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Eddie Murphy Will Host The 84th Annual Academy Awards

Lisa.Felice
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Eddie Murphy Will Host The 84th Annual Academy Awards

Eddie Murphy signs on to host 84th Academy Awards ceremony, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Tuesday, September 6.

In a press release on Tuesday, Eddie Murphy said:

“I am enormously honored to join the great list of past Academy Award hosts from Hope and Carson to Crystal, Martin and Goldberg, among others.”

Eddie Murphy will host 2012 ceremony of the Annual Academy Awards
Eddie Murphy will host 2012 ceremony of the Annual Academy Awards

 

Eddie Murphy, 50, was reported to be the Brett Ratner’s top choice to host the 84th Academy Awards show.

Brett Ratner, who is the “Rush Hour” director and recently directed Eddie Murphy in the upcoming movie “Tower Heist”, is producing the ceremony.

“Eddie is a comedic genius, one of the greatest and most influential live performers ever,” Brett Ratner said in a press release.

“With his love of movies, history of crafting unforgettable characters and his iconic performances – especially on stage – I know he will bring excitement, spontaneity and tremendous heart to the show.”

This will be Eddie Murphy’s first hosting stint on the Oscars.

Eddie Murphy earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 2006 for his role in “Dreamgirls.”

Previously, there were rumors that Billy Crystal, who hosted the awards show eight times between 1990 and 2004, was to be in the running for hosting duties before Eddie Murphy was officially tapped to host.

Eddie Murphy began his career at the age of 15 as a stand-up comedian.  In 1980, at the age of 19, he joined the cast of “Saturday Night Live,” becoming the show’s youngest cast member to that point, and bringing to life many of the show’s most memorable  characters. His 1983 album “Eddie Murphy: Comedian” won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Recording.  It included portions of his groundbreaking HBO special “Eddie Murphy Delirious.”  In 1987, “Eddie Murphy Raw” was theatrically released and went on to gross over $50 million. Murphy made his feature film debut in 1982 with the classic “48 Hrs.” and would go on to star in such box-office hits as “Beverly Hills Cop” and the “The Nutty Professor” and “Shrek” franchises. All told, movies in which he has performed have earned in excess of $7 billion worldwide during their theatrical releases.

The 84th edition of the Annual Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, 2012, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live on the ABC Television Network.  The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

Brooklyn Labor Day Parade 2011: 7 deaths among 49 gunshot victims at West Indian Carnival.

Diane A. Wade
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Brooklyn Labor Day Parade 2011: 7 deaths among 49 gunshot victims at West Indian Carnival.

Shootings repeatedly rocked the West Indian Day Parade in Brooklyn on Labor Day, even while Mayor Michael Bloomberg marched nearby. The New York City’s terrifying epidemic of shootings over the Labor Day weekend grew steadily worse.

The toll of the Labor Day Parade violence includes seven deaths among the 49 gunshot victims. The gunfire seemed to follow the revelers everywhere, from the parade route to nearby fast-food joints and even to their own homes.

The toll of the Brooklyn Labor Day Parade violence includes seven deaths among the 49 gunshot victims (NY Post photo)
The toll of the Brooklyn Labor Day Parade violence includes seven deaths among the 49 gunshot victims

 

Nine of the shooting victims were hit at or near the area of Brooklyn Labor Day Parade, the annual Caribbean-themed festival in Crown Heights, where a gunman had fired into the air only blocks from where Mayor Bloomberg had just begun marching.

“[The gunman] shouted something, then ‘boom!’ Everyone ducked,” said a witness, Marlene Anthony, adding that the young thug was standing at Rockaway Parkway and Clarkson Avenue – just blocks from the parade staging area.

“It was a bad mix of alcohol, ignorance and a fool with a gun who tries to ruin the fun of the parade.”

According to authorities, the gunman, Devon Stevens, 25, jumped into a livery cab, but went only a couple blocks before hopping out on East 94th Street at Winthrop Street, where he ditched the gun as cops gave chase.

“I was out here sweeping and listening to music when I saw the police grab up this young man on the hood of this car,” said an elderly resident on East 94th Street.

“There were so many police chasing him.”

Police officers have pepper-sprayed on the gunman, Devon Stevens.

Few hours after the Brooklyn Labor Day Parade ended, an elderly woman was killed in the crossfire of a melee between police and a gunman.

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Brooklyn Labor Day Parade had gotten off to a rocky start at 6 a.m., when a nearby McDonald’s, packed with 100 early risers prepping for the festivities, was the site of a senseless shooting.

Kenneth Beggs, 44, bumped into a man entering the Empire Boulevard Mc Donald’s and apologized, but Anthony Carruthers, 28, allegedly refused to let the incident go and pumped bullets into Beggs’ legs.

“The bullet shattered the door, so everyone ran out the other door,” said one McDonald’s cook.

After parade ended, one reveler was shot in front of a crowd on Eastern Parkway.

A group of 6-7 men had pummeled the victim on the ground and then an attacker pulled out a handgun and shot him in the leg. He also grabbed a pot of steaming rice from a food vendor and tossed it onto an onlooker.

Police tackled the gunman. His victim is expected to survive.

According to police the number of people who took a bullet in the past week had skyrocketed.

“For the week ending Sunday, a whopping 98 people had been shot, nearly twice the 53 shot during the same week last year,” the NYPD said.

“Those injured last week were involved in 72 incidents, compared to 40 shoot-ups in the same week in 2010,” Police Department said.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said that although the number of shootings so far this year is fewer when compared to a decade ago, the spree of gunfire over the weekend is “obviously . . . cause for concern.

“We’re doing everything we can do,” added Ray Kelly, who cited the NYPD’s shifting of resources to target guns on the streets, including boosting overtime.

“Some of the shootings were clearly associated with the parade,” Commissioner Kelly said.

“Quite frankly, this is something that does happen with this parade.”

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said:

“It was a bad weekend, no question about that . . . There’s just too many guns on the streets of this city. It’s a national problem . . . because it’s so easy to buy guns in other states, and just drive them in and sell them in the back of your car.”

In all, at least 16 people were hit by bullets on Monday, 15 of them in Brooklyn.

There was an exception, a 33-year-old man, who was shot twice in the torso and once in the left arm at 11:48 a.m. in front of the St. Nicholas Houses in Harlem.

Officers also nabbed a suspect on Monday in another case, in which eight people were shot in The Bronx.

A man and a rival are suspected of engaging in a shootout that wounded the victims, including 11-year-old Shaquan Walters, at a house party early Sunday.

One of the gunmen, Phillip Muir, 21, from Wilson Avenue in The Bronx, was caught at 2:15 a.m. by the NYPD during a car stop in Mount Vernon, in Westchester, with the assistance of police there.

The other gunman, Oneil DaSilva, 17, from Mount Vernon, remains at large.

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Beautytek instead of cosmetic surgery?

Kathryn R. Bown
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Beautytek instead of cosmetic surgery?

Which is the best way to burn belly fat?

 

Trim your belly fat with high protein dairy diets.

 

A Much More Gentle Approach To Weight Loss

 

Beautytek claims to reshape bodies for both men and women
Beautytek claims to reshape bodies for both men and women

 

A non-invasive technique, Beautytek,claims to reshape, lift and tone over nine areas of the body.

 

Practitioners said Beautytek can lift breasts by up to five centimeters, flatten stomachs, lift buttocks and thighs, smooth out cellulite, reduce acne, scarring, wrinkles and stretchmarks.

The treatment seems to be pain free, without side effects. After twelve sessions one’s appearance is change and with one to two top up treatments each year, the results last a lifetime, it is said. Without annual treatment, the effects last only several months.

“Beautytek triggers the body’s natural chemicals to encourage anti-aging of the skin to take place.There is nothing artificial or chemical about the device which makes it an entirely drug-free treatment without the need for surgery.” Said Henning Buscher who helped develop Beautytek.

 

Beautytek combines ancient Chinese principles of acupressure (certain points of the body are stimulated to adjust energy flow) with modern technology.

 

This technique could balance the organiwsm by stimulating the lymphatic system blood circulation, hormonal release, and metabolism.

The practitioners said the human body has its own electro-magnetic field and they think fatigue, weight problems and skin complaints (spots, wrinkles) are caused by inefficient electrical flow.

A computer analyzes one’s electro-magnetic field and if the electrical current is slow, the computer stimulates certain acupressure – or energy – points with mild electrical pulses.This triggers movement of fluid between skin cells and “push out” fat from cells. The excess fat passes along the lymphatic drainage system towards the kidney and it is eliminated from the organism through urine. The blood circulation is increased on the stimulated areas and tone the muscles. Beautytek also triggers the endocrine system into releasing the correct amount of hormones. The combined effects boosts natural collagen production of skin cells. A session takes around 45 minutes and the need to urinate may occur during it.

Every adult can undergo a Beautytek treatment except pregnant women and people with pacemakers, said the practitioners. However, it is better to get medical exam and a consult from the GP before the treatment.

