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(CNN) -- The media circus that is Jodi Arias' murder trial is in its final stretch, as the jury began deliberations Friday following closing arguments. The jury, which has been in court since January, will resume deliberations Monday. It's been an R-rated story, to say the least, with an abundance of testimony about grisly violence and, from Arias, details about a kinky sex life she says she shared with Alexander. The case has captured massive if not total interest among Americans. While one part of the country watches CNN's sister network HLN for every twist in the trial, or drives hours to get one of the courtroom's limited lottery seats (yes, they're doled out via lottery), another segment of the nation asks, "Jodi who?" For those of you in the latter category, here are some things you should know as the trial comes to a close: . Travis Alexander . Lost in the salacious details of the "Jodi Arias trial" is the victim, Travis Alexander, 30, who was brutally killed in his Mesa, Arizona, home in June 2008. Faith was an integral part of Alexander's life. The professed son of methamphetamine addicts, Alexander was raised in Riverside, California, with three brothers and four sisters. His grandmother introduced him to Mormonism as a child. After he graduated from high school he went on a two-year mission in Denver. He later moved to Mesa because of the strong Mormon community and became a motivational speaker and businessman. He also authored a book titled, "Raising You." Arias was living in Yreka, California, when she met Alexander at a business convention in Las Vegas in September 2006. That November, he baptized Arias into the Mormon faith, a ceremony Arias said was followed by anal sex. Arias became his girlfriend two months later, she testified. They broke up in the summer of 2007, and Alexander began dating other women. There were claims that Arias would stalk him, peering in his windows at times. Still, he and Arias continued to hang out on several occasions until -- disenchanted Arias says -- she moved back to Northern California. They continued to communicate. The prosecution's case . Alexander's naked body was found crammed in a stand-up shower after he missed two appointments, prompting friends to go to his house. He had been stabbed 27 times in the back and torso and shot in the head. His throat was slit from ear to ear. Arias initially told an investigator, "I heard a lot of rumors, and that there was a lot of blood." She later claimed she killed him, albeit in self-defense. Deputy Maricopa County Attorney Juan Martinez has accused Arias of playing the victim when, in fact, he alleges she staged the crime scene to make it look like self-defense and has actively sought to profit from the media attention. Prior to Alexander's killing, Martinez said, Arias stole her grandparents' .25-caliber pistol, rented a car in Redding, California, turned off her cell phone and brought along cans of gas so there would be no record that she was in Arizona. "The only reason to keep this whole thing a secret, which is what she tried to do, is because she was going to kill him, and she's making preparations," the prosecutor said. Finally, according to Martinez's closing argument, after she killed Alexander, she hooked up with an out-of-state romantic interest so she would have an alibi. "She continues on to Utah into his waiting arms. Gosh, you can almost hear the violins making their sound as she goes up to him, gives him that first kiss. Isn't that romantic?" Martinez said. Arias' defense . Defense attorney Jennifer Willmott has said Arias was the victim of a controlling, psychologically abusive relationship and that Alexander considered Arias "his dirty little secret." Before Arias killed her ex in self-defense, Willmott claimed, she was subjected to rough vaginal sex. After she dropped Alexander's new camera, he became violent, the defense said, and had Arias not defended herself, investigators would've found Arias, not Alexander, dead in the bathroom. Arguing the prosecution's position that Arias was obsessed with Alexander and stalking him, another defense attorney, Kirk Nurmi, has said it didn't add up because Arias was active on a Mormon dating site. "Jodi ... wasn't so locked in on Travis that she wasn't looking for other men," Nurmi said. As for the allegation that Arias attempted to surreptitiously slip in and out of Arizona without a trace, Nurmi pointed out that Arias went to the Redding, California, airport to rent her car for the trip. "An airport with security cameras and security all around," the defense attorney said, "not some rental car agency on the outskirts of town -- an airport. That doesn't make any sense if you're on a covert mission." Nurmi also questioned the merit of the prosecution's gas can argument, saying Arias could have avoided a paper trail simply by paying with cash. She didn't need cans, he said. Did Arias change her story? Sure, Nurmi said, but that's not what she's standing trial for. "If Jodi Arias were accused of the crime of lying, I could not stand before you and say she's not guilty of that crime, but nowhere in your jury instructions are you asked to convict Jodi Arias of lying," Nurmi said. Fascination . If you didn't realize before, you probably see now why the case has drawn a cult following of sorts. It's rife with sex, lies and digital images, many of them naughty, and the dueling attorneys are lively -- nay, bombastic -- in their arguments. Arias herself has been tweeting from jail -- through a proxy, of course -- criticizing HLN and Martinez, and directing followers to a website that sells art on her behalf. For some media outlets, the case is gold. HLN has created a show, "After Dark: The Jodi Arias Trial," which invites an in-studio and at-home audience to grade the day's arguments. Its website is flush with every facet of the case, including a photo gallery containing 180 evidence photos. The Huffington Post has similar coverage, and CNN affiliates KPHO and KNXV in Phoenix have special trial pages on their websites. Before you lob cries of a sensationalist media profiting off a gruesome death, realize that people are clamoring for the coverage. HLN has enjoyed a ratings boost since the trial began, and people drive hours to see the trial for themselves. Spectators began lining up Friday at 1 a.m. -- more than six hours before the courthouse opened -- to get a seat, according to KPHO. Until April 25, the public was given access on a first-come-first-served basis, but the judge changed it to a lottery system for closing arguments, the station reported. Everardo McFarlane of Phoenix was none too happy with the change, as he was first in line Friday but didn't make the cut. "I just hope justice is served and that at least we get our $1.6 million worth with a conviction," McFarlane told KPHO, referring to the ever-increasing taxpayer expense on the trial. R.D. Williams of Amarillo, Texas, didn't have the luxury of a short drive across town. "It's 10 hours nonstop, two times to fuel up. I didn't bring no extra gas cans," Williams said, making a joke about a key argument in the case. Potential outcomes . What could happen to Arias is anyone's guess. If the jury's hung, she could face a retrial. The prosecution, naturally, would like to see a first-degree murder conviction, as its case has revolved around Arias premeditating the killing. If convicted on this charge, Arias will face a mini-trial of sorts to determine if she killed Alexander cruelly and knew he would suffer. A first-degree murder conviction could mean execution unless a jury grants her leniency, in which case she would get life in prison and may not be eligible for parole for at least 25 years. If the prosecution can't prove premeditation, Arias could still be convicted of second-degree murder, commanding 10 to 22 years in prison. The jury can also decide that Arias killed Alexander recklessly or that he attacked her. She'd then be convicted of manslaughter. Lastly, the jury could find her not guilty or determine that she acted in self-defense and that her actions were reasonable. Either way, she'd then be free to pursue her dream of becoming a professional photographer, and the media circus could move to another town. | Jodi Arias' murder trial began in January . She is accused of murdering her boyfriend nearly five years ago . She claims she acted in self-defense . | 046c8f5a75070e8b928b7ceab81d06522b0af9f6 |
A cyclist has launched a one-man campaign to shame dangerous drivers – and fellow riders - by posting video footage of reckless manoeuvres. The 24-year-old - who wishes to remain anonymous - uses a GoPro headcam to film drivers in Manchester stopping in cycle lanes, making risky U-turns and turning without checking mirrors. A careless cyclist is also shown trying to squeeze past a bus in one video. Scroll down for video . A car parked in the middle of a cycle lane in Manchester receives a ticket from a parking attendant . The researcher, who lives in Rusholme, then posts the videos on Youtube under the name MCR Cyclist. He has vowed to continue his crusade until the behaviour of motorists improves towards cyclists. 'It was a case of recording for my own safety and protection. But I starting putting them online as an educational tool,' said the anonymous cyclist. 'I get a lot of drivers on mobile phones but police struggle to take action if it isn't their footage - they usually just talk to drivers to warn them.' A bus pulling in to a bus stop narrowly avoids hitting the cyclist, who posts videos of dangerous driving . A driver takes a rest at the wheel while his car is parked in a cycle lane on the edge of a junction . A car suddenly turns left without indicating and narrowly avoids hitting the cyclist who is close behind . 'The police have seen my videos and they have spoken to some drivers and considered taking action so I get quite a lot of abuse. 'I don't want to be vulnerable if people recognise me on my way to work for my own safety.' But he also gets positive feedback. 'Drivers who were abusive on the roadside when incidents have happened then view the footage and get in touch to say they are now seeing it from a whole new perspective and are genuinely apologetic. 'On those occasions, I take down the video because it's done its job and the drivers seem genuinely aware that what they did was wrong. 'If I get just one driver to change their ways - and potentially save a cyclist or pedestrian from harm - then what I'm doing is worth it.' A silver car appears to be turning right at a busy junction in Manchester city centre . But the driver does not seem to see the cyclist and makes a dangerous U-turn in the middle of the street . The cyclist stops behind the silver car to watch the driver head off in the direction it had just come from . He began filming around five years ago after being hit by a driver. As there were no independent witnesses, no action could be taken. 'If I'm in danger or if I had to take some form of action to prevent myself or others being harmed I upload it,' he said. He thinks Manchester's main challenges are driver awareness - and infrastructure maintenance. He added: 'I think the main thing is cycle infrastructure being maintained. Quite often cycle pathways are installed but not maintained, they aren't cleaned well enough - there is glass and obstacles which makes it unsafe. 'Copenhagen has segregated cycle lanes and that's definitely the way forward to encourage more people to cycle.' A driver turns right withot looking to check for cyclists and almost knocks the rider over . A pedestrian in Manchester is shown walking between traffic without checking to look for bikes . | Cyclist posts footage of dangerous drivers on Youtube under MCR Cyclist . Videos show drivers stopping in cycle lanes and overtaking recklessly . A careless cyclist is also shown trying to squeeze past a bus in Manchester . He began filming around five years ago after being hit by a driver . | d97b1bed6fb39c2b428d361f91912df488c143c0 |
By . John Von Radowitz, Press Association . PUBLISHED: . 19:01 EST, 23 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 19:01 EST, 23 February 2013 . Just like human crossword addicts, chimpanzees love having their brains teased, research has shown. The apes enjoy getting stuck into a puzzle - with or without the opportunity to win a prize. Scientists at Whipsnade Zoo, Bedfordshire, set up a game for six chimps that involved moving red dice through a network of pipes until they fell into a container. Crossword addict: Chimpanzees love having their brains teased and enjoy getting stuck into a puzzle - with or without the opportunity to win a prize, research has shown . To achieve their goal, players had to prod sticks into holes in the pipes to change the direction of the dice. The same task was also carried out using brazil nuts instead of dice, so that success led to a tasty treat. Researcher Fay Clark, from the Zoological Society of London, said: 'We noticed that the chimps were keen to complete the puzzle regardless of whether or not they received a food reward. 'This strongly suggests they get similar feelings of satisfaction to humans who often complete brain games for a feel-good reward.' The chimpanzees, all members of an adult family group at the zoo, did not receive advance training on how to play the game. 'For chimps in the wild, this task is a . little bit like foraging for insects or honey inside a tree stump or a . termite mound, except more challenging because the dice to not stick to . the tool,' said Ms Clark. Like humans, chimpanzees are motivated to solve a puzzle for its own sake, without needing a food reward, said the researchers . The findings are published today in the American Journal of Primatology. Researchers created higher 'levels' of challenge by connecting many pipes together, and making them opaque so the dice or nuts could only be glimpsed through small holes. The apes were given complete freedom whether or not to pit their wits in the puzzle, said the scientists. They chose to take part in the game despite also receiving treats hidden in boxes as part of the zoo's enrichment programme. Like humans, chimpanzees are motivated to solve a puzzle for its own sake, without needing a food reward, said the researchers. | Scientists at Whipsnade Zoo set up a game for six chimps using dice . They had to move the dice through a network of pipes . | 912cd6dbb1d8cd8acaf0aa5c6a47543aaec07f68 |
Finland has become the final Nordic country to legalise same-sex marriage after an equal rights bill was passed in parliament today. Victory cheers erupted in central Helsinki where thousands of human rights activists had gathered outside Parliament ahead of the vote. Gay couples in Finland have been able to enter into registered partnerships since 2002, but will now have the same rights as heterosexual married couples, and will be able adopt children and share a surname. Yeys for gays: Supporters of the same-sex marriage celebrate outside the Finnish Parliament in Helsinki, after the Finnish parliament approved a bill giving equal rights to gay and straight couples . Laws governing marriage are now completely gender-neutral in the Scandinavian nation, which has a population of some 5.4 million. Supporters of the bill hugged after speaker Eero Heinäluoma closed the session, and some MPs cried leaving the floor of the House. 'Finland should strive to become a society where discrimination does not exist, human rights are respected and two adults can marry regardless of their sexual orientation,' centre-right Prime Minister Alexander Stubb said in an open letter before the vote. Finland becomes the 12th European state to allow gay marriage, but the last in the Nordic region to do so. It is an important move for Finland in taking a stand against its increasingly anti-gay neighbour Russia and joining forces with the rest of Scandinavia. United in joy: Prime Minister Alexander Stubb, right, hugs Finland's first openly gay MP Jani Toivola after the vote on same-sex marriages saw the bill passed with 105 to 92 votes . A female same-sex marriage supporter cheers outside the Finnish Parliament after the vote . Keeping up with the Joneses: Finland was the last Nordic country not to allow same-sex marriage . Most opponents argued that all children should have the right to a father and mother. 'This is a question of the future of our children and the whole society, and such changes should not be made without thorough evaluation of their impact,' Mika Niikko of the nationalist Sannfinlandarna (TrueFinns party) said before the vote. In the vote, 105 members of parliament supported the legal amendment while 92 opposed it. The vote came after a petition signed by 167,000 Finnish people was handed over to Parliament in December last year. An equal rights supporter waves a Teletubby doll as the crowds celebrate the winning vote . | Finnish Parliament has voted to legalize same-sex marriages . Until today, Finland was the only Nordic country not to allow it . Gay couples have been able to register partnerships since 2002 . | 3e816a29cbd8ae07cdc71ecf3bfd15cc91365a74 |
Film star Keira Knightley admits she can't quite believe how well West Ham have done this season. Knightley is a lifelong Hammers fan and shared her love for the east London side with US chat show host Seth Meyers - also a West Ham fan - last week. Speaking On Late Night With Seth Meyers she said: 'I should just say we are not the sort of team who win very often! I'm really glad you (Meyers) picked West Ham. Keira Knightley and Seth Meyers discuss their love for West Ham United last week . The pair spoke about their love for the east London side on Myers' US chat show . Knightley seemed happy after Myers revealed he was also a West Ham fan . Knightley was all smiles on the US chat show Late Night With Seth Meyers last week . 'They're having an amazing time this season though. I'm almost watching with my hands over my eyes because I fear it's not going to last, but maybe it will last?!' Knightley, who features in newly released film The Imitation Game, admitted she wasn't surprised that West Ham have struggled over the years, considering one iconic song all the Hammers fans resonate with, which effectively crushes your dreams. 'The song that is played before the game is great. You just have all the crowd blowing bubbles - the song's called I'm forever blowing bubbles. 'The problem I have with it though is that the song is really sad! 'The song is about not winning and in fact your dreams fading and dying the whole time, so in reality it's not a surprise we lose all the time!' Stewart Downing, pictured celebrating scoring against Stoke, has been a star performer for West Ham . Sam Alladyce has earned huge plaudits for the job he has done at West Ham . Singer Pixie Lott (right) wore a West Ham shirt on Des Kelly's show on BT Sport last season . Katy Perry has been known to wear West Ham colours in the past . Host Meyers also expressed his love for Sam Allardyce's side revealing just how he got into following the Hammers. He said: 'I was in London one time and wanted to go to a Premier League game so I went to a ticket agent and had the option of going to Arsenal, Charlton and West Ham. 'I thought that this was the only time in my life that I was going to go to East London so why not?' | West Ham currently lie in sixth place in the Premier League . Film star Keira Knightley is a lifelong Hammers fan . Knightley was on US chat show 'Late Night with Seth Meyers' last week talking about her love for the Hammers . The 29-year-old admitted she is watching West Ham with her hands 'over her eyes' this season . Meyers also spoke about his trip to London to watch West Ham . | d931dd90a9cb5d920afae31c93b124a27cace9d6 |
As the wife of the Prime Minister, she has undoubtedly stood alongside some of the country’s most powerful and influential women. But last night, Samantha Cameron found herself next to one of the most inspirational. Mrs Cameron honoured mother-of-one Naomi Thomas as she was named the overall winner of the Daily Mail’s seventh annual Inspirational Women of the Year Awards. Scroll down for video . From left, Susan Belgrave, Jeanette Orrey and winner Naomi Thomas with Samantha Cameron and Sir Bruce Forsyth, Janis Feely and Pat Rogers . The 31-year-old, who is terminally ill with secondary breast cancer, was invited to 10 Downing Street before a gala dinner at the Marriott Hotel in London’s Grosvenor Square. Mrs Thomas received the award in recognition of her work setting up a charity to plan weddings for the terminally ill. Mrs Thomas, from Somerset, was first diagnosed with the disease in 2009, two days after becoming engaged to her partner, Graham. Just six days after their son was born in 2010, she was told the cancer was incurable. The couple were forced to give up work to cope with the demands of the illness, meaning the wedding they booked had to be cancelled. However, a local wedding planner then offered to help arrange a ceremony as cheaply as possible, inspiring Mrs Thomas to set up The Wedding Wishing Well Foundation. Mrs Cameron honoured mother-of-one Naomi Thomas as she was named the overall winner . Mrs Thomas was joined at Downing Street by Strictly Come Dancing host Sir Bruce Forsyth and the four other finalists in the awards, held in association with British Gas and homeless charity Shelter. After the reception, the women went on to the awards ceremony, where the winner was announced by Sir Bruce. He paid tribute to the finalists as he arrived on stage, saying: ‘This has been one of the most emotional nights I have been to.’ After being named as the winner, Mrs Thomas said: ‘I have worked unpaid for so many hours each week. If I can save one person, I have done my job. I have got my husband and my son, I couldn’t ask for any more.’ Mrs Thomas was joined at Downing Street by Strictly Come Dancing host Sir Bruce Forsyth and the four other finalists in the awards . Susan Belgrave, 88, from Dorchester, was nominated for her work with the Beanstalk charity, which has helped 80,000 children improve their literacy skills. Set up 40 years ago with just seven volunteers, the charity now has 2,400 helpers across 1,000 UK primary schools. Janis Feely MBE was recognised for creating a free counselling centre to help people with addictions. The 66-year-old former alcoholic from Stevenage set up The Living Room in 2000 and has since helped more than 2,650 people overcome addiction, achieving an average recovery rate of 70 percent. As a result of her work, 43 children have been taken out of care and returned to their parents, and many more removed from the Child Protection Register. Pat Rogers, 61, from Blackburn, has been tackling youth violence and founded the Every Action Has Consequences campaign, which educates youngsters in schools, colleges, prisons and youth clubs. She set up the campaign in 2009 after losing her 24-year-old son Adam in a street fight. Dinner lady and mother of three Jeanette Orrey MBE was nominated for her efforts in helping to improve school dinners across Britain. The 57-year-old from Newark co-founded the Food for Life organisation in 2007. It now works with 4,600 schools and provides 120million school meals a year. The five finalists, selected from hundreds of extraordinary women nominated by the Daily Mail’s readers, have all won an all-expenses paid trip to London, while Mrs Thomas has been handed a £5,000 luxury holiday. The awards ceremony was attended by a number of celebrities, including Esther Rantzen, Michael Buerk, Anton du Beke and Sian Williams. Miss Williams last night revealed that visiting Downing Street had been on Mrs Thomas’s ‘bucket list’. She added that Mrs Thomas and Mrs Cameron had chatted about their love of internet shopping during the meeting yesterday. ÷ Read Naomi Thomas’s inspirational story and interviews with the finalists in Femail on Thursday. | Naomi Thomas was named overall winner of the Daily Mail’s seventh annual Inspirational Women of the Year Awards . Received the award in recognition of her work setting up a charity to plan weddings for the terminally ill . 31-year-old, who is terminally ill with secondary breast cancer, was invited to 10 Downing Street to be honoured with award . | 0fd487916b2d1889f3518803205d6eebc74c530a |
Editor's note: CNN Contributor Bob Greene is a best-selling author whose new book is "Late Edition: A Love Story." Bob Greene says ordinary life stops when Muhammad Ali appears anywhere. (CNN) -- It was still early enough in the evening that the main dinner crowd had not yet started to show up; the restaurant, east of Michigan Avenue in Chicago, was less than half-filled. The party of 10 at the table by the front window had arrived promptly for their 6 p.m. reservation. Nine of the 10 studied their menus, but the 10th, the man at the head of the table, did not. Muhammad Ali, 67, stared down toward the white tablecloth and drew on a piece of paper. He sketched a picture of a mountain. There are a handful of men among us who, simply by appearing out of nowhere, make other men and women pause involuntarily to consider the long paths of their own lives. It is as if these men have always been with us, and if you should unexpectedly spot Bob Dylan in an airport, if you should see Paul McCartney walking through a hotel lobby, if you should encounter Sean Connery entering an office building, it will bring you up short. It's like opening a diary, even if you have never met them, even if you have never seen them except on a television set or a movie screen. Yet Ali is different even from them. Ali -- his story so complicated, his health failing, his imprint on the world so indelible -- makes people mist up the moment they lay eyes on him. It was happening tonight inside this restaurant called the Rosebud Steakhouse; diners at their own tables, not quite sure for a second that they were really seeing what they were seeing, let their gazes linger and could not look away. Ali drew. The other men and women at his table -- this was a gathering of family and friends to celebrate a birthday, and Ali had come into Chicago from his farm in Michigan -- talked animatedly and laughed. Ali did not speak. He wore a blue-and-white Hawaiian-style shirt; someone had tucked a white napkin into the space above the top button. Over the speaker system of the restaurant, a slowed-down acoustic knockoff of the old Tom Petty hit "Free Fallin' " was playing softly: . "She's a good girl, crazy 'bout Elvis ..." A family, across the way, talked spiritedly among themselves. They were deciding something. The father and the children stood up. From the ceiling, the song: . "... and I'm free, free fallin' ..." They walked over to Ali's table. "We apologize for the intrusion," the father said. Ali looked toward them, showing a gentle expression. The father had a camera. He said to his children: "This is the most famous face in the world." It is difficult to know what the children made of this. Youth and strength and beauty are so fleeting. The man in the Hawaiian shirt once embodied all of those things, before these children were born. Three times the world heavyweight boxing champion, the center of global fascination and frenzied controversy after winning his first title and then changing his name from Cassius Clay, endlessly mesmerizing with his float-like-a-butterfly, sting-like-a-bee ring style, called "the greatest of all time" so often that the words became almost an official designation, the sight of his flawless face and the sound of his confident-beyond-all-dispute voice a sustaining part of the very atmosphere. ... But his road has turned hard, and here were these children, who were not around for any of that, standing with their father next to the table. Ali's family members and friends said it would be all right for the father to take some photos, so he did. When he left, Ali went back to his drawing. More diners were beginning to arrive at the restaurant. Their evenings changed the moment they caught sight of him. Some pulled out cell phones to call people across the nation; others quietly debated whether to approach him. Many years ago, I traveled the country with him to prepare a magazine profile for a special issue on the 50 men and women judged to have had the greatest impact on society during their time on Earth. Everywhere Ali went, he was mobbed; people grabbed at him, people cried out, people attempted to touch his face. In the middle of all this one day, he said to me, almost in a whisper: . "This is the whole world. This is what my whole life is like." That hasn't changed, although his ability to speak aloud about it has. The food began to arrive at his table. The people to his right and to his left helped him with his. He demonstrated not the least sliver of self-consciousness; this is part of his life now, and he knows how much he is loved. He handed something to a man named Cleve Walker, who has been his friend for 50 years. It was a drawing that a young girl had brought over to him earlier. She had made a picture of a butterfly and had presented it to him. Now Ali gave it to Walker, who took it across the restaurant to where the child was sitting with her family. Ali had signed his name to it. Walker handed it to the little girl. Her face lit up. Outside the restaurant, on Walton Street, a group of young men walked by, wearing officially licensed jerseys bearing the names and uniform numbers of their favorite current-day sports stars. One of the young men glanced through the windowpane but did not register that the man at whom he was looking was Ali. Ali studied the tablecloth, and a birthday cake arrived, and the others at the table began to sing in the direction of one woman among them: . "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you ..." Ali did not sing nor did he look up. But then the others reached the penultimate line of the song: . "Happy birthday, dear Marilyn ..." And with that Ali lifted his head and gazed directly at her, right into her eyes, and smiled the most luminous smile toward her. "... happy birthday to you." Soon they rose to depart. Some in the restaurant, now more crowded, applauded. Ali did not react. And then he was out on the street and in a moment out of sight. Around the next corner, although they did not yet know it, people would soon be stopping in their tracks. He may be the only one who remembers his life when it was any other way. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Bob Greene. | Bob Greene: Muhammad Ali's extraordinary life brings him instant attention . Greene: Ali embodied youth, strength and beauty in his remarkable career . He says Ali drew attention of everyone in a Chicago restaurant . | 962c2c5398c0f398d2dd7635a6679d361c75246f |
By . Glen Owen . Tony Blair’s friendship with Wendi Deng is set to light up the West End when a satirical new play about Rupert Murdoch opens later this year. The stage show Rupert will chart the 82-year-old press baron’s career in cabaret style, covering his turbulent private life, his proximity to powerful politicians and the toxic fallout from the newspaper hacking scandal. British producers have signed a deal to turn the Australian play, which had a sell-out run in Melbourne last year, into a UK hit – and promise that it will be ‘updated to take account of recent events’. Key players: Details of the feud between Murdoch, Deng and Blair revealed by Mail on Sunday will hit the stage . It means the writers have licence to feature the sensational revelations by The Mail on Sunday that the mogul had discovered that his wife had spent weekends with Mr Blair at Mr Murdoch’s homes. Their closeness brought problems in the 14-year Murdoch marriage to a head and causing a ‘terminal rift’ between the two men. Mr Blair denies that he had an affair with Ms Deng. Rupert, created by award-winning playwright David Williamson, tells Mr Murdoch’s life story in his ‘own words’, including via supposed messages sent by the Twitter-savvy octogenarian. In the version seen by Australian audiences Ms Deng, played by HaiHa Le, is at one point seen pouting on all fours, dressed in a miniskirt, in what one critic described as ‘a jaw-dropping orientalist portrayal’. Mr Blair appeared fleetingly as a caricature in the Australian version of the play, which ran before news broke of the Blair-Deng friendship, but there was no mention of his closeness to 45-year-old Ms Deng. Script: The British producers developing the Australian play are seeking legal advice as they reconstruct the relationships in the media mogul's life, based on allegations revealed last year about the former Prime Minister . The producers – who say they are taking careful legal advice on how to update the play for British audiences – have plenty of new material they could introduce about the former Prime Minister. Our revelations included the discovery of a note written by Ms Deng to herself in which she said she had a ‘crush’ on Mr Blair, and the fact that they met on a superyacht owned by music billionaire David Geffen without Mr Murdoch’s knowledge. Mr Murdoch, who divorced Ms Deng four months ago, could be shown ‘raging’ at the news of the friendship. The producers could also highlight Mr Blair’s presence at the baptism of the Murdochs’ daughter, Grace, on the banks of the River Jordan in 2010: Mr Blair, who was dressed in flowing white robes for the ceremony, is the girl’s godfather. Two different actors will play ‘junior Rupert’ and ‘senior Rupert’, who interact together on the stage. According to one West End agent, Sir Ian Mckellen or David Morrissey could be approached to play Mr Murdoch at the different stages of his life, while Michael Sheen could reprise his Tony Blair impersonation. Stars: Sir Ian McKellen has been tipped for a role in the show, hitting UK stages later this year . Michael Sheen, left, and David Morrissey, right, have also been named as potential cast members . Last night, Daniel Sparrow, the producer who has secured the rights to mount the production in the UK, said that the script would be ‘localised’ with ‘some more UK specific plot points’. Asked if he would be updating the play to include the Blair-Deng relationship, Mr Sparrow said: ‘My solicitors are advising on these aspects, so I cannot confirm which plot points we are considering. ‘It is too soon to speculate what updates will or won’t be incorporated, especially related to Blair, or on the casting. ‘We need to act upon the advice of our lawyers. We will address such updates later on in the production process.’ ‘I am confident that UK audiences will find David Williamson’s new play fast-paced, humorous, enlightening and a wholly riveting evening of theatrical entertainment.’ The play will also cover the Murdoch family’s in-fighting, the arguments over whether he exerts undue influence over politicians and the reverberations from the phone- hacking scandal at his now-defunct News of the World. | Based on Australian show about Murdoch which had sell-out run last year . New British deal will feature latest revelations involving Blair and Deng . Sir Ian McKellen, Michael Sheen and David Morrissey tipped for roles . | a0b112de4bc7874aeedbe80b39f5177cd0476238 |
Lagos, Nigeria (CNN) -- The most foolish argument I've heard from the never-ending efforts to discourage young Nigerians from cybercrime is that money isn't everything. Well, lack isn't everything either. There's also the equally common argument about integrity being worthier than wealth, as if a dichotomy must always exist between the two. No wonder the many 419 scammers -- for whom the specter of a destitute and unfulfilled future is a daily terror -- don't appear ready to budge from their fraudulent ways. And so it was with a mixture of curiosity and skepticism that I attended an 'Alternatives to Cybercrime' event organized by Microsoft and Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN). What new doctrine did the anti-cybercrime brigade have to preach this time? My 419 scams-themed novel had earned me an invitation to address the audience of university and secondary school students. Another guest speaker was Adeolu Akinyemi, a young man who runs Street Skills, an organization that rehabilitates 419 scammers. The more he spoke, the more I found myself sitting straighter in my chair with rapt attention. No, he doesn't warn the fraudsters against the ills of materialism or notify them that money doesn't buy happiness. That grand sermon may wait until after they can afford three square meals a day. Adeolu's method is to teach the young men how to use the same skills developed from years of diligently scamming hard currency from gullible Westerners, to make legitimate money online. Felix Ekpa, the very first case Adeolu worked with, was a successful 419 scammer between 2004 and 2007. The 31-year-old now makes an honest living from various online businesses. I went searching for him after the event. "I have been actively involved in network marketing for about three years and I daresay it is the shortest and fastest way to living the life of your dreams," he told me. The former scammer also trades Forex in his spare time. Felix first contacted Adeolu in 2007 after coming across his blog which provided information on various online investment schemes. He was intrigued enough to contact Adeolu requesting a meeting. "When we met, I was shocked to see someone of my age range," he said. "So it was easy for me to tell him my story and how I had been motivated by his write ups and how I was looking forward to change if he was going to help." Under Adeolu's tutelage, Felix eventually felt confident enough in his new line of work to completely abandon the old. Both men then decided to reach out to other scammers. Thus, Street Skills was born. Felix started by reaching out to the scammers he knew personally, his former colleagues. His experiences as a "former street boy" now making money through legitimate means enabled him to get through to some of the scammers, he said. Today, Felix is Adeolu's partner and the "Lead Driver" of Street Skills. "He heads the organization, and I play a support role," Adeolu said, adding that his aim is to "push" Felix as a positive role model, since he's "been there and done that." Felix has also done some restitution, refunding his victims their swindled money. One of his former victims was shocked when he confessed that he had been scamming her all along. Then Felix promised to refund her the approximately $25,000 he swindled from her. He eventually sent an initial $1000, followed by several other installments. "She is now more of a family friend, as she is in touch with my family and friends till date," he said. A brief survey of Nigeria's 419 communities appears to present three distinct categories of scammers. The first are the pioneers of the late 80s and early 90s, common criminals who simply saw yet another opportunity to make a dishonest living. The second, mostly university graduates from decent backgrounds, were chance criminals who found respite from unemployment and hopelessness, in scamming. It didn't help that they had watched the first category scam their way to respectability and philanthropy. The third group had simply observed the second, and saw them as role models. Like their heroes, they also desired to ride fast cars, have assorted damsels perch on their arms and occupy prominent seats at public functions. Despite being well provided for by his family, university graduate Felix says he fell into this third category of criminals after observing the lavish display of wealth and big cars driven by "small boys" in his area. "I got curious, asked questions, and the adventurous side of me took over," he said. "I learned the game and got involved. It was fun and the easiest way to make real money. It was quite lucrative." Street Skills says it currently has about 10 rehabilitated scammers that have found legitimate opportunities to fend for themselves and their families, there are also around 40 who they describe as "work in progress." But their vocation is certainly not a stroll in the park; it takes patience to break into these networks and convince the scammers to opt for money-making opportunities that won't have them constantly looking over their shoulders. Those who eventually sign up for "rehabilitation" are then followed up with seminars and training, where they are taught the basics of network marketing, entrepreneurship, e-books marketing and internet marketing till they actually start making money through the opportunities presented to them. Unfortunately, a lean purse has forced Street Skills to go from monthly group meetings to more one-on-one sessions, which Felix says are not as effective as group meetings. Most of the funding for the work they do comes from his and Adeolu's pockets and he believes proper funding would allow them to set up more centers around Nigeria . But there is an increasing number of young people turning to email scams in the country. "You'd be shocked to learn that we have youth as young as 15 in the cybercafes, sending scam mails to unknowing victims. Some are in secondary schools, while some are not even educated," Felix said. He believes a long-term solution is to provide these young people with alternative occupations. The world can continue to fight as hard as it will against 419 scams, but the 18 and 19-year-olds who troop to Nigerian cybercafes everyday in search of that one ignoramus americanus or britanus -- whose hard currency will transform their lives -- have more severe worries to contend with than fear of the FBI or Interpol. And until these idle youngsters find a better alternative to the work which Beelzebub has found for them, sadly, the world will know no rest from their torment. | Microsoft organized the 'Alternatives to Cybercrime' event in Nigeria . Adeolu Adewunmi founded Street Skills to rehab former "419" email scammers . '419' scammers range from 15-year-olds to the university-educated . | 393a94057eef42861185defc6b285bf617d97229 |
A jury has been shown intimate photographs of murderer Jodi Arias that were taken by Travis Alexander in the hours leading up to his death. While prosecutors have now closed their case in the sentencing retrial of Arias - convicted of murdering her ex-boyfriend - their evidence required jurors to sit through several days of lurid evidence involving intimate photos and phone-sex recordings. Arias was convicted of the murder of her ex-boyfriend last year, but a retrial was ordered after the jury was deadlocked on whether to give her the death penalty or life in prison. Scroll down for video . Calls for her head: Jody Arias was already looking exhausted as opening statements began in her lurid sentencing retrial where prosecutors were swift to tell jurors that only a death sentence befits her crime . Following a prosecution claim that Alexander was afraid of 'stalker' Arias, defence attorney Kirk Nurmi responded by displaying to jurors pornographic images of Arias' private parts, AZ Central reported. The photos were taken by Alexander in the hours leading up to his death - Mr Nurmi then asked the jury if they suggested Alexander was afraid of Arias as the prosecution had claimed. Mr Nurmi then spent time going through photos showing Alexander in the shower - before replaying in full a 40-minute long phone sex conversation in which the two moan as if they were having orgasms. The 34-year-old Arias was convicted of murder last year but the first jury was deadlocked on whether to give her the death penalty or life in prison . The retrial opened a week ago with prosecutors telling jurors the Arizona murderer deserves the harshest sentence of them all. 'The only just punishment in this case is death,' Juan Martinez told the Maricopa County Superior Court. Mentally ill: Jodi Arias' defense attorney Kirk Nurmi argued his client is mentally ill and should not, therefore, be executed . Arias had her hair cut to shoulder-length for her return to the courtroom and appeared to have it dyed darker. She has also been wearing a new pair of nude-framed glasses - perhaps because earlier this month, a Phoenix food bank auctioned off the glasses she wore at the original trial and raised close to $1,000 for charity. Last week defense lawyer Kirk Nurmi began opening statements, telling jurors it was up to them to write the final chapter to the story. The jury had been warned that it would see graphic evidence about the killing and relationship between Arias and victim Travis Alexander - but he said she should not be executed because she is mentally ill. Prosecutor Martinez proved his point by showing jurors a picture of Arias' victim, ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander, with his throat slit. 'This is how much she loved him,' Martinez told the jury, according to ABC. The victims' siblings were in court today along with Arias' parents and brother. Arias was convicted of murder last year but the first jury was deadlocked on whether to give her the death penalty or life in prison. That required a new jury and trial to decide her punishment. A new jury that was picked over the past several weeks will listen as the former waitress tries to make another case that her life should be spared. Four hundred people were called as prospective jurors. Many of them were cut after they said they either made up their minds about the case or knew too much to be impartial. Some jurors cited their objection to the death penalty. They won't consider whether or not she's guilty - that's already been decided. The retrial is expected to last into December. Arias stabbed and slashed Alexander nearly 30 times, slit his throat so deeply she nearly decapitated him and shot him in the forehead. Judge Sherry Stephens has shut the media and public out of nearly every hearing in the case and drawn complaints from First Amendment lawyers that she has gone too far . Arias was found guilty of first degree murder in the death of former boyfriend Travis Alexander, but the jury deadlocked on whether to give her the death penalty or life in prison. Now defense attorney Kirk Numi (pictured) is facing off against prosecutors in a battle where Arias' life, and fate, hang in the balance . She left his body in his shower where friends found him about five days later at his suburban Phoenix home. She acknowledged she killed Alexander, but claimed it was self-defense after he attacked her. Prosecutors said it was premeditated murder carried out in a jealous rage after the victim wanted to end their affair and planned a trip to Mexico with another woman. Weeks after Arias was convicted, the jury failed to reach a unanimous decision on her punishment. Her attorneys have since sought, unsuccessfully, to dismiss the death penalty as an option. If another deadlock occurs, the death penalty would automatically be removed as an option, leaving a judge to sentence Arias to one of two options: life in prison or life in prison with the possibility of release after 25 years. Jodi Arias was found guilty of the murder of Travis Alexander in 2008 after slitting his throat so deeply she nearly decapitated him and shooting him in the forehead . Arias left the body of her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander in his shower where friends found him days later at his suburban Phoenix home. Crime scene pictures from the first trial (pictured) revealed the brutal nature of the killing . Left for days: Alexander was left in this shower, for around five days before friends found his decaying body . The sentencing retrial will be a mini-trial of sorts to get a fresh jury - of 12 women and six men, including six alternates - up to speed on the case. At her last trial, she testified for 18 days, describing for jurors an abusive childhood, cheating boyfriends, dead-end jobs, a shocking sexual relationship with Alexander, and her contention that he was physically abusive. Her first trial drew a global following and inspired spectators to wait in line in the middle of the night to get a coveted seat in the courtroom. This time around, the judge has ruled that cameras can record the proceedings, but nothing can be broadcast until after the verdict. Judge Sherry Stephens has shut the media and public out of nearly every hearing in the case and drawn complaints from First Amendment lawyers that she has gone too far. Judge Stephens said the hearing closures are intended to protect Arias' right to an impartial jury. Attorney David Bodney, who represents several media outlets fighting for transparency in the case, said there have been repeated violations of the public's constitutional right to attend proceedings in the case. The costs of defending Arias have topped $2.5 million and will mount during a second penalty phase. Prosecutors have declined to provide their costs to try the case. | Arias, 34, was convicted of murder last year but the first jury was deadlocked on whether to give her the death penalty or life in prison . Arias stabbed and slashed ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander nearly 30 times, slit his throat so deeply she nearly decapitated him before she shot him . At last trial, she testified about an abusive childhood, cheating boyfriends, dead-end jobs and a shocking sexual relationship with Alexander . Retrial jury has now been shown photos and conversations between the pair, including intimate shots of Arias and Alexander . | 463249503792626dc9de8fa997d2940e14beb74e |
