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135,890 | 3bcc927733747e45eeaf61b6694e1beea16153ba | Quit: Lollipop man Bob Slade, pictured today outside his house in . Plymouth, Devon, left his post after council bosses threatened him with a . suspension . A lollipop man has quit his post after he was threatened with suspension for high-fiving school children by council bosses. Bob Slade, 65, had been a crossing patrol supervisor outside the Manadon Vale primary school in Plymouth, Devon, for four-and-a-half years. But the former dockyard worker resigned after Plymouth City Council said he would be suspended for four weeks for high-fiving children - which they said was a safety concern. Mr Slade said: 'I really enjoyed the job. I have been doing it for more than four years without a single accident. 'I had to stop giving them high fives about a month before I resigned. 'The parents were all happy for me to do so and I would always ensure their safety but once the council told me I would be suspended, I thought it was best I resigned. "They told me to be very friendly with the children when I first got the job, which I did.' The school is currently without a crossing patrol supervisor following Mr Slade’s departure. Parents of children at the school have backed Mr Slade and slammed the 'ridiculous' council decision. Mother of two Barbara Laws said: 'He is a . lovely man who is there in rain or shine. He knows all the kids and they . love him. 'Ridiculous': Plymouth City Council said Mr Slade's friendly gesture of high-fiving children as they crossed the road was a safety risk . 'I cannot believe it, it is so ridiculous for something so . innocent. It isn’t dangerous. 'It was just meant as a kindness to the children, it is just common sense out of the window.' Others posted their support on the internet. Jennie Wills posted: 'How ridiculous !!!! Our Lollypop Man is lovely all the kids love him.' Paddy Paddison posted: 'PCC once again showing that rigid adherence to rules is more important than people. 'So well done to the council employee who . has put a number of children in danger for the sake of making sure that . the crossing guard didn't have any human contact while performing his . job. Pathetic.' Helen Delamer posted: 'A lollipop person . needs to have a good rapport with the kids so they ALWAYS cross with . him/her. Plymouth Councillers need to each, in turn, try doing that job . themselves before coming out with this nonsense.' Outrage: Parents of children at the Manadon Vale primary school, pictured, have slammed the council's decision, calling it 'ridiculous' Elanor A King wrote: 'Its stupid, you have a man dedicated to his job and enjoys it and makes that extra effort, I bet. He kids miss that happy lollipopman, if u have a rapport with the children they will listen to u and respect u. [sic]' Ann-Marie Ballard posted: 'Omg he was actually interacting with the kids which encourages them to cross with him.' Michelle Garrett-Martin posted: 'Has anyone actually asked for or pulled together stats on how many accidents have happened under his watch? 'Probably not because there haven't been any. Ridiculous - if you listen to the mum on the radio he is doing what PCC say he should do, with his arm out - the kids are 'high-fiving' him. World gone mad.' Mr Slade said he appreciates the support from parents, but would be unlikely to return to the role. Speaking today, he said: 'It's nice to hear all the parents have been supportive, but I've resigned now and I believe they'll be getting someone to replace me fairly soon.' Mr Slade is not the only lollipop man to receive disciplinary action for high-fiving schoolchildren. In July, Roger Green, 64, was told that he could no longer greet pupils from Sandy Lane Primary School in Bracknell, . Berkshire, with the gesture. He was asked to stop because a driver said it slowed down . traffic. Hundreds of parents reacted angrily to the ban by Bracknell Forest Council - who said the greeting put Mr Green and the children 'at risk'. Mr . Green, who worked as lollipop man for three years, said: 'I put a sign . up for couple of days saying that due to a complaint I could no longer . high-five children. 'The parents complained as they can't understand why the ban is in place. 'I have to follow what my boss says, but it is a harmless piece of fun and all the children like it.' A Plymouth City Council spokesman said: 'We take the safety of children very . seriously and school crossing patrols exist to make sure children can . cross roads as safely as possible. 'To do this they must hold out the lollipop with one arm and hold their other arm outstretched to signal that all traffic must stop, this is well established signalling that should be understood by all drivers. 'While patrols can be friendly their full attention must be on the road and they must watch the traffic closely at all times. 'The high-fives was one of a number of safety issues raised with the school crossing patrol before he made the decision to resign. 'We will be recruiting to fill the position at Manadon Vale primary school as quickly as possible.' Mr Slade is not the first lollipop man to fall victim to high-fiving schoolchildren. Roger Green, 64, was told that he cannot greet pupils from Sandy Lane Primary School in Bracknell, Berkshire, with the gesture because a driver said it slowed down traffic. Hundreds of parents reacted angrily to the ban by Bracknell Forest Council, with some complaining to the school. The council said the simple greeting put Mr Green and the children 'at risk'. Mr Green, who worked as lollipop man for three years, said: 'I put a sign up for couple of days saying that due to a complaint I could no longer high-five children. 'The parents complained as they can't understand why the ban is in place. 'I have to follow what my boss says, but it is a harmless piece of fun and all the children like it.' Previous cases: Roger Green, 64, pictured, was banned from high-fiving children in July this year because it 'confuses the drivers' outside Sandy Lane Primary School in Bracknell, Berkshire . | Bob Slade, 65, had been a crossing supervisor outside the Manadon Vale primary school, Plymouth, for four-and-a-half years .
Plymouth City Council threatened him with a four-week suspension for high-fiving schoolchildren - which they said was a safety concern .
Former dockyard worker quit, leaving school without a lollipop man .
'He is a .
lovely man. It is so ridiculous,' one mother said . |
154,162 | 533f0d46f33e3c19ef2c9f603c5d3dfd49eece7f | By . Emma Innes . PUBLISHED: . 12:34 EST, 10 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:37 EST, 10 April 2013 . Could this be China’s answer to the iPhone? Chinese smartphone manufacturer, Xiaomi, has launched two new smartphones – the Xiaomi Mi-S2 and the Xiaomi Mi-2A. The company, which is rapidly gaining a reputation for being the Apple of the East, is hoping that the new phones will cause frenzy amongst technology enthusiasts. Xiaomi's CEO Lei Jun launched the Mi-2A and Mi-2S yesterday . Mi-2S . 4.3-inch IPS display with a 1,280 x 720 pixels resolutionQuad-core 1.7 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 CPU2 GB of RAM8MP camera rear camera2MP camera front camera2,000 mAh batteryJelly Bean-based MIUIMi-2A . 4.5 inch displayDual-core 1.7 GHz S4 Pro CPU1 GB of RAM8MP camera rear camera2MP camera front camera2,000 mAh battery . The Xiaomi Mi-2S has a quad-core 1.7GHz Snapdragon 600 processor and a 4.3ins screen with 1280 x 720 pixel resolution. It also has a 13 megapixel rear-facing camera and a 200mAh battery. Finally, it features 2GB of RAM and 16 or 32GB of on board storage. The Mi-2A also boasts Near Frequency Communication technology which means it can be used to exchange contact details or even to pay for small items. It can also support 5G WiFi and has a dual-core 1.7GHz Snapdragon S4 PRO processor as well as a rear-facing eight megapixel camera and a two megapixel front-facing camera. As with its sister phone, the Mi-2A has a 4.3ins screen but this one only has 1GB of RAM along with 16GB of storage. For . the new phones, Xiaomi has updated its interface and it has created a . function whereby the camera will take a picture when the owner says . ‘cheese’. The company hopes that their new phones will help them break into the western market . The company, which is rapidly gaining a reputation for being the Apple of the East, is hoping that the new phones will cause frenzy amongst technology enthusiasts . The Mi-2S will sell for about £240 and the Mi-2A for £156. The phones follow on from last year’s Xiaomi Mi2 and the original Mi-One. Xiaomi is thought to have an eye on moving into the western market next and is expected to release the Mi-3 soon. The Xiaomi Mi-2S has a quad-core 1.7GHz Snapdragon 600 processor and a 4.3ins screen with 1280 x 720 pixel resolution . | Xiaomi has launched two new smartphones - the Mi-S2 and Mi-2A .
Both run Android, Google's smartphone software . |
100,582 | 0d92e913076dda753995d64f3071737f7c670bcf | (CNN) -- Arsenal's Andrey Arshavin became the first player to score four goals in a league game at Liverpool for 64 years but it was not enough to stop the Reds returning to the top of the Premier League after another 4-4 draw. Russian Arshavin hit four goals for the first time in his career in a dramatic eight-goal Anfield thriller. A week after crashing out of the Champions League 7-5 on aggregate after sharing eight goals in their quarterfinal second leg at Chelsea, Liverpool took their fans on another rollercoaster ride. A draw was going to be enough to take the Merseysiders above Manchester United -- they have two games in hand -- but it needed 90 minutes of drama before they edged ahead on goal difference. Russian striker Arshavin opened the scoring after 36 minutes and struck again after 67, 70 and 90 as Arsenal bounced back following their weekend FA Cup semifinal defeat. Fernando Torres, with a header after 49 minutes, and Yossi Benayoun (56) hit back after halftime before Arshavin sent Arsenal 3-2 ahead with 20 minutes left. Torres's second of the night after 72 hauled Rafael Benitez's side level two minutes later -- but it took Benayoun to salvage a draw for Liverpool in the third minute of time added on after that man Arshavin had hit number four after 90 minutes. It was the first time in his career that Arshavin had scored four in a match and he told Sky: "I liked the game but of course it's not good for the team...almost basketball." Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger said of his Russian star: "His performance was outstanding. He had a quiet first half but when he comes into the game he is always very dangerous. He has personality and is a winner." Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez saw his team concede a quartet of sloppy goals but he could not fault their commitment to the cause. "You never know," he said of the Reds' dwindling hopes of overhauling United. "Today we made too many mistakes, but it's also very positive because the team showed character until the last minute." Benitez added: "They (United) had it (the advantage in the title race) before and they continue in the driving seat. We have to keep pushing and showed today we will fight until the last game." | Andrey Arshavin hits four goals as Arsenal draw 4-4 at Liverpool who go top .
Arshavin opened scoring after 36 minutes and added more on 67, 70 and 90 .
Fernando Torres and Yossi Benayoun replied with two goals apiece for Reds . |
94,089 | 04f4065c1008ea0ad9dfc54cba538518dffbeffe | Lewis Hamilton and Arsene Wenger joined forces on Tuesday night at a glitzy gala in Geneva. Hamilton, the reigning Formula One champion, and Wenger, the Arsenal manager who oversaw his side’s 2-0 victory at Manchester City on Sunday, posed together at the 75th anniversary of the Swiss watch manufacturer IWC Shaffhausen. Arsenal-supporting Hamilton, boasting a new hair-do, and Wenger, were joined by a host of celebrities from the world of showbiz and sport. Reigning Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton (left) posed for a picture with Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger . Hamilton's Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg (centre) also met up with the 65-year-old Gunners manager . Hamilton (left) caught up with last season's main rival and Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg . Rosberg (left) and Hamilton (right) pose for a photograph with IWC Schaffhausen CEO George Kern . Also among the famous faces gathered at the Swiss gala were actress Emily Blunt, Czech model and former Victoria's Secret Angel Karolina Kurkova. Hamilton’s Mercedes team-mate and rival for last year’s title Nico Rosberg was also among the high-profile attendees at the Geneva event. Hamilton and Rosberg went toe-to-toe for the F1 championship in 2014 last year, with the Briton coming up trumps in the season decider at Abu Dhabi. Rosberg speaks with one of the staff as he makes a visit to the IWC booth during the exhibition . The pair are expected to renew their rivalry in 2015 and will take the wraps off their Mercedes W06 challenger on the morning of the first pre-season test in Jerez on February 1. Both drivers appeared in relaxed mood at the IWC party; the Swiss watch manufacturer an official partner of the Mercedes F1 team. Arsenal boss Wenger will have been buoyed by his side’s strong display at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday and his side will be looking to build on that performance when they host Brighton this weekend. Czech model Karolina Kurkova, best known for her time as a Victoria's Secret Angel was also at the gala . Supermodels Adriana Lima (left) and Kukova (right) are both spokesmodels for the Swiss luxury watch brand . | F1 champion Lewis Hamilton attended the gala in Geneva, Switzerland .
The lifelong Arsenal supporter bumped into Gunners boss Arsene Wenger .
Also in attendance was Hamilton's Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg .
Supermodels Karolina Kurkova and Adriana Lima added to the celebrities . |
115,803 | 2176c5cb9d40f2082fc2463eaf16bc3860d694b9 | The body of a shirtless man killed by Ebola is picked up from the middle of a dirt road in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, and carried away by health workers. The shocking images, which are being taken in West Africa on a daily basis, highlight how the outbreak is spiraling out of control - and medical officials are yet to find a cure. But experts believe an unusual treatment may help combat the disease, one which involves using the blood of those who have survived the deadly virus. Scroll down for video . Health workers place the body of a man inside a plastic body bag in front of a crowd in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia. He is suspected of dying due to the Ebola virus . 'This is something that's fairly simple to do,' said Dr. Peter Piot, director of London's School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the co-discoverer of the Ebola virus. More than 200 experts, assembled by the World Health Organization, have gathered in Geneva for a two day conference. The group are looking at issues of safety and effectiveness and considering which treatments should be prioritized for testing during the current outbreak. There are around a half dozen medicines and vaccines in development. None has been tested on humans but an early trial of one vaccine began this week in the United States. Much attention has focused on the unproven drug ZMapp, which was given to seven patients, two of whom died. But the limited supply is now exhausted and its developer says it will take months to make even a modest amount. In contrast, WHO's blood network, an international group of blood regulators, noted recently there are thousands of survivors from past Ebola outbreaks in Africa who could be tapped as a source. The group said blood from survivors should be considered experimental and recommended that studies be done during the crisis. His corpse was left on a dirt road in the middle of the Liberian capital with pedestrians ignoring the body as they waked past . In another document published this week, WHO estimated the first batches of survivor blood could be available by the end of the year. The agency said it had identified several recovered patients as potential donors, but acknowledged 'logistics of blood collection are an issue.' Some scientists think antibodies in the blood of Ebola survivors could help patients infected with the deadly disease. Antibodies are produced by the body's immune system to fight off harmful things like viruses. They remain in the blood ready to fight off any future infections by the same foreign substance. Piot said it is vital to find out if the blood treatment is effective. 'I hope this is the last Ebola outbreak where all we have is isolation, quarantine and supportive care to treat patients,' he said. Experts say blood from survivors could be collected and processed for multiple patients, or a survivor could donate blood to an individual patient. Both methods require screening the blood for diseases like HIV or malaria. A health worker sprays the body of the dead man as a crowd surrounds the gruesome scene . While direct donation would be easier, the levels of Ebola-fighting antibodies produced by a survivor can vary. Ideally, experts said, the amount of antibodies should be measured. 'With drugs, you can at least do some quality control,' said Tom Geisbert, an Ebola expert at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. 'If you're just taking blood blindly from (survivors) without testing it for antibody levels, how can we predict what outcome they will have?' In West Africa, there have been no organized attempts to use the blood of survivors to treat patients. Blood from a 14-year-old boy who survived Ebola was given in July to American doctor Kent Brantly, who was infected in Liberia. Brantly also got some ZMapp and was released from an Atlanta hospital last month. It's unknown whether the drug or the boy's blood aided his recovery. Blood from survivors of diseases including Ebola, bird flu and anthrax has been used in the past when doctors ran out of options and seems to work best in diseases where there's a toxin, like anthrax and tetanus. Medical workers from the Liberian Red Cross load another body into the back of a van in Monrovia . Health worker's spray each other with disinfectant chemicals after dealing with the corpse of the Ebola with a victim in Monrovia, Liberia . For treating Ebola, 'you would need to come up with how much you should give, how long, and what's a safe infusion rate,' said Dr. Michael Kurilla, director of BioDefense at the U.S. National Institutes of Health. 'If you know what the potency of the serum is, you could theoretically help the body clear Ebola out of their cells before it can do too much damage.' Dr. Colin Brown, who recently worked in Ebola clinics in Sierra Leone for King's College London's partnership with the country, said local hospitals should be able to provide survivors' blood if doctors want to offer it. So far, more than 3,000 people have been infected. Last week, WHO estimated there could be another 20,000 cases before the Ebola outbreak is stopped, a figure Brown described as unfortunate but realistic. Visual artists walk with placards during a rally in Abidjan, the capital of the Ivory Coastagainst the Ebola virus which is effecting neighbouring countries . 'It does give us the opportunity to try some new therapies,' he said. 'And as long as they are not harmful, why shouldn't we try to do something, hopefully help some patients and learn from this?' Health officials are monitoring more than 200 people who may have been exposed to Ebola in southern Nigeria and are working to find more people at risk in a race to contain the disease's spread in Africa's most populous country. Authorities had been cautiously optimistic that they would be able to keep Nigeria's outbreak relatively small. The sick Liberian-American who brought the disease to Nigeria by plane was quickly isolated and officials said they were successfully monitoring the people who were in contact with him. But then last month, one of those contacts escaped surveillance and fled to the southern oil hub of Port Harcourt. He infected a doctor who, in turn, exposed dozens of people to the disease when he continued treating patients after he began having Ebola symptoms, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said. Elsewhere in West Africa, the outbreak is spinning out of control, killing about 1,900 people so far, according to the WHO. Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone have each recorded hundreds of deaths and the disease most recently spread to Senegal. There are no known casess of Ebola in Ivory Coast, but the problem is beginning to spiral out of control in neighbouring countries including Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia . In southern Nigeria, 200 people have been identified as having been exposed to the ill doctor and are being monitored, the WHO said. About 60 of those are considered at a high risk of getting Ebola. Officials are urgently tracking down more contacts and educating residents about the disease, Dr Sampson Parker, the health commissioner for Rivers State, where Port Harcourt is located, said. Rumour, fear and confusion about Ebola, which is more typically found in Central Africa, have helped to fuel its spread. Some people hide their symptoms or avoid medical care, seeing hospitals as places where people simply go to die. Nigerian officials have urged people in Port Harcourt not to panic. Joseph Obari, an oil worker, said he felt the local authorities had put in place adequate measures to curtail the disease. But others worry that Ebola will spread. 'I am very afraid because of the manner the disease is spreading,' said Oji Egwuno, a hotel manager in Port Harcourt. 'I have to be cautious because I don't want to be the next victim.' So far, more than 3,000 people have been infected and around 1,900 people are thought to have died. Last week, WHO estimated there could be another 20,000 cases before the Ebola outbreak is stopped . | WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT .
The method is one of the experimental treatments under discussion .
More than 200 experts have assembled for a two-day meeting in Geneva .
There are around half a dozen medicines and vaccines in development .
Focus has concentrated on ZMapp, which has been given to seven patients .
So far more than 3,000 people have been infected during the outbreak . |
155,381 | 54d79d95d75d29be2b9402b0e0d035a5d35c6478 | (CNN) -- It may seem like a simple soup-based dish, but Japanese ramen can be surprisingly complex. To chart its different flavors is to embark on a journey along a road of influences and regional variations that has more twists and tangles than a mouthful of noodles. Sure, there are the basic four ramen styles. There's Shoyu with its heavy soy sauce seasoning; it's lighter version, shio; miso made with salty dollops of fermented soy beans; and tonkotsu, made by cooking pork bones overnight until the soup is creamy-white. Venture out into the far reaches of the country, however, and the ingredients change -- what started as a simple four can now be categorized into dozens of local styles. Ramen emerged as a national food trend in post-war Japan as a growing train network took tourists to the country's far reaches, where they soon began sampling local dishes. Tokyoites raved about what they were finding on their weekend jaunts, demanding more and ramen shops were quick to cash in. Hokkaido's miso ramen . Nowhere did this with as much success as Sapporo, on the northern island of Hokkaido. It was here that in 1955 a customer asked the chef at one eatery, Aji no Sanpei (Daimaru Fujii Sentral Building 4/F; +81 11 231 0377) to put noodles into his miso soup. Miso ramen was born. Over the years, the soup got thicker, the curly, yellow noodles were perfected and their popularity spread across the island. Today, there are miso ramen shops across the country that owe their success to essentially what was an accident. The most famous shops in Sapporo still pull in lines down the street. Asahikawa's shoyu ramen . Not all ramen in Hokkaido is miso. Just a 90 minute express train ride northeast of Sapporo is Asahikawa, a town with enough ramen shops in the vicinity of the station to warrant an official ramen map. A completely different style from Sapporo, Asahikawa's soup is a hearty shoyu ramen, with a broth made from pork and chicken bones, then mixed with a seafood concoction. The style didn't catch on like miso, and most ramen hunters have to head to the source to sample a good bowl. The shops credited with inventing the style, Hachiya (5-Jodori, 7 Chome, Asahikawa-shi, Hokkaido; +81 16 623 3343) and Aoba (Nijo Building 1/F, 2-Jodori 8 Chome, Asahikawa-shi, Hokkaido; +81 166 23 2820) are still doing business. Muroran's curry ramen . While Sapporo and Asahikwa ramen gained popularity through word of mouth, the city of Muroran took a more strategic approach. After deciding that an unusual curry ramen created in 1965 by local shop Aji no Dai O (Chuocho 2-9-3, Muroran-shi, Hokkaido; +81 143 23 3434) had failed to get the attention it deserved, the city in 2006 formed the official Muroran Curry Ramen Group to promote its wares. It worked. Muroran now boasts the fourth most popular ramen recipe in Hokkaido (number three is Hakodate's simple shio ramen). Kyushu's tonkotsu ramen . Another immensely popular style is tonkotsu from Kyushu in southwestern Japan. Simmering pork bones for days on end yields two results: a stench somewhere between fine cheese and old socks, and a creamy, delicious soup. Tonkotsu owes its creation to another happy accident. In 1947 a chef at Sankyu, a restaurant in the city of Kurume, accidentally left a pot of pork bones on high heat for much too long. The result was surprisingly tasty. Tonkotsu ramen quickly spread around the island of Kyushu, with two other towns, Kumamoto and Hakata,adapting this style with their own twists. In Hakata, food carts known as yatai embody the local ramen spirit. Set up daily along the rivers in the Tenjin district, these no-nonsense stands serve bowls of milky-white soup from the time the sun goes down until well into the morning. Kyushu's Kumamoto ramen . Kumamoto ramen, though sharing the same roots as Hakata, is made by mixing in a touch of chicken stock and about two fistfuls of garlic. The garlic comes in the form of a black oil called mayu, as well as fried garlic chips served table-side. Like its cousin in Hakata, Kumamoto ramen is a late night specialty. Tokyo's trends . Of course, Tokyo is a key player in regional ramen styles. It's the ramen battleground of Japan, where new shops open and close daily. Although the hope of kicking off a new ramen trend is quite strong, most outlets stick to the roots of Tokyo ramen -- shoyu, often flavored with niboshi. Niboshi are dried sardines that give the broth a slightly bitter, fishy taste. Mixed with a soy base, it's similar to Chinese recipes but traces its roots to Ogikubo, an area just 10 minutes from Tokyo's busy business center. The original Ogikubo ramen has spawned countless copies, but its 1931 creator, a shop called Harukiya (1-4-6 Kamiogi, Suginami-ku, Tokyo-to; +81 33 391 4868), still has lines down the block on the weekend. Shoyu variations . Tokyo isn't alone when it comes to shoyu ramen, although there are, of course, regional variations. Aomori in the north adds copious amounts of niboshi. Kitakata, a city in the west of Fukushima, does a lighter-than-average shoyu that finds its way onto the breakfast table in many homes. Nagoya adds spicy hot peppers and calls it Taiwan Ramen. Onomichi in Hiroshima prefecture dumps mounds of pork back fat onto theirs. Even Hachioji, a city less than 30 minutes from Ogikubo, makes their own style of ramen by adding freshly diced onions into the mix. It doesn't stop there. New styles are constantly being created and forgotten as chefs try to conjure up the next big thing. Just when you think you've tasted them all, there's always one more bowl to try... More ramen recommendations: . Aji no Dai O, 138-3 Uenae, +81 144 58 3333 . Kiraku, Dogenzaka 2-17-6, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo-to, +81 33 461 2032 . Tengaiten, Anseimachi 2-15, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto-shi, Kumamoto-Ken; +81 96 354 8458 . Brian Mac is a foodie who makes a living performing in children's events around Japan. A San Francisco native, he's called Japan home since 2006, and has ventured to almost 1,000 different ramen shops. Read more on his blog, Ramen Adventures. | Started as a simple four -- shoyu, shio, tonkotsu and miso, ramen grows into dozens of local styles .
Not all ramen in Hokkaido is miso but there are also shoyu ramen from Asahikawa and curry ramen from Muroran .
Every sunset, ramen carts are set up along the rivers in Tenjin, Kyushu, selling pork-bone ramen till the next morning . |
51,139 | 90b216ca4b955abba7ce94969ecf1700c80cd0fc | (CNN) -- In a country as splintered as the United States has become, can there be any such thing as a national pastime? The phrase has been associated with the game of baseball since late in the 19th century, when sportswriters began dropping it into their stories. It was a great promotional slogan for the sport; whether it ever was literally true is open to question. But it would be just about impossible to make the case that baseball is the national pastime today; in a country of 314 million people, this year's World Series drew, on average, a television audience of only 12.7 million viewers per game (football's Super Bowl this year attracted an audience of more than 111 million). Yet the question is not which sport has become the national pastime, but whether any single activity of any kind qualifies for that title. Cohesion is not exactly the dominating quality of 21st-century life; we are endlessly being reminded of all the choices we have about how to spend our time, and the concept of the entire country gravitating toward one leisure-time activity sounds beyond archaic. If baseball ever was, at least symbolically, the national pastime, it was supplanted in the early 1950s by the rapid growth in the number of television sets in American homes. Suddenly something was happening that had never before occurred: People all over the country were looking at the same thing at the same time. Most mornings, the main topic of conversation in offices, factories and schools across the continent was something that had been on all those television screens the night before. There were only three channels to watch in most cities, and perhaps an additional "educational" channel, the forerunner to PBS. The nation had a new pastime, and it took place indoors. The great majority of Americans who are alive today have no memory at all of a world before television. The median age in the United States hovers right around 37 years old; this means that half of all Americans were born in 1975 or later. The presence of television, to them, is as unremarkable as the sight of the sun in the summer sky. And a newer pastime, as we all know, has emerged, on screens of a different sort. To take note of how free time (whatever that has come to mean) is now being spent, all you have to do is walk down any street in any city or small town, and observe your fellow pedestrians checking the screens they grasp in their palms. But the hegemony of early television, with those three channels, is a distant memory. No one can take the public's attention for granted today; first the advent of cable television fragmented viewing patterns, and then came the boundless Internet, followed by the creative forces that provide the content for all those little personal screens. Apple offers around 700,000 separate applications, as does Google. A lot of ways to pass the time, in a nation with a twitching concentration span. And there is always something around the next corner. The same way there are fewer and fewer Americans who can describe to you what the country was like before television, soon enough there will be few Americans who will be able to recall a world before the Internet. It is hard to conceive, but social history tells us that the seemingly limitless array of ways to spend time today will before long seem constricted and small. There is a famous and provocative phrase, translated from the writings of Karl Marx, that has been used in various contexts over the years: "the opiate of the masses." The concept of people being susceptible to a symbolic opiate of any kind remains controversial and current. Do today's Americans simply enjoy the screens they carry with them, or are they psychologically addicted to them -- is it a pleasurable pastime, or are they hooked? It's not an unfair question. (And as far as opiates go -- pharmacological and figurative -- the Wall Street Journal recently reported on an intriguing development at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, as explained by Rhonda Scott, Grady's chief nursing officer: "Grady agreed to double the number of TV channels in rooms and add ESPN because 'the requests for pain medication go down during the afternoon football games,' Dr. Scott said.") Our pastimes are many, and the very idea of a national pastime goes against the contemporary aversion to doing only one thing at a time. Although the very real possibility exists that, seemingly contradictorily, we have indeed settled on a new kind of national pastime: . Multitasking. Baseball's starting to sound better and better. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Bob Greene. | Bob Greene says it's been awhile since baseball has been the U.S. national pastime .
He says life fragmented today; few things unify Americans as a shared pastime. TV once did .
He says Internet has further splintered interests; is computer screen new opiate of masses?
Greene: New national pastime may just be multitasking. Makes you wish for baseball . |
125,573 | 2e5890ef57b05c59615b2e852a3b9a58f8f1ed31 | Words have been a part of Marjorie Liu's life as far back as she could remember. She would devour children's books sitting in her mother's lap, dreaming up adventures of her own she wanted to share. But the New York Times bestselling author never thought her passion for writing could earn her a living, so she set her sights on a career in law, spending years diligently poring over law books to pass the bar. "I was going to be a lawyer and I had studied hard," Liu says, "but then it suddenly occurred to me in a very deep, profound way that I didn't want to keep practicing law for the rest of my life," she adds. Follow the dream . Liu was struck with the impulse to fulfill her dream of writing a novel, and brushing off concerns from those around her, she closed herself off in her apartment for a month to write. She worked feverishly for 14 hours a day, producing her first novel -- a paranormal magic thriller called "Tiger Eye". Her leap of faith paid off, and the book was bought by a publishing house and turned into a four-sequel contract. Nine years after her debut, the 35 year-old is a celebrated writer with 17 novels to her name and myriad of literary awards. "I had my dreams, and even though everyone told me that they weren't practical, I knew in my heart that this is what I had to do. Even if it ended up being a failure, I had to make the attempt," she says. Expanding the portfolio . Apart from traditional novels, Liu also found her calling in comic books. She has written issues for Marvel Comics' "Dark Wolverine" and "Astonishing X-Men" series, for which she was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for outstanding media images of the LGBT community last year. Liu also teaches comic book writing at MIT, even though she only became familiar with the genre at college after stumbling across it in a local bookstore. "I didn't know how to write comics, I had to teach myself," she says, "I had never been a comic book person before really because I had no access to them. Once I had access I thought that these are just another avenue for telling stories and delving into the imagination" she adds. In spite of managing to turn her passion into her job, Liu doesn't regret the years she spent toiling away at law school: "There was no guarantee that this would work out. I don't want to give people the wrong advice to follow their dreams no matter what because it's not fun to be a starving artist. "But on the other hand, life is short and if you are burning with a passion to do something then do it. Work hard, study hard at it and don't give up," she says. | Marjorie Liu is a New York Times bestselling author .
However she is also a qualified lawyer who changed her career after college .
She has written for Marvel Comics . |
220,509 | a96c5847616102fd93d0bdafc11b3b932a2eda11 | By . Steve Robson . PUBLISHED: . 13:24 EST, 17 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:35 EST, 18 April 2013 . Twelve-year-old Luka suffers from muscular dystrophy - a cruel degenerative disease which confines him to a wheelchair and will make him weaker and weaker over time. But with these beautiful pictures, entitled 'The Little Prince', friend and photographer Matej Peljhan has allowed him to explore an imaginary world where he can shoot a basketball, climb stairs and even perform a handstand. Amazingly, the images did not require any digital trickery, Matej simply used coloured sheets and carefully placed objects and took the pictures from above. Shooting hoops: The clever images allow Luka to explore a world where he can try sports like basketball . Trickery: The images were created without the help of Photoshop simply using coloured sheets and household objects . Imaginary world: The touching images allowed Luka, 12, to experience pleasures beyond the confines of his wheelchair . Deep sea dive: Wearing flippers and with some carefully placed ping pong balls, Luka appears to be underwater . Inspired: The idea for the pictures came when Luka said he would like to see himself in photographs getting up to mischief . Due to his condition, Luka is unable to do even the most basic of everyday activities such as washing himself, dressing, and eating. His physical capability is mostly limited to tiny movements of his fingers, which allow him to move about in his electric wheelchair. But he is also able to hold a coloured pen, with which he can slowly turn his imagination into drawings in a notebook. The idea for the photographs came from a conversation Slovenian photographer Matej Peljhan had with Luka when he said he would like to see himself in pictures, getting up to mischief. He pictured Luka from above as he posed on the ground, capturing the boy’s fighting spirit, positive attitude, and fun personality. Personality: The images gave Luka the chance to showcase his determination, positive attitude and mischievous character . Black canvas: A world of opportunity was opened up to Luka, using just these coloured sheets . | Luka is confined to a wheelchair by the degenerative disease .
Beautiful images were created without using Photoshop - just coloured sheets and household objects .
Pictures show him flying, playing basketball and even performing a handstand . |
4,734 | 0d8f5377048d121c9ac3635bcfd5948fa8ccc84a | TV sitcoms like 'The Office' in which characters make jokes at someone else's expense are no laughing matter for older adults, according to new research. A new study has found that while young and middle-aged people think that ‘aggressive humour’ is funny, senior citizens aren’t amused. Instead, the older generation prefer ‘affiliative humour,’ in which a number of characters share and deal with an awkward situation. Scroll down for video . A new study has found that while young and middle-aged people think that ‘aggressive humour’ is funny, senior citizens aren’t amused . The study was undertaken by University of Akron researchers who showed young, middle-aged and older adults different clips from The Office, Golden Girls, Mr Bean and Curb Your Enthusiasm. The Ohio-based team, led by Jennifer Tehan Stanley, studied the reaction of participants as they watched 14 video clips. They noted how often each volunteer smiled and laughed. They also had electrodes attached to their faces to detect muscle movements made by smiling. Scientists are trying to harness the unintentional humour of autocorrect mistakes by teaching computers to be funny. The researchers in Finland and France took thousands of real text messages and tried to change them slightly like an autocorrect would - before asking people online to rate the humour. University of Helsinki professor Hannu Toivonen and his colleagues found taboo words increase the chance of texts becoming funny - as well as those where they are normal until the very end. Professor Toivonen said he decided to carry out the study following an autocorrect error that had seen him sign off an email with the phrase ‘best retards’, rather than ‘best regards’. He told The Times: ‘It is about understanding what mechanisms lie behind humour. Texts are a particularly good mechanism for that. There is a research field called 'computational creativity'. ‘It is about how to make computers more creative. Telling jokes is one sort of creativity. Some of the applications for this line of work could be in computer dialogue systems, to make them more humanlike.’ The paper also found ‘Meet at the bum stop’ is a funny autocorrected text, although ‘Just off from berk ... sorry I mean work’ is not so humorous. The study involved 30 participants 17-21 years old, 22 who were 35-56 years old and 29 who were 64-84 years old. The 64-to-84-year-olds found clips from The Office around 23 per cent less funny than the middle-aged people did, and about 19 per cent less funny than the 17-to-21-year-olds did. Young adults were also more likely to laugh at the self-deprecating humor, found in clips of episodes such as Curb Your Enthusiasm. Professor Stanley said she finds both types of humour funny, but that the study has made her rethink the jokes she makes in her lectures. ‘The study raises some intriguing questions about our concept of what is funny,’ she said. ‘Is that concept based on factors peculiar to generations, or does it evolve over time as we age and, perhaps, mellow? ‘Those possibilities will need to be explored in a future episode of humour research.’ | The study studied reactions of young, middle-aged and older adults .
They were shown clips from shows such as Golden Girls and Mr Bean .
64-to-84-year-olds found The Office 23% less funny than the middle-aged people did, and about 19% less funny than the 17-to-21-year-olds .
Young adults were also more likely to laugh at the self-deprecating humor, found in clips of episodes such as Curb Your Enthusiasm . |
60,041 | aa90811d8011c570cf41b07b95309991f7861187 | By . Steph Cockroft . Elsa Carneau, 25, was found face down in the swimming pool at Virgin Active in Kensington, West London . A former model who behaved in a 'bizarre' way before being found lying unconscious in a top-of-the-range health club swimming pool had been admitted to hospital twice that week after drinking too much alcohol, an inquest has heard. City worker Elsa Carneau, a French . national described as ‘very thin’ and ‘fragile' by one witness, was discovered face down in the water at Virgin Active in Kensington, London, on December 2011. The . inquest heard today how Miss Carneau, who had a history of fainting and alcohol problems, had collapsed twice in the days leading up to the tragedy. She also passed out several times at work because of drinking too much, the inquest heard. Two empty bottles of vodka were found in Miss Carneau's locker and post-mortem results showed she was more than twice over the legal drink-drive limit, the jury was told. Pathologist Dr Simon Poole, who gave the . cause of death as drowning, told the jury there was a smell of alcohol . around Miss Carneau's body and that her liver was inflamed, which is in . line with chronic alcohol dependency. She also had traces of valium in her bloodstream, a tranquiliser also known as diazepam. The inquest had previously heard from a swimmer who chatted between lengths with Miss Carneau and described her as 'euphoric'. She had been making 'bizarre' and 'strange' remarks, the jury had been told. But the inquest at Westminster Coroner's Court, which is being held at the High Court in London, heard how efforts made to revive Miss Carneau, who worked as an analyst, were hindered by one worker who . filmed the unfolding drama. Firefighter Ben Young told the inquest that a worker pulled out his mobile to record the scene as the swimmer lay dying in the water. When Mr Young asked what he was doing, the worker - who has not been identified in court - replied it would be 'something to remember this by if she survived', the inquest was told. Firefighters and paramedics tried to revive Miss Carneau for almost one hour after running to the scene from a nearby fire station, but she was pronounced dead after being taken to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. Mr Young said he noticed the worker filming the scene at the Richard Branson-owned health club when his team were carrying out CPR. He said: 'He identified himself as staff. He had his mobile phone out filming, I grabbed the phone. An inquest into the death of the former model heard she had been admitted to hospital twice that week, after collapsing due to excess alcohol . Miss Carneau was found unconscious in this pool at the Virgin Active club in Kensington . 'He became quite aggressive and said I couldn't do that. I deleted the film. I said 'what are you doing?'. 'He said 'If she makes it she has something to remember this by' which I was quite astounded by. 'When I said I was impounding the phone he said 'you can't take my phone'. I found the video and deleted it.' Brian O'Keeffe, watch manager at the Kensington fire station, said he asked Mr Young to take the phone off the man after the bright lights from the device distracted him. He said: 'I was doing compressions and noticed a flash or bright light. I looked up and there was a member of staff filming us on his mobile phone. 'It was a distraction and in my opinion illegal to interfere with the emergency services in this way. 'I asked him to stop and he didn't - he continued and I asked a member of my staff to get him to stop which he did. 'Firefighter Young took the phone, deleted the image and gave it back to him.' The jury at Westminster Coroner's Court heard how a member of staff at the gym allegedly filmed her on his mobile phone as she lay unconscious . Paramedic Wendy King also told the inquest she noticed the man filming from the bridge above the pool and found it 'absolutely despicable'. But she told coroner Kevin McLoughlin that she would not be able to recognise the person. Today's session also heard from toxicologist Professor Atholl Johnston, who said there had been 181 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of Miss Carneau's blood. The legal limit is 80mg. He said: ‘The alcohol had been taken quite recently and . it takes some time before he alcohol gets into the urine. ‘The levels in her blood were higher than in the urine which suggests she drank acutely and died soon after.’ Two empty vodka bottles were found in Miss Carneau's locker and the inquest heard her blood reading was twice over the legal drink-drive limit . The jury heard Miss Carneau also weighed just 8st 11lbs and had a Body Mass Index . (BMI) of 17.5. The recommended minimum BMI figure is 18.5. One witness, gym member Lily Ho, described her as ‘very thin’ and ‘fragile’ looking. Dr Poole gave the cause of death as drowning, saying Miss Carneau's lungs were water-logged. But he said the autopsy did not show what specifically caused Miss Carneau to drown. He . said the swimmer could have fainted in the pool, but there were no . physical signs to prove that. During the hearing, Dominic Kay, who represents Virgin Active in the inquest, said Miss . Carneau was admitted to hospital twice that week after she collapsed from alcohol . abuse. She also passed out several times at work because of drinking too much, he said. The inquest also heard concerns from firefighter Mr O'Keeffe about the methods used to try and revive Miss Carneau and the way staff handled the situation. Mr O'Keeffe told the jury that members of the public who should not have been there at the time were either unaware of what was happening, or watching. He also said the club's lead first aider Natalia Roman was not using the defibrillator 'competently', a concern which he reported to the fire service after the incident and said could have affected Miss Carneau's chance of survival. He said: 'When I first went to the poolside there were a lot of people in the area and the same man who was filming became aggressive when I asked him to leave. 'He told me he was a member of staff. He just seemed to be looking in fascination at what was unfolding, he was transfixed by it. His reaction when I asked him to leave was quite disturbing.' Mr O'Keeffe also believes the firefighters could have been called to the scene earlier, saying the health centre staff were 'overwhelmed' by the 'emotional situation'. In a statement read at the inquest, Miss Roman said she rushed to the poolside after hearing the panic alarm. She said: . 'I removed vomit from her face and rolled her so she could vomit then . checked her airway to see if she was breathing. I noticed her stomach . muscles in spasm.' Veronique Carneau (left front) and Pierre Carneau (right), the parents of Miss Carneau, leaving the inquest into their daughter's death . Another . witness, fitness instructor Amy Johnson, said she and other staff . members were sent to break into a number of lockers to find out Miss . Carneau's identity after the hospital phoned asking for details. It was there that they found a beige . handbag containing ID and clothing, as well as ten Marlboro cigarettes . and two small empty alcohol bottles. Yesterday, the jury heard how Miss Carneau had made a series of ‘bizarre’ and ‘strange’ remarks to swimmers before the incident, including that she swam underwater as she found it peaceful. Rupert Hill, 46, who works in finance in . the City and was a member of the gym, said he had several conversations with Miss Carneau between lengths of the pool. He later noticed Miss Carneau lying underwater, seemingly holding her breath. When she did not surface for around a minute, he pulled her out of the water and onto the side and first aiders were called. He said: ‘She seemed extremely exuberant in the way she was speaking. She made a couple of comments that were slightly strange.' The jury was also shown CCTV footage of Miss Carneau getting in the pool in a red swimming costume at around 6pm on Saturday December 3, 2011. She swam 23 lengths of the small pool, before getting out of the pool for 30 seconds, and then returning to swim two more lengths. Paramedic Ms King said the ambulance staff did everything they could to try and save Miss Carneau, including intubating her. She said: ‘It was a very difficult physical situation. There was so much water about which we were trying to clear but it was refilling all the time. ‘With all that and having to stop to shock the patient (with a defibrillator) it became a difficult thing to achieve.’ The inquest continues. | Elsa Carneau, 25, found face down in water in West Kensington, London .
Miss Carneau, a City worker and former model, had a history of fainting .
Had drink problems and was twice over the drink-drive limit when she died .
Inquest heard how worker at the health club filmed her lying unconscious . |
149,406 | 4d3597432e18e9a5462ed3c74b03d5de814307fc | The Seattle Seahawks self-proclaimed 'best cornerback in the NFL' roared into the Super Bowl on a wave of publicity generated by his trash talk but bowed out with a whimper. Richard Sherman said after the game he suffered a high ankle sprain in the first quarter but stayed in until further aggravating it early in the fourth - he was taken off the field on a cart. Sherman was seen later in the game with a boot on his right foot and walking around using crutches. Ready to rumble: Cornerback Richard Sherman #25 of the Seattle Seahawks is shown prior to Super Bowl XLVIII . He finished the game with only one pass defended and three tackles, and his presence in the game wasn't enough to stop Denver quarterback Peyton Manning from throwing in his direction. Sherman's job was to cover Demaryius Thomas, number one corner versus number one receiver. Manning completed a Super Bowl-record 14 passes, including a late touchdown, to Thomas. The Broncos QB famously responded during Super Bowl media day to Sherman saying he throws 'ducks' by saying 'they were touchdown ducks.' In a heap: Sherman lays on the ground after being injured during the second half of the Super Bowl, he later said it was a high ankle sprain . In need of assistance: Sherman (25) is carted off the field after being hurt . Back in action: Sherman walks on crutches while wearing a boot on his injured right ankle after the game . Sherman attributed the lackluster performance in on the game's biggest stage to the ankle sprain in a post-game interview with Westwood One Radio, according to NBC Sports. High ankle sprains usually heal with rest, but some require surgery. Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White, a perennial all-pro, suffered through the 2013 season with a severe high ankle sprain that sidelined him for the eight games and left him a shell of his former self the rest of the way. White is expected to be back up to speed by the time NFL training camps start in July, it is still too early to tell what Sherman's prognosis is. | Richard Sherman said earlier this week that Peyton Manning throws duck, Manning responded by saying 'those ducks were touchdowns'
Manning had a terrible game, but completed a Super Bowl-record 14 passes to Demaryius Thomas, who Sherman was assigned to cover .
Sherman left the game on a cart and said in a post-game interview he sprained his ankle badly enough to need crutches . |
64,954 | b86d8bcacbda3cca35ce54ee466067478a2dcf2b | By . David Kent . Jack Wilshere got a little carried away as Arsenal were parading the FA Cup trophy around London on Sunday. The midfielder, who came on during extra-time in the 3-2 win against Hull City, swore while addressing supporters from above. Wilshere grasped on to the mic in order to have his moment. Oops! Jack Wilshere called Tottenham 's***' during Arsenal's FA Cup trophy parade on Sunday . Overjoyed: Arsenal's players and staffs celebrated on the team bus in bright sunshine after the Wembley win . You're not taking this off me! The midfielder loved the limelight straight after the final whistle against Hull . 'What do we think of Tottenham?' he shrieked. 'S***' was the reply from the adoring fans below. 'What do we think of s***?' Wilshere replied. 'Tottenham!' they said. Sky Sports News aired the chant and were forced to offer a swift apology. Wilshere can't be blamed for his over exuberance, given how long he's waited to get his hands on silverware in a red shirt. The Gunners ended a nine-year trophy drought against the Tigers thanks to goals from Santi Cazorla, Laurent Koscielny and the eventual Aaron Ramsey winner. Per Mertesacker also took hold of the mic, belting out a rendition of 'Arsenal 'till I die'. Leading from the front: Wilshere lapped up the applause at the head of the bus with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain . Thanks to our fans: Thousands of supporters flocked to Highbury & Islington for the celebration . | Wilshere addressed supporters during celebration on Sunday .
