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New York Labor Day Weekend 2012

Labor Day is one of the oldest holidays in the United States, and is a part of the “big six” federal holidays.

Here you can find some ideas on how to spend your Labor Day weekend in New York:

Concerts:

• Journey – 9/2 – Saratoga Performing Arts Center – Saratoga Springs

• Bela Fleck & The Flecktones – Anderson Center for the Arts – Binghamton

• Aloe Blacc – 9/2 – Highline Ballroom – New York

• Electric Zoo Festival – 9/2, 9/3, 9/4 – Randalls Island – New York

• Incubus – 9/3 – Nikon at Jones Beach Theater – Wantagh

• Elton John – 9/3 – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts – Bethel

• Rock The Bells – 9/3 – South Island Field at Governors Island – New York

• Bela Fleck & The Flecktones – 9/3 – Belleayre Music Festival – Highmount

• Darius Rucker – 9/3 – NYCB Theatre at Westbury – Westbury

• Elton John – 9/4 – Saratoga Performing Arts Center – Saratoga Springs

• Stevie Nicks – 9/4 – Nikon at Jones Beach Theater – Wantagh

• Toby Keith – 9/4 – Darien Lake Performing Arts Center – Darien

• Manu Chao – 9/4, 9/5 – Terminal 5 – New York

New York Labor Day Weekend 2012
New York Labor Day Weekend 2012

Sports:

• 2011 U.S. Open – 9/2, 9/3, 9/4, 9/5 – Billie Jean King National Tennis Center – Flushing

• Toronto Blue Jays vs. New York Yankees – 9/2, 9/3, 9/4 – Yankee Stadium – Bronx

• Baltimore Orioles vs. New York Yankees – 9/5 – Yankee Stadium – Bronx

Theater:

• The Book of Mormon – 9/2, 9/3, 9/4 – Eugene O’Neill Theater – New York

• Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark – 9/2, 9/3, 9/4 – Foxwoods Theatre – New York

• Lion King – 9/2, 9/3, 9/4 – Minskoff Theatre – New York

• Jersey Boys – 9/2, 9/3, 9/4 – August Wilson Theater – New York

• Wicked – 9/2, 9/3, 9/4 – Gershwin Theatre – New York

• Billy Elliot – 9/2, 9/3, 9/4 – Imperial Theatre – New York

• Anything Goes – 9/2, 9/3, 9/4 – Stephen Sondheim Theatre – New York

• Blue Man Group – 9/2, 9/3, 9/4 – Astor Place – New York

• Avenue Q – 9/2, 9/3, 9/4, 9/5 – New World Stages: Stage 3 – New York

Miscellaneous:

• Cirque Du Soleil Zarkana – 9/2, 9/3, 9/4 – Radio City Music Hall – New York

• Saratoga Horse Racing – 9/2, 9/3, 9/4, 9/5 – Saratoga Race Course – Saratoga Springs

• Chris Tucker – 9/3 – Palace Theatre – Albany

• Chris Tucker – 9/4 – NYCB Theatre at Westbury – Westbury

 

Margaret Thatcher’s outfits to be sold at auction

Seven outfits worn by Margaret Thatcher during the 1970s in the early part of her career are being auctioned at Christie’s on Monday.

They form part of its London Sale, which is being held to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and London 2012.

Sold by a private collector, the suits which come in an array of colors, are thought to be the first of Lady Thatcher’s clothes to be sold at a public auction.

All of the Iron Lady’s outfits have been given a guide price of between £1,000 ($1,600) and £1,500 ($2,500).

Pat Frost, Head of the Textiles Department at Christie’s told the BBC: “These outfits were worn at the beginning of her career, when she got the <<milk snatcher>> tag, and were part of important moments like her introduction as leader at the Conservative Party conference.”

She said she was not aware of any previous auctions of Lady Thatcher’s outfits.

Last year Lady Thatcher’s black Asprey rectangular leather handbag sold for £25,000 ($39,000) at auction.

She was said to deploy it to enforce cabinet solidarity.

The term “handbagging” was used as a reference to the way she disciplined unrurly Tory backbenchers and ministers during her years in Downing Street.

 

Seven outfits worn by Margaret Thatcher during the 1970s in the early part of her career are being auctioned at Christie's on Monday
Seven outfits worn by Margaret Thatcher during the 1970s in the early part of her career are being auctioned at Christie's on Monday

Canary yellow dress

This was worn to the Conservative Party conference in 1975 and Lady Thatcher can be seen wearing it in contemporary news footage, standing alongside Edward Heath on the conference platform.

Navy dress

Margaret Thatcher can be seen in the navy suit during a Valerie Singleton programme.

Peach wool suit

This outfit she wore while being grilled about moisturiser by Sue MacGregor in 1971.

Light green suit

This was worn when she was confirmed as the new leader of the Conservative Party .

Navy suit

Margaret Thatcher is seen wearing the navy suit in an episode of Val Meets the VIPs, which was presented by Valerie Singleton.

Green suit

Margaret Thatcher wore the green suit in a 1972 edition of Panorama called Women in Politics.

 

Lady Gaga’s perfume Fame tops Madonna and Beyonce’s fragrances at Superdrug

Lady Gaga’s debut fragrance Fame, which contains notes of blood and semen, has become the number one best-selling women’s fragrance at Superdrug, in UK, just a week after hitting the shelves.

Advanced fragrance technology means that the dramatic looking black liquid turns clear as soon as it is sprayed in to the air, and the bottle is pure Lady Gaga: black and gold featuring gilded monster claws.

This unique perfume concept has translated in to ringing tills for team Lady Gaga, the £23.99 ($37.5) perfume has already sold more than both Beyonce and Madonna’s fragrances did in their first week of launch.

Lady Gaga’s debut fragrance Fame has become the number one best-selling women’s fragrance at Superdrug just a week after hitting the shelves
Lady Gaga’s debut fragrance Fame has become the number one best-selling women’s fragrance at Superdrug just a week after hitting the shelves

Sara Wolverson, Superdrug beauty director said: “Lady Gaga is a true original and she has brought something completely new to the fragrance market.

