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Sunday, April 6, 2025
Home Blog Page 1199

Pregnant Beyoncé at the MTV Video Music Awards.

VMA 2011: tribute to Amy Winehouse.

 

Tyler, the Creator won “Best New Artist” at VMA 2011

 

MTV Video Music Awards 2011: Adele, biggest winner

 

Beyoncé has announced that she is expecting her first baby at the MTV Video Music Awards 2011.

 

Beyoncé, 29, made the surprising announcement by revealing her baby bump on the red carpet at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night.

She worn a long orange dress by Lanvin and clutched her visible bump while was telling the press: “I have a surprise!”

Beyoncé revealed her baby bump on the red carpet at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night
Beyoncé revealed her baby bump on the red carpet at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night

Beyoncé didn’t let her pregnancy prevent her from bringing the house down with an energetic performance.

The singer cheered on her husband Jay-Z, who performed new single Otis with Kanye West, before taking to the stage herself.

 

Beyoncé took the stage in a purple glittery blazer and black trousers by Dolce & Gabbana and said:

“I want you to feel the love that’s growing inside of me.”

After she performed Love On Top, which attracted a standing ovation from the audience, Beyoncé ripped open her jacket and proudly rubbed her baby bump.

Beyoncé ripped open her jacket and proudly rubbed her baby bump after she performed Love On Top
Beyoncé ripped open her jacket and proudly rubbed her baby bump after she performed Love On Top

In the next moment, cameras moved on the audience, where Jay-Z was beaming, as his friend Kanye West jumped up and down, smacking the future father on the back and shaking him.

 

Beyoncé performed two weeks ago at the Roseland Ballroom in New York and covered up her stomach with a special costume that draped lightly across her protruding bump.

“Now I’m a woman, and because I gave it my all, I can focus on my marriage,” she said.

“I can decide I want to have kids. I can be the mother I want to be and dedicate myself to my children.”

Beyoncé, who married rapper Jay-Z in 2008, said during an interview she gave two months ago:

“I always said I was going to have a baby at 30. I’m 29 now.”

“But I also said I was going to retire at 30. So I don’t know,’ she said, adding: “I am not retiring, I tell you.”

And she continued: “Only God knows, only God knows.”

[youtube CZaUmFUd2pQ]

MTV Video Music Awards 2011: Adele, biggest winner

Pregnant Beyoncé at the MTV Video Music Awards.

 

Tyler, the Creator won “Best New Artist” at VMA 2011

 

VMA 2011: tribute to Amy Winehouse.

 

The 28th Annual MTV Video Music Awards 2011 (VMA 2011), was held in Los Angeles at the Nokia Theatre on Sunday August 28.

 

Adele's Rolling in the Deep was the biggest winner at MTV Video Music Awards 2011
Adele's Rolling in the Deep was the biggest winner at MTV Video Music Awards 2011

Adele, 23, English singer-songwriter, won four awards for Rolling in the Deep: Best Direction in a Video (Director: Sam Brown), Best Art Direction in a Video (art director: Nathan Parker), Best Editing in a Video (editor: Art Jones at Work), Best Cinematography in a Video (director of photography: Tom Townend).

Another big winner of MTV Video Music Awards 2011 was Katy Perry, 26, singer-songwriter and actress, was awarded three times. Firework became Video of The Year. E.T.  (Katy Perry featuring Kanye West) received Best Collaboration and Best Special Effects in a Video (special effects: Jeff Dotson for Dot & Effects).

Katy Perry was nominated ten times, while Adele and Kanye West were nominated seven times.

Lady Gaga, 25, pop singer-songwriter, won Best Female Video and Best Video

Katy Perry's Firework  became Video of The Year at MTV Video Music Awards 2011
Katy Perry's Firework became Video of The Year at MTV Video Music Awards 2011

with a Message for Born This Way.

Britney Spears, 29, singer-songwriter, actress  and fashion designer, received Best Pop Video for Till the World Ends and the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.

Beyoncé won Best Choreography in a Video (choreographers: Frank Gatson, Sheryl Murakami and Jeffrey Page) for Run the World (Girls).

Beyoncé, 29, R&B singer, actress and fashion designer, announced that she was pregnant with her first child.

Other MTV Video Music Awards 2011 went to:

Justin Bieber (Best Male Video for U Smile),  Tyler, the Creator (Best New Artist for Yonkers), Foo Fighters (Best Rock Video for Walk), Nicki Minaj (Best Hip-Hop Video for Super Bass), Maná (Best Latino Artist of 2011 for Lluvia al Corazón).

 

 

Hurricane Irene: death toll more than 15 and 6 million power outages.

Hurricane Irene’s remnants dissipate over Canada. At least 44 deaths in US.

 

Hurricane names: how and why scientists named hurricanes?

 

On Sunday, hurricane Irene passed over New York without major damage to the city, but the storm still caused deaths, serious floods and power blackouts affecting more than a million people as it swept up the US north-eastern seaboard.

 

Hurricane Irene weakened quickly after making landfall near Atlantic City, New Jersey, at about 5:30 a.m., local time. Four hours later, it made landfall again at Coney Island.

Meanwhile Irene had been downgraded by the National Hurricane Center to a tropical storm with winds at around 65mph – much weaker than the 85mph that was forecast late on Saturday.

Irene’s biggest impact was felt on Sunday night in upstate New York and New England where many communities suffered devastating floods after rivers burst their banks and torrential rains fell on ground already saturated by unusually high downpours earlier this month.

Irene had been downgraded by the National Hurricane Center to a tropical storm with winds at around 65mph
Irene had been downgraded by the National Hurricane Center to a tropical storm with winds at around 65mph

In the Catskills mountain town of Windham, where Irene dropped 10 inches of rain starting on Saturday night, the downtown area was “wiped out” by flood water.

In nearby Prattsville, National Guard soldiers rescued 21 people who had been trapped in a motel by fast-moving water that blew out bridges and roads all over the county, according to Reuters.

Vermont was also experiencing its worst flooding in almost 40 years, according to local reports. Many towns, including Brattleboro, Wilmington, Rutland and Grafton, were under water on Sunday night.

President Barack Obama warned over the storm and its aftermath:

“This is a storm that has claimed lives. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have lost loved ones,” Barak Obama said.

“Many Americans are still at serious risk of power outages and flooding which could get worse in the coming days. I want people to understand that this is not over.”

 

Irene killed 3 people as it passed over the north-eastern seaboard.

In New Jersey a young woman was found dead in her car on a flooded rural road. The woman, 20 year-old, who has not yet been identified, had earlier called police after she and her car were washed away by a flash flood.

“She left her house, went in her car and was swept away,” said New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

About 30 miles (48km) north-west of Manhattan, in New York’s Rockland County, a man was electrocuted by a downed power line after he tried to save a child who had gone out into a flooded street that had live wires, officials said. The child is now in hospital in a serious condition.

In Prospect, Connecticut, another person was killed in a fire that investigators believe was sparked by fallen wires.

Irene death toll now stands at more than 15 with lives lost all along the storm’s track from the Carolinas to Virginia and up through Pennsylvania, where a man was killed in his tent by a falling tree, to New York and beyond.

A nuclear reactor in Maryland was shut down after it was damaged by wind. Others were taken offline or were operating at reduced capacity as precautionary measures.

More than 6 million homes and businesses lost power as the storm passed up the east coast. 2 million people were warned or received evacuation orders.

Flooding is likely to be the major problem this week. Parts of Philadelphia were heavily flooded, with water reaching street-sign levels in some areas. Flash flood warnings were issued up and down eastern and central Pennsylvania.

Tom Corbett, Pennsylvania governor said on Sunday: “The rivers may not crest until Tuesday or Wednesday. This isn’t just a 24-hour event.”

New York’s public transport system is likely to be disrupted next week. On Sunday, transport workers waited for winds to die down before they were able to inspect train and subway lines.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said it was too early to say when normal service would be resumed.

The region’s major airports were closed on Sunday and were likely to be closed for at least part of Monday as airlines waited for transport systems to be restored so passengers could reach them.

Tyler, the Creator won “Best New Artist” at VMA 2011

Pregnant Beyoncé at the MTV Video Music Awards.

 

MTV Video Music Awards 2011: Adele, biggest winner 

 

VMA 2011: tribute to Amy Winehouse.

 

Tyler, the Creator won Best New Artist at VMA 2011.
Tyler, the Creator won Best New Artist at VMA 2011.

 

Odd Future leader, Tyler, the Creator, received the most votes for his single Yonkers at VMA 2011.

Other Best New Artist  nominees were Big Sean (featuring Chris Brown) with My Last, Foster the People (Pumped Up Kicks), Kreayshawn (Gucci Gucci), and Wiz Khalifa (Black and Yellow).

Tyler, the Creator (Tyler Okonma) , Los Angeles rapper, was awarded for Yonkers, the single from his album Goblin, produced by Tyler with some help from  OFWGKTA member, Left Brain.

The 20-year-old singer was very excited to get the award. After his mother embraced him enthusiastically, Tyler, the Creator went to the stage with his group. He received Moonman statue from Selena Gomez and Taylor Lautner, said he had not prepared any speech and encouraged the fans to pursue their dreams. Tyler’ speech was bleeped by MTV, but that seemed to be the essence.

“Yo, I’m excited as … right now, yo. I wanted this … since I was nine. I’m about to cry. This is for my little brother Earl. He’s not here right now. I really can’t believe I’m here right now. I didn’t write a thank you speech. I don’t know. … To all the kids watching, you can do this … Thank you.” Said Tyler, the Creator.

