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Manchester United are preparing to spend another £150million next summer to complete Louis van Gaal's revolution at Old Trafford. The club have already splashed out £216.4m on additions to their squad since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in the summer of 2013. And their Dutch manager will be handed another war chest in the New Year, with potential 'Gaal-actico' recruits including Roma's Kevin Strootman, Atletico Madrid defender Diego Godin, Borussia Dortmund's Mats Hummels, Barcelona's Dani Alves and Arjen Robben of Bayern Munich. VIDEO Scroll down for Louis van Gaal: Manchester United will always have to pay more . Louis van Gaal has his sights on another crop of expensive signings in the January transfer window . Roma's Kevin Strootman is among United's top targets for the January transfer window . Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels is another player wanted by Van Gaal as he tries to strengthen . Van Gaal also plans to clear the decks by selling fringe members of his squad including the likes of Javier Hernandez, Wilfried Zaha, Tom Cleverley, Nani and Nick Powell, who are currently out on loan. Players out of contract in the next year of two - including Darren Fletcher, Robin van Persie, Ashley Young, Rafael Da Silva, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones - could also be culled. We take a look at United's expensive acquisitions since Ferguson retired and assess how they have performed. Marouane Fellaini (Everton, September 2013, £27.5m) When David Moyes arrived as Ferguson's successor in the summer of 2013, he wanted to make a statement in the transfer market. Unfortunately, the eleventh-hour signing of Marouane Fellaini from his old club Everton was pretty underwhelming for United fans given the top names they were linked to. The mop-haired Belgian struggled and became a convenient scapegoat for the United fans as the club slumped to a seventh-place finish in the Premier League and bombed out of the cups. Fellaini has shown signs of returning to his old combative self since Van Gaal arrived, with his all-action performance in the draw with Chelsea the most impressive so far. Marouane Fellaini is finally starting to show some form at United after struggling in his first season . Juan Mata (Chelsea, January 2014, £37.1m) With United struggling to stand the pace in the Premier League title race, Moyes splashed out £37m to bring in Mata in the January window. The Spaniard quickly made a positive impression with his incisive passing and intelligent movement and he scored six goals. Since Van Gaal's arrival, Mata has been in and out of the starting line-up, but has impressed when he's been involved. He has scored in matches against Sunderland, Queens Park Rangers, Crystal Palace and Stoke City, suggesting he has an important role to play in the side. Juan Mata has been consistently excellent for United since joining from Chelsea last January . Ander Herrera (Athletic Bilbao, June 2014, £29m) Knowing they had to recover lost ground and qualify again for the Champions League, United wasted little time in strengthening their squad in the summer. The signing of Herrera, who had been strongly linked with the club 12 months earlier, was completed for £29m prior to the World Cup. The Spanish midfielder has shown his class in spells so far this season, either side of a fractured rib that forced him out of a few games, and he was particularly influential against Stoke this week. United paid Athletic Bilbao just under £30m for Spanish midfielder Ander Herrera . Luke Shaw (Southampton, June 2014, £27m) United were very keen to buy Southampton left back Shaw and paid a pretty penny to bring the teenager to Manchester. His start to life at Old Trafford wasn't the best, suffering a hamstring injury which ruled him out of the first three Premier League matches of the campaign. And he struggled a little to get up to the pace of United's play initially but has in some matches started to demonstrate the class and capability that has him earmarked as a potentially world class talent. Unfortunately, his momentum has again been stalled by an ankle ligament injury suffered against Arsenal that will keep him out for up to six weeks. Luke Shaw has struggled with injuries since his arrival from Southampton in the summer . Marcos Rojo (Sporting Lisbon, August 2014, £16m) Knowing United were in desperate need of some steel at the back, Van Gaal brought in Argentina's versatile defender Rojo from Sporting Lisbon late in the transfer window. At first, he looked to be a bit of a liability, struggling to adapt to the pace and physicality of the Premier League. The same could be said of United's defence as a whole in certain games. Rojo dislocated his shoulder in the Manchester derby but returned after missing two games and United are slowly starting to look more composed at the back. It's undeniable that United are still in need of an experienced centre half to replace Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, who both left in the summer, in the long-term. Marcos Rojo was brought in from Sporting Lisbon to provide more steel in United's defence . Angel di Maria (Real Madrid, August 2014, £60m) The marquee signing of United's summer, prizing Di Maria away from European champions Real Madrid represented a real coup - though they had to pay a British record £60m to get him. The Argentine has adapted superbly to the demands of the Premier League, contributing three goals and six assists in his 11 appearances to date. Some of the trickery and passing produced by Di Maria has been mesmerising and it's easy to see why Cristiano Ronaldo was so upset when he learned he was leaving Real. Di Maria looks like being a mainstay at Old Trafford for many years to come and is integral to their recovery. Angel Di Maria has looked impressive since his British record signing from Real Madrid in the summer . Daley Blind (Ajax, September 2014, £13.8m) Having worked with Blind during his time as Holland manager, Van Gaal was eager to sign him after arriving at Old Trafford. Far more than a defensive midfielder, Blind offers not only protection for the back line but also plenty of gas going forward. But just as he was starting to find his feet, Blind fell victim to United's injury curse. He damaged knee ligaments in Holland's Euro 2016 qualifier with Latvia and will be out for a few weeks yet. Daley Blind celebrates his goal in United's 2-2 draw at West Brom back in October . Radamel Falcao (Monaco, September 2014, £6m loan fee) The most unexpected signing of United's summer, Falcao arrived on a season-long loan from Monaco on transfer deadline day after they had seen off interest from Man City. United, who paid a £6m loan fee, have the option to sign permanently for another £43.5m at the end of the season. However, this is now in doubt as United have serious concerns about Falcao's fitness - he had just returned from a long lay-off with knee problems - and form (he has scored just once since joining). Radamel Falcao has scored just once for United since joining on loan from Monaco on deadline day . | Manchester United will spend another £150m on signing in summer . Louis van Gaal wants to strengthen his squad in several areas . Arjen Robben, Kevin Strootman and Mats Hummels among targets . United have already spent £216m on players since Alex Ferguson retired . This included Marouane Fellaini and Juan Mata under David Moyes . Van Gaal has signed Ander Herrera, Luke Shaw, Marcos Rojo, Angel di Maria, Daley Blind and Radamel Falcao . | d1dce686c25739992e0450f6fa1a5f6671166541 |
Eight British schoolgirls have travelled to Syria in the last seven months using a route which has become known as the 'jihadi bride trail' - and hundreds more besotted British women have proposed marriage to extremists online. The true figure is likely to be even higher as the police and families have imposed news blackouts in some cases, prompting fears that Britain's anti-terrorism agencies are losing the battle against the radicalisation of young Muslims on the internet. School friends Shamima Begum, 15, and Kadiza Sultana, 16, and Amira Abase 15, from Bethnal Green Academy are reported to be in Syria after flying out of Gatwick for Turkey earlier this month. A fourth unnamed girl from the same school went out in December. 'Groomed': Shamima Begum (left) is thought to have been contacted directly using Twitter by a female IS fighter. She later flew from Gatwick Airport to Turkey with friends Kadiza Sultana (right) 16, and Amira Abase . Sick: Amira Abase (left) flew to Turkey with her friends Kadiza Sultana and Shamima Begum. Radical websites like Jihad Matchmaker (right) have been blamed for encouraging impressionable girls to join ISIS . Flight to terror: Clutching their luggage, the three teenage friends prepare to board a flight to Istanbul . Radical websites like Jihad Matchmaker, which offers to arrange marriages between Muslim women and Jihadists, have been blamed for encouraging young, impressionable girls to travel to Syria. Hundreds of besotted British women have put marriage proposals to jihadists fighting on the front line with Islamic State, according to security sources. One European fighter in Syria who has become a pin-up jihadi fighter has been bombarded with proposals from women all over the world, desperate to be associated with a 'holy warrior'. Jihad Matchmaker, which states it is based in Syria, uses the motto ‘keep it halal and get married.’ Its official Twitter account says: ‘Jihad Matchmaker is here to link up those seeking marriage in Syria in a halal manner.' It is not known how many jihadi brides it has matched to jihadi fighters but it has 378 followers, many of whom are young Western Muslim women. Last year it was forced to deny it was linked to any terrorist groups after it was alleged to been responsible for helping to radicalise teenage girls in the UK. It encourages Muslim women seeking a jihadi husband to make contact through a third party or agent who can represent the girl’s interests under Islamic law. It also claims: 'All actions will be conducted via Shariah acceptable routes and means once agreement and compatibilities are established.' Gone: Yusra Hussien was aged 15 when she told her parents she was going on a school trip before leaving her home, heading to Heathrow airport and boarding a flight to Turkey in October last year . Terror twins: Salma and Zahra Halane fled Manchester in June 2014 to join the Islamic State, becoming the first known British jihadi schoolgirls to travel to Syria . The schoolgirls who fled last week followed the same route used by two 16-year-old twins from Manchester, a 15-year-old from Bristol and another 17-year-old girl from south London. All four are believed to have married Islamic State fighters after travelling to Syria via Istanbul from UK airports. Manchester twins Salma and Zahra Halane fled in June 2014 to join the Islamic State and are the first known British jihadi schoolgirls to travel to Syria. But according to reports they are now teenage widows after their jihadi fighter husbands were killed in battles with Kurdish forces or in Coalition bombing raids. In October Yusra Hussien, 15, a GCSE A* student, from Easton, Bristol, left in October with another teenager, Samya Dirie. Both flew to Turkey from Heathrow in October last year before being escorted into Syria. Jihadi bride: Aqsa Mahmood. A lawyer for her family said they are 'full of horror and anger' that she is being allowed by Twitter to 'recruit and encourage' others to travel to Syria . In contact: Shamima Begum, 15, sent an open message (pictured) to Aqsa Mahmood, 20, who had fled to Syria from Glasgow to be a 'jihadi bride' in 2013, asking her to open a private line of communication . Zahra and Salma Halane are also extremely bright and had 28 GCSEs between them. They were planning to become doctors, having just finished their first year of sixth-form college. They too were said to have been radicalised over the internet. Their father Ibrahim and mother Khadra travelled to the region to try to bring them home, but without success. It is estimated that a total of 60 British women are in Syria living with the Islamic State. Yusra Hussien was aged 15 when she told her parents she was going on a school trip before leaving her home, heading to Heathrow airport and boarding a flight to Turkey in October last year. The City Academy pupil and another girl, Samya Dirie, 17, from London, then made their way to territory controlled by violent extremist group Islamic State in Syria. A picture tweeted by Aqsa Mahmood, who now goes by the name of @muhajirah_ shows her in ISIS' capital Raqqa posing alongside two British women using the nom de guerre's Umm Haritha and Umm Ubaydah . Aqsa Mahmood (right) has been accused of helping to recruit schoolgirls to join Islamic State terrorists . It was reported earlier this month that Yusra contacted some friends to say she is now married. Friends of Yusra, now 16, have claimed that the Bristol teenager contacted them on social media to confirm she was married in Syria living with the Islamic State. Speaking when she first went missing, Yusra's mother Safiya Hussien, 40, said: 'Please come back. I love you so much, all your brothers and sister, we miss you so much, the house is not the same since when you left. Now the families of the four east London schoolgirls fear that their daughters have been groomed into going to Syria to become jihadi brides. | At least eight schoolgirls have left the UK to join ISIS since last summer . Three school friends from Bethnal Green Academy left for Syria last week . Another young girl from the same school travelled to join ISIS in December . Manchester terror twins Salma and Zahra Halane, 16, were the first British schoolgirls to join the Islamic State . Later Yusra Hussien, 15, and Samya Dirie, 17, travelled ISIS-held Raqqa . An Edinburgh-born jihadi bride is thoughy to help recruit young schoolgirls . Aqsa Mahmoud joined the terror group last year and has been in contact with several young British school girls since her arrival . | 582c132bb4e828eb54bd1b600327f140b7e0962c |
By . Daniel Mills . A shark has been spotted swimming near a dead 10-metre whale carcass which washed up on a West Australian beach. The dead humpback was spotted by a member of the public at the remote Buffalo Beach near Australind on Saturday. The Department of Fisheries confirmed that at least one shark had been sighted swimming near it on Wednesday, and are urging people to steer clear of the back beach which is only accessible by four-wheel drive. Stay clear: A shark has been spotted swimming in the shallows of Buffalo Beach, WA, where a dead whale washed up on Saturday . The dead carcass had a number of shark-bite marks on its body and people are being warned not to go anywhere near it . Rotting whale carcasses, apart from attracting deadly sharks, also pose a significant health risk to humans. Authorities are still trying to figure out the best method for its removal. A Parks and Wildlife spokeswoman said the carcass has several bite marks, possibly from a shark, and requested people not to access the beach while the whale is still there. Signs warning people to stay out of the water and away from the whale have been placed on the beach. In April, a humpback whale carcass that washed up on an Albany beach, WA attracted several sharks, and last month another young humpback carcass was discovered at a beach on Perth's northern fringe. | Shark spotted on Wednesday swimming near carcass at Buffalo Beach . People urged to avoid humpback which washed up on Saturday . It is the third dead whale carcass in two months spotted on WA beaches . Authorities trying go work out best removal method . | c959157848a0184e5d7b2a685cae045b748910b8 |
By . Ryan Gorman . PUBLISHED: . 17:31 EST, 27 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 17:37 EST, 27 January 2014 . A North Carolina man was billed $80,000 for an 18-hour hospital stay last summer after being bitten by a snake - and almost all of the bill was for anti-venom. Eric Furguson, 54, of Mooresville, was shocked when he received the massive bill from Lake Norman Regional Medical Center attributing more than $81,000 of the cost to a four-vial dose of anti-venom. He told the Charlotte Observer he was able to find the same anti-venom online at prices ranging from $750 to 12,000 per vial, a staggering difference for which they demanded an explanation. Sticker shock: Laura and Eric Ferguson were surprised after receiving their almost $90,000 bill from Lake Norman Regional Medical Center . Mr Ferguson’s health insurance through Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina reduced the total bill from Lake Norman Regional Medical Center to just over $20,000, of which he paid a deductible of about $5,400 – but his wife worried about the cost of being uninsured. ‘What if it was someone that didn’t have the resources to research and didn’t have insurance?’ Wife Laura Ferguson wondered aloud to the paper. ‘What is fair and equitable here?’ When reached by the Observer, the hospital released a statement saying it rarely charges list prices.‘We are required to give Medicare one level of discount from list price, Medicaid another, and private insurers negotiate for still others,’ said the statement. ‘If we did not start with the list prices we have, we would not end up with enough revenue to remain in operation… Our costs for providing uncompensated care are partially covered by higher bills for other patients. Lake Norman Regional Medical Center: The hospital where the $90,000 bill was incurred last summer . ‘In some cases, Lake Norman Regional’s charge is considerably higher than other local hospitals,’ the statement continued, explaining that discounts of about 62 to 65 percent are offered to patients without insurance, according to the Observer. A lawsuit was filed in 2010 by doctors at Lake Norman and another local hospital accusing the medical facilities of offering kickbacks to doctors who could provide unnecessary treatment. Parent company Health Management Associates denied the allegations, but declined further comment. The Fergusons’ concern is not solitary. A Time magazine expose last year on the cost of medical care in the U.S. revealed Americans spend $2.8trillion a year – 20 per cent of Gross Domestic Product – on medical care. | Eric Ferguson was charged $20,000 each for four vials of anti-venom that he found online for as little as $750 each . His insurance reduced the cost, but he worried about those less fortunate . The hospital said it offers discounts to the uninsured, and charges those that are insured more to offset the cost of uninsured care . | 9e6e3dd6e75df90aafd9dd3e9b90ae879b762ffb |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 19:58 EST, 14 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 22:35 EST, 14 October 2013 . A very coordinated black bear at the Animal Ark Wildlife Sanctuary in Reno, Nevada, is a tetherball champ! The bear is seen swinging the ball around the pole for up to three minutes at a time. And, it obviously loves every moment. Scroll down for video... A big bear swipe: The black bear hits the ball . Watching it as it flies up and up and around . Woah, here it comes! Duck! The ball misses the bear's head just barely and keeps swinging around the pole . Weeee, this is fun! And around it goes again . Come'ere, you! Ok, so maybe I need a little practice . Got it! I'm the champ. | The bear at the Animal Ark Wildlife Sanctuary in Reno, Nevada, can swing the ball around the pole for up to three minutes at a time . | 5b5e493d068443ad45937bd27cc0cb067723dbf9 |
By . Nathan Klein . A pigeon has been caught on camera flying at speeds of 90km/h and zipping in between cars on a busy freeway in Australia. The footage was captured by a passenger inside a car, who filmed the low-flying bird on his mobile phone while driving alongside it. The passenger starts filming after spotting the bird flapping furiously in the middle lane to keep up with traffic around it. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Pigeon racing: Mobile phone captures this pigeon keeping up with 90km/h (55mph) traffic on an Australian freeway . 'What are we doing, 100(km/h)?' the male passenger asks the driver. 'Ninety. We're doing ninety,' he replies, before commenting that the pigeon is 'awesome'. While driving at high speeds themselves, the pair watch the bird zip in between cars - maintaining speed as it spectacularly changes lanes. When a vehicle races up behind the pigeon, the men both yell out simultaneously as if to warn the bird. 'Whoa, whoa, whoa, ease up. Ease up!' one of the males says. The car they are in then accelerates past the bird, who seemingly decides to take the freeway exit for a breather. Dangerous: The pigeon zips in and out of traffic at high speeds before darting out in front of the car filming its incredible journey . The pigeon flies back out into the middle lane and is almost hit when a car races up behind it and slows down just in time . | A pigeon was caught on camera traveling at speeds of 90km/h (55mph) on a busy Australian freeway . The bird is seen zipping in between traffic for more than two minutes before taking the freeway exit on the left . Footage was filmed on the mobile phone of a shocked passenger in a car . | 73710baadf743b4d6e5254872aa12a0b4821952b |
By . Victoria Woollaston . PUBLISHED: . 04:01 EST, 19 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 06:47 EST, 19 July 2013 . It may have taken 69 years but one of the longest-running experiments in the world has captured the fall of a drop of tar pitch on camera for the first time ever. The experiment began in 1944 at Trinity College Dublin to prove that pitch, a material that appears to be solid at room temperature and is also called bitumen, tar or asphalt, is in fact a liquid. Drops take between seven and 13 years to fall and this is the first time a drop has been recorded on camera - a similar experiment in Australia missed filming its latest drop in 2000 because the camera was turned off. VIDEO: See the historic pitch drop fall . Pitch is the name for any 'viscoelastic, solid polymer'. It can be made from petrol and is also known as tar, bitumen or asphalt. Pitch can also be produced in plants, known as resin and it is used to waterproof sails and ships. Physicists from Trinity College claimed the viscosity of the pitch in its experiment is around 2 . million times more viscous than honey, or 20 billion times the . viscosity of water. How quickly the tar drops depends on the exact composition of the pitch, and the environment its in. It can be directly affected by temperature and vibrations. Scientists used to think glass was a slow-moving liquid, because old church window panes are thicker at the bottom, but this . is now considered a solid. Pitch-drop experiments involve heating a sample of solid pitch to increase the material's viscosity - ability to flow. It is then poured into a sealed glass funnel. The tar is left to settle before the stem of the funnel is removed to create a hole for the pitch to drop from. The Dublin experiment is believed to be the second oldest pitch-form test. The oldest known test began at Cambridge University in Australia in 1927 by Professor Thomas Parnell. A decade later the first drop fell and since then only another eight have dropped. It can range from between seven and 13 years for each drop to form and fall. The origins of the Dublin experiment are less known. According to the journal Nature, it is believed to have been started by a professor at the Irish university, Ernest Walton, in 1944 to promote how science experiments can be used for education purposes. One of the longest-running lab experiments in the world, taking place at Trinity College Dublin, has captured the fall of a drop of tar pitch on camera for the first time, pictured. A similar Australian experiment missed filming its last drop in 2000 because the camera was turned off . No-one was watching the drop and it's believed many fell without being recorded. Physicists at the college set up a webcam last April to start monitoring the experiment again and at around 5pm on 11 July the first drop was filmed falling. Scientist Shane Bergin from the university told Nature: 'We were all so excited. 'It’s been such a great talking point, with colleagues eager to investigate the mechanics of the break, and the viscosity of the pitch.' The Australian experiment has been much more widely documented and is in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the world's longest running scientific experiment. It is also believed to have enough pitch in the funnel to last for another hundred years. The oldest known pitch drop experiment began at Cambridge University in Australia in 1927 by Professor Thomas Parnell. The first drop fell a decade later. Professor John Mainstone, pictured, has been custodian of the Australian test since the 1960s but has missed every drop . At room temperatures pitch, pictured, appears to be a brittle solid - but the series of 'drops' which have formed in the Dublin and Australian experiment prove that it is in fact a liquid . The last drop to fall during John Mainstone's Australian experiment was missed because the camera was turned off . Professor John . Mainstone is now custodian of the experiment that is on public display . at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. Since starting at the university in the early 60s he has missed all five drops that have fallen. He hopes to be present when the next one - which has grown into a perfect teardrop shape - finally falls from the funnel. Since . the webcam was erected next to the experiment it has attracted a large . and devoted following of barmy boffins and amateur enthusiasts from . around the world. Indeed, Professor Mainstone was surprised to receive emails from the Inuit people who were watching the experiment online. As more drops fall the gaps between them will grow, so the next drop could be the last one for decades. Prof Mainstone, 77, another alumnus of Cambridge, said: ‘I am friendly with Thomas Parnell's son, who is now in his 80s. ‘He said that other people in the physics department didn't take much interest in it. The students probably laughed at him. ‘It became something of a real oddity . and was hidden away in a cupboard and when I started I had to convict . the department to put it on display. There were people who thought it . should just be thrown out. Professor Thomas Parnell (1881-1948), conceived the now famous Australian Pitch Drop Experiment . Parnell as a Lieutenant in the AIF, serving in France during the latter part of WWI and into 1919 . The earlier drops that fell during the Australian experiment have now flattened . ‘Before he died in 1948, Parnell would have been there for two drops, so I've been there for many more than him. But no one has ever actually watched one fall. ‘The last time it happened I was in London and I got an email saying it was getting close, but I wasn't worried because we had a camera on it. ‘Then I got an email to say it had happened, which was followed by another email to say the camera had not worked. Hopefully the technology is better now. ‘The closest I have been to seeing a drop live is five minutes away, and on another occasion I left the university thinking it would not drop at least until the next day, but when when I arrived in the morning it had happened. ‘It is very difficult to judge when it is going to drop. But as it gets nearer the pitch hangs by filaments and when one of those breaks it goes. ‘The current drop is much smaller than the last one, which is still attached to the pitch, but it may flatten out so the next drop might come away quite clearly. ‘Pitch is not a homogeneous substance and is a complex mix of hydrocarbons so it is difficult to predict what will happen, especially as the conditions have changed with the introduction of air conditioning. ‘People from around the world get in touch about it - and not just from English speaking countries. ‘I've even had emails from Inuit people. There really are pitch drop devotees. ‘Former students come back to the university with their children and grandchildren and look at the experiment and say it looks exactly the same. ‘I hope it continues to run after I'm gone, I think there are another 100 years left and the gaps between drops will get longer and longer.’ | The experiment began in 1944 in a bid to prove pitch, or tar, is a liquid . It takes between seven and 13 years for a drop to fall . A similar test in Australia missed filming its last drop in 2000 because the camera was turned off . | 5010576bacd54430d7da3b757cc1b10f935184d5 |
(CNN)For the second year in a row Hollywood's leading women let fly a clarion call, setting the industry to rights. Following Cate Blanchett's remarks last year, in which the Best Actress winner excoriated the industry for its focus of male-centric filmmaking, Best Supporting Actress winner Patricia Arquette rounded on America's attitude to gender inequality. Reading from a prepared speech Arquette dedicated her award to "every woman who gave birth, to every taxpayer and citizen of this nation. We have fought for everybody else's equal rights, it's our time to have wage equality once and for all, and equal rights for women in the United States of America." The actress' comments received a rousing response; three-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep burst into enthusiastic applause alongside Jennifer Lopez, whilst Arquette's 'Boyhood' co-star Ethan Hawke and director Richard Linklaker looked on with a mixture of pride and surprise. Social media immediately rallied behind Arquette's call. Model Cara Delevingne took to Instagram while 'Girls' creator Lena Dunham and documentary maker Michael Moore turned to Twitter. It was a night in which inequality was in tight focus. Host Neil Patrick Harris poked fun at the lack of diversity among the nominations, whilst rapper Common and R&B star John Legend brought tears to the eyes of audience members with their rendition of 'Selma's civil rights inspired song 'Glory'. But with much of the pre-ceremony disquiet focused on the lack of racial diversity, few expected women's inequality would be brought to the fore. Wage inequality is still prevalent in America. Women earn 77 cents for every dollar men earn, the nation ranking 65th globally in a report last autumn by the World Economic Forum. Last year the top ten earning actors made a combined $419 million, whilst the top ten earning actresses only managed $226 million. Arquette's comments come after reports repeatedly confirm that women in Hollywood are being underpaid and underrepresented compared to their male counterparts. A 2014 study from the Journal of Management Inquiry found Hollywood's women commanded their highest wages at the average age of 34, before rapidly declining. Meanwhile men peak at the considerably older age of 51, remaining stable thereafter. It speaks to Hollywood's obsession with women aging that much of the praise Arquette received for 'Boyhood' revolved around her choice to age naturally on screen across the film's long gestation period, from her peak of 33 through to 46. At age 65, Streep has rebuffed the terminal decline Hollywood imposes on many actresses' careers, but the pedestal the industry places her upon testifies to how rare a case she is. A recent report from the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film has recorded a dearth of female-driven features, with actresses making up only 12% of protagonists in 2014's top-grossing films. This was despite such films earning a large share of total box office -- spearheaded by Jennifer Lawrence, 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1' was the top-grossing film in the U.S. last year with $334 million. But such leading parts are few and far between. In fact, data suggests the number of female starring roles is decreasing, falling 3% since 2013 and down 4% on 2002. Author of the study, Dr Martha Lauzen, told Variety that "there is a growing disconnect or gap between what we might perceive as being the current status of women in film and their actual status... A few high-profile cases can skew our thinking." Lead actresses are even missing out in films directed by women. Last year female protagonists starred in only 39% of such films, whilst those directed by men registered at a meager 4%. Among the 57 films nominated at this year's Oscars, 15 had out-and-out female leads -- that being, a film told from the lead actress' perspective. Representing 26% of the total nominees, this percentage is far higher than Hollywood's output last year. However, among those 15 films there were 11 foreign films, shorts, animations and documentaries, demonstrating how leading actresses are often left on the periphery when it comes to major Hollywood features. There were no female-driven stories among the eight films vying for Best Picture; so too in both adapted and original screenplay categories. Speaking of the lack of female-driven films, Dr Lauzen pointed the finger of blame at those off-screen. "We need to have greater diversity behind the scenes if this is going to change." Read LZ Granderson on inequality at the Academy Awards . Read more from CNN at the Academy Awards . Read more from Leading Women . | Arquette took to the stage and criticized the lack of gender equality in America . Data shows women are both underrepresented and underpaid in Hollywood . Women took only 12% of leading roles in Hollywood last year . Women also underrepresented in minor roles, with age demographics still skewed towards the young . | 24bc9f84ad056ecb26d57668277e9a85e7b4f99b |
By . Sam Adams . PUBLISHED: . 13:06 EST, 28 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 15:18 EST, 28 February 2013 . Gifts: Tanya Strangeway allegedly received cash gifts from DC Nicholas McFadden who is accused of making thousands of pounds from selling drugs that had been seized in raids . A 'corrupt' detective constable accused . of making thousands of pounds from selling drugs that had . been seized in raids was cheating on his wife with his ex-fiancee, a . court has heard. Detective Con Nicholas McFadden, 38, had an on-off affair with colleague Tanya Strangeway after they called off their engagement in June 2006, his trial was told on Wednesday. DC McFadden's wife, Clair, and Ms Strangeway, both gave gave evidence, one after the other, at Leeds Crown Court - telling the jury how he had began spending large amounts of money on them. The policeman is currently on trial accused of stealing heroin, cocaine, amphetamine and cannabis and then plotting with his older brother Simon, 41, to supply the drugs. They are alleged to have made around £600,000. Ms Strangeway told how she had started seeing him when he was newly married to Clair, but that they had ended it when she became pregnant. She said: 'We had been happy but both of us had had debts. I guess I blamed Nick for those debts but I did have my own credit card debts and had a loan I needed to pay back. 'I brought the relationship to an end because I'd fallen out of love with him but we kept in contact as friends. We used to text and send the odd email. I became aware in December 2006 that he'd met Clair but early in 2007 my relationship with Nick became intimate. 'When me and Nick started seeing each other again we started making plans to get back together.' The court heard how DC McFadden had ended his relationship with his ex-lover when his wife discovered she was pregnant in May 2007. 'After Nick decided to stay with Clair, we didn't have much contact,' said Ms Strangeway. 'Then, in June 2011, I received a text message off Nick saying we were going to be working together on a job. Then we became close again. He told me that he had something he wanted to give me and when we met up, that's when he surprised me.' Trial: DC McFadden is on trial at Leeds Crown Court. He denies stealing and conspiring to sell drugs . Ms Strangeway said DC McFadden had given her a parcel which contained bundles of ten and twenty pound notes. 'There was £10,000 in total, she said.' 'I made an assumption that the money came from the sale of his house. It was a life-changing amount of money from a house we shared together. I didn't feel like I had to ask questions about it. I had no reason to doubt him.' The court heard how McFadden bought an Audi A4 for his ex-lover in July 2011, costing £10,000, gave her £2,000 in cash for a shopping trip and posted parcels of money through her letterbox, amounting to around £1,000. The gifts came to light when Ms Strangeway was asked to declare them after the vetting procedure changed at her work. 'Nick was very concerned about his wife finding out that he'd given me the money and the car,' she said. Giving evidence, Mrs McFadden, an assistant headteacher at a primary school, said: 'Our daughter was born in January 2008 and Nick changed. It really brought us together. We were really happy and I couldn't have asked for more. 'Flattered': DC McFadden's wife Clair told Leeds Crown Court that she was 'flattered' by the expensive gifts her husband gave her . 'Towards the end of 2010, he seemed to have more money and started paying for things but I assumed he was just taking more responsibility after he became a father.' Mrs McFadden said she was 'flattered by the attention and the extravagance'. 'In December 2010 he changed all the windows in the house and bought me a private number plate for my car. He gave me £8,000 in cash and told me not to pay it into a bank.' She said DC McFadden told her the money had come from the overtime he was doing and said he had remortgaged his property. 'I accepted what he said because he was my husband and a police officer. He thanked me and said it was all down to me organising him.' The court heard how DC McFadden organised a lavish trip to London for a weekend, forking out for first class train tickets, fitted a new kitchen and built an orangery at the back of the house. But things changed following a luxury family holiday to Egypt in August 2011, after the policeman had resumed his affair with his ex-lover. She said her husband began having mood swings, 'and just acted like he didn't want to be there,' and was always on his mobile phone. At their home in September 2011, Mrs McFadden said she found him crying and shaking whilst 'curled up in a ball on the bed.' 'He said he wanted to leave but I managed to calm him down and he stayed. Another night I left him decorating and went to bed,' she said. 'He never followed and when I woke up in the middle of the night I had a text message off him saying he had taken some lads, who he'd caught doing things they shouldn't be, in our street to the police station.' On October 13, when Ms Strangeway had been questioned by police following the declaration of the money and the car, the court heard that she received a text message from DC McFadden apologising for what he had done. It read: 'You did the right thing. I have dragged you into something I shouldn't have. I cannot express how deeply sorry I am for what I have done to you. I've ruined a lot of lives. Sorry.' The court heard previously how police first became aware of DC McFadden's suspicious activities in the middle of 2011 when his bank alerted officers to the fact that he had deposited a total of £30,000 in small payments into their cash machines over three months. When police arrested him at work in October 2011 they searched his Ford Focus car and found £6,000 in wads of cash hidden in different compartments, the jury were told. They also found wads of cash stashed in bags, totalling £19,755, and a further £157,560 in the garage of his home in Castleford, West Yorkshire. Between the homes of DC McFadden and his brother, there was over £600,000, the court was told. DC McFadden has pleaded not guilty to eight charges of stealing and conspiracy to supply drugs between 2007 and 2011, with his brother, of Leeds, pleading not guilty to four charges of conspiracy to supply and one of money laundering. DC McFadden and Simon McFadden's wife Karen have pleaded guilty to money laundering. The trial continues. Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons. | Detective Constable Nicholas McFadden 'had affair with Tanya Strangeway' She told court he showered her with gifts including £10,000 in cash . DC McFadden's wife Clair said he also gave her expensive presents . Court told thousands of pounds in cash were found in DC McFadden's car . | eb959f642e2d564a5b69b83a9946e56d95a80631 |
Editor's note: James Alan Fox is Lipman Family Professor of Criminal Justice and professor of law, policy and society at Northeastern University in Boston. Fox has written 17 books, including a forthcoming volume, "Violence and Security on Campus: From Preschool to College." James Alan Fox says a "person of interest" hasn't been implicated in a crime -- at least not yet. (CNN) -- The intense public interest surrounding the September 8th disappearance of 24-year-old Yale graduate student Annie Le has, since the discovery of her body last Sunday inside a wall of the laboratory building where she had been working, shifted over to a male lab technician who was described by New Haven Police as a "person of interest." In a formal court of law, the distinction between suspect and "person of interest" is as fundamental as the assumption of innocence prior to evidence of guilt. In the informal court of public opinion, however, the distinction is so badly blurred that the good name and reputation of truly innocent people have often been ruined. Many Americans will recall the name of Richard Jewell, who police and many news organizations called a person of interest following the Atlanta Olympic Park bombing. He was completely innocent and settled out-of-court with several news outlets for defamation of character. [Editor's note: CNN settled with Jewell for an undisclosed amount but maintained its coverage was fair and accurate.] . As a security guard stationed near the explosion site, Jewell was in the right place to uncover evidence but in the wrong place for appearing above suspicion. Similarly, a Seattle, Washington man, once described in the local media as a "person of interest" in an ongoing investigation of the Green River serial killing spree, was later awarded $30,000 as settlement for his lawsuit against three area news organizations. The historical timeline related to the scarlet "I" (for interest) does not extend very far. It is hard to imagine Sgt. Joe Friday of the old but classic Dragnet TV drama saying to his partner, "this fella seems like a person of interest." But, of course, just-the-facts- ma'am Joe wouldn't have speculated about possible investigative leads, at least not to the media. Curiosity about the now often-used designation involves more than just the fact that "person of interest" was not part of law enforcement vernacular a few decades ago. It is more that the thick blue line that distanced the cops and their investigations from the press as agents for an insatiable public has eroded in an age of instantaneous information, satellite-broadcasted -- and YouTube replayed -- press briefings, and crime-oriented cable news programs. Police investigators have long differentiated suspects from subjects. Suspects may include those arrested for a crime or a person still at large for whom an arrest warrant has been issued. In either case, there is probable cause to pursue criminal prosecution. In contrast, a subject is someone who warrants investigation by virtue of his/her relationship to a victim or proximity/access to a crime scene but who has not, at least so far, been implicated in the crime. That is, the subject designation leads to a police investigation, while the suspect designation results from one. Often times, the list of subjects in a continuing investigation can be extensive, but rarely is that true of the list of suspects. The subject-suspect distinction may have worked fine in the days before the press was all over police investigators like flies at a picnic. To avoid confusion from the sound-alike terms suspect and subject, the alternative phrase "person of interest" has become increasingly commonplace -- a creation for the media, if not by the media. Unfortunately, even without the linguistic similarity, the important distinction between person of interest and suspect is too often lost on most Americans. The arrest of Raymond Clark in connection with the murder of Ms. Le may officially signal a move from interest to suspicion. However, the recklessness of publicly naming persons of interest, even if it eventually leads to an arrest, does not serve the interests of justice. While it is hardly necessary to return to the "just the facts" days of close-lipped cops, a moratorium on releasing and publicizing the identities of persons of interest before and until they become persons of suspicion may be the wisest and fairest approach. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of James Alan Fox. | James Alan Fox: "Person of interest" is a relatively new term . He says term describes someone who isn't officially a suspect at this point . Fox: Some prominent persons of interest have been proved innocent . He says identity of persons of interest should be withheld . | 8985004393b1674e4362d1020d7b33fbfcdff0df |
On the Sunday after the Newtown massacre, President Barack Obama traveled to Connecticut to comfort the grieving community. As the president offered what he could to the town, other American communities, in less visible ways, were grappling with their own menace of violence. In Camden, New Jersey -- a city that has already suffered 65 violent deaths in 2012 , surpassing the previous record of 58 violent deaths set in 1995 -- 50 people turned out, some bearing white crosses, to mourn a homeless woman known affectionately as the "cat lady" who was stabbed to death (50 of the deaths so far this year resulted from gunshot wounds.) In Philadelphia, on the same Sunday, city leaders came together at a roundtable to discuss their own epidemic of gun violence; the year-to-date total of homicides is 322. Last year, 324 were killed. Of those victims, 154 were 25 or younger. A councilman at the roundtable asked, "How come as a city we're not in an outrage? How come we're not approaching this from a crisis standpoint?" The concerns go beyond Philadelphia. In the week following the Newtown massacre, there were at least a dozen gun homicides in Chicago, Detroit, Baltimore and St. Louis alone. In a year of highly publicized mass shootings, inner-city neighborhoods that are plagued by gun violence have continued to be neglected and ignored. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, large metropolitan areas account for more than two-thirds of deaths by gun violence each year, with inner cities most affected. The majority of the victims are young, ranging in age from their early teens to mid-20s, and black. To track these violent deaths, many communities and media organizations have set up agonizing online trackers -- homicide watches or interactive maps -- that show each subsequent victim as just another data point. These maps are representative of a set of issues far larger than the nameless dots suggest. In the immediate aftermath of Newtown, as politicians and public figures across America grapple with the horrible truths of gun violence, far less visible from the national spotlight is the steady stream of inner-city victims. The media is fixated, and with justification, on the string of high-profile massacres that have rocked the nation in Aurora, Colorado; Tucson, Arizona; Virginia Tech; and now in Newtown. Yet in many of America's neighborhoods most affected by the calamity of gun violence, there is a warranted exasperation -- residents are tired, tired of the ubiquity of guns, tired of fearing for their children's safety, tired of being forgotten. Critiquing a narrow media focus doesn't deny the horrible, tragic nature of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School; mass shootings, however, make up only a small fraction of America's shockingly high level of gun crime. In his study "American Homicide," Randolph Roth showed that while the overall risk of being murdered is higher in America than it is in any other first-world democracy, homicide rates vary drastically among groups. According to Roth, if current trends are maintained, one out of every 158 white males born today will be murdered, but for nonwhite males it is likely one of every 27 born today will be murdered. The stark difference in these racial trends can be traced to the high levels of racial segregation in America's cities, which have created a spatial barrier between poor inner-city youths of color and more mainstream America -- a barrier that is often responsible for the lack of media and political attention paid to inner-city problems. Many experts claim that actually it is the spectacular nature of mass shootings that naturally magnifies media coverage and explains the resonance of these tragedies to the broader public. Inner-city violence on its own, however, does not suffer from a lack of awful, spectacular violence and calamity. In fact, the gruesome nature of violence in inner cities has contributed to widespread social desensitization to gun violence. How then do we explain the differing public responses? An indicator of the difference of attention levels lies in the tone of the public rhetoric in the wake of mass shootings: "This was supposed to be a safe community," and "This kind of thing wasn't supposed to happen here." These statements imply that in America's leafy-green small towns and suburbs, gun violence is a shocking travesty; it strikes against America's perception of what is acceptable. In contrast, gun violence in the American metropolis has been normalized, and the public and media display a passive indifference toward the lives of inner-city youths. This normalization of inner-city violence is due in part, to the isolation and segregation of America's ghettos from wider America, but it is also due to a sense that the victims of inner-city violence are responsible for their own condition. As Robert Sampson, a professor at Harvard University, has highlighted, the gun violence in American cities is born out of neighborhood characteristics such as poverty, racial segregation and lack of economic opportunity. This shortened explanation for the high levels of inner-city violence has often been mistaken to imply that it is the direct choice of inner-city residents to remain either in poverty or in their segregated community that leads to their victimization. In reality, the victims of inner-city gun violence are the victims of a dual tragedy. The first is that the poverty and segregation, which play a crucial role in spurring the downward cycle of crime, are the result of social arrangements predicated on longstanding oppression and prejudice. Through a complex mix of violence, institutional arrangements and exploitation, black Americans were pressured into ghettos, which are the hotbeds of contemporary gun violence. Their inability to escape their conditions is not a choice but rather the byproduct of continued structural discrimination. Slowing the tide of inner-city deaths through gun control is therefore a modern-day civil rights issue. If the refusal of America's national politicians to move on gun control before Newtown represents a political failure and a paucity of American will, then the disregard for the lives of inner-city youths stricken by gun violence on a daily basis is an illustration of the limits of American compassion. The slaughter of young children en masse should be a moment of reckoning for any society, but there is a day-by-day, child-by-child slaughter occurring in America that has gone on too long and is yet to be reckoned with. If Newtown should teach us anything, it is that all of us in America share this same short moment of life, and that we all seek to ensure safety, security and prosperity for our children. As Vice President Joe Biden and the presidential task force meet to negotiate about what new gun laws to recommend, they must look to Sandy Hook Elementary and beyond. We need to protect the children of Newtown from the threat of future gun violence, but the children of Chicago and Camden and Detroit deserve the same long-term security. We may not be able to ensure absolute security for America's children, but through smarter policy America can surely save more of its children from gun violence. Follow @CNNOpinion on Twitter. | While America was mourning Newtown victims, guns were claiming lives elsewhere in U.S. Authors: Media focus on mass shootings, but continuing violence also needs coverage . They say inner cities suffer an epidemic of gun killings, and young are particularly vulnerable . Authors: There is a day-by-day slaughter of children that must be stopped . | 656ea8562dbbaa2f81934f5d6f9fdf5f96e34ae3 |