Long before man ventured into space, our canine companions were testing the water for us. To assess the then unknown effects of low gravity and forces during launch on living things, Russian scientists made these high-pressure suits to help keep dogs safe during experiments in the 1950s. They were strapped into what might be considered today as a rather crude contraption, put into a rocket and fired 80km to the edge of space before returning to Earth by parachute. Like a giant boot: This space suit was among the first made for dogs for experiments on the effects of low gravity and high-speed launches on living things . To boldly go: This picture taken in 1959 shows a dog preparing for launch from a Soviet base in Central Asia . The lessons learned paved the way for Laika's mission in 1957, when she became the first animal to orbit the Earth, and subsequently the first journeys into space by humans a few years later. Unfortunately, only a few suits have remained intact over the years. One, a brown, lace-up suit complete with a dog's head-shaped helmet and breathing apparatus, is currently on display at the National Space Centre in Leicester. Speaking when it first arrived at the centre in 2010, Kevin Yates, the Space Communications Manager, told the Guardian: 'At the beginning of the space race, no-one knew how the human body would respond to being in low gravity, high altitude and the forces exerted during launch. Pioneering pooch: Laika, who became the first animal to orbit the Earth in 1957, with her handler . Final frontier: For years, it had been reported that Laika (pictured on board the Sputnik 2 satellite) survived for six days until her oxygen ran out, but in 2002 it emerged that she likely perished within hours after launch . 'So animals were used to test the . reactions to these. Most of the dogs did survive. There were only a . couple of accidents where dogs died.' Russian scientists chose dogs, most of them strays from the streets of Moscow, because they felt they were better able to sit still for long periods than primates. The U.S., on the other hand, preferred chimpanzees because of their similarity to humans. Being enclosed in these suits that effectively wrapped them up like a giant boot must have been terrifying, but Mr Yates said many of the dogs seemed quite happy after they had landed back on Earth. Canine cosmonaut: Malyshka, a Russian space dog, poses here in its snug-fitting space suit with a transparent space helmet beside it in 1957 . One giant leap for canine kind: Two Russian 'spacedogs' Veterok (left) and Ugoloik wearing their space suits shortly after they were in orbit for 22 days in 1966 . He said: 'I've seen original footage of the dogs being collected when they parachute back down and they seem very excited to see their owners.' Laika, a stray Russian dog, became the first animal to orbit the earth in November 1957 aboard the Sputnik 2 satellite, but died during the mission. It had for years been reported that she survived for six days until her oxygen ran out, but in 2002 it emerged that she likely perished from overheating within hours after launch. Four years later, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to orbit the Earth aboard Vostok 1, closely followed by American Alan Shepard a month after that. | High-pressure suits protected dogs during experiments in the 1950s . Paved the way for man's first orbit of Earth and journey to the moon . | 6b9fa46f5bb429a2001a0815df9aebcef7fec05b |
A former prosecutor who says Tawana Brawley, now known as Tawana Gutierrez, falsely dragged his name through the mud in a defamation judgment from 1987 is looking to collect this year. Steven Pagones, a former Dutchess County prosecutor, says Brawley still owes him . $429,000, including interest, after falsely calling him a 'gang-raping, kidnapping racist.' 'In all these years, she’s never told the truth about this hoax or paid me a cent,' Pagones told the New York Post on Christmas Eve. 'Now I’m going to seek anything I’m entitled to under the law,' he said. 'In all these years, she’s never told the truth about this hoax or paid me a cent,' says former assistant district attorney Steven Pagones . That could well cost Brawley, a single mom working as a nurse in . Virginia, up to a couple of hundred dollars a week, according to the Post. Twenty-five years after Brawley's claims of being raped by a gang of white men polarised New York City, the woman has been tracked down living in hiding in Virginia. On November 28, 1987, the then-15-year-old was found in a trash bag, dazed, smeared with feces with the word n****r scrawled on her body. She told police she had been abducted by . two white men and driven to the woods where they and four others . ravaged her for four days - one of which had a badge. Here to collect: Pagones says he would consider dropping his demand for money if Brawley admits she made up her story against him . The case was catapulted onto the national stage by attorneys Alton H. Maddox and C. Vernon Mason, and the then-little-known Rev. Al Sharpton, who claimed she was raped 33 times. Celebrities weighed in, with Bill Cosby posting a $25,000 reward for information on the case, Don King promised $100,000 for Brawley’s education and boxer Mike Tyson gave her a $30,000 watch to ease her pain. Fishkill Police Officer Harry Crist Jr. was implicated after being found dead in his apartment a week after Brawley was discovered, and Pagones was also accused when he stepped in with an alibi for the 28-year-old. But in 1988 a grand jury found the whole shocking story was a hoax, and Brawley was never raped. Now 40 years old, The New York Post tracked her down working as a nurse in Virginia. 'I don't want to talk to anyone about that,' Brawley told the newspaper recently as she emerged from her apartment in Hopewell, Virginia, wearing scrubs. Racial tensions: Rev Al Sharpton catapulted the case of Tawana Brawley, center, onto the main stage and made him a household name across the country . Historic case: Reverend Al Sharpton, pictured in 1988, picketed outside the hotel of New York governor Mario Cuomo . She lives what appears to be a relatively normal life in a neatly kept brick apartment complex with signs warning of video surveillance cameras. To avoid detection, Brawley goes by the aliases of Thompson and Gutierrez and has a young daughter, a neighbor told the Post. She reportedly works as a licensed practical nurse at The Laurels of Bon Air in Richmond. But her co-workers have been in the dark about the incredible story of brutality, which turned out to be false. 'Are you serious? We don't know her by that name. Isn't that a trip?' one staffer said, adding that the woman who they call Tawana Gutierrez was 'a good worker.' According to a neighbor, Brawley has lived in Hopewell - Virginia's most crime-laden town - for at least a year. 'Tawana V. Gutierrez' and 'Tawana V. Thompson' have held the same nursing license since 2006, state records show. The Virginia Board of Nursing confirmed issuing it to a 'Tawana Vacenia Thompson Gutierrez.' False claims: Brawley, pictured in 1988, claimed she was gang raped by a group of white men, one of whom had a badge . Rally: Tawana Brawley, left in 1988, of Wappinger Falls, N.Y., was the center of the legal controversy over her rape charges . Brawley maintains a PO box in Claremont, Va., under the name Gutierrez, according to The Post's sources. The grand jury panel, which heard from 180 witnesses over its seven-month investigation, found that Brawley made up the story to avoid being punished for staying out late and missing school. They found evidence she had ran away from home and was hiding out in her parents' former apartment after they got evicted. Many believed that Brawley feared her stepdad Ralph King's and needed an alibi for her absence. King spent seven years in prison in the 1970s for killing his first wife. Traces of the charcoal-like material used to scrawl the hateful word on her body were found under her fingernails, and she showed no signs of genital trauma or exposure, the jury found. One witness said Brawley was spotted climbing into the bin bag. We believe you: The case polarised New York City in the late 1980s . Lawsuit: Brawley, pictured in 1997, spoke at a rally in support of Alton Maddox who lost a lawsuit for defamation of character by Steven Pagones . 'It is probable that in the history of this state, never has a teenager turned the prosecutorial and judicial systems literally upside down with such false claims,' state Supreme Court Justice S. Barrett Hickman wrote at the time. Pagones has tried to forget the sorry affair but says he can't. 'It'll come up randomly. It'll come up when something happens with Sharpton,' he told The Post. Pagones won a defamation lawsuit against Sharpton, Brawley and her lawyers in 1998. Maddox was found liable for $97,000, Mason for $188,000, and Sharpton was ordered to pay $66,000. Brawley was ordered to pay $190,000 at 9 per cent annual interest but hasn't paid any of that bill. In total, she owes $429,000. He continues to look for her. 'Through her silence, she's as guilty of libel as Maddox, Mason and Sharpton,' he told the newspaper. 'The only way to hold her accountable — at least at this stage — is financially.' | Steven Pagones, a former assistant district attorney, says Brawley 'never told the truth about this hoax or paid me a cent' Brawley, 40, has been found living a relatively normal life in Hopewell, Virginia . She is a nurse and has a young daughter but said 'I don't want to talk to anyone about that' when questioned about her former life . At 15, she claimed she was raped by a gang of white men, one of which had a badge . Three men were accused in the 1987 attack . In 1988, a grand jury found the incredible story of brutality was all a hoax . | 8e63f9eedb2a7cf0d5d62c7e25d63f903babb379 |
(CNN)You can rest when you're dead, as the saying goes. And in Ghana, your eternal slumber is done in style. Burying your loved ones in intricate, beautifully crafted -- and, at times a little surreal -- caskets is a common tradition in some parts of the the West African nation. Based in Awutu, a small town in Ghana's central region, self-taught carpenter Kudjoe Affutu has made a name for himself with his eye-catching style of coffins. "I love playing with the wood," he says. "I didn't study it in the school -- I just love carving." The plucky, young artisan has always had a passion for woodwork and inspired by artists before him such as Kane Kwei and Paa Joe, his startup began to take shape. "I saw a designed coffin somewhere and I said: 'No, I have to do this' and I forced my parents to push me into it." By 2007, Affutu had opened the New Generation Woodwork Shop. Seven years on, and the craftsman has found big success thanks to his fantastical funerary boxes. From chickens to sewing machines . Burial rites in Ghana are incredibly important in honoring ancestry. In a country where the passing of a loved one is often celebrated with a party-like fervor, the elaborate coffin art allows mourning family members and friends to send their dearly departed off to the afterlife in style. Affutu adds: "It's a special coffin that talks a lot about the deceased. But also for the family who sees it to as a last gift to the deceased." Often designs for these figurative coffins reflect the deceased's vocation or personality. Perhaps if you worked as a farmer, a chicken casket could be for you. What about a fashion designer? Well, a sewing machine, what else? Prices for a custom-made coffin from Affutu vary due to design request, size and where the casket needs to be shipped to. "When it's local, it could be around 1,000 Ghanaian cedi (around $300) and above. Exported ones are $1000 or more." Eye-catching and strange creations . Over the years, Affutu has heard some weird, wonderful and downright bizarre requests for casket creations. Yet, whatever the request, he doesn't judge a family's choice -- he just sees it as a challenge. "I just think of it and am done. I always see my orders as normal no matter how weird it is," explains the artisan coffin maker. He adds: "A family came here some two years ago, and they said our late mother used to be a midwife and we want a designed coffin, something that can talk about her work -- and I came up with a pregnant woman who is about to deliver and it was a fantastic piece." Affutu has also constructed a variety of fisherman-inspired pieces for departed sea workers including canoes, fishing boats, nets and of course, a variety of fish. Today Affutu employs six full-time staff. But with an increased workforce, other problems arise. "Like today, for example, we have a lot of work here and I don't have a big shop..." He adds: "Sometimes the materials we use -- it can be scarce for a while and we don't have enough money to gather or to store materials for many years." However, Affutu is optimistic about the future, "In the next five years I want to extend my shop and even the workers or apprentices I have, so that when somebody orders something you can deliver days before its time." | Kudjoe Affutu has been designing coffins since 2007 . His creations reflect the professions of the deceased . His strangest creations include a hen, pregnant lady and sewing machine . | c2ede966258bcb9dbb56ad15ef958f35d4c10d4b |
(CNN) -- iReporters have a message for Richard Wright: Shine on, you crazy diamond. Jessica Schuette's tattoo reminds her of her late friend, who was a big fan of Pink Floyd. Wright, a founding member of epic rock group Pink Floyd, died Monday. The keyboardist had been battling cancer and succumbed at his home in Britain. Wright is credited with writing some of the band's most well-known hits, such as "The Great Gig in the Sky" and "Us and Them." Pink Floyd has thousands of devoted fans across the world, and the news of Wright's death inspired many of them to write into iReport to share how Richard Wright and the rest of the group touched and changed their lives. Jessica Schuette shared a photo of her Pink Floyd-inspired tattoo: a shimmering diamond above the words "shine on." She got the tattoo in 2005 in memory of her best friend, who died in a car accident. "This was her favorite song. I got this tattoo to remember her," Schuette said. "If that doesn't say something about the impact that this band has had on people, I don't know what will." Pink Floyd touched the lives of Schuette and her friend even though they were never able to see one of the band's legendary live shows. Schuette, who is a dedicated Pink Floyd fan herself, pointed out that she's only 21 -- born 13 years after they released the epic album "Dark Side of the Moon," and too young to have seen the band live when they were touring. iReport.com: Read more of Schuette's thoughts . Omar Pelea of Miami, Florida, hopes the tragedy of Wright's death will give Schuette and other fans their long-awaited chance to see the group live. He hopes the death will inspire the other members of Pink Floyd to begin touring again. Pink Floyd has not toured with lead singer and songwriter Roger Waters since 1981, although Rogers reunited with the band in 2005 for a concert at Live 8 in London. "Now would be a good time for the remaining members to contemplate the fact that a reunion is running short on time," he said. "There are bigger things in life than their differences. Perhaps they should put those differences aside and play for the world one last time." "To me, Pink Floyd is the greatest band ever to play on this Earth," he added. iReport.com: Pelea compares Wright to the late George Harrison . Long-time Pink Floyd fan Pamela Keenan had the chance to perform some of the group's greatest works herself. She is a member of Endicott Performing Arts Center, a theatre company in Endicott, New York, that has performed its own adaptations of "The Wall" and "Dark Side of the Moon." "We had a band on the stage with us. We had images and films projected on the back of the stage and we had full choreography and vocals for all the songs from each album," she said. "I listened to all of the music over and over again as a teen, but to be able to perform it in my 30s brought a new respect for the lyrics and the sheer musical genius." iReport.com: See a Pink Floyd-themed bike ride . Keenan described Pink Floyd as "one of the greatest bands that's ever been in existence," but thinks the group is underrated by mainstream society today. "Children aren't exposed to it anymore," she said. "My kids are exposed to it because we did the shows -- and they love it." iReport.com: Keen recalls Pink Floyd stage show . "I credit Pink Floyd for being a big part of my imagination," said Dean Spiegal, who creates psychedelic videos inspired by the group's music. "Floyd was not a band, it was an experience. They did not make music for the people, they made music for their minds." iReport.com: Watch Spiegel's video tribute . And Eric Beck put it simply: . "It changed my life. It changed my life," he said of "Dark Side of the Moon." "Rick Wright made a major contribution to my life. And I will forever be so grateful to him and the rest of the band." iReport.com: Beck shares his memories via webcam . | Pink Floyd fans shared their memories of late keyboardist Richard Wright . iReporters include theater company member who paid tribute to the band . Jimi Lee remembers the first time he heard "Dark Side of the Moon" Share your memories of Pink Floyd and Wright at iReport.com . | 2deb97456ea55b72ae3dd5149b5a75c0aa11fc25 |
Washington (CNN) -- As Iraq continues to dissolve into chaos, Republican lawmakers strongly urged that the United States act swiftly on both the diplomatic and militaristic front, warning that the growing instability directly threatens the safety of Americans. The Sunday political talk shows focused on the crisis in Iraq. Military option . Republicans dominated the political talk shows Sunday regarding Iraq, pushing for immediate involvement in the country that is in turmoil and under attack by an extremist group known as the al Qaeda-linked Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS. Fresh off a victory in his Republican primary, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham emphatically insisted on CNN's "State of the Union" that the United States needs to conduct military air strikes in Iraq to prevent ISIS fighters from advancing into and taking over Iraq's capital, Baghdad. The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Mike Rogers, agreed, telling CNN that "a little bit of U.S. air support can be very, very impactful." And Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia indicated he'd get behind a military option in Iraq. "I'm open to ... air strikes, technical support, drones, whatever it takes, but I want to make sure our intel is accurate before we start doing this, and I'm hopeful that they're getting accurate intel on this," Manchin said on NBC's "Meet the Press." President Barack Obama on Friday did not exclude U.S. military options -- except for on-the-ground combat troops -- but is reviewing a range of options, including air strikes. Meanwhile ISIS gained control of Mosul last week, Iraq's second largest city, as well as much of northern Iraq, and ISIS fighters worked their way toward Baghdad. Republicans on Sunday said the President needs to be decisive and act immediately, "not two weeks down the road," said Rep. Michael McCaul, House Homeland Security Committee chairman, on ABC's "This Week." Rogers said one question needs to be answered: "Is al Qaeda holding land the size of Indiana a problem for the United States?" Graham said the extremist group's growing real estate will result in consequences of "monumental proportions" if the United States doesn't help stop ISIS. One of those consequences would be "the next 9/11," Graham said. McCaul also warned that ISIS is "the greatest threat" to U.S. national security, in part, because Iraq and Syria are a training ground for violent extremists, including Americans and Western Europeans who can freely travel to the West. While Graham spoke with utter conviction of what the American response should be, McCaul was more measured, saying the U.S. "has to be very careful" about using the military in this situation. That's a sentiment echoed by Republican Sen. John McCain on Friday who said air strikes are "not easy." The only lawmaker on the political talk shows Sunday strongly opposed to a military option in Iraq was Iraq War veteran Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii. She is opposed to U.S. involvement. "We have to ... focus our great military on those direct and imminent threats rather than getting distracted by involving ourselves in another civil war that's occurring in another country between religious factions that have been warring for generations," Gabbard, a Democrat, said on CNN's "State of the Union." Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R- Illinois, also an Iraq war veteran, sharply disagreed. "If the establishment of a caliphate by an organization that makes al Qaeda look like a bunch of kitty cats is not in U.S. national interest to stop it, I don't know what is," he said on "State of the Union." Diplomacy . The lawmakers also called for a diplomatic component of the U.S. response, but they disagreed on which countries should be diplomatic partners and how to go about it. Graham offered an unexpected solution: working with Iran -- an American foe over Iran's nuclear program and its back-channel role in numerous conflicts. Graham said it would be a "mistake" not to engage with the majority-Shiite country. "We need to coordinate with the Iranians," Graham said. "The Iranians can provide some assets to make sure Baghdad doesn't fall." But McCaul said the U.S. needs to be more leery of Iran and aware that it is seeing Iraq's instability as an opportunity to grab a hold of power. Rogers said on "Fox News Sunday" that he "wouldn't fall in that trap" of engaging Iran. But Graham said the possibility that Iran can sweep in and take power in Iraq is precisely why the U.S. should engage. "Don't let the Iranians save Baghdad. Let us save Baghdad so there will be a chance at a second government," Graham said. Rogers said the U.S. should turn to the Arab League to get involved and that it would be "a failure of U.S. leadership" if it can't elicit Arab League involvement. But shortly after Rogers made that statement, the 22-country organization released a statement that while its members denounced the violence they would not get involved in a sovereign country's affairs. Maliki and Obama . All of the lawmakers had little good to say about Iraq Prime Minister Maliki or Obama. Graham said Maliki should resign because he's "incapable of bringing the Sunnis back into the fold." McCaul said, "Maliki has failed, as well as our President without the Status of Forces Agreement." The Status of Forces Agreement was never reached between the United States and Iraq to keep residual troops in the country. Graham said on CNN that it was "absolutely a lie" that Maliki refused to allow American troops to stay behind. "The Obama administration wanted to say: 'I ended the war in Iraq,'" Graham said, adding that he blames Obama "mightily for a hands-off policy." | Graham: Consequences of "monumental proportions" if ISIS is not stopped . A Democrat, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, speaks against a U.S. military option in Iraq . She opposes "involving ourselves in another civil war ... in another country" Lawmakers disagree on whether U.S. should work with Iran . | a5f093cce10f3e5847fc421ec0f6ca23e676a1db |
Baghdad (CNN) -- A series of bomb blasts killed at least 37 people across Iraq on Tuesday, including 30 in an explosion at a vegetable market in Diwaniya, police officials said. In that attack, some 99 miles (160 kilometers) south of Baghdad, a suicide bomber parked a truck packed with explosives concealed by watermelons and began calling shoppers to the truck. He then detonated the bomb, killing 30 and wounding 100, according to police. The bombing in the largely Shiite city was among a series of attacks across Iraq, including a car-bomb attack in an outdoor market in Karbala, killing four people and wounding 30 others, according to Haider Jaber Jasim in the Karbala governor's office. Jasim had previously said 10 people died and 14 were wounded, but he said security officials had mistaken some unconscious victims for fatalities. On Tuesday evening, a car bomb exploded along a busy road near the al-Nidda Sunni Mosque in northeastern Baghdad's al-Qahira neighborhood, police officials said. One person died and five were wounded, according to police. Earlier, eight roadside bombs exploded in quick succession in Taji, 12 miles (about 20 kilometers) north of Baghdad, killing two people and wounding 14 others, police in Baghdad said. The assailants were targeting an Iraqi police checkpoint in the Tuesday morning attack, police said. In a western Baghdad neighborhood, a roadside bomb exploded, wounding three people. Also in western Baghdad, gunmen attacked a checkpoint manned by local Awakening Council members, wounding two of them, police said. The Awakening Councils, also known as the Sons of Iraq, are made up predominantly of Sunni Arab fighters who battled Iraq's al Qaeda militants after turning on them in late 2006. More than 230 people were killed across the country in June, according to a CNN tally. Despite the recent spate of attacks, violence has drastically dropped across the country since 2008. For example in January 2007, 1,990 civilians were killed across the country, according to Iraq's Interior Ministry. | NEW: Baghdad blast brings day's death toll to 37 . Bomb blast in Diwaniya vegetable market kills 30, police said . Eight more bombs exploded in quick succession in Taji . Despite the attacks, violence has drastically dropped across Iraq since 2008 . | 96df866973df2e82bc927ef292e3555a99ab7410 |
Tory MP Kris Hopkins claimed Muslim men were fundamentally sexist towards women . A Tory MP has sparked controversy after claiming ‘gangs of Muslim men are going round and raping white kids at this moment in time’. Kris Hopkins, MP for Keighley, said the extraordinary claim was a ‘fact’ and urged government agencies to tackle the problem. But he has been criticised by Muslim leaders in his constituency, who said he overstepped the mark during a Commons debate. Mr Hopkins, a former leader of Bradford city council, also claimed Muslim men were ‘fundamentally’ sexist towards women, and politicians had to challenge behaviour and culture. Speaking in a parliamentary debate on child sexual exploitation, Mr Hopkins claimed mainstream parties had failed by not speaking out about the racial and cultural aspect to some abuse cases and extremists groups had filled the vacuum. He told MPs: ‘The British National Party will use grooming as a key element of its campaign in the Rotherham election campaign, which will start soon. ‘Not all British Pakistani men are abusing white kids. There is a minority, though. The media coverage gives long lists of notorious abusers - including vicars, priests and celebrities - who are all white and non-Muslim.’ The ‘vast majority’ of child abusers in this country are white, he added.‘But we should not get away from the fact that gangs of Muslim men are going round and raping white kids at this moment in time. ‘That is an horrendous thing to say, but it is the fact of what is happening. I want to explore some of the state’s agencies’ behaviour towards that, and some of the community’s associated behaviour and culture.’ Mr Hopkins conceded that his friends in the Commons and ‘back home’ would not like what he was saying, but he felt it had to be said. ‘Fundamentally, there is a sexist behaviour by Muslim men towards women,’ he said. ‘We talk about institutions and commissions and all the rest of it. Fundamentally, as leaders, we need to challenge the behaviour that is going on. ‘We need to do that from a point, though, of not being racist. We are friends who want those people to be successful in our society. They are part of British society, but there is behaviour that is unacceptable.’ Bradford Council for Mosques said Mr Hopkins had overstepped the mark. A spokesman said: ‘All of us, Muslim or non-Muslim, are equally appalled by the activities of criminals amidst our society. ‘To suggest that the Muslim community does not care is grossly libellous. Kris Hopkins is right to draw the attention to the activities of the criminals and the plight of the victims but he has overstepped his remit,’ he told the Bradford Telegraph and Argus. ‘He has the right to be angry but, equally, a man of his position should be more discerning in what he says and how he says it. He should not overlook the fact that he went around pleading for votes from the same Muslim faith institutions that he so arrogantly dismissive of.’ | Keighley MP uses Commons debate to demand government agencies do more to tackle the problem . He also suggests Muslim men are 'fundamentally' sexist towards women . Bradford Council for Mosques say he has over-stepped the mark . | 27573953de62cccc572a4f11acc2dd6d29074333 |
Older people are more fearful of developing dementia than they are of cancer, a new poll suggests. Two thirds of people over the age of 50 fear that they will develop the condition while just one in 10 said they were frightened about getting cancer. When 500 adults aged over 50 from across the UK were asked which condition they feared the most, 68% said dementia and 9.44% said cancer. Fearful: Kate Owens pictured with her mother Ann Owens who has Alzheimers (File photo) Meanwhile just 3.88% said they were frightened about getting a heart condition and 0.73% were concerned about developing diabetes. There are around 800,000 people with dementia in the UK but as the population ages this figure is expected to soar in coming years. Symptoms can include memory loss and difficulties with thinking, problem-solving or language. It occurs when the brain is damaged by diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease or a series of strokes. 'As an increasing number of people are diagnosed with dementia more people are seeing the profound impact that it can have on both the individual as well as the wider family,' said Paul Green, director of communications at over-50s company Saga, which conducted the survey. Choreographer Arlene Phillips's father Abraham (unset with a younger Arlene) suffered from dementia . 'However whilst these fears are completely understandable, it's important that education around the condition is enhanced to give a greater understanding of the benefits of early diagnosis - and how this can help those living with the condition continue to lead fulfilling lives.' Commenting on the poll Hilary Evans, director of external affairs at charity Alzheimer's Research UK, said: 'It's no surprise to learn that fear of dementia in people over 50 is high: dementia affects over 820,000 people in the UK and we currently lack treatments to tackle the condition. 'The challenge is to find new ways to treat and prevent dementia to show there is hope of taking on dementia and beating it. Research holds the answer to this devastating condition and with the number of people affected set to grow as the population ages, the need for investment in research has never been more urgent.' Britain's Got Talent judge Amanda Holden, 43, supports the Dementia Friends campaign to help highlight that people with dementia can still live fulfilling and rewarding lives with a little help from their friends . Prime Minister David Cameron listens to TV presenter Fiona Phillips during a reception in Downing Street . Alison Cook, the director of external affairs at the Alzheimer's Society charity, added: 'The possibility of losing the very essence of what makes you the individual that you are is a frightening prospect. 'But fear can mean people don't get a diagnosis and can often miss the opportunity to access treatments (which are only effective for people in the earlier stages of the condition) and the time to make important decisions about their future. We urge anyone concerned about dementia to speak to their GP and get in touch with Alzheimer's Society as there are lots of ways we can help.' | Only one in ten of 500 adults surveyed fear they will get cancer . There are around 800,000 people with dementia in the UK . Number is expected to increase as population ages and increases . | e6d99c1d80130eaaa56f839b69f1a7ae4c091b50 |
By . Christopher Leake . Last updated at 10:25 PM on 3rd December 2011 . She has seen distinguished diplomatic service in Washington DC and Sri Lanka. But on her latest mission to Tehran, Pumpkin the terrier found herself embroiled in a diplomatic incident as hundreds of protesters chanting ‘Death to England’ stormed the British Embassy and looted the residence of her master, Ambassador Dominick Chilcott. As the violent mob attacked the building, damaged valuable oil paintings and stole a photograph of the Queen, Mr Chilcott took refuge in a secure room on the third floor of the Embassy’s chancery. Frightening: Britain's ambassador to Iran, Dominick Chilcott (left), fled the British Embassy in Tehran with his beloved dog (right) in his arms after protestors stormed the building. After escaping the siege and returning . to Britain with his wife Jane and fellow staff, Mr Chilcott has spoken . with sadness about having to leave behind Pumpkin, a seven-year-old . Norfolk terrier/Jack Russell cross. Sources said the Ambassador was unable . to bring back his pet because he put the safety of his staff first; and . as he and other officials returned on a commercial flight, there was . insufficient time to arrange for a crate in the aircraft’s hold in which . to transport Pumpkin. Mr Chilcott, who only took up his post . in October, said: ‘Because my wife was leaving the compound ahead of . the demonstration, we didn’t want to leave a dog on its own with all the . local staff gone as well. Rampage: An Iranian protester steals a portrait of the Queen from the embassy . Trashed: The carnage left behind in an office after protesters ransacked the building and stole any electronic devices they could find . ‘I took the dog into the chancery, . into my office, so that she could be with me while the demonstration . happened and then I could return her to the house afterwards and to my . wife. ‘But, of course, that’s not how things worked out. ‘Alarms go off in those sort of situations, when there are people attacking your building. Rampage: Demonstrators tore down pictures, including one of Queen Victoria, as they ran riot . Ruined: Another portrait of royalty damaged in the riot as protesters attempted to make their views known of British values . ‘It’s very noisy as well as quite unsettling and frightening, particularly for the dog. ‘I had her in my arms for quite a lot of what was going on. She was very well behaved. ‘She’s been through this traumatic . experience and we’ve put her in the good care of some diplomatic . colleagues from another country. We hope we will be reunited with her in . due course.’ Heroes' welcomes: Members of the Basij militia hold placards as they wait outside Tehran's Merabad airport today to welcome home diplomats expelled from Britain . Support: Holding wreaths of flowers and a poster of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a group of demonstrators also wait to welcome the Iranian diplomats . The Iranian thugs – objecting to UN . sanctions against Iran – tore in two an oil painting of Queen Victoria . worth at least £30,000, cut out the head of Edward VII from a portrait . worth around £5,000, and stole a framed photograph of the Queen. The Queen Victoria portrait – showing . her seated and wearing a flowing gown – is an original from 1863 by . British artist George Hayter. It was personally commissioned by . Victoria. Art historian Brian Sewell said last . night that the Queen Victoria portrait could probably be restored, but . the Edward VII painting ‘looks a hopeless case because it is so badly . damaged’. Protesters break into the British Embassy and tear down the Union Jack. Some then proceeded to ransack offices . Students from some universities and seminaries burned British flags as they clashed with police, while others held flags proclaiming their hatred of Britain . Protests: Students set fire to British and Israeli flags after breaking into the British Embassy. Tehran has denied any responsibility - although William Hague has accused officials of being complicit . Breaking in: Dozens of protesters enter the gate of the embassy, throwing rocks, petrol bombs and burning documents looted from offices . Get out: Diplomats had until yesterday afternoon to leave the Iranian Embassy and get out of Britain . On the move: Men carry boxes out of the Iranian embassy . A man carries a package out of the Iranian embassy in London. The British have shut their embassy in Tehran after it was stormed by protesters . | Dominick Chilcott dashed from building with pet pooch in his arms . Had to fly to UK without her after being expelled from country . Violent mob damaged valuable oil paintings and stole photo of Queen . | 55e5f312e769a9191423077d11164df6009514bd |
(CNN) -- Abu Dhabi stepped in to help troubled fellow emirate Dubai and its state-owned holding company, Dubai World, with $10 billion in financing on Monday. The announcement by the Dubai Supreme Fiscal Committee comes as $4.1 billion in Islamic bonds became due today. "The remaining funds would also provide for interest expenses and company working capital through April 30, 2010 - conditioned on the company being successful in negotiating a standstill as previously announced," Sheikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Fiscal Committee said in a statement released Monday. Dubai World shocked investors globally when it asked Nov. 25 for a debt standstill at Dubai World, the government's flagship holding company, for payments owed on its $26 billion in debts. The holding company includes DP World, the shipping magnate, Nakheel, developer of some of the city's largest projects and investment company Ishitar. Some of its foreign investments include the QE2 cruise liner and Cirque du Soleil. The company asked for a standstill of debts owed until May 30 as it begins restructuring its debt. "Today the Government of Dubai will announce a comprehensive reorganization law, a framework that is based upon internationally accepted standards for transparency and creditor protection," the statement said. "This law will be available should Dubai World and its subsidiaries be unable to achieve an acceptable restructuring of its remaining obligations." | Abu Dhabi stepped in to help troubled fellow emirate Dubai with $10 billion in financing . Dubai World shocked the financial world when it asked for a $26 billion freeze on debt payments . The announcement came as $4.1 billion in Islamic bonds became due today . | 0bdf56b87ef388be69ce47a7aaa5049a17490cb4 |
(CNN) -- In addition to a disastrous drought and political violence, Somalia is facing a potentially devastating health crisis. The World Health Organization's regional office for the Eastern Mediterranean said that at one hospital alone, more than 6,000 cases of cholera and diarrhea have been reported since January of this year. Banadir Hospital in Mogadishu is one of Somalia's largest, but its website warns that it has been "flooded" with recent cases of acute watery diarrhea, or AWD, a condition associated with cholera and unclean drinking water leading to malnutrition and fatal dehydration. CNN video taken Thursday at a Banadir Hospital's pediatric diarrhea center shows heart-wrenching images of emaciated babies and their worried parents. Many of the infants were receiving fluids through intravenous drips. A flyer distributed by the center emphasizes the importance of hydration, and encourages mothers to breastfeed as much as possible. But even with intensive hydration and medical care, many will not survive. In just the past week, four children under the age of 5 have died at Banadir Hospital, health agencies say. More than 190 other children were hospitalized there in the same period, along with nearly 100 adults. But it is children who bear the brunt of this condition: This year, 45% of AWD-related deaths have been among children under 2 years old, according to World Health Organization statistics. The organization has been building up its supplies and working on preventive activities in reaction to the ongoing conflict near Mogadishu, Somalia's capital. Its most recent statement warns that "the increased influx of internal displaced people and the precarious living conditions are high risk for outbreaks, and the number of AWD cases is expected to rise significantly between now and October." | One Somalia hospital has treated more than 6,000 cases of cholera and diarrhea this year . CNN video footage shows emaciated babies receiving fluids intravenously . The World Health Organization is building up supplies and working on prevention . | a8daa1c07e2fe5c5d006dafd973007145bf5d77a |
By . James Rush . PUBLISHED: . 05:46 EST, 3 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:16 EST, 3 September 2013 . A couple came face-to-face with with an exotic snake as they went to investigate what they thought was a 'black slug' in their back yard drain. Linda Peek and her husband Geoff spotted the Mexican Black Kingsnake peek its head out of the grate at their home in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire. The couple first thought it was 'a black slug' before the constrictor emerged from the drain and slithered around their back yard. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . A couple came face to face with a Mexican Black Kingsnake after it slithered out of the drains at their home in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire . Linda and Geoff Peek first investigated the creature as they thought it was 'a black slug' The couple's firefighter son Simon saved the day after guiding the snake into a recycling box . The couple’s firefighter son Simon, 37, eventually guided the snake into a recycling box after rushing to his parent’s house. He then called a nearby reptile store and the owner came around to relieve the family of their intruder. Reptile experts say the snake may have hatched from a nest of eggs which could have been laid in the sewers of Grimsby and Cleethorpes. Mrs Peek, a 56-year-old supermarket worker, said: 'I just stood there looking at it, and as soon as its tongue came out, I knew it was a snake. 'I’m absolutely petrified of snakes and worms and anything creepy crawly, I was in pieces and didn’t know what to do. 'Geoff rang Simon, who said he would be ten minutes leaving work and told us to keep an eye on it. We did from inside, behind the door. Reptile experts say the snake may have hatched from a nest of eggs which could have been laid in the sewers of Grimsby and Cleethorpes . 'We couldn’t get through to the RSPCA, so tried the police, who put us in touch with a local animal shelter. By that time, Simon had arrived to save the day. 'Geoff stood behind the door as Simon went outside. He loves his wildlife programmes and must have got some tips from them as he was great handling the snake. 'When Simon went to touch the snake’s tail, it arched around to try and bite him, but Simon managed to get the snake into a recycling box by putting a shovel on top of its head to control it.' Mrs Peek said the snake tried to bite her son Simon as he tried to get it into a recycling box . Mexican Black Kingsnakes can grow up to 4ft in length, with the average being about 2.5ft, and can live to up to 15-years-old. Mrs Peek said: 'It’s something I can look back on and laugh at now, but it’s an experience I never want to live again. 'I can’t bear to even watch them on TV, they’re not my thing at all. I’m just grateful I wasn’t on my own, as I’d have probably passed out on the floor.' | Linda and Geoff Peek found Mexican Black Kingsnake in their back yard . The couple first thought it was a 'black slug' before the reptile emerged . Their firefighter son Simon saved the day when he guided snake into a box . | 30b900afa92960dafe5079c5b5c82ec76e294400 |
A four-year-old girl was brought back to life on the side of the road by a passerby after being submerged in an upturned car in a ditch of water for ten minutes. The accident happened near Brandon in Mississippi on Sunday afternoon. Helena White's mother crashed into the water after turning around to look at a drawing her daughter had done, according to Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey. 'By the time she turned back around to the front, she had lost control of the vehicle, overcorrected and flipped,' Bailey said, reports The Clarion Ledger. Scroll down for video . A four-year-old girl was brought back to life on the side of the road by a passerby after being submerged in car (pictured) in a creek for ten minutes . Helena White is currently in a critical condition in hospital - she was given CPR by a passerby . Sherry Jackson told The Clarion Ledger the car was submerged in a ditch which had about 15-foot of water. She said after hearing the mother's screams, she jumped into the water and found unconscious Helena in the back seat of the car - but she was trapped. She said that her and a group of five other people could not pull her out and they had difficulty cutting her free from the car seat. Finally the group managed to roll the car high enough out the water to move the objects in their way and cut Helena out of the seat. A video filmed on a police dash cam shows the crowd reviving the little girl after the accident . 'The little girl was blue,' Jackson said. 'We weren't sure if she was going to make it.' They took her up the bank and placed her by the side of the road - Jackson did mouth-to-mouth. A police dash cam shows them drawing up to the crowd where the little girl was and a deputy running out and taking over chest compressions. Helena and her mother were transported to University of Mississippi Medical Center - the child is in a critical condition. Helena's mother crashed after she turned around to look at a drawing the little girl had done, according to police . Jackson told The Clarion Ledger that she instinctively jumped in to the water. 'You don't think, you just do,' Jackson said. 'God definitely put all of the right people there at the right time. 'If it was my child, I know someone would have done the same thing for me.' A witness Sherry Parker told MSNewsNow that Helena was underwater for nearly 10 minutes. | Helena White's mother crashed into the water after turning around to look at a drawing her daughter had done . Neighbors ran over to the car and jumped into the water to free Helena . Accident happened near Brandon in Mississippi on Sunday afternoon . Child is currently in a critical condition in hospital . | 5dcb790b4bb433460f5d91cc67727e4d49151579 |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 12:15 EST, 7 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 16:48 EST, 7 October 2013 . Laura and Kevin Stier weren't even trying to get pregnant when they defied extreme genetic odds and conceived identical triplets without any help from fertility specialists. Now the couple have just brought their identical daughters home from the hospital after being watched for more than three . months after their delivery. There is a one in 8,000 chance of conceiving triplets naturally, and the while chances of identical triplets get even more slim and range from 1-in-60,000 to 1-in-2,000,000. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Out and about: Hannah, Norah and Lucy Stier left the hospital for the first time since their birth in mid June . Early birds: The girls were born tow and a half months early and weighed a collective 7 pounds . Twins are the most common form of multiple birth, and the whether a pair are identical or fraternal is determined by the number of eggs involved. When two separate eggs are fertilized during the same cycle, the children are fraternal twins while identical twins are produced when one egg splits into two embryos meaning that the two children would share genetic material. Triplets are more of a rarity, and can be the result of a variety of combinations. Two eggs can produce the twins as one would be fertilized on its own while the other splits into two, meaning that the threesome comes from one pair of twins and one individual embryo. The process of conceiving identical triplets comes from when one egg is used for all three, so the one egg splits into two embryos, and then one of those embryos splits again to produce the third child. There is a one in 8,000 chance of . conceiving triplets naturally, and the while chances of identical . triplets get even more slim and range from 1-in-60,000 to . 1-in-2,000,000. 'There was nothing to lead us to believe that this was ever a possibility,' Mrs Stier said. Their first indication that they were having an unusual pregnancy came when their doctor looked at the ultrasound and made an unexpected face. 'I said "is everything okay?" He said "Yeah, I’m seeing three heartbeats,"' Mrs Stier recalled. 'I think my heart stopped,' the West Allis, Wisconsin mom told the local Fox affiliate. Mrs Stier was taken into the hospital in the beginning of June because one of the three babies appeared to be in distress. Ten days later, the three girls- Lucy, Hannah and Norah- were born. Their delivery came two and a half months early and the three babies had a collective body weight of less than 7 pounds. 'That’s a gift in itself, and to be born on Father’s Day, too— that’s a little extra,' Kevin Stier told Fox6Now. The Stiers are using relative size and slight differences in haircolor to tell the girls apart. 'They’ve . been so fun and we love seeing them grow and where they are now from . where they started, it’s such a miracle that everybody is happy,' Mrs . Stier said. New parents: Kevin (left) and Laura Stier (right) were not even trying to get pregnant . Drama-free: Laura Stier was taken into the hospital 10 days before the triplets were born . | Laura Stier gave birth to identical triplets without any fertility help or family history of multiple children . The three girls were born on Father's Day and weighed a collective 7lbs . Chances of naturally conceiving triplets is 1-in-8,000 while chances of identical triplets range from 1-in-60,000 to 1-in-1,000,000 or 1-in-2,000,000 . | 63358042cf5eedc513eb241e0849abec6c175371 |
