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Lindsay Lohan looked years older than her age at amfAR New York Gala last night

Lisa.Felice
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Lindsay Lohan looked years older than her age at amfAR New York Gala last night

Lindsay Lohan drew attention to herself for all the wrong reasons at the amfAR New York Gala at Cipriani Wall Street last night.

Lindsay Lohan looked years older than her quarter of a century, as she appeared on the red carpet sporting a matronly look, and heavy make-up for the stylish affair last night.

The actress was looking almost unrecognizable with her overly bleached hair, badly cut fringe and glazed expression.

Lindsay Lohan’s white dress by Tom Ford did little to reveal her real age and the midi-length white shift dress, complete with modest v-neckline and sleeves, did little to flatter her figure.

While she might have hammed it up for the cameras on the red carpet, smiling broadly at times, she appeared vacant with a blank expression on her face.

Perhaps the stresses of recent months which have been fraught with legal woes, her probation obligations and allegations she has been drinking, which she strongly denies, have taken their toll on Lindsay Lohan.

Lindsay Lohan looked years older than her quarter of a century, as she appeared on the red carpet sporting a matronly look, and heavy make-up for the stylish affair last night
Lindsay Lohan looked years older than her quarter of a century, as she appeared on the red carpet sporting a matronly look, and heavy make-up for the stylish affair last night

Lindsay Lohan was joined by a whole host of famous faces at the event at Cipriani Wall Street and unlike the actress, most stars looked chic and stylish at the fashion event.

Supermodel Heidi Klum, who last month revealed she was splitting from husband Seal, attended the event in a long black gown with metallic sequin embellishment and accessorized with her wedding ring, which she has yet to take off.

While there was plenty of glamour on the red carpet, fashionista Sarah Jessica Parker certainly didn’t play it safe when it came to her ensemble.

Sarah Jessica Parker donned a pale pink dress which boasted considerable material around the skirt and trail, curiously teaming the feminine dress with a black leather biker jacket.

To complete the miss-matched look the actress had donned a pair of short white gloves.

Liz Hurley stepped out in a plunging stone colored dress which complimented her incredible figure to perfection.

On her arm she stepped out with beau and Australian cricketer Shane Warne who was looking dapper in his dinner suit.

Cindy Crawford looked stunning in a plunging dress with beaded detail while, Linda Evangelista opted for a suit with just a bra underneath.

Model Erin Heatherton opted for a midnight blue strapless dress which boasted a corset detail for the evening which kicks off Fall 2012 Fashion Week.

One of the most stylish dressers of the evening was Bridesmaid’s star Rose Byrne who looked incredibly chic in a fitted cream and black lace dress.

Pregnant actress Molly Sims covered up her baby bump in a flowing white gown which she teamed with a cropped fur jacket.

Jennifer Hudson appeared to have released her wild side and stepped out with big crimped hair which she teamed with a mocha-colored dress boasting a thigh high split.

Chinese police chief Wang Lijun mystery has deepened after he visited US consulate

Diane A. Wade
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Chinese police chief Wang Lijun mystery has deepened after he visited US consulate

The mystery surrounding Chinese police chief Wang Lijun from Chongqing has deepened after the US government confirmed he visited one of its consulates.

Some are speculating that Wang Lijun was seeking asylum, although the US state department said it could not comment on that issue.

Wang Lijun, 52, gained national recognition after spearheading a crackdown on organized crime in Chongqing.

But he was removed from his post and is now on leave because of “stress”.

One of China’s vice-foreign ministers, Cui Tiankai, said this was an “isolated incident”.

Speaking at a briefing, Cui Tiankai said this issue was “resolved and resolved quite smoothly”, although he did not go into details about exactly what had happened to Wang Lijun.

The incident could have ramifications for Wang Lijun’s boss, Bo Xilai, who appears poised to become one of China’s top national leaders later this year.

Bo Xilai has been one of China’s most high-profile politicians of late, launching a campaign that praised the virtues of the country’s communist past, as well as the crime crackdown.

The mystery surrounding Chinese police chief Wang Lijun from Chongqing has deepened after the US government confirmed he visited one of its consulates
The mystery surrounding Chinese police chief Wang Lijun from Chongqing has deepened after the US government confirmed he visited one of its consulates

There has been speculation for several days about the fate of Wang Lijun following a disturbance outside the US consulate in Chengdu earlier this week.

Chengdu is just a few hours drive from Chongqing, where Wang Lijun is also the deputy mayor.

People reported seeing swarms of police officers, who set up roadblocks outside the consulate.

Posting comments on Chinese micro-blog sites, some said a SUV-style vehicle with a Chongqing number plate was hauled away by the police.

Speaking in Washington, US state department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said: “Wang Lijun did request a meeting at the US consulate general in Chengdu earlier this week.”

In carefully-worded comments she added: “He did visit the consulate and he later left the consulate of his own volition.”

Victoria Nuland said the state department did not talk about issues related to those seeking refugee status or asylum.

Wang Lijun was removed from his post as head of Chongqing’s police department last week and given other duties.

Then on Wednesday the city government’s news department said on its micro-blog site that he had gone on leave.

“It is understood that Vice-Mayor Wang Lijun, who has suffered overwork and immense mental stress for a long time, is seriously physically indisposed. After agreement, he is currently taking holiday-style medical treatment,” read the tweet.

Wang Lijun headed an attack on organized crime in Chongqing that saw hundreds of people arrested, including the former head of the city’s judicial authorities.

He is a martial arts expert whose crime-fighting exploits once inspired a television series.

Dramatic improvement in vision after gene therapy in patients with LCA

Kathryn R. Bown
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US researchers revealed that three people who lost their sight in childhood have reported a dramatic improvement in vision after having gene therapy in both eyes.

There was some improvement after the genetic fault in one eye was corrected four years ago.

Now, one woman has described her joy at seeing her children’s faces, after her second eye was treated.

The three have Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis (LCA), a rare inherited disease caused by defects in a gene encoding a protein needed for vision.

It appears at birth or in the first months of life, leading to severely impaired vision, involuntary eye movements and poor night vision.

LCA disorder, which can be caused by “mistakes” in more than 10 different genes, prevents normal function of the retina; the light-sensitive layer of cells at the back of the eye.

Several teams around the world are carrying out early trials of gene therapy in blindness, including experts at the Philadelphia Children’s Hospital and the University of Philadelphia, US.

Only a handful of patients worldwide have received the treatment to boost a faulty gene underlying an inherited form of blindness.

The US researchers revealed in 2008 that 12 people with LCA had recovered some vision after being injected in one eye with an engineered virus carrying the gene RPE65.

In a follow-up study they treated the other eye of three of them, and found it improved their sight even more.

The subjects could see better in dim light and two were able to find their way around obstacles.

The results were revealed in the latest edition of the journal Science Translational Medicine.

The principal investigator of the study, Dr. Jean Bennett, said the patients could now do things they could never do before, such as walking around at night, going shopping for groceries and recognizing people’s faces.

Dr. Jean Bennett said: “We’ve shown that it is possible to safely treat both eyes of people with this particular form of retinal deficiency using a gene-based treatment and further we’ve demonstrated that the brain understands what the retina is seeing.”

MRI scans showed the brain could “see” the newly-treated eye.

Dr. Manzar Ashtari, from The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, who carried out the brain scans, said: “We saw the brain gets activated – the brain after treatment responded to the visual stimuli.”

One of the three patients who took part in the clinical trial, Tami Morehouse, told how her vision gradually returned, opening up a whole new world for her.

Even though she can’t see well enough to read or drive a car, she can now make-out her children’s faces, watch them play baseball and see the light change over Lake Erie, where she lives.

Tami Morehouse said: “Life is so much easier at a level that most people take for granted. Any amount of vision that you can get when you have almost nothing is incredibly valuable.”

The researchers now hope to treat the second eye of the remaining nine patients, and extend the clinical trial.

Dr. Jean Bennett said: “I think it will be a stepping stone to treating more common forms of blindness in both eyes.”