A mother of three, who taunted authorities to catch her as she stole about $20 million from the IRS, has been jailed for 21 years. Rashia Wilson, who pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft earlier this year, admitted to stealing more than $3 million but the figure is believed to be much higher. Tampa police were first alerted to the fraud in 2010 when they noticed a drop in drug dealing in the area. Taunt: Rashia Wilson, who boasted on Facebook that she was untouchable, has been jailed for 21 years . As Wilson, who became known as the 'First Lady of tax fraud' was sentenced on Tuesday, she was denied the chance to hug her three children, aged between 2 and 12, good-bye, according to the Tampa Bay Times. 'She knew what she was doing was wrong. She reveled in the fact that it was wrong,' U.S. District Judge James. S. Moody Jr. said. The 27-year-old, who also pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, had boasted on Facebook that she was untouchable. 'I'm Rashia, the queen of IRS tax fraud,' the post stated. 'I'm . a millionaire for the record, so if U think indicting me will B easy it . won't, I promise you! U need more than black and white to hold me down N . that's to da rat who went N told, as if 1st lady don't have da TPD . under her spell. I run Tampa right now.' A psychologist brought in to testify for the defense argued the Facebook post was a sign of Wilson's bi-polar disorder, which made her liable to brag. Lavish: Wilson, who lived in a large house, spent the money on designer handbags, big screen TVs and cars . Pay back: Wilson's $90,000 Audi A8 is towed from her Florida home . Valerie McClain told the court that 'adolescent bragging' in Facebook posts is consistent with manic-phase behavior. Wilson had bi-polar diagnosed when she was 14. Wilson's fraud was discovered during a two-year investigation called 'Operation Rain Maker', named in reference to all the money raining down on the suspects' mail boxes, according to ABC News. The multi-agency investigation included Tampa Police Department, IRS-Criminal Investigations, the Secret Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. Those involved in the tax fraud operation used stolen Social Security numbers to file returns, according to the Global Dispatch. The scam meant that ordinary taxpayers had to wait for up to a year to receive their refunds. Sentenced: Rashia Wilson, who has been jailed for 21 years, has been in trouble with the police before . Previous convictions: The 27-year-old has been booked on several occasions by Florida police since 2004 . Arrest record: Wilson has been arrested previously for grand theft auto, robbery, battery and affray . Wilson, whose mother was addicted to . cocaine when she was born, and whose father was in prison while she was . growing up, came from a life of poverty to extreme wealth. $90,000 on an Audi A8. $30,000 on her son's first birthday party, which included carnival rides for children to play on. Designer handbags from Prada, Gucci and Louis Vuitton. Jewellery, including a custom-made necklace spelling out her name in jewels, which she wore in a photograph that showed her posing with stacks of money. When police searched her Wimauma home they removed electronic goods, including large flat-screen TVs. Although she still claimed food stamps during her fraud, she used the ill-gotten gains to fund a lavish lifestyle which included spending $30,000 on her son's first birthday, buying a $90,000 Audi and designer handbags and sunglasses. Wilson also had a custom-designed necklace, spelling out her name in jewels, made for her, according to Fox News. As well as finding designer goods at her home in Wimauma, police said the number of security cameras around the property had raised suspicions. Wilson has been ordered to $3.1 million in restitution. The amount reflects the estimated loss to the government at the time of her plea. The investigation later found the figure to be higher but the judge agreed to honor the plea agreement. She will owe the restitution with co-defendant Maurice Larry, who has sentencing hearings due in August and September. Scam: The investigation was named Operation Rain Maker because of the money raining down on suspects' mail boxes . At the time of the investigation, 13 people were arrested for charges including identity theft, scheming to defraud and fraudulent use of credit cards. Tampa police major Ken Morman told ABC last year that a decline in drug dealing suggested criminals had found a more lucrative business. He said the suspects would use hotel rooms and rented houses to train recruits about how to commit the fraud. | Mother of three boasted she was 'Queen of IRS fraud' on Facebook . Police alerted to scam after spotting drop in drug-dealing . | bd7ee9d84faf35e80e266f98326e8706f76495f7 |
By . Michael Zennie . PUBLISHED: . 15:26 EST, 29 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 04:00 EST, 30 January 2013 . President Barack Obama managed to provoke the ire of Republicans before he even unveiled his immigration reform plan this afternoon . The president is refusing to tie tougher border enforcement to his proposal that would allow 11million illegal immigrants to become American citizens. Obama, who campaigned on giving undocumented immigrants 'a pathway to citizenship,' laid out his plan this afternoon, claiming it is similar to the one proposed on Monday by a bipartisan group in the U.S. Senate. His proposal includes stepped up enforcement - like a new program to that would help businesses verify the immigration status of applicants before hiring them. The lynchpin, though, is a provision that would give illegal immigrants legal status if they register with the government, pay a fine and back taxes and learn English. Scroll down for video . Three points: President Barack Obama's speech at Del Sol High School in Las Vegas, Nevada, laid out stepped up enforcement measures, a pathway to citizenship and loosening restrictions on legal immigration . Push: Obama said he would do everything in his power to make Congress act quickly on immigration reform . The president said Congress must also act to make legal immigration easier for highly-educated and highly-skilled foreigners who want to settle in the United States. 'We need congress to act on the 11 million undocumented immigrants who are in the country right now,' he said. Later he added: 'Remember that this is not just a debate about policy, it’s about people. It’s about men, women,' the president said. 'They want nothing more than the chance to earn their way into the American story.' The battle-hardened Obama, anticipating a fight with House Republicans, said that if lawmakers did not act quickly, he would introduce his plan to Congress and demand an 'up or down' vote on it. 'The foundation for bipartisan action is already in place,' he said. The president said that a bipartisan coalition of senators, including Tea Party conservatives Marco Rubio of Florida and Jeff Flake of Arizona, as well as Democrats Chuck Schumer of New York and Dick Durbin of Illinois, had agreed on a package similar to his own. Standing tough: Florida Senator Marco Rubio said he would not support any immigration reform package that doesn't require enforcement mechanisms before allowing illegal immigrants to become citizens . President Barack Obama's plan to reform immigration relies on three tenants - stepped up enforcement, a 'pathway to citizenship' and making it legal immigration more accessible for highly-skilled workers. Here are excerpts from Obama's proposal. Enforcement: . Citizenship: . Legal immigration reform: . Both packages include increased border enforcement and a system that will force businesses to determine whether they are hiring legal residents. Both include a 'pathway to citizenship' that forces immigrants to pay back taxes, a fine and 'go to the back of the line' behind legal immigrants before they can become American citizens. Obama's plan also includes provisions to allow higher numbers of highly-skilled legal immigrants to move to the country if they study at American universities or plan to start businesses in the United States. A second group of U.S. Senators has proposed similar measures. However, Rubio told conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh on Tuesday that he would not back a pathway to citizenship like the one Obama described without tougher border enforcement mechanisms in place. 'If there is not language in this bill that guarantees nothing else will happen unless these enforcement mechanisms are in place, I won't support it,' Rubio told Limbaugh in a direct appeal to his base. Under the Senate agreement, a group of border-state law enforcement officials and policymakers will have to certify that border security has been tightened. Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security must develop a better exit control system to track foreign visitors and ensure the country knows which ones have overstayed their temporary visas. Rubio said he would refuse to support any bill those does not include those 'triggers.' 'I think that would be a terrible mistake,' he told Fox News. 'We have a bipartisan group of senators that have agreed to that. For the president to try to move the goalposts on that specific requirement, as an example, does not bode well in terms of what his role's going to be in this or the outcome.' Support from Rubio, a rising star in the Republican party and a late signatory to the Senate deal, is seen as one of the keys to convincing conservatives in the U.S. House to pass the legislation. Despite possible obstacles to come, the broad agreement between the White House and bipartisan lawmakers in the Senate represents a drastic shift in Washington's willingness to tackle immigration, an issue that has languished for years. Much of that shift is politically motivated, due to the growing influence of Hispanics in presidential and other elections and their overwhelming support for Obama in November. Another key difference between the White House and Senate proposals is the administration's plan to allow same-sex partners to seek visas under the same rules that govern other family immigration. The Senate principles do not recognize same-sex partners, though Democratic lawmakers have told gay rights groups that they could seek to include that in a final bill. John McCain of Arizona, who is among the eight in the Senate immigration group, called the issue a 'red flag' in an interview Tuesday on 'CBS This Morning.' Washington last took up immigration changes in a serious way in 2007, when then-President George W. Bush pressed for an overhaul. The initial efforts had bipartisan support but eventually collapsed in the Senate because of a lack of GOP support. Cognizant of that failed effort, the White House has readied its own immigration legislation. But officials said Obama will send it to the Hill only if the Senate process stalls. | Senator Marco Rubio, a conservative Republican who is behind an immigration proposal in the Senate, said he would not vote for a bill that doesn't put enforcement first . Obama said the 'time is now' for immigration reform and promised to push his plan plan if Senate negotiations get bogged down . Proposal includes citizenship for illegal immigrants, enforcement mechanism and reforms to make legal immigration easier for highly-skilled foreigners . | 7cc061814b661bdbca0d6336c9fa32141934afe9 |
SEATTLE, Washington (CNN) -- The homeless men and women shuffle across the frozen ground of the tent camp and surround a steel drum burning wood. They use the flames to cook food and to stay warm. The tents in Seattle are covered with tarps and plastic sheets to help keep out the elements. The tents they live in are small, covered by tarps and plastic sheeting to keep water out. Several tents are collapsed under the weight of a recent snowfall. For Bruce Beavers, however, this camp is just about the best place in the world he could be living right now. "This is a place for people who lose their jobs, lose their houses, to have some kind of structure and for them to get back out in the world," he says. Set up in the parking lot of a church near Seattle, Washington, the camp houses anywhere from 50 to 100 homeless people each day. Residents call it Nickelsville. The name takes a page from the infamous "Hooverville" shantytowns of the Great Depression that were named for a president many thought did not care about their economic hardships. Watch resident give tour, explain rules » . Some residents here say they blame Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels and a system they believe makes it difficult to escape homelessness. "In shelters, if you don't get there in time enough, you don't have your bed no more 'cause there are so many people trying to rush in to get it," Beavers says. "Got a lotta people losing their homes. You don't want to go all the way to the bottom. Nickelsville is kind of a catch in between." Like many of the other Nickelodeons -- as the people who share this church parking lot call themselves -- Bruce Beavers never expected to be homeless. He managed warehouses and hardware stores, had a 401(k) plan and owned his home. But Beavers said he lived beyond his means and eventually lost everything. Beavers and other homeless say they were tired of a shelter system that often splits up families into different housing, does not provide a place for people to keep their possessions while they look for work and offers too few beds. So they say they decided to try their own way. They formed a camp where the homeless living there would know they had a guaranteed place to stay. There would be around-the-clock security to keep people from having their things stolen, the tents would be built from donated materials, and alcohol and drugs would not be permitted. It would be a place for people trying to get out of homelessness. Evan Balverde is a plumber who came to Nickelsville after an accident forced him to stop working. "We don't just take in everybody," Balverde says. "We'd like to, but the thing is just a lot of these people out here are mentally incapable or they're drug addicts or alcoholics and stuff, and that's why they are on the streets. We don't put up with that. "We're here for people in rough times and homeless, but if you are doing it to yourself, then this isn't the place for you." The dubious legality of the camp set the organizers on a collision course with the city, and several times police have moved the Nickelodeons off the land on which they were squatting. An invitation to relocate the camp outside a local church gave Nickelsville a reprieve, at least for the time being. Johnny Turner, a homeless man who helped found the camp, says he would like to see Nickelsville grow into a permanent shelter that could accept more people needing a place to go. "We need more Nickelsvilles," he says. "There's nowhere else." See photos of Depression-era tent cities » . Al Poole of the Seattle Human Services Department says the city spends nearly $8 million a year on the homeless. Still, there aren't always beds available for every person needing one, and sometimes families do need to be placed in different shelters. While tent cities might fulfill an immediate need, Poole explains, they also can have the negative effect of turning people who live near the camps against the homeless. Walking around the neighborhood that borders Nickelsville, it is hard to imagine that many residents are happy that their homes now face a homeless camp. And many residents were upset, says homeowner Roland Bradley, when the camp first arrived at their street. "We had a meeting at the church the week before they came," Bradley says. "One of the concerns that people had was about crime and people breaking into their home and children being molested and noise. But that hasn't happened." Motioning to the camp, Bradley adds: "The reality is that could be us one day." | Tent city in Seattle, Washington, houses 50 to 100 people . Residents say they formed tent city because of dissatisfaction with shelters . "We don't just take in everybody," resident says . Nearby homeowner says of tent city dwellers: "That could be us one day" | 0d4fd929b099a7e1a3876d3cf4cf636cbdf8fb5d |
By . Suzannah Hills . PUBLISHED: . 14:35 EST, 9 March 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 04:41 EST, 10 March 2014 . More than 30 families have been left homeless after their shacks in a Nepalese shanty town were burnt to the ground. Squatters at the shanty town - mainly poor Indian immigrants - already had very few posessions or valuables but they have now lost everything they did own. The blaze, which apparently broke out because of an electrical short circuit on Sunday, has left them completely destitute with nowhere to sleep at night. Firefighters attempted to put out the blaze at the Bhimsengola slum in Kathmandu but the 50-odd makeshift bamboo huts, which served as the squatters' homes, burnt to the ground in a matter of minutes. Burnt to the ground: Nepalese fire fighters and police try to extinguish a blaze at the Bhimsengola slum in Kathmandu, Nepal . Destruction: At least 50 makeshifts bamboo huts were burned to the ground before fire fighters could extinguish the blaze . Big response: Five fire engines, two tankers, Nepalese police and armed services were sent to the scene to battle the blaze . Three buildings nearby were damaged in the blaze but fire fighters managed to stop it from spreading any further . Five fire engines and two tankers were deployed to the scene around 1pm, along with Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and Nepal Army. Three surrounding buildings also suffered fire damage but firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze before it spread any further. Many residents could be seen crying in the street or rifling through the rubble in the hopes of finding some surviving remnants of their homes or something of value. Most will now have no choice put to start sleeping rough on the streets. Homeless: Squatters living in the slum - mainly Indian immigrants - have been left homeless after the blaze destroyed their huts . The squatters lost all of their belongings - leaving them completely destitute . Grief: Residents of the slum attempt to retrieve items that may have survived the blaze . Ruined: A boy young digs out a charred bicycle after the fire at slum in Kathmandu . DSP Abhinarayan Kafle, in charge of the Gaushala Metropolitan Police Circile, said: 'There are no casualties. However, the houses have been completely destroyed.' Kathmandu is home to nearly 50,000 squatters spread across the city's slums, which are often located along the Bagmati river in areas at risk of landslides. Most slums are seriously overcrowded with several people living in a single room leading to the spread of diseases. Many slum residents are under threat of being evicted to make way for developments as the Government hopes to clean up the area and promote new business. A mother clutches her young child as she weeps over her burnt home at a slum in Kathmandu, Nepal . It is believed the fire started by an electric short-circuit in one the bamboo huts and quickly spread through the slum . It is estimated up to 50,000 people live in slums in Kathmandu, many in overcrowded conditions. Those who lost their huts in the blaze will likely have to sleep on the street . Residents warm themselves next to a fire near the Bagmati river after losing their homes in a fire at a squatter settlement . | Blaze broke out at the Bhimsengola slum in Kathmandu on Sunday afternoon . Around 50 makeshift bamboo huts were destroyed in the blaze - leaving more than 30 families homeless . Five fire engines were sent to scene and managed to out the fire before it spread further through the city . | de71669ba43851767326b559f4d0c1ddfdd370db |
By . Sara Smyth . PUBLISHED: . 05:04 EST, 9 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:41 EST, 9 May 2013 . Comedy duo Wallace and Gromit will star in a £4 million ad campaign to show off the best of Britain this Summer. In an effort to boost UK tourism, the beloved animated characters will visit top UK destinations on their holidays. Wallace and Gromit are seen traveling the country, finding fun at York Castle, Stonehenge and the Tower of London. Thrill seekers: The comedy duo scale the heights of a ride at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, a popular attraction for locals and tourists . An Englishman's home is his castle: Wallace and Gromit take to a beach to build sandcastles and enjoy a rare spot of English sunshine . On your back doorstep: Wallace & Gromit's 'Great Adventure' campaign shows the spectacular sights of Britain, including the historic Tower of London . Argy Bargy: Gromit does the leg work and Wallace puts his feet up as they make their way along a countryside canal . The advert will be shown in cinemas and on television as part of 'Holidays at Home are GREAT' campaign, which starts this Sunday. It is not known how much of the £4million budget was spent commissioning Wallace and Gromit creator Nick Park, 54. He told the Sun: 'A nice cup of tea and some tasty local cheese is always a favourite, so they won't be disappointed with their holidays in the UK' It aims to encourage people to holiday at home, to raise £80 million in additional tourism spend and more than a million overnight stays. VisitEngland chief executive James Berresford said: 'Wallace and Gromit are wonderful ambassadors for holidays at home. 'They are a quintessentially English . double-act with universal appeal at home and abroad, and I’m sure they . will capture the public’s imagination.' Movie magic: Wallace and Gromit will make their debut as British ambassadors on Sunday. They pull out all the stops at Belfast's Titanic centre to win over viewers . Take the dog for a walk: Wallace and Gromit explore the beautiful Welsh coastline and advise you to do the same . Doggy paddle: Gromit has geared up to tackle the waves in Newquay, UK's main surfing spot . Indoor entertainment: Wallace and his stubborn pet dog take in some culture in London's West End, where musicals play to packed crowds . It's behind you: Wallace and Gromit miss a sighting of the elusive Loch Ness Monster in the Scottish highlands- something they encourage tourists to do . Larking about: Wallance and Gromit celebrate Summer solstice at Stonehenge . Wallace and Gromit get into the spirit of things in their Viking outfits at York Castle . | Wallace and Gromit star in tourism campaign promoting British 'staycation' TV ad and e-postcards show off comedy characters enjoying best of Britain . £4 million campaign to encourage people to holiday at home . | 874e101523f059690369a93fcca3fede1aee7046 |
By . Mike Jaccarino . PUBLISHED: . 10:56 EST, 5 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:41 EST, 5 January 2013 . Throwing down the gauntlet: Jimmy Kimmell slams Jay Leno as a washed-up has-been who hasn't been funny in 20 years. Oh, and he also called him a sell-out . Late-night upstart Jimmy Kimmel may have them rolling in the aisles during show, 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' But the ABC funnyman reserved his most biting barbs for Jay Leno, recently repudiating the 'Tonight Show's' hoary-haired humorist as a has-been, or, 'a master chef who opened a Burger King.' 'Leno hasn’t been a good stand-up in 20 years,' Kimmel said in a new Rolling Stone cover-story, an advanced copy of which The New York Daily News obtained. 'As a comedian, you can’t not have disdain for what he’s done: He totally sold out.' Kimmel, who was apparently smoked copious ganja with the Rolling Stone scribe during his stoned-out tet-e-tet with the magazine, was more complimentary of David Letterman, his childhood idol. 'If I beat David Letterman in the ratings, does that mean I’m better than Letterman? No f***ing way,' he said. Kimmel also praised Leno’s NBC colleague, Jimmy Fallon, who hosts 'Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.' SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Show some respect!: Kimmel, among other things, said Leno had sold out in response to an inquiry about the quality of the latter's stand-up sets at a Los Angeles nightclub . Long-time feud: This is the first time that Kimmel has ran afoul of Leno, as the late-night upstart has hammered him on numerous occasions going back to 2010 . Burgeoning rivalry: Kimmel called Leno's NBC late-night colleague, Jimmy Fallon, a 'very worthy competitor' to whom he will inevitably be compared for years to come . Childhood Idol: Kimmel had nothing but praise in the Rolling stone interview for David Letterman, up to whom he looked as a child . Write caption here . Late-night wars: The attacks come just days before Kimmel moves his show to the same time slot, 11.35pm ET, as Leno's long-running 'Tonight Show' 'People are going to compare me and him . for years to come — we’re being positioned as the Leno and Letterman of . the next round,' Kimmel reportedly said. 'I like it because he’s a very . worthy competitor.' Kimmel's . acerbic assaults on Leno - which lent the Rolling stone interview the . same air as a hyped prizefight's weigh-in - come only days before he . moves his show from midnight to the coveted 11:35pm ET slot, where it will directly compete in the ratings with Leno's 'Tonight Show' Specifically, . the sallies concerning Leno were offered mostly in reply to the Rolling . Stone scribe's question concerning the quality of Leno's recent sets at . Los Angeles's 'Comedy & Magic . Club.'However, Kimmel apparently didn't need . an excuse to let fly on the established funnyman. Having long held Leno . in contempt, Kimmel recently compared him to a weapon-wielding zombie . who just won't die. Here's the dope: Kimmel was apparently smoking dope with the Rolling stone scribe when he blitzed Leno in the magazine . 'Jay Leno is not going to be able to stay on television forever, and obviously Jimmy Fallon is the heir apparent,' Kimmel reportedly said. 'And [Fallon is] doing a great job, so it makes sense people would talk like this. That said, you can never count Jay out. He seems to pop up just when you think he's dead -- he comes alive and he's got a hatchet.' Leno hasn’t been a good stand-up in 20 . years. As a comedian, you can’t . not have disdain for what he’s done: He totally sold out. According to ABC News, Kimmel in 2010 offered audiences an unflattering impersonation of Leno on his show. He also chastised Leno for planning a return to 'The Tonight Show' after Conan O'Brien was forced out as the show's host the same year. And last year, at a New York City event, Kimmel said of Leno, “F*** him.” The issue of Rolling Stone featuring Kimmel hits newsstands Friday. Leno has taken some hits of late from other comedy corners. None other than David Letterman recently weighed in, paying him a very backhanded compliment during a televised interview with Oprah. 'I will say, and I'm happy to say, that I think he is the funniest guy I've ever known,' Letterman reportedly said of Leno. 'Just flat out, if you go see him do his nightclub act, just the funniest, the smartest, a wonderful observationist and very appealing as a comic. Therefore, the fact that he is also maybe the most insecure person I have ever known - I could never reconcile that.' | During a reefer-laced interview, Kimmel said of Leno: 'He totally sold out' Stoned sallies come as Kimmel moves his show to 11.35pm, or the same time as Leno's 'Tonight Show' Praises David Letterman and Jimmy Fallon, the latter of which he called a worthy foe . Attacks come on heels of Letterman referring to Leno as 'the most insecure person I have ever known' | 68da0bf8e319692a5369fa921fe33e713fe01a7e |
By . Tom Mctague, Mail Online Deputy Political Editor . Sir John Major said Nigel Farage's win would inadvertently help David Cameron . UKIP's stunning election victories last week will help David Cameron win concessions from Europe, former Prime Minister John Major claimed today. Sir John said European leaders could no longer ignore rising euroscepticism and return powers to Britain in the Prime Minister's renogotiation. He predicted that the Prime Minister would win restrictions to free movement rules to curb immigration. Sir John claimed the success of Ukip and other anti-EU parties would force other European leaders to listen to Mr Cameron's demands. But he said despite Nigel Farage popularity his party would soon slump in the polls. He said UKIP was a 'very intolerant' party and its appeal is not likely to last for a 'long time' despite its success in the European elections. Sir John Major said: 'The recent European elections have emphasised that very clearly. I think the results of these negotiations right across Europe have made a renegotiation much easier. 'It’s apparent now to governments right across Europe that reform of the European Union is necessary – it isn’t working as it should, it isn’t working in the way in which European citizens think it should. 'And I think that gives a great deal of power to the British determination to renegotiate because they will have allies today which in the 1990s we, frankly, didn’t have.' He claimed the UK had won concessions from European in the past and Mr Cameron would be able to do the same. The former Tory leader said: 'Many people, when I went to Maastricht said it would not be possible to negotiate Britain out of the euro, I did. 'They said it wouldn’t be possible to negotiate us out of the social chapter, I did. 'More recently, they said David Cameron couldn’t negotiate a budget reduction, he did. 'Now, they’re just three, there are several other things the Prime Minister has done which people said couldn’t be done. So let us not say it can’t be done - it can be done and I think this Prime Minister can do it and I think these recent elections will help him do it.' David Cameron, speaking shortly after arriving in Brussels this week, demanded that the EU stopped being so 'bossy' Sir John said people would 'surprised' with how much the Prime Minister would be able to do. He said: 'Of course, nobody can be certain what will happen, but as the Prime Minister has said himself, free movement of people cannot be unqualified and I think that is very important.' He added: 'Free movement of capital, trade and people is one of the fundamentals, but I think that is an issue that will have to be addressed by governments other than us. 'And I think there are some things that could be done, as the Prime Minister’s already said, free movement to take up work, not benefits. ' I don’t think you can have an absolute restriction on movements, but maybe you could qualify it in different ways and I think that is something that would find an echo in many European governments, as well as here.' The former PM also insisted that Mr Cameron would bring back enough from other EU leaders to satisfy British demands and win a referendum. He said the public would back Britain's place in Europe - and eventually lose interest in UKIP. Sir John said Mr Farage has been 'very smart.. at exploiting grievances'. Nigel Farage was congratulated by fellow European MEPs after winning last week's elections . But he warned that the arguments for quitting Europe are 'absolute nonsense' and said it would cost billions. He said: 'Ukip are extremely good at exploiting grievances and people are very upset about Europe. Politically, Ukip have been very smart in exploiting those disagreements, but Ukip are not, frankly, a very tolerant party. 'I don’t think their appeal is one that is instinctively likely to continue for a long time and I think we have seen that in some of the things they have done recently. So I think they are there and of course they are an impediment for the moment.' He added that the investment which has helped Britain's economic recovery had not just come for our 'pretty blue eyes' but because of the single market and the European Union. He said: "Frankly [those calling for Britain to leave the EU] are wrong. Much of this publicity about that is absolute nonsense. We would lose free access to the single market ... we’d have to pay for access to the single market.' | Former PM claims EU leaders can no longer ignore euroscepticism . Says Farage's success is inadvetant boost to Cameron's renogotiation . Prime Minister will also win restrictions on EU migration he claims . Slams UKIP as 'very intolerant' party that will lose its appeal . | 7e0d6a389161a74dcbe4080f28096a752524f256 |
The New England Patriots' cheerleaders reduced a player of the opposite team to tears when they paid tribute to his young daughter who is battling cancer. Devon Still's daughter Leah, four, was diagnosed with stage 4 Neuroblastoma in June, and the Patriots' cheerleaders showed their support when they played the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. Instead of their normal red, white and blue outfits, the Patriots' cheerleaders donned Still's Bengals jersey, a tribute which reduced the 25-year-old defensive tackle to tears on the field. Scroll down for video . Showing support: The New England Patriots' cheerleaders wear the jerseys of Cincinnati Bengals player Devon Still as a tribute to his daughter Leah who is battling stage 4 cancer . A father's love: Devon Still, 25, with his daughter Leah, 4, who is being treated for Stage 4 neuroblastoma and has been given a 50-50 chance of survival . Still has not been able to devote himself fully to football since Leah was diagnosed with Stage 4 neuroblastoma in June this year. Initially missing out on Cincinnati's 53-man roster so he could be by his daughter's side, Still was then offered a spot on the practice squad, ensuring Leah would be covered under the team's health insurance policy. He went public with his daughter's cancer diagnosis 'not for sympathy,' he wrote on Instagram, but 'because I've come to the point where I no longer [am] feeling sorry but [want] to ask that y'all keep my daughter in your prayers... 'The more prayers that go up, the more faith we [have] that she will overcome this obstacle,' he wrote. 'if y'all know me y'all know this girl is my world...I know that she is strong and she won't let anything hold her down without a fight.' #LeahStrong: The moving tribute by the Patriots' cheerleaders to his daughter reduced Stills to tears . Fighting: Still posted a video of himself giving Leah a peptalk ahead of major surgery, which then went viral . Still has set up a donation program encouraging people to pledge money for every sack the Bengals' defense gets this season in an effort to help raise money and awareness about pediatric cancer. 'Kids always look up to their parents, but in just a matter of a week that all reversed for me,' Still wrote on the campaign page . 'I can honestly say I truly look up to my daughter now. In the four years of life she has had, she has been through way more than I have in 24. Her courage, strength, and high spirits through it all is nothing short of inspirational. 'So I am dedicating my season to her and inspiring others like she has inspired me.' Last week, Still posted a video of him giving Leah a pep talk before she went into surgery to remove a cancerous tumor which went viral. Charity works: The Cincinnati Bengals have been donating the proceedings from the sales of Still's jersey to cancer research and the hospital where Leah is receiving treatment . Raising awareness: Sales of Still's jersey - seen on the Patriots' cheerleaders on Sunday - raised $400,000 in support for cancer research and the Cincinnati Children's Hospital in the first four days it was on sale . Uniform support: Before donning Still's jersery, the Patriots' cheerleaders wore pink to acknowledge Breast Cancer Awareness Month . However, Still made it clear that Leah still faced a long road ahead, as the little girl will require further treatments to remove the cancer in her bone marrow. He Tweeted: 'Just to clear up some rumors...my daughter is NOT cancer free..today was a big step towards that but still a long road ahead. 'She has stage 4 which means the cancer spread to her bone marrow which we hope will be removed with her next couple of treatments.' The Cincinnati Bengals announced last month that they would donate 100 per cent of the proceeds from sales of Still’s No 75 jersey in support for cancer research and the Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Still's jersey sold more in its first 24 hours than any other Bengals jersey had in a single day and raised $400,000 in the first four days the jersey was on sale . Sunday’s game ended in a victory for the New England Patriots to a dominant 43-17 victory over previously unbeaten Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. | Cincinnati Bengals player Devon Still's daughter Leah, 4, has stage 4 cancer . On Sunday, the New England Patriots' cheerleaders paid tribute to her . The cheerleaders wore Devon Still's jerseys instead of Patriots outfits . Bengals have been donating proceeds from sales of his jersey to hospital . The club raised $400,000 in the first four days . | 3338e1ec94b51ca2d5c7810eabe114f3a34ad913 |
Austin, Texas (CNN) -- Hoopla surrounding South by Southwest Interactive, the techie festival that wrapped up here Tuesday, has exploded in recent years. The event is famously known for helping to boost Twitter in 2007 and Foursquare three years later, giving it a rep as a launching pad for new digital tools. Fresh-faced startups converge on Austin, hoping to get venture capital and buzz. It's one of the reasons attendance at SXSWi this week swelled to an all-time high of 30,621, up some 25% from last year. It also has created big expectations. One of the most commonly asked questions among attendees here is, "What's the coolest new thing you've seen?" "That hype has been good for growth. But it's also proved to be a double-edged sword," said Hugh Forrest, director of the festival, in an interview here Tuesday. "People expect something to launch here Friday and be as big as Facebook by Sunday. There are things here that may not hit the mainstream for a couple of years, because they're not fully developed." SXSW has gotten so big and diffuse that trends can be hard to quantify. But if you go to enough panels and talk to enough people, some themes start to emerge. Here are five takeaways from the past five days: . Hardware, not software . As digital tech went social and mobile, recent years at SXSWi have been all about social apps. Two years ago the buzzword was group messaging; last year it was "social discovery" apps such as Highlight, which let you know when people who share your interests are nearby. But this week, SXSW has been acting a little more like CES, the annual electronics gadget show. MakerBot, which makes desktop 3-D printers, made headlines by unveiling a device that scans small three-dimensional objects so they can be replicated in a printer. Also getting buzz was the tiny Memoto "life blogging" camera, which clips to a shirt or jacket and snaps a picture every 30 seconds; and the Leap Motion Controller, which plugs into a computer and lets users interact with the machine by waving their hand. "We've had a much more hardware and gadget focus than we've had before," said Forrest, who thinks the new wave of gadgets may catch on because of their simplicity of use. Much of the talk at SXSWi was about uses for a gadget that wasn't even officially shown here: Google Glass, the Internet-connected eyewear that Google expects to roll out later this year. Yes, 3-D printing is a thing . MakerBot wasn't the only company in Austin that makes 3-D printers, which can produce objects from computer models by layering thin sheets of molten plastic. 3D Systems was here with their Cube home 3-D printer, which they marketed by having a man walk around Austin wearing it around his neck. Several SXSW panels also explored the promising future of 3-D printing, expected to be a hot tech trend in coming years. "I think the 3-D printing stuff is still a little too complicated for most of us," Forrest said. "But the next generation of this technology will be simpler to use. That's always the key here: The SXSW crowd is full of first adopters, but can your mom use it?" Space, the next entrepreneurial frontier . With the shuttering of NASA's space shuttle program, many feared the exploration of outer space would wane with it. Instead, innovators have leaped into action, sometimes aiming even higher than government agencies have (at least publicly) dared. That enthusiasm was on ample display at South by Southwest this week. At least 15 panels focused on private space travel during the festival. Entrepreneurs proposed everything from a Mars fly-by that would launch in 2018 to building new, privately owned modules on the International Space Station. Someone even proposed a multibillion-dollar reality show following prospective astronauts training for a one-way mission to Mars. Elon Musk, the CEO of private company SpaceX, hosted one of the most popular keynotes of the week. He detailed his company's recent mission to the International Space Station and showed a never-before-seen video of a reusable rocket designed to one day blast capsules into space and then safely land itself. He said he wants to see humans on Mars. In his lifetime. Preferably him. "I would like to die on Mars," he joked. "Just not on impact." Big, large, enormous data . Stephen Wolfram, the scientist behind the data-driven Wolfram Alpha computational search engine, told a SXSW audience that "In the modern world, everyone should learn data science," or mining large databases for useful patterns of information. Nate Silver, The New York Times data guru who got a flood of press when he correctly predicted results in all 50 states during last fall's presidential election, hosted a keynote in which he said data-crunching could have useful applications in the public sector, such as studying incarceration data to reform the prison system. Most government agencies collect reams of data but it gets ignored because of bureaucracy, said Silver. "But we should understand that it's hard to take this big data and turn it into progress," he said, no doubt splashing cold water on the many startups seeking to scour databases, such as Twitter stats, for lucrative products. On the flip side, a Carnegie Mellon professor showed how combining online data with facial-recognition software could reveal a surprisingly detailed dossier on a person, including an educated guess about their Social Security number. More celebrities (human ones, too)! When compared to its glitzier siblings, the SXSW film and music festivals, South by Southwest Interactive has until recently been low in celebrity wattage. Let's face it, tech geeks don't walk the red carpet much. But as more famous people embrace technology -- everyone wants to look smart -- SXSW is attracting bigger names with only tangential connections to the tech industry. This year's event featured talks by MSNBC host Rachel Maddow, former vice president Al Gore, Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Cory Booker and hoops star Shaquille O'Neal. This trend is not an accident. "There are a lot of people here, and it makes it easier (on us) if you can get someone like a Rachel Maddow who can fill a big room," Forrest said. However, the biggest celebrity at SXSW 2013 wasn't even part of the official programming: Viral Web star Grumpy Cat, who posed for photos in the Mashable House and drew lines of fans around the block. That just goes to prove: You can launch the cleverest app in the world, but cats still rule the Internet. | The South by Southwest Interactive festival wrapped up Tuesday after five days . Festival director: "We've had a much more hardware and gadget focus than ... before" Other trends: 3-D printing, private spaceflight, mining big data . Festival attendance swelled to an all-time high of 30,621, up some 25% from last year . | c6f40b6594c581b02bcb2cd18b1db3fd5c9c5e94 |
The Indian Prime Minister made a bold fashion choice to greet President Obama, arriving in a suit with his own name repeatedly sewn into it. Narendra Modi gave Michelle Obama some stiff competition, in a dark suit with gold pinstripes and a check pocket square for talks with the president yesterday. But the stripes on the fitted wool jacket and trousers Mr Modi wore were not actually stripes at all - and close-up photographs revealed the words 'Narendra Damodardas Modi' had been embroidered on his outfit. Scroll down for video . Narendra Modi met President Obama in a dark pinstriped suit with his own name repeatedly sewn into it . Close-up photographs revealed the words 'Narendra Damodardas Modi' had been embroidered on his outfit . Damodardas was Mr Modi's father, a tea seller in western Indian state of Gujarat. Fans of Mr Modi on Twitter loved the look, but political . opponents jumped at the chance to hit back at the prime . minister. 'The levels of megalomania and narcissism are . unparalleled,' said Shehzad Poonawalla, a supporter of the main opposition party, Congress. 'It reveals a lot about the mindset of the man.' The Gujarat state-based designer, who asked not to be named, has worked closely on designing Mr Modi's wardrobe since 2001. Narendra Modi presents a reproduction of telegram sent by U.S. to the Indian Constituent Assembly in 1946, to Mr Obama yesterday . He said: 'We were told that he had loved it because it was something . exclusive.' Obama's three-day visit to New Delhi has already yielded . plans to unlock billions of dollars in nuclear trade and to . deepen defence ties, steps the world's two largest democracies . hope will establish an enduring strategic partnership. India's leader has long been known for his flair for . fashion, often sporting short-sleeved versions of the kurta, the . Indian knee-length loose shirt. The look has become so popular that the 'Modi Kurta' has . become its own label in India. Obama also praised Mr Modi's fashion sense at a state dinner held on . Sunday in New Delhi, comparing it to his wife's elegance. 'So he's tough. And he also has style,' he said. 'One of our newspapers back home wrote, 'Move aside, . Michelle Obama. The world has a new fashion icon.'' Obama also praised Mr Modi's fashion sense, comparing it to his wife's elegance. Pictured from left, Michelle Obama, Indian President Pranab Mukherjee, Mr Obama and Mr Modi attend a reception in New Delhi today . | Narendra Modi made a bold fashion choice to greet President Obama . Wore a dark suit with gold pinstripes and a check pocket square for talks . Close-up photographs revealed the words 'Narendra Damodardas Modi' Mr Obama praised Mr Modi's sartorial flair, adding: 'He has style' But a supporter of the opposition party said: 'The levels of megalomania and narcissism are unparalleled' | 74238a4934207c0342cbef5b23d57d6a94e957ca |
An unprecedented number of children are being prescribed strong anti-psychotic medication, sometimes by doctors who have little experience in dealing with child psychiatric experience. New figures revealed by the ABC show that more than 100,000 scripts were written for children around Australian for such medications in the past year. In Queensland the figures were highest with 645 in 100,000 children on a form of anti-psychotic, according to statistic from the year 2013. NSW had the second highest rate, followed by the ACT and Victoria. Figures were lower in West Australia, the Northern Territory, South Australia and Tasmania. New figures have revealed that young more than 100,000 Australian children have been prescribed anti-psychotic medication . In 2012, the Australian Federal Government estimated that at least 12,000 children were on anti-psychotic medication, the ABC reported, but that figure appears to be much higher now. Risperidone, Quetiapine and Olanzapine are the three most commonly prescribed medicines. Such medications are primarily used to treat conditions like bipolar and schizophrenia which don't emerge until the late teenage years, but these are increasingly being used to control some symptoms of autism or kids who exhibit particularly aggressive behaviour. Child psychiatrist Jon Jureidini has criticised the overuse of such medications, saying that more children are prescribed with anti-psychotic medication than the number of them who actually suffer from psychotic disorders. One doctor said an alarming number of children in foster care are being prescribed anti-psychotic medication for behavioural problems . 'We should make no mistake about these drugs – they are dangerous drugs,' he said, adding that they can cause many side-effects including weight gain. He added that an alarming number of children in foster care are being prescribed anti-psychotic medication for behavioural problems. 'I think we have to face up to the fact that children in foster care are being inappropriately overmedicated,' Dr Jureidini said. Dr Jureidini also said there is little evidence to support the use of such medications are safe in young children, and described their use as largely experimental. He urged people to seek alternative treatment like psychology before reaching for potentially harmful medications. | In 2013 more than 100,000 Australian children were given prescriptions for anti-psychotic medications . Queensland had the highest rate, with NSW had the second highest figure . One doctor said an alarming number of foster children are over-medicated . | e58ae83fc740bb0eac9d2dc7eaeb3aca56113cc5 |
White is the most popular colour for underwear, but new research says 51 per cent of it goes grey. Here, we put the most common whitening solutions to the test to see if any of them really work. We washed a pile of new, white, cotton pants three times in different coloured washes to get them all the same shade of grey. We kept a pristine, white pair and one of the grey pairs for reference to gauge any colour changes in the rest of the underwear as they were tested. Daniel Browne, of Blossom & Browne’s Sycamore Launderers And Dry Cleaners in London — a holder of three royal warrants — gives professional advice on each technique. DENTURE CLEANING TABLETS . Many people claim an overnight soak in warm water with dissolved denture tablets will transform off-whites . Many people claim an overnight soak in warm water with dissolved denture tablets will transform off-whites. Denture tablets are a blend of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), well-known for its cleansing properties, and citric acid, which has natural bleaching properties, so it sounds plausible. I use two Steradent Active Plus tablets (£1 for 30). The next day, rinsed and dried, the fabric smells minty fresh and the grey has lifted a shade. But the fabric is rough and bobbly. Expert opinion: Sodium bicarbonate is used as a stain remover and deodoriser, rather than a bleaching agent. It might remove biological stains, such as sweat and smells, but it’s unlikely to bleach out the grey efficiently. 1/10 . SUNLIGHT . It’s the oldest trick in the book: hang laundry in the garden on a bright day and the sun’s powerful ultraviolet rays will bleach any discoloration. After a day soaking up sunshine, my laundry smells fresh. But the UV rays had whitened my smalls only subtly. Expert opinion: Sunlight can help fade a ketchup stain on a tablecloth, but it’s unlikely to bleach an entire item of clothing. Further UV exposure may help fade the grey even more, but too much will damage delicate fabric. 2/10 . NAPPY DETERGENT . Napisan powder can make underwear come out a couple of shades lighter . If it can make nappies look good, perhaps it can perk up off-white briefs. I add a tablespoon of Napisan powder (£3.80 for 800g) to a couple of litres of hot water, give it a stir and leave to soak for two hours. The water and underwear immediately turn bright blue, but there’s a lovely washing powder smell. After rinsing and drying, I’m amazed. The underwear is a couple of shades lighter and the fabric and elastic look as good as new. Expert opinion: Soaking agents remove stains, but the combination of bleaching agents and optical brighteners in this product have helped remove and disguise some of the grey, too. 5/10 . SOLUBLE ASPIRIN . This is widely touted online as a fix for off-colour whites. I dissolve three aspirin (30p for 16 tablets) in a litre of warm water and leave my smalls to soak for eight hours. Once washed, rinsed and dried, the underwear looks tired, as if it has been laundered ten times rather than four, but the fabric is a shade whiter than the Napisan-treated version. Expert opinion: Salicylic acid in aspirin may have a bleaching effect. I’d be wary of soaking clothes in aspirin solution as its acidity could damage delicates. 6/10 . LEMON JUICE . Lemon is well known for its natural bleaching effects. I add the juice of three lemons to a litre of hot water and leave my pants to soak overnight. In the morning, the water and underwear are yellow. Lemon is well known for its natural bleaching effects . After a rinse and tumble dry, the knickers are back to their original grey and the decorative elastic at the waist is curled and puckered. Expert opinion: Lemon juice is unlikely to whiten clothes because it contains fruit sugars, which attract dirt and cause discoloration and staining. The acid from the juice may have started to eat away at the elastic in the decorative waistband, too. 0/10 . HOUSEHOLD BLEACH . the most obvious method to try is household bleach. I soak greying whites in warm water with a little bleach (£2 for two litres) for an hour. After washing, rinsing and drying the underwear, it’s obvious the bleach has removed more grey than all the other techniques. However, the underwear is still a dull off-white, with a lingering smell of chlorine. The fabric looks rather tired and the elastic has slackened, too. Expert opinion: Bleach can whiten greying fabrics efficiently, but getting the ratio of bleach and water and the timing of your soak right can be almost impossible. Nine times out of ten, the fabric will turn yellow. Always check the care labels on garments to make sure it’s safe to use bleach as it can damage some fabrics. 7/10 . DR BECKMANN GLOWHITE . I had high hopes for this product, which claims it will ‘restore that intensive whiteness’ even at low temperatures. Empty a sachet into the washing machine with my usual detergent, then run a 30c wash. Washed and dried, the grey has faded a couple of shades . I empty a sachet (£1.85 for five) into the washing machine with my usual detergent, then run a 30c wash. Washed and dried, the grey has faded a couple of shades — on a par with the aspirin effect. The fabric feels soft, but the elastic is curled and mis-shapen. Expert opinion: Most supermarket whitening treatments will improve the brightness of your whites. But a coloured trim or logo may transfer or fade. 6/10 . SLOW COOKER . A friend put me on to this bizarre whitening technique. Borax substitute (£1.59 for 500g) is a traditional cleaning powder that can be used for everything from scouring work surfaces to making your own laundry detergent. I place my underwear in a slow cooker with 2tbsp of powder and a couple of litres of water and put it on a low setting overnight. The next day, the kitchen is filled with a metallic, chemical smell. Washed and dried, the knickers are a few shades lighter, but with an odd salmon pink hue. Expert opinion: Putting cotton underwear on a very hot wash may help to brighten it, but an eight-hour boil wash is extreme and likely to damage the fabric and delicate trimmings. 4/10 . HOW PROFESSIONALS DO IT . Daniel Browne says: ‘The main reason underwear goes grey is transference of colour from other garments, so always wash whites separately. ‘White cotton should brighten up on a very hot wash. This is not true for all fabrics, so always check the care instructions. ‘Optical brightener (the little blue dots in your washing powder) helps make white clothes appear whiter, but can build up over time, leaving it dull and grey. ‘The colour in fabric softener will also dull whites over time. Gentle hand wash detergent and a white fabric softener can control this. ‘Keep your washing machine really clean. Mould, fluff and dirt inside the drum and drawers can discolour clothing. ‘Three or four times a year, clean your machine by adding a litre of white vinegar to your empty machine once it has filled with warm water and allowing it to run through a hot cycle.’ | An overnight soak with dissolved denture tablets will transform off-whites . Napisan powder can make underwear come out a couple of shades lighter . Lemon is well known for its natural bleaching effects . Borax substitute can be used for work surfaces and as laundry detergent . | 3d58339303440b54710be1f0428c30d06a675347 |
