Mario Monti has been appointed as the new Italian Prime Minister and has been asked to form a new government to tackle an acute debt crisis which prompted the resignation of Silvio Berlusconi.
Mario Monti, who is an ex-EU commissioner, said he was starting urgent talks on his cabinet, aiming to restore finances.
Most parties, including Silvio Berlusconi’s, approved his nomination.
Italy’s borrowing costs have spiked, threatening the eurozone. Hailing Mario Monti’s appointment, EU leaders vowed to monitor Italy’s austerity measures.
Mario Monti’s candidature was announced after President Giorgio Napolitano spent the day in 17 meetings with senior politicians.
Speaking to reporters shortly afterwards, Mario Monti said Italy should be an “element of strength and not weakness” within the EU.
“We will aim at solving the financial situation, resume the path of growth. [We want to build] a future of dignity and hope for our children.”
Mario Monti has been appointed as the new Italian Prime Minister and has been asked to form a new government to tackle an acute debt crisis which prompted the resignation of Silvio Berlusconi
Mario Monti said he would respect the country’s parliament and hold urgent consultations with its political forces.
Mario Monti refused to set a timetable for the formation of a new government, and would not say who he planned to nominate as ministers.
Speaking in a recorded TV address, Silvio Berlusconi said he would support a technocrat government and redouble his own efforts in parliament to modernize Italy.
Most centrists and centre-left parties in the opposition have already pledged their support.
However, Silvio Berlusconi’s main coalition ally, the Northern League, has withheld its support until Mario Monti’s policies have become clear.
Silvio Berlusconi, who had lost his parliamentary majority, resigned on Saturday after new austerity measures were passed by both houses of parliament.
In Brussels, European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso and EU President Herman Van Rompuy issued a joint statement welcoming Mario Monti’s appointment.
It sent ” a further encouraging signal… of the Italian authorities’ determination to overcome the current crisis”, they said.
The Commission, they added, would continue monitoring “the implementation of measures taken by Italy with the aim of pursuing policies that foster growth and employment”.
Mario Monti’s appointment comes two days after Greece, under even greater pressure from Brussels, inaugurated a technocrat government to cope with its debt problems.
Mario Monti:
* Born in 1943 in northern Italy
* Taught economics at Turin University for 15 years
* 1994-1999: EU commissioner for internal market
* 1999-2004: EU commissioner for competition
* Rector then president of top Bocconi University in Milan
* On 11 November 2011, sworn in as a senator for life
Details about former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky’s family life come to light amid the child sex abuse scandal which continues to grow.
Amid Jerry Sandusky child abuse scandal, Tom Corbett, governor of Pennsylvania, is adding fuel to the fire, speculating Sunday that more victims will be added to the list of eight boys who were allegedly sexually violated by Sandusky.
When he retired from his defensive coaching position at Penn State, Jerry Sandusky cited his need to more family time and dedication to his charity The Second Mile, which helped underprivileged children who were living in foster homes.
Jerry Sandusky and his wife Dorothy raised six children, all of whom were adopted, and one of whom, Matt, tried to kill himself shortly after moving in with the Sanduskys.
The first recorded time that Jerry Sandusky’s behavior was called into question dates back to his son Matt’s suicide attempt in 1995.
Matt Sandusky, now 32, came into the coach home through The Second Mile, after having a troubled childhood.
Even after getting involved with the charity, Matt Sandusky ran into legal trouble at the age of 16 when he burned down a barn and was taken in as a foster child by the coach and his wife for two years before being legally adopted by the couple.
Shortly after he moved into the house, however, Matt Sandusky tried to kill himself, prompting some raised alarms.
The first recorded time that Jerry Sandusky's behavior was called into question dates back to his son Matt's suicide attempt in 1995
His probation officer became concerned about his well being and wrote letters to a judge saying that she was concerned about Matt Sandusky’ “safety and his current progress”.
The probation officer, Terry Trude, said that she had spoken with Matt Sandusky’s biological mother Debra Long who was also worried about the boy, hoping that his living situation would be reviewed by the court.
Local Pennsylvania newspaper The Patriot-News released the court records of Matt Sandusky’s adoption, including a letter that he wrote to the court imploring the judge to allow him to stay with the family.
“I would like to be placed back with the Sanduskys. I feel that they have supported me even when I have messed up. They are a loving caring group of people. I love both my biological family and the Sandusky family,” he wrote at the time.
Matt Sandusky has been unflinching in his support of the family, singing their praises to a Sports Illustrated reporter when Jerry Sandusky left Penn State in 1999.
“My life changed when I came to live here,” says Matt Sandusky.
“There were rules, there was discipline, there was caring. Dad put me on a workout program. He gave me someone to talk to, a father figure I never had. I have no idea where I’d be without him and Mom. I don’t even want to think about it. And they’ve helped so many kids besides me,” he continued.
Matt Sandusky is still extremely close with his family, and that hasn’t seemed to change since the news of the scandal, much to his ex-wife’s chagrin.
Matt Sandusky’s ex-wife Jill Jones is fearful for the couple’s three children in light of the allegations of Jerry Sandusky’s sexual abuse, and got a court order to prevent their two daughters and one son from spending any alone time with their grandfather.
The order was issued during the week of the scandal, but that didn’t stop Matt Sandusky from bringing his daughters, aged 9 and 7 years old, and their 5 year old son from visiting the alleged pedophile.
Court records show that Matt Sandusky took the three children to visit their grandparents on November 5, the day that the charges were announced.
In an effort to lessen her concern, Jerry Sandusky’s wife Dorothy called her former daughter in law to tell her that the children would be safe in the house. The call didn’t change Jill Jones’ mind, however, and she still asked for the court order, which prevents the children from staying overnight in their grandparent’s house.
There is no evidence to believe that Jerry Sandusky ever abused his grandchildren, but the documents say that there is a “fundamental disagreement over the validity of the charges against Jerry Sandusky and the risk he poses to children”.
The case continues to gain momentum as speculation grows that there will be more names added to the list of eight victims.
Pennsylvania governor Tom Corbett said Sunday that in addition to the illegal acts of Jerry Sandusky, coaches Joe Paterno and Mike McQueary were guilty of not fulfilling their moral obligation.
“When the word gets out, when people understand that authorities are actually doing something about this, that they may be believed, then more people come forward,” said Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett.
“As governor, I have a requirement to make sure that we protect the children of Pennsylvania,” Tom Corbett continued.
“In my opinion, when you don’t follow through, when you don’t continue on to make sure that actions are taken, then I lose confidence in your ability to lead. That would be the case here.”
“I’ve always have said, your actions speak louder than your words. That should not have been able to continue. The actions or the failure to act while maybe not criminal, caused me not to have confidence in the president and in the coach.”
A three feet sword from Abraham Lincoln’s burial site at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois, has been stolen by copper thieves.
An employee recently noticed that a statue of a Civil War artillery officer on top of the tomb was missing the weapon, which had been broken at the handle.
It was allegedly taken from the burial site at the Oak Ridge Cemetery sometime between September and early November.
Dave Blanchette, a spokesman for the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency told the Springfield State Journal-Register:
“We just cannot imagine why someone would even think about doing it, let alone climb up the steps and actually do it.”
A three feet sword from Abraham Lincoln's burial site at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois, has been stolen by copper thieves.
State officials plan to repair the statue.
The theft is believed to be the first to state property stolen at the Lincoln Tomb Historic Site since the same sword was thieved 101 years ago, Dave Blanchette said.
The original sword would have been bronze, which was used in all metal statues. Much of the bronze came from melted-down Civil War cannons.
The stolen sword was then replaced by the copper version.
The recent theft probably occurred after the cemetery was closed to visitors, Dave Blanchette said, pointing out that a chain blocks daytime visitors from climbing the stone stairs to the balcony level.
“Anyone who would have gone up would have been noticed by a worker,” he said.
Aside from the sword thefts, the tomb suffers an incident of vandalism about once every decade, Dave Blanchette told the Springfield State Journal-Register.
In 1987 racist graffiti was spray-painted on the tomb, leading to the arrest of five teenagers.
A guard used to be stationed at the tomb overnight, but the position was cut amid budget problems.
The tomb at Oak Ridge Cemetery serves as the final resting place of the 16th U.S. president and his wife, Mary.
Three of his four sons – Edward, William, and Thomas – are also buried at the cemetery. His fourth, Robert, rests at Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia.
When Abraham Lincoln died in April 1865, Springfield citizens formed the National Lincoln Monument Association to raise funds for a memorial.
After Abraham Lincoln’s funeral in May 1865, his coffin was placed in a temporary vault at the cemetery.
