Fruitvale drama and Blood Brother documentary won over audiences and 2013 Sundance Film Festival judges.
Both American films won audience awards and grand jury prizes Saturday at the Sundance Awards.
Fruitvale tells the true story of Oscar Grant, who was 22 years old when he was shot and killed in a public transit station in Oakland, California. Twenty-six-year-old first-time filmmaker Ryan Coogler wrote and directed the dramatic narrative.
The dramatic film is named after the San Francisco Bay-area neighborhood where the action takes place in the early hours of New Year’s Day 2009.
Video footage of the shooting taken on phone cameras spread online, and the killing triggered protests in Oakland the next day, some of which turned violent.
The film’s co-stars include Octavia Spencer, who won best supporting actress Oscar last year for her role in civil rights drama The Help.
Blood Brother follows a young American, Rocky, who moved to India to work with orphans infected with HIV.
The Cambodian film A River Changes Course won the grand jury prize for international documentary, and a narrative film from South Korea, Jiseul, claimed the grand jury prize for dramatic world cinema.
Founded by Robert Redford, the annual festival in Park City aims to nurture independent filmmakers who might otherwise be eclipsed by output from the major studios – while Hollywood uses it to scout new up-and-coming talent.
This year’s festival has presented 119 feature films from 32 countries, including 51 first-timers and more than 100 world premieres.
One of the most highly-anticipated movies was jOBS, starring Ashton Kutcher as the late Apple founder and computer icon Steve Jobs.
While the film was well received, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak noted that the “personalities are very wrong,” but added: “The movie should be very popular and I hope it’s entertaining.”
Fruitvale, directed by Ryan Coogler, has won Grand Jury Prize for a US drama at 2013 Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival 2013 Winners:
Grand Jury Prize for a US drama: Fruitvale by Ryan Coogler.
Grand Jury Prize for a US documentary:Blood Brother by Steve Hoover.
Grand Jury Prize for a foreign drama:Jiseul by Muel O (South Korea).
Grand Jury Prize for a foreign documentary: A River Changes Course by Kalyanee Mam (Cambodia).
Special Jury Prizes for a US drama:The Spectacular Now (acting) and Upstream Color (sound design).
Special Jury Prizes for a US documentary: Inequality for All and American Promise.
Special Jury Prize for a foreign drama:Circles by Srdan Golubovic (Serbia).
Special Jury Prize for a foreign documentary: Pussy Riot: a Punk Prayer. (Anglo-Russian).
Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsi has declared a state of emergency in the city of Port Said after deadly rioting in response to a court judgment.
A daily curfew from 21:00 to 06:00 will be imposed for 30 days beginning on Monday, also covering Suez and Ismalia, he said in a TV speech to the nation.
At least 33 people have been killed in unrest over the weekend.
Protests erupted after a court sentenced 21 local people over deadly football violence nearly a year ago.
Mohamed Morsi said he mighty take further steps “for the sake of Egypt” as it was his “duty” as president.
He also invited political leaders to a “national dialogue” on Monday.
Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsi has declared a state of emergency in the city of Port Said after deadly rioting in response to a court judgment
In the capital Cairo, anti-government protesters clashed with security forces near Tahrir Square for a fourth consecutive day.
The liberal opposition accuses Mohamed Morsi of being autocratic and driving through a new constitution that does not protect adequately freedom of expression or religion.
The government is also being blamed for a deepening economic crisis.
Correspondents say Port Said remains in a state of rage after the 21 defendants were sentenced over riots which killed 74 people after a football game last February.
February’s violence began when fans of Port Said side al-Masry attacked visiting supporters from Cairo club al-Ahly.
Fans flooded on to pitch attacking al-Ahly players and fans as the match ended.
Most of the victims died of concussion, cuts and suffocation.
About 30 people were killed in unrest in the city on Saturday with a further three dying at a mass funeral on Sunday.
Former Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi has stoked controversy by praising Benito Mussolini on Holocaust Memorial Day – despite Il Duce’s anti-Jewish laws.
Benito Mussolini had been wrong to pass anti-Jewish laws but had otherwise been a good leader, said Silvio Berlusconi.
He was speaking at a Milan ceremony commemorating victims of the Nazi Holocaust.
Silvio Berlusconi has not ruled out another stint as PM if his party wins polls next month.
His People of Freedom (PDL) party is hoping to form a centre-right coalition government with another party after elections on February 24-25, but have not named a candidate for prime minister.
Silvio Berlusconi stepped down from a third term as prime minister in November 2011, when he was replaced by the technocrat Mario Monti.
Silvio Berlusconi has stoked controversy by praising Benito Mussolini on Holocaust Memorial Day
“Obviously the government of [Benito Mussolini’s] time, out of fear that German power might lead to complete victory, preferred to ally itself with Hitler’s Germany rather than opposing it,” said Silvio Berlusconi, who heads a coalition that includes groups with fascist roots.
“The racial laws were the worst fault of Mussolini as a leader, who in so many other ways did well,” he added, referring to the 1938 laws that barred Jews from Italy’s universities and many professions.
The comments were swiftly condemned by the centre-left Democratic Party (PD), which is ahead in the polls.
“Our republic is based on the struggle against Nazi fascism and these are intolerable remarks which are incompatible with leadership of democratic political forces,” said PD spokesman Marco Meloni.
In previous controversial comments, Silvio Berlusconi has incurred the wrath of Queen Elizabeth II for talking too loudly at a photo-call, the Obamas, whom he described as “suntanned”, and the nation of China, by implying that Communist leader Mao Zedong boiled babies to fertilize fields.
Serb Novak Djokovic won his fourth Australian Open title after beating Briton Andy Murray in Melbourne final.
Novak Djokovic, 25, was the stronger man over three hours and 40 minutes, winning 6-7 (2-7) 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 6-2, as Andy Murray struggled to cope with blistered feet and an increasingly rampant opponent.
“I played a good second set,” said Andy Murray.
“I created quite a few chances, but didn’t quite get them. That was the difference.”
And despite admitting that the blister “hurt when I ran”, he insisted: “It had no bearing at all on the result.”
Novak Djokovic secured his sixth Grand Slam title and became the first man in 46 years to win for three years running in Melbourne.
“It’s an incredible feeling winning this trophy again,” said the champion.
“It’s definitely my favourite Grand Slam, my most successful Grand Slam. I love this court.”
After losing an opening set he probably should have won, with five break points to none for Andy Murray, the top seed turned the tables in the second by grabbing the tie-break.
Novak Djokovic won his fourth Australian Open title after beating Andy Murray in Melbourne final
Andy Murray had been in charge but was disrupted when serving at 2-2, a feather floating down onto the court following a missed first serve, and after removing it he promptly double-faulted and smacked a forehand wide.
He won just one more point in the tie-break as Novak Djokovic took control to level after two hours and 13 minutes of action.
The physicality of the contest appeared to be taking its toll when Andy Murray then required treatment for blisters at the changeover.
He failed to capitalise on 0-40 at the start of the third and that proved to be the decisive moment as he began to grimace between points, clearly struggling to move freely.
It took two hours and 52 minutes of absorbing but rarely thrilling tennis for the first break of serve to arrive, and it went to Novak Djokovic.
A thumping forehand into the corner set him on the way at 4-3, and despite saving two break points from 0-40, Andy Murray could not resist any longer and netted a forehand.
Novak Djokovic went on a run of eight out of nine games as he moved two sets to one up and the Briton’s serve unravelled, the double-fault count rising to five after just two in his other six matches in Melbourne.
Unhappy with the umpire for not clamping down on shouts from the crowd, and with his movement hindered, Andy Murray cut a dispirited figure as Novak Djokovic powered towards another major win.
In marked contrast to his opponent, the Serb was relishing the closing stages and romped home towards match point, one delicious drop shot verging on the cruel.
Novak Djokovic wrapped it up on serve when Andy Murray netted a backhand and did a jig of delight on court before heading over to celebrate with his support team.
