Two renters answering to an ad on Craigslist made a chilling discover when they found the owner of a house in Bellevue, Washington, dead inside and his 4-year-old boy crying.
The two men found the little boy near his father body on Saturday. He was hungry and confused, saying that he hadn’t been able to wake up his father for the past two days.
Medical examiners later confirmed that the father, 35, who had blood coming from his nose, had been dead for at least 24 to 48 hours.
Two renters answering to an ad on Craigslist made a chilling discover when they found the owner of a house in Bellevue, Washington, dead inside and his 4-year-old boy crying
The men took the boy to a neighbours house, and then the neighbour and the two prospective renters went back into the Bellevue house and called the police.
“Hopefully [the boy] didn’t see too much and doesn’t realize what happened,” said Lieutenant Marcia Harnden.
“It’s never an easy thing to see a dead body- especially when it’s maybe been there for a day or two.”
If the father died two days ago, that would place his time of death around dinner time on Thanksgiving, though police have not offered any clues as to any other individuals who may have seen the father and son on the holiday.
Neither the little boy, nor the dead father, have been identified, though it has been confirmed that the boy’s mother does not live in the same house.
The men, whose names have also not been released, were looking to rent the home on the 15800 block of South East Fifth Place.
The mother was out of town when police arrived at the house around 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, so the boy is now in the care of his grandparents.
The father’s body is now with the medical examiner who will determine the cause of death, though they do not suspect foul play.
In his book, “God, If You’re Not Up There, I’m F***ed”, Darrell Hammond, one of Saturday Night Live’s most popular cast members, has revealed vicious abuse that led to years of drug and alcohol problems.
As well as verbal abuse, Darrell Hammond says he was regularly stabbed, beaten and subjected to electric shocks as a young boy.
Darrell Hammond talks of the brutality he suffered at the hands of his mother, Margaret.
“I am three or four years old, and my mother is holding me close to her with one arm. In her free hand she holds a serrated steak knife.
“Slowly, she sticks it into the center of my tongue, making an incision about one-quarter inch to one-half inch long. It is quiet except for the sound of the hibiscus bush thump-thumping against the kitchen window. I do not struggle or cry. Somehow I know that to do so will make it worse. The kitchen floor is red with my blood.
“I am getting into the car to go somewhere with my mother. <<Wait>>, she says, holding the door open. <<Put your hand there>>. When I do, she slams the door.”
As well as verbal abuse, Darrell Hammond says he was regularly stabbed, beaten and subjected to electric shocks as a young boy
Those moments led to deep psychological scarring that later led Darrell Hammond to self-harm as a young adult – and, ultimately, a dependence on alcohol and cocaine.
And Darrell Hammond maintains that, as his popularity grew while starring on SNL, his self-harm and substance abuse increased to keep out painful memories and cope with his fame.
Darrell Hammond writes in his book: “I kept a pint of Remy in my desk at work. The drinking calmed my nerves and quieted the disturbing images that sprang into my head… If drinking didn’t work, I cut myself.”
At one point, after a performance in the NBC building where the show is recorded, Darrell Hammond was taken away in a straitjacket.
Darrell Hammond spent time in psychiatric institutions and psych wards, where he was prescribed “as many as seven medications at one time”.
He also said he was urged to reach out to his mother as a part of his therapy. He writes that when he finally did call, his mother said: “Don’t ever call us again.”
Darrell Hammond did not see his mother again until just before her death. His father died soon after.
Despite his problems, Darrell Hammond was the longest-running performer on the show until his retirement in 2009, and he told the New York Post last month that he had a deep respect for many of his former co-stars, who include Will Ferrell, Tina Fey and Kristen Wiig.
Darrell Hammond said: “I don’t have anything bad to say about anyone there. They all went above and beyond the call for me.”
And he suggested that the culture of the show, and the view of its producer Lorne Michaels, was that personal issues may be overlooked if they didn’t directly affect the performances.
Darrell Hammond told CNN: “SNL is a place where if Lorne judges that you can hit the ball over the wall that night, then you’re going to step up to the plate. So I didn’t want to let Lorne down, who I’m close to.”
An eight-year-old boy, third grade student from Cleveland Heights, Ohio, has been removed from his home after he grew to 218 pounds, weighing nearly as much as four of his age children.
The boy was put in foster care by social workers from the Department of Children and Family Services because his mother isn’t doing enough to control his weight, the state agency says.
The “severely obese” boy requires so much medical attention, the state agency is considering getting a personal trainer to visit his foster home so he can lose weight.
The child, whose name was not made public, is otherwise a normal elementary school student who participates in school activities and makes the honor roll, reports the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
The average weight for an eight-year-old boy is 57 pounds – about one quarter of what the Ohio boy weighs.
Ohio social workers said the child’s mother is neglecting her son because she’s not doing enough to bring his weight down.
“This child’s problem was so severe that we had to take custody,” Mary Louise Madigan, a spokeswoman for the Department of Children and Family Services, told the Plain Dealer.
But the mother, who was also not identified, said she has worked hard to get her son to shed pounds. She just hasn’t been able to get him to keep it off.
“Of course I love him. Of course I want him to lose weight. It’s a lifestyle change, and they are trying to make it seem like I am not embracing that. It is very hard, but I am trying,” the mother told the Plain Dealer.
The case has set off debates about the point at which childhood weight problems become child abuse, especially when nearly 20% of children aged 6 to 11 are obese.
Dr. David Ludwig, a Harvard University pediatric obesity expert, says severe obesity in children can cause diabetes, cholesterol problems, sleep apnea and other conditions that could dramatically shorten the child's lifespan
Dr. David Ludwig, a Harvard University pediatric obesity expert, says severe obesity in children can cause diabetes, cholesterol problems, sleep apnea and other conditions that could dramatically shorten the child’s lifespan.
Arthur Caplan, a University of Pennsylvania ethicist, said obesity isn’t like other things that have been labeled child abuse.
“A third of kids are fat. We aren’t going to move them all to foster care. We can’t afford it, and I’m not sure there are enough foster parents to do it,” Arthur Caplan told the Plain Dealer.
A woman gave birth to a healthy baby boy in a restroom at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in Maryland just moments after getting off her flight.
Jonathan Dean, Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport spokesman says an officer helped the woman deliver the child yesterday afternoon.
The woman was on the floor of a restroom in Concourse D.
A woman gave birth to a healthy baby boy in a restroom at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in Maryland just moments after getting off her flight
Jonathan Dean said that Maryland Transportation Authority Police and the airport’s fire and rescue department responded to a call of a woman in labour around 2:20 p.m.
The mother and baby were taken to Baltimore Washington Medical Center.
Bernie Fine, the Syracuse University basketball coach accused of sex abuse has been fired after damning new evidence suggested his wife watched him molest a boy who was staying at their house.
Laurie Fine, the wife of Syracuse University coach, allegedly told one of her husband’s three accusers in a recorded phone call that she suspected he had done the same to other boys – but that she never did anything to stop it.
Laurie Fine is also said to have revealed that she slept with one of the victims, once he turned 18 – as it emerged that the tapes had been in the hands of police and ESPN for nearly ten years and no action was taken.
Bernie Fine, the Syracuse University basketball coach accused of sex abuse has been fired after damning new evidence suggested his wife watched him molest a boy who was staying at their house
One of the alleged victims Bobby Davis, now 39, says he secretly taped the conversation in 2002 in an effort to collect proof that the longtime college basketball coach Bernie Fine, now 65, had abused him, starting when he was 12 years old.
“I know everything that went on, you know,” Laurie Fine says on tapes played by ESPN’s Outside the Line program.
“I know everything that went on with him. Bernie has issues, maybe that he’s not aware of, but he has issues. And you trusted somebody you shouldn’t have trusted.”
