Catch all the color and excitement as millions of Brooklynites & New Yorkers line up along Eastern Parkway for the Brooklyn Labor Day Parade on Monday, September 3, 2012.
This year, the West Indian American Day Parade & Carnival celebrates its 45th anniversary as it continues to enjoy the distinction of being New York City’s biggest cultural festivals by far.
As in the past, count on crowds to be waving flags from Trinidad, Barbados, Grenada and other Caribbean nations in a joyful expression of ethnic heritage & cultural pride.
This year, the West Indian American Day Parade & Carnival celebrates its 45th anniversary as it continues to enjoy the distinction of being New York City's biggest cultural festivals by far
Everyone’s invited to take part in the spectacle of thousands of marchers in colorful costumes “jumpin” down the parade route to the sounds of reggae and calypso.
A special added-attraction: the aromas of native foods like Jamaican jerk chicken, Bajan fried flying fish, and other soul-satisfying treats at the city’s biggest street festival.
A new research has found that coconut oil attacks the bacteria behind tooth decay and could be used in dental care products.
Scientists found that coconut oil which had been treated with enzymes stopped the growth of Streptococcus bacteria – a major cause of tooth decay.
Tooth decay affects 60% to 90% of children in industrialized countries.
Speaking at the Society for General Microbiology’s conference, the Irish researchers say that coconut oil also attacks the yeast which causes thrush.
The research team from the Athlone Institute of Technology in Ireland tested the impact of coconut oil, vegetable oil and olive oil in their natural states and when treated with enzymes, in a process similar to digestion.
The oils were then tested against Streptococcus bacteria which are common inhabitants of the mouth.
A new research has found that coconut oil attacks the bacteria behind tooth decay and could be used in dental care products
Only the enzyme-modified coconut oil showed an ability to inhibit the growth of most strains of the bacteria.
It also attacked Streptococcus mutans, an acid-producing bacterium which is a major cause of tooth decay.
It is thought that the breaking down of the fatty coconut oil by the enzymes turns it into acids which are active and effective against bacteria.
Previous research found that enzyme-modified milk could stop Streptococcus mutans from binding to tooth enamel.
Researchers now want to look at how coconut oil interacts with Streptococcus bacteria at the molecular level and which other strains of harmful bacteria it can inhibit.
Dr. Damien Brady, who led the research at the Athlone Institute of Technology with Patricia Hughes, a Masters student, said coconut oil could be an attractive alternative to chemical additives.
“It works at relatively low concentrations.
“Also, with increasing antibiotic resistance, it is important that we turn our attention to new ways to combat microbial infection.”
Their studies are also looking into the workings of antibacterial activity in the human gut.
“Our data suggests that products of human digestion show antimicrobial activity. This could have implications for how bacteria colonize the cells lining the digestive tract and for overall gut health,” said Dr. Damien Brady.
The annual Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon that for years featured Jerry Lewis was not broadcasted this year in Joplin, Missouri.
The program was a staple of local television coverage for decades over the Labor Day weekend.
Local programming, shown on KODE-TV, the ABC affiliate in Joplin, has been broadcast from Cycle Connection in Joplin for the past 12 years.
Nancy Hutson, owner of Cycle Connection and a longtime supporter of the MDA benefit, said local organizers of the telethon were notified in May by the national association that a telethon would not be held in Joplin this year.
“They are going to hold one in Springfield, but we were told the Joplin market is just too small,” she said.
The annual Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon that for years featured Jerry Lewis was not broadcasted this year in Joplin, Missouri
Nancy Hutson stressed that local MDA supporters may contribute at firefighter boot blocks this weekend in Carthage, Webb City and Neosho, among other places. Carl Junction is not planning on holding a boot block. The annual MDA Ride for Life, one of the major local fundraisers for the organization, was held in July.
“This is the money that funds our clinic with Mercy Health System and helps us provide the services the local families need,” Nancy Hutson said.
“These boot blocks also were a big part of the telethon.”
Before it was held at Cycle Connection, the telethon had been held at the former John Q. Hammons Trade Center. Before that, it was held at the KODE studios.
“What’s happening now is that there are so many other things to watch on television on so many more channels over the Labor Day weekend that we are finding it incredibly difficult to get people to call in,” Nancy Hutson said.
“It’s much different now than in the 1950s when this thing started and there were only three options for watching television. The times change, but the needs don’t change.”
The amount of money that has been raised locally during the telethon is well into the millions of dollars, Nancy Hutson said. In 1987, the tote board had a goal of $135,000. Last year, that goal was $600,000.
The telethon dates to the 1950s, when the Jerry Lewis Thanksgiving Party for MDA raised funds for the association’s New York City area operations. The Labor Day weekend show has originated from Las Vegas for 28 of the 46 years it has aired.
The annual Muscular Dystrophy Association television fundraiser goes a new way Sunday, with a different title and featuring three hours of taped appearances by entertainers including country music star Carrie Underwood, pop singer Gavin DeGraw, alternative pop group OneRepublic, Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am and songstress Carole King.
The renamed MDA Show of Strength was pre-produced and taped in Los Angeles, New York and Nashville, Tennessee, said association spokeswoman Roxan Olivas in Tucson, Ariz.
It was set to show on various TV and cable channels in 150 markets around the country from 7:00 p.m. to 10 p.m. Central and Mountain time and 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific time.
The renamed MDA Show of Strength was pre-produced and taped in Los Angeles, New York and Nashville
There won’t be a traditional tote board, and Roxan Olivas said some cities will have local hosts. But the overall event will urge national phone, text and online pledges toward funding efforts to find treatments and cures for neuromuscular diseases.
The annual MDA Labor Day weekend telethon ended a 45-year run last year with comedian and longtime host Jerry Lewis, who turned 86 in March and lives in Las Vegas.
Jerry Lewis was part of a comedy duo with Dean Martin and became a film icon with antics and characters including the The Nutty Professor.
He went on to become synonymous with the Labor Day MDA telethon after starting it in 1966 with a marathon 22-hour show at a single TV station in New York.
Jerry Lewis was MDA national chairman from the early 1950s to 2011, and is credited with raising more than $1.6 billion over the years. He was nominated in 1977 for a Nobel Peace Prize for his work with the telethon and muscular dystrophy relief.
The event moved to Las Vegas in 1973, and had stints in Los Angeles before moving back to Las Vegas.