“While initial reports promised slightly scary fragrance notes the actual perfume is sophisticated, floral, addictive, moreish and sexy which paired with the black liquid and dramatic styling is truly original.

“We knew Lady Gaga would be popular but have been astounded by the rush to be the first to buy the fragrance.”

In her perfume campaign, Lady Gaga is seen reclining with an arm behind her head, while holding the perfume in her other hand.

Scantily clad men – who have been shrunk to miniature size – are strategically placed over her body to save her blushes.

Renato Semerari, president of Coty Beauty, said: “She is an artist that is never satisfied with the status quo – she always has this way of challenging everybody and trying to do something more, something different.”

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Five Ideas For Labor Day Weekend 2012

Labor Day is one of the oldest holidays in the United States, and is a part of the “big six” federal holidays.

1. Take It To the Beach – While You Still Can!

While fall doesn’t officially begin for another month, for many families, Labor Day is the last true summer weekend, with school just about or already beginning to start. Take advantage of this last gasp of warm-weather freedom by hoofing it to the nearest beach with a cooler and the kids in tow (though, of course, one or both are optional).

Labor Day is the last true summer weekend, with school just about or already beginning to start
Labor Day is the last true summer weekend, with school just about or already beginning to start

2. Throwback Family Weekend

Similarly, a long summer weekend provides the perfect opportunity for quality, outdoorsy bonding time. For those who prefer a single afternoon with relatives, a Labor Day picnic offers both togetherness and a manageable timeframe. The more ambitious can always embark on a 3-day camping trip, either at one site or road-tripping National Lampoon-style to different grounds. (If you’re from the South, has some great tips on where to rent a Labor Day Weekend cabin.)

3. Movie Weekend

For others who equate a holiday with relaxation, and “relaxing” with “not moving,” a movie weekend may be your best bet. There’s plenty showing in theaters: if you’re in a more alternative mood, indulge in a day of culture with some French fare (Marion Cotillard and Jean Dujardin – the guy from The Artist – are currently starring in Little White Lies), festival hits (Beasts of the Southern Wild will get to you – or should), indie rom-coms (Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg offer the anti-date flick, Celeste and Jesse Forever), and art-house selections (see Rob Pattinson do cerebral in Cosmopolis). Or – or in addition to – there’s always Netflix.

4. Channel Your Inner Chef

We recommend this cooking website, or standby Food Network’s site, for how to celebrate in culinary style. Both offer Labor Day-themed recipes, although our favorite dining idea is to host a Labor Day Lobster Bash – featuring, naturally, the most labor-intensive dish as the main course.

5. Absolutely Nothing

The cheapest option across the board and breadth of the country is to celebrate the hours you put in every week by sleeping a good chunk of them away. Turn off your alarm, make no plans, and don’t get dressed unless someone else has invited you to a picnic, barbecue, film, or his or her front porch for a drink. Happy Labor Day!

 

What Is Labor Day Weekend?

Labor Day is one of the oldest holidays in the United States, and is a part of the “big six” federal holidays.

First celebrated in 1878, Labor Day became a federal holiday in 1894. Over the years, Labor Day has come to represent a slew of different things to people. To the working crowd, it is a day to celebrate ones hard work and labor. Others treat it as a day of rest and relaxation, while others simply spend the day with family, friends, and perhaps some good food.

Labor Day is one of the oldest holidays in the United States, and is a part of the "big six" federal holidays
Labor Day is one of the oldest holidays in the United States, and is a part of the "big six" federal holidays

To students, Labor Day marks the end of the summer and the beginning of the fall term or semester.

No matter how you treat Labor Day, everyone can agree that it is the perfect day to go to a concert or sporting event with friends or family. Although some people will go to relax and unwind, and others will go to celebrate the end of the summer, a live concert, or perhaps a baseball game is the perfect activity for Labor Day weekend 2012.

Labor Day always takes place on the first Monday in September. This year, Labor Day falls on September 3, with the weekend ranging from Friday, August 31 until Monday, September 3.

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Amber Rose and Wiz Khalifa are expecting their first child

Amber Rose is pregnant with her first child, it has been reported.

Amber Rose and her rapper fiancé Wiz Khalifa did not plan the alleged pregnancy but are reportedly delighted to have a little one on the way.

It has also emerged that the engaged couple may tie the knot sooner than they originally intended to.

A source told Radar Online: “Amber and Wiz unexpectedly got pregnant, but they’re really happy to be starting a family together.”

And a baby on the way means the 28-year-old will be making some serious alterations to her lifestyle, including quitting smoking and accepting that her figure is going to change.

Amber Rose and her rapper fiancé Wiz Khalifa did not plan the alleged pregnancy
Amber Rose and her rapper fiancé Wiz Khalifa did not plan the alleged pregnancy

The insider claimed: “Amber’s already had to make some big lifestyle changes, like not smoking cigarettes anymore.

“As a model she’s used to having a thin waist, so this is going to be an adjustment for her.”

The happy couple was planning on marrying in the winter but MediaTakeout reports that they are now hoping to bump the big day up to October.

The website claims that Amber Rose is expected to give birth to the baby in January and doesn’t want to have the wedding too close to her due date.

It will be the first child for both of the stars.

Wiz Khalifa, whose real name Cameron Jibril Thomaz, announced the pair was set to wed in March when he posted on Twitter: “She Said Yes!!!”

Amber Rose then posted a snap of her stunning oval-shaped diamond ring to her own page and said she was the “happiest woman in the world”.

 

Labor Day weekend: Cape Cod beaches closed after multiple reports of sharks

A number of popular Cape Cod beaches have been closed after multiple reports of sharks, including deadly great whites, swimming not far from the coast.

The closure is just the latest twist in an unusually shark-infested Cape Cod summer.

A string of beaches off the shore of Chatham, Massachusetts were shut down indefinitely on Wednesday, making it likely they will be closed throughout the Labor Day weekend.