By . Ellie Zolfagharifard . PUBLISHED: . 08:48 EST, 10 March 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 09:38 EST, 10 March 2014 . Forget million pound shuttle launches - all you need to go into space is a balloon, 24 GoPro cameras and an Oculus Rift headset. At least that’s the plan behind an ambitious project, dubbed ‘Virtual Ride to Space’, being developed by engineers in the UK. The group hopes to use the equipment to give anyone a virtual ride into outer space for £40 ($67) Scroll down for video... 24 GoPro Hero3 cameras will be attached to a balloon and sent 12.5 miles (20km) into the air. At this height the balloon will burst, a parachute will open and the cameras will drift back to Earth while filming . ‘Only 530 people have ever travelled to space. Well, lucky them... but what about the rest of us?', the group wrote on their Kickstarter page. ‘This project is about enabling us, the remaining 99.999992 per cent, to get that experience.' The plan by the team at Surrey University sounds relatively simple: 24 GoPro Hero3 cameras will be attached to a balloon around 12.5 miles (20km) into the air. The cameras will be encased in Styrofoam alongside sensors, an SD card to store the video and a battery pack. If all goes to plan, at this height the balloon will burst, a parachute will open and the cameras will drift back to Earth while filming. Cameras will be encased in Styrofoam alongside sensors, an SD card to store the video and a battery pack . During its third test flight in California earlier this year, Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo, pictured, reached a top speed of Mach 1.4. This is approximately 767 mph at sea level, and helped the craft reach an altitude of 71,000ft above the Mojave Air and Space Port in California . This will provide a 360-degree video that can be viewed with Oculus Rift as if the user were in a vessel heading back down to Earth. The software will allow anyone to speed up, slow down and reverse time, and even comes with its own musical soundtrack. Lead researcher Dr Aaron Knoll from the University of Surrey said: ‘For this project the experience is everything, so we're going with the cutting edge of available technology.’ The Oculus Rift, developed by Oculus VR, is a virtual reality headset, which delivers a high definition 3D virtual environment for the user. Versions of the software will also be available for smartphones and PCs, for those who don’t have access to an Oculus Rift. Smartphone users will be able to look around by tilting their devices, while the experience on PCs will be controlled via mouse. The project is now on Kickstarter where £40 ($67) will secure you a ‘ride’ to space. The group hope to raise £30,000 ($50,100) to get the project off the ground. The software for the Oculus Rift headset (pictured) will allow anyone to speed up, slow down and reverse time, and even comes with its own musical soundtrack . An engineer at Surrey University demonstrates a version of the software which will also be available for smartphones . Have you ever wanted to see the world through your partner’s eyes? That's the concept behind BeAnotherLab’s Gender Swap experiment that uses Oculus Rift headsets to let wearers experience how other people see the world. Through the use of the headset, and a series of first-person cameras, the system creates the illusion that partner A can see what is being recorded by the visor worn by partner B, and vice versa. One member of the couple is called the user, while the other is the performer. Through the Oculus Rift goggles, the user is shown a video stream taken from the perspective of the performer's eyes. Each couple agrees on a set of synchronised movements and the partner's mirror each others hand gestures, and so on, while wearing the headsets. By mimicking movements, it creates an illusion in the brain that what the performer is seeing, is actually being seen through the eyes of the user. | Plan is to send 24 cameras attached to balloon 12.5 miles above Earth . At this height balloon will burst and cameras will drift to Earth while filming . This will provide a 360-degree video that can be viewed with an Oculus Rift . The project by Surrey University is currently raising funds on Kickstarter . | b53bf535c2e435fccfb3d411b08b81ce470ae69c |
She may have poked fun at her own political career earlier in the evening. But when Sarah Palin came face-to-face with hecklers at the SNL 40th anniversary after-show party, they were the ones who became the butt of the joke. The former Governor of Alaska was captured by TMZ dishing out insults to mouthy individuals standing next to the red carpet after the star-studded event in New York, which finished in the early hours of Monday morning. The 51-year-old politician, who wore a white mini-dress to the landmark show, became involved in a back-and-forth of snide remarks when she was told she looked old and was asked to put her clothes on while posing for selfies. Scroll down for videos . Comeback: Sarah Palin confronts hecklers on her way out of the SNL 40th anniversary after-show party in New York after she was told to 'put some clothes on' Dishing out insults: During the back-and-forth with the mouthy fan she told him not to be jealous of her and added that she was on the right side of the velvet rope . She told them they could talk to her when they had a job while boasting she was on the right side of the velvet rope. During the footage one man is heard shouting: 'Can you pose for a photo because I have Obamacare expenses?' In response, she said: 'Are you in show-business? No? So don't be jealous.' The man then continued: 'You look old Sarah. Put some clothes on Sarah,' to which she retorted: 'When you get a job, you can talk to me.' As she walked away, another person said: 'Good luck in Iowa, no one is going to vote for you.' During the encounter with fans one complimented her mini- dress. Palin then admitted it was her daughter Bristol's. Response: Before walking away she told one man who told her she looked old: 'When you get a job, you can talk to me . Posing: In between the remarks, she posed for selfies with more appreciative fans outside of the venue . Second-hand: She admitted to one supporter she was wearing a dress owned by her daughter Bristol . The politician was a frequent target of the SNL cast when she ran for Vice President in 2008. She was played by Tina Fey because of their bizarrely similar looks. The skit reached its climax when Palin made appearance herself alongside the actress. She was involved in a question and answer sketch run by Jerry Seinfeld during the landmark show. The comedian wrongly identified her as Tina Fey, before correcting him. Palin then asked how much the show would pay her to run for president in 2016. Seinfeld balked: 'No figure is too high Sarah!' She raised the stakes: 'What if I had Donald Trump as my running mate?' Awkward encounter: During the landmark show, Taylor Swift and Palin were sat next to each other - and were seen pulling faces . Mimicked: The politician was a frequent target of the SNL cast when she ran for Vice President in 2008. She was played by Tina Fey (pictured that year) and made a cameo appearance . | Former Governor of Alaska was told to 'put some clothes on' after event . The politician was wearing a white mini dress owned by daughter Bristol . At first she told those shouting abuse to not be jealous of her . Politician continued by saying she was on the right side of the velvet rope . Poked fun at her own political career on the landmark show on Sunday . Was a target of the cast during her campaign for Vice President in 2008 . | b61498769af96fee6dc73b965462a5e2a3f1ced1 |
Eugenie Bouchard was back on the practice courts after recording a comfortable straight-sets victory over Alize Cornet on Monday. The win means Bouchard, who is playing in only her sixth Grand Slam main draw, is just one match away from a third consecutive Grand Slam semi-final. The 20-year-old Canadian wore a pink vest wearing the slogan ‘One Hot Drop Shot’ as she practised ahead of her quarter-final match against the winner of Maria Sharapova vs Angelique Kerber. VIDEO Scroll down for Stunning Eugenie Bouchard dazzles during Sportsmail photo shoot . Training: Bouchard was back out on the practice courts on Tuesday ahead of her fifth round match . Wimbledon: The Canadian is No 13 in the world . History: Bouchard won the girls' title in 2012 . After her victory on Monday, Bouchard said: ‘I believe in myself. Every match I play, I believe I can win. 'I’ve . proved to myself I can play on the big stage and I’m proud of the way I . handle it out there. I think I was able to step up on the important . moments. One Hot Drop Shot: Bouchard wore a pink vest as she was put through her paces on the practice courts . Return: The 20-year-old prepares to face a serve . Fist pump: Bouchard is happy with her shot . ‘I’ve been in situations like that before, so I had full belief in myself that I wasn’t out of it. ‘This is what I’ve worked so hard for — to be in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon — but I don’t want to stop here.’ Straight sets: Bouchard comfortably beat Alize Cornet on Centre Court on Monday . Winner: Bouchard celebrates after winning her fourth round match against Cornet . | The 20-year-old beat Alize Cornet in straight sets on Monday . She will play the winner of Maria Sharapova vs Angelique Kerber next . Bouchard won the Wimbledon girls' title in 2012 . | 76118cc6f5138b2fac75803d93f0821bf9613271 |
(CNN) -- On October 29, Ed Shevlin looked out toward the Atlantic Ocean from his third-story apartment in New York's Rockaway Park. Sand-filled rain began pelting his windows in what sounded to him like a hundred pans of frying bacon. Then, the lights went out -- and stayed out -- for three weeks. The next morning, he awoke to a scene of utter destruction. Superstorm Sandy tore the sea town's boardwalk to pieces, and filled the community pool with saltwater. It forced 27 of his New York City Department of Sanitation co-workers out of their homes. Yet they were still first on the scene, -- clearing the roads so firemen and ambulances could enter -- reporting seven days a week for 14 hours a day. They worked around the clock to clear more than 500,000 tons of debris and rid neighbors of the unsettling reminder that their entire lives were now piles of garbage in the front yard. Little more than a month later, Ed stood on the ground floor of Madison Square Garden in quite a different setting. He and seven fellow sanitation workers were given tickets to attend the 12-12-12 Concert for Sandy Relief, the most successful fund-raising concert in history. They were heroes for their community. And now they needed help. Through stories such as Ed's, viewers around the world recognized the immediate and unprecedented need across the Northeast. Generous concert donors -- hailing from all 50 states and more than 90 countries -- gave $51 million to help organizations working on the front lines of the disaster. Robin Hood was honored to be entrusted with these funds, and we have since distributed the entire proceeds from the concert to almost 400 organizations across the tri-state area. When the storm hit, and the true depth and breadth of the devastation began to emerge, we knew that the organizations we'd traditionally funded for poverty-fighting work would already be on the ground helping victims of the storm. Rather than wait for them to come to us requesting emergency food, blankets, generators, and other time-critical supplies, we made sure they had the money right away -- providing $3 million to more than 75 organizations in just a few days. Valuable time wasn't lost, and communities such as Ed's in the Rockaways could start rebuilding. As we saw in the wake of 9/11, the need slowly transitioned from emergency assistance to longer-term rebuilding and restorative services, including counseling, benefits/legal aid (such as helping people apply for FEMA funds) and physical and mental health care. But the majority of Robin Hood funds have been devoted to housing, one of the largest and most critical areas of need across the tri-state area. In New Jersey alone, more than 72,000 homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed. And without shelter, storm victims have an even harder time getting back on their feet. Because of this, we made a $1 million grant to the Affordable Housing Alliance in Monmouth County, New Jersey, to help purchase, transport, and install 17 newly manufactured homes for low-income residents displaced by the storm. A mother of two lived in the flood evacuation zone of Sea Bright and packed up before Sandy hit. When she returned, 5 feet of water and sand filled her home. An elderly couple forced to evacuate their house had been living in a motel for months. Both families now have brand new homes and can start the process of rebuilding their lives. Once the scope of the devastation caused by Sandy became apparent, we reactivated the Robin Hood Relief Fund -- originally created to support victims of 9/11 -- to help effectively steward funds and resources. Because of the emergency nature of the situation, the Relief Fund Committee met almost every week -- 17 times in five months -- to provide guidance and review grant applications. Our goal was to allocate all of the funds from the fund, $70.5 million, as quickly and effectively as possible. In fact, we completed the process in April with a total of 494 grants to 391 different organizations. But even though our Sandy-specific resources have been spent, the need continues. Ed Shevlin's community in Rockaway Park is still not back to normal. Neighbors await much-needed federal funding. And while the state declared that storm debris collection has officially ended, Ed and his co-workers still find remnants of Sandy destruction in their daily pickups. We continue to accept donations at the Robin Hood Fund and are encouraged by the fact that dozens of other relief organizations are still on the front lines helping. Because, as Ed will tell you, the job is nowhere close to being finished. | Need for help continues seven months after Sandy . Fund says it has distributed $70.5 million to groups helping Sandy victims . You can still donate to Robin Hood Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund . | 42dc4f25d4e04a6de61e56405fa73231dac94377 |
By . Emma Reynolds and Ian Sparks . PUBLISHED: . 09:46 EST, 20 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 01:33 EST, 21 September 2012 . The photographer who took the topless pictures of the Duchess of Cambridge is British, it was claimed today. French paparazzo Pascal Rostain said the the Royal couple were staked out at the chateau while on their holiday by an Englishman living in the south of France. Mr Rostain also sensationally claimed that the photographer was spying on them on the orders of France's Closer magazine, which was first to publish 13 intimate images of Kate and William last week. Scroll down for video . The pictures originally published in French Closer magazine, left, are appearing in a Swedish magazine today and 60 will be printed in Denmark's Se & Hoer magazine tomorrow . William and Kate have won a court order banning French Closer from selling or republishing the photographs, under the threat of a 100,000 euro fine . The news comes as a Swedish magazine today published the pictures and Danish magazine Se Og Hor (See And Hear) prepared to reproduce over 60 photos tomorrow in a 16-page supplement. Mr Rostain, in his 40s, is a close friend of former French First Lady Carla Bruni and one of France's most notorious long lens photographers. Denial: If true, the claim would exonerate French photographer Valerie Suau, who claims she took bikini photos of Kate but not topless ones . He told France Metro newspaper in Lyon: 'The irony of this whole thing is that the photographer who took these pictures is an Englishman living in the south of France. 'These photos were taken on the orders of Closer, who asked him to sit around for several days to take them. 'For his efforts he did not earn a lot. He could have sold them for 10,000 euros. 'But in fact he was just paid his wages for going to take them. 'He didn't put them on the open market either, where he could have earned a lot more.' Another French photographer outside the Chateau d'Autet where the snaps were taken was a French woman named Valerie Suau - nicknamed The Sewer because of the pronunciation of her surname. She has admitted taking pictures of Kate in her bikini, but said she does not know who took the topless photos. The Royal couple this week won a landmark injunction preventing further distribution of the images by Closer, under the threat of a 100,000 euro fine. They have also handed over all files containing the images to representatives of the couple on the orders of the judge, after they were ruled a 'brutal' invasion of privacy. The court made no ruling for the magazine to name the photographer, however, and it has the right to protect his or identity under France's laws on protection of journalistic sources. Meanwhile a criminal investigation is under way to find and prosecute the photographer - who could face a year in jail and a £36,000 fine. X marks the spot: The long lens pictures taken of the topless Duchess were shot from the side of the road between trees around half a mile away from the chateau . Yet the photos are still being touted on the open market worldwide, with magazines in Italy, Denmark and Sweden all publishing them. Closer published 13 grainy images of Kate's breasts and bottom last Thursday, branded 'grotesque and unjustifiable' by a Royal spokesman. Mr Rostain did not specifically say he knew the identity of Kate's photographer, but is known to be very well connected among the French paparazzi community. He defended the person who took them, adding: 'As a photographer, I take the pictures I want and let the publication decide whether to print them. Italian magazine Chi also published the pictures, while Michael O'Kane, editor of the Irish Daily Star, was suspended after publishing a selection that he called 'tasteful' 'What they choose to print is not the photographer's problem, but the editor's.' There are thought to be up to 200 photos taken of Kate and William at the time - many of them much more explicit. Closer magazine's editor Laurence Pieau defended her decision to publish 13 of the photos, insisting the images were 'joyous'. She said: 'These photos are not in the least shocking. They show a young woman sunbathing topless, like millions of women you see on beaches. 'They were not making any special effort to conceal themselves. Critcising our magazine is stupid.' Ms Pieau also warned also that Closer had more photos, adding: 'Intimate pictures exist that we haven't published and will not publish. Probably other newspapers will choose to publish them.' VIDEO: Editor-in-chief calls Kate pic 'nothing spectacular' | He said photographer was 'just paid his wages' and could have earned a lot more on the open market . Magazine has caused a storm by publishing intimate images of William and Kate on holiday . Court has banned anyone in France from republishing the photos . Swedish magazine republished them today and Danish publication will do so tomorrow . | 83891c52cf58e5f102330164ef1b031135b665f2 |
Africa is not just a mobile-first continent. It is mobile-only. As such, many of the most innovative startups address mobile for what it is: the gold of today, the new, digital equivalent of a railroad. Read this: 'Netflix of Africa' brings Nollywood to world . Drawing up this list, I was struck by how readily I thought of good South African tech firms that deserved to be here -- so I shamelessly let my patriotic fervor guide me. Looking back, I still think they all deserve to be on this list. Several of the names on this list come from the final 40 of this year's Demo Africa the African arm of this renowned launch event for tech start-ups, held in Nairobi. Read this: Web savvy Africans fuel growth in online shopping . The most recent figures for mobile and internet usage are promising, and show room for growth. "Only 16 percent of the Africa's one billion people are currently online, but that share is rising. More than 720-million Africans have mobile phones, 167-million already use the Internet, and 52-million are on Facebook," reported consultancy McKinsey, in a report entitled " Lions go Digital: The Internet's transformative potential in Africa." Click through the gallery above to see, in no particular order, the innovative companies at the forefront of Africa's tech revolution. READ MORE: Mxit, South Africa's Facebook beater . READ MORE: 'Nigerian iTunes' dances to the mobile phone beat . READ MORE: Africa's techies hop aboard the StartupBus . | Toby Shapshak has selected the most exciting African startups to watch this year . Click through the gallery to find out which ones make the list . | 283cc4c8c22958b05db6c5428f87ae9baac69fae |
Derby County manager Steve McClaren has reassured fans he won't be leaving the club amid Newcastle United's interest in him taking their vacant job. The former England boss is the bookmakers' favourite to succeed Alan Pardew at St James' Park but insists he still has work to do at Pride Park. The Rams, who lost to Queens Park Rangers in heart-breaking circumstances in last season's play-off final, have been impressive all season and sit third in the Championship. Steve McClaren has reaffirmed his loyalty to Derby County amid interest from Newcastle United . McClaren has reiterated his desire to win promotion into the Premier League with Derby this season . And now McClaren has echoed club chief executive Sam Rush in dismissing the Newcastle rumours. He told the Derby Telegraph: 'Sam Rush spoke to me about three times last week and I said to him then, "look, don't worry, I am going nowhere". 'I have got a job to do here. I don't want to let people down here. You've got to show loyalty. 'Derby have given me a great opportunity. They have backed me and Sam and the owners have been fantastic. 'We have asked players to commit to long contracts to take Derby forward, and the staff as well. 'We are building here and I want to see the job through.' Derby are currently third in the Championship and sit three points behind the leaders Bournemouth . Alan Pardew quit as Newcastle United manager last week to take over at Crystal Palace . John Carver took over as Newcastle United manager on a caretaker basis until Pardew's successor is found . Steve McClaren 2/1 . Remi Garde 5/1 . Tim Sherwood 10/1 . Glenn Hoddle 10/1 . Temuri Ketsbaia 10/1 . Odds supplied by Coral . The 53-year-old, appointed by Derby in September 2013, reaffirmed their desire to win promotion to the Premier League having missed out in the final minute of last season. He added: 'I love it here. I don't want to let people down and there is no question of that, despite all the rumours. 'These things are going to crop up with players and with staff, and it can't derail us. 'Our objective is to push for the Premier League and we feel we are in a good position to do that. 'I don't want to let people down on that. The supporters have been fantastic with me from day one. 'There is nothing in my mind that says I am going anywhere.' Pardew resigned last Monday to take over at Crystal Palace and John Carver took caretaker charge while the hunt for a new manager goes on. | Steve McClaren has assured Derby County fans he is staying . The former England manager had been linked with vacant Newcastle job . But McClaren is determined to lead Rams back to Premier League . Derby chief executive Sam Rush said at weekend McClaren is staying . Rams are currently third in Championship, three points off the summit . | 587952cafcf573e3286985de040390f64a03bba8 |
Near Flagstaff, Arizona (CNN) -- As one of hundreds of evacuees in Arizona's raging wildfire, Serena Chesmore valued family over home. She ensured the safety of the most precious things in the world: her family and pets. Her house in Kachina Village, after all, is replaceable, Chesmore said Friday. "The kids, the pets, the photos -- they can't be replaced," Chesmore said. Chesmore is hoping, nonetheless, that 960 firefighters will be able to save her house and 300 other homes and businesses from an Arizona forest fire roaring through park land. She made an early jump on a pre-evacuation notice given to about 3,200 residents in Coconino County. The online Incident Information System reported Friday night that much of the fire burned with lower intensity throughout the day, allowing firefighters to make some progress. However, despite that progress, the total area scorched climbed to 8,500 acres that night, and the containment level held steady at 5%. The equivalent of a battalion of firefighters, including 15 hotshot crews and three air tankers, have been fighting the fire between Flagstaff and Sedona -- a tourist and retirement destination famed for its red rock formations -- since Tuesday afternoon. Firefighters face rough conditions . Tony Sciacca, a fire incident commander, says it's been an uphill battle for the firefighters battling the blaze. "They're engaged in tough terrain, cutting vegetation, applying fire to the landscape as they need to in burnout operations," Sciacca said. Area residents took to Facebook on Friday to thank them. "Thank you again for your tireless work on this monster," Mavis Kimball posted to the Slide Fire Information Facebook page. "We who call this place home so appreciate you." "So thankful the best of the best are here on the Slide Fire," wrote Terry Schneider. Dust-dry pine needles, high winds and steep slopes have made for ideal conditions for the fire to spread rapidly, fire officials say. And it has. The flames that investigators fear were ignited by human hands appear to have consumed hundreds of acres in a few hours' time, according to officials. The wind has blasted vigorously and erratically through fiery gulches, with gusts up to 30 mph, but has not blown towards the populated Flagstaff area. Alaska wildfire . Meanwhile, in Alaska, a much larger fire that began burning Monday was 15% contained by Friday evening, Alaska's Interagency Incident Management Team said. The Funny River Fire had consumed nearly 67,084 acres of Alaska's Kenai National Wildlife Refuge by Friday night. It has so far posed less of a threat to humans than the one burning in Arizona: no evacuations or injuries have been reported. There were more than 370 firefighters battling the blaze. Officials say access to the fire is difficult. Investigators suspect human action was the cause, but this is still under investigation. What to know about wildfires . 17-year-old appears in juvenile court in California wildfires case . CNN's Ana Cabrera reported from Arizona. Ben Brumfield reported from Atlanta and Michael Martinez reported and wrote from Los Angeles. CNN's Steve Almasy and Shawn Nottingham also contributed to this report. | Fire has scorched 8,500 acres near Flagstaff since Tuesday . Dust-dry pine needles, high winds and steep slopes make for ideal fire conditions . Hundreds of homes, businesses are threatened and have been evacuated . The blaze is only 5% contained three days after it was first reported . | 9d8669b35918e3d228b0585bdab4e4afdf8c2d23 |
By . Sean O'hare . PUBLISHED: . 10:32 EST, 17 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 13:42 EST, 17 December 2012 . A killer elephant is being hunted by Nepalese soldiers today after it strayed into villages and killed four people in three months. The rogue wild elephant walked into a thatched house in Gardi village adjoining Chitwan National Park, 50 miles south of Kathmandu, pulled a couple in their 60s from their bed and trampled them to death, said Shiva Ram Gelal, assistant district administrator from Bharatpur, the nearest city. Nepal has about 300 elephants, including around 100 domesticated adults which take tourists on jungle rides in the country's many safari resorts. Dangerous: The elephant was said to have dragged the couple from their bed using its trunk . Most are found on the sub-equatorial plains of the southern Terai, where contact with humans is a regular problem. The same animal killed two other villagers within the last three months, park officials said. 'We have given orders to the army to shoot the elephant that has gone mad,' Gelal told Reuters. 'Soldiers are now searching for it.' Nepal has about 300 elephants, including more than 100 domesticated ones which are used by hotels and national parks to take tourists on jungle rides to watch wild animals like one-horned Asian rhinoceroses and Bengal tigers. Elephants are protected by law and anyone convicted of killing one faces up to 15 years in jail, but Gelal said the Local Administration Act - a Nepali law - allowed authorities to kill the animal if it was responsible for the loss of human life. Recent elephant poaching incidents have led an WWF expert to warn that the species could face localised extinctions if it continues. She . said of the threats to animals such as elephants, rhinos and tigers: . 'These are iconic species, they are being exploited and it's illegal and . should be stopped.' Species with high value to illegal traders had seen . dramatic declines in recent years, including forest elephants in parts . of the Congo basin, Asian elephant, Sumatran rhino and Javan rhino. Animal kingdom: Nepal has about 300 elephants which are used by hotels and national parks to take tourists on jungle rides . | Elephant kills four people in three months in Nepal . Soldiers told to find and kill it . | a54d62aa65e0cc6b0cf107eb9cd8afd6156775c2 |
(CNN) -- It must have been a terrifying sight. Two stories up, a baby, legs dangling, clutching the black metal edge of the fire escape with his little hands. And then, the even more terrifying sight of a child in free fall. But what could have been a horrifying tragedy turned into a celebration Wednesday when Montessori school teacher Cristina Torre -- daughter of the former New York Yankees manager Joe Torre -- caught the 1-year-old after he bounced off an awning. "I honestly did not feel his weight," she told CNN Thursday. "It was effortless. He felt light as a feather." Torre was hailed as a hero for catching the child, who police say had crawled out onto the fire escape after pushing aside a piece of cardboard covering a hole next to the second-floor apartment's air conditioner. The boy's parents, however, weren't receiving quite the same reception. They were awaiting arraignment Thursday on child endangerment charges. Three other children in the apartment, ages 2, 3 and 5 -- were placed in the custody of Child Protective Services. Their 1-year-old son, whose name has not been released, was discharged from Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn hours after the incident, a hospital spokeswoman said Thursday. It wasn't immediately clear where he was Thursday. Torre said she was passing by the apartment building when she looked up and saw the baby's precarious situation. She got on her phone and called 911 while she maneuvered herself into position under the boy. She told CNN's Alina Cho, "I saw the baby, kind of straddling (a) pole ... and I started talking to him, as I'm talking to 911, and saying, 'Please stay up there, please.' " "The minute he let go, I just hoped for the best and had my arms out waiting for him," she said. Torre said the boy was crying and bleeding from the mouth after hitting something on the way down, but otherwise seemed to be all right. The boy's father came down later, thanked Torre for saving his son and gave her a hug. She hugged him back, she said. Torre's dad released a statement Wednesday night saying, "I am very proud of my daughter Cristina's actions today during an incident in Brooklyn involving a small child. Fortunately for that child she was in the right place at the right time to lend a hand." Cristina Torre, in turn, credited her father, who was a major league All-Star catcher in his playing days, with having a role in the rescue, sort of. "I do think I got that hand-eye coordination from my dad," she said. Joe Torre: Baseball champ and domestic abuse survivor . CNN's Chris Boyette, Leigh Remizowski and Erinn Cawthon and CNN Sports' Joseph S. Miller contributed to this report. | "He felt light as a feather," the woman who caught a falling baby tells CNN . Cristina Torre, daughter of former Yankees manager Joe Torre, caught the boy as he fell . The boy is out of the hospital . His parents are awaiting arraignment on child endangerment charges . | 67c42c56bffd9d851750812322ec08e6b5c07654 |
By . Travelmail Reporter . Famous for the restaurant chain popular with A-list celebrities, Nobu has revealed its first European hotel is to open in London in 2016. The five-storey, 156-room Nobu Hotel Shoreditch, which is still under construction, will boast an angular glass design, with concrete balconies and steel beams. A restaurant – over three stories – will be the hub of the resort, showcasing a menu developed by Chef Nobu Matsuhisa exclusively for the hotel. New hotel: Nobu will be opening the five-star accommodation in Shoreditch, east London . Contemporary design: The new Nobu hotel will feature private gardens and concrete balconies . The London property, 10-50 Willow Street in the east of the capital, joins the brand’s Park Lane and Berkeley Square restaurants, which are the hangout of celebrities including Victoria Beckham, George Clooney, Alesha Dixon and Liam Gallagher. As well as London, Nobu Hospitality has also announced an expansion plan with hotels in Miami, Manila to Chicago and Riyadh. Additionally, the hotel will feature banqueting and meeting rooms, a fitness centre, and a private garden. New project: Chef Nobu Matsuhisa will create the menu for his latest hotel, set to open in London in 2016 . Night out: Alesha Dixon leaving Nobu restaurant in London. The brand has is to open a hotel in the capital . Celebrity hangover: The one-star Michelin Nobu restaurant in Park Lane, where A-listers dine . Popular haunt: George Clooney leaves the Park Lane Nobu . Trevor Horwell, chief executive officer of Nobu Hospitality, said: ‘The Nobu Hotel Shoreditch in London is our first European hotel joining our growing portfolio collection of hotels covering select locations in the Americas, Middle East and Asia. ‘The Nobu Hotel Shoreditch is a critical and valuable chapter in the ongoing evolutionary tale of London. ‘For an area conceived through, and shaped by, contemporary culture and creativity, our architectural design is the obvious gesture. Vegas hotel: Inside the first Nobu hotel opened by chef and restaurateur Nobu Matsuhisa . Designer luxury: David Rockwell, an American architect who designed the Vegas hotel . Sake Suite: The Vegas hotel room which includes a media room, billiard table, and bar counter . King room: Vegas rooms feature simple, natural designs inspired by cherry blossoms . ‘The demonstration of beauty, drama and instinctive elegance has found a perfect home with the Nobu Hotel Shoreditch.’ The first Nobu Hotel opened in 2013 as a boutique hotel within Caesars Palace Las Vegas and was subsequently named one of the Hottest New Hotels of 2013. The hotel opened on Valentine's Day last year, with 181 rooms featuring simple, natural designs inspired by cherry blossoms, origami and Japanese Zen gardens. ‘We have worked hard to create meaningful luxury experiences,’ said Struan McKenzie, chief operating officer Nobu Hospitality. | Brand popular with celebrities to open new hotel in UK captial in 2016 . Five-storey property will boast 156 rooms - with concrete balconies . Famous chef Nobu Matsuhisa will create menu for the hotel . | 627ec3d00aa789ccebeac2f231fd70d8e6df0f8b |
By . Hamish Mackay . Follow @@H_Mackay . Frank Lampard’s Champions League experience can help guide Manchester City to glory this season, believes Samir Nasri. Chelsea's record goal scorer signed for new MLS outfit New York City FC this summer but will return to England on loan with Manchester City. The move has proved controversial for many Chelsea fans but French midfielder Nasri believes Lampard's experience will prove invaluable to City. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Ancelotti shock at Lampard City switch . Transfer: Chelsea's record goal scorer signed for New York City this summer but has been loaned to City . Nasri said: ‘Frank’s a great player and any team will benefit from his experience. ‘We will particularly benefit from having him in the Champions League because that’s where we need to improve this year. ‘He’s won it and I think he can help us. ‘It’s good that he’s an English player too as we’ve had a little problem with that!’ Machester City have, so far, disappointed in the Champions League having never made it past the round of 16. Help: Nasri says Lampard's experience will help City, who have disappointed in the Champions League . VIDEO Ancelotti shock at Lampard City switch . Stalwart: Frank Lampard is Chelsea's all-time top goal scorer after spending 13 years in west London . | Frank Lampard signed for New York City FC this summer . Former Chelsea man has moved to Manchester City on loan . Lampard won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2012 . Samir Nasri says City will benefit from his experience in the competition . | 4f14bf3ba41350b7a99e98c3a06503b84ebe1d58 |
Los Angeles (CNN) -- Michael Jackson's doctor will face trial on an involuntary manslaughter charge in the death of the pop superstar, a Los Angeles judge ruled Tuesday. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor also prohibited Dr. Conrad Murray from using his California medical license until the trial is completed. The state medical board requested that be made a provision of his bail. While Jackson was Murray's only and last California patient, Murray's lawyer argued a suspension in one state would prompt Texas and Nevada, where he sees patients, to also take action. Pastor denied the prosecution's request to increase Murray's bail, which is now set at $75,000. "Michael is not with us today because of an utterly inept, incompetent, reckless doctor, the defendant Conrad Murray," Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney David Walgren said in his final arguments. Several Jackson's family members sat through the six-day preliminary hearing for Murray, but they would not talk about the ruling as they left court Tuesday. The lawyer for Michael Jackson's estate issued a statement on behalf of the co-executors. "The judge's ruling ordering Dr. Murray to stand trial for the death of Michael Jackson is perfectly appropriate given the testimony in this case," Howard Weitzman said. Murray's lawyers appeared satisfied with the results of the preliminary hearing because of testimony they got from prosecution witnesses that might help raise reasonable doubt about Murray's guilt at trial. "I think the prosecution is going to change their tactics in this case," defense lawyer J. Michael Flanagan said after court. "It's not the same as what they gave in opening statements." Earlier Tuesday, the prosecution's expert witness in the case admitted he made a math mistake and that the recalculation supports the defense theory that Michael Jackson may have given himself the fatal dose of propofol. Propofol is a surgical anesthetic that the Los Angeles coroner ruled killed Jackson in combination with several sedatives found in his blood. Dr. Richard Ruffalo, an anesthesiologist hired by the prosecution, was the last witness to take the stand. "I actually made a mistake on that," Ruffalo said during cross-examination, referring to his calculation of the levels of propofol in Jackson's stomach fluid. The admission drew an audible gasp from Jackson family members sitting in court. Murray's lawyers suggest a frustrated and sleepless Jackson may have poured the surgical anesthetic propofol into his juice bottle while the doctor was out of his bedroom. "Now it doesn't make sense unless he ingested it orally in a huge amount," Ruffalo testified. But he said Murray would still be at fault, because he left dangerous drugs near a patient who was addicted. "It's like leaving a syringe next to a heroin addict," Ruffalo said. "If he's not getting what he wants, when you leave the room he might reach for it himself." "Either way, it doesn't matter," he testified. "He abandoned his patient and didn't resuscitate appropriately." Murray should have anticipated that Jackson, who had previously asked to inject himself, might do this, Ruffalo said. "He gets upset if he doesn't get his milk," he said, referring to Jackson's habit of referring to propofol as his "milk." The pop star's sister La Toya Jackson was clearly upset by hearing a prosecution witness vilify her brother as an addict. The pathologist who conducted Jackson's autopsy acknowledged earlier Tuesday it was possible, although improbable, that Jackson gave himself the fatal dose of the propofol. The defense planted the seed Monday for its theory that Jackson may have given himself the fatal dose. A doctor said in a police interview two days after the death that a sleepless Jackson begged Murray for propofol the day he died, a police detective testified. While Murray told police he eventually gave Jackson propofol, the defense lawyer suggested that it could be that a frustrated Jackson poured the fatal dosage into his juice and drank it. Jackson had depended on propofol to put him to sleep almost every night in the previous weeks as he was preparing for his "This Is It" comeback concerts, but Murray began to wean him off the surgical anesthetic two nights earlier, Murray told police. Los Angeles Police Detective Orlando Martinez testified at the preliminary hearing about what the doctor told him two days after Jackson's death. Several doses of two sedatives Murray used in place of propofol still hadn't put Jackson to sleep after several hours on the morning of June 25, 2009, Murray said, according to Martinez. "Mr. Jackson began to complain that he couldn't sleep and that he would have to cancel his rehearsal and cancel his shows if he couldn't get any sleep since he couldn't perform," Martinez quoted Murray as saying. A civil lawsuit filed last year by Jackson's mother against the company producing the concerts alleged that he had been warned a week earlier "that if Jackson missed any further rehearsals, they were going to 'pull the plug' on the show." Murray said he eventually gave in to the pressure from his patient and administered a dose of propofol about 10 a.m., the detective testified. Jackson finally fell asleep, according to Murray's account. While his patient slept, Murray sent an e-mail to a British insurance agent assuring him that Jackson was in good health, according to another witness Monday. | Defense attorneys comment on hearing . Judge bars Dr. Conrad Murray from using his California medical license . A prosecution expert witness testifies he made a math mistake . The expert says Murray is still responsible for leaving drugs around an addict . | fc2b12177938432101594b7007876a5165eff555 |
(CNN) -- Tour de France winner Alberto Contador has launched a stinging attack on Astana teammate Lance Armstrong after returning as a hero to his native town of Pinto near Madrid. Lance Armstrong (right) looks on after Alberto Contador is handed the Tour de France trophy in Paris. Contador told a news conference that relations between the two riders were tense throughout the race, making the atmosphere very difficult for the team as a whole. Although not giving specific reasons why, Contador admitted the situation has affected his relationship with the American. "My relationship with Lance Armstrong is non-existent. Even if he is a great champion, I have never had admiration for him and I never will," the 26-year-old Spaniard admitted. "It was a delicate situation, very tense, the two riders who had most weight on the team did not have an easy relationship and that puts the rest of the technical staff and the riders in an uncomfortable position," he added. The Spaniard, who also won the Tour in 2007, compared the situation with that of Formula One drivers Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton at McLaren when they were colleagues. "That situation in some way illustrated what I have experienced. But I knew that if we kept a cool head everything would be OK," he added. With Armstrong and Astana team chief Johan Bruyneel both leaving the team at the end of the season, Contador's future also remains unclear. "We will have to see what happens. I do not know where I'll go, but I am clear that it will be a team that is 100 per cent behind me." Contador eventually finished the race over four minutes clear of Luxembourg's Andy Schleck, with American Armstrong -- who was riding in his first Tour since completing the last of his seven wins in 2005 -- a remarkable third. It was Contador's fourth successive grand tour victory, after he also won last year's Giro d'Italia and Vuelta Espana following the Tour organizers' decision not to invite the Astana team to the race. | Alberto Contador launches an attack on Astana teammate Lance Armstrong . Tour de France winner admits he will never have admiration for the American . Contador beat Andy Schleck by over four minutes to gain his second Tour win . | f093cd188adc6e83602a19d67f4c811b5499b5c6 |