Despite Jerry Lewis’ absence, telethon officials last year reported raising $61.5 million in a six-hour show with several hosts. A silent montage of Jerry Lewis film clips was shown, but he didn’t take part in person or tape his signature song, You’ll Never Walk Alone.
Self-styled messiah Rev. Sun Myung Moon, whose Unification Church became famous for marrying thousands of people in a single ceremony, has died, aged 92.
Sun Myung Moon set up the Church, popularly known as the Moonies, in the 1950s in the South Korean capital, Seoul.
He attracted huge publicity through mass weddings, and his claims to be the new messiah chosen by God.
Sun Myung Moon was also a fervent anti-Communist and set up newspapers and media businesses around the world.
Self-styled messiah Rev. Sun Myung Moon, whose Unification Church became famous for marrying thousands of people in a single ceremony, has died, aged 92
Church officials told the Associated Press news agency that Moon died on Monday at a hospital near his home in Gapyeong, north-east of Seoul.
He had been admitted to the hospital, which is owned by the Church, two weeks ago suffering from pneumonia.
The Church became notorious in the 1960s and 70s, often being accused of brainwashing members, breaking up families and lining Moon’s pockets.
He denied the allegations, but had to spend 11 months in jail after being convicted of tax evasion in 1982.
Sun Myung Moon owned large and lavish properties in the US, founded the Washington Times newspaper and ran arms factories in South Korea.
Michelle Obama has launched yet another incentive to try to slim down the U.S. as part of her Let’s Move campaign.
Tips from the First Lady and healthy living fanatic include to “steer clear of the cookie, snack and soda aisle” in a “supermarket shopping 101” cheat sheet on the letsmove.gov website.
Michelle Obama offers suggestions on the best times to shop, how to work your way around a store and a five-night meal plan with downloadable recipes.
“By always heading to the essential areas of the store first, you’ll train yourself to form a shopping pattern that’s healthier, and, in time, will get you in and out of the store faster,” Michelle Obama writes.
Michelle Obama has launched yet another incentive to try to slim down the US as part of her Let's Move campaign
She warns: “Whenever you decide to shop, just don’t do it on an empty stomach, hunger pangs will tempt you to stray from your shopping list.”
But if you can’t resist a snack, the First Lady has a few options for healthy treats to satisfy the craving, giving the green light to plain popcorn, frozen edamame, nuts, dried fruit, low-fat yogurt, hummus and raw veggies or salsa and baked tortilla chips.
Michelle Obama recommends buying in bulk, taking advantage of sales and keeping an eye on what’s in season.
Shoppers are also advised to opt for packaged food with short ingredient lists, paying close attention to exactly what is in it.
Michelle Obama’s shopping guidance appeared among a series of articles published on ivillage.com when she was guest editor.
She shared her personal experiences of being the primary shopper in her family before they moved to the White House, crediting a “flexible work schedule” for allowing her to seek out the best stores for healthy bargains.
“I am an absolute list person,” she said.
“And I actually enjoy the efficiency of the list because it also keeps me from buying stuff that we didn’t need. I had my path through the grocery store and I would make my list based on the path that I took.”
Michelle Obama continued: “I would start in the frozen -no, I would go over to the far right aisle in Dominick’s and work my way up.
“And the last thing I would do was the produce section and get all the vegetables and fruits and all that, and then get right into the line. And I stayed on the outer aisle.”
“And if you stay at the outer aisles you try to avoid going in and getting the processed, packaged foods.”
South African prosecutors have decided to provisionally drop murder charges against 270 miners at Lonmin Marikana platinum mine whose colleagues were shot dead by police.
The charges cannot be dismissed formally until the end of the inquiry, but prosecutors said all detained miners would be freed.
Local authorities used a controversial apartheid-era law to accuse the miners of provoking police to open fire.
Miners were demanding a huge pay rise and recognition of a new union.
The killings, at the Marikana mine, owned by Lonmin, shocked the nation.
State prosecutors charged 270 miners with murder under the “common purpose” doctrine.
South African prosecutors have decided to provisionally drop murder charges against 270 miners at Lonmin Marikana platinum mine
The rule was used by the white-minority apartheid regime to crack down on its black opponents, and at the time was opposed by the now governing African National Congress.
Lawyers had asked President Jacob Zuma to reverse the decision.
But he said in a statement earlier that he would not intervene in the case.
Acting national director of prosecutions Nomgcobo Jiba held a news conference on Sunday to announce the charges would be scrapped.
“Final charges will only be made once all investigations have been completed,” she said.
“The murder charges against the current 270 suspects will be formally withdrawn provisionally in court.”
She said those whose addresses have been verified by police would be released on Monday, and the rest would remain in custody until their next court appearance on Thursday.
The decision has salvaged some of the government’s credibility.
But the government will have to make sure that the miners co-operate with the judge-led commission of inquiry that was set up by Jacob Zuma to investigate the 16 August shootings.
South African media reports suggest some of the mine workers have decided to hold their own inquiry into the killings, which would create more embarrassment for Jacob Zuma.
On Friday, Justice Minister Jeff Radebe said the charges had “induced a sense of shock, panic and confusion” in the public and demanded a report from state prosecutors to explain their rationale.
Police said they opened fire on the strikers at Marikana after being threatened by a crowd of protesters who advanced towards them, armed with machetes.
The 270 miners, six of whom remain in hospital, were arrested during the protests.
They were charged on Thursday, with the prosecutors arguing they were part of the crowd whose actions provoked the police into opening fire.
No police officers have been charged over the deaths because a judicial inquiry and an internal police review are under way, but these are expected to take several months to complete.
The strike turned violent before the police shooting, with the deaths of 10 people including two police officers and two security guards who were hacked to death.
The protests were triggered by demands for a huge pay rise and recognition of a new union.
Talks are continuing to resolve the dispute, which has shut the mine for the past three weeks.
Pakistani Imam Khalid Chishti has been remanded in custody, accused of planting pages of the Koran among burnt pages in the bag of a Christian girl held for blasphemy.
The girl was detained two weeks ago near the capital Islamabad after an angry mob demanded she be punished.
Prosecutors say Imam Khalid Chishti will himself face charges of blasphemy.
The girl, named as Rimsha, is said to be about 14 and to have learning difficulties.
Imam Khalid Chishti has been remanded in custody, accused of planting pages of the Koran among burnt pages in the bag of a Christian girl held for blasphemy
Imam Khalid Chishti allegedly told a witness, after tampering with the girl’s bag, that this was a “way of getting rid of Christians”, a prosecutor said.
The case has sparked international condemnation.