Republican John Boehner calls for action against White House contraception rule

Kathryn R. Bown
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Republican John Boehner calls for action against White House contraception rule

Top US Republican John Boehner has called in Congress for action against a White House contraception rule that has angered Catholic leaders.

John Boehner, a Republican from Ohio, said legislation was needed against the rule, which means Church-linked institutions must buy health insurance that covers birth control costs.

Catholic leaders say that would force them to violate religious beliefs.

White House officials say they want to find ways to allay Church concerns.

But one report in the New York Times on Wednesday said the administration would not back down from the rule.

Under President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform law, employers must offer insurance that includes contraceptives.

Churches and other houses of worship were given a waiver under the new law, but institutions including Catholic universities and hospitals are not exempt.

John Boehner took to the floor of the House of Representatives on Wednesday to call for legislation against the rule.

“This attack by the federal government on religious freedom must not stand and will not stand,” he said.

Top US Republican John Boehner has called in Congress for action against a White House contraception rule that has angered Catholic leaders
Top US Republican John Boehner has called in Congress for action against a White House contraception rule that has angered Catholic leaders

The speaker said the House Energy and Commerce Committee were working on legislation related to the rule.

The mandate has also provoked strong condemnation from the Republican presidential candidates on the campaign trail.

In Colorado on Tuesday, Mitt Romney described the policy as a “violation of conscience”.

But the White House and other Republican candidates have hit back at his criticism.

During Mitt Romney’s tenure as governor of Massachusetts, the state implemented legislation that required hospitals – including Catholic ones – to provide emergency contraception to rape victims.

Democratic congresswomen have defended the White House measure, arguing that the policy would control health costs, stop unwanted pregnancies and that overturning the rule would adversely affect staff who may not be Catholic.

Jan Schakowsky, a Democratic Representative from Illinois, said: “Women’s healthcare should not depend on who the boss is.”

Wisconsin Representative Gwen Moore said the church “can’t impose its religious views on people and whether they can have healthcare”.

The uproar began over the weekend, after US Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius defended the policy in an editorial for USA Today.

Catholic bishops called for the rule to be dropped, including Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, who wrote in an editorial for the Wall Street Journal that the mandate was “an unprecedented incursion into freedom of conscience”.

The Obama administration has sought to portray the issue as a balance between religious freedoms and preventing discrimination under the new healthcare law.

“You are going to have folks of all faiths who work for those large institutions,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said in a Tuesday press briefing.

“Those women ought to be able to have access to the same contraceptive services that other women will have access to.”

Avalanche on Mars captured by HiRISE camera aboard NASA spacecraft

James J. Williams
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Avalanche on Mars captured by HiRISE camera aboard NASA spacecraft

Images of an avalanche of fine ice and dust thundering over a cliff near Mars’s north pole have been captured by a high resolution camera from a NASA spacecraft.

It’s not the first avalanche captured by the HiRISE camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

NASA first detected the phenomenon in 2008, believed to be caused by a thin “crust” of frozen carbon dioxide (dry ice) which forms during the Martian winter.

The HiRISE high resolution camera took the amazing photograph at 85 degrees north on the planet.

The HiRISE camera is one of several hi-tech instruments on board Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. It’s the largest camera ever carried into deep space.

Images of an avalanche of fine ice and dust thundering over a cliff near Mars's north pole have been captured by a high resolution camera from a NASA spacecraft
Images of an avalanche of fine ice and dust thundering over a cliff near Mars's north pole have been captured by a high resolution camera from a NASA spacecraft

NASA’s ground team says that the events are detectable by a cloud of fine material that erupts when avalanches collapse down slopes on the planet.

Some avalanches on Mars are caused by meteorite impacts, but others are thought to be the result of ‘seasons’ on the planet, which has winters, just like Earth.

Planetary scientist Ingrid Daubar Spitale of the University of Arizona, who first noticed the avalanches in photos taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter said: “It’s great to see something so dynamic on Mars. A lot of what we see there hasn’t changed for millions of years.”

Iceland’s Loch Ness. Mysterious creature caught on camera in the Lagarfljót lake.

James J. Williams
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Iceland’s Loch Ness. Mysterious creature caught on camera in the Lagarfljót lake.

Images of a “serpent-like” sea creature gliding through the waters of an Icelandic river have been captured last week by Hjörtur Kjerúlf.

The video shows a mysterious creature swimming through the cold water of the glacial river Jökulsá í Fljótsdal, in east Iceland and it has already become a monster hit on the internet in just over a week.

Some are claiming this grainy footage is proof of the existence of the legendary beast Lagarfljótsormurinn – Iceland’s version of Scotland’s Loch Ness Monster.

Images of a “serpent-like” sea creature gliding through the waters of an Icelandic river have been captured last week by Hjörtur Kjerúlf
Images of a “serpent-like” sea creature gliding through the waters of an Icelandic river have been captured last week by Hjörtur Kjerúlf

 

The notorious “snake-like” creature is said to live in the Lagarfljót lake, which is 25 miles long and 367 feet deep – and it has been the subject of many a supposed sighting since reports of it first emerged in 1345.

However, an expert on the legendary Lagarfljótsormurinn lake beast believes this footage is fake.

Loren Coleman, director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine, has researched the Icelandic creature and wrote about it in his book Field Guide to Lake Monsters and Sea Serpents.

He said he was concerned about the ‘robotic’ look of the creature featured in the video and believes it is an elaborate hoax.

On his website Cryptomundo, Loren Coleman wrote: “Frankly, this video shows something that looks like a constructed snake-like object, with rigid sections, being propelled through the water.

“From the movement on the water’s surface, it would have to be something other than a mammal, like a giant worm, a reptile or a fish.

“The head appears to have been made to look like it belongs to a giant anaconda. The sections do not gracefully flow, but are sectionally moving from side-to-side. Mammals move up and down.

“It seems someone attempting this fakery, perhaps by using a robot with tarps, fish nets, or trash bags – a favorite for watery hoaxers – has decided to take the phrase <<sea serpent>> and/or <<worm>> too literally.”

According to Coleman, the most recent sighting of a strange creature in Lake Lagarfljót was in 1998, when a teacher and their class of pupils said they saw something close to the shore.

However, they did not describe it as having a “worm-like” appearance.

Another reason why Loren Coleman believes the footage to be a hoax, is because of the creature’s appearance. He said the phrase “Icelandic Worm Monster” was coined in the 21st Century and comes from a misunderstanding and mistranslation of Lagarfljótsormurinn simply as Lagarfljót worm.

This is instead of the more correct Lagarfljót Würm or Wurm – a phrase which harks back to dragon folklore.

Loren Coleman added: “The traditional sightings of this lake’s <<monster>> – going back to 1345 – are not <<snake-like>>… Instead, they describe Lagarfljótsormurinn as having a hump, a long neck, and whiskers, more like a long-necked Waterhorse than a giant snake.”

He said because of the creature’s misinterpreted adopted name, hoaxers may mistakenly create it in the shape of a snake which contradicts all other eye witness accounts.

[youtube 2g_epodYiqc]

Spectacular tsunami of wave of clouds took over Panama City, Florida

Diane A. Wade
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Spectacular tsunami of wave of clouds took over Panama City, Florida

A breathtaking series of images captured by helicopter pilot JR Hott show a natural phenomenon that appears to be a though tsunami crashing over the Florida coastline.

However, the natural phenomenon which appeared in Panama City is far less destructive – waves of clouds.

The images show the low-lying haze swooping over high-rise buildings down the coast.

KATU reports JR Hott captured the images hovering over the Gulf of Mexico after one of his pilots came in from a flight on Sunday.

Before his chopper could be engulfed by the heavy fog, JR Hott flew up to capture the wave-like formations.

“We jumped into helicopter and took off,’ he said. But he didn’t have long to descend.

“Within a few minutes after we landed, it covered up the helipad,” the seasoned pilot said.

