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New swine flu strain outbreak alert in US

Kathryn R. Bown
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New swine flu strain outbreak alert in US

A new swine flu strain put U.S. health officials on alert for more cases after it was found in three children in Iowa this month.

It was reported that ten people in the U.S. have been infected since July by S-OtrH3N2 viruses that picked up a gene from the 2009 H1N1 swine flu pandemic.

The new flu strain (S-OtrH3N2) combines a rare influenza virus (H3N2) circulating in North American pigs and the H1N1 virus from the 2009 outbreak.

New flu strains begin when flu viruses combine in new ways.

They can pose considerable health risks because people have not yet developed immunity to them, ABC News reports.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported the new cases in Wednesday’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

CDC also reported that of the other seven cases of the new swine flu, three were in Pennsylvania, two were in Maine and two in Indiana.

In the seven cases all the patients or close contacts had been recently been with pigs.

According to CDC experts, the fact that the three new cases did not go near pigs shows that there may be limited person-to-person contact with the new virus.

The CDC said it has developed a “candidate vaccine virus” that could be used to make a human vaccine against S-OtrH3N2 viruses.

It has already sent it off to vaccine manufacturers.

One of the three Iowa children, a healthy girl referred to as Patient A, became sick during the second week of November.

The girl’s doctor tested her and sent a respiratory sample to the Iowa state laboratory for further analysis.

Patient B, a boy, developed a flu-like illness two days after Patient A became ill.

One day after Patient B became sick, his brother, Patient C, also became ill.

All three children had been at the same gathering on the first day Patient A became sick.

Iowa epidemiologists launched an investigation and decided that the gathering was the only common link among the three children’s illnesses.

None of their families had travelled recently or attended community events.

Eight days after Patient A became ill, Iowa state laboratory testing said that the three might have S-OtrH3N2 influenza.

The CDC went on to confirm it was that strain, which included the matrix (M) gene from the 2009 H1N1 pandemic.

The new flu strain is resistant to rimantidine and amantadine, both commonly used antiviral drugs.

Health experts said the new swine flu strain would most likely respond to osteltamivir (Tamiflu)
Health experts said the new swine flu strain would most likely respond to osteltamivir (Tamiflu)

Health experts said it would most likely respond to osteltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza).

CDC scientists said they believe this year’s seasonal flu vaccine to provide adults with limited protection from the new flu virus, but that it wouldn’t protect children.

Doctors who suspect swine flu infections in their patients should treat them with Tamiflu where appropriate, CDC recommends.

Doctors should get nose and throat specimens and send them to state public health labs, which should report them to CDC.

CDC also encourages anyone who has contact with pigs and develops a flu-like illness to be tested.

NASA launched Curiosity to look for possible origins of life on Mars

James J. Williams
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NASA launched Curiosity to look for possible origins of life on Mars

Curiosity, the world’s biggest extraterrestrial explorer has been launched today on a 354 million mile journey to Mars that hopes to discover whether the desolate planet was ever capable of supporting life.

NASA launched Curiosity rover – officially called the Mars Science Laboratory – at 10:02 am ET today into a cloudy Florida sky.

Curiosity, described by one expert as a “Mars scientist’s dream machine”, will use an array of technology to probe the red planet for signs of life.

More than 13,000 curious guests crowded the space centre to view the launch, which is the first one to Mars in four years. It is the first rover launch in eight years.

Some three dozen missions have been launched to Mars, though less than half have been successful.

NASA’s assistant associate administrator for science Colleen Hartman has a theory why so many quests have failed: “Mars is really the Bermuda Triangle of the solar system.

“It’s the death planet, and the United States of America is the only nation in the world that has ever landed and driven robotic explorers on the surface on the surface of Mars, and now we’re set to do it again.”

Curiosity, the world's biggest extraterrestrial explorer has been launched today on a 354 million mile journey to Mars that hopes to discover whether the desolate planet was ever capable of supporting life
Curiosity, the world's biggest extraterrestrial explorer has been launched today on a 354 million mile journey to Mars that hopes to discover whether the desolate planet was ever capable of supporting life

 

Curiosity is a mobile lab, the size of a small car, which is expected to be lowered by giant jet pack on to the surface of Mars in August 2012.

Doug McCuistion, director of NASA’s Mars exploration programme said:

“It will be the largest and most complex piece of equipment ever placed on the surface of another planet.”

NASA’s earlier Viking rovers concluded 35 years ago that there was no sign of life, but scientists hope Curiosity’s more sophisticated equipment will reveal more.

It will not be able to detect living organisms in the soil, but it can look for clues by surveying the landscape with high-definition cameras on top of a 10 ft mast.

Curiosity has a laser that can break rocks as far as 23ft away to determine their chemical composition and look for traces of organic compounds.

The rover also carries an instrument that detects methane, a weather station to monitor Martian temperatures, humidity and wind, and a radiation detector that can help to determine if the planet is safe for human visitors.

One of the main tasks of Curiosity, a $2.5 billion mission, will be to discover the source of the methane gas scientists have detected in the Martian air.

Some experts believe that just as cows emit methane on Earth, so micro-organisms able to live without oxygen may be producing it on Mars.

If that is the case, say NASA scientists, then life on Earth may have originally come from the red planet – making us all, in a sense, Martians.

According to their controversial theory, Mars – a smaller planet that would have cooled quicker than Earth after the solar system’s explosive creation – would have had the conditions for life to develop long before our world.

Chunks of Martian rock containing living microbes could have been blasted into space by the impact of asteroids before landing on Earth, starting life here.

Travelling at a tenth of a mile per hour, Curiosity will take two years to complete its mission.

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Plane passengers could have to follow a dress code on board

Diane A. Wade
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Plane passengers could have to follow a dress code on board

Plane passengers could be obliged to follow a dress code after carriers received many calls from flyers’ rights groups to issue rules on what can and can’t be worn on board an aircraft.

The proposal follows a series of high profile incidents including one Phoenix man boarding a plane in lingerie.

In June this year, a 65-year-old Phoenix man, who works as a business consultant, sparked outrage after wearing the women’s underwear on a U.S. Airways flight from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The man, who has refused to be named, flies several times a month as a preferred customer on the airline and said that he has flown in female clothing for several years.

The business man said that he has rarely been requested to cover up by airline staff, but has complied with requests when asked.

“It has never been my intent to put people in a situation where they feel uncomfortable,” he said.

In June this year, a 65-year-old Phoenix man, who works as a business consultant, sparked outrage after wearing the women's underwear on a U.S. Airways flight from Fort Lauderdale
In June this year, a 65-year-old Phoenix man, who works as a business consultant, sparked outrage after wearing the women's underwear on a U.S. Airways flight from Fort Lauderdale

The incident occurred days before a college football player was arrested on a flight following a row over his baggy pants.

University of New Mexico football player DeShon Marman was arrested on a U.S. Airways flight at San Francisco airport following allegations he refused to pull up his pants.

Kate Hanni, executive director of FlyersRights.org told Fox News: “People aren’t mind readers. They don’t know what that flight attendant’s going to want to see when you get on a plane.”

Kate Hanni says the lack of consistency leaves passengers open to the flight crews discretion and they may take offense at items of clothing that wouldn’t be considered appropriate.

She added: “The airlines should step up and do this on their own, just so that passengers can predict and appropriately dress. If there’s a requirement to wear a certain type of clothing, or not wear a certain type of clothing, tell us.”

Virgin America CEO David Cush said: “In the end, the flight crew is in charge of the aircraft, and they have to make judgments based on what they think is going to create the safest and most comfortable environment for everyone on the airplane.”

Most carriers say passengers can be refused service if they’re dressed in a manner “that would cause discomfort or offense to other passengers”.

But the airlines have shied away from any specific dress codes citing the difficulty to enforce as a major detractor as well as the potential lawsuits.

Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson told Fox News: “If an airline’s going to be so unreasonable for kicking someone off a plane for wearing saggy pants or being slightly overweight, to me, it just seems impolite of the airline to behave in that way.”

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Edward Epstein: “DSK may have been the victim of a conspiracy to derail his presidential campaign”

Roy Siemens
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Edward Epstein: “DSK may have been the victim of a conspiracy to derail his presidential campaign”

An article by investigative journalist Edward Epstein published in the New York Review of Books claims that Dominique Strauss-Kahn may have been the victim of a conspiracy to derail his presidential campaign.

Edward Epstein revealed in detail the hours leading up to the arrest of the former head of the International Monetary Fund for alleged sexual assault over Sofitel maid Nafissatou Diallo.

The investigative journalist has uncovered numerous holes in the hotel maid’s story and claims DSK’s BlackBerry may have been hacked.

An article by investigative journalist Edward Epstein published in the New York Review of Books claims that Dominique Strauss-Kahn may have been the victim of a conspiracy to derail his presidential campaign
An article by investigative journalist Edward Epstein published in the New York Review of Books claims that Dominique Strauss-Kahn may have been the victim of a conspiracy to derail his presidential campaign

Following the incident in May at New York’s Sofitel Hotel, staff were apparently filmed giving each other a high-five and doing a “dance of celebration” following the sexual encounter, according to Edward Epstein’s article.