Goblin (2011) is his second album, the first was released in 2009 (Bastard). The black-and-white video from Goblin was directed by Tyler under the name Wolf Haley.

Tyler, the Creator was also nominated for Video of the Year along with Katy Perry (Firework) who took that award, Adele (Rolling in the Deep), Beastie Boys (Make Some Noise), Bruno Mars (Grenade).

Tyler, the Creator’s third album Wolf (with instrumentals that Tyler has been making since he was 15) will be launched in 2012.

 

 

Tom Jones: hospitalized and canceled Monaco concert.

Tom Jones, the charismatic veteran singer,  has been forced to cancel a concert in Monaco due to a “severe dehydration”.

 

The “Sex Bomb” singer, who is now recovering at Princess Grace Hospital in Monaco, denied that a heart attack played a role in the cancellation of the Saturday, August 27 concert, as British media reported.

Tom Jones, 71, apologized to his fans on his website:

“There are NO heart problems, as has been reported in the press,” the singer’s website stated.

Tom Jones, who burst to international fame in 1964 with “It’s Not Unusual” and other hits, blamed his illness on 3-month successful  “Praise & Blame” tour, “where many of the shows were in locations that were in the throes of high summer heat”.  Monaco show was supposed to be the finale of his long tour.

Tom Jones, the charismatic veteran singer, has been forced to cancel a concert in Monaco due to a "severe dehydration"
Tom Jones, the charismatic veteran singer, has been forced to cancel a concert in Monaco due to a "severe dehydration"

“Sir Tom was ordered by doctors not to perform in Monte Carlo yesterday evening due to severe dehydration,” the statement continued.

“This was extremely disappointing for Tom, the band and all connected with the tour.”

Sources said that Tom Jones was admitted to intensive care on Saturday but he was moved to a regular room the next day because “was doing well”.

[youtube DT8XiZWg3bY]

Sir Thomas John Woodward, known to the public by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer, particularly noted for his powerful voice. Since the mid 1960s, Tom Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records.

Tom Jones, whose charisma onstage earned some comparisons to his idol, Elvis Presley, made his singing debut at three.

In 1967, Tom Jones performed for the first time in Las Vegas at the Flamingo. His charismatic performances and style of dress (increasingly featuring his open half unbuttoned shirts and tight trousers) became part of his stage act. Women would swoon and scream, and some would throw their knickers on stage. Soon after he began to play Las Vegas, he chose to record less, instead concentrating on his lucrative club performances. At Caesars Palace, his shows were traditionally a knicker-hurling frenzy of raw sexual tension and good-time entertainment. It was there that women started throwing hotel room keys on stage.

Tom Jones and his idol Elvis Presley met in 1965 at the Paramount film stage, when Elvis was filming Paradise, Hawaiian Style. Afterward, they became good friends, spending more and more time together in Las Vegas and even duetting until the early hours at Presley’s private Las Vegas suite. Their friendship endured until Elvis Presley’s death in 1977.

[youtube 6gDoKaYdIjs]

Tom Jones held onto his sexy image for decades, only recently agreeing to perform and be photographed without touching up the gray in his hair and beard.

However, Tom Jones still plans for this year a short tour of central and Eastern Europe starting in November.

Burning Man 2011: Rites of Passage

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

 

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

 

Burning Man Webcasts

Watch Burning Man Live!

Burning Man 2011, the week-long festival of free spirits, starts on August 29 and ends on September 5.

 

This annual event is held in the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada (on an ancient lakebed, known as the playa). On Saturday evening a large wooden effigy is burnt and this is the ritual from which the name of the festival came.

This year tickets sold out before the event (on July 24) for the first time in the festival history and 50,000 of attendees are expected.

 

Burning Man is about community and self-expression.
Burning Man is about community, self-expression and self-reliance.

 

Lots of artists will perform at the sound camps of the Burning Man.

 

Bass Camp, artists performing live: Sunrise, Lucent Dossier Experience, Eoto, Zebbler Encanti Experience,  The Mutator

Black Rock Syndicate (on Saturday banging music for banging people): Miss Genesis, Erik Lobe, Jeremy Espinosa, Plaza De Funk,

Dancetronauts: Dj Dan, Lowriderz, Neurodriver, Dutch Star, Drew Drop, Brian Peek, J.B. Vries, Dex Stakke

Disco Knights: Immy B, Bo, Chris Smith, M3, Anthony Mansfield

Fractal Nation Village: Desert Dwellers, Kalya Scintella, Kaminanda, Hopscotch, Auditory Canvas

Disorient: Doctor D, The Bass, Coyotee, Saadhu, Loomer

Distrikt: Erik Lobe, Music Savages, Worthy, M.A.N.D.Y., Lee Coombs

Mountain Mayhem: Cosmic Accident, Stephan Jacobs, ChrisB, Gladkill, Tom Cosm, Gold Rush, Robotic Pirate Monkey

Music Savages: Charlie Haskins, Justin Rickles, Skitch, Psyrus, Music Savages (before the Burn)

Opulent Temple: M.A.N.D.Y., D. Ramirez, Infected Mushroom (live), Hallucinogen (live), Shpongle (sunrise set), Donald Glaude

Osiris: Jelo, Vitamin Devo, Mira, Travis T, Peo de Pitte, Motorhome, Love and Light

Nexus: M.A.N.D.Y., Magda, Jamie Jones, Seth Troxler, Damian Lazarus, Treavor Moontribe

Robot Heart: D. Ramirez, Damian Lazarus, Deniz Kurtel, Lee Burridge, Erica Rhone, Destructo, Magda, Soul Clap

 

Burning Man began as a bonfire ritual on the summer solstice.

 

Now the project is focused on community, artwork (mutant vehicle), absurdity, decommodification and revelry.

Bicycles and tricycles are very popular, especially mountain bikes.

Burning Man has ten principles: radical inclusion, gifting, decommodification, radical self-reliance, radical self-expression, communal effort, civic responsibility, leaving no trace (ecologically), participation, immediacy.

The impact of this event has been so profound that a culture has formed around it. Burning Man has over two thousand volunteers who work before, during and after the festival.

 

[youtube qBdtqb8fVe0]

 

 

Turkey murders story. Shannon Graham’s first interview.

Izmir murders updates. Shannon Graham at mother’s funeral.

 

The family of Marian Graham, the mother of five murdered in Turkey, near Izmir, have spoken for the first time of their “absolute devastation”.

Marian Graham, 52, was found stabbed to death on August 18 alongside her best friend Cathy Dinsmore in a remote wooded area close to the city of Izmir, near Kusadasi in Turkey.

Marian Graham 15-year-old daughter Shannon, whose boyfriend, Recep Cetin, has been arrested for the brutal double murder, has revealed that the Turkish youth had NEVER asked her to marry him.

Shannon Graham revelation explodes claims that Cetin murdered the women after Marian refused to allow him to marry Shannon. In her eyewitness account of the events of the fateful night, Shannon details how Recep Cetin – known as Alex – cynically tried to cover his tracks with an extraordinary claim he had been kidnapped by the Turkish Mafia.

Marian Graham and her daughter Shannon.
Marian Graham and her daughter Shannon.

 

With the approval of her elder siblings, Shannon explained in detail what happened on the day of the double murder.

Alex, who worked in a Kusadasi restaurant called Victoria, was sharing an apartment that Marian, Shannon and Cathy had been staying in since July 16.

On Thursday, August 18, Alex had organized for Shannon to go on a boat trip with a friend.

“The boat trip was for 9 o’clock,” said Shannon.

“But Alex and I woke at 7.30 because he had to be in work for 8 a.m. I went in to Mum to get her to tie my bikini. We left and I went down to Alex’s restaurant to wait for my friend. Alex was cleaning the restaurant and when 9 o’clock came, Alex and I started making our way over to the boat. That’s where I met my friend Sandy. Me, Sandy and Alex went up onto the top of the boat. He stayed with us for about 30 minutes and we took pictures and stuff like that. He told me to ring him during the day to let him know how I was getting on. There were no signs that day, nothing unusual. It was all normal.”

Later, while enjoying her boat trip, Shannon decided to call Alex.

“I first rang him at 12 o’clock but his phone was off,” she said.

“I thought his battery was dead. I rang him again at 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. but it was still off. The trip finished at 4.30 and we went back to Alex’s restaurant, round the corner. I thought Alex would have finished his break by then. I asked his boss where he was and he said he wasn’t back from his break. So we waited.”

At 5 p.m., when Alex still failed to show up, Shannon left and went to another restaurant with her friend.

“Then Alex rang me,” Shannon said.

“He was panicking on the phone. He said, <<Come home now – there’s a problem>>.

“I said, <<What’s the matter?>> and he said, <<I’ll tell when you come home>>. Then he rang again and said, <<Where are you?>> and I said, <<I’m waiting for the bus. Why, what’s the problem?>>. He said, <<Me, mum and Cathy’s been kidnapped but I got away>>. Just as he said that, the bus came. When we got to our house, I saw Alex lying outside in the garden. His hand was all bloody. He was shaking. I asked him to explain.”

“He said, <<Me, mum and Cathy were walking to the supermarket and a big car, like a jeep, stopped and these three big Mafia men came out.>>

“I asked him what they looked like and he said they had long hair and moustaches. He said they first took Cathy and that Cathy was in the car pulling her hair and screaming but mum kept grabbing onto Alex so they wouldn’t take her. Alex kept grabbing onto mum and that’s when the kidnappers sliced his hand.”

Recep Cetin told Shannon he woke up in a “ditch” close to where it happened. He claimed he was making his way back to the house when a taxi driver saw him and took him home.

“All the neighbours were there at that stage,” said Shannon.