In 1871, three years after construction began on the tomb, Abraham Lincoln’s body was moved inside the unfinished structure, and when the memorial was complete in 1874, his remains were put in a burial room at its centre.
In 1887, the bodies of Abraham Lincoln and his wife were reburied in a brick vault beneath the floor of the burial room to deter body snatchers.
Sales of Apple’s iPhone 4S topped 4 million in just 3 days following last month’s launch, and it’s still the must-have smartphone this winter.
Out of contract, the iPhone 4S will cost you £499 ($763), but it was revealed that the nuts, bolts and high-end circuitry inside cost far less – a total of £112.89 ($173).
Expert analysts from technology firm iSuppli have prized open the pristine casing and totted up the cost of each component of iPhone 4S.
Some are reassuringly expensive – the touchscreen and display unit cost £23 ($35) – but others are less confidence-inspiring.
Next time when you are cursing the battery life, remember it’s only worth £3.68 ($5.63).
According to expert analysts from iSuppli, the real cost of iPhone 4S is just $173
iPhone fails to fix battery problem despite rolling out software.
iPhone users have insisted that a new software which improves battery life is not working.
Apple said its iOS 5.0.1 software would get rid of a bug which causes the mobile phone to lose battery life faster but customer’s took to the company’s website to vent their frustrations.
iSuppli experts have prized open the pristine casing and totted up the cost of each component of iPhone 4S
One user said: “Updated about 1.5 hours ago, battery has drained 20 per cent then with no usage! This is awful!”
Another added: “Still draining the exact same rate. Unplugged with a full charge 2 1/2 hours ago, and already down to 80 per cent with light usage. Just lost 2 per cent during a 15 minute shower. I see no difference at all.”
The software was also mean to add things like multitasking gestures for the original iPad and better voice recognition for Australian user. But it was the battery problem people are most keen to get fixed.
5,113 atomic warheads currently scattered across America and on U.S. submarines around the world, according to Mother Jones magazine.
In 2009, President Barack Obama spoke of his hopes to rid the world of nuclear weapons – but clearly progress has been painfully slow since then.
The Cold War may have ended a generation ago, but a fascinating new map put together by Mother Jones magazine, shows exactly where highly radioactive nuclear material is situated on mainland America.
The map was produced from data suppled by the Defense Department and nuclear watchdog groups.
The map shows where the warheads are (in red), where the civilian nuclear power plants can be found (in green) and the location of labs and nuclear weapons plants (in blue).
The green arrows show nuclear.
According to The Lookout blog, watchdog groups believe the archaic system for making and storing weapons in the U.S. is both dangerous and expensive.
The map shows where the warheads are (in red), where the civilian nuclear power plants can be found (in green) and the location of labs and nuclear weapons plants (in blue)
Mother Jones magazine notes that the country is telling the rest of the world that it is on the road to disarmament.
At the same time the U.S. is spending more on the nuclear weapons complex than we did during the Cold War.
Mother Jones magazine reports that the 5,113 figure does not include “zombie” nukes that are kept in reserve and more than 3,000 warheads awaiting dismantlement.
The map was produced completely with unclassified, public information. As Mother Jones magazine reports, even the military doesn’t hide where it keeps its missiles and bombers.
The sources for the map were the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and Federation of American Scientists, Office of the Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Matters, Nuclear Energy Institute.
Evelyn Lauder, the founder of pink ribbon campaign for breast cancer awareness, has died at 75.
Evelyn Lauder died at her home in Manhattan, New York, on Saturday from complications of non-genetic ovarian cancer. She had been diagnosed with cancer in 2007.
She worked for more than 50 years for the beauty products giant, Estee Lauder, which was founded by her mother-in-law. Most recently, she was the senior corporate vice president.
Evelyn Lauder helped develop the company’s lines of skin care, makeup and fragrance, and is credited with coming up with the name of its popular Clinique brand during the 1960s.
Evelyn Lauder is best known as a champion of breast cancer research and for her role in creating the pink ribbon campaign.
In 1992, Evelyn Lauder worked with her friend Alexandra Penney, the former editor-in-chief of Self magazine, to create the campaign for breast cancer awareness.
It started as a small project with Evelyn Lauder and her husband, Leonard, largely financing the bows given to women at department store makeup counters to remind them about breast exams.
Evelyn Lauder is best known as a champion of breast cancer research and for her role in creating the pink ribbon campaign
It expanded into fundraising products, congressional designation of October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month and $330 million in donations — $50 million from Estee Lauder and its partners — to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, which Evelyn Lauder also started.
That money helped establish the Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Center at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, which opened in 2009.
Just last month, Evelyn Lauder reminisced about the early days of the breast cancer campaign. When it launched, it was so little known that some people thought it symbolized AIDS awareness.
Evelyn Lauder said: “There had been no publicity about breast cancer, but a confluence of events — the pink ribbon, the colour, the press, partnering with Elizabeth Hurley, having Estee Lauder as an advertiser in so magazines and persuading so many of my friends who are health and beauty editors to do stories about breast health — got people talking.”
Then, three years after distributing the first pink ribbon, a flight attendant noted it on Evelyn Lauder’s lapel and said: “I know that’s for breast cancer.”
“From there, it became ubiquitous,” Evelyn Lauder remembered.
Evelyn Lauder’s other passion was photography, and she was the author of the book In Great Taste: “Fresh, Simple Recipes for Eating and Living Well”.
Born Evelyn Hausner in 1936 in Vienna, Austria, she fled Nazi-occupied Europe with her parents, and they settled in the U.S. She attended public schools in New York City and Hunter College, part of the City University of New York.
As a college freshman, she met her husband, the elder son of Estee Lauder and whose family owned what was then a small cosmetics company.
“We had five products in the line, we only had two or three colours in our lipsticks,” Evelyn Lauder told cable news channel NY1 in 2005.
“It was a baby company.”
The young couple married in 1959. Leonard Lauder is now chairman emeritus of the company. Estee Lauder died in 2004 at 97.
Leonard and Evelyn Lauder’s son William is executive chairman of Estee Lauder Cos. Another son, Gary, is managing director of Lauder Partners LLC, a technology investment firm.
The former National Geographic magazine photographer, Chuck O’Rear, was driving to visit his girlfriend when he was struck by the beauty of the Californian rolling vineyards in Napa Valley.
Chuck O’Rear, now 69, was so entranced by the green of the grass and the white clouds in the perfectly blue California sky that he pulled over and got out his camera.
Chuck O'Rear
Never for a moment did Chuck O’Rear think the shot would become the most viewed image on the planet.
When it comes to famous photographs, a computer desktop image is unlikely to be the first thought on most people’s minds.
More than a billion people around the world have seen Chuck O’Rear’s photo of the countryside near his Napa Valley home, in Sonoma, North California.
Most of them don’t even realize they have been looking at it.
For it was chosen by Microsoft engineers as the desktop image for their Windows XP background.
Chuck O’Rear signed a confidentiality agreement so he can’t say how much he got paid – it is reportedly the second most expensive photo license ever purchased.
“I drove the same route between Napa and San Francisco a couple of times a week in 2002 or 2003 but this was January when the grass is the most brilliant green here so I jumped out and took a couple of shots and then carried on my way,” said Chuck O’Rear.
Chuck O’Rear didn’t give much more thought to the picture after picking up girlfriend Daphne Larkin, who he married shortly after.
It was only when Chuck O’Rear got a call from his agent with the Corbis photo archive telling him that Microsoft wanted the original of the picture that he discovered he’d hit the jackpot.
“I had no idea when I took the photograph that anything like that could happen. It is probably the most recognized photo on the planet. If you took it to some village in Bangladesh the might recognize it or you could stop somebody walking down the street in China and they may know what it is,” Chuck O’Rear added.
Chuck O’Rear, who began his career with the Kansas City Star and the Los Angeles Times, worked for 25 years for the National Geographic and now specializes in photographing winemaking in Napa and around the world.
Unlike many PC users, Chuck O’Rear doesn’t get to see his XP photo every day, because he uses a Mac.
Judge William Adams of Aransas County Court-at-Law, who was seen beating his older daughter in a video she posted on YouTube, has been placed under a temporary restraining order, which prevents him from visiting his younger daughter.
Under the order issued Thursday by another judge, Judge William Adams is forbidden from visiting his 10-year-old daughter without getting permission from the girl’s mother, his ex-wife.
The order also says William Adams can’t disparage the woman or drink alcohol within 24 hours of seeing his child.
Brett Pritchard, the attorney for judge’s ex-wife Hallie Adams, said in a prepared statement that the ruling “temporarily terminates the visitation between Judge Adams and his younger child”.
William Adams’ attorney did not respond to a request for comment Friday from The Associated Press.