The natural phenomenon “waves of clouds” occurred as a result of warm, moist air forming "just right" as it blew into the coastline, forming a low-lying fog that dissipates as the air cools with altitude
The natural phenomenon “waves of clouds” occurred as a result of warm, moist air forming "just right" as it blew into the coastline, forming a low-lying fog that dissipates as the air cools with altitude

According to Dr. Greg Forbes, of Weather.com, the phenomenon occurred as a result of warm, moist air forming “just right” as it blew into the coastline, forming a low-lying fog that dissipates as the air cools with altitude.

Dr. Greg Forbes explained on the website: “You see the clouds forming off shore, as the winds from south to north push them toward and then up over the high rises as the air rises and reaches its crest.

“And then sinks back down and lowers the relative humidity and the clouds dissipate.

“The other thing that’s happening is with friction, the air slows down as it just begins to move onshore.

“That gives it a little extra convergence and an upward forcing of the air to rise. But it must be that relative humidity needing to be just right that… explains why we don’t see this kind of a picture every day.”

JR Hott, posted the images on Facebook, and they’ve since swept the internet, receiving an overwhelming response.

“Oh my God, we’ve got thousands of shares and thousands of likes,” he told KATU.

“It’s amazing to me how this thing has gone nuts,” he said.

[youtube NG5sy8bQw_g]

Werewolf syndrome, a rare genetic mutation, affected three Indian sisters

Kathryn R. Bown
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Werewolf syndrome, a rare genetic mutation, affected three Indian sisters

Hypertrichosis universalis disorder or werewolf syndrome is one of the rarest conditions in the world, affecting just one in a billion people.

In an incredible quirk of fate, three sisters from a small village near Pune, central India, have all been blighted by a condition known as werewolf syndrome – where they are covered from head to foot in thick hair.

Savita, 23, Monisha, 18, and 16-year-old Savitri Sangli inherited the hypertrichosis universalis disorder from their father.

All three sisters struggle to keep the condition under control with cream and hope they one day might eventually be able to pay for specialist laser treatment to rid them of their excessive hair.

Despite the devastating effects of the syndrome, the three sisters still dream of a day when they might get married.

Hypertrichosis universalis is a genetic mutation, in which cells that normally switch off hair growth in unusual areas, like the eyelids and forehead, are left switched on.

It means the girls have had abnormal hair growth on their bodies and even their faces, affecting their eyebrows, nose and giving them appearance of having a beard.

The young women must use a special cream every day – otherwise the hair will quickly return. The youngest sister Savitri is still virtually covered in hair.

In an incredible quirk of fate, three sisters from a small village near Pune, central India, have all been blighted by a condition known as werewolf syndrome - where they are covered from head to foot in thick hair
In an incredible quirk of fate, three sisters from a small village near Pune, central India, have all been blighted by a condition known as werewolf syndrome - where they are covered from head to foot in thick hair

The girl’s mother Anita Sambhaji Raut has six daughters in total with only three having werewolf syndrome.

The condition was passed down by the girls’ father, who Anita Sambhaji Raut was forced to marry aged at the age of 12.

Because theirs was an arranged marriage and she did not lay eyes on him until the wedding day, Anita Sambhaji Raut had no idea he was suffering from the condition himself.

Anita Sambhaji Raut and her daughters are now desperate to fund laser surgery that will help to finally remove the curse of excess hair and allow the girls to lead normal lives.

In their small village near Pune, the Sangli have little prospects for marriage and the eldest Savita sometimes gets sent home from work when her hair begins to show.

Laser surgery would cost 350,000 Indian rupees – or $7,000 per girl – but the family are not wealthy enough to be able to afford it.

Now documentary filmmaker Sneh Gupta is planning make a film of the girls in a bid to help their dream of becoming almost hair free – with the eventual aim of finding marriage.

Mum Anita Sambhaji Raut, 40, said her husband – who died in 2007 and whose portrait hangs in the family home – also suffered from werewolf syndrome.

Anita Sambhaji Raut was being looked after by her uncle and auntie as her parents had passed away and they told her if she didn’t marry this man they would kill her off.

The woman said: “It was only on the day of my marriage that I discovered what he was, (he) was hairy on his face, ears and body, that’s when I found out.

“I was very young, I didn’t know what kind of boy he was, he scared the hell out of me when he arrived at the altar. He’s the groom, I am the bride, I had no idea what all that meant.

“I was only 12 when they forced me into marriage, and if you don’t agree to marriage as a girl they will kill you off.

“I asked my mother-in-law why my daughters were born like this and she told me because their father is like this, at the time (as a baby) my daughter had little hairs all over her face.

“When I used to take her (Savita) out as a child, they used to shout here comes the beast, the witch, that’s what they said.

“They keep her at work now for 10 to 15 days, and then after that they ask her to leave as soon as the hair starts showing through, that’s what they do.

“I tell people this is the type of girl she is, hair grows on her face, she has to apply medicine, we must be honest with everybody.”

In the village society a woman does not have much prospects if she is not married and mum Anita Sambhaji Raut explained she was still trying to get her daughters a man.

Anita Sambhaji Raut said: “If a good proposal comes in, I’ll get her married. If nothing comes in she’ll have to work and survive. As long as I am living I have to keep trying.”

Eldest daughter Savita, who now using a cream to try and combat her hair growth, said: “When I used to go to school the boys and the girls would shout, <<hairy face>>, <<horrible looking>>, <<don’t sit next to her>>, that’s how they behaved.

“Marriage is not an option for us, it’s not likely to happen, who is going to marry us when hair keeps growing on our faces.”

[youtube 4bh11SfImZA]

Muscle leggings designed by Australian label Black Milk Clothing go on sale

Lisa.Felice
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Muscle leggings designed by Australian label Black Milk Clothing go on sale

The concept of being underdressed have been brought to another meaning by the Australian label Black Milk Clothing by launching a range of leggings that emulate muscles with the skin torn off.

The new leggings are printed with the anatomically correct layout of the bare human muscle, with sinews, ligaments and muscle fibres printed in blood red.

Those who enjoy pushing sartorial boundaries will no doubt enjoy the shock value the £50 ($80) leggings will inevitably provide.

Potential customers might include performers like Lady Gaga, who infamously wore a dress made entirely of raw meat back in 2010, or singer Jessie J, who has made graphic printed leggings her staple.

Black milk Clothing – which specializes in unusual leggings and also sells pairs printed with jellyfish and skeleton bones – could also find an unlikely fan in model Heidi Klum, who had an uncannily similar full body muscle suit made for her last Halloween fancy dress party.

The new leggings are printed with the anatomically correct layout of the bare human muscle, with sinews, ligaments and muscle fibres printed in blood red and cost $80
The new leggings are printed with the anatomically correct layout of the bare human muscle, with sinews, ligaments and muscle fibres printed in blood red and cost $80

“This is an idea that we have been thinking about for a while,” said Australian designer James Lillis of his uncanny creation.

“A few people encouraged me to do it but I never quite got around to it. Then I got a spare afternoon one day and decoded to have a good go at making it work. It worked…. perhaps a little too well!

“It’s definitely our most <<meaty>> design.”

How to get the body you’ve always dreamed of in just five hours

Clyde K. Valle
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How to get the body you’ve always dreamed of in just five hours

Furious Pete, blogger and eating champion, shows you how to get the body you’ve always dreamed of in just five hours, without even having to deprive yourself of your favorite foods.

In fact, Furious Pete says you can eat potato chips and drink two litres of cola and still achieve the look.

Worth $60 billion-a-year in America, the dieting industry is big business and many advertisements feature before and after shots to show you just how effective the product is.

Men and women with protruding, flabby stomachs and undefined arms and abs are often compared with the after shot of rippling six packs, bulging biceps and toned torsos.

Furious Pete, who according to his website is the world’s greatest eater, shows how the effect can be achieved in just five hours.

The man says: “Most of the time it’s hard to believe that a supplement or training programme can make you look like this.”

Then, Furious Pete shows you how, by first preparing for his after shot.

In the video, Furious Pete tells viewers to get themselves to the gym, where they should “pump as much iron as possible”.

“The first step is to reverse the process. Go to the gym and do as many bicep curls, tricep push downs and chest presses,” he says.

“Make sure you are as vascular as humanly possible.”

