Solar Dynamics Observatory, a NASA satellite, captured amazing pictures of a gigantic tornado moving across the sun.
The tornado is larger than it might look – in fact, it is probably bigger than the Earth, and could extend hundreds of thousands of miles out into space.
And while its progress over the sun’s surface seems almost stately, it is moving at 300,000 miles per hour.
The extraordinary phenomenon – which cannot yet be fully explained by scientists – was filmed by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) over a 30-hour period earlier this month.
That satellite, known as the SDO, is in the middle of a five-year mission to monitor how solar activity affects the Earth, particularly changes in the sun’s magnetic field.
Solar Dynamics Observatory, a NASA satellite, captured amazing pictures of a gigantic tornado moving across the sun
While the tornado – called a “solar prominence” by scientists – looks very similar to twisters here on Earth, its origins are completely different.
Rather than being the result of atmospheric pressure, the solar activity comes from fluctuations in the sun’s magnetism.
However, researchers cannot explain much more than that – NASA’s Terry Kucera told Fox News that she and her colleagues were “still looking to understand what’s happening with these things”.
The tornado, at 15,000 degrees Fahrenheit (8,000 C), is much cooler than its surroundings, which are around 2 million degrees.
The phenomenon was not caught on camera until 1996.
Jeanne, a 90-year-old grandmother pays emotional tribute to the iconic Whitney Houston at the start of her YouTube video.
Close to tears Jeanne tells the camera: “I’m doing this in honor of the late Whitney Houston. It’s very hard to think of her being gone.”
“She was one of a kind. Wonderful. I just enjoyed her singing, no matter what she was singing.”
Whitney Houston was found dead in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton hotel in California on February 11.
In Whitney Houston's honor, the 90-year-old granny Jeanne, who suffers from severe macular degeneration, dances her heart out to the late singer's hit song “I wanna dance with somebody”
In Whitney Houston’s honor, Jeanne, who suffers from severe macular degeneration making her legally blind and hard of hearing, then dances her heart out to the late singer’s hit song “I wanna dance with somebody”.
The YouTube footage has received over 280,000 hits since it was posted earlier this week.
Jeanne’s grandson, who posted the video and can be seen dancing with her, writes: “One of the few things that makes her happy is dancing!”
Zelboraf (vemurafenib) has received approval from the European Commission to be used as monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with BRAFV600 mutation-positive inoperable or metastatic melanoma.
Its companion diagnostic, the cobas 4800 BRAF V600 Mutation Test is CE marked and commercially available in Europe.
“The approval of Zelboraf by the European Commission marks a significant advancement for European patients with metastatic melanoma who historically have had very limited treatment options. We are very pleased that our strategy to co-develop Zelboraf along with a companion diagnostic helped accelerate the availability of this personalized medicine for these patients,” said K. Peter Hirth, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Plexxikon.
Vemurafenib selectively inhibits the BRAF mutation that appears in around 50% of cases of melanoma and it is not recommended for use in melanoma patients without the BRAFV600 mutation.
“Today’s approval is important news for people with BRAF mutation-positive metastatic melanoma as Zelboraf significantly improves patient survival and exemplifies the benefits that Roche’s personalized approach to medicine can provide for patients, physicians and society,” said Hal Barron, M.D., Chief Medical Officer and Head, Global Product Development.
According to the American Cancer Society, melanoma is one of the deadliest cancers, with a five-year survival rate of 15-20% for people with advanced (Stage IV) melanoma. Every year, over 160,000 people worldwide and more than 75,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with melanoma.
Multiple clinically atypical moles or dysplastic nevi, fair skin and sun exposure, prior melanoma, inherited genetic mutations, a positive family history of melanoma are the risk factors.
The BRAF gene is essential in normal cell growth and survival. BRAF mutations may lead to uncontrolled cell growth. These mutations can be found in around 50% of melanoma and in 8% of solid tumors.
After receiving the FDA approval in August 2011, Zelboraf was approved by the European Commission for the treatment of inoperable or metastatic melanoma.
Zelboraf has proven to be effective in BRIM3, a global, randomized, open-label, controlled, multicenter, Phase 3 study.
The study enrolled 675 patients with untreated BRAFV600E mutation-positive, unresectable (inoperable) or metastatic melanoma.
Zelboraf was compared to dacarbazine (chemotherapy) and an interim analysis showed the risk of death was reduced by 63% for patients who received Zelboraf.
In January 2011, the data safety monitoring board for BRIM3 recommended termination of the BRIM3 study due to compelling efficacy data, and further recommended that study patients receiving chemotherapy have the option to cross over to the vemurafenib treatment arm.
In a later analysis of BRIM3 data, including cross-over of patients from the chemotherapy treatment arm to the Zelboraf treatment arm, median overall survival was 13.2 months for Zelboraf, the risk of death was reduced by 38%. Median overall survival was 9.6 months for chemotherapy. Patients with metastatic melanoma have had a median survival of six to ten months.
At 12 months, in the Zelboraf treatment arm 55% of patients were alive and in the chemotherapy treatment arm 43%.
More information about ongoing vemurafenib studies is available at www.clinicaltrials.gov (in the U.S.) or www.clinicaltrialregister.eu or on the Roche Clinical Trials Registry at www.roche-trials.com (in the EU). Genentech can also be contacted by calling the company’s clinical trial call center at 1-888-662-6728 or emailing [email protected].
Vemurafenib along with its companion diagnostic test was approved by the Food and Drugs Administration in August 2011 and is being marketed in the United States as Zelboraf for the treatment of patients with BRAFV600E mutation-positive inoperable or metastatic melanoma.
The cobas 4800 BRAF V600 Mutation Test, a DNA, polymerase chain reaction-based companion diagnostic, it is used to identify patients whose tumors carry the BRAF mutation.
The drug also has been approved by the European Commission, and in Switzerland, Israel, Brazil, New Zealand and Canada.
Marketing authorization submissions for Zelboraf are currently under review by health authorities in Australia, India, Mexico and other countries worldwide.
Zelboraf is being co-promoted by Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. and Genentech, a member of the Roche Group. Roche promotes Zelboraf outside of the United States.
Important Safety Information about Zelboraf (vemurafenib)
This information does not take the place of the patient talking to his or her doctor about their medical condition or their treatment with Zelboraf.
Zelboraf is a prescription medicine used to treat a type of skin cancer called melanoma that has spread to other parts of the body or cannot be removed by surgery, and has a certain type of abnormal “BRAF” gene.
Zelboraf may cause a type of skin cancer called cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cuSCC), that usually does not spread to other parts of the body. Patients should check their skin and tell their doctor about skin changes including a new wart, a skin sore or reddish bump that bleeds or does not heal, or a mole that changes size or color.
While taking Zelboraf, patients should avoid going out in the sun. When patients go outside, they should wear clothes that protect their skin, including head, face, hands, arms and legs. They should use lip balm and a broad-spectrum UVA/UVB sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher.
Possible serious side effects of Zelboraf include severe allergic reactions; severe skin reactions; changes in the electrical activity of the heart called QT prolongation, which can potentially be life-threatening; abnormal liver function tests; eye problems; or new melanoma lesions.
Common side effects of Zelboraf include joint pain, rash, hair loss, tiredness, sunburn or sun sensitivity, nausea, itching or warts.
These are not all of the possible side effects of Zelboraf. Patients must tell their doctor if they have any side effect that bothers them or does not go away. For more information about side effects, patients should ask their doctor or pharmacist.
Patients should call their doctor for medical advice about any side effects. Patients or their caregivers are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or at www.fda.gov/medwatch. They may also report side effects to Genentech at 1-888-835-2555.
Patients should read the Zelboraf full Prescribing Information and Medication Guide for additional important safety information at www.zelboraf.com.
Dutch scientists have created strips of muscle tissue using stem cells with the aim of producing the first lab-grown hamburger later this year.
The aim of the research is to develop a more efficient way of producing meat than rearing animals.