With six Grand Slam victories, he matches the likes of Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg, Don Budge and Jack Crawford in the all-time list – and there could be plenty more to come.
At least 232 people have died in a fire that swept through Kiss nightclub in university city Santa Maria in southern Brazil, police and officials say.
Local media say the fire began when a band let off fireworks at the Kiss club in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul.
Many victims reportedly inhaled toxic fumes or were crushed as panicking clubbers tried to escape.
Bereaved families have gathered at the scene where the fire is out and bodies are being removed.
President Dilma Rousseff, who cut short a visit to Chile, has been visiting survivors at the city’s Caridade hospital along with government ministers.
She said earlier that everything possible would be done to help the injured and the families of the victims.
“I would also like to say to the Brazilian people and to the people of Santa Maria that we stand together at this time, and that even though there’s a lot of sadness, we will pull through,” she said, speaking from Chile.
In a tweet, the governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Tarso Genro, said it was a “sad Sunday” and that all possible action was being taken in response to the fire. He would be in the city later on Sunday, he added.
The priority for the authorities is now to identify the dead with many distressed relatives arriving at the scene, but in the hours ahead the focus will turn to the cause of this accident and safety procedures at the club.
The death toll, which had earlier been put at 245, was revised down by fire officials. Emergency services said a further 117 people were being treated in hospital.
At least 232 people have died in a fire that swept through Kiss nightclub in university city Santa Maria in southern Brazil
The fire broke out some time after 02:00 when between 300 and 500 people are believed to have been in the club, where a band was playing.
According to local newspaper Diario de Santa Maria, students from the city’s federal university (UFSM) were holding a freshers’ ball.
Thick smoke engulfed the venue after acoustic insulation caught fire, officials say.
“We looked up at the ceiling in front of the stage and it was catching fire,” eyewitness Luana Santos Silva, 23, told Brazil’s Globo TV.
“My sister grabbed me and dragged me out on the ground.”
The exit, she said, was a “small door for lots of people to come out by”.
The young woman’s sister, Aline Santos Silva, 29, added: “We managed to see it in time and to get out quickly, before the smoke began to spread.
“The smoke spread really quickly, it didn’t give enough time for people to get out. I think people started to feel unwell, and then they began to come out covered in black smoke stains.”
The witness commended the emergency services: “Help arrived really quickly, ambulances, police.”
Fire crews tried knocking through an exterior wall to help those trapped inside to escape.
Fifty bodies were found in the club’s toilets, a doctor told AP news agency.
“The toxic smoke made people lose their sense of direction so they were unable to find their way to the exit,” said Dr. Paulo Afonso Beltrame, speaking by phone from Caridade hospital.
“Apparently they confused the bathroom door with the exit door.”
Fire chief Guido de Melo told local media: “People started panicking and ended up treading on each other.”
A temporary morgue has been set up in a local gym as the city’s main morgue is unable to cope.
Family members have begun identifying the dead at the gym, Diario de Santa Maria reports.
They were led in one by one to see the bodies, according to the paper.
President Dilma Rousseff said the air force had made “resources” available at an air base near Santa Maria to help.
Santa Maria has a population of about 250,000 people, while UFSM has some 27,000 students.
French-led forces in Mali are advancing on the key northern city of Timbuktu, as they press on with their offensive against Islamist rebels.
On Saturday Malian and French forces seized Gao, another key northern city.
The advance comes as African Union leaders are meeting to discuss sending more troops to Mali.
Islamists seized the north of the country last year, but have been losing ground since French forces launched an operation earlier this month.
Late on Saturday French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said Malian and French troops would arrive “near Timbuktu soon”.
Overnight they secured Gao – northern Mali’s most populous city- after special forces captured the airport and a strategic bridge to the south.
Most militants appear to have fled into desert hide-outs and the hunt for them may prove more difficult once all major towns are secure.
Troops from Niger and Chad are to assist Malian forces in further securing the town.
African Union leaders are holding a summit in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, as members move to deploy troops to help the French-led operation there.
African states have pledged nearly 5,700 troops to support French and Malian forces in their campaign.
Only a small part of the African force has so far deployed.
French-led forces in Mali are advancing on the key northern city of Timbuktu, as they press on with their offensive against Islamist rebels
A number of West African countries on Saturday raised the total number of troops pledged to 5,700. Separately, Chad has said it will send 2,000 soldiers.
Meanwhile, the US said it would provide mid-air refuelling for French warplanes.
The Pentagon said it had also discussed plans for the US to transport troops to Mali from countries including Chad and Togo.
Islamists seized a vast area of northern Mali last year and have tried to impose strict Sharia, or Islamic law.
Some 3,700 French troops are engaged in Operation Serval, 2,500 of them on Malian soil.
France intervened militarily as the Islamists advanced further south. It said that the capital, Bamako, was under threat.
As French and Malian troops moved into Gao, Malian officials spoke of scenes of joy, but also some looting.
“Possibly at a certain point the enemy in front of us was underestimated,” Malian Foreign Minister Tieman Coulibaly said ahead of the summit in Addis Ababa.
“But everyone has seen that this terrorist group intends to spread its criminal purpose over the whole of Mali, and eventually target other countries.”
The AU has recommended civilian observers monitor the human rights situation in the areas which have come back under the control of the Malian government.
Human rights groups have accused the Malian army of committing serious abuses.
Treasures of Timbuktu:
Timbuktu was a centre of Islamic learning from the 13th to the 17th Centuries
700,000 manuscripts survive in public libraries and private collections
Books on religion, law, literature and science
Added to UNESCO world heritage list in 1988 for its three mosques and 16 cemeteries and mausoleums
They played a major role in spreading Islam in West Africa; the oldest dates from 1329
Islamists destroyed mausoleums after seizing the city
Cissy Houston has told how she forced daughter Whitney into rehab after finding the singer’s home had been turned into a drug den.
As the first anniversary of Whitney Houston’s death approaches next month, Cissy Houston is still traumatized by her drowning in a Beverley Hilton hotel bath at the age of 48.
But in her memoirs, Remembering Whitney, Cissy Houston admits: “She started partying and she didn’t really know how to stop. I used to wonder what she was doing at night, where she was.”
According to the extract obtained by People Magazine, Cissy Houston continues to ask herself: “Could I have saved her?”
In a serialization in the Sun, Cissy Houston first realized Whitney had problems when she arrived unannounced at the mansion in Atlanta, Georgia, the singer shared with her husband, Bobby Brown, and their daughter Bobbi Kristina.
Cissy Houston, 79, had been called by her son Gary in early 2005 warning her: “Ma, I think Nippy [Whitney Houston family’s pet name] is really in trouble.” He travelled everywhere with the singer.
Inside, the multi-million house was filthy, but Cissy Houston’s biggest shock came when she saw “big glaring eyes and strange faces” spray painted on the walls and door.
Then in another room, she discovered Whitney Houston’s head had been cut out of a large framed photograph of her with her husband and daughter.
Cissy Houston recalled: “Evil eyes staring out like a threat. Who would do such a thing it seemed crazy. It was beyond disturbing to seeing my daughter’s face cut out like that. It was frightening.”
Cissy Houston has told how she forced daughter Whitney into rehab after finding the singer’s home had been turned into a drug den
In Remembering Whitney, due to be published by Harper and Collins on January 31st, Cissy Houston tells how her daughter yelled at her and refused to come downstairs.
Cissy Houston said Whitney looked as if she was on drugs and did not recognize the woman who was a worldwide star with many Grammy music awards and acclaim as an actress.
She left the house but vowed to save Whitney, returning with a court order and two women police deputies. The petition had been signed by eight people and a doctor who had seen the singer in the past 48 hours.
When they arrived, Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown were at the doorway. She was shaking as Cissy Houston told her they were taking her into rehab.
Whitney Houston was in hospital for a week, but banned her mother from visiting telling everybody who came to see her that her mother had had “her locked up”.
