Britney Spears and rumored new lawyer boyfriend David Lucado were spotted leaving a house and heading off for a drive near her home in the Los Angeles suburb of Calabasas on Saturday.
Despite taking on a new romance, Britney Spears told Harper’s Bazaar that having children had changed her focus: “I think things through a little bit more, and I worry a lot.
“I’m more straightforward, and I speak up more than I did before. When I was younger, I wouldn’t speak up as much, but now that I’m a mom, things have changed.”
Britney Spears, 31, ended her engagement to Jason Trawick in January after a three-year romance and recently admitted she will “always love” him.
While not engaged at the time, the star admitted marriage and children were on her mind.
“I’ve thought about both, so if the timing was right,” she said.
Britney Spears and rumored new lawyer boyfriend David Lucado
Facebook announced they would be borrowing a page from Twitter’s manual and introducing hashtags (#) onto its site.
According to The Week, no specific date has been announced for the introduction, but soon Facebook users who click on a word preceded by a hashtag will bring up all Facebook posts tagged with that hashtag.
Hashtags have become an important marker for Twitter. In the past week they were instrumental during the papal conclave and even signalling the Catholic Church’s newest leader #PopeFrancis.
But there’s also a monetary angle towards the hashtag. Films, television shows, and even recording artists often use promoted hashtags on Twitter’s main page.
The Washington Post reports that “Twitter is expected to make about half a billion dollars in advertising revenue this year, according to eMarketer. Facebook generated $4.3 billion last year from advertising”.
This is not the first time that Facebook has looked to Twitter to re-boot its image.
When Facebook launched its subscriber list it certainly seemed to be moving towards a Twitter-specific demographic.
Facebook announced they would be borrowing a page from Twitter’s manual and introducing hashtags onto its site
Similarly, acquiring Instagram last year also showed Facebook was interested in poaching some of Twitter’s camera-ready users who regularly post photos of epic dinners or cute cats.Especially with its mostly-panned redesign, this copycat move is just further proof for critics that Facebook has “jumped the shark”.
The edginess Facebook faced way back when The Social Network movie was still in theaters has seemed to erode in recent months.
Teenagers, in particular, seem vulnerable towards abandoning the social media platform because it’s simply too toxic or even dangerous.
Internet trolling, a relative small staple of Twitter, has become a major factor for teenage bullying on Facebook.
But the numbers for Facebook don’t lie. In October of 2012 the site passed its one billionth user, meaning one of every seven people has a Facebook page.
No timetable has been announced for hashtags on Facebook.
Americans have started celebrating St. Patrick’s Day across the country on Saturday, one day before the March 17 festival.
Chicago held its annual parade on Saturday morning and dyed the Chicago River green while New York held its famous parade greeted by thousands.
Revelers, children and even pets were decked out in green to mark the occasion with Irish flags hanging from street corners across the country.
At the New York parade which claims be the “oldest, biggest, and best in the world”, partygoers withstood the snow and cold to join in the fun.
The massive parade, which predates the United States beginning in the 1700, was led by 750 members of the New York Army National Guard.
The parade lasted for almost five hours with dancers, bands and battalions all taking part. The 1st Battalion of the 69th Infantry has been marching in the parade since 1851.
Michael Bloomberg took in his last St. Patrick’s Day as mayor, waving to a cheering crowd.
Marching just behind him was Irish PM Enda Kenny, who presented Michael Bloomberg with a historic Irish teapot earlier in the day.
In the south of the country, thousands of revelers garbed in green crammed the oak-shaded squares and sidewalks of downtown Savannah, Georgia, for a celebration that’s a 189-year-old tradition.
Led by bagpipers in green kilts, a parade kicked off Saturday morning, hours after customers began lining up at downtown bars.
More than 1,000 worshipers also packed the pews of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist for the Mass that traditionally precedes the parade.
Boston is also getting into the mood ahead of its parade on Sunday.
The 112th St. Patrick’s Day parade is expected to be attended by nearly 1 million people but pub crawls will be going on all weekend.
Chicago held its annual St Patrick’s Day parade on Saturday morning and dyed the Chicago River green
In Maine, St. Patrick’s Day prompted Governor Paul LePage to relent on a vow to veto any bill that reached his desk before lawmakers pass his proposal to pay a state debt to hospitals.He signed a measure Friday allowing bars to serve alcohol a few hours earlier than usual, starting at 6 a.m., on the Sunday holiday.
About 1,500 miles southwest, the city of Houma, Louisiana., was holding its unconventional celebration – an Irish-Italian parade, with a celebration that features both Irish cabbage and Italian sausage – on Sunday.
The event resumed last year after a 10-year hiatus.
In Rolla, Missouri, the Missouri University of Science and Technology continued a St. Patrick’s Day tradition that began in 1908, when students paid homage to the patron saint of Ireland who was the patron saint of engineers.
In Ireland, Dublin’s five-day St. Patrick’s Day festival was unfolding with a new addition.
For the first time, up to 8,000 visitors from around the world were due to march in a so-called people’s parade on Sunday, when Irish capital city also intends hold its usual procession of bands and pageantry.
Pope Francis I has said he wants “a poor Church, for the poor” following his election as the next pontiff.
The Pope said he chose the name Francis after 12-13th Century St Francis of Assisi, who represented “poverty and peace”.
The pontiff urged journalists to get to know the Church with its “virtues and sins” and to share its focus on “truth, goodness and beauty”.
Pope Francis takes over from Benedict XVI, who abdicated last month.
The former Argentine cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 76, was the surprise choice of cardinals meeting in Rome to choose a new head of the Catholic Church.
In his first audience at the Vatican, Pope Francis said Jesus Christ and not the Pope was the centre of the Church, which he stressed was “spiritual not political” in nature.