Furious Pete then recommends going on a tanning bed so you can be as “tan as humanly possible”. After that you should set up some good lighting and rub yourself in cooking oil.

Furious Pete, blogger and eating champion, shows you how to get the body you've always dreamed of in just five hours, without even having to deprive yourself of your favorite foods
Furious Pete, blogger and eating champion, shows you how to get the body you've always dreamed of in just five hours, without even having to deprive yourself of your favorite foods

Furious Pete shows off the buff and slick after picture, which he admits he slightly Photoshopped.

Now, for the before picture.

Pete says: “Take two hours off, you worked hard. Rest up and make sure the vascularity disappears. Grab a bag of chips and down all of them.

“Grab yourself a two litre bottle of pop and drink it all. Diet pop works even better because it has more carbonation and will make your stomach even bigger.”

Furious Pete then recommends drinking chocolate milk, saying: “It will bloat the hell out of you.”

Then, the before shot is complete. Pete stands with his stomach hanging over his pants and the bulging biceps from just hours before have disappeared, proving that we “shouldn’t believe everything we see”.

[youtube M957dACQyfU]

Ho Yide, four-year-old Chinese boy forced by his father to run around and do push-ups in the snow

Diane A. Wade
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Ho Yide, four-year-old Chinese boy forced by his father to run around and do push-ups in the snow

A video clip showing a four-year-old Chinese boy forced by his father to run around and do push-ups in the snow, wearing only his underpants, has sparked outrage after was posted on internet.

Filmed in New York on Chinese New Year’s Eve, the footage shows a man identified only as “eagle daddy” stripping his son Ho Yide to his underwear and forcing him to endure temperatures of -13 degrees Celsius (8 F).

As he stands shivering in the cold, the boy is seen pleading with his father: “Please give me a hug!”

Ho Yide looks around as he runs after his father filming him and nearly slips as he clenches his small fists bracing himself against the cold.

A four-year-old Chinese boy was forced by his father to run around and do push-ups in the snow, wearing only his underpants
A four-year-old Chinese boy was forced by his father to run around and do push-ups in the snow, wearing only his underpants

 

After running around for five minutes, Ho Yide is then encouraged to do a push-up on the snowy ground.

The little boy also asks for his mother, whose voice can later be heard later laughing and encouraging him to ensure the bitterly cold experience.

In comments posted by “eagle daddy” online it states his son was born several months early and doctors said that he might suffer developmental difficulties.

To counter this, “eagle daddy” came up with a strict education plan for his son to help him grow up healthy.

The video has been viewed by tens of thousands of people on various video-sharing websites and has caused outrage.

One user wrote: “I think your brain froze when you were four. Or were you even made to do run in snow almost naked when you were four?”

While another said: “This is so mean. It’s just so irresponsible! That boy poor looks like he wants a passerby to rescue him.”

The father’s personal assistant, surnamed Xin, told AFP Ho Yide was on holiday with his family in New York during the Lunar New Year holiday last month.

“The child agreed and before the run, he did half an hour of slow running to warm up,” she said by phone.

“This child has received all sorts of forms of training since he was small. When he was one, he started swimming in water that was 21 degrees Celsius.”

She said that the boy was born prematurely with several health problems including water in the brain that prompted doctors to say he may have cerebral palsy.

Miss Xin said Ho Yide’s father was not concerned about the negative backlash the video had received.

“He says he doesn’t care what others say… that the fact that the child lived showed that he has tenacious vitality,” she said.

[youtube iORoPWwtM2s]

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp was cleared of tax evasion

Clyde K. Valle
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Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp was cleared of tax evasion

Harry Redknapp, the Tottenham manager, said his “nightmare” was over after being cleared of tax evasion.

Harry Redknapp had denied accepting secret untaxed bonus payments from former Portsmouth chairman Milan Mandaric, while he was club manager.

Milan Mandaric was also cleared of two charges of cheating the public revenue over the £189,000 ($295,000) payments.

Harry Redknapp, who was close to tears, said the case “should never have come to court”.

Speaking on the steps of Southwark Crown Court, the Tottenham boss thanked his family, the fans at Tottenham and his legal team after coming through the five-year investigation, which is believed to have cost about £8 million ($12.5 million).

Harry Redknapp said: “The Wigan game [on 31 January] was the most moving I’ve ever felt, for me personally to have them singing my name throughout the game while all this was going on, that will always be special to me.

“It’s been a nightmare, it’s been five years, it’s a case that should never have come to court.

“I’m looking forward to going home and getting on with my life.”

Harry Redknapp, the Tottenham manager, said his "nightmare" was over after being cleared of tax evasion
Harry Redknapp, the Tottenham manager, said his "nightmare" was over after being cleared of tax evasion

Former England boss Graham Taylor said the verdict now opens the way for Redknapp to take charge of the national team in the future.

Bookmakers have now stopped taking bets on Harry Redknapp becoming the next England manager.

Harry Redknapp and Milan Mandaric embraced in the dock as the verdicts were read after five hours of deliberations.

Milan Mandaric, who is currently chairman of Sheffield Wednesday, walked up to Det Insp Dave Manley to shake his hand and said: “Thank you”.

Afterwards, Milan Mandaric said: “I have to try and pinch myself and wake up from the horrible dream.

“I always believed in the truth and also believed in the British justice system.”

Following the verdicts, former Spurs chairman Lord Sugar told BBC Radio 5 Live: “If this was Harry Smith or Harry Brown, it would never have gone to court. This is an attempt by the authorities to make an example of a high profile personality which has backfired.

“It dates back a long time to when pressure was put on the authorities to do something about alleged, so-called wrongdoing in football.

“They were hoping to prove something and now they have egg on their face.”

TV presenter Fred Dineage, who was on the board at Portsmouth during Milan Mandaric’s ownership of the club from 1998 to 2006, branded the trial “a waste of time and money”.

It can also now be reported that Milan Mandaric and Peter Storrie, Portsmouth’s former chief executive, were cleared of tax evasion charges at a separate trial last October.

They were both accused of evading tax over player Eyal Berkovics’s termination fee.

Eyal Storrie was also accused of dodging tax on a signing-on fee to midfielder Amdy Faye when he moved from Auxerre to Portsmouth.

Eyal Storrie, who is now allowed to speak about his trial, said: “We said from day one that it [the case] was farcical.

“I am delighted we’ve been proved completely innocent and I can get my reputation back.”

During Harry Redknapp’s and Milan Mandaric’s trial, jurors heard the Spurs boss received two payments totaling £189,000, into his “Rosie 47” account in Monaco – named after his pet dog.

The defence said the money was an investment made by Milan Mandaric while Harry Redknapp said he forgot about the account and had very little to do with it.

The prosecution claimed the first payment of £93,100 ($145,250) was a bonus for selling striker Crouch for £3.25 million ($5 million) profit in 2002.

The court heard Harry Redknapp’s cut of transfer profits was reduced from 10% to 5% when he moved from being Portsmouth’s director of football to manager in March 2002 but Harry Redknapp told jurors he felt he was “morally” due the full 10%.

Milan Mandaric said he “wanted to do something special for Harry” but he denied it was compensation for his Crouch bonus and said it was an investment for a “friend”.

During the trial, Harry Redknapp admitted lying to News of the World reporter Rob Beasley about the alleged Crouch payment because he did not want negative stories ahead of a cup final.

Harry Redknapp said: “I have to tell police the truth, not Mr. Beasley – he’s a News of the World reporter.”

It was claimed the second payment of £96,300 ($150,200) was a bonus for Portsmouth beating Manchester United.

But Milan Mandaric’s barrister, Lord MacDonald, described the accusation as “really desperate stuff”.

He said there was “nothing even slightly sinister” about the actions.

Chris Martins, from HM Revenue and Customs, said outside court: “Tax evasion is not a victim-less crime.

“We have no regrets about pursuing this case, it was vitally important the facts were put in front of a jury. We accept the verdicts.”

A statement from Tottenham Hotspur said: “Everyone at the club is delighted for Harry and his family.”

