Desperate Housewives star Vanessa Williams has launched ReVitalistic, her own skincare line.
ReVitalistic features five products that include an anti-aging cream, firming eye serum and a skin “perfecting” peel.
Vanessa Williams, who will appear in the forthcoming TV series 666 Park Avenue, told WWD: “I’ve decided to share my secrets.”
The range will be available through QVC, the shopping network, from August 3.
Products will also be released in stores at a later date, though the stores remain unknown for the moment.
The star, who last attracted headlines after penning the autobiography You’ve Got No Idea with her mother, said he had long hoped to release a skincare line.
It had been in the works for “years”.
Vanessa Williams’ skincare line ReVitalistic features five products that include an anti-aging cream, firming eye serum and a skin “perfecting” peel
“Living in the moment is something I always strive to do, hectic schedule or not,” she explained.
“So, when the parts were put in motion to launch this skincare line, I knew it was something I wanted to accomplish.”
Vanessa Williams claimed that she had been very hands-on during the line’s creation.
She plucked ingredients that she had grown familiar with and incorporated them into a formula with the help of many skincare experts.
“These are the greatest hits that have worked for me as I’ve aged,” she said.
“I’ve taken proven skin care concepts and improved them. I am involved in every aspect of it, from the name, the color palette of the packing, the logo and the ingredients.
“It has been a labor of love and I have loved working on it for years until I knew it was perfect.”
The collection even has a predicted star seller – the Re-Start Skin Serum.
Each of the products will be priced between $48 and $68.
She added that the products, some of which omit a ginger scent, can be worn as primers as well as beneath foundations.
She added: “Texture matters to me whenever I put a product on my face so I’ve created rich, luxurious blends with a smooth complex giving a weightless feeling.”
Vanessa Williams added that she had struggled to find the right cosmetics to suit her skin.
“I’ve tried to age gracefully in front of the camera,” she said.
“I needed products that were effective in reversing the signs of aging, sun damage and years of travel and makeup.
“I couldn’t find anything that worked for me. So I decided to create my own.”
This year Mercedes Benz Fashion Swim Week in Miami is transformed into the year’s biggest lesson in beach basics.
Featuring almost 2,000 brands, the swim shows give a glimpse into the trends of next summer, from sleek one-pieces to busy printed patterns, figure-flattering high waists, and plenty of sand-ready string bikinis.
While Anna Wintour was absent from the front row, other notable attendees included the Real Housewives of Miami cast; Dancing With The Stars’ Karina Smirnoff; Brooke Burke and her husband David Charvet, and chart topper Christina Milian.
Swimwear, summer’s unofficial uniform, is a $5 billion industry where designers fiercely compete to be every woman’s go-to brand for their yearly surf-side update.
High waisted L Space bikini gives a glimpse into the next summer trends at Mercedes Benz Swim Fashion week in Miami
One of the most highly anticipated shows of the week, Mara Hoffman, showcased plenty of cut-out detailing in a boho cowboy-meets-Native American aesthetic, which was a strong trend seen throughout the week.
Lisa Burke, a former model and current animal rights activist, had many fashion editors confused with a plethora of themes throughout her show, which included 60s pin-up girl styles walking alongside oriental prints and cute cowboys.
Karina Smirnoff, who recently dated Mario Lopez, also strutted her stuff on the runway for the show.
Dolores Cortés collection included her trademark pieces, with plenty of prints and razor-sharp cut-outs in neon mixed in with pastels and pops of color.
The tie-dye printed one pieces with stomach cut-outs and braiding details were standout pieces.
Xtra Life Lycra Brand showed one of the more innovative looks of the week, with a yellow and purple cut out one piece that added in cap sleeves.
She also peppered her show giant banana leaves as hats, as well as intriguing fur trims.
Agua Bendita showed diamond shaped neon prints accented with Eighties-style neon visors, tribal prints, and ink-splattered fabrics
Meanwhile Poko Pano jumped into the rainforest with tropical leaf and fruit prints, and puka shell necklaces, with neon oranges and greens ensuring the mostly neutral pieces popped.
Vitamin A by Amahlia Stevens used basic vintage-inspired two-pieces mixed in with snakeskin, black, gold, and blue, water-like printed fabrics, and Caffe Swimwear, a popular favorite, showed its St. Tropez meets Sunday shopping caftans with sleek high ponytails.
TIGHAR’s expedition to find out what happened to celebrated pilot Amelia Earhart is returning to Hawaii without the evidence it was looking for.
The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR) believes Amelia Earhart and her navigator crashed on a Pacific island and died soon after.
The $2.2 million expedition was searching for evidence of the wreckage in the waters around Nikumaroro.
Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, in 1932.
“This is just sort of the way things are in this world,” TIGHAR president Pat Thrasher said.
“It’s not like an Indiana Jones flick where you go through a door and there it is. It’s not like that – it’s never like that.”
Next year TIGHAR is planning a return voyage to the island, where they believe Amelia Earhart may have survived for a short time.
The research team collected video and sonar data, and is expected to begin analysing it on the return journey to Hawaii, Pat Thrasher said.
Updates from her husband, Ric Gillespie, who founded TIGHAR, suggested the search was cut short to five days from 10 because of “nightmare terrain”, and accidents with equipment.
On 2 July 1937, Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan took off from Papua New Guinea in their Electra 10E aircraft, en route to Howland Island
On 2 July 1937, Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan took off from Papua New Guinea in their Electra 10E aircraft, en route to Howland Island.
Many experts think a navigational error caused the pair to run out of fuel over the sea. They were never seen again.
They were three-quarters of the way through an unprecedented circumnavigation of the globe around the equator.
On 3 July, the USS Colorado departed from Hawaii in search of Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan.
The research team set sail 75 years to the day after search teams went looking for the pair.
TIGHAR’s expedition had the approval of the US state department and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Artefacts that could have belonged to Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan have been found on earlier visits to the island and a photograph of the coast from October 1937 could show a blurred image of part of the plane.
Amelia Earhart
• Born in Kansas in 1897
• First woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean
• Helped form the Ninety-Nines, a professional aviation group for women, and became their first president
Siemens has issued a fix for the software loopholes used by the notorious Stuxnet worm.
Stuxnet was discovered in 2010 after investigations into malfunctions at many industrial plants and factories.
Iran’s nuclear enrichment efforts were hit hard by Stuxnet which targeted the devices that control delicate industrial processes.
The fix comes as reports circulate of a fresh cyber attack on Iranian nuclear enrichment project.
Stuxnet exploited loopholes in the software Siemens wrote to oversee the running of its programmable logic controllers – devices used in many industrial facilities to automate a production process.
Siemens has issued a fix for the software loopholes used by the notorious Stuxnet worm
When a controller was infected with Stuxnet it made the motors it was typically connected to run out of control and burn out. This is believed to have been behind Iran’s need to replace many of the centrifuges it was using in its Natanz uranium enrichment plant.
Siemens has issued advisories saying it has updated the Simatic code in the controllers to remove the loopholes.
It is not yet clear who created Stuxnet, but security researchers say it is so complex and tightly targeted that only a nation would be able to marshal the resources to put it together.
Stuxnet is just one of several similar malicious programs created to attack industrial control systems.
Experts speculate that many were made to slow down and disrupt Iran’s nuclear production processes.
Iran has regularly denied that the viruses have hit its nuclear programme.