Fishermen and tourists have reported an unexpectedly high number of sharks in the Atlantic off the Cape Cod coast, some less than 20 feet offshore.

Last week, a vacationing family filmed footage of a great white shark feeding on a seal just a few feet away from their boat.

And in July, a man was bitten in the leg by a shark while surfing off Ballston Beach.

A number of popular Cape Cod beaches have been closed after multiple reports of sharks
A number of popular Cape Cod beaches have been closed after multiple reports of sharks

This weekend’s beach closure was partly prompted by shark spotter Greg Skomal, who said he had seen three sharks up to 18 feet long swimming near the coast, according to the Cape Cod Times.

At Nauset Beach, lifeguards were on hand to prevent people from going into the water other than to get their feet wet.

One woman was asked to return to shore when she was wading knee-deep in the Atlantic, according to the Cape Cod Times.

A sign at the beach blamed ‘the presence of marine life in the water’ for the ban.

The recent influx of sharks in the waters off Massachusetts is believed to be down to the increasing prevalence of seals in the area.

“The elbow of the cape has these large, dense concentrations of grey seals now, and these white sharks go to the area to feed,” said Greg Skomal.

“Because the seals are so abundant, now the white sharks are paying more attention.”

The shark encounters will doubtless draw comparisons to Jaws, the 1975 blockbuster which was filmed on nearby Martha’s Vineyard.

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Matthew McConaughey lost 30 lbs for his new role in The Dallas Buyer’s Club

Matthew McConaughey was spotted a couple of days ago looking unrecognizable and showing off a gaunt frame on the set of his new movie.

Matthew McConaughey, 42, appeared thinner than ever as he returned to his Manhattan hotel on Thursday.

A white v-neck T-shirt, which would normally be fitted across his usual muscular torso, literally hung off the Hollywood hunk, while his blue jeans were even more baggier around his legs.

His extreme weight loss – for a new role playing a HIV victim – has also caused him to look pale and gaunt, and much older than his 42 years.

The actor is on a quest to lose a whopping 30 lbs for the new movie role and by the looks of it he is already there.

Matthew McConaughey appeared thinner than ever as he returned to his Manhattan hotel on Thursday
Matthew McConaughey appeared thinner than ever as he returned to his Manhattan hotel on Thursday

Matthew McConaughey is currently in New York filming The Wolf of Wall Street, based on a memoir by Jordan Belfort who spent 22 months in jail for offenses related to stock market manipulation and running a boiler room.

Work on the movie began in Manhattan earlier this month.

The film, directed by Martin Scorsese, also features Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, and French Academy Award winner Jean Dujardin and is set to open in theaters in 2013.

But his weight loss is actually for his next role in The Dallas Buyer’s Club.

Matthew McConaughey told Larry King in a recent interview: “I’m playing a guy who was sick and would have loved to have been healthier but wasn’t.

“For me, it’s more of a mental thing than a physical thing. I’ll get down to the weight I need to get to. I’m on my way, and it’s what I need to do for the job.”

The father-of-two, whose wife Camilla Alves is expecting their third child this fall, has been taking a philosophical approach to his punishing diet.

“It’s a bit of a spiritual cleanse, mental cleanse,” he said.

“[I’m] drinking a lot of tea.”

“It takes a while for your body to understand that it has to feed off of itself and that you’re not going to give it something else from the outside,” he adds.

The gritty role is based on the real life story of a Dallas man named Ron Woodruff, who contracted HIV through drug use in the ‘80s.

 

 

Neil Armstrong funeral: private service held in Cincinnati for the first man to walk on the Moon

A private funeral service has been held for astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the Moon.

Neil Armstrong died last Saturday aged 82.

The funeral in Cincinnati, Ohio, was by invitation only, reflecting Neil Armstrong’s own intensely private nature.

Hundreds of millions watched Neil Armstrong land on the Moon on 20 July 1969 and describe it as: “One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”

The line became one of the most famous quotes of the 20th Century.

On Friday, Neil Armstrong’s family and friends as well as fellow astronauts gathered at a private golf club for the funeral.

A private funeral service has been held for astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the Moon
A private funeral service has been held for astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the Moon

“Neil Armstrong’s first step on the Moon paved the way for others to be the <<first>> to step foot on another planet,” said Charles Bolden, head of the US space agency Nasa.

Flags flew half-mast across America on Friday, following President Barack Obama’s order to mark the funeral.

The president earlier described Neil Armstrong as “a hero not just of his time, but of all time”.

A public memorial for the astronaut is planned on 12 September in Washington.

Neil Armstrong’s family said last Saturday that he had died from complications after heart surgery.

The family statement praised him as a “reluctant American hero” and urged his fans to honor his example of “service, accomplishment and modesty”.

Last November, Neil Armstrong received the Congressional Gold Medal – the highest US civilian award.

Many of his colleagues and friends have paid tribute to him as a modest man who never sought the limelight.

Michael Collins, a pilot on the Apollo 11 Moon mission, said: “He was the best, and I will miss him terribly.”

In a rare interview with Australian TV this year, he reflected on a moment during his three hours on the Moon when he stopped to commemorate US astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts who had died in action.

Neil Armstrong and fellow astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin collected samples, conducted experiments and took photographs during their moonwalk.

Apollo 11 was Neil Armstrong’s last space mission. In 1971, he left NASA to teach aerospace engineering.

Born in 1930 and raised in Ohio, Neil Armstrong took his first flight aged six with his father and formed a lifelong passion for flying.

Neil Armstrong flew Navy fighter jets during the Korean War in the 1950s, and joined the US space programme in 1962.

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Hurricane Isaac: Mitt Romney visits storm-damaged Louisiana

Presidential candidate Mitt Romney has visited an emergency centre in hurricane-damaged Louisiana, a day after accepting the Republican nomination for US president.

Mitt Romney attended a Friday rally with running mate Paul Ryan in Florida before cancelling a campaign stop in Virginia and diverting to the South.

