A new research has revealed that the most popular Halloween costumes for 2011 will be birds related.
Angry Birds is on top of the list of 2011 Halloween costume-related searches from Google, with Natalie Portman’s troubled character from Black Swan coming a close second.
The animal theme appears to be a popular one this year, as another choice for Halloween 2011 costumes was Wilfred, the man-dressed-as-a-dog character from the TV series of the same name.
Other Halloween costumes which were ranking high on the list were celebrities Nicki Minaj and Charlie Sheen, while Smurfette, Tangled’s Rapunzel and characters from Monster High were proving popular with younger users.
Angry Birds is on top of the list of 2011 Halloween costume-related searches from Google
TV’s Sixties revival has also had an impact. NBC’s The Playboy Club has inspired the return of the Playboy Bunny outfit, while Christina Ricci’s turn as Maggie in Pan Am has made the air stewardess outfit a new hit, expect to see plenty of blue pillbox hats and jaunty sailor-style collars.
Linda Carcaci, from the Creative Costume Company, says she knew Pan Am would spark a Halloween trend as soon as ABC announced the show, and immediately started designing a replica.
Linda Carcaci told DNAinfo.com: “We have had so many calls about it.”
The president of rival costume store Ricky’s NYC, Dominick Costello says the disgraced public figures, such as Charlie Sheen, are the big sellers.
Mentioning Anthony Weiner and Arnold Schwarzenegger as other customer favourites, Dominick Costello said: “We call them our three musketeers.”
Dominick Costello said that political figures are always popular, but this year, more than ever.
“I think when Arnold, Anthony and Charlie happened in a similar time frame we were like <<OK here we go>>”.
“It was a no brainer.”
The Ricky’s idea is such a hit, that even Charlie Sheen is going as Charlie Sheen.
Even Charlie Sheen is going as Charlie Sheen for Halloween 2011, as he tweeted few days ago
Charlie Sheen posted a picture of the costume on his Twitter page yesterday, writing: “Trick or Treat Cadre! Got my Halloween costume.”
“All set! Yeah, this really confused the kids.”
Google’s 12 most searched Halloween 2011 costumes:
Nancy Shevell and Paul McCartney celebrated their marriage again at the Bowery Hotel in New York City last night.
Nancy Shevell, 51, and Paul McCartney, 69, celebrated again their marriage with some of the biggest names in the music industry.
Nancy Shevell wore an electric blue dress and satin jacket paired as she tucked her arm through Sir Paul McCartney.
Lady McCartney accessorized with a black and white clutch, strappy black heels and her giant Cartier engagement ring.
Paul McCartney and Nancy Shevell previously partied into the wee hours of the morning following their October 9 wedding at Paul’s home in London.
Nancy Shevell, 51, and Paul McCartney, 69, celebrated again their marriage with some of the biggest names in the music industry at the Bowery Hotel in New York City
Sir Paul matched his outfit to Nancy Shevell’s, looking dapper in a navy blue suit, blue and white striped tie and white shirt, looking his normal animated self as he arrived at the event.
Nancy Shevell and Paul McCartney were joined by a slew of famous friends including Yoko Ono, widow of late Beatle John Lennon, and their son Sean.
Yoko Ono and Sean arrived in hats with mother sporting a black top hat and son in a maroon number and matching bow tie.
Yoko Ono, widow of late Beatle John Lennon, and their son Sean came to Nancy Shevell and Paul McCartney party in New York
Smiley Rolling Stone Keith Richards arrived later joined by his wife Patti Hansen who wore a clinging black dress and black jacket.
Keith Richards wore his usual red headscarf under a grey hat which he tipped to onlookers outside the party.
Nancy Shevell married Paul McCartney on October 9 at Marylebone Register Office in central London, where he married Linda Eastman in March 1969.
The 51-year-old American millionairess is the third wife of Sir Paul McCartney. Nancy Shevell started dating the former Beatle in November 2007 and it was announced on 6 May 2011 that the two had become engaged.
Nancy Shevell and Paul McCartney have a combined fortune of over $1 billion.
Friday afternoon a gunman opened fire on a Brooklyn street while students were let out of Brownsville’ school, killing pregnant mother Zurana Horton and injuring other two people.
Zurana Horton, 34, was killed while defending her children and others that were leaving school when the shooting started.
Reports say Zurana Horton was pregnant when she was shot though it has not been reported how far along she was in the pregnancy.
Another mother and an 11-year-old girl were also struck, though they were not killed.
Pregnant mother Zurana Horton, 34, was killed while defending her children and others that were leaving the Brownsville school when the shooting started
The fire started at about 2:30 p.m., right as the children were being let out from a local public elementary and middle school in Brownsville, New York.
NYPD were investigating whether the gunman fired from a nearby rooftop where shell casings were discovered.
Zurana Horton hovered over students to protect them as shots were fired. The mother was shot in the face and chest and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Another 31-year-old mother who was struck is still unnamed. The woman was hit in an arm and the chest and was hospitalized.
The 11-year-old girl, a sixth-grader at the Brooklyn school, had one arm injured and had a graze wound on her cheek. None of the victims was related, according to police.
According to Margie Feinberg, a Department of Education spokeswoman, the victims were on a street corner at the back of the elementary school when the fire started.
So far, it is unclear how many shots were fired. Seven shell casings from a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol were found on the nearby rooftop and other five shell casings were found on the sidewalk in the front of that building, according to police.
According to eye-witnesses, three men were seen fleeing the scene, and police were questioning at least one person. The gunman was being sought, and police offered a $12,000 reward for information in the case, New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said.
Brownsville, the school’s neighborhood, is located in southeastern Brooklyn and is among the most crime-plagued in New York.
Brownsville area is also known as the place where tens of thousands of people, mostly black and Hispanic men, are stopped, questioned and frisked annually by police. Critics say the men are being unfairly targeted, and only about 10% of stops city-wide result in arrest.
NYPD says the tactic is a necessary crime-fighting tool that helps get illegal guns off the streets.
New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said:
“Police conduct stops of individuals evincing suspicious behaviour in areas where shootings occur in order to prevent, or at least lower, the frequency of tragedies like the one in Brownsville today.”
Christopher Thomas Johnson, an Alabama man who has spent just 4 years on death row for the fatal suffocation and beating his baby son, was put to death by lethal injection on Thursday evening.
Christopher Thomas Johnson, 39, has been executed last night at Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama.
The death row intimate had a turkey bologna sandwich with cheese and tomato, a grape Sunkist, french fries, Reeses peanut butter cups and pretzels for his last meal and his only visitor was his brother, Thomas Eugene Lagos.
Christopher Thomas Johnson made the rare move of pleading guilty to capital murder in 2005 for killing his six-month-old son Elias Ocean Johnson.
His situation is one of the quickest death penalty case in recent memory, as it only took six years for the murderer to be put to death after the crime.
Christopher Thomas Johnson, 39, has been executed last night at Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama
Christopher Thomas Johnson himself requested the death penalty, which was granted in February 2007, and waived all appellate and intervention measures on his behalf.
The inmate represented himself at trial. Christopher Thomas Johnson testified he killed his son because “he hated his wife, didn’t want to be near her and didn’t want to worry about her threats of putting him in jail for alimony or child support”, according to documents filed by the state Attorney General’s Office.
Christopher Thomas Johnson offered no mitigating circumstances for his crime, and the trial court found the “the heinous, atrocious and cruel” nature of the murder outweighed any justifications that could have been offered, records show.
According to court documents, Christopher Thomas Johnson tried to quiet his son while his wife slept.
After several unsuccessful attempts in the early morning hours, the father “laid on top of Elias, covered Elias’ mouth with his hand for extended periods of time, and forced his fingers into the child’s mouth and down his throat to stop the crying”.
Father also struck the child with his hand.
During his trial, Christopher Thomas Johnson said that “You go see Jesus”, were the last words he said to Elias.
When the child’s mother awoke, the child was unresponsive and cold to the touch.
According to the forensic pathologist who performed Elias’ autopsy, the infant suffered at least 85 separate injuries.
Suffocation and head trauma were cited as the Elias’ causes of death.
The intimate’s ex-wife Dana spoke to a local Alabama newspaper for the first time since the murder, saying that she welcomes his death.