Dr Horst Frank, a dermatologist from Frankfurt, Germany, has monitorised 150 patients over a year in his clinic and the patients report their treatment was 90 per cent successful.

 

In the same time the dermatologists warn that there’s no proving that Beautytek works until double blind clinical trials have been completed.

 

“I’m not aware of any reason why people shouldn’t use the method, but unless there is reasonable data to prove that the claims work, I can’t endorse the treatment.” said Dr Neil Walker, a dermatologist at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford.

Iniatially Beautytek was designed as a device to treat pain in hospitals, then the technique was developed in Italy in 2000 for cosmetic purposes. Beautytek has been used in over 30 countries, including Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Austria, US, Canada, China, UK. 

 

Biggest Crocodile In The World Captured In Philippines

Diane A. Wade
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Biggest Crocodile In The World Captured In Philippines

The Dog With The Longest Ears On The Planet.

 

Guinness World Records 2012. Woman with the longest tongue.

 

The crocodile weighs one ton and is believed responsible for eating at least one fisherman, but this monster has finally been caught by 100 men in Philippines.

Measuring 21 ft (about 6.5 m), the monster is the largest crocodile captured alive in recent years.

World's largest crocodile has been caught in Philippines
World's largest crocodile has been caught in Philippines

The largest crocodile was caught, after a three-week hunt, in a creek in the Philippines by villagers who had lived in fear of it for more than 20 years.

The crocodile’s nearest rival in the monster stakes is Cassius, an Australian salt-water crocodile which measures a “mere” 18ft (5.5 m) and which is still on the loose in the Northern Territory.

The Philippine crocodile lived in a river system in Agusan, a poverty-stricken region 500 miles south east of Manila, but while it was a constant threat to villagers no-one was brave enough to try to capture it.

The monster crocodile was placed under observation and when it was witnessed by several villagers killing a water buffalo they knew their suspicions were right.

Many of the villagers posed beside the captured monster crocodile before it was driven off to a confined area
Many of the villagers posed beside the captured monster crocodile before it was driven off to a confined area

“We were very nervous about tackling this beast but it was our duty to deal with it because it was a threat to many villagers and their farm animals,” said the local mayor, Edwin Elorde.

“When I finally saw it after its capture I couldn’t believe my eyes.

“It was big enough to swallow three men all at once.”

The crocodile hunting was set in place after it was seen in a creek, with villagers setting four net traps, which the crocodile destroyed with a mighty snap of its jaws.

The second time hunters used traps made of steel cables and this time the animal failed to get away.

One hundred men were required to pull the monster crocodile on to the banks of the creek where, after a great deal of difficulty, it was bound up and then lifted by crane on to the back of a truck.

Hunters weren’t going to let the victory pass without having their photo taken, so many of the villagers posed beside their scaly captive before it was driven off to a confined area.

Many of the villagers posed beside the captured monster crocodile before it was driven off to a confined area
Many of the villagers posed beside the captured monster crocodile before it was driven off to a confined area

The crocodile, which have not been named yet, is destined for fame.

Villagers have been expecting monster to be the star attraction at a new eco-tourism park that is set up in Agusan.

“It will be the biggest star of the park,” said Mayor Elorde.

“The villagers, of course, are very happy that they have been able to turn this dangerous crocodile from a threat into an asset.”

But the 37,000 people who live in the region have been told not to rest on their laurels.

Many other large crocodiles remain in the rivers and people have been told not to venture into marsh areas alone at night.

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Mr. Bean era has finished. Rowan Atkinson says goodbye to his character.

Diane A. Wade
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Mr. Bean era has finished. Rowan Atkinson says goodbye to his character.

Mr. Bean – Rowan Atkinson – crashes his McLaren F1 supercar

 

Mr. Bean is Rowan Atkinson’s most commercially successful creation. However, Mr. Bean’s era is finished and the character is unlikely to appear on the screens again in any new adventures.

Actor Rowan Atkinson, 56, said he believes he is too old to play Mr. Bean character.

Mr. Bean first appeared on television in an ITV series which ran from September 1, 1989, to November 15, 1995.

Rowan Atkinson said he is too old to play Mr. Bean
Rowan Atkinson said he is too old to play Mr. Bean

The series proved a huge ratings success, despite the derision of some critics, achieving viewing figures of more than 18million.

Mr. Bean character proved such a draw – even in the notoriously difficult U.S. market – that two films were made of his exploits, “Bean: The Ultimate Disaster Movie” in 1997 and” Mr. Bean’s Holiday” in 2007.

The two Mr. Bean films earned over $ 450 million worldwide.

However, Rowan Atkinson, who describes Mr. Bean as “a child in a grown man’s body” – said:

“I’ve got a feeling I probably won’t play the character [Mr. Bean] again.

“Never say never, but I just feel I’m getting too old for it. I’ve always liked Mr. Bean as a cartoon-like figure, who doesn’t really age much.

“I’ve always seen him as an ageless and timeless being and I’m clearly not ageless and timeless.

“The older I get, I feel I am less qualified to play him.”

Mr Bean
Mr Bean

Rowan Atkinson, who starred in “Not The Nine O’Clock News” in the late 1970s and 1980s and in “Blackadder” from 1983, was interviewed in Australia to publicize the sequel to the 2003 James Bond spoof movie “Johnny English” – “Johnny English Reborn”.

Ordering Zelboraf

Sonia Pantiss
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Ordering Zelboraf
Ordering Zelboraf
Zelboraf (vemurafenib) Tablets – Ordering

 

Find out more about ordering Zelboraf

 

Roche’s new drug Zelboraf (also known as PLX4032 and vemurafenib) was approved by the FDA on August 17th 2011 for treatment of melanoma patients whose tumors have BRAF mutations (new Zelboraf announcement order). Now that the drug has been approved, your doctor can prescribe it after determining that your tumor has this mutation.

In clinical trials with Zelboraf, patients’ tumors stopped growing for several months and patients were 63% less likely to die during the trial, as compared to those receiving chemotherapy.  Be sure to find out if Zelboraf is right for you before you order.

Zelboraf is being approved with a first-of-a-kind test called the cobas 4800 BRAF V600 Mutation Test, a companion diagnostic that will help determine if a patient’s melanoma cells have the BRAF V600E mutation.

The BRAF protein is normally involved in regulating cell growth, but is mutated in about half of the patients with late-stage melanomas. Zelboraf is a BRAF inhibitor that is able to block the function of the V600E-mutated BRAF protein.

“This has been an important year for patients with late-stage melanoma. Zelboraf is the second new cancer drug approved that demonstrates an improvement in overall survival,” said Richard Pazdur, M.D., director of the Office of Oncology Drug Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “In March, we approved Yervoy (ipilimumab), another new treatment for late-stage melanoma that also showed patients live longer after receiving the drug.”

 

What to know before you order? Zelboraf’s side effects.

 

The most common side effects reported in patients receiving Zelboraf included joint pain, rash, hair loss, fatigue, nausea, and skin sensitivity when exposed to the sun. About 26 percent of patients developed a skin-related cancer called cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, which was managed with surgery. Patients treated with Zelboraf should avoid sun exposure. Patients that develop squamous cell carcinoma as a side effect of Zelboraf are treated by surgery and can continue with treatment

Zelboraf Drug Label Ordering: Ordering Zelboraf Drug Label (Original Ordering Zelboraf Drug Label on FDA’s website)

 

Use of ordered ZELBORAF and Important Side Effect Information for Zelboraf

 

This information does not take the place of talking to your doctor about your medical condition or your treatment with ZELBORAF.

ZELBORAF is a prescription medicine used to treat a type of skin cancer called melanoma, that has spread to other parts of the body or cannot be removed by surgery, and has a certain type of abnormal “BRAF” gene.

ZELBORAF may cause a type of skin cancer called cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cuSCC). CuSCC usually does not spread to other parts of the body. Check your skin and tell your doctor about skin changes including a new wart, a sore or bump that bleeds or does not heal, or a mole that changes size or color.

While taking ZELBORAF, you should avoid going out in the sun. When you go outside, wear clothes that protect your skin, including head, face, hands, arms, and legs. Use lip balm and a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher.

Possible serious side effects of ZELBORAF include severe allergic reactions, severe skin reactions, changes in the electrical activity of your heart called QT prolongation, which can potentially be life-threatening, abnormal liver function tests, eye problems, or new melanoma lesions.

Common side effects of ZELBORAF include joint pain, rash, hair loss, tiredness, sunburn or sun sensitivity, nausea, itching, or warts. You need to know these before ordering Zelboraf.

These are not all of the possible side effects of ZELBORAF. Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or does not go away. For more information about side effects, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Call your doctor for medical advice about any side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088. You may also report side effects to Genentech at 1-888-835-2555.

Please see accompanying full Prescribing Information and Medication Guide for additional important safety information.

 

How can you order Zelboraf?

