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236,395 | bdfad07f15a2d51af52d9023df7207d2f5566b24 | By . Rachel Quigley . PUBLISHED: . 16:40 EST, 13 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 16:52 EST, 13 December 2012 . A woman whose life was changed forever after a 'love doctor' mutilated her genitals is writing a book about her ordeal and the doctor she trusted to perform the routine procedure. Cheryl Sexton Dillon, from Ohio, was happily married with three children when she was 36-years-old. But her happiness was ruined when Dr James C. Burt recommended she get a hysterectomy when all she needed was minor bladder surgery. What followed was not just a hysterectomy, but a nine-hour operation in which her genitalia was totally mutilated - with her vagina relocated and her clitoral hood removed. Speaking to ABC about the 1984 procedure, she said: 'I thought I would die. The pain was unlike anything I had ever experienced in places I couldn't understand. Trauma: Cheryl Dillon did not just get a hysterectomy, but a nine-hour operation in which her genitalia was totally mutilated - with her vagina relocated and her clitoral hood remove . 'When I went to Dr Burt and asked, "What have you done?" he said, "What are you talking about?" I found out from other doctors that I had been mutilated.' One doctor said her genitals looked like 'a fileted fish'. Ordinary activities were impossible like sitting down and wearing pants. Having sex with her husband was excruciatingly painful and because of it, her 12-year marriage fell apart. Dr Burt was a respected ob/gyn at St Elizabeth's Hospital in Dayton, Ohio, and an advocate of redesigning women's genitalia to improve their sex life. He even wrote a book about it in 1975 called Surgery of Love, the proponent of which was: 'Women are structurally inadequate for intercourse. This is a pathological condition amenable to surgery.' He performed countless operations on women, leaving most of them horribly disfigured, for almost 20 years until he surrendered his medical license in 1989 following a barrage of complaints and lawsuits. In 1988, the Ohio Medical Board cited Burt for alleged 'experimental and medical unnecessary surgical procedures, in some incidents without proper patient consent', as many women believed they were going through routine procedures like post-pregnancy repairs and hysterectomies. St Elizabeth's Hospital began requiring Burt to use a 'a special consent form specific to love surgery' in 1979, according to ABC News. He himself admitted he did not always get proper consent for some of his earliest surgeries. Dr Burt is now 91-years-old and bankrupt. He declined to comment on the article. The surgeon she trusted: Dr James C. Burt was an eccentric but respected ob/gyn at St Elizabeth's Hospital in Dayton, Ohio, and was a proponent of procedures to redesign women's genitalia . His son James C. Burt III, 68, of Los Angeles, defended his father's medical practices to ABC: 'There are hundreds and hundreds of Dr Burt's patients, alive today, whose marriages and lives were dramatically improved by his wholesome restoration to their fully functioning sexual responsiveness, which most of those patients had previously enjoyed earlier in their marriages. 'Until there are those in the media or the medical profession who are willing to look at the successful results, which fully benefited the lives of countless numbers of his patients, there should and will be no further comment on behalf of Dr Burt or his family.' Dillon eventually settled out of court with St Elizabeth's Hospital. She was one of the first to file a malpractice lawsuit against them and Burt in 1985. She is now writing a book about her experience. When the now-65-year-old first went to Burt, Dillon was already in a happy second marriage with three children. He told her, 'You don't really need to have more kids'. 'I went ahead and got a hysterectomy,' Dillon said. 'You trust your doctor'. After weeks of constant pain, she went to see another doctor for a second opinion. She explains: I asked for the best doctor, because I had to find out what was wrong with me. He looked at me and called in one of the nurses and said, "Have you ever seen anything like this?" 'He had repositioned my vagina and circumcised me. The doctor said he had never seen it anywhere except in African tribes. 'The way I was deformed, I couldn't have sex. I ended up going through three different corrective surgeries but by that time, my marriage was shot and I lost the best thing that had happened in my life.' When she went public with her story a number of other women came forward with similar stories. Several other women filed malpractice lawsuits against Burt, but according to the New York Times, many of the cases were dropped because doctors would not testify. Dillon has moved back to Ohio to care for her elderly parents who both have Alzheimer's. Though she says she still lives with the effects of what happened: 'My life has taken a lot of different turns and ups and downs. So much of it happened because of that part of my life.' | Cheryl Sexton Dillon was 36 when Dr James Burt performed what was supposed to be a hysterectomy .
Lead to the end of her 12-year marriage and changed her life forever .
Burt performed countless similar operations on women over two decades saying it would improve their sex life .
Surrendered his medical license in 1989 .
Dillon settled out of court and is now writing a book . |
58,807 | a6d014a55af37ee808e81f1ae0a3c5abe008a6b8 | Want to earn stuff by merely watching TV? There’s an app for that. A new app slated to be released today for iPhones and iPads rewards viewers for watching shows – the more shows the better. When you tap the screen, Viggle's software for iPhones and iPads listens to what's on, recognizes what you're watching and gives you credit at roughly two points per minute. Earning by watching: The Viggle App listens to what's on, recognizes what you're watching and gives you credit at roughly two points per minute . Down time: It would take about three weeks of heavy TV watching to earn a $5 gift card . It even works for shows you've saved on a digital video recorder. Rack up 7,500 points, and you'll be rewarded with a $5 gift card from retailers such as Burger King, Starbucks, Apple's iTunes, Best Buy and CVS, which you can redeem directly from your device. But the company plans to offer bonus points for checking into certain shows such as American Idol and 1,500 points for signing up. Point system: If you rack up 7,500 points, you'll be rewarded with a $5 gift card from retailers such as Burger King, Starbucks, Apple's iTunes, Best Buy and CVS . You can also get extra points for watching an ad on your device. The beta version awarded 100 points for watching a 15-second ad from Verizon Wireless. The venture was launched by American Idol backer Robert Sillerman, whose former company, CKX, owns the popular show. ‘Viggle is the first loyalty program for TV,’ said Chris Stephenson, president of the company behind Viggle, Function (X) Inc. ‘We're basically allowing people to get rewards for doing something they're doing already and that they love to do.’ The idea behind Viggle is that by giving people an added reason to watch TV, the size of the audience will increase, thereby allowing makers of shows to earn more money from advertisers. Advertisers such as Burger King, Pepsi and Gatorade have also agreed to pay to have point-hungry users watch their ads on a mobile device. In exchange, users earn points, which Viggle converts into real value by buying gift cards at a slight discount from retailers. If the company gets the point-count economy right, it can end up making more money from advertisers and networks than it gives away in rewards. Dinner break: Burger King is one of the retailers offering rewards for watching TV . The app will also give the company . valuable insight into who is watching what, as redeeming rewards . requires putting in your age, gender, email address and ZIP code. ‘It . really shows what social TV is going to evolve into,’ said Michael . Gartenberg, a technology analyst at research firm Gartner. ‘For folks . behind the scenes, this is a great way of seeing who really is . watching.’ Burger King . Starbucks . iTunes . CVS . Best Buy . Sephora . Fandango . The company . hopes that user activity will grow by word of mouth, especially by . offering a 200-point bonus to people who successfully get their friends . to try out the service. The app makes its debut in Apple Inc.'s app store on Wednesday. Versions for Android devices and computers are in the works. The company has put in some safeguards. You must watch a show at least ten minutes to earn bonus points. And you can't watch the same ad over and over again to earn more points; there's a one-ad-view-per-person rule. Function (X) has brought in $100million in investment capital, and its stock trades on the Pink Sheets, a platform that allows people to buy shares but doesn't require the company release its financial results. Function (X) currently has a market value of about $1billion. | Viggle listens to what's on TV and gives approximately two points per minute watched .
7,500 points earns $5 gift card to certain retailers .
App collects demographic information such as age, gender, ZIP code, and email address . |
234,910 | bc148a84d543b8e01bd1cac27a0fa88b77da2cb8 | ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- The Script didn't follow the script. The Script includes, from left to right, Glen Power, Danny O'Donoghue and Mark Sheehan. In the standard showbiz treatment, a group -- say, three plucky, working-class music-mad young men from Dublin, Ireland -- travel to the grand shores of the U.S. of A. They form a band, grab the ear of a noted producer and, with a lucky break or two, are soon opening for the stars who inspired them so many years before. If the story needs a rousing climax, they return as conquering heroes to their homeland, pick up the local paper and find that their new single has gone straight to No. 1. Applause, joyful tears, roll credits. Well, it wasn't quite like that. In the case of The Script -- vocalist/keyboardist Danny O'Donoghue, multi-instrumentalist Mark Sheehan and drummer Glen Power -- O'Donoghue and Sheehan traveled to the States and spent several years as struggling writers and producers. Drummer Power, another Dubliner, had bummed around music scenes for years; he'd met O'Donoghue and Sheehan not long before the pair packed it in and returned to Dublin, plying their trade and looking for breaks. Descriptions of the trio as "an overnight success" thus leave them skeptical. If that's the case, said Sheehan before a concert at Piedmont Park in Atlanta, Georgia, "It was the longest night of our lives." Watch an interview with The Script » . On the other hand, when success did strike, it struck hard and relatively quickly. When O'Donoghue and Sheehan returned to Dublin, they decided to form a band. They recruited Power, noting their "great strength together" -- in Power's words -- after jamming together. The Script's first single, "We Cry," hit the UK Top 20 in the spring of 2008, and the second, "The Man Who Can't Be Moved," hit No. 1. The group's self-titled debut came out in August 2008 in Britain. In December 2008, they played the Nobel Peace Prize Concert, and, in March of this year, opened for U2. (Their album was finally released in the U.S. that same month.) They've spent this summer as Paul McCartney's opening act, which was what brought them to Piedmont Park. Touring with the former Beatle "feels like a master class for us," said Sheehan. The three, all around 30, finish each other's sentences like the old friends they are and display a savvy about the music business. That's only fitting, as O'Donoghue and Sheehan spent their years in America learning the trade alongside producers such as Teddy Riley and the Neptunes. Sheehan says the group is looking for the sweet spot between the "rock climate" they grew up in and the hip-hop and R&B sounds that dominate American popular music. "[With our experience,] we're hashing it out, and I think we've found it," he said. (Asked about their own influences, they rattle off hip-hop artists such as Missy Elliott, Jay-Z and Kanye West.) The Script appears to have a happy ending, just as an old tale of rising stars would have it. But the three are quick to point out that aspiring musicians should, well, write their own story. "If there's a message to younger musicians, to me, it's 'don't give up,' " says O'Donoghue. "Magic can happen." | Musicians spent several years as struggling writers and producers in the U.S.
They decided to form a band when they returned to Ireland .
The group's self-titled debut came out in August 2008 in Britain .
This year, the band has been the opening act for U2 and Paul McCartney . |
173,754 | 6cd7e4aebb57eed05007515561a4d4844f7c4ad5 | By . Louise Cheer . and Ryan Lipman . The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has confirmed Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 is not in the southern Indian Ocean search zone where pings were detected in early April. A statement from the Joint Agency Co-ordination Center search team said on Thursday: 'The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has advised that the search in the vicinity of the acoustic detections can now be considered complete. 'And in its professional judgment, the area can now be discounted as the final resting place of MH370.' The US Navy said there was no evidence to suggest the four detected pings, which were used to base the search area, were from the plane's black boxes. And no debris from MH370 has been found during the extensive search. Families of the passengers and crew on board the flight, including the New Zealand wife of passenger Paul Weeks, have been left shattered by the news. 'It is just another slap in the face. It's just another long road for us and look, I'm just shattered by the news. I'm absolutely shattered,' Danica Weeks told Sydney Morning Herald from her Perth home. Scroll down for video . Authorities agree the four pings found in early April are not from the MH370's black box . US Navy ocean engineering deputy director Michael Dean, said it was most likely the pings came from another man-made object such as one of the ships that were looking for the plane, reported CNN. 'Our best theory at this point is that (the pings were) likely some sound produced by the ship ... or within the electronics of the Towed Pinger Locator,' Mr Dean told CNN. 'Always your fear any time you put electronic equipment in the water is that if any water gets in and grounds or shorts something out, that you could start producing sound.' Those looking for the plane used the pinger locator to listen for underwater signals. The MH370 flight and its 239 passengers disappeared on March 8, while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Mr Dean said searchers would have discovered the black boxes if the pings had been coming from them. He also indicated other countries involved in the search had come to the same conclusion - that the pings found seven weeks ago were not from the flight's data or cockpit voice recorders. The Bluefin-21, pictured here with Able Seaman Matthew Tranter-Edwards, was used to search the southern Indian Ocean for signs of the plane . But he said he could not completely rule out that the noises came from the black boxes. The Joint Agency Co-ordination Centre announced on April 7 that a pinger locator towed from the Australian navy vessel Ocean Shield had picked up two acoustic signals, with one held for more than two hours. The signals were described as consistent with flight data or cockpit voice recorders and at the time became the most solid lead and likely from a man-made source. The man charged with finding the plane, Angus Houston, said it was 'the most promising lead' to date. Two days later, two more signals were detected and held for about five and seven minutes. Australia ended its initial stage of the underwater search on Wednesday, finishing its scan of large areas surrounding the four ping sites. The Bluefin-21 mission came to an end after the underwater drone did not detect any aircraft debris from the time it began scanning the sea floor off the West Australian coast on April 14. The drone scoured more than 850 square kilometres of ocean floor in its search for signs of the missing aircraft. The Bluefin-21, an underwater vehicle, was unable to look in the area where the most northern ping was located because of deep waters. Australian navy fleets, including the HMAS Stirling (pictured), have been assisting in the search, which will not ramp up again for at least two months while new equipment is moved to a new search area . With the pings used to determine the search area almost ruled out, the JACC will now expand its search while also reviewing all existing radar, satellite and aircraft performance data. This will help define a search zone of up to 60,000 square kilometres in the southern Indian Ocean, which still follows an arc defined by British company Inmarsat based on the final 'handshakes' between the Boeing 777 and satellites. Relatives of the 239 passengers and crew were recently successful in demanding Inmarsat publicly release its data, after loosing faith that searchers were looking in the right area. JACC said the findings of the data review would be made public in due course. As well as sea floor mapping in the defined search area, more vessels will be added to the survey, expected to take about three months. A new and potentially deeper underwater search taking up to 12 months will follow in August, with a formal request for tender to undertake the search to soon be released, according to JACC. 'A single prime contractor will be chosen to bring together and manage the expertise, equipment and vessels to carry out the search,' the centre said. Australian Transportation Safety Board's Martin Dolan said it would take more time to move new equipment within the search area, which is about 60,000 square kilometres. Squadron Leader Brett Kenzie of the Royal New Zealand Airforce was one of the officers who helped look for the plane after four pings were found on April 5 and 8 . Danica Weeks, pictured with sons Jack, 13 months old and Lincoln, 3, is struggling with news searchers have given up on the area where pings were detected . The New Zealand wife of a passenger on ill-fated Malaysia Airlines flight 370 said she is having trouble coming to terms with news that searchers have given up on an area of the Indian Ocean where acoustic pings were detected. Danica Weeks' husband Paul, a mechanical engineer, boarded MH370 on his way to start a new job in Mongolia. Mrs Weeks lives is in Perth, where the family moved after the Christchurch earthquakes in 2011. 'When your child cries for their father, it just breaks your heart and I can't tell them the truth because I don't know,' she told the Seven Network. 'I still haven't reconciled that he's not coming back, because I've had nothing. 'When you don't have anything - not even a piece of the plane, just nothing, and so many different stories - how can you not have a little piece of hope?' 'It is just another slap in the face. It's just another long road for us and look, I'm just shattered by the news. I'm absolutely shattered,' she told Sydney Morning Herald. The couple have two boys, Lincoln, 3, and 13-month-old Jack. Transport Minister Warren Truss has told federal parliament the search is moving into a new phase and Australia was committed to doing everything it can to find the plane. 'We are still very confident that the resting place of the aircraft is in the Southern Ocean,' he said. 'Unfortunately this is a painstaking effort in a very large ocean.' Mr Truss said the next search area could be 800 kilometres long and 70km wide. Manager of opposition business Tony Burke said families of the those on the missing plane had been left hanging after the most recent search failed to the plane. 'Once again we offer our condolences and words of comfort to the families and friends of the passengers on MH370 who still await more news,' he said. | Australian Transport Safety Bureau confirms MH370 is not in the Indian Ocean search zone where pings were detected in early April .
No debris has been found in the search area, which has been ruled out .
Families have been left shattered by the news .
Authorities from all countries involved agree pings weren't from the plane .
Instead they are believed to have come from another man-made object .
This announcement comes as the first stage of the search wound up .
It will be at least two months before it starts again as equipment is moved . |
106,188 | 14f6fba1f92c4e694038fa9bc5a897ce084fd748 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . A Goldman Sachs managing director has died following an apparent kiteboarding accident, police said. The body of 39-year-old Nicholas Valtz was found floating off Lazy Point in Napeague Harbor, Long Island, on Sunday. The amateur kiteboarder was still attached to his kite, while his gear was scattered in a grassy area of the harbor. Victim: Goldman Sachs managing director Nicholas Valtz, 39 (pictured left and right) died following an apparent kiteboarding accident off the Long Island coast on Sunday . The East Hampton Star reported the Brooklyn resident went kiteboarding early in the morning. When he failed to return by 2pm, relatives he was staying with at a Bridgehampton home called police. 'We’re . deeply saddened by this tragedy and our thoughts are with Nick’s . family,' Goldman Sachs spokesman Michael DuVally told Bloomberg. Police are still investigating the death and an autopsy will be undertaken. Scene: The body of Nicholas Valtz, 39, was found on Sunday floating in the water at a beach at Lazy Point in Napeague Harbor . The banker graduated from Harvard, as did his wife . Valtz joined the firm in 2000 and was . promoted to managing director in 2010. The cross-asset sales executive helped manage orders for trading clients and pitch them products from different types of securities, according to Bloomberg. Mr Valtz graduated from Harvard in 1996 and fenced for three years as an undergraduate. His wife Sashi Valtz, also . works at Goldman Sachs, also went to Harvard and has over 15 years of banking experience. The couple live in a 3,000-foot condo in the DUMBO section of Brooklyn with their two toddlers, a boy and girl. Mr Valtz is bald in several photos online as he has previously shaved his head to raise money for cancer. Kiteboarding or kitesurfing is a popular water sport combining windsurfing and paragliding which propels riders across the water up to 40 miles an hour. Kiteboarding: The water sport combines windsurfing and paragliding (stock picture) | Nicholas Valtz's body found in Napeague Harbor, Long Island, on Sunday .
The Brooklyn man's family called police when he didn't return home .
Kiteboarding combines windsurfing and paragliding .
He leaves behind a wife and two children . |
91,103 | 012c01ffb95ff6e4a4fc304d3b45ab5fafa3ddb8 | Terrance Brown is trying to get the NSA to turn over his phone records to help clear his name . A man on trial for an armed bank truck robbery is trying to get the National Security Agency to hand over his phone records to help clear his name. Terrance Brown is accused of masterminding the robbery which left an armored car messenger dead in October 2010. Prosecutors have used phone records to show that four other gang members were in the area at the time of the crime in South Florida. But they say they are missing a month of Brown's . records from two phones because his service provider at the time, . MetroPCS, no longer has them. Brown's attorney Marshall Dore Louis has filed court paper saying that the Justice Department is required to turn over the phone records if they exist because they could be crucial to his client's defense. He says it is likely that the NSA collected data on Brown's calls and that the defense is entitled to access the records because they may show Brown wasn't involved in a previous July robbery attempt. 'The government must be ordered to turn over the records for the two telephones that it attributes to Mr. Brown for the dates which are relevant to this case,' Louis said in the motion. U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenbaum initially told the Justice Department to respond by the end of Wednesday but granted a request from prosecutors for an extra week. They must respond to whether disclosure of the data - if they exist - would harm national security. Brown and five . others are accused of attempting to rob several armored cars outside . banks in Broward County on October 1, 2010. Prosecutors say the group's attempt to rob a Brinks . messenger resulted in a shootout and the killing of Brinks employee . Alejandro Nodarse Arencibia. The actual triggerman, Nathaniel Moss, pleaded guilty to several charges and is serving a life prison sentence. Brown, accused of being the mastermind, and the others currently on trial pleaded not guilty. The judge also said she would review whether the NSA surveillance, authorized by the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, was legally conducted. The NSA program and another surveillance effort known as Prism came to light last week when The Guardian published classified material leaked by Edward Snowden, a former employee at an NSA contractor. Brown's attorney is appealing to the Justice Department for phone records potentially kept by the National Security Agency. Pictured is the NSA headquarters in Fort Meade, Maryland . Snowden is now in Hong Kong and said he revealed the surveillance programs because he believes they are an unwarranted and possibly illegal government intrusion into privacy. Although the one leaked court order mentions only Verizon phone records, numerous U.S. officials have said the phone data surveillance program covers many other service providers. The program has been in place since 2006 and reauthorized several times by Congress. George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley, who has litigated national security cases, said he hadn't heard of this approach being used in court before. 'The chances that he will succeed in pulling these calls out of the bowels of the federal government are rather slim,' Turley said. But he said it would make for a novel case because the government usually invokes some sort of protection against disclosure, but in this case it has already acknowledged the program. 'It would be interesting to see if the government would claim a national security privilege,' Turley said. He noted that the past 48 hours have already seen 'an explosion of demands in litigation' challenging the government's phone records collection program. 'It was a game-changer when the government acknowledged the program, and you're going to see additional lawsuits in the next few weeks and months,' Turley said. | Terrance Brown is accused of masterminding robbery that killed messenger .
Prosecutors using phone records to pin suspects at scene do not have his .
Brown's attorney has appealed to Justice Department to provide NSA record . |
207,210 | 9849a8e873a4008e3af3e29dc9650b1b00d13e97 | Las Vegas residents fear voodoo rituals are to blame for piles of headless cockerels and pigeons that are being found on the city's streets. Piles of birds, intact save for their heads, have been left in several locations in the past few weeks, but every time they are cleared away, more bodies appear. West African priest Duane Reece has confirmed that the sightings could be linked to magic rituals, saying someone could be trying to use voodoo to appease a spirit. Scroll down for video . Ritual: The appearance of headless roosters in the back alleys of Las Vegas has been blamed on voodoo rituals . The birds are mostly roosters and pigeons, and they appear in perfect condition except that their heads have been neatly lopped off. Street cleaner Ryan Roskins started to see the headless chickens a few weeks back, and told KLAS-TV he has continued to see carcasses as he makes his rounds. 'The first time I saw it, it was a large rooster. Everything else is there, feet, feathers. It’s just decapitated,' he said. 'I actually think it must be voodoo.' Reece, a priest for the African Ifa religion which has similarities to Voodoo, said the placing of the birds would suggest it is part of a ritual. 'They might be wiping themselves with . the bird, letting the blood and then having to discard the body,' Reece said. He added that those who follow religions like Ifa often sacrifice birds and goats for protection or cleansing rituals. The carcasses then have to be left in a place the 'deity is calling out for' he added. Voodoo: Duane Reece, a priest of the African Ifa religion, says the birds may be part of a cleansing ritual . Distrubing: The headless pigeons and other birds has upset store owners, who say they are a health risk . With voodoo, most birds or animals used for sacrifice are usually eaten afterwards in communal meals, and their blood is splashed over altars. But for business owners in Vegas, having to constantly call animal control to have the dead birds removed has become a sickening chore. The stench of rotting chicken lingers in the alleys behind their businesses, and the store owners are concerned about possible health risks. | Piles of dead birds have been spotted in alleys across the city .
Headless chickens may be cleansing ritual, African Ifa priest says . |
803 | 025003ba15d7463db7d31324151cfbd7fbe6c047 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . A central Pennsylvania mother and her live-in boyfriend have been arrested after police found her two children and her sickly grandmother living in a mobile home that was 'consumed with animal feces and filth.' Monica Bohn, 31, and Michael Karns, 28, are both charged with with two counts of endangering the welfare of children and one count of recklessly endangering another person. The grandmother was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital, where she was placed under immediate medical care. The children were taken into the custody of the county Children and Youth Services department. Monica Bohn, 31, (left) and her boyfriend Michael Karns, 28, (right) were both arrested on charges of endangering the welfare of children after police found their home filled with feces . Officers in Middlesex Township east of Harrisburg were called to the Regency Woods North Trailer Park after neighbors called police to report that three children were playing in the middle of a busy highway. Two of the children were returned home, but the third said his mother and her boyfriend weren't home, but that his grandmother was taking care of him and his sibling. The Harrisburg Patriot-News reports that when the officers arrived at the trailer, they became concerned for the children living there. The child gave them permission to enter the home. Inside, they found horrendous living conditions. 'The entire home was consumed with animal feces and filth,' according to a police report. The children were taken into state custody and the elderly woman was taken by ambulance to the hospital for treatment. Bohn and Karns were arrested later that evening. Their Facebook pages show at least two dogs and cat. Among the family pets is a miniature dachshund named 'Coco Jelly Bean.' Bohn appears to work at GameStop and Karns is employed at Al's Pizza in Mechanicsburg. | Monica Bohn, 31, and Michael Karns, 28, were charged with endangering the welfare of children .
The children were taken into custody by the county Children and Youth Services department . |
200,882 | 900ddcb3a089da1f35ba17f1b3eaa545e01ec123 | Waslia Umaru, 14, has admitted killing her 35-year-old husband Umaru Sani and three of his friends by putting rat poison in their food after she was forced to marry him last week . A child bride forced into marriage in Nigeria killed her husband and three of his friends by lacing a meal with rat poison, police said. Wasila Umaru, 14, was married last week to 35-year-old Umaru Sani, according to assistant superintendent Musa Magaji Majia. But when Umaru invited a dozen friends to celebrate in northern Ungwar Yansoro village, near the city of Kano, the teenager slipped the deadly chemical into a rice dish. Umaru died the same day along with friends Nasiru Mohammed and Alhassan Alhassan, while another female victim, Indo Ibrahim, died in hospital hospital while receiving treatment. Wasila admitted buying the poison at a local market and putting it into the food. 'The suspect confessed to committing the crime and said she did it because she was forced to marry a man she did not love,' Majia said. Umaru is cooperating with police and likely will be charged with culpable homicide, according to Majia. Child marriage is common in Nigeria and especially in the mainly Muslim and impoverished north, where the numbers increase in times of drought because a bride price is paid and it means one less mouth to feed. Fifty percent of Nigerian girls living in rural areas are married before they turn 18, according to the U.N. children's agency. Child brides suffer difficult pregnancies and can often die in childbirth, the leading cause of death worldwide for girls aged 15 to 19. They are also much more likely to contract AIDS and be subjected to domestic violence, according to the International Center for Research on Women. Early and forced marriage is classified . as modern-day slavery by the U.N. labor organization, and Nigeria's . Child Rights Act prohibits marriage before 18. Wasila admitted to putting the poison in a rice dish which killed her husband and three of his friends . But the ruling is often ignored in favour of Islamic Shariah law that holds in most northern states. No one in Nigeria has been prosecuted for marrying a child, including Sen. Sani Ahmed Yerima, infamous for divorcing a 17-year-old that he married when she was 15. Yerima got the divorce so he could marry a 14-year-old Egyptian girl in 2010, when he was 49. He had to divorce one of his child brides because Islamic law allows a maximum of four wives at a time. Many child brides are divorced to make way for another partner, and because of incontinence and other medical problems caused by difficulties during childbirth pregnancies. According to local child rights advocates who say such girls are put out on the street. | Wasila Umaru, 14, married to Umaru Sani, 35, a week ago .
Umaru invited his friends to village in Nigeria to celebrate .
Wasila bought rat poison from market and put it in rice .
She has admitted killing Umaru and three of his friends .
Told police she did it because she was forced to marry him . |
115,885 | 21937c827e7cde159f96e5d24fdf830778b7d11f | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 06:03 EST, 16 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 06:34 EST, 16 October 2012 . A missing moggy that vanished from his home has been found ten years after he first disappeared - two miles away and three times as big. When the cat, named Little Puss, vanished in 2003 from Melanie Ashlin’s home in Outwood, Surrey, he was a seven-month-old kitten. Melanie’s daughter Hollie was still at primary school. Hollie is now 19 and a dairy farmer - and Little Puss has been piling on the pounds. Melanie Ashlin was over the moon to be reunited with missing cat Little Puss a decade after it vanished. But the food loving feline now weighs three times what he did when he left . Melanie said: 'His name’s a bit out of date now though - he's massive and perhaps we should start calling him Big Puss!' When Little Puss left he was a slimline 4lbs. Now he has tripled to a curvier 12lbs. 'He’s very fat and he doesn't stop eating,' Melanie said. 'I don't know whether someone has had him and has been looking after him. 'When he left he was only seven months old. I thought I would never see him again, so it is just amazing. 'It is lovely having him home. He is so sweet, he doesn't really want to go out, he's quite happy here.' Reunited at last: Melanie can't stop wondering what happened to Little Puss since he walked out of her home. Now her pet is having to get used all the other animals she has . After almost a decade, he was found wandering forlornly and taken to a vet as a stray. There he was scanned and they found a microchip. That revealed his owners lived just a couple of miles from the spot he was picked up. Melanie was stunned when she received a call to say they had found her wandering feline. 'I was so shocked - even after ten years,' the mum-of-two said. 'I had never stopped thinking about him and wondering what had happened to him. 'When I went to pick him up I thought he would be a bit feral but although he was obviously a bit scared, he was as good as gold. Little Puss was discovered on farmland just a couple of miles away in South Nutfield with a group of other cats. The Cats Protection League was alerted. They took him to a vet in nearby Merstham who scanned him. Two weeks after he was found he has settled back in with his family. But he has had to adjust to having company. Melanie also has two dogs, two cats and five chickens. 'Hollie was just 10 when Little Puss went missing and now she is 19, said Melanie, who also has a 31-year-old son. 'Since he disappeared I have had two grandchildren. 'I look at him and say, "Where have you been all these years?" I wish he could tell me. 'With all the snow we have had in the past few years, I always wondered whether he had somewhere to live. 'I wondered whether he was dead, if he'd got run over. 'He was always in the back of my mind.' | Pet was seven-month-old kitten when it went walkabout from Surrey home .
Owner Melanie Ashlin now has a raft of other pets and two grandchildren .
Moggie was wandering just a few miles from the house he walked out on .
Microchip revealed where animal had come from after he was sent to vets .
Cat weights three times what he did and now he 'doesn't stop eating' |
92,906 | 0381add5d5d525567ce54b42bff7d54fbc9e2371 | Not even the distraction of a spectator proposing to his girlfriend could prevent top seed Novak Djokovic from easing into the last 16 of the Australian Open on Saturday. The romantic fan popped the question after the second set of Djokovic's third-round match with Fernando Verdasco and received not only a 'yes', but a massive cheer from the rest of the crowd on Rod Laver Arena and applause from Djokovic himself. By that stage Djokovic had weathered the storm and was two sets ahead, the world number one crucially winning a tie-break in the opening set after failing to convert any of his six break points. VIDEO Scroll down to watch . Novak Djokovic advanced to the fourth round of the Australian Open for the ninth consecutive year . Djokovic made the fourth round of the Australian Open with a 7-6 (8), 6-3, 6-4 win over Fernando Verdasco . Djokovic blows a kiss to the camera for his mother's birthday after winning his third round match . Djokovic of Serbia saw off Verdasco of Spain at the Australian Open in Melbourne on Saturday . 'Credit to Fernando, it was a great match,' Djokovic said in an on-court interview with four-time grand slim winner Jim Courier. 'Fernando is a top-10 player, he has played in the final stages of grand slams and big tournaments. He has big power in his game. 'Every time I had an opportunity for the break he came up with a service winner or an ace and obviously it was frustrating but I had to keep it together and the difference was made in the first set when I won the tie-break.' Verdasco was favourite to win that tie-break when an ace took him 5-3 ahead with another serve to come, but a terrible double fault let Djokovic off the hook and the Serbian eventually took his fourth set point to win it 10-8. Djokovic claimed an early break in the second set and crucially saved three break points in the next game with a hat-trick of aces. From then on there was only ever going to be one winner and Djokovic celebrated his 7-6 (10/8) 6-3 6-4 win by getting the crowd to sing Happy Birthday to his mother Dijana. Next up for the four-time champion is Luxembourg's Gilles Muller, who won a big-serving battle with American John Isner that unsurprisingly featured tie-breaks in the first two sets and a total of 54 aces. Four-time champion Djokovic beat Verdasco (pictured), who could not get to the fourth round . Djokovic hugs Verdasco after beating the Spaniard at the Australian Open in the third round . Defending champion Stan Wawrinka had earlier continued his far more unobtrusive progress in the championship, beating Finland's Jarkko Nieminen 6-4 6-2 6-4 to maintain his record of not having dropped a set. The fourth seed sent down nine aces and won 90 per cent of points behind his first serve to set up a clash with Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in the fourth round. Garcia-Lopez was a similarly comfortable winner over Canada's Vasek Pospisil, beating the world number 60 6-2 6-4 6-4 to reach the last 16 and equal his best performance in a grand slam. 'I'm feeling good since the beginning of the tournament,' Wawrinka said. 'For sure I'm not the focus on the tournament because there's Novak, Rafa (Nadal) coming back from injury, Roger (Federer) also just lost, there's (Nick) Kyrgios, (Bernard) Tomic still playing. 'For sure I'm not the focus. For me doesn't matter. I'm feeling good. I'm feeling great. I'm happy the way I'm playing. To get to the second week again, it's great. So far everything is good for me.' Feliciano Lopez continued his charmed progress through the draw with victory over Poland's Jerzy Janowicz, the 12th seed winning 7-6 (8/6) 6-4 7-6 (7/3) to set up a last-16 contest with eighth seed Milos Raonic. The No 1-ranked Djokovic was able to see off the Spaniard and get to the fourth round for his ninth year . Djokovic supporters cheer his win after his third round match against Verdasco of Spain in Melbourne . Lopez saved three match points in his first-round match with wild card Denis Kudla, eventually winning the fifth set 10-8, and saved another in the second round against Adrian Mannarino. Lopez was trailing 4-6 4-6 0-4 when Mannarino fell ill but won the third-set tie-break and was leading 4-0 in the fourth set when his unfortunate opponent retired. Lopez acknowledged he was making the most of his good fortune, adding: 'It gives you the chance. It gives you the opportunity to play today because I was already out with Mannarino and Kudla in the first round, no? 'Today when I was out there playing, I thought I have to be pleased for that opportunity, so try your best. I think today finally I play some of my best tennis. Losing with Kudla or Mannarino I wouldn't have the chance, so I feel very pleased. 'It's true I have a couple of tough matches. Today was also a tough one, but it was straight sets, which is really good for my fitness condition. I feel good. I feel ready to play the rest of the week.' Raonic continued the theme of one-sided matches by beating Germany's Benjamin Becker - who knocked out home favourite Lleyton Hewitt in the previous round - 6-4 6-3 6-3. Boris Becker (right), coach of Djokovic, watches the third round match on Saturday in Melbourne . | Novak Djokovic beat Fernando Verdasco 7-6 (10-8), 6-3, 6-4 on Saturday .
It is the ninth consecutive year that Djokovic has made the fourth round .
A spectator proposed to his girlfriend during the match in Melbourne .
She said yes and got a cheer from the crowd and Djokovic applauded . |
199,010 | 8da3f43637cf350e685ffa6f6747ae97146f0dc5 | By . Chris Parsons . UPDATED: . 09:09 EST, 16 February 2012 . An architect and her teenage son were tragically killed in front of her two other boys when their car crashed into a tractor during a half-term day trip. Kate Boughton and her eldest son Sam, 14, were killed instantly when their Vauxhall Corsa careered into a tractor near Leominster, Herefordshire, on Valentine's Day. Mrs Boughton's two younger sons were also trapped in the car when it crashed on Tuesday morning, with one today stable and the other still critical in hospital. Tragedy: Kate Boughton and her 14-year-old son Sam (right) were both killed when their Vauxhall Corsa collided with a tractor driving in the opposite direction . A team of 20 firefighters using hydraulic cutting equipment spent an hour releasing the family from the wreckage. Neil Pigott, of Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service, said: 'We had four casualties trapped in a severely damaged vehicle. 'The extent of the damage and the position of the vehicle meant we were going to have to free those casualties one by one.' Kate, 35, was airlifted to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham but died of massive head injuries a short time later. Scene: The family had been on a half term trip on Valentine's Day when tragedy struck near Leominster, Worcestershire . Her two younger sons, who were strapped in the back seat were airlifted to Birmingham Children’s Hospital with serious injuries. The family had just set off from their home in Combe, near Presteigne, Herefordshire, for a day out when they hit a tractor coming in the opposite direction. The tractor driver, who has not been named, was uninjured in the crash. Treatment: Mrs Boguhton's two younger sons were both rushed to Birmingham Children's Hospital after the crash, where one is stable and the other remains in a critical condition . Today as tributes poured in for the tragic mother and son, one of their neighbours told how, 'you could not want for a happier family'. Mrs Boughton was a director of architectural and engineering consultancy firm Penguin Services UK Ltd with her husband Edward, 41. He was understood to be working from the family home at the time of the crash. An inquest into their deaths is expected to be opened and adjourned today (Fri) in Hereford. | Kate Boughton and son Sam killed in Valentine's Day collision with tractor .
Her two other sons remain hospitalised after being trapped in crash . |
263,452 | e13a9431f21873a96a5a0f934256ec782c0c5568 | (CNN) -- Maybe marriage to Kate Winslet isn't all that bad. Maya Rudolph and John Krasinski star as a couple on the road in the comedy "Away We Go." After cruelly dissecting marital malaise in "American Beauty" and again, just six months ago, in "Revolutionary Road," Winslet's husband Sam Mendes takes a slightly more optimistic view of family life in the edgy comedy "Away We Go." Not that he's offering a whole-hearted endorsement of the institution. Burt and Verona (John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph) aren't legally bound -- she staunchly resists his repeated proposals -- but nevertheless they're a couple about to go nuclear: She's six months pregnant. He sells insurance to insurance companies. She's an illustrator with a lucrative line in anatomical drawings. Nevertheless, they're struggling to make ends meet. "Are we losers?" wonders Verona (only she uses a more colorful expression). "We have cardboard windows... I think we must be." Insomuch as they have a plan at all, it hinges on the support they're expecting from Burt's doting parents. So it's a nasty wake-up call when Jerry and Gloria (Jeff Daniels and Catherine O'Hara) announce they're taking off for a new life in Belgium -- yes, even before the baby's out. There is a silver lining: Realizing they no longer have any reason to stay, Burt and Verona decide to widen their horizons. They could move to Arizona where Verona's sister lives. Burt has a job prospect in Madison, Wisconsin. Or they have college friends in Montreal. Their destiny awaits them, all they have to do is go out and find it. And away they go. Although the couple racks up a good few miles in their search for home, the movie doesn't betray much interest in location. Arizona is hot and arid. In Montreal they pour gravy on French fries. Don't expect cultural insights. It's never explained how these stragglers can afford such speculative wandering, and when they do find their dream home it's mystifying that it hasn't occurred to them before. Still, the movie's loose-limbed, spontaneous quality is a good part of its appeal, and a refreshing change of pace from other movies by Mendes, whose artfully designed compositions often seem self-conscious and painfully detached. In keeping with Indie-wood's vogue for shuffling snide satire and sentimentality (see "Juno" and "Little Miss Sunshine"), "Away We Go" presents its trepidatious travelers with half a dozen starkly contrasted parental figures, including Allison Janney's monstrously vulgar alcoholic, Maggie Gyllenhaal's radical earth-mother (who has shortened her name to "LN"), and Paul Schneider as Burt's rawly dumped brother, who wonders aloud if it would be wrong to tell his daughter her mom has been murdered. There's a level of bile here that some audiences may find alienating -- I can't see it being a big hit in Phoenix -- but Dave Eggers' and Vendela Vida's writing is a cut above the average, and it's performed with gusto. They may not be the most dynamic duo to hit the road, but the relationship between Burt and Verona feels touchingly true. Burt is a boy still trying on manhood for size (with a beard for extra emphasis), and though we've seen Krasinski do this before, he seems to have fine-tuned the performance to the point where he could very happily play it for the next two decades. Unlike his character, he's an actor who has found himself. Maya Rudolph is the joy of this picture. Give or take her role in Altman's "Prairie Home Companion," the "Saturday Night Live" star hasn't made much impact in movies before now. With her frazzled, freckled face, she's not the glamour girl who would normally be shoe-horned into the romantic lead, but she seizes her chance and runs with it. Mendes brings out a more thoughtful and nuanced presence than the brittle comedienne, and Rudolph makes you consider how rarely we see a real woman at the center of things. Even her occasional tentativeness works for the part. Verona is so fresh and alert, she can't help but doubt herself as they trail from one family disaster to the next and wonder what kind of parents they are going to make. It's an uneven picture about the bumps in the road, and not immune to the odd dramatic shortcut or jocular cheap shot. But it does catch an anxiety that will be acutely familiar to anyone contemplating imminent parenthood, and -- in a beautifully judged cameo by Melanie Lynskey -- the deep anguish of someone who has had that prospect snatched away. More often than not, and where it really counts, "Away We Go" hits home. "Away We Go" is rated R and runs 98 minutes. For Entertainment Weekly's review, click here. | John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph star as a couple expecting a baby .
Their onscreen relationship feels touchingly true .
Director Sam Mendes brings out a great performance from Rudolph .
Movie's loose-limbed, spontaneous quality is a good part of its appeal . |
10,697 | 1e66292478c63524e49528d35bdf24679ae7dcb3 | Pepe divides opinion among football fans but the Portugal defender proved a Good Samaritan as he paid for nine tonnes of food to be distributed to poor families of the Las Rozas district in the Spanish capital. The 31-year-old, who comes from a working-class background in Brazil, lives in the area and ensured that the people of his neighbourhood will have a memorable Christmas. Pepe was personally involved in distributing the packages to almost 200 impoverished families. Pepe has played 180 for Real Madrid since the Portuguese defender signed from Porto in 2007 . Pepe organises the food containers to be distributed among the families of the Las Rozas region . Pepe (left) closes down Liverpool forward Raheem Sterling during the Champions League clash at Anfield . Pepe lives in the district of Las Rozas (above); one of the largest townships in Madrid . It is not the first time Pepe has helped the people of Las Rozas, either. After scoring the winner for Real Madrid against Espanyol last December, he donated money to the people of his town before turning up the following day to hand out almost five tonnes of food packages. Pepe's quality as a footballer is not in doubt - he has represented the Spanish giants 180 times since he joined in 2007, winning the Champions league and La Liga titles. He has also won 65 caps for his adopted country Portugal. The defender, however, is partial to the red mist and has been sent off 12 times in his career, including a dismissal against Germany at the World Cup in Brazil after butting Thomas Muller. Real face Almeria in La Liga on Friday night as Carlo Ancelotti's men seek a 20th consecutive victory. Pepe celebrates after scoring against Barcelona during the 'Clasico' clash at the Bernabeu in October . | Pepe oversees distribution of food packages across Las Rozas district .
The Real Madrid defender lives in the area .
Pepe has played 180 games for Los Blancos .
The Portugal centre half has been sent off 12 times in his career . |
30,308 | 5626ad9e0c6961a88120bea680ca88c3150ffce7 | By . Eddie Wrenn . PUBLISHED: . 10:29 EST, 10 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 01:44 EST, 11 October 2012 . Furious villagers in eastern China are demanding the closure of a new stone quarry after it turned their river completely white. Residents in Aodi, Zhejiang province, say the river is now so heavily . polluted that they can't use it for drinking water for their livestock, . nor are they able to water their crops. They say that since the quarry opened a few years ago, the water regularly turns white, as the quarry bosses use the river to drain away . residue caused by blast-cleaning white stones, which are cut from pits beside the river. One local resident told reporters: 'Our animals can't drink it, it poisons the fields and we can't even . wash our clothes in it. We want this quarry closed now.' It is just one of a number of rising concerns about water in China - it is not the first time rivers have taken on different hues - and there are regularly reports of everything from pollutants to dead bodies found in waters used for cleaning and drinking. Villagers wash their clothes in the milk white water: The quarry pollution in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province has scared the local population . The river in Aodi village has been turning white regularly over several years and locals are forced to wash their clothes in the dirty water . White waters: At the upper reach of the village there is a quarry that dispels its rock washing water directly into the river, which turns it the milky colour . Last month a milky white river in Jiangsu city turned white, and included a bad smell. The reasons for the colour change is still not known - but researchers discovered that there are now no living animals reported to be found in the 10 meter wide body of water. There were reports in July of how a natural latex polluted more than a mile of the Quxi River in China’s Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province. The river also turned into a 'river of milk', which is blamed on a local latex company in the region. Resident Xiao Wu said: 'Only yesterday, I was doing my laundry in the river, and yet this morning it’s turned completely white, as though somebody poured milk into it.' This also follows a case of an orange river in Jiaxing city created by excessive iron ions in the water last March. Last month, the residents of Chongqing woke up to find the Yangtze river, which runs through the city in south-western China, coloured a bright shade of orange-red. While officials investigate the cause of the colouring, one fisherman went about his daily business as if nothing had happened. Others were so amazed that they collected samples in water bottles. Meeting point: A ship sails across the junction of the polluted Yangtze River (left) and the Jialin River in Chongqing, China, yesterday . Shock: The Yangtze river, which runs through the city in south-western China, turned a bright shade of orange-red yesterday . Although the cause is yet to be determined, it is not the first time a river has turned red in China. Last December, the Jian River in the city of Luoyang, in the north Henan province, turned red after becoming polluted by a powerful dye. The dye was being dumped into the city's storm drain network by two illegal dye workshops. Officials raided the factories to shut them down, and then disassembled their machinery. According to chapter 16, verse 4 of . the Bible's book of Revelations, one of the signs that Armageddon is . near will be an angel pouring a bowl into the rivers, turning them into . blood. In the thick of it: A fisherman goes about his daily business . Bizarre: The red river gave Chongqing an apocalyptic appearance yesterday . Check it out! Some residents were so amazed that they collected samples in water bottles . | Industrial dumping of chemicals thought to be major cause of bizarre colourings .
Last month the city of Chongqing woke up to find their river had turned red .
