Surgeons at Hacettepe University Hospital in Ankara, Turkey, have today performed the world’s first ever quadruple limb transplant, attaching two arms and two legs to a young man.
The operation took 20 hours to complete and required 50 doctors to help attach the limbs.
Head physician Dr. Murat Tuncer today appealed for blood donations to overcome possible complications following the surgery.
Dr. Murat Tuncer did not provide any details about the patient.
The operation comes after a failed triple limb transplant two months ago at another hospital in the southern city of Antalya.
The doctors there were forced to remove a leg from a patient due to tissue incompatibility. The same patient also received two arms.
Surgeons at Hacettepe University Hospital in Ankara, Turkey, have today performed the world's first ever quadruple limb transplant, attaching two arms and two legs to a young man
Dr. Murat Tuncer says his team also performed a separate face transplant on another patient yesterday – the second in Turkey this year.
The first in the country was performed on Turkish teenager Ugur Acar, who lost 70% of his face when he was just two-years-old in a TV tube explosion, at Akdeniz University’s School of Medicine in Antalya.
Doctors successfully transplanted tissue from the face of a 45-year-old donor to 19-year-old Ugur Acar in January but doctors have said he will not be able to make facial expressions for another six months.
Connie Culp, from America, was the first ever successful recipient of a face transplant, performed at the Cleveland Clinic in December 2008.
She was shot in the face by her husband Thomas Culp in a failed murder-suicide in September 2004 outside a bar in Hopedale, Ohio.
A new study shows that grieving men who have lost their wives to cancer cope better mentally if they meet a new partner within 5 years.
Researchers found that those men who are single four or five years after the death are at a far greater risk of mental illness.
Previous work has shown that the relatives of cancer victims are at greater risk of dying themselves or developing mental or physical illness.
However, these studies have largely focused on widows and the short term risks, say researchers from Sweden’s University of Gothenburg.
They looked at long term data from 691 widowers and found that those who had met a new partner within 5 years had dealt with the loss relatively well.
Those who remained single were at far greater risk of developing depression, anxiety, sleep disorders and emotional blunting, and were also more likely to use sleeping pills and antidepressants.
Prof. Gunnar Steineck said: “Previous studies have shown that people who lose their partner are at greater short-term poor mental health.
“Our study is the first to show that the risk of poor mental health last for many years but, on the average, the risk is restricted to those who don’t find a new partner.
“We need more research to understand the underlying mechanisms, but emotional support from a new partner does probably help to process grief and protect against mental illness.
“But it could also be the case that those men who cope best with their loss are more likely to show an interest in finding a new partner.”
The town of Rocklin in California is proposing to ban smoking outside, even for residents lighting up on their own property.
Smoking is already banned indoors in public places in most of the country, and in California it is illegal to smoke in parks and playgrounds too.
The town of Rocklin, near Sacramento, could take the draconian regulations further by extending them to private property as well.
The unusual legislation was prompted by a local family annoyed with their neighbor smoking outside and causing smoke to waft near their house.
The family claimed their children’s health had been jeopardized by second-hand smoke, according to CBS 13.
The town of Rocklin in California is proposing to ban smoking outside, even for residents lighting up on their own property
However, while cigarettes may be considered a dirty habit, some people say that a ban could interfere with constitutional property rights.
And other worry that the proposal could actually cause health problems, with smokers forced to light up within the confines of their home – particularly damaging for those with young children.
But supporters of the plan say a blanket ban is the only way to keep cigarette smoke away from non-smokers.
Rocklin resident Ryan Malonson said he doubted the measure would pass, describing the proposal as “unacceptable”.
However, Rocklin officials insist they are actively considering the idea of a ban.
While smoking used to be universally common and socially acceptable throughout the U.S., it has become increasingly controversial over the years.
There are now very few public places where it is legal to smoke, and to crack down on lighting up on private property would be extremely restricting.
Lindsay Lohan, who is a former tanning product endorser, stepped out with blotchy orange skin as she attended the opening of Terry Richardson’s art exhibition Terrywood in Los Angeles last night.
The patchy tan clashed with the Lindsay Lohan’s fluorescent yellow party dress, which featured a light bolt pattern.
It appeared that Lindsay Lohan’s fake tan had been on for several nights and either required another application or perhaps a slight exfoliation.
She also appeared to have overdone it on the blush, her cheeks sporting a heavy application of bronzer.
Lindsay Lohan, 25, continues to keep tongues wagging and people guessing about her increasingly puffed up face.
Lilo’s lips and face first appeared plumper when she arrived at the Domingo Zapata exhibition in Beverly Hills on Wednesday night.
Lindsay Lohan stepped out with blotchy orange skin as she attended the opening of Terry Richardson's art exhibition Terrywood in LA last night
Lindsay Lohan’s puffy face first came under speculation at Kim Kardashian’s wedding in August, and at the time, The New York Post spoke to two plastic surgeons who confirmed she had all the signs of fillers.
They both said it appeared she had lip and cheek injections only days before the wedding.
“Her face has been plumped beyond all recognition,” Dr. Anthony Youn told the Post.
“Lindsay, who’s 25, looks like a 50-year-old <<Real Housewife>> trying to look 20.”
Dr. Anthony Youn said her injectable of choice was like Restalyne, which could have resulted in a look Lindsay Lohan has become famous for, the oft-seen trout pout.
“Lindsay’s a very pretty gal,” Dr. Anthony Youn added.
“When young people get these types of treatments, there’s got to be a concern.”
Another doctor, Toby Mayer, lamented Lindsay Lohan’s reported decision to alter her face at such a young age.