Pope Francis said the Holy Spirit had inspired the resignation of Benedict XVI and guided the cardinals choosing him as the next pontiff.
The Pope said he chose the name Francis after 12-13th Century St Francis of Assisi, who represented poverty and peace
The Pope said he had been inspired to take the name Francis by a Brazilian colleague who embraced him and whispered “don’t forget the poor” when it was announced that he had been elected Pope.He said he immediately thought of St Francis of Assisi, the Italian founder of the Franciscan Order who was devoted to the poor.
As well as representing poverty and peace, the Pope said St Francis “loved and looked after” creation – and he noted that humanity was “not having a good relationship with nature at the moment”.
St Francis of Assisi is said to have loved animals as his “brothers and sisters” and even to have preached to birds.
There had been speculation that Pope Francis – who was a member of the Jesuit order – had chosen his name in honor of St Francis Xavier, a 16th Century Jesuit missionary in Asia. But he said this was not the case.
The new Pope’s style is very different to that of his predecessor.
He talks in simple, easy to understand terms about ethical values and shows a remarkable sense of humor.
Earlier, the Vatican said Pope Francis would visit his predecessor Pope emeritus Benedict next week.
David Brent made his big return on Comic Relief after he was off screens for 10 years.
David Brent made famous appearing on The Office used his time back in the limelight to debut a political reggae song called Equality Street.
Ricky Gervais resurrected his popular character for the fundraising fun and viewers learned that the former General Manager of Wernham–Hogg paper merchants is now a cleaning sales man with musical aspirations.
David Brent made his big return on Comic Relief after he was off screens for 10 years
David Brent teamed up with a young male artist Dom Johnson and persuaded him to duo on a track called Equality Street.Lyrics include: “Come with me down Equality Street, you don’t know who you’re going to meet.”
“At the end there’s a golden gate, it let in love it don’t let in hate.”
Another line included: “Black people aren’t crazy, Fat people aren’t lazy. And dwarves aren’t babies.”
Ang Lee takes on his first TV project as it was announced he will direct the pilot episode of new series, Tyrant.
Tyrant marks Ang Lee’s first project since the 2012 film Life of Pi, which saw the Taiwanese filmmaker win his second Academy Award last month.
The show follows an ordinary American family caught up in the affairs of a turbulent Middle Eastern nation.
Shooting for Tyrant on channel FX will begin this summer.
The team behind the drama includes Homeland‘s Howard Gordon and Gideon Raff, who will act as executive producers.
Ang Lee takes on his first TV project as it was announced he will direct the pilot episode of new series, Tyrant
“Ang Lee has demonstrated time and again an ability to present characters with such depth and specificity that they reveal the universal human condition,” said FX president John Landgraf in a statement.Ang Lee, whose previous credits include the martial arts film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Jane Austen adaptation Sense and Sensibility and comic book blockbuster Hulk, saw his latest film win a total of four Oscars in February.
Aside from best director, the 3D film – based on the Booker-winning novel about a shipwrecked boy and a Bengal tiger – won awards for cinematography, score and visual effects.
Ang Lee, 58, won his first best director Oscar in 2006, for cowboy romance Brokeback Mountain.
North Korean propaganda website Uriminzokkiri has warned of strikes against South Korea’s islands and advised residents to leave.
The Uriminzokkiri website, linked to the regime, mentioned targets including Yeonpyeong island, which was attacked by Northern forces in 2010.
Pyongyang has made a series of threats since its last nuclear test in February prompted the UN to tighten sanctions.
The US said on Friday it would refocus missile defences to its west coast to counter the North’s threats.
Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said 14 more batteries would be placed in Alaska by 2017, adding to 30 already in place along the coast.
On February 12 North Korea tested a nuclear device, which is believed to be its third such test.
The UN Security Council condemned the move and tightened sanctions on the regime.
Before and after the UN announcement, Pyongyang promised reprisals for the sanctions, including a threat to launch a pre-emptive nuclear strike against the US.
North Korean propaganda website Uriminzokkiri has warned of strikes against South Korea’s islands and advised residents to leave
North Korean media has also been vitriolic against the South.The Uriminzokkiri website stated: “Even an accidental spark by the belligerents in their war games can grow into a fire.
“And the damage for those living along the border and on the five western islands will be great.”
The threats came shortly after South Korea’s PM Chung Hong-won visited Yeonpyeong.
The US and South Korea also began military drills earlier in the week.
South Korea’s western islands are regarded as being particularly vulnerable to attack as they lie 6 miles south of the sea boundary.
In 2010, North korea bombarded Yeonpyeong with artillery shells, causing four deaths.
North Korea’s foreign policy has for decades been dominated by threats of military strikes, and bartering over its nuclear programme.
Although Pyongyang has given up parts of its nuclear programme in return for aid, it has continued to develop missiles and enrich nuclear material.
The most advanced missiles have the capacity to reach Alaska.
It is not thought to have a missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
A Swiss woman has been gang-raped in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, according to local police.
The woman was camping with her husband at a village in Datia district on Friday during a cycling trip when they were attacked by eight to 10 men.
The assailants overpowered the husband before gang-raping his wife.
More than 20 people have been detained in connection with the attack, which has led the Swiss embassy to demand a thorough investigation.
The Swiss embassy has asked for a thorough investigation.
The victim, who is reported to be 39 years old, has been admitted to hospital in Gwalior. She is conscious and has spoken to the authorities.
The tourists had been cycling from Orchha to Agra, a distance of about 155 miles, when they decided to camp overnight at a village.