By . Damien Gayle . PUBLISHED: . 05:46 EST, 19 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:46 EST, 19 April 2013 . A baby elephant who was almost hacked to death by ivory poachers is walking again thanks to an ingenious new boot and lots of TLC. The 17-month-old calf called Suni was found in Zambia almost a year ago dragging herself along by her front legs, weak and dehydrated, after suffering severe axe wounds. Elephant poaching across Africa is . now at its highest level for more than 20 years, which campaigners say . is due to increased demand for ivory from newly affluent Chinese . consumers. Scroll down for video . Back on her feet: Orphaned elephant calf Suni tests her . new leg cast at the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation supported . Elephant Orphanage Project near Lusaka, Zambia . Left for dead: Suni was found in Zambia almost a year ago dragging herself along by her front legs, weak and dehydrated, after suffering severe axe wounds. Her mother had been killed and stripped of her tusks . Suni's mother had been killed and stripped of her tusks, while a deep wound to Suni's spine had paralysed the new-born calf's right leg. But staff at the Elephant Orphanage Project near Lusaka, the Zambian capital, came to Suni's aid and nursed her back to health. They flew in a team of specialists from Norway and the U.S. to operate on the orphaned youngster and fit her with an aluminium leg support which has put her back on her feet. 'It was touch and go at first. But as the swelling decreased in her back she demonstrated increasing feeling in her leg,' said Rachel Murton, manager of the Elephant Orphanage. 'With a combination of physiotherapy, massage and intense nursing we kept our fingers crossed for this little fighter.' Frolicking: With her regained mobility Suni is now able to charge around with her friends at the orphanage, but she still needs constant care, medical support and milk feeds every three hours . The unique leg support which was designed and built specifically for Suni is made of aluminium, PVC and leather. With her regained mobility Suni is able to charge around with her friends at the orphanage, but she still needs constant care, medical support and milk feeds every three hours. She is on the road to recovery, however. Kelvin Chanda, head keeper at the orphanage, said: 'You cannot imagine the excitement from all involved when Suni finally walked normally for the first time.' A worldwide moratorium on trading in ivory has been in place since 1989 but since 1997 there have been sustained attempts by certain countries to overturn the ban, according to campaign group Bloody Ivory. Injuries: When she was found nearly a year ago, a deep wound to Suni's spine had paralysed her right leg . Vets preparing Suni for her operation: Specialist flew in from Norway and the U.S. operate on the orphaned youngster and fit her with the aluminium leg support which has put her back on her feet . Vets prepare to work on Suni's damaged leg and spine: The unique leg support, which was designed and built specifically for Suni, is made of aluminium, PVC and leather . Rachel Murton, manager of the Elephant Orphanage, said: 'It was touch and go at first. But as the swelling decreased in her back she demonstrated increasing feeling in her leg' 'With a combination of physiotherapy, massage and intense nursing we kept our fingers crossed for this little fighter,' Ms Murton added . A bloody trade: Across Africa, elephant poaching is now at its highest level for more than 20 years, which campaigners say is due to increased demand for ivory from newly affluent Chinese consumers . Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe were in 1999 allowed an 'experimental one-off sale' of over 49,000kg of ivory to Japan. A further one off-sale was approved in 2002 and finally took place in 2008, resulting in 105,000kg of ivory being shipped to China and Japan. In 2009, over 20,000kg of ivory was seized by police and customs authorities worldwide and in 2011, just thirteen of the largest seizures amounted to over 23,000kg, breaking all records since the ivory ban. Suni bonding with another orphan: A worldwide moratorium on trading in ivory has been in place since 1989 but since 1997 there have been sustained attempts by certain countries to overturn the ban . Where it goes: Ivory items on sale in Hongqiao Market, Beijing. In 2011, just thirteen of the largest seizures of illegal ivory amounted to over 23,000kg, breaking all records since the ban on its trade . The United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna organisation last summer recognised that elephant poaching had reached 'unsustainable' levels. Cynthia Moss, of the Amboseli Elephant Research Project in Kenya, where elephants are protected in a national park, said: 'It is very discouraging having to fight the battle to save elephants once again. 'The 1989 ban helped elephants to recover in most parts of Africa. Now even in Amboseli we're losing elephants to ivory poachers for the first time in many years. 'The sale of any ivory - legal or not - is creating demand. No one needs ivory. It is a beautiful substance, but the only ones who need it are elephants.' | Elephant calf Suni was found last year dragging herself along by her front legs after suffering severe axe wounds . Her mother had been killed and stripped of her tusks, while a deep wound to Suni's spine had left her right leg paralysed . Across Africa elephant poaching is at its highest level in more than 20 years due to demand for ivory from the Far East . Click for more information on the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation Elephant Orphanage . | 296a1bddfefed962344231f183bc601b42efdd2e |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Shortly before President Obama departs for a trip to the Middle East, a new national poll suggests that one in five Americans has a favorable view of Muslim countries. President Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visit an Istanbul mosque in April. That view compares with 46 percent of the people questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey who say they have an unfavorable opinion of Muslim countries. That's up 5 percentage points from 2002, when 41 percent indicated that they had an unfavorable view. Meanwhile, three in 10 say they have a neutral opinion of Muslim countries. The poll also suggests that most Americans suspect people in Muslim countries don't think highly of the United States. Nearly eight in 10 questioned say people in Muslim countries have a unfavorable opinion of the United States, with 14 percent saying Muslims hold a favorable view. iReport.com: Your perspectives on the Muslim world . But the poll indicates Americans seem to be split on whether such negative opinions by Muslims matter. Fifty-three percent of those questioned say they think Muslim views of the United States matter greatly or moderately, with 47 percent saying that Muslim opinions of the United States don't matter very much or at all. The poll's release comes hours before the president flies to Saudi Arabia for meetings with King Abdullah. Following the stop in Saudi Arabia, Obama will head to Egypt, where he'll deliver a long-awaited speech Thursday on relations between the United States and the Muslim world. Watch the challenges Obama faces with the speech » . At a town hall in Turkey earlier this year, the president declared that "the United States is not, and will never be, at war with Islam." Many Americans seem to agree with the president: Sixty-two percent of those surveyed say they don't think the United States is at war with the Muslim world, with 36 percent indicating that the country is at war with Muslim countries. Those numbers have remained stable since CNN's 2002 poll. But the poll suggests that six out of 10 think that the Muslim world considers itself at war with the United States. "The feeling seems to be mutual. We distrust Muslims. They distrust Americans. Views of Americans have not changed very much over the past seven years. There are some indications that Muslims' views of Americans have improved a bit since Barack Obama took office, but they are still not positive," said Bill Schneider, CNN senior political analyst. The CNN/Opinion Research poll was conducted May 14-17, with 1,010 adult Americans questioned by telephone. The survey's sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points. | Poll: One in five Americans has a favorable view of Muslim countries . Poll released on eve of President Obama's speech in Cairo, Egypt, to Muslim world . Poll: Americans say they aren't at war with Muslims but think Muslims at war with U.S. | df40e9fc886814a559fec8c01aa611b985b5e684 |
(CNN) -- Two American security officers have been found dead on the Maersk Alabama container ship, police in the Seychelles said Wednesday. Seychelles police identified them on Thursday as Jeffrey Reynolds and Mark Kennedy. The men, both 44, were found dead on Tuesday. "A postmortem will be carried out this week in order to establish the cause of their sudden deaths," police said, adding that the police investigation is ongoing. The 500-foot Maersk Alabama was targeted by Somali pirates in an attempted hijacking off the east coast of Africa in 2009. The 2013 film "Captain Phillips" is based on the incident. Reynolds and Kennedy worked for Trident Group, a Virginia-based maritime security services firm. The company's president, Tom Rothrauff, said the men were former Navy SEALs. "It's bizarre. Of course, it's a shock. They're all great guys," Rothrauff said. "I'm absolutely clueless as to what happened." Kevin N. Speers, a senior director for Maersk Line, said in a statement that the security contractors boarded the vessel on January 29, and that their deaths were "not related to vessel operations or their duties as security personnel." Maersk Line contracts with Trident Group in accordance with U.S. Coast Guard security directives, Speers said in the statement. "Contracted security is part of anti-piracy protection plans to safeguard crews and vessels," Speers said. "In Maersk Alabama's case, she is persistently in high-risk areas since she provides feeder service to the east coast of Africa." The Maersk Alabama has since left Port Victoria, the Seychelles capital, Speers told CNN on Thursday. Senior Chief Petty Officer Daniel Tremper said the U.S. Coast Guard had been notified about the deaths of two U.S. citizens and is investigating, but "due to the nature of the investigation, that will be about all that we can provide right now." State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf confirmed the men were U.S. citizens. The Coast Guard is involved in the investigation because the Maersk Alabama is a U.S.-flagged ship, Harf said. Police said the ship arrived in the Seychelles, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, on Sunday with a 24-man crew and had been expected to leave Tuesday. The bodies were found by a colleague who had gone to check in on one of the men in a cabin at about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Seychelles police said. CNN first learned about the incident on Twitter. In April 2009, four armed pirates attempted to hijack the Maersk Alabama 380 miles off the coast of Somalia. After the crew sank the pirates' vessel and foiled their efforts to take control of the container ship, the pirates took the ship's captain, Richard Phillips, hostage on a lifeboat. The incident ended three days later when Navy sharpshooters killed three of the pirates and captured the fourth. Phillips was unharmed. The ship was attacked by pirates again later that year, but armed security personnel fought them off. Another attempt by pirates to board the ship, in March 2011, was thwarted when security personnel fired warning shots. 2010: Hero skipper ignored pirate warnings, crew says . 2009: Crewman's e-mail gives harrowing details of hijacking . CNN's Deanna Hackney and Shimon Prokupecz contributed to this report. | Two American security contractors were former Navy SEALs, executive says . "It's bizarre. Of course, it's a shock. They're all great guys," executive adds . "Contracted security is part of anti-piracy protection plans," firm spokesman says . A colleague found the bodies in a ship cabin when checking up on one of the men . | d21d0e54c414bf01750445ff759a553df66a1152 |
Three G4S guards killed an Angolan deportee as they restrained him on a flight from the UK, a court heard. Jimmy Mubenga, 46, was heard by passengers to cry out repeatedly 'I can't breathe' as he was pinned down in his seat by the guards - despite already being handcuffed with his seatbelt on. They ignored his desperate pleas and 'disregarded their duty of care', by assuming that the married father was 'feigning' illness as the flight prepared to take off from Heathrow airport, jurors were told. Three G4S guards killed an Angolan deportee Jimmy Mubenga (pictured) as they restrained him on a flight from the UK, a court heard . By the time the cabin crew of the British Airways flight raised the alarm on October 12, 2010 it was too late, and Mr Mubenga had collapsed and gone into cardiac arrest. The whole incident took 35 minutes, the court heard. Terrence Hughes, 53, Colin Kaler, 52 and Stuart Tribelnig, 39, are on trial charged with the manslaughter of Mr Mubenga. In an unprecedented move, a section of the Boeing 777 with three rows of three seats has been specially constructed inside Court 16 of the Old Bailey to demonstrate to the jury how Mr Mubenga died. Colin Kaler (left), Stuart Tribelnig (right) and Terrence Hughes are on trial charged with the manslaughter of Mr Mubenga . Opening the case, prosecutor Mark Dennis QC told the court that Mr Mubenga had been accompanied by the three Group 4 Securicor (G4S) guards as he was put on a plane at Heathrow airport to be deported to Angola. At 8.20pm, the flight crew on the British Airways plane contacted the control tower saying they had a 'medical emergency' as they were taxiing towards the runway. Their message said: 'Yeah, we have a deportee who's restrained, he's collapsed, he's a very faint pulse and not responding to any stimulus.' G4S guards Terrence Hughes (pictured), Colin Kaler and Stuart Tribelnig deny the charge against them . An hour earlier, as he boarded the plane, Mr Mubenga, who left his family and children in the UK, had been 'fit and healthy' and 'thoroughly co-operative', Mr Dennis said. 'A few minutes after boarding, everything was to change. As Mubenga was returning from the lavatory, still accompanied by the three officers, something happened which set off a chain of events which ultimately led to his collapse and death. 'Mubenga and the three officers became embroiled in a commotion which quickly escalated into a physical struggle as the officers tried to force Mubenga into a row of seats and then into a seated position. 'He was then further restrained by the application of rigid handcuffs with his arms, hands bound in that way behind his back and his seat belt being applied around his waist thereby holding him into the seat. 'Such physical restraint should have been enough to hold Mubenga in the seat and above all to make Mubenga realise that there was no point in struggling further even if he had wanted to do so.' The prosecutor said that despite being in an 'excited state' 'there was little he could do but accept the situation and calm down because he was in such a confined space and bound from behind and strapped in his seat'. Mr Dennis said: 'The officers could, in effect, have simply stepped back and tried to calm the situation by words, only intervening with physical actions if the need arose thereafter. 'However, the officers did not take that course and instead sat one either side of Mubenga, with one leaning over from the seat ahead and between them endeavoured in effect to pin Mubenga down into his seat. 'In doing so, they held Mubenga in such a position bent forward that his ability to breathe properly was inevitably impaired. A section of the Boeing 777 with three rows of three seats has been specially constructed inside Court 16 of the Old Bailey to demonstrate to the jury how Mr Mubenga died . 'Each officer would have known from their training and from common sense that keeping someone in such a position was likely to cause a person harm yet they did so over a prolonged period and did so ignoring shouts from Mubenga that he was in trouble. "I can't breathe" shouts were heard by many a passenger seated further away.' The prosecutor went on: 'It may well be that the officers' actions were primarily motivated by the desire to ensure that the plane proceeded to take off, perhaps in the belief that once airborne they could release Mubenga from any restraint and that he would calm down knowing that it was too late to stop the flight. Mr Mubenga (right) had been ordered to leave the country after living in the UK with his wife Adrienne Makenda Kambana (left) and children for a number of years . 'However, some 35 minutes or so elapsed between the start of this commotion and the moment when the cabin doors were secured and the plane pushed back in order to taxi towards the runway. 'In that time the inevitable consequences of Mubenga's restricted ability to breathe and the officers continued ignoring of Mubenga's plight, resulted in his collapse. 'Even then, when Mubenga was seated motionless and simply staring open-eyed ahead of him, the officers would appear to have disregarded their duty of care and to have preferred to assume that Mubenga was simply feigning his condition. 'It was only when it finally dawned on one of the officers that Mubenga was in a critical state that the alarm was raised and the "medical emergency" urgently reported to the control tower. 'By then, however, Mubenga had almost certainly already suffered a cardiac arrest and was in all likelihood beyond recovery as sadly proved to be the case.' Mr Mubenga had been ordered to leave the country after living in the UK with his wife and children for a number of years. On Tuesday, October 12 2010 he was due to be lawfully deported having being held at the Brook House Removal Centre at Gatwick Airport. Although being tearful before his departure and upset to leave his family behind, he had acknowledged that he had to go back and was 'resigned' to the situation, jurors were told. Hughes, from Portsmouth, Hampshire, Kaler, of Kempton, Bedfordshire, and Tribelnig, from Horley, Surrey, deny the charge against them. The trial continues. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Jimmy Mubenga heard shouting 'I can't breathe' as he was being held down, court told . Angolan deportee was already handcuffed with his seatbelt on, jurors hear . G4S guards ignored his pleas assuming he was 'feigning' illness, court told . Incident happened as flight was preparing to take off from Heathrow Airport . Angolan had been ordered to leave UK having lived in UK for a number of years with wife and children . Terrence Hughes, Colin Kaler and Stuart Tribelnig deny charge of manslaughter . | 7c4ebd857e84da2e459b38fdbdd96354cef62578 |
Ralph Ellis runs you through what we learned from the midweek round of fixtures... with some star turns and a look through the leagues, too. This week sees reason to celebrate for Kurt Zouma and Harry Kane, but less so for Edin Dzeko. 1 Kurt Zouma’s middle name is Happy – and the young French defender has every right to feel that way after starting to force his way into Jose Mourinho’s thinking. The 20-year-old is emerging as a genuine threat to England centre back Gary Cahill’s place alongside John Terry after getting picked in six of Chelsea’s last nine games. The 1-0 win over Everton was the fourth of those in which Chelsea have kept a clean sheet. Kurt Zouma has impressed in Chelsea's defence since featuring more often alongside John Terry . 2 Harry Kane is emerging as a candidate to join only three players to have ever collected both the PFA Young Player and Player of the Year awards in the same season. The 21-year-old Spurs striker is already a shoo-in for the Young Player prize after his explosive arrival in Mauricio Pochettino’s team. But if he keeps up his current rate he could well follow former Spurs idol Gareth Bale who won both prizes two years ago. After scoring at Liverpool Kane now has 13 Premier League goals despite not getting a start in the Tottenham side until November. That’s exactly the same number Bale had scored at the same stage of the 2012-13 season – and he’d been a regular in the team. 3 Edin Dzeko scored 26 goals in all competitions for Manchester City last season but now finds himself as the striker with most to fear from Wilfried Bony’s arrival. When £28million new boy Bony gets back from the Africa Cup of Nations it will push the Bosnian striker even further down the pecking order. Hauled off after an hour when City failed to beat Hull on Saturday, he was used only as a sub for the last 17 minutes of the 4-1 win at Stoke and has only once played 90 minutes in the Premier League all season. Edin Dzeko will be pushed further down the pecking order at Manchester City with the arrival of Wilfried Bony . 4 Tony Pulis might have a reputation for producing committed teams but he also insists on discipline and will want to sort out new signing Callum McManaman. The £4.75million man arrived at West Brom from Wigan with a reputation for reckless tackling, with a red card and five yellows already this campaign. And he was fortunate to escape with only a yellow for a lunging tackle on Swansea’s Jefferson Montero during Albion’s 2-0 win. Callum McManaman (right) has shown no sign of curbing his committed style since joining West Brom . 5 Graziano Pelle seems to be starting to feel the pace of his first full Premier League season, or maybe defenders have begun to work out the 29-year-old Italian. Pelle exploded on to the scene at Southampton with nine goals in his first 12 matches for Ronald Koeman’s team. But the former Feyenoord striker has now gone eight Premier League games without a goal following the 0-0 draw against 10-man West Ham. Graziano Pelle has failed to find the net for eight games after a bright start to the season for Southampton . 6 Joel Ward spent the early part of the season being switched around the Crystal Palace line-up under Neil Warnock, including a spell when he had to do a job at left back. Since Alan Pardew took over he’s been moved back to his best role at right back and his performances have been one of the keys to Palace’s run of just one defeat in seven games under their new boss. Pardew has kept an unchanged back four in every one of those matches. Joel Ward has been instrumental in helping Crystal Palace pull clear of the relegation zone . 7 Many asked why David Moyes didn’t keep Mike Phelan at Manchester United when he took over from Sir Alex Ferguson and the question has even more relevance following his impact at Hull. Apart from a brief spell helping out at Norwich the experienced 52-year-old had been out of work since he followed Fergie out of Old Trafford. But in two matches since Bruce recruited him to halt his team’s slide into the relegation zone Hull have taken four points. Mike Phelan (right) has helped Hull take four points from their last two Premier League matches . 8 Malky Mackay will have to win his next four matches at Wigan to have a better record after 17 matches than the one which got Uwe Rosler the sack in November. Owner Dave Whelan lost patience with Rosler when he’d taken just 16 points from the first 17 games despite signing 11 new players in the summer. Mackay has been allowed to bring in eight fresh faces, but after the 3-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest has just six points from 13 matches. Malky Mackay has struggled since taking over from Uwe Rosler at Wigan in November . 9 Nigel Clough has used Sheffield United’s profits from their run to the Capital One Cup wisely in signing Rochdale winger Matt Done. The 26-year-old whose career started at Wrexham then Hereford had 14 goals already this season when he signed for the Blades – and that is now 15 after marking his debut by scoring in the 4-1 win over Colchester. Clough’s side go to League One leaders Bristol City on Saturday with a chance to get into the promotion shake-up. They are in sixth place, but with two games in hand on most of their rivals. 10 Paul Buckle’s return to English football after spending time in America is reaching crisis point at League Two Cheltenham. The 44-year-old built a strong reputation taking Exeter then Torquay to play-off finals, but after flopping at Bristol Rovers and Luton needed a success story when he was put in charge at Whaddon Road following the controversial sacking of long-serving boss Mark Yates. The 2-0 defeat at Southend means he has won only once in 13 games, and the Robins were forced to deny stories he had been sacked in the wake of the defeat. | Chelsea kept another clean sheet with Kurt Zouma alongside John Terry . Tony Pulis may want to curb Callum McManaman's committed style . Graziano Pelle has not scored in eight Premier League games . Malky Mackay is on the verge of having a worse record than Uwe Rosler . | 8207cb90f034fe4b76c045550af387c2f403b700 |
By . Margot Peppers for MailOnline . To many of us, Jennifer Aniston's iconic layered haircut in her role as Rachel Green on Friends is now synonymous with Nineties style - unless, of course, you're too young to to remember the show. That's exactly what 22-year-old singer Sky Ferreira realized after she shared a photo of herself with fans on Instagram, showing off her new haircut that resembled the character's famous 'do. But when she captioned the image 'The Rachel is Real', her young fans were left positively bewildered, with some leaving hilarious comments asking who in the world Rachel is. Get the reference? Singer Sky Ferreira shared a photo of her new 'The Rachel' haircut on Instagram (pictured), butshe was left feeling old when her young fans had no idea who she was talking about . Confused identity: Many of her 326,000-plus followers were left positively bewildered, with some leaving hilarious comments asking who in the world Rachel is . 'Who the f*** is she????' wrote one of her fans. 'Who is rachel?' demanded another. And perhaps the most hilarious response came from one of Sky's fans who seemed convinced she had solved the mystery. 'She means ratchet, d******,' she wrote confidently. Even Miley Cyrus's younger sister Noah, 14, was left bewildered by the reference. In another post, Sky shared a screenshot of a text sent to her from We Can't Stop singer. The screenshot shows how Miley texted the haircut photo to her sibling, and she responded: 'Who is rachel?' Iconic: Jennifer Aniston became so well known for her layered chop in her role as Rachel Green on Friends that the cut quickly came to be known as The Rachel . Generation gap: Clearly Sky's fanbase is too young to remember the show, which aired its final episode in 2004 . Cracked it: Perhaps the most hilarious response came from one of Sky's fans who seemed convinced she had solved the mystery. 'She means ratchet, d******,' she wrote . The final episode of Friends aired in 2004, when Noah was just four years old, so his confusion is somewhat understandable. Still, for twenty-somethings who watched the series from start to finish and who can still quote episodes, the incident is undoubtedly a sad reminder of just how quickly time passes. Sky captioned the photo of the text conversation: 'Call me grandma,' expressing how old the responses made her feel. Not a clue: Even Miley Cyrus's younger sister Noah, 14, was left bewildered by the reference . Sky and Miley Cyrus are currently on tour together, along with Icona Pop and Lily Allen. The pair struck up a friendship in 2013 and have been close since.'[Miley's] obviously way bigger and all eyes [are] on her,' Sky has previously said of the star. 'But I feel like we’re kind of going through a similar thing where everyone’s trying to say that we’re trying to make ourselves objects, but really, everyone else is making it more like that - sensationalizing sex and reading into things. It’s nice to have someone that gets it.' The gang: Despite changing her hairstyle multiple times throughout the ten seasons of Friends, Jennifer Aniston just can't stop being associated with The Rachel . | In the Nineties, Jennifer Aniston became so well known for her layered chop in her role as Rachel Green on Friends that the cut was dubbed The Rachel . One of Sky's fans seemed convinced she had solved the mystery, writing: 'She means ratchet, d******' | f728f6c76dcbc8629496db68fa822f3dba451d57 |
Fad diets are so last year as more and more Brits turn their backs on quick-fix solutions. The Atkins, the Paleo and the Cabbage Soup diets look set to be kicked to the curb in 2015. But while 91 per cent of Britons vow to eat healthier this year, half will quit in just three months, a YouGov survey revealed. Healthy eating plans: 91% of Britons vow to eat healthier this year but half will give up in just three months . While we all want to maintain our figures and lead a healthy lifestyle, boredom and not being able to eat favourite meals are reasons why we give up on diets . Paleolithic diets mimic the types and quantities of foods our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate. Pastured and wild meat, seafood, nuts, seeds, eggs, plenty of fresh vegetables and small seasonal amounts of fruit feature heavily. The basic premise of the Paleo diet is that this way of eating suits our genetics, which have hardly changed in the last 10,000 years. It is said to be much better than the grains, dairy, and processed foods that have arisen since the agricultural revolution. The main reason for giving up on the diets is boredom and not being able to go without their favourite meals, 71 per cent of survey respondents said. Despite 50 per cent of the population quitting their New Year diets after just 90 days, 91 per cent said they will try their hardest to make healthier food choices part of a routine which can be maintained for more than just the month of January. Although eating less is no longer the trend, one place consumers are cutting back is on their meat intake. More than one third of the consumers who took part in the poll have deliberately cut the amount of meat they eat and 48 per cent of these cite improving their health as the main reason. Dietician Alison Clarke said: 'Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the health benefits of eating a diet rich in protein and low in saturated fat, which meat alternatives can provide. More than one third of the consumers who took part in the poll deliberately cut the amount of meat they eat . 'People are wise to alternative protein sources and the long term benefits that these offer when it comes to overall health and weight control as part of a balanced diet.' Women do not seem as bothered about their meat intake as just 27 per cent have said they will cut down, although 60 per cent of men are trying to eat less. Eating meat alternatives is seen as a healthier option, with 50 per cent of consumers questioned focused on reducing either their calorie intake or saturated fat from their diet to become healthier this year. The poll was commissioned by meat-alternative brand, Quorn. Fad diets like Paleo (left) and the cabbage soup will soon be a thing of the past, the survey indicated . Ms Clarke added: 'It's clear that fad diets just aren't sustainable and people who attempt them may see short term benefits, but suffer long term disappointment at the results as well as potential health issues. 'A sustainable diet should allow you to eat your favourite meals, but in as healthy a way as possible. That way you're less likely to fail at the first hurdle. 'Eating healthily in 2015 should not be difficult or boring.' | Atkins, Paleo and Cabbage Soup diet no longer in fashion with Brits . Boredom and not eating what we want are reasons why we we quit . More people choosing to cut out meat, replacing it with alternatives . | ec226d5bea54916408068bf7f4a1872a6eb136a7 |
Philadelphia (CNN) -- A priest who assisted Monsignor William Lynn investigate clergy sex abuse claims testified Tuesday that it was not the archdiocese's policy to contact law enforcement or other victims of abuse. "Our legal counsel said there was not a requirement to report," Monsignor Michael McCulken told jurors. The defense called its first three witnesses Tuesday in the child sexual abuse and conspiracy trial of two Philadelphia priests, after the prosecution rested last week. On trial are the Rev. James Brennan, who is accused of the attempted rape of a 14-year-old, and Monsignor William Lynn, who is accused of knowingly allowing dangerous priests to continue in the ministry in roles in which they had access to children. Lynn is the first high-ranking church figure charged with child endangerment for allegedly shuffling predator priests from parish to parish. Defrocked priest Edward Avery was due to also go on trial with Brennan and Lynn, but pleaded guilty in March to involuntary sexual deviate sexual intercourse after admitting to sexually assaulting a 10-year-old altar boy during the 1998-1999 school year at St. Jerome Parish. Lynn, who was the secretary for clergy under former Philadelphia Archbishop Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua, is accused of knowingly allowing Avery and Brennan access to children despite allegations of sexual abuse of minors. From 1992 until 2004, Lynn was responsible for investigating reports that priests had sexually abused children. Both Brennan and Lynn have pleaded not guilty. Also taking the witness stand was Monsignor William Beisel, who was Lynn's assistant from 1993-1994. Beisel and Lynn drafted an infamous list of 35 priests suspected of sexually abusing children . Beisel told jurors that he and Lynn reviewed the files of priests accused of sexual misconduct to draft the list. "We did this after 5 o'clock. It seemed like forever, but took about two weeks," he said. "I was happy the project was over." The list was later found inside a locked safe that was drilled open in 2006. Still, the list of 35 Catholic priests accused or found guilty of sexual misconduct, plus a memo ordering the shredding of the list of priests plus other personnel documents, did not come to light until February. Although Beisel remembered penning the list, he confirmed for jurors that he told the grand jury in 2004, "I don't recall seeing a priest that was guilty of sexual misconduct." Included on the list was defrocked priest Avery, categorized as "guilty of sexual misconduct with a minor." Avery, 69, was sentenced to two-and-a-half to five years in prison after his guilty plea. "Are you trying to help your friend?" Assistant District Attorney Patrick Blessington asked Beisel. "Am I trying to help my friend? No. I'm trying to help get to the truth," Beisel said, adding that he left his position as Lynn's assistant because he "did not like the job." Two separate grand jury reports accused the archdiocese of failing to investigate claims of sexual abuse of children by priests. A 2011 report led the Philadelphia district attorney's office to criminally charge four Philadelphia priests and a parochial school teacher with raping and assaulting boys in their care, while Lynn was accused of allowing the abusive priests to have access to children. On May 4, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput announced resolutions to eight of the 26 cases of priests on administrative leave as a result of the February 2011 grand jury report. Yet, the archdiocese announced Sunday it ousted two priests -- not connected to those cases -- due to allegations of sexual abuse of minors. The trial represents the first time that U.S. prosecutors have charged not just the priests who allegedly committed the abuses, but an official who stands accused of failing to stop the assaults. Lynn had been responsible from 1992 until 2004 for investigating reports that priests had sexually abused children. A gag order barring all parties involved in the criminal case from talking to the media imposed by a Philadelphia judge remains in effect. | "Our legal counsel said there was not a requirement to report," priest tells jurors . Two Philadelphia priests are on trial . The Rev. James Brennan is accused of the attempted rape of a 14-year-old . Monsignor William Lynn is accused of allowing dangerous priests to continue in ministry . | d8e038f078267edae025805696b7afceaef2b885 |
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A leader of the Sons of Iraq anti-al Qaeda group was killed Saturday when a bomb attached to his vehicle exploded, an Iraqi Interior Ministry official said. U.S. soldiers arrive on the scene of a suicide bombing Saturday in Kirkuk, Iraq. Two civilians were wounded in the explosion in southern Baghdad's Dora district, the official said. The Sons of Iraq, or Awakening Councils, are mainly composed of former Sunni insurgents who turned against al Qaeda in Iraq. They are considered a major factor in the reduction of violence in Iraq over the past two years and are frequently targeted by al Qaeda. In other violence across Iraq on Saturday: . • At least 19 people were wounded in a bombing at a coffee shop in Baquba, a security official in Diyala province said. The coffee shop is frequented by U.S.-backed anti-al Qaeda fighters. The explosion wounded 17 group members and two civilians, the official said. Baquba is about 35 miles north of Baghdad. • At least seven people, including three Iraqi Army soldiers, were wounded when a roadside bomb struck an army patrol in northern Baghdad's Qahaira neighborhood, the Interior Ministry official said. • At least one police officer was killed and nine people -- seven police and two civilians -- were wounded when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive vest near a police academy in Kirkuk, according to a police official. Kirkuk is located in oil-rich northern Iraq, about 150 miles north of Baghdad. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh and Yousif Bassil contributed to this report. | Bomb attached to vehicle kills a leader of Sons of Iraq . Coffee shop frequented by al Qaeda in Iraq foes also bombed; 19 wounded . Roadside bomb aimed at Iraqi army patrol wounds at least seven . Kirkuk suicide bomber kills police officer, wounds nine people . | c26dba391aea18166902e590edff05db2580ee27 |
Three decades after it started gaining attention in British curry houses, the great Birmingham Balti has been put forward for official recognition. If the EU grants the dish Protected Food Name status, it would mean anyone in the world cooking the distinctive curry must refer to it as the Birmingham Balti. It would then join French Champagne, Italian Parmesan cheese and British Stilton, which already have the legal protection. The Birmingham Balti has been put forward for EU Protected Food Name status, three years after it started growing in popularity in British curry houses . The Balti was developed by cooks from northern Pakistan when they came to Britain in the 1970s and 1980s. Altering ancestral recipes to incorporate British ingredients and the British palate, they came up with a dish cooked in a steel pan over a high flame. Using meat cooked off the bone, the cooks started using vegetable oil instead of the ghee they had used in Pakistan. They also used dried spices rather than fresh. The EU application, which has been backed by Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss, says that anyone who uses a similar cooking process has to use the official name ‘Birmingham Balti’ - even if it is being cooked in India or Pakistan. Indian TV cook Madhur Jaffrey dismissed baltis as 'a craze' with 'no authentic origin' and predicted 'it will slowly die' in this country . Other British foods to have already achieved the status include the Cornish pasty, Jersey royal potato and Melton Mowbray pork pie. Miss Truss said: ‘Curry is a great part of our food heritage, along with fish and chips and pork pies. ‘Let’s hope the popular Birmingham Balti recipe follows in the footsteps of our other iconic foods like the Cornish pasty and Fenland celery. It would be a wonderful boost for this great city’s world famous Balti Triangle. ‘Legally protecting food names creates new jobs and attracts more tourists to the area. We hope other producers are encouraged to do the same and unlock the full potential that their original recipes can bring.’ Andy Munro, adviser to the Birmingham Balti Restaurant Association said: ‘We look forward to the day when it joins the hallowed ranks of Stilton Cheese and Arbroath Smokies as a protected food.’ Last week, Indian TV cook Madhur Jaffrey dismissed baltis as 'a craze' with 'no authentic origin' and predicted 'it will slowly die' in this country. Jaffrey, who was born in Delhi and became a household name with her BBC cookery shows in the 1980s, said Indian food in Britain was slowly getting better. And the 81-year-old said the Balti, which had 'origins in no place we would want to visit', would slowly die out as people moved on to other Indian dishes. CHEESE . Beacon Fell traditional Lancashire cheese . Bonchester cheese . Buxton Blue cheese . Dorset Blue cheese . Dovedale cheese . Exmoor Blue cheese . Orkney Scottish Island Cheddar . Single Gloucester . Staffordshire cheese . Stilton Blue cheese . Stilton white cheese . Swaledale cheese . Swaledale Ewes cheese . Teviotdale cheese . West Country Farmhouse Cheddar cheese . Yorkshire Wensleydale Cheese . True Stilton cheese can only be made in six dairies, located in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and Leicestershire . FRUIT AND VEGETABLES . Armagh bramley apple . Fenland celery . Jersey royal potatoes . New season Comber potatoes/Comber earlies . Pembrokeshire early potatoes/Pembrokeshire earlies . Yorkshire forced rhubarb . MEAT AND SEAFOOD . Arbroath Smokies . Cornish sardines . Fal oysters . Isle of Man Manx Loaghtan lamb . Isle of Man Queenies . Lakeland Herdwick meat . Lough Neagh Eels . Newmarket sausage . Orkney beef . Orkney lamb . Scotch beef . Scotch lamb . Scottish farmed salmon . Scottish wild salmon . Shetland lamb . Stornoway Black Pudding . Traditional Cumberland sausage . Traditional farm fresh turkey . Traditional Grimsby Smoked Fish . Traditionally farmed Gloucestershire old spots pork . Welsh beef . Welsh lamb . West Country beef . West Country lamb . Whitstable oysters . Arbroath smokies are made by salting the fish overnight, before being dried. They are then hung and smoked, for their strong, delicious taste . ALCOHOL . Kentish Ale . Kentish Strong Ale . Rutland Bitter . Gloucestershire cider . Gloucestershire perry . Herefordshire cider . Herefordshire perry . Worcestershire cider . Worcestershire perry . English regional wine . English wine . Welsh regional wine . Welsh wine . THE REST . East Kent goldings hops . Anglesey sea salt/Halen Mon . Cornish clotted cream . Cornish Pasty . Melton Mowbray pork pie . A woman tucks into a Cornish Pasty at the annual World Cornish Pasty Championship . Source: Defra . | Birmingham Balti is put forward for official recognition by the EU . The distinctive dish could be given coveted Protected Food Name status . Curry could join the likes of Stilton cheese and Cumberland sausages on list . | 6766b26c34ee2367e2a4b268f2b45601f8a3a28a |
A star of the HBO show 'Silicon Valley' is finding himself on the outs in the real Silicon Valley after he called out the girlfriend Uber's CEO during a tech industry awards show - calling her a 'b****' and making a racial remark. Comedian T.J. Miller was hired as host to add some pointed commentary to the 'Crunchies' - referred to as 'the Oscars of Silicon Valley.' The awards show - which has Silicon Valley elite get dressed up and walk the 'green carpet' - hands out awards like 'fastest-rising startup' and 'founder of the year.' Instead, he spent much of the night on Thursday relentlessly mocking Gabi Holzwarth - a violinist who plays tech industry parties - and her boyfriend, 38-year-old Uber founder Travis Kalanick, according to the Verge. Criticized: Comedian T.J. Miller has been criticized online by a host of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs for repeatedly referring to women in the audience as 'b****' and making a racial remark . Smith's war of words was with Gabi Holzwarth, the 25-year-old girlfriend of Uber founder Travis Kalanick, 38. The couple are pictured here in April 2014 . Holzwarth wrote an essay about how she was abused and called 'little b****' when she was 13 and said Miller's comedy routine brought back fillings from that incident . It started when Holzwarth, 25, shouted a comment at Miller when he made a jab at Shervin Pishevar, the venture capitalist who first funded Uber, whom he called 'Sherv.' 'Is that Sherv? How are you doing, Sherv? Wait did a woman just say that’s me?' Miller replies. 'Hey, look, Asians aren’t supposed to be this entitled in the United States.' He then added: 'And that’s why you guys will never be as loved as Los Angeles. It’s all too precious, you can’t joke about it. She’s yelling that she’s Shervin Pishevar. 'Are you f***ing nuts? That guy has seeded the most successful companies in the tri-state area and I’m talking about California, you bitch.' Holzwarth shoots back: 'Did you just call me a b****?' Holzwarth is seen here with Kalanick at the Crunchies with their dog Yobu, which she brought to the show. Photo courtesy Shaun Tai (@shaun_tai) of Oakland Digital (@ODALC), 2015 . Miller plays a burned out tech startup mentor on the HBO show 'Silicon Valley' Holzwarth plays violin at tech parties and also works for the startup Shyp . Holzwarth was mocked for bringing her dog Yobu to the tech industry awards show . Then, Miller spotted the small dog that Holzwarth had taken to the awards show. She joked that she had used Shyp - the new app that offers to pack and ship anything. Holzwarth also works at Shyp. She also announced to Miller that she is a 'bilateral violinist.' Miller responded: 'Did you press a button? A physical button or a digital button? What is this b**** from Palo Alto?' At one point he also scolded another member of the audience for taking a photo with flash: 'That’s the perfect time to take flash photography. That shows how tech savvy you are. There’s three buttons you can choose: flash on, flash off, or auto, a.k.a. being kind of a rude b****.' Holzwarth, whose Twitter bio says 'I was born to spread my music to the world,' blasted Miller online for his remarks. She tweeted: '10 yrs ago, I was called a b****...not ok. Yesterday I was called a b****...still not ok. Let's try moving away from that word.' She also wrote an essay about the incident in which she said she was abused and called 'a little b****' when she was 13 and that Miller's routine brought back bad memories of the incident. Following the awards show, Katie Jacobs Stanton, a Twitter vice president, wrote an essay titled, 'My first and last time at the Crunchies.' In it, she blasted Miller's comedy routine, saying the themes were 'hostile' toward women and that she was glad she didn't bring her daughter to the show. Tech Crunch responded by issuing an apology and saying that Miller would not be invited back to be the host next year. According to tech site Re/code, Holzwarth met her boyfriend through Pishevar - who spotted her busking in front of Trader Joe's and invited her to play at one of his conferences. She said she's only played for wealthy clients on their private jets. The full video can be seen here. | TJ Miller is being criticized for what are being called sexist and racist comments toward Gabi Holzwarth . Holzwarth is the 25-year-old girlfriend of Uber founder Travis Kalanick, 38 . Holzwarth plays violin at tech parties and also works at the startup Shyp . | d7b951acbcc49fe43fec5af4adc5bc5f2400e5ec |
A federal grand jury has added drug charges to the state rape charges facing former New Orleans Saints safety Darren Sharper. The U.S. Attorney's Office in New Orleans announced Friday that Sharper now faces charges that he and a co-defendant — Brandon Licciardi — distributed three illegal drugs 'with intent to commit rape.' The federal charges were announced hours after a New Orleans grand jury indicted Sharper, Licciardi and a third man on rape charges. Scroll down for video . Big trouble: Former NFL safety Darren Sharper has now been indicted on multiple rape allegations in New Orleans, adding to a list of charges and allegations the ex-player faces in several states . Sharper, 39, is already in jail in California on charges that he drugged and raped two women there. He also faces sexual assault charges in Arizona. In that case, he was indicted by an Arizona grand jury in March on charges he drugged and sexually assaulted two women and drugged a third. Similar accusations against Sharper in Las Vegas remain under investigation. He was previously released on $1 million bail in the California case but turned himself in on February 27 after an arrest warrant was issued in New Orleans for which he has now been charged. Sharper is also under investigation in Florida and Nevada and authorities suspect he may have raped nine women in total. A Los Angeles County investigator described a pattern in which the former football star met women at clubs or parties and lured them to a hotel room, where they were allegedly drugged and raped. Under lock and key: Former NFL player Darren Sharper is already in jail in L.A. and being held without bail as he awaits trial for multiple rape charges across a number of states . The New Orleans warrant says police learned from witnesses that Sharper and an associate had acknowledged having non-consensual sex with two women. Sharper's attorneys say he never made such statements. The warrant does not elaborate on how the information was obtained or disclose the names of the witnesses. Disturbing details from other police reports also made public paint the picture of a possible serial rapist with a similar series of events in all incidents. The former all-pro would meet women in a nightclub and invite them back to a hotel room or his apartment to party, said police. He would then offer them shots spiked with drugs and sexually assault his victims after they passed out, officials said. Multiple complaints said Sharper used morphine and zolpidem, which is sold under the brand name Ambien, to sedate his prey. The women then woke up and came to the realization they had been sexually assaulted, according to court documents. Glory days: Sharper spent most of his careers playing for the Green Bay Packers but was on the Saints team when they won the Super Bowl in the 2009 season . Sharper won a Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints in 2010 but retired later that year after 14 NFL seasons that also included stints with Green Bay and Minnesota. He was sacked in February from his job with the NFL Network. Two other men, both acquaintances of Sharper and one of them a sheriff's deputy, were also charged as part of the nine-count grand jury indictment. Federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment charging Sharper and former sheriff's deputy Brandon Licciardi on counts of distributing controlled substances with the intent to commit a crime of violence, witness tampering and impeding a federal investigation. All three face life sentences stemming from multiple rape allegations against them. | Darren Sharper is already in jail in L.A. after being indicted in Arizona on charges of drugging and sexually assaulting two women . In L.A. he has already pleaded not guilty to charges involving the rape and drugging of two women he met in a West Hollywood bar . Now he faces more charges of rape from two women in New Orleans . Authorities suspect he may have raped nine women across five states . He reportedly met most of the women in night clubs and invited them back to his hotel room where drugged them before the assaults occurred . The ex-football star was fired from his job as an analyst for the NFL Network earlier this year . | 228bba9b01f6f488ce4f7e9b34dbf5264e45c2fc |