“Women in their 20’s don’t need filler,” he said.
Lindsay Lohan arrived late last night a Richardson’s exhibition and was accompanied by her mother Dina and her younger sister Ali.
Italian judges have thrown out a bribery case against former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, because it expired under the statute of limitations.
Silvio Berlusconi was accused of paying his former British tax lawyer, David Mills, to lie in court to protect his interests.
The case dates back to the 1990’s.
Silvio Berlusconi, who denies wrongdoing, says this and other court cases against him are all part of a politically-motivated smear campaign.
Italian judges have thrown out a bribery case against former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, because it expired under the statute of limitations
He is on trial separately on charges of tax fraud and sex with an under-age prostitute.
The prosecution alleged David Mills was given $600,000 to lie in court about Silvio Berlusconi’s business interests.
David Mills, who was not on trial, denies that any such payment was made.
In December David Mills told a court he was “deeply ashamed” for falsely claiming that Silvio Berlusconi had given him $600,000.
David Mills said the money had actually come from an associate he had not wanted to admit dealing with.
Of the other three cases Silvio Berlusconi still faces, potentially the most damaging for the former Italian leader involves Moroccan nightclub dancer Karima El Mahroug, also known as Ruby.
Prosecutors allege Karima El Mahroug attended several parties at Silvio Berlusconi’s residence last year and was paid for sex while she was still 17, an offence according to Italian law. Both she and the prime minister deny having sex. She says she did receive 7,000 Euros, but it was as a gift after a party.
Osama Bin Laden’s compound in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad, where US forces killed him, is being demolished, residents and police say.
Osama Bin Laden was shot dead at the compound in the north-western city near the capital Islamabad in May 2011.
Security forces brought in bulldozers and began destroying the tall outer walls of the compound after sunset, reports say.
They set up floodlights to carry out the work.
In May 2011, a team of US Special Forces flew from Afghanistan to Osama Bin Laden’s hiding place during the night in stealth helicopters.
They swept through the buildings within the high-walled enclosure and shot dead a total of five people, including Osama Bin Laden.
Osama Bin Laden’s compound in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad, where US forces killed him, is being demolished
Some 40 minutes later, they left, taking with them Osama Bin Laden’s body and a hoard of computer data devices and other information containing intelligence about al-Qaeda and Bin Laden’s activities.
The compound has been a painful reminder for Pakistan, which was embarrassed by the unilateral US operation that killed Osama Bin Laden.
There were worldwide reactions of disgust to the National Enquirer’s decision to publish a photo of Whitney Houston’s body in an open casket on its front page this week, but the magazine has stood by its decision.
Publisher Mary Beth Wright refused to name her source, but called the picture a “work of art”.
Speaking to Fox News, Mary Beth Wright said: “I thought it was beautiful”.
The decision to run the snap has been slammed by media outlets, fans of the star, and social media users around the world.
The executive editor of HollywoodLife also told Fox: “It’s just another disgusting display of how low celebrity obsession can stoop. Regardless of how they obtained the picture – and the likely exorbitant price they paid for it, the Enquirer should have thought twice about this post-mortem portrait.”
Whitney Houston open casket photo is a work of art, says National Enquirer
Also among those condemning the magazine has been funeral director Carolyn Whigham, of the Whigham Funeral Home. She has strongly denied leaking the picture, telling the LA Times: “We have no comment. But it was not the funeral home… Whitney was a personal friend to me and my family.
“We would not do that… I am very angry, very upset, just like the family, just like the fans.”
There’s some precedent for the National Enquirer’s ghoulish glimpse at Whitney Houston’s wake. The tabloid ran similar open casket shots of Elvis Presley after the King of Rock died in 1977.
National Enquirer ran similar open casket shots of Elvis Presley after the King of Rock died in 1977
Just as it did with Elvis Presley, the headline loudly proclaims that it is “the last photo” taken of Whitney Houston.
The National Enquirer also teases some other tawdry details about the Whitney Houston viewing.
Whitney Houston was reportedly outfitted in her favorite purple dress, $500,000 worth of jewelry, and had gold slippers on her feet.
US tabloid Star has alleged that Whitney Houston tried to take her own life just two days before being found dead in Beverly Hilton hotel room in LA.
The publication, Star, is the sister magazine of the National Enquirer, which controversially printed a photograph of dead Whitney Houston in her coffin on its front cover.
It is alleged that Whitney Houston “tried to slit her wrists in the bathroom of LA’s Tru Hollywood nightclub on February 9”, following her row with X Factor star Stacy Francis.
US tabloid Star has alleged that Whitney Houston tried to take her own life just two days before being found dead
A source is quoted as saying: “There was blood all over her, from her hands, wrists and legs, and there was a blade in her hand.”
It is further suggested that the so-called suicide attempt was intended as “ultimate revenge” on Clive Davis, who was apparently planning to cut her off financially.
The report has been flatly denied by a member of Whitney Houston’s entourage, who tells Gossip Cop that the whole thing is “definitely not true”.
Swisscode Hyaluron, the so-called “super serum”, an alternative to minor cosmetic procedures and expensive facials, has sold out in the UK within just 48 hours of its launch.
The launch of Hyaluron, from beauty firm Swisscode, surpassed expectations thanks to claims that it can reverse the signs of ageing by up to five years.
Pre-order sales of the £45 ($71) Hyaluron serum topped 10,000, and beauty experts have predicted it to the biggest beauty launch of 2012.
Swisscode Hyaluron certainly helps that it has already proved a hit with the A-list. Jennifer Aniston and Courtney Cox are believed to be fans, while Emma Thompson and Helen Mirren are said to be using the serum ahead of the Oscars.