Locals complain they cannot use rivers for livestock drinking water or for washing and cleaning . |
56,401 | 9fcc45717f75e6af00b7ea6d7a0a6a67069bab44 | Reporter Francis Scarcella walked into the Northumberland County Prison in Sunbury, Pennsylvania, with plenty of questions for the woman accused along with her husband of luring a man with a Craigslist ad, then killing him. He walked out with a bombshell of a story that's sent police and the press alike scrambling for answers. Miranda Barbour told Scarcella, a reporter for the Daily Item newspaper in Sunbury, that she'd killed before. And not just once or twice. "She said, she has, you know, done this before," Scarcella told CNN affiliate WNEP of his Friday interview with the 19-year-old murder suspect. "And I said, 'What's the actual number?'" "And she said, 'Under a hundred,'" Scarcella told the station. Barbour said she had stopped counting at 22 killings, according to Scarcella's story in the Daily Item. "She kind of floored me," Scarcella told CNN affiliate WBRE. Barbour told the Daily Item that the killings occurred over the past six years in Alaska, Texas, North Carolina and California. That's sent investigators in those states back to their cold-case files, but it's also raising questions among people who study serial killers. "Anything is possible, and of course it's conceivable that she's a serial killer," Northeastern University criminologist Jack Levin told CNN. But he said few women are serial killers, and those few are typically older and don't use knives, as Barbour is accused of doing in the Pennsylvania case. Authorities haven't yet corroborated any of Barbour's claims, including statements that she was involved in Satanism. Her alleged confession has raised questions among attorneys, missing persons experts and even a representative of the Church of Satan, the nation's largest satanic body. "Thorough investigation will likely demonstrate that this cult story is fiction," said Peter Gilmore, the New York-based head of the Church of Satan. In Alaska, state police are looking into the claims and will pursue "any leads that may present themselves," Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Megan Peters told CNN. And Monica Caison, the founder of a missing persons center in North Carolina, said her phone started ringing Sunday night with questions from families whose loved ones haven't turned up in years. "It sends everybody into a panic mode -- a hopeful panic mode," Caison said. "They want to be one of those, but they don't want to be one of those. They want their nightmare to end." Police: Newlyweds lure man through Craigslist for thrill killing . 2013 killing . In the one case in which authorities say they have pinned down Barbour's involvement, she and her husband, Elytte Barbour, 22, are accused of killing 42-year-old Troy LaFerrara, who police say responded to a "companionship" ad placed by Miranda Barbour on Craigslist. The couple just wanted to kill someone together, police said. They had been married for only three weeks at the time of the slaying, and had moved from North Carolina to Pennsylvania after tying the knot. Police say Elytte Barbour strangled LaFerrara in the front seat of her red Honda CR-V while Miranda Barbour stabbed him at least 20 times in November 2013. LaFerrara's body was found the next day in the backyard of a home in Sunbury, a small city about 100 miles northwest of Philadelphia. The last number dialed on his cell phone led police to the Barbours, according to authorities. Barbour claimed she began killing when she was 13 and involved in a satanic cult, Scarcella reported. "I can pinpoint on a map where you can find them," he quoted her as saying of the bodies. But she said LaFerrara's killing was the Barbours' first as a couple. Elytte Barbour told police at the time of his arrest that he and his wife had tried to kill others, but the plans didn't work out. Both Barbours face several charges in LaFerrara's death, including murder. Despite Miranda Barbour's statements to Scarcella, both have pleaded not guilty. Barbour's attorney, public defender Edward Greco, told CNN he didn't know she was planning to give the interview. He declined to comment on her claims. But Levin said the way LaFerra's body was left in someone's yard isn't typical of serial killers. "If you're a prolific serial killer, you're going to go out of your way to dump the body in a desolate area off a highway so that people don't find the evidence," he said. Satanists: Accused Craigslist killer not one of us . Claims raise doubts . Sunbury Police Chief Steve Mazzeo told CNN that investigators have been in contact with the FBI and law enforcement in some of the states where Barbour has lived. The father of Barbour's 1-year-old child is dead, and Sunbury police have said that is part of their investigation. "We investigate all leads just because that's the proper protocol to follow through," Mazzeo said. Authorities also are looking closely at Barbour's claims that she was involved in Satanism, according to another law enforcement source close to the investigation. But Gilmore, of the Church of Satan, said his church has a "law and order philosophy" that does not condone killing. He said the church has had no contact with Miranda Barbour or her husband. Caison, the founder of the Wilmington-based Community United Effort Center for Missing Persons, has worked with murderers before in hopes of bringing closure to people whose loved ones haven't been seen in years. In 2009, her organization helped find the body of Alice Donovan, who was abducted and murdered seven years earlier, after Donovan's convicted killer wrote to tell Caison where the remains could be found. "Anytime anything like this happens, we start getting e-mails and phone calls. I started getting texts last night," Caison said. But she said Barbour will have to be questioned extensively by investigators before those claims can be put to the test. "You can't just say you've killed 22 people between this region and that region," Caison said. "You've got to give a town or something that only police or an organization like us would know." Without details like the gender, age or race of a victim, "We don't even know where to start," she said. And like Levin, she cast doubt on Barbour's claims. "That's a lot of people to kill in such a short time, and being so young and never making a mistake, I'm hard pressed to believe that amount," she said. And for the families she works with, "You don't want to build any false hope." Getting the interview . Scarcella told WNEP he got the interview after Barbour sent him a letter saying she wanted to talk. Scarcella told CNN on Sunday that he was not allowed to bring a notepad or any other recording device into the interview. He said police allowed him to listen to the interview after it was conducted. In his interview with WNEP, Scarcella described Barbour as "very meek, very mild" with a "very low voice." "She never hesitated once," he told the station. "She never gave the impression of it was a rehearsal." Scarcella said he eventually asked if she had any remorse. "And she said, 'None,'" Scarcella told WNEP. But that's not what Scarcella said he found most surprising. That would be, he said, "the fact that she said that if she got out she would do it again." Woman pleads guilty in case of pushing newlywed husband off cliff . Two charged in slaying of Iraq war vet who wanted to shop through Craigslist . Ohio man convicted for three murders in Craigslist job ad killings . | Experts question serial-killing claims .
Without details, "We don't even know where to start," searcher says .
Miranda Barbour told reporter that she had killed more than 22 people across four states .
Barbour and her husband are charged in a November 2013 killing . |
92,544 | 0304dcdda41d9c55728925be57e03c02c92502d7 | French tennis star Gael Monfils is renowned as one of the biggest entertainers on the tour - and he took it to a whole new level with a dance-off on court at Roland Garros. During the traditions French Open Kids' Day, 27-year-old Monfils took the chance to show off his moves in a dance battle with compatriot Laurent Lokoli. Even the torrential rain failed to dampen the spirits of the crowd who were wowed by the moves of Monfils and Lokoli. VIDEO: Scroll down to watch Gael Monfils hold a dance-off at Roland Garros . All smiles: Gael Monfils was the star of the show in Paris as he took part in a dance-off on court . Grooving: Monfils performs a cartwheel during the dance-off on Kids' Day at the French Open . Down low: Monfils was the star of the show as he entertained the damp Roland Garros crowd . French DJ Bob Sinclar - who provided the soundtrack for the event - was impressed, using his camera phone to film the show. World No 28 Monfils will open his French Open campaign on Tuesday against Romanian Victor Hanescu. The French Open is live on ITV . Head to head: Monfils took on compatriot Laurent Lokoli on the main Philippe Chatrier Court . Caught on film: French DJ Bob Sinclar films the action on his camera phone . | Monfils took on compatriot Laurent Lokoli in a dance battle .
The dance-off was held during French Open Kids' Day .
Monfils faces Victor Hanescu in the first round on Tuesday . |
19,331 | 36bd0274ef5414a5b3cee6c056ab4a523eb62806 | By . Alex Finnis for MailOnline . Werner Franz, the last surviving crew member of the Hindenburg disaster, has died aged 92 . It was a life that could quite literally have gone up in flames - Werner Franz was just a 14-year-old cabin boy when he was aboard the German airship Hindenburg, as it became engulfed by fire and crashed in New Jersey 77 years ago. His sharp young mind and a huge stroke of luck meant he spent those last 77 years alive, and not as a mere statistic in the tragedy which marked the end of the airship era. As the huge, hydrogen-filled Zeppelin burst into flames, Mr Franz happened to be cleaning up in the officers' mess, where a huge tank of water above him burst and protected him from the blaze. He was able to jump out of the ship as it fell devastatingly to the ground, and fled the wreckage to escape without so much as a scratch. He had the nous to run into the wind - if he had gone the other way he would have been swallowed up by the flames and become the 37th life claimed by the tragedy. Mr Franz certainly made the most of his lucky escape - he was 92 when he died from heart failure earlier this month - and was the last surviving crew member. He returned to Germany after the crash, and served as an aircraft technician during World War II. He went on to coach roller skating and ice skating later in life, and was never afraid to tell people about his experience, said Carl Jablonski, president of the Navy Lakehurst Historical Society, who last met him at a 2004 event commemorating the disaster. The tragedy is particularly iconic in the history of aircraft, as photographers and film crews were able to capture the devastation as it unfolded. Today, photographs not only show us the enormity of the event, but also how fortunate Mr Franz and the airship's 61 other on-board survivors really were. Scroll down for video . The crash, which spelled the end of the airship era, killed 36 people including 22 members of the crew . The disaster is considered one of the most iconic air crashes in history due to the extensive media coverage . John Provan, a long -time friend, told of how the young Franz came to be on Hindenburg completely by chance. 'His older brother worked at a fancy hotel in Frankfurt where the passengers and the captain stayed overnight before the airship took off early in the morning,' he said. 'One of the captains said they were looking for a cabin boy and [his brother] heard about it.' He added: 'Werner was most fortunate because he was in the officers' mess cleaning up. Above him was a large tank of water that burst open and drenched him, which protected him a bit from the flames and the heat.' He was able to jump out of a cloth supply hatch onto the ground below and made the wise decision to run into the wind. 'He didn't make the mistake of going in the other direction or the flames would have caught him,' Mr Provan said. Mr Provan, quoting Mr Franz's widow Annerose, confirmed that he died in his home town of Frankfurt on August 13. There are believed to be three more survivors from the disaster still alive today - two passengers named Werner Doehner and Horst Schirmer, who were both children - and Robert Buchanan, a member of the ground crew that was waiting to moor the ship. The Hindenburg disaster happened on Thursday, May 6, 1937, when the German passenger airship LZ 129 Hindenburg caught fire and crashed at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey as it tried to dock with its mooring mast. There were 97 people on board the ship, made up of 36 passengers and 61 members of crew. Of those, 35 died - 13 passengers and 22 crew - along with one worker on the ground. In total, 36 people were killed, though it could have been more, as the flight was only half booked. The huge airship - as long as three football fields and 15 stories tall - was considered the most luxurious means to cross the Atlantic at the time. Its loss - widely attributed to static electricity that ignited leaking hydrogen - was a heavy blow to the image of a resurgent Germany that the Nazis wanted to project to the world. The disaster was hugely covered in the media, as photographers and video artists were able to capture it from the ground - this helped make it one of the most iconic and highest profile aircraft crashes in history. The airship had left from Frankfurt three days earlier on May 3, for what was supposed to the the first of 10 trips between Europe and America. As it came to land it was hours behind schedule because of stormy weather. The captain diverted it towards Manhattan Island, which drew huge crowds of people who came to catch a glimpse of the vast ship. The craft came in to land at around 7.30pm, and witnesses recounted seeing what looked like a gas leak, and also what may have been static electricity. It is disputed where the fire started, but those on board heard an explosion, before the ship burst into flames. The back of the ship broke and the tail end crashed into the ground. This caused fire to fly through the nose and kill nine members of the crew. In total, the accident is believed to have lasted between just 32 and 37 second, with experts analysing that the fire spread at a rate of around 15m/s. There are other theories relating to how the fire came to start. These range from the idea that a gunshot was actually to blame, that it was struck by lightning or that the engine failed, though the static theory is considered to be the most likely. | Werner Franz was a 14-year-old cabin boy when the vast airship crashed .
Jumped from the blazing craft and ran into the wind to escape the flames .
Disaster happened in New Jersey Lakehurst Naval Air Station 77 years ago .
Crash left 36 people dead, including 22 crew members and 13 passengers .
Widow and friend confirmed Mr Franz died from heart failure in Frankfurt .
Believed to be three more living survivors - two passengers and a member of the ground crew . |
279,260 | f5cc2c806dc15957d251149441acf1eab08296ce | Jonas Gutierrez could yet be afforded an emotional farewell appearance for Newcastle United after his proposed move to Velez Sarsfield broke down. The 31-year-old – who has twice beaten testicular cancer – returned to Argentina last week for talks with the club where he made his professional debut. But Gutierrez was back on Tyneside on Monday morning after a deal to satisfy all parties failed to materialise. Jonas Gutierrez returned to Newcastle at the end of last year after beating testicular cancer . Gutierrez was thought to be on his way out of the club, but now could be set for an emotional farewell . With his contract set to expire in the summer, the former Real Mallorca winger has spoken of his desire to appear one more time for the Magpies. That dream appeared to have gone when he opened talks with Velez, with whom he had trained following his all-clear from cancer in November. Gutierrez has expressed his wish to play for Newcastle one more time, and that now looks possible again . Jonas Gutierrez beat cancer after a year-long battle against the disease . But Gutierrez will now resume training with the Magpies and his next outing is likely to be for their Under-21 side. Supporters, however, will be hoping to see him in the first-team before his exit in the summer after seven years at St James’ Park. | Argentinian midfielder was set for move back to first professional club .
But player was unable to agree personal terms with Velez Sarsfield .
Gutierrez, who has twice beaten cancer, set for an emotional farewell .
CLICK HERE for all the latest Newcastle United news . |
251,439 | d17547a5fd39936c73f849ecd83f9572bc381726 | By . Helen Pow . PUBLISHED: . 11:44 EST, 6 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 14:15 EST, 6 November 2013 . A Massachusetts state trooper who was assigned to desk duties after he leaked grisly arrest photos of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokar Tsarnaev has retired from the force. Tactical photographer Sgt. Sean Murphy 'was absolutely not forced out,' his lawyer, Leonard Kesten, said on Tuesday, adding that the trooper would receive a full pension. '(He is) happy with state police. It was just time.' The decision came days after internal charges were upheld against Murphy, a 25-year-veteran with the state police. Those charges included unauthorized dissemination of information, insubordination, unsatisfactory performance and violation of departmental rules and regulation. Retirement: Sgt. Sean Murphy, pictured at a hearing in July, has retired just days after charges against him were upheld . Suspect: Murphy released 14 crime-scene pictures, including the above left, of Boston bombing suspect . Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, after being angered by the Rolling Stone magazine . cover, right . State police spokesman David Procopio declined to describe the penalties Murphy faced, citing privacy laws governing employee records. Murphy made world headlines in July after he released 14 crime-scene photos he'd taken of Tsarnaev as part of his official duties to the media. The graphic images showed a battered, bloody then-19-year-old as he emerged from a boat he'd been cowering in with hands raised the night he was captured by authorities. Murphy said he was so enraged by the August cover of music magazine Rolling Stone, which depicted the suspect as a rock star that he handed the grisly images to Boston Magazine. He argued Rolling Stone had glamorized terrorism by running the picture of Tsarnaev looking like a hippy. Murphy argued his images showed the true face of terrorism, but he was reprimanded for releasing them without authorization. Angry: Sgt Sean Murphy said he was so incensed by what he saw as the glamorisation of Tsarnaev by Rolling Stone magazine, that he released these photos . Support: Murphy's actions have received a lot of support on social media platforms, with more than 66,000 people having 'liked' a 'Save Sgt. Sean Murphy' Facebook page . Murphy was first suspended and then assigned to desk duty before being transferred from the state police barracks in Framingham to Athol. However, he never actually worked out of the Athol barracks because he was on leave for an injury sustained off the job. At the time the photos were released, Murphy wrote in a posting on the Boston Magazine website: 'I hope that the people who see these images will know that this was real. It was as real as it gets. This may have played out as a television show, but this was not a television show.' Victims and their families jumped to . Murphy's defense, describing his actions as selfless and an attempt to . right Rolling Stone's wrong. The wider community also labeled him a 'hero' and his decision to release the images received a lot of support on social media platforms, with more than 66,000 people liking a 'Save Sgt. Sean Murphy' Facebook page. | Massachusetts state trooper Sgt. Sean Murphy's decision comes just days after internal charges against the tactical photographer were upheld .
The charges include unauthorized dissemination of information, insubordination, unsatisfactory performance and violation of departmental rules and regulation .
Murphy made headlines in July when he released 14 scene photos he'd taken of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokar Tsarnaev to the media .
The 25-year veteran was trying to counter the August cover of Rolling Stone magazine, which he claimed depicted the suspect as a rock star .
He was later suspended then placed on desk duty but the community hailed him a hero . |
174,189 | 6d6e66008803c60ca8ce3f4f538747d9a7bf644c | Glee star Jane Lynch is officially a single woman, after her divorce became final on Monday. However, TMZ reports that Jane has had to pay her ex-wife - psychologist Dr. Lara Embry - a whopping $1.2 million in a property settlement spread over a two-year period. The site reports that Embry is also entitled to a lot more, including half of Lynch's royalties from her hit show Glee, and other TV appearances. Scroll down for video... Ouch !TMZ reports that Jane Lynch has had to pay her ex - psychologist Dr. Lara Embry (pictured above in January 2013) - a whopping $1.2 million in a property settlement spread over a two-year period . $847,485 - Half of several bank and trust accounts . $315,079 - Half of a 401K . $56,810 - Half of their tax refund . Half of all royalties from Jane's appearances on Glee and other TV shows . Half of the proceeds from their Mullholland Tennis Club membership . L.A. Yacht club membership . Their dog, Francis . She is also being granted $847, 485 - half of 'several bank and trust accounts' and keeping their dog Francis. Lynch filed court documents in July to legally dissolve her three-year marriage to Embry, after splitting in February 2012. The pair are said to have been on 'very civilized' terms with one another after coming to an agreement about their split. Lynch previously insisted that her divorce was 'not a horrible thing' and friends explained the actress wanted to stay friends with Lara for the sake of her former spouse's 10-year-old daughter, Haden. She said: 'It's not dramatic. It's not a horrible thing. It's something that we're dealing with. It's two people who just decided it's better to go apart than stay together.' What would Sue Sylvester say? Lynch's ex-wife is now entitled to half of all royalties from Jane's appearances on Glee and other TV shows . Not her little dog too! Jane has also given up her pooch Francis to her ex-wife . However, it is unclear if Lynch will have a change of heart following the outcome of Monday's ruling. The pair got engaged in 2010 and married on Memorial Day in May the same year in an intimate ceremony in Sunderland, Massachusetts. In a 2013 Lynch said in an interview with PopCrush that she expected to give a pay-out to Embry from some of her 'highest earning years.' '[California] is a half and half state, as well as it should be, so that's fine ...It's just money.' She added: 'I should be dating. I should... and I don't want to do any of those things.' Final: Lynch filed court documents in July to legally dissolve her three-year marriage to Embry (pictured above in March 2012) after splitting in February 2012 . Moving on? Jane was pictured with a mystery woman in July this year . | Jane's ex-wife Lara Embry is entitled to half of her Glee royalties .
She also gets to keep their dog Francis . |
209,453 | 9b3943737355d03679d9bae3a3e850befdf2d5a8 | By . Travelmail Reporter . It is one of the few certainties of air travel. You can normally assume that – after all the ticket checks and security procedures – if you are allowed onto an aircraft, it is the plane that will be taking you to your destination. 'Traumatised': Stacey McGuinness found herself at the wrong airport . But this was not the case for a Scottish holidaymaker who found herself 300 miles from home last week after low-cost carrier Jet2 dropped her in the wrong country. This mistake led to red faces at the airline – and a long taxi ride for the weary tourist. Stacey McGuinness, 27, from Dundee, had just enjoyed a ten-day break in Turkey with her family. She was due to fly home from Dalaman, in the south-west of Turkey, on Friday – and was booked onto the 11.05pm Jet2 flight to Glasgow. Three hours later, she found herself not just at the wrong airport, but in the wrong country, after the plane landed at Leeds-Bradford Airport. The confusion began at Dalaman Airport. ‘The screen said to go to gate 33 for the flight to Glasgow,’ Ms McGuinness says. ‘But when I went to the desk it said Leeds-Bradford.’ ‘When I asked at the desk, they said “this is the right one”. ‘I asked them to check again just before we boarded, but they still said I was in the right place. ‘I got to my seat fine. The plane was quite empty anyway.’ Despite the assurances that she was on the right flight, Stacey's nightmare situation was confirmed when the captain told the passengers they were just one hour from touching down in England. Forced to apologise: Budget airline Jet2 put Stacey McGuinness onto the wrong flight at Dalaman Airport . When the plane landed, Stacey met a Jet2 manager, who apologised for the mistake. Her luggage was nowhere to be seen. The airline decided to call for a taxi to take her on a five-hour journey back to Dundee. But Stacey said the gesture was not enough. She still hasn't received her baggage, and she wants compensation for her whole ordeal. ‘The manager said it shouldn't have happened, and that I could have been a terrorist or anything’ she says. ‘He ordered me a taxi all the way back to Dundee, and the taxi driver did not want the journey at all. ‘I got back in the end, but all my clothes and valuables are in my suitcase that I still haven't got back, and the customer services are telling me nothing.' Jet2 have been unable to comment on the issue of how she ended up on the wrong flight. Not even close: The holidaymaker wanted to go to Glasgow, but found herself at Leeds-Bradford Airport . However, they have said that Ms McGuinness's luggage will be returned to her today. A spokeswoman for Jet2 said: ‘Ms McGuinness's baggage has arrived with us and will be delivered today. Jet2 apologises for the inconvenience.’ Stacey, who lives in Douglas, a suburb of Dundee, says: ‘I asked twice if I was in the right place, and each time they said that I was. ‘I still can't believe what has happened. 'I won't be travelling with Jet2 again. I'm scared to even fly at all now. ‘I was on my own, which made it worse. I was really traumatised.’ | Stacey McGuinness wanted to fly to Glasgow, but landed at Leeds-Bradford .
Airline Jet2 apologises after 27-year-old was put onto the wrong flight .
Budget carrier forced to pay for expensive taxi ride to take passenger home . |
82,716 | ea8d88ef2430cc9831e28cfe8575130be8d5cafe | By . Jaymi Mccann . PUBLISHED: . 03:50 EST, 4 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 08:35 EST, 4 April 2013 . Schoolgirl Emily Marsh’s hiccups started on a normal day in January when she was on her way to a maths lesson. But the 13-year-old has not been able to stop since, hiccuping every two seconds, even when she is asleep. Experts are baffled by her rare condition and haven’t yet been able to find a cure. Scroll down for video . Schoolgirl: Emily marsh has not stopped hiccuping for ten weeks and has experts baffled as they cannot find a cure . Emily has undergone a whole series of tests since she went to her GP after a week, and was referred to St Helier Hospital, in Epsom, Surrey. She has had an MRI scan, ultrasound scan, chest X-ray, endoscopy, biopsies, a nasal chute to measure her pH levels, and a gastric emptying study. Doctors have prescribed a variety of different drugs, which haven't worked and she has tried osteopathy and hypnosis. The schoolgirl has tried every home-made remedy, from a spoonful of vinegar to holding her breath and is so desperate that she is about to have a go at acupuncture and has appointments to see an audiologist and tic doctor. She finds it so exhausting she's been given afternoons off school to rest. ‘We are willing to try anything,’ said her mother Cathy Barrett, 45, a charity worker from Wallington, Surrey. ‘It's been 10 weeks now, and a very long 10 weeks at that. Emily is exhausted by it all but she's taking it in her stride. Concern: Mother Cathy and sisters Natasha 15 (left) and Libby 10 (right) have been worried about Emily's condition . ‘It makes her throat very sore but she deals with it very well. The thing that frustrates her is this constant tired feeling. ‘Strangers are forever offering her a glass of water. But school have been very understanding.’ Emily is one of only a handful of young people known to have had sustained chronic hiccups. She can only manage half a day at Stanley Park High School, Carshalton, Surrey, because the constant movement is not only painful but exhausting. Emily said: 'I have tried everything - even the spoonful of vinegar. That was horrible - I refused to do it again. ‘I've tried drinking backwards, holding my breath and people at school have been trying to scare me a lot.’ The . hiccups - an involuntary contraction of the diaphragm -become minimal . when Emily is in a deep sleep, but return at full force as soon as she . enters a lighter sleep. Exhausted: Emily has been given afternoons off school as her condition leaves her so tired . She is currently being treated with two drugs - domperidone, an anti-nausea medicine, and omeprazole, used to treat gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. Cathy added: ‘Absolutely nothing has worked. We have tried hypnotherapy and osteopathy but we are now completely running out of ideas. ‘She's just got to the stage where she's just fed up and wants them to go. I can understand - if you have hiccups for 10-15 minutes it's horrible. ‘We believe that someone somewhere must be able to help or come up with a solution.’She said Emily had never had health problems . Dr Ritu Handa the paediatric consultant looking after Emily at Queen Mary's Children Hospital at St Helier Hospital, said they had tried a string of tests on Emily including an MRI scan, blood tests and extensive assessments of her stomach. Hiccups that last more than 48 hours can be categorised into: . - Persistent or protracted hiccups - a bout of hiccups that lasts for more than 48 hours . - Intractable hiccups - a bout of hiccups that lasts longer than a month . Hiccups are common and most people will get them at some point during their life. They can affect people of any age, including babies. Men and women are equally affected by episodes of short-lived hiccups. However, for reasons that are unclear, persistent and intractable hiccups are more common in men. Intractable hiccups are more common in adults. These types of hiccups can be tiring and upsetting, and can make eating and drinking difficult. Persistent and intractable hiccups are rare and usually caused by another underlying health condition. In 80% of cases of persistent or intractable hiccups, a cause can be identified. The remaining 20% of cases usually have a psychological cause. Most hiccups will pass quickly and usually only last a few minutes. Treatment is not usually required. However, in cases of persistent or intractable hiccups that last longer than 48 hours, further investigations are needed to identify the cause and appropriate treatment. As well as treatment for underlying conditions, there are also self-help techniques that may help some people to stop common types of hiccups. www.nhs.uk . However, all the tests have proved inconclusive. Other medical problems have been known to cause chronic hiccuping, but doctors have so far been unable to find anything wrong with Emily and have ruled out serious medical conditions. Dr Handa said: ‘This condition is very rare and it is frustrating for Emily and her family. We are doing everything we can, working with our colleagues and closely with the family, to try and find an answer to this young girl's hiccups.’ Cathy said the problem was medication known to have worked on adults cannot be used on Emily because it is not suitable for children. One drug she has already tried - Haloperidol - left her ill in hospital for a week. Cathy said a young American girl had created a 'hiccupop' which she believes will stop hiccups as it worked for her but it had yet to be released for public sale. She praised St Helier Hospital, Stanley Park High School and the Chiltern Health Centre who are all providing help to the youngster. Other cases of people to have had chronic hiccuping include an American man, Charles Osborne, who is in the Guinness Book of World Records after having hiccups for 68 years from 1922 to 1990 - when they mysteriously stopped. In 2010 a musician resorted to brain surgery after hiccuping an estimated 20million times over several years. Chris Sands, 26, from Timberland, Lincolnshire, suffered his first hiccuping attack in September 2006. It halted after a fortnight, then returned in February 2007, becoming as frequent as every two seconds, 24 hours a day. The normal remedies all failed, including hundreds of different ways of drinking water and eating a teaspoon of peanut butter, medical schemes including an oxygen chamber and alternative therapies such as yoga and hypnotherapy. Finally he appealed for help on the internet and was flown by a Japanese TV station to see a Tokyo hiccup specialist who found a tumour the size of a Malteser on his brain stem. Following an operation to remove it, Mr Sands believed he was cured but as a result of the dangerous operation suffered numbness down his left side and now has difficulty with co-ordination which he was warned could last for years. | Emily Marsh has hiccuped every two seconds for ten weeks .
Given afternoons off school as the condition is so painful and exhausting .
Experts are baffled as they cannot find a cure for the condition .
Drugs that normally help sufferers are too strong for the 13-year-old . |
78,108 | dd736556c3d2d00e69a0405e4f9d3b0c57f6e9fd | Blessing Okagbare was utterly dominant as she helped to ease the memory of London 2012 by winning Commonwealth gold in the women's 100m. The 25-year-old finished last in the Olympic final, but won the first of three possible individual titles in Glasgow as she powered to glory in the 100m in a new Games record of 10.85secs. Her freshly dyed golden hair shone just as much as her performance. The Nigerian, who will also contest the 200m and long jump, stayed relaxed to power past experienced Jamaicans Veronica Campbell-Brown and Kerron Stewart, who finished second and third in 11.03secs and 11.07secs, in the last 50m. Scroll down for video . Too strong: Nigeria's Blessing Okagbare (second from right) eased to victory in the women's 100m final . All smiles: Okagbare celebrates her victory with a Nigeria flag inside Hampden Park . Pure joy: Okagbare punches the air in delight after crossing the line ahead of Jamaica's Veronica Campbell-Brown . VIDEO Commonwealth Games: Day 5 review . England's Asha Philip, 23, and Bianca . Williams, 21, both reached the final, finishing fourth and sixth . respectively. Philip also set a new personal best of 11.18secs to cap a . fine evening for this exciting crop of young English talent. Philip said: 'I'm so proud of myself, so happy to run a PB at a major event - it gives me a lot of confidence.' | Okagbare blew away the competition with a Games record time of 10.85secs .
Jamaica's Veronica Campell-Brown won silver and her team-mate Kerron Stewart took bronze .
England's Asha Philip finished fourth and just missed out on a medal .
Her team-mate Bianca Williams ended up sixth at Hampden Park . |
65,409 | b9c09171773e4976818884e858d0973502017a07 | A heavily tattooed woman has lashed out at an Adelaide restaurant after being told she wouldn't be welcomed back if she didn't cover up next time. Alisa Marie Giuliani, 25, was on a date at the Base bar, at the Bath Hotel in Norwood, east of Adelaide's CBD when she says she was approached by a security guard who had a word with her about her tattoos. She has taken her disgust, following the incident to social media and says she was left feeling 'insulted' and 'upset'. Alisa Marie Giuliani (pictured) is disgusted by how she was treated by a Norwood restaurant . The Bath Hotel (pictured) say they didn't mean to cause any grief to the young woman but have policy and procedures to abide by . 'You know what's awesome?? Paying $50 for a pizza and some cider, sitting down to enjoy your meal and the company of a lovely guy, when the security guard from the bar attached next door decides to approach you mid meal,' she posted on her Facebook page. 'He said half way through my meal and we'd been there quite while that the owners don't want people with full tattoos there,' said Ms Giuliani. 'I thought it was incredibly rude since I had been in there 15 minutes, given them my money, it was awful, poor business.' She said her date also had tattoos and believes the comments were directed at both of them. 'I was shocked that this kind of thing happens at a bar or pup still.' 'Hundreds of people have tattoos in Adelaide, they'd be appalled to hear that happened.' '10 years ago it was very different, I feel like discrimination like that is one step away from people with being rejected for their colour,' she said. The picture of her finished meal after she was asked to cover up next time she came to the venue, which she used to post an angry message on Facebook . Alisa Giuliani (pictured) said 'nobody deserves to be insulted when they're eating a meal they've paid for' Ms Giuliani hit out at the Norwood hotel on social media calling them 'discriminatory jerks' and claiming they waited until after they had finished their meal to tell her. 'Do yourself a favour and boycott this s**t place,' she wrote on Facebook. 'Nobody deserves to be insulted when they're eating a meal they've paid for. And we dressed so nicely! I've never been so offended during a meal in my life. Absolute foul.' The post received a wave of support suggesting the stance by hotel staff was very rude and many claimed it was disgusting to see a person treated in that way. responding to some of the comments, Ms Giuliani says she had never been kicked out of a place or asked to cover her tattoos, ever, admitting she had been almost everywhere in Adelaide. Alisa Giuliani (pictured) says she has never been bothered about her tattoos before . The Bath Hotel in Norwood says they hope they didn't cause Alisa Giuliani (pictured) grief but they just have to abide by policy and procedure although admit they may be behind the times . 'Pathetic, I have never had problems with other guy mates who had ink in the past,' she continued on her Facebook page. She has been humbled by the response at an incident she has labelled so ridiculous. 'So many were people horrified by it, it was shared all over Australia, shows people are shocked how sad it is,' she said . Hotel owner Tony Franzon says it unfortunate this has blown up saying the hotel simply had policy and procedure to follow. 'I think we handled it politely and not to cause the young lady any grief, we're hospitality and we need to appeal to a multiple amount of people's enjoyment,' he said. 'It's a difficult policy because everything is changing and we need to maybe look at adjusting it, to do business.' 'It's (having tattoos) become more socially acceptable than five years ago and that's a dilemma we face and the question is where do you draw the line.' Mr Fanzon says the Bath Hotel has been a family run business for 29 years and they're certainly not here to cause anyone grief. 'The dress code is there to keep some sort of restrictions in place, unfortunately we don't allow for changing trends in fashion and maybe that's something we should review,' he said. Ms Giuliani hopes there will be changes and all pubs, clubs and restaurants will be less judgemental. 'Skin you can't change, it would be fantastic if the world would be more open.' But whether she'll consider going back there for a meal, covered up, 'definitely not'. Alisa Giuliani was on a date at the Bath Hotel (pictured) when she was told by a security guard next time she came to the hotel she would have to cover up her tattoos . Ms Giuliani's Facebook friend, Ashlee Adams (pictured) had a similar experience with the same hotel years earlier and was told to leave because 'we don't allow tattooed people in here' Ashlee Adams (pictured) also was told to leave by security at the Bath Hotel a couple of years ago because she had tattoos that were showing . The matter was made aware to South Australia's Equal Opportunity Commission who stuck up for the restaurant because it was entitled to force dress codes. 'Dress codes, which could include restrictions on visible tattoos, are not grounds for complaint under South Australia's equal opportunity laws,' said Commissioner for Equal Opportunity Anne Gale. 'In effect, licensed venues have a right to set their own dress code,' she said. Another one of Ms Giuliani's Facebook friends says she also had a similar experience at the same hotel years earlier on a quiet Thursday evening. 'I was actually approached by security and rudely asked to leave midway through my meal that I had already paid for because 'we don't allow tattooed people in here',' said model Ashlee Adams. She said after a discussion with security she was allowed to finish her dinner before being made to leave. 'It was very embarrassing and seemed a bit ridiculous considering I had been in the venue over half an hour already, had interacted with multiple staff members, spent money, and was well dressed, polite and well behaved.' 'I get having a dress code, and if they want to exclude tattooed people that's fine because it's their business and they can do what they want, but they should probably make it a little more clear and enforce that rule upon entry rather than allowing people to hand over money and order food and then asking them to leave,' she said. | Adelaide woman hits out at restaurant after being told she wouldn't be welcome back if she didn't cover her tattoos .
Alisa Marie Giuliani, 25, was on a date at the Bath Hotel when she was approached by a security guard .
Ms Giuliani took to social media to unleash her disgust labelling the hotel 'discriminatory jerks'
The Bath Hotel says they had to follow dress code but may look at a review .
SA's Commissioner for Equal Opportunity Anne Gale says the hotel has a right to apply dress codes . |
106,438 | 1546c74ce3a8afc363114175b72d80d82931aeca | British taxpayers face a legal bill of up to half a million pounds over a disastrous undercover Metropolitan Police investigation into corruption in the Caribbean. Senior Scotland Yard officers were sent to the Cayman Islands and their inquiry eventually resulted in the arrest of a judge and suspension of two local police chiefs. But there were no convictions, the judge and police chiefs sued successfully for damages and the Met team were nicknamed the ‘Sunshine Squad’ when pictures emerged of them relaxing on the beach during the failed two-year operation. Senior Scotland Yard officers were sent to the Cayman Islands (above) and their inquiry eventually resulted in the arrest of a judge and suspension of two local police chiefs, but there ended up being no convictions . Seven years on, the now-retired policeman who led the probe, Martin Bridger, is still being sued in England and the Caymans – and The Mail on Sunday can reveal that his legal costs of up to £448,000 will be picked up by the public after the Met agreed to keep paying them. Last night one insider said: ‘I’m astonished that the taxpayer is still paying for something like this after all these years.’ The debacle began back in September 2007 when the Foreign Office asked the Met to help investigate alleged corruption in the Cayman Islands, which is a British Overseas Territory. A team from the elite Directorate of Professional Standards, posing as estate agents, was sent on the 4,800-mile trip to look into claims that a deputy police commissioner was leaking sensitive information to a local newspaper editor. Detective Chief Inspector Bridger, who had been commander of Lambeth borough in South London, was Senior Investigating Officer. In March 2008, a Briton serving in the Cayman police, Stuart Kernohan, was suspended and later sacked. Six months later Judge Alexander Henderson was arrested by the Yard team and his office and computer were searched. Neither was ever charged with any offence, and British judge Sir Peter Cresswell ruled Judge Henderson’s arrest had been illegal. He was awarded $1 million damages. The now-retired policeman who led the probe, Martin Bridger, is still being sued in England and the Caymans – and his legal costs of up to £448,000 will be picked up by the public after the Met agreed to keep paying them . In May 2009, Mr Bridger and his 12-strong team returned home. In October that year an auditor found ‘significant deficiencies’ in the management and accounting of the police investigation, with the cost to the Caymans put at £8 million. Since then the case has descended into a blizzard of lawsuits involving Mr Bridger, Mr Kernohan and the Cayman authorities, with criminal complaints, misconduct claims and employment cases lodged. A spokesman for the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime said: ‘Payments have been made amounting to £180,000 and authorisation has been given in respect of further costs up to £268,000. This financial assistance reflects the Metropolitan Police’s support to an officer in respect of legal proceedings arising out of an overseas posting. ‘This latest sum is conditional upon Mr Bridger taking steps to bring these matters to a swift conclusion.’ Speaking about the saga earlier this year, Mr Bridger said: ‘I have done nothing wrong other than trying to expose the truth and to defend myself as best as I can.’ Ann Barnes spent £15,000 on the 'Anne Force 1' van . A crime tsar has vowed to ditch the ‘presidential’ minibus that helped turn her into a national laughing stock. Ann Barnes, Police and Crime Commissioner for Kent, spent £15,000 on a van that she decorated with the name ‘Ann Force 1’ – jokingly nicknamed after the US President’s personal jet Air Force One – as she toured the county meeting the public. But she has decided to get rid of the van after it appeared in a documentary on her role, which left her the target of criticism from local politicians and police officers. In an appearance before her local scrutiny board this week, Mrs Barnes said: ‘I will retire my van… sadly. The decision to retire it is a difficult one and I don’t know what I’m going to replace it with. But I do have to acknowledge that its reputation has been tarnished and I don’t want that to form the story and detract from the engagement with local people.’ However, she was surprised to discover that almost all members of the Kent Police and Crime Panel – who hold her to account – wanted her to keep it, saying it was a good way to let people know she was available to talk to. Mrs Barnes was elected in 2012, having previously claimed that the £85,000 role was a waste of money. She gained notoriety last year after The Mail on Sunday revealed she had employed a foul-mouthed teenager, Paris Brown, as her ‘youth commissioner’. The 17-year-old had to quit following controversy about offensive comments on Twitter. | Senior Scotland Yard officers were sent to Cayman Islands seven years ago .
It came after Foreign Office asked the Met to investigate alleged corruption .
Arrested a judge and suspended two local police chiefs but no convictions .
Now-retired police chief who led probe being sued but Met to cover legal bill . |
180,051 | 7520086201bbc910b8af994d4cfd4a27add7978a | The message from the Aston Villa fans was all too clear as they crashed to another defeat: 'We want Lambert out,' they chanted. There was some murmuring of discontent during last week's narrow 1-0 FA Cup win over Blackpool but nothing like this with boss Paul Lambert also taunted with 'You don't know what you're doing' after he substituted Carlos Sanchez. In the end Villa fell to Paul Konchesky's goal just before half-time but it could easily have been a lot more as Leicester showed they have the fight to stay in the Premier League. VIDEO Scroll down for Sportsmail's Big Match Stats: Leicester City 1-0 Aston Villa . Paul Konchesky celebrates giving Leicester City the lead in the first half against Aston Villa at the King Power Stadium on Saturday . Konchesky (left) drilled his shot home from the edge of the box after an attempted bicycle kick from Leonardo Ulloa set up his volley . Leicester players swamp Konchesky after his strike gave them a chance to move closer to relegation safety . An all-in melee late in the match ended in a player from each side being shown red cards . LEICESTER CITY (4-4-2): Hamer 6; Simpson 6.5, Wasilewski 6, Morgan 6.5, Konchesky 8; Albrighton 7.5 (Lawrence 72, 6), James 5.5, Hammond 6 (King 75, 6), Knockaert 7.5; Nugent 7, Ulloa 7 (Vardy 72, 6). Subs not used: De Laet, Moore, Schwarzer, Wood. Booked: Hammond. Sent-off: James 90. ASTON VILLA (4-3-3): Guzan 7; Hutton 5.5, Okore 6.5, Clark 5, Cissokho 6 (N’Zogbia 89); Sanchez 5.5 (Richardson 76, 5.5), Westwood 5.5, Cleverley 6; Cole 5.5 (Weimann 72, 5.5), Benteke 5, Agbonlahor 4.5. Subs not used: Baker, Bacuna, Given, Lowton. Booked: Okore, Clark. Sent-off: Clark 90. Referee: Michael Oliver . MOM: Paul Konchesky (Leicester) Attendance: 31,728 . See how Paul Konchesky found the net to give Leicester the lead - and click here for more from our brilliant Match Zone . For Konchesky it was a moment to remember, as he drilled home after nemesis Alan Hutton had failed to clear Leo Ulloa's hopeful cross. It came only a month after the former England left back was sent off – later rescinded – for clashing with the right back at Villa Park and this was another fiery encounter with Matty James and Ciaran Clark both sent off late. Marc Albrighton made only his second start for Leicester following his summer move from Villa as Nigel Pearson opted for an attacking system with Anthony Knockaert occupying the other flank and Ulloa and Dave Nugent operating up-front. Leicester's Wes Morgan climbs above Christian Benteke in a spirited Midlands derby at the King Power Stadium . Villa's Gabriel Agbonlahor attempts to block the pass of Foxes' Danny Simpson as Leicester claims a valuable three points . It was the hosts who defied their league position to take control of this game with Nugent seeing an early shot deflected wide from Danny Simpson's cross. Leicester really should have taken the lead on 13 minutes from a delightful break. Knockaert's powerful long ball was well controlled by Albrighton whose run picked out Nugent who somehow sidefooted wide with Knockaert also queuing up to score behind him. Pearson's side missed another good chance as Nugent headed wide from almost on the goal-line as Ulloa headed on Knockaert's cross. David Nugent misses a golden opportunity for Leicester as Villa's American keeper Brad Guzan makes himself big . Villa could have capitalised on Leicester's failure to take advantage of their early chance as Gabby Agbonlahor caught the home defence napping but shot well wide. Then Tom Cleverley saw an effort deflected into the hands of Ben Hamer, preferred in goal to Mark Schwarzer, from the edge of the area while Jores Okore blazed well over from Ashley Westwood's corner. But Leicester finished the half strongly with Nugent seeing a volley from the edge of the area come back off the bar with the headed rebound from Ulloa going over. They got their goal in the first minute of stoppage time to Konchesky's delight. It was his fifth goal in 146 Foxes appearances. Leicester continued where they had left off at the start of the second half with Brad Guzan spectacularly saving to keep out Matty James' header from Albrighton's cross. From the resulting James corner Westwood's header nearly went into his own net. Villa fans had had enough as they chanted 'we want Lambert out' and they cheered ironically when Christian Benteke shot tamely at goal. They had Guzan to thank again when he saved well from Albrighton who had burst through to run onto a Nugent pass. Villa were fortunate not to concede a penalty as Westwood appeared to foul Ulloa in the area as he shaped to shoot from Knockaert's pass. Leicester striker Leonardo Ulloa gets the job done in defence as he clears the ball from a corner with a strong header . Villa fans appeared to lose patience with their sides run of form with some chanting 'We want [Paul] Lambert out' Villa striker Christian Benteke is pushed wide by Foxes keeper Ben Hamer as his side is kept scoreless . Leicester's Marcin Wasilewski makes a bold challenge on Benteke . Sub Tom Lawrence missed another good chance for Leicester blazing over from more hold up play by Nugent. But it did not matter as Villa – with just 11 goals in 21 Premier League games this term – never looked like scoring. There was drama late on with James sent-off for a tackle on Jores Okore while Ciaran Clark was dismissed for a second booking for his part in the ensuing melee. James and Clark appeared to clash as the players made their way towards the tunnel. Matthew James' sliding tackle on Jores Okore that started an ugly brawl at the close of the match . Referee Oliver is perfectly placed to rule on the studs-up lunge by Leicester's James . Aston Villa's Ciaran Clark (second right) and Leicester's James (centre) clash after James' challenge . The bench gets involved as James and Clark come together again after being dismissed . Okore lays on the ground after the challenge from James, for which the Leicester midfielder was shown a straight red card . Clark (second right) was dismissed for a second booking after being cautioned for his involvement in the melee . No love is lost between Clark and James as the Villa defender takes exception to his opponents tackle late in the match . Clark (left) sees red after his second bookable offence following the clash with James . Oliver sends off James (centre) with a straight red card for the tackle on Okore . | Paul Konchesky scored for Leicester in the first minute of time added on in the first half .
After being sent off in the reverse fixture at Villa Park on December 7 last year .
Leicester, still on the bottom of the Premier League table, haven't lost in their last three Premier League .
