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Legendary TV host Dick Clark dies at 82 after suffering a massive heart attack

Diane A. Wade
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Legendary TV host Dick Clark dies at 82 after suffering a massive heart attack

Beloved television icon Dick Clark, who brought American Bandstand and his trademark New Year’s countdown to living rooms for decades, has died at 82.

Spokesman Paul Shefrin said Dick Clark suffered a massive heart attack Wednesday morning at Saint John’s hospital in Santa Monica, a day after he was admitted for an outpatient procedure.

Dick Clark had continued performing even after he suffered a stroke in 2004 that affected his ability to speak and walk.

He thrived as the founder of Dick Clark Productions, supplying movies, game and music shows, beauty contests and more to TV.

As news of Dick Clark’s death spread, a number of TV, screen and stage stars took to Twitter to express their sorrow.

Among them was Ryan Seacrest, who has named Dick Clark as a huge influence on his own career.

He said: “I am deeply saddened by the loss of my dear friend Dick Clark. He has truly been one of the greatest influences in my life.”

Not everyone was so reverential. Comedian and actor Dennis Leary referred to Dick Clark as one of the last “leather faced syrup voiced lizard people”.

Among his credits: The $25,000 Pyramid, TV’s Bloopers and Practical Jokes and the American Music Awards.

For a time in the 1980s, Dick Clark had shows on all three networks and was listed among the Forbes 400 of wealthiest Americans.

Dick Clark also was part of radio as partner in the United Stations Radio Network, which provided programs – including Clark’s – to thousands of stations.

“There’s hardly any segment of the population that doesn’t see what I do,” Dick Clark told The Associated Press in a 1985 interview.

“It can be embarrassing. People come up to me and say, <<I love your show>>, and I have no idea which one they’re talking about.”

Dick Clark, who brought American Bandstand and his trademark New Year’s countdown to living rooms for decades, has died at 82
Dick Clark, who brought American Bandstand and his trademark New Year’s countdown to living rooms for decades, has died at 82

Dick Clark was dubbed “America’s oldest teenager” because of his fresh-faced appearance that was seemingly unchanged for years.

But the stroke in December 2004 changed that, severely damaging Dick Clark’s mobility and leaving him unable to appear on the New Year’s Eve telecast that year.

When he returned to Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve in 2005, he appeared noticeably gaunt and frail.

Dick Clark was born Richard Wagstaff Clark in Mount Vernon, N.Y., in 1929.

His father, Richard Augustus Clark, was a sales manager who worked in radio.

Dick Clark idolized his athletic older brother, Bradley, who was killed in World War II.

He was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 1994 and served as spokesman for the American Association of Diabetes Educators.

Dick Clark, twice divorced, had a son, Richard Augustus II, with first wife Barbara Mallery and two children, Duane and Cindy, with second wife Loretta Martin. He married Kari Wigton in 1977.

In his 1976 autobiography, Rock, Roll & Remember, Dick Clark recalled how radio helped ease his loneliness and turned him into a fan of Steve Allen, Arthur Godfrey and other popular hosts.

From Arthur Godfrey, he said, he learned that “a radio announcer does not talk to <<those of you out there in radio land>>; a radio announcer talks to me as an individual”.

Dick Clark began his career in the mailroom of a Utica, N.Y., radio station in 1945.

By age 26, Dick Clark was a broadcasting veteran, with nine years’ experience on radio and TV stations in Syracuse and Utica, N.Y., and Philadelphia.

He held a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University.

While in Philadelphia, Dick Clark befriended McMahon, who later credited Clark for introducing him to his future Tonight Show boss, Johnny Carson.

The original American Bandstand was one of network TV’s longest-running series as part of ABC’s daytime line-up from 1957 to 1987.

Dick Clark joined Bandstand in 1956 after Bob Horn, who’d been the host since its 1952 debut, was fired. Under his guidance, it went from a local Philadelphia show to a national phenomenon.

“I played records, the kids danced, and America watched,” was how Dick Clark once described the series’ simplicity. In his 1958 hit Sweet Little Sixteen, Chuck Berry sang that “they’ll be rocking on Bandstand, Philadelphia, P-A”.

As a host, Dick Clark had the smooth delivery of a seasoned radio announcer. As a producer, he had an ear for a hit record.

He also knew how to make wary adults welcome this odd new breed of music in their homes.

Dick Clark endured accusations that he was in with the squares, with critic Lester Bangs defining Bandstand as “a leggily acceptable euphemism of the teenage experience”.

In a 1985 interview, Dick Clark acknowledged the complaints.

“But I knew at the time that if we didn’t make the presentation to the older generation palatable, it could kill it.

“So along with Little Richard and Chuck Berry and the Platters and the Crows and the Jayhawks … the boys wore coats and ties and the girls combed their hair and they all looked like sweet little kids into a high school dance.”

Dick Clark defended pop artists and artistic freedom, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame said in an online biography of the 1993 inductee.

He helped give black artists their due by playing original R&B recordings instead of cover versions by white performers, and he condemned censorship.

Over the years, it introduced stars ranging from Buddy Holly to Michael Jackson to Bon Jovi to Madonna.

In 2004, Dick Clark announced plans for a revamped version of American Bandstand. The show, produced with American Idol creator Simon Fuller, was to feature a host other than Dick Clark.

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India successfully launched long-range missile Agni-V

Roy Siemens
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India successfully launched long-range missile Agni-V

India has successfully launched Agni-V, a long-range intercontinental ballistic missile able to carry a nuclear warhead, officials say.

The locally-developed Agni-V missile was originally scheduled to launch on Wednesday in the eastern state of Orissa.

Officials had delayed the launch because of heavy lightning in the area.

The missile has a range of more than 5,000km (3,100 miles), within range of targets in China.

Analysts say the Agni (meaning “fire” in Hindi and Sanskrit) missile family is to be the cornerstone of India’s missile-based nuclear deterrent.

The missiles are among the country’s most sophisticated weapons.

India has successfully launched Agni-V, a long-range intercontinental ballistic missile able to carry a nuclear warhead
India has successfully launched Agni-V, a long-range intercontinental ballistic missile able to carry a nuclear warhead

In 2010, India successfully test-fired Agni-II, an intermediate-range ballistic missile with a range of more than 2,000km (1,250 miles).

The Agni-V missile was launched from Orissa’s Wheeler Island at 08:05 local time on Thursday.

“It was a perfect launch. It met all the test parameters and hit its pre-determined target,” said SP Das, director of the test range.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh congratulated the scientists for the “successful launch” of the missile.

“Today’s launch represents another milestone in our quest for our security, preparedness and to explore the frontiers of science,” he said.

The missile took about 20 minutes to hit its target somewhere near Indonesia in the Indian Ocean.

Defense analyst Rahul Bedi says a successful test flight of the Agni-V missile, which is capable of delivering a single 1.5-ton warhead deep inside nuclear rival China’s territory, would strengthen India’s nuclear deterrence once it comes into service by 2014-15.

It is 17.5 m tall, solid-fuelled, has three stages and a launch weight of 50 tons. It has cost more than 2.5 billion rupees ($480 million) to develop.

Only China, Russia, France, the US and UK have such long-range missiles. Israel is thought to possess them.

“Agni-V is to meet our present-day threat perceptions, which are determined by our defense forces and other agencies,” DRDO Ravi Gupta spokesman told AFP news agency ahead of the launch.

“This is a deterrent to avoid wars and it is not country-specific,” he said.

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Barack Obama Sr. categorized as “anti-American and anti-white” when he moved to US in 1959

Diane A. Wade
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Barack Obama Sr. categorized as “anti-American and anti-white” when he moved to US in 1959

As President Barack Obama has been dogged by claims he is not patriotic enough it now emerges that similar fears were expressed about his father, who was categorized with others as “anti-American and anti-white” when he moved to the United States in 1959.

Last year President Barack Obama even had to publish his birth certificate to silence doubters who suggested he was not born an American.

Barack Obama Sr. had grown up in Kenya under British rule and aroused the fears of both colonial officers and American officials when he won a chance to study in Hawaii. The officials felt Kenyan students were “academically inferior” with a “bad reputation” for turning anti-American.

A memo from a British diplomat in Washington to Whitehall – released yesterday by the National Archives in West London – sets out their concerns about the young Kenyans.

Dated September 1, 1959, the document says: “I have discussed with the State Department. They are as disturbed about these developments as we are. They point out that Kenya students have a bad reputation over here for falling into the wrong hands and for becoming both anti-American and anti-white.”

In one of the Foreign Office files, future president Barack Obama’s father appears on a list of Kenyan students as “OBAMA, Barack H” – they shared the same name.

