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Occupy Oakland: police fired tear gas into the crowd, as 97 protesters have been arrested.

Diane A. Wade
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Occupy Oakland: police fired tear gas into the crowd, as 97 protesters have been arrested.

Real battles took place last night between police and Occupy Oakland protesters after officers fired tear gas into a crowd trying to reclaim an encampment.

Police had cleared the site of Occupy Oakland protesters around 12 hours earlier in a dawn raid where at least 97 people were arrested.

Authorities gave repeated warnings to protesters to disperse from the entrance to Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland before firing tear gas canisters into the crowd at 7:45 p.m. on Tuesday evening. Police officers reported that some protesters had been throwing rocks.

One woman in a wheelchair at Occupy Oakland protests was struggling to breathe and had to be helped away as police fired tear gas into the crowd
One woman in a wheelchair at Occupy Oakland protests was struggling to breathe and had to be helped away as police fired tear gas into the crowd

 

Police officers had announced on Tuesday night over a loudspeaker that Occupy Oakland protesters who refused to leave could be targeted by “chemical agents”.

It was reported that one woman in a wheelchair, who was struggling to breathe, had to be helped away by friends while another woman, hit by a canister, was carried off.

One of the protesters, Jerry Smith, 35, said a tear gas canister had rolled to his feet and sprayed him directly in the face.

“I got the feeling they meant business, but people were not going to be intimidated. We can do this peacefully, but still not back down.”

Demonstrators were trying to make good on a vow to retake an encampment that Occupy Oakland activists had remained in for 15 days, until police evicted them early on Tuesday.

Yesterday evening demonstration started around 5:00 p.m., when about 400 people began marching from a public library toward the plaza which police had surrounded.

Some of the Occupy Oakland demonstrators threw turquoise and red paint at the riot police officers’ faces and helmets while others pleaded for a peaceful protest.

Police was denying reports that officers used flash bang canisters to help break up the crowd, saying the loud noises came from firecrackers thrown at police by protesters.

The number of people protesting was diminished with each round of tear gas. Authorities estimated that there were roughly 1,000 demonstrators at the first clash following the march.

In the end, about 200 remained around 11:15 p.m. on Tuesday night, mostly young adults, some riding bicycles, protecting themselves from the noxious fumes with bandanas and scarves wrapped around their faces.

According to police, two officers were injured and 97 people were arrested in the Tuesday morning raid on the camp.

Last week, city staff warned the protesters that they might have to shut down the site, where camping and cooking is exacerbating an existing rat problem in the centre.

The situation has been aggravated by the extra food and people in the area according to Oakland officials.

Oakland city staff warned Occupy protesters that they might have to shut down the site, because camping and cooking is exacerbating an existing rat problem
Oakland city staff warned Occupy protesters that they might have to shut down the site, because camping and cooking is exacerbating an existing rat problem

In the same time, Occupy Wall Street protesters in New York have been treated to gourmet restaurant meals and organic take-away food, but conditions in the Oakland camp are thought to have become unsavoury as the tented town became semi-permanent.

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan said in a statement:

“Over the last week it was apparent that neither the demonstrators nor the city could maintain safe or sanitary conditions, or control the ongoing vandalism.”

Once the site was cleaned, it is expected to be reopened and Occupy Oakland demonstrators will be free to use it for daytime demonstrations.

Swallowable Parfum, the capsule which delivers perfume into the body.

Lisa.Felice
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Swallowable Parfum, the capsule which delivers perfume into the body.

A new capsule called Swallowable Parfum promises to deliver perfume directly into the body, turning the skin into an “atomizer”.

Swallowable Parfum, which is currently in its development phase, is said to work with the natural processes of metabolism, releasing fragrant molecules through the skin’s surface during perspiration.

The pill creator, a Netherlands-based Australian artist Lucy McCrae claims that Swallowable Parfum can turn perspiration into a fragrance and because we are all genetically unique, our scented sweat will take on an individual characteristic, too.

Swallowable Parfum is a bio-genetic discovery that comes in a capsule and makes your sweat fragrant
Swallowable Parfum is a bio-genetic discovery that comes in a capsule and makes your sweat fragrant

Lucy McRae is an internationally appraised body-architect, inventor and ballerina who has always focused her work on powerful, primal transformations of the human body with surprising, innovative and grotesque results.

Swallowable Parfum is a bio-genetic discovery that comes in a capsule and makes your sweat fragrant. The more you sweat, the more scented you’ll be while you’ll be perspiring a genetically unique fragrance.

Lucy McCrae writes on her site: “Swallowable Parfum is a digestible scented capsule that emits a unique odor through your own perspiration.”

Lucy McCrae is teaming up with synthetic biologist Sheref Mansy and they hope the pill will create a “biologically enhanced second skin synthesized directly from the natural processes of the body”.

Swallowable Parfum is a potential solution to odour issues or simply for those who are too lazy to squirt a spritz of perfume each morning.

Swallowable Parfum pill comes on the heels of a new “perfume candy” that mimicks the staying power of garlic, replacing its antisocial breath odour with something altogether more attractive.

Meanwhile, research is underway for a pill that will provide SPF, negating the need for suncream, and tablets to counteract grey hair are slated to be launched by L’Oreal in 2015.

Swallowable Parfum tablets are still very much on the drawing board, with no product launch date yet planned.

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Halloween Dog Parade at Tompkins Square Park.

Diane A. Wade
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Halloween Dog Parade at Tompkins Square Park.

This year, Halloween is celebrated even by dogs participating into a parade at Tompkins Square Park.

Dogs of all breeds sent tongues and tails wagging as they took part in the 2011 Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade in New York on Saturday.

Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade, Lady Gaga
Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade, Lady Gaga

Around 500 very patient pooches were dressed with inventive and hilarious costumes, including a stegosaurus, Don Draper from Mad Men and a bride.

Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade is the largest Halloween Dog Parade in the U.S.

One of the participants into masquerading dogs parade was dressed up like Lady Gaga from the 2009 VMAs won a prize for being best dressed.

Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade, Black Swan
Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade, Black Swan

But the top dog gong of Best in Show went to a canine disguised as an M23 New York bus, fully equipped with its very own passenger, the owner’s child.

The proceeds raised during Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade go to the oldest dog run in New York City.

Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade, New York City
Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade, New York City

 

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Halloween lights house of Sunshine State, California.

Diane A. Wade
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Halloween lights house of Sunshine State, California.

Each year, before Halloween, a house from Sunshine State, California is covered by its owner with a series of lights that flash spooky faces which in turn sing classic songs with a Halloween twist.

A video which shows the Sunshine State house prepared for Halloween has become an internet sensation and has already amassed over 690,000 views on YouTube.

The Halloween house owners use tombstones, hand carved pumpkins, strobes, floods and thousands of lights to create an incredible light show set to the tunes of the LMFAO hit pop song Party Rock Anthem.

The Halloween house owners use tombstones, hand carved pumpkins, strobes, floods and thousands of lights to create an incredible light show set to the tunes of the LMFAO hit pop song Party Rock Anthem
The Halloween house owners use tombstones, hand carved pumpkins, strobes, floods and thousands of lights to create an incredible light show set to the tunes of the LMFAO hit pop song Party Rock Anthem

Furthermore, it features four large, moving pumpkin faces on the top level that has given wowed audiences a singing light performance for the past three years.

Last year, the house owner decked his home in the same lights to create an entertaining version of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”.

In the previous years the owner has made videos set in time to Ghostbusters, Beetlejuice and Bobby Boris Pickett’s “Monster Mash”.

The house was also decorated for Halloween with four singing pumpkin faces, tombstones, hand carved pumpkins, strobes, floods and thousands of lights it really is quite a sight – with not an inflatable snowman anywhere to be seen.

The creator comments on YouTube were: “Most all lights have been changed from incandescent to RGB LED so power consumption is a lot less than previous years.

“All lights, faces and props are custom made (DIY) by me except for the roof line which are CCRs. Controlling channels have gone up 8X from last year. 1144 channels. Light-O-Rama.”

The house yard lawn is also littered with pumpkins and other decorations that add to the show.

A survey has revealed today that Halloween is now the second most popular family occasion behind Christmas with parents spending more than $150 on parties for their children this year.