Villa's Ciaran Clark and Leicester's Matthew James were sent off in the 90th minute by referee Michael Oliver . |
77,571 | dbf515809629c0df43c40ac842d13e63d7edbf0c | Grosseto, Italy (CNN)The captain of the Costa Concordia is guilty of manslaughter and other charges related to the ship's fatal wreck in January 2012 off the Italian coast, a judge announced Wednesday night, capping a tumultuous 19-month trial and providing a little more closure for dozens of grieving families. Lengthy trial or not, the three-judge panel needed only about five hours to decide the fate of Francesco Schettino. Their choices: Agree with prosecutors who cast the captain as an "idiot" who abandoned ship like a coward, or with defense lawyers who characterized him as a "scapegoat" who ended up in a lifeboat only because he lost his balance and fell into it. The judges apparently sided with prosecutors, and sentenced Schettino to spend 16 years in prison and to pay court costs. It could have been worse. The former captain faced a possible sentence of 26 years behind bars for convictions for causing a maritime disaster, abandoning ship and multiple counts of manslaughter. The nightmare will never end for the families of those 32 people who died after the cruise ship, captained by Schettino, crashed into rocks off the Tuscan island of Giglio. And for a while, it may have seemed like Schettino's trial wouldn't end either. Over the past two years, the judges heard from a wide variety of witnesses, including passengers, crew members and technical experts. Those testifying included the captain's female guest on the cruise, Domnica Cermortan, a Moldovan dancer who testified that she was in a romantic relationship with Schettino and that she was with him on the bridge when the accident occurred. Schettino admitted to the court that his reason for sailing close to Giglio -- leading the ship to hit rocks -- was to "impress the passengers." Just before the judges got the case, the captain took the opportunity to speak again. Breaking down in tears, Schettino recalled that January day three years ago. "I died along with the 32 others," he said. And since then, Schettino insisted, he's become a victim, processed by a "media meat grinder." Schettino's lead lawyer, Domenico Pepe, began closing arguments Monday, saying the Champagne bottle used to christen the ship when it was put into service in 2006 did not break. "Everything about this ship and this process since then has been a mystery so far," he said. Pepe addressed each of the charges against the captain, starting with the count of causing a shipwreck and maritime disaster. He said helmsman Jacob Rusli Bin allegedly did not understand English -- a language he was required to speak -- when Schettino gave the orders to turn the ship away from the island. Therefore, the attorney argued, Rusli Bin caused the accident -- not Schettino. Rusli Bin was subpoenaed to testify, but his last known address was in Indonesia, and he could not be forced to come to the court in Italy. Schettino's defense also hinged on alleged malfunctions of the ship's equipment and infrastructure, including claims that the ship had faulty watertight doors and generators, and that the elevators did not work when the ship was listing. These claims were hard to verify because much of the ship was immersed off the coast of Giglio for many months after the accident. "Everything that did not work on the ship is part of the cause of the accident," Pepe told the court. "Lights didn't work. People fell into holes. Elevators got stuck." Pepe ripped the prosecutor, who referred to Schettino as an "idiot" in his closing arguments last week. The lawyer offered one last defense of his client Wednesday, even as he said it would be "easier to fly than defend Schettino," given all the barbs directed his way by the cruise ship company and media who "needed a scapegoat." "In these three years," Pepe said, "Schettino has suffered the same as a 30-year sentence." Pepe tried to explain why his client left the ship ahead of so many passengers. He used a graphic to illustrate the inclination of the ship at the time Schettino apparently lost his balance and fell into the lifeboat that took him to shore. He said that once on shore, Schettino was able to conduct the rescue operation and that he never lost control of the operation. The attorney addressed the famous exchange between Gregorio De Falco -- commander of the Livorno Port Authority the night of the accident -- and Schettino, during which De Falco told Schettino to "get back on board for f**k's sake." Pepe called De Falco's tone degrading and said the commander was unprofessional and egotistic at a moment when he should have been a voice of calm. Pepe suggested it was De Falco's stern manner, rather than Schettino's alleged ineptitude, that damaged Italy's reputation. Addressing the manslaughter charges, Pepe tried to bolster his argument that because no one died on impact when the ship slammed into the rocks, Schettino cannot be held liable. Everyone who perished lost their lives as a result of the chaotic evacuation, he said. Pepe defended Schettino's decision to delay the call to abandon ship by nearly an hour. "Stop for a minute to consider what would have happened if he had abandoned ship 1 kilometer from shore," Pepe said. "There could be 4,500 dead, not 32." (There were 4,229 passengers and crew on the ship.) He also suggested that finding Schettino not guilty would actually be good for Italy's image, somehow restoring it in the eyes of the world, which has seen this case as an example of Italian ineptitude. But unless there's a successful appeal, Italy will never find out if that would be the case. | Francesco Schettino is sentenced to 16 years in prison .
Judges find him guilty of manslaughter and abandoning ship .
Schettino says he "died along with the 32 others that day," went through "media meat grinder" |
235,979 | bd7e34e4df3bb2401c82d35ba1cbf8a248dde856 | They are top of La Liga, reigning Champions League winners and have qualified for the knockout stages of this season's tournament with two group games remaining. And now, Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid side have been voted the best Madrid team in the history of the club by 20,000 Marca readers. They received 35 per cent of the poll, seven per cent more than the galacticos and 10 per cent more than the team that lifted the European Cup an astonishing five times. This Real Madrid side have been voted the best one in the club's history after a poll carried out by Marca . Carlo Ancelotti's (above) team are the holders of the Champions League and currently top of La Liga . But the vote won't make pleasant reading for Jose Mourinho, as his Real Madrid team only received five per cent. That wasn't the lowest, though. The legendary Madrid side of the 1960's only had one per cent of the final poll. With Ancelotti's side welcoming Gareth Bale back from injury and back into an attack that already includes Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and James Rodriguez, it is difficult to see the end of the possibilities for what this side could achieve. | Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid side voted the best in the club's history .
20,000 thousand Marca readers voted in a poll to decide which was best .
This side received 35% of the poll, Jose Mourinho's only got 5% . |
124,054 | 2c5d41ca22a6f2bd0aa226910e4783f614b43fb8 | While the nation is watching and hearing the angry protests in support of black shooting victim Michael Brown, a different kind of support is being voiced for the white police officer who fatally shot the unarmed teenager. In a first account of its kind, a caller to Radio America's "The Dana Show," who identified herself only as Josie, told listeners a detailed account of Officer Darren Wilson's side. A source with detailed knowledge of the investigation told CNN it accurately matched what the officer has told investigators. "He said all of a sudden, he just started to bum rush him," she said. "He just started coming at him full speed, and so he just started shooting and he just kept coming." "I can even say without speaking to Darren, without even having heard his statements, that at that moment in time, he was scared for his life, I am 100% positive of that," Wilson's longtime high school friend Jake Shepard told CNN. But accounts of exactly what happened between Wilson and Brown vary widely. Witnesses have said they saw a scuffle between the officer and Brown at a police car before the young man was shot. Several witnesses said Brown raised his hands and was not attacking the officer. Complete coverage of Ferguson shooting and protests . Facebook support . In a rally organized by the "Support Darren Wilson" Facebook page, more than 100 people gathered Sunday in downtown St. Louis to show their support for Wilson, CNN affiliate KSDK reported. The Facebook group is gaining attention on social media and has received more than 29,000 likes since its creation on August 9. A second Facebook page, "I Support Officer Wilson," is almost at 33,000 likes since its creation Friday. According to the "Support Darren Wilson" page, another rally was set up over the weekend on a bridge that connects Illinois and Missouri. And in a recent post on the page, the group is preparing for another rally this week. The posts on both pages express frustration about not being heard in the media and allege a lack of support for Wilson and law enforcement. A recent post on the "I support Officer Wilson" page says, "We started this page to be the voice that law enforcement did not have." Another post from the same page says that Wilson has overcome a rough childhood himself and that becoming a police officer has helped him to overcome that. "It has been brought to my attention that Officer Darren Wilson had a very hard childhood and was able to rebound from that childhood becoming a police officer. ... This man is a hero now and has always been a hero," one post reads. Wilson, 28, who has six years on the force with no disciplinary issues on his record, is on paid administrative leave. If he returns to duty, he will have to undergo two psychological evaluations, authorities said. Shepard told CNN the officer was the "nicest guy in the world." "I could never imagine him even in that situation taking someone's life, let alone taking someone's life with malicious intent," he said. A post from the "I support Officer Wilson" page says that Wilson is struggling with what he's done. "This incident and the death of Michael Brown has been very hard for Officer Wilson and he is not handling it well," it says. Support from friends, families . Many who say they are wives of law enforcement officers have posted stories about their husbands facing similar situations. Others who say they're friends of fallen officers have also posted about the grief they have seen when an officer is killed in the line of duty. KimC shared her support on the St. Louis Police Wives' Association blog: "Thank you from a Ferguson resident and friend of the officers here in the community. ... Thank you for the meals, donations to Darren and constant prayers. God bless you all." A crowdfunding campaign for the officer is also gaining traction via fundraising websites. A Gofundme.com campaign raised over $10,000 in less than 24 hours and now has a goal of $100,000. And a Teespring campaign, which sells T-shirts to help raise funds, has sold 1,007 T-shirts, breaking its goal of 1,000 T-shirts. The outpouring is modest when compared with that for the Brown family. A memorial campaign fund set up by Brown's parents has raised over $82,363 in the last five days, breaking an $80,000 goal. What we know about Ferguson . Read more about the flash point in the Heartland at CNN.com/US . | Rallies in support of Officer Darren Wilson are being organized on social media .
Funding for the officer and the family has taken off .
Friends defend Wilson's actions . |
190,050 | 820e2cc6ddd9017c0e173ea1ffb32f37cc6e717b | By . Jenny Awford for MailOnline . A ‘lenient’ nine-year jail term handed to a mechanic who beat his lover's newborn baby to death will be reviewed by the Court of Appeal amid complaints it was not long enough. Michael John Pearce, 33, was convicted of the manslaughter of his former girlfriend’s six-week-old son Alfie Sullock after hitting him with a shoe and a plastic bottle. But the motorcycle mechanic from Caerphilly, Wales, was cleared of murder - an offence which carries a mandatory life sentence – at Newport Crown Court last month. Michael John Pearce, 33, (left) was given a nine-year jail term for killing his girlfriend’s six-week-old son Alfie Sullock (right). The sentence is to be reviewed by the Court of Appeal following 10 complaints . He had offered to look after the newborn so his 29-year-old girlfriend, Donna Sullock, could have her first night out after giving birth on August 16 last night. But in a 'momentary loss of control' he lashed out at the child, who died four days later suffering from bleeding on the brain. It emerged that Pearce’s outburst came just hours after his girlfriend told him she would not have a baby with him. Solicitor General, Robert Buckland, yesterday referred the sentence handed down to Pearce to the Court of Appeal as potentially unduly lenient. Former holiday rep Donna Sullock, from Cardiff, met Pearce while six months pregnant and started to spend most weekends at his house. She was on her first night out since giving birth when Alfie was killed . Pearce’s outburst came just hours after his girlfriend told him she would not have a baby with him . The move means that three appeal court judges will now consider whether the sentence is too short, and his jail term could be increased. Pearce was told by a judge that he could expect to serve half a custodial term in prison with the remainder on licence. This means he could released from prison by early 2018 as he spent about a year on remand while awaiting trial. The case is expected to be heard at London’s Court of Appeal within six weeks. The attorney general’s office confirmed earlier this month that it had received about 10 complaints about the sentence. Mr Justice Baker asked whether jealousy had played a part in the killing during the trial last month. He told Pearce: 'Alfie died as a result of you having inflicted upon him multiple blunt force injuries. 'It may well be that, due to your denials... whether you were motivated by jealousy as a result of Donna’s refusal to have your child earlier that evening.' While babysitting Alfie in August last year, Pearce sent Ms Sullock a text saying: 'You can trust me you know' Donna Sullock (orange top) with her family and friends after the trial at Newport Crown Court . And disputing Pearce’s mitigation, the judge added: 'This was not a momentary loss of control by a sleep-deprived parent. Alfie was only in your care for a short time.' Former holiday rep Ms Sullock, who lived in Cardiff, had met Pearce while six months pregnant and had started to spend most weekends at her boyfriend’s house. Prior to her girls’ night out, she went to a local pub with Pearce - where he drank four pints of beer within an hour. Pearce asked Ms Sullock to have a child with him - but she said no. During the course of Pearce’s trial, the Crown said the defendant showed 'obsessive' behaviour towards Ms Sullock - and had showered her with gifts just a few weeks into their relationship. Ms Sullock said that, when she left the house for her night out, Alfie was 'happy and healthy' and did not have as much as scratch on him. While babysitting Alfie, Pearce sent Ms Sullock a text saying: 'You can trust me you know'. But at 9.11pm he dialled 999, after claiming he had gone to the toilet and returned to see Alfie had stopped breathing. When paramedics arrived moments later, they found the baby lifeless and blue. Pearce was home alone babysitting Alfie last year when paramedics were called to his address in Nelson, Caerphilly, south Wales. A trial at Newport Crown Court heard it was the first time divorcee Pearce had been left alone with the baby. Alfie died after suffering head and abdominal injuries. | Michael Pearce, from Caerphilly, bludgeoned Alfie Rhys Sullock to death .
He was convicted of manslaughter and handed a nine-year jail sentence .
But the 'unduly lenient' term will be reviewed following 10 complaints .
He had been babysitting for Alfie's mother, his girlfriend Donna Sullock .
But killed her baby after she said she would not have a child with him . |
98,728 | 0b25eb15d95e0343d85589f989faa6c82a9b2bc8 | (CNN) -- This month, Inside the Middle East explores the struggle to preserve traditional Arab culture in a rapidly changing world. Rima Maktabi shares four personal stories from people in the region who are leading the fight to protect, promote, and adapt their heritage. Palestyle . Journey deep into the heart of Baqa'a, Jordan's largest Palestinian refugee camp, located on the outskirts of the capital, Amman. In Baqa'a, meet several women on a mission to save hand-made Palestinian embroidery, an age-old art in danger of disappearing with the recent influx of modern sewing machines. But the women found an unlikely ally in their quest: 29-year-old Zeina Abou Chaaban, a Dubai-based fashion designer who is marketing their "Palestyle" half a world away, in the upscale malls of the United Arab Emirates. Amin Maalouf . Meet Amin Maalouf, a renowned Lebanese-born French author whose romantic tales of Arab mythology have enlightened international readers -- both in the east and west -- for decades. In a rare interview with Inside the Middle East, he tells us how being inspired "by everything" allows him to bridge his two cultures and identities. His message to the youth in the Middle East is simple: Only they can write their own future. Little Armenia . Welcome to Burj Hammoud, a working class, predominately Armenian community on the outskirts of Lebanon's cosmopolitan capital city. Take a tour of this vibrant neighborhood with filmmaker and intellectual Nigol Bezijian. Born in Syria, raised in Lebanon, and educated in the United States, Bezijian has first-hand experience of this cultural melting pot. See the sights and sounds of Lebanon's Little Armenia, and hear why Bezijian comes here to get his "cultural fix" and reconnect with his roots. Caracalla Theater . In 1970, Abdel Halim Caracalla opened a fledgling dance theater in Lebanon. Today, the Caracalla Theater has produced internationally-acclaimed performances in major cities and venues around the world, from the U.S. to China. With the help of his children -- director Ivan and choreographer Alissar -- Caracalla has also opened a popular dance school to promote the art of Arabesque in the Arab world. But in some conservative circles, not everyone is a fan. Watch the February show at the following times: . Wednesday 1 February: 1030, 1730 . Saturday 4 February: 0530, 1930 . Sunday 5 February: 1230 . Saturday 11 February: 1230 . Sunday 12 February: 0530, 1930 (all times GMT) | This month, IME explores the struggle to preserve Arab traditions in a modern world .
Individuals share their personal stories of protecting, promoting and adapting heritage .
Rima Maktabi meets Palestinian women who are making a fashion splash in Dubai .
Plus, author Amin Maalouf, Caracalla Theater in Lebanon and Lebanon's "Little Armenia" |
19,332 | 36bd3649debf0a74c5272e3ad754510e1a60d733 | Photographs of a father who handcuffed his daughter to his wrist because he was terrified she might be kidnapped have illustrated the shocking growth of child abductions in China. The images were taken at Beijing South railway station and showed father Chen Yen and his daughter waiting for a train with a whole host of security devices intended to keep her safe. An estimated 70,000 children are kidnapped in China every year as the country's tough one child policy has led to very few children being put up for adoption, in turn fueling a chilling black market in kidnapped children for couples unable to have their own. Taking no chances: The images were taken at Beijing South Railway Station and showed father Chen Yen and his daughter waiting for a train with a whole host of security devices intended to keep her safe . Keeping her safe: Chen Yen said that he and his daughter were travelling to celebrate the country's Spring Festival with her grandparents when a photographer took images of the pair handcuffed together . Mr Chen said that he and his daughter were travelling to celebrate the country's Spring Festival with her grandparents when a photographer took images of the pair handcuffed together. Before the trip Mr Chen heard about the daughter of one of his neighbours being snatched outside her school and vowed to do everything he could to avoid the same thing happening to her. One the day of the journey he had also seen a television broadcast warning travellers that pickpockets and thieves would be out in force during the festival, and to remain vigilant. Speaking of his decision, Mr Chen said: 'I have a neighbour in Beijing who went to collect his child from school and she had been snatched. 'I don't intend to wait until it's too late and I'm taking no chances with my daughter,' he added. 'I saw a warning by police on the TV to take care as traffickers and pick pockets would be out stealing in the holiday rush,' Mr Chen said. 'I don't care about pickpockets but I do care very much about losing my daughter,' he went on. Safety: Mr Chen said the handcuffs are not the only security measure he and his daughter use when travelling in public. 'She also has a [yellow] watch that lets me find her at any time, and her [silver] necklace has my telephone number on it,' he said . Still together: Before the trip Mr Chen heard about the daughter of one of his neighbours being snatched outside her school and vowed to do everything he could to avoid the same thing happening to her . Despite a recent crackdown on the illegal black market in kidnapped children, an estimated 70,000 children still go missing every year. The majority of them thought to have been taken by criminal gangs who then sell them to couples unable to have children for various reasons. China's one child policy is fueling the trade as it has led to far fewer children available for adoption. Mr Chen said the handcuffs are not the only security measure he and his daughter use when travelling in public, although he admits he does not feel totally safe unless she is tied to him. 'She also has a watch that lets me find her at any time, and her necklace has my telephone number on it,' he said. 'It is the very least a parent should do, I can't believe that people let their children play on the streets and then complain when they are abducted,' he added. | Father chained himself to daughter to avoid her being kidnapped by gangs .
Images taken at Beijing South railway station during the Spring Festival .
Chen Yen heard reports of thieves and pickpockets being active in area .
Child of a neighbour had also recently been snatched by kidnap gangs .
70,000 children kidnapped each year in China and sold to childless couples . |
154,182 | 53476c3a3d40e756a300b994a7668c9497cd8cef | Of all the speeches at the Democratic convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, few offended conservative listeners more than the speech by Sandra Fluke. There are plenty of good reasons to be annoyed. From the conservative point of view, Fluke is on the wrong side of a battle over religious freedom. Back in March, she testified in favor of a proposed Obama administration rule that would require Catholic institutions, like her own Georgetown University law school, to reject the teaching of their church and cover contraception in their university health plans -- plans not funded by taxpayers, by the way, but by tuition and other university revenues. Now here Fluke was again, on the national stage, warning that a vote for the Republican ticket in 2012 was a vote for "an America in which you have a new vice president who co-sponsored a bill that would allow pregnant women to die preventable deaths in our emergency rooms. An America in which states humiliate women by forcing us to endure invasive ultrasounds we don't want and our doctors say we don't need. "An America in which access to birth control is controlled by people who will never use it; in which politicians redefine rape so survivors are victimized all over again; in which someone decides which domestic violence victims deserve help, and which don't." Shortly before Fluke spoke, conservative commentator Ann Coulter had tweeted: "Bill Clinton just impregnated Sandra Fluke backstage." That was nothing compared with the outpouring of fury during and after the speech. Stephen Kruiser, who hosts on the conservative Internet video site PJTV and appears on Fox's "Red Eye," tweeted mid-speech: "Tricky camera work to keep TV audience from seeing (David) Axelrod's hand up Fluke's a**." The next day, National Review columnist and sometime Rush Limbaugh guest host Mark Steyn scoffed: "Sandra Fluke has been blessed with a quarter-million dollars of elite education ... and she has concluded that the most urgent need facing the Brokest Nation in History is for someone else to pay for the contraception of 30-year-old children." Sandra Fluke: Slurs won't silence women . James Taranto, columnist for the online edition of The Wall Street Journal, was nearly equally scathing. "Seriously, the party of Andrew Jackson and Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman chose to showcase someone whose claim to fame is that she demands that somebody else pay for her birth control." Within 48 hours, the attack had jumped from the conservative media sphere to electoral politics. Campaigning in Addison, Illinois, Republican congressional candidate Joe Walsh erupted: "Think about this, a 31-, 32-year-old law student who has been a student for life, who gets up there in front of a national audience and tells the American people, 'I want America to pay for my contraceptives.' You're kidding me. Go get a job. Go get a job, Sandra Fluke." There's never any shortage of vitriol in political commentary, but usually it's reserved for the headliners. Yet Fluke provoked more sputtering in five minutes than former President Bill Clinton did in a speech 10 times as long. Why? The answer takes us to the events that put Fluke on the stage in Charlotte in the first place: Rush Limbaugh's brutal, sexualized attack on her congressional testimony. On the day after Fluke spoke, Limbaugh demanded: "What does it say about the college co-ed Sandra Fluke, who goes before a congressional committee and essentially says that she must be paid to have sex, what does that make her? It makes her a slut, right? It makes her a prostitute. She wants to be paid to have sex. She's having so much sex she can't afford the contraception. She wants you and me and the taxpayers to pay her to have sex. What does that make us? We're the pimps." Limbaugh returned to the subject again and again, escalating his abuse over three consecutive days. "So Miss Fluke, and the rest of you feminazis, here's the deal. If we are going to pay for your contraceptives, and thus pay for you to have sex, we want something for it. We want you to post the videos online so we can all watch." After three days of this, advertisers began to drop his show -- and Limbaugh was constrained to issue a grudging apology on his website. "For over 20 years, I have illustrated the absurd with absurdity, three hours a day, five days a week. In this instance, I chose the wrong words in my analogy of the situation. I did not mean a personal attack on Ms. Fluke. "I think it is absolutely absurd that during these very serious political times, we are discussing personal sexual recreational activities before members of Congress. I personally do not agree that American citizens should pay for these social activities. What happened to personal responsibility and accountability? Where do we draw the line? If this is accepted as the norm, what will follow? Will we be debating if taxpayers should pay for new sneakers for all students that are interested in running to keep fit? In my monologue, I posited that it is not our business whatsoever to know what is going on in anyone's bedroom nor do I think it is a topic that should reach a presidential level. "My choice of words was not the best, and in the attempt to be humorous, I created a national stir. I sincerely apologize to Ms. Fluke for the insulting word choices." In this grudging half-apology, half-justification, Limbaugh misstated the facts of the case. Taxpayer money was never at issue between Fluke and Georgetown. When Fluke and her fellow students paid tuition to Georgetown, they got health coverage as part of the deal. At issue in Fluke's congressional hearing were principles of religious freedom -- and the disposition of student health dollars -- but not taxpayer money. Limbaugh's misstatement had the benefit of permitting him a change of subject -- and a way out of a damaging controversy. And it allowed his friends and supporters to pronounce the matter closed. Yet somehow it didn't close: not for Fluke, and not for Limbaugh either. Why this election is so personal . Other male commentators have used belittling, misogynistic language against other women in the public eye. Both Republican and Democratic women have found themselves on the receiving end of condescension and epithets. But Limbaugh did something different with Fluke: Aggressively and deliberately, over a long span of days, because his own commercial interests require shock and controversy, Limbaugh had promoted Fluke into a totem and martyr. When Democrats later claimed that Republicans "waged war on women," Limbaugh's tirade became Exhibit A -- at least until Rep. Todd Akin's "legitimate rape" comment demoted it to second place. At the time of the tirade, a number of Republican politicians spoke out against Limbaugh. U.S. Sen. Scott Brown called Limbaugh's comments "reprehensible" and former Senate candidate Carly Fiorina condemned them as "insulting." Yet as time has passed, the regrets faded. An idea was born and grew that somehow Fluke must have provoked what was said of her, must indeed have deserved it. Erick Erickson of CNN and Red State.com expressed this "she asked for it" view pungently in a March blog post: "Of course Rush Limbaugh was being insulting. He was using it as a tool to highlight just how absurd the Democrats' position is on this. It's what he does and does quite well. And in the process he's exposing a lot of media bias on the issue as people rush out (no pun intended) to make Sandra Fluke a victim of his insults and dance around precisely what is really insulting ? her testimony before congress that American taxpayers should subsidize the sexual habits of Georgetown Law School students because, God forbid, they should stop having sex if they cannot afford the pills themselves." That mood, an undercurrent until recently, gushed into full view on the night of Fluke's convention speech. If the words "slut" and "prostitute" are not to be used, she must nonetheless be the thing indicated by those not-to-be-used words: a woman whose sexuality is for sale. Because if she's not -- if she's merely a concerned citizen who expressed in a public forum a diverging view of the appropriate relationship between church and state -- then what does that make Limbaugh? And what does it make those who rallied to defend Limbaugh? Something pretty ugly, right? Which is why it remains today so urgently necessary for so many people to demean and defame this woman. The correct reply to Fluke is that she is a person intolerant of the religious liberty of the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church does good works on a vast national scale -- caring for the sick, teaching children, supporting the homeless -- all to uphold its compassionate doctrines in a harsh world. Once government starts imposing its rules on a church, then it crushes the spirit that leads the church to do its good on the world. You can say all that without hurling accusations of nymphomania, freeloading and sexual exhibitionism. In fact, omitting such vile insults makes the rebuttal more convincing, not less. But that's not how Rush Limbaugh does it, and he has taught a generation of conservative shock-mongers to do the same or worse. Follow @CNNOpinion on Twitter. | David Frum: Sandra Fluke's speech at DNC sparked the most conservative outrage .
It goes back to Rush Limbaugh's sexualized, brutal attacks on her after testimony, he says .
Frum: Fluke wanted her college insurance to cover birth control, funded by tuition, not taxes .
Frum: Disagree that religious schools include birth control in insurance, but don't revile her . |
44,272 | 7cd97eb97177a47839f905cb8611275986f84550 | After a shaky start, an extended cease-fire in Gaza appeared to be holding Thursday. Rocket fire from Gaza late Wednesday, near the end of the initial truce, and early Thursday, as the extension began, raised doubts about whether it would last. Israeli airstrikes in response to the rockets added to fears that fighting was ratcheting up again. But the exchange of fire was limited and didn't last long. Quiet returned to the skies over Gaza, aside from the familiar buzz of Israeli drones. By noon Thursday in Gaza City, many people had left U.N. shelters to visit the neighborhoods they had fled during the fighting, and traffic had once again filled the bustling streets. Israeli and Palestinian officials said they had accepted the five-day extension of the truce. The initial three-day cease-fire had expired at midnight. Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev accused Hamas, the militant Islamic group that holds power in Gaza, of violating the truce with the overnight rocket fire. But Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri had earlier denied that the organization had anything to do with firing any rockets toward Israel, leaving it unclear which Palestinian group had launched them. 'Still sticking points' Israeli and Palestinian delegations had been negotiating in Cairo through Egyptian go-betweens in an attempt to find a more lasting end to hostilities. Under the cease-fire extension, they are expected to return to the indirect talks over the weekend. "There remains a positive atmosphere towards reaching a comprehensive agreement," Azzam al-Ahmed, the lead Palestinian negotiator told reporters late Wednesday. "But there are still sticking points." Khalil al-Hayya, a leader of Hamas, described the negotiations as both difficult and serious. He accused Israel of "playing semantic games." "Since we are determined (to work things out), we agreed to extend the humanitarian truce in order to hold more in-depth consultations -- and to allow more pressure on the Israelis, internally and externally, so they agree with our demands," the Hamas leader said. The two sides' demands aren't easy to reconcile. Israel says it wants Hamas to disarm and Gaza to be demilitarized. The Palestinian delegation in Egypt, which includes Hamas, has demanded an end to Israel's economic blockade on Gaza, an extension of fishing rights off the coast, the reopening of an airport and seaport and the release of prisoners held by Israelis. Al-Ahmed, head of the Palestinian team, said late Wednesday that there's still no agreement on the opening of crossings into Israel, "the launching of a free fishing zone" and various "security issues." Israel: Hamas is 'wild card' The Gaza conflict has killed more than 1,900 people on the Palestinian side, most of them believed to be civilians, and 67 on the Israeli side, most of them soldiers. Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system has intercepted some of the roughly 3,500 rockets fired from Gaza since the conflict began. Regev told CNN on Thursday that the key to a longer-term solution was an end to rocket fire from Gaza. "If there's no hostile fire from Gaza into Israel, of course we can have serious discussions about easing restrictions," he said. They're only there in the first place as a response to the violence." Hamas is the "wild card," Regev said, expressing skepticism that the group would give up violence. But Hanan Ashrawi, an executive member of the Palestine Liberation Organization, said the Israelis "keep blaming Hamas for everything." She suggested that the Israeli government "stop trying to demonize, dehumanize and blame Hamas and the Palestinians," saying it should instead "make the cease-fire hold and move to ending the occupation and dealing with all the root causes." Israel and its neighbors: Decades of war . Opinion: Why Israel is its own worst enemy . Opinion: Hypocrisy of 'condemn Israel' campaign . Is Mideast peace as far away as ever? | Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev says Israel accepts truce extension .
He accuses Hamas of violating the cease-fire overnight with rocket fire .
A Hamas spokesman had earlier denied responsibility for any rockets launched .
Israeli and Palestinian officials are expected to resume indirect talks in Cairo at the weekend . |
236,717 | be63c858ed1d92f5d4eadfa4e3ee369f0c788b84 | LONDON, England (CNN) -- A man walks around the side of a building, footsteps falling in time to the heartbeat of a driving pop soundtrack, pulls out a pistol and guns down another man. Tony Servillo as arch-manipulator and seven time Italian Prime Minister, Guilio Andreotti, in Paolo Sorrentino's "Il Divo." A montage of grisly murders follows, all with the same infectious pop song pounding in the background. It's edge-of-the-seat stuff and it's only the opening sequence of gifted Italian director Paolo Sorrentino's biopic of Italian politician Giulio Andreotti, "Il Divo." Sorrentino's film chronicles the career of probably the most important and controversial politico in Italy's recent history. But, more than that, it pins Andreotti to the specimen board and dissects his character without mercy. The film caught the eye of the judges at Cannes Film Festival last year where it picked up the Jury Prize. Predictably, Andreotti didn't react well to the film. "He was very angry," recalls Sorrentino. Now 91 years-old, Andreotti has been Prime Minister of Italy seven times. His Christian Democrat Party was the leading force in Italian politics as a one-party system for four decades. The rules of the game were shattered in the early 1990s by "Tangentopoli" or Bribesville -- a corruption scandal that laid bare some of the government's unsavory practices, ruining careers and resulting in the suicides of some leading politicians. Andreotti himself was implicated in illegal activities, including connections to the Mafia, but was finally acquitted of all charges. Today, he is a senator for life. Something of the man's influence in all spheres of Italian public life becomes clear when Sorrentino -- who says he is not a political director, "only in this case" -- explains how hard he found it to fund the film. "In Italy nobody wanted to finance the film because everybody was scared," Sorrentino told CNN. "He has been a very powerful man for many years." Sorrentino managed eventually to secure funding from a private source. "It is not easy for Italian companies to put money in this project, so we did it with the private money of very courageous individuals," he said. Sorrentino picks up the Andreotti story at the beginning of the 1990s, just prior to his implication in the scandal, as he is about to assume power for the seventh time. A good deal of "Il Divo's" success lies in a stunning portrayal of Andreotti by Naples-born actor Toni Servillo, who is a veteran of three of Sorrentino's other films including 2006's "The Consequences of Love." Servillo's Andreotti is a stiff, impassive tortoise of a man. With a hunched back, skinny sloping shoulders and strange drooping ears, Andreotti appears physically frail. He is beset by headaches -- indeed, the opening scene of the film shows him with a head full of acupuncture needles trying to get rid of one -- a taste of the mix of drama and humor that informs the rest of the film. But where the body is weak the will is strong and in Andreotti's wit and cunning intelligence -- "I know I'm an average man, but looking around I don't see any giants" -- there is a sense of a man who can and will do anything to stay in power. "I have always wanted to make a film about Andreotti," says Sorrentino. "He is so psychologically complex that everyone has been intrigued by him over the years. "It's a political film but at the same time a film about a complex character from a psychological point of view." For a long time, though, Sorrentino was convinced that the vast amounts of literature written about the man could never be distilled into a structure that would work on film -- "It made my head spin," he remembers. While Sorrentino almost had too much material to mine while researching Andreotti's public life, it was impossible to get access to details of his home life. Sorrentino had to go on instinct and imagine life behind the scenes for the great man. Something that made aspects of Andreotti's response to the film very puzzling. "He told everything was false, a lie, about his public life and at the same time he said the film was very precise about his private life," recalls Sorrentino. "But all the public things in the film are documented. It's on record that the events took place. "The trials, the letters, the diary of Aldo Moro, the Prime Minister who was kidnapped by the Red Brigade and held in captivity for 55 days. (Andreotti was Prime Minister at the time and decided not to negotiate with the terrorists and they killed him.) "And about the private life I invented everything." One of the most surprising things about the 39-year-old director's film is the soundtrack. Full of rock, pop, electronica -- "Nux Vomica" by The Veils an indie band from New Zealand and "Toop Toop" by French electro artists Cassius -- mixed in with classical music like Vivaldi and Sibelius. It's incongruous but it delivers a hefty emotional punch. "The idea was to make a rock opera about a man very far from rock," says Sorrentino. "I didn't want to do a traditional biopic." | Paolo Sorrentino's "Il Divo" chronicles the career of Italian politician Guilio Andreotti .
Seven time Prime Minister was implicated in 1990s political corruption scandal .
Film is a psychological study of man who has fascinated Italy for years .
Sorrentino found it hard to fund the film because people were scared of Andreotti . |
100,908 | 0e03071ae7eb017240854c88da14c32efa79f113 | Nobody "likes" a loser. If losing the presidential election wasn't enough, Mitt Romney has been hemorrhaging Facebook friends. People began unliking Romney's official Facebook page soon after the election results came in last week. The Washington Post noticed the drop on Friday, when the GOP presidential candidate's page was losing 593 likes an hour. By Saturday, Mashable said the exodus was up to 847 friends an hour, and as of Monday morning, Romney's Facebook page continued to lose around 11 likes every minute. For those who enjoy interactive graphics with their schadenfreude, the site DisappearingRomney.com shows Romney's Facebook likes dropping in real time. A ticker at the bottom of the page tallies how many people have unliked Romney's page just in the time users have been on the site. Not that Romney is hurting for social media pals. As of Monday afternoon, he still had more than 12 million Facebook fans and 1.7 million followers on Twitter. The former governor's team hasn't been doing much on social media lately to persuade people to stick around. After a flurry of activity leading up to the election, his official Facebook and Twitter accounts went silent for four days afterward. On Saturday, the campaign finally posted a photo of a sad-looking Romney with the message, "From the bottom of our hearts, Ann and I thank you for your support, prayers, efforts and vote. We are forever grateful to every one of you." By contrast, President Barack Obama acknowledged his victory last week with a pair of posts on Twitter and Facebook that quickly went viral. And his social media accounts have been active in the week since the election. Romney's recent silence extends to his running mate, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, whose campaign's Twitter account has not been updated since the election. However, Ryan did update his personal (pre-campaign) Twitter and Facebook pages with two Veterans Day posts over the weekend. The official Republican National Committee's Facebook page has also been quiet since Election Day, when it reposted a thank you to Romney from GOP Chairman Reince Priebus. After Obama was first elected four years ago, his official Twitter, Facebook and, yes, MySpace pages (it was 2008, after all) went quiet for a time. One explanation is that the staffers who manage these accounts either move on or are typically given new responsibilities after an election. It's unlikely that Obama or Romney were posting to Facebook and Twitter very often themselves. | Mitt Romney's official Facebook page has been losing 11 fans a minute .
The campaign has been mostly silent on social media platforms since Tuesday .
A website, DisappearingRomney, tracks his declining number of Facebook likes . |
38,096 | 6bc22b57ea501d058391384ab0c8c16f9b0c97b2 | By . Ray Massey and Matt Chorley . PUBLISHED: . 04:26 EST, 31 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 02:52 EST, 1 November 2012 . Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin has repeatedly blamed civil servants for the £100million fiasco, insisting ministers are not to blame . Official investigators into the Government’s West Coast franchise fiasco have demanded an electronic audit of Transport Department staff e-mails in a bid to unearth evidence of a biased ‘Anyone But Branson’ campaign. Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin made the admission today while giving evidence to the transport select committee. Appearing alongside his Permanent Secretary Philip Rutnam, he said the two independent investigations into the shambles had asked ministers and senior officials to instigate a ‘e-mail capture’ system to electronically scan for and root out any potentially biased internal references to Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Trains during their bid to retain the franchise. It follows allegations revealed in the Daily Mail that there was an ‘anti-Virgin’ culture within the Transport Department which had been reflected in some ‘derogatory’ e-mails which pointed towards institutional bias among some staff. Mr McLoughlin admitted his department made 'very regrettable' errors in its handling of the bidding process for Britain’s busiest rail line. The minister was forced to explain to a select committee why his department ploughed ahead with the bidding process for the West Coast Main Line contract despite knowing the process was flawed. Mr McLoughlin said ‘basic mistakes’ had led to a ‘catastrophic failure.’ It would be a ‘text book chapter’ for future Civil Service training. The 13-year deal was handed to rival . firm First Group in August, but last month days after becoming Mr McLoughlin announced serious flaws had been found. The . deal was cancelled, and ministers spent £1million drawing up plans for . the government to take over running the line from London to Scotland . before asking Sir Richard to continue providing services for up to a . year. Mr McLoughlin told the transport select committee: 'Mistakes which were made should not have been made. It is very regrettable and very serious for the department. ‘We have already apologised to the bidders involved and the taxpayers who have a right to expect better and I would repeat that.' An official report this week claimed the Department for Transport was biased against Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Trains bid to continue running the West Coast mainline. Louise Ellman, chairman of the committee, said the interim report 'can only be described as a damning indictment’ of the Department for Transport. The fiasco was ‘major catastrophe’ that had huge implications for the whole of the rail franchise process, she added. But Mr McLoughlin insisted there were ‘a lot of people who work incredibly hard in the department who had noth9ng to do with this West Coast franchise and I wouldn’t want them to be condemned’. He said it was now ‘obvious’ that decisions were taken by middle-ranking officials which were ‘not referred up’ to senior civil servants or ministers’. The devastating interim report into the West Coast fiasco made for uncomfortable reading for the Department for Transport. The key findings of Sam Laidlaw's investigation included: . Asked if he was grateful to Sir Richard’s for launching a legal challenge which highlighted the flaws, Mr McLoughlin added: ‘I think the country owes a debt of gratitude to Richard Branson for all he has achieved in the rail and aviation industries.’ But his comments appeared at odds with revelations about his department's attitude to Sir Richard. Insider witnesses described this culture as ‘ABB’ or – ‘Anyone But Branson.’ They said it had its roots in Virgin’s successful and tough re-negotiaton of its franchise in 2006 which had left Whitehall officials feeling battered and ‘nailed to the floor’ after being outwitted by a smarter Virgin team. Asked by MPs whether staff e-mails were to be scanned as part of the investigation Mr McLoughlin said: ’They have asked for it to be done. We have now received a request.’ Asked if he could have asked more questions to unearth earlier the scale of the fiasco, Mr McLoughlin said: 'Perhaps I could have asked more questions but I would have got the same answers.’ Mr Rutnam side-stepped questions about ‘who knew what and when’ by insisting he could not comment on it because the matter was still the subject of a ‘Human Resources’ investigated by personnel officials. Three staff have already been suspended. Mr Rutnam said: ’It would be wrong to pre-empt that investigation by saying who I believe is responsible.’ He said the ‘risks’ should have been ‘escalated’ to senior officials and ministers as soon as they were known, but were not: ’The question of who knew what, when will come out when these investigations, including the Humans Resources are completed. Virgin trains boss Sir Richard Branson branded the bidding process 'insane' and launched a legal challenge. He was vindicated this week when an official report said the Department for Transport was biased against him . On Monday the interim report into the fiasco concluded that the Transport Department was biased against Sir Richard Branson’s bid to continue running the West Coast mainline. But that was just one of a catalogue of failures – including of leadership- which contributed to the shambles, it concluded. The independent investigation into the scandal by Centrica chief executive Sam Laidlaw highlights ‘significant errors’, ‘weak governance’ , and a ‘flawed process’ with in which ‘bidders were treated inconsistently.’ But the report also highlights contributory factors including a general lack of leadership, late planning, hurried execution, and cut-backs within the transport Department which put key decisions into the hands of relatively junior, inexperienced and ‘stretched’ staff. Today Mr McLoughlin apologised to taxpayers who are now facing a £40million bill – which could rise to £100million - following Mr McLoughlin's decision to scrap the West Coast franchise process following the finding of serious errors by the DfT. Mrs Ellman asked the Department’s top civil servant Mr Rutnam, who only took up his post this summer, who at the department had taken the decision to go on with the bidding process regardless. Mr Rutnam replied: "I am afraid that I am not going to answer that question" saying that investigations into the whole matter were still going on. The Laidlaw report also said the companies bidding for the franchise were not provided with adequate information, the DfT did not follow its own guidance, and the evaluation of the financial robustness of the bids was "developed late, in a hurry and without proper planning and preparation". Mr Laidlaw said the DfT had undergone staff reductions and frequent changes of leadership, and organisational changes and the department's structure "resulted in a lack of clarity around allocation of repsonsibility" for the bidding competition. He concluded that these factors raised "potentially significant issues about the ability of the DfT effectively to conduct rail franchise competitions". Mr Rutnam said that when he arrived at the department in July he had received assurances that the West Coast process was "going well". He said it was not until October that defects and errors associated with the process became clear. The FirstGroup had been due to take over the West Coast line on December 9. The Government is now in discussions with Virgin about it continuing to run services for up to 14 months until an interim franchise competition is held ahead of a competition for a full franchise. The DfT, under the leadership of the then transport secretary Justine Greening, had decided in August to award a new 13 year West Coast franchise rival transport company FirstGroup for £7billion - £700million motre than Sir richard’s Virgin bid. Three civil servants have been suspended by the Departmernt as a result of the fiasco. But one of them, Kate Mingay, the . department's commercial and technical services director, issued a . statement through her lawyers shortly after her suspension saying her . role in the West Coast process had been ‘inaccurately portrayed mainly . due to statements and other comment made by the Department for Transport . itself’. She added: ‘I would like to make it . clear that I did not have lead responsibility for this project and that . neither I nor any member of my team had any responsibility for the . economic modelling for this project, or for any DfT project. ‘Nor did I have any responsibility for . the financial modelling in respect of this project and I have not been . involved in briefing DfT ministers or other Government ministers in . respect of this project.’ | Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin and top civil servant reveal investigators have asked for emails to be scanned .
Taxpayers could be hit with a £100million bill for the fiasco after the bidding process was cancelled when 'significant flaws' were found .
Lucrative contract was handed to rival FirstGroup before ministers were forced to pull the plug .
An official report accused ministers of trying to pass the buck onto their officials and claimed there was an in-built bias against Virgin's bid . |
194,317 | 878bdfb44a64b6429692fec4381de5b323fabe4d | West Ham's Matt Jarvis on guitar, golf and playing for England... Who is your sporting hero? Ryan Giggs. I play in the same position, so I watched him a lot and liked the way he played and as I was growing up I’ve looked to mould my game on him, what he does and how he plays in that position. Matt Jarvis (left) has moulded his career on his hero former Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs (right) What would you be if you weren’t a sportsman? I honestly don’t know but I have thought about property, being in that business. But I think it would still have to be something in sport or sport-related as I don’t know what else I would like to be in. Which other sportsman would you like to be? I would be a golfer I think. They travel to the most amazing places and a lot of the time the sun is shining when you watch it, so you are thinking it would be great to play on these courses in this weather. A great career and a good chance to travel the world at the same time. Due to his height, Jarvis said Tom Cruise (pictured) would be the idea person to play him in a film of his life . Career highlight? Playing for England. Don’t think there would be anything higher in the game than that. I am very proud to have achieved it and would love to again. ... AND the worst moment? Getting relegated. It is a horrible thing and something I wouldn’t wish on my fellow professionals. It affects everyone at the club you are at when this happens. If your house was burning down, what one possession would you save? Other than my wife of course, it would have to be the dogs. We have three so I would make sure I got those out. Favourite karaoke song? I have a couple: Kings of Leon’s Use Somebody and Robbie Williams’s Angels. The second is a bit cringy, but you can really go for it as everyone sings it with you, so they can’t really hear your voice if it’s bad! Three most-listened to songs on your ipod? I have Ed Sheeran’s new album X, which I am really enjoying. I couldn’t pick out three songs, I am enjoying it all the way through. I’d recommend it, definitely. Robbie William's Angels is Jarvis' go-to karaoke song along with Kings of Leon's Use Somebody . Playing for England is the highlight of Jarvis' career and he would love it to happen again . The last book Jarvis read was former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson's autobiography . Last book you read? It was Sir Alex Ferguson’s autobiography. It was a very good read, very interesting. Last film you saw? Gone Girl — had heard it was very good, and it was worth seeing. Can you cook? Best dish? I can cook — my signature dish would have to be spaghetti bolognese. I am better at following instructions than making my own meals or recipe. In a film of your life, who would YOU like to play you? It’s an easy one this because everyone batters me for my height, so I would say Tom Cruise. But look at all the films he has done, so not a bad choice"! Tell us a secret... I used to play the guitar when I was really young. I haven’t played in years so think I would have lost the art by now, but it is something people wouldn’t have known about me. Sportsmail spoke to Matt Jarvis at the launch of an exclusive Lycamobile charity SIM Card which will raise money for the West Ham Community Trust with £2.00 from every purchase and 10% of each online top up going to the charity . | West Ham's Matt Jarvis took part in Sportsmail's 'It's Top Secret' series .
The winger revealed that he has moulded his career around emulating Ryan Giggs .
Kings of Leon's Use Somebody and Robbie Williams' Angels are his go-to songs when he gets the karaoke mic .
Jarvis said there was nothing higher in the game than playing for England .