 

With Zelboraf’s approval, your doctor can now prescribe this drug for you if your tumor has the BRAF mutation. To test the tumor, your doctor would order a laboratory test.

Several clinical trials are testing whether a combination of Zelboraf with other drugs might work better than Zelboraf alone. One exciting clinical trial combines Zelboraf with Yervoy, a new immunotherapy drug (Order more details about Zelboraf clinical trials). The following table lists some of these clinical trials that Zelboraf went through, and by clicking on the name of a trial you can learn more about the drug used and the types of patients that the trial is looking for.

Zelboraf Summary for Ordered Clinical Trials

Name(s) Target Manufacturer Status
Zelboraf, PLX4032, vemurafenib, RO5185426, RG7204 BRAF Hoffmann-La Roche Approved for melanoma patients with BRAF mutations

 

Zelboraf Clinical Trials Ordered

 

Trial Status Phase
A Study of the Effect of Food on the Pharmacokinetics of Single Dose RO5185426 And the Safety And Efficacy of Continuous Administration in Patients With BRAF V600E Mutation-Positive Metastatic Melanoma [NCT01264380] Recruiting ordered Phase I
Ph I/II Ipilimumab Vemurafenib Combo [NCT01400451] Not yet recruiting Phase I, Phase II
A Study of Vemurafenib in Metastatic Melanoma Patients With Brain Metastases [NCT01378975] Not yet recruiting Phase II
A Study of RO5185426 in Patients With Metastatic Melanoma [NCT01248936] Available Expanded access
A Study of RO5185426 in Comparison With Dacarbazine in Previously Untreated Patients With Metastatic Melanoma (BRIM 3) [NCT01006980] Recruiting ordered Phase 3
A Study of RO5185426 in Previously Treated Patients With Metastatic Melanoma [NCT00949702] Active, not recruiting Phase 2
Safety Study of PLX4032 in Patients With Solid Tumors [NCT00405587] Active, not recruiting Phase 1
A Pharmacokinetic Study of RO5185426 in Combination With a Drug Cocktail in Patients With Metastatic Melanoma [NCT01001299] Active, not recruiting Phase 1
A Pharmacokinetic and Metabolism Study of 14C-labeled RO5185426 on Patients With Metastatic Melanoma [NCT01164891] Active, not recruiting Phase 1
A Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic Study of RO5185426 in Previously Treated Patients With Metastatic Melanoma [NCT01107418] Active, not recruiting Phase 1

 

In July 2011, the FDA issued a new draft guidance to facilitate the development and review of companion diagnostics. The guidance, currently available for public comment, is intended to provide companies with guidance on the agency’s policy for reviewing a companion diagnostic and the corresponding drug therapy.

 

Relevant Links for More Information on Zelboraf Ordering

 

Zelboraf Article Zelboraf Reference
Zelboraf for BRAF mutant melanoma Official website
FDA Approves Gene-Targeting Skin Cancer Drug NPR report
FDA appproves vemurafenib (ZELBORAF) for melanoma patients with BRAF mutations FDA announcement

 

Melanoma is the leading cause of death from skin disease. The National Cancer Institute estimated that 68,130 new cases of melanoma were diagnosed in the United States during 2010; about 8,700 people died from the disease.

Zelboraf is marketed by South San Francisco based-Genentech, a member of the Roche Group. The cobas 4800 BRAF V600 Mutation Test is manufactured by Roche Molecular Systems in Pleasanton, Calif.

The Dog With The Longest Ears On The Planet.

Diane A. Wade
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The Dog With The Longest Ears On The Planet.

One Ton Crocodile Captured In Philippines. Largest Crocodile In The World.

 

Guinness World Records 2012. Woman with the longest tongue.

 

Harbor is the black-and-tan coonhound with the longest canine ears in the world, according to Guinness World Records.

Guinness World Records has named Harbor the possessor of the longest canine ears on the planet after his ears measurement: the left ear measures 12¼ in (31.11 cm) while the right is longer at 13½ in (34.29 cm).

Harbor, the dog with the biggest ears in the world
Harbor, the dog with the biggest ears in the world

Harbor’s breed was developed to hunt raccoons, with the long ears said to help by sweeping scents towards the nose.

But our coonhound, Harbor has had a lifelong struggle with his colossal ears, frequently tripping over them as a puppy and rolling down the stairs.

Now though, the purebred has grown into his lengthy lugholes, which have made him a celebrity.

Harbor’s owner, Jennifer Wert from Boulder, Colorado, US said:

“Cars will literally stop in the street to take a closer look and get a picture.

“Most days I forget how oddly long his ears are,” added Harbor’s owner.

“He’s a phenomenon in the world and he creates smiles wherever we go.”

Harbor takes the Guinness World Records title from Tigger (13.5 inch ears), a bloodhound from Illinois, who passed away of old age two years ago.

Harbor, the coonhound with the longest canine ears on the planet
Harbor, the coonhound with the longest canine ears on the planet

According to Guinness World Records 2012, Harbor’s ear-span is greater than the height of the world’s shortest man, Junrey Balawing, who is 23.5 inches (about 60 cm) tall.

Harbor’s ears are also wider than the smallest road-legal car, which is 26 inches (66 cm) wide, and you could comfortably fit the world’s shortest dog, 6 in (15 cm) long Brandy, who is also from the US, on each of Harbor’s ears twice.

The next edition of Guinness World Records will be published on September 15.

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Seattle: Air Passenger Arrested After Trying To Open The Jet Door While Taxiing

Diane A. Wade
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Seattle: Air Passenger Arrested After Trying To Open The Jet Door While Taxiing

An anxious air passenger was arrested after trying to open the exit door of an Alaska Airlines jet while it was taxiing to the gate.

Crew and passengers had to subdue the 39-year-old man, who was very anxious to get off the plane arriving at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

An Alaska Airlines crew member was bitten in the arm during the scuffle and was taken to Highline Medical Center in Burien, Washington for treatment of minor injuries.

Crew and passengers had to subdue the man, who was very anxious to get off the plane arriving at Seattle Tacoma International Airport
Crew and passengers had to subdue the man, who was very anxious to get off the plane arriving at Seattle Tacoma International Airport

The anxious passenger was taken to Highline Medical Center in Burien for a mental health evaluation, before being transferred to King County Jail. On Monday he was being held in custody and was expected to be booked on investigation of felony assault.

The flight 108 from Anchorage, Alaska, landed in Seattle at about 4:30 a.m. on Monday.

Seattle-Tacoma Airport spokesman Perry Cooper said no other airport operations were affected.

Labor Day Parade 2011: 43 Shootings During The Brooklyn West Indian Carnival.

Diane A. Wade
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1
Labor Day Parade 2011: 43 Shootings During The Brooklyn West Indian Carnival.

Brooklyn Labor Day Parade 2011: 7 deaths among 49 gunshot victims at West Indian Carnival.

 

During the Labor Day weekend in New York the number of shot people has risen to 43, after violence started at the annual West Indian Day Parade in Brooklyn.

In the 24 hours, from Saturday 6 a.m. to Sunday 6 a.m., 24 people were shot, the victims were shot during 15 separate incidents, and so far no arrests have been made.

The latest shooting, left a police officer wounded and a civilian dead just a few blocks off the route where revelers had earlier filled the streets in colorful costumes.

During the Labor Day weekend in New York the number of shot people has risen to 43, after violence started at the 2011 West Indian Day Parade in Brooklyn
During the Labor Day weekend in New York the number of shot people has risen to 43, after violence started at the 2011 West Indian Day Parade in Brooklyn

The police officer was hit in the arm and hospitalized but expected to recover, the civilian died at the scene and at least two others were wounded.

According to police, earlier in the day four people were shot and wounded during the parade along its route. A 15-year-old boy was grazed by a bullet nearby.

Charles Walters, 53 – who’s 11-year-old son was one of the victims on Sunday – to the New York Daily News:

“These people come with guns and shoot at anyone.

“They don’t care if there are children around.”

Shaquan Walters, his son, was the youngest of eight shot in the early hours of Sunday as he partied in his Bronx back yard.

At the same event, a 14-year-old girl was hit in the back, while a 13-year-old girl was hit in the left thigh during the 3:39 a.m. shooting.

In the Williamsbridge shooting, there were five young men wounded, aged 17, 18, 19, 21 and 24.

According to police, Oneil Dasilva, 17 could be the suspect in connection with the incident.

After Brooklyn violence at the Labor Day Parade, Mayor Michael Bloomberg called on politicians in Washington to enact stricter gun laws.

Speaking at the Christian Cultural Centre in Brooklyn yesterday Mayor Bloomberg said:

“It is just unconscionable.We cannot tolerate it.

“There are just too many guns on the streets and we have to do something about it.

“We need the federal government to step up. Both ends of Pennsylvania Ave., both sides of the aisle.”

Michael Bloomberg is a member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns and has rallied Washington for tighter gun laws in the past.

Bloomberg added:

“We cannot continue to have these guns in the hands of kids who don’t understand the value of life.”