A Swiss woman has been gang-raped in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh
One report cited the victim’s husband as saying that the group of men had approached them at about 21:30. They then began beating him with wooden sticks before tying him up and sexually assaulting his wife in front of him, he is reported to have added.The assailants stole the couple’s valuables, including 10,000 rupees ($185) and a laptop computer, before fleeing into the woods.
The incident comes three months after the gang-rape and murder of a 23-year-old female student on a bus in the capital, Delhi, which triggered widespread protests against the treatment of women in India.
On Monday, one of the suspects was found dead in prison. Police said Ram Singh hanged himself, but his family suspect he was murdered.
Sergei Filin, the artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow, may recover enough of his sight to work again, doctors treating him at a German hospital have said.
Sergei Filin was the victim of an acid attack in January that damaged his eyes and disfigured his face.
He appeared at a news conference alongside doctors, wearing dark glasses, a scarf and a hat to cover much of his damaged skin.
Pavel Dmitrichenko, a dancer at the Balshoi Ballet, has been arrested over the attack.
He is accused of masterminding the attack, in which a masked man threw sulphuric acid in Sergei Filin’s face.
At Friday’s news conference Dr. Martin Hermel, a surgeon at the Aachen University Clinic where Sergei Filin is being treated, said there was “good hope for regaining usable vision” that may allow him to return to work.
But doctors also warned that “such chemical damage to the eyes demands complex, long-term treatment”, and predicted that Sergei Filin would spend “months rather than weeks” in treatment.
When he went to Germany for treatment in February he told reporters his vision was “foggy”.
Sergei Filin, the artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow, may recover enough of his sight to work again
At the press conference Sergei Filin demonstrated how doctors were testing his vision by asking him to count fingers held in front of his face.Doctors also warned that scarring caused by the acid would probably be permanent.
“The acid destroyed all layers of the skin of the face,” said Prof. Norbert Pallua, his plastic surgeon.
Sergei Filin said he was “not scared” by the prospect of returning to work at the ballet, despite the allegations that Pavel Dmitrichenko was responsible for the attack.
He did not comment on a letter sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin in defence of Pavel Dmitrichenko, signed by more than 300 members of the ballet company.
Sergei Filin has claimed that he knows who his attacker is, and said some people had disliked the way he was taking the ballet company, which is known for its infighting and rivalries.
Kenya’s PM Raila Odinga has filed a Supreme Court appeal against Uhuru Kenyatta’s narrow victory in the recent presidential election’s first round.
Uhuru Kenyatta beat Raila Odinga comfortably by 50.7% to 43.28% on March 4, avoiding a run-off by only 8,100 votes.
However, Raila Odinga has accused the electoral authorities of manipulating the result.
Police fired tear gas to disperse about 100 supporters of his Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (Cord) who had gathered outside the Supreme Court.
The police had warned them that they would not be allowed to do so.
Some of the crowd were wearing t-shirts bearing slogans including “I support the petition” and “Democracy on trial”.
The presidential, legislative and municipal elections held 12 days ago were the first since the 2007 poll which set off ethnic and political violence in which more than 1,200 people were killed.
Uhuru Kenyatta and his running mate, William Ruto, are facing trial on charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for allegedly fuelling the unrest. They deny the charges.
Lawyers for Raila Odinga said their petition to the Supreme Court included allegations of vote manipulation, as well as problems with the registration of voters and an electronic vote counting mechanism.
“I have no hesitation whatsoever in lawfully challenging the election outcome,” Raila Odinga told reporters outside his offices in Nairobi.
“These failures dwarf anything Kenyans have ever witnessed in any previous election,” the prime minister added.
Raila Odinga has filed a Supreme Court appeal against Uhuru Kenyatta’s narrow victory in the recent presidential election’s first round
However, Raila Odinga urged his supporters not to resort to violence.“We cannot begin what is supposed to be a new era under a new constitution in the same old ways,” he added, referring to the charter adopted in 2010.
The Minister of Lands, James Orengo, a senior Cord official, said the party had a constitutional right to file the petition and a “strong case”.
“Expect a new election, and this time around no monkey-business. I think we’re going to win and win in the first round,” James Orengo told KTN TV.
“I can assure you that we have the evidence, and we have the will and the preparedness to prosecute the petition,” he added.
James Orengo nevertheless promised that Cord would respect the Supreme Court’s ruling if it went against the party, and urged Uhuru Kenyatta and his supporters to declare that they would do likewise.
In his acceptance speech last Saturday, Uhuru Kenyatta described the election as “free and fair” and a “triumph of democracy”.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has also insisted that the vote was credible and that it is ready for any legal scrutiny.
International observers said the election was largely free, fair and credible, and that the electoral commission had conducted its business in an open and transparent manner.
Raila Odinga was the runner-up to Mwai Kibaki in the 2007 presidential election, which he also said was stolen.
This year’s Comic Relief charity telethon raised a record £75 million ($120 million) so far.
Comedian Lenny Henry, the founder of the Red Nose Day fundraiser which is now in its 25th year, kicked off the live show on BBC One.
Simon Cowell, Jessie J, comedian Peter Kay and One Direction all made appearances.
There were also reinterpretations of hit TV shows The Vicar of Dibley and Call the Midwife.
Ricky Gervais resurrected his David Brent character in a mini-episode of The Office.
David Walliams featured in a sketch alongside the likes of supermodel Kate Moss, footballer Frank Lampard, Gwyneth Paltrow, Hugh Grant and veteran comedian Ronnie Corbett.
Meanwhile, across UK people dressed up during the day to help raise money for good causes in the country and Africa.
The television broadcast began at 19:00 GMT, with Lenny Henry revealing a special gold Red Nose suit.
Lenny Henry said it had been “25 years of truly incredible fundraising, truly incredible comedy and… truly incredible suits”.