Britney Spears has struggled with her weight in the past but she now seems to have reached a happy and healthy medium as she prepares to embark on her first Las Vegas residency. The songstress has been pictured looking toned and in shape recently. And the secret behind the 31-year-old's killer new body? A man named Tony Martinez. The trainer, whose roster of clients . includes Janet Jackson, Pink and The Jonas Brothers, works . with Britney three or four times a week and said his workouts are all about having fun. Looking good: Britney Spears is looking healthy and happy recently and it is all thanks to her trainer Tony Martinez . Speaking to E! Magazine, he said: 'I like to incorporate sports like baseball or basketball into my workouts. 'I like to have fun and light humour and have you laughing the whole time. We will get your work done but I want you to have fun.' The man responsible for her . transformation explained that he has made a few tweaks to her diet, which has left her looking much more svelte. The help: Tony (L), who has worked with the likes of Pink and Janet Jackson, is responsible for Britney's new body and says her favourite meal is chicken salad (R) Aggressive: Speaking about working with Britney, he said she is a tremendous athlete who likes to be very strong and aggressive in her workouts . He told E! that he makes her eat small meals five times a day, with her favourite meal being chicken salad with balsamic dressing. Speaking about working with Britney, he said: 'She is a tremendous athlete. She likes to be very strong and aggressive in her workouts. 'I kept telling her to stop making it look too easy. It was like a competition with us!' Britney recently made headlines showcasing her super toned physique on the cover of Shape magazine. Ever changing shape: Britney has always struggled with her weight and it has fluctuated a lot over the years L-R shows the star in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2007 . As well as modelling a range of yoga wear and pulling some difficult poses, the star also divulged the secrets behind her famed derriere. She said: 'I like it, then again, I . hate it. I’m in my 30s now, so I have to work harder to keep it "up."' Britney credits yoga and the Nutrisystem- a weight loss programme backed by the Glycemic Index that provides portion-controlled meals in microwave-ready pouches - to keep her weight down. But she did admit she still struggles to remain healthy at times. 'Dieting is tough…because my specialties are spaghetti, brownies and chocolate chip cookies,' she said. Tony explains on his website that he uses the Four B’s plan with Britney. He writes: 'They include a mix of different exercises including sports, treadmill exercise, and ab workout.' | Britney's trainer Tony Martinez has revealed all . He also works with Janet Jackson, Pink and The Jonas Brothers . Works out with Britney four times a week . She eats five small meals a day . Her favourite is chicken salad with balsamic dressing . | 2d2a24e166cba6ec1645f89f29a70cb3b76996a5 |
By . Daniel Miller . PUBLISHED: . 07:18 EST, 21 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:55 EST, 21 November 2013 . George Zimmerman is being framed by his ex-girlfriend who faked a pregnancy in a failed bid to stop him leaving her, before lying to police that he had pointed a shotgun at her, it has been claimed. Zimmerman has been ordered to . stay 1,500 feet away from Samantha Scheibe at all times and hand over his array of . guns after she claimed he threatened her and forced her out of their home in Florida. She claims to have helped him after he spiraled into a deep . depression following his acquittal in the Trayvon Martin case and has tried . to kill himself multiple times, once putting a gun in his mouth and . threatening to pull the trigger. Framed? George Zimmerman is being set up by his ex girlfriend after she faked a pregnancy in a failed bid to stop him leaving her . But the TMZ website reports sources close to Zimmerman as saying Scheibe told him she was six weeks pregnant after he made it clear he was . leaving her and leaving Florida. Zimmerman reportedly offered to make a child custody and support deal, but what Scheibe really wanted was for them to stay together. When she saw Zimmerman packing his bags, the sources claim she decided to make up the story of him pointing the gun at her as . revenge. Companion: . Samantha Scheibe reportedly told Zimmerman she was six weeks pregnant but he told her he was leaving . Argument: Zimmerman, pictured leaving jail, allegedly pointed a shotgun at his girlfriend who had been feeling increasingly scared of him . Zimmerman began dating Scheibe after she apparently consoled him following his break up with wife, Shellie. After . Shellie filed for divorce, Zimmerman moved into Scheibe's Seminole . County home but, according to her, their relationship soon fell apart . because of his depression. In . late October, she demanded he get professional help but she said this . made him angry and he moved all her furniture, clothes and food out of . her home. Scheibe has been accused of lying to police about the gun incident after Zimmerman told her she was leaving him . Girlfriend: George Zimmerman's now-estranged girlfriend Samantha Scheibe, shown in this undated picture, has revealed details about their relationship and his depression . They later made up and he moved her things back into the house. But the relationship remained . volatile and on one occasion soon after, Scheibe sought refuge at her . mother Hope Mason's house to get away from Zimmerman. While . there, Mason told ClickOrlando that Zimmerman sent Scheibe's daughter a . still image from an intimate home video of Scheibe and Zimmerman. 'He's now threatened her in writing and even sent a portion of the video to her baby girl,' Mason wrote in a text. Mother and daughter: Scheibe, right, and her mother, Hope Mason, left, were in touch with news outlets as they were negotiating an interview that never materialized . Despite this, the couple reunited again. But on Monday, a terrified Scheibe called 911 for help, telling the . operator Zimmerman put his gun in her face and was smashing up her . furniture. He was charged with aggravated . assault and ordered to keep his distance from his girlfriend whom he . claimed was pregnant with his baby, and hand over his firearms. In messages to ClickOrlando, Scheibe said Zimmerman changed as soon as he was acquitted in the Trayvon Martin case. She . said he spiraled into a very deep depression after the media frenzy . went away and while he was prescribed medication, after a while he . stopped taking it. Scheibe described how he spent days in bed, refusing to get up. In cuffs again: George Zimmerman, the acquitted shooter in the death of Trayvon Martin, appeared in court on Tuesday on charges including aggravated assault stemming from the fight with his girlfriend November 19, 2013 . One day she found him passed out with an empty bottle of sleeping pills on his sidetable. She claims he overdosed and she wasn't able to revive him but noticed he was still breathing. When he did wake, she said he started crying and then put a gun inside his mouth, telling her he was ready to end it all. She said she talked him out of killing himself. But this wasn't the only occasion he threatened to take his own life, she said. According to Scheibe, Zimmerman enjoyed the media attention he received from the Trayvon case and grew depressed when he wasn't in the headlines. | Samantha Scheibe 'told Zimmerman she was six weeks pregnant' He is said to have offered a child-support deal but she 'wanted him to stay' She reportedly concocted a story that he pointed a gun at her in revenge . | 07d69f3d9372736b9b1c15cd4cb57a286bd327ba |
(Stock image) The NHS Blood and Transplant Service is to offer alcoholics suffering from severe liver disease transplants for the first time . Alcoholics suffering from severe liver disease are to be allowed to have transplants on the NHS for the first time. The scheme will be controversial because there is a national shortage of suitable organs for transplant – and critics will say those who bring ill-health on themselves should not receive such help. The NHS Blood and Transplant Service's decision, announced last night, will affect those with 'severe alcohol-associated hepatitis' (SAAH), who have until now been excluded from transplants because the prognosis was so poor. Admitting some people may be unwilling to donate if they know their livers may go to such patients, NHSBT's James Neuberger told the Guardian: 'We transplant humans, not angels.' The pilot project comes amid concern over rising deaths from alcoholic liver diseases – at a time when deaths from other conditions are falling. While alcohol consumption is on a downward trend across most of Europe, it has soared over the past 50 years in the UK. Doctors say liver disease victims are getting younger by the year, but cases of the condition are rising most quickly among the over-60s. At present, people are usually only considered for transplant if they have a more than 50 per cent chance of survival after five years, with a good quality of life. Alcoholics are required to show they will be able to give up drink for the rest of their lives. However, about a fifth of liver transplants involve patients whose condition has been linked to their drinking, including the late footballer George Best. Last night Andrew Langford of the British Liver Trust, said instead of looking at the cause of a potential recipient's disease, 'we should be looking at what their healthcare needs are and not be judgmental'. Most liver disease is caused 'one way or another' by personal choices, he said, adding: 'The vast majority of people who have transplanted organs do look after them and lead a far healthier life.' George Best, who died in November 2005, suffered from a series of internal organ infections after undergoing a liver transplant in July 2002 . There is sometimes not sufficient time to judge the prospects of SAAH patients giving up alcohol and they often suffer infection and bleeding as well as having deep jaundice and mental confusion. The patients doctors intend to treat in the pilot scheme must be between 18 and 40 and must not have seen a doctor about liver disease or been diagnosed with a drink problem before. There has been concern among transplant specialists over the number of candidates they may have to assess – and the impact on other patients awaiting organs. Mr Neuberger said: 'We need to retain public confidence that organs donated are used properly. That trust has to be earned – it can be lost very quickly.' The latest rethink was prompted by a study in November 2011 which reported six-month survival rates of 77 per cent among SAAH patients who received a new liver. | NHS Blood and Transplant Service announced its decision last night . Scheme brought in despite shortage of suitable organs for transplant . Decision will affect those with 'severe alcohol-associated hepatitis' | 14a814a24265a80a10b177e9feb3a948f4a6ab8e |
By . Steve Nolan . PUBLISHED: . 14:18 EST, 2 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 15:31 EST, 2 January 2013 . He may be the infamous founder of Italian fascism who allied with Adolf Hitler, tore up democracy and introduced a string of anti-Semitic laws to Italy. But it seems former dictator Benito Mussolini is still lauded in the country almost 70 years after he was shot, strung up by piano wire and his body spat upon by passers by. Many Italians are marking the dawn of a new year by adorning their walls with calendars featuring pictures of Il Duce. Resurgence: Former Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, pictured left in 1940, is still lauded by many with sales of calendars featuring his image said to be selling in higher numbers than a decade ago . And while calendars featuring Mussolini are nothing new - they go on sale alongside ones featuring sports stars and animals every year - worryingly sales are on the up according to one of the firms that makes them, with many young Italians starting to idolise the dictator once again. Renato Circi, head of Rome printer Gamma 3000, told The Guardian that his company are selling more Mussolini calendars than they were a decade ago. He said: 'I didn't think it was still a phenomenon, but young people are buying them now too.' The re-emergence of Mussolini ideology seems to have made something of a resurgence in Italy. Fascism has long left its mark on the country, with groups of so-called Ultras sporting extreme views that hark back to 1920s Italy taking to the nation's football terraces for several decades. But the cult-figure appears to have slipped back into mainstream public consciousness. He is venerated by neo-fascist youths who stormed Rome high schools back in October clutching neo-fascist flags and launching smoke bombs into classrooms while lessons were going on. Popular: Calendars of the Italian dictator are nothing new - pictured are calendars from this year and last - but sales are said to be on the increase by manufacturer Gamma 3000 . The capital has been rocked by an increase in extreme right militancy since the autumn with neo-fascist youth group Blocco Studentesco holding weekly demonstrations in Rome that have often ended in violent clashes with police. And in November, an attack on Tottenham Hotspur fans, who had travelled to Rome for a Europa League match against Serie A giants Lazio, was linked to neo-facist fans. A 25-year-old Spurs fan, Ashley Mills, was stabbed in that incident. Earlier in 2012, a village south of Rome paid tribute to Field Marshal Rodolfo Graziani by splashing out £100,000 on a statue of the infamous general. A leading businessman also mooted the idea of renaming Forli airport in northern Italy as Mussolini Airport. Idolised: Fascist ideology has been adopted by extreme football fans known as Ultras for decades, but Mussolini's views seem to be re-emerging in mainstream consciousness . Not only is the re-emergence of fascist ideas attributed partly to Silvio Berlusconi who brought post-fascist conservatives into his coalition government in 1994 and 2001. But while Germany sought to distance itself from Fascism following the fall of the Nazis in 1945, Italy has never fully endorsed powers that outlaw the existence of fascist parties drawn up in 1952. Partly because it posed a risk to the italian constitution and partly because of a 'sneaking admiration' for fascist ideology, according to James Walston, politics professor at the American University of Rome. His resurgence as an idol among some Italians is also said to be the result of the recession, which has hit Italy particularly hard. The country is in the grip of its fourth recession in a decade and its economy has barely grown in that period. Italy's national debt is among the largest in Europe. And it is thought that many young Italians are increasingly looking to right wing groups and ideologies in the hope that a strong leader may emerge and improve the nation's fortunes. Of course Italy was in financial dire straits following the First World War and Mussolini's economic fascism saw the economy grow more than 20 per cent in four years at the start of the 1920s and unemployment fall by almost 80 per cent. Italian neo-fascist group CasaPound's vice-president Simone di Stefano told The Guardian: 'Whoever buys the (Mussolini) calendar admires his work - the two things cannot be separated. 'There is a need today for his politics, for someone who will put the banks and finance at the service of italy.' Benito Mussolini pictured giving a fascist salute . Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was born in Predappio, northern central Italy, in July 1883. The son of a blacksmith, he moved to Switzerland in 1902 because jobs were scarce in his home region and became involved with socialist politics there. He moved back to Italy two years later and began work as a journalist on socialist papers. Mussolini later broke from socialist ideologies when Italy decided to enter World War One and he was enlisted in the army in 1915. He formed the Fascist Party following the war in 1919 and capitalised on the support of unemployed veterans organising supporters into squads known as the Black Shirts who terrorised anyone who disagreed with their politics. As Italy fell into political chaos in the autumn of 1922, Mussolini's Black Shirts marched on Rome and he was invited to form a government. He made himself dictator in 1925 and gave himself the nickname Il Duce, setting about re-establishing Italy as a major European power. Mussolini supported General Franco in the Spanish Civil War and became involved in an increasingly strong alliance with Adolf Hitler's Germany. His declaration of war on Britain and France in June 1940 exposed Italian military weakness and was followed by a series of defeats in North and East Africa and the Balkans. In July 1943, Allied troops landed in Sicily. Mussolini was overthrown and imprisoned by his former colleagues in the Fascist government. In September, Italy signed an armistice with the Allies. The German army began the occupation of Italy and Mussolini was rescued by German commandos. He was installed as the leader of a new government, but had little power. He was eventually killed in April 1945 by partisan Italians as the Allies moved north through Italy. | Calendar sales have increased over the past decade . A surge in support for neo-fascism in Italy is blamed on the recession . | 44865ae6734340071bcc089b94d953f67a0c6c44 |
By . James Rush . PUBLISHED: . 12:06 EST, 27 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 15:43 EST, 6 January 2013 . Internet sensation the One Pound Fish man has returned home to Pakistan a hero after being asked to leave Britain because his visa had run out. Singer Muhammad Nazir, who was bidding for the Christmas number one spot with his catchy song about cut-price fish, was told by immigration officials in Britain to get a flight back to Pakistan and not return until his paperwork was sorted. But as he touched down at Lahore airport he was greeted by hundreds of fans who turned up to honour the singer. Scroll down for video . Hero's welcome: Singer Muhammad Shahid Nazir is carried by supporters on his return from Britain . A mother's love: Mr Nazir is kissed by his mother Kalsoom Akhtar as he returns to Lahore today . Adoration: Mr Nazir was greeted with chants of 'Long live the One Pound Fish' on his return . Mr Nazir, who reached number 29 in the UK singles chart with the song he composed to entice shoppers at the east London market stall where he worked, has said he plans to take the song to France and the United States as part of a bid for worldwide fame. Chants of 'long live One Pound Fish' rung out as he arrived in Lahore today from the crowd of about 250 people, which included local politicians, the Bangkok Post has reported. Meanwhile, television networks also reportedly interrupted coverage of the fifth anniversary of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto's assassination for his return. The father-of-four's song has proved to be a sensation and has attracted more then 8m hits on YouTube. The song originally became an online hit after he was filmed singing it at his stall. That video alone has attracted nearly 7m views as well. Mr Nazir, from the small Punjab town of Pattoki, has said he will not forget the place where his fame began. He said: 'I will adopt music as a profession now, but I can never forget my fish stall.' The . Bangkok Post reported how Mr Nazir had insisted he had returned to . Pakistan to apply for a French visa and that he planned to return to . London. Mr Nazir's family was among the crowd of 250 people at the airport as he and his wife, right, returned home to Lahore . Star: Mr Nazir in the video for One Pound Fish, which he hopes to take around the world . | The One Pound Fish man returned home today to hundreds of adoring fans . Singer Muhammad Nazir was asked to leave Britain by immigration officials . He is now bidding for worldwide fame with his song about cheap fish . | 8f02412b678f812b1456f1c0a65e4c85559508db |
By . Emma Thomas . PUBLISHED: . 08:20 EST, 20 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:13 EST, 20 November 2013 . Speculation is rife that billionaire Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is the mystery buyer of Apple's first ever computer. The basic Apple 1 machine was the 46th of 50 that Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak built together in Jobs' bedroom at his parents house - and one of only 11 still existing. The computer, described as the best Apple 1 in the world, sold for £206,000 at an auction. Retro: The Apple 1 was one of only 50 Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak built to sell at a local shop . Auctioneers are being tight lipped on the identity of the buyer but revealed it was a 'young CEO of an American company similar to Apple.' They said the buyer felt he was in a similar situation to Jobs and Wozniak, who catapulted Apple from humble beginnings to the world's most valuable brand. The device was being sold by an American computer enthusiast who had owned it for 30 years. Sold along with it was a remarkable 1976 photo showing the 50 Apple 1s stacked up in boxes in Jobs' bedroom, representing the humble beginnings of the Apple empire. Uwe Breker, from auctioneers Team Breker in Cologne, Germany, said: 'We were expecting this Apple 1 to go for a bit more - after all, there are only 11 in the world and this is the best of the best. 'But that's just the way the market works. Similarities: Both Steve Jobs (left) and Mark Zuckerberg (right) had incredible success with their creations . 'The buyer was very surprised to have got the Apple 1 at that price but very happy he did. 'We can't reveal the buyer's name but he is the young CEO of an American world-leading company similar to Apple and sees a lot of similarities between himself and Steve Jobs. 'The Apple 1 is a symbol of the American dream and I think the buyer saw this purchase as a way of keeping that dream alive.' Jobs, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2011, was 21 when he and Wozniak sold the Apple 1s for £420 each in 1976. The devices were built on order for a local computer shop called The Byte Store before Jobs and . Wozniak moved their makeshift operation downstairs to his garage. A far cry from today's high-tech Apple devices, they came with a separate monitor, keyboard, motherboard and cassette player to load programmes and only had 8K of memory, not even enough to store one song. Yet the primitive machine gave birth to the Apple empire, including the MacBook, iPod, iPhone and iPad. The Byte Store's advertising slogan for the Apple 1 was 'Take a byte from an apple'. It is believed this inspired Apple's famous logo of an apple with a chunk bitten out of it. Empire: The primitive machine gave birth to the Apple empire, including the MacBook, iPod, iPhone and iPad . | Apple 1 machine sold for £206,000 at an auction in Germany . Auctioneers said buyer was a young CEO of an American company . Steve Jobs was 21 when he started selling the computers to a local shop . | 4d09a374c90a87a11ebd5c7200ee4f153c48d243 |
While most Americans celebrate Thanksgiving by gorging on turkeys in the company of their relatives, boxer Floyd Mayweather Jnr has a different take on tradition. The five-division world champion posted one of his typically egotistical videos on Instagram, this time featuring himself receiving a bathtub massage... to somehow commemorate the Pilgrim Fathers' harvest festival. Soft classical music plays in the background as the undefeated champion is given a back rub by a well proportioned young lady, accompanied by the caption: '#HAPPYTHANKSGIVING'. Floyd Mayweather Jnr was given a back rub on Thanksgiving - the boxer's way of celebrating the day . Meanwhile, Manny Pacquiao has once again called out the pound-for-pound king to put his undefeated record on the line and fight him. Mayweather reacted to the Filipino's recent dominant points win against Chris Algieri by taunting him with an Instagram video showing Pacquiao being knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez when the pair fought back in 2012. The WBO welterweight champion responded by saying: 'He should step up and fight me since I am easy to knock out. 'The fans deserve that fight. I think it's time to step up and say yes.' Mayweather Jnr has been called out again by WBO Welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao . Mayweather Jnr (right) sat in the bath while being given a back rub on Thanksgiving . VIDEO Pacquiao delighted with performance . Pacquiao was given a hero's reception after defeating Chris Algieri in Macau, Philippines . | Floyd Mayweather Jnr spent American Thanksgiving in a different way . The undefeated boxer posted a video of him getting a bathtub massage . Manny Pacquiao has again called out Mayweather to step up and fight him . | fab12eeb4cc4e5c89d3b09b232bca309a4a4efb0 |
The hype over tennis's "next big thing" Nick Kyrgios exploded in Australia on Wednesday as news of the teenager's stunning upset of 14-times grand slam champion Rafa Nadal at Wimbledon broke. Once a global superpower in the sport, Australia has waited in vain for a new men's talent to take the mantle from an ageing Lleyton Hewitt and 19-year-old Kyrgios's stylish advance to the Wimbledon quarters propelled a tidal wave of accolades from former players, Hollywood celebrities and politicians. 'Extraordinary performance @NickKyrgios. Australia couldn't be prouder of you - what a win & what an amazing attitude!' Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott tweeted. Aussie rules: Kyrgios looks in disbelief as he celebrates his shock win over Nadal . Stunned: The world No 1 was overwhelmed by the power and finesse of his teenage opponent . 'Aussie Aussie Aussie @NickKyrgios. Such composure and class! But hard off to @RafaelNadal ... one of the greatest of all time!' Australian actor Hugh Jackman also posted on Twitter. A lead story on all of the major news networks and websites, Kyrgios's hopes of "keeping it real" may be undermined by the constant comparisons to other barnstorming teenagers of yesteryear. Where American great John McEnroe saw in Kyrgios a 17-year-old Boris Becker on the rise, Australian doubles great Todd Woodbridge gleaned a young Pete Sampras. Australia's 1987 Wimbledon champion Pat Cash likened Kyrgios to another big-server with Greek heritage in Mark Philippoussis, the twice grand slam finalist. The outrageous between-the-legs winner that Kyrgios finessed from the baseline to leave Nadal flat-footed was seized upon as proof the 144th-ranked Kyrgios had the confidence and the game to mix it with the world's greats. Proud: Australian A-list actor Hugh Jackman tweeted his delight at Kyrgios' win . By Royal appointment: Jackman watched the match from the Royal Box at Wimbledon . National hero: Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott was also quick to congratulate Kyrgios . 'The "tweener" perfectly summed up Kyrgios's approach at Wimbledon - fearless, fun and a finesse-to-firepower ratio to match it with the world's elite,' News Ltd media enthused. Amid the feverish hype, Kyrgios's vanquished opponent struck a rare note of caution. 'For me it's very easy to say he can be top 10. I think he can do. It's not an issue that I think he can not do it,' said Nadal. 'But when we see a young player that arrives to the tour and plays a great match or plays a great tournament, people say he will be the next big star. 'Some things are right - sometimes arrive, sometimes not. So it depends how the things improve over the next couple of months, years, for him. So if he is able to keep improving, he will be. If not, will be more difficult.' Australia has previously been tantalised by the exploits of a rangy, local teenager who stormed into the quarter-finals at Wimbledon. In with a shout: Kyrgios is through to the quarter-finals at SW19 . Bernard Tomic's exhilarating run to the last eight in 2011 as a care-free 18-year-old was seen as the springboard to a top-10 ranking and grand slam success. Now 21, Tomic, who was dumped from the second round by Czech Tomas Berdych, is ranked 86th in the world and has not since advanced beyond the fourth round at the majors. Compared to Kyrgios, now glowing in the light as the "golden boy" from Canberra, Tomic's brand has been tainted by a string of controversies. He was kicked out of the Davis Cup team for attitude problems and stuck by his hot-headed father-coach John Tomic, who was convicted by a Spanish court of assaulting his son's former hitting partner last year. False dawn: Bernard Tomic (above) has not been able to kick on since breaking through in 2011 . 'The last couple of years have been tough for Aussie tennis fans as we've watched Bernard Tomic occasionally show his talent, but mostly abuse it, mock it, waste it,' wrote one News Ltd critic prior to Kyrgios's Nadal clash. 'Yet still we've cheered for him, hoping against hope that it's surely just a matter of time until his infantile mind catches up with his oversized body. 'Hasn't happened yet and maybe it never will. Either way, it now scarcely matters because Nick Kyrgios is No 1 in our hearts. 'This likeable young Canberran has a lovely vibe about him. He's aggressive but controlled, a killer on the court and a puppy dog off it.' | Australian Nick Kyrgios beat Rafael Nadal in four sets . Kyrgios through to quarter-final at Wimbledon . Hugh Jackman and Australian PM Tony Abbott tweet their congratulations . | 808d85459c3a6ea410de30da08198118f0232bf4 |
(CNN) -- An athlete who didn't even compete at the Commonwealth Games was the star attraction Saturday in Glasgow. It wasn't just any athlete, mind you, but the fastest man in the world in Jamaica's Usain Bolt. Bolt arrived in Glasgow amid a throng of journalists and photographers and it didn't take long for him to deliver his trademark 'lightning Bolt' pose alongside the Games' mascot, Clyde, and local school children. Bolt hasn't raced in 2014 as he recovered from a foot injury but that's set to change as he said he'll take part in the 4x100-meter relay heats that begin Friday. "I will be running in the heats," the world-record holder in the 100 and 200 meters said in a press conference. "I think I need the (races) because this is my first run of the season. "The injury is completely gone. Fitness wise, I have done a lot of training over this past month. I have been really pushing myself. "I think I am in pretty good shape, but I'm not in running shape. That's why I am running the heats." The six-time Olympic gold medalist won't be involved in any individual races. He added that he was excited to be making his Games debut after missing the 2006 edition with a hamstring injury and deciding to skip the 2010 Games in India because of how close it was to the 2011 World Championships. Bolt plans on being a tourist, too, if only for a little bit, and expects to see a "lot of rain" and plenty of kilts in Glasgow. Grandfather ties record . Meanwhile, England's Mick Gault tied a Commonwealth Games record when he claimed an 18th medal by winning the bronze in the 10-meter air pistol. Gault isn't your typical Games participant -- he's a 60-year-old grandfather. He retired due to illness after the 2010 Games but decided to return one last time. "I just feel good that a 60-year-old can do that, just do what I've done," he told BBC television. "It's one for England, it's one for the sport, it's one for me, one for the wife and kids who have been through an awful lot. "The wife's insisted this is my last one. Definitely my last one. "The stress we go through is horrendous, so job done really." Gault can break the record he now shares with Australian shooter Phillip Adams, given he still has one more event. | Usain Bolt arrives in Glasgow ahead of his participation in the relay . Bolt says his foot has healed and he needs races to get into running shape . He plans on being a tourist and expects to see a lot of rain and kilts . A 60-year-old grandfather ties a Games record by getting his 18th medal . | 738159c6668c49acb80771bd818f8bcedd71869d |
Twelve people have been sentenced to death for organizing attacks that left dozens of people dead in the restive western Chinese province of Xinjiang earlier this year. The incident -- described by authorities as an "organized and premeditated" terror attack -- occurred in the region's Shache County on July 28, when a gang wielding knives and axes attacked civilians, a police station, government offices and smashed vehicles. Police returned fire and shot dozens of the attackers, state media reported at the time. State media has reported a wave of violent attacks in Xinjiang in recent months. Twenty-nine people were killed and 130 injured when men armed with long knives stormed a train station in Kunming in March. The next month, an attack on a train station in Urumqi, Xinjiang's capital, left three dead, including the attackers, and an attack on an Urumqi market in May killed at least 39 people. Ethnic tensions . The province has seen longstanding tensions between its Uyghur Muslim population, a Turkic people, and the local Han population -- China's biggest ethnic group. Some Uyghurs have expressed resentment toward China's Han in recent years over what they say is harsh treatment from Chinese security forces and Han people taking the lion's share of economic opportunities in Xinjiang -- a charge China's central government denies. Monday's hearing at the court in Kashgar, western Xinjiang, also saw 15 others handed the death penalty, but suspended for two years, according to the official news portal of the government of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and quoted by the state-run Xinhua news agency. Nine people were jailed for life, while another 20 defendants got four to 20 years behind bars. An additional two defendants were released on probation. Q&A: Xinjiang and tensions in China's restive far west . | Gang wielding knives attacked civilians, a police station, government offices in Xinjiang . Authorities called it an "organized and premeditated" terror attack . The province has seen longstanding tensions between Uyghur Muslims and Han population . Some Uyghurs have complained of harsh treatment from Chinese security forces . | e93768ec05e860568113d58a79f2c1cabdc447d2 |
Atlanta (CNN) -- A 36-year-old woman who was reported missing shortly after Christmas has been found dead in Atlanta, authorities said Wednesday. Investigators used dental records to identify a body found in southwest Atlanta as that of Stacey Nicole English, the Fulton County Medical Examiner's office said in a statement. An autopsy did not reveal a cause of death, the office said, and further investigation and testing probably will take several weeks to complete. English's abandoned car was discovered, with the motor running, in Atlanta in late December. Police have made no arrests in the case. They also have named no suspects. Robert Kirk, a St. Louis man who had stayed with her December 24-26, said English was "acting peculiar and out of character" during the stay, adding that "she began screaming in the apartment and shouting biblical scriptures and indicating that the world was coming to an end," a police report said. He said that he left around 10:30 p.m. on December 26, after English "began asking him if he was Satan" and told him to leave "her residence immediately." A friend, Michelle Strothers, told police that she last saw English on that day or the next one. In an interview with police on New Year's Eve, Strothers said that her friend "appeared upset" and told her "she felt as if someone was attempting to hurt her." "She also stated that Ms. English was acting out of character, and began discussing the end of the world and quoting biblical scriptures," said the police report. Earlier, English's mother and stepfather told police that they typically talked with her "several times a week" and became worried after she did not answer their calls since they last talked with her on Christmas. They eventually used a spare key to enter her apartment, where they saw "no sign of English," the police report said. Her mother, Cynthia Jamison, said that English "was currently taking medication" and had attempted suicide by overdose a little more than two years earlier, according to police. Private investigator T.J. Ward, hired by the family, told HLN's Vinnie Politan that neither homicide nor suicide can be ruled out at this point, and that the area is being treated as a crime scene. "When toxicology comes back (we will) see if there was something in her system that could have caused her death." | NEW: Toxicology reports will provide important info, private investigator says . Stacey Nicole English was reported missing after Christmas . Investigators used dental records to identify her body . The medical examiner's office says it has not determined a cause of death . | eb5feb7af7d4895730396faedb96e424d5b36e59 |
By . Martin Robinson . PUBLISHED: . 10:03 EST, 16 August 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 10:33 EST, 16 August 2012 . The world's foremost euthanasia clinic, Dignitas, is to sue the Swiss police after their officers tried to revive a terminally ill woman who fell asleep during an assisted suicide. Police stopped the procedure near Zurich after the patient lost consciousness after only consuming half the drugs meant to kill her, and therefore officers assumed that her suicide attempt had failed. The unnamed woman was meant to finish the lethal cocktail of barbiturates and police say their rules state that if a patient is still alive two hours after taking the drugs they will call an ambulance. 'Abduction': Dignitas claim the woman was illegally taken from their clinic near Zurich, pictured, and want the Swiss police prosecuted . Following the intervention the woman in her 60s, who was suffering from a genetic disease and weighed . only five stone, was rushed to hospital were she later died. Under Swiss law, a state official - . usually a police officer - must be present to monitor proceedings when . an assisted suicide is being conducted. And Dignitas now want the police to be prosecuted for 'interfering in a legal assisted suicide' and 'abducting a patient' during the incident on August 2. Suicide: Patients at the clinic consume a cocktail of barbiturates dissolved in a drink to kill them, pictured at a different assisted suicide, but on this occasion the woman fell asleep before finishing it . 'Because of the woman's weight she had already taken enough of the drug to die,' a Dignitas spokesman said. 'The police acted in a random and provocative way against the wishes of . the woman's closest family, who were at her bedside the whole time.' The woman was first given a drug in a glass of water to prevent vomiting, then 30 minutes later she began drinking a lethal dose of barbiturates dissolved in fruit juice. In almost all other cases at Dignitas, the patient finishes the glass then begins to feel drowsy with ten minutes before moving from anaesthetised unconsciousness to coma then dying of respiratory arrest. But in this case, the 67-year-old woman only managed to finish half the glass before she fell asleep, and the lower dose of the fatal drug meant she took longer to die, Dignitas said. Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland and the controversial Dignitas . clinic has attracted scores of patients from the UK, where helping . someone to die is a criminal offence that can lead to a murder charge. A minister for the Swiss government's public affairs department said today an independent inquiry would be launched into the matter. But the police are standing firm and say their actions were the right ones. 'The suicide procedure had clearly failed because she was not dead after two hours,' a spokesman for the Zurich prosecutor's office. 'Police acted to avert any suffering that might have ensued on the patient's behalf.' | The woman in her sixties dropped off halfway through taking the lethal cocktail of drugs mixed to kill her . She later died in hospital after she was taken from the clinic by police . The Swiss authorities claim that if a patient is not dead after two hours they will always call an ambulance . But Dignitas want the police prosecuted for 'abducting a patient' and 'interfering in a legal suicide' | d741f1f45d9770690e7a1d45d2f8be35021599ca |
By . Ashley Collman . and Jennifer Newton . After reliving September 11, 2001 all over again at the newly-opened 9/11 Museum, visitors can purchase stuffed animals, glass ornaments, World Trade Center-printed ties and other tasteless souvenirs at the gift shop, located just a few feet away from the final resting place of 8,000 unidentified remains of victims from the tragedy. And of the 140 tacky trinkets available on the store's website so the museum can cash in remotely, just 7.8 per cent are listed as being Made in the USA. The Lower Manhattan museum and corresponding gift shop have only been open to survivors and victims' families since Thursday, and so far these visitors have expressed outrage at souvenirs being marketed off the worst terrorist atrocity in U.S. history. Angered: Many 9/11 survivors and victims are upset that a gift shop is part of the new museum and memorial at the Ground Zero site . Accessories: The store offers a range of gifts like Josh Bach men's ties with the World Trade Center columns design and scarves in the same print . Something for Fido: The store even stocks gifts for the family dog, such as these police and firefighter vests in every size . Fashion statements: Women's scarves sport prints of the old New York skyline before the attacks, and a vintage print of the World Trade Center during lunch hour . Souvenir: Many of the items for sale come with a print of the World Trade Center columns, such as this decorative tray . According to the museum's website, the proceeds benefit 'developing and sustaining' the memorial which is run by executives with privately-funded six-figure salaries. There are many more trinkets available . for sale in the actual store, so the amount of American-made items may . be much less, but the museum has yet to respond to MailOnline's request . for a full list of products, and their place of manufacture. The idea of a gift shop alone is offensive to many, but is made even more painful considering 8,000 unidentified remains of victims were recently moved to a tomb beneath the museum. 'Here is essentially our tomb of the unknown. To sell baubles I find quite shocking and repugnant,' Diane Horning, who lost her 26-year-old son Matthew in the attacks, told the New York Post. Toys: While some parts of the museum are too graphic for young ones, there's still plenty of toys for kids in the gift shop . Symbol of survival: Mugs and t-shirts are printed with the image of the 'Survivor Tree', a pear tree that survived the buildings' collapse . Money holders: Several wallets are embossed with the 9/11 memorial insignia and even the World Trade Center columns . The usual products: Like many other NYC tourist destinations, FDNY and NYPD shirts are for sale along with toy squad cars and fire engines . Mugs, tote bags, and t-shirts are emblazoned with the words: 'I Love NY More Than Ever' Decked out: The store also sells jewelry such as these pendants molded off the Survivor Tree's leaves . The store sells many 9/11 memorial-themed coffee mugs, but also the World Trade Center coasters to set them on (left). On the right, a pair of earrings designed off the twin reflecting pools located outside the museum. The reflecting pools are surrounded by etchings of all the names of 9/11 victims . Techie gifts: 9/11 memorial-themed iphone cases, key-chains and lanyards for sale . 'No day shall erase you from the memory of time': Mugs are embossed with the same quote from Virgil that has been surrounded by a mosaic at the museum . The Museum Store is located downstairs near the entrance and exit of the exhibits . Visitors can buy the Darkness mug, left, for $12.99 or a set of two 9/11 Memorial magnets, right, for $7.50 . Water bottles, left, which are $20.95, can be bought in the gift shop, alongside lanyards, right, which cost $5 . The Twin Towers glass ornament, left, which is . on sale for $23, while the black lab search and rescue toy dog, right . will cost $19.95 . The memorial baseball caps, left, are being sold for $19.95 and the plaza tree umbrella, right is on sale for $35 . This NYPD replica badge charm, designed to fit . charm bracelets, left, is priced at $65, while you can also get an . iPhone case featuring the memorial pool and lights for $11.95 . Insensitive: Diane Horning, pictured above with Representative Chuck Schumer, lost her 26-year-old son Matthew in the Twin Towers attacks. She finds the idea of a gift shop 'shocking and repugnant' 1. Joseph Daniels, President & CEO . Total compensation: $369,062 . 2. Alice Greenwald, Exec VP for Programs and Memorial Museum Director . Total compensation: $354,383 . 3. James Connors, Exec VP of Operations . Total compensation: $297,096 . 4. Cathy Blaney, Exec VP of Development . Total compensation: $252,339 . 5. Luis F Mendes, Senior VP for Facilities, Design & Construction (not pictured) Total compensation: $232,766 . 6. Allison Blais, Chief of Staff Total compensation: $232,022 . 7. David Langford, Chief Financial Officer . Total compensation: $223,054 . 8. Carolyn Rasic, Exec VP of External Affairs & Strategy Total compensation: $209,473 . 9. Noelle Lilien, General Counsel (not pictured)Total compensation: $194,916 . 10. Joseph Weinkam, VP of Government Relations . Total compensation: $192,283 . 11. Lawrence Mannion, Director of SecurityTotal compensation: $190,071 . 12. Clifford Chanin, Director of Education and Public Programs . Total compensation: $185,364 . Salaries according to 2012 tax documents . Black and white hoodie with image of Twin Towers and emblazoned with the words: 'In Darkness We Shine Brightest'Price: $39 . 'I Love NY More Than Ever' T-shirtPrice: $22 . Charm etched with Twin Towers $65.00 . 'Survivor Tree' jewellery, moulded after leaves of a pear tree that survived the Towers' collapse Price: $40-$68 . Twin Towers tote bagPrice: $15 . Twin Towers book mark Price: $12.95 . Silk scarf with print of vintage photo showing WTC at lunchtime Price: $95 . Matthew worked as a database administrator for Marsh & McLennan, an insurance firm which had offices in the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Matthew's remains were never recovered. 'I think it's a money-making venture to support inflated salaries, and they're willing to do it over my son's dead body,' Mrs Horning said. Joe Daniels, the memorial and museum's CEO, makes $378,000 a year, though his and other executives' six-figure salaries are funded through private donations. Still, the idea of a gift shop doesn't sit well with many close to the tragedy, who believe it could have been kept closed until Wednesday, when the museum opens to the public. President Obama dedicated the museum in a moving speech on Thursday, and the memorial has since only been open to survivors and victims' families. 'These people are suffering, and they don't need to be reaching into their pockets,' John Feal, a former Ground Zero demolition survivor, told the Post. 'The museum could have gone six days without asking for money.' However, Mr Feal, who runs the FealGood Foundation for ailing 9/11 workers, says he understands the museum's need to sell items in order to cover costs. The museum plans to operate on a $63million budget with money raised through admission fees and donations. President Barack Obama visited the museum on Thursday with first lady Michelle Obama. They were joined by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former president Bill Clinton . One of the exhibits in the 9/11 Memorial Museum. It shows the FDNY Ladder Company 3 fire engine, which was damaged when the North Tower collapsed . Also on display in the museum are destroyed police cars and other items recovered after the September 11 tragedy . 'All net proceeds from our sales are dedicated to developing and sustaining the national September 11 Memorial & Museum,' the museum's website reads. 'Thank you for helping to build a lasting place for remembrance, reflection, and learning for years to come.' The gift shop itself was funded with a $5million donation from Paul Napoli and Marc Bern, partners in a law firm which made $200,0000 representing 10,000 Ground Zero workers in a lawsuit. That's $5million Mr Feal believes should have been donated to the 'sick and suffering - their former clients'. | Newly-opened National September 11 Memorial & Museum features gift shop . On sale are items such as stuffed toys, umbrellas and even glass ornaments . Just 7.8 per cent of the more than 100 items for sale on the museum's website specifically state they are Made in the USA . Some victims' families feel the idea of a gift shop is offensive . Around 8,000 unidentified remains of victims lie beneath the museum . Museum opened to victims' families and survivors on Thursday . It will open to the general public on Wednesday . Proceeds from shop will go to 'developing and sustaining' the museum . | a01729e9b7d6354fd831cbfe00b9bf3b1aba50e5 |