“Although I normally do not agree with capital punishment, I will not lose any sleep over this particular execution. Whether it is right or wrong I feel that a weight will be lifted from my soul on Thursday, and finally I will feel relief,” she told NorthEscambia.com.
“I am scarred by this, and Christopher took away my son, my trust in other people, and even my desire to ever have another child. I still have a hard time being around children because of the sorrow it makes me feel. Every day I see children that are Elias’ age, and I wonder what he would have been like,” Dana said.
She has since moved to an unidentified city out West and is currently studying to become a nurse.
“My son was the most delightful calm little boy I have ever known. Christopher Johnson took him from me. I have spent years trying to heal from this unimaginable pain.”
The E! News host, Giuliana Rancic underwent a double lumpectomy as part of her breast cancer treatment. The procedure appears to have gone well for her, and now she’s hopefully on the road to a speedy and full recovery.
Giuliana Rancic is “doing well” after her breast cancer surgery, her husband Bill told the Today Show on Thursday.
“It was kind of a long day,” Bill Rancic said of the two-hour double lumpectomy his wife underwent yesterday.
He added: ”There’s many steps in the process when you go through this.”
“She’s a trooper. She pulled through it and was kind of relieved to get it over with and get the cancer out. She’s doing well at home and recovering,” Bill described his wife, Giuliana Rancic.
“Fortunately, it was caught very, very early” he said of Giuliana’s disease.
“We’re going back to the doctor tomorrow. They had to remove a couple of lymph nodes and we’re hoping we get a report tomorrow.”
Giuliana Rancic has revealed few days ago that she had breast cancer during a Today Show interview.
She learned she had breast cancer when her doctor recommended she get a mammogram before going through her third round of in-vitro fertilization treatments.
Giuliana Rancic underwent a double lumpectomy to treat her breast cancer
Giuliana Rancic plans to return to work next week, despite the lumpectomies and the six weeks of radiation treatments that are scheduled to start soon.
About 200,000 American women are diagnosed with invasive and in situ breast cancer each year, and most of them will have surgery.
“The majority of breast cancers in this country are treated initially with surgery,” says Dr.Christina Weltz, associate director for surgery at the Dubin Breast Center at Mount Sinai. Dr. Christina Weltz is a surgeon who specializes in malignant and benign breast issues. She does about 150 breast cancer surgeries a year.
“For most women, that means making a decision between mastectomy [removal of the breast and breast tissue] and lumpectomy [removal of the tumor and a small margin around it].”
The average age of diagnosis is 61. Although doctors don’t know exactly what causes breast cancer, hormones, particularly estrogen, play a key role.
“We know that estrogen is a big factor in terms of risk factors, like the higher risk of women who start menstruating early or go through menopause late,” says Dr. Christina Weltz.
“Women who have children later in life or never have children are also at higher risk, as are women who take postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy.”
Nicole Scherzinger and F1 racing driver Lewis Hamilton have split up.
Lewis Hamilton, 26, who is 7 years junior to Nicole Scherzinger, decided to end the relationship due to their conflicting work schedules meant they were seeing less and less of each other.
Lewis Hamilton and Nicole Scherzinger – who rose to fame as part of The Pussycat Dolls pop group – had been dating for 4 years.
One of their friends confirmed they split up: “Yes, they’ve split. It’s a real shame because Nicole really tried to make it work.
“They are still very good friends and it was an amicable split, but they just decided it was impossible to keep the relationship going with such conflicting work schedules.”
Nicole Scherzinger and F1 racing driver Lewis Hamilton have split up
Nicole Scherzinger is a Hawaiian-born singer and is part of the judging panel on X Factor USA, alongside Simon Cowell.
Due to her activity, Nicole Scherzinger, 33, is currently based in Los Angeles, California.
Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, as a F1 leading driver, travels all over the worl and has a home in Switzerland.
The sportsman was seen yesterday at an event for his driving team McLaren and a source told he was in “good spirits”.
Nicole Scherzinger and Lewis Hamilton met at the European Music Awards in Munich in November 2007, before going public at the Monaco Grand Prix six months later.
Nicole Scherzinger was by his side as he was crowned world champion in Brazil in November 2008.
During their relationship, Nicole Scherzinger and Lewis Hamilton spent increasing amounts of time apart due to their busy careers.
In July this year, there was unconfirmed speculation that Nicole Scherzinger and Lewis Hamilton had become engaged.
Nicole Scherzinger and Lewis Hamilton had been separated before, in January 2010, when they had been together for 20 months.
Lewis Hamilton said at that time: “I just want to move forward in a positive manner. The focus is on this season and doing the best I possibly can and getting the results on the track. I’m just keeping my mind on that.
“It never was a distraction but I am not going to take my mind off what I’ve got to do by thinking about it.”
Recently, speaking of his relation with Nicole Scherzinger Lewis Hamilton said: “We go to the gym together quite often and she goes running with me. She does her own programme and I do mine and it’s pretty cool.”
So far, Nicole Scherzinger and Lewis Hamilton declined to comment.
Two earthquakes took place on Thursday in Texas and California, according to US Geological Survey.
The first one was a 4.8 magnitude earthquake which took place in Texas, having the epicenter near rural Karnes County, 47 miles southwest of San Antonio. The quake struck at 7:24 a.m. local time and was eye-opening because it was a record breaker.
It was the largest earthquake on record for the area, surpassing a magnitude of 4.3 shock recorded in 1993, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Don Blakeman, USGS geophysicist, said that southern Texas has been experiencing small earthquakes since the 1970s, and that 14 quakes between 2.6 and 3.4 magnitudes have been recorded since 1982.
However, the Thursday morning quake was significantly larger.
Don Blakeman also said it is impossible to predict if there will be any aftershocks. The Texas quake was both big enough to produce some small aftershocks and small enough that they wouldn’t necessarily be expected.
The second earthquake took place in California and had a 3.9 magnitude. The quake had the epicenter two miles southeast of Berkeley near San Francisco. It caused a sharp jolt but no immediate signs of damages or injuries.
The earthquake in California struck at 2:31 p.m. local time and was at a depth of about 6.1 miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
San Francisco quake struck in the same day Californians took part in an annual earthquake preparedness drill
Yesterday, the earthquake in California was felt as a sharp jolt in the East Bay area, and across the bay in San Francisco. The quake came almost 22 years to the day after the Loma Prieta earthquake struck the Bay Area during the 1989 World Series.
It also came on the same day Californians took part in an annual earthquake preparedness drill at 10:20 a.m. Thursday. More than 8.5 million people signed up to participate in the 2011 Great California ShakeOut.
Baby Dayne’s mother couldn’t figure out how one of her twin toddlers was getting out of his crib every time she put him down for a nap.
The toddlers’ mother thought it surely must have been a joint effort with his twin brother who sleeps in the same crib as him.
So she decided to set up a video camera in the nursery to see exactly how he was making his great escape.
Baby Dayne surveys the room before quickly throwing his leg on the top bar and hoisting himself up and over the top
The video recording shows the two baby boys standing in their crib while their mother says goodbye. Once the mother leaves the room, the coast is clear and the twins look at each other, knowing what comes next.
Baby Dayne surveys the room before quickly throwing his leg on the top bar and hoisting himself up and over the top, landing with a bump on the ground.
But rather than crying, baby Dayne simply resigns himself to the fact it is pain he must endure for freedom.
Taking a second to recover, baby Dayne then toddles over to the camera, which he realizes has caught it all and decides to destroy the evidence.
Baby Dayne grabs the camera with both hands and pulls it off the shelf.
Dayne’s mother – who calls herself “Momof6boys” – posted the clip on YouTube with the caption: “I think it is time for toddler beds.”
Since baby Dayne’s mother posted the clip, the video is gaining in popularity and is currently at almost 14,000 views.
Ziona Chana, a man from India, has the largest family in the world.
Ziona Chana, 67, has 39 wives, 94 children, 14 daughters-in-law and 33 grandchildren living under the same roof, in a house of 100 rooms.
Their home is a four-storey house set in the village of Baktwang, state Mizoram, India. Even then, some of his wives sleep top-to-tail in communal dormitories.
Ziona Chana doesn’t appear phased by the size of his apparently happy family and doesn’t claim any benefits for their upkeep.
“I feel like God’s special child. He’s given me so many people to look after,”Ziona Chana said.
“I consider myself a lucky man to be the husband of 39 women and head of the world’s largest family.”