Earlier this week, a court extended Rimsha’s detention at a maximum-security prison by a further two weeks.
Her father has said he fears for his daughter’s life and for the safety of his family. He has called on Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari to pardon her.
Rimsha’s parents have been taken into protective custody following threats, and many other Christian families have fled the neighborhood.
Pakistan’s strict blasphemy laws are often used to settle personal vendettas, correspondents say.
Last year two leading politicians were assassinated after speaking out against the legislation.
Imam Khalid Chishti appeared in the Islamabad court with a white blindfold and shackled hands.
There was a large police presence as he was ushered into the building.
“The imam was arrested after his deputy Maulvi Zubair and two others told a magistrate he added pages from the Koran to the burnt pages brought to him by a witness,” an investigator Munir Hussain Jaffri said.
He said Maulvi Zubair and some others had told the imam not to interfere, urging him to “give the evidence to the police as he got it”.
According to Munir Hussain Jaffri, Imam Khalid Chishti had told them: “You know this is the only way to expel the Christians from this area.”
The investigator said the cleric had been arrested at his home on Saturday under Pakistan’s blasphemy law.
“By putting these pages in the ashes he also committed desecration of the Holy Koran and he is being charged with blasphemy,” he said.
The girl’s lawyer told AFP news agency that Rimsha “should be acquitted immediately”, as it had been “fully proven that it was a conspiracy”.
Richard Bach, author of 1970s short novel Jonathan Livingston Seagull, has been seriously injured in a plane crash.
Richard Bach, 76, was reportedly trying to land his small plane on San Juan island in Washington state when he hit power lines and got trapped in the cockpit.
Local media reported that a group of holidaymakers had to cut him free.
Richard Bach was reportedly trying to land his small plane on San Juan island in Washington state when he hit power lines and got trapped in the cockpit
Richard Bach’s son, James, said his father was flying alone and suffered a head injury and broken shoulder.
The author is known to be a keen aviator.
“Right now we’re waiting for the sedation to wear off, for him to fully wake up,” James Bach told the Associated Press news agency.
Jonathan Livingston Seagull, published in 1970, is a fable telling the story of a bird that is guided through spiritual lessons.
The book, a bestseller made into a film in 1973, gave Richard Bach a loyal following.
Experts have found that couples who leap into bed together on the first date are less likely to have long and happy relationships.
A study looking at the effects of sex before marriage has found it is better not to, with early sexual satisfaction stunting the development of key ingredients of a healthy relationship, including caring and understanding.
Researchers from Cornell University in New York say it is better to abstain early on in a courtship or build up a gradual sexual relationship.
Experts have found that couples who leap into bed together on the first date are less likely to have long and happy relationships
The research, reported in The Independent On Sunday, is the first of its kind, and concluded: “Precocious, premarital sexual activities may have lasting effects on relationship quality.
“Courtship is a time for exploration and decision-making about the relationship, when partners assess compatibility, make commitments and building on emotional and physical intimacy.
“The postponement of sexual involvement is associated with higher levels of relationship quality.”
The study asked 600 couples, all with woman under the age of 45, to score areas of their relationships, including commitment, intimacy, sexual satisfaction, communication and conflict.
The results were much higher for women when sex was delayed for one month, while scores for the men followed a similar trend but the differences were not as great.
The Muscular Dystrophy Telethon is must-see TV watching during the Labor Day weekend, an end-of-summer tradition in the U.S. since it first began in New York City in 1954.
Now an entertainment extravaganza airing live from Los Angeles, the show for many years featured the much-loved actor and comedian Jerry Lewis rallying public support in the battle to combat muscular dystrophy, a crippling disease which currently has no known cure.
In a major announcement last year, it was revealed that after more than four decades the 85-year-old Jerry Lewis would be stepping down as the major host for the show.
As Jerry Lewis himself would say, “the show must go on” as 2012 marks the 47th Annual Labor Day Telethon.
With last year’s shakeup continuing to reverberate, the MDA announced in February that the 2012 telethon would be cut short from last year’s already curtailed 6 hours to 3 hours this year – beginning at 8:00 PM ET on Sunday, September 2.
As usual, the 2012 MDA telethon will be broadcast on some 160 “Love Network” television stations across the country and viewed on the Internet via streaming video at www.mda.org.
In a major announcement last year, it was revealed that after more than four decades Jerry Lewis would be stepping down as the major host for MDA Labor Day Telethon show
MDA Labor Day Telethon Stars
In 2012, Tim McGraw, Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan are lending their time and talents to the MDA Labor Day Telethon, redubbed this year as “MDA Show of Strength.”
Other artists participating in the three-hour telecast include Gavin DeGraw, Alanis Morissette, Paula Abdul, Hot Chelle Rae, Carole King, OneRepublic and Jesse McCartney, among others. The show will include performances from Nashville, Hollywood and New York, as well as celebrity appearances by Khloe Kardashian Odom, Nancy O’Dell and Alison Sweeney.
Nationwide, the telethon usually creates an outpouring of support from a big-hearted American public who in 2011 helped raise more than $61 million in pledges & contributions for both service and research programs of the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Will 2012 prove to be another record-breaking year for muscular dystrophy research and support? Stay tuned…
Muscular Dystrophy Telethon TV Stations in Major Cities:
Tim McGraw, Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan are lending their time and talents to the Muscular Dystrophy Association at the 2012 Labor Day Telethon.
The country music superstars will all participate in the annual MDA Labor Day Telethon, called MDA Show of Strength, on September 2.
Other artists participating in the three-hour telecast include Gavin DeGraw, Alanis Morissette, Paula Abdul, Hot Chelle Rae, Carole King, OneRepublic and Jesse McCartney, among others. The show will include performances from Nashville, Hollywood and New York, as well as celebrity appearances by Khloe Kardashian Odom, Nancy O’Dell and Alison Sweeney, among others. In addition, six families who have a personal connection to muscular dystrophy will share stories of strength, revealing how they have coped with such a debilitating disease.
Luke Bryan is lending his time and talent to the Muscular Dystrophy Association at the 2012 Labor Day Telethon, now MDA Show of Strength
“We couldn’t be more excited about the show and the incredible talent we have lined up this year,” says MDA Interim President Valerie Cwik, M.D.
“MDA is in business to save and enhance lives. Our show will both entertain and urge the American public to answer the call to support critically important research and services for more than a million Americans affected by neuromuscular diseases.”
MDA Show of Strength will air September 2 at 7:00 PM ET on MDA’s Love Network of more than 150 stations across the country, as well as on the MDA website.
