he was biased towards Manchester United. Rival fans constantly called into question Webb's professionalism and Liverpool's Ryan Babel was even fined £10,000 for linking to a picture of him mocked up in a United shirt on Twitter following their FA Cup defeat in 2011. But Webb, who retired from officiating last week to take up the role of technical director for the Professional Game Match Officials Limited, strenuously denies he ever gave United any favour. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Howard Webb taken out by Lewis Holtby . Making a point: Howard Webb has hit back at claims that he was biased towards Manchester United . Mocked-up: Webb said rival fans continually accusing him of being biased never had an affect on his game . 'There's no element of truth in it,' Webb said. 'It's not something that affected me or played on my mind at all. It wasn't hurtful. Much of it is tongue-in-cheek, of course. 'What does play on my mind is when I’ve made a mistake, particularly an influential one that has affected the outcome of a game. I’d be dishonest if I said it didn’t bother me. 'One newspaper listed the five games I’d want to forget over the course of my career. Well, there’s more than five. But against the backdrop of more than 500 professional games – I can think of many top professional footballers who have made plenty of mistakes but are still top professional footballers.' Webb was considered by FIFA and the Premier League as one of the top referees in the world during his career. He officiated in two World Cups and was handed the finals of the 2010 World Cup and Champions League. But that did not stop English fans questioning his integrity throughout his career. Webb added: 'If our integrity is questioned by people in a serious way, that’s a different matter. The level of integrity we have as a group is really high.' Webb is known to be a supporter of his hometown club Rotherham United. Top referee: Webb officiated in two World Cups and was handed the 2010 final between Holland and Spain . Punished: Former Liverpool frontman Ryan Babel was fined £10,000 for linking a picture of Webb mocked up in a Man United shirt on Twitter . | Howard Webb has hit back at claims that he was biased towards Man United .
Former referee claims accusations never affected his game .
Ex-Liverpool frontman Ryan Babel was fined £10,000 for posting a picture of Webb mocked-up in Man United shirt back in 2011 .
Webb refereed at two World Cups and a Champions League final . |
235,641 | bd0b49f5cc28125cca68b31e093c347af5000d88 | This is the view across the Pennines to be savoured should you be lucky enough to scale the heights of the tallest free-standing structure in the United Kingdom, the Emley Moor Transmitting Station, near Kirklees in West Yorkshire. The 1,084ft tower is the fourth tallest tower in the European Union and world's 23rd tallest tower at 70ft taller than London's 1,014ft Shard skyscraper. At 493ft taller than the capital's 591ft Gherkin, 21ft higher than the Eiffel Tower and more than six times taller than Trafalgar Square's Nelson's Column, the concrete structure hides in plain sight as one of Britain's best kept secrets, believes site manager Paul French. Scroll down for video . Emley Moor Transmitting Station, near Kirklees, is the UK's tallest freestanding structure and overlooks the Pennines . The view from the spectuacular 1,084ft concrete structure in West Yorkshire as the snow slowly melts away after a recent downfall . Site manager at Emley Moor Transmitting Station, Paul French, works on his laptop with what must be the best office view in Britain . 'It's probably one of the best kept secrets around,' says French, 54. 'Most people I tell seem to think that the Shard in London is the tallest (in Britain), but I'm sure a lot of people definitely don't know that it is in fact Emley Moor.' It takes a full eight minutes to take the elevator from the bottom to the top in a journey not for those squeamish about heights and on a clear day it is said you can see for 40 miles. Far from a mere view point, more than 1.5million people rely on the mast at its top to beam hundreds of channels of digital television to them from Greater Manchester 40 miles away to Scarborough on the east coast. The TV mast, known officially as The Arqiva Tower, can be seen for miles and features a control room at 892 feet with a stunning view across the Pennines. 'I'm not scared of heights but there is a trap door at the top that has just fresh air underneath so that is a cause for concern,' says French, who has worked at Emley Moor for 32 years. The snow-dusted rural landscape of the West Yorkshire area that is home to the massive TV transmitter official called The Arqiva Tower . A car passes what French, who has worked at the same site for 32 years, believes the tower is one of the nation's best kept secrets . The signal from the Emley Moor Transmitting Station stretches from Greater Manchester, 40 miles away, to Scarborough on the east coast . French, 54, who has worked there for 32 years, works at the helm of the tower that deliver more than 1.5million people their digital TV signals . The original 450ft tower was erected in 1956 and entered service for ITV on November 3 that year, before it was replaced by a 1,265ft version in 1964. But on March 19, 1969, the building spectacularly collapsed under the weight of ice and high winds, leaving debris strewn across fields and knocking out TV service for millions of viewers. After years of temporary masts, work on the new tower that now stands, began later that year and was completed in 1970. Paul said: 'We didn't have a colour television at the time but I remember we lost ITV for four days. French surveys the view from the control room at 892 feet of what is officially known as The Arqiva Tower, overlooking the Pennines . A helicopter lands alongside the tower as it is silhouetted by the sun (left) and looking up at the tower from the inside (right) The original 1,263ft tower was erected in 1956 and entered service for ITV on November 3 that year but it collapsed on March 19, 1969 . Under the weight of ice and high winds, millions lost their TV service - work on the tower as it now stands began later that year . 'The old tower effectively caved in on itself so it was a miracle that no one was injured. 'In fact, the only thing that happened was that a guide rope slashed through the nearby Methodist church and gave a fellow practicing on the organ a bit of a fright.' Emley Moor is dwarfed by Tokyo Skytree, which stands 2,080ft and took over the Canton Tower as the world's tallest tower in 2011. It stands only behind the 2,722ft Burj Khalifa as the second tallest building in the world. But none of them boast such stunning country views. | Emley Moor Transmitting Station, near Kirklees, is the UK's tallest freestanding structure at 1,084ft .
It is higher than The Shard and the Eiffel Tower, and boasts spectacular views over the Pennines .
More than 1.5million people rely on the mast at its top for their digital TV channels . |
79,417 | e124bb5ad08980e38cf0091b3dd3c58838b9b26a | (InStyle.com) -- Style, beauty and a certain je ne sais quoi is in the genes for these ultra-glamorous mother/daughter duos. Goldie Hawn and Kate Hudson . Goldie made a name for herself starring in romantic comedies that highlighted her sense of humor as well as her acting chops. If that sounds familiar, it's because it's the same exact career trajectory her gorgeous daughter Kate Hudson chose to take. Along with loads of talent, these two also share a love for a laid-back California-girl style. Blythe Danner and Gwyneth Paltrow . Acclaimed actress Blythe Danner passed along regal good looks and a whole lot of talent to her Oscar-winning daughter. The consummately chic Gwyneth Paltrow is well on her way to becoming a lifestyle guru for her generation with her tip-filled e-mail newsletter GOOP. InStyle.com: Hollywood's hottest moms . And, although her sexy ultra-minis may seem far afield from her mother's sophisticated suits, she draws inspiration from Blythe: "In her, I see the incredible beauty of someone who has lived a life." Demi Moore and Rumer Willis . Rumer Willis scored more than just Demi Moore's raven locks and high cheekbones -- the up-and-coming actress has an all-access pass to her mother's killer wardrobe. Despite this shared resource, Rumer has developed her own enviable edgy-glam style, a true departure from mom's ever-ladylike looks. Madonna and Lourdes Leon . With one of the world's most famous women as your mom, Lourdes Leon has some pretty tall -- and expensive -- shoes to fill. But the teenager, who is helping her mum design a line of clothing for Macy's, is out to prove she's a creative force to be reckoned with, too. InStyle.com: Mother's Day gifts under $100 . "She reminds me of me when I was younger. She just goes for it and tries different things," Madonna said recently about Lourdes (aka Lola). Susan Sarandon and Eva Amurri . Susan Sarandon and her daughter Eva Amurri have no shortage of talent or style. Eva's racking up the acting credits with stints on Californication and How I Met Your Mother and drawing all eyes on the red carpet in boldly hued designs by pal Chris Benz. It's no wonder Eva should befriend the fashion elite -- her mother took her to Todd Oldham and Diane von Furstenberg shows when she was just a kid. Jane Birkin and Charlotte Gainsbourg . Seeing as how her mother had an Hermes bag named after her (the Birkin), it's no surprise that Charlotte Gainsbourg has become a style icon herself. In addition to being a popular French actress and pop singer (another hand-me-down from mom), Charlotte is also Nicholas Ghesquiere's muse for Balenciaga -- check her out in the house's new fragrance campaign. Isabella Rossellini and Elettra Wiedemann . As Ingrid Bergman's daughter and granddaughter respectively, Isabella Rossellini and Elettra Wiedemann were born into serious Hollywood royalty. Both mother and daughter are also spokeswomen for Lancôme -- quite a distinction! Meryl Streep and Mamie Gummer . Meryl Streep and Mamie Gummer may share the same patrician profile and wheat-blond locks, but the gifted pair are no mirror image when it comes to wardrobe. While the legendary Streep favors long, retro-inspired gowns, her ingenue daughter can be spotted out in ultra-modern little draped dresses. Mamie will have plenty of opportunities to air her style on the red carpet -- following in her prolific mom's footsteps, she has three movies coming out this year. Bianca Jagger and Jade Jagger . As a Studio 54 fixture and '70s glamazon, Bianca Jagger set more than a few trends, much like her jewelry designing daughter Jade does now. The younger Jagger also inherited her mom's effortlessly chic style and exotic good looks. Katie Holmes and Suri Cruise . The paparazzi descended as soon as little Suri was born and have yet to let up on the tot and her famous mother. InStyle.com: Suri Cruise's cutest outfits . The twosome have been spotted doing everything from going to ballet class and makeup shopping to eating ice cream together. And with a side gig as a designer, Katie is teaching her mini-me to be quite the fashionista. See more mother/daughter muses at InStyle.com . Get a FREE TRIAL issue of InStyle - CLICK HERE! Copyright © 2010 Time Inc. All rights reserved. | Susan Sarandon and her daughter Eva Amurri have no shortage of talent or style .
Paparazzi descended as soon as Katie Holmes' daughter Suri Cruise was born .
Bianca Jagger set more than a few trends, now her daughter Jade does . |
190,628 | 82cef790c0c85fb46981a9b28c45f5ab549bfbc1 | (CNN) -- Dr. George Tiller, whose Kansas women's clinic frequently took center stage in the U.S. debate over abortion, was shot and killed while serving as an usher at his Wichita church Sunday morning, police said. Dr. George Tiller was one of the few U.S. physicians that performed late-term abortions. Wichita police said a 51-year-old man from the Kansas City, Kansas, area was in custody in connection with the slaying of Tiller, who was one of the few U.S. physicians who still performed late-term abortions. The killing, which came about 16 years after Tiller survived a shooting outside his Wichita clinic, took place shortly after 10 a.m. Sunday at Reformation Lutheran Church. Officers found the 67-year-old dead in the foyer, police said. Witnesses provided a description of the car and a license number of the killer's getaway vehicle, Wichita police spokesman Gordon Bassham said. Police stopped a blue Ford Taurus matching the description about three hours later in Gardner, about 30 miles southwest of Kansas City, and took the driver into custody. No charges had been filed Sunday evening and no motive for the killing was immediately known, but Wichita police Detective Tom Stoltz told reporters: "We think we have the right person arrested." "We will investigate this suspect to the Nth degree -- his history, his family, his associates -- and we are just in the beginning stages of that," Stoltz said. See what people are saying about Dr. Tiller's murder » . Tiller's slaying drew condemnation from supporters, from some of those who tried to shut down his practice and from President Obama, who just two weeks ago urged Americans to seek "common ground" on the issue of abortion. "However profound our differences as Americans over difficult issues such as abortion, they cannot be resolved by heinous acts of violence," Obama said in a statement issued by the White House. The shooting prompted U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to direct federal marshals to "offer protection to other appropriate people and facilities around the nation," according to a statement from the Department of Justice. Tiller had been practicing medicine for nearly 40 years, said Peter Brownlie, president of the Kansas City-based regional Planned Parenthood office. His patients were "almost always in circumstances where something had gone horribly wrong with a pregnancy," and where a woman's health would be endangered if the pregnancy continued, Brownlie said. He and his staff had been picketed for years, with some activists distributing leaflets around his neighborhood, Brownlie said. His clinic suffered serious damage from a bomb in the mid-1990s, and he was shot through both arms in 1993 by an anti-abortion activist who is currently serving time in federal prison. "He endured that kind of stuff on a very frequent basis," Brownlie said. "As recently as early this month the clinic sustained serious vandalism that put them out of commission for a week or so." Watch Tiller describe the philosophy of his clinic in 1999 » . Tiller had armed security at his clinic and a "pretty rigorous" security procedure at home, Brownlie said. But he "made an effort to live his life as normally as possible knowing he could be a target at any time," he said. In a statement issued through Tiller's lawyers, his family -- a wife, four children and 10 grandchildren -- said their loss "is also a loss for the City of Wichita and women across America." "George dedicated his life to providing women with high-quality health care despite frequent threats and violence," his family said in a written statement. "We ask that he be remembered as a good husband, father and grandfather and a dedicated servant on behalf of the rights of women everywhere." In March, Tiller was acquitted of 19 counts of performing procedures unlawfully at his clinic. In 2008, a probe initiated by abortion opponents who petitioned state authorities to convene a grand jury ended without charges. Leading anti-abortion groups condemned Sunday's shooting, emphasizing they wanted to shut down Tiller's practice by legal means. Operation Rescue, which has led numerous demonstrations at Tiller's clinic, called the shooting as a "cowardly act." And the National Right to Life Committee, the largest U.S. anti-abortion group, said it "unequivocally condemns any such acts of violence regardless of motivation." "The pro-life movement works to protect the right to life and increase respect for human life," it said. "The unlawful use of violence is directly contrary to that goal." But Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry, who is no longer affiliated with the group, called Tiller "a mass murderer." "We grieve for him that he did not have time to properly prepare his soul to face God," Terry said in a written statement. "I am more concerned that the Obama administration will use Tiller's killing to intimidate pro-lifers into surrendering our most effective rhetoric and actions. Abortion is still murder, and we still must call abortion by its proper name." The National Organization for Women, which supports abortion rights, called Tiller's killing an act of "domestic terrorism." And NARAL Pro-Choice America said Tiller had worked for years under "intense harassment tinged with persistent threats of violence." If Tiller was killed because of his work, he would be the fourth U.S. physician killed over abortion since 1993. See all abortion-related attacks since 1993 » . In 1998, a sniper killed Dr. Barnett Slepian in his Amherst, New York, home. Anti-abortion activist James Kopp was later arrested in France and is serving life in prison. In 1994, Dr. John Bayard Britton and one of his volunteer escorts were shot and killed outside an abortion clinic in Pensacola, Florida. Paul Hill, a former minister, was convicted of the killings and executed in 2003. And in 1993, another doctor, David Gunn, was shot to death outside another Pensacola clinic. His killer, Michael Griffin, is serving a life sentence. In addition, a nurse at a Birmingham, Alabama, clinic was maimed and an off-duty police officer was killed in a 1998 bombing by Eric Rudolph, who included abortion among his list of anti-government grievances. Rudolph admitted to that attack and three other bombings -- including the 1996 attack on the Olympic games in Atlanta, Georgia -- and is currently serving life in prison. CNN's Matt Smith contributed to this report. | Suspect in shooting death of Dr. George Tiller in custody, police say .
Tiller shot Sunday at his church in Wichita, Kansas, according to police .
Motive unknown; Tiller was one of few U.S. doctors performing late-term abortions .
Supporters, President Obama and anti-abortion groups condemn killing . |
131,085 | 3583fbd128c565310a6c6569b21b138133899880 | Star Trek actor William Shatner has joined growing calls for Nasa to investigate a bizarre 'jelly doughnut' shaped rock on the Martian surface. Shatner asked Nasa about the strange Mars rock found by Opportunity via Twitter during a press conference on the Opportunity rovers latest discoveries - asking mission controllers if they had ruled out 'Martian rock throwers'. Mission controllers responding by saying Shatner's theory was 'unlikely'. An strange rock, seen here on the left image, mysteriously appeared in front of Opportunity rover in the beginning of the month. An American writer claims it 'grew' there and is demanding Nasa investigate further . Shatner asked asking mission controllers if they had ruled out 'Martian rock throwers' in the mystery over the jelly donut rock . 'We've got another question from Twitter, this one from William Shatner,' NASA spokesman Guy Webster said, according to space.com. 'He'd like to know if you've ruled out the Martian rock throwers in the case of the jelly doughnut.' Mars rover lead scientist Steve Squyres of Cornell University responded, saying 'I think Martian rock throwers are unlikely, though we'll keep our eyes open for those.' 'We did actually have another scenario which we're still thinking about. 'It's the 'smoking hole in the ground hypothesis' as I've called it. 'We cannot yet rule out the possibility with certainty that there wasn't a freshly formed impact crater nearby, and that this is a piece of stuff that was thrown out by a small impact. ' A controversial science writer has already filed a lawsuit against Nasa for their failure to investigate whether a rock seen on Mars is in fact an alien lifeform. Last week the rock mysteriously appeared in front of the Opportunity rover, even though the same spot was empty a few days before. It is believed the rock, which is made up of manganese, suplhur and magnesium, suddenly appeared after it was dislodged by a meteorite or even the rover itself. Opportunity landed on Mars in 2004 in what was to be a three-month mission. Instead the rover has lived beyond its prime mission and roved the planet for nearly 10 years. The rover is currently at 'Solander Point' at the rim of Endeavour Crater on Mars. The rover hasn't moved in over a month as it waits for better weather on the red planet. During its time on Mars, the rover has identified rock laden with what scientists believed to be clay minerals. Their presence is an indication that the rock has been altered at some point in the past through prolonged contact with water. But author Rhawn Joseph, who writes on a wide variety of subjects - including books theorising that life on Earth has its roots in outer space - rejects such mundane explanations. The lawsuit, filed in a California court, is aimed at Nasa and requests that it 'perform a public, scientific, and statutory duty which is to closely photograph and thoroughly scientifically examine and investigate a putative biological organism'. Popular Science reports that Joseph has blasted the rock theory, since his examination found 'the same structure in miniature was clearly visible upon magnification and appears to have just germinated from spores'. In other words, it grew there. The suit adds: 'The refusal to take close up photos from various angles, the refusal to take microscopic images of the specimen, the refusal to release high resolution photos, is inexplicable, recklessly negligent, and bizarre.' He alleges that Nasa have not investigated the spore-rock closely as they trying to gut planetary exploration programmes and serve corporate interests. He added: 'The only other exploration is that Nasa's rover team is outrageously negligent, obscenely incompetent, shockingly ignorant about basic biology and prone to magical thinking.' Lead Mars Exploration rover scientist Steve Squyres recently told a Nasa event: 'We are as we speak situated with the rover's instruments deployed making measurements of this rock. 'We've taken pictures of both the doughnut and jelly parts, and the got the first data on the composition of the jelly yesterday. 'It's like nothing we've ever seen before,' he said. 'It's very high in sulphur, it's very high in magnesium, it's got twice as much manganese as we've ever seen in anything on Mars. 'I don't know what any of this means. We're completely confused, and everyone in the team is arguing and fighting (over what it means).' The discovery led Nasa last week to issue a Mars status report entitled "encountering a surprise".' 'Opportunity encountered a slight surprise -- a rock had appeared in the images that had not been there before.,' Nasa said in a statement. A panoramic image of the Martian area named 'Lion King,' showing 'Eagle Crater' and the surrounding plains of Meridiani Planum on Mars taken by the Rover Opportunity . 'This target that has been named 'Pinnacle Island' and its origin has been the target of much speculation. 'It will likely be the target of considerable investigation over the next few days' 'We saw this rock just sitting here,' said Squyres. 'It looks white around the edge in the middle and there’s a low spot in the centre that's dark red - it looks like a jelly doughnut.' The rover, which landed on Mars in 2004, hasn't moved in over a month as it waits for better weather on the red planet. But a photo taken on Sol 3540 (January 8th, or the 3,540th Martian solar day since the Opportunity rover landed) shows a rock that wasn't visible in previous photos taken on Sol 3536. Astronomers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, who maintain the rover camera database for Nasa, have named the ‘donut-sized’ rock Pinnacle Island. Mr Squyres said the rock may be Martian rock that was blown out of the ground by a meteoroid impact and landed next to the rover. Another theory is that the rock previously got stuck in a rover wheel and finally fell into its current position,according to a report in Discovery News. ‘[The rock] obligingly turned upside down, so we're seeing a side that hasn't seen the Martian atmosphere in billions of years and there it is for us to investigate,’ Mr Squyres said. Opportunity landed on Mars in 2004 in what was to be a three-month mission. 10 years later, and it is still active on the red planet . ‘It's just a stroke of luck.’ Opportunity has been on Mars for 10 years, despite being designed for a 90 Sol mission . A Sol, one Martian day, is slightly longer than an Earth day at 24 hours and 37 minutes. Its mission has been extended several times as it continues to make new and profound discoveries about the red planet. In December 2012, for instance mission scientists announced that Opportunity was exploring a special spot on the rim of Endeavour Crater. The area, known as Matijevic Hill, was found to contain clay minerals, implying that the area was exposed to water billions of years ago. | Photo from January 8 shows a rock that wasn't visible in previous images .
Rock nicknamed 'jelly doughnut' - and found to have unique properties .
But an American writer claims Nasa have not investigated it properly .
Rhawn Joseph claims the 'rock' is alive and grew on the spot .
He has filed a lawsuit demanding Nasa investigate his claims . |
259,720 | dc4095d23d4837bbf4ec835961a4d76bb0d80903 | (CNN) -- British Prime Minister David Cameron will arrive in Myanmar Friday accompanied by a delegation of 10 business leaders -- a measure of how quickly the once reclusive Southeast Asian country is reengaging with the world both diplomatically and economically. The delegation will be presented as "tourists" to circumvent restrictions imposed by European Union trade sanctions, according to Britain's Guardian newspaper. "It is not a trade mission. We are going to Burma for reasons of geography and the recent elections, which led to a positive outcome," a source from the British government reportedly told the newspaper. "The government policy on Burma is to discourage trade. That remains the case. Around ten members of the business delegation will come to Burma. They will have a cultural program. They will be like tourists." The move is controversial since Britain still publicly backs EU sanctions which have held against the military-backed government since 1996. Cameron's visit is the first by a major Western leader since a 1962 coup began a half century of military rule. U.S. to ease Myanmar sanctions, open relations . Western firms, meanwhile, are vying to be among the first to do business in Myanmar once sanctions are lifted. Competitors from China, India, Japan, Thailand and South Korea are already well entrenched, tapping resources such as oil and natural gas, as well as sizeable deposits of coal, nickel ore and gemstones. Myanmar also stands to be a substantial exporter of lumber and rice. Cameron is currently touring Southeast Asia -- including Malaysia and Indonesia -- with a delegation of 35 business leaders from companies such as Shell, BAE Systems and the world's biggest miner, BHP Billiton. The EU is due to meet on April 23 to discuss its common position on Myanmar, saying it was likely to send a "positive signal" when it reviews the measures later this month. Both Germany and Italy are pushing for the complete lifting of sanctions, but other EU members -- Britain included -- are likely to push for some sanctions to remain in place over Myanmar's political prisoners. Human rights groups estimate that Myanmar holds 1,000 political prisoners including students, activists and monks. Last week, the human rights advocacy group Human Rights Watch called on the EU to be cautious over sanctions, matching Myanmar reform for reform rather than simply lifting sanctions wholesale. While the U.S. has welcomed changes in Myanmar -- this month announcing it would for the first time in 21 years nominate a candidate to serve as U.S. ambassador to the country -- it also has urged caution as it seeks progress on more fronts including the resolution of ethnic violence. Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) won 43 out of 45 parliamentary seats, representing about 5% of the total parliamentary seats, in elections on April 1. Critics claim the election involved a relative handful of seats in a powerless parliament, amounting to little more than a token concession to the opposition and the international community, but Western countries viewed the result as a powerful message from Myanmar that it was seeking reform. Sean Turnell, editor of the Burma Economic Watch and an associate professor in economics at Macquarie University in Sydney, told CNN that while Western corporations were keen to do business in Myanmar, he warned against taking too cynical a view on the lifting of sanctions. "The desire for reform is quite genuine," Turnell said. He said the big question would be to what extent Suu Kyi's election would translate into real reform and to what extent she would be given a free hand to draft new laws. "The object of those that want sanctions lifted in the U.S. was to try to bolster the reformers in Myanmar and, in their words, 'put a bit of wind in their sails,'" Turnell said. "The dilemma for the U.S. is how to best support them," he added. Turnell said the issue of sanctions had gathered a new complexity in the light of the continuing conflict with the Kachin ethnic minority in the far north of the country. Human Rights Watch says fighting between the Myanmar military and the Kachin Independence Army, one of the largest and most powerful ethnic armies, has escalated over the past two years. The conflict has led to widespread refugee displacement in Myanmar. "Issues such as this are starting to divide people of goodwill," Turnell said. "There's an issue over what's moral and what is effective -- what do we hold our noses over and what do we stand firm on?" Myanmar, also known as Burma, has been run by a military junta since 1962. Sanctions were placed on the country following the violent suppression of popular protests in 1988. Since then, U.S. Congress has placed overlapping sanctions on the country at various times, resulting in differing restrictions, waiver provisions, expiration conditions, and reporting requirements. Myanmar announced a series of reforms after elections in 2010 brought a civilian government with close ties to the military to power. | British Prime Minister David Cameron is to arrive in Myanmar Friday .
He is leading a delegation of 10 business leaders to the country .
Companies locked out of Myanmar by sanctions are looking for opportunities .