Tom Cruise's height makes him perfect to play Jarvis in a film of his life . |
176,498 | 707fd17e809824217f472e6e94a6e3c8981f95d6 | By . Lizzie Parry . A brother and sister claim their elderly mother lay dead in her hospital bed for two hours until they discovered her - because nurses had failed to notice she had passed away. Helen Weldon's body was found cold and with food dried to her mouth at Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham. Anastasia and Jimmy Weldon then faced a 20-minute wait for medical staff to come to their mother's bedside to check her pulse and confirm she had died. Helen Weldon's children found her dead in her bed at Birmingham's Heartlands Hospital . The 85-year-old from Birmingham was admitted to the hospital for a routine check-up after being taken into A&E when she choked on some water. Mrs Weldon, who suffered from dementia, was due to be discharged three days later. But when her children arrived to visit her they realised she was dead. Despite making a complaint to the hospital days after she died, four years on they have never received a response. Ms Weldon, 45, gave up her job in IT at Birmingham City Council to care for her mother at home after she became concerned about the care she had received in a hospital two years previously. She said: 'As soon as I walked through the door and saw my mum I knew something wasn't right. Mrs Weldon (pictured in her early 20s) is thought to have been dead for as much as two hours, her children say . Anastasia and Jimmy Weldon say nurses had failed to notice that their mother was dead . 'I said to my brother - Mum is not OK. She was yellow and her skin was waxy. It was awful. 'She was cold but still had food in her mouth. 'There was a glass of water by the side of her water which had some starch in. 'A doctor had recommended adding it to her drinks to help her swallow more easily. 'But the water in the glass next to her bed had set like wallpaper paste. Mrs Weldon's children say that even when they raised the alarm it took 20 minutes for staff to help them and to confirm that she was dead. Mrs Weldon is pictured with her daughter, Anastasia . 'She must have been lying there for at least two hours for no-one to have noticed. 'She couldn't feed herself - whoever fed her had left as she was and then she couldn't do anything. 'Other staff definitely would have passed her bed in the time that she was lying there dead. 'I approached the staff - they had changed shifts and were standing in a group chatting. 'I told them, "I don't know how to say this but I've just found my mother dead". Anastasia and Jimmy Weldon say they complained to the hospital but that they never received a response . 'She just looked at me blankly and said, "we'll be with you". 'But . it was 20 minutes before anyone came over. In that time a friend of . mine had managed to drive from Walsall to the hospital to see me because . I was so upset and even she arrived before a nurse. 'It was so insensitive and I want answers. I want to know why my mum was neglected. 'The person responsible for the ward wasn't even around to answer my questions. 'We logged a complaint as soon as we got the death certificate a week later but we never had a response. Just days ago Martyn James says that he also found his mother, Joan James, dead in her bed at the hospital . 'I am still haunted by it. I surround . myself with photos of her in happier times but I can't get rid of the . vision of her lying there dead.' Mr . Weldon, 60, had to pull a curtain round his mother's bed in a bid to . try and preserve her dignity and not distress other patients on the open . ward. A Heartlands . Hospital spokesperson, said: 'We would like to again send our sincerest . condolences and apologies to the Weldon family for the care and . treatment given to Helen Weldon in August 2010. 'This is not the standard of care we aim for and behaviour we expect from our staff. 'We continue to invest in training for our doctors and nurses to ensure we provide the best possible care to all our patients at all times.' Mr James says when he found his mother (pictured with her grandson, Sam) nurses had no idea she had died . Mr Weldon said: 'The nurses just gawped in shock when we told them. 'We knew she was dead and I pulled the curtain round her to give her a bit of dignity. 'But her starched water had gone solid as a rock, so she must have been there for at least two hours. 'That is the lasting image of my mother I have in my head - it's the stuff of nightmares.' The news comes just days after a retired policeman claimed he found his mother dead in a bed at the same hospital. Martyn James, 54, says he found Joan James, 85, 'propped up' and 'cold' when he went to visit her on January 22 last year. He says nurses at the hospital had no idea she had died until he raised the alarm. | Anastasia and Jimmy Weldon found their mother at Heartlands Hospital .
Helen Weldon, 85, had been admitted to the hospital for a routine check-up .
When her children went to see her, they realised she had passed away .
They think she had been dead for about two hours and no one had noticed .
When they raised the alarm, they say it took 20 minutes for staff to help .
The hospital has now apologised to the family . |
94,632 | 059bb5c59dec4c016a9093b4088f7f313ea706db | By . James Chapman . PUBLISHED: . 18:27 EST, 29 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 03:01 EST, 30 May 2013 . Reform: Justice Secretary Chris Grayling has decided criminals who are jailed for less than 12 months will be prevented from leaving Britain . All prisoners are to be banned from travelling abroad for up to 12 months after being released. Justice Secretary Chris Grayling has decided that, for the first time, the 50,000 criminals a year who are jailed for less than 12 months will be prevented from leaving Britain if released on licence or under a ‘supervision period’. Mr Grayling said some of those released would also be prevented from moving around the country and would need permission from probation officers to spend a night away from their ‘approved’ residence. He believes that criminals released after short sentences should not be able to enjoy foreign holidays and should focus instead on finding a job in their local community. ‘We want to help offenders help themselves. 'If they are to finally step out from the gloomy shadows of criminality, they need to be given every chance,’ said Mr Grayling. ‘Sometimes that will mean taking a firm position and restricting someone’s movements. But it is for the purpose of giving them a better chance in life and helping them become law-abiding members of their community.’ Under current rules, anyone given more than a year in jail is banned from travelling abroad for 12 months and are returned to prison if they break the terms of their licence. Mr Grayling wants to apply this to those released after short sentences, such as disgraced former Cabinet minister Chris Huhne, who served two months behind bars. Passports will not be confiscated but prisoners on licence are expected to report regularly to their probation officers. Former inmates will only be allowed to travel abroad in ‘exceptional’ circumstances, such as attending a close relative’s funeral. Under current rules, anyone given more than a year in jail is banned from travelling abroad for 12 months . Foreign travel prohibition for prisoners released after short sentences is being introduced in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act, and can now be imposed as part of a community order or suspended sentence order. Mr Grayling has also ordered a review of the sentencing regime, introduced by Tony Blair a decade ago, which allows all but the worst offenders to be released halfway into their sentences. Instead of being freed automatically, the most serious violent and sexual offenders will have to earn the right to be released by taking classes or working while behind bars. Private firms and charities are also to be paid to provide mentors, including reformed prisoners, to meet every offender at the prison gate and help turn them away from a life of crime. In the biggest shake-up of prisoner rehabilitation for more than a century, Mr Grayling is to pay organisations if they prevent inmates reoffending after release. The move has infuriated probation officers, who say 70 per cent of their work will be put out to tender and they claim that it would put public safety at risk. Mr Grayling will insist that radical steps are needed to address high reoffending rates which mean almost half of all prison-leavers are reconvicted within 12 months. For those serving less than a year that figure is almost 58 per cent. | Criminals jailed for less than 12 months will not be able to leave Britain if released on licence .
Some would also be prevented from moving around the country .
Under current rules, anyone jailed for more than a year is banned from travelling abroad for 12 months . |
159,003 | 598be18053f58be7d61fd28454caccc8d0d7f3a3 | By . Mark Prigg . and Victoria Woollaston . Samsung is believed to be preparing to unveil its much anticipated Galaxy S5 smartphone ion February 24th, it has been claimed. The firm has sent journalists invites to a 'Samsung Unpacked event at the Mobile World congress show in Barcelona. It is expected to reveal the Galaxy S5 and a new, curved version of its Gear watch. Scroll down for video . Samsung's invite: The firm is expected to show off the Galaxy S5 handset, along with a new version of the Gear watch . The handset is expected to be announced on February 24th, and go on sale worldwide in April . Source: Sammmobile . It has been claimed the new handset could have a new 'smart' home screen that changes depending on the users location, or what they are doing. This image, obtained by website @evleaks, show a home screen displaying a series of cards. Similar to the Google Now system, it shows nearby locations as well as information gleaned from apps about what the user is doing. For example, it shows details of their latest run, a flight they plan to catch and text messages from friends. The image could reveal a major look for Samsung's flagship handset if it is legitimate. The specs for Samsung's new Galaxy S5 have already leaked online, amid claims the handset will come in both metal and plastic versions. The handset, which is is expected to have a 5.25inch screen and iris scanning to recognise users without a password, will also have a new superfast Snapdragon processor. There will also be a mini version of the S5, and a camera version called the Zoom, according to the Sammobile web site. First, let’s get the most mysterious thing about the Galaxy S5 out of the way: Yes, it will come in both metal and plastic versions as has been rumored, with the metal version costing around 800 Euros ($1080) and the plastic model coming in at around 650 Euros ($880),' the site says. The move is identical to Apple's decision to launch a plastic iPhone 5C alongside its flagship 5S model last year. The site also claims to have an almost complete set of specs for the handset. 'As expected, the Galaxy S5 will sport an AMOLED display of 2,560×1,440 resolution; we were unable to confirm the size, though it should be around 5.25-inches as has been rumored often.' It is also expected to be the first mass market mobile to use a new super-fast Exynos 6 Snapdragon 805 processor, which could give the handset a major speed boost. Leaks of Samsung's new menu system show a series of 'smart cards' showing information to users than can change depending on where they are or what they are doing . It could also allow the handset to run in 64bit mode - although the site believes that, again like Apple, only the metal version will do this. Recent reports also claimed the handset could feature an iris scanning system designed to recognise users without the need for a password. It will also boost a 16MP rear camera, and run KitKat, the latest version of Google's Android software. Speaking at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas last week, Lee Young Hee announced that the firm is looking to release its next flagship phone between March and April - and admitted it will be called the Galaxy S5. Seeing double: Two version of the S5 are expected to go on sale in April, a metal and a plastic version . Lee also discussed the possibility a future model of the phone could feature iris recognition technology, yet did not confirm if it would be added to S5 or not. Rumours have suggested Samsung is working on a follow-up to its Galaxy Gear smartwatch since last year, too, and this could be unveiled at the same time as the S5. Lee told Bloomberg: We’ve been announcing our first flagship model in the first half of each year, around March and April, and we are still targeting for release around that time. ‘When we release our S5 device, you can also expect a Gear successor with more advanced functions, and the bulky design will also be improved.’ Lee is referring to the criticism the watch received when it went on sale in September last year. Biometric experts at New York-based firm EyeLock have created a dongle fitted with an iris scanner. The Myris device can register up to five different users. Each user begins by scanning their eyes to take an image of their respective irises. These unique images are then translated into an encrypted code. The scan takes between 10 and 20 seconds and the authentication code is created immediately. Once registered, each user can add various online passwords to their Myris profile. Next time the user visits one of these accounts, instead of entering a password, they can scan their eyes for immediate and secure access. According to EyeLock, the False Acceptance Rate of the average fingerprint sensor, in which the system is hacked by an unknown print, is one in every 10,000 scans. For iris scans, this increases to one 1 in 2.25 trillion scans. Myris is set to go on sale before the summer and will cost around $250 (£150) although an exact date and price is yet to be announced. Some analysts claimed the Korean firm had rushed the production of the gadget in order to beat Apple to releasing a smartwatch, and the design suffered. However, Apple has still not announced its rumoured iWatch. Regarding the iris recognition technology, Lee said during Samsung’s press event at the Consumer Electronics Show: ‘Many people are fanatical about iris recognition technology and we are studying the possibility but can’t really say whether we will have it or not on the S5.’ Samsung is said to be working on adding biometric technology to a future model to rival the popular fingerprint scanner on Apple’s iPhone 5S. Samsung is said to be working on adding biometric technology to a future model in its Galaxy range of smartphones and tablets to rival the popular fingerprint scanner on Apple's iPhone 5S, pictured . Samsung is also set to unveil a second-generation Galaxy Gear, original model is pictured, along with the S5 at Mobile World Congress in February . Iris scanning is more secure than fingerprint scanning, and the technology involved is cheaper, making it a more obvious choice to add to future models. Iris scanning involves a simple charge-coupled device digital camera that uses visible and near-infrared light to take a clear, high-contrast image of a person’s iris. When the camera takes the image, a scanner plots the centre of the pupil, edge of the pupil, edge of the iris, eyelids and eyelashes. It then analyses the unique patterns in the iris and translates this pattern into a code. Next time the eye is scanned, this code is compared to the pattern to authenticate a match. The iris scanner would not be the first time Samsung has introduced eye-tracking technology. Its Galaxy S4 includes a feature that locks onto the movement and position of a user’s eyes. The phone can analyse where the user is looking and will automatically scroll a web page when the eyes reach the bottom of the screen, for example, or lock the screen when the user looks away. Both of Samsung's new devices are expected to be unveiled during Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February. They will likely then go on sale in Korea in March, before being rolled out worldwide in April. Samsung is set to release its next flagship phone - the Galaxy S5 - between March and April. The Korean firm also hinted that either the S5, or a future model, could be fitted with an iris scanner, stock photo of an iris is pictured, that would be used to unlock the device . | Invites sent for 'Samsung Unpacked' event, where firm traditionally revealed new version of its handsets .
Will be unveiled at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona .
Handset expected to have super-fast new Snapdragon processor .
Could be on sale worldwide in April . |
57,189 | a20c7b1ee7fee4392b6a0df7c56e3976de88bdab | By . Lydia Warren . PUBLISHED: . 08:45 EST, 27 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 09:37 EST, 27 January 2014 . Jay Leno would stay at the Tonight Show if he were not being replaced by Jimmy Fallon, he has revealed. 'If he wasn't here, would I still be here?' Leno said on the Today show on Monday as he appeared in his first joint interview with Fallon. 'Probably another year or so.' But he insisted that he was ready to leave what he called 'the greatest job in show business'. Leno, 63, will pass the show's torch to Fallon, 39, next month and in their interview, they insisted there was no animosity over the shake up. Scroll down for video . Heading out: Tonight Show host Jay Leno has said that he would probably stay at the show for a year if Jimmy Fallon wasn't taking over. He has appeared with Fallon in their first joint interview . 'Obviously I look up to Jay,' Fallon told Matt Lauer. 'I love his attention to detail. He roots for me.' When asked about the nature of their relationship, Leno was blunt, saying: 'I think it's a professional relationship. I really admire him as a comic. I admire his professionalism.' He praised Fallon's versatility and ability to work beside younger stars, such as Justin Timberlake - an attribute which he said made Fallon similar to Leno's predecessor, Johnny Carson. Fallon, who is currently the host of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, said he was not sure what to expect ahead of his new role on February 17. Successor: Fallon said he hoped that he would make Leno proud when he takes over the role next month . Together: Matt Lauer spoke with the comedians on the Today show in their first joint interview together . 'I dont know what to expect if it's going to be any different or what,' he told Lauer. 'With this one I feel like there are more eyeballs.' 'I hope I make you proud,' he added to Leno. Fallon was officially named as the next host of the program in April 2013. He will be replaced by Saturday Night Live star Seth Meyers on Late Night when he moves into the earlier time slot. The pressure was on right from the start as long-time host Leno told Fallon he was 'counting on' him to keep network ratings high. Leno has hosted the late night show since 1992, apart from a contentious seven-month stint by Conan O'Brien in 2009. Leno returned after ratings plummeted. Fallon will more than double his multi-million dollar salary when he takes over, with industry insiders predicted that his $5 million salary will reach $12 million in the new role. No hard feelings: The men, pictured together last year, insisted that they admired each other . Stepping up: Seth Meyers, pictured, will replace Fallon on the Late Night show next month . Even though it's three million less than the $15 million Leno reportedly takes home, it still represents a massive show of faith in Fallon, who has been working late night television for less than five years. Ahead of the announcement of the takeover, Leno had made repeated jokes about his bosses and the network. Leno’s final . show on February 6 will see Billy Crystal be interviewed as country star . Garth Brooks acts as musical guest. A host of other big names will appear on . the last week including Betty White, Matthew McConaughey . and Sandra Bullock, country singer Blake Shelton, musician Lyle Lovett . and basketball legend Charles Barkley. Fallon will welcome Will Smith and U2 on his first show. | Jay Leno and Jimmy Fallon appeared together on Today show on Monday .
Leno, 63, is handing over reigns of Tonight Show to Fallon, 39, next month .
In the interview, they insisted there were no hard feelings over the switch and said they respected each other's work .
But Leno said that if it weren't for Fallon, he'd probably be in the role for another year . |
212,774 | 9f83ca77689fff9340def6345d3df3c56245b916 | By . Associated Press . and Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 14:42 EST, 10 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 14:42 EST, 10 November 2013 . An abundance of sand in the Colorado River is giving federal officials an opportunity to flood the waterway through the Grand Canyon. The high-flow experiment starts Monday and is meant to create beaches for campers and sandbars and to protect archaeological sites. It's scheduled to last five days. Great flood: The Colorado River will flood the Grand Canyon on Monday as part of an ongoing experiment to rebuild beaches and restore fish habitat in the iconic gorge . The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation oversaw a similar flood from Glen Canyon Dam last November. The difference this year is that three times the sediment is available to be pushed through the river. The amount is equivalent to filling a football field-sized hole that is 690 feet deep. According to the Arizona Daily Sun, an Olympic-sized swimming pool of water will be pumped into the river every other second. Most of the sediment once deposited throughout the Grand Canyon is now trapped behind the dam near the Arizona-Utah border. Full flush: Authorities want to clear out the millions of tons of sediment that settled at the bottom of the river due to the dam . The Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado in northern Arizona has caused many of the beaches downriver to slowly erode. Many have disappeared altogether. The intent of the flooding is to mimic pre-dam conditions, in which natural flooding would create beaches and wildlife habitats. The effort to restore the environment downstream is for both tourist and wildlife. At its peak, next week’s release will hit 37,200 cubic feet per second over the course of five days, according to the Bureau of Reclamation. | The Colorado River will be flooded for five days from Monday .
Authorities want to clear millions of tons of sediment that have settled because of damming .
The dam has caused beaches and wildlife habitats to disappear .
The flood will distribute the sediment, creating beaches and protecting habitats and archaeological sites . |
260,643 | dd8059bca616b71bbaa628f6e59d2f1131ef0adb | By . James Chapman . The long-delayed official report into the Iraq war must be published by the end of the year, David Cameron insisted last night. In a dramatic intervention that appears to set him at odds with his most senior civil servant, Sir Jeremy Heywood, the Prime Minister said the public wanted ‘answers’ on the 2003 conflict and ‘shouldn’t have to wait too much longer’. Whitehall sources said Mr Cameron wanted an agreement reached quickly between the Cabinet Office and the Iraq inquiry team that would see ‘as much as can sensibly be included’ of the most sensitive documents in the final report. A debate over publishing private talks between Mr Bush and Mr Blair is holding up the report . The Prime Minister is said to have been furious at suggestions that the findings – already held up for several years – might not now be published until after next year’s general election. Sir John Chilcot’s inquiry held its last public hearings in 2011, but publication of its conclusions has been held back by wrangling over private communications between Tony Blair and George Bush. Sir Jeremy is said to have backed concerns from intelligence services and diplomats that publishing the documents might jeopardise the ‘special relationship’ between the UK and the US. Labour strategists are said to be concerned at the prospect of the spectre of Iraq being raised in the months before the election, since the conflict was blamed for driving many of its voters into the arms of the Liberal Democrats in 2005 and 2010. Cameron said the public wanted answers on the 2003 conflict and 'shouldn't have to wait much longer' Mr Cameron yesterday told Sky News the report should be made public by the end of 2014. He added: ‘It’s frustrating but it is not in my gift; this is an independent inquiry. ‘I want to see it published soon, my understanding is that they will be able to publish before the end of the year and I very much hope they can deliver on that timetable. ‘The public wants to see the answers of the inquiry and I think we shouldn’t have to wait too much longer.’ | PM said he wanted answers on the 2003 conflict by the end of 2014 .
Added the public 'shouldn't have to wait too much longer' for report .
Dramatic intervention appears to set him at odds with Sir Jeremy Heywood . |
34,872 | 6318ea6e7756b2b305734de3e9a1d75fa8299e4a | A 3-year-old boy is dead after his parents mistakenly left him in a hot car in Florida over the weekend. dding to the tragedy, the parents were attending a funeral for another family member when the little boy was accidentally left in the car. According to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office, Kyrese Anderson was pronounced dead after spending about three hours in the back of a hot car as his parents attended the funeral - and his two siblings were just feet away in the care of a babysitter. Tragedy: This is the Florida home where Kyrese Anderson, 3, died after his parents accidentally left him in a hot car for four hours while they went to the funeral of another family member . The confusion, the sheriff's office says, started when the baby's parents, Robert Anderson, 29, and Amanda Jo Anderson, 30, took two cars to drop their children off with a babysitter about 1 p.m. The two older children - ages 4 and 5 - were in one of the vehicles, as Kyrese was in the other. The Andersons dropped the two older kids off with the babysitter but forgot about Kyrese. They then took one car to the funeral and left the other - the one containing the boy - in front of the babysitter's house, as the hot, mid-day sun beat down upon it. Heat related vehicle deaths amongst children are relatively rare and tend to happen in places with warmer climates like the southwest and Florida . 'They get back from the funeral several hours later,' Dave Bristow with . the Manatee County Sheriff's Office told WTSP.com, 'and they ask where the . 3-year-old was, and the babysitter said, "I thought he was with you?'" The couple rushed to the car and found the baby unresponsive inside at about 4 p.m. and called 9-1-1. Kyrese was pronounced dead at a local hospital. Heat related vehicle deaths amongst children are relatively rare and tends to happen, as one would imagine, more frequently in places with warmer climates, like the southwest and Florida. According to the website KidsandCars.org, 33 children were killed in the U.S. when they were left in hot cars in 2011. That's down from 49 in 2010. The table shows non-traffic fatalities amongst children and shows that there were 613 heat-related deaths between 1991 and 2011 . The group suggests parents take precautions to keep them from forgetting about children sitting in rear car seats. For example, leaving a purse or cell phone in the backseat is a good way to ensure that you will look in the back of the vehicle before getting out of it. The group also suggests putting a large stuffed animal in the seat when the baby is not in the vehicle. When the baby is in the vehicle, the group suggests you put the stuffed animal in the front seat as a reminder that a baby is in the back. Additionally, the group suggests parents get in the habit of always opening a rear door when they reach a destination - the group calls this ' look before you lock.' Investigators are awaiting autopsy results to determine Kyrese's cause of death. No charges have been filed against the parents. | The baby was left in the car for about three hours .
Authorities are describing the baby's death as a tragic accident .
33 children died in the U.S. last year after being left in hot cars . |
161,922 | 5d5d8cc91f001dd996585a1b35a115659be5b286 | IT was the second most highly-anticipated birth of the year. But Britain will have to wait for its first baby panda after it emerged that Tian Tian has lost her much longed-for cub. After weeks of high hopes for an historic captivity-bred newborn, Edinburgh Zoo yesterday announced that the animal – also known as Sweetie – had lost the baby late in the pregnancy. Tian Tian, Britain's only female giant panda, is believed to have lost her cub . Experts noted signs in August that the artifical insemination in April had been successful and a panda cub had been expected for last month . Professor Chris West, chief executive . of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, said: ‘Everyone is saddened . by this turn of events after so many weeks of waiting.’ Despite the disappointment, the zoo has vowed to try again with a breeding programme and said it is ‘confident’ of success. Professor . West added: ‘The majority of research centres and zoos with giant . pandas around the world have not successfully bred until their third or . fourth year and what we have achieved considering we have had giant . pandas for less than two years is immense. ‘New . hormone research is beginning to indicate that lost pregnancies are . more common in giant pandas than first thought, though at the moment no . one knows why.’ The panda's carers at Edinburgh Zoo had been kept guessing whether Tian Tian was pregnant after she was artificially inseminated in April . Tian Tian was artificially inseminated using semen from Yang Guang (pictured) and another panda . Britain’s only female giant panda arrived from China in 2011 in a £6million loan along with a male, Yang Guang. From the off, it was hoped the pair would be the first giant pandas to breed in Britain during their ten-year stay. Pandas find it difficult to conceive because females become fertile just once a year for 36 hours between mid-April and May. Attempts at getting a pair to mate, meanwhile, can often prove fruitless. Even where they are successful, fertilized eggs remain suspended within the panda until an unknown trigger causes it to implant. It is then difficult to determine whether they are pregnant because they do not develop a 'baby bump'. The bears also commonly have phantom pregnancies - Tian Tian had one last year. Tian Tian then kept everyone guessing over a possible pregnancy when she was artificially inseminated in April. A public already gripped by the Duchess of Cambridge’s pregnancy was given regular updates on the ten-year-old. In . August, the zoo delivered the news that Tian Tian could just be a . fortnight away from giving birth – and twins were a possibility. Hormone . and protein tests and the production of breast milk ‘seemed to suggest’ she was expecting and the zoo went into panda cub overdrive – putting . two incubators on standby, beaming CCTV footage of the panda enclosure . into staff homes and flying in a panda birth expert from China. But . over the last few days she has returned to non-pregnancy eating and . behavioural patterns, leading experts to believe she had lost the baby. Officials are not sure exactly what went wrong but believe she . ‘re-absorbed’ the tiny foetus, which would have been smaller than half a . block of butter, back into her body. Iain . Valentine, director of the zoo’s panda project, said: ‘Why does this . happen? We don’t truly understand, but what we do know is this is a . species which lives on the edge of a balance between nutritional uptake . and reproducing. ‘If things . aren’t quite right this can be a reason why they absorb the young and . cancel the pregnancy. We are determined to learn from this.’ Yang Guang (left), the male panda, looks through the fence of his enclosure at Tian Tian as they make their first appearance in Edinburgh on December 12, 2011 . August 24, 2003: Tian Tian born and reared at Ya'an reserve in Chengdu, China. Yang Guang born 10 days earlier. December 4, 2011: Pandas arrive in Scotland on Boeing 777F flight dubbed 'panda express'. December 16: Hundreds of visitors queue to see pandas on display at Edinburgh Zoo for first time. January 12, 2012: Yang Guang found to be suffering from colic and is temporarily removed from public view. Tian Tian later suffers from same ailment. 'Panda express': The freight aircraft transporting giant pandas Tian Tian and Yang Guang pictured shortly after landing at Edinburgh Airport . February 1: Zoo says visitor numbers up 200 per cent thanks to pandas. Around 70,000 people have seen Tian Tian and Yang Guang since their arrival. April 3: Pandas brought together for first time in 'love tunnel' as Tian Tian judged ready to mate. April 5: Zoo says 'sparks flew' between the pandas but they fail to mate. December 2: Just before the pandas' first anniversary at the zoo, keepers say they have had more than 500,000 visitors including Nicole Kidman and the Princess Royal. February 28, 2013: Surveillance cameras ('panda cams') placed in enclosure to monitor the animals as mating season approaches. Tian Tian (left) and Yang Guang (right) were brought together for the first time in the 'love tunnel' in April 2012 . April 21: Zoo announces that Tian Tian was artificially inseminated after she displays behaviour not 'conducive to mating' July 15: Rise in Tian Tian's progesterone levels detected. August 9: Keepers say Tian Tian showing signs that she is expecting cub. August 26: Zoo announces that Tian Tian has been placed on 24-hour surveillance after latest hormone tests reveal she could be pregnant. October 15: Zoo announces Tian Tian is no longer believed to be pregnant having lost her cub. | Zookeepers believe Tian Tian was successfully inseminated but lost foetus .
Carers had been kept guessing since artificial insemination in April .
Experts noted signs the fertilisation had been successful in August .
The zoo today has said it is believed she is no longer pregnant . |
268,009 | e71ba74f745dae64dfc141b3c803ade31cdda6f1 | Randolph Sanders, 36, confessed to shooting his supervisor at a bus stop in Philadelphia . A man confessed to shooting his supervisor dead at a bus stop so she couldn't report him for stealing money from the child advocacy organization where they worked. Kim Jones, 56, suspected Randolph Sanders, 36, was stealing from Turning Points for Children, homicide Capt. James Clark said. Fearing Jones would report him, Sanders allegedly decided to kill the mother-of-two. He apparently knew her morning routine and followed her for more than an hour before shooting her in the back of the head at a bus stop January 13, Clark said. In the days after the shooting, police released surveillance video that showed the killer, dressed in black and carrying a duffel bag, walking up to Jones as she leaned against a wall waiting for the bus. It was hard to identify the man as he pointedly made sure he did not look at any surveillance cameras. Investigators pieced together the killer's movements from surveillance video in the area, Clark said. Grieving colleagues, including Sanders, at Turning Points for Children publicly spoke of the heartless killing. 'We're just stunned. Just stunned. Just stunned,' Sanders calmly told WPVI-TV just after her death. Eventually, they managed to track the killer to a vehicle which provided a link to Sanders, a law enforcement source told Philly.com. Using surveillance tapes, investigators methodically traced the killer's path to and from the crime scene . Police were at unable even to see the killer's face - he made sure it could be not be seen on security cameras . Police believe this photo shows Randolph Sanders, getting on to the subway after allegedly shooting his supervisor . Sanders worked under Jones, as assistant director of the child advocacy organization, CEO Mike Vogel said. Jones, the program's director, had hired Sanders as its assistant director in 2012, the sources said, and had recently come to believe he had misappropriated a significant amount of money from the program, reports Philly.com. Sanders of Philadelphia, confessed to investigators Sunday, Clark said. He was arraigned early Monday on murder and firearms charges and ordered held without bail pending a February 18 preliminary hearing. Online court records didn't list information on his lawyer. Randolph Sanders — pictured — went on camera to say he was ‘just stunned’ after Kim Jones’ death . | Randolph Sanders, 36 confessed to shooting his supervisor Kim Jones, 56 .
Fearing Jones would report his theft, Sanders stalked her for an hour .
He then shot her in the back of the head at a bus stop January 13 .
Sanders confessed to investigators Sunday . |
143,163 | 4521c922c6a9d5e691e5badcdf98e5ee0d40e8ba | (CNN) -- Authorities investigating the disappearance of two young girls in Iowa said Saturday that they believe them to still be alive. Lyric Cook, 10, and her cousin Elizabeth Collins, 8, were last seen by their grandmother more than a week ago when they left on a bike ride. "We believe these girls are alive and we are not discouraged by the passage of time since their disappearance," FBI spokeswoman Sandy Breault told reporters in Evansdale, Iowa. She declined to discuss exactly what evidence investigators might have that pushed them toward that conclusion. Breault said she believes someone knows something, and she urged anyone with information to step forward. Grandmother: 'We will fight' A $50,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the successful recovery of the girls and the prosecution of the person, or people, responsible, she said. "Cooperation with law enforcement is the key factor in discovering the whereabouts of Lyric and Elizabeth. Unfortunately, in this case law enforcement has not received total cooperation from all family and close friends. It's important to note that the majority of the family has cooperated 100%," Breault said. "We believe there's someone out there and we would urge them to come forward." Family of missing Iowa girls 'bracing for the worst, but hoping for the best' The girls' bicycles and a purse were found near Meyers Lake hours after they were reported missing July 13. A search of the 25-acre lake turned up nothing, and the FBI is confident the girls aren't in the lake, said Breault. Authorities are now calling their disappearance an abduction. More from CNN Justice: . Air Force instructor handed 20-year sentence for abuse . Movie massacre: 'Oh my God, this is really happening' Zimmerman expresses regret in interview . | FBI spokeswoman Sandy Breault says not all family and close friends are fully cooperating .
She urges anyone with information on the girls' whereabouts to come forward .
"We believe these girls are alive and we are not discouraged by the passage of time," she says .
Lyric Cook, 10, and her cousin Elizabeth Collins, 8, were last seen more than a week ago . |
162,218 | 5dbd038122d15e936281d44acfc9505bf2996098 | Little Mayzee Jo Gaspa's shocking injuries after being attacked by the Staffordshire bull terrier in Archway, North London . These are the shocking injuries suffered by a toddler after she was mauled by her neighbour's Staffordshire bull terrier. Mayzee Jo Gaspa needed 240 stitches and surgery after being set upon by the beast at her home in Archway, North London. The child's mother Maria Dew told how the animal dragged the 18-month-old 'round like a rag doll' after pouncing. 'Looking at her after it let her go, I thought she was going to die,' the 34-year-old said, told the Daily Mirror. The Staffordshire bull terrier had been brought into little Mayzee Jo's home by a neighbour, who was talking to her mother. Ms Dew recalled her daughter's 'horrendous' screams during the attack, which took place five months ago. The panic-stricken mother battered the animal in the mouth in order to get it to release little Mayzee Jo, according to the newspaper. Police and paramedics were called to reports of a child being bitten by a dog just after 6pm on Saturday, September 6 last year. 'Officers attended and the child was taken to an east London hospital,' said a police spokesman. Mayzee Jo's mother reportedly said she underwent emergency surgery after being airlifted to hospital from the scene. She almost lost her nose in the ordeal and still requires further treatment to repair the damage, according to the Daily Mirror. Ms Drew and Mayzee Jo's father, Michael, have decided to release the shocking images to caution other parents about the dangers of these dogs. Five months after the dog attackattack Mayzee Jo, pictured with her father Michael and mother Maria Dew, needs further surgery . The Staffordshire bull terrier's owner Gemma Neil admitted having a dog dangerously out of control at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court on October 29 last year. The 28-year-old is due to be sentenced at Blackfriars Crown Court on February 27. No decision is believed to have been made about the fate of the dog that is being kept in kennels, according to the Daily Mirror. Mayzee Jo's mother said that she was dragged 'round like a rag doll' during the ordeal and needed 240 stitches . The Dangerous Dogs Act applies to all dog owners in the UK regardless of their breed or size. Under the Act, it’s illegal for a dog to be ‘out of control’ or to bite or attack someone. The legislation also makes it an offence if a person is worried or afraid that a dog may bite them . Those convicted of the offence where a person has been injured can face up to five years in prison. The RSPCA say if anyone is concerned about the behaviour of their pet then they should consult a behaviourist. | Mayzee Jo Gaspa attacked by neighbour's Staffordshire bull terrier .
18-month-old reportedly dragged round 'like a rag doll' by animal .
Left needing 240 stitches and surgery to her face after attack .
Parents have released shocking images as a warning to others .
Dog owner, 28, admitted having dog dangerously out of control . |
263,650 | e17a288f1e485661f2cdacde8d4957a83a3fe1cb | Kansas City, Missouri (CNN) -- Big-box stores are stealing Thanksgiving, and their workers aren't happy about it. After Target decreed that Black Friday would start at midnight Thanksgiving night and that employees must report to work at 11 p.m., an Omaha worker, Anthony Hardwick, posted a petition at Change.org asking the company to move the official start of Christmas shopping back to 5 a.m. Friday. Response from workers and others has been stellar: 192,000 signatures by Monday. Best Buy will also be opening at midnight, so Rick Melaragni, a Tampa employee, posted a similar petition. It currently has 14,000 signatures. Why did this hit such a nerve? Hardwick's petition says, "A full holiday with family is not just for the elite of this nation -- all Americans should be able to break bread with loved ones and get a good night's rest on Thanksgiving!" But he will have to cut out on the family to grab some sleep, because he'll be up all night working. Melaragni told The Huffington Post that Best Buy will be showing a Harry Potter movie to customers camped outside, so some employees will have to report to work by 8 p.m. to set up. Walmart is the leader in this year's great race to gobble up employee turkey time. It announced its opening at 10 p.m. Thursday. Since two-thirds of Walmart's hourly workers are women, many will arrive exhausted after cooking the family feast. Americans already work longer hours than in most countries, and as incomes shrink, lots of low-wage workers have multiple jobs. Many families' work schedules make it impossible to have weekends or even dinner together. That's why holidays provide the only opportunity for so many extended families to see each other. Our current obsession with corporate values, however, leaves no space for human values anymore. The just-in-time workforce means just no time for the family. If these workers had unions, companies would have had to negotiate these schedule changes and a lot else too, but the retail giants hate unions worse than missing Black Friday. Just last summer, Target workers in Long Island tried unsuccessfully to get a union. Their last pay increase amounted to eight cents, according to the union. Target did all it could to get the no vote, including a veiled threat to close the store. It's Walmart that sets the pace in union busting. One former employee told me that when Walmart found out he was trying to organize at his store in Texas, it assigned him his own personal supervisor, who stuck to him like glue. A January 2011 report by Nelson Lichtenstein and Erin Johanson found that Walmart is also the leader in driving down wages and working conditions for the nation's 14.4 million retail workers. The median hourly retail wage is $10.58, which is considerably less than the median for all workers of $15.95. Without unions, workers have no leverage to get raises or even livable schedules. But retailers say they can't help it. Shoppers are the ones demanding that workers sacrifice Thanksgiving. A Target spokeswoman says, "We have heard from our guests that they want to shop Target following their Thanksgiving celebrations rather than only having the option of getting up in the middle of the night." You'd think these box-full-of-billions retailers are just little mom-and-pop corner stores at the mercy of shoppers' whims when in fact the biggest eight of them control 85% of the general merchandise market. A National Retail Federation representative says shoppers will "dedicate themselves manically to finding the best deal." Pitting shoppers against workers is much easier than looking into why shoppers sometimes act like mobs or why workers want some voice in their work lives. In fact, big-box shoppers and workers have a lot in common. Most are barely getting by. A recent study of Walmart found that 28% of sales are to people making less than 200% of the federal poverty line ($44,100 in 2010 for a family of four) . Meanwhile, 22% of Walmart workers make less than $9 an hour, and 64% make less than $12. While some Black Friday shoppers may indeed be fixated on the cheapest new Nintendo game system, even more have to stretch their slim paychecks just to buy necessities for the family plus an occasional toy. There are solutions. One retail employee, commenting at the Best Buy petition site, suggested that the company take out an ad and say it's giving Thanksgiving back, but it'll be open Friday and all weekend with great deals. Simple. Show some leadership, appeal to something besides greed and reverse the trend. That study of Walmart showed that raising workers' minimum wage to $12 would have minimum impact on prices, even if Walmart passes all its increased costs on to consumers. It suggested that cities set minimum wages and standards for big-box stores. Some communities are passing community benefits agreements to set standards for big-box stores. To get these things, and also long-overdue labor law reform, we need more workers willing to stand up like petitioners Hardwick and Melaragni and the Long Island Target workers, and we need consumers to recognize that they're workers, too, and that paying the lowest prices has a hidden cost for their children and our society. That cost is less opportunity for good jobs, more job offshoring and an ever-declining standard of living. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Judy Ancel. | Big-box stores are stealing Thanksgiving, and their workers aren't happy, Judy Ancel says .
A petition to prevent Target stores from opening at midnight has 192,000 signatures .
Ancel: If these workers had unions, companies would have to negotiate schedule changes .
Show some leadership, appeal to something besides greed and reverse the trend, Ancel says . |
226,854 | b1bedc686e9236c1d9677d7cc60a44bb87051ad2 | By . Rebecca English . PUBLISHED: . 12:29 EST, 17 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 22:33 EST, 17 April 2013 . Given that she has just marked 60 years on the throne and attended countless ceremonial occasions, it is probably something of an occupational hazard. But the Queen, who celebrates her 87th birthday on Sunday, displayed impressive reflexes as she narrowly escaped a collision with a ceremonial sword today. The monarch, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, had just arrived at St Paul’s Cathedral to make an historic appearance at Baroness Thatcher’s funeral. Scroll down for video . Near miss: The Queen (left) speaks to Lord Mayor of London Roger Gifford (right) whose ceremonial sword nearly hit the monarch on the steps of St Paul's cathedral today . Greeting: As the Lord Mayor finishes greeting the Queen, he turns to lead her inside . Danger: But the Lord Mayor's ceremonial sword swings up and nearly strikes the monarch . Close call: Fortunately the sword swings past the Queen as she recoils and doesn't make contact . As she began to walk up the steps she was greeted by the Lord Mayor of London, Alderman Roger Gifford, resplendent in his ceremonial dress with the Mourning Sword last used at Sir Winston Churchill’s state funeral at his side. After proffering a formal greeting, merchant banker Mr Gifford turned smartly on his heel to lead the royal couple up towards the Great West Door where the Archbishop of Canterbury was waiting. But as he swung round, the large black steel sword swung wildly towards the sovereign, just missing her face. The Queen can clearly be seen recoiling backwards before turning towards her laughing husband and making what appeared to be a jokey remark about her near miss. Fortunately Mr Gifford, 57, a father-of-six from Scotland, was blissfully unaware of the incident and continued with the rest of his duties unabashed. The Lord Mayor is elected on an annual basis and is an unpaid, non-political position. The role is, nowadays, primarily to act as an ambassador for all UK-based financial and professional services in the City of London. One is amused: Luckily the Queen and Prince Philip both saw the funny side of the incident . No harm done: The Queen and Prince Philip were greeted on the steps of the cathedral by the Lord Mayor of London and were to follow him inside when the incident happened, but the Queen appeared unfazed and smiled with her husband about the near miss in the seconds that followed . The Monarch and her husband made their way into St Paul's to take their seats after being greeted by the Lord Mayor of London . A spokesman for Mr Gifford declined to comment. The Queen’s appearance at her eighth and longest-serving prime minister’s funeral yesterday was unprecedented and taken to be a mark of respect for a woman with whom she did not always see eye to eye. As a rule, the Queen rarely attends funerals for anyone outside her immediate family. While she did choose to attend Churchill’s public commemoration in 1965, it was an official state event for a man who had stood shoulder to shoulder with her own beloved father, George V1, during the Second World War. Although Buckingham Palace had been consulted about the plans for yesterday’s event as far back as 2008, the decision for her to attend was not made until the day after Lady Thatcher’s death when Buckingham Palace was informed that the government intended for it to become a state occasion in all but name. Safe distance: The Queen is pictured a little further away from the ceremonial sword with her head bowed during the service . Friendly: The Queen shakes hands warmly with Mr Gifford at the end of the ceremony forgetting the earlier mishap . For the Queen and her aides, it now wasn’t just an issue of whether she should attend such a ‘unique’ occasion, but how it would look to the public if she didn’t - particularly given talk of their occasionally less than easy relationship. As usual, the Queen conducted herself faultlessly and while she chose not to arrive before Lady Thatcher’s family as a mark of respect as she did for Churchill - protocol normally dictates the Queen is the last to arrive and the first to leave - she did choose to show her esteem in a different way. There was a small, almost imperceptible, nod as her former prime minister’s coffin passed following the service. Then the monarch quietly, and without fanfare, waited for the Baroness’s immediate family to make their way down the cathedral steps and watch in quiet contemplation as the coffin was re-loaded onto the waiting hearse. Royal sympathies: The Queen also spoke with Baroness Thatcher's family including her children Sir Mark and Carol after the ceremony . Only then did she follow them, stopping for a minute on the steps to chat and proffer her condolences with a warm and friendly smile. She clearly greeted each member of the family group - son, Sir Mark, and daughter Carole, who were accompanied by their respective partners, as well as her grand-children Michael and Amanda - personally. Amanda, who less than an hour earlier had set the scene for the event with a reading that showed a dignity beyond her years, offered a particularly elegant curtsy. No other member of the Royal Family was present for the simple reason that there was no requirement for them to do so (which for Prince Charles, who is currently holidaying in Scotland, was no doubt something of a blessed relief as he disagreed inherently with much she had to say). Indeed the only other guest with strong royal links was - somewhat incongruously - Sarah, Duchess of York, whose ex-husband, Prince Andrew, served in the Falklands War. | Alderman Roger Gifford greeted the Queen and Prince Philip at St Paul's .
As he turned to lead them inside, his sword swung close to Her Majesty .
Unfazed, the Queen smiled with her husband following the mishap . |
25,868 | 49520e2dc1b6e7a7a5697b82ac701c14c6f24ee8 | Petrol prices are plummeting towards the one dollar per litre mark just in time for the Christmas holiday season. The national average for petrol prices is currently $1.21 per litre with prices as low as $1.09 in Sydney on Tuesday. The last time motorists saw the average petrol price in Australia drop below a dollar was back in 2005 between February 14-20, the Australian Financial Review reports. 'If we don't get to a dollar, we will get very close to it,' NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury said. Scroll down for video . The national average for petrol prices is currently $1.21 per litre with prices as low as $1.09 in Sydney on Tuesday . A price war between cheap petrol in America and Arab countries in OPEC is behind the price fall. Despite the slump in oil prices, companies in Australia are not using the recent drop to inflate petrol prices for consumers. 'With Coles and Woolies setting their price at $1.14, I can't see the independents putting their prices up any time soon,' Mr Khoury said. 'I think like the rest of the country, the NRMA would be over the moon about sub-one dollar petrol. NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury said if petrol prices don't get below a dollar, 'we will get very close to it' It comes as the NRMA's director Alan Evans called on petrol companies to pass on savings that are currently being seen in Sydney, with petrol still more expensive in Brisbane, Canberra, Darwin and Tasmania. The average petrol price in Sydney last Friday was $1.16 per litre. 'The supermarkets and their associated oil companies should be Santa Claus and not Scrooge to Canberra motorists,' Mr Evans said. 'A large supermarket chain has capped prices in the Sydney metropolitan area at $1.14 or less until 4 January next year while independent retailers are offering regular unleaded in Sydney as low as $1.12 per litre. 'We would to see the petrol companies extend this Christmas gift.' A price war between cheap petrol in America and Arab countries in OPEC is behind the price fall . The drop in fuel prices equates to an annualised $2.5 billion reduction in household expenses since October, according to figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Commsec chief economist Craig James told Business Insider acts like a tax cut and the savings put more money in people's pockets. 'Families are saving $32 a month compared with a year ago,' he said. | The national average for petrol prices is currently $1.21 per litre with prices as low as $1.09 in Sydney on Tuesday .
Last time motorists saw petrol price drop below a dollar was back in 2005 .
A price war between cheap petrol in America and Arab countries in OPEC is behind the price fall .