The survey results show that Halloween came in ahead of other traditional family occasions including Easter, Bonfire Night and even beat childrens’ birthday parties.

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Students from Ohio University launch campaign against racist Halloween costumes.

Diane A. Wade
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Students from Ohio University launch campaign against racist Halloween costumes.

Halloween, the annual holiday observed on October 31, is a time for activities as trick-or-treating, carving jack-o’-lanterns and attending costume parties.

A group of college students from Ohio University are taking a stand against some costumes which, they say, can cause hurt and humiliation to people from minority ethnic groups.

The group from Ohio University, Students Teaching Against Racism in Society has created a poster campaign to highlight the racial stereotyping all too common in Halloween party costumes.

Students Teaching Against Racism in Society has created a poster campaign to highlight the racial stereotyping all too common in Halloween party costumes
Students Teaching Against Racism in Society has created a poster campaign to highlight the racial stereotyping all too common in Halloween party costumes

“We’re a culture, not a costume” campaign shows images of people of different ethnic groups holding up images partygoers whose costumes they say lampoon their cultures.

All posters read above each image: “This is not who I am, and this is not okay.”

The campaign has provoked an online row over whether the costumes are actually racist, or whether they are just in good fun.

One blogger who wrote about the posters two days ago had to disable comments on her website after she got 3,000 views and comments from “rude, racist people”.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind blog wrote of the campaign:

“These posters act as a public service announcement for colored [sic] communities.

“It’s about respect, human dignity, and the acceptance of other cultures (these posters simply ask people to think before they choose their Halloween costume).

“What these costumes have in common is that they make caricatures out of cultures, and that is simply not okay.”

One poster shows a Native American man holding a picture of two women with paint on their faces and feathers in their hair holding a sign reading: “Me wantum piece [sic]… not war.”

Other poster shows an Asian American woman holding up a picture of a woman dressed as a Japanese geisha girl, with silk kimono and heavy white foundation.

Another poster shows a young Arab-American man holding up an image of a Halloween reveller wearing Arabic dress and a suicide bombers vest.

Comments on the Huffington Post website, where the story has also been reported, were split over whether the costumes could be judged offensive.

Many people could see nothing wrong with dressing according to racial stereotypes.

One person wrote on the site: “People need to get a sense of humour, and quit taking everything so seriously.

“If I can’t dress like a bandito then nobody can dress like a ghost because I don’t have a tan and I find it offensive.”

Robin Gibb missed David Cameron meeting due to his health problems.

Lisa.Felice
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Robin Gibb missed David Cameron meeting due to his health problems.

Robin Gibb, the Bee Gees star, was forced to miss a meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron due to his health status.

Robin Gibb, 61, spent four days in hospital earlier this month suffering from inflammation of the colon.

The Bee Gees singer twin brother, Maurice, died of an intestinal illness in 2003.

Robin Gibb had been due to launch this year’s official Poppy Appeal song at 10 Downing Street, but a close friend said he was too ill to attend.

But he later appeared on ITV’s Alan Titchmarsh Show, where he made no mention of his health problems.

Robin Gibb spent four days in hospital earlier this month suffering from inflammation of the colon
Robin Gibb spent four days in hospital earlier this month suffering from inflammation of the colon

However, he apologized on camera to the Prime Minister David Cameron for missing their meeting.

“Robin’s not well. He didn’t feel well enough to meet Mr Cameron and stayed at home for the morning,” said a source close to Robin Gibb.

“But by the afternoon, he felt well enough to go on the Titchmarsh show.”

Robin Gibb was taken to Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford on October 13, after suffering severe stomach pains at his home in Thame, Oxfordshire.

“This is what did it for his brother Maurice – but what is different is his condition was left for a long time and Robin’s has not been,” Robin Gibb’s manager said.

Robin Gibb was only discharged from hospital a week ago, but was determined to get back to work as he promoted his new charity single.

However, as the singer arrived at the ITV studios, it was clear his recent illness has taken its toll.

The Bee Gees band: Robin Gibb (right) and his brothers, Barry (left) and Maurice
The Bee Gees band: Robin Gibb (right) and his brothers, Barry (left) and Maurice

 

Robin Gibb had obviously lost a lot of weight and looked frail and gaunt as he turned up to promote his single with The Soldiers, I’ve Gotta Get A Message To You.

Robin Gibb’s wife Dwina had called the emergency services after he was “taken short with pains” at their mansion in Thame.

After this incident, Robin Gibb, who is estimated to be worth £110 million ($170 million), had to pull out of a BBC Songs of Praise concert.

The singer is said to be an ardent tee-totaller and vegan.

Robin Gibb’s manager explained: “Obviously it is a worry. This is what did it for his brother Maurice – but what is different is his condition was left for a long time and Robin’s has not been.

“Our concern is that it keeps recurring but he is determined to get better and we just hope things will be OK. Robin just wants to get back to work.”

In 2010, Robin Gibb had emergency abdominal surgery to remove part of his intestine after suffering excruciating pain at a concert in Belgium.

Afterwards it was revealed that if Robin Gibb’s condition had not been dealt with so promptly he could have been dead “in two hours”.

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DWTS: Maksim Chmerkovskiy’s outburst on Len Goodman.

Lisa.Felice
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DWTS: Maksim Chmerkovskiy’s outburst on Len Goodman.

Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Hope Solo’s partner at Dancing With The Stars show got into a blazing row with judge Len Goodman following the couple’s Rumba to “Seasons Of Love” from the Broadway Musical Rent.

Maksim Chmerkovskiy, 31, lost his nerve with Len Goodman, 67, after he dubbed the pair’s performance as “the worst of the whole season”.

The retort ended up in a back and forth between the two men.

“Let me tell you, Maks, the audience likes the effect,” said Len Goodman.

“I’ve been in this business for nearly 50 years.”

Maksim Chmerkovskiy got into a blazing row with judge Len Goodman following the couple's Rumba to “Seasons Of Love” from the Broadway Musical Rent
Maksim Chmerkovskiy got into a blazing row with judge Len Goodman following the couple's Rumba to “Seasons Of Love” from the Broadway Musical Rent

 

And Maksim Chmerkovskiy replied: “Maybe it’s time to go.”

The fellow judge Carrie Ann Inaba yelled at Maksim Chmerkovskiy:

“Don’t be disrespectful like that.”

Judge Len Goodman arguing back and forth with Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Judge Len Goodman arguing back and forth with Maksim Chmerkovskiy

But Maksim Chmerkovskiy could not be silenced, and even after Bruno Tonioli attempted to calm the situation, he continued his wrath:

“Everybody on that balcony has been dying and killing themselves only to hear your guy’s a little judgmental comments.”

“I am not being disrespectful, I’m protecting my partner.”

Then, Maksim Chmerkovskiy continued his protests to host Brooke Burke:

“With all due respect, this is my show.”

“I help make it what it is.

“I love every aspect of it, I love every professional that’s ever been here and I love every celebrity that puts effort into every week.

“Having said that, I’m a little tired that we’re being judged, some on effort and some being picked on, on heel leads!”

In the end, Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Hope Solo scored 20 points for their performance.

But they were not the couple with the lowest score.

Chaz Bono and his partner Lacey Schwimmer were given the lowest points of the night, just 19.

After he succeeded with samba which kept him in the competition last week, Chaz Bono failed with his tango to theme song from Phantom Of The Opera.

Cheered on by girlfriend Jenny Elia from the crowd, Chaz Bono emerged on the floor in the famous white mask and tuxedo combination.

This time the judges thought the transsexual contestant looked out of place.

“This character didn’t fit you,” said Bruno Tonioli.

“At week 6, I want to see a little more content,” fellow judge Carrie Ann added.

Baby Azra, a 14-day-old girl rescued from the rubble after 47 hours in Turkey.

Diane A. Wade
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Baby Azra, a 14-day-old girl rescued from the rubble after 47 hours in Turkey.

Little Azra, a two weeks old baby girl, has been rescued this morning from the shattered ruins of a building in the city of Ercis, after she miraculously lived more than 47 hours trapped.

Baby Azra was found naked in the rubble, making her survival all the more remarkable because of the freezing temperatures in the region.

Azra was immediately rushed to a medical unit.