Sofitel maid Nafissatou Diallo claimed she had been brutally and sexually attacked by DSK, shortly before his IMF BlackBerry went missing.

DSK had reason to believe his mobile phone had been hacked after he was told a private email had made its way into the hands of Nicolas Sarkozy’s political party UMP.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn,65, was Nicolas Sarkozy’s main presidential rival in the April 2012 election and he had been warned by a friend in the French diplomatic corps that efforts would be made to derail his campaign with a scandal.

After becoming concerned his BlackBerry had been hacked, DSK called his wife in Paris from the New York hotel that May morning, to ask her to contact a friend and have it examined, the article by investigative journalist Edward Epstein revealed.

The article continued to pick flaws in Nafissatou Diallo’s statement too, which coincided with the missing mobile.

Nafissatou Diallo, 32, entered DSK’s hotel room at 12:06 on May 14 for housekeeping and claims that within the six minutes she was in room 2806 with him, she was dragged near the bathroom and forced to give him oral sex.

At 12:13 DSK made a call on his BlackBerry to his daughter Camille, whom he was meeting for lunch that same day, to inform her he was running late.

After his scheduled lunch, DSK was due to be at New York’s JFK Airport to fly to Paris, at which time he realized his IMF BlackBerry had gone missing.

Edward Epstein claims that immediately after the incident with Nafissatou Diallo, an unidentified hotel worker was filmed sitting with her before meeting the hotel’s chief engineer, Brian Yearwood.

“The two men high-five each other, clap their hands and do what looks like an extraordinary dance of celebration that lasts for three minutes”, the footage showed.

Nafissatou Diallo, an immigrant from Guinea in West Africa, had worked for Sofitel for three years at the time of her claims.

After leaving DSK’s presidential hotel suite, her electronic key card records have shown that she then entered room 2820 on the same floor – a room which she had also entered several times that morning before the incident with DSK.

Nafissatou Diallo allegedly spent around three minutes in room 2820 before going back into the presidential suite, which was then empty after DSK had left to meet his daughter for lunch.

When Nafissatou Diallo gave evidence to court though, she said that she hid in the hallway after being assaulted and had not entered any other rooms after the alleged attack and no other rooms on the 28th floor.

Prosecutors found Nafissatou Diallo’s evidence to be false after seeing the electronic key records and wrote in a motion for dismissal that “the nature and number of the complainant’s falsehoods leave us unable to credit her version of events beyond a reasonable doubt”.

What also shadowed doubt around her claims was that after asking her supervisor what would happen if a guest made inappropriate advances to hotel staff, a 911 call to report the alleged attack wasn’t made until 1:31pm.

Nafissatou Diallo then did not arrive at a hospital to be checked up until 3:57pm – which was almost four hours after what she described as a “brutal attack”.

Meanwhile, despite DSK’s IMF BlackBerry having gone missing (the phone which contained a text warning him of possible hacking), no calls were made from the phone while it was missing but it had somehow been disabled at 12:51pm.

When former IMF chief arrived at JFK airport he called the hotel at 3:39pm to see if they had found his phone and gave them his whereabouts.

But instead of locating the phone, the police were rushed to the airport, where they arrested him and took him into custody in relation to Nafissatou Diallo’s attack claims.

The new article which covers the claims in doubt, imply that DSK was a victim of conspiracy in order to derail his campaign to challenge Nicolas Sarkozy’s political party.

But last night one of Nafissatou Diallo’s attorneys, Douglas Wigdor, said the article was “preposterous” and it was “not based on facts or evidence”.

“This is like saying Neil Armstrong did not land on the moon or that JFK was shot from the grassy knoll.”

Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas’ turkey eating record was beaten by Takeru Kobayashi

Diane A. Wade
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Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas’ turkey eating record was beaten by Takeru Kobayashi

Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas’ turkey eating record was beaten by Takeru Kobayashi one day later.

Takeru Kobayashi managed to scoff 7.5 lb of turkey in 10 minutes in Turtle Bay, New York, on Wednesday, beating Sonya Thomas’ 5.25 lb effort.

Dan Rollman, of Recordsetter.com, told the Huffington Post: “Never in my life have witnessed food disappear like that. The man is true culinary Houdini.

“It was a true honour to be so close to such a legend as he showed off his skills.”

Takeru Kobayashi told onlookers after the event that he thought the turkey was dry, making it harder to swallow.

Takeru Kobayashi, who is 5ft 8ins and weighs 128lb, was just pleased to notch up another record.

He said: “I have been blessed to be able to eat for a living, while many in the world go hungry.

“I hope I can use my talent to raise awareness and funds to combat hunger across America and across the globe.”

On Thanksgiving Day Takeru Kobayashi did not sit down to enjoy more turkey, he volunteered at the Bowery Mission’s Thanksgiving Day Banquet in New York.

Sonya Thomas, 42, who is 5ft 5in and weighs 105lb claimed her record as part of the Wild Turkey 81 Eating World Championship, held in Times Square, New York.

She beat her nearest rivals – all men – by more than a pound of meat.

Sonya Thomas’ feat saw her collect a cash prize of $1,581 and adding another title to her collection of world records.

Speaking after her victory, she told the New York Daily News: “I left only bone. I’m so happy.”

“I’m not normally a fan of turkey… but their turkey today was very tasty, moist and warm. That’s why I ate most of the meat.”

Sonya Thomas, 42, who is 5ft 5in and weighs 105lb claimed her record as part of the Wild Turkey 81 Eating World Championship, held in Times Square, New York
Sonya Thomas, 42, who is 5ft 5in and weighs 105lb claimed her record as part of the Wild Turkey 81 Eating World Championship, held in Times Square, New York

Sonya Thomas, who is from Alexandria, Virginia, and works as a restaurant manager, used a less frenzied technique to eat the turkey during the contest.

While no competitor uses cutlery, Sonya Thomas stripped handfuls of meat from the bird and placed the pieces in her mouth while drinking water in between.

Sonya Thomas’s technique differed vastly from Eric Booker, who claimed second prize in the contest.

The 400-pound man, nicknamed “Badlands”, picked up the bird in one hand and gnawed away using a technique more suited to a chicken leg.

Eric Booker said of his strategy: “I just ripped the bird apart and ate the innards. I think I ate the wishbone by accident.”

Eric Booker, who holds his own world record for eating pumpkin pies, praised his fellow competitor.

“I’m definitely in awe of her abilities, to be so small and eat so much.”

Sonya Thomas’ success in New York follows several other world records.

In September, Sonya Thomas managed to eat 183 chicken wings in just 12 minutes, breaking her own record.

And in July she became the first Female World Hot Dog Eating Champion by swallowing 40 hot dogs in 10 minutes.

Sonya Thomas also has records for eating in several other categories including cheesecakes, crayfish, oysters and jalapenos.

And for anyone wondering what Sonya Thomas is having this Thursday – she is planning a feast with Korean food.

Sonya Thomas’ eating records:

Asparagus – 5.75lbs deep fried in 10 minutes

Burgers – 7 3/4 pounders in 10 minutes

Cheesecakes – 11lbs in 9 minutes.

Chicken nuggets – 80 in 5 minutes

Chicken wings – 183 in 12 minutes

Crabcakes – 46 3oz cakes in 10 minutes

Eggs – 65 hard boiled in 6 minutes, 40 seconds

Fruitcakes – 4lbs, 14oz in 10 minutes

Gyoza – 206 n 10 minutes

Jambalaya – 9lbs of crayfish variety in 10 mins

Lobster – 11.3lbs of meat in 12 minutes

MoonPies – 38 in 8 minutes

Oysters – 46 dozen in 10 minutes

Pizza – 6 extra large pizza slices in 15 minutes

Pulled pork – 23 sandwiches in 10 minutes

Tacos – 43 soft tacos in 11 minutes

Tater tots – 250 tater tots in 5 minutes

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Dallas Cowboys player took down a cheerleader rooting for his own team

Diane A. Wade
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Dallas Cowboys player took down a cheerleader rooting for his own team

Jason Witten, a 6’6” NFL player weighing 265lbs, took down Melissa Kellerman, a cheerleader rooting for his own team, Dallas Cowboys.

Tight end Jason Witten, 29, ran out of bounds in a game and ended up taking down cheerleader Melissa Kellerman, 22.

Jason Witten caught a Tony Romo pass but was forced out in the fourth quarter of a 20-19 win over the Miami Dolphins, reported the Los Angeles Times.

Jason Witten, a 6’6” NFL player weighing 265lbs, took down Melissa Kellerman, a cheerleader rooting for his own team, Dallas Cowboys
Jason Witten, a 6’6” NFL player weighing 265lbs, took down Melissa Kellerman, a cheerleader rooting for his own team, Dallas Cowboys

However, the NFL player could not stop as he left the field and pulled the cheerleader over with his right arm. Some viewers speculated that he was trying to protect her.

“Jason saved her – with his momentum and the defenders momentum, she could have really gotten hit badly,” YouTube user cowboys4life956 said.

“So by him grabbing her he didn’t bulldoze her,” he added.

Melissa Kellerman later tweeted about the incident and said she was feeling fine.

