The active ingredient of Bioeffect EGF Serum, an anti-ageing serum launched in UK this week, won its developers the award for physiology and medicine after they proved it speeds up rejuvenation of skin cells.
However, as it was expected, Bioeffect EGF Serum doesn’t come cheap.
Bioeffect EGF Serum is sold by Boots and costs £125 ($190) for a tablespoon-size bottle – making its active ingredient more expensive per ounce than diamonds.
It is claimed that just two drops of Bioeffect EGF Serum a day is enough to rejuvenate the skin.
The key ingredient, “Epidermal Growth Factor”, contains cellular activators – proteins vital for cell maintenance.
The active ingredient of Bioeffect EGF Serum won its developers the award for physiology and medicine after they proved it speeds up rejuvenation of skin cells
With age, the level of these cellular activators at the skin level decreases, allowing for more wrinkles, but the serum replenishes them.
Other products on the market contain EGF, but not at the levels of concentration in Bioeffect EGF Serum.
Bioeffect EGF Serum was launched in Iceland and proved so popular that one in five of all women there are believed to use it.
Now it seems the Bioeffect EGF Serum success could be replicated in the UK, with 2,000 units sold in a single day when it went on sale online earlier this month – and 60% of customers buying it a second time.
Bioeffect EGF Serum has also won celebrity approval, with actress Uma Thurman among its devotees.
Alice Hart-Davies, beauty expert and creator of www.goodthingsbeauty.com said she was impressed with its effectiveness.
“It contains an ingredient called Epidermal Growth Factor which is known for its proven healing and rejuvenating effects on the skin – so it is one of the few skincare ingredients which is known to actually work.
“Pricewise, it is certainly expensive, but whereas a decade ago, £100-beauty products were a shocking novelty, now there are dozens of products in the £100-£400 price-bracket.
“But it is an all-in-one product, so you don’t need to put any other cream or serum over or under it.”
Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher have been together yesterday for the first time since he was accused of being unfaithful to her on their six-year wedding anniversary.
They were seen at a Kabbalah centre in Los Angeles yesterday and both were wearing their wedding rings.
Demi Moore, 48, and Ashton Kutcher, 33, arrived separately but left the establishment together, according to an onlooker.
The scene comes amid claims Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher marriage is on the rocks following allegations that he had a fling with 23-year-old student Sara Leal earlier this month.
Demi Moore arriving at Kabbalah centre in Los AngelesAshton Kutcher and Demi Moore arrived separately but left Kabbalah centre together
Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher have turned to the religion and have been receiving counseling throughout the summer in order to save their marriage, according to reports.
“Her and Ashton had been receiving counseling from Kabbalah over the summer to try to fix their marriage,” a source told Entertainment Tonight, who also said that the couple have been living apart.
Yesterday was Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah, and it is said to be the day where followers of the faith can “wash away their sins”.
Kabbalah is based on the Jewish religion and is described as having an “esoteric aspect” of the faith.
Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher follow the religion, and were married in a Kabbalah ceremony in 2005.
Demi Moore is said to have stayed with Ashton at their home last night.
Sources have told Entertainment Tonight that Demi Moore has been left “sad, hurt and embarrassed” by the scandal.
Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher are yet to release a statement about the accusations. However, Ashton Kutcher has addressed the matter through cryptic messages on Twitter.
On Wednesday Ashton wrote: “When you ASSUME to know that which you know nothing of you make an ASS out of U and ME”.
Since news of the allegations broke, Ashton Kutcher has also tweeted a link to his Spotify account on Wednesday where he was playing the Public Enemy song Don’t Believe the Hype.
Ashton’s Twitter background display is a clock that shows words instead of numerlas – the hands pointing towards the words “anxiety” and “fear”.
Ashton Kutcher's Twitter background is a clock pointing to words anxiety and fear
Demi Moore, who is also a prolific Twitter user, has been silent in recent days.
But before the spotlight was put on their marriage, Demi Moore hinted at some troubles in her personal life.
Demi tweeted a picture of herself with her eyes shut and the caption “I see through you” on Monday.
Demi Moore also posted a quote about “anger” by Greek philosopher Epictetus.
Ashton Kutcher is accused of having the extra-marital fling at a hotel in San Diego over the weekend of his wedding anniversary on September 24.
Ashton Kutcher is accused of having a fling with Sara Leal
Ashton Kutcher was at Fluxx nightclub that night where he partied until the early hours of Saturday – the day of the anniversary. Demi Moore was on the East Coast at the time.
A woman, identified by various U.S. media outlets as Sara Leal, claims to have had a late night liaison with Ashton Kutcher.
Meanwhile it appears that at some point Demi Moore unfollowed her husband on Twitter, meaning she did not get his posts in her feed, but has added him back onto the list of profiles she follows recently.
Twitter shows who a person follows listing the most recent addition made by that person and according to this Ashton Kutcher’s profile is among the 20 most recently added by the actress.
The 23 year-old Sara Leal is reportedly trying to tout her story for $250,000 and hoping to get a pay-off from Ashton Kutcher’s team.
According to her now deleted Facebook page, Sara Leal, who went to school in Texas, is a model and aspiring director and been shopping a movie called “Runaway”, with not much success.
Radaronline is reporting that Sara Leal has now gone into hiding and hired a “top Hollywood attorney”.
Sara Leal has been advised by top Hollywood hotshot lawyer Keith Davidson, to delete all of her social networking sites.
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.
Demi Moore 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 has long hoped to have a child with Ashton Kutcher, saying last year it would “be another incredible part of our journey together”.
The online marketing environment has always been dynamic, and the developments especially in recent years is astounding. So in that spirit we want to talk more about some IM tips and solid advice based on years of experience.
Internet marketing is all about selling the right product to the right market. You may be asking yourself what can you possibly sell online and how to be a success at it. Perhaps the one thing that never seems to go out of style is selling information. The amount of information that has been successfully marketed online is staggering. If you’re just starting out with Internet marketing, then you have the opportunity to choose the right market and make fewer mistakes. There has never been a time before when the amount of information and resources you can use to make your own products has been so abundant. To start with, find out what you’re really passionate about and see if that niche has demand that needs to be met. Before you can create a product, you need to do effective market research to find a market. And don’t worry if you’re not good at the writing part, because nowadays you can outsource all of your product creation work to someone who can do it professionally. It’s all about being smart and giving people what they want.
Only with learning and experience will you ever hope to understand the underlying dynamic of internet marketing. Having your own product will give you the confidence to move ahead and grow into newer markets.Creating and offering high quality value for everyone you deal with will serve you very well in business. It just takes effort and caring to create good value, and remember that so many other online businesses don’t take the time to provide good value. If you want to enhance the value of your offer, take a look at your bonuses and see if they can be made better. There are so many ways to do this such as offering good reports, videos, ebooks, etc. The amount of care and effort you put into it will be reflected to you. Besides that, it doesn’t take much to add powerful bonuses, as long as you know they’re useful and complement your main product.
Internet marketing is a field where you have to be willing to take chances.
Marketing online can be tricky, and the landscape is always changing, so you have to be willing to try new things and take some risks. Remember, the more you are willing to be different and explore new territory, the fewer competitors you’ll have. It’s your decision, of course, but you sometimes have to forge your own path in order to achieve your goals.So if you’re looking to start an online business, internet marketing is a great way to go.
In the last months, three anti-ageing pills have come on the market and claim to visibly reduce the signs of ageing within a matter of months.
Unlike many traditional beauty supplements – which are designed to boost the body’s natural levels of vitamins and minerals – these wrinkle-busting pills rely on a far more sophisticated technology known as “nutrigenomics”.
Their producers use the principles of genetic science to create nutritional supplements that can affect the way the body works.
Using a special designed cocktail of ingredients, these manufacturers say the new anti-ageing pills on the market are able to stimulate the genes responsible for producing vital youth hormones such as oestrogen. This can help plump ageing skin and make us look and feel younger.
The producers of the anti-ageing pills claim this approach means it’s now possible to “reset” the body’s hormonal clock, erasing wrinkles and raising energy levels.
Three different anti-ageing pills hit the market in the past few months
The new anti-ageing pills have been formulated specifically for women over 40, as this is the age when the most dramatic hormone changes occur. But, unlike hormone replacement therapy (HRT), the anti-ageing pills do not have to be prescribed and can be bought over the counter or online at an average cost of £1- 2 ($1.5 – 3) a day.
Dr. Daniel Sister, President of the International College for Anti-Ageing, Nutrition & Aesthetic Medicine, who is one of the experts behind this new generation of pills, says:
“As we age, the levels of certain hormones naturally decrease, resulting in skin that is dryer and less elastic, loss of energy, loss of libido and many other problems that we associate with ageing – including slower recovery time from injuries, brittle bones, less muscle mass, and thinning hair.
“But compounding that problem is the fact that age also makes the body less effective when it comes to extracting key nutrients from our diet. This means that the hormones the body does make are of a poorer quality.”
This is the reason an anti-ageing pill that claims to be able to improve the levels of these hormones and improving the quality of them at the same time really could be the youth drug that we’ve all been searching for.
However, some experts still remain skeptical. Endocrinologist Professor Jonathan Seckl, of Edinburgh University, says that while the new supplements are not likely to do any harm, “caution is necessary as the side-effects of more than the recommended doses of certain ingredients may not yet be fully understood.”
Prof. Jonathan Seckl also questioned whether these pills would have any positive effect on health, particularly in people who already eat a balanced diet, because the body usually gets all the nutrients it requires from food.
“These products might change your hormones, but might not,” he says.
“There needs to be proper scientific assessment.
“What is hard to quantify is the placebo effect – people are taking something and it is making them feel good, but what else has changed in their lifestyle?”
Strength Within
£35 for a month’s supply, www.dovespa.co.uk
Impressive clinical trial results presented last week at the Society for Investigative Dermatology conference in Atlanta, in the U.S. have already made this anti-ageing pill an instant sell-out.
According to the research carried out by Unilever, the company which produces the anti-wrinkle pill, tests on 480 women in the UK, France and Germany, showed that it was able to reduce crow’s feet around the eyes by up to 30% in 14 weeks.
Unilever claims that the anti-wrinkle tablet, designed to be taken three times a day, “kick-starts old skin cells into behaving like younger skin cells”.
While the key ingredients of the new anti-ageing pill are all ones that women might find in their fridge, here they are present in far higher concentrations than you might ordinarily encounter.