Ziona Chana, a man from India, has the largest family in the world, 39 wives, 94 children, 14 daughters-in-law and 33 grandchildren
Ziona Chana’s family is organized with almost military discipline, with the oldest wife Zathiangi, 71, drawing up schedules for her fellow partners to take turns performing household chores such as cleaning, washing and preparing meals.
Normally, one evening meal can see them pluck 30 chickens, peel 132 lb (60 kg) of potatoes and boil up to 220 lb (100 kg) of rice.
Ziona Chana’s family has its own school, a playground, carpentry workshops, piggery and poultry farms and a vegetable garden big enough to supply the whole family.
Ziona Chana’s home has 100 rooms and is a four-storey house set in the village of Baktwang, state Mizoram, India
Conveniently, Ziona Chana is also head of a sect that allows members to take as many wives as he wants.
The man even married ten women in one year, when he was at his most prolific, and enjoys his own double bed while his wives have to make do with sharing.
Ziona Chana keeps the youngest women near to his bedroom with the older members of the family sleeping further away, and there is a rotation system for who visits Ziona’s bedroom.
Rinkmini, 35, one of Ziona Chana’s wives, said: “We stay around him as he is the most important person in the house. He is the most handsome person in the village.”
Rinkmini said Ziona Chana noticed her on a morning walk in the village 18 years ago and wrote her a letter asking for her hand in marriage.
Ziona Chana and his 39 wives
Huntharnghanki, another Ziona Chana’s wife said the entire family gets along well. The family system is reportedly based on “mutual love and respect”.
Ziona Chana, whose polygamous religious sect has 4,000 members and whose grandfather also had many wives, says he has not stopped looking for new wives.
“To expand my sect, I am willing to go even to the U.S. to marry,” he said.
One of Ziona Chana’ sons insisted that her father marries the poor women from the village.
Gordon and Norma Yeager from Iowa, who had been married for 72 years, had only one hour separation between them in their passing.
Gordon, 94, and Norma Yeager, 90, had never been separated, even after their tragic car accident which sent them both to the hospital.
Gordon and Norma were both born in Iowa before he moved to a farm a Minnesota with his family. He later came back in the town, when he was 16, to work at the Chevrolet Garage in State Center, Iowa, a business which he would eventually go on to own.
Once back in the town, Gordon Yeager fell in love with Norma who was still studying at high school.
After his proposal, Gordon and Norma were married on the very day that she graduated, May 26, 1939.
They had a small wedding in the same evening held in the home of Gordon’s sister, the expense of which was covered by his first pay cheque.
Gordon Yeager fell in love with Norma who was still studying at high school
Gordon and Norma Yeager spent their first few years of marriage in California where he worked as a welder in the shipyards during the Second World War while volunteering at night for the war effort.
The newlyweds later returned to the town of State Center and had four children – Donna, born in 1940, Roger in 1943, Gordon in 1946 and the youngest Dennis in 1949.
Tragically both middle sons Roger and Gordon later died in car crashes.
Gordon and Norma Yeager first ran a hardware store before taking over the Chevrolet Garage with Gordon’s brother Roger until both men retired at 65.
Their youngest son, Dennis, 62, described his parents as incredibly active individuals.
“We took family camping trips in Iowa and Canada but spent most of the time at Clear Lake, Minnesota. We rented a cabin and went boating.
“I remember my Dad, even at almost 60 years old, water-skiing at Clear Lake. One time, when I was driving the boat he disappeared under for such a long time, that my Mom was worried sick.
“When he eventually surfaced, she screamed at him, <<what were you doing down there?>> to which he yelled back, <<well I wasn’t coming back up without my trunks!>>”
When they retired, Gordon and Norma Yeager spent half the year in Tucson, Arizona, enjoying the outdoors and fishing in the Hoover Dam.
Despite their closeness, Dennis admits at times his parents were “total opposites”.
“They just loved being together but of course they would get mad at each other.
“My Dad was very sociable, he loved doing anything that involved being with people. My Mom was quieter but she would support my Dad in whatever he was doing. She would be there making sure everyone had something to eat, had a drink in their hand.
“She was such a perfectionist. When they had the garage, she won every award going from Chevrolet for her book-keeping. I remember they would be up together poring over those books until 2:00 a.m. if there was even a penny out of place.”
Gordon and Norma Yeager had been married for 72 years and had only one hour separation between them in their passing
After Gordon and Norma Yeager celebrated the rare achievement of a 70th wedding anniversary, they loved to spend time watching sports, socializing and walking their little Yorkie dog Radar.
Last week, while making a trip into town, the car Gordon Yeager was driving mistakenly pulled out in front of another.
According to the police report, the oncoming driver tried to avoid the collision, but it wasn’t able to stop in time.
Dennis Yeager said he found his parents at hospital sharing a unit in the intensive care unit, never separated and holding hands they lay, though “not really responsive”.
In the same day, on October 12, at 3:38pm, Gordon Yeager passed away, with Norma and family beside him. The anomaly began though for the family, when Gordon’s heart monitor kept beeping.
Dennis Yeager recalled: “It was really strange. They were holding hands, and dad stopped breathing but I couldn’t figure out what was going on because the heart monitor was still going.”
“But we were like, he isn’t breathing. How does he still have a heart beat?’
Their son asked a nurse who checked, pointing out the couple’s hands which were still locked together.
“Her heart was beating through him and picking it up,” the nurse explained.
One hour later, at 4:48pm, Norma Yeager died too.
Gordon and Norma Yeager held hands at their funeral on October 18, sharing the same casket. Their family said after Gordon and Norma Yeager are cremated and their ashes will be mixed together.
Gordon and Norma Yeager are survived by Norma’s sister, Virginia Kell, and Gordon’s brother, Roger, along with their children Donna and Dennis as well as 14 grandchildren, 29 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.
Muammar Gaddafi has reportedly been killed in his hometown of Sirte. (Photo by AFP)
UPDATE: The NTC have confirmed the death of Muammar Gaddafi
“He [Gaddafi] was also hit in his head,” National Transitional Council official Abdel Majid Mlegta told Reuters. “There was a lot of firing against his group and he died.”
Al Arabia reported 45min ago (via twitter) that the corpse of Muammar Gaddafi arrived in Misrata.
Libyan interim authorities fighters captured Muammar Gaddafi’s home city on Thursday, extinguishing the final substantial holdout of resistance by troops loyal towards the deposed leader and ending a two-month siege.
The seize of Sirte indicates Libya’s ruling Nationwide Transitional Council (NTC) ought to now start the job forging a brand new democratic program which it had stated it might begin following the town, constructed like a showpiece for Gaddafi’s rule, had fallen.
Information reviews had been conflicting on whether or not Gaddafi was arrested.
At first, Libyan Television channels circulated reviews the embattled leader himself was arrested.
Other reviews stated the corpse of Gaddafi had arrived in Misrata.
A senior NTC army official stated that Gaddafi died of wounds endured in his seize close to his hometown of Sirte.
NTC official Abdel Majid Mlegta informed Reuters previously that Gaddafi was captured and wounded in each legs at dawn on Thursday as he attempted to flee inside a convoy which NATO warplanes attacked.
The Libyan authorities also stated that Gaddafi was hiding inside a hole in Sirte, shouting “don’t shoot, don’t shoot.”
There had been reviews also by Reuters that Gaddafi’s son, Mutassim, and his intelligence head, Abdullah al-Sinosi and had been arrested.
The U.S. State Division on Thursday stated it couldn’t verify that deposed Gaddafi was captured and wounded in each legs.
“We’ve seen the media reports but can’t confirm them,” State Division spokeswoman Beth Gosselin informed Reuters.
A pro-Gaddafi tv web site denied Thursday reviews the strongman had been killed or captured.
“The reports peddled by the lackeys of NATO about the capture or death of the brother leader, Muammar Gaddafi, is baseless,” stated Al-Libiya tv. Gaddafi “is in good health,” they added.
But Holland’s prime minister stated that Gaddafi was captured.
Meanwhile, Libyan NTC fighters stated that they had been arresting previous Libyan officials and medics stated that Gaddafi’s protection minister, Abu Bakr Yunis, was lifeless.
A Libyan transitional forces commander stated Moussa Ibrahim, previous spokesman for Gaddafi’s fallen authorities, was captured close to the town of Sirte.