“I took Alex into the house because he wanted to change out of his clothes. He said he didn’t own them and I had never seen them before. He said the kidnappers changed him into them. We went up to the bedroom and I put his own clothes on him. Then I put the clothes the kidnappers put on him into a bag and I took them downstairs for the police.”

Both Shannon Graham and Recep Cetin (Alex) were taken to the hospital and later to the police station.

“That was the last time I saw him,” Shannon said. She still had no idea that her mother and friend were dead.

“The next day, Friday, me, Alex’s dad and the taxi driver got into a police car. We first went to the hospital but then we went to Izmir. A translator asked me what happened and I told him. After that, we went to the court house and a girl from the Irish embassy told me that mum and Cathy had been found in a forest. She told me that they had been killed. I was so shocked. I was crying. I couldn’t believe it. I was trying to ring my brothers and sisters because I didn’t think they knew.”

Shannon Graham and Recep Cetin who has been charged for Shannon's mother stabbing
Shannon Graham and Recep Cetin who has been charged for Shannon's mother stabbing

Along with Shannon’s father, Raymond McGuinness, from whom Marian separated 10 years ago, her brother David flew to Kusadasi to bring his little sister home.

Shannon Graham and her mother had been going to Turkey for the past eight years, with Cathy Dinsmore joining them for the last three.

Every summer, Shannon, Marian and Cathy excitedly booked their flights for Turkey.

“We stayed there all summer,” said Shannon. “It was something I looked forward to. Cathy did too. When we first went, we stayed in a little apartment beside Ladies’ Beach, then sometimes we stayed in the town but this year, we just rented. We were all well known in Turkey. Mum knew everyone and everyone got on with her. We used to go on trips, go to the shops and off to the swimming pool. We made friends and it was like home from home. I had a second life out there.”

It was during one such holiday that Shannon Graham met Recep Cetin, who would later become her first real boyfriend. But contrary to press reports, she had not been sharing an apartment with him since she was 12.

“I started going out with him more than a year ago,” she said.

“But I first met him four years ago. Mummy knew him for the same length of time. I wanted to go out with him two years ago but Mummy wouldn’t let me because I was too young. She said okay last year so we started going out.”

According to Shannon and her sisters, Marian Graham “trusted” her daughter’s boyfriend.

‘”he was with him a lot of the time,” said Shannon.

“We always went into his family’s restaurant where he worked. Alex and my mummy got on great. He called her Mum. He used to kiss her on the cheek and say, “Goodnight, Mum.”

Shannon Graham insisted reports last week suggesting that Alex had been violent towards her were “totally untrue”. “We argued, like most couples but he never hit me,” she said.

“My mum wouldn’t have let me stay with him if he did. One day we were in the living room and Alex and I were upstairs. Mum thought I was crying but really I was laughing. She was downstairs with Sandy and Sandy said she never saw her jump off the sofa as quick because she thought something was wrong.”

More significantly, the Shannon Graham dismissed claims that Recep Cetin (Alex) had asked to marry her and that her mum had refused.

“That’s why I would just love to know why he did it,” said Shannon

“The marriage part isn’t true. The first thing I heard of that was in the papers. He didn’t ask me to marry him and to my knowledge he didn’t ask my mother either.

“I was wearing Mummy’s ring on my engagement finger when I came home but that has nothing to do with him. He didn’t ask me to marry him.”

On the day of the murders, Marian, Shannon and Cathy had planned to book their tickets home after Shannon returned from the boat trip. They were due to return to Newry this week.

“Mum was supposed to have dinner ready for me when I got back,” said Shannon.

“She wasn’t going anywhere that day. Alex must have planned the shopping trip when he left me. She was sick that morning – she had an upset stomach and would have said if she was going out. Alex just planned that at the last minute. He probably just said, <<Shannon’s away, we’ll do something instead of sitting around the house>>. The last thing she said when I was going out that morning was, <<Give me a kiss and take care>>. She was so affectionate. She loved you to cuddle her a lot.”

For Shannon Graham, who plans to return to school next week, the loss of her mother was difficult to articulate.

“I was always with my mum,” she said. “We went everywhere together. In Turkey, during the day we went to the beach or the pool and at night we went to restaurants – that was our wee routine. I was the baby so I was spoiled but Mummy was strict in some ways. I knew not to cross her but she would have done anything for me. She would have spent her last £20 on me.”

Shannon continued to tell the story:

“I wanted to speak to Alex but the police wouldn’t let me, she said.

“The only thing I wanted to know was why he did it, because I don’t know why he did what he did. When I heard what he did, I couldn’t believe it. He never asked me to marry him so why did he do it? What was going through his mind? Did he ever think twice about what he was actually doing? Did he ever think to stop? And why did he lie to my face about what happened?”

When asked if she ever go back to Turkey, Shannon Graham said:

“I have been going to Turkey for nine years and have good memories there with Mummy.”

“There was a place in town Mum loved. She would sit at the summer seat by the water for hours and hours… I would nag her and try and get her to leave. My memory of her sitting there is a happy one. That’s what I think of when I think of her… happy in Turkey.”

Sogelau Tuvalu, the sprinter who trailed 40 m behind in a 100 m race.

American Samoa, the tiny nation, is better known for producing football and wrestling stars, but never gave any winning sprinter.

That didn’t stop Sogelau Tuvalu, 17, competing in one of the 100 m races at the IAAF (International Association of  Athletics Federations) World Championships in Athletics in Daegu, South Korea.

 

Sogelau Tuvalu, the American Samoan sprinter was twice the size of the other six competitors and was the only athlete not wearing spikes on his shoes, risking a false start.

But despite setting off perfectly, Sogelau Tuvalu immediately trailed behind the competitors by a distance of about 40 m at one point.

Sogelau Tuvalu was twice the size of the other six competitors and was the only athlete not wearing spikes on his shoes
Sogelau Tuvalu was twice the size of the other six competitors and was the only athlete not wearing spikes on his shoes

The American Samoan sprinter finished last with a time of 15.66 seconds, being 6 seconds slower than winner Mohammad Noor Imran A Hadi from Malaysia.

Wagering websites had listed Sogelau Tuvalu’s odds of winning at 50,000-to-1.

Sogelau Tuvalu’s time is the second slowest in the history of the championships.

Despite setting off perfectly, Sogelau Tuvalu immediately trailed behind the competitors by a distance of about 40 m at one point
Despite setting off perfectly, Sogelau Tuvalu immediately trailed behind the competitors by a distance of about 40 m at one point

2003 World champion, Kim Collins, from the Carribean nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, failed to qualify for the event in Athens in 1997 with his time of 21.73.

Sogelau Tuvalu is the latest in a line of athletes from American Samoa, which has a population of 67,000, who failed to qualify for the shot put.

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Athletes from tiny countries are not required to meet the qualifying standards for track events.

In an interview with French television, Sogelau Tuvalu said he trained 4 hours a day for one month leading up to the meet.

The sprinter achieved his personal best and was upbeat about his efforts.

A reporter asked him: “Did you believe that one day you could race in a world championship?”

Sogelau Tuvalu replied: “I believed in myself. This is a dream come true.”

[youtube 8nwNioLRkrA]

At the 2001 championships in Canada, spectators did a double take when Trevor Misipeka – who weighed about 135 kg – took to the track.

He was nicknamed Trevor the Tortoise after finishing last in his heat with a time of 14.28 seconds.

Trevor Misipeka, 32, plays now in the Arena Football League for the Quad City Steamwheelers in Moline, Illinois.

In 2009, in Berlin, 100 kg weight Savannah Sanitoa, then 22, found herself in a similar situation.

She crossed the finish line at 14.23 seconds, losing her heat by nearly 3 seconds.

But Savannah Sanitoa still managed to escape being the slowest in the 100 m on the day. That honour went to Tioiti Katutu from Kiribati, another nation of the Pacific, who clocked 14.38 seconds.

VMA 2011: tribute to Amy Winehouse.

Pregnant Beyoncé at the MTV Video Music Awards.

 

Amy Winehouse: toxicology results showed no illegal drugs in her body.

 

Tyler, the Creator won “Best New Artist” at VMA 2011

 

MTV Video Music Awards 2011: Adele, biggest winner

 

The 28th Annual MTV Video Music Awards (VMA 2011), held in Los Angeles at the Nokia Theatre on Sunday August 28, will pay tribute to Amy Winehouse, who died one month ago.

 

Amy Winehouse never appeared on the MTV Video Music Awards during her short but celebrated career, but it was announced as news of a tribute to Amy on this Sunday at MTV VMA 2011.

Amy Winehouse has hit another milestone following her tragic death as second album, Back to Black, has become the best-selling album of the 21st century in UK.

Britain’s Official Chart Company announced the further success of her Grammy-award winning album, which includes the singles “Rehab” and “Love Is a Losing Game”, and said it had overtaken James Blunt’s 2005 debut album, “Back to Bedlam”, to claim the crown.

Tony Bennett, who spent time recording with Amy in March this year, will lead the tribute to Amy Winehouse and introduce never-seen-before footage of their time together at London’s famous Abbey Road Studios.

Amy Winehouse last known recording session was with the 85-year-old crooner. The duo recorded Body and Soul for Bennett’s upcoming album, Duets II, which is released on September 20.

There are also rumors that Amy Winehouse’s parents might attend the show, but MTV’s officials could not confirm their appearance.

Singer Tony Bennett said: “It was a thrill to record with Amy Winehouse.”

 “And when you listen to the recording of Body and Soul, it is a testament to her artistic genius and her brilliance as one of the most honest musicians I have ever known.”