Hurricane Isaac caused heavy flooding in areas around New Orleans and damage across the Gulf Coast.

Mitt Romney will challenge President Barack Obama in November’s election.

The Democratic president is due to tour storm-affected areas of Louisiana Monday, a US national holiday.

Mitt Romney has visited an emergency centre in hurricane-damaged Louisiana
Mitt Romney has visited an emergency centre in hurricane-damaged Louisiana

At least six deaths in Louisiana and Mississippi have been attributed to Isaac, which brought up to 16 in (41 cm) of rain in some areas.

Mitt Romney travelled on his new campaign plane to Louisiana, at the invitation of the state’s Republican Governor Bobby Jindal.

The two spent almost an hour meeting local officials and first responders on Friday.

“I’m here to learn and obviously to draw some attention to what’s going on here,” Mitt Romney told the governor, “so that people around the country know that people down here need help.”

The presidential candidate shook hands with National Guardsman and met residents who had lost their homes in the storm.

“He just told me to, um, there’s assistance out there,” resident Jodie Chiarello said.

“He’s good. He’ll do the best for us, you know. He speaks to our best interests at heart.”

Former Republican President George W Bush’s response to Hurricane Katrina, in which 1,800 people died seven years ago, was widely perceived as a failure.

This year, Hurricane Isaac wrought less destruction and New Orleans benefited from a revamped set of flood defences erected after Katrina.

Correspondents say both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney were eager to display crisis leadership in the wake of Isaac.

“The decision to travel on Monday was made before Governor Romney announced his decision to travel to Louisiana on Friday,” an Obama aide told reporters from the presidential plane Air Force One.

Meanwhile, the Romney campaign insisted it had not hurried to appear first amid the storm wreckage.

Barack Obama made federal emergency aid available earlier in the week. But he pledged further assistance for individuals in a Friday call with parish presidents and local leaders in Louisiana and Mississippi.

Senate Majority Leader Democrat Harry Reid said Mitt Romney’s visit was the “height of hypocrisy”, adding that Republicans planned to gut disaster aid.

Plaquemines Parish, just outside New Orleans, was among the areas hardest hit by flooding after an 8-ft (2.5-m) levee was overtopped, leaving many homes under about 12ft of water.

The Plaquemines levee was not part of a multi-billion dollar upgrade to the federal levees protecting the city.

Among those killed in the US by the storm were a man and a woman in the town of Braithwaite who apparently drowned in their kitchen as flood waters surged in.

In Mississippi, officials have been pumping water from a reservoir on the Louisiana border to ease the pressure behind a storm-battered dam.

About 600,000 people across Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas are without power as of Friday, Reuters reports.

Mitt Romney capped off the Republican convention on Thursday evening with a speech accusing President Barack Obama of failure.

The Obama campaign said the Republican had “gauzy platitudes, but no tangible ideas to move the country forward”.

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Paralympics 2012: wrong medals awarded

A scoring system error led to the wrong medals being awarded in the women’s combined F35/36-class discus event at London 2012 Paralympics.

Ukraine’s Mariia Pomazan originally won gold and Wu Qing of China silver, but the pair has swapped places in the new revised medal table.

Bronze medallist Bao Jiongyu of China has been demoted to fifth place, with Australia’s Katherine Proudfoot up to third from fifth.

The new medal ceremony is on Saturday.

In total, seven of the top 10 and all of the top five positions were changed.

Ukraine's Mariia Pomazan originally won gold and Wu Qing of China silver, but the pair has swapped places in the new revised medal table
Ukraine's Mariia Pomazan originally won gold and Wu Qing of China silver, but the pair has swapped places in the new revised medal table

Paralympic organisers said in a statement: “All combined class field events use a points scoring system where final positions are determined by points rather than distance.

“In today’s women’s combined class discus event [F35/36], incorrect medals were awarded following the use of inaccurate results data. We sincerely apologise to the athletes affected.

“The inaccurate data also affected the men’s shot put F42/44, although the final medal placing was not impacted.

“A new medal ceremony will be held during tomorrow [Saturday] morning’s athletics session.”

 

Armenia severs diplomatic ties with Hungary after the release of Azeri killer Ramil Safarov

Armenia announces it is severing diplomatic ties with Hungary after the release of Azeri army officer Ramil Safarov convicted of murdering Armenian soldier Gurgen Markarian.

The Azeri serviceman, Ramil Safarov, was given a life sentence for hacking Armenian Gurgen Markarian to death with an axe in 2004 in Budapest.

On Friday, Ramil Safarov was flown to Baku and pardoned, despite Baku’s assurances that his sentence would be enforced.

Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a bitter war over an enclave in the early 1990s.

Armenia said on Friday that Hungary had made a “grave mistake” in sending Ramil Safarov back to Azerbaijan.

Azeri serviceman Ramil Safarov was given a life sentence for hacking Armenian Gurgen Markarian to death with an axe in 2004 in Budapest
Azeri serviceman Ramil Safarov was given a life sentence for hacking Armenian Gurgen Markarian to death with an axe in 2004 in Budapest

“With their joint actions, Azerbaijan and Hungary opened the door to the recurrence of such crimes,” President Serzh Sarkisian said in comments release by his press office.

“I cannot put up with this. The republic of Armenia cannot put up with this,” the president added.

The Hungarian authorities said they had returned Ramil Safarov to his homeland only after receiving assurances from the Baku government that his sentence would be enforced.

Ramil Safarov killed Gurgen Markarian at a military academy in Budapest, where both servicemen attended English-language courses organized by NATO.

During his trial in Hungary, Ramil Safarov said that the Azeri-Armenian war over Nagorno-Karabakh and insults from the Armenian officer were at the root of his actions.

Hungary and Azerbaijan have so far made no public comment on the case.

Azerbaijan and Armenia, both former Soviet republics, fought a war over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave in the early 1990s, which left some 30,000 people dead, and displaced hundreds of thousands.