“Not hurtin’ today, like some of y’all thought I would be! Our TE isn’t as tough as he looks … That or I’m WAY tougher than I look,” she tweeted.

Jason Witten, who is married and originally from Knoxville, Tennessee, is playing in his ninth season with the Dallas Cowboys.

Melisss Kellerman, a student originally from Beaufort, South Carolina, has been a cheerleader in the squad for four years.

She wants a successful career and marriage, children and would like to work in a hospital, school or be a wedding planner, her squad profile says.

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Bernie Fine, Syracuse University basketball coach accused of sexual abuse

Diane A. Wade
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Bernie Fine, Syracuse University basketball coach accused of sexual abuse

The home of Bernie Fine, a Syracuse University basketball coach involved in a sexual abuse investigation, has been searched by police.

Police were at the house of Syracuse University assistant coach Bernie Fine last night but refused to say what they were looking for.

New York State Police spokesman Jack Keller said troopers were called to assist the U.S. attorney’s office in their investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney William Pericak said he “can’t confirm or deny” an investigation.

“We don’t comment on whether or not search warrants are being executed – we only comment at the time of public events.”

William Pericak said the goal was to avoid “a trial in the press”.

The home of Bernie Fine, a Syracuse University basketball coach involved in a sexual abuse investigation, has been searched by police
The home of Bernie Fine, a Syracuse University basketball coach involved in a sexual abuse investigation, has been searched by police

The local newspaper in Syracuse, The Post-Standard, reported that four state troopers were at the end of the driveway at Bernie Fine’s home in DeWitt on Friday afternoon.

At least six police cars were also parked on the street and officers were looking through a trash can.

Syracuse police spokesman Sgt Tom Connellan wouldn’t comment on any of the activity at the house.

Two former ball boys for the Syracuse basketball team, Bobby Davis and his stepbrother, Mike Lang, have said they were molested more than 25 years ago by Bernie Fine, who is on paid administrative leave from the university.

Bernie Fine has called the allegations “patently false”.

Bobby Davis, now 39, told ESPN earlier this month that Bernie Fine molested him from 1984, when he was around ten, until he was 27.

Bobby Davis, a ball boy for six years, said the alleged abuse occurred at Bernie Fine’s home, at Syracuse basketball facilities and on team road trips.

His stepbrother, Mike Lang, also told ESPN that Bernie Fine molested him from when was around nine years old. Mike Lang, now 45, also was a ball boy at the college.

Head coach at Syracuse, Jim Boeheim, has voiced his support for Bernie Fine and told Sportingnews.com that the assistant’s primary accuser is looking to capitalize on the recent Penn State sex abuse scandal surrounding assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.

Jim Boeheim told ESPN: “I know this kid… It is a bunch of a thousand lies that he has told.

“You don’t think it is a little funny that his (stepbrother) is coming forward?

“He supplied four names to the university that would corroborate his story. None of them did … there is only one side to this story. He is lying.”

Syracuse police are investigating allegations and the inquiry is ongoing.

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Guilford massacre death toll raised to six. Richard Brian Suttles died yesterday.

Diane A. Wade
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Guilford massacre death toll raised to six. Richard Brian Suttles died yesterday.

Richard Brian Suttles, who was shot by his aunt Mary Ann Holder died on Friday, bringing the death toll from last weekend massacre outside in Guilford, North Carolina, to six, including the shooter.

Richard Brian Suttles, 17, who had been shot on Sunday along with four other minors and one adult by his aunt Mary Ann Holder, died shortly before 1:00 p.m. on Friday, Guilford County Sheriff BJ Barnes said.

Along with Richard Brian Suttles, Mary Ann Holder killed her two sons, eight-year-old niece, and the 15-year-old girlfriend of one of her sons before killing herself.

Mary Ann Holder, 36, also shot her married lover, Randall Lamb, in the shoulder, and police say he’s expected to recover, the Associated Press reports.

She had been having an affair with Randall Lamb, 40, for almost 4 years, but it was coming to an end after months of bitter accusations between her, Lamb and his wife, including allegations of stalking and harassment.

Mary Ann Holder shot Randall Lamb on Sunday morning at a community college parking lot, and then drove away to pick up her son, 14-year-old Zachary Smith.

Within a half-hour, a sheriff’s deputy found Mary Ann Holder dead inside her SUV with a gun in her lap and her son mortally wounded in the back seat.

Police went to her home in the Pleasant Grove community south of Greensboro and found her son, 17-year-old Robert Dylan Smith, dead.

Her newphew, Richard Brian Suttles, 17, her son girfriend, Makayla Leigh Woods, 15, and her niece, Hannaleigh Suttles, 8, were all suffering from wounds that would prove to be fatal.

Along with Richard Brian Suttles, Mary Ann Holder killed her two sons, eight-year-old niece, and the 15-year-old girlfriend of one of her sons before killing herself
Along with Richard Brian Suttles, Mary Ann Holder killed her two sons, eight-year-old niece, and the 15-year-old girlfriend of one of her sons before killing herself

Hannaleigh Suttles died on Monday. She was followed by Mary Ann Holder son Zachary Smith a day later and Makalaya Leigh Woods on Wednesday.

The victims at Mary Ann Holder’s home appeared to have been shot while they slept in a bedroom and the living room, according to Chief Deputy, Col. Randy Powers. The woman left two notes taking responsibility for the killings.

Police officers found two handguns inside the vehicle, including one in Mary Ann Holder’s lap.

Police are continuing to investigate the case. An autopsy has been performed on Mary Ann Holder and police are waiting for the results of toxicology tests, but Col. Randy Powers said it initially appears there were no signs of drug use.

Mary Ann Holder, Randall Lamb and his wife had spent months trading accusations of stalking and harassment in court documents. Randall Lamb’s wife had recently threatened to file an alienation of affection lawsuit against Holder, investigators said.

Police are investigating a $10,000 cheque made out to Randall Lamb’s wife that Mary Ann Holder gave him the day before the shootings, according to an application for a search warrant obtained by The News & Record of Greensboro.

Police say the cheque may have been for an out-of-court settlement of some kind.

Despite that, and despite two notes left by Mary Ann Holder taking responsibility for the shootings, police say a definite motive is not yet clear.

“This will be the $64,000 question, because we don’t have anyone alive who can answer it,” Col. Randy Powers said.

“A couple of theories have gone up in the air, but we really don’t know yet.”

Mary Ann Holder reportedly had custody of her nephew and niece after their mother died.

Black Friday 2011 incidents: injured, shot and pepper-sprayed people across US

Diane A. Wade
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Black Friday 2011 incidents: injured, shot and pepper-sprayed people across US

An unconscious grandfather on the floor of a Wal-Mart in Phoenix, Arizona, with a bloody face is shown in a video after the latest pepper spray incident that happened on Black Friday sales across the U.S.

Jerald Allen Newman, 54, is shown unconscious after an officer took him to the ground, as cops are seen trying to sop up blood and outraged customers yell expletives.

Jerald Allen Newman’s wife and other witnesses say he was trying to help his young grandson after the boy was trampled by shoppers, and only put a video game in his waistband to free his hands to help the boy.

Jerald Allen Newman, 54, is shown unconscious after an officer took him to the ground, as cops are seen trying to sop up blood and outraged customers yell expletives
Jerald Allen Newman, 54, is shown unconscious after an officer took him to the ground, as cops are seen trying to sop up blood and outraged customers yell expletives

 

Yesterday crowds of shoppers trying to bag a bargain from a Wal-Mart store during the Black Friday sales were drenched in pepper spray during a scramble for Xbox 360 console deals.

It was just one of scores of shootings and outbreaks of violence as tempers frayed in the rush to secure a Black Friday bargain. At least two shoppers have been shot and scores more injured in fights.

Police in Los Angeles is now hunting a female shopper who allegedly injured 20 people at Wal-Mart after a confrontation just 20 minutes after the shop had opened its doors.

Meanwhile gunfire erupted at Cross Creek Mall in Fayetteville, North Carolina, at around 2:00 a.m. last night near a food court entrance as holiday shoppers gathered.

Police is looking for two suspects. Several more shots were fired after one of the suspects ran inside the mall. But there are no reports of any injuries and no evacuation was ordered.

An off-duty police officer hired by Wal-Mart had to use pepper spray as he tried to make an arrest and quell a disturbance during shopping at a local store in Kinston, North Carolina.

Shopper Angel Bunting says the incident began when a man waiting in line for mobile phones marked down from $200 to $35 fell into a display.

Tonia Robbins, 55, was in serious condition after being shot by two robbers who demanded her purse at a mall in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Another shopper was shot in a robbery at a Wal-Mart in San Leandro, California. Elsewhere police were investigating a possible shooting in the car park of Valley West Mall in West Des Moines, Iowa.

One man was charged with disorderly conduct after a brawl broke out at a Wal-Mart in Rome, New York state and an explosive device was found at a Wal-Mart in Cave Creek, Arizona.

A robot took away the suspicious device from a fridge that led to the evacuation of that Wal-Mart as police dogs combed the store.

An estimated 152million people are expected to shop over Black Friday weekend, up 10 per cent from last year, according the National Retail Federation.