VMA 2011 will pay tribute to Amy Winehouse, who has hit another milestone following her tragic death, as second album "Back to Black" has become the best-selling album of the 21st century in UK
VMA 2011 will pay tribute to Amy Winehouse, who has hit another milestone following her tragic death, as second album "Back to Black" has become the best-selling album of the 21st century in UK

 

The tribute to Amy Winehouse at VMA 2011 will likely be the rare moment of reverence in a show that is calculated to be as irreverent as possible.

This year, the current queen of sexy daffiness, Katy Perry, is poised to be the belle of MTV’s annual ball: She’s up for a leading 10 moonman trophies, including video of the year for her inspirational “Firework”.

 

Another star set to be celebrated at VMA 2011 is pop star, Britney Spears.

At the age of 29, it is rather unusual for the singer to be presented with a special tribute award, but her fellow pop stars obviously disagree.

Madonna, Britney Spears’ friend will present the award, as Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj and Janet Jackson, will combine their talents to perform a spectacular musical tribute.

Britney Spears will also take to the stage herself to perform recent hits, “Hold It Against Me” and “I Wanna Go”.

It has been reported that the tribute, which is normally given to artists of an older age and longer career, has been arranged to ensure that Britney actually turns up to the event.

An insider speaking to RadarOnline.com said: “Britney’s young to receive an award like this, but the producers know that it will force Britney to come to the show.”

Other talent that has been added to the star-studded line up include Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Lil Wayne, Pitbull, Bruno Mars, Chris Brown, whose star continues to brighten two years after it was tarnished by his attack on Rihanna, and soulful singer, Adele.

Adele is also a top nominee, being the year’s best-selling artist so far with her album “21”. She is nominated for seven awards for “Rolling in the Deep”.

Adele is also a top nominee at VMA 2011
Adele is also a top nominee at VMA 2011

Kanye West also has seven nominations. He is not expected to perform at the VMA 2011.

VMA 2011 show is being held at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles and broadcast live on MTV from 9 to 11 p.m.

MTV President Stephen Friedman said some VMA 2011 performers from the East Coast arrived in Los Angeles early to avoid the storm and resulting airport disruptions. But he was hopeful viewer disruption would be minimal.

“Our hope is our audience is cuddled up with their family and friends and don’t want to be outside and want to watch the best night in music,” he said.

Goethe voted greatest German of all time before his birthday anniversary

On August 27, AFP announced that Goethe had been voted the greatest

German of all time in a poll of 2,000 people.

 

The survey was conducted by the Forsa institute for the daily Bild newspaper.

Konrad Adenauer, West Germany’s first chancellor after World War II (1949-1963) was the second choice of the readers, while Albert Einstein was the third.

There were only two living personalities who received votes: Helmut Kohl, longest-serving leader (1982-1998), in fifth place and Helmut Schmidt, Social Democrat leader (1974-1982), in seventh.

 

Goethe and Schiller monument in Weimar, Germany
Goethe and Schiller monument in Weimar, Germany

 

August 28 marks Goethe‘s 262th birthday anniversary.

 

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) is best-known for his epistolary novel The Sorrows of Young Werther and his long poem Faust, but he was a polymath, or Homo Universalis (universal man), as he tried and succeeded to cover a lot of fields of culture (philosophy, literature, science).

The Sorrows of Young Werther (1774) was somehow autobiographic novel and belongs to the Sturm und Drang (storm and urge) period in German literature. The novel started Werther-Fieber (Werther Fever) with young men adopting Werther’s dressing style and led to some copycat suicides.

Goethe in someway regretted he had written this novel because he had exposed his youthful love. The Sorrows of Young Werther became almost the only work for which Goethe was known.

Goethe came up with hundreds ideas that later became widespread. He created poetry, essays, criticism, a theory of colours and early work on evolution and linguistics. There is even a mineral goethite (iron oxide), named after him, because of his studies of mineralogy.

His philosophic writings stimulated philosophers, such as Hegel, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Jung. Goethe’s poetry inspired Austrian and German composer like Mozart, Mahler, Beethoven. He also influenced French drama and opera.

Fantasia (1940 Disney film) was based on the story from Goethe’s poem Der Zauberlehrling (1797), which is translated The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Mickey Mouse plays the apprentice. The movie was so popular that Fantasia 2000, a 1999 sequel, followed.

 

Goethe and Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller were leading personalities of Weimar Classicism.

 

Iggy Pop at Peninsula/Félsziget Festival 2011 in Romania.

Sziget Festival 2011 Hungary.

 

The Prodigy at Sziget Festival 2011. Festival latest news.

 

Iggy Pop, one of the greatest rock legends and veteran of punk style performed Saturday, August 27 on Tuborg Main Stage at Peninsula Festival 2011 in Targu Mures, Romania.

 

Iggy Pop came for the first time to the Romania’s largest music festival with his band – the Stooges, founded in 1986 – bringing songs from the great inspiration 1972 album and many others that have influenced generations of artists and excited millions of fans.

Thousands of “peninsulars” gathered in front of the main stage, willing to listen live hits as “Real Wild Child”, “Candy,” “China Girl” or “The Passenger”, which have delighted millions of fans over the years.

Iggy Pop on Tuborg Main stage at Peninsula Festival 2011 in Targu Mures, Romania, August 27. (photo City News)
Iggy Pop on Tuborg Main stage at Peninsula Festival 2011 in Targu Mures, Romania, August 27. (photo City News)

 

Peninsula Festival 2011, also known as Tuborg Green Fest Peninsula, which took place in Transylvania, Romania, near the banks of the river Mures between August 25 and August 28 had other big names in the lineup. Guano Apes, Kasabian, NOHA, Within Temptation are part of the group of artists who entertained the mix crowd during the four days of the event.

“Tuborg Green Fest Peninsula is Romania`s largest festival. The unique blend of international stars, local flavors, a beach and non-stop fun makes it the ultimate festival experience, but its greatest asset is and always have been the festivalgoers, because they are the ones that make this event an island of freedom, fun and friendships,” the organizers described the event.

In the past years Peninsula Festival, now at its 9th edition, has brought to Romania international acts like Nine Inch Nails, The Prodigy, Korn, Tiesto, Tricky, Ska-P, Apocalyptica, Nero and The Rasmus, just to name a few.

Iggy Pop performing "Real Wild Child" at Peninsula Festival 2011 in Targu Mures, Romania. (photo City News)
Iggy Pop performing "Real Wild Child" at Peninsula Festival 2011 in Targu Mures, Romania. (photo City News)

“After having 63,000 visitors in 2010, Peninsula is back in 2011 with a fabulous line-up on four stages. Between August the 25th-28th, Iggy and the Stooges, Kasabian, Guano Apes, Within Temptation, Hammerfall, Gentleman, Danko Jones, Dub FX, K`s Choice, Markus Schulz, Tiga, Nick Warren, Chase & Status and MC Rage, Andy C, Foreign Beggars, Borgore and dozens of Romanian and Hungarian acts are waiting for you in the beautiful city of Tirgu Mures for four days of wild concerts and crazy parties at the riverbank of Mures…

And we didn`t even mention the beautiful girls and handsome boys coming for the biggest party of Transylvania… You better check it out for yourself!” organizers added.

Peninsula Festival 2011 lines-up:

Thursday, August 25:

Guano Apes, Tankcsapda, Foreign Beggars, K’s Choice, Zdob si Zdub, Palotai vs. DJ Vasile, Parno Graszt, R.O.A., Magashegyi Underground, Urma, Stereo Palma, Recycle Bin, Katapult, Kid Chriss, Gojira

Friday, August 26:

Kasabian, Danko Jones, Markus Schulz, Andy C, N.O.H.A, Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano, Belga, Intim Torna Illegál, Tündérground, Grimus, Reality Engine, Les Elephants Bizarres, The MOOoD, Fading Circles, Dj Fülöp & Lobenwein

Saturday, August 27:

Iggy & the Stooges, Chase & Status and MC Rage, Nick Warren, Subscribe, Ska Cubano, Şuie Paparude, Moby Dick, Anima Sound System, Vad Fruttik, Alvin és a Mókusok, Luna Amară, Horace Dan D, Goranga&Missile, AIM, Sterbinszky

Sunday, August 28:

Within Temptation, Hammerfall, Gentleman and the Evolution, Dub FX, Tiga, Borgore, Pokolgép, Ganxsta Zolee és a Kartel, Compact, Vunk, Guess Who, Mihai Popoviciu, Toulouse Lautrec

Peninsula (in Romanian) / Félsziget (in Hungarian) is an eclectic festival, with stages for different musical styles: rock, metal, pop, electro, world music, folk, hip-hop, blues and jazz. Today, the festival gathers yearly some 10 to 15 great bands and some 40 to 70 bands coming from most of the Central and Eastern European countries as well, bands which are more or less known outside their countries’ borders.

Besides, the festival features a number of other activities: about 30 sports (football, table tennis, badminton, beachvolley, chess, sumo, paintball, archery, zip-line, kayaking, swimming etc.) including some extreme sport facilities (bungee jumping, climbing etc.), movie projections in partnership with the Transilvania International Film Festival, theatre shows, stand-up comedy shows, graffiti contests and other creative activities, ecological workshops, volunteering workshops and training etc.

All these make Peninsula/Félsziget one of Romania’s largest music festivals.

The first edition of the festival goes back to 2003. Organized by some members of the team of Sziget Festival, Peninsula or Félsziget has grown steadely in terms of audience (from 20,000 in 2003 to 63,000 in 2010) as in the number, the variety and the quality of the bands: at the first edition there were only Hungarian and Romanian bands, while today there are bands from all over the world.