Drop in prices has give households $2.5 billion more to spend, according to a Commsec economist . |
164,499 | 60b8040cffbd3e19558c1047cd8fe471e386537c | Claims: High School math teacher Joyce Quiller was fired after allegedly calling her students the n-word . A math teacher who was fired this year for allegedly calling her students 'n*****s' may be re-hired after a judge ruled the school district didn't follow the proper steps in her termination. Joyce Quiller, 51, taught math to at-risk students at Jean Ribault High School in Jacksonville, Florida when she got her termination letter last February. A judge last month ruled that the Duval School District violated Quiller's union contract by firing her, instead of first putting her on suspension without pay. 'The School Board skipped step three and went directly to termination even though, if the allegations were true, they would have amounted to what is considered a minor offense,' Reginal Luster, Quiller's legal consultant, told WJXT. 'Not some type of severe misconduct on behalf of Ms Quiller. It does not warrant the termination.' The school board will meet next week to discuss what to do about the judge's ruling. According to a document detailing the January investigation, seven students in the 10th and 11th grade came forward to say Quiller used derogatory language to belittle them. Quiller worked as a math teacher in the Bridge to Success program, which aims at helping at-risk students. One student described the moment Quiller berated a group of boys after they walked into the classroom, saying: 'You all are some lazy n****** for coming to class late.' Another student, who had Quiller for Algebra 2 and Geometry, says she frequently called him the offensive name. 'You are like the rest of these n*****s, now you want to come to school and do your work,' she said to that student on one occasion. Other students say she has called them 'stupid' and 'ignorant' and has used other curse words in class. Quiller taught at-risk youths at Jean Ribault High School in Jacksonville, Florida before her dismissal. A judge ruled last month that the school district did not follow the proper steps in firing the teacher . A student who forgot to bring a pencil to class says Quiller told him. 'What is the point in coming to the mother-f****** class if you do not bring materials?' However, Quiller's legal counsel says the judge found the allegations 'not credible at all'. Though Quiller has not issued a statement following the judge's decision, she denied using the n-word in class in the January report. She wrote that as an African-American she 'praised herself in being intelligent and classy', and does not refer to herself or call people of color the n-word. She went on to say she doesn't understand why the assistant principal has a 'vendetta' against her. Indeed, Quiller had on three prior occasions been given a written or verbal warning about her language in the presence of students dating back to 2001, according to the report. In a post on her Facebook page in June, Quiller said she was hired at 'PHCA' which may stand for the Potter's House Christian Academy in Jacksonville, . According to a Facebook post in June, Quiller has since found another job. An administrator at the Potter's House Christian Academy would neither confirm nor deny Quiller working there . MailOnline called the private school on Tuesday, but an administrator would neither confirm or deny that Quiller was employed there. The Duval School Board plans to vote next week on whether to rehire Quiller as a teacher. Quiller's attorney with the teacher's union says the school board may find a legal reason not to follow the judge's decision. And even if they do re-hire her, they could fire her again following the steps outlined in her union contract. 'Since there are so many outstanding issues, Ms Quiller wants to respect the process and is not in a position to make a comment at this time,' Quiller said in a statement through a representative. She added that she is eager to get back in the classroom. | Joyce Quiller was fired as a teacher at Jean Ribault High School last February .
A January investigation concluded that Quiller called multiple students the n-word and used other curse words in the classroom .
But a judge ruled last month that the school district did not take the proper steps in terminating Quiller .
She should have been placed on unpaid leave first, the ruling says .
School board will meet next week to decide whether to reinstate Quiller, who has allegedly found a job at a private school . |
230,412 | b662acf0635c43cba7f4c60714a1627e585c0dd2 | BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie gave an exclusive interview with CNN's Arwa Damon while visiting Iraq to draw attention to the refugee crisis in the wartorn country. Here is a full transcript of the interview: . "Displacement can lead to ... instability and aggression," Jolie, right, tells CNN's Arwan Damon. Damon: First of all thank you obviously for your time. What is your main aim in this visit -- what are you trying to acomplish while you are out here? Jolie: Well I came to the region about 6 months ago, I first went to Syria because I work with U.N.H.C.R. and there are 1.5 million refugees in Syria alone from Iraq and while I was there, I went inside and met with some internally displaced people. And this trip is to get a better picture of the internally displaced people and to discuss with the local government, with our government, with the NGOs and with local people, the situation and try to understand what is happening, because there are over 2 million internally displaced people and there doesn't seem to be a real coherent plan to help them and there's lots of good will and lot's of discussion --but there seem to be a lot of uh -- just a lot of talk at the moment and a lot of pieces need to be put together. So, trying to figure out what they are. Damon: What kind of a sense have you been able to get so far in terms of how severe the crisis is and what actually needs to be done to help out? Watch CNN's exclusive interview with Angelina Jolie » . Jolie: Well, I in my research before I came here, I looked at the numbers and there are over 4 million people displaced and of the 2 million internally displaced it's estimated that 58 percent are under 12 years old. So it's a very high number of people in a very, very vulnerable situation and a lot of young kids. So far the different U.S. officials I've met with and different local people I've met with all have shared concerns and very, very strongly you know they have spoken out about the humanitarian crisis but um, but there seems to be a block in. I'm not good at policy and fixing all this and saying what's wrong but I do know that for example U.N.H.C.R. needs to be more active inside Iraq. In order for that to happen, they need they feel strongly about having some better protection ... better security in talking with the U.S. officials, they're willing to give that security to the extent that they can give it. And so you know I don't have the answers but I know that this is one thing that needs to be addressed and solved because there does need to be a real presence here to help count the people and register the people. Also even just the government here needs to empower the prime minister ... here needs to empower the government that deals with migration and displacement to be able to address the concerns for these people and that hasn't happened in a significant way yet. Damon: Do you think that the global community has a responsibility to address that? Jolie: Well I think the global community always has a ... has a responsibility to any humanitarian crisis. And I think it's in our best interest to address a humanitarian crisis on this scale because displacement can can lead to a lot of instability and aggression and you know pop. We don't ... we certainly we just don't want that we have.. A lot of people feel it's a little calmer now ... this is the time to really discuss and and try to get these communities back together. But if these communities don't start coming back together properly, if we don't start really counting the people ... understanding where they are ... what they need ... making sure the schools are being built ... making sure the electricity the water and all these needs are being met and also understanding that a lot of the people that will return are going to come back to houses that are occupied or destroyed and bombed out and we have to we have to have... It's going to be a big operation to understand the needs ... to address it to help people put the pieces of their life back together and return to their communities. So it's really just putting kind of ... getting the plan together ... getting the group together and everybody actively focused on helping the IDPS and the refugees. Damon: What would the message that you would want to carry out of here back to the States or even the message that you would want to get out internationally in terms of what's happening here ... the refugee crisis ... how serious it is and the consequences that could happen in the future if it's not properly addressed? Jolie: I always hate speculation on the news, so I don't want to be somebody who speculates. Um but I think it's clear, I think, I think you know a displaced unstable population is you know is a very what happens in Iraq, and how Iraq settles in the years to come is going to affect the entire Middle East. And a big part of what is going to affect how it settles is how these people are returned and settled into their homes into their community and brought back together and whether they can live together and what their communities look like, so it does have broad implications. Damon: On a personal level why is this so important to you ... you willing to come here and risk your life? Jolie: Uh, what about you (laughs) why are you here? (laughs) It was an easy choice to make. I've uh, I felt I had to come here because it is very difficult to get answers about especially the internally displaced people. It's as I said even U.N.H.C.R. who I traditionally work with -- they are not able to be inside at the moment and so I was very frustrated and just getting a bunch of ideas and papers but not knowing what's really going on, so so today I'm able to talk to all different people from our government and their government and really get some answers as to what is holding up the processes to really really assist these people properly. Damon: Do you think that you in your position can try to push this process forward put ... pressure perhaps on the U.S. government to let more refugees into the U.S. to address the situation within Iraq and of course address the situations in Syria and Jordan? Jolie: To put pressure on the U.S.? Damon: On the U.S. or to try to just put pressure in general create awareness? Jolie: (interrupting) I think certainly creating awareness. And I think you know what I found is there is... I spoke to the State Department today about meeting our goal, you know the U.S.'s goal of 12,000 people and they still intend to reach that goal and they have and you know there are many different people who can be cynical or say well how are they going to do it, and I will ask them how are you going to do it and is there some way we can help to ... you know ... is there some thing we all need to understand more is there ways we can help to process different people in different countries better is there because uh because we do need to get those people and we do need to in eight months get as close to 12,000 people as possible we should and I have to believe that there are people working towards that goal so.. So at least that and um, what was your other question? Damon: Why is it so important? What do you think needs to be (interrupted) Why is Iraq important? Jolie: Well as I said, if it is not stable it can affect the entire Middle East and that will effect our entire world. If you don't simply want to look at it as of course it's important because there are human beings living here .. I don't see borders and I see lives and I see children and this is you know an environment where there is a war but there is a humanitarian crisis. And they have to be addressed simultaneously. We can't wait for one to end to then finally take the time to address the other, it has to start right now. Damon: There are reports out of Hollywood that... (laughs) Jolie: Oh don't. Stop it. (interupts I had to ask) Stay true to your tradition. You're CNN. Don't do it! Damon: I know that's why I have to... (Laughs) Jolie: But I don't have to answer. OK? Damon: No you don't. I completely and totally ... you're right and will not press the matter. Jolie: Thank you. E-mail to a friend . | Angelina Jolie visits Iraq to boost efforts to help internally displaced refugees .
Actress tells CNN: "There doesn't seem to be real coherent plan to help them"
Jolie is goodwill ambassador for U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees .
More than 4.2 million Iraqis have fled homes, 2 million to neighboring states . |
110,938 | 1b0f6f602f2eaaf87b19ee8e2e130781438f2ee8 | Joe Lentini went to dinner at Bobby Flay Steak not knowing much about wine. He left having learned a harsh lesson. Lentini and his companions were taking a business dinner at the Atlantic City restaurant in the Borgata Hotel, and while ordering the wine he asked the server for a recommendation. 'I asked the waitress if she could recommend something decent because I don't have experience with wine,' Lentini told NJ.com. Scroll down for video . Sticker shock: When the diners received the bill, with a wine they thought was only $37.50, they were shocked to find it was more than $4,000 thanks to the bottle of Screaming Eagle . 'She pointed to a bottle on the menu,' a 2011 Screaming Eagle. 'I didn't have my glasses. I asked how much and she said, "Thirty-seven fifty."' In the words of Lentini, he thought he meant $37.50, the table approved and the wine was ordered. When the bill came, the host who had agreed to cover the dinner was shocked to find it totaled over $4,000. At the top of the list of items ordered was the Screaming Eagle, but with the staggeringly high price tag of $3,750. In the words of another dining companion Don Chin, when the bill came, 'We all had a heart attack.' The party complained that the waitress had been misleading when she informed Lentini and the other guests about the price of the wine. Misled: Joe Lentini claims he heard the waitress say 'thirty-seven fifty' and only assumed that the bottle only cost $37.50 . High life: The diners in the party had expected an expensive dinner of steak and seafood, but the $3,750 was a shock, especially for Lentini, who did not often drink wine . 100 point: Screaming Eagle is considered one of the best bottles of wine in the world - and is priced as such, fetching over $1000 a bottle at auction . The restaurant offered to drop the price of the wine to $2,200, which the party begrudgingly accepted. 'As the leading culinary destination in this region, we consistently serve as many, if not more high-end wine and spirits without incident,' executive vice president Joseph Lupo said. 'In this isolated case, both the server and sommelier verified the bottle requested with the patron,' said Lupo, who claimed the host did not 'say anything to management.' The unidentified host of the dinner reportedly confirmed to NJ.com that he did learn the price before the bill was handed out, but that the bottle was open and likely empty so he kept quiet. According to the restaurant's menu, the bottle recommended was the second most expensive for its size. So how was the wine? Self-declared wine amateur Lentini says, 'It was okay. It was good. It wasn't great. It wasn't terrible. It was fine.' For those looking for the experience of enjoying shockingly expensive wine in the comfort of their own home, bottles of Screaming Eagle's 2011 vintage sell at auction beginning around $1000. | Joe Lentini asked the waitress at Bobby Flay Steak in Atlantic City for a wine recommendation for a business dinner .
He and other diners thought the waitress said the bottle was 'thirty-seven fifty' and assumed that meant $37.50 .
When they received the bill, they found out that the wine was actually a $3,750 bottle .
The restaurant dropped the price after the party complained - to $2,200 . |
222,000 | ab59c7f5037243554286f702e395443b1cd96092 | (CNN) -- It's well known the fashion industry is one of the toughest to break into. To conform to the traditional stereotype of a model you need to be skinny, stunning and have legs that go on forever, right? Try telling that to Refilwe Modiselle -- she's breaking all the rules while sashaying down the catwalk as Africa's first albino model. "I was being tenacious and saying 'no, wait a minute. This is a different representation of what African beauty is,'" Modiselle tells CNN. "You're told that a black child should be brown-skinned, but what do you then call a girl like myself? I'm not tall either. But there I was modeling with the likes of your Adiambo's, your famous models that have really done well." In 1999, Modiselle was just 13 years old when she was first approached to do a five-page shoot for a youth magazine aiming to showcase how the African fashion landscape would change with the turn of the millennium. It was her first taste of fashion, but she got the bug. Yet it wouldn't be until she finished her high school education and entered college (at the behest of her mother) that Modiselle found herself in front of a camera again. Redefining beauty . The move kickstarted her career and soon the South African student was staring back at herself from glossy magazine pages and gliding down runways at high-profile events, like Mercedes Benz Africa Fashion Week. "I was defying everything about what society says defines a model. I'm basically saying 'OK, let's teach our kids a different definition of beauty, or a definition that's always been there but has just always been disregarded." Albinism is an inherited condition caused by a lack of melanin, a pigment in skin, hair and eyes. While it is fairly common globally -- one in every 17,000 people are born with some form of the genetic disorder -- albinos across Africa are often subject to discrimination and even, in some countries, hunted and killed because of their appearance. "People with albinism are often not given the opportunity to get into such industries because we're not known as extroverts, we're not given a chance to be identified in society as people who have the potential to represent something," she says. Identity crisis . But Modiselle doesn't just have to live with the unspoken threat of discrimination hanging in the air. Born in Soweto, the feisty, young model has, at times, struggled with her identity. The 28-year-old explains: "South Africa has a history of apartheid, where race is such a big segregation. How do you then place yourself? You are a girl who is born in a black society: the township. And now you have to fit into a world where, you're told: this is black, this is white and you're in a country that is constantly fighting these aspects. It's something that is not easy because people try and place you and identify you in a specific way." Cementing her status as a household name, she also spends one day a week filming a current affairs talk show with fellow South African television personalities Masechaba Lekalake and comedian Tol Ass Mo. Participation in the show allows Modiselle to reveal more of her personality to the country, and to show she's more than just a clothes horse. Though she's not even 30, Modiselle is already thinking about her legacy. "I will teach through the things that I do. (My) plan for the future is just to grow myself as a brand and as an entity: to touch the world in different places and to be able to be a huge representative for Africa." | Traditional stereotype of model is tall, skinny and aesthetically attractive .
South African Refilwe Modiselle is making waves as the continent's first albino model .
Scouted at 13, the 28-year-old wants to change perceptions of beauty and albinism . |
12,991 | 24d486dfc0c7781edf4f3c3c70f05cadf95cd678 | By . Mark Duell . UPDATED: . 13:49 EST, 25 September 2011 . There may still be three months until the festive season arrives, . but one inventor has received an amazing early Christmas present from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Ignacio Marc Asperas, of Melville, New York, has been . granted an astonishing patent for ‘facilitating the construction of a snowman/woman’, . five years after he first applied. The inventor wrote a 25-page document with details on how to roll symmetrical . snow balls and construct body parts such as arms and shoulders - and he insists he is being absolutely serious. Snow joke: Ignacio Marc Asperas, of Melville, New York, has finally been granted an astonishing patent for 'facilitating the construction of a snowman/woman', five years after he first applied . Spherical formation: A 25-page document gives details on how to roll symmetrical snow balls and construct snowman body parts such as arms and shoulders – and the inventor insists he is being absolutely serious . 'If you're like me, you enjoy building snow men big,’ Mr . Asperas wrote in the patent. ‘The bigger the better. One problem is there isn't . always someone around to help. It is very difficult by yourself. Spherically-shaped body made with interior structure including outer surface . Adhesion surface on outer surface that increases ability to hold snow to body . Spherically-shaped body must be a strong building block for rest of snowman . Generator with electric charge coupled to outer surface for static to help snow stick . ‘Over the years, I have developed different tricks to assist . my self-style of building snow people. My favourite trick is to use the long . end of a shovel as a lever to rotate the boulder when it is really big.’ He described the original inventor of the snowman as a ‘genius’, . but said he knows nothing about its history and had often had trouble with his . back when building up a snow boulder, reported Gawker and Huffington Post. 'I do not pretend that the ultimate snowman will be as . revolutionary to the advancement of mankind (as the wheel and the toaster oven),’ Mr Asperas wrote in U.S. patent 8,011,991 B2. ‘But I do contend that as far as I know no one has ever . conceived and reduced to practice such an apparatus.’ Design: He said he wants to create a snow boulder that is 'perfect every time' - symmetrical and lightweight . Top hat: Mr Asperas said some problems people come across when building snowmen are the boulder size, the amount of snow available, the stacking of each boulder and the positioning on the ground . Mr Asperas said some problems people come across when . building snowmen are the boulder size, the amount of snow available, the . stacking of each boulder and the positioning on the ground. 'We are living in the 21st century now,' he wrote. 'We have . created the internet. China is getting ready to send a person to the moon. ‘And we invented silly putty, perhaps one of the all-time . greatest inventions a big kid ever invented. Can't somebody build a better . snowman?' Mr Asperas said he wants to create a snow boulder that is 'perfect . every time' - symmetrical and lightweight. The patent was first spotted by a number of technology websites, including Geek.com. | Ignacio Marc Asperas, of New York, first applied for patent in December 2006 .
Document shows how to roll symmetrical .
balls and construct body parts .
Patent and Trademark Office submission is funny but he insists he's serious . |
92,804 | 035e1beeadc3c6a7417d41422fa03bd9abe52b60 | By . Mike Jaccarino . PUBLISHED: . 10:39 EST, 6 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 03:00 EST, 7 January 2013 . A Christmas party of epic proportions at the Honduran Embassy to Colombia involving prostitutes, booze, an orgy, looting - and worse - has forced the resignation of the Central American nation's ambassador. Details of the apparently legendary holiday soiree that left the Honduran mission in the capitol city of Bogota a paper-strewn shambles are still trickling into Honduran media reports. But what a spree the party apparently was. All-night affair: The already-infamous affair reportedly got underway around 11pm and didn't conclude until 5am the next day . The Honduran newspaper El Heraldo reports that 'several' prostitutes were involved in what evidence suggests was a booze-fueled orgy at the embassy . Fired: Carlos Rodriguez Andino, the Honduran ambassador to Columbia, resigned Saturday following a riotous soiree at the embassy in Bogota . Early accounts reveal when mission employees arrived at the embassy Dec. 21, or the next day, they discovered - to their chagrin - Ambassador Carlos Rodriguez Andino's close friend and bodyguard - Jorge Mendoza - dozing without dignity in the laundry room and a Colombian man wandering the embassy's basement. 'A scandal in our foreign service is a stain on the country's name. Diplomatic missions are sacred,' Honduran lawmaker Rodolfo Zelaya reportedly said. A special commission appointed to investigate the incident is still at work, but initial findings have already led to Andino's resignation - ratified Saturday - and he wasn't even present at the shindig. A Stain on Honduras' Name: The nation's Foreign Ministry referred to the incident in such a dramatic manner in accepting Andino's forced resignation . 'In order to safeguard national interests and good relations with the Republic of Colombia, we asked for the ambassador's irrevocable resignation and Mr Rodriguez stepped down, effective immediately,' Agence Presse France quoted the the Honduran foreign ministry as saying. The Honduran daily newspaper, El Heraldo, reportedly quoted sources in Bogota as saying the night began innocently enough with Mendoza engaging in some holiday hijinks on the town. The randy revelers reportedly returned to the embassy about 11pm, regrouped - and then once again alighted on to Bogota's streets. It was there that Mendoza and company apparently contracted a cadre of sex workers - El Heraldo put the number at 'several' - whom they then squired back to the mission. Then the profligate party got really riotous. Before the blowout reportedly concluded in the wee hours of the morning, or about 5 a.m., the prostitutes snatched computers and cell phones from the embassy. One even defecated on Andino's desk, as well as the commercial attache's workstation, after being asked to leave without the required remuneration. El Heraldo also reported there was evidence of an orgy in the building, although calls placed by The Guardian to the embassy in Bogota went un-returned as of Sunday. Colombian Police Col. Jose Elias Baquero said authorities are searching for what he describes as two 'contracted women' who attended the party. Scene of the Crime: At least two computers - as well as some phones - are missing from the Honduran Embassy in the Colombian capitol city of Bogota . Terrible: One sex worker defecated on Andino's desk, as well as that of the commercial attache, after being asked to leave without remuneration . The fallout is still raining on the small Central American country. The Guardian Newspaper of Britain reports that El Heraldo splashed its story concerning the party on its front page with an article aptly entitled, 'Diplomatic scandal: prostitutes and drunkenness in Bogotá.' The 'embarrassing incident,' according to the paper, could have compromised sensitive information on organised crime and drug trafficking,' El Heraldo reportedly wrote in its pages. 'This means that any drug lord … could have paid a prostitute to seduce the ambassador's friend to gain access to the embassy and steal vital information about investigations.' Colombia is the world's most prolific producer of cocaine and Honduras has become a hub for much of the drug supply headed for the U.S. Dangerous Game: El Heraldo has suggested that such security lapses could have allowed a Colombian drug lord to infiltrate the embassy's databanks . Police col. Baquero said Honduran officials have confirmed that there was a party in which the portable computers were stolen, but that they prefer to handle the matter internally. The U.S. Secret Service was embroiled in a similar scandal involving prostitutes and its agents last April in the Colombian city of Cartagena, where President Barack Obama attended the Summit of the Americas. More than two dozen Secret Service agents and military personnel, tasked with preparing security for Obama's high-profile visit, were sent home. Nine have since left the agency as it seeks to repair its tarnished reputation.. | Carlos Rodriquez Andino resigned Saturday - and he wasn't at the shindig!
Computers and phones reported stolen from the Bogota-based mission .
Embassy left a paper-strewn shambles after looting .
Employees arriving for work the next day, or Dec. 21, find ambassador's aide dozing in the laundry room - and a Colombian man wandering the basement .
'Several prostitutes' reportedly contracted for riotous affair .
One sex worker reportedly defecated on the ambassador's desk . |
15,756 | 2cb883d9852569ad1c96e4d31efa1bb5efac0241 | Twenty-two people were killed after a tugboat on a test voyage overturned in the Yangtze River, Chinese state media have confirmed. Four Singaporeans, an Indian, an Indonesian, a Japanese and a Malaysian were among the men who died in the accident, while the 14 other victims were Chinese, the state-run Xinhua News Agency said. Just three people, all Chinese, were pulled alive from the water after the 368-ton ship capsized on Thursday. Among the rescued was one man, identified as an interpreter, who was freed when rescuers cut through the bottom of the boat's hull early Friday - a full 14 hours after it went down. Chinese state media has confirmed 22 people died when a tug boat on a test voyage in the Yangtze River overturned on Thursday . Just three people were rescued, including an interpreter who was cut from the ship's hull 14 hours after the ship sank . Rescue crews were only able to conduct a thorough search of the tug boat on Saturday morning, then it was pulled into shallow waters . Survivor Wang Zhenkai, who spoke to state television from his hospital bed, said: 'Water entered the boat cabin very quickly, in less than 20 seconds it was completely filled with water.' Wang was accompanying a Japanese technician who was testing the engine of the ship. He survived by clinging to a hydraulic pump and said he had grabbed the Japanese engineer, but their grasp was broken as the boat began to sink. Rescuers, who had been hampered by swift currents, finally managed to pull the 98-foot long Wanshenzhou 67 into shallow waters this morning, allowing them to search inside. The ship had been on a test voyage in the river's Fubei Channel, in Jiangsu province, and it is understood the ship's owner, parts supplier and engineer were among the 25 people aboard when it went under. An official at the Jiangsu maritime search and rescue center, who declined to give his name, confirmed that 22 people were dead. The ship was built by Anhui Bengbu Shenzhou Machinery Co. Ltd in October. Distraught relatives gathered at the banks of the river, in Jiangsu province, to wait for news of their missing loved ones . But for most it would be bad news as most of the 25-strong crew were killed when the ship went over. Pictured: Emergency services bring a survivor to safety . A relative offers prayers on the bank of the Yangtze River - the longest river in Asia and third longest in the world . Emergency services took 40 hours to get the ship into shallow water after it overturned in river's Fubei Channel . Survivor Wang Zhenkai revealed it took less than 20 seconds for the water to fill the boat cabin . The final body was retrieved on Saturday afternoon, maritime officials said. A Singapore foreign ministry spokesman said Friday that the vessel was registered in the city-state and four of its nationals were on board. The accident occurred on a stretch of the river that experiences extremely strong currents, between the cities of Jingjiang and Zhangjiagang, which is close to the Yangtze's mouth near the commercial hub Shanghai. The provincial government said the boat was undergoing trials without properly completing the required procedures and without first reporting the condition of the ship, as required by regulations. The accident occurred on a stretch of the river that experiences extremely strong currents, between the cities of Jingjiang and Zhangjiagang . Police stand guard at a pier after the tug boat sank on Thursday. The boat is registered in Singapore, the country's officials confirmed . | Just three of the 25 men on board survived when the ship suddenly turned over in one of the river's channels .
Four Singaporeans, an Indian, an Indonesian, a Japanese and a Malaysian are among the dead .
Interpreter who survived by clinging to a hydraulic pump reveals ship filled with water 'in less than 20 seconds'
Strong currents made it difficult to pull the 368-ton tug boat, which was built in October, into shallow water .
Relatives had a heart-breaking 40-hour wait for rescue crews to be able to thoroughly search the ship . |
240,686 | c397fc41e4d5cd3858aa4bcebb1e5090b60669f7 | By . Sara Malm . While his country is reeling from a military coup, the heir to the throne of Thailand is hiding out in a five-star hotel in a quiet village in Hampshire. Maha Vajiralongkorn, 61, only son to 86-year-old King Bhumibol, arrived at Tylney Hall in Rotherwick a week ago, before the army, in which he holds the rank of general, overthrew the Thai government. Taking over a wing of the extravagant hotel, where rooms start at £250-a-night, the crown prince has brought an entourage of 'about 30', including several guards and security staff. Scroll down for video . Royal stay: Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, 61, only son and heir to the frail 86-year-old King Bhumibol, arrived with an entourage of 30 at Tylney Hall in Hampshire last week . Did he know? Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, a general in the Thai Army that now rules the country, has been staying at the luxury hotel since before the coup . Riding it out: Rooms at the extravagant five-star 18th century hotel starts at £250 per night for the cheapest alternative, and the prince has taken over a whole wing . The prince arrived at the Hampshire luxury hotel with what has been described as ‘hundreds of boxes’ several days before the military took charge of Thailand in a non-violent coup on Thursday. A marquee has been set up in the gravel car park in front of Tylney Hall in order to provide cover for two top-of-the-range Mercedes, assumed to be belonging to the prince – one has the number plate THAI 1. ‘The Thai prince is staying here, he has about 30 people with him,’ a hotel employee confirmed to the Evening Standard. ‘We have hardly seen them as they have been very private. They are staying for ten days. ‘ . Meanwhile, the Thai junta has banned more than 150 prominent political figures from leaving the country, as it attempts to bring order after Thursday’s coup - but one group in particular is unimpressed with their establishment of martial law. Notorious: Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, pictured with his sister Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn last year, is known as the 'playboy prince' and a womanizer with a handful of illegitimate children and two ex wives . Long vacation: Staff at Tynley Hall described the prince and his entourage as 'very private' and are expecting them to stay at least until the weekend is over . The prince, who ensured his two Mercedes were covered and guarded, arrived with 'hundreds' of boxes and is expected to stay for ten days, staff at Tynley Hall said . Crackdown: A Thai protester is dragged away by the military during an anti-coup protest on Friday night under the new rules that no organised gathering can be of more than five people . Force: The protester is dragged on the ground, losing his shoe, in an attempt to break up the protest before the 10pm curfew . In control: A motorcyclist rides past Thai soldiers blocking the road to prevent activists and pro-government protesters from gathering in downtown Bangkok on Friday night . The army took power in the volatile . Southeast Asian nation without firing a single shot after seven months . of political unrest, the second military coup in eight years. Martial . law was quickly imposed, including a nationwide 10pm curfew and, much . to the dismay of the social media generation, an order for every TV . channel to broadcast round-the-clock junta announcements and patriotic . hymns. TV broadcasts on all . networks have been replaced by a static screen showing military crests . and the junta's self-declared name: National Peace and Order Maintaining . Council - the BBC, CNN and other international TV news networks have . been blocked. Patriotic . music is played on loop, only interrupted by occasional announcements . from military officials, and the population is not happy. Following . the government takeover the new leaders did what all modern figures of . power and influence to – they set up a Facebook page . Since . Thursday, more than 230,000 people have liked the page, and the social . media savvy Thais are expressing their dismay over the loss of their . entertainment. ‘Since you're . reforming politics, you might as well reform your music,’ said one of . many postings on the page, which has received song requests for . everything from the soundtrack from Disney’s Frozen to Justin Timberlake . and more up-beat folk music. 'City of life': Soldiers secure an intersection in central Bangkok to prevent overnight protests after curfew . Security: Thai police secure a military compound before former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra arrives to report to Thailand's ruling military where allegedly her and more than 150 others were told not to leave the country . Coup: Thailand's new military leaders today summoned foreign diplomats, bans 155 politicians and activists from leaving the country under threat of arrest, foreign correspondents report . New rules: Martial law has been imposed, including a ban on meeting in groups of more than five people and a 10pm-5am curfew . Members of the Thai security forces stand guard outside the Army auditorium where prominent figures including former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra reported to the kingdom's military junta in Bangkok on Friday . Modern coup: A woman takes a selfie photograph with Royal Thai Army soldiers in central Bangkok, Thailand as the coup leaders, calling themselves the National Peace and Order Maintaining Council, set up a Facebook page . Lotsa likes: The army leaders behind the military coup were quick to set up a Facebook page where they post announcements - and receive a lot of complaints about their taste in music . ‘Play other songs, will you! Your marching music is making me so patriotic that I want to wield a sword and slash some Burmese!’ a commenter wrote, in reference to Thailand's historical enemy and neighbour, now known as Myanmar. Others complained about the TV broadcasts, with parents asking for the return of children's channels: ‘Can I have my TV back? At least the cartoon channel for my kid? It won't hurt national stability,’ said one father. Thai military staged its second coup in eight years on Thursday, suspending the constitution and the Cabinet. On Friday it summoned the former prime minster Takshin Shinawatra, who was sacked by the Constitutional Court earlier this month for nepotism, her replacement and more than 100 others to report to ta military compound in central Bangkok. The military said it was summoning the high-profile figures ‘to keep peace and order and solve the country's problems’, however, CNN correspondent Saima Mohsin, reported that the military had 'summoned foreign diplomats and banned 155 politicians and activists from leaving the country' under threat of arrest. The new martial law rules, which includes banning gatherings of more than five people and a nationwide curfew between 10pm and 5am, applies to both tourists and Thais and breaking them results in immideate arrest, the military has warned. For seven months, anti-government protesters have been calling for the removal of the powerful Shinawatra family and its alleged corrupting influence from Thai politics. Ms Shinawatra and her temporary replacement Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan, arrived at the army compound in Bangkok by midday Friday, Yingluck's aide confirmed. After about 30 minutes, Yingluck left the facility and was taken to another army location by soldiers, the aide said. Change: Thai soldiers patrol on a road near an army club during a military coup in Bangkok which was carried out without a single shot being fired . Not everyone s happy: A Thai student holds an anti-coup sign in front of a group of soldiers during a brief protest near the Democracy Monument in Bangkok . Me and my army: A member of the press takes a selfie as Thai police stand guard outside a military compound before former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra arrives to report to the junta . The population have been put under curfew, which applies to both nationals and foreign visitors, and those who break it, or gather in groups of more than five people, are arrested . Members of the Thai security forces stand guard outside the Army auditorium wheremore than 150 prominent figures including former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, were ordered to report to the military on Friday . A pro-government protester points at a soldier during a cleanup at a pro-government demonstration site on the outskirts of Bangkok today . The international community, including the United States, Japan and Australia expressed concern and disappointment over the coup, with the U.S. saying there was ‘no justification’ for the takeover. The coup was launched Thursday while the military hosted a meeting of political rivals for what was billed as a second round of talks on how to resolve the country's political deadlock. After two hours of inconclusive talks, armed soldiers detained the participants, including four Cabinet ministers, and army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha appeared on national television to announce the takeover. General Prayuth justified the coup as a necessary move to restore stability and ‘quickly bring the situation back to normal’ amid increasing spasms of violence that together with controversial court rulings had rendered the government powerless and the country profoundly divided between the wealthy urban elite who disdain the Shinawatra family and their supporters among the rural poor majority. The military suspended the constitution and the Cabinet and banned gatherings of more than five people — a risky bid to end half a year of political upheaval that many fear will only deepen the nation's crisis. Thursday's dramatic events were the latest response to a societal schism laid bare after the 2006 coup deposed former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the older brother of Yingluck and a billionaire tycoon whose populist movement has won every national election since 2001. Thaksin lives in self-imposed exile to avoid corruption charges, but he still wields enormous influence over Thailand's political affairs and remains at the heart of the ongoing crisis. It is a divide that has led to upheaval multiple times in recent years. The latest crisis alone has left 28 people dead and more than 800 wounded since November. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Crown Prince of Thailand hiding out in five star hotel in Hampshire .
Maha Vajiralongkorn, 61, and entourage of 30 are staying at Tylney Hall .
Meanwhile, martial law rules Thailand, with nationwide 10pm curfew .
Political leaders and diplomats summoned by Thai military junta .
More than 150 prominent figures 'ordered not to leave the country'
All TV broadcasts replaced by army announcements and patriotic hymns . |
53,220 | 96f26448c322ee89d99a89c23bdfeddf8115b392 | Tory grandee: Lord Tebbit (pictured in April) said ragwort was a big problem in his part of East Anglia . Young unemployed people should be made to pull up ragwort from roadside verges in return for benefits, a Tory grandee has said. Former Conservative cabinet minister Lord Tebbit, 83, made the proposal to combat the rampant weed in a letter to an insect charity. He wrote to Matt Shardlow, chief executive of a charity called Buglife, which is concerned about the effect of declining ragwort on bees and rare insects. Tebbit said ragwort was a major problem in his part of East Anglia and proposed it could be weeded out by ‘Neets’ - young people who are not in education, work or training - and ‘low level criminals’. Ragwort, also known as Jacobaea vulgaris, is a common wildflower which is poisonous to cattle and horses. He wrote: ‘I suggest you come to the Norfolk/Suffolk border areas of East Anglia. Landowners who wish to control ragwort face an impossible task when roadside verges are dominated by it to an extent I cannot remember in the past. ‘There would be little cost to bring that under control if Neets and low level criminals were required as part of their contribution to the society which finances them, or which they have abused… to uproot this weed.’ Tebbit later told the Guardian: ‘Given a bit of organisation, they would be happy doing something constructive. That’s something constructive for them. ‘It’s appealing, it gets rid of a weed which is a danger to some animals and helps landowners in the cultivation of their land. Collected from roadside verges: Ragwort, also known as Jacobaea vulgaris, is a common wildflower which is poisonous to cattle and horses (file picture) Criticism: Chris Bryant (above), the shadow welfare reform minister, said the comments reflected the 'values of the Victorian workhouse' in which out-of-work people were forced to perform demeaning, unpaid labour . ‘That was my thought that caused me to suggest the idea… in a way it’s a form of national service, of doing something for society in a way in which anyone unless they are physically disabled can participate.’ Asked whether he acknowledged some might find the idea of forced labour in return for benefits controversial, he said: ‘It’s workfare but I think there are some powerful arguments for workfare and so does [Labour MP] Frank Field for example. It’s not a way-out idea in that sense. ‘If you go back to the Beveridge report on which the whole welfare state has been based, you’ll find he took the view that youngsters who had never worked should not receive benefits because they have not contributed anything.’ Suggestion: Lord Tebbit, pictured with his wife Margaret in April at their home in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk . Previous comments: Lord Tebbit, who was a minister under Margaret Thatcher (together in 1982), was famous for telling the jobless to get on their bikes and look for work - as his father had in the 1930s . Lord Tebbit wrote to Matt Shardlow (pictured), chief executive of Buglife, which is concerned about the effect of declining ragwort on bees and rare insects . He added: ‘I am much more modest about this than Beveridge was and I suspect Ernie Bevan might have been on my side in it. I just think a lot of those youngsters want something to do which is constructive.’ However, Labour MP Chris Bryant, the shadow welfare reform minister, said the comments reflected the ‘values of the Victorian workhouse’ in which out-of-work people were forced to perform demeaning, unpaid labour. He told the Guardian: ‘There’s one weed that I would like to uproot: it’s sitting in the House of Lords. 'Lord Tebbit’s proposal, which effectively equates being out of work with being a criminal, is both offensive and ludicrous.’ Lord Tebbit, who was a minister under Margaret Thatcher, was famous for telling the jobless to get on their bikes and look for work – as his father had in the 1930s. | Lord Tebbit makes proposal to combat ragwort in letter to insect charity .
Tebbit, 83, says it could be weeded out by 'Neets' and 'low level criminals'
But Labour MP says comments reflect 'values of the Victorian workhouse'
Tebbit famously told the jobless to get on their bikes and look for work . |
72,971 | ceeb25a82dc22fd1601bccba4f88b54689710543 | By . James Rush . PUBLISHED: . 15:15 EST, 10 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 20:54 EST, 10 January 2013 . Handful: Wildlife ranger Steve Coulson takes hold of baby snakes which were found in the childcare centre . A childcare centre had to be closed after a family of pythons was discovered behind a wall in a room where toddlers take their afternoon nap. The nest of 23 baby pythons and their 8ft long mother was discovered in the nursery, in Darwin, in Australia's remote Northern Territory, as a partition wall was torn down. The search began after one of the baby snakes stuck its head out of the wall at the Mitchell Street Childcare Centre. A wildlife ranger was quickly called by terrified staff as they made the shocking discovery. Director of the centre Louise DeBomford said 41 egg shells were also discovered, but it was believed a few of the babies escaped. She said: 'After a bit more of the wall was torn down, we found the mother - she was two-and-a-half metres long. So it was quite a shock to everyone.' Ms DeBomford said the mother was reluctant to leave her babies: . She said: 'They were feisty and not too happy to leave their warm nest. 'There was a baby snake in the room yesterday morning - I thought there would have to be more than one because we had an inundation of snakes last year, about the same time. 'Then we had about 14 of them, so they must like our building.' On that occasion, the snakes fell down through the ceiling and a nest was discovered in the roof. The centre had to be closed as wildlife range Steve Coulson was called in to remove the snakes. He said: 'The eggs were the size of plums, and were in clumps like grapes. 'The babies went in one sack, while a bigger sack had to be fetched for the python mum.' Snake eyes: The baby pythons were discovered after one poked its head out of the wall . Slippery customer: Stephannie Dean of Larrakeyah and her two sons Carlos and Benji have a look at the snake found behind the wall . Mr Coulson said the baby pythons, found on December 20, were 'pretty harmless' and while the adult snake could deliver a 'decent sort of gash', it was non-venomous. He said carpet pythons were common around Darwin, and often found food and shelter in roofs. 'They eat possums and rats,' he said. Staff are now keeping a lookout for about eight baby pythons believed to be still somewhere in the building. Careful handling: Mr Coulson said the snakes were non-venomous, although the adult snake could deliver a 'decent sort of gash' | A nursery in Darwin, Australia, was closed after family of pythons found .
Nest of 23 baby snakes and their 8ft mother discovered behind wall .
Wildlife ranger said snakes were non-venomous, but adult could deliver a 'decent sort of gash' |
82,690 | ea79dd67c2d020802a89fad2a51c09a0fe552c18 | Derby's march towards the Barclays Premier League stuttered as they fell to a shock 2-0 defeat at Fulham. The Sky Bet Championship leaders arrived at Craven Cottage unbeaten in seven matches, but were undone by a Fulham side previously without a win in six thanks to goals from Nikolay Bodurov and Cauley Woodrow. In a lacklustre display, it took the Rams over an hour to register an effort on target against a team who they had put 10 goals past in their previous two meetings this season. Nikolay Bodurov of Fulham scores the opener against Derby County at Craven Cottage . Bodurov celebrates after putting his side in front after 21 minutes against the league leaders . Fulham: Bettinelli, Richards, Bodurov, Hutchinson, Stafylidis, Parker (Hoogland 79'), Tunnicliffe, Christensen (Kavanagh 43'), Ruiz, McCormack, Woodrow (Dembele 86'). Subs not used: Kiraly, Kacaniklic, Fofana, Burn . Booked: Tunnicliffe . Goals: Bodurov 31' Woodrow 45' Derby: Grant, Christie (Buxton 46'), Keogh, Shotton, Forsyth, Hendrick, Mascarell, Hughes, Ince, Bent (Bryson 64'), Lingard (Russell 46') Subs not used: Dawkins, Ward, Roos, Albentosa . Booked: Russell . Referee: Mike Jones . Former Fulham loanee Darren Bent fired an early shot wide for the Rams, but the hosts dominated the rest of the first half and had a two-goal lead at the break which they never looked like relinquishing. Ross McCormack and Ryan Tunnicliffe flashed shots wide, Shaun Hutchinson headed over and Lee Grant made a good save after Scott Parker's drive flicked off the head of Woodrow before Fulham made the breakthrough in the 31st minute. Bryan Ruiz skipped past Tom Ince on the left-hand side of the Derby area and when the Costa Rica forward's shot was blocked by Cyrus Christie, the ball looped up towards Bodurov on the corner of the six-yard box. The Bulgarian centre-half, not renowned for his finishing, had only stayed upfield following a corner but he expertly guided the ball over Grant with the outside of his right boot for his first goal since joining Fulham last summer. And on the stroke of half-time Woodrow, only in the starting line-up because of an injury to Hugo Rodallega, doubled Fulham's lead. Cauley Woodrow then headed home from close range to put Fulham 2-0 in front . Woodrow celebrates putting Fulham 2-0 in front just before half time . Parker won the ball in midfield and scampered forward before laying the ball off to McCormack, who chipped in an inviting cross for the onrushing Woodrow to nod in at the far post. Derby had come from two goals down to thrash Fulham 5-2 in the Capital One Cup in October but there was no sign a of a repeat performance, especially after Bent limped off holding his hamstring. Ryan Shotton headed an early chance wide while Ince's deflected shot finally gave Marcus Bettinelli something to do, before the Fulham keeper kept out a Jeff Hendrick header at the far post. But it was Fulham, who were starting to look anxiously over their shoulders at the relegation battle following their recent poor run, who came closest to scoring again. McCormack was denied by a last-ditch block by Craig Forsyth and a point-blank save from Grant before sub Moussa Dembele crashed a shot against the crossbar late on. | Championship leaders Derby County suffer damaging defeat .
Nikolay Bodurov and Cauley Woodrow strike in first half for Fulham .
Rams stay top after promotion challengers Middlesbrough also lose . |
45,878 | 814acf3d32a1efa07b69cd073657a10880b1d192 | By . Hanna Flint . PUBLISHED: . 02:06 EST, 30 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 05:49 EST, 30 July 2013 . He hadn't kicked a ball in 14 years, and that became pretty clear when Nick Grimshaw ended up in hospital with torn ligaments and damaged tissue in his left foot on Monday. The BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show presenter was playing a one-off match to celebrate Sir Bobby Robson National Football Day, where he led a team against Olly Murs's men at St George's Park. But what started as a fun time on the field turned into a painful nightmare for Nick, 28, whose battered foot has meant the DJ had to miss his show on Tuesday morning. Ouch: Nick Grimshaw had to miss his breakfast show on Radio 1 because of injuring his foot during a football match on Monday . According to Scott Mills - who is covering the show - Nick was given a lot of painkillers by doctors to ease his discomfort, but it is recommended that the injured person rest for a couple of days without putting pressure on the injury. It can take up to 6 weeks or more for the foot to heal in these situations. The BBC issued a statement saying: 'Nick injured his foot playing . football yesterday against Olly Murs’ side and Scott Mills filled in for . him today on the Radio 1 Breakfast Show. We expect Grimmy to be back on . air tomorrow [Wednesday].' The day before the match, Nick had tweeted: 'Our first foot all match tomorrow VS @ollyofficial. I've just let my teammate @Chris_Stark know that I haven't kicked a ball for 14 years.' Ankle pain: Nick tore ligaments and damaged tissue in his left foot . Happy start: Olly and Nick were cheery during the match and having fun at St George's Park . But it all started so well with . Grimmy and Olly getting the full England training experience, broadcast . live during his morning show on Radio 1. They experienced a range of activities . including reactions training on the Batak machine, strength and . conditioning training and sprint training on the underwater treadmill. Playful: Nick and Olly led two teams of five for the first Radio One-derers match . Professional help: Robbie Savage and David Mays joined each team on Monday . Olly, 29, was the man behind the . match which was put on ahead of the Sir Bobby Robson National Football . Day on Saturday 10th August. It . is one of 150 events taking place around the country letting people . celebrate the beautiful game in The FA’s 150th anniversary year. Following . in the footsteps of the likes of England stars Steven Gerrard, Wayne . Rooney, Steph Houghton and Rachel Yankey – Nick and Olly were treated . like professionals and put through their paces by the expert trainers at . St George’s Park. Celebration: The match was put on ahead of Sir Bobby Robson National Football Day . In his element: Olly is an avid football player and used to play in a Sunday league . Former Leicester City, Blackburn Rovers and Derby County midfielder Robbie Savage as well as two-time Premier League winner David May joined each team for the big match on the indoor Wembley replica pitch. Sadly for Nick he didn't just get battered, but his team too who lost to Murs's five 11 - 1 after 30 minutes. Not letting his injury ruin the day Nick . said: 'St George’s Park was a pretty amazing venue for the Radio . One-derers to play their first ever game.' Live: Nick and Olly were broadcasting from the park in Burton-upon-Trent . Jokes: Olly and ex-footballer Dion Dublin share a laugh on the indoor pitch . Cheeky: Earlier in the day Olly and Nick get some water training . Olly said: 'It’s been great working with The FA as an ambassador for its 150th anniversary so I was delighted to be able to pull a few strings and arrange this game against Nick at St George’s Park. 'I think the boys were inspired by playing at St George's Park. The performance was exceptional and we're delighted to get the win.' 'Days like today are why I love football – I’d encourage people to get involved with the Sir Bobby Robson National Football Day on Saturday 10th August and celebrate the nation’s favourite game in their own way.' Tough: The boys have to run on an underwater treadmill, and broadcast a live radio show . | Suffered left foot ligament and tissue damage during friendly game .
Scott Mills covered Nick's breakfast show on Tuesday morning .