Little Azra, a two weeks old baby girl, has been rescued this morning from the shattered ruins of a building in the city of Ercis, after she miraculously lived more than 47 hours trapped
Little Azra, a two weeks old baby girl, has been rescued this morning from the shattered ruins of a building in the city of Ercis, after she miraculously lived more than 47 hours trapped

Thousands of people spent a second night under tents, in cars or huddled round small fires in towns affected by the massive earthquake that hit eastern Turkey on Sunday.

The earthquake death toll has risen to 366 overnight, and hundreds more are still missing after the quake and more than 200 aftershocks.

The town of Ercis and the provincial capital Van are by far the most affected areas after the 7.2 magnitude earthquake.

Seven people were rescued overnight.

Mesut Ozan Yilmaz, 18, who survived for 32 hours under the rubble of a tea house where he had been passing time with friends, said it seemed like the end of the world.

“It was like the judgment day.”

Mesut Ozan Yilmaz told CNN Turk how he survived by diving under a table.

“The space we had was so narrow. People were fighting for more space to survive. I rested my head on a dead man’s foot. I know I would be dead now if I had let myself go psychologically.”

Crowds of residents gathered around collapsed buildings in the city, falling into silence as each person strained to hear even the faintest signs of life under the crumbled concrete and twisted steel.

According to Disaster and Emergency Administration, 1,301 people had been injured and 2,262 buildings had collapsed.

Up to now, the Turkish Red Crescent distributed up to 13,000 tents, and was preparing to provide temporary shelter for about 40,000 people, although there were no reliable estimates of the number of people left destitute.

Ahmet Arikes, 60, from Amik, a village outside Van that was reduced to rubble, said:

“We were sent 25 tents for 150 homes. Everybody is waiting outside, we’ve got small children, we’ve got nothing left.”

Soon after, the Turkish Red Crescent announced that 12,000 more tents would be delivered to Van today.

Van, usually a vibrant city with a large population, resembled a ghost town with no lights in the streets or buildings.

In Ercis, thousands of people, mostly men, paced the streets, stopping to look at the destruction or whenever there was some commotion at a rescue operation site.

Turkey earthquake updates: death toll has risen to 366 overnight.

Diane A. Wade
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Turkey earthquake updates: death toll has risen to 366 overnight.

At least 366 people are now known to have died and over 1,300 injured after the Sunday’s deadly earthquake in the eastern Turkey.

Turkish government said 12,000 more tents would be delivered to the cities of Ercis and Van and also to nearby villages affected by the 7.2-magnitude earthquake.

The government has been accused of failing to help some of the most needy people, who spent the second night in freezing conditions without heating and tents.

 

At least 366 people are now known to have died and over 1,300 injured after the Sunday's deadly earthquake in the eastern Turkey
At least 366 people are now known to have died and over 1,300 injured after the Sunday's deadly earthquake in the eastern Turkey

 

On Tuesday, the Disaster and Emergency Administration said that more than 2,000 houses collapsed due to the quake.

Rescue teams with sniffer dogs continued through the night to search for survivors under the rubble of hundreds of collapsed buildings.

Cranes and other heavy equipment have been lifting slabs of concrete, and many residents have been joining in the rescue effort, digging with shovels.

It was reported that hopes of finding more survivors are fading, with no-one being pulled alive in the last seven to eight hours.

In one building there are fears that up to 50 are missing – buried under the rubble.

Authorities are now warning that the death toll is expected to rise further.

Besir Atalay,Turkish Deputy Prime Minister, who is in charge of the relief operation, said late on Monday that “from today there will be nothing our people lack”.

Authorities were also setting up more field hospitals and kitchens to help the thousands left homeless or too afraid to return to their homes amid continuing aftershocks.

However, survivors complained that not enough help was reaching them.

“We spent the night under freezing temperature. We shivered all night long, nobody provided us any blankets or heaters, we don’t even have a toilet,” one woman said.

“People are getting sick. It is very dirty here.”

A resident of Van said that even tents were in short supply.

“All the nylon tents are on the black market now,” Ibrahim Baydar, a 40-year-old tradesman from Van.

“We cannot find any. People are queuing for them. No tents were given to us whatsoever.”

Opposition politicians earlier decried what they called “a lack of crisis management”, saying that many people still lacked food, heating and tents.

Opposition also said Ankara was wrong to refuse offers of foreign aid.

The 75,000 population of Ercis town, which has been the worst hit, has dozens of collapsed buildings.

Most of those destroyed buildings in Ercis are apartment blocks with dozens of people missing at each site.

Ercis and Van, about 100km (60 miles) to the south, lie on a high plateau surrounded by snow-capped mountains.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s office visited the area on Sunday and said many villages made of mud brick had been almost completely destroyed.

Hurriyet Daily News reported that some of the rescue workers have complained of a lack of adequate equipment.

“We are working with primitive tools, we have no equipment,” one rescuer said.

Five people were pulled from the ruins of one collapsed building in Ercis on Monday after one of them called for help on his mobile phone, Anatolia news agency said.

Another man was rescued later on Monday, some 30 hours after the earthquake struck.

The earthquake struck at 13:41 (10:41 GMT) on Sunday at a depth of 20km (12 miles), with its epicenter 16km north-east of Van in eastern Turkey, according to US Geological Survey.

About 200 aftershocks have hit the region, it added, including one of magnitude 6.0 late on Sunday.

Turkey is particularly vulnerable to earthquakes because it sits on major geological fault lines.

Understanding How Menopause Symptoms Will Affect Your Life

Kathryn R. Bown
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Every woman living on the planet is going to go through menopause eventually.

 

It is just one of the things that makes a person female. Many women do everything they can to put it off, but the fact is that, at some point, their bodies will stop having that monthly cycle. The start of menopause can be traumatic for many women especially if they are unfamiliar with menopause symptoms. There are all sorts of stories about what women go through when they enter “the change” but what real symptoms should women be looking for? Keep reading to find out!


For many husbands, one of the most traumatic menopause symptoms is the loss of libido or dryness of her “lady bits”.

 

Now remember guys, just because she says “no” tonight doesn’t mean she will another night, she might truely just not be in the mood, rather than going through the change. If, on the other hand, your wife or girlfriend suddenly loses her drive completely or has a lengthy “not in the mood” dry spell, it could be a sign that her body is going through some important changes. Try to understand what she’s going through. Menopause is just as miserable for her as you think it is for you.


For a woman wanting to have another child, menopause can be quite traumatic because of the similarity in symptoms between pregnancy and menopause. Fatigue is among the signs of menopause that also occur during pregnancy. When a premenopausal woman experiences fatigue so great that she can’t help but sleep often this is called “crashing” fatigue. I am not talking about just feeling a little tired after a long day at work, i’m talking about major fatigue. This is the kind of fatigue that might prevent her from being able to get out of bed at all. It could become so strong that she cannot get through her day without taking several naps. If your partner is suddenly sleeping longer hours or experiencing difficulty waking up consult a physcian to determine whether she is going through menopause.


Increased levels of itchiness is a symptom of menopause that many women ignore because they don’t know what it is.

 

Some women who are dealing with the change of life say that their skin constantly itches and crawls. This is different from the sensation of simple dry skin. The most accurate description is that of “ants crawling under the skin.” This can be hard to deal with if you don’t know what you are going through. You should call your doctor if your skin is particularly itchy or you can’t seem to stop scratching. It could just be a skin condition. It could also be a sign of impending menopause (or actual menopause). Most women have a very difficult time when they go through menopause. During this time, women do not have a lot of control over their feelings and bodies so it is important that the people who surround them understand that, if it were up to the woman, she wouldn’t be going through the change. Women might be glad not to have to deal with their monthly “cycles” anymore but the truth is that real menopause is quite hard to deal with. Learning how to identify the symptoms of menopause will help you be prepared to help the women in your life deal with their “change of life.”

Gaddafi’s dead body buried in secret in the desert.

Roy Siemens
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Gaddafi’s dead body buried in secret in the desert.

Muammar Gaddafi, his son Muatassim and a top aide’s dead bodies have been removed from the cold storage and buried in secret in the desert.

According to a National Transitional Council (NTC) official, the bodies were buried at dawn in an unknown location.