By . Corey Charlton . The new King and Queen of Spain have continued their public relations blitz with yet another high profile appearance since they took the throne. King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain today visited an Air Force basic academy in Leon, northern Spain, to oversee a military graduation ceremony. It was the latest in a series of high profile public appearances the couple have made since they were crowned King and Queen last month. The two arrived well dressed for the occasion - Felipe VI wore a full military outfit, while the Queen was elegantly dressed in black trousers - and a rather royal looking top. King Felipe VI looked right at home dressed in his full military attire. The couple have been busy since they were sworn in making a series of high profile appearances . Queen Letizia has forged a name for herself as something of a fashion icon in Spain, with the mother of two's dress sense followed closely by the public and the press . The couple only took power last month and in accordance with the Spanish Constitution, as Monarch, King Felipe is commander-in-chief of the Spanish Armed Forces . The official graduation ceremony took place at the military airfield Virgen Del Camino in Spain, where hundreds of graduates got to celebrate with their new King . Monarchists hope the era only just under way for the new King and Queen will usher in a new era of popularity for the troubled royal household. Determined to stay in line with the country's austerity measures, the couple and their two daughters - Leonor, eight, and Sofia, seven - held a low-key affair ceremony after which there was a brief military parade to their first official engagement. It was a sharp contrast to the pomp expected when compared with royal handovers in other countries, to show an appreciation for the fact that more than one in four Spanish workers is jobless despite an incipient economic recovery. King Felipe's signing in was more of a legal process, attended by lawmakers, high-level politicians and some members of the royal family - including his new Queen - with no foreign leaders invited. King Felipe and Spain face plenty of problems. The country is struggling to shrug off a double-dip recession and drive down its 26 percent jobless rate. Scandals have tarnished the royal family and fueled campaigns to abolish the monarchy, while influential groups in some Spanish regions continue to push hard for independence. As soon as he had begun his reign, he has sought to draw a line under Spain's recent past, promising 'a reinvigorated monarchy for new times' and declared his intention to restore trust in the monarchy. He told crowds in his first public statement as King he felt the suffering of those whose living standards were hurt by the economic crisis. He urged Spaniards to shun resignation and unleash their ambitions and said finding jobs for the unemployed was 'a priority for society and the government.' Military troops at the airbase in Leon, Spain, parade in full military dress before their new king as he and his wife watch on from inside the royal box . Left, the King and Queen arrive at the airbase for the graduation ceremony, while on the right, Queen Letizia stopped to have a quick chat with a military official . Class of 2014: The local military graduates were thrilled to be joined by the new King and Queen, who have been busy with public appearances in their first month on the throne . | New King and Queen of Spain oversee the graduation of hundreds of air force cadets in northern Spain . King Felipe and his wife, former journalist Letizia, continue their series of high-profile public appearances . The couple were crowned King and Queen at their first official ceremony last month following his father's abdication . | 354b44f940cb205585bbc6091ce8f07670d221e8 |
By . Jill Reilly . A Norwegian museum says it has agreed to return a Matisse once looted by Hermann Goering to the family of Jewish art dealer Paul Rosenberg. The 1937 painting, Woman in Blue in Front of a Fireplace, has been the centrepiece of the Henie Onstad Art Center near Oslo since the museum was established in 1968 by shipping magnate Niels Onstad and his wife, Olympic figure-skating champion Sonja Henie. The museum said in a statement that although it acquired the painting in good faith, it has 'chosen to adhere to international conventions and return the painting to Rosenberg's heirs.' A Norwegian museum says it has agreed to return Woman in Blue in Front of a Fireplace, left, a Matisse once looted by Hermann Goering, right, to the family of Jewish art dealer Paul Rosenberg . Norway is a signatory of the 1998 Washington Conference Principles on Nazi-Confiscated Art, which requires museums to review their collections for potentially looted works and when such a work is found, to try to locate rightful owners. Niles Onstad was apparently unaware of its provenance . Now worth an estimated $20 million, the painting was taken by Goering after Rosenberg fled to New York in 1940, and sold to a Parisian art dealer later convicted of dealing in Nazi looted art. It was acquired from a different French gallery in 1950 by Onstad, who was apparently unaware of its provenance. The museum investigated the painting's past only after being notified by the Rosenberg family of their claim to it in June 2012. The museum said that in the wake of the investigation - which it . believes is the first of its kind undertaken in Norway - it has called . upon the country's government to establish a committee to actually meet . its obligations under the Washington Principles. Similar reviews have been launched in the U.S., Netherlands and Germany. 'Ultimately, . it was the strength of the moral claim that persuaded the Henie Onstad . Art Center to restitute this painting unconditionally to the Rosenberg . heirs,' said Chris Marinello of Art Recovery Group, a lawyer . representing the family. Yesterday a panel set up by the German government said a medieval treasure trove at the . centre of a long-running ownership dispute should stay with a Berlin . museum and not be given to the heirs of Nazi-era Jewish art dealers. The . recommendation on the fate of the Welfenschatz, or Guelph Treasure, by a . decade-old commission created to help resolve restitution claims isn't . binding but carries strong moral weight. The . collection includes silver and gold crucifixes, altars, intricate . silverwork and other relics. Some experts have estimated its current . value at between 180 and 200 million euros ($248 and $276 million. The medieval Dome Reliquary of the Welfenschatz, is displayed at the Bode Museum in Berlin. A panel set says a medieval treasure at the centre of a long-running ownership dispute should stay with a Berlin museum and not be given to the heirs of Nazi-era Jewish art dealers . The heirs maintained that their . ancestors had no choice but to sell the Christian artifacts in 1935 to . the Nazi government for less than their value. The . foundation that oversees Berlin's museums said the collectors weren't . forced to sell the treasures, arguing among other things that the . collection was not even in Germany at the time of its sale. In . its recommendation, the commission wrote that, after thoroughly . investigating the sale process, it came to the conclusion that it was . not a "forced sale due to persecution." It said it can "not recommend . the return of the Welfenschatz to the heirs of the four art dealers and . other possible former co-owners." The . president of the museum foundation, Herrmann Parzinger, welcomed the . panel's conclusion and praised it as a "thorough recommendation ... that . considers all the facts." Representatives of the heirs weren't . immediately available for comment. Germany's culture minister, Monika Gruetters, said she hopes the Jewish heirs will accept the recommendation. She . said it "does not change ... the fact that the German government will . continue to do everything to shed light on to the Nazis' art thefts and, . when in doubt, will press for restitution." The . collection, which has been on display in Berlin since the early 1960s . and is currently at the city's Bode Museum, is considered the largest . collection of German church treasure in public hands. A medieval reliquary bust of St. Blaise, of the Welfenschatz. The heirs maintained that their ancestors had no choice but to sell the Christian artifacts in 1935 to the Nazi government for less than their value . | Woman in Blue in Front of a Fireplace returned to Paul Rosenberg's family . Centrepiece of the Henie Onstad Art Center near Oslo since 1968 . Painting was taken by Goering after Rosenberg fled to New York in 1940 . Norway is signatory of 1998 Washington Conference Principles on Nazi-Confiscated Art . | 779732228bee9898ced7c2e96808c1584da5edab |
He won his battle against throat cancer more than ten years ago. Now Geoffrey Boycott has revealed his strategy for preventing the illness reappearing – taking 16 different vitamins and supplements every day. The veteran England cricketer, 73, said yesterday he had researched online different foods and supplements which are known to help combat cancer. His new regime, which includes taking garlic, carcumin and echinacea tablets, has also seen him give up sugar and dairy products. Scroll down for video . Cricket legend Geoffrey Boycott, centre, with his partner Rachel, right and daughter Emma, left, said he now takes 16 different vitamins every day in order to stop his throat cancer from returning . He revealed he now only drinks green tea, after discovering research suggesting that milk can hasten the return of cancer. Boycott was diagnosed with cancer in 2002 but after a gruelling spell of radiation treatment, he went into remission. Speaking yesterday at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, said he had also tried alternative therapies, including Feng Sui and visiting a medium. And the famously grumpy commentator said that surviving cancer has made him feel less cross – because the illness has put things into perspective. Boycott, who was awarded OBE after his retirement from his international career in 1982, was at first reluctant to talk openly about his illness after his diagnosis. But yesterday, the Test Match Special commentator said he wanted to inspire other people with his new book about his experiences, The Corridor of Certainty. He said: ‘There’s a lot of knowledge out there that you’re not being given that can help people to stay alive. ‘I take 16 tablets a day of various vitamins. Echinacea, omega fish oils, garlic, carcumin, all sorts of things like that. I’ve been taking them for 12 years. As well as taking vitamins, the former cricketer, pictured, said he now drinks green tea and avoids milk . ‘I eat whatever. But I watch what I eat in terms of I’m aware, which many people aren’t and I wasn’t before, that cancer loves sugar. Get rid of sugar. Also get rid of dairy – not good for you. ‘I drink a lot of green tea. I used to be a tea drinker but now I drink a lot of green tea because it has no milk. ‘But other than that, I eat normal fish, meat, what have you.’ Told by one audience member that he looked amazing, he quipped: ‘Really? Well I’ve got a chance with Kim Basinger then. She was 60 at Christmas, so she’ll be just right for me.’ He added that when he was diagnosed with cancer, he was ready to try anything – leading him to alternative therapies. ‘There are things in life that we don’t totally understand,’ he added. ‘And I always felt that China is the oldest civilisation in the whole world. ‘I went to a medium. I was open to Feng Shui. If you’re going to die, I’m receptive to anything and I think you have to be.’ He said recounted how, at the height of the illness, he had burn pads on his neck because of the radiation and was dosed up with morphine. Boycott said he regularly researched different foods and supplements on the internet . He said his wife Margaret Rachel Swinglehurst, acted as a ‘buddy’ to ‘frighten’ him into eating well and taking his meditation. After all the trauma of his illness, he said he has mellowed in comparison to his days on the cricket pitch. ‘People around me say it has changed me,’ he said. ‘I don’t think it can change what you’re born with, your DNA. But it can have a rounding off of the edges. ‘I do see things differently. When I get cross and I swear, I stop then I think, hang on – no point. ‘In the big picture, I’ve had 12 years and I might have been dead – some people are. It teaches you to look forward and say “hey, come on, it’s not really that important.” ‘Just get over it quicker. Sometimes I don’t get as cross as I did.’ | Geoffrey Boycott said he changed his diet completely after beating cancer . The former cricketer said he went online to find anti-cancer foods . The 73-year-old star has given up sugar as well as dairy products . He has even tried alternative therapies and visited a professional medium . | d5ca1af397180a5a1872f32dd6ea641487342224 |
(CNN) -- A California judge ruled this week that several of the state's teacher tenure, dismissal and layoff laws are unconstitutional. The decision sparked a nationwide debate, as the case gets at one of this country's core questions: What's the best way to educate children? On one side of the debate are teachers and unions, which say tenure's job protections provide stability, and creative and academic freedoms. On the other side, some administrators and others argue such protections give bad teachers a free ride at the expense of students -- particularly poor students and students of color. Somewhere in the middle of the debate are politicians and educators who've seized on the judge's ruling as a call to action to fix a broken public teaching system. "At the end of the day what everyone has common interest in -- the common goal -- is to increase public confidence in public education. We want great public schools and we need great public school teachers," Education Secretary Arne Duncan told CNN. "There's one common enemy and that's academic failure -- and if we continue to fight silly fights everybody loses." Here's a look at what the California ruling could mean: . ... For teachers . Teachers in the country's most populous state are evaluated for tenure in less than two years -- a law the judge found to be unconstitutional. "Great teachers absolutely deserve to have their jobs protected ... but it's a ridiculously short period of time," said John Deasy, superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District. He suggested evaluating teachers after 3-5 years. "Allow us to have a period of time to work and support teachers before we make this important decision, and then celebrate that decision," Deasy said. For their part, unions aren't necessarily against the idea of delaying tenure decisions, but they have criticized the judge for tossing the good along with the bad. They warn the ruling could have a cooling effect on teachers, nationwide, who want to experiment in the classroom. "The judge should not have thrown out the rights of every teacher, because good teachers need to be creative. They need to take risks. They need to actually do things where they may stumble and fall," said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. "But what this decision did is (it) said to teachers all across the country, 'Don't speak up anymore -- don't try new things.'" ... For students . In his ruling, Los Angeles County Judge Rolf M. Treu cited evidence that, he wrote, "shocks the conscience." He discussed experts called in the case who testified about the scope and significance of bad teachers. Between 1-3% of teachers in California are "grossly ineffective," he wrote, which translates into an actual number of teachers of between 2,750-8,250. A single year with a "grossly ineffective teacher costs students $1.4 million in lifetime earnings per classroom," Treu said. The judge also found fault with the price of getting rid of bad teachers, saying the process could take up to 10 years and cost between $50,000-$450,000. Clearly, students win if bad teachers are replaced with great ones. And no one is arguing in favor of protecting poor teachers. "If a teacher cannot teach, they should be fired, effectively and quickly," Weingarten said. But Michelle Rhee -- a former Washington, D.C., schools chancellor -- argues that unions have lost sight of what's most important in the classroom. Rhee is a supporter of Students Matter, the nonprofit that helped nine students file the case in California. "The union's job is to protect the rights, privileges, and pay of their members. They want their members to be able to keep their jobs regardless, and what this judge is saying is that we have to look out for the interests of children, first and foremost -- that we have to ensure that there's a high quality teacher in front of every child every single day," Rhee said. ... For parents . Ben Smith is a father of five in Los Gatos, California. One child is in college; the rest are in public schools. Smith was pleased by the judge's ruling this week and likes that it has sparked a conversation about education. He paid close attention to the "last in, first out" policy, another one of the laws Treu found to be unconstitutional. "No matter how gifted the junior teacher, and no matter how grossly ineffective the senior teacher, the junior gifted one, who all parties agree is creating a positive atmosphere for his/ her students, is separated from them and a senior grossly ineffective one who all parties agree is harming the students entrusted to her/ him is left in place," the judge wrote. Smith, who works in the tech community, similarly believes the policy is indefensible. "We're big believers in a meritocracy," he said. "Having an education system that's counter to that -- where time and place is rewarded versus performance -- is not something that's consistent with the way we look at the world." The flip side of a meritocracy, however -- Smith said -- is the need for greater compensation for the teachers doing a great job. "People have to be rewarded for innovation, rewarded for efforts to make the classroom a better environment. We can't just remove (job) security and don't do anything else," he said. It was a point that Secretary Duncan also made. "No teacher ever goes into education to make a million dollars. Teachers are the most altruistic people you're ever going to meet," he said. "We need to recognize and reward the talent that is changing students' lives every single day." ... And for the rest of the country . In many ways, the California case is unique and cannot be easily replicated in others states. For one, California is an outlier when it comes to teacher tenure. In his decision, Judge Treu wrote that 32 states have a three-year evaluation period, while nine states have a four- or five-year period. California is one of only five states with a period of two years or less, he wrote. The state is also an outlier when it comes to the policy of "last in, first out." Twenty states allow for seniority to be considered among other factors, and 19 leave the layoff criteria to district discretion, Treu wrote, stressing that California is just one of 10 states that say seniority can be the sole factor in a layoff decision, or that it must be considered. The judge based his decision on the California Constitution, which could also complicate efforts to take the case to other states. Still, Felix Schein, a spokesman for Students Matters, says that's exactly what the group is looking to do. Conversations are happening in a dozen states with stakeholders interested in pursuing litigation, he said, mentioning New York, Connecticut, Maryland and Minnesota, in particular. "We're weighing: 1) Do you have these laws at all? 2) What's the constitutional framework? 3) Is there evidence that the laws aren't working?" Schein said. His group's success in other states will ultimately depend on how the California case holds up under appeal. The judge has ordered a stay of his decision, pending such an appeal. But in California, some educators say they don't want to wait. "I hope what happens is that we form a coalition of strong labor leaders and our legislators and immediately get to rewriting laws that are just and legal," said Deasy, with the Los Angeles Unified School District. "These laws have been found to be unconstitutional. I think that it's incumbent upon us to work as quickly as possible." CNN's Jamie Gumbrecht, Athena Jones, Michael Martinez and Christine Romans contributed to this report. | Unions say tenure's job protections provide stability and necessary freedoms . Other argue such protections give bad teachers a free ride at the expense of students . "If we continue to fight silly fights everybody loses," says Secretary Arne Duncan . | 5b83ef40cad2f29ea1d51086d1f04f35b9135150 |
In little over a week, Boeing has announced three new developments in its quest to produce sustainable aviation biofuel. Last week, the company identified "green diesel" as a new biofuel that would emit at least 50% less carbon dioxide than fossil fuel over its lifecycle. On Saturday, a new initiative to build a biofuel supply chain in the United Arab Emirates was unveiled using another type of fuel. It was celebrated with a 45-minute demonstration flight by an Etihad Airways 777 plane powered by U.A.E.-produced biofuel. On Wednesday, also out of Abu Dhabi, Boeing and partners said they had made breakthroughs in researching a shrub-like plant called halophytes, which feeds off seawater in desert terrain. The research on the shrub-like plant was spearheaded by the Sustainable Bioenergy Research Consortium (SBRC), which is funded by Boeing, Etihad Airways and Honeywell UOP and hosted by the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi. According to the findings, the desert plant can be made into biofuel more effectively than many other feedstocks. "Halophytes show even more promise than we expected as a source of renewable fuel for jets and other vehicles," said SBRC director Dr. Alejandro Rios in a statement. Diversification . Why so many types of biofuel? For aviation companies, it's important to diversify the types of crops for biofuel production, as well as the locations where the crops are grown. This reduces exposure to the fuel cost volatility that comes from relying on a single source of energy. Similar to the supply chain announced by Boeing, Airbus has established six regional alternative fuel "value chains" in Australia, Brazil, the Middle East, Romania, China and Spain, and is looking at feedstocks such as algae and cooking oil. The industry's pressures and incentives to reduce carbon dioxide emissions are enormous. The current aggressive target is carbon neutral growth from 2020 and a 50% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, based on 2005 levels, according to both manufacturers and the International Air Transport Association (IATA). According to IATA, air transport produced 689 million tons of carbon dioxide, approximately 2% of the global total, in 2012. Green diesel . "Our industry still faces two issues: there isn't enough aviation biofuel to meet airline demand, and we need to bring the cost down to parity with petroleum jet fuel," says Jessica Kowal of Boeing's environment communications team. For Boeing, green diesel is one of most compelling of the many biofuel "pathways" -- but not because it's considered to be better than other sources in terms of carbon emissions. Instead, green diesel's distinguishing factor is that it's already made in bulk, with a global production capacity of 800 million gallons. While that's far from meeting the total global aviation jet fuel demand of 60 billion gallons per year, the capacity to quickly address 1% of it (600 million gallons) is worth chasing. Boeing is currently seeking approval from regulators around the world to use it as jet fuel, blended with petroleum, beginning this year. Despite being made from the same sources of vegetable oils and animal fats, green diesel is not to be confused with biodiesel, as the latter produces different types of molecules during processing and cannot be used as jet fuel. Price is another big reason this new biofuel is a frontrunner -- with government incentives, it costs approximately $3 a gallon -- a competitive alternative to fossil jet fuel. Since aviation biofuel was approved for use in 2011, more than 1,500 commercial flights have been powered by a blend of traditional fuel and biofuels. Fueling the race . As companies pour resources into developing alternative fuels, it makes sense for major oil-producing nations to have a stake in what will potentially become their biggest competitor. Boeing's joint initiative with partners in the United Arab Emirates, including the government-owned Etihad Airways, thus marks a number of firsts. It's the first time United Arab Emirates has refined biofuel (by a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Co.), as well as the first flight fueled with a new processing technology that is not yet approved but will be used in UAE biofuel production in the future. Critics and challenges . While aviation companies such as Boeing and Airbus pour money and manpower into researching aviation biofuels, there are still critics that say it's not worth the effort, and in fact may be causing more harm. Last year, The New York Times reported that the expansion of the biofuels industry is causing a shortage of land for food crops in the poor regions of Asia, Africa and Latin America. The European Commission proposed amending a policy on biofuels last year, due to concerns that first-generation biofuel production is pumping more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than it saves through use as fuel, but a compromise to restrict EU subsidies for first-generation biofuel was rejected in December. The issue is expected to remain at a standstill until the new parliament takes office later this year. "Boeing's position, and that of many airlines we work with, is that aviation biofuel must be produced sustainably, meeting criteria for environmental, economic and social benefit," said Kowal. "We do not pursue development of biofuel using feedstocks that compete for resources (such as land or water) used for food production." | Boeing announces three new aviation biofuel initiatives . The U.S. airline maker says "green diesel" would emit 50% less carbon dioxide than fossil fuel over its lifecycle . In 2012, air transport produced 689 million tons of carbon dioxide -- 2% of the global total . | 62119291ca715f9001cc56a139b7d7a798eabb2f |
By . Mia De Graaf . PUBLISHED: . 10:31 EST, 5 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:38 EST, 5 November 2013 . This is the miraculous moment a speed boat is flipped 100 yards across a lake at 263mph and crushed to a pulp - but the driver survives. Taking a final stab at the world drag boat racing title on Friday, Daryl Ehrlich had just three seconds to shine in his new vessel, Problem Child - the world's fastest hydro boat. But moments into the race, it snapped, the left wing broke off, and he was sent flying. Scroll down for video . Favourite to win: Texas-based Daryl 'Madd Maxx' Ehrlich was driving the world's fastest Top Fuel Hydro boat at the Lucas Oil Drag Boat Racing Series World Finals event in Chandler, Arizona on Saturday . Swerve: But less than two seconds into the three-second race he began to swerve to the side . Before his competitor even reached the finish line, Mr Erlich flipped twice and crashed upside down. A video of the dramatic moment released by The AZ Top Fuel Group shows onlookers falling silent as the boat finally crashed upside down into the waves and started to sink. But miraculously, Daryl survived. Disaster: Debris goes flying as the back is crushed and the left wing snaps off Problem Child, the boat . Flip: It spins again, the whole infrastructure falling out as Daryl clings on inside during the competition . Sinking: As the speed boat comes to a halt it starts to sink and onlookers falls silent. A medical team rushed out . A rescue team dispatched within moments zooms to his side and men in lifejackets jump out to prize Mr Erlich from the cockpit, which had broken off the rest of the boat. As they lifted him onto a raft to safety, he stuck his hand out with a thumbs-up sign for the crowds. After being checked out by the medical crew, an unscathed Ehrlich, who rides under the name 'Madd Maxx', made his way back to his pit to be greeted by cheering fans. World series: The event in Chandler, Arizona, was the third round of the Lucas Oil Drag Boat series . Miracle: Daryl 'Madd Maxx' Ehrlich beamed at cameras after escaping from the barell unscathed . Emergency teams: Mr Ehrlich is rescued from the water in his safety capsule by two on-hand teams . Separated: The fibre glass hull of the boat, that made it so fast, is probably the thing that saved him . Problem Child had been a focus of the . competition, holding the world's top fibre glass hull - making the . entire boat incredibly fast. Ehrlich was the number one qualifier in . Top Fuel Hydro coming into the disastrous race but judges expected him . to drop to the bottom of the ladder. However, refusing to let the invention go, he insisted that they put the boat back together. All afternoon and evening a crew worked to move the hull onto a different model. And when 'Madd Maxx' came back the next day, he won the competition. | Daryl Ehrlich flipped twice then crashed and sank in boat, Problem Child . Survived unscathed, put the boat back together to ride again and won . Riding under name 'Madd Maxx', he was set for world title but has dropped . | d96c7f1ce9f3e312b3f354b91e795eef9e13c9ab |
By . Pete Jenson . Follow @@petejenson . Back in the 2007-08 season a teenage striker by the name of Bojan Krkic was breaking into the Barcelona first team allowing nothing and nobody – not even Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimovic – could stand in his way. On the club’s pre-season tour of Scotland, with Henry the expensive new signing from Arsenal, Bojan was the star impressing so much that Barca had to turn down offers from Ajax to take him on loan. He stayed to fight for a place in the first team and became Barcelona’s youngest-ever goalscorer when he netted against Villarreal that October aged 17 years and 54 days and he was called up to the Spain squad, only to pull out because of sickness. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Bojan Krkic lash a goal into the top corner on loan at Ajax . New boy: Bojan Krkic poses with manager Mark Hughes after signing for Stoke City from Barcelona . Together again: Former Barcelona team-mates Marc Muniesa and Bojan posed for a picture together . Stoke's new man: Krkic (right) joined the Premier League club from La Liga giants Barcelona . Potential: Krkic (left) became Barcelona's youngest-ever goalscorer, aged 17 years and 54 days . Learned from the best: Bojan (top) joins Lionel Messi in celebration during the Champions League quarter-final . Celebration: Bojan was a threat to Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimovic during his early Barcelona days . Shrewd: Stoke manager Hughes (centre) made his fifth signing of the season in Bojan . BORN: Spain, August 28 1990 (age 23) 2006-2007: Barcelona B (22 apps, 10 gls) 2007-2011: Barcelona (104, 26) 2011-2013: Roma (33, 7) 2012-2013: AC Milan (loan) (19, 3) 2013-2014: Barcelona (0, 0) 2013-2014: Ajax (loan) (24, 4) 2014-NOW: Stoke (0, 0) HONOURS . Barcelona: La Liga (2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11), Copa del Rey (2008-09), Supercopa de Espana (2009, 2010), Champions League (2008-09, 2010-11), UEFA Super Cup (2009), FIFA Club World Cup (2009) Ajax: Eredivisie (2013-14), Johan Cruyff Shield (2013) Spain: U17 Championship (2007), U21 European Championship (2011) Individual: La Liga Breakthrough Player of the Year (2008) The long-standing debate of whether . Lionel Messi could hack a wet, windy Tuesday night in Stoke captures football . fans' imaginations and we'll soon see whether Bojan can. In the April after Bojan became Barcelona's youngest-ever scorer, the La Liga giants drew Manchester United in the Champions League semi-final. Then-manager Frank Rijkaard was under pressure to pick the youngster instead of Henry - after all, the kid from the youth team had eight league goals to his name, one more than the Frenchman, having played fewer minutes. His strike against Schalke in the quarter-finals had opened the scoring in the first-leg and Henry himself admitted: 'You can understand it. He is having a fantastic season. He is a Catalan kid and the supporters love nothing more than to have a local hero.' Things got even better for the local hero in the following seasons. Pep Guardiola was promoted from the B-team to first-team coach and although at first that stunted Bojan’s development because the two had not always seen eye to eye the season before, eventually Guardiola was won over. When the 2009-10 season started Barcelona began the campaign with Ibrahimovic, Leo Messi and Henry in attack but it was Bojan who finished up as first choice with the disgruntled Zlatan left out of key end of season matches. The competition to stay in the team continued relentless however, and when Ibrahimovic left the following summer David Villa turned up. With Villa, Messi and the emerging Pedro, Guardiola found the front three that was to destroy Manchester United in the 2011 Champions League final at Wembley. You're the man: Henry (right) points at Bojan after the youngster scored in the Champions League quarter-final . No way through: Ibrahimovic was kept on the sidelines by an in-form Bojan in the 2009-2010 season . Bojan the boy wonder had become the forgotten man. And like so many schooled by Barca who then have to make their way beyond the confines of the Nou Camp, he found it tough. He had been at Barcelona since signing as an eight-year-old. His Serbian-born father, then a Barca scout, had played for Red Star Belgrade before moving to Catalonia where he met Bojan’s mother. His dad was the driving force in his son’s career as he scored more than 900 goals in various levels of the club’s youth system before becoming the third youngest first-team player in the club’s history in September 2007. It had been too much too young, perhaps. Even the Spain call-up had been brought forward because his dual-nationality made him eligible for Serbia. He had won the player of the tournament award two years running in the Under 17 European Championship, made his debut for the Under 21 side aged just 16, and became the second youngest player ever to represent his country when he finally made his debut in 2008 but the international career never got going and he faded from view at Barcelona. Loan spell: Bojan joined Ajax on loan for the year in 2013 and had been at Barca since signing as an eight-year-old . Bojan's move to Stoke will see him team up with former Barcelona defender Marc Muniesa, who signed at the start of July. Muniesa, who had been at the Nou Camp since starting his youth career in 2002 - three years after Bojan, was unable to tie down a regular place at Barcelona. 2009-2013: Barcelona B (79 apps, 4 gls) 2009-2013: Barcelona (2, 0) 2013-NOW: Stoke (0, 0) There was a lack of versatility in his game. As a youngster he had shone as a scampering centre-forward, always appearing at the right time with the perfect finish. But when Messi moved to a central position under Guardiola, Bojan would have to readjust to the demands of playing as a wide forward in Barça’s 4-3-3 and he never managed it. Now, after unsuccessful spells under current Barca manager Luis Enrique at Roma, and under another former Barcelona player Frank De Boer at Ajax, he finds himself under yet another one-time Barca player in Mark Hughes. The Premier League will be tough. He’s only 23 but this shot at the most competitive league in the world feels like a last chance to fulfil all that early promise. Former coach Rijkaard once said of him: ‘He is a special player who always makes the right decision on the pitch.’ He has taken a big decision off it this summer. Those at Barcelona who remember how he once upstaged one of the Premier League’s greatest ever performers, Henry, will hope it turns out well for him. Is he up to it? The Premier League will be tough on Bojan but he's got his chance to show what he's worth . Team: Muniesa (right) will soon be reunited with former Barcelona team-mate Bojan at the Britannia . Familiar: Muniesa (right) tackles Chelsea striker Demba Ba and joined the Barca youth system in 2002 . | Stoke make Bojan fifth signing of the season on four-year deal, leaving Barcelona after joining La Liga giants as an eight-year-old . Forward became Barcelona's youngest-ever goalscorer aged 17 years and 54 days with strike against Villarreal . Bojan became first choice ahead of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thierry Henry, who said: 'You can understand it. He is having a fantastic season' The 23-year-old was forgotten at Barcelona soon after but can get first-team chances in Premier League with Stoke . Will Bojan be the closest we find out to whether Lionel Messi could hack a cold, wet Tuesday night at the Britannia? | 8384289df0e20ee1de09b557ee0a7926ba876215 |
London (CNN) -- An Olympic bronze medal stolen from a London nightclub earlier this week has been reunited with its owner. A spokesman for the London Metropolitan police said a medal belonging to the British field hockey player Hannah Macleod had been mailed anonymously to the offices of England Hockey on Friday. The player had appealed via her Twitter account for the medal to be returned in this manner. A bronze medal belonging to fellow British Olympian Alex Partridge, a rower, remains missing. "We are still looking to recover the second medal, and we stress that our inquiries remain active," said Detective Chief Inspector James Harman. "Alex's medal has yet to be traced, and he is understandably keen to be reunited with it as soon as possible." The medals were taken after Partridge, 31, and Macleod, 28, left their blazers, with the medals inside, unattended as they danced in the upmarket Mahiki nightclub, following a reception with Britain's queen for London 2012 athletes at Buckingham Palace. On Thursday, following an appeal from the athletes via their Twitter accounts, Partridge's jacket was handed in at a London police station, without his medal. A man was subsequently arrested, before being bailed to return in November pending further inquiries. Both athletes tweeted images taken from the club's security footage of a man present that night. The image has been retweeted thousands of times. Macleod had earlier tweeted that she was "totally devastated" by the loss. Partridge tweeted a request to "keep your eyes open all over London," and thanked the public for its support. Partridge won his bronze as a member of the men's eight rowing team, and won silver in the same event at the 2008 Games in Beijing. Macleod received hers as a member of the women's field hockey team. Harman said police wanted to hear from anyone with information on the thefts. "Our appeals for information stand and I take this opportunity to reiterate them -- if the public can help, we ask them to do so." | One of two Olympic medals stolen from a London nightclub has been recovered . Hannah Macleod's bronze medal was mailed anonymously to England Hockey . The medals were taken early Wednesday following a royal reception . The athletes had left the medals in the pockets of their unattended jackets . | 67e1531c7e8329095f57c6416f443de8a6d5ada7 |
An unemployed father-of-13 who was given a new supersize council home while claiming £53,000 in benefits has threatened to have another child simply to spite his critics. Tim Fisk and partner Mandy Ball had their seven-bedroom home specially created for them by their local council in Ipswich at the taxpayers expense, by knocking their existing house into the empty one next door. Mr Fisk, 44, revealed that he . and Miss Ball, 41, who between them receive £53,000 in benefits every . year, might be having another baby when they appeared on the Channel 5 . documentary ‘Benefits Britain: Life on the Dole’ on Monday night. The couple already live with their children Sadie, 16, . Daniel, 14, Lauren, 13, Callum, 11, Kyle, ten, Elektra-Mae, five, . Serenity, four, Jayden, three, Starlight, two, 14-month-old Neatheus and . their six-month-old baby girl Sotin Tia. Scroll down for video . Tim Fisk, an unemployed father-of-13 who was given a specially made new supersize council home while claiming £53,000 in benefits, has threatened to have another child to spite his critics . Their . oldest daughter Charlie, 20, lives with her boyfriend and has two . children of her own, while another daughter Ashley, 18, no longer lives . at home. The couple claim they have endured death threats and constant abuse since the work was approved last October. He told crews: 'It’s got nothing to do with anyone whether I can support my kids or not. If we need support that’s why we have a social service system surely. 'What is the problem. We are a large family. We don’t bother no-one. We are entitled to live anywhere as well as anyone else is. Mr Fisk (pictured with his daughter, Starlight) had his seven bedroom home specially created by their local council in Ipswich at the taxpayers expense, by knocking their existing house into the empty one next door . Mr Fisk (pictured with toddler Jayden), revealed that he and partner Mandy Ball, who between them receive £53,000 in benefits every year, might be having another baby when they appeared on the Channel 5 documentary 'Benefits Britain: Life on the Dole' Mother Mandy Ball holds baby Satin-Tia. She said: 'It is irrelevant how many children I have. It is my choice to have as many children as I have' 'I ain’t going to be dictated to, nobody in their life is going to be dictated to and told how many kids you can have. 'That’s not right. It’s p****d me off so much with all the c**p people keep writing and making up, do you know what I think I’ll have another one.' Earlier he said: 'If I had my way, no, I wouldn’t want more, I’m getting a bit old now. If Mandy had her way I think Mandy would want another one.' But speaking about how easy it was to have children, he went on: 'You go to bed at night and it just happens doesn’t it.' Miss Ball added: 'It is irrelevant how many children I have. It is my choice to have as many children as I have.' Mr Fisk - a former security guard and fencing contractor - moaned that Ipswich Borough Council had made his family stay in their home during the construction work earlier this year. Speaking at the time of the work, he said: 'The noise is horrendous really, I would have thought they’d have moved us while they were doing the work. With the newborn baby it’s a bit much. Miss Ball added: 'I am looking forward to it being done, but it’s just the c**p that you have to put up with while it’s being done.' Mr Fisk said he had also been forced to set up surveillance cameras outside his home because of fears for his family’s safety. The couple live with their children Sadie, 16, Daniel, 14, Lauren, 13, Callum, 11, Kyle, ten, Elektra-Mae, five, Serenity, four, Jayden, three, Starlight, two, 14-month-old Neatheus and their six-month-old baby girl Sotin Tia . He has also given personal cameras to his partner and children so that they can film anyone making threats towards them. He said: 'What the hell? I have had threats saying they’re going to petrol bomb us and murder my family. I’m quite disgusted with it, to be honest. 'On the street we have had verbal abuse, people shouting out, we have had cars pull up shouting out* fingers stuck up at Mandy.' Ipswich Borough Council had estimated that the work to knock the two council houses together would cost £6,000 - but the conversion bill rocketed to £15,000 due to the chimneys of both houses having to be removed to join the homes together. Underpinning work was also carried out to strengthen the houses because of the partition walls being knocked through. Some of the children on holiday in Great Yarmouth. The huge family are expected to be able to move into their large home within two months . Tim Fisk says he cannot work because he has to care for his son, who is blind in one eye and has serious learning difficulties . A wet room bathroom was also installed for the couple’s son Daniel, 14, who is blind in one eye and has serious learning difficulties. More than 80 residents had signed a petition objecting to the pair of three bedroom homes being knocked together after the council revealed its plans last October. One near-neighbour said there is still a lot of bad feeling around the area, from people who think they don’t deserve such a big house. The couple have previously answered criticism about their spending by saying they were living off a compensation payout from Ipswich Hospital after Miss Ball lost a baby boy during childbirth in 2008 due to an alleged medical blunder. Mr Fisk said: 'That is why I can afford to buy stuff for my kids. I don’t get taxpayers’ money. I am not a dole scrounger.' Mr Fisk is unable to work as he is a full time carer to his son Daniel. He also claimed that he was having to care constantly for his partner who has suffered from severe depression since losing her baby in 2008. He said that she had carried on having even more babies as a way of coping with her grief. An Ipswich Borough Council spokesman said: 'It was decided that knocking two homes into one was the most cost effective way of meeting this family’s housing needs.' | Tim Fisk and Mandy Ball had their seven bedroom home specially created . Their council home was knocked through to create 'supersize house' They appeared on Channel 5 ‘Benefits Britain: Life on the Dole' He said he 'will not be dictated to about how many children he has' | df9a136993a9c9b60e70fb48123c5941826623d1 |
(CNN) -- The wife of Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. detailed to a Chicago newspaper her husband's "collapse" and his last two months getting treated for gastrointestinal and mental health issues, saying he's still "very depressed" though showing some progress. Sandi Jackson, an alderwoman in Chicago, talked with the Chicago Sun-Times shortly after returning from visiting her husband at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, with their two children. "What I can tell you is my husband has his good days and bad days, and they are increasing his depression medication to therapeutic levels," Sandi Jackson told the paper. The Illinois Democrat and son of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, the civil rights leader, has not been on Capitol Hill since late May. In early July, the congressman's office announced he was "receiving intensive medical treatment at a residential treatment facility for a mood disorder." Then, a few weeks later, his office issued another statement via the Mayo Clinic indicating that he was undergoing an "extensive inpatient evaluation for depression and gastrointestinal issues" at the prestigious medical facility. Besides such statements, Jackson and his family have been largely mum about his ordeal. His father did tell the Huffington Post, in a taped interview, that about "seven or eight weeks ago" he went to visit his son in Washington and learned he hadn't slept in three days. "We went to the hospital, and they kept him," the Rev. Jackson told the online news website. "And what we thought to be 'exhaustion' was something much deeper, much broader, and it lasted much longer." Sandi Jackson elaborated on what happened to the Sun-Times' Michael Sneed, calling the congressman's "collapse" on June 10 at the family's Washington residence as "D-Day for us." By then, she said, her husband was "completely debilitated by depression." Beating back rumors, Sandi Jackson denied firmly that her husband had attempted suicide or was receiving help for alcohol or drug addiction. She also said the indictment of his friend, Raghuveer Nayak, had no bearing since it happened June 20, after the family imposed a "news blackout" on Jesse Jackson Jr. as he got treatment. Medical experts are still weighing whether a recent weight-loss surgery might have helped trigger his depression, his wife said. With Sandi Jackson at the family's other home in Chicago, the congressman's father and brother Yusef took him to a Washington hospital in early June. Some time later, Yusef Jackson brought his brother -- at Sandi Jackson's suggestion, she said -- to the Sierra Tucson Treatment Center in Arizona because that facility specializes in mental health. Eventually, it was decided to transfer him to the Mayo Clinic. "Jesse is now gaining weight and eating and feeling better in that sense, but he is still very depressed," Sandi Jackson said of his current condition, adding that he has his "ups and downs." "But I am encouraged by the number of tests they are running and the quality of the analysis." She said there's no timetable on when he might return to work -- including whether he'll be back at work by Labor Day and perhaps at the Democratic National Convention in early September -- adding "it's up to the doctors ... but we should know soon." Jackson's illness comes as the House Ethics Committee is examining allegations that in 2008 he or or one of his associates offered to raise funds for then-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich in exchange for Jackson being appointed to the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama after he was elected president. The congressman has maintained his innocence and pledged to continue to cooperate with authorities. Blagojevich was convicted last year on corruption charges in connection with his efforts to profit from appointing the successor to the Senate seat. He began serving a 14-year sentence in March. In a separate incident, Jackson apologized to his constituents in September 2010 after the Chicago Sun-Times reported a Chicago businessman told federal investigators that Jackson had asked him to pay for a restaurant hostess to fly between Washington and Chicago several times. He said he was "deeply sorry" that he had disappointed some supporters. | Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. hasn't been at work on Capitol Hill since May . His office had announced he's at the Mayo Clinic for depression and GI issues . His wife tells a newspaper her husband collapsed and had "debilitating" depression . "My husband has his good days and bad days," she says after a recent visit . | 8d0146604d5065f93263ea45a999f8807687ca1c |
By . Daniel Miller . PUBLISHED: . 04:28 EST, 20 July 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 05:56 EST, 20 July 2012 . Under fire: Mitt Romney's financial dealings are increasingly coming under question . Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney built his $250 million fortune with the help of two of Britain's most disreputable business figures - Guinness fraudster Jack Lyons and crooked newspaper boss Robert Maxwell. In the 1980s both men invested large sums in the Republican candidate's first private equity fund, started during his years at Bain & Company, which launched his now highly controversial career in finance. Romney is under increasing pressure to release details of his business affairs including tax returns for the years before 2010 and details of offshore holdings, including a Swiss bank account. Flamboyant publishing tycoon Maxwell was the former head of the left-wing Mirror Group newspapers and a one-time owner of the New York Daily News. He died in mysterious circumstances in 1991 at the age of 68 after falling overboard from his luxury yacht off the Canary Islands after which it was discovered he had plundered hundreds of millions from an employee pension scheme. Lyons, who died in 2008, was one of the notorious 'Guinness Four' convicted for a massive share trading fraud in which they attempted to inflate the price of Guinness shares to assist a take-over bid for Scottish drinks company Distillers. He was subsequently fined £4 million for theft and false accounting and stripped of his knighthood. In 1984 Lyons, a former colleague of Mr Romney's at Bain & Company, along with members of his family invested almost $3million in Mr Romney's capital fund. He then recruited Maxwell who invested $2 million in the fund. Both Lyons and Maxwell kept money in tax . havens and the latest revelations will be a blow to Romney whose . financial career is increasingly being brought into question. Romney has claimed his fortune and career history is proof of his ability to run the country. But Barrack Obama has accused him of tax dodging and profiteering from the destruction of companies. Investors: Crooked newspaper boss Robert Maxwell (left) and convicted fraudster Jack Lyons (right) both invested in Mr Romney's first private equity fund . Scandal: Daily Mirror workers demonstrating, after £458million had been looted from the companies pension scheme by the late owner Robert Maxwell . Mr Romney was a senior management . consultant at Bain during one of the most controversial periods in the . firm's history when they became caught up in the Guinness scandal as . advisers to the drinks firm. Bain Capital, the firm's investment arm, was set up by Mr Romney in 1981 and run from his Boston office. Lyons . was hired to help set up a British office and became the fund's first . investor with a $2.5 million stake via a front company in Panama. According . to the Daily Telegraph Yorkshire-born Lyons reported back to Boston . that he had signed up his friend Maxwell. On the attack: Barrack Obama has accused Romney of tax dodging and profiteering from the destruction of companies . One Bain executive based in London at the time told the paper: 'Jack took an interest in Bain almost as if we were his sons. 'He wanted us to succeed in the UK and he introduced us to a lot of people . . . I remember attending a luncheon in London with Robert Maxwell.' Around $12 million was invested by Bains partners including Mr Romney who is believed to have put up at least $160,000. Among the funds other investors were families from El Salvador who were later linked to Right-wing 'death squads' who murdered thousands during the country's civil war. The fund was phenomenally successful, and according to a prospectus, yielded an average return of 173 per cent a year on stakes in 21 firms. One investor told the Telegraph: 'Every couple of years I would get a cheque. 'It was always a lot more than I had put into it'. In 1986 Lyons joined a group of Guinness allies buying up stock in the firm in an attempt to boost the share price prior to a takeover bid for rival firm Distillers. It was a success and at the time Bill Bain, the firm's founder and Mr Romney's mentor, wrote to Lyons saying: 'We are all delighted and look forward to hearing the story of how you managed to pull it off.' Lyons and three others were later convicted of theft and false accounting. Lyons avoided jail due to ill health. but he was stripped of his knighthood and CBE, and fined £4 million. Although there is no suggestion that Mr Romney, nor anyone at Bain in Boston had any knowledge of the wrongdoing a Bain employee in London described the period as 'traumatic'. He told the Telegraph: 'Mitt was just another partner watching this thing unfold.' Another British former colleague described him as 'bloodless' adding 'He was the sort of person that you would admire rather than like, and I think that continues to bedevil his political career.' | Newspaper boss Robert Maxwell and Guinness fraudster Jack Lyons invested millions is Republican's first equity fund at Bain & Company . Bain's British office was subsequently caught up in Guinness scandal as advisers to the drinks firm . Romney under pressure to release tax returns for the years before 2010 as Obama accuses him of profiteering from the destruction of companies . | 6e9e4a954abe99dbecc453a9127a863ce46d463b |