Bernie Fine has denied the allegations as “patently false”. However, Syracuse University today fired Bernie Fine after putting him on administrative leave earlier this month.
“At the direction of Chancellor Cantor, Bernie Fine’s employment with Syracuse University has been terminated, effective immediately,” said Kevin Quinn, the school’s senior vice president for public affairs.
Authorities have said if any crimes were committed, they are likely beyond the statute of limitation and no prosecutions can be made.
The phone conversation was verified by a voice-recognition analyst hired by ESPN.
Laurie Fine is also said to have revealed that she slept with Bobby Davis, once he turned 18 - as it emerged that the tapes had been in the hands of police and ESPN for nearly ten years and no action was taken
Laurie Fine talks about the alleged abuse against Bobby Davis in a matter-of-fact tone and suggests she has known about it for many years.
“But you never had any [sex act] with him?” Laurie Fine asks Bobby Davis, who is an adult at the time of the phone call.
“No,” Bobby Davis says.
“I think he wanted to, but…”
Laurie Fine says: “Oh, of course he would! Why wouldn’t he?”
Bobby Davis lived with the Fines in the basement of their house on and off throughout his childhood. He says Bernie Fine began abusing him in 1984 when he was just 12 years old and in seventh grade.
Bobby Davis says Laurie Fine always knew something was going on and even caught her husband touching him when she peered through the blinds one night as she pretended to take out the trash.
It wasn’t until that incident, when Bobby Davis was in high school but still a minor, that Laurie Fine approached him and told him to stand up for himself. However, she never called police.
In the conversation, Laurie Fine seems to accept that her husband has predilections for boys and that there is nothing she can do about it.
“You know what, <<Go to a place where there are gay boys. Find yourself a gay boy>>,” Laurie Fine says.
“<<Get your rocks off, and have it be over with>>. He needs that male companionship that I can’t give him.”
Bobby Davis says Laurie Fine always knew something was going on and even caught her husband touching him when she peered through the blinds one night as she pretended to take out the trash
Laurie Fine explains that her husband is no longer interested in her sexually, instead preferring boys. And she isn’t interested in him, either, she says.
This could explain why she also became sexually involved with Bobby Davis. In the tape Laurie Fine confirms that she had sex with the former Syracuse University ball boy when he was 18 and a high school senior.
But she claims she couldn’t help Bobby Davis when he was younger.
“Because I care about you, and I didn’t want to see you being treated that way,” she says.
“And, it’s hard. If it was another girl… it would be easy to step in because you know what you’re up against. If it’s another guy, you can’t compete with that. It’s just wrong, and you were a kid. You’re a man now, but you were a kid then.”
If the allegations Bobby Davis are making prove true, Laurie Fine did nothing to stop the abuse while it occurred.
But she wasn’t the only one who didn’t step in to help Bobby Davis. He reported the incident to Syracuse police in 2002 and turned over the tapes when the detective said he needed proof.
But police apparently never investigated any farther.
In 2003, Bobby Davis turned the tapes over to ESPN, but the sports network never did anything then because reporters couldn’t find “anyone else to corroborate the story”.
Bobby Davis and his step-brother Mike Lang have both accused Bernie Fine of abusing them when they were ball boys for the Syracuse University men’s basketball team.
A third man, Zach Tomaselli, now 24, says Bernie Fine molested him in a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, hotel room in 2002.
However, Zach Tomaselli is currently facing sex abuse charges of his own in Maine and his own father has told news media that he is lying.
But federal agents found Zach Tomaselli’s statements compelling enough to raid Bernie Fine’s home in upstate New York on Friday, carrying away his trash as well as filing cabinets.
Zach Tomaselli said the scandal at Penn State involving former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky – accused of sexually abusing eight boys over a 15-year period – prompted him to come forward.
“It was the Sandusky stuff that really made me think about it,” Zach Tomaselli said.
“A lot of people were slamming ESPN and Bobby for saying anything. I wanted to come out.”
Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim said he supported the decision to fire his longtime assistant and expressed regret for his initial statements that might have been “insensitive to victims of abuse”.
“The allegations that have come forth today are disturbing and deeply troubling. I am personally very shocked because I have never witnessed any of the activities that have been alleged,” Jim Boeheim said.
“I believe the university took the appropriate step,” he added, saying the matter must be ‘fully investigated” and anyone with information should be “supported to come forward” to tell the truth.
“I deeply regret any statements I made that might have inhibited that from occurring or been insensitive to victims of abuse,” Jim Boeheim said.
The death of Welsh national manager Gary Speed left the football world baffled and devastated yesterday.
Gary Speed, 42, was found hanged by his wife, according to the Times, just after 7:00 a.m. GMT in the garage of their $2.3 million mansion. They have together two teenage sons.
Just few hours earlier, Gary Speed had appeared happy and optimistic on BBC1’s Football Focus programme.
The Welsh manager talked enthusiastically about his team’s improving fortunes and his hopes for success in World Cup qualifying matches next year.
Presenter Dan Walker, who spent four hours on and off camera with Gary Speed, said: “He was as bubbly as I’ve known him. He was talking about his kids, how they were really coming on, and talking about playing golf next week.
“Even small things like how he’d just got into Twitter. It’s awful to think someone who was so gifted and so well liked with the rest of his life to look forward to have been cruelly removed. He was in such a good mood about the show and said he’d love to come back before Christmas.”
Gary Speed, 42, was found hanged by his wife, Louise, 40, just after 7.00 a.m. GMT in the garage of their $2.3 million mansion
The suspected suicideof Gary Speed at the family home in Huntington, on the outskirts of Chester, was reported to police just after 7:00 a.m. Police said there were “no suspicious circumstances”.
Officers were waiting last night to interview Gary Speed’s widow, Louise, 40, who was a constant figure of support throughout his career.
A friend described Gary Speed as a “completely devoted dad” to sons Ed, 14, and Tommy, 13. Both are promising sportsmen. Ed is a footballer and Tommy a keen boxer.
Robbie Savage, who played alongside Gary Speed for Wales, said his former teammate had been ribbing him on Saturday about his appearance on Strictly Come Dancing.
“I just can’t believe it,” said Robbie Savage.
“He was my mate and he’s gone. I’ve got very close to Gary in the last few years – the guy is a trooper, he’s left two gorgeous kids behind and a beautiful wife. He had everything.
“I spoke to him yesterday and we were laughing and joking – he was saying make sure you don’t get a (mark of) two off Craig (Revel Horwood, the Strictly judge) tonight. That’s what Gary’s like – he always thinks about other people.
“As my captain when I was a young boy in the squad, he’d come to me and I could go to him with my problems.”
Gary Speed’s former Newcastle United teammate Shay Given, who attended a charity fundraising fashion event with him in May, was seen in floods of tears on television as a minute’s silence was held at Swansea City’s match against Given’s team Aston Villa.
Thousands of fans sang Welsh hymns and joined in the chant “there’s only one Gary Speed”.
At Anfield, Liverpool’s Welsh star Craig Bellamy asked not to play against Manchester City after hearing the news.
Gary Speed, who was awarded an MBE in the 2010 Birthday Honours, retired from playing only last year after winning 85 caps for his country.
He represented Leeds United, Everton, Newcastle and Bolton Wanderers during his long career.
Both Gary Speed’s parents were from Chester but he was born in the Welsh border town of Mancot and was always proud to represent his country. His father Roger played football for Wrexham before returning to his trade as a joiner.
Gary Speed made his league debut for Leeds United in May 1989 and was a member of the team which went on to win the league title in 1992.
Despite having limited experience as a manager, Gary Speed’s impact on the Welsh national team had been dramatic.
He had a keen interest in sports psychology and after taking over from John Toshack a year ago was able to get the best out of young players such as Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey and Tottenham’s Gareth Bale.