The White House has decided to release details of one of its most closely guarded secrets – the recipe for President Barack Obama’s home-brewed honey ale.
The beer is believed to be the first-ever made at the White House.
The recipe was kept under wraps until 13,000 people signed an online petition demanding to know it, and someone even filed a freedom of information request.
Barack Obama has been taking the beer with him on the campaign trail, and is said to be known to offer it to voters.
For weeks, the White House had refused to comment on the recipe, but the secret was finally aired in a blog post entitled “Ale to the Chief”.
The White House has decided to release details of one of its most closely guarded secrets, the recipe for Barack Obama's home-brewed honey ale
The long-awaited special ingredients include: light malt extract, amber crystal malt, honey, gypsum, yeast and corn sugar.
“With public excitement about White House beer fermenting such a buzz, we decided we better hop right to it,” says the White House’s assistant chef Sam Kass, who brews the ale.
Although Sam Kass is the brewer, the White House stressed that it was Barack Obama who bought the equipment and pays for the ingredients out of his own pocket.
There is also a video on how the beer is brewed.
“God, that is one incredible beer, if I do say so myself. America I wish everyone could taste this but we don’t quite brew enough,” Sam Kass comments at one point.
Cynics may say there is more than a bit of politics in the mix.
One of the oldest political clichés states that people vote for the person they would most like to have a beer with – and Barack Obama’s rival in the November election, Mitt Romney, a Mormon, does not drink.
Gottfrid Svartholm Warg, co-founder of the popular file-sharing Pirate Bay website, has been arrested in Cambodia, the local police have announced.
Gottfrid Svartholm Warg was held in Phnom Penh after an international warrant was issued against him in April by his native Sweden.
Sweden acted after he had failed to show up for the start of his one-year jail term for copyright violations.
Gottfrid Svartholm Warg and three other founders had said the website was within the law.
Gottfrid Svartholm Warg, co-founder of the popular file-sharing Pirate Bay website, has been arrested in Cambodia
“His arrest was made at the request of the Swedish government for a crime related to information technology,” Cambodia’s police spokesman Kirth Chantharith told the AFP news agency.
“We don’t have an extradition treaty with Sweden but we’ll look into our laws and see how we can handle this case,” the spokesman added.
In Sweden, Gottfrid Svartholm Warg’s former defence lawyer Ola Salomonsson confirmed the arrest, the Aftonbladet newspaper reports.
Gottfrid Svartholm Warg and the site’s co-founders – Fredrik Neij and Peter Sunde, as well financier Carl Lundstroem – were convicted by a Swedish court of encouraging copyright violations in 2009.
Fredrik Neij, Peter Sunde and Carl Lundstroem all had their one-year jail terms reduced to between four and 10 months following an appeal in 2010.
They were also ordered to pay nearly $7 million in damages for copyright infringement to music and movie companies.
However, Gottfrid Svartholm Warg did not attend the appeal hearing, with his lawyer saying that he was too ill. The Swedish court then decided to uphold his sentence.
The operations of the Pirate Bay were largely shut down in Sweden six years ago, but the website has continued to function.
The site was founded in 2003, and claims to have more than 30 million users worldwide.
No copyright content is hosted on the site’s web servers. Instead, it hosts “torrent” links to TV, film and music files held on its users’ computers.
A new report claims that the way Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes relationship started was bizarre – and the Church of Scientology was apparently to blame.
The secretive religious group organized an “audition” process to find Tom Cruise a wife, according to Vanity Fair, grilling dozens of young women to make sure they posed no threat to the church or its most famous member.
And Katie Holmes was apparently not the first choice – the church wanted Tom Cruise to marry a young actress who was already a Scientologist, but she was seen as disrespectful to religious leaders.
The shocking allegations about the origins of the stars’ six-year marriage are made by writer Maureen Orth in the October issue of Vanity Fair.
Maureen Orth claims that the project to identify a new partner for Tom Cruise, following the break-up of his relationships with Nicole Kidman and Penelope Cruz, started in 2004 and was headed by Shelly Miscavige, wife of the church’s top official David Miscavige.
Scientology Church organized an “audition” process to find Tom Cruise a wife, claims Vanity Fair
A number of Scientologist actresses were interviewed by church leaders, according to former official Marc Headley, and told they were being considered for a role in a new training video.
However, they were faced with unexpected questions such as: “What do you think of Tom Cruise?”
Katie Holmes, who did not become a Scientologist until she started going out with Tom Cruise, was not part of this process.
Instead, Shelly Miscavige apparently chose Nazanin Boniadi, then 24, an Iranian-born actress who grew up in Britain, to be the megastar’s new partner.
Nazanin Boniadi was told she had been selected for “a very important mission”, and ordered to break up with her boyfriend.
When Nazanin Boniadi was flown to New York and taken for dinner by Tom Cruise at trendy restaurant Nobu, she began to suspect she was part of an elaborate set-up.
The pair went ice-skating at Rockefeller Center, where the rink had been closed for them, then spent the night together.
The actress, who has appeared in General Hospital, How I Met Your Mother and blockbuster Iron Man, was made to sign multiple confidentiality agreements over her relationship with Tom Cruise.
While the process which selected Nazanin Boniadi may have been arbitrary – one of the stipulations was that Tom Cruise could not go out with a woman who had ever been in a threesome – the star soon fell hard for the young woman.
However, Nazanin Boniadi was not affectionate enough towards her new boyfriend, Vanity Fair reports.
Tom Cruise was keen on extravagant romantic displays, and complained that the actress would not reciprocate his grand gestures.
Moreover, she was repeatedly in trouble for not respecting senior Scientologists – including Tom Cruise himself.
The first time they met, she congratulated him on winning a medal from the church, which apparently implied that she was superior to him.
And when she met Shelly Miscavige, she asked him to repeat himself because he was talking too fast.
When the couple had been dating for three months, Tom Cruise allegedly tired of his lover, and officials asked her to move out of his house in to the Scientology Celebrity Centre.
Her relationship with the star remained a secret, and Vanity Fair claims that she was once forced to do manual labor for telling a friend about the affair.
Scientology officials have dismissed several of the magazine’s sources as vindictive and unreliable, and deny the story about the wife search.
Just a few months after the break-up, Tom Cruise started seeing Katie Holmes, who converted to Scientology ahead of their marriage in November 2006.
Katie Holmes filed for divorce in June, and the split was finalized two weeks later.