The new anti-wrinkle pill includes vitamin C and E, isoflavones from soya, lycopene from tomatoes and omega-3 from fish oils. All ingredients work by activating the genes to produce oestrogen and collagen – the protein that gives skin its strength and bounce. The result is a reduction in wrinkles and sun damage in the deep level of the skin.
Rvive Q10 Plus
£60.86 for a month’s supply, www.reviveq10plus.com
Revive Q10 Plus is a soluble powder taken once a day that contains the amino acid L-Arginine, which has been shown in scientific studies to improve blood flow to the heart and brain.
This anti-ageing pill can plump skin, thicken hair and smooth wrinkles.
But, more interestingly, recent research carried out in association with a cardiovascular specialist has suggested that the anti-ageing benefits of the supplement could extend beyond the merely superficial. A study, revealed at an anti-ageing conference in London last week, has showed how the amino acids found in Revive Q10 Plus affect cholesterol levels and type 2 diabetes – which are usually linked to obesity.
The study, which was carried out at University College Hospital, Galway, Ireland, has involved 8 patients with type 2 diabetes who were able to reduce their cholesterol-lowering medication while taking L-Arginine and Co-Enzyme Q10 – the key components of the supplement.
5 of these patients, all in their 50s, were also able to come off insulin – meaning their bodies had naturally been able to regulate their blood sugar levels. Vascular surgeon, Dr. Sherif Sultan, who led the research, believes that in the future the answers to both cosmetic anti-ageing and more serious health complaints will not be gene therapies or stem cell cures, but the sort of amino acids found within these new supplements.
Youth
£64 for a month’s supply, www.beautyworkswest.com
Dr. Daniel Sister has more than a few celebrities paying discreet visits to his West London clinic in a bid to maintain their looks.
The latest weapon in his anti-ageing arsenal is a twice-a-day supplement he modestly calls “Youth”.
Youth formula contains Arginine, Lysine and Glutamine – powerful amino acids which can help stimulate the body’s hormones.
A marine plant extract called superoxide dismutase – proven to repair cells and reduce the damage done by molecules known as free radicals, a major cause of wrinkles – is also included.
In the past year, Youth has been tested on 20 men and women over the age of 40 in the UK and all of them have reported positive effects on their skin, hair and energy levels after taking it for four weeks.
Some testers go further, insisting that the supplement has not only improved their flexibility and sleep patterns, but also their concentration and libido.
Cellulaze is an invention that is beyond a woman’s wildest dreams: a gadget that could end the dreaded “orange peel” effect of cellulite.
Surnamed as ‘the death of cellulite”, the Cellulaze laser attacks the unsightly fat from three angles.
More than that, Cellulaze is said to produce long-lasting results, smoothing thighs in just one hour-long treatment.
Dimpled bottoms and upper arms can also be treated with Cellulaze.
Patients say at least 70% of their cellulite has vanished, with some still happy two years later.
Some experts are predicting Cellulaze will revolutionize the treatment of cellulite.
Others are more cautious, saying that the almost $5,000 (£3,000) treatment is not a solution.
Cellulite – lumps of fat trapped beneath the skin – affects more than 85% of women over 20. Even celebrities such as actress Kim Cattrall, 55, have been pictured with it.
Kim Cattrall could benefit of Cellulaze, the new invention against cellulite
Usually, treatments include creams and lasers that zap the cellulite from outside the body. Women can also buy tights or knickers impregnated with caffeine that claim to melt away cellulite.
But all are temporary solutions and need to be used again.
In contrast, a single Cellulaze treatment produces dramatic results, the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons annual conference heard.
Unlike other treatments, Cellulaze is inserted 1 cm or so below the skin.
Once there, Cellulaze first melts away the bulging pockets of fat, and then attacks the thick fibres that trap the fat.
Finally, the laser is pointed at the top layer of skin to trigger the production of the protein collagen.
Patients, who have a sedative and a local anaesthetic, may see immediate improvements, it is claimed – although full results will take up to six months.
Karen Cronholm, Cellulaze manufacturer Cynosure representative, said: “Patients have a bit of bruising for a week or so and a bit of swelling. Most are back to normal activities in 24 to 48 hours.”
Dr. Klainer, of Chrysalis Plastic Surgery in Virginia, U.S., said of Cellulaze:
“This is going to revolutionize the treatment of cellulite.”
Dr. Nigel Mercer, a former president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, said:
“It is not the answer. But it is probably the closest we have got to it at the moment.”
A power cut could have prevented a shark spotter from sounding a warning alarm just before Michael Cohen was savaged by a great white off the coast of Cape Town in South Africa.
The shark spotter is thought to have seen Michael Cohen, the 43 year-old British swimmer enter the water and attempted to warn him of danger – but the siren didn’t work because of a city-wide power cut, it has been reported.
Michael Cohen was dragged on to Clovelly beach near Fish Hoek , then he was airlifted to hospital and is in a critical
An official incident report from the City of Cape Town claimed there was an electricity failure with the power company Eskom, according to South Africa’s Daily News website.
“At around 12.25 p.m. (on Wednesday), the mountain shark spotter saw a swimmer enter the water near the Clovelly Corner area.
“The spotter tried to sound the alarm, but due to an Eskom-related city-wide electricity failure, the alarm did not sound.”
The power company, Eskom was unable to comment as its officials said they were unaware of the City of Cape Town’s incident report.
But a company spokeswoman confirmed a power cut lasted for two hours, starting from just before 11:00 a.m. to shortly after 1:00 p.m. The power cut was apparently caused by a trip on the power line supplying Cape Town.
However, Eskom was unable to comment on the possible impact this had on the shark alarm as they unaware of the authority’s incident report.
Two men who dragged Michael Cohen to shore described how the creature swam around them as if to distract the 12 feet (4 m) Great White shark, which appeared to be preparing for a second strike.
Michael Cohen, who lost his right leg and part of his left foot, yesterday remained in a critical condition in hospital.
Michael Cohen, a British accountant, had ignored warnings of a shark in the area before taking to the water off Fish Hoek beach.
Yesterday, passers-by Hugh Till, 66, and Douglas Drysdale, 61, told how they ran into the blood-clouded surf to help pull Michael Cohen to safety after watching the attack.
“As Douglas and I were pulling him in towards the shore, the seal frolicked nearby, and kept swimming past us, it seemed rather agitated.
“It occurred to us afterwards how unusual it was for a seal to stick around in an area where a shark is, or where there is blood.
“It really did feel to us as though he was offering support to us, or the swimmer, and was prepared to act as a diversion if the shark went after us as well,” Hugh Till said.
Hugh Till was in the area with his friend Douglas Drysdale trying to spot whales when they saw the shark looming towards Michael Cohen, who was swimming a few yards from the beach.
The pair stopped their car and ran to shout warnings, but it was too late, leaving them to watch helplessly as Michael Cohen was pulled under.
Even though the shark remained in the area, possibly preparing for a second strike, Hugh and Douglas plunged into the water to help in the efforts to drag Michael Cohen to safety.
Prof. Andrew Nicol, who operated on Michael Cohen, said he had needed seven litres of blood on arriving at hospital.
Professor had fought to save one of the Michael’s legs, even though it was badly bitten, because he had lost the other leg. Michael Cohen’s femoral artery and vein were both torn – usually a fatal injury – and Prof. Nicol praised the life-saving first-aid efforts by a member of the beach’s shark-spotting team.
“The tourniquet resulted in the almost complete stopping of blood loss from the thigh and I just want to commend the people giving first aid on the beach for saving the life of this patient.”
“Self-made improvised tourniquets don’t tend to work and are frowned on in medical literature, but this really was life-saving. If the femoral artery and vein are both severed you don’t tend to make it into hospital alive,” Prof. Nicol said.
Michael Cohen, who has lost his lower right leg and left foot, was carried from the beach by members of the Fish Hoek emergency services to a waiting helicopter
Michael Cohen is a Canadian-born accountant, who has a British passport and lived in London before moving to South Africa. He had taken to the water even though the beach was closed after shark sightings.
Michael Cohen was said to be a regular swimmer at the beach, who had previously ignored warnings to stay out of the water.
The site of the attack is close to one of the highest populations of Great White sharks in the world, and has seen a number of deaths and injuries to swimmers and surfers.
True Leaf Farms from California announced that is recalling 90 cartons of chopped romaine lettuce as it may be contaminated with Listeria, though no related illnesses have been reported.
Listeria is a frequent cause of U.S. food recalls but concerns over the bacterial contamination are heightened due to an outbreak linked to cantaloupes grown in Colorado, which has already killed 16 people and infected 72 people across 18 states.
Douglas Karas, spokesman for the Food and Drug Administration, said on Friday that there is no connection between the lettuce recall and Listeria outbreak tied to cantaloupes.
Listeria outbreak has already killed 16 people and infected 72 people across 18 states
This is the fourth Listeria-related food recall since Colorado’s Jensen Farms voluntarily recalled cantaloupes linked to the outbreak on September 14.
Only one of the four subsequent recalls – of cantaloupes by Kansas food processor Carol’s Cuts LLC – was related to Listeria outbreak.
True Leaf Farms, a processing arm of Salinas, California-based Church Brothers LLC, is voluntarily recalling romaine that may be contaminated with Listeria and was shipped between September 12 and 13 to a food service distributor in Oregon, who further sent it to at least two other states, Washington and Idaho, the company said in a release posted on the FDA website.
The two-pound bags also made their way to Alaska, according to the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation.
True Leaf Farms is voluntarily recalling romaine lettuce that was shipped between September 12 and 13 on fears of a Listeria contamination
The romaine lettuce affected by the recall had a September 29 use-by date, the company said in the release. Church Brothers was not immediately available for comment.
“Any time we find Listeria in food we would consider that food adulterated and ask for a recall,” Douglas Karas said in an email.
“The finding of Listeria in romaine lettuce was a result of an FDA research program to understand the prevalence of Listeria in fresh produce, particularly lettuce and leafy greens.”
Listeria rarely causes serious illness. For it to do so, the organism needs to get onto the food and grow to levels where it can cause disease. Because it can grow at low temperatures, that can happen anywhere along the food chain.
Listeria outbreaks are usually associated with deli meats, unpasteurized cheeses and smoked refrigerated seafood products, rather than fresh produce.
Previous food recalls this month included Queso Fresco’s Del Bueno Casero Fresh Cheese in Washington state, Publix Super Markets’ spinach dip in Florida and Fine Mexican Food Products Inc’s avocado pulp and halves in California.