Cameron is currently in Southeast Asia with a dleegation of 35 business leaders . |
204,519 | 94c62838f7cd4f2a507efb008a8697ce08374f5e | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 11:15 EST, 20 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:16 EST, 20 December 2013 . A photographer got a big surprise discovering this wacky insect with a huge grin pasted across its face. The bug, a pitbull katydid, is native to Costa Rica and is a nocturnal, carnivorous insect known for its bizarre shocked look and flat head. Exploratory entomologist Kenji Kishida, from Osaka, Japan, snapped the hilarious bug while visiting the Barbilla National Park in Siquirres, Costa Rica. Here's looking at you: A photographer got a big surprise discovering this wacky insect with a huge grin pasted across its face . Novel: The bug, a pitbull katydid, is native to Costa Rica and is a nocturnal, carnivorous insect known for its bizarre shocked look and flat head . Mr Kishida, 41, couldn't believe his eyes when he first saw the insect which he said was shy at first poking its face out from behind a leaf before revealing the full colourful nature of its body. Mr Kishida, who said the reddish tint on the katydid he was is quite unusual for the insect, said: 'The first thing I noticed was the bug's large head and flat face - he was rather shy and kept hiding. 'Katydids have the ability to bite extremely hard - they are ferocious hunters that will attack and kill just about any insect in their path so it would be very painful. 'Yet the thing I will remember the most is when its gaze met mine - the eye contact. It was very cute.' Discovery: Kenji, 41, couldn't believe his eyes when he first saw the insect which he said was shy at first poking its face out from behind a leaf before revealing the full colourful nature of its body . Caught on camera: Exploratory entomologist Kenji Kishida, from Osaka, Japan, snapped the hilarious bug while visiting the Barbilla National Park in Siquirres, Costa Rica . | The bug, a pitbull katydid, is native to Costa Rica .
Nocturnal, carnivorous insect known for its shocked look and flat head . |
16,409 | 2e902bef4269f829fb54df20c14fe91ee0e3faca | (CNN) -- Throughout history they've been humankind's most convenient, unwitting and trustworthy scapegoats for missing homework assignments and olfactory mishaps. And now a Massachusetts man is telling cops that if they think he was responsible for his own car sinking to the bottom of a local pond, then they are barking up the wrong tree. When Canton police responded to a 911 call Sunday for a vehicle that had gone into a local pond, the car's owner -- who police aren't naming -- said it was the doing of Rosie, his 5-month-old German Shepherd puppy. "Rosie got her leash entangled in the [gear] shifter," Rob Quirk of the Canton Police Department said, repeating the driver's explanation. "While [the dog was] trying to break free [the owner] stated the puppy fell onto the driver's side floor and hit the accelerator sending the vehicle into the pond." The man and his dog were both in the Dodge Neon as it floated about 30 yards offshore before it sank, according to Quirk, who said a witness rushed into the pond to help get Rosie safely out of the vehicle after the driver had to untangle things to free himself. "While this story has a happy ending," said a Canton police press release, "we would encourage drivers to keep their pets safely secured in the rear of their vehicle where they cannot interfere with operation." Both man and dog emerged unharmed. | A Massachusetts man says his puppy drove his car into a pond .
Rosie, a 5-month-old German Shepherd, got her leash entangled in the gear shift .
Driver and dog emerged wet but unharmed . |
279,741 | f660886f8662a150966d25059ea4ab6a59c77324 | (CNN) -- President Barack Obama will convene a summit Monday at the White House of the heads of every key African nation -- except three: Ebola-plagued Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. And as of now, the African Ebola epidemic, the largest on record, is not officially on the summit agenda. As their epidemics spin out of control in a contagion more than three times larger than any prior Ebola outbreak, Presidents Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia, Alpha Condé of Guinea and Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone are staying home. They are taking drastic measures in hopes of slowing the spread of the deadly hemorrhagic disease: Banning public gatherings, closing schools, deploying their armies to stop attacks on health workers and maintain quarantines. It is tragic that Sirleaf, Condé and Koroma will not be able to plead their nations' cases at the White House summit because their countries desperately need help. There is great danger that the fear of the virus spreading globally will stigmatize Liberians, Sierra Leonians and Guineans, and that their West African neighbors -- especially Nigeria -- will try to ward off Ebola by isolating the countries in ways that will hurt their fragile economies, further imperiling the health of their people. It is time to take a cold, clear look at the implications of this out-of-control epidemic and think carefully about what steps the international community should take next. The outbreak began in Guinea in March and has spread slowly, inexorably in the three desperately poor countries for months. It reached dangerous epidemic scale in June, but only as July draws to its end has it registered with urgency with international media and political leaders. Why now? Because two Americans volunteers are fighting for their lives in the region, and a third American succumbed to Ebola in Lagos, Nigeria, having acquired his infection in Liberia. The specter of Ebola spreading via air travel to Nigeria, the most populous African nation, prompted the UK government to issue a national medical alert this week. The fear also threatens the creation of a vast cordon sanitaire -- or barrier -- around the three afflicted countries. Short-term focus on Ebola control cannot be disconnected from a longer term commitment to economic and technical support of these nations' health care systems, roads, schools and general development. These countries face Ebola today, but they also contend with Lassa fever virus, which also causes hemorrhagic disease. There also are mosquitoes carrying yellow fever and malaria, and a long list of microbial dangers are always lurking in their rainforests. To show how ill-equipped these nations are to battle disease, per capita spending on health care, combining personal and governmental, amounts to only $171 a year in Sierra Leone, $88 a year in Liberia and $67 a year in Guinea, according to the Kaiser Foundation. There is also a dire shortage of health care workers. Before the Ebola epidemic claimed the lives of several of the nations' leading physicians and nurses, Liberia had 0.014 physicians per 1,000 people; Sierra Leone's doctor-to-patient ratio was 0.022 and Guinea's was 0.1. To put that in perspective, rich countries have a thousand times more physicians per capita. In the United States, there are 2.5 doctors per 1,000 people. When this Ebola epidemic eventually ends, the health budgets of these nations will have been bankrupted, and many of their most skilled and courageous physicians, nurses, Red Cross volunteers and hospital workers will have perished. Nigeria is the tipping point. Were Ebola to take hold in that country, spreading from person-to-person in a densely populated, chaotic city such as Lagos, the worldwide response would swiftly spin into uncharted political and global health territory. Consider the following: Nigerian physicians are on strike nationwide; hundreds of girls have been kidnapped from their schools and villages over the past six months by Boko Haram Islamist militants -- and none has been successfully freed from their captors by the Abuja government. Nigeria is in the midst of national election campaigning. President Goodluck Jonathan's government is, at best, weak. The nation is torn apart by religious tension, pitting the Muslim north against the Christian south. Islamists in the north have long distrusted Western medicine. They have opposed polio vaccination and have kidnapped and assaulted central government health providers. Nigeria, the most populous nation in Africa, has just surpassed South Africa as its richest. It has a large, elite class that is highly mobile. Its international airports buzz with activity as hundreds of thousands of Nigerians travel all over Africa, take college studies in Europe and North America, visit second homes in London, New York, Toronto and other cities, and conduct business on the international stage. Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia are three of the poorest, most remote nations on Earth while Nigeria is Africa's muscle, hustle and oil. One way or another, Obama must take advantage of Monday's Africa summit to press the case for calm and appropriate responses. These would include specific post-Ebola financial commitments to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. The possibility that the epidemic might take hold in Nigeria must be confronted, and plans of action must be considered. The world cannot afford to make decisions in the heat of panic about such things as international airport closures, withdrawal of foreign oil workers, negotiations for outbreak responses with northern imams, hospital and clinic infection control training across thousands of Nigerian health facilities, deployment of international assistance teams for rapid diagnostics and lab assistance and countless other contingencies. Roughly 70% of diagnosed Ebola patients in this epidemic have perished. The potential for global panic is genuine. If responsible leaders worldwide hope to stave off hysterical reactions to the virus and bring this epidemic to a halt, serious contingencies and agreements must be reached immediately. Please, President Obama, do not squander the opportunity to place such contingency planning on your Monday summit agenda. As NPR talk show host Diane Rehm asked me on her show, "Can't the White House put Presidents Sirleaf and Koroma on Skype, to plead their case to the summit?" That would be a start. | President Obama's Africa summit does not have Ebola epidemic on agenda .
Record-breaking epidemic hits poverty-stricken Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone .
Laurie Garrett: We need to make long-term commitment to Ebola-struck nations .
Garrett: Summit urgently needs to address this and plan for the worst if it hits populous Nigeria . |
257,885 | d9bdbf9cb3d94adb78e28aa4f45fb33c67a70d68 | British taxpayers are forking out £13.5million a year to pay for EU subsidies for bullfighting in Spain, it has been revealed. Spanish farmers receive the handouts for breeding the animals killed in the controversial sport as part of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Politicians are calling for Prime Minister David Cameron to refuse to make the payments immediately. It has been revealed that British taxpayers are forking out £13.5million a year to pay for EU subsidies for bullfighting in Spain, it has been revealed - pictured is Spanish apprentice bullfighter Gomez del Pilar . Labour’s Sir Alan Meale has tabled a Commons motion that says: ‘Bullfighting for fiestas is abhorrent as it involves the torture of animals in public display.’ The MP for Mansfield said it was ‘bizarre’ the Government is even contemplating paying for this and said ‘bullfighting is the last thing in the world we should be subsidising’. He said the practice flies in the face of Britain’s own Animal Welfare Act 2006 and of the European Convention on animals kept for farming purposes, which specifically states that animals should not suffer pain, injury or distress. ‘Such financial allocations are a clear violation of these laws.’ The motion ‘calls on the Government to immediately cease such payments forthwith’. Politicians are calling for Prime Minister David Cameron (pictured) to refuse to make the payments immediately . The EU allocates £110million of CAP money each year to Spanish farmers who use their pastures to rear fighting bulls. An EU report claimed the subsidy kept the practice going and said: ‘Without such backing bullfighting would probably be on the brink of financial collapse.’ Animal Aid director Andrew Tyler said: ‘The idea that taxpayers across Europe are subsidising bullfighting is deeply offensive and Animal Aid certainly backs any political moves to put paid to this disgusting scheme.’ Ralph Cook of the Wales Alliance Against Cruel Sports said: ‘If the Government wants to save money with the support of the British people they could save that proportion of our money that would go towards rearing bulls for bullfighting. ‘They would probably get a pat on the back from most of the British public.’ The Common Agricultural Policy subsidises farmers across the EU’s 28 member states. Critics have argued it is outdated and called for it to be axed. Margaret Thatcher famously won Britain’s rebate because a significant proportion of the EU’s budget is spent of agricultural subsidies and the UK has a relatively small farming sector. | EU allocates £110 million each year to farmers who rear fighting bulls .
Politicians now calling for David Cameron to refuse to make the payments .
Labour's Sir Alan Meale described the controversial sport as 'abhorrent'
Animal charities say taxpayers subsidising the sport is 'deeply offensive' |
114,705 | 200983e29fcedbaf25b924a9dd557d3feb4a7c3f | ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (CNN) -- Sen. John McCain on Monday defended his opposition to a Democratic bill that would expand education benefits for veterans, saying it would hurt the military that he hopes to lead. Sen. John McCain is co-sponsoring alternative legislation to the GI Bill that the Senate passed last week. The new GI Bill being debated in Congress would expand education benefits for veterans who served at least three years in the military after the September 11, 2001, attacks. The bill's main sponsor, Sen. Jim Webb, is a Virginia Democrat and, like McCain, a Vietnam War veteran. The Senate passed Webb's bill 75-22 last week. McCain was not in Washington for the vote. Democrats have targeted McCain for his opposition to the Webb legislation. Watch McCain talk about the U.S. debt to veterans . Saying he takes "a back seat to no one in my affection, respect and devotion to veterans," McCain said Webb's bill would be a disincentive for service members to become noncommissioned officers, which he called "the backbone of all the services." "In my life, I have learned more from noncommissioned officers I have known and served with than anyone else outside my family," McCain said at a Memorial Day event in Albuquerque. "They are very hard to replace. Encouraging people to choose to not become noncommissioned officers would hurt the military and our country very badly." A former Navy officer, McCain was a prisoner of war during Vietnam. McCain, along with Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Richard Burr of North Carolina, has introduced an alternative bill that would increase education benefits on a sliding scale based on an individual's years of service. McCain argues his bill would have a smaller impact on retention rates than the legislation that the Senate passed. "The office of president, which I am seeking, is a great honor indeed, but it imposes serious responsibilities," the presumptive GOP nominee said. "I can only tell you, I intend to deserve the honor if I am fortunate to receive it, even if it means I must take politically unpopular positions at times and disagree with people for whom I have the highest respect and affection." Over the weekend, Sen. Barack Obama, who appears to be the likely Democratic nominee, again tried to tie McCain to Bush by noting that both of them oppose the GI Bill expansion. "I revere our soldiers and want to make sure they are being treated with honor and respect," Obama said Saturday. "I think the GI Bill is one way for us to do that, and I hope that John McCain and George Bush decide they believe the same thing." Sparring between McCain and Obama over the GI Bill got personal last week when McCain said he would not be lectured from someone "who did not feel it was his responsibility to serve our country in uniform." Obama hasn't served in the military. Referring to Iraq in his closing comments Monday, McCain said he recognized Americans have grown tired of the war and the mistakes made, "but we cannot react to those mistakes by embracing a course of action that will be an even greater mistake, a mistake of colossal historical proportions." "We must give Gen. [David] Petraeus and the Americans he has the honor to command adequate time to salvage from the wreckage of our past mistakes a measure of stability for Iraq and the Middle East, and a more secure future for the American people," he said. Later Monday, McCain will attend a fundraiser in Albuquerque. On Tuesday, President Bush will fly to Phoenix, Arizona, for a fundraiser at a private residence. Bush has been one of the Republican Party's most prolific fundraisers, and McCain will need help to keep up with Democratic fundraising this fall. The McCain campaign said the event will be held at the senator's home because it is more private. But the Phoenix Business Journal said the event was moved from the Phoenix Convention Center due to lackluster ticket sales and concern over anti-war protesters. A McCain aide denied the report on poor ticket sales. The aide also said the event wasn't moved to McCain's private residence to avoid having the senator and unpopular president appear together on camera. "We have a policy that fundraising events are closed events," the aide said, adding that any confusion about the fundraiser originally being open to the press should be chalked up to the campaign "working out the kinks" on its first event with Bush. McCain consistently has trailed the two remaining Democratic presidential candidates in fundraising. The $17 million McCain raised in April was dwarfed by the nearly $31 million by Obama and the $21 million by Sen. Hillary Clinton. McCain also trails both Democrats in the amount of cash on hand. He had nearly $22 million in the bank at the end of April, while Obama had more than double that amount -- nearly $47 million -- and Clinton had nearly $30 million. CNN's Alexander Marquardt, Ed Henry, Mary Snow and Robert Yoon contributed to this report. | NEW: Sen. John McCain says general must have time to bring stability to Iraq .
McCain says GI Bill sponsored by Democrats would hurt military .
McCain, Sen. Barack Obama sparring over expanded veterans' education benefits .
President Bush will attend a fundraiser for McCain in Arizona . |
208,965 | 9a9b0008c1120802340b3eaec5b7f0cc14b2d4da | A San Diego college student filed a legal claim Wednesday for damages suffered when he was left handcuffed and without food or water in a Drug Enforcement Administration holding cell for five days last month. A DEA statement said Daniel Chong, 23, was "accidentally left" in a holding cell. "Accidentally? He almost died," said Chong's lawyer, Gene Iredale. "It's inexplicable." Chong drank his own urine to survive as his cries for help were ignored by federal agents and inmates in nearby cells, Iredale said. The fifth-year engineering student at the University of California, San Diego, was detained on the morning of April 21, a Saturday, when DEA agents raided a house they suspected was being used to distribute MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy. A multi-agency narcotics task force including state agents detained nine people and seized about 18,000 MDMA pills, marijuana, prescription medications, hallucinogenic mushrooms, several guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition from the house, the DEA said. Chong admitted going to the house "to get high with his friends," the DEA said. He later told a San Diego TV station that he knew nothing about the other drugs and guns. He was never formally arrested or charged, the DEA said. The agents sent seven suspects to county jail and released another person, but Chong "was accidentally left in one of the cells," the DEA said. The agency did not explain how he was forgotten for five days in the small, windowless cell. It wasn't until the afternoon of Wednesday, April 25, that an agent opened the steel door to Chong's cell and found the handcuffed student, Iredale said. "Even if they forgot him for the weekend, there is no account for how they could have left him there for three full business days," Iredale said. The acting special agent in charge of the DEA's San Diego office said he was "deeply troubled" by the incident and he offered his "deepest apologies" to Chong. "This event is not indicative of the high standards that I hold my employees to," William Sherman said. "I have personally ordered an extensive review of our policies and procedures." On Wednesday, Iredale filed a damage claim with the DEA, which he said is the beginning of the process for a civil suit in federal court. "He began hallucinating sometime around the end of the second or start of the third day," Iredale said. "At some point, he wanted to kill himself because of pain." Not knowing why he was being kept in the cell without food, water or a toilet for so long confused him, Iredale said. He lost track of time in the dark cell, his lawyer said. "At the end, he just wanted to die because he was crazy." Chong contorted himself to shift his handcuffed arms from behind his back to the front, Iredale said. This allowed him to use his eyeglasses to scratch a message to his family on his arm: "Sorry mom." He was rushed to a hospital, where he was kept in intensive care for two days, having been close to death from kidney failure, Iredale said. The Cerritos, California, native is now recovering at home, he said. | DEA says agents "accidentally left" Daniel Chong in a holding cell .
"He almost died," Chong's lawyer says .
Chong drank his urine to survive while agents ignored cries for help, lawyer says .
Incident "not indicative of the high standards that I hold my employees to," DEA official says . |
63,127 | b359de2e577a5e68b72139a77effa6036c80cfbd | 'Miracle man': Jonno Miller, 68, battled liver cancer for four years after being told it was terminal . A father-of-three who was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer died in a car crash on the same day he was given the all clear. Jonno Miller, 68, was hailed by doctors as a 'miracle man' after defying the disease for four years. He was killed last week when a lorry smashed into his car on the A30, near Tolvaddon Downs, Cornwall - before he could read the letter that told him he was cancer-free. Mr Miller and his wife Angie, 48, were driving back to their home in Mount's Nay, near Penzance, Cornwall, last Friday when their green Ford Galaxy was in collision with an HGV lorry on a layby. Mrs Miller, who was driving, survived the accident with minor injuries but Mr Miller, who was sitting in the front seat, was killed instantly. The lorry driver was unhurt. Mrs Miller later arrived home to find an unopened letter from the hospital, addressed to her husband, that said his body was cancer-free. The couple, originally from Northampton had remote Mount's Nay after Mr Miller's diagnosis because he did not want his three children and two stepchildren to see him dying. He became a patient of specialist Dr. Harry Dalton at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Treliske who decided to persevere with his treatment, despite his terminal diagnosis. Mrs Miller said: 'Jonno became known as Dr Dalton's miracle man. His team at Treliske gave me another four years of love and happiness for which I'm eternally grateful.' The Millers' lodger and close friend Ciaran Cardell, a fisherman, said: 'He was such a genuine, nice person - he would go out of his way to help anybody. 'He was the nicest bloke I've ever met and I'm more proud than I can say to call him father - he called me son and I called him dad. Crash: Mr Miller, pictured, was killed last week when a lorry smashed into his car on the A30, near Tolvaddon Downs, Cornwall. His wife, 48-year-old Angie, who was driving, survived the accident with minor injuries . Determined: Dr Dalton at the Royal Cornwall Hospital, pictured, continued with Mr Miller's treatment despite his diagnosis. The Millers moved to rural Cornwall to spare their children the heartache of watcher their father die . 'He'll be dearly missed by too many people. Nobody had a bad word to say about him. He was an absolute gentleman.' Mr Cardell added: 'He had all sorts of health problems but he laughed his way through them. 'We have always said that he gave the Grim Reaper a good run for his money but he was still taken too early.' | Jonno Miller was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer four years ago .
The 68-year-old became known as 'miracle man' after defying disease .
Last week, doctors sent Mr Miller a letter to tell him that he was cancer-free .
But the father-of-three was killed in a collision before he found out the news . |
249,484 | cede814cbee7d559e9bedc03fc61e57473ad19d1 | British Olympic chiefs including Lord Coe looked on in Greece today as the Olympic Flame was blown out - seconds after being lit in ancient Olympia. The traditional ceremony took place under baking sun and tight security in front of the ruins of the Temple of Hera in Greece, birthplace of the Ancient Games. London 2012 chairman Lord Coe was joined by IOC president Jacques Rogge and other Olympics officials as performers completed the elaborate torch-lighting routine prior to the Olympic Flame's journey around Greece. Scroll down to see the ceremony take place . And so it begins: Actress Ino Menegaki (right), in the role of the High Priestess, lights the torch of the Olympic Flame during the Lighting Ceremony in front of the Hera Temple in Ancient Olympia . Write caption hereSebastian Coe, chairman of the . London 2012 Olympics organising committee, speaks during the torch . lighting ceremony . The performance in ancient Olympia was the pre-cursor to the torch's journey around the Greek mainland and islands, after which it will be handed to the UK for a 70-day relay around Britain. Dressed in robes, actress Ino Menegaki played the key role of the high priestess who lights the flame from the rays of the sun. She lifted a blazing torch from a parabolic mirror so it is lit as if beamed by the sun's rays from the Greek god of the sun to guarantee the purity of the flame, according to tradition. This is the only way the Olympic flame can be lit, again as stated by ancient rituals. But then came the mishap as the symbolic flame flickered out - extinguished by a gust of wind. Looking awkward, the priestess then quietly slipped behind a hill to relight it. With the ceremonial occasion under way, the Olympic Anthem was played and the Olympic Flag was hoisted. God Save The Queen was also played as the Union Flag was raised. Ceremonial: Female performers completed the ancient Olympian routine without a hitch in front of impressed Games officials today . The journey begins: Alexander Loukos, a British boxer of Greek descent, runs with the Olympic flame during the Olympic torch relay . An extract of the poem The Light Of Olympia was recited. Spyros Zannias, chairman of the Olympic Torch Relay Commission, International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge, Hellenic Olympic Committee president Spyros Capralos, and London 2012 chairman Lord Coe said a few words before the lighting began. A 15-strong delegation from London 2012, led by Lord Coe, was invited to witness the lighting first-hand at the Temple of Hera, as the remaining guests stayed seated in the ancient stadium. London 2012's chairman Sir Keith Mills and chief executive Paul Deighton moved forward. Elaborate: Dancers perform the synchronised routine as the traditional ceremony continues in ancient Olympia . Practice makes perfect: The ceremony in Greece had been extensively rehearsed yesterday and went off without any flaws today as Olympic officials looked on . British IOC member Sir Craig Reedie, Olympics minister Hugh Robertson plus Dr David Landsman, the British ambassador to the Hellenic Republic were also part of the group. Representatives from London 2012 sponsors Lloyds TSB, Coca Cola and Samsung and a single journalist made up the rest of the delegation of British VIPs. During the ceremony, Lord Coe presented a framed London 2012 poster - titled For The Unknown Runner by artist Chris Ofili - to the Hellenic Olympic Committee. | Traditional ceremony spoiled by a random gust of wind as preparations for London 2012 step up .
'Priestess' had to duck behind a hill to hastily relight the Olympic Flame .
Torch will be taken on journey around Greek mainland and islands before being handed to UK .
Flame will be flown to Britain on May 18 before embarking on 70-day journey around British Isles . |
277,163 | f3171c15025dffa5906cd511b0f606c71fc1b9e4 | By . Meghan Keneally . and Associated Press . Back in the gym: Gabby Douglas, 18, is going back to training for the next Olympic games after briefly pursuing an entertainment career (pictured in January) Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas is reuniting with the coach who helped her win gold in 2012. Gymnastics coach Liang Chow said on Sunday that the 2012 Olympic all-around gymnastics champion will return to train at his gym in West Des Moines, Iowa. Douglas left Chow last August to live in Los Angeles, raising questions about her ability to return to the Olympics in 2016 because she would miss training time. Chow says he is excited to work with Douglas again, but she faces a number of hurdles before returning to competition. 'We are welcoming Gabby to come back in our gym,' Chow responded to The Des Moines Register via text message. 'We . are all excited to see her next week. It is hard for me to make any . detailed training plan at this point since I have not seen her for a . long time.' When she moved . to Los Angeles last fall, she said that she would continue to train and . search for a coach out there while she was also pursuing other . opportunities. She was a judge on the reality show 'So You Think You Can Dance' and gave a number of interviews to celebrity outlets. Douglas left her hometown of Virginia Beach in 2010 when she was just 14 in order to train with Chow in Iowa. Back together: Gabby Douglas and her coach Liang Chow, seen together at the London Olympic Games in 2012, are now going to work together again at his Iowa gym months after she left to live in Los Angeles . He . earned his reputation within the gymnastics community after being the . coach of Shawn Johnson, the 2007 World Champion and 2008 gold medalist. After . two years of training with Chow in Iowa, Douglas went on to win gold in . the all-around and team competitions at the 2012 Olympic Games in . London. 'I know it will be a lot of challenges ahead of us,' Chow on Sunday. 'The real test will be to see how tough Gabby can be to achieve her goals and to meet all of our training expectations.' Close: Gabby moved to Iowa to train with Chow (seen together in London) when she was only 14 after hearing about his work with Olympic gold medalist Shaun Johnson . Douglas became a household- and historic- name during the 2012 games, as she is the first African American gymnast to win the individual all-around competition and the first american to win multiple golds. That dream was almost cut short because of the trouble she had being away from her family, as she almost left Iowa six months before the London games because she was homesick. With her sights set on returning to the mat in Rio for the 2016 Summer Games, Douglas went back to training in Iowa in May only to leave again in August. | Gabby Douglas trained with famed coach Liang Chow in Iowa for two years ahead of her historic Olympic wins in 2012 .
Moved to Iowa at age 14 from her home in Virgina Beach to train with him because he was gold medalist Shawn Johnson's coach .
Started training with him again in May 2013 to prepare for the Rio games in 2016 but stopped in August and moved to California .