A video posted on YouTube shows a woman at Planet Fitness demonstrated her way to break up the monotony of running in place on a gym treadmill – she dances.
The woman, capture on a cell phone video by a pair of admirers, twisted, spun and grooved on the workout equipment, dancing to her own beat.
The unidentified woman doesn’t seem to be showing off. She doesn’t notice to two men video recording her.
The woman, capture on a cell phone video by a pair of admirers, twisted, spun and grooved on the workout equipment, dancing to her own beat
She gets down on her treadmill with her headphones on, apparently just focused on her moves and her workout.
“Dude, she breaking it down,” one of the men behind the camera says.
“That’s the next Beyoncé right there,” the other adds.
The duo is at once admiring and poking fun at the treadmill dance diva.
She’s clearly been practicing. Her moves look effortless as she dances freestyle through on the treadmill.
As remarkable as her moves are, this woman isn’t the first person to use the moving belt of a treadmill for some impressive dance routines.
The four members of Chicago rock band OK Go blasted to stardom with a breakout music video of them performing an elaborate, synchronized dance on several treadmills.
That video has had 50 million views on YouTube since it was uploaded in 2006 and won the band a Grammy for “Best Music Video”.
Mark Headstrong, a clerk at a convenience store in Wilmington, North Carolina, had never fired a gun before, but, when a robber pointed a pistol at him, he acted fast and shot his assailant twice.
Surveillance video captures the moment Mark Headstrong pulled out his weapon and fired, dropping 30-year-old Joseph Ryan Anderson to the floor with bullet wounds to his leg and his finger.
But Mark Headstrong’s boss, store owner Musa Agil said his employee should have shot the robber dead: “He should have killed him and this guy was soft on him.”
“He was trying to give him a second chance. Thugs like those should not ever be given a chance, because if that man shot Mark, he’s not going to look at him and give him a chance. That’s why Mark made a terrible mistake by letting him go,” Musa Agil told WWAY news in Wilmington.
Surveillance video captures the moment Mark Headstrong pulled out his weapon and fired, dropping 30-year-old Joseph Ryan Anderson to the floor with bullet wounds to his leg and his finger
This wasn’t the first robbery for either thug or clerk. Joseph Ryan Anderson was convicted of armed robbery in 2002. He has served more than 12 and half years in prison for various crimes.
Mark Headstrong has been robbed twice in the year he’s worked at the Wrightsville Country Store. In the first robbery, he resisted and was bashed in the head. The second time, he gave up the cash drawer without protest.
The in-store cameras show Joseph Ryan Anderson walk into the store wearing a mask and black hood pulled over his head. He draws a gun and points it at Mark Headstrong.
The clerk draws his own handgun. Mark Headstrong, a soft-spoken man, told the Star News of Wilmington that he instructed Joseph Ryan Anderson to drop the gun. But the convicted felon didn’t. Instead, he steps closer to the counter, so Mark Headstrong fired a warning shot into the floor.
The bullet ricocheted and struck Joseph Ryan Anderson in the leg. But the robber still didn’t drop the gun. So, Mark Headstrong, wearing shorts and flip-flops, shoots again, hitting the assailant in the finger.
The robber finally lets go of his silver handgun and falls to the floor.
“I’m sorry, you shot me, man. Please. I’m not going to go nowhere, please,” Joseph Ryan Anderson says as he lay on the floor.
Then the robber starts to plead: “Please, man. Please. Let me go, man.”
An ambulance took Joseph Ryan Anderson to the hospital, where he was treated for the wounds. As soon as he was well enough, police arrested him and charged him with attempted armed robbery and possession of a firearm by a felon.
“You’ll be hailed as a hero,” Musa Agil told his employee during a news conference.
“But you’d be a superhero if you’d dropped him dead.”
Indeed, Mark Headstrong told ABC News his story has inspired waves of new customers at the store, many of whom want to shake his hand and congratulate him for standing up to an armed thug. Some even give him autographs.
But Mark Headstrong isn’t so sure about his new-found fame. He said he is concerned about Joseph Ryan Anderson’s recover and is unsure he wants to stay at the convenience store.
Ocean Spray has decided to recall thousands of pounds of Craisins – sweetened dried cranberries – after some lots were possibly contaminated with small, hair-like metal fragments.
The giant company announced the voluntary recall yesterday, immediately after one of its bestselling periods, Thanksgiving, when huge volumes of cranberries are eaten.
Ocean Spray initiated the recall on Wednesday, spokesman John Isaf told MNSBC.
It wasn’t not clear when the company became aware of the problem.
Ocean Spray has decided to recall thousands of pounds of Craisins - sweetened dried cranberries - after some lots were possibly contaminated with small, hair-like metal fragments
The recall affects some Original flavour Craisins in 5-ounce, 10-ounce and 48-ounce packages, as well as bulk-sweetened dried cranberries in 10-pound packages.
The very small hair-like metal fragments are unlikely to cause consumer injury, the spokesman said.
Ocean Spray officials said they’ve received no reports of consumers hurt by the fragments.
The fragments were caused by a malfunction on a piece of equipment on the production line at one of the firm’s cranberry-making facilities.
The problem has been identified and corrected, John Isaf said.
Isaf would not say how many packages were recalled, saying only that it was “very small”.
Less than one-quarter of 1% of dried cranberries produced annually are affected by the recall, he said.
But given that Ocean Spray produces an estimated 60 million pounds annually, the return could involve about 150,000 pounds of dried cranberries.
The recalled product lots (only dates followed by the letter M are affected) are: 5-oz. Craisins UPC: 00293-000 Best By Dates/Letter: Oct 27 2012 M
10-oz. Craisins UPC: 29456-000 and 29464-000 Best By Dates/Letter: Oct 27 2012 M, Oct 28 2012 M, Oct 29 2012 M
48-oz. Craisins UPC: 00678-318 Best By Dates/Letter: Oct 27 2012 M, Oct 28 2012 M, Nov 3 2012 M, Nov 4 2012 M, Nov 5 2012 M, Nov 6 2012 M, Nov 7 2012 M, Nov 10 2012 M, Nov 11 2012 M.
10-lb. bulk ingredient & food service UPC: 03477-000 Best By Dates/Letter: 30 Oct 2013 M, 31 Oct 2013 M, 1 Nov 2013 M, 5 Nov 2013 M.
Ocean Spray advises shoppers to dispose of the product, keeping the UPC label and Best By dates, and contacting the Ocean Spray consumer hotline at 1-800-662-3263.
Ray Harris, a businessman from Marion, Indiana, and his two teenage daughters died in a plane crash yesterday afternoon after the parachute failed to slow the craft down.
Ray Harris, 47, and his daughters, Ramie and Shey, perished, along with a man believed to be the co-pilot, after the single-engined Cirrus-SR2 plummeted into a farm field near the Chicago suburb of Crystal Lake.
It shattered into several pieces, killing all on board instantly, while on its way from Marion, Indiana to Wheaton, Illinois, where Shey Harris, the eldest daughter, attended college.
Ray Harris, a businessman from Marion, Indiana, and his two teenage daughters died in a plane crash yesterday afternoon after the parachute failed to slow the craft down
Wayne Sebold, Mayor of Marion, confirmed the identities of the victims as Ray Harris, a Chrysler dealership owner and former city water board president, and his daughters.
Ronnie Carmin, treasurer of the Marion Pilots Club, which owned the plane, also said the businessman was scheduled to fly the plane yesterday.
Ronnie Carmin said he was told that Ray Harris had fueled up the plane and taken off from Marion Municipal Airport around 10:00 a.m. Saturday.
The cause of the crash, around 10:30 a.m., was not immediately known.