The 11th edition of the Golden Child of free music festivals, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2011, has the theme Hazel Dickens: in loving memory.
Hazel Dickens, bluegrass singer, born on June 1, 1935, died at 75 on April 22, 2011 from pneumonia. Hazel Dickens and Doc Watson, 88, were two usual appearances at the festival, but this year Watson did not feel so well.
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2011 takes place in Speedway Meadow at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park from September 29 to October 2.
Strictly Bluegrass started in 2001 with only bluegrass music, and three years later it became a celebration of diverse music, food (vendors and picnicking) and community.
The festival brings to Bay Area bluegrass pioneers (Earl Scruggs, Ralph Stanley) soul men (Otis Clay), folk heroes (John Prine), country legends (Merle Haggard).
Legendary Doc Watson is missed at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2011.(Photo:Jay Blakesberg)
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2011 gathers eighty-seven bands to play on six stages (Banjo, Rooster, Arrow, Star, Towers of Gold, Porch).
This year’s educational program takes place on September 29 as part of the Daniel Pearl World Music Days. In a fenced area middle school students enjoy MC Hammer and Poor Man’s Whiskey shows, and receive educational information about the month-long music celebration. The 10th annual Daniel Pearl World Music Days (October 1 to October 31) invites musicians worldwide to participate to a message of hope and unity.
MC Hammer makes the kids dance at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2010 (Photo: Jay Blakesberg)
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2011 brings Woods.
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2011 lineup:
A.A. Bondy, Abigail Washburn, Alison Brown, AlofaSudden, The Band of Heathens, Bela Fleck & Zakir Hussain & Edgar Meyer, The Belle Brigade, Bill Kirchen & The Hammer of the Honky-Tonk Gods, Bill Orcutt, Blame Sally, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Bob Mould, Bright Eyes, Brokedown in Bakersfield (featuring Nicki & Tim Bluhm, Scott Law, Lebo, Steve Adams & Dave Brogan), Broken Social Scene, Buckethead, Buddy Miller, Cass McCombs Band, Charlie Musselwhite, Chris Isaak, Conspiracy of Beards, Dark Star Orchestra, David Bromberg Quartet, Del McCoury & The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, The Devil Makes Three, DeVotchKa, Dive Bar Dukes, Dr. John & The Lower 911, Dry Branch Fire Squad, Earl Scruggs, Elbow, Emmylou Harris, The Felice Brothers, Fitz & The Tantrums, The Flatlanders feat. Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore & Butch Hancock, Frank Fairfield, Gillian Welch, Gomez, Greensky Bluegrass, Guy Clark & Verlon Thompson, Hot Buttered Rum, Hugh Laurie, Irma Thomas, Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, The Jayhawks, Jessica Lea Mayfield, Joe Purdy, John Prine, Jolie Holland, Jonathan Wilson, Justin Townes Earle, Kevin Welch & Kieran Kane & Fats Kaplin, Kris Kristofferson & Merle Haggard, Kurt Vile & the Violators, Laurie Lewis & Tom Rozum w/ The Guest House Band, The Low Anthem, M. Ward, Maxim Ludwig & the Santa Fe Seven, MC Hammer, Mekons, Moonalice, Mother Hips, Nell Robinson & Jim Nunally and Their All-Star Band, Ollabelle, Otis Clay with special guest Chick Rodgers, Over The Rhine, P.M.W., Patty Griffin, Punch Brothers, Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys, Reckless Kelly, Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, River Whyless, Robert Earl Keen, Robert Plant & The Band of Joy, Robyn Hitchcock, Ruthie Foster, Ryan Bingham & The Dead Horses, Sarah Elizabeth Campbell, Seamus Kennedy, Seldom Scene, Simon Joyner, South Memphis String Band, Southern Culture On The Skids, Steve Earle & the Dukes (& Duchesses) featuring Allison Moorer, The Swanson Family Band, Those Darlins, Thurston Moore, Wendy Bird, Woods, The Wronglers with Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and Zigaboo Modeliste – King of the Funky Drums.
Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin) performs at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2011.
Robert Plant, former Led Zeppelin singer, plays with Patti Griffin on Saturday and with Buddy Miller on Sunday.
F. Warren Hellman, co-founder of Hellman & Friedman LLC, performs on Saturday with the Wronglers and Jimmie Dale Gilmore.
Pete Sears appears with his jam band, Moonalice. He is a former member of Jefferson Starship and said Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and other psychedelic bands had played free Golden Gate Park shows during the 1960s.
Peter Sears and Moonalice sing at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2011.
Over 600,000 people attended the festival last year and Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2011 is expected to gathered around 1 million. Strictly Bluegrass 2001 was attended by 20,000 persons.
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass (HSB) is a family-friendly festival. Children and on-leash dogs are welcome, no camping allowed, no alcohol is sold, but visitors can bring their own.
Potluck Hardly Strictly Bluegrass is an communal healthy food event held on September 30, the attendees bring food and offer it to their neighbors.
The Nighttime events require tickets and features music (The Jayhawks on Friday), film and wines of Silver Oak Cellars.
Warren Hellman and the Wronglers play at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2011. (Photo: Krista Martin)
“There’s only one person at the end of this festival who says, ‘Check, please,’ and that’s Warren Hellman. So far he hasn’t told me no,” said Dawn Holliday, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass co-producer.
Hellman received IBMA Distinguished Achievement Award in 2007, was named University of Arizona 2008 Executive of the Year, Executive of the Year Luncheon by the Eller College of Management. He competes in endurance horseback riding and plays the 5-string banjo.
“People keep saying thank you, thank you, but this is the world’s most selfish gift. To spend three days with people I adore and musicians I’m nuts about, it’s an unbelievable mitzvah to be in a position to do this,” the billionaire told The Press Democrat last year.
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2011 has an app available in the Apple and Android app stores.
Red tide is a common name for a phenomenon also known as an algal bloom (large concentrations of aquatic microorganisms), an event in which estuarine, marine, or fresh water algae accumulate rapidly in the water column and results in discoloration of the surface water. It is usually found in coastal areas.
When the algae are present in high concentrations, the water appears to be discolored or murky, varying in color from purple to almost pink, normally being red or green. Not all algal blooms are dense enough to cause water discoloration, and not all discolored waters associated with algal blooms are red. Additionally, red tides are not typically associated with tidal movement of water, hence the preference among scientists to use the term algal bloom.
“Red tide” is a colloquial term used to refer to a natural phenomenon known as a “harmful algal bloom” or “HAB”. The term “red tide” is being phased out among researchers for the following reasons:
1. Red tides are not necessarily red and many have no discoloration at all.
2. They are unrelated to movements of the tides.
3. A wide variety of algal species are known as bloom-formers.
Red tide phenomenon appeared as an amazing neon blue alien landscape on North County beach, San Diego, California last night.
Red tide is a natural phenomenon caused by a chemical reaction called bioluminescence, which happens when a naturally-occurring micro-organism in the water is disturbed, causing a chemical reaction which emits light.
The reaction is similar to the “glow” that fireflies use to attract prey or mates. Many undersea organisms “glow”, especially creatures that live at depths where light from the surface is less likely to penetrate.
The spellbinding sight was captured at Moonlight Beach in Encinitas, California, yesterday. The night-time glow is a side-effect of blooming red algae, known as red tide, which can turn entire beaches scarlet and murky during the day.
Michael Dermyer and his 5 year-old son Colin watching the waves glow neon blue from the red tide at Moonlight Beach in Encinitas, California
The smell of decay, caused by rotting kelp, plankton and fish often accompanies the event as the red algae starves the water of oxygen and light. By night, there is an increase in microscopic plankton called dynoflagellates, which glow in the dark when disturbed by currents or waves.
Beaches off the coast of Sarasota and Charlotte counties have tested positive for red tide, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reported this week.
Data provided by Mote Marine Laboratory from samples collected by the Sarasota Health Department showed medium concentrations of Karenia brevis, the Florida Red Tide organism, in one water sample taken from Manasota Beach, and low concentrations in water samples collected near Venice Beach and Englewood.
Further testing is scheduled for this week.
The toxic algae causes coughing in humans and kills marine life. Records of massive fish kills date back hundreds of years. The last major occurrence formed in 2006, wreaking havoc from north of Tampa Bay down to Naples.
A photograph collector from Ontario, Canada, claims he has found a picture of John Travolta from a previous incarnation in 1860.
John Travolta is a member of the Church of Scientology, which believes in reincarnation and asks some members to sign one billion year contracts of service.
The 150-year-old photo of a man who looks remarkably like John Travolta has been put up for sale on eBay.
John Travolta lookalike picture on eBay
The real John Travolta“I’ve had this interesting photograph for years and I’ve been unable to part with it,” the seller said on the auction site.
“When you look at it and into the eyes of the sitter you will see what I mean!
“I believe this is the photograph of a very young John Travolta taken around 1860… This is a ruby glass ambrotype photograph and it is one of a kind.
“It hasn’t been changed, tampered with or altered in anyway. It is clear and is as nice as the day it was taken roughly 151 years ago.”
The photo is listed on eBay at $50,000 or nearest offer, and while it has a large price tag comes with free shipping and gift wrapping.
John Travolta lookalike photo has been listed at $50,000 or nearest offer on eBay
The listings comes after another antique dealer joked that he has a photo that is proof Nicolas Cage is more than just an A-list actor – he’s also a vampire who lived during the American Civil War.
The eBay seller claims to have a 4” by 2.5” carte de visit photo from around 1870 of a man who looks exactly like Nicolas Cage.
The seller, who has put the starting price at $1million, says the photo is 100% genuine and was taken of a man who lived in Bristol, Tennessee, around the time of the Civil War.
Nicolas Cage lookalike picture on e Bay
The real Nicolas CageThe seller is Jack Mörd from Seattle, Washington, whose Facebook page says he is originally from Los Angeles, California, and owns “The Thanatos Archive”.
“My theory is that he allows himself to age to a certain point, maybe 70, 80 or so, then the actor “Nicolas Cage” will <<die>>,” Jack Mörd joked.
“But in reality, the undead vampire <<Nicolas Cage>> will have rejuvenated himself and appeared in some other part of the world, young again, and ready to start all over.”
“The picture was found in the back of an album that contained many unusual death portraits from the Civil War era – but the Nicolas Cage lookalike was not identified by name,” Jack Mörd said.
Jack Mörd has a 100% positive feedback rating on eBay and his profile says he is interested in collecting and selling Victorian Era post-mortem photography, as well as other vintage pictures.