This follows days of apparent uncertainty among the new leadership about what to do with the bodies.

Muammar Gaddafi’s dead body has been removed from the cold storage and buried in secret in the desert
Muammar Gaddafi’s dead body has been removed from the cold storage and buried in secret in the desert

 

Muammar Gaddafi’s family wanted the bodies to be buried outside the former leader’s hometown of Sirte.

But, NTC officials had expressed a preference for a secret burial.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press reported that it received confirmation in a text from a military council official in Misrata that the burial took place at a secret location at 05:00 local time.

It also reported that a few relatives and officials were in attendance as Islamic prayers were read over the bodies.

Reuters news agency reported that Muammar Gaddafi would be buried in a “simple” ceremony with “sheikhs attending” on Tuesday.

“It will be an unknown location in the open desert,” said an NTC official speaking to Reuters, adding that a burial was needed because decomposition of the body had reached the point where the “corpse cannot last any longer”.

According to some witnesses, the bodies of the three men were removed overnight from the cold storage warehouse in Misrata where they had been on display. Prayers were said over the bodies before they were driven away.

A security guard at the warehouse, Salem al Mohandes, told the Arabic television station al-Jazeera.

“Our job is finished.”

“[Gaddafi] was transferred and the military council of Misrata took him away to an unknown location. I don’t know whether they buried him or not.”

Islamic tradition dictates a burial should happen within a day of the death.

But the NTC leadership was concerned that any public grave could become a shrine for Muammar Gaddafi loyalists or as a target of hatred for those who opposed his regime.

In the end, the decomposition of the body meant the NTC had to act.

Questions have been raised over Gaddafi’s death after video footage showed him alive at the time of capture in Sirte on Thursday. NTC officials said he had been killed subsequently in a cross fire.

According to autopsy report from Sunday, Muammar Gaddafi had received a bullet wound to the head.

Mustafa Abdul Jalil, the acting Libyan leader, said the NTC had formed a committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death.

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Central Park carriage horse collapsed and died on the street

Diane A. Wade
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Central Park carriage horse collapsed and died on the street

An apparently healthy Central Park carriage horse collapsed and died in the street of New York yesterday.

The beautiful white horse collapsed during the early morning commute, from its stables in western Manhattan to Central Park, to begin its shift yesterday morning.

The horse death will fuel the argument for the carriage animals to be taken off the streets permanently.

The horse collapsed and died on West 54th Street near Eighth Avenue at about 9.30 am
The horse collapsed and died on West 54th Street near Eighth Avenue at about 9.30 am

The horse collapsed and died on West 54th Street near Eighth Avenue at about 9:30 am, according to the ASPCA.

The famous Central Park carriage horses, which number around 220 in New York, work nine hour shifts, after making the two mile journey to the park, where they pick up tourists.

According to activists, the stress of the work and the inadequate stabling causes the horses to live short miserable lives.

Campaigners also claim that the number of collisions also makes the cost of the industry unacceptable.

Contrary to popular belief the Central Park carriage horses do not live in the park, but in four stables in western Manhattan.

The four stables are located on 37th, 38th, 45th and 52nd street, all between 10th and 11th avenue.

After the horrific incident, animal rights campaigners have called for an investigation.

“The life of a carriage horse on New York City streets is extremely difficult and life threatening and the ASPCA has long believed that carriage horses were never meant to live and work in today’s urban setting,” said Stacy Wolf of the ASPCA.

Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages representative, Elizabeth Forel said:

“Healthy horses do not drop dead on the street.

“The drivers always like to profess that they are such horse experts.

“If that is so, then shouldn’t the driver have been more sensitive to this horse and noticed that something was wrong.”

Speaking to New York Daily News, a spokesman for the Horse and Carriage Association of New York said that the unexplained death was “a tragedy.”

“It’s not something that happens regularly. … Our horses are taken care of.”

According to ASPCA, the horse dead body was transported to the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine for a necropsy to determine the cause of death. Results are expected tomorrow morning.

6,180 bottles of wine smashed on the floor at Superior Discount Liquors in Sheboygan.

Diane A. Wade
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6,180 bottles of wine smashed on the floor at Superior Discount Liquors in Sheboygan.

6,810 bottles of the world’s finest wine and champagne crashed on the floor at Superior Discount Liquors in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.

The 78 feet long shelving unit suddenly has becoming detached from its anchoring wall.

A total of 6,810 bottles of wine and champagne, standing four shelves high, smashed on the floor.

The floor turned into a sea of red liquor and broken glass.

6,810 bottles of the world's finest wine and champagne crashed on the floor at Superior Discount Liquors in Sheboygan, Wisconsin
6,810 bottles of the world's finest wine and champagne crashed on the floor at Superior Discount Liquors in Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Managers at Superior Discount Liquors are stumped as to why or how it happened, but they admit the shelves are 31 years old.

Peter Guske, an employee of Superior Discount Liquors told a local ABC station:

“It just kept rolling away from the wall from front to back, and I was in disbelief. I didn’t know what to do or say. The whole thing only took 10 seconds.”

Watch as a stunned store worker near the tumbling shelves breaks the land speed record as he scrambles to safety.

After the initial shock, store workers kept their cool and cleaned the blood-red mess up as quickly as possible with snow shovels, shop vacuums and floor scrubbers.

They didn’t even have to close the store.

The incredible wine incident was captured by two surveillance cameras in the store, in black and white and colour!

The images caught on camera were uploaded on Youtube on October 10 and has already had nearly 266,000 views.

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Madonna’s W.E. movie premiere at BFI London Film Festival.

Diane A. Wade
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Madonna’s W.E. movie premiere at BFI London Film Festival.

Madonna hits the red carpet at the W.E. movie premiere during the BFI London Film Festival at Empire Leicester Square on Sunday in London.

Wearing a long, flowing black L’Wren Scott dress with a plunging neckline and a diamanté pattern, Madonna, 53, also did not seem to care that the film has been widely panned.

Madonna declared: “It doesn’t matter what the critics think, it’s what the public thinks.”

Madonna also revealed she loved directing and would want to do so again, saying that she would like a musical of her life made, adding:

“I’d want Andrea Riseborough to play me, because she’s incredible to work with and I’d work with her again.”

 

Madonna hits the red carpet at the W.E. movie premiere during the BFI London Film Festival at Empire Leicester Square on Sunday in London
Madonna hits the red carpet at the W.E. movie premiere during the BFI London Film Festival at Empire Leicester Square on Sunday in London

 

Andrea Riseborough, 29, plays Wallis Simpson in W.E., part of the 55th BFI London Film Festival.

W.E. follows a two-tiered love story about Wally Winthrop, a woman in 1999 who is infatuated with the 1930s marriage of King Edward VIII.

W.E. is Madonna’s second venture as a director, with her first being in 2008, stepping behind the camera for Filth And Wisdom.

But critics were unkind to Madonna, giving the musical comedy poor reviews, despite British favourite Richard E Grant starring in it.

Yesterday, Madonna was joined by some of fashion’s biggest names including Georgio Armani and Valentino.

Madonna also walked the red carpet with lesser known faces like Graham Norton and Claudia Winkleman.

The superstar caused controversy at the Venice Film Festival press conference last month while promoting her new film.

Madonna was overheard ridiculing a bouquet of hydrangeas a fan gave her, but later mocked herself in a YouTube video to recover from the incident.

Earlier this month, Madonna has been accused of neglecting her older brother, Anthony Ciccone.

Superstar’s brother said Madonna, along with the rest of their family, has left him to rely on food handouts from charities after he lost his job at a successful vineyard run by their father, Tony, in Michigan.

Anthony Ciccone, 55, claims he has been homeless for the past 18 months as a result.

He said: “My family turned their back on me, basically, when I was having a hard time.”

“You think I haven’t answered this kind of question a bazillion times – why my sister is a multibazillionaire, and I’m homeless on the street?”

Anthony Ciccone, the second of eight children, said he had been forced to resort to extreme measures to survive.

“I don’t have any income and I’ve got to go collect bottles and cans, do odd jobs.”

Madonna’s spokesman didn’t make any comment so far.

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Gaddafi’s will was published on Seven Days News website.

Roy Siemens
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Gaddafi’s will was published on Seven Days News website.