Judge William Adams of Aransas County Court-at-Law, who was seen beating his older daughter in a video she posted on YouTube, has been placed under a temporary restraining order, which prevents him from visiting his younger daughter
State District Judge Kemper Stephen Williams scheduled a hearing for November 21 to decide on Hallie Adams’ request to have William Adams’ visitation denied or require that it be supervised.
Judge William Adams has not held court since his 23-year-old daughter Hillary Adams released a secretly-recorded 2004 video of him beating her with a belt.
He faced public calls for his resignation and threats after Hillary Adams posted the 8-minute clip on YouTube that shows her father viciously lashing her with a belt and trying to force her to bend over her bed to be beaten despite her pleas to stop.
Hallie Adams filed an affidavit Thursday claiming a dysfunctional 22-year marriage and conflict that continued since their 2007 divorce. Brett Pritchard said the furious reaction to the video triggered the legal move.
“The impetus is she (Hallie Adams) doesn’t feel at first that her daughter is safe going down there to be with the judge right now,” Brett Pritchard said.
“The impetus now is the result of the video, not necessarily the video itself.”
The district attorney and federal prosecutors both declined to bring charges against William Adams, but the State Commission on Judicial Conduct continues its investigation.
Last week, Rockport Police Chief Tim Jayroe said that police did not interview the younger daughter, but asked both Hallie and Hillary Adams about it and there was no indication of abuse of the younger daughter.
It comes after police revealed the judge would not face criminal charges because too much time has passed.
William Adams likely would have faced charges of causing injury to a child or other assault-related offences for the savage 2004 beating.
But the five-year statutes of limitations expired so the Aransas County Court-at-Law Judge probably won’t be charged for beating the cerebral palsy sufferer, Rockport Police Chief Tim Jayroe said.
It came shortly after Hallie and Hillary Adams appeared in a televised interview to reveal that she had been hiding her husband’s “secret of addiction for a long time”.
Hallie Adams appeared with her daughter Hillary to describe years of abuse in their “dysfunctional” family and Hillary revealed her father dared her to post the video online.
Hillary Adams also told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that she uploaded the video to make it clear her father was in "some denial about the way you are treating me and my mother"
Hillary Adams also told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that she uploaded the video to make it clear her father was in “some denial about the way you are treating me and my mother”.
“I thought he was a monster,” Hillary Adams added.
“I thought that I was a witch. I really don’t know what the solution for him is. Except that I really want him to seek some kind of help.”
William Adams was granted joint custody of his 10-year-old daughter in his 2007 divorce.
Hallie Adams, who also appeared in the video, tried to explain why she too had hit her daughter and stood aside to let her husband attack.
“My answer to you and to the world is something that I’ve been hiding for a very long time is a family secret and that’s addiction.”
When asked if she has an addiction, Hallie Adams said no but when asked if her ex-husband did, she told the interviewer: “Yes sir.”
Hallie Adams offered no further explanation as to what the addiction might be.
She added: “I lived in an environment of dysfunction and it steadily got worse. I did leave him… but he shamed me into going back.”
Hillary Adams, now 23, said she had forgiven her mother and did not regret making the video public. It has been viewed more than a million times.
“We’re very close now,” Hillary Adams said.
Speaking to the Today show, Hillary Adams said: “I told him I had the video… and he dared me to post it.”
Judge William Adams, who presides mainly over cases involving children, remained unrepentant.
The judge released a three-page statement earlier this month, saying his daughter posted the clip to get back at him for telling her he would be reducing the amount of financial support he gives her and taking away her Mercedes.
William Adams’ statement did not include an apology for the beating, but he told Corpus Christi television station KZTV that the video “looks worse than it is”, that he had already apologized to his daughter and that he was just disciplining his child for stealing.
Hillary Adams, who has suffered from ataxic cerebral palsy from birth, said her condition causes problems including difficulty with balance, shaky movements of hands or feet, and difficulty with speech.
She was asked by the Today Show how she felt about the ordeal she had suffered now.
Hillary Adams said: “I’ve experienced everything from crying about it to laughing.”
“It did happen regularly for a period of time, and I could tell because of the pattern that things were escalating again, so I set up my video camera on the dresser and covered the little red light with a scarf.
“About half an hour after I set the camera up this happened and it was amazing that I was able to capture such a thing.”
Hillary Adams explained that she waited seven years to release the video because she feared.
Hallie Adams said: “I was completely brainwashed and controlled. I did every single thing that he did. When I leave the room he is telling me what to say, what to do.”
The video, entitled “Family law judge beats own daughter for using the internet, please spread”, shows the motive for the attack was because Hillary Adams, who suffers from cerebral palsy, had been caught downloading music to the computer in her bedroom.
In the footage, Judge William Adams can be seen delivering around ten powerful strikes across his daughter’s legs and backside. His wife then grabs the belt from him to take over, at which point he walks out only to return moments later with another belt so he can continue beating her.
On the seven-minute long clip, as his daughter begs him to stop he can be heard snarling:
“Bend over the f***ing bed.
“Lay down or I’ll spank you in the f***ing face.”
In total Hillary Adams received 20 hard lashes from her father and one from her mother.
The mother screams: “You turn over like a 16-year-old and take it like a grown woman.”
As the child lies crying on her bed, her father shouts: “Do you want to put some more computer games on? Are you happy disobeying your parents?
“You don’t deserve to be in this f***ing house. What happened to you Hillary?”
The video appeared to have been captured on a webcam set up in the bedroom and dates from 2004 but only became public on October 27, 2011.
Judge William Adams said that he informed the Judicial Review board himself after seeing the video had been posted online by his daughter.
Michael Moore is the booming voice of the Occupy protests, encouraging activists to continue their battle against the wealthy one per cent of Americans, but he has been uncharacteristically quiet about one thing: his own wealth.
While Michael Moore has denied he is among the top-earners in the country, tax records show he owns an extensive property in one of the country’s most elite communities.
Michael Moore owns a large holiday home on Torch Lake, Michigan in addition to his pricey Manhattan residence.
The spacious 10,000 sq ft property is a far cry from the scene of tightly-packed tents near Wall Street in New York City.
The sprawling timber property has large bay windows, a number of small turrets, a private drive and decking that leads right to the water’s edge.
It is located on the southeastern shore of Torch Lake, regarded by locals as the “third most beautiful lake in the world”.
Michael Moore’s neighbours include Hollywood stars such as Bruce Willis, Madonna and Tim Allen.
The documentary maker also shares the stunning views with corporate executives loathed by Occupy protestors, including ex-Chrysler Chairman Bob Eaton, according to The Michigan View.
Michael Moore is the booming voice of the Occupy protests, encouraging activists to continue their battle against the wealthy one per cent of Americans, but he has been uncharacteristically quiet about one thing: his own wealth.
Houses on the lake cost as much as $3million.
Michael Moore originally bought the 2,500 sq ft home before expanding to two surrounding lots, according to local real estate sources.
Public records show the property in the name of Michael Moore and his wife, Kathleen Glynn, and notes its taxable value at nearly $1 million.
Local real estate agents estimate the real value of the compound at $2 million, according to The Michigan View.
It places the property near the top one per cent of home values in the Forest Home Township and in the state of Michigan.
The township is roughly 98% white residents, according to statistics from 2009.
Michael Moore owns a large holiday home on Torch Lake, Michigan in addition to his pricey Manhattan residence
Michael Moore, who has toured the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations across the country, has previously defended his wealth.
The documentary maker has claimed he never set out to write a book or film with the intention of making money.
On his blog, Michael Moore wrote: “I do very well – and for a documentary filmmaker, I do extremely well. That, too, drives conservatives bonkers. <<You’re rich because of capitalism!>>, they scream at me.
“Um, no. Didn’t you take Econ 101? Capitalism is a system, a pyramid scheme of sorts, that exploits the vast majority so that the few at the top can enrich themselves more. I make my money the old school, honest way by making things.”
Talking with Piers Morgan about Occupy, Michael Moore joked: “I’m here talking against my own interests.
“I’m not in the one per cent. For a documentary filmmaker I do very well. There’s a big difference between a documentary and Avatar.”
In another interview on Tuesday, Piers Morgan said: “I need you to admit the bleeding obvious. I need you to sit here and say, <<I’m in the one per cent>>, because it’s important.”
Michael Moore refused, saying: “I’m not.”
He said that, even though he is wealthy, “I am devoting my life to those who have less and who have been crapped upon by the system.
“That’s how I spend my time, my energy, my money on trying to up-end this system that I think is a system of violence, it’s a system that’s unfair to the average working person of this country.”