Make-up artist Lou Page, who will be heading teams at the Oscars this weekend, revealed: “Swisscode Hyaluron instantly plumps the skin and leaves an admired dewy complexion – it is the staple of my kit.
“I like to use it as a primer and serum before applying foundation – my celebrity clients dub it the <<super serum>> for its impressive instant results.”
The launch of Swisscode Hyaluron surpassed expectations thanks to claims that it can reverse the signs of ageing by up to five years
The Hyaluron serum delivers the benefits of dermal fillers, the makers say, though without that too-plumped, frozen look that excessive Botox use can sometimes cause.
The active ingredient is hyaluronic acid, and the product is said to offer the component in its purest form.
A spokesman for the brand said: “Hylauron rebalances the proportion of mediators; these are very important for the regulation of the immune system.
“The skin maintains its young, fresh appearance with the serum penetrating into deepest layers of the skin forming an invisible film on the surface so hydrating and targeting the topical layers of stratum corneum and reducing environmental damage.”
Nick Gordon, Whitney Houston’s secret “son” is to inherit a share of $30 million fortune from the late singer, family sources said last night.
Whitney Houston took Nick Gordon, 22, into her home in Atlanta, Georgia, as a youngster to save him from his own troubled background.
Although Nick Gordon was never formally adopted, he would call Whitney Houston “Mum” and the singer was treating him like her own.
Nick Gordon also became a “brother” to the singer’s 18-year-old daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown and featured in touching family photos.
Although Whitney Houston struggled for cash later in life as she battled debt and drug problems, the late singer is still believed to have left an estate of around $30 million which has been boosted by increased record sales following her death.
Now Nick Gordon is set to get a share.
A family insider in Atlanta said: “Nick was family, she loved him as much as any mother could love a child.”
Even if Whitney Houston did not make legal arrangements for her “son” to inherit part of her fortune, the source is convinced that her daughter will make sure he is cared for.
“If he is not written into her will and everything goes to Bobbi then it will only be because it was written before she took Nick into her family,” the insider said.
“If that’s the case, Bobbi will make sure Nick is taken care of because it’s what her mum would have wanted and he’s like a brother.”
Whitney Houston with her secret “son” Nick Gordon and daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown
But Nick Gordon has had his problems too. In 2011 he was charged with gun possession in Roswell, Georgia, after a night out with his sister.
The 22 year-old was accused of trying to stop a fight between Bobbi Kristina and her ex-boyfriend by pulling the gun.
The same night Bobbi Kristina was arrested for possession of alcohol while a minor.
But Whitney Houston stood by Nick Gordon.
The source added: “Whitney wanted to save Nick – even if she couldn’t save herself.”
Whitney Houston was found in her hotel bathtub on the eve of the Grammy Awards earlier this month after taking a cocktail of prescription pills.
Afterwards Nick Gordon tweeted: “Rest in peace. Thank you for all your support.
“The legend will always and forever live on.”
Nick Gordon became an older brother to Bobbi Kristina and is said to have been comforting the youngster since Whitney Houston was found dead two weeks ago.
Issues over inheritance are the last thing on the mind of Whitney Houston’s family who are still reeling from the shock death of the singer.
Bobbi Kristina Brown, the singer’s 18-year-old daughter, is said to be devastated and lost following the star’s death and the family fear it may push her over the edge.
A secret handwritten book found in Turkey, in which Jesus is said to predict the coming of the Prophet Muhammad to Earth, has sparked serious interest from the Vatican.
Pope Benedict XVI is claimed to want to see the 1,500-year-old book, which many say is the Gospel of St. Barnabas that has been hidden by the Turkish state for the last 12 years.
The $22 million handwritten gold lettered tome, penned in Jesus’ native Aramaic language, is said to contain his early teachings and a prediction of the Prophet’s coming.
The leather-bound text, written on animal hide, was discovered by Turkish police during an anti-smuggling operation in 2000.
It was closely guarded until 2010, when it was finally handed over to the Ankara Ethnography Museum, and will soon be put back on public display following a minor restoration.
The secret Bible found in Turkey, in which Jesus is believed to predict the coming of the Prophet Muhammad to Earth, has sparked serious interest from the Vatican
A photocopy of a single page from the handwritten ancient manuscript is thought to be worth $2.3 million.
Turkish culture and tourism minister Ertugrul Gunay said the book could be an authentic version of the Gospel, which was suppressed by the Christian Church for its strong parallels with the Islamic view of Jesus.
Ertugrul Gunay also said the Vatican had made an official request to see the scripture, a controversial text which Muslims claim is an addition to the original gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke and John.
In line with Islamic belief, the Gospel treats Jesus as a human being and not a God.
It rejects the ideas of the Holy Trinity and the Crucifixion and reveals that Jesus predicted the coming of the Prophet Muhammad.
In one version of the gospel, He is said to have told a priest: “How shall the Messiah be called? Muhammad is his blessed name.”
And in another Jesus denied being the Messiah, claiming that he or she would be Ishmaelite, the term used for an Arab.
Despite the interest in the newly re-discovered book, some believe it is a fake and only dates back to the 16th century.
The oldest copies of the book date back to that time, and are written in Spanish and Italian.
Protestant pastor İhsan Özbek said it was unlikely to be authentic.
This is because St. Barnabas lived in the first century and was one of the Apostles of Jesus, in contrast to this version which is said to come from the 5th or 6th century.
İhsan Özbek told the Zaman newspaper: “The copy in Ankara might have been written by one of the followers of St. Barnabas.