Armenia-backed authorities are currently controlling Nagorno-Karabakh, which lies within Azerbaijan.

Despite a 1994 ceasefire, skirmishes continue on the borders of the disputed territory.

 

Marbella wildfire triggers thousands of evacuations

Firefighters are battling a huge wildfire raging near the wealthy resort of Marbella on Spain’s Costa del Sol.

At least one person has died and thousands more have been evacuated.

The body of an elderly man was found near Ojen. Rescue workers are searching for his wife.

Evacuations were ordered from near Marbella, Ojen and a camp site at Alpujata.

Marbella is famous for its up-market hotels and villas and is a favorite haunt of wealthy foreigners.

Firefighters are battling a huge wildfire raging near the wealthy resort of Marbella on Spain's Costa del Sol
Firefighters are battling a huge wildfire raging near the wealthy resort of Marbella on Spain's Costa del Sol

Hundreds of firefighters, backed up by emergency military personnel and 31 planes and helicopters, continue to battle a huge blaze that is being fanned by hot, dry winds.

According to the AFP news agency, a 12 km (7 mile) line of fire has spread across the high tree tops in the Sierra Negra mountains.

In addition to the dead man, who was found near his home, five people have been treated for injuries, some of them serious.

Angel Nozal, the mayor of Mijas, a town between Marbella and Malaga, told El Pais newspaper: “The fire is horrific, with flames 10 to 15 metres high.”

The Costa del Sol is one of Spain’s most popular holiday destinations and home to a large expatriate community.

Much of Spain’s countryside was left tinder-dry this summer by a prolonged heatwave. There have been major wildfires in northern Catalonia – near the Pyrenees – and on La Gomera, in the Canary Islands.

Residents of Ojen described panic as the flames forced them to flee without time to gather belongings.

“We left just in our clothes, our nerves jangling,” said Filomena Gomez.

Evacuees from Ojen are now staying in a sports hall in Marbella.

The wind speed has dropped since Thursday and the air is more humid, so there are hopes that the Costa del Sol blaze can be contained soon.

The fire started on Thursday afternoon in the Sierra Negra area of Coin, near Malaga and has now affected an area of some 1,000 hectares (2,471 acres).

Part of the AP-7 highway was cut temporarily, but other roads are unaffected. It is not yet clear how many homes have been damaged or destroyed.

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Anne Sinclair confirms separation from Dominique Strauss-Kahn

Anne Sinclair, wife of former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, has indirectly confirmed that they have separated, after he was embroiled in a sex scandal.

After Anne Sinclair was asked how her personal life was going “since your separation”, she told Le Parisien that she is “in good form”.

There were reports that the high-profile couple had split last month but neither party confirmed the rumors.

Anne Sinclair, a journalist, stood by her husband though a series of scandals.

Anne Sinclair, wife of former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, has indirectly confirmed that they have separated, after he was embroiled in a sex scandal
Anne Sinclair, wife of former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, has indirectly confirmed that they have separated, after he was embroiled in a sex scandal

In June the couple, both 63, threatened to sue Closer magazine over allegations that they had separated.

DSK was forced to resign from the International Monetary Fund earlier this year after he was arrested on charges of sexually assaulting a New York hotel maid.

The charges were eventually dropped, but he has since faced a number of other civil and criminal actions related to sex allegations.

In March, DSK was charged along with two businessmen and a police chief with organizing a prostitution ring for orgies in France and the US, allegations which he denies.

In addition to having to resign from his job at the IMF, DSK had also been the favorite to be the socialist candidate in this year’s French election but had to pull out.

Anne Sinclair, a journalist, heiress and head of the Huffington Post’s French edition, and Dominique Strauss-Kahn were married for some 21 years.

Until recently they had lived in Washington DC, where she had covered US politics for French media.

 

Philippines 7.9-magnitude earthquake triggers tsunami warning

A tsunami warning has been issued for the Philippines, Indonesia and Palau after a 7.9-magnitude earthquake offshore.

The quake had a depth of 33 km (20 miles) and struck at 20:47 local time, the US Geological Survey said. It was located off the Philippines island of Samar.

A tsunami warning has been issued for the Philippines, Indonesia and Palau after a 7.9-magnitude earthquake offshore
A tsunami warning has been issued for the Philippines, Indonesia and Palau after a 7.9-magnitude earthquake offshore

There are no details of any damage or casualties from the quake.

It is not yet known if a tsunami has actually been generated.

Warnings were also initially issued for Taiwan, Japan, Papua New Guinea, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and Yap, but were later lifted.

 

New Jersey Pathmark shooting: gunman shoots at least two dead before being killed in firefight with police

Three people have been shot dead after a gunman walked into a New Jersey Pathmark store and killed two staff members including an 18-year-old girl.

The shooter was an employee of Pathmark and entered the Old Bridge store around 4:00 a.m. with a shotgun and opened fire on staff who were stacking shelves before the scheduled 6:00 a.m. opening.

When police arrived at the store which is 25-miles from New York City they moved the employees to a nearby T.G.I. Friday’s where they were checked out by emergency workers.

Three people have been shot dead after a gunman walked into a New Jersey Pathmark store and killed two staff members including an 18-year-old girl
Three people have been shot dead after a gunman walked into a New Jersey Pathmark store and killed two staff members including an 18-year-old girl

“This is the worst phone call a mayor can receive,” said the mayor of Old Bridge Owen Henry.

“You can prepare for these things but you can’t prevent them.”

It is unknown how many other people were in the store before the police arrived but several members of staff would have been inside as the Pathmark was preparing to open at 6:00 a.m.

Police said that they received a telephone call around 4:30 a.m. informing them that shots were being fired from inside the supermarket.

According to store employees who fled the scene, the gunman entered into the Pathmark wielding a shotgun and began shooting.

It is not known how the shooter entered the building before opening hours.

The local police have sealed off the area and the case was turned over to the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.

Witnesses inside said that there were around a dozen staff stacking shelves before opening.

The incident comes just weeks after a series of mass shootings shook the country.