Public records show the property in the name of Michael Moore and his wife, Kathleen Glynn, and notes its taxable value at nearly $1 million
Meanwhile, multimillionaire rapper Jay-Z is launching a line of t-shirts in support of the Occupy movement – but does not intend to share the profits with the protesters.
Jay-Z was recently seen wearing one of the shirts, which changes the phrase “Occupy Wall Street” by crossing out the “W” and adding an “S” to read “Occupy All Streets”.
A spokesperson for Jay-Z’s clothing company, Rocawear, told Business Insider: “The ‘Occupy All Streets T-shirt was created in support of the Occupy Wall Street movement.
“At this time we have not made an official commitment to monetarily support the movement.”
Jerry Sandusky’s wife, Dorothy, has been absent from the analysis of who knew what about the former Penn State coach alleged sexual abuse of eight boys over a 15-year period.
Now, Dorothy “Dottie” Gross Sandusky does make an appearance in the 23-page Grand Jury indictment which graphically details the charges against her husband.
Dorothy Sandusky, 68, attempted to call one of the victims in the weeks leading up to his testimony, despite the fact the now 26-year-old had cut off all contact with Jerry Sandusky two years prior.
Jerry Sandusky’s wife left a message on Victim 7’s phone saying the matter was “very important”, but the man, who told the Grand Jury that as a ten-year-old in 1994, coach Sandusky hugged and inappropriately touched him, did not return the call. Jerry Sandusky’s wife, Dorothy, has been absent from the analysis of who knew what about the former Penn State coach alleged sexual abuse of eight boys over a 15-year period.
Part of that alleged abuse took place in the Sandusky family’s State College, Pennsylvania, home, in which Dorothy and her husband raised their six adopted children. Jerry Sandusky claimed he and his wife could not have any of their own.
Over the years the couple became the parents to Ray, now 46, a businessman living in Nashville, EJ, 41, former Nittany Lions player, and now a football coach at West Chester University, Kara, 38, a Penn State graduate, Jeff, 35, a former Marine, and 33-year-olds Matt, a Penn State graduate and Jon, who is Director of Player Personnel for the Cleveland Browns.
Quite how much any of them knew about the sexual abuse, which occurred between 1994 and 2009 with a number of incidents at the family home, is now under scrutiny.
Jerry Sandusky and his lawyer, Joe Amendola, have maintained that he is innocent and publicly denied all allegations.
Neither Dorothy Sandusky nor any of her adopted children have yet made a statement on the scandal.
The Grand Jury indictment states that Jerry Sandusky selected his young victims from the “Second Mile”, a charity he started in 1977 devoted to helping troubled boys in the State College area. Dorothy Sandusky helped out with the running of the programme.
“After we had taken in some foster children, we saw the opportunities that some kids just hadn’t had,” Dorothy Sandusky told Sports Illustrated in 1982.
“But we’d gotten to the point where we couldn’t take in anymore, so Jerry started thinking about starting a group home.”
In his 2000 autobiography, “Touched: The Jerry Sandusky Story” the onetime heir apparent to Joe Paterno devotes many pages to his relationships with boys he met through the Second Mile.
Jerry Sandusky also makes reference to his own children during an exchange with some of the boys from the charity.
In his 2000 autobiography, "Touched: The Jerry Sandusky Story" the onetime heir apparent to Joe Paterno devotes many pages to his relationships with boys he met through the Second Mile
He wrote that one night he was talking to two Second Mile boys who had rebelled against their foster parents, with one boy telling how his foster father had “grabbed me around the back of my shoulders and he made me do something when I didn’t want to do it.”
“Do you ever grab your kids like that?” the boy asked Jerry Sandusky.
“No, I don’t grab my kids like that,” the coach answered.
“I grab them like this.”
Jerry Sandusky wrote: “With that, I put my hands gently around their throat.”
It was an apparent jest.
“I could tell they were totally confused,” Jerry Sandusky wrote.
“Both boys had a scared look in their eyes.”
The book repeatedly described Jerry Sandusky hugging boys and detailing how he was very close to those he met through the charity. Of the photos that line his office walls, he said: “They are kids that have touched my life and have been a part of me for a long, long time.”
In the book Jerry Sandusky paints himself as someone who would repeatedly take risks in the hunt for what he refers to as “mischief”.
“I believe I live a good part of my life in a make-believe world,” Jerry Sandusky wrote in one of the final chapters. “I enjoyed pretending as a kid, and I love doing the same as an adult with these kids.”
Whether Dorothy Sandusky was worried by any such behaviour is not yet known. What is established is that she has been by Jerry Sandusky’s side since the mid-1960s, when they married.
Originally from Chattanooga, Tennessee, she had met Jerry Sandusky in Washington a few years before. He endearingly called his wife “Sarge”, because Dorothy Sandusky was in charge in their home, ESPN News reported.
The shocking Grand Jury indictment makes repeated accusations that victims were abused inside the couple’s home.
Victim 1 spent many nights there sleeping in a basement bedroom. The report states that Jerry Sandusky would come down to the basement to check on him at bedtime.
The report found that Jerry Sandusky “indecently fondled Victim 1 on a number of occasions, performed oral sex on Victim 1 on a number of occasions and had Victim 1 perform oral sex on him on at least one occasion.”
Phone records also confirm that Jerry Sandusky made 61 phone calls from his home phone to Victim 1’s home phone between January 2008 and July 2009 despite Victim 1 expressing a wish that he no longer wanted to see the football coach.
Jerry Sandusky also made 57 calls from his personal cell phone to Victim 1’s home phone.
Jerry Sandusky and his lawyer, Joe Amendola, have maintained that he is innocent and publicly denied all allegations
Despite these actions, there is no suggestion whatsoever in the indictment that Dorothy Sandusky was aware of her husband’s sexual relations with Victim 1 or any of the other seven victims.
Experts have suggested that Dorothy Sandusky and her children could well have been kept in the dark.
“[Abusers are] very good at hiding it from everyone,” clinical social worker Farlie Chastain told WRCB TV.
“Very good at seducing the child and manipulating the child not to tell.”
However, Farlie Chastain, who counsels sexually abused children and teenagers at Parkridge Valley, Tennesee and at Foxus Psychiatric Services in Tennessee Valley, adds: “I’ve seen it both ways, in which the family knows and is in denial.”
Meanwhile State College police have reported that someone threw two cinder blocks through a bedroom window at Jerry Sandusky’s house on Thursday night.
The news came as it emerged that Jerry Sandusky, who is out on bail, lives close to an elementary school and playground.
Silvio Berlusconi has resigned as Italian prime minister.
President Giorgio Napolitano is likely to accept his offer and appoint Mario Monti, a technocrat, as his successor.
Silvio Berlusconi lost his majority amid an acute debt crisis that threatens the eurozone. He promised to go once MPs had approved new austerity mesasures.
Silvio Berlusconi is Italy’s longest-serving post-WWII PM – having dominated political life for 17 years. His premiership has recently been marred by many scandals.
Silvio Berlusconi has resigned as Italian prime minister
Crowds gathered outside the parliament, shouting “Resign” and “Bye bye Silvio”. Later, groups outside the president’s and prime minister’s offices shouted abuse, calling Silvio Berlusconi a “buffoon”.
Silvio Berlusconi said he felt “embittered” after hearing the insults.
After losing his parliamentary majority on Tuesday, Silvio Berlusconi promised to resign after austerity measures, demanded by the EU and designed to restore markets’ confidence in the country’s economy, were passed by both houses of parliament.
Members of the lower house voted 380-26 with two abstentions on Saturday, a day after the Senate approved the measures that have now been signed into law.
After accepting Silvio Berlusconi’s resignation, Giorgio Napolitano is expected to formally ask Mario Monti or another candidate to form a government of technocrats.
Italy’s leaders are desperate to signal that they can bring the country’s finances under control and they are moving fast.
Mario Monti, a well respected economist, is exactly the sort of man that the money markets would like to see take charge at this time of crisis, but there is significant opposition to him within the country.
The austerity package foresees 59.8 billion euros in savings from a mixture of spending cuts and tax rises, with the aim of balancing the budget by 2014.
Measures include:
* An increase in VAT, from 20% to 21%
* A freeze on public-sector salaries until 2014
* The retirement age for women in the private sector will gradually rise, from 60 in 2014 until it reaches 65 in 2026, the same age as for men
* Measures to fight tax evasion will be strengthened, including a limit of 2,500 euros on cash transactions
* There will be a special tax on the energy sector
On Wednesday, the interest rate on 10-year Italian government bonds touched 7%, the rate at which Greece, Ireland and Portugal were forced to seek bailouts from the EU.
An EU team has begun work in Rome, monitoring how Italy plans to cut its crushing debt burden, 120% of annual economic output (GDP).