Nicolas Cage lookalike photo eBay starting price is $1million
The eBay product description for “Nicolas Cage is a Vampire / Photo from 1870 / Tennessee” says:
“Original c.1870 carte de visit showing a man who looks exactly like Nick Cage.
“This is not a trick photo of any kind and has not been manipulated in Photoshop or any other graphics program.
“It’s an original photo of a man who lived in Bristol, TN, sometime around the Civil War.”
It is believed the photo was taken by a confederate Civil War prisoner of war photographer called Professor G.B. Smith.
Jack Mörd joked that Nicolas Cage could be a walking undead man who reinvents himself once every 75 years – and might be looking at going into politics or talk show hosting next.
The popular herbal supplement saw palmetto bought by men to relieve discomfort caused by an enlarged prostate does not work, say researchers.
Thousands of men take the remedy saw palmetto, which comes from the fruit of a type of palm tree, to improve urinary problems caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
But a new study’s findings showed that even taking three times the standard dose of saw palmetto produced no benefit.
Many older men take saw palmetto capsules bought from health food shops or on the internet as a first option when they are diagnosed, before drugs to make the prostate shrink or surgery.
Saw palmetto is the most popular supplement for BPH, and part of a growing market in health supplements that worth billions of dollars each year.
The multi-center study, led by Michael Barry, MD, at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, US, involved more than 300 men aged 45 and older who had moderate symptoms of enlarged prostate, including frequent urination and difficulty emptying their bladders.
Men were randomly selected to receive a daily saw palmetto supplement or a placebo capsule that smelled and tasted the same.
After 24 weeks the saw palmetto dosage was increased from 320 milligrams to 640 milligrams. And the dosage of saw palmetto was raised again to 960 milligrams 24 weeks later.
At the end of nearly 17 months, men taking the saw palmetto supplement and placebo were still suffering identical symptoms.
Neither group of men knew who was taking the herbal remedy until the study was completed, according to results published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
A Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis study found that saw palmetto supplement has no benefit for BPH patients
Study leader Professor Gerald Andriole, from the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, said:
“Now we know that even very high doses of saw palmetto make absolutely no difference.
“Men should not spend their money on this herbal supplement as a way to reduce symptoms of enlarged prostate because it clearly does not work any better than a sugar pill.”
Prof. Gerald Andriole said there was no benefit to taking the saw palmetto supplement compared with the placebo treatment, and it had no greater effect on symptoms.
“We commonly see this in clinical trials,” Prof. Andriole explains.
“Patients often report an improvement in symptoms because they are taking something, even if it is a placebo. But in this study, there was no benefit to taking saw palmetto over the placebo.”
The researchers found that saw palmetto had no greater effect than the placebo on BPH symptoms as well as other conditions related to an enlarged prostate such as waking at night to urinate, PSA level and bladder control.
About half of all men over age 50 have BPH, which becomes more common as men age. If urination becomes difficult or painful, Prof. Andriole advises men to visit their physician. Several approved medications, such as alpha-blockers and 5-alpha reductase inhibitors, are available to successfully treat the condition.
Earlier studies have produced conflicting results, although Professor Edzard Ernst, Britain’s first professor of complementary medicine, recently said there was evidence to support its use.
Saw palmetto, which uses berries from a US palm in capsules, tablets, liquids and teas, has been worldwide registered as a traditional herbal remedy to help relieve symptoms from an enlarged prostate.
Usually the herbal remedies registration is based on traditional use rather than the results of clinical studies.
Pictures showing Ashton Kutcher with his alleged lover Sara Leal three months before their nightclub “fling” have surfaced today.
Ashton Kutcher and Sara Leal were seen leaving the Roosevelt Hotel together back in June after watching the Beacher’s Madhouse show with friends.
In the unearthed photographs, Ashton Kutcher, 33, is seen driving off with Sara Leal seated in the back seat of his car.
In the unearthed photographs, Ashton Kutcher is seen driving off with Sara Leal seated in the back seat of his car
It was also reported that Ashton Kutcher’s wife, Demi Moore, 48, was not in attendance.
Now, Sara Leal is demanding a $250,000 pay-off to buy her silence.
Ashton Kutcher and Sara Leal watched the Beacher's Madhouse show at the hotel before leaving with friends, but Demi Moore was not in attendance
Sara Leal is said to be hoping Ashton Kutcher will come up with the cash to stop her from revealing intimate details of their fling – and save his marriage to actress Demi Moore.
Sara Leal has met with lawyers who help her negotiate a settlement with ashton Kutcher’s team.
Sara Leal is demanding $250,000 for her silence
Sources told the New York Post Sara Leal is looking for a six-figure pay-off or she will sell her story to the media.
“Sara is talking to multiple media outlets for a deal. She wants $250,000, but the offers haven’t been as high,” a source told the New York Post.
“What she really wants is to get a pay-off from Ashton. She has reached out to Ashton’s team.”
Ashton Kutcher and Sara Leal are reported to have hooked up last weekend after partying in San Diego.
Ashton Kutcher allegedly met up with Sara Leal at Fluxx in San Diego on Friday evening
The latest alleged encounter happened on the 12th floor of the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego, California, in the early hours of Saturday – the day of Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moor sixth wedding anniversary.
Ashton Kutcher and Sara Leal had apparently been partying at Fluxx club in the city.
Demi Moore, who is 15 years senior to Ashton Kutcher, has refused to comment on the claims.
Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher were last seen together two months ago.
Demi Moore looked more slender than usual and preoccupied on Monday night at a screening of the new Lifetime movie Five in New York City
Demi Moore’s Twitter posts have turned much darker in recent weeks.
Earlier this week Demi Moore posted a picture of her face with her eyes closed and the words: “I see through you.”
On that same night of Ashton Kutcher’s alleged fling, Demi Moore was tweeting from the East Coast, where she is temporarily based.
The actress shared a quote from Greek philosopher Epictetus on September 23, writing:
“When we are offended at any man’s fault, turn to yourself and study your own failings. Then you will forget your anger.”
Sara Leal has been talking with Beverly Hills lawyer Keith Davidson who represented Betty Ford worker Dawn Holland following her spat with actress Lindsay Lohan.
The pay-off wanted by Sara Leal from Ashton Kutcher will be similar to that negotiated by nightclub hostess Rachel Uchitel after her affair with Tiger Woods was exposed.
Rachel Uchitel, 35, received a reported $10 million from the golf star in return for not talking about their affair.
Rachel Uchitel later had to pay back the money after appearing on Celebrity Rehab with Tiger Wood’s lawyers saying she had breached the confidentiality clause.
Pictures of Ashton Kutcher showing him partying in a San Diego nightclub on the night of an alleged fling with a pretty blonde have emerged to press.
The Two And A Half Men star was at Fluxx nightclub last Friday where he partied until the early hours of Saturday – the day of Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore sixth wedding anniversary.
Ashton Kutcher partying at Fluxx nightclub in San Diego, California, on last Friday night
A young blonde woman, who was identified by various U.S. media outlets as 23-year-old Sara Leal, claims to have had a late night liaison with Ashton Kutcher after meeting at the venue.
Ashton Kutcher, 33, is yet to address reports of the fling and allegations his marriage to Demi Moore, 48, is over.
In what may be a cryptic nod to the rumors, Ashton Kutcher tweeted a link to his Spotify account on Wednesday where he was playing the Public Enemy song Don’t Believe the Hype.
Ashton Kutcher posted this link to Public Enemy song Don't Believe the Hype on his Spotify account on Wednesday
Demi Moore has also been posting cryptic tweets in recent weeks.
Ashton Kutcher is said to have met pretty blonde Sara Leal at Fluxx nightclub
The Monday after their wedding anniversary – and the alleged Ashton Kutcher’s fling – Demi Moore tweeted: “I see through you” along with a picture of herself looking forlorn.
Demi Moore posted a picture of herself with eyes closed, looking solemn, with the words “I see through you”
No one from the Demi Moore or Ashton Kutcher camp has made an official statement as yet but Sara Leal is reportedly trying to tout her story for $250,000 and hoping to get a pay-off from Ashton’s team.
A dramatic footage of a teenager named Tyquan Sewall being shot at point-blank range in a gun ambush outside Nostrand McDonald’s has been released today.
The images, which show the victim thrown into the road after being hit four times, was caught on camera in Brooklyn, New York.
The teenager was left fighting for his life.
New York police have launched a manhunt to catch three gunmen who carried out the planned daylight attack on Nostrand Avenue, Flatlands.
The footage shows Tyquan Sewall, 18, who lives just blocks from the McDonald’s and nearby Brooklyn College, being shot at point-blank range.
The first bullet grazed the left side of the victim’s head, sending him staggering backwards.
The footage shows Tyquan Sewall, 18, who lives just blocks from the McDonald's and nearby Brooklyn College, being shot at point-blank range
Tyquan Sewall was then hit three more times and sent rolling out into the street, passing through at least two lanes of traffic.
Terrified onlookers fled in panic as the shots rang out outside the busy restaurant chain.
The weapon used was a .32-caliber Smith & Wesson. The man who fired the gun was wearing a bright red jacket.
Two of the men then ran over and take the sneackers Tyquan Sewall had dropped onto the street before making off as police arrive.
The shooting took place in Flatlands at around 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The victim was hit in the chest, groin and leg and is now in a critical condition in hospital.
The gunman in a red coat fires more shots as the victim, Tyquan Sewall rolls on the road
Police officers said before the shooting Tyquan Sewall had got into an argument on nearby Flatbush Avenue.
During that argument, a man told Tyquan Sewall to come with him to the McDonald’s, police said.
Tyquan Sewall followed, but couldn’t see a gun being passed around the three men. Two went in while one waited at the door as Tyquan Sewall approached.
Then the two men inside McDonald’s came out and the gun was handed to one of them who opened fire.
Police said the attackers fled out of the restaurant’s back entrance and dumped the loaded six-shooter in a rubbish bin a block away.
NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said: “What you see here is a pretty elaborate choreography of handing off the gun from the first player, to the second player and to the gunman – all along luring the victim to the ambush.”
Tyquan Sewall is in critical condition at Kings County Hospital, New York.
Walter Payton, Chicago Bears running back, is described in Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton, which is set to be released on October 4.
The book, written by Jeff Pearlman, contributor to Sports Illustrated, alleges the American football player constantly made drug abuse when he was playing and after his retirement, he had affairs and felt into a depression that almost led him to suicide.