(CNN) -- Daniel Radcliffe has blown the Internet's collective mind, but this time not with his acting. No, it's his rap skills that took everyone by surprise on Tuesday night's "Tonight Show." The 25-year-old actor was on the program to promote his new movie "Horns," and talk turned to his love of music. Radcliffe's a known fan of hip-hop and counts Eminem as one of his favorite artists. "I was the first kid in my class to learn 'The Real Slim Shady,'" Radcliffe told host Jimmy Fallon. "I've always had an obsession with memorizing (lyrically) complicated, intricate and fast songs." But it wasn't a Slim Shady track that Fallon asked him to perform -- it was Blackalicious' tongue-twisting "Alphabet Aerobics." When Fallon handed Radcliffe the mic, the actor calmly slipped out of his jacket and began to give a jaw-dropping performance without breaking a sweat or stumbling over a line. The reaction? Total shock. "Daniel Radcliffe rapping Blackalicious on @FallonTonight is one of my top five favorite things that have ever happened on this planet," said one viewer. "Alert: Daniel Radcliffe is rapping in an American accent on #FallonTonight and it is AMAZING," tweeted another. If Radcliffe can write as well as he can rap, he just might have an album in his future. | Daniel Radcliffe blew everyone away on "The Tonight Show" The actor showed that he can rap . He's a known fan of the art form . | ece3e9e1cb0c9734d3517039fcce7c723e15e845 |
(CNN) -- The death toll from an Ebola outbreak in coastal West Africa has risen to 86, with dozens more ill, aid workers reported Friday. The deaths are among the 137 cases reported by the World Health Organization, which said the outbreak has "rapidly evolved" since originating in the forests of southeastern Guinea. The city of Guekedou, near the borders with Sierra Leone and Liberia, has seen the majority of the deaths. Five people are believed to have died in Guinea's capital, Conakry, according to WHO. Two of the victims had traveled to the region. It's the first emergence of Ebola in western Africa, and WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said the U.N. agency is trying to track people who had encountered the victims and make sure "that all those who have been in contact with infected people are being checked upon." "What is really important is to inform the population of Guinea and Conakry about this disease, as this is the first time they are facing Ebola. They need to know what it is and how they can protect themselves." In Liberia, seven Ebola deaths have been confirmed out of 14 suspected cases. Sierra Leone is investigating at least two deaths. The aid organization Doctors Without Borders has called the outbreak unprecedented, because previous cases have been limited to a small area. Mali's government reported on its Facebook page on Thursday that biological samples tied to three suspected Ebola cases within its borders are being sent to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for analysis. In the meantime, the three people there suspected of having the disease are being treated in an isolated unit, where their health is improving. Ebola is one of the world's deadliest viruses, causing a hemorrhagic fever that kills up to 90% of those infected. It spreads in the blood and shuts down the immune system, causing high fever, headache and muscle pain, often accompanied by bleeding. The virus is named after the Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire), where one of the first outbreaks occurred in 1976. What is Ebola and why does it kill? CNN's Anna Maja Rappard contributed to this report. | Mali says it has three suspected Ebola cases . Ebola has sickened 137 people, killed dozens, WHO says . More deaths are suspected or confirmed in Liberia, Sierra Leone . | dfddfb5984e93d89cea6ec146958ec8a97b9744f |
By . Fiona Macrae Science Correspondent . PUBLISHED: . 16:59 EST, 11 May 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 02:10 EST, 25 June 2012 . Fruity: Women with pear-shaped figures like Kate Winslet are healthier than their apple-shaped counterparts, according to research . It may not help when it comes to squeezing into skinny jeans or slipping on a slinky dress. But it seems having a big bottom could offer some benefits – at least when it comes to health. Women with pear-shaped figures are healthier than their apple-shaped counterparts, according to research. Or in other words, those with a . defined waist and shapely derriere like Kate Winslet are better off than . those with a small bottom who are plumper around the middle. Former government adviser Dr Margaret . Ashwell worked with a nutritionist from Oxford Brookes University to . review data from dozens of studies on the best method of judging . someone’s health from their vital statistics. And their conclusion could mean the . end of the body mass index, or BMI – a mathematical formula linking . weight to height which has been in widespread use since the early 1970s. However, this formula fails to distinguish between fat and muscle, meaning some athletes are classed as obese. An . alternative measure of health is waist circumference, which is . considered important because fat that gathers around the stomach is . known to be particularly harmful. Not only does it produce more . dangerous chemicals, but it is also closer to the body’s vital organs . than flab on the bottom, hips and thighs. But . this method is flawed too, as it doesn’t take into account differing . heights. So the solution, says Dr Ashwell, who runs independent . consultancy Ashwell Associates, is to look at waist measurement in . comparison to height. Healthy prospects: With their well-defined derrieres Beyonce and Jennifer Lopez are also considered a healthy pear-shape . Her analysis of 31 studies involving 300,000 men and women from around the world showed doing this to be a better predictor of health than either BMI or waist circumference. As a rule of thumb, we should aim to keep our waist circumference measurement to under half that of our height. So, a woman who is 5ft 4in should try to keep her waist below 32in and a man who is 5ft 10in shouldn’t let his waistband exceed 35in. Any bigger than this and their shape starts to turn from pear-like to apple-like. Using waist to height as a measure should pick up potential illnesses quicker than BMI and is also suitable for all ages and all ethnicities. Dr . Ashwell told the European Congress on Obesity in Lyon: ‘Keeping your waist circumference to less than half of your height could help increase life expectancy for every person in the world. Streamline: Among the famous apple shapes with less-defined waists are actresses Catherine Zeta-Jones and Elizabeth Hurley . ‘You can measure it in centimetres, inches, miles, anything you want. It’s super-simple.’ Pear-shaped celebrities, who are wider below the waist, include actress Kate Winslet and singers Jennifer Lopez and Beyonce. Among the apples, with less-defined waists, are singer Adele, model Elizabeth Hurley and actress Catherine Zeta-Jones. Dr Ashwell’s system of measuring has another advantage. Those people whose waist is bigger than it should be can take heart.Fat from around the tummy is usually the first to go when we start a diet. | New research says big-bottomed women are healthier than apple-shaped ones . Conclusion could mean end of body mass index (BMI) Method is flawed as it doesn’t take into account differing heights . | 262821d80edeccec44a141c41668363c1bc96779 |
(CNN) -- Despite sporadic reports of violence, such as the deaths of 10 policemen in Mombasa, so far Kenyans have been keen to show a peaceful vote in the East African state. Many have taken to social media to show images of long, peaceful voting lines, proud voters with ink stained fingers, and politicians casting their votes. CNN asked Kenyans on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to show their images from voting day, and were flooded with responses. Here are some of the best. Check out the Storify on mobile and send your election experiences to iReport. . | Millions of Kenyans voting in first elections since 2007 polls marred by violence . Eight candidates are vying for the presidency . Kenyans on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook have been documenting the largely peaceful vote . | 8a38ed07929c80f419e5567ee873c6d5f741b40a |
London (CNN) -- Rafa Nadal may wholeheartedly believe that hardcourts are "too tough" on players' bodies, but there is currently no proof to back up his claims, a leading sports scientist has told CNN. "The evidence isn't there, which is surprising considering (how long serious sport has been played). But the proper randomized controlled trials simply haven't been done," says Edward Winter from the Center for Sport and Exercise Science at the UK's Sheffield Hallam University. "Most of the evidence is anecdotal -- by that I mean identifying trends of injuries which can be related to surfaces or equipment is difficult to disentangle from individual anecdotes that athletes or others make," he added. Nadal, who has struggled with knee problems during his career, criticized the ATP saying they "worry too little about players' health" adding that officials should consider reducing the number of tournaments played on hard surfaces in a bid to prolong sports activity on and off court. "After ending the career, it would be nice to be able to play football with friends, or tennis ..." the 11-time grand slam champion said, speaking at the Brazil Open in Sao Paulo on Tuesday. his second tournament this year following a seven-month absence due to an injury to his left knee. Read: Knee injury continues to 'bother' Rafael Nadal . "The ATP should start thinking about ways to lengthen players' careers. I can't imagine footballers playing on cement, I can't imagine any other sport involving aggressive movements such as tennis being played on such aggressive surfaces such as ours. We are the only sport in the world making this mistake and it won't change," added Nadal, who as youngster learnt the game playing on claycourts. But Winter, a professor of the physiology of exercise, says there are many factors in play when it comes to assessing player health. "As standards of performance increase so the demands also increase. There have been suggestions that this foreshortens people's careers, but alternatively -- and tennis is a good example -- you have Masters players continuing to play major competitions well into their 30s, 40s and 50s," Winter said. Read: Unbeaten in 10 years, wheelchair tennis ace retires . "Identifying trends is still very difficult, but I know of no convincing evidence to suggest that there is an increasing problem that more players are now becoming more seriously injured." Winter isn't without sympathy for the 26-year-old, who he says has suffered a lot during a seven-month layoff from the game, but a knee jerk-type reaction by the tennis authorities is unwarranted. "To what extent is this an expression of disappointment and to what extent is this an expression of a general trend?" added Winter. "For what it's worth, my money is on the former more than the latter. It is heartfelt and sincere expression of disappointment which one should sympathise with, but it is not an accurate comment on a general trend." The ATP declined to comment on the matter. | Rafa Nadal says ATP "worries too little about the players" Spaniard, who has returned to action after 7-month layoff, says hardcourt action should be reduced . "No convincing evidence ... that more players are becoming seriously injured, says sports scientist . Winter has sympathy for Nadal but believes comments are more an expression of disappointment . | 3561563b9773219e94e3b662104a2107ddcdda31 |
Fleur East may have been accused by Mel B of 'cheating' in her Eighties Week performance of Monie Love's It's A Shame on X Factor but at least her outfit won plaudits. The aspiring singer, who was told by Mel B that she couldn't hear her voice pop against the backing track, looked on-trend in a super luxe outfit of Dolce and Gabbana, Moschino, DKNY and vintage Chanel. The woman responsible for 26-year-old Fleur's cool new look is Gemma Sheppard, who has worked with the likes of Dannii Minogue, and helps curate each and every look for the live shows. Scroll down for video . Confident contestant: X Factor hopeful Fleur East looked on-trend in a super luxe outfit of Dolce and Gabbana, Moschino, DKNY and vintage Chanel, which the show's stylist said 'screamed cool' 'That girl has an incredible body and she knows how to show it off in a sexy, strong way,' Gemma told MailOnline. 'Her song choice on Saturday night called for a very cool look. I love a varsity jacket over a bra - it's a whole stage vibe and a leopard print mixed with a print screams cool.' Gemma believes that fashion is an 'emotional tool' and if you look good, you feel good. 'It's all about confidence and getting inside of the contestant's heads,' she said. 'It is their closest moment to becoming a pop star so I want that to be translated in what they're wearing.' Showcasing her assets: Gemma Sheppard, who styled the contestants, said that Fleur has an incredible body and she knows how to show it off in a sexy, strong way' Behind the scenes: Gemma Instagrammed this snap of Fleur with the caption: 'There is no SHAME in looking so swag baby girl' She continued: 'For 80s week we simply saluted the decade, I didn't want to play dress up with the contestants and make them look like they're in fancy dress on their way to a rollersdisco. 'There's actually a lot of 80s inspired fashion on the high street just now so for this week's looks we were able to mix current season with some vintage pieces.' And it seems that Gemma is working her magic on the contestants; they spoke on the Xtra Factor about how her styling is giving them confidence. 'The contestants need to feel not just comfortable with their styling, but actually empowered by it. Styling isn't about "telling" someone what to wear. It's a process that ultimately leads to what they know they need to wear so they can perform at their best for that moment,' she explained. Gemma, who has worked in commercial TV for many years, emphasises that when it comes to styling for live shows, you've got to think of the whole stage production. 'It's not just how you look in the dressing room, you have to consider how the whole package, the music, the dancers, the lights, your make up, will look for the viewer. Lots of the acts have reviewed their performances back and can now see how the styling works with and compliments the creative direction,' she said. New heights: Lola Saunders, who usually favours flat shoes, wore heels on the show and was complimented by the judges. Gemma believes that heels quite literally raise a contestant's game . Another contestant who felt empowered by her styling was Lola Saunders, who Gemma put in heels despite the young singer's penchant for flats. 'Heels, killer heels, I love them. They finesse an outfit and literally help you raise your game,' said Gemma. 'Admittedly some of the girls have said they're more comfortable in trainers, but they've seen their looks back on camera and they understand what a difference completing an outfit with heels can make. 'I also practice what I preach, however long the day, whether I'm at studio, doing pulls from stores or on a shoot I am always, always in heels.' On Sunday, Cheryl's acts Chloe Jasmine and Stephanie Nala were the latest victims of the show. The X Factor Stylist, Jamie Stevens, says: “This is a fantastic twist on the classic ponytail, combining it with a beehive for a high-impact finish.” STEP 1: . Apply TRESemmé Instant Refresh Dry Shampoo (RRP £4.99 for 200ml) to the roots of dry hair and work through for loads of texture and hold. Section the hair just above the ears and secure the lower section into a ponytail at the nape of the neck with an elastic. STEP 2: . Dust TRESemmé 24 Hour Body Plumping Powder (RRP £5.50 for 10g) onto the roots of the lower and upper sections and massage in well to create loads of volume without needing to backcomb. Add the hair from the beehive section to the lower ponytail and secure with another elastic. STEP 3: . Starting at the side of the head, take one inch sections of hair from the top section and secure just above the ponytail using kirby grips. Take a half an inch section of hair from the ponytail and wrap it around the top of the ponytail and pin to secure the look and hide the elastics. For a soft finish, leave some hair loose around the face. | Gemma Sheppard is show's head stylist . Dressed Fleur in Dolce and Gabbana, Moschino, DKNY and vintage Chanel . Said singer knows how to show off her 'incredible body' | 50ff402f2cfef6ab1a5fbacfb7422f9e02cfd2de |
(CNN) -- IN FOCUS: Energy concerns . As protests continue in Libya, Europe's biggest oil supplier, concerns over supply are rattling the energy markets. Libya is the third biggest oil producer in Africa and has the continent's largest proven oil reserves. This week MME takes a look at how social unrest could impact the country's oil economy. FACETIME: Talal Al Zain, CEO, Mumtalakat . Bahrain has had to cancel Formula One's first scheduled race of the season due to ongoing protests in the country. The decision is a major blow to both Bahrain's status and its economy. This week MME talks to the CEO of the country's Sovereign Wealth Fund, Talal Al Zain and asked him about how current events are impacting business and investment. Watch the show this week at the times (GMT) below: . Friday: 0915, 1745 Saturday: 0445 Sunday: 0615,1745 Mondays: 0145 . Follow the show on Facebook and Twitter. | Libya is the third biggest oil producer in Africa . MME takes a look at how social unrest could impact the country's oil economy . CEO of Bahrain's Sovereign Wealth Fund tells how the protests are impacting business . | 28bd0c94342935aba63530a38c891f3affb9f278 |
Seeing some of the world's most majestic creatures in their natural African habitat is always a momentous occasion. But, as these beautiful pictures show, watching them in their element during the twilight hours is all the more spectacular. Photographer Andrew Schoeman, 40, captured these stunning images of mammals and birds prowling the wilds of South Africa but appearing as silhouettes against the contrasting background of the setting and rising sun. His vivid images show everything from an imposing alpha male lion and hefty elephants to tiny bee-eating birds and Cape Turtle doves. The Lion King: Photographer Andrew Schoeman captured this striking image of an alpha male lion prowling across the wild fields of South Africa . Land of the rising sun: A yellow billed stork at sunrise can be seen flying across the African plains as the sky lightens up behind . Mr Schoeman, who works as a freelance photographic guide on safari, took the shots at sunrise and sunset. They include a herd of elephants fresh from swimming across a river or enjoying a dust bath and a giraffe appearing to dwarf the bright sun. Mr Schoeman, from Nelspruit, said: 'I love the colour in the images. A lot of photographers only want sunlight but I feel there are many opportunities after the sun has set or the light has gone. Born to be wild: Silhouettes of elephants as they march across the African terrain near the Chobe river in Botswana . On the prowl: Photographer Andrew Schoeman captured these two Cheetahs as the sun begins to set in the horizon . 'For me a silhouette tells a story and there is something special about capturing the moment in time just before the sun has gone but there are still great colours in the sky. 'I need to be very accurate with my exposures otherwise I can lose the colour in the sky and I enjoy the challenge of getting the exposure right and still having a sharply focused image and a nice composition. 'The light fades very fast at sunset and it gets bright very quickly at sunrise so the window of opportunity is very small - but I love the challenge.' Love birds: Two doves can be seen perched on a branch as the sun rises in the background . Dwarfing the sun: A giraffe appears to tower over the sun as it sets, pictured left, and a Fish Eagle looks content watch the evening descend, pictured right . Mr Schoeman photographed the giraffe and African Fish Eagle from a boat in the Chobe river, Botswana. And the elephants were taken soon after they had stopped at the water's edge to drink. Mr Schoeman said: 'A few of the elephants had a bit of a dust bath on their way back to the woodland, creating this beautiful moment. 'It was dry and dusty and I love the way the colour, the dust and the silhouettes of the 'ellies' combine. This family scene is one of my best images.' A cheetah is pictured sniffing the ground as clouds slowly disperse on a cool morning, allowing rays of sunlight to break through. Lone ranger: This elephant appears to have broken away from its herd in this image taken by photographer Andrew Schoeman . Early riser: This silhouette shows a Cheetah waking up as the clouds start to disperse to reveal rays of sunshine on a cool morning . The Carmine Bee eaters were spotted at a nesting colony home to thousands of birds, flying around and squawking. Mr Schoeman saw the lion on a chilly, cloudy morning. He said: 'We were on a drive and saw this lion with the amazing sun and clouds behind him. 'We got into position a few minutes before he got up and I was able to capture this image of him. I think the sun and cloud in the sky look brilliant, with him lifting his paw in the air. 'I love the fact that it is a powerful animal with a beautiful sunrise, the colours in the sky are great.' Birds of a feather: Photographer Andrew Schoeman captured these tiny Carmine bee eaters flying off into the sunset . Breaking dawn: A Cheetah watches the sun rise over wild terrain of Botswana in this picture by Andrew Schoeman . | Photographer Andrew Schoeman, 40, captured this stunning collection of images across South Africa . His vivid images show everything from an . alpha male lion, elephants, tiny bee-eating birds . and Cape Turtle doves . | 88c402c9709b83cf055f40e2413f3013abedb106 |
An American who trained at an al-Qaeda camp in Afghanistan in the spring of 2001 before losing his nerve testified Thursday how he encountered Osama bin Laden and the terror group's spokesman at a safe house — and that bin Laden hinted that a suicide attack on U.S. soil was in the works. 'Just know you have brothers willing to carry their souls in their hands,' bin Laden told the witness, Sahim Alwan, and other recruits, Alwan said on the witness stand in federal court in Manhattan. Asked what he thought that meant, Alwan responded, 'To die.' Signing them up: Osama bin Laden's son-in-law Suliman Abu Ghayth (right) is currently on trial in New York for recruiting terrorists before 9/11 . His testimony came at the trial of bin Laden's son-in-law, Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, who's accused of plotting to kill Americans by being a motivational speaker at al-Qaida training camps before the September 11 attacks and as a spokesman for the terror group afterward when it sought to recruit more militants to its cause. Alwan, 41, was among a half-dozen men who became known as the Lackawanna Six after their arrests on charges of providing material support to terrorists by attending bin Laden's al-Farooq camp in Afghanistan in 2001. He pleaded guilty in 2003 and served about seven years behind bars. Testifying under subpoena, Alwan told jurors that he became an aspiring jihadist after worshipping at a mosque in Lackawanna , New York, where he grew up. In April of 2001, he traveled to Pakistan and crossed the border to Afghanistan, where he was directed to the safe house to wait for an assignment to a training camp. Motivational speaker: Prosecutors say Ghayth was a motivational speaker at al-Qaida training camps before the September 11 attacks . While staying there, bin Laden showed . up in a truck with an entourage of AK-47-toting men with masks on their . faces, Alwan said. He testified that he recognized bin Laden as the . FBI's 'most wanted guy.' He also testified that Abu Ghaith showed up at the house days later and explained an Islamic oath, or 'bayat.' He said the defendant told the men that if they swore allegiance to bin Laden, they were also expected to back the Taliban. The . recruits were shown a video depicting the 2000 suicide bombing of the . USS Cole in Aden harbor in Yemen that killed 17 American sailors, Alwan . said. Prosecutors say the video was narrated by Abu Ghaith, and portions . of it were shown to jurors Thursday. After . seeing the video and understanding who was behind the USS Cole attack . and the bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa in August 1998 that . killed 224 people, including a dozen Americans, he said, 'I knew I was in over my head.' Once . at the camp, where bin Laden visited the trainees one day, Alwan . informed his trainers that he wanted to go home. He said he even faked . an ankle injury, hoping to be sent to Kandahar. But . he was told that he needed to meet face-to-face with bin Laden first . and that the al-Qaida leader knew he was from the United States even . though he and the others had been warned not to disclose that fact. He testified that Bin Laden quizzed him about America, asking, 'How are Muslims there? ... How are the youth there? What do they think of the operations?' By operations, Alwan said, he assumed bin Laden meant suicide missions. 'I just said, "Oh we don't think about it,"' he testified. Working together: Ghayth, left, joins al-Qaida founder Osama Bin Laden, center, and an unidentified man somewhere in Afghanistan . | Sahim Alwan was trained at an al-Qaeda camp in Afhganistan in the lead-up to the 9/11 attacks . The Lackawanna, New York-native quit the terrorist group when he realized he might be used as a suicide bomber . Alwan testified as a witness this week in the trial of Suliam Abu Ghaith - Osama bin Laden's son-in-law . Ghaith is accused of recruiting members for al-Qaeda . | b5a74ab5166b43f5b67c11dcfcbb35d4aaefa2e5 |
By . Deni Kirkova . In an industry obsessed with staying young, one fashion icon is celebrating grannies with a new book. Legendary Vogue photographer Tim Walker collaborates with illustrator Lawrence Mynott and writer Kit Hesketh-Harvey for two volumes of coffee table book The Granny Alphabet. The insightful coffee table book champions cool and fashionable older women. The coffee-table book features features photographs of ladies of a certain age in cutting-edge fashions . Book one of this two-volume collection offers an assortment of Walker's characterful portraits . Walker's photographs of ladies of a certain age in cutting-edge fashions and strutting their own poses feature alongside Mynott's playful illustrations and Hesketh-Harvey's humorous words. 'Part photographic love letter to the . elderly and part documentation of the dying breed of little old ladies . who live down the lane,' in Walker's own words. Book one of this two-volume collection offers an assortment of Walker's characterful portraits of grannies and the things dearest to them. The first page of A Is For Alphabet features an older lady with a walking stick and chic croc bag . Snaps of their most treasured possessions accompany Tim's pictures of the stylish grannies . These are arranged alphabetically and accompanied by short, gently funny verses written by Hesketh-Harvey. In . Book two, fashion illustrator Lawrence Mynott contributes his own A–Z . featuring 96 drawings of lively, fashionably fierce older ladies. Spirited, stylish, sweet - there are granny archetypes of every stripe. The . affectionate two-volume A–Z is a whimsical vision of a rose-printed, . feline-filled arcadia and will be irresistible to style-setters, . photography enthusiasts and anyone touched by its delightful tribute to . the grannies we love and admire. Kit . Hesketh-Harvey is an award-winning performer, composer, writer and . translator while Lawrence Mynott is an illustrator, designer and . portrait painter. C is for Chic (left) and M is for Mink (right) E is for Elegant (left) and X is for X-ray (right) Artist-photographer Tim Walker has . won a cult following for his flamboyant, lavishly staged and surrealist . fashion photography. Now he brings his unique brand of very British . fantasia to a subject close to his and all our hearts: grandmothers. In the book you’ll find Lucinda, whose hat addiction shows no sign of . waning (she even goes to bed in one), and Hattie, who’ll give you a . humbug if you’re helpful. The . Granny Alphabet by Tim Walker, Lawrence Mynott and Kit Hesketh-Harvey . (Thames & Hudson) comes in at £24.95 and is available to buy from . Amazon form November 11. All proceeds are being donated to Friends of the Elderly, fote.org.uk. Text 'Friends' to 70007 to donate £3. | Walker collaborates with Lawrence Mynott and Kit Hesketh-Harvey . The Granny Alphabet comes out November 11 for £24.95 . All proceeds are being donated to Friends of the Elderly . | 0a033d25b4d169722031217fd5cdf9a11fb0748f |
(CNN) -- It would have been unthinkable a matter of months ago, but could Tiger Woods be set to miss out on the 2014 Ryder Cup? The 38-year old failed to make the cut at this weekend's PGA Championship at Valhalla and looked far from content as he struggled with a back injury. Woods cannot now automatically qualify for the bi-annual matchup between Europe and the U.S. which will take place at Gleneagles in September and is relying on a wildcard pick from U.S. captain, Tom Watson, to have any chance of making the roster. "It was sore. No doubt it was sore," Wood's said of the injury when asked by reporters Friday. "(My body) was telling me on the range it probably wasn't a good idea, but I'm not exactly a non‑stubborn person." "I need to get stronger physically and be back to where I was." Woods has missed out on much of the 2014 season with a separate back injury and has struggled for form since his return. He only just made the cut at the British Open in July and is currently ranked at No. 69 in the American standings. Only the top nine players automatically qualify for the Ryder Cup team with three captain's picks making up the full squad of 12. Woods won't be eligible for the FedEx Cup playoffs later this month meaning he will likely not play competitive golf before Watson announces his wildcards on September 2. Paul Azinger, who was widely praised for his Ryder Cup captaincy in a five-point win in 2008, said he would not pick Woods for this year's team. "I don't think I would," Azinger told the Golf Channel. "I don't see how you can take an injured player who is not playing well." "And also Tiger has not necessarily been the formula for success either. I just don't see how you can pick him at this point. "I am guessing he will call Tom and beg out of this and say I am not ready, make Tom's decision easier." Woods told reporters Friday he had not had any conversations about his participation with Watson. When asked of the 14-time major winner's chances later in the day, Watson said that Woods would only be picked if he is "free of injury and he is playing well." The U.S. team has already been weakened by Dustin Johnson's decision to take a break from the sport to seek "professional help" to deal with personal challenges. Johnson was ranked fifth in the American standings before his withdrawal and would almost certainly have qualified automatically. There was further worrying news for the U.S. earlier this week as two other likely automatic picks Matt Kuchner and Jason Duffner both withdrew from the PGA event with back and neck injuries respectively. "We're falling like flies right now, some of the players that are either on the borderline or on the team. That's a concern," Watson said. "(But) there's time for recovery and there's certainly a lot of golf to be played between now and September 2 when I make those three picks," he added. | Tiger Woods misses cut at PGA Championship . 14-time major winner cannot now automatically qualify for Ryder Cup . Woods has struggled with injury and form in 2014 . | f409768bff89b1edc561c00a9b070af8a198dd5e |
By . David Kent . Ecuador striker Enner Valencia is undergoing a medical at West Ham ahead of a £12million move from Pachuca. The 25-year-old scored all three of Ecuador’s World Cup goals, attracting the attention of a number of Barclays Premier League suitors in the process. It now appears that West Ham have won the race to sign Valencia - who will become manager Sam Allardyce’s fifth summer signing if the deal is completed following Monday’s medical. Although any fee is likely to remain undisclosed - Pachuca chairman Jesus Martinez has insisted Valencia will not be allowed to leave the club for anything less than a Mexican league record. World Cup star: West Ham target Enner Valencia was on top form for Ecuador in Brazil . Scorer: Valencia (right) celebrates his header in the friendly against England in Miami . 'There are . various offers for Enner Valencia, the strongest and closest to what the . player and us are demanding is from a club from England,' Martinez told Ecuagol. 'I . won’t talk about prices, but if he is sold, it will be the highest . transfer fee ever in Mexican football football, otherwise he won’t be . sold. 'We are seeking the . possibility that is convenient for him and the club and that he is sold . for the price that we like. We want to keep a percentage of the player . in case he is sold in the future to another big team in Europe. 'It . hurts me, I don’t want to sell him and neither does the manager or the . fans but we can’t go against the career the kid aspires to.' Busy: West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has already brought in four players this summer . Allardyce . will be hoping that if Valencia is brought in he can prove stiff . competition with Carroll for the main striker’s berth in his side. England . international Carroll missed a large part of last season with a . troublesome foot injury and the Hammers struggled to score goals in his . absence. But, with Argentina . forward Mauro Zarate one of four players already acquired by West Ham . this summer, their options in attack will be much-improved when their . season kicks off at home to Tottenham. | Sam Allardyce close to completing signing of Ecuador international . Valencia is undergoing medical with West Ham ahead of move . Pachuca striker could become West Ham's fifth summer signing . | ce31948a00fe559340f0dbafb2c0bba50f70956e |
(CNN) -- A raging wildfire near the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico has prompted the evacuation of more than 10,000 residents in the town as firefighters battle hot temperatures and high winds, authorities said Monday. An estimated 8,000 people were expected to evacuate Monday, according to Kelly Stewart, a spokeswoman for Los Alamos County. Around 3,000 people left their homes after officials issued a voluntary order Sunday night, she said. The Las Conchas fire, which flared up over the weekend, was reported to be approximately a mile from the lab's southwestern boundary Monday afternoon, according to a statement on InciWeb, an online interagency database that tracks fires, floods and other disasters. The fire, which has spread across nearly 44,000 acres, is burning to the north and northeast. It is 0% contained. Additionally, a one-acre spot fire was reported on the lab's property, at its southern boundary, according to Kevin Roark, a spokesman for the facility. "We are maintaining a very watchful eye on these fires ... Our facilities are not threatened at this point," he said. "It's an unhappy thing, but we are confident in our ability to handle this threat." Los Alamos, a center of American nuclear science, is one of the nation's top national-security research facilities. The fire near the lab has raised concerns about whether hazardous materials kept there are being adequately guarded. Authorities say there are. "They have anticipated the problem of fire and they've taken precautions," Sen. Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico told CNN Monday. "The structures that are central to the operation of the laboratory are well protected." The lab is about 35 miles northwest of Santa Fe, New Mexico, on 36 square miles of property owned by the Department of Energy. More than 11,000 employees work at the facility. It was closed Monday to nonessential employees and will remain closed on Tuesday because of the risks presented by the fire. The lab is a joint project of Bechtel National, the University of California, The Babcock & Wilcox Company, and the Washington Division of URS, and is operated for the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration. CNN's Craig Bell contributed to this report . | NEW: More than 10,000 people are affected by the evacuation order . Central structures at the facility are well protected, officials say . Authorities order a mandatory evacuation for the town of Los Alamos . The Los Alamos National Laboratory will remain closed on Tuesday . | 63662ce0d1714f712568a3f9866455cd9f582d41 |
Hong Kong (CNN) -- When the pepper spray came out, the students only had moments to react. Kason, a wiry 23-year-old engineering student, was at the front of around 2,000 young protesters on a highway when he was hit -- but what he remembers most is the way protesters cooperated with one another. "Give umbrellas to the people in the front," he heard people yelling. "The word spread like wildfire," recalls Kason, who declined to give his last name. Within moments, the crowd passed hundreds of umbrellas forward so that the most vulnerable protesters could shield themselves. High above on an overpass, onlookers opened their umbrellas and parachuted them down to waiting hands. "The cooperation was incredible," he says. Hong Kong protesters passionate but gullible . That night, police fired 87 tear gas rounds into the crowds of unarmed students — including Kason, who says protesters stuck together even as explosive blasts of stinging smoke blanketed the streets. Luckily, he wasn't injured. "We yelled to each other, 'Go slowly, and look after others," he says. "We relied on each other to get out safely." In a city whose people have often been accused of being self-centered and materialistic, a palpable spirit of mutual aid has captured Hong Kong's democracy movement. Shaken and outraged by the police's use of force Sunday, tens -- if not hundreds of thousands of Hong Kongers have organized a movement that has stunned even activist leaders with its sophistication and size. Coordinating themselves via Facebook, Google spreadsheets, and group messaging apps, citizens have set up a system of first aid stations, supply lines, rest areas, and barricades that now spans five major occupation sites. And the umbrella, unarmed students' method of defense against pepper spray and tear gas, has turned into an iconic international symbol of peaceful resistance. Meanwhile, police have staged a dramatic withdrawal. leaving protests largely undisturbed. As a result, the civil disobedience movement has turned into what feels like a self-governed street utopia. Early each morning, demonstrators stroll up and down, handing out free buns and drinks to their bleary-eyed companions. As the day progresses, they clean up trash and sing songs. Newcomers arrive every hour. "Before Sunday, people were numb, hopeless. But after the tear gas, we all came out to support each other," says Kason. Cindy Chu, a retired 60-year-old nurse, decided to help after she heard students were tear gassed. "I was outraged at how casually the government could hurt young people." Now, she uses her medical skills to care for protesters, some of them who suffer symptoms of heatstroke after consecutive days of sitting in the humid heat. "Democracy means we don't just care about ourselves, but we care about everyone around us," she says. Hong Kong Chief Executive C.Y. Leung: Raw emotion 'will get us nowhere' "We're trying to understand each other" A few blocks away, a 54-year-old democracy supporter surnamed Choi is volunteering at his church to provide a resting place, fully stocked with snacks, drinks, air conditioning, and TV for anyone in need — even those on the other side. "The people who support the government might feel very hurt. We want to pray with them, we want to calm their hearts. "Our religion tells us to love our enemy, and we want to respect them even though we have different opinions." But even democracy supporters disagree with each other. What you need to know about the protests . While sitting on an occupied highway on-ramp, a small group of protesters, including Kason, debate whether protesters are getting too relaxed. One, a college student, worries police want protesters to "soften and let their guard down" in order to come in and forcibly evict everyone. Another, a middle-aged man, says he dislikes how some protesters are hosting barbecues and soccer games — accusing them of making the movement seem unserious. "Besides, if tear gas hits the barbecue flame, it could be really dangerous," he says. Kason disagrees, believing the protest ought to be "joyful." But, he points out, these discussions are exactly the sort of thing Hong Kong desperately needs. "I just met those guys, but I know them better now. We have different ideas, but we're finding a way to accept each other," he says. "Democracy isn't just about voting for our next leader. It's about seeing the equality of others. "We're trying to understand each other, and in that process, we're coming to understand ourselves." | Hong Kong police fired 87 tear gas rounds at unarmed students, enraging the public . Citizens have responded by flocking to protest sites . The movement has turned into what feels like a idealistic, self-governed street utopia . Democracy is about "seeing the humanity of others," says protester . | 2c52b5cfca066afe7813d2b514d34546d6991dd6 |
By . Associated Press . and Daily Mail Reporter . The mummified remains found in a Tucson, Arizona manhole last month likely sat there for more than a year before being discovered, an autopsy has revealed. Investigators found an identification card belonging to a 51-year-old man on the body, but have yet to release a name pending DNA results. Tucson Electric Power crews discovered the body the morning of May 19, following a power outage. Death underground: Mummified remains were found in this Tucson, Arizona manhole last month, following a power outage. An autopsy report released this week revealed the body likely sat there for more than a year before it was found . Still a mystery: The report said the man likely died of electrocution. The remains were found with an identification card belonging to a 51-year-old man, but a name has not been released pending DNA results . It is believed the man died of electrocution since he was found holding a pair of bolt cutters in a high-voltage utility volt, near cut copper wires. The electricity it what caused the man's remains to become mummified. 'The amount of electricity that went through his body essentially cooked his body, and removed all of the moisture out of it,' Lt David Theel told KVOA. The damage done to the remains is what made it difficult to identify the man, who is thought to have died underground one to to years ago. The manhole was last officially opened in 2009. Last month, investigators were looking into identifying the man by re-hydrating his hands for fingerprinting, or dental records. The manhole is located at the intersection of Tanque Verde Rd and Tanque Verde Loop near a junior high school. The manhole is located at the above intersection near a junior high school and was last officially opened in 2009 . | The remains were found on May 19 by Tucson Electric Power crews following an outage . An autopsy report released Thursday finds the man died of a likely electrocution one to two years before being found . The body was found holding box cutters, near copper wiring . No identity has been released, but an identification card belonging to a 51-year-old man was found on the body . | 3f7076adbfaed30d72b2c7a82f6145fdaa85e721 |
Several nominees at the Academy Awards wore black ribbons on Sunday night to remember Sarah Jones, 27, the camera assistant who was hit by a freight train in Georgia last week during pre-production of the Greg Allman biopic 'Midnight Rider.' Her name and photograph were also projected onto a bumper during the ceremony. Winning director of 'The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life' Malcolm Clarke, 'Gravity' film editor Mark Sanger, and 'Gravity' sound editor Glenn Fremantle all wore ribbons in Jones' memory during their acceptance speeches. At the end of Bette Midler's performance, a bumper with Jones' name was shown to commemorate her and audience members were directed to Oscar.com for a photo gallery of the late camera assistant, reports Indiewire.com . Sarah Jones was only 27 when she died on the set of 'Midnight Rider' during pre-production in Georgia . Director Malcolm Clarke . Film editor Mark Sanger . Sound editor Glenn Freemantle . A bumper with Sarah's name was projected during the ceremony after Bette Midler's performance . Jones died on February 20 when she was struck by a freight train on a train trestle over the Altamaha River near the Doctortown Road crossing in Wayne County, Georgia. Seven other crew members were also injured. Earlier on Sunday, around 700 mourners gathered at Atlanta Botanical Garden's Mershon Hall to remember the talented young crew member. In attendance were family, friends, and one other crew member who was injured during the accident. The Hollywood Reporter writes that the memorial took place just hours before the Academy Awards where a large number of Jones' supporters petitioned the Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences to mention the young woman in the Oscar's 'In Memorium' segment. An online petition collected 62,000 signatures and a facebook and twitter campaign urged attendees to wear the black ribbon in Sarah's memory. Celebrities like Allison Janney and Anna Faris began instagramming and tweeting photos under the hashtag #SlatesForSarah on another facebook page. Stars like Anna Faris and Allison Janney showed their support on #SlatesForSarah . Sarah Jones' supporters rallied to get her commemorated during the ceremony and they succeeded . Though Jones' photograph was not shown along Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Peter O'Toole, James Gandolfini, Shirley Temple, Harold Ramis, and Paul Walker who Hollywood lost earlier this year, she was still commemorated publicly during the ceremony and her friends and family are thankful. The Slates for Sarah facebook page wrote following the ceremony: 'Everyone said it was impossible but the love of Sarah and "Sarah's Team" did it!! The Academy saw your slates and heard your voice and Sarah Elizabeth Jones made it to the Oscars as a symbol of a better, safer film world to work in for all the young people coming into the business….We go further working together for change.' The Hollywood Reporter writes that during Jones' memorial, Union leader Bruce Doering announcd that the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) would rename its annual scholorship the Sarah Elizabeth Jones Scholorship. The scholorship will be given to the child of union members interested in following in their parent's footsteps. Doering also spoke of the union's important role in preventing accidents like the one that killed Jones. 'Since this terrible accident happened, we're trying to figure out how this happened and we're committed to taking the issue of unsafe conditions as far as we can take it -- and like Sarah -- full-on,' Doering said. Questions have been raised on whether or not the film had permission to film near the tracks and an investigation is underway. | Documentary director Malcom Clarke and 'Gravity' editors Mark Sanger and Glenn Fremantle all wore a black ribbon during their acceptance speeches . Jones died on February 20 when she was . struck by a train on a train trestle over the Altamaha River near the . Doctortown Road crossing in Wayne County, Georgia . Friends and family rallied on social media to get Jones some notice at the Oscars and they succeeded . | d6fe3b3f88824bc529cee60fbd6b2838f09c42ec |