England midfielder encouraged fans to chant against Spurs . |
155,671 | 553a0f621a6c123f214264ba15b5ff38ab6caa02 | (CNN) -- A state legislator apparently misses Colonel Reb so much, he's pushing a bill to bring the former University of Mississippi mascot back. He also wants the college band to play "Dixie" at games -- even on the road. "The University of Mississippi shall bear the nickname 'Ole Miss Rebels' and its mascot shall be 'Colonel Rebel,'" states House Bill 1106. "The University of Mississippi's marching band ... shall play the song 'Dixie' before, during and after home and away football games and basketball games at which the band, or a portion of the band, is present," the legislation states. Under the bill, which is authored by Democratic state Rep. Mark DuVall of Mantachie, the band would be required to play "From Dixie with Love" only once -- during halftime. DuVall could not be reached for comment Friday. The university, which in recent years has sought to dim the Old South imagery associated with the institution, retired the white-haired and moustachioed mascot in 2003. Ole Miss, a Southeastern Conference member, went without a mascot until October 2010, when students adopted Rebel Black Bear in a campuswide vote. Since then, however, a vocal minority of students and university boosters have pleaded for the return of the colonel. | Lawmaker wants Colonel Reb restored as Old Miss mascot, "Dixie" played at games .
House Bill 1106 was authored by state Rep. Mark DuVall, D-Mantachic .
Ole Miss students voted in October to name the new mascot Rebel Black Bear . |
241,293 | c45a3c19482f0064bddf3f5f4d4296ab2e9c062a | Eighties TV star Lysette Anthony has admitted how she was left homeless and on benefits after a succession of 'expensive husbands' She may have been known as the face of the eighties, raking in thousands for a day’s work in front of the camera. But yesterday television star Lysette Anthony revealed that she has been left penniless, homeless and at times hungry – after a series of ‘expensive husbands’. Miss Anthony is best known for starring in shows such as Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and in Three Up, Two Down, on which she made £2,500 a week. The actress, who says she earned only £6,000 this year, has explained that expensive legal battles with her former partners led to the demise of her fortune. She also criticised the drop in fees paid to TV actors over the last two decades, saying: ‘In those days you could earn a living, but it’s got to the stage where we actors can’t go on like this.’ Called the ‘face of the eighties’ by photographer David Bailey, Miss Anthony was also well known for her modelling – commanding tens of thousands of pounds for a single shoot. However the 51-year-old went through a series of rocky relationships, with her first marriage to actor Luc Leestemaker ending in 1995 after five years. She walked down the aisle for a second time with director David Price, but they split two years later. Miss Anthony said: ‘Over the years I have had quite a lot of expensive husbands. I have been homeless and on welfare for a while. That was during what I called “the troubles”.’ Scroll down for video . She added: ‘Everyone’s behaving now and that’s fine, but there have been times when I got incredibly thin because I couldn’t really afford to eat.’ The actress also went through a highly publicised break-up from BAFTA-nominated composer Simon Boswell, the father of her son Jimi. Speaking about their relationship breakdown, Miss Anthony criticised the legal system’s treatment of non-married couples. The sitcom actress was first discovered by photographer David Bailey who called her 'the face of the Eighties' Her first marriage to Dutch actor Luc Leestemaker (left) in 1991 lasted just four years and she had a bitter court battle with Simon Boswell (right) - the father of her 10-year-old son, Jimi . She shot to fame in Three Up, Two Down and starred in Woody Allen's (right) 1992 drama Husbands and Wives with Sydney Pollack (left) She told the Sunday Telegraph: ‘The law in this country is a disgrace if you’re not married. We bought a house together, but all that you are owed in terms of your input, your finances, is your investment in the property, in the bricks and mortar. ‘So the fact that you bought heaven knows how many Christmas presents and paid for and contributed, that’s irrelevant, and also every single gift that you’ve ever been given is no longer yours. It’s simply because you’re not married, and it’s absolutely wrong.’ She added: ‘But to be fair to Simon, he did do the honourable thing and made up the difference and has put it in trust for Jimi.’ | Lysette Anthony dropped to 6st 7lb because she couldn't afford to eat .
Sitcom actress was left homeless and on benefits after third divorce .
She had 'mucky' break-up with Simon Boswell - the father of her child .
Her marriages to Luc Leestemaker and David Price ended after a few years .
She has labelled Britain's legal system a 'disgrace' if you are not married . |
276,121 | f1bdeda285a193d3af2b7d82f25694532decefbe | By . Associated Press . and Alexandra Klausner . Maxine Kumin, a prolific New England poet and U.S. poet laureate who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1973 for her work 'Up Country,' has died. She was 88. The Bennett Funeral Home in Concord says Kumin, who wrote more than three dozen books of poetry, fiction, non-fiction and children's literature, died Thursday at her home in Warner after a year of failing health. Kumin was an advocate for women writers, human and political justice and animal rights. Her final work, 'And Short the Season,' is scheduled to be released later this year. Pulitzer-prize winning poet Maxine Kumin died at 88 on Thursday at her farm in Warner, NH . Born in Philadelphia, she graduated from Radcliffe College and lived for a while in Newton, Mass. Kumin's family said her work was marked by a love and deep observation of nature and an unwavering commitment to the craft of writing. Kumin was a close friend of the famous poet Anne Sexton, reports the Boston Globe. The two of them had taken a writing workshop earlier in their careers and kept a private phone line between their houses. They would call each other when they had lines of poetry to share. Anne Sexton commit suicide in 1974. Kumin 'lived the longest of that generation' said Don Share of poetry magazine. 'In a way, I think the trajectory of her work was saner and healthier. She managed to keep going. And she not only survived, but I think her survival comes from being so tough,' he continued. Kumin even cheated death once in her 70s when she was thrown from a carriage while getting ready for an equestrian contest. The horse swerved to avoid trampling her but the 350 pound carriage broke her neck, 11 ribs, bruised her organs, and punctured a lung. Despite her injuries, Kumin kept on writing through the pain. She wrote a memoir detailing her struggle called, 'Inside the Halo and Beyond.' Her work was often honored and she was given a Ruth Lily Poetry Prize in 1999 from the Poetry Foundation and was given the Harvard Arts Medal in 2005. Kumin was honored to serve as consultant in poetry to the Library of Congress. Kumin married engineer Victor Kumin in 1946 and has three children. She raised two daughters named Judith and Jane and also a son Daniel. In addition to her husband and children, Kumin leaves behind two grandchildren. Maxine Kumin who wrote more than three dozen books in her career is pictured here in 1978 . | Kumin was an advocate for women writers, human and political justice and animal rights .
She was a close friend of the late poet Anne Sexton .
Kumin wrote more than three-dozen books, one of which will be released later this year . |
255,218 | d65b35e2ba861736994ad3ff6c9af31a7046fe9d | The man accused of killing both his son and his first wife to cash in on insurance policies is heard on tape admitting he accidentally caused a truck to fall on his son, which crushed him, and then left him to die, it emerged today. Karl Karlsen, 52, from Waterloo, New York, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and insurance fraud last year after his second wife Cindy - fearing for her life - agreed to wear a wire while talking to him about his son's death. A judge ruled recently that the never-before-heard tapes could be used as evidence against him in his trial. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Accused: Karl Karlsen is on trial for second-degree murder in the death of his son Levi, who was crushed to death by a truck . Tragic loss: After ten hours interrogation by police, he finally admitted he had been there when the truck fell on his son Levi and had accidentally caused it to happen, before leaving him to die . Second wife: Knowing about the insurance payout on his son, when Cindy, pictured, found out her husband took out a $1.2million policy on her, she grew suspicious and feared for her life . Before the death of his son Levi in . 2008, for which he received a $700,000 life insurance payout, his first . wife Christina perished in a house fire after getting trapped in the . bathroom in 1991. Karlsen cashed in on a $200,000 life insurance policy soon after. On the tapes, obtained by ABC's Nightline, the 52-year-old can be heard telling Cindy while they were in a restaurant that he had removed his truck's front tires and raised it on a single jack before Levi volunteered to do the repair. 'I . didn't push the truck, I said,' Karlsen said after Cindy asked him for . the truth in Levi's death. 'No, I said I had nothing to do -- . but I said I took advantage of the situation once it happened.' Police arrested Karlsen soon after and interrogated him for ten hours, in which he denied killing his son 75 times. In . the police interrogation tapes, also obtained by ABC News, he said: 'I . found him dead. I f***ing panicked. I don't know. I don't know. I left . him.' Confession: After ten hours of interrogation by police, Karlsen finally admitting playing a part in his son's death and leaving him to die . Suspicious: Karl Karlsen's first wife Christina perished in a house fire after she became trapped in the bathroom - the windows of which, Karlsen had boarded up with wood and 17 nails just days before . Finally he told police he had been there when the truck fell on his son and caused it to fall. 'I . opened the truck door because I had to get inside to move the linkage . for the truck, and when I did, it tipped, and it just, whoosh, f***ing . fell over,' Karlsen said. He maintains it was an accident, but did admit that he left his son to die. 'He . did admit that he caused the truck to fall on his son. He did admit . that he left his son on the floor dying, but he never admitted that it . was a planned, deliberate act,' said Seneca County Lt Investigator John . Cleere. 'The officers . at the scene didn't see anything out of the ordinary,' he told ABC. 'They saw what appeared to be two grieving parents and what appeared to . be an accident.' Knowing . about the insurance payout on his son, when Cindy found out her husband . took out a $1.2million policy on her, she grew suspicious and feared for . her life. Wire-tapped: Karl Karlsen was recorded by his wife explaining how a truck his son was working on was precariously balanced . That's what prompted her to work with . police, leading to second-degree murder and insurance fraud charges . against Karl Karlsen in the death of his 23-year-old son, Levi. And . New York and California authorities are now taking a new look at the . circumstances of the 1991 death of his former wife, Christina Karlsen. Cindy . Karlsen's cooperation evolved from an unnerving revelation a year . before she came forward. She learned Karlsen had invested some of the . insurance money from his son's death into a life insurance policy on . her. ‘I would be worth $1.2 million dead to Karl,’ she testified during a pretrial proceeding. After speaking to sheriff's investigators last year, she agreed to wear a wire to secretly record her husband. She made several recordings, the first three using a digital gadget hidden in her bra. The final recording took place in a . crowded restaurant in New York's picturesque Finger Lakes region in . hopes of getting him to confirm her suspicions about the death of his . son. ‘I led him to believe . our marriage had a chance if he came clean,’ Cindy Karlsen said in a . recent hearing, the husband she is now in the process of divorcing . sitting in prison orange just a few feet away. ‘I told him he could . trust me.’ The wire picked up Karl Karlsen . telling Cindy how he'd removed his truck's front tires and raised it on a . single jack before asking Levi to repair the brake and transmission . lines. Levi Karlsen, father of two young children, was crushed to death by a pickup truck at his family's farm . Suspect: Karl Karlsen arriving for a court appearance at the Seneca County Courthouse in Waterloo, New York, last December . ‘It was so wobbly,’ Karlsen said, according to a recording of the conversation, heard . against the backdrop of restaurant noise, played recently in court. Tell the truth, Cindy Karlsen implored. ‘It was never meant to be,’ he said. ‘It was never planned from Day One to ever go that way.’ Karlsen . was charged a week later. The 52-year-old has pleaded not guilty to the . second-degree murder charge in advance of his trial scheduled for next . month. If convicted, he could get up to life behind bars. In . an interview with The Post-Standard of Syracuse a month after his . arrest, Karlsen said his ex-wife's death, his son's death and even a . 2002 fire at his Seneca County farm that killed his Belgian draft . horses, for which he collected $80,000 (£50,000) in insurance money, . were all just coincidences. But . Art Alexander, Christina Karlsen's father, told The Associated Press . from his Murphys, California, home that he didn't think bad luck had . anything to do with it. ‘I . think it's a very greedy man with a very cold heart,’ said Alexander, . who has long suspected that his son-in-law and former business partner . was responsible for his 30-year-old daughter's death. Karl Karlsen has been charged with murdering his son and will be reinvestigated for a fire that killed his first wife. He collected insurance payouts on both occasions . The family farm in upstate New York where Levi Karlsen died. Karl Karlsen bought the property with insurance money paid out from a suspicious fire that killed his first wife . Christina, . Alexander was told, was trapped in the bathroom after spilled kerosene . was ignited by a faulty electric light. Although Karl Karlsen is . credited with getting Levi and their other two children out safely, . Christina was unable to escape through the bathroom window because . Karlsen had boarded it up from the outside days before, saying it was . broken. ‘Seventeen nails were in that board,’ Alexander, 73, recalls. The . insurance policy, he said, had been taken out just before Christmas. The fire happened New Year's Day. Karlsen's abrupt move to New York and . away from scrutiny further stoked the father's suspicions. Even . so, Alexander was surprised to hear of Karlsen's arrest in his son's . death, and relieved to learn the 1991 fire was getting a second look. Unfortunately your browser does not support IFrames. | Karl Karlsen, 52, of Romlus, New York, received huge life insurance payouts after deaths of his son and first wife .
New wife Cindy feared for her life when he took out a $1.2m policy on her and secretly recorded him .
Judge ruled tapes could be used in trial .
He confessed to police he caused the truck to fall and then left his son . |
246,104 | ca886578510fde32194ef83318b0d7e3c003ab14 | By . Alex Ward . PUBLISHED: . 14:27 EST, 2 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:46 EST, 3 October 2013 . At first he thought it was a 'harmless insect bite'. But little did Henry Konietzky know that, 28 painful hours after noticing a small abrasion on his foot, he would become the ninth person this year to be killed by the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria. Pictures have emerged of the tiny legion that appeared on the Florida father's right foot on Sunday, the day after he went crabbing in the Halifax River in Florida with his wife, Patty. Scroll down for video . This was the first sympton that manifested on Henry Konietzky after he was infected with the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria in a Florida river at the weekend. Mr Konietzky died on Monday after the infection overtook his body . Horrific: Henry Konietzky had no previous medical issues before encountering the bacteria . Mr Konietzky had stepped on some ants before getting into the water, sustaining small bites. Doctors believe this was the gateway that allowed him to become infected by the flesh-eating bacteria, which is considered one of the deadliest strands of bacterium in the world and usually forms every year in the warm saltwater swimming holes of Florida. As the wound started to fester, the Palm Coast man was rushed to hospital, where he was administered with numerous courses of antibiotics. 'Nothing was touching it. Nothing even phased it,' his sister-in-law, Debbie stack, told Click Orlando. 'This bacteria crept through his body like acid - it was the most horrific I've ever seen in my life' his wife, Patty Konietzky, told ABC News. Mrs Konietzky said the legions started to spread once they got her husband to the hospital and, 28 hours after being admitted, he died from organ failure. It is the ninth death in 2013 connected to the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria in the Volusia and Flager counties, with health officials warning locals to take serious care when visiting saltwater spots, especially with open wounds. Distraught: His family members said they wish they took the symptoms more seriously. Mr Konietzky is pictured . with his wife, Patty (left) and daughter, Sheila (center), who said he had loved fishing all his life . Spread fast: Mr Konietzky (pictured with his daughter) had awoken to what looked like an insect bite on his leg. Before long it started festering and he was rushed to hospital, where he died the following night . However, two men have recovered from the infection after contracting it fishing in the Indian River Lagoon, reported 10 News. Vibrio . vulnificus is a naturally-occurring bacteria in warm sea water that . belongs to the same family of bacterium as cholera and requires salt to . live. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) the bacteria can also be contracted from eating contaminated raw seafood. Deadly: Mr Konietzky contracted a bacterial infection while setting crab traps in the Halifax River (pictured) Linked to other cases: Nine deaths in the state of Florida have been linked to the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria (pictured), which normally lives in warm seawater . When open wounds on otherwise healthy . people are exposed to warm seawater containing the bacteria, the skin . can become infected, leading to a breakdown and ulceration of the skin. Immunocompromised people face a . deadlier risk: they have a higher possibility of the bacteria invading . the bloodstream, leading to potentially fatal complications. If the bacteria is ingested, healthy people can experience vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. For . people with weaker immune systems, consuming Vibrio vulnificus can . infect the bloodstream, leading to 'a severe and life-threatening . illness characterized by fever and chills, decreased blood pressure . (septic shock), and blistering skin lesions,' according to the CDC. Bloodstream infections by the bacteria are fatal about 50 per cent of the time. Patients . are treated with antibiotics, and according to the CDC, infected wounds . must be treated aggressively - sometimes meaning amputation of an . infected limb. Deadly bacteria: The bacteria can be contracted by eating contaminated raw seafood which can lead to vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain, or through open wounds such as insect bites that contact the water . | The coin-sized cut that cost a 59-year-old father his life .
Vibrio vulnificus bacteria overcame the body of Henry Konietzky 'like acid', wife says .
Total of nine dead from infection this year .
Florida on high alert, with health officials warning locals to take caution when coming in contact with saltwater, where the bacteria breeds . |
66,627 | bcfa9bd84469bdffcd86290fccf3c0fca44d9e96 | Washington (CNN) -- The Senate on Thursday passed a giant defense bill that includes a new policy for detaining and trying suspected al Qaeda terrorists -- a policy that attracted controversy during the debate and may draw a presidential veto. The defense authorization bill passed by a vote of 93-7. In keeping with budget cuts across the government, the $662 billion bill shrinks Pentagon spending by $43 billion from last year. It includes funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and sets policies for the various weapons systems and personnel programs at the Defense Department. Senate debate on the detainee matter was at times volatile and emotional. After years of struggling with issues of who should investigate, detain and try suspected terrorists -- civilian authorities and courts or the military and its tribunal system -- Armed Services Committee Chair Carl Levin, D-Michigan, and ranking Republican John McCain of Arizona reached a long-sought compromise to codify the process. However, critics complained the deal was weighted toward the military because it required any suspected al Qaeda terrorists, even those captured inside the U.S., to be held potentially indefinitely by the military. That concerned the White House and many lawmakers who think the responsibility belongs, in part, to law enforcement agencies and the federal courts and warned that Americans could possibly be detained indefinitely by the military. Levin and McCain denied their bill would allow for the indefinite detention of U.S. citizens. "This country is special because we have certain values, and due process of law is one of those values," Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein, D-California, argued on the Senate floor. "I object to holding American citizens without trial. I do not believe that makes us more safe." "You have people on the left who hate saying 'the war on terror,'" responded Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina. "They would never ever use the military and always insist the law enforcement be used because they don't buy into the idea that we're at war. They want to criminalize the war." Senators ultimately reached an agreement to amend the bill to make clear it's not the bill's intent to allow for the indefinite detention of U.S. citizens and others legally residing in the country. "It would provide the assurance that we are not adversely affecting the rights of American citizens in this language," Levin said while expressing support for the compromise. "It supports present law," Feinstein added. Senators from both parties also challenged the Obama administration's policies toward Iran, unanimously approving an amendment insisting on tough new sanctions against Iran's Central Bank and entities that do business with it. Senators want to punish Iran over its pursuit of a nuclear weapons programs and the recent storming of the British Embassy in Tehran. The administration complained the Senate amendment would make it difficult for the White House to manage a delicate foreign policy matter. Also Thursday, the Senate approved on a voice vote a Democratic amendment requiring President Barack Obama to develop a plan to expedite the troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, which is scheduled to be completed in 2014. While it's not clear the amendment will force any actual acceleration of the withdrawal, Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, said the Senate vote was a "message" to the president that U.S. troops have successfully performed their mission of stamping out al Qaeda and the 9-11 terrorists and "it's time to bring our men and women home." The measure still needs to go to conference for reconciliation with the House version of the bill. | Defense authorization bill passes Senate in 93-7 vote .
$662 billion bill shrinks Pentagon spending by $43 billion from last year .
Compromise allows suspected al Qaeda terrorists to be held indefinitely by the military .
However, an amendment specifically excludes U.S. citizens or legal residents . |
32,540 | 5c83283382f0e81a0b9bb177e1d2833eff09b4fb | When Fiona Bruce’s team of experts on the BBC show Fake or Fortune examined this seascape, they were convinced they had found a lost masterpiece by John Constable. Delighted owner Gillie Dance was told the painting, Yarmouth Jetty, could be worth as much as £250,000, and a smiling Bruce declared: ‘Well I don’t think that could have gone any better really.’ But boat experts are now challenging the verdict – claiming the experts made a ‘glaring mistake’. The original: Constable's painting of Yarmouth Jetty hangs in the Tate . During the show, Constable specialist Sarah Cove told Bruce: ‘I think there are sufficient things that look like Constable that if I had to come down on one side of the line or the other I would say I do think it is a Constable.’ The painting, which had been stored under a bed for decades, underwent further analysis by Anne Lyles, a former curator at Tate Britain – who said she was ‘convinced it was likely to have been painted by John Constable’. However yachting experts say the boats that the painting depicts were not seen in British waters until almost a century after Constable’s death in 1837. Presenter and the painter: Fiona Bruce (left) was amazed when the Fake or Fortune expert told her the painting could be worth as much as £250,000; John Constable (1776-1837) was a Romantic painter. Born in Suffolk, he is famous for his landscape paintings . Dan Houston, the editor of Classic Boat magazine, pointed out that three of the watercraft have a sail and mast arrangement known as a Bermudan rig, first tested in these seas in the 1920s. The boat in the middle of the picture also looks like a J class from the 1930s because of its ‘spoon bow’ hull, he added. Speaking to The Mail on Sunday, he said: ‘I don’t think that Constable was blessed with exceptional foresight. It seemed as if the BBC was intent on proving this was a Constable, regardless of the facts.’ And Jamie Campbell, an historian at the Royal Norfolk and Suffolk Yacht Club in Lowestoft, said: ‘Not only was the rig wrong but the sail colour wasn’t authentic either. The picture may be technically correct as a painting but I fear the content just isn’t right.’ A Fake or Fortune spokesman said: ‘This information is part of a larger story which we will consider including in future episodes.’ | Painting stored under a bed for decades analysed by Tate Modern expert .
Maritime experts say boats in painting were not seen for almost a century after artist's death .
BBC says programme may feature new information in future edition . |
194,676 | 87fe47ae3edcefbfbe1f6d7d00cea30650c21f2f | (CNN) -- MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo will be kept under observation in hospital after flying off his bike in a 200-kilometers an hour crash during a wet practice session at Assen Thursday. Lorenzo will miss Saturday's race in the Netherlands after being caught out by standing water on the track and flying over his handlebars, eventually landing heavily on his left shoulder and fracturing his collarbone. The Spaniard, who won in Spain and Italy, came off during the second session of practice at Turn 13. According to race organizers, Lorenzo will be flown to Barcelona for surgery late Saturday or early Sunday. Xavier Mir, the doctor who carried out the examination on Lorenzo, confirmed the rider would undergo scans and be kept in for observation. "Jorge has suffered an accident at over 200 kilometers an hour and the obvious injury at this point is a broken left clavicle," he told the competition's official website. "However, as this was a significant accident, we have to take into account that there could also be head, thoracic or abdominal injuries. "For now, we have taken him to hospital in Assen where CT scans will be carried out in those three areas to rule out any further injuries. "It would also be a prudent move to observe him over 12 hours to make sure he can be treated by the appropriate parties when he arrives in Barcelona tomorrow (Friday)." Lorenzo had moved to within seven points of world championship leader Dani Pedrosa following his recent victories. But he will now have to watch from the sidelines at a venue where he failed to make it past the first corner last year. | Jorge Lorenzo kept in hospital following high-speed crash .
Spaniard will miss weekend's Dutch MotoGP after suffering fractured wrist .
Doctor confirms Lorenzo will be flown to Barcelona this weekend for surgery .
Yamaha rider had won his previous two races in Spain and Italy . |
191,023 | 8361390aaa2f942aa568c5fd01770c6124ca74f2 | Missing: Terry Dewayne Smith Jr went missing Saturday night while his step-brother was babysitting and his body was found on Wednesday . Authorities in California have released a disturbing 911 recording that was made by the firefighter who discovered the body of a missing 11-year-old boy following a lead from a local psychic. About 1,000 volunteers had spent four days scouring an area of more than 50 square miles in Southern California looking for Terry Dewayne Smith Jr, who disappeared July 7. His half-brother has since been charged with the boy's murder. Terry’s remains were discovered buried in a shallow grave in the backyard of his mother’s Menifee home last Wednesday after Orange County medium Pam Ragland isolated the location of the body. Accompanied by an off-duty firefighter, Ragland drove out to the Menifee home on the evening of July 9. After making the horrific discovery, the firefighter called 911 to report that they had found Terry. 'OK, we believe we may have found a human head,' the man could be heard telling a dispatcher on the call. 'We're out searching for a little boy, Terry Smith,' the local station KESQ reported. The firefighter goes on to tell the 911 operator that the 'lady' he is with 'smelled something,' and that is how they ended up finding the child's remains. Scroll down for 911 call . Charged: Skylor Atilano, 16, attends his first court appearance after being charged in the murder of his 11-year-old brother. 'He's scared,' said mom Shawna Smith . Waiting game: A judge will determine in September whether the teenager, pictured in this courtroom sketch, would be tried as a juvenile or as an adult . The dispatcher responded by telling the caller that police do not want him to disturb anything in the area, or continue their search. On Monday, Terry's 16-year-old half-brother, Skylor Atilano, attended his first court appearance after being charged last week with the murder of the 11-year-old boy, NBC Southern California reported. During the hearing at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta, Atilano's detention hearing was postponed until September 17, at which time a judge will determine whether the teenager would be tried as a juvenile or as an adult. Judge Timothy Freer said that Skylor had a 'history of violent outbursts' and that he had violated the terms of his probation. He would not elaborate on the nature of the teen's previous run-in with the law. Seated next to his lawyer wearing a yellow jumpsuit, with his mother and a number of his friends in the audience behind him, the 16-year-old showed little emotion and spoke quietly. Troubled past: A judge noted that Skylor has a history of violent outbursts and that he had violated the terms of his probation . Speaking outside the courtroom about the murder, Miguel Diaz, 15, Skylor's close friend from high school, insisted that the teen was not capable of 'doing this by himself,' according to Murrieta Patch. Kira Nichols, 16, who has been friends with Skylor since middle school, described him as an 'amazing person' who also had a smile on his face. Atilano was ordered to remain in jail ahead of his next court appearance. It is expected that the positive identification of the body found in the backyard of the Manifee residence will take anywhere from two to six weeks using DNA evidence, according to the Riverside County Coroner's Bureau. Meanwhile, a private memorial service for the slain boy will take place Saturday at Revival Christian Fellowship in Menifee. Riverside County Sheriff's Detective John Powers confirmed to a local radio station last week that Ms Ragland played a pivotal role in helping them find Terry's body following a grueling search. Powers said Ragland called a tip line about her vision, and was invited to join the search. He explained that Ragland and her children came to the house without knowing it was the boy's, walked on to the property and right to the partially buried body. Vision: Pam Ragland was volunteering during the search for the missing boy and had a 'knowing' of where she should go to look for the body . Near home: The boys lived with their mother and her partner in the home center right, and Terry's body was found in a shallow grave by the tree back to the left, only 100 feet away . Mr Powers added that he searched the area previously himself without seeing it. This . revelation came the same day that the boy's father, who lives in West . Virginia, said that Terry was not autistic and that he had spoken to him . before he disappeared when the boy asked him if he could go visit. The . 11-year-old had lived with his father, Terry Smith Sr., in West . Virginia up until 2001 when he went to live with his mother Shawna in . California. Shawna now lives in Menifee with her longterm lesbian . partner, Denise, and her son, Skylor, from a different relationship. Police have not released any official . motive for the alleged murder, but psychic Pam Ragland said that she had . a bad feeling about the half-brother. Ms Ragland, who lives in Los Angeles, was driving around Menifee with her . children in the car as they helped look for the missing boy. She told NBC Los Angeles that she had a very specific dream about the boy's whereabouts. 'I . had this knowing that he was in a certain direction and whichever way I . would turn I would know which direction to go,' she said. Arrested: Terry's half-brother, seen here, has not been publicly identified but was taken in by police on Wednesday on suspicion of Terry's murder. He was formally charged with the crime on Friday . 'That's . the building I saw in my vision, and it was very distinctive and it was . like this- it's giving me chills to even think about it now- it was . like this open tack shed.' They . went towards a fenced-in area near a tree behind the family's home and . she 'something that smelled dead'. Minutes later they spotted the top of . Terry's head poking out of the shallow grave. 'Everybody . has known Terry, if they're lucky, for five minutes; we've known him . for 11 years and we have 11 years of grieving to do,' Shawna's partner . Denise said. Reeling: Denise (pictured), Terry's mother's longterm lesbian partner, said that the family is grieving . Heartbroken: The boy's father, Terry Smith Sr (pictured), is a retired truck driver who lives in West Virginia and he said that- in spite of Shawna's claims- he did not believe his son was autistic . Shawna initially described Terry Jr. as an autistic boy who took special medication and answered only to his nickname, 'JuJu.' His father, however, insisted that his son was not autistic, saying he was a normal kid who loved video games and baseball, he said. 'He was a very bright, well-adjusted child, at least he was when he left here,' said Smith Sr., a 62-year-old retired truck driver. 'He pushed buttons and would aggravate you. But, other than that, it was just the typical way... of a typical boy trying to get his way.' Tragic: The psychic said that she knew she was close when she smelled 'something dead' In danger: Terry is pictured here, in photos sent out during the massive manhunt that ended with a psychic finding his dead body July 10 . Smith Sr. also helped raise the half brother accused in the case, even though he was not his biological father, he said. The teen, whose name has been publicly released, moved from West Virginia to California after his mother abruptly pulled him out of school, he said. 'I taught him how to walk. I helped him when he was on the baseball team here,' he said, recalling that he called the half brother 'little Spider-Man.' Investigators told Smith Sr. that Terry Jr. died after a hit to the head but declined to say more, saying he didn't want to jeopardize the investigation. 'I think him and (the half brother) got into it and it went too far,' said Smith Sr. | Terry Dewayne Smith Jr.'s mother realized her son was missing Sunday morning after his teenage half-brother babysat the night before .
The 11-year-old's body was found buried in a shallow grave near the home thanks to a medium .
Police arrested the 16-year-old half-brother and charged him with Terry's murder on Friday .
Hearing will be held to see if the teen will be tried as an adult or child . |
254,880 | d5e640f212195fc020b44457e67b5835909c92c9 | When you first hear his pitch, it defies logic: Mitch McConnell, a 30-year veteran of the Senate, campaigning for re-election as an agent of change. "If you want change, if you're unhappy with the direction of this country, the candidate of change is the guy you're looking at," McConnell told an audience at a Chamber of Commerce lunch here. 72-year-old McConnell -- the top Senate Republican -- is running against a 35-year-old Democrat who has never had an elected job in D.C. But he's the change candidate? Well, if you're a voter with an unfavorable view of President Barack Obama -- and according to a new CNN/Opinion Research International Poll, that's about two-thirds of Kentucky voters -- McConnell's argument has appeal once he explains it. He says the only real option for altering the balance of power in Washington is a GOP Senate takeover on Election Day -- and putting him in charge. "The only thing they can do in 2014 to begin to change the direction of the country is to change the makeup of the Senate," McConnell told CNN. "In this country, the way you change things is at the ballot box. And so there's only one thing that can be done this year to begin to lead America in a different direction and it begins right here in Kentucky," he tells voters on the stump. McConnell wants to be Senate Majority Leader so badly he can taste it, especially after two straight election cycles of seeing the role within his reach, but snatched away largely because of bruising intra-GOP fights and Republican candidate missteps. Kentucky U.S. Senate race is one the key ones this year . I reminded McConnell of the old joke about senators, that most of them look in the mirror and see the next president. "I never had that problem. I never had that affliction," McConnell chuckled. "You have always wanted to be the majority leader of the Senate, is that fair to say?" I asked. "I would like to have the chance to be the majority leader of the Senate, yes," he replied. Toughest challenge in years . But to lead the Senate, he has to win re-election first, and McConnell is facing his toughest challenge in years in Alison Lundergan Grimes. Grimes would be Kentucky's first female senator. Currently Kentucky's secretary of state, she has a well-financed campaign, thanks to the national implications and importance of her race. She's gotten high-profile help from former President Bill Clinton, a family friend. In many ways she is running a textbook campaign for a challenger trying to unseat an entrenched incumbent, especially a Democrat versus Republican. She paints McConnell as out of touch with the folks back home, and the personification of Washington dysfunction. "I don't know whether to call Sen. McConnell Sen. No-Show, Sen. Gridlock or Sen. Shutdown," Grimes says to a crowd gathered for a political picnic in Owensboro. "What I do know is that he's not working for Kentucky. Kentucky is all ready for someone whose vocabulary goes beyond the word 'no.' When it comes to increasing the minimum wage and giving hardworking Kentuckians a fighting chance, Mitch McConnell says no. Kentucky is ready for a senator who says it's not just a minimum wage, it's a living wage. When it comes to the women of this state being treated equally, Mitch McConnell says no," Grimes says. McConnell: 'Remember me? I am the guy that gets us out of shutdowns' That appears to be resonating with some voters here, even one who has supported McConnell over the years. "We're just tired of McConnell. His only objective is to -- anything Obama's done, he's against it," Owensboro voter Margaret Willett said. But others in the crowd disagreed, especially voters like Keith Herm who dislike the President. "I believe the seniority he will hold in the Senate will be monumental," Herm said about McConnell. "There are some issues with Obama I would like to see changed, and hopefully he can do that." Grimes' biggest challenge is unshackling herself from Obama, who won only four of Kentucky's 120 counties in 2012. It's not easy, when McConnell's working so hard to link Grimes to the President. "Mitch McConnell, well, he wants to make this race about anyone but me, trying to tie me to every national figure that's out there that disagrees with Kentucky's interests. Barack Obama isn't on the ballot; I am," Grimes told voters. Democrats have been banking on the fact that the President may be unpopular here, but so is McConnell -- he is well known, and not well liked. The trouble for Grimes is that as she becomes better known, and put through the grind of this intense campaign, her favorable ratings are dipping, too. A strikingly stark contrast in styles . Like any candidate, McConnell and Grimes each have pluses and minuses, but these two have a strikingly stark contrast in style. McConnell is the ultimate political tactician and old school, bring-home-the-bacon senator. When it was his turn to speak at the Owensboro picnic, McConnell made a point of reminding residents here he secured $50 million to renovate the riverfront, which transformed the town. It's the kind of earmark the tea party hates. He never would have spoken about it during his GOP primary fight, but it is front and center in the general election campaign against a Democrat. "I'm proud I did it for you. It's changed this community and we'll do it again," said McConnell, not mentioning that the kind of earmarks that rebuilt the riverfront are now banned in the Senate. But McConnell's aides are the first to admit he is not a natural campaigner. He doesn't connect in the grip and grin settings many politicians love. It's not his thing. Grimes, on the other hand, appears energized by pressing the flesh with voters. She moved around the Owensboro picnic introducing herself and talking to voters with ease. And on the stump she can project and deliver lines powerfully. But in interviews, she often appears stilted and scripted. Case in point: When I asked Grimes point blank for some "Kentucky candor" about how much of a drag the President is on her campaign, she replied with a generic talking point. "I think that Kentuckians are seeing this race for what it is, a chance to actually move Kentucky forward in the right direction," Grimes said. Bound to get very ugly . This is expected to be the most expensive Senate race in history, north of $100 million. And the mud is already flying. McConnell's campaign manager Jesse Benton abruptly resigned late last week because of a bribery scandal surrounding Ron Paul's 2008 presidential campaign. Grimes' campaign is already pushing a Web ad highlighting Benton's departure. But that may be because McConnell's campaign released an ad of its own whacking Grimes, accusing her of getting a sweetheart deal for her campaign bus -- brokered by her father, a prominent businessman and former state party chair. "They're baseless, unfounded, bullying accusations from Mitch McConnell," Grimes said of the allegations. And then there's a secret audio recording that surfaced of McConnell speaking at a Koch brothers donor meeting, vowing not to allow votes on Democratic initiatives. It was released right before our interview, and Grimes was eager to jump on it as McConnell's "47% Mitt Romney moment." "I think it shows the extent and the lengths he will go to pander to his party millionaires and billionaires at the expense of hurting Kentuckians," Grimes said of the McConnell audio. As for McConnell, he brushed it off, because he has made it no secret he intends to block the President's agenda. "I didn't say anything in the private meeting I haven't said publicly." McConnell told me. McConnell, the Democrats and the limits of a secret tape . That may be, but a muffled recording of a secret meeting with fat cat GOP donors is less than ideal for McConnell. These are end-of-summer stumbles for both candidates, in the marquee race of the year, bound to get very ugly. | McConnell could become majority leader if he wins his Senate election .
Opponent Grimes has a well-financed campaign aided by Democratic stars .
The candidates are a study in different styles . |
142,073 | 43b9b24d2e7c492da93ecbdbebb9748fd0d7e5ad | By . Peter Campbell . PUBLISHED: . 11:18 EST, 20 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:02 EST, 20 September 2013 . Advert: Russian tennis player Anna Kournikova advertised the Shock Absorber sports bra range . Three of Britain's biggest department stores have been accused of colluding in a three year scheme to rip off thousands of consumers by fixing the price of sports bras. John Lewis, Debenhams and House of Fraser could face fines totalling more than £1billion if found guilty by the UK's competition authority. The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) alleges the high street giants teamed up with DB Apparel to set the price of its Shock Absorber sports bra range on nine separate occasions between 2008 and 2011. DB Apparel, which also owns other brassiere brands including Wonderbra and Playex, allegedly told the retailers how much to sell its bras for - and even when to raise prices by as little as 50p. Shock Absorber was one of the most popular brands in the market, accounting for one of every six sports bras sold in the UK at the time. 'The OFT takes allegations of price-fixing seriously,' said Ann Pope, a senior director at the OFT. 'Resale price maintenance limits competition between retailers and can lead to consumers paying higher prices.' The recommended retail price for Shock Absorber's bras ranges from £25 to £38. But the manufacturer cannot dictate to retailers how much to charge for their wares. As a result most stores and websites sell the products at a much lower rate to try and undercut competitors. The four available bras on John Lewis website yesterday cost between £18 and £31. What the OFT is alleging is that, rather than suggesting the price to John Lewis, Debenhams and House of Fraser, DB Apparel told the three exactly what prices to charge, and even when to bring in increases. All three agreed with DB Apparel to these charges for the group's Spring and Summer ranges between 2008 and 2011, it is alleged. It is not known whether each of the retailers knew whether their rivals were in collusion with the clothing supplier. Disputed: DB Apparel UK, John Lewis, pictured, and the two other stores have all denied the claims . The news yesterday follows a 17 month-long investigation by the OFT into the alleged affair. Each . of the groups - John Lewis, Debenhams, House of Fraser and DB Apparel - . could face a fine of up to 10per cent of their global turnover if found . guilty. For John Lewis, the largest group, this could land it with a hefty charge of £950million. Debenhams, . which last year reported annual sales of £2.2billion, could face a . charge of £220million, while House of Fraser could end up with a . £120million fine. DB Apparel UK limited, the smallest of the group, only reported sales of £39million last year, so would face the smallest charge. But the group's parent company, which is registered in Paris, does not report results in the UK. None of the retailers would last night say how many bras they had sold in the period, or how much money they had made from the sales. Not just fixing prices: Anna Kournikova poses for the Shock Absorber sports bra in an advertisement campaign . 'We reject any allegations by the OFT that we have entered into any agreement or understanding with retailers as to their retail prices of our products,' said a spokesman for DB Apparel. 'We have been transparent with UK authorities since the beginning of this process and will continue to defend ourselves vigorously in this investigation.' A John Lewis spokesman said: 'John Lewis always strives to operate within the law and comply with regulations. We are fully cooperating with the OFT and will respond in due course.' A spokesman for Debenhams said: 'Debenhams disputes these provisional findings of the OFT but is not in a position to comment further at this stage. The matter is being dealt with by its external lawyers.' A House of Fraser spokesman said: 'We are co-operating fully with the Office of Fair Trading and the ongoing investigation and will respond accordingly. 'We are confident that we have been operating within all laws and regulations and are very supportive of any initiative which ensures pricing policies are fair for our customers.' | The Office of Fair Trading investigating makers of the Shock Absorber bra and three of Britain's biggest department stores .
DB Apparel UK entered into anti-competitive agreements with the three between 2008 and 2011, the watchdog have said .
Range endorsed by Kournikova with slogan 'Only the ball should bounce'
Manufacturer and all three stores strongly deny the claim . |
57,237 | a22f467df658ec482077e695f464bf4f56077a72 | (CNN) -- One of the prosecution's final witnesses, Casey Anthony's mother took the stand again Tuesday in her daughter's capital murder trial, breaking into tears from time to time as she discussed items found with the remains of her 2-year-old granddaughter, Caylee. The prosecution plans to rest its case Wednesday, prosecutor Jeff Ashton told Orange County Chief Judge Belvin Perry Jr. The defense was unable to move its first few witnesses, Perry said, and will begin its case Thursday. Cindy Anthony began crying when a photograph of Caylee wearing a shirt reading "Big trouble comes in small packages" was introduced into evidence. Previous testimony has suggested that scraps of the shirt were found at the scene along with Caylee's skeletal remains. Cindy Anthony said she did most of the laundry at the home, and "I don't ever remember seeing that shirt." She also identified photographs of objects similar to canvas laundry bags she said were in the Anthony home and said that Caylee had a Winnie the Pooh blanket but that she had not seen the blanket since the end of May, before Caylee disappeared. A canvas laundry bag and Winnie the Pooh blanket were found with the little girl's remains. Cindy Anthony's testimony followed that of a long line of investigators and forensic experts, called to the stand in the Orlando courtroom in an effort to support prosecutors' theory that Casey Anthony, 25, killed her daughter by knocking her out with chloroform and putting duct tape over her nose and mouth. They allege she then put the little girl's body in black garbage bags and stored it in her trunk before dumping it in woods near her home. Caylee's skeletal remains were found in December 11, 2008. She was last seen June 16, 2008, but her disappearance was not reported until July 15, 2008, after Cindy Anthony demanded answers from her daughter about Caylee's whereabouts. Anthony faces seven counts in Caylee's death, including first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and misleading investigators. If convicted, she could face the death penalty. She has pleaded not guilty. Her attorneys have said Caylee was not killed but rather drowned in the family pool on June 16. Defense attorney Jose Baez told jurors that Casey Anthony and her father, George Anthony, panicked when they discovered the body and covered up her death. George Anthony rejected that scenario in his testimony the first week of the trial. Cindy Anthony testified Tuesday that duct tape was also in the home, stored in the garage, but she could not recall making a previous statement that duct tape was used at a command center after Caylee went missing. Baez pointed out that in a July 2009 deposition, Cindy Anthony was asked whether Casey Anthony had removed any duct tape from the home while out of jail on bond and said she didn't think so, as the family had only one roll and her husband was using it. Cindy Anthony explained that at the time, both she and her husband were using the tape on "no trespassing" signs on their property because of protesters outside. The final witness of the day was Bobby Williams, a tattoo artist who applied a tattoo to Casey Anthony -- "Bella Vita," Italian for "beautiful life" -- on July 2, during the time Caylee was missing but before her disappearance was reported to police. Williams testified that Anthony did not appear to be upset and did not mention Caylee. He said he spoke to her again July 15, when she came into the shop to make an appointment for herself and a friend for July 19. She mentioned at the time that Caylee was with the nanny but would be with her July 19, Williams said. A host of witnesses including Anthony's former boyfriend, friends and acquaintances have testified that Anthony was not upset and did not mention her missing daughter in the 31 days before police were notified the little girl had disappeared. Anthony told authorities afterward that she had been frantically searching for her daughter during that month. After Williams' testimony, Anthony's defense team moved for a mistrial on several grounds, including the fact that prosecutors asked Williams whether she seemed remorseful, although Perry did not allow Williams to answer. Prosecutor Jeff Ashton countered that the question came in response to Baez's asking Williams whether customers do not often get tattoos to remember departed loved ones. Perry denied the mistrial motion. Defense attorneys said they will move for acquittal when the prosecution rests. Earlier Tuesday, FBI forensic examiner Catherine Theisen said that neither Anthony nor Caylee could be excluded as the source of a hair found in Anthony's trunk. Theisen said she subjected a portion of the hair to mitochondrial DNA testing. Such testing is used, she told jurors, when a specimen such as hair or skeletal remains may not contain enough nuclear DNA for testing. Nuclear DNA, she said, is inherited from both parents and can identify a person to the exclusion of all others. Mitochondrial DNA is inherited from a person's mother, and testing shows whether a person cannot be excluded as the source of evidence -- along with their mother, their siblings and anyone else in the maternal family line. Theisen said she compared the hair portion to cheek swabs from Anthony and found that they matched. She said she would not expect to see that DNA type in more than .26% of the African-American population, 1.85% of the Caucasian population and .39% of the Hispanic population. She also acknowledged that the testing could not exclude Anthony's mother, Cindy Anthony; her brother, Lee Anthony; or any maternal uncles as the source of the hair. Theisen also testified Tuesday that she tested the "hair mass" found with Caylee's remains and found that it shared the same mitochondrial DNA type as the hair in the trunk. On cross-examination, Baez attempted to question Theisen, over numerous objections from prosecutors, about whether she was aware that Lee Anthony owned the car before his sister. Theisen said she did not recall seeing the name Lee Anthony in the communications she was given about the case. Cindy Anthony also took the stand Tuesday and told prosecutor Linda Drane Burdick that she has bleached her hair blonde for years. She said that Casey Anthony has also highlighted her hair off and on and that Lee Anthony has always kept his hair short. She said Caylee's hair was never colored or processed. FBI trace evidence examiner Karen Lowe previously testified that a 9-inch piece of hair from the trunk appeared similar to a piece of hair recovered from the little girl's hairbrush and was not similar to Casey Anthony's hair. Cindy Anthony said that it was possible her mother had been in the car and that her hair, a mixture of blonde, brown, white and gray, has been shoulder-length for years. Following Theisen to the stand Tuesday was Alina Burroughs, an Orange County Sheriff's Office crime scene examiner who helped process the scene where Caylee's remains were found and helped execute a search warrant at the Anthony home. Burroughs identified photographs of several sheets of heart-shaped stickers found at the home, as well as the sheets themselves, with some stickers missing. On Monday, an FBI latent print examiner testified that adhesive in the shape of a heart was found on a corner of a piece of duct tape that was covering the mouth portion of Caylee's remains. Elizabeth Fontaine explained the find to jurors by asking them to think about when they remove an adhesive bandage from their skin and some of the adhesive remains in the shape of the bandage. Instead of a bandage, however, the outline was the shape of a heart, she said, and about the size of a dime. A sticker was also found at the site where Caylee's remains were discovered on a small piece of cardboard. An FBI analysis showed that sticker did not match those found at the Anthony home. Asked by Baez whether she found a sticker like that in the home, Burroughs said she did not. Jurors sent a note to Perry on Tuesday asking to see the photograph of the sticker recovered from the crime scene. Perry granted that request but made clear to jurors that the sticker has since separated from the cardboard. Fontaine said Monday that she found the heart-shaped adhesive while examining the three pieces of duct tape found on Caylee's remains for fingerprints. She said she didn't find fingerprints but didn't expect to, given the months the tape and the remains had been outdoors and exposed to the elements. Any oil or sweat from a person's fingertips would have long since deteriorated, she said. Perry told jurors Monday testimony in the case could conclude by the end of next week, although he cannot say for sure. Deliberations could begin by June 25, he said. Roy Kronk, the meter reader who discovered Caylee's remains, has been subpoenaed by the defense, his attorney, David Evans, said Tuesday. He was not given a date to appear in court, Evans said. In Session's Mayra Cuevas and Michael Christian contributed to this report. Watch Nancy Grace Monday through Sunday starting at 8 p.m. ET on HLN. For the latest from Nancy Grace click here. | NEW: The defense will begin its case Thursday .