The author said he worked on the book two and a half years and interviewed 678 people. Sweetness narrates Walter Payton‘s life, from his childhood in Mississippi, his college years at Jackson State, his NFL career (13 years) and his life after his career ended in 1987, to his death at 45 from cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer) in 1999.
Walter Payton, Sweetness, became the first African American to break a record that was held only by whites in the NFL during modern football.
Walter Payton had primary sclerosing cholangitis, a rare and deadly autoimmune liver disease liver disease, and some of his painkillers abuse might be related to this illness.
“Payton popped Darvon robotically during his playing days—says [Bud] Holmes, “I’d see him walk out of the locker room with jars of painkillers, and he’d eat them like they were a snack”—and also lathered his body with dimethyl sulfoxide, a topical analgesic commonly used to treat horses. Now that he was retired, the self-medicating only intensified. Payton habitually ingested a cocktail of Tylenol and Vicodin. […] in 1988, Payton visited a handful of dental offices, complaining of severe tooth pain. He received several prescriptions for morphine and hit up a handful of drugstores to have them filled. When one of the pharmacists noticed the activity, he contacted the police, who arrived at Payton’s house and discussed the situation.” read an excerpt published in Sports Illustrated.
The painkiller Darvon is an opioid narcotic used to treat mild to moderate pain was first approved in the 1950s and It has been pulled by the market. Walter Payton also obtained Ritalin from a friend whose son was prescribed pills.
Walter Payton used nitrous oxide prior and after retirement.
“Back when Payton drove his own RV to Bears training camp, he used to load the rear of the vehicle with tanks of nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas. At nights and during breaks in the action, players sneaked into Payton’s trailer, loaded the nitrous oxide into balloons, then carried them around while taking hits. The goofy laughter could be heard throughout the training facility.”
After his rigorous fitness regime during his playing career (running up and down a steep hill repeatedly) once he retired, he started drinking beer and eating tons of junk food. Wendy’s gave Payton a card granting a free lifetime supply of hamburgers at the fast food chain, Payton dumped 10 sugar packs into each cup of coffee and enjoyed pork rinds with hot sauce.
Walter Payton rushed for 16,726 yards and scored 110 touchdowns.
Walter Payton’s both estranged wife (Connie) and girlfriend (Lita) attended his Hall of Fame, wife in the front row and mistress in the second.
“Shortly after he learned he’d been voted into the Hall of Fame, Payton spoke with Lita Gonzalez [not her real name], a New Jersey-based flight attendant with whom he’d been in a tempestuous relationship since they’d met at the Michael Spinks-Mike Tyson heavyweight title fight in Atlantic City in 1988. […] “She was insisting she be seated in the front row,” says Tucker. “We said, ‘Lita, are you insane? We’re marketing this man as a family-friendly spokesperson. His whole image is based around decency. You will ruin him.“
Holmes and Payton’s executive assistant, Ginny Quirk, recall receiving suicidal calls at all hours during the mid-1990s. The threats came after fights with Connie or Lita or when he worried about finances. Payton refused to see a therapist.
Payton said he imagined murdering those around him, then killing himself and he ended the letter to an unnamed friend by admitting that he needed help but that he had nowhere to turn. The excerpts do not indicate doctors think Payton suffered brain damage while playing, affecting his mental state.
Andre Agassi also in his recent autobiography detailed his previously unknown drug use.
Walter Payton caught 492 passes for 4,538 yards and 15 touchdowns and set team records, most career rushing yards, receptions, touchdowns.
Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton contains both fact and fiction said Walter Payton’s family.
“Walter, like all of us, wasn’t perfect. The challenges he faced were well known to those of us who loved and lived with him. He was a great father to Jarrett and Brittney and held a special place in the football world and the Chicago community. Recent disclosures — some true, some untrue — do not change this. I’m saddened that anyone would attempt to profit from these stories, many told by people with little credibility,” read a statement signed by Connie Payton and family.
“When we take the field each Sunday, we represent the great players like Walter who helped build the rich tradition of our organization. Nothing will change our feelings for a man we have the deepest respect for and miss having around Halas Hall to this day,” said The Chicago Bears.
“There’s something important about learning that even the greatest among us have their burdens. Whether you’re a Hall of Fame running back or a guy moving cement, we all have issues. No one lives up to the pedestal. . . . The goal is to find out who he was and how he lived. I’m very defensive about that. You want to write an honest and accurate biography,” Jeff Pearlman said.
NFL named its Man of the Year Award after him, the Walter Payton Award, the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.
The book includes also brighter stories about Walter Payton.
Walter often insisted on first playing catch with kids who asked him for autographs and then offer them words of inspiration. Walter Payton also delighted a cancer-ridden youngster on a flight.
He was graceful on the field and he was strong when facing terminal cancer. Walter Payton grew up in segregated Mississippi and calmed racial tensions there with his on-field heroics.
Quirk tells Pearlman that, after he appeared thin and gaunt at a 1999 news conference announcing his son’s decision to attend Miami University, many people asked her if he was dying of AIDS.
Brittney, Jarrett and Connie Payton at Walter Payton Man of the Year Press Conference (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Walter Payton had been diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis at the Mayo Clinic in December 1998. He gathered his family in the basement of their South Barrington home, told them about diagnosis and said a liver transplant would solve the problem. He told his fans about his diagnosis three days after his son’s press conference.
Payton reached out to his children as he was dying. Walter Payton, who also kept a home in West Dundee, had moved back into the South Barrington home in July 1999 and took turns staying in Jarrett’s and Brittney’s rooms.
“At the time I didn’t get it, but now I think it’s so cool he wanted to share himself with us,” Jarrett says in the book.
Walter Payton was born in July 25, 1954 and died on November 1, 1999 from terminal cancer, he married Connie Norwood in 1976.
Walter Payton was known around the NFL as Sweetness. He was a nine-time Pro Bowl selectee. He was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993. He started his professional career with the Bears in 1975. Walter Payton (34) won two NFL Most Valuable Player Awards, and won Super Bowl XX with the 1985 Chicago Bears. Walter Payton rushed for 16,726 yards and scored 110 touchdowns. He became the first African American to break a record that was held only by whites in the NFL during modern football (1955–present). He caught 492 passes for 4,538 yards and 15 touchdowns, set team records, most career rushing yards, receptions, touchdowns.
His cancer was in a stage that did not benefit from liver transplant, but Walter Payton spent his final months as an advocate for organ transplants.
Although his cancer was in a stage that did not benefit from liver transplant, he spent his final months as an advocate for organ transplants.
Don Yaeger worked with him during the last weeks of his life to create his autobiography, Never Die Easy, the title was his motto which he attributed to Bob Hill, his coach at Jackson State (2000).
NFL named its Man of the Year Award after him, the Walter Payton Award, the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.
Walter Payton’s Roundhouse in West Dundee is an entertainment center and includes authentic memorabilia at the Walter Payton Museum.
Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton trailer
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Walter Payton biography, the cancer diagnosis (video)
Police have found five severed heads stuffed in a sack outside a primary school in the Pacific coast resort of Acapulco, in Mexico.
The macabre discovery comes after drugs gangs threatened to attack elementary school teachers if they did not pay half their wages to the drugs cartels.
The extortion demands forced around 130 schools in the city to close earlier this month, after administrators and parents decided it was not safe enough to start classes.
The severed heads were found on Tuesday inside a sack that had been placed inside a small wooden crate, the Guerrero state public security secretariat said.
According to Mexican police say the five heads were positioned next to a handwritten message threatening three alleged drug traffickers and Guerrero State Governor Angel Aguirre, who had promised a series of measures to combat the criminal gangs.
A police officer in Acapulco stands next to the sack containing five severed heads which has been placed in a small wooden crate
The message, in an apparently sarcastic tone, told people to thank the governor for continuing “this war”.
All heads appear to be of men, but some of the five headless bodies found elsewhere in the city the previous day were too badly burned to immediately determine their gender.
The horrific event comes just days after police found a woman’s decapitated body in the Mexican border city of Nuevo Laredo, alongside a handwritten sign saying she was killed in retaliation for her postings on a social networking site.
At the end of August, as the new school year began, dozens of teachers in Acapulco said drugs gangs had threatened them with violence if they did not hand over half their salaries from October 1.
Administrators and other personnel also refused to go to work and many schools were left empty and padlocked for two weeks.
The teachers have since been on strike, leading to the closure of more than 100 schools. Earlier this month, they took to the streets to protest at the situation.
Guerrero State Governor Aguirre has promised a series of measures, including increased police patrols and the installation of security cameras and panic buttons in schools.
Even with those security measures, teachers say they still fear for their own and pupils’ safety.
A rare breed of whale was found dead 800 yards (730 meters) from the shoreline in the Humber Estuary, UK.
The 33feet (10 meters) mammal, thought to be a Sei whale, was discovered in salt marshes on the north bank of the River Humber.
It is also thought that the whale became stranded in shallow waters, rolled over onto its blowhole and died, before the tide retreated and left it behind, near the village of Skeffling.
The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust has spent the summer monitoring the area due to an increase in whale sighting and activity.
The 33feet (10 meters) whale was found beached 800 yards (730 meters) from the shoreline of the Humber Estuary, UK
Conservationists believe the increase in the number of strandings could be explained by a change in sea currents bringing colder streams of Arctic water into the North Sea and with them whales that would not normally pass so close to the UK shoreline.
Sea experts who examined the animal said they are 95% certain it is a female Sei whale and say the huge sea creature could simply have been looking for food when the tide turned.
Kirsten Smith, North Seas Living Seas manager at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, said:
“The area where the whale was found is salt marsh, which is still connected to the sea.
“With the high tide the whale probably got carried up on to the salt marsh, got pushed further in shore and then got stuck when the tide went out.
“The salt marsh is one of several components of the Humber Estuary, and is further in than the mud flats and sand components.
“Sometimes whales come into the shallow water looking for food and get stuck.
“It can be illness or confusion in individual animals, but for it to happen twice in the area, and with reports of another whale nearby now, that could be more than just coincidence.”
The mammal is thought to be a Sei whale, a species not normally stranded on the British coast
The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust has launched a campaign called Petition Fish to encourage to Government to monitor more closely the changes in British marine life.
A spokesman for the Environment Agency said that the whale is likely to have found herself so far in as today marked the day of the highest and lowest tide of the year.
Humber Estuary Services estimate that water levels at Albert Dock, near Hull went as high as 9.5 m by 7:00 a.m. today, and went down to 1.3 m by 2:00 p.m.