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Hurricane names: how and why scientists named hurricanes?

Hurricane Irene: 10 deaths and millions of power outages.

 

A hurricane name can’t tell you about the storm’s power, although September’s hurricanes have a record of being strongest, but its name can tell you how many have already been in the season.

 

 

With a huge quantity of information from storm-tracking stations, scientists need a short, easy to understand naming convention for hurricanes in order to process them as quickly as possible.

Before 1950, hurricanes didn’t have names.

In the past, the most memorable hurricanes were simply described, such as the “1935 Labor Day hurricane” and the “1821 Norfolk and Long Island hurricane.”

A hurricane name can't tell you about the storm's power, although September's hurricanes have a record of being strongest, but its name can tell you how many have already been in the season.
A hurricane name can't tell you about the storm's power, although September's hurricanes have a record of being strongest, but its name can tell you how many have already been in the season.

 

Since 1950, hurricanes began getting names, but the same names were repeated each year until 1953, which became confusing.

From 1953 until 1979, it was customary to use only female names, supposedly after girlfriends and wives of Army and Navy meteorologists.

The current system began in 1979, and runs alphabetically through male and female names starting with a name beginning with the letter A, such as Arlene for this year.

Every year the names are different from the last until the six-year cycle restarts.

In 2011, the following names have been allocated:

Arlene, Bret, Cindy, Don, Emily, Franklin, Gert, Harvey, Irene, Jose, Katia, Lee, Maria, Nate, Ophelia, Philippe, Rina, Sean, Tammy, Vince, Whitney.

In 2012 the names will begin with Alberto, Beryl, Chris, and so on.

The last time Irene name was used was in 2005, the same year Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast.

Like 74 other Atlantic hurricanes, Katrina’s name has been permanently retired to reduce confusion and show respect for those who lost their lives in the hurricane.

All hurricanes that result in extraordinary loss of life have their names retired, and are replaced by another name beginning with the same letter. The name Katrina was replaced with Katia, which will be the name assigned to the 11th hurricane in the 2011 season.

Irene 2005 never hit ashore and only reached Category 2, according to Saffir/Simpson Hurricane scale.

In 2011 Hurricane Irene is expected to reach Category 4 by the time it comes ashore.

 

Saffir/Simpson Hurricane Scale

CAT

Winds & Effects

Surge

1

74-95 mph 
(64-82 kt)

4-5 ft

 

No real damage to building structures. Damage primarily to unanchored mobile homes, shrubbery, and trees. Also, some coastal flooding and minor pier damage.

 

2

96-110 mph
(83-95 kt)

6-8 ft

 

Some roofing material, door, and window damage. Considerable damage to vegetation, mobile homes, etc. Flooding damages piers and small craft in unprotected moorings may break their moorings.

 

3

111-130 mph
(96-113 kt)

9-12 ft

 

Some structural damage to small residences and utility buildings, with a minor amount of curtainwall failures. Mobile homes are destroyed. Flooding near the coast destroys smaller structures with larger structures damaged by floating debris. Terrain may be flooded well inland.

 

4

131-155 mph
(114-135 kt)

13-18 ft

 

More extensive curtainwall failures with some complete roof structure failure on small residences. Major erosion of beach areas. Terrain may be flooded well inland.

 

5

155 mph+
(135+ kt)

18 ft +

 

Complete roof failure on many residences and industrial buildings. Some complete building failures with small utility buildings blown over or away. Flooding causes major damage to lower floors of all structures near the shoreline. Massive evacuation of residential areas may be required.

 

Hurricane Irene: 10 deaths and millions of power outages.

Hurricane Irene: death toll more than 15 and 6 million power outages.

 

Hurricane names: how and why scientists named hurricanes?

 

North Carolina: hurricane Irene hit Atlantic beach and killed one person.

 

New York: 370,000 residents get evacuation order ahead of Irene.

 

Hurricane Irene killed last night at least ten people, including two children, as the storm hit North Carolina and Virginia. More than 2 million people from South Carolina to Maryland were without power as the giant 580-mile-wide storm brought widespread flooding and high winds that knocked down power lines.

 

Meanwhile Irene’s power was downgraded to category 1, but as it approached New York, forecasts warned it would hit the city at or near hurricane strength.

According to the National Weather Service, conditions were ripe for tornadoes in the city, Long Island and southern Connecticut, as twisters were reported touching down in Delaware and Maryland.

In Maryland, officials warned of a potential dam failure late on Saturday, they warned “may cause significant flooding that could threaten people, homes and roads downstream from the St. Mary’s Lake Dam”.

Hurricane Irene path along East Coast
Hurricane Irene path along East Coast

 

St Mary’s County Government urged residents in the immediate downstream area to move family and pets upstairs or to a high place with a means of escape.

 

Deaths due to hurricane Irene included two children, an 11-year-old boy in Virginia, killed when a tree crashed through his roof and another child from North Carolina, who died in a crash at an intersection where traffic lights were out.

Another man in Onslow County, North Carolina, suffered a heart attack and died while boarding up his windows, according to the Charlotte Observer.

Hurricane Irene killed last night at least ten people, including two children, as the storm hit North Carolina and Virginia, and more than 2 million people from South Carolina to Maryland were without power
Hurricane Irene killed last night at least ten people, including two children, as the storm hit North Carolina and Virginia, and more than 2 million people from South Carolina to Maryland were without power

A man in Nash County was killed outside his house after he was struck by a tree limb picked up by the strong winds.

An identified man, who went to feed his animals outside his Nashville, North Carolina home, was killed by a tree or branch which fell on him.

In Florida, a surfer was killed when he was knocked off his board at New Smyrna Beach, where surfers had flocked to take advantage of 10-foot waves.

Other two people died in car accidents in North Carolina on Saturday night as a result of the hurricane.

Another man died in Chesterfield County, Virginia, after a tree fell on his home.

In Queenstown, Maryland, a woman died after a tree knocked a chimney through the roof of her home, crushing her.

Sandbags laid down in Manhattan which will be  used to control possible floods
Sandbags laid down in Manhattan which will be used to control possible floods

 

Tornadoes were reported touching down in Delaware and Maryland.

In Lewes, Delaware, Governor Jack Markell said at least 17 homes had been damaged by a twister. In total, up to 40 houses were damaged in the town because of the storm.

The National Weather Service reported a tornado touching down in Nassau Station, Delaware, and Maryland State Police said there was an apparent tornado on the lower Eastern Shore of the state.

Andrew Cuomo, the New York Governor raised the number of National Guard soldiers deployed to New York City to 1,900.

The soldiers, who have been mobilized from across the state, will assist with traffic control on bridges and tunnels, sandbagging operations at the World Trade Center site, evacuation shelter operations in New York, the construction of barriers for railway yards and train tunnels, and other hurricane emergency efforts.

Hurricane Irene came ashore near North Carolina’s Cape Lookout around 7:30am EDT, and then chugged up the coast on a north-northeast track.

Irene stirred up 7 feet waves, and forecasts warned of storm-surge danger on the coasts of Virginia and Delaware, along the Jersey Shore and in New York Harbor and Long Island Sound.

Biscuits and cakes increase womb cancer risk by 42%.

Snacking regularly on biscuits or cakes can significantly increase women’s chances of developing womb cancer, a British study shows.

 

Women who eat biscuits or cakes two to three times a week were 33% more likely to suffer womb cancer than those who rarely served such sweets.

Among those women indulging more than three times a week, the risk of developing womb tumors is increased with 42%.

However, their overall chances were still low as the odds of the average woman in the study developing uterus cancer during 18-plus years of the research were just over 1%.

The British researchers described the size of the effect as “modest” but said it warranted further investigation.

British cancer experts emphasized that it is too early to draw any firm conclusions.

Biscuits and cakes increase womb cancer risk by 42 percent
Biscuits and cakes increase womb cancer risk by 42 percent

The scientists from Stockholm’s Karolinska Institute explained the link between increased sugar levels and womb cancer.

The researchers studied data from thousands of women who, between 1987 and 1990, had answered dozens of questions on diet, lifestyle, weight and general health.

In 1997, those still alive answered an even more extensive battery of questions on their eating habits.

In 2008, the researchers matched up the women’s answers with their medical records, specifically looking for diagnosis of endometrial cancer – the most common form of womb cancer. They found 729 cases out of the 61,226 women studied.

There was little or no increase in risk from eating certain high-sugar items such as sweets, soft drinks, jam or marmalade.

But women who snacked frequently on cakes, buns or biscuits were up to 42% more likely to get uterus cancer than those who had them two times per month or less.

It is not clear why some sweets were linked to the womb cancer developing but others were not.

The study looked at how often volunteers ate such sweets but not specifically how much. However, those exceeding a total intake of more than 35 grams of sugar a day – equivalent to about seven teaspoons – faced a 36% increase in tumor risk.

The Swedish scientists from Stockholm’s Karolinska Institute said there are two mechanisms that high levels of sugar could raise the risk of the endometrial cancer. One is that increased quantity of sugar makes the body release more insulin, which has been shown to stimulate the growth of endometrial stromal cells, the lining of the womb

Another mechanism is that high levels of insulin may also increase levels of free estrogens through decreasing concentrations of circulating sex hormone–binding globulin, which has been shown to trigger the uncontrolled growth of cells, a key characteristic of cancer.

The Swedish study findings were published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

 

Yinka Ebo, senior health information manager at Cancer Research UK, said keeping a healthy weight and staying physically active were the best ways to reduce womb cancer risk.

She added: “This study shows eating lots of sugar and certain sugary foods may increase the risk of womb cancer, but we would need to see these results repeated in other large studies like this before we can draw any firm conclusions.”