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UK: Paul Mason, former world’s fattest man asks for NHS operation to remove folds of skin

Kathryn R. Bown
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UK: Paul Mason, former world’s fattest man asks for NHS operation to remove folds of skin

Paul Mason, a British man who at one time was the fattest in the world is pleading with the NHS to remove unsightly flaps of flesh after he managed to lose more than half of his body weight.

Paul Mason, 50, a former postman from Ipswich, who weighed 60 stone (840 lbs) two years ago, underwent a gastric bypass after he was told he otherwise faced certain death.

The man has been left with rolls of unsightly excess skin after the extreme weight loss and now needs an operation to remove the flaps hanging from his stomach, arms and legs.

NHS has refused to perform cosmetic surgery, insisting that Paul Mason needs to maintain a stable weight before it can be considered.

Paul Mason, who can now leave the house in a motorized wheelchair, said: “I just need a little bit more help. I feel like I have been just left high and dry.

“I need this operation to be able to get my life back, to be able to get back into society. It is stopping me living a reasonable life.”

Paul Mason, who weighed 70 st – or half a ton – at his heaviest, used to consume 20,000 calories a day, 10 times the normal for the average man. He said his binge eating was spurred by heartbreak in his twenties at the time of his father’s death and deterioration of his mother’s health.

He quit his job as a postman when his weight prevented him from completing his deliveries. Paul Mason was transferred to a sorting office, where he worked until 1989 when he was sacked and imprisoned for six months for stealing from customers’ letters.

The man spent around £30,000 ($45,000) a year on food and sometimes went naked to avoid having to get dressed.

Then in 2009, Paul Mason underwent a £30,000 ($45,000) operation on the NHS at Chichester Hospital which drastically reduced the amount he could eat.

Paul Mason, who weighed 70 st - or half a ton - at his heaviest, used to consume 20,000 calories a day, 10 times the normal for the average man
Paul Mason, who weighed 70 st - or half a ton - at his heaviest, used to consume 20,000 calories a day, 10 times the normal for the average man

Now Paul Mason’s frame has shrunk so much that he has been left with swathes of loose skin.

Surgery can be used to remove the excess skin but as the treatment is for cosmetic and not clinical reasons, it is not automatically available on the NHS.

Paul Mason will have to pay around £1,500 ($2,300) to £6,000 ($9,200) if he wants to have the surgery privately depending on the amount of flesh that needs to be removed.

His care bill costs taxpayers an estimated £100,000 ($150,000) a year and it is believed to have topped £1million ($1.5 million) over the past 15 years.

On one occasion firefighters had to be called out to demolish the front wall of his former home so they could drive a fork lift truck inside to lift him out and put him into an ambulance when he needed a hernia operation in 2002.

Paul Mason, who has a new target weight of 23 stone (322 lbs), is angered by the NHS’s decision.

“My consultant says he’s always seen there is a skinny man waiting to get out but it is so frustrating to have got so far and just be at the final hurdle.

“I have times when I just sit and cry but then I think <<I’m not going to let it get me down>>.”

NHS has remained firm about its decision, stating that Paul Mason, who also suffered a heart attack following his gastric bypass, must wait before he has further cosmetic surgery.

An NHS Suffolk spokesperson said: “Before a patient has an operation it is important to take a balanced decision that is in the best interest of that patient.

“In cases like this NHS Suffolk has a panel of people – including clinicians – who decide whether the patient should have such an operation.

“A patient must have a stable weight before he or she is considered.”

Paul Mason also claimed that the NHS failed to help him as his size soared and instead of receiving a treatment programme to manage his weight, he said he was told in 1996: “Ride your bike more.”

The man now hopes to learn how to drive and to use his experience to help others with eating disorders, including anorexia.

Paul Mason has also set up his own craft company to produce Christmas tree decorations and birthday cards.

The heaviest man of all time was American John Minnoch, who weighed 100.2 stone (1402.8 lbs). He died in 1983 aged 42.

Paul Mason’s old diet:

Breakfast: A packet of bacon, four sausages, four eggs, bread and hash browns.

Lunch: Four portions of fish and chips with two kebabs.

Dinner: A takeaway such as a curry or pizza

Snacks: Pastries, chocolate, crisps 

Paul Mason’s new diet:

Breakfast: Toast

Lunch or dinner: Now he has just one main meal a day usually consisting of lean meat fresh fruit and vegetables

Two female carers take up to four hours to wash Paul Mason because his size makes it impossible for him to clean himself.

The women, who visit him three times a day, have to apply cream to every inch of his bulging body to stop chafing.

He manages to soap his upper body himself and the nurses wipe him down.

They used to look after him from 8:00 a.m. until 8:00p.m., but Ipswich NHS was forced to axe the service because of cutbacks.

Paul Mason, who wears incontinence pads, has not walked properly since 2000 and wears size XXXXXXXXL clothes.

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Pakistan: Zainab Bibi killed and cooked her husband Ahmad Abbas

Diane A. Wade
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Pakistan: Zainab Bibi killed and cooked her husband Ahmad Abbas

Zainab Bibi has been arrested in Karachi, Pakistan, on suspicion of murdering her husband, chopping his body to pieces and boiling it in a bid to get rid of the evidence.

Zainab Bibi, 42, from Karachi, allegedly told police she killed her husband Ahmad Abbas because he tried to sexually assault her 17-year-old daughter from another marriage.

The wife told authorities she sedated Ahmad Abbas by mixing sleeping pills in his tea and strangled him with rope before dismembering him.

 

Police said that the landlord found Zainab Bibi at the stove, cooking a korma with flesh from her husband’s arm and leg
Police said that the landlord found Zainab Bibi at the stove, cooking a korma with flesh from her husband’s arm and leg

 

Police discovered Zainab Bibi’s plot after neighbors complained about a bad smell coming from her home.

Zaheer Ahmed, her 22-year-old nephew, has also been arrested in connection with dismembering Ahmad Abbas’s body.

Pakistan’s ARY News spoke to Zainab Bibi from her cell at the Shah Faisal police station, where she said: “I killed my husband before he dared to touch my daughter.”

The alarm was raised by Zainab Bibi’s landlord, Behzad, who lives on the ground floor of the two-storey Green Town house.

The landlord was so upset by the bad cooking smells coming from upstairs that he went up to complain.

Police said that the landlord found Zainab Bibi at the stove, cooking a korma with flesh from her husband’s arm and leg – because she believed it was the only way to practically dispose of his body.

Pakistani paper The Express Tribune said Zainab Bibi had been living at the house with her 17-year-old daughter Sonia and Ahmad Abbas, who she married 5 years ago and who used to be the girl’s teacher when she was at school.

Zainab Bibi was quoted in the paper as saying: “When he finally died, I felt shudders of fear for the first time.

“I didn’t have the courage to approach his body for the next half an hour.

“It occurred to me that if I cooked the body in parts with spices and aromatic ingredients that would curb the stench.”

Zainab Bibi insisted she had no plans to eat the resulting dish, or to feed it to others, adding: “I had a plan to do away with the cooked stuff by throwing it in a gutter. I would say to people that it had spoiled.”

The woman claims she had stopped Ahmad Abbas from molesting her daughter on several occasions, admitting that he had never actually laid a hand on her but had said suggestive things about her when he was drunk.

The rest of Ahmad Abbas’s body was found in an aluminium trunk on the premise.

[youtube KO8CJXZ0o6E]

Nashville: Libby Spires bought a turkey that had expired 4 years ago

Diane A. Wade
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Nashville: Libby Spires bought a turkey that had expired 4 years ago

Libby Spires of Nashville, Tennessee, who bought a turkey from Apple Market grocery store at Lebanon Pike this week was surprised to find the product had expired in November 2007.

When Libby Spires got the turkey out the freezer to begin preparing dinner, she double-checked the packet.

The woman told local news station News2: “I was shocked because it said November 23, 2007. I said, <<Oh my gosh, I can’t eat this turkey!>>”

Libby Spires returned the expired turkey to Apple Market on Tuesday afternoon and was given a complete refund.

She then bought another turkey for Thanksgiving dinner from another store – but made sure to check it was fresh.

Libby Spires of Nashville, Tennessee, who bought a turkey from Apple Market grocery store at Lebanon Pike this week was surprised to find the product had expired in November 2007
Libby Spires of Nashville, Tennessee, who bought a turkey from Apple Market grocery store at Lebanon Pike this week was surprised to find the product had expired in November 2007

General Manager of Apple Market, Ken Osborne, told News 2: “This is an honest mistake. We donate unused food to needy families and area churches. I don’t know how this was mixed up. It never should have happened.”

Ken Osborne urged customers to double check their produce and said he would be reinforcing the importance of this to his staff.

Libby Spires said she will still continue to shop at apple Market.

“I understand. It’s okay. I will shop there, but I will always look at the dates though,” Libby Spires added.

Tatyana Limanova, the Russian TV presenter who gave Obama the finger live on air is fired

Diane A. Wade
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Tatyana Limanova, the Russian TV presenter who gave Obama the finger live on air is fired

Tatyana Limanova, the Russian TV presenter who gave President Barack Obama the finger live on air has been fired.