Barack Obama and his father in 1971
Barack Obama and his father in 1971

At the age of 23, Barack Obama Sr. enrolled at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu to study economics with classmates including Ann Dunham, a 17-year-old white American from Kansas. The couple had a short marriage that led to the birth in 1961 of the future president, Barack Obama II.

Barack Obama Sr. was among 100 or so Kenyan students brought to America by the African American Students Foundation.

U.S. and British officials were deeply suspicious of this outfit, observing that the AASF – though backed by singer Harry Belafonte and actor Sidney Poitier – had links to a Kenyan nationalist leader.

“The motives behind this enterprise, therefore, seem more political than educational,” warned a letter from the British Embassy in Washington.

It added: “The arrival here of these students, many of them of indifferent academic calibre and ill-prepared for the venture, is likely to give rise to difficult problems.”

Barack Obama Sr., who died in 1982, is not singled out for concern in any of the documents.

After leaving Hawaii he took a PhD in economics at Harvard and later became a senior economist with the Kenyan government.

 

Clashes near Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix exhibit in Manama

Roy Siemens
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Clashes near Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix exhibit in Manama

Stun grenades have been fired by Bahraini security forces as protesters gathered outside a cultural exhibition in Manama ahead of Sunday’s Formula 1 Grand Prix.

A local journalist reported the demonstrators in Old Manama were shouting “Down, down, F1” and demanding the release of Abdulhadi al-Khawaja.

The activist has been on hunger strike in prison for more than two months.

Abdulhadi al-Khawaja’s lawyer earlier said his client had removed the intravenous drip keeping him alive.

The 52-year-old told his wife on Tuesday afternoon that he was also now refusing anything but water, Mohammed al-Jishi said.

Abdulhadi al-Khawaja believed nothing was being done to resolve his continued detention, and this was the only way to force the issue, he added.

He was convicted by a military court in June of plotting against the state, but human rights groups have said that his trial was “grossly unfair”.

Bahraini security forces clashed with protesters gathered outside Formula 1 Grand Prix exhibit in Manama
Bahraini security forces clashed with protesters gathered outside Formula 1 Grand Prix exhibit in Manama

They said his conviction was based on a confession he made under duress, and that no evidence was presented showing he had used or advocated violence during protests against King Hamad Al Khalifa.

Bahrain’s highest court is due to rule on Abdulhadi al-Khawaja’s appeal against his conviction on Monday – a day after the Grand Prix.

Last year’s race was cancelled after at least 35 people, including five police, were killed during a crackdown on pro-democracy protests.

Formula 1’s governing body, the FIA, only decided to go ahead with this weekend’s race at the last minute.

On Wednesday, opposition supporters held a protest demanding Sunday’s Grand Prix also be called off, and calling for the immediate release of Abdulhadi al-Khawaja in Old Manama.

A Bahraini journalist, who asked not to be named for fear of arrest, said there were chaotic scenes outside Bab al-Bahrain, which marks the entrance to the main souq.

Veteran activist Nabeel Rajab reportedly stood near Bab al-Bahrain chanting anti-government slogans, while others carried signs reading: “Your silence is killing al-Khawaja.”

The journalist warned: “If he dies the streets will explode.”

Riot police at first demanded the protesters leave. When they refused, officers fired deafening “sound bombs” into the crowd, sending protesters and bystanders running.

Stun grenades and rubber bullets were also used to disperse the protesters, while helicopters circled overhead and interior ministry officers filmed the clashes, the journalist said.

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights meanwhile told AFP news agency the authorities had arrested about 80 pro-democracy activists from villages outside the capital ahead of the Grand Prix.

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Anders Breivik trial: he wants acquittal or death penalty

Diane A. Wade
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Anders Breivik trial: he wants acquittal or death penalty

Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik has told his trial in Oslo he believes there can be only two “just” outcomes to his trial – acquittal or the death penalty.

Anders Breivik, 33, who killed 77 people last July, said he considered a lengthy jail sentence “a pathetic punishment”. Norway does not have the death penalty.

He also said he had been “very surprised” to have survived the day of the attacks.

Prosecutors have been quizzing him on his links with militant nationalists.

On the third day of the trial they have been trying to disprove Anders Breivik’s claim of the existence of a far-right European network.

Under cross-examination, Anders Breivik said: “There are only two just and fair outcomes of this trial – acquittal or capital punishment. I consider 21 years of prison as a pathetic punishment.”

Asked if he wanted the court to give him the death penalty, Anders Breivik replied: “No, but I would have respected it. I would not recognize 21 years of prison, it’s ridiculous.”

Anders Breivik killed 69 people at a Labour Party youth camp on Utoeya island, having first set off a bomb outside a government building in Oslo that killed eight people.

He has said he carried out the attacks to defend “ethnic Norwegians” from rising multiculturalism.

“I was very surprised that I survived that day,” Anders Breivik told the court on Wednesday.

“I had no other plans for what to do. I considered the chance less than 5% that I would survive the bombing. But not only that, I survived Utoeya.”

Anders Breivik has told his trial in Oslo he believes there can be only two "just" outcomes to his trial, acquittal or the death penalty
Anders Breivik has told his trial in Oslo he believes there can be only two "just" outcomes to his trial, acquittal or the death penalty

Anders Breivik was also questioned about his religious beliefs by a lawyer for the victims.

“Well, I am a militant Christian; to prevent the de-Christianisation of Europe is very important,” he said.

“But this does not mean we want to introduce a Christian theocracy. We are not Christian fundamentalists. I believe in God and I believe in a life after death.”

Answering questions from a judge he described himself as an “anti-Nazi”.

“A National Socialist would say, <<Norway for the Norwegians>>. I am more liberal, I would accept 2% perhaps [of the population not being ethnically Norwegian].”

The court is seeking to establish whether Anders Breivik is sane and can be jailed.

Earlier, Anders Breivik said the far-right network, which he named as the Knights Templar, met in London to decide on its platform.

He said the group was “not an organization in a conventional sense” but consisted of “independent cells”.

Prosecutor Inga Bejer Engh told him the purpose of her questioning was to shed doubt on the network’s existence.

In other parts of his testimony on Wednesday, Anders Breivik told the court:

• the “big problem” for militant nationalists in Europe was that they had had very few role models since World War II

• he and other militant nationalists were “selling dreams” to inspire others

• he met a Serb nationalist in Liberia in 2001 who was one of the founding members of the Knights Templar

• he met his English “mentor”, whose codename he gave as Richard the Lionheart, in London

• his own codename was Sigurd, after a 12th Century Norwegian king

The prosecution showed the court an excerpt from Anders Breivik’s 1,500-page manifesto.

He wrote that he underwent a “complete screening and background check” for the Knights Templar to ensure that he was of “the desired calibre”.

He claimed the group was considering “several hundred” individuals throughout Europe for a training course.

Anders Breivik has begun each court appearance with a right-wing clenched-fist salute.

His lawyers, addressing reporters after the day’s hearing was adjourned, said they had asked him to stop making the gesture.

Anders Breivik’s testimony, and that of his witnesses, is not being broadcast. His testimony is expected to last for a total of five days.

The leader of a support group for survivors of the 22 July attacks and victims’ families says Anders Breivik will be judged as a mass murderer, not as a man with a political agenda.

“The focus from our point of view is that he is not tried for his political views; he is on trial because he killed people, killed youngsters on Utoeya and my colleagues in the government quarters and that is the main focus for us,” said Trond Blattmann.

A contradictory picture of Anders Breivik is emerging – a man who hates Muslims, but admired Osama Bin Laden and al-Qaeda.

Anders Breivik sees himself as a great Crusader, when in fact he was a high school drop out, a failed businessman and an addict of computer war games.

Earlier, Anders Breivik’s lawyers warned that many Norwegians would find his comments upsetting.

If Anders Breivik is judged sane and found guilty of murder, he faces a maximum of 21 years in jail, although that can be extended if he is deemed a threat to the public.

If he is judged to be insane, Anders Breivik will be committed to a psychiatric institution.

Prosecution plans for Anders Breivik questioning:

• Wednesday: Anders Breivik’s thinking and life from 2001

• Thursday: Bombing of government offices in Oslo

• Friday: Shootings on Utoeya island

• Monday: Events after the bombing and shootings

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King Juan Carlos apologizes to the Spanish people for going on a hunting trip in Botswana

Diane A. Wade
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King Juan Carlos apologizes to the Spanish people for going on a hunting trip in Botswana

King Juan Carlos of Spain has apologized to his people for going on a hunting trip in Botswana while his country was in the midst of an economic crisis.