Prof. Mark Post said at a major science meeting in Canada that synthetic meat could reduce the environmental footprint of meat by up to 60%.
“We would gain a tremendous amount in terms of resources,” Prof. Mark Post said.
His group at Maastricht University in the Netherlands has grown small pieces of muscle about 2 cm long, 1cm wide and about 1 mm thick.
They are off-white and resemble strips of calamari in appearance. These strips will be mixed with blood and artificially grown fat to produce a hamburger by the autumn.
Dutch scientists have created strips of muscle tissue using stem cells with the aim of producing the first lab-grown hamburger later this year
The cost of producing the hamburger will be $300,000, but Prof. Mark Post says that once the principle has been demonstrated, production techniques will be improved and costs will come down.
“The reason we are doing this is not to show a viable product but to show that in reality we can do this,” he said.
“From then on, we need to spend a whole lot of work and money to make the process efficient and then cost effective.”
So why use such high tech methods to produce meat when livestock production methods have done the job effectively for thousands of years?
It is because most food scientists believe that current methods of food production are unsustainable.
Some estimate that food production will have to double within the next 50 years to meet the requirements of a growing population. During this period, climate change, water shortages and greater urbanization will make it more difficult to produce food.
Prof. Sean Smukler from the University of British Columbia said keeping pace with demand for meat from Asia and Africa will be particularly hard as demand from these regions will shoot up as living standards rise. He thinks that lab grown meat could be a good solution.
“It will help reduce land pressures,” he said.
“Anything that stops more wild land being converted to agricultural land is a good thing. We’re already reaching a critical point in availability of arable land,” he said.
Lab-grown meat could eventually become more efficient than producing meat the old fashioned way, according to Prof. Mark Post. Currently, 100g of vegetable protein has to be fed to pigs or cows to produce 15 g of animal protein, an efficiency of 15%. He believes that synthetic meat could be produced with an equivalent energy efficiency of 50%.
So what is the synthetic burger likely to taste like?
“In the beginning it will taste bland,” says Prof. Mark Post.
“I think we will need to work on the flavor separately by trying to figure out which components of the meat actually produce the taste and analyze what the composition of the strip is and whether we can change that.”
Prof. Mark Post also said that if the technology took off, it would reduce the number of animals that were factory farmed and slaughtered.
But Dr. David Steele, who is president of Earthsave Canada, said that the same benefits could be achieved if people ate less meat.
“While I do think that there are definite environmental and animal welfare advantages of this high-tech approach over factory farming, especially, it is pretty clear to me that plant-based alternatives… have substantial environmental and probably animal welfare advantages over synthetic meat,” he said.
Dr. David Steele, who is also a molecular biologist, said he was also concerned that unhealthily high levels of antibiotics and antifungal chemicals would be needed to stop the synthetic meat from rotting.
The animated comedy The Simpsons has reached a major television milestone with the broadcast of its 500th episode on Sunday.
It saw the cartoon family exiled to a community of outsiders where they met Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.
Fox TV said Julian Assange recorded his lines from the UK, where he is fighting extradition to Sweden over alleged sex offences – charges he denies.
The animated comedy is in its 23rd season, making it the longest-running prime-time scripted programme on TV.
The Simpsons show is contracted to run for another two seasons.
In the 500th episode, entitled At Long Last Leave, the Simpsons are shown sneaking into a secret town hall meeting where they hear they are about to be thrown out of town.
They subsequently find a welcome in “The Outlands”, where Julian Assange is their neighbor.
The 500th episode saw the Simpsons exiled to a community of outsiders where they met Wikileaks founder Julian Assange
Previous guest voices on the programme include former Prime Minister Tony Blair, graffiti artist Banksy and novelist Thomas Pynchon.
Once the show’s 25th season has been completed, the number of episodes made will stand at 559.
Creator Matt Groening said the writers still had stories to tell, mostly involving “characters we’ve never dealt with”.
“We have a character we call Squeaky-Voiced Teen,” Matt Groening told the Los Angeles Times.
“I’d like to know a little bit more about that guy.”
The 42-year-old Jennifer Lopez looked like a giddy teenager as she and the 24-year-old Casper Smart got playful in Santa Barbara, California earlier this week.
Jennifer Lopez and Casper Smart celebrated the Valentine’s Day holiday on Tuesday by exploring their childish sides.
J Lo looked carefree and happy as she and Casper Smart played on a swing set by the ocean.
Casper Smart certainly looked his age in a pair of white and black board shorts with a complementary black hooded sweatshirt.
Jennifer Lopez still managed to look impossibly chic in a cream dress and long grey cable knit sweater as she joined her lover on the playground.
J Lo looked happy and in love as she hopped on the swing with Casper Smart for a full embrace and couldn’t resist giggling with glee.
After getting frisky on the swings, the pair took a walk on the beach to play in the surf.
They sat a distance apart on a large rock before moving on for a romantic hand-in-hand stroll.
Later, they carved a large heart in the sand with sticks which read “Jennifer + Casper.”
The couple showed off an additional romantic Valentine’s Day moment when Jennifer Lopez tweeted a black and white photograph of the two cozying up to one another.
Her eyes are closed in the snap while the shirtless backup dancer planted a kiss on her forehead.
However, Jennifer Lopez appears to have since erased the photo.
J Lo also spared some love for her fans on February 14, posting: “HAPPY VALENTINES DAY #JLOVE?RS!! I wish U ALL lots of love today and always! I l appreciate and love you all. #sweettweet.”
Jennifer Lopez and Casper Smart are now in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, together, where they plan on attending the world famous Carnival festival.
They were seen today hanging out on the balcony of their hotel, waving to fans and taking pictures of Ipanema beach.
This time, they were on the same page fashion-wise.
Jennifer Lopez wore tight black skinny jeans, a black sweater and a cream and black plaid scarf looped around her neck .
Casper Smart was in black shorts, a striped black vest and a straw fedora.
They were also captured with Jennifer Lopez’s manager, Benny Medina, who posed for pictures with the diva that Casper Smart took.
Jennifer Lopez and her manager, Benny Medina, in Rio de Janeiro posing for pictures that Casper Smart took
Jennifer Lopez and Casper Smart have been dating since November, and though they seem happy together, there’s no chance Jennifer is rushing to remarry.
J Lo told Today show host Matt Lauer recently that she wasn’t planning on tying the knot again in the near future.
She said: “It’s not time to think about that yet. It’s still fresh.”
Jennifer Lopez has had more time to fully get over ex-husband Marc Anthony, with whom she recently shared a good humored appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show.
She playfully “slapped” the father of her children during the interview, prompting him to joke: “That was assault on camera.”
Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony ended their seven-year marriage in July.
Bobbi Kristina Brown, Whitney Houston’s daughter, was allegedly found doing drugs yesterday, hours after her mother’s funeral.
Bobbi Kristina, 18, apparently slipped away from friends and family after the emotional four-hour home going service in New Jersey.
Instead of joining them at a restaurant in Newark, Bobbi Kristina went off to be alone and even caused panic this morning as Whitney Houston’s coffin was being transported to the Fairview Cemetery to be buried.
“Everyone was freaking out and calling Bobbi Kristina’s cell,” a family friend told The Daily Beast.
“It was so much commotion and activity after the funeral that Bobbi Kristina just slipped away. Ms. Cissy [Houston] was beside herself.”
The teenager was understandably left devastated when her 48-year-old superstar mother was found dead in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton hotel on February 11.
Bobbi Kristina Brown, Whitney Houston’s daughter, was allegedly found doing drugs yesterday, hours after her mother’s funeral
Bobbi Kristina Brown was apparently found “getting high” after she received the news her mother had passed away and there were conflicts between family members on whether she should be taken to rehab straight away or left to mourn with her family.
“It’s a horrible situation for everybody” the family friend said.
“They tried to save Whitney, and it didn’t work. Now with Bobbi Kristina, they fear the same thing is happening again and they wont’ be able to stop it either.”
