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Thursday, May 29, 2025
Home Blog Page 1195

Facebook tracks its users actions even when they logged out.

Facebook has admitted that it has been watching the web pages its users visit even when they have logged out.

In its latest privacy blunder, Facebook was forced to confirm that it has been constantly tracking its 750 million members, even when they are using other sites.

Facebook also says the huge privacy breach was simply a mistake – the software automatically downloaded to users’ computers when they logged in to Facebook “inadvertently” sent information to the company, whether or not they were logged in at the time.

Most of its users would assume that Facebook stops monitoring them after they leave its site, but technology bloggers discovered this was not the case.

Facebook has admitted that it has been watching the web pages its users visit even when they have logged out
Facebook has admitted that it has been watching the web pages its users visit even when they have logged out

 

In fact, the information has been regularly sent back to Facebook’s servers – data that could be worth billions when creating “targeted” advertising based on the sites users visit.

The Facebook’s practices were exposed by Australian technology blogger Nik Cubrilovic and have provoked a furious response across the internet.

Facebook claims to have “fixed” the issue – and “thanked” Nik Cubrilovic for pointing it out – while simultaneously claiming that it wasn’t really an issue in the first place.

Nik Cubrilovic found that when you sign up to Facebook it automatically puts files known as “cookies” on your computer which monitor your browsing history.

Nik Cubrilovic has uncovered Facebook's practices of tracking users when they are offline
Nik Cubrilovic has uncovered Facebook's practices of tracking users when they are offline

This is still the case, although Facebook claims the cookies no longer send information while user is logged out of its site. If user is logged in to Facebook, the cookies will still send the information, and they remain on your computer unless you manually delete them.

The cookies send Facebook your IP address – the “unique identifier” address of your PC – and information on whether you have visited millions of websites: anything with a Facebook “like” or “recommend” button on it.

“We place cookies on the computer of the user,” said a Facebook spokesperson, who admitted that some Facebook cookies send back the address of users’ PCs and sites they had visited, even while logged out.

“Three of these cookies inadvertently included unique identifiers when the user had logged out of Facebook. We did not store these for logged out users. We could not have used this information.”

However, Facebook spokesperson said that the “potential issue” had now been “fixed” so that the cookies will no longer broadcast information:

“We fixed the cookies so they won’t include unique information in the future when people log out.”

“It’s just the latest privacy issue to affect a company that has a long history of blunders relating to user’s private information.”

Nik Cubrilovic wrote: “Even if you are logged out, Facebook still knows and can track every page you visit.

“The only solution is to delete every Facebook cookie in your browser, or to use a separate (web) browser for Facebook interactions.

“This is not what <<logout>> is supposed to mean.”

The admission is the latest in a series of privacy blunders from Facebook, which has a record of only correcting such matters when they are brought to light by other people.

Earlier this year, the social network website stopped gathering browser data from users who had never even been to Facebook.com after it was exposed by a Dutch researcher.

Facebook was forced into a partial climbdown over changes to privacy settings which many claimed made too much public.

Facebook also came under attack for launching a “stalker button” which allowed users to track another person’s every move in a list which was constantly being updated.

Arturo Bejar, one of Facebook’s directors of engineering, admitted that users continue to be tracked after they log out but said that the data was deleted right away.

Bejar said it was to do with the way the “like” feature works, which is a button users can click on to show they like something.

“The onus is on us is to take all the data and scrub it. What really matters is what we say as a company and back it up.”

On technology blog CNET, however, users were outraged at what was going on:

“Who the hell do these people think they are? <<Trust us>>. Why? Why should we trust a company that spies on us without our knowledge and consent?”

“Holy wow…. they’ve just lept way past Google on the creepy meter.”

According to U.S. reports Facebook has recently set up its own Political Action Committee, an American term for a lobbying outfit to get its views heard on Capitol Hill.

So far this year it has already spent $550,000 on lobbying, already ahead of last year’s total of $350,000.

Facebook has also been forced to deny Internet rumors it will begin charging for its services and said it will “always be free”.

A spokesman for Facebook said that the login and log out measures were designed for security and were there to prevent fraud and added: “We to do not use this information to target adverts.”

Kindle Fire, the Amazon Android tablet has been released today and costs $199.

Amazon has released today the Kindle Fire color tablet that costs just $199, which will put it in direct competition with Apple’s iPad 2.

Kindle Fire, the new Android touchscreen will be just one of a clutch of new tablet models, including one as cheap as $80.

Kindle Fire, the new Android device has a 7 inches color screen, and will weigh 14.6oz. The device can store 100,000 films, 17m songs, and magazines.

Kindle Fire, the new Amazon device has a 7 inches color screen, and will weigh 14.6oz, can store 100,000 films, 17m songs, and magazines
Kindle Fire, the new Amazon device has a 7 inches color screen, and will weigh 14.6oz, can store 100,000 films, 17m songs, and magazines

 

Unlike iPad, Kindle Fire won’t need to dock with a computer , but will “sync” wirelessly via Amazon’s Whispersync service, which uses 3G networks and wi-fi.

Kindle Fire is set to launch in US on November 15, but the device will be wi-fi only, rather than equipped with a 3G connection.

Amazon has also unveiled its own internet browser, Amazon Silk – an unexpected move, which seems even more aggressive towards Apple.

Amazon’s Kindle is the site’s best-selling product – but Kindle Fire, the tablet unveiled today, takes the gadget beyond being a cheap techno-bookshop to a multi function tablet with access to the huge amount of film, music and television Amazon already hosts on its site.

Kindle Fire’s worldwide release date is yet to be confirmed.

Reactions on Twitter ranged from “They’re out of their league” to outright disgust – but were outnumbered vastly by users saying they had already pre-ordered.

“The price is pretty amazing actually. With all of those services backing it up, there’s a lot of reason to think this will make a big splash,” said Stuff magazine editor Will Findlater.

“We don’t really know what the user experience is like yet, but this is a staggering price.”

Amazon is already invested heavily in cutting-edge cloud computing services and content delivery systems, all of which lend themselves to powering a piece of multimedia hardware like the Kindle Fire.

Analyst Dominic Sunnebo Kantar Worldpanel ComTech said:

“Over 25% of consumers who plan to buy a tablet in the next year remain undecided which brand or model to buy. Over 50% of people who want to buy a tablet are waiting for prices to come down. We are likely to see Christmas wish lists rewritten overnight.”

“It’s a risky move that puts Amazon in direct competition with Apple – but could be essential to the site surviving in an age where downloads of entertainment will become the norm,” Jeff Bezos, the Amazon CEO pointed himself.

Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos said of the evolution of the device:

“Four years ago we stated with 90,000 books – today it’s a million. You can choose any of these books and have them in 60 seconds wirelessly.”

Jeff Bezos, Amazon CEO unveils the Kindle Fire today in New York
Jeff Bezos, Amazon CEO unveils the Kindle Fire today in New York

However, insiders worry that Amazon may have rushed in. The hardware is rumored to be similar to BlackBerry’s PlayBook – a huge flop that caused reported redundancies at the company, and is now offered at huge discounts online.

Rumors are also circulating that an upgraded model of Kindle Fire will come out shortly after Christmas.

Will Findlater, editor of Stuff magazine:

“This is Amazon expanding its repertoire. It’s already invested heavily in cutting-edge cloud computing services and content delivery systems, all of which lend themselves to powering a piece of multimedia hardware like the Kindle Fire.

“The Kindle will remain the de facto choice for people who just want to read – and there are lots and lots of them – while the Kindle Fire caters for those of us who want music, video and apps, too.”

Amazon’s advantage is that – unlike BlackBerry – it is not trying to make money from the device itself. Kindle Fire will merely be a portal to Amazon’s video, music and eBooks.

Amazon is already the world’s largest online retailer – and comes armed with a one-click ordering system that can deliver entertainment from books to films to music with a single button-press. Other iPad rivals may simply not have been entertaining enough.

Analysts suggest that Amazon’s willingness to sell hardware at a loss in order to sell more e-books,films and music will put it in a position to offer the first serious challenge to Apple – whose “core” business is still selling phones, tablets, and iPods.

American tech industry analysts Forrester Research wrote on their company blog that Amazon’s tablet could be the “only credible iPad competitor” and could even “completely disrupt the status quo”.

Even on iPad, consumers often prefer buying books via Amazon’s Kindle app to Apple’s own less-well-stocked iBooks store.

“Apple sells software and services, but the lion’s share of Apple’s revenue still comes from hardware,” wrote Forrester Research.

“This makes it vulnerable to a company, such as Amazon, that isn’t seeking profit from hardware sales.”

Analysts still expect Apple to dominate the tablet market for “several years” – at present, Apple controls at least 75% of tablet sales worldwide, despite High Street chains such as Comet selling Android tablets for as little as $150.

Kindle Fire vs. iPad:

Kindle Fire comes in one model priced at $199, iPad 2 is $499-$829.

Kindle Fire has no camera, front or back.

Kindle Fire’s resolution is 1024×600, iPad 2’s 1024×768.

iPad 2 comes in several models, some with 3G connections. Kindle Fire’s low price is partially down to its lack of a 3G connection.

Kindle Fire’s screen is 7 inches, iPad 2’s is 10.1 inches.

Kindle Fire has 8Gb built-in storage – iPad 2 has from 16Gb to 64Gb.

Kindle Fire’s maximum battery life is 8 hours, iPad 2’s is 10.

Kindle Fire weighs 414g, iPad 2 601g.

Satellite landed near Christmas Island, in a safe haven of Pacific Ocean.

The dead satellite fell into a part of the southern Pacific Ocean about as far from large land masses as you can get, NASA officials said on Tuesday.

NASA calculations put the 6-tonne satellite‘s death plunge early Saturday thousands of miles from northwestern North America, where there were reports of sightings.

Instead, the satellite plunged into areas where remote islands dot a vast ocean.

NASA says those new calculations show the 20-year-old satellite entered Earth’s atmosphere generally above American Samoa.

But falling debris as the satellite broke apart did not start hitting the water for another 300 miles to the northeast, southwest of Christmas Island, just after midnight EDT Saturday.

The satellite fell to Earth on Saturday morning, with debris landing in remote parts of the Pacific Ocean
The satellite fell to Earth on Saturday morning, with debris landing in remote parts of the Pacific Ocean

Experts believe about two dozen metal pieces from the bus-sized satellite fell over a 500-mile span.

“It’s a relatively uninhabited portion of the world, very remote,” NASA orbital debris scientist Mark Matney said.

“This is certainly a good spot in terms of risk.”