The Labor Day weekend’s shootings began at around 6 a.m. on Saturday when a 35-year-old woman was wounded in Brooklyn.

Monday at 2 a.m., a 30-year-old died from bullet wounds to the head and back in Flatbush.

From 2:12 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. on Sunday five men were shot in three separate incidents.

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Bastrop Texas: Major wildfire

James J. Williams
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3
Bastrop Texas: Major wildfire

 Bastrop Texas: Two deaths in the dreadful wildfire

 

Bastrop Texas: Urgent need of a federal disaster declaration

 

Bastrop Texas: Lost Pines Forest massive damages

 

Bastrop Texas: wildfire under control, recovery begins

 

Over sixty fires have ignited  since Sunday afternoon and one of them has reached Bastrop Texas on Monday causing major damages.

 

Bastrop Texas major wildfire: Flames over a road near Bastrop State Park (Reuters)
Bastrop Texas major wildfire: Flames over a road near Bastrop State Park (Reuters)

The Bastrop County Complex Fire has destroyed more than 25,000 acres of  forest (two-thirds of the 6,000-acre Bastrop State Park) and has burnt almost 500 houses.

Tropical Storm Lee generating powerful winds and drought conditions (Texas has endured its worst drought since the 1950s) has made the fire to travel fast, consuming pine and cedar trees.

The Bastrop County is around 30 miles east from Austin and has around 70,000 residents. The speed of fire was very uncommon and led to evacuation of at least 5,000 persons, 400 people were taken to emergency shelters. School and school-related activities were canceled for Tuesday and the Red Cross has opened several shelters to house evacuees.

 

Rick Perry interrupted a campaign trip Monday afternoon and went to Bastrop Texas.

 

Perry, the Texas Governor, who was out of the state on Sunday, viewed the fire from the air. “This is as mean looking as I’ve ever seen, particularly because it was so close to the city.” He said.

Rick Perry said he planned to immediately request federal disaster relief for Texas fire victims. Since December, wildfires in Texas have claimed 3.5 million acres, and have destroyed more than 1,000 homes, he said.

He said it was too early to say whether he would attend Wednesday’s GOP debate in California.

 

Ground and air forces were mobilized to fight the large wildfire of Bastrop Texas.

 

Over 250 firefighters has working on the Bastrop fire, that stretches for 16 miles. Minimum 40 Texas Forest Service aircraft were involved in the firefighting Monday along with a half-dozen Texas military aircraft. Heavy air tankers, brought in from as far away as South Dakota, have been dumping tons of water on fires all day long, The Texas Forest Service said. The crews contained the main fire north of the Colorado River, but the major Bastrop Texas wildfire was still not contained.

Campfires, burning of debris, Labor Day barbecues were prohibited in all but three of the 254 counties in Texas.

 

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MDA Telethon 2011 Raised $61.5 Million Without Jerry Lewis.

Diane A. Wade
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1
MDA Telethon 2011 Raised $61.5 Million Without Jerry Lewis.

What Happened At The MDA Telethon? Tribute To Jerry Lewis.

 

MDA Labor Day Telethon 2011 Programme.

 

Jerry Lewis won’t host MDA Labor Day Telethon.

 

The MDA Labor Day Telethon 2011 raised $61.5 million in six hours on the holiday weekend without Jerry Lewis, its host for the last 45 years.

The annual MDA show’s goal is to raise awareness for muscular dystrophy, ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), and related diseases and raise money to fund research for cures.

Jerry Lewis has been hosting MDA Telethon since 1966, the annual event being even previously named the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon.

MDA Telethon 2011 raised $61.5 million without Jerry Lewis
MDA Telethon 2011 raised $61.5 million without Jerry Lewis

 

Jerry Lewis claims that his efforts, dating back to the 1950s, have raised over $2.6 billion for the muscular dystrophy cause.

In May 2011 press, the MDA announced that Jerry Lewis will retire from hosting the telethon by making a final appearance and performing his signature song You’ll Never Walk Alone.

On August 3, a MDA press release announced that Jerry Lewis has “competed his run as its national chairman” and “will not be appearing on the Telethon.”

Both Jerry Lewis and the MDA made no comment on what changed between May and August.

On July 29, Entertainment Weekly reported that Jerry Lewis slammed the reality TV industry.

“The kids who’re on American Idol, they’re all McDonalds wipe outs…The industry have destroyed itself,” Jerry Lewis said.

Ironically, the hosts of the 2011 MDA Telethon included Nigel Lythgoe from American Idol, Jann Carl from The Biggest Loser, and Alison Sweeney from The Biggest Loser.

Even more ironic, these reality personalities paid tributes and praise to Jerry Lewis at the last night show.

“If this is the way we’re going culturally, then we should go all the way and just tell grandpa we don’t need him for thanksgiving,” said comedian Larry Miller, reported CBS, regarding Lewis’ absence at the 2011 telethon.

“In my 42 years in show business, I’ve seen a great deal of injustice, this ranks right up to the top,” said comedian Tom Dreesen, reported CBS.

The Smallest Motor Made From A Single Molecule.

Nancy Clayson
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0
The Smallest Motor Made From A Single Molecule.

Researchers from Tufts University in Massachusetts, US have created the smallest motor ever devised.

The tiny motor, made from a single molecule just a billionth of a metre across, is reported in Nature Nanotechnology.

The small electric motor could have applications in both nanotechnology and in medicine, where tiny amounts of work can be put to efficient use.

The smallest motor is made from a single molecule just a billionth of a metre across
The smallest motor is made from a single molecule just a billionth of a metre across

 

Minuscule rotors based on single molecules have been shown before, but this is the first that they can be individually driven by an electric current, creating the smallest motor.

“People have found before that they can make motors driven by light or by chemical reactions, but the issue there is that you’re driving billions of them at a time – every single motor in your beaker,” said Dr. Charles Sykes, chemist at Tufts University in Massachusetts.

“The exciting thing about the electrical one is that we can excite and watch the motion of just one, and we can see how that thing’s behaving in real time,” he told BBC News.

The butyl methyl sulphide molecule was placed on a clean copper surface, where its single sulphur atom acted as a pivot for the smallest motor.

The tip of a scanning tunnelling microscope – a tiny pyramid with a point just an atom or two across – was used to funnel electrical charge into the motor, as well as to take images of the molecule as it spun.

It spins in both directions, at a rate as high as 120 revolutions per second.

But averaged over time, there is a net rotation in one direction.

“By modifying the molecule slightly, it could be used to generate microwave radiation or to couple into what are known as nano-electromechanical systems,” Dr. Sykes said.

“The next thing to do is to get the thing to do work that we can measure – to couple it to other molecules, lining them up next to one another so they’re like miniature cog-wheels, and then watch the rotation propagation down the chain,” Dr. Sykes added.

As well as forming a part of the tiniest machines the world has ever seen, such minute mechanics could be useful in medicine – for example, in the controlled delivery of drugs to targeted locations.

For the moment, the research team is in contact with the Guinness Book of World Records to have their motor certified as the smallest motor ever.

Burning Man 2011: Over 50,000 Revellers At The Temple of Transition.

Diane A. Wade
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2
Burning Man 2011: Over 50,000 Revellers At The Temple of Transition.

Burning Man 2011: Rites of Passage WATCH LIVE

 

Burning Man 2011 Rites of Passage: New Art on the Playa.

 

Over 50,000 participants danced an emotional goodbye to this year’s Burning Man after setting their landmark 120ft tall Temple of Transition ablaze. They came, they saw, and they burned.

The spectacular 45,000 square feet effigy has been turn into a fireball, which brought the Nevada desert counter-culture event to a close over America’s Labor Day weekend.

Temple of Transition was burnt to the ground to celebrate the end of 2011 Burning Man project
Temple of Transition was burnt to the ground to celebrate the end of 2011 Burning Man project

The night came after a week of shenanigans at the anything-goes festival – which included topless bike parades, yachts on wheels strolling the desert floor, geodesic domes housing dance clubs, a 22-ton Trojan horse, and a French Quarter-themed camp.

Temple of Transition during Burning Man 2011 on Friday
Temple of Transition during Burning Man 2011 on Friday

 

There was a ticket sales record at this year Burning Man, with 53,341 attending on Friday, and organizers reported a sell-out for the first time ever in its 25-year history.

The spectacular finale of Burning Man, in the remote Black Rock desert about 120 miles northeast of Reno, came after another 40ft signature effigy was burnt on Friday night.

The Burning Man’s Temple of Transition is the tallest installation art structure ever built at the site and visitors were encouraged to meditate, chant or write notes to loved ones in the hexagonal central tower.

Burning Man 2011, fireworks erupt before The Man is burned during the Rites of Passage in the Nevada desert
Burning Man 2011, fireworks erupt before The Man is burned during the Rites of Passage in the Nevada desert

According to organizers, they were now planning to turn the company that runs the event into a not-for-profit organization.