The king’s trip to Botswana, which was widely criticized, emerged after he was flown home for treatment for a fractured hip.

“I’m very sorry, I made a mistake. It won’t happen again,” King Juan Carlos said, as he left San Jose hospital in Madrid.

It was widely reported that the king had been hunting elephants, which the royal house has neither confirmed nor denied.

King Juan Carlos, 74, broke his hip falling on a step and was flown home by private jet. He underwent hip replacement surgery on Saturday.

 

After news of his visit to Botswana was revealed, many Spanish newspapers published an earlier photo of the king on safari, in which he is seen standing with a gun beside a dead elephant.

King Juan Carlos of Spain has given a rare television interview on the eve of his 75th birthday

is honorary president of the Spanish branch of conservation group WWF and an online petition calling for his resignation had accumulated almost 85,000 signatures by the time he made his public apology.

Spain is the fourth biggest economy in the eurozone but has seen its debt crisis worsen and its borrowing costs increase. It currently has a 23% unemployment rate and there are fears it could return to recession.

The king had faced a public outcry for going to Africa and quite probably hunting elephants when a lot of people were facing the harsh reality of an economic crisis.

Although the leaders of the ruling Popular Party and Socialists had declined to comment on the controversy, the Socialists’ leader in Madrid Tomas Gomez suggested the king should choose between his “public responsibilities, or an abdication”.

El Pais newspaper reported that the royal house had considered its response carefully and that the king had decided to speak publicly before the television cameras rather than leave the matter to a palace statement.

King Juan Carlos is generally popular in Spain but the royal family has recently been beset by a series of embarrassing news stories.

His son-in-law, Inaki Urdangarin, has been questioned about a corruption scandal that involves claims that he used public funds to organize sports events. He has been suspended from taking part in royal engagements.

Only last week, the king’s grandson, 13-year-old Felipe Juan Froilan, was himself taken to hospital after an incident involving a gun. He shot himself in the foot during target practice outside the family home.

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Ford Focus Electric: the first electric car to pace a NASCAR race

James J. Williams
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Ford Focus Electric: the first electric car to pace a NASCAR race

Ford Focus Electric, an all-electric car, is set to pace the NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Richmond 400 at Richmond International Raceway in Virginia, on April 28.

It will be the first time in the motorsport history when an all-electric car will lead the field of high-power, finely-tuned models out onto the 400-lap race.

Around thirty-five percent of new car “intenders” in the U.S. are motorsports fans and seventy-five percent of them support NASCAR and the persons who root for Ford NASCAR teams are sixty-seven percent more likely to consider Ford products than other consumers, the company said.

“Ford research shows the majority of Americans would consider buying an electrified vehicle but do not yet understand the different technologies. Highlighting the Focus Electric as a pace car is a fun way to educate consumers about the kinds of benefits our electrified vehicles deliver and show people our commitment to provide Ford customers the power of choice for leading fuel economy in the vehicle that best meets their needs,” said Mark Fields, president of Ford’s Americas division.

 

Ford Focus Electric will be the first all-electric car to pace a race in the motorsport history.
Ford Focus Electric will be the first all-electric car to pace a race in the motorsport history.

 

Powered by LG Chem lithium-ion battery, Ford Focus Electric will have an important task to complete as a pace car.

Pace cars have to drive at relatively high speed, sometimes for long distances. They have to be well adapted to wet or slippery conditions, to keep the tires on the competing vehicles warm and to stop engines overheating. They have an important role when is poor weather, or if an accident happens, they lead competitors at a uniform speed until the track can be cleared up.

Running too slowly behind a pace car may lead to low tire pressure, and this was discussed as a contributing factor to the Formula One crash that killed Ayrton Senna in 1994.

On a Formula One circuit the speeds are much higher. The current Formula One Safety Car is the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, driven by professional driver Bernd Mayländer.

Ford Fusion Hybrid led the field at Homestead in 2008, making Ford also the first to use a hybrid vehicle as pace car. In January the company unveiled the Fusion Hybrid as its 2013 car to be used in NASCAR race.

On April 25Ford Focus Electric will be presented to the public at the Virginia State Capitol.

 

Coronal Mass Ejection: Massive Solar Explosion

James J. Williams
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Coronal Mass Ejection: Massive Solar Explosion

The Sun had a massive solar explosion on April 16th.

A coronal mass ejection (CME) is a massive burst of solar wind, other light isotope plasma, and magnetic fields rising above the solar corona or being released into space.

Coronal mass ejections are often associated with other forms of solar activity, most notably solar flares, but a causal relationship has not been established. Most ejections originate from active regions on Sun’s surface, such as groupings of sunspots associated with frequent flares. Near solar maxima the Sun produces about three CMEs every day, whereas near solar minima there is about one CME every five days.

A beautiful prominence eruption shot off the east limb (left side) of the sun on Monday, April 16, 2012. Such eruptions are often associated with solar flares, and in this case an M1 class (medium-sized) flare did occur at the same time, though it was not aimed toward Earth. This event was seen by NASA’s SDO satellite.

Solar Explosion

 

“A large CME can contain a billion tons of matter that can be accelerated to several million miles per hour in a spectacular explosion. Solar material streams out through the interplanetary medium, impacting any planet or spacecraft in its path,” explains NASA, who told us that this particular blast reached to the far end of our solar system.

 NASA’s Karen Fox said the “height” of the CME (from our perspective) was “25 earth radii high”—198,000 miles.

HD Video of the solar explosion:

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Find out more photos from NASA by clicking here

Record number of Americans renounced their US citizenship in 2011 to avoid paying taxes

Diane A. Wade
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Record number of Americans renounced their US citizenship in 2011 to avoid paying taxes

In 2011, almost 1,800 people renounced their U.S. citizenship or handed in their Green Cards and many of them said it was because of tax reasons.

That’s a record number since the Internal Revenue Service began publishing a list of those who renounced in 1998. It’s also almost eight times more than the number of citizens who renounced in 2008, and more than the total for 2007, 2008 and 2009 combined.

The United States is one of the only countries to tax its citizens on income earned while they’re living abroad. And just as Americans stateside must file tax returns each April – this year, the deadline was yesterday, April 17 – an estimated 6.3 million U.S. citizens living abroad brace for what they describe as an even tougher process of reporting their income and foreign accounts to the IRS. For them, the deadline is June.

The National Taxpayer Advocate’s Office, part of the IRS, released a report in December that details the difficulties of filing taxes from overseas. It cites heavy paperwork, a lack of online filing options and a dearth of local and foreign-language resources.

For those wishing to legally escape the filing requirements, the only way is to formally renounce their U.S. citizenship.

In 2011, IRS records show that at least 1,788 people did, and that’s likely an underestimate. The IRS publishes in the Federal Register the names of those who give up their citizenship, and some who renounced say they haven’t seen their name on the list yet.

In fact, Superman declared plans to renounce his U.S. citizenship a year ago, in Action Comics.

“Truth, justice, and the American way – it’s not enough anymore,” the comic book superhero said, after both the Iranian and American governments criticized him for joining a peaceful anti-government protest in Tehran.

In 2011, almost 1,800 people renounced their U.S. citizenship or handed in their Green Cards and many of them said it was because of tax reasons
In 2011, almost 1,800 people renounced their U.S. citizenship or handed in their Green Cards and many of them said it was because of tax reasons

The State Department said records it keeps differ from those published by the IRS. They indicate that renunciations have remained steady, at about 1,100 each year, said an official.

The decision by the IRS to publish the names is referred to by lawyers as “name and shame”. That’s because those who renounce are seen as willing to give up their citizenship primarily for financial reasons.

There’s also an “exit tax” for the very rich who choose to leave. During the last 25 years, a number of millionaires and billionaires have renounced their citizenship. Among them: Ted Arison, the late founder of Carnival Cruises, and Michael Dingman, a former Ford Motor Co. director.

But those of more modest means renounce, too. They say leaving America is about more than money, it’s about privacy and red tape.

Two filing requirements affect Americans abroad: the Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts – which has been around since 1970 but now carries penalties for noncompliance – and the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, passed in 2010 with the aim of reducing offshore tax evasion.

The first regulation requires all Americans, including those living abroad, with at least $10,000 in overseas bank accounts, to file a supplementary form disclosing all of their foreign accounts.

That includes any accounts in which the U.S. citizen has a financial interest. That could include a joint account with a spouse or child, accounts for corporations in which the American owns more than 50% of the value of shares of stock, or any trust or estate that benefits the U.S. citizen.