Scientists who track space junk couldn’t be happier with the result.

“That’s the way it should be. I think that’s perfect,” said Bill Ailor, director of the Center for Orbital and Reentry Debris Studies at the Aerospace Corp.

“It’s just as good as it gets.”

Last Saturday, scientists said it was possible some pieces could have reached northwestern Canada and claims of sightings in Canada spread on the Internet.

However, NASA said Tuesday that new calculations show the satellite landed several minutes earlier than they thought, changing the debris field to an entirely different hemisphere.

“It just shows you the difference that 10 or 15 minutes can make,” said Harvard University astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell, who tracks man-made space objects. On Saturday, he noted: “We were talking about, <<Wow, did it hit Seattle?>>”

NASA won’t say how it knows the climate research satellite came in earlier, referring questions to the U.S. Air Force space operations centre.

Air Force spokeswoman Julie Ziegenhorn said better computer model reconstruction after the satellite fell helped pinpoint where the satellite (Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite) returned to Earth.

After UARS was launched in 1991, NASA and other space agencies adopted new procedures to lessen space junk and satellites falling back to Earth. So NASA has no more satellites as large as this one that will fall back to Earth uncontrolled in the next 25 years, according to NASA orbital debris chief scientist Nicholas Johnson.

But other satellites will continue to fall. Late in October, or early in November, a German astronomy satellite is set to plunge uncontrolled back to Earth.

While slightly smaller than UARS, the German satellite is expected to have more pieces survive re-entry, said Jonathan McDowell, who worked on one of the instruments for it.

The German ROSAT satellite was launched in 1990, died in 1998 and weighs 2 ½ tons. The German space agency figures 30 pieces weighing less than 2 tons will survive re-entry. Debris may include sharp mirror shards.

The German space agency puts the odds of somebody somewhere on Earth being hurt by its satellite at 1-in-2,000 – a slightly higher level of risk than was calculated for the NASA satellite. But any one individual’s odds of being struck are 1-in-14trillion, given there are 7 billion people on the planet.

Dancing With The Stars eliminations: Elisabetta Canalis and Ron Artest.

Fans voted Elisabetta Canalis, the Italian actress and TV presenter off of Dancing With The Stars show on Tuesday despite her third-place finish on the performance episode one day earlier.

Elisabetta Canalis and her professional partner Val Chmerkovskiy earned 21 points out of 30 for their quickstep routine, a six point improvement over their debut dance a week earlier.

Fans voted Elisabetta Canalis off of Dancing With The Stars show on Tuesday
Fans voted Elisabetta Canalis off of Dancing With The Stars show on Tuesday

However, fans failed to keep them in the competition and they were sent home.

“For me, it was a gift every day staying here. It was a great adventure,” Elisabetta Canalis said after learning her fate.

“I want to thank everybody because they made me come here. Thanks to the public and to everybody who voted for us. Now I am really nervous, but thank you anyway. It was a great experience,” Elisabetta said with head held high.

 

Elisabetta Canalis was eliminated from DWTS after fans failed to call in enough votes
Elisabetta Canalis was eliminated from DWTS after fans failed to call in enough votes

 

Elisabetta Canalis, 33, received poor reviews from two of the judges for her dance routine the night before.

Len Goodman, the head judge said the dance was “not great but it was better than last week”.

Bruno Tonioli agreed, telling her to “keep working”.

But fellow judge Carrie Ann Inaba was the lone voice of dissent saying: “You nailed it.”

The judge’s scores are combined with viewer votes to determine which celebrity is ousted each week.

Perhaps the fact that Elisabetta Canalis was unknown in America until she dated George Clooney played a role in her speedy departure from the series, just two weeks into the season.

In June 2011, Elisabetta Canalis and the George Clooney ended their two year relationship with a joint statement saying: “We are not together anymore.”

Just a few weeks before the split, Elisabetta Canalis revealed she had hoped to eventually marry.

“I am a firm believer in marriage, in the future I will be married, but for the time being I am happy as I am,” she told Chi, an Italian publication that was translated by US Magazine.

Elisabetta Canalis also hinted that she wanted to have children, saying that she expected her maternal instincts to kick in “like a lightning bolt” at some point. But she gave no indication that her relationship was in trouble.

George Clooney, 50, who was married to American actress Talia Balsam from 1989 to 1993, has vowed to never walk down the aisle again.

Now that Elisabetta Canalis’ brief tenure on Dancing With The Stars has ended, it is unclear if she will remain in the U.S.

Although in August, when the cast of season 13 of the dance competition was revealed, Elisabetta Canalis told the Associated Press she hoped to “launch a career” in America.

While Elisabetta Canalis and LA Lakers player “Metta World Peace” aka Ron Artest have danced their last dances, reality stars Rob Kardashian and Kristin Cavallari; TV personalities Ricki Lake, Carson Kressley and Nancy Grace; actors David Arquette and J.R. Martinez; singer Chynna Phillips and soccer star Hope Solo remain in the competition.

Tonight’s episode of the dance competition also included musical performances by Demi Lovato and The Script, an alternative rock band from Dublin, Ireland.

Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher marriage is over? Ashton is cheating again?

A young woman is accusing Ashton Kutcher of cheating on Demi Moore, the same weekend as the couple celebrated their six year wedding anniversary, according to Radaronline.

The website claims the liaison happened last Friday in San Diego, California after a booze-fuelled night out.

The 23-year-old woman, identified as Sara Leal, has reportedly hired a high powered Hollywood attorney and has gone into hiding.

According to Radaronline, the information was received from “multiple friends of the woman.”

An unnamed source said: “She is due to meet with an attorney tonight (Tuesday). She is freaking out.”

Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore wedding anniversary was on Saturday, September 24, one day after the alleged encounter happened.

“Ashton didn’t look like someone who was celebrating a wedding anniversary,” one club goer told RadarOnline.

Star magazine is working on an explosive new report claiming the marriage between Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore is “officially over”
Star magazine is working on an explosive new report claiming the marriage between Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore is “officially over”

The scandal also comes as Star magazine, a sister publication of RadarOnline, is working on an explosive new report claiming the marriage between Ashton Kutcher, 33, and Demi Moore, 48, is “officially over”.

According to Star magazine: “Ashton and Demi have separated and the marriage is over.”

Ashton Kutcher‘s representatives have not responded so far.

A source close to Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore reportedly told Star magazine:

 “The relationship ended because of Ashton’s serial cheating. It’s a painful time for Demi.”

In September 2010, Ashton Kutcher was rocked by another cheating scandal after Star reported that he had had a fling with a 21-year-old woman named Brittney Jones.

Brittney Jones told the Sun she had sex with Ashton Kutcher inside the Beverly Hills home he shares with Demi Moore.

The magazine also claimed that Ashton Kutcher was so worried that the alleged affair would be exposed that he made her delete their text messages, but Star reported that she didn’t remove all of them.

Brittney Jones told Star: “He looked over the texts and said he wanted me to delete all the messages from him.”

“He then told me he wanted me to delete the texts I had sent to him. He said they could hurt him.”

Despite the explosive report, Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore brushed off the allegations with Ashton making sure to express just how he felt by taking his Twitter to make a statement.

“I think Star magazine calling me a <<cheater>> qualifies as defamation of character. I hope my lawyer agrees.

“STAR magazine – you don’t get to stand behind <<freedom of the press>> when you are writing fiction.”

Ashton Kutcher’s representative also denied the story, while his wife of nearly five years came out in support of her husband.

“Excellent point my love!” and “No question!” Demi Moore wrote in response to Ashton Kutcher’s comments.

Ronald Kroll and The Craigslist Killer. Suspect charged with assault and robbery.

Ronald Kroll watched “The Craigslist Killer” movie but never thought something like that could happen to him. Last week it almost did.

Ronald Kroll, 37, from New Smyrna Beach said he found himself fighting for survival moments after he met a man who claimed interest in buying a boat Ronald had advertised on Craigslist, the popular classifieds website.

Ronald Kroll thinks the man had other intentions in mind.

“I think he would have killed me if he had the chance,” he said.

Ronald Kroll met the man, who was later identified by authorities as Darin Leutbecker, a Merritt Island resident, about noon Wednesday near the Intracoastal Waterway in New Smyrna Beach to test out a 2005 Savage Creek Classic boat.

The two men ventured south into the channel with Ronald Kroll at the controls.

Minutes later, Ronald Kroll said he offered the wheel to Darin Leutbecker, who took the boat into shallow water. However, when they were out of sight from other boaters, Ronald Kroll said that’s when he got suspicious.

“I knew something wasn’t right,” he said.

Ronald Kroll said the suspect told him to stand facing away at the front of the boat to see if it would rock. But he knew better and tried taking the boat back to shore.

Darin Leutbecker was charged with robbery with a firearm and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon over Ronald Kroll
Darin Leutbecker was charged with robbery with a firearm and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon over Ronald Kroll

That’s when Ronald Kroll said he saw the suspect pull a handgun from his backpack. A struggle ensued and the two fell overboard.

“The biggest thing was to get myself as far away from the gun as possible,” he said.

The two fought in chest-deep water and at one point Ronald Kroll said his hand was directly over the barrel of the gun.

“That was one of the scariest things I’ve experienced,” Ronald Kroll said.

Seconds later, he said he thought he saw the suspect had dropped the gun and Ronald Kroll pulled out a pocketknife to defend himself. But the suspect drew the gun out of the water and shot at Ronald as he dove for cover.

Ronald Kroll swam to land while the suspect drove away with the boat, which was later found abandoned, Volusia County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Brandon Haught said.

He told deputies that during the struggle he believed he had cut the suspect across the neck with the pocketknife.

Volusia sheriff’s investigators then notified the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office to be on the lookout for anyone showing up at a hospital there with the suspect’s description and injury. About 7:30 p.m. Wednesday a Brevard sergeant notified Volusia investigators that a man matching the description, including a neck injury, was at Canaveral Hospital.

Darin Leutbecker was charged with robbery with a firearm, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, use of a firearm during the commission of a felony, grand theft and battery. He was taken to the Volusia County Branch Jail and was being held Thursday on $10,000 bail.

Ronald Kroll, who has sold several items on Craigslist in the past, said he will be more careful next time. By Thursday, Ronald Kroll had taken his phone number off the online listing.

Wedding party that fell into Sugarloaf Lake.

A bride stepped out onto the dock over a Michigan lake to pose for a photograph with her husband, bridesmaids and groomsmen, but the platform gave way, plunging the group into the water.

The bride’s feet and the trail of her wedding dress were submerged for many seconds before she was able to clamber out with the assistance of her friends.