“Since there is around 500 years in between St. Barnabas and the writing of the Bible copy, Muslims may be disappointed to see that this copy does not include things they would like to see.
“It might have no relation with the content of the Gospel of Barnabas.”
Theology professor Ömer Faruk Harman said a scientific scan of the bible may be the only way to reveal how old it really is.
Who was St. Barnabas?
Born in Cyprus as Joseph, Barnabas was an Early Christian later named an apostle.
His story appears in the Acts of the Apostles, and Paul mentions him in some of his epistles.
The date, place, and circumstances of his death are historically unverifiable.
But Christian tradition states that he was martyred at Salamis, Cyprus.
He is traditionally identified as the founder of the Cypriot Church, with his feast day on June 11.
A group of Mexican researchers is working on a vaccine that could reduce addiction to one of the world’s most notorious narcotics: heroin.
If all goes as planned in an upcoming human trial of a potential heroin vaccine, a new weapon may soon be available to combat heroin addiction in drug users.
Researchers at the country’s National Institute of Psychiatry say they have successfully tested the vaccine on mice and are preparing to test it on humans to see if it exhibits the same beneficial effects.
The vaccine, which has been patented both in Mexico and in the United States, works by making the body resistant to the effects of heroin, so users would no longer get a rush of pleasure when they smoke or inject it, rendering the narcotic effectively useless.
“It would be a vaccine for people who are serious addicts, who have not had success with other treatments and decide to use this application to get away from drugs,” the institute’s director Maria Elena Medina said in Mexico City on Thursday.
Maria Elena Medina, director of the National Institute of Psychiatry, speaks about the patent of a new vaccine that could reduce addiction to heroin, during a news conference at the institute in Mexico City
The Scripps Research Institute in California, which has also seen success of its heroin vaccine in lab rats, is currently conducting human clinical trials for cocaine and nicotine vaccines, but not heroin.
The Mexican researchers will be the first to test a heroin vaccine in humans. The scientists are hopeful a breakthrough is on the horizon, as their vaccine appears promising.
Health Secretary Salomon Chertorivski earlier projected that the vaccine will not be ready for human use for five years. However, that estimate may be a conservative one now that country is set to begin human trials.
Scientists worldwide have been searching for drug addiction vaccines for several years, but none have yet been fully developed and released on the market. One group at the US National Institute on Drug Abuse has reported significant progress in a vaccine for cocaine.
However, the Mexican scientists appear to be close to making a breakthrough on a heroin vaccine.
During the tests, mice were given access to deposits of heroin over an extended period of time. Those given the vaccine showed a huge drop in heroin consumption, giving the institute hope that it could also work on people, Maria Elena Medina said.
Mexico, a major producer and transit country for drugs smuggled into the US, has a growing drug addiction problem and grapples with relentless drug-related violence. Health Secretary Jose Cordoba recently said the country has some 450,000 hard drug addicts.
A two-headed tortoise with two hearts and six legs has gone on show on Friday at the exhibition called Live Dragons at a natural science museum in Kiev, Ukraine.
The 5-year-old Central Asian steppe turtle with two heads and six paws is displayed as part of the exhibition at the Science History Museum in Kiev. The Ukrainian-born reptile, on display at the museum, has a heart-shaped shell about a dozen centimetres (4.7 inches) in width.
Visitors will be able to observe the different eating habits of each head over the next two months.
The organizer of the project Dmitry Tkachev said: “This turtle is a mutation.”
According to Dmitry Tkachev, the tortoise was born to a breeder of the animals in Ukraine, “in the wild, animals with such mutations rarely survive.”
Dmitry Tkachev went on to explain that the heads of the unusual turtle can’t see each other, “each has its own character, so they often want to crawl in different directions.”
“Strictly speaking it isn’t a tortoise with two heads, but rather two conjoined tortoises,” Yuri Yuravliov, a zoologist, told AFP.
“The female has two heads, two hearts, four front legs, but only two hind ones, and one intestine,” Yuri Yuravliov explained.
A two-headed tortoise with two hearts and six legs has gone on show on Friday at the exhibition called Live Dragons at a natural science museum in Kiev, Ukraine
The two heads are quite different, even in their feeding habits.
The left one is more dominant and active, “prefers green food, while the other prefers more brightly-colored food – carrots and dandelion flowers,” said Yuri Yuravliov.
The tortoise, a species that can live 50 to 60 years, was kept from birth by a Ukrainian in his home, he said.
“Animals with this type of pathology are only rarely born and don’t survive in natural condition.”
Sergei Ryabov, head of the center that studies reptiles, said that each of the heads of this unusual reptile had its own favorite food.
“One eats everything but prefers green leaves, if you offer it a choice it will eat only green, but this one does not eat leaves at all and eats only red or colorful things, like peppers or carrots,” Sergei Ryabov said.
The two-headed turtle can be seen in the natural history museum of Kiev until April 20.
Inaki Urdangarin, the Duke of Palma and the Spain’s King Juan Carlos’ son in law, has arrived at court in Mallorca to face a corruption probe.
Inaki Urdangarin is being investigated over claims he misused public funds given to a foundation he ran.
The duke has denied any wrongdoing in the case, which has been a rare embarrassment for the popular Spanish royal family.
“I come to clarify the truth and defend my honor,” the Duke of Palma said as he arrived.
“I have carried out my responsibilities and taken decisions in the right way and with complete transparency,” he said, according to Spain’s El Pais newspaper.
Scores of anti-monarchy protesters demonstrated noisily nearby as the duke arrived.