Tatyana Limanova, a presenter at Russian station REN TV, was reading a segment about the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation conference when she made the offensive symbol – just as she said the U.S. president’s name.

The TV presenter was looking down as she spoke about how Russian president Dmitry Medvedev would be assuming the head of the conference as part of the rotating chairmanship.

But as Tatyana Limanova read that the post was previously held by Barack Obama, she distinctly raised her arm – and then her middle finger.

 

Tatyana Limanova was reading a segment about the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation conference when she made the offensive symbol, just as she said Barack Obama's name
Tatyana Limanova was reading a segment about the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation conference when she made the offensive symbol, just as she said Barack Obama's name

 

Today, REN TV, which is controlled by close associates of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and is transmitted to roughly 120 million people in Russia, described Tatyana Limanova’s behavior as “unprofessional” and “unacceptable”.

“On 14 November during the News 24 programme the presenter Limanova made an unacceptable gesture that was a synonym for an offensive expression,” REN TV said in a statement.

“It had no subtext and was not linked with the news that Limanova was reading at that moment,” REN TV added.

“A decision has been taken that T Limanova cannot and will not continue to work on the REN TV channel as a presenter.”

According to sources, Tatyana Limanova, a mother of one married to a cameraman, protested her innocence, saying she thought she was off-camera at the time.

But that appears not to have saved the award-winning journalist from a sting in the salt mines.

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Mali: three Europeans abducted and one man killed by an armed gang in Timbuktu

Diane A. Wade
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Mali: three Europeans abducted and one man killed by an armed gang in Timbuktu

Three Europeans have been abducted and a fourth has been killed by an armed gang of kidnappers in the city of Timbuktu in northern Mali, security sources said.

The three hostages’ nationality is not known. The man was shot dead trying to resist the gang, reports said.

It is believed to be the first time foreigners have been abducted in Timbuktu, once popular with tourists.

Three Europeans have been abducted and a fourth has been killed by an armed gang of kidnappers in the city of Timbuktu in northern Mali
Three Europeans have been abducted and a fourth has been killed by an armed gang of kidnappers in the city of Timbuktu in northern Mali

The incident comes a day after two French geologists were kidnapped by an armed gang in the eastern village of Hombori.

The gunmen burst in as the four were dining in a restaurant on the central square of the ancient city of Timbuktu.

They ordered the Europeans there to follow them, a customer at Amanar restaurant told the Associated Press.

One of them, an elderly man, refused to get inside the car and was killed on the spot, the witness said.

Reuters news agency quoted an unnamed government source as saying the dead man was German.

The incidents are the latest in a series of abductions of foreigners believed to be the work of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (Aqim).

Aqim has bases in the northern Mali desert from which it organizes raids and kidnappings, and traffics weapons and drugs.

French soldiers have joined Mali’s army in the hunt for the French pair kidnapped in Hombori, according to AFP.

They were the first Westerners in Mali to be kidnapped south of the River Niger.

The captives were named as Philippe Verdon and Serge Lazarevic, in documents seen by AFP.

They had been sent by the company Mande Construction Immobiliere to take soil samples in the Hombori region where it planned to build a cement factory.

A security guard at their hotel said that “the kidnappers were armed to the teeth”.

“I was tied up and told to point out the rooms of the Frenchmen, whom they brutally took away,” the security guard said.

Al-Qaeda-linked fighters have in the past brought hostages into northern Mali from neighbouring countries, such as Niger where four French nationals – still being held – were kidnapped in September 2010.

Huge swathes of the Sahel region south of the Sahara Desert have been rendered off-limits to foreigners.

Timbuktu is one of the many former tourist destinations in Mali that have been deemed too dangerous to visit by foreign embassies due to the risk of kidnapping by the local chapter of al-Qaeda.

D.B. Cooper case updates. New physical evidence found by FBI.

Diane A. Wade
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D.B. Cooper case updates. New physical evidence found by FBI.

For 40 years, D.B. Cooper has remained one of America’s most elusive fugitives.

Back in 1971, D.B. Cooper commandeered a plane claiming he had dynamite, eliciting a $200,000 ransom, before parachuting out of the plane and disappearing forever.

New physical evidence the FBI believe could help them close in on D.B. Cooper, has emerged recently.

The new lead is a titanium particle from the clip-on tie D.B. Cooper left when he jumped from the Seattle bound-plane in skies above Washington, NBC affiliate KING 5 News reported.

An elite group of scientists have been examining evidence from the infamous case for the last three years.

Tom Kaye the lead scientist in the private team said: “One of the most notable particles that we’ve found, that had us the most excited, was titanium metal.”

The titanium was found by team members studying D.B. Cooper’s tie with an electron microscope.

Titanium is now integral in numerous household items from golf clubs to cookware, but was very rare in 1971.

Aircraft manufacturer Boeing was one of the first manufacturers to use titanium in a civilian aircraft.

Boeing canceled its Super Sonic Transport project shortly before the hijacking.

D.B. Cooper commandeered a plane claiming he had dynamite, eliciting a $200,000 ransom, before parachuting out of the plane and disappearing forever
D.B. Cooper commandeered a plane claiming he had dynamite, eliciting a $200,000 ransom, before parachuting out of the plane and disappearing forever

Tom Kaye told KING 5 News: “In 1971 there was a big upheaval in the titanium industry with the cancelling of the SST project, which happened to be at Boeing, and that laid a lot of people off in the industry. So Cooper could have been part of the fallout.”

He said that the titanium is pure, not processed like the sort used in the manufacture of planes.

So the team believes D.B. Cooper was probably not a Boeing worker but employed at a titanium production plant.

Alternatively D.B. Cooper may have worked at chemical plants where titanium was mixed with aluminum.

Tom Kaye said aluminum particles were also found.

“Because he wore a tie, we think he was an engineer or manager who went out on the shop floor regularly.”

The new leads could be instrumental, Tom Kaye believes.

“Coming up with a profile that narrows him down to hundreds of people instead of millions we think is pretty significant.”

FBI reopened D.B. Cooper case in 2008. And earlier this year the agency believed it finally had the mysterious fugitive in its sights, when a woman claimed her uncle was the missing fugitive.

There have been more than 1,000 suspects over the past forty years.

D.B. Cooper has intrigued federal agents and amateur sleuths.

A man calling himself Dan Cooper boarded the Northwest flight after buying a $20 one-way ticket to Seattle.

After getting on the plane wearing sunglasses, the man ordered whisky and lit a cigarette before passing a flight attendant a note that read: “I HAVE A BOMB IN MY BRIEFCASE. I WILL USE IT IF NECESSARY. I WANT YOU TO SIT NEXT TO ME. YOU ARE BEING HIJACKED.”

Cooper told the captain that in return for $200,000 and four parachutes, he would allow 36 people to leave the plane when it landed in Seattle.

The FBI agreed to the swap and the plane took off again under Cooper’s orders to fly towards Mexico at an altitude of under 10,000 feet.

Somewhere over the lower Cascade mountains in southwestern Washington, Cooper stepped out of the plane with a parachute strapped to his back.

Several people have claimed to be D.B. Cooper over the years but were dismissed on the basis of physical descriptions, parachuting experience and, later, by DNA evidence recovered in 2001 from the cheap tie the skyjacker left on the plane.

Items recovered from the skyjack include $5,800 of the stolen money, in tattered $20 bills and D.B. Cooper’s tie.

Many believe that D.B. Cooper was Richard McCoy, a Vietnam War veteran, experienced parachutist and BYU political science student who staged a similar hijacking several months later.

But the FBI has said that Richard McCoy – who was killed in a shoot-out with law enforcement officers after a prison break in 1974 – simply didn’t fit the description of D.B. Cooper provided by two flight attendants.

In 1980, a boy walking near the Columbia River found $5,800 of the stolen money, in tattered $20 bills.

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Porter Ranch: woman pepper-sprayed fellow Black Friday bargains hunters at Wal-Mart

Diane A. Wade
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Porter Ranch: woman pepper-sprayed fellow Black Friday bargains hunters at Wal-Mart

Dozens of Black Friday bargains hunters from a Wal-Mart store in Porter Ranch, Los Angeles were last night drenched in pepper spray when a woman looking for Xbox 360 console deals turned ugly.

Police is now hunting a female shopper who allegedly injured 20 people after a confrontation at 10:20 p.m. – just 20 minutes after Wal-Mart had opened its doors.

One witness described an “absolutely crazy” scene where the video games display was torn down and customers trampled over the computer games and DVDs that had fallen on the floor.

“I heard screaming and I heard yelling,” Matthew Lopez, 18, told the Los Angeles Times.

“Moments later, my throat stung. I was coughing really bad and watering up.”

Dozens of Black Friday bargains hunters from a Wal-Mart store in Porter Ranch, Los Angeles were last night drenched in pepper spray when a woman looking for Xbox 360 console deals turned ugly
Dozens of Black Friday bargains hunters from a Wal-Mart store in Porter Ranch, Los Angeles were last night drenched in pepper spray when a woman looking for Xbox 360 console deals turned ugly

Meanwhile gunfire erupted at Cross Creek Mall in Fayetteville, North Carolina, at around 2:00 a.m. this morning near a food court entrance as Black Friday shoppers gathered.