Was a judge on the finale of So You Think You Can Dance . |
139,877 | 40da333c3f6bf7b6c5acb7d32db2c652b5027a6e | (CNN) -- Werewolves are usually the stuff of B-movies and bad novels, but last year British author Glen Duncan did the unthinkable in literary circles, crafting a howling good tale out of the weary werewolf myth. The result was the best-selling thriller "The Last Werewolf." Critics and readers happily devoured the darkly comic novel. In the book, Jake Marlowe, a 200-year-old lonely lycanthrope, believes himself to be the last of his kind until he meets Talulla Demetriou. It's your classic tale of boy meets girl, except this pair turn into werewolves, battle vampires and fall in love. While their relationship came to a tragic and bloody end, Demetriou returns in Duncan's eagerly awaited sequel, "Talulla Rising." Hitting bookshelves this week, the supernatural story picks up soon after where "The Last Werewolf" left off. Talulla is grieving the loss of her werewolf lover; she's on the run and about to give birth to Jake's child, under a full moon no less. To give away any more would spoil the surprise for fans, but suffice to say Talulla turns into a monstrously protective mother. Adventurous readers who are looking for a break from the usual beach read should consider this alternately horrifying and humorous, imaginative and energetic novel. CNN recently spoke to Duncan by telephone from his London home about the new book. The following is an edited transcript: . CNN: What was the spark that led you to write "The Last Werewolf" and "Talulla Rising"? Duncan: A combination of mercenary pragmatism and drunken inspiration. After seven novels which, though well-received, hadn't made paying the bills any easier, I decided to write something my agent could sell as a book with commercial potential. Cut to New Year's Eve 2009. A party, friends, everyone drunk. We've had the forced-down champagne and abused fireworks on the roof terrace, and are now taking stock of what we've done in the last year -- and what we plan to do in the new one. Pretty much ex nihilo I said: "I'm going to write a novel about the last surviving werewolf." The idea met with feeble unanimous approval. So I woke up the next morning and started work. CNN: Talulla is such a compelling character, was there a big difference between writing her voice and Jake? Duncan: Yes. Jake is just me. Or, rather, me in his predicament: not very difficult to write. With Talulla I didn't have the crutch (ahem) of my own gender and personality to lean on. There's no way of knowing if the imaginative projection is a success except in so far as readers find Talulla a convincing female. Let's see. CNN: How did you develop the werewolf mythology behind your story? Were there traditional elements you wanted to keep, change or explore further? Duncan: I just kept the parts of the traditional mythology I liked, or that served my thematic purpose, and ditched whatever I didn't. Death by silver, I liked, so it was in. Ditto visceral antipathy to vampires. Some versions of the myth allow for the lycanthrope's voluntary metamorphosis -- but that's not as rich a moral quandary as being forced to change, whether you like it or not, every full moon. Watch Glen Duncan read an excerpt from "Talulla Rising" CNN: Do you have a favorite werewolf story and why do you think they have appealed to readers for so long? Duncan: I've never read a werewolf story in my life, but my favorite werewolf movie is, of course, "An American Werewolf in London." (Closely followed by the brilliantly mad "Dog Soldiers.") Myths of metamorphosis are as old as the human ability to tell stories, and survive because they express something fundamental to the psyche. In the case of werewolves, the fear of the beast within, and the desire to be liberated into it. CNN: You've unleashed your writer's id in these novels. There's lots of sex and violence, definitely not for the faint of heart. Was it fun to write? Duncan: For me writing a novel isn't fun, no matter how much sex and violence it contains. It's satisfying, yes, to get something right at the level of the sentence, and it's fun to have finished writing the thing. ... But the actual writing? No. It's agony, every day, an endless search for reasons to not start writing. I wish it were otherwise, but there you are. CNN: What would you like readers to take away from "Talulla Rising"? Duncan: The feeling of having just read the best werewolf novel (along with its predecessor) the world has yet produced -- what else? Or, more reasonably: It's not so different for girls after all. CNN: Is there anything you've read recently that inspired you? Duncan: I'm not reading much contemporary work at the moment (not until the third werewolf book's done, in fact), but I'm a couple of hundred pages into "Don Quixote" -- which is absolutely hilarious. That'll last me through summer. Especially if it's an English summer. CNN: Without giving too much away, it feels like you've set things up quite nicely for a trilogy. Any hints you can give us about your next novel? Duncan: Impossible without spoilers. But multiple narrators -- including a vampire -- and a myth of origin for werewolves. Sex, violence, jokes, philosophy, love, death. Business as usual. Read an excerpt from "Talulla Rising" | Glen Duncan releases his second werewolf novel this week: "Talulla Rising"
Duncan got the inspiration for the series during a drunken New Year's celebration .
The novelist predicts his next book will feature: "Sex, violence, jokes, philosophy, love, death." |
101,548 | 0ee3a137ac7bdd8a637e800faa6fb937374ea5e7 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 15:19 EST, 14 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 15:23 EST, 14 June 2013 . In what it says would be the world's first, the U.S. Defense Department is planning to create a repository for brain tissue in an attempt to better understand traumatic brain injury amongst members of the armed services. The goal, Defense officials say, is to understand how head trauma leads to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, a neurodegenerative disorder that causes the progressive accumulation of a protein in nerve cells within certain regions of the brain. Collecting brains: the new brain repository aims to better understand traumatic brain injury amongst members of the armed services . In addition to servicemen and women, the effects of protein accumulation are often seen amongst boxers and football players, or anyone who's suffered multiple head trauma - and it often disturbs brain function. 'We have been at war for more than a decade and our men and women have . sacrificed,' Dr. Jonathan Woodson, assistant secretary of defense, says in a press release. 'The military health care system is bringing all the resources it can to . better understand how to prevent, diagnose and treat traumatic brain . injuries and to ensure that service members have productive and long, . quality lives.' According to Dr. Daniel Perl, a neuropathologist and director of the brain tissue repository, soldiers 'are coming home with troubling, persistent problems and we don't know . the nature of this, whether it's related to psychiatric responses from . engagement in warfare or related to actual damage to the brain...' Research: the CNRM is being funded by a federal grant to advance the understanding and treatment of TBI in service members . Before the government takes any brain tissue to add to the repository, it says it will get permission from the deceased service members' families. The repository, to be called the Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine Brain Tissue Repository for Traumatic Brain Injury, was established in Bethesda, Maryland, and is being funded by a federal grant to advance the understanding and treatment of TBI in service members. "We are learning though the process of discovery the effects of . repetitive mild traumatic brain injury, and also how to prevent this . issue of chronic traumatic encephalopathy," Woodson said. "The brain . tissue repository will enable us to learn even more about how we can . treat injuries and prevent future calamity for service members." Defense officials want to better understand how head trauma leads to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy . | The repository is being funded by a federal grant to advance the understanding and treatment of TBI in service members .
Defense officials says it will get the permission of a deceased soldier's family before any brain tissue is taken . |
281,243 | f8515c6aa37b18e6f2417717f503bbc7d2060923 | It has long been a mystery why agile birds cannot out-manoeuvre huge jetliners, causing aircraft to make emergency landings in extreme circumstances. But now scientists have worked out why, and it appears that birds don’t take into account an aircraft's speed, when calculating how to avoid it. This failing means that birds have little time to escape vehicles such as aircraft and speeding cars, which travel faster than 75 mph (120 kph). Scientists believe that birds don't take into account an aircraft's speed, when calculating how to avoid it, instead solely relying on how far away the aircraft is from them at a certain time (stock image). This results in the deaths of thousands of birds every year and potential aircraft disasters . According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) 9,000 birds are struck by aircraft over the US every year and the estimate is conservative, because bird strikes don’t have to be reported. Bird strikes not only usually kill the animals, but can injure drivers if they hit a vehicle’s windscreen, as well as posing a potentially serious threat to flight safety, because they can cause engine failure. To work out why the strikes happen, a team of scientists from the US Department of Agriculture's National Wildlife Research Centre in Ohio, Indiana State University and Purdue University, also in Indiana, used virtual reality, to avoid injuring birds. Researchers found that the birds they studied left it too late to escape vehicles travelling faster than 75 mph (120kph). Essentially, they judged a safe distance to manuoeure without calculating that the vehicles might approach them at speed, as shown in this diagram . The FAA estimates that bird strikes have resulted in 200 worldwide deaths since 1988. They are dangerous to aircraft because birds can be sucked into a jet engine and strike an engine fan blade. That impact knocks out a single blade and can trigger a domino effect, resulting in engine failure. Incidents are most common shortly before landing or take-off when the jet engines are at top speed. A 12 lb (five kg) goose striking an aircraft going 150 mph (241 kph) at lift-off generates the force of a 1,000 lb (454 kg)weight dropped from a height of 10 feet (three metres), according to Bird Strike Committee USA. Despite this, the number of accidents involving civil aircraft is low, estimated at one fatal accident in one billion flying hours. Around 65 per cent of bird strikes cause little damage to aircraft, but the blow is usually fatal to the bird. It's been estimated that bird strikes cause $400 million (£265 million) of damage every year in the US and up to $1.2 billion damage to commercial aircraft globally. The first reported bird strike was by Orville Wright in 1905. In 2005, the Space Shuttle Discovery hit a vulture during its launch, with no damage. On January 15, 2009, a US Airways flight ditched into the Hudson River after experiencing a loss of both turbines. The suspected cause of engine failure was a collision with a flock of geese shortly after take-off. The experiment took place in an enclosed chamber where brown-headed cowbirds were played videos of lorries rushing towards them at speeds ranging from 37 to 224 mph (60 to 360 kph), which is the cruising speed of some small airplanes and falls within the take-off speed for commercial aircraft. By measuring their reactions, the scientists discovered that the birds seemed to react based on the distance between their bodies and the lorry, ignoring how fast the vehicle was travelling. The birds repeatedly started to fly away from the vehicle when it was 98 ft (30 metres) away, according to the study, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The study says: ‘Alert and flight initiation distances remained similar across vehicle speeds, and accordingly, alert and flight initiation times decreased at higher vehicle speeds. ‘Thus, avoidance behaviours in cowbirds appeared to be based on distance rather than time available for escape, particularly at 60–150 km.’ While the strategy worked for avoiding slower moving objects, the researchers observed that it failed when trying to escape vehicles travelling faster than 75mph (120kph), such as cars, lorries and airplanes. They were unable to pinpoint exactly how the birds reacted to speeds above 112 mph (180kph) – cruising speeds typical of a small aircraft, or commercial aircraft at take-off. The scientists concluded: ‘As vehicle speed increased, cowbirds did not have enough time to assess the approaching vehicle. ‘Although potentially effective for evading predators, the decision-making process used by cowbirds in our study appears maladaptive in the context of avoiding fast-moving vehicles.’ They said that further research is needed to check that different species of birds use the same avoidance techniques and suggested that installing lights on aircraft could help avians dodge death from a longer distance away. The scientists said that further research is needed to check that different species of birds use the same avoidance techniques as brown-headed cowbirds (stock image). They also suggested that installing lights on aircraft could help avians dodge death from a longer distance away . | Birds have no time to escape vehicles travelling faster than 75 mph .
This is because they only take the distance of a vehicle into account .
Experts from the US' National Wildlife Research Centre in Ohio and two universities used virtual reality and videos to assess birds' reaction times .
They say installing new lights on aircraft could help avians dodge death . |
74,139 | d23ef35ea8cd299c61b29dba80bde283aa71483d | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 20:34 EST, 15 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 05:46 EST, 16 January 2014 . A Briton died in a mudslide while renovating the Spanish holiday home where he planned to retire. Andrew McGaughey, 65, was buried to his neck when the ground gave way as he filled a ditch with concrete. The divorced father-of-two had told neighbours he was worried about cracks that had appeared in the walls of the property, near Torrox a half-hour drive east of Malaga. Scroll down for video . The mudslide happened directly next to the house (pictured) and took with it a large amount of the foundation . The digger that narrowly avoided being submerged in the mud with the Briton, who was renovating parts of the house in his plan to move to the property permanently . Divorced father-of-two Andrew McGaughey, 65, was renovating his holiday home near Torrox, Spain (pictured), when the accident happened . A delivery man bringing some building material he had called the emergency services after finding him buried up to his neck in mud. He was already dead by the time paramedics in an air ambulance arrived. The freak accident happened just after midday on Tuesday and followed heavy rain in the area thought to have loosened the ground. Local Guardia Civil officer have now launched a routine investigation. Rescue efforts underway after the landslide left a man trapped up to his neck in mud . Local police had to assess the situation at the house after the mudslide, the foundations of which had been said to be unstable for a period of time . The retired Briton had been planning on living in the house all year round following renovations to the property . The accident was possibly due to heavy rain from strong storms dislodging the soil under and around the house . Dutch neighbour Gertrudis Van Delf said: 'He’d been saying for some time he was worried about the stability of the house because of subsidence. 'He had just retired and was planning on coming to live here all year round.' The man’s girlfriend had spent Christmas with him at the property, but returned to the UK just over a week before the tragedy. Mr McGaughey had started the repair work around the same time. It is not known where in UK the victim is from. A spokesman for the Civil Guard in Malaga said: 'Everything is pointing to a freak accident.' Ferrara beach in Torrox near Malaga, Spain, a popular tourist destination, where the incident took place . The Spanish hillside had recently suffered bouts of intense rain, which could have dislodged the soil . The police are carrying out a routine investigation to the incident at the property, which the resident had been worried about for some time . | Andrew McGaughey, 65, buried to his neck when ground gave way .
Was renovating Spanish holiday home where he was planning to retire .
Father-of-two was dead by the time paramedics arrived . |
243,298 | c6df627c355995ed46d4739297a71b1bed3402ab | By . Kerry Mcdermott . PUBLISHED: . 06:54 EST, 17 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 11:49 EST, 17 October 2012 . Andrew Marsh, of Rochester, Kent, who denies rape and indecent assault . A husband used Facebook to track down a man who allegedly raped his wife as a schoolgirl after she broke down and told him about her ordeal, a court heard. The alleged victim's spouse confronted Andrew Marsh, now 38, by pretending to plan a surprise party for his wife via the social networking site. Married greengrocer Marsh, of Rochester, Kent, was arrested and charged with raping the woman in an alleyway 10 years ago when she was a schoolgirl and he was 27, after her husband convinced her to finally report the historic alleged rape to police. Maidstone Crown Court heard the . alleged victim - who cannot be named for legal reasons - only entrusted . her husband with the rape claims during a talk about the lack of . intimacy in their relationship. She . told him she had a relationship with Marsh which had started as just . cuddling and kissing after school but ended with him allegedly raping . her against a wall. The . court heard the frightened girl went home and told no-one of the alleged . abuse until she broke down and told her husband last year. The jury was told that the wife . feared her marriage was on the verge of collapse and eventually told her . husband Marsh’s name because he kept 'badgering' her. Her . revelation prompted her horrified husband - who also cannot be named - . to use the social networking site to speak to old friends and track down . Marsh’s phone number. He . contacted the alleged rapist and visited him at his home where he . attacked him. Police were then alerted to the rape allegations, the . court heard. The jury heard the alleged rape . victim says she had never thought about telling the police about her . claims until her husband encouraged her to do it. The alleged victim told the court: 'I didn’t want to tell him who he was because I was scared what he would do. 'He told me I had to call the police otherwise he would be prosecuted for assault.' Marsh, of Rochester, Kent, denies rape and indecent assault between February and March 2001. Trial: Maidstone Crown Court (pictured) was told the woman's spouse confronted her alleged attacker after he 'badgered' his wife into revealing Andrew Marsh's name . The court heard the 'very friendly, chatty and flirty' grocer ran a shop in Chatham High Street, Kent, which was often visited by schoolgirls. A relationship between Marsh and the teenager developed into cuddling and French kissing, the court heard, when Marsh walked her to catch a bus home. But shortly before her birthday it is alleged Marsh led the girl into an alleyway - pinned her against a wall and raped her. After the alleged attack the girl went home and told no-one about what had happened until last year. Following his arrest, Marsh told police he could recall kissing and cuddling the teenager, and said he may have touched her breasts. Isobel Ascherson, prosecuting, said: 'He was kissing and touching her and she made it clear to him she didn’t want to go that far.' The prosecutor told the court had the alleged victim pinned against the wall and raped her 'despite her objections and her real, real desire for this not to be happening.' The court was told Marsh was 'very clear' in his police interview that 'there was not sexual intercourse'. The trial continues. Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons. | Alleged victim's spouse pretended to be hosting party for his wife on the social networking site and spoke to old school friends to find the accused .
His wife claims Marsh, now 38, of Rochester, Kent, raped her as a schoolgirl 10 years ago . |
63,687 | b4d568c33ffc376a802699227901468f21c53c7c | By . James Chapman, Political Editor . PUBLISHED: . 11:00 EST, 27 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 01:40 EST, 28 September 2012 . David Cameron found himself at odds with schoolfriend Charlie Brooks yesterday over extraordinary claims that he snubbed a call from Barack Obama to carry on a game of tennis. Mr Brooks, a member of the so-called ‘Chipping Norton set’, caused turmoil at Number Ten by suggesting the Prime Minister had been too involved in a match at his country residence, Chequers, to speak to the President. Mr Cameron flatly rejected the claims, insisting he and Mr Brooks had played tennis only once at Chequers and official logs showed no calls from Mr Obama at any time that weekend. On the back foot: The PM playing an exhibition shot earlier this year. But did he really tell Obama to call back just so he could finish a set? Downing Street said that officials always scheduled calls between the Prime Minister and the President in advance, with the White House giving 15 minutes’ notice even when Mr Obama woke Mr Cameron up in the middle of the night to tell him Osama Bin Laden had been assassinated. The episode is particularly sensitive since relations between Mr Cameron and the racehorse trainer husband of former News International boss Rebekah Brooks, have been in the deep freeze since the couple were arrested and charged over the phone hacking scandal. Racehorse trainer Charlie Brooks is an old friend of David Cameron's from their time as pupils at Eton . Mr Brooks, who was at Eton with the Prime Minister, said in an interview with the Racing Post that the pair were ‘pretty good friends’. He went on: ‘I played tennis with him at Chequers one day. I won the first set easily, then he won the second set, and then someone came up to him and said, “Er ... Mr Obama is on the phone for you, Prime Minister”. ‘He said, “I think we’ve got time for a third set – tell Mr Obama I’ll ring him back.” He obviously thought he had me on the ropes, and I beat him two sets to one.’ Mr Brooks said that despite the hacking scandal, he hoped he would remain friends with Mr Cameron – who he said was known as the ‘fat, noisy one’ at Eton. ‘We can’t see each other now, of course, but I’m sure that will pass.’ A senior Downing Street source said: ‘We are baffled. Charlie Brooks has been to Chequers on three occasions and there are simply no calls from President Obama logged around that time. ‘It is not the case that the President rings up on the off chance that the Prime Minister is free. Calls are always scheduled by officials, even when there is an international emergency. There is an agenda and the Prime Minister prepares for the call. There has obviously been some misunderstanding because this account cannot be true.’ Another source said the one tennis match between Mr Cameron and Mr Brooks at Chequers was on a Saturday morning in August 2010. ‘Obama would have had to be calling in the middle of the night US time.’ Mr Cameron’s links with Mr and Mrs Brooks came under scrutiny this year when it emerged that the Metropolitan Police had lent the ex-newspaper executive a retired police horse. He was forced to admit he might have ridden the horse with Mr Brooks. Claims about David Cameron's tennis playing emerged today whole the Prime Minister was on a trade visit to Brazil. He arrived in Sao Paulo with a large entourage of 40 business men and women . Gordon Brown’s former spin doctor Damian McBride suggested aides might pretend Mr Obama was calling to give Mr Cameron an excuse to get out of a potentially boring meeting or social encounter. ‘We used to put blank post-it notes into GB. If he wanted to carry on a meeting, he’d ignore them. If not, he’d say, “Netanyahu? Now?”.’ Tony Blair’s biographer John Rentoul said he remembered Mr Blair doing something similar at a leaving party at Number Ten for his political secretary Phil Wilson, now MP for Sedgefield. He said: ‘The Prime Minister was giving a generous speech when someone put a head round the door to say that the White House was on the line. “I’ve always wanted to do this for you, Phil,” said Blair. “Tell them I will call them back”.’ | Horse trainer Brooks says his old schoolfriend refused to take a call from the US President because he had just pulled level in a tennis match at Chequers .
Downing Street says it has no record of the call . |
46,858 | 840498f0b76f5c1ec6b9c6328709a623933c167e | (CNN) -- The spread of polio constitutes an international public health emergency, the World Health Organization declared Monday. "If unchecked, this situation could result in failure to eradicate globally one of the world's most serious vaccine preventable diseases," the WHO said in a statement. At the end of 2013, 60% of polio cases resulted from the international spread of the virus, and "there was increasing evidence that adult travelers contributed to the spread," according to the statement. Polio mainly affects children under the age of 5, according to the WHO. One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis; 5 to 10% of patients die when their breathing muscles become immobilized. It can only be prevented by vaccination. Of the 10 countries currently infected with polio, three -- Pakistan, Syria and Cameroon -- have allowed the virus to spread internationally, according to an emergency committee convened by the organization, which met late last month. Polio has spread from Pakistan to Afghanistan, from Syria to Iraq and from Cameroon to Equatorial Guinea, according to the WHO. The concern is that the spread comes during the low transmission season for polio, typically January through April, said WHO spokeswoman Christine Feig. This is a "red flag," she said, as "it has been years" since the virus was spread to three countries during low season. Polio re-emerged in Syria in October 2013 after a 15-year absence. The ongoing civil war in Syria has hampered immunization rates "due to the severe interruption of public health services and to the conditions in which the people are living," according to a WHO report. There have been 74 cases of polio so far this year, Dr. Bruce Aylward, WHO assistant director-general for polio, emergencies and country collaboration, said Monday. Of those, 59 were in Pakistan. No other country has reported more than four cases, and the only country with four was Afghanistan, he said. The committee's decision to declare an international public health emergency means that Pakistan, Syria and Cameroon are urged to declare national public health emergencies regarding polio and ensure all residents and long-term visitors are vaccinated. In addition, the WHO said, citizens of those countries traveling internationally should be vaccinated before their departure and carry proof in the form of an International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis. Meet India's last polio patient . "A coordinated international response is deemed essential to stop this international spread of wild poliovirus and to prevent new spread with the onset of the high transmission season in May/June 2014," according to the organization. Nations infected with polio, but not spreading the disease internationally now include Afghanistan, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Israel, Somalia and Nigeria, the WHO said. Those nations were also encouraged to take similar measures to ensure high levels of vaccination in residents and travelers. While the recommendations are not legally binding, they are in the context of the International Health Regulations, which are binding on member states, Aylward said. "These recommendations are not legally binding in the strict sense ... but they do carry substantial weight because, of course, they are in the context of a legally binding international treaty," Aylward said Monday. No cases of polio have been detected in Israel, but the WHO previously reported the virus was found in sewage samples, as well as in stool samples from children who had been immunized. In all, 417 cases of polio were reported worldwide in 2013, said Aylward. Further spread of the virus could put at risk countries that are currently polio-free but are "conflict-torn and fragile" with compromised routine immunization services, the WHO said. The current situation is "in stark contrast" to the "near-cessation" of the spread of polio from January 2012 through April 2013, according to the statement. In March, Southeast Asia, including India, was declared polio-free. India, the world's second most populous country, was able to achieve the goal by deploying immunization efforts to reach those most vulnerable, according to UNICEF. Polio was eradicated in the United States in 1979, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vaccination campaign against polio, other diseases begins in Mideast . Pakistan grapples with polio fight . India beats the odds, beats polio . | Polio has spread to three countries this year .
It's typically the low season for transmission of the virus .
Pakistan, Syria and Cameroon are urged to put measures into place .
417 cases of polio were reported worldwide in 2013, WHO says . |
59,494 | a8ec14f1e18c65f962e08260bce3fee3ab113d52 | As he watched the presidential debates, Bretton Holmes was irritated. But it wasn't the candidates who were getting to him, it was hearing independent voters and undecided voters lumped into the same group. The 35-year-old from Phoenix has registered as an independent since he was 18. He has voted for Democrats and Republicans over the years. The biggest misconception he hears is this: "If you're registered as an independent, that must mean you're undecided," he said. "That's just an opinion that happens to be very incorrect," he said. "Being independent has nothing to do with being undecided." Living in a two-party country can be tough for this group of voters, but there are more independents these days than ever. Thirty-eight percent of Americans identify themselves as independents, according to a 2012 study on party identification by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. "The proportion of independents now equals its highest level in 70 years," said a different Pew study from 2009. "Owing to defections from the Republican Party, independents are more conservative on several key issues than in the past." Being called an undecided voter irks "independent thinker" Holmes, as he already has made his decision. "In my case, it was already clear who I wanted to vote for," he said. He cast an early ballot for President Barack Obama. CNN asked independents why they refuse to align with a party and heard from more than 100 people. A variety of themes arose, from not wanting to be labeled to disgust with political rancor to feeling that being independent is the "spirit of America." 'I don't like being labeled' Omekongo Dibinga of Washington has consistently voted Democrat but explains that he's always identified himself as an independent. He's never voted for a Republican because "I haven't agreed with any of the candidates' values, but I reserve the right to vote for a Republican if their values match mine," he said. Growing up in an impoverished neighborhood in Boston where "violence was a problem," Dibinga faced stereotypes that he has worked to overcome as a diversity consultant and motivational speaker. "I don't like being labeled. I've been labeled a lot of things in my life," he said. Jennifer Cummins, a moderate independent, has a similar problem with siding with just one party. "It's mostly the label," she said. "If you say you're a Democrat, that must mean you are a left-wing liberal with no personal responsibility. If you say you are a Republican, you must be a right-wing millionaire who doesn't care about others." The Frankfort, Kentucky, voter feels a "lack of respect" toward independents like her and wishes there was more air time given to independent candidates. "I think it's a travesty that the only 'limelight' that exists is with either Republican or Democratic when there are other options on the ballot with better opinions, much better track records, and a real solution," she said. Voting for the 'lesser of two evils' Roger Cantillo, 37, identified more with the Democratic Party when he was younger, but he started considering himself an independent in 2008. "The 2008 presidential race is when I really started getting involved in politics and trying to understand what's going on in Washington. It's just unfortunate that there's a lot of gridlock, and people are playing both sides," he said. In the last few elections, he voted for Republican George W. Bush, Democrat John Kerry and, most recently, Obama. While Cantillo's "progressive values" indicate he leans more to the left, Cantillo said he finds faults with both parties. He will be voting for Obama on Election Day, but he's not enthusiastic about it. "I'm picking the lesser of two evils come this election." It's the 'spirit of America' Raised as a Southern Democrat who switched to voting Republican in 1999, Mary Helen Yarborough has voted for presidential candidates from both parties equally. She has identified as a "confused" independent for 10 years, she said. GOP presidential candidates Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich excited the right-leaning independent in the primaries, and she "flirted" with the idea of voting for Obama back in July. Ultimately, she says, her vote will go to Mitt Romney next week. But the opinionated South Carolinian doesn't want to be tied down to a party. "I don't want to be controlled," she said. "I feel better as an independent. I feel like it's a more honest position." Voting independent just feels "more American," she said. "America was born on the theme of independence, and I find that being a committed independent is therefore truer to our national pride." Betty Faller-Pearson, 66, voted for Obama in 2008 and Bush in 2004. She agrees with Yarborough's line of thinking. "I don't vote party lines because I don't always agree with either party, Democrats or Republicans," she said. "I'm not liberal, I'm not conservative. I'm independent and can make my own decisions." For the Las Vegas resident, being an independent goes back to America's roots. "I am an independent voter because I believe in the spirit of America and how and why it was founded," she said. Raised Republican in Texas and now married to a Democrat from New Jersey, Jim Mitchem's flavor of independence stems from a similar tree. "I've never been one for dogma and don't feel like any 'side' could represent my free will well enough to go straight ticket," he said. The 44-year-old has voted for Ronald Reagan, Bush, Ross Perot (twice), Al Gore and Obama. He said it's "too restricting" to affiliate with one party. "In the spirit of independence by Americans who broke away from political dogma in the 1700s, I'm proud to be unaffiliated." Lost between parties . Brian Pigg confesses he feels "lost" politically. Growing up in the Reagan era, the 44-year-old holds the Republican beliefs of smaller government and fiscal responsibility, he said. As a veteran, he supports having a strong military. But his concerns with the increasing U.S. debt and George W. Bush's presidency made him reconsider the way he voted, he said. "Years ago, I began to feel disowned by my party, as this debt didn't start in '08 (not that it isn't getting worse)," he wrote on CNN iReport. The "rise of the religious right" was the final straw. What's a man without a party to do? At first he thought about abstaining from voting. "I haven't heard a single candidate worth voting for, not in local, state, or federal elections," he said. "They all seem to say whatever they think will get them votes without actually being nailed to anything." The Grandview, Missouri, resident admits he wasn't going to vote at all this year until controversy arose around U.S. Senate candidate Todd Akin's comments on rape. "Now I'm going just to vote against him. How sad is that," he asked. Be 'free thinkers' But Holmes, the voter who emphasized the difference between independents and undecideds, asserts that voting as "free thinkers" is the answer. "Everyone has the ability to think for themselves and question what other people are saying if they don't think it's right," he said. "Speak up!" | 38% of Americans identify themselves as independents, according to a 2012 study .