“Bobbi Kristina is all Ms. Cissy has left of Whitney. She’s so tired, but she’s ready to fight again to save her grandbaby.”
Bobbi Kristina had apparently grown up seeing her mother doing drugs and her family is concerned that she may follow in Whitney Houston’s footsteps in the more negative aspects of her life.
Although an associate of the Houston family told The Daily Beast that Bobbi Kristina went to rehab last year, the family would not be drawn on the matter.
“Bobbi Kristina had the people she loved and love her the most around,” the source said in the days before the funeral.
“Ms. Cissy was holding on tight and watching her every move.”
But Bobbi Kristina was apparently left devastated after her father Bobby Brown walked out of the funeral yesterday with the nine guests he brought with him after he claimed he was asked to move by security three times.
“That was just too much for Bobbi Kristina to handle,” the source added.
“All that drama, and Cissy finally asked him to come in and stay, but Bobby wouldn’t.
“Cissy only did that to help Bobbi Kristina, because Cissy cannot stand Bobby.
“She just didn’t want a big drama with him on that day of all days.”
Bobbi Kristina is also apparently upset following her parents’ divorce in 2007 and how quickly Bobby Brown moved on.
Bobby Brown has become engaged and has a two-year-old little boy with fiancé Alicia Etheredge.
“There was some confusion about Bobbi Kristina’s whereabouts last night for a short time, but she’s OK,” a family spokesperson told The Daily Beast.
“She needed some time alone.”
The Houston family rep denied that Bobbi Kristina was on just and said that she was just going through a “very hard time as you can expect”.
Nature photographers wait at Yosemite National Park until the moment when the sun and earth align to create a fleeting phenomenon, the firefall.
This marvel of celestial configuration happens in a flash at sunset in mid-February – if the winter weather cooperates.
On those days the setting sun illuminates one of the park’s lesser-known waterfalls so precisely that it resembles molten lava as it flows over the sheer granite face of the imposing El Capitan.
Every year growing numbers of photographers converge on the park, their necks craned toward the ephemeral Horsetail Fall, hoping the sky will be clear so they can duplicate the spectacle first recorded in color in 1973 by the late renowned outdoors photographer Galen Rowell.
“Horsetail is so uniquely situated that I don’t know of any other waterfall on earth that gets that kind of light,” said Michael Frye, who wrote the book “The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite”.
“How many are perched on a high open cliff? Most are in an alcove or canyon and won’t get the sun setting behind it. Yosemite’s special geography makes this fall distinctive,” Michael Frye said.
Four decades ago, photographers had only to point and shoot to capture another famous Yosemite firefall – a man-made cascade of embers pushed from a bonfire on summer nights from Glacier Point.
In late February, the Horsetail Fall in Yosemite National Park is lit by the sunlight near dusk and displays a rich color like fire
But photographing Horsetail is a lesson in astronomy, physics and geometry as hopefuls consider the azimuth degrees and minutes of the earth’s orbit relative to the sun to determine the optimal day to experience it.
They are looking for the lowest angle of light that will paint Horsetail the colors of an iridescent sunset as rays reflect off granite behind the water. It materializes in varying degrees of intensity for the same two weeks every year.
“If you hit it at just the right time, it turns this amazing color of gold or red-orange,” said Michael Frye, a photo instructor with the Ansel Adams Gallery in the park.
Ansel Adams photographed the fall, but his iconic black and white images do not capture its fiery quality, and it’s unclear whether he ever noted it.
To be successful in photographing the watery firefall, it takes luck and timing, and the cooperation of nature. Horsetail Fall drains a small area on the eastern summit of El Capitan and flows only in the winter and spring in years with adequate rain and snow, which is scarce this year. Experts say it doesn’t take a lot of water for the fall to light up.
Most important, the southwestern horizon must be clear, and February is the time of year when storm clouds often obscure the setting sun.
When conditions come together, the scrawny Horsetail Fall is the shining star of a park famed for its other waterfalls raging Yosemite Fall and Bridalveil Fall. But Horsetail is the longest free-falling one, with a drop of 1,500 feet before it hits granite and spills another 500.
The fire lights up around dusk and lasts for about two minutes. The best views are east of El Capitan along the main roads into and out of Yosemite Valley. Most photographers gather at the El Capitan picnic area, a small pullout marked only by a sign with a table etched on it. But park officials say the inexperienced can look for the hordes of tripods and cameras to find a vantage point.
Recent storms and snowfall mean the finicky fall is flowing again, and park officials are hopeful it will last through February 24, which is generally the last day of the year it can be seen. Once an obscure event, park officials say that Internet discussions have made it more popular in recent years.
The popularity is reminiscent of an actual fiery fall that entertained guests in the park from 1930 to 1968. Each summer evening as the sun set, employees of the park concessionaire would build a huge red fir bark fire atop Glacier Point. At 9 p.m., as the fire burned down to embers and the Indian Love Song waned, someone would yell, “Let the fire fall!”.
With long rakes men pushed glowing coals over the 3,200-foot cliff.
Had visitors looked in the opposite direction at a different time of year they would have seen the watery fire-fall of nature.
“There’s no comparison, and I’ve seen both,” said park spokesman Scott Gediman.
“The natural activities and occurrences in Yosemite are far more amazing and more valuable than the human-made ones – everything from a sunset to wildlife to rainbows at Vernal Fall. There are a lot of amazing things, and they’re here year after year.”
At least 38 inmates have died in Apodaca prison riot in northern Mexico.
Security officials said the inmates had either forced or bribed a number of guards to open the doors between two separate wings of the jail.
A fight broke out between the prisoners, in which the killings occurred.
Deadly prison fights between rival gangs are not uncommon in Mexico: last month 31 inmates were killed in similar circumstances in Tamaulipas state.
Nuevo Leon state security spokesman Jorge Domene said inmates at the Apodaca prison had also set fire to mattresses and other flammable objects.
“Until now, we have counted 38 dead,” he said.
At least 38 inmates have died in Apodaca prison riot in northern Mexico
Jorge Domene said investigations were under way to establish the causes behind the fight, but that so far the evidence pointed towards a confrontation between rival gangs.
He said the security forces were now in control of the situation.
Relatives of the prisoners have gathered outside the prison, north of the city of Monterrey, to find out news about who has been killed and injured.
Jorge Domene asked them to be patient.
“We have more than 3,000 inmates in this jail and we have to account for all of them first,” he said.
Mexican jails are notorious for overcrowding, corruption and rioting.
In January, 31 inmates were killed at a prison in Altamira, in Tamaulipas state, when rival gangs confronted each other with homemade weapons and knives.
Ryan Marquiss is the first child in the world to survive being born with his heart outside of his body.
Having the heart outside the body, ectopia cordis, is an incredibly rare condition and usually babies are stillborn or die within three days.
Ryan Marquiss’ heart also hadn’t developed and so he only had half a heart – a combination of defects which is so rare that the boy is the only one of his kind in the world.
Doctors advised his devastated parents to terminate the pregnancy when Ryan Marquiss’ mother was just 12 weeks pregnant, but they bravely refused.
And it is a gamble that has paid off, as the boy is just about to celebrate his third birthday.
His mother, Leighann Marquiss, 34, said: “We wanted to let nature take its course, so we refused to have the termination.
“We knew it would be a miracle if he survived the birth but we were unwilling to take matters into our own hands.
“The doctors told us that no baby with Ryan’s combination of defects had ever survived, so the fact that he is here with us today, is just amazing. He really has astounded everyone.”
Doctors discovered the problem at 12 weeks into his mother’s pregnancy.
Ryan Marquiss is the first child in the world to survive being born with his heart outside of his body
The incredibly rare defect, ectopia cordis, affects only 8 in every million births and 90% of these are stillborn or die within three days.
And adding to that Ryan was also suffering from hypoplastic right heart syndrome, where only the left side of the heart has developed properly.