Detectives are looking for two suspects. Several more shots were fired after one of the suspects ran inside the mall. But there are no reports of any injuries and no evacuation was ordered.

Back in Los Angeles, a police spokesman said the woman was using the spray to “gain an upper hand”. A fire spokesman said the injuries to least 10 people were due to “rapid crowd movement”.

The woman had been trying to keep fellow shoppers away from the electronics she wanted – and people were injured as they jostled trying to escape the spray in the crowded store, authorities said.

“People started screaming, pulling and pushing each other, and then the whole area filled up with pepper spray,” Alejandra Seminario, 24, told the Los Angeles Times.

“I just stayed in the toy aisle.”

Alejandra Seminario added that people started pulling the plastic off pallets on the floor and were “pushing and screaming” as they were shoved over.

“It was definitely the worst Black Friday I’ve ever experienced,” Joseph Poulose told LA Times.

Authorities are still looking for the pepper spray woman – who was one of millions of American rushing to the shops last night to snap up a bargain before Thanksgiving Day was even over.

An estimated 152million people are expected to shop over Black Friday weekend, up 10% from last year, according the National Retail Federation.

And in New York, Occupy protesters formed human barricades to try and block shoppers from entering stores – in particular targeting Macy’s department store.

The first chain to open up was Toys ‘R’ Us, which let customers – many of whom camped outside – in at 9:00 p.m. yesterday. An hour later, retail giant Wal-Mart unlocked its doors up amid a flood of customers, while low-cost rival Target let shoppers in at 11:00 p.m.

And at midnight, electronics retailer Best Buy along with departments stores Macy’s and Beall’s all opened – all hours before the traditional daybreak starts.

The early openings combined with greater than usual media coverage has prompted retail experts to predict record-breaking number of customers in U.S. stores.

As a record 212million actually showed up last year when the LRF estimated 138million, other analysts are predicting even more people hitting the shops this weekend.

“Black Friday will be strong because so many stores are opening Thursday and that gives consumers at least six more hours to shop,” Candace Corlett, of WSL Strategic Retail, told CNN.

“It will also attract people who may be willing to go out Thursday night, but aren’t about to get up early Friday morning.”

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Black Friday Q&A

James J. Williams
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Black Friday Q&A

Black Friday Shopping: Q & A

The day after Thanksgiving, or Black Friday, kicks off the holiday shopping season. Each year, retailers open their doors early and offer shoppers deals of up to 70% off on everything from electronics to clothes. And shoppers typically turn out in droves.

 

The day after Thanksgiving, or Black Friday, kicks off the holiday shopping season
The day after Thanksgiving, or Black Friday, kicks off the holiday shopping season

 

Before you head out to the stores this year, there a few things you should know about Black Friday:

Q: How did the day get its name?

A: Accounts differ on the origin of the term. One theory is that it had roots in the 1960s in Philadelphia where it was used to describe the heavy pedestrian and car traffic on the day after Thanksgiving. The most common theory, though, is that the day got its name because it’s usually when retailers turn a profit for the year, or operate in the ‘black.’

Q. Is Black Friday the biggest shopping day of the year?

A. ShopperTrak, which monitors customer traffic and sales at 25,000 stores nationwide, says that Black Friday has been the top sales day every year but one since it started monitoring holiday data in 2002; the only exception was in 2004, when the busiest day was the Saturday before Christmas.

Q. What’s new?

A. Black Friday mania is seeping into Thanksgiving Day. Nearly 1,000 Gap stores will be open on Thanksgiving. Toys R Us will open at 9 p.m. And several other stores will open at midnight that evening, including Target, Best Buy, Kohl’s and Macy’s. Wal-Mart, whose supercenters already operate around the clock, also is opening most of its other stores by 10 p.m. Thanksgiving evening.

Q. Will you get the best deals of the season on Black Friday?

A. Not necessarily. Stores have discounts that are just as good throughout the holiday season. And there are even better deals to be had after Christmas Day. But the problem is if you wait too long, you might not get exactly what you want since stores have kept their inventories lean this year.

Black Friday 2011 Best Deals

Clyde K. Valle
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Black Friday 2011 Best Deals

Bargains Galore: The Best of the Black Friday Deals

• Amazon is offering top of the range smartphones for just one penny between November 22 and November 28.

• Best Buy is offering dig discounts on tech items from midnight tonight. It is slicing $200 off the cost of 42in Sharp LCD TVs and $150 off Nikon Coolpix digital cameras.

• Gap has cut 60% off selected items in its outlets since Wednesday, until tomorrow.

• Old Navy is offering Kodak EasyShare Sport digital cameras free to the first of its Black Friday shoppers who spend more than $40. The cameras are worth about $100.

Old Navy is offering Kodak EasyShare Sport digital cameras free to the first of its Black Friday shoppers who spend more than $40
Old Navy is offering Kodak EasyShare Sport digital cameras free to the first of its Black Friday shoppers who spend more than $40

• Office Depot has cut the price of Blackberry’s Playbook tablet computers by $100 from today and is offering 15.6in Toshiba laptops with Intel processors for just $399.99.

• OfficeMax is offering discounts on printers, including Canon MX870 Colour Inkjet wireless models worth $250 for just $80 and HP Colour Photosmart Inkjets for $79.99, reduced from $199.99.

• Staples is slashing the price of Targus Leather iPad Covers from $50 to just $9.99 and offering HP Photosmart Plus wireless printers at a special price of $49.90, down from $149.99.

• Target will be selling Nikon L105 Digital Cameras for just $99.99, less than half the usual retail price of $199.99, while the more domestically oriented will be drawn to the KitchenAid Ultra Power Stand Mixer for $199, cut from $249.99.

• Macy’s, the department store, is to open at midnight tonight – the first time in its history it has opened early on Black Friday – to offer selected items at between 20 per cent and 50 per cent off.

• Toys’R’Us will open at 9:00 p.m. tonight with a range of discounted video games. The chain is also expecting massive demand for classic toys like Barbie and Hot Wheels.

• Walmart is offering a range of deals including video games and big screen televisions, including Xbox 360s with Kinect and a $50 gift card for the knock-down price of $199.96.

Marilyn Monroe: the secret behind “Happy Birthday Mr. President” performance

Diane A. Wade
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Marilyn Monroe: the secret behind “Happy Birthday Mr. President” performance

Marilyn Monroe’s “Happy Birthday Mr. President” is among the most famous and suggestive songs ever sung in public.

Now it appears that her sexy rendition of “Happy Birthday Mr. President” had a more mundane reason why it was so provocative – she was out of breath.

Marilyn Monroe apparently got lost while heading toward the stage at Madison Square Garden in New York in 1962 to sing for John F. Kennedy.

As the actress ran around trying to find the right door she ran out of breath – so was unable to sing properly – as she got to the stage so late.

Instead Marilyn Monroe’s version of “Happy Birthday” came across as rather more sensual than she may have intended, earning it an unintended place in history.

 

Marilyn Monroe apparently got lost while heading toward the stage at Madison Square Garden in New York in 1962 to sing for John F. Kennedy
Marilyn Monroe apparently got lost while heading toward the stage at Madison Square Garden in New York in 1962 to sing for John F. Kennedy

 

The surprising disclosure was made by American actress Joan Copeland, 89, who was there on the night.

Joan Copeland is the younger sister of playwright Arthur Miller, Marilyn Monroe’s former husband.

She said that Marilyn Monroe was so late to go on stage that night that she missed her cue.

Watching her “running around trying to find a door”, Joan Copeland noticed that Marilyn Monroe was out of breath and anxious.

Rat Pack singer Peter Lawford announced her entrance but when she did not emerge he joked that she was the “late Marilyn Monroe”.

Upon finally coming on stage, Marilyn Monroe stunned the audience with her backless flesh coloured gown with 2,500 rhinestones sewn into it.

The Jean Louis dress was apparently so tight that it had to be sewn on to her naked body – yet it was the rendition of the song which caused all the attention.

Marilyn Monroe performance was given an extra charge because of rumors of an affair between herself and JFK, which have been picked over by fans of both ever since.

When Marilyn Monroe had finished singing JFK came on stage and, in reference to the highly suggestive performance, said: “I can now retire from politics after having had Happy Birthday sung to me in such a sweet, wholesome way.”

The event, which was not attended by Jackie Kennedy, took place on May 19 1962 to mark his 45th birthday, which fell ten days later.

The following November JFK was gunned down by Lee Harvey Oswald.

The dress worn by Marilyn Monroe, who died in 1962 at the age of 36, has since become as famous as the song itself.

In 1999 it went up for auction in New York and sold for $1.26 million, a record for a gown worn by her at the time.

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Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi interested in buying Brad Pitt’s Malibu $14m mansion

Lisa.Felice
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Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi interested in buying Brad Pitt’s Malibu $14m mansion

Ellen DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi are looking for a new house and are said to be eyeing on Brad Pitt’s Malibu mansion.

Ellen DeGeneres, 53, just put her $49million Beverly Hills compound up for sale and is now looking for something smaller.

Sources told People Magazine, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, 38, are very interested in buying Brad Pitt’s $14million Malibu home.