An Australian man, whose American husband of almost forty years died in 2012, made a renewed pitch on Monday for a green card after the Obama administration eased policies on gay marriage. Anthony Sullivan, 72, asked federal immigration authorities in Los Angeles to reopen a 1975 petition filed by his late husband Richard Adams, which would grant him residency as the surviving spouse of a U.S. citizen. Mr Sullivan and Mr Adams met in Los Angeles in 1971. They wed in 1975 after hearing about a county clerk in Boulder, Colorado, who was giving marriage licenses to gay couples. Anthony Sullivan holds up his marriage license from his 1975 wedding to husband Richard Adams. Though the marriage license was legally issued, the couple's relationship was not acknowledged by immigration officials . The men applied for a green card for Mr Sullivan but were denied. The reason cited on the rejection letter was that: 'You have failed to establish that a bona fide marital relationship can exist between two faggots'. After the courts shot down their appeal, they left the country and stayed with friends in Europe in the mid-1980s but soon returned to Southern California where they lived until Mr Adams died in 2012. Mr Sullivan, who overstayed his visa, would have celebrated his 39th wedding anniversary on Monday. The renewed immigration request comes less than a year after the Obama administration started issuing green cards to gay couples who marry. 'It doesn't matter how much time has passed and it doesn't matter how long it took to figure it out,' said immigration attorney Lavi Soloway. 'He and Richard sustained a constitutional injury for 40 years, and that should be corrected.' Richard Adams, left, passed away in 2012 in the couple's California home. They would have celebrated their 39th wedding anniversary on Monday . American Richard Adams and Australian Anthony Sullivan were married in 1975 and applied for Anthony to get a green card. They were turned down on the grounds that their marriage was not legal . Claire Nicholson, a spokeswoman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, declined to comment on the case. The agency that oversees immigration benefits began issuing green cards to married gay couples last year after a Supreme Court ruling struck down a law that prohibited the federal government from recognizing married same-sex couples. Since then, Mr Soloway said he has represented more than 100 couples seeking immigration benefits related to marriage, including those whose American spouse died before they got green cards. The difference in Sullivan's case is that his marriage predates the law, and the reason given for denying the couple's petition was simple 'bigotry and discrimination,' Mr Soloway said. Clela Rorex, the former Boulder clerk, said she is amazed that issues surrounding gay marriage are still not resolved. She issued a marriage license to a first gay couple in 1975 after they were denied by a clerk in nearby, more conservative Colorado Springs, and the local district attorney said the law didn't bar her from doing so. 'I really want to live long enough to see marriage equality across the country and not a piecemeal thing among the states,' said Ms Rorex, who resigned after two-and-a-half years because of opposition to her decision. Almost forty years after they were married in Colorado, Anthony has renewed his application for a green card, as the surviving spouse of a U.S. citizen . Richard filed for a green card for his husband, but was turned down on the grounds: 'You have failed to establish that a bona fide marital relationship can exist between two faggots' | Australian Anthony Sullivan, 72, married American Richard Adams in 1975 . Anthony applied for a green card in 1975 but the marriage wasn't recognized . The pair lived in California until Mr Adam's death in 2012 . 40 years after his initial application, Mr Sullivan is applying to stay in U.S. Green cards can now be issued in the cases of same-sex marriage . | a8cfd7470f953fbd23c0db3f07533b37b3ac0fed |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 20:38 EST, 17 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 04:45 EST, 18 October 2013 . The Romney family is known for its political aspirations, Mormonism, and property portfolio - and now, interior design. The youngest Romney son Craig and his wife Mary have created a truly kid-friendly space in their large, airy home. The couple's four children are kept amply entertained with amazing, outside-the-box design features, including a staircase that's been transformed into a slide, complete with large cushion for a soft landing. Kid's paradise: This grand staircase is traditional on one side, and a slide on the other . Soft landing: No need to slide down the bannister in the Romney house . Color coded: This book collection grouped by color makes an impact . The living room has a swing, perfect for afternoon playtime or gently rocking a baby to sleep, as seen in a recent tour for Color Issue blog. A . closet has been turned into a secret passageway for playtime . adventures, and there's also a craft room for when inspiration hits. The house's more traditional features are only slightly less fun. Brightly patterned wallpaper adorns offices, bathrooms and bedrooms. Growing brood: Craig Romney and his wife Mary have four children, including twins that were born in February 2013 and became the former presidential candidate's 19th and 20th grandchildren . House of fun: The home of the youngest Romney son and his wife is a perfect mix of fun and style . Outside the box: The Romneys have used unconventional ideas in their colorful home . Details: Mary Romney is a woman who is not afraid of a little color . Babies' room: The new twins have lots of space and a soft rug for when they start crawling . Creative: There are plenty of supplies for the Romneys' children to draw with if they're feeling artistic . And where the walls are plain white, the couple has framed their children's colorful artworks. There's . a teepee complete with cushions for some leisurely alone time (or . hide-and-seek) and colorful rugs adorn the wooden floorboard. There are also brightly printed curtains framing windows that let sunlight stream in. The overarching design principle seems to be the more color, the better. And it works to create a fun, welcoming home. Prints: The Romneys have used lots of colorful prints throughout their home . Homey: A worn leather sofa with soft cushions looks perfect for watching the game . Function and style: A coatroom gets the colorful treatment with an Eames 'Hang it All' coat rack . At age 32, Craig Romney is the youngest of the governor’s five sons. He, Mary and their children recently moved from New York to San Diego, where he is working in real estate. All five Romney boys campaigned for their father in his bid for the White House last year, taking part in fundraisers and stump events nationwide. Craig's role in the enterprise was to take Mitt Romney's message to Latino voters, because he is a fluent Spanish speaker. The former advertising agency music producer welcomed twin babies with his wife Mary in February this year. Big family: The family is following in the footsteps of the senior Romneys with four children so far . Decorative: Children's books are displayed rather than hidden away in a bookcase . Family: The house is home to four small children and looks comfortable and fun . Wallpaper: A bathroom wall is adorned with birds (left), and the office is bold with zigzags (right) Boy's room: One of the Romney children's bedrooms has lime green walls and an animal theme . Mary Romney reportedly has a 'mommy blog' called Me and My Boys in which she documents the day-to-day goings-on in her household. She has expressed admiration for her mother-in-law Ann, and hinted that she may have taken some of her interior design cues from her. 'From her I have learned not only to cook, but to shop for heels, to decorate a home. I only hope that one day that my boys respect and love me half as much as my husband and his brothers respect and love their mother,' she said in 2012. Heart of the home: The kitchen's dark wood floors are offset by the white cabinets are pale splashbacks . New additions: Mary Romney gave birth to twins earlier this year - a great opportunity for decorating fun . Play space: The dining area opens onto a children's play area complete with puppet show stage and mini dining table and chairs . According to blogger Aarean from the Color Issue, the house is also a big hit with the neighborhood kids. The youngest Romney son and his wife aren't the only ones with big ideas. Mitt Romney and his wife Ann have . received the go-ahead to raze their La Jolla beachfront house and build . an 11,000-square-foot mansion. The California Coastal Commission . voted today to allow the couple to demolish the 3,000-square-foot beach . house for which they paid $12million in 2008 in order to build the much . larger home. Family home: The stylish home is also comfortable and relaxed . Work space: Kids can complete their homework side-by-side (left) and the living room swing gets a test from Color Issue blogger Aarean (right) The La Jolla home, which sits on 0.41 acres, is one of the family’s three homes. The Romneys' official primary residence is a townhouse outside of Boston. They also own a $10 million vacation home on the shore of Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. The couple sold the 6,400-square-foot home in Belmont, Massachusetts where they raised their children, in 2009 for $3.5 million. In addition, their 9,500-square-foot ski lodge in Deer Valley, Utah, fetched $5.25 million last year. | Mitt Romney's son Craig and his wife Mary have used bright colors and quirky details to make their San Diego home . Craig is the former presidential candidate's youngest son and has four children with his wife Mary . They worked kid-friendly details into the design of their home like a slide that goes from one floor to another and a teepee dog bed for their pooch . | 372660653280dbb244188fa1783253481b21fde2 |
By . Tara Brady . PUBLISHED: . 05:27 EST, 9 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 05:36 EST, 9 December 2013 . Meaghan White is accused of raping the 16-year-old boy who she taught . A teacher has been accused of raping a 16-year-old boy who she taught at a center for troubled teens. Meaghan White, 34, of Valley Cottage, New York, was working at Leake & Watts residential centre in Yonkers for three months. She has been accused of raping the student in Mount Vernon and at Glenwood Lake, in New Rochelle, New York. Lucian Chalfen, a spokesman for the Westchester County District Attorney's Office, confirmed both cases involve the same student. He said: 'All allegations remain under investigation.' White was arrested on Wednesday by police and she was released without bail by a Mount Vernon city judge after the District Attorney's Office asked for $15,000 bail. She was charged on Thursday for third-degree rape and third-degree criminal sexual act. White has not entered a plea to the judges but will return to court on January 14. The teacher has been suspended without pay from the job. Meredith Barber, a spokeswoman for Leake & Watts, told The Journal News: 'We are deeply disturbed by these allegations.' White has been accused of raping the student in Mount Vernon and at Glenwood Lake in New York (pictured) | Meaghan White of Valley Cottage, New York, was arrested on Wednesday . 34-year-old accused of raping boy in Mount Vernon and at Glenwood Lake . She was charged for third-degree rape and third degree criminal sexual act . The teacher has not entered a plea but will return to court on January 14 . | 8916021d02d6e3828c8a241fb779fdaf337819b2 |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 13:31 EST, 4 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 06:13 EST, 6 January 2014 . A woman has been arrested on suspicion of wilful neglect after a newborn baby was found in a toilet at a Sports Direct warehouse. The baby boy was discovered on New Years' Day and was rushed to hospital where he is in a serious but stable condition. The boy's mother, who is believed to be from Eastern Europe and in her 20s, was also treated in hospital. Police have launched an investigation after a newborn baby was apparently dumped in a ladies' toilet at a Sports Direct warehouse in Shirebrook, Derbyshire . Paramedics who attended the call at the retailer's UK distribution centre, in Shirebrook, Derbyshire, have passed the incident to police. It is not known who found the baby, who is now being cared for at a specialist neo-natal unit in Leicester. A spokesman for Derbyshire Police said: 'Police were called by the ambulance service at around 11.15pm on January 1 to reports of the birth of a baby in unusual circumstances at a business premises in Shirebrook. 'The baby was taken to a neo-natal unit where he remains. Paramedics who attended the call at the retailer's UK distribution centre have passed the incident to police in Derbyshire . 'His condition is serious but stable. 'The mother, a woman in her 20s, was also taken to hospital for treatment. 'Officers are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the birth.' Nobody from Sports Direct, which is owned by Newcastle United chairman Mike Ashley and is Britain's biggest seller of sporting goods, was available for comment today. | Woman arrested on suspicion of wilful neglect after boy was 'dumped' Baby boy was discovered on New Years' Day and was rushed to hospital . He is in a neonatal unit in Derbyshire in a serious but stable condition . The boy's mother, believed to be Eastern European in her 20s, also treated . | b9fe9ad6bb7d41e036b75e168c21da010794d864 |
By . M L Nestel . PUBLISHED: . 09:26 EST, 4 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 15:25 EST, 4 October 2013 . It’s a slice of fantasyland for the four-legged set and it’s been paid for by cash-strapped Uncle Sam. TriBeCa, one of Manhattan’s most affluent neighborhoods put a federal windfall worth millions into play this past summer. Local brass decided to spend the $5million earmarked in 2005 not on subways or bridges but to bankroll a dog run and install an immaculate landscaping along a waterfront park, MailOnline has learned. Scroll down for video . Decadent Dog: These paw-activated sprinklers set taxpayers back hundreds of thousands of dollars; at the TrBeCa Dog Run in the $5million renovated Hudson River Park . And last night the same group who plunked down the millions of dollars worth of sod and cement feted a star-studded gala to raise $2million in hopes to fund the Hudson River Park because they claim it ‘does not have a continuous allocation of city, state or federal funds.’ The entire pricey project cost $4.8million to groom the grounds in between Piers 25 and 26. The swath of park snakes for five miles along the Hudson River’s edge and includes manicured lawns, dotted with planters and meticulous landscaping befitting its boldface natives including: Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Connelly and husband Paul Bettany who are dog owners, as well as Gwyneth Paltrow, Robert DeNiro, Jay Z and Beyonce, Russell Simmons, Jenna Bush, Amanda Peet and husband David Benioff, and Leonardo DiCaprio amongst others. Luminaries like Mayor Mike Bloomberg and Brooke Shields lent their support to help raise funds for the Hudson River Park trust Thursday night. Of the millions that were spent to spruce-up the Hudson River Park, $642,000 was dumped on the yin-yang shaped Tribeca Dog Run. The decadent dog oasis allows puppies (K-9s that are 23 pounds or less) to frolic free from bigger dogs who have their own set of bricks to do their business. Demand has risen for dog roaming space because of the neighborhood's dog boom, says one longtime local. ‘There’s over 400 dogs in just one building—they’re dog crazy around here,’ a source told MailOnline. Stewards from the Hudson River Park Trust (HRPT), the state and city partnership chaired by third-term Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s girlfriend Diana L. Taylor, unveiled the dog run to the public this summer after successfully winning over New York Congressman Jerrold Nadler to shake D.C.’s moribund money trees. Hudson River Park Trust Chair and Mayor Bloomberg's girlfriend Diana L. Taylor delivers speech with their labradors Bonnie and Clyde . Congressman Nadler managed to procure the millions in federal funds to bankroll the spanking 5,000 square-foot stretch of grey-blue esplanade; taking pride in the amenities including: scaled down cabana umbrellas and even paw-activated fresh water fountains. Asked about the multi-million dollar dog park’s price tag paid for by the nation’s taxpayers Congressman Nadler’s office reverted back to a statement from August 5 when wagging tails (dogs and pols alike) triumphed during a ribbon cutting ceremony before mugs and snouts were photographed. ‘I am proud to have been able to bring over $4 million dollars in federal funds to the continued expansion of this park, which has become an invaluable resource to New Yorkers and visitors alike," said Congressman Jerry Nadler in a statement. 'The addition of the new dog run and recreational space on Pier 25 adds another layer to the many amenities Hudson River Park provides to the surrounding neighbourhoods. I am thrilled to join HRPT and the community in celebrating this new section of the park.' A day later, in a surprising about-face congressman’s camp told MailOnline that the monies for the park’s revamp were actually not federal. ‘No federal funds were used to construct the dog run.’ The congressman’s aide pointed to the 2005 bill where $5.6million dollars appropriated for ‘a pedestrian walkway along Route 9A in Hudson River Park, NY.’ Nadler's office offered no specifics on how those millions were spent. Federal money is often line-itemed to maintain beautification standards along the country’s scenic highways. Aerial view of the 5,000 sq ft plot of waterfront land before dog run was built . Still, at a September 26 meeting Madelyn Wils, the Trust’s president and CEO stood at a lectern before her peers and thanked Congressman Nadler for the federal cash and rejoiced in the dog run’s birth; the fourth dog run in the area. Wils lauded the landscaping of the 30,000 square feet of urban utopia and doted on the pristine grounds first ‘christened’ by none other than the Mayor Bloomberg’s yellow labradors Bonnie and Clyde. The schematics for the dog park used by some of Manhattan's elite dog owners . ‘Congressman Nadler appropriation of $4.8 million transportation funding made this opening possible.’ But Wils also couldn’t explain how federal transportation funds were allocated to construct the sultan dog digs and passed the buck to Congressman Nadler. ‘One might wonder why federal transportation dollars were being used to open a dog run,’ she said to an orchestra of laughs. ‘But maybe [Nadler] can explain it.’ More canned laughs filled the New York City’s Planning Commission hearing room. In lieu of this week’s federal government shutdown, few would feign to laugh now. Last night’s gala, co-chaired by Juliane Moore was hosted by actor Hugh Jackman (his wife's on the Gala Committee) and featured comedian Denis Leary. The list of notables also welcomed Hollywood staples such as Gala Committee members Brooke Shields, Martha Stewart, Edie Falco and Goldman Sachs partner Paula Madoff. Kerri Lyon, of The Hudson River Park Trust called the outdoor addition ‘an amazing gem along the Hudson River’ and stressed that the pricey dog run and landscaping were only part of a much larger project that also includes a restaurant. She defended Thursday's glitzy gala to raise funds for the trust that honored none other than Goldman Sachs. She said cash is in short supply to keep the park self-sustaining. Martha Stewart pledged her support of the Hudson River Park Trust at Thursday night's gala . ‘Hudson River Park does not have a continuous allocation of city, state or federal funds,’ she said. ‘It was designed to be self-sustaining so that the park is responsible for raising the funds (from a variety of public and private sources) required to operate and maintain itself.’ According to the Parks Department there are approximately 60 dog runs throughout the five boroughs and their price tags and upkeep vary. An average New York City dog run goes for around $375,000-while some navigating around waterlines can surge to $600,000. Like Tribeca’s K-9 kingdom, a dog run in Juniper Valley Park in Queens was built for $600,000. Steven E. Greer, the founder of BatteryPark.TV and 13 year resident of the area isn’t laughing and called the dog run and its surrounding upgraded parkland a disaster. ‘Give me a backhoe, concrete, and $20,000, and I can make a dog run. For $50,000, professional contractors can make one for a private company.’ While Greer acknowledged that government contracts often are ‘inflated many-fold’ this particular park expansion and pampering for well-to-do pooches is beyond redemption. ‘Five million dollars is astronomical, egregious, even by government standards.’ Vincent D’Accolti, 25, who runs WeBuildLI.com and has begun installing dog runs on Long Island in addition to his home improvement offerings. He said the cost of a six-figure dog park was hard to imagine. ‘I thought a $15,000 dog run was elaborate.' Ultimately, D’Accolti says the rich or run-of-the-mill dog run need only accomplish the same call of duty. ‘When I think of a dog run it’s a place where a dog can piss and s---.’ | Millions of federal tax dollars earmarked and spent on $642,000 dog park along Manhattan’s waterfront . Despite tax riches, Hudson River Park Trust has hand out collected millions from its A-list donors at gala on Thursday . U.S. Congressman defended the dog park to MailOnline, then denied federal money was used after MailOnline asked questions . Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s girlfriend Diana L. Taylor chairs the trust . Their Labradors Bonnie and Clyde were first to ‘christen’ the dog run . | 5a31126324bd34dcadcc2b5ab2b8fef1ddf4026e |
The BBC is no longer the 'bastion' of correct English on radio and television, one of its editors has admitted. Thousands of viewers and listeners now complain to the corporation every year saying its once-high standards of grammar and pronunciation have slipped. Ian Jolly, who is the BBC newsroom's 'style editor', conceded his presenters and reporters repeatedly make basic errors, such as confusing the word 'historic' with 'historical' and using the term 'chair' when they mean 'chairman' or 'chairwoman'. Ian Jolly, who is the BBC newsroom's 'style editor', conceded his presenters and reporters repeatedly make basic errors, such as confusing the word 'historic' with 'historical' Following recent criticisms that presenters are also mispronouncing the letter 'H', he called on the BBC's senior management to prioritise efforts to make the corporation a linguistic 'standard bearer' once more. Appearing on Radio 4's Feedback, he said: 'There are thousands of people who get in touch with us every year because of our output on radio and television and on the internet. So they do care. 'And the thing that people often point out is that they look to the BBC to uphold standards. So I do think that we used to be a standard bearer in these matters. 'Whether that’s the case now I’m not so sure. I would love to see someone at the top of the BBC take up the challenge and put the emphasis back on the quality of our language so we can once again be a leader for the people who look to us. 'They think the BBC is the bastion and I would like to see us back at that position.' Mr Jolly was asked to respond to a string of complaints received in the past week by Feedback. One listener, Stuart Grist, contacted the programme to complain about BBC reports into the resignations of Fiona Woolf and Baroness Butler-Sloss from the Government's sex abuse inquiry. He said: 'The other day it was reported that the child abuse enquiry had lost two chairs. Today we were told that two chairs had stepped down. Whatever next, "chairs found legless"? Or worse, "two chairs table motions"?' Following recent criticisms that presenters are also mispronouncing the letter 'H', he called on the BBC's senior management to prioritise efforts to make the corporation a linguistic 'standard bearer' once more . Mr Jolly agreed it was incorrect to describe somebody as a 'chair' rather than a 'chairman' or 'chairwoman'. He added: 'I think it’s one of the side effects of what we like to call political correctness. But I don’t really see the need for it and we don’t advocate using it. We think if a man’s a chairman, he’s a chairman. A woman’s a chairwoman. 'If you know the gender of a person then there are quite good options there.' Another listener complained about the repeated confusion of the word 'historic', which should be used to describe an important event, and 'historical', which simply means an event took place in the past. He said newspapers, police forces and even the judiciary have also made the same error, adding: 'So it is one of those phrases that has seeped into our consciousness. We never used to use it and now we are not sure which it should be and tend to get it wrong. ' Mr Jolly said he 'occasionally' tells off presenters for making grammatical mistakes, but said listeners and viewers should be more understanding of errors that creep into live broadcasts. He said: 'The BBC produces hundreds of hours of broadcasting every day, much of it live. Not every word is perfect. We would be concerned if writers were getting things wrong. 'I think we have to allow staff a little bit of leeway in the live broadcasting that makes up so much of our output.' Last month, the BBC was criticised by the Queen's English Society for allowing presenters including Sara Cox and Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw to say 'haitch' instead of 'aitch' when referring to the letter 'H'. It said such mistakes marked the beginning of a 'slippery slope', but the BBC said it was proud of the 'range of voices' across its programmes. | Thousands now complain to the corporation every year over grammar . Ian Jolly, who is the BBC newsroom's 'style editor', conceded his presenters and reporters repeatedly make basic errors . They often confuse the words 'historic' with 'historical' and use the term 'chair' when they mean 'chairman' or 'chairwoman' | 21a8316470a265e8966d1dc333f364f1c83201ff |
Katie Hopkins might have made enemies on Celebrity Big Brother but it seems the outspoken star is intent on making a few more after branding Atomic Kitten singer Natasha Hamilton 'chubby' during a TV appearance. Now the 32-year-old singer has hit back, describing Hopkins' words as 'harmful' and saying the reality star is likely to leave a 'toxic and negative' legacy. Hamilton was left fuming after 40-year-old Hopkins' appearance on The Wright Stuff - in particular because she gave birth to her fourth child just five months ago. Writing in a post on her BabyCentre blog, Hamilton explained that she has focused on looking after her health since the birth and reacted with 'complete horror' when she heard Hopkins' remark. Scroll down for video . New mother Natasha Hamilton, who is a size 8 and gave birth five moths ago, has hit back at outspoken Katie Hopkins after she called girlgroup Atomic Kitten, of which Natasha is a member, 'chubby' on national TV . The star, who found fame singing with Liz McClarnon and Kerry Katona in Atomic Kitten, also said that such remarks increase the pressure on women. 'It is pressure from women like Katie Hopkins - who talk utter nonsense and define people by their looks and weight - who are responsible for this pressure,' she fumed. Hamilton, who says her weight has been scrutinised since she was 20, continued by saying she's now old enough and confident enough to brush Hopkins' 'idiotic comments' aside. 'If she feels it’s justified to call me “chubby”,' she continued, 'despite the fact I’m a new mum and a size 8, the woman is clearly very harmful and the less exposure she gets the better.' Motormouth Katie, left, was speaking on The Wright Stuff when she branded Natasha, pictured, right, with new daughter Lola Rose, and her band mates 'chubby' Unfortunately, added the Atomic Kitten star, not every woman is so confident. 'The sad reality is, there’ll be other women, especially new mums, who will feel under pressure by her comments.' Hamilton also used her post to discuss her struggle with post-natal depression, sparked by the birth of her first child Josh in 2002. 'My weight plummeted dramatically,' she remembers, 'and I found it increasingly difficult to leave the house and go to work. 'I knew there’d be another weight related story that would be criticise me further.' Natasha, pictured with her bandmates Liz McClarnon and Kerry Katona, says she's now old enough and confident enough in her own skin to brush Katie's 'idiotic comments' aside . Twelve years on and Hamilton says she has learned to love herself and is teaching her children to love others whatever their shape or size. 'I think Katie Hopkins’ fixation on berating people’s looks masks her own insecurities,' she concludes. 'What’s worse is that she is a mother. Does she really believe her own children will be impervious to cruel jibes and insults - what a shame that her legacy will be so toxic and negative.' The spat came shortly after Hamilton showed off her incredible post-baby body during a performance with her Atomic Kitten bandmates at G-A-Y in London on Saturday night. The 32-year-old singer donned a daring PVC cut-out jumpsuit for the performance, which revealed a leather bra and matching pants. The girls were taking to the stage exactly 14 years to the day after they played their first G-A-Y gig. Natasha Hamilton, left, in 2003, says that twelve years on from giving birth to her first son in 2002, explains that she has learned to love herself and is teaching her children to love other's whatever their shape or size . | Katie branded Atomic Kitten 'chubby' on The Wright Stuff this week . Size 8 Natasha, who gave birth five months ago, says she's 'very harmful' Natasha spoke candidly about weight struggles but says she's happy now . | f87ea40b7b954ec38605d04c0f8adb437dc28417 |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Thirty-five years since Roe v. Wade, and little, it seems, has changed. The January 22, 1973, Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion remains the law of the land, and passions remain high on both sides of the issue, with annual protests on the anniversary. Access to abortion, then and now, is more than just about simple legalities. Social, religious and family values, as well as finances and politics, still play a role in shaping the abortion issue, but many legal and medical experts say the debate has become predictable. "Much of the controversy about abortion is really stimulated by the interest groups on both sides of the political question, rather than by ordinary Americans," said David Garrow, a law professor at Cambridge University, and a longtime Supreme Court scholar. "The American people and many political leaders have already made up their minds about legal abortion." Public opinion on abortion has remained remarkably stable over the years. A CNN/Opinion Research survey in October found 36 percent of Americans think abortion should be legal in most or all circumstances, 40 percent believe it should be available in a few circumstances, such as to save the mother's life, and 22 percent say abortion should never be legal. That is almost unchanged in the past 15 years. The Roe decision did not prompt "abortion on demand," as many opponents of the procedure predicted it would. Nor have various legislatures or court rulings restricted access as much as some supporters claim. New research from the Alan Guttmacher Institute found the rate of abortions is at its lowest level since Roe, and the total number is also in decline, about 1.2 million in the year 2005, down 25 percent since the all-time high in 1990. For the Supreme Court justices, Roe reflected earlier cases involving the right to privacy. That "right," wrote Justice Harry Blackmun in the main opinion for the court, is "broad enough to encompass a woman's decision whether or not to terminate her pregnancy." "Prior to Roe," said Garrow, "whether one could obtain a legal abortion in the face of an unwanted pregnancy was a crapshoot. For 30 years now, it's been a constitutionally guaranteed right." But the ruling was a qualified one, as many anti-abortion supporters have noted over the years, and that fact has been used by them in their efforts to narrow the scope of other abortion provisions. Blackmun noted the state's "important interests in safeguarding health, maintaining medical standards, and protecting potential life" are compelling enough to justify regulation "at some point in pregnancy." That "qualified right" found its form in the controversial "trimester analysis" laid out by the justices in Roe: permitting no government regulation during the first three months; allowing limited regulation in the second trimester to protect women's health and safety; and granting government the power to ban abortions during the third trimester -- in which medical consensus has concluded the fetus is capable of living on its own. After Roe, the high court affirmed the right to abortion in subsequent cases: striking down a provision requiring a husband's consent for a first-trimester abortion and a provision requiring parental consent for an unmarried woman under 18; striking down efforts to expand on laws requiring women to give informed consent before having an abortion; striking down a 24-hour waiting period; and striking down a law requiring doctors to inform women of the risks and of assistance available if she completed pregnancy. But there was one notable victory for anti-abortionist activists: banning use of taxpayer funds to finance abortions for poor women. The abortion issue has been revisited several times since Roe, most famously in two cases: Webster v. Reproductive Health Services (1989) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992). Webster (a 5-4 decision) upheld major parts of a Missouri abortion law that prohibited use of public facilities or the participation of public employees in abortions, and required doctors to test the viability of a fetus before performing an abortion. Justices William Rehnquist, Byron White and Anthony Kennedy said they would allow restrictions on abortion, but only if the restrictions had a rational basis. More important, the three conservative justices said a compelling government interest need not be required to justify restrictions on abortion. That was a blow for anti-abortion forces. Then came the Planned Parenthood ruling, in which the justices clearly outlined their views on Roe. The decision (also 5-4) reaffirmed the heart of Roe while giving states the power to regulate procedures so long as they did not impose an "undue burden" on a woman's right to abortion. The standard: Undue burden exists if "the purpose and effect is to place substantial obstacles in the path of a woman seeking an abortion before the fetus attains viability." The ruling left supporters on both sides of the issue dissatisfied, feeling it was ambiguous. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor did not join either opinion, saying there was nothing in it to justify reconsidering Roe. Nevertheless, Blackmun wrote, "the right to reproductive choice" was in danger of being overturned. Another legacy of Roe that remains: The head-counting of justices on the court, a what-if scenario that could lead to the overturning of Roe. The current 5-4 conservative majority could shift significantly in either direction if two or more justices leave the bench in the next few years, as is widely expected. In the meantime, conservatives in Congress have promised to push for tougher restrictions on the access to abortion, though many political experts say the goal is not necessarily aimed at overturning Roe. They found success last year when the justices in a sharply divided 5-4 ruling upheld a federal ban on a controversial a late-term procedure, rejecting concerns the law didn't take into account the physical safety of the mother. The procedure is typically performed by doctors in the middle to late second trimester. The legal sticking point was that the law lacked a "health exception" for a woman who might suffer serious medical complications, something the justices have said in the past is necessary when considering abortion restrictions. The swing vote, as in previous cases, came from Kennedy. In angry dissent, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the lone woman on the high court since O'Connor stepped down, called the majority's conclusions "alarming" and said they "cannot be understood as anything other than an effort to chip away a right declared again and again by this court, and with increasing comprehension of its centrality to women's lives." If there is one last legacy of the Roe decision, it may be that it opened up and expanded the entire debate on the rights of women, sexuality, health care, and medical decisions. Issues like cloning, stem cells, and fetal research have become part of the national lexicon. As significant as it was, Roe v. Wade was only the beginning of the battle. E-mail to a friend . | 35th anniversary of January 22, 1973, Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade . 36 percent of Americans say abortion should be legal in most or all circumstances . 40 percent believe it should be available in a few circumstances, poll says . 22 percent say abortion should never be legal, poll says . | 3adfce0acaac55cbed3b8aaf5d58cb65a14e38bb |
Manager Alan Irvine has praised West Brom starlet Liam O'Neil after his emergency full debut. The midfielder was not initially in the squad for their 3-2 Capital One cup win over Hull but was called on after Chris Baird pulled out through illness. The 21-year-old discovered he was starting just hours before kick-off and played a major part in Albion's victory on Wednesday. Youngster Liam O'Neil (centre) only found out he was playing against Hull two hours before kick-off . The 21-year-old put in an impressive display and played a big part in two of West Brom's goals . His cross led to Brown Ideye's opener and his 87th-minute corner finally fell to Gareth McAuley, who volleyed in to set up a grandstand finish. Saido Berahino won the game a minute later as Albion stunned the Tigers to progress to the fourth round and book a trip to Bournemouth. O'Neil had only previously made three substitute appearances for the Baggies but Irvine hailed his impact. West Brom manager Alan Irvine (right) was very impressed with his young charge's performance . 'Liam only found out he was playing on the afternoon of the game because Chris complained of feeling unwell,' Irvine told the club's official site. 'I have to say I thought he was outstanding and showed us what he is really capable of doing. 'It was a superb exercise for us because we managed to get full games out of so many players who needed them. 'To get a performance and result like we did as well only adds to the satisfaction.' O'Neil will now hope to play more regularly for the Baggies, starting with the visit of Burnley on Sunday . | West Brom praised young midfielder Alan Irvine for his role in Wednesday's 3-2 win against Hull . The 21-year-old discovered he was starting only two hours before the game . Chris Baird was meant to be playing but pulled out through illness . O'Neil had a big part in two of the goals and performed impressively . The Baggies host Burnley on Sunday and are 16th in the Premier League . | c9379c82db500d6bfb382bb560ed0446c58e0987 |
Police are yet to find the gunman or the weapon used in the murder of a mother-of-four and her fiancée in a shooting in NSW border town Moama. The woman was a 36-year-old mother-of-four from neighbouring town Mathoura. The male also 36, is a father and lived in Moama. It's alleged they were a couple and were engaged to be married. NSW police have established Strike Force Kennedia to investigate their deaths, after their bodies were discovered at 9am on Wednesday in their vehicle on Old Deniliquin Road. Scroll down for video . The bodies of a man and a woman were found in a white sedan on the side of the road (pictured). The man was inside the vehicle and the woman was in the process of exiting the vehicle . Grieving loved ones, including the woman's children, have taken to social media to pay tribute to the victims, shocked by the brutal murders. She has been remembered as a woman who was dedicated to her children and brought happiness to others. It's understood she leaves behind four children aged 21, 16, 15 and nine. 'R.I.P Mum, love you forever and always,' wrote one of her sons. 'I will always remeber your beautiful face... You were such a strong women (sic),' posted one of the female victim's young relatives. 'A smile that always make others smile. The love for her kids and family was like no other,' wrote a friend. 'Her laugh would make anyone laugh, one of a kind.' 'My heart goes out to the kids.' 'Still so lost for words and in disbelief. A beautiful ruff diamond was taken. Gone too soon.' The woman frequently posted about her adored children on her Facebook page. 'My oldest is 21 now. A beautiful women and so so proud of her 4 her achievements and her strength and her morals (sic),' she wrote. 'I'm so lucky to be all there mum. Xxxx Godbless them all (sic).' The male victim is being remembered as 'a good man and deadly father'. 'U was like my big brother, U was a good man n deadly father,' his cousin wrote on Facebook. 'U will b missed by so many brus, Rest in the dream time. Love n miss u xo (sic)' Police have cordoned the street off after the double murder of a man and woman on the side of the road in NSW border town Moama . The man was found dead inside of a white sedan, whilst the woman was positioned halfway out of the vehicle. Each had been shot multiple times. The bodies were discovered by a local resident on a bush track four kilometres outside of the Moama township. NSW Police media confirmed that the deaths are being treated as suspicious and urged members of the public to come forward with any information. 'This crime has occurred in your community and we are sure that people have knowledge of what happened and why,' said Superintendent Paul Condon of Deniliquin Local Area Command. The Mayor of the town, Thomas Weyrich told Daily Mail Australia that he is greatly concerned about the safety of the residents in Moama. 'My greatest concern is that we have somebody walking around who is armed and is capable of multiple homicides,' said Mr Weyrich. 'I am extremely concerned, the people of Moama need to be very, very careful who they talk to and communicate with. Mr Weyrich told Daily Mail Australia that rumours are flying around town speculating as to why the shootings took place, as people desperately search for answers. 'There is speculation that the killings might be drug-related. But the town is awash with rumours,' said Mr Weyrich. 'I don't think anybody knows. I don't know anything more than the public.' 'Police are heavily involved and treating the case with the greatest urgency. The sooner the perpetrator or perpetrators are brought into custody the better.' Councillor Weyrich said that he and the community are shocked, as nothing like this has ever happened before. 'We are a quiet little New South Wales town. This is a very safe place and we don't by and large have any criminal activity. 'This has come out of left field. A man and a woman have been found dead in the NSW town of Moama . The mayor did confirm that there is a bikie presence in the town. 'We do have a Bandidos clubhouse across the river and a member that lives close by, but I am not saying that they are involved.' Resident Kylie Spencer said she was driving into town about 9.20am on Wednesday and noticed a white car pulled off the road. 'I didn't know there were bodies,' Ms Spencer, who lives on the road, told AAP. 'I drove past thinking they had a punctured tyre. You do 100km/h down that road. 'It was just pulled over on the road, nothing suspicious at all.' Ms Spencer said there was another car pulled over next to the white vehicle. She assumed the motorist was helping out. Emergency services, including police and paramedics, were called to the scene at Old Deniliquin Road on Tuesday morning. 'At 9.26am paramedics were initially called out to what we were told was a car accident,' a Victoria Rural Ambulance Service spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia. 'When the paramedics arrived they confirmed two people were deceased. 'Police have now established a crime scene.' Shots were reportedly heard before the bodies were found. Residents of Old Deniliquin Road are not able to return to their homes after police cordoned off the street to establish a crime scene. The Riverine Herald also reports that an abandoned car was seen by residents. Police from Deniliquin Local Area Command, with the assistance of detectives from State Crime Commands Homicide Squad are investigating the deaths. The town is in the Riverina region, 220 kilometres north of Melbourne and west of Albury. The bodies were found on the side of the road next to a vehicle on Old Deniliquin Road (pictured) | A man and a woman have been found dead on a roadside in NSW . The woman was a mother-of-four and the man was her fiancée . Police continue to search for the murderer and the weapon . A police strike force has been established to investigate the death . The bodies were found beside a vehicle in the NSW border town Moama . Mayor Thomas Weyrich is seriously concerned for residents' safety . Police are treating both deaths as suspicious . Initial reports suggest the deaths were after a shooting after two gunshots were heard . Emergency services were called to the scene at 9.20am on Tuesday . | a26c240ab240da9f1f0b816f6a8941729cc5bcb5 |
It took four officers and two gunshot wounds to restrain a 28-year-old U.S. soldier on a drunken rampage through a German hospital Thursday. The soldier, who has not been identified, was brought into the Clinic of Grosshadern emergency room with a head wound at an Oktoberfest party. Upon waking up, he proceeded to tear a red fire extinguisher off the wall, wave it around, and threaten the patients along with the nurses and doctors trying to treat him. It took four officers and two gunshot wounds to restrain a 28-year-old U.S. soldier on a drunken rampage with a fire extinguisher through a German hospital Thursday . The New York Daily News reports the soldier even gave one 89-year-old patient a fat lip as he swung the fire extinguisher. The incident was originally reported by German newspaper Abendzeitung. The soldier, who had been stationed at the U.S. Army Garrison Grafenwoehr, was finally pacified when four Bavarian police officers were called to the scene. Far from going quietly, he ignored commands to lower the extinguisher in both German and English and began attacking the officers. Before he was able to hit them with his make-shift weapon, one officer was able to shoot him in the leg. He had to be shot twice before he dropped the extinguisher and gave in to the authorities. The soldier, who had been stationed at the U.S. Army Garrison Grafenwoehr, was finally pacified when four Bavarian police officers were called to the scene . It is considered extremely rare for German police to use their guns, and the Bavarian State Office of Criminal Investigation is reportedly looking into the incident. The injuries should not be life-threatening, NBC News reports. The soldier faces a potential assault charge. He had recently returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan. | Unidentified soldier had recently completed tour of Afghanistan . Had been stationed at U.S. base in Germany since 2013 . Gave one 89-year-old patient a fat lip as he assaulted patients, nurses, and doctors . | 2e679a6e903373f3e1212ad2b69371a71f088d1d |
By . Oliver Todd . Follow @@oliver_todd . Just as it looked like Alvaro Negredo's luck was turning, disaster struck. 'The Beast' brilliantly created Scott Sinclair's opener against Hearts but minutes later he was leaving the field with a limp. And it looked as if things were to get worse for City when Osman Sow equalised in the second half for the recently relegated Edinburgh side - before Aleksandar Kolarov's penalty 10 minutes from time gave the Blues their first win of their Scottish pre season tour. Negredo made a blistering start to his City career last season before fading away at the end of the campaign - and while fans will have been delighted to see him play a brilliant eye-of-the-needle assist for Sinclair to score, his early exit could be a worry with less than a month until the start of the season. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Alvaro Negredo score a spectacular scissor kick in training . Ouch: Negredo went down holding his foot before limping off the field at Tynecastle . Hearts: Alexander (Hamilton 70), Paterson, McHattie, Wilson (McGhee . 75), Ozturk (McKay 70), Gomis (Oliver 75), Walker (Holt 56), Bauben (Robinson . 59), Sow (D Smith 56), Carrick (Keatings 56), Nicholson (King 16) City (first-half): Wright, Richards, Leigh, Nastasic, Rekik, Garcia, . Zuculini, Sinclair, Nasri, Navas, Negredo . City (second-half): Caballero, Bossaerts (Clichy 72), Kolarov, Denayer, . Boyata, Rodwell, Fernando, Sinclair, Huws, Jovetic, Guidetti . Attendance: 12,118 . Manuel Pellegrini played different teams . in each half as the Premier League champions looked to build up their . fitness ahead of a tough defence of their title. Summer signings Fernando and Willy Caballero both made their second appearances of the summer as half time substitutes on a night when City's stars who did not travel to the World Cup enjoyed a run out. Hearts engineered the first real opening after 19 minutes when Jamie Walker threaded a pass through to Dale Carrick in the box but the striker's left-footed strike from a tight angle was repelled by goalkeeper Richard Wright. City were not so forgiving in the final third and Pellegrini's side went ahead after 25 minutes. Negredo . found Sinclair in the box and the midfielder kept his calm amid shouts . for offside to cooly roll the ball pass Alexander from close range. Power: Alex Kolarov converts the penalty with 10 minutes left to give Manchester City the win at Hearts . Captain Kolarov: The Serbian left back converted from the spot to give City their first pre season win . Touch of class: Negredo watches on as his through ball is converted by Scott Sinclair . Back on form: Scott Sinclair had earlier given City the lead after a brilliant through ball from Negredo . With the exception of the goal scorer, City named a completely different line-up after the break. And Hearts levelled after 56 minutes when Sow raced on to Carrick's pass before calmly lifting the ball past Willy Caballero. City were awarded a penalty with ten minutes left when Callum Paterson brought down Emyr Huws after taking a bad first touch. Kolarov - roundly booed after criticising Paterson for a challenge on keeper Caballero - silenced the home crowd with a clinical low finish. Worry: Manuel Pellegrini will be hoping that Negredo's injury is not serious ahead of the new season . Short lived: Hearts trialist Osman Sow celebrates his second half leveller . | 'The Beast' set up Sinclair to give City a half time lead at Tynecastle . Spanish striker was seen limping towards the end of the first period . But Hearts drew level with a well-worked goal from Osman Sow . Kolarov buried a penalty with 10 minutes to go to give City the win . Manuel Pellegrini's side play Sporting Kansas City in the US next . | 7cf63ed0449a75e7d433b1997ef6e76dd69ba32a |
(CNN) -- The mother of an Ohio-born man is "hanging on by a thread" after her son disappeared earlier this month in violence-wracked Syria, according to family members. Obada Mzaik, a dual American and Syrian citizen, went missing on January 3 after he traveled with his brother on a flight from Detroit to Damascus, his uncle, Dr. Firas Nashef, told CNN. Mzaik was studying civil engineering at a private university in the Syrian capital and had planned to pursue a master's degree in the United States, his uncle said. The 21-year-old student was born in Columbus, Ohio, but moved with his family back to Syria when he was child. He had enrolled in a seasonal program at a Michigan community college. His uncle said Mzaik returned to Syria earlier this month with his brother, Obaie Mzaik, to visit family and prepare for the start of the new semester in Damascus. The 19-year-old brother said that upon their arrival, they were detained by security officers for questioning, according to Nashef. The younger brother was soon released, but the officers kept Obada Mzaik for further questioning. "In his mind, he was expecting to see his brother in the morning," said Nashef. "But that never happened." Mzaik's family is now fearing the worst. "We hear some horrendous stories from over there," said Nashef. "And my sister is hanging on by a thread," he said of the missing student's mother. "We're all hanging on with a bit of hope. But she's angry and she has no information." This month's arrest isn't the first time the 21-year-old has been detained by Syrian security forces. Last summer, he was arrested and held for 37 days for "spreading fliers about the revolution," according to his uncle. A Facebook page, meanwhile, is calling for Mzaik's release. The U.S. State Department also weighed in Tuesday, saying it's aware of reports of his disappearance. "We are working with local authorities to ascertain (Mzaik's) welfare and whereabouts," said State Department spokesman Noel Clay. Mzaik is at least the second U.S. citizen to have disappeared this month in Syria, raising questions as to whether the missing men could usher in a more public State Department presence in the restive country. Abdelkader Chaar, 22, is thought to have been arrested in Aleppo, Syria, five days after Mzaik disappeared. Chaar was born in Syracuse, New York, moved to Aleppo with his parents when he was a boy and is a medical student at Aleppo University, his uncle said. His family has not been told why he was arrested, said Sam Chaar, who spoke to CNN from Arizona. Read more about the arrest of Chaar . The disappearances of both men come as anti-government demonstrations raged throughout the country. Protesters last week focused their attention on political prisoners and demanded the release of detainees. At least 10 people were slain in clashes Friday, according to the Local Coordination Committees of Syria, an opposition activist group. For more than 10 months, Syria has been in the throes of an anti-government public uprising and a brutal security crackdown against protesters. The United Nations last month estimated more than 5,000 deaths since mid-March. Opposition groups estimate more than 6,000 people have died. Also, the Arab League is extending its monitoring mission to see whether the government is adhering to an agreement to end the violence. Arab League extends its mission in Syria . The Arab League has called on President Bashar al-Assad's regime to stop violence against civilians, free political detainees, remove tanks and weapons from cities and allow outsiders, including the international news media, to travel freely around Syria. | Obada Mzaik, a dual American and Syrian citizen, went missing on January 3 . The 21-year-old student was born in Columbus, Ohio; he was in Syria with his brother . He is at least the second American citizen to have gone missing in Syria this month . Mzaik's family back in the United States is now fearing the worst . | a45136d5bfc11031861b81fab5841ef4df075373 |