The tax compliance act – the newer law – asks foreign financial institutions such as banks, hedge funds, and private equity funds to provide the IRS with information on U.S. clients.

The United States and five European Union countries recently announced their intent to allow institutions to report the information through their own governments, rather than directly to the IRS.

Institutions that do not comply will be subject to a 30% withholding tax on certain U.S. – sourced payments and proceeds of property sales beginning in the 2013 tax year – for instance, dividends on investments in U.S. companies.

Some expatriates say they were unaware of the first regulation for years and even decades. In 2008, the IRS received only 218,840 such filings. American nationality law grants citizenship to almost everyone born in the United States or born abroad to American parents, regardless of how much time they’ve spent in the United States. Many may not even know the extent of their U.S. ties.

In 2004, the stakes for noncompliance rose. Failure to file meant potential fines and criminal charges. Americans abroad can be punished for noncompliance even if they owed no income tax – and IRS data show that most of them don’t owe money.

Income up to $95,100 isn’t taxed under a rule called the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion. In 2009, the income cap was $91,400, and 88% of all taxpayers claiming the foreign earned income exclusion owed nothing.

Since 2008, the IRS has offered several voluntary-disclosure grace periods during which expatriates can file back taxes without facing criminal charges – but with the possibility of incurring penalties.

Marylouise Serrato, head of American Citizens Abroad, a non-profit organization based in Geneva, says that many members feel scared about reporting requirements they did not know existed. Their disenchantment, she says, is pushing some to renounce.

“Americans abroad are terrified. We’ve had people pay tens of thousands of dollars in fines. We’ve had people … pay huge amounts of back taxes,” Marylouise Serrato says.

“Up to this point, we never heard of anyone renouncing, or if they did, they didn’t talk about it,” says Marylouise Serrato, who says her group does not advocate renunciation.

“Now, we’re seeing a lot of people speak openly about it and come to us for information.”

Congress is taking note. “While I fully support measures that reduce fraud and address offshore havens, the U.S. should not have policies that place undue burdens on legitimate Americans abroad,” says Representative Carolyn Maloney, D-NY, and the chair of the Congressional Americans Abroad Caucus.

Carolyn Maloney says she has taken the matter to the Department of the Treasury, which oversees the IRS.

The IRS did not respond to requests for comment.

Lawyers report that banking is a big reason why people renounce.

“I hear about banking problems again and again and again,” says Phil Hodgen, an attorney who has been helping Americans expatriate since 2008.

The new reporting rules, he says, pose “a huge administrative burden. It’s made Americans too expensive to keep”.

 

Sweden’s culture minister Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth triggered race row after cutting cake designed like an African woman

Diane A. Wade
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Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth, Sweden’s culture minister, faces furious calls to resign after she was pictured cutting a “racist” black cake designed like a native African woman.

Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth had appeared at the Museum of Modern Art in Stockholm when she was invited to cut the cake which was designed like a naked African woman.

The Swedish minister cut pieces from the black cake, which had blood-red sponge and was designed to highlight the issue of female genital mutilation.

Despite the intentions of the bizarre cake, however, critics described it as a “racist spectacle”, and demanded Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth resigned for participating in the “tasteless” event.

The Association for African Swedes said the cake was a crude racist caricature which “makes a mockery of racism”.

Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth had appeared at the Museum of Modern Art in Stockholm when she was invited to cut the cake which was designed like a naked African woman
Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth had appeared at the Museum of Modern Art in Stockholm when she was invited to cut the cake which was designed like a naked African woman

Kitimbwa Sabuni, a spokesperson for the group, told Swedish news agency TT: “To say that you did this for a good cause only makes the mockery of people who are victims of racism and of circumcision worse.”

He told a Swedish newspaper Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth’s participation in a dubious event with cannibalistic overtones showed her “incompetence and lack of judgment”.

Makode Linde, the artist who came up with the cake, had placed his own head at the top of the cake and said it had been misunderstood.

The black cake, part of an exhibition on World Art Day, was intended as part of the artist’s project illustrating degrading stereotypes of black people through history.

Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth, whose photograph cutting a piece of the cake was widely shown in Swedish media, said she understood why people would be offended by the incident.

She said in a statement: “I was invited to speak at World Art Day about the freedom of art and its right to provoke.

“And then they wanted me to cut into the cake. I don’t review art, but I can very well understand that this whole situation was misunderstood.”

 [youtube tCAqGigSudM]

Trans Fats: Good vs. Bad

Kathryn R. Bown
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Trans Fats: Good vs. Bad

Fat burning tips

Artificial trans fats are one of the most prevalent poisons in our food supply;  but most don’t know that healthy natural trans fats DO exist.

by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer
Author – The Truth about Six Pack Abs

 

I’m going to talk about something today that most of you have probably never heard… that there is a distinction between good trans fats and bad trans fats. There is some evidence that the good trans fats can help you with fat loss, muscle building, and even cancer prevention, while the bad trans fats have been shown to cause heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and the general “blubbering” of your body.

I’m sure most of you have heard all of the ruckus in the news over the last few years about just how bad man-made trans fats are for your health. If you’ve been a reader of my newsletter and my Truth about Six Pack Abs e-book program, then you definitely know my opinion that these substances are some of the most evil food additives of all and are found in the vast majority of all processed foods and fast foods on the market today.

In my opinion, man-made trans fats are right up there with smoking in terms of their degree of danger to your health. After all, they are one of THE MAIN factors for the explosion of heart disease since approximately the 1950’s.

With all of the talk about trans fats in the news these days, I wanted to clarify some things, particularly regarding bad trans fats vs. good trans fats. If you’ve never heard of good trans fats before, let me explain in a bit.

 

The Bad Trans Fats

First, the bad trans fats I’m referring to are the man-made kind. These are represented by any artificially hydrogenated oils. The main culprits are margarine, shortening, and partially hydrogenated oils that are in most processed foods, junk foods, and deep fried foods.

These hydrogenated oils are highly processed using harsh chemical solvents like hexane (a component of gasoline), high heat, pressure, have a metal catalyst added, and are then deodorized and bleached. A small % of the solvent is allowed to remain in the finished oil. This has now become more of an industrial oil rather than a food oil, but somehow the FDA still allows the food manufacturers to put this crap in our food at huge quantities, even with the well documented health dangers.

These hydrogenated oils cause inflammation inside of your body, which signals the deposition of cholesterol as a healing agent on artery walls. Hence, hydrogenated oil = inflammation = clogged arteries. You can see why heart disease has exploded since this crap has been loaded into our food supply over the last 5 to 6 decades.

As time goes on, and science continues to unveil how deadly these oils really are, I feel that eventually they will be illegal and banned from use. The labeling laws were just the first step. In fact, certain countries around the world have already banned the use of hydrogenated oils in food manufacturing or at least set dates to phase them out for good.

However, keep in mind that as companies are starting to phase out the use of hydrogenated oils in processed foods, they are replacing them, in most instances, with highly refined polyunsaturated oils such as soybean oil, cottonseed oil, corn oil, etc, etc. These are still heavily processed oils using high heat, solvents, deodorizers, and bleaching agents. Even refined oils are known to produce inflammation in your body…a far cry from natural sources of healthy fats.

Don’t be fooled by the new onslaught of foods claiming “trans fat free”… if they use heavily refined oils (even if they’re non-hydrogenated), it’s still pure evil for your body, and very inflammatory. 

Once again, for the best results, your best bet is avoiding highly processed foods altogether and choose whole, natural, minimally processed foods. Your body will thank you!

 

The Good Trans Fats

Ok, after having trash talked the man-made trans fats, let me clearly state that there is such a thing as healthy natural trans fats. Natural trans fats are created in the stomachs of ruminant animals such as cattle, sheep, goats, etc. and make their way into the fat stores of the animals.

Therefore, the milk fat and the fat within the meat of these animals can provide natural healthy trans fats (best in grass-fed organic versions only).

Natural trans fats in your diet have been thought to have some potential benefit to aid in both muscle building and fat loss efforts. However, keep in mind that the quantity of healthy trans fats in the meat and dairy of ruminant animals is greatly reduced by mass-production methods of farming and their grain and soy heavy diets. Meat and dairy from grass-fed, free-range animals always have much higher quantities of these beneficial fats.

One such natural trans fat that you may have heard of is called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and has been marketed by many weight loss companies. Keep in mind that these man-made CLA pills you see in the stores may not be the best way to get CLA in your diet. They are artificially made from plant oils in a manner similar to hydrogenation, instead of the natural process that happens in ruminant animals. Once again, man-made just doesn’t compare to the benefits of natural sources.