Switzerland are now higher than England in the FIFA world rankings. They topped their qualifying group for the 2014 World Cup. After making it out of a group containing France, Ecuador and Honduras they suffered extra-time heartbreak against Argentina in the last 16, as they lost 1-0. SAM CUNNINGHAM runs the rule over the men who are gunning for the Three Lions. Magic Dwarf . Xherdan Shaqiri . Position: winger . Age : 22 . Club: Bayern Munich . Architect: What he lacks in height, Xherdan Shaqiri more than makes up for with his bulging thighs . Switzerland . Capital: Bern . Official languages: German, French, Italian, Romansh. Known as the Alpine Messi or the Magic Dwarf, Xherdan Shaqiri is the architect of the team from the wing. He is only 5ft 6ins tall but what he lacks in height, he more than makes up for with his bulging thighs. That is where his power and pace are generated from and he uses a special elastic band in training to increase their strength. Shaqiri announced himself to English football fans when he set up two goals for Basel as Manchester United lost 2-1 and were dumped out of the 2011 Champions League group stage. He set the World Cup alight when he scored a hattrick against Honduras in the group stage to send Switzerland through. Charity worker . Vladimir Pet kovic . Position manager . Age 51 . Previous clubs Bellinzona Lazio, Sion, Young Boys . When Petkovic's modest playing career was winding down in the mid-1990s he worked for Caritas, a Catholic relief charity. Alongside that he started coaching Swiss second division side Bellinzona where he won promotion and reached the Swiss cup final. Tottenham fans will remember him for giving them a scare in the 2010 Champions League preliminary round, winning 3-2 at home while in charge of Young Boys before losing 4-0 in the second leg. He likens his style to Arsene Wenger and Fabio Capello. 'I tried to steal everything that I found to be good from other coaches in order to develop my own ideas,' said Petkovic, who speaks seven languages. 'I have always liked the solidity of Fabio Capello. I liked the ideas that Arsene Wenger had with Arsenal a lot.' Pedigree: Admir Mehmedi played for Switzerland at five youth levels before breaking into the senior side . Mr Confident . Admir Mehmedi . Position Striker . Age 23 . Club SC Freiburg . Scouts from Liverpool and Sunderland watched Admir Mehmedi at Zurich when he was 20, but he eventually moved to the Ukraine to play for Dynamo Kiev before arriving in Germany for his current club. He is of Macedonian Albanian descent, but played for Switzerland at five youth levels before breaking into the senior side in 2011. His scoring rate is not prolific for the national side, but he is certainly not short of confidence. When asked if he had done his homework on Lionel Messi before their World Cup last-16 match, he replied: 'I haven't watched any videos of Lionel Messi or any of their players. I'm Admir Mehmedi, I don't have to compare myself to anybody.' Clever: Granit Xhaka (right) is considered an intellect among his peers . The young Einstein . Granit Xhaka . Position midfielder . Age 21 . Club Borussia Monchengladbach . Granit Xhaka loves science and is considered an intellect among his peers, which is why he is called 'the young Einstein' by his team-mates. While at Basel he was a target for Liverpool and Manchester United before he moved to Germany. Liverpool renewed their interest in Xhaka in the summer after the youngster had starred for the Swiss at the World Cup, where he scored his fifth international goal in the defeat by France. | Xherdan Shaqiri is the architect of the team from the wing . Scouts from Liverpool and Sunderland watched Admir Mehmedi . Granit Xhaka loves science and is considered an intellect among his peers . | d39e452238e63601fd12bdd932c20b1f18c790b0 |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 17:00 EST, 17 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 17:00 EST, 17 January 2014 . A record 1,004 rhinos were poached for their horns in South Africa in 2013 – an increase of over 50 per cent from 2012, it emerged yesterday. The horn is worth £40,000 a kilo in Asia, where it is prized as a key ingredient in traditional medicines, making it more valuable than platinum, gold or cocaine. Last year’s toll was a massive increase on 2012, when 668 were killed illegally, following the 448 in 2011. The news will fuel concern for the future of rhinos in South Africa, which has 20,000 – most of the world’s population. Illegal: More than 1,000 rhinos were killed in South Africa in 2013, up by 50 per cent on 2012 . Top safari destination Kruger National Park, which borders Mozambique, bore the brunt of the poaching, with 606 rhino deaths. Some 37 rhinos have already been killed this year, 34 of them killed in Kruger. South African officials said the number of rhino poachers arrested during 2013 has also increased, with 343 being arrested, 133 of them in Kruger National Park, up from 267 alleged poachers arrested in 2012. Six poachers have been arrested so far this year. The increase in poaching brings South Africa's white rhino population ever closer to the 'tipping point' where deaths will outnumber births and the population will go into serious decline, conservation experts warned. The number of rhinos poached in South Africa has increased year on year in recent years to meet rising demand for rhino horn in China and particularly Vietnam, where it is used as a status symbol and health tonic for disease and even hangovers. Experts warn there are links between criminal gangs responsible for smuggling the rhino horns out of Africa and to Asia and other forms of organised crime including people trafficking, drug smuggling and illegal arms trade. Threatened: Top safari destination Kruger National Park, which borders Mozambique, bore the brunt of the poaching, with 606 rhino deaths . Mozambique is a transit point for rhino smuggling activities and a base for poachers who cross the border to kill rhinos, wildlife trade monitoring network Traffic said. Tom Milliken, Traffic's rhino expert, said: 'South Africa and Mozambique must decisively up their game if they hope to stop this blatant robbery of South Africa's natural heritage. '2014 must mark the turning point where the world, collectively, says "enough is enough" and brings these criminal networks down. 'Rhino horn trafficking and consumption are not simply environmental issues, they represent threats to the very fabric of society.' Dr Jo Shaw, rhino programme manager for WWF-South Africa said: 'These criminal networks are threatening our national security and damaging our economy by frightening away tourists.' She said agreements between South Africa and Vietnam and China on tackling wildlife trafficking had to translate into action on the ground. And she said: 'It would be encouraging to see more significant arrests higher up the trade chain, and to see current arrests resulting in convictions with strong sentences which will effectively deter this criminal activity. 'More significant action to root out corruption would also be welcome.' Next month a summit in London, convened by the Prince of Wales and Prime Minister David Cameron, will seek commitments from governments to combat the growing global threat posed by the illegal wildlife trade. | More than 1,000 rhinos were killed in South Africa in 2013 . A majority were at Kruger National Park bordering Mozambique . Rhino horns are prized higher per kilo than gold or cocaine . | b402cedcda58356784f33a82cfb05ebb017f5e06 |
(CNN) -- This World Cup final looked to answer a question that has been surfacing throughout this tournament, and perhaps -- considering the hold King James has had on U.S. basketball fans in the past few weeks -- all of sports: Is it the team, or is it the star? The last game of this tournament pitted the best player in the world, Messi, against the best team in the world, Germany. And if nothing else, this match demonstrated definitively that while players like Messi might win games, teams like Germany win titles. So Messi gets the Golden Ball. Germany gets everything else. After steamrolling its way over Brazil to make the final, Germany looked to be a favorite for the title despite its early draw with Ghana. For Argentina, at stake was the lure of claiming the title on the home turf of its arch rival, Brazil, which finished a devastatingly disappointing fourth after losing in Saturday's match against the Dutch. But the depth of Germany was too much for Argentina in the end. While Thomas Müller -- who started the tournament with a hat trick against Portugal and whose goal against Brazil in the semifinal made him only the second player in history to score five goals in consecutive World Cups -- has been one of the stars of these past weeks, it was an extra-time goal by Mario Götze, who came off the bench, that propelled Germany to the top. So with play over for another four years, what have we learned? Sports matter: As we have seen time and time again with the Olympic Games, politics do not cease to exist when players step onto the field, the court or the pitch. This tournament proved yet again what a critical window sport provides into the world we live in, particularly considering the fiery protests that greeted the Brazilian government when it signed on the dotted line to host. The billions spent on bringing the most-watched sporting event in the world to Brazil put the country's government into a fragile state as protestors told FIFA to "GO HOME." But the politics were not reserved for the streets of São Paulo and Rio: Inside the stadiums we saw fans in blackface when Germany faced Ghana and a spike in the use of "Nazi" on Twitter when Germany faced both Brazil and the United States. The World Cup next goes to Russia, with Sochi's Fisht Olympic Stadium one of the venues. If the lead-up to the 2014 Winter Olympic Games are any indication, one has to wonder if Russia's next role as host to the world will renew cries against the country's discriminatory policies against the LGBT community, its controversial annexation of Crimea and claims last year by Manchester City star Yaya Toure that he had been abused by racist CSKA Moscow fans during a Champions League match. Soccer remains the most popular sport in the world: To say the World Cup is a global spectacle barely scratches the surface. The television viewing numbers for the group stages broke all sorts of records. While American pundits seemed stunned that 24.7 million people in the United States watched their national team face Portugal, the ratings in other countries during the group stages are almost incomprehensible. Some 47.4 million people watched Brazil face Croatia, while in Japan 34.1 million people watched their team take on Ivory Coast. On Twitter, Germany's smack down of Brazil became the most conversed match ever, with 35.6 million tweets, dwarfing this year's Super Bowl numbers of 24.9 million. It's time for FIFA to get its own head in the game: Sometimes the seemingly simplest sports can be the most dangerous. It is clear that FIFA needs to learn the hard lesson of American football and start paying attention to head injuries. It needs to think about changing its harsh substitution rules, which do not let a player return to the game once he sits and give a coach only three players off the bench per game. In the final, Germany's Christoph Kramer took a nasty shot to the head when he collided with Argentina's Ezequiel Garay in minute 17, but after a moment on the sideline, he went back in for almost 15 more minutes before falling again and leaving the game, looking unquestionably dazed and confused. Kramer's collision was one of many that this tournament saw. Argentina's Javier Mascherano cracked his head in the semifinal against the Dutch and continued to play, while Uruguay's Álvaro Pereira went down unconscious after a knee to the head during his team's first-round match against England. Like the others, he returned to the game after a brief checkup on the sideline and played for the remaining 30 minutes. Rugby is experimenting with new substitution rules for players suspected of having concussions. Calls for soccer to do the same will likely only intensify. Bizarre moments at the World Cup final . The United States maintains its love-hate relationship with soccer: Yes, we know, thousands upon thousands of children hit the pitch every Saturday morning, spring and fall; and yes, we know, Major League Soccer is growing its attendance and cultivating its fan base; and yes, we know, NBC is growing its ratings for the Premier League telecasts. But will this translate to soccer breaking into the ranks that basketball, baseball, football and hockey enjoy? To be sure, more than ever before, American fans got on the World Cup wagon that somewhat shuts the rest of the world down every four years. ESPN saw record-breaking numbers for U.S. games during its excellent coverage of the tournament, and the United States found a legitimate rock star player in Tim Howard, making him a social media sensation after he stopped everything but a bus against Belgium. Importantly, not all U.S. fans stopped watching after the Americans had been eliminated. The Germany-Brazil rollover nabbed some 6 million U.S. viewers on a Tuesday afternoon, making it the largest-rated non-U.S. World Cup game in history. That said, allegations that soccer is boring, "flopping" players are ridiculous (that means you, Arjen Robben), the officiating (especially the time keeping) is confounding and that many fans are racist hooligans continue to be sermonized with passion and venom. In the United States, then, there is only one thing we can count on in four years: there will be those who yet again claim that soccer has finally arrived and those who say that it hasn't and never will. But perhaps we can answer the question sooner. Tune in next year, when the Women's World Cup heads to Canada. Because on that pitch, the United States will be a major factor, and there are few things Americans like more than being contenders. Note: An earlier version of this article gave incorrect names for the opposing teams when Thomas Müller scored in the semifinal and when 24.7 million Americans watched. | Is it the star or the team? Amy Bass says the World Cup final went to the best team . She says takeaways include the role of sports as an influence on and window into politics . Bass says it's time for soccer to take its dangers seriously . She says World Cup showed enduring popularity of sport worldwide, gain in U.S. interest . | 3425cbdf0d85f4efffb840be2d5c328c2f9fed88 |
A mother has condemned her son's school's 'over the top' rules on hairstyles after her 12-year-old was put in isolation because he had a wrestling logo shaved into his head. Aidan Fradley was barred from conventional lessons after he had the letters 'TNA' shaved into his hair ahead of a trip to London to watch Total Nonstop Action Wrestling at Wembley Arena. His mother Sophie Turkentine, 33, had initially vowed to keep Aidan out of Ramsey Academy, in Halstead, Essex, until after half term. Anger: Sophie Turkentine, 33, has labelled her son's school 'over the top' after 12-year-old Aidan Fradley was put in isolation because he had a wrestling logo shaved into his head . Fan: Aidan was barred from conventional lessons after he had the letters 'TNA' shaved into his hair ahead of a trip to London to watch Total Nonstop Action Wrestling at Wembley Arena . However, she has since reluctantly had the sides of her son's head shaved, and he has now returned to class. 'He went into school on Monday to literally get put straight into isolation,' she said. 'I’m absolutely fuming, which is why I went to pick him up. I don’t see how it affects anything he’s doing in school. 'It’s not like it’s outrageously blue or pink. It’s just three letters. I think it’s nice to be original.' The mother-of-five also claimed there was no consistency and she regularly sees girls with short skirts, wearing lots of jewellery and make-up. Original: Aidan's mother complained there was no consistency at the school as she regularly sees girls with short skirts, wearing lots of jewellery and make-up . She added: 'I knew the school would have something to say, but I didn’t think they’d be anything like they have. I think it’s really over the top.' Deputy headteacher Calum Leys said: 'At the Ramsey Academy it is our aim for students to develop a sense of pride in their work, behaviour and dress. As part of this we consider uniform to be important and students are expected to be correctly dressed at all times . 'We are incredibly proud of our achievements in this regard over the last 18 months and we regularly receive praise from the community in relation to the improved conduct and appearance of our students. 'While we do not believe it is appropriate to comment upon individual students, the academy does have clear expectations regarding dress. One of these is extreme hairstyles, which will not be permitted. 'Our approach in this situation are, we believe, consistent with other secondary schools.' Expectations: Calum Leys, deputy head at Ramsey Academy, said students were expected to be 'correctly dressed at all times' | Aidan Fradley had the letters 'TNA' shaved into his hair . He was barred from conventional lessons at Ramsey Academy in Essex . Mother Sophie Turkentine, 33, left 'fuming' and said school was 'over the top' 'It's nice to be original', mother-of-five says of school hairstyle policy . | 85dd7f97a5c1baa62f0c2a487c584ab5b1985e9d |
(CNN) -- Are men stupid? How else can we explain the endless parade of otherwise successful individuals, who by all appearances seem intelligent and competent, and yet risk destroying their careers and their personal lives over the chance to have a sexual escapade? John Edwards crashing from the heights of promise to infamy, from presidential candidate to defendant in a trial after a secret affair; Secret Service agents ending their careers in disgrace over dalliances with prostitutes in Colombia, all join that long procession of men who managed to self-destruct, pulling a pin on the grenade of their careers and perhaps their personal lives for the sake of a little fun. The pageant of legacy-killing misjudgment includes a president, several might-have-been presidents, a few governors, a World Bank director, a former Dutch prime minister, an Israeli president and one of the top golfers of all time. And that is only a partial list. How to explain it? The question has baffled women, mostly, since biblical times. Perhaps the Secret Service agents thought their behavior, if discovered, would raise no eyebrows. But the stupidity was in evidence when one of the agents, who had earlier "protected" Sarah Palin, posted on Facebook that he was "checking her out." Sounds like the claim of a 13-year-old boy. And the decision to post the comment displays the common sense of an 8-year-old. But that level of maturity and judgment shines compared to the decision of, say President Bill Clinton, who risked his presidency to have an affair with Monica Lewinsky, and then lied about it repeatedly. A brilliant man, everyone said about the president, but also one of only two presidents in American history impeached. The Clinton experience almost numbed us to the epidemic scale of the problem. Over and over we hear stories that defy belief. Men whose lives are filled with gifts and opportunity, men who have worked hard to achieve, risk it all and sometimes lose it all. There's Edwards, of course, he of the winning smile, the heart-warming marriage, the beautiful children, and the gorgeous hair, still young enough to contemplate another run at the White House, now facing prison time after revelations that he had an affair, a child, and a complicated and foolish coverup during the last campaign . Another who might have reached the presidency, had he not succumbed to the same meltdown of reason is former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, the law and order guy who threw it all away to cavort with prostitutes. He might have known someone would take relish in turning him in. Some try to explain it as biology, testosterone's fault, they say. Others blame complex psychological needs. "The appeal of hookers lies in the temporary psychic relief they supply to men struggling with conflicts about guilt and responsibility," wrote psychologist Michael Bader. But I believe the common denominator, the proximate cause of the irrational behavior, is arrogance; the belief by some powerful men that they can get away with it. That the world is still their unchallenged domain, as it was years ago, when few people knew about a president bringing women to the White House to have sex, as John F. Kennedy did, or pressuring his secretary to yield to sexual advances, as was common. It is willful ignorance that the world has changed. The sudden-IQ-drop syndrome affects Democrats and Republicans, Americans and Europeans, people of all colors and professions. Did Tiger Woods think nobody would even learn about his affairs, with more than a dozen alleged relationships? Did former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, a Republican, who couldn't come up with an excuse so he simply disappeared to meet his Argentinian lover, think no one would find out? Then there's the Democratic congressman who might have become mayor of New York. Anthony Weiner's tweeting ranks near the top of the stupidity charts. But the competition is arduous. Republican Christopher Lee answered a Craigslist ad with a photograph of his flexed biceps, describing himself as a "fit fun classy guy." Across the Atlantic, the man who almost everyone expected to become the next president of France, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, head of the International Monetary Fund, married to a multi-millionaire, may or may not have assaulted a maid at his New York hotel. (DSK denied the charges and the criminal case against him was dropped by prosecutors. He is seeking dismissal of a civil suit.) He now is under investigation in connection with procuring prostitutes for parties, a crime under French law. The former Dutch Prime Minister, Ruud Lubbers, called it a "friendly gesture" after a woman accused him of "grabbing her behind." Lubbers had served as prime minister of the Netherlands, crowning a stellar career with a post as U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, when the accusations came. A U.N. investigation found no proof, but discovered a pattern of sexual harassment by the commissioner, which he also denied. That we're finding out about these men, and that their political careers are in many cases ending, is a sign that society is changing. That it continues to happen, to seemingly intelligent, disciplined individuals, is a sign that the process will be slow. And that, in the final analysis, if it has to do with sex, some men really are stupid. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Frida Ghitis. | Frida Ghitis: Secret Service scandal is latest example of career-ending misbehavior . She says men in positions of power and prominence risk everything . John Edwards, a former presidential candidate, is on trial due to his misjudgment . Ghitis: The common cause is arrogance, the belief they can get away with it . | 89dcf222fb871d3e96c1bb7abfe65056eade25b3 |
Southampton are looking at Serbian left-back Dusko Tosic from Turkish club Genclerbirligi as their replacement for Luke Shaw following his move to Manchester United. Tosic, 29, had brief spells for QPR and Portsmouth and was named in the Turkish League’s all-star team last season. Southampton are also looking to buy a goalkeeper and striker once their £12million forward Dani Osvaldo’s loan move to Inter Milan is settled. Strong option: Tosic comfortably holds off Premier League star David Silva while playing for Serbia . Pedigree: Osvaldo vies for possession with Spain's Jordi Alba during a friendly match earlier this year . The Italy international struggled to nail down a first-team spot at St Mary's, and spent the second half of last season on loan at Juventus. Despite his Premier League struggles, Osvaldo is held in high regard in Serie A, following successful spells at Roma and Fiorentina in the past. | Saints boss Ronald Koeman hopes to tie up a deal for Tosic in near future . The left-back, who currently plays for Genclerbirligi, was named in the Turkish League's all-star team last season . Tosic has previously had spells with English sides QPR and Portsmouth . | 9bad7ecc6c33b10af0d5cd9dda4dea65c3983084 |
(Entertainment Weekly) -- Kara DioGuardi is ensconced in the black velvet cocoon of a small home-recording studio, laying down a demo track while warmed by the glow of spice-scented candles. Kara DioGuardi is joining the "American Idol" judges for the show's eighth season. She's crooning a song she co-wrote -- an encapsulation of falling in love that involves shooting stars and dancing shadows -- in a powerhouse pop voice that lies somewhere between Natasha Bedingfield and Sara Bareilles. Somewhere good, that is. "She kills it every time she sings," raves her writing partner, Jason Reeves. "He's one of the greatest melody writers I've ever worked with," DioGuardi returns. Sweet, right? So sweet, in fact, that we're starting to worry for DioGuardi, a heretofore behind-the-scenes songwriter-producer who's about to take on the most-watched, most-dissected job in pop music: When "American Idol" returns to Fox on January 13, she'll become a fourth judge to Randy, Paula, and Simon. It's a job that requires a distinct dearth of sweetness, and a certain amount of, for lack of a better term, Simon Cowell-ness. "Oh, I'm not gonna be this nice on the show," DioGuardi assures us. In case we weren't convinced, she drops this rant when the subject of "Idol" auditions comes up: "A lot of times people will sing a big song that they don't have the voice for instead of bringing out the uniqueness in their tone," she says. "Another thing is, don't cheese me out. It's not a wedding band. And emote. Make me feel like you mean it. Don't just sing the way the song was written. That was Mariah's interpretation. Now what are you gonna do?" OK, we're worried again -- but this time for the contestants. That's exactly what "Idol's" producers are counting on. Heading into season 8, they're hoping viewers will be as rapt with how DioGuardi shakes up "Idol's" "dawg"/"beautiful"/"dreadful" judging dynamic as they are with which singer takes the big prize. And though the show has constantly worked to stay fresh -- allowing contestants to play instruments last year, for instance -- DioGuardi's new energy comes at a critical time, after last season's ratings took an 8 percent dip from 29.8 million viewers to 27.3 million. "Idol" actually tried adding a fourth judge once before in season 2, with New York radio personality Angie Martinez, but she quit just a few days in, saying it was "uncomfortable for me to tell someone else to give up on their dream." Producers expect no such trouble with DioGuardi, who regularly evaluates new talent as a VP of A&R at Warner Bros. and co-owner of music production and publishing house ArtHouse Entertainment. She's the kind of 38-year-old who can rock a black leather jacket with leggings and write hits for everyone from Pink to Ashlee Simpson to the Jonas Brothers. "She's very strong-willed, and we needed that with Simon around," explains exec producer Ken Warwick. "I don't want anybody too benign on that panel. Kara tells it as it is." The feisty spirit that landed DioGuardi on America's most-judged panel of judges goes back to her Italian upbringing in Scarsdale, New York. "My grandfather was a guy who came through Ellis Island and started a grocery store," she says. "So my father had incredible balls. He had this I'm-gonna-do-whatever-I-want-to-do-and-you-can't-stop-me thing that I got." That drive spurred her to college at Duke, where she started out in the opera program but didn't quite fit in with the classical crowd -- so instead she went pre-law. "I always wanted to be a trial attorney," she says. "I love to argue." After graduation in 1993, DioGuardi was living at home and fronting a garage band called Gramma Trips -- "covering songs, not writing my own" -- when a friend snagged her an interview for a job as the assistant to the editor in chief and publisher at Billboard magazine, where she ended up spending five years. While mastering the business side of the music industry during her workday, DioGuardi spent her downtime learning to craft songs, which she now describes as "the worst things I've ever heard in my life. My first song was called 'Show Me Love,' about a girl who wants the guy to open up his heart. It was like, Honey, he's just not that into you." Eventually, though, she pulled together a respectable demo that she gave to none other than a pre-"Idol" Paula Abdul in 1998 by simply walking up to the pop star in New York and dropping the name of a Billboard connection. "I asked her if she was any good," Abdul recalls. "She said, 'Yeah, I'm really good.' And I believed her." Luckily, the demo delivered on DioGuardi's chutzpah: Abdul liked DioGuardi's work so much that she flew her out to stay at her Los Angeles home for six weeks of intensive collaboration. The results: a song called "Spinning Around" that became Kylie Minogue's 2000 comeback single -- and a genial relationship with Abdul that both women hope will help squelch those intra-panel rivalry rumors. "We were the best roommates," says Abdul. Adds DioGuardi, "We didn't have one argument. We lived very well together -- it was the strangest thing." The following year DioGuardi scored with Enrique Iglesias' multiplatinum album "Escape," on which she co-wrote seven songs. The title track in particular revealed her knack for irresistible pop hooks, which led to a stunning roll on those charts published by her former employer. With 168 of her songs appearing on multiplatinum albums, you can thank (or curse) her for Simpson's "Pieces of Me," Celine Dion's "Taking Chances," Gwen Stefani's "Rich Girl," Hilary Duff's "Come Clean," Christina Aguilera's "Ain't No Other Man," and Pink's "Sober." She's also penned cuts for several products of the "Idol" machine, including Kelly Clarkson, David Archuleta, David Cook, and Katherine McPhee. Industry insiders attribute DioGuardi's prolific portfolio to her no-nonsense work ethic. "If you're in a jam and need something done, she's a great closer," says Jimmy Iovine, whose Interscope Records includes DioGuardi collaborators the Pussycat Dolls and will.i.am. "I'd use her for anything." Music mogul Tommy Mottola -- who paired her with Dion, Marc Anthony, and Jessica Simpson, among others -- agrees: "She's one of the best I've ever encountered. In pop music, where things can be sort of crap and mundane, she finds new twists lyrically, and her melodies are extraordinary." Another plus, as far as her "Idol" credentials go: She's got vocal chops. "The truth is she can sing like there's no tomorrow," Warwick says. "So whereas in the past when the kid would say, 'Aw, you couldn't sing any better' and none of the judges even tried, she does, and she can." But the question remains: Can she hold her own as a TV star? Sure, she appeared on ABC's 2006 "Idol" rip-off "The One," but it was canceled after only four episodes. And crashing Randy, Paula, and Simon's party is something else altogether. "They're like brothers and sisters at this point," she says, having already wrapped the brutal preliminary auditions as well as the Hollywood round. "And I'm like the long-lost cousin who they're not sure they wanted to see, but now they're like, Okay, you can stay for dinner." She has what sounds like Randy Jackson's unequivocal -- and ever-so-Randyesque -- endorsement: "I think people will look at me first and say, If the dawg is feeling her, then I should feel her too." For the record, she'll sit between Randy and Paula. "They tried [putting] me between her and Simon," explains DioGuardi, "but they kept trying to communicate and I didn't want to be in the middle of that." And, yes, both she and Abdul will be keeping their seats; producers insist DioGuardi isn't being groomed as her former mentor's replacement. "That's just cheeky journalistic hype," Warwick says. Adds DioGuardi, "Paula and I have a good vibe. I have respect for Paula. I'm not of the thinking that women should drag each other down." Abdul says she isn't worrying about her job security ("I was never told that she was coming in to take my place") -- and, in fact, only feels more confident with DioGuardi around: "When I heard she was going to be the fourth judge, I thought, ha ha, hee hee, Simon has no idea I have an ally now." That's a relief to DioGuardi, who says her biggest challenge will be "being aware of when to shut up." But could her penchant for telling it like it is end up rankling a nation of rabid "Idol" fans? In between singing the praises of a new love on her demo and waxing rhapsodic about writing partner Reeves, DioGuardi muses repeatedly, and without prompting, about whether America will think she's just too darn mean. "I know who I am, but what are people going to perceive me as?" she wonders. "They may think my intensity and my boldness are bitchy. I hope not. I don't think I'm bitchy. Do you think I'm bitchy?" No, but fortunately for "Idol," we think she has a lot of potential. CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . Copyright 2009 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved. EW's Adam B. Vary contributed to this article. | Kara DioGuardi is new judge on "American Idol" DioGuardi is successful songwriter, has written for Pink, Gwen Stefani . DioGuardi says she'll be tough and fair; she and Paula Abdul are old friends . | fdc6cfd0d81f28d93f10bfa1c5e1b04e94f7e31d |
A crazed stalker who tried to give a CBS journalist an apple has agreed to spend 90 days in a psychiatric facility in a bid to avoid a jail sentence. Richard Pagani, 30, pleaded guilty to the third degree stalking of CBS anchor Diane Macedo, consenting to a three-month stay in a Coney Island Hospital. The New Yorker posted photographs of Macedo on his Facebook and Twitter accounts. Richard Pagani, pictured repeatedly tried to contact CBS News anchor Diane Macedo in person and online . Pagani tried to meet Macedo while she was covering the funeral of a policeman in Queens, New York . Pagani even took photgraphs of Macedo while she was appearing on television before positing them online . He even took photographs of Macedo appearing on television and uploaded them onto the internet. In one bizarre Facebook post, Pagani claimed: 'I'm surprised my c*** didn't fall out of my pants when I saw you on television.' On one occasion, Pagani approached Macedo while she was covering the funeral of a police officer and tried to give her an apple. When she wouldn't accept the fruit, Pagani slammed it against the news van. He also tried to visit Macedo at the CBS office in Manhatten. Pagaini also posted some images on Twitter where he claimed not to be talking about an unnamed individual . In a later post, Pagani took a photograph of himself, posted it on the internet describing himself as 'stir crazy' Pagani also retweeted a selfie posted on the internet by Macedo's colleague Andrea Grymes, left . According to the NY Post, Judge Lisa Sokoloff asked Pagani at Manhattan Criminal Court: 'Do you admit when you saw her sitting inside the news van you approached the van, knocked on the window and offered her and her colleague an apple and when she refused to acknowledge your presence you slammed the apple into the hood?' He replied: 'Yes.' Judge Sokoloff warned Pagani that he would be sent to prison if he attempted to contact Macedo again. Judge Lisa Solkoff ordered Pagani to spend 90 days in a psychiatric institution . He was also ordered to avoid contacting Pagani either in person or over the internet or face prison . | Stalker Richard Pagani followed CBS journalist Diane Macedo online. The 30-year-old New Yorker posted photographs of Macedo on Facebook . He consented to 90 days detention at a psychiatric hospital instead of jail . Pagani was warned if he attempted to contact Macedo, he'd get prison. | d2af13c7fede2686afee75e04228976dd42ce5ed |
James Brown's daughter has revealed how growing up watching her father beat her mother led her to accept an abusive relationship as the norm. While the recent biopic Get On Up focused on the rise of the performer best known as the Godfather of Soul, the Sex Machine and the hardest working man in show-business, Yamma Brown paints a very different picture in her memoir Cold Sweat: My Father James Brown and Me. The youngest daughter from Brown’s marriage to second wife Deirdre Jenkins, Yamma recalls ‘the whole house shaking with my father’s crazy rage’ when he would lose his temper. Scroll down for video . Yamma Brown, the youngest daughter from the Godfather of Soul's second marriage, says seeing domestic violence at a young age led her to accept it in her own marriage for ten years . ‘Whenever he’d start, my sister Deanna and I would run for cover, usually in a closet or under our beds, and cry quietly into our cupped hands,’ writes Yamma. She recalls witnessing one of the terrifying beatings when she was just five years old. ‘My mother was dressed in her blue and white robe. Her legs were splayed wide open and my father was straddling her, pummeling her with clenched fists. ‘Doosh. Thud. Doosh. Thud. Blood spurted from my mother’s face. She started thrashing around, kicking her legs, holding up her arms to ward off the punches and trying to break free, trying to save herself.’ Eventally Yamma’s mom left the singer because she feared he might kill her. The never didn’t beat his children, but Yamma writes that the ‘damage had already been done’ from growing up seeing what her mom was subjected to. Brown, pictured with Michael Jackson, was best known as the Godfather of Soul, the Sex Machine and the hardest working man in show-business prior to his death on Christmas Day 2006 . ‘I’d been programmed to accept abuse as part of life… witnessing my father beating on my mother would have a profound effect on me.’ While working as a pharmacist at DeKalb Medical Center in Atlanta, Yamma met Darren Lumar, a six feet, five inches tall and 280 pound former baseball player turned investment banker. All seemed to be going well between the couple and Lumar asked Yamma’s father for his daughter’s hand in marriage after they’d been dating for just two months. The couple moved in together and Yamma writes that she quickly got to see another side of Lumar. She noticed that he would get jealous and had an angry, aggressive side that she hadn’t previously noticed. One day when she told Lumar that she was going shopping, he accused her of seeing another man. While the recent biopic Get On Up, left, focused on the rise of the performer, Yamma Brown paints a very different picture in her memoir Cold Sweat: My Father James Brown and Me . When she tried to walk out after he had shouted at her, he followed and even pushed her to the ground outside their apartment building. Yamma writes that she regrets not walking away from the relationship after that first incident but instead ‘I made the decision to stay with Darren. I loved him.’ Instead she stayed with him for the next ten years during which she says she endured countless beatings. ‘It wasn’t until a decade later, when I was lying on that cold tile floor, with my head pounding and my vision blurred from being punched in the face, that I finally saw my marriage with absolute clarity, and I knew it was over. I’m not sure what was different about that time. Maybe Darren had finally beaten the pretense out of me, but suddenly after ten years of false hope and make-believe, there was nothing left but the bare and brutal truth.’ | Yamma Brown says seeing domestic violence at a young age led her to accept it in her own marriage for ten years . The Godfather of Soul's daughter writes in her memoir how as a five-year-old she watched her father punch her mom in the face . As an adult, Yamma married investment banker Darren Lumar who she claims would fly into violent rages . Yamma writes that she suffered ten years of abuse before she finally left him . Cold Sweat: My Father James Brown and Me by Yamma Brown with Robin Gaby Fisher is published by Chicago Review Press . | 71713e76e47025ac8e5f5060534e88309eb41f59 |
A decade ago the Slovakian handball player Maros Kolpak laughed out loud when this reporter told him his name had become synonymous with a new species of county cricketer. The news that ‘Kolpak’ may now be considered a term of racist abuse is unlikely to attract the same response. Certainly, no-one at Yorkshire — whose captain, Andrew Gale, finds himself at the centre of a racism storm — is laughing. According to reports, as yet not denied, Gale told Lancashire’s South African batsman Ashwell Prince during a recent County Championship match at Old Trafford to: ‘F*** off back to your own country, you Kolpak f*****.’ Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale (right) has become the first county cricketer to be accused of using racial language after a verbal altercation with Ashwell Prince (left) during the Roses match earlier this month . He now must appear before a disciplinary hearing next week to answer a charge of racial verbal abuse. He is said to be devastated. Legal constraints mean both the ECB and Yorkshire are staying tight-lipped about the details. But a truism still applies: a charge of racism is far easier to make than it is to prove. It is also a scar that cannot be removed. People are not dubbed racist: they are branded. Gale’s outburst was unpleasant, even if it turns out to be the case that he was provoked by Prince. The best that can be said about telling someone to go back to their own country — whether or not it is spiced up by swear words or fuelled by adrenaline — is that it is deeply crass. Throw in the Kolpak jibe — a reference to cricketers from outside the EU who play domestically in England without adding to a county’s overseas quota — and it could be argued that Gale insulted Prince on the grounds of his ‘national origin’, one of the terms of reference in the ECB’s code of conduct. Gale's County Championship title celebrations were affected by the accusations . But racism? Even those minded to take extra offence because of Prince’s ethnicity — he is mixed race — might concede it cannot possibly be that straightforward. If Gale’s intention was to lambast Prince because he felt he was taking up a place in the county game that might otherwise have gone to a promising English youngster, then his sledge arguably contained a crude logic. Yet it should be clear that to agree with Gale’s sentiment is not to condone racism. The ECB need to tread carefully. On the day Gale clashed with Prince, Moeen Ali — a Birmingham-born Muslim of Pakistani heritage — was jeered by Indian fans during a one-day international at Edgbaston. Five days later, during a Twenty20 international at the same venue, he was subjected to a second dose of mindlessness. The newly-crowned champions immediately vowed to fight to clear the name of their captain Gale . The ECB said almost nothing, save to ‘condemn abusive language or behaviour of any sort at cricket’. It is not an immediately reassuring approach that glosses over cat-calling by several thousand spectators while zeroing in on the less clear-cut motivation of an individual cricketer. It is tempting to conclude that some targets are easier than others. This is about more than semantics, and about more than the precise nature of what prompted Gale to say what he did, which we can never know for sure. It’s about the importance of not diminishing the awfulness of racism for those who can claim, without hesitation or legal argument, to have been its victim. Call Gale misguided, if you like. Call him thoughtless. But if you’re going to suggest he’s racist, you should be armed with more than a smart lawyer to prove your point. Maros Kolpak (left, in blue), the Serbian handball player after whom 'Kolpak' is named . | Andrew Gale accused of abusing Ashwell Prince earlier this month . Yorkshire captain was banned for the final two county games . Gale also banned from lifting county championship trophy last week . Yorkshire director Martyn Moxon says they will clear Gale's name . | 808a2424deb0f1470ec08dcf9b0efd7a8a2fda53 |
A 19-year-old student whose neck was impaled by a broken golf club is speaking out about the ordeal for the first time - and has revealed her plans to return to college. In a show of incredible resilience, Natalie Jo Eaton, from Harrisburg, Arkansas, is walking again five months after the freak accident on her second day of school at Arkansas State University. Speaking to Fox, she recalled how she was posing for a photo on August 19 when a student behind her hit a football with his golf club, breaking the club and sending its shaft flying 30ft and into her neck. 'I thought someone had hit me in the head with a baseball bat,' Eaton told My Fox Atlanta. Scroll down for video . Fighter: Natalie Jo Eaton, 19, has given her first interview since she was impaled with a golf club in a freak accident at Arkansas State University in August. She remains at a rehab center in Atlanta, Georgia . Incredible: After five months of therapy, Eaton is now able to walk with the help of canes and staff members . She fell to the ground and tried to turn to see what had hit her - but as she looked, the metal in her back scraped across the concrete. 'That's when I knew there was something in my neck,' she recalled. The club had perforated her spinal cord and a major artery when it pierced her neck. As she lay on the ground, there was one thought in her mind. 'I just remember [thinking], "If I'm going to die, please just let someone I know be here",' she said. Fortunately her brother Brody, a recent medical school graduate, was nearby and kept her stable until emergency services arrived. She was airlifted to a Memphis hospital and three weeks later, she was transferred to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, one of the top rehabilitation hospitals for spinal cord injuries. Life-changing : Eaton was posing for the photograph when a male student behind her hit a football with a golf club, sending it hurtling towards her neck. Right, the student can be seen getting ready to swing the club . Battle: The club perforated her spinal cord and a major artery and she was airlifted to hospital for emergency sugery. Here she is pictured using a power wheelchair for the first time, three weeks after the accident . Doctors initially thought she would be paralyzed, but she started months of intense physical and occupational therapy, and soon learned how to sit and carry out everyday tasks, such as brushing and straightening her hair. At first, she said she was overwhelmed by the work but slowly, she began seeing improvements. She is now also able to walk with the help of a frame or canes while a staff member gives her support. 'When you start accomplishing little goals, you're like, "Okay, there's a a light at the end of this tunnel. There's going to be a way that you can overcome this",' she said. She continues to suffer from weakness on the right side of her body, but is hoping to leave the center by the end of January. After that, she hopes to start her freshman year again in August, and despite her struggles, she is remaining upbeat. 'You can look at it the bad way, as why did this happen to me?' she said. 'Or, you can look at it as I'm still alive. I'm still able to get better.' Back on her feet: Eaton, pictured walking left, reveals the large scar where she was struck in August . See below for video . | Natalie Jo Eaton, 19, was posing for a photo with friends on her second day at Arkansas State University last August when she was struck by the club . A student behind had hit a football with his golf putter, causing the club to break and sending the shaft flying 30 ft and into Eaton's neck . In her first interview since the incident, she recalled lying on the ground thinking she might die and hoping she would see a recognizable face . Since the accident, she has learned how to walk again with the help of a frame and canes . She hopes to leave rehab this month and return to college in August . | ddaaeb4d63238374b0080ad1d43144fa856c8292 |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 08:11 EST, 16 August 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 11:10 EST, 16 August 2012 . A Bar Mitzvah is a coming-of-age celebration and one 13-year-old teen decided to mark his transition into manhood by channelling his inner Madonna and 'vogueing.' Shaun Sperling kicked off the party in a northwest suburb of Chicago by taking to the dance floor and performing the pop star's famous song Vogue. The clip was filmed on March 14, 1992, but now twenty years later Shaun has finally decided to share his moves with the world and posted the video online - unsurprisingly it immediately went viral. Scroll down for video . True Madonna fan: Shaun starts the dance posing before launching into his performance . Surprise: After he whipped of his suit jacket, Shaun revealed Madonna's face was printed on the back of his shirt . At the start of the video, Shaun takes to the dance floor wearing a smart suit jacket. But he soon whips it off to reveal Madonna's face printed on the back of his white shirt. As he begins his dance, the spectators start whooping and clapping with encouragement. Not that Shaun needs any reassurance - in the five minute clip he confidently rolls out all the moves from her monochrome video. Madonna had released the chart-topping song two years previously in 1990 and clearly Shaun used the time that passed to learn her famous moves. Channeling his inner Madonna: Shaun strikes a pose Vogue style . At one point he even gets on the floor, resting on one hand while he throws his head back. At the end of the performance Shaun walked over to the edge of the dance floor and retrieves his jacket - but not before he got a kiss from a proud lady in peach. The theme of the Bar Mitzvah was evident to the guests from the start - the final shot shows a giant Madonna poster above the DJ stand. Showcasing his skill: The video has already been viewed by over 40,000 people since it was posted online earlier this week . As he begins his dance to Vogue, the spectators start whooping and clapping with encouragement . Floor work: Throughout the duration of the song whoops of encouragement can be heard from the spectators . The video has already been viewed over 40,000 times since it was posted online by Shaun last week. One user commented: 'I hope Shaun Sperling is just as cool in 2012 as he was in 1992! If not cooler...' Another internet user wrote: 'Shaun, . this made my day! You are so wonderful - and to be that young and . fearless and that in love with Madonna...I think we are about the same . age and I say bravo to you!' Finished: At the end of the performance Shaun walked over to the edge of the dancefloor and retrieved his jacket - but not before he got a kiss from a proud lady in peach . Superfan: The theme of the Bar Mitzvah should have been obvious as this poster was on the wall above the DJ . | Shaun Sperling decided to kick off the party in a northwest suburb of Chicago by taking to the dance floor . Clip was filmed in 1992, but now twenty years later Shaun has finally shared his moves with the world and posted it online . | 38575bcfe78198513868c18df5678fcda2edd960 |