Endometrial cancer affects around 6,400 women a year in the UK and kills an estimated 1,000 annually.

Risk goes up with age, weight and with having a mother who had the disease. However, having children appears to lower the risk.

North Carolina: hurricane Irene hit Atlantic beach and killed one person.

Hurricane Irene: 10 deaths and millions of power outages.

 

Hurricane names: how and why scientists named hurricanes?

 

New York: 370,000 residents get evacuation order ahead of Irene.

 

Hurricane Irene hit Atlantic beach of North Carolina and one man was killed outside his home this morning.

 

The man was hit by a tree limb that blew down while he was walking around his house this morning in a rural area of Nash County, where winds were roaring at more than 60 mph, county Emergency Management Director Brian Brantley told the Associated Press.

Hurricane Irene hit Atlantic Beach, Cape Fear and the Outer Banks of North Carolina with Category 1 winds and rain and made landfall in Nags Head, North Carolina.

Hurricane Irene hit Atlantic Beach, Cape Fear and the Outer Banks of North Carolina with Category 1 winds and rain and made landfall in Nags Head
Hurricane Irene hit Atlantic Beach, Cape Fear and the Outer Banks of North Carolina with Category 1 winds and rain and made landfall in Nags Head

The center of hurricane hit the coast of North Carolina near Cape Lookout with Category 1-force winds of 85 mph.

Hurricane warnings for the next 48 hours have been issued for North Carolina, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, coastal Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

Until now, eastern North Carolina has already seen three tornadoes in the past few days, and the majority of the state and areas of Maryland and Virginia are under tornado watches through Sunday.

Stacy town, on the coast of North Carolina, is seeing 93 mph wind gusts this morning.

The far end of the fishing pier in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina collapsed overnight.

The 100-foot long pier is still standing, but its end has disappeared into the ocean.

About 200,000 homes in North Carolina are experiencing power outages, according to Power Energy.

Winds up to 85 mph have ripped power lines from their poles, causing many of the shortages.

“Our crews are restoring service as quickly as possible, where it is safe to do so,” Power Energy tweeted.

The hardest hit areas were Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina.

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Ira Levin: interesting facts about his work

On Augus 27 is the 82th birthday anniversary of Ira Levin, mystery and suspense writer, dramatist and songwriter, awarded with The Grand Masters Award by the Mystery Writers of America in 2003.

 

Ira Levin‘s work generated a worldwide interest and inspired lots of famous movies. Rosemary’s Baby (the best known novel), A Kiss Before Dying (Edgar Allan Poe Award), The Boys from Brazil, The Stepford Wives, Sliver, Deathtrap (the best known play), This Perfect Day (Prometheus Hall of Fame Award) are among his writings.

 

Ira Levin became early attracted by mystery and writing.

 

When he was twelve Ira Levin was fascinated by the magicians of Tannen’s Magic Shop in Times Square and he learned about concealing reality behind illusion. He liked detective stories and had a collection of mystery books. Anagrams played major roles in Rosemarys’s Baby and Son of Rosemary. Ira Levin continued the tradition of  using the transposition of letters (Lon Chaney Jr. in Son of Dracula) and basics of cryptology (Poe in The Gold Bug).

Ira Levin said he had considered being a writer from the time he was fourteen or fifteen years old. “Before that I wanted to be a magazine illustrator – I probably would have painted Gothic scenes.”

He was accused thinking ahead to the movie script while writing. He denied saying he is a playwright at heart.

 

 

Ira Levin's "Stepford Wives" entered the common vocabulary
Ira Levin's "Stepford Wives" entered the common vocabulary

 

Ira Levin‘s first novel, A Kiss Before Dying (1953) won the Edgar Allan Poe Award from the Mystery Writers of America as the year’s best first mystery.

 

The Underground Gourmet published in 1954 was adapted for TV and appeared on G.E. Theater, hosted by Ronald Reagan.

Rosemary’s Baby (horror, 1967) was a best-seller (over 5 million paperback copies in the U.S.) and it was translated into lots of languages. It became a horror classic and a milestone. It was followed by books and movies about Satan (The Omen, The Exorcist and others). Ira Levin felt somehow responsible for the rise in Christian Fundamentalism, but “I didn’t send back any of the royalty checks,” he said.

Ira Levin read Future Shock (Alvin Toffler, 1970) and was fascinated by its references to domestic robots. The animated figures in the Hall of Presidents at Disneyland also enchanted him. In this way The Stepford Wives (satirical thriller, 1972) emerged. It tells about men’s desires. The way they found to fulfilled them was considered insulting by Women’s Lib Movement. The word Stepford entered the common vocabulary, with meanings from someone who allow his/her role in society to be dictated to someone resembling an automaton, someone conformist, submissive, or unemotional, mechanical.

This Perfect Day (heroic science fiction, 1970) was often compared with Brave New World (Aldous Huxley), and 1984 (George Orwell). Generally, Ira Levin just tells the story without making any judgements regarding the basic state of the human race, but in this novel he talks about absolute control over the human emotions and desires.

Ira Levin saw an article on cloning that included a picture of Adolf Hitler and that was the beginning of The Boys From Brazil (thriller, 1976).

Three of his mystery novels begin with similar facts: Rosemary Woodhouse is sure she would enjoy living at the Bramford (Rosemary’s Baby), Joanna Eberhart thinks she has found the perfect home (The Stepford Wives), Kay Norris is delighted to move into 1300 Madison Ave (Sliver, 1991).

The basic premise of Ira Levin’s Deathtrap (1978) is: How far will someone go to have a hit play? and it was a hit play, it ran for 1,792 consecutive performances.

“Ira Levin makes the fact that we’re going to die okay. That’s one of the things that horror novels in general do.” said Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk.

Ira Levin died from a heart attack on November 12, 2007.

 

Baggy pants clumsy beer-thief was arrested in Polk County, Florida.

Woman hunted by police for ATM stiletto heel attack.

 

A saggy-pants clumsy beer-thief, accused of stealing beer from a Polk County convenience store earlier this year, was arrested on Wednesday, August 24.

Juan Luis Gutierrez was charged with petty theft and booked into the Polk County Jail, Florida, after he was identified based on convenience store surveillance system recordings.

 

Juan Luis Gutierrez, 27, tripped on his baggy pants while trying to steal beer earlier this year.

Saggy pants clumsy beer-thief was arrested in Polk County, Florida.
Saggy pants clumsy beer-thief was arrested in Polk County, Florida.

Polk County police said Juan Luis Gutierrez from Lake Wales, tried to steal two 18-packs of Bud Light from the E-Z Food Store, 15 Acuff Road in Lake Wales, on April 27.

As thief Juan Luis Gutierrez ran toward the get-away car, he tripped on his baggy pants and fell, and dropped the beer.

The driver was later identified as Angel Miguel Ortiz, 22, who was arrested on August 18 and charged with one count of petty theft. He has since bonded out of jail.

Polk County police said saggy-pants Gutierrez admitted to the incident.

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Beatles Memorabilia auction: very rare signed record of Beatles hit on sale.

“George Harrison: Living In a Material World” Documentary. Did he have an affair with Madonna?

 

A very rare signed copy of the Beatles hit single Please Please Me is expected to make thousands of pounds at Beatles Memorabilia auction.

 

The seven-inch copy of Please Please Me is described as “very, very rare” and has an estimate of £7,000 to £8,000.

 

Beatles Memorabilia, the annual auction which takes place in the band’s home city of Liverpool, also includes a number of times belonging John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr as well as their manager Brian Epstein.

A very rare signed copy of the Beatles hit single Please Please Me is expected to make thousands of pounds at Beatles Memorabilia auction
A very rare signed copy of the Beatles hit single Please Please Me is expected to make thousands of pounds at Beatles Memorabilia auction

Other highlights of this year auction are 3 rarely seen photographs of Beatles taken at Newcastle City Hall and the Sunderland Empire as Beatlemania was sweeping the world in November 1963.

The pictures were taken by Keith Perry, a freelance photographer, and the negatives were forgotten for 48 years.

Each photo is being sold with full, worldwide copyright and they are expected to attract a frenzy of bid.

A cap belonging to John Lennon is also expected to attract huge interest and carries an estimate of up to £4,000.

 

Among the more unusual items up for sale is a compulsory purchase order issued for the famous Cavern Club before it was filled in with concrete in the early 1970s.

 

The order, dated November 17 1970, carries an estimate of up to £5,500.

Other Beatles Memorabilia collected from the Mathew Street venue include a piece of the stage, which could fetch £1,600 to £1,800.

A programme of the Cavern Club reopening, carried out by then prime minister Harold Wilson in July 1966, has a guide price of £80 to £120.

The auction is also inviting bids for a telegram addressed to “Mr. G Starkex” sent by comedy star Peter Sellers to Ringo Starr and first wife Maureen on August 21 1968.

The message is to let them know that the weather is holding up for Sellers’ visit to see them.

“The annual sale, part of the Beatles Convention in Liverpool, is attracting huge levels of interest,” the organizers said.

Stephen Bailey, manager of the Liverpool Beatles Shop which is staging the sale, said:

“The memorabilia has just kept coming in and there’s a lot of excitement building.

“We have several signed singles this year and they always attract a lot of interest from fans and collectors.

“But it’s always the more unusual items which capture the imagination of the buyers.”

There are a total of 322 lots being sold in the auction, which will take place today in the Paul McCartney Auditorium at Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts.

New York: 370,000 residents get evacuation order ahead of Irene.

Hurricane names: how and why scientists named hurricanes?

 

North Carolina: hurricane Irene hit Atlantic beach and killed one person.