The dock over Sugarloaf Lake in Michigan collapses when the bridal group step onto it
The dock over Sugarloaf Lake in Michigan collapses when the bridal group step onto it

 

The video was taken by California-based cinematographer Jeff Hayford, who posted on YouTube captures the whole incident, which gave a new meaning to “wearing something blue”.

Since being uploaded on Monday, the clip has attracted around 20,000 views on the site, while a picture of the moment the dock collapsed posted on Imgur, under the title “My cousin’s entire Bridal Party sank into a lake this weekend. Awesome picture….” has been seen nearly 800,000 times.

The couple is believed to be Nikki Palluzzi and Jonathan Wagenschutz, who married on Saturday and held their ceremony by Sugarloaf Lake, outside Detroit.

They had headed out to the lake to get a scenic shot of their special day, when disaster struck.

The couple is believed to be Nikki Palluzzi and Jonathan Wagenschutz, who married on Saturday and held their ceremony by Sugarloaf Lake, outside Detroit
The couple is believed to be Nikki Palluzzi and Jonathan Wagenschutz, who married on Saturday and held their ceremony by Sugarloaf Lake, outside Detroit

 

A groomsman surveying the scene saw it coming, according to ChigacoNow.com, saying: “I think the dock is going to collapse.”

It did.

After the shock subsided, everyone involved quickly saw the funny side and was able to get to shore and dry off.

Nikki Palluzzi, a senior coordinator at not-for-profit organization SmithBucklin, according to her LinkedIn profile, can be heard joking: “Jon, towel my legs, you idiot”.

Her husband, Jonathan Wagenschutz rushes to dry the water from bride’s feet and legs, before helping out the bridesmaids.

Nikki Palluzzi then says: “I’m OK. I knew that could happen so I used my core.”

Someone off camera can be heard to remark to Jonathan Wagenschutz: “It was right after you said, <<I have complete confidence>>.”

The groom retorts: “No I said, <<I have confidence>>.”

The group then decide the best way to get over the debacle is to crack open a few beers.

[youtube N2e0C6Ps32o]

Cantaloupe Listeria outbreak: death toll rises to 16.

16 people have died from possible Listeria illnesses traced to Colorado cantaloupes, the deadliest food outbreak in more than 10 years, according to health officials.

72 Listeria illnesses, including 13 deaths, are linked to the tainted fruit, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday. State and local authorities say they are investigating three additional deaths that may be connected to Listeria outbreak.

The Listeria outbreak death toll released by the CDC Tuesday – including newly confirmed deaths in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Texas – surpassed the number of deaths linked to an outbreak of Salmonella in peanuts almost three years ago. Nine people died in that outbreak.

The CDC has confirmed two deaths in Texas and one death each in in Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska.

Last week the CDC reported two deaths in Colorado, four deaths in New Mexico, one in Oklahoma and one in Maryland.

New Mexico authorities said yesterday they are investigating a fifth death, while health officials in Kansas and Wyoming said they too are investigating additional deaths possibly linked to the tainted fruit.

Listeria is more deadly than well-known pathogens like Salmonella and E. coli, though those outbreaks generally cause many more illnesses.

The recalled cantaloupe involved in Listeria outbreak may be labeled Colorado Grown, Distributed by Frontera Produce, Jensenfarms.com or Sweet Rocky Fords
The recalled cantaloupe involved in Listeria outbreak may be labeled Colorado Grown, Distributed by Frontera Produce, Jensenfarms.com or Sweet Rocky Fords

21 people died in an outbreak of Listeria poisoning in 1998 traced to contaminated hot dogs and possibly deli meats made by Bil Mar Foods, a subsidiary of Sara Lee Corp, the Associated Press reports.

Another large Listeria outbreak in 1985 killed 52 people and was linked to Mexican-style soft cheese.

Listeria generally only affects the elderly, pregnant women and others with compromised immune systems.

The CDC said the median age of those sickened is 78 and that one in five who contract the disease can die.

Dr. Robert Tauxe of the CDC says the number of illnesses and deaths will probably grow in coming weeks because the symptoms of listeria don’t always show up right away.

It could take four weeks or more for a person to fall ill after eating food contaminated with Listeria.

“That long incubation period is a real problem,” Dr. Robert Tauxe said.

“People who ate a contaminated food two weeks ago or even a week ago could still be falling sick weeks later.”

CDC reported the 72 Listeria illnesses and deaths in 18 states.

Cases of Listeria infection were reported in California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

The most illnesses were reported in Colorado, which has seen 15 sickened. 14 illnesses were reported in Texas, 10 in New Mexico and eight in Oklahoma.

Listeria outbreak has been traced to Jensen Farms in Holly, Colorado, which recalled the tainted cantaloupes earlier this month.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said state health officials had found Listeria in cantaloupes taken from grocery stores in the state and from a victim’s home that were grown at Jensen Farms.

Matching strains of the disease were found on equipment and cantaloupe samples at Jensen Farms’ packing facility in Granada, Colorado.

FDA, which investigates the cause of foodborne outbreaks, has not released any additional details on how the contamination may have happened, but says its investigation is ongoing.

Nancy Grace’s “wardrobe malfunction” on Dancing With The Stars.

Last night it appeared that Nancy Grace suffered an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction at Dancing With The Stars show, when her dress slipped down mid way through her energetic quickstep with Tristan, revealing a little too much of her chest area.

But being the good prosecutor that she is, today Nancy Grace has played down the incident, providing evidence that her modesty was kept safe by some trusty “breast petals”.

The legal broadcaster insists that she didn’t fully expose herself and it was the sticky nipple cover-ups that she was wearing, which protected her chest area.

Nancy Grace apparently experienced a wardrobe malfunction following her quickstep on last night's DWTS show
Nancy Grace apparently experienced a wardrobe malfunction following her quickstep on last night's DWTS show

 

Nancy Grace, 51, tweeted a picture of herself holding the box of trusty stick-ons on her Twitter page.

“Evidence re my alleged <<wardrobe malfunction>> which I vehemently deny: Breast Petals & industrial strength bra,” she wrote in an accompanying caption.

Nancy Grace denies a “wardrobe malfunction” on Dancing With The Stars last night and tweeted a picture of her holding a box of breast petals to prove it
Nancy Grace denies a “wardrobe malfunction” on Dancing With The Stars last night and tweeted a picture of her holding a box of breast petals to prove it

Nancy Grace also told RadarOnline that the wardrobe department of Dancing With The Stars show were always fully prepared for accidents waiting to happen.

“I am in full nip denial,” Nancy told told the website.

“Breast petals and an industrial strength bra…plus a sewn-in corset. The fabulous DWTS wardrobe crew is extremely proactive and would never let an accident happen!”

Nancy Grace also made light of the situation and joked about what she would be wearing in the next round of the contest.

“I’m a considering a turtle neck for my next dance!” she told the website.

Nancy’s dance partner Tristan MacManus says that he was completely unaware of the malfunction.

“I didn’t even notice, and I was closer to it than anyone,” Tristan MacManus told the RadarOnline.

“Apparently the top of her dress slipped down, but the producers were really quick to amend it.”

Nancy Grace was being dipped by partner Tristan, when a mishap occurred, leading to ABC to cut away to an audience shot.

Nancy Grace's dress first slipped down during a dip move with her partner Tristan MacManus on last night's DWTS show
Nancy Grace's dress first slipped down during a dip move with her partner Tristan MacManus on last night's DWTS show

“On the European version that would be perfectly fine,” joked host Tom Bergeron, while judge Bruno Tonioli told Nancy that her performance was “a bit top heavy at times.”

Unfortunately, Nancy’s clingy brown dress then slipped down again, as she and Tristan waited for the judges verdict.

Nancy Grace was quick to deny there had been a costume slip.

“Tonight, when we were doing our hopscotch portion of our dance, there was a little bit of movement but it did not rise to a wardrobe malfunction,” she told US Weekly after the show.

“We have taken every precaution known to men in this dress right here,” Nancy Grace added.

“I’m talking industrial size precaution. There may have been, as Tristan said, a little bit of jiggling but there was absolutely not a wardrobe malfunction.”

However, Nancy Grace did get an impressive score of eight for her dance from Len Goodman who said her performance was a “breath of fresh air”.

Michael Jackson’s dead body picture opened Dr. Conrad Murray’s trial.

The Michael Jackson’s death trial opened with an extraordinary moment this afternoon as the prosecutor started his opening remarks by displaying a photo of the singer’s dead body.

As Dr. Conrad Murray appeared before the jury charged with involuntary manslaughter over Michael Jackson’s death in 2009, deputy district attorney David Walgren displayed the picture that appeared to show tape or tubing over Jackson’s face.

Opposing fans of Michael Jackson and supporters of Dr. Conrad Murray gathered outside the courthouse in Los Angeles waving placards and banners as the whole Jackson family made their way into court for what has been billed as the trial of the century.

The shocking photo of Michael Jackson's dead body on a gurney on the opening day of the trial of Dr Conrad Murray
The shocking photo of Michael Jackson's dead body on a gurney on the opening day of the trial of Dr Conrad Murray

 

“Michael Jackson’s death was a homicide,” Los Angeles deputy district attorney David Walgren told the jury in opening statements.

“The evidence will show that Michael Jackson literally put his life in the hands of Conrad Murray… Michael Jackson trusted his life to the medical skills of Conrad Murray.

“The evidence will show that misplaced trust had far too high a price to pay… it cost Michael Jackson his life.”

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Dr. Conrad Murray’s defense attorney Ed Chernoff told the jury that Michael Jackson caused his own death.

Dr. Conrad Murray wiped tears from his eyes as Ed Chernoff said that the evidence will show that the singer swallowed 8, 2 mg pills of Lorazepam and injected himself with a dose of propofol.

Ed Chernoff said that Michael Jackson, who was frustrated because he could not sleep and frustrated because his doctor refused to give him a drug that he wanted, “did an act that caused his own death”.

“He died so fast he did not even have time to close his eyes,” Ed Chernoff said.

He also told jurors their job is not to determine whether the physician is a good doctor or not.

The bed where Michael Jackson died in his home in California
The bed where Michael Jackson died in his home in California

Michael Jackson’s parents, his siblings Janet, La Toya, Tito, Randy and Jermaine are all at the courthouse in LA for the opening statements in the trial of the singer’s personal physician, who was the last person to see him alive.

District deputy attorney David Walgren insisted that the evidence will show that the “acts and omissions of Michael Jackson’s personal doctor Conrad Murray directly led to his premature death at the age of 50”.