But witnesses said the four-seat model’s parachute, which designed to lower the aircraft to safety after loss of control or engine failure, did not slow the craft down when it was deployed.
It became caught around a tree and may have led to the plane breaking up, they suggested.
The first people to the scene described the crash as “horrific”.
One witness described a white stream coming from the plane as it fell and a large cloud of dust after it crashed to the ground.
“There was nothing anyone could do,” Darren Smith, one of the first people on the scene, told the Daily Herald.
Darren Smith heard an aircraft in trouble around 10:30 a.m. It broke through the clouds above his head and crashed in the soybean field.
“I saw it a split second before it hit the ground,” he said.
“It was a horrific crash, pretty much nose first into the ground. The impact was tremendous.”
His son, Cal Smith, was in another field when he heard the impact.
“It kind of sounded like a gas pipe exploded,” Cal Smith told the Herald.
When he ran to the crash site, he saw bodies lying on the field along with a plastic container with popcorn and papers from the airplane.
“We tried to help, but there was no help that could be given,” Darren Smith said.
Farmer Marvin Marquardt, who owns the property, said the pilot may have been deploying the parachute as the plane plummeted.
The orange parachute was found wrapped around an oak tree and may have contributed to the breakup of the aircraft, Marquardt suggested.
Another witness to the crash, from The Lord and Savior Lutheran Church and School across the street, said the plane had “disintegrated”.
The Federal Aviation Administration is on the scene investigating whether rules of flight were followed, if the pilot was licensed and if the plane was properly maintained and registered, officials said.
The plane crashed near Route 14 and North Ridgefield Road.
It was flying by “visual flight rules”, which means looking out the window, so the pilot was not talking with air traffic control, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said.
The Marion Pilots Club Inc. in Marion, Indiana, is the registered owner of the plane, according to the Federal Aviation Administration registry.
Wales manager Gary Speed was found hanged at his home in Cheshire.
Gary speed, the former Leeds United, Everton, Newcastle and Bolton star, who appeared on BBC’s Football Focus show yesterday, was aged 42.
According to police, there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death, which is thought to be suicide.
Gary Speed leaves his wife Louise and two sons.
Wales manager Gary Speed was found hanged at his home in Cheshire
Gary Speed only retired from playing last year after winning 85 caps for his country and scoring seven goals.
A hastily-arranged minute’s silence was then held at Swansea City’s match against Aston Villa at the Liberty Stadium after the news broke today.
Former teammate Shay Given, now Villa’s goalkeeper, was seen in floods of tears before the match.
The Football Association of Wales today confirmed that their manager had died.
FAW said in a statement: “The Football Association of Wales are sad to announce the death of the national team manager Gary Speed.
“We extend our sympathies and condolences to the family. We ask that everyone respects the family’s privacy at this very sad time.”
Cheshire Police spokesman said: “At 7:08 a.m. today Cheshire Police was informed of a sudden death at an address in Huntingdon, Chester.
“Officers went to the scene where a 42-year-old man was found dead. The next of kin have been informed and have confirmed the identity of the man as Gary Speed.
“There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death and the family has requested that they are left to grieve in peace.
“The death will now be a matter for the coroner.”
Gary Speed won 85 caps for his country during a 14-year international career.
He took over the Wales job in December 2010 despite only having four months managerial experience.
Earlier this month, said the side’s rapid improvement in recent months had exceeded all expectations.
A 4-1 friendly win over Norway represented a third successive win for Wales, and Gary Speed’s fifth in 10 games as manager.
Earlier this week Gary Speed’s young side were handed a series of tough World Cup fixtures in their bid to reach Brazil 2014.
Cindy Marie Cantu and Kyle Erwin Skinner from Marietta, Georgia, have been arrested after they kept a three-year-old boy imprisoned in a bedroom without food or water after they nailed him in, police said.
Police had to bash down the door last Monday to free the child. They found the boy “living in filth”, stuck in a dirty diaper and with acute rash, according to police reports.
Cindy Marie Cantu, 24, was arrested at Wellstone Kennestone Hospital in Marietta later that night.
The woman was reportedly receiving treatment for injuries sustained in a fight from her boyfriend, Kyle Erwin Skinner, 23.
Kyle Erwin Skinner was arrested the following day. The couple faces charges of cruelty to children and contributing to the delinquency of minors.
Cindy Marie Cantu, 24, was arrested at Wellstone Kennestone Hospital in Marietta
Warrants obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution show the couple’s northern Atlanta home to be a place of squalor.
“The condition of the home presented hazards such as insects, faecal matter, rotting food, soiled diapers, standing water in the shower, and general unclean conditions of the home,” the warrants read.
Kyle Erwin Skinner, 23, faces charges of cruelty to children and contributing to the delinquency of minors
Cindy Marie Cantu and Kyle Erwin Skinner spent Friday night in the Cobb County Jail with a $15,000 bond for Cantu and $25,000 for Skinner. It was unclear if either has an attorney.
Kyle Erwin Skinner faces additional charges of battery and assault.
His arrest warrant states that he pushed Cindy Marie Cantu – who is pregnant – to the ground and hit her several times.
Kyle Erwin Skinner has had several recent brushes with the law, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes. This is his third arrest in the last month.
According to a previous arrest warrant, Kyle Erwin Skinner was cited October 26 for driving with a suspended license, failure to maintain his lane, and for possessing Alprazolam pills, which treat anxiety disorders and panic attacks.
A citation from November 5 shows that Kyle Erwin Skinner was again arrested for driving with a suspended license.
A group of scientists from Erasmus Medical Centre in the Netherlands is pushing to publish research about how they created a man-made flu virus that could potentially wipe out civilization.
The deadly virus is a genetically tweaked version of the H5N1 bird flu strain, but is far more infectious and could pass easily between millions of people at a time.
The research has caused a storm of controversy and divided scientists, with some saying it should never have been carried out.
The current strain of H5N1 has only killed 500 people and is not contagious enough to cause a global pandemic.
But they are fear the modified virus is so dangerous it could be used for bio-warfare, if it falls into the wrong hands.
Virologist Ron Fouchier of the Erasmus Medical Centre led a team of scientists who discovered that a mere five mutations to the avian virus was sufficient to make it spread far more easily.
A group of scientists from Erasmus Medical Centre in the Netherlands is pushing to publish research about how they created a man-made flu virus that could potentially wipe out civilization
Ron Fouchier conducted his tests on ferrets as the animals have become a model of choice for influenza and they have similar respiratory tracts to humans.
He is so prepared for a media storm that he has hired an advisor to help him work on a communication strategy.
The research done was part of an international drive to understand H5N1 more fully.
Ron Fouchier admitted the strain is “one of the most dangerous viruses you can make” but is still adamant he wants to publish a paper describing how it was done.
The study is one of two which has caused serious debate about scientific freedom and about regulating research which might have potential public health benefits but at the same time could also be useful for bio-terrorism.
The other paper, also on H5N1, was done by a joint team at the University of Wisconsin and the University of Tokyo.
It is understood to have had comparable results to the study done by Ron Fouchier.
Both papers are now being reviewed by the U.S National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB).
NSABB does not have the power to prevent the publication but it could ask journals not to publish.
Paul Keim, chairman of NSABB, said: “I can’t think of another pathogenic organism that is as scary as this one. I don’t think anthrax is scary at all compared to this.”
Traditionally scientific research has always been open so that fellow scientists can review the work of others and repeat their methods to try and learn from them.
But numerous scientists have said they believe research on the avian flu should be suppressed.
However bio-defense and flu expert Michael Osterholm, who is director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, said the work carried out was important medically.
Michael Osterholm added he could not discuss the papers because he was a member of NSABB but said if they were published certain information could be withheld and made available to those who really need to know.