Lying in a casket on a velvet carpet, at first glance you could be forgiven for thinking Silvio Berlusconi had passed away. But in fact it's just a very realistic waxwork which pokes fun at the beleaguered former Italian premier and hints at his sins. Entitled Il Sogno degli Italiani' or 'The Dream of the Italians', the controversial artwork has been created by artists Antonio Garullo and Mario Ottocento, the first ever married gay couple who tied the knot in Amsterdam in 2002. 'The Dream of all Italians: A waxwork figure of Silvio Berlusconi lies in a casket on a red velvet carpet . A close up of the former Italian premier's smiling face. He has his eyes closed and his head is on a satin pillow . The name of the installation refers to what Berlusconi apparently called himself on the phone to one of his girlfriends, according to Italian media. The former prime minister, who is still very much alive at 75, is seen smiling as he lies in a glass coffin with his eyes closed. Bizarrely he is wearing giant Mickey Mouse slippers as he lies on a satin pillow in a double-breasted blue jacket. There is also one hand inside his unzipped trousers while the other hand rests on the History of Italy. Positioned in a shrine at the . Ferrajoli Palace, the shocking installation is available for all Italians to see and is just . yards from Berlusconi's former stomping ground, the Palazzo Chigi, the official residence of Italian prime . ministers. Mocking: The artists have positioned the politician with a hand down his trousers to poke fun at his reputation . Garullo and Ottocento said of their work: 'We put Berlusconi’s body into a glass . case to emphasise the personality cult that he has been creating for . all these years and which will possibly remain for years to come. 'At the . same time we put a screen between the contingent reality and historical . judgment. 'If Italians are ultimately ''a people of saints, poets, . seafarers'' then the arch-Italian Silvio is a worthy simulacrum of this . people'. Berlusconi stepped down as premier last November after failing to come up with convincing reforms to help Italy exit from the sovereign debt crisis. The last part of his term in office was marred with a constant stream of lurid revelations about his private life. The sleazy politician is currently embroiled in a high-profile court case after being accused of paying for sex with underage minor Karima El Mahroug, also . known as Ruby the Heartbreaker, in February 2010 when she was just 17-years-old. In Italy the age of consent is 14 but . paying a woman under 18 for sex is seen as prostitution with a minor . and punishable by up to three years in jail. Berlusconi's other hand is placed on a copy of the History of Italy. He's also wearing Mickey Mouse slippers . Prosecutors believe dozens of women were given money, cars and . jewellery in return for spending the night with him and in return for . attending his now infamous bunga bunga parties. The trial has already heard how women dressed as nuns and police officers before carrying out seductive pole dances for Berlusconi and two of his cronies. Berlusconi has insisted that nothing untoward happened at the parties which were simply 'elegant dinners' and belly dancer Miss El Mahroug, who he is accused of paying for under age sex with, has also insisted that nothing happened between them. The sex charge carries a maximum sentence of three years while abuse of office is punishable with 12 years in jail. | The title of the installation 'The Dream of All Italians' is what the former Italian premier called himself on the phone to one of his girfriends . | 690cc3a786d2def54acca358a408debeae939b43 |
By . Sam Adams . PUBLISHED: . 05:46 EST, 26 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 05:57 EST, 27 September 2012 . When a nurse's car became stranded in the floods in South Gloucestershire, she thought she would soon be rescued. But after wading out of the water and calling the RAC, Sarah Tosh was shocked to be told that it would not help her - because . she did not have her credit card details to hand. Ms Tosh, who is in her 40s, has been an RAC member for 22 years - but she had left the cards in her stricken Toyota. Sarah Tosh, (pictured with her car at a Toyota garage in Patchway, South Gloucestershire) said the RAC refused to rescue her after she became stranded in flooding because she left her credit cards in her stricken vehicle . She was forced to turn to a fellow driver in a four-by-four for help, and her car was pulled to safety. Ms Tosh, from Charfield, South Gloucestershire, had just finished a ten hour nursing shift on Monday evening. She had first got into trouble when she followed a Land Rover down a cut through from Yate to Thornbury. Her car cut out in the deepest part of the flooded road, leaving her trapped as the vehicle in front sped off, unaware. After being told she could not be helped by her breakdown company, Sarah was helped out of her submerged Toyota by another driver and her car was towed to safety. She said: 'It makes me so angry to think the RAC would not just make a small compromise for me stuck in the middle of nowhere in the darkness. Deluge: South Gloucestershire is one of several parts of the country to suffer severe flooding following heavy rains during the last few days. Pictured, a car drives through flood water in Mobberley, Cheshire . Submerged: Some areas have been completely covered in flood water during the wet weather. Here a grassy area of Rickerby Park in Carlisle (pictured) is submerged after more heavy overnight rain . Stranded: Ms Tosh is one of a number of road users forced to abandon their vehicles after becoming caught up in the flooding. Here a cyclist avoids flood water on the closed A34 near Alderley Edge, Cheshire (pictured) 'I have been with them since 1990 and I expected a little more sympathy from the company. 'I know they were busy but they out right refused to come and save me unless I paid in advance. 'I explained to them how I had left my credit card behind when I abandoned the car. 'I was scared and tired and needed help. It is unbelievable. Rescue: Ms Tosh had just finished a ten hour nursing shift when her car became stranded in flooding in South Gloucestershire. She was aided by a passer-by in a four-by-four who pulled her car to safety . 'I hope it never happens to anyone else.' She claims that when she first called RAC they told her she had to pay if she wanted help. 'I thought it was unreasonable but I understood that I wasn’t covered so I accepted,' she said. 'Then they told me if I didn’t have my card details they couldn’t send someone out, despite being on their record for the last 22 years.' Ms Tosh said the firm take regular payments out of her account so they must have had her details on record. 'It just seems so unfair that they couldn’t come out and wait until the car was recovered before I paid,' she said. 'It is no way to treat loyal customers.' She said that if she had not been helped by passing drivers she would have been wading back down . to her car through the cold water in the dark. She said: 'The spirit of Britishness is . clearly not lost. They stopped for me and chipped in and got me out . despite the horrendous conditions.' A spokesperson at the RAC, based in . Bristol, said that after looking into the case in detail, 'we feel we should have shown Ms Tosh some flexibility in how she could pay our call-out fee, particularly as she has been a loyal RAC member for 22 years. 'As a result chief executive Chris Woodhouse has apologised to Ms Tosh personally and offered her a year's free membership as compensation for the way she was treated. Mr Woodhouse said: 'The adverse weather of the last few days obviously put our call centre team under a lot of pressure but this was no excuse for not looking to help a long-term member who really needed our help. 'I rang Ms Tosh personally to apologise and express my disappointment at the way this situation was handled. 'This was an unusual and unfortunate incident and not how we seek to serve our members. 'RAC prides itself on the quality of service it gives to members which is why 98 per cent of our members say they would recommend us to their friends and family.' | Nurse had been RAC member for 22 years when she called the firm for help . Claims she was refused help because she had no credit card details to hand . She had just completed a ten-hour nursing shift when she became stranded in flooding in South Gloucestershire . | 9b3a4223ce124d251c0a033dab882b9e6fd1932d |
Ben Morgan’s hopes of being fit for the World Cup are in doubt after it emerged the Gloucester No 8 faces a minimum of six months on the sidelines with a serious leg injury. Sportsmail understands the 25-year-old had a metal plate and nine screws inserted into his left leg during the early hours of Saturday morning, having suffered a spiral fracture and severe ligament damage in the victory over Saracens. The forward was carried off on a stretcher after a heavy second-half collision at Kingsholm, where he required oxygen as part of a lengthy on-field treatment process in the Aviva Premiership match. Ben Morgan is likely to miss the entire Six Nations after the Gloucester forward broke a leg against Saracens . Morgan was named England's player of the series after his superb display against Australia in November . Having been named man of the series during the autumn internationals, Morgan was expected feature heavily in England’s crucial World Cup year. But he will play no part in the Six Nations and, with his return to action understood to be scheduled for July at the earliest, he is unlikely to be fit for the initial two-week squad meet at Pennyhill Park and the high-altitude training camp in Denver. He suffered the injury in a tackle involving Saracens No 8 Billy Vunipola, who is now in pole position to take over the jersey in his absence. Mogan suffered the injury in a tackle involving Saracens No 8 Billy Vunipola . Morgan celebrates with team-mate Dan Robson after the latter scored a try on Friday . Billy Vunipola is primed to reclaim his No 8 jersey for England's Six Nations opener against Wales in Cardiff . | Ben Morgan is facing a minimum of six months out injured . The Gloucester No suffered various injuries against Saracens . Morgan has already been ruled out of the Six Nations . The 25-year-old is now likely to miss the World cup as well . | 6eb7433226997833036cdba3fce36dec384a8a14 |
A senior adviser to President Barack Obama said it will be tough for someone like Jeb Bush, who hasn't campaigned for elected office in 12 years, to wage a national presidential bid in today's political climate, adding a comparison of the former Florida governor to a fictional ex-criminal from "The Wire." In an interview published Monday by the Huffington Post, Dan Pfeiffer said Bush was like the character "Cutty", a former drug enforcer who later in life sets up a local gym on the HBO show. "In his day, big deal. Out of the game for a long time. Gets back in the game. Game's changed," Pfeiffer said. "Jeb Bush, it's been a long time since he's run for office. Politics has changed dramatically since his last race." According to a recent CNN/ORC International Poll, Bush gained frontrunner status after announcing two weeks ago that he's "actively exploring" a presidential bid for 2016. Critics argue that Bush will find himself behind other prospective candidates when it comes to maneuvering the fast-paced, social media-driven machine of modern campaigning. "I think it will be very challenging for someone who has not been in prominent public life in the age of Twitter to go out on the campaign trail," Pfeiffer said. Bush has in part tried to counteract those optics. He made his big announcement this month on Twitter and Facebook, and plans to release an e-book as well as thousands of emails from his time as governor. (The emails, however, were obtained earlier this month by the Washington Post through a public records request). The documents indicate that Bush was an avid fan of email and even responded to hundreds of constituents and job applicants himself. "I was digital before digital was cool," Bush told WPLG-10 earlier this month. "I guess, now it's like commonplace." | Dan Pfeiffer said Jeb Bush is like "Cutty" from the "The Wire" He was arguing that Bush, like Cutty, has been out of his respective trade for a while . Bush hasn't run for office in 12 years but is exploring a presidential bid . The character Cutty was a drug enforcer who later set up a neighborhood gym . | 86644f3191ac7af5360c45aed5718253ab9a1f5f |
Striking teachers and union protesters who forced thousands of lessons to be cancelled spent this afternoon drinking in Westminster. After marching past Parliament in protest at pay reforms, dozens of people carrying union flags and wearing badges in support of the industrial action were seen drinking wine and beer in nearby pubs and restaurants. One in four schools was closed and many others were forced to introduce emergency timetables after the NASUW and the National Union of Teachers (NUT) staged walkouts in the North East and Cumbria, the South West, South East and London. A group of people carrying union flags seen drinking outside the Marquis of Granby pub in Westminster . NASUWT chief Chris Keates declared today: ‘No teacher comes out with a spring in their step taking strike action.’ But . supporters of those same striking teachers seemed to be quite happy as . they spilled into the streets of Westminster clutching bottles of wine . and pints of lager. Groups . which almost certainly included teachers and union members were seen . clutching flags and wearing badges declaring: 'Protecting teachers, . defending education' as they enjoyed a drink in the sun. One . of the flags was seen planted in an empty bottle of wine outside Pizza . Express in Millbank, while round the corner groups of protesters downed . drinks outside the Marquis of Granby pub. At a branch of Pizza Express a short walk from the Houses of Parliament a woman wearing union stickers was seen clutching a bottle of wine . Empty: After a bottle of wine was emptied a protester planted a union flag in it outside Pizza Express . Tory MP Chris Skidmore, a member of the education select committee, said: ‘They claim they’re standing up for education, but it looks like they’ve been sitting down for a boozy lunch. ‘Today’s jolly won’t do anything to convince parents that these unions really care about educating children. ‘All these strikes will do is disrupt parents’ lives, hold back children’s education and damage the reputation of the profession.’ It is the latest industrial action in a . long-running dispute over plans for performance-related pay for the . best teachers and changes to pensions and conditions. Speaking . at a rally in Durham, Miss Keates said: ‘What we are seeing is a real . air of determination to demonstrate that they are sick and tired of . Education Secretary Michael Gove's denigration of the profession and the . relentless attacks he has made on them, which they believe are attacks . on children and young people.' Ms . Keates estimated that around 2,000 people had taken part in the Durham . rally alone, and said the strikes had ‘served their purpose’. NUT general secretary Christine . Blower said: "Today's strike action has been a great success and is an . indication of the anger and concern that teachers share about the . changes this Government is making to the profession. 'Strike action does of course always . come at a price and we are very well aware of the disruption this causes . to parents' working lives as well as their children's education. 'Unfortunately, with a Government . that will not negotiate on the issues of our dispute over pay, pensions . and workload, we have been left with little choice.' Protest: Earlier thousands of trade unionists march marched through central London on the way to Parliament and the Department for Education . She added: 'We do not want to be on . strike but if we do not make teaching attractive there will be huge . problems for recruiting and retaining good teachers. 'Michael Gove has demoralised an . entire profession and today's action is a direct result of his and the . Government's steadfast refusal to accept there are problems that need to . be resolved. 'We urge the Government to set aside their prejudices and talk to the profession for the sake of everyone.' But Prime Minister David Cameron said responsibility for the walkouts lay with the unions and that he was ‘disappointed’ they had decided to strike. ‘It is very inconvenient for parents, it is not good for pupils' education,’ he told BBC Sussex radio. ‘And when we look at the things they are striking over, pensions and pay, they are things that have been decided independently by well-led reviews.’ Childcare search website . findababysitter.com said it had seen a 77 per cent rise in emergency . childcare adverts being posted since Monday afternoon, compared to the . same period last week. Parents are paying out up to £100 for emergency care, the site said, amounting to £1.2 billion in total. Placards: Members of the National Union of Teachers also took part in a rally in Hoglands Park, Southampton. Target: Education Secretary Michael Gove featured on many of the placards in the protests . The unions have said that the dispute focuses on three key issues - pay, pensions and conditions. They . are opposed to Government plans to allow schools to set teachers' salaries, linked to performance in the classroom, and argue that . pensions changes will leave their members working longer, paying in more . and receiving less when they retire. They also accuse the Government of attacking their working conditions, including introducing reforms that will allow schools to have longer school days and longer terms. Rally: Members of the National Union of Teachers and the NASUWT, march through Brighton, East Sussex in the ongoing row over pay, pensions and working conditions . Day out: A teacher carries her young son on a march through Bristol (left) while a dog was roped into the protest in Portsmouth . Unions: A large march also took place in the centre of Bristol, with one in four schools forced to close around the country . A Department for Education spokeswoman . said: ‘The NUT and NASUWT have tried to create as much disruption for . pupils and parents today as possible. ‘In . spite of this, thanks to many hard-working teachers and heads, only . around a quarter of schools in the targeted regions were closed today. ‘It . is disappointing that the NUT and NASUWT are striking over the . Government's measures to allow heads to pay good teachers more. ‘In . a recent poll, 61 per of respondents supported linking teachers' pay to . performance and 70 per cent either opposed the strikes or believed that . teachers should not be allowed to strike at all. ‘All strikes do is disrupt parents' lives, hold back children's education and damage the reputation of the profession.’ She insisted the government had met with the unions "frequently" to discuss their concerns, and that they would continue to do so. The first regional walkout took place in the North West on June 27, and further strikes took place in the East of England, the East Midlands, West Midlands and Yorkshire and Humberside on October 1. Plans for a national one-day walkout before Christmas have also been announced by the two unions. | Thousands of teachers walk out in dispute over performance-related pay . NASUWT and NUT members march through central London . Later seen ordering drinks at pubs and restaurants in Westminster . Critics condemn 'jolly' which leaves parents struggling to find childcare . | bcf8913eb415748f7ec2016608297b0767803aa9 |
(CNN) -- Some commercial jets receive soaring fanfare when they hang up their wings. Remember all that fuss over the Concorde? Now it's the McDonnell Douglas DC-10's turn. But what sort of retirement party awaits the airline industry's final scheduled DC-10 passenger flight? The final-flight honor goes to Bangladesh Biman Airlines, operator of the world's last passenger DC-10 -- which the airline says will be making its final scheduled flight on December 7, on an otherwise routine flight. (The airline hasn't said which route the plane will fly.) More: China opens futuristic airport terminal . The aircraft will then remain grounded in standby mode while awaiting the arrival of its successor, a shiny new Boeing B777-300ER -- and eventual shipment to an undisclosed aviation museum in the United States. While passenger service comes to an end for the iconic, wide-body, three-engine workhorse of late-20th-century air travel, the DC-10 won't completely disappear from the skies. It's still commonly used by cargo companies, such as FedEx and Purolator. More: Breathtaking photos of Hong Kong airport's glory days . Last chance for 'genuine aviation enthusiasts' to fly DC-10 . For DC-10 fans (we know you're out there) mourning the end of an era, Biman has since announced one last chance to experience the DC-10 in action -- even if you're not a box with an overnight label. In February 2014, Biman Bangladesh Airlines plans to fly passengers from the Bangladesh capital of Dhaka to Birmingham, England, on its retired DC-10, one last time. It's "a fitting end for an aircraft that has served Biman loyally and well over many years," states the airline, which plans to start selling tickets for this special bonus voyage on its website by early January. More: Most creative ways to recycle a plane . "We want these tickets to go to genuine aviation enthusiasts," says Biman CEO Kevin Steele on the company's news page, adding that some short scenic flights out of Birmingham might also be added to the DC-10 farewell tour, depending on public demand. What's the projected demand? No word on that yet. DC-10's checkered history . McDonnell Douglas's famous (and at times infamous) jetliner logged its maiden voyage for passengers on August 5, 1971, on an American Airlines round trip between Los Angeles and Chicago. At the time, the plane filled an industry need for an innovative aircraft smaller than a 747 with long-range capabilities that could serve airports with shorter runways. A staple of several major airlines over four decades -- McDonnell Douglas produced its 446th, and last, DC-10 in 1989 for Nigeria Airways -- the aircraft would be hampered by tragic accidents, including a horrific American Airlines Flight 191 crash at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport in 1979 resulting from a separated engine ripping through a wing shortly after takeoff. The incident would lead to an FAA grounding of all DC-10s in the United States for more than a month and stoke widespread public fear about the DC-10 -- despite findings that a maintenance error was largely the cause. More: Skip the pasta! And other unsavory truths about airplane food . Though few major DC-10 incidents were actually due to mechanical issues alone, and the aircraft's safety record would steadily improve as design flaws were fixed, public confidence in the aircraft was never fully restored. Wired magazine would call the DC-10 the fifth worst "stupid engineering mistake" in history. Others called that label unfair. "The DC-10 had its share of high-profile accidents," noted a Los Angeles Times editorial in 2007, when Northwest Airlines became the last major carrier to retire it from passenger service in the United States -- replacing it with an Airbus 330. "But so have the much-less-maligned Boeing 737 and 747, the latter of which has a fatal-accident rate close to the DC-10's." Economics factor in retirement . A more significant factor behind the DC-10 retirement wave relates to fuel efficiency and cost. Newer aircraft use less fuel, making DC-10s a more expensive airliner to operate. It also requires a three-man crew, including a second officer or flight engineer -- an overhead-boosting rarity these days. Even if today's harried commercial passengers aren't exactly missing DC-10s (let alone knowing what makes one different than, say, an MD-11), some of its past pilots have nice things to say about them. More: 20 most annoying things people do on planes . "The DC-10 is a reliable airplane, fun to fly, roomy and quiet. Kind of like flying an old Cadillac Fleetwood," noted a spokesman for the Northwest chapter of the Air Line Pilots Association when the planes were shelved in the United States six years ago. "We're sad to see an old friend go." Cut to 2013. Who would have thought the last flying Cadillac Fleetwood would be making its swan song from Bangladesh? And just how sad is Biman Bangladesh Airlines to see an old friend go? "We hope you will join with us in celebrating the farewell of a loyal, beautiful aircraft," says Biman's Steele. "But also to recognize that the time has now come for Biman to equip itself with the very latest in new aircraft and technology." More: Boeing through the ages. Planes that changed the way we travel . | Biman Bangladesh Airlines will operate final DC-10 passenger service on December 7 . DC-10 has had checkered past, including high-profile accidents . The plane debuted in 1971 on a flight between Los Angeles and Chicago . A special "last chance" flight for enthusiasts is planned for February . | 9a40e97c74dd22a5d568967147ac1f22f189c6e8 |
By . Kerry Mcqueeney . PUBLISHED: . 08:19 EST, 18 July 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 09:49 EST, 18 July 2012 . A pregnant ex-girlfriend of Aston Villa footballer Gabriel Agbonlahor has been accused of harassing the mother of one of his children by posting ‘distressing’ messages on Facebook. Sophie Smith allegedly used a pseudonym to send Elizabeth Wheeler a 'considerable number' of 'distressing' messages via the social networking site between November 2008 and May this year, a court has heard. Smith, of Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands, has appeared before magistrates in Walsall charged with sending a false message by the public communication network to cause annoyance, inconvenience or anxiety. Accused: Sophie Smith (pictured), who is 36 weeks' pregnant, has appeared at court charged with sending a false message by the public communication network to cause annoyance, inconvenience or anxiety . The 25-year-old, who is 36 weeks' pregnant, is understood to have strenuously denied the claims but has yet to enter an official plea to the charges. Smith is the childhood sweetheart of the millionaire footballer and began dating him in 2003, before they later split. She was represented in court by solicitor Michael O’Mahoney and did not enter a plea. Mr O’Mahoney said it was alleged Smith had sent 'a considerable number' of messages and that there was 'also a suggestion of stalking and harassment'. Magistrates granted Smith bail on the . condition that she has no contact with either Miss Wheeler or Tia . Hithersay, another of Agbonlahor's former girlfriends. She . was also ordered not to go to an address in Streetly, West Midlands, . and not to use social network sites Facebook and Twitter under . pseudonyms, JPs were told. Footballer Gabriel Agbonlahor, left, has a four-year-old son with Miss Wheeler, right, but was in a relationship with Smith in 2003 . Smith is due back before the court on July 24. Miss Wheeler is the mother of Agbonlahor's four-year-old son and has previously used Twitter account to talk about the father of her child. After Villa lost to Chelsea at Villa Park in March, she wrote: 'Seeing my baby on the pitch wiv my hubby yday was one of the proudest moments of my life, cried like a baby only in front of 40,000 ppl.' Miss Wheeler is said to have met the England striker on a 2006 'lads' holiday’ in Greece. Agbonlahor has also previously dated ex-air stewardess and underwear model Ms Hithersay - who is a friend of Ms Wheeler on Twitter. Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons. | Sophie Smith 'sent distressing messages' to Elizabeth Wheeler over a three-and-a-half-year period . The 25-year-old, who is 36 weeks pregnant, dated footballer in 2003 while Miss Wheeler has been in a relationship with him since 2006 . | 9a917a9ec442b0a59e578b94a2bc7200ea1bc341 |
By . Katy Winter . PUBLISHED: . 11:17 EST, 2 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:16 EST, 2 September 2013 . The formulas for the ideal profile pictures to attract the opposite sex have been revealed. And, with a heady blend of the world's most attractive people in the mix, there aren't many real people out there who will make the grade. The perfect social networking profile picture for women to attract men must have a blend of the features of Kelly Brook, Mila Kunis and Scarlett Johansson, researchers say. Men, meanwhile, are most likely to tempt . women with a photo that is a composite of David Beckham, Jonny Depp and . Ryan Gosling. Is this the perfect social networking profile picture for women to attract men: a mix of celebrity beauties Kelly Brook, Mila Kunis and Scarlett Johansson . Brunette beauties Kelly Brook and Mila Kunis have the body and facial features, respectively, to make up the perfect profile picture . It is hardly surprising that Scarlett Johansson's eyes were deemed the most likely to attract a man . The news comes as over half of British social network users admit enhancing their online identity to appeal to potential partners - and one in five confesses they have created an entirely fake profile. Women want their ideal partner to be dark, handsome, romantic, humorous, sporty and well-travelled, researchers from entertainment channel MTV found. Their perfect profile photofit has Jonny Depp's hair; Ryan Gosling's eyes and David Beckham's jawline. Men are after a busty, curvy woman who is also clever and into keeping fit, movies and eating out. Their dream profile picture has Kelly Brook's body; Scarlett Johansson's eyes and the facial features of Mila Kunis. We are a nation of digital daredevils with 90 per cent of social media users having accepted an invitation to connect online with a complete stranger. If you are looking for love online, you should show a little cleavage in your profile picture as well as listing your favorite food and films . Nearly half have gone on to meet in person someone they first encountered online - and one in eight has started a sexual relationship with them. Attractiveness emerged as the number one reason for accepting a stranger as a 'friend' via social media. We apparently notice eyes, smiles and hair first when looking at a profile picture. But over a quarter of men are most attracted to female profiles where breasts or bottoms feature prominently. The most attractive personality traits are intelligence, confidence and sense of humour and most enticing interests are travel, cooking and dining, music and sport. In a bid to impress the opposite sex, over half of Brits have photoshopped pictures of themselves or lied about their age, height, weight, job, achievements or reason for their last break-up. And a quarter have pretended to be someone else on a social networking site. The perfect attractive profile picture: A mix of celebrity hunks David Beckham, Jonny Depp and Ryan Gosling has been created by top artists after a survey of 2,400 people . Based on the findings, men hoping to meet a partner would do well to pepper their profile pages with shots of them playing rugby, travelling to romantic locations like Paris as well as sharing witty jokes and quotations. Women wanting to find love online should share sexy shots of themselves sunbathing or working out as well as listing their favourite food and films. The survey of 2,400 people, who were shown images of celebrities, was carried out to mark the start of the second series of MTV show Catfish. A 'catfish' is a person who pretends to be someone they are not, particularly to pursue deceitful online romances. Men in the market for love should include shots of themselves playing rugby nad travelling to romantic locations like Paris in their profile, as well as sharing witty jokes and quotations . David Beckham's jaw line and Ryan Gosling's eyes help to make up the perfect profile picture for a man looking to attract the opposite sex . The show sees the real people behind fake social media profiles unmasked. MTV spokeswoman Jo Bacon commented: 'Most of us dream about being added by a Mila Kunis or David Beckham lookalike online whilst dreamy eyes, a killer smile and a decent bum all get our pulses racing when we look at a social media profile we don't know. 'But do we really know who is on the other side of the profile? 'These amazing figures show social media users up and down the country would be more than happy to connect, form a relationship and even consider sex with someone they don't know, especially if they find their profile attractive. 'However, what we want to highlight is that the person you are conversing with might not be quite what you expect with as many as one in five of us actively using and creating false profiles.' | The 'perfect' profile snap has Mila's facial features and Scarlett's eyes . Kelly Brook's body is most likely to attract men in the 'perfect' profile . Women's perfect male picture is a mix of Beckham, Depp and Ryan Gosling . Half have photo-shopped their picture or lied about themselves online . 90 per cent have entered online friendships with strangers . | 54bd203abb24a9ebfdf219a19f540568271eef1d |
Egyptian voters who went to the polls this week have overwhelmingly approved a new constitution, a spokesman for Egypt's electoral commission announced Saturday in a national broadcast. The referendum passed handily with 98.1% voting in favor of the new constitution and 1.9 percent voting no, the commission official told reporters in Cairo. The head of the Egypt Constitutional Committee described the turnout as "unprecedented" -- 20 million people, representing 38.6% of those eligible to vote. Supporters of the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood had boycotted the vote, which took place Tuesday and Wednesday, in response to a continuing government crackdown. The Brotherhood had supported the country's first democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsy, who was ousted last July in a military coup. The Anti-Coup Alliance, composed largely of supporters of Morsy and the Brotherhood, rejected the results in a posting on its Twitter account: "98.1% is not considered a real democracy but a solo dictatorship," it said. "If people are arrested for holding 'vote NO' posters ... should these results be counted?" The head of the committee heaped praise on this week's results, calling them a move forward on the path toward democracy. Rights groups have expressed concern about what they call an increasingly repressive environment in Egypt, where more than 2,200 people have been killed since the ouster of Morsy, who had replaced strongman Hosni Mubarak after he stepped aside in February 2011 amid the massive anti-government demonstrations that were part of the Arab Spring. Many officials in the international community, too, have spoken out against the Egyptian government's crackdown on dissenters. In a statement Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry reiterated his own country's "serious concern about the limits on freedom of peaceful assembly and expression in Egypt." The new constitution could be a positive milestone for the volatile North African nation, Kerry said, so long as its leaders stand by it. "It's what comes next that will shape Egypt's political, economic and social framework for generations," Kerry said. "As Egypt's transition proceeds, the United States urges the interim Egyptian government to fully implement those rights and freedoms that are guaranteed in the new constitution for the benefit of the Egyptian people, and to take steps toward reconciliation." | Top U.S. diplomat says constitution could be good for Egypt if leaders abide by it . The referendum passes with 98.1% of the vote, electoral commission says . The 38.6% turnout was "unprecedented," the head of the constitutional committee says . Supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood had boycotted the vote . | 67272495379bc12894d26e88df92b05bcef7b138 |
By . Rachel Quigley . PUBLISHED: . 09:52 EST, 6 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 09:52 EST, 6 November 2012 . The two-year-old boy who died after falling into a pit of African wild dogs on Sunday bled to death after he was mauled by the animals, a medical examiner said. Police and officials at the Pittsburgh . Zoo and PPG Aquarium are continuing to investigate the death of Maddox . Derkosh after he fell from a wooden railing . overlooking the painted dogs exhibit. Witnesses say he had 'no chance' of surviving after falling 11-feet into the pit while his horrified parents Jason and Elizabeth Derkosh looked on helpless. Maddox's funeral will be held on Friday and his parents are asking friends, relatives and other mourners to donate toy construction trucks in the boy's name, which will be given to a Christmas children's charity. Scroll down for video . Victim: Maddox Derkosh, two, 'didn't stand a chance' of surviving after falling 11 feet into the dog pit at the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium while his horrified parents Jason and Elizabeth Derkosh looked on helpless . Maddox Derkosh's home: Outside the front door, bouquets of flowers, a toy truck and a pumpkin rest in memory of the two-year-old . Deadly hunters: The Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium has housed a pack of 11 African Painted dogs, one of which is seen here in 2009, for several years . Scene: The overlook platform where the boy fell into the exhibit that was home to a pack of African painted dogs is seen through a window from another observation area at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium . Where: This is the overlook platform where two-year-old Maddox fell into the dog enclosure. He bounced off the net, which is there to save small items like cameras and phones . Desperate rescue attempts by zookeepers . and armed police officers could not deter the 11 aggressive beasts as . they savagely attacked the two-year-old. Barbara Baker, CEO and president of . the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium said there is a net below the rail, . but the boy bounced off it and into the enclosure. She said the animals attacked the . child so quickly that by the time a veterinarian and other zoo staffers . arrived seconds later, they determined it would have been futile to try . to rescue the child. Authorities said that zoo staff and . then police responded 'within minutes' but visitors described that time . as being filled with screams for help. Zookeepers called off some of the dogs, and seven of them immediately went to a back building. The African wild dog is an endangered species which typically roams the open plains and sparse woodlands of sub-Saharan Africa. The dog's Latin name Lycaon pictus means 'painted wolf' because of the animal's patchy colored coat of red, black, brown, white and yellow fur, each with their own unique pattern. These dogs are very social, and packs have been known to share food and to assist weak or ill members. In fact after a successful hunt, the dogs regurgitate meat for those that remained at the den. They hunt in packs of six to 20 and despite their small size they prey on large animals like antelopes and wildebeests. They kill the larger prey by disemboweling, a technique . that is rapid but has caused this species to have a negative, ferocious . reputation. They are often hunted and killed by farmers who fear for their domestic animals and are susceptible to diseases spread by domestic animals. Its large teeth allow it to consume a lot of bone in the same way a hyena does and it has a bite force quotient - BFQ, the strength of bite relative to the animal's mass - measured at 142, the highest of any carnivore, except for the Tasmanian devil. They are extremely aggressive and nearly 80 per cent of their hunts end in a kill - as opposed to a lion with a success rate of just 30 percent. There were once approximately 500,000 African wild dogs in 39 countries, and packs of 100 or more were not uncommon. Now there are only about 3,000-5,500 in fewer than 25 countries . Three more eventually were drawn away . from the child and one especially aggressive dog refused to back down and stop attacking . the boy. It was shot dead by an officer. Experts said the death is highly unusual. The zoo will reopen today for the first time since the attack and though the dogs are currently in quarantine, they will not be euthanized. The observation deck exhibit area will remain off limits to visitors while the dogs will be able to roam some sections of the African savannah closure, according to CBS Pittsburgh. The family's neighbor Rachel Majcher told . the Tribune Review: '(Jason and Elizabeth) went nowhere without Maddox. I cannot imagine . the dark cloud that is following them.' 'I can’t imagine as a mom myself what tragedy that would be, Your heart stops when your kid skins a knee.' She . said her father saw Maddox trick-or-treating in a Superman costume, and . he could often be found playing on a swing set with his cousin, who . lives nearby. 'The hardest part is going to be to explain to my kids that their playmate is no longer here. His life will be celebrated.' Steve Feldman, a spokesman for the . Association of Zoos and Aquariums, said no one he's spoken to can recall . any deaths of children at an accredited zoo over the last 40 years or . more. Feldman said the Pittsburgh Zoo . successfully completed its five-year review in September, which means it . meets or exceeds all safety standards. The zoo was immediately closed, and it was not clear when it will reopen, authorities said. The so-called painted dogs are about . as big as medium-sized domestic dogs, and 37 to 80 pounds , according to . the zoo. They have large, rounded ears and dark brown circles around . their eyes and are considered endangered. The attack happened in a 1.5 acre . exhibit called the Painted Dog Bush Camp that's part of a larger open . area where elephants, lions and other animals can be seen. Visitors walk . onto a deck that is glassed on the sides, but open in front where the . roughly four-foot railing is located. In May, some of the dogs crawled . under a fence and escaped into a part of the exhibit that's usually . closed. The zoo was on lockdown for about an hour as a precaution. Kraus said there was nothing to prevent visitors to the painted dog exhibit from jumping into the exhibit area. He described the accident as 'horrific'. 'Unfortunately, . the dogs were in pack mentality and not responding to zookeepers' efforts to control them,' the zoo said in a statement. Police and the Allegheny County . medical examiner's office are investigating, and they haven't yet . interviewed the mother or father, who are receiving grief counseling. Baker said the zoo, which has never . had a visitor death, will also investigate. She said no decision has . been made yet on the future of the exhibit. Emergency: Now closed, the Pittsburgh Zoo's entrance is seen after the young boy was killed after falling into the exhibit around noon . Lock-dock: The zoo immediately closed and patrons were hurried inside buildings during the attack . Deadly: The dogs, which are smaller than Labrador retrievers, can be dangerous on their own by are deadly killers when hunting in packs . Zoo officials said there is a mesh . barrier beyond the railing, but Lt Kraus said it was designed to catch . small objects such as cameras, and not humans. Investigators have not determined the exact cause of death, he said. 'The screams just kept coming and coming: "Someone help. Someone has to do something,''' witness Angela Cinti, 20, who was visiting the zoowith her boyfriend told the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette. 'We were on our way to the polar bear exhibit when we heard the most horrible piercing screams,' Ms Ciniti recalled. 'Someone was begging for help, asking someone to do something.' Guests recounted being hurried into the nearest building for safety, waiting for a half an hour according to Ms Cinit. 'We were locked down in the building . and told to stay inside,' Ms Cinit told the paper. 'We thought it was a . problem with one of the animals that got loose. Then we were told it was . an incident with the wild dogs and that a child had been hurt.' Uncertainty: A security guard closes the gate to the park though it's not yet clear whether he died from the fall or the attack . Reaction: The boy was pronounced dead at the scene as guests were hurried into the nearest buildings as a safety precaution, ushered under zoo officials like Ms Baker, pictured . In May, 200 patrons were rushed inside buildings and the zoo was put on lock-down when nine of the dogs sneaked out of the exhibit and found its way into a secondary holding pen. Alone, the dogs, which weigh up to 80 pounds, can be formidable, but in packs they are vicious -- capable of hunting and killing prey many times their size. They have been known to kill wildebeest and zebras, though they usually pursue less dangerous prey. The dogs, which are endangered, are among the most deadly predators of the Serengeti Plain. Their hunts end in a kill 80 per cent of the time. Lions have a success rate of just 30 per cent. Unfortunately your browser does not support IFrames. | Maddox Derkosh fell over railing about 12pm on Sunday at Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium . Dogs developed 'pack mentality' and could not be stopped by zookeepers who fired darts at them . Medical examiner ruled boy bled to death after being mauled by the dogs . Zoo to reopen today . Dogs will not be euthanized . | 8bad986899efee4f9c675d55c698bd635fb591c3 |
London (CNN) -- President Barack Obama's toast to Queen Elizabeth II on Tuesday was interrupted when the orchestra at the state dinner began playing "God Save the Queen" before Obama finished. Following the queen's toast to him and the playing of the U.S. national anthem, Obama began his toast by thanking her and commenting on her reign and the close ties between their countries. The president then asked the guests to stand and join him in toasting the queen. "To Her Majesty the Queen," Obama began, but the orchestra -- apparently thinking the president had concluded -- started playing the British anthem. Obama continued with his toast, speaking over the music in citing the special relationship between the British and American people and quoting William Shakespeare's tribute to "to this blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England" from "Richard II." "To the queen," Obama concluded as the music played on. When the music ended, Obama repeated, "to the queen," and the audience, clearly confused by the turn of events, delayed a few seconds before applauding. | Musicians apparently thought President Obama had concluded . Obama keeps speaking over "God Save the Queen" | 8fb2430c5adee89563313087dc032ed872c86110 |