The Italian economy has grown at an average of 0.75% a year over the past 15 years.
Silvio Berlusconi has been prime minister three times since he first took office in 1994. He has described himself as Italy’s best head of government since the country was created nearly 150 years ago.
Silvio Berlusconi is currently involved in several trials for fraud, corruption and having sex with an under-age girl, and has attracted media attention for so-called “bunga-bunga” parties which young women were allegedly paid to attend.
Jessica Nicole Bradford from Whitmore, California, has been accused of deliberately starving her newborn baby to death and she was arrested after the mummified remains of her baby were found inside a school where she worked.
Jessica Nicole Bradford, 23, is alleged to have abandoned her baby in a vacant building on the campus of Julian Youth Academy, a school for troubled teens.
Her baby lived for four days before dying from lack of food and water.
According to police, Jessica Nicole Bradford kept the pregnancy secret from her family and boyfriend of the last three years.
Jessica Nicole Bradford has been accused of deliberately starving her newborn baby to death and she was arrested after the mummified remains of her baby were found inside a school where she worked
Jessica Nicole Bradford told police she did not give the baby girl a name as she did not want to feel attached to it.
The mother claimed she thought her daughter was stillborn but admitted to detectives she was alive when she left her alone in an empty room at the Julian Youth Academy.
After the baby girl died Jessica Nicole Bradford hid its corpse in a laundry basket in her room, until a co-worker discovered the body and called police.
The sheriff’s office said the baby was a fully-developed, full-term infant and in a mummified state of decomposition.
“It was shocking at least just to see the baby in the condition and given the circumstances that have been reported to us. it was a shocking case and one that we have not seen in some time,” said Shasta County Sheriff’s Department Det. Brian Jackson.
Jessica Nicole Bradford worked for a programme at the private Christian school called F.A.C.E.S.S, which stands for Fighting Against Child Exploitation and Sexual Slavery.
The mother was seen as a role model to young women in the programme and had helped many girls at the school.
Her friends said they had no idea she was pregnant and said she always wore baggy clothes.
Even her boyfriend of three years had no idea she was carrying a baby.
An arrest warrant for murder revealed that Bradford said she gave birth to the baby on September 19th under a deck near her dorm room so that no one would hear.
An autopsy was performed on the baby’s body at the Shasta County Coroner’s office, but because the case is a homicide the Coroner’s office is not releasing any information.
Jessica Nicole Bradford is being held on a charge of murder on $1 million bond.
The US Major League baseball player, Wilson Ramos, who was kidnapped by armed men, has been found alive, according to Venezuela’s government officials.
According to Information Minister Andres Izarra, security forces had located Wilson Ramos in the Montalban mountains near to where he was seized on Wednesday.
Wilson Ramos, 24, is a catcher for the Washington Nationals team.
It was reported that the families of wealthy athletes in Venezuela are periodically targeted in similar ways.
“The baseball player Ramos found alive by security forces in mountainous zone,” tweeted Andres Izarra.
The US Major League baseball player, Wilson Ramos, who was kidnapped by armed men, has been found alive
Andres Izarra said it was “a rescue operation by air”, which was authorized earlier in the day by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
Information Minister said three men were arrested, including a Colombian “linked to paramilitary groups and to kidnapping groups”.
Justice Minister Tareck El Aissami said on TV that Wilson Ramos was “safe and sound”.
Wilson Ramos’ mother celebrated, exclaiming on television: “Thanks to God!”
The woman said she had spoken to her son by telephone, saying: “He’s fine.”
There are so far no details of how Wilson Ramos was located.
The baseball player was seized at his mother’s home in Valencia, 150 km (90 miles) west of the capital Caracas, after going to Venezuela to play games during the US close season.
Sports figures have found themselves the target of violent crime in Venezuela in the past, but this is thought to be the first case targeting a baseball player in the US Major League.
Most kidnappings in Venezuela are carried out to extort a ransom, but there have been no reports of any ransom demand in this case.
The Institute for Investigations on Coexistence and Citizen Security (Incosec), a Venezuelan think tank, estimated that last year Venezuela saw 1,179 kidnappings, or about three cases every day.
The rising rate of violent crime has become a major source of public concern in Venezuela in recent years, with many accusing President Hugo Chavez’s government of not doing enough to combat the problem.
Donald Rudolph, a teenager from Weymouth, Massachusetts, has been charged with killing his mother, his mother’s boyfriend and his sister.
Donald Rudolph, 18, was arrested after police discovered a gruesome scene at his mother’s home.
Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey said on Friday that police found the bodies after a neighbour called and said there was suspicious activity at the house just after 8:00 p.m. on Thursday.
When police arrived they allegedly saw the suspect crawling out of a basement window, WHDH-TV reports.
Donald Rudolph, a teenager from Weymouth, Massachusetts, has been charged with killing his mother, his mother's boyfriend and his sister
Chief Richard Grimes, of the Weymouth Police Department, said: “The initial discovery of the body in the house led officers to further investigate.”
Michael Morrissey said officers first saw the body of 52-year-old Frederick Medina on the first floor of the home.
They then discovered the bodies of 50-year-old Paula Rudolph and her 24-year-old daughter Caylin in a detached garage.
Michael Morrissey said all three bodies showed evidence of massive trauma, but would not release details as to how the three people died.
He said: “At this time we’re unable to comment on any kind of motive or the exact sequence of events at which we have learned today.”
Neighbour Beth Cantor, who placed flowers at the victims’ home on Friday, said: “It’s very disturbing to know that something like this can happen.
“The horrific crime is just startling.”
According to authorities, Caylin Rudolph, the killer’ sister, had twin daughters who are safe.
Medical marijuana dispensaries in California have been ordered to close from Saturday, as a federal crackdown looms.
Distributors and their landlords were told in late September to shut down in 45 days or face prosecution.
Some marijuana distributors filed for a temporary restraining order earlier this month.
California legalized medical marijuana in 1996, but use of the drug remains illegal under federal law.
US attorneys have said they are targeting large dispensary operators and growers, instead of individuals. For-profit sales are in violation of California’s state law.
It was reported that some outlets appear to have been targeted because they are near schools and parks.
Federal prosecutors say they are focusing on towns and cities that have already banned marijuana shops.
California, which permitted medical marijuana in a referendum in 1996, is by far the leader in the field, with some reports suggesting it has more dispensaries than Starbucks coffee houses
Matthew Kumin, a lawyer for the pro-marijuana group NORML, told reporters earlier this week that the federal government’s marijuana policies were not consistent.
“The government’s irrational policy has reached a breaking point,” Matthew Kumin said.
“The federal government said it will not prosecute patients, and yet they want to shut off their supply. This doesn’t make sense.”
The complaint, filed in four US district courts in California, says a federal crackdown contradicts an agreement from a previous court case.
In that case, the federal government said it would not use its own power against marijuana patients who were acting within the guidelines of state law.
Medical marijuana advocates also contend threatening to close down dispensaries is a violation of the 10th amendment to the US constitution.
However, federal officials say they are well within the law.
“Unless and until ordered otherwise, we will continue to do our duty in enforcing federal narcotics laws,” the US attorney for the Eastern District of California told the New York Times in a statement.
While the NORML suit is the second such filing in California, Matthew Kumin told the Los Angeles Times that only a few so-called pot collectives and landlords wanted to publicly fight.
“Everybody’s gone underground,” Kumin said.
Medical marijuana advocates in California say the drug is a key element of palliative care for patients with a range of conditions, including cancer, chronic pain, glaucoma and arthritis.
Elsewhere in the US, the District of Columbia and 15 additional states allow patients to possess marijuana with a doctor’s prescription.
But many fear the prescriptions are misused and the drug is in effect being made legally available to healthy recreational users.
The lower house of Italy’s parliament voted in favour of austerity measures package demanded by the EU and designed to restore markets’ confidence in the country’s economy.
Silvio Berlusconi has promised to resign as prime minister after the vote is passed.
A technocrat government led by ex-EU commissioner Mario Monti seems likely.
The Senate on Friday backed the plan, which includes a rise in VAT and the pension age, a fuel price hike and also the sale of state assets.
Following that vote, shares in most European markets rose 2-3%, and the interest rate paid on Italy’s 10-year bonds dropped.
International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde has welcomed the “significant progress” made in tackling the political crisis in Italy and Greece, where interim Prime Minister Lucas Papademos was sworn in at the head of a new cabinet on Friday.
“What we wanted at the IMF was political stability and a clear policy in both countries. I believe significant progress has been made,” Christine Lagarde said on Saturday during a visit to Tokyo.