Now that all of your labels should be listing grams of trans fat, keep in mind that if a quantity of trans fat is listed on a meat or dairy product, it is most likely the natural good trans fats that we’ve discussed here (*I only recommend grass-fed meat or dairy). Otherwise, if the quantity of trans fat is listed on any processed foods, it is most likely the dangerous unhealthy crap from artificially hydrogenated oils, so stay away!  

One more important note about food labels and trans fat listings… keep in mind that food manufacturers are allowed to label a food “trans fat free” if 1 serving size contains less than 0.5 grams of trans fat.  So you may see some products with hydrogenated oils as one of their main ingredients, but if they make the serving size small enough so that it contains less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving, they can label it as trans fat free… now that’s BS!  just another example of our broken system!

 

Here’s some more great reading material about eating a truly natural and healthy diet for you and your family:

Nourishing Traditions – by Sally Fallon and Dr. Mary Enig

Eat Fat, Lose Fat – by Sally Fallon and Dr. Mary Enig

Also, if you haven’t read it yet, be sure to read this eye-opening article about saturated fat truths by Dr. Mary Enig (one of the best nutrition articles I’ve read)

I hope you’ve enjoyed this interesting look at good trans vs. bad trans fats and use the info to arm yourself with more healthful food choices for a better body.

If you have yet to check out my internationally best-selling program, The Truth about Six Pack Abs, clickety-click on over and see how this program will burn fat off of your entire body, leaving you with abs that your friends will envy!

Electric car use may save up to $1,200 a year, says the UCS

James J. Williams
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Electric car use may save up to $1,200 a year, says the UCS

Using an electric car leads to fewer warming emissions and fuel cost savings, says the Union of Concerned Scientists.

The study, “State of Charge: Electric Vehicles’ Global Warming Emissions and Fuel-Cost Savings Across the United States” was published on Monday on ucsusa.org.

The researchers took an average gasoline price of $3.50 a gallon (3.79 liters) and concluded the driver of an electric automobile would save $750 to $1,200 a year compared to buying gas for a vehicle that gets 27 miles (43 kilometers) a gallon when driving 11,000 miles (17,702.8 kilometers) a year. The savings could add up to nearly $13,000 over the life of the car.

 

Electric car use may save up to $1,200 a year.
Using an electric car may lead to fewer emissions and to lower fuel cost. (Electric car Reva charging).

 

However, there are no specifications in the study regarding the total cost of ownership of an electric car compared to a gasoline-powered vehicle.

“The cost of the electric vehicles today vary pretty widely based on the models that are out there. It’s important for consumers to understand what the potential savings are on fuel costs, and that can help them make a decision about buying a vehicle,” said Don Anair, the study’s author and senior engineer for UCS’ Clean Vehicles Program.

According to the Ford Motor Co. the price for an electric car starts at $39,995 before a $7,500 U.S. tax credit. In the same time a gasoline-powered version has the base price of $16,500. Ford Motor is the producer of a Focus electric car already sold to fleets including those owned by Google and AT&T.

While the fuel economy of the gasoline-powered Focus SFE is rated at 33 mpg (miles per gallon) by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the electric Focus is certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as offering the equivalent of 105 mpg.

The Nissan Leaf has a suggested retail price of $35,200, and in California, incentives from the state and federal governments can lower the cost to $25,200, while the Nissan Versa, price may range from $10,990 to $18,490.

“They’ve got a ways to go, pricing and otherwise, before they can convince the bulk of Americans that this is something you ought to put in your garage,” said John O’Dell, senior editor with the Edmunds.com auto information website.

Electric cars generate fewer emissions than gasoline models even when taking into consideration the output from coal-fired power plants and other sources, the study says.

The environmental advantage varies by part of the country.

In California – where the major part of electricity is generated from natural gas plants, nuclear reactors, renewable power sources and hydroelectric dams – an electric car produces the same amount of global warming emissions as a gasoline-burning car that gets 79 miles to the gallon.

In Texas, where the coal is the main source of energy, an electric vehicle is environmentally friendly as a gasoline-powered car getting 46 miles per gallon. In several coal-centric states, an electric car generates more emissions than a hybrid. However, the electric will still outperform the standard compact car.

“For people who might have had doubts about the climate benefits of electric vehicles, this analysis shows they’re positive, no matter where you live. This report shows drivers should feel confident that owning an electric vehicle is a good choice for reducing global warming pollution, cutting fuel costs, and slashing oil consumption,” said Don Anair.

 

Christian Louboutin: “High heels are pleasure with pain”

Lisa.Felice
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Christian Louboutin: “High heels are pleasure with pain”

Christian Louboutin has admitted he does not care whether women feel pain wearing his sought-after heels.

Instead, Christian Louboutin claimed most women had a “quasi-masochistic experience” with their stilettos – and that anyone struggling to walk in his creations should ditch them altogether.

The French cobbler has single-handedly transformed the six-inch stiletto from Cabaret prop to closet staple.

His iconic red soles are also responsible for a plethora of podiatric ailments.

Rather than feel any regret for inflicting pain on many a discerning fashionista however, Christian Louboutin has adopted a “take it or leave it attitude”.

Among his long-suffering fans is Coleen Rooney, who last week was spotted wearing Louboutin heels to the Grand National at Aintree. On Sunday, however, the 26-year-old tweeted a photograph of her wearing trainers, saying: “Loving my Converse, just what I need after three days at the races with sky high heels on.”

Victoria Beckham has also reportedly experienced severe bunions and a slipped disc by wearing Christian Louboutin creations.

Christian Louboutin, 49, says he feels little sympathy for those who suffer while wearing his designs, describing the relationship between a woman and her heels as a quasi-masochistic experience.

Christian Louboutin says he feels no sympathy for those who suffer while wearing his designs, describing the relationship between a woman and her heels as a quasi-masochistic experience
Christian Louboutin says he feels no sympathy for those who suffer while wearing his designs, describing the relationship between a woman and her heels as a quasi-masochistic experience

He told Grazia magazine: “I really have not so much sympathy. If Tina Turner and Prince’s back-up band can perform on stage in them for three hours, you can’t tell me they are impossible to walk in.

“High heels are pleasure with pain.

“If you can’t walk in them, don’t wear them.”

Celebrating his 20th anniversary, Christian Louboutin’s high-end label is the subject of a an exhibition at the London Design Museum next month.

He has also released a coffee-table book, a weighty tome that marks two decades in fashion and his path from intern to A-lister.

Christian Louboutin’s journey as a cobbler began at Paris music hall Folies Bergere, where he first worked and was inspired by the world of Cabaret – a theme which still features heavily in his collections today.

So much so that he recently accepted a role as “guest creator” at Crazy Horse.

But he credits his breakthrough moment to Tina Turner, who wore his designs at a concert ten years ago.

With a stellar career behind him, it’s hard to imagine what would be next on Christian Louboutin’s to-do list.

But it appears he has his sights set on a new genre of clients.

Christian Louboutin said: “If I could do shoes for anyone it would be a special project for the Queen of England.

“She and the Pope are the ultimate clients.”

 

Kim Kardashian wants to run for Mayor of Glendale in five years time

Lisa.Felice
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0
Kim Kardashian wants to run for Mayor of Glendale in five years time

Kim Kardashian has revealed that she is going to run for mayor of Glendale, California, in five years time.

Kim Kardashian, 31, made the revelation during a scene on an episode of Khloe and Lamar.

The reality star is seen sitting in the passenger seat while her sister Khloé Kardashian drives, and the pair come across the Ross Perot Museum in Dallas, Texas.

This then prompted Kim Kardashian to announce to her sibling that she is going to run for mayor of Glendale.

“You have to have full residence in Glendale so I’m going to buy a house there,” she told Khloé Kardashian.

“Noél’s going to run my campaign, but it’s going to be in like five years. Noél and I are looking into all the requirements.”

Kim Kardashian has revealed that she is going to run for mayor of Glendale, California, in five years time
Kim Kardashian has revealed that she is going to run for mayor of Glendale, California, in five years time

However, Kim Kardashian may not have received the response she was hoping for as half way through her announcement, Khloé was seen having a moment of road rage as she shouts at another driver before saying sarcastically: “That’s so cool! That is fascinating Kimberley, fascinating.”

Kim Kardashian is currently enjoying some time off from her hectic schedule and tweeted photos of herself on holiday.

“Much needed vacay!!!” was the caption that accompanied a snap of the reality TV star wearing a red jumpsuit and throwing her arms up in the air.

In another photo, Kim Kardashian can be seen sitting down to dinner by herself, where she wrote: “Party of one…I’m not afraid.”