“We don’t want to give bad guys a road map on how to make bad bugs really bad,” he said.
Christopher Valdez, a four-year-old toddler from Chicago, was beaten to death as his family prepared to celebrate his birthday.
Christopher Valdez was found dead in his Chicago home yesterday, shortly before his party, with cake and presents, was supposed to begin.
According to police, the toddler, who died from “multiple blunt trauma” had been dead for several hours before emergency crews found him yesterday.
An unnamed male suspect, believed to be the mother’s boyfriend, is in custody, but no charges have been made.
Police confirmed that the Christopher Valdez’s death was the result of a “domestic situation”.
Christopher Valdez (centre) was found dead in his Chicago home yesterday, shortly before his party, with cake and presents, was supposed to begin
The boy’s mother called one of her brothers yesterday “desperate for help”, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
One of her siblings is said to have restrained her boyfriend and discovered that the toddler had been beaten after arriving at the scene.
Steven Valdez, the boy’s great uncle, told NBC Chicago noted that the boyfriend of his niece, currently in police custody, is known for being anti-social and violent.
He claimed that two weeks ago the man beat a dog severely after it relieved itself in his home.
Christopher Valdez was dead when police arrived at the home about 2:10 p.m. yesterday.
Christopher Valdez was a happy, appealing boy, who loved Spiderman, and carried a toy rabbit with him everywhere, his grandfather Tom Valdez told the Chicago Tribune.
The boy’s mother and her boyfriend were last night questioned by police.
Relatives said they had a cake and presents ready to celebrate the child’s birthday but instead are now in mourning.
Last night the grieving family gathered at the nearby home of Christopher Valdez’s grandparents.
The grandfather, Tom Valdez said relatives were confused and hurt. The “entire family is in shock”.
Tom Valdez told the Chicago Sun Times: “We want everyone to know that our daughter is innocent of whatever happened there.”
The family said Christopher’s mother, Crystal Valdez, phoned one of her brothers for help on Friday afternoon.
On arriving the brother was forced to restrain his sister’s boyfriend, who also lives at the same address, family members said.
“He has created a lot of problems,” said Tom Valdez.
The boy’s great uncle Steven Valdez told NBC Chicago that the man has a reputation for being anti-social and violent.
Christopher Valdez had three siblings, his grandfather said.
Jennifer Lopez celebrated Thanksgiving on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, with her twins, other family members and her boyfriend Casper Smart.
But today it was all about one-on-one time for Jennifer Lopez, 42, and her toy-boy, Casper Smart, 24, as they cuddled up in a cabana.
Looking very much the couple, the scantily-clad pair cuddled and cavorted in the shade as the sun beat down outside.
An onlooker said: “He seemed very protective towards her, it was quite sweet… he seemed like the older one, they seemed if not love, well, very happy to be together.”
Jennifer Lopez celebrated Thanksgiving on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, with her twins, other family members and her boyfriend Casper Smart
Jennifer Lopez was reportedly been seen frolicking on a beach with her three-year-old twins, Max and Emme.
Casper Smart, whose real-name is Beau Paul Smart, has tried to remain in the shadows, until today.
Casper Smart has had numerous run-ins with the law since 2004.
Most of the charges have been minor motoring misdemeanors relating to either speeding or driving without a valid license and failures to appear in court.
In one case he was pulled over by police for speeding on his motorbike at over 100mph.
The most recent offence committed in February 2010 could potentially land Casper Smart behind bars.
The charge relates to an “exhibition of speed” a section of the law more commonly known as street or drag racing.
Casper Smart, who was rumoured to have met Jennifer Lopez in May, pleaded no contest to the charge in March after an initial not guilty plea.
The dancer’s bail was set at $26,000 – and he is yet to be sentenced, according to the court records.
Casper Smart is due in court to be sentenced by a judge in Los Angels on January 5, 2012, and could face jail time as well as a stiff fine.
While he awaits his fate, Casper Smart has been busy with work commitments.
Last Sunday he performed alongside Jennifer Lopez at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles.
One of the most common flowering plants, foxglove, could soon be used to stop the spread of breast cancer, say scientists at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore.
The scientists have discovered that a drug based on foxglove (Digitalis), which produces distinctive tall spires of pink tubular bells in the summer, can dramatically slow the migration of malignant cells to other parts of the body.
The research reveals that digoxin, a long-established drug based on chemicals found in foxglove, can block the production of a protein called HIF-1, which has been implicated in the spread of breast tumours.
Digoxin has been used for decades to treat conditions such as congestive heart failure and irregular heartbeats.
The latest discovery suggests the cheap and easily available medicine could also be deployed in the fight against cancer.
Earlier this year the same team found foxglove could reduce the spread of prostate cancer in men by around 24%.
Research leader, Dr. Gregg Semenza, from the Institute for Cell Engineering at the university said: “This is really exciting.”
“Our findings warrant clinical trials to determine if the doses (used in animal studies) are enough to sufficiently block HIF-1 and slow breast cancer growth and spread.”
Johns Hopkins scientists have discovered that a drug based on foxglove (Digitalis), which produces distinctive tall spires of pink tubular bells in the summer, can dramatically slow the migration of malignant cells to other parts of the body
Foxglove was one of the first plants to be used for the development of a pharmaceutical medicine.
In 1785, country doctor William Withering noticed a remarkable improvement in a patient with congestive heart failure after they took a traditional herbal remedy made from the plant.
William Withering identified that the active ingredient was a substance called digitalis and wrote about his findings more than 200 years ago in a book entitled “An account of the foxglove and some of its medical uses”.
GlaxoSmithKline eventually turned it into a tablet called digoxin, used for heart failure as well as atrial fibrillation, an abnormal heart rhythm.
In recent months, new evidence has emerged that the traditional remedy could also play a vital role in treating cancer.
In April this year, the Johns Hopkins research team reported the results of a study involving 47,000 men in the journal Cancer Discovery.
These showed the drug appeared to stop the growth of prostate cancer in nearly one in four men.
But researchers warned this did not yet provide proof that digoxin was responsible for the benefits and warned against the drug, which can have side-effects such as nausea, headache and breast enlargement in men, being given to healthy people to prevent tumours.
Laboratory tests show digoxin appears to hinder the production of HIF-1, a protein that controls the genes which allow cancer cells to survive in low-oxygen environments, such as deep inside a solid tumour.
Experiments have also revealed that in women with breast cancer, an increase in HIF-1 levels is closely linked to metastasis – the spread of tumour cells – and a reduced likelihood of survival.
To see how the HIF-1 protein behaved when exposed to digoxin, researchers transplanted human breast cancer cells into mice and, two weeks later, gave them daily injections of either the drug itself or saline.
The results showed those given digoxin had fewer cancer cells spread to the lungs – one of the major sites that breast tumours migrate to – and tumours that had spread were smaller than in the saline group.
The findings could be even more significant because the research team found evidence that cancer cells start to spread from the breast to the lung much earlier than was previously thought.
This could mean that if further trials confirm the benefits of the drug, it’s possible it could be routinely used in women with aggressive tumours to try and reduce the risk of them spreading.
A new swine flu strain put U.S. health officials on alert for more cases after it was found in three children in Iowa this month.
It was reported that ten people in the U.S. have been infected since July by S-OtrH3N2 viruses that picked up a gene from the 2009 H1N1 swine flu pandemic.
The new flu strain (S-OtrH3N2) combines a rare influenza virus (H3N2) circulating in North American pigs and the H1N1 virus from the 2009 outbreak.
New flu strains begin when flu viruses combine in new ways.
They can pose considerable health risks because people have not yet developed immunity to them, ABC News reports.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported the new cases in Wednesday’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
CDC also reported that of the other seven cases of the new swine flu, three were in Pennsylvania, two were in Maine and two in Indiana.