CNN iReport asked independents why they refuse to align with a party .
Not wanting to be labeled and disgust with political rancor were popular reasons . |
283,909 | fbd3faa9a683b4b4ca0d92b33c787cef03918ac5 | A woman has spoken of her terror at discovering that she harboured flesh-eating maggots inside her ear. When Rochelle Harris, 27, from Derby, returned from the holiday of a lifetime in Peru, she thought little of the headaches that she had started to develop on the flight back to the UK. But within hours she had developed excruciating shooting pains down one side of her face and had started to hear strange scratching sounds in her head. The next morning she woke to a pillow soaked with fluid from her ear. Scroll down for video . Rochelle Harris has been on holiday in Peru with her boyfriend James (pictured) when she walked through a swarm of flies. On the flight back to the UK she developed head pains and started to hear unusual sounds inside her head . Rochelle's ordeal features in a new Discovery Channel documentary, called 'Bugs, Bites and Parasites' that follows the work of specialists who are faced with patients exhibiting a variety of mysterious symptoms - more often than not from people who have travelled abroad. On her arrival back in the UK, Rochelle became increasingly concerned there may be something seriously wrong, so she visited her local Accident and Emergency department at the Royal Derby Hospital. The New World Army Screw Worm Fly (CGI pictured) laid eggs inside Rochelle's ear where they hatched and feasted on her flesh. They eventually burrowed 12mm into Rochelle's ear but luckily did not hit her facial nerve, which could have left her face paralysed . As doctors tried to get the maggots out of Rochelle's ear, they retreated further into her head. Doctors described discovering a 'writhing mass' of the creatures deep inside her ear . Initially doctors weren't concerned by her symptoms and presumed that they had developed because of a minor ear infection or an infected mosquito bite. She was referred to the ear nose and throat (ENT) team for further investigation to rule out a more sinister problem, however. Rochelle said that as her ear was being examined, the ENT specialist went silent. The doctor had found a small hole in the ear canal which needed further investigation but would not explain what the problem was. After almost an hour of silent examination Rochelle, and her mother who had accompanied her, asked if they were any closer to a diagnosis. The scan revealed that the maggots have burrowed 12mm into Rochelle's head . Also known as Cochliomyia, the fly belongs to the blowfly family. They thrive in hot, tropical countries. The larvae feed on living tissue and can cause deep, pocket-like lesions in the skin. This feeding can cause significant damage to the host animal - or human, as in Rochelle's case. She said: 'My Mum asked her "Can you see what it is?" and the doctor said "If you don't mind I'd prefer to speak to the registrar before I tell you anything". 'My Mum said "Please tell us" and that's when the doctor said "You've got maggots in your ear". I burst into tears instantly.' Doctors tried to get the maggots out but the more medics delved into her ear, the more the larvae retreated into Rochelle's head. 'I was very scared - I wondered if they were in my brain. I thought to myself "This could be very, very serious."' Doctors ordered an emergency brain scan to find out if any damage had been done by the maggots, as well as to determine how many there were and where they were hiding. Here the the moment doctors found a 'writhing mass of maggots' is captured. The tips of a maggot's head can be seen as doctors try to extract the larvae from Rochelle's ear . There was a risk that they were migrating through her head. If one reached her brain it could cause meningitis, fatal bleeding and if one ate through her facial nerve she might be left facially paralysed. Luckily, the scan showed that no damage had been . done to Rochelle's ear drum, blood vessels or facial nerve. But they did discover that the . maggots had chewed a 12mm hole into a ear canal. Doctors then tried to drown them by flooding the ear canal with olive oil. 'I had to wait overnight to see if the treatment worked,' said Rochelle. 'It was longest few hours of my life. 'I just wanted them out of me and now I knew what was causing the sensations and sounds it made it all the worse.' Rochelle Harris was given a MRI scan to see if the maggots had migrated to her brain, but luckily they had not got very far. She said the wait for minor surgery to remove the maggots was the longest few hours of her life . The next day doctors checked her ear and . astonishingly the maggots were still alive. They managed to remove two, . but doctors were concerned there might be one more left inside her. Rochelle was sedated and surgeons explored her ear using a microscope and speculum. They were shocked by what they found. As they pushed further inside the ear, they found what they described as a 'writhing mass of maggots'. The two of maggots that had been . extracted were not alone - further examination revealed Rochelle was in fact hosting a family of eight large maggots. Rochelle (pictured with boyfriend James) said she remembered walking through a swarm of flies when in Peru and a fly did indeed get inside her ear. But once she shooed it away she thought nothing more of it . The maggots were immediately sent to a lab for analysis where it was discovered that that a New World Army Screw Worm Fly had laid eggs inside her ear. Rochelle said she remembered walking through a swarm of flies when in Peru and a fly had got inside her ear. But once she had shooed it away she thought nothing more of it. Since her traumatic encounter, Rochelle has suffered no long-term problems and she says that there has been a positive side-effect of having maggots living in her head. She said: 'I'm no longer as squeamish as I was about bugs - how can you be when they've been inside your head?' | Rochelle Harris, 27, went on holiday to Peru with her boyfriend this year .
On the flight back she developed excruciating headaches, face pain, started hearing noises in her head and fluid then leaked from her ear .
Went to A&E where doctors thought she had a minor ear infection .
But closer inspection revealed a New World Army Screw Worm fly had laid eggs in her ear which had burrowed 12mm into ear canal .
Luckily they had not spread to brain or near any major blood vessels .
Surgeons removed the flesh-eating creatures and Rochelle made a full recovery .
'Bugs, Bites and Parasites' airs on the Discovery Channel starts on July 21st at 10pm . |
44,848 | 7e69d572f2bb8f18edc0f0c97ea90e1be189d181 | When the two teams walk out of the Huish Park tunnel on Sunday afternoon there will be one amongst them wearing a Manchester United kit under his Yeovil Town garbs. Ten-year-old Harris, a United fan, was handed a late Christmas present by his father, Yeovil striker James Hayter, when he was told he had got him a place as a home mascot in their FA Cup third-round tie. The fixture is one of the biggest in Yeovil's history and Hayter admits, at 35-years-old, that it will be the greatest in his long career as a forward. VIDEO Scroll down for FATV's preview of Yeovil vs Manchester United . James Hayter will be lining up for Yeovil against Manchester United in the FA Cup on Sunday . 35-year-old Hayter has handed his son a place as a mascot at the game at Huish Park . 10-year-old Harris's hero is Manchester United captain and forward Wayne Rooney . But there was one in the Hayter household who celebrated even more than the player when Louis Van Gaal's team were pulled out of the hat to play the Somerset side. 'Harris said he wants to wear his Manchester United kit under his Yeovil kit,' Hayter explained. 'He was buzzing about the draw. 'I only told him on Tuesday he was going to get to be a mascot as well. So it's even better he's going to get to shake hands with all the players. He just can't wait for the game.' Harris's favourite player is Wayne Rooney and though Hayter draws the line at asking for the England striker's shirt at half-time, he added: 'He's asked me if I can try and get something off him. I'll do my best. Harris might be asking it before the game in the tunnel when he's lining up. It will be a good day for him.' Hayter's wife and two younger daughters will be at Yeovil's home for the game, although his parents, Mary and Richard, are unable to attend. They famously missed the moment their son scored the fastest hat-trick in Football League history, his first match after Harris was born a decade ago. Hayter, playing for Bournemouth at the time, came from the bench in the 84th minute in a match against Wrexham at Dean Court in February 2004, scored with his first touch and netted twice more within 140 seconds. But his parents had left the ground early to catch a ferry back to their home in the Isle of Wight. Hayter is famous for scoring the fastest hat-trick in Football League history in 2004 . Hayter (right) celebrates with Yeovil team-mates after scoring against Leyton Orient in last year's 3rd round . 'They were listening to the radio on the way back,' Hayter said. 'They heard a cheer on the way out and put the radio on and heard it was mine and were annoyed. Then listened in the car on the way to the ferry and heard I scored another two. They were obviously pleased, but they'd left to get the earlier ferry. They still shake their heads about it.' His father is too unwell to travel to the match, but they will be watching back home on television, eager not to miss this one. Hayter spent a large part of his career at Bournemouth, on their books as a teenager before enjoying a decade on the south coast between 1997 and 2007. While there, he heard stories about Bournemouth's famous victory against United, under manager Harry Rednapp, to knock them out of the cup in 1984. Hayter was only five at the time. Yet Yeovil have an even richer history of giant killing, knocking out 17 professional sides when they were a non-League club. 'It is something the manager Gary Johnson has spoken to us about in the previous two rounds,' Hayter added. 'He said that this was almost what Yeovil was known for. 'People know about Yeovil as they did so well in the FA Cup as a non-League team and they are one of the teams that has knocked the most league teams out. This club has a real history in the FA Cup.' Victory for the League One team against this United side, worth hundreds of millions of pounds, will be perhaps mark their greatest moment of all. Everyone in a Yeovil shirt will be celebrating wildly, apart from a young boy with his Manchester United kit on underneath. | Yeovil Town set to welcome Manchester United to Huish Park on Sunday .
Striker James Hayter gave his son the chance to be a mascot at the game .
10-year-old Harris wants is a fan of the Red Devils and Wayne Rooney .
Hayter famous for scoring the fastest hat-trick in Football League history . |
246,636 | cb2c1512560b415254ecdfc9ffc10c55e1a94951 | Robert L. Henry, 55, was pronounced dead at 6:16 p.m. on Thursday after the chemical injection at the Florida State Prison . A Florida man who killed two female co-workers by beating them with a hammer and setting them on fire during a robbery at a fabric store where they worked in 1987 was executed on Thursday. One witness to the lethal injection blurted out ‘Die!’ as the inmate read his last statement. Robert L. Henry, 55, was pronounced dead at 6:16 p.m. on Thursday after the chemical injection at the Florida State Prison. He was convicted of first-degree . murder in the November 1987 deaths of Phyllis Harris, 53, and Janet . Thermidor, 35, at the Deerfield Beach store. Authorities say about . $1,200 was taken in the robbery. Before . the execution, Henry read a three-minute statement in which he . apologized for his crimes and said he hoped his death would comfort the . families of the victims. But he also criticized the death penalty, saying thieves don't get their hands amputated as punishment. ‘Why would we continue to be murderers to those who have murdered?’ he said. Then, as he continued, an . unidentified victim family member who was witnessing the execution said . in a loud voice: ‘Die!’ The comment wasn't audible through the thick . glass partition separating witnesses from the chamber. After the execution, Thermidor's sister, Deborah Knights, read a family statement. Miriam Wiley Elliott, right, comforts Seth Penalver, prior to the execution of Robert L. Henry, by the prison near Starke, Fla., on Thursday . ‘We will always cherish the memory of her life that was taken too soon by a demon from hell,’ she said. ‘Today should be closure, but how can you forget the brutal way in which two lives were taken without remorse?’ In the 1987 attack, Thermidor was still alive when authorities found her beaten and burned. She identified Henry as the attacker in a recorded statement before she died hours later. Court records show Henry initially claimed the robbery was committed by three masked intruders who also abducted him, but later he confessed to acting alone. That confession was recorded. ‘You talk about atrocious, heinous, cruel, vile or wicked,’ Broward County prosecutor Michael Satz told the jury that convicted Henry in 1988. ‘This is a case that nightmares are made of.’ Jeffrey McClellan, Asst. Warden at the Florida State Prison, reads a statement to the media at the prison near Starke, Fla., just hours before the execution of Robert L. Henry . In addition to two counts of first-degree murder, Henry was convicted of armed robbery and arson. According to trial testimony and Henry's own statements to police, Henry first approached Harris after the store had closed on Nov. 2, 1987, telling her unknown robbers had ordered him to tie her up and blindfold her. Henry led Harris to a restroom, bound her there, then went to the store's office where he hit Thermidor repeatedly on the head with hammer, doused her with a flammable liquid and set her on fire. Henry then went back to the restroom and attacked Harris with the hammer, setting her ablaze, according to trial testimony. Authorities responding to the fire found Harris dead but Thermidor still alive. Following her statement to investigators, Henry was arrested the next day. | Robert Henry was convicted of first-degree .
murder in the November 1987 deaths of Phyllis Harris, 53, and Janet .
Thermidor, 35 .
He beat them with a hammer and set them on fire in order to steal $1,200 .
On Thursday evening he was administered a chemical injection at the Florida State Prison .
Before his execution he read a statement in which he criticized the death penalty .
An .
unidentified victim family member who was witnessing the execution said .
in a loud voice: ‘Die!’ |
192,779 | 8593c3888b9eedb91332e68bf2472ec8e30f4253 | American Airlines has rolled out a new pilot program designed to ease passenger congestion in the aisles - and collect more profits - as flights prepare for takeoff. Under the trial at just a few airports in the U.S., you can get onto the plane and in your seat ahead of other passengers regardless of where your row is - as long as you travel light. Travel expert John Discala says that after first class passengers are asked to board, the plane is then open to those who are flying without a carry-on bag. No bag, no problem: Under the trial at just a few U.S. airports, passengers can get onto the plane ahead of others regardless of their row - as long as they travel without a carry-on . Tale of the tweet: John Discala was the first to report the trial after he witnessed it firsthand at an adjacent gate . Discala, the host of The Travel Channel's Hot Spots 2012, first reported on the change after he happened to witness the program in action as he waited for a flight at an adjacent gate. Taking to Twitter on March 16, Discala posted: 'I wonder if @AmericanAir is testing out a new boarding procedure. They just invited those without carry-on's to board 2nd.' Less congestion: Allowing passengers without carry-ons to board first may lead to less passengers lined up for the overhead bins . American tweeted back: 'We know that the . WAS airports were trying a new boarding system, John, but we hadn't . heard that FLL (Fort Lauderdale) was too. Enjoy your flight!' Discala said that passengers on the Chicago-bound flight were allowed to board first if they had laptop bags or purses, as long as it wasn't a carry-on to stash in the overhead bin. He says that if put into normal practice, the benefits could be two-fold. He told ABC News that the unconventional boarding could speed up the process of getting customers on the plane. Secondly, he said, it may coax customers into skipping the line by checking their bag - and paying the accompanying fee to boost the airline's profits. The airline told ABC News: American Airlines said, 'We test many different concepts in an effort to continually improve the customer experience. 'With this in mind, we're conducting a test for a boarding process whereby customers who do not have any baggage to stow in the overhead compartment will be boarded in a separate group. The air carrier added: 'This is a limited test and results are still being analyzed. Given that it's a limited test, the airports and flights chosen may change at any time.' | Pilot program used at just a handful of U.S. airports .
If utilized, the airline will board first-class passengers, followed by those who are without carry-on bags .
Purses and laptop bags are not included as carry-ons in the program . |
97,629 | 09ae80350f2ab2dd670a5d96ae3ab788a30888a1 | A schoolgirl was in hospital last night after being shot while watching TV on the sofa with her mother. Davina Adarkwa, 11, was caught in a hail of bullets when gunmen opened fire from as little as three metres away through the window of her home. The promising student and her mother, Abena Adofo, 48, were both injured as up to 10 rounds were blasted into their living room. A mother and daughter were injured in a shooting in Chelsea Crescent, Cricklewood . Detectives said it was a miracle no-one . was killed as the window was obscured with blinds and the hooded gunmen . could not see who was inside. They are trying to uncover who was the intended target of the shooting in Cricklewood, North London. One witness, who helped carry Mrs Adofo to safety, said he thought the . bangs were fireworks before spotting the gunman aiming a weapon. He said: ‘I looked out the window and saw the guy pointing into the . house as he fired the last shots. I think there were about seven shots. ‘Nobody just comes and starts shooting through a window. I was searching . through my cupboard for something and heard a pop, pop, pop. ‘I looked out of my front window and saw the guy just aim into the window and shoot. It didn't register at the time. ‘When I came out it smelt like there was gunpowder in the air. I helped . carry the mum out and laid her on the snow. She was lying on the snow . injured in front of her son.’ The shocking attack took place in a tightly-packed road of 12 houses shortly before 10pm on Sunday evening. The schoolgirl, who recently appeared on a ‘roll of honour’ at her . Camden primary school, was hit in the foot. Her mother was hit in the . chest and leg. Both were taken to a North London hospital where they underwent surgery . to remove bullet fragments. Four other adults in the house were . uninjured. Shots were fired at a house in Chelsea Crescent, Cricklewood (pictured left). Bullet holes could be seen in the windows of the property (pictured right) Shots were fired at a house in Chelsea Crescent, Cricklewood (pictured left). Bullet holes could be seen in the windows of the property (pictured right) A mother and daughter were injured when a gunman targeted a house in Chelsea Crescent, on St Cuthberts Road, Cricklewood . Three black men were seen running away after the shooting, which police believe may have been a gang-related attack. Neighbours said the family have lived in the close-knit community for . more than a decade and Mrs Adofo’s husband died two years ago. Last night forensics officers were using metal detectors in their search for bullet casings in drifts of snow outside the home. They erected a powerful floodlight in front of the house as seven . officers put on kneepads and carried out an inch-by-inch fingertip . search. Five bullet holes were visible in the windowpane where the wooden Venetian blinds were still lowered. Det Insp Glenn Butler, who is leading the inquiry, said it was ‘lucky no-one was killed’ when the men fired up to 10 shots . blindly through the window. The officer, of Scotland Yard’s Trident gun . crime unit, added: ‘It is safe to say that the two people injured are . innocent people that have been caught up in whatever has happened . here.‘We still do not know how many shots have been fired. It could be . as many as 10. I cannot be sure whether there were one or two guns. ‘We have no motive and there does not appear to be any other incidents linked to this at the moment. ‘They have been shot through the window of their living room as they sat . watching TV. The wooden blinds were closed and the suspects fired . through the window. ‘They have fired from around three or four metres away. Without being . too dramatic, it is fair to say it is lucky no-one was killed.’ Police are hunting for three black men wearing dark clothing with their . hoods pulled up seen walking to a light-coloured getaway car. Police at the scene of the shooting where a mother and her daughter were injured . Investigation: Police are appealing for witnesses following the shooting in a residential area . One neighbour said the street has been blighted by several gang-related attacks, including a stabbing, over the last year. He said: ‘I have asked to get moved from here, but the council don't think I am in any immediate danger. ‘I have kids and I am married, supposing the bullets had come through my . window – my son was playing PlayStation at the time and they could have . got him. ‘I heard gunshots and asked my son to run away. He didn't understand why . I was shouting at him. I came outside and didn't see anyone to my . right. ‘But if I had looked to my left I would have seen someone. When I looked back I saw someone running away. ‘The victims are really nice people and this is a close knit community. I . can't think of any reason behind this. It's shocked us all.’ Another neighbour said: ‘I think the woman's husband died two years ago and she was raising the children on her own. The attack is being investigated by . the Metropolitan Police's Trident Gang Crime Command which specialises . in 'black-on-black' gun crime. Det Insp Butler said: 'We have a limited description of three black males wearing dark clothing and hoods walking through Garlinge Road. 'They turned up in a light coloured . vehicle. They walked through the estate and witnesses report seeing them . walk back to the light coloured car. 'We are still appealing for witnesses. We have no idea of a motive yet and do not wish to speculate.' The area . has been cordoned off while special police officers use . metal detectors and to search through bins for clues. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Davina Adarkwa, 11, was shot in the foot when a gunman fired shots through her living room window in North London .
Her mother Abena Adofo, 48, was hit in the chest and the leg .
Four other adults inside the house in Cricklewood were not injured .
Detectives say it was 'a miracle' nobody was killed when the men opened fire . |
241,403 | c47940f7e102aea32601bf369d1325a20106b0c3 | A teacher who has recently transitioned from being a man to a woman has shared the highs and lows of stepping into her new identity. Karen Adell Scot, 56, from Oakhurst, California, announced in March that she would be returning to her post at Yosemite High School not as Mr Gary Sconce, as she was formally known, but Miss Scot; having had gender reassignment surgery. Writing for Today, Miss Scot relayed the reaction she had from one of her female students, who told her: 'You know, I really liked Mr Sconce. He was a lot of fun. But you’re such a better teacher than Mr Sconce. Because you listen to us.' Science teacher: Karen Adell Scot, 56, announced in March that she would be returning to her post at Yosemite High School not as Mr Gary Sconce, as she was formally known (left) but as Miss Scot (right) Sadly for Miss Scot, her own family have been less accepting of her transition. Her former wife divorced her last September after 36 years of marriage because she didn't want to be married to a woman. Miss Sconce's son is 'trying to re-establish' a relationship, but only communicates intermittently. Her daughter warned her that if she had surgery to feminize her face, she'd be 'dead to her' - and followed up on her promise after Miss Scot underwent the surgery. 'I don't get many reciprocal texts or communications from her. And I don’t get to see her daughter, my granddaughter,' Miss Scot reports. 'My daughter was always a daddy’s girl. 'She always hung around with this hardheaded, conservative, military, law enforcement, masculine type of guy. That’s who I was. On the outside.' Mixed responses: While most of her students have embraced Miss Scot's new identity (pictured) her own family have been less accepting of her transition . Teaching class: Miss Scot's former wife divorced her last September after 36 years of marriage because she didn't want to be married to a woman . Big decision: Her daughter warned her that if she had surgery to feminize her face, she'd be 'dead to her' - and followed up on her promise. Miss Scot, pictured before (left) and (after) she underwent the surgery . Indeed, before Miss Scot started taking estrogen - a naturally occurring female hormone taken by men who are in transition - she describes herself as having been 'hyper' and 'uneasy.' Speaking to The Sierra Star earlier this year, Miss Scot said she had tried a variety of activities to convince herself of her masculinity; including college football, joining the military, becoming a sheriff's deputy, and teaching martial arts. She writes for Today: 'Imagine that you are swimming in the ocean and you get rolled by a huge wave. You don’t know which way is up. 'You're drowning. You’re suffocating. That’s what life felt like before my transition. 'Like struggling to survive under a tidal wave.' Transformed: Miss Scot posted these photos to her Facebook account, writing, 'That "man" [right] started the school year last year. Look at the sadness in "his" eyes. Notice the profound diffference! [left]' New person: Before Miss Scot, pictured in November (left) and December (right), started taking estrogen, she describes herself as having been 'hyper' and 'uneasy' After Miss Scot finally summoned the courage to come clean about how she felt - that she'd been trapped in the wrong body for as long as she can remember - she hoped her wife would be able to get past it. Tragically, despite her former wife's best efforts, she found herself unable to and filed for divorce in September. Worse, Miss Scot found that after her transition, she realized she appreciated her ex-wife and loved her 'far more deeply' than she had when she was a man. She does, however, insist she 'understands' the undoubtedly difficult decision made by her ex-wife, and hopes they can still be friends. Say cheese: Miss Scot, pictured last month, claims that her sex change has left feeling 'alive for the first time' and overwhelmed with 'pure happiness and joy' While many former friends, acquaintances and colleagues have shunned Miss Scot's new identity, she focuses on the 'vast majority' of her students who have responded positively. 'As a woman in the classroom, I possess tremendous empathy and insight that I didn’t have as a man,' she writes. 'Now, I am calm, happy, easygoing and organized.' Miss Scot claims that her sex change has left feeling 'alive for the first time' and overwhelmed with 'pure happiness and joy.' She regularly writes to her estranged daughter to tell her how much she loves and cares for her. For now, it's all she can do. 'I will keep trying,' Miss Scot concludes. | Karen Adell Scot, a 56-year-old science teacher based in California, underwent surgery to become a woman this year .
The 'vast majority' of her students at Yosemite High School accepted her new identity .
Miss Scot's wife of 36 years divorced her, her daughter claims she is 'dead' to her, and her son no longer regularly communicates .