Cindy Anthony breaks into tears at several points .
Casey Anthony is accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, in 2008 . |
209,088 | 9ac42931e60e8afc9222d51b7221ccb13108982f | By . Martha De Lacey and Toni Jones . PUBLISHED: . 08:15 EST, 6 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:41 EST, 6 August 2013 . Patricia Murphy drank 350 units of alcohol every week for ten years . It is a miracle that Patricia Murphy is alive. Nine months ago the 45-year-old was admitted to hospital suffering with cirrhosis of the liver as a result of drinking 350 units of alcohol every week for ten years. Patricia ended up on a life support machine, and her skin turned a grisly yellow colour due to her massive organ failure. She was given a 5% chance of survival and a priest was called to read her last rites. But she survived, and a picture taken of her at her lowest became the trigger for a turning point in her life. She is now sober, and feeling lucky to still be . alive the former sales assistant appeared on This Morning today to tell her . story and warn other women about the dangers of alcohol, the legal . substance which ruined her life. She said: 'That picture was the turning point. Seeing how yellow I was. I went through a lot, I couldn't even walk when I came off intensive care, but now it's as if the illness has been lifted from my brain.' Patricia began drinking when she was 17, after leaving school to train as a sales assistant. Naturally . shy, drinking made her feel confident among her peers, and soon she was . drinking 10 double brandy and Cokes at the weekends. She said: I was always the first one in and the last person out of the pub. If someone offered me a drink and I already had one I would always take it. I always ordered doubles. 'When I was 28 I stopped going out because I couldn't get as drunk as I wanted to. It's not normal to drink like that. It's a slippery road. I was born with the addiction. I was always going to be an alcoholic.' It was at the age of 28 that Patricia also lost both her mother and father, which sent her drinking to new, more dangerous depths. She swapped Bacardi and brandy for wine because it was easier to get drunk and made her less aggressive. She said: 'Being drunk means that you don't have to feel things, you can get oblivious. 'I have been in to rehab three times but each time I came out I would go and buy wine and drink. I didn't want to stop it, I wanted to get drunk. I liked the way it made me feel.' The 45-year-old from Chessington appeared on This Morning today to warn other women of the dangers . Soon she was drinking five bottles of . wine every day, and waking up in the middle of the night sweating and . shaking. She lost her job because she was unable to hold down any kind of routine and then used all of her benefits money to buy alcohol, and spent . all day watching TV and feeling depressed. Despite attending Alcoholics Anonymous . meetings and her visits to rehab it was a visit to her local GP which saved Patricia's life. She was told that her liver was seriously damaged and immediately taken to hospital with . cirrhosis where she collapsed and remebers little of the next few weeks of her life. After a 10-week stay, when the picture of her turning yellow was taken, Patricia was released. Despite her ordeal, . the first thing she did upon release was buy wine. Luckily, she was . disgusted with herself for doing it, and has been sober ever since. This picture of Patricia was taken while she was in hospital suffering from massive organ failure . 'At . the moment, doctors are happy with my progress, but my life expectancy . will be affected. My liver is so scarred, it will slowly stop . functioning,' she told Closer magazine. A scan in October will determine whether or not Patricia needs a liver transplant. Today she said: 'Life is brilliant, I am happy. I wasn't living before, just sleeping and drinking, sleeping and drinking. The drink takes over so very quickly. 'My advice to other women in a similar situation is to go to your GP, but you have to accept your situation and you have to want to stop.' Patricia told hosts Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford she feels as though the disease has been lifted from her brain after seeing the picture and surviving her hospital scare . See the full interview on the This Morning website . | Patricia Murphy, 45, drank 350 units a week but has been sober 9 months .
Patricia, from Chessington, Surrey, began drinking at 17 after leaving school .
Believes she was born with an addiction and was destined to be an alcoholic .
Has been in rehab three times, each time getting drunk as soon as she left .
Was recently put on life support then spent 10 weeks in hospital .
After her organs failed her skin turned bright yellow .
Haunting hospital picture spurred her into sobriety .
See the full interview on the This Morning website . |
38,767 | 6d934a277cd1410fd3e2aef60ebacc8d35dc4eb2 | (CNET) -- Coming from a company known more for its plasma HDTVs, the Panasonic TC-32LX85 is a pleasant surprise in the 32-inch LCD category. Attractively designed and well appointed with generous connectivity, it is also a good performer overall, although by no means perfect. I was particularly impressed with the set's color accuracy, which is something I really don't expect from entry-level displays. Compared with the competition, the LC-32LX85 represents a compelling value in small LCD screens when you consider its performance characteristics. Design . Basic in its design, but simultaneously elegant-looking, the TC-35LX85 has a glossy black finish, with a 3-inch-wide bezel surrounding the screen on all sides. It is a small and unobtrusive television that will fit into just about any decor nicely. Side panel AV inputs are neatly tucked away behind the right side of the screen. The remote control is identical to Panasonic's current plasma line of HDTVs, with an excellent ergonomic design. It is on the large side, but slender enough to fit in the hand comfortably. Unfortunately, the remote is not backlit. The internal menu graphical user interface is also quite simple and intuitive to use and navigate. Features . The Panasonic TC-32LCX85's offers a fairly comprehensive feature package for an entry-level 32-inch LCD TV. Its native resolution is 1366x768, or around 720p, whereas many higher-end models have a 1080p native resolution. At this screen size, however, the benefits of 1080p resolution are nearly impossible to discern with moving video, whether standard- or high-definition. If you plan on regularly using your 32-inch LCD TV as a computer monitor, however, you might want to consider a 1080p model. Picture adjustment options are OK, but not as extensive as found on the Samsung LN32A450 or LG32LG30 for example. Preset picture modes include Cinema, Game, Custom, Vivid, and Standard. Custom can be adjusted independently per input while the others can be tweaked as well and apply to every input. Selectable color temperatures include Warm, Normal, and Cool. The Backlight feature may be the most important in terms of optimizing the panel's picture, as it helps it achieve reasonably deep black levels when lowered from its factory setting. Some dubious picture-adjusting features include Color Management and AI Picture, both of which should be shut off for optimum performance. AI is an auto-contrast feature that raises and lowers the light output of the panel depending on ambient room lighting. This ultimately makes black and white level a moving target, and both of these parameters really should remain constant. In the Advanced menu there are two varieties of noise reduction, called Video NR and MPEG NR, and for high-quality sources both should be turned-off. Black Level should be set to Light for full shadow detail, although intuitively I would think Dark would be correct. (Panasonic always had Lighter and Darker settings that were intuitively correct at 7.5 and 0 IRE respectively in their DVD players. Strangely, for their TVs, it is backward.) Connection options are generous enough on the Panasonic, although unlike most other small-screen flat-panel sets it lacks a VGA-style PC input. The rear panel does have two HDMI inputs, one component video input, one AV input with a choice of either composite or S-Video, and one RF input. One set of analog audio outputs, and one digital optical audio output for routing sound to an external AV receiver are also on tap. Side panel inputs include one HDMI, and one set of AV inputs with composite video only, and an SD Card slot on the right side of the panel for viewing your digital photos. We'd like to see a headphone jack on the side as well, but no dice. Performance . The Panasonic LC-32LX85 is one of the better performers at its size in the entry-level, 720p-resolution LCD category. Color accuracy and black level performance are its main strengths, while color decoding and standard-definition processing are not. I didn't have to make too many adjustments during the user menu calibration to get the little TV looking its best. Since there are no custom color temperature controls in the user menu, I simply chose the best picture mode (Custom) and color temperature preset (Warm) and then tweaked the remainder of the basic picture controls. Afterward I was pleasantly surprised at the accuracy of the grayscale; you can click here to access my full picture settings. For my comparison I looked at the Panasonic alongside the Sony KDL-32M4000, the Westinghouse VK-40F580D and the Vizio VP322, two LCDs and a 32-inch plasma respectively. Black level: Blacks are reasonably good for an inexpensive LCD flat-panel TV, and deeper than either the Sony or the Vizio, although not quite as deep as the Westinghouse. The Panasonic also delivers the blacker-than-black video signals that many more expensive displays cannot, which helps lead to improved shadow detail. Chapter two of "X-Men: The Last Stand" showed off the LC-32LX85's compelling blacks very nicely. This high-contrast scene takes place at night, with bright explosions going off to provide a good look at an HDTV's shadow detail capability. There was plenty of fine detail in the background dark areas of the picture. The black areas of the picture were deep, rich, and inky, and the scene was relatively free of low-level noise. Color accuracy: As you can see from the Geek Box, grayscale tracking in the Warm color temperature preset was impressive, and the primary colors of red, green, and blue also measured reasonably close to the HDTV standard, which is unusual even in some expensive flat-panel displays. Color decoding does push red a bit though, so we had to desaturate the color somewhat and remove some of the picture's punch. Colors still appeared vibrant, however, and skin tones looked quite natural. Chapter four of the awesome transfer of "I, Robot" proved an excellent scene to show off the Panasonic's contrast ratio--good blacks and whites creating a snappy picture--as well as its accurate color reproduction. Video processing: Unlike most modern HDTVs the LC-32LX85 doesn't accept 1080p sources, so my evaluation had to be with all HD sources set to 1080i. The set lacks an aspect ratio that provides for zero overscan, which would be a bigger issue if it were a 1080p resolution panel, but really isn't a big deal the panel has only a 720p resolution. The video processing does roll off the high-frequency video somewhat, a common flaw with many flat-panel sets on the market today. Uniformity: White-field uniformity was reasonably good on this panel, and that is saying something for an LCD. As you may know LCD display technologies, whether flat panel or projection, suffer from poor white-field uniformity. As a result you may see red and blue splotches in scenes that are primarily white like the ice in a hockey game or a movie like "Ice Age." This Panasonic, while not perfect, was better than most in this performance test. Standard-definition: The Panasonic is a mediocre performer with standard-def material. It didn't resolve every line of horizontal resolution according to the charts on the HQV disc, and as a result some images appeared a bit softer than normal. It did a below-average job of smoothing out jaggies on rotating diagonal lines, and there were a good number of such artifacts in a waving American flag. The set's noise reduction, on the other hand, was very good at cleaning up moving motes in low-quality images of skies and sunsets, and the set engaged 2:3 pull-down detection quickly and effectively. PC: Absent a VGA-style PC input I attempted to test the Panasonic's capability to handle digital signals from a PC via its HDMI jack. The best resolution the video card allowed was 1,280x768, which is short of the set's native resolution, and there was enough overscan that important areas of the screen, including the Windows taskbar, were obscured. People who want a PC display should probably choose another set. © 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. CNET, CNET.com and the CNET logo are registered trademarks of CBS Interactive Inc. Used by permission. | As a 32-inch LCD TV, the Panasonic TC-32LX85 is a good overall performer .
It's one of the better models at its size in the entry-level, 720p-resolution category .
Model delivers surprisingly impressive HD picture quality for a small-screen LCD .
But standard-def images look softer than normal . |
8,693 | 187a959bcde409febf9c9fe758cccaad5c1baead | By . Bianca London for MailOnline . Men's Health magazine dubbed him the fittest man alive and to prove it, Cristiano Ronaldo has stripped off and showcased his honed physique in all its glory for the glossy fitness magazine. The 29-year-old can be seen showing off his ball skills in the September issue of the magazine and stars in a series of computer generated images. The Real Madrid forward reveals the secrets behind his athletic physique in the new issue - as well as opening up about his relationship with Victoria's Secret model Irina Shayk. Scroll down for video . The boy's got skills: Cristiano Ronaldo stars on the glossy pages of Men's Health's September issue, where he can be seen showing off his ball skills . The magazine recently hailed him the fastest footballer in the world and with the help of Zoe Wimshurst, PhD, director of performance vision, they also calculated that he’s able to process the game faster in his head than any of his compatriots. The fitness fanatic runs around six miles a game and his top speed is 21mph. Promotion: The 29-year-old shows off his toned abs and his own branded boxers in a series of computer generated images . Talent: The magazine recently hailed him the fastest footballer and calculated that he's able to process the game faster in his head than any on his compatriots . So what's his secret? Well, he works out religiously for five days a week, honing his footie skills football for around four hours per day, runs for 25-30 minutes and does sprinting drills. This isn't the first time we've seen his abs this week. Ronaldo stripped down to his boxers to accept former Manchester United team-mate Darren Fletcher's Ice Bucket Challenge nomination - and then called on musicians Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce and Lil Wayne to join in. The Real Madrid player was soaked by his compatriot Fabio Coentrao while sat on a chair wearing just a pair of purple boxer shorts at the club's training ground at Valdebebas. Sporting prowess: The Real Madrid forward reveals the secrets behind his athletic physique in the new issue - as well as opening up about his relationship with Victoria's Secret model Irina Shayk . Lucky man! Portuguese Cristiano is dating Victoria's Secret model Irina Shayk . Read all about it: The footballer features in the September issue, which is on sale now . | Ronaldo, 29, shows off honed physique in September issue .
Opens up about how to get his body .
Magazine declared him fastest player in the world . |
47,069 | 84a66da7375459f146a6611b8fbfbb76501d7a86 | (CNN) -- After my short journey home from the hospital with our newborn seven years ago, I hit my first breaking point. Breastfeeding was not going well and so we hired a "lactation expert" to come to my rescue. I viewed my initial inability to breastfeed as nothing short of failure as a mom! For the record, I am a huge proponent of breastfeeding and know there are lots of great and supportive lactation experts and consultants -- but sadly, mine was not one of them. When the lactation guru had me sit in my dining room chair naked from the waist up, and forcefully moved my breast around like a piece of meat to find the exact position for the "latch," I knew this was not the way breastfeeding was supposed to go. I shrieked something to that effect and politely asked her to leave. Oh Kate, I hope that doesn't happen to you, but if it does, know you are not alone. As you bring home your bundle of joy, who also happens to be third in line to the throne, and prepare for your first days as a mom in front of a worldwide audience, we offer you this: real advice from moms on 10 things that could make you slightly crazy during these first magical -- and exhausting -- days. Read on and remember, we've all been there and lived to tell about it! 1. Get used to smelling like... baby spit-up . "Gone are the days of fine perfume, at least until you know whether the baby is sensitive to it," said mom of two and Washington blogger Stephanie Dulli, who also warns Kate about the burning sensation she will feel when she hears a baby cry on television. "That's your milk. Breasts don't care if it's your baby or not," she joked. "Hear baby? Fill up!" 2. You still look pregnant . If you think right after you give birth, your body will return to normal, you will learn how wrong you are! Kim Como, a Long Island, New York, mom of two and co-host of the blog 2 Moms on a Train, remembers feeling "so thankful" to have her favorite maternity jeans and oversized sweater at the hospital and equally thankful it was just her husband taking a few pictures of their new addition. "At least I could control it a bit," she remembered. "Honey, take pictures waist up!" 3. Beware of the sleep deprivation . Amanda Rodriguez, a mom of three from Frederick, Maryland, and host of the blog Dude Mom, said the biggest thing for Kate to worry about is sleep. "Seriously, lack of it will turn you into a zombie faster than you can say royal baby," she joked. "Find a way to sneak it in. Tell Prince William to take the baby on the other side of the palace ... if you have to but make it happen." 4. Check for what under fingernails? Your baby's poop, said Lisa Nee, a mom of three boys from Madison, Connecticut. "I remember going to the grocery store and realizing I had poop under my nails left from a messy midnight changing cycle." Kate, don't freak! Keep reading! 5. Realize breastfeeding takes time and patience . Cybele Weisser, a Manhattan mom of two, said what made her insane during her first days as a mom was discovering how much time it took to breastfeed and how hard it was. "On day three, I believe I actually said the words, 'I'd rather be in labor again,'" she told me. Amanda Rodriguez encourages Kate to "do it alone" if she plans to nurse. "Away from the husband and the cameras and the mother-in-law, as lovely as she seems. It's the one time I got to be silent and bond with baby without someone standing there waiting for a turn to hold him," she said. 6. Don't think you're horrible if you can't breastfeed . "Not everyone makes a ton of milk and if you don't, don't feel bad about it and get depressed and think you're a horrible mom," said a mother of two who preferred to stay anonymous, remembering how she endured a "never-ending" cycle of breastfeeding, pumping and giving her boys bottles since she couldn't produce enough milk. "If someone had told me that different moms make different amounts of milk, I think I would've fared better after the first baby." 7. Beware of the unsolicited advice . We all get it -- from our parents, our in-laws, even well-meaning strangers. The challenge, Kate, will be to smile and keep doing it your way. Shandley McMurray, a Canadian writer and mom of two now living in London, said, "One woman told me to put a hat on my 2-year-old 'before she froze to death.' It was 59 degrees out. Another warned me that my daughter would poke her eye out if I let her use a fork to eat her hot dog," she remembered. "It's a miracle my children are still alive." 8. Be prepared for the ridiculous nicknames . No matter what you and William decide to call your son, Kate, your family and friends will have their own ideas about exactly what he should be called. Beth Engelman, a single mom in Chicago and co-founder of Mommy On a Shoestring, said when her 7-year-old son, Jackson Robert, was born, family members started to call him a host of names. "Jacko, Jack-Ro, J Bob and AJ, which is short for Action Jackson, and yes, that ridiculous nickname was created by the baby's dad!," she said, offering this advice to Kate. "Just smile and repeat the baby's real name. You might have to do it 100 times but eventually they'll get the hint." 9. Get William to do his share . A prince and heir to the throne changing diapers? Why not, says mom of three Samantha Ettus, founder of Working Moms Lifestyle, who believes sharing parenting duties is the best way to ensure an equal partnership in the raising of a child. She offers this advice to Kate: "In the first week, make an excuse for (William) to be alone with the baby. Find a reason to have to run out and leave him alone with the baby so he has to," Ettus said. "And I always like to say, 'Catch him doing things right' so try not to micromanage him. So long as he's keeping the baby safe, he's doing a great job. Use tons of positive reinforcement." 10. The world will feel like a different place now . Becoming a mom, said Sarah Walton, a New Jersey mom of two and founder of Better Way Moms, changed her more than she could ever have imagined. "I can no longer watch any kind of violence. I can't ride roller coasters. ... My disdain for bullies shocks me and the desire to have my child be kind can make my eyes well up with tears," she said. "You will now see the world through the eyes of a mother, and no one can prepare you for that." Finally, Kate, when it's 4 o'clock in the morning, and you can barely keep your eyes open, and you feel close to tears for no reason at all, and you are wondering if you are truly made out to be the mother you hoped you could be, remember this -- relax. "It's going to get easier," said mom of two Maryellen Mooney of Long Island, New York. "Although you feel like you can't catch your breath now, someday, your baby will be putting her own clothes on or fixing himself a snack, and you'll say, 'Where did the time go?'" That's exactly how I feel about that newborn whom I finally figured out how to breastfeed. Seven years later, she's heading into the second grade, her sister into the first grade, and my story about the lactation expert with the poor bedside manner makes me laugh instead of cry. Follow Kelly Wallace on Twitter and on Google+ and like CNN Living on Facebook. | Real moms share advice for Kate on what she can expect with new motherhood .
One of the biggest tips for a new mom: Sleep when you can!
Moms advise duchess on how to get Prince William to do his share .
When the going gets tough, Kate can remember this: Motherhood does get easier! |
137,410 | 3db5ac9038348449377d0cca2aa9bda6cae598fb | An Australian woman has told in graphic detail of the moment she was allegedly sexually assaulted twice during a Malaysia Airlines flight by a chief steward whilst he was on duty. Laura Bushney was flying from Kuala Lumpur to Paris on August 4 when her alleged attacker Mohammed Rosli Bin Ab Karim put his hands under a blanket and into her pants. But this is a claim which the 54-year-old has denied as he told police that Ms Bushney did not resist him. It was three hours into flight MH20 when the 26-year-old's nightmare began. Scroll down for video . Laura Bushney boarded a Malaysia Airlines flight on August 4 which was when she was allegedly sexually assaulted by a chief steward . The alleged attacker Mohammed Rosli Bin Ab Karim put his hands under a blanket and into the Australian passenger's pants whilst he was on duty . Ms Bushney claims 54-year-old Rosli, a father of three, sexually assaulted her twice . captured audio and video recordings of the alleged assault and the later confrontation with her alleged attacker . Ms Bushney wept as she recounted the terrifying moments to Channel Seven's Sunday Night program. She claimed Rosli touched her upper thigh before putting his hands under her clothing, using the excuse that he was 'comforting her'. She insisted he touched her genitals and then digitally raped her. 'I just keep saying "Why didn't I scream, why didn't I shout?' she said. 'I am a strong person because I can do that, I know I can. But when I was in the moment, I couldn't. I felt so scared and petrified.' At the time Ms Rosli, who was flying to Paris to join her boyfriend, was curled up at the back of the plane in row 81, with her head against the window and empty seats beside her. It was then that Rosli sat on the aisle seat and told her, in answer to her question, that it would be another nine hours before the plane touched down in Paris. But something about his behaviour caused her concern. The victim was seated at the back of the plane when the alleged sexual assaults occurred . 'He grabbed my hand and told me to lie down and relax,' she said. 'I asked him to get me something to drink. I wanted to get him away from me. I didn’t feel comfortable. 'He came back and then he moved my legs and put them on his lap. I felt shocked, I didn't know what to do. I didn’t know what to say. And then he started rubbing my legs.' After Rosli walked away, Ms Bushney managed to confide in one of the closest seated passengers - Canadian national Sophie Lachance - in row 88. 'I saw her face full of tears,' she told Sunday Night. 'She literally told me, "this man put his hands in my pants".' It was Ms Lachance who urged the distraught Ms Bushney to report the incident to police. Although Ms Bushney didn't say anything to Rosli, when asked if she made it clear to him that what he was doing was wrong she replied that he 'started moving his hands down, moving his hands down towards my belly button and I pushed his hands away and he started to massage my legs'. 'I thought by pushing it away that I was telling him that I didn't want it to happen,' she said. As the assault was continuing, she managed to record the incident under a blanket, as well as filming video on her phone of an altercation she had with Rosli after the incident. She says in the phone recording: 'He's massaging my legs, I'm so scared I just want to get off this plane.' Rosli, she said, walked away but half an hour later he came back to the same seat and once again moved her outstretched legs onto his legs. Ms Bushney managed to confide in one of the closest seated passengers - Canadian national Sophie Lachance . 'I could feel that he has got an erection and he is rubbing himself up against me,' she said. 'He put his hands inside my pants…He put his fingers inside me. 'That's rape,’ the TV interviewer tells her. 'Yes,' she agreed through her tears. Asked if she had tried to stop him, she replied: 'No.' 'As soon as it happened he got up and I think the thought process of what he had done…he realised what he had done…it had happened so fast that I was absolutely frozen,' she said. The 54-year-old begged for Ms Bushney's forgiveness and asked her not to report the incidents . Rosli, a married man and a father of three, joined Malaysia Airlines in 1980. After the assault, Ms Bushney made a handwritten complaint to other cabin crew members, detailing what had happened. Ms Bushney was moved to a first class seat and at one point the captain came to speak to her. But neither he nor his team stopped the chief steward from approaching her yet again. 'I asked for him to be taken away, I didn’t want him anywhere near me,' she said. Yet her requested was not heeded. A video recording, made on Ms Bushney's phone, showed Rosli sitting in a seat on the other side of the aisle, shaking his head, putting his hands to his face, or looking down at the floor as she accused him of putting his hand inside her pants. Then she can be heard saying to the steward: 'I don't want to see you, go away you give me the creeps, you dirty old man.' 'How could you do it?' she is heard asking him through her cries of despair. 'I am so scared. I want to get off this plane.' During this confrontation, Rosli can be seen begging for Ms Bushney's forgiveness asking her to give him 'a second chance'. Rosli is then heard saying: 'I am so sorry. I am so sorry ma'am.' The steward is currently detained by French police and is expected to face trial in France in six or seven months time . Malaysia Airlines has responded with a public statement but has not contacted Ms Bushney or offered an apology, any counseling or compensation . At Paris airport, Rosli was taken away for questioning and she was taken for a physical examination and a DNA swab. However an airline official in Paris told her that if she filed a report that was not true she could get into serious trouble. Despite the warning, Ms Bushney went ahead and informed French police. After 14 hours of questioning, she was required to confront Rosli one last time. When she accused him of raping her, Rosli told police that was not his intentions. 'He said that he never intended to do that and he said that I didn't resist him,' she said. Malaysia Airlines has responded with a public statement that confirmed the allegations. But they failed to offer an apology, any counseling or compensation to Ms Bushney. 'Malaysia Airlines can confirm that following allegations by a passenger travelling on flight MH20 from Kuala Lumpur to Paris on 4th August 2014 of inappropriate sexual behaviour by a member of the cabin crew, the member of staff in question has been detained for questioning by the French police.' 'Malaysia Airlines expects and accepts nothing short of the highest standards of conduct from its crew and takes any such allegations very seriously.' Rosli is expected to face trial in France in six or seven months time and could be sentenced to 15 years in prison if convicted. Whilst the investigation is ongoing, Ms Bushney is left traumatised while her attacker is detained by police. | Laura Bushney boarded flight MH20 on August 4 as she was on her way to visit her boyfriend in Paris .
Three hours into the flight, the 26-year-old claims chief steward Mohammed Rosli Bin Ab Karim began sexually assaulting her .
The Australian woman captured audio and video recordings of the alleged assault and the later confrontation with her alleged attacker .
The steward, 54, later told police that Ms Bushney didn't resist him .
The father-of-three has been detained by police in Paris .
He is expected to face trial in France in six or seven months time and could be sentenced to 15 years in prison if convicted . |
132,851 | 37cae83e10c72cf8705e0f9f8f2274cba041714d | New Delhi, India (CNN) -- Indians live with noise. Funnel-shaped loudspeakers mounted atop houses of worship blare before dawn. Painting a big "Horn Please" sign on the rear bumpers of trucks, buses and vans muscling their way down the country's clogged roadways is common now. Giant generators roar in neighborhoods during power outages. Residents bear the crackle of machines from factories that might be operating clandestinely in officially non-commercial areas. Rarely is a celebration -- religious or social -- held without loud music. But Indian policy-makers have prepared what they call a road map aimed at controlling pervasive noise. And one of the latest steps they have taken is to give comfort to citizens at bedtime. They have defined night in legal terms. "The nighttime has been defined (10 p.m. to 6 a.m.) and restrictions have been imposed on the use of horns, sound-emitting construction equipments and bursting of firecrackers during nighttime," the federal environment ministry said. It also outlined what constitutes a public place and limits sound amplification from such locations. Residents will have to keep their music below new limits, as set by amendments to the nation's noise rules, the ministry said. Indian officials also announced noise-monitoring stations in major cities, including New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, by September. Eighteen more cities will join the system by 2011, the ministry said. "With the new system in place, a systematic national level monitoring and reporting network in the country will be available, as in case of air and water pollution." Environmentalists welcome the moves. Nevertheless, they see enforcement as a big challenge -- and awareness even bigger. Anumita Roychowdhury, an expert at the nonprofit Centre for Science and Environment in New Delhi, said noise violations occur despite existing laws and court orders. "People have to develop self-discipline and authorities the capacity to monitor noise and enforce the laws to contain its high levels across the country," Roychowdhury said. So far, both are limited, she added. | Indian policy-makers have defined nighttime to control pervasive noise .
Residents will have to keep their noise below new limits .
Noise-monitoring stations to be installed in major cities like New Delhi, and Mumbai by September . |
207,286 | 985f4beb50cbf9439a7bce5c5310cca3035f9761 | Saudi Arabia on Sunday condemned the killing in North Carolina of three American Muslim college students as a 'heinous terrorist' act, and called for an end to incitement against Muslims. The statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency also condemned as a 'terrorist' act the recent attacks that killed two people in Denmark, one at a panel discussion that included an artist who caricatured the Prophet Muhammad and the other outside a synagogue. In neighboring Qatar, several thousand people held a march Sunday in the capital Doha in solidarity with the families of the North Carolina victims. Condemned: Saudi Arabia on Sunday condemned the killing of three American Muslim college students as a 'heinous terrorist' act. People have been praying in public (pictured on Friday in Washington) in their memory . The marchers appealed for protection against hate crimes for the tens of thousands of young Arabs studying in the United States on scholarships funded by the energy-rich governments of the Gulf. Deah Barakat, 23; his wife, Yusor Abu-Salha, 21; and her sister, Razan Abu-Salha, 19, were killed on Tuesday by their neighbor Craig Hicks, 46, an avowed atheist who was a vocal critic of all religions. Family members say all three were shot in the head at the newlywed couple's home, though police aren't saying exactly how the three victims died. The victims' relatives are pressing for hate-crime charges against Hicks, and the FBI is now involved and investigating possible motives. Local police initially said a parking dispute sparked the murders and the U.S. attorney for the region described it as 'an isolated incident.' A Christian minister in Brooklyn addresses an Arab American Association in solidarity with the community . However, the day after the attack, the pre-eminent institute of Islamic learning in the Sunni Muslim world, al-Azhar, described the murders as a 'cowardly terrorist act.' Al-Azhar, which is based in Cairo, said it was deeply concerned that the killings appeared to have been prompted by 'racism and Islamophobia.' Similarly, the 57-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the world's largest bloc of Muslim countries, said the murders heightened international concerns about 'rising anti-Muslim sentiments and Islamophobic acts' in the United States. | Deah Barakat, 23, Yusor Abu-Salha, 21, and Razan Abu-Salha, 19, were killed on Tuesday by an avowed atheist .
Saudi Arabia released official statement calling it a 'heinous terrorist act'
Also condemned recent attacks in Denmark as 'terrorism'
Thousands marched in Qatar on Sunday in memory of the Chapel Hill slain . |
153,838 | 52d46899b861048092dee3a486f323e199642788 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 09:31 EST, 14 March 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 18:49 EST, 14 March 2014 . A Pakistani teenager has died from her injuries after she set herself on fire outside a police station when police released her alleged rapist. Aamna Bibi, 18, set herself alight outside the police station in Muzaffargarh district in Punjab province after her attacker managed to bribe himself free, local media reports. She was taken to hospital with 80 per cent burns to her body, but died the following day as a result of her injuries. Tragedy: Pakistani teenager Aamna Bibi, seen here as she is taken to hospital on Thursday, has died from her injuries after setting herself on fire when police set free her alleged rapists . Ms Bibi died Friday after setting herself on fire Thursday in the village of Beit Mir Hazar Khan, Police Chief Usman Akran Gondal of Muzaffargarh district said. PC Gondal says the woman's brother filed a complaint with police in January, saying his sister had been abducted and the assailants tried to rape her. He said authorities investigated the claim but found no evidence to support it so they let the men go. However, local media reports that one of the alleged attackers were set free after he handed the police a large bribe. Ms Bibi's fatal self-immolation took place outside a police station in Muzaffargarh district in Punjab province when her alleged attacker was reportedly set free after bribing police . The accused was declared innocent by investigating officer Zulfiqar Ahmed after handing over 70,000 rupees (£690), the International Business Times reports. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said the woman had gone to the police station to protest, but decided to end her life in despair. None of the police officers at the station tried to stop the self-immolation, local media said. Rape cases are rarely prosecuted in Pakistan. Women who complain are often stigmatized. | Woman, 18, set herself on fire after police released her alleged rapists .
Aamna Bibi was taken to hospital but died after suffering 80 per cent burns .
Her alleged attacker was reportedly set free after paying police £690 . |
90,161 | 0002b1d590aa4d2f6f000a03947317b6dc4e5c18 | By . Luke Kirchner . Ben Davies is the young Swansea defender being chased by Liverpool and Tottenham. Reds boss Brendan Rodgers has had an £8million bid rejected with the Swans holding out for £12m. Sportsmail takes a closer peek at the player whose career path is very much on the up. Who is he and what position does he play? Davies was born on the April 24, 1993 and is a Welsh left back who came through Swansea City’s youth system to become a regular first-team starter. Exciting prospect: Ben Davies has already played 84 times for Swansea despite only turning 21 in April . No nonsense: Davies is a tough tackler as well as providing an attacking threat from left back . What’s all the fuss about, then? Davies, 21, is best known amongst the Swansea fans for his consistency. They could count the mistakes he’s made on one hand and, in playing 43 games for them last season, he showed no signs of burnout. He is calm and composed on the ball and a threat going forward. So he’s another Luke Shaw? He’s very similar. Davies, like Shaw, came through the ranks at his first club to become a regular starter and has international experience with Wales as well. Davies is an attacking full back, too, but has scored three goals while Shaw is yet to register a senior strike. Davies' passing accuracy is much better than Shaw's at 83 per cent compared with 70 per cent. He has the ability to become a centre back later in his career, according to former Swansea manager Michael Laudrup. Shaw thing: Davies has been compared to England and Manchester United left back Luke Shaw . Goal threat: Davies nets against West Brom in the Premier League back in September 2013 . Swansea want £12m for him. Is he worth it? If Shaw is worth £30m, then why not? He’s experienced for his age and has played in Europe seven times. Davies can also boast League Cup success in 2013... what a bargain! Is he leaving? Possibly. He’s a Swansea fan, so he obviously has emotional ties to the club and Garry Monk seems reluctant to let him go, but if his price tag is met we could see him in Liverpool colours by September. Do Liverpool even need another left back? Yes, desperately. With only Jose Enrique and Jon Flanagan at their disposal to play there Liverpool have no time to lose this summer. They have also expressed interest in Sevilla's Alberto Moreno and Ajax's Daley Blind, but Davies would be an important addition to Brendan Rodgers' squad. Capped up: The Swansea man - seen here celebrating with Gareth Bale - has already played 10 times for Wales . | Swansea's Davies a transfer target for Liverpool and Spurs .
Liverpool have had £8m bid rejected as Swansea hold out for £12m .
Sportsmail tells you everything you need to know about the left back . |
264,056 | e1fc12c2bd07201f3cedbaed9173384556e819ac | (CNN) -- "Glee" star Cory Monteith died as a result of "a mixed drug toxicity, involving heroin and alcohol," the British Columbia Coroners Service said Tuesday. "At this point there is no evidence to suggest Mr. Monteith's death was anything other than a most-tragic accident," the coroners service said in a statement, adding that no further details were available pending a full investigation. Monteith, 31, was found dead Saturday in his room by staff members at Vancouver's Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel after he missed his checkout time. The actor spent time in rehab this year, checking into a drug addiction treatment facility in late March. Addiction: The disease that lies . Monteith had been frank about his struggles with substance abuse, telling Parade magazine in 2011 that he began using drugs at 13 and by 19 went into rehab after his mother and friends intervened. Monteith had been on Fox's hit musical comedy show since it began in 2009, playing the dim quarterback of the football team who is forced to join the glee club. After graduation, he comes back to town and helps direct a musical at the school. How will 'Glee' handle the death of Cory Monteith? Adam Shankman, who directed an episode for each of the past three seasons, told CNN's Poppy Harlow that he had talked to Monteith on Saturday morning. The actor said he wanted to come down to California to Jet Ski. Shankman described Monteith as the glue of "Glee." He was always welcoming, whether it was to a guest director or a new cast member, Shankman said. The actor knew all of his lines when filming began each time and would congratulate his fellow cast members when he thought they did well. "He showed up every day, and he was a delight," Shankman said. Offscreen, Monteith was dating co-star and on-screen love interest Lea Michele. Lea Michele on 'devastating' news of Monteith's death . He was madly in love with her, Shankman said. "He felt like it had renewed his spirit." Representatives for Michele issued a brief statement Monday saying the actress is "deeply grateful for all the love and support she has received from family, friends, and fans." "Since Cory's passing, Lea has been grieving alongside his family and making appropriate arrangements with them," the statement said. "They are supporting each other as they endure this profound loss together." People we lost in 2013 . CNN's Steve Almasy and Amanda Watts contributed to this report. | NEW: Lea Michele is grieving alongside Monteith's family, her reps say .
Death was nothing more "than a most-tragic accident," coroner says .
Monteith was found dead Saturday in a Vancouver hotel room .
The actor, 31, had been on the hit Fox series since it premiered in 2009 . |
269,960 | e9a167cb62891c177e5a2ec94a37ddf9a9d72e97 | By . Kieran Corcoran . Convicted: Sergeant Alexander Blackman was found guilty of murder by a court martial in November . A Royal Marine who murdered a wounded Afghan fighter in cold blood has failed in his attempt to overturn the conviction. But sergeant Alexander Blackman - who fired a pistol into the man's chest with the words 'shuffle off this mortal coil, you c***' - had his sentence reduced by two years. Three leading judges decided that combat stress suffered by Blackman, 39, should have been given more weight, and cut the time he would have to serve in jail from ten years to eight. The soldier was convicted by a court martial Bulford, Wiltshire in November. He was originally known as Marine A, but the High Court ruled that his name should be released when he was first sentenced. Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas, Sir Brian Leveson and Lady Justice Hallett, giving their ruling in London, said that the particular stresses affecting Blackman should have been 'accorded greater weight as a mitigating factor'. Allowing an appeal against sentence, Lord Thomas said: 'On all the evidence before us it is clear that in the events surrounding the murder of the insurgent, the appellant acted entirely out of character and was suffering from combat stress disorder'. As well as the life sentence Blackman, now 39, was 'dismissed with disgrace' from the Royal Marines after he had served with distinction for 15 years, including tours of Iraq, Afghanistan and Northern Ireland. The killing happened in Helmand province in 2011 while Blackman, who is known as Al, was serving with Plymouth-based 42 Commando. Scroll down for video . Footage: The incident in which Blackman killed a Taliban militant was caught on camera by another Marine . Incident: The footage filmed by Marine B's helmet camera formed part of the court martial hearing . He shot the Afghan, who had been seriously injured in an attack by an Apache helicopter, in the chest at close range with a 9mm pistol before. He referenced Shakespeare's Hamlet as the man convulsed and died in front of him. Blackman said: 'There you are. Shuffle off this mortal coil, you c***. It's nothing you wouldn't do to us'. He then turned to comrades and said: 'Obviously this doesn't go anywhere, fellas. I just broke the Geneva Convention'. His younger colleagues were cleared of any wrongdoing. Known as Marines B and C during the trial, they were later named as Corporal Christopher Watson and Marine Jack Hammond. The shooting was captured on a camera mounted on Cpl Watson's helmet. Blackman, who denied murder, said he believed the victim was already dead and he was taking out his anger on a corpse. Wife: Clair Blackman was at the High Court today for the result of the appeal . Trauma: Friends of Blackman have blamed the incident on the horrors he experienced while on duty . He has said he felt ashamed, describing the killing as a 'stupid lack of self-control and lapse in judgment'. Reducing the minimum term, Lord Thomas said: 'It is very unfortunate that the only medical evidence before the court martial and before us was obtained over two years after the murder. 'We have accorded particular attention to the view of the court martial that thousands of other service personnel experienced the same or similar stresses and still acted properly and humanely. Blackman: Right, get him closer so PGSS can't see what we're doing to him. Unknown: (Place/push) him in there, come on. Blackman: Get him right in. Unknown: Come on. Blackman: Over by that corn. LATER . Marine D: Do you want him back in? Blackman: Yeah, I want, I want him in this area so I can see what the f*** (we're/ I'm) doing. Blackman: Anybody want to do first aid on this idiot? Unknown: No. Marine B: No. Marine C: I'll put one in his head, if you want. Blackman: No, not in his head, cause that'll be f***ing obvious. Unknown: Just move him round here. Marine B: Going to switch this f***ing off (camera). LATER . Marine B: For f***'s sake, I cannot believe I'm doing this. Marine C: Wait a minute, just present to do it tiLl he's behind them trees. Unknown: Just strangle him. LATER . (Gun shot) Unknown: (What was that?) Unknown: (Don't know.) Blackman: There you are, shuffle off this mortal coil, you c***. Blackman: It's nothing you wouldn't do to us. Marine B: I know. Blackman: Obviously, this doesn't go anywhere fellas. Marine B: Yeah, roger, mate. Blackman: I've just broken the Geneva convention. Marine B: Yeah, roger. Blackman: Biometric data module, right, er, try and brush some of that s*** off his face. Marine B: If anything gets heard, mate, it's as a warning shot went down. 'However, in assessing the evidence of stress and its effect on the appellant, we attach particular importance to the evidence in relation to the remoteness of the command post at which the appellant had been stationed for five and a half months and the limited contact with those commanding him. 'His mental welfare had not been assessed in the way in which it would ordinarily be assessed by a commanding officer and there is evidence that he was becoming somewhat paranoiac about the Taliban's "gunning" for him'. The judge added: 'Taking into account the whole of the evidence, we conclude that combat stress arising from the nature of the insurgency in Afghanistan and the particular matters we have identified as affecting him ought to have been accorded greater weight as a mitigating factor'. Lord Thomas announced: "On that basis we have therefore concluded that although he remains subject to a sentence of imprisonment for life, the minimum term which he must serve before being considered for parole should be reduced to eight years. 'His release will then depend on the Parole Board and, even thereafter, he will remain subject to the terms of the conditions of his licence. To that extent and to that extent only is this appeal allowed'. Referring to the 'aggravating' features of the case, Lord Thomas said the first related to the circumstances of the shooting as found proved by the court martial. 'These included four deliberate acts. These were, first, the appellant's decision to stop first aid; second, the appellant's order to move the insurgent to a place where what he intended to do would not be seen; third, the discharge of the round into the insurgent's chest; and fourth, the instruction to the patrol to say nothing about what had happened'. Lord Thomas said: 'True it may be that there may have been other insurgents in the vicinity, but that played no causative effect in the appellant's decision to fire at the wounded insurgent and kill him'. The second aggravating feature 'was the deliberate involvement by the appellant of soldiers who looked to him for leadership in a dishonest cover up of what had happened and the construction of the account that the insurgent was already dead'. Lord Thomas said: 'Third was the appellant's failure to follow, both personally as a soldier and, furthermore, as the person in command of the patrol, the standards of conduct which represented the values for which HM Forces had been sent to Afghanistan'. An MoD spokesman said after the ruling: 'We respect the authority and decision of the appeal court, and it would be inappropriate for us to comment on the sentence'. | Sergeant Alexander Blackman, 39, killed an Afghan man in 2011 .
He shot the wounded man in the chest with a pistol .
Blackman was convicted of murder in a court martial last November .
He tried to overturn the conviction, but his attempt was not successful .
However, judges reduced time he will spend in prison from 10 to 8 years .