Dr. Conrad Murray “repeatedly acted with gross negilience, repeatedly denied appropriate care to his patient Michael Jackson and that is was Dr Murray’s repeated incompetent and unskilled acts that led to Michael Jackson’s death on June 25 2009,” attorney Walgren said.

David Walgren played disturbing audio recorded on Dr. Conrad Murray’s iPhone of Michael Jackson apparently under the influence of propofol a month before his death.

On the recording, Michael Jackson sounded slurred and confused as he mumbled: “We have to be phenomenal… When people leave this show, when people leave my show, I want them to say, <<I’ve never seen nothing like this in my life. Go. Go.>>”

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The prosecutor said the audio was evidence that Dr. Murray knew what was happening to Michael Jackson and should have discontinued ordering propofol.

He also attempted to paint a picture of the days leading up to the singer’s death.

“On June 19th Michael showed up for his rehearsal and he was not in good shape, he was not in good shape at all,” David Walgren said.

“He had chills, he was trembling… he was rambling.”

The court was shown pictures from inside Michael Jackson's home, here is the bathroom with his jacket on the floor
The court was shown pictures from inside Michael Jackson's home, here is the bathroom with his jacket on the floor

Kenny Ortega, Michael Jackson’s manager, who proposed This Is It tour, expressed concerns about Michael, but Dr. Conrad Murray allegedly told him and others that Jackson was “physically and emotionally fine”.

“Don’t let it be your concern, I am the doctor,” Dr. Conrad Murray allegedly said.

David Walgren also laid out the order of events from inside Michael Jackson’s house on the night that he died.

The prosecutor accused Dr. Conrad Murray of failing to call 911 as soon as he realized that there was something wrong with Michael Jackson.

An emergency call was not made until 12:20pm, at least 24 minutes after Dr. Murray is believed to have discovered Michael Jackson unconscious.

During a phone call at 11:51am with a cocktail waitress that Conrad Murray regarding as his girlfriend, the doctor became silent and the phone went dead, prosecutor said.

“This is likely the time Conrad Murray first noticed Michael Jackson’s lifeless body,” David Walgren said.

He claimed that phone records showed that Michael Jackson was left unattended for too long.

“It will be clear that Conrad Murray abandoned Michael when he needed help.”

“It was Conrad Murray’s gross negligence, it was Conrad Murray’s unskilled hands and his desire to obtain this lucrative contract of $150,000 a month that led Dr. Murray to not only abandon his patient, but to abandon all principles of medical care.”

Prosecutor Walgren also showed images of Michael Jackson’s bedroom to show how medical monitoring devices typically used when someone is under anesthesia were not there or appeared unused.

A blood pressure cuff was still in a box and an oxygen tank had no oxygen.

As the defense made their opening statements, Murray wiped away tears as lawyer Ed Chernoff described the doctor and Michael Jackson as “friends first”.

“Dr. Murray is no celebrity doctor. He is a cardiologist. He literally saves lives. That’s who he is.”

Ed Chernoff said that on the day he died, Michael Jackson had told Dr. Murray that he not slept for 10 hours and that if he did not sleep he would not be able to rehearse and would disappoint his fans.

Dr. Conrad Murray agreed to give him a 25 mg injection of propofol mixed with lidocaine.

Ed Chernoff claimed that Michael Jackson had become unable to sleep because he was being withdrawn from the painkiller Demerol, which he had been receiving from his dermatologist.

Demonstrators for and against Dr Conrad Murray
Demonstrators for and against Dr Conrad Murray

 

In his opening statement, prosecutor David Walgren told the jury that between 6 April, 2009, and the day of Michael Jackson’s death on June 25, Dr. Murray ordered enough propofol to give Jackson 1,937 milligrams a day.

Defense lawyers claimed Dr. Conrad Murray had been trying to wean Michael Jackson off propofol and gave him only a minimal dosage.

The lawyers claimed also that the King of Pop, desperate for sleep, swallowed an additional dose of the drug when his doctor was out of the room.

The defense’s theory is based on evidence that a trace amount of propofol was found in Michael Jackson’s stomach.

Medical witnesses may be asked to explain how it could have been found in his stomach, as ingesting it orally is almost unheard of.

Propofol is used to reduce anxiety and tension, and promotes relaxation and sleep or loss of consciousness. The drug provides loss of awareness for short diagnostic tests and surgical procedures, sleep at the beginning of surgery, and supplements other types of general anaesthetics. Long-term use of propofol can result in addiction. The steep dose-response curve of the drug makes potential misuse very dangerous without proper monitoring.

Side effects of propofol include: difficulty breathing, wheezing, fast heartbeat, palpitations, seizures, uncontrollable muscle spasm and swelling or extreme pain at the injection site.

At 12.12 pm Dr. Murray called Michael Jackson’s personal assistant Michael Williams and left a message saying: “Call me right away, please. Please call me right away. Thank you.”

When Williams immediately called Dr. Murray back he told him: “Get here right away Mr. Jackson had a bad reaction, he had a bad reaction”, according to prosecutors.

Dr. Murray had yet to call 911 at this point.

Michael Williams then called security guard Albert Alvarez to go and investigate and he said that when he entered Michael Jackson’s room, he was lying on the bed and Dr. Murray was administering CPR.

According to the prosecution, Conrad Murray then ordered the security guard to grab a bag while he started grabbing vials and a saline bag hanging from the IV stand to put inside the bag.

That bag was later found inside Michael Jackson’s home.

Michael Jackson supporters holding signs outside Los Angeles Superior Court
Michael Jackson supporters holding signs outside Los Angeles Superior Court

Prosecutors also say Murray ordered someone to clean up signs that Michael Jackson had been receiving a variety of medications, including propofol, and that he improperly monitored the singer’s vital signs, performed inadequate CPR and did not inform emergency medical personnel that he had given the musician propofol.

A recorded conversation that Dr. Conrad Murray had two days after Michael Jackson’s death was played where Murray can be heard saying that he gave his patient a small dose of propofol and then left him for 15 minutes to go to the bathroom.

“Then I came back to his bedside and was shocked because he wasn’t breathing,” the physician says in the audio recorded on June 27. Prosecutors allege that he was gone for a lot longer.

At 12.30 pm, paramedics arrived at Michael Jackson’s home and treated him for 42 minutes before transporting him to nearby Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

The ambulance arrived at hospital at 1.14 pm and a team of doctors tried for more than an hour to resuscitate the singer.

Michael Jackson was declared dead at 2.26 pm with members of his family by his side.

Millions of people around the world are expected to watch as the trial gives a glimpse into final days of Michael Jackson.

Crowds of people gathered at the Los Angeles Superior Court where there was a lottery drawn for seats for the opening statements.

Supporters of both Dr. Conrad Murray, 57, and Michael Jackson are outside the courthouse with signs including, “Fair trial for Dr Murray” and “Doctors are expected to heal not kill”.

The list of potential witnesses includes his eldest children Prince Michael and Paris, who have reportedly said that they want to take to the stand to testify.

Medical examiners have determined Michael Jackson’s death at the age of 50 on June 25 2009, at his rented Los Angeles mansion was due to an overdose of the powerful anaesthetic propofol and sedatives.

Prosecutors said Dr. Conrad Murray caused Michael Jackson’s death by giving him propofol as a sleep aid, and failing to monitor him properly.

Dr. Conrad Murray denies the charge of involuntary manslaughter but faces a prison sentence of up to four years if convicted.

Murray’s defense team is expected to argue that Michael Jackson was addicted to various painkillers and sedatives and gave himself the fatal dose of propofol, possibly by swallowing it.

The trial is expected to hear testimony from the paramedics who transported Michael Jackson to the hospital, medical experts, Jackson’s choreographer and Dr. Murray’s girlfriends.

Celebrity attorney Mark Geragos, who once represented Michael Jackson and has closely watched the criminal case against Dr. Conrad Murray, said that Jackson’s 13-year-old daughter Paris might also be called to testify, in what would likely be one of the most dramatic moments of the trial.

“She not only has things to say, but she can say it in a compelling way,” Mark Geragos said. Paris Jackson was at the house when the singer stopped breathing.

Michael Jackson’s children, Prince Michael, 14, and Paris, 13, have both reportedly told their grandmother Katherine of their desire to want to testify.

Prince Michael, Paris and Blanket were all included on a potential witness list passed out to the jurors in an attempt to ascertain their familiarity with the family.

Also listed were Michael Jackson’ siblings Janet, LaToya, Jermaine, Marlon, Rebbie, Tito and Randy as well as parents Katherine and Joe Jackson.

The Michael Jackson case is one of a small but growing number of U.S. criminal prosecutions of doctors for alleged malpractice.

The responses of the 12-person jury to written questionnaires made public last week shows that none of them reported having a negative experience with doctors.

At the time of his death, Michael Jackson was readying himself for 50 planned shows in London called “This Is It.”

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Terminal cancer therapy with life-prolonging drugs: “I would hardly call this type of treatment futile.”

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Campaigners disagreed with the report concerning terminal cancer patient treatment strategy, especially the exclusion of the drugs that were expected to prolong life for terminal cancer patient.

 

A report on managing cancer costs, made by 37 cancer experts from developed countries, was published in the Lancet Oncology on September 26 . The study highlights the need of a judicious medication for terminal cancer patient. Professor Richard Sullivan has presented the study at the European Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress in Stockholm. Terminal cancer therapy is “futile and potentially inconsistent with patients’ wishes’“, according to the study.

 

Much of terminal cancer therapy is "futile and potentially inconsistent with patients’ wishes", cancer experts say in Lancet Oncology.
Much of terminal cancer therapy is "futile and potentially inconsistent with patients’ wishes", cancer experts say in Lancet Oncology.

 

I would hardly call this type of treatment futile. We have kidney cancer patients on a life-prolonging drug called Sutent who have been told they have only two to three weeks to live but who go on to live for a further five years,” said Rose Woodward, of the James Whale Fund for Kidney Cancer.

Describing all treatments near the end of life as futile is tantamount to writing patients off. Just because they cannot be “cured” does not mean that we cannot give them valuable treatment, care and support,” said a spokesman for the Rarer Cancers Foundation.

While cancer care can be expensive, it is unjust to put a cost on the lives of patients, especially when modern treatments can often give them precious time with their loved ones and increase their length and quality of life,” said Ian Beaumont of Bowel Cancer UK.

 

Some life-extending drugs has shown increased positive results for certain terminal cancer patients.

 

Abiraterone, for prostate cancer, was approved in the UK at a cost of £35,000 a patient last week. On average it only extends lives by a few weeks, but some patients survive for five years.