A city in Ohio is battling a plague of crows with swarms estimated to be 60,000-strong - meaning there's almost one bird to every human inhabitant. Residents, business owners and police in Springfield have joined together in a bid to get rid of the 'dirty' birds, which leave droppings everywhere and create noise pollution. Volunteer armies have been brandishing lasers at the buildings from dusk until early night, while a biologist also recommended using sound machines. Scroll down for video . Night sky: A city in Ohio is battling a plague of crows with swarms estimated to be 60,000-strong . At war: That means there's almost one bird to every human inhabitant in the town of Springfield . However, the digital repellents which send out sounds to scare off the birds, have largely been unsuccessful. 'The crows adapted quickly and realized that’s just a fake,' Roger Sherrock, CEO of the Clark County Heritage Center and one of the leaders in the fight against the crows, told the Springfield News Sun. Ongoing problem: Roger Sherrock, CEO of the Clark County Heritage Center, is one of the Springfield residents leading the fight against the crows which leave their droppings all over buildings . Trouble-makers: The birds' overwhelming presence on trees and buildings is causing concern about damage and potential health hazards from their waste . Some have compared the crow-laden landscape to the Alfred Hitchcock movie The Birds, where the California town of Bodega Bay suddenly becomes the subject of unexplained and violent bird attacks. However, the murder of crows troubling Springfield isn't aggressive like the one in the 1963 thriller. But with tens of thousands of them at times, their overwhelming presence on trees and buildings is causing concern about damage and potential health hazards from the birds' waste. Sherrock noted that the stones swallowed by crows to help digest their food have clogged up gutters on buildings and business owners have been paying thousands to get droppings removed. Here to stay: Apparently the crow epidemic in Springfield has been an ongoing problem . Reminiscent: The Springfield scenes are reminiscent of the 1963 Hitchcock classic film, The Birds (pictured) Springfielders are now in the midst of a two-week drive to banish the crows for good. The city's service department is employing up to two workers per night during this time to fire flare guns. They hope this will convince the birds to choose a roosting place away from the downtown area. Apparently the crow epidemic has been an ongoing problem for more than a decade in the area. But Sherrock concluded: 'We’ll keep going as long as it takes.' | Around 60,000 crows descend on Springfield, Ohio, every night . That means there's almost one bird to every human inhabitant . Residents, business owners and police have joined together in a bid to get rid of the 'dirty' birds, which leave droppings everywhere . They have used laser pointers, sound machines and gun flares . 'We’ll keep going as long as it takes,' Roger Sherrock, CEO of the Clark County Heritage Center said . | f48f7521aebc6a50053f90f243d13e800b36caa7 |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . Last updated at 12:25 AM on 24th November 2011 . Defence attorneys today played a videotaped interview of a nine-year-old girl whose father is facing a possible death sentence for a home invasion that killed three people. Joshua Komisarjevsky's daughter giggles frequently in the 20 minute video as she talks to a child welfare expert about her dogs and other animals and her toys. At one point, she says she used to play with 'Nana's son Josh' and says he went to jail for something. Komisarjevsky, 31, objected to his attorneys' plans to play the video as they try to persuade the jury to spare him the death penalty, saying . he didn't want his daughter to feel compelled to help 'one of the most . hated people in America.' Guilty: The jury convicted Joshua Komisarjevsky last month on all 17 counts in the home invasion - including capital felony, murder and sexual assault . Komisarjevsky and his co-defendant, . Steven Hayes, were convicted of murder in the 2007 killing of Jennifer . Hawke-Petit and her two daughters, 17-year-old Hayley and 11-year-old . Michaela, at their Connecticut home. Caroline Long Burry, a child welfare . expert interviewed the girl last weekend, said Komisarjevsky's daughter . calls him 'Daddy Josh' when she's with his family, but refers to him as . the son of her grandfather when with her maternal relatives. As Courant.com reports, she was told . by her maternal aunt, her relative guardian, that she was going to the . legal guardian's office to talk, and was not aware she was being filmed. As the video played, some jurors . smiled as the girl laughed, doing puzzles and colouring pictures with Ms . Burry during the interview. Komisarjevsky looked intently at the . screen. In a two-minute segment, the girl, . after seeing a photo of her father, said: 'Josh... went to jail for . something he did at work.' When asked if she recalled ever living with Josh, the girl replied: 'I don't remember anything.' Ms Burry later testified, describing . the girl as 'bright, engaging and sparkly' and expressed concerns that . if Komisarjevsky's execution could be 'very damaging' to the girl. 'She . would have to live on a daily basis with being labelled and quite . possibly stigmatised with the fact her father is on death row and there . is an execution coming up,' Ms Burry explained. Victims: Dr William Petit Jr (left) with his daughters Michaela (front) Hayley, (centre rear) and his wife, Jennifer Hawke-Petit . She also said the girl is known to . withdraw and has a lot of anxiety, and that prison records showed that . Komisarjevsky had 55 visits with his daughter while he was in prison. Prosecutor Michael Dearington reminded . jurors under cross-examination that Komisarjevsky was convicted of . sexually assaulting and killing a girl less than two years older than . his daughter. 'In this particular situation, I . have carefully weighed the potential risks and have found that those . risks and negative consequences to my daughter far outweigh the benefits . of helping save my life.' Joshua Komisarjevsky . Dearington also noted that those sentenced to death spend . many years on death row and asked Burry about the last execution, which . was in 2005 and was the only one since 1960 in Connecticut. Komisarjevsky, speaking for the first . time in his trial other than a taped confession, told the trial judge . earlier today that his daughter was coached, an allegation denied by an . attorney for the girl's guardian. Reading from a three-page statement . his attorneys had not reviewed, he said: 'In this particular situation, I . have carefully weighed the potential risks and have found that those . risks and negative consequences to my daughter far outweigh the benefits . of helping save my life.' Family: Joshua Komisarjevsky poses with his mother, Jude, who lost custody of his daughter to her late maternal grandmother. The girl's maternal aunt is now her guardian . Father and son: Ben Komisarjevsky warlier told the jury about the 'miracle' of adopting his son Joshua as a baby . Standing behind the defence table as . he addressed the judge, wearing a dark suit and tie, he continued: 'I've . carefully come to the overwhelming opinion that I am not at all . comfortable putting my daughter in a position wherein she may feel that . she has to explain or justify herself to anyone who perceives her . statements to somehow help one of the most hated people in America.' 'She's nine-years-old. Had this . interview been her decision to make and she was old enough to understand . that decision that would be one thing. However, that is not the case in . this situation. The decision has been made for her,' he said. Komisarjevsky noted his life is on the . line. He said the negative consequences to his daughter outweigh the . benefits of helping to save his life. 'I will not beg for my life,' he said. 'I will humbly request in earnest that your honour please uphold the . thoughtfully weighed decision of defendant over the wish of the defence . team.' Turning point: Joshua Komisarjevsky sorted his life out for a while and completed Army Reserve training . New Haven Superior Court Judge Jon . Blue overruled his objection, agreeing with the attorneys that they have . the final say. Komisarjevsky's lawyers played the videotape of the girl . in hopes of persuading jurors to spare him the death penalty later in . the morning. Only jurors were permitted to see and . hear the video, while credentialed journalists and others in the . courtroom gallery could only hear it and watch reactions from the jury. Accomplice: Steven Hayes is already on death row for the killings . The attorney for the girl's guardian said the interview with the girl was done carefully in a non-confrontational way. Komisarjevsky said his daughter has been told by her guardian not to talk about him. 'It should also be considered how her . memorialised words will affect her emotionally and psychologically in . the future if she believes she's party to assisting the effort to put me . to death,' he said. As Courant reports, Ms Burry said she . believed the girl's friends and acquaintances do not know she is . Komisarjevsky's daughter. Her name has been changed. After her paternal . grandparents Ben and Jude Komisarjevsky lost custody of the girl, she . went to live with her maternal grandmother. When the grandmother died, a . maternal aunt became her guardian. The girl's mother has struggled with . drug addiction and was admitted in the past to a psychiatric hospital. Komisarjevsky, was . convicted last month on all 17 counts in the 2007 Cheshire, Connecticut home invasion - including capital felony, murder and sexual assault. Komisarjevsky and Hayes were convicted . of killing Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her two daughters, 11-year-old . Michaela and 17-year-old Hayley, in their Cheshire home. Authorities say . Komisarjevsky sexually assaulted Michaela, who would have turned 16 . today. Hayes, meanwhile, sexually assaulted and strangled Hawke-Petit. Scorched: The house was set alight with the girls still inside, tied up with pillowcases over their heads . Horror: An image shown to the court shows the charred bedroom of Hayley Petit after the attack . The house was then set on fire, and . the two girls – who were tied to their beds – died of smoke inhalation. Hawke-Petit's husband, Dr William Petit, was severely beaten but . survived. Komisarjevsky and Hayes were caught . when they crashed the Petits' car into police cruisers near the home . while fleeing. Komisarjevsky's accomplice, Steven Hayes is on death row . following his 2010 conviction. In Komisarjevsky's case, jurors will . have to weigh whether aggravating factors in the case, including the . sexual assaults, outweigh mitigating factors, such as Komisarjevsky's . troubled childhood. The same Superior Court jury that . convicted Komisarjevsky will decide whether he should be sentenced to . death by lethal injection or to life in prison without the possibility . of parole. The defence is expected to rest next Tuesday. The sentencing phase began October 25. | Only jurors saw video testimony from Joshua Komisarjevsky's daughter . Girl refers to him as 'Daddy Josh' and 'Nana's son' Said he 'went to jail for . something he did at work' Komisarjevsky did not want daughter defending 'one of the most hated people in America' Jury continues to deliberate on whether or not to give him the death penalty . | bf2adb1434fd93f653810d520c875c3cbe6b50c2 |
By . Emily Allen . PUBLISHED: . 04:11 EST, 30 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 05:57 EST, 30 October 2012 . Complaint: District Judge Lonnie Cox, sitting at . Galveston County drug court, Texas, allegedly ripped up court . papers and threw them in the air . A judge screamed swear words at a pregnant defendant and told her she was worthless before storming out of a court room, it has been alleged. District Judge Lonnie Cox, sitting at Galveston County drug court, Texas, also allegedly ripped up court papers and threw them in the air when he discovered the womn had missed probation meetings regarding her drugs conviction. Wesley Clements, acting on behalf of Maricelda Marie Aguilar, 22, of Alvin, said he had asked Judge Cox to recuse himself from the hearing following the outburst. He said he had filed a complaint with the State Commission on Judicial Conduct about Judge Cox's alleged conduct earlier this month. Judge Cox said he was unable to comment and filed an order refusing to recuse himself. Aguilar, who is seven months . pregnant, has been in custody since July for violating her probation for . an earlier drug conviction. While . in prison she developed a bacterial infection which could harm her . unborn baby, and Judge Cox had agreed that she be moved from Montgomery . County Jail to a rehabilitation centre until she gave birth. However, . the outburst was sparked when, at a hearing on October 5, Judge Cox . discovered Aguilar had missed several probation meetings. According to www.chron.com, the recusal motion said: 'The judge while sitting on the bench in open court looked at the plea papers and then screamed. 'This is s***. This kind of b******* is not what the drug court should be doing and it is just costing the taxpayers money'. Court drama: The outburst at Galveston County Drugs Court was sparked when, at a hearing on October 5, Judge Cox . discovered pregnant defendant Aguilar had missed several probation meetings . The motion continued to explain how the judge told the defendant she was 'worthless' and 'not worth the paper and ink that the plea agreement was written on'. He then ripped up the court documents and threw them in the air before 'storming out'. Fourteen witnesses apparently saw the incident, including Aguilar's mother. The complaint is ongoing. | District Judge Lonnie Cox, sitting at . Galveston County drug court, Texas, also allegedly ripped up court . papers and threw them in the air . Outburst occurred when he discovered the defendant had . missed probation meetings regarding her drugs conviction . | 9d234e37773af067d7dc36f968a9dfdb9e5b1c91 |
A Newcastle man got the shock of his life while he was filming a lightning storm in New South Wales. Rob McGee was watching the storm roll over the city - two hours north of Sydney - when he captured the moment a lightning strike hit a nearby gym. Mr McGee posted the video on social media just after 7.30pm on Sunday. Scroll down for video . Rob McGee was watching the storm roll over Newcastle - two hours north of Sydney - when he captured the moment a lightning strike hit a nearby gym . 'Scared the crap out of me!' he wrote along with the video. In the five-second footage, a deafening crack is heard when lightning hits a building. Mr McGee told shocked friends who commented on the post that the landing place was a gym behind Civic train station. 'Had a better look..... it is gym behind the station. Bet a few people dropped a weight or two,' he wrote. The landing place was a nearby gym behind Civic train station in Newcastle . The storm that rolled in over NSW on Sunday followed hot weather during the day . He added 'a few' others had hit his building but this was the only one he had captured on camera. At the time of publication, Mr McGees' video had attracted almost 70,000 views on social media. Sunday's hot weather during the day was followed by thunderstorms late in the afternoon. In NSW, a number of fires were believed to have been started by lightning strikes. At least 90 blazes were burning across the state, with more than half deemed out-of-control. Most were caused by lightning strikes late Sunday that followed scorching temperatures in Sydney and around the state, NSW Rural Fire Service spokesman Ben Shepherd said. At the time of publication, Mr McGees' video had attracted almost 70,000 views on social media . 'The good thing at this stage is there is nothing impacting on any lives or property,' he told AAP on Monday. 'However, given the remoteness of some of these fires, it is going to take a considerable effort over coming days in order to actually start some containment on a number of these fires.' Mr Shepherd said the RFS had sent out planes on Monday morning to try to detect new outbreaks. 'We are expecting more [fires],' he said. About 430 firefighters were on the ground and more are on standby. 'We've probably got a day or two at least of more favourable weather, which will assist in getting some of these fires under control,' Mr Shepherd said. Sydney was set to reach a top of 30 degrees Celsius on Monday while Wallsend, in the Hunter region, was expected to peak at 38, and Penrith in Sydney's west had a maximum of 36. Total fire bans remain in place for the lower central west plains, including Dubbo. | Newcastle's Rob McGee captured the footage two hours north of Sydney . He said it had struck a nearby gym behind Civic train station in the city . In the five-second video, a deafening crack accompanies the bright strike . So far, the footage has attracted more than 70,000 views on social media . | b782b45f3a0f6c84b46d5c7b92a1d22bd83006bb |
By . Peter Allen . PUBLISHED: . 12:58 EST, 4 May 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 12:58 EST, 4 May 2012 . A brilliant nuclear scientist working at the Cern nuclear laboratory was today sentenced to five in prison for plotting attacks on behalf of Al-Qaeda . Adlene Hicheur, who is French and from an Algerian background and who studied in England, was arrested in 2009 after police intercepted emails he sent to the Islamic terrorist organisation. Judges sitting at Paris Correctional Court said the 35-year-old should serve five years, with one suspended. Sentenced: A court sketch of physicist Adlene Hicheur, who worked for the European Centre for Nuclear Research in Switzerland, speaking during his trial in Paris . Hicheur has been on remand for two-and-a-half years since his arrest in October 2009, when he was a researcher at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (Cern), a complex studying the start of the universe - or the 'Big Bang'. Prosecutor Guillaume Portenseigne said Hicheur had used his privileged position to act as a 'technical advisor for terrorist attacks', keeping in regular contact with Al-Qaeda operatives by email. 'I see lots of confusion and inaccuracies,' said Hicheur, referring to evidence which was mainly written in Arabic. 'The police interpreter has done a good job to make me look indefensible,' he added. Hicheur's trial comes in the wake of 23-year-old Mohammed Merah murdering seven victims in the south west of France earlier this year. Technology: The Cern laboratories near Geneva is home to the large hadron collider experiment which aims to understand the birth of the Universe . Both men grew up on French council . estates, came from Algerian backgrounds, and have alleged links with . radical religious groups who wanted to start a global jihad. Referring . to Merah murdering French troops in two French towns, Hicheur's lawyer . Patrick Baudouin said: 'Clearly, the events of Toulouse and Montauban . don't appear to create the most favorable conditions for the trial of . Adlene Hicheur.' Mr Baudouin added: 'Hicheur must not become a scapegoat for a case he has nothing to do with.' After . completing a thesis on high energy in 2003, Hicheur was a postgraduate . at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, at Chilton, near Didcot, . Oxfordshire. Tension: Hicheur's trial comes in the wake of 23-year-old Mohammed Merah murdering seven victims in the south west of France earlier this year . Hicheur was . arrested by anti-terrorist police in October 2009 at his parents' flat . on an estate on the outskirts of Lyon, in eastern France - close to . CERN, which straddles the Franco-Swiss border. Detectives . and security agents found masses of Al-Qaeda literature at his own flat . nearby, including advice on how to carry out terrorist crimes. Hicheur . had also been corresponding by email with Mustapha Debchi, a known . member of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) based in Algeria. On March 1, 2009, Hicheur wrote an email to Debchi proposing 'possible targets in Europe, and particularly in France.' On March 10, Hicheur sent another saying: 'Concerning the subject of targets - they differ depending what you want to achieve following the hits. 'For example: if it's about punishing the state because of its military activities in Muslim countries like Afghanistan, then it should be a purely military objective. 'For example - the air base at Cran-Gevrier, near Annecy, in France. This base trains troops and sends them to Afghanistan.' Debchi wrote to Hicheur in June 2009, and asked: 'Do not beat around the bush: are you prepared to work in a unit becoming active in France?' Hicheur replied on June 6: 'Concerning your proposal, the answer is of course YES..' Prosecutors said the email exchanges 'crossed the line of simple debate on political or religious ideas and entered the sphere of terrorist violence.' Hicheur has been on remand in a high-security jail since his arrest, but deniesd the charge of plotting terrorist. | Adlene Hicheur, 35, sentenced to five years after police intercepted emails to terrorist group . | f05ceae8557735760b322832c05be9d8c5c5dfbd |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 21:01 EST, 27 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 21:01 EST, 27 December 2013 . Sentimental films make you more liberal, research suggests. Political scientists found that Hollywood movies are better able to change attitudes – in a left-wing direction – than advertising or news reports. Todd Adkins, of the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, said audiences seemed to turn off their critical faculties when they reach the cinema. Sentimental films, such as The Rainmaker (pictured), make you more liberal, research suggests . ‘Viewers come expecting to be entertained and are not prepared to encounter and evaluate political messages as they would during campaign advertisements or network news,’ he said. Dr Adkins’ research, published in the journal Social Science Quarterly, was based on a study of 268 students who were asked about their political views, shown a film and then questioned again. Half identified themselves as politically conservative. Political scientists found that Hollywood movies are better able to change attitudes - in a left-wing direction - than advertising or news reports . The researchers noted a leftward shift in attitudes after the participants saw a film with a liberal message. The movies were As Good As It Gets with Jack Nicholson and The Rainmaker with Matt Damon. It emerged this week that the FBI considered It’s a Wonderful Life to be sympathetic to communism when it came out in 1946. | Political scientists found that Hollywood movies can change attitudes more than advertising and news reports . The researchers noted a leftward shift in attitudes after the participants saw a film with a liberal message . | 123820c403fc22cd9d50d8f773454f651b001829 |
By . Martha De Lacey . PUBLISHED: . 13:21 EST, 9 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 13:21 EST, 9 November 2012 . Bridget Jones need no longer be ashamed of her massive pants. Although big beige knickers have been voted men's biggest lingerie turn-off, one supermarket has come to rescue soft-edged women everywhere, designing a line of sexy underwear that will banish lumps and bumps while still looking glamorous. And with pieces starting at £6, the collection from George at Asda is up to 350 per cent cheaper than current high street offerings. The new line aims to hug curves in all the right places and features lace detailing and leopard-print patterns . George's sexy control lingerie, designed to give women 'the perfect hourglass figure', was created to meet shopper demand for more glamorous, purse-friendly controlwear after 52 per cent of shoppers said they were bored of 'plain beige Bridgets' and wanted something sexier. Tried and tested on women size 12 and 14, the line - part of the shop's Bodysculpt range - hugs curves in all the right places and features a collection of . gorgeous lace detailing through to sexy leopard print patterns. The . revolutionary collection not only proves that control-wear can be just . as stylish in the underwear stakes but has been approved by women across . the nation. After a survey revealed that three quarters of women who shop in Asda envy the hourglass figure of Kelly Brook, the range was designed with her shape in mind. Bodysculpt control dresses from George at Asda start at £10, while their briefs start at £6 . 1. Kelly Brook . 2. Kim Kardashian . 3. Holly Willoughby . 4. Tulisa . 5. Christina Hendricks . 6. Beyonce . George's animal print control body will retail for just £10, 350 per cent . cheaper than competitor versions on the high street costing £45 and . upwards, offering the same great style, quality and confidence boost for . a fraction of the price. George's Entice Animal Control dress retails at £10, while the Spanx equivalent is sold on their website for £109. With 43 per cent of women spending over £200 on . control lingerie a year, and 29 per cent revealing they spend more on their . controlwear than the outfit itself, the George version is the perfect . solution for savvy savers. Bodysculpt high-waisted briefs from George at Asda retail for £6 and come in black, lace and animal print . 1. Oversized beige shaper pants . 2. Discoloured white underwear . 3. Thongs visible above jeans . 4. Visible panty lines . 5. Badly fitting bras . 6. Novelty underwear . Since the rise in the fashion for . bodycon style dresses loved by celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, . Cheryl Cole and the X Factor's Tulisa, George has reported a huge rise . in the demand for control wear with weekly sales set to double as we . move into the party season and the frocks come out. Fiona Lambert, George Brand Director said: 'We know control underwear is . a real wardrobe staple for many women and 64 per cent have told us that it . helps increase their confidence levels at the Christmas party. 'We wanted . togive our shoppers a great new addition to our range by offering them . more affordable and glamorous versions to what is currently available on . the high street. 'Our new collection of sculpted underwear not only . smooths lumps and bumps but also looks gorgeous. 'For that reason, there . will be no more undressing in the dark to hide unsightly briefs. We . hope this new range will give shoppers a helping hand this party season . and help them to showcase their fabulous assets in the run up to . Christmas.' | George at Asda unveils sexy shapewear line . Kelly Brook voted 'best curves' by women . Some 68% of men are 'afraid' of control pants . | 5abf059e188d466c7105d58b9f7457dae9c483cf |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 15:46 EST, 27 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 18:38 EST, 27 September 2013 . The girlfriend of former New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez has been indicted on a perjury charge in connection with the killing of his friend, bringing the number of people facing charges in the case to five. A grand jury indicted Shayanna Jenkins, 24, on a single count in relation to the investigation into the June 17 killing of Odin Lloyd, Bristol County District Attorney Samuel Sutter said. It wasn't clear what led to the charge. Lloyd, a 27-year-old semiprofessional football player from Boston, was found shot to death in an industrial park in North Attleborough, Massachusetts, near Hernandez's home, where Jenkins also lives. Lloyd had been dating Jenkins' sister. Charged: A grand jury indicted Shayanna Jenkins, 24, on a single count in relation to the investigation into the June 17 killing of Odin Lloyd, who was shot dead near Hernandez's home . Denial: Former NFL New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, pictured in court, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the shooting death of Odin Lloyd . In court: Hernandez talks to his lawyer Michael Fee in court as he pleads not guilty to six charges . Jenkins was not arrested and will be ordered to appear in court for an arraignment, the prosecutor's office said. She and Hernandez have a young child together. Hernandez has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and weapons charges in Lloyd's death and is being held without bail. His attorneys have said the state won't be able to prove its case during a jury trial and that Hernandez will be exonerated. Victim: Footballer Odin Lloyd, 27, was found shot dead near to Hernandez's home on June 17 . Prosecutors say Hernandez killed Lloyd because he was upset with him for talking to some people at a nightclub with whom he had had problems. In addition to Hernandez and his girlfriend, three others face charges in the case. Hernandez associate Ernest Wallace has pleaded not guilty to being an accessory to murder after the fact. Another associate of Hernandez, Carlos Ortiz, also was indicted on the same charge, Sutter said Friday. Ortiz's attorney, John Connors, said on Friday that the indictment wasn't unexpected. He said Ortiz will plead not guilty to the new charge and that he will make an argument for bail but had no further comment. A hearing on the gun charge that was scheduled for Friday was canceled. Given the indictment, Ortiz's case now shifts to superior court in Fall River. His arraignment there has not been scheduled. Hernandez's cousin, Tanya Singleton, also was indicted on a new charge of conspiracy to commit accessory after the fact, Sutter said. Prosecutors say that in the days after the killing, she drove with Wallace from her home in Bristol, Connecticut, where Wallace had lived at times, to Georgia, where her car broke down, and that she then bought him a bus ticket to Florida, where his family lives. Singleton had been indicted earlier on a charge of criminal contempt after allegedly refusing to testify before the grand jury hearing evidence in the case. Prosecutors say they offered her immunity. Heartbroken: Odin Lloyd's mother sobbed in court earlier this month as she came face-to-face with her son's alleged killer . Tears: Hernandez's fiancee, Shayanna Jenkins (center), is pictured with his emotional mother in court earlier this month . Lloyd's girlfriend Shaneah Jenkins recently told NECN that she's . tired of the focus on Hernandez. Jenkins' sister is engaged to Hernandez. 'Every . time there’s a story out it's always about the alleged murder and it's . not about the tragedy that happened to Odin,' she said. 'The loss that . all of us have taken and the fact that he is a human and his life was . taken.' Prosecutors claim that Hernandez . orchestrated Lloyd's killing because he was upset at him for talking to . people Hernandez had problems with at a nightclub days earlier. It . has also been suggested that he killed Lloyd because he knew about . Hernandez's involvement in a 2012 double homicide. Hernandez has never . been charged in that case. Hernandez and two other men, Ernest . Wallace and Carlos Ortiz, allegedly picked Lloyd up at his home in . Dorchester on June 17 and drove to the industrial park. His body was . found by a jogger later that day. Hernandez, . who was dropped by the Patriots within hours of his arrest on June 26, . could face life in prison without parole if convicted. Shortly . before Lloyd's death, authorities say, Lloyd sent his sister text . messages. He asked if she had seen who he was with when he got into the . car in Boston. Stern: Shayanna Jenkins, fiancee of Aaron Hernandez, leaves the Bristol County Superior Court in Fall River on September 11 . Sadness: His mother Terri Hernandez also leaves the court after he pleaded not guilty to the charges . Bold: Supporters of Hernandez stand outside court with messages on shirts calling for his release . Then he indicated who it was in a way . that Lloyd's family said he knew his sister would understand. 'NFL,' he . wrote. 'Just so you know.' Moments . later, authorities say, Lloyd was dead after gunshots rang out in an . unpaved construction area by a warehouse after he apparently got out of . the car for what he thought was a bathroom break. Authorities . have not said who fired the shots, but according to court documents, . Ortiz told police in Florida that Wallace said it was Hernandez. Wallace . has pleaded not guilty to a charge of accessory to murder after the . fact. Ortiz has pleaded not guilty to a firearm charge. Both are being . held in jail without bail. Authorities . have said they haven't found the murder weapon, which they believe was a . .45-caliber Glock pistol, but warrants released earlier this month . suggested Hernandez may have asked his fiancee, Shayanna Jenkins, to . dispose of it. | Number of people arrested in connection with the murder of Odin Lloyd is now at five . Hernandez has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and weapons charges . Carlos Oritz also indicted on perjury charge . Hernandez's cousin Tanya Singleton indicted on conspiracy to commit accessory after the fact . | af9178dd9a91f98d9c7f72032101b4b7e0c6e4ce |
Single men looking for love and intimacy tend to rely on dating apps or chance meetings to find 'the one'. But those feeling especially lonely - and desperate - might be tempted by a more immediate, and definitely more unnerving, solution. A bizarre pillow shaped like a pair of girls legs coupled with an Oculus Rift virtual reality headset is now offering hope to men who do not want to spend the evenings alone sitting on the sofa. A bizarre pillow shaped like a pair of girls legs coupled with a virtual reality headset is offering hope to men who do not want to spend the evenings alone sitting on the sofa - in the form of a pair of legs that users interact with in virtual reality. Pictured is a man testing the virtual girlfriend developed by a Japanese firm . The idea to create the virtual girlfriend for lonely men was developed by the Japanese development firm Up Frontier that offers the chance to sit next to a blonde virtual girlfriend. Oculus was founded by 21-year-old college dropout Palmer Luckey. It is designed to provide users with an immersive virtual reality experience not only for conventional video games, but for other activities as well. Facebook purchased the company earlier this year when their $2bn (£1.2bn) deal to buy VR headset firm Oculus was approved. The firm is developing the leading VR headset - with a developer version on sale for $350 (£210). It will first be used for immersive games, but Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg promised the headset will 'change the way we work, play and communicate' - although virtual worlds could include advertising admitted Zuckerberg . The purchase of Oculus put Facebook in a battle with Sony, who have already unveiled their own version of a VR headset, destined for the PS4 next year. The virtual partners is based on the Unity-chan cartoon character, which is the mascot for an open-source cross-platform game engine called Unity designed by Unity Technologies Japan. Together with a ‘lap pillow’, which mimics the shape of the character’s legs, users can rest their head on ‘her’ legs both in the virtual world and real life - sort of. Anybody wearing the headset and sitting alongside the girls lap can rest their head in her lap, talk to her or just sit there - even if the rest of her is missing. The lap pillow is known as the Hizamakura and is designed to look and feel like a kneeling pair of female legs. The user supposedly has the feeling that they are sat next to a virtual girlfriend, in the absence of the real thing. And during the experience the character will also talk to them, albeit in Japanese. The character in the game will recognise the user when they lie down and stand up, but if they walk away from her she’ll punish them with a virtual roundhouse kick. They can walk around in the in-game environment using a video-game controller. The idea to create the virtual girlfriend for lonely men was developed by the Japanese development firm Up Frontier that offers the chance to sit next to blonde virtual girlfriend based on the Unity-chan cartoon character, the mascot for a cross-platform game engine called Unity . Anybody wearing the headset and sitting alongside the girls lap can rest their head in her lap, talk to her or just sit there - even if the rest of her is missing. The user has the feeling that they are sat next to a virtual girlfriend, in the absence of the real thing (in-game footage shown) The headset design uses the 360 degrees technology developed by gaming firm Oculus Rift, which allows the girl and her surroundings to be viewed from all angles. The Oculus Rift company was recently acquired by Facebook and received its early funding via Kickstarter in order to develop the high-tech device. The pilot version of the virtual girlfriend offers a scenario of sitting on a bench by the seaside complete with seagulls although other scenarios are currently in production, as well as other looks for the girlfriend. A short video created to showcase what the device can do was road-tested by designer Nico Douga and simultaneously shows what he is seeing on screen and the reality. His verdict was it was a little embarrassing, and the woman's annoying voice needed work, but it apparently had potential. The headset design uses the 360-degree technology developed by gaming firm Oculus Rift, which allows the girl and her surroundings to be viewed from all angles when users put the device on . A short video created to showcase what the device can do was road-tested by designer Nico Douga and simultaneously shows what he is seeing on screen and the reality. His verdict was it was a little embarrassing, and the woman's annoying voice needed work, but it apparently had potential . | A Japanese company has unveiled a virtual reality girlfriend with fake legs . Using an Oculus Rift headset users interact in the virtual and real world . They can rest their head on the virtual girl's legs and talk to her . Using a video-game controller they can also stand up and walk around . But if they stray too far from the girl she will give them a 'roundhouse kick' | 474743a0cde9a13622584a78635724c9483b35ec |
Manchester United: £228.8million. Chelsea: £186m. Manchester City: £154.95m. At a combined cost of half a billion pounds, this trio had the most expensive starting XIs over the weekend's fixtures. Yet Aston Villa downed Liverpool on Saturday with a starting side which was compiled spending an astonishingly low £13.6m, less than 10 times the amount of those Premier League superpowers (and less than Mario Balotelli). Sat in second place behind leaders Chelsea, Villa are becoming the Robin Hood of the Premier League, stealing points from the rich clubs and keeping them for the poor. Aston Villa are currently second in the table despite manager Paul Lambert's shoe-string budget . Liverpool paid £16m for Mario Balotelli, making him more expensive than Aston Villa's starting XI . Brad Guzan, 30, £600,000 from Chivas . The American stopper is finally making the No 1 spot his own after a loan spell at Hull and even ending his contract in 2012 before re-signing for the club. Alan Hutton, 29m £3m from Tottenham . Ended a frustrating time at Spurs only to land himself in a completely new one, being part of Lambert's 'Bomb Squad' when he made a group of first-team players train with the reserves, but has now been brought back into the fold. Nathan Baker, 23, academy graduate . Joined Aston Villa aged 13 and after going out on loan at Lincoln City and Millwall is not establishing himself in Villa's defence. Philippe Senderos, 29, free from Valencia . The Swiss failed to make an impression in Premier League at Arsenal, Everton and Fulham but Paul Lambert has seen enough in the player to bring him back. Aly Cissokho, 26, £2million from Valencia . The left-back did not do enough on loan at Liverpool last season to earn a permanent switch, but Lambert moved for him instead. Tom Cleverley, 25, loan from Manchester United . Made the latest of deadline day moves away from Manchester United after being vilified by their fans. He has been handed a fresh start in the Midlands. Ashley Westwood, 24, £2m from Crewe . One of the many players to come from Crewe's prolific production line of young talent, he signed a four-year deal in 2012 and has flourished under Lambert. Fabian Delph, 24, £6m from Leeds . Was the surprise name in England's starting line-up against Switzerland and his reputation is soaring. Started his career at Leeds but Villa beat a host of top-flight clubs to his signature in 2009. Kieran Richardson, 29, free from Fulham . The controversial left-sided player jumped ship from Fulham when they sunk back into the Championship last season. He has plenty of Premier League pedigree, playing at Manchester United, West Brom and Sunderland as well. Andreas Weimann, 23, academy graduate . The sharp-shooting striker started his footballing education at Austrian sides Stadlau and Rapid Wien, but Villa poached him in 2007 when he was just 16. Gabriel Agbonlahor 27, academy graduate . Villa through-and-through, having been at the club since 1994 and working his way through the academy. The rapid forward has won three England caps. Total: £13.6m . The Aston Villa starting XI that beat Liverpool cost just £13.6m, and included three academy graduates . Simon Mignolet, £9m from Sunderland . Javier Manquillo, loan from Atletico Madrid . Dejan Lovren, £20m from Southampton . Mamadou Sakho, £18m from PSG . Javier Moreno, £12m from Sevilla . Steven Gerrard, academy graduate . Adam Lallana, £25m from Southampton . Jordan Henderson, £16m from Sunderland . Philippe Coutinho, £8.5m from Inter Milan . Lazar Markovic, £20m from Benfica . Mario Balotelli, £16m from AC Milan . Total: £144.5m . They are joined by the Merry Men of Swansea, whose starting XI this weekend cost just £24.18m, and Southampton, at £45.3m, in third and fourth, keeping ahead of the big-spending clubs with their early-season form. How long can they keep it up? Swansea's entire 25-man Premier League squad was built by spending just £52.73m, Southampton only £89.2m and Villa £139.5m. It means that so far this season Swansea have spent just £5.9m per point they've won so far, Southampton £12.7m and Villa £13.9m. While the richest clubs in the league shower money on world stars, these three are managing to muscle their way at the top end of the table on a comparatively frugal budget. Manchester United have now become the most expensively-assembled squad in the league after splashing huge sums on the likes of Angel Di Maria, Juan Mata, Luke Shaw and Ander Herrera, overtaking rivals City and Chelsea. Liverpool have over-taken Arsenal and Tottenham after their summer splurge and have gone over the £200m mark. But it is Villa, Swansea and Southampton who are keeping up with Chelsea and setting the early pace. Arsenal spent big for the second time in two summers by bringing in Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona . Wojciech Szczesny, academy graduate . Per Mertesacker, £8m from Werder Bremen . Mathieu Debuchy, £12m from Newcastle . Nacho Monreal, £8.5m from Malaga . Laurent Koscielny, £9.7m from Lorient . Mathieu Flamini, free from AC Milan . Alexis Sanchez, £30m from Barcelona . Mesut Ozil, £42.5m from Real Madrid . Aaron Ramsey, £5m from Cardiff . Jack Wilshere, academy graduate . Danny Welbeck, £16m from Man United . Total cost: £131.7m . Joe Hart, £600,000 from Shrewsbury . Gael Clichy, £7m from Arsenal . Vincent Kompany, £6m from Hamburg . Pablo Zabaleta, £6.45 from Espanyol . Martin Demichelis, free from Atletico Madrid . Jesús Navas, £14.9m from Sevilla . David Silva, £26m from Valencia . Fernandinho, £30m from Shakhtar . Frank Lampard, on loan from New York City . James Milner, £26m from Aston Villa . Sergio Agüero, £38m from Atletico Madrid . Total cost: £154.95m . Gary Monk's cheaply acquired Swansea side have been hugely impressive in the league so far this season . Thibaut Courtois, £5m from Genk . Gary Cahill, £7m from Bolton . Branislav Ivanovic, £9m from Lokomotiv . Cesar Azpilicueta, £6.5m from Marseille . John Terry, academy graduate . Eden Hazard, £32.5m from Lille . Oscar, £25m from Internacional . Nemanja Matic, £21m from Benfica . Andre Schürrle, £18m from Bayer Lverkusen . Cesc Fabregas, £30m from Barcelona . Diego Costa, £32m from Atletico Madrid . Total cost: £186m . Lukasz Fabianski, free from Arsenal . Neil Taylor, free from Wrexham . Ashley Williams, £400,000 from Stockport . Angel Rangel, £80,000 from Tewrrassa . Jordi Amat, £2.5m from Rayo Vallecano . Nathan Dyer, £400,000 from Southampton . Wayne Routledge, £2.8m from Newcastle . Jonjo Shelvey, £5m from liverpool . Gylfi Sigurdsson, £7m from Tottenham . Ki Sung-yueng, £6m from Sunderland . Bafetimbi Gomis, free from Lyon . Total cost: £24.18m . Chelsea continue to bring in big name players with the addition of Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas . David de Gea, £18.9 from Atletico Madrid . Rafael, free from Fluminese . Tyler Blackett, academy graduate . Jonny Evans, academy graduate . Marcos Rojo, £16m from Sporting Lisbon . Juan Mata, £37.1m from Chelsea . Angel di Maria, £60m from Real Madrid . Daley Blind, £13.8m from Ajax . Ander Herrera, £29m from Athletic Bilbao . Robin van Persie, £24m from Arsenal . Wayne Rooney, £30m from Everton . Total cost: £228.8m . Tim Howard, £3m from Manchester United . Seamus Coleman, £60,000 from Sligo . John Stones, academy graduate . Phil Jagielka, £4m from Sheffield United . Leighton Baines, £6m from Wigan . Gareth Barry, free from Manchester City . Aiden McGeady, £6m from Spartak Moscow . Steven Naismith, free from Rangers . Kevin Mirallas, £6m from olympiacos . James McCarthy, £13m from Wigan . Romelu Lukaku, £28m from Chelsea . Total cost: £66.06m . Fraser Forster, £10m from Celtic . Nathaniel Clyne, £1.7m from Crystal Palace . Jose Fonte, £800,000 from Crystal Palace . Toby Alderweireld, on loan from Atletico Madrid . Ryan Bertrand, on loan from Chelsea . Jack Cork, £700,000 from Chelsea . Morgan Schneiderlin, £1.2m from Strasbourg . Steven Davis, free from Rangers . Dusan Tadic, £10.9m from FC Twente . Grazziano Pelle, £8m from Feyenoord . Shane Long, £12m from Hull City . Total cost: £45.3m . Hugo Lloris, £8m from Tottenham . Vlad Chiriches, £8.5 from Steaua Bucharest . Eric Dier, £4m from Sporting Lisbon . Younes Kaboul, £5m from Portsmouth . Danny Rose, £100,000 from Leeds . Etienne Capoue, £9m from Toulouse . Mousa Dembele, £15m from Fulham . Nacer Chadli, £7m from FC Twente . Erik Lamela, £25.7m from Roma . Christian Eriksen, £11.5m from Ajax . Emmanuel Adebayor, £5m from Manchester City . Total cost: £98.8m . Manchester United have spent heavily this summer, breaking the British transfer record in the process . Almost half of the value of Everton's last starting XI came from Romelu Lukaku, who cost £28m from Chelsea . Graziano Pelle, Southampton's £8m signing from Feyenoord, scored twice against Newcastle . | Manchester City starting XI at weekend cost £154.95 , United £228.8m . Chelsea's cost £186m while Swansea's was just £24.18m . Arsenal £131.7m, Liverpool £144.5m and Tottenham's cost £98.8m . But Aston Villa line-up cost just £13.6m . Paul Lambert's side currently second in Premier League . | 8c63b0687dd9360264c2da332d07ff4c151f6747 |
(CNN) -- An Indiana man allegedly blackmailed teenaged boys into being his camera "slaves" by threatening to post their videos on gay porn websites, a criminal complaint said. Richard Leon Finkbiner, 39, admitted during an interrogation to victimizing at least 100 people, mostly boys 14 to 16 years old, an FBI agent said in a sworn affidavit made public Monday. "You want to play this game, or you want to be a gay porn star?" Finkbiner allegedly told one victim when he demanded that he perform sex acts during a video Skype call, the federal complaint said. Finkbiner, arrested at his Brazil, Indiana, home last Friday, is charged with sexual exploitation of children involving two 14-year-old victims identified in Michigan and Maryland, court documents said. It could take months to identify many of the victims seen in thousands of video files found on Finkbiner's computer and other digital devices, said Timothy Horty, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Indianapolis. "These victims go into chat rooms, develop a relationship and conversation with someone," Horty said. Finkbiner would then capture uncoerced video of the boys, who probably did not know they were talking to a 39-year-old man, he said. Finkbiner would then e-mail them a link to their own video with the threat to publish it on gay porn sites if they did not agree to become his "cam slave." "I'll add your name and email so if anyone googles u they will see ur video," Finkbiner allegedly wrote to a Michigan teen in February. That teen complied, but after a second instance he "broke down" from stress, FBI Special Agent Ryan Barrett said. The boy "became emotional and hysterical, and disclosed to his brother what was happening," Barrett said. The brother told their parents, who then contacted the Oakland County, Michigan, Sheriff's Department, he said. An investigator tracked the e-mail address and Skype account to Finkbiner in Indiana, the agent said. An investigator in Prince George's County, Maryland, was also on Finkbiner's trail for a November exchange involving a 14-year-old boy, the complaint said. When shown a photo of the Maryland teen during an interrogation, Finkbiner could not recall the boy specifically because he had "coerced the production of video and images of so many people engaged in sexually explicit conduct that he could not readily recognize every individual," the agent said. A search of his e-mail revealed instances in which one boy begged Finkbiner to leave him alone: "I'm only a kid and this is against the law so please stop doing this I beg you," the boy wrote. "I wont get caught im a hacker I covered my tracks," Finkbiner allegedly replied. If convicted on the initial charges, Finkbiner faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. He is scheduled to appear before a federal judge in Terre Haute, Indiana, on Wednesday. "Our advice is never friend an individual that you don't know personally," Horty said. "Parents have to know who their children are communicating with on the Internet." | The suspect admitted to victimizing at least 100 people, mostly teens, FBI says . Richard Finkbiner, 39, allegedly threatened to post teens' videos on gay porn sites . "You want to play this game or you want to be a gay porn star?" he allegedly told teens . It could take months to identify the victims, a prosecutor's spokesman says . | 4f882dea5d2d87eaf5dee567ba3be5d1bab522f9 |
A convicted sex offender has struck it rich playing the Florida lottery. Timothy Poole of Mount Dora, Florida, just won $3million from a scratch-off ticket he purchased at a 7-11 over the weekend. Poole, a driver and dispatcher for his mother's cab company, Triangle Cab, is also a registered sex offender. Scroll down for video . Winner: Timothy Poole, a registered sex offender, who $3million from a scratch-off ticket . In 1999, Poole was arrested following allegations that he sexually abused a 9-year-old boy. According to WKMG, Poole was accused of sleeping in the same bed as the boy and waking him up while he was sleeping to perform sex acts. Poole pleaded guilty to attempted sexual battery in 1999 after a 9-year-old boy claimed he was molested by the man in his bed . He eventually pleaded guilty to attempted sexual battery after accepting a plea bargain and being required to serve ten years of sex offender probation. Four years later, in 2003, he has his probation revoked and was sent to prison for three years after he missed four of his required group sessions. Poole maintains that he is innocent. 'It may be hard for some to believe, but sometimes people are wrongly accused,' he said. Now he is set to collect a one-time, lump-sum payment of $2,219,807.90. 'I've known him for years and I've never seen any inclination of anything like that with him,' said his friend Floyd Snyder. 'He's a very positive person. Very kind. Giving. I think that's why he won. It's Christmastime and the dude deserves a break.' It is not illegal for convicted sex offenders to play or win the lottery in the state of Florida. As for what Poole plans to do with the money, it is being reported that he is looking to help his mother expand her cab company. He has had no legal troubles or arrests of any kind since being released from prison in 2006, . | Timothy Poole, a convicted sex offender from Mount Dora, Florida, won $3million over the weekend from a scratch-off ticket . Poole was sent to prison for three years in 2003 after pleading guilty to the attempted sexual assault of a 9-year-old boy back in 1999 . Poole, who maintains his innocence, initially received probation with his plea, but had it revoked when he started skipping required group sessions . He is now set to receive a one-time, lump-sum of $2,219,807.90 . | 968faba8592c2258f8713734b9b9115cfba63b23 |