They said original sentence did not give enough weight to combat stress . |
284,394 | fc75d05de9870748abe89203ddbcb731478d1d61 | By . Jill Reilly . PUBLISHED: . 08:54 EST, 11 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:57 EST, 11 February 2013 . Nevada Assemblyman: Steven Brooks was arrested early Sunday in Las Vegas . A Las Vegas assembly is set to decide whether a local politician is fit to serve after his third arrest in a month. Troubled Nevada Assemblyman Steven Brooks was arrested early Sunday in Las Vegas on suspicion of physically attacking a family member, then grabbing for an officer's weapon. The arrest came only days after the North Las Vegas Democrat embarked on a three-week leave following a string of bizarre events that began with his January 19 arrest for allegedly threatening Assembly Speaker Marilyn Kirkpatrick. Brooks, 40, was 'agitated' and refused to obey officers' orders when they arrived to find him outside a home after responding to a report of a domestic dispute, according to police. Brooks is accused of fighting and grabbing for an officer's weapon as they tried to arrest him shortly aftermidnight. Police spokesman Bill Cassell said the domestic dispute occurred inside the home, but he did not know the identity of the homeowner. No other details about the dispute were immediately available. Las Vegas police have a policy of not identifying the relationships of domestic dispute victims to suspects, Cassell said. Brooks was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on misdemeanours charges of domestic battery and obstructing a public officer. His bail was set at $4,000, and he awaits an initial court appearance Monday morning. Leave: Nevada Assemblyman Steven Brooks, D-North Las Vegas during the opening day of the 77th Legislative Session in Carson City last Monday . Embattled: Nevada Assemblyman Steven Brooks, D-North Las Vegas, gets his shoes shined at Comma Coffee, across the street from the Legislative Building in Carson City last week . Brooks' attorney, Mitchell Posin, said he probably would talk to Brooks later Sunday. 'It would be premature for me to say anything until I hear what his side of the story is,' Posin said. The arrest came only days after the Assembly announced the unprecedented creation of a seven-member committee to investigate Brooks' behavior. Under the Nevada Constitution, lawmakers are given authority to judge the qualifications of their own members. Assembly Majority Leader William . Horne, D-Las Vegas, who will chair the bipartisan panel, said Sunday . that Brooks' arrests reflect ongoing concerns about his fitness to . serve. 'It's unfortunate . that these things are happening in Mr. Brooks' life, and I'm grateful no . one was injured,' he told The Associated Press. 'I'm . not a mental expert. But I would agree it has shown some signs that Mr. Brooks is dealing with problems that may distract from his ability to . do the service he was elected to do.' Horne . said he hopes the special committee can reach a decision 'fairly . quickly.' The panel's choices range from no action to expelling Brooks . from the Assembly. Kirkpatrick . said Brooks' arrests have been a distraction for the Legislature, but . have not stopped lawmakers from moving forward with business. 'As far as Mr. Brooks, we have to move on,' she said Sunday. 'I'm a little bit shocked (by the latest arrest).' Bizzare: The arrest came only days after the North Las Vegas Democrat embarked on a three-week leave following his January 19 arrest for allegedly threatening Assembly Speaker Marilyn Kirkpatrick, pictured . Concerning: The arrest came only days after the Assembly announced the unprecedented creation of a seven-member committee to investigate Brooks' behavior (file photo) Brooks, elected to his second term in November, has been under scrutiny since his arrest last month on suspicion of threatening Kirkpatrick over his committee assignments. According to police, he had a gun in his car and dozens of rounds of ammunition. Days after posting bail, he was detained and hospitalized for a mental evaluation after a disturbance at his grandmother's house involving a sword. Brooks has denied any wrongdoing. Since the Legislature began last week, he has been escorted in the building by legislative police, who have not allowed anyone to ride in an elevator along with him. 'People have questioned some of the measures being taken in the Legislative Building, but I think those concerns should be put to rest,' Horne said. | Steven Brooks arrested on Sunday for allegedly attacking a family member .
On January 19 he was arrested with a loaded gun .
Police also called to a disturbance at his grandmother’s house . |
227,928 | b324452bb1777eeecf973f033c5e04bda6655008 | (CNN) -- The world's coral reefs are under threat. Overfishing, unsustainable tourism, coastal development, pollution, the global aquarium trade and climate change are having a devastating effect on these fragile ecosystems, according to the International Coral Reef Initiative. In Mexico and across the world, the fragile ecosystems of coral reefs are under threat from human activity. The group has designated 2008 as International Year of the Reef in a bid to publicize the reefs' precarious predicament. Meanwhile fellow conservation group, Nature Conservancy, warns that if destruction continues at its current rate, 70 percent of the world's coral reefs will have disappeared within 50 years. A report released in January by the World Conservation Union concluded that hurricanes and rising sea temperatures in 2005 -- the hottest year since records began -- caused large-scale examples coral bleaching, in which corals lose the essential algae that coat their surfaces, devastating more than half of the Caribbean's reefs. But human activity at ground level is having an equally damaging effect, says Paul Sanchez-Navarro, Director of Centro Ecologico Akumal, an organization that monitors the impact of development on the reefs that thrive off the coast of Mexico's Quintana Roo province. Pollution spilled into the sea by the thousands of hotels on the Mexican Riviera is "stressing" the coral reefs. "There are a lot of nutrients going into the ground water caused by treated water from the hotels and municipal waste water treatment plants," he explains. "They inject the water into the ground and that makes its way into the aquifer... We've found way too many nutrients -- nitrates and phosphates -- and that comes from human waste, mostly urine." The result, says Sanchez-Navarro, is increased algae growth that effectively suffocates the coral, impeding its growth. The reefs off Quintana Roo form part of the Meso American Barrier Reef which stretches over 1000 kilometers from Mexico as far the Bay Islands of Honduras, making it the second longest barrier reef in the world. The barrier reef supports more than 60 species of coral, 350 types of mollusc and over 500 species of fish. Reef-building coral has existed for 25,000 years and creates complex ecosytems which rely on a delicate balance of external pressures to survive. They thrive in water temperature of 23 to 25 degrees celcius and are usually found at depths of less than 25cm from the surface where sunlight can penetrate. While coral reefs in other parts of the Caribbean have suffered from coral bleaching caused by rising sea temperatures, Mexico's reefs have largely escaped this partly due to the hurricanes that have battered this coastline in recent years. These cool the water down in their wake but damage the reefs in other ways: the World Conservation's report, "Corals -- facing the death sentence", found that 2005's Hurricane Wilma and Hurricane Emily decreased coral cover from 24 percent to 10 percent in the reefs off Mexico's Cozumel. An occasional storm can actually have a beneficial effect on coral reefs, says Sanchez-Navarro, because the turbulence allows the coral to break off and spread. But the coral needs time to recover and the increase in category four and five storms, which some scientists believe is caused by climate change and rising sea temperatures, allows no time for this. "The difficulty now with climate change is that if we are going to have big storms every year then the coral doesn't have a chance to recover," says Sanchez-Navarro. "Normally you would have a big storm every five to ten years. The storm breaks up the coral but if the coral is healthy it starts to grow again and actually a hurricane every ten years is not bad because it disperses the coral in more places and then it grows up more." While the damage from pollution and hurricanes is having a devastating effect on the Mesoamerican barrier reef and the hundreds of species which depend on it for food and shelter, eventually it will also have a human cost. An estimated one million people rely on the reef for employment and a source of income. The white sands that have made this stretch of tropical paradise so popular with tourists are generated by the breakdown over thousands of years of coral and the calcium it produces. Eventually no coral will mean no white beaches. Sanchez-Navarro believes the depletion of Quintana Roo's reefs is already affecting the local fishing industry. Around the world ten percent of all fish caught originate from reefs. "We'll probably see reduced fish stocks because there is less areas for them to take refuge in," he says. "We don't have numbers for them but we have observations made by divers who have been coming here for years who have noticed over time the depletion." Coral reefs also provide essential protection from storms, acting as a buffer that prevents coastlines from feeling the full force of a storm surge. "At the bottom of the hurricane you have a lot of motion going on in the water itself, it's not only above water," explains Sanchez-Navarro. "This momentum that comes from the storm usually has this big surge but it hits the reef first and it changes the dynamic of the waves. Coral reefs drop the intensity of the storm significantly: the surge can become 75 percent less." Sanchez-Navarro does not think that tourism in itself is necessarily damaging to the region's coral reefs. Snorkeling and sub aqua can cause physical damage to the reef if divers stand on the reef or anchors from boats are dropped in the wrong place. But with co-operation with the local dive schools he believes bad practice can be cut out. The main threat remains the expansion of unsustainable hotels and the dumping of untreated pollution into the sea, he says. "The biggest challenge here is defining what is sustainability for the region because there's so much investment, especially from Spain -- Spanish investment has bought up virtually the entire coast -- and they don't seem to be required to obey the law. "They can cut down mangrove when they want -- they actually pressured the federal government to change the mangrove law because they bought up all this mangrove and they want to cut it down and drain it and fill it up with hotels." E-mail to a friend . | Conservationists predict 70 percent of all coral reefs will go within 50 years .
Mexico's Meso American Barrier Reef stretches over 1000 kilometers .
The reef is at risk from overfishing, unsustainable tourism and pollution .
An increase in storms, blamed on climate change, is also harming the coral . |
40,970 | 73838f2191cd284181d7e8ba95e4165e30885b86 | By . Ryan Gorman and Associated Press . PUBLISHED: . 09:13 EST, 7 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 14:14 EST, 7 November 2013 . US Airways denies crew members used racial slurs against actor Brandon T. Jackson, who was kicked off a flight at a Phoenix layover because of unruly behavior. Mr Jackson, best known for his role as Alpa Chino in 'Tropic Thunder,' had been drinking on the New York City to Phoenix flight Monday night and became upset when flight attendants stopped serving him alcohol. He sent out 21 tweets about the experience and claimed a flight attendant 'called me the N-word.' That's racist: Movie star Brandon T. Jackson has accused a US Airways flight attendant of calling him the n-word . Phoenix police were called and the actor, who also plays Grover in the 'Percy Jackson' movies, was escorted out of the terminal at Sky Harbor International Airport. Officers said they determined that no crime had been committed so they let Mr Jackson go. The 29-year-old actor then took another flight to Burbank, California. 'We've spoken with the crew members involved and they deny any use of the N-word or racist slurs with Mr Jackson,' said US Airways spokesman Andrew Christie. Mr Christie added that the actor 'was disruptive and our crew made the right decision to stop serving him alcohol.' He said the behavior started with Mr Jackson playing loud music in his seat. He was asked several times to turn down the music. 'Additional erratic behavior was observed and that is when the crew made the decision to stop serving,' Mr Christie said. 'If the crew determines to no longer serve alcohol to a customer, then their decision is definitive at that point.' Tropic Thunder: Mr Jackson, pictured left with Ben Stiller, center, and Robert Downey Jr., right, is best known for his role as Alpa Chino in 'Tropic Thunder' But the passenger sitting next to Mr Jackson, Darrell Howard, told TMZ on Thursday that the actor was not drunk and had no more than two drinks during the five-and-a-half hour flight from NYC to Phoenix. Mr Howard said Mr Jackson was nothing but nice and even shared a few scripts with him and another passenger, which supports the actor's claim that he told the angry flight attendant he was just 'rehearsing lines' with the people next to him. TMZ reported Tuesday morning that Mr Jackson and a flight attendant named Dee began arguing on the flight after the crew refused to continue serving him alcohol. Tiring of his act after telling him to sit down, the flight attendant reportedly said: 'I don't care if you're Obama's son -- get in your seat!!' Mr Jackson said the flight attendant then called him the n-word. He was soon released without charge and tweeted: 'This was the most racist thing that ever happen to me even the white people on the plane was like that racist.' | Brandon T. Jackson claims a flight attendant 'called me the N-word' during a flight from New York to Phoenix on Monday night .
However, US airways says crew members deny using the racial slur and claim the actor was being unruly after drinking heavily on the flight .
He was also playing loud music in his seat, they say .
Mr Jackson was escorted out of the Phoenix terminal and questioned by police but was not charged with any crimes .
But the passenger next to the actor insists he was not drunk on the flight . |
141,222 | 429d0b08ef4b51b945eaa685f556c6ce645df151 | Ahead of this weekend's Premier League action, Sportsmail will be providing you with all you need to know about every fixture, with team news, provisional squads, betting odds and Opta stats. Here is all the information you need for Aston Villa's home clash with Leicester... Aston Villa vs Leicester City (Villa Park) Team news . Aston Villa . Aston Villa midfelder Joe Cole has been ruled out for around two weeks with a hamstring injury, ahead of Sunday's Premier League match against Leicester. The former England international suffered the problem in Tuesday's win over Crystal Palace, and striker Andreas Weimann also misses out through suspension this weekend. Joe Cole will be out for two weeks with a hamstring injury suffered in the win over Crystal Palace . England midfielder Fabian Delph returned to training on Friday as he recovers from a dislocated shoulder but he, Ron Vlaar, Philippe Senderos and Nathan Baker are all unavailable. Provisional squad: Guzan, Given, Hutton, Lowton, Okore, Clark, Herd, Cissokho, Westwood, Richardson, Sanchez, N'Zogbia, Cleverley, Grealish, Bacuna, Weimann, Agbonlahor, Benteke, Robinson. Leicester . Leicester captain Wes Morgan is suspended for the match at Aston Villa in the Barclays Premier League on Sunday. The defender was sent off against Liverpool and will sit out for a game at Villa Park. Wes Morgan (left) trains with Matty James on Friday before the West Midlands derby at Villa Park . David Nugent is a doubt with illness which has affected some of the squad but manager Nigel Pearson, who did not name others who were laid low, hopes any bug would have cleared by Sunday. Provisional squad: Schmeichel, Hamer, Moore, De Laet, Konchesky, Wasilewski, Drinkwater, James, King, Cambiasso, Albrighton, Mahrez, Knockaert, Vardy, Ulloa, Nugent, Schlupp, Wood, Powell. Kick-off: Sunday 4pm - Sky Sports 1 . Odds (subject to change): . Aston Villa 5/4 . Draw 23/10 . Leicester 23/10 . Referee: Craig Pawson . Managers: Paul Lambert (Aston Villa), Nigel Pearson (Leicester) Head-to-head league record: Aston Villa wins 26, draws 21, Leicester wins 35 . Key match stats (supplied by Opta) The last three meetings between Aston Villa and Leicester City in all competitions have ended as away wins. Aston Villa have suffered a defeat in just one of their last seven league games against the Foxes (W3 D3 L1). Leicester City have scored in each of their last nine league trips to Villa Park to play Aston Villa, but they have also conceded in eight of these games. The last three Premier League games between Villa and Leicester have seen 13 goals scored (4.3 per game on average). Christian Benteke’s goal against Crystal Palace was his first in the Premier League since March (versus Stoke). Juan Pablo Angel celebrates scoring for Aston Villa in their 3-1 win over Leicester in August 2003 - the sides' last Villa Park Premier League meeting . Since joining Villa, Benteke has scored 30 times in the Premier League – 14 more than any of his team-mates. The Villans are the only side yet to pick up a point after falling behind in the league this season. Just four players have scored a Premier League goal for Aston Villa this season (J.Cole, Agbonlahor, Weimann and Benteke); a lower spread than any other side. Aston Villa are the only side yet to see a single substitute score or assist a Premier League goal for them this season. Overall in their 90 Premier League games under Paul Lambert, just three goals have been scored by an Aston Villa substitute. | Aston Villa's Joe Cole ruled out for two weeks with a hamstring injury .
Fabian Delph still out but returned to training on Friday .
Wes Morgan suspended for Leicester following red card against Liverpool .
Dave Nugent a doubt with illness which has affected others in Foxes squad .
Leicester City hope to move off bottom of the table as they visit Aston Villa .
Paul Lambert's team looking for first Villa Park win since August . |
52,712 | 957a4db63e8049ffcf6d7afe82a6fbecfd424081 | (CNN) -- Three goals in just 10 second half minutes sank Basel and set Chelsea on their way to the Europa League final Thursday and an Amsterdam date with Portuguese giants Benfica. Leading 2-1 from the first leg in Switzerland, Chelsea trailed at half time of their home leg at Stamford Bridge to an injury time goal from rising young Egyptian star Mohamed Salah. But their fears were allayed as Fernando Torres, Victor Moses and David Luiz, who will be facing his old club in the final, struck to snuff out Basel's hopes. Benfica, trailing 1-0 from the first leg in Turkey against Fenerbahce, went through 3-2 on aggregate after a hard-fought 3-1 home win. Nicolas Gaitan drew them level on aggregate with an exquisite ninth minute strike, but the visitors were ahead again in the 23rd minute thanks to a penalty from former Liverpool striker Dirk Kuyt. But Benfica were not to be denied and an Oscar Cardozo double either side of half time sealed their passage to the final in the Dutch city on May 15. They will stand between Chelsea interim manager Rafael Benitez and his only possible silverware in his troubled spell at the English Premier League giants. Benitez has previously led Valencia to a 2004 success in the competition. Home fans, who have not warmed to the Spaniard, were initially chanting the name of Jose Mourinho, who has hinted at a return to Chelsea, but by the finish would have been satisfied by the outcome. Defiant Benitez . Benitez remained defiant: "I came to do a professional job with the commitment of the players. I am pleased for them and everyone here," he told ITV Sport. "We have had a very good atmosphere, the players have always worked hard, and they have always done their job." Chelsea's progression to the final looked to be under threat after Salah swept past Petr Cech from Valentin Stocker's fine through ball. But Torres, who has been in excellent form in Europe's second tier club competition, changed all that as he seized on a loose ball after Yann Sommer had kept out Frank Lampard's shot. Three minutes later saw the second Chelsea goal as Torres had his low shot deflected into the path of Moses, who scored from close range. Brazilian ace Luiz capped the goal scoring burst just before the hour mark with a stunning curled effort from outside the penalty area. Fabian Frei hit the crossbar for Basel, but they were well beaten and Chelsea might have added to their tally by the finish. It was third time lucky for Chelsea, who were beaten in the semifinals of the English FA Cup and League Cup, while Benfica will be contesting a first major European final since 1990. | Chelsea to play Benfica in Europa League final .
Chelsea beat Basel 3-1 to compete 5-2 aggregate win .
Fernando Torres, Victor Moses and David Luiz with second half strikes .
Benfica see off Fenerbahce by the same margin for 3-2 aggregate victory . |
219,996 | a8bfb379cd8e6482f4d0511088181ddcd426a833 | (CNN) -- Russia's stand off with Ukraine might be spilling over into the sporting arena with the idea floated for Fabio Capello's team to be barred from contesting June's World Cup, but the UEFA president believes this would be a travesty for the players who worked so hard to qualify for the finals in Brazil. Ukrainian officials and Western diplomats accuse Russia of sending thousands of troops into the Crimea region in the past week -- a claim Russia has denied. Earlier this week, an unnamed European Union official was reported to have told a BBC journalist that his organization may try to expel Russia from the 2014 finals. "I don't know why 11 players would not be allowed to play at the World Cup. Where is their responsibility?" Michel Platini told CNN. "Why don't you (shut down) the Embassy? Embassies are still in the country." Platini might now be an administrator, but he speaks from personal experience of how politics is never far away from sport. The former France international had a similar decision to make when considering whether to contest the 1978 World Cup or not. There were calls from various quarters to boycott the finals because of the repressive measures being undertaken by the military junta, which took charge in a coup in March 1976 and would rule until 1983. One of the most infamous periods in Argentina's history followed, as thousands of individuals -- primarily with left wing leanings -- disappeared during the 'Dirty War'. As the South American nation prepared to host its only World Cup to date, calls for a potential boycott were led by the Dutch whose team -- perhaps ironically -- would not just attend the event but reach the final as well. Amnesty International was also a prominent campaigner as was a group in France called COBA, the French acronym for the 'Committee for the Boycott of the World Cup in Argentina', who wanted the competition scrapped altogether. Despite the pressure, Platini -- who was just 20 at the time -- chose to play. "It's always better to go and explain what you think is good rather than boycott," said the UEFA president. "I think it's better to explain that you are not happy, which is the same opinion I had in 1978 when I was in Argentina for the World Cup," added the 58-year-old. "I thought it was better to go and explain that we were not happy with what was happening in Argentina. "It could be the same in Russia." The Ukrainian Paralympic team is facing an equally tough choice as to whether it will boycott the Sochi Games or not. Ukraine's sports minister has already announced a personal boycott and as the tense diplomatic and military standoff continues with Russia, it's possible the whole team could follow suit. Should they do so, such a move could overshadow Friday's Opening Ceremony. In addition to Ukraine's sports minister, politicians from Germany, Britain, the Netherlands, Canada and Poland are among those who have already said they will stay away. Earlier this week, the White House canceled a presidential delegation to the Paralympic Games. On Thursday, Germany announced it would not send governmental representatives in order to make a "very clear political signal to Russia", according to disabilities commissioner Verena Bentele. Ukraine Paralympic Committee spokeswoman Natalia Garach told CNN a decision on whether the Ukrainian team will boycott Sochi will be announced at a press conference at 0930 GMT on Friday. | Michel Platini dismisses calls to bar Russia from participating at World Cup in Brazil .
UEFA President also advises against sporting boycotts as Ukrainians ponder Sochi protest .
Ukrainian delegation set to reveal whether it will boycott or not on Friday .
Platini says he played at 1978 World Cup despite misgivings about situation in Argentina . |
55,945 | 9e96af71b6ee1b6f2befa11ba61d99716fe79f7e | By . John Hall . PUBLISHED: . 12:49 EST, 15 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 14:54 EST, 15 January 2014 . These majestic horses galloping through the sea may look real but are in fact made from thousands of pieces of driftwood salvaged from the shore. The life-size sculptures are the work of Birmingham-based master craftsman James Doran-Webb, 46, who spent a painstaking six months assembling them as part of celebrations to mark Chinese New Year in Singapore. Each of the three sculptures stands at around 6ft tall - or 16 hands as horse lovers might say - and is made from roughly 400 pieces of driftwood of varying sizes built around a stainless steel skeleton. Majestic: These horses may look real but are in fact made from thousands of pieces of driftwood salvaged from the shore. Each of the sculptures stands around 6ft tall . Birmingham-based master craftsman James Doran-Webb (pictured on horse) spent a painstaking six months assembling the sculptures as part of celebrations to mark Chinese New Year in Singapore . Each horse weighs around half a tonne and can take the weight of five people. Doran-Webb made all three with moveable limbs and neck so they can be arranged into lifelike poses, as these stunning photographs show. The intricate trio of horses were constructed for the Gardens by the Bay in Singapore, a nature park similar to Cornwall's Eden Project. They will take pride of place in one of the Gardens' glass domes as part of its Chinese New Year celebrations on January 31, which fittingly marks the coming Year of the Wooden Horse. Doran-Webb comes from Birmingham but has been living in Cebu City in the Philippines for 26 years where he runs a workshop. James Doran-Webb made all three with moveable limbs and neck so they can be arranged into lifelike poses . Each horse is made from 400 pieces of driftwood of varying sizes built around a stainless steel skeleton . The wood he uses in his sculptures has been salvaged from beaches and rivers around Cebu by a network of locals who Doran-Webb pays to collect it. For every kilo of wood salvaged, he plants a seedling at one of several sites around the city. He said: 'The three thoroughbred horses are my latest driftwood creation... Each horse took two months to make and contains about 400 pieces of driftwood of varying sizes.' 'By the time they are finished each one weighs 500kgs and can the weight of four or five people,' he added. Doran-Webb went on to say: 'I started off collecting the driftwood myself in my kayak but now I have a network of locals who I pay to collect it for me which helps put money back into poor communities.' The trio of horses were constructed for the Gardens by the Bay in Singapore. They will take pride of place in their Chinese New Year celebration, which fittingly marks the coming 'Year of the Wooden Horse' James Doran-Webb pays locals in his adopted hometown of Cebu, Phillipines, to collect the wood from nearby beaches. For every kilo of wood salvaged, he plants a seedling at one of several sites around the city . The wood Doran-Webb uses for his sculptures is around 50 years old, and according to the craftsman it is ideal to work with. He said: 'It is an oily wood so it withstands weather and it is very tensile - it's a dream to work with.' 'I started out with sketches of the horses then once I was happy with them I made miniature models of them, which took a month on its own,' he added. Doran-Webb said the next step was to make a large plywood template to weld the stainless steel frame onto. He said: 'Putting the driftwood onto the sculpture took about three months. The large bits go on first followed by the more intricate pieces.' | James Doran-Webb, 46, made horses out of driftwood he found on beaches .
The Birmingham-based master craftsman gave each horse moveable limbs .
He made sculptures for an upcoming Chinese New Year party in Singapore .
The coming Chinese New Year will be known as 'Year of the Wooden Horse'
Three horses each contain around 400 individual pieces of reclaimed wood .
They are all built around a stainless-steel skeleton and stand roughly 6ft tall . |
130,318 | 347c7b6e7933ac2359b14d9d673618bbed71a5f2 | By . Steve Robson . PUBLISHED: . 11:08 EST, 24 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:27 EST, 24 May 2013 . Criticism: Councillor David Carr has come under fire for saying travellers should 'learn to live like everyone else' A councillor in charge of allocating traveller sites is facing calls to resign after a rant against gypsies in which he said they 'screw everything up' and should 'learn to live like everyone else'. Cllr David Carr, the Tory cabinet member for community safety on Medway Council in Kent, has been suspended from his new role for his comments, just days after being appointed. Cllr Carr, a former Mayor of Medway, said he was 'against freeloaders' and that travellers 'c****ed all over the place' turning wherever they brought their caravans into a 'building site'. In his first interview since being posted to the job - which puts him in charge of allocating new traveller sites - he told the Kent Messenger: 'They move on and turn it into a building site. 'They c*** all over the place, they p*** over the field, they throw rubbish all over the place.' He added: 'Are they just people who sit in a caravan and plant themselves wherever they see fit without paying council tax and without cleaning up after themselves? Should one develop a nice strategy for that? No. 'They live on the fringe of that. They take everything they can get and give very little back so I take a pretty hard line. 'Why don't they learn to live like everybody else does? Why do they take everything, screw it up and move on? If they wanted to be part of society and take their place in society by paying their way, cleaning up after themselves and allowing themselves to be subject to community laws.' Cllr Carr added that he would be in favour of allocating travellers an appropriate brownfield site, if he could be assured they would take 'a positive attitude'. 'But as far as I know successes in this area are very very few and far between,' he added. He continued to say that travellers are unlikely to integrate into the community because they are continually moving from place to place. Dispute: Travellers have occupied a site in Aylesford, Kent, for more than 25 years . The Tory also recalled how he had a tonne of . coal stolen 26 years ago and followed the tyre tracks back to a . traveller site, but no prosecution was brought. Workers at the Gypsy Council have called on Cllr Carr to resign, saying he has 'no idea' about gypsy culture. Chairman of the Gypsy Council Joseph . Jones said this week: 'Cllr Carr should hang his head in political . shame, using us for political gain. He has a responsibility to every . member of society, not a select few. 'We feel that Cllr Carr has not one inkling of what the gypsy and traveller community culture is all about. 'For . over 500 years, we have had bigots like Cllr Carr making sweeping . statements that could be taken in a right-wing racist way, inciting . racial hatred toward the gypsy and traveller community. 'We are now seeking Cllr Carr stands down from his political career for his racist rant. We are seeking a prosecution.' Cllr Rodney Chambers said Councillor Carr has been suspended from his council role in the wake of the comments pending a review. In statement, the Conservative Group said: 'In light of the comments printed in the Medway Messenger, Cllr Carr has been suspended from his position as Portfolio Holder for Community Services and Customer Contact pending a review of the issues covered within the article. 'Cllr Carr’s comments were not acceptable and he now appreciates that this is the case. 'We do not support the comments Cllr Carr said in the interview he gave shortly after being appointed to the portfolio. 'We at Medway Council are very proud of its record of working closely with all our communities across Medway and we are determined that the excellent relationships we have built up over the years will continue.' | David Carr, Tory councillor in Kent, spoke out just days into new role .
Travellers should 'learn to live like everyone else,' said former mayor .
'Why do they take everything, screw it up, then move on?' he added .
Politician suspended from post pending a review by Conservative group .
Gypsy Council slams 'racist rant' and says it will pursue legal action . |
145,628 | 484ecc06ecf19f3400e35095bda9ace05fd01147 | (CNN) -- One Australian soldier, three civilians and Taliban militants were killed early Friday during heavy fighting in southern Afghanistan, according to information from Australian and NATO officials. Four Australian troops have now died in the conflict in Afghanistan. The incident occurred in Tarin Kowt in Uruzgan province, where Taliban militants killed an Australian commando, the Australian Defence Ministry said. The 26-year-old commando -- Pvt. Luke Worsley of Sydney -- served with the Special Operations Task Group. This is the fourth Australian troop to die in the Afghan conflict. "The action in which Private Worsley died only concluded in the last few hours and was characterized by heavy, close quarter fighting. The SOTG was conducting an operation to clear an identified Taliban bomb making facility in Uruzgan province, when the soldier was hit by small arms fire," Chief of the Defence Force Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston said. NATO's International Security Assistance Force said "a significant number of Taliban insurgents were killed or captured as part of the operation. Taliban insurgents initiated the firefight which lasted several hours." Gen. Carlos Branco, ISAF spokesman, said it is not known how the civilians, two women and a child, died. "However, we do know that the insurgents fired upon ISAF soldiers from the compound in which the Afghan civilians (two women and one child) were found after the fight. ISAF makes all effort to prevent losses of innocent civilian lives." E-mail to a friend . | Taliban militants kill Australian commando in southern Afghanistan .
He was shot during operation to clear Taliban bomb making facility in Uruzgan .
This is the fourth Australian soldier to die in the conflict in Afghanistan .
Several militants killed and a coalition troop injured in other fighting in southeast . |
16,198 | 2de57d4282faef899cb487f6428c6d2f6aa8dfc8 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . An opera singer has claimed a military nurse carried out an unnecessary episiotomy on her during childbirth - leaving her with incontinence and flatulence so bad that she is unable to perform. Amy Herbst, 33, alleges in a lawsuit filed against the government on Monday that nurse-midwife Tiffany Williams carried out the procedure without her consent and subsequently damaged her digestive and reproductive systems - as well as her singing career. The lawsuit filed by Herbst and her husband, Staff Sgt. James Herbst, in Cincinnati federal court seeks $2.5 million for negligence, as well as pain and suffering, embarrassment and loss of income. 'She is suffering through a very embarrassing and very significant injury, and frankly, the prognosis of a fully successful repair is pretty low,' her attorney, Charles Allen, told Army Times on Wednesday. Injuries: Amy Herbst was given an episiotomy without her consent while giving birth to her son in 2012. It left her with severe damage and incontinence that has threatened her opera career, she said . The damage also means that she now suffers pain during sex, according to the lawsuit. As a result, her husband is also suing the government for lack of consortium. An episiotomy, which involves cutting the . tissue between the vagina and anus, is carried out to help deliver the . baby and when the skin is at danger of tearing. But Mrs Herbst claims that Williams carried out the procedure at Blanchfield Army Community Hospital at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, in February 2012 without her consent. 'At no time during the labor and delivery process was [she] informed about the possible need for or the risks and benefits of an episiotomy,' the lawsuit says. 'At no time was she asked to consent, nor did she consent, to the performance of an episiotomy.' Nevertheless, birth records show that the procedure was carried out as the placement of the baby boy's shoulder was holding back the delivery. The nurse then repaired the tear using sutures. Family: Mrs Herbst and her husband James, who welcomed their first son in February 2012, have now sued the U.S. government for the allegedly botched procedure carried out by a military nurse . An episiotomy is a surgical incision in the perineum, the area between the vagina and the anus, made just before childbirth to enlarge a woman's vaginal opening. The procedure used to be routine to prevent the vagina from tearing, in the belief that this cut would help women heal easier than a spontaneous tear. CONS . Research shows women with a spontaneous tear actually recover in the same or less time than women who have had an episiotomy. Women who have had an episiotomy also tend to lose more blood during the delivery and experience more pain during their recovery. The tear also has a greater chance of becoming larger and research shows it increases the risk of tearing in a second birth. It also increases the risk of infection. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and other experts now agree that the procedure shouldn't be done routinely. PROS . But if a baby is very large or in an abnormal position and a doctor needs space for forceps, an episiotomy can be carried out. It can also help when the baby needs to be delivered as quickly as possible - if it is experiencing difficulties such as a drop in heart rate. Mothers-to-be are encouraged to speak with their practitioner to find out in what conditions he or she would perform an episiotomy. Midwives carry out the procedure much less than obstetricians. Although Allen said that the placement of . the boy's shoulder probably led to the decision, he argued that they . could have used other, safer ways to deliver the boy - but they did not. 'There seemed to be an assumption that . they didn’t need to involve the patient in the decision making... and . they were completely wrong, as a matter of law and social . responsibility,' Allen said. 'The patient has a right to decide what’s . done with her body.' After Herbst left the hospital, she 'began to experience fecal urgency . and incontinence, including periodic leaking of stool and excessive . flatulence,' according to the lawsuit. At a follow-up hospital visit, she met with a nurse and 'complained she could feel gas coming out of her vagina and was also experiencing difficulty controlling bowel movements', the suit says. A nurse told Herbst that the attempts to repair her incision had not worked. Mrs Herbst had suffered a 'complete breakdown of the episiotomy and perineum and the external sphincter is disrupted and the vagina and rectum are basically connected without any perineal body,' the lawsuit claims. A colorectal surgeon at Vanderbilt University Medical Center later told Herbst that she would need reconstructive surgery to repair the damage, but that it 'would likely not eliminate the lack of control of flatus and [she] may require additional surgeries in the future'. She was also told that once the repair was performed, she will have to undergo a C-section in any future pregnancies. When she told medical staff that C-sections could risk her singing career, they encouraged her not to undergo the procedure until she had finished having children, the suit says. Mrs Herbst agreed and has chosen to postpone the repair of the damage. A hospital spokesperson has not returned calls seeking comment. The lawsuit claims that Herbst, a mezzo-soprano, is now unable to work as a professional opera singer. She has performed with the Nashville Opera Company. 'As a result of her incontinence and . excessive flatulence, Herbst has been unable to work as a professional . opera singer,' it says. Scene: She gave birth to her son at Blanchfield Army Community Hospital. On follow-up visits, she learned that reconstructive surgery will not necessarily repair the damage, her lawsuit says . It has also left her with limitations on her sexual function, as well as pain during sex, the suit states. Online records also show that Herbst has worked as a music instructor at Belmont University, where she received her master's in music and vocal performance. Her husband was a soldier at Fort Campbell on the Kentucky-Tennessee state line at the time but has since left the Army. Under the concept of sovereign immunity, in which the government may not be sued without its permission for acts taken on behalf of it, most people have high legal hurdles to cross to bring a lawsuit. Under Federal Tort Claims Act, the government has waived sovereign immunity if a tortious act of a federal employee causes damage. | Amy Herbst gave birth to her first child, a boy, in February 2012 .
Nurse performed an episiotomy - where tissue is cut between the vagina and anus - 'without her consent and did not properly close the wound'
The procedure 'has left Mrs Herbst with severe damage to her genitals and flatulence and incontinence, which have left her unable to perform'
Mrs Herbst and her husband are suing the government for $2.5 million . |
202,892 | 92ac7b3fa7859a1b990f338d5f931dea8ae0d049 | PUBLISHED: . 04:12 EST, 13 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 05:29 EST, 13 January 2014 . Foreign Secretary William Hague is to demand a group of EU countries be able to give Brussels a red card . Britain is to demand national governments have the power to give a red card to Brussels red-tape. William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, revealed the idea of allowing a bloc of fewer than 10 EU states to veto unwelcome laws will be a key demand of renegotiation talks to claw back powers. But he rejected calls from Tory MPs for the UK to be able to say no unilaterally to anything that the European Union demands, warning it would undermine the single market. David Cameron was warned last night that he risked causing disastrous divisions in the Tory party after a letter from 95 backbenchers demanding the right to say No to European legislation was branded unrealistic. The number of rebels calling for a veto on new EU laws – and the power to repeal existing ones that threaten Britain’s national interests – dwarfs the 81 MPs who voted against the Government on Europe in 2011. The letter was signed by almost two thirds of the 158 backbenchers not given jobs by Mr Cameron. Mr Hague today said the idea of every EU country being able to go it alone and reject any Brussels edict would be unworkable ‘in any system which relies on common rules’. But he revealed Tory plans to renegotiate Britain’s EU membership before an in-out referendum would include allowing groups of member states to say no to Eurocrats. Under existing EU rules, if a third of the 28 member states object to planned legislation they can raise a ‘yellow card’ demanding it be reviewed. But Mr Hague wants to go further and allow a ‘red card’ system which would allow fewer than 10 countries to reject EU laws outright. ‘We do want a much bigger role for national parliaments,’ he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. ‘It’s common ground not only in the Conservative party but in the country that the powers of the European Union have increased too much, that they are too great, that they must be diminished. ‘It is common ground I think that national parliaments need a bigger role. One of the things I have advocated is a red card system where if enough national parliaments across the EU want to block something then they are able to do so.’ Prime Minister David Cameron has been warned that he will foster division in the party if he ignores the views of eurosceptics . He said the idea would ‘absolutely’ be part of British demands for a fresh settlement with the EU. ‘There’s a yellow card system, not very much used at the moment, but it needs to be much stronger red card system. ‘And many other ways can be looked at of strengthening the powers of national parliaments.’ But he dismissed the calls from dozens if Tory MPs for every national government to be able to refuse to implement EU law. Mr Hague added: ‘What you can’t have in any system which relies on common rules even in a free trade area that relies on common rules is each of the parliaments being able regularly and unilaterally to say we are not applying this or that just by own decision. ‘Clearly a single market or free trade area would not work on that basis; even the Swiss or Norwegian arrangement with the European Union could not work on that basis. Bernard Jenkin, who co-ordinated the letter, said europhiles overestimate the economic damage that could be caused if the Uk renegotiates its relationship with the EU . ‘We have to be careful what we support but the direction of greater power for national parliaments and reducing relatively speaking the powers of the European Union, vis-à-vis national parliaments is something I very strongly support.’ The row is expected to intensify on Wednesday when Chancellor George Osborne makes a speech arguing that Britain should remain within a reformed European Union. The number of rebels calling for a veto on new EU laws – and the power to repeal existing ones that threaten Britain’s national interests – dwarfs the 81 MPs who voted against the Government on Europe in 2011. The letter was signed by almost two thirds of the 158 backbenchers not given jobs by Mr Cameron. The rebels say at least six Cabinet members also back them, plus six ministerial aides and members of Mr Cameron’s policy board, making the true figure 107 MPs or more. One signatory said: ‘If Downing Street digs in over this they are absolutely bonkers. They will create a Cabinet split. This is a wake-up call. If the governing elite of our party are so absolutely out of touch it’s going to be absolutely disastrous.’ At the moment, Mr Cameron can only veto new laws on the most sensitive issues such as defence and the EU budget. But while Parliament can raise concerns with the European Commission, it has no powers to block or repeal existing laws. The rebels call on Mr Cameron to ‘make the idea of a national veto over current and future EU laws a reality’ and ‘enable Parliament to disapply EU legislation, where it is in our vital national interests to do so’. The MPs point out that this ‘would transform the UK’s negotiating position in the EU’ as Mr Cameron seeks to carve out a new relationship with Brussels ahead of an in-out referendum in 2017. Bernard Jenkin, who coordinated the letter, said: ‘We’re all being very polite to each other but I think it’s better if we have some honest disagreements on the future of Europe rather than pretending we agree. ‘It’s the facile tactics Europhiles always use. They start talking about three million jobs as if the sky is going to fall in if we ask for some powers back.’ Jacob Rees-Mogg, another signatory, said many rebels don’t even want the single market, adding: ‘If this makes the single market not work, that’s not the problem. We can still have free trade, which is more important. Laws should be made by our democratic representatives, not by the fiat of Brussels.’ Signatories include James Clappison, Conor Burns, John Baron, Anne Main and ex-defence minister Sir Gerald Howarth. One said: ‘Downing Street’s argument is such rubbish. We are at crunch point. They are heading for the most almighty smash-up.’ They said Mr Cameron had nothing to lose by making the veto Tory policy because the pro-European wing of the Tory Party was so depleted. One added: ‘Would the party be split? I don’t think so.’ Europe's ‘travelling circus’, in which MEPs decamp to France once a month, costs taxpayers at least £93million a year. European Union figures show the astonishing price of packing up the parliament in Brussels and shipping it to Strasbourg for just four days each month. Conservative MEPs estimated the true cost to be £130million – and called for an end to the practice. Some £250,000 is spent just lugging paperwork between the two cities, a report on the ‘financial and environmental impact’ showed. Maintaining the parliament in Strasbourg costs £50million a year. Although MEPs voted to scrap the ‘circus’ by three to one last year, the French will veto any such attempt. Conservative MEP Ashley Fox said: ‘This craziness has to stop.’ | Foreign Secretary reveals plan will be key demand of EU negotiations .
Fewer than 10 member states would be able to kill off Brussels plans .
But Hague rejected Tory calls for the UK to unilaterally reject everything .
95 backbenchers demanded to right to say No to EU legislation . |
177,269 | 717b94247e89a4b99ddb91ffeb2802df49ed6b69 | A caged walrus filmed in Crimea appears to be emotionally moved by a musician playing the flute. In footage shot in at the Dolpinarium Aquatoria, in the settlement Livadiyathe near Yalta, the animal becomes animated as a male musician, known only as Alzibar, plays a tune through the bars of its grim-looking enclosure. At first, the walrus, named Samson, appears disinterested, lying on the floor of his cage. Surprising: The animal appears to be taking an interest as the musician begins to play the flute . However, moments after the flute performance commences the mammal rears up and makes direct eye contact with the flute player. The lone walrus seems to moved by the flute performance, moving his head repeatedly, appearing to almost dance. Eye contact: The walrus then moves closer to the musician and seems to be listening attentively . Getting a closer look: As the music plays, the animal pushes his head up against the enclosure bars . During the video the marine mammal attempts to get as close to the musician as possible, by pushing his head up against the enclosure bars. Shuffling from side-to-side and bobbing his head, the huge animal looks out of place in what appear to be dire conditions. | A walrus at the Dolpinarium Aquatoria in Crimea responds to the melody .
Tragic 'Samson' becomes animated when he hears the musician play .
The animal makes eye contact and pushes head up against enclosure bars . |
158,190 | 58894a60e52b34346a5bd592809b9e5e27c3e811 | (CNN) -- Mexican authorities say they've foiled a plot to assassinate two lawmakers. A group of suspected hitmen was arrested at a Mexico City hotel and accused of planning to kill Rep. Ricardo Monreal and Sen. David Monreal, brothers who are both federal legislators, Mexico's Attorney General's Office said. Authorities did not reveal a possible motive or specify how many people were arrested. Both lawmakers are from Mexico's Zacatecas state. CNNMexico.com contributed to this report. | A group of suspected hitmen are arrested in Mexico City .
They are accused of plotting to kill two brothers who are lawmakers .
Authorities did not reveal a possible motive . |
243,706 | c77320ae5927beaf93cbb77841cef4d6ca57493e | The number of children treated annually for accidental pot consumption in Colorado has reached double-digits and a drug treatment chain has seen a surge of teens treated for cannabis abuse, a leading U.S. anti-marijuana group said on Monday. In a report, marijuana legalization foe Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) also pointed to higher-than-average use in the first states to sanction recreational cannabis, Colorado and Washington state, and an increase in burns from butane hash oil production. 'We need a pumping-of-the-brakes on the marijuana industry,' SAM’s president, Kevin Sabet, said in an interview. Call for control: Legalization opponents say Washington state and Colorado have been flooded with dangerous products, from infused candies and concentrates, and argue for stricter controls . 'When we have hospitalizations and burns and deaths, we need to stop many of these products from being sold.' The report comes amid rapidly shifting state laws governing marijuana use. Voters in four U.S. states opted to legalize its recreational use, most recently in Oregon and Alaska. Marijuana remains illegal under federal law. Legalization opponents say Washington state and Colorado have been flooded with dangerous products, from infused candies and concentrates, many far stronger than what might have been smoked in the 1960s. At least 14 Colorado children ages 3 to 7 were sent to hospitals in the first half of 2014 for accidentally ingesting marijuana products, compared with eight in 2013 and four between 2008 and 2011, SAM said of state data. In Colorado, teen marijuana abuse treatment at about a dozen Arapahoe House Denver-area facilities increased by 66 percent between 2011 and 2014, SAM cited that group as reporting. Separately on Monday, Colorado health officials announced a $4 million Internet, television and radio public-education campaign aimed at exposing the dangers of cannabis-infused products and aspects of the law. Mistaken for candy: At least 14 Colorado children ages 3 to 7 were sent to hospitals in the first half of 2014 for accidentally ingesting marijuana products, compared with eight in 2013 and four between 2008 and 2011 . Use among people ages 18 and older from 2011-2013 in Colorado and Washington has risen about 3 percentage points, from roughly 16 to 19 percent and from 15 to 18 percent, respectively, SAM said, citing federal data. The national average is about 12 percent. The University of Colorado observed 17 cases of marijuana-related burns in 2014 and 11 cases in 2013, largely from botched butane hash oil extractions, with one case each in the three years prior, SAM said. 'Trying to draw any conclusions with less than one year of data is irresponsible,' pro-cannabis Marijuana Policy Project spokesman Mason Tvert said. He said research on pot has drawn conflicting results and has been limited by the federal ban. | The number of children treated annually for accidental pot consumption in Colorado has reached double-digits .
At least 14 Colorado children ages 3 to 7 were sent to hospitals in the first half of 2014 for accidentally ingesting marijuana products .