The Siemens update comes as security firm F-Secure received an email believed to have been sent by a scientist working at Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization.
In the message, the scientist said its plants at Natanz and Qom have been hit again by a worm.
Top F Secure security researcher Mikko Hypponen said it had not been able to confirm any of the details in the message. However, digital detective work did reveal that the message had come from within the Atomic Energy agency.
On July 23, Iran issued a statement saying it had successfully “confronted” sophisticated malware and thwarted all the cyber attacks against the nation’s infrastructure.
Reza Taqipur, Iran’s minister of communication and information technology, said it was sometimes hit by as many as two million cyber attacks a day, but its ability to deal with them was growing daily.
In Kirstie Alley’s advert for QVC’s Organic Liaison, the actress is shown before and after her extreme weight loss.
In her advert, Kirstie Alley, 61, credits shredding pounds to the product.
However, a Californian woman has claimed that Kirstie Alley is a “liar”, and didn’t drop a staggering 100 lbs with the aid of the so-called weight loss tablets, and is now suing the star.
Marina Abramyan, who uses the product, claims that Kirstie Alley lost all of her weight when she was on Dancing With The Stars, according to the class action suit obtained by website TMZ.
The woman attributes Kirstie Alley’s slimline figure to vigorous dancing on the show and her low calorie diet.
She also alleges that Organic Liaison merely contains calcium and fibre, both of which are not proven weight-loss aids.
Marina Abramyan is suing for unspecified damages.
In Kirstie Alley’s advert for QVC's Organic Liaison, the actress is shown before and after her extreme weight loss
Kirstie Alley, who was born in Kansas, got her big break in the 1990’s on the hit comedy Cheers.
After the series ended, Kirstie Alley embarked on a movie career, but the roles later dried up when her weight spiraled out of control.
She served as a Jenny Craig spokeswoman from 2005 to 2008, however, she failed to reach her weight loss goals.
When Kirstie Alley appeared on DWTS last year, she began to shed weight rapidly and by the end of the series there was a vast difference in her figure.
Meanwhile Kirstie Alley recently wrote a memoir titled The Art of Men (I Prefer Mine Al Dente).
The tome is billed as a “candid and audacious memoir about her life and the men she has shared it with”.
The book’s Amazon entry also says it “delivers a down-and-dirty account of all the men she’s slept with, danced with, drank with, and the ones she’s loved and hated during her sixty years on the planet”.
Kirstie Alley, a high-profile Scientologist, will no doubt enjoy the notoriety she will garner from her tell-all book when it is released in November.
The book is also going to examine her weight battles, her successful spell on Dancing With the Stars and her journey into the world of science fiction geekdom when she starred in the Star Trek movie franchise.
Perhaps most exciting off all will be Kirstie Alley’s thoughts on starring in Cheers, which is one the most successful sitcoms ever in US TV history.
Demi Moore is reportedly “beyond heartbroken” over Ashton Kutcher’s new romance with Mila Kunis.
Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher ended their marriage last year following allegations that the actor had been cheating on her with a number of women.
But after pictures surfaced of Ashton Kutcher kissing new love Mila Kunis, Demi Moore, 49, reportedly became hysterical.
A source told RadarOnline: “Demi is devastated that Ashton has moved on so quickly and is dating Mila. She is beyond heartbroken.
“Even though Ashton cheated on her all the time, it was with random girls, it wasn’t a relationship like it is with Mila and that is what is killing Demi now.
“Seeing photos of him kissing another woman is too much for her to handle, it’s like having her nose rubbed in it time and time again.
“She kind of knew it was definitely over between them but I think she was still holding out a little hope for a reconciliation – now he’s actually dating someone else she knows that’s not going to happen.”
Demi Moore is reportedly “beyond heartbroken” over Ashton Kutcher's new romance with Mila Kunis
Ashton Kutcher, 34, and 28-year-old Mila have been friends since working on That 70s Show together and their relationship is said to be “like a knife” in Demi Moore’s heart.
The source added: “Each time Demi hears about Ashton and Mila it breaks her heart. She really loved him despite the flaws in their marriage and to see him dating someone new, who is so much younger than she is, is like a knife in her heart.”
According to The Sun, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis are now said to be living together.
The insider said: “They’re staying with each other most nights. Mila’s practically moved in to Ashton’s Hollywood home.”
Spectators who attended a preview of the Olympic Games opening ceremony have been urged to keep the details secret and not spoil the surprise for others.
Thousands of people who attended a rehearsal on Monday were asked not to circulate images or videos.
Danny Boyle, the ceremony’s artistic director, reportedly addressed the audience to “save the surprise”.
About 62,000 are set to attend the opening ceremony at the Olympic Stadium in Stratford, east London, on Friday.
The event is expected to be watched by an audience of billions worldwide.
Spectators who attended a preview of the Olympic Games opening ceremony have been urged to keep the details secret and not spoil the surprise for others
Olympic organizers LOCOG said the technical rehearsal for the opening ceremony “went very well”.
“The reaction from the attendees has been overwhelmingly positive on social media and crucially they are still helping us to save the surprise for the rest of the nation on Friday,” it said.
People who attended the rehearsal reported that the hashtag “#savethesurprise” was emblazoned on giant screens inside the Olympic Stadium.
It later trended globally on micro-blogging website Twitter.
In other developments:
• Transport for London has apologized after people leaving the rehearsal were delayed getting home because the Central Line, which serves Stratford, was partly suspended
• The British Olympic Association says it has asked triple jumper Phillips Idowu to supply details about his injury ahead of the Games after the 2008 Olympics silver medallist pulled out of the Great Britain athletics team’s training camp
• On Tuesday, Heathrow is set for its busiest day for Olympics so far as it prepares to handle about 217,000 passengers, including some 1,200 athletes and coaches and more than 3,000 other Games-related arrivals
• Motorists have faced long queues on routes where pre-Olympics modifications have been made to road layouts
• And the Olympic torch is travelling from Kingston, in south west London, to Ealing, west London, as it continues its tour of the host city’s 33 boroughs.
Most people who attended the rehearsal appeared to obey the appeal for secrecy, although there have been reports of some images being posted on the internet before being removed shortly after.
Many took to Twitter to show their support after the rehearsal.
“I am now sitting on my seat in the Olympic Stadium. But I shall #savethesurprise and not tweet details of the ceremony. Sorry,” tweeted Dan McNeil.
And many gave positive reviews of the ceremony on the website.
One person who was in the audience, Pete Hendrick, tweeted: “If you’ve got plans Friday night, cancel them. Opening ceremony is out of this world. Danny Boyle, I salute you.”
Chris Golds, another audience member, said the event was “breathtaking” and “awe inspiring”.
Moody’s has warned the outlook for Germany’s AAA credit rating is negative, the first step towards a possible downgrade.
Credit ratings agency Moody’s said the country was at risk from the increased likelihood of a Greek exit from the euro and the need to provide more support to Spain.
Concerns are growing that Spain will have to seek a full bailout.
The Netherlands and Luxembourg – both AAA rated economies – were also put on negative watch.
A negative outlook posting from Moody’s, one of a handful of agencies that assess the creditworthiness of borrowers, reflects a higher risk that the actual rating will be cut at some point in the next two years.
France and Austria lost their AAA ratings earlier this year.
Moody’s said there was an increased chance that Greece could leave the eurozone, which “would set off a chain of financial sector shocks”.