Silvio Berlusconi, who survived a lost his parliamentary majority in a vote on Tuesday, promised to resign after the austerity measures are passed by both houses of parliament
Silvio Berlusconi, who survived a lost his parliamentary majority in a vote on Tuesday, promised to resign after the austerity measures are passed by both houses of parliament.
On Thursday, President Giorgio Napolitano – whose role is largely ceremonial – said he wished to “dispel any doubt or misunderstanding” on when the prime minister would fulfil his promise to resign.
Giorgio Napolitano could accept Silvio Berlusconi’s resignation as early as Saturday evening.
The president could then formally ask Mario Monti or another candidate to form a government of technocrats.
Italy’s leaders are desperate to signal that they can bring the country’s finances under control and they are moving fast.
Mario Monti, a well respected economist, is exactly the sort of man that the money markets would like to see take charge at this time of crisis.
The austerity package foresees 59.8 billion euros in savings from a mixture of spending cuts and tax rises, with the aim of balancing the budget by 2014.
Measures include:
* An increase in VAT, from 20% to 21%
* A freeze on public-sector salaries until 2014
* The retirement age for women in the private sector will gradually rise, from 60 in 2014 until it reaches 65 in 2026, the same age as for men
* Measures to fight tax evasion will be strengthened, including a limit of 2,500 euros on cash transactions
* There will be a special tax on the energy sector
On Wednesday, the interest rate on 10-year Italian government bonds touched 7%, the rate at which Greece, Ireland and Portugal were forced to seek bailouts from the EU.
An EU team has begun work in Rome, monitoring how Italy plans to cut its crushing debt burden, 120% of annual economic output (GDP).
The Italian economy has grown at an average of 0.75% a year over the past 15 years.
Millionairess widow Christine Ince was trying to find love again when she started dating younger Gambian man, Mustapha Jabbai.
Christine Ince, 59, spent a year getting to know Mustapha Jabbai, 36, before agreeing to marry him.
The woman, who is a mother of three, believed Mustapha Jabbai intentions were honourable because he had a permanent job in the UK and had never asked her about her wealth.
However, shortly after their second anniversary, Mustapha Jabbai walked out of her £850,000 five-bedroom detached home in the picturesque village of Tilbrook, near Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire.
Hours later, Christine Ince discovered their wedding certificate and other documents Mustapha Jabbai would need to stay in the UK were missing.
Mustapha Jabbai then filed for divorce and is demanding the millionairess pay him maintenance and a one-off separation payment and set him up with a pension.
Millionairess widow Christine Ince was trying to find love again when she started dating younger Gambian man, Mustapha Jabbai
In a witness statement for the divorce hearing, Christine Ince claims the marriage was a “sham” so “he could get an indefinite leave to remain visa”.
Christine Ince goes on to accuse Mustapha Jabbai of bigamy and claims the woman he introduced to her as his sister is actually his Gambian wife Yama Jabbai.
She believes Mustapha Jabbai walked out on her just after their two-year anniversary because he had spent long enough married to her to be granted the right to stay in Britain.
“At the time, I believed he cared for me,” Christine Ince said in her statement.
“I have been made ill by Mustapha’s betrayal of my trust, by his lies and deceit. I feel violated as if I have been raped.
“It is distressing for me to have lived with someone and to find out I actually know nothing about them.
“He has used me and my commitment to him to gain entry into the UK and [obtain] the legal right to stay here.”
Christine Ince, a former management accountant, married Bill Ince in 1977 in Chertsey, Surrey.
They went on to have three children – Elizabeth, now 31, Charlotte, 29, and Robert, 25.
Bill Ince, a joint-owner of a major tyre company, collapsed at their home in 2003 and died six weeks later, at the age of 63.
Christine Ince, a former management accountant, married Bill Ince in 1977 in Chertsey, Surrey
Christine Ince went on to have breast cancer but has since recovered. After a tough three years, friends persuaded her to sign up to popular dating website Plenty of Fish.
The widow met Mustapha Jabbai, who was working for PC World in Reading, on the site and the pair enjoyed a series of dates.
Christine Ince said: “Mustapha was different to all the other men I had met through the dating site.
“He didn’t try to get me into bed straight away and he didn’t ask me about how much money I had, which some men did.
“He wasn’t a stunning man by any means but he seemed kind and caring. I know there are guys around who see me as a target because of my wealth.
“So I checked Mustapha out in lots of ways and with lots of questions. But he never faltered and was so plausible.”
After a year the couple travelled to the city of Brikama in Gambia where they married in front of Mustapha Jabbai’s family and friends.
But when they returned to the UK, he began to demand money from his new wife, Christine Ince claims.
She also says she travelled to the visa office in Croydon where she paid £1,000 for his permanent visa.
During their two-year marriage, Christine Ince spent £30,000 on him which he has not repaid, she alleges.
“After he walked out, I realized what had happened and I felt so foolish and gullible,” Christine Ince said.
“But now I am angry because he is trying to get money from me through the divorce courts. It feels like I am on trial even though I’m the one that has been duped.”
Mustapha Jabbai left Christine Ince’s home in March 2010, saying he was going to the dentist. He never returned.
Two months before this, Mustapha Jabbai won the right to permanently stay in the UK.
Mustapha Jabbai, who now lives in Coventry, has denied the accusations in a letter sent by his legal firm Hammon Solicitors to Christine Ince.
The most recent statistics show that in 2008, 115 Gambians were granted citizenship after marrying UK nationals.
UK Immigration Minister Damian Green said: “We are considering requiring couples to complete a five-year probation to prove their marriage is genuine before they are eligible for settlement.
“We will always seek to revoke the settlement rights of any foreign national who has used deception to obtain it.”
Five people, a pilot and four tourists, died after a tour helicopter crashed into a mountain ridge on Molokai island, Hawaii.
According to authorities, the helicopter carrying the five people was on a tourist excursion of West Maui and Molokai when it went down near an elementary school Thursday.
Newlyweds Mike and Nicole Abel from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, were among those killed, WTAE.com reports.
The father of Nicole Abel, formerly Nicole Bevilacqua, reportedly told Hawaii News that his daughter was killed in the crash.
Hawaii News added that her husband, Mike Abel, was also killed.
On his Facebook page, design engineer Mike Abel had just updated his status to Married to Nicole Bevilacqua.
Mike and Nicole Abel, from Westmoreland County, got married on Saturday and both worked for electronics company Westinghouse.
The couple worked at the company’s headquarters in Cranberry.
Five people, a pilot and four tourists, died after a tour helicopter crashed into a mountain ridge on Molokai island, Hawaii
Westinghouse spokesman Vaughn Gilbert said:
“It’s a tragedy. Everyone within the Westinghouse community is heartbroken, and our hearts go out to their family.
“These were two very fine young people who just started their lives.”
Cranberry.patch.com reports that Nicole Abel’s father, Bruce Bevilacqua, of Murrysville, is a long-time Westinghouse executive.
Bruce Bevilacqua was named vice president of the company’s Americas region in April.
Company officials and employees learned of the newlyweds’ deaths earlier Friday.
Newlyweds Mike and Nicole Abel from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, were among those killed
Maui County spokesman Rod Antone said that firefighters recovered four bodies and the fifth was located under the wreckage.
Maui County identified the pilot as Nathan Cline, 30.
The other two tourists are a man and a woman from Ontario; their relationship is unknown.
The helicopter crash occurred about a quarter mile from Kilohana Elementary School, prompting teachers to keep the 71 students inside, Principal Richard Stevens said.
“We didn’t go on lockdown,” Richard Stevens said.
“The kids were never in any immediate danger.”
Maui police official Wayne K. Ibarra also confirmed the five deaths, the Associated Press reports.
There was no word on the cause of the crash but Wayne K. Ibarra said the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board were investigating.
Blue Hawaiian Helicopters owner David Chevalier said the passengers were two men and two women taking a 45-minute tour that departed from Kahului, on Maui.
He declined to release the pilot’s name because his wife had not yet been notified.
“We’re extremely grieved for our pilot as well as the passengers,” David Chevalier said.
“Something like this can’t be more devastating to us.”
The EC-130 chopper that crashed was less than a year old and was being leased from Nevada Helicopter Leasing LLC, David Chevalier said.
Molokai is a mostly rural island of about 7,000 people between Maui and Oahu, where world leaders have gathered this week for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Honolulu.
Helicopter tour companies advertise trips to Molokai to see the island’s sea cliffs and Hawaii’s tallest waterfall.
The remote Kalaupapa peninsula on Molokai is where Hawaii exiled leprosy patients between 1866 and 1969.
Tour helicopters have come under heavy scrutiny over their safety in recent years around the country, most recently after a deadly chopper crash in Manhattan last month.
Sinead O’Connor decided to quit Twitter after she said she was “getting too much abuse”.