Avastin, for advanced bowel cancer, was initially thought to extend survival by an average of only six weeks. Some patients are still alive five years later and with no tumors relapse.

Daily Mail presented the case of Barbara Moss who was given several months to live when she was diagnosed with advanced bowel cancer that had metastasized to her liver in November 2006. She paid for Avastin privately and the drug shrank the tumors and they were small enough to be removed by surgery and she has lived an extra five years.

Zelboraf, a targeted medicine for inoperable or metastatic melanoma BRAF V600E mutation-positive, has shown it increased survival rate of the patients and was approved by FDA last month.

Adcetris, the first drug approved by the FDA for Hodgkin lymphoma in more than 30 years, an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) directed to CD30, has demonstrated a high durable complete remission rate in CD30-positive malignancies.

 

Some life-extending drugs has shown increased positive results for certain terminal cancer patients.
Some life-extending drugs has shown increased positive results for certain terminal cancer patients.

 

 

Other medicines are still in a trial stage, but some of them are very promising even for terminal cancer.

 

Scientists from the University of Pennsylvania have genetically engineered patients’ T cells to attack cancer cells in advanced cases of a common type of leukemia. Two of three patients studied have been cancer-free for more than one year. In the third case over 70% of cancer cells were removed.

Researchers from Lund University have identified a method that may attack and destroy prostate cancer stem cells and might lead to a complete cure.

Autumn crocus extract drug could wipe out cancer in a single treatment with minimal side effects, according to University of Bradford researchers in UK. The new drug is able to kill off more than one type of the disease, including breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung and bowel cancer.

Recently presented data have shown Zybrestat, a pro-drug vascular disrupting agent, helped improve the one-year survival rate of patients with larger anaplastic thyroid cancer tumors.

Specialists at London’s Royal Marsden Hospital have tested radium-223 chloride (a powerful alpha radiation drug for prostate cancer) on 461 patients while another group of the same number was being treated with placebo. The group taking the new drug experienced less pain, side effects and lived longer, and the doctors decided to stop the trial and started treating all 922 patients taking part in the study because they said it would be unethical not to.

Giving a terminal cancer patient false hope is unethically, but in the same time to refuse a potentially helpful treatment to a terminal cancer patient is unethically too. This is not a recent debate, unfortunately health services and terminal cancer still need adjustments, but these can be done by trying and studying.

 

 

Demi Moore, slim appearance at Lifetime Five premiere.

Demi Moore was never been large, but last night she looked a shadow of her former self as she attended the Lifetime movie Five premiere in New York.

Demi Moore donned a black geometric print dress which highlighted her incredibly slender frame as she posed on the blue carpet for the event.

The fitted black dress hung off her once feminine curves, while the short-sleeved look drew attention to Demi Moore‘s incredibly muscular arms.

Demi Moore looked a shadow of her former self at the premiere of Lifetime movie Five in New York last night
Demi Moore looked a shadow of her former self at the premiere of Lifetime movie Five in New York last night
Demi Moore in 2009
Demi Moore in 2009
The 48-year-old actress’ appearance at the event comes as nutritionist Dr. Majid Ali told gossip website Radaronline.com that he believes Demi Moore has been spending “too much time in the gym and too little time at the dinner table”.

Dr. Majid Ali added he believes Demi Moore’ slender look is down to overdoing it in the gym rather than cutting down on what she eats.

“It looks more like over training with restricted calories, than an eating disorder.

“She doesn’t have that wasted loss of muscle eating disorder look, but she could be over training. I certainly wouldn’t want her any thinner.”

Dr. Majid Ali’s comments come in the wake of Demi Moore admitting she used to be “obsessed” with the way her body looked.

The mother-of –three actress said: “I had an extreme obsession with my body. I made it a measure of my own value.

“I tried to dominate it, which I did, and I changed it multiple times over.

“But it never lasted and ultimately it didn’t bring me anything but temporary happiness. Does being thin resolve anything? No.

“The irony is that when I abandoned that desire to dominate my body, it actually became the body that I always wanted.”

Demi Moore has been working hard on her health in recent months, and revealed earlier this year she had undertaken a strict detox plan with her husband Ashton Kutcher.

Demi Moore, 48, and Ashton Kutcher, 32, followed the Master Cleanse diet, which involves consuming only a concoction of water, lemon, maple syrup and cayenne pepper for ten days.

Gwyneth Paltrow and Beyonce Knowles, who are fans of the detox plan, claim it eliminates toxins from the body and helps stop cravings.

However, critics say the detox plan may be bad for your health and deprives the body of energy, providing 600 calories daily – a third of the recommended amount.

Demi Moore was joined at last night’s premiere by stars including Jennifer Aniston.

Demi Moore posed up with her friend Jennifer Aniston, who also directed a segment of their new Lifetime movie Five
Demi Moore posed up with her friend Jennifer Aniston, who also directed a segment of their new Lifetime movie Five

Demi Moore and Jennifer Aniston are just two of the names who have directed anthologies included in Lifetime movie Five, exploring the impact of breast cancer on people’s lives.

Amanda Knox is actually a “loving young woman”, a defense lawyer claimed.

Amanda Knox, the convicted killer of Meredith Kercher, is actually a “loving young woman” rather like the cartoon character Jessica Rabbit, a defense lawyer claimed today.

Just a day after another lawyer told her appeal hearing in Italy that Amanda Knox was a “a lying, sex-loving she-devil”, lawyer Giulia Bongiorno said Amanda Knox, the American student found guilty of killing British roommate Meredith Kercher, was not a bad person.

The lawyer said Amanda Knox was not the “femme fatale” her accusers describe and compared her to Jessica Rabbit, saying she was faithful like the “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” character.

Amanda Knox, the convicted killer of Meredith Kercher, is actually a “loving young woman” rather like the cartoon character Jessica Rabbit, a defense lawyer claimed today
Amanda Knox, the convicted killer of Meredith Kercher, is actually a “loving young woman” rather like the cartoon character Jessica Rabbit, a defense lawyer claimed today

Amanda Knox was convicted of murdering Meredith Kercher, a fellow student in Perugia, and sentenced to 26 years in prison, while co-defendant Raffaele Sollecito was sentenced to 25 years.

Giulia Bongiorno, Raffaele Sollecito’s lawyer, paraphrased a famous line from the movie saying Amanda Knox “is not bad, she’s just drawn that way”.

Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito deny killing Meredith Kercher and the verdict in the appeals case is expected by next week.

Giulia Bongiorno, Raffaele Sollecito's lawyer, paraphrased a famous line from the movie saying Amanda Knox “is not bad, she's just drawn that way”
Giulia Bongiorno, Raffaele Sollecito's lawyer, paraphrased a famous line from the movie saying Amanda Knox “is not bad, she's just drawn that way”

A female supporter of Amanda Knox has been questioned by police after she shouted “You are evil” at one of the main prosecutors in the appeal case of the American student.

Michelle Moore sought out prosecutor Giuliano Mignini during a break in proceedings in the case, which is nearing its conclusion and with tension beginning to rise significantly.

Witnesses said Michelle Moore marched over to the prosecutor during a break in the long running proceedings and shouted to him:

“You are evil, you have no conscience,” while others said she told him: “You have no heart.”

Giuliano Mignini asked paramilitary carabinieri police to identify the woman and she was asked to show her American passport and provide her details to officers before being taken away but she was not arrested.

Co-accused Raffaelle Sollecito also denies murdering Meredith Kercher
Co-accused Raffaelle Sollecito also denies murdering Meredith Kercher

In the same day, a lawyer for bar owner Patrick Lumumba, wrongly identified by Amanda Knox as the killer had described her as a “diabolical, demonic, Satanic, she Devil”.

Michelle Moore, the wife of a former FBI agent called Steve Moore, who has been one of the most vociferous pro Amanda Knox campaigners in the court – was giving interviews dismissing the original Italian police investigation into the murder.

Today Michelle Moore was not in the court in Perugia as the case resumed with lawyers for Amanda Knox’s coaccused Raffaele Sollecito starting their summing up, but her husband said:

“She didn’t mean to show any disrespect to the court.”

Steve Moore then added that his wife had made the outburst because she was angry at graphic pictures of Meredith Kercher’s mutilated body during an earlier hearing.

British Meredith Kercher was a student in Perugia, Italy when she was killed on on November 1, 2007
British Meredith Kercher was a student in Perugia, Italy when she was killed on on November 1, 2007

Steve Moore said: “We have a daughter the same age and someone tried to strangle my wife when she was 20 so it was a reaction to all that, she was just shocked.

“She thought it was Mignini who had showed the photographs – she just got a bit emotional.”

But one witness who asked not to be named said: “That sounds a bit far fetched to me. She has been in court the last few days and would know who Mignini was and who Maresca was.

“It was a very strong attack on Mignini and he was left quite shocked. He only understood the word evil and had to get the rest translated for him and that’s when he asked the police to take the woman’s details.”

A file on the case will now be sent to prosecutors who will decide if there is enough evidence to proceed to a full charge of offending an official of the court which carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison.

Italian TV used the incident to highlight the growing tensions between the pro Amanda Knox camp but today they were not immediately available to comment on the incident.

Michelle Moore was also not in court and she did not update her Twitter page with the incident although last week she had written: “Amanda and Raffaele will soon be free. I am very happy about this injustice being made right. Yay. PS Pass it on.”

Michelle Moore Twitter description reads: “Loves God, loves people ! Seeks truth, and never ever gives up-ever never! :)”

Terminal cancer therapy is futile and costly, experts say

A report on managing  cancer costs, made by 37 cancer experts (economists, patient advocates and physicians) from developed countries (U.S., UK, Germany, Australia), was published in the Lancet Oncology on September 26 . The study highlights the need of a judicious medication for terminal cancer patient.

 

Professor Richard Sullivan, of the King’s Health Partners Integrated Cancer Centre, London, has presented the study at the European Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress in Stockholm.

Input from drug-makers, payers and educators will be key to future discussions, David Collingridge, the journal’s editor, said.

With an aging global population and an endless conveyor belt of expensive new drugs and technologies and increasing financial pressures, the cost of cancer care in high-income countries is becoming unsustainable,” The Lancet Oncology said.

Developed countries have varying levels of GDP assigned to health, but the percent of  cancer care cost is between four and seven  in the majority of countries.

Around 12 million people worldwide are diagnosed with cancer annually, the costs of the new cases was at least $286 billion in 2009, according to the report. By 2030, about 22 million people will be diagnosed with the disease annually. More than half of the $286 billion in costs was related to treatment, while a quarter was linked to lost productivity.

