No Jerry Lewis clip will be included in Telethon Memory in Sunday’s MDA Show of Strength (8 p.m.-10 p.m., on ABC).
The MDA show’s rundown lists assorted highlight clips from telethons long ago from Ray Charles, Sammy Davis Jr., Carole King, Pitbull and Will.i.am.
Jerry Lewis is nowhere to be found on the show’s rundown, and MDA spokeswoman Roxan Olivas confirmed Monday that the comedian would not be featured in any clip on the TV show. However, Jerry Lewis will be mentioned on the air by Jann Carl, and the MDA has posted three memorable moments of Lewis on its website. But still, how the clip of Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin on the 1976 show (with Frank Sinatra acting as a highly energized mediator) has not made the national fundraising telecast is sort of inexplicable.
No Jerry Lewis clip will be included in Telethon Memory in Sunday’s MDA Show of Strength
Roxan Olivas did provide a clear message of gratitude in a follow-up e-mail on Monday, saying: “It’s a time of great hope and progress in research, as treatments are on the horizon for many of the muscle diseases we cover in our program; none of this would be possible without the remarkable efforts of Jerry Lewis.”
That’s the strongest statement of recognition of Jerry Lewis by any member of the MDA since he left the organization in 2010.
Other artists featured in the here-and-now (and in taped performances) are the reassembled Backstreet Boys, Lee Ann Womack, Darius Rucker, Kenny Loggins, Luke Bryan and (from the Luxor in Fabulous Las Vegas!) Jabbawockeez.
For those yearning for a tote-board countdown for the money raised, one will be posted on the MDA website.
Jerry Lewis described his unreleased 1970s Holocaust movie The Day The Clown Cried as “bad, bad, bad”.
The 87-year-old comedian directed, wrote and starred in the film.
Now, thanks to some leaked video, people can see how Jerry Lewis might have been right.
A seven-minute report from a 1972 Danish television show about the making of The Day The Clown Cried surfaced recently, and based on that, the movie looks hammy and self-important at the same time.
Jerry Lewis described his unreleased 1970s Holocaust movie The Day The Clown Cried as very bad
Shot more than 40 years ago, the movie stars Jerry Lewis, in one of his first serious turns as an actor, as a circus performer arrested by the Gestapo and thrown into a concentration camp. Once there, he starts performing for Jewish children, and reportedly travels with some of them to Auschwitz.
The movie was never released and only a handful of people have ever seen it. It nevertheless is considered one of the great fiascoes in modern movie history, joining the ranks of Ishtar, Gigli, Howard the Duck and Heaven’s Gate.
In the newly surfaced video, Jerry Lewis is seen in a few scenes doing a bit with a cigarette and a flickering candle, flying a paper airplane and then trying (and largely failing) to juggle a few balls.
In a 1992 story about the film in Spy magazine, Harry Shearer said of the movie: “The closest I can come to describing the effect is if you flew down to Tijuana and suddenly saw a painting on black velvet of Auschwitz.”
At this past May’s Cannes Film Festival, where Jerry Lewis was premiering his critically drubbed Max Rose, the comedian said of The Day The Clown Cried: “No one will ever see it because I’m embarrassed at the poor work.”
Just a day after McDonald’s announced plans for a new chicken item dubbed Mighty Wings, Burger King has come out with a revolutionary $1 French Fry Burger – to compete head on with its rival’s lucrative Dollar Menu.
McDonald’s will roll out the Mighty Wings nationally as a limited-time offer through November, selling the bone-in chicken wings as three, five and 10 pieces, starting at $2.99. The morsels will come with nine different sauces to choose from including Chipotle Barbeque, Spicy Buffalo and Tangy Barbeque.
Meanwhile, the French Fry Burger will launch on September 1 and will be available through the fall.
Burger King is focusing more on cheaper items after McDonald’s aggressive push for its Dollar Menu, which brings in the most cash of all its offerings.