The Black Rock LLC company will be liquidated and will turn into the Burning Man Project, with a 17-member board and tens of thousands of “burners” to continue its work.

“We’ve never called it a festival; we’ve always called it a project, with equal parts play and labor,” said founder and Black Rock LLC Executive Director Larry Harvey.

Harvey added: “Festival limits it to a party or a vacation, and it hasn’t behaved that way for about ten years. Most festivals don’t forward action.”

The Burning Man project and phenomenon started 25 years ago with an eight-foot structure burning on a beach in California around the summer solstice.

The Burning Man has now morphed into a sophisticated community, with year-round projects including solar energy development and a crisis response network.

Each year for one week, self-styled “burners” that head into the desert and build a working city from the ground up – including an airport, a post office, and a security team – that tries to be devoid of money and consumerism.

“Burners” then aim to leave the desert with no trace that they were there.

Burning Man 2011, the burners left the desert with no trace that they were there
Burning Man 2011, the burners left the desert with no trace that they were there

 

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According to police, there were no major problems from the week-long event, although one participant was said to have died on Wednesday from ‘natural causes”.

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) rangers reported three felony arrests and the issued 42 citations, mostly for drug-related offences on Friday.

The Burning Man 2011 Rites of Passage arts and music festival in the Black Rock desert of Nevada
The Burning Man 2011 Rites of Passage arts and music festival in the Black Rock desert of Nevada

What Does Labor Day Mean?

James J. Williams
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1
What Does Labor Day Mean?

Labor Day Weekend Las Vegas 2011.

 

Labor Day Sales 2011.

 

MDA Labor Day Telethon 2011 Programme.

 

For majority of people Labor Day means a three-day weekend with picnics and barbecues, like a farewell to summer and one last hurrah before the new school year gets underway in earnest.

Labor Day, which is celebrated always on the first Monday in September, was created to honor the contributions of the nation’s working men and women and their achievements.

Labor Day 2011
Labor Day 2011

The U.S. Labor Department describes the holiday: “It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity and well-being of our country.”

The first Labor Day celebration was in 1882 in New York City, organized by the Central Labor Union.

The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), which represents about 12.2 million members, says that first holiday was marked by a march to demand an eight-hour workday and other labor law reforms.

At that time, about 20,000 workers made their way up Broadway carrying signs that read “Labor Creates All Wealth” and “Eight Hours for Work, Eight Hours for Rest, Eight Hours for Recreation.”

During the time other unions followed suit and by 1894, the Labor Day holiday had been adopted by 23 states.

Later on came that year’s deadly Pullman strike, in which government forces shot and killed several striking railroad workers in Illinois. It gave birth to the modern labor movement and added new urgency to the formation of a holiday that honors it.

“In what most historians call an election year attempt to appease workers after the federal crackdown on the Pullman strike, shortly after the strike was broken, President Grover Cleveland signed legislation making the first Monday in September Labor Day and a federal holiday,” according to the AFL-CIO, which also notes that the gambit did not work: “Cleveland lost the election.”

In 2011, the holiday comes on the heels of a bruising union showdown in Wisconsin, in which Governor Scott Walker and Republican lawmakers moved to curb public employees’ collective bargaining rights and have them pay more for benefits. Its political ramifications were felt far beyond that state’s borders, with some seeing the outcome as a sign that public unions can now be challenged to their core.

Labor Day holiday is often used as the unofficial start of the general election campaign, and today is no exception. President Barack Obama and the field of Republicans who want to oust him have plans to address voters on this Labor Day.

MDA Labor Day Telethon 2011 Programme

Diane A. Wade
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2
MDA Labor Day Telethon 2011 Programme

MDA Telethon 2011 Raised $61.5 Million Without Jerry Lewis.

 

What Does Labor Day Mean?

 

What Happened At The MDA Telethon? Tribute To Jerry Lewis.

 

The 46th annual Muscular Dystrophy Association Labor Day Telethon was broadcasted nationwide from 6 p.m. to midnight in every U.S. time zone on Sunday and the iconic show attracted outstanding talents on its first time without Jerry Lewis’ hosting.

One of the biggest stars participating to the MDA Telethon 2011 was Celine Dion, who performed in the opening hour.

“It’s always a privilege to be part of the MDA Labor Day Telethon,” said Celine Dion.

“I hope by taking part in this great cause, I can help MDA in its mission to make life better for families who are fighting muscle diseases. From supporting scientists who are searching for treatments and cures, to helping children go to MDA summer camp, MDA provides love and care in so many ways.”

Celine Dion’s motivation was shared by other artists who participated in Sunday’s prime-time Telethon, which has been broadcasted by more than 150 television stations nationwide.

Jordin Sparks At MDA Telethon 2011
Jordin Sparks At MDA Telethon 2011

In a group message so typical of their harmonious sound, Boyz II Men members Shawn Stockton, and Nathan and Wanya Morris said:

“We’re excited to be part of the MDA Labor Day Telethon this year and lend our voices to a such a good cause. We remember watching it growing up, and it’s great to be a part of something so historic that benefits so many people every day. Be sure to tune in to catch us on the Telethon this Sunday.”

Also, Tony Award-winning choreographer Twyla Tharp, when confirming that “Come Fly Away” principal dancers would perform two Telethon dance segments to the legendary original vocals of Frank Sinatra, noted that:

“Dance has the power to move people with nothing more than the flow of bodies and the expression of emotion. Progressive muscle diseases rob people of the power to move but not the experience of emotion or humanity. Hopefully, our dance performance will move us one step closer to preserving free motion for people with muscle diseases.”

[youtube V4gNaPiFW2g]

When people tuned in to watch the prime-time Telethon on Sunday, they have immediately been engaged by the “Make a Muscle, Make a Difference”® show opening using dance, music and striking visuals of everyday people flexing their biceps muscles to immediately let America know how important it is to “Be the Next to Flex”® for MDA.

Followed by the incredible magic of Penn & Teller, plus the intergalactic fun of music phenomenon Voca People, and an unforgettable performance by Celine Dion, the show’s first hour, which also introduced Telethon co-hosts Nigel Lythgoe (“American Idol” and “So You Think You Can Dance”), Nancy O’Dell (“Entertainment Tonight”), Alison Sweeney (NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” and author of The Mommy Diet), and Jann Carl (Emmy-winning journalist and independent producer).

The second hour of the MDA Labor Day Telethon has been full of many memorable moments, too.

Darius Rucker performed solo and also sang a duet with MDA National Goodwill Ambassador Abbey Umali of Redlands, Calif. Other performances on the Telethon stage in the second hour included the JabbaWockeeZ, winners of the MTV’s “America’s Best Dance Crew” competition; the incredibly popular Italian trio II Volo; and Ellen DeGeneres protégé Greyson Chance.

“The View’s” Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, as well as NFL running back Reggie Bush have made special appeals.

The third hour of the Telethon has been full of extraordinary entertainers, too. Lady Antebellum, Jennifer Lopez, Michael Feinstein, and renowned Australian guitarist Tommy Emmanuel appeared to encourage even greater public support to help advance MDA’s lifesaving mission.

Plus, “One Step Away,” the teenage Boston band making their network television debut, has rocked the house for MDA. One “Step Away” is one of three winners of the second annual iHeartRadio.com “Get Discovered!” talent competition entered by more than 7,800 artists.

[youtube pApsYAhPod8]

The fourth hour presented the exceptional musical stylings of Jimmy Webb, Richie Sambora, Jon Secada and Maureen McGovern, as well as the first of two “Come Fly Away” dance performances to the legendary original vocals of Frank Sinatra.

These powerful performances have been reinforced by appeals from R&B singer/songwriter Smokey Robinson and NFL legend Kurt Warner, as well as by a high-energy performance by the Universal Cheerleaders Association all-stars, 36 of the nation’s best cheerleaders representing 17 states.

Sensational entertainers continued to appear for MDA Telethon in the fifth hour, with Grammy-nominated platinum recording artist Jordin Sparks, Martina McBride, Steven Tyler, Randy Jackson, and a second “Come Fly Away” dance performance to the sizzling vocals of “Ol’ Blue Eyes.”

The soap stars of “General Hospital’s” rock band Port Chuck, Tony Award-winning ventriloquist Jay Johnson, and Brokedown Cadillac (upbeat country group which also won 2011 iHeartRadio.com “Get Discovered!” competition to secure its live network television performance opportunity on the Telethon), also performed from the national Telethon stage at the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

Four-time Grammy Award-winning group, Boyz II Men, has opened the sixth and final hour of the 2011 prime-time Telethon. They have been followed by Rootdown, the Oregon-based “Get Discovered!”-winning band with a Reggae hip-hop sound. Then, Billy Ray Cyrus performed his new single “Nineteen,” and “Glee’s” Max Adler made “Make a Muscle, Make a Difference” for MDA leading up to a spectacular America tribute involving more than 100 performers. Scored with a patriotic medley, the finale was anchored by Jordin Sparks, Jon Secada, Maureen McGovern, Richie Sambora, Tommy Emanuel and 70 kids from the Clark County Children’s choir.