In the seven cases all the patients or close contacts had been recently been with pigs.
According to CDC experts, the fact that the three new cases did not go near pigs shows that there may be limited person-to-person contact with the new virus.
The CDC said it has developed a “candidate vaccine virus” that could be used to make a human vaccine against S-OtrH3N2 viruses.
It has already sent it off to vaccine manufacturers.
One of the three Iowa children, a healthy girl referred to as Patient A, became sick during the second week of November.
The girl’s doctor tested her and sent a respiratory sample to the Iowa state laboratory for further analysis.
Patient B, a boy, developed a flu-like illness two days after Patient A became ill.
One day after Patient B became sick, his brother, Patient C, also became ill.
All three children had been at the same gathering on the first day Patient A became sick.
Iowa epidemiologists launched an investigation and decided that the gathering was the only common link among the three children’s illnesses.
None of their families had travelled recently or attended community events.
Eight days after Patient A became ill, Iowa state laboratory testing said that the three might have S-OtrH3N2 influenza.
The CDC went on to confirm it was that strain, which included the matrix (M) gene from the 2009 H1N1 pandemic.
The new flu strain is resistant to rimantidine and amantadine, both commonly used antiviral drugs.
Health experts said the new swine flu strain would most likely respond to osteltamivir (Tamiflu)
Health experts said it would most likely respond to osteltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza).
CDC scientists said they believe this year’s seasonal flu vaccine to provide adults with limited protection from the new flu virus, but that it wouldn’t protect children.
Doctors who suspect swine flu infections in their patients should treat them with Tamiflu where appropriate, CDC recommends.
Doctors should get nose and throat specimens and send them to state public health labs, which should report them to CDC.
CDC also encourages anyone who has contact with pigs and develops a flu-like illness to be tested.
Curiosity, the world’s biggest extraterrestrial explorer has been launched today on a 354 million mile journey to Mars that hopes to discover whether the desolate planet was ever capable of supporting life.
NASA launched Curiosity rover – officially called the Mars Science Laboratory – at 10:02 am ET today into a cloudy Florida sky.
Curiosity, described by one expert as a “Mars scientist’s dream machine”, will use an array of technology to probe the red planet for signs of life.
More than 13,000 curious guests crowded the space centre to view the launch, which is the first one to Mars in four years. It is the first rover launch in eight years.
Some three dozen missions have been launched to Mars, though less than half have been successful.
NASA’s assistant associate administrator for science Colleen Hartman has a theory why so many quests have failed: “Mars is really the Bermuda Triangle of the solar system.
“It’s the death planet, and the United States of America is the only nation in the world that has ever landed and driven robotic explorers on the surface on the surface of Mars, and now we’re set to do it again.”
Curiosity, the world's biggest extraterrestrial explorer has been launched today on a 354 million mile journey to Mars that hopes to discover whether the desolate planet was ever capable of supporting life
Curiosity is a mobile lab, the size of a small car, which is expected to be lowered by giant jet pack on to the surface of Mars in August 2012.
Doug McCuistion, director of NASA’s Mars exploration programme said:
“It will be the largest and most complex piece of equipment ever placed on the surface of another planet.”
NASA’s earlier Viking rovers concluded 35 years ago that there was no sign of life, but scientists hope Curiosity’s more sophisticated equipment will reveal more.
It will not be able to detect living organisms in the soil, but it can look for clues by surveying the landscape with high-definition cameras on top of a 10 ft mast.
Curiosity has a laser that can break rocks as far as 23ft away to determine their chemical composition and look for traces of organic compounds.
The rover also carries an instrument that detects methane, a weather station to monitor Martian temperatures, humidity and wind, and a radiation detector that can help to determine if the planet is safe for human visitors.
One of the main tasks of Curiosity, a $2.5 billion mission, will be to discover the source of the methane gas scientists have detected in the Martian air.
Some experts believe that just as cows emit methane on Earth, so micro-organisms able to live without oxygen may be producing it on Mars.
If that is the case, say NASA scientists, then life on Earth may have originally come from the red planet – making us all, in a sense, Martians.
According to their controversial theory, Mars – a smaller planet that would have cooled quicker than Earth after the solar system’s explosive creation – would have had the conditions for life to develop long before our world.
Chunks of Martian rock containing living microbes could have been blasted into space by the impact of asteroids before landing on Earth, starting life here.
Travelling at a tenth of a mile per hour, Curiosity will take two years to complete its mission.
Plane passengers could be obliged to follow a dress code after carriers received many calls from flyers’ rights groups to issue rules on what can and can’t be worn on board an aircraft.
The proposal follows a series of high profile incidents including one Phoenix man boarding a plane in lingerie.
In June this year, a 65-year-old Phoenix man, who works as a business consultant, sparked outrage after wearing the women’s underwear on a U.S. Airways flight from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The man, who has refused to be named, flies several times a month as a preferred customer on the airline and said that he has flown in female clothing for several years.
The business man said that he has rarely been requested to cover up by airline staff, but has complied with requests when asked.
“It has never been my intent to put people in a situation where they feel uncomfortable,” he said.
In June this year, a 65-year-old Phoenix man, who works as a business consultant, sparked outrage after wearing the women's underwear on a U.S. Airways flight from Fort Lauderdale
The incident occurred days before a college football player was arrested on a flight following a row over his baggy pants.
University of New Mexico football player DeShon Marman was arrested on a U.S. Airways flight at San Francisco airport following allegations he refused to pull up his pants.
Kate Hanni, executive director of FlyersRights.org told Fox News: “People aren’t mind readers. They don’t know what that flight attendant’s going to want to see when you get on a plane.”
Kate Hanni says the lack of consistency leaves passengers open to the flight crews discretion and they may take offense at items of clothing that wouldn’t be considered appropriate.
She added: “The airlines should step up and do this on their own, just so that passengers can predict and appropriately dress. If there’s a requirement to wear a certain type of clothing, or not wear a certain type of clothing, tell us.”
Virgin America CEO David Cush said: “In the end, the flight crew is in charge of the aircraft, and they have to make judgments based on what they think is going to create the safest and most comfortable environment for everyone on the airplane.”
Most carriers say passengers can be refused service if they’re dressed in a manner “that would cause discomfort or offense to other passengers”.
But the airlines have shied away from any specific dress codes citing the difficulty to enforce as a major detractor as well as the potential lawsuits.
Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson told Fox News: “If an airline’s going to be so unreasonable for kicking someone off a plane for wearing saggy pants or being slightly overweight, to me, it just seems impolite of the airline to behave in that way.”
An article by investigative journalist Edward Epstein published in the New York Review of Books claims that Dominique Strauss-Kahn may have been the victim of a conspiracy to derail his presidential campaign.
Edward Epstein revealed in detail the hours leading up to the arrest of the former head of the International Monetary Fund for alleged sexual assault over Sofitel maid Nafissatou Diallo.
The investigative journalist has uncovered numerous holes in the hotel maid’s story and claims DSK’s BlackBerry may have been hacked.
An article by investigative journalist Edward Epstein published in the New York Review of Books claims that Dominique Strauss-Kahn may have been the victim of a conspiracy to derail his presidential campaign
Following the incident in May at New York’s Sofitel Hotel, staff were apparently filmed giving each other a high-five and doing a “dance of celebration” following the sexual encounter, according to Edward Epstein’s article.
Sofitel maid Nafissatou Diallo claimed she had been brutally and sexually attacked by DSK, shortly before his IMF BlackBerry went missing.
DSK had reason to believe his mobile phone had been hacked after he was told a private email had made its way into the hands of Nicolas Sarkozy’s political party UMP.