(CNN) -- Andy Murray maintained his bid to win a third successive Shanghai Masters title with a comfortable win over Roger Federer in Saturday's semifinal. The Scot wasted little time in overpowering the current world No.1, easing to a straight sets 6-4 6-4 victory in one hour 38 minutes. The 25-year-old was gifted a crucial break in the first set when Federer served three double faults on the bounce in the fifth game. Murray took full advantage of the uncharacteristic slip, closing out the set without alarm. Federer was put under pressure again at the start of the second, saving seven break points to win the opening game. But it wasn't long before Murray's aggressive returning paid dividends. At 40-0 up in the fifth game, the 31-year-old Swiss was cruising before Murray fought back to earn a break point which he took with a devastating forehand return. Two rain delays in the second set failed to upset the Scot's rhythm who calmly served out the match. "[Federer] didn't serve that well for him tonight so I was able to be very aggressive on his second serve," Murray said afterwards. "He maybe slowed down his first serve a little bit so I was able to take a few more chances on the first serve. Obviously that helped. But, yeah, I went for it like I did the last few times I played against him." Murray will meet Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final -- the Serb completing an easy win over Tomas Berdych earlier in the day. The world No.2, who has yet to drop a set at the tournament, broke the Czech's first service game to immediately gain the upper hand. The Serb claimed another break of serve early in the second to canter home 6-3 6-4 in 85 minutes. "Tomas is in great form in the last couple of months. He's always a difficult player to play against on any surface because he has a very powerful serve and great forehand," Djokovic said. "I played tactically right. I was putting a lot of returns into the court, making a lot of pressure on his serve. On the other hand, I was serving well when I needed to," he added. Djokovic currently leads Murray 8-7 in head-to-head match ups, but the Scot looks favorite given his recent successes over the Serb in the semifinal of the Olympics tournament in August and in the final of the U.S. Open last month. "I've known him for 14, 15 years now. We've obviously had some incredibly tough matches which can maybe test a friendship. But we've always been, I think, pretty respectful of each other," Murray said. | Briton secures place in Shanghai Masters final with a 6-4 6-4 win over Roger Federer . Reigning U.S. Open champion will play Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final . Serb also enjoys comfortable straight sets semifinal win over Tomas Berdych 6-3 6-4 . | dc3537815b90a0a5e4e8400426274588553d6137 |
By . Associated Press . and David Martosko, U.s. Political Editor . Half the U.S. Senate urged NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Thursday to change the Washington Redskins' name, saying it is a 'racist slur' and the time is ripe to replace it. In one letter, a group of 49 Democrats cited the NBA's quick action recently to ban Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling for life after he was heard on an audio recording making offensive comments about blacks. They said Goodell should formally push to rename the Redskins. 'We urge you and the National Football League to send the same clear message as the NBA did: that racism and bigotry have no place in professional sports,' read the letter, which did not use the word "Redskins."' SCROLL DOWN TO READ THE DEMOCRATS' LETTER . The Washington Redskins mascot is an 80-year-old dignified drawing but it's created a modern race-politics kerfuffle . FANS LOVE IT: The Redskins name has inspired merchandise, a team song, and hundreds of thousands of loyal fans . Should the Washington Redskins change their name? The letters come at a time of growing . pressure to change the team name, with statements in recent months from . President Barack Obama, lawmakers of both parties and civil rights . groups. Sen. Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat, wrote his own letter saying he doesn't believe that retaining the Redskin name 'is appropriate in this day and age.' He described himself as 'one of your great fans for both the game and you personally.' Redskins owner Daniel Snyder has refused to change the name, citing tradition. The franchise has been known as the Redskins since 1933, when it played in Boston. In a written response, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said 'diversity and inclusion' has long been a focus of the NFL. 'The intent of the team's name has always been to present a strong, positive and respectful image,' McCarthy said. 'The name is not used by the team or the NFL in any other context, though we respect those that view it differently.' Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., led the letter-writing effort. All senators on the letter are Democrats. Cantwell spokesman Jared Leopold said Republicans were not asked to participate. UNOFFICIAL: A Washington Redskins fan known as 'Chief Zee' attends every game in full headdress but is not an official mascot . Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder (L) has steadfastly refused to change the team's name, citing its long tradition and fans' enthusiasm to keep it . Democrats not signing the letter were Tim Kaine and Mark Warner of nearby Virginia, where the team's headquarters are; Mark Pryor of Arkansas, in a tight re-election race this year; and Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Joe Donnelly of Indiana, two of their party's more moderate lawmakers. The senators noted that tribal organizations representing more than 2 million Native Americans across the U.S. have said they want the Redskins name dropped. Despite federal laws protecting their identity, "Every Sunday during football season, the Washington, D.C., football team mocks their culture," they wrote. 'The NFL can no longer ignore this and perpetuate the use of this name as anything but what it is: a racial slur,' the letter said. | 50 Democrats signed letters demanding a change . The lawmakers object to the use of American Indian slang as a team mascot . 'Redskins' has been the team's name since 1932 . Polls show that 90 per cent of Native Americans don't find the name offensive . Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is leading the charge to link 'Redskins' with the racist NBA team owner Donald Sterling . | d367943cd6ca79de18cae8278f8ad2ea217b9685 |
(CNN) -- I've just returned from a visit to Tanzania with the global health and development organization Population Services International to better understand the challenges facing health workers in the developing world. The outbreak of Ebola only underscores the dire need for trained health workers -- a global shortage of nearly 7.2 million health workers, according to the World Health Organization. About half of the spending on health care in Africa goes to private providers and care can be unregulated and quality inconsistent. During my week on the ground, however, I met PSI community health workers, nurses, doctors and business owners who deliver controlled and quality health care across Tanzania. PSI has ensured quality care by applying proven commercial franchising strategies -- think McDonalds or Subway -- to health care. PSI operates a franchise network that spans 31 countries and serves 10 million people every year. In Tanzania, the franchise is called Familia. Lucy, a Familia community health worker, goes out into the community every day and educates women about family planning and other health issues. Lucy then refers these women back to the neighborhood Familia clinic located right in the village she serves. I joined Lucy for a session she organized at a modest apartment building with a few rooms separated by concrete walls and colorful fabric curtains. When I climbed the stairs to the front porch, about a dozen women with babies who were seated on straw mats greeted me. Lucy began to talk with them about their contraception options, and they had lots of questions for her. The most vocal was a gregarious woman named Sophia. Sophia had used condoms and pills to space her births, but when Familia began offering longer-term methods like implants, she switched. The implant prevents pregnancy for up to three years, and she shared with us how it was a great weight off her shoulders. She told the group that she wanted to be able to plan her family size, so she and her husband could save for the future. Lucy reiterated that for women like Sophia, access to family planning is a key to health and economic stability. According to a report by the United Nations Population Fund and Guttmacher Institute, returns on investment in contraception can be recouped four times or more by reducing the need for public spending on social services. This is something Lucy knows well -- before she ended the session, she gave out vouchers to our new friends for a consultation at their local Familia clinic. After the session, we walked back to the clinic together and Lucy introduced me to Dr. John -- the clinic owner and care provider. He's the kind of doctor anyone would want: one with a gentle bedside manner who cares deeply for the community he serves. We talked about the clinic, his needs and the number of clients he sees -- up to 200 per day. Dr. John said what he most needed was better business management skills. He was most appreciative about that component of PSI's franchise model -- the ongoing training he and his staff receive. This helps him retain employees -- a major problem in developing countries underscored by this most recent epidemic -- and maintain a standard of care his clients can trust. The Familia franchise incorporates 260 private health facilities across 16 regions in Tanzania. PSI establishes the quality standards that clinics in the network, like Dr. John's, must meet. And prices for products and services are set based on people's ability and willingness to pay. With this structure, the health facilities can reach the very poor with free services and those who can afford to pay something with reduced fees. It's working and clients are happy with the services they receive. According to PSI's study of the Familia Network, the client retention rate is 81%. From 2009 to 2011, Familia health workers provided 45,000 IUDs and 14,000 implants to women who wanted a long-lasting method of contraception -- which equals 143,000 years of protection from unintended pregnanc y for Tanzanian couples. This innovative model takes an unregulated sector with varying degrees of quality and standardizes the level of care. It provides the vital infrastructure necessary for a woman like Sophia to take care of herself and her family, and a doctor and business owner like John to earn a decent living. As we left, I asked Dr. John if his future plans included opening a few more clinics. He smiled, and simply said, "That's my dream." | Mandy Moore: Ebola underscores the need for trained health workers in Africa . Moore: Care can be inconsistent, so PSI developed a "franchise" model for clinics . Moore went to Tanzania to observe quality, controlled health care in clinic franchise . She says the innovative model standardizes the level of care and business practices . | fbce2db5d2b797d30165dcac7d71eb285007417d |
Former England midfielder Frank Lampard has been 'upset' by some of the criticism aimed at Raheem Sterling this week. Sterling did not start England's Euro 2016 qualifying win in Estonia on Sunday after telling manager Roy Hodgson that he felt tired. Hodgson's decision to make this conversation public has prompted a huge debate, with the player himself having both his fitness and commitment questioned in some quarters. Frank Lampard says criticism of Raheem Sterling (in action here against Estonia) has been unfair . Manchester City star Lampard says he is 'upset' at the backlash against Sterling after the teenager and his World Cup team-mate told England boss Roy Hodgson he was tired ahead of the match against Estonia . Lampard feels it is unfair to turn on the 19-year-old, who is still early in his career and still to develop physically. Lampard, a team-mate of Sterling's at the World Cup last summer, told BBC Radio Five Live: 'I think he is actually quite a brave boy to say, "You know what I am not quite at my best here". 'I am actually quite upset, not with the manager as such, but that the aftermath has been a lot of people criticising Raheem Sterling - who is probably in the top two or three players in our country and we need him to be at his best - for making quite a brave decision. 'I think we need to get behind him. Whether it is right or wrong, I don't know, but we are all individuals and he made that call.' One accusation thrown at Liverpool forward Sterling, who has become a key player for club and country over the past year, is that he is a well-paid professional, and therefore should be fit. Lampard does not see how that argument is relevant. The veteran midfielder said: 'I would take the money out of it. That is easily said and I hate it when money gets drawn into things, in terms of "because he is getting paid (this) he should act like this". It happens too much. Sterling (right) didn't start the Euro 2016 qualifier but earned the free-kicked that led to the winning goal . Lampard commended 19-year-old Sterling's bravery in telling Hodgson he was tired . 'The fact is, when that's is your job, when you are doing it regularly, you have to make calls. I think Raheem made a judgement call on that game alone. 'Hopefully he will get 100 caps and be very successful for England.' But Lampard, who was invited to speak to a live audience as part of a BBC report into the price of football, does think the game has an issue in terms of the wages being paid to unproven youngsters. Sterling may now be established at elite level and worthy of reward, but Lampard feels many others in their teens are not. The 36-year-old said: 'It is one of my pet hates in football at the minute, the wages we are giving out to boys who haven't quite made it, who haven't got to the top level where they are performing and entertaining at the top level. Sterling (left) speaks with Hodgson (right) at A Le Coq Arena in Tallinn ahead of the Estonia clash . Lampard says of Sterling: 'Hopefully he will get 100 caps and be very successful for England' 'I think we are maybe giving very big wages to young players who maybe aren't quite ready for it, and who can't handle it.' Lampard himself is currently on loan at Manchester City from their sister club New York City after being released by Chelsea last summer. He is due to move to the United States early next year to begin preparations for the 2015 Major League Soccer season, but his form at the Etihad Stadium has led to suggestions his loan could be extended. Lampard insists there is nothing to report on that front. He said: 'I am contracted here until January. I am enjoying every minute of training at this level and being able to get game time. That is as far as it goes at the moment. 'Speculation has come because of a couple of goals, but at the moment there is nothing to be said.' | Frank Lampard said he was 'upset' by criticism of Raheem Sterling . Sterling told England manager Roy Hodgson he was tired before Estonia match, and subsequently didn't start the match . Lampard said it was brave of the 19-year-old to be honest with Hodgson . Lampard was a team-mate of Sterling's at the World Cup in Brazil . The Manchester City loanee said money is no factor in the issue . | 2731afbf1fe188f147034c4bb4d341ff97c6ce9e |
Will plug into 3D TVs to show off videos . To be unveiled in Barcelona in February . Successor to hit handset that propelled Galaxy past iPhone . By . Rob Waugh . Last updated at 3:57 PM on 4th January 2012 . The sharp AMOLED screen on the Galaxy S2 will be upgraded to a 720p hi-def screen capable of 3D visuals, and able to plug into a TV to play 3D content, according to Korean reports . Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S3 handset is set to 'go 3D', according to leaks from the company's native Korea. The handset could display 3D films and games on its screen, and even plug into 3D televisions to 'play' 3D content such as photos. The handset is due to launch in February, and will sport hi-tech features such as an AMOLED screen capable of 720p hi def. The phone will also have 2GB of RAM, said the leak, reported by Korean news site ET News. Rivals such as LG and HTC already offer 3D handsets - using glasses-free technology to make objects 'leap out' of the screen, and armed with dual-lens 3D cameras. But the lack of games and videos that use 3D has meant that neither handset has been a huge seller. Samsung's cult Galaxy handsets are a different matter. The existence of a Galaxy S3 is an absolute certainty after the runaway success of Samsung's Galaxy S2, which sold 10 million units at last count, helping to propel Samsung's smartphone sales past Apple's in the third quarter of 2011. The new handset will launch at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona at the end of February. 'Samsung’s Galaxy lineup has been one of the most sought after smartphone lines worldwide,' says Boy Genius Report. 'The Galaxy S II became the company’s fastest selling smartphone ever, selling threemillion units in just 55 days.' 'Moreover, Samsung sold more than 30 million Galaxy S and Galaxy S II smartphones worldwide as of October. There is no question that consumers are interested in the Galaxy.' Samsung has yet to comment on the reports. | Will plug into 3D TVs to show off videos . To be unveiled in Barcelona in February . Successor to hit handset that propelled Galaxy past iPhone . | 0b2c25a222f4b9ba90e7c3b7d03f250cb7106d8d |
By . Paul Bentley . PUBLISHED: . 10:09 EST, 5 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 20:12 EST, 5 February 2013 . Holding her new puppy in her arms, Teresa Walton popped into the local dog grooming parlour to ask about the cost of keeping him in tip-top shape. But moments after she arrived at the shop, her beloved pet was dead – savaged by the parlour owner’s two vicious dogs which had been allowed to roam free. As a frantic Mrs Walton threw herself over the pup she called ‘my baby’, parlour owner Karen Creasey tried desperately to pull her two dogs away. Teresa Walton's cockapoo puppy Cooper was only 13 weeks old when he died after a bull mastiff attack . Devastated owner Teresa Walton showed pictures of Cooper as she described the horror of the attack . But the women were no match for the snarling attackers and the 13-week-old cockapoo pup Cooper had no chance. Last night Mrs Walton, 46, and her . husband Terry, 52, spoke of their horror at losing their pet and their . fears that it could have been so much worse. ‘We are never going to be able to . replace him but we will fight for justice for Cooper,’ Mr Walton said. ‘It could so easily have been a woman carrying a baby.’ Mrs Creasey, who was appalled at the . attack, said she had since closed her business, K9 Cutz, and planned to . have her dogs, thought to be bull mastiffs, destroyed. The Waltons had bought Cooper – a . cross between a cocker spaniel and a poodle – in December. Their . 23-year-old son had left home and their previous dog had died. It was . the perfect time to welcome a new pup. Wanting to spoil her new pet, Mrs . Walton walked to K9 Cutz in Weston, Lincolnshire, to ask about the cost . of their treatments. She knocked on the door but when it opened the two . mastiffs ran out and savaged Cooper to death. Tragic: 13-week-old puppy Cooper was mauled to death by two bull mastiff dogs when taken to a grooming parlour . Mrs Walton then called the police, while desperately trying to keep the dogs from tearing Cooper’s body apart. Choking back tears, she said: ‘He was . such a little character. Our son has just left home and Cooper became . our new baby. The woman really tried to get them off but she couldn’t . control them. ‘She was calling the dogs off and then she laid over Cooper and I went down on to the floor with his head tucked under my arm. ‘I didn’t want them to eat him. The . dogs were still circling and sniffing around. I have hardly slept since . because as soon as I fall asleep I relive it all.’ Mrs Walton, who now has her arm in a . sling after hurting it as she wrestled with the dogs, phoned her . husband, who rushed to the shop. The Waltons took the body of Cooper, a cross between a cocker spaniel and a poodle, home in a blanket and buried him in their back garden after the attack by the mastiffs, similar to that pictured left . ‘I saw Teresa carrying Cooper and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. He was a mess,’ he said. ‘We took him home wrapped in his blanket and buried him in the back garden.’ Mrs Creasey, 43, who has run the parlour for six years, said she was ‘distraught and devastated’ at the attack. She claimed she allowed the mastiffs . to run free indoors because the shop had closed for the day but Mrs . Walton insists it was still open. A sign outside warned visitors that the dogs might be off their leashes. Sobbing, she said: ‘I was physically . kicking them and hitting them and trying to get them off her dog. I laid . down on her dog to stop them attacking it, but there was nothing I . could do. ‘I am distraught by what happened. I . have closed the business and the dogs are going to be destroyed.’ Police . said they were investigating. Shut: K9 Cutz in Lincolnshire Salon has been closed by owner Karen Creasey, who is having the dogs destroyed to prevent further attacks . | Teresa Walton took puppy to grooming salon to inquire about prices . Moments later puppy was snatched from owner then mauled by two mastiffs . ‘It could so easily have been a woman carrying a baby,’ she said . Two dogs belonged to the parlour owner Karen Creasey who is having her the animals destroyed . | a75ab94cefa9e7d6d46dd4866a79e9b2faceaa4d |
By . Sarah Griffiths . PUBLISHED: . 19:14 EST, 21 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 03:33 EST, 22 November 2013 . A professor has teamed up with digital artists to create striking pictures of how Roman Britain would have looked 2,000 years ago. The CGI images include a Roman ‘motorway’ stretching from Exeter to London, a forgotten port and luxurious-looking barracks for the occupying forces. Another image of the Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum, located in Hampshire, has been produced that paints a picture of a wealthy and bustling settlement. This CGI image shows the bustling Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum, which was near Silchester in Hampshire. It used to be a wealthy town with public baths, an amphitheatre and temples, but failed to develop into a modern city like Chichester and London . The images have been produced to give historians a clear understanding about what settlements in Roman Britain looked like at their peak and how the invasion affected British architecture and culture. They form part of a new series on historical TV channel, Yesterday, which aims to bring Britain's lost Roman Civilisations to life. Dr Michael Scott, an assistant professor of Ancient History at Warwick University, used his expert knowledge to inform the creation of the images and show how Britain would have looked during Roman occupation. An image of a 160-mile road from Exeter to London, which was a 15 feet high and 85 feet wide, allowed vast numbers of Roman soldiers to march to and from London. The road is believed to have been built 15ft above ground level to 'show off' the power of the Roman Empire to the conquered Brits. The original road, which is one of the country's major Roman roads, was uncovered in 2011 after being found in Puddletown Forest in Dorset. An image of a 160-mile road from Exeter to London, which was a 15 feet high and 85 feet wide, allowed vast numbers of Roman soldiers to march to and from London. The road above ground level to 'show off' the power of the Roman Empire to the conquered Brits . Another image shows a huge Roman port and military base in Caerleon, South-Wales, which was found in 2011. It is just the second Roman port to be found in the UK after London and was known as Isca. The port was the headquarters of the Second Augustan Legion - one of four legions who invaded Britain during the reign of Emperor Claudius. It is located on the banks of the River Usk just north of the city of Newport and includes the main quay wall, as well as the landing stages and wharves where ships would have docked and unloaded their cargoes. A third CGI image shows the bustling Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum, which was near Silchester in Hampshire. It used to be a wealthy town with public baths, an amphitheatre and temples, but failed to develop into a modern city like Chichester and London. The final image in the collection shows Healam Bridge in Yorkshire, which was a garrison base and the centre of Roman industry. This image shows a huge Roman port and military base in Caerleon, South-Wales, which was found in 2011. It is just the second Roman port to be found in the UK after London and was known as Isca . A Roman fort in the area was excavated in 2009 by a team of archaeologists as part of a £318million Highways Agency scheme to upgrade the A1 between Dishforth and Leeming in North Yorkshire. The fort and its surroundings were a hive of light industry, including a water-powered flour mill used to grind grain and produce food for the soldiers and is believed to have been extremely important, supplying those travelling north on the Roman road that the A1 eventually replaced. Dr Scott said: ‘The sites I examined for this project are fascinating locations for different reasons. ‘Some because they were small cogs in the machine that was Roman Britain and others because they were the very arteries and muscles that made Roman Britain possible. ‘It is thanks to the different devoted teams of archaeologists that have worked - and continue to work - on these sites that they have not been lost to history forever.’ Healam Bridge in Yorkshire was a garrison base and the centre of Roman industry. A Roman fort in the area was excavated in 2009 by a team of archaeologists as part of a £318million Highways Agency scheme to upgrade the A1 between Dishforth and Leeming in North Yorkshire . Adrian Wills, General Manager of historical TV channel, Yesterday, said: ‘The brand new series of RAIDERS OF THE LOST PAST focuses on the adventurers and archaeologists who put everything on the line to find lost cities, civilisations and treasure. ‘This amazing collection of pictures captures life in some of the most important and significant Roman sites in Britain, which were lost for thousands of years. ‘Thanks to the dedication and hard work of recent archaeologists, we now have a clear understanding of what each of these settlements were once like and how the Roman invasion of Britain affected our culture, architecture and even the way we think.’ The new series begins on Yesterday at 10pm this Friday evening. | The CGI images have been produced to give . historians a clear understanding about what settlements in Roman Britain . looked like . Dr Michael Scott, an assistant professor . of Ancient History from Warwick University, used his expert knowledge to . inform the creation of the pictures . An image of the Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum in Hampshire, paints a picture of a wealthy and busy settlement . | 79b74968ce2446b0a6b3ec5b93e2eb5c21950c17 |
By . Hannah Roberts . A wardrobe that held the body of Benito Mussolini for 11 years in an Italian monastery has gone on sale on eBay with a starting price of £3,000. The wardrobe itself is worthless but, having been the hiding place for the dictator’s corpse between 1946 and 1957, it has ghoulish value for collectors of fascist memorabilia. eBay specialists Lovendoperte, who bought the relic from a family in Lombardy, advertised the piece as a ‘unique fascist collectors' item’. Up for grabs: The wardrobe, right, which was the secret resting place of Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, left, for 11 years has gone up for sale on auction site eBay with a reserve price of £3,000 . Under the notes from the owner it says . it is an 'original and authenticated wardrobe that was the secret . hiding place of the remains of Benito Mussolini at the monastery of the . Cappuchin Brothers of Cerro Maggiore between 1946 and 1957.' They have yet to receive an offer. During . the last days of the war in Italy, Il Duce (the leader) - as Mussolini . was known - was captured by partisans who executed him by firing squad. His corpse was mutilated and strung up by the feet alongside that of his mistress, Clara Petacci, at an Esso station in Milan. The . Allies ordered the bodies to be placed in an unmarked grave north of . the city, to avoid the burial place becoming a place of pilgrimage. But . on Easter Sunday 1946, his body was exhumed by a group of fascists led . by Domenico Leccisi, who left a message on the grave: 'Finally, O Duce, . you are with us. We will cover you with roses, but the smell of your . virtue will overpower the smell of those roses.' Somehow during the venture, they lost one of the dictator’s legs. Executed: The bodies of Mussolini, centre, his mistress, Clara Petacci, right, and Achille Starace, secretary of the Fascist Party, hang by their heels in Milan after they were shot dead near the city by Italian partisans . Four months later the body was traced by the police, hidden in a small trunk at Franciscan monastery near Milan. To keep the whereabouts of the body secret from the public it was then taken to a Capuchin monastery, 15 miles northwest of Milan, and kept there in a cupboard. The monks held the remains for eleven years, before the authorities allowed the family to reinter the dictator’s body at Predappio, Mussolini's birthplace. Today, the town draws 100,000 pilgrims a year to the tomb. | Ghoulish relic is being advertised online as a 'unique fascist collectors' item' Mussolini was captured and executed by Italian partisans in 1945 . It ended up in the wardrobe in a monastery to hide it from fascist pilgrims . | 7f312e0dacaac0a3a3706e7a2df18e6c01186a1b |
A 17-year-old male was charged Saturday as an adult with aggravated assault and other charges over a shooting the previous day at a Philadelphia high school, police said. The suspect, accompanied by lawyer, was taken into custody about 1 p.m. ET Saturday. "The male that turned himself in ... has been deemed the shooter based on the investigation thus far," said Philadelphia police Lt. John Stanford. Later Saturday, the suspect -- whom Stanford identified as Raisheem Rochwell -- was arraigned as an adult. He faces aggravated assault, violation of Pennsylvania's Uniform Firearms Act, recklessly endangering another person, having a weapon on school property "and other related charges," according to the police spokesman. Rochwell's bail was set at $500,000, added Stanford. Detective Don Suchinsky said Saturday that a second male held for questioning was released to his mother. Another juvenile was questioned and released Friday. All this stems from a shooting that occurred about 3:30 p.m. Friday in the gymnasium at Delaware Valley Charter High School. The shooter was in the school gym with about seven other students, city police Commissioner Charles Ramsey said. Some were playing basketball and others standing in a corner when he pulled a gun and fired. The victims were an 18-year-old female and 17-year-old male, police said. She was struck in the rear of the left arm, with the bullet perforating her bicep and striking the boy in the shoulder. They were taken to a local hospital, police said, and their wounds are not life-threatening. The incident was at least the second shooting at or near a school this week in the Olney neighborhood. Lockdown, search . The school went into lockdown as law enforcement officers searched students and let them out of the school, said Stanford. They determined that it wasn't an active shooter incident. The shooter had left the scene. Not long after the lockdown, Philadelphia police posted a message on Twitter, saying they had a suspect in custody. They later released the 15-year-old male, who was "completely cleared by investigators," Stanford said. On Saturday, police said school security officials provided inaccurate information about the teen who was cleared and released. What exactly happened in the gym remains unclear. "We don't know the motives," Ramsey said, "don't know if it was an accident, don't know if it was intentional." Many unknowns . Surveillance video captured the incident, Stanford said. But police do not know how many shots were fired, Ramsey said. No shell was found at the scene. Police searched for the weapon late Friday in trash cans, along railroad tracks and other spots around a nearby major urban transit station, transit spokesman Andrew Busch said. Commissioner Ramsey seemed frustrated about school shootings reported across America. "People send their kids to school; they shouldn't have to pick them up at the hospital," he said. "These kind of things just absolutely should not happen." 2 students shot in New Mexico middle school . Colorado school gunman got in through unlocked door . | The alleged shooter, who is 17, is arraigned as an adult, police say . He is charged with aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, other charges . A gunman opened fire in a Philadelphia high school gym Friday . One male, one female student were shot in the arm, according to police . | 11a927fd3d02b3c7f76d2acc129823443aaa8c80 |
Hong Kong (CNN) -- After much anticipation, and against the wishes of the international community, North Korea finally pushed the button on its third underground nuclear test, this time using more sophisticated technology than its previous attempts. While it marks another milestone in the short, but increasingly eventful, reign of young leader Kim Jong Un, it also threatens to undermine an already fragile security situation in the region. How worried should we be about North Korea's nuclear test? It's worrying but does this mean they can drop a nuclear weapon on Los Angeles? Absolutely not. The notion that they are going to target the U.S. is way off the mark. Any time the North Koreans stage a test, it significantly improves their nuclear capabilities. This comes after they staged a rocket launch that was successful, a long range rocket which appears to have put a satellite into orbit. What they need to achieve to have the weapon they want is the capability to miniaturize a warhead and put it on a rocket. This test isn't going to do that in and of itself, but it is a significant step forward. What will happen next? The U.N. Security Council will meet. South Korea is the chair this month so they get to call the agenda. There will be discussion about a much tougher sanctions resolution. The $64,000 question is whether the Chinese will in the end agree to anything significant enough for it to really affect North Korea. I think it's certain, whatever the U.N. does, the U.S. will move on its own to ratchet up sanctions. I also think the Americans will beef up their military presence in the region. It will mean stronger anti-missile defenses going to South Korea and possibly Japan . Why is China's reaction so important? The Chinese don't like the idea of international sanctions and coercing other countries. They still have a strategic interest in maintaining a viable separate North Korea as a buffer against a pro-U.S. South Korea and that has only become more important as tensions between the U.S. and China have increased. Are you worried about NK's tests? Share your views with CNN . On the other hand, a nuclear North Korea that is behaving in an adventuristic way risks very bad outcomes from the Chinese point of view. What China least wants is a more active, antagonistic, robust U.S. military presence in North East Asia in conjunction with the strengthening of military capabilities of allies who are not China's friends. Chinese companies are more involved in North Korea than they were half a dozen years ago, so the Chinese stand to lose on that front if the U.S. tightens sanctions. Who really calls the shots in North Korea? (North Korean leader) Kim Jong Un has people around him but he's driving the show. There's no evidence to suggest that he's not in charge. All the personnel changes he made he was able to make without enough pushback for it to matter. He's got military people around him, and his uncle. I don't see any evidence to see that he's not ultimately in charge. How significant is the timing of the test? It's the birthday of Kim Jong Il (Kim Jong Un's late father) on (Saturday). Assuming this (test) is not a total dud, this will be ... great propaganda and they will play it to the hilt. North Koreans are extremely nationalistic. They may be hungry, they may be miserable but by God they've got a bomb and they can stand up to the rest of the world and that really, really matters in North Korea. You also have a power transitions in Seoul, Tokyo (and the U.S.). How can Barack Obama not devote more attention to North Korea in his State of the Union address? Everyone is reacting to them and that's how they (North Koreans) like it. What don't we know? We don't know yet whether this was a test of a plutonium device or a uranium device. The previous two tests were plutonium. We know they have a uranium enrichment capability. We know that a uranium bomb, once they master it, is easier to make and they have deposits of uranium in North Korea so they can keep digging it up. If they have successfully detonated a uranium bomb and they have moved forward in the process of developing the technical capabilities to miniaturize it and put it on a war head, then in purely military terms it's worrying . The test also raises interesting questions on the proliferation front. The more successful they are with this program, the scarier the consequences should they choose, for example, to provide Iran with test data or fissile material or other information. | Test a "step forward" in North Korea's nuclear ambitions, says Chinoy . U.S. likely to push for tougher sanctions, he says . China's reaction to nuclear test will be key . Timing linked to power transitions in the region and propaganda value . | d1d9dbce45707ddecf3e62c0c1fdefff79eaa24f |
Spain's Eurovision hopeful Edurne reveals she and Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea are 'very, very happy' together but would 'erase him' from her life if he was unfaithful. The stunner, voted sexiest woman of the year in Spain in 2010 by the readers of FHM, said she may not even have time to marry her boyfriend of four years if she wins the song contest. Edurne was speaking after it was today announced she had been chosen to represent Spain in May's Eurovision. Scroll down for video . Happy couple: Edurne Garcia has been dating Manchester United goalie David de Gea for the past four years. New year: Stunning Edurne tweeted this picture with the caption: 'Batteries recharged 100 per cent, prepared for everything awaiting me this year' The singer rose to fame after appearing in Spain's equivalent of Pop Idol in 2005 and she succeeds former X Factor star Ruth Lorenzo, who finished tenth in last year's Eurovision. After being told the news, Madrid-born Edurne, 29, said she is keeping her fingers crossed Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal will give his star goalie time off so he can travel with her to Vienna for the competition. Her boyfriend, 24, was one of the first people she phoned after being told she had been selected to represent Spain at this year's competition. She said: 'He was very happy for me when I told him, just like my family and friends. 'The people who love you share in your good news. 'David and I are very very happy together. I think he's going to be tied up with league commitments but I hope he can be there at the final along with my family and friends so we can live the experience together.' The Spanish singer had previously said she would love de Gea to ask her to marry him, but now it seems she may not have the time. 'If I win, I don't know if I'll have time to marry or not,' she added. 'I think I'll have to take advantage of the moment and do a lot of other things. But everything happens at the right time. 'At the moment it's the Eurovision song contest and I want to concentrate 100 per cent on that and afterwards we'll see about the other things.' Famous: Edurne rose to fame after appearing in Spain's equivalent of Pop Idol in 2005. She sang with Olly Murs at the the 40 Principales Awards in 2013 . Edurne got used to being in front of a camera as a child. She did her first casting call and TV advert for a fruit juice when she was just six. She got into singing because of her family's love of karaoke, becoming part of a child band called Trastos when she was 12, which published three records. She admitted today: 'I knew when I went on stage for the first time and heard the first applause that this was my world. 'I can't find words to describe the sensation I felt, being so young. 'I knew then I wanted to devote myself to music for the rest of my life.' She went on to combine studying to become a vet with working as a supermarket cashier at weekends to make ends meet. And although she ended up abandoning her studies to concentrate on music she remains a great animal lover. Long distance: Despite living in different countries, Edurne said: 'We're very good together and complement each other very well' She looks after two dogs and three cats at her home near Madrid and her Chow Chow lives with her boyfriend in Manchester. Edurne, who performs under her first name only, is a household name in Spain although she is relatively unknown in Britain. She has enjoyed chart success with several songs from her five albums, including the lead single from her first album reaching number five in the Spanish charts. From 2007 to 2013 she played Sandy in a Spanish production of the musical Grease. She has also appeared in the Spanish version of Strictly Come Dancing and has spent the past seven months co-presenting a comedy show on Spanish TV. De Gea and Edurne met during the recording of a charity CD in November 2010, just a few months before David moved to Manchester. He was far less known in his native country than his famous girlfriend. Eurovision: 'Perhaps this is the most important thing that has happened in my career ever. I know it's a huge challenge and a huge responsibility and I will give it my best shot,' Edurne (pictured) said . She has been dating Old Trafford shot-stopper de Gea, who is five years younger than her, for the past four years. They have spent much of their time thousands of miles apart following his decision to sign for Manchester United in June 2011 for 17.8 million pounds, a British record for a goalkeeper. Edurne stayed in Spain when her boyfriend moved to the UK so she could focus on her career. Although their careers mean they spend most of their time apart at the moment, she says she confides in David 100 per cent. But she warned: 'I'm not jealous and you have to have trust in your partner but I wouldn't understand it if the person I'm with was unfaithful. I would erase him from my life.' Speaking last April, the Spanish singer admitted: 'These years with David have brought me so many things and continue to do so. 'We're very good together and complement each other very well. 'I'm very happy by his side. I couldn't ask for more in that respect. 'It's obviously difficult with him being so far away so much of the time and I'd love not to have to have a long distance relationship. 'But while David's happy, I'm going to support him whatever he decides. 'For him, his career is the most important thing at the moment and for me as well. 'We support each other and respect each other as we should. And although I'd love him to be a bit nearer, Manchester is only two hours away by plane and whenever we've got a bit of free time we try to see each other.' Edurne will perform a song entirely in Spanish called Amanecer - 'Dawn' in English. She presented the song to Spain's state broadcaster as part of her Eurovision bid ahead of today's announcement. Hinting she was hoping to bring fans important news two days ago, she posted a picture on Twitter of her with her washboard stomach under a palm tree in a bikini. The message alongside it said: 'Batteries recharged 100 per cent, prepared for everything awaiting me this year.' This year's Eurovision Song Contest, the 60th, will be held in the Vienna Stadthalle. The two semi-finals will be held on May 19 and May 21, and the grand final on May 23. 'I'm very happy and am looking forward to May to give it my all,' Edurne added. 'Perhaps this is the most important thing that has happened in my career ever. I know it's a huge challenge and a huge responsibility and I will give it my best shot.' Success: Edurne (pictured) has enjoyed chart success with several songs from her five albums, including the lead single from her first album reaching number five in the Spanish charts . | Edurne Garcia, 29, has been dating de Gea for the past four years . She rose to fame after appearing in Spain's equivalent of Pop Idol in 2005 . Singer is a household name and hopes win with Spanish song Amanecer . This year's Eurovision, the 60th, will be held in Vienna in May . | b0ea8aea3f342d592afc4de244e1f3e30a261bea |