BBC expect the injured DJ will be 'back on air tomorrow' |
62,528 | b198e6b8390bf05e8fa5b5e54df93713851a48ba | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 11:02 EST, 22 May 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 12:30 EST, 22 May 2012 . Nine students testified on Monday that their teacher took photos of them in her classroom and during a pizza party at her home in their underwear and also allowed them to be secretly videoed while changing. The students, aged eight to 11, took the witness stand in Pottawatomie County District Court during a preliminary hearing for former McLoud teacher Kimberly Ann Crain of Shawnee and retired professor of early childhood development Gary Doby of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. At the end of the proceeding, Special Judge Dawson Engle ordered both to stand trial on 18 counts of sexual exploitation of a child under 12, one count of conspiracy to commit sexual exploitation and one count of lewd molestation. Abused trust: Former professor Gary Doby and third grade school teacher Kimberly Crain face life in prison . School: The FBI and local police are investigating allegations of inappropriate relationships between a McLoud Elementary School teacher and her students . He also bound Crain over on 11 counts of possession of juvenile pornography. Both could face up to life in prison. Prosecutors allege that Crain, 49, took photos of as many as 14 young girls while they were changing clothes in her classroom and at her home and that she shared the images with Doby, 66. Crain and Doby have pleaded not guilty to numerous porn-related charges in the case. Formal arraignment was set for June 27. The students testified that Crain took photos of them in her classroom and during a pizza party at her home while they were wearing tank tops and underwear. A nine-year-old old girl testified that Crain told her to open her legs and do various dances that Crain then photographed. 'There was so much I can't remember,' the girl said when District Attorney Richard Smothermon asked her how many photographs were taken. In another incident, the girl said that Crain drew smiley faces on the chest of a shirt the girl was wearing. The girl said she also talked to Doby via computer in Crain's classroom. 'He would say "you are beautiful",' the girl said. 'Sometimes he would have a shirt on, sometimes he wouldn't.' Smothermon asked the girl if she wanted to change clothes at Crain's home. 'I really didn't, because I felt uncomfortable,' the girl replied. Among the evidence introduced in the case was copies of photographs Crain allegedly took of the girls, including photos Smothermon said were taken by a hidden video camera that showed the girls naked as they changed clothes. Accused: Parents said five girls in the third and fourth grades were invited to a female school teacher's home and were secretly videoed by Gary Doby, pictured left . Predator: The allegations are against third grade teacher Kimberly Crain at McLoud Elementary, and they have sexual undertones. Residents said the allegations are spreading through the town like a wildfire . Another former student testified that she and other students went to Crain's home around Christmas for a pizza party where they changed into panties and bras, then hid behind a couch when the pizza deliveryman arrived. 'We covered ourselves up so he couldn't see us,' the girl said. Several of the students said Crain told them not to tell their parents what they had done. A ten-year-old girl said she reported what had happened to her parents and that her mother cried when she heard. 'She went to the bathroom and cried,' the girl said. FBI Special Agent Andrew Farabow testified that he examined laptop computers used by Crain and Doby and found images of child and adult pornography. The lewd molestation charge involves an allegation that Crain invited one of her students to look at a computer screen that showed Doby exposing himself. Crain, wearing a black and white striped prison uniform, sat quietly at a defense table in the courtroom as the girls testified while Doby, dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit and shackled at the ankles and wrists, sat next her. They did not speak to each other during the hearing and said nothing as they were led from the courthouse by sheriff's deputies. They are each being held on $1 million bond. Crain's attorney, Craig Webb, declined comment, but Doby's attorney, Karen Byars, expressed concern for the young girls. 'If they are able to prove that a crime was committed by my client, I sincerely hope that the press and the DA's office will make a sincere effort to protect these young girls,' Byars said. Smothermon told reporters it was difficult for the girls to testify while Crain and Doby sat nearby at the defense table. 'I was very proud of them,' Smothermon said of the girls. Smothermon said authorities do not know whether the exchange of photographs of the girls was confined to Crain and Doby. | Former McLoud elementary school teacher Kimberly Crain and former professor Gary Doby face life in prison .
Charged with 18 counts of sexual exploitation of a child under 12, one count of conspiracy to commit sexual exploitation and one count of lewd molestation . |
120,474 | 27afcd097a9ddfc97d5b216ddaa9aaef71dba627 | For Atlanta Hawks controlling owner Bruce Levenson, "a light bulb went off." In a 2012 e-mail addressing the troubles the franchise faced in attracting more affluent white season-ticket holders, Levenson said he had taken a look around Philips Arena and noticed a few things. First, the audience was 70% black, he wrote. But that wasn't all. The stadium's bars were 90% black. There were few fathers and sons at the games. The cheerleaders were black. The music played in the arena was hip-hop, and the after-game concerts were either rap or gospel acts. "Then i start looking around at other arenas. It is completely different. Even (Washington) DC with its affluent black community never has more than 15 pct black audience," he wrote. Read the email in its entirety . Now, he's losing his franchise because of the e-mail. Levenson, who serves as managing partner and is the team's representative on the NBA Board of Governors, announced in a statement Sunday that he will sell his controlling stake in the team after an "e-mail two years ago that was inappropriate and offensive." A man answering the phone at his Maryland home told CNN that Levenson was not taking any phone calls. In focusing on low attendance at Hawks games and the need to boost season-ticket sales and corporate sponsors, Levenson said in his statement, he had spoken with executives about diversifying the fan base and including more suburban whites. During those discussions, "I shared my thoughts on why our efforts to bridge Atlanta's racial sports divide seemed to be failing," he wrote. "I trivialized our fans by making cliched assumptions about their interests (i.e. hip hop vs. country, white vs. black cheerleaders, etc.) and by stereotyping their perceptions of one another (i.e. that white fans might be afraid of our black fans)," he said in his statement. "By focusing on race, I also sent the unintentional and hurtful message that our white fans are more valuable than our black fans." 'The black crowd scared away the whites' In his 2012 e-mail to Hawks general manager Danny Ferry, Levenson wrote that before his Atlanta Spirit bought the Hawks in 2003, thousands of tickets were being given away, mostly to the black community, in an effort to make the arena appear less empty. It was a trend that continued for a couple of years after the Atlanta Spirit Group took over, he wrote in a seemingly informal e-mail rife with punctuation errors and misspellings. "My theory is that the black crowd scared away the whites and there are simply not enough affluent black fans to build a signficant season ticket base," he wrote. "i never felt uncomfortable, but i think southern whites simply were not comfortable being in an arena or at a bar where they were in the minority." Levenson derided claims on fan websites that the arena is unsafe or in a bad part of town as "racist garbage," but then suggested an array of changes inside the stadium, all based on race. "I have been open with our executive team about these concerns. I have told them I want some white cheerleaders and while i don't care what the color of the artist is, i want the music to be music familiar to a 40 year old white guy if that's our season tixs demo," he wrote. He continued, "i have also balked when every fan picked out of crowd to shoot shots in some time out contest is black. I have even bitched that the kiss cam is too black." Things had changed since Levenson implemented these suggestions, he wrote, boasting that the crowd was closer to 40% black by 2012, by his admittedly unscientific estimate. That was still four to five times higher than other NBA franchises, he wrote, "and my further guess is that 40 pct still feels like 70 (percent) to some whites at our games. Our bars are still overwhelmingly black." While noting this was a sensitive issue, Levenson went on to declare it "far and way the number one reason our season ticket base is so low. And many of our black fans don't have the spendable income which explains why our (food and beverage) and merchandise sales are so low. At all white thrasher games sales were nearly triple what they are at hawks games." The year before Levenson wrote the controversial email, the Atlanta Spirit Group sold its NHL team, the Atlanta Thrashers, to a Canadian ownership group that moved the team north of the border. It's now called the Winnipeg Jets. Comparisons to Donald Sterling . In his Sunday statement, Levenson said the NBA should have no tolerance for racism, a sentiment he also expressed during a CNN interview earlier this year when he talked about Donald Sterling, the Los Angeles Clippers owner who was caught making racist remarks on tape. Team owners behaving badly . Discussing Sterling's reluctance to sell the team after the scandal broke, Levenson said in May that, as a fellow team owner, he couldn't be partners with someone who holds those types of views. "I think I speak for all of my partners when I say we were all deeply offended. We all quickly spoke out against the words we heard on that tape," Levenson said. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who brought the hammer down on Sterling, called Levenson's 2012 email "entirely unacceptable" and commended Levenson for self-reporting to the league office. Levenson told the league in July about the August 2012 e-mail, and the NBA conducted an investigation, the statement said. "(Levenson) shared with me how truly remorseful he is for using those hurtful words and how apologetic he is to the entire NBA family -- fans, players, team employees, business partners and fellow team owners -- for having diverted attention away from our game," Silver said. The league will work with the Hawks to determine the appropriate sale process for the team, Silver said. Hawks CEO Steve Koonin will oversee team operations, the league said. In closing his statement, Levenson said he was embarrassed by the email and apologized to the team and its fans. "To the Hawks family and its fans, you have my deepest gratitude for the past ten years," Levenson wrote. "Working with this team and its extraordinary executives, coaching staff, and players has been one of the highlights of my life. I am proud of our diverse, passionate, and growing legion of Hawks fans, and I will continue to join you in cheering for the best team in the NBA." According to the Hawks website, Levenson, a former journalist, co-founded United Communications Group, a portfolio of business information companies, and is a founding shareholder and former board member for TechTarget, a technology media company. | "I want some white cheerleaders" and music familiar to whites, Levenson wrote .
He also said "white fans might be afraid of our black fans," owner acknowledges .
NBA chief calls e-mail "entirely unacceptable," commends Levenson self-reporting . |
121,466 | 29002004709534bd749c6689d5d11c89c66add9c | ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistani security forces launched an operation against Taliban militants in the nation's tribal region along the border with Afghanistan on Tuesday, shutting down NATO supply routes, Pakistani military sources said. Containers bearing supplies for US-led forces and NATO in Afghanistan wait in Pakistan in November. Eight people -- two suspected Taliban militants and six civilians -- died in the operation in the Khyber Agency that involved military helicopter gunships, according to Pakistani intelligence sources. The fighting was taking place near the town of Jamrud. The Khyber Pass, a key transit link for NATO and U.S. military supplies from Pakistan to Afghanistan, has been closed as a result of the operation, said Tariq Hayat, Khyber's political agent. He did not know when it would reopen. In a released statement, United States forces in Afghanistan praised Pakistan's incursion. "We are pleased with the operation to clear out insurgent in the areas adjacent to the pass so our supplies can go unhindered. This temporary delay will result in the long-term gains for all that use that passage route. There is no immediate impact in our ability to provide supplies to the troops." NATO and U.S. military supplies are being re-routed, mostly air-lifted, sources tell CNN. The Kyber Pass -- an ancient, three-mile pass which links Pakistan to Afghanistan through the Hindu Kush range -- has traditionally been a vital route for supplies into Afghanistan. Recent hit-and-run attacks have compromised supply convoys, forcing coalition forces to find alternate routes. NATO countries are working on plans with countries in the north -- Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan -- for possible new supply routes. Earlier this month, militants fired rockets at a supply terminal in Peshawar that sits along the route. The attack left two people dead, two others wounded and 12 trucks ablaze. And last month, Pakistani officials suspended travel through the mountain pass, citing security concerns. They reversed their decision a day later. | Pakistan launches operations against Taliban militants in Afghan border region .
Operation closes Khyber Pass, a key transit link for NATO military supplies .
Eight people -- two suspected Taliban militants and six civilians -- killed .
Operation follows attacks against convoys, supply bases in region . |
171,303 | 69b7a882a6e5d6d7fd52b5db5b66dd2d0071c4cb | India's stand-in test captain Virat Kohli scored 66 and Murali Vijay added 60 as the tourists played out a draw in the two-day match against a Cricket Australia Chairman's XI that concluded on Friday. The match was organized on short notice to give the Indian players some much-needed match practice ahead of the first test against Australia which begins Tuesday at the Adelaide Oval. The four-test series had initially been due to begin in Brisbane this week but had been rescheduled following the death of Australia batsman Phillip Hughes. Indian captain Virat Kohli scored 66 before retiring in India's tour match against a Cricket Australia XI . Rohit Sharma scored 48 before being run out as India scored 375 in their innings in Adelaide . Ishant Sharma picked up two wickets late on day two as India reduced their opponents to 83-5 . Playing at the Glenelg Oval in suburban Adelaide, the Australian team batted first and scored 243 while India replied with 375 in its first innings. The Chairman's XI was 83-5 in its second innings at stumps Friday. Vijay and Kohli, who both retired to give other batsmen time in the crease, shared a 123-run stand, steadying India's innings after the visitors were 36-2 late on the opening day. Vijay took one bouncer on the body that flicked up and hit the helmet, but composed himself quickly. Hughes died last Thursday, two days after being hit in the head from a short-pitched delivery during a domestic first-class match at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Shikhar Dhawan signs autographs for supporters in attendance at the Gliderol Stadium . India's tour match against a Cricket Australia XI was their only warm-up contest before the first Test . The Indian team looking relaxed on the team balcony during the second day of their tour match . | India scored 375 in their tour match against a Cricket Australia XI .
Virat Kohli scores 66 and Murali Vijay adds 60 in strong batting display .
Cricket Australia ended match on 83 for five in their second innings .
First Test against Australia at Adelaide Oval begins on Tuesday .
Australia trained in Adelaide for first time since Phillip Hughes funeral . |
214,758 | a20a3957c067c8eee29f941a65cdb6241c193ea5 | (CNN) -- Nina Davuluri changed the face of the American girl next door after she became the first Miss America of Indian descent. Her historic win introduced Bollywood dance into the talent portion of the contest that, up until 60 years ago, required contestants to be in "good health and of the white race." But not everyone appreciated the history she was making. Negative responses on social media made headlines after her win. Davuluri says she expected some of that reaction. After all, she faced that when she won Miss New York, too. "[F]or every negative comment or post or tweet that I received, I received hundreds and thousands of words of encouragement and support," said Davuluri, a graduate of the University of Michigan. "And that's still very true, even in my interactions in this past month on the road with various people, just so many positive, positive remarks." Growing up in a predominantly white Midwest town, she had become accustomed to answering questions about arranged marriages, cow worship and the meaning of "red dots on foreheads." "I was raised in a very Indian household," she said. "And so for my parents it was really difficult for them to assimilate with the American culture. And that's what I encourage -- assimilation has to happen from both sides, it can't be one-sided." Opinion: Miss America, Julie Chen and the beauty of choice . She has learned that lesson in her personal life, like when she introduced her traditional parents, whose marriage was arranged, to the boyfriend she had been dating for more than a year. "I mean, I'm 24 years old. I'm a grown woman," she said. "It came down to the point where I said you can either accept this and be a part of it and ... take the opportunity to get to know him, or we can just pretend that it's not happening. The choice is yours." She says she is proud of how her own parents have adapted. Now she logs 20,000 airline miles per month traveling around the country sharing her platform on how to celebrate diversity through cultural competency by asking questions and learning about other cultures, and also to promote awareness of STEM education. In this edited conversation, she took some time to speak with CNN about why medical school seemed less risky than competing for Miss America, and how she was challenged to live her platform in her own household. CNN: The programs you've worked with have focused on children in kindergarten through junior high about to address diversity through cultural competency. Is all hope lost for adults? What have you found, particularly in the aftermath of the negative reaction to your being crowned, is the best way to address the topic with adults? Davuluri: I certainly hope that not all hope is lost, and I don't think it is, because my parents are a living example of that. One of the hardest things that I experienced was really living the platform in my own home. And I say that because, my parents -- you know -- I come from a very Indian household, and the reality of the situation is that you simply cannot raise your children in America and expect them to be 100% Indian. That's not possible. And it shouldn't have to be, because we're so influenced by our peers and our community and people around us. Personally, my parents had an arranged marriage. And so, the idea of dating is difficult for any parent, but especially more so for mine, because they never experienced it themselves. I've been dating a gentleman for a little while ... and it wasn't until I had been seeing him for a year-and-a-half that I didn't even tell my parents! And I really, really wish that I'd opened that conversation sooner than I did, because it really made -- I mean, it sounds really cheesy, but it really made us have a stronger relationship. I'm not saying that it was any walk in the park, because it was a very difficult conversation to have. But at the end of the day, your parents want you to be happy. And so I'm really thankful that I did it, but it's still a constant struggle in my own home as well. CNN: When you say constant struggle, how did that manifest? Was there a "rule" to not date, or was there just an expectation? Davuluri: It was just an expectation. We'd never talked about it ... For me, med school was almost the easy path, I suppose. It was expected. It was something that was expected of me. I was just supposed to do it. But becoming Miss America, entering this organization, was something that gave me a sense of validity that I had never had, because it was solely my own, and I put my own name on it. And I'm really proud to say that it's OK to not fit the mold, or break the stereotype or whatever it is, and stick to your gut. CNN: What do you think was difficult about it for your parents? Davuluri: I think it was more of the fact that in my parents' mind, well, first you have to go to school, and then you have to go to med school and then you get married. And in my mind, I'm like, well Prince Charming doesn't just show up on my doorstep whenever I'm ready to meet him! CNN: So would you consider your boyfriend Prince Charming? Davuluri, laughing: Well, I didn't go that far. He's a great guy. CNN: In the South Asian community, there was pride about your win. There was also discussion about the notion that due to your skin tone, it's unlikely you would win a beauty contest in India. How do you respond to that? Was that something you heard? Davuluri: I totally get it. When I was little it was always, "Don't go out into the sun, cause you're going to get too dark." I'd go to India on average every year growing up and (some of my family) would say, "Oh, you'd be so much more beautiful if you were fair" or lighter. So I get it from that standpoint. But I also experienced both sides of it, because when I was in school, ... everyone was like, "Oh my goodness, you have such beautiful skin, you're so tan, you're so beautiful." So, it's just the idea of wanting what we can't have. Just these standards of beauty that society says that they should be or thinks that they should be. I guess another silver lining is that these little girls in India can see (you don't only have to be fair-skinned) to be beautiful. I hope that that can be some sort of symbol in that sense. CNN: How do you define beauty? Davuluri: Is it cheesy if I say from the inside? It is so true and I think that the biggest thing for me, being in this role is, regardless of the physical beauty, is that I want it to come from the inside. When I meet someone, I want it to be that genuine, interested person and having a genuine conversation. ... A smile goes a long way and being interested in that person you're speaking with is what true beauty is. And just showing that you care about someone is what I hope to accomplish this year. | Nina Davuluri is the first Miss America winner of Indian descent .
Davuluri ran on a platform of "celebrating diversity through cultural competency"
It was a challenge to live her platform at home, she says .
Davuluri: "Assimilation has to happen from both sides, it can't be one-sided." |
261,796 | df0fcac0f3772a0b3190852b9331b628604806ff | (CNN) -- Alligators can dance. They and their relatives -- crocodiles, caimans and gharials -- can also sing, much like birds do, although most of them sound more like diesel engines or chainsaws being started. Some crocodilians, the order that includes all of these animals, can even put small sticks on their snouts to lure egrets looking for nest building material. In the eight years I've been studying crocodilians, my research has taken me to 26 countries on five continents. I enjoy both the animals and the travel, studying the difficult-to-observe aspects of the life of well-known creatures and exploring the remotest corners of the world in search of more enigmatic species. Crocs hunt with sticks, Dinets and other researchers say . Here are a few of the best spots to see rare animals in the wild. Some are very easy to visit, while others would require a certain adjustment if you have Western standards of safety, personal comfort and hygiene. Everglades National Park, Florida . Have you ever seen an alligator dance? Millions of people visit this national park to see alligators and crocodiles, but some secrets of these animals weren't known until just recently. In my first week of research for my PhD in 2005, I discovered "alligator dances," nighttime courtship gatherings of up to a hundred gators. I call them "dances" because they remind me of village dance parties, where people come alone or with their partners to communicate, flirt, shake their booties, show off, pair up and sometimes fight. Where to go: These dances can be often seen late at night in late April. Just walk to the end of the park's Anhinga Trail boardwalk with a flashlight. 10 places that can change your child's life . Monterey Bay Peninsula, California . The Monterey Bay area, which includes the city of Monterey and other small towns on California's Central Coast, is the best place to see marine mammals outside the Antarctic. You can see elephant seals, harbor seals, sea lions, whales, dolphins, porpoises, sea otters and more -- over 20 species of marine mammals if you are lucky. The ocean is calm in August and September, and huge herds of whales move in to feast on krill. Where to go: In the city of Monterey, you can walk to the ocean to look at sea otters, harbor seals and sea lions. You can also take a whale watching tour to look at gray whales (in winter and spring), blue whales and humpbacks (in summer and fall), and with some luck, killer whales, dolphins, porpoises and whatever else comes by. Go to Año Nuevo State Park to see elephant seals and Point Lobos State Park for more seals and sea otters. Eastern Quebec, Canada . This is a stunning part of the continent, where I've dived with giant Greenland sharks, petted a seal pup, paddled around a colossal meteor crater and watched a huge gannet colony at arm's length. July and August are good for diving and birding, November is good for aurora spotting, and seal pups appear in March. Where to go: The best places to visit are Ile Bonaventure, with the largest gannet colony in North America and good summer seal- and whale-watching; Iles de la Madeleine, where you can take a helicopter tour to see harp and hooded seal pups in March; Baie Comeau for diving, and the road to Goose Bay for Arctic scenery, wildlife and the Manicouagan Crater. Ranch Karanambu, Guyana . This is my favorite corner of the Amazon, where I studied caimans in 2007, and it's beautifully preserved. It has miles upon miles of Victoria regia water lily-covered lakes, pristine forests, tranquil rivers and lush savannahs. Where to go: Karanambu Lodge is a private reserve with almost no hunting, so monkeys, birds, giant otters, anteaters and other wildlife are tame and easy to watch. 10 ultimate adventures around the United States . Etosha National Park, Namibia . Etosha is my favorite place in Africa to see wildlife. It's especially good if you have kids because it's easily accessible; the camps are very comfortable and safe; there's a big store with all kinds of supplies and the animals are always present in huge numbers. Where to go: In August and September you can sit on a bench facing a watering hole, and watch countless herds of antelopes, zebras, elephants, giraffes and other animals walk in from the desert. It's a better wildlife spectacle than the more popular Serengeti migration. Masoala Peninsula, Madagascar . Madagascar has so much biodiversity that biologists think of it as a small continent rather than a big island. Masoala has the largest remaining lowland rainforest there, still relatively pristine and containing a lot of yet undescribed plants and animals, as well as the most beautiful lemurs, the weirdest geckos and chameleons the size of a match. Where to go: Visit Masoala National Park, where you can arrange a variety of hikes, walking tours or overnight camping trips. Chukchi Peninsula, Russia . Chukotka is one of my favorite places to watch animals in Russia. The remotest and most fascinating part of Siberia, I explored it as a student during summer breaks, then led bird-watching tours there. Where to go: The gateway to the peninsula is the city of Anadyr, where you can snorkel with beluga whales and see lots of rare birds just outside the airport. There is almost no infrastructure, but if you manage to get away from populated areas, it's wonderful. 6 places where cats outshine tourist attractions . Karakoram Highway, China/Pakistan . The world's most scenic road, Karakoram Highway crosses an area of stunning cultural diversity. It is not always safe to visit, but whenever it's safe, it's a great adventure. I explored the Chinese side in 1993 during a four-month hitchhiking trip around China and visited the Pakistani part in 2004 to look for the woolly flying squirrel, the largest and rarest squirrel in the world. I eventually found it one magical winter night in the snow-covered forests of Nanga Parbat, the westernmost Himalayan peak. Where to go (if you dare): This isn't always a safe trip. From the Pakistani part of the road, I like to travel to Nanga Parbat Base Camp; to ancient castles of Hunza Valley; or up one of the numerous glaciers that terminate near the highway. In China, the area between Muztagata and Kungur Peaks has several lakes with splendid views of both peaks, and a camp where you can stay in a Kyrgyz yurt. The border crossing area is a nature reserve with lots of ibex, giant Marco Polo sheep and snow leopards. The Chinese side of the nature reserve is Taxkorgan Nature Reserve. The Pakistani side is Khunjerab National Park. Afar Desert, Ethiopia . Perhaps the world's hottest desert, Afar is also difficult and dangerous for travelers. Afar is also known as the place where the Earth's crust is breaking as Africa is slowly drifting away from Asia. I made a side trip there while crisscrossing Ethiopia in search of crocodile study sites. Where to go (if you dare): It has a boiling lava lake in the crater of Erta Ale Volcano, the world's weirdest hot springs at Dallol Volcano and beautiful waterfalls hidden in remote canyons. Looking for these watering holes in a roadless desert is a fun game of treasure hunt, but you can die if you fail. Plan accordingly. Democratic Republic of Congo . Africa's most biologically diverse country, it's full of mysterious wildlife such as bonobos, okapis, African peacocks and hero shrews. Large animals keep being discovered there, but some, such as the aquatic genet, have never been observed in the wild. I've been at the edges of this fascinating realm, and hope to explore it thoroughly someday. Where to go (if you dare): Virunga National Park has a boiling lava lake and both lowland and mountain gorillas. Ituri Forest has okapis and other rarities and Itombwe Mountains has lots of unique plants and animals. But keep in mind the violent political conflict in the Congo makes it a difficult place to visit for tourists. 10 things to know before visiting Democratic Republic of Congo . | Alligator dances consist of nighttime courtship gatherings of up to a hundred gators .
Eastern Quebec is the place to dive with Greenland sharks .
Search hard to find the largest and rarest squirrel in the world in Pakistan . |
217,336 | a55dbe91b1525c24d68074cec0e728f92b6be306 | By . Charlie Scott . Follow @@charliefscott . Monaco have ruled out signing former Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes after he failed a medical with the French club on Wednesday. The Spain international left the Nou Camp last week, 12 years after making his debut for the Catalan giants, and had looked set for a move to Ligue 1. But the transfer was put in doubt towards the end of last season after the 32-year-old damaged his cruciate ligament during a routine win over Celta Vigo in March. It's all over: The goalkeeper ended a 19-year association with Barcelona at the end of last season . And at a press conference on Thursday, Monaco’s vice-president Vadim Vasilyev confirmed the move is off. ‘Victor Valdes is injured and won’t join us,’ he told reporters. Vasilyev went on to reiterate the club’s belief in the ability of current first-choice goalkeeper Danijel Subasic. ‘Danijel has all the qualities to keep his place next season. He had a very good season and the coach believes in him.’ Almost there: Victor Valdes was pictured with a Monaco supporter in the principality on Wednesday . Valdes had travelled to Monaco in a bid to prove his fitness on Wednesday, with one supporter of the principalilty club tweeting a picture with the Spaniard. Leonardo Jardim - appointed after the sacking of Claudio Ranieri - will lead Monaco into the Champions League next season. The former Sporting Lisbon coach abandoned plans to sign Valdes, despite the pre-contract agreement made between player and club in January. Monaco's decision will alert a number of clubs in Europe, who will no doubt consider a move for a goalkeeper that has played at the highest level with Barcelona for nearly a decade. He's out of there! Ranieri was sacked by Monaco despite achieving Champions League qualification . The club released a statement on their website confirming that Eric Abidal and Ricardo Carvalho had agreed one-year extensions to their current deals. Abidal and Carvalho are now tied to Monaco until June 2015. | Spain international had signed a pre-contract agreement in January .
But new boss Leonardo Jardim did have reservations about his fitness after he suffered a serious knee injury in March . |
87,902 | f9694b1edbd327d3004621cb38134bc63d22bce1 | A German nurse on trial suspected of murdering 150 patients in his care told police after he was arrested: 'I got bored.' Nils. H., 38, is being tried for just three specimen murders by injecting patients with a dangerous medicine. Some of his alleged victims were on the mend, others seriously ill. Prosecutors in the district court of Oldenburg said he was bored and wanted to practice his 'excellent' resuscitation skills. Nils. H. (pictured left concealing his face as he arrives for his trial) is being tried for just three specimen murders by injecting patients with a dangerous medicine . According to the prosecution, if the first attempt at resuscitation was a success, H. would sometimes make a second attempt. H., whose full name is withheld under German privacy laws, used Gilurytmal, a medication which should only be used by doctors under strict supervision, it was said. Side effects include an irregular heartbeat, a drop in blood pressure and uncoordinated functioning of the heart muscle. Though H. is facing charges in three murders and two attempted murders, the state prosecutor has said he could be involved in more than 150 deaths. In cooperation with the police, the state prosecutor is currently investigating the deaths of 174 patients who died during H.'s shifts from 2003 to 2005 at a clinic in Delmenhorst, near Bremen. Prosecutors in the district court of Oldenburg said Nils. H. (pictured) was bored and wanted to practice his 'excellent' resuscitation skills . The investigators will also look into deaths at H.'s previous jobs in Oldenburg and Wilhelmshaven and dozens of bodies will have to be exhumed. In 2008, Nils H. was previously sentenced to seven-and-a-half years for the attempted murder of another patient. He gave his patient an overdose of heart medication, though the man narrowly escaped death. The death rate in the Delmenhorst clinic nearly doubled in the time H. worked there, and use of the heart medication also increased dramatically. But it took nearly a decade before an investigation was launched, angering relatives of the dead who are demanding information. Though H. is facing charges in three murders and two attempted murders, the state prosecutor has said he could be involved in more than 150 deaths . A senior doctor who gave evidence in September said H. was a 'passionate medic' who made a good impression on staff at the clinic. But the doctor added: 'I found it strange that he was always on hand when patients were being resuscitated, often helping younger doctors with intubation - inserting a breathing tube into a patient's airways.' 'No one wants to believe that a colleague would rather kill patients, instead of helping them,' said Erich Joester, a lawyer for the clinic. He said that the increased death rate had been attributed to a number of causes rather than a rogue individual. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | German nurse Nils. H. is being tried for three specimen counts of murder .
The 38-year-old's full name has been withheld under German privacy laws .
He stands accused of injecting patients with a dangerous medicine .
State prosecutor has said he could be involved in more than 150 deaths .
Some of the alleged victims were recovering while others were seriously ill .
Prosecutors said he was bored and wanted to practice his 'excellent' resuscitation skills . |
216,404 | a427dc037d5b0e79983e3bbc31e6c1eed0df9289 | By . Simon Peach, Press Association . Erik Lamela showed a glimpse of his undoubted quality by inspiring Tottenham to an unlikely comeback victory against AEL Limassol - a performance manager Mauricio Pochettino is confident the club-record signing will start producing with increasing regularity. Many had written off the 22-year-old after an injury-disrupted first season at Spurs in which he managed a measly three league starts. Quality: Erik Lamela skips away from Samba Dialo of Limassol after coming on and changing the game . Delight: Lamela celebrates the first goal with scorer Soldado after providing the assist . It was miserable start to life at White Hart Lane for the man billed as Gareth Bale's heir, but there are at last signs that the Argentinian could fulfil his potential with the north Londoners. After a decent display in the season-opening win at West Ham, Pochettino threw Lamela on after 72 minutes in Cyprus with his side losing to an early Adrian Sardinero goal in the first leg of their Europa League play-off. It proved an inspired alteration as within six minutes of his introduction not only had he provided the assist for Roberto Soldado's exquisite first-time leveller but he went on to set-up Harry Kane to secure an unlikely 2-1 win. 'It is never easy in the first season for a player from another country,' Pochettino said of his compatriot. 'It is true that it was difficult for him. Improvement: After a difficult first season Lamela is beginning to show flashes of his top-class talent . 'He was injured, too, and we are confident with him that with time and hard work, like he has done in pre-season, that he can go far. 'He was very disappointed about last season but the past is the past. 'We need him to look forward, believe in his skill and condition and work very, very hard. With confidence and time he will show his value. 'You always nominate players on the bench who can have an impact and all three subs had an impact on the game.' Taking the lead: English striker Kane celebrates putting his side ahead ten minutes from time . Lamela twice came close to capping his impressive display with a goal in the closing stages and is in line to start Sunday's match with QPR. It is a match in which Spurs will need a much improved performance to secure a positive result, with Pochettino suggesting complacency may have inadvertently slipped in at the Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium. 'I think it was a very tough game a difficult game, a hard game because he conditions were difficult and the weather was difficult,' he said, referring to the bobbly, cut-up pitch and temperatures in the 30s. Pointing the way: Spurs goalscorers Soldado and Kane celebrate the first of their two goals in Limassol . 'I'm happy with the performance. In the end 2-1 for us is an important result for us. 'It is true that in the first half we started to make mistakes, but in general, I am happy and looking forward to the next game, on Sunday. 'We created two or three chances in the first seven minutes. I think it's true that we believed that it would be an easy game, but we knew when we watched their game against Zenit, Limassol won the game won 1-0, that they have a very good team. 'In the second half we started the game, I think we restarted the game in the second half and I'm very satisfied after the game.' | Manager Mauricio Pochettino praises Argentine midfielder for impact .
Lamela set up both goals in Spurs' victory having been introduced with his side a goal down .
Pochettino says that player has now adapted to life in England after disappointing first season . |
128,185 | 31ab6cef08ec861f4a61f3b058973106590c1a73 | By . Nick Enoch . PUBLISHED: . 13:07 EST, 9 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:59 EST, 9 December 2013 . Andre Smith (pictured), 25, attacked Rachel Kane, 25, at her home in Kidderminster, Worcs, with such ferocity that he broke two knives during the assault . A jilted lover who stabbed his ex-girlfriend six times in the stomach while she was heavily pregnant has been jailed today for 15 years. Andre Smith, 25, attacked Rachel Kane, also 25, at her home in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, with such ferocity that he broke two knives during the assault. Ms Kane, who was seven months pregnant, suffered lacerations to her uterus and liver and a perforated bowel during the attack. She was taken into intensive care where she went into labour, despite efforts by doctors to halt the premature birth. Not only did Ms Kane survive the assault but she also gave birth to a healthy daughter, who was born three months early. Worcester Crown Court heard Smith went to Ms Kane’s home at around 11pm on July 28, armed with a plasterer’s knife. He forced his way in and attacked her in front of her other child in the hall before dragging her into the kitchen where he stabbed her with a second knife. Smith fled the scene but was arrested in nearby Hagley a short time later after phoning the police to turn himself in. The court heard Smith, from Great Barr, Birmingham, had targeted Ms Kane four years after the pair split up. At the time of the attack, she had been on the phone to her new partner - who dialled 999 after he heard her screams. Judge Robert Juckes jailed Smith for 15 years after he pleaded guilty to attempted murder. He ordered Smith to serve at least ten years before he is considered for parole. A second charge of attempted child destruction was ordered to lie on file. Ms Kane, who was seven months pregnant, suffered lacerations to her uterus and liver and a perforated bowel during the attack. Not only did Ms Kane survive the assault but she also gave birth to a healthy daughter, who was born three months early. (Posed by model) Speaking after the verdict, DI David Williams of West Mercia Police welcomed the sentence and branded Smith ‘dangerous’. He said: 'Smith is clearly a very dangerous individual who attacked his former partner with the clear intention to kill the unborn child she was having with a new partner. 'The majority of stab wounds were to her abdomen and it is only the swift reaction of neighbours and her partner, and the prompt medical attention she received, that saved her life and that of her baby. 'Although the child was born a week later and was very premature, it has thankfully pulled through. 'This was a horrific case but the police officers on duty that night and in the following days displayed excellent teamwork and dedication in carrying out a speedy arrest and gathering enough evidence to ensure Smith could be kept in custody. 'The lengthy jail sentence handed down by the court reflects severity of the attack and we hope it brings some comfort to the victim and her family.' | Andre Smith, 25, attacked Rachel Kane, .
25, who was seven months pregnant, at her home in Kidderminster, Worcs .
Smith targeted her four years after they split up .
He used such ferocity .
that he broke two knives during the brutal assault .
Smith was jailed today for 15 years after pleading guilty to attempted murder . |
126,585 | 2f9f59024bc0bc36499be913786b317705aa2057 | (CNN) -- A controversial ranking of U.S. cities' crime rates indicates New Orleans, Louisiana, has the worst crime rate, while a New York exurb has the lowest. A New Orleans resident talks to police after returning home to find his house had been looted in September. The CQ Press "City Crime Rankings" list named New Orleans its most crime-ridden city based on a reported 19,000-plus incidences of six major crimes -- including 209 murder cases -- in 2007. The Gulf Coast city of about 250,000, still grappling with the aftermath of 2005's Hurricane Katrina, was followed in the rankings by Camden, New Jersey; Detroit, Michigan; St. Louis, Missouri; and Oakland, California. The lowest crime rate was reported in Ramapo, New York, about 40 miles northwest of New York City, with only 688 total crimes and no reported killings in a city of about 113,000. It was followed by Mission Viejo, California, south of Los Angeles; O'Fallon, Missouri, outside St. Louis; Newton, Massachusetts, west of Boston; and Brick Township, on the New Jersey coast. Previous editions have been criticized by criminologists and the U.S. Conference of Mayors as a misreading of federal crime statistics. The FBI, which compiles its own Uniform Crime Report statistics, warns that ranking cities against each other can produce "simplistic and/or incomplete analyses," and the American Society of Criminology called last year's CQ report "an irresponsible misuse of the data." The study's publishers said they dropped previous characterizations of "safest" and "most dangerous" from this year's study, calling those qualities "perceptions of the individuals who live in these communities." But they defended the comparisons as a valuable tool for researchers and the public. "The book provides the means by which individuals can compare local communities to other similar communities based on comparison to the national level of reported crime as well as crime rates per 100,000 of individual types of reported crime, violent and property crime categories, and overall," the company says in a statement accompanying the data. The CQ report rated 397 cities larger than 75,000 and 356 metropolitan areas, some of which ranked very differently from their core cities alone. The New Orleans area was third on the metropolitan-areas list, behind Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and Memphis, Tennessee. Camden, the second-worst city on the cities list, ranked 219th among metro areas. Among metro areas, Logan, Utah, north of Salt Lake City, had the lowest crime rate, followed by State College, Pennsylvania, and Ithaca, New York, the report said.. The data is drawn from FBI statistics on murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, theft and motor vehicle theft. | New Orleans had 209 murders in 2007, according to CQ Press .
New Orleans followed by Camden, New Jersey; Detroit; St. Louis; Oakland, California .
FBI warns that ranking cities against each other can be "simplistic" |
21,751 | 3dd1e7e7f95883f3240db265499662c863bb29e3 | ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- For 8-year-old Ryan Mohar, an elevator isn't just an elevator. He spends hours pressing the buttons and riding up and down, preferring this to the slew of alternatives that his teachers offer -- even candy. Ryan Mohar, who has autism, gets treated with ABA approaches at the Marcus Autism Center. Ryan is one of many American children with autism, a neurological disorder characterized by repetitive behaviors or limited interests, and difficulties with communication and social interactions. At the Marcus Autism Center in Atlanta, Georgia, Ryan and other children with communication and behavior difficulties get help through a rigorous empirical method called Applied Behavior Analysis. "Decades of research has shown that that is the treatment of choice, and results in the best gains in terms of skill acquisition and behavior problem reduction for kids with autism and other developmental disabilities," said Alice Shillingsburg, program coordinator of the center's Language and Learning Clinic. The effectiveness and nature of ABA is particularly relevant as many parents fight for insurance companies to cover it and other autism treatments. The organization Autism Speaks has endorsed bills in 25 states that would require private health insurance policies to cover the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders for anyone under the age of 21. The legislation would specifically be targeted at ABA and other structured autism therapies. Only eight states have autism insurance reform, according to Autism Speaks. While ABA encompasses a broad range of practices of studying and changing behavior, the one usually associated with autism is called discrete trial instruction. A trial consists of a cue, the opportunity to respond and a reward. Watch therapists using applied behavior analysis on Ryan » . For example, a therapist might try to teach a child who likes sweets to request candy. The trial gets repeated over and over so that the child learns that candy comes only as a result of the request. The clinicians at Marcus Autism Center carefully record how many trials the child successfully completes. Learn more about autism » . "If suddenly they can emit some vocal response, and suddenly when they do that, candy appears -- someone delivers candy to them -- that's a very powerful response for that child," said Nathan Call, director of Behavior Treatment Clinics at the Marcus Autism Center. Analysts examine progress based on such data at least once a day -- sometimes five or six times a day -- and will change the treatment plan if necessary. In Ryan's case, a trial begins when his clinical specialist takes him near the elevator and asks him to hand over a card -- his way of requesting access to the elevator. If Ryan gives the card, he gets to go to the elevator, and that is the end of one trial. If he does not, his helpers walk him away, and a new trial begins. Experts working with Ryan hope that teaching him to ask for the things he enjoys -- elevator rides, elevator buttons -- will help him stop running away, which he does even at home. In fact, Ryan wears a GPS-equipped ankle bracelet so that police can track him if he gets far from home. ABA is very effective, but the term "cure" is inaccurate, experts said. Autism describes a broad range of characteristics, not an underlying cause, Call said. ABA techniques can produce significant behavior changes, however. "The goal is not necessarily for the child to have hit all of their developmental milestones, necessarily, but rather it's hopefully to get them to a point where they're able to take advantage of a more typical or less restrictive educational environment," he said. Studies have shown that 60 percent of high-functioning children can lose their diagnosis of autism by age 8 by using ABA, according to the Kennedy Krieger Institute, a leading center in autism research and treatment in Baltimore, Maryland. Not everyone is so enthusiastic about ABA, however. Dr. Max Wiznitzer, associate professor of pediatric neurology at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, cautions that the treatment should fit the child, and ABA may not work as well for some children as other types of therapy. An alternative approach is play-based therapy, whereby the therapist takes cues from the child rather than the other way around. For example, if a child is bouncing a ball, the therapist would take that as an opportunity to encourage the child to bounce the ball back to him or her, Wiznitzer said. One of the pioneers of ABA is Ivar Lovaas, a child psychologist who in the 1960s began investigating how to help children who injured themselves. His research showed that components of ABA could reduce these behaviors. The therapy has evolved since then, however. In the beginning, the approach to ABA was more dogmatic and "cookie-cutter," Wiznitzer said. A child who cooperated got a reward, but a child who did not cooperate got a punishment such as yelling or a squirt of water. "ABA in a classic sense is a very restricted, very limited program that has issues with the ability to generalize the learned skill outside of the ABA environment," he said. A family once told him that their child showed great restaurant manners -- but only in the basement, he said. Today, many analysts who use ABA as a guide go more with the flow of the needs of the child, he said. ABA isn't just for children with autism -- the methods have been used for people of all ages, with and without disabilities. Staff members at Marcus Autism Center try to help children use the skills they learn outside of the artificial environment of the classroom. "They're doing research here on finding the best way to create those moments where the child really needs information in order to complete a preferred task or to gain access to a preferred activity or a preferred outcome," Call said. Another criticism of ABA is that children become mechanical because they learn to have only one specific response for a given prompt in real life. Call's response is that variability is just another behavior that can be taught, but noted that there are trade-offs. Parents have input in the decision to focus more on teaching a lot of different skills, rather than to teach several responses in any one situation. "Oftentimes, the goal is to focus more on giving as many functional skills as possible to that child, so they can have as fulfilling a life as they can," Call said. ABA is extremely costly, however. For the behavior clinics, therapy sessions at Marcus Autism Center begin at $60 per hour, and go higher in price depending on the expert who is providing the treatment -- a session with someone with a master's or doctorate may cost more. A person with autism costs society about $3.2 million over the course of his or her lifetime, according to a 2007 study in the journal Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. Direct medical costs for the first five years are, on average, about $35,000, the study said. For children from non-English-speaking families, two staff members at Marcus Autism Center speak Spanish, and an outside translator can be brought in if necessary for other languages, said Chris Tullis, a clinical specialist. But the Association for Behavior Analysis International told CNN that it does not have any "board-certified therapists" in Atlanta who report speaking Spanish. As for Ryan, after only about two weeks at Marcus Autism Center, his screaming has come down from more than 200 times an hour to about 38, Call said. "It looks promising, but we've got 10 more weeks to actually find out what's really going to work the best with Ryan," Tullis said. | Applied behavior analysis is a rigorous empirical method to teach behaviors .
Autism Speaks has endorsed bills in 25 states to make insurance cover ABA .
Research: 60 percent of high-functioning kids can lose autism diagnosis with ABA .