Dominique Strauss-Kahn,65, was Nicolas Sarkozy’s main presidential rival in the April 2012 election and he had been warned by a friend in the French diplomatic corps that efforts would be made to derail his campaign with a scandal.
After becoming concerned his BlackBerry had been hacked, DSK called his wife in Paris from the New York hotel that May morning, to ask her to contact a friend and have it examined, the article by investigative journalist Edward Epstein revealed.
The article continued to pick flaws in Nafissatou Diallo’s statement too, which coincided with the missing mobile.
Nafissatou Diallo, 32, entered DSK’s hotel room at 12:06 on May 14 for housekeeping and claims that within the six minutes she was in room 2806 with him, she was dragged near the bathroom and forced to give him oral sex.
At 12:13 DSK made a call on his BlackBerry to his daughter Camille, whom he was meeting for lunch that same day, to inform her he was running late.
After his scheduled lunch, DSK was due to be at New York’s JFK Airport to fly to Paris, at which time he realized his IMF BlackBerry had gone missing.
Edward Epstein claims that immediately after the incident with Nafissatou Diallo, an unidentified hotel worker was filmed sitting with her before meeting the hotel’s chief engineer, Brian Yearwood.
“The two men high-five each other, clap their hands and do what looks like an extraordinary dance of celebration that lasts for three minutes”, the footage showed.
Nafissatou Diallo, an immigrant from Guinea in West Africa, had worked for Sofitel for three years at the time of her claims.
After leaving DSK’s presidential hotel suite, her electronic key card records have shown that she then entered room 2820 on the same floor – a room which she had also entered several times that morning before the incident with DSK.
Nafissatou Diallo allegedly spent around three minutes in room 2820 before going back into the presidential suite, which was then empty after DSK had left to meet his daughter for lunch.
When Nafissatou Diallo gave evidence to court though, she said that she hid in the hallway after being assaulted and had not entered any other rooms after the alleged attack and no other rooms on the 28th floor.
Prosecutors found Nafissatou Diallo’s evidence to be false after seeing the electronic key records and wrote in a motion for dismissal that “the nature and number of the complainant’s falsehoods leave us unable to credit her version of events beyond a reasonable doubt”.
What also shadowed doubt around her claims was that after asking her supervisor what would happen if a guest made inappropriate advances to hotel staff, a 911 call to report the alleged attack wasn’t made until 1:31pm.
Nafissatou Diallo then did not arrive at a hospital to be checked up until 3:57pm – which was almost four hours after what she described as a “brutal attack”.
Meanwhile, despite DSK’s IMF BlackBerry having gone missing (the phone which contained a text warning him of possible hacking), no calls were made from the phone while it was missing but it had somehow been disabled at 12:51pm.
When former IMF chief arrived at JFK airport he called the hotel at 3:39pm to see if they had found his phone and gave them his whereabouts.
But instead of locating the phone, the police were rushed to the airport, where they arrested him and took him into custody in relation to Nafissatou Diallo’s attack claims.
The new article which covers the claims in doubt, imply that DSK was a victim of conspiracy in order to derail his campaign to challenge Nicolas Sarkozy’s political party.
But last night one of Nafissatou Diallo’s attorneys, Douglas Wigdor, said the article was “preposterous” and it was “not based on facts or evidence”.
“This is like saying Neil Armstrong did not land on the moon or that JFK was shot from the grassy knoll.”
Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas’ turkey eating record was beaten by Takeru Kobayashi one day later.
Takeru Kobayashi managed to scoff 7.5 lb of turkey in 10 minutes in Turtle Bay, New York, on Wednesday, beating Sonya Thomas’ 5.25 lb effort.
Dan Rollman, of Recordsetter.com, told the Huffington Post: “Never in my life have witnessed food disappear like that. The man is true culinary Houdini.
“It was a true honour to be so close to such a legend as he showed off his skills.”
Takeru Kobayashi told onlookers after the event that he thought the turkey was dry, making it harder to swallow.
Takeru Kobayashi, who is 5ft 8ins and weighs 128lb, was just pleased to notch up another record.
He said: “I have been blessed to be able to eat for a living, while many in the world go hungry.
“I hope I can use my talent to raise awareness and funds to combat hunger across America and across the globe.”
On Thanksgiving Day Takeru Kobayashi did not sit down to enjoy more turkey, he volunteered at the Bowery Mission’s Thanksgiving Day Banquet in New York.
Sonya Thomas, 42, who is 5ft 5in and weighs 105lb claimed her record as part of the Wild Turkey 81 Eating World Championship, held in Times Square, New York.
She beat her nearest rivals – all men – by more than a pound of meat.
Sonya Thomas’ feat saw her collect a cash prize of $1,581 and adding another title to her collection of world records.
Speaking after her victory, she told the New York Daily News: “I left only bone. I’m so happy.”
“I’m not normally a fan of turkey… but their turkey today was very tasty, moist and warm. That’s why I ate most of the meat.”
Sonya Thomas, 42, who is 5ft 5in and weighs 105lb claimed her record as part of the Wild Turkey 81 Eating World Championship, held in Times Square, New York
Sonya Thomas, who is from Alexandria, Virginia, and works as a restaurant manager, used a less frenzied technique to eat the turkey during the contest.
While no competitor uses cutlery, Sonya Thomas stripped handfuls of meat from the bird and placed the pieces in her mouth while drinking water in between.
Sonya Thomas’s technique differed vastly from Eric Booker, who claimed second prize in the contest.
The 400-pound man, nicknamed “Badlands”, picked up the bird in one hand and gnawed away using a technique more suited to a chicken leg.
Eric Booker said of his strategy: “I just ripped the bird apart and ate the innards. I think I ate the wishbone by accident.”
Eric Booker, who holds his own world record for eating pumpkin pies, praised his fellow competitor.
“I’m definitely in awe of her abilities, to be so small and eat so much.”
Sonya Thomas’ success in New York follows several other world records.
In September, Sonya Thomas managed to eat 183 chicken wings in just 12 minutes, breaking her own record.
And in July she became the first Female World Hot Dog Eating Champion by swallowing 40 hot dogs in 10 minutes.
Sonya Thomas also has records for eating in several other categories including cheesecakes, crayfish, oysters and jalapenos.
And for anyone wondering what Sonya Thomas is having this Thursday – she is planning a feast with Korean food.
Jason Witten, a 6’6” NFL player weighing 265lbs, took down Melissa Kellerman, a cheerleader rooting for his own team, Dallas Cowboys.
Tight end Jason Witten, 29, ran out of bounds in a game and ended up taking down cheerleader Melissa Kellerman, 22.
Jason Witten caught a Tony Romo pass but was forced out in the fourth quarter of a 20-19 win over the Miami Dolphins, reported the Los Angeles Times.
Jason Witten, a 6’6” NFL player weighing 265lbs, took down Melissa Kellerman, a cheerleader rooting for his own team, Dallas Cowboys
However, the NFL player could not stop as he left the field and pulled the cheerleader over with his right arm. Some viewers speculated that he was trying to protect her.
“Jason saved her – with his momentum and the defenders momentum, she could have really gotten hit badly,” YouTube user cowboys4life956 said.
“So by him grabbing her he didn’t bulldoze her,” he added.
Melissa Kellerman later tweeted about the incident and said she was feeling fine.
“Not hurtin’ today, like some of y’all thought I would be! Our TE isn’t as tough as he looks … That or I’m WAY tougher than I look,” she tweeted.
Jason Witten, who is married and originally from Knoxville, Tennessee, is playing in his ninth season with the Dallas Cowboys.
Melisss Kellerman, a student originally from Beaufort, South Carolina, has been a cheerleader in the squad for four years.
She wants a successful career and marriage, children and would like to work in a hospital, school or be a wedding planner, her squad profile says.