By . Daily Mail Reporters . PUBLISHED: . 02:39 EST, 14 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 04:04 EST, 14 November 2013 . The bikers who savagely beat Alexian Lien on a New York City street in September, turned their attention to the tech executive's wife and young daughter when they were done with him, prosecutors have revealed. The New York Daily News reports that the brutal bikers tried to snatch Mrs Lien and her young daughter from their black Range Rover as Mr Lien lay battered on the sidewalk. 'You're going to get it, too,' one of the bikers told the terrified woman, according to Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass. Scroll down for video . Hurt: . Alexian Lien needed stitches after he was attacked by bikers in New . York as he tried to protect his wife and child. It has now emerged that . an undercover cop was part of the group that attacked . The biker gang was furious that Mr Lien had run over one of their compatriots and sped after him seeking revenge on September 29. Video from one of the bikers shows that the gang had boxed in Mr Lien - who was out for a drive with his wife and their daughter to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Eleven members of the motorcycle club have been charged in connection with the brutal assault - including Wojciech Braszczok, an undercover NYPD detective who is accused of taking part in the melee. Angry bikers caught up the Alexian on a busy street and bashed out his window with their helmets. When they were done beating him, some of the thugs tried to attack Rosalyn Lien and her two-year-old daughter, who were cowering in the car, Steinglass told the Daily News. Alongside: A biker matching Braszczok's description can be seen riding next to the rear of the SUV in YouTube videos of the attack . Involvement: Braszczok appears to get off his bike in a YouTube video of the brutal assault . Symbols: Braszczok's jacket bears the insignia of the Front Line Soldiers, a motorcycle club based in New Rochelle, New York, just north of New York City . The veteran officer will be presented with the indictment at a November 20 arraignment in Manhattan Supreme Court. Braszczok is also charged with gang assault in . the first degree, assault in the first degree and criminal mischief in . the third degree. New York Daily News reported all the bikers except Christopher Cruz face gang assault charges and the possibility of decades in jail. Cruz, who was rear-ended by Lien, was initially charged in misdemeanor court but now faces felony level criminal mischief and up to four years in prison. Footage from the September 29 incident shows Braszczok, who was off duty at the time, getting closer and closer to Alexian Lien's car . Hiding: Braszczok leaves court in New York today with his face hidden after a short hearing into his role in the biker gang assault . Occupy jail: Wojciech Braszczok, 32, was held in custody for his alleged role in the biker gang beating. He has served with NYPD for ten years and was allegedly undercover with Occupy Wall St for five of those . Allen Edwards, who told cops he was trying to stop the . attack, was also included in the indictment. He 'was the voice of reason and was the most reasonable, courageous . person there, to stand up to these people who he's not friends with. He . doesn't know these bikers', his lawyer said. Lien was chased up the West Side Highway and was pulled out of his car . on W. 178th St. as his wife watched in horror with their young child in . the back seat. A YouTube video of the . attack shows a rider fitting Braszczok's description in the main group . chasing Alexian Lien's Range Rover. At no point does he try to stop the pursuit. At around two minutes he surges from the back and positions himself to the left of the vehicle. His red bike - which looks like the one in Braszczok's online postings - is later seen right behind the SUV boxing it in. When . Lien stops for the first time the man has moved to its driver's side . and as one biker tries to open the driver's door, he goes to get off his . bike to assist, but Lien speeds off. Then he is seen again at the end when Lien is set upon during the second, final confrontation. Biker punk: Braszczok created a very alternative online persona and he cut his hair in a mohawk to look just like those he was mixing with . The video shows the man believed to be Braszczok apparently pulling up alongside the right of the Range Rover. His . lawyers in court on October 9 claimed that he never went within 12ft of the vehicle . but he is much closer than that as his bike comes to a halt by the rear . window. Braszczok's defence . also claimed in court that the window was already broken - but in the . video it is still intact when he reaches it. The . court was told that he took part in a 'brutal and brazen' attack and . that while other members of the bike gang hauled Lien out of his car and . set upon him, Braszczok continued to 'terrorize' his family. The criminal complaint states that he punched the rear window of the Range Rover, causing it to break. He . then allegedly kicked the passenger side whilst Lien's wife was sitting . in the front passenger seat and his two-year-old daughter was in the . back. Terror: The criminal complaint states that he punched the rear window of the Range Rover, causing it to break. He then allegedly kicked the passenger side whilst Lien's wife was sitting in the front passenger seat and his two-year-old daughter was in the back . Shocking: Braszczok is charged with gang assault in the first degree, assault in the first degree and criminal mischief in the third degree . The criminal . complaint also alleges that at the time of the assault he was wearing a . black vest with the words 'Front Line Soldiers' and 'New Rochelle, NY' on it. His name, 'WOJTEK' was on the front too and he was riding a bright red Yamaha bike. The description from court appears to match him up in the YouTube video. The police are said to have another video which shows him actually hitting the windscreen. Braszczok's . lawyer John Arlia said that videos of the incident will exonerate his . client who he said was being targeted because he was a detective. But . despite the seriousness of the claims against him, a judge agreed with . Braszczok's lawyer that pictures of him in court should not be allowed. Mr . Arlia said that he was involved with the NYPD intelligence division . which deals with 'infiltrating various organizations' and 'to disclose his identity would jeopardize his life, his families'. For that reason MailOnline has obscured his identity. The claims emerged on the day it was revealed that Braszczok worked undercover in the Occupy Wall Street movement for two years. Braszczok . - who also told activists his real name was 'Al' - shaved his head into . a Mohawk and apparently pretended to be a biker bro to win the trust of . activists. He attended demonstrations and lived like the protestors. Rabble rousing: Braszczok tweeted Occupy events including this 'spring training' event in April, 2012 . Rogue? It is unclear how much of Braszczok's online personalities were part of his cover or his genuine lifestyle . Full throttle: Braszczok showed off his bright red Yamaha on his social media accounts - the complaint against him says he was riding one at the time of the incident . | Wojciech Braszczok is among 11 bikers formally charged in a 14-count indictment over the September 29 attack on Range Rover driver Alexian Lien . The 32-year-old faces up to 25 years behind bars . The undercover cop claimed he was just a witness but police have video allegedly showing him smashing back screen of Lien's vehicle and 'terrorizing' his wife and young daughter . Alleged to have not told bosses that he was at the incident until three days later . He has been undercover with the Occupy Wall St movement for two years . | c4751e232683395763ec4057b238dba898c64bde |
By . Sarah Griffiths . PUBLISHED: . 06:51 EST, 10 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:10 EST, 10 December 2013 . Google’s Street View project has mapped the landmarks of Venice, the interiors of train stations and even the Large Hadron Collider. But now anyone can document views of their favourite locations, which might not have been visited by Google’s cameras. Members of the public can use an Android smartphone or camera to take photographs and transform them into 'photo spheres' using ‘Views’, which is a new feature of Google Maps. Here, 'photo spheres' are connected to create a 360º view of Dunluce Castle. Using the new service, photo spheres can be added to Google Maps and shared with people around the world . Users must visit 'Views' and open their profile page. They then manually select the photos they wish to connect to make a sphere of a 360º view. A map of the images is created with photo spheres marked in blue, sequentially with letters. To choose the location of a new photo sphere, users drag a dot to their chosen place and rotate them so landmarks or specific markers are facing in the right direction. Photo spheres can be linked to others so that visitors to the site can jump between similar spheres. The idea is that users connect images together to create photo spheres - 360º views of a chosen location - which can then be added to Google Maps and shared with people around the world. To create a photo sphere, users can take a series of photos using an android smartphone or DSLR camera and upload them to Views. There is no need for a ‘Trekker’ backpack or special car, which are both used by Google in its Street View mapping project. They then connect photos together on a map to create photo spheres, which when generated can be navigated by anyone using Google Maps, in a similar way to Street View. Evan Rapoport, Product Manager, Google Maps and Photo Sphere wrote in a blog: ‘We are excited to see the different types of Street View experiences that everyone will contribute.’ He believes the feature could be used to allow environmental charitable organisations to document and promote the beautiful places they strive to protect. To create a photo sphere, users can take a series of photos using an android smartphone or DSLR camera and upload them to Views. This is a photo taken by Google's Evan Rapoport, which was used as part of a photo sphere . To choose the location of a new photo sphere, users drag a dot to their chosen place and rotate it so landmarks or specific markers are facing in the right direction (pictured) ‘It also opens up a new tool for photographers to showcase diversity in a specific location - by times of day, weather conditions or cultural events - in a way that Street View currently doesn’t cover,’ he said. Google also suggests that the new tool could also be used by businesses to show people what it is like inside their office or factory. ‘Whether you’re photographing exotic islands or your favourite neighbourhood hangout, mountain peaks or city streets, historic castles or your own business, we’re thrilled to see the places you love coming to life on Google Maps,’ Mr Rapoport said. Here is another photo used to compose Evan rapoport's photo sphere. Google believes its latest feature could be used to allow environmental charitable organisations to document and promote the beautiful places they strive to protect . | Members of the public can now document views of their favourite locations, which might not have been visited by Google’s cameras . They can take photos using an Android smartphone or camera and upload them to Views - a new feature of Google Maps . There, users can link together individual views to create a 'photo sphere,' which is a 360º view of a chosen location . | ab1c24a7a8415466c0f6852a6f93e77630909c50 |
By . Jill Reilly . A family is suing a New Jersey school district, contending that the phrase 'under God' in the Pledge of Allegiance is discriminatory toward atheist children. The lawsuit against the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District was filed in state court last month and announced Monday by the American Humanist Association. The group says the phrase, added in 1954, 'marginalizes atheist and humanist kids as something less than ideal patriots.' A family is suing a New Jersey school district, contending that the phrase 'under God' in the Pledge of Allegiance is discriminatory toward atheist children (file photo) The anonymous plaintiffs say those two words violate the state constitution. According to the suit, the humanist group complained to school officials in February, but the district would not change the pledge. David Niose, an attorney for the American Humanist Association’s Appignani Humanist Legal Center, said public schools should not permit an exercise that 'teaches students that patriotism is tied to a belief in God.' 'Such a daily exercise portrays atheist and humanist children as second-class citizens, and certainly contributes to anti-atheist prejudices,' Niose said in a statement reported Fox News. But school district lawyer David Rubin said the district is merely following a state law that requires schools to have a daily recitation of the pledge. In March last year Enidris Siurano Rodríguez, a sophomore at Damascus High School in Montgomery County, faced suspension for refusing to stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance . He told NorthJersey.com that individual students do not have to participate. 'We are disappointed that this national organization has targeted Matawan-Aberdeen for merely obeying the law as it stands,' Rubin said in a written statement. The group is awaiting a ruling from a court on a similar case in Massachusetts. In March last year a high school student faced suspension for refusing to stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Enidris Siurano Rodríguez, a sophomore at Damascus High School in Montgomery County, Maryland, had refused to participate in the daily pledge since she was in seventh grade because of the federal government's policies toward her native Puerto Rico. The American Civil Liberties Union became and filed a complaint against the school, saying it is Enidris' right to sit in silence during the pledge. A group in one Massachusetts town wants to ban students from reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in the public schools, saying it is reminiscent of a totalitarian regime. | Lawsuit is against the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District . Filed in state court last month by the American Humanist Association . Group is awaiting a ruling from a court on a similar case in Massachusetts . | db9f0d6a621aa6d97d0ea4335d74107097daf003 |
By . Martha De Lacey . PUBLISHED: . 10:08 EST, 10 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:08 EST, 10 April 2013 . Age-defying cream specialists Olay have once more ranked first on a list of the world's most valuable . cosmetic brands, beating L'Oreal, Neutrogena and Nivea to the top of the . leader board. The beauty favourite, of whom Thandie Newton is their current celebrity 'face', held . their position on the Brand Finance Cosmetics 50 table with a value of . £7.64billion. This is despite the Procter & Gamble-owned brand's lead having dropped from £2.61billion to £1.96 billion, following the growth of French brand L'Oreal. Olay beat all other cosmetics brands to the top of the Brand Finance table . L'Oreal has continued its . progression up the rankings, having moved from fourth to third last year, it . is now second. Brand value growth of £621 million, more than any other . brand, means its total brand value is now £5.7 billion. Brand Finance, the leading global . brand valuation and marketing experts, calculate their annual list of . the top 50 most valuable cosmetics brands using the 'Royalty Relief approach': brand value is essentially the cost that a third party would have to pay to license the use of a brand. According to Brand Finance, L'Oréal's . success hinges on shrewd exploitation of its French heritage. France's . nation brand is synonymous with luxury, helping to drive £17billion . worth of luxury goods exports in 2012. The brand, whose 'face' is currently Cheryl Cole, has contributed to this . trend, targeting emerging markets such as Brazil and China to achieve . revenue growth of 12 per cent last year. The results table detailing the most valuable cosmetics brands . L'Oréal is followed in the . Brand Finance Cosmetics 50 by Neutrogena, Nivea and Lancôme, which have all recovered well from brand value . falls last year. Sixth-placed Avon is this year's biggest casualty. Down . from second last year, it has lost £1.76billion of brand value this year. The £1.5billion lost last year means Avon's brand value is down £3.26billion on 2011 and now stands at just £3.4billion. The particularly . dramatic brand value falls suggest low levels of investor confidence . following a revenue drop of five per cent and a loss of £27.7million in 2012. Commenting on the results, . Mary-Ellen Field, Chairman of Brand Finance Australia stated: 'The global . beauty industry continues to do, well, beautifully. 'With the increasing . wealth of women in developing economies we have not surprisingly seen . the sales of beauty products in these countries growing. 'Cosmetic halls . in department stores throughout the world continue to be exciting places . despite growing competition from Internet sales.' | Anti-ageing beauty specialists are owned by Procter & Gamble . Topped Brand Finance list above French brand L'Oreal, despite dip in lead . | 1a86efe43c1b5e13aa4ba5c2ff7efd09186c99f2 |
Labour peer Lord Mandelson has taken up a controversial role as an adviser for energy giant BP . Former business secretary Lord Mandelson has taken up a controversial role advising energy giant BP just months after criticising Ed Miliband’s plans to cap gas and electricity bills. The Labour peer, who has resisted calls to reveal the names of clients of his Global Counsel advisory firm, is providing advice to BP, the oil major confirmed last night. Mandleson, who was twice forced to quit the Cabinet, has followed in Tony Blair’s footsteps by setting himself up as an international ‘consultant’. In 2012 the House of Lords passed new regulations that required peers to set out who they advised to avoid conflicts of interest but the former EU Commissioner has managed to exploit a loophole in the new rules that were intended to force peers to reveal their business clients. But BP told the Mail last night: ‘Global Counsel have done some work for BP, for instance on the Southern Corridor (the gas line project from the Caspian).’ The development will raise eyebrows as in September last year Labour MP Tom Watson demanded the peer reveal his connections after Mandleson waded into the debate on energy bills. The Labour MP said Miliband’s plan to cap gas and electricity bills could undo much of the work he and Blair had undertaken on the party’s industrial policy. Watson said at the time: ‘Lord Mandelson has become a lobbyist now and if he wants to pass comment, he can. ‘But he also sits in the House of Lords and he needs to come clean about where his interests lie.’ Global Counsel said, at the time, it does not provide services to energy companies that would be affected by Labour’s new policy. BP has been struggling to turn itself around after the oil spill at Deepwater Horizon in America. Mandleson is not thought to be giving advice connected to that crisis, but offering his views on European regulation. In September last year Labour MP Tom Watson (pictured) demanded Mandelson reveal his connections after he waded into the debate on energy bills . Mandelson is chairman of Lazard International, an investment bank, and has delivered various speeches for Coca-Cola, Lloyds Bank and Kazakhstan’s investment fund. Global Counsel was set up with former Sun journalist Benjamin Wegg-Prosser, who was also a former Downing Street adviser. The firm builds on Lord Mandelson’s contacts in Russia, China and Africa, which were built up during his time as European Trade Commissioner and as Business Secretary. He is friends with the Russian metals oligarch Oleg Deripaska and with the well-connected financier and former hedge fund boss Nat Rothschild. | The revelation comes months after the former business secretary criticised Labour leader Ed Miliband's plans to cap gas and electricity bills . Follows in Tony Blair's footsteps by becoming an international 'consultant' | b5769dd73b518e8a96876857d0991264e19318c1 |
(CNN) -- Earl Scruggs, whose distinctive picking style and association with Lester Flatt cemented bluegrass music's place in popular culture, died Wednesday of natural causes at a Nashville hospital, his son Gary Scruggs said. He was 88. "I realize his popularity throughout the world went way beyond just bluegrass and country music," Gary Scruggs told CNN. "It was more than that." For many of a certain age, Scruggs' banjo was part of the soundtrack of an era on "The Ballad of Jed Clampett" -- the theme song from the CBS sitcom "The Beverly Hillbillies," which aired on CBS from 1962 to 1971 and for decades afterward in syndication. But much more than that, he popularized a three-finger picking style that brought the banjo to the fore in a supercharged genre, and he was an indispensable member of the small cadre of musical greats who created modern bluegrass music. Scruggs was born in 1924 to a musically gifted family in rural Cleveland County, North Carolina, according to his official biography. His father, a farmer and a bookkeeper, played the fiddle and banjo, his mother was an organist and his older siblings played guitar and banjo, as well. Young Earl's exceptional gifts were apparent early on. He started playing the banjo at age 4 and he started developing his three-finger style at the age of 10. "The banjo was, for all practical purposes, 'reborn' as a musical instrument," the biography on his official website declares, "due to the talent and prominence Earl Scruggs gave to the instrument." While Scruggs' status as the Prometheus of the banjo may be overstated, many musicians feel he changed the game. The late John Hartford, a noted banjo musician in his own right, was quoted in Barry R. Willis' "America's Music: Bluegrass," as saying: "Everybody's all worried about who invented the style and it's obvious that three-finger banjo pickers have been around a long time -- maybe since 1840. But my feeling about it is that if it wasn't for Earl Scruggs, you wouldn't be worried about who invented it." In an article on the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's website, bluegrass historian Neil V. Rosenberg described Scruggs' style as "a 'roll' executed with the thumb and two fingers of his right hand" that essentially made the banjo "a lead instrument like a fiddle or a guitar, particularly on faster pieces and instrumentals. This novel sound attracted considerable attention to their Grand Ole Opry performances, road shows, and Columbia recordings." In 1945, Scruggs met Flatt when he joined Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys, for whom Flatt was the guitarist and lead vocalist. Along with the group's mandolin-playing namesake were fiddler Chubby Wise and bassist Howard Watts (alias: Cedric Rainwater). Scruggs and Flatt left Monroe in 1948 to form the Foggy Mountain Boys, according to the Country Music Hall of Fame website. Along with guitarist/vocalists Jim Eanes and Mac Wiseman, fiddler Jim Shumate and Blue Grass Boys alum Rainwater, the group played on WCYB in Bristol, Tennessee, and recorded for the Mercury label. He married Anne Louise Certain that year. In the '50s she became Flatt & Scruggs' business manager. They were married for more than 57 years until her death in 2006. The Foggy Mountain Boys' roster changed over the years, but Flatt and Scruggs became the constants, the signature sound of the group on radio programs, notably those sponsored by Martha White Flour, and as regulars at the Grand Ole Opry. They became syndicated TV stars in in the Southeast in the late 1950s and early '60s, and they hit the country charts with the gospel tune "Cabin on the Hill." But it was during an appearance at a Hollywood folk club that brought them into contact with the producer of "The Beverly Hillbillies" and led to "The Ballad of Jed Clampett." It was their only single to climb to No.1 on the country charts. The 1967 film "Bonnie and Clyde" featured their 1949 instrumental "Foggy Mountain Breakdown," with its distinctive Scruggs-style banjo solo perhaps the most ubiquitous of bluegrass sounds. The duo split in 1969, and Scruggs' fame as a solo and featured act continued to grow, even as his most iconic licks echoed through the years among his acolytes -- basically, anyone who played banjo, and many who picked other instruments. Playing "Foggy Mountain" on banjo became a staple of Steve Martin's comedy routine, and blossomed into a reverential tribute. In November 2001, Martin and Scruggs were joined by Vince Gill, Marty Stuart, Jerry Douglas and others on "Late Show With David Letterman" to play a fiery version of the song -- soloing alternately on banjo, guitar, mandolin, fiddle, steel guitar and harmonica. Even Paul Schafer took the chorus for a spin on piano. In an article in the New Yorker in January, Martin wrote, "A grand part of American music owes a debt to Earl Scruggs. Few players have changed the way we hear an instrument the way Earl has, putting him in a category with Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, Chet Atkins, and Jimi Hendrix." Flatt & Scruggs were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1985, six years after Lester Flatt's death. In 1991, Scruggs, Flatt and Monroe were the first inductees in the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame. His sons Gary and Randy both are accomplished musicians and songwriters, and played with their dad in a 1973 album, "The Earl Scruggs Revue." People we've lost in 2012: The lives they lived . CNN's Cameron Tankersley, Denise Quan and Andy Rose contributed to this report. | Earl Scruggs died Wednesday of natural causes in Nashville, his son told CNN . Scruggs and Lester Flatt were part of the musical team that made modern bluegrass . He developed the three-finger style that made the banjo a "front" instrument . "The Ballad of Jed Clampett" and "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" are signature tunes . | 6649866beffc4426a7aec44ab37ba9e7a51d772d |
LIMA, Peru (CNN) -- Peru's Congress voted overwhelmingly to revoke two decrees that indigenous groups had said would result in the exploitation of their native lands for oil drilling, mining and logging. A man shouts slogans at a demonstration in Lima against the Garcia government on June 11. The 82-14 vote on Thursday with no abstentions came after five hours of intense debate. "Today is a historic day," said Daysi Zapata, vice president of the Interethnic Association for Development of the Peruvian Jungle, in a statement on the group's Web site. She repeated the group's call this week to its members to abandon further opposition efforts, including blockades of rivers and roads. "My brothers from Yurimaguas affirmed that they will return to their communities as soon as the legislative decrees are repealed," she said. "We are thankful because the will of the indigenous people has been heard and we only hope that, in the future, government will pay attention to and listen to the people and not legislate behind their backs." However, despite praising President Alan Garcia for supporting the revocation of the decrees, Zapata said that had he done so earlier, lives might have been saved. She called for the repealing of seven remaining legislative decrees and the immediate lifting of the state of emergency and curfew in the city of Bagua. And she asked the government to stop the political persecution of her group's leaders, including Alberto Pizango, who faces charges in Peru related to the clashes. He flew this week to Nicaragua where he was granted asylum. The vote came a day after Garcia's cabinet chief, Yehude Simon, called on lawmakers to repeal the laws which have created tension between the government and indigenous communities in the Amazon. Striking the contentious Forestry and Wildlife Law and a related decree -- laws that Congress had voted last week to suspend indefinitely -- "will prevent more blood from being spilled," Simon said Wednesday. "The government must have the wisdom to know when its best to back down," Andina cited him as saying. He announced this week that he will resign once peace is restored. Simon's call marked a turnaround, considering that last week, he called the repealing of laws in response to the protest the equivalent of bowing to extortion. Violence earlier this month in northwest Peru left more than 30 dead and more than 50 wounded, according to reports. Indian rights advocates put the number of dead and missing higher, with some groups saying more than 100 were killed or missing. The controversial laws were part of numerous decrees that Garcia passed through special powers awarded to him by Congress last year with the goal of having Peru meet rules set in a free trade agreement with the United States. The decrees made it easier for companies to gain concessions for oil drilling, mining and logging, including on indigenous lands. The forestry law, in particular, removed some 45 million hectares (more than 170,000 square miles) of Peruvian jungle from the government's list of protected lands. The government is taking three major steps to address protesters' concerns, Vicki Gass, senior associate for rights and development at the Washington Office on Latin America told CNN. Those include requesting to repeal the controversial laws, ending a state of emergency in the Amazon area and forming a working group with the indigenous groups, she said. The government's responses have diffused tensions, but "had the government done this process of consultation earlier, we wouldn't have seen the blockades, and avoided the violence," Gass said. The real test for the Garcia government will be how seriously officials listen to the concerns of indigenous citizens, Gass said. "These are positive steps, but the question is the process -- will they really allow for detailed debate?" she said. CNN's Mariano Castillo and Maria Elena Belaunde contributed to this report. | NEW: Indigenous leader Zapata calls for end of political persecution of other leaders . Indigenous leader Pizango faces charges in Peru, is granted asylum in Nicaragua . Laws led to violence between government, indigenous . Decrees made it easier for firms to gain concessions for oil drilling, mining, logging . | 4c1d23109868dc1f920f47995ec665984a21ba0f |
A driver who was trying to hide her identity from cops said that she was 22 and only looked older because she had a medical condition that made her age faster, according to a police report. Jennifer Crosby, 43, was driving through Indian River County, Florida on a suspended license when she was pulled over by a police officer for broken tail lights. When she was asked to hand over her license and other documents, she told the officer she had forgotten her purse, according to the police report shared by The Smoking Gun. She then claimed her name was Christina Topp and that she had been born on March 16, 1992. Arrest: Jennifer Crosby, 43, (pictured left in her mug shot and right with her daughter) pretended to be the 22-year-old woman when she was pulled over while driving on a suspended license, police said . But the officer, Deputy Colby Smith, wrote in the report: 'Immediately I was suspicious because the driver appeared significantly older than that.' She even gave a social security number that matched with the identity - but when the officer checked a database that showed a photo of Topp, it was clear the two women were not the same person. In fact, the woman she had claimed to be was her daughter. 'She admitted that her name was Jennifer R. Crosby and she gave me her daughter’s name because her driver's license was suspended,' the report noted. She was arrested for driving on a suspended license and providing a false name and booked into the county jail, where she remains on bond of $4,000. 'Lies': Crosby, pictured, claimed that she had a condition that made her appear older than she actually was - but police weren't buying it. She remains in jail after being arrested for providing a false name . The arrest comes just months after she was arrested for possession of crack cocaine, which she had hidden inside her vagina in a piece of foil. When cops conducting a search asked her if she had any drugs on her person, she admitted that she had cocaine inside of her. But when she pulled them out, she screamed in pain and said: 'The foil is hurting the inside of my vagina', according to a police report. | Jennifer Crosby 'was driving on a suspended license when she was pulled over for broken tail lights - and pretended to be her 22-year-old daughter' When the officer became suspicious, 'she said she had a medical condition' She eventually owned up to lying about her identity and was arrested . | 8ec002b1f9311ec308079b07e3abd39f68e26d8d |
(CNN) -- Rescue workers in Kansas searched for people Thursday among the wreckage left by tornadoes that ripped through the Midwest on Wednesday night. Two people were killed as tornadoes swept across Kansas, destroying 60 homes and damaging another 60, officials reportedly said. A man was killed outside Soldier, about 50 miles north of Topeka, said Sharon Watson, a spokeswoman for the state emergency management agency. His body was found outside his mobile home, she said. A woman was killed in Chapman, Kansas. Her body was found in a yard, Watson said. In the wake of the late-night destruction, authorities sifted through rubble on the ground and used infrared technology in the air to locate survivors or bodies. "It's so difficult to account for everyone in these types of situations," Watson said. "It can take some time, unfortunately, for the search-and-rescue process, especially when you're talking about a significant area that has been hit." Gov. Kathleen Sebelius visited Chapman on Thursday morning to survey the damage. She said two schools, three churches and several homes were destroyed and many buildings sustained heavy damage. Sebelius said that at least three other people were hospitalized for serious injuries. Watch rescue workers sift through the damage » . "There's a good deal of the town still intact, with trees upright and houses in pretty good shape, so it's slightly different than our experience last year with Greensburg, where the entire community was really wiped out," she said. "That's the upside." In May 2007, a massive tornado nearly two miles wide destroyed 95 percent of the buildings in Greensburg, Kansas, killing 11 people and injuring dozens more. She said residents in the areas hardest hit by Wednesday's storms had about 20 minutes of advance notice, which was ample time for people in a state that takes tornado warnings seriously. "There's a sense of devastation on one hand," Sebelius said. "On the other hand, the notion that they can replace basically everything they've lost as long as everybody they love is OK." The storm also destroyed several buildings at Kansas State University, including a wind erosion lab, and tore the roof off a fraternity house at the school in Manhattan, Kansas, said Cheryl May, the university's director of media relations. "Our campus is kind of a mess," she said. See photos of the damage » . The Kansas tornadoes struck just hours after a tornado ripped through a Boy Scout ranch in Iowa, killing four campers. | NEW: Rescue workers search for survivors, bodies among tornado wreckage . NEW: 60 homes destroyed, 60 damages . Two people dead in Soldier and Chapman . Several buildings destroyed, frat house damaged at Kansas State University . | c7b6eb0ca7e9c0aa906389b19348b3323a0fbd3e |
By . Leon Watson . A bus driver died when his vehicle’s folding doors closed on his neck, an inquest heard. Darren Morley, 50, was killed as he tried to fix one of the two passenger doors after it got stuck when his last customer alighted. His body was found in Wigan, Greater Manchester, by a dog walker. Coroner Jennifer Leeming said on-board CCTV footage, not yet screened to the jury inquest, showed father-of-four Mr Morley getting out of his cab to investigate before the doors close on him. Tragic: Bus driver Darren Morley, fro Wigan, Greater Manchester, who died when the folding doors of his vehicle closed on his neck . A pathologist told the hearing he died due to compression of the neck and that injuries to his body indicated his desperate struggle to get free. It was at around 6.30pm on October 9 last year when passer-by Amanda Bowdler came across the Stagecoach bus and its collapsed driver not far from the company depot in Bryn. She told Bolton Coroner’s Court: 'I saw a bus parked up in the lay-by. All the lights were on but the driver wasn’t sitting in his seat and I knew something was wrong. I have seen buses parked there before. 'I went past and doubled backed and that’s when I saw Mr Morley trapped in the doors of the bus. 'A wonderful person': Mr Morley was killed as he tried to fix one of the two passenger doors after it got stuck when his last customer alighted . A Stagecoach bus similar to the one that Darren Morley drove . 'He showed . no signs of life. I ran in the middle of the road and flagged a lorry . driver down. He felt Mr Morley’s neck and thought he was dead.' Consultant . forensic pathologist Dr Naomi Carter gave the cause of his death as . compression of the neck - explaining how this can result in 'compression . of the air passage, stimulation of nerves and cuts off blood.' Dr Carter said Mr Morley had grazes to his neck consistent with injuries obtained from the doors as . Mr Morley's partner, Angela Connorsaid he was 'family-orientated' and 'happy' and 'provided for all his family through hard work' well as injuries to his forearms and bruising to his legs, indicating how he had tried to get free before he died. Mr Morley’s partner, Angela Connor, paid tribute to him through a statement read out by the coroner, describing him as a devoted father. She said he was 'family-orientated' and 'happy' and 'provided for all his family through hard work and did whatever needed to provide for them financially and emotionally'. Mrs Connor told how he had gained employment with First buses, which later went on to become Stagecoach, in 2005 and 'thoroughly enjoyed his job and was highly regarded by his employers'. She went on to describe how she spent the night before Mr Morley’s tragic death with him at their home watching television and last saw him at 6am the next day as she left for work. She said: 'Unfortunately later that evening the police attended to inform me that Darren had passed away and I later became aware that he had become trapped in the doors in Bryn. 'Darren will be missed by all who came to know him, especially me, his children, his family and his friends. 'He was a wonderful person. I’m devastated by his death and wonder how I will cope.' The inquest continues. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Darren Morley, 50, was killed as he tried to fix a door after it got stuck . The father-of-four's body was found in Wigan, Greater Manchester, by a dog walker . CCTV footage showed the doors closing in on Mr Morley . | f1c2f243c09b50c51c7f86749c8b4efd44dcac1c |
(CNN) -- Searchers have recovered the bodies of three people who were aboard a Yemenia Airways jet that crashed off the coast of Comoros in the Indian Ocean, a spokesman for Yemen's Civil Aviation department said Tuesday. A man hugs a relative of one of the victims at an airport in Marseille in southern France. Capt. Mohammed Abdel Rahman Abdel Qadir also told reporters that a child who was reported found alive was a 5-year-old boy. He did not give further details of the child's condition. "The French said that (Wednesday) they will send more French units to the accident location in order to retrieve the bodies and possibly that they may be able to locate people who are still alive," he said. The Airbus 310 went down early Tuesday, carrying 142 passengers and 11 crew members on a flight that originated in Yemen's capital, Sanaa. Qadir said the jet took off from Sanaa shortly before 10 p.m. Monday and vanished from radar when it was about 16 miles from Comoros' capital, Moroni. Searchers have not located the plane's data recorders, Qadir said, and investigators were not speculating on the cause of the crash. "The weather conditions were indeed very troubling and the winds were very strong, reaching 61 kilometers per hour (38 mph)," he said. "That's one thing. The other thing was that the sea was very rough when the plane approached landing at Moroni airport." But French Transport Minister Dominique Bussereau noted that several years ago France banned the plane, a A310-300, because of safety concerns. "People are talking about poor weather conditions, but for the moment, we are unsure," Bussereau said. "It seems the plane may have attempted an approach, put on the gas, and attempted another approach, which then failed. For the moment, we must be careful because none of this information is verified." Qadir said it was too early to blame the aircraft for the crash. "This plane is just like any other plane," he said. "It can have a malfunction, but we don't know what really happened before the investigation is over. And then we can determine if there is a technical issue, bad weather or anything else that may have led to the crash." It was the second crash involving an Airbus jet in a month. On June 1, an Air France Airbus A330 crashed off Brazil while en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, France. All 228 aboard are presumed dead. The cause remains under investigation. Recent plane crashes » . Former pilot and aviation analyst John Cox said there were no similarities between the two incidents. "These are two dramatically different airplanes flown by two different airlines," Cox told CNN's "American Morning." "The accidents happened at two different regimes of flight. And Airbus has hundreds of millions of hours flying safely. I don't believe that ... we can draw any conclusions because the manufacturer was the same in these two very different types of accidents." At first, Comoros officials said there were no signs of survivors among the dead bodies floating in the choppy waters. But then rescuers found the child. Watch as airline describes child's rescue » . Cox said it reminded him of the 1987 crash of Northwest Flight 255 in Detroit, Michigan, in which only a 4-year-old girl survived while 156 others died. "This has come up before, and it's where the toddler was seated (during the impact) that allowed them to survive," he said. "It's a miracle and I'm glad ... the toddler is safe. I'm just saddened for the loss of everybody else," he added. The Yemeni crash occurred as the plane approached the Hahaya airport in Moroni. The plane tried to land, then U-turned before it crashed, Comoros Vice President Idi Nadhoim said. Officials did not know why the plane could not land, he said. Flight 626 was expected to be a four-and-a-half-hour flight. The airline has three regular flights a week to Moroni, off the east coast of Africa, about 2,900 km (1,800 miles) south of Yemen. The crash occurred about 1:30 a.m., Nadhoim said. There was no indication of foul play behind the crash, the official in Yemen said. Yemenia Air had used the jet since 1999 on about 17,300 flights, Airbus officials said. The company said it would assist in investigating the crash. "The concerns and sympathy of the Airbus employees go to the families, friends and loved ones affected by the accident," the company said in a statement. In the wake of the Air France crash on June 1, United States accident investigators have been probing two recent failures of airspeed and altitude indications aboard Airbus A330s. One flight was between the United States and Brazil in May, and the other between Hong Kong and Japan in June. The planes landed safely and there were no injuries or damage, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. CNN's Saad Abedine and Ayesha Durgahee contributed to this report . | NEW: Three bodies found; French sending team to help search and rescue . A 5-year-old boy recovered alive from Yemeni jet crash in Indian Ocean . Jet was carrying more than 150 people to island of Comoros from Yemen . Crash occurs as plane tries to land at airport, official says . | cf3d6b0d4ad14c6920ff2105defd2feb612ec6c7 |
(CNN) -- Maria Sharapova won the battle of French Open champions as she claimed the Stuttgart title Sunday with a straight sets win over China's Li Na. Sharapova will be defending her title at the clay court grand slam in Paris next month, while Li took the French crown in 2011. Sharapova, who won in Stuttgart in 2012, reserved her best tennis of the week for the final as she brushed aside Li in just over 90 minutes on the indoor clay court surface. She had taken three sets to go through in all her three previous matches, but a 6-4 6-3 victory was reward for commanding play. "I knew this was going to be the toughest match of the week, so I am really pleased with the way things worked out," Sharapova told AFP. "She has played good tennis all week and I am really happy to have won here again." Li had won their previous clash in the semifinals of the Australian Open, but she was broken twice in each set as she slipped to defeat. It has proved an excellent work out for Sharapova as she builds up to the French Open defense, with hard fought wins over Lucie Safarova, Ana Ivanovic and Angelique Kerber on the way to the title match. Last year she beat 2013 Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka in the Stuttgart final before claiming her Roland Garros triumph. "It definitely helped last year on the way to the French Open, it's good to bring back the same confidence on clay as last year," Sharapova added. As an added award for claiming her 29th WTA career title, Sharapova once again can drive away a luxury Porsche 911 Carrera, a bonus from the tournament sponsors. | Maria Sharapova successfully defends WTA Stuttgart title . She beats China's Li Na in Sunday's final in straight sets . Sharapova is defending her French Open crown next month . Winner of Stuttgart tournament also lands a Porsche sports car . | a02416b48f01a9b1cd30e7a6458b86f3959d9f64 |
By . Ted Thornhill . A pensioner fell out of her wheelchair and died after her friend who was pushing her tried to photograph some ducklings with her iPad, an inquest heard. Jean Sloan, 81, was being pushed by Jane Miller when they stopped to watch a duck and ducklings near a pond. She asked her friend to photograph the birds and Mrs Miller let go of the wheelchair as she reached for her iPad to take a photo. Tragedy: Wheelchair-bound Jean Sloan died after the friend pushing her let go to photograph ducklings . Norfolk coroner Jacqueline Lake said: 'As she did so the chair moved forward. She did go to grab it, but then Mrs Sloan then fell out of the chair.' Mrs Miller ran for help after Mrs Sloan fell near the Walcot Hall nursing home where she lived in Diss, Norfolk. Paramedics were called, but the pensioner, who had been in a wheelchair since having a stroke last August, died at the scene on June 25. Verdict: Norfolk Coroner's Court (pictured) returned a verdict of accidental death after an investigation . Mrs Miller said in a statement that the wheelchair had not been on a noticeable slope. A post mortem found mother-of-two Mrs Sloan had died from a ruptured spleen due to the fall. It also found there were contributory factors of heart disease which were not directly linked to the cause of death. Mrs Lake said police had investigated and were satisfied there was nothing suspicious and there were no problems with the wheelchair. She added: 'In the light of the events leading to her death my conclusion is accidental death.' | Jean Sloan, 81, was being pushed in a wheelchair when tragedy struck . The friend who was pushing her let go to take pictures of some ducklings . The chair moved away and Mrs Sloan fell out, fatally rupturing her spleen . The accident happened in the grounds of a Norfolk nursing home . | 32c134c7f63eaeb92f62672f25f083bf12b494e7 |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 18:54 EST, 23 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 18:54 EST, 23 November 2013 . Dad’s Army actor Bill Pertwee, who played grumpy Warden Hodges in the series, left £426,888 in his will to his actor son, Jonathan. The star who died in May aged 86 left the bulk of his estate to his only child though legacies were left for other relatives, friends and charities. Pertwee appeared in 60 of the 80 episodes of the much-loved BBC comedy, which ran for nine series from 1968 to 1977. Bill Pertwee left over £400,000 to his only son Jonathan in his will. The actor died in May aged 86 . Following his death there remain only two living cast members from the television programme which is still being repeated today. Ian Lavender, who played Private Frank Pike and 82-year-old Frank Williams, better known as the Reverend Timothy Farthing, are the show's only remaining alumni. Pertwee was airlifted to hospital in May from a residential home in Wadebridge, Cornwall. The actor died three hours later in his sleep, with his family by his side. The actor is best known for his role as Warden Hodges in the beloved 1970s BBC programme, Dad's Army . His wife of 45 years, Marion McLeod died on the same date in 2005 aged 77. Jonathan Pertwee is the couple's only son and has appeared in a string of television programmes himself. Bill Pertwee was a distant cousin of Michael and Jon Pewtree, the latter of shot to fame in his role as the Third Doctor in Doctor Who. | Actor famed for role as Warden Hodges in beloved BBC programme died in May aged 86 . Pertwee's only son, Jonathan, was left the bulk of his estate . Only two cast members from 1970s television show alive today . | b34310d3d98949095fa2828ce6c35e45cc4b54e5 |
A horse named Gerrard's Slip came third last in the 12.40pm at Doncaster on Saturday, five minutes before Liverpool vs Chelsea kicked off at Anfield. Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard can't escape the slip that Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho insisted 'gave the title to Manchester City' last year in the Barclays Premier League. Gerrard's Slip and his trainer, B Smart, were 18-1 to win at Doncaster but ultimately took nothing from the six furlong race. Steven Gerrard slipped to give Demba Ba a free run at goal during Chelsea's win at Anfield last season . This racecard shows how you can bet on Gerrard's Slip with Coral (and the horse's trainer is called B Smart) The horse is owned by Middleham Park Racing who appear to have a soft spot for Premier League champions City, with Kool Kompany and Captain Dunne also on their books. Mobsta, the favourite, won the race on a miserable-looking day in Doncaster, with Beardwood and Thahab coming second and third respectively. Gerrard gifted Demba Ba the goal that shattered dreams in the red half of Merseyside last year, but on Saturday Liverpool will be keen for revenge. Mourinho began his mind games on Friday, saying Chelsea weren't bothered about the game that 'meant nothing to us' but everything to Brendan Rodgers' Liverpool. Liverpool are yet to establish the form of last year that saw them challenge for the title, as they currently sit 12 points adrift of Premier League leaders Chelsea. The Liverpool captain's slip played a big part in Chelsea's 2-0 win at Anfield in April as the title dream fell apart . Jose Mourinho spoke of Steven Gerrard's slip for Liverpool against Chelsea last season in the Premier League . | Gerrard's Slip came third last at 12.40pm at Doncaster on Saturday . Liverpool kicked off against Chelsea at Anfield five minutes later . Jose Mourinho insisted Gerrard's slip 'gave the title to Manchester City' Middleham Park Racing own horse Gerrard's Slip, trained by Bryan Smart . They also own Man City-themed Kool Kompany and Captain Dunne . | 324c2224223da7f95ea212aa62bbd161849be2cc |
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