Facebook announces it is cracking down on services that allow users to purchase Likes in bulk to boost the appearance of their page’s popularity.
Celebrities, organizations and brands all vie for fans to show their support by clicking the Like button on the social networking website.
But Facebook admitted on Friday that the Likes of a particular page might not necessarily reflect actual Facebook fans since marketers have increasingly circumvented the website’s policies and have been offering Likes for purchase, to bulk up numbers.
New Facebook security measures will work to make it more difficult for third parties to deceptively garners Likes.
Facebook announces it is cracking down on services that allow users to purchase Likes in bulk to boost the appearance of their page's popularity
“A Like that doesn’t come from someone truly interested in connecting with a Page benefits no one,” the company explained in a posting by their security team entitled “Improvements To Our Site Integrity Systems”.
“When a Page and fan connect on Facebook, we want to ensure that connection involves a real person.”
“We have recently increased our automated efforts to remove Likes on Pages that may have been gained by means that violate our Facebook Terms,” the announcement added.
The changes will likely mean a subtraction of about one per cent of the Likes on any given page.
Facebook maintained that it never sanctioned any of the rampant services available to purchase Likes and warned Page owners to be wary of marketing services that offer to build a brand’s presence on the website.
Facebook’s announcement seemed to be well received by users – the posting garnered over 700 Likes in the first few hours.
The admission that all Likes on a page may not be legitimate comes as Mark Zuckerberg’s empire struggles to prove it can monetize its popular web presence.
Advertising on the social networking website, one of the top destinations on the internet, is closely connected to a brand’s engagement with users and can often be quantified by the number of Likes a page earns.
In a crushing blow to the company before its highly anticipated IPO on May 18, General Motors pulled its $10 million advertising campaign on Facebook.
The auto-maker said they were reassessing how their marketing dollars were being spent and decided to make necessary adjustments.
But The Wall Street Journal cited sources who said GM execs were unimpressed with the effectiveness of Facebook as an advertising platform and just decided the partnership didn’t make sense.
Despite initial excitement about Facebook going public, the company stock has continued to plummet.
Shares of Facebook fell below $19 for the first time on Friday to $18.14, putting the shares about 52% below their IPO price of $38.
Analysts say Facebook’s innovation in terms of advertising will be key to generating revenue and boosting investor confidence in the viability of the company.
Millions of dollars worth of highly prized maple syrup has been stolen from a Canadian storage facility, Quebec police have said.
The Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers noticed that barrels supposed to contain the sugary liquid were empty after an inventory check.
The theft took place at their warehouse in St-Louis-de-Blandford, 160 km (100 miles) north-east of Montreal.
Police say it is unclear exactly how much of the expensive syrup was stolen.
Millions of dollars worth of highly prized maple syrup has been stolen from a Canadian storage facility
Some 3.4 million litres of bulk maple syrup was stored in the warehouse, with a value of up to CAN$30 million.
If the entire warehouse’s contents were stolen, it would represent more than a tenth of Quebec’s 2012 harvest, according to CBC news.
“The St-Louis-de-Blandford warehouse had been secured by a fence and locks, and visited regularly,” federation president Serge Beaulieu said in a statement.
The federation also keeps nearly 13 million litres in syrup in three warehouses to stabilize global supply and prices.
“I can assure you there will be no shortage in maple syrup,” Anne-Marie Granger Godbout from the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers told the Reuters news agency.
The syrup was due to be transferred to a new storage facility in the coming weeks.
Maple sap is tapped directly from the sugar maple tree and boiled to concentrate it into maple syrup. Quebec produces three quarters of the world’s maple syrup.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu has said that Tony Blair and George W. Bush should be taken to the International Criminal Court in The Hague over the Iraq war.
Writing in the UK’s Observer newspaper, Desmond Tutu accused the former leaders of lying about weapons of mass destruction.
The Iraq military campaign had made the world more unstable “than any other conflict in history”, he said.
Tony Blair responded by saying “this is the same argument we have had many times with nothing new to say”.
Earlier this week, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a veteran peace campaigner who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 in recognition of his campaign against apartheid, pulled out of a leadership summit in Johannesburg because he refused to share a platform with Tony Blair.
The former Archbishop of Cape Town said the US- and UK-led action launched against Saddam Hussein’s regime in 2003 had brought about conditions for the civil war in Syria and a possible Middle East conflict involving Iran.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu has said that Tony Blair and George W. Bush should be taken to the International Criminal Court in The Hague over the Iraq war
“The then leaders of the United States [George Bush] and Great Britain [Tony Blair] fabricated the grounds to behave like playground bullies and drive us further apart. They have driven us to the edge of a precipice where we now stand – with the specter of Syria and Iran before us,” he said.
He added: “The question is not whether Saddam Hussein was good or bad or how many of his people he massacred. The point is that Mr. Bush and Mr. Blair should not have allowed themselves to stoop to his immoral level.”
Archbishop Desmond Tutu said the death toll as a result of military action in Iraq since 2003 was grounds for Tony Blair and George Bush to be tried in The Hague.
But he said different standards appeared to be applied to Western leaders.
He said: “On these grounds, alone, in a consistent world, those responsible should be treading the same path as some of their African and Asian peers who have been made to answer for their actions in The Hague.”
In response to Sunday’s article, Tony Blair issued a strongly worded defence of his decisions.
Tony Blair said: “To repeat the old canard that we lied about the intelligence [on weapons of mass destruction] is completely wrong as every single independent analysis of the evidence has shown.
“And to say that the fact that Saddam massacred hundreds of thousands of his citizens is irrelevant to the morality of removing him is bizarre.
“We have just had the memorials both of the Halabja massacre, where thousands of people were murdered in one day by Saddam’s use of chemical weapons, and that of the Iran-Iraq war where casualties numbered up to a million, including many killed by chemical weapons.
“In addition, his slaughter of his political opponents, the treatment of the Marsh Arabs and the systematic torture of his people make the case for removing him morally strong. But the basis of action was as stated at the time.”
He added: “In short this is the same argument we have had many times with nothing new to say. But surely in a healthy democracy people can agree to disagree.
“I would also point out that despite the problems, Iraq today has an economy three times or more in size, with child mortality rate cut by a third of what it was. And with investment hugely increased in places like Basra.”
Songwriter Hal David, who wrote dozens of hits with collaborator Burt Bacharach, has died at the age of 91.
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers said he had died in Los Angeles from complications from a stroke.