In 2006 Whitney Houston broke up with Bobby Brown but she never really forgave her mother’s interference in her life, according to the memoirs.
In an interview with Oprah Winfrey to be broadcast on Monday, Cissy Houston, a singer in the 60s and 70s, reveals how son Gary told her in a phone call of her daughter’s death at the Los Angeles hotel on February 11 last year.
She said: “I was getting annoyed because he wasn’t telling me anything. He was screaming. He was saying, Nippy, Nippy. I said, <<what’s wrong with her?>>.
“He said, <<Mommy>>, I said, <<Is she dead?>>. He said, <<Yeah, Mommy, she’s dead>>. And I don’t remember too much else after that.”
In the People magazine extract she said: “I’m angry she died alone, in those conditions.”
Cissy Houston says she does not blame Bobby Brown for Whitney’s drug addiction.
“I blame him for the way he treated her, but I don’t blame him for her drug problems,” Cissy Houston is quoted as saying.
Three Connecticut police officers have been put on administrative leave after they were caught on video brutally beating a suspect in a local park.
Elson Morales, Joseph Lawlor and Clive Higgins, all 10-year veterans of the Bridgeport Police Department, are shown on the tape kicking and stomping on a man they had already subdued with a stun gun.
They will remain on paid administrative leave while the May 2011 encounter is investigated.
The sobering footage was uploaded on YouTube on January 18 by an anonymous user. It is unclear who filmed it.
In the video, which goes in and out of focus, the pop and sizzle of the electric stun gun can be heard before a man shouts “nice shot” from off camera as the suspect falls to the ground.
Within seconds, two officers stand over the motionless man and begin kicking and stomping on him as he writhes around on the grass. A third officer drives up in a police cruiser with the sirens blaring and attacks him.
At one point a witness yells at the officers: “You got him, cut the [expletive].”
Carolyn Vermont, president of the Greater Bridgeport branch of the NAACP, slammed the police response, describing it to the Connecticut Post as “horrible, totally unacceptable”.
“No person should be treated as an animal, no matter what they are charged with,” she said.
Three Connecticut police officers have been put on administrative leave after they were caught on video brutally beating a suspect in a local park
Police Chief Joseph Gaudett Jr. said he learned about the video last week and promptly ordered the city’s Office of Internal Affairs to investigate the beating. He also notified the Bridgeport State’s Attorney.
“I’m concerned by what I saw and ordered the Office of Internal Affairs to conduct an immediate, thorough and timely investigation,” Joseph Gaudett Jr. told The Post.
“If violations are found, we will take action. Our officers are held to high standards and rightfully so, and we intend to maintain these standards.”
Joseph Gaudett Jr. refused to release the name of the man being kicked and stomped by the officers in the video and what charges were lodged against him.
According to The Post, police sources said the man was being pursued by officers following reports that he had a gun.
When the officers finally subdued him, no gun was found, but the man was wearing a holster, the source said.
The man was charged in the incident and did not file a complaint against the police officers.
The sources told The Post that the man, who wasn’t seriously injured in the beating, is now serving prison time on unrelated charges.
A new vaccine will give anyone who drinks even a small amount of alcohol an immediate and very heavy hangover.
Scientists from the University of Chile have spent a year designing the drug in a bid to tackle the growing problem of alcoholism in the country.
The vaccine, which would be effective for between six months and a year, works by sending a biochemical message to the liver telling it not to express genes that metabolize alcohol.
Normally, the liver turns alcohol into the hangover-causing compound called acetaldehyde which is then broken down by a metabolizing enzyme.
If someone who’s been vaccinated tries to drink alcohol, they will immediately experience severe nausea, accelerated heartbeat, and general discomfort.
Once the vaccine has been administered it cannot be reversed.
A preclinical trial using mice to determine the correct dosing is due to begin next month with researchers hoping to begin tests on human subjects in November.
A new vaccine will give anyone who drinks even a small amount of alcohol an immediate and very heavy hangover
Dr. Juan Asenjo, director of the university’s Institute for Cell Dynamics and Biotechnology said while the vaccine is not a cure-all, it could provide an important first step.
He told the Santiago Times newspaper: “People who end up alcoholic have a social problem; a personality problem because they’re shy, whatever, and then they are depressed, so it’s not so simple.
“But if we can solve the chemical, the basic part of the problem, I think it could help quite a bit.
“In Chile, according to the most recent 2011 study from the World Health Organization, one in 15 men have an alcohol use disorder. “
Dr. Juan Asenjo believes the vaccine has the potential to help millions of people worldwide.
He added: “If it works, it’s going to have a worldwide impact, but with many vaccines one has to test them carefully. I think the chances that this one will work are quite high.”
Inspiration for the vaccine came from the far East, said Dr. Juan Asenjo, where between 15 and 20 pwer cent of Japanese, Chinese or Koreans have a mutation which inhibits the breakdown of alcohol in their bodies.
The idea of using drugs to combat alcoholism is not new.
Disulfiram, which was developed almost a century ago works in a similar way blocking the enzyme from breaking down alcohol, thus intensifying the body’s negative response.
However, users often find the effects so unpleasant they simply stop taking the pills.
TATT (tired all the time) affects one in ten people, but just a third of these will have anything physically wrong with them, making it a tricky problem to tackle.
1. WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE
Do drink 6 to 8 glasses of water a day
Catherine Collins, chief dietician at St George’s Hospital, South London, says: “Without adequate fluid intake, blood pressure drops, slowing delivery of oxygen to the brain, which can leave you feeling tired.”
The amount of fluid needed depends on the individual, but you should aim to pass urine at least three times a day. Between 6 and 8 glasses of water-based drinks – including tea and coffee – a day are recommended.
“Coffee is often vilified but the caffeic acid it contains is a great way to instantly increase alertness and blood pressure,” says Catherine Collins.
Don’t have a nightly glass of wine
More than half of us reach for a glass of wine between 3 to 4 times a week to relax after a hectic day.
While alcohol relaxes you initially, it can compromise the quality of sleep – even if you are getting the recommended 7 to 8 hours per night.
“Alcohol has a dehydrating effect,” says Catherine Collins.
“Added to that, the chemicals in alcohol disrupt your sleep cycle, preventing you from entering deep sleep.” 2. VITAL VITAMINS
Do take a magnesium supplement
“Magnesium plays a vital role in maintaining blood glucose levels, muscle health and concentration,” says nutritional therapist Dr. Elisabeth Philipps.
“A deficiency can leave you feeling lethargic.”
Magnesium is found in leafy vegetables and nuts, but a supplement can help. Take between 200 mg and 400 mg a day.
Don’t become deficient in B vitamins
A supply of all eight B vitamins is essential for feeling energized.
“Vitamins B1, B3, B5 and B6 are crucial for the conversion of food into energy,” says Dr. Elisabeth Philipps.
B vitamins can be found in chicken, nuts, eggs, cheese and Marmite.
Dr. Elisabeth Philipps recommends taking a B complex supplement.
3. HERBS HELP, BUT PAY ATTENTION
Do try natural remedies
Herbs called adaptogens can help the body cope with environmental stresses that can trigger fatigue.
“The most popular for low energy is ginseng,” says Dee Atkinson, a medical herbalist.
“It gently stimulates the adrenal glands, making us more alert.”
Rhodiola can also fight sluggishness.
Don’t expect instant results
“It can take three to four days before you notice an improvement in energy levels when taking herbal treatments because some extracts have a gradual effect,” says Dee Atkinson.
And some herbal remedies do not work for everyone.
“As with pharmaceutical drugs, everyone’s body responds differently,” she says.
4. TIME YOUR POWER NAP
Do take 40 winks
A nap can take the edge off an afternoon slump, but the duration of a siesta is crucial.
“It has been clinically proven that taking a nap for up to 30 minutes is revitalizing,” says Dr. Chris Idzikowski, director of the Edinburgh Sleep Centre.