It added that policymakers could only contain these shocks at a very high cost.
Representatives from the troika of international lenders are due to arrive in Greece later to assess its progress towards reducing its debts.
They must decide whether Greece is eligible to receive 31.5 billion Euros – the last tranche of a 130 billion euro ($158 billion) aid package agreed in March.
Greece is behind in its plans to cut spending and debt because its economy is shrinking faster than forecast.
Moody's has warned the outlook for Germany's AAA credit rating is negative, the first step towards a possible downgrade
Separately, the German finance minister, Wolfgang Schaeuble, is to meet the Spanish Economy Minister, Luis de Guindos, in Berlin.
The meeting comes a day after Spain’s borrowing costs rose to their highest level since the creation of the euro. Yields on the country’s 10-year bonds remained above 7.5% on Tuesday.
Italy’s 10-year bond yield was also stuck at a high level, with a yield of 6.377%.
Moody’s warned that Germany and other highly-rated countries may have to increase levels of support for countries such as Spain and Italy, who have not asked for a Greek-style bailout but who are struggling with high debt levels.
It said in a statement: “Even if such an event [a Greek exit] is avoided, there is an increasing likelihood that greater collective support for other euro area sovereigns, most notably Spain and Italy, will be required.
“This burden will likely fall most heavily on more highly rated member states if the euro area is to be preserved in its current form.”
Jim O Neill, the chairman of Goldman Sachs asset management, said the European Central Bank needed to take radical action.
“If Italy gets into already the kind of pressure that we now see on Spain, there would be contagion into the French markets probably… so the policy makers have got to do something a little bit more decisive in terms of monetary interventions,” he said.
Lena Komileva, the chief economist at the investment research company, Gplus Economics, said she too was worried about problems escalating.
“My concern is that an outright sovereign bailout is such a politically unpopular measure that it might just happen too late, which means that Spain will continue to bleed contagion into the rest of the eurozone for the remaining of the year.
“Italy of course is an open target for contagion, but I’m increasingly concerned about the position of France.”
The downgrades come as worries over the eurozone crisis pushed the yields on Spanish and Italian debt to record euro-era highs, reflecting a weakening of faith in the pair’s financial position.
The German Finance Ministry said the country would remain strong, and said that Moody’s was focusing on short-term risks.
“By means of its solid economic and financial policy, Germany will retain its <<safe haven>> status and continue to play its role as the anchor in the euro zone responsibly,” the ministry said.
Rival agencies, including Standard & Poor’s and Fitch, have Germany on the AAA top rating with a stable outlook, implying they do not currently foresee a weakening of its financial position, although all agencies regularly review their rankings.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak has apologized to the nation over corruption investigations involving his brother and former aides.
“I bow my head and apologize for causing the public concern as a result of these incidents,” Lee Myung-bak said in a short address on television.
His brother, Lee Sang-deuk, was detained by police on corruption charges earlier this month.
Lee Myung-bak’s five-year presidential term comes to an end in February 2013.
Lee Sang-deuk, a former lawmaker for six terms and reportedly the president’s political mentor, faces allegations of taking 600 million won ($525,000) in bribes from two savings banks to help them avoid an audit.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak has apologized to the nation over corruption investigations involving his brother and former aides
As the elder brother to South Korea’s head of state, his arrest and possible trial could affect support for the ruling party in December’s presidential elections.
There has been widespread anger over the savings bank scandal. Since the start of this year, South Korean regulators have closed 20 of the nation’s weakest banks.
Many of them were so-called savings banks, which were created following the 1997 Asian financial crisis. There used to be more than 100 of these small regional lenders, which were either private or rural co-operatives.
However, a rising number of mortgage defaults in the country’s lacklustre real-estate market following the 2008 financial crisis led many of these lenders to face capital and liquidity shortages.
In January 2011, the financial regulator began suspending operations of banks that did not have enough money.
Two of the troubled savings banks were Solomon Savings Bank, which was shut two months ago, and Mirae Savings Bank. Both allegedly made payments to the elder Lee Sang-deuk.
But prosecutors investigating the savings bank scandal allege the illegal activity goes much wider, and have indicted nearly 200 people, including politicians, lobbyists and bankers.
Representatives from the troika of international lenders arrive in Greece on Tuesday to assess its progress towards reducing its huge debts.
They must decide whether Greece is eligible to receive 31.5 billion Euros – the last tranche of a 130 billion Euro ($158 billion) aid package agreed in March.
Athens is behind in its plans to cut spending and debt because its economy is shrinking faster than forecast.
The Greek prime minister is expected to ask for more time to repay its loans.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF), European Central Bank (ECB) and European Commission (EC) make up the troika.
The IMF said it was “supporting Greece in overcoming its economic difficulties” and would work with the country to get it “back on track”.
However, reports over the weekend suggested that the IMF would refuse calls for further aid.
Representatives from the troika of international lenders arrive in Greece on Tuesday to assess its progress towards reducing its huge debts
Greece has promised to reduce its budget deficit to below 3% of annual national income as measured in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by the end of 2014. At the end of last year, Greece’s overspend was equivalent to 9% of GDP in 2011.
Successive Greek governments have managed to trim 17bn euros from government spending. That has brought the country’s total debt down from more than 160% of GDP to 132% according to official figures released on Monday.
Under the terms of its international loan agreement with the troika, Greece has vowed to reduce its total debt to 120% of GDP by 2020.
However, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras would have had to have raised another 12 billion Euros through higher taxes and the sale of public assets such as the country’s loss-making railways to have met this bailout target.
Still worse, Greece’s economy is shrinking faster than most had forecast. The Bank of Greece expects GDP to shrink 5% this year in its deepest recession since the 1930s.
As a result, economists calculate that Greece may need a third rescue package worth up to 50 billion Euros.
The re-run of general elections and political instability as parties scrambled to form a governing coalition has delayed work by the troika and the government to agree a credible plan to restore the nation’s finances.
A European Commission spokesman said the troika would not be in a position to report its findings and release the final 31.5 billion euro installment of bailout money until September.
“The Commission is confident that the decision on the next disbursement will be taken in the near future, although it is unlikely to happen before September,” he said.
That leaves Greece in a difficult situation. A 3.8 billion euro debt repayment to the ECB falls due on 20 August. Without the troika money, the ECB may be forced to step in to provide temporary aid.
But further debt repayments are due in September so failure to secure the bailout money could push Greece to the brink of insolvency.
If Greece were to default on its outstanding loans that, in turn, could force it to exit the eurozone and return to the drachma.
*Troika
The term used to refer to the European Union, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund – the three organizations charged with monitoring Greece’s progress in carrying out austerity measures as a condition of bailout loans provided to it by the IMF and by other European governments. The bailout loans are being released in a number of tranches of cash, each of which must be approved by the troika’s inspectors.
A race to unlock genetic clues behind living to 100 is set to begin next year, after a US team announced it will compete for the $10 million Genomics X Prize.
Genetic entrepreneur Dr. Jonathan Rothberg is entering the challenge to identify genes linked to a long, healthy life.
His team – and any other contenders – will be given 30 days to work out the full DNA code of 100 centenarians at a cost of no more than $1,000 per genome.
The race will start in September 2013.
Under the rules of the Archon Genomics X Prize, teams have until next May to register for the competition.