The whale, found at 2.30 p.m. last Friday, is the latest of a number to have died in the Humber estuary.
Andy Gibson, of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, added that Sei whale strandings were very rare with only three in UK waters in the last 20 years.
Sea experts who examined the animal said they are 95 per cent certain it is a female Sei whale and say the huge sea creature could simply have been looking for food when the tide turned
Andy Gibson said: “It was in shallow water of 4ft -5ft, making contact with the bottom. When it gets in that situation it rolls onto its side and it can cover its blow hole. It is sad but we will be able to learn a lot from it.”
Earlier this month, a young Fin whale – a relative of the Sei – became stranded at Immingham, North East Lincolnshire, and washed up dead near Spurn Point.
Another dead whale was spotted in the river mouth in the last few days but has yet to wash ashore.
The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust has reported a rise in whale sightings this year but no-one is sure why the mammals are making their way to the North Sea.
Over the summer, a pod of around ten Minke whales were regularly spotted off the North Yorkshire coast between Whitby and Scarborough.
Scientists are developing a “stay sober” pill which may help those who get drunk too easily, by limiting the effects of alcohol on their brains.
In the researchers’ experiment, mice given the drug did not even get tipsy, despite being fed enough alcohol to make them stumble and fall over.
The research paves the way for a tablet that stops people from making fools of themselves on a night out.
The new experiment could help explain why some drinkers are “cheap dates” who start slurring their words and losing their inhibitions after one glass of wine, while others can knock back glass after glass with few ill effects.
A new “stay sober” pill is under development after University of Adelaide experiment findings
The Australian scientists who carried out the research focused on the way alcohol affects glial cells, which make up 90% of the brain.
The glial cells play a crucial role in the immune system, helping to fight infections such as meningitis.
When you think about your immune system, you probably think about it fighting off a cold. But new research from the University of Adelaide suggests that immune cells in your brain may contribute to how you respond to alcohol.
“It’s amazing to think that despite 10,000 years of using alcohol, and several decades of investigation into the way that alcohol affects the nerve cells in our brain, we are still trying to figure out exactly how it works,” says lead researcher Dr. Mark Hutchinson from the University’s School of Medical Sciences.
Although scientists know much about how alcohol affects nerve cells, there is also a growing body of evidence that alcohol triggers rapid changes in the immune system in the brain. This immune response lies behind some of the well-known alcohol-related behavioural changes, such as difficulty controlling the muscles involved in walking and talking.
In research published in the latest edition of the British Journal of Pharmacology, Dr. Mark Hutchinson’s team gave a single shot of alcohol to laboratory mice and studied the effect of blocking Toll-like receptors, a particular element of the immune system, on the behavioural changes induced by alcohol. The researchers used drugs to block these receptors. They also studied the effects of giving alcohol to mice that had been genetically altered so that they were lacking the functions of selected receptors.
Researcher Mark Hutchinson said: “When a mouse gets drunk, it is quite similar to a human that’s drunk. It can’t work its motor co-ordination properly. If you stop these immune cells from working, the animals didn’t get drunk.”
The results showed that blocking this part of the immune system, either with the drug or genetically, reduced the effects of alcohol. While the research was carried out on mice, Dr. Hutchinson’s team believes that similar treatments could also work in humans.
“Medications targeting Toll-like receptor 4 may prove beneficial in treating alcohol dependence and acute overdoses,” says Dr. Mark Hutchinson.
This work has significant implications for our understanding of the way alcohol affects us, as it is both an immunological and neuronal response. Such a shift in mindset has significant implications for identifying individuals who may have bad outcomes after consuming alcohol, and it could lead to a way of detecting people who are at greater risk of developing brain damage after long-term drinking.
Demi Moore posted some thoughts about how to deal with “anger” on her Twitter account just on the night before spending the wedding anniversary alone last weekend.
Now, Demi Moore, 48, is facing claims she has “separated” from her husband of six years, Ashton Kutcher amid fresh rumors of infidelity.
Ashton Kutcher, 33, who is 15 years her junior, allegedly had a liaison with another woman after an alcohol-fuelled evening on Friday, according to website Radar Online.
The information was given by “multiple friends of the 23-year-old woman”, identified by another website as Sara Leal.
Sara Leal has reportedly hired a top Hollywood lawyer and gone into hiding.
First picture of Sara Leal, who allegedly had a fling with Ashton Kutcher
It is the second time in a year that Ashton Kutcher has been accused of cheating on Demi Moore.
The latest alleged encounter happened on the 12th floor of the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego, California, in the early hours of Saturday – the same day of Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher sixth wedding anniversary.
Ashton Kutcher and the woman had apparently been partying at a club in the city. One fellow clubgoer said: “Ashton didn’t look like someone who was celebrating a wedding anniversary.”
It was the website thedirty.com which identified the young woman as Sara Leal and claimed she wanted $250,000 for her version of events.
The website added that “Kutcher told Sara Leal that him [sic] and Demi Moore are separated and the public doesn’t know yet.”
Ashton Kutcher’s bodyguard was also said to have taken Sara Leal’s mobile phone before she entered the hotel room.
On that same night, the eve of their anniversary, Demi Moore was tweeting from the East Coast, where she is temporarily based.
Demi Moore shared a quote from Greek philosopher Epictetus on September 23, writing:
“When we are offended at any man’s fault, turn to yourself and study your own failings. Then you will forget your anger.”
Demi Moore posted this message on Twitter the night before spending her first wedding anniversary apart from Ashton Kutcher
Three days later, Demi Moore, who has lost weight in recent weeks, posted a picture of herself looking forlorn, with the caption:
“I see through you.”
In other messages this month, Demi Moore said she was “trying to find the light I lost.”
The claims emerged as Star magazine reported: “Ashton and Demi have separated and the marriage is over.”
A source close to Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher reportedly added: “The relationship ended because of Ashton’s serial cheating. It’s a painful time for Demi.”
Ashton Kutcher was first accused of infidelity in September 2010, when Brittney Jones, 21, said she had sex with the actor at the Beverly Hills home he shares with Demi Moore while she was away.
Brittney Jones told Star: “He looked over our texts and said he wanted me to delete all the messages from him. He then told me he wanted me to delete the texts I had sent to him. He said they could hurt him.”
At the time, the couple, who are worth an estimated $150million, brushed off the allegations.
New reports claim Demi Moore's husband Ashton Kutcher hooked up with a 23-year-old woman last weekend
Ashton Kutcher, who recently took over Charlie Sheen’s role in TV series Two And A Half Men, wrote on Twitter:
“I think Star magazine calling me a <<cheater>> qualifies as defamation of character. I hope my lawyer agrees.”
“Star magazine – you don’t get to stand behind <<freedom of the press>> when you are writing fiction.”
Ashton Kutcher’s spokesman also denied the allegation while Demi Moore tweeted “Excellent point my love!”
Demi Moore, who was previously married to Bruce Willis, started dating Ashton Kutcher in 2003 and they married in 2005.
2011 is the first year they spent their anniversary apart. Demi Moore was in New York to promote a short film which she has directed called Five, while Ashton Kutcher headed to San Diego to party with fellow actor Danny Masterson.
Representatives of Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher have not commented so far.
A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney ends its weekly appearances on CBS’ 60 Minutes.
On Sunday, October 2, the veteran radio and television writer, Andy Rooney, is expected to make his last regular attendance, he discusses the decision on his 1,097th signature essay.
The 60 minutes‘ curmudgeon told TVNewser in June 2010 he wanted to work on the show until he “dropped dead“. “Until somebody tells me different, I’m not going to quit,” he said.
“There’s nobody like Andy and there never will be. He’ll hate hearing this, but he’s an American original.” He “will always have the ability to speak his mind on ’60 Minutes’ when the urge hits him,” said Jeff Fager, chairman CBS News and the executive producer of 60 Minutes.
Andy Rooney will discuss the decision of leaving "60 Minutes" on October 2 in his 1097th signature essay.
Andy Rooney, who turns 93 on January 14, 2012, started to work with CBS as a writer for Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts in 1949 and began to appear on the show (started in 1968) in 1978 with an essay about the reporting of automobile fatalities on the Independence Day weekend.
His end-of-show part, Three Minutes or So With Andy Rooney (later A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney), began as a summer replacement for the debate segment Point/Counterpoint featuring Shana Alexander and James Kilpatrick.
Andy Rooney began his career in journalism in 1942 writing for Stars and Stripes newspaper. He was one of six correspondents who flew on the first American bombing raid over Germany (1943) and one of the first American journalists to visit the Nazi concentration camps.
“I can’t deny that The War–we call World War II ‘The War,’ as though there had never been another–was the ultimate experience for anyone in it,” he wrote in his book My War.
His wife, Marguerite, died in 2004 of heart failure, after 62 years of marriage. He has four children, the twins Emily and Martha, a daughter Ellen, and a son, Brian.
At 60 Minutes longevity seems to be a habit. Mike Wallace, 93, worked full-time until 2006, then occasionally until 2008. Don Hewitt, the show creator and executive producer, was 81 when he retired in 2004. He died in 2009.
Andy Rooney has become known for his folksy, often curmudgeonly, TV essays on life, culture and news events.
He presents satire on everyday life (the cost of groceries, annoying relatives, faulty Christmas presents) essays on life, culture and news events, or politics.
His essays have been published in books, Common Nonsense (2002), Years of Minutes, (2003). He has won three Emmy Awards for his essays, and a Lifetime Achievement Emmy in 2003.
He has been target of parodies and impersonations (Frank Caliendo, Rich Little, Beavis), and served as subject for one of Saturday Night Live’s parodies on NBC network.
The Andy Rooney Television Collection – His Best Minutes (1993) and Andy Rooney On Almost Everything, Things That Bother Andy Rooney, and Andy Rooney’s Solutions (2006) include his commentaries and field reports.
The writer was criticized he does not want to adapt to the modern times and he is out of touch with contemporary culture (contemporary music). He said never had heard of Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga and Usher in 2009 and said young people probably did not listen to Ella Fitzgerald.
Criticized or praised, Andy Rooney, 92, remains a living legend. The walnut table was made by himself.
Found dull by some people, but in the same outstanding, interesting and funny by others, Andy Rooney remains a living legend and a respectable active old person.
He has always considered himself a writer who incidentally appears on television behind his famous walnut table, made by himself.
“The process by which each of us acquires a reputation isn’t independent of our character. It almost always depends more on the decisions we make than on chance occurrences,” he wrote in his book, Andy Rooney: 60 Years of Wisdom and Wit.