We tend to enter deep sleep after 30 minutes, which lasts for a further half an hour, so waking mid-cycle can leave you feeling groggy. If you want to nap for longer, have one lasting 90 minutes.
Don’t throw yourself back into action immediately
Allow 15 minutes to wake up after a nap.
“Everyone suffers with what we call sleep inertia after a nap – sometimes a person can seem drunk,” says Dr. Chris Idzikowski.
“You need to give your brain time to recover and regain composure.”
It isn’t fully understood why napping is beneficial, but it is thought that it gives the brain a chance to pause and rest.
TATT (tired all the time) symptom affects one in ten people
5. NO GRAINS, NO GAINS
Do eat low-GI foods
Choosing unprocessed foods with a low glycaemic index (GI) will maintain steady energy levels, says Dr. Elisabeth Philipps: “Choose slow-burning wholegrains, brown rice and wholemeal bread in your diet but don’t overfill your plate. Digestion uses up a lot of energy so the more packed the plate, the more tired you will feel. This is particularly the case with carbohydrates because glucose triggers the production of the hormone serotonin, which can make you sleepy.”
Don’t forget to include protein
Ensuring you get adequate levels of protein – about 50 g per day – will fight fatigue.
“Protein slows the speed at which carbohydrates are absorbed, so there will be a steady drip-feed of glucose into your bloodstream,” says Dr. Elisabeth Philipps. Protein helps produce mood and energy-boosting hormones, too.
6. GET IN THE LIGHT MOOD
Do get enough daylight
Winter is when many people feel at their most listless because daylight hours are at a minimum, which has a knock-on effect on our body clock.
“Nerve cells called retinal ganglion receptors at the back of the eye are responsible for detecting light,” says Russell Foster, Professor of Circadian Neuroscience at Oxford University.
“If we don’t get enough, our bodies produce too much melatonin, the hormone responsible for making us feel sleepy.”
Even at dawn, daylight is up to 100 times stronger than the lighting at home and in the workplace.
Yet most of us get little, if any, daylight at this time of year – we travel to and from work in the dark and spend the majority of our time indoors at a desk. “Take a 30-minute stroll each day or move your desk near a window to increase light exposure and keep your inner clock in check,” says Prof. Russell Foster.
Don’t get too much blue light
Studies have shown that those who sit at laptops and in front of the TV late at night find it harder to drop off because the blue light emitted suppresses melatonin production.
In the evening, dim your laptop light setting and try to stop watching TV one or two hours before bed. If you can’t switch off the PC, try downloading F.lux software for free (stereopsis.com). It adapts the color of the light emitted from your laptop according to the time of day.
7. BREATHE EASY
Do breathing exercises
Believe it or not, most people don’t breathe correctly and this can contribute to a feeling of lethargy, says respiratory physiotherapist Alex Hough. The following exercise helps reset your breathing pattern. By using the diaphragm – the muscle that inflates and deflates the lungs – you inhale and exhale more efficiently.
Consciously relax your jaw, throat, shoulders and upper chest.
Breathe in through the nose. Allow the air to glide down your windpipe as if it’s filling your abdomen. Your tummy – not your chest – should rise gently like a balloon filling with air. It might help to place a hand on your abdomen to monitor movement.
As you exhale, let your abdomen sink gently like a balloon deflating.
You should be breathing 12 to 14 times a minute. If you breathe more frequently than this, gently slow your inhalations and exhalations.
Try this exercise twice a day for a few minutes at a time. You should find yourself feeling more energized and less stressed.
Don’t panic
“Modern life is stressful, which can make us fall into the habit of shallow breathing,” says Alex Hough.
“Shallow breathing makes the body work much harder to get the air it needs.”
Indeed, key symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder are feeling tired, shortness of breath and a disrupted sleep pattern.
If blood tests have ruled out any deficiency or imbalance, then explaining to your GP that you are stressed could help address your lack of vitality. Treatment usually involves Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and medications to help keep symptoms under control. 8. QUICK FIXES
If you suffer from mid-afternoon inertia but don’t want to glug a double espresso to get you through the rest of the day, there are alternative pick-me-ups that have been proven to work.
9. SNIFF HERBS
Numerous studies have shown that sniffing mint is effective in boosting alertness. A 2005 study reported that volunteers in a darkened room were less likely to fall asleep if they smelled peppermint.
“Our sense of smell is very powerful and certain scents stimulate the olfactory nerve in the nose more than others,” says Dee Atkinson.
“While mint has the most evidence behind it, essential oils of eucalyptus, basil and rosemary have a similar effect. Sniffing these is a great way to pep yourself up.”
10. NIBBLE ON DARK CHOCOLATE
Chocolate contains the stimulant theobromine.
“The chemical is almost identical to caffeine but has a more measured effect on the central nervous system,” says Dr. Elisabeth Philipps. You will need to eat dark chocolate though.
“The concentration of theobromine is much lower in milk chocolate – about a tenth – so you won’t get the same effect.
“If you do, it will be because of the high sugar content, which will leave you sleepier than before.”
11. STRETCHING
A quick stretch can perk you up, says Steve Hunter, of Sport and Exercise Science at London Southbank University.
“If we sit still at a desk all day, our bodies start to slow down. Stretching limbs stimulates neurons inside our muscles, which send signals to the brain to wake us.”
Oscar hopeful movie Amour (Love) is up for 10 prizes at this year’s Cesars, France’s prestigious annual film awards.
But the shortlist is dominated by surprise hit Camille Rewinds (Camille Redouble), which has 13 nominations.
The crowd-pleasing comedy follows a young woman who goes back in time to her teenage years.
Emmanuelle Riva – recipient of one of Amour’s five Oscar nods – will be up for best actress at next month’s Cesar ceremony.
So is Rust and Bone star Marion Cotillard, who has also been nominated for a BAFTA for her performance.
Rust and Bone, about a whale trainer whose life is irrevocably changed by a tragic accident, has nine nominations in all.
They include citations for best film, best music and best director (Jacques Audiard).
Dark fantasy Holy Motors, which divided critics at Cannes last year, also received nine nominations, including best film and best actor (Denis Lavant).
2013 Cesar Awards shortlist is dominated by surprise hit Camille Rewinds (Camille Redouble), which has 13 nominations
The latter faces competition from Amour’s Jean-Louis Trintignant, while Holy Motors’ Edith Scob competes with Amour‘s Isabelle Huppert in the supporting actress category.
Ken Loach’s The Angel’s Share, Ben Affleck’s Argo and Denmark’s A Royal Affair are among the titles shortlisted in the foreign film category.
Some 3,400 people from across the French film industry took part in the voting process to determine this year’s nominations.
The awards, hosted by actor and former Eurotrash presenter Antoine du Caunes, will be presented on 22 February in Paris.
The Academy Awards take place on February 24, two days later, in Los Angeles, two weeks after the BAFTA Film Awards in London.
Bulgaria is set to vote in a referendum on whether a new nuclear power plant should be built.
The opposition Socialist party called the vote because it wants the government to reverse its decision not to build a new plant at Belene.
The first referendum in Bulgaria’s post-Communist history has polarized opinion and is seen as a precursor of general elections later this year.
The referendum would only be valid if at least 60% of the electorate votes.
The government says it supports the provision of nuclear power from an existing plant at Kozloduy, but that it does not have the 10 billion euros it says would be needed to build a new plant.
Prime Minister Boyko Borisov told local media that this would remain the case even if Bulgarians voted in favor of a new nuclear plant.
Bulgaria votes in Belene nuclear power plant referendum
Bulgaria had to close four of its old reactors at Kozloduy as a precondition for its 2007 EU membership.
The government froze plans to finish the plant at Belene last year, when work at the site on the southern bank of the River Danube was already well under way.
The Socialists are seen as closely linked to the Belene project, having granted a construction contract for the plant to Russian state company Atomstroyexport in 2008.
They say Belene would now cost 4-6 billion euros to complete, and would lower electricity costs for consumers.
Environmentalists had opposed the plant, which had first been proposed when Bulgaria was under communist rule.