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Martian meteorite given to National History Museum for science

James J. Williams
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Martian meteorite given to National History Museum for science

A meteorite from Mars has been given to science to help unravel the Red Planet’s secrets.

The Natural History Museum (NHM) in London has acquired the 1kg piece of the Tissint rock thanks to an anonymous benefactor.

The meteorite was seen to land in Morocco last July and retrieved quickly, resulting in minimal contamination with Earth.

Researchers hope Tissint’s geochemistry will provide insights into past conditions on Mars and the possibility that it may once have hosted life.

Just 61 out of the 41,000 meteorites known to science come from Mars. To get here, they would have been blasted off the surface of the Red Planet by a mighty impact and then travelled through the Solar System before crashing to Earth.

There have only been four other witnessed Martian meteorite falls, the last one in Nigeria in 1962.

“Tissint fell in a dry area, and was picked up soon after it fell and has absolutely minimal contamination,” explained Dr. Caroline Smith, meteorite curator at the NHM.

“It is as if it has just been blasted off Mars. It is effectively a pristine sample of Mars.”

The Natural History Museum (NHM) in London has acquired the 1kg piece of the Tissint rock thanks to an anonymous benefactor
The Natural History Museum (NHM) in London has acquired the 1kg piece of the Tissint rock thanks to an anonymous benefactor

NHM staff will use computed tomography (CT) scans to look at the internal structure of the rock, and perform tests to determine its chemistry.

Researchers will look for minerals formed in the presence of water, and for any signs of organics – carbon-rich molecules.

Energy, water, a source of carbon are the prerequisites for life as we know it. Finding evidence for any of these phenomena in Tissint tells scientists something about how habitable Mars might have been in the past.

This meteorite also contains a lot of glassy material called maskelynite, formed through the force of impact, most probably the blast that ripped it from the surface of Mars.

Scientists will analyze the gas trapped in bubbles in the glass to discern more about the Martian atmosphere.

Indeed, this is how meteorites like Tissint can be tied to the Red Planet – the gases held in the rocks contain types and abundances of atoms that are very similar to the atmosphere sampled by robots on Mars today.

Collectively, the class is known as the SNC group of meteorites, named after three representative members: Shergotty, Nakhla, and Chassigny.

“Looking at similar Mars samples, the ejection date of this sample could range from about 600,000 years ago up to about 17 million years ago,” said Dr. Caroline Smith.

Science would dearly love to retrieve fresh samples of Martian rock for study in Earth labs. The scale and breadth of the analytical techniques that are available in the best-equipped facilities dwarf those which can be deployed on a rover, even a huge (900kg) vehicle like the Curiosity robot just dispatched to the Red Planet by NASA.

But a Mars sample return mission is technically very challenging and would probably cost billions of pounds.

The NHM acquisition has been made possible through the generous support of a private donor.

The donor commented: “My family and I are delighted to partner with the Museum in such an important acquisition. We all now set off on an exciting voyage of discovery. Man may not set foot on Mars in the near future, but Mars has come to us.

“This close-up view will bring new scientific understanding, to spur our children on to further exploration on the surface of the planet itself.”

The rock first came into the possession of Darryl Pitt of the Macovich Collection in New York City. He had heard rumors of its existence over a period of weeks following the observed fall to Earth and had set out to track down its whereabouts. With every lead turning into a dead end, he nearly gave up until he received a helpful phone call.

Darryl Pitt offered it to the NHM with the anonymous benefactor funding the purchase.

“It is both humbling and an honor to be part of this meteorite’s journey, and the Natural History Museum is the perfect final residence,” Darryl Pitt said.

Francesco Schettino pictured with his lover Domnica Cemortan one month before Costa Concordia disaster

Diane A. Wade
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Francesco Schettino pictured with his lover Domnica Cemortan one month before Costa Concordia disaster

Pictures of cruise ship rep Domnica Cemortan with her “lover” captain coward Francesco Schettino just a month before the Costa Concordia disaster have emerged this week.

Moldovan Domnica Cemortan , 24, and Francesco Schettino, 52, are pictured at a restaurant table groaning under the weight of fresh oysters and crabs during a stop over on a previous cruise – while his unsuspecting wife Fabiola, was at home with their teenage daughter.

Little more than four weeks after the photograph was taken the spineless skipper recklessly steered the Concordia onto rocks leaving 17 people dead with another 15 still missing – just so he could perform an island “sail by salute” and impress the Moldovan woman.

Captain Francesco Schettino is currently under house arrest while prosecutors investigate allegations of multiple manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning Costa Concordia when there were still 300 passengers on board who needed to be rescued.

Last week Domnica Cemortan told prosecutors during more than five hours of questioning that she was “in love” with Francesco Schettino and that she found him “charming and fascinating” and it has also emerged that her underwear and makeup was found in his cabin by police divers.

Investigators believe that Domnica Cemortan was among several “unauthorized” people who were on the bridge at the time Costa Concordia smashed into rocks off the Italian island of Giglio, tearing a 70 m hole in its hull, just two hours after starting a Mediterranean cruise on January 13.

Just a month earlier the couple had wined and dined in an upmarket seafood restaurant at Villafranche-sur-Mer on the French Riviera along with other crew members – who were all aware of how “close” the couple were.

Domnica Cemortan and Francesco Schettino pictured at a restaurant table groaning under the weight of fresh oysters and crabs during a stop over on a previous cruise
Domnica Cemortan and Francesco Schettino pictured at a restaurant table groaning under the weight of fresh oysters and crabs during a stop over on a previous cruise

The picture was published in Italian glossy weekly Chi which also featured several other pictures of Domnica Cemortan onboard Costa Concordia, arm in arm with crew members, in an evening gown and wearing 3D glasses in the liner’s cinema.

Witnesses have also reported seeing Domnica Cemortan and Francesco Schettino in “high spirits” in Costa Concordia’s Club restaurant just 30 minutes before the ship hit the rocks and they were seen leaving together and heading for the bridge.

During questioning by prosecutors at Grosseto Domnica Cemortan admitted she was on the bridge and told investigators how she had seen Francesco Schettino and the rest of the crew react in the minutes after the ship struck the rocks known as Le Scole – and which the captain claims were not on his navigation charts.

Domnica Cemortan told prosecutors: “I was on the bridge because I was in love with the captain. I found him charming and fascinating. I love him. I was on the bridge as his guest. It’s not right that his image is being destroyed.”

The Moldovan mother-of-one’s revelations came after several Costa Concordia crew members openly described her “close” relationship with Francesco Schettino on Facebook in the days after the disaster – although she had denied being his lover.

Domnica Cemortan had insisted the fact that Francesco Schettino, from Meta di Sorrento near Naples, always carried a photograph of his daughter with him and regularly showed it to crew was proof that he was “a man who was not having an affair”.

Following the tragedy Domnica Cemortan was one of the first off the ship and in an interview with a Moldovan TV station she praised him for his heroism and for saving the lives of hundreds of passengers and crew on Costa Concordia.

Meanwhile judges yesterday rejected a prosecution request to have Francesco Schettino sent back to jail – he is currently under house arrest and investigators feared he was liable to tamper with evidence and also try and escape the country but a court in Florence overturned the application.

Francesco Schettino’s lawyer Bruno Leporatti said: “We are satisfied with the result. The judicial system is working. The court applied the law without being influenced by public opinion. We are all now a lot more at ease.”

Bad weather is also continuing to hamper the search for victims and attempts to pump off more than 500,000 gallons of fuel from the ship’s tanks – Franco Gabrielli, the commissioner in charge of the rescue operation said he expected the ship to remain on rocks at Seagull point for “at least seven to ten months”.

Giants linebacker Greg Jones proposed to girlfriend during the on-field celebration at Super Bowl

Clyde K. Valle
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Giants linebacker Greg Jones proposed to girlfriend during the on-field celebration at Super Bowl

During the on-field celebrations right after New York Giants won the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots, linebacker Greg Jones got down on bended knee and proposed to his girlfriend Amanda Piechowski amid the confetti and the rapturous screaming and cheering from fans.