Leighann Marquiss, who lives with husband Henry, 34, and their other children Natalie, 7, and Ainsley, 5, in Pennsylvania, USA, said: “All the odds were stacked against him. We knew that it was a miracle that he had been born alive with his heart outside his body, but then to have another life-threatening condition of only having half a heart meant that everything was against him surviving.”
Doctors advised Ryan Marquiss’ parents to terminate the pregnancy when his mother was just 12 weeks pregnant, but they bravely refused and the boy the boy is just about to celebrate his third birthday
Doctors at the Children’s National Medical Centre in Washington delivered him at the end of February 2009 by caesarian, helped by a team of 30 medical professionals.
Dr. Mary Donofrio, Director of the fetal heart programme at the Children’s National Medical Centre said: “If he survived the birth his exposed heart likely would become infected and kill him. Even if infection didn’t happen his heart had one working ventricle and he would require open heart surgery to rewire the blood flow through it.
“I told the family right from the start that if he survived, it was a miracle.”
Leighann Marquiss said: “His heart was protruding out of his chest cavity. The heart was only covered by a thin membrane.
“But he was alive and we just had to pray that he would carry on fighting.”
Ryan Marquiss had to have an operation at just two weeks old to have a central shunt placed in his heart to ensure proper blood flow.
Then he underwent more than a dozen operations over the next two years. He had operations to replumb his heart so that the half a heart would do the job of a full size heart. Doctors also put tissue expanders under his skin to produce more skin so they could use it to cover his exposed heart.
Mrs Marquiss said: “He has done amazingly well. He has been so brave throughout it, and his sisters have kept him going too. They have been to see him in hospital and made recordings of themselves at home, so Ryan could hear them.
“He just kept on fighting. He refused to die, and he kept on proving everyone wrong.
“He will need some sort of chest protection operation in the future but it may be overcome by just wearing some sort of protective padding when he plays sport. He won’t be a competition athlete, but we are hoping he can run around on the playground and climb trees like any other child.”
Ryan Marquiss’ case has now been reported in a medical journal. Doctors believe that his survival offers hope for other babies with serious heart defects.
In the future he may require a heart transplant, but at the moment, he is progressing well.
His mother said: “He really is a medical miracle. When I look at him running around the playground and playing on the climbing wall, I praise God. Every day with Ryan is one we were told we wouldn’t have. So we cherish each moment.”
A Swedish man survived for two months in his snow-covered car on nothing but snow after he was trapped in sub-zero temperatures.
The man, 44, had eaten nothing but handfuls of snow since December 19 when he became bogged down in drifts near the town of Umea in southern Sweden.
Experts think the man went into a kind of human hibernation which slowed down his metabolism and pulled him through the ordeal.
The man had driven off the main road on to forest tracks when his car became stuck fast. On Friday a passing man on a snowmobile stopped to scrape snow from the windscreen of the vehicle and saw movement inside.
As he recovered in a hospital today details emerged of depression and debts piling up on him and it is thought he might have been trying to take his own life.
Police initially thought the man was a nature lover who had become trapped in the snow while on an expedition to photograph elk.
But now it emerges there was a court judgement against him in December because of debts totaling $235,000.
A Swedish man survived for two months in his snow-covered car on nothing but snow after he was trapped in sub-zero temperatures
Neighbours of the man in the town of Orebro in central Sweden said he had also broken up with his girlfriend and had lost contact with his father and other family members 20 years ago.
“We now have to wait until he is better to try to find out what really was in his mind,” said police officer Ebbe Nyberg.
The man survived by taking handfuls of snow from the roof of the car. The only other things found with him were cigarettes and comic books.
“Absolutely incredible that he is alive, in part considering that he hasn’t had any food, but also bearing in mind that it was really cold for a while there after Christmas,” said a member of the emergency services team deployed to rescue him.
The man was emaciated, barely able to move and could barely speak.
“He was at the end of his tether,” said a police spokesman.
“It was doubtful he could have survived one or two more days.”
The man was wrapped up in a sleeping bag in the car but he had no other warmth; the fuel had run out long ago as he kept the heater running to try to survive as the thermometer plunged on some nights to minus 30 degrees C.
He is recovering in the intensive care ward at Umea University Hospital where he is being fed liquid proteins.
The man has hypothermia and is severely malnourished. He was never registered as missing.
Policeman Ebbe Nyberg added: “He was in a very poor state when we found him. He could not speak, just a few broken sentences and the words snow…eat. And he managed to say he hadn’t eaten anything since December.”
After a very public funeral attended by thousands yesterday, Whitney Houston is laid to rest surrounded by just a select few in New Jersey today.
Whitney Houston is to be buried in a private ceremony at the Fairview Cemetery in Westfield where her father, John Russell Houston Jr., was interred in 2003.
The late singer’s silver casket was transported to the cemetery in a gold-painted hearse on Sunday morning, closely following a black truck brimming with purple roses, pink carnations and white lilies.
Whitney Houston’s casket was reportedly watched over by 10 security guards after it left the invitation-only service attended by some of the music world’s biggest stars yesterday.
Authorities said the tight security has continued during the burial, with a heavy officer presence in and around the ceremony in anticipation of fans flocking to the site to say their final goodbyes.
Fans carrying banners, flowers and photographs of the late star were gathered along the route to the cemetery as police escorted the hearse. It arrived at the cemetery just before 11:45 a.m.
Whitney Houston is to be buried in a private ceremony at the Fairview Cemetery in Westfield where her father, John Russell Houston Jr., was interred in 2003
The driver appeared to be crying as she played the singer’s greatest hit I Will Always Love You, the New Jersey Star-Ledger reported.
The burial comes a day after the singer was mourned at the funeral – called her “going home” by her family – held in the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark where she sang in the choir as a child.
High-profile friends of Whitney Houston, including Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, music mogul Clive Davis and her The Bodyguard co-star Kevin Costner, spoke or performed at the highly-charged service.
The ceremony, which closed with Whitney Houston’s song I Will Always Love You, was also attended by her mother Cissy Houston, who wailed “My baby!” as the casket was carried out.
Whitney Houston’s on-off boyfriend Ray J – who reached out for the casket as it passed – and her teenage daughter Bobbi Kristina also attended the service.
The star’s distraught ex-husband Bobby Brown caused a ruckus when he bickered with security about the number of guests accompanying him. He was told he could bring two but arrived with nine.
Bobby Brown stormed out of the service after security tried to move him, but later returned.
The service came a week after Whitney Houston was found dead in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton hotel in California.
Questions remains about what caused Whitney Houston’s death and investigators are examining prescription drugs found in her hotel room.
Coroners have deferred city a cause on her death certificate as they are waiting for the outcome of toxicology tests.
It was believed the family would be able to see Whitney Houston’s body once more before she is buried, TMZ reported.
Iran has stopped oil sales to UK and France, the nation’s oil ministry has announced.
A spokesman was reported as saying on the ministry’s website that Iran would “sell our oil to new customers”.
European Union member states had earlier agreed to stop importing Iranian crude from 1 July.
The move is intended to pressure Tehran to stop enriching uranium, which can be used for civilian nuclear purposes but also to build warheads.
Iran insists its nuclear programme is peaceful, but the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency says it has information suggesting Iran has carried out tests “relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device”.
Sunday’s statement on the oil ministry website was attributed to spokesman Ali Reza Nikzad Rahbar.
The French news agency AFP says the decision is not expected to have a big impact. Last year France bought only 3% of its oil – 58,000 barrels per day (b/d) – from Iran and the UK imported even less Iranian oil. A UK government official said there would be “no impact on UK energy security”.
Iran decided to stop oil sales to UK and France
Some Iranian media had announced on Wednesday that Iran had stopped oil exports to the Netherlands, Greece, France, Portugal, Spain and Italy in retaliation for the EU’s oil embargo, but this was later denied by the oil ministry.