Five-year medical costs for children with autism, on average, about $35,000 . |
73,100 | cf4bd1781530fca8d14d726f47c45ad2d64c2d92 | By . Mia De Graaf . PUBLISHED: . 09:36 EST, 5 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 05:33 EST, 6 November 2013 . Race days across the world are renowned for being glamorous occasions that offer a chance to dress up to the nines... but there are always a few people who don't get the memo. And so it was at this year's Melbourne Cup, where one or two racegoers were perhaps a bit too keen to let their hair down and flash the flesh. Around 110,000 people were dressed to impress - and up for a drink. Scroll down for video . Big day out: Racegoers rest on the steps at the end of Melbourne Cup Day at Flemington Racecourse . Occassion: This merrymaker sings as she clutches a bottle in one pink-and-green-nailed hand, heels in the other . Fashion parade: One lady bares all in a skin-tight gold dress; another shows off her tattoos in a backless dress . Conked out: A racegoer relaxes on the floor amidst the celebrations by two men standing with champagne . In time-honoured fashion, the racegoers at Flemington became gradually more dishelleved, skulling champagne as they cheered their horses through the two-mile contest. British racing events have long had a reputation for getting a bit messy as the day develops, but the hedonistic Melbourne crowds showed the UK that they can party just as hard. Both winners and losers made the most of the hospitality on offer and caused havoc around the racecourse. Embrace: A couple clutch each other and their drinks towards the end of the event . Happiness: One of the 110,000-strong crowd lies back and beams at the sun amidst plastic cups on the lawn . Pride: A poem was broadcast about the race that says 'We Aussies are a funny lot, the things we hold so dear - like Rosewell, Hoad, The Opera House... A glass of Fosters beer' Funky chicken: In fascinators and formal dresses, these women display their party moves for the thousands . Debauched: Two friends covered in cake jump on top of each other in time-honoured tradition . Before long, women were kicking their elegant heels off and donning silly hats, can of Fosters in hand. Others were seen being carried half-conscious. While some dance the limbo, one . lady can be seen crawling onto the floor, while another wraps herself . around her date passionately in the middle of the worn and torn field. And in a bid to win one of the fashion prizes awarded to men and women, the attendees doll themselves up in glitter, bright colours, low-cut dresses, and elaborate high heels. Fashion has long been a central focus of the event - the mini skirt has one of its first major platforms at the cup's Derby Day in 1965 when Jean Shrimpton attended and debuted her invention. Party: These pictures wouldn't be out of place in a festival album - save the formalwear . Holding on: This group hold onto each other as they decide on their route out of the rubbish-strewn arena . Going...: One reveller crawls over to the ground with her sunglasses falling off her face . Going...: She topples but offers a grin in the spirit of the occassion, the highlight of Melbourne's spring carnival . Gone...: She drops her face to the ground kicking her bare feet in the air with glee at the end of a long day . Flying high: She's back up again to celebrate (left), while one bet winner (right) leaps into his friends arms . Time out: One man gathers the strength to go on partying in a mid-race time out . It is a far cry from the scenes in . West Berkshire, where even a hint of dresses creeping over the knee has . you barred from the event entirely. This year the Damien Oliver took the title racing Australian-trained Fiorente. It meant two British-trained horses - Red Cadeaux and Mount Athos - were pushed into second and third place. Glitz and glamour: Hems graze bottoms in the racecourse fashion trend worlds away from England's . Far cry from Ascot: People in Berkshire have a strict dress code but in Australia they embrace fancy dress . Dramatic: Women come clad in elaborate gold, spiky high heels in a bid to win the fashion prize . Pink ladies: These women themed their day as they arrive in matching wigs and glasses for the event . Ecstatic: Two people throw bottles, jump and scream as they enjoy the party atmosphere . Mess: At the end, the public lawn is strewn with litter, people and birds looking for leftover food and drink . The Melbourne Cup is one of the richest flat races in the world with a total prize money pot of around £4 million. Branded as the race that stops a nation, it has attracted riders, owners and horses from across the globe for decades. It started in 1861, won by a horse named Archer. In 1877, the day was made a public holiday for Australia and New Zealand. Carnival: The attendees limbo during the annual event, branded as 'the race that stops a nation' Time of their lives: This woman grins as she inches towards the limbo pole with a champagne glass in her hand . Queens carriage: One stiletto-clad lady gets some help making her way across the grass from two men . Playing around: One girl squeals as a group of lads lift her up in a thigh-grazing, skin-tight dress . In 1986, an Australian radio programme broadcast a poem, The Race That Stops A Nation, which celebrated the debauched affair. It says: 'We Aussies are a funny lot, the things we hold so dear - like Rosewall, Hoad, the Opera House, a glass of Fosters beer.' Last year, the trophy was presented by the Duchess of Cornwall, who said it was a 'treat' for her and the Prince of Wales to sit in the stands and watch some of the world’s best jockeys compete. Winner: Damien Oliver holds up the cup after coming first riding his Australian-trained horse, Fiorente . The race: Photographers gather from around the world for the race, which is an annual highlight for the sport . Camilla clearly enjoyed her day at the races during her first visit to Australia and even had a flutter on one of the favourites, Mount Athos, according to Ms Elliott. She met the horse’s British rider Ryan Moore, a three-times champion jockey, in the weighing room and also in the field was Frankie Dettori who rode Cavalryman. | The annual Flemington Racecourse event has been running since 1861 .
Debauched revellers compete for fashion prizes wearing fancy dress .
Damien Oliver won with Fiorente beating two British-trained horses . |
145,796 | 4884ac89f4a536ab87bfd1cdcc46279336cd26ad | Google is under pressure to change its translation tool after it emerged it automatically replaces the word 'gay' with homophobic slurs like 'f****t', 'poof', 'queen' and 'fairy'. More than 50,000 people have have signed a petition demanding the U.S. web giant re-programmes its translate system, which is used by 500million people every month. When translating 'gay' from English into Spanish, French or Portuguese Google Translate comes back with 'f****t,' 'poof,' 'fairy' and 'dyke' as synonyms. Google has apologised and said it is working to fix the problem, but MailOnline can reveal the translate system is still bringing up hateful words. Offensive: The Google Translate tool, used by 500million people a month, brings up 'poof', 'queen' and 'f*****t' when translating 'gay' from English to other languages . Still happening: Google has said it is working to 'fix the issue' but MailOnline has found that translating gay from Greek to English still brings up these offensive terms . Campaigners from equality group All Out made the shocking discovery that Google was using hateful insults instead of neutral language for 'gay'. When the Russian word for 'gay' is translated into English, some of the results thrown up include 'pansy boy', 'fairy' and 'sodomite.' The petition website says: 'Imagine learning English and being taught to say hateful insults instead of neutral language for 'gay'. 'Google Translate - used by over 500 million people every month - was suggesting slurs as synonyms for the word 'gay'. 'Thousands of us signed the urgent petition and Google heard us. This is how powerful we are when we stand together'. Google has confirmed they were aware of the offensive translation and are trying to fix the issue. They have also said sorry. Outrage: More than 50,000 people have signed this petition demanding that Google reprogramme the online tool . A spokesman said: 'As soon as we were informed that some of our translations for certain terms were serving inappropriate results, we immediately began working to fix the issue. 'We apologise for any offence this has caused people. 'Our systems produce translations automatically based on existing translations on the web, so we appreciate when users point out issues such as this.' Gay rights group Stonewall have said the translation tool has revealed how much of a problem homophobic language is. A spokesman said: ‘This demonstrates how commonly offensive slur words are used online to describe lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people. This is indicative of how much of a problem homophobic language is, and we hope it encourages others to stand up against it next time they see it or hear it. We're glad Google has apologised and is working on a fix.’ | More than 50,000 people have signed a petition demanding it is changed .
Translating 'gay' from English to other languages brings offensive words .
Spanish, French or Portuguese results suggest 'f****t,' 'poof,' and 'fairy'
Russian results for 'gay' brings up 'pansy boy', 'fairy' and 'sodomite'
Google Translate used by more than 500million people a month worldwide .
U.S. web giant apologises and is working to change its system . |
13,758 | 26feb8661b5296197ed89a7001607a42efb91ee4 | The Athens Olympics were meant to be a celebration of the Games' history, as the spiritual home of Olympic sport hosted the world in the XXVIII Olympiad. The Greeks poured around €9billion (£7.13billion) into building new stadiums and infrastructure, and despite disputes and delays in the run-up to the event, put on a successful games. However, a decade on, the stands lie empty, completely unused and allowed to fall into disrepair, as the global economic crisis meant the country's government were unable to invest in the upkeep of the Olympic venues. Nothing left: A swimming pool from the Olympic village is filled with dirty rainwater and debris a decade after the Athens games . Contrast: Athens' open-air pool during the 2004 Summer Olympics, when it saw Michael Phelps win six gold medals and break two World Records . Welcome home: The Games' motto is one of the few remains left standing in an Olympic park that has almost entirely fallen into disrepair . Empty: The diving venue, where Leon Taylor and Peter Waterfield won silver for Team GB, is now in a sorry state in the Greek capital . Deserted village: The Olympic village that hosted the athletes just ten years ago is now a desolate wasteland covered in graffiti . Falling down: Paint peeling, seats ripped out and benches collapsing, the aquatic centre is a shadow of its former self . Life's a beach: The stand built to house beach volleyball is still standing, but the sand in front of it is overgrown with plants . As it was: The Olympic beach volleyball stadium, complete with extra temporary stands, as it stood during the 2004 games . Country Gold Silver Bronze . 1 United States 36 39 26 2 China 32 17 143 Russia 28 26 36 4 Australia 17 16 175 Japan 16 9 12 6 Germany 13 16 20 7 France 11 9 13 8 Italy 10 11 11 9 South Korea 9 12 9 10 Great Britain 9 9 12 . Team GB won nine Gold medals during the competition, among which the most memorable were middle-distance runner Kelly Holmes' 800m and 1500m double. In the velodrome Sir Bradley Wiggins and Sir Chris Hoy each won their first Olympic golds as Great Britain recorded their best medal haul in the modern era. The mens 4x100m relay team of Darren Campbell, Marlon Devonish, Jason Gardener and Mark Lewis-Francis won gold on the track as the British quartet saw off an American team which included newly crowed individual Olympic champion Justin Gaitlin. It was also the games that launched boxer Amir Khan into the limelight, his silver medal in the lightweight division leading to a professional career, while . Elsewhere in Athens a 19-year-old Michael Phelps won the first six of his record 22 gold medals in the pool, setting two World Records in the process. The games were not without their controversy - most notably when home favourites Costas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou pulled out of the championships after missing a doping test. Remains: This is all that's left of the Olmypic Canoe and Kayak Slalom centre where Team GB picked up one silver and two bronze medals . Back then: Britain's Campbell Walsh competes in the final of Olympic Games men's Kayak K1 race in the Hellinoko complex, where he won a silver medal . Torn apart: The Olympic Baseball stadium is now little more than an overgrown field with a broken big screen, surrounded by unused seats . Home run: The baseball stadium as it stood in 2004 - now it is an overgrown ruin . Rapid: The Canoe and Kayak course was still full of water a year after the games. Today it is completely dry, another relic of the 9bn Olympics . All dried up: The Helliniko Olympic complex, which included the canoeing course and the baseball stadium, now lies deserted . But despite the shame of their celebrated athletes, the astronomical cost, and the building difficulties which threatened the games even before they started, the Athens Olympics were seen as a success both in Greece and internationally. However, Greece was hit hard by the global financial crisis and, with no real post-games plan, the state-of-the-art venues were abandoned. Ten years on, they are the sad legacy of the event that was supposed to welcome the Olympic Games home. Load of rubbish: The swimming pool that once hosted international athletes has now become a rubbish dump in Athens . No village people: What was once a luxury hub for the summer games is now a deserted shell in an overgrown wasteland . What's the score? The seats are still in place at the Olympic Hockey Stadium but the broken score-board tells its own story . All over: The beach volleyball venue is no longer used, another of the Olympic venues that has been allowed to fall by the wayside . In use: The beach volleyball stadium has fallen entirely out of use since the end of the games ten years ago . No one left: The derelict stands of the Olympic Baseball stadium are a symbol of the games' decay as economic hardship prevented Greece from maintaining their venues . Broken down: The Taekwondo Stadium is still standing, but the roads outside are covered in rubble and the venue itself is fenced off to visitors . Ruins: Parts of the Athletic Centre in Athens are entirely unrecognisable from the slick venues that the world saw a decade ago . | Games legacy almost non-existant with stadiums falling into disrepair .
Athens motto was 'welcome home' but ten years later there is little to show for the games .
Britain won nine gold medals in 2004, their best performance - at the time - for several decades . |
191,025 | 836161cbfb24c0a622b0f75be632cc9147cd50be | Aston Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov's cancer was caused by radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster more than 25 years ago, according to his national team's doctor. The 32-year-old was diagnosed with acute leukaemia last month. Dr Mihail Iliev, who has treated Petrov for 14 years in his capacity as Bulgarian national team medic, is blaming a toxic radiation cloud the star was exposed to when he was just six years old. Stiliyan Petrov, accompanied by his wife and son, thanks the crowd support during the Aston Villa Chelsea game on March 31 . On April 26, 1986 a power surge in reactor number four caused an explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station in Ukraine, sending a huge plume of radioactive material into the sky. At the time Stiliyan Petrov was growing up in Montana, Bulgaria, 650 miles away from Chernobyl. But the cloud of contaminated matter is believed to have passed over the city in the weeks following the disaster. Dr Iliev, 61, claimed radiation levels in the north of Bulgaria were 1,000 to 1,300 times normal levels in late April, early May 1986. He said a number of youngsters at the time, or born in the aftermath of the disaster, developed cancer - because Bulgaria's communist regime failed to tell people about the threat. Dr. Iliev told The Sun 'It was in the late spring, the population was eating fresh radioactive vegetables and other foods. Many people who were kids back then suffered cancer because of this. Chernobyl: Greenpeace believes the disaster will eventually cause 200,000 cancer cases . Dr Mihail Iliev, doctor to the Bulgarian football team, blames Chernobyl radiation for Stiliyan Petrov's cancer diagnosis . 'We called them The Chernobyl Kids. Most were born in the same region as Stiliyan.' Radiation from Chernobyl is known to . have caused widespread birth defects across the former Soviet Union, but . its effect on the inhabitants of neighboring countries is hard to . measure . Levels of contamination were detected across much of Europe in the aftermath of the disaster and experts say the toxic cloud spread out and west across the continent with closest neighbours Belarus, Russia, Sweden, Finland, Austria, Norway and Bulgaria worst effected. At 1.23am (2123 GMT), on April 26, 1986, an explosion at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant spewed a cloud of radioactive fallout over much of Europe, Ukraine, Belarus and western Russia. The explosion released about 400 times more radiation than the U.S. atomic bomb dropped over Hiroshima. Hundreds of thousands were sickened and once-pristine forests and farmland still remain contaminated now. Dr Iliev is even more convinced Petrov's cancer is related, because there is no history of cancer in his family. Dr. Iliev added, 'There are no other cases of such illness in this family, that is why I . think Stiliyan is a victim of the old communist regime’s lack of . information when the nuclear reactor at Chernobyl exploded, and the . radioactive cloud came to our country.' The UN's World Health . Organization says that among the 600,000 people most heavily exposed to . the radiation, 4,000 more cancer deaths than average are expected to be . eventually found. Greenpeace estimates 200,000 people will eventually contract cancer as a result of Chernobyl. | Petrov grew up 650 miles from doomed power station .
Toxic cloud passed over his hometown .
Communist leaders in Bulgaria 'hid threat to kids' |
198,050 | 8c5d6d2a8b7374b6d990a6ba2b6b07c3b6534f0c | 'Prince George' hopped up the corridor of his palatial enclosure, clambered over a rock and went straight for a bowl writhing with his favourite meal of maggots, live worms, fly eggs and chopped fruit, drizzled with sunflower oil. 'He's a good man, his lordship' said senior Australian Fauna keeper at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo, Paul Davies, 'I'm very proud of him, although he is being a bit of a pig,' Davies said as 'Prince George', a mature male Australian bilby, hoed into the worms. Davies, who is originally from Hertford, UK, and trained at London Zoo, is preparing the bilby, an endangered Australian marsupial, for the forthcoming visit to the Sydney harbourside zoo by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. 'Prince George', an endangered Australian bilby who has been 'adopted' by royal heir Prince George hoes into a favourite meal of maggots. live worms and fly eggs in the bilby enclosure at Sydney's Taronga Zoo, which has been named after the young prince, with Palace approval . Paul Davies, inside the nocturnal animal enclosure with 'Prince George', the bilby 'adopted' by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's eight-month-old son, has created a special setting of sand and rocks to emulate the desert environment in which the threatened species is found in the wild . The Palace has accepted Australia's offer to name the bilby enclosure after Prince George, and the Australian government's gift of a bilby for the young prince to 'adopt'. Taronga Zoo , which is 'incredibly proud to be part of Australia's gift to Prince George' sees the royal visit as 'a wonderful opportunity to raise awareness about Australia’s unique native animals, especially the bilby which is threatened in the wild'. Inside the nocturnal house at Taronga, where Mr Davies also works with possums, bats, gliders, rodents, owls and lizards, 'Prince George' is part of the zoo's breeding programme to increase bilby populations, which launched last year with an Australian government donation after the royal heir's birth in July. 'We tried everything with three other male bilbies, but they were too old, one of them had a bit of a limp,' said Mr Davies, who came to Australia in 1981 after working as a keeper at London Zoo and Edinburgh Zoo. 'Then we got his lordship here,' he pointed at 'Prince George', 'although there was a problem at the start.' Will Prince William take Prince George (pictured at the little prince's christening last October) to Sydney's Taronga Zoo, where an enclosure has been named after the royal heir who has 'adopted' an endangered marsupial bilby as a gift from the Australian government . Sydney's famous Taronga Zoo says it is 'incredibly proud to be part of Australia's gift to Prince George' and sees the royal visit by the Duke and Duchess of Camridge next month as 'a wonderful opportunity to raise awareness about Australia's unique native animals, especially the bilby which is threatened in the wild' ccc . Prince George, the Australian bilby who has been 'adopted' by young royal heir Prince George has been introduced to a young female bilby on Taronga Zoo's breeding programme, but has 'been quite the gentleman to date' says his keeper, Paul Davies . Endangered Australian marsupial, 'Prince George' inside Sydney's Taronga Zoo nocturnal enclosure sniffs at the hand of his keeper, British born Paul Davies, who says he has high hopes of the animal producing bilbies in the future, following next month's visit by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their son, Prince George . The royal couple will engage in the feeding displays of tree kangaroos (left) and the giraffes (right) on their visit to Taronga next month, on Easter Sunday . Jantan, a male orang-utan, drinks peppermint tea at Taronga Zoo which he and his partner, Willow, are served with hot meals as the weather cools down towards winter . 'Last year we put him with a female called Kirra and we tried everything, but they didn't reproduce, so we asked for a young female. 'Her name's Yajala, it means friend [in an Aboriginal language]. She's down there. That's why he keeps on taking off. She might be coming into season. 'He's sniffing at her door, although I must say 'Prince George' has been quite the gentleman to date.' As the bilby scampered away down the corridor to linger outside the darkened enclosure where the new young female bilby is 'settling in' to life at Taronga, Mr Davies explained why he had become so passionate since emigrating to Australia about a native animal most Australians had never seen. Mr Davies, who lives in Sydney with his French-born wife, Delphine, and their 13-year-old son, who is also mad about bilbies, said he had started working at Taronga a year after arriving in Australia. Set against the spectacular backdrop of Sydney harbour with its bridge Taronga Zoo is home to 4,000 animals of 350 species, including this Himalayan Tahr (above) The display by the birds of prey at Taronga (above) will be part of the zoo tour undertaken by the royal couple . 'I got my first job working on a horse stud in Queensland and when I showed them my diploma of zoo keeping from London, they just said 'put that away you Pommie bastard, we don't need to see it' and so I just worked with the horses on the farm and it was great. 'I started at Taronga and then in the nocturnal house and I just got to love bilbies. They are the most amazing little animals. 'See those ears? They're like sophisticated air conditioning systems to help them survive in the desert, where it's hot during the day and freezing at night. 'When it’s hot, the bilbies keep their ears erect. The ears are hairless and rapidly cool the little creatures. When it’s cold, they let their ears fall against their head, almost like a little helmet, to conserve heat. 'We’ve also found they can run very quickly and when they do, the hold their white-tipped tails forwards over their heads, like a little lamp lighting their way. 'We’re getting amazing reactions from people.' Ordinary Australians will be allowed in to Taronga Zoo (above) on Easter Sunday, when the royal couple - and, perhaps Prince George - visit the bilby, enlcosure and see tree kangaroos, giraffes and birds of prey . Once he learned how fast the bilbies can move, Mr Davies set up what he jokingly calls 'the running of the bilbies', a display for visitors in which bilbies like 'Prince George' run up the corridor to a special setting of fake rocks, sand and tree stumps he has assembled between walls painted in Aboriginal colours and with the different tribal names for the creature. 'Bilbies once thrived across 70 per cent of Australia,' he said. 'These days most bilby populations are on Aboriginal land in the deserts of the Northern Territory and Western Australia. 'Elsewhere they've had to compete with rabbits, feral cats and populations have declined, so we have high hopes for his lordship and our breeding programme.' It is not confirmed whether young Prince George will accompany his parents to Taronga Zoo on Easter Sunday, when the Duke and Duchess will start at the bilby enclosure, move on to feeding sessions in the tree kangaroo and giraffe enclosures, and then watch the birds of prey and other animals. 'I like the challenge of a close encounter as with animals,' Mr Davies said, 'if you get people close to an animal, you can make them aware about conservation and that is very important with our bilbies.' Mr Davies, who still has family back in Hertfordshire, says he is very happy he moved to sunny Australia but he now spends so much time in the nocturnal enclosure he has to take Vitamin D tablets to regulate his system. 'But I love my work,' he said, 'and I love getting people excited about wildlife.' Taronga director, Cameron Kerr said the zoo was part of 'a national breeding program across a number of Australian zoos and wildlife organisations that are involved in conservation, breeding and research to provide an insurance population to safeguard' bilbies into the future. 'We look forward to introducing Their Royal Highnesses to our bilbies in April,' he said. | Endangered Australian bilby 'Prince George' adopted by Prince George .
Sydney's zoo named enclosure after royal heir with Palace approval .
Taronga Zoo ready for April visit by Duke and Duchess of Cambridge .
Now the marsupial is being nicknamed 'Prince George' by British keeper .
Paul Davies of Hertfordshire says 'Prince George' is 'very cool dude'
Davies trained at London Zoo and feeds 'his Lordship' worms and maggots .
'Prince George' royal bilby may get to meet Prince George, royal baby . |
134,520 | 39fb16f9ffdbc6aa37f085d2edcc0699d2e8b952 | Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- As many of you already know -- because Tweets travel faster than airplanes -- Kevin Smith, the portly film director of the movie "Clerks" and the upcoming film "Cop Out," was "politely" asked to disembark from his Southwest flight from Oakland to Burbank because he was too large to fit in the seat. Okay, let's be frank: He was kicked off the flight. The reason he was given was that his size infringed upon the space of the person sitting next to him and it could cause a safety risk in case of an emergency. Does it surprise you that an airline that has charged a customer several hundred dollars for the service of transporting him from one place to another would subject said paying customer to the indignity of being told he's too fat to fly? I don't think it does. Because this is what flying has become: barely one rung above bus travel. Southwest may have apologized to Smith, but what about the rest of us? Scratch the surface of any frequent flier and you will find a raging cauldron of resentment (or endless angry tweets, like Smiths), a bottomless pit of despair and rage with no hope of satisfaction because, after all, fliers have no choice but to accept every humiliation if they want to fly. Most of us don't have our own planes -- or fly business class. Myself, I'm old enough to remember when flying used to be fun -- but not quite old enough to remember when people used to "dress" to fly. But they did. It was an event to go on an airplane. Like going to a Broadway show. Pretty ladies with hats and smiling men in uniforms would bring you snacks, blankets and pillows. Beverages in real glasses. But at some point, the airlines started to lose money, started charging more and giving you less in return. The tragedy of 9/11 hastened the end of any kind of special treatment. Boarding became a cattle call -- complete with prodding with a stick -- where you had to basically undress before you could get on the plane, take off shoes, coats, sweaters, get "wanded," step out of the line for frisking, and other debasements too horrible to mention. Soon they will be swabbing your hands for explosives. Really! I know one woman whose underwire bra had security stumped. (I have to check a bag just for the hair products for my frizzy hair; they don't come in less than three ounces.) By the time you get on the plane, you are like a refugee -- the tired, the poor, the huddled masses in middle seats. Flight attendants can't dote on you any more, they are too busy scanning the group for potential terrorists. No more meals -- bad as they were -- no more cutlery. If you're lucky, something called a "snack mix" in a bag is thrown at you, making you beg for more water. And less and less room. If you drop something on the floor, you can't reach it without putting your face in the lap of the person sitting next to you. It makes you long for the fat days (you'll pardon the expression) of People Express, that 1980's no-frills airline that operated out of Newark. It seemed pretty terrible back then, but really it was just a preview -- every man for himself. Basically anything you got during the flight, you paid extra for. When they did the safety announcement at the beginning, I would wait for the day they'd say, "In case of an emergency, please pay two dollars and fifty cents to have an oxygen mask drop above your seat." (Ha ha ha, right? Don't give them any ideas.) But you flew with them, because they were so cheap. Now I'm wondering if that's a good enough reason anymore. How much can a body take, even a skinny one like mine? Kevin Smith, I feel your pain! I cringe for the person who has to sheepishly ask for the seat belt extender because the one in the narrow little seat doesn't make it around his body. The world is not built for fat people, and airplanes are not the place to look for gentle treatment. I will not be surprised when airlines start to weigh people's luggage at the ticket counter, and then ask the traveler to get on the scale and be charged by the pound. It's coming, you watch. Or they will have bench seats on the airplanes, measure people as they board, and seat them accordingly. If a fat person has to pay extra to fly -- Smith usually buys two seats on Southwest because they don't have first class -- then this could be a precedent for more suffering in the world away from the tarmac. A fat person will have to pay extra for a larger size in clothing. Or pay more for an all-you-can-eat buffet. Or pay extra to use an elevator. But what do I know? I was just turned down for health insurance because I have a history of anorexia. Well, that's what they said. I know why they really turned me down: It's because I'm fat. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Cathy Ladman . | Cathy Ladman laments Kevin Smith's getting bumped from a flight because of his size .
She says such treatment is routine for fliers now, unlike the days when flying was fun .
Indignities -- security measures, no food -- begin early and last till you've landed, she says .
Ladman: It's only a matter of time till Smith's treatment becomes routine even off the plane . |
89,612 | fe734cf2b9fa5463a37221b5315222279407b71b | England fans travelling to next summer's World Cup in Brazil have been warned to protect themselves against a terrifying holiday bug which can kill. Organisers FIFA and their sponsors are being urged to spell out the risks of mosquito-borne dengue fever after a study showed cases could peak in three of the twelve host cities. It usually produces flu-like symptoms but severe forms cause internal bleeding - claiming 20,000 lives every year. Warning: England fans travelling to next summer's World Cup in Brazil have been warned to protect themselves against a terrifying holiday bug which can kill . Dengue is endemic in over 100 countries with 100 million people struck down annually. Professor Simon Hay, an infectious diseases expert, has called on the Brazilian authorities to take action to reduce the number of mosquitoes before over half a million people flock in from across the globe. He said: 'Dengue fever could be a significant problem in some of the tournament locations and preventative measures are needed. 'FIFA, the Brazilian authorities and the World Cup sponsors must use their influence and experience to communicate the risk.' Top of the World: England sealed their place in Brazil last month but now fans are being warned about mosquito-borne dengue fever . Although it cannot be passed from human to human a non-infected insect that bites someone with dengue then becomes a carrier - passing the disease to the next person it targets. It's transmitted by urban, day-biting Aedes mosquitoes which makes it a particular problem in towns and cities. Infected visitors can also inadvertently bring home the disease to their native country. Professor Hay and colleagues explored the risk to football fans by examining maps of the distribution of dengue in Brazil and records of its seasonal variation at key sites. Dengue is a viral infection that can cause a range of symptoms, from mild flu-like illness to more serious illnesses including rashes and bone pain. Severe and potentially deadly forms develop in around 5 percent of patients. Dengue usually clears up by itself within around 1-2 weeks. There are no specific medications to treat the disease, but symptoms can be managed by taking paracetamol, drinking plenty of fluids and resting. The study published in Nature showed outbreaks will be highest when matches are played in Fortaleza, Natal and Salvador - all in the north east of the country. England will find out where they will initially be based when the draw for the group stages takes place on 6 December. Professor Hay, of Oxford University, said: 'I don't want to dissuade anyone from going to the World Cup - nor to single out Brazil - which is one of more than 100 countries battling dengue worldwide. 'My aim is to inform unwary spectators about the risk and how they can protect themselves.' Despite being a tropical disease cases have been reported in France and Croatia. After it struck the island of Madeira last year the World Health Organisation warned of a future European outbreak. There is no vaccine so people heading out next summer should pack plenty of light-coloured long trousers and long-sleeved shirts along with mosquito-repellant sprays for exposed areas of skin. There is no vaccine so people heading out next summer should pack plenty of light-coloured long trousers and long-sleeved shirts along with mosquito-repellant sprays for exposed areas of skin . Professor Hay said: 'The Brazilian authorities should implement aggressive vector control in April and May - particularly around the northern stadiums - to decrease the number of dengue-transmitting mosquitoes. 'They can target adult Aedes mosquitoes through fogging - the use of aerosol formulations of insecticides that disperse efficiently - and can interrupt breeding by clearing sites at which the mosquitoes lay their eggs - water collected in discarded rubbish for example. 'There are no vaccines or drugs against dengue but an individual will never contract dengue if they do not get bitten by an infected mosquito in the first place. So avoiding mosquito bites is the best precaution. 'Select accomodation with screened windows and doors and air conditioning; use insecticides indoors; wear clothing that covers the arms and legs especially during early morning and late afternoon when the chance of being bitten is greatest; and apply insect repellant to clothing and exposed skin.' England fans have already snapped up more than 28,000 match tickets for Brazil - even before they know where the team will be playing. So keen are they to witness glory in June and July they are only behind the host country themselves, the US and Germany in the global rush - despite basic travel packages costing a whopping £7,000. World Cup stadium: An aerial shot of Arena Castelao in Fortaleza, Brazil . | Organisers FIFA and sponsors are .
being urged to spell out the risks .
Mosquito-borne dengue fever could peak in three of the twelve host cities .
Usually produces flu-like symptoms but severe forms cause internal bleeding .
The bug claims 20,000 lives every year . |
267,564 | e682eab7f58f0427a7d68280fd4f33dc2f71b5ca | By . James Chapman . The Liberal Democrats are on course to lose a swathe of seats to their Conservative coalition partners at next year’s general election, according to a major new series of polls. A study across 17 crucial Tory-Lib Dem marginal constituencies found that the Lib Dem vote has collapsed so significantly that as many as 15 of the party’s MPs are set to lose to Tory challengers. The Lib Dems are braced to lose more seats to Labour in the north of the country, where their vote has also slumped since 2010. The findings will pile pressure on Nick Clegg, who has attempted to reassure MPs and activists that despite a grim national picture, the Lib Dems are holding up in those seats where they are incumbent, particularly where the Conservatives are the main opposition. The Lib Dem vote has collapsed so significantly that as many as 15 of the party¿s MPs are set to lose to Tory challengers, a new poll has shown . They will also embolden senior Tories who want to kick the Lib Dems while they are down. Lib Dem MPs on the left of the party claim they have been approached by members of the 1922 committee of Conservative backbenchers seeking allies for a plot to try to break up the coalition. Senior Conservatives on the committee, said to be planning to stage a vote on whether the coalition parties should go their separate ways, apparently believe the move would be more credible if it was backed by some Lib Dems too. Research by pollster Lord Ashcroft, a former Conservative deputy chairman, provided the first comprehensive picture of how the two coalition parties are faring in the marginal seats where they chiefly compete against each other. Research by pollster Lord Ashcroft, pictured, provided the first comprehensive impression of how the two parties are faring in marginal seats . The study across 17 Tory-Lib Dem marginal seats found that the vote share for David Cameron’s party was down eight points since 2010 to 33 per cent, but the Lib Dems were down 15 per cent to 28 per cent. The polls found an overall 3.5 per cent swing from the Lib Dems to their coalition partners in the seats since 2010, enough for the Conservatives to unseat as many as 15 Lib Dem MPs if this were to happen across the board at the general election next May. However, there were signs of big regional variations. Swings ranged from one per cent Lib Dem to the Conservatives in Newton Abbot in Devon to 4.5 per cent from Conservatives to Lib Dems in Sutton and Cheam in south London. Lord Ashcroft noted that the Lib Dems are ‘famously tenacious local campaigners’ whose activists have a record of ‘incessant leaflet mongering’. He said the polling ‘suggests that in some places Nick Clegg’s party may indeed defy the national trend’ but ‘according to this snapshot the party risks losing a dozen or more seats to the Conservatives’. Across the 17 seats, six of which are held by the Conservatives and 11 by Mr Clegg’s party, the poll put the Tories on 33% (-8), Lib Dems on 28% (-15), Ukip 18% (+14) and Labour on 14% (+5). The Tories would hold their six marginal seats included in the survey - Camborne and Redruth, Harrogate and Knaresborough, Newton Abbot, Oxford West and Abingdon, Truro and Falmouth, and Watford. Among the 11 Lib Dem seats polled, seven would be won by the Tories: Solihull, Mid Dorset and North Poole, Wells, St Austell and Newquay, Somerton and Frome, St Ives, and Chippenham. MPs whose seats would be lost include Duncan Hames, Annette Brooke, Lorely Burt, David Heath, Andrew George, Stephen Gilbert and Tessa Munt. The Lib Dems would hold three - Sutton and Cheam, Cheadle, and Eastleigh - while the polling resulted in a dead heat in North Cornwall. Across the 17 seats Ukip’s vote share ranged from 11 per cent in Oxford West and Abingdon to 26 per cent in Camborne and Redruth, with just over one in six 2010 Conservative voters saying they would vote for Nigel Farage’s party. Business Secretary Vince Cable's closest ally, Lord Oakeshott, pictured, quit the Lib Dems after it emerged he had commissioned secret polling in Lib Dem seats to show the party would do better without Mr Clegg . Lord Ashcroft said: ‘Ukip are not just a problem for the Tories. Those who voted Lib Dem at the last election were as likely to say they would switch to Ukip (13%) as to say they would switch to Labour (13%). A further 11% said they intended to vote Conservative. ‘The party is literally losing votes right, left and centre. ‘The Lib Dems are in their current position not because of anything Nick Clegg himself has done or not done, but because his party is in government with the Conservatives - a decision endorsed by the whole party through its exhaustive processes of internal democracy. ‘The centre-right coalition already has a left-wing alternative, led by Ed Miliband. Former Lib Dem voters who switched because they were dismayed that the party entered office with the Tories would only consider coming back if the party promised not to make the same decision in 2015, no matter what the election result. ‘Such a declaration is surely unthinkable, or ought to be for a party that wants to have any influence on the nation’s affairs.’ Last month, Business Secretary Vince Cable’s closest ally, Lord Oakeshott, quit the Lib Dems after it emerged he had commissioned secret polling in Lib Dem seats to show the party would do better without Mr Clegg. The former Lib Dem Treasury spokesman, who leaked the poll findings in a botched coup attempt against Mr Clegg, said the Deputy Prime Minister had robbed the party of its ‘roots, principles and values’. | New study looked across 17 crucial Tory-Lib Dem marginal constituencies .
Found Lib Dem vote has collapsed - and up to 15 MPs may lose to Tories .
Party braced to lose more seats to Labour in the north of the country .
Findings will pile pressure on Clegg ahead of 2015 general election .
Leader is attempting to reassure MPs the party will hold incumbent seats . |
42,487 | 77c9ea50b1528198bd593b02f3ff1639f1c89cd9 | When the Duchess of Cambridge first burst onto the royal scene courtesy of a catwalk appearance in a risqué sheer dress, few could have predicted that within a decade, hers would become one of the most talked about wardrobes in the world. Sales of the £780 floor-length Diane von Furstenberg lace gown worn for the Royal Variety Performance last night have gone into orbit, as the American brand becomes the latest beneficiary of what has been dubbed 'the Kate effect'. But fashion fans aren't the only one left swooning by the Duchess of Cambridge's stellar sense of style. Since her marriage four years ago, an army of Kate clones has appeared, among them her own mother and some of European royalty's heaviest hitters. Looks familiar: The Duchess of Cambridge, Spain's Queen Letizia (left) and Denmark's Princess Mary (centre) all have similar style . Copy Kates! Carole Middleton chose a strikingly similar dress for the Royal Variety Performance, while Princess Beatrice loves a bit of lace . The Kate Effect strikes again! Sophie Wessex (far left) in a similar dress at the Festival of Remembrance last Saturday . Lovely in lace: Queen Letizia and the Duchess of Cambridge regularly opt for black lace, as does Kate's sister Pippa Middleton . Carole, who like her daughter chose a black lace dress for the Royal Variety Performance, has form when it comes to taking her pick from Kate and Pippa's wardrobes. Days after the Duchess, dressed in a demure blue spotted dress, left hospital with Prince George, her mother was seen wearing an almost identical frock. But it isn't just Carole - Kate takes style tips from her mother too, and even borrows her clothes. One was a £650 Colette Dinnegan dress, worn by Carole to a wedding in 2009 and by Kate to another in 2011. Another dress loved - and worn - by both was a simple royal blue draped dress by Reiss that made its debut on Carole at Royal Ascot in 2010 and was worn for the second time by the Duchess in 2012. While Carole has unfettered access to Kate's wardrobe, the Duchess' elegant style has also proved a hit with her royal contemporaries, among them Sophie Wessex and Princess Beatrice. Like mother, like daughter: The Duchess of Cambridge and Carole Middleton regularly share clothes, including this hat . Ladies in red: The Netherland's Queen Maxima, the Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Beatrice step out in similar scarlet styles . Chic: Sophie Wessex has had a Kate-style makeover in recent years and adores tailored coat-dresses and patent nude courts . Snap! Like Sophie Wessex and Princess Beatrice, Pippa Middleton isn't immune to the lure of the Duchess of Cambridge's wardrobe . Sophie Wessex, who, pre-2011, boasted a wardrobe remarkable only for its normality, has undergone an impressive makeover in recent years, much of it inspired by her niece-in-law. Like the Duchess, she loves a tailored coat-dress and an elegant hat, which, like Kate, she often buys from up-and-coming milliner, Jane Taylor - who also numbers Princess Beatrice among her clients. Beatrice, 26, has also revamped her style in recent years, swapping frumpy, ageing dresses and the infamous pretzel hat for a succession of glamorous separates and tailored dresses. As with the Duchess of Cambridge, she's partial to a spot of lace and has also chosen similar colour combinations to her cousin-by-marriage with royal blue and cream becoming firm favourites. And it isn't only members of the British royal family who have taken note of the Duchess of Cambridge's elegant look. Others to do so include Queen Letizia of Spain, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark and soon-to-be-royal Sofia Hellqvist, 29, who wore a royal blue dress, strikingly similar to the Issa number worn by Kate, for her engagment photo. Glamorous in green: Queen Mathilde of the Belgians, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark and the Duchess of Cambridge in green tailoring . Going grey: Grand Duchess Stephanie of Luxembourg is the latest royal copy Kate, although Mary also seems to be an influence . Elegant: The Duchess of Cambridge, Pippa and Sofia Hellqvist, fiancee of Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, are pretty in nude . Pretty: Sofia Hellqvist, the Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Madeleine of Sweden in surprisingly similar white ensembles . Letizia and Mary, both 42, share the Duchess' love for floor-length lace, tailored shift dresses and nude court shoes, as well as understated 'Hope' earrings by British jewellery brand, Links of London. Like the Duchess of Cambridge, both come from relatively humble backgrounds with Letizia enjoying a successful career as a journalist before marriage, while Mary worked as a marketing manager for an Australian pub. Both have won plaudits for their elegant sense of style in the years since they married and the pair have even been known to dip into each other's wardrobes - on occasion stepping out in identical dresses. Indeed, so successful are they - and Kate - at picking the perfect ensemble whatever the occasion, other royals have begun to take note, with Stéphanie, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, 30, sporting grey shift dress for her meeting with Letizia last week that had been worn by the Danish princess seven days before. The Netherlands' Queen Maxima, 43, also favours a tailored style - albeit one enlivened by some seriously eye-catching costume jewels - as does the elegant Queen Mathilde, 41, of Belgium. But of all the royals in Europe, the Swedish royal family is the one that bears the closest resemblance to the Duchess of Cambridge, with both Crown Princess Victoria, 37, and her sister Princess Madeleine, 32, opting for increasingly elegant, tailored ensembles in recent years. Like the Danish princess, both love a sequin but as with the Duchess of Cambridge and her mother, lace and elegant shades of navy, cream and royal blue reign supreme. Flower power: Queen Letizia and Princess Mary are a match, while the Duchess of Cambridge opts for a more traditional print . Top tweed: Queen Letizia and the Duchess of Cambridge are both fond of a tweedy suit, here in the same dark turquoise shade . Think ink! Sofia Hellqvist makes her mark in black and chooses a similar style to dresses worn by Princess Beatrice and the Duchess . Evening glamour: Crown Princesses Victoria and Mary of Sweden and Denmark love a cream gown - as does the Duchess of Cambridge . | The Duchess of Cambridge's glamorous, tailored style has proved a hit with fashion fans - and other royals .
Carole Middleton often wears similar looks, including the black lace dress worn to the Royal Variety Performance .
Others to take style tips from Kate include Princess Beatrice, Sophie Wessex and Queen Letizia of Spain .
Princess Mary of Denmark, Grand Duchess Stephanie and Princess Madeleine all have similar attire . |
202,320 | 91efb4fb6ab5fa966b1f13e94f31ff09b52a41e7 | Washington (CNN) -- Actor Laurence Fishburne is visibly moved when asked to read an excerpt of remarks made more than a half-century ago by the man he now portrays onstage, the legendary Thurgood Marshall. The NAACP attorney was arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1958 over whether Little Rock, Arkansas, officials essentially had to follow the order of the courts to desegregate its schools. Marshall, a sharp lawyer, turned the tables on the all-white bench, making the issue not about black students seeking equality but about society's larger civic responsibilities. "Education is not the teaching of the three Rs. Education is the teaching of the overall citizenship. To learn to live together with fellow citizens, and above all, to learn to obey the law," Marshall told the court. "I worry about the white children in Little Rock who are told as young people that the way to get your rights is to violate the law and defy the lawful authorities. I am worried about their future. I don't worry about those Negro kids' future. They've been struggling with democracy long enough, they know about it." Fishburne commands the stage as the first African-American on the Supreme Court in a new one-man play "Thurgood" for a one-month engagement at the Kennedy Center in Washington. "Powerful stuff," he said about hearing Marshall's own words in the rarely heard audio argument of Cooper v. Aaron. The 48-year-old actor thoroughly researched this role, but he was unaware of this all-but forgotten chapter in Marshall's colorful life. "Before I read the script for 'Thurgood', I knew nothing about Thurgood Marshall," he said, sitting comfortably in a lounge just off the Eisenhower Theater. "He was a very, very funny man. He was also a very serious man when it came time to be serious. I think he understood there was a time and a place for all kinds of behavior from human beings, and he indulged in those things at the appropriate times," laughing loudly. It takes a good man with an unwavering dose of self-confidence to stand alone on a stage for 90 minutes straight, and portray a giant of American history. Fishburne offers a little secret to making it work. "The wonderful thing about this piece even though it's a one-man show, I have a scene partner. My scene partner is the audience," he said. "So that makes it really important for me to be paying attention and seeing how people respond." Fishburne has won a Tony, an Emmy and was nominated for an Academy Award. The actor currently stars as a forensic investigator in "CSI" on CBS. He first did the role of Marshall on Broadway two years ago. After this Washington engagement, he takes "Thurgood" to Los Angeles and the Geffen Playhouse. The creator of the show is George Stevens Jr., who wanted to have Marshall "make the case for himself," with just one actor onstage. "One-hundred years after the end of slavery in the 1950s, he comes around and lives in a segregated society where people can't go to lunch counters, schools, swimming pools, all of that discrimination, housing," Stevens said. "And decides that you can use the law to change it. And that was such an act of imagination. And that gives purpose to the play, but it is his sense of humor. His sense of narrative throughout his life; Marshall was a storyteller. And that gives us so much to work with." An example in the play has Fishburne as Marshall talking to his critics in the 1980s who thought he should leave the bench. "They said I was too old, too liberal, too tipsy," says the character. "I'd tell them, I accepted a lifetime appointment. I'm staying for life. I expect to die at the age of 110. Shot by a jealous husband!" which prompts huge laughter. The play recounts through stories and anecdotes the remarkable journey of Marshall, who was born in 1908 and grew up in segregated Baltimore, Maryland. He was rejected from the University of Maryland law school because he was black, but after graduating from Howard University at the head of his class, he became chief counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and won 29 of 32 cases argued before the high court. He later joined that bench in 1967, retiring in 1991. He died in 1993. Marshall was in the news recently when President Barack Obama nominated the justice's former law clerk Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. Kagan recalled Marshall playfully called her "Shorty" during her 1988-89 clerkship. Fishburne was not the first choice to play the role. Stevens had produced a 1991 television miniseries based on the landmark Brown v. Board case that ended public segregation. Marshall was played then by Sidney Poitier, who backed out of the current project. So did actor James Earl Jones. But Stevens and director Leonard Foglia saw something in Fishburne. "He's a compelling actor. And he's of an age which I originally thought was perhaps too young to do this part," said Stevens. "But I learned the opposite -- he can come out as the older Thurgood Marshall. And when he goes back in memory to his younger days, he has the vitality that brings that alive. So he's just a wonderful choice for this role." Dressed in comfortable red sneakers, light khakis and a casual blue shirt, Fishburne said the role is one of the greatest acting challenges he has ever faced. "It's all there," he said of Marshall, whom he never met. "I mean, we deal with his flaws and we deal with his strengths, we deal with his history, we deal with his disappointments as well as his victories. So, it's all there. It's all there in the show. Warts and all." The actor said it helped that Marshall was a master storyteller, who combined wit with a touch of lingering bitterness over how he was treated as a black man. The story Stevens and Fishburne weave is more than a history lesson about race, but both men said Marshall's humanity makes it instantly relatable to a wide audience. "It is a uniquely American life," Fishburne said. "The last thing that he says in the play, he quotes [poet] Langston Hughes, and he says 'America will be.' This is a work in progress, that this is the great experiment. And it is. And that we all have a stake in it. That we are all sort of in a way responsible for realizing it. Whether we accept that responsibility or not, the fact of the matter is we're all here together." | Laurence Fishburne portrays Thurgood Marshall in one-man play in Washington .
Fishburne also played late Supreme Court justice two years ago on Broadway .