A group of some forty automobiles carrying Gaddafi forces had damaged out with the metropolis and had headed west, NTC fighters stated.
“The Gaddafi people broke out west, but the revolutionaries have them surrounded and are dealing with them,” said one of the fighters, Abdul Salam Mohammad.
Reporters in the scene watched because the last assault started about eight a.m. and ended about ninety minutes later on. Just prior to the assault, about 5 carloads of loyalists attempted to flee the enclave down the coastal highway but had been satisfied by gunfire in the revolutionaries, who killed a minimum of twenty of them.
Meanwhile, the troops didn’t permit reporters to enter the positions previously held from the Gaddafi loyalists because they stated mopping up functions had been nonetheless underway.
“Our forces control the last neighborhood in Sirte,” Hassan Draoua, a member of Libya’s interim National Transitional Council, told The Associated Press in Tripoli after Sirte’s fall. “The city has been liberated.”
A minimum of sixteen pro-Gaddafi fighters had been captured, together with numerous instances of ammunition and trucks loaded with weapons. Reporters noticed the fighters beating captured Gaddafi males within the back again of trucks and officers intervening to quit them.
Muammar Gaddafi dead body picture published by Al Jazeera
Commanders for Libya’s transitional authorities say they have captured rebel leader Col Muammar Gaddafi.
These news reports came right after the transitional forces regained control of the city Sirte, Col Gaddafi’s birthplace, after many weeks of ongoing battles.
The colonel was brought down in August after 42 years in commanding power. The International Criminal Court is waiting for his arrest.
“He’s captured. He’s wounded in both legs,” National Transitional Council (NTC) official Abdel Majid told Reuters news agency.
“He’s been taken away by ambulance.” AFP news agency quoted another NTC official, Mohamed Leith, as saying that Col Gaddafi had been captured in Sirte and was “seriously wounded” but still breathing.
Ohio police shot 48 exotic animals, including 18 rare Bengal tigers and 17 lions, on Wednesday after Terry Thompson, owner of Muskingum County Animal Farm in Zanesville threw their cages open and committed suicide.
48 animals were killed after an all-night hunt that extended into Wednesday afternoon. Six others – three leopards, a grizzly bear and two monkeys – were captured and taken to the Columbus Zoo. A wolf was later found dead, leaving a monkey as the only animal still on the loose.
Zanesville police shot 48 exotic animals, including 18 rare Bengal tigers and 17 lions, after Terry Thompson threw their cages open and committed suicide
Among dead animals were six black bears, two grizzlies, a wolf, a baboon and three mountain lions. They were being buried on Terry Thompson’s farm, according to officials.
Jack Hanna, TV personality and former director of the Columbus Zoo said:
“It’s like Noah’s Ark wrecking right here in Zanesville, Ohio.”
Jack Hanna defended the Zanesville sheriff’s decision to kill the animals but said the deaths of the Bengal tigers were especially tragic. There are only about 1,400 of the endangered cats left in the world, he said.
“When I heard 18, I was still in disbelief,” Jack Hanna said.
“The most magnificent creature in the entire world, the tiger is.”
Dead animals have been buried on Terry Thompson's farm
As the hunt dragged on outside of Zanesville, population 25,000, schools closed in the mostly rural area of farms and widely spaced homes 55 miles east of Columbus. Parents were warned to keep children and pets indoors.
Flashing signs along highways told motorists, “Caution exotic animals” and “Stay in vehicle”.
Sheriff’s deputies were ordered to kill the animals instead of trying to bring them down with tranquillizers for fear that those hit with darts would escape in the darkness before they dropped and would later regain consciousness.
Sheriff Matt Lutz said: “These animals were on the move, they were showing aggressive behavior.”
“Once the nightfall hit, our biggest concern was having these animals roaming.”
Sheriff Matt Lutz would not speculate why Terry Thompson killed himself and why he left open the cages and fences at his 73-acre preserve, dooming the animals he seemed to love so much.
Terry Thompson, 62, had repeated run-ins with the law and his neighbors.
The sheriff’s office had received numerous complaints since 2004 about animals escaping onto neighbors’ property and also said that terry Thompson had been charged over the years with animal cruelty, animal neglect and allowing animals to roam.
Terry Thompson had gotten out of federal prison just last month after serving a year for possessing unregistered guns.
A message has appeared on David Hasselhoff’s Twitter page saying that Hayley Roberts has dumped him.
Surprisingly, the news comes one day after David Hasselhoff, 59, and Hayley Roberts, 31, were seen out in London at the Clinton’s Celebrity Fastcard event on October 18.
A David Hasselhoff’s representative of was unavailable for comment.
Their relationship appeared to be going swimmingly, but there are signs that Hayley Roberts wasn’t ready to commit to David Hasselhoff.
David Hasselhoff, 59, and Hayley Roberts, 31, were seen out in London at the Clinton's Celebrity Fastcard event
The Star on Sunday recently claimed that David Hasselhoff isn’t the first famous face that Hayley Roberts has bagged and she enjoyed a fling with footballer Dwight Yorke and singer Enrique Iglesias too.
Hayley Roberts apparently enjoyed a four-month fling with Dwight Yorke that ended weeks before she met David Hasselhoff.
David Hasselhoff is said to have proposed to Hayley Roberts, who is a former Debenhams worker, three times so far, but last night her ring finger appeared bare.
A message has appeared on David Hasselhoff’s Twitter page saying that Hayley Roberts has dumped him
Last month David Hasselhoff, who has two daughters from a previous marriage, hinted that he was ready to get married for a third time.
“I believe in marriage. Right now with Hayley things are getting better in every way.”
It seems that David Hasselhoff was planning a Christmas with Hayley Roberts and her family and is appearing in a panto in Bristol, close to Hayley’s hometown of Glynneath, near Merthyr Tydfil.
David Hasselhoff has also recently splashed out on a new home in Lisvane, an upmarket area in the Welsh capital of Cardiff.
David Hasselhoff has been dating Hayley Roberts for the past six months after she asked him for an autograph and he asked her for a date.
It seemed that despite the 28-year age gap, their relationship was blossoming with Hayley Roberts even leaving her job in Debenhams to accompany David Hasselhoff around the world.
David Hasselhoff told the story of their first meeting to The Sunday Mirror:
“I was walking into the St David’s Hotel in Cardiff when we were in Wales for BGT and she came up and asked for a photograph.
“I just saw this girl walk out the bar and I just pointed and went, <<her, wow>>.”
“Hayley’s opening line was, <<can I have a photo?>>. And mine was, <<only if I can have your number>>. I then said, <<you probably have a boyfriend>>. And when she said no, that was a done deal.”
David Hasselhoff, who divorced wife Pamela Bach in 2006, said: “I’ve been able to take my beautiful girlfriend out of a retail store where she’s making £5.90 an hour.
“Now she doesn’t have to worry. I say look, <<you’re a beautiful girl, follow what God gave you>> and I’m giving her the confidence and have somebody to share my life with.”
World’s first digital camera that allows multiple refocuses after the picture was taken, Lytro light field camera, becomes available to customers.
The camera uses a concept developed by Professor Ren Ng, the light field. The light travels with an enormous speed in lots of directions. The immense number of rays rapidly changing directions make us to see an image in different shapes, depths, and color intensity. Lytro light field camera captures instantly a great part of this field of light and reproduces it in the digital picture.
Lytro's desktop application allows the user to focus on various points of the picture after it was downloaded to computer.
Lytro light field sensor captures 11 million light rays of data (11 megarays) per shot. It also captures the direction of each ray. With no focus needed, the image capture is almost instantaneous. The result is 4-dimensional image capture. Light field imaging engine processes the data producing HD quality images. The pictures are displayed in 2D, but in 2012 a special algorithm will be applied to the light field and the photos will be displayed in 3D. The viewers will be able to shift the perspective of the scene.
Lytro light field camera also can shot images in low light without the use of a flash. The pictures taken are 11 megarays (around 22 megapixels). For the first customers Lytro offers free storage of images on its servers.
“Light field photography was once only possible with 100 cameras tethered to a supercomputer in a lab. Today it’s accessible to everyone in a camera that’s small and powerful, but incredibly easy to use. Our goal is to forever change the way people take and experience pictures, and today marks our first major step,” said Professor Ng.
Lytro has an original design. It was compared to a lipstick case both in shape and dimensions.