Shortly after 01:30 GMT, comedian Russell Brand announced the money raised stood at £75,107,851 – passing 2011’s total of £74.3 million.
This year’s total includes a UK government pledge to match the £16 million Comic Relief has committed to help more than half a million of the poorest women and girls in Africa.
The money will go on improving literacy, helping girls go to school, provide care for expectant mothers, help women farmers, promote women’s rights and be used to help reduce violence and harmful traditional practices against women and girls, such as genital mutilation.
This year’s Comic Relief charity telethon raised a record £75 million with Red Nose Day antics
The UK government had previously said it would give Comic Relief the equivalent of whatever VAT is paid on sales of the official Red Nose Day single.One Direction performed the single, a cover version medley of Blondie’s One Way Or Another and the Undertones’ Teenage Kicks, on the show.
Hosts on stage included Dermot O’Leary, Claudia Winkleman and Jonathan Ross.
David Tennant and footballer David Beckham were among those to appeal to the public to make donations.
Jessie J made good on a long-standing pledge to shave her head for charity.
Celebrities including Dara O Briain, Melanie C, Jack Dee and Greg James took on the five-day Hell and High Water challenge, travelling down the 100 km Zambezi River to raise £1 million for children in Zambia.
The group appeared on the telethon to tell viewers about their experiences in Africa.
Others to help out included Miranda Hart, who completed a “Mad March” challenge each day this week in different cities across England.
Miranda Hart also organized a real-life wedding ceremony in a matter of hours for Claire Gilchrist, 26, and Ben Springett, 28, at Old Marylebone Town Hall in central London – she only found out on the morning that she had to do it.
There was also an appearance by James Corden, who reprised his role as Smithy from Gavin and Stacey.
Highlights from Mark Watson’s recent 25-hour stand-up gig and Graham Norton’s Big Chat talk show marathon were shown.
Will Ferrell appeared as San Diego “anchorman” Ron Burgundy in a one-off specially-recorded sketch.
Jessie J showed off her newly shaved head on Friday night’s Comic Relief show.
Jessie J said that having no hair was “the weirdest feeling” and proudly rocked the look on stage on the live show.
After having her hair cut, Jessie J emerged to speak to hosts Dermot O’Leary and Claudia Winkleman about how she was feeling.
As Dermot O’Leary stroked her head she said: “That feels nice. It feels liberating.”
While Dermot O’Leary and Claudia Winkleman wanted to know how Jessie J was feeling, she was eager to encourage viewers to donate to Comic Relief.
Jessie J revealed her family were backstage crying and appealed to the audience to raise money.
Earlier in the evening Jessie J spoke about why she decided to chop off all her hair, her jet black bob and fringe have been her signature style since she shot to fame.
Jessie J showed off her newly shaved head on Friday night’s Comic Relief show
The singer said: “This programme started when I was born.”And she added that she wanted to: “Shock people. I wanted to do something that wasn’t going to last five minutes and it’s fun.”
Claudia Winkleman told her: “You’re a great girl.”
After appearing on BBC’s show Jessie J didn’t waste time thanking fans and tweeted: “I am soooo thankful to everyone who has donated @rednoseday and supported me tonight! My heart is filled with happiness! Lets make a change! X”
During the programme a segment aired showing Jessie J visiting some of the charities that Comic Relief helps.
Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has announced the US scrapped the final phase of its European missile defence shield, citing development problems and funding cuts.
Upgraded interceptors were to have been deployed in Poland to counter medium- and intermediate-range missiles, and potential threats from the Middle East.
Chuck Hagel said the threat had “matured” and that the US commitment to NATO missile defence remained “ironclad”.
The interceptors had been strongly opposed by the Russian government.
It complained that they would be able to stop Russia’s intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and undermine its nuclear deterrent.
The US has always insisted that the missile shield was intended to protect against attacks by Iran and North Korea.
Analysts said Friday’s announcement could open the door to another round of talks between the US and Russia on nuclear arms reductions.
The dropping of the fourth and final phase of the European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) for missile defence was announced quietly at a news conference.
Almost as an aside, Chuck Hagel confirmed that in order to fund 14 new Ground-Based Interceptors (GBIs) in Alaska by 2017 to guard against increased threats from North Korea, the SM-3 IIB programme – a land-based standard missile – would be “restructured”.
“The purpose was to add to the protection of the US homeland already provided by our current GBIs against missile threats from the Middle East,” Chuck Hagel said.
“The timeline for deploying this programme had been delayed to at least 2022 due to cuts in Congressional funding. Meanwhile, the threat matures.
“By shifting resources from this lagging programme to fund the additional GBIs as well as advanced kill vehicle technology that will improve the performance of the GBI and other versions of the SM-3 interceptor, we will be able to add protection against missiles from Iran sooner while also providing additional protection against the North Korean threat.”
Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has announced the US scrapped the final phase of its European missile defence shield, citing development problems and funding cuts
Chuck Hagel promised that NATO allies in Europe would see no difference to their level of protection as a result, with the first three phases of the EPAA providing coverage of all of their territory as planned by 2018.“Let me emphasize the strong and continued commitment of the United States to NATO missile defence. That commitment remains ironclad.”
Chuck Hagel made no reference to Russia’s objections. Officials in Moscow had hinted that they would not consider further nuclear arms cuts if the SM-3 interceptors were deployed.
The Pentagon believes tough decisions have to be made about where the main threat lies.
“Cancelling phase 4 opens the door to another round of US-Russian nuclear arms reductions,” Tom Collina, research director at the Arms Control Association, told the Associated Press.
“We give up nothing since phase 4 was not panning out anyway. This is a win-win for the United States.”
The decision was, however, criticized by Republicans in the Congress.