Some waved signs reading “Inaki owes us money” and “Monarchy Corruption”, the AFP news agency reports.
Inaki Urdangarin, the Duke of Palma and the Spain's King Juan Carlos’ son in law, has arrived at court in Mallorca to face a corruption probe
Inaki Urdangarin, who has not been formally charged, was suspended from official royal engagements in December last year.
Exact details of the accusations against the Duke of Palma have not been made public but he is reportedly accused of misdirecting part of some 6 million Euros ($8 million) sent to his not-for-profit Noos Institute by regional governments to organize sporting events.
It is alleged that some of the money ended up in companies that the Duke of Palma ran.
The events in question happened between 2004 and 2006, when the duke stepped down as head of the institute.
Inaki Urdangarin, a former Olympic handball player, is married to King Juan Carlos’ second child, Princess Cristina.
On Thursday the duke’s family released a statement defending his innocence and attacking what they called a “campaign of harassment” against him, AFP reports.
In response to the scandal, the Spanish royal family announced in December that it will make its accounts publicly available.
Nelson Mandela, the South Africa’s first black president, has been rushed to hospital with abdominal complaint.
According to officials, Nelson Mandela was suffering from a “long-standing abdominal complaint” which doctors felt needed “proper specialist medical attention”.
A spokesman for current President Jacob Zuma said Nelson Mandela, affectionately known as Madiba, was “in good spirits and well”.
The 93-year-old statesman and anti-apartheid icon has suffered declining health in recent years.
President Jacob Zuma’s office said the “love and good wishes of all South Africans and people throughout the world” were with him.
In a statement, Jacob Zuma asked for Nelson Mandela and his family to be given privacy.
The statement did not say which hospital he had been admitted to but there are suggestions it was a military hospital in the capital, Pretoria.
Nelson Mandela, the South Africa’s first black president, has been rushed to hospital with abdominal complaint
Nelson Mandela returned to Johannesburg last month from his rural home in the Eastern Cape and in January last year, he received treatment in the city’s Milpark hospital for a serious chest infection.
“I can assure you that the former president is in good spirits and well,” said presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj.
He said further information would be released once President Jacob Zuma and the Mandela family had received a full medical report from doctors, but that the 93-year-old’s life was not in danger.
“This was a long-standing complaint – nothing that cropped up suddenly and needed emergency attention,” said Mac Maharaj.
“But it is an issue that the doctors treating him felt needed specialist attention, and so arrangements were made accordingly.”
Mac Maharaj would not confirm reports that Nelson Mandela had undergone surgery for a hernia overnight, and appealed for “co-operation from the public and the media so we manage this thing properly”.
The South African government is clearly keen to control the flow of information, after previous alerts about the former leader’s health have been the subject of much speculation.
Nelson Mandela retired from public life eight years ago – his last public appearance was at the World Cup in South Africa in 2010.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner is affectionately known in South Africa as Madiba.
Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison for his actions against the apartheid regime before being released in 1990.
In 1994, Nelson Mandela became South Africa’s first black president, stepping down in 1999 after one term.
John Kelly, a small business owner and youth baseball coach from Chicago could be ruined after his friends and family exposed his racist Facebook rant against Whiney Houston.
John Kelly used the “n” word to describe Whitney Houston on his own Facebook account.
The offensive term was spotted by a family friend and re-posted on Westside Baseball of Oak Lawn Facebook page.
John Kelly has been suspended as president of the team amid denials he is racist.
The post reads: “I’m so sick of reading about this dumb stupid N ***** Whitney Houston.
“She’s the dumb ass that decided to do drugs n kill herself stay with that woman beater … she blew more $$ up her nose than most of ye will make in yer lifetime …
“There are kids dying real fathers n mothers fighting for their lives…grow up ye dumb assess…think she’d give a flying f*** about u???? Just saying.”
John Kelly could be ruined after his friends and family exposed his racist Facebook rant against Whiney Houston
Terrified for his children’s safety following his racist post, John Kelly claims he has many black friends.
“I didn’t even realize I put it in until after I sent it,” John Kelly told the Chicago Sun-Times.
John Kelly said his Facebook page is restricted to friends and family only and a black former player’s mother saw the comment and re-posted it on her Facebook page and on the league’s page.
“I don’t need this drama in my life. It’s going to affect me hugely, and my business,” said John Kelly, known as a family man.
Suspended from coaching for a year, John Kelly is unrepentant about the sentiments expressed in his controversial comment.
He said he was personally appalled that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie lowered flags to half-staff at state buildings on the day of Whitney Houston’s funeral.
John Kelly said that as a known drug addict Whitney Houston should not be promoted as a role model for kids.
“I do stand behind everything I said except the n-word. I regret using that adjective,” explained John Kelly.
“Does that make me a racist? Are you kidding me? It was the farthest thing from my mind. I have some amazing friends who are black.”
The mother who exposed John Kelly’s rant asked not to be identified publicly.
“John and I had been cordial because our kids are close friends,” she said.
“He would make implications, post a picture of something, but he never used the n-word.
“If this is the way he talks, what is he thinking when he has a black kid in the field?”
Even though John Kelly claims he apologized to her last week, the mother is still incensed.
“Do you want this guy around your children,” she said.
Meeting John Kelly in a local Dunkin-Donuts, the anonymous mother said the meeting went badly.
“He asked why I was attacking him personally,” she said.
“I told him I just felt like the [Whitney Houston] comment was the last straw and that I didn’t think he was a good role model for children. He started swearing.”
Now attending sensitivity classes at his own behest, John Kelly caused major embarrassment for his colleagues at Westside Baseball.