[youtube eiN4WYqnwDs]

What Happened At The MDA Telethon? Tribute To Jerry Lewis.

Diane A. Wade
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6
What Happened At The MDA Telethon? Tribute To Jerry Lewis.

MDA Telethon 2011 Raised $61.5 Million Without Jerry Lewis.

 

MDA Labor Day Telethon 2011 Programme.

 

Jerry Lewis Is Missing From Today’s Telethon.

 

Jerry Lewis won’t host MDA Labor Day Telethon.

 

The 46th edition of the annual MDA Labor Day Telethon wasted no time in offering a tribute to its longtime host, Jerry Lewis, and potentially diffusing any backlash or disappointment with his absence.

A dance performance opened the MDA Labor Day Telethon 2011 and then, Jerry Lewis‘ replacements — Nigel Lythgoe, Jann Carl, Alison Sweeney and Nancy O’Dell — took the stage and immediately took turns talking about the comedian’s five-decade commitment to raising money for a cure.

The 46th edition of the annual MDA Labor Day Telethon wasted no time in offering a tribute to its longtime host, Jerry Lewis
The 46th edition of the annual MDA Labor Day Telethon wasted no time in offering a tribute to its longtime host, Jerry Lewis

 

Huge images of Jerry Lewis at various stages of his career served as a backdrop on stage as the 2011 MDA Telethon hosts talked.

Last May, Jerry Lewis, who had hosted the telethon since 1966, announced he was retiring as MDA chairman and that this year’s Labor Day weekend telethon would be his last. But the MDA subsequently — and rather tersely and unceremoniously — said Lewis would not host this year’s show.

The new MDA Telethon hosts talked alluded to how Jerry Lewis had “retired.”

Jerry Lewis’ publicist Candi Cazau declined to comment to the AP when told of the comments to start Sunday night’s program.

Muscular Dystrophy Association spokesman, Jim Brown refused to say anything elaborate on the hosts’ words, but said the telethon would include at least one more nod to Jerry Lewis.

Nancy O’Dell talked about how MDA was there for her and her family while her mother was dying of ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Lou Gehrig’s disease).

“And, boy, did Jerry’s closing song, <<You’ll Never Walk Alone>>, hit home the year that my mom passed away,” she said.

Nigel Lythgoe talked about how Jerry Lewis was irreplaceable.

“What you have done for this organization and its families is something close to a miracle,” he said. “And I know that we all want to carry on your legacy. We’re going to try and, with a humble heart, and occasionally a good laugh — because you taught us, above all, that laughter can cure almost anything — I trust we will continue to be successful.”

Then, the show and the fundraising continued.

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Typhoon Talas In Japan: 18 deaths, over 50 missing and half million evacuated.

Ricky Robinson
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0
Typhoon Talas In Japan: 18 deaths, over 50 missing and half million evacuated.

Typhoon Talas killed at least 18 people and left more than 50 missing after hitting the western area of Japan.

Typhoon Talas came with heavy rain and winds of up to 68 mph after making landfall on Shikoku Island on Saturday.

Talas is the season’s 12th typhoon and is now moving slowly north across the Sea of Japan, according to the Japan’s Meteorological Agency Sunday statement.

Kiho, central Japan on Sunday
Kiho, central Japan on Sunday

 

The tropical storm Talas had crossed the southern Japanese island of Shikoku and the central part of the main island of Honshu early on Sunday.

But because of the storm’s slow speed, forecasters warned heavy rains and strong winds would continue, increasing the likelihood of more floods and landslides.

Almost 500,000 people in western and central Japan were issued with evacuation orders and advisories, according to Kyodo News agency.

The worst hit areas were in Nara and Wakayama prefectures, with homes swept away by flood waters and landslides.

In Wakayama prefecture, three homes were buried in a landslide and one woman who was rescued later died, four people remained missing and a 14-year old girl was saved from the debris, police said.

Wakayama, an iron bridge over the Nachi River in Nachikatsuura town
Wakayama, an iron bridge over the Nachi River in Nachikatsuura town

According to police, 10 people were dead and 32 people were missing.

In Nara Prefecture, local NHK TV said seven people were missing after their homes were swept away down a river.

According to police, among the dead was a woman who appeared to be in her 30s whose body was found in a river in Ehime prefecture on Shikoku.

In Nara prefecture, a 73-year-old man died after a landslide caused his house to collapse.

TV footage showed a bridge swept away after intense rainfall, which swelled a normally placid river to a raging brown torrent, and people holding umbrellas were seen wading through knee-deep water in city streets.

[youtube ILghbnAOpJY]

Jerry Lewis Is Missing From Today’s Telethon.

Diane A. Wade
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4
Jerry Lewis Is Missing From Today’s Telethon.

What Happened At The MDA Telethon? Tribute To Jerry Lewis.

 

MDA Labor Day Telethon 2011 Programme. 

 

MDA Labor Day Telethon 2011: first time without Jerry Lewis.

 

Jerry Lewis won’t host MDA Labor Day Telethon.

 

Labor Day this year promises to be bland by comparison, with Jerry Lewis now banished from the annual rite he built from scratch and molded in his image.

As if deflated by the absence of its larger-than-life host, “The 46th Annual MDA Labor Day Telethon” will fill just six hours (Sunday from 6 p.m. to midnight in each time zone), rather than the grueling 21½-hour endurance contest that Jerry Lewis used to churn through with his viewers in tow.

Year after year, Jerry Lewis bounced between the polarities of smarmy sentimentalism and badgering lunacy as if in a weightless environment
Year after year, Jerry Lewis bounced between the polarities of smarmy sentimentalism and badgering lunacy as if in a weightless environment

 

On 2011 broadcast of MDA Labor Day Telethon, which, ironically, will no longer be actually airing on Labor Day, a quartet of lightweights are standing in for Jerry Lewis:

Nigel Lythgoe (“So You Think You Can Dance”),

Nancy O’Dell (“Entertainment Tonight”),

Alison Sweeney (“The Biggest Loser”),

Jann Carl (billed as “an Emmy-winning journalist”).

Celebrities at the MDA Labor Day Telethon 2011 will include Celine Dion, Jennifer Lopez, Lady Antebellum, Richie Sambora and Jordan Sparks.

It may be entertaining. It may spur contributions. But as a media event, this year’s telethon can hardly match the display of wretched excess Jerry Lewis guaranteed, especially in his epic, unbridled prime.

“Jerry is a ferociously contradictory personality, and that’s what makes him fascinating to watch,” says satirist-actor-writer Harry Shearer, a Jerry-watcher for a half-century. He noted just two of Jerry Lewis’ clashing identities: “the inner 9-year-old, set loose” and the would-be deep thinker “who fancies himself something of an autodidact.”

“It all makes for psychodrama of a high order,” Harry Shearer marvels.

Year after year, Jerry Lewis bounced between the polarities of smarmy sentimentalism and badgering lunacy as if in a weightless environment. He put his multiple identities on raw display, each constantly jostling for the spotlight.

Australia: Surfer Torn In Half In A Deadly Shark Attack.

Diane A. Wade
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0

Seychelles: British bridegroom killed by a shark.

A surfer has been killed today in a horrifying shark attack near a crowded beach in Western Australia.

Eyewitnesses said the shark – believed to be a great white – came up beneath him, grabbed the young man (aged in his early 20s) and pulled him below the surface.

The surfer, who has yet to be named, was riding on a bodyboard – a cut-down version of a surfboard – when the shark attack occurred near Cape Naturaliste in the south west of Western Australia.

The victim was frolicking with a group of five friends off popular Bunkers Beach when the shark struck.

The young surfer was bitten in two by the shark, which had grabbed him from the waist down.

An eyewitness, Kurt Morris, who was having lunch at the Bunker Bay Cafe with his family when shark attack happened, said he had been told by the victim’s friends that he had been torn apart.

“They were saying they were just two meters away from him,” Morris said.

“From the waist down, it was all gone.”

“Surfers were sprinting out of the water to their cars, driving to nearby surfing breaks to let others know of the shark.”

“It was about 50 metres from the shore. No-one is going back in the water.”

Hamish McLeay, Bunkers Beach Café’s manager, said the water was full of people when the attack happened.

“There were at least another 20 people in the water but it seemed that no-one had seen the shark lurking about,” McLeay said.

“There’s a big seal colony around the coast and the shark might have mistaken the young man for one of the seals – it’s been known to happen.”

Police spokesman Graham Clifford said officers believed they knew who the dead man was, but it has not been revealed whether his body has been found.

“The person was body-boarding at the time with a mate and also three or four to five others were in the water at the time but unfortunately he was taken from the lower part of the body,” Clifford said.

Police confirmed that the man had been torn in half and the lower half of the man’s body had been ripped away.

“He was bodyboarding with about four or five of his mates when he was taken out of the group.

“He’s lost the lower half of his body and he’s deceased.”