“President Obama’s reverse course decision will cost the American taxpayer more money and upset our allies,” said Representative Mike Rogers, who chairs the Strategic Forces Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee, which oversees ballistic missile defence.
Although North Korea is many years away from developing an effective inter-continental ballistic missile with nuclear capability, the mood in Washington is that the US needs to stay ahead of the threat posed by an increasingly belligerent regime in Pyongyang, he adds.
People looking to shed a few pounds have often clung to the hope of “negative-calorie” foods – a workout for your taste buds that burns calories while you chew.
But do these foods actually exist?
A negative-calorie food would by definition consume more calories, for the body to handle it and process it, than is contained in the nutrient content in the food.
“Theoretically that’s possible,” says Tim Garvey, chair of the department of nutrition sciences at the University of Alabama, Birmingham.
“In actuality there are no negative-calorie foods.”
Consider celery, often proposed as a negative-calorie food due to its low-calorie count, high water density, and impressive fibre content.
While all that chewing and digesting of the fibrous food does burn calories, it doesn’t burn a lot.
There may be just 10 calories in a larger stick, but the body takes only one-fifth that much,” to process, says Dr. Tim Garvey.
“It’s still calorie plus.”
Never mind that man cannot live on celery alone, and few people just eat raw celery.
“It’s more of a gateway to cream cheese or peanut butter,” says David Grotto, a nutritionist and author of The Best Things You Can Eat.
That’s not to say that celery sticks – along with other high fibre, water-heavy fruits and vegetables – have no value as weight-loss aids.
“These foods do fill up the stomach and increase satiety,” says Dr. Tim Garvey, keeping you from ingesting more calories later – but not burning off the calories you’ve already consumed.
Celery is often proposed as a negative calorie food due to its low calorie count, high water density, and impressive fibre content
But there are other things you can eat or drink that are supposed to work in a different way, by making the body work harder.One is cold water, which the body has to warm up to 37 C (98.6 F). But David Grotto is not particularly impressed.
“There’s no research to say that cold water drinkers burn more calories,” he says.
“Any amount of metabolic hit is not a significant amount – maybe five calories.”
Other foods have different ways of increasing the rate at which we burn calories (otherwise known as the metabolic rate). Caffeine, guanine, taurine and green tea extracts all have these properties, says Ron Mendel, who has done research on diet drinks that combine these ingredients.
In a study with only 20 participants, Ron Mendel found that those who consumed a diet drink called Celsius, which debuted in 2005, burned more calories than when they drank diet cola.
“The big picture here is, this is certainly not adding up to hundreds of calories a day by any stretch,” says Ron Mendel, the programme director for exercise science at Mount Union University in Alliance, Ohio.
“There’s no magic bullet,” he says.
Still, Rom Mendel speculates the small gains could result in a loss of 10 lbs over a year.
“I wouldn’t say it was going to replace me exercising and make up for me from eating 4-5 donuts a day,” he says.
“But if you just make that one change, over a significant amount of time, it could add up to something.”
Dr. Tim Garvey is skeptical that the change in metabolism could lead to real weight loss.
As a doctor focused on obesity and nutrition, Dr. Tim Garvey maintains that the only real way to lose weight is the boring, old-fashioned, unsatisfying and ultimately successful method: eat fewer calories than you burn through exercise – not digestion.
There is no research to suggest any foods burn more calories than they create
Some foods have components that can help boost metabolism
Those benefits help burn some extra calories, but not a significant amount
Morrissey has been forced to cancel the rest of his concerts in the US after series of “medical mishaps”, his publicist has announced.
Morrissey has suffered a number of illnesses including a bleeding ulcer, Barrett’s oesophagus and double pneumonia.
The 53-year-old ex-Smiths frontman, who was due to perform at Liberty Hall in Kansas on Monday, has pulled 22 shows.
Morrissey had already called off 21 gigs this year due to poor health.
His publicist said Morrissey fans would be refunded for the remaining gigs.
In February Morrissey apologized to his fans and said he was “on the road to recovery”.
Morrissey said in a statement published on fansite True To You that his ulcer was now “under reins” and assured fans he would be “fit as a ferret for San Diego”.
Morrissey has been forced to cancel the rest of his concerts in the US after series of medical mishaps
However, on Saturday his publicist Lauren Papapietro said despite his best efforts to try to continue touring Morrissey had “taken a hiatus and will not be able to continue on the rest of the tour”.Lauren Papapietro added: “Morrissey thanks all of his fans for their well-wishes and thoughts. Refunds for the remaining shows are available at point of purchase.”
Morrissey, who led revered Manchester indie band The Smiths in the 1980s, was treated in a Michigan hospital in January for a bleeding ulcer.
In recent months Steven Patrick Morrissey, a animal rights activist, who made his return to the stage last month at a show at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, has also suffered from a throat condition, Barrett’s oesophagus, and anaemia.
After seven years of investigation, auctioneers found out that the violin thought to be the one played by the band leader of the Titanic as it sank is genuine.
Wallace Hartley and his orchestra famously played on as the Titanic sank in 1912 and were among the 1,500 who died.
In 2006, Titanic specialist auction house Henry Aldridge and Son in Wiltshire were approached by the violin’s owner who wanted to sell it.
Experts commissioned by the auction house confirmed it was Wallace Hartley’s.
Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said they had spent the last seven years gathering the evidence and were confident that “beyond reasonable doubt this was Wallace Hartley’s violin”.
“When we first saw the violin we had to keep a lid on our excitement because it was almost as if it was too good to be true,” Andrew Aldridge said.
“The silver fish plate on the violin along with the other items it was with suggested it was either authentic or an extremely elaborate hoax.
“Everything needed to be researched properly and the correct experts had to be commissioned.”