The EU oil embargo, agreed last month, was phased so member states that were relatively dependent on Iranian crude – notably Greece, Spain and Italy – had enough time to find alternative sources.
The bloc currently buys about 20% of Iran’s oil exports, which account for a majority of government revenue.
However, Iran’s Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi said that a cut in exports to Europe would not hurt Tehran.
Oil industry sources quoted by Reuters news agency say Iran’s top oil buyers in Europe have already started reducing purchases of Iranian crude.
Last year Iran supplied more than 700,000 barrels per day (b/d) to the EU and Turkey, but by the start of this year that had dropped to about 650,000 b/d, Reuters reported on Thursday.
France’s energy giant Total has stopped buying Iranian crude and Royal Dutch Shell, one of the biggest purchasers of Iranian oil, has cut back sharply, market sources told Reuters.
According to Reuters estimates, Tupras of Turkey was the biggest European customer for Iranian oil in 2011, taking about 200,000 b/d, followed by Total (100,000 b/d), Shell (100,000 b/d), Hellenic of Greece (80,000 b/d) and Cepsa of Spain (70,000 b/d).
Bobby Brown hit the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut at 2:00 a.m. this morning, after his show with New Edition ended at 10:00 p.m.
Bobby Brown, 43, had earlier stormed out of his ex-wife Whitney Houston’s funeral following a reported dispute over seating arrangements and not being allowed to be with his daughter Bobbi Kristina.
At the casino, he had reportedly been chatting with some unknown female strangers and was followed up an escalator by friends and fans.
Bobby Brown’s large entourage together with the surrounding cameramen apparently made for a considerable crowd, and an on duty Connecticut police officer was called over when his people objected to being followed by the photographers.
Bobby Brown hit the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut at 2.00 am, just hours after Whitney Houston’s funeral
Just hours after Whitney Houston’s funeral, Bobby Brown appeared upbeat as he performed onstage with his New Edition bandmates to a 7,000-strong sellout crowd at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
The former rapper was seen onstage wearing a white tuxedo jacket, matching white shirt underneath a black satin vest, and black trousers.
His outfit was a far-cry different from the all-black mourning attire he had worn to attend Whitney Houston’s funeral hours earlier.
Bobby Brown appeared in good spirits as he sang to the crowd, smiling at times and pulling quirky expressions.
He also did several energetic dance moves alongside his fellow New Edition members.
Bobby Brown arrived onstage a reported 10 minutes late after his band already started the performance, according to USA Today.
During the fourth track, Bobby Brown was said to have strode up to the stage to cheers from the audience and addressed the crowd.
“I want to give blessings to my ex-wife, Whitney Houston, I love you. I want to give blessings to my kids, my fiancée (Alicia Etheridge), my brothers, and each of you,” he said.
Before launching into his track Hit Me Off, Bobby Brown added: “And if you didn’t already know, I go by the name of bad a** Bobby Brown.”
US scientists found that starvation on alternate days can make people live longer by boosting brain power and shedding weight.
The research team said that fasting on and off can boost brain power and help to lose weight at the same time.
The National Institutes for Aging said their research was based on giving animals the bare minimum of calories required to keep them alive and results showed they lived up to twice as long.
The diet has since been tested on humans and appears to protect the heart, circulatory system and brain against age-related diseases like Alzheimer’s.
“Dietery energy restriction extends lifespan and protects the brain and cardiovascular system against age-related disease,” said Mark Mattson, head of the laboratory of neurosciences at the NIA and professor of neuroscience at John Hopkins University in Baltimore.
“We have found that dietary energy restriction, particularly when administered in intermittent bouts of major caloric restriction, such as alternative day fasting, activates cellular stress response pathways in neurones,” Prof. Mark Mattson said to the Sunday Times.
In one set of experiments, a group of mice were only fed on alternate days while others were allowed to eat daily.
Both groups were given unlimited access to food on the days they were allowed to eat and eventually consumed the same amount of calories.
Prof. Mark Mattson said he found the mice fed on alternate days were more sensitive to insulin and needed to produce less of it.
High levels of the hormone, which is produced to control sugar levels after a meal or snack, are usually associated with lower brain power and are at a higher risk of diabetes.
The brains from both sets of rodents were then examined and Prof. Mark Mattson said he found the calorie restricted diets appeared to improve the function of brain synapses.
These are the junctions between brain cells which promote the generation of new cells and make them more resistant to stress.
Previous research has found that starving yourself for a few days can help in the fight against cancer.
Scientists found that depriving healthy cells of the food they need sends them into a survival mode, making them highly resistant to stress and damage caused from chemotherapy.
Experts have described the behavior similar to animals waiting out the winter by hibernating.
British boxer Dereck Chisora has been arrested by German police after a brawl with fellow boxer David Haye in Munich at the post-fight news conference after Chisora was defeated by Vitali Klitschko.
Dereck Chisora and his trainer, Don Charles, were taken from Munich airport by police as part of the investigation.
David Haye and Dereck Chisora clashed at the post-fight press conference after Chisora was beaten on points by defending WBC champion Vitali Klitschko.
Police are still searching for David Haye, who was not present at the hotel when sought for questioning.
David Haye showed up at the news conference to confront Vitali Klitschko, who he believes changed his mind on a potential fight between the pair.
However, that sparked a verbal exchange with Dereck Chisora and the pair squared up to each other before a brawl ensued.
Dereck Chisora accused David Haye of “glassing him”, before saying at least four times that he would shoot the former WBA heavyweight champion.
He added: “If David doesn’t fight me, I am going to physically burn him.”
Dereck Chisora arrived at the airport to return home, but was stopped by police, who have detained him at their Munich headquarters.
A Munich Criminal Police spokesman said: “Police picked up Mr. Chisora at the airport at approximately 10:30 a.m. [German time] and are bringing him in for the investigation.
“They also picked up Mr. Chisora’s trainer for questioning. The police went to the hotel to speak to them but we had been informed they had just checked out.”
The spokesperson added: “At present we do not know where Mr. Haye is.
“We are currently looking for him. He was not at the hotel this morning and we have not seen him at the airport.”
British boxer Dereck Chisora has been arrested by German police after a brawl with fellow boxer David Haye in Munich
Dereck Chisora has had part of his fight purse withheld by the World Boxing Council after he slapped Vitali Klitschko at the pre-fight weigh-in on Friday.
He appeared to spit water towards Vitali Klitschko’s brother, Wladimir, moments before Saturday night’s bout began.
More controversy followed when Dereck Chisora exchanged words with the Klitschko’s after the result was announced.
The British Boxing Board of Control has said it will review the incident.
Dereck Chisora – David Haye brawl full transcript
Bernd Boente, manager of Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko: With the bad experience we’ve had with British fighters, we will now look for other countries. Contrary to David Haye, Dereck Chisora really went for it. He really tried.
David Haye (from rear of the room): You don’t want to fight David Haye, no?
Boente: You had an offer. You didn’t accept it. Now you are out. You are out. Out, out, out. You cannot talk yourself back into the fight; you have no belts. Chisora showed heart, contrary to you. You showed your toe [referring to Haye’s toe injury].
Haye: I accepted your offer in December.
Dereck Chisora: We’ll get it on in London – be quiet. David Haye is an embarrassment, Sky Sports don’t do Box Office any more because of David Haye. He messed it up for all those young fighters coming through. I’m going to give you two slaps for that. If Haye is a fighter, he should fight me.
Haye: You’ve lost three fights in a row (actually three of his last four).
Chisora: Let’s fight.
Chisora’s promoter Frank Warren: I’ve got a great idea. If Dereck fights David, the winner fights Vitali.
Boente: Sounds like the perfect plan.
Haye: Vitali said he could knock me out, do you think you can knock me out?
Chisora’s trainer Don Charles: Be quiet, can security get him out of here?
Haye: Vitali said after his last fight, ‘I want to fight David Haye’. Where is he now? He said he wanted to fight me, I agreed the money, I agreed everything in December.