 [youtube V9AqBK0Bwm4]

 

Warren Buffett reveals he has been diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer

Clyde K. Valle
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Warren Buffett reveals he has been diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer

Warren Buffett has revealed in a letter to shareholders that he has been diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer.

The billionaire investor said the cancer, detected in a routine test, was “not remotely life threatening”.

Warren Buffett, 81, said he would begin a two-month course of daily radiation treatment from mid-July.

The Berkshire Hathaway boss was diagnosed on 11 April and has since undergone a CAT scan, bone scan and MRI.

According to the National Cancer Institute, a federal agency, the five-year survival rate for US prostate cancers found at an early, localized stage is nearly 100%.

It is the most common cancer in men, with more than 241,000 new cases expected in the US this year.

Warren Buffett has revealed in a letter to shareholders that he has been diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer
Warren Buffett has revealed in a letter to shareholders that he has been diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer

In his letter, Warren Buffett said he felt “great – as if I were in my normal excellent health – and my energy level is 100 percent”.

“I will let shareholders know immediately should my health situation change,” he added.

“Eventually, of course, it will. But I believe that day is a long way off.”

In February, Warren Buffett told shareholders that Berkshire Hathaway’s board had already chosen someone to succeed him as chief executive – but not yet – and that there were two back-up candidates.

The tycoon says the unnamed chosen successor and back-ups have not been told they are in line to take over the company.

Warren Buffett has previously said his son Howard, a member of Berkshire’s board, would make an ideal chairman.

With his personal wealth estimated at $44 billion, Warren Buffett is listed by Forbes magazine as the world’s third richest person.

His name has been in the headlines this week in Washington, where lawmakers have been considering the Buffett Rule, a proposal by President Barack Obama to increase taxes on the wealthy.

It was inspired by Warren Buffett’s assertion that his secretary should not be paying a higher rate of tax than he does.

 

Simon Cowell’s anti-ageing secrets revealed in his unauthorized biography

Lisa.Felice
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0
Simon Cowell’s anti-ageing secrets revealed in his unauthorized biography

Simon Cowell’s unauthorized biography brings to the light more bizarre facts about the music mogul – this time on his efforts to try and stay young.

Simon Cowell, 52, is said to demand six-monthly Botox injections, regular colonic irrigation, intravenous vitamin injections and will only use black toilet paper.

The X Factor mogul eats fresh fruit sent to him by air freight and drinks two smoothies a day made from exotic plants, reported The Sun.

Simon Cowell also has massages, chest waxes, wears tooth caps and dies his hair dark.

The revelations have been made in his unauthorized biography, Sweet Revenge: The Intimate Life of Simon Cowell, by Tom Bower, which is to be published on Friday.

Simon Cowell is reported to have told friends of the Botox: “It simply works. You do it twice a year. Who cares? And it balances my smoking and drinking.”

The wrinkle-smoothing jabs are administered by French doctor Jean-Louis Sebagh in London.

Simon Cowell is said to demand six-monthly Botox injections, regular colonic irrigation, intravenous vitamin injections and will only use black toilet paper
Simon Cowell is said to demand six-monthly Botox injections, regular colonic irrigation, intravenous vitamin injections and will only use black toilet paper

When he is at his home in the U.S., Simon Cowell apparently is hooked up to an intravenous drip in his bedroom for half an hour every Saturday afternoon.

The Sun said it pumps B vitamins and pure vitamin C into his bloodstream.

But Simon Cowell will also take “a saucer full of tablets” each day and doesn’t travel without two suitcases full of eye drops, face creams, bath salts and lotions.

But it’s not just his appearance he takes pride in – Simon Cowell splashes money on the finer things in life.

He apparently insists on black toilet paper in the bathroom of his U.S. homes.

Simon Cowell reportedly spends $5,000 a week on fresh flowers and recently spent $12.5 million renovating his $30 million Beverly Hills mansion on North Palm Drive.

Simon Cowell also owns an $11 million home in Trousdale Place which is being rebuilt in Balinese style to be used as an office.

 

Demi Moore looks healthier as she makes her first public appearance since her spell in rehab

Lisa.Felice
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Demi Moore looks healthier as she makes her first public appearance since her spell in rehab

Demi Moore made her first public appearance last night since her recent spell in rehab as she attended soiree in Beverly Hills to support her best friend Amanda de Cadenet.

Demi Moore, 49, has had a troubling few months, following the breakdown of her marriage to Ashton Kutcher.

Last night, one day after she made her Twitter comeback, Demi Moore made a brief turn in front of the cameras and certainly looked healthier and like she had put on some much needed weight.

Last year Demi Moore’s drastically shrinking frame sparked alarm and she looked a shadow of her former self as she stepped out to the premiere of her movie Margin Call in New York back in October.

But last night she looked relaxed and happy, wearing a black ensemble, beige blouse and chic jewellery.

The actress was flanked by Ariel Foxman, Editor of InStyle magazine, and her pal Amanda to celebrate the launch of her TV show The Conversation, which Demi Moore executive produces.

Demi Moore looks healthier as she posed with Ariel Foxman and her pal Amanda to celebrate the launch of her TV show The Conversation
Demi Moore looks healthier as she posed with Ariel Foxman and her pal Amanda to celebrate the launch of her TV show The Conversation

Demi Moore also found time to tweet her fans, revealing she is finally ready to change her Twitter name @MrsKutcher.

“Time for a change, twitter name change… any suggestions?” the actress wrote.

Demi Moore announced her intention to divorce Ashton Kutcher last November – although proceedings are yet to be executed by either party.

It followed claims Ashton Kutcher had cheated on her with partygirl Sara Leal during a seedy night in San Diego.

Demi Moore checked out of Utah’s Cirque Lodge in March, where she was allegedly treated for eating disorder issues, exhaustion and substance abuse.

On Monday, Demi Moore returned to Twitter after a spell away from the social networking site she once so regularly frequented.

She uploaded a bizarre picture of herself from an elevated angle with the caption: “Testing….”

Demi Moore is seen lying on her bed with her shoes on and the snap shows her glasses, nose and chin and her legs.

The actress has been keeping a low profile in recent weeks and has not been spotted out and about.

Meanwhile her estranged husband Ashton Kutcher has been linked to Rihanna and Lorene Scafaria in recent weeks and has also been spotted in the company of a mystery blonde in the past week alone.

Ashton Kutcher, 34, has also been linked to his former That ’70s Show co-star Mila Kunis.

 

China promises thorough investigation into Bo Xilai over Neil Heywood’s death

Diane A. Wade
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China promises thorough investigation into Bo Xilai over Neil Heywood’s death

China has promised a thorough investigation into top politician Bo Xilai linked to the death of British businessman Neil Heywood.

In an editorial, state-run agency Xinhua said the probe into Bo Xilai and his wife Gu Kailai over the death of Neil Heywood showed the Communist Party’s commitment to the rule of law.

The editorial came a day after Britain’s PM David Cameron raised the case with a visiting Chinese official.

It is one of several such pieces in state media in recent days.

Neil Heywood died on 15 November 2011 in the city of Chongqing, where Bo Xilai used to be the party chief.

Bo Xilai, now sacked from the post, is now being investigated for “serious discipline violations” and his wife Gu Kailai for “suspicion of homicide”.

Neil Heywood died on 15 November 2011 in the city of Chongqing, where Bo Xilai used to be the party chief
Neil Heywood died on 15 November 2011 in the city of Chongqing, where Bo Xilai used to be the party chief

The Xinhua editorial said the party had made “a resolute decision to thoroughly investigate related events and release information in a timely manner”.

The move showed its “determination to safeguard the socialist rule of law, to investigate and handle every discipline violation and never tolerate corruption”.

“The investigation into Bo… serves as a declaration to all party members that no matter what position one holds, party members shall never place themselves over party discipline and the law,” it concluded.

In recent days, a series of articles casting the downfall of Bo Xilai as a simple case of legal wrong doing have appeared in state media.

But the scandal – China’s biggest in years – comes ahead of a leadership change in Beijing due to get under way in October.

Some suspect that the party is using legal procedures as a pretext for a purge.

In political cases – such as this one – it is the Communist Party and not the courts that makes the decisions, our correspondent adds.

Britain, meanwhile, has called on China to carry out a full investigation free of interference.

PM David Cameron raised the case with Chinese politburo member Li Changchun on Tuesday when they met at Downing Street, offering “any necessary assistance” to help China investigate the death.

Chinese officials initially told British consular officials that Neil Heywood, 41, died of “excessive alcohol consumption”.

The UK government subsequently asked the Chinese authorities to reopen the investigation. Unconfirmed reports in China suggest Neil Heywood may have died from cyanide poisoning.