Despite these struggles, Miss Scot says she now feels 'alive' for the first time in her life . |
187,666 | 7f06e9a5067023dfb6ea172c812f7a5270cd4a78 | PARIS, France (CNN) -- French Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand said Thursday he will not resign over accounts in a book he wrote in 2005 about paying to have sex with "boys" in Thailand. Frederic Mitterrand admitted to paying for sex with "boys" in his 2005 autobiography, "The Bad Life." In an interview with French television network TF1, Mitterrand said he "absolutely condemn[s] sexual tourism, which is a disgrace, and ... pedophilia," in which he insisted he has never participated. Despite the use of the French word "garcon" in his 2005 book "The Bad Life," Mitterrand, 62, has previously said the term did not mean "little boys." He said the males he paid for sex were his age, or maybe five years younger, but not underage -- and the relations were consensual. "Anyway, you can recognize someone who's 40 years old ..." he told TF1. A 40-year-old man "doesn't look like a minor," he added, suggesting that his partners were middle-aged men. His actions, Mitterrand said, were "without a doubt, an error," but "a crime, no," he said in the interview. Despite recent calls to resign from the far-right National Front and the left-leaning Socialist Party, Mitterrand, who is openly gay, vowed to stay in his job. He said he met Thursday morning with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and that the president supports him. In a July interview with the weekly French news magazine Le Nouvel Observateur, Sarkozy said he had read Mitterrand's book, and found it "courageous and talented." The controversy over the revelations in his book -- which he called neither autobiography nor memoir -- erupted anew after Mitterrand deplored the arrest last week of filmmaker Roman Polanski, who fled the United States in 1977 after pleading guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old girl. The culture minister told TF1 that he was "too emotional" when he denounced the filmmaker's arrest in Switzerland as "horrifying." "To see him thrown to the lions for an old story that really has no meaning, and to see him alone, imprisoned, when he was going to attend a ceremony where he was to be honored, that is to say, he was trapped, it's absolutely horrifying," he said October 4, according to Agence France Presse. The far-right National Front organized an anti-Mitterrand demonstration in Paris on Thursday evening. "Send this message on to everyone who will not put up with this indecency!" the party's Web site said. The party's vice president, Marine Le Pen, has demanded Mitterrand's resignation for what she termed his sexually deviant acts. Mitterrand responded, saying, "It's an honor to be dragged through the mud by the National Front." Mitterrand's acts of "sexual tourism" have left "a dark smudge" on the government, Le Pen said. The group is also gathering signatures on a petition, online and on paper, from those who want Mitterrand to step down. "We really hope he will resign," National Front communications director Julien Sanchez told CNN. "It's an embarrassment for our country, that our culture minister has done this. It affects our international image. It's not right," he added. Watch report on the controversy surrounding French Culture Minister Frederic Mitterand » . On the other side of the political spectrum, the left-leaning Socialist Party suggested Sarkozy should consider Mitterrand's position. "It's up to President Sarkozy to decide whether or not we can be involved in the fight against child prostitution and sexual tourism, and whether or not the acts written in an autobiography -- written by a minister -- are acts of sexual commerce," said party spokesman Benoit Hamon. "If everything is relative and Mr. Mitterrand can be excused because he's famous, well, I don't excuse his behavior," Hamon said. Martine Aubry, the leader of the Socialist Party, said she would wait until she had read the book before making any judgment. Mitterrand said on TF1 that he had had sexual relations with boys -- using the French word "garcons" -- but added, "you must not confuse pedophilia with homosexuality." He also described his book as a mixture of his life and the life of others, and denied accusations that it was a glorification of sexual tourism. The minister said he never had sex with "young boys" and denounced those who accused him of such acts, saying that maybe they were confusing their own fantasies with what the book was really about. Mitterrand told an interviewer in 2005 that assertions that he liked "little boys" were untrue. "It's because when people say 'boys' we imagine 'little boys,'" he said then. "How to explain that? It belongs to this general puritanism which surrounds us, which always makes us paint a black picture of the situation. It has nothing to do with that." Mitterrand was a television personality, not a government minister, when the book was published. It caused a stir upon its publication, as well, and has been the subject of heated debate several times since then. In one passage, published by the French newspaper Le Monde on Thursday, Mitterrand describes in detail a sexual encounter with a "boy" he said was called Bird. "My boy didn't say a word, he stood before me, immobile, his eyes still straight ahead and a half-smile on his lips. I wanted him so badly I was trembling," he wrote. Mitterrand also wrote about visiting clubs to choose young male prostitutes in Thailand -- where prostitution is illegal and sexual intercourse with a minor is statutory rape and is punishable by imprisonment. "Most of them are young, handsome and apparently unaware of the devastation that their activities could bring them. I would learn later that they didn't come every night, that they were often students, had a girlfriend and sometimes even lived with their families, who pretended not to know the source of their breadwinner's earnings," the book said. "Some of them were older and there was also a small contingent of heavier bruisers, who also had their fans. It was the artistic side of the exposition: Their presence made the youthful charm of the others stand out." He also wrote that while he had read reports and seen documentaries on the evils of "le commerce des garcons" (the boy trade) -- the misery, the piles of money from which "les gosses" (the kids) got only a few crumbs, the ravages of drugs -- "all of these rituals of the fair of the youths, the slave market, excited me enormously." "The profusion of very attractive boys, immediately available, put me in a state of desire that I no longer had to restrain or conceal." Mitterrand -- the nephew of the Socialist former president Francois Mitterrand -- joined Sarkozy's center-right government this summer. Wikipedia, the user-edited online reference Web site, has locked down Mitterrand's entry, preventing changes to it, in a possible sign of the intensity of the debate surrounding him. CNN's Jen Carswell in Paris, France and Alanne Orjoux in Atlanta, Georgia, contributed to this report. | Culture minister condemns sexual tourism, denies he is a pedophile .
Frederic Mitterrand, in 2005 book, wrote of paying for sex with "boys" in Thailand .
Le Monde on Thursday published steamy excerpts from "The Bad Life"
Mitterand came to the defense of Roman Polanski after the filmmaker's arrest . |
117,281 | 237515b81d40a042bb1c50cb90a8034c0ab1461a | Australian swimming officials have vowed to "win back the admiration of a nation" following the release of a damning report that blamed a "toxic" team environment at London 2012 which led to the country's worst Olympic pool performance in 20 years. It was the first time Australia had failed to win more than one swimming gold medal since 1992, and the subsequent independent review revealed problems throughout the team -- from lack of leadership at the top to unacceptable behavior by the athletes. "Standards, discipline and accountabilities for the swim team at the London Olympics were too loose," the report said, having canvassed 94 individuals and received 30 submissions. "There were enough culturally toxic incidents across enough team members that breached agreements (such as getting drunk, misuse of prescription drugs, breaching curfews, deceit, bullying) to warrant a strong, collective leadership response that included coaches, staff and the swimmers. No such collective action was taken." Coming soon after this month's government report claiming widespread use of drugs by Australian athletes, it is another serious blow to the country's image of sporting excellence. Swimming Australia said Tuesday it had already begun to address some of the issues raised in the review, and had a 100-day plan to tackle them further. "Swimming has a proud history in this country and everyone in the sport wants to maintain and improve on the credibility and integrity which has developed over more than a century of success," said its president Barclay Nettlefold. "Before we look at winning gold medals, we want to win back the admiration of the nation, and we want to engage with our swimming community like never before at every level." One of the review's key criticisms was that team officials had been so focused on winning gold medals that the morale of the athletes suffered. Swimmers complained of being ignored if they failed to achieve expected standards, describing it as the "Lonely Olympics" and the "Individual Olympics." "Things were quiet and weird when someone lost. You just sort of went to your room and got out of the way," said one in the report. Some respondents felt that team officials were only interested in presenting the most well-known swimmers to the media, with 24 of the 47-strong squad being first-time Olympians, while some did not turn up to support their colleagues on race days. "The consequence was an undertone of divisions, now and then, us and them, men and women, the best and the rest," the report said. "Poor behavior and disrespect within the team were not regulated or resisted strongly by other team members, and it was left unchecked or without consequence by staff and coaches on a number of occasions. "Some individual incidents of unkindness, peer intimidation, hazing and just 'bad form' as a team member that were escalated to personal coaches were not addressed and had no further consequence." These problems were magnified by a lack of control of the team's social media activities, the report said. Emily Seebohm claimed her overuse of Twitter cost her a gold medal in the 100 meters backstroke event in which she was favorite, while Stephanie Rice made headlines after posting a picture of herself in a skimpy bikini just before the Games. Teammates Nick D'Arcy and Kenrick Monk were forced to remove a picture they posted online showing them with weapons in a U.S. gun shop. They were banned from using social media at London 2012. "The media search for controversy is nothing new, but London was the first Games where the influence of social media was so dramatic," the report said. "Some athletes engaged deeply in public debate on what they were doing, how they were doing, and even on who they actually were as individuals. This served to fuel emotions, good and bad, at a time where calmness, intensive focus and consistency should have prevailed. "Social media also allowed already disconnected athletes to seek support from sources external to the team, which again diminished the reliance on a unified team." The report said the lack of team spirit was partly caused by letting the swimmers prepare under individual programs with their own coaches, which caused a disconnect at all levels of the squad. Meanwhile, the Olympic village environment was described as "mayhem" and "a candy shop of distractions." "Fragmentation was compounded in the absence of familiarity and sufficient opportunities to connect formally and socially. Greater cohesion as a team would have needed to be intentional and cultivated by design," the report said. The Australian Sports Commission welcomed the review's findings. "Swimming Australia has already commenced recruitment for a new high performance director and has also taken steps to improve its relationship with key stakeholders," said ASC chief executive Simon Hollingsworth. "This report is a clear message to Swimming Australia to continue its reforms to enable it to return to the top table of international swimming." | Independent review criticizes "toxic" culture of Australia's Olympic swimming team .
Report accuses swimmers of getting drunk, using prescription drugs, bullying teammates .
Swimming Australia says it is already addressing issues after disappointing London 2012 .
Australian swimmers failed to win more than one gold medal for first time since 1992 . |
45,864 | 81420283c2df4805fd470904e29c72a244b75d02 | Kieran Gibbs will start England’s Euro 2016 qualifier against Slovenia at Wembley after Leighton Baines was ruled out through injury. The Arsenal left back plays for Roy Hodgson’s side at Wembley because Luke Shaw has not been named in the 23 man squad to face Slovenia. Shaw was apparently due to be rested for the clash with Slovenia and was not named in the squad lodged with UEFA before the noon deadline on Friday. VIDEO Scroll down for Roy Hodgson: Baines' injury 25 minutes to late to change squad list . Leighton Baines (right) has withdrawn from England's squad and will miss games with Slovenia and Scotland . The Everton defender was injured during the Three Lions' training session at St George's Park on Friday . Arsenal defender Kieran Gibbs (left) will now start for Roy Hodgson's side at Wembley on Saturday . Baines has returned to Goodison Park for treatment on his injury and will not be able to face Scotland at Celtic Park on Tuesday. The injury to England’s first choice left back means Gibbs will be promoted to play in his place. Shaw, who has just got in to the Manchester United team following injury, is expected to step in to face Gordon Strachan’s side on Tuesday. Despite the injury to Baines, England are unable to make any changes to the original 23 man squad list lodged earlier on Friday. Gibbs has won four caps for England with his last appearance coming against San Marino in October . Manchester United's Luke Shaw (right) has been left out of England's 23-man squad to face Slovenia . | Leighton Baines will miss games against Slovenia and Scotland .
The Everton defender picked up an injury in training on Friday .
Kieran Gibbs is now set to start at left back at Wembley on Saturday .
Manchester United's Luke Shaw is also in Roy Hodgson's squad . |
255,062 | d624272cb87f4041091c03a0cd71f27f955ba409 | By . Snejana Farberov . More trouble: Andrew Nisbet, 32, arrested . last December for sexually abusing at least two boys while working as a golf . instructor in Livermore, California, is now facing solicitation for murder charges . A popular California youth golf coach charged with molesting three of his male students has attempted to hire a hit man from behind bars to kill at least two of the victims, officials said. According to an affidavit, Andrew Nisbet, 32, wrote letters from his cell in Santa Rita Jail in Dublin talking about having two young men 'taken care of.' Nisbet's letters containing information about the alleged victims eventually wound up in the hands of a confidential informant, who told about them to a sheriff's deputy in February. Alameda County district attorney's Inspector Jeff McCort wrote in the affidavit that Nisbet penned additional letters to the informant acting as an intermediary agreeing on a price for each hit. Last month, an undercover district attorney's inspector visited Nisbet in jail posing as a gun-for-hire and secretly recorded their conversation. The agent described himself to Nisbet as a 'mechanic and said he could fix a car for him and made a pistol-shooting motion with his hand,' the affidavit cited by San Francisco Chronicle stated. The suspected pedophile replied by saying that there were two 'cars' that were in need of fixing in Pleasanton and Santa Barbara. According to officials, one of Nisbet's alleged molestation victims attends college in Santa Barbara. The bogus assassin then asked Nisbet to name the Santa Barbara resident, and the former golf coach mouthed the name, adding that the 'car' was 21 years old, McCort wrote in the court document. Instructor: Nisbet had tutored students at Las Positas Golf Course in Livermore since 2006 and was arrested in December 2013 . Well connected: Nisbet is seen here accepting an . PGA junior league award last year from US Ryder Cup Captain Davis Love . III as his students pass their time in an airport playing cards as seen . on his Facebook page . The Livermore coach also allegedly suggested to the undercover officer that he should steal the victims' cell phones to make the hits look like robberies. Nisbet then allegedly offered to pay for the hits up front to prove to the 'mechanic' that he was serious. When officials searched Nisbet's cell a week later, they discovered driving directions to the home of the victim from Pleasanton and a heap of letters written by the suspect to the informant discussing the alleged assassination plot. In additional to the 75 felony counts he had been charged with in connection to the child sex abuse, Nisbet now also faces three counts of solicitation of murder. He is due back in court June 10. Nisbet, who is married, had tutored students at Las Positas Golf Course in Livermore since 2006 and was arrested in December 2013 - a day before he was due to receive a PGA award for Coach of the Year at the prestigious Contra Costa Country Club. According to a criminal complaint, Nisbet, who also operated the GRIP Junior Golf Academy, is accused of performing oral sex on his victims - some as young as 12 - in his car from December 2009 through March 2012 and showing them pornography on his phone - including child pornorgrpay. . The complaint also alleges that other sex acts were committed by Nisbet in the golf clubs parking lot and during out-of-town golfing excursions. Livermore police officer Steve Goard said that authorities became aware of the allegations when one of Nisbet's golf students reported that he was abused last November. Worrying: Nisbet was arrested at Las Positas Golf Course in Livermore - the day before he was due to receive the prestigious PGA's 2013 Junior Golf Leader Award . Las Positas Golf Course has announced Nisbet has been fired since his arrest. 'He befriended them as the cool coach, gave them rides to and from practice and bought them gifts, including top-of-the-line golf equipment,' Goard said to the San Jose Mercury News. 'He created a coach-athlete bond and, as he did, was figuring out who he could get away with it with.' Nisbet was taken into custody at 10am December 7, 2013, on the golf course while he was working. During his initial interview, police said he admitted some lewd acts with the children. His wife of two years, Kimberly Patrick Nisbet, has not commented on the allegations and appears to have moved out of the family home in Livermore, which is next door to Jackson Elementary School. Wedding day: Andrew Nisbet has been married to his wife Kimberly for two years and they recently traveled to Lake Tahoe to celebrate their anniversary . Arrested: Andrew Nisbet with his wife Kimberly - Nisbet was arrested last year and charged with 75 counts of pedophilia by the Alameda County District Attorney's Office for abuse spanning three years . According to his biography . online, Nisbet majored in professional golf management at Mississippi . State University and had worked as a golf pro at The Country Club of . Birmingham in Alabama and Beech Woods Golf Course in Southfield, . Michigan. It also claims he is 'one of the only Top 50 US Kids Golf Master Teachers in Northern California.' | Andrew Nisbet, 32, was arrested on the Las Positas Golf Course in December 2013 and charged with 65 counts of sexual abuse on two boys .
Prosecutors later added 10 more counts of child pornography .
Nisbet allegedly wrote letters in jail to confidential informant about wanting to hire a hit man .
District attorney's inspector posing as a gun-for-hire visited Nisbet in jail and identifed himself as a 'mechanic' who could fix a 'car' for him .
Golf coach said one of the 'cars' was 21 years old and lived in Pleasanton . |
279,875 | f68e6089cadc0933205ca95ad97ac988276853d7 | By . Leesa Smith . A homeless man who allegedly raped and killed a Chinese woman in Melbourne has been described as an 'average Aussie bloke’ by a stranger who bought him a drink just hours beforehand. The white collar worker, who requested not to be named, happened to meet Scott Allen Miller before he allegedly sexually assaulted and murdered pastry chef Renea Lau, 32, in Kings Domain on Saturday morning. The stranger told The Age that Miller, 42, approached him in Federation Square earlier that morning to ask where he should go for a drink and when the man told him that he was going to the Carlton Club, Miller began to walk with him. ‘He did appear like your average Aussie bloke,’ he said. ‘As we were walking there he told me how he was sleeping rough on the street and I felt a bit sorry for him.’ Scroll down for video . The anonymous white collar worker was approached by Scott Allen Miller in Federation Square just hours before he allegedly raped and killed Renea Lau . He described Miller as ‘articulate and friendly’ and thought he was a ‘very highly functioning homeless person’ who bought most of his own drinks at the bar. But the office worker said about an hour after he bought Miller a beer, he became ‘weirded out’ by the conversation. Police reported that Miller had been ejected from the Carlton Club hotel on Bourke Street about half an hour earlier before allegedly chased down Ms Lau. Yuk Ling Lau (left) has been remembered as a 'wonderful person' by her friends . Meanwhile Miller, 42, remained alert in the dock during a brief hearing at Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday where he stands accused of killing Chinese national Yuk Ling Lau while she was on her way to work. Miller, who had been living on the streets for two months, looked bewildered and yawned several times during the short hearing, the Herald Sun reports. Legal Aid solicitor Sarah Pratt told the court that Miller had suffered a previous drug-induced psychosis and required a prison health assessment. 'It’s his first time in custody,' Ms Pratt said. Scott Allen Miller has appeared in court in Melbourne charged over the rape and murder of Yuk Ling Lau . A police application to retain forensic samples taken from Miller was granted and he was remanded to reappear in Melbourne Magistrates Court on October 24. Ms Lau, a 32-year-old pastry chef from Hong Kong, was found dead by joggers in Kings Domain on Sunday morning at 5.30am. Miller was arrested near Eden on the NSW far south coast on Monday following a three-day manhunt. He was extradited to Victoria on Tuesday and was charged in Melbourne that night. Ms Lau's friends, who knew her as Renea, remembered her as a 'beautiful friend and colleague' and a large group of them attended the hearing on Wednesday. A colleague who worked with Ms Lau at the dessert bar in Melbourne's inner-east, Steven Kearney, said she was a 'wonderful person'. 'I would just like to state with deep sadness that Renea was an employee,' Mr Kearney told The Age. 'She will be terribly missed here. She was... a beautiful friend and colleague. We offer our heartfelt condolences to her family and friends and all our thoughts are with them.' Mr Kearney asked the media to respect his and his other colleagues' privacy as they were 'grieving and working through this difficult time'. Yuk LIng Lau (pink top) was on her way to work in Melbourne when she was raped and murdered . Ms Lau had moved to Australia in 2012. Her family will arrive in Australia later this week to formally identify her body. Homicide Squad Detective Inspector John Potter confirmed on Monday that Ms Lau had been sexually assaulted before she died. 'This is a particularly violent assault on this woman, she has been sexually assaulted and she has been physically assaulted,' Insp Potter said. Miller was arrested by an off-duty police officer near Eden, while camping in a small cove area and was later taken to a police station. Yuk Ling Lau's parents are due to arrive from Hong Kong this week to take their daughter's body home . He was born in the US and once lived in an affluent Perth suburb. In the 1990s, he was a leading figure in the illegal dance party scene in Perth as director of E-Nerve Pty Ltd a company that organised raves, The Age reported. Scott Allen Miller is led into court in Melbourne on Wednesday charged over the rape and murder of Yuk Ling Lau . Her body was discovered by joggers on Saturday morning under a tree in the popular park . Police have not released the woman's name, but say she is a Chinese national who was in her 30s . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | A white collar worker met Scott Allen Miller just hours before he allegedly raped and killed pastry chef Renea Lau, 32, in Melbourne on Saturday .
The worker described Miller as ‘articulate and friendly’
Miller, 42, appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday after being extradited from NSW .
He was remanded in custody and will reappear in October accused of killing Ms Lau on her way to work .
Ms Lau, a 32-year-old pastry chef from Hong Kong, was found dead by joggers in Kings Domain on Saturday .
A police application to retain forensic samples from Miller was granted .
He was arrested at a NSW campsite following a three-day manhunt . |
160,919 | 5c07f89c9532c50c90fd017570bd5563ee5ca46c | By . Rob Preece . PUBLISHED: . 12:10 EST, 16 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 12:49 EST, 16 September 2012 . Victim: Kevin Ssali was stabbed to death as he got off a bus in South London . A 14-year-old boy who was stabbed to death as he got off a bus has been named by police. Kevin Ssali was attacked as he stepped off the vehicle in Lee, South London, at about 9.45pm on Saturday. The teenager, from South Norwood, was taken to hospital but died from his wounds. A post-mortem examination is scheduled to take place at Greenwich mortuary on Monday afternoon. Kevin is believed to have been travelling on a route 202 bus through Lee Green towards Charlton. The attack happened about 500 yards from the spot where another teenager, 16-year-old Jimmy Mizen, was murdered in 2008. Jimmy's father Barry Mizen, who has campaigned against teen crime, appealed for witnesses to the killing to come forward. He said: 'This killing came as a great shock to myself and my wife Margaret and our hearts go out to the family of this young man. 'We actually do understand where they are going to be. 'We are always looking for answers but we would say let’s have a calm response to this. 'I would ask for witnesses to come forward because in Jimmy’s death the witnesses made the difference. 'The first instance is for witnesses to come forward and the judicial process to take its course, to identify the perpertrators and prosecute them. That has to happen.' Asked whether the problem of teen violence had changed since Jimmy's death, Mr Mizen replied: 'Has it changed? The actual figures reflect that there are less deaths. Shock: Mourners gather to leave flowers at the spot in Lee, South London, where Kevin Ssali was stabbed . 'But what hasn’t changed is the attitude which is still prevalent, where you get to a stage where it’s quite okay to actually kill somebody. 'It’s about changing people’s attitudes. We need to stand together and say "this isn’t good enough, we don’t want to live in a society where people kill each other - we don’t want to live in communities which are blighted by violence". 'This latest death make me even more determined. We have achieved great things and the actual figures have gone down, for whatever reason. 'But there are still some people who are prepared to go to these lengths to actually take a life, which is outrageous when you think about it. 'Things like this make myself and my wife more determined to work for peace in our communities.' Grief: Floral tributes are laid at the scene where Kevin Ssali was stabbed at about 9.45pm on Saturday . Detectives investigating Kevin's death have arrested three teenagers on suspicion of murder. A Scotland Yard spokesman said: 'As the victim alighted the bus in Burnt Ash Road, he was attacked and stabbed. 'Officers are trying to establish if there was some sort of altercation on board the bus which led to the incident.' Detective Chief Inspector Mark Dunne, from the Met's homicide and serious crime command, said: 'I am appealing for anyone who travelled on the route 202 bus on its way through the Lee area just before 9.45pm on Saturday night to speak to my officers. 'Did you witness an altercation or argument involving a group of male youths? 'I would also like to speak to anyone who was in Burnt Ash Road, where the victim got off the bus. 'I need to know what the series of events were which culminated in a 14-year-old boy losing his life.' Chilling echoes: The scene of the killing is 500 yards from the spot where 16-year-old Jimmy Mizen (left) was murdered in 2008. Jimmy's father Barry (right) appealed for witnesses to come forward . Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons. | Kevin Ssali was attacked as he stepped off the bus in Lee, South London .
Killing happened close to the spot where 16-year-old Jimmy Mizen was stabbed to death in 2008 .