Burger King has come out with a revolutionary $1 French Fry Burger to compete head on with McDonald’s lucrative Dollar Menu
French Fry Burger, which clocks in at 360 calories and 19 grams of fat, is a relatively novel offering, but doesn’t require any extra investment from Burger King; it’s basically a standard beef patty topped with four of the chain’s french fries.
The offering comes as fast-food chains jump through hoops to get customers through their doors, in large part by heavily promoting their cheapest eats.
McDonald’s has stepped up advertising for its Dollar Menu, which now features its Grilled Onion Cheddar Burger and a more substantial McDouble, which has two patties and a slice of cheese.
That forced Burger King and Wendy’s to adjust their tactics earlier this year to stress value more clearly as well. Burger King, for example, has offered any two sandwiches for $5 and a Junior Whopper for $1.29.
It’s not clear whether the strategy will pay off for the chains, or what impact it could have on wearing away at profit margins over the long term.
But in the latest quarter, Burger King said its sales at North American restaurants open at least a year slipped 0.5%.
Wendy’s reported a 0.4% rise, while McDonald’s reported a 1% increase for US restaurants.
The metric is an important indicator of health because it strips out the impact of newly opened and closed locations.
Other chains, by contrast, are faring better. Chipotle reported a 3.4% increase and Starbucks said the figure rose 9%.
Lamar Odom was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence in the early hours of Friday morning.
Lamar Odom, 33, was held at Van Nuys police station on $15,000 bail but was released from custody at 8.30 a.m.
The NBA player was pulled over just before 4 a.m. for driving too slow (50 mph) on the 101 Freeway in the San Fernando Valley.
Lamar Odom did not immediately respond to police, passing three exits and driving erratically, TMZ reports.
Lamar Odom was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence
He failed numerous field sobriety checks but refused all chemical tests, according to police.
Leland Tang, the California Highway Patrol public information officer, told Radar Online: “Lamar Odom was driving 50 mph on the 101 freeway. He was driving in a serpentine manner which is pretty bad. That is like when the officer does a freeway break. Across all the lanes of the freeway. I’m surprised he wasn’t rear ended.”
After “failing” field sobriety tests, he was taken into custody and Leland Tang said: “He did what no one should ever do, he refused the chemical tests.
“That means that his license is revoked and Lamar could get the most powerful attorney in the world and he is still not going to have a license for a year.”
It follows weeks of troubling allegations about drug abuse and serious marriage issues with his wife of four years.
Reports claim Lamar Odom has been battling a drug addiction for two years.
Lamar Odom has also been accused of cheating with two different women while on the road as a basketball player.
Colombia has decided to deploy troops in the capital, Bogota, following violent protests in support of a strike by small-scale farmers.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said the troops were needed “to assure normality”.
Clashes with police broke out after thousands of people took to the streets in support of the farmers. At least two people have died.
Farmers say government policies are driving them into bankruptcy.
“Last night, I ordered the militarization of Bogota and I will do the same today in any municipality or area that needs the presence of our soldiers,” Juan Manuel Santos said in a televised address after an overnight cabinet meeting.
“It’s unacceptable that the actions of a few impact the lives of the majority.”
He did not say how many troops would be called in.
Colombia has deployed troops in Bogota following violent protests in support of small-scale farmers strike
President Juan Manuel Santos had earlier described the protests as “valid”, but urged demonstrators to keep them peaceful.
Clashes broke out on Thursday afternoon after tens of thousands of people marched peacefully in support of a 10-day protest by small-scale farmers.
Correspondents said masked youths threw stones and bricks and fought riot police who responded with tear gas and water cannon.
The two deaths occurred overnight in the western districts of Suba and Engativa, although the circumstances are not yet clear, Bogota security chief Alfonso Jaramillo said.
Interior Minister Fernando Carrillo said that those who had resorted to violence were “vandals, not farmers”.
The protests have united potato growers and milk producers with teachers, health workers and students – and negotiations with the government remain deadlocked.
Protesters in other parts of the country have also been blocking roads and disrupting food supplies to major cities and towns.
On Wednesday the government announced measures – including better prices for agricultural products and more access to loans – to ease the pressure on farmers.