Friends of the victim have told police that the young surfer had been staying in the popular wine-growing area of Margaret River. The young man is believed to have been on holiday from the east of Australia.

The shark attack occurred near a popular surfing area known as The Boneyards, near Bunker Bay.

Distribution of white shark worldwide
Distribution of white shark worldwide

According to police, the victim had been positively identified but his name would not be released until his family had been informed.

Enrique Hillman, a surf shop owner told W.A.Today that a sombre mood had spread across the south-west region following the tragedy.

Hillman also agreed with local people that the shark had probably been attracted to the area by seals that were known to inhabit the area.

“There’s a seal colony just next to the lighthouse – there’s a channel the seals use along there.”

Hillman believed it was strange that the shark had attacked in the middle of the day, pointing out that they usually occurred early in the morning or at dusk.

According to the locals, it was the first major shark attack they could recall in the area, which is a popular surfing and fishing spot.

But local people said it was known that sharks prowled the waters and there was also the added danger of powerful undersea currents.

Australian Shark Attack File said there have been 13 other fatal shark attacks around the continent since 2002.

Today’s tragedy on the Australian beach was the second this year – in February an abalone diver was killed when he was attacked by two sharks, believed to be great whites, in Coffin Bay, South Australia.

Not all attacks have been by great whites. In January 2006, Sarah Whiley, 21, was mauled by three bull sharks while swimming in waist-deep water at Amity Point off Queensland’s North Stradbroke Island.

In July 2004 a bronze whaler is believed to have been involved in an attack that killed Brad Smith, 29, in the south west of Western Australia.

Sony Launched Smartphone That Takes 3D Pictures With 2D Camera.

Nancy Clayson
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0
Sony Launched Smartphone That Takes 3D Pictures With 2D Camera.

Sony Tablet P: the world’s first folding tablet computer.

 

Sony launched Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S, a smartphone which will be able to take 3D, panoramic photos with standard 2 D camera.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S was unveiled at the IFA Techology Fair in Berlin and is expected to go on sale next month.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S takes 8.1megapixel panoramic photos which can be viewed on any 3D compatible television set.

However, the phone displays the pictures only in 2D and is not able to produce 3D video output.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S was unveiled at the IFA Techology Fair in Berlin and is expected to go on sale next month
Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S was unveiled at the IFA Techology Fair in Berlin and is expected to go on sale next month

Xperia Arc S camera works by taking several simultaneous images and “stitching” them together.

The Sony smartphone, which runs Google’s Android operating system, has a 4.2″ screen and the camera definition is 8.1 megapixels.

3D images can be viewed by connecting the phone to a 3D TV using the HDMI output.

Sony Ericsson said the Arc S’s 1.4GHz processor means it will start up 25% faster than its predecessor, the Arc.

Arc S can double as a remote control for Sony Bravia televisions, and features Sony’s Music and Video Unlimited media stores.

Most of the Arc S’s other updates are software-based. It comes with Android 2.3 installed, which enables faster web-browsing.

Sony said the Arc S will come in five colours – white, blue, silver, black and pink.

The new device was presented at the IFA technology fair in Berlin.

The fair also featured what Toshiba claims is the first glasses-free 3D television, although the model, the 55ZL2, has had mixed reviews.

Korean manufacturer LG presented a glasses-free 3D computer monitor.

Mussolini’s Affair With Italy’s Last Queen.

Diane A. Wade
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0
Mussolini’s Affair With Italy’s Last Queen.

A letter from Benito Mussolini’s son emerged this week claiming dictator had an affair with Marie-José, wife of heir to the Italy’s throne.

Not so many things have stayed secret about the tumultuous private life of Benito Mussolini. That is apart from the true nature of his relationship with the woman who was to be Italy’s last queen, Marie-José of Belgium.

In 1937, Mussolini‘s mistress, Claretta Petacci, claimed in her diary that the then princess and wife of the heir to the throne, Marie-José tried and failed to seduce the dictator at a beach resort near Rome.

But Marie-José may have been more successful than her rival suspected, if evidence that emerged on this week is to be believed.

Queen Marie-José and Benito Mussolini
Queen Marie-José and Benito Mussolini

 

In a letter reproduced by the weekly magazine Oggi, Benito Mussolini’s son, Romano, quotes his mother as saying that there was a “brief period of intimate romantic relations between my father and the then princess of Piedmont”.

Marie-José, born in 1906, was the daughter of the Belgian king, Albert I. While still a child, it was decided that she should marry into the Italian royal family and in 1930 she wed Umberto of Savoy, the only son of King Victor Emmanuel.

By the marriage was not a happy one, and Marie-José separated from Umberto after the Italian monarchy was abolished by referendum in 1946. Marie-José lived for most of the rest of her life in Switzerland where she died in 2001.

In contrast to the Savoy family, Marie-José had little time for fascism and during the Second World War made a failed attempt to broker a peace treaty with the United States.

But she had time for Mussolini. It was very well known that Mussolini was compulsively promiscuous: by one account, he had sex with at least one woman a day at his office in Palazzo Venezia for almost 14 years until the collapse of his regime in 1943.

According to Claretta Petacci’s diaries from the period, Benito Mussolini told her that the princess Marie-José had tried to seduce him at Castelporziano, a coastal area south of Rome where the king had made available to him a hunting estate in which the Italian dictator entertained many of his lovers.

Claretta Petacci’s quoted the fascist leader as saying:

“Marie-José came and said <<May I?>>. Then, with a small movement her dress fell and she was there virtually naked.”

But Petacci records Benito Mussolini reassuring her that he found the princess “repulsive” and that she had made “no impression on me at all”.

But the letter written by Mussolini’s youngest son in 1971 to Antonio Terzi, a former deputy editor of the newspaper Corriere della Sera, showed a different picture.

“I can confirm in all good faith that the romantic and political relations between Marie-José and my father were often talked about at home, and I can tell you with honesty that my mother (albeit with understandable reservations) was always pretty explicit: there was a brief period of intimate romantic relations between my father and the then Princess of Piedmont that was then I believe interrupted at the instance of my father.”

The Oggi report from this week said the letter was found among the journalist’s papers by his son and that Romano Mussolini’s widow had judged it authentic.

Though discredited by his support for Mussolini, King Victor Emmanuel clung on to his throne after the dictator’s fall, only abdicating in favor of Umberto in May 1946. Umberto ruled for only 34 days, earning for himself the sobriquet “the May King“.

Netherlands: The Dutch Are Building Their Own Mountain.

Diane A. Wade
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Netherlands: The Dutch Are Building Their Own Mountain.
The Dutch Mountain project.
The Dutch Mountain project.

The Netherlands has a reputation for being “flat” geographically speaking, but a journalist called for the Dutch to build their own mountain.

The highest point on Dutch soil is technically a volcano on the island of Sava in what’s called the Caribbean Netherlands. But Thijs Zonneveld, a former professional cyclist turned sports writer, wants to change that and he called for the Dutch to build their own mountain.

Thijs Zonneveld, who remembers making drawings of mountains in his geography book at school, has recently used his newspaper column to argue that the Dutch need their own mile-high peak.

“The Dutch people go to the mountains in the summertime and wintertime by the millions,” Zonneveld wrote.

“They go for biking, for hiking, for having a picnic with a view, and for skiing in wintertime.”

 

“So, what we need is our own mountain in Holland, so that people don’t have to leave the country to enjoy these things.”

The journalist said that, at first, he meant it as a joke.

“But after I wrote the column, I got so much response from people who had been thinking seriously about this that I started to take it seriously myself.”

This week, Thijs Zonneveld organized a brainstorming session in the city of Utrecht. Dozens of engineers, architects and urban planners gathered to talk about how exactly would go about building a mile-high mountain.

The brainstorming session kicked off with all participants doing a rousing cheer of “Die Berg Komt Er!” (“The Mountain is Coming!”)

Pol Tummers, from Dutch engineering firm DHV, started things off by reminding people that:

“God created the Earth, but the Dutch created the Netherlands.”

The Dutch, after all, have been using technology and engineering to carve land out of the sea for centuries.

“We created our own country,” Tummers said.

“We created our lakes. We planted our woods. The only thing we haven’t done yet, is a mountain.”

“When we finish this, we can lay down and relax,” Tummers added.

Pol Tummers and his partner presented a plan envisioning a snow-capped mountain sitting offshore, in Dutch waters, in the North Sea. They estimated it would take more than a trillion cubic feet of sand to build it, not to mention hundreds of billions of dollars.

Another architect at the brainstorming session presented an idea for a land-based Swiss-Alps style peak made with a man-made steel structure underneath.

“On that type of mountain, only one man can stand on the top,” says urban planner Martin Dubbeling.

“That’s absolutely not very Dutch. What we need is a different type of mountain, on which we can all stand on top.”

Martin Dubbling suggests that a flat-topped mountain, a mesa, might be more suited to the Dutch character.

“That way more Dutch could stand on it, as equals, at the same time.”