Chisora: How’s your toe? How’s your toe? How’s your toe?
Haye: You’ve lost your last three fights, you lost to Tyson Fury. You’re a loser.
Chisora: Tell that to my face. I’m coming down, tell that to my face.
Chisora leaves his seat and approaches Haye at the back of the room, where a melee ensues. Haye at one point picks up a video camera tripod and swings it.
The two are eventually pulled apart before Chisora returns to the front of the room.
Chisora: (Shouting and indicating towards Haye). He glassed me. I swear to God, David, I am going to shoot you. I am going to shoot you. I am going to physically shoot David Haye. He glassed me. He glassed me. He glassed me. I’m not having it. He glassed me.
Haye’s trainer Adam Booth approaches Chisora, his head bleeding.
Chisora: (Referring to Booth’s cut) I’m sorry about that. Adam, your fighter glassed me.
Booth: I want to know who glassed me.
Chisora: As you were trying to hold your fighter away, he [Haye] probably glassed you by mistake.
Booth: You hit me with a bottle.
Chisora: David had a bottle in his hand.
Booth: No, no, David didn’t hit me with a bottle. I want to know who glassed me. Someone hit me with a bottle.
The two are separated before Booth addresses Vitali Klitschko.
Booth: Vitali, you are a great fighter but your manager is an embarrassment to the sport. Congratulations for winning.
Chisora: (Addressing Booth) Either we do it in the ring or outside of the ring. Because I want him. If David don’t fight me, Adam, I am telling you the God’s honest truth, I am going to physically burn him. So you tell him I said that. I am going to find him.
A new study, published this week in the journal Cell Host & Microbe, indicates that bowel may play an important role in the development of diabetes.
This is a new and somehow surprising approach to diabetes, since until now most of the studies have focused on pancreas and liver. Pancreas produces insulin, the hormone that regulates sugar (glucose) blood levels and liver is the main organ where the sugar is stored.
Normally, a mucus layer lines inside the intestines (small intestine and colon) to protect the organism from infection (with bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites) and to keep the balance, or homeostasis of the host-microbiota (good bacteria). The bacteria that naturally live in the colon (host-microbiota, or gut flora) help digest food and synthesize vitamins.
On the other hand, bacteria from intestines can produce toxins and carcinogens, and cause multisystem organ failure, sepsis, colon cancer, and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Intestinal bacteria also influence the BMI (body mass index). Obese persons have especially bacteria called Firmicutes in their bowel, while lean people have Bacteroidetes. These bacteria are involved in the digestion of fatty acids and polysaccharides. In other study obese mice were transplanted into germ-free recipient, and as a result they gain weight despite a decrease in food consumption.
An important factor in health is the balance of bacterial numbers.
If the normal intestinal mucus barrier is altered, this may lead to inflammation and diabetes.
The integrity of the intestinal mucus barrier, made of lipids, proteins and glycoproteins, may play a role in developing insulin resistance and in diabetes.
The researchers of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, including specialists in gastroenterology and genome sciences, have tried to determine what happens in mice that were unable to produce fatty acid synthase (FAS) in their intestines.
The enzyme FAS is essential for lipids production, therefore essential for mucus secretion, it regulates the production of a mucus component Mucin 2.
FAS secretion is regulated by insulin, and as a consequence people with diabetes have faulty FAS.
“Diabetes may indeed start in your gut. When people become resistant to insulin, as happens when they gain weight, FAS doesn’t work properly, which causes inflammation that, in turn, can lead to diabetes,” said Dr. Clay F. Semenkovich, study author.
Mice became sick, they had diarrhea and other symptoms. The changes in their gut flora made the mice sick, thought the scientists at the beginning, but after a detailed analysis those changes did not prove to be the cause.
Mice have developed chronic inflammation in their guts. Intestinal inflammation is a powerful predictor of diabetes.
“The first striking thing we saw was that the mice began losing weight. They had diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms, and when we looked closely at the tissue in the gut, we found a lot of inflammation,” said Dr. Xiaochao Wei, study author.
“The mice had substantial changes in their gut microbiome. But it wasn’t the composition of microbes in the gut that caused the problems,” said Dr. Clay F. Semenkovich.
The mice were sick because of a defect in fatty acid synthase. They had lost the protective lining of mucus in the intestines and bacteria could invade intestinal cells.
Those gastrointestinal effects were similar to inflammatory bowel disease. Helpful bacteria can be very harmful to the organism if they get outside of the digestive tract (when the intestine is perforated, or becomes permeable, in disease like cirrhosis).
Prior to this observation, other reports have shown that colon biopsies from patients with ulcerative colitis had low amounts of fatty acid synthase.
“Fatty acid synthase is required to keep that mucosal layer intact. Without it, bad bacteria invade cells in the colon and the small intestine, creating inflammation, and that, in turn, contributes to insulin resistance and diabetes, ” said Dr. Xiaochao Wei.
Inflammatory substances can cause insulin resistance and inhibit the secretion of insulin, and may lead to diabetes. On the other hand, insulin resistance promote inflammation.
Lots of people with diabetes not only have inadequate FAS, but they also have gastrointestinal disorders, said Dr. Clay F. Semenkovich.
“Abdominal pain and diarrhea are some of the most common problems we see in people with diabetes. We could only connect these ‘dots’ because other experts at the university could help us link what we observed in these mice to what occurs in patients with diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease,” he said.
FAS and Mucin 2 may be potential targets for diabetes therapy. However, further studies are needed, and the scientists plan to study how the secretion of FAS is affected in people with diabetes.
Whitney Houston’s family is to attend the singer’s private burial in Westfield, New Jersey, later.
Whitney Houston is to be laid to rest beside her father John Russell Houston, who died in 2003, at Fairview Cemetery.
It follows a memorial service attended by some of the biggest names in music yesterday, including her mentor and former label boss Clive Davis, Stevie Wonder and her cousin Dionne Warwick.
Whitney Houston was found dead at a hotel in Los Angeles last week.
The late singer had been due to attend the Grammy awards. The cause of her death is as yet unknown, with investigators awaiting the results of toxicology tests.
Whitney Houston is to be laid to rest beside her father John Russell Houston, who died in 2003, at Fairview Cemetery
Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, and R Kelly performed during the three hour and 45 minute-long ceremony, while actor Kevin Costner, who starred opposite Whitney Houston in the film The Bodyguard, paid tribute to what he called the “sweet miracle” of her life.
Whitney Houston’s ex-husband, Bobby Brown, arrived at the service but left again shortly afterwards.
Bobby Brown later said in a statement released to US media that he and his children “were seated by security and then subsequently asked to move on three separate occasions”.
“In light of the events, I gave a kiss to the casket of my ex-wife and departed as I refused to create a scene,” he added.
Bobby Brown, 43, was on stage last night in Connecticut, performing with his original band New Edition.
“I want to give blessings to my ex-wife, Whitney Houston. I love you,” Bobby Brown said as he pointed his finger to the sky.
Whitney Houston’s Godmother Aretha Franklin, whom the star referred to as “Aunt Ree”, had been due to sing at the service but the Houston family said she was not able to attend as she was unwell.
Aretha Franklin told the Associated Press news agency that she had been suffering with leg spasms and sent her best wishes to the family.
Following the service, fans and onlookers gathered outside the Whigham Funeral Home in Newark to catch a glimpse of the hearse as it drove in carrying Whitney Houston’s body in golden coffin. Some called: “I love you”, as the hearse passed.
One of the biggest voices of the 80’s, Whitney Houston sold millions of singles and albums worldwide.
Cordao do Bola Preta parade, one of Rio de Janeiro’s oldest and most popular carnival street parties has attracted a record 2.2 million revelers, according to Brazilian police.
The Cordao do Bola Preta parade is famous for attracting a diverse crowd, spanning all ages.
For the first time in its 93-year history, the event allowed electric sound systems and reversed its normal route.