Ellen DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi are looking for a new house and are said to be eyeing on Brad Pitt's Malibu mansion
Ellen DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi are looking for a new house and are said to be eyeing on Brad Pitt's Malibu mansion

 

Brad Pitt’s Malibu property consists of two separate houses, a pool, a tennis court and expansive lush gardens.

The sprawling 4,100 square foot property also has private beach access and is set back off the Pacific Coast Highway by a long private driveway.

The main house has four bedrooms and four baths, a large chefs kitchen with stainless steel appliances, bamboo floors, three fire places and a top of the range security system.

The house has had extensive renovations in the past couple of years with an additional story added by the environmentally conscious designer Christopher R. Sorensen.

Malibu mansion is just one part of a property portfolio belonging to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie that also includes homes in Los Angeles, New Orleans, France and Italy.

No one knows why Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have chosen to sell the property, which is set into a hillside overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Reese Witherspoon, 35, was spotted looking at the home this past summer.

But in the end, she and her new husband, Jim Toth, decided not to buy it.

While the home is pricey, even by Hollywood standards, the $14million price tag is certainly no problem for Ellen DeGeneres.

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi is said to have a net worth of about $85million.

Forbes Magazine recently listed Ellen DeGeneres as one of the wealthiest women in Hollywood.

According to Reuters, last year alone Ellen DeGeneres made $45million thanks to her syndicated talk show and endorsement deals, including a contract with Covergirl Cosmetics.

Ellen DeGeneres got her start as a stand-up comedienne and has appeared in a number of films including EDtv and The Love Letter.

The comedienne also provided the voice of Dory in the Disney-Pixar animated film Finding Nemo and was a judge on American Idol for one year, having joined the show in its ninth season.

Portia de Rossi, a native of Australia, most recently co-starred on the TV series Better Off Ted and she also earns a sizeable income.

Air France plane flew for 5 days before ground crews noticed that 30 screws were missing from one of its wings

Diane A. Wade
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Air France plane flew for 5 days before ground crews noticed that 30 screws were missing from one of its wings

An Air France Airbus A340 plane flew for 5 days before ground crews noticed that 30 screws were missing from one of its wings.

The aircraft had undergone routine maintenance in China, before flying to Paris and then on to the US before the potentially disastrous blunder was finally spotted.

The Air France jet, which can carry up to 440 passengers, was grounded in Boston while a “large protective panel” was screwed back into place.

Air France problem was revealed in an internal union document leaked to French news agency AFP.

The company have blamed aircraft mechanics in the Chinese city of Xiamen, were the airline’s jets are often serviced because of lower costs.

An Air France Airbus A340 plane flew for 5 days before ground crews noticed that 30 screws were missing from one of its wings
An Air France Airbus A340 plane flew for 5 days before ground crews noticed that 30 screws were missing from one of its wings

An Air France technical operations spokesman said: “The plane flew for several days before it was grounded because one third of the screws holding down a piece of bodywork were missing.

“It was part of the outer covering of the wing and at no point was flight safety compromised.

“The maintenance team that works for Air France are internationally recognized and this is the first ever incident of its kind.”

But an aircraft construction expert said: “The piece itself may not have endangered the flight if it came off.

“But there is always the risk that it could have struck and damaged another very important part of the aircraft as it became detached and blew away in flight.”

An Air France union spokesman described the oversight as “deplorable”.

The spokesman added: “Pieces of an aircraft should never simply go missing during maintenance. It is not the first time this has happened either.

“Last year a Boeing 747 was grounded after undergoing maintenance in China because parts of the plane had been painted with flammable paint.”

The crash of an Air France Concorde 11 years ago, killing 113 people, was blamed on a strip of metal on the runway which punctured the plane’s tyres and sent rubber fragments flying into a fuel tank.

Kris Humphries to Kim Kardashian: “God, you ate a lot of wedding cake!”

Lisa.Felice
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Kris Humphries to Kim Kardashian: “God, you ate a lot of wedding cake!”

According to reports, Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries’ divorce was attributed to his mean behaviour.

It was also alleged that Kris Humphries, 26, told Kim Kardashian, 31, that she had “fat ass” and that her “talent and her fame wouldn’t last”.

Now in a new sneak preview of Kourtney & Kim Take New York, Kris Humphries is seen joking around about his bride’s weight.

In in an E! clip obtained by Us Weekly, Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries are seen packing for New York, with Kim going through photographs of outfits that have been put together for her trip.

A shirtless Kris Humphries strides over to his wife to look at the snaps on her camera.

“This outfit is so cute,” he says as he scoops her up for a cuddle.

Struggling to lift Kim Kardashian up, Kris Humphries then says: “God, you ate a lot of wedding cake,” before the pair come crashing down onto the bed.

Laughing off his comment, she is then dragged to the bathroom by him for a shower.

Struggling to lift Kim Kardashian up, Kris Humphries then says: “God, you ate a lot of wedding cake,” before the pair come crashing down onto the bed
Struggling to lift Kim Kardashian up, Kris Humphries then says: “God, you ate a lot of wedding cake,” before the pair come crashing down onto the bed

Earlier in the video, Kris Humphries is also seen trying to snatch Kim Kardashian’s camera out of her hand.

“Let me see,” he says.

“Stop, you are so forceful,” she replies laughing.

And in an ironic statement in the face of their recent split, Kris Humphries replies: “Give it to me, you are my wife now, you are my wife. It is going to take a lot to get rid of me.”

The NBA player does, however, show that he is keen to get to know his new wife’s family.

“How excited are you to go to New York?” Kim Kardashian asks him.

“I am really excited. I am excited to be Mason’s uncle and also to spend some time with Scott and Kourtney,” Kris Humphries says of their impending trip.

The new footage comes after Us Weekly reported earlier this week that Kris Humphries was brutal with his comments towards his new wife, and insulted her constantly, once even referring to her sizeable derriere as a “fat ass”.

A source told Us Weekly: “He belittled her in front of people. He’d call her stupid. It was truly sickening.

“He tried to control Kim by bringing her down…He would say truly terrible things. One time, he said she had no talent and her fame wouldn’t last.”

It has also been alleged that Kris Humphries is planning to sue Kim Kardashian for $10million over his role in the upcoming “Kim and Kourtney take New York” series.

According to Life&Style magazine: “He’s claiming his role on Kourtney & Kim Take New York is bigger than he was told, and that’s why he wants more money. But Kris is also suing because he’s really worried about how badly he’s going to be portrayed on the series.”

In the trailer for the upcoming series viewers see a furious Kim Kardashian blasting Kris Humphries for his partying ways and asking why she found out he wasn’t even in the country through Twitter.

Kim Kardashian’s sister Kourtney is seen offering her distraught sister relationship advice suggesting the marriage was over before it ever really began.

Kim Kardashian announced she was filing for divorce on October 31, just 72 days after their lavish wedding.

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Karen Perry lost all her three children in the plane crash at superstition Mountains, Arizona

Diane A. Wade
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Karen Perry lost all her three children in the plane crash at superstition Mountains, Arizona

Karen Perry faces every mother’s worst nightmare as she struggles to come to terms with losing all her three children in a plane crash on the eve of Thanksgiving at Superstition Mountains, Arizona.

Morgan Perry, 9, and her brothers Logan, 8, and Luke, 6, all died in the plane crash, along with their father Shawn Perry, 39, and two other adults.

The three children had gone with their father, who is divorced from Karen Perry, so that they could spend Thanksgiving with him.

Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu told ABCNews.com:

“It’s traumatic for any parent to hear this, and then just the nature of the crash is horrific.

“We just want to be there for her and love her and embrace her during this difficult time at Thanksgiving.

“No one could have survived that crash.”

Karen Perry faces every mother's worst nightmare as she struggles to come to terms with losing all her three children in a plane crash on the eve of Thanksgiving at Superstition Mountains, Arizona
Karen Perry faces every mother's worst nightmare as she struggles to come to terms with losing all her three children in a plane crash on the eve of Thanksgiving at Superstition Mountains, Arizona

The other pilot was identified as Russell Hardy, 31, of Thatcher, Arizona, and the mechanic was Joseph Hardwick, 22, of Safford.

The impact split the private aircraft, causing a massive fireball captured on video and seen for miles around, and left officials with little hope of finding survivors.

According to witnesses, there was a fireball and an explosion.

“I looked up and saw this fireball and it rose up,” Dave Dibble told KPHO-TV.

“All of a sudden, boom.”

Rescue crews flown in by helicopter to reach the crash site reported finding two debris fields on fire, suggesting that the plane broke apart on impact.

“The fuselage is stuck down into some of the crevices of this rough terrain,” Sheriff Paul Babeu said.

“This is not a flat area, this is jagged peaks, almost like a cliff-type rugged terrain.”

Shawn Perry had collected his three children from Canyon, Arizona, where they lived with their mother, to take them to Safford for Thanksgiving.

The father was about 100 miles east of Phoenix when he ran into trouble.

The tiny two-engine plane burst into flames after colliding with the Flat Iron section of the mountains, which are 45 miles east of Phoenix, just below their peak, witnesses reported.

Sheriff Paul Babeu said he was in close contact with the mother of the children.