“He’s wrong. He knows it. He apologized,” said Acting President Jim Hebel.
A new behind-the-scenes footage of Whitney Houston filming her forthcoming movie Sparkle shows the singer, who passed away age of 48, looking happy and healthy.
In a new clip featured on U.S. network Entertainment Tonight, presenter Mark Steins also said he had heard Whitney Houston’s voice was “100% back” as he went on set of the film last October and November.
Mark Steins gave his thoughts on interviewing Whitney Houston, who is shown on set performing and interacting with the crew.
He revealed that Whitney Houston didn’t want to be interviewed alone, instead opting to sit side by side with director Salim Akil and co-star Jordin Sparks.
Whitney Houston is shown filming a scene in curlers, but Mark Steins said the singer insisted on changing into a patterned shift dress and putting on make-up.
Wearing a purple dress, Whitney Houston looked fresh and youthful as she chatted with the presenter, who said she looked “healthier and heavier” then he could recall.
New behind-the-scenes footage of Whitney Houston filming her forthcoming movie Sparkle shows her looking happy and healthy
And in an eerie foretelling, Whitney Houston animatedly discussed a connection between the movie and the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, where her funeral was held last week.
The legendary singer revealed that in the movie, the church is called the New Hope Baptist Church, where her character sings in the choir.
Whitney Houston added the film’s writers “had no idea” that it was the same name as her own childhood church “I grew up with in New Jersey”.
She was laid to rest in the church last weekend in a moving service.
In between filming scenes in a church, singing the gospel hymn Eyes On The Sparrow, Whitney Houston revealed her distaste for cursing.
Whitney Houston said of refusing to listen to a rap song with explicit lyrics: “I did that with my own daughter. I said, <<We’re not listening to that, no.>>”
Jordin Sparks, the former American Idol winner, who is four years older than Whitney Houston’s own daughter, Bobbi Kristina, recalled her favorite on-set memory of the superstar.
The 22-year-old singer told Access Hollywood: “[Whitney] had an iPod and she’d be blasting gospel, and I’d put on Teach Me How To Dougie or something. She’d say, <<You listen to this?>> and I’d say, <<Yes, I do>>.
“One night we were waiting for the camera change and we all stood up and starting Dougie-ing. It was this crazy moment.
“It was so funny and such an out of body experience. I’m going, <<This is Whitney Houston, regal Whitney Houston>> and there she was, just getting down. It was awesome.”
Whitney Houston’s last performance hits the big screen on August 17 of this year, though it was originally slated for an August 10 release.
The film was inspired by the story of 1960’s girl group The Supremes and is a remake of the 1976 film of the same name starring Aretha Franklin.
The 2012 version of Sparkle takes place in Detroit and is set in the Motown era.
Musical prodigy Sparkle (Jordin Sparks) has to deal with the hardships of becoming a star and keeping her family together, while Whitney Houston plays her struggling mother Emma.
The film also stars Derek Luke, Mike Epps and The Voice judge Cee Lo Green.
It is Jordin Sparks’ début performance as an actress, and it was meant to be the role that re-launched Whitney Houston’s career.
The film will be dedicated to Whitney Houston’s memory.
The father of Minnie Driver’s 3-year-old son Henry has been identified as Timothy J Lea, 52, co-producer of The Riches, as well as hit shows CSI New York and Law and Order.
Speaking to the Observer this week to promote her film Hunky Dory, a low-budget British movie, Minnie Driver left several clues to his identity, claiming he was a writer on The Riches, the American TV series in which she co-starred with comedian Eddie Izzard.
When asked whether he was a good father to Henry, Minnie Driver said: “Sort of. He’s figuring it out . . . I mean, he hasn’t been that involved; his choice. But he is now.”
Minnie Driver, 42, dated Timothy J Lea for a short time before they split up.
On Henry’s publicly-available birth certificate, the mother’s name is registered as Amelia Minnie Driver, her full name, and the father as Timothy Jonathan Lea, born in Dunbartonshire, Scotland.
Timothy J Lea was brought up in Australia and moved to America where he graduated from high school in Stamford, Connecticut.
Actress Minnie Driver dated TV producer Timothy J Lea, the father of her son Henry, for a short time in 2009 before they split up
Minnie Driver said of her decision to keep his identity a secret: “We weren’t together and he wasn’t directly in the business, so I chose to protect him and not have a rain of publicity. He’s not famous. There’s no big story.”
Despite splitting up with Henry’s father before he was born, Minnie Driver said she had coped well with being a single working mother: “I had good friends around me, so it was sort of hilarious.
“I was making a film at the time and the paparazzi would shout: <<Who’s the sperm donor?>> at me.”
Minnie Driver, who has dated Matt Damon and was engaged to Barbra Streisand’s stepson Josh Brolin, also spoke of her own unconventional upbringing as one of two children born out of an affair.
The actress’ mother Gaynor Churchward, a former couture model and designer, was mistress to her father Ron Driver, a self-made millionaire who had a wife and daughter who knew nothing of his other family.
Speaking about her childhood, Minnie Driver said: “My father lived his life and he didn’t look much beyond that evening. But I think that’s a good thing. I think I’m like him in a way.”
Kim Kardashian shared vintage vignettes of her happy family that pre-date her parents’ divorce to celebrate her late father Robert’s birthday.
Robert Kardashian passed away in 2003 after a battle with esophageal cancer, and she wrote: “Wonder if they celebrate birthdays in heaven…if so I’m sure my dad is having the best birthday ever! Happy birthday dad.”
She added: “Celebrating with angels.”