State media have reported that Gu Kailai and Zhang Xiaojun, an orderly at Bo Xilai’s home, have been arrested.

 

King Juan Carlos of Spain comes under fire for hunting elephants in Botswana as his country drowns in debt

Diane A. Wade
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King Juan Carlos of Spain comes under fire for hunting elephants in Botswana as his country drowns in debt

King Juan Carlos of Spain has come under fire for hunting elephants in Botswana as his country is being sucked back into the eurozone’s financial crisis and one in two youngsters are jobless.

Spanish media have slammed King Juan Carlos, 74, for the reported 32,000 Euros ($43,000) cost of the trip – and have published angry editorials alongside pictures of a previous “Big Game” hunting expedition.

They are also angry at a “lack of transparency” from the Royal Household, three months after it promised to disclose its income following a corruption probe linked to his son-in-law, Inaki Urdangarin.

It comes as fears rise that Spain will become the latest member of the eurozone to beg for a financial bailout – as its 10-year yield’s creep perilously close to the 7% level which saw Ireland, Portugal and Greece receiving a handout.

The royal holiday last week would have remained secret if the king had not tripped on a step, fractured his hip and had to be flown back urgently to Madrid to undergo hip replacement surgery on Saturday morning.

King Juan Carlos called on Spanish leaders in his annual Christmas message to set a good example. More recently, he said there were times when he could not sleep because of concern about Spain’s youth unemployment problem.

Last week he cancelled his regular weekly meeting with Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy because he had already left for Botswana, several newspapers said.

El Mundo newspaper said in an editorial: “It was an irresponsible trip, taken at the worst possible moment.

“The image of a monarch hunting elephants in Africa at a time when the economic crisis in our country creates so many problems for the Spanish people is a very poor example.”

King Juan Carlos of Spain has come under fire for hunting elephants in Botswana as his country is being sucked back into the eurozone's financial crisis
King Juan Carlos of Spain has come under fire for hunting elephants in Botswana as his country is being sucked back into the eurozone's financial crisis

Most Spanish dailies and TV channels yesterday showed a picture of the king in front of a dead elephant, taken on a similar trip to Botswana in 2006.

The picture drew many internet and Twitter comments, some linking it to a Russian hunting trip in 2006 when the king was reported to have killed a bear which had been made drunk.

News of the King Juan Carlos’ latest trip came at a time when Spain’s political leaders face growing social anger.

Support for Mariano Rajoy fell sharply this month after his government announced deep spending cuts and health and education reforms to fight the sovereign debt crisis, an opinion poll showed yesterday.

ABC newspaper said it was Juan Carlos’ “bitterest year” since he came to the throne and became head of state shortly after the death in 1975 of dictator Francisco Franco.

King Juan Carlos, who oversaw the country’s tense transition to democracy, won respect from many Spaniards in 1981 when he publicly condemned an attempted coup.

He has remained very popular, though a poll in October showed that the Spanish people’s trust in the royal family was declining.

The monarchy was also criticized in December when Inaki Urdangarin, the husband of the King’s youngest daughter Cristina, was charged in a fraud and embezzlement case.

A separate accident also drew media attention to the royal family on Monday, when Felipe Juan Froilan, the 13-year-old son of the king’s eldest daughter Infanta Elena, accidentally shot himself in the foot with a shotgun during target practice outside a family home north of Madrid.

The incident reminded older Spaniards of a more serious royal shooting accident in 1956 when King Juan Carlos’ 14-year-old brother, Alfonso, died at the royal family’s home.

The palace said at the time that Alfonso was killed by a bullet in the head when a revolver he was cleaning went off accidentally. But historians have questioned the official version of events.

King Juan Carlos, a keen sailor, has had at least five hunting and skiing accidents in the past, some requiring surgery. He also had a lung operation in 2010 and knee and foot surgery in 2011.

Mariano Rajoy, who visited the king on Sunday, said he would resume his duties gradually and would attend their weekly meeting next Friday.

He said: “I saw him being very upbeat. He will recover very soon and resume his usual duties.”

Physicians caring for the king of Spain say he is likely to be recuperating for the next six weeks, as he delegates his duties as head of state to his son, Prince Felipe, while he recuperates.

The accident occurred early on Friday while the king was on safari in the Okavango area of Botswana. He was immediately flown home by private jet.

Angel Villamor, a spokesman for the medical team caring for him, said he is recovering well.

[youtube GCYSn55FBOs]

 

What happens when a leopard befriends a baby antelope?

James J. Williams
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What happens when a leopard befriends a baby antelope?

A female leopard seemed to want to make friends with a newborn steenbok (part of the antelope family) for 45 minutes and the small creature was so unafraid of the predator it even tried to suckle milk from it.

The apparently playful encounter between the leopard and the calf was captured by a safari guide in the Sabi Sand Game reserve, in South Africa.

But then nature opened up its powerful claw and the leopard decided playing with the Bambi lookalike was probably not as much fun as eating it.

In a flash, the leopard killed the newborn, which had foolishly ventured out into the brush after being hidden in a nearby bush by its terrified mother, who was powerless to intervene.

Safari guide, Marius Croetzee, 30, from Durban, was travelling by Land Rover he and his clients witnessed nature at its most heart-wrenching from only six yards away.

The apparently playful encounter between the leopard and the calf was captured by a safari guide in the Sabi Sand Game reserve
The apparently playful encounter between the leopard and the calf was captured by a safari guide in the Sabi Sand Game reserve

Marius Croetzee said: “I got a call over the radio that a female leopard were located close to the lodge and that she was busy stalking.

“The mother stashed the lamb in thick scrub while feeding nearby, when it was caught she ran away for her own safety.

“It is not uncommon for a leopard to make more than one kills if the opportunity presents itself.

“Upon arriving at the scene I witnessed the leopard sitting with the steenbok in her paws. The lamb was new born and completely oblivious to the danger it was in.

“It had no fear, and at one stage even tried to suckle from the female leopard. This was a first for me in and in more than 12 years of safari guiding I have not seen it again

“People were absolutely amazed and felt sad, but they realized that this is nature in its rawest form.”

 

Daphne Selfe, 83, the world’s oldest supermodel

Lisa.Felice
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2
Daphne Selfe, 83, the world’s oldest supermodel

At 83, Daphne Selfe, the world’s oldest supermodel, appears in Vogue and struts along the Paris catwalks.

Daphne Selfe likes sugar in her tea, cake with it, biscuits, Downton Abbey and raising money for her local church. She has a son, two daughters and four grandchildren. Daphne Selfe doesn’t like playing bridge, or sitting around. She also wears a black leather jacket without looking ridiculous, and has been working as a model for 63 years. In the past two years she has been on assignments in Paris, Prague, Berlin, Beijing, Ibiza, South Africa and more. She is, to be fair, a little bemused: “What’s going on? Perhaps this is my swan song.” It seems unlikely, although she does have “certain limitations”, such as being unable to wear high heels now, unlike, as she acknowledges, the Queen.

“She’s amazing,” says Daphne Selfe. “She looks even better than when she was younger.” Which might also be said of Daphne Selfe, who got her big break when she was working at a Reading department store in 1950 after her ambition to work with horses had suffered a setback, and “Mummy said <<you just can’t sit around>>.” First it was a local magazine cover, and then she was off to London: “Mummy thought that was a lot better than horses…less dangerous, to some extent, or perhaps dangerous in a different way.”

At 83, Daphne Selfe, the world’s oldest supermodel, appears in Vogue and struts along the Paris catwalks
At 83, Daphne Selfe, the world’s oldest supermodel, appears in Vogue and struts along the Paris catwalks

Daphne Selfe has a twinkle and an accent of a type – somewhere between Fenella Fielding and Joanna Lumley – heard less often now than then (her father was a schoolmaster who read Greek in bed for fun). London and modelling in the early Fifties, though, “wasn’t anything special. There were no supermodels, it wasn’t talked about much at all…I wasn’t nearly as successful in my 20s, I didn’t get anything really exciting.”

Daphne Selfe married Jim, a television stage manager, produced three children, and returned to modelling in the Sixties.

“But they didn’t like me. I wasn’t the right type: Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton had the blonde fringe, I was dark with wavy hair, much more classic, really. I didn’t fit in at all. But I did do a lot of what they call store modelling, wearing somebody’s clothes and walking round the restaurant.”