In July, a gunman opened fire in a crowded Colorado movie theater and earlier this month a white supremacist opened fire in a Sikh temple in Wisconsin.

And last week a disgruntled former employee shot his former boss on the streets of New York City before becoming involved in shoot-out with police that left nine bystanders injured.

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Burning Man Festival ten principles

Burning Man Festival is a week-long annual event held in the Black Rock Desert also known as “the playa” in northern Nevada, US, taking place since 1986 with music, dance and human extravaganza.

The event begins on the last Monday in August, and ends on the first Monday in September, which coincides with the American Labor Day holiday.

The festival takes its name from the ritual burning of a large wooden effigy on Saturday evening. The event is described by many participants as an experiment in community, art, radical self-expression, and radical self-reliance.

Burning Man is organized by Black Rock City, LLC.

Aerial view of Burning Man 2012 "Fertility 2.0" arts and music festival in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada August 30, 2012
Aerial view of Burning Man 2012 "Fertility 2.0" arts and music festival in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada August 30, 2012

Burning Man Festival is organized by ten principles, which all visitors are expected to follow:

1. Radical Inclusion

Anyone may be a part of Burning Man. We welcome and respect the stranger. No prerequisites exist for participation in our community.

2. Gifting

Burning Man is devoted to acts of gift giving. The value of a gift is unconditional. Gifting does not contemplate a return or an exchange for something of equal value.

3. Decommodification

In order to preserve the spirit of gifting, our community seeks to create social environments that are unmediated by commercial sponsorships, transactions, or advertising. We stand ready to protect our culture from such exploitation. We resist the substitution of consumption for participatory experience.

4. Radical Self-reliance

Burning Man encourages the individual to discover, exercise and rely on his or her inner resources.

5. Radical Self-expression

Radical self-expression arises from the unique gifts of the individual. No one other than the individual or a collaborating group can determine its content. It is offered as a gift to others. In this spirit, the giver should respect the rights and liberties of the recipient.

6. Communal Effort

Our community values creative cooperation and collaboration. We strive to produce, promote and protect social networks, public spaces, works of art, and methods of communication that support such interaction.

7. Civic Responsibility

We value civil society. Community members who organize events should assume responsibility for public welfare and endeavor to communicate civic responsibilities to participants. They must also assume responsibility for conducting events in accordance with local, state and federal laws.

8. Leaving No Trace

Our community respects the environment. We are committed to leaving no physical trace of our activities wherever we gather. We clean up after ourselves and endeavor, whenever possible, to leave such places in a better state than when we found them.

9. Participation

Our community is committed to a radically participatory ethic. We believe that transformative change, whether in the individual or in society, can occur only through the medium of deeply personal participation. We achieve being through doing. Everyone is invited to work. Everyone is invited to play. We make the world real through actions that open the heart.

10. Immediacy

Immediate experience is, in many ways, the most important touchstone of value in our culture. We seek to overcome barriers that stand between us and a recognition of our inner selves, the reality of those around us, participation in society, and contact with a natural world exceeding human powers. No idea can substitute for this experience.

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Burning Man Festival 2012 theme is Fertility 2.0 in honor of the female form

Burning Man Festival, the annual art, music, experience and everything else event held in the middle of the Nevada desert, is underway with more than 60,000 “burners” attending.

The theme of Burning man Festival 2012 is “Fertility 2.0” in honor of the female form as well as the artistic creations that come into being on the occasion of Burning Man.

This year’s residents of Burning Man will enjoy the fervent community dedicated to self-reliance and self-expression that began 26 years before.

Burning Man Festival, held in the middle of the Nevada desert, is underway with more than 60,000 burners attending
Burning Man Festival, held in the middle of the Nevada desert, is underway with more than 60,000 burners attending

“Black Rock City is a kind of Petri dish,” the website reads.

“Theme camps cling in fertile clusters to its latticework of streets, artworks tumble out of it, like pollen on the air.

“These nodes of interaction mutate, grow and reproduce their kind, only to efflorescence and spread across five continents.

“This year’s art theme contemplates the tendency of any being or living system to create abundant life.”

Festival-goers were encouraged to create works based on fertility and all its many wonders.

The Burning Man, so named for his destiny, will stand astride a grand pavilion that is similar in shape to the Pantheon of ancient Rome.

“Arching portals and two mezzanines will wrap around an atrium; circles will encompass circles, telescoping to an open skylight several stories overhead,” the site says.

“An interactive sculpture, sprouting from the courtyard of the chamber, will invite participants to clamber upward through the center of this mesmerizing space, much as bees might swarm about the pistil of a flower.”

Everyone visiting the “hive” is encouraged to “express their own peculiar sense of inner beeing”, which can include, but is not limited to pretending to be a bee and engaging in bee culture.

As always, Black Rock City residents are expected to obey the ten principles.

Radical Inclusion, Gifting, Decommodification, Radical Self-reliance, Radical Self-expression, Communal Effort, Civic Responsibility, Leaving No Trace, Participation and Immediacy are of the utmost importance to the community.

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Sage Stallone died from heart attack, LA coroner rules

Sage Stallone, son of actor Sylvester Stallone, died from natural causes due to a heart condition, the Los Angeles County Coroner has ruled.

Sage Stallone was found dead at his Hollywood home by an employee and a relative on 13 July.

Bottles of prescription pills were found but it was not clear if they were connected with his death.

Officials said on Thursday that the 36-year-old died due to a condition that causes blockage of the arteries.

Sage Stallone, son of actor Sylvester Stallone, died from natural causes due to a heart condition, the Los Angeles County Coroner has ruled
Sage Stallone, son of actor Sylvester Stallone, died from natural causes due to a heart condition, the Los Angeles County Coroner has ruled

Toxicology results showed Sage Stallone had only a small amount of the sedative hydrocodone in his body.

No other drugs were detected and the death has been classified a natural death.

The actor and film director’s sudden death stunned his family and friends.