Muammar Gaddafi’s will was published on a loyalist website, Seven Day News, as the debate continued over what to do with his body.

Colonel Gaddafi’s will appeared to be a short one and is said to be one of three copies given to relatives, one of whom was killed, one arrested and one managed to escape the fighting in Sirte, where he was killed.

The former Libyan dictator said in his will: “I call on my supporters to continue the resistance, and fight any foreign aggressor against Libya, today, tomorrow and always.”

Muammar Gaddafi apparently made it clear he had decided to die in Libya rather than flee, telling his supporters: “Let the free people of the world know that we could have bargained over and sold out our cause in return for a personal secure and stable life.”

“We received many offers to this effect but we chose to be at the vanguard of the confrontation as a badge of duty and honour.”

 

Gaddafi’s dead body is currently in a refrigerated vegetable warehouse in Misurata where crowds, who suffered some of the worst attacks by dictator’s forces, are queuing to catch site of the dead dictator
Gaddafi’s dead body is currently in a refrigerated vegetable warehouse in Misurata where crowds, who suffered some of the worst attacks by dictator’s forces, are queuing to catch site of the dead dictator

 

The dictator asked to be buried, clothed as he died, with his body unwashed, in a graveyard in his home town of Sirte, not far from where he was killed as he fled the city on Thursday.

Gaddafi’s dead body is currently in a refrigerated vegetable warehouse in Misurata where crowds, who suffered some of the worst attacks by dictator’s forces, are queuing to catch site of the dead dictator.

Muammar Gaddafi also called for his family to be treated “well” adding that the Libyan people should protect their “heroes.”

Reports said that Gaddafi’s body will be handed over to his remaining relatives after tribal leaders backed calls for his corpse to be given a traditional Muslim burial.

Tribal honour underpins much of the country’s public life and the demand will prove to be a big test for the country’s new government because the Gaddafi tribe has benefited enormously from the 42-year dictatorship of the Libyan strongman.

The Libyan new regime will not want an obvious shrine in Sirte, although the National Transitional Council (NTC) indicated Muammar Gaddafi’s surviving relatives would have a say in what happened to his body.

An NTC official, Ahmed Jibril, said:

“The decision has been taken to hand him over to his extended family, because none of his immediate family is present at this moment.”

“The NTC are in consultation with his family. It is for his family to decide where Gaddafi will be buried, in consultation with the NTC.”

The new Libyan authorities had originally wanted the body to be buried in an unmarked grave in the desert. However, they ran into resistance from the Masrata militias who had captured him and who did not want the responsibility for burying the dead leader.

Muammar Gaddafi’s widow Saifa had issued a statement demanding that the body is turned over to his family.

Jessica Simpson shows off her baby bump?

Lisa.Felice
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Jessica Simpson shows off her baby bump?

Jessica Simpson showed off what appeared to be a baby bump under a tight black Lycra T-shirt she was wearing while she jetted out of Los Angeles airport yesterday.

For many weeks Jessica Simpson, 31, didn’t say anything about the persistent pregnancy rumours which have hounded her.

The 31-year-old singer’s mid-section was larger than normal in the translucent clingy top, which she paired with black leggings and a green army style jacket.

Jessica Simpson showed off what appeared to be a baby bump under a tight black Lycra T-shirt
Jessica Simpson showed off what appeared to be a baby bump under a tight black Lycra T-shirt

 

Jessica Simpson was carrying again her favourite over-sized leopard print bag, which she has on many occasions cleverly used to shield her middle.

This time, the singer held the purse to the side exposing her stomach.

Jessica Simpson, who has kept everyone asking “is she or isn’t she” for the last few weeks, has been seen with what appears to be a baby bump as early as July.

But yesterday it seemed like more than ever she may soon make an important announcement.

Jessica Simpson’s appearance is not the only thing which has been sparking the pregnancy rumours, it has been her actions too.

About ten days ago Jessica Simpson was physically helped to the car by her mother Tina. She was assisted by her mother as they left Los Angeles International Airport following a flight from New Orleans.

Her mother held on to her daughter’s arm and placed a protective hand on her back as she escorted her out of the building and into a waiting car.

Her mother action was certainly not the behaviour you would expect from the mother of a perfectly healthy 31-year-old woman who is fully capable of walking on her own.

Jessica Simpson was set to wed former NFL player Eric Johnson this November, but the couple have postponed the wedding with sources claiming the delay is due to Jessica being pregnant.

Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson, who have been together for two years, got engaged in November 2010.

Steven Hayes, a Connecticut home invasion triple murderer, speaks about killing other 17.

Diane A. Wade
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Steven Hayes, a Connecticut home invasion triple murderer, speaks about killing other 17.

Steven Hayes from Connecticut, who is convicted of killing Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her two daughters in a deadly home invasion, spoke about how he killed 17 others and raped dozens of women in leaked letters revealed yesterday.

Steven Hayes, 48, described in detail how in two of the attacks he had tied up, tortured and killed women – and even made a 16-hour video of him murdering one of his victims.

The serial killer, who is on death row for his role in the 2007 home invasion, boasted to a female companion about how he had collected the sneakers of all of his victims as trophies, but said “the 17 kill trophies” meant the most to him.

Steven Hayes, a Connecticut home invasion triple murderer speaks about killing other 17 women and raping dozens in sickening prison letters
Steven Hayes, a Connecticut home invasion triple murderer speaks about killing other 17 women and raping dozens in sickening prison letters

 

In 2010, Steven Hayes was convicted of raping and strangling Jennifer Hawke-Petit, 48, before tying her daughters, Hayley, 17 and Michaela, 11, to their beds and setting the house on fire.

Steven Hayes is currently appealing the conviction.

Steven Hayes’ accomplice was Joshua Komisarjevsky, who was also convicted for his role in the killings earlier this month and is due to be sentenced on Tuesday.

Three of Steven Hayes’ victims pictured in a 2007 photo, Jennifer Hawke-Petit, right, and her daughters Michaela, front, Hayley, centre rear
Three of Steven Hayes’ victims pictured in a 2007 photo, Jennifer Hawke-Petit, right, and her daughters Michaela, front, Hayley, centre rear

In the four letters revealed yesterday, which were written in August and September, Steven Hayes wrote that he would have killed Joshua Komisarjevsky if he had not been jailed because while he had the same “capacity for evil”, the accomplice was not committed enough.

Steven Hayes told a female in North Carolina, only identified as “Lynn”, that he wanted to share his “dark secret” as “someone else really should know the truth about” him.

In the letters which were obtained by the New Haven Register, Steven Hayes wrote:

“Yes, I’ve killed before.”

“I have 17 kills throughout the Northeast United States. Perfect victims and well executed, controlled endeavors.”

There are 17 pages of handwritten letters, which were confiscated by prison authorities.

Steven Hayes also recounted the rape and murder of his first victim in 1982 and the eighth. The killer wrote that all of his victims were aged between 14 and 25.

According to the New Haven Register, which has not detailed how it acquired the letters, they read “like a twisted pornographic fantasy”.

Steven Hayes wrote that he spotted his first victim, a girl who was hitchhiking, as he was driving home from a bar, describing her as “short, hot and the perfect victim”.

“Like any great hunter, timing is critical,” Steven Hayes wrote about how he chose his victims.

The serial killer told how he picked up the girl and drove her to a secluded location where he tied her up and threw her in the trunk before taking her to a cheap motel, which he said became his “location of choice” for his attacks.

He described in detail how he sexually assaulted the woman and then pinched her nose and suffocated her.

“A monster was born,” Steven Hayes wrote.

“This carried on with my top 17 sexual conquests and kills.”

“The trophies, the signature kill, the thrill of the hunt and the disposal of my adventure buddies.”

He said that he picked up his eighth victim, who he found drunk walking along a road, and told her he would take her back to his house to smoke crack cocaine and drink beer.

Steven Hayes claimed that he tied her to his bed for an entire weekend and tortured her before killing her.

“The more pain and emotional abuse she went through, the better I liked it.”

“And believe me, I was in heaven.”

The serial killer also claimed that he recorded the assault and killing on a 16-hour video, which he described as “by far the best snuff film ever created”.