The government also promised more protection from products imported at lower prices from countries with free-trade agreements with Colombia.
But the small-scale farmers have so far rejected the government’s offer.
They say that free trade agreements with the EU and the US, which have recently come into force, are flooding the market with agricultural products at prices they are unable to match.
They also complain that rising fuel and production costs have turned small-scale farming into a loss-making business.
Khloe Kardashian’s marriage has reportedly been torn apart by the damning allegations that have threatened to destroy Lamar Odom’s lucrative basketball career.
However, Lamar Odom reportedly returned to the couple’s marital home on Monday after “going off the grid” for as many as 72 hours over the weekend.
According to TMZ, Lamar Odom may be addressing some “serious issues” with his wife of nearly four years – including an alleged drug addiction.
Khloé Kardashian, 29, is said to be determined to help the 33-year-old NBA player get his life back on track despite the report which claims his drug use has escalated to an “alarming and life-threatening level”.
For his part, a source close to the former LA Clippers star told TMZ that Lamar Odom is “open to reason and listening to the people who love him the most”.
While talk of the popular athlete undergoing treatment for his alleged problem continues, Lamar Odom is apparently “receptive” to the possibility.
Khloé Kardashian still remains tight-lipped about her marriage drama
Khloé Kardashian’s older sister Kim, meanwhile, reportedly still holds out hope that her sibling can save her marriage.
Kim Kardashian, who recently welcomed her first child with boyfriend Kanye West, is said to be “very supportive” of her sibling and her marriage to Lamar Odom.
Recent reports have claimed Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom’s divorce is imminent after rumors surfaced of the basketballer cheating with two different women while on the road and his alleged drug use.
But Kim Kardashian hopes the pair can move past their problems.
An insider tells E! News: “She only wants what’s best for Khloé … [Kim Kardashian] would like to see them work it out.
“She knows how much they love each other. Everyone in the family feels divorce should be the last option.”
Khloé Kardashian apparently kept the details of her marital problems a secret from her tight-knit family, with the insider revealing that Kim was “shocked” to learn of the extent of the issues.
In a previous report, another source revealed: “Khloé did keep her marriage issues with Lamar a secret from her family for quite some time – no-one knew.”
President Francois Hollande has announced that France is still ready to take action in Syria alongside the US, despite UK MPs blocking British involvement.
Francois Hollande said a military strike within days could not be ruled out.
US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said after the UK vote that Washington would continue to seek a coalition.
The UN is investigating claims that the Syrian forces of President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons. Bashar al-Assad denies the claims, blaming rebels.
UN chemical weapons inspectors visited a hospital in a government-controlled area of Damascus on Friday.
They are due to give their preliminary findings to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon over the weekend.
Francois Hollande told Le Monde newspaper that the UK vote, in which parliament rejected a government motion supporting the principle of military action, made no difference to France’s position.
“Each country is sovereign to participate or not in an operation. That is valid for Britain as it is for France,” he said.
He said that if the UN Security Council was unable to act, a coalition would form including the Arab League and European countries.
“But there are few countries which can have the capacity of enforcing any sanction through the appropriate measures,” he said.
“France will be part of it. France is ready.”
Francois Hollande ruled out strikes while the UN inspectors were in Syria. However he did not rule out the possibility that military action could be taken before next Wednesday, when the French parliament is due to debate the issue.
France is still ready to take action in Syria alongside the US, despite UK MPs blocking British involvement
Neither France nor the US need parliamentary approval for action, and Secretary of State John Kerry said the US could not be held to the foreign policy of others.
The UK vote was welcomed in Russia, Syria’s main international ally.
Moscow said it reflected a growing public understanding of the dangers of an attack.
Syrian MPs are also delighted with the UK vote.
They believe a letter they sent to the UK parliament inviting their British counterparts to inspect the evidence of chemical attacks had helped sway the vote against military action.
China, which has vetoed previous UN Security Council resolutions against Syria, reiterated on Friday that no action should be taken until the UN inspectors have reported on their findings.
And Germany said of military action that “such participation has not been sought nor is it being considered”.