Kim Kardashian revealed in an episode of Kim and Kourtney Take New York that her father contacted her through medium John Edwards and told her to go ahead with the divorce.
It’s been a hard few months for the former golden girl of reality television.
Kim Kardashian with her mother Kris, father Robert Kardashian and sister Khloe
It’s not over for Kim Kardashian, either, as she is staring down the barrel of messy divorce proceedings after her ex-husband Kris Humphries, 27, refused to settle out of court.
Kris Humphries is also, according to several sources including Life and Style magazine, planning to file a complaint against Kim Kardashian’s mother, Kris Jenner.
The NBA star has petitioned to have his Minnesota-licensed attorney practice in California, so appears to be bringing the battle to her doorstep.
According to Life and Style, Kim Kardashian is devastated that by not settling out of court, Kris Humphries has opened their divorce up to the cameras.
California allows filming as part of an open policy on popular cases.
A source told Life and Style: “Kim’s freaking out, she has no interest in dragging out the divorce or having it play out on TV.
“Believe or not she’s a private person.”
“All of her dirty laundry will be aired, and there is a lot to air,” the mole continued.
Kris Humphries wants to prove that Kim Kardashian never intended to marry him and therefore committed fraud.
Bobbi Kristina Brown, Whitney Houston’s daughter, is back home in Atlanta following her mother’s funeral, which took place in Newark, New Jersey, last week.
The 18-year-old aspiring singer was understood to have gone missing following the ceremony at the New Hope Baptist Church, with a source telling the Daily Beast she was later found at a hotel “getting high”.
Though reports had suggested Bobbi Kristina Brown had gone off the rails following the funeral, a source close to the family has told People Magazine she is now recovering at home.
The insider said: “She’s doing okay. She’s still obviously got a lot to deal with but she’s doing a little better each day, and being back home in Atlanta seems to be a good thing”.
Bobbi Kristina Brown, Whitney Houston’s daughter, is back home in Atlanta following her mother’s funeral
Bobbi Kristina had been in Los Angeles with her mother when the legendary star died unexpectedly in her hotel room at the Beverly Hilton on February 11.
Following the days after Whitney Houston’s death, Bobbi Kristina was comforted by family members including her grandmother Cissy, as well as her Uncle Gary and Aunt Pat.
Ellin LaVar, Whitney Houston’s former hairstylist, explained: “She is a strong girl. I think with support she will make it through this.”
The status of Bobbi Kristina’s relationship with her father Bobby Brown is currently unclear. Bobby Brown abruptly left Whitney Houston’s funeral after a disagreement over seating plans.
The decision to publish a photograph of dead Whitney Houston in her coffin on National Enquirer cover has been widely criticized as a tasteless move by the sensationalist publication.
The source of the picture of Whitney Houston in an open casket is still in question, with the owners of the Whigham Funeral Home in Newark saying that it was nothing to do with them.
Whitney Houston ‘s funeral home owners have denied any direct links to the picture published by the National Enquirer.
Carolyn Whigham, speaking for the funeral home is quoted on the Chicago Tribune website as saying: “I’m going to answer you as the [family’s] publicist told me to answer you: We have no comment. But it was not the funeral home.”
The publication of the photograph has upset many, though others have been unable to overcome their curiosity and have made the trip to the newsstands to purchase a copy.
Whitney Houston’s picture in casket published by National Enquirer
Diana Moss of Chicago was interviewed after purchasing a copy, saying that although she does not normally buy the National Enquirer and thought the photo to be in poor taste, she shelled out the $3.79 cover price because her daughter wanted to see it: “I normally don’t buy these, but she was curious to see [Whitney Houston’s photo].”
Fox News has also reported that the publisher of the National Enquirer has said that she thought the photo was “beautiful.”
There is no credit for the photograph but nobody has officially claimed that the image is fraudulent.
A crazed commuter launched an apparently random attack on a young woman, pushing her on to the tracks of the London Underground.
The victim struck up a brief conversation with the thug and following a trivial row over the man’s hat, he turned and shoved her on to the rails on the Northern Line at Leicester Square.
The 23-year-old woman only missed the live rail by inches, and was able to pull herself back onto the platform with the help of other travelers before the next train came down the platform.
Injuries to her side were so severe, witnesses initially thought she had been stabbed.
The incident – highlighted on the BBC’s six-part The Tube documentary on Monday night – shows the very real dangers faced by commuters and staff each day.
British Transport Police are still hunting the man behind the vicious assault, describing him as smartly dressed.
BTP said the incident stemmed from a short argument about the attacker’s hat.
A crazed commuter launched an apparently random attack on a young woman, pushing her on to the tracks of the London Underground
The incident took place on Friday, September 16, at about 11:20 p.m., but police are so keen to find the man they have re-appealed again for more information on the back of the BBC’s documentary.
The woman suffered a wound to her side and was taken to hospital, while both platforms of the Northern Line were shut for the rest of the evening.
BTP Detective Sergeant Fin Egan, the investigating officer, said: “This was a dangerous and reckless act which could have had grave consequences had a Tube train been approaching.
“The victim suffered a nasty cut to her side as she landed on the rails, but was able to pull herself back up onto the platform.
“The platform was busy at that time and I am appealing for anyone who recognizes the man in the images or who witnessed the incident to get in contact.”
The man in the images is described as white, aged about 40 with a thin build.
He was wearing a blue shirt, a black jacket and a black wide brimmed hat. He also wore orange/yellow tinted glasses. He spoke with a European accent.
Footage of the aftermath of the incident can be seen in Episode 1 of The Tube, available on BBC iPlayer.