 

New York City authorities issued an unprecedented order on Friday for the evacuation of about 370,000 residents of low-lying areas at the city’s edges ahead of hurricane Irene.

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New York residents will be evacuated from the expensive apartments in Battery Park City to the roller coaster in Coney Island to the dilapidated boardwalk in the Rockaways, as evacuation order warnings that Hurricane Irene was such a threat that people living there simply had to get out.

New York officials also announced plans to shut down the city’s entire transit system Saturday — all 468 subway stations and 840 miles of tracks, and the rest of the nation’s largest mass transit network: thousands of buses in the city, as well as the buses and commuter trains that reach from Midtown Manhattan to the suburbs.

President Barak Obama approved a request from Governor Andrew M. Cuomo of New York to declare a federal emergency in the state while the hurricane was still several hundred miles away.

“The hurricane, 290 miles of fury dancing angrily across the Atlantic Ocean toward the coast, was actually advancing more slowly than most late-summer storms,” the National Weather Service said.

New York City hurricane evacuation zones.
New York City hurricane evacuation zones.

 

[googlead tip=”patrat_mic” aliniat=”dreapta”]Friday night Weather Service forecast said rain associated with the storm would begin in Manhattan after 11 a.m. Saturday with conditions worsening into Sunday.

“You only have to look at the weather maps to understand how big this storm is and how unique it is,” New York mayor Michael Bloomberg said at a news conference on Friday at City Hall.

The increasingly ominous announcements from officials — and the wall-to-wall coverage — sent New Yorkers hurrying to buy staples like canned food and candles.

Shoppers in places found that the shelves had been cleaned out. In shore towns in New Jersey and on Long Island, touristss waited in lines at gas stations and watched as bulldozers built berms on low-lying beach roads.

The announcement about the transit shutdown and the evacuation of what the city called Zone A low-lying areas prompted a cascade of cancellations for Saturday and Sunday: Broadway shows, the Mets’ games against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field, the performances by the Dave Matthews Band on Governors Island and the outdoor showing of opera movies at Lincoln Center, among others. Even the New York Aquarium and the Bronx, Central Park and Prospect Park Zoos closed for the weekend.

[googlead tip=”lista_mare” aliniat=”stanga”]Starting at noon Saturday, all three major airports in the New York region will be closed to arriving flights.

 They will remain open for departures, pending changes in the weather, but most of those scheduled departures have already been canceled, according to Steve Coleman, a Port Authority spokesman.

Authorities announced the subway shutdown was prompted mainly by wind estimates that suggested the hurricane could rock subway cars in places where they run above ground. The commuter rail lines that serve Long Island, Westchester County and Connecticut will also be shut down, as will New Jersey Transit operations. New Jersey Transit will suspend train service at noon Saturday and will stop bus service six hours later.

New York mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that 91 evacuation centers and shelters opened on Friday for people who could not stay in their homes. The Nassau County executive, Edward P. Mangano, said 20 shelters would be open by the time the storm hit.

Consolidated Edison warned that it would have to cut off power to some customers if underground pipes and cables became submerged in water. To be ready for repairs, Consolidated Edison said it was bringing in 800 additional workers from as far away as Texas.

Mayor Bloomberg said no one would be fined for violating the city’s evacuation orders. “Nobody’s going to go to jail,” he said, but he warned that the storm’s consequences could be fatal.

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Woman hunted by police for ATM stiletto heel attack.

Baggy pants clumsy beer-thief was arrested in Polk County, Florida.

 

[googlead tip=”patrat_mare”]Wiltshire police are hunting for a woman who was caught on CCTV smashing up an ATM with her stiletto heel shoe.

 

A blonde woman was caught on CCTV repeatedly hitting the cash machine with her stiletto heel shoe in Chippenham, Wiltshire, South West England, late in the night.

Apparently, cash machine was malfunctioning and woman decided to solve the problem by hitting ATM almost 50 times with her high heel shoe.

Machine’s keypad and the screen were damaged in the stiletto attack which left it out of order.

 

Blonde woman hitting ATM almost 50 times with her high heel shoe
Blonde woman hitting ATM almost 50 times with her high heel shoe
Machine’s keypad and the screen were damaged in the stiletto attack which left it out of order
Machine’s keypad and the screen were damaged in the stiletto attack which left it out of order

[googlead tip=”lista_medie” aliniat=”stanga”]Police, who described the incident as “senseless and inane” are searching for the woman who has blonde hair and was wearing a white top.

The blonde woman had been standing at the machine for several minutes before she started to hit it with her high heel shoe.

It was unclear exactly what had happened to trigger the shoe attack.

Detective Constable Richard Gardner said:

“This was a completely senseless and inane act which caused sufficient damage to make the machine unusable for other customers.

I would like to hear from anyone who recognizes the woman shown in the CCTV or who has any information in relation to this incident.”

The high heel shoe attack happened on July 2.[googlead tip=”patrat_mare”]

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Izmir murders updates. Shannon Graham at mother’s funeral.

Turkey murders story. Shannon Graham’s first interview.

 

Two women from Northern Ireland murdered near Izmir, Turkey.

 

Izmir murders. Turkish waiter, Recep Cetin appears in court.

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Turkey murders latest news. Recep Cetin charged with stabbing to death his girlfriend’s mother.

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Izmir murders latest updates.

 

Shannon Graham, the 15-year-old girl, whose Turkish boyfriend is the prime suspect in her mother’s murder, attended Marion Graham’s funeral service in Northern Ireland this morning.

 

Marion Graham and her best friend Kathy Dinsmore, both 53, were stabbed to death in a forest near city of Izmir, 75 miles north of the Turkish holiday resort of Kusadasi last Thursday.

Marion Graham’s funeral service took place this morning at St Mary’s Chapel in Newry, County Down, Northern Ireland.

Sad Shannon Graham, victim’s daughter, worn a ring on the third finger of her left hand, but it was unclear whether is an engagement ring.

Turkish waiter, Shannon Graham‘s boyfriend Recep Cetin, originally thought to be 17, but who may be older, is the main suspect in the Izmir double murder.

Shannon Graham (center) attended mother's funeral service in Northern Ireland this morning
Shannon Graham (center) attended mother's funeral service in Northern Ireland this morning

 

[googlead tip=”lista_medie” aliniat=”stanga”]Recep Cetin allegedly killed the women after being refused permission to marry Shannon Graham.

 

There were hundreds attending the Marion Graham’s funeral service at St Mary’s Chapel in Newry. Marion Graham funeral service was timed to allow mourners to travel to Kathy Dinsmore’s funeral in the nearby town of Warrenpoint.

Sad Shannon Graham attending mother's funeral at St Mary's Chapel in Newry.
Sad Shannon Graham attending mother's funeral at St Mary's Chapel in Newry.

Father John Byrne told the mourners in Newry:

“Both families are united in their grief and it is natural that they have so many questions but so few answers.

Losing someone so close as a mother and a dear friend has caused numbness and confusion.”

Father described Marion Graham, who had five children, as “a loving mother and great friend”.

“She lived her life to the full and enjoyed the company of friends and neighbours,” he said.

“Marion was still young and had much more to give in life but any plans and expectations for the future have been cruelly cut short and it will take time for her loved ones to come to terms with this life-shattering episode.”

 

Marion Graham and Kathy Dinsmore bodies were flown to Dublin on Wednesday and Shannon Graham was among those who accompanied the coffins on their way home.

 

Canon John Kearney of St Peter’s Church from Warrenpoint, said during Kathy Dinsmore’s funeral service:

“For so many people in this church today, the death of Kathy has turned their world upside down.

We are shocked as individuals and we are visibly shaken as a community when we learned about the unexpected and tragic death of Kathy who was born and reared here in Warrenpoint and was known by so many.

We do not want to believe or accept that a person who was known so well and loved so much is now dead.

In a sense we are paralyzed. We are suspended in disbelief.

Today there is a huge emptiness in our hearts because Kathy has been taken away from us in this way.”

Some regional politicians attended the both victims’ funerals.

Marion Graham and Kathy Dinsmore were very close friends and were on an extended stay in Turkey when the stabbings took place.

Recep Cetin is the prime suspect in Shannon  Graham's mother murder.
Recep Cetin is the prime suspect in Shannon Graham's mother murder.

Recep Cetin, the chief suspect in women’s murder may be held in prison until the end of Ramadan after a prosecutor was appointed to oversee charges.

Recep Cetin, whose true age is not known, will be held in custody for at least another week as the Islamic holy month ends on August 30.

The Turkish waiter, who has eventually confessed to killing the two women in a forest near Izmir, earlier tried to cover up their murders by claiming they had been attacked by a gang of men.

Recep Cetin is alleged to have driven Marion Graham and Kathy Dinsmore to the woodland area of Buca, near Izmir, and killed them. Marion Graham was stabbed in her heart and Cathy Dinsmore had her throat cut.

Reports claim Recep Cetin told police he had pleaded with Marion Graham one last time in the woods to let Shannon Graham stay in Kusadasi and marry him.

But Marion refused, claiming Shannon Graham was too young, and was supported by her friend Kathy.

Nurofen sabotaged across London.

Several packs of Nurofen Plus were found to contain Seroquel XL, a powerful anti-psychotic drug used to treat schizophrenia, on Thursday.

 

Friday, after a safety alert was issued, pharmacists have been told to check each package of Nurofen Plus to look for anti-psychotic drugs after sabotaged packs were found in Boots stores across London the day before.

Nurofen Plus packages containing Seroquel XL blisters have been found in Boots stores in Victoria, Beckenham and Bromley.