It measures 1.61 inches x 1.61 inches x 4.41 inches (41 mm x 41 mm x 112 mm) and weighs 7.55 ounces (214 g). It has an anodized aluminum frame and a rubber back-end with two buttons (one for shutter and the other for power). Its 1.46 inches (33 mm) back-lit LCD display with glass touchscreen (1.46-inch) allows the user to change the focus on-camera, compose shot, set exposure and view picture. Power button, Shutter button, Zoom slider and touchscreen are the controls.
Lytro light field cameras come in two models 8GB (blue, graphite) and 16GB (red).
Lytro has an internal lithium-ion battery and non-removable flash storage. It has an f/2 aperture and 8x zoom lens. Its storage capacity is from 8GB to 16GB and the battery can last till the memory is filled with images.
Lytro’s desktop application is a free download editing software. With this special photo interface the pictures can be downloaded to computer via USB and then manipulated. Lytro’s desktop serves also for sharing pictures on social networks. Picture shared from Mac (OS X) computer allows the recipient to shift the focus without other special software. Images “become interactive, living pictures,” said Professor Ng. A version for Windows will be available in 2012.
Lytro's desktop application allows an user to interact with a photo shared by someone with no need of other software. (Mac only till now)
Lytro, a Silicon Valley company, was founded in 2006 by Professor Ren Ng. In 2006 Association for Computing Machinery Dissertation awarded his research on light field photography and he won Standford University’s prize for best thesis in computer science.
Lytro light field camera can be pre-ordered starting from October 19, 2011 on Lytro.com, but it will be shipped in early 2012. There are two models: 8GB (350 images), price $399, available in electric blue or graphite, and $499 16GB model (750 photos), red hot.
French industry minister, Eric Besson has accidentally sent a private message to his wife asking her to go to bed with him in a Twitter message published to thousands of readers.
Eric Besson, 53, meant to send the tweet privately to his beautiful wife, Tunisian-born Yasmine Tordjman, who is 29 years his junior.
French minister’s message was flashed up on the internet to more than 14,000 Twitter followers.
Eric Besson sent the message to his student wife, Yasmine Tordjman, 24, at 11:00 a.m. today, saying: “When I come home I’m going to bed. Too exhausted. With you?”
Eric Besson’s message was flashed up on the internet to more than 14,000 Twitter followers
Eric Besson deleted the message within minutes, but, unfortunately, it had been “re-Tweeted” tens of thousands of times.
The minister later tried to make light of the gaffe, posting up: “That will teach me to manage my lists and not hit the send button by mistake. I’m not going to bed!”
Eric Besson later posted to all his followers: “OK, have your fun. I’ve got a meeting in parliament to prepare for.”
Eric Besson married Yasmine Tordjman last year after divorcing his wife of 25 years, Sylvie Brunel.
Eric Besson has accidentally sent a private message to his wife Yasmine Tordjman asking her to go to bed with him on Twitter
After the divorce, Sylvie Brunel branded Eric Besson a “serial cheat with inter-changeable mistresses”.
Sylvie Brunel said at the time: “I have been dumped for a woman as young as our eldest daughter.”
Eric Besson called his former wife’s comments “shameless”.
Yasmine Tordjman is the great grand-daughter of Wassila Bourguiba, the wife of a former Tunisian president Habib Bourguiba.
Minister Eric Besson has insisted that the large age gap between him and his wife makes “no difference” to their relationship.
Lindsay Lohan left court in handcuffs and was taken into custody today after a judge blasted her for violating probation.
Lindsay Lohan, 25, had her probation revoked pending a November 2 hearing after the judge slammed her for failing to complete time at the Downtown Women’s Centre.
The trouble actress is now understood to have been released after posting $100,000 and will not spend time behind bars.
The outcome is pending a the November hearing, which was scheduled by the judge today, where the court will hear further testimonies before deciding on the course of action.
Lindsay Lohan left the court in handcuffs and was taken into custody today after a judge blasted her for violating probation
Lindsay Lohan was sentenced to 360 hours community service earlier this year as part of her sentence for stealing a gold necklace from a jewellery store.
During the today hearing, Judge Stephanie Sautner asserted Lindsay Lohan had managed to wilfully get herself kicked off the programme by cancelling on the women’s centre nine times.
Lindsay Lohan welled up as her lawyer Shawn Holley Chapman fought her corner, pointing to the “glowing report” by the Probation Service.
Despite Lindsay Lohan completed some volunteer work this week at the Red Cross, Judge Stephanie Sautner ruled it as void because it was not part of the sentence she had specifically stipulated at an earlier hearing.
According to the judge, Lindsay Lohan should have gone to the morgue for clean-up duty to complete some of the hours of community service instead, which was the second part of the probation stipulated.
“Nobody has the power to change my sentence,” said the judge.
“Probation is a gift as I see it. There is something called looking a gift horse in the mouth,” she added.
The judge was also perplexed as to why the Probation Service had given Lindsay Lohan such a positive report.
During the today hearing, Judge Stephanie Sautner asserted Lindsay Lohan had managed to wilfully get herself kicked off the programme by cancelling on the women's centre nine times
Judge Stephanie Sautner said Lindsay Lohan work this week at the Red Cross would not count towards the 60 days of community service she has been ordered to complete.
The judge also estimated that Lindsay Lohan has only managed to fulfil three days out of the 60 so far, also taking into account the time taken to complete a shoplifters course.
Judge Stephanie Sautner noted that Lindsay Lohan had been a no-show at Downtown Women’s centre nine times and had only managed to do around a day-and-a-half there.
She suggested it was Lindsay Lohan’s inability to keep to schedule and disruption of the programme that eventually left women’s centre with no option but to cancel her role there.
Lindsay Lohan pulled up to the courthouse at 9:55 a.m. for the 10:00 a.m. hearing at the Airport Branch Courthouse.
Lindsay Lohan has also served 35 days under house arrest this year as part of her sentence for the necklace theft.
Judge Stephanie Sautner said Lindsay Lohan should serve 16 hours at the morgue on clean-up duty between now and her next court hearing.
Carla Bruni, France First Lady has given birth to a baby girl this evening at Muette Clinic in Paris.
According to sources, President Nicolas Sarkozy spent half an hour with his wife Carla Bruni shortly after she delivered their first child together.
Carla Bruni and Nicolas Sarkozy insisted that the happy event should remain a “private matter” and no official announcement will be made by the Elysee Palace.
Carla Bruni, France First Lady has given birth to a baby girl this evening at Muette Clinic in Paris
Carla Bruni, 43, who already has a son from a previous relation, has even claimed that that her second child will never be pictured.
President Nicolas Sarkozy, 56, paid the 30-minute visit to his third wife at the clinic before heading off to a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Frankfurt.
On arrival in Germany Nicolas Sarkozy refused to respond to any questions about his fourth child.
Carla Bruni becomes the only serving First Lady in French history to have a baby.
France First Lady was seen arriving at the private Muette Clinic early in the morning.
One member of the private clinic staff confirmed later: “She’s had the baby, it’s a little girl.”
By Wednesday evening, leading French TV stations, including France 24, which is funded by Nicolas Sarkozy’s government, were reporting that “numerous sources” inside the clinic had confirmed the birth.
“Speculation is rife that France’s First Lady may have given birth,” said presenter Francois Picard.
Jeremy Trottin, of BFMTV, another non-stop Paris news channel, said: “There are reports that Ms Bruni-Sarkozy’s gynaecologist has already delivered the baby.”
Le Figaro reported earlier on Wednesday that Carla Bruni had gone into labour.
Police and plain-clothes security agents surrounded the clinic in Paris’ 16th arrondissement, close to Carla Bruni’s town house next to the Bois de Boulogne.
President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived with presidential aids for his visit shortly after 4:00 p.m., local time, and half-an-hour later headed off to Germany looking impassive.
Carla Bruni has a 10-year-old son, Aurelien, with a former lover, the philosopher, Rafael Enthoven.
Nicolas Sarkozy has two sons, 26-year-old Pierre and Jean, 25, from his first marriage to Marie-Dominique Culioli, and a third, 14-year-old Louis, from his second to Cecilia Ciganer-Albeniz.
Listeria outbreak linked to cantaloupe melons death toll raised to 25 deaths across 12 states in US.
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that 123 people have now been sickened in Listeria outbreak linked to cantaloupe.