In Colorado, teen marijuana abuse treatment at about a dozen Arapahoe House Denver-area facilities increased by 66 percent between 2011 and 2014 . |
239,395 | c1f16a2e54c80a135b75609dc96bd05485b71df2 | A British bomb-maker on the run with the widow of a London 7/7 bomber is believed to have been killed in a gun battle in Somalia. Habib Ghani, 28, was ambushed along with one of America’s most wanted terrorists in a dawn raid after falling out with commanders from militant group al-Shabab. The fanatic – who also called himself Osama al-Britani – was a key ally of Muslim convert Samantha Lewthwaite, 29, who was married to King’s Cross bomber Jermaine Lindsay. Killed: Habib Ghani (left) is believed to have been shot dead in Somalia. He has been on the run with Samantha Lewthwaite (right) since 2011 . The so-called ‘White Widow’, who is the world’s most wanted woman, has been on the run in East Africa after police foiled a Christmas bomb plot against Western tourists in the coastal resort of Mombasa in 2011. Police believe the soldier’s daughter from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, had been working with Ghani for several years, although she was not thought to have been present when gunmen struck early yesterday. Ghani, from Hounslow, west London, and Omar Hammami, also called al-Amriki (The American), are thought to have been shot by gunmen from al-Shabab, who overpowered their bodyguards in a village where they had been in hiding since fleeing the terror group in June. 'Dead': Militants in Somalia have claimed that . American jihadist Omar Hammami has been killed. In April, he tweeted . this pictured, right, following what he called an assassination attempt . as he was in a tea shop . Killed: Hammami, right, joined al-Shabab in 2006. He is pictured with deputy leader of al-Shabab. Sheik Mukhtar Abu Mansur Robow, left, in 2011 but he went on the run after falling out with the group . Popular: Hammami was voted president of his Sophomore class and dated one of the most popular girls in school . Residents in al-Baate village in southern Somalia said their bodies were dragged away by rebels. ‘This morning al-Amriki and his comrades were attacked by well-armed fighters,’ said Hussein Nur. Convert: Soldier's daughter Samantha Lewthwaite pictured at school . ‘After a brief fight, al-Amriki and his two colleagues were killed. Several of their guards escaped.’ The al-Shabab gunmen struck at 5.30am, just after morning prayers, capturing the jihadists unawares. Sources said the gunmen had lain in wait for several days, posing as camel herders. Ghani and Hammami were allies of Somali Islamist Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, who split from al-Shabab in June, causing a rift in the group’s ranks. Since the split, al-Shabab has been hunting down and killing allies of Aweys. Al-Amriki was on the FBI’s Most . Wanted terror list and a $5million (£3.1million) bounty was offered for . information leading to his capture. Ghani . was born in the UK to a Pakistani father and a Kenyan mother. According . to police sources, he left his home in Hounslow several years ago and . gained bomb-making experience in Pakistan. Last night details emerged about Ghani’s secret life in Somalia where he was also known locally as Sheikh Towfiq. Target: One of Americas most wanted terrorists, Omar Hammami (left), was killed alongside Ghani. Lewthwaite and Ghani had been on the run since 2011 when police swooped on another extremist, Jermaine Grant (right) The bearded Briton was living with his Somalian wife Habibo and two children, a boy aged three and a baby girl just a few months old, in the remote town of Hawalbarbar which has no electricity. He owned a small kiosk, where he charged phone batteries with his solar-powered adapter for a fee. Ghani and Lewthwaite were said to have fled Kenya in December 2011 as police swooped on a third and unconnected British extremist, Jermaine Grant, who was living on the other side of Mombasa. Police feared she and Ghani were planning to unleash a terror attack as the tourist season got under way but she managed to slip the net. Lewthwaite is believed to be a vital conduit between Al Qaeda groups in Pakistan and East Africa. White Widow: Samantha Lewthwaite converted to Islam and married 7/7 bomber Jermaine Lindsay (pictured) Slaughter: Shehzad Tanweeer, Jermaine Lindsay and Mohammad Sidique Khan with their rucksacks at Luton railway station while carrying out a dry run days before the blasts killed 52 . The mother of four converted to Islam at the age of 17 and married Lindsay in 2002 after meeting him on the internet. She was seven months pregnant when Lindsay, a Jamaican convert from Huddersfield, killed 26 people when he blew himself up on a Piccadilly Line train in July 2005. Since her disappearance, Lewthwaite has been linked to a spate of grenade attacks in Mombasa, including one which killed three people. Ghani’s family, who live in a modest £270,000 terraced house in a quiet suburban street, refused to speak to reporters last night. A Foreign Office spokesman said: ‘We are aware of reports of the death of a British national in Somalia and are looking into this.’ Samantha Lewthwaite, 29, from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, has been on the run for nearly two years. Lewthwaite is suspected of funding . terrorist groups in Kenya and was questioned by police in December 2011, . but she managed to slip away and has been on the run ever since. The mother-of-three was pregnant with Jermaine Lindsay's baby when he blew himself up on a tube at Kings Cross, killing 26 people. Fifty two people were killed and more than 700 were injured when four suicide bombers struck in London during the morning of July 7, 2005. Mohammad Sidique Khan killed seven people including himself on a train heading towards Paddington from Edgware Road. Shehzad Tanweer detonated a bomb aboard a train between Liverpool Street station and Aldgate tube station, killing seven. And Hasib Hussain detonated his bomb on the top deck of a bus in Tavistock Square killing 13 people. | British bomb-maker Habib Ghani was ambushed in a raid by a rival group .
He had been on the run with 7/7 bomber's wife, Samantha Lewthwaite .
al-Shabab gunmen lay in wait posing as camel herders outside village .
The group had been hunting rival members following a split . |
273,145 | edd0b7e1c7bb6ad07eed15c8158ad7eff5753a3c | A football club has been charged with race victimisation by the FA after it 'refused to pay medical bills' for an injured black striker. Gillingham Football Club and its chairman Paul Scally have been charged over the dismissal of retired striker Mark McCammon after the football governing body judged its rules had been breached. The former Barbados international player sued the club in August 2012 after being sacked the previous year amid claims he was treated differently because he was black. Gillingham Football Club chairman Paul Scally (right) and his club have been charged over the dismissal of former striker Mark McCammon (left) who was sacked in 2011 . He said staff victimised the club's black players and treated them differently to their white team mates. McCammon, 36, claimed the League One club tried to 'frustrate him out' by refusing to pay private medical bills that would help him regain fitness following a serious injury. The club offered the operation on the NHS rather than privately - a move he described as 'completely out of character' for a Football League club. He was then fined two weeks' wages when he paid a visit to a private consultant. McCammon, who signed for Gillingham for £2,500 a week in 2008, told an employment tribunal in 2012 he had been put 'through hell' McCammon claimed he was docked wages when he failed to turn up for training during heavy snow while some white players were told they were not required. He was subsequently dismissed from the club . However, the 6ft 2in striker said an injured white team-mate was flown to Dubai for treatment by an eminent physiotherapist at the club's expense. Mark McCammon, pictured at his employment tribunal in 2012, claimed black players were treated differently to his white teammates . McCammon also claimed he was docked wages when he failed to turn up for training during heavy snow when driving conditions were 'treacherous', while some white players were told they were not required. The striker was subsequently ordered to attend a disciplinary hearing and later received a letter saying he was dismissed. McCammon, who signed for Gillingham for £2,500 a week in 2008, told an employment tribunal in 2012 he had been put 'through hell' and had not been given an answer over why he was treated differently to other players. Dubai-based Gillingham chairman Paul Scally described McCammon's claims as being made 'maliciously and without foundation', adding that the club had not had to deal with an allegation of racism in 18 years. The club lost an appeal last September and the original decision was upheld and they had to pay £68,000 compensation to McCammon, who also played for Doncaster Rovers and Millwall. Now the association say the club breached FA Rule E3 by failing to act in the best interests of the game, and/or bringing the game into disrepute by committing an act of race victimisation by dismissing Mark McCammon. Both Gillingham FC and Mr Scally have until November 14 to respond. | Gillingham Football Club and chairman Paul Scally have been charged .
It's after retired striker Mark McCammon was dismissed from club in 2011 .
FA judged club committed act of race victimisation - breaching its rules .
McCammon sued club in August 2012 and awarded £68,000 compensation .
Both Gillingham FC and Mr Scally have until November 14 to respond . |
265,913 | e46b5160e7488a4d093a8367e6b020832fac4771 | By . Martin Robinson . PUBLISHED: . 06:27 EST, 26 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 07:12 EST, 26 September 2012 . The married maths teacher who has fled to Europe with his 15-year-old pupil had a new tattoo of a girl added to his arm over the summer - in what could be a tribute to Megan Stammers. Jeremy Forrest's bold body art is of a young woman in a feathered hat holding a dog on a lead and was inked after their inappropriate relationship had started around seven months ago. Stretching downwards and across his left arm, it shows a girl with long dark hair with a reddish tint - strikingly similar to Megan's own hair. He proudly unveiled his 'tatt' on his own Twitter account over the summer while on his school holidays. Distinctive: Forrest had this image of a young . girl wearing a hat and walking a dog (left) tattooed on his arm earlier . this year, which could have been designed to look like Megan Stammers (right) The other side of his arm is covered in pink flowers with a message in black letters that cannot be read from his online photo. On his right arm he already has two other tattoos - a design involving red roses and also a star. It was revealed today that Jeremy and Megan fled when police started investigating their relationship last week. Tribute? The tattoo could be a tribute to Megan - as the girl in the body art has long dark reddish hair - just like the missing schoolgirl . Officers spoke to them and are believed to have taken their mobile phones but details of their investigation is currently being kept private. Their school and the local council were also looking into it when they ran away on a cross-Channel ferry. The teenager left her . home in Eastbourne last Thursday afternoon after telling her mother she . was going to stay overnight at a friend’s house. Her school raised the alarm after she . and Forrest failed to turn up the next day and CCTV later caught the . teacher’s black Ford Fiesta heading to Dover with Megan in the passenger . seat. First pictures: These stills taken from CCTV . camera footage filmed aboard a Dover to Calais ferry last Thursday show . 30-year-old teacher Jeremy Forrest with his arm round runaway schoolgirl . Megan Stammers in one picture and walking hand in hand with her in the . other - the last time they were seen . The images of the couple on the ferry – . Forrest in jeans and tracksuit top, Megan in short black skirt – were . made public in the hope of encouraging witnesses to come forward with . information about their possible whereabouts. But there has not been a single . sighting of the pair anywhere in France and no trace of them using their . mobile phones or accessing cash machines, according to the French . authorities. Police have admitted they could 'be anywhere in Europe' by now. | On his left arm Jeremy Forrest had a new piece of body art depicting a girl with long reddish hair - who looks like Megan Stammers .
He had the tattoo done over the summer - when their illicit relationship is said to have already started .
The maths teacher unveiled his 'tatt' online via his Twitter account . |
202,607 | 925091078dafdcbc4b167f0890d795e7f9fa10a8 | By . Emma Reynolds . PUBLISHED: . 07:07 EST, 13 March 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 08:40 EST, 23 July 2012 . Around 100 paedophiles have been chemically castrated under a Government scheme to stop them reoffending. The sex offenders volunteered to take drugs designed to stifle their libido during a pilot experiment at HMP Whatton in Nottinghamshire. The drug reduces their testosterone levels to that of a prepubescent boy for a three-month period. After that, it wears off. Potential subjects: The drug could be used on Whatton inmates such as . sex offender Neil Wilkinson, left, or on offenders like Roy Whiting, killer of eight-year-old Sarah Payne, right . The ongoing experiment could revolutionise the way the British penal system deals with sick criminals incarcerated at Whatton. These have included rapist Neil Wilkinson, who later killed his cellmate, and Barry Wade, who was jailed for seven years for offences against two young girls. The drug is already mandatory for child sex offenders in Poland, Russia and certain U.S. states. Chemical castration involves a man taking hormones that suppress the production of testosterone, leading to a decreased sex drive. Poland introduced mandatory chemical castration for some sex offenders in 2009, it was introduced in South Korea in September and Russia and Moldova are following suit. Both Germany and the Czech Republic have been criticised by Europe's top human rights body for using voluntary surgical castration to treat sex offenders. It could . become the norm in Britain as treatment for notorious criminals such as . Roy Whiting, who murdered eight-year-old Sarah Payne in 2000, or Colin . Blanchard, who ran the online child sex network that included nursery . worker Vanessa George. The programme at HMP Whatton, a specialist category C prison which holds male sex offenders, has been run by the Prison Service and the Department of Health since 2009, and is co-ordinated by criminal psychiatrist Professor Don Grubin. 'I have referred around 100 people for treatment,' he told The Daily Mirror - a figure that includes offenders who are being given the drug while in the community, as part of a scheme which has been running since 2007. 'We know the treatment works to reduce sexual arousal and fantasies.' Chemical castration can cut the rates of reoffending from 40 per cent to five per cent, according to researchers in Scandinavia. The medication is intended for use on those with compulsive or impulsive urges to offend and those . who have difficulties in controlling sexual arousal, intrusive sexual . fantasies or urges, sadism or other 'dangerous' tendencies such as . necrophilia. The prison now hopes to extend the voluntary scheme beyond the end of the year. Guinea pigs: Inmates at category C Whatton prison can volunteer to try the chemical castration drug . One drug used, leuprorelin (marketed as Prostap) inhibits the typically high sex drives of paedophiles by limiting the production of testosterone. But the manufacturers admit it is likely that 'only small numbers of sex offenders will benefit from these treatments.' Psychologist . Dr Ludwig Lowenstein backed chemical castration, emphasising that a child's right to protection was much more important than the freedom of paedophiles. He said: 'Apart from lengthy jail . sentences, the only other way to deal with most of these people is . through chemical castration. Ex-offenders: The drugs could be used on men like Barry Wade, left, who was jailed at Whatton for offences against two young girls, and Stan Carberry, right, who was imprisoned there for sex attacks on children . 'The idea of giving sexual . offenders a pill to destroy their ability to have intercourse always . provokes fierce objections on the grounds of civil liberties. Inmates and ex-inmates of Whatton prison include: . 'But a . child's right to protection is far more morally important than the . freedoms of paedophiles.' But Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison . Reform Trust, said: 'It's difficult to see why anyone would invest . public money in controversial medication when you could fund sex . offender treatment in prison, police and public protection on release, . all of which are proven to reduce reoffending.' A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: 'We support . the use of pharmaceutical interventions for high risk sex offenders . given the evidence that it can be useful in reducing risk for some . perpetrators.' HMP Whatton has come in for its fair share of criticism over the years. In May 2010, convicted paedophile Kevin Skaith demanded that more highbrow channels be made available at the facility. The 43-year-old, who was serving a three-and-half year sentence for possessing nearly 120,000 images of children, complained that his options were limited to 'soap, sex and sport'. In 2007, the prison was condemned for offering inmates cash bonuses for good behaviour during a staff strike, and a year earlier, up to £5,000 of taxpayers' money was put aside for quiz prizes. There was further controversy when a prison officer at the institution was suspended for allegedly intimidating a prisoner with a baton. | Former inmates at facility include Kevin Skaith - who was caught in possession of 120,000 child sex images .
Chemical castration reduces testosterone levels, quashing intrusive sexual fantasies and compulsive urges . |
262,666 | e03b49b5efa20b51288194a1b470d031d0179928 | Washington (CNN) -- On one of the coldest nights of the year, there was no mistaking the northwest Washington home of Democratic operatives Kiki and Joe McLean with the Mississippi Delta or Alabama Gulf Coast. But it smelled like the South inside the stately brick home Thursday night, attendees said. The aroma of black-eyed peas, ham, biscuits and sweet tea drifted from room to room as roughly 60 Democratic operatives chatted and exchanged ideas about how their party, one that once dominated the South, could start a comeback from years of Republican victories. The Southern Progress Fund, a super PAC of Democrats whose goal is to provide money and infrastructure to down-ballot Democrats in the South -- state legislators, attorneys general and mayors -- put on the "Southern Supper." "We are trying to turn the South blue," said Amanda Crumley, the group's executive director. "This event is all about how Democrats can win in the South again." And no detail at the event diverged from that goal, Crumley said. For dessert, the group turned traditional red velvet cupcakes blue, symbolic of what it's trying to do in the South. First on CNN: Republicans move to overhaul 2016 primary . LBJ's gloomy prediction . Since President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, only two Democratic presidential campaigns have won Mississippi, Alabama or Georgia: Native son Jimmy Carter swept the Deep South in 1976, while Southerner Bill Clinton won Georgia nearly 20 years later. But those victories are distant memories. Johnson proved to be a prophet. After signing the landmark civil rights legislation, he lamented to an aide: "I think we just delivered the South to the Republican Party for a long time to come." In 2012, for example, out of the 25 congressional districts in those three states, Republicans won all but seven. All three states have a Republican governor, and Republicans control each state's legislature. Will challenges from right hurt GOP chances of taking back Senate? Nevertheless, Southern Democrats said they are poised to make a comeback and prove Johnson's "long time to come" is over. They point out the generation that vehemently rejected Johnson's Civil Rights Act is dying off. And in its place is a younger, more progressive and diverse group of Southerners. "His prophecy was right, but that generation is about over now," said Rickey Cole, chairman of the Mississippi Democratic Party. "It can happen. In order to win in this part of the country, we have to play a nearly perfect game, and we have to capitalize on any fumbles and turnovers on the other side. But we can win." Rebuilding in red America . Democrats once dominated the region. Between 1876 and 1964, Georgia only went against a Democrat once in presidential elections. Mississippi and Alabama, likewise, supported a candidate other than a Democrat two times. Their stranglehold on Southern politics bred loyal, proud Democrats who tightened their grip. But when political fortunes turned, they turned quickly. Democrats have won some statewide races but faced repeated national and congressional defeats. In looking back on the years of the "Solid South," some Democrats said they now believe their near-century of dominance hurt the party. "Southern Democrats never developed an opposition type or style of party that you have to be in today's world," said former Mississippi Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, a founder of the Southern Progress Fund. "Democrats in the South have not had the ability to push back on various issues." The biggest campaign moments of 2013 . Musgrove's point: If there is political parity, each party understands winning and losing. When the massive shift of power occurred in the 1960s and '70s, Democrats weren't prepared to be in the minority and didn't have the infrastructure to dig themselves out. Musgrove, who ran a competitive but losing race for the Senate in 2008 against Republican Sen. Roger Wicker, said for years during the Republican domination of the South, he thought the national party would swoop in to help rebuild. But it never happened. "I kept waiting for someone to ride in on a white horse and say, 'Here is help,' " Musgrove said with a laugh. "Now, there is some obligation in the South for us, as Democrats, to make sure that we work to built that infrastructure, that bench, and that we help." That's the mission of Musgrove's super PAC. The group plans to help candidates by not only raising money but by also providing campaigns with data about which voters in a certain area are persuadable -- information that has helped Democrats on the national level. In the South, Musgrove points out, that information could be even more important. With a small margin for error in most races, knowing which voters could be persuaded by a Democrat's argument is key, he said. What's more, the former governor sees the effort as not only a way to win the South as soon as possible but also to help create a culture of winning. "From our vantage point, successful candidates are well-funded candidates that have the resources and infrastructure to get their message out," said Crumley, the group's executive director. Searching for signs of hope . Ask a Southern Democrat if he or she can win statewide, and you will get a wide array of anecdotes and theories. Some point to the last Democratic governor in each state, while others to President Barack Obama winning 43.5% of the vote in Mississippi without spending any money there in 2012. But the most often-cited anecdote -- by far -- is the success that Southern Democrats had in 2013 municipal elections in Mississippi. For the first time in nearly 30 years, a Democrat was elected mayor of Tupelo, while Meridian elected its first-ever black mayor -- a Democrat. After the win, Southern Democrats heralded the day as "Blue Tuesday" and celebrated the victories as a sign of things to come. 10 more secrets from campaign 2012 . The key to those races, operatives say, is that Southern Democrats managed them and proved -- in a small way -- that winning in a deep red state is not impossible. "It is essential to build bottom up and especially in the South as we reconnect with voters and share a consistent and solid message out there that is different from the Republicans," said Burns Strider, a Democrat from the South who worked with Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign. Strider, who has long helped national Democrats reach Southern voters, said he is more hopeful than ever before that Democrats could make headway in local elections in 2014 and 2016. Speaking with an unmistakably Mississippi twang, Strider said the key to winning "persuadable voters" in the South is convincing them you share similar heritage and values. "We are Southerners, we are Democrats; we hold the same values you do," he said, mimicking the pitch he could make to voters. "We are moving a little bit beyond strident partisanship, and we are able to develop messages now that are going to stick." Musgrove echoed that message. "I may not know how to run a commissioner's race in New York, but I do know how to win in Mississippi," he said. "I do know that Alabama is the No. 1 team in America. I do know where Talladega is. I do know what NASCAR racing is about, and I attend a lot." Their point: It takes Southerners to win in the South. Hitting the 'white win number' Roy Barnes is Georgia's last Democratic governor to date. He won 53% of the overall vote in 1998, but there was a stark black-white divide -- Barnes lost the white vote by 21% but won the African-American vote by a whopping 82%. For Barnes, the key to victory was not getting too buried by losing the white vote and winning big with the black vote, according to Jon Anzalone, a pollster who focuses on Southern Democrats. Any Democrat running in the Deep South, he said, should expect to lose the white vote. "Whether you are running for governor or senator, it is about hitting the white win number," Anzalone said. "You have to hit a certain number of whites, which means you have to make a certain number of whites comfortable that you are a Southern Democrat and not a national Democrat." But for Democrats in the South, there is a noticeable push and pull between the gains they are making because of changing demographics -- with both Georgia and Mississippi now more than 30% black -- and the negative setbacks the national party is causing because of unpopular positions on guns, religion and many social issues that even Democrats admit Republicans have won on down South. So as reliably Democratic voters -- African-Americans and Hispanics -- move into these states and slowly lighten the shade of red, Republican candidates have made it a point to tie their Democratic challengers to the national party. "The comparisons were that I was a another Nancy Pelosi," said Bill Luckett, who became the Democratic mayor of Clarksdale, Mississippi, this year. "I got bashed with it a bit," he said with a laugh, noting that he thought it would be hard to turn a gray-haired, burly Mississippian with a thick drawl into Pelosi, the liberal House minority leader who hails from the San Francisco area. Pollster Anzalone admits that one of the biggest problems Southern Democrats have is "the perception of what a national Democrat is." But the Pelosi comparison didn't stick to Luckett, and he won the Clarksdale mayor's race fairly easy. What he had working in his favor were demographics -- Clarksdale is a majority-black town in the Mississippi Delta. Some see a problem with being tied to the national party, while others -- such as Musgrove -- believe that while in some races "candidates will need to differentiate themselves," the majority of Southern Democrats "have a lot to be proud of" in the national party. Musgrove acknowledges that turning the South blue will be difficult. "Most people would say that just couldn't happen," he said. But in his opinion, Democrats have to try. | Super PAC has a steep climb to try to take back South from Republicans .
Democrats once held stranglehold on region, which has turned red since 1960s .
Southern Democrats believe they have to create a culture of winning from cycle to cycle .
They point to small victories in campaigns that Southern Democrats managed . |
45,035 | 7ee6a6b3e1de0b4382c9a22b31a826bc848240bf | (CNN) -- The short lives of disposable tableware: convenient, yet wasteful. In a Japanese fishing town, Hekinan, 300 kilometers west from Tokyo, a small family business is offering a greener alternative. Smart Business meets Sakakibara Katsuhiko, who's innovating in the world of edible crockery. CNN: How did you first come up with the concept of edible tableware? Sakakibara Katsuhiko: When I go to food festivals, I see bins filled with garbage, and I wondered if our manufacturing technology could do something to change it. So we decided to go beyond ice cream cones and to develop plates that are edible. The key question was how to strengthen the waterproof-ness for the plates. CNN: You currently use shrimp, salt and potato starch to create the plates. Do you plan to develop their flavor further? SK: We are going to create a variety of flavors for the plates so that people can pair them with more food. I think it would be interesting if we could also make edible knives and folks. That would really cut down the waste. CNN: What are your ambitions for the future of the company? SK: Japan will host the Tokyo Olympic Games in six years' time, and I want to provide edible plates for the Games (in 2020). CNN: How do you see Marushige Seika K. K's development in the years to come? SK: Our town has vibrant agriculture and fishing industry. Whenever I think about one day passing on this town to our children, I just think we simply have to make our business more environmentally friendly. Watch: 'Perfect' bra decodes what women want . Read more: How tech is transforming the entertainment industry . Watch: Turning mobile advertising on its head . | Disposable tableware is convenient but damaging for the environment .
In Japan, a small family business is hoping to extend dinner past just the items on your plate .
Marushige Seika K. K has developed a range of edible tableware . |
10,188 | 1ceb7d4841a84186d8542bb4b14ecd12b28c77a8 | A woman accused of murdering her newborn son waited 17 hours after the baby died before calling an ambulance and reporting her child stillborn, a court has heard. Paramedics arrived to find the dead infant wrapped in a towel and lying on a washing machine at the Gold Coast home on June 8, the woman's bail hearing was told. Jodie Tarnawskyj, 35, was denied bail in the Brisbane Supreme Court on Thursday because she was deemed a flight risk. Scroll down for video . Jodie Tarnawskyj, 35, was denied bail in Brisbane Supreme Court on Thursday accused of murdering her newborn son on Juna 8 . The mother of two was arrested last week and charged with murdering her son on June 8. The court was told Tarnawskyj had concealed her pregnancy from her partner and friends and tried to terminate the pregnancy twice. Crown prosecutor Sandra Cupina said while pregnant the unemployed Tarnawskyj researched how to end a pregnancy and took drugs she knew were dangerous to the fetus. On the evening of June 8, Tarnawskyj called the ambulance service on a non-emergency line and said her 30-week-old baby had been stillborn 17 hours earlier. However, medical evidence indicated the baby was 40 weeks old - full term - and breathing when born, Ms Cupina said. The pathologist's report hasn't been finalised but suggests the infant died shortly after birth. No cause of death has been found, though the infant had bruising on his lips, internal neck bruising and indications of bleeding in the brain and swelling in the brain tissue, which could be a sign of oxygen deprivation, the court heard. Ms Cupina said the injuries did not conclusively show the baby was intentionally harmed. The Paradise Point woman waited 17 hours after the baby died before calling an ambulance and reporting her child stillborn, a court has heard . When Tarnawskyj rang the ambulance she said she hadn't known she was pregnant when she 'felt the urge to push' and delivered the baby - blue and not breathing - in the toilet, according to prosecution evidence read out in court by Justice Peter Applegarth. However, Ms Cupina said the former dietician had conducted internet searches about pregnancy and stillbirth and how someone could end a pregnancy. Between her child's death and calling the ambulance Tarnawskyj picked up a cat from a friend and brought it back to her home at Paradise Point. In April, Tarnawskyj told a doctor she had miscarried and the pregnancy hadn't been far along. She also told a friend and her de facto she wasn't pregnant and had a blood clot. 'This conduct all points to one conclusion, which is that the applicant was going to be sure this baby was to die and she intended this baby to die,' Ms Cupina said. Defence lawyer Angelo Vasta said there was no evidence Tarnawskyj killed or intended to kill her child and her 'bizarre' behaviour after its death could be put down to depression. 'This is no case of murder. At best it could be a case of manslaughter,' he told the court. However, Justice Applegarth said there was a prospect Tarnawskyj could be convicted of either murder or manslaughter and she had a 'powerful incentive' not to appear at trial. Tarnawskyj was not in court for the decision and remains behind bars. Her case is due to be mentioned in the Southport Magistrates Court on February 2. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Jodie Tarnawsky allegedly murdered her newborn son on June 8 at their Gold Coast home .
The 35-year-old waited 17 hours after baby died to call an ambulance .
Paramedics found the dead boy wrapped in a towel on a washing machine .
She was deemed a risk and was refused bail in Brisbane Supreme Court . |
128,817 | 326e5e30ceaf87d3c49c22d0541457a20546b60f | (CNN) -- A U.S. diplomatic cable written five years ago concluded that the government of India condoned torture of suspects held in detention centers in Jammu and Kashmir, a region that has seen a long guerrilla war by Muslim separatists, many supported by Pakistan. The cable, obtained by WikiLeaks and published by The Guardian newspaper in Britain, describes a confidential briefing from a representative of the International Committee of Red Cross. In interviews with nearly 1,500 detainees over a three-year period, it had received reports that included sexual abuse, stretching and the use of water and electricity. "The continued ill-treatment of detainees, despite longstanding ICRC-GOI [Government of India] dialogue, have led the ICRC to conclude that the New Delhi condones torture," the cable says. For the ICRC, such a briefing for U.S. diplomats appears to have been unusual. Previously it had limited itself to general comments on the human rights situation in Kashmir "in order to respect their confidentiality agreement with the GOI." However, the relationship had become strained, with ICRC representatives unable to gain regular access to senior officials. The cable gives a detailed summary of the ICRC's interviews with detainees. "In 852 cases, detainees reported what ICRC refers to as "IT" (ill-treatment): 171 persons were beaten, the remaining 681 subjected to one or more of six forms of torture: electricity (498 cases), suspension from ceiling (381), "roller" (a round metal object put on the thighs of sitting person, which prison personnel then sit on, crushing muscles -- 294); stretching (legs split 180 degrees -- 181), water (various forms -- 234), or sexual (302)." The ICRC acknowledged that the human rights situation in Kashmir had improved. Ten years previously, there were some 300 detention centers; now there are "a lot fewer." It also had meetings with the security forces. The cable noted one "bright spot." The Chief of the Indian Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Joginder Jaswant Singh, had made discipline a central theme of a recent conference and had stipulated that his officers should use "minimum force" and avoid "collateral damage" in their units in order to reverse declining standards in discipline. But even though the ICRC has raised issues of abuse for more than 10 years, it continued. "Detainees were rarely militants (they are routinely killed), but persons connected to or believed to have information about the insurgency." The ICRC representative had never been permitted access to the "Cargo Building," the most notorious detention center in Srinagar. The cable concludes that ICRC data on "ill-treatment and torture in detention centers are very disturbing, because the practice continues unabated." India's Ministry of External Affairs disputed those claims. "India is an open and democratic nation, which adheres to the rule of law. If and when an aberration occurs, it is promptly and firmly dealt with under existing legal mechanisms in an effective and transparent manner," the ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash. "In India, there's a healthy tradition of democratic debate and freedom of expression on all issues that concern the welfare of our citizens anywhere in our country." The ICRC on Friday confirmed the meeting referred to in the cable took place and refrained from commenting "publicly on the content of such discussions." "It must also be stressed that the ICRC cannot take responsibility for the content of the cables, which emanate from representatives of the U.S. authorities," the ICRC said. ICRC said it and India signed an agreement providing for a framework for ICRC's detention activities. It said the "work is ongoing," findings are discussed confidentially, and the quality of discussions with India has "clearly improved." As for sharing information with the United States, the ICRC says it "engages in a sustained dialogue with the concerned authorities of the countries where the ICRC works with the aim of addressing concrete humanitarian issues. In very specific instances this dialogue may be extended to third parties who may play a role in addressing humanitarian situations." Another cable the following year acknowledged the security challenges India faced in Kashmir. "Kashmiri terrorist groups made numerous attacks on elected Indian and Kashmiri politicians, targeted civilians in public areas, and attacked security forces, killing more than 500 civilians in 2005, most of whom were Kashmiri Muslims." The same cable suggested that political violence in India was abating. "At a time when many nations appear to be losing ground to extremist movements, India's trendlines are pointing in the right direction, bolstered by strong indigenous traditions of communal co-habitation, non-violent political protest" and other factors. However, the cable noted that in the absence of training and the collection of evidence "terrorism investigations and court cases tend to rely upon confessions, many of which are obtained under duress if not beatings, threats, or, in some cases, torture." In 2007, the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi recommended denying a U.S. visa to a Kashmiri paramilitary leader, Usman Abdul Majid. A leaked cable said the group was "notorious for its use of torture, extra-judicial killing, rape, and extortion of Kashmiri civilians suspected of harboring or facilitating terrorists." There was further unrest in Srinagar, the capital of Jammu and Kashmir, earlier this year, when the death of a student hit by a tear-gas grenade sparked widespread street protests. Tens of thousands of Indian security forces remain deployed in the region. The ICRC has a policy of not sharing with the media its discussions with governments. | The cable gives a detailed summary of the ICRC's interviews with detainees and allegations of torture .
Interviews include reports of sexual abuse, stretching and the use of water and electricity .
The ICRC acknowledges that the human rights situation in Kashmir has improved. |
210,436 | 9c8b2b0cc3ecced5a510f35ccf01c1131fe63642 | Sharing capital: Nick Clegg hopes more businesses will adopt the John Lewis-style way of running to boost employee share ownership . Nick Clegg today outlined plans to boost employee share ownership and John Lewis-style businesses owned by staff. Under his plans employees can be given a new, universal 'Right to Request' shares in the company they work for. The Deputy Prime Minister is also setting up a commission to investigate the most effective forms of mutual ownership to give firms an off-the-peg guide to adopting employee shareholding. Mr Clegg will appoint an independent expert to advance the idea and will host a summit to promote the 'John Lewis economy' in the summer. He will say: 'Liberals believe strongly in the virtues of the market but only if it is a market for the many, not a market for the few. 'We don't believe our problem is too much capitalism. We think it's that too few people have capital. 'We need more individuals to have a real stake in their firms. More of a John Lewis economy, if you like.' 'The 80s was the decade of share ownership. I want this to be the decade of employee share ownership.' Staff at John Lewis stores own shares in the company which Mr Clegg says leads to lower absenteeism, staff turnover and production costs . At an event hosted by the City of . London Corporation and the Centre Forum think tank, he will say the . concept of employee ownership has been a 'touchstone' of liberal . thinking since the 19th century. 'And what many people don't realise about employee ownership is that it is a hugely underused tool in unlocking growth. Shadow business secretary, Chuka Umunna, said the plan followed Labour's lead on responsible capitalism . 'I don't value employee ownership . because I believe it is somehow 'nicer' - a more pleasant alternative to . the rest of the corporate world. Those are lazy stereotypes. 'Firms that have engaged employees, . who own a chunk of their company, are just as dynamic, just as savvy, as . their competitors. In fact, they often perform better. 'Lower absenteeism. Less staff turnover. Lower production costs. In general, higher productivity and higher wages. 'They weathered the economic downturn better than other companies.' Lib Dem Business Minister Ed Davey will be in charge of the drive within the Government to work out the barriers to employee ownership so that they can be removed. He will be looking specifically at the possibility of introducing a universal right for employees to request shares in the companies they work for. Danny Alexander, the Lib Dem Chief Secretary to the Treasury, will be studying tax arrangements for employee-owned firms. Mr Clegg will host a summit on the issue later in the year. The John Lewis Partnership says it puts the 'happiness of partners at the centre of everything it does'. All of its 76,500 staff own shares in the 35 John Lewis stores, 272 Waitrose supermarkets, johnlewis.com, a production unit and a farm. Annually it has sales of over £8.2bn and staff 'share in the benefits and profits of a business that puts them first'. The company has a constitution and permanent staff co-own it - an idea that was laid down by founder John Spedan Lewis who set up the partnership in 1864. He signed away his personal ownership rights in what he described as an 'experiment in industrial democracy'. A source close to Mr Clegg said: 'Nick . wants to see real change in the way we do business, and firms that give . employees a real stake. 'He is pushing his government colleagues for real, early, radical action on this. 'Employee ownership is part of a long liberal tradition of economic reform - putting power in the hands of workers to build a more responsible capitalism.' Shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna said Mr Clegg was following Labour's lead on responsible capitalism. 'Ed Miliband has led calls for a more responsible capitalism and, despite having first scorned Labour's initiative, David Cameron now claims he has become a convert to the cause,' he said. 'The question for both him and Nick Clegg is whether they have the courage or the conviction to make the change that is needed. 'If Nick Clegg wishes to follow Labour's lead in promoting shareholder activism and engagement, that is welcome.' Clegg today said he would continue to push for a 'mansion tax' on high-value properties but admitted he is facing stiff resistance from within the coalition. He said that as a result of discussions with Conservatives, any progress on the tax would depend on 'give and take' negotiations. Clegg is pressing Chancellor George Osborne to use his March 21 Budget to target the rich with new taxes, in the hope of countering concerns that the Government's deficit-reduction programme is unfair on ordinary families. According to The Independent, as well as a tax on homes worth more than £2 million, Liberal Democrat ministers want the Chancellor to introduce measures to stop the rich avoiding stamp duty when they sell their properties. Answering questions after a speech in the City of London today, Mr Clegg said: 'Very, very high-value properties are taxed in exactly the same way at the moment as properties which are a fraction of their value - so a £10 million property at the moment is taxed in the same way as a £1 million property. 'It is quite right for us - and Liberal Democrats have done this for years - to say 'Well, hang on a moment, should we be trying to look at some way to make sure that these people who own these multimillion-pound properties pay their fair share?'. 'I stick to my guns that I think that is something we should do. 'But this is a coalition Government. We didn't win the election. I lead a party with 8% of MPs in Parliament. 'If the Liberal Democrats were in power, I think we would have moved on this much, much more quickly. 'I will continue to argue the case for this. I hope we will make some progress, but this is a process of give and take in a coalition Government.' Mr Clegg said it was a long-standing Liberal position, which he backed, to 'support taxes which capture unearned wealth and lower taxes on effort, enterprise, initiative and hard work'. | Clegg vows to keep pushing for 'mansion tax' on high-value properties . |
128,808 | 326b458c5d294cff0b069d4bfde31e4f9d108236 | By . Associated Press Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 11:17 EST, 16 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:25 EST, 16 November 2013 . Victim: Winston-Salem State quarterback Rudy Johnson was viciously beaten in a bathroom brawl last night . A bathroom brawl between football players from Winston-Salem State and Virginia State during a CIAA championship game luncheon yesterday left the WSSU quarterback beaten and charges filed against a player from the other team. The conference announced that the title game set for today in Winston-Salem in North Carolina has been canceled. Rudy Johnson, the starting quarterback for the Rams, was 'viciously beaten' by members of the Virginia State team, Winston-Salem State Chancellor Donald Reaves said in a statement. He said one Virginia State player admitted his role in the beating: 22-year-old Lamont Daniel Britt. A . Forsyth County jail official says Britt, a running back from . Portsmouth, Va., was being held there Friday night on a charge of . misdemeanor assault inflicting serious injury. 'There is no excuse for the behavior of the Virginia State players,' Reaves said. Young said Johnson was assaulted in . the bathroom at the Anderson Conference Center on the Winston-Salem . campus during the luncheon. 'Today's . event was supposed to be a celebration for both teams and for all the . players who were being recognized for an outstanding season,' Reaves . said. 'The actions from the Virginia State players certainly changed the . outcome for everyone.' Virginia State Athletic Director Peggy . Davis didn't return a phone call seeking comment, but the school issued a . statement on its website saying it is fully cooperating with the CIAA . in its investigation and couldn't comment further. Winston-Salem State University Police Chief Pat Norris, left, holds the door open for Winston-Salem State quarterback Rudy Johnson as he entered a magistrate's office yesterday . Both Winston-Salem State Rams and . Virginia State Trojans are 9-1. The Rams lost to Valdosta State in the . NCAA Division II championship game last year, and both teams were in . position to earn postseason berths this season. The . Winston-Salem Journal reported that five Virginia State players were . involved and Reaves said university police are trying to identify the . others. One of Johnson's teammates told the newspaper that 'Rudy was beaten up bad and he can't play.' A photo taken of Johnson shows him holding ice over his right eye. CIAA . Commissioner Jacqie Carpenter lamented the loss of the championship . weekend. The conference consists of 12 historically black colleges and . universities in Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia. 'On . the eve of such an important weekend for dozens of our . student-athletes, many of whom have waited a lifetime for such a moment, . we are left to focus instead on what might have been,' Carpenter said. A Winston-Salem State University police officer (left) escorted Virginia State football player Lamont Britt (right) into a magistrate's office yesterday. Britt faces an assault charge after Rudy Johnson was badly beaten . 'But the CIAA has long had policies to encourage responsible behavior, and must consider what is necessary to assure days like today are not repeated, ever,' she said. The conference volleyball championship, which also involved the two schools, was canceled as well. Johnson, a 6-2, 205-pound junior from San Diego, moved into the starting lineup in the second game. He has completed 150 of 239 passes for 2,076 yards and 22 touchdowns with five interceptions in his nine games. He's also the team's second-leading rusher with 420 yards and six rushing scores. Britt, a 5-foot-10, 205-pound sophomore, was Virginia State's third-leading rusher with 276 yards and one touchdown on 63 carries. He also had seven catches for 78 yards on the year. Winston-Salem State was trying to become the first team in two decades to win three straight CIAA championships, the last being Hampton from 1992-94. The Rams have won 24 straight games against CIAA opponents. Virginia State and Winston-Salem State hadn't played since 2003. This November 9 photo shows Winston-Salem State quarterback Rudy Johnson (7) passing under pressure from Fayetteville State's Benjamin Brown during a college football game in Winston-Salem . | Winston-Salem State starting quarterback Rudy Johnson viciously beaten yesterday .
He was attacked in the bathroom at a CIAA championship game luncheon .
Up to five players from the opposing team, Virginia State, were involved, but only one came forward .
Virginia State player Lamont Daniel Britt, 22, charged with assault yesterday .
Today's title game in Winston-Salem in North Carolina canceled . |
115,469 | 210087170ebf8c0f09cfd7856750536f14182446 | The wife of a Georgia police chief is fighting for her life after her husband shot her at their quaint home, just a few hours into the New Year. At a Thursday afternoon press conference, Peachtree City, Georgia authorities identified the shooter as local Police Chief William McCollom, 57, and the victim as his 58-year-old wife Margaret. The incident happened just after 4am, when officers received a call from the chief, saying he accidentally shot his wife at their home on Autumn Leaf using his service handgun, a Glock 17 9mm. Scroll down for video . What happened? On Thursday, Peachtree City, Georgia authorities confirmed that local police chief William McCollom (right) shot his wife inside their home early New Year's Day. His wife Margaret (left) was last listed in critical condition at Atlanta Medical Center . Scene: McCollom allegedly called 911 shortly after 4am on January 1 to report that he accidentally shot his wife . Investigators say the woman was shot in the home's bedroom. It was initially reported that the chief shot her two times, according to the 911 recording, but authorities now say she was shot just once. Margaret was flown by helicopter to Atlanta Medical Center, where she was still listed in critical condition Thursday afternoon. The Georgia Bureau of Investigations is taking over the case, and will file a report on the shooting to the District Attorney's office which will decide whether to press charges. GBI Director Sherry Lang said the police chief is being fully cooperative with the investigation. Meanwhile, McCollom has since been placed on paid administrative leave by the City Manager, pending an internal review. Fayette County District Attorney Scott Ballard said McCollom has not been arrested or charged with any crime. He had only officially been in the position for two months, but took over as interim police chief in July when the previous chief stepped down. Veteran cop: McCollom has been the police chief of Peachtree City since October, but on Thursday it was announced that he would be placed on leave pending an internal review . Happy couple? One of the McCollom's neighbors described them as 'loving' and that he has 'never seen any problems over there'. William (left) and Margaret McCollom (right) pictured above in a picture posted to Margaret's Facebook. It's unclear what relation the young man in the middle has to the couple . Before that, he served as assistant chief and joined the department in 2012. According to Mrs McCollom's Facebook, she is licensed practical nurse who used to work in an emergency room. A neighbor who lives across the street from the McColloms described them as a 'loving couple' who 'do a lot of things together' and that he says he has 'never seen any problems over there', according to Fox. Peachtree City Police Lt Mark Brown said the department is 'hurting' after the incident and concerned for both the chief and his wife. Lt Brown said the chief was 'well like and well loved' around the department. | Incident involved the Peachtree City, Georgia Police Chief William McCollom, 57, and his wife Margaret, 58 .
Chief McCollom allegedly called 911 just after 4am on January 1, saying he accidentally shot his wife .
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is now handing the case .
Margaret McCollom was listed in critical condition at Atlanta Medical Center Thursday afternoon . |
201,398 | 90c61501f4f214dc64255e34c42c5e8879845f7d | Mario Mandzukic meant business on Wednesday night. Despite suffering with a broken nose, the Croat striker removed his protective face mask during Atletico Madrid's Champions League win against Juventus. Loud cheers greeted Mandzukic's action as he tossed the mask to the side. Mario Mandzukic took off his protective face mask during Atletico Madrid's win against Juventus . Mandzukic was wearing the mask at the beginning of the match due to his broken nose . Mandzukic didn't shy out of challenges despite his face now being unprotected . The striker celebrates with Antoine Griezmann and Arda Turan after the latter netted the winner . Atletico won the game 1-0 courtesy of an Arda Turan strike, while Mandzukic was locked in a battle with Juve defender Leonardo Bonucci. After being caught by a flailing arm, Mandzukic ran to the touchline and took his mask off. Quite the opposite of shying away from a challenge, then. Mandzukic is already somewhat of a cult hero at the Vicente Calderon, replacing Diego Costa up front for Diego Simeone's side. | Mario Mandzukic tossed face mask to the side during game against Juve .
Croat striker had been wearing it due to his broken nose .
Was involved in tussle with Leonardo Bonucci in Champions League clash .