Show's creator: "Marshall was a storyteller. And that gives us so much to work with"
Actor calls portrayal -- "warts and all" -- one of his greatest acting challenges . |
211,106 | 9d62f80fd85f823055e56d619dcb5265e5caa6fe | Washington (CNN) -- The Virginia governor's race has often been looked to as an off-year barometer of national political sentiment. This year's grind-it-out race, an acrimonious spitball contest between two candidates only slightly more likeable than Walter White, is anything but. In a lesser-of-two-evils campaign, Terry McAuliffe, the longtime Democratic fundraiser and confidante to former President Bill Clinton, is clinging to a modest but sturdy lead over Republican Ken Cuccinelli, the state's attorney general. Republicans have pilloried McAuliffe as a sleazy political operator and failed businessman who exploited his Washington connections to help his sputtering car company, GreenTech Automotive. Cuccinelli has been targeted as a far-right social crusader who would curb abortion rights and access to contraception. Democrats on Twitter are fond of calling him #creepyken. McAuliffe is leading Cuccinelli among likely voters by an eight-point margin, 47% to 39%, according to a Washington Post poll out this week. McAuliffe is hardly bulletproof: A federal investigation into GreenTech has sullied his reputation, and only two-thirds of Democrats -- his own party -- consider him "honest and trustworthy." But Cuccinelli is on much shakier ground. While Republicans are slightly more fired up about voting for him than Democrats are for McAuliffe, Cuccinelli's favorable ratings are next-to-toxic: More than half of likely voters view him unfavorably. Enter Robert Sarvis. As public dismay with the two main candidates calcifies, the baby-faced 37-year old Libertarian candidate from Fairfax has quietly crept northward in the polls, reaching 10% in the Post poll. That's not nearly enough to win in November -- with just five weeks until Election Day, even Sarvis admits "we have to get a lot higher" -- but he looks increasingly likely to play the role of spoiler by siphoning conservative votes away from Cuccinelli. Sarvis chafes at the label. "I don't even know what it means to be a spoiler," he said in an interview. "The system is rotten to the core from Republican and Democratic malfeasance. They have already spoiled the system. I don't even know what it means to be a spoiler. If I am the only one arguing for freedom and the rule of law, then those two are the spoilers as far as I'm concerned." Positioning himself as a moderate . The Harvard and NYU-educated attorney and software programmer -- he was part of a team that won Google's Android Developer Prize for creating a "mobile app for true nightlifers" -- is positioning himself as the moderate choice between two "extreme" candidates. In his telling, McAuliffe "stands for an extreme version of crony capitalism." Cuccinelli is "very regressive on social issues" and "unreliable" on economic matters. Both parties, he said, are in league with the banks and "rich folks" -- a frustration that first motivated him to run for office in 2011, when he mounted an unsuccessful Republican bid to unseat longtime Democratic state Senate leader Dick Saslaw. Though he said he left the GOP after that race, he voted in Virginia's Republican presidential primary in 2012, casting a ballot for Ron Paul. That November, he voted for Gary Johnson, the Libertarian nominee. Sarvis supports same-sex marriage, marijuana legalization and says climate change is real. He opposes gun restrictions, higher taxes, the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, and last year's landmark transportation bill in Richmond that raised some taxes to help fix northern Virginia's clogged roadways. Sarvis said he would pay for transportation funding, in part, by cutting from the education budget and finding ways to "prioritize spending." Sarvis might deny being a spoiler, but Cuccinelli's campaign conceded Thursday that the Libertarian is draining support from the Republican nominee. "There's no question that a vote for Robert Sarvis is a vote for Terry McAuliffe and a vote against liberty," said Richard Cullen, Cuccinelli's communications director. "It's important to remember that there's no greater defender of first principles and liberty in Virginia than Ken Cuccinelli," Cullen said, outlining why Libertarian-leaning Republicans should stay in the party fold. "Ken was the first attorney general in the nation to sue to stop Obamacare and he led an eight year battle to secure Virginians' private property rights in the state constitution. He's also the only candidate in this race who's laid out a clear, substantive plan to free up the private sector and create 58,000 jobs." Challenges for third-party candidates . Few political observers in Virginia expect Sarvis, who has little money in the bank and almost no political machinery behind him, to reach the 10% threshold, or even the 8% mark he hit in another recent poll from NBC News and Marist. The last third-party candidate in Virginia to reach that level of support was Marshall Coleman, who snagged 11% of the vote in the madcap three-way 1994 Senate race. Unlike Sarvis, though, Coleman had political pedigree and bona fide institutional support: then-Sen. John Warner backed Coleman that year over the flame-throwing Republican nominee, Oliver North. The Democratic incumbent, Chuck Robb, eked out a three-point win that year. A more recent example of third-party noise-making came in the 2005 governor's race, when Russ Potts, a GOP state senator who ran as an independent, aired a memorable statewide television ad featuring people loudly banging on pots as they chanted "We want Potts!" Despite polling as high as 9% that year, Potts only garnered 2% in the end, as Democrat Tim Kaine edged out Republican Jerry Kilgore to win the governorship. Even if Sarvis tumbles from his current standing and only captures a small slice of the vote on Election Day, Republicans fear that most of that support will come straight out of Cuccinelli's back pocket, especially in what's expected to be a low turnout election. "Nearly all of his vote will come from people right of center who feel obligated to vote but can't support Cuccinelli because he is too far to the right, or they fear what he would be like as governor and can't vote for McAuliffe because he's a Democrat," observed one well-connected Richmond Republican who is not directly involved in the race. Cuccinelli faces gender gap . Cuccinelli is in trouble with or without a third party candidate, due in large part to a startling gender gap that emerged this summer after free-spending Democrats began hammering the Republican on women's health issues. Women favor McAuliffe over Cuccinelli by an enormous 24-point margin, and even without Sarvis in the race, the Post poll showed McAuliffe leading Cuccinelli by a five-point margin, 49-44. But Sarvis isn't going anywhere, and his rising poll numbers are making an uphill fight for Cuccinelli that much steeper. Sarvis' most obvious challenge is exposure. A large majority of Virginia voters still have no clue who he is or what he stands for, a challenge that wasn't made easier by his exclusion from a debate Wednesday night sponsored by the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce. In response, Sarvis tapped into his meager campaign budget -- he reported having only $19,109 in the bank at the end of August -- to run a TV ad during the debate attacking McAuliffe's "cronyism" and Cuccinelli's "narrow-minded social agenda." The ad starred his two children and his African-American wife, Astrid, whom he met in a Mississippi book store when he spied her reading "The Da Vinci Code" and told her he had recently seen the movie. John Vaught LaBeaume, a Sarvis adviser, said the campaign has been in touch with the organizers of the third and final debate in Roanoke in late October, and have received "encouraging" signals about being included. Until then, Sarvis said he's content to meet voters by driving around the commonwealth in his van, listening to Pink Floyd, as the other campaigns savage each other on the airwaves. "If they keep destroying each other with negative ads that's fine with us," he said drily. | Republicans look to retain governorship in battleground state .
Race between Terry McAuliffe and Ken Cuccinelli is viewed by some as "lesser of two evils"
Enter Robert Sarvis, a Libertarian candidate who has quietly crept up in the polls .
He says "the system is rotten" due to Republican and Democratic "malfeasance" |
98,835 | 0b4b2a99d4b1762e6e8aec75b2d985d5922b97c6 | By . Daniel Miller . Updated: . 09:11 EST, 9 October 2011 . Google and Samsung have delayed the launch of their new mobile phone operating system following the death of Apple boss Steve Jobs. The partners were set to unveil the Ice Cream Sandwich software along with Samsung's latest handset the Nexus Prime at the CTIA event in San Diego on this Tuesday. But the event billed Samsung Mobile Unwrapped has now been cancelled following the death of Mr Jobs who passed away aged 56 having suffered from a rare type of pancreatic cancer. scroll down for video . Bad timing: Samsung and Google have delayed the launch of the Android Ice Cream Sandwich operating system and Nexus Prime smartphone following the death of Steve Jobs . In a statement released this week Samsung CEO Choi Gee-sung praised the accomplishments of the Apple founder. He said: 'Steve Jobs introduced numerous revolutionary changes to the information technology industry and was a great entrepreneur. 'His innovative spirit and remarkable accomplishments will forever be remembered by people around the world. Tribute: Samsung CEO Choi Gee-sung praised Steve Jobs 'remarkable accomplishments' 'Under . the current circumstances, both parties have agreed that this is not . the appropriate time for the announcement of a new product. 'We would ask for the understanding of our clients and media for any inconvenience caused. We will announce a new date and venue in due course.' Ice Cream Sandwich is believed to combine previous the smartphone and tablet operating systems Gingerbread and Honeycomb, into a single operating system. It is rumoured to offer a raft of innovative new features including a lockscreen system using facial recognition, more multitasking and resizable widgets. The firms, Apple and Samsung in particular, are bitter rivals in the smartphone and tablet PC sector. While the iPhone remains the most popular single smartphone handset, sales of phones running the Android platform have outsold it by more than twice the amount globally. However Apple remain strong market leaders in the tablet PC sector with the ipad accounting for 73 per cent of all sales and tablets running Android only accounting for about 17 per cent. Apple and Samsung and are currently locked in legal battles over design patents all over the world. Legal dispute: Apple has taken Samsung to court claiming their Galaxy Tab device (left) infringes on intellectual property used in the ipad . And a Samsung spokesman said the death of Steve Jobs will have no effect on their ongoing disputes. In a statement issued on Thursday a spokesman for Samsung said: 'Jobs' death and the legal disputes are two separate matters, and we plan to file injunctions blocking sales of Apple products in more countries as planned.' Samsung is not the only IT firm in legal disputes with Apple. Nokia, the world's largest mobile phone maker and their partners Microsoft have both had the same experience. | Software unveiling delayed 'out of respect' for Apple founder . |
213,789 | a0e0ea861685fabfb9a5cb469e13c2bc1ae17844 | By . James Rush . PUBLISHED: . 11:20 EST, 14 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:47 EST, 14 February 2013 . A rookie driver was cleared of dangerous driving for allowing drunken youths to ‘surf’ on the bonnet of his car minutes before he accidentally ran over and killed a close friend. Youcef Adjerid, 18, drove a short distance with one youth on the front of his Fiat Punto before he hit his brakes and sent him flying into the road. Tragic Toby Hearne - who had been to a fancy dress party dressed as a Christmas present - then got on the bonnet and managed to hold on when Adjerid, of Chippenham, Wiltshire, stopped sharply. Not guilty: Youcef Adjerid (left) was cleared of dangerous driving after allowing drunken youths to 'surf' on his car bonnet minutes before he accidentally ran over and killed a friend Toby Hearne (right) But moments later Toby lay down in the road near the car and Adjerid failed to see him and drove over him. Mr Hearne suffered catastrophic chest injuries and died instantly at the scene in Stanton St Quintin, Wiltshire. Police questioned Adjerid, who had not been drinking, but he was not charged over the death in the early hours of December 22, 2011. A coroner later ruled that Mr Hearne died as the result of an accident when his judgement was impaired by alcohol. Adjerid - who had passed his test just two weeks earlier - was however charged with dangerous or careless driving over the car surfing stunt. Swindon Crown Court heard how Adjerid turned up late at a house party just as it was ending. On the way he came across four friends - Sam Riley, Joe Bodman, Hal Bailey, and tragic Mr Hearne. Mr Riley and Mr Hearne decided to climb on to the bonnet of his car and took turns to ‘car surf’ as he drove along at walking pace. Tributes: Flowers were left at the scene of the fatal accident in Stanton St Quintin, Wiltshire, where Toby Hearne was killed . Adjerid laughed as he slammed on his brakes and threw Mr Riley to the ground and then repeated the stunt with pal Mr Hearne, who managed to stay on when he stopped. A jury, who had not been told of the death of Mr Hearne, took just over an hour to clear Adjerid of all charges. Outside court Adjerid said: 'My year has been incredibly hard. It has been a very difficult time after what happened. 'This brings closure to a difficult chapter in my life and I just want to move on now.' One of Adjerid’s friends told the inquest into Mr Hearne’s death: 'I saw clearly what happened. 'I saw him lay down but no-one in the car had seen that he had gone to the floor. I thought he was joking about. 'Youcef was talking to Sam at the driver’s window and I don’t think he had seen Toby lying on the floor as otherwise he wouldn’t have driven off.' | Youcef Adjerid let friends 'surf' on bonnet of his car just before fatal accident .
Friend Toby Hearne was killed when Adjerid failed to see him in the road .
Was cleared of dangerous driving and said 'I just want to move on now' |
247,223 | cbf234daa5ddc46ad589b9696b8942d2e82344d1 | (CNN) -- As more states pass measures tightening abortion laws, California is making abortions more accessible. Nurse practitioners, certified nurse-midwives and physicians' assistants who complete specified training are now able to perform abortions in California. Gov. Jerry Brown signed the measure into law Wednesday. "Governor Brown is making a commitment to Californians to continue working to make abortion services a human right and not a privilege in our state, and is also sending a strong message to the rest of the country that attacks on women's health and rights stop in California," Laura Jimenez, executive director of California Latinas for Reproductive Justice, said in a statement. "We are proud that California is the only state in the nation right now that is passing proactive legislation to improve access to abortion, and we hope that this law can further efforts to expand access to women throughout the country." California Assembly member Toni Atkins, who authored the bill, said the new law reduces obstacles for California women seeking abortions. "Increasing the number of trained healthcare providers who can perform abortions on a timely basis without requiring significant travel will improve the lives of women and their families in many ways," Atkins said in a statement. But critics say they're concerned the new law could undermine women's health. "This bill is not about helping women, it is specifically designed to trivialize what an abortion is, and its risks,'' said Anissa Smith, spokeswoman for the California ProLife Council. "Reducing the medical standards for abortion ... defies logic for those who say they care about women." The Most Rev. Gerald Wilkerson, president of the California Catholic Conference, said even though California makes up 12% of the nation's population, it's also where 29% of abortions take place. "The often repeated mantra of those supporting abortions rights is that abortions ought to be safe, legal and rare," Wilkerson said. "With this change in California's law, abortions are merely legal -- no longer safe and rare." Brown also signed six other health-related bills Wednesday, including one that repeals parts of the California Building Standards Code that treat primary clinics differently depending on whether the clinics provide abortion services. Against the grain . California's decision bucks a trend of stiffer abortion laws across the country. Texas passed a new law this year that bans abortions after 20 weeks of gestation; requires abortion clinics to upgrade facilities to become ambulatory surgical centers; tightens usage guidelines for the RU486, the so-called "abortion pill"; and requires doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of their clinics. Planned Parenthood filed a federal lawsuit last month seeking to overturn parts of the new Texas law -- specifically, the parts about doctors needing hospital admitting privileges, usage controls on RU486 and the upgrades to clinics. In July, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory signed a law requiring all abortion clinics be held to the same standards as outpatient surgical centers. Also in July, a North Dakota judge delayed the implementation of a new state law that threatened to shut down the state's only abortion clinic by requiring doctors performing abortions to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles. The North Dakota law also requires those physicians to have "staff privileges to replace hospital on-staff physicians at that hospital." CNN's Joe Sutton, Greg Morrison and Nadia Kounang contributed to this report. | In California, some nurses and physicians' assistants can perform abortions .
They must complete specified training .
California's move bucks a national trend of tightening abortion laws . |
179,471 | 746294a5215560236a474d0f0ec41af6c58bd470 | Concern: Families face the threat of not being able to go on holiday as an overwhelmed Passport Office struggles to deal with a mounting backlog in applications . Families face the threat of not being able to go on holiday as an overwhelmed Passport Office struggles to issue travel documents in time. Up to 500,000 may not get their documents before their planned departure date as the under-staffed department struggles to deal with the annual surge in applications. Labour and Tory MPs have warned that the service is in turmoil and say they have had hundreds of complaints from constituents about delays. Making changes to passports or issuing new documents should be done within three to four weeks, but travellers are complaining it is taking twice as long. Some have been advised to pay up to £55.50 extra each to get passports fast-tracked, which should guarantee they arrive on time. In a bid to manage the crisis, a quarter of staff employed to detect fraudulent paperwork have been transferred to help process the thousands of delayed applications. But Labour’s immigration spokesman David Hanson has warned that reducing the size of fraud teams is a ‘real worry to the integrity and security of the passport system’. Mr Hanson said Labour MPs had been inundated with more than 400 complaints in the past six weeks from constituents struggling to get passports in time for holidays and trips abroad. The Passport Office, part of the Home Office, has received around 300,000 more applications since January than in the same period last year and has blamed the surge on ‘the improving economy and a rise in holiday bookings’. But unions have said job cuts and office closures have left it unable to handle the level of demand as the summer holidays approach. In turmoil: Up to 500,000 may not get their documents on time as an under-staffed Passport Office struggles to deal with the annual surge in applications . A leaked email from Paul Pugh, head of the Passport Office, reveals that approximately 80 staff, including about a quarter working in fraud teams, are being redeployed in a ‘last push’ to clear the backlog. He acknowledged ‘work-in-progress levels which are much higher than we would like’ and said: ‘We have seen very high volumes of contact with Members of Parliament.’ Warning: David Hanson has warned that reducing the size of fraud teams is a 'real worry to the integrity and security of the passport system' Mr Hanson said he plans to raise the redeployment of anti-fraud staff with the Home Secretary. He said: ‘There are now serious concerns that Theresa May’s mismanagement of resources has left the passport service so stretched that anti-fraud measures will be temporarily understaffed. ‘This is absolutely unacceptable and is a real worry to the integrity and security of the passport system.’ Richard Harrington, Tory MP for Watford, has also put down a parliamentary question on delays after receiving six complaints in a week. In a statement, Mr Pugh said extra staff had been brought in to respond to the extra demand and they were operating seven days a week. He added: ‘We have processed more than 97 per cent of straightforward passport renewal and child applications within the three week target turnaround time. There is no backlog, with over 99 per cent of straightforward applications being processed within four weeks.’ The Home Office said the fraud team staff who had been redeployed were those working on long-term investigations rather than checking applications. In summer 1999, at least 500 holidaymakers missed their departure dates following problems at the then Passport Agency when a new computer system left it unable to issue passports on time. | Passport Office struggling to issue travel documents in time for holidays .
Labour and Tory MPs have warned that the service is currently in turmoil .
Rising chaos in passport system may be putting national security at risk .
Anti-fraud staff have been forced to tackle growing backlog of applications . |
194,733 | 88120017cc09852b1a408466f47c3d9039f54f11 | By . Sara Malm . A woman who was diagnosed with lung cancer just four months into her marriage has documented her journey - by having her photo taken every day for a year. Jennifer Glass, from San Mateo, California, discovered she had advanced lung cancer in January 2013 after her husband found a lump in her neck. Starting on the day the family learned she had cancer; the time-lapse video follows the 50-year-old for her first year, through chemo, radiation and finally, a halt in cancer growth. Scroll down for videos . The beginning: The first photograph of Jennifer Glass, taken by her husband Harlan Seymour, when they first got the diagnosis on January 5, 2013 . Documentation: Ms Glass' husband took one photograph of her every day, all the way through chemotherapy and radiation . Drastic move: After first cutting her hair short Ms Glass decided to shave her head when her hair started falling out as a result of the radiation and chemotherapy she underwent in March and April last year . Just months after marrying Harlan . Seymour, Ms Glass was given the devastating news that she had Stage IV . metastatic lung cancer. On . her blog, she writes: ‘ Apart from that lump, I had no symptoms. I felt . healthy, energetic, and strong as I embarked on the most joyful and . contented phase of my life. ‘We were newlyweds, having just gotten married a few months before.’ Ms Glass’ cancer was non-small cell lung cancer, stage IIIB, with an estimated five-year survival rate of five per cent. Keeping up appearances: Despite the devastating effect the chemo and radiation had on her body, Ms Glass kept smiling throughout . Against the odds: Ms Glass was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer, stage IIIB, which has an estimated five-year survival rate of five per cent . After she started taking oral chemo drugs, she developed severe side effects, including skin rashes . Oh her way: Ms Glass's side effects slowly faded as she was allowed to lower her dose of chemotherapy drugs . On the other side: Jennifer Glass is not yet in remission but the cancer has stopped spreading in her body . The following month Ms Glass started . having chemotherapy and radiation, and took the proactive decision to . shave her hair off when it started falling out, clearly visible in the . timelapse video. At . the end of April, Ms Glass, her husband and her two step-children were . told the tumour in her neck was 'all but gone' and the primary tumour at . the top her left lung had stopped growing, and she went into preventive . chemotherapy to stop it from spreading again. Standing strong: Ms Glass and Mr Seymour on their wedding day in August 2012, with his two children Tristan and Eloise . In . June she begun taking oral chemotherapy drugs, but the medication, . Tarceva, has severe side effects and she developed a serious skin . problem until the dose was lowered. Although . she is not yet in remission, the cancer is no longer growing or . spreading and Ms Glass and her family now focus on maintaining this . positive state. Back in the day: Ms Glass and her mother in 1965 . Positive mindset: Jennifer is visited by her friend Helen in Spring 2013, as she had undergone radiation . Long battle: Ms Glass is pictured wrapped up warm while in hospital undergoing the first part of chemotherapy . Not giving up: After undergoing oral and IV chemotherapy and radiation, Ms Glass is pictured during a CT scan in October which she now has regularly to ensure the cancer is not spreading . Family support: Ms Glass with her husband Harlan Seymour who discovered the lump in her neck when they had only been married four months . Ms Glass . said: ‘The cancer has stopped growing for now. "Remission" means that . there is no evidence of cancer in my body and it will be years before we . can say that. ‘For now we . can say that my cancer seems to be contained and we are working to . manage it so that it does not grow or spread again. ‘I get a CT scan every few months, so we pretty much live quarter to quarter waiting for these results.’ Ms Glass writes about her journey on her blog At the Top of My Lungs. No fear: Ms Glass campaigns for cancer awareness during her recovery period . | Jennifer Glass was diagnosed with lung cancer in January 2013 .
Her husband took a photograph of her every day for the first year .
Timelapse video follows Ms Glass through radiation and chemo .
She decided to shave her hair, and video also shows the skin problems which she later suffered when she begun taking oral chemo drugs .
Although not yet in remission, Ms Glass' tumour is no longer growing . |
147,176 | 4a4ee4e754fd4695092155e1afa8c8e1919bc882 | By . Suzannah Hills . Diving star Tom Daley has recalled the moment he won a bronze medal at London 2012 as he encourages Londoners to use the world-class facilities at the Olympic Park which officially opens to the public tomorrow. The 19-year-old admits he is still flooded by memories every time he steps through the doors of the Aquatics Centre in Stratford where he won his first Olympic medal. Now the public are able to use the same facilities – whether they just want to go for a swim or test out their own skills on the diving board. Scroll down for video . Grand opening: Tom Daley has called for Londoners to make the most of world-class facilities on their doorstep as the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford officially opens to the public on April 5 . Open to visitors: The Park fully opens for first time since London's Olympic and Paralympic Games on April 5 . Daley said: ‘This London Aquatics Centre has so many memories for me. To be able to train here full time is just amazing and I really do hope that lots of people are inspired to get involved in different sporting events and activities within the Park.’ The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will be fully opened to the public for the first time since London’s Olympic and Paralympic Games on Saturday, April 5, and Daley hopes people in the city will now make the most of the world class facilities on their doorstep. He said: ‘The facilities we’ve got here are second to none. Even if people just want to come and try it, have a swim and stay fit and active, that’s hopefully what the Olympic legacy has left behind.’ Reminiscing about the 2012 Games, the diving champion says he relives his medal wins every time he visits the centre, and uses those memories to help him with his training. Memories: The 19-year-old diving star admits he is filled with the emotions and memories of his Olympic medal win every time he steps through the doors of the Aquatic Centre at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park . Olympic star: Members of the public may be able to spot Daley training at the Aquatic Centre when they visit . New resident: Daley has moved to Stratford so he can easily access the 'amazing' facilities at the Olympic Park . Legacy: Daley hopes the Olympics will encourage members of the public to take up sport . In a video for VisitLondon.com, he said: . ‘To compete in this Aquatics Centre in London 2012 was the most amazing . experience. It’s just more than what you could ever imagine. ‘There were 18,000 people in here, the noise was just phenomenal, and then to stand on the podium and finally have an Olympic medal around my neck was just amazing. ‘Every time I walk in I just get those floods of memories and emotions of when I was on that board and won my Olympic bronze medal.’ As well as the Aquatics Centre, Daley says there’s plenty more to be explored around the park.He added: ‘There are so many places to come and explore around Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. ‘You can go and chill out on some of the green spaces, you can walk past the Olympic Stadium, the Velodrome, Copper Box and the Aquatics Centre. ‘You can also go up to the top of the Orbit and enjoy panoramic views of the city.’ Just for fun: Members of the public can use the pool at the Aquatics Centre . Stay fit and active: Daley hopes people will just come and try the facilities at the park . Much more to see: Visitors to the park can also enjoy the numerous outdoor spaces and gardens around the stadium . Daley also recalled his first ever visit to London when he was just nine-years-old. He said: ‘My earliest memory of London was coming up with my family when I was nine-years-old and going on the London Eye. ‘I remember going up on the London Eye and just thinking: “Wow”.’ The diving star can often be seen training at the Aquatics Centre and will be taking part in the men’s . 10m Platform event being held there at the FINA/NVC Diving World Series on Sunday, April 27. Daley moved to Stratford in London earlier this year to be close to the Park and the keen foodie has made the most of the capital's famous restaurants. He said: ‘I’m a massive fan of Beef Wellington and I had an amazing one at Bob Bob Ricard. And I’ve loved Inamo in Soho; that’s a really cool place where they project the menu onto the table.’ Daley joins a long list of celebrities and proud Londoners to reveal what fascinates and excites them about living in the capital for VisitLondon.com . First memory: Daley recalls how he first visited London when he was nine-years-old and just thought: "wow" when he went on the London Eye . Best way to see the capital: Daley also encourages all visitors to London to take a stroll along the Southbank . Gordon Innes, Chief Executive of London & Partners, the promotional organisation for the city, added: ‘Tom is a fantastic example of the enduring legacy of the 2012 Olympic Games and with the reopening of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, people from across the country and around the world can now come to London and experience this legacy first-hand. ‘We hope to see millions of people come to the Park to explore this inspirational new part of the city.’More than a million visitors have already enjoyed the Park since it began to part-open in July 2013 with concerts and the Anniversary Games. The Copper Box Arena was the first former Olympic and Paralympic venue to open to the public and has already had more than 100,000 visitors. The London Aquatics Centre opened on March 1 and has already had over 55,000 visitors. Lee Valley VeloPark opened its doors for public use for the first time this week and the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre will open in June 2014. | Tom Daley, 19, won his first Olympic bronze medal at London 2012 .
He admits he is still flooded with memories when he visits Aquatic Centre .
Centre is among facilities at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to be officially opened to the public on April 5 .
Diving star is urging Londoners to make the most of world-class facilities on their doorstep . |
161,338 | 5c94ea1fdae1a558a1155e73d663442adf461620 | (CNN) -- A political clash over the legitimacy of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's next term loomed as the announcement came that he will be unable to attend his inauguration. With Chavez unable to be sworn in, a number of constitutional questions have become central: Can the president be sworn in on another day? And who should be in charge in the meantime? The disagreement hangs a cloud of uncertainty over Venezuela, as political forces disagree on whether Chavez will be a legitimate president or whether someone else should assume power and call for new elections. Officials on Tuesday confirmed that medical treatment in Cuba will keep Chavez from being sworn in for his new term this week. At the same time, supporters and opponents of Chavez are bracing for a legal battle over whether the inauguration can be postponed. Chavez: Survivor and Venezuela's long-serving president . A statement from Venezuela's vice president read before lawmakers Tuesday said that the constitution authorizes "at a later date, the swearing-in before the Supreme Court." "The process of post-surgical recuperation must continue past January 10 of this year, so he will not be able to appear on that date before the National Assembly," the statement said. The 58-year-old Venezuelan president has been treated for cancer in Cuba for the past month, most recently battling respiratory complications. Read more: Venezuela: As Chavez battles cancer, Maduro waits in the wings . A fierce debate . Tuesday's formal announcement sparked a fierce debate in the assembly, intensifying a political battle that has been playing out for weeks in news conferences, on the country's airwaves and in social media posts. The constitution says Chavez can be sworn in before the Supreme Court, but the wording is not clear about whether that swearing-in must occur Thursday or who should run Venezuela in the meantime. The president of Venezuela's Supreme Court is scheduled to speak to reporters Wednesday. Supporters and critics of Chavez both point to the country's constitution but offer wildly different interpretations of what it says. Opposition lawmakers said in Tuesday's debate that Chavez should be declared temporarily absent from his presidential post to avoid a power vacuum. They argued that Diosdado Cabello, the head of the National Assembly, should temporarily assume the presidency while Chavez recovers. But Cabello, a close Chavez ally and member of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, said that would be unconstitutional. "There is no way to interpret (the constitution). It is extremely clear," he said. "Everything else is a wish." Julio Borges, an opposition lawmaker, said Chavez's supporters were fighting among themselves and putting the country's future in jeopardy. "You are denying the application of the constitution ... and what is unjust is that the Venezuelan people are paying the price of your internal fight while the (country's) problems are still alive and kicking," he said. Tuesday's debate became so heated that one member of the opposition accused Chavez's supporters of hurling a copy of the constitution at him. Supporters of Chavez pumped their fists in the air and gave a standing ovation after passing a resolution affirming that Chavez could remain president and be away from the country for as long as necessary to deal with his illness. The resolution backed the interpretation of the constitution held by Chavez's supporters. Opposition leader calls for action . Henrique Capriles, the man Chavez defeated at the polls in October, said earlier Tuesday that the Supreme Court must clarify the confusion. Read more: With Chavez ill, uncertainty reigns in Venezuela . "There is a conflict here," Capriles said. "What is the Supreme Court waiting on?" As far as the opposition is concerned, Capriles said, the constitution is clear that the president's term ends on January 10 and a new period begins. If Chavez is unable to be sworn in, it creates a leadership vacuum that must be filled by the National Assembly president, and the possibility of new elections arises, Capriles said. Cabello has said that he has no intention of assuming power if Chavez is not sworn in. "When (the opposition) talks about a power vacuum, they are proposing a coup," Cabello said, the state-run AVN news agency reported. Maduro: 'The popular will is what prevails' The government says that Chavez's new term begins automatically because he was re-elected and that the inauguration could be held later. In remarks broadcast on national television Tuesday night, Vice President Nicolas Maduro said the inauguration date "is a formality." Speaking to Venezuela's military leaders, he said that declaring Chavez temporarily absent from his post "would be crazy because the popular will is what prevails." Voters have re-elected Chavez, he said, calling on the military to help continue Chavez's revolution. There is no such automatic continuity of power, Capriles said, arguing that "the only thing that has continuity are the country's problems." "If the constitution is not followed, or there is a conflict of interpretation, the Supreme Court has to take a position," he said. Capriles expressed concern about unrest or political crisis in the absence of a decision by the high court. Chavez has not been seen in public and officials have not released any photographs of him since he arrived in Havana for his fourth cancer operation in early December, fueling speculation that his health is worse than the government is letting on. Last week, a government spokesman said Chavez was battling a severe lung infection that has caused respiratory failure. Ernesto Villegas said the president was following a strict treatment regimen for "respiratory insufficiency" caused by the infection. His condition remained unchanged Monday, the government said in a statement. "Treatment has been administered permanently and rigorously, and the patient is supporting it," the statement said. CNN's Paula Newton and Esprit Smith contributed to this report. | Officials say Hugo Chavez will not be in Venezuela for inauguration day .
Government, opposition differ on what happens next; lawmakers debating issue .
Chavez's term automatically renews, the government says .
The constitution makes it clear that this is not the case, opponents say . |
141,144 | 427feec0016fc309df21a51771f9ccb798a21e17 | Manchester United legend Paul Scholes believes Premier League clubs should think twice before signing his former team-mate and Barcelona defender Gerard Pique. The Spaniard left Old Trafford for La Liga in 2008 and has gone on to win 15 major club titles, but is now on the fringes of the first team and has been a linked with a return to England. But Scholes insists the Barca style suits the centre back, who he says while he is a 'very talented defender', Pique would find it difficult operating in a team without possession. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Pique: Louis van Gaal pushed me over and said I wasn't tough . Paul Scholes believes Gerard Pique would find it tough in the Premier League were he to return . The Spanish defender played for four years at Old Trafford but was sold for £5million in 2008 . Paul Scholes says Pique prefers it when his team is in possession and he may not be comfortable in England . 'I have always thought that Spanish football, and Barcelona in particular, suits him best,' Scholes revealed in his column in The Independent. 'He likes being in a side that keeps possession. He is great at home but playing away at the big teams in England is a completely different prospect for a defender. 'His success at Barcelona and with Spain has been incredible. But I think Gerard would find it harder back in the Premier League.' Pique made just 33 competitive appearances during his four seasons at Old Trafford, after United poached him from the Catalan giants as a teenager. Pique, here jumping with Nemanja Vidic during the Champions League final, would struggle with the physicality . Pique has won 15 major club titles since leaving Manchester United for Barcelona . He went straight into Pep Guardiola's starting XI, as Lionel Messi and Co emerged as one of the greatest club sides in history. With Manchester United struggling defensively this season though, Louis van Gaal may wish to bring Pique back to England. | Gerard Pique has been linked with a return to the Premier League .
Spanish defender played for four seasons with Manchester United .
But former midfielder Paul Scholes says he would find it tough in England .
Scholes claims his former team-mate Pique is comfortable when team is in possession but may struggle when playing a top side away from home . |
206,155 | 96dc233f4b943bfcb149d48f198c603bea08448c | The name "Gloria Steinem" has long been synonymous with feminism. As a leading figure of the women's liberation movement, since the 1960s Steinem has fought tirelessly for female emancipation through her writing and activism. As she celebrates her 80th birthday, CNN takes a closer look at how Steinem became a true symbol of gender equality. 1. Undercover agent . In 1960, a young Steinem relocated to the Big Apple to start her journalism career. Three years later, she was making a name for herself as a journalist when she showed just how far she was willing to go for a story. Dressed as a scantily clad "bunny," she went undercover at Hugh Hefner's Playboy Club in New York. She then used the experience to shed light on the poor pay and working conditions women faced at the venue in her 1963 expose "I was a Playboy Bunny." 2. Actions over words . A decade later, Steinem had become one of the most outspoken female voices in America and was often seen as a spokesperson for gender equality. Joining forces with other notable female leaders of the day, including Betty Friedan and Bella Abzug, Steinem pushed for the Equal Rights Amendment after testifying before U.S. congress in 1970. Just two years later, the amendment was passed. In 1971, Steinem not only co-founded Ms., the first female-led magazine, but she also started up the National Women's Political Caucus -- with the mission of increasing the number of women in politics. 3. It's in her blood . Today she's seen as a feminist icon, but she's not the first woman in her family to stand up for gender equality. In 1908, Steinem's paternal grandmother spent four years as president of the Ohio Women's Suffrage Association. 4. Activist . Giving women a platform to speak and be heard wasn't Steinem's only mission. She also lent her voice to a number of other political causes. Most notably, in 1968, she took a public stance against the Vietnam War when she vowed to stop paying tax. Later in 1984, she was arrested alongside several other civil rights activists for disorderly conduct outside the South African embassy in Washington while protesting against apartheid. 5. The 'f' word . Though Steinem is credited as helping women find a voice in a traditionally male dominated society, she also redefined what it meant to be a "feminist." She taught us that feminism isn't just for women when she said: "A feminist is anyone who recognizes the equality and full humanity of women and men." READ THIS: Happy 80th, Gloria SteinemREAD THIS: Why men should be more like Brad PittREAD THIS: I'm a male feminist. No, seriously . | Feminist, activist and editor Gloria Steinem turns 80 years old today .
A leading figure of the women's movement in the 1960s, she has help rewrite rules for women .
She's gone from undercover journalist to starting the first U.S. female-led magazine . |
48,665 | 896a51d66f6bfafc25d0811a0d8b9b69820fc032 | Brussels (CNN)First France, now Belgium and possibly Greece. Where next? The recent spate of terror attacks and threats in Europe has many wondering what the next target might be and how the danger can be mitigated. Here are the latest developments: . Five Belgian nationals have been charged with participation in a terrorist organization after police raided a suspect terror cell in Verviers, the country's federal prosecutor said. Three are in custody, and two have been released "under strict conditions," Erik Van Der Sypt said. And two additional suspects are in French custody after they were detained while trying to cross from France into Italy through the Frejus Tunnel, the prosecutor said. The suspected terror cell in Verviers, which included people returning from Syria, planned to target police officers, Van Der Sypt said. Police said they recovered weapons, bomb-making materials and police uniforms. Two suspects were killed in the police raid Thursday, and a third was injured and taken into custody. Authorities have not released their identities. Heavily armed guards filtered through the streets of Brussels and Antwerp on Saturday, a sight the country hasn't seen in 35 years. Why is Belgium particularly vulnerable? The small country is believed to have more suspected jihadists per capita than any other country in Western Europe. Greek authorities say they are cooperating with Belgian authorities on an investigation, and on Sunday Belgium requested the extradition of one of the suspects arrested in Greece. Greek police confirmed that there have been some arrests and are looking for other individuals, but said that none so far were linked to the Belgian plot. Belgian federal prosecutor Van Der Sypt, however, said the Belgian investigation "gave us enough reason to ask for the extradition of one of the persons that were arrested yesterday by the Greek authorities." The investigation revealed that one of the people arrested in Greece could be involved in the plot that was stopped in Belgium, Van Der Sypt said. European counterterrorism agencies are scrambling to assess the potential terrorism threat from people with suspected links to Islamic extremists. As many as 20 sleeper cells of between 120 and 180 people could be ready to strike in France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, a Western intelligence source told CNN. European Union and Middle East intelligence agencies identified an "imminent threat" to Belgium and possibly to the Netherlands, the source told CNN. "There is a tremendous amount of concern over sleeper cells in Europe," said a Western official with direct knowledge of the situation. But while there is a "realistic threat" to the Netherlands, government spokesman Edmond Messchaert said there is "no concrete or specific information of an attack in the Netherlands." Two additional people whose DNA was found on the belongings of jihadist Amedy Coulibaly are being sought by authorities, according to a source in Paris with knowledge of the investigation into this month's attacks in the French capital. The DNA of one was found on a charger belonging to Coulibaly, the source told CNN. Coulibaly is accused of killing four people in a siege at a kosher market and gunning down a police officer. Meanwhile, three women detained in connection with the Paris terror attacks were released from custody Sunday, the public prosecutor's office told CNN. Nine other people will remain in custody for at least 48 hours while the investigation continues. The detainees were held after a series of terror attacks this month that left 17 people dead -- including 12 people in an attack at the offices of the Charlie Hebdo satirical newspaper. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, al Qaeda's Yemen affiliate, claimed responsibility for the Charlie Hebdo shooting. The publisher of Charlie Hebdo says the newspaper will increase the press run of the latest issue, which features a depiction of the Prophet Mohammed, to 7 million. ISIS, the extremist Islamist group that controls swaths of Iraq and Syria, runs large training facilities in Syria and has access to thousands of potential European recruits. Officials are monitoring groups of men who have returned to Europe from fighting in Syria. It is believed ISIS directed operatives to return to Europe to launch attacks in retaliation for airstrikes against the terror group in Syria and Iraq, according to the official. Several European nations, including the United Kingdom, France, Belgium and the Netherlands, are participating in the air campaign against ISIS in Iraq. CNN's Ivan Watson reported from Brussels; Holly Yan reported and wrote from Atlanta; and Tim Lister reported from Paris. CNN's Margot Haddad contributed to this report. | Neither Belgium nor Greece confirms whether the probe involves a jihadi cell in Verviers .
Source: Up to 20 sleeper cells could be set to strike in France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands . |
146,694 | 49b3d310ca517de471f92bd84b03ee7d31686749 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 12:11 EST, 3 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 14:00 EST, 3 November 2013 . After graffiti artist Banksy argued last week that New York has lost its edge, a new book by photographer Tod Seelie is a poke in the eye to all those critics who claim the city has become too corporate and mainstream. Bright Nights: Photographs Of Another New York compiles a decade and a half of Seelie’s adventures exploring the city’s rich underbelly of alternative and underground culture. The New York documented by Steelie is . one where people regularly climb bridges, party in railroad tunnels, and . sail homemade rafts on the Hudson River. A ruckus band perform at a squat in Alphabet City, Manhattan in 2012: A new book by photographer Tod Seelie is a poke in the eye to all those critics who claim New York City has become too corporate and mainstream . People on-board a makeshift raft sail round the southern tip of Manhattan, 2008: Bright Nights: Photographs Of Another New York compiles a decade and a half of Tod Seelie's adventures exploring the city's rich underbelly of alternative and underground culture . View of Manhattan from the top of the Williamsburg Bridge, 2011: The New York that Steelie documents is one where people climb bridges, party in railroad tunnels, and sail homemade rafts on the Hudson River . Steelie fell in love with the city and all its wild possibilities after moving from Rocky River, Ohio. Although the city he documents is a far cry from the picture postcard version on sale to tourists in Times Square. His New York is an underground haven for people at society’s edges, who come alive at night to party in abandoned spaces, to make music and art and noise and mess. ‘I hope what happens is when you take in all these images and the subject matter and the aesthetic and you pile them together, you get a sense of this world that's kind of swirling right underneath a lot of people’s feet in New York,’ Seelie told Slate.com. He moved to the city to . attend the Pratt Institute in 1997 and became immersed in Brooklyn’s . burgeoning art and music scene. Setting up for a secret dinner in the Freedom Tunnel, Manhattan, 2007: Steelie's New York is an underground haven for people at society's edges, who come alive at night to party in abandoned spaces . Burning car in Bushwick, Brooklyn, 2007: The city documented in Steelie's book is a far cry from the picture postcard version on sale to tourists in Times Square . Crowd dancing on a rooftop during a Fourth of July party, Bushwick, Brooklyn, 2006: The city that never sleeps is still there although if you want to find it perhaps you need to look a bit harder and travel a bit further . Although many of the DIY venues he once frequented have now closed due to rising rents, Seelie believes it remains possible to enjoy an alternative lifestyle in New York - even if you need a regular pay-cheek to help fund it. ‘Some people may think that to do some of the stuff you see in the photos you have to have no job, never work. In fact, the opposite is true. 'A lot of the people in the photos have day jobs, and this is what they do at night. It's really about what you're passionate about, what you do, what you like to make happen on your own,’ he said. A lot of Seelie's photographs involve a high degree of risk as safety is often questionable and the police are never too far . away, but for Steelie it is simply a matter of weighing . risk and reward. Callie crowd surfing during a Spank Rock show at Bodega, Bushwick, Brooklyn, 2009: Many DIY venues have closed due to rising rents, but Seelie believes it remains possible to enjoy an alternative lifestyle even if you need a pay-cheek to help fund it . Vogue dance battle at La Escuelita, Manhattan, 2012: An alternative lifestyle is still achievable says Seelie, even if most people have to work to supplement it . ‘I try really hard not to get caught. It's just one aspect of life where you have to evaluate it for yourself. Maybe something's too dangerous, something's too risky, or something's just too stupid - but maybe it's totally worth it,’ he said. Many people will view Seelie’s adventures as things they simply wouldn’t dream of doing – or perhaps are too scared to try – but it is somehow reassuring to know that somewhere out there in the night there are people crowd surfing in high heels or playing in a mutant brass band. Seelie's photographs prove that the city that never sleeps is still there, it's just that if you want to find it you might need to look a bit harder and travel a bit further to the outer boroughs than some of those people so quick to say that New York isn’t as good as it once was. Bright Nights: Photographs Of Another New York by Tod Seelie is available to buy now. Seelie's book documents the photographs he has taken over the past 15 years of a very different New York to the one seen by most of its residents and visitors . | Photographer Tod Seelie aims to prove those critics wrong who say New York has lost its edge in his new book Bright Nights: Photographs Of Another New York .
His New York is a far cry from the picture postcard version on sale to tourists in Times Square .
The New York documented by Steelie is .
one where people regularly climb bridges, party in railroad tunnels, and .
sail homemade rafts on the Hudson River . |
228,684 | b41adaa918c87cc80ce580e0d7d5888cdd918de1 | By . Bianca London . PUBLISHED: . 12:19 EST, 10 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 14:55 EST, 10 December 2013 . As a recent survey reveals that women are more concerned with the state of their skin than any other body hang-up, it is no surprise the skincare business has rolled out a multitude of products that promise to turn back the effects of time. But one area that often gets neglected is the delicate area above the eye because no product has ever been designed to target that specific area - until now. Elizabeth Arden has unveiled PREVAGE Anti-aging + Intensive Repair Eye Serum - an eye treatment that claims to help reduce the severe signs of skin aging in just one use, especially the look of deep lines and crepiness that affect the delicate upper eyelid area. Banish the lines: Elizabeth Arden has unveiled PREVAGE Anti-aging + Intensive Repair Eye Serum which claims to get rid of wrinkles - including those on the eyelid . Developed in partnership with Bascom-Palmer Eye Institute, the leading centre for eye research and aesthetics, the new cream even claims to work in just fifteen minutes. The new formulation combines Elizabeth Arden’s exclusive idebenone technology, the single most powerful antioxidant, with a blend of arazine and thiotaine. Botox in a bottle? The new formulation contains Elizabeth Arden's exclusive Idebenone technology but at £95, it doesn't come cheap . Arazine claims to soothe skin and help reduce signs of ageing caused by inflammation, while thiotaine promises to protect skin from free radical damage due to environmental assaults. It also utilises moisture trap technology - a . complex of hyaluronic acid, barley and sea plant extracts that work to . help lock in moisture and plump and smooth skin. It contains optical diffusers and silicones, which claim to provide a soft focus effect to . scatter light and diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles for . immediate bright and luminous skin. But does it work? Apparently so; 75 per cent of women noted a clinical improvement in deep and fine lines in 15 minutes after use. The results also revealed that seven out of 10 women preferred the new Prevage serum to their regular eye serum. But youth doesn't come cheap: the 15ml serum, which is available in Boots and should be applied twice daily, will set you back £95. Speaking about the product, Dr Yannis Alexandrides, founder of 111 Harley St said: 'While the results published certainly do sound impressive, it’s important to review the ingredients that are giving these "instant" results. 'Just a glance at the formula shows that it is rich in hyaluronic acid which superficially plumps the skin surface but the effect is not long lasting. Delicate: This is the first cream that has been designed to be used on the eyelid itself and help reduce the sagging effect . 'The 15-minute promise is largely down to the optical diffusers which are cosmetic agents, these are also found in foundation and concealers and reflect light off the skin, making wrinkles appear less prominent.' Beauty blogger Charlie Lankston of Small Fish Big Pond added: ‘This intensive eye serum applies beautifully - the lightweight formula means it blends effortlessly into your skin and doesn’t feel heavy or greasy around the eyes. 'It is good at tackling fine lines above the eyes, but doesn’t do a huge amount to combat dark circles so isn’t the best option for anyone hoping to fight those at the same time. ‘And while it’s a beautiful product - and of the highest quality - the price is really quite high and makes it out of the reach of a lot of women who won’t be able to afford nearly £100 for an eye serum. 'For those that can afford it and want something high-end to help tackle their lines, this is the perfect product, however for anyone hoping for a bit more of an all-rounder, there are plenty of other options available at much more reasonable prices which may be more suited to their needs.' No7 Protect & Perfect Eye Cream. Boots, £15 (L) Murad Eye Lift Perfector, £27, M&S (R) Money no object: Carita, £95 (l) Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels, £25, M&S (R) | Elizabeth Arden unveil PREVAGE Anti-aging + Intensive Repair Eye Serum .
75% of women noticed difference in 15 minutes .
At £95, youth doesn't come cheap . |
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