Greg Jones’ girlfriend, who he refers to as Mandy, said yes and immediately started crying.

Speaking to the New Jersey Star-Ledger, Greg Jones said: “She was bawling. I was like, <<I don’t know how long she’s going to keep crying>>.

“She definitely knows how I feel. A speech wasn’t even needed.

“Just everything we’ve been through together. She’s been here since day one and she knew me long before everything else.”

During the on-field celebrations right after New York Giants won the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots, linebacker Greg Jones got down on bended knee and proposed to his girlfriend Amanda Piechowski
During the on-field celebrations right after New York Giants won the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots, linebacker Greg Jones got down on bended knee and proposed to his girlfriend Amanda Piechowski

Greg Jones said if his team had lost, he would have proposed another time.

The linebacker and Amanda Piechowki met three years ago at Michigan State but only started dating a year ago.

Amanda Piechowski is a former Spartans basketball player and model.

The joyous moment – captured on camera – was reminiscent of Boise State’s Ian Johnson getting engaged after the Fiesta Bowl a few years ago.

Greg Jones, a sixth-round pick, began the season as a starter on defense and has been a contributor on special teams.

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Airbus ordered to check all A380 superjumbos in service for wing cracks

Diane A. Wade
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Airbus ordered to check all A380 superjumbos in service for wing cracks

Airbus has been ordered by The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to inspect the wings of all 67 A380 superjumbo planes currently in service.

Airbus said the cracks were not an immediate threat to safety and that repairs would be carried out if any damage was found.

Last month, EASA ordered checks of 20 A380 jets worldwide.

An EASA spokesman said: “In view of the outcome of those checks, it was decided to expand them to the entire fleet currently in operation.”

Airbus has been ordered by The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to inspect the wings of all 67 A380 superjumbo planes currently in service
Airbus has been ordered by The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to inspect the wings of all 67 A380 superjumbo planes currently in service

Following the earlier checks, Qantas Airways, Australia’s largest carrier, said on Wednesday it had suspended the use of one of its Airbus A380 passenger jets for as long as a week after discovering 36 small cracks in key wing components.

Qantas workers found the cracks, measuring less than 2cms long, in the wing rib feet – the metal brackets that connect the wing’s ribs to its skin.

The discovery was made after the aircraft hit severe turbulence on a flight from London to Singapore last month.

Qantas said the cracks were not related to the turbulence, but to “manufacturing issues”.

Singapore Airlines, which took delivery of the first A380, has also repaired some of its A380s after finding cracks, and has since put the jets back into operation.

The wings, land gear and fuel systems of the A380 are made at plants in Broughton, near Chester, and Filton in Bristol.

The A380 was first unveiled in January 2005, but production delays meant deliveries did not start until October 2007.

In addition to Singapore Airlines, Emirates and Air France are among the firm’s biggest customers for the jet.

Whales are stressed by the noise from the ships, researchers have shown

James J. Williams
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Whales are stressed by the noise from the ships, researchers have shown

Sea researchers have found that noise from ships causes a high level of stress for whales nearby.

Ships’ propellers emit sound in the same frequency range that some whales use for communicating, and previous studies have shown the whales change their calling patterns in noisy places.

Researchers have measured stress hormones in whale faeces, and found they rose with the density of shipping.

The species studied in the Bay of Fundy in Canada, the North Atlantic right whale, is listed as endangered.

It had been thought that hunting by the Basque people a few hundred years ago brought a robust population down to barely sustainable levels.

But recent research suggests the big population decline happened much earlier, for reasons that are unclear.

Sea researchers have found that noise from ships causes a high level of stress for whales nearby
Sea researchers have found that noise from ships causes a high level of stress for whales nearby

Dr. Rosalind Rolland of the New England Aquarium in Boston, US, who led the new study, said the population was now up to an estimated 490 individuals from about 350 a decade ago.

North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) roam up and down the east coast of North America, coming to the Bay of Fundy typically in late summer to feed.

Aquarium scientists have been studying them in the bay since 1980.

But the new study, reported in the Royal Society Journal Proceedings B, came about through chance.

Following the al-Qaeda attacks on New York and Washington DC on 11 September 2001, ship traffic in the bay dropped off.

Whale researchers registered a 6 decibel (dB) fall in the intensity of underwater noise, with the change particularly pronounced at frequencies below 150Hz.

Fortuitously, another team had just begun a five-year project to gather and examine faeces from the right whales.

Trained dogs are taken on boats, their noses guiding researchers to the bobbing faecal matter, which is then pulled inboard in nets.

“We were working on different boats, we knew the different studies were going on without any real interaction,” said Dr. Rosalind Rolland.

“And it was only when I was preparing for a workshop on ocean noise and stress in 2009 that I realised we had this data and analysed it this way – it was just one of those opportunistic things.”

Faeces gathered during the 2001 period of light shipping showed a significantly lower level of metabolites of glucocorticoid hormones, which are associated with stress, than in subsequent summers when marine traffic returned to normal levels.

“This is the first time that anyone’s documented any physiological effect – these are after all 50 tonne animals so they don’t make terribly easy things to study,” said Dr. Rosalind Rolland.

“Past studies have shown they alter their vocalization pattern in a noisy environment just like we would in a cocktail party, but this is the first time the stress has been documented physiologically.”

Precisely how much it matters to the animals is unclear.

Ocean noise has risen substantially in recent decades along with the growth in global shipping; one analysis showed that the north-eastern Pacific is 10-12dB louder now than in the 1960s.

Past years have seen significant numbers of right whales hit by ships and entangled in fishing nets.

In the Bay of Fundy, relocating shipping lanes away from the feeding grounds in 2003 has reduced ship strikes by 80-90%, while similar measures have been taken elsewhere along the coast.

The research team would now like to establish a study that could relate stress hormones to ocean noise in a range of locations.

This could include studying the differences between the North Atlantic right whales and their close relatives in the southern hemisphere, the Southern right whales, whose numbers are increasing much more vigorously since the era of industrial hunting.

Human brain cells that are exact replica of genetically caused Parkinson’s disease created in the lab

Kathryn R. Bown
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Human brain cells that are exact replica of genetically caused Parkinson’s disease created in the lab

Human brain cells that are an exact replica of genetically caused Parkinson’s disease have been successfully created in the lab by US scientists.

The breakthrough means the scientists can now see exactly how mutations in the parkin gene cause the disease in an estimated one in 10 patients with Parkinson’s.

And it offers a realistic model to test new treatments on – a hurdle that has blighted research efforts until now.

The team told Nature Communications their work was a “game-changer”.

“This is the first time that human dopamine neurons have ever been generated from Parkinson’s disease patients with parkin mutations,” said Dr. Jian Feng who led the investigations.

“Before this, we didn’t even think about being able to study the disease in human neurons.

“The brain is so fully integrated. It’s impossible to obtain live human neurons to study.”

Human brain cells that are an exact replica of genetically caused Parkinson's disease have been successfully created in the lab by US scientists
Human brain cells that are an exact replica of genetically caused Parkinson's disease have been successfully created in the lab by US scientists

Studying human neurons is critical in Parkinson’s disease since animal models that lack the parkin gene do not develop the condition, rendering them useless for this research purpose.

To make the human neurons the scientists used a technique already successfully tested by others which can turn donated skin cells into brain tissue.

They used skin samples from four volunteers – two healthy people and two with Parkinson’s disease caused by a parkin gene mutation.

This allowed them to observe the parkin gene at work.

Normally, parkin controls the production of an enzyme called MAO (monamine oxidase) which, in turn, keeps a check on the brain-signalling chemical dopamine.

When parkin is mutated, that regulation is lost and levels of MAO increase, which can be toxic to dopamine-producing brain cells.

The scientists now want to test new treatments that might prevent this damage occurring and stop this form of Parkinson’s.

They have already shown that they can reverse the defect by putting a normal parkin gene into diseased neurons.

Prop 8 banning same sex marriage is unconstitutional, federal court rules

Roy Siemens
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Prop 8 banning same sex marriage is unconstitutional, federal court rules

Proposition 8, known as Prop 8, that interdicts same-sex marriage in California, was declared unconstitutional by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday, February 7.