Jimmy's father Barry joins calls for witnesses to come forward . |
152,451 | 51047ba3577a71bc99c260a392625681a0c6016c | By . Ap . The highest court for the U.S. armed forces has agreed to hear the . appeal of a Kansas airman convicted of assault for exposing multiple sex . partners to HIV at swinger parties in Wichita, his attorney said . Friday. David Gutierrez was a sergeant serving at McConnell Air . Force base in Kansas when he was sentenced in 2011 to eight years in . prison and stripped of his rank in an aggravated assault case. Prosecutors told the trial judge that a stiff sentence would send a . message that the military values the integrity of its service members, . saying Gutierrez played Russian roulette with his sexual partners' lives. Air Force Sgt. David Gutierrez, who was convicted of assault for exposing multiple sex partners to HIV at swinger parties in Wichita, Kan., has won an appeal to be heard by the highest court for the U.S. armed forces . The defense on appeal has won a rare opportunity to . present before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces an . argument that his attorney says could set a far-reaching precedent . across the military. 'It will set the table for the entire . military services as to what kind of evidence is necessary to find that . someone can cause grievous bodily injury after testing positive for . HIV,' said Kevin McDermott, one of his defense attorneys. In . addition to the HIV issue, the military appeals court agreed Tuesday to . decide whether the evidence was sufficient to find Gutierrez committed . adultery. The defense contends Gutierrez can't be guilty of adultery . because his wife participated with her husband in the 'swinger's . lifestyle.' The appeals court, essentially the military . equivalent of the U.S. Supreme Court, takes fewer than 5 percent of . petitions submitted to it, McDermott said. David Gutierrez was a sergeant serving at McConnell Air Force base in Kansas when he was sentenced in 2011 to eight years in prison and stripped of his rank in an aggravated assault case. A military judge in . Wichita found Gutierrez guilty in January 2011 on seven of eight counts . of aggravated assault and of violating his commander's order to notify . partners about his HIV status and use condoms. The judge also convicted . Gutierrez of indecent acts for having sex in front of others and of . eight counts of adultery. Prosecutors did not immediately respond to an email Friday seeking comment. The . Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the conviction in March . 2013, and the defense appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the . Armed Forces. In its petition, the defense argued that the . evidence was not sufficient to prove Gutierrez was HIV positive. The . test used has since been recalled by the Food and Drug Administration . because it was susceptible to false reactions. His attorneys also . said that even if Gutierrez had HIV, his medical records showed his . viral load was so low during that time that he had a 'zero chance' of . infecting anyone through oral sex and a 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 100,000 . chance of infecting a partner through unprotected intercourse. 'If . the court agrees with us and determines David was not infected to the . point that he could have caused grievous bodily injury to others, this . would gut substantially 90 percent of the case against David,' McDermott . said. The case has not yet been set for oral arguments and no decision is expected until the summer of 2014. | Gutierrez's defense contends he can't be guilty of adultery .
because his wife participated with her husband in the 'swinger's .
lifestyle'
If .
the court finds Gutierrez was not infected to the .
point that he could have caused grievous bodily injury to others, lawyers say case would be 'gutted'
Gutierrez attorneys say that he had a 'zero chance' of .
infecting anyone through oral sex . |
279,688 | f651e637acb9c1727265d6495d7e271564131d2e | (CNN) -- New Formula One season, same old story. Triple world champion Sebastian Vettel began his quest for a fourth consecutive drivers' title by putting his Red Bull top of the timesheets in practice ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. The German's lap of one minute and 25.908 seconds edged out teammate Mark Webber, who was second fastest. "Overall it was a good day for us," the 25-year-old Vettel told the sport's official website. "After all the mileage of testing, it was fun to be out there -- this circuit doesn't get easier, it's a good challenge." "Today was a good day and the balance was good, but we need to be ready for what's coming up." The nearest challenger to the Red Bull drivers was Mercedes' Nico Rosberg, who continued to show the pace which saw him go faster than any other driver during preseason testing. For Rosberg's teammate, Lewis Hamilton, this weekend will be his first grand prix since ending a 15-year association with McLaren. It wasn't an ideal start to a new chapter in his career for the 2008 world champion, with Hamilton ending the day seventh fastest after sliding off the track during what looked to be a promising lap. "Overall it was a good day, if perhaps not the smoothest," reflected Hamilton. "I'm happy with where we are and to see Nico in third place on the timesheets shows that we're pretty competitive. "That's a reflection of a great job that everyone has done at the factory and here at the track. I'm looking forward to the rest of the weekend." Friday's practice at Albert Park took place in favorable conditions, although wet weather is predicted for qualifying on Saturday. Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, who was sixth fastest, expects conditions to change completely, while he also doubts the Italian team will be able to compete at the front of the grid in Melbourne. "Our efforts were helped by particularly favourable weather with sunshine and summery temperatures," explained the double world champion. "However, the weather is expected to change completely from tomorrow, with wind, rain and a significant drop in temperature, which could influence Sunday's race. "I'm not expecting any major surprises here, we already knew we were not the quickest and that was confirmed today. The car responds well, but we know there is still much to do if we want to fight with the very best." | Sebastian Vettel quickest in practice ahead of Australian Grand Prix .
Sunday's race in Melbourne is the first of the 2013 Formula One season .
Vettel first ahead of Red Bull teammate Mark Webber in second place .
Mercedes' Nico Rosberg third fastest, Lewis Hamilton seventh . |
164,743 | 6105c7a3e4d8544d60232be2c1b14f579cbe8a9b | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 17:33 EST, 10 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 11:40 EST, 11 January 2014 . Mugshot: Alicia Gray pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree sodomy and one count of second-degree sexual abuse. She has now been sentenced to six months in jail and five years probation . A former Alabama high school teacher who was married, pleaded guilty to having sex with a student, and has been sentenced to immediately serve jail time as well as surrender her teaching certificate. Alicia Gray, 28, accepted a plea deal by prosecutors as she was convicted of engaging in a sexual act or deviant sexual intercourse with a student under 19 years old. Gray was sentenced to serve six months behind bars with five years of probation. As a condition of the probation, Gray will no longer be allowed to be employed with minors, and was required to surrender her teaching certificate to the Alabama Department of Education at once. The former math teacher at Mary G. Montgomery surrendered to the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office in February of last year and charged with second-degree sodomy, sexual abuse and being a school employee who has had sexual contact with a student younger than 19. It was alleged that her victim was 14 years old at the time of the incident. The student told investigators his relationship with Gray started around New Year's Day 2013 and became more serious, ultimately leading to 'an exchange of oral sex' near or at the victim's home. The boy also told police Gray 'took several nude pictures' of herself and sent them to him via cell phone. Supportive husband: Alicia Gray's husband holds her hand as she walked into court in Mobile, Alabama, in February also accompanied by her attorney (pictured left) Turned herself in: Alicia Gray (pictured), of Mobile, Alabama, surrendered herself to authorities . She had been on paid administrative since her arrest, but she resigned from the school system several months ago. 'We . regret any circumstance like this, but when the allegations came out, . we acted quickly. We deeply regret this ever happened,' schools . Superintendent Martha Peek said in a statement. At the time of her arrest, Gray was accompanied by her husband . and attorney when she surrendered herself to authorities at Mobile . County Metro Jail, after a warrant had been issued for her arrest and an . investigation into the relationship was launched. Popular teacher: Former students off Gray said they were shocked by the allegations . On the MGM High School's website, Gray described herself as 'highly qualified in mathematics.' Former students said they were shocked by the allegations. 'She's really cool,' said former student Matt Boykin. 'I had her class when I was in ninth grade. I struggled with math a lot, and she really helped me.' Gray had graduated from Mary G . Montgomery High school and went on to pursue a bachelor degree in . mathematics education from the University of Mobile in May 2007. She then received her master’s degree in teaching and learning from Nova Southeastern University in May 2011. | Alicia Gray pleaded guilty to first-degree .
sodomy, sexual abuse and being a school employee who engaged in a sex .
act with a student younger than 19 .
She will serve six-months behind bars and be on probation for five years .
Despite her infidelity, her husband appeared to be standing by her and was in court for her sentencing . |
255,589 | d6d1b692c5abe8677cc6402da8f845b99f94effb | (CNN) -- When you're about to settle in for four days of serious gaming, while crammed into a single room with a couple thousand of your peers, there are some unique concerns. To stand out, you want your computer rig to look cool. And to stay connected, you want it to actually be cool. At QuakeCon, the bring-your-own-computer gaming fest that celebrated its 18th anniversary earlier this month in Dallas, the results of those concerns were some of the coolest-looking computer setups you're likely to see. Nearly 10,000 people attended the event to see the latest PC games from select companies, but also to witness the spectacle of 2,800 people playing computer games against one another in the same place. Part of the allure is competing against opponents from six different continents (Paging gamers from Antarctica!) and potentially being able to see them face-to-face instead of just talk over voice chat. The experience is unlike playing on your Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 in the comfort of your home. These gamers are all in one big, chilly room and connected to each other by 63,400 feet of cable. It's called the BYOC -- bring-your-own-computer -- room and is as much a showcase for players' modding skills as it is a place to play. Sometimes the modifications are purely aesthetic; sometimes they're to increase the computer tower's effectiveness and, sometimes, they address both. Here are some of the highlights from our visit to QuakeCon. Which ones are your favorites? Let us know in the comments. | At QuakeCon, thousands of gamers show up with modified computers .
The four-day event in Dallas drew nearly 10,000 people .
Modifications were meant to look good, keep computers cool . |
64,812 | b8110bb0fd92ad214f2c1b48509f5b9757a5652d | By . Martha De Lacey . PUBLISHED: . 05:30 EST, 18 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:17 EST, 18 November 2013 . His Clean & Lean diet programme has won him fans all over the world, including British supermodel Rosie Huntingdon-Whiteley and fellow models Elle Macpherson and David Gandy. And Australian fitness guru James Duigan, founder of London supergym Bodyism, is now turning his attention to the nation's bingo wings, in the third installment of a video series created exclusively for MailOnline. Duigan has already revealed how to get a perfectly flat stomach and buns of steel, and now he'll show you how to get arms worthy of Michelle Obama using three simple exercises. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Get arms worthy of First Lady Michelle Obama with James Duigan's three simple exercises . Duigan's three arm-tightening exercises can be done anywhere at any time of day and require no equipment. The Y is a fantastic way to improve posture and tone arms, simply sweeping them up and down while in a squat position. The closed-grip push-up from the knee is a half push-up done at a steady pace with a straight back. And the floor tricep dip also helps tone up legs, stomach and buttocks. He advises doing 15 of each every morning, all at a steady pace with a straight back. Common sense: James Duigan's Clean & Lean plan is loved by supermodels and anyone who wants to detox and tone up . First unveiled in a . book in 2012 called The Clean & Lean Diet, Duigan's health plan has . now been revised and updated for e-readers, and can be downloaded onto . Kindles or iPhones and iPads using the Kindle app. Beloved . by supermodels, Victoria's Secret girls and film stars (Lara Stone and . Hugh Grant, to name a few) the real magic is that is can work for . anyone, from housewives to office workers and everyone in between. The Y exercise demonstrated in Duigan's exclusive video . The closed-grip push-up from the knee is a half push-up done at a steady pace with a straight back . The floor tricep dip also helps tone up legs, stomach and buttocks . The . diet has never been advertised, but those who follow it (and who follow . Duigan's workouts, which he teaches from his London gym Bodyism, . recently voted top gym by Tatler magazine) become enthusiastic to the . point of fanaticism, making the Clean & Lean plan popular through . word of mouth alone. It recommends fresh food, as close to its natural state as possible. No refined sugar, which Duigan describes as like a 'toxic fat bomb' for your waistline. Cut back caffeine to one cup of coffee in the morning. Rely on natural, nutritious foods to give you energy rather than a roller coaster of unnatural highs provided by sugar and caffeine that invariably end in a crash that will have you reaching for the next stimulant, whether that be coffee, carbs, sweets or wine. And yes, ditch the booze. British model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is a staunch supporter of James Duigan's Clean & Lean diet plan . Model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley met James several years ago and is such a fan that she penned the introduction to his book Clean & Lean: Flat Tummy Fast. Rosie said: 'James knows exactly how I want my body to look: lean, taut and strong, yet soft, curvy and feminine. 'What I've learned through working with James is that by focusing on creating a healthy body you can really achieve all of these things, faster than I ever thought possible. Oh, and by the way, nobody can get a stomach as flat as James can!' Fans: Left, supermodel Rosie Huntington-Whiteley . has been following the Clean & Lean plan for some years now, while . right, British model David Gandy is also a fan . Download The Clean & Lean Diet on amazon.co.uk for £5.99. Or for U.S. readers at $9.56 on amazon.com . Clean foods are those that: . It's . not just the wrong type of food that piles on the pounds. The . relentless, low-level stress of everyday life can also add inches to . your waist. When we're frightened, angry, tense or worried our bodies become flooded with adrenalin and a stress hormone called cortisol. The adrenalin keeps us alert and focused, while the cortisol prepares our muscles for a 'fight-or-flight' response. Does stress leave you feeling fat? It also helps the body to release sugar into the bloodstream for instant energy. It's all part of a defence mechanism that allows the body to respond appropriately when faced with danger. While . this stress mechanism worked well for us when we were cavemen, . modern-day stress, caused by a relentlessly busy lifestyle, is really . bad for you. It makes . you fat, it wears out your immune system and it increases your risk of . serious illness. This is because many of the situations that cause . stress nowadays don't present the sort of physical danger that you need . to run away from. The . result is that fat-storing hormones - and the sugar they help to release . into the bloodstream - float around your system, eventually ending up . as fat on your tummy and around your waist. They also make you crave more sugar because your body thinks it needs more to keep going. As . stress levels subside, your adrenalin levels fall, but cortisol (and . the resulting blood sugar) stays in the system much longer. Research . shows that fat cells around the stomach attract cortisol, giving you a . layer of toxic fat just below your abdominal muscles that's really hard . to shift, so doing regular sit-ups is pointless if you always feel . stressed. And stomach . fat is the most dangerous type because it raises your risk of heart . disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and certain cancers. Constant stress also shuts down the digestive system because your body redirects blood from there to your muscles. So stress can leave you constipated, bloated and toxic. Beating stress is the only way to better health and a better body. From The Clean & Lean Diet by James Duigan . | Australian personal trainer to celebrities has made MailOnline video series .
Clients include Rosie Huntingdon-Whiteley, Elle Macpherson, David Gandy .
Founder of the Clean & Lean health and fitness programme .
Demonstrates three exercises to give you slim, toned arms . |
219,413 | a803b5d722ca44504b99136979ce46c98099b3c0 | The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has withdrawn a permit allowing a pro-hunting group to hold a wolf and coyote shooting derby on public land in Idaho. The agency canceled the permit last night, after it was issued Nov. 13 to Idaho for Wildlife that provided use of about 3 million acres of federal land for the three-day event in early January. The agency says the group modified the derby's rules, making it unclear if the permit still applied. The derby would have seen an unlimited number of wolves and other animals killed by hunters . Derby organizers say the agency caved in to environmental groups but that the event will still be held on U.S. Forest Service land and private ranches in the east-central part of the state near Salmon. The BLM faced two federal lawsuits from conservation groups contending the agency violated environmental laws in issuing the permit. Groups claimed the hunt on public lands was 'not in the public interest'.' 'BLM's first-ever approval of a wolf-killing derby on public lands undermines wolf recovery in the Northern Rockies and was not in the public interest', director of litigation at Advocates for the West, Laird Lucas, said. Hundreds of hunters could have been involved in the derby which would kill wolves, skunks, weasels, starlings, raccoon, coyotes and jackrabbits, The Guardian reported. A press release showed more than 100,000 comments from Environmental groups criticizing the derby. | U.S. Bureau of Land Management has withdrawn the permit after 100,000 complaints and possible lawsuit over wolf-killing derby .
Pro-hunting group wanted the shooting over 3 million acres of federal land for the three-day event .
Animals targeted would have been wolves, skunks, weasels, starlings, raccoon, coyotes and jackrabbits . |
136,275 | 3c4c8e45ff73f251630d14874210c70035b80f81 | (CNN) -- If Lewis Hamilton is to win a fifth Hungarian Grand Prix, he'll need something akin to a miracle. That's because he'll start well adrift of the pack after the back of his Mercedes caught fire in qualifying -- the second consecutive Saturday he's suffered misfortune. It was on his first qualifying lap, too. Hamilton wasn't hurt but with his chassis needing replacing, it means a start from pit lane. His teammate and Championship leader Nico Rosberg had no such issues, recording the fastest time. Last week in qualifying for the German Grand Prix, a brake issue led to a Hamilton crash and meant he began 20th on the grid on race day but he put in a stellar drive to rise to third. Hamilton, who bettered the field in practice Friday and earlier Saturday, was the first to point out that overtaking opportunities aren't as great in Hungary as they were in Germany. "It's a shame, especially when you do the practice sessions with not too many problems," Hamilton said in a television interview aired by Sky. "I didn't even get a lap this time. Last time I got maybe two laps. "I can't believe it's happened again. This is not a track you can really overtake on so coming from last to the podium is a lot less likely." Hamilton's mishap gives Rosberg the chance to extend his 14-point lead over Hamilton in the individual standings. And although the German said he would have preferred to go head-to-head with Hamilton, he felt Sunday's race would now be "easier." Unsurprisingly, he doesn't plan on taking many risks at the Hungaroring. "It makes it easier of course because he is my competitor," Rosberg was quoted as saying by Autosport.com. "It's a free opportunity tomorrow. "I need to play it safe and avoid any unnecessary things happening, and get as many points as possible. "I would prefer to be out there battling with Lewis. That would give me the maximum adrenaline rush. It won't be a gloves-off battle with Lewis, but I am still very, very happy." Rosberg clocked a best time of one minute, 22.715 seconds, bettering reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull by 0.486 seconds, Williams' Valtteri Bottas and Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo, who is a distant third in the driver standings. | Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton finishes second last in Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying .
Hamilton's car catches fire to end his session early but he walked away unhurt .
It's the second straight week the Englishman suffers a car issue in qualifying .
Teammate and Championship leader Nico Rosberg records the fastest time . |
253,468 | d415d558f53ceb3b2f43422f0553294d40e5c28f | Disciplined: Dame Judi Dench revealed she learns a new poem or word every day to keep her mind active . Dame Judi Dench has revealed she learns a new poem or word every day to keep her mind active after a survey found nearly half of pensioners were concerned about life in older age. The Oscar-winning actress, 79, joined actor Sir Tony Robinson and Slade frontman Noddy Holder for the poll of more than 2,000 people aged over 65, in which they were asked for their 'bucket list' of things they want to do before they die. Sir Tony, 68, best known as Blackadder's sidekick Baldrick in the BBC series, said he dreamt of becoming an internationally renowned professional gambler, according to telecare service provider Centra Pulse, which commissioned the research. Holder, also 68, revealed he wanted to travel the world in a yacht, while Dame Judi said she did not have a bucket list but she did learn a new poem or word each day, the company said. The YouGov poll found that flying a plane, speaking a foreign language and playing a musical instrument were the most popular skills over-65s wanted to master. But 40% of pensioners said they were worried about life getting more difficult as they grow older, Centra Plus said. Wendy Darling, the firm's managing director, said: 'Today's over-65s have a set of ambitions that would put most twenty-somethings to shame. It's so important that they are given access to the right support which will help them achieve their dreams. 'Despite this impressive list of ambitions, we found that 40% of over-65s are still worried about life getting more difficult as they grow older. Poker face: Sir Tony Robinson said he dreamt of becoming an internationally renowned professional gambler when asked about his 'bucket list' of things he would like to do before dying . 'That's why we're urging older people not to forget about the care out there which will help them hold on to their independence for longer both inside and outside of the home.' Some 30% of pensioners said that travel was their top wish during retirement, with Australia as the most popular destination. Buying a house, going to university and falling in love were also on the list of things over-65s said they still wanted to do before they die. Restless: Slade frontman Noddy Holder revealed he wanted to travel the world in a yacht . | Oscar-winning actress, 79, took part in a survey dedicated to over 65s .
More than 2,000 participants were asked what featured on their bucket list .
Sir Tony Robinson, Blackadder's Baldrick, dreamt of being a pro gambler .
And Slade frontman Noddy Holder said he wanted to travel world in a yacht .
But Judi Dench said her main priority was challenging her brain every day . |
186,858 | 7dfff0518dcaf3f55a1e45907ff53db29e68a33c | GCSE and A-level examinations could be brought forward for hundreds of thousands of pupils to avoid a clash with Ramadan under controversial proposals. Teachers and lecturers in England and Wales are pushing for the summer exam timetable to be altered to help Muslim students who will be fasting when they sit papers. School exam boards and universities are considering the radical shake-up from 2016, when the religious period of Ramadan clashes with the exam season. Fast: A girl reads from the Koran on the last Friday of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan (file photo). Muslims across the world abstain from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset during the period . One option is to hold some exams earlier within the usual May-June exam season. Another is for fasting Muslim students to be eligible for extra marks under ‘special consideration’ rules if they believe their performance has been affected. The holy period in the Islamic calendar, which requires Muslims to fast during daylight hours, starts to fall earlier and earlier in the summer from next year, progressively clashing with the exam season in June. The clash also coincides with Michael Gove’s return to O-level style exams, which are taken at the end of the two-year course rather than at intervals throughout it – making the summer exams the only chance to do well. This month, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers Union (ATL) conference will debate how to ‘minimise the impact’ on Muslim pupils. Barry Lingard, who is on the ATL executive committee, said: ‘The consequences are quite huge, particularly with the return to three-hour exams at the end of the course in the summer. If some of the big vital exams like English and maths could be rescheduled for before Ramadan kicks in, that would certainly be supported by the majority of teachers.’ Ofqual, the exam watchdog, and the Joint Council for Qualifications, which represents the main three exam boards, have met with Muslim groups to discuss the issue. Changes: Suggestions including holding exams in the mornings making it easier for pupils to concentrate . Another suggestion is to run exams in the morning, when pupils are less likely to be hungry and tired, rather than the afternoon. The government-funded Equality Challenge Unit, which advises higher education, said exam time-tables should be overhauled. ‘Institutions should be prepared to consider significant adjustments to their exam schedules and think creatively about assessment methods in order to eliminate disadvantage to particular groups,’ it said. Muslim undergraduates at university are also affected by the clash of dates. At the University of East Anglia in Norwich, they have already been told: ‘Where a student feels that fasting has affected their performance, this should be submitted as an extenuating circumstance.’ But Chris McGovern, a former head teacher and spokesman for the Campaign for Real Education, said children had been coping with exams for decades in many different circumstances. ‘Where there is scope for some flexibility the exam boards should exercise it, but I don’t think it is realistic for a board to rearrange their timetable to fit in with a minority religion, or any religion for that matter,’ he said. ‘If you run exams in the morning because of this, you may be disadvantaging a non-Muslim pupil who then has two exams in one day rather than one.’ | Efforts to 'minimise impact' will be debated at ATL conference this month .
Exam watchdog Ofqual has met with Muslim groups to discuss the issue .
Suggestions include holding exams in morning when pupils are less hungry . |
206,620 | 9783c9b5bfdda93089ad587c33e39de15d06ce86 | By . Jamie Beatson . PUBLISHED: . 14:00 EST, 11 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:25 EST, 12 July 2013 . Craig Knapp was on holiday with his wife Lisa and their three children in Magaluf. The couple married two years ago . A British father of three has died after falling from the tenth floor of a hotel in a Spanish resort. Craig Knapp, 31, was on a family holiday in Magaluf, on the island of Majorca, when he fell on Monday. Police in the resort, which is renowned for its nightlife, have launched an investigation into the tragedy. His distraught family are waiting to fly his body back to his home city of Dundee. Yesterday, . friends and relatives joined his wife in paying tribute to Mr Knapp – . father to children Craig Jnr, 12, Rhys, six, and Dara, four. Wife Lisa said she loved her husband ‘with all her heart’ and that he had lived for his family. She added: ‘He was a much-loved man, a devoted husband and a really good dad. He will be missed by many.’ Mrs Knapp said the whole family were struggling to come to terms with their sudden loss. ‘We are still in shock and disbelief. Our main priority is to get him home and lay him to rest properly,’ she said. The Knapps, who lived in the Whitfield area of Dundee, had been married for two years. Yesterday, Mrs Knapp described her husband as having a ‘kind nature’ and ‘zest for life’. Police are investigating the 31-year-old's death. He fell from a balcony on the holiday island. Family tributes to Mr Knapp say he was a loving father and keen guitarist who will be missed . Mr Knapp, pictured with his wife Lisa, is from Dundee. His family are waiting to fly his body back to Scotland from Magaluf . She said: ‘He was a lovely man; he always wanted to make people happy. Craig lived, worked and breathed for his kids.’ She added: ‘He was just a . happy-go-lucky guy. He was always the life and soul of the party. He . loved playing the guitar and he always knew the right thing to say.’ Tributes were also paid to Mr Knapp, who worked as a heavy goods vehicle driver, on social networking sites. More than 100 people joined a . Facebook group called ‘RIP Craig Knapp’, with his friends and family . describing him as ‘funny and genuine’ and ‘such a great guy’, adding . that he would ‘never be forgotten’. Others posted pictures and video clips, along with their memories of Mr Knapp. A Foreign Office spokesman confirmed . that consular officials on the island had been informed of the tragedy . in the holiday resort. He said: ‘We were notified about the . death of a British national in Majorca on July 8. We are standing by to . provide consular assistance to the family.’ Majorca has seen has seen more than its fair share of tragedy in recent years. In May last year, Charlotte Faris, 23, from Hertfordshire, became the third British tourist to die there within a month. A coroner’s court later heard that . she had been drinking in a nearby bar before she fell 30ft from her . hotel balcony in Magaluf, only hours after her arrival. | 31-year-old Craig Knapp fell from a balcony on the tenth floor of a building .
Mr Knapp's wife Lisa and three children are waiting to fly his body back to Dundee . |
42,093 | 76c41b3b911a108da8485851187bacfa1356a1a7 | Russian millionaires now buy one in five of London’s most expensive properties, figures show. A study by Knight Frank found that 21 per cent of the properties it had sold for over £10million in the last six months had gone to Russian buyers. This compares to just 13 per cent in the previous six months. It means Russian buyers are fast catching up on UK millionaires, who bought 36 per cent of the capital’s ‘super-prime’ property over the same period. Russian millionaires now buy one in five of London’s most expensive properties, figures show, including those in Belgravia (stock picture) The estate agent said Russian buyers were ‘re-emerging after a period of uncertainty’, including the conflict between pro-Russian separatists and Ukraine's military. Russian oligarchs have bought swathes of mansions in the exclusive boroughs of Kensington, Mayfair and Belgravia in recent years. In 2011, billionaire Roman Abramovich, who owns Chelsea football club, bought a £90million mansion on the country’s most expensive street, a stone’s throw from Kensington Palace. His home in Kensington Palace Gardens, west London – known as Billionaires Row – has more than 15 bedrooms and extensive gardens. Roman Abramovich's London's home, not far from Chelsea's home ground Stamford Bridge, is worth £88million . Tim Wright, of Knight Frank, said yesterday: ‘The Russians are back. ‘After a period of uncertainty and instability, they appear to have more clarity on where they stand, which has given them the confidence to get back into the market.’ The report showed a marked rise in the number of Chinese buyers also purchasing homes over £10million in the capital in the last six months – rising from ‘negligible numbers’ to four per cent. Mr Wright said: ‘We are beginning to see some serious interest from ultra-high net worth mainland Chinese buyers.’ He said signs of weakness in the Chinese economy meant the UK was seen as a ‘safe haven’ for their money. Russian oligarchs have bought swathes of mansions in the exclusive boroughs of Kensington, Mayfair (pictured) and Belgravia in recent years . Knight Frank also found Middle Eastern and American buyers bought six per cent of ‘super-prime’ properties in the six months to October, while Indian buyers snapped up four per cent. It follows fears that foreign investment is pushing up property prices because some are willing to pay above-market value for the chance to put their money in the British housing industry. Last month it emerged that family homes in South Wales and Bristol and flats in Manchester, Liverpool and Sheffield are among the houses being offered at foreign property shows and on estate agent websites in China and Russia. Until recently, foreign investors have largely focused on mansions and exclusive riverside flats in London. But overseas investors keen to make a profit from the booming UK property market are now buying up family homes around the country. In some cases Chinese investors armed with cash and cheap bank loans are touring northern towns in order to find the right investments. | Russian oligarchs bought swathes of mansions in exclusive boroughs .