Several packs of Nurofen Plus were found to contain Seroquel XL in pharmacies accross London
Several packs of Nurofen Plus were found to contain Seroquel XL in pharmacies accross London

 

It is speculated that militant activists for animal protection carried out the sabotage operation with the intention of damaging Nurofen Plus’s producer, Reckitt Benckiser.

 

The pharmaceutical company may have been targeted because it tests some products on animals, although not Nurofen Plus.

Reckitt Benckiser said Friday that it didn’t know where the drugs had been switched.

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Nurofen Plus packages containing Seroquel XL blisters have been found in Boots stores in Victoria, Beckenham and Bromley.
Nurofen Plus packages containing Seroquel XL blisters have been found in Boots stores in Victoria, Beckenham and Bromley.

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Boots’ spokeswoman told the Evening Standard:

“We are working closely with the MHRA to aid investigations and we have communicated with our stores and asked our pharmacists to be extra vigilant by checking the Nurofen Plus packet before selling it.”

The “sabotaged” Nurofen Plus packs – containing a total of 500,000 tablets – have been sent to pharmacies across the UK.

It is suspected that blister strips containing the tablets have been changed while in a wholesalers’ warehouse.

On Thursday, 3 tampered Nurofen Plus packs were discovered in south London, and an immediate investigation is under way to identify whether a group or an activist acting alone was behind the action of changing blisters.

Siân Boisseau, director of Virgo Health, the PR company which represents Nurofen, told the Mail:

“There has been a suggestion that the packets were deliberately put in the wrong boxes.

It was not discovered until the packets arrived in store. It was not in the manufacturing process or supply chain. It is not a mix-up and is still being investigated.”

A Virgo Health spokesman added police were not involved so far but could be in the future.

Patients who accidentally take the antipsychotic Seroquel XL may experience sleepiness and are advised not to operate any tools or machinery until they know how the tablets have affected them.

AstraZeneca, producer of Seroquel, said those who had mistakenly taken the drug should contact their GP and bring the blisters back to the pharmacy where they bought it.

Seroquel XL side effects include dizziness, headache and sleepiness, which affect more than one in ten users.

 

[googlead tip=”lista_mare” aliniat=”stanga”]Nurofen Plus and Seroquel XL are packaged differently – the blisters containing large capsules of Seroquel XL 50mg tablets have gold and black packaging while the Nurofen Plus pills are smaller and have silver and black packaging.

 

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has asked pharmacists to check 32-tablet packs of Nurofen Plus, which is sold only in pharmacies.

There are three batches of Nurofen Plus which were affected by the alert.

They are: batch number 13JJ, expiry date 03/2014, licence number 00327/0082; 57JJ, 05/2014, 00063/0376, and 49JJ, 05/2014, 00063/0376.

Each batch contains 4,000 -7,500 packages, amounting to around 500,000 tablets.

It said that not all packs are affected.

Ian Holloway, from the MHRA’s defective medicines report centre, said:

“People should check to see if they have any affected packets of Nurofen Plus. If you do, return them to the pharmacy where you bought them from.”

Reckitt Benckiser said “serious investigations” were under way to establish how and who switched the blisters, especially as Seroquel XL is manufactured by a different pharmaceutical company.

Reckitt Benckiser added:

“After careful review of the manufacturing system, manufacturing errors by the makers of Nurofen Plus or Seroquel XL are not thought to be part of the cause at this stage.

We are taking this matter very seriously and are working closely with the regulatory authority, the MHRA, and pharmacies. The MHRA are investigating the issue, and have considerable law enforcement powers.

Nurofen Plus is not available for self-selection from the shop floor – and therefore pharmacists are able to check packs and greatly reduce the likelihood of affected packs being sold.”

Dr. Aomesh Bhatt, medical director for Nurofen Plus, said:

“We are taking this matter extremely seriously and we are working closely with the MHRA.

Additionally, we are in the process of working to ensure the Nurofen Plus packs are double-checked by pharmacy staff before they are handed to customers.

We encourage consumers of Nurofen Plus to be vigilant and, while it is very unlikely, should they find they have a suspect pack or if they have any other concerns, we advise them to speak to the pharmacist where they purchased the product.”

Dr. Bhatt added that Nurofen Plus had a “firm policy” of not testing on animals.

Dolly Parton: Nine to Five fest at Cinefamily on Saturday

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Celebrating “the Goddes of country glitz”, Dolly Parton, Cinefamily (Los Angeles) runs an all-night movie fest on Saturday, August 27.

 

Dolly Parton, the Queen of Country Music
Dolly Parton, the Queen of Country Music

From 9 pm to 5 am, The Silent Movie Theatre’s “Dolly Parton All-Nite 9-To-5’er” event features three of her best movies and lots of surprises.

 

The programme includes “Nine to Five” (co-starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin) “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” and “Rhinestone” (co-starring Sylvester Stallone) and clips of  television appearances (including one gem: a clip of Parton singing a duet with Pee Wee Herman).

 

The party will extend out onto the back patio, with a bar and a fire pit, with a bedazzling station, country music tunes, and a hair station. The guests will have the opportunity to make their favorite Dolly Parton‘s coiffures.

“You get all the fun and spectacle of extreme femininity but with a self-awareness and strength… Underneath all the flash-trash is a magnetic powerhouse, a hardworking and extremely talented artist, and her charm is undeniable — I consider Dolly to be a feminist icon.” Said Suki-Rose Etter of Cinefamily.

 

 

Dolly Parton, “The Queen of Country Music”, has created a role model for aspiring young women country artists.

[googlead tip=”lista_mica” aliniat=”stanga”]She is an example of dreams came true, coming from a poor family, her talent, perseverance and hard work brought her wealth.

Singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress, Dolly is one of the most successful female country artists of all time.

“She showed what could be achieved by challenging the gatekeepers…In the 1940s and 1950s, absolutely no female artists were represented in the top 25 country songs. Then in the 1970s, there were six women represented — one of whom was Dolly Parton. ” said Chet Flippo of Country Music Television.

Dolly Parton’s 1970s country hits include “Jolene”, “I Will Always Love You”, “Love is Like a Butterfly”, “My Eyes Can Only See You”. She won seven Grammy awards, nine Country Music Assn. Awards and seven Academy of Country Music Awards.

“9 to 5″, the theme song of the movie Nine to Five (1980), reached number one on the country charts, and in 1981, reached number one on the pop and the adult-contemporary charts.[googlead tip=”patrat_mic” aliniat=”dreapta”]

“9 to 5” is her debut movie. Parton won two Grammy Awards, a People’s Choice Award for it. Other successful movies are “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” “Rhinestone”, “Steel Magnolias.”

“Dolly Parton is one of the most successful crossover artists in country … she decided to take the mainstream by storm with a talk show, an acting career, R&B covers and more — and it worked. Making a big Hollywood movie … was a great way to get out of a cultural ghetto.” said Hadrian Belove of Cinefamily.

Adcetris: the new treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma patients.

AstraZeneca received the EU approval for AXANUM

 

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Zelboraf for metastatic melanoma approved by FDA

 

Seattle Genetics, Inc. (Nasdaq: SGEN) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted accelerated approval of Adcetris (brentuximab vedotin) for two indications.

 

1. the treatment of patients with Hodgkin lymphoma after failure of autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) or after failure of at least two prior multi-agent chemotherapy regimens in patients who are not ASCT candidates, and

2. the treatment of patients with systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) after failure of at least one prior multi-agent chemotherapy regimen.

[googlead tip=”lista_mare” aliniat=”stanga”]The indications for Adcetris are based on response rate. There are no data available demonstrating improvement in patient-reported outcomes or survival with Adcetris.

 

Adcetris is the first drug approved by the FDA for Hodgkin lymphoma in more than 30 years, and provides a new therapeutic alternative for Hodgkin lymphoma and systemic ALCL in these settings.

 

Adcetris will be available to patients this week
Adcetris will be available to patients this week

Seattle Genetics expects to make Adcetris available to patients this week.

Adcetris is an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) directed to CD30.

“Bringing a new product to the market is a significant milestone for Seattle Genetics in fulfilling its mission to improve the lives of people with cancer,” said Clay B. Siegall, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Seattle Genetics.[googlead tip=”vertical_mediu” aliniat=”dreapta”]

 “The approval of Adcetris is a result of more than a decade of research and development by talented scientists and physicians. The company has deep appreciation for the hundreds of patients who participated in Adcetris trials, and the passion and determination of the clinicians at sites around the world in investigating this first in a new class of targeted anticancer agents.We are committed to continued clinical investigation of Adcetris through a broad developmentprogram for CD30-positive malignancies, including confirmatory trials in front-line Hodgkin and T-cell lymphomas that we have planned in consultation with the FDA.”

 “The marked single agent activity seen with Adcetris, including a high durable complete remission rate, offers an opportunity to improve the treatment paradigm of patients for whom the treatment is indicated,” said Owen A. O’Connor, M.D., Ph.D., Professor, and Director, Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology at NYU Cancer Institute.

“This approval represents a major advancement in the care of these patients.”

 

 Seattle Genetics also announced that it has established a patient assistance program named SeaGenSecure™ that offers patients and providers access to Adcetris reimbursement support, benefit investigations and patient assistance programs.

 

Seattle Genetics is jointly developing Adcetris with Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company.

Under the terms of the collaboration agreement, Seattle Genetics has U.S. and Canadian commercialization rights and the Takeda Group has rights to commercialize Adcetris in the rest of the world. Seattle Genetics and the Takeda Group are funding joint development costs for Adcetris on a 50:50 basis, except in Japan, where the Takeda Group will be solely responsible for development costs.