Sylvester Stallone’s publicist described him as “devastated and grief-stricken” and the actor skipped several promotional events for his film The Expendables 2.

Sage Moonblood Stallone was the oldest of Sylvester Stallone’s children and co-starred with his father in two films, Rocky V and Daylight.

He also became involved in movie-making, directing a 2006 short, Vic, that was screened at the Palm Springs Film Festival.

In 1996, Sage Stallone co-founded Grindhouse Releasing, a company dedicated to preserving and promoting the B-movies and exploitation films of the 1970s and ’80s.

Sylvester Stallone’s spokeswoman said the actor had no comment about the coroner’s findings.

 

Harvard University students investigated over mass exam cheating

More than one hundred students at Harvard University are being investigated for allegedly helping each other cheat in an exam, officials say.

Up to 125 students in one undergraduate course are suspected of sharing answers or plagiarizing.

Possible cheating was found in about half of exam papers handed in by the class, which has at least 250 students.

If confirmed, the scandal would be the biggest to hit the “Ivy League” of top US universities in recent memory.

More than one hundred students at Harvard University are being investigated for allegedly helping each other cheat in an exam
More than one hundred students at Harvard University are being investigated for allegedly helping each other cheat in an exam

Suspicions were first aroused when a teaching assistant noticed several problems with the exam papers, including long passages of identical text in different students’ answers, the Associated Press reports.

The university has not named the course or class in question.

Possible punishments for students found to have cheated range from a first-offence warning to being excluded from the university for a year, according to the agency.

“These allegations, if proven, represent totally unacceptable behavior that betrays the trust upon which intellectual inquiry at Harvard depends,” the university’s president, Drew Faust, said.

Jay Harris, the dean of undergraduate education, stressed there was no evidence of widespread cheating at Harvard.

“The facts that are before us are that we have a problem in this one course,” Jay Harris told AP.

“Looking at the students we have and the work that they do, I would be loath to say this is something that represents Harvard students generally.”

 

Jay Z and baby Blue Ivy jet into Manhattan by helicopter

Eight month old Blue Ivy Carter has been seen being fussed over by her very proud father, the legendary Jay Z, as they jet into Manhattan by helicopter.

Jay Z, 42, was spotted fretting like a mother hen over his cherubic quarry after they arrived into New York by helicopter.

The little darling had been fitted with ear protectors to ensure her delicate shell-likes weren’t damaged by the loud noise of the propellers.

But Jay Z, real name Shawn Carter still looked panicked by the experience, and could be seen peering with concern at his little girl.

Blue Ivy, who was wearing white (the mark of a rich child as it’s the worst color to keep clean) looked happy and content enough, her curls shining stunningly in the light.

Eight month old Blue Ivy Carter has been seen being fussed over by her very proud father, the legendary Jay Z, as they jet into Manhattan by helicopter
Eight month old Blue Ivy Carter has been seen being fussed over by her very proud father, the legendary Jay Z, as they jet into Manhattan by helicopter

For years, Beyonce and husband Jay-Z were famously secretive about their lives, refusing even to acknowledge their relationship.

But it appears that the birth of daughter Blue Ivy has led to a new chapter in their lives, with Beyonce, 30, happily opening up her family album on Tumblr.

Beyonce revealed intimate snaps from behind the scenes of her public and private life, including an adorable picture of herself feeding Blue Ivy with a bottle while she guzzles dressed in a Watch The Throne T-shirt in honor of Jay-Z’s latest tour with Kanye West.

They come as she is about to star in a new documentary film about her life and career, a large step for Beyonce.

Another picture shows Beyonce screaming with laughter as her husband pushes her on a swing.

She wears a long flowing pink maxi dress which billows up around her as Jay-Z pushes, their dog at his heels.

 

Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott welcome their fourth child, baby boy Finn Davey

Tori Spelling has welcomed baby boy Finn Davey, her fourth child with husband Dean McDermott.

Tori Spelling, 39, gave birth on Thursday evening to 6lb, 6oz Finn Davey.

The star announced the happy news on her website, writing: “Please join us in welcoming Finn Davey McDermott.”

The post was followed by a tweet on the star’s verified Twitter account, linking to a photo of a tiny hand clinging to her finger.

“It’s a boy!” she wrote.

Tori Spelling has welcomed baby boy Finn Davey, her fourth child with husband Dean McDermott
Tori Spelling has welcomed baby boy Finn Davey, her fourth child with husband Dean McDermott

Tori Spelling confirmed she was expecting back in March – five months after the couple welcomed a daughter.

She posted a message on the micro-blog, writing: “Our family has some exciting and life changing news to share,” with a link to her website.

“Dean, Liam, Stella, Hattie, and I are beyond thrilled to announce that another little McDermott is on the way!”

“We feel truly blessed that another angel has found us,” she wrote.

Tori Spelling also posted a picture of her bump with her children’s hands resting on top of it.

In addition to 10-month-old Hattie, Dean McDermott and Tori Spelling, who married in 2006, are parents to five-year-old Liam and Stella, four.

Tori Spelling is also stepmother to Dean McDermott’s teenage son Jack, from a previous marriage.

The couple was out as late as Tuesday, with the mother-of-four showing off her blossoming bump on the red carpet for a kids’ event in Los Angeles.

Tori Spelling has previously insisted this pregnancy would be her last but admitted she was “sad” that she’ll never be expecting a child again.

She said: “I couldn’t be happier that I’m finally at the end and I get to meet the baby so soon, but I actually love being pregnant, so if it is my last, I’ll be sad never to be pregnant again.

“It’ll have been a precious moment in time and it’ll be over with, so it is sad.”

She also revealed her kids are looking forward to a time when she is not pregnant so that they can have pillow fights with her.

Tori Spelling said: “I got pregnant so quickly after I had Hattie that I think they’re just like, <<Oh, Mom’s constantly in a state of pregnancy>>.

“They say they’re going to be excited when I’m not pregnant anymore so I can have pillow fights again with them. That’s their big thing.”