Daphne Selfe has been working as a model for 63 years
Daphne Selfe has been working as a model for 63 years

And so her career continued, supplemented by any number of appearances as a television and film extra, and arriving, in a stately way, in the early Nineties, at an advertisement for Stannah Stairlifts – “first floor, please, Stan!” Work became more difficult, as she was caring for Jim after he’d had a stroke. Then, in 1998, the year after Jim’s death, came her great rediscovery, at the age of 70, when she was hired by Red or Dead for a London Fashion Week show.

Suddenly, Daphne Selfe was in Vogue, “which I’d given up dreaming about years ago…I was very surprised, extraordinarily surprised…70 was very unusual for a model…I’ve been very lucky, the camera likes me.”

She was 5ft 7 and 10 stone (“a big strapping horsey girl!”) when she started; she is 5ft 6 and 8 stone now. She exercises “most days”. She has always had energy, doesn’t get jetlag and loves doing new things, a trait she clearly shares with her son, who has been, inter alia, a banker and an explorer, and now teaches yoga in India. One of her daughters sculpts; the other has been a ferociously keen sky-diver.

Daphne Selfe has modelled for Mario Testino, Mary McCartney and Rankin, who told her that the difference between her and younger models was that they had nothing behind their eyes because they had no experience. Or, as Daphne puts it, “The reason why I’ve lasted so long is because I’m not quite as thick as some…you have to bring an element of intelligence to any job, that’s what sustains you and the people you work with.”

And, “You’ve got to take rejection. I go to lots of auditions, and you only get one out of several, that’s how it is. It’s not necessarily your fault, it’s what they’re looking for, and if you don’t fit the bill, it’s nothing to do with how good or bad you are. That’s quite difficult for young girls to get used to. But I’m old and sensible – or insensible now – so I don’t worry about it, and on to the next one.” With that, she was off home to watch Sir David Attenborough, 85.

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Space Shuttle Discovery flyover Washington DC on the back of jumbo jet before retirement at Smithsonian

James J. Williams
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Space Shuttle Discovery flyover Washington DC on the back of jumbo jet before retirement at Smithsonian

Discovery, NASA’s oldest and most travelled space shuttle, has made a dramatic flypast over the centre of Washington D.C. on the way to its final resting place at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Virginia.

Discovery flew over the monuments along the National Mall in Washington DC at about 10:00 EST.

Piggy-backing on a modified Boeing 747, the retired space shuttle was flying at an altitude of about 1,500ft (457 m), NASA said.

The shuttle programme ended in 2011. Discovery will be on show at the Air and Space Museum in Virginia.

After circling four times over the Washington Monument, and passing the National Mall over Capitol Hill, the shuttle landed at Dulles Airport, a few miles outside Washington DC.

From there it will be towed to the nearby Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, where it will be on permanent display.

During the flypast, onlookers lined the roofs of the capital’s buildings and the route to the airport, wanting to catch a glimpse of the shuttle.

Earlier, crowds of onlookers gathered along the Florida shoreline as dawn broke on Tuesday to see the shuttle take off from Kennedy Space Center.

Cheers broke out from the estimated 2,000-strong crowd as the aircraft left the runway, the Associated Press reported.

Discovery made a dramatic flypast over Washington DC on the way to its final resting place at Smithsonian
Discovery made a dramatic flypast over Washington DC on the way to its final resting place at Smithsonian

Dozens of former shuttle workers and NASA veterans were reported to be among the onlookers.

Discovery then passed low over a packed beach and made one final turn back over the runway at the space complex before climbing towards a cruising altitude.

The aircraft’s fuselage was illuminated by the early Florida sunshine for moments before it headed out of sight on its journey up the East Coast.

In Washington, would-be shuttle-watchers gathered on the National Mall, the two-mile-long public park running through the heart of the city, for a prime view of the mid-morning flyover.

Discovery descended to 1,500ft and was visible over the city’s Waterfront area, the Mall, and near the Jefferson Memorial.

The flypast was also expected to delight onlookers at a regular plane-spotting haunt, Gravelly Point Park, just outside the city limits in Virginia.

Discovery’s final destination is an annex of the Smithsonian Institute’s National Air and Space Museum, situated in Virginia, close to Dulles, the main international airport serving Washington DC.

Discovery was the most-used of the shuttle fleet, flying 39 missions, and was designated the fleet leader.

It is the first of three remaining shuttles to head to a museum. Enterprise – the prototype shuttle – and Endeavour will make their final journeys later this year.

The shuttle fleet was decommissioned and the programme wound up in 2011, after 30 years in action, when construction was completed on the International Space Station.

Retirement of NASA’s iconic shuttle fleet was ordered by the US government, in part due to the high cost of maintaining the ships.

The decision leaves the country with no means of putting astronauts in orbit.

• Discovery was NASA’s third operational shuttle, launched on 30 August 1984

• Carried Hubble Telescope into space in 1990

• Flew 39 missions – more than any other ship in NASA’s fleet

• Participated in both the “Return to Flight” missions, after the Challenger and Columbia disasters

• Named after boats that undertook historic voyages of exploration, such as the vessel that discovered Hawaii and searched for the Northwest Passage

Source: NASA

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Windows 8 OS comes in three different flavors

Nancy Clayson
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Windows 8 OS comes in three different flavors

Microsoft has announced that its next operating system Windows 8 will come in just three different flavors.

For those with Intel-compatible machines, the OS will be available in two versions – Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro.

And for those with devices, largely tablets, powered by ARM-designed chips there will be a Windows RT version.

Microsoft wants to simplify how it markets Windows 8, which is expected to launch in autumn 2012.

The complex flavors of past Windows – from basic to home, premium to ultimate – have become something of a joke among tech experts.

Microsoft has called Windows 8 the most significant redesign of the Windows interface since its groundbreaking Windows 95 OS.

Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro will be available for Intel-compatible machines and Windows RT for tablets
Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro will be available for Intel-compatible machines and Windows RT for tablets

The ARM version of the OS is the newest edition and reflects Microsoft’s desire to unify the engine known for running desktop computers with that for tablets and smartphones. Windows RT will sit alongside Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android operating systems.

It announced the new flavors on its Windows blog.

Many of those reacting to the announcement were unimpressed by the name for its ARM version.

“You guys are doing a phenomenal job with Windows Phone, Windows 8, etc, which makes the naming of <<Windows RT>> all the more maddening. You’re trying to simplify the rest of the <<Windows Live>> properties, which I applaud, but then you go with Windows RT? Does. not. compute,” said Michael Jenke, summing up the views of many responses to the blog.

In an earlier 8,600-plus word blog post Windows president Steven Sinofsky detailed the “energizing and daunting” challenges in developing Windows on ARM.

A preview version of Windows 8 launched late last year and more than 100,000 changes had been made since the developer version went public.

For the first time since its inception, the trademark Windows “Start” button will no longer appear – instead being replaced by a sliding panel-based menu.

In a footnote in its blog, Microsoft said that there would be an adapted version of Windows 8 Pro for businesses.

 

Original cheque that bought Superman comic character sold with $160,000

Sonia Pantiss
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Original cheque that bought Superman comic character sold with $160,000

The original cheque used to buy the Superman comic character from its creators Jerome Siegel and Joe Shuster has been sold in an online auction for $160,000.

Jerome Siegel and Joe Shuster from Cleveland were paid $130 for all the rights to Superman by Detective Comics, later known as DC Comics.

The pair later tried to win back the rights to Superman in court, as it became part of a global industry.

The ComicConnect website has not revealed who won the auction.

“The concept of the superhero was born with Superman,” Vincent Zurzolo, the co-founder of ComicConnect, told Reuters.

“That $130 cheque essentially created a billion-dollar industry,” he added, with other characters such as Batman, Spider-Man and X-Men following in the footsteps of the Man of Steel.

Jerome Siegel and Joe Shuster from Cleveland were paid $130 for all the rights to Superman by Detective Comics
Jerome Siegel and Joe Shuster from Cleveland were paid $130 for all the rights to Superman by Detective Comics

ComicConnect told Reuters that when the first Superman movie came out in 1978, Joe Shuster was so poor he was working for a delivery company.

It was a box-office success followed by four more Superman films and a Supergirl version. Another is due for release in June 2013.

Although $130 is around $2,300 in today’s money, it is a tiny fraction of what the character has earned since then.

The heirs of the creators Jerome Siegel and Joe Shuster are still involved in court battles with DC Comics as they try to reclaim their rights to the character.

The original cheque also paid the pair for earnings from other characters they were also working on for the company.

ComicConnect says the cheque was used in a court case in the 1970s, the last time Jerome Siegel and Joe Shuster themselves tried to get the rights to Superman.

After their victory a DC Comics employee was told to throw away the court papers, but he held on to the cheque, recognizing its significance.

 

 

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