Officials in the US and UK had been insistent throughout the week that the Assad regime had carried out a poison-gas attack in eastern Damascus on August 21 in which hundreds were killed.
However, British PM David Cameron told parliament on Thursday he could not be 100% sure.
In the US, government officials briefed a Congressional committee on the case for launching action against Bashar al-Assad’s forces.
Eliot Engel, the top Democratic member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told reporters after the briefing that officials had said it was “beyond a doubt that chemical weapons were used, and used intentionally by the Assad regime”.
He said officials had cited evidence including “intercepted communications from high-level Syrian officials”.
Reports in the US media this week described Syrian officials suggesting in phone conversations that the chemical weapons attack had been more devastating than was intended.
More than 100,000 people are estimated to have died since the conflict erupted in Syria in March 2011, and the conflict has produced at least 1.7 million refugees.
Forces which could be used against Syria:
• Four US destroyers – USS Gravely, USS Ramage, USS Barry and USS Mahan – are in the eastern Mediterranean, equipped with cruise missiles. The missiles can also be fired from submarines, but the US Navy does not reveal their locations
• Airbases at Incirlik and Izmir in Turkey, and in Jordan, could be used to carry out strikes
• Two aircraft carriers – USS Nimitz and USS Harry S Truman are in the wider region
• French aircraft carrierCharles de Gaulle is currently in Toulon in the western Mediterranean
• French Raffale and Mirage aircraft can also operate from Al-Dhahra airbase in the UAE
According to Indian government’s latest figures, the country’s economy continues to slowdown in Q2 2013.
For the April-to-June quarter, India’s economy grew at a rate of 4.4%, compared with the same period in the previous year.
It was a weaker performance than most economists had been expecting and was a slowdown from the first three months of the year, when growth was 4.8%.
A contraction in mining and manufacturing activity was behind the slowdown.
Friday’s figures show the economy is now expanding at the slowest rate since 2009.
“We do not wish to sound alarmist, but concern on the economy can hardly be overstated,” said Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, Confederation of Indian Industry, in reaction to the latest figures.
“The economy needs the undivided attention of policy makers,” she said.
India’s economy continues to slowdown in Q2 2013
It adds to the pressure on Indian PM Manmohan Singh, who earlier addressed parliament over the nation’s economic problems.
In his statement to parliament, made before the figures were released, the prime minister said India was not facing a repeat of the crisis in 1991.
Back then, India’s foreign currency reserves became so depleted that it had to borrow from the International Monetary Fund to pay its import bills.
“Growth will pick up in the second half, barring extreme unforeseen eventualities,” the prime minister said.
He also said that a strong monsoon would boost harvests and help reduce food inflation.
Manmohan Singh was also keen to reassure the nation over the falling value of the Indian rupee, saying it was “a matter of concern”.
The rupee hit a record low against the dollar on Wednesday and has fallen more than 20% this year.
That fall is damaging for the economy, as India imports large amounts of fuel and foodstuffs and the weak rupee makes those imports more expensive.
Manmohan Singh said: “Clearly, we need to reduce our appetite for gold, economize [on] the use of petroleum products and take steps to increase our exports.”
He also blamed the fall in the rupee on “external” factors.
The prime minister highlighted the impact of developments in the US, where the economy is improving and officials at the central bank have started to talk about cutting back on stimulus measures.
“In a more equitable world order, it is only appropriate that the developed countries – in pursuing their fiscal and monetary policies – should take into account the repercussions on the economy of emerging countries,” Manmohan Singh said.
The Indian government has raised the import duty on gold and increased deposit rates to stem the outflow of money.
Chimp Brent, who paints with his tongue, has won a $10,000 prize in a chimpanzee art competition in US.
Brent, 37, created a delicate, vibrantly colored work featuring daubs of violet, blue and yellow on paper.
The entries were judged by noted primate researcher and conservationist, Jane Goodall.
The prize in the contest, sponsored by the Humane Society of the US will benefit Chimp Haven, Brent’s sanctuary in Louisiana.