(CNN) -- Ever wonder what your toddler would say about your homemade baby food if she had an acid tongue and a Twitter account? Bunmi Laditan thinks she knows. Laditan's tweeting alter ego, the Honest Toddler, has been making followers guffaw at the wry observations of a semi-fictional baby pundit for about a year now. Laditan, a social media and online marketing manager based in Montreal, works from home so she can be with her children. She is set to release "The Honest Toddler: A Child's Guide to Parenting" in May. Inspired by her spunky daughter, Tali, Laditan began a Twitter account that expressed what might really be going through her toddler's mind during a particularly tantrumy week. "She had the ability to speak, but if she could fully articulate, what would she say?" Laditan wondered. Clearly, many of her nearly 200,000 Twitter followers would like to know the same thing and get a kick out of Laditan's interpretation. CNN reached out to Laditan to find out why toddlers are so sassy, how Twitter fits into modern motherhood and what makes it all worthwhile. An edited transcript of the talk is below: . CNN: What gave you the idea to do Honest Toddler? Laditan: My 3-year old, who was 2 at the time, we were having a really hard time. I have an older child, I've been through the toddler stage before, but I think I blocked it out of my memory. She was being defiant and I was busy with work, and literally it was the worst week we'd ever had. I just started (The Honest Toddler) for fun. I was so surprised by the response. Not in a million years did I think a bunch of people would read it. CNN: Working moms wear a lot of hats. What did you do before "supervising," as your book cover says, The Honest Toddler? Laditan: I began in social media ... nowadays the first place you go, in terms of a really quick sense of community, is online. Just because it can be really hard to get in the car and find the mom group. It was difficult for me to navigate (being a mother). Wanting to read about motherhood, work-at-home moms, writer moms. Can I still have a career? How do I do it? How are other people managing? So I began taking a real interest in the parents online, and since my background is in marketing, I really wanted to incorporate that in how I would earn an income from home. So I began doing social media for companies. One was "Tasty Baby," who made online organic baby food, and from there, I kept working and expanding and taking classes and working with other PR firms, learning how to do my job better. I've always loved writing, but "I can love it, it's just not going to be my bread and butter," is how I always felt. But I wanted to keep writing, so I wrote for sites like "Mothering," "iVillage," "Huffington Post," and really just enjoyed it. CNN: There seems to be a lot of very seriously toned parenting media on the Internet these days, and The Honest Toddler is anything but. Why do you think that is? Laditan: I get that there has to be an authority source. I've been in that mode, too, when writing. I think it's about trying to regain control and trying to help people feel as if there is a how-to. Even though at this point we all know there really isn't any one way. At one point or another you realize, there is no one way to do it, it's going to be messy, we can pretend all we want with our Instagrams and Facebook photos that it's all going great. But it's a struggle, so we do have to support each other and give each other a little bit of slack. CNN: Honest Toddler is pretty unique with regards to the content on Twitter, too. Laditan: I've seen Sarcastic Rover or when people tweet from the perspective of an inanimate object or animal, and I think they probably match up much closer to Honest Toddler than most parenting tweets. I think it's that different perspective. One of the reasons I believe it's popular -- and I don't think it has anything to do with me or my writing ability or anything like that -- is it has to do with parents who have already wondered what their kids are trying to say. Who have already thought, I know, if my child had the ability to articulate, they would say something like that. They have the opinions of people long before they have control of their bowels. They really believe we are on the same level. They believe we are peers. They see their mother and father as the ones who take care of them and where they go for comfort, but they really believe they have an equal vote. CNN: That's a lot of sass for such a tiny human. Are toddlers sassy? Laditan: Toddlers are ... people without filters. They're exactly like us but they don't have all the etiquette and social norms. So they say things that we would say if we didn't fear the social consequences. CNN: How much of The Honest Toddler is rooted in the real life experiences of your children that you observe? Laditan: Much of it is. I'm scared to say how much because I know that -- one of the reasons I love being anonymous is because that didn't feel like I would be judged. Not for my lack of parenting but just the situations are so crazy. And I know those situations happen to other people, too. On Friday, I was tweeting about Tali's ear infection and going to the pediatrician's office. She told me right away, "I don't like the doctor." And I knew it was going to be a struggle. CNN: At the end of the day, what makes a parent's struggle worth it? Laditan: The number one thing that really makes it all OK is knowing that it won't last forever. When you contextualize any difficult experience, that's what makes it bearable. With my first child, I had no idea what a contraction would feel like. Only what I'd seen on TV, like TLC, all these women screaming, 'I'm going to rip in half, this is going to be terrible!' But one woman (in a prenatal class), who had six kids said, 'You can handle 10 seconds of anything.' And she said the worst part of a contraction will probably last around 10 seconds. And when I was actually in labor, I thought of that. Knowing that made it bearable. It's the same thing when both my kids are still in their pajamas, crying, we're late for school, I'm thinking, "Great, now we're going to have to go to the secretary's office and she's going to see that they're late again and that I'm not dressed, and I have weird stuff in my eyes from sleeping so I obviously didn't wash my face or brush my teeth before I drove them there." I'm thinking all those terrible things and then I think, "They're going to grow up and I'm not going to be doing any of this and I know I'm going to miss it, and they're going to want to be with their friends and not with me." So that's what makes it doable. That's what makes me able to appreciate it and be able to laugh about it. | Writer Bunmi Laditan is the woman behind The Honest Toddler feed on Twitter . Nearly 200,000 Twitter users follow the dry observations Laditan's alter ego . Her experiences with an ornery 2-year-old inspired The Honest Toddler . Laditan will release a book based on the Twitter account in May . | 2baeb82f932183ecc069b5ade85dee495ec6bb70 |
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 20:27 EST, 13 March 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 20:27 EST, 13 March 2014 . Darren Sproles, the star running back for the New Orleans Saints since 2011, isn't happy with the Saint's management after he learned he would be traded through reports on Twitter earlier this week. His wife, it appears, is equally perturbed. Sproles' wife, Michel, took to Instagram to lash out against the Saints' front office for the unprofessional manner in which they have treated her husband. Peeved: both Darren Sproles and his wife, Michel, are upset with how the New Orleans Saints treated the running back in the off-season . Who Dat! Michel Sproles explained that her problem wasn't with Saints fans, but with the team's front office . Michel Sproles' rant - which has since been deleted from her account - is heavy on two things: profanity and God. 'I am so disappointed in the Saints organization & the way they are treating my husband,' she wrote. 'I understand this is a brutal business but when u [sic] have a good guy who works hard & does a lot for the community u [sic] would think they would show a little more respect. 'To verbalize to him that they will release him so at least he can choose the team he wants to spend his last few years in the NFL on & then take it back without a word & try to trade him is (expletive) up… . Michel Sproles continued, saying 'I no [sic] I have no control over this & God is gonna work it out but in the mean time I’m gon [sic] vent & talk (expletive). Lol! WhoDat Nation get ready for a ride because the seeds yall [sic] front office is planting its [sic] not gon [sic] be a good look for yall… See the way my God is set up he gets the last say & can get u back better than the Compton Curse out I wanna give these (expletive)!' Rant: Michel Sproles has since deleted this post from her Instagram account - but not before it found its way into the blogosphere . Philly: Sproles was traded Wednesday to the Philadephia Eagles after three years with New Orleans . The post included several social media hasgtags, including '#YesICurseAndPraiseGod #OnlyGodCanJudgeMe #IputHisChargerPicsUpBecauseTheSaintsAint(Expletive)ForWhatTheyDoin.' Many Saints fans - members of 'WhoDat Nation' - weren't pleased with what they considered an attack on their city and their team, and fired off several angry responses to Michel Sproles' lengthy Istagram update. In a separate post, Michel Sproles attempted to clarify the point she was trying to make. 'I did not attack the Who Dat Nation, I specifically said I was . referring to the Front Office,' she wrote. 'I think the Who Dat Nation . is awesome!' Sproles, who signed a $14 million, four-year deal with the Saints in 2011, was traded Thursday to the Philadelphia Eagles after a bitter split with the Saints. After she'd cooled off a bit, Michel Sproles said a heartfelt goodbye to the fans her husband has acquired while a member of the Saints. 'I want to send a special thank you to the WhoDat Nation & Everyone that supported my husband through his journey as a Saint,' she wrote. 'We will miss the love in New Orleans & our New Orleans Fam!' WAG: Sproles isn't the only WAG making headlines in the off-season - Eric Decker's wife, Jessie James Decker, also has made waves on social media . Michel Sproles isn't the only NFL WAG making headlines this week - former Denver Broncos wide receiver Eric Decker's wife nearly spilled the beans on social media about which team her hubby planned to sign with. While visiting New York - and while Decker was still unsigned - the receiver's wife, country music artist Jessie James Decker posted 'So Excited!!!!!!!' on her Twitter page. The post started rumors that Decker was planning to sign with the New York Jets - a rumor that turned out to be true. Jessie James Decker - who currently is pregnant - tried to quell the rumors by saying she was excited about a recent doctors appointment. | Darren Sproles learned he was being traded through reports on Twitter . His wife, Michel, says the team owes her husband 'a little more respect' Sproles signed with New Orleans in 2014 . | 82765974c3f7de41adbe72d1c268619376c672bd |
By . Travelmail Writer . There’s no need to worry about being caught short on this particular walking tour of London. The ‘London Loo Tour’ sees walkers shepherded round a selection of toilets in the capital being given the lowdown on the best places to go. Conceived by American guide Rachel Erickson, who was so frustrated by not being able to 'pee for free', the not so bog standard tour takes curious loo finders from all over the world and guides them around a variety of toilets and areas relating to sewerage history in the capital. The most patriotic loos ever? The Jubiloos not only have Union Jack toilet seats but attendants with Union Jack waistcoats too . Close your eyes and think of the Queen: The 'Jubaloos' success is probably down to the fact that they are so well-cared for . The tour starts at the toilets by platform 19 at WaterLOO Station (geddit?) and can accommodate up to 20 guests while Rachel also offers 'singles' and private tours. Each tour is packed with unusual and little-known facts like brief histories on how the Romans managed their toilet, and the plumber who founded one of London’s early sanitary engineering companies, Thomas Crapper and Co. Weaving through the streets, walkers visit such locations as the patriotic 'Juba-loos' on the South Bank. Built for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and designed by architect Mark Power, the toilet costs 50p to use and has full-time attendants who are hard to miss in their Union Jack waistcoats. It also makes use of rainwater to flush toilets and wash floors. Next the whislte-stop tour takes people to the day urinals for men in Charing Cross and pop-up urinals in Charing Cross. The magic circle: The 'Urilift' rises from the ground in the evenings to encourage men out on the town not to relieve themselves on the streets . You're in trouble now: The men only, pop-up 'Butterfly' urinals in Charing Cross are a stainless steel design - but not so private . Just around the corner outside Embankment Garden is the mysterious 'Urilift' – one of three urinals provided by Westminster that rise up from the ground in the evenings to offer an alternative option for late-night male revellers. The Urilift contributes to keeping 10,000 gallons of wee off the streets of Westminster, explains Erickson. Another, more permanent example of a street urinal is the Butterfly outside Charing Cross Station. Its slick stainless steel design aims to please, with a view to prevent men weeing on the street - albeit with minimal privacy. The guide has a wealth of stories about the history of public conveniences, for example the difficulties of providing public conveniences for women in the Victorian Era. Toilet humour required? Rachel Erickson gives tourists the lowdown on loos in her deadpan style . Pee on earth: Waterloo is well-catered for when it comes to the smallest room: Platform 19 ladies toilets, left, are a favourite, while The Hole in the Wall community toilets at Waterloo, right. are for those in the know . Get to the bottom of it: The enthusiastic tour guide takes interested parties through the back streets of London, dispensing historical information about the loos of London . Loo within a loo: The Cellardoor cocktail bar in Aldwych used to be a mens toilet frequented by Oscar Wilde . Female toilets were highly controversial, indeed many people thought they were an ‘abomination’ and would be used by flower girls cleaning their watercress apparently. The most successful were the ones that were discreetly located underground. Toilets for gentlemen were far more common and the underground toilets at St. Paul’s, Covent Garden are included in the tour, as are the gentleman’s loos at the Royal Exchange - which even had a sonnet dedicated to them. Pull up a stool: London's only Sewer Gas Destructor Lamp was a gas lamp powered solely by sewerage gas . Toilet hero: The monument to Joseph Bazelgette, who designed the first sewerage system for London on Embankment . Also on the agenda is a stop at a lamp near to the Savoy hotel which was powered by gas from the sewerage system in Central London almost a century ago. The walk concludes at the end of the Strand at underground toilets regularly frequented by Oscar Wilde that have now been converted into a cocktail bar. Other pub stops include a Community Loo Scheme participant; Ye Olde London is one of 75 establishments paid £600 each year by the City of London to cater for people's basic needs. When you consider that the average person spends about an average of a year and a half on the toilet, perhaps you won't be so quick to pooh pooh the tour. | Tour shows people curious about loos around the toilets of London . American tourist invented tour after not being able to 'pee for free' Walkers visit such locations as the patriotic 'Jubaloos' on the South Bank . | 838499461083c9e6df7c73f103a65f9eec6f56d6 |
David Cameron today admits he is 'paid handsomely' as Prime Minister amid a row over whether he publish his tax returns before the election. The Prime Minister insisted he was 'relaxed' about the idea of releasing details of his earnings so voters can see if politicians paid the right tax. But Chancellor George Osborne, who first floated the idea in the Cabinet, admitted at the weekend that there are 'no plans' for it to go ahead. David Cameron insisted he was 'relaxed' about the idea of publishing his tax returns but Chancellor George Osborne says there are 'no plans' to do so . Mr Cameron and other members of the coalition have faced intense pressure to say whether they benefited from a decision in the 2012 Budget to reduce the top rate of tax from 50p to 45p. Two years ago Downing Street said senior Tories were willing to publish their tax returns, but stressed the election was a long way off. Now, with four months until polling day, the plan has been thrown into doubt. Mr Osborne told theSunday Times: 'There are genuine issues around taxpayer confidentiality and how it would work in practice. 'You see it as a feature of some American campaigns but I think there would be quite a lot of practical difficulties. There are no plans at this point. The income I receive is publicly declared.' Speaking at an event in Ipswich today, Mr Cameron, who earns £142,500 a year said: 'On the issue of my tax returns, nothing has changed. I am very relaxed about publishing these things. 'There's no secret about my status. I am paid very handsomely as your Prime Minister and that's my main source of income, and I have a house I used to live in before I moved into Downing Street and I rent that out and I get income from that. 'I don't have other sources of income. There will be no surprises in terms of my tax affairs. 'But I am very relaxed as I've always said - nothing has changed about that issue.' He declares income from renting out his former family home in Notting Hill where he lived with wife Samantha and their children before moving into Downing Street. The register of MPs' interests does not include the amount he receives, but as a family it is almost certain to be more than £7,500, pushing Mr Cameron into the threshold for paying the top rate of tax. Mr Cameron earns £142,500 as Prime Minister and rents out the Notting Hill home where he lived with wife Samantha and their children before moving into Downing Street . Mr Osborne earns £134,565 as Chancellor and also declares shares in his family's wallpaper firm, Osborne And Little Ltd, which is said to be worth £4million. When the idea of publishing tax returns was first floated, Labour leader Ed Miliband said he would be happy to do so 'if that's the way things are going', and Nick Clegg, the Lib Dem leader, said he had 'no objection in principle'. In April 2013 government ministers in France began releasing details of their financial records in the wake of a tax fraud scandal involving a close ally of President Francois Hollande. Andy Silvester of the Taxpayers' Alliance, told the paper: 'Politicians must keep their word if they are to be trusted, so having said they would publish their returns, those in the highest offices should do just that.' Margaret Hodge, Labour chairman of the Commons public accounts committee, said: 'My view is that they should stick to what they said they would do.' | PM and Chancellor were 'relaxed' about making tax affairs public in 2012 . But George Osborne has now said it would violate 'taxpayer confidentiality' Pledge made when Boris Johnson and Ken Livingston released tax return . | ba686b019404fe6a8ecf4beee1e0a9f28c11530a |
Valencia have agreed to sign Germany World Cup defender Shkodran Mustafi for £8million from Serie A side Sampdoria on a five-year contract. Mustafi, 22, part of Germany's triumphant squad at the World Cup finals in Brazil, will undergo a medical and be presented to the media on Thursday. Mustafi, whose parents are Albanian, came through the youth academy at Bundesliga club Hamburg SV and had a stint at Everton, before joining Sampdoria in 2012. Mixed fortunes: Shkodran Mustafi struggled at Everton but went on to win the World Cup . Done deal: Mustafi has completed an £8m move to La Liga club Valencia . He made his debut for Germany in May and has four caps, his last appearance coming in the World Cup last-16 match against Algeria. Valencia are in the process of being taken over by billionaire Singapore businessman Peter Lim, raising hopes they can mount a serious challenge to wealthy Spanish rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona. Mover: Mustafi joined Everton from Hamburg, before joining Sampdoria in 2012 . | Mustafi has joined the Spanish side from Serie A club Samodria . German international left Everton on a free transfer in 2012 . Mustafi won the World Cup with Germany in Brazil this summer . | 2a04f2b719073f2d9055e4d291c4bc8969652fdd |
Oranjestad, Aruba (CNN) -- An FBI official has arrived in Aruba to assist with the investigation into the disappearance of a Maryland woman during a vacation there, an island official said Tuesday. In addition, investigators plan to mount another search for 35-year-old Robyn Gardner in the coming days, Solicitor General Taco Stein told CNN. The efforts will be focused on the southern tip of the Dutch Caribbean island, Stein said, with police, firefighters and Dutch troops taking part. FBI agents have already been involved in the case, searching the Gaithersburg, Maryland, home of the man now being held in connection with Gardner's disappearance. A judge in Aruba ordered Monday that the suspect, Gary Giordano, be held for another 16 days while police continue their investigation. According to Aruban prosecutors, the missing woman and the suspect arrived on the island July 31 from the United States. She was last seen August 2 near Baby Beach, on the west side of the island. Giordano told authorities that he had been snorkeling with Gardner when he signaled to her to swim back, according to a statement from the prosecutor's office. He said Gardner was nowhere to be found when he reached the beach, according to prosecutors. Giordano's lawyer, Michael Lopez, argued unsuccessfully Monday that there was not enough evidence to keep his client behind bars. CNN's Tristan Smith and Martin Savidge contributed to this report. | Authorities plan a new search for 35-year-old Robyn Gardner . She was last seen August 2 . A judge on Monday ordered her companion held for another 16 days . | 4fefd9ae6dac2dcb3dd98721a47d3b664232042b |
By . Guy Adams, Ryan Kisiel and Tim Shipman . PUBLISHED: . 18:36 EST, 8 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 18:37 EST, 8 July 2013 . Labour faced fresh claims of union abuse last night as it emerged that ethnic minority candidates have been passed over in favour of trade union-supported white candidates. The party briefly suspended the selection of candidates for council seats in the south London boroughs of Southwark and Lambeth after claims black and Asian applicants were discriminated against. Four highly qualified black women filed official complaints against Labour officials after not being selected for the shortlist to represent the party in Lambeth. In Southwark, where deputy leader Harriet Harman has her parliamentary seat, the former black mayor, who has been deselected, accused Miss Harman of failing to uphold her claims to support equality. Althea Smith (left) says she was ditched by local party and Harriet Harman's son Joe Dromey (right) The revelations deepen Labour’s internal crisis after it emerged that members of Len McCluskey’s Unite union conspired to stitch-up Labour’s candidate selection in Falkirk. One black woman who was not selected as a councillor candidate in Lambeth told the Mail: ‘We attend our local ward meetings all year and see the same faces. 'Then suddenly, when it came to councillor candidate selection, all these new faces turned up. They were voting for the other candidate. ‘One woman had a high-powered job and was a trade union member with lots of political friends. The panel interviewing us were all white and it just seemed a fix. ‘We complained and had an appeal interview, but it was a sham and predetermined.’ Well-connected: Joe Dromey, 28, is the son of trade union baron Jack Dromey (pictured) A second rejected black candidate added: ‘I know of seven applicants who were rejected at the first round. They were all black. The only person I know who got through was a white man. He just happens to be backed by Unite.’ Lambeth is one of the most ethnically diverse boroughs with 50 per cent of voters coming from a minority. But out of its 40 councillors, only nine of them are black or Asian. In Southwark, Councillor Althea Smith says she was deselected by her local Labour Party in favour of trade union-backed candidates. She said: ‘People came from outside the borough who have connections to trade unions and MPs and were selected. These are the people who want to become career politicians. ‘Harriet Harman wants equality, but she wants her own brand of equality.’ The controversy comes as Miss Harman’s son was selected last week to stand for Labour in Lewisham, south-east London. Joe Dromey, 28, is the son of trade union baron Jack Dromey, who was deputy general secretary of the Transport and General Workers Union before becoming Labour treasurer and an MP. Simon Woolley, director of pressure group Operation Black Vote, said he was concerned at the high number of black candidates being struck off. He said: ‘The affair in Lambeth, in particular, is worse than a shambles. It’s absolutely shocking and shameful.’ Conservative Party chairman Grant Shapps said: ‘Day by day fresh evidence emerges of how an unelected union baron is tightening his stranglehold on the Labour Party.’ A Labour spokesman dismissed the complaints, pointing out that losing candidates with a grievance have surfaced around the country since the furore blew up about Falkirk. However, many of the complaints in south London pre-date the controversy. The spokesman added: ‘We are satisfied that selections are being carried out properly and any suggestion otherwise is wrong.’ | Four black women filed official complaints against Labour officials after not being selected for shortlist in Lambeth . In Southwark the former black mayor accused Harriet Harman of failing to uphold her claims to support equality . The controversy comes as Miss Harman’s son was selected last week to stand for Labour in Lewisham, south-east London . | 7283ec3ea486de10662ba31f8e28ac5215220213 |
From giant wigs adorned with flowers to tops created entirely out of body paint, these are the beauty looks you might not be rushing to try out this season. At the STS Beauty show in Barcelona today models on the catwalk presented body painting by students of the Thuya School for Personal Image. While some models were decorated to look like mythical woodland creatures, others had muscles daubed in make-up and one woman wore an impressive geisha-style outfit, with the 'top' of the kimono created entirely out of paint. Scroll down for video . The models at the show wore outfits that were made entirely of body paint with flowers in their hair and colourful outlandish outfits . This model wore an intricate geisha outfit in which the 'top' is drawn with paint along with a giant wig adorned with flowers and fabric . Some models were topless during the show, covered in thick layer of paint, with arresting headpieces such as a pair of branch antlers (left) while another (right), with a ballerina drawn on her stomach, was styled to look like a black swan with an elaborate bird and feather headdress . Today is the last day of the event which runs for three days in the Spanish city - the fair is for professional make-up and beauty experts. The Thuya school has been running for over 20 years and also sells a number of beauty products. Starting in 1988 they began with a selection of nail products such as acrylic nails and a selection of nail varnishes. The students of the school showed off their wild and wacky ideas at the STS show, one model wore a giant pair of antlers, another wore a bird on her head while another had hair that looked like it was made out of a tree. Many of the models showcased a clever mixture of body paint and fabric to complete their intricate outfits. Funny faces: One model looked as though they had been dressed as a deer while another had a cartoon character painted on his stomach . Wow: All of the looks showcased at the show were startlingly different, one model (right) was painted to look like she was made of wood . One of the model at the show was seen wearing this giant headdress with an intricate blue and black pattern as she glided down the catwalk . This model is turned into a walking jungle with a lion drawn on her front, a parrot on her back and a huge headdress made of leaves . | Students from the Thuya School for Personal Image showcased stunning body painting on the catwalk in Spain . Models wore flowers as wigs and went completely topless with only paint to protect their modesty . This is the third day of the international beauty show which ends today . | 437b9e963dbd8f16a20c648e1f45cb33a60de40e |
By . Laurie Whitwell . Follow @@lauriewhitwell . Fernando, the player Manchester City have bought to irritate opponents in the depths of their midfield, breaks into a smile when he considers his nickname ‘The Octopus’. For fans at his former club Porto it appeared he had eight legs, such was the frequency he flicked the ball away from advancing attackers. That the match which first saw the £12million Brazilian called as such came against Manchester United should instantly warm the hearts of those on the blue half. In April 2009 Fernando provided the sting to Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney as United were held to a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford in the Champions League. Tenacious: Fernando, then of Porto, keeps a close eye on Wayne Rooney during a Champions League game . Going nowhere: The Brazilian's strong performance against United led to his nickname 'The Octopus' Body on the line: The 27-year-old dives in front of a Cristiano Ronaldo during the 2-2 draw at Old Trafford . ‘It was during that game that the Porto fans nicknamed me The Octopus,’ says Fernando through a translator. ‘At the time Manchester United had a very strong team. They had Cristiano Ronaldo and Rooney was playing really well. ‘I played really well and stole quite a lot of balls and that’s when the Porto fans started calling me The Octopus. It was as if I had a lot of legs!’ It can be argued that legs in the defensive third of the pitch is what Manuel Pellegrini’s midfield lacked at times last season. Yaya Toure would stride forward to devastating effect without particular concern to tracking back, while Fernandinho is a box-to-box player keen to attack. Fernando will sit deep and provide steel, especially when the big games roll around and solidity is imperative. ‘I have a very strong defensive game and that is going to help us a lot because teams will take advantage of City being so attacking, on the counter-attack. I’m going to add very good value in that sense. Come here! Fernando stops Philippe Coutinho in his tracks during the Guinness International Champions Cup . Adding bite to City's midfield: Fernando hopes to provide a platform for the likes of Yaya Toure to thrive from . ‘There are some great players here. But every day that goes on I have to work hard in order to get my spot. I know my strengths and will work hard to make sure I’m first choice.’ Fernando, 27, has been overlooked by his country ever since he was suspended for a year after pushing over a referee during an Under-20 match against Chile, who featured a young Alexis Sanchez. He has calmed since then but there are no fears the Premier League might prove too tough. He holds a Portuguese passport having moved to Porto in 2007 and this year he tried to play for his adopted home only for FIFA to rule a match he played at youth level counted as competitive, preventing a switch of allegiances. Close control: He keeps the ball away from Atletico Madrid youngster Oliver Torres in 2013 . Putting his boot in: Enzo Perez of Benfica feels the force of Fernando during a Portuguese league match . Fernando watched Brazil’s humbling 7-1 defeat to Germany at the World Cup – a match in which Fernandinho was replaced at halftime – and says ‘naturally’ when asked if he could have reinforced the team. ‘There were many errors,’ he adds. ‘But obviously I didn’t have the opportunity to play so we will never know. No Brazilian expected that the score would be like that. That’s something that’s going to be marked in the history of Brazilian football.’ Of the incident in January 2007 which saw him branded a black sheep in Brazil he says: ‘I was very young at the time and it was a hot-headed moment. I was playing really well and it was something that really marked my career. Obviously that has prevented me from going further in the Brazilian team. I don’ t think that’s the only reason but I think that had a factor. ‘It was a moment I learned a lot from. It put me in good stead for these days. Now I always try to be calm and tranquil on the pitch and not speak back to the referee.’ Helping out: Fernando smiles at a 'City in the Community' event held at the club's Carrington training ground . Fernando will compete with Fernandinho for a place, but they might also play together, representing something of a commentator’s nightmare. They even look alike. Their team-mates have already devised a way to differentiate. ‘I think they are calling Fernandinho “Fay” and calling me “Nando”,’ he says with a smile. Fernando was speaking at Manchester City’s Community Shield Media Day at Carrington, where he joined in to helped the Club’s Community Coaches train children from local schools and sports clubs in a free soccer school. | The Brazilian moved to the Etihad from Porto for £12m earlier this summer . Manuel Pellegrini signed him to shore up City's midfield as they look to retain their Premier League title and challenge for the Champions League . Fernando was nicknamed 'The Octopus' by Porto fans after his performance against Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney at Old Trafford in 2009 . The 27-year-old says he has 'a very strong defensive game' following move . He has been overlooked by Brazil since pushing a referee at U20 level . | 3c078684dda7482056407e03ae6d5cd026cad3fb |
(CNN) -- Angelina Jolie stunned many people with an op-ed Tuesday describing her reasons for choosing to have a preventive double mastectomy. Her mother passed away at the age of 56 after battling ovarian cancer. Moreover, Jolie found that she had the BRCA1 gene, which significantly increases the lifetime risk of breast cancer. In fact, she reports that her doctors estimated that she had an 87% chance of developing breast cancer. I have no doubt that this piece is causing many women across the country to think about their own health and chances of developing the disease. Thanks to many successful organizations, breast cancer awareness is at an all-time high in the United States. A person of Jolie's stature publicly discussing such a personal and difficult decision will likely weigh on the minds of many women who have similar concerns. Breast cancer is a real disease, it's not rare, and it can potentially strike almost anyone. I have no doubt that her op-ed in The New York Times will help many women who would not have considered this procedure to do so now. Five reasons we love Angelina Jolie . In one sense, that is a good thing. There are legitimate and real reasons for some women to consider a preventive, or prophylactic, mastectomy. Some women who have had breast cancer in one breast elect to have a mastectomy of the other breast to prevent the cancer from spreading there. Some women who have a family history of cancer, especially before age 50, might consider the procedure. More recently, women who have been able to learn through genetic testing that they have the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, both of which make it more likely that they might develop cancer, have been given new information that may help them make a decision. It's a personal decision. It's also a serious one, because there are downsides to a preventive mastectomy as well. First of all, it's still a major procedure, and it carries all the risks of one; one should never minimize the risks of a big operation. It's also irreversible, and some women do suffer psychological or physical consequences afterward. No one should ever judge another woman's decision in this area, but it would serve individual patients poorly for doctors not to discuss with them both the potential harms as well as benefits. Opinion: Angelina Jolie's brave message . It's also important to recognize that even a preventive mastectomy is not a guarantee against cancer. Studies show that it's about 90% effective in preventing breast cancer in moderate and high-risk women. That still leaves a 10% chance of developing cancer in the chest wall, armpit or even in the abdomen. That's because it's pretty much impossible for even the best surgeon to remove all breast tissue from a woman. Because of this, some women choose not to have the procedure done, even when they are at high risk. Just a few weeks ago, Peggy Orenstein wrote a compelling account of her decision not to undergo the procedure after her first brush with breast cancer. Her reasons are just as valid and important as Jolie's but may not make the same splash in our national discussion. Part of the reason for that is that there are few stars with Jolie's fame who could claim this sort of attention. But there's a larger current here that is worth considering. We in America sometimes are risk averse. We favor trying to reduce the chance of something bad happening to as close to zero as possible. We also tend to err on the side of doing something rather than nothing. There's nothing inherently wrong with this type of behavior. But we should recognize it. My preventive mastectomy: Staying alive for my kids . We tend to screen more than other countries. We tend to push for more invasive and technologically driven solutions. We do these things, sometimes, at the expense of both health and money. In the last few years, there has been some pushback against the potential over-use (and detriment) of mammograms and prostate specific antigen tests. Such debates are controversial but important. You can't reduce risk to nothing. Trying to do so will lead to practices none of us would support. After all, someone could make the argument that we should remove all breast tissue from all women because you never know where breast cancer will strike. That's hyperbolic, and no one is suggesting it, but it shows that this is really a personal, and individual decision. That's how it should be. Jolie's relating her decision to have a preventive mastectomy is no more or less brave than Orenstein's decision not to have one. But both are welcome in their bringing to the forefront that these are discussions that every woman should have with their physicians, their loved ones and themselves. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Aaron E. Carroll. | Aaron Carroll: Jolie op-ed on elective double mastectomy was brave, raised consciousness . Women have more info today to make such a decision, but it also has downsides, he says . He says other women, such as Peggy Orenstein, have written about opting not to do it . Carroll: Jolie's decision was brave, but Orenstein's was, too . | fb14169ebe330d90ac2d2bbaf95091e0d39e7713 |
A letter thought to mark the beginning of the warm relationship between Margaret Thatcher and Jimmy Savile has been made public for the first time. But other correspondence between the pair has been censored, raising questions over what it contains. The Top Of The Pops presenter sent an adoring letter to the then prime minister in 1980, singing her praises and declaring his love for her. Warm relationship: The letter is thought to mark the beginning of a close friendship between Jimmy Savile and Margaret Thatcher. But further correspondence between the pair has been censored because it is 'personal' or 'confidential' Correspondence: A handwritten letter from Jimmy Savile in which he declared his 'love' for Margaret Thatcher after being invited to lunch with her was released by the National Archives under the 30-year rule . She responded by inviting the now-disgraced DJ to lunch at Chequers, spending 11 consecutive New Year’s Eves with him and overseeing his knighthood. The letter, part of a Savile file released under the 30-year rule by the National Archives at Kew today, reveals how well connected to the establishment he was. But parts of some exchanges between Savile and Mrs Thatcher were censored in October this year – eight days after claims that he had sexually abused people surfaced in an ITV documentary. The text of a letter from Savile to Mrs Thatcher and a phone message that he left for her were deleted from the file under the Freedom of Information Act on October 11. The information is exempt because it is ‘personal’ or ‘confidential’. But the timing raises the question of whether the information was redacted in light of the negative headlines. Correspondence remaining in the file includes the gushing letter Savile sent to Mrs Thatcher after a lunch meeting to discuss funding for Stoke Mandeville Hospital. In it, he also hints at becoming a knight, something arranged during Mrs Thatcher’s tenure and awarded in the New Year’s Honours in 1990, a month after she left office. Close: The note, written in February 1980, is signed with kisses and bears Savile¿s distinctive signature, with a smiley face in the J of his name . The letter reads: ‘I waited a week . before writing to thank you for my lunch invitation because I had such a . superb time I didn’t want to be too effusive. ‘My . girl patients pretended to be madly jealous and wanted to know what you . wore and what you ate. All the paralysed lads called me “Sir James” all . week. They all love you. Me too!!’ The . note, written in February 1980, is signed with kisses and bears . Savile’s distinctive signature, with a smiley face in the J of his name. There . is no record of Mrs Thatcher’s reply, but a later memo to her from her . personal secretary asks in a worried tone whether she has agreed to . appear on Jim’ll Fix It. In the message dated March 9, 1981, . after the DJ had lunch with Mrs Thatcher at Chequers, Caroline Stephens . wrote: ‘Can you kindly let me know if you made any promises to Jimmy . Savile when he lunched with you yesterday, for instance: . ‘(i) Did you offer him any money for Stoke Mandeville? ‘(ii) Did you tell him that you would appear on Jim’ll Fix It?’ In felt pen, Mrs Thatcher replies to the first saying: ‘Will tell you in detail. MT.’ To the second, she simply writes: ‘No.’ Censored: The text of a letter from Savile to Mrs . Thatcher and a phone message that he left for her were deleted from the . file under the Freedom of Information Act on October 11 . Pariah: Savile was invited to lunches at Chequers, spending 11 consecutive New Year's Eves with Mrs Thatcher who also oversaw his knighthood . Praised . during his life for his charity work, especially at Stoke Mandeville, . Savile has now been unmasked as a serial child abuser. More than 450 people have made allegations of abuse by the DJ, who died last year aged 84. The . papers released by the National Archive today include an entire Savile . file devoted to his correspondence with Mrs Thatcher and her aides about . his charity work and pleas for Government money for his projects. There are also a number of redactions made in October – other files released today were edited much earlier in the year. In . the 1981 section of the file, there are discussions about Savile’s . suggestion of a Government contribution to Stoke Mandeville during a . meeting with Mrs Thatcher. No . 10 private secretary Mike Pattison wrote: ‘The Prime Minister said was . he thinking of a million pounds and Mr Savile replied that they would be . grateful for any sum.’ In December 1981, the Government announced that it would give £500,000 to the Stoke Mandeville Appeal. | Letter from Jimmy Savile to former PM released under 30-year rule . Declares his love for her in gushing 1980 note written following a lunch . Also refers to his 'girl patients' and says 'they all love you' But other correspondence between the two has been censored . Savile spent 11 consecutive New Year's Eves with Mrs Thatcher . | 7ca9dd5782a339969e75d5b9928b5a5122b60b59 |
(CNN) -- "But if we know enough to be hung, we know enough to vote. If the Negro knows enough to pay taxes to support the government, he knows enough to vote; taxation and representation should go together. If he knows enough to shoulder a musket and fight for the flag, fight for the government, he knows enough to vote ... " -- Frederick Douglass ("What the Black Man Wants," 1865) Yet another milestone of great American historical importance has come to pass with embarrassingly little tribute. And much like the election of President Barack Obama, many of us also thought we would never live to see this racial ceiling broken. But unlike the election and re-election of the first black president, the media has paid remarkably little notice to news that might well have more impact on the political trajectory of this country over the next decade than the election of a single president. According to a new Census Bureau report, "In 2012, blacks voted at a higher rate (66.2%) than non-Hispanic whites (64.1%) for the first time since the Census Bureau started publishing voting rates by the eligible citizenship population in 1996." Now, given the innumerable battles to secure this most important right of democracy -- from the blood-soaked battlefields of the Civil War to the halls of Congress and courts, to the strife-torn streets of the Civil Rights era -- few things in our collective political history has borne so heavy a toll on our democracy as the enfranchisement of the African-American. That the group for which so many hurdles have been thrown upon to block the vote has for the first time become the group most likely to vote is something like a big deal. Over a century ago, in the final days of the Civil War and of President Abraham Lincoln's administration, Congress passed the 13th Amendment. And on this past November 6, our first African American president, hailing from the state of Illinois and a Lincoln devotee, rode to victory on the power of an expanding black electorate. It is the sum of all hopes and all fears given birth by black enfranchisement. Those who feared the black vote from the very beginning -- those architects of Jim Crow -- understood that it could give birth to transcending possibilities that were once unimaginable, such as the electing of a black guy with a name like Obama as president. Unfortunately, the battle to minimize the impact of African-Americans increased participation is already underway -- and it's both typical and predictable. Demographer William Frey from the Brookings Institution, who did a study on the subject for the Associated Press, asserts Mitt Romney would be president had the 2012 turnout looked more like it did in 2004. Well duh. It was our job to make sure it didn't look like 2004. And Nate Cohn writes in the New Republic that Frey's calculations are flawed, but yet still manages to draw the erroneous conclusion that regardless of whether or not there's been an increase in the black electorate, higher turnout by African-Americans was not responsible for Obama's victory. Soooo, regardless of garnering the lowest share of the white vote in a competitive presidential race in modern history, Obama could have won without expanding the black share of the electorate ? This debate is hard to understand. Despite losing whites in Virginia by an even larger margin in 2012 than 2008, by a staggering 24 points, the black vote really doesn't make any difference? In 2008, Obama won Ohio by 4 points (51.2% to 47.2%), and the drop in Democratic support among whites from 2008 to 2012 was 5 points. Nevertheless, the president remained victorious because of an increase in support among black voters, who increased their share of the electorate from 11% to 15%, resulting in a 2-point victory (50.1% to 48.2%). Similar patterns can be seen in other battleground states. But even in many of the so-called reliable blue states such as New Jersey, for example, Obama's white share of support dropped from 2008 -- losing white voters there by 13 points in 2012. So yeah, I can see the logic in arguments against the importance of the black vote share. GOP pollsters, keep using the same turnout models that you used in 2012; it will be fine. You didn't get it wrong -- the electorate did. At a time when the black electorate is lighting the way and giving new energy to the quintessential Democratic value of participation and empowering the memory and sacrifices of our forefathers (who fought wars in the name of democracy while not being granted it here, who marched and where beaten and attacked with fire hoses and police dogs for the right to vote), the last thing we need is a media brawl over arcane statistics casting doubt on the achievements of ordinary voters as they blaze a trail that that has been in the making since 1865. Now, of course, the question is will this higher voter turnout last beyond Obama being on the ticket? To say I'm hopeful would be a lie. The obstacles are many: a Republican Party that instead of believing in competing in a free market of ideas thinks the best way to compete is by manipulating what the marketplace looks like through voter ID laws and other restrictions, and then there is the self-serving apathy of a Democratic Party consulting cabal whose ol' boy establishment class is almost as dangerously entrenched and insular as that of the Republicans. However, we are at a watershed period of political history where African-Americans have participated at higher rates than others in the presidential election and by doing so changed political reality in a country historically torn by racial strife, making the impossible possible. If the African-American community also sees the power of the ballot to overcome other historical obstacles such as entrenched poverty, widening wealth, education gaps and safer streets where it's not as easy for a criminal to get a gun as it is to buy a cigarette, then this expansion of its voting power will be a more permanent fixture on the political scene. And it will be a fixture that politicians of both parties will need to better pursue. Candidate Obama often said it wasn't about him on the campaign trail going back to 2008; let's see how well the African-American voter was listening. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Cornell Belcher. | Census report confirms African-American turnout rate exceed white turnout in 2012 . Cornell Belcher says the fact is a huge milestone in the story of enfranchising African Americans . Will high turnout persist after Barack Obama leaves office? Belcher: If African-Americans see power of the ballot to effect change, turnout will stay high . | c86f7beda6fe32abbcdc6aab1900f3edc1e8eac5 |
Rep. Paul Ryan concludes that 50 years after President Lyndon Johnson launched the War on Poverty, a pathway out of poverty has become a patchwork of bureaucratic challenges. The Wisconsin Republican has zeroed in on the subject in a comprehensive analysis that points to repetition and inefficiencies in federal poverty programs. Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee and a possible 2016 presidential candidate, released the 204-page report one day before President Barack Obama was due to unveil his budget blueprint for the next fiscal year. Read the report . Obama aims to ignite a conversation about federal safety net spending. Fifteen percent of Americans, nearly 50 million people, live in poverty. Ryan's report questions the size and scope of the government's effort to tackle poverty. It says 92 federal programs geared for low-income people cost $799 billion per year. "For too long, we have measured compassion by how much we spend instead of how many people get out of poverty," Ryan wrote said in a statement. "We need to take a hard look at what the federal government is doing and ask, 'Is this working?'" Considered a Republican policy visionary, the 2012 GOP vice presidential nominee released the report amid a listening and learning tour of low-income neighborhoods that began 18 months ago after President Barack Obama was reelected. Ryan toured struggling neighborhoods with Bob Woodson, the head of the Center for Neighborhood Enterprise, an organization that works with disenfranchised people. In an interview with CNN in December, Woodson applauded Ryan's efforts because before he could write policy, he "needs to understand what the needs are." The political war on poverty . Ryan's report is highly critical of many of the programs, saying they contribute to the "poverty trap." Because "benefits decline as recipients make more money - poor families face very high implicit marginal tax rates. The federal government effectively discourages them from making more money," the report says. It does not detail any solutions or alternatives; it identifies the programs, their cost and cites reports and studies on each program, with many concluding that the programs due more harm than good. For instance, in his analysis of the Social Security Insurance program for disabled, Ryan points to a report that says: "At age 18, approximately two-thirds of beneficiaries remain on adult SSI benefits." But not all of the reports he cites give negative reviews. For instance, Ryan cited numerous reports analyzing assistance for low-income families for child care found the program was effective in helping women enter the work force or enroll in education or job training programs. Paul Ryan welcomes Pope's welfare debate . "This report will help start the conversation. It shows that some programs work; others don't. And for many of them, we just don't know," Ryan said. The report comes as Obama has amplified the issue of the growing wage gap between the rich and the poor, making income inequality a signature theme for this year that includes lifting the minimum wage. Ryan, who is a vocal advocate of a smaller government, has already met intense skepticism. The Democratic National Committee quickly pounced. This report is just a rehash of a failed economic agenda that Americans keep rejecting," DNC spokesman Michael Czin said in a statement. "Republicans just don't get it. Their plan is to block a minimum wage increase, cut access to higher education, slash early childhood programs, voucherize Medicare and shred the social safety net — a safety net that lifted 45 million Americans out of poverty in 2012 alone." When he proposed reforms to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid in 2010, he took immediate flak from Obama and Democrats who said he wanted to dismantle the big-ticket entitlements. The report was laced with partisan political ideas. For instance, it identified "the breakdown of family" as a main cause of poverty - a common Republican talking point that rankles Democrats. Dr. Mariana Chilton, director of the Center of Hunger Free Communities and associate professor at Drexel University, said she is pleased Ryan "ignites a new conversation" about poverty. But she said that some of the evidence he cites in his report, especially regarding food stamps and other nutrition assistance programs, is selective and incomplete. "It would get an 'F' in my master's classes," she said. Since the presidential election when Mitt Romney came under fire for his "47%" comments, saying nearly half of all Americans think the government should provide for them, some high profile Republicans have tried to take up the mantle of poverty reduction. Arthur Brooks, president of the American Enterprise conservative think tank who has worked with Paul on the issue of poverty, said the congressman's involvement in the issue "really signals that this is a priority for conservative politicians today." Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, has proposed "economic freedom zones" and traveled to struggling cities to talk about them. Even Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, unveiled an anti-poverty agenda in early January. Rand Paul fights for felon voting rights . "The truth is, that by any estimation, things have gotten worse for poor people. It's appropriate for the (Republican) opposition to say, 'what do we have that's better?'" Brooks said. Ryan is expected to continue the conversation and will likely have "more to say in this area" later this year, an aide said. | Rep. Paul Ryan releases a report that analyzes 92 government programs for low-income people . He says the government's War on Poverty cost $799 billion in 2012 . Ryan has taken up the mantle of poverty in the past year . The report comes one day before President Obama releases his budget . | fc5210ccbb484a838b2a303c3275688aa53c2ca0 |
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