Study by Knight Frank found that 21 per cent of the properties it had sold for over £10million in the last six months had gone to Russian buyers .
Agents say Russian buyers ‘re-emerging after period of uncertainty’
Includes conflict between pro-Russian separatists and Ukraine's military . |
242,652 | c614b353aa74727d8e89473da07aeed9ef9c9835 | By . Steph Cockroft . A serial 'prankster' claims he was arrested at Buckingham Palace after posting videos of himself openly taunting the Queen's security guards. The self-proclaimed 'crazy dangerous prankster', who says his name is Michael Blunt, has become a YouTube sensation with his footage which shows him tormenting the armed guards. The videos also include the usually straight-faced guards' reactions to his filming - which sometimes including pointing their bayonets towards the camera. Scroll down for video . The self-proclaimed 'crazy dangerous prankster', who says his name is Michael Blunt, has posted several . videos on the internet, showing him taunting the Queen's security guards . and filming their reactions . In one video, the serial 'prankster', who tweets under @13lunt420Media, poses mockingly with one of the guards outside Buckingham Palace . On a number of occasions during the videos, the guards are forced to threaten the man away with their bayonets or rifles . Under the name of 'Blunt Madness Man', the 28-year-old from London posts the footage on his YouTube and Twitter feeds. In his latest video filming the guards - underneath which he claims he was arrested - one guard is seen ordering him away, saying he has been there filming . 'on numerous occasions'. The video, called Queen's Guard: . Arrested Footage, also shows another guard loudly shouting 'stand clear of the arches!' as the prankster zooms in on their face. Another guard shouts 'get back!' before stamping his feed and walking towards the filmmaker, pointing his bayonet. There are believed to be guidelines . in place for guardsmen to deal with these situations, which includes . stamping their feet and raising their rifle or bayonet. Under that video, he wrote: 'I have been ARRESTED by . Police (R164) in Buckingham Palace at 16th April 2014 over CRIMINAL . OFFENCE! with Queen's Guard.' At one point, he is asked by one of the guards to leave. The man says he has been at the Palace 'on numerous occasions' filming the guards . The man, who called himself Blunt Madness Man, films the guards as they walk towards him with the weapons . The filmmaker walks close to the guards and films their reactions, which mostly involve them shouting 'get back!' or 'stand clear of the arches!' In this video, called Queen's Guard: Arrested Footage, the prankster claims he has been arrested at Buckingham Palace . He claims he has been bailed until August 28. A spokesman for the Met Police said it had no record of a man called Michael Blunt being arrested on that date in London. Six months earlier, he posted another video of his antics, in which he is seen posing with one of the guards before carrying out a salute. In that footage, he is asked to leave by officers, after recording several guards shouting 'get back'. The filmmaker also recently posted a photo of himself on Twitter wearing the t-shirt: 'I am Crazy Dangerous Prankster'. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | 'Crazy dangerous prankster' posts videos as he approached armed guards .
Many then shout 'get back' or 'stand clear!' before pointing bayonet or rifle .
He has 1,240 Twitter followers and more than 1,200 view on YouTube channel .
'Blunt Madness Man', who says his name is Michael Blunt, claims he was arrested at Buckingham Palace . |
21,432 | 3ce1ec3945f36e3986c94b552f142f4f15033346 | (CNN) -- A bright red casket with butterflies on it was center stage in a packed Los Angeles auditorium Wednesday as thousands of mourners bid farewell to Mexican-American singer Jenni Rivera. Brassy music rang out in the Gibson Amphitheatre, which holds 6,100 people. Photos showing Rivera with her family flashed in the background. Fans chanted her name, waving white roses in the air. "Jenni made it OK for women to be who they are," longtime manager Pete Salgado said, choking back tears and drawing cheers from the crowd. "Jenni also made it OK to be from nothing with the hopes of being something." Rivera, whose soulful ballads sold out concert halls and made her a household name to many, died in a plane crash in a remote, mountainous area in northern Mexico on December 9. The crash killed everyone aboard the small plane, including Rivera's publicist, lawyer and makeup artists. Read more: Rivera crash puts spotlight on charter jet safety . Family members called Wednesday's ceremony a "graduation to heaven," saying the singer's powerful spirit would live on and urging fans to keep her memory alive. "I am sure that my sister is singing now," said Juan Manuel Rivera, one of her brothers. Another family member, Gustavo Lawrence Rivera, asked crowds to applaud for "Jenni, the eternal diva." Nicknamed "La Diva de la Banda" or The Diva of Banda Music, Rivera was a musical powerhouse with her Spanish-language performances of regional Mexican corridos, or ballads. Rivera sold 15 million records, according to Billboard, and recently won two Billboard Music Awards, including favorite Mexican music female artist. She was reportedly on the verge of a crossover with an English-language sitcom inspired by the success of "I Love Jenni," a Spanish-language reality TV show on Telemundo's mun2 network. 'Perfectly imperfect' The singer was also known for her tumultuous personal life -- something her friends and family acknowledged in Wednesday's ceremony. Both Salgado and one of Rivera's daughters described her as "perfectly imperfect." Pepe Garza, the singer's godfather, said her honesty and openness made friends and fans adore her. "Above all we love her for her imperfections," he said. "It was her blunders that made us know that she was one of us." Born in Long Beach, California, to Mexican immigrant parents, Rivera released her debut album in 1999, according to her website. She followed that up with two more albums, including the 2003 album "Farewell to Selena" -- a tribute to slain Tejano star Selena Quintanilla -- that increased her popularity. She was nominated for Latin Grammy Awards in 2002, 2008 and 2011. In October, People en Español named her to its list of the 25 most powerful women. Rivera became a single mom at the age of 15 and was the mother of five children, all of whom spoke at Wednesday's memorial. In 2009, Rivera made headlines when she was detained at the Mexico City airport with tens of thousands of dollars in cash. A year later, she made headlines again with the marriage to former baseball pitcher Esteban Loaiza, who played for the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers. They later divorced. It was her third marriage. Her over-the-top lifestyle was chronicled in "I Love Jenni" on Telemundo. The show began airing on mun2 last year, and featured her life on the road, balancing the duties of motherhood and stardom as she toured Mexico and the United States. "My mom would fight any battle for us and for her honor, even if there was no one to fight," her son, Trinidad "Michael" Angel Rivera recalled Wednesday. "Sometimes it seemed like she was just waking up to fight the day, to prove that in those 24 hours, she could make 35 hours worth of work." He asked audience members for 27 seconds of silence in honor of the victims of last week's shooting rampage in Connecticut. "I know my mother would have been heartbroken to hear about something like that," he said. "Because even though for me, it was a tragedy to lose my mother at 27 years old, there were mothers who lost their children before they got the chance to find out who they were going to be, whether they were going to be singers or doctors. ... They didn't have a chance to live." Read more: America missed out on getting to know Jenni Rivera . Plane company investigation . Rivera performed at a concert in Monterrey on December 8 before boarding the Learjet early the next day. It lost contact with air traffic controllers about 60 miles into the trip. The small plane was 43 years old, the state-run Notimex news agency reported, citing the Mexican director of civil aviation. The Drug Enforcement Administration is investigating the company that owned the plane. Court records showed that the aviation company, Starwood Management, had two planes seized this year. The DEA declined to give further details, citing an ongoing investigation. But it confirmed that the company was in a dispute with insurance firms over accusations of of falsehoods. Starwood and its representatives have not responded to repeated CNN requests for comments. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said it is helping with the investigation. U.S. records show the airplane was substantially damaged in 2005 when it struck a runway marker near Amarillo, Texas. At the time, the plane's pilot reported losing the ability to steer while landing the plane. As the investigation into what caused the crash continues, family members said Wednesday that they were grateful to fans for their support and were committed to honoring Rivera's legacy. "The best thing you ever taught me is when you fall, you get back up," daughter Jacqie Melina Campos said. "So that's what I'm going to do." As the ceremony drew to a close, confetti fell onto the stage, and family members and fans covered Rivera's casket with white roses. A band played the last few bars of "I Will Survive" before a recording of Rivera's voice boomed through the speakers. Owner of plane in Jenni Rivera crash under DEA investigation . Journalist Victor Badillo, CNNMexico.com and CNN's Rafael Romo, Jim Barnett, Guillermo Arduino and Leslie Tripp contributed to this report. | NEW: "My mom would fight any battle for us and for her honor," the singer's son says .
NEW: Mourners pray in silence for victims of last week's school shooting in Connecticut .
Manager: "Jenni...made it OK to be from nothing with the hopes of being something"
Godfather: "Her blunders...made us know that she was one of us" |
274,128 | ef0ff17801059ec7a5d20c7b72eef6723d05936a | They're bigger, brawnier, and faster than the typical male, but are National Football League players healthier than other men their age? Justin Bannan, who plays for the Baltimore Ravens, participated in the study on NFL players. Yes and no, according to a new NFL-funded study that looks at the cardiovascular health of young athletes. The good news is that NFL players have cholesterol levels similar to other men in their 20s and 30s, and their blood sugar tends to be even healthier. However, they are much more likely to have high blood pressure or borderline hypertension when compared with men who aren't professional athletes. "It's a step in the right direction to have this study," says Justin Bannan, 30, who plays defensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens and took part in the research. "I think the more information we can find out and the more studies we can do, the better." The study, published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association, is important, particularly as more and more players are weighing in at 300-plus pounds. The extra weight could potentially strain an athlete's heart in youth or even after retirement, and many question whether it has played a role in a handful of high-profile deaths. Health.com: Eat right advice: Fiber, starch, fats, serving sizes . In particular, the death of Thomas Herrion at age 23 has raised concerns about the heart health of larger players. Herrion, who was 6'3" and 330 pounds, had just finished an exhibition game with the San Francisco 49ers when he collapsed and died in 2005. "He's sort of the prototype of the bigger, stronger linemen that populates the NFL now, as compared with 20 or 30 years ago," says lead study author Dr. Andrew M. Tucker, the team physician for the Baltimore Ravens. "We have so many big, strong guys over 300 pounds. I think that case in particular was important in stimulating the whole study and the investigation." Other heavy players-- such as defensive end Reggie White-- have also died at an early age. White was 43 when he died from cardiac arrhythmia in 2004. In the study, Tucker, who is the cochair of the NFL subcommittee on cardiovascular health, and his colleagues looked at 504 active players from 12 teams in 2007. The researchers measured the players' height, weight, percentage of body fat, and other factors, and then compared them to 1,959 men ages 23 to 35 who participated in a study called CARDIA (Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults). Health.com: 20 little ways to lose drop the pounds and keep them off . They found that players were less likely to smoke or have blood-sugar problems than other men (only 6.7 percent of players had impaired fasting glucose compared to 15.5 percent of other men) and their cholesterol levels were essentially the same. However, 13.8 percent of players had high blood pressure and 64.5 percent had prehypertension, or borderline high blood pressure, compared to 5.5 percent and 24.2 percent of other men, respectively. Tucker notes that the football players outweighed the men in the CARDIA study by an average of 70 pounds and that it's natural to assume that larger people may have higher blood pressure. "But what was fascinating to us was the category of prehypertension," says Tucker, who is also the medical director of sports medicine at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. Health.com: How to eat out without getting fat . The study found that NFL athletes are more likely to have prehypertension than other men-- regardless of the size of the player or his position. "So our lean players who play defensive back and wide receiver, they have prevalence of prehypertension just as common as the really big guys playing offensive and defensive line," says Tucker. "So there's something that we're trying to investigate now that accounts for elevated blood pressures in our active players that is not accounted for by size alone-- there's got to be something else." Health.com: Cut up to 900 calories with simple substitutions . That "something else" could be strength or resistance training, the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, sleep apnea (which is characterized by heavy snoring and a hike in blood pressure), or diet, including excessive sodium intake. Dr. Tucker doesn't think anabolic steroids are to blame. Even though he and his colleagues didn't ask players if they used steroids, he says that the NFL's year-round testing program should have ruled out any use. "[However] I'm concerned about the widespread use of performance-enhancing agents, which contain stimulants that can not only increase blood pressure but of course have stimulating effects on the heart," says Dr. Tucker. He adds that, in the last several years, such stimulants have been linked to sporadic deaths in college and even professional athletes. Although today's players are much more likely to weigh in excess of 300 pounds than those in the past, it doesn't necessarily mean they are fat, Dr. Tucker explains. Athletes are larger nowadays due to rule changes in the 1970s and 1980s that were aimed at protecting their lower bodies; those guidelines also gave larger players a competitive advantage. If one goes by body mass index alone-- a measure of height and weight that doesn't take into account muscle mass-- more than half of players are obese, according to a 2005 study. However, Tucker and his team found that the average percentage of body fat was 14 percent, ranging from 8 percent to 10 percent in the leaner positions-- such as wide receivers and linebackers-- to 20 percent in defensive linemen and 25 percent in offensive linemen. "Even our offensive linemen are really on the upper limits of what's considered healthy," says Tucker. "There are plenty of my regular patients who would take that." Health.com: Olympic swimmer discusses life with exercise-induced asthma . Overall, Tucker says he is most worried about older, retired athletes. "I'm concerned about whether there is a constellation of things going on that puts them at risk when they're 45 or 55," he says. More attention is being paid to detraining athletes so that they can adopt healthier lifestyles and better nutrition after they retire, says William Kraemer, Ph.D., a professor in the department of kinesiology at the University of Connecticut. "It really is tough because you're trying to stay big in your playing days," says Kraemer. "The big fear is, [after retirement] you stop exercising and you keep eating the way you used to when you were expending a lot of calories. A lot of times when kids get out of college or they get out of the pros, there is no system in place that helps them make the transition." The Ravens' Bannan says the older generation is teaching younger players the importance of changing their lifestyle after retirement. "If you're a heavier player, a lineman that's over 300 pounds, really what it comes down to is a lifestyle change and eating healthier, losing weight when you are done, and staying active and staying healthy," says Bannan, who is 6'3" and 310 pounds. "Make a few changes in your life; I think that's going to make things a lot better for you down the road." Enter to win a monthly Room Makeover Giveaway from MyHomeIdeas.com . Copyright Health Magazine 2009 . | Death of Thomas Herrion has raised worries over the heart health of big players .
Researchers looked at 504 active NFL players from 12 teams in 2007 .
Players were less likely to smoke or have blood-sugar problems than other men .
NFL athletes are more likely to have prehypertension than other men . |
76,671 | d97c1d95fd92540b3175fc651a33b3e1f784066c | Marmaris, Turkey (CNN) -- For more than a year, experts have been at work in a quiet cove on the Aegean Sea, teaching a pair of male bottlenose dolphins how to catch their own food. Every day, the team releases dozens of live fish into giant sea pen where the dolphins named Tom and Misha live. The two males then race around the pen, diving, darting and somersaulting down to depths of 45 feet in pursuit of their frightened prey. Like a proud father, trainer Jeff Foster watches from the narrow dock that encircles the pen. Not long ago, he said, Tom and Misha had no idea what to do with live fish. "We had literally thousands of fish in the pen, and they just wouldn't look at them," Foster said. "They had just been so used to being hand-fed in a captive situation that they did not recognize fish as a food source." When Foster first met the dolphins more than a year ago, he said they would only eat if humans placed dead fish directly in their mouths. If fish was thrown into the pen, it would go untouched and end up rotting at the bottom of the sea pen. Tom and Misha are part of the Back to the Blue project, an expensive, risky and somewhat controversial experiment to reintroduce captive animals into the wild. "It would be like taking your dog and releasing it into the woods," Foster said. "If you don't prepare your dog for that, it would never happen." Foster, a Seattle-based expert on marine mammals, had experience with another high-profile release program that ultimately ended in failure. More than 10 years ago, he worked in Iceland as part of a multimillion-dollar effort to prepare the killer whale Keiko from the 1993 movie "Free Willy" for release into the wild. Less than a year after his release, Keiko died off Norway. But Foster said he believes Tom and Misha stand a much better chance of survival. "These animals haven't been in captivity as long as Keiko," he said. "Keiko was held in captivity for more than 20 years. He was held as a solitary animal for many of those years." The two dolphins, who are both about 12 years old, have been in captivity for five or six years, he said. "They've probably spent the majority of their life out in the wild," Foster said. "Because we're dealing with two males, you can develop competition feeding with them. ... They're ideal candidates for reintroduction back into the wild." Tom and Misha first attracted the attention of wildlife conservation activists in 2010. At the time, they were kept at a Turkish resort, where tourists paid to swim with the dolphins in a shallow, filthy swimming pool. "The pool in Hisaronu, Turkey, where Tom and Misha had spent the summer months of 2010 had such a high bacterial count ... that it was a significant health hazard to the dolphins and for the unsuspecting tourists who paid to swim with them," Shirley Galligan, a representative of the Born Free Foundation, wrote in an e-mail to CNN. "The water was filthy with feces and dead fish and a layer of 'sludge' at the bottom." According to Born Free, a nonprofit conservation group based in the United Kingdom, the dolphins were underweight and listless and would not have survived much longer in the pool, which "having been hastily constructed, was in danger of collapse from subsidence." A coalition of environmental groups successfully campaigned to rescue the animals and transport them in the back of a truck to a sea pen in the Aegean. Born Free has taken over the costly and time-consuming program to rehabilitate Tom and Misha. So far, the effort has cost $800,000. Both dolphins are expected to be released within a matter of days. Born Free is keeping the exact time and location of their release secret to protect the animals from curious human visitors, excessive boat traffic and the threat of poachers. Tom and Misha's progress will be monitored with specially designed satellite tracking devices that will be pinned to their dorsal fins. Even the sponsors of the program admit there is no guarantee of success. "There have only been a handful of reintroduction (programs) with mixed results," Galligan wrote. "Returning any captive wild animal to the wild is never without risk." One of the only successful cetacean reintroductions on record involved an orphaned female orca named Springer. Foster was a member of the team that helped rehabilitate the emaciated animal and eventually reintroduce her to a pod of related killer whales off Canada's Pacific coast a decade ago. She has reportedly survived and thrived in those waters. Michael Moore, a marine mammal expert at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, predicted major challenges for Tom and Misha in the weeks and months ahead. "Can they break the bond with humans, and can they create a bond with other (wild) dolphins?" he asked in a phone interview with CNN. "The irony is that if these animals do get released into the wild, it's a big, bad world out there, and they will have to learn how not to get entangled in fishing gear." According to Moore, Tom and Misha's release will have virtually no impact on the world's wild dolphin population, which faces an onslaught from industrial fishing nets, decimated fish stocks and polluted seas. But he and other dolphin experts say successful reintroduction could both increase biodiversity awareness in Turkey and set an important example for the multimillion-dollar captive marine mammal entertainment industry. There has been a rapid increase in the number of dolphinariums and "swim-with-dolphin" programs cropping up across Turkey over the last decade. "Turkey, being a very popular and beautiful holiday destination, is sadly responding to the public demand for that 'dolphin experience' by providing more captive dolphin facilities than anywhere else in Europe," Born Free's Galligan wrote. "Conditions in general are very poor." Foster said he hopes Turkey will start implementing some regulations for its marine mammal facilities "because there really aren't standards right now." One fear is that Tom and Misha, who enjoy being rubbed down and handled by their trainers, could be captured by poachers hoping to sell the valuable animals to dolphin parks. Despite the risks, perhaps one of the great assets shared by the two dolphins is their adaptability. "They are not lions and tigers," said Moore of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. "They're fundamentally more plastic and more adaptable." Proof of this adaptability is on display nearly every day in the congested and polluted waters of the Bosphorus Strait, which courses through the center of Istanbul. A vibrant pod of dozens of wild bottlenose dolphins feeds here, dodging the constant traffic of oil tankers, cargo ships, ferryboats, fishing boats and yachts. Occasionally, the animals can be seen leaping and surfing off the bows of enormous tanker ships. Misha and Tom are to be released in much less hazardous waters hundreds of miles from Istanbul. But even their "coach" doesn't know how they will fare in the days ahead. "We just really don't know how they're going to respond," Foster said, stroking Tom's glistening hide after the 600-pound animal obediently lept onto a floating dock at his trainers' command. Clearly, freedom will expose these dolphins to stimulation they have not encountered in years, including waterbirds, fish and female dolphins. After a wave from his trainer's hand, Tom slipped back into the water. He issued a high-pitched call before accepting a fish as a reward. Underwater, the vocalizations of both Tom and Misha could be distinctly heard, even by the human ear. Despite years of close interaction between humans and these highly intelligent animals, scientists have not found a way to answer one fundamental question: After years in captivity, do dolphins such as Tom and Misha want to be free? | Trainer Jeff Foster is working to release two dolphins into the wild .
Two years ago, the dolphins were the main attraction at a run-down Turkish tourist park .
Foster worked to help release Keiko, the orca from the 1993 movie "Free Willy"
Popular "swim with dolphin" parks in Turkey are a concern to animal welfare advocates . |
156,088 | 55c61a1b2d2065cc3854be089b92cbae164e2e69 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 12:56 EST, 16 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:56 EST, 16 June 2013 . The 14-year-old Kentucky student arrested and suspended from school over a t-shirt now faces the possibility of a year in jail. Originally arrested for wearing a National Rifle Association shirt to . school, Jared Marcum was charged Friday with obstructing an officer and . faces up to a year in jail and a $500 fine. ‘[Marcum] has no background of anything criminal at all, until now,’ Allen Lardieri, Marcum’s father told WOWK TV. ‘It just seems like nobody . wants to admit they’re wrong.’ Suspended: 14-year-old student Jared Marcum was suspended from school and now faces one year in jail for wearing NRA t-shirt to school . The charge of obstruction comes from Marcum refusing to stop talking, . hindering the arresting officer’s ability to do his job, according to . the police report. Nowhere in the report did it mention Marcum making . any threats or doing anything other than talking, the station reported. ‘In my view of the facts, Jared didn't do anything wrong," Ben White, Marcum's attorney said. Hypocrits: Logan Middle School has this statue just feet from the entrance . Proud papa: Allen Lardieri, Marcum's father, has vowed to fight to clear his son's good name . The responding officer told Marcum to sit down and be quiet, Marcum told . the Associated press shortly after his arrest. The eighth grader says . he instead calmly told the officer that his shirt was not against any . school policy, that he was only exercising his freedom of speech. The . officer charged him with disrupting an educational process and . obstructing an officer. Local officials could not be reached for comment by Mail Online, Marcum has a scheduled court appearance on July 11. ‘Me, I'm more of a fighter and so is Jared and eventually we're going to . get through this,’ Lardieri told the station. ‘I don't think it should . have ever gotten this far.’ | The 14-year-old student has no prior criminal record .
Insists he was only exercising his right to freedom of speech .
Logan Middle School, where the incident occurred, has a statue of a gun holding man out front . |
174,550 | 6dea4c41a774b638de219ba649b24da8efc4618b | (CNN) -- Most Americans don't want the United States to launch military strikes against the Syrian government. A recent ABC News/Washington Post poll says 59% of the American people oppose such an intervention, while 36% support it. Even more oppose supplying weapons to the Syrian rebels, with 70% against and 27% in favor. Many have welcomed President Barack Obama's move to bring the decision before Congress as giving the issue the kind of national debate it deserves. And hearings this week may move the needle of public opinion to give the president more confidence that he has the backing of U.S. voters. But even if that doesn't happen, the president needs to move ahead with the plan to punish the regime of Bashar al-Assad for the use of chemical weapons in an attack outside Damascus -- to degrade its ability to use such weapons of mass destruction in the future and to force its removal and replacement by opposition forces that we support. Such action does not have to involve U.S. boots on the ground. It should not involve putting U.S. lives at risk. But what it will require is a kind of leadership, clarity and commitment that has been sorely lacking from our Syria policy to date. While leadership often entails persuading others to follow before taking action, sometimes it requires taking action even when it is unpopular because it is the right thing to do. Opinion: Congress, support Obama on Syria . In fact, setting foreign policy by opinion poll is among the most dangerous traps for a political leader. By nature voters are disinclined to take risks and to intervene in distant conflicts. Given the outcome of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, you can hardly blame them. In addition, citizens, even earnest ones, are often reluctant -- and sometimes ill-equipped -- to weigh seriously how the outcome of such conflicts might affect America's long-term national security interests. That is not a slam on those citizens. Often the issues involved are arcane, convoluted and mind-bending, even to so-called experts. Presidents need to take these things into consideration when evaluating just how much weight to give to public opinion. Furthermore, whereas presidents are elected by the people, they are sworn to do what they can not only to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution but also to execute the duties of their office. This means serving as commander in chief of the armed forces, guiding U.S. foreign policy and working with the tools given to them by elected representatives, such as the War Powers Act of 1973, which grants them the authority to take military action without consulting with Congress if they deem it essential. (They have to consult Congress within 60 days. Although it is worth noting that presidents often undertake such action not by drawing on the power granted them under the act but by that conferred to them under Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution. That's the section giving them the responsibility for being commander in chief.) The critical issue is whether the national interests of the United States are at risk and must be protected. In the case of Syria, it is clear that the president must act. Opinion: Obama's irony, McCain's agony . The administration has said al-Assad has used chemical weapons. This is an abuse of international law and norms that cannot be allowed to stand, or it will send a message to other bad actors -- some of whom represent a direct threat to U.S. soldiers, private citizens and allies, as is the case in the Koreas, to choose one example. (Iran's WMD threat to allies such as Israel, U.S. friends in the Gulf and U.S. military forces in the region is yet another.) Further, if the United States does not act after the president had rightly declared such action would be unacceptable, it would undermine deeply and perhaps irreparably our credibility in the Middle East and worldwide. Just as important, the Assad regime is an ally of Iran's, seeking to advance Iranian power throughout the region and doing so with direct Iranian aid and weapons support. This is a threat to our allies, to regional stability and, by extension, to the global economy and vital energy supplies. Further, the deterioration in Syria has made the country a breeding ground for a new generation of extremists who might be empowered by an al-Assad defeat. We must be careful to place our support behind others, such as the Free Syrian Army, who are most likely to be sympathetic to our views. But we almost recognize that not stabilizing the Syrian crisis, simply ignoring it, will make the situation throughout the region much more dangerous. We must send a clear message chemical weapons use is unacceptable. And we must actively support the opposition with weapons so that they can defeat al-Assad. Even if the regime that replaces him is hostile to us, it is unlikely to pose the kind of regional threat that one supported by Iran does. Risks are involved. Outcomes may not be exactly what we seek. Action may be dangerous and unpopular, but inaction is certain to make the situation worse and the threats to our interests grow. Opinion: GOP shouldn't bail out Obama's floundering foreign policy . The president deserves credit for trying to make this case to the American people. But it is time for him to act whether there is broad support for him or not. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of David Rothkopf. | David Rothkopf: Polls say Americans averse to Syria strike and welcome hearings .