A race to unlock genetic clues behind living to 100 is set to begin next year, after a US team announced it will compete for the $10 million Genomics X Prize
Dr. Jonathan Rothberg’s team from Life Technologies Corporation in California is the first to formally enter the race.
Being able to sequence the full human genome at a cost of $1,000 or less is regarded as a milestone in science.
It is seen as the threshold at which DNA sequencing technology becomes cheap enough to be used widely in medicine, helping in diagnosis and in matching drugs to a patient’s genetic make-up.
One hundred people aged 100 have donated their DNA for the project.
Scientists believe people who reach a very old age may have certain rare changes in their genes which protect against common diseases of later life, such as heart disease and cancer.
If these genes can be identified by analyzing the DNA codes of centenarians, it will help scientists search for new medical treatments and perhaps ways to prolong life.
However, many sample DNA sequences will be needed in order to get the accuracy needed to pinpoint changes on the scale of a few genetic letters among the three billion in the human genome.
Dr Jonathan Rothberg, a geneticist and entrepreneur, said the DNA of 100 centenarians is a good start towards finding “the fountains of youth”.
He said: “One hundred people will give you a hint. One thousand will make you reasonably sure. Ten thousand will let you say, <<Hey, these are the genes involved in cancer or heart disease>>.”
Dr. Craig Venter is the originator of the prize and one of the main players in the race to sequence the first human genome, which was completed in 2003.
He said he could never have imagined that genome sequencing would come this far in so little time.
Dr. Craig Venter: “I can’t emphasize [enough] how impressed I am with the progress of technology and the dropping of the cost.
“If they can do a human genome in two hours with one little machine, it’s just stunning. We have come a long way.”
The X Prize Foundation offers awards for solutions to modern scientific challenges, from space to the human genome.
Any data gleaned from the X Prize will be shared with other scientists in the field, to aid the quest for insights into ageing.
A Dutch study has found that severely obese children are putting their heart at danger even while they are still in primary school.
Heart disease is normally associated with middle age, but the early warning signs were detected in children between the ages of two and 12.
Two-thirds of the 307 children studied had a least one early symptom such as high blood pressure.
The findings were presented in Archives of Disease in Childhood.
Obesity is a growing problem around the world with more people becoming obese and at a younger age.
A Dutch study has found that severely obese children are putting their heart at danger even while they are still in primary school
Two-year-olds with a Body Mass Index (BMI), a measure of obesity, greater than 20.5 are classed as severely obese. By the age of 18, a BMI of 35 is a sign of severe obesity.
Researchers at the VU University Medical Centre in Amsterdam collected data from the Dutch Paediatric Surveillance Unit between 2005 and 2007.
They looked at warning signs of heart disease in the severely obese children.
“Remarkably, 62% of severely obese children under 12 years of age already had one or more cardiovascular risk factors,” the study concluded.
More than half had high blood pressure, and there were also cases of low “good cholesterol” and high blood sugar, which can result in Type 2 diabetes.
The researchers said this “may lead to cardiovascular disease in young adulthood”.
Sally Ride, the first American woman to travel into space, has died aged 61, 17 months after she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
“Sally’s historic flight into space captured the nation’s imagination and made her a household name,” Sally Ride Science foundation said in a statement.
She blasted off in the US space shuttle Challenger in June 1983.
Sally Ride was not the first woman in space – that was Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova in June 1963.
Since her first mission in 1983, more than 45 women from the US and other countries have flown in space, including two as shuttle commander.
Sally Ride died on Monday in La Jolla, California.
Sally Ride, the first American woman to travel into space, has died aged 61
Once an aspiring tennis player, she went on to earn no fewer than four university degrees including a doctorate in physics.
In a statement, President Barack Obama said he was “deeply saddened” to hear about her death.
“As the first American woman to travel into space, Sally was a national hero and a powerful role model,” the US president said in a statement.
Sally Ride was born and grew up in Los Angeles, California, attending Stanford University for master’s and doctorate degrees in physics.
According to her foundation, Sally Ride applied to NASA after seeing an ad in the Stanford student newspaper, calling for scientists and engineers, including women to apply to the astronaut corps.
Sally Ride joined NASA in 1978 – one of 35 people selected as astronauts from a field of more than 8,000 who applied.
She went on her first space shuttle mission on board the Challenger in 1983.
As well as being the first American woman in space, she was also – at the age of 32 – the youngest person in America at the time to go into orbit.
As part of that mission she used a robotic arm which she had helped develop to retrieve a satellite.
Sally Ride reached space again the following year, and was scheduled for a third trip when the Challenger space shuttle exploded in 1986.
The shuttle broke apart just over a minute into its mission, killing all seven of the crew members, and prompting an almost three-year hiatus in the American space programme.
Following the disaster, she served as a member of the presidential commission that investigated the causes of the fatal accident. She also served on a similar board following the Columbia space shuttle, which broke apart during its re-entry to Earth in 2003.
“Sally Ride broke barriers with grace and professionalism – and literally changed the face of America’s space program,” NASA administrator Charles Bolden said in a statement.
“She will be missed, but her star will always shine brightly.”
After leaving NASA, Sally Ride became a professor at University of California, San Diego, and served as a science fellow at Stanford University.
She launched Sally Ride Science, which created science programmes and publications for young students, in 2001. She also wrote five children’s science books.
“The fact that I was going to be the first American woman to go into space carried huge expectations along with it,” Sally Ride said in a 2008 interview.
“I didn’t really think about it that much at the time – but I came to appreciate what an honour it was to be selected,” she said.
Sally Ride is survived by her mother and partner Tam O’Shaughnessy.
Strong typhoon Vicente hit Hong Kong overnight, leaving scores injured, hundreds of trees felled and many flights cancelled or delayed.
Typhoon Vicente hit late on Monday, bringing winds of more than 140 km/h (87 mph) and heavy downpours.
The storm warning was briefly raised to the highest level of 10 for the first time in 13 years but downgraded on Tuesday as the storm passed.
Trading on the stock exchange was temporarily delayed on Tuesday morning.
The stock exchange was expected to resume trading in the afternoon.
Typhoon Vicente hit late on Monday, bringing winds of more than 140 km/h (87 mph) and heavy downpours
Although the typhoon was forecast to move away from Hong Kong across western Guangdong, the Hong Kong Observatory warned that gale force winds were still prevailing on Tuesday morning.
Authorities warned that flight disruptions could continue.
More than 100 people aged between four and 86 sought treatment at public hospitals and at least 72 were hospitalized, officials said.
Flooding has also been reported in some areas and hundreds of trees were felled overnight.
The Hong Kong government has opened 24 temporary shelters and more than 250 people have sought refuge.
The Airport Authority said that between midnight to 08:00 local time, 60 flights had been cancelled, 60 delayed and another 16 diverted.
Public transportation systems were resuming service gradually on Tuesday morning.
Gossard launches Glossies, a gravity-defying, sheer and minimalist bra which allows well-endowed women to show off their assets with confidence.
The new Gossard Glossies bras have been uniquely moulded to embrace fuller cup sizes, while being as sexy as those available to smaller women.
The product has seamless inner “secret sling” which gives extra lift and projection without using heavyweight material.
It also has a hidden wire for extra support, a double layered wing to provide an anchored position and balanced support system.
Gossard will launch their new range with sizes ranging from D to GG as part of their Autumn Winter collection, along with their standard A-D cup sizes.
The bras were trialed by plus-size women who each wore the bra for 50 hours each.