Martin Dubbeling also insists that the Dutch need a new big engineering project.

“Since we stopped reclaiming land from the sea, we Dutch are in some kind of identity crisis. And in the last decades we could export our ideas. But now, with this economic crisis, we really have to think of something different. ”

“A mountain definitely qualifies on that score.”

The idea of building a mountain has drawn the support of some of the Dutch sports federations.

Meanwhile, “The Mountain is NOT Coming”, an anti-mountain page, appeared on Facebook.

“I am anti-mountain!”

“First of all, it will be an eyesore, and second, that money could be better spent on education and health care,” wrote one visitor to the Facebook page.

But the organizer, Thijs Zonneveld said:

“We’re not going to change the whole country. We just want to give people more options. The whole of Holland, with the exception of a small part of the country in the south, is flat already. We won’t change anything about that.”

DSK is back to France.

James J. Williams
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DSK is back to France.

DSK under police investigation in France.

 

DSK freed to return to France.

 

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former IMF chief has arrived in Paris from New York.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn and his wife Anne Sinclair landed at Charles de Gaulle airport at 07:05, Paris time, on board an Air France flight.

DSK has been in New York since his arrest in May on sex assault charges, which were dropped at the end of August.

DSK, 62, once seen as a possible French presidential contender, denied the allegations.

DSK, who resigned from IFM position in the days after his arrest, had his passport returned last month.

Hotel maid Nafissatou Diallo, who accused Dominique Strauss-Kahn of trying to rape her in his hotel room, is pressing her claims in a civil lawsuit.

 

DSK and his wife, Anne Sinclair, arrived at Charles de Gaulle airport. (Reuters)
DSK and his wife, Anne Sinclair, arrived at Charles de Gaulle airport. (Reuters)

 

DSK and his wife, Anne Sinclair, smiled and waved as they arrived at Charles de Gaulle airport, but made no comment to waiting journalists and passed rapidly through the terminal to a waiting car.

Couple had boarded the same scheduled Saturday night Air France flight for Paris that he was about to take when he was arrested on 14 May.

The charges against DSK were dropped on August 23 at the request of prosecutors who had concerns about Nafissatou Diallo’s credibility.

Having DNA evidence indicating a sexual encounter did occur between the two in a suite at the Sofitel Hotel in May, DSK’s lawyers maintain it was consensual and prosecutors were unable to determine whether force had been used.

According to BBC, friends of Dominique Strauss-Kahn said he does, at some point, intend to explain to the French people what happened.

DSK had been considered the Socialist Party’s front-runner to take on French President Nicolas Sarkozy in presidential elections next year.

At this moment, although DSK is legally innocent, he has been hugely damaged in the eyes of the French voters and, in the same time, it is not clear if the other candidates for the Socialist nomination for next year’s presidential election even want his endorsement.

DSK also faces another sexual assault allegation in France, after journalist Tristane Banon accused him of trying to rape her during an interview in 2003.

Tristane Banon made the allegation after DSK was arrested in the Diallo case, saying that she feared no-one would have believed her beforehand.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s reputation has been further damaged by stories about his womanising and vast wealth.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn allegations:

• 2006: Publication of Sexus Politicus, book by Christophe Deloire and Christophe Dubois, with chapter on DSK and his tendency of “seduction to the point of obsession”

• 2008: Dominique Strauss-Kahn admits an affair with IMF colleague, calling it an “error of judgement”

• 2011: Dominique Strauss-Kahn arrested on 14 May in New York, accused of sexually assaulting Sofitel hotel maid, Nafissatou Diallo,

• 16 May: Writer Tristane Banon comes forward to say Dominique Strauss-Kahn tried to assault her in an interview nearly a decade before

• 1 July: Dominique Strauss-Kahn freed from New York house arrest

• 23 August: A New York judge dismissed the Diallo case

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Tropical Storm Lee: Louisiana declared state of emergency.

Diane A. Wade
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Tropical Storm Lee: Louisiana declared state of emergency.

Bastrop Texas: Major wildfire

 

Tropical Storm Lee is hitting Louisiana as it hurls rain at the US Gulf coast, bringing back memories of the Katrina flood disaster.

US National Hurricane Center traced storm centre on Saturday afternoon to 45 miles (75km) south-west of Morgan City, with maximum winds of 60mph (95km/h).

Louisiana declared state of emergency and an emergency has also been declared in coastal parts of Mississippi.

Tropical Storm Lee is hitting Louisiana
Tropical Storm Lee is hitting Louisiana

Flood defences repaired after the 2005 disaster are expected to be put to the test in New Orleans.

According to National Hurricane Center forecasters, Tropical Storm Lee had been stationary for a few hours then began a slow and erratic path to the north and north-east, and is expected to make landfall later on Sunday.

Lee comes few days after Hurricane Irene killed 44 people from North Carolina to Maine and left millions of people without electricity.

For the moment is too soon to tell if another hurricane, Katia, which is out in the Atlantic, could threaten the US.

The Atlantic hurricane season usually brings about a dozen named storms, but Katia is already the 11th with half the season still ahead.

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu has warned of possible major flooding, with up to 10in (25cm) of rain forecast for the city.

The Army Corps of Engineers, which operates the flood control structures in New Orleans, says it is not planning to close any of the structures yet.

Businesses in the New Orleans’ famous French Quarter fear the storm may dampen the Southern Decadence festival, an annual gay lifestyle fixture.

“People are probably scared to death to come here after Katrina,” Ann Sonnier, shift manager of Jester’s bar, told the Associated Press news agency, adding that receipts had been disappointing so far.

Nearly half of US Gulf oil production was shut on Friday as companies – including Exxon Mobil, Shell and Chevron – evacuated workers and shut offshore platforms.

BP, the largest oil producer in the Gulf of Mexico, told the BBC it had evacuated all personnel and shut down production.

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal warned residents to “make sure they have a game plan for themselves and their families should this storm strengthen”.

However, the developing weather system could bring some much-needed rain to Texas, which is in the grip of a severe drought.

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Dancing With The Stars: Cher defends her son Chaz Bono.

Lisa.Felice
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Dancing With The Stars: Cher defends her son Chaz Bono.

Following Monday night’s announcement of the Dancing With The Stars celebrity cast and the subsequent partner pairing announcement on Wednesday, the internet has exploded over the inclusion of Chaz Bono for the show’s 13th season.

The issue at hand is the fact that Chaz Bono used to be Chastity Bono, famous daughter of Sonny and Cher. Over the last few years, Chaz Bono has taken the steps to transition from a woman to a man – culminating in gender reassignment surgery last May.

Chaz Bono is the first transgendered contestant that has ever been on the show. He has been paired with professional dancer Lacey Schwimmer.

Cher has criticized the "stupid bigots" who have attacked the casting of her transgender son on US show Dancing With The Stars
Cher has criticized the "stupid bigots" who have attacked the casting of her transgender son on US show Dancing With The Stars

Chaz’s upcoming appearance on the beloved reality show has drawn both harsh criticism as well as inspired defenses. Chaz’s mother, pop icon Cher, took to Twitter to express her thoughts on those attacking Chaz across the internet.

Cher has criticized the “stupid bigots” who have attacked the casting of her transgender son on US show Dancing With The Stars.

“Chaz is being viciously attacked on blogs and messageboards about being on DWTS!” Cher said via her Twitter page.

Cher also urged fans to pledge their support for Bono on other social media sites.

“I support him no matter what he chooses to do. It took courage to do DWTS!”

She added that “mothers don’t stop getting angry with stupid bigots” who hurt their children, but said she was sure the “vast majority of people will love Chaz” on the show.

Chaz Bono replied to the comments on his Twitter page saying:

“Thanks for all your support mom. The haters are just motivating me to work harder and stay on DWTS as long as I possibly can.”

Chaz Bono, 42, has been the target of online jokes and hate messages since Monday’s announcement that he would be taking part in the new series of Dancing with the Stars, which begins on 19 September.

Some fans have said they will no longer watch the show – which is one of the most popular programmes in the US – while he is a contestant, while some conservative groups have called for a boycott.

Dan Gainor, of the Culture and Media Institute, called Chaz Bono’s casting “a ridiculous, agenda-driven move” by the show’s producers.

“This is the latest example of the networks trying to push a sexual agenda on American families,” he said.

However, Dancing With The Stars’ executive producer Conrad Green said viewers should watch the new series before passing judgment.

He added the show had no agenda other than entertainment and was seeking to represent a range of people.

“I hope that a lot of the people who appear to be upset at the moment will give him a chance and maybe realise it’s not quite as bad as they think,” he said, in an interview with AP.

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation praised the casting of both Bono and gay TV stylist Carson Kressley on the show, calling it “a primetime first.”

“Chaz Bono joining the cast of a series like Dancing with the Stars is a tremendous step forward for the public to recognise that transgender people are another wonderful part of the fabric of American culture,” Herndon Graddick, senior director of programmes, said.

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