The tests were carried out by a range of specialists including the UK’s Forensic Science Service which concluded the “corrosion deposits on it were considered compatible with immersion in sea water”.
After seven years of investigation, auctioneers found out that the violin thought to be the one played by the band leader of the Titanic as it sank is genuine
Wallace Hartley’s body was recovered about 10 days after the doomed liner sank but the violin was not listed among the inventory of items found with him.Several newspaper reports from the time said he had been found “fully dressed with his violin strapped to his body”.
There have been various theories about what happened to the instrument which range from it floating away to being stolen by someone involved in handling the bodies of the deceased.
A violin was returned to Wallace Hartley’s fiancée Maria Robinson, in Bridlington in East Yorkshire, and a transcript of a telegram dated 19 July 1912 to Canada’s Provincial of Nova Scotia was found in her diary.
It said: “I would be most grateful if you could convey my heartfelt thanks to all who have made possible the return of my late fiancé’s violin.”
Craig Sopin, 55, who lives in Philadelphia, US, and owns one of the world’s largest collections of Titanic memorabilia, said: “Popular belief is that the violin was lost or ferreted away but sometimes miracles happen and it has here.
“As far as Titanic memorabilia is concerned it is the most important piece that has ever come up and that includes artefacts recovered from the seabed such as the crow’s nest bell.”
The violin, thought to be worth a six-figure sum, is the property of an unidentified individual in Lancashire, UK.
The instrument is due to go on display at the Belfast City Hall in April, but no date has yet been set to auction it.
Zimbabwe starts voting in key referendum on a new constitution, amid simmering political tensions.
Both main parties – Zanu-PF and the MDC – are urging their supporters to back the constitution, which would pave way for new elections later this year.
The polls could end a shaky power-sharing deal between the rival parties following a disputed vote in 2008.
Campaigning for the referendum was marred by an attack on an MDC politician in the capital, Harare.
Sten Zvorwadza, who hopes to become the next Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) lawmaker for the city’s Mbare suburb, was punched as he tried to put up posters on Friday.
Although no-one was seriously injured, the incident is a reminder of the violence lurking close to the surface in Zimbabwe.
On Tuesday, a Zanu-PF official was injured after his house was petrol-bombed by unknown assailants in Makoni district, in north-eastern Zimbabwe.
And in February, the 12-year-old son of an MDC activist died in an alleged arson attack in the eastern farming district of Headlands.
Polls across Zimbabwe opened at 07:00 local time and are due to close at 19:00.
Zimbabwe starts voting in key referendum on a new constitution, amid simmering political tensions
In Mbare, the scene of Friday’s violence, more than 100 people were queuing outside a polling station as it opened, Reuters news agency reports.Under the new constitution, the president who wins the election, expected to be held in July, will be able to serve a maximum of two terms.Incumbent President Robert Mugabe, who has the backing of Zanu-PF, and MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who is currently serving as prime minister, are both expected to compete for the presidency again.
Robert Mugabe, 89, has been in power since independence in 1980.
Zanu-PF spokesman Rugare Gumbo said the president wanted people to vote peacefully.
“He said we should not have violence and added that the party will not tolerate that nonsense whether it is intra-party or inter-party. He wants the people to vote in peace,” Zimbabwe’s state-run Herald newspaper quotes Rugare Gumbo as saying.
Analysts say the constitution is seen as a compromise document.
Western and US observers have been barred from monitoring the referendum, but some 2,000 local and other foreign observers have been accredited for Saturday’s vote, the Herald reports.
The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN), a network of 31 non-government organizations whose head office was raided by police in February, is deploying about 600 observers.
The title of last night’s episode of Discovery’s Bering Sea Gold is “Gold Stress,” the term those who dredge the bottom of the Bering Sea for treasure use to describe what they feel when they’re coming up empty.
As the show’s executive producer David Pritikin describes it, it’s a high stakes world with all alpha characters chasing a wish-fulfillment dream in the seas near Nome, Alaska, where life itself isn’t easy.
That’s never been clearer than in this hour, which takes a tragic turn when deckhand John Bunce takes his own life.
“Without knowing deep into John’s psyche or the problems that he may have been having, Nome is a depressing place at times for some because it’s cold, it’s harsh, it’s difficult,” David Pritikin says.
“[John Bunce’s best friend] Zeke Tenhoff did mention earlier and throughout the series that John lives his life in extremes, which many of the people do in Nome and on the show. One of his demons, Zeke mentioned, was alcohol.”
Cameras were not with John Bunce at the time, and in the aftermath, which will be shown next week, the crew – from Deadliest Catch producer Thom Beers’ Original Productions – didn’t film anyone who didn’t want to be filmed and waited for those closest to him, Zeke Tenhoff and Emily Riedel, to be ready to talk.
“This is real life, and it took all the wind out of their sails. Their motivation was gone. They were angry at first. It was a very difficult time,” David Pritikin says.
John Bunce ended up killing himself in September 2012, but it is just now airing on Bering Sea Gold reality show
John Bunce’s passing also brought the production team to a halt.“The producers that are assigned to each team, they basically live with these people for three months at a time. They’re with them all day and most of the night and have a true connection and friendship with them. So it affected the crew as well. A guy would be filming a scene and crying, but holding his shot because the scene is about one of his friends that had just passed away…. What we think is important, and what the basis of this show and a lot of the other shows that we do like Deadliest Catch is, is that it’s real. We’re showing people’s lives and not altering them. This is part of their life, this is what happened, and I think to not show it is a disservice to them and to the show itself…. It was a very sad moment that we hope not to have to deal with again.”
John Bunce, 26, ended up killing himself in September 2012, but it is just now airing on the show. This week fans find out about the death and next week they will see the aftermath and how it affects everyone.