Police said that despite the large crowds, the event had been peaceful.
Dressed as the cartoon character Asterix, Elson de Deus, 65, told Brazilian newspaper O Globo he had been attending the parade ever since he was 13.
This year, Elson de Deus had taken his son along to the parade to continue the family tradition.
Cordao do Bola Preta parade, one of Rio de Janeiro's oldest and most popular carnival street parties has attracted a record 2.2 million revelers
Elizete Vieira, 77, said she had waited for four hours to secure her spot in the parade.
Denisa Chagas told the AFP news agency she liked the Bola Preta parade because it “brings everybody together, people from all districts and neighbouring towns”.
Reflecting the name of Bola Preta, or Black Dot, many revelers wore clothes with black polka dots on a white background.
Others dressed as their sports heroes or donned wigs and tutus.
Police said they had detained 15 people for urinating in the street, but that there had been no serious incidents.
Some 400 street parties have been scheduled for the Rio carnival, but organizers say the Bola Preta parade, which dates back to 1918, is the most traditional.
Sea otters have had to survive famine, disease, and clashes with boats, but shark attacks may be to blame for the significant decline in the cute creature populations around the California coast.
Scientists are mystified at the recent number – up to 30% of dead otters found along the coast have shark bites, up from ten per cent in the mid-1990s.
Mercury News reports that in 2011, 70 sea otters washed up on shore, showing tell-tale signs of a shark attack.
Some otter carcases even had shark teeth embedded in their skin.
Tim Tinker, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Geological survey told the website that one popular theory is that sharks are mistaking otters as sea lions and elephant seals – their primary prey.
Those creatures, he said, have increased in population over the last decade and have moved to other locations.
Great whites have never been seen eating a whole otter for food, Mercury News reported, nor have they been known to actively hunt otters.
In 2011, a study revealed that there were about 219 great white sharks off the coast of California, fewer than originally thought.
According to experts, shark attacks may be to blame for the significant decline in sea otter populations around the California coast
Stanford University marine biology professor Barbara Block told the News that other sharks such as sevengills and makos could be the culprits of the attacks.
Barbara Block added: “It could be just a few individuals, or a few species.
“We need to keep in mind it’s a wild place out here.”
Another theory why sea otter populations are dwindling is that sharks are attacking female otters, who usually produce eight or more pups in a litter.
Without new generations of otters, the species will continue to struggle.
Tim Tinker said that there is nothing to be done about the supposed shark attacks, calling the trend, calling the shark’s behavior “natural”.
Sea otters are the heaviest members of the weasel family, weighing between 35 to 100 lbs. However, they are the second smallest marine mammal. Its coat is the densest in the animal kingdom and allows them to stay warm despite frigid water temperatures. They live on a diet of mussels, clams, crabs, and urchins. In recent years, fur trade and oil spills have whittled away otter populations.
Just hours after he stormed out of his ex-wife Whitney Houston’s funeral, Bobby Brown appeared upbeat as he performed onstage with his New Edition bandmates to a 7,000 sellout crowd at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Bobby Brown reportedly stormed out of his ex-wife Whitney Houston’s funeral following a dispute over seating arrangements and not being allowed to be with his daughter Bobbi Kristina.
Bobby Brown, 43, said he left the service after kissing the casket of his ex-wife whitney Houston because “he refused to make a scene”.
The former rapper was seen onstage wearing a white tuxedo jacket, matching white shirt underneath a black satin vest, and black trousers.
Bobby Brown’s outfit was a far-cry different from the all-black mourning attire he had worn to attend Whitney Houston’s funeral hours earlier.
He appeared in good spirits as he sang to the crowd, smiling at times and pulling quirky expressions.
Bobby Brown also did several energetic dance moves alongside the New Edition members.
The singer arrived onstage a reported 10 minutes late after his band already started the performance, according to USA Today.
Hours after Whitney Houston's funeral, Bobby Brown performed onstage with his New Edition bandmates at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut
During the fourth track Bobby Brown was said to have strode up to the stage to cheers from the audience and addressed the crowd.
“I want to give blessings to my ex-wife, Whitney Houston, I love you. I want to give blessings to my kids, my fiancée (Alicia Etheridge), my brothers, and each of you,” Bobby Brown said.
Before launching into his track Hit Me Off, he added: “And if you didn’t already know, I go by the name of bad a** Bobby Brown.”
After singing several of his famous songs including My Prerogative, Bobby Brown once again referred to Whitney Houston’s tragic passing.
“I lost three great people in my life in the last year, but nothing makes me happier than to be here with you,” he said.
Some concertgoers believed that Bobby Brown’s onstage appearance so soon after today’s funeral was insensitive.
“I grew up on New Edition, and want to see how Bobby responds,” William McGarrah told USA Today.
“(It was) a little insensitive, and (it) shows how much he needs the money. I thought he would take time off to be with his daughter.”
Bobby Brown it appears spent very little time with his daughter Bobbi Kristina today during and following the funeral for her mother.
He had left the service early after an alleged altercation with security over seating.
Bobby Brown was cheered by fans as he arrived at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey, but according to a mourner at the service, family became “frustrated” inside.
TMZ reported Bobby Brown became angry after the Houston family refused to seat his entourage of nine people. He had apparently been invited with a plus two.
Insiders told TMZ Bobby Brown wanted to sit with Bobbi Kristina on the front row – but he wasn’t allowed.
Bobby Brown has since released a statement, explaining his abrupt departure, saying he was moved by security three times.
In a statement put out by his representative, Bobby Brown said: “My children and I were invited to the funeral of my ex-wife Whitney Houston. We were seated by security and then subsequently asked to move on three separate occasions.
“I fail to understand why security treated my family this way and continue to ask us and no one else to move,” he said.
The statement went on: “Security then prevented me from attempting to see my daughter Bobbi Kristina. In light of the events, I gave a kiss to the casket of my ex-wife and departed as I refused to create a scene.
“My children are completely distraught over the events. This was a day to honour Whitney. I doubt Whitney would have wanted this to occur. I will continue to pay my respects to my ex-wife the best way I know how.”
Early reports suggested Bobby Brown, who became divorced from Whitney Houston in 2007, was denied entry to the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey.
Shortly after the service began Bobby Brown was seen leaving the church with a grim expression on his face accompanied by a female companion.
They stood outside for a few moments before getting in to a waiting SUV and drove off.
Bobby Brown, who Whitney Houston’s family blamed for her drug addiction, had reportedly been invited after her family put aside their differences and begrudgingly said he could come.
As Bobby Brown was waiting outside the church an unidentified man stood next to him crying uncontrollably.
Bobby Brown himself appeared to be wiping away a tear as he got into his car.
Live coverage from inside Whitney Houston’s funeral showed her daughter Bobbi Kristina and mother Cissy sat on the front row.
They were yards away from Whitney Houston’s flower drenched coffin, which took centre stage on the very alter where she sang as a child at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey.
Emperor, a Tibetan Mastiff, went on sale this week for a staggering 10 million Yuan ($1.6 million).
With his thick double coat, Emperor was one of more than 1,000 Tibetan mastiffs from across China appearing at a two-day dog trade show in Shijiazhuang, capital of northern China’s Hebei Province, this week.
The average price being asked for one of the dogs was around 1 million Yuan ($160,000).
The Tibetan Mastiff Emperor went on sale this week for a staggering 10 million Yuan ($1.6 million)
The Tibetan Mastiff has become a status symbol in China because they are thought to be holy animals, blessing their owners’ health and security.
But his owner believes Emperor is a particularly handsome catch, offering him out for breeding purposes with a single mating costing half a million Yuan ($80,000).
The Tibetan Mastiff is an ancient breed of dog, originating from the nomadic cultures of Central Asia.
Jessica Simpson is in her last stages of pregnancy and no doubt feeling a little uncomfortable.
So it appears that Jessica Simpson is sticking to what she feels most content in when it comes to her attire.