Sinead O’Connor, 44, follows the decision of Ashton Kutcher, who despite his 8.2 million followers, closed his account after tweeting his support for ousted US college football coach Joe Paterno, embroiled in a sex abuse scandal.
The singer blamed fans for taking her controversial sex stories “too seriously”, but credited the experience as “very interesting’.
Sinead O’Connor said: “I’ve stopped Twitter now because, although it was fun for a while, I had to stop because I was getting too much abuse.”
She also told V Magazine at the 2011 Inspiration Gala for amFAR that the social networking site was becoming an “addiction”.
The singer said: “Some people just take things so seriously, and things I was being funny about they would take terribly seriously.
“Plus, it’s a bit of an addiction; you got to stop it at some point and get on with living.”
Sinead O’Connor decided to quit Twitter after she said she was “getting too much abuse”
After splitting from third husband Steve Cooney in March, Sinead O’Connor tweeted about her search for a new love interest.
Sinead O’Connor said she was “desperate for s**”.
She wrote: “Must announce boyfriend search very much still on.
“If any1 wants a suicidal tourettes ridden fat ugly lunatic with a big fat flappy *****.”
Sinead O’Connor has since claimed that writing these articles was an interesting experience and: “I got the feeling that it was 50/50.
“Half the country was amused because it was funny, and they other half were very serious and just took it terrible seriously.
“So there was a fair bit of abuse and I thought, wait, it’s actually okay for me to be me, we can all be whoever we are.”
It also inspired her to write a new song for the record and change the title to How About I Be Me, And You Be You.
Sinead O’Connor also sparked fears in September after tweeting about her urge to commit suicide.
She later defended her outbursts, saying: “There is no shame in feeling suicidal. Nor in anyone knowing that wave passes over you sometimes.
“No one should be judged badly for however it is they choose to make their cry of help.”
Tesco announced ending of its support for the Cancer Research “Race for Life” while deciding to sponsor UK’s largest gay festival, Pride London.
Tesco has triggered outrage after its decision and some religious commentators and groups have condemned its action and are calling for a boycott of the supermarket chain.
The chain has worked with Cancer Research for more than ten years, raising hundreds of millions of pounds to help combat an illness that will affect one in three of the population.
Tesco’s main contribution was support for the annual fundraising Race for Life, the Britain’s largest women-only charity event, which has raised more than £400 million ($600 million) for the fight against cancer since it began in 1994.
Shortly after Tesco announced the partnership would end, the firm said it would be a headline sponsor of Pride London.
Pride London is UK’s largest gay pride event, and will be adding a second day next year when it hosts the global WorldPride 2012 festival in July.
Tesco’s chief executive of retailing services, Andrew Higginson, said: “Our <<Out at Tesco>> team will be working closely with Pride London to ensure next year’s event is even more fun.”
Francis Phillips, a commentator at The Catholic Herald, condemned the shift, saying: “Tesco is a supermarket.
“Its remit has been to sell good-quality food and other items at very reasonable prices, and in this it has been hugely successful.
“Why has it now aligned itself with an aggressive political organization such as Pride London?
“Why has it given up its sponsorship of Cancer Research? Or at least…why hasn’t it taken up with another mainstream charity such as the British Legion or Age UK?
“There are thousands of ex-servicemen and wounded soldiers needing help in this country, and millions of elderly people in danger of neglect.
“They are a fundamental part of the fabric of our society – the kind of fabric that Tesco should be reflecting.”
Tesco announced ending of its support for the Cancer Research "Race for Life" while deciding to sponsor UK’s largest gay festival, Pride Londono
David Skinner from the Anglican Mainstream organization, which supports traditional marriage and family life, has written to complain to Andrew Higginson and Tesco chief executive Philip Clarke.
David Skinner wrote: “For Tesco to sponsor a tiny homosexual minority – according to the Office for National Statistics, that amounts to little more than 1% of the population – will be showing the utmost contempt for a large proportion of British society that still adheres, more or less, to the morality and values of the Ten Commandments.”
Both Francis Phillips and David Skinner are calling on consumers to boycott Tesco.
“Let’s send Tesco a message: stick to groceries and stop dabbling in dubious fringe political movements,” said Francis Phillips.
Catholic campaign website Protect the Pope said Tesco’s decision was “a sign of how out of touch they have become from ordinary families”.
Cancer Research UK, which gave no sign of disappointment about losing Tesco’s support, is looking for a new partner for the Race for Life.
Emma Gilbert, who organizes the event, said the partnership “came to a natural end” for both parties.
“Tesco employees have taken part in events across the UK, raising over £7 million [$10 million] for our life-saving research, and we hope they will continue to take part in the events.”
Tesco said it was in talks with Cancer Research UK to support its work in other ways and would encourage staff to continue taking part in the Race for Life.
A spokesman said the decision to drop its support “is not connected to our £30,000 [$45,000] sponsorship for Pride, which is one of hundreds of community and charitable events that we will be supporting next year”.
Pride London chairman Paul Birrell said: “Whilst Pride is organized entirely by volunteers, it costs in excess of £800,000 [$1.2 million] to run each year.
“We are proud that Pride London remains a free event, but this is only possible because of companies like Tesco and their generous support.”
Paul Birell added that Tesco’s contribution would be used to run an entertainment area for families and children at next year’s festival.
At least 21 people have been hospitalized with injuries and more than 150 have been arrested during violent clashes that took place in the Polish capital Warsaw yesterday on country’s Independence Day.
Marches by far-right nationalists have been growing in size on the national holiday, with left-wing activists turning out to oppose them.
Police used water cannon and pepper spray to bring the situation under control.
They responded after right-wing marchers, many with scarves hiding their faces, began pelting them with stones, bottles and flares, national police spokesman Mariusz Sokolowski said.
The police were attempting to keep the nationalist and leftist demonstrators apart.
At least 21 people have been hospitalized with injuries and more than 150 have been arrested during violent clashes that took place in the Polish capital Warsaw
A police plan to keep hostile marches from one another was successful, he said, but “thugs and hooligans joined the marches to target police”.
Nine police officers were injured, including three who were hospitalized with serious injuries, according to Mr Sokolowski.
Rightist demonstrators later set fire to a television van covering the unrest.
Earlier in the day, leftist demonstrators chanting “Fascism will not pass” attacked police as they tried to stop them blocking a major Warsaw thoroughfare, down which the nationalist march was due to pass, Mariusz Sokolowski said.
For weeks, a coalition of leftists, anarchists, pro-abortionists, Greens and gay-rights activists had been publicising plans to block the Independence March being organized by nationalist youth groups All-Polish Youth and the National Radical Camp, Reuters news agency reported.
A spokesman for Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he vowed to make sure those arrested for attacking police were severely punished.
Under Polish law, an assault on a law-enforcement officer carries a maximum three-year jail sentence.
This year the marches were seen as a major test of the country’s security capabilities before the Euro 2012 football championship, which Poland will co-host with Ukraine next summer, the Associated Press reports.
The 11 November celebration marks the day in 1918 when Poland regained its independence, 123 years after it was divided between Russia, Prussia and the Austrian Empire.
Speaking at an official Independence Day ceremony earlier, President Bronislaw Komorowski had urged Poles to “celebrate this patriotic occasion together, not against one another”.
President Komorowski honoured fallen veterans by laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during state ceremonies.
Washington authorities are investigating a report that gunshots were fired near the White House on Friday.
An AK-47 assault rifle was recovered and several streets were shut down.
At least one suspect was still at large, NBC Washington reported.
Secret Service spokesman Edwin Donovan said two cars were seen leaving the area.
Edwin Donovan also said witnesses heard shots and saw the cars racing on Constitution Avenue toward 17th Street.
One of the vehicles was abandoned at 23rd and Constitution.
Washington authorities are investigating a report that gunshots were fired near the White House on Friday
Police lost sight of one vehicle but they caught up with a possibly stolen Honda sedan near the Roosevelt Bridge, NBC Washington said.
Edwin Donovan said witnesses saw the driver get out and run across the Roosevelt Bridge toward Arlington, Virginia.
Sgt. David Schlosser of the U.S. Park Police said the agency received a report of shots fired near 16th Street and Constitution Avenue, between the White House and the Washington Monument, at about 9.30pm.
David Schlosser added that the White House did not appear to have been the focus of the incident.
President Barack Obama was in San Diego, California, at the time of the incident on his way to the APEC summit in Honolulu.
David Laffer, the killer of four people inside a quiet New York pharmacy during a drug robbery was sentenced Thursday to a series of life terms without parole.
Melinda Brady, his wife, who drove the getaway car, received 25 years in prison.
David Laffer pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the June holdup at Haven Drugs in Medford, perhaps the most egregious case in a wave of U.S. pharmacy robberies.