Brent created a delicate, vibrantly colored work featuring daubs of violet, blue and yellow on paper
Cheetah and Ripley won second and third prizes in the competition that garnered 27,000 votes.
Brent is a retired laboratory animal, and the Humane Society says he is protective of an elder companion, named Grandma, and “loves to laugh and play”.
“All of the art was beautiful and unique, just like chimpanzees,” Jane Goodall said, in a statement distributed by the Humane Society.
“It was difficult to choose. It’s so important that the public support all of these sanctuaries in their mission to provide exceptional care to chimpanzees, and other primates, who have suffered through so much.”
Second-place artist Cheetah won a total of $10,000, including a $5,000 judge’s prize awarded by Jane Goodall. He lives at Save the Chimps in Florida.
Ripley took $2,500 for the Center for Great Apes, also in Florida.
Other artists won $500 grants for their sanctuaries for their participation.
A new study published in the British Medical Journal suggests that eating more fruit, particularly blueberries, apples and grapes, is linked to a reduced risk of developing type-2 diabetes.
Blueberries cut the risk by 26% compared with 2% for three servings of any whole fruit – but fruit juice did not appear to have the same effect.
The research looked at the diets of more than 187,000 people in the US.
Researchers from the UK, US and Singapore used data from three large studies of nurses and health professionals in the US to examine the link between fruit consumption and the risk of contracting type-2 diabetes.
In these studies, 6.5% of participants (12,198 out of 187,382) developed type-2 diabetes.
The studies used food frequency questionnaires to follow up the participants every four years, asking how often, on average, they ate a standard portion of each fruit.
The fruits used in the study were grapes or raisins, peaches, plums or apricots, prunes, bananas, cantaloupe, apples or pears, oranges, grapefruit, strawberries and blueberries.
The researchers’ analysis of the data showed that three servings per week of blueberries, grapes and raisins, and apples and pears significantly reduced the risk of type-2 diabetes.
Eating more fruit, particularly blueberries, apples and grapes, is linked to a reduced risk of developing type-2 diabetes
While all fruit was shown to reduce the risk, these fruits appeared to be particularly effective.
The researchers said this could be due to the fact these fruits contain high levels of anthocyanins, which have been shown to enhance glucose uptake in mice. The same fruits contain naturally-occurring polyphenols which are known to have beneficial effects.
In the study paper, they wrote: “Fruits have highly variable contents of fibre, antioxidants, other nutrients, and phytochemicals that jointly may influence the risk.”
But the glycaemic load of different types of fruit – the quality and quantity of carbohydrate they contain – did not fully explain the results, the study said.
When they looked at the effects of fruit juice consumption, the researchers found a slightly increased risk of type-2 diabetes.
The study calculated that replacing weekly fruit juice consumption with whole fruits could bring health benefits.
For example, replacing fruit juice with blueberries could reduce the risk of contracting type-2 diabetes by 33%, with grapes and raisins by 19%, apples and pears by 13% – and with any combination of whole fruit by 7%.
Replacing fruit juice with oranges, peaches, plums and apricots had a similar effect.
Qi Sun, study author and assistant professor at Harvard School of Public Health, said, in general, fruit juices contained less of the beneficial compounds found in whole fruits.
“The juicing process gets rid of the fruit, just leaving fluids which are absorbed more quickly, causing blood sugars and insulin levels to rise if they contain sugars.
“To try to minimize the risk of type-2 diabetes as much as possible it is reasonable to reduce fruit juice consumption and increase consumption of whole fruits.”
Experts say the best way to reduce your risk of developing type-2 diabetes is to eat a balanced, healthy diet that includes a variety of fruits and vegetables and to be as physically active as possible.
Kylie Jenner only just got her license 18 days ago after turning 16-years-old earlier this month, but she has already crashed her $125,000 Mercedes-Benz SUV.
Kylie Jenner got into a three car chain reaction collision on Tuesday and TMZ have obtained pictures of the crash.
She was driving her new wheels around Calabasas when she slammed into the back of a Toyota which then subsequently hit a Volkswagen SUV.