The number of illnesses is expected to grow until Christmas as the symptoms of Listeria can take up to two months to appear.
CDC confirmed yesterday a sixth death in Colorado and a second in New York.
Listeria outbreak linked to cantaloupe melons death toll raised to 25 deaths across 12 states in US
There are also reports of deaths in Listeria outbreak in Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming.
Until now, more than 310,000 cases of cantaloupe have been recalled in different states across US by Jensen Farms from Holly, Colorado. The cantaloupes were shipped from July 29 to September 10 to at least 24 states.
All of the victims of the Listeria outbreak so far got ill on or before July 31.
However, some of the tainted cantaloupe could have been consumed as late as September 24 – meaning the end of the illnesses may stretch until Christmas.
The average age of those who have died in the outbreak was 87 years. It was also reported that a pregnant woman has suffered a miscarriage after becoming ill.
123 people have been sickened in cantaloupe Listeria outbreak, but the number of illnesses is expected to grow as the symptoms can take up to two months to appear
According to experts, these outbreaks are becoming more frequent, partly because much of what we eat is carried on a long journey from farm to fork.
Dr. Brian Currie, an infectious disease specialist at Montefiore Medical Centre in New York, said:
“Increasingly with agribusiness you have limited producers of any given food, so a breakdown in a facility or plant or in a large field crop operation exposes thousands because of the way the food is distributed.”
Jensen Farms was unable to provide a list of retailers that sold the tainted cantaloupes because the products were sold and resold.
Ray Gilmer, of United Fresh Produce Association, said: “There has been a laser focus on improving traceability so any recall can identify the affected product immediately and not have an effect on the rest of the entire category.
“The stakes for a large company to have a food safety incident are huge. It could destroy their company.”
Listeria is a germ found in soil and water, often turns up in processed meats because it can contaminate a processing facility and stay there for a long period of time.
Listeria is also common in unpasteurized cheeses and unpasteurized milk, though less so produce such as cantaloupe melon.
The infection can cause fever, muscle aches, gastrointestinal symptoms and even death. One in five people who have Listeria can die.
A food safety law passed by Congress in 2010 gives the FDA new power to improve tracing food through the system.
Experts say the law will help make the food network safer by focusing on making every step in the chain safer and making it easier to find the source of outbreaks.
For the first time, larger farms are required to submit plans detailing how they are keeping their produce safe.
Ohio police are investigating the possibility that Terry Thompson, the owner of the Zanesville reserve where 48 wild animals escaped from, may have opened their cages and then committed suicide.
Terry Thompson, owner of Muskingum County Animal Farm in Zanesville was found dead by authorities having his body surrounded by a number of aggressive animals.
It was reported that almost 30 wild animals have been shot and killed until now and the residents were warned to stay indoors.
Ohio police are investigating the possibility that Terry Thompson, the owner of the Zanesville reserve where 48 wild animals escaped from, may have opened their cages and then committed suicide
48 tigers, lions, wolves, giraffes, camels, cheetahs and bears bolted after their cages were left open in the reservation.
Sheriff Matt Lutz said: “We are not ruling out any possibility right now about who let the animals out of the cages and what happened to Mr Thompson. We are waiting on the results of the preliminary autopsy to establish cause of death.”
It was also reported that Terry Thompson, 62, who lived at the Muskingum County Animal Farm, had chimps in cages in his home but these were still locked up.
Jack Hanna, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium director emeritus told FOX News Channel: “The animals are hunkered down in trees right now, like you would be if it were raining.
“That’s good and bad, because the weather would reduce the danger for local residents but make the recovery of the animals more difficult.
“I’m hoping that by tonight we can account for most of these creatures.”
Authorities in Zanesville, Ohio, urged nearby residents to stay in their houses as wild animals were spotted wandering up and down highways in the area
Authorities in Zanesville urged nearby residents to stay in their houses as animals were spotted wandering up and down highways in the area.
Terry Thompson was released from prison three weeks ago after serving a one-year term for weapons offences.
According to the New York Post, Terry Thompson was convicted of cruelty to animals and placed under house arrest for six months in 2005.
A Zanesville veterinarian who inspected some of Terry Thompson’s animals described him as “an animal collector”, although Thompson claimed he was operating an animal shelter.
Terry Thompson was also said to be involved in fashion photography, and once provided lion cubs for use in a photo shoot with model Heidi Klum in 2007.
Police refused to give details of all the animals that had been shot but said bears and wolves were among the 30 animals killed.
Sheriff Matt Lutz said: “These are wild animals that you would see on TV in Africa.”
Celina Aarons, from South Florida, US, had the shock of a lifetime when she opened her cell phone bill from T Mobile and find she owed $201,000.
The woman checked with the mobile phone services provider and she learned that it wasn’t a mistake.
Celina Aarons has two deaf brothers, who are also unable to speak.
Shamir, Celina’s younger brother, who is in college and doesn’t work, and his sister is especially close to him.
Celina Aarons had the shock of a lifetime when she opened her cell phone bill from T Mobile and find she owed $201,000
The easiest way for Celina Aarons and her brother to communicate is by texting.
Celina Aarons had a data plan and the bill usually came to a total of about $175.
One day Shamir went to Canada for a two-week holiday and neither Celina Aarons nor her brother thought to change him to an international plan.
According to the bill, the two brothers sent over 2,000 texts between them and also downloaded videos, sometimes racking up $2,000 in data charges for downloading a single video.
After getting the bill Celina Aarons said: “I asked three, four times. I was like <<Are you serious?>>”
Celina Aarons and her brother sent over 2,000 texts between them and also downloaded videos, sometimes racking up $2,000 in data charges for downloading a single video
Celina Aarons told WSVN-Channel 7 News: “I was freaking out. I was shaking, crying. I was like <<my life is over>>.”
She said that paying the monster bill was impossible.
Celina Aarons added: “That’s like paying for a nice house right now based on what houses are going for.”
The phone company should have told her the bill was soaring, Celina Aarons argues.
T Mobile replied that her brother was billed $10 per megabyte and that they had texted the rate to him.
Four additional texts were sent to Shamir’s phone as the charges surged, T Mobile said.
T Mobile have now reduced the bill to $2,500 and given Celina Aarons six months to pay it.
A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that moderate consumption of wine can increase bone mineral density (BMD) and prevent post-menopausal fractures linked to osteoporosis.
Researchers from the University of East Anglia and Kings College London have studied over 1,000 pairs of female of age about 55. The subjects were questioned about their dietary habits and the scientists have measured the thickness of their bones in the hip joint, the spine and the top of the femur. These are the places in which the bones are broken more often when osteoporosis occurred in post-menopause.
Moderate wine drinkers had higher bone density in the spine and the hip than non-drinkers, or drinkers of other types of alcohol (spirit, beer).
A glass of wine a day could prevent osteoporosis, Alzheimer's, stroke and heart attack, but excessive drinking increases risks of these conditions.
A diet of fish and chips, baked beans, meat pies and cooked meats apparently lowered bone mineral density and a diet high in fruit and vegetables seemed to have no substantial benefits.
“Moderate intakes of alcohol from wine were associated with a higher bone mineral density and the consumption of a traditional 20th-century English diet was linked with a lower bone density,” said scientists.
The findings come before World Osteoporosis Day on October 20, 2011.
Polyphenols, found in the skin of grapes, could help the bones strengthening, not the alcohol, other studies have suggested. Polyphenols are known as antioxidants and they help to prevent heart and brain diseases (stroke, Alzheimer’s), besides osteoporosis.
While a glass a day could prevent osteoporisis, and smaller studies have suggested alcohol might have a protective effect, heavy drinking is known as a major factor that weakens the bones, and leads to osteoporosis.
It is not the first time when researchers focus on the linkage between osteoporosis and wine.
Katherine Tucker, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center at Tufts University in Boston, said in 2004 that beer could prevent osteoporosis in men bones, while wine is good for women bones. Beer contains silicon and wine polyphenols. The study was performed on 2,900 men and women, but there were not enough men who had drunk wine, nor women who had drunk beer, thus, the study only linked men to beer and women to wine. However, Professor Tucker said it is possible that men could benefit from two glasses of wine, while women from two cans of beer.
The study was presented at the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research annual meeting. Men who drank one to two beers a day had around 7% higher hip bone mineral density than nondrinkers. In women, increase was slightly less but was still significantly better than bone mineral density in nondrinkers.