 

"We over-diagnose, over-treat, and over-promise. This extends from use of complex technology, surgery, and drugs to events related to the acceptance of treatment side-effects." say experts, making a special reference to terminal cancer.
"We over-diagnose, over-treat, and over-promise. This extends from use of complex technology, surgery, and drugs to events related to the acceptance of treatment side-effects." say experts, making a special reference to terminal cancer.

 

In UK around 310,000 people are diagnosed with cancer every year and by 2030 this is expected to have risen to 400,000. The National Health Service spends over £5billion annually on cancer treatments, up from £3billion in 2002.

All health systems face budget limitations, while at the same time the cancer burden and expenditures are increasing steeply. Every cancer patient, now and in the future, must have fair access to quality cancer care and to innovation. This can only be safeguarded by transparent and evidence-based analysis and policy development,” said Professor Michael Baumann , president of the European cancer organization, ECCO.

 

The cancer experts have criticized a “culture of excess” that gives false hopes to patients with terminal cancer.

 

In developed countries, cancer treatment is becoming a culture of excess. We over-diagnose, over-treat, and over-promise. This extends from use of complex technology, surgery, and drugs to events related to the acceptance of treatment side-effects.” the cancer experts said.

They emphasized the importance of choosing a right treatment strategy for terminal cancer patients. The life-extending medication should not be use as it shows no benefits for terminal cancer, and has dangerous side-effects.

 

The life-extending medication should not be use as it shows no benefits for terminal cancer, and has dangerous side-effects, said the cancer experts.
The life-extending medication should not be use as it shows no benefits for terminal cancer, and has dangerous side-effects, said the cancer experts.

 

Special consideration must be given to costs of cancer care at the end of life. Many forms of cancer are currently incurable and patients will eventually die from their disease.”

In fact studies suggest that a substantial portion of the total cost of cancer care is for care delivered in the last weeks or days of life, and that much of this care is futile and potentially inconsistent with patients’ wishes.”

If we could accurately predict when further disease-directed therapy would be futile, we clearly would want to spare the patient the toxicity and false hope associated with such treatment, as well as the expense.”

The scientists said a more rigorous evaluation of the relative benefits of surgery to treat cancer and of the less invasive robotic surgery had to be done.

 

Reducing the cost of cancer services or reducing the number of people using them, especially terminal cancer patients, are the two ways the authors proposed to solve the problem.

 

The best cancer treatments would be the preserve of the rich because they would be too expensive for the Health Service, warned last week Professor Karol Sikora, one of the 37 cancer experts.

Molecular bio-markers could be used to pre-screen patients for treatments and imaging methods should be used to select only those patients who could benefit from a treatment. Early-stage studies could also help to remove marginally effective or ineffective drugs faster, researchers said.

We are at a crossroads for affordable cancer care, where our choices, or refusal to make choices, will affect the lives of millions of people. Making individual patients more sensitive to the costs of care is necessary for an informed public debate around this critical issue,” Professor Richard Sullivan said.

 

MRI performed prior to surgery predicts the follow-up treatment for advanced rectal cancer, recent study shows. Generally the doctors will not abandon drugs for terminal cancer  patients, despite the costs.
MRI performed prior to surgery predicts the follow-up treatment for advanced rectal cancer, recent study shows. Generally the doctors will not abandon drugs for terminal cancer patients, despite the costs.

 

Cancer diagnosis and treatment has became more complex, with imaging, surgery, radiation and drug therapy. Specialists need to come together and discuss with patients, insurers and industry players the best ways to lower costs without compromising care, they said.

 

Amanda Knox is a “demonic she-devil”, said a lawyer in the appeal trial.

Amanda Knox, the convicted murderer of British student Meredith Kercher, was yesterday described in court as a “diabolical, Satanic, demonic she-devil”.

The assault on 24-year-old Amanda Knox’s character came from a lawyer representing the man that she initially accused of Meredith Kercher’s murder.

Amanda Knox, who was jailed for 26 years in December 2009, is challenging her conviction and the attack on her character was part of the prosecution’s summing up at her appeal.

Amanda Knox is “diabolical”, said a lawyer during the appeal trial of the American convicted murderer
Amanda Knox is “diabolical”, said a lawyer during the appeal trial of the American convicted murderer

 

In November 2007, Meredith Kercher, from South London, was found semi-naked and with her throat cut in the house in Perugia she shared with Amanda Knox.

American Amanda Knox and her Italian boyfriend at the time, Raffaele Sollecito -who was given 25 years – insist they are innocent.

In November 2007, Meredith Kercher, from South London, was found semi-naked and with her throat cut in the house in Perugia she shared with Amanda Knox
In November 2007, Meredith Kercher, from South London, was found semi-naked and with her throat cut in the house in Perugia she shared with Amanda Knox

Initially Amanda Knox blamed the murder on bar owner Patrick Lumumba, 39, who was arrested in front of his wife and baby. She had accused him following a night of police questioning.

Amanda Knox told police that she “remembered Patrick killing Meredith” and that she had stayed in the kitchen covering her “ears to drown out the screams”.

Congolese-born Patrick Lumumba, who remained in custody for two weeks, is entitled to sue Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito for slander under Italian law because her statement landed him in jail.

Initially Amanda Knox blamed the murder on bar owner Patrick Lumumba, 39, who was arrested in front of his wife and baby
Initially Amanda Knox blamed the murder on bar owner Patrick Lumumba, 39, who was arrested in front of his wife and baby

Lulumba’s lawyer Carlo Pacelli launched a furious tirade against Amanda Knox.

“She falsely blamed Lumumba when she knew he was innocent,” the lawyer said.

“She put him in jail for two weeks away from his loved ones and family.

“After poor Meredith the second victim in all this is Patrick Lumumba – Amanda destroyed him as a man, husband, father. She muddied his character.”

Carlo Pacelli then told the court that Amanda Knox appeared to be charming, intelligent, and “angel faced because she has spent four years in jail”.

The lawyer added: “She is the daughter everyone wants, so you need to know what she was like four years ago.

“She was a diabolical, Satanic, demonic she-devil. She was muddy on the outside and dirty on the inside. She has two souls, the clean one – you see her before you – and the other.

“She is borderline. She likes alcohol, drugs and she likes hot, wild sex.”

Amanda Knox’s father, Curt and stepfather Chris Mellas shook their heads as Carlo Pacelli’s description was translated for them while Amanda Knox herself looked intently at the judge and jury.

After the hearing Curt Knox said:

“It was so over the top of what I believe would be necessary as a lawyer, he just assaulted her verbally and that’s wrong, flat wrong.”

Earlier Carlo Pacelli had described to the court how Meredith Kercher’s British friends had told the original trial that there had been tension between the two women because of Amanda Knox’s failure to keep the bathroom clean.

The lawyer recalled how Meredith Kercher had told friends she felt “uncomfortable” at the fact Amanda Knox brought strangers back to the house they shared and that she left a sex toy and condoms visible in the bathroom.

At one point judge Claudio Pratillo Hellman asked lawyer to stop going over old ground but Carlo Pacelli insisted he had to go into the details to “describe Amanda’s character”.

Amanda Knox has insisted that she and Meredith Kercher were friends.

Amanda Knox and Raffaelle Sollecito have based their appeal on an independent court report that has cast doubt on the original police forensic evidence.

Raffaelle Sollecito  and Amanda Knox have based their appeal on an independent court report that has cast doubt on the original police forensic evidence
Raffaelle Sollecito and Amanda Knox have based their appeal on an independent court report that has cast doubt on the original police forensic evidence

Meredith Kercher from Coulsdon, Surrey, was in Perugia as part of her Leeds University course and had only been in Italy for two months before she died.

A third defendant, drug dealer Rudy Guede, an immigrant from the Ivory Coast, is serving 16 years for murder and sexual violence.

The court is expected to retire this week and a verdict is expected early next month.

Sly Stone, the funk legend is homeless and living in a van.

Sly Stone, the veteran funk singer is currently homeless, and living in a van in Los Angeles’ rough-and-tumble Crenshaw district, according to a report co-written by Stone documentarian William Alkema for the New York Post.

Sly Stone, 68, parks the van in a residential street in the notoriously rough Los Angeles neighborhood of Crenshaw, where a retired couple provides him with a warm meal each day and use of a shower.

Sly Stone, born Sylvester Stewart, is the former Sly & the Family Stone frontman, known for such hits in the late ’60s and early ’70s as “Dance to the Music,” “Everyday People” and “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)”.

Sly Stone, the funk legend is currently homeless and living in a van.
Sly Stone, the funk legend is currently homeless and living in a van.

During the height of his career, Sly Stone, the eccentric funk legend owned a sprawling Los Angeles mansion in Beverly Hills, and just four years ago he moved into a Napa Valley “compound,” complete with a vineyard.

 But now Sly Stone is suffering with financial problems and he is living out of his white van.

 Sly Stone told the New York Post:

“I like my small camper. I just do not want to return to a fixed home. I cannot stand being in one place. I must keep moving.”

In recent years, a drug habit (Sly Stone has been arrested multiple times for cocaine possession) and fiscal difficulties (last year he sued his former manager, Jerry Goldstein, for $50 million, claiming that Goldstein had defrauded him) led Sly Stone into his current situation. Not that he appears to mind.

Sly Stone is hoping that today’s hit-makers will reach out and help him stage a comeback
Sly Stone is hoping that today’s hit-makers will reach out and help him stage a comeback

Despite it all, Sly Stone is still recording music, on a laptop computer in his van – and with reportedly hundreds of songs currently in the can, the musician is hoping that today’s hit-makers will reach out and help him stage a comeback.

“I see all the guys playing those old songs,” Sly Stone says.

“Let these guys know, like Lady Gaga, let me come in, just let me come in and pay me if you like it.”

It might be a while before Sly Stone gets another crack at the stage. His live performances have been exceedingly rare over the past two decades, and when he has taken the stage, the results have tended toward the shambolic – such as his brief, bizarre appearance at last year’s Coachella Music and Arts Festival.

Washington Monument: video showing panicked scenes during quake.

A video, which has been released yesterday by the National Park Service, shows the panicked scenes at the top floor of the Washington Monument when the quake hit on August 23.

Three security camera videos footages were taken 500 feet (150 meters) up and show how the US East Coast earthquake terrorized the tourists and shook pieces of the monument down from the top floor of the structure.

The panicked families could be seen scooping up their children and running down the stairs.

Security camera video showing tourists scrambling to reach the lower floors as the Washington Monument starts to shake wildly
Security camera video showing tourists scrambling to reach the lower floors as the Washington Monument starts to shake wildly

The security camera videos at Washington Monument during the quake showed that stairs are narrow and it was a single exit only.