The new Gossard Glossies bras have been uniquely moulded to embrace fuller cup sizes, while being as sexy as those available to smaller women
“For many years bra designers have stumbled when faced with the larger cup sizes, and this has meant less attractive lingerie for ladies with a fuller figure,” says Gossard head designer Stacey Lindsay.
“Historically bigger sizes have been based on the smaller sizes, but have sacrificed style to deliver the much-needed support.
“Our team has worked relentlessly to find a way to make it possible to offer our most minimalist and sheer bra for our bigger-breasted customers.
“It was a huge challenge, and we were pioneering never-tried before techniques. But we’re now 100% satisfied we’ve developed a design that stays true to the core cup sized bra, without compromising on style, comfort or fit.”
The bra manufacturer is famous for its sexy campaigns, which includes a controversial advert featuring model Sophie Anderton which was launched in 1996 with the strapline: “Who said a woman couldn’t get pleasure from something soft?”
Gossard managing director, Tony Jarvis, says he’s delighted that boundaries are being pushed to deliver a pioneering approach to meeting customer demand.
“At Gossard we’re constantly striving to push the boundaries and apply new technologies and techniques to give our customers what they want,” he said.
“Glossies in bigger cup sizes is just the latest evolution, with gravity-defying design.”
The Glossies moulded bra, in cup size DD-G is available in black, white, mocha and nude from www.gossard.com.
Katherine Jackson, the mother of dead superstar Michael Jackson, has been contacted by police after she was reported missing on the weekend.
Katherine Jackson, the grandmother and guardian of the megastar’s three children, is safe and with a family member in Arizona, authorities said late on Sunday, just one day after another relative reported her missing to police.
Los Angeles Sheriff’s Deputy Mark Pope said investigators made contact with Katherine Jackson, but he did not have specifics on her whereabouts.
The agency previously said they believed Katherine Jackson was with a relative and safe, but wanted to speak with her, a request that went unanswered.
Son Jermaine Jackson said in a statement: “Mother is safe and well in Arizona with her daughter and our sister, Rebbie, resting up on doctor’s advice, so it is beyond me how she can be reported <<missing>>.”
He said access to his mother is not being blocked but that her access to phones and computers was removed for her well being.
“Furthermore, it dismays me that such an alarmist <<missing person>> report has caused unnecessary anxiety among Michael’s children who will understandably react to what they misunderstand, hear or are told,” he said.
Katherine Jackson is safe and with a family member in Arizona, authorities said late on Sunday
Katherine Jackson’s grandchildren reported losing contact with her for a week, and nephew Trent Jackson filed a missing person report on Saturday night.
Her brief disappearance occurred at the same time of a brewing battle among other family members over his will believed faked after his death in June of 2009. The grandmother and her three grandchildren are the sole beneficiaries to Michael Jackson’s estate.
Worried for her grandmother’s safety, Michael Jackson’s daughter Paris tweeted on early Sunday that she wanted her to return home.
“Yes, my grandmother is missing. i haven’t spoken with her in a week i want her home now,” the 14-year-old tweeted adding a number to call if there was any word.
It was unclear who is taking care of the children in Katherine Jackson’s absence.
At the same time of Paris’ pleas for help, her uncle Jermaine Jackson tweeted his own of assurance that his mother was safe and being taken care of during a time of medical need, naming a mini-stroke in recent months.
The stroke was initially disputed by the teen who tweeted that “nothing had happened to her”. The tweet was later deleted.
The incident demonstrated divisions in the Jackson family just days after five of the singer’s siblings once again claimed that the King of Pop’s will was a fake and that the executors of his lucrative estate should step down.
The undated letter, signed by Janet, Randy, Tito, Rebbie and Jermaine Jackson, claimed Katherine Jackson was being manipulated by the executors, John Branca and John McClain, her health had been affected, and she suffered a mini-stroke.
The estate has denied the accusations, which have swirled since Michael Jackson died from an overdose of a powerful anesthetic. Katherine Jackson obtained permission from a judge to investigate the will’s validity, but never pursued the matter in court.
Hearing her grandmother was sent away on doctor’s orders did little to calm Paris, who expressed concern of a possibly more dangerous situation brewing.
“The same doctor that testified on behalf of dr murray saying my father was a drug addict (a lie) is caring for my grandmother… just saying,” she wrote.
Radar Online identified that doctor as Dr. Allan Metzger, the same who wrote fraudulent prescriptions for Michael’s sister Janet Jackson leading to his 2009 reprimand by the Medical Board of California.
Last fall he testified in Dr. Conrad Murray’s trial that Michael Jackson had come to him requesting Propofol, the drug that ended his life. Allan Metzger said he refused Michael Jackson’s request and warned him of the consequences, aiding prosecutors despite being a defense witness.
Dr. Conrad Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for the June 2009 propofol overdose death of Michael Jackson at age 50.
According to Radar Online, Dr. Allan Metzger was called on specifically by brothers Jermaine and Randy Jackson to treat their mother last week.
Dr. Allan Metzger is not Katherine Jackson’s primary physician and her regular doctor wasn’t aware of his house call until concerns about her whereabouts were raised.
Michael Jackson’s three children have lived with their grandmother since their father’s untimely death.
James Holmes, the man accused of killing 12 people in a shooting at a Batman film screening in Aurora, Colorado, has appeared in court for the first time.
James Holmes, 24, sat in court in a red jail suit with dyed orange hair, and appeared sleepy during the proceedings.
Nine of 58 people wounded by the gunman remain in critical condition.
On Sunday, President Barack Obama met survivors and families of the dead as hundreds of people took part in a service of remembrance.
James Holmes is to be held without bail at a jail in Centennial, Colorado, the judge said.
He is accused of throwing two canisters of gas into a busy midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises before firing at random at the crowd. Witnesses say he was wearing full body armour during the attack.
It is reported that a semi-automatic rifle jammed during the attack and the gunman switched to a weapon with less firepower, possibly saving some lives.
James Holmes, the man accused of killing 12 people in a shooting at Batman film screening in Aurora, has appeared in court for the first time
James Holmes was being held in solitary confinement. Police say he is not co-operating with them.
The dead include a six-year-old girl and two US military servicemen.
James Holmes appeared in court at 09:30 local time for the first stage in a process likely to see him face at least 12 counts of first-degree murder. He could face further charges of aggravated assault and weapons violations.
Prosecutors are to formally file charges on 30 July.
One prosecutor has warned it could take at least a year before James Holmes stands trial, the AP reported.
The office of prosecutor Carol Chambers is considering whether to press for the death penalty for James Holmes, a decision that will be made in consultation with the victims’ families, she said.
On Monday morning uniformed police were stationed outside the court house, and deputies were patrolling the roofs of court buildings.
President Barack Obama said that when he visited Aurora on Sunday he had shared hugs and tears, but also laughter as the families recounted the lives of their loved ones.
He added that he visited as much as a father and husband as a president, and that Aurora was in the nation’s thoughts.
Barack Obama said: “I confessed to them words were inadequate but my main task was to serve as a representative of the entire country and say we are thinking about them at this moment each and every day.”
Both President Barack Obama and his Republican Party challenger, Mitt Romney, curtailed their election campaigns in the wake of the Aurora attack, dropping advertising in Colorado state out of respect for victims and their families.
Meanwhile, residents have been laying flowers at a memorial site near the Century cinema and thousands of people have been participating in vigils outside City Hall.
Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan told the crowd on Sunday: “While our hearts are broken, our community is not.”
On Saturday police managed to gain access to James Holmes’ flat, which had been laid with booby traps connected to explosives that could have killed someone entering through the door.
The FBI is now collecting evidence, and investigators say a computer found inside his home could provide crucial details.
Several US media outlets have reported that a Batman mask and poster were in the flat, but police have not confirmed this.
Police said the suspect had acted with “calculation and deliberation”, adding that he had been stockpiling ammunition for months.
Over the course of eight weeks he bought 6,300 rounds of ammunition: 3,000 for a .233 semi-automatic AR-15 rifle, 3,000 for two .40 Glock 22 pistols and 300 cartridges for a pump-action shotgun.
James Holmes bought the four weapons legally.
Authorities say the suspect is not linked to terror groups and have not established a motive for the attack. James Holmes had no criminal record other than a speeding fine.
James Holmes grew up in San Diego and was pursuing a PhD in neuroscience at the University of Colorado in Denver. School officials have said that he recently left the programme.
Names of the dead in Aurora cinema shooting:
• Jessica Ghawi, 24
• Veronica Moser, 6
• John Larimer, 27
• Alexander Boik, 18
• Jesse Childress, 29
• Jonathan Blunk, 26
• Rebecca Ann Wingo, 32
• Alex Sullivan, 27
• Gordon Cowden, 51
• Micayla Medek, 23
• Alexander Teves, 24
• Matthew McQuinn, 27 (presumptively identified, awaiting confirmation)
US college sport authorities have fined Penn State University $60 million in the wake of child sex abuse perpetrated by assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky.
Famous US football school Penn state University will be banned from competing for honors for four years, and lose all wins from 1998-2011.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) said the punishments were “corrective and punitive”.
Assistant coach Jerry Sandusky was found guilty of 45 counts of sex abuse.
He abused 10 boys over a period of 15 years, a court found, judging him to have preyed on boys he met through a charity, Second Mile, that he founded himself.
Jerry Sandusky has not been sentenced but could spend the rest of his life in prison.
Penn State University was fined $60 million in the wake of child sex abuse perpetrated by Jerry Sandusky
The NCAA said the fines were equivalent to the annual gross revenue of the Penn State football programme.
The money is to be given to an endowment funding external programmes to prevent child abuse and help victims.
“Football will never again be placed ahead of educating, nurturing and protecting young people,” NCAA President Mark Emmert said.
“The sanctions needed to reflect our goals of providing cultural change.”
Other NCAA sanctions against Penn State include:
• A ban on participating in post-season games – or playoffs – for four years, including the 2012-2013 season
• Number of football scholarships limited for the next four years, a reduction of 10 places per year
• Football wins revoked between 1998-2011
• A five-year probation on all sports at Penn State
• Adoption of all recommendations for reform in Section 10 of an FBI investigation into abuse at Penn State
• Appointment of an NCAA-selected Athletics Integrity Monitor for five years
• Further penalties against individuals could come after criminal proceedings end.
Correspondents say the sanctions are unprecedented in their severity, although the NCAA did not impose the “death penalty” and close the entire football programme.
The fallout from the scandal has sullied the reputation of Penn State’s former head football coach Joe Paterno.
Joe Paterno, who died earlier this year, months before the resolution of the case, won more college football games in his long career at Penn State than any other head coach in university sport.
He was heavily criticized in a report by former FBI Director Louis Freeh, issued after the guilty verdict, which said the highest-ranking officials at Penn State failed utterly to protect victims and potential victims from Jerry Sandusky.
Many of his wins will now be expunged from the record books.
On Sunday a statue of Joe Paterno was removed from outside the university, after it was deemed to have become a “lightning rod of controversy”.
Newly released Batman film The Dark Knight Rises made an estimated $160 million at US and Canadian box offices in its opening weekend, a record for a non 3-D film.
But the blockbuster’s takings were below industry forecasts made before the mass shooting at a midnight showing of the film in Colorado on Friday.
Projected figures suggested the film would make an estimated $173 million, based on Friday receipts.
Twelve people were killed and 58 hurt in the attack at a cinema in Aurora.
The Dark Knight Rises made an estimated $160 million at US and Canadian box offices in its opening weekend
The top two highest-ever openings were both 3-D films – The Avengers with $207 million and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 with $169 million.
“For this film (Dark Knight) to still be in the rarefied air of the top-three openings of all time is phenomenal, given the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the release of this film,” said Paul Dergarabedian, a box office analyst for Hollywood.com.
Following the shooting, US cinemas tightened security and Warner Bros scaled down its promotional plans.
A movie premiere in Paris was cancelled, along with personal appearances by the cast and crew in Japan and Mexico.
“My heart aches and breaks for the lives taken and altered by this unfathomably senseless act,” Anne Hathaway said in a statement.
“I am at a loss for words how to express my sorrow. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families.”
The third and final film in director Christopher Nolan’s Batman series stars Christian Bale and Anne Hathaway. It cost Warner Bros $250 million to make.
Studios including Sony, Fox, Disney, Paramount and Warner Bros publicly withdrew their usual official revenue reports out of respect for the victims and their families, but sources gave details of the takings to media outlets.
Last week’s number one, Ice Age: Continental Drift, dropped to second place, with The Amazing Spider-Man in third.
Seth MacFarlane’s R-rated comedy Ted, starring Mark Wahlberg opposite a foul-mouthed CGI teddy bear, is in fourth spot, while Disney animation Brave is at number five.
Scientists in the US have created a free swimming artificial jellyfish using silicone as a base on which to grow heart muscle cells that were harvested from rats.
They used an electric current to shock the Medusoid into swimming with synchronized contractions that mimic those of real jellyfish.
The advance, by researchers at Caltech and Harvard University, is reported in the journal Nature Biotechnology.
The finding serves as a proof of concept for reverse engineering a variety of muscular organs and simple life forms.
Because jellyfish use a muscle to pump their way through the water, the way they function – on a very basic level – is similar to that of a human heart.
“I started looking at marine organisms that pump to survive,” said Kevin Kit Parker, a professor of bioengineering and applied physics at Harvard.
“Then I saw a jellyfish at the New England Aquarium, and I immediately noted both similarities and differences between how the jellyfish pumps and the human heart.
“The similarities help reveal what you need to do to design a bio-inspired pump.”
Scientists used an electric current to shock the Medusoid into swimming with synchronized contractions that mimic those of real jellyfish
The work also points to a broader definition of “synthetic life” in an emerging field of science that has until now focused on replicating life’s building blocks, say the researchers.
Prof. Kevin Kit Parker said he wanted to challenge the traditional view of synthetic biology which is “focused on genetic manipulations of cells”. Instead of building just a cell, he sought to “build a beast”.
The two groups at Caltech and Harvard worked for years to understand the key factors that contribute to jellyfish propulsion, including the arrangement of their muscles, how their bodies contract and recoil, and how fluid dynamics helps or hinders their movements.
Once these functions were well understood, the researchers began to reverse engineer them.
They used silicone to fashion a jellyfish-shaped body with eight arm-like appendages.
Next, they printed a pattern made of protein onto the “body” that resembled the muscle architecture of the real animal.
They grew the heart muscle cells on top, with the protein pattern serving as a road map for the growth and organization of the rat tissue. This allowed them to turn the cells into a coherent swimming muscle.