Hal David had a lengthy career writing lyrics to go along with Burt Bacharach’s tunes.
The pair wrote a string of hits for Dionne Warwick, including Walk On By, and co-wrote songs for films including Alfie and Casino Royale.
His wife, Eunice David, told the Associated Press news agency that he had suffered a major stroke in March and was stricken again on Tuesday.
“Even at the end, Hal always had a song in his head,” she said.
“He was always writing notes, or asking me to take a note down, so he wouldn’t forget a lyric.”
Songwriter Hal David, who wrote dozens of hits with collaborator Burt Bacharach, has died at the age of 91
Hal David won two Oscars for his work on the soundtrack for the 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid – one for best music, and the other for the song Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head.
Both awards were shared with Burt Bacharach.
The pair were nominated for three other Oscars and won many other awards for their soundtracks.
Hal David’s work was performed by a huge array of artists over the decades, including Perry Como, Louis Armstrong, the Carpenters and Sandie Shaw.
In 2011, Hal David and Burt Bacharach were awarded the Gershwin Prize for popular song by the US Library of Congress, the first time a songwriting team has been given the honor.
Hits of Hal David and Burt Bacharach
• Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head, BJ Thomas
• Close To You – The Carpenters
• Alfie – Cilla Black
• What’s New Pussycat? – Tom Jones
• Walk On By, I Say a Little Prayer, Do You Know The Way To San Jose – Dionne Warwick
• Twenty-Four Hours From Tulsa, Gene Pitney
• (There’s) Always Something There To Remind Me, Sandie Shaw
Thousands of Ethiopians are attending the state funeral in Addis Ababa of country’s long-serving Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who died last month.
Meles Zenawi’s flag-draped coffin was carried in a procession from his palace to the city’s Meskel Square, where a solemn religious ceremony began.
Dozens of foreign leaders and dignitaries, including at least 20 African presidents, were present.
Meles Zenawi died at the age of 57 in Brussels, following a long illness.
He came to power in 1991 and was credited for bringing development and growth to Ethiopia.
But critics say this was achieved at the cost of respect for human rights.
Thousands of Ethiopians are attending the state funeral in Addis Ababa of country's long-serving Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who died last month
The state funeral – Ethiopia’s first in more than 80 years – began in Meskel Square after a journey of about an hour-and-a-half from Meles Zenawi’s official residence, the Grand National Palace.
The coffin was accompanied by hundreds of mourners, including Meles Zenawi’s widow Azeb Mesfin, who was seen being comforted by officials.
The coffin will later be taken for burial at the city’s Holy Trinity Cathedral.
The prime minister was a former Marxist rebel and not publicly religious, but was brought up as an Ethiopian Orthodox Christian.
In contrast to the secrecy traditionally surrounding the deaths of Ethiopian leaders, the ceremony is being broadcast live, and huge screens have been erected in cities and villages around the country.
The last Ethiopian leader to be honored with a state funeral was the Empress Zauditu in 1930.
African presidents such as South Africa’s Jacob Zuma and Rwanda’s Paul Kagame are attending the funeral, as well as several prominent international figures including Microsoft chairman Bill Gates.
Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete laid a wreath next to Meles Zenawi’s coffin on Saturday.
He paid tribute to Meles Zenawi’s “charm, his intellect, his passion for Africa’s development”, adding that he was “a kind of leader that you can trust”.
Paul Kagame honored Meles Zenawi as “a gallant fighter for freedom not only for Ethiopia and Ethiopian people, but also Africa”.
Also attending is Sudan’s President, Omar al-Bashir, who has been indicted by the International Criminal Court on several counts of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in the Darfur conflict.
Meles zenawi became a dominant figure in the region after toppling toppling dictator Mengistu Hailemariam 21 years ago.
He ordered Ethiopian troops to intervene against al-Qaeda-linked militants in Somalia, mediated in the conflict in Sudan and South Sudan, and took a leading position in the African Union, which is headquartered in Addis Ababa.
Meles Zenawi will be succeeded by his deputy, Hailemariam Desalegn, 47, a relatively little-known politician from the south of Ethiopia.
Hailemariam Desalegn will formally take over as prime minister after Meles Zenawi’s funeral, and will serve until elections in 2015.
Some observers have voiced fears about the political transition.
The Brussels-based think tank, the Crisis Group, has warned that Hailemariam Desalegn will lead a weaker government that will face mounting grievances along ethnic and religious lines.
Meles Zenawi died suddenly from an infection on 20 August while being treated in hospital in Brussels.
He had not been seen in public for weeks before his death was announced, and there had been increasingly intense speculation about his health.
Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini has described the Roman Catholic Church as being “200 years behind” the times.
Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini died on Friday, aged 85.
Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera has published his last interview, recorded in August, in which he said: “The Church is tired… our prayer rooms are empty.”
Carlo Maria Martini, once tipped as a future pope, urged the Church to recognize its errors and to embark on a radical path of change, beginning with the Pope.
Thousands of people have been filing past his coffin at Milan’s cathedral, where he was archbishop for more than 20 years.
The cardinal, who had retired from the post in 2002, suffering from Parkinson’s Disease, is to be buried on Monday.
Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini has described the Roman Catholic Church as being "200 years behind" the times
Carlo Maria Martini, a popular figure with liberal stances on many issues, commanded great respect from both Pope John Paul II and his successor Pope Benedict XVI.
The cardinal – a member of the Jesuit religious order – was often critical in his writings and comments on Church teaching.
He was a courageous and outspoken figure during the years he headed Europe’s largest Catholic diocese.
In his last interview, given to a fellow Jesuit priest less than a month ago and published the day after his death, the cardinal made sweeping criticisms of the Catholic Church.
Catholics lacked confidence in the Church, he said.
“Our culture has grown old, our churches are big and empty and the church bureaucracy rises up, our religious rites and the vestments we wear are pompous.”
Unless the Church adopted a more generous attitude towards divorced persons, it will lose the allegiance of future generations, the cardinal added. The question, he said, is not whether divorced couples can receive holy communion, but how the Church can help complex family situations.
And the advice he leaves behind to conquer the tiredness of the Church was a “radical transformation, beginning with the Pope and his bishops”.
“The child sex scandals oblige us to undertake a journey of transformation,” Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini says, referring to the child sex abuse that has rocked the Catholic Church in the past few years.
He was not afraid to speak his mind on matters that the Vatican sometimes considered taboo, including the use of condoms to fight AIDS and the role of women in the Church.