Loud cheers greeted Mandzukic tossing the mask to the side . |
224,700 | aeefa6b5bcb8375ca76fac2ab379b6e2cef4495d | Samantha Cameron was last night dragged into a Coalition spat over the use of Downing Street after it emerged she hosted a Conservative campaign event at No 10. Tory candidates standing in Liberal Democrat seats across the country were invited to bring constituents to the drinks reception with the Prime Minister’s wife. Lib Dem MPs last night accused David Cameron of misusing the official residence by organising party political events in the taxpayer-funded property less than four months before the election. Samantha Cameron poses with Rebecca Pow (second right), Tory candidate for Taunton Deane, and guests Adam Fouracre (first right) and Barrie Palmer (left) at a Conservative campaign event at No 10 on January 13 . Mrs Cameron hosted the first of a series of parties earlier this month where she posed for pictures with Tory candidates and high-profile community figures from their constituencies who had been invited by the election hopefuls. The prospective MPs were then given the photos to help raise their profiles in their local newspapers, along with almost identical quotes from Mrs Cameron about how pleased she was to welcome them to No 10. Jeremy Browne, Lib Dem MP for Taunton Deane, in Somerset, said he was concerned ‘about propriety and abuse of office’ and described the reception as a ‘bit sleazy’. Lib Dem MPs accused David Cameron of misusing the official residence by organising party political events in the taxpayer-funded property . The Conservative candidate for the seat, Rebecca Pow, took two constituents to the event with Mrs Cameron on January 13, before taking two further guests from her community to a second No 10 drinks reception the following week. Mr Browne, who is standing down at the election, said: ‘It is a scandal. It is the official residence of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Downing Street is not the property of the Conservative Party.’ Another Lib Dem, Chippenham MP Duncan Hames, said the events were ‘a desperate attempt by Conservative Central Office to artificially create some standing for their candidates’. As well as the candidate for Taunton Deane, the prospective Tory MPs for North Devon, Somerton and Frome, Bath, Kingston and Surbiton, Torbay, and Cheltenham attended the reception with two guests with Mrs Cameron on January 13. And on Monday, the Prime Minister hosted a similar event with guests including the candidates for Taunton Deane and Chippenham. The ministerial code states that government property cannot be used for party fundraising. However, official residences can be used, as long as no public money is involved. A Tory spokesman said: ‘The Prime Minister hosts events for community and charity champions as part of his and the Conservative Party’s recognition of the incredibly valuable work that they do. 'These events are paid for by the Conservative Party, not the taxpayer.’ | Tory candidates were invited to bring constituents for drinks on Jan 13 .
One of series of parties Mrs Cameron has hosted this month .
Lib Dem MPs accused PM of misusing residence for party political events .
Party fundraising can occur in official residencies if no public money used . |
26,054 | 49d61b14f73b821577935927269086a092c017f8 | (CNN) -- "This block used to be full of pretty little houses with well-kept yards." When you spend any time in the newly bankrupt Detroit, you get very accustomed to hearing the words "used to be." It's a phrase often uttered by the old-timer looking fly in the red suit and crocodile shoes, who may actually remember when Detroit was the pinnacle of industry. But it's also said liberally by young men and women who have been hearing about Detroit's good old days from their parents and grandparents. The thing is, when you are in or around Detroit for awhile, "used to be" seeps into your brain through osmosis -- a simultaneously fuzzy and vivid collective memory that makes the Motor City the most nostalgic place in America. My parents grew up in Detroit and, like too many others, fled to the suburbs in 1967 after years of lingering racial tension boiled over and riots rocked the city. That meant that my sister, brother and I grew up 20 minutes from Detroit's 8 Mile, the border that, like a hammer, separates the current and "ex" Detroiters. My grandma stayed stubbornly behind on Faust Street on the Northwest side of Detroit. I would visit on weekends and go through the attic, looking for clues of what Detroit used to be. I especially relished the boxes of black and white snapshots of my parents in the 1960s. There they were in one shot, sipping cheap Cold Duck sparkling wine while throwing a party at La Plaisance, their high-rise in Lafayette Park, a sweet pad that overlooked the Stroh's brewery. In another one of my favorites, they stand with my older brother PJ, then 3 years old, in front of J.L. Hudson's, the beloved department store where the elevators had operators and the restaurant served salads with celery seed dressing. It was hard not to be curious and a bit envious of this city life that had eluded my siblings and me. In high school, my girlfriends and I made pilgrimages past 8 Mile Road every weekend to hang out with the city boys who went to the excellent U. of D. Jesuit High. They introduced us to Rock n' Bowl, a bowling alley that blasted New Order and let us drink the Mad Dog 20/20 we had bought illegally from a liquor store with bulletproof glass. The city felt dangerous, but we felt immortal. Opinion: How Detroit can rise again . I finally got my chance to live in Detroit in 2010, when I moved there to make a documentary about the city. Like many Americans, I had caught a whiff of optimism from Detroit, rumors about newcomers and artists descending on "The D," news of urban planners and visionaries who had a plan to make it the city of the future. So I came with my crew, ready to roll, even an uplifting title in mind: "Detroit Hustles Harder." But finding the easy comeback story proved challenging. Although we did indeed encounter a small gang of young creative types and revitalization efforts inside Detroit's small Midtown area, beyond these few blocks of hope we found a citizenry fending entirely for itself. The truth is, we encountered an endless parade of grotesquerie in Detroit: A scary dude named Jay Thunderbolt, face disfigured from a gunshot, running a depraved strip club out of his deceased parents' home. A young man named Chuck trying to make it as an R&B artist when his house gets shot up by men with AK 47s on Christmas Eve, his calls to the Detroit Police unanswered. An old woman, head of a community cleanup group, robbed in her home in broad daylight. Illegal "scrappers" dismantling an old Cadillac repair shop just to get money for beer. An overworked demolition crew, hired by the city, brimming with tales of finding frozen bodies during routine jobs. We were flummoxed. Was our truth-telling becoming an exercise in exploitation? Where were the solutions we came for? It was time to stop asking who may save Detroit and instead ask Detroiters what compelled them to stay in this dysfunctional place. We started with Tommy Stephens, a former schoolteacher who, despite thinning crowds, opens the Raven Lounge every weekend on a bombed-out block in East Detroit. He stays because "Detroit without a black-owned blues club just isn't Detroit anymore. And somebody's got to do it." Along Michigan Avenue, we met George, who, after 30 years still slogs away at UAW Local 22, trying, often in vain, to keep jobs in the city. "The middle class was born right here in Detroit," he said. And across town, there was David, who turned down an easy life in California to run the Detroit Opera House. "If a city has no cultural institutions," he said, "then is it still a city at all?" RoboCop creator: Detroit shows film's fictional future is upon us . All these people had one thing in common: A deep sense of duty and unflagging belief that they need to do their part to preserve some of what had made Detroit a source of great pride for this country. With looming slashes to pensions and the threat of more service cutbacks that will come with Chapter 9, I wonder how many loyalists will question their sacrifices? The subjects of the film, which in the end we called "Detropia," could not escape the deep nostalgia that compels them to stick with Detroit. This burden of the past haunts even the 20-something Crystal Starr, who spends her time off prowling through abandoned buildings, flashlight in one hand and a book about Detroit's history in the other. She'd climb to the top floors and sit in old kitchens, looking out the giant windows, panes long gone, trying to recall a time when this place was on the rise. "It's weird," she said one day, looking out at the cityscape. "I wasn't even here for the good times, but still, I have the memory of this place when it was bangin'." The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Heidi Ewing. | Heidi Ewing: People in Detroit always talk about how pretty, how lively, things used to be .
Ewing grew up in suburbs, but she loved the snapshots of her parents in 1960s Detroit .
She wanted to film the "comeback city," but found desperate people on the margins .
Ewing decided to turn camera on the folks who stayed to bring Detroit back to its vibrant past . |
34,562 | 623a0520a8d8db0fe2fe08074be87a30fee550ef | By . Graham Smith . and Alex Ward . and Jonathan Petre . Inner circle: Pope Benedict's former butler (circled in the popemobile with the pope in May) was sentenced to 18 months jail stealing the Pope's private documents and leaking them to a journalist . Pope Benedict’s ex-butler Paolo Gabriele has been being found guilty of stealing confidential papers from him and sentenced to 18 months in jail – but is expected to shortly be granted a pardon. Gabriele, 46, was given the prison term yesterday for his role in one of the worst scandals to hit the Vatican in recent years, involving allegations of infighting, intrigue and nepotism, and corruption. Prosecutors in the so-called ‘Vatileaks’ case had asked the Vatican court for a three-year sentence for the ex-butler – who had collected a huge number of stolen documents at his apartment within the Vatican. But the presiding judge Giuseppe Dalla Torre reduced the sentence on the grounds of Gabriele’s service to the Church and his apology to the Pope for betraying him. The Vatican’s spokesman Federico Lombardi said after the verdict that the Pope was ‘very likely’ to pardon Gabriele, who claimed he had been motivated by a desire to root out ‘corruption and evil’ at the heart of the Church. Lombardi, who described the verdict as ‘mild and fair’, said Gabriele would remain under house arrest ‘while the Pope evaluates his position’, adding that he did not know when a pardon might be granted. The sentence was read out two hours after Gabriele, a father of three, gave a final address to the special court at the end of his week-long trial, insisting that he was not a thief. He said: ‘The thing that I feel strongly in me is the conviction that I acted only out of visceral love for the Church of Christ and for its visible head. I do not feel like I’m a thief.’ Gabriele handed much of the Pope’s stolen correspondence to journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi, who wrote a book revealing the plotting and petty infighting at the top of the Church, as well as allegations of corruption, nepotism and homosexual affairs. Scroll down for video . Guilty verdict: Gabriele (right sitting in court on September 29) was given a reduced sentence today because of mitigating circumstances including the fact that he had no previous record . The book, His Holiness: Pope Benedict XVI’s Secret Papers, sent shockwaves through the Vatican and prompted the Pope to set up an inquiry into the leaks. Many of the documents contain criticism of the Vatican’s powerful Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who is seen as a divisive figure at the top of the Church. Gabriele’s defence lawyer told the court that the former butler had merely photocopied documents and had leaked them out of a desire to ‘do good’. But Vatican police and the Pope’s private secretary, Monsignor Georg Ganswein, said that original documents were among the 82 boxes of evidence that they seized from the Vatican apartment in May. Some of them were so sensitive that they had been marked by Pope Benedict, in German, ‘to be destroyed’. At the end of the trial yesterday, as Gabriele looked on impassively, the judge said: ‘In the name of his holiness Pope Benedict XVI, who reigns in glory, and invoking the Holy Trinity ... this court sentences the defendant to three years in prison.’ But Judge Dalla Torre then reduced the term, saying he had taken into consideration ‘the absence of a criminal record, his service record preceding these charges and the subjective though erroneous motivation provided by the defendant as to his motivation’. Gabriele’s ‘declaration of his acknowledgement of having betrayed the trust of the holy father’ had weighed in his favour and led to a shorter sentence. He claimed he was helping the 85-year-old pontiff as he feared Benedict XVI was being ‘manipulated’. The Vatican’s criminal law dates back to the 19th Century and the Pope holds wide powers – including the right to dismiss a case at any point during a trial. Papacy crises: The documents were leaked to journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi whose book disclosed allegations of corruption and homosexual liaisons within the Roman Catholic Church (Gabriele pictured with the pope and private secretary Georg Gaenswein in May) Stefano De Santis was one of four Vatican police officers who said they found the papers in the 46-year-old's home. He told the Vatican courtroom: 'You can . understand our unease when we saw these documents. This was a total . violation of the privacy of the papal family.' Book on intrigue: The documents were leaked to Italian journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi who wrote a book making allegations about the Roman Catholic Church's leadership . It threw an unflattering spotlight on the inner workings of a city-state eager to shake off a series of scandals involving sexual abuse of minors by clerics around the world and mismanagement at its bank. Gabriele, a trusted servant who served the pope meals, helped him dress and rode in the popemobile, has admitted passing papers to the journalist at secret meetings, but told the court at a previous hearing he did not see this as a crime. The former butler sat impassively and occasionally smiled during Wednesday's 75-minute session as Vatican policemen told the court how they searched his apartment in the Vatican on May 23, the night of his arrest, and what they found. The mass of incriminating documents, most of which were hidden in huge piles of papers stashed in a large wardrobe, included personal letters between the pope, cardinals and politicians on a variety of subjects. Some papers, De Santis said, bore the . pope's handwriting and had been marked 'to be destroyed' by the pontiff . in German. He did not say what those papers concerned. Some of the documents were copies of encrypted documents. De Santis told the court: 'One photocopy was enough to threaten the operations of the Holy See.' The agents said they found a mass of . documents and books filled with newspaper clippings on the occult, . secret services, Masonic lodges, yoga, political scandals in Italy, . scandals involving the Vatican bank and other subjects. For 'love' of the church: Gabriele (right in the court room on September 29) said in court 'I don't feel like a thief' in his final appeal . Leak: Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi (right) said the pope would study the court file following the conviction of his former butler Paolo Gabriele (pictured left as the verdict was delivered) Verdict: Gabriele (right) was found guilty by a Vatican tribunal of stealing confidential documents from the desk of Pope Benedict . Ms Arru sought to turn the spotlight on police methods during the search, drawing out several agents to say that they had not used gloves when they handled the documents, and a gold nugget and a cheque for 100,000 euros made out to the pope which were also found. Police said Gabriele, once one of fewer than ten people who had the key to an elevator leading to the private papal apartment, had printed instructions on how to hide files in computers and how to use mobile phones secretly. Bishop Francesco Cavina, who knew . Gabriele in the Vatican, told Italian newspaper La Repubblica on . Wednesday that the butler, a father-of-three, may have a 'disturbed . mind' and 'a split personality'. Police told the hearing that some of the papers bore the Pope's handwriting and had been marked 'to be destroyed' by the pontiff in German . Pope Benedict's former butler Paolo Gabriele seen in the Vatican Courthouse . Two of the four policemen who testified on Wednesday also rejected Gabriele's accusations, made on Tuesday, that he was mistreated for several weeks after his arrest. Gabriele told the court's previous hearing that for up to 20 days he was held in a room so small he could not stretch out his arms and that the light was left on 24 hours a day, causing him eye damage.A Vatican judge ordered an investigation into the allegations. De Santis said the search turned up 'many more' papers than appeared in a book by Italian journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi, who wrote a muckraking expose early in 2012. The letters to the pope included one in which a senior Vatican functionary expressed concern about corruption in the Holy See's business dealings with Italian companies. The letter-writer, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, was posted to Washington after raising the issue, despite begging to be allowed to stay at the papal state. VIDEO: Guilty! Pope's butler jailed for 18 months for stealing and leaking church documents . | Paolo Gabriele admits leaking details of Church power struggles .
He was sentenced to 18 months in jail .
Pope Benedict's former butler said he acted out of love of the church .
The 46-year-old says he wanted to expose 'corruption' |
12,917 | 249a28cdd93d32ecdc72b9d500d70b11694bda4e | (CNN) -- Another chartered flight is scheduled to leave the United States for Cuba Sunday as a result of recent U.S. government moves to ease restrictions on travel to the Communist nation. In a partnership with Delta Air Lines, Marazul, a Miami-based travel agency that specializes in travel to Cuba, has restored direct flights between select U.S. airports and Havana, Cuba, a Delta spokeswoman said Sunday. "We are excited to get back into the market in partnership with Marazul," Delta spokeswoman Gina Laughlin said, adding that some flights took place in October, departing from Miami. Marazul announced on its website that it has restored its direct flight between New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport and Havana, scheduled to take off on Sunday. In December, Marazul will provide weekly flights from Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Marazul announced. Round-trip tickets can only be purchased through Marazul travel, which has chartered a Boeing 737 with crews from Delta Air Lines for its Miami-Havana flight, the travel company said. Laughlin said loosened government restrictions on travel to Cuba has allowed Delta to re-establish the charter service with Marazul. According the Marazul's website, these flights are offered only to passengers who have been "duly authorized" by the U.S. government to travel to Cuba. This includes, but is not restricted to, travelers with close relatives in Cuba, official business travelers, professionals, students and other potential travelers authorized by the U.S Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). In September of 2009, OFAC announced it would ease existing restrictions on travel to Cuba, citing President Barack Obama's initiative announced the same year to "reach out to the Cuban people in support of their desire to freely determine their country." | Delta Air Lines partners with Marazul travel agency to provide chartered flights to Cuba .
Delta provides planes, Marazul sells tickets, Delta says .
The first flight took off from Miami in October . |
186,688 | 7dd231604be3b27fdd3b501dc51c99922873bf63 | (CNN) -- When Butler plays Duke for the national championship of college basketball Monday night, you can count on two things with absolute certainty: . 1. The television ratings for CBS will fall somewhere within the range of really impressive to enormous. 2. You will see commercials featuring famous professional athletes, doing their best to persuade you to purchase the products they are endorsing. Which brings us to a seldom-questioned oddity about contemporary life: . What do you think would happen if there was a highly publicized court case, and the defense lawyer asked the jury to acquit the defendant because of the emotional testimony of an eyewitness -- and the prosecutor announced that the witness had been paid a huge fee by the defense? Would the the jury have any faith in the witness? The witness' testimony would, with good reason, be considered worthless. Or: . How would you feel if you read an ecstatic movie review that made you want to run right down to the theater and buy a ticket -- and then it was reported that the reviewer had received a large check from the movie studio to make sure he gave the film a rave? You'd want your money back. You'd realize that the review meant less than nothing. The reviewer's opinion of the movie was based not on genuinely admiring it, but on being paid to make you think it was good. If it turned out that the critic was taking money to say he liked certain films, his days as a reviewer would be over. And it wouldn't matter if he swore to you that he truly enjoyed the movie, and that the money had nothing to do with it. What if a friend told you that you should go to an allegedly wonderful restaurant, and then you found out that he or she was being paid by the owner to send people there? Chances are that your enthusiasm would wane -- both for the restaurant, and for the friend. This is all elementary. If someone accepts cash in exchange for offering a positive evaluation of something, then the evaluation must be tossed out. It's worse than meaningless. Yet in the arena of celebrity endorsements -- most notably, endorsements by prominent athletes -- not only is the public's disbelief suspended, but people don't seem to particularly care that the recommendation is bought and paid for. When I have tried over the years to make the case for the inherent undependability of these endorsements, people have said that yes, of course, that position is correct -- but that it doesn't matter. When celebrities are paid to say they like something, studies show, it generally translates into increased sales for the companies that hire them. Thus, when a stellar basketball player comes out of college, there is great speculation surrounding the question of what shoe company he will sell his name to, and at what price. Bidding wars develop, and escalate; often the competition is reported in the press, and the winning shoe company celebrates like a presidential candidate who has just found out he has passed the magic number of votes in the Electoral College. Same thing with soft-drink bottlers and energy-bar manufacturers and pain-relief purveyors. The companies know that nothing sells with the public -- and particularly the young male segment of the public -- like a smiling word of affirmation from a top-tier athlete. So one company raises its offer, to be topped by a competing company, to be topped again until there is only one company remaining. And that is when the athlete proclaims to the skies that this is the shoe/soda pop/anti-inflammatory strip that he loves best. You can't blame the athletes for taking the money. Who wouldn't? But at least once in a while, the rest of us may want to step back to consider that this is the kind of recommendation we should trust the least. And that conversely, in a sensible world, the only recommendations in which we should have any faith would be the ones for which athletes and celebrities were paid nothing at all. Not that such an endorsement would ever happen. Try to imagine a commercial that looks like this: . An internationally renowned basketball star is shown in a perfectly framed piece of film footage. He is lighted heroically; he glides down the court, slams home a dunk, turns to the camera and says: . "I couldn't have done it without my [insert brand name of shoe or energy drink]. And the funny thing is, they told me that they couldn't pay me any money for this commercial. [Brand name of competing shoe or competing energy drink] offered me $40 million over 10 years to tell you that I like their [shoe or energy drink], but the fact is I like this [shoe or energy drink] better. That's why I'm telling you to buy it -- because I buy it, too, and with my own money." The athlete would likely be declared clinically insane. The world doesn't work that way. At least the sports endorsement world doesn't. Enjoy the game Monday night. And the next time you're following one of those televised trials, look at the star witness and think about just how much his testimony would be worth to someone. If only he could smash home runs or throw touchdown passes or hit three-pointers at the buzzer, he'd be in business. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Bob Greene. | Bob Greene: Celebrity endorsements are accepted as natural .
He says people wouldn't have faith in film critics whose praise is paid for by movie studios .
Greene: Why put any credence in what a celebrity is paid millions to say? |
18,889 | 3576fb69706166ac03e3daa7b03c5869f99134c0 | The July heat wave that wilted crops, shriveled rivers and fueled wildfires officially went into the books Wednesday as the hottest single month on record for the continental United States. The average temperature across the Lower 48 was 77.6 degrees Fahrenheit, 3.3 degrees above the 20th-century average, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported. That edged out the previous high mark, set in 1936, by two-tenths of a degree, NOAA said. In addition, the seven months of 2012 to date are the warmest of any year on record and were drier than average as well, NOAA said. U.S. forecasters started keeping records in 1895. Animated map: U.S. drought in 2012 . And the past 12 months have been the warmest of any such period on record, topping a mark set between July 2011 and this past June. Every U.S. state except Washington experienced warmer-than-average temperatures, NOAA reported. The high temperatures have contributed to a "rapid expansion" of drought across the central United States, NOAA found. Dozens of cities and towns already have seen the mercury hit record levels this summer, and three states -- Nebraska, Kansas and Arkansas -- saw record dry conditions between May and July. That's battered American farmers' corn and soybean crops, driven farmers to sell or slaughter cattle they can't feed and spurred the U.S. Department of Agriculture to designate more than half of all U.S. counties as disaster zones. Think it's hot? Imagine living here . NASA scientist links climate change, extreme weather . Past 12 months warmest ever recorded in U.S. | July's average U.S. temperature topped 20th-century average by more than 3 degrees .
The first seven months of 2012 are the warmest since record-keeping started in 1895, NOAA says .
The high temperatures have contributed to a drought that has battered farmers . |
62,664 | b20ff04893ce4e9f1fe1e1acb2c2a113cc31877f | By . Hayley Peterson . PUBLISHED: . 12:19 EST, 18 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:26 EST, 18 September 2013 . The University of Alabama's president says she's making changes to the sorority system after it was revealed last week that the Greek organizations are racially segregated. Acknowledging that the student groups practiced blatant discrimination, University President Judy Bonner ordered the school's 18 all-white sororities to reopen recruitment, which ended in August, and begin accepting new members. 'While we will not tell any group who they must [accept], the University of Alabama will not tolerate discrimination of any kind,' Bonner said in a video statement posted to the university's website. About 400 students and faculty members of the University of Alabama march across the campus to oppose racial segregation among its Greek-letter social organizations . University of Alabama President Judy Bonner listens to students on the steps of the Rose Administration Building to protest the university's segregated sorority system . University of Alabama President Judy Bonner ordered the school's 18 all-white sororities to reopen recruitment, which ended in August, in a video statement . She said the sororities should expand to include up to 360 members in order to make room for new members. Bonner's order comes after the university's student newspaper, The Crimson White, reported last week that all-white sororities had blocked chapters from adding two black students as new members in August. One of the students matched all the typical requirements for sorority members: She had a 4.3 grade point average, was a salutatorian in her high school graduating class and came from a well-connected family. Several hundred students marched at the university on Wednesday in protest of the discrimination. The marchers began the demonstration near the university library and ended up gathering on the steps of the administration building, where Bonner's office is located. They held a large banner that said 'The final stand in the schoolhouse door.' In this Aug. 17, 2013 photo, female students at the University of Alabama prepare to run from Bryant-Denny Stadium to their new sorority houses after receiving their bids in Tuscaloosa, Alabama . Female students run to their new sorority houses after receiving their bids in mid-August . In her video statement, Bonner said . the nation is watching the University of Alabama just as it did 50 years . ago, when it admitted its first black students. 'Today . the eyes of the nation our once again on the University of Alabama,' she said. 'This time it is because our Greek system remains segregated . and chapter members admit that during the recruitment process that ended . a few weeks ago decisions were made based on race.' 'The University of Alabama has made so much progress, but clearly we have so much further to go,' Bonner added. Bonner's mandate on recruitment applies . to 18 white sororities in the Alabama Panhellenic Association, the . campus arm of the National Panhellenic Conference. University of Alabama students and faculty hold a banner to protest segregation in the Greek system . Univ. of Alabama student Will Gonzalez of Orlando speaks to other students who gathered for the march . Alabama student Yardena Wolf, right, of Corvalis, Oregon, speaks to other students who gathered to protest the university's segregated sorority system. At left is Khortlan Patterson,19, of Houston, Texas . University of Alabama students demonstrate on the campus in Tuscaloosa, Alabama Wednesday . Yardena Wolf of Corvallis, Oregon, a 19-year-old sophomore at Alabama and a member of Alpha Omicron Pi, told the Associated Press that she moved out of her sorority house after facing backlash for speaking out against the decision not to offer membership to black women. 'Rush was really, really hard to go through living in the house. We obviously didn’t pledge an African-American girl like I thought we would. It was really frustrating, and I faced some difficulties in my room and my house, so I just thought it would be better if I moved out,' Wolf told the Associated Press. | University President Judy Bonner ordered the school's 18 all-white sororities to reopen recruitment, which ended in August .
The university's student newspaper reported last week .
that all-white sororities had blocked chapters from adding two black .
students as new members . |
262,812 | e068e7f92ab27c21255011876dac58728389808d | ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Seventh graders at Ron Clark Academy became an overnight sensation during the presidential election when their YouTube performance of "You Can Vote However You Like" catapulted them to online stardom. "The higher the expectations, the higher the results," says Ron Clark, seen here with his students. Now, their creative and scholastic talents have proved the students to be more than just "one hit wonders." Academy students showcased their poetry and writings for CNN's documentary "Black in America 2," hosted by Soledad O'Brien. Cultivating student creativity is just one of the goals of academy founder Ron Clark, an enigmatic educator known for his unconventional teaching methods. Under his strict tutelage, students at Ron Clark -- who are predominantly African-American -- are expected to excel in all subjects and maintain a high standard of respect for their peers and teachers. "I'm teaching an eighth-grade curriculum to fifth-graders," says Clark. "Some people say my expectations of the kids, academically, is too high, but the higher the expectations, the higher the results." But with high academic expectations come an equally high quotient for fun. It's become one of Clark's trademarks: singing and dancing to popular rap and R&B songs during class to get the kids engaged. "My first day at Ron Clark Academy, I thought all the teachers were psychopaths," says seventh-grader Jai Springs. "I thought Ron Clark was going crazy. He was up in front of the kids on desks, he was dancing. ... I never saw a teacher get up on a desk and dance. But now I'm used to it, so I get up on the desk and dance too," says Jai. Clark, formerly a schoolteacher from South Carolina, founded the academy with money he earned from his book titled The Essential 55, which detail Clark's 55 golden rules for success -- in and out of the classroom. Clark was invited to be a guest on the Oprah Winfrey show after winning Disney Teacher of the Year Award in 2001. Oprah believed so much in the well-mannered Southern school teacher from South Carolina that she encouraged him to write the book. Later she promoted The Essential 55 on her show, prompting it's ascension to New York Times bestseller list. Together with co-founder Kim Bearden, Clark transformed a decaying factory in a rough part of Atlanta, Georgia, into a state-of-the-art educational model for middle schools across the country. Soon after the school opened its doors in 2008, a Christmas package from Winfrey arrived for Clark in the form of a $365,000 grant, or "a thousand dollars for each day of the year," as Oprah referred to it in the letter. Then came the elections, with a tight presidential race between Sens. Barack Obama of Illinois and John McCain of Arizona. Inspired by rapper T.I.'s hit song "Whatever You Like," Clark's seventh grade class penned their own lyrics and dance moves. The students' performance carried a message: Cast your ballot because you support a candidate's policies rather than just his skin color. When they perform the song, half the seventh grade class touts the virtues of GOP's McCain while the other half root for Democrat Obama: "Obama on the left. McCain on the right. We can talk politics all night. And you can vote however you like." The students "can talk politics with the best of them," says Clark. Video clips of the kids performing have garnered over 15 million hits on YouTube. "We got lots of media attention. But when the media arrived to the school they realized the song is not the story, it's the kids," says Clark. One of Clark's credos is teaching a "global curriculum" with a heavy emphasis on current events. Himself an avid world traveler, Clark believes it's essential for his students to travel to other countries to develop an understanding and appreciation of the world in which they live. Through Delta's corporate sponsorship of the school, administrators have been able to send all 100 of their fifth to eighth grade students abroad before they graduate. "I'm not nearly as shy as I used to be," says seventh-grader Chi Chi Kasarachi after her first year at the academy. "My knowledge of the world has improved, I know more about what's going on in other countries and I'm more curious about things. ... I'm just hungry for knowledge," says Chi Chi. In fact, the students at Ron Clark Academy are better versed in current events and politics than many adults. "I never thought I'd be interested in watching the news," says seventh-grader Osei Avril. "Now I find it interesting because I have learned the stories behind the news," he says. Osei -- who pronounces Iranian President Ahmadinajad's name perfectly -- says he's interested in learning about world issues such as the Iranian elections, the Taliban in Pakistan, and the Palestinian- Israeli conflict. "At the beginning," says Clark, "the kids will say something like 'I've been to East Point [a suburb of South Atlanta]. After a few years they've been to Kenya, Japan, or South Africa, or England. ... They've become very comfortable with understanding the country and understanding themselves." But it's not just the travel or even the singing and dancing to rap music that make the school so special, say the students. It's the academy teachers' creative ways of instilling education, solid values, and a passion for learning. "They want you to pass the people at the top," says Jai. "To be at the top nonstop, be at your fullest, to be creative, to think out of the box." But school isn't all fun and games, she says. Clark is a strict disciplinarian that expects -- and enforces -- model behavior from all of the students. "I love Mr. Clark with all my heart, he's like a father to me," says Chi Chi. "He might fuss a lot, but I know he's doing it for our own good." | Ron Clark Academy students' '08 YouTube rap performance got millions of hits .
Clark teaches "global curriculum" with heavy emphasis on current events .
"I'm teaching an eigthth-grade curriculum to fifth graders," says Clark .
Student: "My knowledge of the world has improved. ... I'm hungry for knowledge" |
236,956 | beb0117996b60fc8341f5bde8c393a04456cbd97 | By . Simon Tomlinson . Fashion designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana threatened to pull millions of pounds in advertising from publisher Condé Nast over a story Vanity Fair was planning to run on their tax fraud conviction, it was claimed today. The Italian duo were reportedly so angry they allegedly rang Condé Nast artistic director and Vogue editor Anna Wintour to get her to kill the feature. Advertising revenue from Dolce and Gabbana is thought to be worth an estimated $10 million to $20 million to Condé Nast's titles, which also include Allure, Details, Condé Nast Traveler and GQ. 'Angry': Designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana (left) allegedly rang Conde Nast artistic director Anna Wintour (right) to get her to kill an upcoming story reportedly focusing on their tax fraud conviction in Italy . The Vanity Fair feature will focus on the duo's legal battle in Italy in which they were each given 18-month jail sentences for tax evasion, a source told Page Six. It is believed Wintour refused their demand. However, Page Six notes the editor-in-chief did fly to the Italian island of Capri last month to give exclusive coverage of D&G’s Alta Moda show. Sources claim she went with the aim of 'appeasing' the designers, adding: 'She went to save . the advertising.' A spokesman for Vanity Fair said: 'We don’t comment on whether we are or are not working on a story.' Vogue declined to comment. Claims: Dolce and Gabbana (pictured at a fashion show in 2007) reportedly threatened to pull millions of pounds in advertising from Conde Nast titles over the story . A spokesman for Dolce & Gabbana refused to comment. Dolce and Gabbana have each been given 18-month suspended jail terms for tax evasion despite the prosecution arguing for the pair to be acquitted. In May, Italy's appeals court upheld a verdict issued in June last year against the pair on charges of using Luxembourg holding company Gado to avoid paying taxes on royalties of about 1billion euros (£820million). The pair had their sentences reduced from 20 months because of statute of limitations applied to certain facts in the case. A fine of up to 10 million euros was also imposed over avoidance of the payments in Italy, where corporate taxes are among the highest in Europe. Big business: The August edition of Vanity Fair (left). Advertising revenue from Dolce and Gabbana is thought to be worth an estimated $10 million to $20 million to Condé Nast's titles, which also includes Vogue (right) The designers - who have always denied any wrongdoing - are appealing the decision. The case stems from an investigation that began in 2008 when Italian tax authorities stepped up their fight against tax evasion as a global financial crisis began to bite. Fashion companies have fallen under the scrutiny of Italy's tax authorities partly due to the fact the sector has performed well during the country's longest recession since World War Two. Giorgio Armani paid 270 million euros to tax authorities in early April to settle a dispute over payments from the group's subsidiaries abroad. Prada Holding, which controls Prada, paid a reported 400-420 million euros to settle taxes in Italy after completing a process of voluntary disclosure in December. | Italian duo 'angry about an upcoming feature on their tax fraud conviction'
Anna Wintour 'refused request but covered fashion show to appease pair'
Pair each given 18-month jail terms for avoiding taxes on €1bn of royalties . |
184,580 | 7b133e2c47674c093a1bf6a31342d40326e96ada | ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (CNN) -- You expect a motorist to shell out a little extra cash for a vanity license plate. Number 5 fetched $6.75 million, now the UAE is likely to set another record. But nowhere is the craze for a unique plate more intense than in the United Arab Emirates, the oil-rich Persian Gulf nation that holds the world record for the six most expensive plates. Here, it's all about how low you can go -- with people battling it out at auctions to win the chance to show off license plates with the lowest digit. The numbers "5" and "7" have already been snapped up, sold for 25 million dirhams ($6.75 million) and 11 million dirhams ($2.97 million) respectively. Next week, the country will put up for auction the mother of all vanity plates: the number "1." It is expected to immediately set a new record for the most expensive plate in the world. "As low as the number goes, as high the price goes also," said Abdullah Al Mannaei, who runs the license plate auctions in the capital city, Abu Dhabi. "If it's a two-digit number, if it's similar like '99' or '22,' that goes (for) a higher amount." It's no surprise that license plate craze has such a grip on the United Arab Emirates. The tiny nation, slightly smaller than the U.S. state of Maine, is prone to thinking big. It is already home to the world's largest mall, the world's largest tower, and -- despite being in the Middle East -- boasts the largest indoor snow park in the world. Talal Khouri, a stock broker in Abu Dhabi , is the proud owner of "5" and "7." He sheepishly admits that yes, it's a status thing. The license plate "5" hangs from his shiny red Rolls Royce. An expensive car, but still, 10 times less so than the plate itself. It's not all ego though. The money that the government raises auctioning off plates goes to a fund that helps victims of car accidents. Abu Dhabi has held five such auctions, selling 300 plates and raising an astonishing $56 million. For the business savvy, there's an added attraction: it's a good investment. "I have a number plate on my car, which was worth 35,000 (dirhams) four years ago," Al Mannaei said. "And I have an offer now for 400,000." Khouri has his eyes set on snagging the number "1," but he is being practical about how much he is willing to spend. "Um, I (will) not pay more than, maximum 15 (to) 20," he said. Fifteen to 20 million? "Yes," he said, seriously. "Not more." E-mail to a friend . | UAE puts up for auction the mother of all vanity plates: the number "1"
Tiny oil-rich nation already holds world record for a plate: $6.75M for number 5 .
Abu Dhabi has held five auctions, selling 300 plates and raising $56 million . |
167,095 | 6418cb74d544a7bf039acb78e5b8c2ccd4b518ad | For thousands of years, phallic objects have been used symbolically as a means to boost fertility and ward off evil spirits - but their use as sexual aids has a long history, too. A 28,000-year-old phallus found in Germany recently, for example, is quoted as being the oldest known 'sex toy' ever found. While phalluses made from stone, wood, leather and even camel dung have all be found during excavations, or referenced throughout historical text and images. To celebrate this expansive history of sexual experience, the Wellcome Collection currently has a number of ceremonial sculptures shaped - among other sexual artefacts - as part of its Institute of Sexology exhibition. A 7.8-inch (20cm) long, 1.1-inch (3cm) wide stone object (pictured) was found in the Hohle Fels Cave near Ulm in the Swabian Jura. The prehistoric ‘tool’ is made from 14 fragments of siltstone and dates back 28,000 years. Due to its size, experts believe it may be the earliest example of a sex aid ever found . The term dildo was first coined in around 1400 AD and originated from the Latin for ‘dilatare’, which means ‘open wide’, and the Italian for delight, which translates as ‘diletto.’ In the Middle East, historical reports reference Egyptians and the Greek using unripe bananas, or camel dung coated in resin as sexual aids. But the aids were used much earlier, as far back as 500BC, when phalluses were carved out of stone, leather or wood. Some were even made from tar. Phallic sculptures weren’t just used for sexual pleasure. In some pagan cultures, a female orgasm was seen as an offering to the gods of fertility, while the phallic symbol was popular during ancient Roman times. In particular, statues of fertility god Priapus with a large phallus would be used to protect gardens and help crops grow. In Greek mythology, Priapus was depicted with oversized, permanent erection, which is where the name for the medical term priapism originated. Priapism is a persistent and often painful erection that lasts for several hours - in rare case, for weeks. A solid bronze amulet, in the form of Priapus, is among the artefacts displayed at the Wellcome Collection. Phallic charms of the time were known as fascinum, and were even found in the ruins of Pompeii, and it was believed that the symbols could ward off evil spirits. Meanwhile, the phallic deity Mutunus Tutunus was a symbol of marital sex. In Turkey, during the 6th century BC, ancient Anatolians used sculptures of sex organs to ward off evil and ill luck as they believed they contained special powers. In ancient Greece, in particular, reports claim traders in the city of Miletus made and sold objects called ‘olisbos’, intended to help wives achieve sexual penetration while their husbands were away. The aids were also used in Renaissance Italy, and were typically made of leather and used with olive oil for lubrication. High class members of society would even display their sex toys, often made from silver, gold and ivory. However, they were said to be painful to use and their popularity waned. The first dildos didn’t arrive in the UK until the 1500s. Honor Beddard, co-curator at the Wellcome Collection said: ‘The Institute of Sexology presents the study of sex in all its complexity and contradiction. ‘It brings together the diverse collections of data, art, testimony and objects of those who challenged preconceived ideas about sex and tells the human stories behind the charting of sexual experience. ‘Highlighting the profound effect that gathering and analysing information can have in changing attitudes about the human condition, the exhibition reveals our understanding of sexual identity as an ever-evolving story.’ The exhibition features rare archival material, erotica, film, photography, medical artefacts and ethnography, all related to sex. In 2005, a 7.8-inch (20cm) long, 1.1-inch (3cm) wide stone object was found in the Hohle Fels Cave near Ulm in the Swabian Jura. The prehistoric ‘tool’ is made from 14 fragments of siltstone and dates back 28,000 years. Due to its size, experts believe it may be the earliest example of a sex aid ever found, but could have also been used for knapping flints to help light fires, said Professor Nicholas Conard, from the department of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, at Tübingen University. During excavations at Neolithic site Membury Rings in Dorset in the early 20th century, archaeologists found various deposits of artefacts and other material, including antler, animal and human bone, flints and carved chalk. Symbol: In Turkey, during the 6th century BC, ancient Anatolians used sculptures of sex organs (pictured) to ward off evil and ill luck as they believed they contained special powers . During excavations at Neolithic site Membury Rings in Dorset, archaeologists found various deposits of artefacts and other material, including antler, animal and human bone, and flints. Among these artefacts was a phallic-shaped object made of chalk (pictured) that measures 4-inches long. However, its use is unknown . Among these artefacts was a phallic-shaped object made from chalk and measures approximately 4-inches long. However, its use is unknown. But the sculptures weren’t just used for sexual pleasure. In some pagan cultures, a female orgasm was seen as an offering to the gods of fertility, while the phallic symbol was popular during ancient Roman times. In particular, statues of fertility god Priapus with a large phallus would be used to protect gardens and help crops grow. In Greek mythology, Priapus was depicted with oversized, permanent erection, which is where the name for the medical term priapism originated. Priapism is a persistent and often painful erection that lasts for several hours - in rare case, for weeks. Statues of fertility god Priapus with a large phallus would be used to protect gardens and help crops grow. Priapus was often depicted with oversized, permanent erection, which is where the name for the medical term priapism originated. Priapism is a persistent and often painful erection that lasts for hours . Phallic charms of the time were known as fascinum (examples pictured), and were even found in the ruins of Pompeii, and it was believed that the symbols could ward off evil spirits. Used in ancient Roman religion and magic, the fascinum referred to the god Fascinus. The phallus was used to summon divine protection . A solid bronze amulet, in the form of Priapus, is among the artefacts displayed at the Wellcome Collection. Phallic charms of the time were known as fascinum, and were even found in the ruins of Pompeii, and it was believed that the symbols could ward off evil spirits. Used in ancient Roman religion and magic, the fascinum referred to the god Fascinus. The phallus was used to summon divine protection. Meanwhile, the phallic deity Mutunus Tutunus was a symbol of marital sex. The 'Veedee' massager (pictured) is said to have been used by doctors to cure Victorian women of hysteria. But this has been disputed as myth . In Turkey, during the 6th century BC, ancient Anatolians used sculptures of sex organs to ward off evil and ill luck as they believed they contained special powers. Much later, in 18th century France, the first vibrator called Tremoussoir was built. It was a handheld, wind-up contraption designed by physicians. In 1869, an American physician George Taylor is credited as creating a steam-powered version called the Manipulator, before an electromechanical vibrator was developed in 1880 by Dr Joseph Granville. Far from being sexual aids, these devices were said to have been used to treat female hysteria. Reports claim that doctors as far back as the 13th century doubted that women had libidos and advised using sex toys to alleviate sexual frustration. Physicians during the 20th century would then use vibrators for clitoral stimulation to treat this so-called hysteria, which comes from the Greek word for uterus. Symptoms for hysteria included anxiety, sleeplessness, irritability and erotic fantasies. One such vibrator, called Veedee, is on display at the Wellcome Collection, but a spokesman told MailOnline that its use as a Victorian tool by doctors to induce orgasms has been disputed as myth. The first rubber dildos have been traced back to around 1850 and they started appearing in movies during the 1930s and 1940s. At this point, many were called marital aids, rather than sexual aids. ‘At the turn of the century, the vibrator kind of split into two product lines,’ explained technology historian Rachel Maines. ‘One was for doctors and one was for consumers and doctors really hated the idea that there were consumer vibrators out there. ‘There were these relatively inexpensive, some that looked like an egg beater for people who didn't have electricity. And there were battery powered ones. ‘There were even water-powered ones that you could attach to your sink!’ A solid bronze amulet, in the form of Priapus, is among the artefacts displayed at the Wellcome Collection . The Institute of Sexology exhibition features rare archival material, erotica, film, photography, medical artefacts and ethnography, all related to sex. A collection of sexual aids on display is pictured. The exhibition runs at the London-based museum until 20 September 2015 . | A siltstone phallus found in Germany is said to date back 28,000 years .
It is quoted as being the oldest known 'sex toy' ever discovered .
Phalluses made from stone, wood, leather and even camel dung have all been found during excavations, or referenced in historical text and images .
The Wellcome Collection has a number of sexual artefacts on display as part of its Institute of Sexology exhibition . |
12,144 | 2276b52eed220214a07ffc641daa4870d2a7af0c | (CNN) -- Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso will battle it out for the Formula One title at the final race in Brazil after Lewis Hamilton's victory in Texas ensured the German must wait for his third successive championship crown. Hamilton secured back-to-back victories at the United States Grand Prix in front of a capacity crowd of 135,000, overtaking Red Bull's Vettel on lap 42 of 56 in Austin and relegating the 25-year-old to second in his 100th F1 race. Alonso kept his title dream alive by finishing third, and gained a controversial place on the grid before the race after teammate Felipe Massa broke the seal on his Ferrari's gearbox and took a five place penalty. It all points towards a dramatic climax in Sao Paulo, where Vettel will defend a 13-point lead over his Spanish rival, needing to finish fourth or higher to retain the world championship. Latest F1 standings . The race marked a triumphant return to the United States for Formula One after an absence of five years, with drivers and pundits impressed with the show put on at the newly built Circuit of the Americas. Though he didn't clinch the drivers' championship crown, Vettel's performance did ensure Red Bull won the constructors' championship for the third time in a row. But the German, who was heard to be angry on the team radio after Hamilton passed him, blamed Force India backmarker Narain Karthikeyan for slowing him down at a critical moment of the race. "I wasn't too happy to send a nice big invitation to Lewis when I had to go through Karthikeyan," he said. "He was right behind in the DRS zone. He took that opportunity, fair enough, down the straight and he passed me. I tried to defend, but I knew he would have so much more speed. "I was obviously not too happy. Lewis had one chance and he took it. After that I tried to stay with him, but there wasn't much between us." Vettel got to the first corner in front of the chasing pack off the grid and his teammate Mark Webber was able to steal a place on Hamilton and move into second. But after Webber retired with mechanical failure on lap 17 Hamilton began stalking Vettel until he engaged his DRS boost to flick past the German 14 laps from home, the pair's cars only a matter of inches apart. Can F1 rekindle its American dream? Alonso jumped a place after Ferrari's decision to invoke a five-place grid penalty for Felipe Massa, which meant he switched from the dusty, slower portion of the track to the clean side. The difference was clear as Alonso charged round the outside and gained three places going into the first corner. The Spaniard also benefited from Webber's retirement as he held on to third place. Massa battled his way up to fourth place while Hamilton's McLaren teammate Jenson Button claimed fifth. Hamilton, who will end his long association with McLaren after the final race of the campaign in Brazil, was elated with his victory, his second successive triumph in the States after winning the last US GP at Indianapolis in 2007. "First-time winner! I'm so happy," he said. "The fans were amazing, thank you. It was such a warm welcome and one of the best, if not the best, race of the year -- especially for me and the team. "It's been a long time since we had a win. I'm so proud of the team and grateful for the support we've had." | F1 title will go to the final race of the season after Lewis Hamilton wins US GP .