Steven Hayes said that he kept hold of the tape for six months before it “found a home” in Portland, Oregon.

He described Joshua Komisarjevsky, who could also face the death penalty for his part in the attacks, as being a disappointment to him in the letters.

“I’ve searched my whole life for someone who could embrace and had the capacity for evil as I possess,” Steven Hayes wrote, according to the newspaper. “I thought I finally found it in Josh.”

“But events show Josh, while [he] had the proper evil intent, lacked in the most serious aspects, commitment and control.”

Steven Hayes asked the recipient to hold on to the details of the letters until after his execution because the information “could be worth millions to the right people”.

Michael Dearington, State Attorney and FBI spokesman have declined to say whether Steven Hayes’ purported crimes are being investigated or whether authorities are aware of 17 unsolved homicides matching details in his letters.

Turkey earthquake updates: 239 deaths, 1,300 injured and over 100 buildings collapsed.

Diane A. Wade
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Turkey earthquake updates: 239 deaths, 1,300 injured and over 100 buildings collapsed.

Turkish rescue teams are desperately searching for people trapped under rubble after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit the country’s eastern Van region on Sunday.

According to Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay, 239 people died and 1,300 were injured in the massive earthquake.

The city of Ercis was the worst-hit, where more than 80 buildings fell.

Tens of thousands of people have been sleeping outside in freezing conditions last night.

Woman pulled from rubble in Van city
Woman pulled from rubble in Van city

Turkey is particularly vulnerable to earthquakes because it sits on major geological fault lines.

Two earthquakes in 1999 with a magnitude of more than 7 killed 18,000 people in densely populated parts of the north-west of the country.

The earthquake on Sunday struck at 13:41 (10:41 GMT) at a depth of 20km (12 miles), with its epicentre 16km north-east of Van in eastern Turkey.

The earthquake was followed by a series of powerful aftershocks, also centered north of Van, including two of magnitude 5.6 soon after the quake and one of 6.0 late on Sunday.

The earthquake on Sunday struck at 13.41 (10.41 GMT) at a depth of 20km (12 miles), with its epicentre 16km north-east of Van in eastern Turkey
The earthquake on Sunday struck at 13.41 (10.41 GMT) at a depth of 20km (12 miles), with its epicentre 16km north-east of Van in eastern Turkey

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been visiting the affected area by helicopter.

The prime minister said that villages close to Van were the worst affected as most buildings there were made of clay bricks.

He thanked other countries for their offers of help, but said Turkey could cope with the disaster on its own.

Up to 80 buildings, including a dormitory, collapsed in the worst-hit city of Ercis, about 60km north of Van, while 10 fell in Van itself.

Ambulances, soldiers and rescue teams rushed to Ercis, a Reuters photographer reported.

Survivors complained of a lack of heavy machinery to remove chunks of cement floors that had pancaked on to each other, the Associated Press reports.

There were also reported serious damage and casualties in the district of Celebibag, near Ercis.

“There are many people under the rubble,” said Celebibag mayor, Veysel Keser.

“We can hear their screams for help. We need urgent help.”

According to Turkey’s seismology institute, Kandilli Observatory, hundreds of people could have been killed.

“We estimate around 1,000 buildings are damaged and our estimate is for hundreds of lives lost – it could be 500 or 1,000,” said Mustafa Erdik from Kandilli Observatory.

Turkish seismologist Polat Gulkan claimed that building regulations were often ignored in Turkey.

“The enforcement of the code provisions is not at the standard that we would like to see it,” Polat Gulkan said.

It was reported that residents of Van and Ercis have been spending the night huddled around camp fires in the open air, fearing more aftershocks.

Rescuers could be seen working by torchlight, using their bare hands and shovels.

Turkish rescue teams are desperately searching for people trapped under rubble after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit the country’s eastern Van region on Sunday
Turkish rescue teams are desperately searching for people trapped under rubble after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit the country’s eastern Van region on Sunday

The earthquake cut electricity and telephone lines and the authorities in some areas have cut gas to avoid the risk of fire.

More search and rescue teams were being sent from other parts of the country.

Hakki Erskoy, from the Turkish Red Crescent, said aid teams from the north and east of Turkey were being sent to the earthquake-hit area.

Hakki Erskoy said camps were being set up to shelter people and blankets, and that food and water were being sent, along with mobile kitchens.

Military aircraft were being deployed to help with the rescue and relief efforts, Hakki Erskoy said.

[youtube aseewDyrm5o]

Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher left their home together.

Lisa.Felice
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Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher left their home together.

Ashton Kutcher appears with his distraught and thinner than ever wife, Demi Moore, for the first time since their marital problems became public.

Demi Moore, 48, and Ashton Kutcher, 33, kept their distance as they left their Los Angeles home, apparently on the way to a counselling session at the Beverly Hills centre for the Kabbalah religious group.

Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher kept their distance as they left their Los Angeles home, apparently on the way to a counselling session at the Beverly Hills centre for the Kabbalah religious group
Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher kept their distance as they left their Los Angeles home, apparently on the way to a counselling session at the Beverly Hills centre for the Kabbalah religious group

 

Demi Moore’s skeletal frame caused a sensation last week when she appeared alone at Margin Call movie premiere in New York. Fears are growing that her dramatic weight loss could cause permanent damage to her health.

There are reports suggesting that claims of Ashton Kutcher’s infidelity have led Demi Moore to starve herself.

A friend told a U.S. magazine:

“She’s very upset and hasn’t been eating.”

“It’s taking its toll.”

Demi Moore’s appearance has quickly deteriorated since news of Ashton Kutcher’s alleged affair with 22-year-old Sara Leal broke at the end of last month. Ashton Kutcher is accused of sleeping with the Texan beauty after a hot-tub party at Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego on the weekend of his sixth wedding anniversary. Since then, Ashton Kutcher and his wife Demi Moore have reportedly spent most of the time apart, he in Los Angeles and she in New York.

Demi Moore already had two broken marriages behind her – to songwriter Freddy Moore and actor Bruce Willis – when she wed Ashton Kutcher six years ago.

The actress has three daughters Rumer, 23, Scout, 20, and Tallulah, 17, from her marriage to Bruce Willis, which ended in 2000 after 13 years.

Demi Moore is said to have contacted a divorce after the scandal broke, but she was seen with Ashton Kutcher visiting a Kabbalah camping on Yom Kippur.

If Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore’s marriage does end in divorce, the couple could be battling it out in a bitter $290 million split.

Tracey Roberts’ trial: from hero to murderer.

Diane A. Wade
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Tracey Roberts’ trial: from hero to murderer.

Tracey Roberts was celebrated as a heroic mother who acted in self-defense to protect herself and her three children from men who broke into her home in Early, Iowa, and assaulted her in 2001.

Now Tracey Roberts, 45, faces jail after a series of revelations over the night when she fired nine shots from two guns into neighbor Dustin Wehde, 20, leaving him dead in her home.

Tracey Roberts murder trial begins on Tuesday and questions will be asked over where she is a manipulator leaving a trail of deceit, who planned the killing and concocted a hoax to let her get away with murder.

Dustin Wehde was found slumped at the bottom of a bed at Tracey and Michael Roberts’ home in December 2001 in a pool of blood. A bullet had gone through his head and out of his eye socket.

Tracey Roberts was heard screaming in the kitchen with her three children and deputies. Her report that two other intruders escaped sent deputies canvassing everywhere and fear spread in the town.

Tracey Roberts, 45, faces jail after a series of revelations over the night when she fired nine shots from two guns into neighbor Dustin Wehde, 20, leaving him dead in her home
Tracey Roberts, 45, faces jail after a series of revelations over the night when she fired nine shots from two guns into neighbor Dustin Wehde, 20, leaving him dead in her home

 

Tracey Roberts claimed that with her husband on a business trip, she was home with her three young children – Bert, Noah and Mason – when Dustin Wehde and another man barged through her unlocked door.

She also said that one of the men choked her with panty hose, she lost her glasses and blacked out and woke to the sound of Bert screaming, who was holding a baseball bat to protect his younger siblings.

Tracey Roberts said she ran to the bedroom and reached for the gun safe, as Dustin Wehde tugged at her hair and yanked on her feet. When the safe opened, she grabbed a 9 mm handgun and pulled the trigger.