A lower court judge declared in 2010 that Prop 8 violated the civil rights of homosexuals and a three-judge panel of the federal appeals court ruled 2-1 that the judge correctly interpreted the U.S. Constitution.

“Although the Constitution permits communities to enact most laws they believe to be desirable, it requires that there be at least a legitimate reason for the passage of a law that treats different classes of people differently. There was no such reason that Proposition 8 could have been enacted,” said the court.

“Proposition 8 serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California, and to officially reclassify their relationships and families as inferior to those of opposite-sex couples,” wrote  Judge Stephen Reinhardt.

Because of the judge’s personal life, Prop 8 backers had asked the federal court to overturn Chief U.S. Judge Vaughn Walker’s ruling.

It was the first time when an American jurist’s sexual orientation was mentioned as a motive for ruling against a court decision.

There is no evidence that former Chief U.S. Judge Vaughn Walker was subjective when he issued his decision regarding Prop 8, the federal court said.

Vaughn Walker was in a long-term relationship with another man and he brought out his sexual orientation after he retired.

Prop 8 backers  said they would appeal to the Supreme Court to declare invalid the 9th Circuit ruling.

“We are not surprised that this Hollywood-orchestrated attack on marriage — tried in San Francisco — turned out this way. But we are confident that the expressed will of the American people in favor of marriage will be upheld at the Supreme Court,” said Brian Raum, senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian legal aid group.

Although the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has jurisdiction in nine western states, it issued a decision that applies only to California.

“We emphasize the extraordinary significance of the official designation of ‘marriage’. That designation is important because ‘marriage’ is the name that society gives to the relationship that matters most between two adults. A rose by any other name may smell as sweet, but to the couple desiring to enter into a committed lifelong relationship, a marriage by the name of ‘registered domestic partnership’ does not,” said the court mentioning Shakespeare.

“Whether under the Constitution same-sex couples may ever be denied the right to marry, a right that has long been enjoyed by opposite-sex couples, is an important and highly controversial question. We need not and do not answer the broader question in this case,” said the court.

 

Prop 8 was declared unconstitutional by a federal court of appeal.
Prop 8 was declared unconstitutional by a federal court of appeal.

 

In November 2008 Prop 8 was voted by 52% of California voters, after in June 2008 California Supreme Court had legalized same-sex marriage.

The one man-one woman marriage provision was inserted into the California Constitution. It was the first interdiction to take away marriage rights from same-sex couples, after the rights were already established. The most expensive campaign on a social issue in the nation’s history has followed.

Around 18,000 same- sex couples married during the four-month window before Prop 8 took effect, estimated the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation and the Law.

The California Supreme Court confirmed those marriages but decided that voters had properly enacted the law.

If and when same-sex marriages might resume in California remain unclear. Prop 8 sponsors have a deadline to appeal to a larger panel and this court’s ruling would remain on hold until it’s resolved, if an appeal is filed.

Love Honor Cherish, a gay rights group based in Los Angeles, plans to start gathering signatures for a November ballot initiative asking voters to repeal Prop 8.

Entire staff of Miramonte Elementary School in LA raplaced amid sexual abuse scandal

Diane A. Wade
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Entire staff of Miramonte Elementary School in LA raplaced amid sexual abuse scandal

The entire staff of Miramonte Elementary School in Los Angeles will be replaced after two teachers were arrested for sexual abuse, authorities say.

More than 120 staff, 88 teachers and 40 support staff, will be removed and interviewed. No other staff are currently under suspicion.

The move comes after three dozen parents and supporters protested in front of the main doors of the school earlier in the day, some carrying a banner that read: “We the parents demand our children be protected from lewd teacher acts.”

Mark Berndt, 61, and Martin Springer, 49, were arrested last week on separate allegations of child sexual abuse.

Teacher Mark Berndt was charged with carrying out lewd acts on 23 children who were aged six to 10, between 2005 and 2010.

Teacher Martin Springer was arrested on Friday – just four days later – on suspicion of fondling two girls in his classroom.

More than one-quarter of the school’s students stayed at home on Monday.

Those who did attend walked into the school past TV cameras and a demonstration by angry parents.

The entire staff of Miramonte Elementary School in Los Angeles will be replaced after two teachers were arrested for sexual abuse
The entire staff of Miramonte Elementary School in Los Angeles will be replaced after two teachers were arrested for sexual abuse

The school will remain closed on Tuesday and Wednesday and an entirely new staff will start on Thursday – accompanied by a social worker in each classroom.

Existing staff will continued to be paid and school officials say many will eventually return to work.

Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent John Deasy announced the move in a meeting with parents at a nearby high school.

John Deasy told parents he was not worried about the impact on the school’s budget.

“I cannot have another student tell me he is afraid,” he said.

“Miramonte staff members were also confused and upset by events at the school,” he said.

Both the alleged abusers, Mark Berndt and Martin Springer, were long-term employees.

“They taught in this school for years and [staff] assumed everyone else was doing good things,” John Deasy said.

Teaching union United Teachers Los Angeles said in a statement that they had met with teachers at Miramonte.

“We support a thorough, vigorous and fair investigation of all allegations,” the statement said.

“It’s everyone’s responsibility to ensure that any and all allegations are thoughtfully and carefully investigated.”

However, some parents at the school told the Los Angeles Times they were alarmed that students had reportedly complained about Mark Berndt over the past two decades.

“My trust level is at zero,” said Cassini Quarles, a parent said.

Maria Jimenez told the Associated Press that the school’s parents are divided over the decision.

“Some are in favour,” she said. “Others are against it because they did this without advising us or consulting us.”

Police said a photo developer raised the alarm after being handed about 40 pictures of blindfolded children. In some of the photos, the accused had his arm around the children or was covering their mouth with his hand. Some had their mouths taped shut.

Tests on a spoon and container found in the accused’s classroom tested positive for semen, the sheriff’s department said.

Both teachers were long-serving classroom instructors.

Mark Berndt, a third-grade teacher, had taught for more than 30 years. He is being held on $2.3 million bail.

A teacher at Miramonte since the beginning of his career in 1986, Martin Springer taught second-grade. He is being held on $2 million bail.

NedCar, the Dutch plant of Mitsubishi Motors, offered for one euro

Clyde K. Valle
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NedCar, the Dutch plant of Mitsubishi Motors, offered for one euro

NedCar, the Dutch plant of Mitsubishi Motors, is offered to be sold for one euro, a day after the Japanese car-maker said it was halting production there.

As 1,000 workers blocked entrances to the plant, unions reportedly called a strike on Friday against the closure.

Union leaders say shutting the plant would be a “disaster” for the southern Netherlands.

Mitsubishi Motors has blamed the difficult operating environment in Europe for its decision.

NedCar, the Dutch plant of Mitsubishi Motors, is offered to be sold for one euro, a day after the Japanese car-maker said it was halting production there
NedCar, the Dutch plant of Mitsubishi Motors, is offered to be sold for one euro, a day after the Japanese car-maker said it was halting production there

 

The NedCar plant in the south-eastern province of Limburg currently employs 1,500 workers, producing Colts and Outlanders.

Under Tuesday’s offer, announced by Mitsubishi Motors President Osamu Masuko according to a spokesman, the plant would be sold for a euro “if the payroll of about 1,500 factory workers can be maintained”.

As things stand the factory is due to close down at the end of this year.

The workers decided to go on strike to show they were not prepared to accept the decision “like lambs to the slaughter”, Dutch broadcaster Nos reported.

But it added that the unions wanted to find a suitable buyer for the plant.

Maria Menounos had to wear NY Giants bikini in Times Square after losing a Super Bowl bet

Diane A. Wade
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Maria Menounos had to wear NY Giants bikini in Times Square after losing a Super Bowl bet

Maria Menounos had to strip down in Times Square after she lost her bet on the New England Patriots at the Super Bowl.

If the Patriots lost, Maria Menounos would “bare all“, said the bet. The correspondent A.J. Calloway, Giants fan, would have to wear a Patriots cheerleader outfit, if they won.