He says basing foreign policy on polls dangerous for a leader who must protect U.S. interests .
He says citizens often don't see implications of inaction .
Rothkopf: Obama has authority and cause to act whether there is broad support for him or not . |
161,237 | 5c6f14c4639378eebe681a848688f77868644098 | By . Snejana Farberov . PUBLISHED: . 10:41 EST, 17 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 14:57 EST, 17 October 2013 . A New York City preservationist is convinced that he has found the exact location of a legendary 18th century watering hole where General George Washington is believed to have stopped for a drink to celebrate his army's victory over the British. Adam Woodward told the radio station WCBS that the future first president of the United State and New York Governor George Clinton ducked into the Bull's Head Tavern at 50 Bowery after enemy troops had retreated from the city in 1783. The historic building located at the entrance to the Manhattan Bridge has housed many businesses over the centuries, including most recently a Duane Reade pharmacy and a popular Chinese restaurant. But now the structure is slated for demolition to make room for a new hotel - a move that Adam Woodward is hoping to halt. Doomed landmark: Preservationist Adam Woodward claims he has found evidence that 50 Bowery, which is slated for demolition, is the former site of an 18th-century tavern where George Washington drank . Knock on wood: Woodward believes that these hand-hewn joists date back to the 1750s when the Bull's Head Tavern first opened its doors . Set in stone: The activist also came upon this foundation wall built out of brick in a style consistent with Colonial masonry . Race against the clock: Historians hope to halt the demolition of the building, set to come down within months, so they could examine the basement for historical clues . Working against the clock, the preservation activist was able to gain access to the basement of 50 Bowery, where he discovered what he believes to be hand-hewn joists and foundation walls consistent with Colonial-era architecture. ‘I just realized that it would be the last chance to solve one of the great mysteries of New York City history,' he said. New York lore has it that the Bull's Head Tavern first opened around 1755, catering to cattle farmers and merchants, according to the New York City history blog The Bowery Boys. The establishment had a prime location east of Collect Pond - a bustling commercial hub crammed with tanneries, slaughterhouses, stockyards and stables. Towards the turn of the 18th century, the tavern was transformed into a busy cattle market where food and drink continued to be served to farmers, who amused themselves by gambling on dog fights and bear baiting displays. Pit stop: On November 25, 1783, when General George Washington, Governor George Clinton and 800 Continental Army troops converged on the Bull's Head Tavern before entering New York City . Working class hotspot: Bull's Head Tavern opened around 1755, catering to cattle farmers, merchants, tanners and employees of local stockyards and slaughterhouses . The humble working-class watering hole was thrust into the limelight on November 25, 1783, when General George Washington, Governor Clinton and 800 Continental Army troops converged on the Bull's Head Tavern, preparing to enter New York City in a triumphant procession on the heels of the routed Redcoats. The tavern was later operated by the businessman and well-regarded butcher Henry Astor, a scion of a prominent German-American family, who prided himself on serving his customers the finest cuts of meat. For several years, the site of the historic tavern housed a stove emporium until in 1858 a large German beer hall dubbed Atlantic Garden took up residence at 50 Bowery. The future first president of the United States is believed to have prepared for his grand entrance into Manhattan inside the humble pub that for years has been a favorite among slaughterhouse workers . Local brew: In 1858, a large German beer hall dubbed Atlantic Garden took up residence at 50 Bowery, where it remained through 1911 . Rowdy: The busy beer garden was subjected to several police raids in the second half of the 19th century for selling alcohol on Sundays . In the 1870s and 80s, the rowdy pub was repeatedly raided for selling brew on Sundays in violation of the city's excise laws. Atlantic Garden shuttered its doors for good in 1911, to be replaced by a 'modern theater and office building' with a price tag of $300,000, according to a New York Times article published at the time. ‘The whole issue of whether the Bull’s Head was buried inside the Atlantic Garden was one of the great mysteries of New York,’ Woodward told the Times. The preservationist and photographer described how he entered into the debris-strewn edifice and spotted 19th century ironwork. When he descended into the bowels of the condemned building, Woodward noticed that the construction material has changed from modern cinder block to brick and stone. Standing under the sidewalk of the Bowery, Woodward looked up and saw what he believes to be 18th century building materials. Recent tenants: The address was most recently occupied by a Duane Reade drug store on the ground floor and the Golden Bridge Restaurant upstairs . Prominent businessman: The property at 50 Bowery is owned by Alexander Chu, president of Eastbank and the biggest landlord in Chinatown . ‘I was thinking, "I am standing in the cellar of the Bull’s Head,"’ he recalled to the paper. Woodward and historian David Freeland, who also researched the site, are hoping to save the building from being razed to the ground – at least long enough to conduct a thorough archaeological investigation. They believe that 50 Bowery, currently owned by banker and real estate investor Alexander Chu, could be the oldest surviving structure on the island of Manhattan, according to NY Eater. Architect Peter Poon has drawn up plans to construct a 20-story, 220-room hotel that is expected to be unveiled in early 2015 under the name Hotel Bowery, the site Bowery Boogie reported. The Lo-Down NY reported that the Landmarks Preservation Commission has been made aware of Woodward's discoveries, but it cannot force the owner of the property to delay or abort the construction project. | Adam Woodward says he discovered hand-hewn joints and Colonial-area brick in basement of 50 Bowery, suggesting it may have been site of Bull's Head Tavern .
On November 25, 1783, General Washington and Governor George Clinton stopped by the pub before entering the city on the heels of routed British forces .
Bull's Head Tavern opened around 1755 as a watering hole catering to cattle merchants and farmers .
Site later housed a stove shop and popular German beer hall called Atlantic Garden that closed in 1911 .
Building is set to be razed in coming months to make way for 20-story, 220-room Hotel Bowery . |
30,925 | 57e11f8fdb51025f6e1f62813a7b19ed5ac6d175 | It is an engine whose distinctive roar can make the heart leap. The successor of the great Merlin engine, the Rolls Royce Griffon also played its part in helping to win the Second World War when it was fitted to iconic warbirds such as the Spitfire. Now three excellent examples of the type are set to go under the hammer and sell for thousands of pounds. Piston power: Auction house worker Kirsty Gardner is pictured with the . three Griffon engines which provided the power for British planes such . as the Spitfire towards the end of the Second World War and beyond . Things of beauty: Two of the giant Rolls Royce Griffon engines that will sold at auction. The type propelled later model Spitfires in the Second World War . The three 36.7 litre V12 engines were . used in Supermarine Spitfires and the four-engined post-war Avro . Shackleton - and are examples of the advanced technology which helped . achieve superiority over the Germans. Today just one Shackleton and fewer . than 60 Spitfires originally fitted with one of these engines are still . flying anywhere in the world. Iconic: The positioning of the 12 pistons in a 'V'-shape gives the Rolls Royce engine its distinctive shape . And the majority of the left-over engines were disposed of after the War - some even tipped down a mine shaft just to get rid of them. The mammoth engines were discovered in a barn in Derbyshire during a house call to see furniture and ‘some stuff in the shed’ and are expected to make more than £10,000 each. Bamfords Auctioneer Steven Iredale said: 'These extremely rare pieces of British history have been saved from destruction for more than 30 years. Maritime reconnaissance: The Griffon engines powered the Avro Shackleton, a post-war Coastal Command aircraft used for sea patrols . Nation's favourite: A Supermarine Spitfire, they type which was eventually fitted with superior Griffon engines . The Griffon was the . last in the line of V-12 aero engines to be produced by Rolls-Royce with . production ceasing in 1955. Griffon engines remain in Royal Air Force . service today with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and also power . the last remaining airworthy Avro Shackleton - which flies in South Africa. In line with Rolls-Royce . convention the Griffon was named after a bird of prey, in this case the . Griffon Vulture and was commissioned by the Fleet Air Arm as a larger, . more powerful version of the Merlin engine for use in naval aircraft. Although the Griffon was designed for naval aircraft, on 8 November 1939 . N. E. Rowe of the Air Ministry suggested fitting the Griffon in a . Supermarine Spitfire and this was achieved in 1941. Spitfire XII's were . the first recipient of the Griffon, a number of subsequent Spitfires . retained Merlin power but towards the end of Spitfire production all . were powered by Griffons. Towards the end of . the war Coastal Command found a need for a new . land-based Maritime Reconnaissance aircraft culminating in . Specification R5/46, which became the Avro Shackleton, a descendant of . the Lincoln and Lancaster bombers, with four Griffon engines. The . Shackleton first flew in 1949 and the MK 1A Shackleton, with uprated . Griffon 57A engines entered service with 120 Sqn. in April 1951. Production of the Griffon ceased in 1955 a total of 8,108 being built. 'They were part of a collection belonging to Dan Taylor who has dedicated his life to the preservation and conservation of Vintage Aircraft. 'He had rescued these engines which he thought were of little worth as well as saving the original patterns for the legendary World War Two Merlin engine from a skip. 'While serving with the RAF he was involved in the making of the Dambusters movie, and almost every Spitfire still flying today owes something to his expertise - he is a real unsung hero of British military aviation history. 'The sale will also include his extensive collection of aircraft parts including propellers, an anti-gravity test rig and a Spitfire gun camera. 'It’s one of the most unusual and exciting sales we have ever handled and has already attracted worldwide interest. 'It’s something we have never dealt with before and even more unusual as we only went to see the furniture in his house and shed and came across these two and a half tonne nine foot giants.' Other items that will excite aviation fans include a Stromberg injection carburetor which was part of a P51 Mustang engine. The lots also include pistons believed to have come from a Merlin engine as well as 13 magneto generators that date from both world wars and some from the present day. The three identical engines are Rolls Royce Griffon mk.58 V12s. The 36.7 litre supercharged engines are capable of producing 1,960 horse power and are liquid-cooled. One has no flying hours left and was removed from R.A.F. 8 Squadron . Avro Shackleton maritime patrol aircraft WL745 1980. Another has 62 flying hours remaining and was removed from R.A.F. 8 Squadron Avro Shackleton maritime patrol aircraft WL747 1980. Both are mounted on wooden stands and are dated approximately 1952. The collection will form part of Bamfords mammoth four-day Antique, Fine Art and Collectors’ Sale from 26-29 June. Remarkable find: The engines are in reasonable conditions despite being stored in a barn for 30 years . Mark of quality: The Rolls-Royce branding on the engine casing. the company's factory produced more than 8,000 of the type . A piece of history: This label shows the engines were removed by a Sergeant Grimbly at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland and give safety notes about the coolant system, fuel injectors and piston cylinders . | 36.7 litre V12 Rols Royce Griffon engine was the power behind later examples of the Supermarine Spitfire and the Avro Shackleton .
These examples were removed from a Shackleton in the early 1950s . |
32,085 | 5b57601789ff89ea225cf59ff9c99a16a8597410 | YouTube is not making any money despite having more than a billion viewers. The online TV website is ‘roughly breaking even’ nine years after Google bought it for $1.7billion (£1.1billion). Analysts said that there was ‘a lot of junk’ on YouTube and that the large number of young users did not buy anything from the adverts. Another issue is that YouTube takes up a vast infrastructure which wipes out the $3.8billion (£2.5billion) revenue that it brings in each year. YouTube spends $3.8billion on its infrastructure each year, but it's not making much profit. It is 'roughly breaking even' nine years after it was purchased by Google . Google sites had more than 150million unique viewers in January 2015. That's more than double AOL and Yahoo sites . The Wall Street Journal report highlights how hard it is to make money from the Internet even if you are one of the biggest websites in the world. But some have cracked it and Netflix, the online TV and film service, reported a profit of $81million (£53million) in just the last quarter of 2014. Statistics show that by many standards YouTube is a huge success - the video for pop hit Gangam Style has been seen more than two billion times. However YouTube now under threat from other online streaming services such as Amazon, and the rise of quality TV shows from producers like HBO. The official YouTube video for Gangnam Style by Psy has been viewed more than two billion times. It is the most-watched YouTube video to date . Google is also having trouble attracting users directly to YouTube and most people access it through a link or an embedded video on another site. Instead Google wants people to turn on YouTube the way the turn on their TV. The tech giant is now experimenting with targeted adverts which mean you see commercials for products that you have already searched for. In the US YouTube has also bought the rights to American Football games and is also screening new episodes of Thomas the Tank Engine. Pivotal Research analyst Brian Weiser said that the sheer amount of ‘junk’ on YouTube was a problem. He said: ‘If they want meaningful TV budgets, they need to invest in TV content.’ | Google bought the online TV website for $1.7billion nine years ago .
YouTube's infrastructure costs the company $3.8billion per year .
Analysts said users are not buying products from advertisements .
Streaming services including Amazon and HBO are threats to YouTube .
Google is having trouble attracting daily users to the website . |
25,362 | 47d65a1a01040024d87b69219b1296a70b5bd79e | By . Ruth Styles . and Rebecca English . She normally shies away from even having the merest sip of wine in public. But there was something about being north of the border yesterday that put the Duchess of Cambridge – using her Scottish title the Countess of Strathearn – in the mood for a wee dram. Or four. Kate and her husband, also given the title Earl of Strathearn by the Queen on his marriage, were on a visit to the country’s oldest distillery, Glenturret, home to The Famous Grouse Experience, when they decided to enter into the, er, spirit of things with a little whisky tasting. Scroll down for video . Having fun: After her visit to the Famous Grouse Distillery, the Duchess arrived at Fonteviot village fete where she pulled a series of faces to amuse young fans . That's not very regal! After meeting members of . the public at Fonteviot village fete, the Duchess pulled a funny face as . she posed for one young fan's photograph . Adorable: . The Duchess crouches down to chat with a group of slightly overwhelmed . schoolgirls as she arrives in Fonteviot in the foothills of the . Highlands for the fete . A . very British day out: The Duchess of Cambridge arrives at Forteviot . village fete, walking just ahead of John Dewar, scion of the Dewar . whisky dynasty . Pony . club: Prince William lets a naughty palomino pony lick his fingers as . he meets beautifully turned out riders lined up at the Forteviot village . fete . Missing George? The Duchess beams as she's . introduced to an adorable little girl while meeting the crowds at . Fonteviot village fete . All . smiles: The Duchess arrives at Forteviot fete and is almost obscured by . a sea of enthusiastically waved Saltire and Union Jack flags . Snapping . away: The excited crowds waiting for the royal couple at Fonteviot . village fete couldn't resist snapping a photo or three . Challenged with a glass of 68.9 per . cent proof alcohol, straight from the still, William threw caution to . the wind and declared: ‘I’ll give anything a go [but] I will probably . regret it later!’ Shaking his head he squeaked: ‘That’s . pretty busy!’ and offered the glass to his wife. Kate wisely declined, . but had another sip of her glass of The Naked Grouse. ‘I’ll stick with . that girlie one,’ she laughed, but also tried two of the other blends. It was the couple’s first public . engagement together since their successful tour of New Zealand and . Australia. Kate was wearing a long red coat by Jonathan Saunders – no . risk of a bottom-bearing incident – a dress by Goat and a Celtic brooch . given to her as a wedding present. After the tasting at Crieff-based . Glenturret, the couple enjoyed a civic reception and lunch, but there . was still more drinking to do. At their last engagement of the day, the Forteviot Fete, Kate was asked to try a sip of gin from the Strathearn Distillery. She gamely downed it, saying: ‘It’s . delicious,’ but added: ‘I had better not drink too much because of all . the whisky I drank at Glenturret.’ The pair were then shown around the bunting-festooned stalls at the . village fete by John Dewar, Lord Forteviot, who is the scion of the . Dewar whiskey dynasty, and Luisa Ramazzotti, the founder of Perthshire . Open Studios and an artist in her own right. Hello there! The Duchess of Cambridge waves to three small children as she greets the crowds at Fonteviot fete who handed her a patriotic bouquet . Sweet stuff! The Duchess inspects a portrait of her and her family crafted from sweets and dedicated to the Earl and Countess of Strathearn - their Scottish titles . Baby's first kilt: The couple were showered with gifts for their baby son, Prince George, including this mini kilt (right) made from local Strathearn tartan . Down . in one! The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge enjoy a glass of single malt . whisky during a tour of The Famous Grouse Distillery in Crieff . Bottoms up! A beaming Duchess of Cambridge . enjoys a wee dram during a visit to the Famous Grouse Distillery, as did . her husband Prince William (right) Ever . the horseman, the Duke of Cambridge stopped off to inspect . the steeds ridden by members of the local pony club, although one . cheeky palomino couldn't resist giving his fingers a quick lick. Also . at the fete was the glamorous Lady Georgina Bullough, the daughter of . the Earl of Mansfield and who was once dubbed 'the most beautiful girl . in Britain' by society magazine, Tatler. But this time around, all eyes were on the Duchess who looked chic in a crimson coat by Jonathan Saunders, which she teamed with a matching dress by Goat. A-list . favourite Goat, which counts Gwyneth Paltrow, Sienna Miller and . Victoria Beckham among fans, has made a name for itself as a go-to label . for understated luxury with a sophisticated aesthetic - all of which . made it perfect for the Duchess, who is still reeling after a German . tabloid printed a photograph of her bottom earlier this week. Clearly . intent on putting the controversy behind her, the Duchess played it safe . with the rest of her ensemble which included a pair of her favourite . L.K Bennett 'Sledge' court shoes and a delicate silver brooch in the . shape of a Celtic knot. Earlier, . the Duchess, with husband Prince William by her side, had beamed as . she accepted a dram after being shown how Scotch is made during a tour . of the Famous Grouse Distillery in Glenturret. Giggling . madly, the royal couple were asked to pour themselves a shot of whisky . from one of the huge barrels before going on to a reception where they . met local worthies. Cheers! The royal couple, who are known as the Earl and Countess of Strathearn . north of the border, smile as they get ready to taste the whisky . Getting . stuck in: The Duke of Cambridge hammers the cork into a bottle of . Glenturret Single Malt during a tour of The Famous Grouse distillery in . Crieff . So . that's how it's done! The Duke of Cambridge, watched closely by his . wife, shows how decanting is done using one of the Famous Grouse . distillery's single malts . Meet and greet: The Duchess of Cambridge says hello to young fans as she arrives to unveil a plaque at the newly restored MacRosty Park in Crieff . Nice to meet you! The Duke of Cambridge, or the . Earl of Strathearn as he's known in Scotland, greets children (left) and . right, shares a joke with his wife . High . five! The Duchess of Cambridge beams as she's greeted by a cheering . crowd as she arrives at MacRosty Park with the Duke of Cambridge to . unveil a plaque . All smiles: The Duchess beams as she shares a joke with a young piper as she and Prince William are serenaded by a bagpipe band . Is that for George? The royal couple were wreathed in smiles after being presented with a huge teddy bear that sported a kilt . Dressed to impress: The Duchess wore a chic Jonathan Saunders coat, a Goat dress and her trusty L.K Bennett nude 'Sledge' heels . The Famous Grouse distillery is the . oldest in Scotland, and was founded in 1775 - a year before the US . gained independence from the UK. Along with producing world-class . whisky, it is also a popular tourist attraction, hosting more than . 100,000 guests a year. The Duke . and Duchess, who are known as the Earl and Countess Strathearn north of . the border, were making their first public appearance as a couple since . returning from the hugely successful tour of Australia and New Zealand. Their . day began with a visit to the Strathearn Community Campus in Crieff, . where they met local children and were given a tour of a Scottish . Ambulance Service helicopter - much to the delight of pilot William. The . royal couple were then whisked off to unveil a plaque at MacRosty Park . where they were greeted by huge cheering crowds, before being taken off . to visit the Famous Grouse distillery and finally, Fonteviot village fete. Looking . good: The Duchess of Cambridge beamed as she greeted children during a . visit to the Strathearn Community College in the small town of Crieff in . Scotland . Enjoying . the day: The Duchess of Cambridge beams as she greets local bagpipers . during her first official public appearance since the successful tour of . Australia . Glamorous: . The Duchess looked wonderful in a crimson Jonathan Saunders coat, Goat . shift dress and her trademark nude L.K Bennett 'Sledge' heels . Scottish souvenir: Kate couldn't hide her delight as her well wishers presented her with a cuddly toy dressed in a kilt . Jealous? William seemed envious of Kate's teddy bear, but the Duchess was adamant that she was keeping the toy . | The Duchess was at Fonteviot village fete when a young fan asked for a photo and she obliged with a funny face .
She and Prince William are touring Scotland and earlier visited a school and the Famous Grouse Distillery .
During distillery visit, both Duke and Duchess got to taste some of the single malt whisky .
Kate, 32, looked typically elegant in a chic crimson coat by Jonathan Saunders and a matching dress by Goat .
On her feet, the 5ft 10" royal wore her favourite nude L.K Bennett 'Sledge' heels and carried a matching clutch . |
111,782 | 1c28d50a88d5d415b4fd962aae1fd7ddf7c28dfe | Cleveland police have slammed Cleveland Browns player Andrew Hawkins for wearing a T-shirt calling for justice in the police shooting of Tamir Rice during a warm-up before Sunday's NFL game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Browns receiver's shirt read "Justice for Tamir Rice and John Crawford III" when he walked out onto the field before the game. Tamir, 12, was fatally shot in November by a Cleveland police officer, while police shot and killed John Crawford III, 22, in a Walmart in Beavercreek, Ohio, in August. Jeffrey Follmer, president of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association, criticized Hawkins' on-field protest. "It's pretty pathetic when athletes think they know the law. They should stick to what they do best on the field," Follmer told CNN in a statement. "The Cleveland Police protect and serve Browns stadium," he said. "The Browns organization owes us an apology." Medical examiners ruled Friday that Tamir's death was a homicide. Authorities said the officer who shot him mistook the child's air gun for a real firearm. Tamir was pointing a pellet gun at people outside a recreation center before he was shot, police said. A witness called 911 to say that a black male -- "probably a juvenile" -- was pointing "a pistol" at people but added twice that the gun was "probably" fake. Two officers arrived in a police car. Within two seconds of exiting the car, Officer Timothy Loehmann shot Tamir, and the boy died the next day, police said. Police have said that Loehmann opened fire after Tamir reached for the gun in his waistband and that an orange tip indicating the gun was a toy had been removed. Follmer described the shooting of a 12-year-old as "unfortunate." "But the facts are, that he appeared to be a 20-year-old male. In the eyes of a Cleveland police officer his physical appearance exceeded Andrew Hawkins' profile," Follmer said. He noted that the Browns player was 5 feet 7 inches and weighed 170 pounds, compared to Tamir's 5 feet 7 inches and 195 pounds. The Cleveland Browns' vice president of communications, Peter John-Baptiste, said the NFL team has "great respect" for the work of the Cleveland police. "We also respect our players' rights to project their support and bring awareness to issues that are important to them if done so in a responsible manner," he said. In September, a grand jury decided not to indict police officers in Crawford's shooting death. But Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said the U.S. Justice Department would review the Cincinnati resident's shooting. Crawford was shot and killed by police at a Walmart in Beavercreek on August 5 while carrying an air rifle through the store. Police responded to the scene after a witness called 911 and told dispatchers that Crawford was walking around with a rifle and "waving it back and forth." According to police, when officers arrived, Crawford did not comply with their commands to drop his weapon. He was shot twice, once in the elbow and once in the torso, the prosecutor said, and died shortly after being transported to a nearby hospital. The police criticism of Hawkins in Cleveland followed a similar controversy involving St. Louis Rams players over the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. The St. Louis Police Officers Association said it was "profoundly disappointed" after five Rams players raised their hands before a November 30 game in solidarity with protesters upset about Brown's death. | Cleveland Browns receiver Andrew Hawkins wears a protest T-shirt before game .
Hawkins' shirt read "Justice for Tamir Rice and John Crawford III"
Tamir Rice, 12, and John Crawford III, 22, were both shot dead by police officers .
Cleveland police association says players "should stick to what they do best" |
267,737 | e6beef44d8b4f3493591b280872bad8cd3ce9562 | (CNN) -- The mother of a 4-year-old girl snatched from the front yard of her small-town Missouri home tried to chase after her daughter's abductor, a neighbor said Tuesday. Alisa Maier was kidnapped Monday evening in Louisiana, Missouri, while she was playing with her brother, police there said. Appearing at a news conference Tuesday morning, grandfather Roy Harrison told reporters, "I want this baby back." "Please, anybody, if you know anything, call this guy back here," he said, pointing to Louisiana Police Chief Richard Hughes. "Call the FBI. Call whoever you need to call." Anita McKlevis, who lives across the street from the family, said Alisa's mother was "just beside herself" and tried to pursue the man who abducted the girl. "She jumped up and went across the street, got into her van and took off," McKlevis told HLN's "Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell." She said the children were regularly supervised by parents or grandparents while playing outside: "I never seen this little girl without her parents," McKlevis added. Louisiana is about 80 miles north of St. Louis. Michael Kaste, an agent from the FBI's St. Louis office, said between 75 and 100 law enforcement officers -- including about 30 FBI agents -- and about 50 volunteers were taking part in the search. Investigators are also questioning known sex offenders about the girl's abduction, he said. "We're going to interview anybody we think could be involved in this," Kaste said. Alisa was wearing a white T-shirt and denim shorts when she was taken. Hughes said investigators in Louisiana, about 80 miles north of St. Louis, have no indication that her kidnapping was anything other than a random abduction. Police are examining surveillance video from local businesses in hopes of finding some sign of the abductor, a man of indeterminate age who drove off in a dark-colored sedan with front-end damage, Hughes said. The town of about 4,000 is located just across the Mississippi River from Illinois, where state and county authorities are also involved in the search, he said. "Ultimately, our goal is to bring her back here to her family," Hughes said. Harrison called her "a really good girl, always smiling, happy-go-lucky. We really appreciate everybody getting together to try to help us find her." | Alisa Maier was taken while in her front yard, playing with her brother .
Grandfather: "I want this baby back"
Neighbor says mom tried to pursue abductor .
Search area extends into neighboring parts of Illinois . |
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