Then the woman said she grabbed a revolver, spotted Dustin Wehde moving and fired at him. Dustin Wehde stopped moving and the second man fled. Tracey Roberts later said it was only one man, not two, who got away.

An investigation remained open but no second intruder was found and no charges were filed as of late 2002. Then Dustin’s father, Brett Wehde, walked to the grave where his son was buried.

After Dustin Wehde was killed, his father broke up with his wife Mona and filed for divorce. Brett Wehde was distraught over the crumbling of his family. At the graveside, Brett Wehde put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger.

Dustin Wehde was found slumped at the bottom of a bed at Tracey and Michael Roberts’ home in December 2001 in a pool of blood
Dustin Wehde was found slumped at the bottom of a bed at Tracey and Michael Roberts’ home in December 2001 in a pool of blood

After the tragedy, Mona wanted answers and she filed a wrongful death lawsuit attempting to hold Tracey Roberts accountable for Dustin Wehde’s death and to learn what happened that night.

Brett Wehde ex-wife’s attorney picked up on inconsistencies in Tracey Roberts’ story as she retold it. In different accounts, Tracey Roberts said she fired from different positions. But in the end she dropped the suit just days before trial.

On January 2011, Sac County had a new prosecutor in Ben Smith, who went through years of files and months later filed a first-degree murder charge against Roberts, who is now called Tracey Richter.

A key piece of evidence had been found by investigators in Dustin Wehde’s car. After months of speculation in town, prosecutors revealed this month it was a pink spiral notebook that claimed to be his diary.

In Dustin Wehde’s handwriting, it suggested he had been hired as a hit-man by a “mysterious fellow” named John Pitman III, who was Tracey Roberts’ first husband. They split up four years after marrying in 1988.

“J.P. wants me to get/force his ex T.R. to kill her son Burt and then commit suicide, and if that plan fails Plan B is to make it appear as though T.R. had committed the murder of her son & then committed suicide,” Dustin Wehde wrote.

But investigators never believed it was credible. Dustin Wehde, a special education student, did not like to write and he had never met John Pitman. They decided to keep the journal’s existence a secret.

Prosecutors suspect Tracey Roberts had convinced Dustin Wehde to write the diary, perhaps on the day he died.

DCI Special Agent Trent Vileta, who took a fresh look at Dustin Wehde’s death in 2008, told Ben Smith the last three shots went through the back of Dustin’s head while he was face down on the ground.

In 1996, Tracey married Australian businessman Michael Roberts before they divorced around eight years later. Tracey Roberts tried to pin involvement in the home invasion and Dustin Wehde’s death on him.

Defense lawyer Scott Bandstra said Tracey Roberts’ self-defense case in the murder trial will actually be simple for jurors to understand.

He added: “December 13, 2001, was a nightmare for Tracey. The nightmare is not over.” Now aged 45 and facing life in prison if convicted, Tracey Roberts is being held on $1million bail.

Lewiston: A dead body found in a freezer might be missing Kitty Wardwell since 1983.

Diane A. Wade
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Lewiston: A dead body found in a freezer might be missing Kitty Wardwell since 1983.

A dead body found in a freezer at a storage unit in Lewiston, Maine, which had been rented by Francis “Frank” Julian since 1992.

Police said yesterday that the remains found in the freezer at Moore Self Storage in Lewiston may be Kitty Wardwell, a woman who went missing in 1983.

Francis Julian was the on-off boyfriend of Kitty Wardwell, who went missing 28 years ago, aged 29.

 

Police said that the remains found in the freezer at Moore Self Storage in Lewiston may be Kitty Wardwell, a woman who went missing in 1983
Police said that the remains found in the freezer at Moore Self Storage in Lewiston may be Kitty Wardwell, a woman who went missing in 1983

 

Francis Julian died on October 1 at 80 years old, and his relatives then found the body when they were cleaning out the storage unit.

Francis Julian, a novelty salesman, was the last person known to have seen Kitty Wardwell before she disappeared when he was 52.

Francis Julian reported Kitty Wardwell missing July 11, 1983, telling Salem, N.H., police that he dropped the 29-year-old woman off at the El Rancho Motel in Salem after a fight and then traveled back to Maine without her.

Marla Collins, Kitty Wardwell’s sister, reported her missing to the Maine State Police on November 23, 1983.

The storage locker where the body was found is at Moore Self-Storage on North Lisbon Street.

The freezer has now been moved to the Maine medical examiner’s office in Augusta, and an autopsy is expected to take place tomorrow.

A spokesman for Maine Department of Public Safety, Stephen McCausland said that officers suspected they had found Kitty Wardwell’s body.

Francis Julian died on October 1 at 80 years old, and his relatives then found the body when they were cleaning out the storage unit
Francis Julian died on October 1 at 80 years old, and his relatives then found the body when they were cleaning out the storage unit

“Yesterday afternoon, relatives of a Lewiston man were cleaning out his storage locker and found a woman’s body inside a freezer,” Stephen McCausland said.
“The rental unit was rented by Francis “Frank” Julian, 80, who died October 1.

“Remains have been found, but we don’t know whose body this is definitively at this time.

“We have put both families in the loop about the discovery and we have interviewed a number of members of both families, but the final determination will be made by the medical examiner.”

According to Lewiston Sun Journal, the freezer had not been plugged in.

Kitty Wardwell’s case is the oldest one listed on the police’s missing persons website.

The woman is described as being 5 feet 7 inches and 120 pounds with brown eyes and shoulder length brown hair.

Troy Polamalu fined by NFL with $10,000 for using the cell phone from the sidelines.

Ricky Robinson
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Troy Polamalu fined by NFL with $10,000 for using the cell phone from the sidelines.

Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu has been fined by NFL with $10,000 for using the cell phone from the sidelines after brutal hit during the game.

Troy Polamalu was forced to leave Sunday’s game against the Jaguars after stopping Jacksonville’s Maurice Jones-Drew to help preserve a 17-13 Pittsburgh win.

Fearing his wife Theodora probably saw the hit on TV, Troy Polamalu was handed a cell phone by the team doctor to call and say he was all right.

Troy Polamalu has been fined by NFL with $10,000 for using the cell phone from the sidelines to call his wife Theodora after brutal hit during the game
Troy Polamalu has been fined by NFL with $10,000 for using the cell phone from the sidelines to call his wife Theodora after brutal hit during the game

 

Troy Polamalu, who was the defensive player of the year in 21010, has a history of concussions in his nine-year NFL career, and wanted to ease his wife worries.

But the NFL did not appreciate Troy Polamalu’s gesture, slapping him with a $10,000 fine.

According to NFL rules, phones are prohibited in the bench area before and during games.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s decision to fine Troy Polamalu came as a surprise, at least to his coach.

Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin quickly came to his player’s defense, saying: “He wasn’t checking on his bank account.”

Commissioner Roger Goodell’s history with Pittsburgh Steelers is a long story.

Roger Goodell issued a four-game suspension to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and $100,000 in fines for hits by James Harrison in 2010.

However, Troy Polamalu did not appear to be affected by the $10,000 fine.

Besides his NFL salary, Troy Polamalu earns a plenty of money from his shampoo commercials.

But Troy Polamalu’s case is not a singular one, also Joe Horn pulled out a phone after scoring a touchdown for the New Orleans Saints in 2003 and calling from the end zone to tell his wife and kids about it.

That gesture – part of a string of over-the-top touchdown celebrations that the NFL promptly cracked down on – cost Joe Horn $30,000 and may have been the most expensive phone call ever.

Troy Polamalu will play today against Arizona after passing a series of concussion tests.

Turkey earthquake updates. Experts estimate 500-1000 deaths as 45 buildings collapsed.

Diane A. Wade
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Turkey earthquake updates. Experts estimate 500-1000 deaths as 45 buildings collapsed.

A massive 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck province of Van in eastern Turkey on Sunday, collapsing about 45 buildings according to the deputy prime minister.

So far, only one person was found dead and immediately confirmed, but experts estimated that up to 1,000 people could have been killed.

The worst damage was caused to the town of Ercis, in the mountainous eastern province of Van, close to the Iranian border. The city of Van also suffered substantial damage.

Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay said:

“Around 10 buildings have collapsed in the city of Van and around 25 or 30 have collapsed in Ercis, including a dormitory.”

Besir Atalay said authorities had no information yet on remote villages, adding that the governor was now touring the region by helicopter to assess damage.

 

The Turkish Red Crescent said its rescuers pulled several injured people out of the collapsed dormitory in Ercis, which sits on a geological fault line
The Turkish Red Crescent said its rescuers pulled several injured people out of the collapsed dormitory in Ercis, which sits on a geological fault line

 

The earthquake’s epicenter was in the village of Tabanli.

Turkish authorities did not provide a casualty figure for the moment, but the Kandilli observatory, Turkey’s main seismography center, said the quake was capable of killing many more people.

“We are estimating a death toll between 500 and 1,000,” Mustafa Erdik, head of the Kandilli observatory, told a televised news conference.

Mustafa Erdik estimate was based on the structure of the housing in the area and the strength of the quake.

Television footage showed damaged buildings and vehicles, crushed under falling masonry, and panicked residents wandering the streets.

The Turkish Red Crescent said its rescuers pulled several injured people out of the collapsed dormitory in Ercis, which sits on a geological fault line.

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan was reportedly heading to Van to see the damage.

At least 50 injured people were treated in the courtyard of the state hospital in Van, a bustling city with many apartment buildings, according to the state-run Anatolia news agency.

Zulfikar Arapoglu, the mayor of Ercis, told NTV television:

“There are so many dead. Several buildings have collapsed. There is too much destruction.”

“We need urgent aid. We need medics.”

Van province has a population of around 1 million people.

Serious damage and casualties were also reported in the district of Celebibag, near Ercis.

Veysel Keser, mayor of Celebibag, told NTV:

“There are many people under the rubble.”

“People are in agony, we can hear their screams for help. We need urgent help.”

“It’s a great disaster,” mayor said.

“Many buildings have collapsed, student dormitories, hotels and gas stations have collapsed.”

Some houses also collapsed in the province of Bitlis, where at least one person, an 8-year-old girl was killed, authorities said. The quake also toppled the minarets of two mosques in the nearby province of Mus, reports said.

Van’s airport was damaged and planes were being diverted to neighboring cities, NTV reported.

Panicked people spilled into the streets as rescue workers and residents using their bare hands and shovels struggled to find people believed to be trapped under collapsed buildings, television footage showed.

Several Cabinet ministers headed to the area as authorities mobilized rescue teams across the country.

The quake had a depth of 20 kilometers (12.4 miles), which is relatively shallow and could potentially cause more damage.

Earthquakes are frequent in Turkey, which is crossed by fault lines.

In 1999, about 18,000 people were killed by two powerful earthquakes that struck northwestern Turkey. Authorities blamed shoddy construction for many of the deaths.

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Turkey: 7.2 earthquake strikes the province of Van. 50 people injured and several buildings collapsed.

Diane A. Wade
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Turkey: 7.2 earthquake strikes the province of Van. 50 people injured and several buildings collapsed.

A 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit eastern Turkey, in the province of Van, on the border with Iran.

The quake struck at 13:41, local time, at 17 km (10 miles) north-east Van city.

Van province appeared to be particularly badly hit and officials warning of damage to buildings and infrastructure. Some of the buildings in the area of Van have collapsed and casualties are reported.

According to specialists, Turkey is particularly vulnerable to earthquakes because it sits on major geological fault lines.

A 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit eastern Turkey, in the province of Van, on the border with Iran
A 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit eastern Turkey, in the province of Van, on the border with Iran

 

In 1999, two earthquakes with a magnitude of more than 7 hit Turkey and killed almost 20,000 people in densely populated parts of the north-west of the country.

TV footages showed damaged buildings and vehicles, and panicked residents spilling out into streets.

According to Anatolia news agency, the rescue workers were searching the wreckage of a seven-storey building in the city of Van for people thought to be trapped in the rubble.

It was also reported that 50 people had been taken to hospital in Van with injuries.

Bekir Kaya, mayor of Van, told NTV television:

“Two buildings collapsed in Van, but the telephone system is jammed due to panic and we can’t assess the entire damage immediately.”

Zulfikar Arapoglu, mayor of Ercis, another town in Van province, told NTV: “There are so many dead. Several buildings have collapsed, there is too much destruction.”

“We need urgent aid, we need medics,” Zulfikar Arapoglu is reported by the Associated Press as saying.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) originally gave the magnitude as 7.3 but later corrected it to 7.2.

But Turkey’s Kandilli observatory gave it a preliminary magnitude of 6.6.

The USGS has revised the depth of the quake from 7.2 km (4.5 miles) to 20 km (12.4 miles), which is still relatively shallow and has the potential to cause damage.

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan was reportedly heading to Van to see the damage.

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Jennifer Lopez left the stage in tears at Mohegan Sun Arena

Lisa.Felice
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Jennifer Lopez left the stage in tears at Mohegan Sun Arena

Jennifer Lopez broke down and had to leave the stage last night in Connecticut at the Mohegan Sun Arena’s 15th anniversary celebration as she sang about lost love in front of a packed auditorium.

Jennifer Lopez, 42, had just performed a raw, unembellished rendition of If You Had My Love when she told the audience that the 1999 track was “the first song I wrote about love”

Then Jennifer Lopez shocked the crowd by beseeching: “What is love?”

Adding: “As the last song I wrote about love…a lot has changed since then.”

If You Had My Love lyrics centre on the theme of trust.

Jennifer Lopez broke down and had to leave the stage at the Mohegan Sun Arena's 15th anniversary celebration as she sang about lost love
Jennifer Lopez broke down and had to leave the stage at the Mohegan Sun Arena's 15th anniversary celebration as she sang about lost love

 

Jennifer Lopez wrote the song when she was in a fledgling relationship with rapper P Diddy. They had a tumultuous relationship for three years before she married backing dancer Chris Judd.

After a while, Jennifer Lopez became one half of Bennifer with Ben Affleck, and embroiled in one of the highest profile relationships of the last ten years, until it ended in their wedding being called off at the last minute.

Jennifer Lopez found love and motherhood Marc Anthony, and as they headed towards their seventh wedding anniversary in June this year, things seemed to still be hot.

Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony wowed American Idol fans with their sizzling performance together on the May final, but just weeks later they announced their split.

Tellingly in the song that Jennifer Lopez penned before all this happened, she ends her entreaty to a lover with the line: “I have to know the truth, If I spend my life with you.”

J Lo had set herself up for the cavalcade of painful feelings by having dancers recreate her important relationships while she sang.

A P Diddy double danced with the female dancer wearing a copy of her infamous slit-down-to-the navel Versace gown, while a ringer for her ex-husband Chris Judd danced with a paired down Jennifer Lopez-a-like in jeans.

Another doppelganger was wearing the mint green gown she wore to the Oscars with fiancé Ben Affleck as she twirled with a square-jawed replica of The Town star.

The most dazzling pairing came from the twosome reliving Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony’s American Idol performance from May, only weeks before they announced the end of their marriage.

An onlooker told RadarOnline.com: “At the end of the song she started sobbing and had to take a few moments to keep it together.”

“She held it together for one song but then ran offstage crying.

“She only sang a few more songs and she was obviously out of it. Everyone was so sad for her. It was really dramatic.”

Currently, the showbiz world is abuzz with rumours about Jennifer Lopez romance with A-Team hunk Bradley Cooper, 37.

However, Jennifer Lopez pledged not to speak about any romances until she is in another serious relationship at her fashion line launch in Connecticut last week.

Jennifer Lopez said she wants to protect her three-year-old twins Emme and Max in case her relationships do not work out.

“As a mom, and having children, right now they’re my first priority.

“And because of them, I wouldn’t ever comment on anything until I’m in a serious relationship again.

“It would just be confusing for them and it would be unfair. And so at the end of the day, it’s about them.”

Earlier this week, Jennifer Lopez tried to hide her face when she was spotted enjoying some time alone with Bradley Cooper.

Jennifer Lopez and Bradley Cooper are believed to have started dating last month, when they were spotted enjoying dinner at Per Se restaurant in New York.

They had tried to explain the cosy meeting away by insisting it was just a professional meeting.

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