In a cold weather Maria hosted an entire broadcast of her show “Extra” in a red, blue and white bikini and a pair of warm, furry, black Ugg boots. It was around 50 degrees (10° C) in New York yesterday.

A. J. Calloway, co-host Mario Lopez, and a group of Giants fans admired her toned figure.

Two weeks ago Mario Lopez also stripped down to his underwear on Ellen DeGeneres’ show.

 

Maria Menounos and Mario Lopez hosting "Extra" show
After she lost a Super Bowl bet on her beloved Patriots, Maria Menounos hosted the entire "Extra" show wearing NY Giants bikini and a pair of Uggs.

 

“I hate bets. I’m never doing this again,” said Maria Menounos taking off her white robe.

“God is a Giants fan!” A. J. Calloway exclaimed.

“My girl @mariamenounos lost a Super Bowl bet & had to wear a NY Giants bikini! Big props..Look great,” Lopez wrote on Twitter.

Maria posted a picture of herself wearing the white robe with the comment: “Ready to face the music.“

She had to leave Indianapolis to arrive in Times Square and wrote on her Twitter’s page:

“Flying to ny now…today is gonna stink. At least it’s not bitter cold there. Should be 50 degrees I hear.“

Maria Menounos was born in Massachusetts and she is a longtime fan of the New England Patriots.

“Sorry, but you know what – I love the Pats for fighting to the bitter end. #PATRIOTpride,” Die-Hard Patriots fan wrote on Twitter.

Last weekend, Maria Menounos attended ESPN’s Super Bowl party and had a ball with celebs in Indianapolis Saturday night, including tebowing with Denver Broncos’ quarterback Tim Tebow. It was the first time he had ever done his signature knee drop with someone else, Tebow said.

Maria Menounos wears bikini in Times Square during her show “Extra” (video):

[youtube c71YtlT6ppI]

 

Microsoft’s iconic Start button is missing from the upcoming Windows 8

Nancy Clayson
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Microsoft’s iconic Start button is missing from the upcoming Windows 8

The Start button, an iconic part of Microsoft’s operating system since it was introduced in Windows 95, is missing from the latest test version of the upcoming Windows 8.

The Start button evolved to become the operating system’s “launchpad”, offering access to software, files and search functions.

Earlier test versions of Windows 8 had flattened the recognizable “orb” – but the new build removes it altogether, according to leaked screenshots from tech site The Verge.

Microsoft has not announced a release date for the new operating system, built to work with touchscreens as well as on conventional PCs, but it’s widely expected to release in the second half of this year.

“Fear not though, the Start button functionality isn’t as dead as it seems,” reports The Verge.

The Start button, an iconic part of Microsoft's operating system, is missing from the latest test version of the upcoming Windows 8
The Start button, an iconic part of Microsoft's operating system, is missing from the latest test version of the upcoming Windows 8

Although the button itself might be absent, the functions are still there, just accessed via a “hot corner” designed to work equally well with touchscreens or computer mice.

“We have confirmed with sources close to Microsoft’s Windows 8 development that a hot corner has replaced the Start button orb,” says The Verge.

A thumbnail-like user interface will appear in Metro or desktop mode, providing a consistent way to access the Windows desktop and Start Screen in Windows 8 regardless of touch or mouse input.

Windows 8 is a radical reinvention of Microsoft’s operating system.

Windows 8 is built to operate on tablets as well as PCs, and looks more like the Windows Phone operating system – with a tile-based “start” screen akin to the menus of apps offered in smartphone operating systems.

Navigation is done by swiping a finger across a touchscreen – although you can also use a mouse or even the direction keys.

The system will also be built to rely heavily on “cloud” information storage, with a Windows Live login used to access some features, and heavy integration with online storage services such as Microsoft’s SkyDrive.

Five killer whales named as plaintiffs in a lawsuit against SeaWorld

Diane A. Wade
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Five killer whales named as plaintiffs in a lawsuit against SeaWorld

A US judge is considering a complaint by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) against SeaWorld claiming that five killer whales at its marine parks are treated like slaves because they’re forced to live in tanks and perform daily.

The case, which went to court Monday, could determine whether animals enjoy the same constitutional protection against slavery as human beings.

The five whales – Tilikum, Katina, Corky, Kasatka, and Ulises – have been named as the plaintiffs in the case. Attorney Jeffery Kerr is representing them and argues that SeaWorld is violating their 13th amendment, which prohibits slavery.

It is reportedly the first time a US court has heard legal arguments over whether animals should enjoy the same constitutional protections as humans.

SeaWorld’s legal team said the case was a waste of time and resources.

The marine park’s lawyer, Theodore Shaw, told the court in San Diego: “Neither orcas nor any other animal were included in the <<We the people… >> when the Constitution was adopted.”

Theodore Shaw said that if the case were successful, it could have implications not just on how other marine parks or zoos operate, but even on the police use of sniffer dogs to detect bombs and drugs.

PETA says the killer whales are treated like slaves for being forced to live in tanks and perform daily at the SeaWorld parks in California and Florida
PETA says the killer whales are treated like slaves for being forced to live in tanks and perform daily at the SeaWorld parks in California and Florida

PETA says the killer whales are treated like slaves for being forced to live in tanks and perform daily at the SeaWorld parks in California and Florida.

It is not considered likely that the whales will win their freedom, but campaigners said they were pleased the case even made it to a courtroom.

The lawsuit invokes the 13th Amendment to the constitution, which abolished “slavery or involuntary servitude” in the US.

Jeffrey Kerr, the lawyer representing the five whales, said: “For the first time in our nation’s history, a federal court heard arguments as to whether living, breathing, feeling beings have rights and can be enslaved simply because they happen to not have been born human.

“By any definition these orcas have been enslaved here.”

Hearing the arguments for about an hour, US District Judge Jeffrey Miller raised concerns over whether animals could be represented as plaintiffs in a lawsuit.

He will issue a ruling at a later date.

PETA names the five wild-captured orca plaintiffs as Tilikum and Katina, at SeaWorld Orlando; and Kasatka, Corky, and Ulises, at SeaWorld San Diego.

It is not Tilikum’s first time in the media spotlight – he drowned his trainer before horrified spectators in February 2010, prompting a ban on the Florida park’s employees entering the water to perform tricks with the orcas.

The same whale has also been linked to two other deaths.

Obesity is infectious, a new study from Yale University claims

Kathryn R. Bown
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Obesity is infectious, a new study from Yale University claims

Researchers at Yale University found that both obesity and liver disease can be triggered by a family of proteins called inflammasomes that alter the balance of microbes in the stomach.

The study, published in the online version of Nature, suggests this altered intestinal environment can be passed on – making obesity an infectious condition.

The finding came to light during a study on stomach bacteria in mice.

The research team found that a deficiency in components of two particular inflammasomes in mice resulted in the development of an altered microbial community associated with increased bacteria.

This determined the severity of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and obesity in the mice.

Senior study author Professor Richard Flavell said: “When healthy mice were co-housed with mice that had altered gut microbes, the healthy mice also developed a susceptibility for development of liver disease and obesity.”

Researchers at Yale University found that both obesity and liver disease can be triggered by a family of proteins called inflammasomes that alter the balance of microbes in the stomach
Researchers at Yale University found that both obesity and liver disease can be triggered by a family of proteins called inflammasomes that alter the balance of microbes in the stomach

NAFLD is the result of metabolic syndrome, a collection of disorders that includes obesity and diabetes, and is the leading cause of chronic liver disease in the western world.

It is estimated that up to 30 million people suffer from NAFLD in the United States alone.

Prof. Richard Flavell said the next step will be to extend the research to see if the same effect can be seen in humans.

“We found, in mice, that targeted antibiotic treatment brought the microbial composition back to normal, and thus eased the liver disease. Our hope is that our findings may eventually lead to a treatment for humans.”

In the meantime, overweight adults should use the tried and tested formula of eating a healthy diet and performing half an hour of moderate exercise at least three times a week.

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