North Korea has warned of “substantial and high-profile important state measures”, days after announcing plans for a third nuclear test.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made the statement during a meeting with top security officials, state media said.
The reports did not give details of what the measures might entail.
North Korea has issued a series of warnings since the UN tightened sanctions against the country this week over a recent rocket test.
On Thursday, North Korea said it would proceed with a “high-level” nuclear test in a move aimed at the US, its “arch-enemy”.
A day later, it promised “physical counter-measures” against South Korea if it participated in the UN sanctions regime.
North Korea has warned of substantial and high-profile important state measures, days after announcing plans for a third nuclear test
North Korean state media reported on Sunday that Kim Jong-un had “advanced specific tasks to the officials concerned”.
The latest warning came after Rodong Sinmun, a state newspaper, carried an essay on Saturday saying that a nuclear test was “the demand of the people”.
“It is the people’s demand that we should do something, not just a nuclear test, but something even greater. The UN Security Council has left us no room for choice.”
North Korea has conducted two nuclear tests in the past, in 2006 and 2009. It has given no time-frame for its third test.
The UN resolution, passed on Tuesday, was proposed by the US and backed by China, North Korea’s closest ally and biggest trading partner.
It was a response to a rocket launch in December that the US, Japan and South Korea say was a test of banned long-range missile technology.
The three-stage rocket put a satellite into space in what was Pyongyang’s first successful test of such technology.
The UN resolution pledged “significant action” if North Korea carried out a third nuclear test.
A new credit card rule going into effect Sunday, January 27, 2013, could cost you more when shopping with a credit card at some stores.
Visa and Mastercard have agreed to let merchants add a service charge equal to the cost of processing a credit transaction to the bottom line.
The cost of processing is usually 1.5 to 3%, and merchants are capped at a 4% fee under the agreement.
The rule change was made as part of settling an antitrust suit brought by retailers.
Merchants will still not be allowed to add a surcharge to debit card transactions.
However, few stores seem interested in raising their customer’s costs.
“We have discussed the settlement with many, many merchants, and not a single merchant we have spoken to plans to surcharge,” said Craig Sherman, spokesman for the National Retail Federation, which was not involved in the lawsuit.
Wal-Mart, Target, Sears and Home Depot all told NBC News that they had no plans to add a credit card surcharge.
California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma and Texas all ban credit card surcharges.
Both Visa and MasterCard have rules requiring retailers to handle credit cards the same way in every store regardless of location, so if a chain has a store in a state where surcharges are banned then none of its locations would be allowed to have a surcharge.
Under the settlement terms, a merchant adding surcharges on Visa or MasterCard would have to do the same with American Express cards, but that company prohibits surcharge fees.
“The bottom line is that very few retailers would be able to surcharge under the settlement, and that the vast majority don’t want to surcharge even if they could,” Craig Sherman said.
“In the brick-and-mortar world, no one who does any sort of volume business is going to want to surcharge because it will drive their customer crazy and slow down transactions,” agreed Ed Mierzwinski, Director of Consumer Programs at U.S. PIRG.
With the exception of small retailers, credit surcharges are not a major issue for most businesses.
A new credit card rule going into effect Sunday, January 27, 2013, could cost you more when shopping with a credit card at some stores
Still, over time they could become popular as a way for stores to make extra money.
That’s because stores already factor in the cost of processing a credit care when they price their merchandise. Unless they dropped their prices, second charge would be double-dipping at the loss of the consumer.
“We shouldn’t have gotten to the point, but unfortunately because of the court settlement we have,” said Edgar Dworsky, founder of ConsumerWorld.org.
“There’s no one standing up for consumers and saying that this is really bad.”
He notes that in Australia, where surcharging originated in 2003, extra charges have boomed to the point where one-third of retailers charge extra to use a credit card.
Advocacy group Consumer Action warns shoppers to watch their receipts and argue any fees that don’t belong.
“Customers shouldn’t stand for it,” said Ruth Susswein, Consumer Action’s deputy director of national priorities.
“Our advice is to tell them you don’t like the fee and this makes you want to take your business elsewhere.”
If a retailer plans to add a surcharge they are require to post a notification at the store’s entrance.
The exact surcharge per cent needn’t be disclosed until the sale.
Online stores with a surcharge will not be required to have a notice until shoppers reach the page where credit cards are first mentioned, which is most often the final step of checkout.
“We’re not convinced this is going to be an issue,” Ruth Susswein said.
“They may never do it, but as individual consumers we need to be aware.”
At least 30 people have died in today’s Port Said clashes sparked by the sentencing to death of 21 local people over football riots in Egypt.
Supporters of the defendants tried to storm the prison holding them and attacked police stations.
The 21 were sentenced over riots which killed 74 people after a football game at Port Said stadium last February.
Saturday’s violence follows a day of unrest on the second anniversary of the uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak.
Egypt’s national defence council, which is headed by President Mohamed Morsi, has condemned the violence and called for dialogue, saying it would consider declaring a curfew in affected areas if necessary.
Thousands of people had taken to the streets on Friday to voice their opposition to the Islamist president, accusing him of betraying the revolution.
At least seven people were killed and more than 450 wounded in unrest across Egypt.
All 21 defendants sentenced to death on Saturday were fans of Port Said club al-Masry. When the verdicts were announced by a judge in the Cairo court, relatives of victims cheered.
However, the ruling caused supporters of the defendants to go on a rampage in Port Said. Two police officers were shot dead outside the city’s prison and the state security building was reportedly set on fire.
At least another 28 people were killed and about 300 were wounded in further clashes, officials said.
Two footballers were among those killed in Saturday’s clashes, state news agency Mena reported. They are former al-Masry goalkeeper Tamir al-Fahlah and Muhammad al-Dadhawi, a player for a lower-division Port Said club.
At least 30 people have died in today’s Port Said clashes sparked by the sentencing to death of 21 local people over football riots in Egypt
The violence continued despite the deployment of army units on the city’s streets.
Meanwhile, in Cairo, clashes also broke out between police and protesters near Egypt’s Interior Ministry. Police fired tear gas to try to prevent them from reaching the building.
Last year’s football riots led to the suspension of the league.
They began minutes after the game, when al-Masry fans invaded the pitch, hurling stones and fireworks at visiting supporters from Cairo club al-Ahly.
A section of al-Ahly supporters, known as the “ultras”, played a prominent role in the protests against ex-President Mubarak.
Some accused supporters of the toppled leader of instigating the Port Said violence. They also accused police of doing little to prevent the violence.
Seventy-three people, including nine policemen, were tried over the stadium clashes. None are al-Ahly fans.
The judge said he would announce verdicts for the remaining defendants on March 9.
Friday saw a big anti-government rally in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, with opposition supporters clashing with police.
There was also unrest in 12 out of 27 of Egypt’s provinces. At least six of the deaths occurred in Suez.
In Ismailia, protesters set fire to the headquarters of the Freedom and Justice Party, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood. The city’s governorate headquarters was later also stormed.
The liberal opposition accuses Mohamed Morsi of being autocratic and driving through a new constitution that does not protect adequately freedom of expression or religion.
The government is also being blamed for a deepening economic crisis.
One of the demonstrators at Cairo’s Tahrir Square, Momen Asour, said he had come to demand an end to President Mohamed Morsi’s rule.
“We have not seen anything. Neither freedom, nor social justice, or any solution to unemployment, or any investment,” he said.
“On the contrary, the economy has collapsed.”
President Mohamed Morsi and his allies have dismissed the claim, saying they have a democratic mandate following recent elections. The constitution, drawn up by an Islamist-dominated body, was approved by a referendum last month.
Port Said 2012 football deaths
74 people killed in Port Said stadium on February 2, 2012
Clashes broke out between rival fans of clubs al-Masry and al-Ahly
Fans flooded on to pitch attacking Ahly players and fans as match ended
Most died of concussion, cuts and suffocation
The largest death toll in Egypt’s football history
Former Czech Prime Minister Milos Zeman has won the presidential election – the first time the position has been decided by direct popular vote.