Andy Rooney on vacation: “Avoiding work is hard work”.
Andy Rooney on presents: ”In spite of the old sayings to the contrary, the best presents come in large packages.”
Andy Rooney on cats: ”I have never met a cat I liked.”
Andy Rooney on commerce: ”There are idiots who will buy anything as long as it costs enough.” “Money is a strange concept, right? What ever happened to the beads and shells?”
Andy Rooney on politics: “The best president of my lifetime? Rutherford B. Hayes.”
Andy Rooney on opinion: ”If you wonder what anyone thinks of you, consider what you think of them.” ”Not everyone has a right to his own opinion. If he doesn’t know the facts, his opinion doesn’t count.”
Andy Rooney on sports: “Darryl “Chocolate Thunder” Dawkins was the best player to ever grace a court.”
Andy Rooney on medical advances: “Pray you never live this long.”
Andy Rooney on Heaven: ”My idea of heaven would be to die and awaken in a place that has all my lost things.”
Michael Jackson’s personal assistant has described today, during the second day of Dr. Conrad Murray’s trial, the chaotic moments as the megastar was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Michael Amir Williams told the court how Dr. Conrad Murray panicked and asked to be taken back from hospital to Michael Jackson‘s house “to get rid of a cream that the world should never see” as the King of Pop lay dead.
Michael Amir Williams said also that he asked security to place Michael Jackson‘s house on “lockdown” after Dr. Murray repeatedly asked to go back from the hospital to the singer’s mansion.
Michael Jackson’s personal assistant said that he lied to Dr. Murray and told him the keys to his car had been taken by the police as Murray insisted that he be taken back to the house.
Dr. Conrad Murray then asked to be taken “to get food”, but Michael Amir Williams said he again refused.
The court was also played the panicked voicemail that Dr. Conrad Murray left on Michael Amir Williams’ phone before he called 911.
“Call me right away, please. Please call me right away. Thank you.”
Dr. Conrad Murray looked uncomfortable and started touching his neck as he waited for the recording to be played.
Dr Conrad Murray on the second day of Michael Jackson’s death trial in Los Angeles
Michael Amir Williams said that he had received the voicemail at 12:13pm on the day that Michael Jackson died, 11 minutes before the emergency call was placed.
When Williams called Dr. Conrad Murray back two minutes later he was told that Michael Jackson had a “bad reaction” and to “get somebody here immediately”.
Michael Amir Williams said that he was not asked to call 911.
When Williams arrived at Michael Jackson’s Los Angeles mansion, he said he saw the King of Pop’s body being brought down the stairs on a gurney.
Michael Amir Williams, Michael Jackson's personal assistant, told the court that Dr Conrad Murray asked to be taken back from hospital to the singer's house
The personal assistant told the court that Dr. Conrad Murray seemed “frantic”.
Then he told how he drove behind the ambulance to the hospital with Michael Jackson’s three children, Prince Michael, Paris and Blanket, and their nanny.
The evening before Michael Jackson was taken to hospital, the personal assistant said he had gone to the singer’s final rehearsal at the Staples Center.
Michael Amir Williams said that he had been “blown away” by the performance and that Michael Jackson was in “high spirits” as he returned home for what would be the final time.
The court was told how Michael Jackson asked to stop the car at the end of his driveway so he could wind down the window and speak to fans.
“He was in good spirits,” Michael Jackson’s personal assistant said.
“Sometimes he was not feeling well and wanted to drive in and just wave, but he wanted to stop the car.”
The jury was shown a photo inside the front door of Michael Jackson's home in Los Angeles
The revelations came as the court today also heard from the concert organizer about how Michael Jackson gave a “good rehearsal” in his final time on stage hours before his death.
Paul Gongaware, an executive for AEG Live, which was promoting Michael Jackson’s planned series of comeback concerts in 2009, resumed his testimony at the courthouse in Los Angeles after the jury was played a recording of the singer’s last performance on stage.
The promoter watched the King of Pop performing at his final two rehearsals and said Michael Jackson appeared engaged and energetic.
The jury was played four minutes of Michael Jackson’s final rehearsals of two songs yesterday.
Paul Gongaware said this morning that Dr. Conrad Murray had asked for $5 million to provide his services to Michael Jackson during the concerts.
But he said they had agreed on a sum of $150,000 a month after Michael Jackson insisted that he wanted Dr. Murray.
The concert promoter said that it was Michael Jackson who had wanted to increase the number of concerts he was due to perform at the O2 in London.
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Paul Gongaware said that after the first 10 shows sold out almost instantaneously, Michael Jackson wanted to add another 21 dates. The megastar was obsessed with breaking Prince’s record of 21 shows at the arena.
Paul Gongaware, CEO of AEG Live, told the court that Michael Jackson was “engaged” and “energetic” in the two performances before his death
Another AEG employee, attorney Kathy Jorrie, testified this morning about drafting a contract for Dr. Conrad Murray to work as Michael Jackson’s personal physician.
Katie Jorrie told the court that Dr. Murray requested a CPR machine in the contract. When she asked the doctor why it was needed, he said because of Michael Jackson’s age and the strenuous nature of the concert series that he did not want to take chances.
At one point in negotiations, Dr. Conrad Murray requested his contract be modified to allow him to hire another physician in case he was tired or unavailable while Michael Jackson was performing in London, she testified.
“He wanted to make sure that there was somebody else available to be of assistance,” she said.
She said also that on the day before Michael Jackson’s death that Dr. Conrad Murray told her that the singer was in “perfect health”.
Michael Jackson’s bodyguard is today also expected to reveal what happened in the immediate moments after the singer died.
After a dramatic first day of the hearing into charges against Michael Jackson’s personal doctor Conrad Murray, the prosecution is continuing to present their case claiming that the superstar died after he was “abandoned” by the doctor.
Prosecutors allege Dr. Conrad Murray caused Michael Jackson’s death by providing him with a lethal dose of the anaesthetic propofol and other sedatives without the proper lifesaving equipment or skills.
Faheem Muhammed, who was Michael Jackson’s head of security, will take the stand today.
He was summoned to the Michael Jackson’s bedroom by Dr. Murray after the megastar was found unconscious.
The second day of Dr. Conrad Murray’s trial is likely concentrate on the day that Michael Jackson died, with witnesses expected to reveal what happened in the immediate moments before and after the singer died.
The prosecution is likely to ask Faheem Muhammed to tell the jury about Dr. Murray’s actions after he discovered that Michael Jackson had died.
A photo of Michael Jackson in white medical robes with his mouth covered with a tube and tap was shown in a shocking beginning to the trial yesterday.
Yesterday, in the first day of trial, the jury was played four minutes of Michael Jackson’s final rehearsals of two songs.
Days before Michael Jackson’s “Earth Song” performance during a rehearsal at Staples Center, the megastar’s health prompted friend and collaborator Kenny Ortega to question whether the singer needed serious help. He had just spent hours cradling Michael Jackson, trying to warm him from deep shivers that kept him from rehearsing.
“He was like a lost boy,” Kenny Ortega wrote in an email to promoters five days before Michael Jackson’s death.
“There may still be a chance he can rise to the occasion if we get him the help he needs.”
The email drew a rebuke from Dr. Conrad Murray, who Kenny Ortega said told him not to try to play amateur doctor or psychologist. Five days later, Michael Jackson was dead.
Spinach dip, sold by Publix Super Markets in Florida, might be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes and is recalled by the retailer.
A recall for prepackaged spinach dip has been issued because of concerns about a potential risk of listeria food poisoning.
Listeria monocytogenes was found in prepackaged spinach dip sold by Publix Supermarkets in Florida.
A routine bacterial test, conducted by Publix Super Markets, showed the presence of Listeria in a sampling and the spinach dip recall was announced on September 26.
The recall involves 16 ounces containers of prepackaged spinach dip sold at the deli department of Publix stores in Florida. The spinach dip is labeled with UPC code 41415-00062 and a use by date of Oct 10 C1. Spinach dip sold by Publix in Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee were not recalled.
Consumers who bought the spinach dip affected by the recall are asked to return the dip to the store for a full refund. Further details can be learn calling 1-800-242-1227 or visiting www.publix.com. No sickness has been associated to this recall.
On September 14 Jensen Farms in Colorado recalled its Rocky Ford cantaloupes. That recall was linked to the deadliest food poisoning outbreak in more than 10 years. Cantaloupe Listeria outbreak killed 16 people and sickened 72 others in 18 states. In 2008 were nine deaths from a salmonella (Salmonella typhimurium bacteria) peanut butter outbreak.
There are about 800 cases of listeria infections in the U.S. linked to three or four outbreaks each year, according to the CDC. Generally the outbreaks are traced to deli meat and soft cheeses, where listeria is common.
Listeria monocytogenes can grow at refrigerator temperature, 40◦ Fahrenheit (4◦ Celsius).
Listeriosis is a serious bacterial infection, but it can be treated with antibiotics. Earlier diagnosis means a better cure, blood tests are used to diagnose it. The elderly, people with weakened immune systems, pregnant women and newborns have a higher risk. Fever, muscle aches are the most common symptoms, also abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, severe headache, stiffness in the neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions. If bacteria leave the intestines and reach the nervous system through bloodstream, they cause meningitis. In pregnant women Listeria bacterium can cause miscarriages and still births.
Facebook has admitted that it has been watching the web pages its users visit even when they have logged out.
In its latest privacy blunder, Facebook was forced to confirm that it has been constantly tracking its 750 million members, even when they are using other sites.
Facebook also says the huge privacy breach was simply a mistake – the software automatically downloaded to users’ computers when they logged in to Facebook “inadvertently” sent information to the company, whether or not they were logged in at the time.
Most of its users would assume that Facebook stops monitoring them after they leave its site, but technology bloggers discovered this was not the case.
Facebook has admitted that it has been watching the web pages its users visit even when they have logged out
In fact, the information has been regularly sent back to Facebook’s servers – data that could be worth billions when creating “targeted” advertising based on the sites users visit.
The Facebook’s practices were exposed by Australian technology blogger Nik Cubrilovic and have provoked a furious response across the internet.
Facebook claims to have “fixed” the issue – and “thanked” Nik Cubrilovic for pointing it out – while simultaneously claiming that it wasn’t really an issue in the first place.
Nik Cubrilovic found that when you sign up to Facebook it automatically puts files known as “cookies” on your computer which monitor your browsing history.