John Bunce died in Nome, Alaska, on September 1, 2012.
Born on November 13, 1985 in Portland, Oregon, John Patrick Bunce was someone who lived a life as diverse as many hope to be able to.
John Bunce worked in construction, with computers and as a deckhand, he helped Nomad Shelters build their yurts, he helped his family operate their restaurant, and most recently, he worked up in Nome as a gold dredger and was featured on the reality show Bering Sea Gold as a deckhand and a diver for “The Clark”, which is captained and crewed by several of his childhood friends.
Hugo Chavez’s body has been laid to rest at a military museum in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas.
Thousands of people lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the hearse as it carried the president’s coffin from the military academy where it laid in state for 10 days.
Many of his supporters were wearing red, the color of Hugo Chavez’s political movement.
Hugo Chavez, who led Venezuela for 14 years, died of cancer last week.
His coffin was received by a military guard of honor.
Religious and political ceremonies were held at the military museum, attended by Hugo Chavez’s chosen successor Nicolas Maduro.
It is not yet clear what will happen to Hugo Chavez’s body in the longer term.
Nicolas Maduro asked the National Assembly to reform the constitution to allow Hugo Chavez’s body to be buried in the National Pantheon, together with the most important leaders in Venezuela’s history.
Hugo Chavez’s body has been laid to rest at a military museum in Caracas
Hugo Chavez, for his part, had said he wanted to be buried in his hometown in Barinas.After Friday’s ceremonies, the country’s Information Minister, Ernesto Villegas, said the government had dropped plans to embalm Hugo Chavez for permanent display.
Ernesto Villegas said the decision was made at the advice of Russian experts who said Hugo Chavez’s body had not been properly prepared. The embalming process would take seven to eight months.
Earlier in the day, political and military authorities joined Hugo Chavez’s relatives for a ceremony at the military academy where his remains lay in state for 10 days.
“Thanks, comandante, for giving us back our fatherland,” said one of Hugo Chavez’s daughters, Maria Gabriela, in an emotional eulogy.
“You have left us unexpectedly and have left an enormous vacuum in Venezuela,” said one of Hugo Chavez’s former teachers at the military academy, Major General Jacinto Perez Arcay.
Tens of thousands of Venezuelans have visited the coffin of their former leader.
Shortly after Hugo Chavez’s death was announced on March 5, the government declared seven days of mourning, which was later extended to 10 days.
Rapper Lil Wayne tweeted to say he is “good” despite reports saying he was dying and being read his last rites.
According to TMZ, Lil Wayne was on his death bed with friends and family saying their last goodbyes to the star.
While the award multi-platinum rapper – whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter – was said to be on “life support” and in a critical condition after suffering from uncontrollable seizures he tweeted to fans late Friday saying he was alright.
Lil Wayne wrote: “I’m good everybody. Thx for the prayers and love.”
Friends still packed the waiting room of the hospital on Friday night including rapper Drake.
Drake was seen leaving the hospital shortly after Wezzy tweeted he was doing fine in spite of TMZ‘s reports.
His friend and president of the rapper’s Young Money record label, Mack Maine refuted TMZ‘s story tweeting just prior to Lil Wayne.
“Wayne is alive and well! We watching the Syracuse game…thanks for the prayers and concern..he will update you all soon.”
Mack Maine added: “We will be releasing an official statement shortly but don’t believe the nonsense about comas and tubes to breathe…that’s false!!”
TMZ had reported Lil Wayne, 30, was rushed to Cedars Sinai hospital in Los Angeles on Wednesday night.
The website claimed that Lil Wayne was in critical condition after being placed in an induced coma, reportedly breathing through tubes.
Lil Wayne tweeted to say he is “good” despite reports saying he was dying and being read his last rites
TMZ initially reported Lil Wayne was being given his last rites and his family were at his hospital bedside and saying their goodbyesHowever, TMZ later removed any reference Dwayne Michael Carter being given his last rites saying instead his mother is flying into Los Angeles to make a decision on whether to continue with life support.
Lil Wayne was meant to have fallen ill after suffering multiple seizures whilst shooting Nicki Minaj’s new single, High School on Tuesday.
He was released the following day on Wednesday.
TMZ reported later on Wednesday that one of his bodyguards found him in his room, on the floor and unconscious and while he was rushed to Ceders Sinai Hospital doctors were unable to stabilze the rapper.
The website reported: “Sources say there’s evidence Wayne went on a Sizzurp binge after being released Wednesday, because doctors found high amounts of codeine in his system.”
This is not the first time Lil Wayne has suffered from seizures.
Back in October, Lil Wayne was onboard a flight from Texas to LAX when he started to convulse.
The flight was immediately diverted to Louisiana where Lil Wayne was admitted to hospital.
TMZ reported at the time that Lil Wayne was released after receiving treatment and recovered at his mother’s house.
Finance ministers from eurozone have agreed a 10 billion-euro ($13 billion) bailout package for Cyprus to save the country from bankruptcy.
The deal was reached after talks in Brussels between the ministers and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
In return, Cyprus is being asked to trim its deficit, shrink its banking sector and increase taxes.
For the first time in a eurozone bailout, bank depositors are facing a levy on their savings.
Cyprus’ banks were badly exposed to Greece, which has itself been the recipient of two huge bailouts.
“The Eurogroup was able to reach a political agreement with the Cypriot authorities on the cornerstones of this agreement,” Eurogroup head Jeroen Dijsselbloem said after almost 10 hours of the negotiations.
“The assistance is warranted to safeguard financial stability in Cyprus and the eurozone as a whole,” he added.
IMF chief Christine Lagarde, who took part in the talks, said earlier: “We don’t want a Band-Aid. We want something that lasts, that is durable and sustainable.”