Milos Zeman won 55% of votes in the second-round poll, compared to Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg’s 45%.
Voters had braved freezing conditions to turn out in what was being seen as a nail-bitingly close poll.
Milos Zeman is seen as a hard-drinking, chain-smoking politician, known for his witty put-downs of opponents.
As president, Milos Zeman will represent the Czech Republic abroad and appoint candidates to the constitutional court and the central bank, but the post does not carry much day-to-day power.
Milos Zeman will replace the euroskeptic Vaclav Klaus, who steps down in March after ten years in office.
Both presidential candidates support deeper integration of the European Union.
The result is a triumphant return for a man many thought was finished in politics.
Former Czech PM Milos Zeman has won the presidential election, the first time the position has been decided by direct popular vote
Ten years ago Milos Zeman was humiliated in his first attempt to become president – even members of his own party didn’t vote for him.
He has spent much of the last decade in retirement at his country cottage, but he returns now to political life with a vengeance.
He seems to have won the support of many poorer, older voters from areas of the country that have suffered in the economic downtown.
Milos Zeman won 24.2% in the first round poll, with Karel Schwarzenberg winning 23.4%.
Although Czechs are generally disillusioned with politics, they turned out in their droves to choose between the two very different candidates – Milos Zeman, the acerbic former Social Democrat prime minister, and Karel Schwarzenberg, the elderly, aristocratic foreign minister.
The urban elite voted en masse for Karel Schwarzenberg – who was supported by many in the media and had a strong Facebook following.
A titled prince, 75 years old but wildly popularly amongst young, urban voters, in the early 1990s, he worked as chancellor to the President Vaclav Havel, the leader of the Velvet Revolution that brought down Communist rule in 1989.
For Karel Schwarzenberg’s supporters, this is a bitter defeat.
French-led troops in Mali have taken control of the northern town of Gao, France’s defence ministry has said.
Town of Gao was previously a stronghold of Islamist fighters after it was seized by an alliance of Tuareg rebels and Islamists last April.
French-led troops moved into Gao itself after earlier securing the airport and a strategic bridge to the south.
French officials said troops from neighboring Niger and Chad would now move into the town to help secure it.
They also suggested that government control was already being restored, with the mayor of Gao’s returning on Saturday after being ousted by the Islamist takeover.
There was no official death toll from the offensive, but the French army said “dozens” of Islamist fighters were killed in the overnight operations, without any casualties on the French and Malian side.
After a punishing series of air strikes on jihadist positions in Gao, Malian and French forces took first the airport and then the bridge over the river Niger, before being able to confirm they had taken control of the whole of the town.
Malian officials spoke of scenes of joy on the streets of Gao, but also of some looting.
Gao’s mayor, who has been in the capital Bamako since the town fell to the Islamists early last year, has been flown back in.
French-led troops in Mali have taken control of the northern town of Gao
Chadian and Nigerian forces, meanwhile, are poised to pushed up from the Nigerien border – about 200 km to the south – in order to reinforce the French and Malians.
French-led troops are also reported to be advancing on the town of Lere to the west.
It all appears to confirm a picture of rolling successes for the French and Malians, as they retake the main population centres of the north, says the BBC’s Hugh Schofield in Paris.
The fall of Gao, northern Mali’s most populous town, marks a significant advance for French and Malian troops.
Islamists seized a vast area of northern Mali last year and have imposed strict Sharia, or Islamic law, on its inhabitants.
France intervened militarily on January 11 to stop them advancing further south.
It has already deployed 2,500 soldiers on the ground in Mali as well as launching air strikes.
With the capture of Gao, the French are increasingly confident of pushing the Islamists out of all the major population centres in the north, says our correspondent.
The other major northern towns of Kidal and Timbuktu remain in Islamist hands. But, French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said the historic town of Timbuktu – an important symbol which has also been under Islamist control for most of the last year – should also soon be retaken.
The French are confident that this phase of the campaign will soon be over, adds our correspondent, though of course the vast desert hinterland offers the Islamists endless opportunities to retreat and regroup.
The UN refugee agency says more than 7,000 civilians have fled to neighboring countries since 10 January to escape the fighting.
In a statement earlier, Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian confirmed that 3,700 French troops were engaged in Operation Serval, 2,500 of them on Malian soil.
Gao was one of the first rebel-held areas to be targeted by air-strikes after France decided to intervene in its former colony, a decision which took many by surprise.
A UN-backed international force had not been expected in the west African state until the autumn.
Several African countries have pledged military aid to help the Malian government win back control of the north.
On Friday the African Union asked the UN Security Council to authorize immediate logistical help to allow the 6,000-strong force to deploy quickly.
It also recommended civilian observers to monitor the human rights situation in the areas which have come back under the control of the Malian government. Human rights groups have accused the Malian army of committing serious abuses.
Sci-fi director JJ Abrams will direct the seventh Star Wars film, Lucasfilm owner Walt Disney Co has announced.
Star Wars creator George Lucas said he was the “ideal choice” to direct the movie – due out in 2015 – adding “the legacy couldn’t be in better hands”.
It will be scripted by Oscar-winning writer Michael Arndt.
JJ Abrams, who co-created Lost and directed the Star Trek reboot, said he was “more grateful to George Lucas now than I was as a kid”.
In October, Disney announced it had bought Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion and was committed to three new films.
Former Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, who will produce the films, said JJ Abrams was “the perfect director to helm this”.
“Beyond having such great instincts as a filmmaker, he has an intuitive understanding of this franchise – he understands the essence of the Star Wars experience,” she said in a statement.
JJ Abrams will direct the seventh Star Wars film
JJ Abrams, who has also directed films including Mission: Impossible III and Super 8, said in a 2009 interview with the Los Angeles Times that, “as a kid, Star Wars was much more my thing than Star Trek was”.
The original Star Wars trilogy – which consists of the original film in 1977, 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back and 1983’s Return of the Jedi – was always envisioned by George Lucas as the central chunk of a nine-movie cycle.
The films followed the fortunes of young hero Luke Skywalker, cocky pilot Han Solo and the feisty Princess Leia as they battled against the Galactic Empire.
A trilogy of Star Wars prequels – 1999’s The Phantom Menace, 2002’s Attack of the Clones and 2005’s Revenge of the Sith – followed.
Disney has previously said George Lucas would remain as a creative consultant on the series.
In October, George Lucas revealed he had written story treatments for the seventh, eighth and ninth installments which he would hand over to Kathleen Kennedy.
The Steve Jobs biopic jOBS had its debut at Eccles Center Theatre during the 2013 Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2013, in Park City, Utah.
jOBS is directed by Joshua Michael Stern and stars Ashton Kutcher, Dermot Mulroney and James Woods.
The film presents the story of Steve Jobs’ (Ashton Kutcher) ascension from college dropout into one of the most revered creative entrepreneurs of the 20th century and it focuses on the early years of Apple was made without any involvement from the mega computer company.
This is the debut of jOBS. The film will be released into theaters in Friday, April 19 and will be released into theaters throughout the world up until the end of October.
jOBS is not yet rated and has a run-time of 2 hours and 2 minutes.
The Steve Jobs biopic jOBS had its debut at Eccles Center Theatre during the 2013 Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2013, in Park City
Sarah Palin has left FOX News after her three-year run as a paid contributor to the conservative cable news channel.
“It’s my understanding that Gov. Palin was offered a contract by FOX, and she decided not to renew the arrangement,” the source told Real Clear Politics on Friday.
“She remains focused on broadening her message of common-sense conservatism across the country and will be expanding her voice in the national discussion.”
Bill Shine, an executive vice president at Fox, confirmed the news in a statement sent to the New York Times.
“We have thoroughly enjoyed our association with Governor Palin. We wish her the best in her future endeavors,” Bill Shine wrote.