Sebastian Vettel is second and extends lead over Fernando Alonso to 13 points .
Red Bull's Vettel and Ferrari's Alonso will go head-to-head for the title in Brazil .
Vettel's display secures Red Bull their third successive constructors' championship . |
128,482 | 3207c07bc7ace3a01ad233641f1df91ab37a505e | By . William Turvill . A fish and chip shop is offering customers a variety of battered Christmas treats to enjoy over the festive period – including deep fried mince pies. Mister Eaters Eating Emporium, in Ribbleton, near Preston, Lancashire, is also selling deep fried Ferrero Rochers and Christmas puddings this December. The shop was visited by Heston Blumenthal last year, and its culinary creations rival the celebrity chef for their originality. Scroll down for video . A fish and chip shop is offering customers deep fried mince pies and other battered treats this December . Mister Eaters Eating Emporium, in Ribbleton, near Preston, Lancashire, is also offering customers deep fried Ferrero Rochers and Christmas puddings . John Clarkson's shop is offering the deep fried Christmas treats as well as its usual offering, fish and chips . John Clarkson, 54, who runs the shop with his wife Corinne, 39, concentrates on . mince pies in December, but also offers battered Tunnock’s Teacakes and . deep fried cheesecake through the year. The mince pies sell for 80p each - or £1.30 with cream or ice cream - and, along with the Ferrero Rochers, are very popular over the Christmas period. ‘I do ask people if they want salt and vinegar on their mince pies and Christmas pud as a joke, and they just look at me,’ said Mr Clarkson. ‘They don’t know what to say – is it wrong or is it right?’ While Ferrero Rochers are a new invention for the shop, Mr Clarkson has perfected the frying of mince pies over a decade. Blumenthal, who visited the shop while filming for Channel 4’s Fantastical Food, also specialises in deep fried mince pies, but Mr Clarkson believes his shop has been doing it for longer. Mr Clarkson, pictured here with wife Corinne, has run the shop for 25 years . 'I do ask people if they want salt and vinegar on their mince pies and Christmas pud as a joke, and they just look at me,' said Mr Clarkson . While Ferrero Rochers are a new invention for the shop, the Clarksons have perfected the frying of mince pies over a decade . Asked how they taste, he said: ‘Fantastic – and I’m not just saying that.’ Mr Clarkson, who has run the shop over 25 years, said mince pies along with Ferrero Rochers are the shop’s most popular deep fried products because Christmas puddings ‘aren’t for everyone’. Asked why the shop started selling deep fried mince pies, he said: 'You have to be different to be noticed - and they do sell as well.' He also predicted the sweet battered treats could catch on in the rest of the country in the future. On the new Ferrero Rocher invention, Mrs Clarkson said: ‘Both myself and John have tried both and so have all the staff. We all firmly agree that they are a great taste sensation. So wrong - yet so right. 'The very idea of them puts a smile on your face, imagine what the taste will do. ‘It’s winter, it’s cold, it’s dark, we’re in a double dip recession, all things Christmas should be celebrated, food with a sense of humour? It’s a no brainer.’ The deep fried mince pies sell for 80p - or £1.30 when served with cream or ice cream . Asked how the deep fried treats taste, Mr Clarkson said: 'Fantastic - and I'm not just saying that' | Also sells deep fried Ferrero Rochers and battered Christmas puddings .
Mister Eaters Eating Emporium, near Preston, Lancashire, has been run by John Clarkson for 25 years .
Also sells deep fried Tunnock's Teacakes and cheesecake through the year . |
113,064 | 1df0c0777d4de7367aead70dfc45d1fd869a1889 | (CNN) -- A Catholic hospital in hot water for claiming in a Colorado court that a fetus is not a person backtracked on Monday, saying it was "morally wrong" to make the argument while defending itself in a wrongful death lawsuit. The flip-flop concerns the case of Lori Stodghill. She was 28 weeks pregnant with twins when she went to the emergency room of St. Thomas More Hospital in Canon City, Colorado, vomiting and short of breath. She went into cardiac arrest in the lobby and died. That was New Year's Day 2006. Her husband, Jeremy Stodghill, sued the hospital and its owner, Catholic Health Initiatives, for the wrongful deaths of his wife and their unborn sons. Given the Catholic Church's belief that life begins at conception, defense attorneys for the hospital and doctors then entered an unusual argument. Proposal would give way out of birth-control coverage . They said that under state law, an embryo is not person until it is born alive. The claim attracted widespread attention and criticism, which apparently forced the about-face. "In the discussion with the Church leaders, CHI representatives acknowledged that it was morally wrong for attorneys representing St. Thomas More Hospital to cite the state's Wrongful Death Act in defense of this lawsuit. That law does not consider fetuses to be persons, which directly contradicts the moral teachings of the Church," Catholic Health Initiatives said in a statement. It promised that attorneys for the hospital would not cite the Wrongful Death Act in any future hearings. Stodghill has petitioned the Colorado Supreme Court to hear his case. The state's bishops similarly released a statement, expressing support for CHI and for the Stodghill family. "We join CHI in affirming the fundamental truth that human life, human dignity and human rights begin at conception. No law can ever mitigate God-given human rights," they said. "Each human life is a sacred gift, created as a unique and unrepeatable expression of God's love. Life is given by God, and the right to life is a fundamental good, without which no other rights can be enjoyed." Before and after Roe v. Wade . CNN's Dana Ford, Ben Brumfield and Kyung Lah contributed to this report. | Catholic hospital reverses stance in case of Lori Stodghill, who died there .
Her husband sued the hospital on behalf of his wife and their unborn twins .
Attorneys for the hospital argued in court that a fetus is not a person . |
250,750 | d0834c92b709d0a461a85040cd0772b232512375 | Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri has revealed he plans to deploy Paul Pogba in a more advanced role this season. The French midfielder has mainly been used in an orthodox central role since joining Juve two years ago but Allegri wants to push him further forward to utilise his attacking talents better. 'I will try to use Pogba more in attack,' Allegri said in Indonesia on the Italian club's pre-season tour. Pressing matters: Allegri and Pogba talk to the media in Indonesia on Tuesday . Middle man: Pogba is considered to be among the best midfielder in world football . 'He is one of the best young players in the world, with enormous technical and physical qualities. Having said that, there is also still plenty of room for improvement.' Pogba joined Juventus from Manchester United two years ago and has scored 14 goals in 88 games in Italy, establishing himself as one of the best midfielders in Europe. He has been consistently linked with a move back to United or to Chelsea, while his team-mate and fellow midfielder Arturo Vidal has also been targeted by the Old Trafford club. Staying put: Allegri also insisted that Vidal (centre) would not be leaving Juventus this summer . But Allegri - who took over at Juve after Antonio Conte resigned last month - was quick to dismiss any suggestions that either of the pair may leave this summer. He said: 'Vidal and Pogba are delighted to be here and I am delighted to coach them.' | Paul Pogba is about to start his third season at Juventus .
France international has been outstanding in orthodox midfield role .
New head coach Massimiliano Allegri plans to push Pogba further forward . |
232,097 | b88bb20303d0d2dce5424b57778bac5d79c43c88 | By . Associated Press and Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 01:04 EST, 24 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:04 EST, 24 May 2013 . Five people have been arrested in the robbery of more than $4million in jewelry, watches and diamonds from a Connecticut store in an elaborate heist that began with the kidnapping of store employees more than 40 miles away, federal authorities said on Thursday. The defendants are four men from Pennsylvania and another from New York City who conducted extensive planning, including surveillance of the victims and a practice run a week before the crime, according to an FBI affidavit. A group of men wearing masks and gloves broke into the apartment in Meriden on April 11, and bound and gagged four people, including the manager and another employee of a Lenox Jewelry store in Fairfield. Caught: Two of the alleged suspects are seen entering the Lenox Jewelers store in Fairfield, Connecticut in this surveillance video . Heist: More than $4million in jewelry was taken from the Lenox Jewelers store in the daring robbery . The two employees were then taken at gunpoint in the manager's BMW and driven about 40 miles to the store, where they were forced to open the door and to use their access codes to open the safe, authorities said. One of the masked men told the store manager they had been following them for months, the FBI affidavit said, and that he 'drove really fast.' Among the defendants is 31-year-old Timothy Forbes, who was arrested at his home in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on May 8 on allegations he was involved in a July 2012 jewelry store robbery in York. Authorities were led to the suspects with the help of cell phone records, News 12 Connecticut reported. Prep: Authorities say that the suspects planned the robbery for months . He had $13,100 in $100 bills and a Connecticut lottery ticket purchased in March, the FBI said. He remained in custody Thursday. The other defendants are William Davis, 25, and Jeffrey Houston, both of Allentown; Kasam Hennix, 39, of Easton, Pennsylvania; and Christopher Gay, 27, of the Bronx. Houston and Gay made a federal court appearance in Bridgeport while Davis and Hennix appeared before a judge in Allentown. All four were ordered detained. Each of the defendants is charged with kidnapping, robbery and use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Gone: Each of the defendants is charged with kidnapping, robbery and use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence . Attorneys for Houston and Gay did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. It wasn't clear who was representing the other defendants. 'Fortunately these individuals were arrested before committing similar crimes that place the lives of innocent persons at risk,' U.S. Marshal Joseph Faughnan said. The victims reported they were restrained in the back of the store during the robbery. They were able to free themselves and call police after the thieves took off in their car. The BMW was found in Fairfield the next day. The victims told authorities the robbers appeared to communicate with cellphones or walkie-talkies. The two non-employees held in Meriden were released one minute after the two suspects left the Fairfield jewelry store, police said. | Five people from Pennsylvania and New York arrested in relation to the 'well-planned' crime .
The FBI says the suspects had been planning the heist for months, which included surveillance on victims, casing the store, and a practice run .
Authorities say cell phone records led them to the suspects . |
227,686 | b2ce3ce5e4d3f986c398e9cedb649cf14ec4db5c | A 24-year-old new mother calls her life 'heaven' now, but it didn't always used to be that way. In 1998, at just 8-years-old, Shyima Hall was sold into slavery by her parents in Egypt. She spent the next four years working 20 hours days for a family that hit her, called her stupid, and kept her in a cell-like bedroom. Hall finally got her taste of freedom two years after the family she worked for moved to California, and child services received an anonymous tip about her existence. Child slave: Shyima Hall was sold into slavery by her parents in Egypt when she was just 8-years-old. Now 24, Hall has since gained her freedom and now works as an advocate to spread awareness of child trafficking . Captors: Hall was kept as a slave by wealthy Egyptian couple Abdel Nasser Eid Youssef (left) and his wife Amal Admed Ewis-Abd El Motelib (right) for four years, two of which were spent in Southern California . Now she has written a book, Hidden Girl, shedding more light on her dark years as a servant and how she's bounced back to create a life of her own. 'I want people to know this can happen. Slavery is not in the history book. It's right next to you,' she told People magazine. Hall was one of 11 children born to her parents in the slums south of Alexandria. She says her home life was mostly happy, but her construction-worker father did beat the kids up. Her childhood came to an end the day one of her older sisters was accused of stealing something from the home of her wealthy employers, a man named Abdel Nasser Eid Youssef Ibrahim and his wife Amal Admed Ewis-Abd El Motelib. Used and abused: During her time as a slave, Hall worked 20 hours a day and was only allowed one meal - the family's leftovers from dinner . Hall went with her mother to visit the wealthy couple's house in Cairo and listened as they demanded a younger replacement to make up for the stolen property. Suprisingly, Hall's mother agreed. Hall cried as her mother left and the last thing she said was: 'This is for the good of the family'. Freedom: Hall gained her freedom two years after the family moved to California and someone sent an anonymous tip about her existence into child services . Hall spent the next two years working for Ibrahim and Motelib who she called 'the Dad' and 'the Mom', caring for the couple's pair of twins three years younger than her and a daughter about the same age. She says the children 'knew what I was and reminded me all the time' while the Dad would smack her with his fist and the Mom would call her 'stupid slave'. The terrible treatment seemed endless for Hall, who would call her mom crying asking when she could come home. 'She'd always say, "You need to pay off your sister's debt"' Two years later, the family relocated to Irvine, California and their abuse got even worse. In Cairo, the family had a staff, but in the smaller California home Hall was the only doing all the work. She got up at 5:30am every day to get the kids ready for school and proceeded to work on the upkeep of the house for the rest of the day, scared the Mom would come home and criticize her cleaning. She never took a break for eating either since she was only allowed one meal a day - whatever was leftover from the family's dinner. As for Hall's part of the house, the family kept her in a room without heat, air-conditioning or lighting with only a bare mattress to sleep on. She had to wash her clothes by hand after she learned the lesson not to use the washing and drying machines. When the Mom discovered her using the dryer one day she screamed, and said: 'Your clothes are never to touch ours. This bucket is what you wash your clothes in, behind the house.' Video Source The Jeff Probst Show . American now: Hall decided not to return to Egypt to live her family, and decided to stay in the U.S. Above, becoming a citizen in 2011 . In addition to her job at the mall, Hall works to spread awareness of child trafficking. On the left, speaking at an awareness event in 2008 . Hall never considered escape out of fear of what would happen if she was found. 'The Mom and the Dad would tell me "If you walk out the cops are going to get you and beat you and you'll never see your family again"' Hall remembers. She got through each day by focusing on seeing her three younger siblings again - it 'was all I thought about'. Her lucky day came in 2002 when someone sent an anonymous tip into child services and a group of police, social workers and immigration officials stormed the house and took her away from her abusers. After years as a slave, Hall's only reaction to her freedom was fear. Ibrahim even had the nerve to order her to conceal her identity from police. Published: Hall has written a book on her experiences as a modern child slave . The last thing he told her in Arabic was: 'Don't tell them you work for us, say you're here for a visit'. Hall contacted her parents soon after being released and instead of being happy to have their daughter back, her father was upset she left the family 'that had put a roof over my head'. Her dad told her to return to Egypt, but this time Hall made her own choice and decided to stay in the U.S. She bounced around foster homes for the next few years and eventually became a U.S. citizen, attended three years of community college and now she works as an assistant manager at a luggage store. In addition to her job, Hall works to spread awareness of human trafficking and hopes to one day become an Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agent. She also has a daughter, Athena, with boyfriend Daniel Eurquidez. 'Holding her up in my arms, I couldn't imagine giving her up - not even to save the world,' Hall said. 'i have my beautiful daughter and my boyfriend. It was a hard road, but I'm 100 per cent okay.' Her father has since died, and she hasn't seen her family since gaining her freedom. But she does hope to one day reconnect with her siblings. Both Ibrahim and Motelib were convicted and sentenced to two to three years in prison. Motelib was deported back to Egypt but her husband may still be living in Southern California. | In 1998 Shyima Hall was sold into slavery by her parents in Egypt to repay a debt .
For the next four years she lived under the control of an abusive wealthy couple, eventually moving with them to California .
Hall was finally freed in 2002 when child services received an anonymous tip on her whereabouts .
The couple that imprisoned her were sentenced to two to three years in prison .
Now 24, Hall is a U.S. citizen with a job, boyfriend, and young daughter of her own . |
86,041 | f412fe3c2c594f6f135a933cf6fb8bb93a60bdb7 | BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (CNN) -- On his knees in the soggy soil, 9-year-old Alexis Ocampo digs deep into the earth, his small gardening rake separating dirt from rocks. "Look, I found a worm!" he shrieks. Towering above is Andrea Girardini, calmly instructing Alexis and the half-dozen other children working to clear spots for new crops. "We can put a squash plant here, and some lettuce over there," says Girardini, a director of Semillas al Viento, a community organization that teaches neighborhood kids practical skills that help them put food on the table. "The children come here and learn how to farm and how to cultivate their very own organic vegetables. Then they bring them home to eat. It's a wonderful alternative to sitting in front of the computer," she says. The Semillas al Viento (Seeds to the Wind) farm is located in Isidro Casanova, a poor area in Buenos Aires' sprawling urban rust belt, where green spaces are few and far between. Five years ago, the football-field sized area was overrun with garbage and frequented by criminals, but following a community effort to reclaim it, it now teems with trees, grass and flowers, as well as eggplants, tomatoes, lemons and herbs. There's even a small pond where kids and dogs happily splash around. "I really enjoy being here. It's like my happiest place to be. The fresh air is great," says Alexis. The Semillas al Viento farm is a part of Huerta Nino (My Garden), a nonprofit foundation that works to alleviate malnutrition and starvation in Argentina. Since 1999, it has helped build more than 50 small farms, many of them in isolated villages in northern Argentina. Despite being one of the world's largest agricultural-producing countries, Argentina still struggles to feed its people. "Hunger is one of the gravest problems that Argentina has right now. At least 300,000 Argentine children are suffering from undernourishment," says Juan Lapetini, executive director of Huerta Nino. Nearly 5,000 Argentine children have been educated about sustainable farming practices through the "My Garden" program, which has also been endorsed by Argentine celebrity chef Martiniano Molina, and won various awards for its initiatives. Typically, the program is introduced first at rural schools, where the crops that students grow are then taken home to eat. The long-term objective, coordinators say, is to have the children create vegetable gardens at home with their parents. "Getting parents to change their eating habits, and encouraging them to provide nutritious food to the kids is sometimes the biggest challenge," says Lapetini. Following Argentina's economic collapse in 2001 -- when the country defaulted on $100 billion in foreign debt -- poverty, crime and unemployment rates soared. The crisis, coupled with Argentina's lack of philanthropic tradition, led to the creation of HelpArgentina, a U.S. charity that functions as a bridge between international donors and a network of 65 transparent Argentine NGOs, like Huerta Nino. Since 2003, HelpArgentina has channeled more than $3 million in donations to the country, and coordinated the visits of hundreds of foreign volunteers. In January, a group of students from the University of Virginia spent two weeks at the Semillas al Viento farm, working directly with children and instructors to clear additional farming land and build adobe huts and bathrooms. They also left a sizeable donation. "When you work day-in and day-out with these organizations ... and you know their needs and struggles ... to receive donations from abroad, even if it is a small amount, it literally changes the reality of many of these organizations," says HelpArgentina's Jon Teel. "Witnessing these changes is amazing. And that's why we do what we do." | Community efforts have reclaimed lots filled with garbage into urban gardens .
Children's hunger and undernourishment are big problems in Argentina .
Organizations hope that by teaching children about farming, they can have access to nutritious food . |
185,222 | 7bed01e6a9f04a8b9839c280e0d9cb4b1d0bc4b8 | By . James Rush . PUBLISHED: . 09:18 EST, 19 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:43 EST, 19 April 2013 . David Price, the leader of a gang of travellers who ripped off victims across the country, claimed he had spent some of the £1.3m gained on Big Fat Gypsy Wedding-style presents . The leader of a gang of rogue traders which made more than £1.3 million by conning elderly people tried to get out of repaying the cash by claiming he had spent some of it on Big Fat Gypsy Wedding-style presents. David Price led a gang of travellers who ripped off victims across the country by massively overcharging for unnecessary and shoddy home maintenance or gardening jobs, carefully picking the most vulnerable householders. He and members of his family from Brigg, Humberside, were jailed at Teesside Crown Court in 2011 for fraud and money laundering. A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing was held this week. Price, 44, who is currently serving more than seven-and-a-half years, told the hearing he spent thousands on weddings for others in his community, jewellery and furs from Bond Street, his horses and vans, as well as gambling and cigarettes. He told the court the show Big Fat Gypsy Weddings showed how travellers often clubbed together to pay for lavish ceremonies and splashed out on generous presents. But Judge Howard Crowson, sitting yesterday at Teesside Crown Court, said: 'In Mr Price's evidence there was an attempt to persuade me that it is part of his culture to provide lavish gifts at weddings and a reference to popular television in support. 'If I regarded popular television as a guide to behaviour in the general population I would do a disservice to the general population. 'Mr Price produced no evidence of any such purchase and mentioned not a single person to whom he had made such a gift.' The gang was found to have benefited from their crimes by a total of £1,338,047.40 and must repay £413,948.35 of that - but should their assets increase in future, they could be forced to pay back the full amount. Price now faces a longer jail term if he does not repay £368,350.77 of the £455,629 he was found to have benefited from through crime. His wife Angelina Price, also known as Nicholson, must pay back £22,149.60 of the £509,384.56 she benefited from. Judge Crowson said of David Price yesterday: 'My overall view was of a man who, whilst seeking to appear fair-minded, merely pretended to be making concessions as to expenditure when he was, at all times, seeking to mislead me so as to reduce his potential liability.' Angelina Price (left) must pay back £22,149.60 of the £509,384.56 she benefited from. Members of the Price family, from Brigg, Humberside (right) were jailed at Teesside Crown Court in 2011 for fraud and money laundering . A judge sitting at Teesside Crown Court (pictured) yesterday said Price 'produced no evidence' of buying lavish gifts for weddings . North Yorkshire Trading Standards officers began an 18-month investigation into the Prices after the gang moved to an illegal site off the A1 at Dishforth while on their way to Appleby Horse Fair and there were complaints about elderly people being conned by doorstep traders offering to carry out gardening work. Investigations revealed the lengths to which the gang would go to press their victims - some in their 90s and extremely frail, many suffering from dementia - to pay for work which was rarely ever done. One 85-year-old was pressured to part with £52,000; another victim, over 80 and the sole carer of a husband with dementia, was defrauded of more than £23,000 for gardening work. 'If I regarded popular television as a . guide to behaviour in the general population I would do a disservice to . the general population' - Judge Howard Crowson . As the investigation developed, hundreds of payments into multiple bank accounts held by the gang and their associates were found. Victims were found throughout Yorkshire and the Humber region and across other counties including Essex, Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Nottinghamshire. The Prices pretended to be genuine tree surgeons despite having no qualifications. The operation involved flyers, magnetic signs for their vans and staff in branded T-shirts, running seven or eight differently-named firms. When their caravan site was raided, officers found £25,000 in cash in a kettle. After the hearing, David Bowe, North Yorkshire County Council's director of business and environmental services, said: 'We are absolutely determined to use every tool available to us to protect vulnerable residents in this county from doorstep crime and to achieve justice for them, including compensation payments, when they have been defrauded by such appalling offenders as these. 'The Proceeds of Crime Act is an extremely valuable tool which is available to us and the courts to ensure that crime does not pay and that victims in cases such as this get their hard-earned savings back.' Trading Standards traced at least 81 victims, and they or their estates will be a priority to be repaid from the Prices' cash, a spokeswoman said. | David Price led gang of travellers who ripped off victims across country .
Was jailed, with members of family, in 2011 for fraud and money laundering .
Told the hearing he spent thousands on weddings for others in community .
Proceeds of Crime Act hearing was held this week at Teesside Crown Court .
Gang benefited by more than £1.3m and ordered to repay £413,948 .
Price faces longer jail term if he does not repay £368,350 . |
252,589 | d2e32f3c946293259d1f244e7bd88246e272def0 | By . Becky Evans . PUBLISHED: . 15:47 EST, 9 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:19 EST, 10 June 2013 . A wealthy French hermit, whose marriage to a glamorous Parisian estate agent made headlines around the world, cut her out of his will before he died. The marriage of toothless land owner Marcel Amphoux to Sandrine Devillard, who was 25 years his junior, caused controversy in France after residents in Puy-Saint-Pierre turned out to boo and whistle throughout the ceremony. They said they were concerned about Devillard's motivation for marrying the 68-year-old, who lived in a hut close to the Italian border without electricity or running water. Marcel Amphoux, who died in a car crash last year, has cut wife Sandrine Devillard (pictured together) out of his will, according to reports . Their marriage made headlines after villagers turned up to boo and whistle throughout the ceremony . Amphoux, who died in a crash in November, owned five shepherd's huts close to Alpine ski resort Serre Chevalier. The huts may be worth hundreds of thousands of euros each if they were converted into ski chalets. Land in the area is worth up to 3,500 euros per square metre, local media reported. But, Amphoux's blonde wife, 42, has been cut out of his will and has been left nothing, according to The Independent. A local lawyer has told the newspaper that Amphoux's will has been uncovered. He said that it was written on the back of an envelope in the weeks before he died. According to the reports the . shepherd's huts have been left to the tenants and the rest of his estate . has been left to an unnamed beneficiary. Lawyer Jean-Michel Colmant was quoted . in The Independent as saying: 'Everyone who has seen it confirms that it . is in Marcel's writing. He has clearly stated that he wishes to leave . nothing to his wife.' Devillard has not commented but is expected to contest the will. Puy-Saint-Pierre villagers speculated about the Parisian estate agent's motivation for marrying toothless Amphoux, who lived in a hut without running water or electricity . Amphoux, pictured in his wife's homemade music video, owned five shepherd's huts that he refused to sell but could have been worth hundreds of thousands of euros . French media reported the romance began when Devillard approached Amphoux in a bid to buy his land. He refused and they began a relationship soon afterwards. Villagers said she told tenants that they were being evicted and that the huts were hers. Village mayor Jean-Marius Barnéoud reportedly even asked police to investigate the unlikely union over fears Amphoux was being duped into marrying her. Photographs of their wedding appeared in national newspapers. She wore a raspberry, satin gown with gold jewellery and a bejewelled handbag. Amphoux was dressed in a suit but kept his floppy hat on for the ceremony. After intense speculation about her motivation for marrying Amphoux, Devillard attempted to silence her critics with a self-penned song and music video about her love for her husband. Marcel Amphoux died in November last year after the car being driven by his wife's friend plummeted off a mountain in heavy mist . In the video for The Call of the Sun, Devillard is dressed in a medieval-style dress as she runs around the mountains. Amphoux also appears but wears a hood that covers his face. Devillard said at the time: 'Marcel is a man from the Middle Ages, even prehistoric times. 'I am a true Parisian. I still live there. But I visit my husband as often as I can. To see him and to make him smile,' according to The Independent. Marcel Amphoux died in November last year after a car, being driven by his wife's friend, plummeted off a mountain in heavy mist. | Local residents turned out to boo and whistle during the marriage ceremony of Marcel Amphoux and Sandrine Devillard in 2011 .
Concerned about her motivation for marrying the toothless shepherd.
Amphoux owned five shepherd's huts potentially worth hundreds of thousands of euros .
But local lawyer said Amphoux left none of his estate to Parisian wife . |
165,318 | 61c35448b9026b2fb39c09fba632ddfa5e64a772 | Washington (CNN) -- The FBI has launched an investigation into an alleged incident of child sexual abuse at a facility that provides services to children of civilian and military personnel who work at the Army's Fort Meade in Maryland. At present, there is one known allegation concerning the Youth Center, according to Chad Jones, spokesman for the installation that lies between Washington and Baltimore. But officials are sending hundreds of letters to families whose children might have come in contact with an unidentified civilian man who worked at the center from 2005 until his resignation in 2012. They are publicizing the case to see whether others may come forward, Jones said Friday. The man's position was not immediately known, but Jones said "he worked with kids." A town hall meeting for families is scheduled for Thursday. Mary Doyle, also with public affairs at Fort Meade, told CNN that the center generally serves children in grades 6-8 through sports programs and non-athletic activities, such as computer labs and arts and crafts. On weekends, younger children occasionally partake in activities. About 20 staff members typically are at the center when activities under way, Doyle said. The Youth Center is not a school. Schools at Fort Meade are operated by Maryland's Anne Arundel County Public Schools. The employee in question had no connection to any of the schools, she said. A 24-hour family hotline has been set up for anyone who has more questions for base officials. The FBI said it would have no comment. Civilian law enforcement alerted Fort Meade to the alleged incident, officials said. George Wright with Army public affairs said the FBI is leading the investigation because the allegation involves a federal facility. "Fort Meade is fully cooperating with the FBI's investigation and is providing support to families as necessary," he said in a statement. Hagel outlines plan to reduce, respond to sexual assault cases . CNN's Larry Shaughnessy contributed to this report. | The FBI is looking into an alleged incident at Army post's youth center .
Case linked to former employee at Fort Meade in Maryland .
Letters sent out to families .
Officials want to know of possible other incidents . |
212,506 | 9f2d065de225a2c3f3323c6ef630989dec0a216e | Los Angeles (CNN) -- Jurors deciding if a concert promoter is liable in Michael Jackson's death will return for a fourth day of deliberations Wednesday. The panel of 12 worked nearly 11 hours since closing arguments Thursday without reaching a verdict, a fact that might offer encouragement to the lawyers for Jackson's mother and three children. A "no" decision on the first of 16 questions on their verdict form -- Did AEG Live hire Dr. Conrad Murray -- would have immediately ended the trial without a need to consider the remaining 15 questions that concern negligence and damages. If they've already completed work on the first question in nearly 11 hours of deliberations, it would represent a major hurdle for the Jacksons' case in the five-month-long wrongful death trial. Katherine Jackson and her grandchildren Prince, Paris and Blanket contend AEG Live is responsible for the pop icon's death because it negligently hired, retained or supervised the doctor convicted in his death. Jackson died of an overdose of the surgical anesthetic propofol, which Dr. Conrad Murray told investigators he was using to treat the singer's insomnia so he could rest for rehearsals. Murray is set to be released from jail later this month after serving two years for involuntary manslaughter. The death happened just days before Jackson's comeback tour -- promoted and produced by AEG Live -- was set to debut in London in the summer of 2009. Question No. 1 . Did AEG Live hire Murray? The company's lawyers contend Jackson chose Murray, who had treated him for three years as a family physician, but Jackson lawyers argue the promoters chose to negotiate their own contract with the doctor so they could control him. A so-called "smoking gun" e-mail sent by AEG Live Co-CEO Paul Gongaware 11 days before Jackson died said, "We want to remind (Murray) that it is AEG, not MJ, who is paying his salary. We want to remind him what is expected of him." The Jacksons also point to a television interview soon after Jackson died in which AEG Live CEO Randy Phillips said AEG Live "hired" Murray. If jurors say yes to the hiring question, deliberations then turn to the questions of negligence. Were AEG Live executives negligent in dealing with Murray and did their negligence contribute significantly to Jackson's death? AEG Live lawyers argue they had no way of knowing that Murray -- licensed to practice in four states and never sued for malpractice -- was a risk to Jackson. The singer was a secretive drug addict who kept even his closest relatives in the dark about his use of propofol to sleep, they contend. Jackson lawyers contend the company's agreement with Murray created a medical conflict of interest that led him to break his Hippocratic Oath to do no harm. Murray, who was $1 million in debt, was pressured to deliver the risky treatments or else possibly lose the $150,000 monthly salary, they argue. Executives ignored a series of warning signs that Jackson was at risk in his last weeks, including deteriorating health that included weight loss, inability to perform his trademark dances or remember lyrics to his standard songs, and paranoia, the Jacksons argue. A sleep expert testified that the nightly propofol infusions robbed Jackson of vital REM sleep, which caused the deterioration. Blame and damages . If jurors reach a decision that AEG Live is liable, then they'll consider other questions to determine how much in damages the promoter must pay Katherine, Prince, Paris and Blanket Jackson. Jackson lead lawyer Brian Panish suggested a range between $1 billion and $2 billion to replace the earnings lost by Jackson's death at age 50 and the non-economic -- or personal -- damages from the loss of a father and son. The damage award, however, would be reduced by the percentage of blame jurors decide Michael Jackson shares in his death. The Jackson lawyer suggested in closing arguments Thursday that they assigned 20% of the liability to Jackson. Engaged jurors . Jurors appeared engaged and entertained through 21 weeks of the trial, which included dramatic testimony by Jackson's mother, son and former wife. Several jurors even applauded at the end of testimony by famed choreographer-director Kenny Ortega. Their first notes to the judge Friday indicated that Juror No. 6 had been chosen as presiding juror -- or foreman. He is a high school physical education teacher who heads to the football field after each day of court to coach a team. They also asked for 12 copies of the written contract AEG Live sent to Murray, a copy of the "This Is It" film -- which documents Jackson's last rehearsals -- and a DVD player. A Jackson lawyer suggested outside of court that it would be a good sign for his side If deliberations last more than a few days -- since it indicates jurors have moved past the key initial questions. CNN's camera will be in the courtroom when a verdict is read. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Yvette Palazuelos approved the network's request last week to televise the closing arguments and verdict. She refused a request in April to allow cameras in court for the opening and testimony phase. | NEW: Jurors deliberate nearly 11 hours over 3 days .
The first question: Did AEG Live hire Dr. Murray?
Lengthy deliberations would benefit the Jacksons, a lawyer suggests .
A verdict would be televised . |
174,539 | 6de6c4b7f9b985e53c136a0c30ab31dc3623fb39 | By . Anthony Bond . PUBLISHED: . 07:55 EST, 9 August 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 11:36 EST, 9 August 2012 . Facebook has been forced to take down a page which mocked Aborigines as 'drunks who sniff petrol' following widespread outrage across Australia. The controversial page, which also accused Aborigines of 'bludging on welfare' caused a storm of protest and campaigns for its removal. It had more than 4,000 'likes' as well as pictures of indigenous people with offensive captions. Controversial: Facebook has been forced to take down a page which mocked Aborigines as 'drunks who sniff petrol' following widespread outrage across Australia. This is a file picture of three Aborigines . According to the Herald Sun, one such caption said 'How do you kill 1000 flies at once? Slap me in the face.' The page was created in Australia on June 4 and quickly attracted hundreds of angry comments. It led to other Facebook users starting online petitions calling for it to be taken down. Initially, Facebook said it had no plans to take action and remove the webpage. But following a storm of protests - with Federal Communications Minister Stephen Conroy even weighing into the debate - the social media giant has now decided to remove the page. In a statement, Facebook also said it was in discussion with the Australian Race Discrimination Commissioner. According to the Herald Sun, Facebook . added: 'We recognise the public concern that controversial meme Pages . that Australians have created on Facebook have caused. Buckled: Initially, Facebook said it had no plans to take action and remove the webpage. But following a storm of protests it has now decided to remove the page. Its CEO Mark Zuckerberg is pictured . 'We believe that sharing information, and the openness that results, invites conversation, debate and greater understanding. 'At the same time, we recognise that some content that is shared may be controversial, offensive, or even illegal in some countries.' Australia's race discrimination commissioner Helen Szoke said the page could breach the country's anti-discrimination laws. One Aboriginal elder from the Wurundjeri tribe said he was offended by some of the anonymous posts on the page. Ian Hunter said he was not opposed to Aboriginal humour but disliked anonymous comments from people who did not state facts about who they are and why they are making the comments. | It also .
accused Aborigines of 'bludging on welfare' which resulted in campaigns for its removal .
Page had more than 4,000 'likes' as well as pictures of indigenous people with offensive captions . |
67,457 | bf6b29d9eb999df15d8f8ce63bed0d03f01134e4 | Two police staff could face charges over the treatment of Bijan Ebrahimi (pictured) who was murdered by a vigilante who branded him a paedophile . Two civilian police staff could face charges over the treatment of a disabled man murdered by a vigilante who branded him a paedophile. Bijan Ebrahimi, 44, repeatedly contacted Avon and Somerset Police complaining that he was the victim of anti-social behaviour and was being targeted by his neighbours in Bristol. Mr Ebrahimi begged officers to help, telling them he did not feel safe in his home, hours before he was beaten to death and his body set on fire by neighbour Lee James in July last year. James, of Brislington, Bristol pleaded guilty to murder and was jailed for life with a minimum term of 18 years. Stephen Norley, who lived next door to James, pleaded guilty to assisting an offender after obtaining white spirit and helping to drag Mr Ebrahimi's body to where it was set alight. He was jailed for four years. A post-mortem examination found Mr Ebrahimi suffered 'multiple heavy blows to the face and head' and died before he was set alight. The Independent Police Complaints Commission has now sent a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service in relation to a call handler and a dispatch supervisor for Avon and Somerset Police. The CPS must decide whether criminal charges should be brought on the basis of the evidence the IPCC has uncovered. The IPCC said it had completed its investigation into police treatment of Mr Ebrahimi in the days before his death. In July the watchdog passed a file of evidence to prosecutors concerning three constables and a community support officer. In total the IPCC has investigated five constables, three sergeants, two inspectors, one community support officer, five call handlers and two control room dispatch staff. IPCC commissioner Jan Williams said: 'As part of this inquiry, our investigators criminally interviewed six Avon and Somerset Police officers and staff and I decided that files for all these individuals should go to the Crown Prosecution Service to determine whether they should face criminal charges. 'In total, 18 police officers and staff members who had some involvement in the force's dealings with Mr Ebrahimi in the days leading up to his brutal murder have been investigated. Scroll down for video . Lee James, pictured left, pleaded guilty to the murder of Bijan Ebrahim while Stephen Norley, pictured right, pleaded guilty to assisting an offender . 'I have provided the acting chief constable with a report detailing our findings as to whether or not those individuals have a case to answer for either misconduct or gross misconduct and should face disciplinary proceedings. 'Until the conclusion of potential criminal matters, it would not be appropriate to release further detail.' The watchdog said it was also looking at historic police contact with Mr Ebrahimi dating back six years before his death. Acting chief constable John Long said: 'The murder of Bijan Ebrahimi was a needless and dreadful tragedy. 'We believed from an early stage that we failed in our duty to protect him, and the report confirms that. 'My thoughts and feelings at this moment are with the family and friends of Mr Ebrahimi. I am deeply sorry that we did not do enough to prevent his death. Wrongly accused: Mr Ebrahimi was attacked outside this building where he lived in Bristol . 'I am grateful for the thoroughness of the IPCC report. My intention now is to address the matters of misconduct, the service failure that took place and the lessons to be learnt in a prompt, firm and direct manner. 'Whilst the pain of the family can never be diminished, we will act as quickly as we can to do what we must do. 'Until the CPS have made their decisions and the disciplinary processes reach a conclusion, we cannot comment further on the detail of the IPCC report, but I want to reassure the communities of Avon and Somerset that we are treating the findings with utmost seriousness and will continue to improve the way we work to protect the public and keep them safe.' | Two civilian police staff could face charges over treatment of disabled man .
Bijan Ebrahimi was murdered by a vigilante who wrongly branded him a paedophile .
The 44-year-old had repeatedly called Avon and Somerset complaining he was victim of anti-social behaviour .
He begged officers to help, telling them he did not feel safe in his own home .
Hours later he was beaten to death and his body set on fire by neighbour Lee James .
Police watchdog has sent files to Crown Prosecution Service in relation to a call handler and a dispatch supervisor for Avon and Somerset Police . |
68,838 | c32fa9084fe8cd565890a940794e505d5f7ba4c2 | Pope Francis urged bishops to say 'speak their minds' today as a historic sex conference got underway at the Vatican. The pope hailed the synod of bishops as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to review Catholic teaching on controversial topics such as abortion, contraception and gay unions. The so-called Extraordinary Synod on the Family is discussing the results of a survey on relationships and sex sent to every diocese worldwide earlier this year. Scroll down for video . Pope Francis delivers a speech to cardinals and bishops gathering for the Synod of the Families at the Vatican . Around 200 bishops will spend the next two weeks addressing the gulf between what the Church says about issues such as divorce and pre-marital sex, and what many followers actually do. 'You have to say what you feel the Lord tells you to say, without concerns of human respect and without fear,' Francis instructed the bishops at the start of their meeting. At the same time, he urged the nearly 200 cardinals, bishops and priests gathered for the synod to listen to one another with humility 'and welcome with an open heart what our brothers say.' The discussions beforehand have already caused bitter arguments among senior clergy. Reformist cardinals have already proposed allowing the divorced and remarried to take Communion. This is currently banned as the church does not recognise divorce so remarried people are regarded as adulterers. But conservative bishops are totally opposed to this move, believing it is a threat to the institution of marriage. In his opening speech the pope hailed the synod of bishops as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to review Catholic teaching on controversial topics such as abortion, contraception and gay unions . Other possible changes, such as the blessing of gay civil unions, would be even more contentious. Pope Francis seems determined to shake up the Church and has shown some signs of liberal views. 'Who am I to judge,' he said when asked about gay priests last year, and he previously baptised the child of a gay union in Argentina. While insisting he is a 'son of the church,' Francis has also said the church must show more mercy and be a 'field hospital' for wounded souls. Conservative churchmen are hoping that the synod will simply reaffirm church doctrine and make it better understood by Catholics. On the eve of the synod Francis said that the church should be less judgmental of those in non-conventional living situations such as couples who live together before marriage. He told an Argentine newspaper: 'What should the church do ? Expel them from their breast? or approach them and try to bring them close and teach them the word of God? I am in favour of the latter position.' Vatican Swiss Guards salute as Pope Francis arrives for the morning session of the two-week synod . Opening the conference he warned the bishops not to merely express what they thought he wanted to hear. He urged participants: 'Say everything that you feel.' 'After the last consistory a cardinal wrote to me saying it was a shame that some cardinals did not have the courage to speak their minds out of respect for the pope thinking perhaps that the pope thought something different to them. This is not good.' In a bid to encourage debate, the Vatican is restricting public information about what is said behind closed doors during the synod. In the past it has released texts of individual bishops' comments. | Meeting will review Catholic teaching on a number of controversial topics .
It will discuss the findings of a worldwide survey on sex and relationships .