The deal also involves a levy on bank deposits intended to ensure investors contribute to the bailout.
Finance ministers from eurozone have agreed a 10 billion-euro bailout package for Cyprus to save the country from bankruptcy
People with less than 100,000 euros in Cypriot bank accounts will have to pay a one-time tax of 6.75%, while those with more will have to pay 9.9%. It is expected to raise 5.8 billion euros in additional revenue.A European Central Bank (ECB) official said the Cypriot authorities had already started to take action to ensure that the levy can be collected. Otherwise, there would be a likelihood of massive withdrawals to avoid it, our correspondent adds.
There has also been speculation that Russia could help finance the bailout by extending a 2.5 billion-euro loan already made to Cyprus. Cypriot Finance Minister Michael Sarris will travel to Moscow for meetings on Monday, reports say.
There are a lot of Russian deposits in the Cypriot banking system, according to economists.
Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, of the US-based Peterson Institute for International Economics, said that was a potential problem for any bailout negotiations.
“There is a general political sentiment that it is not acceptable to be bailing out a country, and thereby putting European taxpayers’ money at risk, to basically protect Russian depositors in Cypriot banks,” he said.
The Cypriot economy accounts for barely 0.2% of the eurozone’s overall output. But there is concern within the euro bloc that a default by Cyprus risks undermining the progress being made in Greece.
Cyprus is the fifth country to receive eurozone assistance since the bloc’s financial crisis began to unfold in earnest nearly three years ago.
State of Maryland is poised to abolish the death penalty after its lawmakers voted 82 to 56 in favor of the move.
The measure now needs to be signed by Governor Martin O’Malley to become law.
Correspondents say it will be a formality as the Democratic Martin O’Malley has campaigned for five years to have the death penalty repealed.
Once signed into law, Maryland will become the 18th US state to abolish executions.
“Evidence shows that the death penalty is not a deterrent, it cannot be administered without racial bias and it costs three times as much as life in prison without parole,” Governor Martin O’Malley said in a statement.
“What’s more, there is no way to reverse a mistake if an innocent person is put to death.”
Opponents of the bill insisted capital punishment was a necessary tool to punish those who commit the most serious crimes.
State of Maryland is poised to abolish the death penalty after its lawmakers voted 82 to 56 in favor of the move
Maryland has had the death penalty since 1638 when the territory was a British colony.However, the state has neither sentenced anyone to death nor executed a prisoner since 2005.
The vote took place in the Maryland House of Delegates in the state capital, Annapolis. Eighty Democrats and two Republicans voted for the bill, which needed 71 votes to pass. Eighteen Democrats joined 38 Republicans to vote against it.
Connecticut became the 17th state to repeal the death penalty last year, meaning more than a third of the 50 states have now renounced executions.
Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has announced plans to boost missile defences on the United States West Coast to counter the threat from North Korea.
Chuck Hagel said the US would add 14 interceptors, which can shoot down missiles in flight, to 30 already in place in California and Alaska by 2017.
He cited a “series of irresponsible and reckless provocations” recently by North Korea.
Tensions have risen after Pyongyang’s third nuclear test last month.
Only last week North Korea threatened the US with a pre-emptive nuclear strike.
However, despite North Korea’s latest fiery rhetoric, analysts say the regime is years away from producing a missile with the capability to reach the continental US.
“The US has missile defences to protect us from limited ICBM [Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile] attacks,” Chuck Hagel told Friday’s press conference.
“But North Korea in particular has recently made advances in its capabilities and has engaged in a series of irresponsible and reckless provocations.”
Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has announced plans to boost missile defences on the US West Coast to counter the threat from North Korea
Chuck Hagel said the US would also deploy a radar-tracking station in Japan.He continued: “The reason we’re doing what we’re doing, and the reason we’re advancing our programme here for homeland security is not taking any chances, is to stay ahead of the threat and to ensure any contingencies.”
Chuck Hagel said the additional 14 interceptors would be deployed to Fort Greely, in Alaska, at a cost of about $1 billion.
He also announced the Pentagon was beginning environmental impact studies for additional interceptor sites, allowing a shorter timeline for construction if the president decides to go ahead with installing further interceptors.
The Alaska and California sites were built during the presidency of George W. Bush as protection from a possible strike by North Korea.
Technical difficulties with the interceptors slowed their installation.
When asked about the “poor performance” of interceptors during recent trials, Chuck Hagel said further tests would be carried out this year.
“We have confidence in our system and we certainly will not go forward with the addition of the 14 interceptors until we’re sure we have the complete confidence we need.”
The Ides of March fall on March 15, the date becoming intimately associated with the assassination of Julius Caesar, who was murdered in the Roman Senate on the same date in 44 BC.
Because the death of Caesar marked a radical change in Roman society, the time is familiar to most scholars of Western history, along with fans of William Shakespeare, who remember the line “Beware the Ides of March”, from his play Julius Caesar.
In modern days, the date carries a sense of menace and doom, because of this association.
The Ides of March fall on March 15, the date becoming intimately associated with the assassination of Julius Caesar
However, originally, the Ides of March carried no special meaning; it was merely part of the Roman calendar. The days of each month used to be counted in relationship to Kalends, the first day of the month, Nones, the seventh day, and Ides, which fell in the middle of the month – somewhere between the 13th and the 15th, depending on the month.Usually, Ides fell during the full moon, and it was actually an auspicious day in Roman society. This may explain why Caesar did not heed the warning of an anonymous soothsayer. The terms Kalends, Ides, and Nones were used in various parts of Europe through the Renaissance before being abandoned, and William Shakespeare’s original audience probably would not have found his phrase at all remarkable.