It is unclear whether the parting was Sarah Palin’s choice. Multiple sources told the Times that the decision to end her contract was “amicable”.
The anonymous source who spoke with Real Clear Politics declined to say whether Sarah Palin would pursue a television contract with another news network.
SarahPalin became one of FOX’s leading political contributors, making frequent appearances across the news channel’s programming after she resigned from her role as Alaska’s governor in 2009.
Sarah Palin has left FOX News after her three-year run as a paid contributor to the conservative cable news channel
In 2010, FOX constructed a studio inside the Tea Party favorite’s home in Wasilla, Alaska, where her husband, Todd Palin, would occasionally take on the role of cameraman and producer during her live television appearances.
Sarah Palin’s relationship with the cable news channel owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. empire had seemingly taken several rocky turns in the past year, according to Real Clear Politics.
In a Facebook post during the Republican convention last August, Sarah Palin complained that FOX had cancelled “all her scheduled interviews tonight”.
Sarah Palin’s departure from the nation’s highest-rated cable news channel follows the departure of another former governor leaving a paid media gig.
Earlier this month, former New York governor Elliot Spitzer stepped down from his prime-time television gig at Current TV after the channel was acquired by Middle Eastern media giant Al Jazeera for $500 million.
Days after two men filed a lawsuit contending Subway was skimping on its footlong sandwich size, the company said it regrets “any instance where we did not fully deliver on our promise to our customers”.
Subway will “ensure that every SUBWAY® Footlong sandwich is 12 inches at each location worldwide”, according to a statement released by the company.
Subway also told Eater.com it has “redoubled our efforts to ensure consistency and correct length in every sandwich we serve”.
The news comes as two New Jersey men sue the company for selling so-called footlong sandwiches that are closer to 11 inches in length rather than 12. John Farley, of Evesham, and Charles Noah Pendrack, of Ocean City – want compensatory damages and a change in Subway’s practices.
The suit, filed in Superior Court in Mount Holly, may be the first aimed at the sandwich shops after an embarrassment went viral last week when someone posted a photo of a footlong and a ruler on the company’s Facebook page to show that the sandwich was not as long as advertised.
At the time, the company issued a statement saying that sandwich lengths can vary a bit when franchises do not bake to the exact corporate standards.
But Stephen DeNittis, the lawyer for the plaintiffs, says that’s no excuse and the missing bite is worth about 45 cents per sandwich. He is seeking class-action status and is also preparing to file a similar suit in Pennsylvania state court in Philadelphia.
Stephen DeNittis said he’s had sandwiches from 17 shops measured – and every one came up short.
“The case is about holding companies to deliver what they’ve promised,” he said.
Even though the alleged short of a half-inch or so of bread is relatively small, it adds up, he said.
Subway promises a real Footlong sandwich after investigation revealed product came up short
Subway has 38,000 stores around the world, nearly all owned by franchisees and its $5 footlong specials have been a mainstay of the company’s ads for five years.
Stephen DeNittis said both John Farley and Charles Noah Pendrack came to him after reading last week about the short sandwiches.
Subway should either make sure its sandwiches measure a full foot or stop advertising them as such, he said.
He points to how McDonald’s quarter-pounders are advertised as being that weight before they are cooked.
Subway said it couldn’t comment on pending or ongoing legal action but the company responded to international criticism that their footlong sandwiches only appear to be 11 inches long shortly after the controversy arose.
But their reply didn’t win them any new fans, as they claimed that the word footlong is a “registered trademark as a descriptive name for the sub’ and ‘not intended to be a measurement of length”.
A man in Australia started uproar on January 15 when he posted a photo on the company’s Facebook page of one of its footlong subs next to a tape measure showing the sandwich as just 11 inches.
Countless lookalike pictures appeared all over the Internet and more than 100,000 people “liked” or commented on the original, which had the caption “Subway pls respond”.
Subway, the world’s largest fast food chain, did so with a comment on the original query, posted by Matt Corby from Perth, Australia.
The statement began: “Looking at the photo doing the rounds showing a slightly undersized sub, this bread is not baked to our standards.”
Then Subway went on the offensive, claiming that a footlong sub wasn’t necessarily meant to be exactly a foot long in the first place.
“With regards to the size of the bread and calling it a footlong, <<SUBWAY FOOTLONG>> is a registered trademark as a descriptive name for the sub sold in Subway® Restaurants and not intended to be a measurement of length.”
“The length of the bread baked in the restaurant cannot be assured each and every time as the proofing process may vary slightly each time in the restaurant.”
Subway have since removed the statement but, as Buzzfeed pointed out, this was at odds with previous Subway advertising.
The company has suggested in past promotional material that the footlong sub will measure a foot in length, such as a popular 2008 “Hula” advert.
Jennifer Lopez admits she is still struggling to deal with the collapse of her marriage to Marc Anthony after two years on Katie Couric show.
J-Lo opened up to Katie Couric on Friday, revealing she found it hard to get out of bed when her relationship broke down.
Despite having moved on since her split – Jennifer Lopez is dating her 25-year-old back up dancer Casper Smart – the 43-year-old said having her two twins, Max and Emme, ask questions about the divorce continues to make it difficult.
“I actually just wrote a song about it and just recorded it funnily enough, because I wanted to explain to them without out explaining it to them. It is a beautiful song.
“But there something inside of me that was struggling with that part of things.”
When asked what she says to her children, Jennifer Lopez said: “I feel like God gives me the words every time because every time they do it I get a rush of panic through my body and I’m like <<Oh my god, what do I say?>>
“Again it is learning process, like with Marc, and I said maybe we should do some things together.”
Jennifer Lopez admits she is still struggling to deal with the collapse of her marriage to Marc Anthony after two years on Katie Couric show
J-Lo was on the Katie Show to promote her new film Parker in which she plays a newly divorced woman. Filming as she went through her own divorce was cathartic, the singer said.
“It was kind of perfect to be honest, because I was very in touch with all the emotions,” Jennifer Lopez said.
“I play a character who is really literally at the worst point of her life. She’s divorced, she’s pushing forty and her work isn’t doing well and she is living with her mum.
“So she’s at the worst point of her life and at that moment when I was doing the movie, I felt the same way.
“It was the worst time of my life going through the divorce with the kids, so it was kind of a blessing – as these can be sometimes – to be able to use all those emotions and all those feelings and put them somewhere.
“As when you have kids and you have to get up every day – and it’s hard to get up when you feel that bad – and you have to hide it all day at work and hide in front of the kids, so to be able to use it in the scenes and really look how I felt was great.”
J-Lo, who was joined by her co-star Jason Statham, also revealed that she was terrified to do a scene where she had to strip down in front of Jason’s character Parker.
“It’s nerve racking you know it’s coming, it’s nerve racking and you just have to suck it up,” Jennifer Lopez said.
In order to look her best, J-Lo starved herself for “a few days” before the scene but had a bag of McDonald’s waiting for her.
“I saw you running down the stairs with a bag and I was like <<What’s in the bag?>> and you’re like <<Go away, go away>>,” Jason Statham said, realizing what his co-star was up to.
Despite talking about how hard she has found it since getting divorced, J-Lo did reveal that her boyfriend Casper Smart and her have taken the next step in their relationship – buying a dog together.
Ellen Kardashian, Robert Kardashian’s widow, has fired back at stepdaughters Kim and Khloe, accusing them attacking her online with vicious lies.
Ellen Kardashian has been labeled a “piece of trash” by the reality stars.
Robert Kardashian’s widow received volleys of insults from Kim and Khloe Kardashian after she leaked diaries she claimed were penned by the late lawyer, in which he says their mother Kris Jenner was guilty of physically abusing Kim.
In an interview with InTouch magazine, Ellen Kardashian said she was particularly enraged at claims made by Khloe that she had married her father “on his deathbed”, clarifying that she married him two months before he died of esophageal cancer in 2003.
“To say that is completely false and horrible. I was with Robert for almost five years total. I dated him for three years, and he proposed to me in 2001,” she said.