“We have been aggressively searching and recovering,” he said.

“It’s almost like an 80 percent incline so because of that, you can imagine where debris tumbled to.”

Sheriff Paul Babeu said there are “multiple fatalities”. The body of a child between the ages of 5 and 9 has been recovered at the scene, he said. But authorities have been unable to determine whether it is the body of a boy or girl, he added.

The private aircraft was a twin-engine Rockwell AC690, authorities said.

Its registered owner is Ponderosa Aviation Inc. of Safford, Arizona, according to FAA records.

A video uploaded to YouTube from a greyscale webcam shows a small white light moving from the left side of the screen to the right.

About 50 seconds into the footage the light disappears.

A few seconds later there is a sudden flash of light, then more light remains as the fires burn on the mountain.

A local resident took the video from his home in Gold Canyon, roughly seven miles away from the crash site, ABC News reported.

The Superstition Mountains’ elevation is about 5,000 feet at their highest level.

The photogenic area near Lost Dutchman State Park and the Superstition Wilderness is filled with steep canyons.

Its soaring rocky outcroppings are popular with hikers and horse riders.

Apache myth holds that the mountains contain a hole that is an entrance to the underworld.

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Scottish Saif Rehman and his American wife Uzma Naurin murdered in honour killing in Pakistan

Diane A. Wade
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Scottish Saif Rehman and his American wife Uzma Naurin murdered in honour killing in Pakistan

Saif Rehman, a Scottish businessman and his American wife Uzma Naurin were gunned down in the street in a suspected honour killing while they were in Pakistan to attend a relative’s wedding.

Saif Rehman, 31, from Glasgow and Uzma Naurin, 30, from New York, were shot dead when their car was ambushed in the north-eastern city of Gujrat following a shopping trip.

The pair had been about to start a new life together in the U.S. after their trip to Pakistan for Saif Rehman’s brother’s wedding.

Saif Rehman and Uzma Naurin were accompanied by a driver, Saif Rehman’s sister and her two-year-old daughter, but the other passengers were unharmed.

Saif Rehman, a Scottish businessman and his American wife Uzma Naurin were gunned down in the street in a suspected honour killing while they were in Pakistan to attend a relative's wedding
Saif Rehman, a Scottish businessman and his American wife Uzma Naurin were gunned down in the street in a suspected honour killing while they were in Pakistan to attend a relative's wedding

A group of four gunmen stopped the car, opened fire and killed Saif Rehman before bundling Uzma Naurin into their vehicle and killing her at a spot nearby – then dumping her body by the roadside.

Pakistani police are probing claims that there had been tension between the couple’s in-laws over their marriage three years ago.

Saif Rehman and Uzma Naurin were married in Manchester but another, fuller ceremony involving both sides of the family took place in Glasgow in June, when it appeared that the differences might have been resolved.

Sources close to the dispute last night suggested Saif Rehman’s relatives had been happy with the marriage, but it had caused upset among some of his bride’s relatives.

Saif Ali, 30, of Cumbernauld, Dunbartonshire, who runs a mobile phone repair company, met Saif Rehman – who ran a similar firm called GSM Communications in Glasgow – three years ago.

Saif Ali said: “It was a long-distance relationship between Saif and Uzma but they made it work really well. Saif had just got a visa to go to the U.S., so they were on the brink of a new life together when this happened.

“I found out from Saif’s brother when the killings happened on November 1 and couldn’t believe it – I was shocked, angry and devastated because we were very close. Saif had been in Glasgow for six years and met Uzma at a friend’s wedding four or five years ago.”

Describing their murder, Saif Ali added: “They were going back home and basically, all of a sudden, their driver just stopped the car.

“Four people were in a different car which stopped in front of them. They pulled Saif, his sister, her daughter and his wife out of the car and, as soon as he was pulled out of the car, they shot him without saying anything.”

Saif Ali said that “no words were exchanged” between Saif Rehman and any of the people who shot him.

Saif Ali added: “Five minutes up the road they basically killed her (Uzma Naurin) as well. She wasn’t found until quite a bit of time later.

“Probably about three or four hours later, she was found, as they had basically put her in the shrubs somewhere, just on the side of the road.”

Saif Ali said Uzma Naurin worked in sales for Costa Coffee and was based in New Jersey.

Uzma Naurin’s father, a taxi driver in New York, had relatives in Gujrat and the driver of the car the couple were in when they were shot is said to have been employed by his Pakistani relatives.

British Foreign Office cannot become involved as Saif Rehman was a Pakistani national and his wife was a U.S. citizen.

 

The 85th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade took the streets of Manhattan

Diane A. Wade
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The 85th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade took the streets of Manhattan

The 85th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade took the streets of Manhattan in its spectacular style in front of 3 million spectators who watched the fourteen giant helium balloons, including Buzz Lightyear and SpongeBob SquarePants.

The US biggest singing stars also came to Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 2011 to entertain the crowds, including award-winning singers Cee Lo Green, Mary J.Blige and Neil Diamond.

At a 40 F temperatures, the crowd was entertained by the helium-filled balloons, including Clumsy Smurf, Kermit the Frog – and some newcomers, as Julius The Monkey.

Paul Frank’s sock puppet-inspired monkey Julius made its debut as a 41-foot-tall balloon. The crowds chanted “Jul-i-us! Jul-i-us!” as it passed.

Julius The Monkey was followed by “B”- a spooky character covered in stitches created by filmmaker Tim Burton.

And making their first appearance at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade were a pair of bike-powered balloons, one featuring a large green elf designed by Queens resident Keith Lapinig, who won a nationwide contest with more than 10,000 entries.

But there were also some much-loved favourites, including video game character Sonic the Hedgehog, who returned after an 18-year absence, and a navel-themed Mickey Mouse.

They were joined by SpongeBob SquarePants, Snoopy, Spiderman and Kermit the Frog.

With a 40-ft Sonic the Hedgehog at its helm, the 85th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade kicked off in spectacular style
With a 40-ft Sonic the Hedgehog at its helm, the 85th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade kicked off in spectacular style

As the balloons, held up by scores of rope-bearers, snaked along the route, crowds were also entertained by the top vocal talents, including Cee Lo Green, Country singer Rodney Atkins and American Idol winner Scotty McCreery.

Canadian singer Avril Lavigne sat on a float featuring a giant fattened turkey as she sang, followed by a musical set from the colourful cast of Sesame Street.

Brass bands from high schools and colleges around the country also marched along the route, such as the Nation Ford High School from South Carolina, which included sixteen sets of siblings.

Macy’s Great American Marching Band, with trombones, tubas and booming drums, led the march.

Ana Santiago, 34, a said receptionist from Park Slope, Brooklyn said:

“The parade makes you enjoy life.”

“You see the kids cheering and celebrating, and that makes the day.”

“It’s a tradition,” Ana Santiago added.

“New Yorkers should take advantage of it. You never know what you’ll see.”

The parade followed high-energy performances from glitzy cheerleaders and characters from Broadway show How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, including Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe.

In total, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade boasted more than 40 smaller balloons, 27 floats, 800 clowns and 1,600 cheerleaders as an estimated 50 million people watched the television coverage from home.

Floats included a mini version of Mount Rushmore from the South Dakota Department of Tourism. The grey granite structure also featured Black Hills National Forest and Badlands National Park in an effort to drive more visitors to the state.

Grammy winner Neil Diamond performed on the float as it moved through the streets.

The crowd on Seventh Avenue started singing “Sweet Caroline! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!” as the singer waved.

Ronald McDonald, joined by scores of waving children, drove a large red shoe float. It pulled along a giant helium float of the food chain’s grinning ambassador.

Another float featured popular cartoon character Dora the Explorer alongside children dressed as Christmas presents. Olympian ice skater Johnny Weir waved to the crowds as he rode on a white horse float.

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 2011 started at 77th Street and headed south on Central Park West to Seventh Avenue, before moving to Sixth Avenue and ending at Macy’s Herald Square.

Despite fears that stormy weather would batter the balloons, the balloons floated under blue skies.

Joe Sullivan, a balloon handler, who has been volunteering at the parade for more than 15 years, held a line securing a huge floating pumpkin.

“When it’s windy it’s a struggle,” Joe Sullivan said.

“But today is great weather. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Thousands of children flocked to the event, which closed with Santa Claus riding on a sleigh float and waving to the spectators.

“We’ve been up since two o’clock in the morning,” said Jodi Caplan, 40, of Westtown, in upstate Orange County, who brought her two kids to witness the festivities.

“It’s their first parade. This is the perfect day – perfect weather.”

The giant balloons were created at Macy’s Parade Studio, and each undergoes testing for flight patterns, aerodynamics, buoyancy and lift.

The helium heavies were inflated on Wednesday across the street from the western side of Central Park.

Thousands of people, many families with children in tow, were drawn to the spectacle of the balloons lying as if asleep on the streets, held down by weighted nets.

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade got its start in 1924 and included live animals such as camels, goats and elephants. It was not until 1927 that the live animals were replaced by giant helium balloons. The parade was suspended from 1942 to 1944 because rubber and helium were needed for World War II.

Since the beginning, the balloons have been based on popular cultural characters and holiday themes.

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