David Laffer said he committed the robbery because he had lost his job, and his wife required not only painkillers but also blood pressure medicine, anti-nausea pills and muscle relaxants.
The murderer jammed a backpack full of pills after killing the four.
The victim-impact statements were so emotional that even hardened homicide officers fought back tears as they watched, but David Laffer showed no emotion.
David Laffer pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the June holdup at Haven Drugs in Medford
Mary Moran, the grandmother of victim Jamie Taccetta, said: “He is a dark, hell-bound soul. He is a coward. He has no soul.”
Later, Mary Moran looked at David Laffer and said: “Burn in hell.”
Laura Bustamonte, the daughter of victim 71-year-old victim Bryon Sheffield, looked directly at David Laffer and said: “You had a gun and you didn’t care who or how many people had to die for your mission to be accomplished.”
David Laffer, having his hands cuffed behind his back, sounded sober and straightforward as he read a statement from a paper held by his lawyer.
He said: “I know that it doesn’t begin to explain or excuse my horrific actions that day.
“However, if a discussion and recognition of prescription pill abuse and doctor-shopping will be generated among the public, then maybe something beneficial can come from this.”
The killer said of the victims’ families: “To ask for forgiveness from them would be a selfish act.”
Melinda Brady had pleaded guilty to robbery charges and was sentenced Thursday to 25 years.
Prosecutors said they could not prove that Melinda Brady was aware in advance that her husband planned the killings and, thus, could not charge her with murder.
Melinda Brady, who cried throughout the proceeding, said: “I am so sorry for the loss of your loved ones. That awful day will haunt me for the rest of my life.”
Melinda Brady had pleaded guilty to robbery charges and was sentenced Thursday to 25 years
Judge James Hudson responded: “You’re more sorry for yourself than for the victims.”
Daniel Taccetta, one of the victim’s brother, said Melinda Brady was getting away with murder. “She is just as guilty as he is,” he said.
“You are both cowards for what you did to my family,” said Tricia Taccetta, Jamie Taccetta’s mother.
Judge James Hudson later told David Laffer: “I promised you when you pled guilty that you could not hope for mercy and I will not disappoint you. You merit only the scorn of this community, your victim’s families and this court.”
Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota called the killings among the most gruesome in the history of the county, which in 1974 was the scene of the “Amityville Horror” slayings in which a man killed six members of his own family.
Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney James Chalifoux said Thursday: “We as a society look at it and see that it could have been anybody. It could have been me. It could have been my children, or it could have been me or my wife.”
David Laffer, a 33-year-old Army veteran, walked into Haven Drugs shortly after 10:00 a.m. on June 19 and opened fire without announcing a robbery, killing 45-year-old pharmacist Raymond Ferguson, who was filling in for a colleague celebrating Father’s Day.
The killer then shot 17-year-old clerk Jennifer Mejia, who was due to graduate high school days later.
David Laffer then fatally shot two customers who unwittingly walked in on the carnage, authorities said.
One was Bryon Sheffield, a 71-year-old retiree picking up medication for his ailing wife; the couple was planning their 50th wedding anniversary in July.
The other, Jamie Taccetta, was a 33-year-old mother of two who was planning her wedding.
David Laffer walked into Haven Drugs shortly after 10:00 a.m. on June 19 and opened fire without announcing a robbery, killing four people
Store surveillance video showed David Laffer disguised in a scruffy beard augmented by mascara, firing at the victims.
The first shot came from a .45-caliber handgun hidden in David Laffer’s backpack. The bullet struck pharmacist Raymond Ferguson, behind the counter. He then found Jennifer Mejia, and shot her.
As he began filling a backpack with pills, Bryon Sheffield and Jamie Taccetta walked into the store and he sneaked up behind them and fired shots into their heads. He then fled with thousands of pills.
David Laffer has since said in a jailhouse interview that the first shot went off accidentally and when he realized what happened, he killed the others.
Prosecutors say David Laffer and his wife staked out several pharmacies before settling on Haven Drugs, a tiny family-owned business on an out-of-the-way suburban street.
Investigators said they found parts of the disassembled weapon used in the holdup, as well as at least 2,000 hydrocodone-type pills in the couple’s home, which is not far from the pharmacy.
Other evidence, including the backpack and empty medicine bottles, were believed tossed out in trash bins behind businesses in the area.
A shirt David Laffer was seen wearing was found buried in his yard.
David Laffer was sentenced to five consecutive life terms. The five first-degree counts reflect the deaths of the four victims in the pharmacy, plus an umbrella charge for multiple murders.
In addition, Judge James Hudson said he would push that David Laffer serve his sentence in solitary confinement, with no privileges.
David Laffer has said he expects he will be killed in prison.
“I’m not even under any illusions that I’d make it 15 years,” David Laffer told Newsday in a September interview.
A ten-year-old girl from Mexico gave birth to a baby boy, according to reports.
The girl arrived at a hospital in the city of Puebla, suffering from life-threatening complications in her 31-week pregnancy, including seizures.
The 10-year-old girl gave birth by Caesarean section to a boy weighing 3.3 lb (1,500 g) at the Women’s Hospital in the city, 60 miles south-east of Mexico City.
A ten-year-old girl from Mexico gave birth to a baby boy
The premature baby is now said to be in intensive care following a bout of pneumonia, but officials said his young mother visits her son every day to breastfeed, according to the New York Daily News.
The newspaper said the hospital revealed the baby boy is in a good condition considering his premature birth and the mother is recovering well after first coming to the centre on October 22.
However, hospital director Rogelio Gonzalez told UpFrontNewswire that the birth had been reported to the state’s Attorney General’s Office, which is investigating whether the girl could have been raped and who the father is.
Mexican state laws prevent young mothers having abortions unless they can prove they were the victim of sexual assault.
The legal age of consent is 12 and women who have abortions in Puebla face a fine or prison sentence if they are unable to prove they were sexually abused. However, the laws are currently under review.
The shocking case is not the first of a young girl giving birth in Mexico.
In August 2010, an 11-year-old known only as Amalia had a child two weeks prematurely after being raped repeatedly by her stepfather when she was 10 years old.
When the girl’s mother discovered her daughter was pregnant, she had a nervous breakdown and demanded to know how it happened, said local aid workers.
Amalia told her mother she had been raped by her stepfather and the attack was immediately reported to the police.
The city of Cancun had passed a law banning most elective abortions, but women’s rights groups claimed the girl wasn’t told by doctors that the new legislation allowed for rape victims to have abortions.
And in 1999, a 13-year-old rape victim in the state of Baja California became a cause celebre after medical authorities refused to give her the abortion she was entitled to by law. She later gave birth to the child.
The girl, Paulina Ramirez, brought her case to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in 2002, drawing international attention and sparking a high-profile campaign seeking reparations from the Mexican government.
The Mexican government later agreed to pay her more than $30,000.
800 endangered Powelliphanta giant land snails, were accidentally frozen to death by conservationists in New Zealand.
The giant land snails from a rare species, rescued from an area earmarked for coal mining, were kept in a temperature-controlled room run by the Department of Conservation (DoC).
However, a faulty gauge sent temperatures plunging below freezing.
The conservationists have blamed a technical glitch after the 800 Powelliphanta snails were frozen to death.
Staff at the DoC’s West Coast Conservancy in Hokitika are said to have been “very upset”.
800 endangered Powelliphanta giant land snails, were accidentally frozen to death by conservationists in New Zealand
The Powelliphanta giant land snails were among 6,000 taken from the Stockton Plateau on South Island several years ago to make way for coal mining, New Zealand media reported.
About 4,000 of those have been relocated to new habitats.
John Lyall, the conservancy’s technical support manager, said a temperature probe in one of three containers had failed, making the room colder than the snails could stand.
He also said the incident had been “very upsetting” for staff, who were committed to the care of the snails.
“We organized to have the probe replaced as soon as we noticed the problem,” John Lyall told local media.
“And we’ve instituted a more regular set of monitoring checks and are currently organizing to install an alert system.”
John Lyall said 360 eggs had been hatched in the past year and they were confident the breeding programme would recover.
Some environmentalists said the accident demonstrated what happened when development was allowed to displace wildlife from its natural habitat.
“First, their natural home was destroyed for a coalmine on Stockton Plateau, and now they’ve died in captivity,” said Nicola Vallance of New Zealand’s Forest and Bird organization.
“This tragedy was entirely avoidable.
“Keeping our wildlife in fridges is obviously not how New Zealanders would like to care for native animals found nowhere else in the world.
“It’s a sad fact that this has been the best option for them because moving them back to the wild in other parts of the West Coast has not worked,” Nicola Vallance added.