The home of Bernie Fine, a Syracuse University basketball coach involved in a sexual abuse investigation, has been searched by police.
Police were at the house of Syracuse University assistant coach Bernie Fine last night but refused to say what they were looking for.
New York State Police spokesman Jack Keller said troopers were called to assist the U.S. attorney’s office in their investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney William Pericak said he “can’t confirm or deny” an investigation.
“We don’t comment on whether or not search warrants are being executed – we only comment at the time of public events.”
William Pericak said the goal was to avoid “a trial in the press”.
The home of Bernie Fine, a Syracuse University basketball coach involved in a sexual abuse investigation, has been searched by police
The local newspaper in Syracuse, The Post-Standard, reported that four state troopers were at the end of the driveway at Bernie Fine’s home in DeWitt on Friday afternoon.
At least six police cars were also parked on the street and officers were looking through a trash can.
Syracuse police spokesman Sgt Tom Connellan wouldn’t comment on any of the activity at the house.
Two former ball boys for the Syracuse basketball team, Bobby Davis and his stepbrother, Mike Lang, have said they were molested more than 25 years ago by Bernie Fine, who is on paid administrative leave from the university.
Bernie Fine has called the allegations “patently false”.
Bobby Davis, now 39, told ESPN earlier this month that Bernie Fine molested him from 1984, when he was around ten, until he was 27.
Bobby Davis, a ball boy for six years, said the alleged abuse occurred at Bernie Fine’s home, at Syracuse basketball facilities and on team road trips.
His stepbrother, Mike Lang, also told ESPN that Bernie Fine molested him from when was around nine years old. Mike Lang, now 45, also was a ball boy at the college.
Head coach at Syracuse, Jim Boeheim, has voiced his support for Bernie Fine and told Sportingnews.com that the assistant’s primary accuser is looking to capitalize on the recent Penn State sex abuse scandal surrounding assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.
Jim Boeheim told ESPN: “I know this kid… It is a bunch of a thousand lies that he has told.
“You don’t think it is a little funny that his (stepbrother) is coming forward?
“He supplied four names to the university that would corroborate his story. None of them did … there is only one side to this story. He is lying.”
Syracuse police are investigating allegations and the inquiry is ongoing.
Richard Brian Suttles, who was shot by his aunt Mary Ann Holder died on Friday, bringing the death toll from last weekend massacre outside in Guilford, North Carolina, to six, including the shooter.
Richard Brian Suttles, 17, who had been shot on Sunday along with four other minors and one adult by his aunt Mary Ann Holder, died shortly before 1:00 p.m. on Friday, Guilford County Sheriff BJ Barnes said.
Along with Richard Brian Suttles, Mary Ann Holder killed her two sons, eight-year-old niece, and the 15-year-old girlfriend of one of her sons before killing herself.
Mary Ann Holder, 36, also shot her married lover, Randall Lamb, in the shoulder, and police say he’s expected to recover, the Associated Press reports.
She had been having an affair with Randall Lamb, 40, for almost 4 years, but it was coming to an end after months of bitter accusations between her, Lamb and his wife, including allegations of stalking and harassment.
Mary Ann Holder shot Randall Lamb on Sunday morning at a community college parking lot, and then drove away to pick up her son, 14-year-old Zachary Smith.
Within a half-hour, a sheriff’s deputy found Mary Ann Holder dead inside her SUV with a gun in her lap and her son mortally wounded in the back seat.
Police went to her home in the Pleasant Grove community south of Greensboro and found her son, 17-year-old Robert Dylan Smith, dead.
Her newphew, Richard Brian Suttles, 17, her son girfriend, Makayla Leigh Woods, 15, and her niece, Hannaleigh Suttles, 8, were all suffering from wounds that would prove to be fatal.
Along with Richard Brian Suttles, Mary Ann Holder killed her two sons, eight-year-old niece, and the 15-year-old girlfriend of one of her sons before killing herself
Hannaleigh Suttles died on Monday. She was followed by Mary Ann Holder son Zachary Smith a day later and Makalaya Leigh Woods on Wednesday.
The victims at Mary Ann Holder’s home appeared to have been shot while they slept in a bedroom and the living room, according to Chief Deputy, Col. Randy Powers. The woman left two notes taking responsibility for the killings.
Police officers found two handguns inside the vehicle, including one in Mary Ann Holder’s lap.
Police are continuing to investigate the case. An autopsy has been performed on Mary Ann Holder and police are waiting for the results of toxicology tests, but Col. Randy Powers said it initially appears there were no signs of drug use.
Mary Ann Holder, Randall Lamb and his wife had spent months trading accusations of stalking and harassment in court documents. Randall Lamb’s wife had recently threatened to file an alienation of affection lawsuit against Holder, investigators said.
Police are investigating a $10,000 cheque made out to Randall Lamb’s wife that Mary Ann Holder gave him the day before the shootings, according to an application for a search warrant obtained by The News & Record of Greensboro.
Police say the cheque may have been for an out-of-court settlement of some kind.
Despite that, and despite two notes left by Mary Ann Holder taking responsibility for the shootings, police say a definite motive is not yet clear.
“This will be the $64,000 question, because we don’t have anyone alive who can answer it,” Col. Randy Powers said.
“A couple of theories have gone up in the air, but we really don’t know yet.”
Mary Ann Holder reportedly had custody of her nephew and niece after their mother died.
An unconscious grandfather on the floor of a Wal-Mart in Phoenix, Arizona, with a bloody face is shown in a video after the latest pepper spray incident that happened on Black Friday sales across the U.S.
Jerald Allen Newman, 54, is shown unconscious after an officer took him to the ground, as cops are seen trying to sop up blood and outraged customers yell expletives.
Jerald Allen Newman’s wife and other witnesses say he was trying to help his young grandson after the boy was trampled by shoppers, and only put a video game in his waistband to free his hands to help the boy.
Jerald Allen Newman, 54, is shown unconscious after an officer took him to the ground, as cops are seen trying to sop up blood and outraged customers yell expletives
Yesterday crowds of shoppers trying to bag a bargain from a Wal-Mart store during the Black Friday sales were drenched in pepper spray during a scramble for Xbox 360 console deals.
It was just one of scores of shootings and outbreaks of violence as tempers frayed in the rush to secure a Black Friday bargain. At least two shoppers have been shot and scores more injured in fights.
Police in Los Angeles is now hunting a female shopper who allegedly injured 20 people at Wal-Mart after a confrontation just 20 minutes after the shop had opened its doors.
Meanwhile gunfire erupted at Cross Creek Mall in Fayetteville, North Carolina, at around 2:00 a.m. last night near a food court entrance as holiday shoppers gathered.
Police is looking for two suspects. Several more shots were fired after one of the suspects ran inside the mall. But there are no reports of any injuries and no evacuation was ordered.
An off-duty police officer hired by Wal-Mart had to use pepper spray as he tried to make an arrest and quell a disturbance during shopping at a local store in Kinston, North Carolina.
Shopper Angel Bunting says the incident began when a man waiting in line for mobile phones marked down from $200 to $35 fell into a display.
Tonia Robbins, 55, was in serious condition after being shot by two robbers who demanded her purse at a mall in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Another shopper was shot in a robbery at a Wal-Mart in San Leandro, California. Elsewhere police were investigating a possible shooting in the car park of Valley West Mall in West Des Moines, Iowa.
One man was charged with disorderly conduct after a brawl broke out at a Wal-Mart in Rome, New York state and an explosive device was found at a Wal-Mart in Cave Creek, Arizona.
A robot took away the suspicious device from a fridge that led to the evacuation of that Wal-Mart as police dogs combed the store.
An estimated 152million people are expected to shop over Black Friday weekend, up 10 per cent from last year, according the National Retail Federation.