Jessica Simpson, 31, stepped out in another faithful clingy maxi dress today, this time in a pretty spring shade of green.
She was out shopping at Bel Bambini baby boutique in Los Angeles.
Showing off her very large baby bump Jessica Simpson paired her colorful outfit with some beige and bright orange wedges and a black blazer jacket.
The pregnant star made her way into the upscale boutique accompanied by a friend, and kept refreshed with a bottle of Perrier mineral water.
Bel Bambini, which is frequented by a slew of celebrities including Jessica Alba and Bruce Willis and his pregnant wife Emma Hemming of late, features an expansive nursery and furniture department.
Jessica Simpson is in her last stages of pregnancy and no doubt feeling a little uncomfortable
Jessica Simpson stepped out a near identical outfit only a week ago when she went shopping in Beverly Hills.
But instead she had worn a grey version with her smart black blazer and another pair of her trusty wedges.
Jessica Simpson has continued to wear heels throughout her pregnancy, but often opts for the brown pair which are much more comfier than stilettos.
As she left the Four Seasons hotel, Jessica Simpson wore a pair of large dark sunglasses and appeared to be almost waddling to her waiting car.
She was accompanied by her fiancé Eric Johnson, who is clearly doing everything he can to ensure that she is relaxed as she prepares for the birth of their first child.
But as Jessica Simpson looks forward to motherhood, she was no doubt feeling particularly emotional yesterday as singer Whitney Houston’s was farewelled a funeral following her tragic death.
Jessica Simpson was one of many celebrities who paid tribute to Whitney Houston by posting a heartfelt message on her Twitter page last week.
“I found my voice singing Whitney Houston’s music. Today I lost my idol,” Jessica Simpson tweeted.
Jessica Simpson her music career back in 1999 so no doubt Whitney Houston was a singer who she looked up to and took much inspiration from.
British-based gay rights activist Peter Tatchell claimed that Whitney Houston attended an AIDS event in London, in 1991, with her gay partner Robyn Crawford.
Though he initially declined to identify her, the organizer – respected gay rights and equality consultant Vernal Scott – said that Peter Tatchell was referring to Robyn Crawford.
Peter Tatchell even said Whitney Houston’s marriage to Bobby Brown was a smokescreen.
Now, Peter Tatchell tells the story of how he met the two lovers, Whitney Houston and Robyn Crawford.
“I met Whitney and her female partner at the Reach Out & Touch HIV vigil in London in 1991.
Whitney spoke movingly in support of people with HIV, at a time when many other stars kept their distance. Her support was much valued.
She advocated the welfare and human rights of people with HIV. It was a commendable stand.
I have, in the past, declined to name Whitney’s female partner. But most of the media have since named her as Robyn Crawford.
When I met them, it was obvious they were madly in love. Their intimacy and affection was so sweet and romantic.
They held hands in the back of the car like teenage sweethearts. Clearly more than just friends, they were a gorgeous couple and so happy together. To see their love was infectious and uplifting.
Whitney was happiest and at the peak of her career when she was with Robyn. Sadly, she suffered family and church pressure to end her greatest love of all.
She was fearful of the effects that lesbian rumors might have on her family, reputation and career. Eventually she succumbed. The result? A surprise marriage to Bobby Brown.
The marriage was a disaster. Bad boy Bobby was never her true soul mate. Giving up Robyn – they’d been inseparable for years – must have been emotionally traumatic.
Whitney’s life started going downhill soon afterwards. Previously wholesome and clean-living, she went on drink-and-drug binges – evidence of a troubled personal life and much unhappiness.
It seems likely that the split with Robyn contributed to her substance abuse and decline.
There is a known correlation between denial of one’s sexuality and a propensity to self-destructive behavior. Homophobia undoubtedly added to the pressures on Whitney and hastened her demise.
Soon after her very sad death, I was quoted as saying that Whitney was happiest when she loved a woman. Some fans accused me of <<insulting>> and <<smearing>> her.
But there is nothing shameful about a woman loving a woman. It’s not dirty or sordid and shouldn’t be kept hidden.
I did not out her as lesbian/ bisexual. She semi-outed herself by dedicating her albums to Robyn.”
Whitney Houston pictured with Robyn Crawford (right), the star’s greatest love, according to British gay rights activist Peter Tatchell
Years ago, Whitney Houston was outed by Bobby Brown’s sister, Tina, and by her former bodyguard, Kevin Ammons.
Bobby Brown hinted in his autobiography that Whitney Houston married him to dispel lesbian rumors: “I believe her agenda was to clean up her image . . . The media was accusing her of having a bisexual relationship with her assistant, Robin Crawford . . . that didn’t go too well with her image. In Whitney’s situation, the only solution was to get married . . . [to] kill all speculation.”
Peter Tatchell continued: “Telling the truth does not besmirch Whitney’s memory. It honors the most important relationship she ever had.
What’s wrong is ignoring or denying the one love that made her truly happy.
Homophobia contributed to Whitney’s fall.
I want to see a more tolerant society where people don’t feel the need to marry to deflect rumors of homosexuality, and where they are not driven to self-destruction because of their inability to accept and express their love for a person of the same sex.
Achieving this goal would be a fitting tribute to Whitney Houston.”
Toxicology tests revealed that traces of cocaine have been found on a hair sample taken from Francesco Schettino, the shamed captain of the capsized Costa Concordia cruise ship.
Lawyers representing the survivors described the findings as “very strange” and called for Captain Francesco Schettino to be tested again.
Toxicology tests revealed cocaine was lying on the hair sample and in the evidence envelope the hair was in.
However, no cocaine was found in his hair or in his urine, which would indicate usage, according to the consultant who did the analyses for prosecutors.
Francesco Schettino has stood by the results, but said tests are needed to see if the samples might have been contaminated.
Italian consumer protection group Codacons is representing some survivors of the shipwrecked cruise liner, which rammed a reef near Giglio island the night of January 13.
The Italian news agency ANSA quoted the forensic medical expert who carried out the toxicology test as dismissing Codacons’ concerns about the external trace of cocaine.
Toxicology tests revealed that traces of cocaine have been found on a hair sample taken from Francesco Schettino, the shamed captain of the capsized Costa Concordia cruise ship
The expert, Marcello Chiarotti, said the modest trace of cocaine “was a marginal problem that absolutely doesn’t invalidate the results of the analysis” that found none of the drug inside the hair itself or in the urine.
Traces of cocaine in the urine or inside the hair itself would have pointed to consumption.
Francesco Schettino, 52, is under house arrest in his home near Naples while he is investigated for alleged manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning his ship.
The Costa Concordia captain has denied abandoning ship and insisted the reef was not marked on navigational charts.
Questions have been raised about Francesco Schettino’s behavior on the bridge in the critical moments before the ship ran aground.
Domnica Cemortan was seen cavorting with Captain Francesco Schettino in the minutes before his cruise liner foundered on rocks.
Italian authorities believe Francesco Schettino – dubbed Captain Coward – may have been distracted from his command by trying to impress the dancer.
Domnica Cemortan, who has a two-year-old daughter, had worked as a translator for the Costa Concordia but was on holiday on the ship at the time of Friday night’s disaster.
A grainy photograph was taken of her on the bridge.
Thirty-two people are believed to have died, including 15 whose bodies have not been found.
Marcello Chiarotti was described as expressing confidence in the results.
“We will be able to clear this problem up later,” he told ANSA.
ANSA said that traces of the drug might have resulted if Francesco Schettino’s hair had come in contact with someone who had handled cocaine.
Costa Concordia cruise ship was carrying some 4,200 passengers and crew on a week’s cruise on its standard route when it crashed into the reef during dinner a couple of hours after leaving an Italian port.
Divers have been searching sections of the wreckage where some of the missing were last seen in hopes that more bodies can be recovered.
After much delay, in great part because of stormy weather, pumping operations have been under way for a week to remove some 500,000 gallons of fuel from the ship’s tanks.