The same message about the importance of moderation was sent at that time too, because “while two cans of beer or two 6 ounce [177,44 ml] glasses of wine are good for bones, drinking more is harmful,” and about distilled beverages (vodka or Scotch) “daily consumption of more than two drinks promotes osteoporosis,” Professor Tucker said.
What is osteoporosis?
In children bones grow and regenerate rapidly, but in adults the process is slower. Over the age of 30 a person starts to lose bone mineral density. Through life old bone is being destroyed by osteoclasts and new bone is formed by osteoblasts. The osteoblasts (cells that produce new bone) became gradually outnumbered by osteoclasts (cells that remove the calcium and phosphorous from an old bone). The balance between these two types of cells is very important for a healthy bone.
Osteoporosis occurs when bone mineral density is lower. The bones are fragile and break (fracture) easily.
Osteoporosis (porous bones, from Greek: ὀστέον/osteon meaning bone and πόρος/poros meaning pore) is a condition that causes bones to become weak and fragile and to break (fracture) easily. It appears frequently in the spine, wrist and hips. Osteoporosis is called a silent disease because lots of people become aware of it only until a fracture occurs.
The gold standard for diagnosis is dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA, formerly DEXA). It measures bone mineral density and expressed it in standard deviations from a young adult reference population (T-score).
* T-score -1.0 or greater is normal
* T-score between -1.0 and -2.5 is low bone mass (osteopenia)
* T-score -2.5 or below is osteoporosis
Osteoporosis affects an estimated 75 million people in Europe, USA and Japan.
Steroid drugs, smoke, heavy drinking and a family history of osteoporosis are important risk factors.
Worldwide, an osteoporotic fracture is estimated to occur every 3 seconds, a vertebral fracture every 22 seconds.
Osteoporosis is estimated to affect 200 million women worldwide – approximately one-tenth of women aged 60, one-fifth of women aged 70, two-fifths of women aged 80 and two-thirds of women aged 90.
About 20-25% of hip fractures occur in men. The overall mortality is about 20% in the first 12 months after hip fracture and is higher in men than women.
It is estimated that the lifetime risk of experiencing an osteoporotic fracture in men over the age of 50 is 30%, similar to the lifetime risk of developing prostate cancer. (Source: International Osteoporosis Foundation).
Can osteoporosis be prevented?
First the risk factors have to be removed. Adequate nutrition (with food rich in proteins, calcium and vitamin D), daily moderate sun exposure (to stimulate vitamin D production) and adequate exercise can slow osteoporosis progression and prevent fractures. An excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation increases the risk of skin tumors or melanoma. Childhood and adolescence are the perfect times to improve bone mineral density through exercise and to prevent osteoporosis.
Katia Zatuliveter, an alleged Russian spy admitted a 4-year relationship with married British Liberal Democrat MP, Mike Hancock, but denied she deliberately targeted him during yesterday hearing.
Katia Zatuliveter, 26, also had a string of affairs or “flirtations” with other political figures including a Nato official and a Dutch diplomat.
The alleged Russian spy is accused of trying to access secret defense information from Portsmouth South MP Mike Hancock, for whom she worked as an assistant.
Katia Zatuliveter, the alleged Russian spy admitted a 4-year relationship with married Liberal Democrat MP Mike Hancock
Katia Zatuliveter admitted opening MP Mike Hancock’s “private and confidential” defense select committee letters, and allegedly influenced questions he asked in British Parliament.
On October 18, Katia Zatuliveter launched an appeal against British government efforts to deport her and insisted she was not a Russian agent.
Katia Zatuliveter told during yesterday hearing that she first met MP Mike Hancock in 2006 when she was 21 and studying international relations at St Petersburg University.
MP Mike Hancock attended a conference in St Petersburg and Katia Zatuliveter was assigned to “chaperone” him.
MP Mike Hancock first met Katia Zatuliveter in 2006 when she was 21 and studying international relations at St Petersburg University
Katia said they went for a drink in the lobby of his hotel on the night they met, but she resisted to his advances.
“He told me he wanted to sleep with me. He went up to his room and he brought a CD and some money.”
Katia Zatuliveter refused to sleep with the MP or take the money.
“He made it very clear from the beginning he was interested in me. He tried to kiss me. He was very charming during this time.
“I was not getting much attention from men during this period.”
Later Katia Zatuliveter travelled to Moscow to meet again MP Mike Hancock, but told the court her intention was to practice her English before an exam and not to sleep with him.
Jonathan Glasson, for the Home Office, said: “The real motivation was so you could develop a sexual relationship wasn’t it?”
Katia Zatuliveter replied: “I could prepare to do an exam in St Petersburg or I could go and spend a few days with a native speaker.”
Jonathan Glasson went on: “You knew exactly what was going to happen didn’t you, and it didn’t have anything to do with practising your English? It was to develop a relationship with Mr. Hancock.”
Katia Zatuliveter answered: “No it wasn’t.”
Katia Zatuliveter and Mike Hancock relationship began in June 2006, and that year she moved to Britain.
She worked part time for MP Mike Hancock three or four days a month and applied for, and was given, a Parliamentary pass.
In 2008 Katia Zatuliveter began working for MP Mike Hancock full time as a Parliamentary researcher, with access to his Parliamentary email account.
Katia Zatuliveter then moved in with Mike Hancock at his central London flat, where she opened weekly correspondence from the select committee including letters marked “private and confidential”.
Katia Zatuliveter said: “I was able to read them, but I was not interested.”
Jonathan Glasson said: “You have been reporting from Londongrad, from the heart of British democracy, the UK Parliament.
“You were much more than a researcher for a backbencher MP. You have ensured that the Russian Intelligence services have eyes and ears in the House of Commons, you were someone who would ensure that questions were asked in Parliament.”
“You were pleased to be getting attention from a man who was in a powerful and influential position?”
Katia Zatuliveter replied: “I know he is not particularly powerful, he is a back bench MP, why are you trying to portray him as a senior government minister?”
After the appeal, the Special Immigration Appeals Commission will rule whether Katia Zatuliveter can stay in Britain or will be deported.
Katia Zatuliveter also claimed she had no idea the MP Mike Hancock was married until the end of their affair.
She also admitted taking money from him.
According to lawyers for the Security Service, Katia Zatuliveter knew MP Mike Hancock was a womanizer and used that knowledge to get close to him.
Jonathan Glasson said Mike Hancock was “potentially vulnerable” to the Russian intelligence services because allegations of his extra-marital affairs “have circulated for many years” and were published in the British press.
Katia Zatuliveter denied any knowledge of this, but later, she recalled he told her he had an ex-girlfriend in Moscow.
The court was told that MP Mike Hancock was chairman of the All Parliamentary Group on Russia.
And it also told that Katia Zatuliveter had contact with a suspected Russian spy – given the name “Boris” by the court – who has since been expelled from Britain.
“He was a Russian intelligence officer, wasn’t he?” Jonathan Glasson said.
Katia Zatuliveter replied: “That’s what I was told by MI5, so I don’t know it’s true. But they also said that I was, so I don’t know.”
Katia Zatuliveter claimed she broke off contact with Boris on Mike Hancock’s advice after he tried to arrange a meeting with her.
She said there was “no truth” in MI5’s allegation that she was an agent for the Russian intelligence services by April 2006.
Katia Zatuliveter said: “I am innocent and I don’t believe I should be deported without having done anything.
“I am legally here, I have a work permit until August 2012.”
Katia Zatuliveter was served with deportation notice in December 2010.
Comedian Catherine Tate and Take That singer Jason Orange have been involved in a secret romance over the recent months, according to sources.
Catherine Tate, 43, and Jason Orange, 41, first met when they took part in a Comic Relief sketch back in March. According to a source, they have been on a string of dates in recent weeks, including an overnight trip to Stratford-Upon-Avon.
The source told The Sun: “They were trying to keep things secret but looked very loved up and happy together.
“It’s a very unlikely pairing but they have really hit it off. They’ve been on a number of dates to the theatre and the cinema.
“They really enjoy each other’s company. Catherine deserves someone nice and she has landed on her feet with Jason.
“But they have both been desperate to keep their romance secret.”
Jason Orange has been dating Catherine Tate over the recent months
Catherine Tate and Jason Orange first struck up a friendship when she took on the role of Jason in spoof band Fake That for the sketch.