Anyone who knows the man pictured in the image or who has any information about the incident can contact British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Kyle Dyer, the veteran TV anchor who was bitten in the face by an 85-pound dog during a live broadcast earlier this month has spoken out about the frightening experience two weeks after her attack.
The veteran anchor of Denver’s KUSA-TV gave her first interview yesterday, proudly showing scars on her face, which include a V-shaped scar on her upper lip where skin had to be grafted.
Kyle Dyer told the Denver Post that the first thoughts that went through her mind after the Argentine Mastiff bit her was: “I’m bleeding, and it had to be on television!”
Despite the painful weeks of recovery, two surgeries, and the long road ahead, Kyle Dyer said she feels lucky and calls the attack “a fluke”.
“It could have been so much worse,” she said.
“It may seem like a superficial business, but the people out there in Colorado are not superficial,” Kyle Dyer told the Denver Post.
The TV anchor said she’s received an outpouring of support from people who have also been bitten by dogs and who are wishing for a speedy recovery.
“I just keep reading those letters and know that I’m going to heal. I’m going to be better than ever,” she said.
Kyle Dyer gave her first interview after she was bitten on live TV, proudly showing scars on her face, which include a V-shaped scar on her upper lip where skin had to be grafted
The news of the attack spread like wildfire around the world. Kyle Dyer said she personally witnessed the breadth of the news by way of her niece, who lives in Lithuania.
Kyle Dyer said her niece read about the attack in the town’s local newspaper. “There’s so many different learning things that have come out of this,” she said.
Kyle Dyer was injured February 8 while doing an on-air segment with the dog’s owner and a fire-fighter who had rescued the Mastiff from an icy pond in suburban Lakewood the day before.
She was petting the dog’s head seconds before it bit her.’
Over Valentine’s Day weekend, Kyle Dyer wrote on her Facebook page that her mouth was stitched shut so the graft over her lips could receive better blood circulation.
While more surgeries may be in her future, Kyle Dyer won’t know for certain until this summer, as doctors asses her progress.
Kyle Dyer, who had been working at the Denver station for over 15 years, underwent reconstructive surgery and over 70 stitches after the attack.
She said she harbors no ill will toward the dog.
“It was just an accident,” Kyle Dyer said, saying that she’s glad he is back with his owners.
Unless the dog has rabies – which it is not showing signs of – it will not be put down.
Even if the vaccinations are current, the dog’s owners will definitely face two charges from Denver Animal Care and Control: a penalty for having the dog bite someone and a second penalty for having the dog off its leash at the time.
“While we normally walk Max on-leash, we understand that by letting him off-leash in an open area away from anyone was still a mistake. We will never walk him off-leash in public areas after this,” the dog’s owners said in their statement.
Max was brought into the studio after the station’s news chopper captured video footage of a firefighter rescuing Max from a freezing pond Monday after he fell through the ice and couldn’t make it out.
“I know that she is a great journalist who loves happy stories – this was a happy story,” Kyle Dyer’s co-anchor Gary Shapiro said in a note to fans.
“Kyle was glad she got assigned to it, because she loves animals,” Gary Shapiro said.
Though she is out of the hospital, her recovery is just beginning.
Kyle Dyer, who is married and has children, is expected to take several weeks to return to work.
In a video which has now gone viral, actor Zac Efron is seen approaching a fan to greet them, when he accidentally drops a condom on the red carpet at the premiere of his new Dr. Seuss film, The Lorax, at Universal Studios, Hollywood.
Zac efron, 24, swept up the contraceptive immediately, grinning sheepishly and immediately put his sunglasses on as he continued on his way.
The Disney’s High School Musical series star coughed with and held his hand to his mouth, pausing to regroup after the mishap.
The actor’s bashful smile and clear embarrassment served as apology enough- though hopefully any youngsters present might not have recognized what they saw.
Zac Efron’s co-stars Taylor Swift and Danny DeVito were also present at the screening.
Zac Efron is seen approaching a fan to greet them, when he accidentally drops a condom on the red carpet at the premiere of his new Dr. Seuss film, The Lorax
There has been talk of a romance between the Zac Efron and the country singer Taylor Swift, though they have denied it.
Taylor Swift told Ellen DeGeneres during a recent appearance on her talk show: “We are not a couple. He’s awesome, we are not a couple though. You hear people get together when they’re shooting movies, co-stars.
“But not like animated co-stars. You know what I’m saying. Oh my god, as we were recording out voiceovers on separate coasts we really connected.”
Zac Efron and Taylor Swift then picked up their guitars and performed a duet as Ellen DeGeneres watched on.
They also talked about what they did for Valentine’s Day.
Taylor Swift described how she had a ‘pathetic single girls party’ where she ate lots of junk food.
And Zac Efron added: “That’s so different than what single guys do. I went to a screening of a film that I did called Liberal Arts. Then cooked some dinner with a friend.”
Rumors began to swirl about Zac Efron and Taylor Swift after they were spotted sharing a very friendly meal last month.
On January 6, Zac efron had a “flirty dinner with the country superstar” at an outdoor corner table at Los Angeles’ Pace.
Us Weekly described how Zac Efron and Taylor Swift were “were deep in conversation and very giggly”, after arriving together in Efron’s Audi.
But they have been flirting for a long time.
Back in 2009, Zac Efron – single since splitting with Vanessa Hudgens in December 2010 – called Taylor Swift a “lovely girl, very beautiful”.
In turn, Taylor Swift, dumped by Jake Gyllenhaal in December 2010, gushed that Zac Efron was an “all-around amazing guy”.