In 2008, for example, he criticized the Church’s prohibition of birth control, saying the stance had likely driven many faithful away, and publicly stated in 2006 that condoms could “in some situations, be a lesser evil”.
Seal has sensationally revealed that Heidi Klum was having an affair with her bodyguard before the couple broke up.
Seal, 49, made the claims last night to TMZ, after pictures emerged this week of his estranged wife cavorting on the beach with her bodyguard.
The singer told TMZ that Heidi Klum, 39, was having an affair with the security guard before they separated earlier this year.
When initially asked what he thought about his former wife moving on with the heavy tattooed man, Seal said: “Whilst I didn’t expect anything better from him, I would of thought that Heidi would have shown a little more class and at least waited until we separated first before deciding to fornicate with the help.
“But I guess you all now have the answer you have been looking for the last seven months.”
He added that his top priority was his children’s well-being.
Seal has three biological children with Heidi Klum, including Johan, 5, Henry, 6, and Lou, 2. As well as Leni, 8, whom he formally adopted.
“That’s what happens when two people separate, they move on and generally meet other people in their lives,” he said.
“I certainly don’t expect Heidi to all of a sudden become a nun, but as always my main priority is the emotional well-being of my children, and to be quite honest if there is going to be someone else there in their lives there, I would much rather it was a familiar face.”
Seal’s sensational revelations come after pictures emerged this week of Heidi Klum cavorting around with a man believed to be her bodyguard during a sun-soaked holiday in Sardinia, Italy.
She was seen going topless and reclining on a sunlounger with the man in question at a swimming pool, looking loved up.
The pair then showed they have developed a close relationship as Heidi Klum massaged suncream into her tattooed companion’s shoulders while they took a dip and later floated around on a lilo.
It would appear that things are getting serious between the two – which is hardly a surprise seeing as they already knew each other so well.
As well as enjoying some romantic alone time by the pool the duo hit the beach with three of Heidi Klum’s children and her bodyguard has even met the in-laws in the form of her parents Gunther and Erna.
Youngsters Johan, Leni, and Henry, were all on hand for the trip with their famous mother, and were seen playing on the beach together during a day out – while Lou was spotted in Erna’s arms later.
The bodyguard, who has worked for Heidi Klum since she was still married to Seal, seemed to be getting on well with the children as they larked around together on the sand before he gave Heidi a tender hug.
However even during the family day out it seems the two couldn’t get enough of each other.
They took some time out to go and perch on a rock for a private chat and were very hands on with one another.
While Seal is not happy about the couple’s union, it appears that he has also moved on his love life with a new partner.
Last month Seal was seen cosying up to a pretty bikini clad brunette on a yacht – also in Sardinia.
Seal and Heidi Klum announced their split in January after seven years of marriage and filed for divorce three months later.
While their split was initially amicable, it seems things may have turned sour for the pair in the divorce.
A source told Star magazine that the supermodel is fuming at her former flame after he reportedly used intimate shots of the children in an ad campaign without her permission.
An insider told the publication via Radar Online: “Heidi felt that the children had gone through enough since their parents split, and she didn’t want their private moments out there for the world to see.
“But Seal maintained he had every right to use his personal photos – and, moreover, that it was a done deal and out of his hands.”
Heidi Klum allegedly hired a lawyer to demand that the company, Leica digital, take down the video – and it was retraced days later.
The New York boroughs of Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn nabbed three spots on the list of the 10 most expensive cities to live in the U.S. – while towns in Texas scored among the cheapest.
Not surprisingly the island of Manhattan nabbed the top spot with the most expensive housing, according to a new report released by the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) which indexed the cost of living in 300 cities across America.
While California cities were found to be equally pricey, locales down South fared among the least expensive.
“The top 10 most expensive cities are pretty stable, they remain almost static,” Dean Frutiger, project manager for the Cost of Living Index project at C2ER, told ABC News.
“There’s more change with the bottom,” he added.
The research by C2ER compiled the prices of 60 consumer goods and services in six key categories that include grocery items, housing, utilities, transportation, health care and miscellaneous expenses.
Housing was found to be the significant expense, accounting for an estimated 29% of a resident’s income.
The Big Apple is known to be notoriously expensive, with eye-popping rents charged for just the tiniest square footage.
The cost of living for a resident of Manhattan was found to be 133.5% higher than the national average.
Just across the East River in Brooklyn, living expenses are equally staggering.
The New York City borough that has been a haven for families and artists wanting to escape the bustle of Manhattan is now on par in terms of prices, with a cost of living index at 183.4.
Thus the hipster hideout is no longer offering relief for wallet-wearied New Yorkers, coming in at number two on the list.
The New York boroughs of Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn nabbed three spots on the list of the 10 most expensive cities to live in the US
The island getaway of Honolulu came third on the priciest places to settle down.
The tropical paradise had a cost of living index of 170.8.
The tech city of San Francisco came fourth, with an index of 163.2, and the neighboring California town of San Jose was fifth, with 156.5.
The New York City borough of Queens, whose Long Island City neighborhood has increasingly been welcoming Manhattan transplants, came sixth with an index of 151.4.
The wealthy Connecticut suburb of Stamford was seventh, with a cost of living 46.7% higher than the national average, and Washington DC was close behind in eighth with an index of 145.5.
Framingham-Natick, Massachusetts came in ninth, with an index of 143.0, and Orange County, California finished off the list in the number 10 spot, with living expenses at 42.5% above the average American.
With metro areas and holiday hot spots among the most enviable locales, towns in the U.S. South were found to be among the least expensive areas.
Harlingen, Texas, a border town on the southern tip of the Lone Star state, came in at the cheapest, with a cost of living index at 81.6 or 18.4% below the national average.
Two other Texas towns, Wichita Falls, in North Texas, and McAllen, near Harlingen, came in second and third.
Cities in neighboring Oklahoma were found to be equally inexpensive in addition to Memphis, Tennessee, Fayetteville, Arkansas and Springfield, Illinois.
British researchers at the University of Bristol believe the shape of beer glasses affects the speed people drink.
Their study, published in the journal PLoS ONE, suggests people drink more quickly out of curved glasses than straight ones.
They argue that the curvy glassware makes pacing yourself a much greater challenge.
A group of 159 men and women were filmed drinking either soft drinks or beer as part of the study. The glasses all contained around half a pint of liquid, but some of the glasses were straight while others were very curved.
There was no difference in the drinking time for soft drinks. People drinking from both straight and curved glasses finished after around seven minutes.