 

Blue Moon rare phenomenon occurs today

“Once in a blue moon” is not just a phrase we use for those occasional treats or chores, but it is also a rare statistical quirk which occurs when a full moon occurs twice in a calendar month.

Sadly, the moon is not going to turn blue, and indeed the reason why we call it a “blue moon” is lost to history, although the Farmers’ Almanac would always note an occurrence during the 18th century.

Regardless, today, Friday, August 31, will be the first “blue moon” since March 2010 and there will not be another one again until July 2015 – so it’s time to get on with that list of things to do.

With a full moon occurring once every 29 days, and a month topping out with a maximum of 31 days, the combination is a rare one – occurring around once every two-and-a-half years.

Blue Moon is a rare statistical quirk which occurs when a full moon occurs twice in a calendar month
Blue Moon is a rare statistical quirk which occurs when a full moon occurs twice in a calendar month

Sadly, we cannot expect the moon to take on a different hue. Barring volcanic eruption, it will remain as white as ever, unless clouds obscure the view.

If a volcano does erupt, then all bets are off, as ash in the sky has been known to play visual tricks with the sun and the moon.

When Krakatoa erupted in Indonesia in 1883 – where ash soared right into the upper echelons of the atmosphere, blue moons were reported around the world, for up to two years.

Krakatoa’s ash is the reason. Some of the ash-clouds were filled with particles about 1 micron (one millionth of a meter) wide – the right size to strongly scatter red light, while allowing other colors to pass.

White moonbeams shining through the clouds emerged blue, and sometimes green.

Blue moons persisted for years after the eruption. People also saw lavender suns and, for the first time, noctilucent clouds.

The ash caused “such vivid red sunsets that fire engines were called out in New York, Poughkeepsie, and New Haven to quench the apparent conflagration”, according to volcanologist Scott Rowland at the University of Hawaii.

Other less potent volcanos have turned the moon blue, too. People saw blue moons in 1983, for instance, after the eruption of the El Chichon volcano in Mexico. And there are reports of blue moons caused by Mt. St. Helens in 1980 and Mount Pinatubo in 1991.

According to NASA, the key to a blue moon is having in the air lots of particles slightly wider than the wavelength of red light (0.7 micron) – and no other sizes present. This is rare, but volcanoes sometimes spit out such clouds, as do forest fires.

Physics professor Sue Ann Bowling of the University of Alaska said: “On September 23, 1950, several muskeg fires that had been quietly smoldering for several years in Alberta suddenly blew up into major – and very smoky – fires.

“Winds carried the smoke eastward and southward with unusual speed, and the conditions of the fire produced large quantities of oily droplets of just the right size (about 1 micron in diameter) to scatter red and yellow light.

“Wherever the smoke cleared enough so that the sun was visible, it was lavender or blue.

“Ontario and much of the east coast of the U.S. were affected by the following day, but the smoke kept going. Two days later, observers in England reported an indigo sun in smoke-dimmed skies, followed by an equally blue moon that evening.”

 

Pentagon may sue No Easy Day author Matt Bissonette for divulging military secrets

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The Pentagon announces it may sue former Navy SEAL Matt Bissonette, who has written a first-hand account of the May 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

The Department of Defense’s top lawyer has informed Matt Bissonette that he has violated agreements not to divulge military secrets.

He signed two non-disclosure forms with the Navy in 2007, the Pentagon said.

The book, No Easy Day, which was written under the pseudonym Mark Owen, is due to be released on September 11.

Matt Bissonette book, No Easy Day, which was written under the pseudonym Mark Owen, is due to be released on September 11
Matt Bissonette book, No Easy Day, which was written under the pseudonym Mark Owen, is due to be released on September 11

It was not reviewed ahead of publication by the Pentagon, CIA or the White House – and officials had warned that criminal charges could result from the improper disclosure of secret information.

The Pentagon’s general counsel, Jeh Johnson, wrote to the author on Thursday that his non-disclosure forms had obliged him to “never divulge” classified information.

The letter said: “In the judgment of the Department of Defense, you are in material breach and violation of the non-disclosure agreements you signed.”

The Pentagon is considering “all remedies legally available to us”, the letter added.

It was reported this week that No Easy Day contradicts the official story of the raid.

The book says Osama bin Laden was shot dead as soon as he looked out of his bedroom as SEAL’s rushed up the stairs, according to the Associated Press news agency, which has seen an advance copy.

But US officials have stated he was shot only after he had ducked back into the bedroom, prompting fears he might be grabbing a weapon.

The book also reveals that the commandos were not big fans of President Barack Obama, even though they applauded his decision to launch the operation.

 

Chinese dissident Wang Xiaoning released from jail after ten years

Chinese dissident Wang Xiaoning, who was convicted of subversion charges with the help of evidence provided by Yahoo, has been released from jail.

Wang Xiaoning was freed early on Friday morning, his wife, Yu Ling, announced.

He who was detained in 2002, served his 10-year sentence in a Beijing jail.

Yahoo drew widespread criticism for providing information linking him to emails and political writings.

Chinese dissident Wang Xiaoning, who was convicted of subversion charges with the help of evidence provided by Yahoo, has been released from jail
Chinese dissident Wang Xiaoning, who was convicted of subversion charges with the help of evidence provided by Yahoo, has been released from jail

Yu Ling said her husband was in “good health and fine spirits” but was not allowed to give media interviews under the conditions of his release.

She could not comment on his experience in prison, she added.

Wang Xiaoning, a former engineer, was prosecuted after posting pro-democracy statements online calling for an end to one-party Communist rule. He was jailed for “incitement to subvert state power”.

The case raised questions about whether internet companies should co-operate with governments that repress freedom of speech.

A human rights group filed a lawsuit in the US on behalf of several plaintiffs, including Wang Xiaoning and a Chinese journalist, Shi Tao, who was also jailed for 10 years in 2005.

Yahoo later apologized and paid an undisclosed amount of compensation to the families involved.

It also told the US congress that the company had been legally obliged to provide the information.