Discussions beforehand have already caused serious splits among clergy . |
97,248 | 0922d3b83a0613a24bdf3cad1d08426e198221bb | By . Damien Gayle . PUBLISHED: . 05:52 EST, 18 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 08:21 EST, 18 September 2013 . It doesn't appear on any map, is barely visited by authorities and its people live in almost medieval conditions. Yet the village of Ponorata in northern Romania is home to as many as 500 Roma, who eke out an existence in abject an poverty and squalor that is almost unimaginable in Europe. Few have access to electricity and over 90 per cent of them are illiterate and unemployed. They survive by foraging in the region, government support and day labour work. Poverty: Sorina Prodan holds a child in the abjectly poor Roma settlement of Ponorata. Some 400 to . 500 Roma live in the hamlet, which does not appear on maps . Medieval conditions: Roma pause for a photograph . while riding their horse-drawn cart, which for many locals is the main . means of transportation out of town . Cold comfort: Maria Vican, 64, applies mud mixed . with straw to insulate the hut she shares with two other family members . against the coming winter . Forgotten: Roma walk through the village, where more than 95 per cent of residents are illiterate and unemployed . Playtime: A child skips along a dirt track in . Ponorata. An NGO has set up a school an and incentive . system to persuade parents to allow their youngsters to attend . Denise Varga, left, seven, cuddles her puppy Anka while sitting on the doorstep of her two-room hut. Right, local youth Mando holds his young relative Alexandru Lingurar . Marinela Boldis holds up a photo showing her . late husband and their two children: Marinela and her family spent eight . months in France, begging and living off government child payments, . until her husband became ill and died after they returned to Romania, leaving her to raise their children alone . Traditional lifestyles: Young mother Claudia . Varga holds her infant daughter Raluca as a youth leads a donkey past in . the background . Panorata's people live in almost . medieval conditions. Their dirt-floored, single-room wooden huts, . insulated with a mixture of mud and straw, house families of up to 15. Some . have been to France, mostly to the city of Lille, where they made . enough money through begging and scrap metal collecting to build small . brick houses. Most residents, however, live in one or two-room huts made of wood, mud and straw that sometimes collapse. A . single well serves the entire community, which is rarely visited by . outsiders. Administrative responsibility lies with the nearby city of . Coroieni, but locals say this extends to little more than occasionaly . drive-through visits by officials. For . the Roma, horse-drawn carts are their main means of transport if they . want to travel any further than the confines of their own community. Remote: The village is situated along a single proper road, houses arrayed on either side. Some are built with modern building materials, indicating wealth and status . A horse stands in front of a relatively . well-to-do home: Those with brick houses have generally returned to Ponorata with modest sums of money made overseas . Enterprise: Local Roma men attend a horse sale. Many Roma from Ponorata have spent time in France to earn money, mostly . through begging and scrap metal collection . For sale: Horses belonging to the local Roma Varga family stand chained to a cart during the horse sale . Pamela Prodan, left, who is a mother of two, and her sister-in-law Sorina Prodan pause while Pamela holds one of her children and the hand of a relative's child in the left hand image. Pictured left, local children Calin Istvan, right, and Rocsana Nicoleta Varga pose for a photo . Rustic: Claudia Erdelyi, Damian Augustin and Eugen . Erdelyi (pictured left to right) pose for a photograph in the rolling . meadows surrounding Ponorata . Eking out an existence: Romeo Moldovan, his wife . Smocina Boldis and their infant daughter Daria stand outside their . one-room wood, straw and mud hut . Smocina Boldis breast feeds her infant daughter Daria: Romania has the biggest population of Roma in Europe, with estimates of up to two million living there . Romeo and Smocina pose for another picture, left. Right, Ion Varga collects water from the hamlet's single well as his relatives Claudia Gianina and Darius Varga look on . Discrimination: Roma are regarded with suspicion . by other Romanians and tensions frequently boil over into clashes . with neighbouring communities . Chores: A young girl carrying a bucket of water from the single community well walks up Ponorata's only street as others care for a youngster nearby . But . the people of Ponorata are not merely victims of indifference and . isolation, but also an outright hostility that occasionally boils over . into clashes with the authorities and the residents of nearby . settlements. A few years . ago, a murder took place in a neighbouring village and several Roma . homes were burned in response. Romanians living nearby also blame the . Roma for robberies which often target drivers travelling through the . region. Romania has the . biggest population of Roma in Europe, with estimates of up to two . million living there. They have a tragic history: right up until the mid-19th Century the vast majority . of Romania's Roma were kept as slaves. During the Second World War as many as 1.5million Roma were exterminated by the Nazis and their allies. Cramped conditions: Veronika Varga and other . members of her family look out from the doorway of the one-room wood hut they share with other family members . Hand to mouth: Pregnant Genoveva Lingurar feeds her son Alexandru a potato baked in a campfire as her other son Andrei approaches . Andrei Lingurar whittles with a knife: The people of Ponorata survive by foraging in the region, government support and day labour work . Difficult living conditions: Genoveva holds her son Alexandru in the makeshift and temporary home she shares with her husband and seven children . Dingy: Maria Petrisur breast feeds one of her children in the one-room wood, mud and straw hut she shares with her family . But well decorated: Livia Lungarare poses for a photo with her husband in their two-room home in the left-hand image. Right, locals ride a horse-drawn cart . A baby lies tightly swaddled in a one-room home: Romanians, including members of the country's Roma minority, will from next year be free to move to the UK . It's not all grim: Senorita Molodvan, left, her sister Petronela, and their relative Flutor Boldis and his daughter Sedonia pose for a photo in relatively well-to-do two-room home they share with other family members . Andrea-Maria, left, and Valeria sit next to the . only street that goes through Ponorata: Locals say their community is . hardly visited by local officials and gets next to no help . Roma ride by the youngsters in a horse-drawn cart: Many Roma have tried to escape the cycle of poverty in Romania by travelling to live overseas . Traffic jam: Ponorata residents approach each other in horse-drawn carts travelling along the town's single road . With . officials in their own country apparently content to leave them to . their fate and their neighbours openly hostile to their presence, it is . no wonder that hundreds of thousands of Roma have sought a better life . abroad. Already as many as . half a million are estimated to have taken up residence in France, . according to the European Roma Rights Centre. The . racism they face in their homeland has followed them. Hostility towards . the Roma is said to be contributing to the most recent re-emergence of . French National Front. Romanians, . including members of the country's Roma minority, will from next year . be free to move to the UK as part of the European Union policy of free . movement for workers. Family photo: Members of the Varga family, who spent a year in France before taking money from the French government to leave, gather near their home . This way! Sisters Maria-Gianina and Mihaela-Rocsana Erdelyi head home after attending a preschool class . Tumbledown: Livia Moldovan, 60, sits on the doorestep of her leaning home. The badly constructed homes of Ponorata's residents fall down from time to time . Working animals: Marina Boldis greets local dogs as Randafir Boldis and his son Malin shoe a horse outside their home . Pamela Prodan stands outside a family hut: The dirt-floored, single-room wooden huts, insulated with a mixture of mud and straw, house families of up to 15 . Help: Leslie Hawke, mother of actor . Ethan Hawke, and Maria Gheorghiu (red hair), co-founders of Romanian . NGO OvidiuRo, lead children home after a pre-school class . Respite: OvidiuRo's Nadia Gavrila, left, supervises children playing with blocks in a pre-school class that is aimed to break Ponorata's cycle of poverty and illiteracy . Ms Gheorghiu teaches young Roma children: . OvidiuRo is seeking to enroll the children of Ponorata in kindergarten . through a coupon incentive system for the parents . Cute: Young Roma children count with their fingers during their preschool class . Heads, shoulders, knees and toes: Ms Gheorghiu teaches young Roma children parts of the body . Origins: Linguistic and genetic evidence . indicates the Roma originated from the Indian subcontinent, emigrating . from India toward the north-west 1,500 years ago . But . there are efforts to help them in their homeland. In an effort to break . the generational cycle of illiteracy, chronic unemployment and squalor, a . Romanian NGO called OvidiuRo is seeking to enroll the children of . Ponorata in kindergarten through a coupon incentive system for the . parents. Leslie Hawke, the . mother of American actor Ethan Hawke, who first came to Romania while . serving in the Peace Corps in 2000, co-founded OvidiuRo along with Maria . Gheorghiu, and both of them visited Ponorata recently. But . Viorica Pert, a teacher at Ponorata's school, told Romanian paper . Gazeta de Maramures that she and colleagues struggle to get positive . results from youngsters in a community struggling for daily survival. Although . many of the pupils see teaches show promise, 'many drop out of school . after fifth grade because they marry or have [other] activities,' she . said. | Roma community of Ponorata in northern Romania is home to as many as 500 people but does not appear on maps .
Few residents have access to electricity and more than 90 per cent of them are unemployed and illiterate .
Romania is home to an estimated two million Roma and until the end of the 19th Century most were kept as slaves . |
154,035 | 5318e551c114845c968670c78c33d0df9c705d0d | (CNN) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warns that excessive partisanship could well "hollow out" the military, saying "we cannot tolerate" if Congress fails to reach an accord on debt reduction and thereby triggers hundreds of billions of dollars in across-the-board cuts. Speaking with CNN's Erin Burnett in an interview that aired Monday on the first edition of her program "OutFront," Panetta said that he was prepared to slash about $450 billion from the defense budget over the next decade, as currently mandated. But he described as potentially dangerous any deeper cuts, like the $1.2 trillion that would be unavoidable if a bipartisan panel does not reach a debt-reduction accord in the coming weeks that is then passed by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama. "If the Congress is irresponsible enough to suddenly turn on this sequester idea (leading to massive, automatic cuts to defense) because they failed to meet their responsibility, that would clearly damage our national defense," Panetta said. "(Cutting) in some kind of blind fashion that basically hits everything ... is going to result in hollowing out the force. We cannot tolerate that. We still risk too many threats out there to weaken our defense." The former CIA director, presidential chief of staff and U.S. congressman didn't appear optimistic that Congress will rise to the challenge, describing the "inability to confront the challenges that are out there," divisions between political leaders and partisanship as the worst in his 40 years in Washington. Panetta added that there is merit to many Americans' view that "Washington is dysfunctional and not able to respond to these challenges," like the debt issue. "I really do think that both sides have to understand how concerned not only Americans are, but the rest of the world is, about our ability to solve the problems that face us," he said. The secretary spoke shortly before embarking on a trip to the Middle East and, eventually, to Belgium for a NATO meeting. On Monday, he was in Israel and visited the Palestinian territory of the West Bank. His next stop will be in Egypt. In his wide-ranging interview, Panetta addressed several issues and threats. Chief among them was Iran, which he accused of sending "pretty sophisticated weaponry to go after Americans" in Iraq, working to "undermine governments in the Middle East" and trying to "foster (and) supply terrorism." "That's not what the United States does," he said. "What we hope to do is work with the countries in that region so that they can have the capability to defend themselves against that kind of terrorism." The defense chief also addressed America's "complicated relationship with Pakistan," acknowledging that nation's battle with terrorism and calling it imperative to build a "cooperative relationship." He also pointed to -- as other top U.S. officials have in the past -- some Pakistani officials' relationship with members of the Haqqani network, which he claims goes into Afghanistan to attack U.S. troops then returns to its "safe haven" in Pakistan. "They understand the threat of terrorism, but they also can't pick and choose among terrorists," Panetta said of Pakistani officials. "That is where we have some differences." Panetta addressed the growth -- and reported growing militarization -- of China, insisting his goal is to have a "transparent" relationship so that "we understand each other." That said, he noted concerns if China further develops weaponry and expands its military presence. "For that reason, we always have to have a forward presence in the Pacific that makes very clear that we have to protect the international community ... and their ability to protect their own interests," he said. | U.S. defense secretary warns U.S. cannot afford $1.2 trillion in military cuts .
He is skeptical Congress can "confront the challenges that are out there"
Panetta says that Pakistan "can't pick and choose among terrorists"
Iran tries to "undermine governments" and fosters terrorism, he adds . |
186,672 | 7dcd87e8c568a06b0ecf0a31e9e786e37602bb6f | The benefits of the annual flu jab have been ‘over-hyped’, scientists claim. They say the vaccine is far less effective than is widely believed, with some studies showing it protects less than two-thirds of the population. The US researchers say ministers in Britain as well as America are ‘wasting taxpayers’ money’ on the jab. And they claim that because the benefits have been so ‘over-promoted’, scientists have been deterred from inventing vaccines that would be far more effective. Flu jabs are a waste of taxpayer's money due to the protective effects of the vaccine being over-hyped, it has been claimed . Is the flu jab a waste of taxpayers' money? Is the flu jab a waste of taxpayers' money? Now share your opinion . But the Department of Health has . insisted the flu jabs ‘save lives’ and urged the elderly and patients . with long-term conditions to come forward for their vaccinations. Researchers from the University of . Minnesota looked at 12,000 studies on the effectiveness and safety of . the flu jab, going back to the 1930s. They say that although Government . officials claim it protects between 70 and 90 per cent of the . population, this is actually not the case. In fact, they say, it protects just 59 per cent of adults aged 18 to 65, but is far less effective in the elderly. Professor Michael Osterholm, who was . involved in the study, said: ‘I have been a strong proponent of . vaccination in general, and flu vaccine in particular, for many years. I . still recommend its use as the best we have. The report's author, Professor Michael Osterholm, said he still recommended the vaccine, but its benefits were over-reported . ‘But we have over-promoted this . vaccine. For certain age groups in some years its effectiveness has been . severely limited relative to what has been previously reported. ‘That has had a very dampening effect . on the development of new vaccines.’ And Douglas Fleming, of the Royal . College of General Practitioners’ Influenza Monitoring Unit in . Birmingham, said: ‘No vaccines are perfect. Last year’s flu vaccine was a . bad match with the circulating strains. Its effectiveness varies from . year to year and with different age groups. ‘Among the elderly it is widely . recognised that its effectiveness decreases. Better vaccines are needed . for this reason particularly. It has been over-hyped by many people.’ At present the flu jab is offered . free to the over-65s, pregnant women and anyone with an underlying . health condition such as asthma, diabetes or epilepsy. The immunisation programme is estimated to cost the taxpayer £115million a year. The latest figures from the Health . Protection Agency show that 61 per cent of the over-65s have been . vaccinated this year, as well as 30 per cent of pregnant women and 37.5 . per cent of those with long-term conditions. A Department of Health spokesman said: ‘There is no doubt that the flu programme saves lives. ‘Evidence on the effectiveness of the . vaccine is reviewed by the Joint Committee of Vaccination and . Immunisation and this year the committee undertook a detailed review of . the flu vaccine programme. ‘We strongly encourage scientists and . the vaccine industry in their efforts to develop new and more effective . flu vaccine and do not agree that these efforts are being discouraged. ‘Each year thousands of people die after catching flu and we urge everyone that is in an at-risk group to get the vaccine.’ Professor Osterholm added: ‘We . support using flu vaccine in all age groups. Even among the over-65s, . although it is of limited benefit, it is still a benefit.’ | University of Minnesota report says benefits - especially for older people - have been over-promoted .
New vaccine pipeline hindered as a result .
But experts still recommend current vaccination 'as it's the best we have' |
62,003 | b024238dc47f1ca41e2c8cbaaff48b019a37f91e | (CNN) -- For the generation of Iraqi artists who came of age under Saddam Hussein's regime in the 1980s, one common subject was the dictator himself, often depicted holding a sword or riding an Arabian horse. Politics aside, those were good days for artists, says Natiq al Alousi, 49, an Iraqi sculptor who considers his commissioned work of Saddam to be an achievement. "Working as an artist in Iraq, when Saddam Hussein was president, was a golden period for all artists, not just myself. He was supportive of artists and was open to them," he says. "But we weren't open to the world for security reasons, and that's it." Receiving small recognition from Saddam was important to him as a budding artist, al Alousi says. As a student he entered a large competition -- one that he did not expect to win -- and Saddam attended the event. Upon viewing his work, "Saddam Hussein himself told me that the idea was nice, and that's the only thing I remember from the whole competition," he says. Read more: Bringing Babylon back from the dead . Al Alousi went on to create public sculptures and some that were placed in presidential palaces. Some were made for aesthetics and others to reflect events or issues that the country faced, he says. His memories of the time under Saddam can verge on idyllic. "There was never a day, for any artist in any form of art, who was forced to work for Saddam Hussein or the country," he says. "We were all happily working, and there were competitions that anyone can participate in." And when Saddam fell in 2003, so too did al Alousi's statues. He says it is disheartening to think of art being torn down. Now living in Abu Dhabi, al Alousi still sculpts using various mediums, but there are stumbling blocks. Few people there want to buy large statues, he says, and there is not even a foundry for his bronze works. He has to mail molds more than 1,000 miles away to Egypt, and the bronze rarely survives the return journey intact. In Abu Dhabi, "the art movement is still yet to begin in the right way. It did start, but it needs more solidarity and extra encouragement from certain entities for it to be mature," he says. Read more: Rediscovering Iraq's cultural heart . But al Alousi sees these as only minor problems for his art, which he says is the "purest thing" in his life, a matter of expression, beauty and experimentation. And he says art has nothing to do with politics or religion. As for his associations with the dictator, it only meant he was at the top of his game. "I do not regret that I once worked for Saddam Hussein," he said. "This is history. Only the best artists work for presidents." | Under Saddam Hussein's regime, Natiq al Alousi was commissioned to create works depicting the dictator .
Al Alousi, a sculptor, says artists received much support from Saddam .
He says working for Saddam was only a "fact of history" and does not regret it . |
72,943 | ced66dde7b7a822ba7a01a3197da920a9d9011b7 | By . Damian Spellman, Press Association . Aiden McGeady was the hero as the Republic of Ireland launched their Euro 2106 qualifying campaign with a dramatic victory in Georgia. The Everton winger struck twice, the second of them in the 90th minute, to clinch a 2-1 win at the Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena in Tbilisi and earn the plaudits of both manager Martin O’Neill and skipper Robbie Keane. O’Neill said: 'He was the only player on the field that was scoring the goal. He really is a fantastic talent. Get in there! Aiden McGeady celebrates his 90th minute winner that got Ireland off to a perfect start . Stunning finish: McGeady fooled a defender with a turn inside the box before curling home past the keeper . 'He probably thinks at this age he should have been up there with the very finest players. He has that talent and he showed that tonight.' Long-time team-mate Keane was equally effusive after seeing McGeady, who had opened the scoring with 24 minutes gone, snatch the points at the death after turning on the edge of the penalty area and curling a delicious shot past substitute keeper Roin Kvashvadze. Keane said: 'If you score a goal like that, you deserve to win the game. If anyone else did that, the top players in the world, you would be talking about it for a long time. 'The turn, the touch, the finish - only he could do that. No-one else on that field would have been able to do that.' McGeady, who played under O’Neill during his time as Celtic manager, had scored only three goals in his previous 69 appearances for his country. At the double: Earlier in the match McGeady finished off a move for his fourth international goal . Delight: McGeady wheels away after scoring Ireland's first before later going on to win the game for them . His double in Tbilisi in his manager’s first competitive game - he also scored in the 62-year-old’s first friendly against Latvia in November last year - increased his relatively meagre tally significantly, and the second of them proved priceless. McGeady was applauded back into the away dressing room after conducting a series of interviews following the final whistle, and admitted he did not know what to do with himself. He said: 'I’d been doing a few interviews outside while the manager was talking to the team about the game. I was a bit awkward when it happened, I didn’t know how to react really. It was nice.' Asked about his decisive strike, he added: 'The second goal was all about concentrating on my touch. I had my back to the goal, I just thought I’d try something. It came off for me. 'It doesn’t happen very often for me, but thankfully it went in.' My boy: Martin O'Neill shakes McGeady's hand at full-time and he had some good words to say about him . McGeady’s 24th-minute strike gave Ireland an early advantage which was cancelled out in spectacular style by Tornike Okriashvili seven minutes before half-time. The game looked to be heading for a draw until the Ireland midfielder span and delivered the denouement to send the small band of travelling supporters into raptures. O’Neill said: 'We scored a goal got a goal in front, and we were at our most comfortable when they equalised. It changed the complexion and momentum of the game. There was moments in the second half when it might have been worrying for us, but we’ve seen it through. 'I think there’s improvement in the team - we’ve won away from home, which is terrific - but there’s definitely improvement in the team.' Our savour: The rest of the Ireland team mob McGeady after he struck to give them all three points in Tblisi . For Georgia boss Temuri Ketsbaia, a sixth successive defeat by Ireland proved hard to accept. He said: 'Ireland’s second goal was the only moment of quality in the second half. Perhaps a draw would have been a fair result and left both teams happy. 'Our performance is not what we want to see and we definitely want to see better games and results. We have limitations in the team and in Georgian football in general - that is the reality we have to face. 'We cannot fault the players’ effort and they stuck to task for 99 per cent of the time, but Ireland have 25 players who play at the top level with most in the Premier League.' | Everton midfielder turned and shot to win the game for Ireland late on .
His 90th minute goal sent the travelling supporters wild in Tbilsi .
Robbie Keane and Martin O'Neill led the tributes to the matchwinner .
The brace represented his fourth and fifth international goals .
McGeady's strike put Ireland on the road to France with three points . |
143,850 | 460555720e1704a7698b6e4bd778ec7843a04fa5 | (CNN) -- This week we're going beyond the continent's borders to explore the African Diaspora. Forced to flee Somalia, refugees are rebuilding communities in the United States. We visit America's largest Somali neighborhood, in the state of Minnesota, and take a look at the medical community's attention to Somali health. We also look at how a Somali chef is on a mission to share the flavor and fusion of East African cuisine with the people of Minnesota. Rebuilding Communities . In Somalia, an ongoing civil war has caused instability throughout the country and displaced countless people. Now, tens of thousands of those refugees live in Minnesota. The team go into the local East African neighborhood and find out how Somalis are adjusting to their new home. Somali Health Care . We look at how Minnesota's Somali community is benefiting from access to local healthcare. Safari Express . One Somali emigrant, 28-year-old Jamal Hashi, is enjoying the sweet smell of success. He's the owner of Safari Express -- a fast-food take on African food. He tells us about his mission to share his country's cuisine. | Thousands of Somali refugees are living in the U.S. state of Minnesota .
Minnesota's Somali community is benefiting from access to local healthcare .
One fast-food restaurant is treating American palettes to African flavors . |
185,297 | 7c032c3c508ed50ee558d565268825ba0bdf8155 | (CNN)Put yourself in the shoes (and seventh-century black robes) of ISIS' Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the mysterious boss of the terror group that is striking fear into the hearts of leaders around the world. In the past couple of years you've managed to avoid drone attacks and survive civil wars, unify militant groups in two different countries under your banner, raise an army of jihadis from across the globe, and seize a chunk of land stretching from northern Syria to central Iraq. Your newly-declared "Islamic State" is the size of Pennsylvania, so how do you govern it? You compartmentalize. New data from the Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium (TRAC) has revealed that ISIS is putting governing structures in place to rule the territories the group conquers once the dust settles on the battlefield. The research shows how ISIS has gone from being a purely military force to building a system that can provide basic services, such as making sure that gas and food are available, to its new citizens. From the cabinet and the governors to the financial and legislative bodies, ISIS' bureaucratic hierarchy looks a lot like those of some of the Western countries whose values it rejects -- if you take away the democracy and add in a council to consider who should be beheaded. Baghdadi, his Cabinet advisers and his two key deputies comprise the executive branch of the government, known as "Al Imara." The two deputies -- Abu Ali al-Anbari and Abu Muslim al-Turkmani, veteran Iraqi military officials who served under Saddam Hussein -- oversee Syria and Iraq, respectively. ISIS has probably split the governance of the "Islamic State" into Syrian and Iraqi branches simply to make it easier to run, according to Jasmine Opperman, TRAC's Southern Africa Director. "They see the caliphate as one state, yet there are two different governments," Opperman told CNN. "I believe this split is purely administrative at this time. They don't want to be seen as downplaying the caliphate, but to make it easier to govern they were forced to make a separation between Syria and Iraq." The two deputies deliver orders to the governors in charge of the various sub-states in Syria and Iraq under ISIS control, who then instruct local councils on how to implement the executive branch's decrees on everything from media relations and recruiting to policing and financial matters. The Shura council -- which reports directly to the executive branch -- is the caliphate's religious monitor, appointed to make sure that all the local councils and governors are sticking to ISIS' version of Islamic law. The recent murders of Western hostages James Foley, Steven Sotloff, and David Haines would have fallen under the Shura council's purview, according to Opperman. "Let's say a significant execution is going to take place, something that will get ISIS on the front page of the newspaper," Opperman said. "It cannot be done without Shura council approval." The Shura council also has the power to censure the leadership for running afoul of its interpretation of Sharia law, according to Opperman. "The Shura council has the right to tell Baghdadi to go if he's not adhering to ISIS' religious standards," she told CNN. "It would most probably never happen, but the fact that it's possible indicates the council's prominence." Baghdadi -- who was once imprisoned by U.S. forces in Iraq -- seems to have incorporated the American military's own counter-insurgency mantra of "Clear and Hold" to win territory, establish control over the area, then get the locals to help govern it. As time goes on, ISIS is evolving into a government whose political decision-making cannot be separated from its military capabilities, according to Opperman. "It's two sides of the same coin," she said. "We've seen the military side, with the war cabinet that directs brigades. But now on the other side we're seeing how ISIS wants to govern. The two processes inform one another." READ MORE: Kurds push back ISIS in bloody battleREAD MORE: "No ground troops in Iraq," says ObamaREAD MORE: What's with Baghdadi's bling timepiece? | New research reveals ISIS government structure in parts of Syria and Iraq .
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, a former U.S. inmate in Iraq, is leader of so-called "Islamic State"
TRAC research shows ISIS' evolution from military force to basic services provider .
Many ISIS officials, including key deputies, are Saddam Hussein-era military officers . |
144,252 | 4689a59e54c3a60ddabe665a5ee8047724d59e54 | Hurricane Gonzalo crushed trees, flattened power lines and damaged Bermuda's main hospital - in what was one of the strongest storms ever to hit the tiny Atlantic island chain. The storm tore through the nation at 110mph on Friday night and heavy surf and relentless winds were still whipping at the island early Saturday as it moved northward over the Atlantic. Forecasters warned that a storm surge of up to 10 feet could cause widespread flooding, but a full assessment of the damage caused was not expected until Saturday morning local time. Scroll down for video . Only the beginning: Strong winds are already battering the coast of Bermuda, tearing through palm trees and whipping up waves as a wall of water up to 40ft high builds in open ocean . Threat: A satellite image taken early this morning shows Hurricane Gonzalo just north of Bermuda, the tiny yellow dot south of the storm . Incredible: European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst shared this astonishing image showing the storm's massive scale . By mid-afternoon on Friday, streets were empty as the high winds reaching tropical storm force of 40 mph bent back palm trees on Harrington Sound in the middle of the islands, prompting the government to close a major causeway bridge linking the main island to the east end. The leader of the tiny territory in the Atlantic urged those in low-lying areas to consider moving to higher ground. 'We should expect at least 24 hours of storm-force winds,' Premier Michael Dunkley said. Bermuda closed its schools and international airport, as well as suspending all public transportation, including ferries. Authorities on Thursday evacuated two hotels along Bermuda's southern coast, with guests either flying out or being placed in another hotel. Just under half of the island's 70,000 residents were reported without power late yesterday as the hurricane roared through - just days after Tropical Storm Fay damaged homes and knocked down trees and power lines. A British Royal Navy warship, HMS Argyll, was heading for Bermuda to help with post-Gonzalo relief efforts, the government said. 'To be struck twice by two different cyclones is unusual, to say the least,' said Max Mayfield, a former director of the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. On its way: A man takes photos while standing on a cliff whipped by waves on the island's south shore in Astwood Park on Friday . Taking cover: The island's premier Michael Dunkley shared this image of a car wrapped in plastic ahead of the storm . Preparing: Shoppers stock up on groceries on Thursday as they prepare for the arrival of Hurricane Gonzalo in Hamilton, Bermuda . Battening down the hatches: Workers board up a restaurant on Thursday as they prepare for the arrival of Gonzalo in Flatts Village . At the ready: Pedestrians walk past a shop boarded up with storm shutters as they prepare for the arrival of Gonzalo in Hamilton . Gonzalo approached Bermuda as a Category 3 storm before weakening to a Category 2 strength just before making landfall with sustained wind speeds of 110 mph. The Bermuda Weather Service said hurricane-force winds would whip at the island into the early hours of Saturday, and tropical storm-force winds would continue until around sunrise. Part of the roof at Bermuda's main hospital was damaged and there was water damage in the new intensive care unit, police spokesman Dwayne Caines reported. Flooding caused by surging waves was expected to pose the biggest problem, with sea-levels rising to between 30 and 40 feet. Dave Fox, a public affairs officer for the Bermuda government, said the government opened a high school as a shelter but noted that Bermuda is known for structures that can withstand heavy storms. 'We build for hurricanes,' he said. 'It's part of the building code.' The last major hurricane to strike Bermuda was Fabian in September 2003. The Category 3 storm killed three police officers and another person while causing more than $100million in damage as it tore off roofs, pulverized trees and flooded famed golf courses. Eye on the storm: Jeremy Match, a meteorologist at the Canadian Hurricane Centre, tracks Hurricane Gonzalo in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia on Friday as forecasters warn the storm could head towards the southeastern tip of Newfoundland and Labrador on Sunday . Route: A map shows the storm's predicted route on Friday and over the weekend. It will become weaker as it brushes against Canada . Fears: The storm is expected to drop to a category 3 storm as it whips past Bermuda but is expected to bring tree and building damage . Forecast: After ravaging Bermuda, it will move northeast and weaken before hitting eastern Newfoundland over the weekend . On its way: This NOAA image taken at 11pm Thursday shows Hurricane Gonzalo, right, as it approaches Bermuda . It also damaged the causeway linking the airport to most of Bermuda and left tens of thousands of homes and businesses without power. Forecasters had anticipated that Gonzalo would follow Fabian's general path and cause similar damage to Bermuda, which lies about 850 miles off the east coast of the US. Marlie Powell, the owner of Kingston House Bed & Breakfast, said in a phone interview that she was still recovering from Tropical Storm Fay when Gonzalo hit. She said Fay toppled two large trees on her property. She said: 'We only had very few days to clean and get the trees out of our house. There's a lot of loose debris around the island already, which is not good.' A 436-foot frigate from Britain's Royal Navy with a crew of some 180 sailors was expected to arrive Sunday in Bermuda to help with post-storm recovery efforts. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the storm weakened some more as it moved away from Bermuda on a track that would take it past Newfoundland and across the Atlantic to Britain and Ireland. A tropical storm watch was issued for parts of southeastern Newfoundland. Gonzalo has already wrought destruction in the Caribbean, killing an elderly sailor and damaging some three dozen vessels in St. Maarten, the Dutch portion of Saint Martin island, the Daily Herald reported. Large ocean swells continued to affect parts of the Virgin Islands, the northern coasts of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, parts of the Bahamas and the U.S. southeast coast. Hurricane Fabian, a category 3 storm similar to Gonzalo, was the last major storm to hit Bermuda in 2003, leaving four people dead . Powerful: Fabian wrecked homes, destroyed businesses and left tens of thousands of homes without power when it hit Bermuda . Stormy seas: Waves pound the shore of Bermuda in September 2003 as Hurricane Fabian, the last major storm to hit Bermuda, arrives . | The storm tore through the tiny Atlantic island chain on Friday night, causing widespread power cuts .
Part of the roof at Bermuda's main hospital was ripped off and there was water damage in the new intensive care unit .
British Royal Navy warship, HMS Argyll, is heading for Bermuda to help with relief efforts . |
186,585 | 7dadea34821cae54589603f0028be60458d60ed5 | WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday approved the nomination of federal Judge Sonia Sotomayor to become the nation's first Hispanic Supreme Court justice, setting up a final confirmation vote by the Senate. With Republican senators' support, Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation by the full Senate is a virtual certainty. The 13-6 committee vote was mostly on partisan lines, with one Republican joining the panel's Democrats in sending the nomination to the full Senate. At least five Republican senators have announced their intention to support Sotomayor, making confirmation by the Democratic-controlled Senate a virtual certainty. Sotomayor, 55, is President Obama's first nominee to the nation's highest court. She would be 111th person to sit on the Supreme Court, and the third female justice. The Judiciary Committee held a four-day confirmation hearing earlier this month that foreshadowed Tuesday's vote, with Democrats praising Sotomayor's 17-year record as a federal judge and her made-in-America story as a minority woman who rose to success through hard work and opportunity. Republicans questioned her judicial neutrality, complaining about speeches in which she made controversial statements, including her hope that a "wise Latina woman, with the richness of her experiences" would reach a better conclusion than a white man "who hasn't lived that life." Conservative Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, the lone Republican to back Sotomayor, said Tuesday that he still has concerns about her impartiality. Some of her speeches "bugged the hell out of me," Graham said, but he added that some of his own speeches probably "bugged the hell out of people on the other side" of the political divide. Graham praised Sotomayor's competence and qualifications, and he joked that she was unlikely to be worse than the justice she was chosen to replace, David Souter, a liberal. "She can be no worse than Souter from our point of view," he said to fellow Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, who opposed Sotomayor. See how Sotomayor compares with Supreme Court justices » . Graham also noted that Sotomayor is a unique historical figure. "This is the first Latina woman in the history of the U.S. to be nominated to the Supreme Court. That is a big deal," he said, although he said it was neither a reason to vote for or against her. It was the first time that any of the Republican opponents had voted against a Supreme Court nominee put forward by either a Democratic or Republican president. Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah said Tuesday that he "genuinely wrestled with this decision," but that in studying Sotomayor's speeches, articles and cases, he found a "troubling approach to judging" that the judge's testimony before the committee did not resolve. He said he believes she gave short shrift to constitutional rights and used inappropriate legal standards in deciding cases. Democrats on the panel praised the judge, with Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California saying: "I see her as a most impressive person on a number of different levels." Referring to Sotomayor's judicial record, Feinstein said she found "no example of infidelity to the law." Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, a former Republican and the longest-serving member of the panel, said Sotomayor was the best nominee of the 11 he has reviewed over the years. Specter also praised the "wise Latina" comment, saying: "If a woman didn't stand up for women, I wouldn't think much of her." Obama's Democratic Party holds a 58-40 edge in the full Senate, with two independents considered part of the Democratic caucus. CNN's Terry Frieden contributed to this report. | 13-6 vote sets up final confirmation vote by full Senate .
Panel voted mostly on partisan lines; 1 Republican joined Democrats .
At least 5 GOP senators back Sotomayor, making Senate confirmation almost sure . |
36,585 | 67a893b72bf49ebda211e169cbce509056222f48 | By . Martha De Lacey . PUBLISHED: . 11:47 EST, 21 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 11:47 EST, 21 November 2012 . There's curtseying...and then there's curtseying. And Prince and Princess Michael of Kent received a pair of seriously impressive bent-knee salutations from author Leonie Frieda at a launch party to celebrate the writer's new historical book. The royal pair looked most amused as Ms Frieda - who is close friends with the couple - crouched as low as her indigo satin strapless dress would allow as she greeted them at Kensington Palace in London last night. Hit the floor: Leonie Frieda crouches low as she curtseys for Prince Michael of Kent at the launch party for her new book, The Deadly Sisterhood, at Kensington Palace . The Swedish-born author was celebrating the launch of her book The Deadly Sisterhood, which is based upon the lives of eight Italian Renaissance women, one of whom - Catherine de Medici - is an ancestor of Princess Michael. Ms Frieda, 56, a former model who is divorced from music producer Nigel Frieda, attended the regal event with her daughter Elisabeth. Princess Michael of Kent, 67 - whose name is Marie Christine - and Prince Michael of Kent, 70, are the parents of Freddie and Gabriella Windsor. Prince Michael is a grandson of George V and Queen Mary. On your knees: Leonie Freida greets her old friend, Princess Michael of Kent, with a supremely respectful curtsey . The ancient art of curtseying - a show of respect to the Royal family - hit the headlines in February when a set of rules was revealed regarding to whom the Duchess of Cambridge should be curtseying, and when. The official guide for Kate is that if the Queen enters or leaves a room, Kate curtseys; if Camilla appears and is with Charles, William's wife should also curtsey to her. But if Charles is absent but William is present, then Kate outranks Camilla, who should curtsey to Kate. This is because William outranks Camilla in terms of the lineage, which means that effectively so does his wife while he is present. If neither William nor Charles is there, then Kate curtseys to Camilla because, woman to woman, Camilla is her senior in the Firm. In the case of Princess Anne, born a princess, and Princess Alexandra (the Queen's cousin and granddaughter of George V), both these women have royal blood in their veins and therefore are more important than Kate - unless William happens to be around, in which case she's more important than them. Sophie Wessex, being married to a royal junior in rank to William, has to curtsey to them all. As for Prince Andrew's daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, they out-rank Kate - but not when William is in the room. Old pals: Princess Michael of Kent, in red, greets writer Leonie Frieda at her book launch last night . The Queen's granddaughter Zara Phillips - who always conforms to Royal protocol when meeting her grandmother - said in 2008 that few people know how to curtsey anymore. Cherie Blair famously refused to curtsey to the Queen on a visit to Balmoral in 1997 . 'I curtsey to her every time I see her,' the 27-year-old told Majesty magazine. 'The thing with my grandmother is she is still my grandmother and she's very approachable, but she's also from an era where that was how it was done. 'But there aren't many people who know how it's done. I know because I have grown up with it.' When Zara collected her MBE in 2006 she jokingly showed others the correct way to greet the Queen. Come rain or shine: Princess Michael of Kent came prepared for all weathers at the event in Kensington last night . Royal wave: Prince and Princess Michael of Kent aboard a boat during the Diamond Jubilee Pageant on the Thames this summer . | Launch party for Ms Frieda's new book, The Deadly Sisterhood, was at Kensington Palace .
The writer is close friends with the royal couple . |
257,077 | d8bd46c44808d91824a65629ce4d3a7d2aaceddc | Mario Balotelli's 'miserable' performance summed up 'lightweight' Liverpool during their 1-0 defeat by Basle in the Champions League, according to Graeme Souness. The Anfield legend believes Balotelli, who failed to touch the ball in the penalty area as Liverpool lost, epitomised Brendan Rodgers' side's disappointing night in Switzerland. Speaking on Sky Sports on Wednesday night, Souness said: 'I think he summed up what Liverpool were about tonight. How many times did you see him and he ended up limping after any sort of challenge on him? VIDEO Scroll down to watch Rodgers: Mario Balotelli is working hard to get scoring . Mario Balotelli cuts a dejected figure as he leaves the field following Liverpool's defeat by Basle . Graeme Souness claimed Balotelli's 'miserable' night summer up Liverpool's performance in Switzerland . Balotelli's stats for the 2014-15 season (Premier League and Champions League only) Matches: 6 Starts: 6 . Minutes played: 490 . Shots: 19. Goals: 1 . Chances created: 5 Assists: 0 . Stats courtesy of Opta . 'He was complaining to the referee, he gave away possession far too easily and he wasn't alone in that and I thought he had another miserable night. 'Yes, he's got ability of a type and produced a great free-kick in the second half, but he doesn't do enough for me. Souness, who won three European Cups with Liverpool, believes the current vintage now face an uphill battle to qualify from Group B with Real Madrid at home and away next up in the Champions League. Claiming Liverpool were 'lightweight', the Scot also said the side's lack of bite in midfield was a contributing factor in Wednesday's defeat. Balotelli looks down following a disappointing night for Liverpool in their second game of the group stages . Balotelli failed to register a single touch in the opposition's box as Liverpool failed to score in Switzerland . 'Tonight they were lightweight,' insisted Souness. 'You can talk all you want about tactics and formations, but if every one of the midfielders isn't winning challenges and the other team keeps taking the ball off you then you're always going to be on the back foot. 'They played against a Basle team, who are arguably - when you look at the two games in the group - worse than Ludogorets. Real Madrid did not have an easy trip there. 'Liverpool still have to go there and after the next two games against Real Madrid they could find themselves in a very difficult situation. Graeme Souness (left) celebrates winning the 1981 European Cup with Kenny Dalglish and Alan Hansen . | Liverpool lost 1-0 to Basle in Champions League on Wednesday night .
Reds legend Graeme Souness believes Liverpool were too lightweight .
Souness also claimed Mario Balotelli summed up Liverpool's performance .
Balotelli failed to touch the ball in the opposition penalty area . |
111,214 | 1b680ea6d2ce793c5823eec0275bdc63a710cde5 | By . Daniel Martin . PUBLISHED: . 05:12 EST, 19 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 17:18 EST, 19 December 2012 . Packs of ten cigarettes could be banned under a European proposal to crack down on smoking. The EU’s Health and Consumer Commissioner also unveiled plans to ban menthol cigarettes and to force companies to cover three quarters of their packets with a picture warning. The idea is to make smoking less attractive to children, who are more likely to buy smaller packets of cigarettes with their pocket money. Youngsters are also more likely to buy flavoured cigarettes such as menthol and strawberry. Smoking: The EU will not force all cigarettes to be sold in plain packets with graphic health warnings, as is now required in Australia, but individual governments will be free to insist on such packaging if they wish . Last night the Department of Health in . London said ministers were considering the proposals, which will have . to be agreed by all Europe’s health ministers before they can go ahead. The EU wants the new rules to come into force across the continent by 2016. Under the proposals, packs of less than 20 cigarettes would be banned, as would ‘slim’ cigarettes. E-cigarettes, which are used by many . people wanting to quit the habit, would also have to carry health . warnings for the first time, because they contain nicotine. The moves were announced by Maltese EU commissioner Toni Borg to reinforce an existing tobacco products directive. Negotiations over the controversial . plans have taken place with the tobacco industry and health campaigners . for years, and they target the use in cigarettes, roll-ups and . ‘smokeless tobacco products’ flavoured with menthol, vanilla and . strawberry. Such ‘characterising flavours’ will be banned under the new legislation, if approved by Euro MPs and EU health ministers. Current pictorial health warnings will . more than double in size and the rules will extend to products not . specifically covered so far, such as ‘electronic’ cigarettes and herbal . smoking products. Chewing and nasal tobacco will have to have specific labelling and controls on ingredients. Dr Borg said: ‘The European Commission . had promised a proposal on tobacco products by the end of 2012, and . that’s what I’m presenting today. Plans: The draft European Commission legislation said the proposal 'foresees that combined warnings (picture plus text) of 75 per cent should be displayed on both sides of the packages of tobacco products' ‘The figures speak for themselves: . tobacco kills half of its users and is highly addictive. With 70 per . cent of the smokers starting before the age of 18, the ambition of . today’s proposal is to make tobacco products and smoking less attractive . and thus discourage tobacco initiation among young people.’ He added: ‘Consumers must not be . cheated: tobacco products should look and taste like tobacco products . and this proposal ensures that attractive packaging and flavourings are . not used as a marketing strategy.’ Current rules are now more than a . decade old and outdated, the Commission said. Significant changes have . taken place, such as new scientific evidence on the impact of . flavourings used in tobacco, and clearer statistics about the . effectiveness of health warnings. Novel products such as electronic . cigarettes have joined the sector, and Brussels is concerned about the . continued use of what it calls ‘attractive’ packaging and flavours. The new proposed labelling rules would . require a combined picture and text health warning covering 75 per cent . of the front and the back of cigarette packs. Current information on tar, nicotine . and carbon monoxide - now considered misleading - would be replaced by a . warning on the side of each pack noting that tobacco smoke contains . more than 70 cancer-causing substances. Choice: Seventy per cent of smokers start to smoke before 18. EU health and consumer commissioner said 'the ambition is to discourage tobacco among young people.' Newly-developed electronic cigarettes, . used by many smokers as a healthier alternative, would have to carry . health warnings, as they contain nicotine. If the nicotine content is above a . certain threshold they would not be allowed unless authorised by a . doctor as medicine, like nicotine replacement therapies. Even herbal . cigarettes would have to carry health warnings. The plans will now be considered by . the European Parliament and EU health ministers, with a target of . adopting the new laws during 2014 and bringing them into force in . 2016. The rules stop short of imposing plain . packaging as has recently been introduced in Australia. But individual E . governments would be free to impose them if they wished. A spokesman for Hamburg-based . Reemstma, Europe’s biggest cigarette producer and a subsidiary of . Imperial Tobacco, said the draft proposals were in breach of German and . European law. ‘This is plain packaging by the back . door, and by that token it is a deep intrusion into the intellectual . property rights and trademark rights of the manufacturer,’ she said. ‘It . destroys brand values that companies have built up over time.’ Last night, the Department of Health in London said ministers are considering the plan. | Proposals will have to be agreed by all Europe's health ministers .
Plans will also ban 'slim' cigarettes and require packs are 75 per cent covered with warnings // E-cigarettes will also have to carry warnings . |
159,043 | 59956d6eae82ffeae04e8d1492711aaadff3eced | By . Daily Mail Reporter . Last updated at 3:19 PM on 21st September 2011 . President Barack Obama will today make a desperate push for the Palestinians to drop a statehood bid when he addresses the U.N. General Assembly today. Obama will follow up his speech with separate meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders as he seeks to coax both parties back to direct peace talks. But as U.S. officials attempt to steer Palestine away, unrest was growing in the West Bank today from residents calling for independence. President Barack Obama will try to talk Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas out of an official push for statehood . The talks come as several thousand Palestinians streamed into the center of this West Bank city today in a show of support for their president's bid to win U.N. recognition of a Palestinian state. The rally, in a small square in downtown Ramallah, was carefully orchestrated, with civil servants and schoolchildren given time off to participate. Crowds of youths hoisted Palestinians flags and chanted slogans calling for the establishment of an independent Palestine. At the same time, U.S. officials are . conceding that they probably cannot prevent Palestinian leader Mahmoud . Abbas from moving forward with a request to the U.N. Security Council . for full Palestinian membership. Recognizing that Abbas seems intent to . proceed, Obama is expected to privately ask the Palestinian leader to . essentially drop the move for statehood recognition after Abbas delivers . a formal letter of intent to the U.N. on Friday. Religious unrest: Palestinian demonstrators carry a slingshot and rocks past a burning trash bin during clashes with Israeli soldiers today . Violence: A Palestinian holds a slingshot as others roll tires to burn during clashes with Israeli soldiers, at the Qalandia checkpoint between the West Bank city of Ramallah and Jerusalem . 'The president will say, frankly, the same thing in private that he'll say in public, which is that we do not believe that this is the best course of action for achieving Palestinian aspirations,' White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said. Obama will also meet today with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Obama administration has pledged . to veto any Palestinian statehood bid, arguing that only direct peace . negotiations, not a U.N. vote, would allow the Palestinians to achieve . the benefits of statehood. With . peace talks stalled, the U.S. and international partners have been . negotiating intensely this week over the steps it would take to bring . the two sides back to the negotiating table. The new approach being considered would . see the 'quartet' of Mideast peace mediators - the U.S., European Union, . United Nations and Russia - issue a statement addressing both . Palestinian and Israeli concerns and setting a timetable for a return to . the long-stalled peace talks, officials close to the diplomatic talks . said. Talks: French President Nicolas Sarkozy, left, meets with Mr Abbas in New York during the 66th session of the General Assembly yesterday . Discussions: Mr Abbas (right) and his delegation sit with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (left) during a U.N. meeting earlier this week . Israel would have to accept its pre-1967 borders with land exchanges as the basis for a two-state solution, and the Palestinians would have to recognize Israel's Jewish character if they were to reach a deal quickly, officials close to the talks said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing diplomacy. The White House publicly appeared to hold out slight hope that enough progress could be made to stop Abbas from formally requesting statehood recognition. 'President Abbas has indicated his . determination to go to the Security Council, so we take him at his word . on that,' Rhodes said. Today's . march appeared subdued, with many people using the day off to mingle . and do some window shopping. While turnout was modest, participants said . the gathering sent an important message. 'We . want to live in dignity,' said Atallah Wahbeh, a 60-year-old . shopkeeper. He said it was important that the U.N. recognize the . Palestinian cause, even if there are repercussions, such as a possible . cut in American aid. 'We don't need the Americans to buy us with money,' he said. A new poll indicated there is overwhelming popular support for Abbas' recognition quest. Tense: Israeli border police walk past T-shirts with slogans calling for statehood recognition . Support: Palestinian children hold flags and posters during a rally for UN membership in the West Bank. The U.S. has threatened to veto the bid . Some 83 percent of Palestinians believe it's a good idea, even though nearly as many - 78 percent - say they expect it will make their daily lives more difficult, according to a new poll by the independent Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research. The survey, conducted last week, included 1,200 respondents and had an error margin of 3 percentage points.The U.N. bid is seen by many Palestinians as a last option, after two uprisings and two decades of negotiations with Israel failed to produce a state, said pollster Khalil Shikaki. "It's simply a belief that the status quo is worse than the worst that can come out of the U.N.," he said. The simmering situation is far from the scenario Obama envisioned when he spoke at the U.N. one year ago. 'We should reach for what's best within ourselves,' Obama said last September in pushing for negotiated agreement on a sovereign Palestinian state. 'If we do, when we come back here next year, we can have an agreement that will lead to a new member of the United Nations.' While the Palestinian statehood bid has overshadowed Obama's time at the U.N., he is also expected to use his speech to the international body to reflect on the sweeping changes in the world over the past year, most notably in the Arab world. Rhodes said the president also would highlight significant foreign policy developments for the U.S., such as drawing down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the killing of Osama bin Laden. Obama on Wednesday also planned to hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. He was to meet with leaders from Britain, France, Japan and South Sudan, the world's newest nation. | Protesters gather in West Bank in support of Palestinian state .
Obama to make personal plea to leader Palestine's Mahmoud Abbas . |
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