Catherine Tate starred alongside James Corden, Alan Carr, Kevin Bishop and David Walliams as the fake Take That.
They were getting on well while filming the sketch and, afterwards, stayed in touch and their romance is thought to have blossomed this summer, following Catherine Tate’s split from stage manager partner Twig Clark.
Catherine Tate and Jason Orange have been spotted at A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Stratford, on dates to the cinema, the National Theatre and at a coffee shop near Jason’s flat in West London.
Catherine Tate became famous after she played Lauren Cooper and she is well-known for her catchphrase “Am I Bovvered?” in her TV sketch show.
Catherine Tate, who has also a significant theatre career, has been recently starred alongside David Tennant in Much Ado About Nothing.
While Catherine Tate’s most recent relationship was with Twig Clark, who was stage manager for her play at the National Theatre, Jason Orange has remained quiet about his personal life during his time in the spotlight.
Jason Orange has been romantically linked during the time to stars including singer Lulu and TV presenter Jenny Powell.
Early in the morning, the bailiffs and riot police smashed through fences to evict dozens of traveller families living illegally on the Dale Farm site in Essex, UK.
Authorities entered Dale Farm site after breaking down a rear fence just after 07:00 BST, prompting angry scenes.
The travellers lost a last-ditch attempt to stave off the evictions at the Court of Appeal on Monday.
An alarm siren sounded inside the perimeter of Dale Farm and protesters gathered at the main gate rushed to the eastern side of the site where police were streaming in.
They engaged in hand to hand fighting with the officers who had come across the adjacent fields.
The operation was entirely police led and they were moving at jogging pace, driving back the protesters in a running battle.
Early in the morning, the bailiffs and riot police smashed through fences to evict dozens of traveller families living illegally on the Dale Farm site in Essex
100 officers pushed people aside as they made their way through Dale Farm site. Ranks of officers, including many from the Metropolitan force, lined up in front of the main gate and its gantry which has now become the symbol of the fight.
They were pelted with bricks, bottles and other debris and used riot shields above their heads as protection.
Dale Farm travellers hurled missiles on authorities who responded by using Tasers.
Some of the travelers used motorcycle d-locks to chain themselves by the neck to ruined cars but police pushed aside a rambling protester and marched deeper into the site.
Dale Farm protesters gathered at the main gate rushed to the eastern side of the site where police were streaming in
Electricity supplies were cut and protesters wearing masks said this had turned off crucial medical equipment belonging to elderly residents.
Moments later a caravan was set ablaze, sending flames and thick black smoke into the air.
Within 15 minutes police had complete control over Dale Farm site.
According to Essex Police, officers entered the site “following intelligence which informed the commanders that anyone entering the site was likely to come up against violence and a serious breach of the peace would occur”.
The Essex Police statement said: “Intelligence received indicated protesters had stockpiled various items with the intent of using these against bailiffs and police.
“First officers on the site were attacked with missiles being thrown including rocks and liquids. These officers were fully equipped to deal with this situation.”
“Consistent attempts have been made, both on Tuesday and this morning, to negotiate with protesters to leave the site peacefully.”
Dale Farm eviction, which could cost up to £18 million ($28 million), marks the end of a 10-year battle between travellers, who bought a former scrap yard on green belt land in 2001 and established their caravans there, and local authorities. More travellers joined them and some semi-permanent chalet dwellings were built.
Dale Farm history
1960’s Small numbers of travellers begin to settle alongside the Dale Farm site, part of which was authorized as a scrapyard.
1990’s The site has grown to 37 plots authorized by Basildon Council.
2001 Dale Farm traveller families began to set up pitches illegally on green belt land.
2005, May- Travellers are ordered to leave Dale Farm after a planning inspector declares the development illegal. Basildon Council votes to bring enforcement action.
June – Actor and political activist Corin Redgrave suffers a heart attack while speaking at a Basildon Council meeting discussing the future of Dale Farm. He describes travellers as “the most deprived community in the country”.
2006, May – Dale Farm travellers hold a vigil outside Westminster as the Government discusses new guidance on gypsy and traveller sites.
2007, December – The Save Dale Farm Campaign appeals for a rethink following a Basildon Council ruling to hire eviction specialists and bulldoze the site.
2008, May – Travellers celebrate the opening of a new community centre despite continuing court action from Basildon Council to allow the eviction to go ahead.
2009 January – The Court of Appeal rules that an earlier judgment in the High Court – which quashed Basildon Council’s decision to take enforcement action – was flawed. Lord Justice Pill said the decision to clear the site was lawful.
2011, March – Basildon Council votes for a fresh resolution to clear Dale Farm. Officials estimate the eviction will cost more than £18 million. The Government agrees to part-fund the council and police operations.
July – Eviction notices are served by Basildon Council. The council gives residents occupying 51 unauthorized pitches 28 days to vacate the land.
August 8 – The campaign to stop the eviction gathers pace as actress and human rights campaigner Vanessa Redgrave visits Dale Farm. Activists begin to set up ‘Camp Constant’ to help defend travellers. Lawyers fail in a High Court bid to halt the eviction.
September 5 – The date for the beginning of the clearance is revealed as September 19 – Travellers criticize the council after the date was leaked to the media before they were informed.
September 16 – Elderly resident Mary Flynn given a final chance to challenge clearance of the site.
September 18 – Supporters and travellers resisting the clearance of Dale Farm lock down the site as they prepare for the arrival of bailiffs.
September 19 – Bailiffs arrive at the main gate of Dale Farm to start the eviction of up to 80 families living on the unauthorized plot. Later, the residents win a last-gasp injunction preventing the council from clearing structures.
September 21 – Travellers flee the site amid fears of eviction. A group of travellers claiming to be from Dale Farm relocate to a public park in Luton.
September 26 – Residents win a temporary reprieve. A judge rules that residents are entitled to an extension of an injunction stopping their evictions until the courts have ruled on the legality of their proposed removal.
October 17 – Residents refused permission to appeal against a High Court ruling that gave Basildon Council the go-ahead to evict them.
October 19 – Supporters clash with bailiffs and riot police as the planned eviction finally gets under way.
At least 48 exotic animals have escaped or been set loose from the Muskingham County Animal Farm in Zanesville, Ohio.
Some of the wild animals have been shot and killed by police after they escaped from an enclosure where their owner was later found dead.
The wild animals bolted after their cages were left open in a reservation which housed exotic animals including tigers, lions, wolves, giraffes, camels and bears.
Terry Thompson, the owner of the reserve was found dead by police at the farm.
Terry Thompson’s body was discovered on the ground and all the animal cage doors were open.
At least 48 exotic animals have escaped or been set loose from the Muskingham County Animal Farm in Zanesville, Ohio
Ohio police did not reveal the cause of Terry Thompson’s death but said several aggressive animals were near his body when officers arrived and had to be shot.
The reserve owner, who lived on the property, had chimps in cages in his home but these were still locked up.
Authorities urged nearby residents to stay indoors as wild animals were spotted wandering up and down highways in the area.
Police refused to give details of all the animals that had been shot but said bears and wolves were among the 25 animals killed.
“These are wild animals that you would see on TV in Africa,” said Sheriff Matt Lutz.
The sheriff described the escaped animals as “mature, very big, aggressive” but a keeper at the park had told them the reserve’s 48 animals had been fed on Monday.
Sheriff Matt Lutz added that police officers were patrolling the 40-acre farm and the surrounding areas in cars, not on foot, and were concerned about big cats and bears hiding in woodland.
Until now, there are no reports of injuries from residents.
It was reported an increasing number of phone calls made by locals who saw wild animals on local roads.
Caretakers from Columbus Zoo Ohio were at the scene in the hope of tranquillizing and capturing the rest of the animals so no more have to be killed.
Meanwhile, at least four school districts in the area have cancelled classes until the animals are rounded up.
According to Sheriff Matt Lutz, the authorities main concern is protecting the public.
“Any kind of cat species or bear species is what we are concerned about. We don’t know how much of a head start these animals have on us.”
Laura Jones, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, which usually deals with native wildlife like deer, said wildlife officers were helping the sheriff’s office to cope.
According to statistics, the state of Ohio has some of the nation’s weakest restrictions on exotic pets and among the highest number of injuries and deaths caused by them.
Ohio requires permits for bears but doesn’t regulate the ownership of animals like lions and tigers.