British researchers at the University of Bristol believe the shape of beer glasses affects the speed people drink
However, for the beer drinkers there was a large difference between the two groups. While it took around seven minutes for people drinking from a curved glass to polish off their half pint, it took 11 minutes for those drinking from a straight glass.
The report said: “Drinking time is slowed by almost 60% when an alcoholic beverage is presented in a straight glass compared with a curved glass.”
The researchers thought that curvy glasses made it harder to pace drinking because judging how much was in the glass became more difficult owing to its curved shape.
The group of drinkers was shown a variety of pictures of partially-filled beer glasses and asked to say whether they were more or less than half full.
The team said people were more likely to get the answer wrong when assessing the amount of liquid in curved glasses.
The lead researcher Dr. Angela Attwood said: “They are unable to judge how quickly they are drinking so cannot pace themselves.”
She suggested that people were not concerned about pacing themselves with soft drinks, which could explain why glass shape had no effect on them.
However, the study looked only at the time taken to finish one drink in a laboratory setting. So it is not certain what happens on an evening out if multiple drinks are consumed.
She said altering the glasses used in pubs could “nudge” people to drink more healthily by “giving control back”.
The shape of a glass has already been shown to affect how much alcohol people pour. A study in 2005 showed people were more likely to pour extra alcohol into short, wide glasses than tall, narrow ones.
Since 1884, the first Monday in September has been a holiday in the US, as a tribute to workers.
Canada has the same, while many other countries have International Workers Day – May Day – instead, commemorating struggles for workers’ rights.
This year’s Labor Day falls on Monday, September 3rd.
To most people in North America, however, Labor Day is above all the last-blast of summer fun, and -for many kids – the last day of freedom before Back to School.
For a weekend getaway, head to a city that has big celebrations, or to one of the many family resorts that offer special packages – scroll down for sample packages.
• New York: Labor Day Parade
The first Labor Day Parade was held in New York City, on September 5 1882, and there’s still one in NYC today, with trade union members, high school bands, politicians, police and fire departments, and more. Location is usually in Manhattan, on 5th Ave. In 2012, NY Labor Day Parade will be held on Saturday, September 8th.
• West Indian American Day Carnival Parade (Brooklyn Carnival)
This extravaganza has Caribbean costumes, music, and food, spectators in the millions; it’s a multi-day event with a parade on Labor Day.
• Labor Day Weekend Events in Boston
It’s moving day for students (aka as the “Student Invasion”), so allow plenty of time to get to events such as a Schooner Festival or a free concert on Spectacle Island.
The first Labor Day Parade was held in New York City, on September 5 1882, and there's still one in NYC today, with trade union members, high school bands, politicians, police and fire departments, and more
• Washington DC
An annual concert by the National Symphony Orchestra is performed on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol Building, and is free.
• Other Labor Day Events in DC
Kensington Labor Day Parade has a day of family entertainment, as does Greenbelt Labor Day Festival; Renaissance Festival, free Blues Festival, Kids Day at Nationals Park, and lots more.
• Detroit Labor Day Parade
Detroit, aka “Motor City” – where the automobile unions were born – has a major Labor Day Parade that’s one of the biggest in Michigan. The free three-day Detroit Jazz Fest is scheduled for Labor Day Weekend, too.
• Chicago
The annual Chicago Jazz Festival is a big event. Also on the agenda for Labor Day Weekend: daytime events in Millennium Park including an interactive play that will please young kids; African Festival of the Arts in Washington Park, including an African village, entertainment, and family fun; and more. See Explore Chicago. Many events are free.
• St.Louis
Ten top ways to celebrate summer’s last weekend: a Japanese Festival at the Botanical Gardens, a Downtown Labor Day Parade, a Greek Festival, the Big Muddy Blues Festival, and more.
• Irvington, VA: Irvington Stomp
An event with a small-town feel, this “grape stomp” harvest festival celebrates wine-making in Irvington, VA, 1-½ hours east of Richmond; those close to Chesapeake Bay can arrive by boat. Grape Stomping Competitions, music, hayrides, corn maze, and more.
• Events in the Southeastern US
Many weekend events and festivals in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, NC, SC, and Virginia. Also: ten fun resort hotels for Labor Day Weekend.
• Orlando: Tom Joyner Family Reunion at Disney World
This big bash at Walt Disney World adds special entertainment to the usual theme park fun. To find out more, try this Orlando Local Guide, or Blackamericaweb.com, or search for “Joyner” at the Disney World website.
• Texas
About’s Guide for Texas highlights Westfest, Batfest, and other events.
• Events in Greater LA
Street Fairs, Long Beach Greek Festival, “Fiesta Hermosa” arts and crafts festival with kiddie carnival, and more.
• Copper Country Festival, CO
Copper Mountain (a popular ski resort during winter months) has a big bash on Labor Day Weekend, with big-name bands, street party, and “Copper Corral” for kids with free pony rides, face painting, etc.
• Myrtle Beach, SC
This major tourist destination – with a 60-mile stretch of beaches, and several amusement parks — has an annual family-friendly Beach, Boogie & BBQ Festival at Grand Park at The Market Common. To sample all the barbecue from competing teams, guests only need to purchase a reasonably-priced wristband; kids under 10 can sample free. See Festival details.
Labor Day Weekend Packages at Family Resorts
Many family resorts in the U.S. have end-of-summer bashes, often with a BBQ. For instance, in southern Maine the Pointe Sebago family resort on Lake Sebago has 775 acres and a package that includes buffet meals (with lobster on the menu), a boat cruise, paddle boats, canoes, kayaks, activities for all ages, and entertainment.
The AAA four-diamond Resort at Squaw Creek, Lake Tahoe in California typically includes lots of activities during its Labor Day Weekend package, such as bocce ball, croquet, tie-dying a t-shirt, s’mores at outdoor fire pits, live music, poolside BBQ, and a dive-in movie, plus the usual biking, guided hikes, golf, and fly-fishing.
In Texas, the Texas: Barton Creek Resort & Spahas 4000 acres in the Hill Country near Austin, a kids club for ages 6 months and up, and an annual Labor Day Weekend package.
In New York state, the Villa Roma Resort Hotel in the Catskills – two hours from NYC – has seasonal packages all year long, including Labor Day Weekend, and programs for all ages, from tots to teens; packages typically include meals, theme night dinner, kids programs, and nightly entertainment. Be sure to check recent visitors’ comments for any resort.
Check your favorite family resorts and no doubt many will have a special weekend package to end the summer with a blast.