When the researchers set the Medusoid free in a container of electrically conducting fluid, they shocked the Medusoid into swimming with synchronized contractions. The muscle cells even started to contract a bit on their own before the electrical current was applied.
“I was surprised that with relatively few components – a silicone base and cells that we arranged – we were able to reproduce some pretty complex swimming and feeding behaviors that you see in biological jellyfish,” said John Dabiri, professor of aeronautics and bioengineering at Caltech.
“I’m pleasantly surprised at how close we are getting to matching the natural biological performance, but also that we’re seeing ways in which we can probably improve on that natural performance. The process of evolution missed a lot of good solutions.”
Lead author Janna Nawroth from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena commented that the field of tissue engineering was “still a very qualitative art”.
She said researchers tried to copy a tissue or organ “based on what they think is important or what they see as the major components without necessarily understanding if those components are relevant to the desired function or without analyzing first how different materials could be used”.
The team aims to carry out further work on the artificial jellyfish. They want to make adjustments that will allow it to turn and move in a particular direction.
They also plan to incorporate a simple “brain” so it can respond to its environment and replicate more advanced behaviors like moving towards a light source and seeking energy or food.
When it comes to keeping it clean, most will testify to having an array of expensive products and potions stored under the kitchen sink.
However, Wimex claims that could all be a thing of the past thanks to the launch of a new one-stop, recession-busting “wonder cleaner” – which claims to save cash by doing the job of the lot.
They say Bio-mex is an organic, chemical-free product which can get rid of grease and dirt not only from kitchens and bathrooms, but also be used to keep bicycles and car engines shiny and clean.
Costing $16 for a 300g pot, the cleaner was created by German company Wimex.
Unlike most cleaning products, which contain powerful bleach and other harmful chemicals, Bio-mex is made with only natural ingredients, such as vegetable soap, white clay, vegetable fats, glycerine and lemon.
Bio-mex is an organic, chemical-free product which can get rid of grease and dirt not only from kitchens and bathrooms, but also be used to keep bicycles and car engines shiny and clean
The ingredients are “fired” together to create a hardened cream or “cake” which is removed using a damp sponge from the pot lid.
Because it is made from organic ingredients it is also kind to skin and is free from the overpowering chemical odors present in regular products.
One user said: “I used to buy many different cleaning products, now I just use Bio-mex. My bathroom and kitchen stay beautifully white and shining clean. On top of everything, Bio-mex is organic – no more dry hands.”
Another added: “I never realized that cleaning a shower could be so complicated! I have a tiled shower, with a glass door. I used to use one product to clean the door, another for the grouting, one for the soap area, Jif for the darker floor area and a spray on one for the white walls.
“Now Bio-mex does everything, and it does it superbly. I also love the fact that I don’t get asphyxiated by fumes, as well as the pleasant smell left on my hands afterwards. I can also use it on the rest of the bathroom fixtures. Bio-mex is virtually the only cleaning product I use now.”
Bio-mex has been a closely guarded secret of the hotel and restaurant trade for years, but this is the first time it has been available for sale to the general public.
Super-Spanx Objective 1 Size Down, the latest shapewear from Playtex, not only promises to clinch you in and smooth you out, but its makers claim it will zap your cellulite and make you drop a dress size, too.
Objective 1 Size Down pants contain mysterious-sounding “acti-mineral ceramic crystals”, which are woven into the fabric and apparently improve microciculation by giving your thighs and bottom a continuous massage as you walk around.
But do these new wonder pants work? Could they help us to drop a dress size by wearing them every day for a month?
Objective 1 Size Down pants contain mysterious-sounding “acti-mineral ceramic crystals”, which are woven into the fabric and apparently improve microciculation by giving your thighs and bottom a continuous massage as you walk around
For a start, these are no ordinary knickers to look at or wear. They certainly make their presence felt.
Objective 1 Size Down pants cost $60, which seems a small price to pay for dimple-free thighs and a svelte waist. But having to wear them for 28 days (this is how long the makers claim it takes to notice the effects) means quite a few pairs are required. Luckily, their mighty flab-holding power withstands the rigors of the washing machine.
It seems the hottest new healthy food fad is “eating alkaline”as the actresses Gwyneth Paltrow and Kirsten Dunst have recently revealed they “eat alkaline”.
Jennifer Aniston drinks an alkaline smoothie every day and supermodel Miranda Kerr recently revealed that instead of drinking normal pH neutral water, she drinks only water alkalized by a special filter.
Our bodies are naturally alkaline, but its functions produce acid. This stresses out your digestive system, causing you to gain weight and feel lethargic. In short, health fanatics claim “going alkaline” is the fastest route to having more energy, a flat stomach and glowing skin.
“I’ve been a fan of eating alkaline for years,” says nutritionist Vicki Edgson.
“It’s basically about getting the balance right between alkaline and acidic foods. We can eat both types, but we need to ensure we eat more alkaline foods than acidic ones.”
“Acidic foods are, as the name suggests, acid-forming in the body,” explains Vicki Edgson.
“They can cause weight gain, a bloated stomach, tiredness and other health problems. Whereas alkaline foods help you stay in shape and feel and look younger.
“The other good thing about this way of eating is that it’s entirely un-faddy: it doesn’t cut out food groups or involve counting calories.”
So, could you be acidic? Signs include weight gain, poor digestion, bloating, tiredness and skin problems (dryness or spots). If so, it may be time to give alkaline eating a go.
The alkaline diet first came to prominence in America when Robert Young wrote the New York Times bestselling The pH Miracle. In it, he explains how he discovered that the pH of foods (i.e. whether they’re alkaline or acidic) affects our weight and health.
“Eating alkaline foods acts as a buffer for the stresses and strains of life, which are acid-forming,” says Robert Young.
He goes on to explain how the more alkaline you are, the healthier you’ll feel. You’ll be able to lose excess weight more quickly, you won’t feel bloated or tired and your skin will look better. In other words, your body will function more efficiently, he claims.
A typical diet of coffee, processed food, too much meat, alcohol, sugar, salt and stress can quickly cause us to become acidic – and poor health, weight gain and tiredness will follow.
Honestly Healthy. Eat With Your Body In Mind, The Alkaline Way, by Natasha Corrett and Vicki Edgson
So stress causes us to become acidic too?
“Yes”, says Vicki Edgson who has recently co-written a book on alkaline eating.
“Our long-hours culture is causing many of us to become acidic. Tiredness and stress are very acid-forming. However, what is even more so is anger and bitterness.
“It’s one thing to get a little stressed about daily chores, but if you hold on to feelings of anger and resentment for many months or years, you run the risk of becoming incredibly acidic, which can be detrimental to your health.”
The good news is, Vicki Edgson says, if you manage your stress and include plenty of alkalizing foods in your diet, you can tip yourself back into an alkaline state.
Organic chef, Natasha Corrett, who with Vicki Edgson co-wrote Honestly Healthy: Eat With Your Body In Mind, The Alkaline Way, discovered the benefits of this diet first-hand.
“My weight yo-yo’d for years and I tried lots of different diets,” she explains.
“Then, in 2009, I hurt my back. So my mum sent me to an ayurvedic acupuncturist who took one look at me and said: <<You’re completely acidic>>. He then asked me if I struggled to lose weight, felt bloated, stressed, heavy, tired and struggled to wake up in the mornings and concentrate during the day. He basically described how I felt most of the time.