Nik Cubrilovic has uncovered Facebook's practices of tracking users when they are offline
This is still the case, although Facebook claims the cookies no longer send information while user is logged out of its site. If user is logged in to Facebook, the cookies will still send the information, and they remain on your computer unless you manually delete them.
The cookies send Facebook your IP address – the “unique identifier” address of your PC – and information on whether you have visited millions of websites: anything with a Facebook “like” or “recommend” button on it.
“We place cookies on the computer of the user,” said a Facebook spokesperson, who admitted that some Facebook cookies send back the address of users’ PCs and sites they had visited, even while logged out.
“Three of these cookies inadvertently included unique identifiers when the user had logged out of Facebook. We did not store these for logged out users. We could not have used this information.”
However, Facebook spokesperson said that the “potential issue” had now been “fixed” so that the cookies will no longer broadcast information:
“We fixed the cookies so they won’t include unique information in the future when people log out.”
“It’s just the latest privacy issue to affect a company that has a long history of blunders relating to user’s private information.”
Nik Cubrilovic wrote: “Even if you are logged out, Facebook still knows and can track every page you visit.
“The only solution is to delete every Facebook cookie in your browser, or to use a separate (web) browser for Facebook interactions.
“This is not what <<logout>> is supposed to mean.”
The admission is the latest in a series of privacy blunders from Facebook, which has a record of only correcting such matters when they are brought to light by other people.
Earlier this year, the social network website stopped gathering browser data from users who had never even been to Facebook.com after it was exposed by a Dutch researcher.
Facebook was forced into a partial climbdown over changes to privacy settings which many claimed made too much public.
Facebook also came under attack for launching a “stalker button” which allowed users to track another person’s every move in a list which was constantly being updated.
Arturo Bejar, one of Facebook’s directors of engineering, admitted that users continue to be tracked after they log out but said that the data was deleted right away.
Bejar said it was to do with the way the “like” feature works, which is a button users can click on to show they like something.
“The onus is on us is to take all the data and scrub it. What really matters is what we say as a company and back it up.”
On technology blog CNET, however, users were outraged at what was going on:
“Who the hell do these people think they are? <<Trust us>>. Why? Why should we trust a company that spies on us without our knowledge and consent?”
“Holy wow…. they’ve just lept way past Google on the creepy meter.”
According to U.S. reports Facebook has recently set up its own Political Action Committee, an American term for a lobbying outfit to get its views heard on Capitol Hill.
So far this year it has already spent $550,000 on lobbying, already ahead of last year’s total of $350,000.
Facebook has also been forced to deny Internet rumors it will begin charging for its services and said it will “always be free”.
A spokesman for Facebook said that the login and log out measures were designed for security and were there to prevent fraud and added: “We to do not use this information to target adverts.”
Amazon has released today the Kindle Fire color tablet that costs just $199, which will put it in direct competition with Apple’s iPad 2.
Kindle Fire, the new Android touchscreen will be just one of a clutch of new tablet models, including one as cheap as $80.
Kindle Fire, the new Android device has a 7 inches color screen, and will weigh 14.6oz. The device can store 100,000 films, 17m songs, and magazines.
Kindle Fire, the new Amazon device has a 7 inches color screen, and will weigh 14.6oz, can store 100,000 films, 17m songs, and magazines
Unlike iPad, Kindle Fire won’t need to dock with a computer , but will “sync” wirelessly via Amazon’s Whispersync service, which uses 3G networks and wi-fi.
Kindle Fire is set to launch in US on November 15, but the device will be wi-fi only, rather than equipped with a 3G connection.
Amazon has also unveiled its own internet browser, Amazon Silk – an unexpected move, which seems even more aggressive towards Apple.
Amazon’s Kindle is the site’s best-selling product – but Kindle Fire, the tablet unveiled today, takes the gadget beyond being a cheap techno-bookshop to a multi function tablet with access to the huge amount of film, music and television Amazon already hosts on its site.
Kindle Fire’s worldwide release date is yet to be confirmed.
Reactions on Twitter ranged from “They’re out of their league” to outright disgust – but were outnumbered vastly by users saying they had already pre-ordered.
“The price is pretty amazing actually. With all of those services backing it up, there’s a lot of reason to think this will make a big splash,” said Stuff magazine editor Will Findlater.
“We don’t really know what the user experience is like yet, but this is a staggering price.”
Amazon is already invested heavily in cutting-edge cloud computing services and content delivery systems, all of which lend themselves to powering a piece of multimedia hardware like the Kindle Fire.
“Over 25% of consumers who plan to buy a tablet in the next year remain undecided which brand or model to buy. Over 50% of people who want to buy a tablet are waiting for prices to come down. We are likely to see Christmas wish lists rewritten overnight.”
“It’s a risky move that puts Amazon in direct competition with Apple – but could be essential to the site surviving in an age where downloads of entertainment will become the norm,” Jeff Bezos, the Amazon CEO pointed himself.
Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos said of the evolution of the device:
“Four years ago we stated with 90,000 books – today it’s a million. You can choose any of these books and have them in 60 seconds wirelessly.”
Jeff Bezos, Amazon CEO unveils the Kindle Fire today in New York
However, insiders worry that Amazon may have rushed in. The hardware is rumored to be similar to BlackBerry’s PlayBook – a huge flop that caused reported redundancies at the company, and is now offered at huge discounts online.
Rumors are also circulating that an upgraded model of Kindle Fire will come out shortly after Christmas.
Will Findlater, editor of Stuff magazine:
“This is Amazon expanding its repertoire. It’s already invested heavily in cutting-edge cloud computing services and content delivery systems, all of which lend themselves to powering a piece of multimedia hardware like the Kindle Fire.
“The Kindle will remain the de facto choice for people who just want to read – and there are lots and lots of them – while the Kindle Fire caters for those of us who want music, video and apps, too.”
Amazon’s advantage is that – unlike BlackBerry – it is not trying to make money from the device itself. Kindle Fire will merely be a portal to Amazon’s video, music and eBooks.
Amazon is already the world’s largest online retailer – and comes armed with a one-click ordering system that can deliver entertainment from books to films to music with a single button-press. Other iPad rivals may simply not have been entertaining enough.
Analysts suggest that Amazon’s willingness to sell hardware at a loss in order to sell more e-books,films and music will put it in a position to offer the first serious challenge to Apple – whose “core” business is still selling phones, tablets, and iPods.
American tech industry analysts Forrester Research wrote on their company blog that Amazon’s tablet could be the “only credible iPad competitor” and could even “completely disrupt the status quo”.
Even on iPad, consumers often prefer buying books via Amazon’s Kindle app to Apple’s own less-well-stocked iBooks store.
“Apple sells software and services, but the lion’s share of Apple’s revenue still comes from hardware,” wrote Forrester Research.
“This makes it vulnerable to a company, such as Amazon, that isn’t seeking profit from hardware sales.”
Analysts still expect Apple to dominate the tablet market for “several years” – at present, Apple controls at least 75% of tablet sales worldwide, despite High Street chains such as Comet selling Android tablets for as little as $150.
Kindle Fire vs. iPad:
Kindle Fire comes in one model priced at $199, iPad 2 is $499-$829.
Kindle Fire has no camera, front or back.
Kindle Fire’s resolution is 1024×600, iPad 2’s 1024×768.
iPad 2 comes in several models, some with 3G connections. Kindle Fire’s low price is partially down to its lack of a 3G connection.
Kindle Fire’s screen is 7 inches, iPad 2’s is 10.1 inches.
Kindle Fire has 8Gb built-in storage – iPad 2 has from 16Gb to 64Gb.
Kindle Fire’s maximum battery life is 8 hours, iPad 2’s is 10.
The dead satellite fell into a part of the southern Pacific Ocean about as far from large land masses as you can get, NASA officials said on Tuesday.
NASA calculations put the 6-tonne satellite‘s death plunge early Saturday thousands of miles from northwestern North America, where there were reports of sightings.
Instead, the satellite plunged into areas where remote islands dot a vast ocean.
NASA says those new calculations show the 20-year-old satellite entered Earth’s atmosphere generally above American Samoa.
But falling debris as the satellite broke apart did not start hitting the water for another 300 miles to the northeast, southwest of Christmas Island, just after midnight EDT Saturday.
The satellite fell to Earth on Saturday morning, with debris landing in remote parts of the Pacific Ocean
Experts believe about two dozen metal pieces from the bus-sized satellite fell over a 500-mile span.
“It’s a relatively uninhabited portion of the world, very remote,” NASA orbital debris scientist Mark Matney said.
“This is certainly a good spot in terms of risk.”
Scientists who track space junk couldn’t be happier with the result.
“That’s the way it should be. I think that’s perfect,” said Bill Ailor, director of the Center for Orbital and Reentry Debris Studies at the Aerospace Corp.
“It’s just as good as it gets.”
Last Saturday, scientists said it was possible some pieces could have reached northwestern Canada and claims of sightings in Canada spread on the Internet.
However, NASA said Tuesday that new calculations show the satellite landed several minutes earlier than they thought, changing the debris field to an entirely different hemisphere.
“It just shows you the difference that 10 or 15 minutes can make,” said Harvard University astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell, who tracks man-made space objects. On Saturday, he noted: “We were talking about, <<Wow, did it hit Seattle?>>”
NASA won’t say how it knows the climate research satellite came in earlier, referring questions to the U.S. Air Force space operations centre.
Air Force spokeswoman Julie Ziegenhorn said better computer model reconstruction after the satellite fell helped pinpoint where the satellite (Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite) returned to Earth.
After UARS was launched in 1991, NASA and other space agencies adopted new procedures to lessen space junk and satellites falling back to Earth. So NASA has no more satellites as large as this one that will fall back to Earth uncontrolled in the next 25 years, according to NASA orbital debris chief scientist Nicholas Johnson.
But other satellites will continue to fall. Late in October, or early in November, a German astronomy satellite is set to plunge uncontrolled back to Earth.
While slightly smaller than UARS, the German satellite is expected to have more pieces survive re-entry, said Jonathan McDowell, who worked on one of the instruments for it.
The German ROSAT satellite was launched in 1990, died in 1998 and weighs 2 ½ tons. The German space agency figures 30 pieces weighing less than 2 tons will survive re-entry. Debris may include sharp mirror shards.
The German space agency puts the odds of somebody somewhere on Earth being hurt by its satellite at 1-in-2,000 – a slightly higher level of risk than was calculated for the NASA satellite. But any one individual’s odds of being struck are 1-in-14trillion, given there are 7 billion people on the planet.