“We married two months prior to his passing in 2003 and planned a wedding. We didn’t just run right out and get married.
“In fact, I met with the girls just the week before to go over all our plans. We had a beautiful wedding with the girls and all of his family at our home.
“It’s sad they choose to lie when they know their father was so happy on that wonderful day.”
Ellen Kardashian also blasted the sisters for getting the number of years since their father’s death wrong and for saying she needs to get a job.
She added that the way Khloe Kardashian mocked her for going bankrupt was unfair, as she could not afford to pay home loans taken out by their father.
Ellen Kardashian went on: “Now that’s old news. When Robert died, he left me a big mortgage on both homes, and I had to pay.
“So when the real estate market went south, just like 50 per cent of all the rest of Americans, it wasn’t worth keeping. So at my lawyer’s advice, I didn’t.
“That was two years ago, and I let the bank take it back. To get out from underneath everything else, they filed bankruptcy at the same time. That’s true and a record anyone can pull up at the County Recorder.”
Ellen Kardashian, Robert Kardashian’s widow, has fired back at stepdaughters Kim and Khloe, accusing them attacking her online with vicious lies
In addition Ellen was unhappy at being labeled Robert Kardashian’s ex, and denied she was out to make money by selling the journals.
Ellen Kardashian exclaimed: “I am not his ex! I am his widow! I have nothing to hide. I have not belittled them or chastised them or said shameful things about them.
“If this was about money, I would have done this nine years ago, because I’m not the one who was left the insurance policy.”
Her remarks come after Kim and Khloe Kardashian attacked Ellen for the tabloid story which accuses Robert Kardashian’s former wife, Kris Jenner, of child abuse.
She provided Robert Kardashian’s alleged journal to In Touch, and in it he supposedly claims Kris Jenner, 57, kicked, beat and threatened to kill Kim as their 12-year marriage collapsed.
However, both Kim and Khloe Kardashian took to Twitter on Thursday to slam and discredit Ellen.
Khloe Kardashian tweeted: “How can such a piece of trash even mention my father’s name. You married him on his death bed when he was not even aware of his surroundings.
“You should be hiding in shame for all of the lies you sell to the tabloids.
“You have no right to even mention our names especially my mother’s! We don’t know you!!! How dare you spread such lies! You are a disgrace.
“10 years after my father’s passing & now that she has filed for bankruptcy…NOW she sells FALSE stories. Hope that money buys you water in hell.”
Kim Kardashian , 32, who is expecting her first child with Kanye West, also blasted Ellen, tweeting: “10 yrs since dad passed & this woman he married 4 wks before he died needs to get a job instead of trying to destroy my family w fake stories.”
Kourtney Kardashian’s fiance Scott Disick tried to add some levity to the situation after Ellen claimed Kris Jenner tried to beat and threatened Kim.
Scott Disick wrote: “She’s def threatened to kill me, but who hasn’t.”
Kris Jenner’s close bond with all of her children has been documented over the years on E! reality show Keeping Up With The Kardashians.
Kris Jenner also acts as a “momager” to her Kourtney, Kim, Khloe and Robert Kardashian as well as her two children with Bruce Jenner, Kendall and Kylie.
Ellen married Robert Kardashian, a lawyer who represented OJ Simpson, in 2003 just two months before his death, after dating for nearly six years.
Ellen Kardashian has previously claimed her late husband was not the biological father of Khloe Kardashian.
Czech voters have been casting their ballots in the presidential election, the first time the role has been elected by direct popular vote.
Former Czech Prime Minister Milos Zeman faces Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg in the second round.
People have braved freezing conditions to vote in what is proving a nail-bitingly close election.
Milos Zeman gained 24.2% in the first round, with Karel Schwarzenberg 23.4%.
“It’ll be very tight,” Karel Schwarzenberg said after casting his ballot in the small village of Sykorice, south-west of Prague.
“I’m not nervous, far from it, I’m calm, we’ll see,” he added.
Former Czech Prime Minister Milos Zeman faces Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg in the second round of presidential election
Milos Zeman said he had said all he wanted to say.
“Now it’s the turn of citizens,” he added.
Though Czechs are generally disillusioned with politics, they have been turning out in droves to chose the two very different candidates – Milos Zeman, the acerbic former Social Democrat prime minister, and Karel Schwarzenberg, the elderly, aristocratic foreign minister.
Milos Zeman is a hard-drinking, chain-smoking politician, known for his witty put-downs of his political opponents while Karel Schwarzenberg is a titled prince, 75 years of age but wildly popularly amongst young, urban voters, our correspondent says.
In the early 1990s, Karel Schwarzenberg worked as chancellor to the President Vaclav Havel, the leader of the Velvet Revolution that brought down Communist rule in 1989.
The vote is the first time the president is being directly elected by the public.
The new president will represent the Czech Republic abroad and appoint candidates to the constitutional court and the central bank, but does not carry much day-to-day power.
Belarusian Victoria Azarenka retained her Australian Open title and kept hold of the world number one spot with victory over Li Na in the Melbourne final.
Victoria Azarenka, 23, came back from a set down to win 4-6 6-4 6-3 on a cool and blustery evening on Rod Laver Arena.
In a scrappy match, Victoria Azarenka proved the stronger in the closing stages after Li Na rolled her ankle twice and hit her head in two heavy falls.
The victory brought Victoria Azarenka her second Grand Slam title after last year’s win at Melbourne Park, and ensured she will not be overtaken by Serena Williams in the next world rankings.
“I will always keep a very special memory of this court and you will be in my heart forever,” Victoria Azarenka told the crowd in her post-match on-court interview.
However, it was Li Na who carried most of the support throughout the final, due in part to Victoria Azarenka’s controversial medical timeout in her semi-final against Sloane Stephens.
Victoria Azarenka had been accused of gamesmanship, despite later insisting the timeout had been necessary because of breathing difficulties.
Either way, the negative attention she garnered in the build-up to the final only added to the support for the already popular Li Na.
The Chinese player had marginally the better of a desperately scrappy first set of 32 errors and 16 winners between the pair.
Li Na was much the more effective on the return and after recovering from 5-2 down to 5-4, Victoria Azarenka double-faulted on set point, summing up her evening to that point.
Victoria Azarenka retained her Australian Open title and kept hold of the world number one spot with victory over Li Na in the Melbourne final
A few calls from the boisterous Australia Day crowd probably did not help, although at times it appeared that Li was as distracted by her own vociferous supporters.
Victoria Azarenka made a strong start to the second set with a double break as Li Na’s famously unreliable radar went haywire, but the sixth seed was battling back when at 3-2 down when she suffered a fall.
She hobbled back to the chair and took a medical timeout of her own to get her left ankle taped, leaving Victoria Azarenka to don her tracksuit top and practise a few serves.
It looked as though the timeout had worked against Victoria Azarenka this time when Li Na came out firing with five points in a row, but the top seed clung on from 0-40 to stay ahead.
Li Na then offered up four errors in a row to give Victoria Azarenka the break at 5-4, and she closed out the set to force a decider.
After breaks were swapped at the start, Li Na looked to be regaining some sort of control at 2-1 up only to be interrupted for nine minutes by the annual Australia Day fireworks display.
Disaster struck on the resumption, when Li Na crashed to the ground during the first point and rolled the same ankle, before cracking her head on the court as she fell.
The sixth seed looked dazed, although she did manage a thin smile when her face appeared on the big screen, but she needed another timeout, and again Victoria Azarenka went through an unexpected practice routine.
Li Na resumed firing forehands but Victoria Azarenka held on to her serve at 2-2 and then got the decisive break in game five, hanging on to it when Li squandered a break point at 4-3 down.
After struggling to hold on to her serve in the early stages, Victoria Azarenka was now attacking her opponent’s with similar gusto.
The world number one avoided having to serve out when Li Na floated a forehand long on championship point, Victoria Azarenka dropping her racquet and burying her face in her hands in celebration.