“He put me on a three-week alkaline diet and within days I felt amazing. I’d never really heard of alkaline eating before but it seemed incredibly simple and I never felt hungry so it didn’t feel like a diet. My energy levels improved, my skin glowed, the weight fell off – and, crucially, it’s stayed off – and my sugar cravings vanished.”
Natasha Corrett continued on the alkaline diet after the 21 days were up and lost 28 lbs in a few months, taking her from a size 12 to a size 8.
“I love food and I hate to deprive myself, so I created alkaline recipes of my favorite foods. I love really succulent chocolate brownies so I made them without sugar, salt, wheat or gluten.”
All the alkaline recipes are in her new book. Vicki Edgson says that acidic foods aren’t necessarily a bad thing – if you look at the list of foods, you’ll see plenty of acidic ones that can be part of a healthy diet. It’s the ratio you need to get right.
She recommends 70% of what you eat should be alkaline and 30% acidic to help tip your body into an alkaline state. She also advises having plenty of fibre from fruit and vegetables, plus wholegrains, to help sweep out your digestive tract and reduce your acidity, as well as lots of water and sleep.
The way you cook your vegetables also has an impact. For example, raw spinach is alkaline, but when you cook it, it becomes acidic. For this reason you should try to eat your vegetables raw or just lightly steam them.
Kris Jenner met up with ex-lover Todd Waterman, the man who broke up her first marriage to Robert Kardashian Senior.
Long suffering Bruce Jenner, 62, for his part, had been enjoying winding his wife up about his golfing sessions with red-headed supermodel Angie Everhart, 42.
Kris Jenner, 56, had pushed him there, of course, by inviting her friend Lance Bass from NSync to dinner.
But after running into gorgeous Angie Everhart, who Kim Kardashian described as looking like the titular character Ariel from Disney’s Little Mermaid, he was soon setting up a golf date.
When he returned from the course, Bruce Jenner told a clearly rattled Kris that Angie Everhart is a “great golfer” and adds that “she got me on the last hole”.
Livid Kris Jenner snapped that she doesn’t know what that means then asked for her dry cleaning, which Bruce realized he forgot.
As he ran out of the door to get it, a furious Kris Jenner yells: “You f****** forgot my dry cleaning, thanks for thinking of me today.”
Kris Jenner met up with ex-lover Todd Waterman, the man who broke up her first marriage to Robert Kardashian Senior
Meanwhile, Rob Kardashian is moving back into Khloe and Lamar Odom’s home after deciding he can’t buy the home he wants at the moment.
He immediately annoys Khloe by filling her garage with his belongings after insisting he would only bring clothes to the home she shares with husband Lamar Odom.
Lamar Odom is keen to have Rob Kardashian back at the crib but notes: “Sometimes Rob can be a little disrespectful without even knowing it.”
Meanwhile, Kim Kardashian has been summoned to see her mother, who announces that: “Bruce has a major mad crush on Angie Everhart.”
Kris Jenner tells her daughter that her husband’s golf partner is hot and that it’s “really starting to bug her”.
It appears she wants to enlist her daughter to do some sleuthing and Kim Kardashian is keen but tells her mother that she must: “Buy some lingerie, do what you got to do.”
Kim Kardashian then remarks to camera: “I don’t think Bruce would cheat on my mom is so crazy she’s probably not giving it up so we need to do something.”
Thus Operation Angie Everhart is born, and the mother and daughter spy team hurtle around Calabasas Country Club trying to catch a glimpse of Bruce and Angie.
When they find them, Kris Jenner is devastated that Bruce looks so happy with Angie Everhart and loses it when she sees him slip an arm around the younger woman.
When Kris Jenner says: “He never looks that happy with me,” Kim Kardashian offers the comforting words: “It’s because you’re so boring and you’ve been married for 21 years.”
Then Kris Jenner exclaims: “Mother*****, that’s not playing golf!”
The action cuts to a charity fundraiser where Kris Jenner says tells her friends she will meet Todd Waterman if Bruce is going to foster this friendship.
She tells her friends: “You don’t know whether to hang on anymore, maybe there is another chapter for me.”
They gasp and attempt to clarify: “Without Bruce?” and she replies with a resounding “yes”.
Kris Jenner meets Todd Waterman as Bruce blithely plays golf.
Both Kris Jenner and Todd Waterman blame the other for seeking them out but when he whispers in her ear that he’s been waiting for her for 23 years, her emotions seem to race out of control.
Arab League foreign ministers have called Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down, as rebels are encouraged by last week’s assassinations in Damascus.
The rebels said the deaths of four top officials were a severe blow to the government.
Islamist rebels where he is are receiving weapons and money from outside.
Fighting continued overnight.
Government forces recaptured parts of Damascus, the suburbs of Barzeh and Mezzeh, which had fallen into rebel hands.
There and in other quarters, activists said a number of suspected rebels or sympathisers were summarily executed.
Syrian state TV on Monday showed images of Syrian forces going house to house and kicking down doors in Damascus, searching for any remaining rebel fighters.
Fighting was also reported in Syria’s second city, Aleppo.
Arab League foreign ministers have called Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down
After an emergency meeting in Qatar, Arab League foreign ministers called on President Bashar al-Assad to resign rapidly, and offered his family safe passage out of Syria.
They also called on the Syrian opposition to form a transitional government.
The call appears to have fallen on deaf ears.
Bashar al-Assad held a meeting with his new army chief of staff and gave him instructions, reportedly including a drive to crush armed rebels.
The meeting followed last week’s attack in Damascus, in which four senior officials were killed in what the Syrian government described as a suicide blast.
Rebels outside Damascus say the assassinations were a blow to the government.
They said the once-feared secret police were now a spent force, and the government was relying entirely on a weakened military.
However, the rebels are divided, between the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and the Salafists (hardline Islamists).
The Salafists are better armed, he says, because they are receiving weapons and money from outside.
Meanwhile, the EU is to tighten sanctions and an arms embargo against President Bashar al-Assad’s government.
EU foreign ministers agreed to freeze the assets of 26 individuals and three firms close to the Syrian government.
They will be added to a blacklist which already contains the names of 129 people and 49 entities.
EU member states will also be required to send inspectors to board planes and ships believed to be carrying weapons or suspicious supplies to Damascus.
The inspections will only take place on the territory or in the territorial waters of EU states.
Britain and France are calling for more EU aid to refugees from Syria.
On Sunday, the US signed an agreement to give Jordan an additional $100 million to help refugees fleeing from Syria.
The elite fourth division of the Syrian army, commanded by President Bashar al-Assad’s brother Maher, led the attack on the Barzeh area of Damascus, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
In Mezzeh, government forces “executed” at least 20 men in the area, some activists told the Reuters news agency by telephone.
The battle for control of Aleppo is still going on.
State TV played down the scale of the violence, saying troops were merely hunting down “terrorists”.
Rebel commanders have vowed to take it over completely and use it as a base for liberating the whole country, but state TV said many armed rebels had fled across the border to Turkey.
Rebels were now in control of the Bab al-Salam border crossing with Turkey. Turkey is not allowing non-Syrian nationals through so the border remains effectively closed.
There were also reports of violence in the eastern city of Deir al-Zour on Sunday. Witnesses told Reuters that it was being attacked with artillery and rockets from helicopter gunships.