The 5.8-magnitude earthquake on August 23 was centered 84 miles south west of D.C. in the town of Mineral, Virginia.

Due to the damages following the US East Coast earthquake, the Washington Monument will be close indefinitely to visitors while repair crews get to work, NBC Washington reports.

Four stones near the top of the 555-foot monument were cracked in the earthquake.

Washington Monument, which was affected by the earthquake and Hurricane Irene, will be close indefinitely to visitors while repair crews get to work
Washington Monument, which was affected by the earthquake and Hurricane Irene, will be close indefinitely to visitors while repair crews get to work

Few days after the earthquake hit, Hurricane Irene punished Washington Monument further with strong winds and extremely heavy rain.

That produced some flooding inside and caused more cracks.

The video captured at Washington Monument during the earthquake lasts one minute and 55 seconds and the shaking continues from start to finish.

The video shows that the National Park ranger sitting at the top suddenly bolted before the tourists. But the agency clarified her actions.

Agency said she followed protocol by guiding visitors to the emergency exit door on the 490 level, which opens inward, and then returned to the 500 level of Washington Monument to ensure that all visitors were out.

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Amos Richards: a hiker inspired by “127 Hours” spent 4 days in the desert with a broken leg.

Amos Richards, a hiker inspired by the film “127 Hours” nearly ended up in his own disaster movie after breaking his leg whilst walking in the same canyon where the drama took place.

Amos Richards, 64, from Concord, North Carolina, went out on his own to Little Blue John Canyon near Salt Lake City in Utah, but fell 10 ft (3 m) down a hole and hurt himself.

With a broken leg and dislocated shoulder, Amos Richards was forced to drag his body through the desert for four days until a search helicopter saw him.

Amos Richards, 64, went out on his own to Little Blue John Canyon, but fell 10 ft (3 m) down a hole and hurt himself
Amos Richards, 64, went out on his own to Little Blue John Canyon, but fell 10 ft (3 m) down a hole and hurt himself

Amos Richards later revealed had only gone to the remote park after watching “127 Hours” in which James Franco players a climber who is forced to amputate his right arm to free himself from a boulder – after falling down a canyon at Little Blue John.

Amos Richards’ version began when he tumbled down the hole and realized the full horror of his situation – his mobile phone was not working and he only had two protein bars to keep him going.

Amos Richards fell 10 ft while hiking in the Maze district's narrow Lower Blue John Canyon,
Amos Richards fell 10 ft while hiking in the Maze district's narrow Lower Blue John Canyon,

Amos Richards also realized it would take him days to reach civilization or get back to his car but given nobody knew where he was he had to set off.

The hiker later recalled: “I was just thinking that this may be it, I may not be found.”

As he crawled along the ground Amos Richards filled his water bottles with rain as he painstakingly retraced his steps, eventually dragging himself almost five miles.

Each night Amos Richards had to sleep under the stars with no tent or a cover sheet as temperatures plunged to barely 10 C (50 F).

“I was actually following my GPS, crawling right on top of my feet print that I had hiked in on.”

Rangers at Canyonlands National Park sent out search parties when Amos Richards’ camp site was discovered unattended and two days later they found his car.

On the day four Amos Richards was tracked down by a helicopter and taken to Moab Regional Hospital, where he was treated for leg fractures, internal injuries, trauma and dehydration.

Now Amos Richards is expected to make a full recovery.

“127 Hours”, the 2010 Danny Boyle film was based on the account of climber Aron Ralston who went hiking in Little Blue John Canyon without telling anybody where he was going.

Aron Ralston’s autobiography Between a Rock and a Hard Place detailed his struggle including the awful moment he had to chop off his arm with a pocket knife or face dying in the desert.

James Franco as mountain climber Aron Ralston in Danny Boyle film 127 Hours
James Franco as mountain climber Aron Ralston in Danny Boyle film 127 Hours

Paul Henderson, the assistant superintendent of Canyonlands, said the incident was “at least the third or fourth time that we’ve had issues at Blue John since the movie.”

Aron Ralston telling about his amazing climbing accident at the Tonight Show
Aron Ralston telling about his amazing climbing accident at the Tonight Show

Henderson said about Amos Richards:

“He made some of the very same mistakes that Aron Ralston did.

“He went into a very remote area and nobody knew what his travel plans where.”

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Amazon Kindle color tablet, the new iPad rival will be unveiled tomorrow.

Amazon Kindle color tablet, the new iPad rival, will be unveiled tomorrow during a press conference.

Amazon is holding a press conference on Wednesday where it’s widely expected that the giant online retailer will unveil a new color Kindle that puts it on collision course with Apple – a device that could be half the price of iPad 2.

Other tech giants from Motorola to Nokia have tried the same thing, of course – and crashed and burned.

But Amazon is already the world’s largest online retailer – and comes armed with a one-click ordering system that can deliver entertainment from books to films to music with a single button-press.

Other iPad rivals may simply not have been entertaining enough.

Amazon's Kindle tablet is rumored to cost a mere $250 - including “free” access to Amazon's Prime film-streaming service
Amazon Kindle tablet is rumored to cost a mere $250 - including “free” access to Amazon's Prime film-streaming service

 

Amazon’s Kindle tablet is rumored to cost a mere $250 – including “free” access to Amazon’s Prime film-streaming service, vastly undercutting Apple’s price.

Amazon Kindle tablet is also more pocketable, at a rumored seven inches.

Analysts suggest that Amazon’s willingness to sell hardware at a loss in order to sell more e-books, films and music will put it in a position to offer the first serious challenge to Apple – whose “core” business is still selling phones, tablets, and iPods.

According to Forrester Research, the US tech industry analysts, Amazon Kindle tablet could be the “only credible iPad competitor” and could even “completely disrupt the status quo”.

Even on iPad, consumers often prefer buying books via Amazon’s Kindle app to Apple’s own less-well-stocked iBooks store.

“Apple sells software and services, but the lion’s share of Apple’s revenue still comes from hardware,” wrote Forrester.

“This makes it vulnerable to a company, such as Amazon, that isn’t seeking profit from hardware sales.”

The tech blog Techcrunch suggested that Amazon Kindle tablet might be called Kindle Fire.

Simon Osborne-Walker, Associate Editor of Britain’s Stuff magazine, said of Amazon Kindle tablet:

“Where other manufacturers have taken on Apple in a tech-spec arms race, Amazon’s all about the content.

“It doesn’t care if it makes a loss on every device it sells; they’re just shop windows and cash registers connecting to the world’s biggest superstore.”

Amazon Kindle is already the company's best-selling product and the colour version is described as the 'first credible rival to iPad 2
Amazon Kindle is already the company's best-selling product and the colour version is described as the 'first credible rival to iPad 2

Industry insiders have, however, cast doubt on Amazon’s ability to produce an operating system that looks and “feels’ as good as Apple’s, however.

Amazon’s “strength” has always been the technologies that underlie its products – such as the one-click buying system it pioneered, or the “recommendation” system that is now imitated on many other e-commerce sites on the web.

Whether Amazon can produce an experience as slick as Apple’s best-selling iOS remains to be seen.

Analysts still expect Apple to dominate the tablet market for “several years” – at present, Apple controls at least 75% of tablet sales worldwide, despite High Street chains such as Comet selling Android tablets for as little as $300.

Amazon Kindle tablet vs. iPad:

Kindle an Android tablet – but TechCrunch claim to have seen a prototype that adopts Amazon’s orange, black and blue color scheme.

Kindle will have a seven-inch display and will be much more pocketable than iPad.

A bigger, 10-inch version is due, but not before Christmas.

The smaller model of Kindle tablet will cost “around half the price” of the entry-level of iPad 2.

Kindle’s price will include access to Amazon Prime – including a new film-streaming service, and faster deliveries on “real world” Amazon products.

Typhoon Nesat hits Philippines and kills at least seven people.

The powerful Typhoon Nesat has struck the Philippines this morning, triggering floods and cutting power in the capital Manila and throughout the main island, Luzon.

Typhoon Nesat also forced the closing of the Philippine Stock Exchange and the US embassy, and the ground floor of Manila’s main hospital was flooded.

At least seven people have been killed, including several children.

Typhoon Nesat path in South East Asia
Typhoon Nesat path in South East Asia

As Typhoon Nesat approached, the authorities ordered the evacuation of more than 100,000 in central Albay province.

Nesat is expected to continue slowly across the country, before blowing across the South China Sea towards southern China on Thursday.

The typhoon made landfall just before dawn on Tuesday in the eastern Isabela and Aurora provinces on the Pacific coast.

The storm – with a diameter of 650km (400 miles) and wind gusts of up to 170km/h (105mph) – is now making its way across Luzon, the main island.

Many roads have been flooded and flights cancelled, and local media are urging people against non-essential travel.

An adult and three children were crushed to death as a building collapsed in a northern Manila suburb on Tuesday, AFP news agency quoted the Office of Civil Defence as saying.

Two men were said to have died north of the capital in a landslide and weather-induced accident.

There is waist-deep flooding in parts of the capital.

Reporters described huge waves crashing into Manila Bay’s seawall, with water overflowing into Roxas Boulevard and flooding streets and parks around the US embassy, which was evacuated.

The ground floor of Manila hospital was flooded, and staff was forced to move patients to the first floor.

“We’ve heard of Manila Hospital being flooded, but we’re struggling to reach the area even though we’ve co-ordinated with them already to help in an evacuation plan,” Philippine National Red Cross secretary general Gwen Pang told AFP.

It was reported that a five-star hotel was also evacuated.

Thousands of residents living inland along the Marikana river were evacuated as it threatened to overflow.

Government offices, schools and universities were closed.

In Isabela province, four coastal towns under threat from storm surges have been evacuated.

Four fishermen are missing, and more than 50 more have been rescued after their boats capsized in rough seas.

There are fears that the death toll may rise further.

Late on Monday, the first reported casualty of Typhoon Nesat was a baby who fell into a swollen river in the eastern province of Catanduanes.

Earlier, about 110,000 people in several towns of the Albay province were ordered to leave their homes and seek shelter elsewhere.

“We can’t manage typhoons, but we can manage their effects,” provincial Governor Joey Salceda was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.

The Philippines suffers frequent typhoons, about 20 a year, but Nesat is thought to be the largest this year.

Typhoon Nesat comes almost exactly two years after Typhoon Ketsana killed more than 400 people.

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Six men accused of “plot for mass murder” against Britain.

A group of six British-born Muslims who allegedly planned to commit “mass murder” with suicide bombing missions against Britain appeared in court on Monday.

The six men, who prosecutors claimed had formed a terror cell, are accused of training in explosives, weapons and poisoning techniques during trips to Pakistan.

Some of the group members are accused of raising money for terrorism during collections on British streets.

The six men who are accused of training in explosives, weapons and poisoning techniques: from left, Mohammed Rizwan, Bahader Ali, Ifran Nasser, Rahin Ahmed, Ifran Khalid and Ashik Ali
The six men who are accused of training in explosives, weapons and poisoning techniques: from left, Mohammed Rizwan, Bahader Ali, Ifran Nasser, Rahin Ahmed, Ifran Khalid and Ashik Ali

The six defendants, who are all from Birmingham and aged from 25 to 32, were arrested a week ago by the West Midlands police counter-terrorism unit.

The six men, each wearing black jumpers and jogging bottoms, spoke only to confirm their names, ages and addresses at the hearing in West London Magistrates’ Court, Hammersmith.

Deborah Walsh, prosecuting, said: “The terrorist ideology behind these offences is to commit mass murder in the UK.”

Two of the group – Ifran Nasser, 30, and Ifran Khalid, 26 – have been charged with a string of offences dating from Christmas Day last year to September 19.

They are accused of planning a suicide-bombing campaign, making a martyrdom film, recruiting others for terrorist acts, collecting money for terrorism, travelling to Pakistan to learn how to make bombs, weapons and poisons, and advising others on explosives and how to build a home-made bomb.

Ashik Ali, 26, is accused of planning a suicide bombing, constructing a home-made bomb, recruiting others for terrorist training, collecting money for terrorism and stating his intention to be a suicide bomber.

His brother, university graduate Bahader Ali, 28, and Mohammed Rizwan, 32, are accused of failing to disclose information which could prevent terror attacks.

Rahin Ahmed, 25, is accused of helping to fund terrorism acts and assisting others to travel to Pakistan for training in terrorism.

All were remanded in custody. Ashik Ali, Rahin Ahmed, Khalid and Nasser Ifran will appear at the Old Bailey on October 21.

Bahader Ali and Mohammed Rizwan will appear before City of Westminster magistrates on October 24.

Apple cuts iPad orders by 25%, analysts said.

Reports from several suppliers in Asia said that Apple has reduced its orders by 25% in the last quarter for this year, according to JP Morgan Chase.

Apple has enjoyed global success and market domination with its pioneering tablet computer, iPad.

Shares in Apple Inc fells as much as 3% in early trading today after an analyst claimed Apple was cutting orders from suppliers of parts for its iPad tablet.

The development could indicate a potential slow-down in sales of the successful iPad.

Shares in Apple Inc fells as much as 3 per cent in early trading today after an analyst claimed Apple was cutting orders from suppliers of parts for iPad
Shares in Apple Inc fells as much as 3 per cent in early trading today after an analyst claimed Apple was cutting orders from suppliers of parts for iPad

Gokul Hariharan, JP Morgan’s Asia Pacific electronic manufacturing services analyst, said:

“Our understanding is that this is not in preparation for a new model launch.”

Gokul Hariharan also said the move could result in slower sales for suppliers such as Hon Hai Precision Co.

Fear of a slowdown in iPad sales come as rival Amazon is expected to unveil its own tablet device on Wednesday, to rival Apple.

Amazon’s tablet, which is expected to go on sale on Wednesday, has already been described as a “game changer” by one analyst which could challenge the iPad.

Shares in Apple recovered slightly from earlier losses and were down by $4 (1%) at $400.28 in mid-morning trading on Nasdaq.

JP Morgan’s Asia Pacific electronic manufacturing services analyst also said that Mark Moskowitz – JP Morgan’s U.S.-based Apple analyst – does not expect the supply chain adjustments to result in a downside to his estimates for iPad shipments.

Other analysts also said they would not change their iPad shipment estimates and that it would be difficult to accurately estimate shipment orders.

Colin Gillis, analyst for BGC Partners, said:

“The iPhone 5 launch is much more important than the iPad right now.

“Could the tablet market slow down? Yes absolutely, but data from factories is notoriously unreliable especially since Apple started diversifying their supplier base.”

Walter Piecyk, an analyst from BTIG, said he would be maintaining his forecasts of Apple selling 13 million iPads in the fourth quarter.

“I don’t see any reason to change our estimates. We expect that iPad and iPhone production is shifting to Brazil and Apple remains the market leader that it created with the iPad.”

Apple did not make any comment until now.

Facebook charging subscription fee? “It’s free and always will be,” said officials.

The rumor that Facebook would begin charging its users with a subscription fee is not true, Facebook has assured.

On Sunday, an online rumor that Facebook was going to begin charging as much as $10 per month starting Monday prompted widespread digital panic.

The pseudo Facebook announcement was written in all capital letters and spread around the social network by gullible users.

The announcement read:

FACEBOOK JUST RELEASED THEIR PRICE GRID FOR MEMBERSHIP,$9.99 PER MONTH FOR GOLD MEMBER SERVICES,$6.99 PER MONTH FOR SILVER MEMBER SERVICES,$3.99 PER MONTH FOR BRONZE MEMBER SERVICES, FREE IF YOU COPY AND PASTE THIS MESSAGE BEFORE MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. WHEN YOU SIGN ON TOMORROW MORNING YOU WILL BE PROMPTED FOR PAYMENT INFO.”

The Facebook charging most recent rumor began just days after Facebook's facelift last week
The Facebook charging most recent rumor began just days after Facebook's facelift last week

By late Sunday, the Facebook powers that be caught wind of the rumor and shut it down on the official Facebook Facebook page:

“A rumor on the internet caught our attention. We have no plans to charge for Facebook. It’s free and always will be,” read the Facebook post by Facebook.

This most recent hoax began just days after Facebook’s facelift last week. The site now features a Ticker, it groups categories of friends together to allow for more detailed tracking, newly added photographs appear larger, and the “Poke” button is now concealed. A timeline is also slated to be available within the next few weeks.

Facebook certainly does not need to boost its revenue – especially at the risk of alienating its most powerful tool for generating revenue: Its 800 million active users.

In the first half of 2011, Facebook doubled its profits. With zero subscription-based revenue, the company is still worth $75.3 billion – seven times higher than Twitter’s $10.7 billion implied value, according to Sharespost, a service tracking private companies.

Facebook is the second most popular Web site after Google, and its advertising revenue is expected to reach $4.27 billion in 2011, according to ZDNet.

Because Facebook makes so much of its revenue from advertising, its users are essentially its products – not its customers. The real Facebook customers are the companies who advertise on the site, and they are paying a hefty premium to do so.

Facebook has absolutely no incentive to charge a subscription fee. People may not be able to believe all the promises that Facebook makes – especially about user privacy and security – but they can trust the latest statement that Facebook will always be free of charge.

Rumors about a potential Facebook fee have been circulating since 2009.

Shawn Sullivan: the US most wanted paedophile was caught in UK.

Shawn Sullivan, the convicted child molester who is one of US most wanted paedophile has been caught secretly living in London.

Shawn Sullivan has been wanted in the U.S. since 1994 for allegedly molesting two 11-year-old girls and for having sex with an unconscious 14-year-old girl.

Shawn Sullivan has been wanted in the U.S. since 1994 for allegedly molesting three girls
Shawn Sullivan has been wanted in the U.S. since 1994 for allegedly molesting three girls

Shawn Sullivan, 42, was finally picked up by the London Metropolitan Police last year in England.

In December 2010, Sullivan was granted bail and must wear an electronic tag and abide by a strict curfew. Shawn Sullivan lives near Barnes in South-West London.

Minnesota wants Shawn Sullivan extradited to face charges.

If he is found guilty, Shawn Sullivan could face up to 75 years in prison, according to The Sun newspaper.

Shawn Sullivan had gone years without showing on the radar as a fugitive from the U.S. government. During this time he lived in Ireland and was given a suspended jail sentence there for sexually attacking two 12-year-old girls.

Shawn Sullivan married an Irish woman in 1996.

It was not until 2007 that Interpol, the international police organization, added Shawn Sullivan to its most wanted list.

Shawn Sullivan moved to England in 2010 on an Irish passport and arrived undetected using the Gaelic spelling surname O’Suilleabhain.

U.S. Marshals Service investigators worked with authorities in Ireland, Spain, Switzerland and the UK to locate Shawn Sullivan, who is originally from Fort Benning, Georgia.

The Home Office confirmed Shawn Sullivan’s extradition was ordered in February but it is being contested by the convicted paedophile.

A spokesman said: ”On Thursday 10 February the Secretary of State signed an order for Shawn Sullivan’s extradition to the United States of America.

“Mr. Sullivan has appeal to the High Court against the decisions of the District Judge and the Secretary of State; this is therefore a matter for the courts.”

Utah Undie Run 2011: 3,000 people run through the streets of Salt Lake City in their underwear.

Thousands of people took to the streets of Salt Lake City in their underwear yesterday for the “Utah Undie Run” annual event to support gay rights and other causes.

Wearing just boxers, panties and bras, are the crowds of people said they were not just hoping to break records, but they were there to break stereotypes.

3,000 people run through the streets of Salt Lake City in their underwear to protest against Utah “being so uptight”
3,000 people run through the streets of Salt Lake City in their underwear at Utah Undie Run to protest against Utah “being so uptight”

 

Salt Lake City is the home of the Mormon church, which is a vocal opponent of gay marriage and a bastion of conservatism.

Utah Undie Run: Many of the runners were protesting about gay rights
Utah Undie Run: Many of the runners were protesting about gay rights

“My goal is to change Utah. To make this state lighten up once and for all,” run organizer Nate Porter told Fox 13.

“I’m trying to draw people in that are jaded by politics.”

The “Utah Undie Run” annual event encouraged people to paint their naked torsos with messages about gay rights and other causes.

Utah Undie Run organizers told runners to paint political messages on their bodies
Utah Undie Run organizers told runners to paint political messages on their bodies

“We’ve all heard it for years, Utah is boring, Utahans are uptight… well it’s time to change all that, at least for a night,” the group wrote on its website.

According to organizers, they wanted the state, which tightened up its liquor laws earlier this month, to loosen up.

Utah Undie Run is set to enter the Guinness Book of Records if the run is verified
Utah Undie Run is set to enter the Guinness Book of Records if the run is verified

The Utah Undie Run is also set to enter the Guinness Book of Records if the run is verified.

Organizers estimate that 3,000 people turned up in their underwear, beating the previous record of 55.

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