After the smash, which occurred around 5 pm in the afternoon, Kylie Jenner immediately jumped out her vehicle and made sure everybody was OK whilst apologizing profusely.
No passengers were injured in the accident.
In pictures of the collision, the entire back of the Toyota is seen crumpled with the back bumper bar completely removed, while Kylie Jenner’s car appears to have very little damage.
The Volkswagen also appeared to be relatively unscathed.
Kylie Jenner only just got her license 18 days ago after turning 16-years-old earlier this month, but she has already crashed her $125,000 Mercedes-Benz SUV
Kylie Jenner is seen standing on the side of the road purveying the damage.
It seemed as though she had just come from a workout, wearing a pair of black three-quarter length leggings and a white tank top.
According to TMZ, Kylie Jenner exchanged insurance details and other information with the other drivers and then left.
Police arrived to the crash site not long after, but Kylie Jenner was long gone.
Kylie Jenner turned sweet sixteen on August 10 and just two days later obtained her license so she could start driving her gas-guzzler all on her own.
After the momentous occasion, her older sister Kourtney Kardashian memorialized the moment via Instagram.
Kourtney Kardashian, 34, captioned her snap: “Look out world! @kyliejenner is a licensed driver!”
While Rob Kardashian, equally proud, wrote: “Little Sis passed her driver’s test. Woot woot!”
In California an adolescent can become a licensed driver at the age of 16.
Kylie Jenner had been driving for at least six months with a learner’s permit, and was clearly delighted to be a fully fledged driver on the Los Angeles highways.
Clint Eastwood has separated from his second wife Dina after 17 years of marriage.
Dina Eastwood, 48, a former TV news reporter, confirmed the split toUs Weeklyon Thursday.
She revealed that she and the 83-year-old star have been living apart for some time.
Dina Eastwood also added that the pair remain “close”.
A source told the magazine that Dina and Clint Eastwood, who share a 16-year-old daughter Morgan, have in fact been living apart for over a year, initially splitting in June 2012.
They say that the couple’s decision to end their relationship was “amicable”.
“Clint fell out of love with Dina a long time ago,” the insider said.
Rumors that there was trouble in paradise between the pair emerged earlier this year in April when Clint Eastwood appeared at the TriBeCa Film Festival in New York City with his wedding ring noticeably absent.
Dina and Clint Eastwood had also not been photographed together since November 2011 and they were seen embroiled in what appeared to be an argument at his daughter Alison’s wedding in March.
Clint Eastwood has separated from his second wife Dina after 17 years of marriage
Earlier this year, TMZ also reported that Dina Eastwood had checked herself into rehab for problems with “depression and anxiety”.
According to the website, Dina Eastwood was not being treated for substance abuse problems, but was seeking help for stress-related issues.
Last year Dina Eastwood, her daughter Morgan and stepdaughter Francesca Fisher-Eastwood starred in a reality TV show titled Mrs. Eastwood & Company.
Francesca Fisher-Eastwood, 20, is Clint Eastwood’s daughter from his relationship with Titanic actress Frances Fisher.
Dina Eastwood invited the cameras into the family’s California home to display her life with her two girls.
Clint Eastwood has been married two times and has seven children by five different women.
The other main loves in Clint Eastwood’s life have included model Maggie Johnson, who he was married to for 31 years, and actress Sondra Locke, who he lived with for 14 years.
The actor has voiced his not so positive views on marriage in the past.
Clint Eastwood married his first wife Maggie Johnson in 1953, only half a year after they met on a blind date. After a decade of marriage the couple had a trial separation but were not officially divorced until May 1984.
But during that time Clint Eastwood fell in love and lived for 14 years with actress Sondra Locke, whom he co-starred in numerous films with throughout the late 70s and 80s.
During his relationship with Sondra Locke, Clint Eastwood fathered two children with a flight attendant named Jacelyn Reeves, according toIndependent.ie.
Then in 1990, Clint Eastwood struck up a romance with actress Frances Fisher, after meeting on the set of Pink Cadillac.
He later directed the actress in his film Unforgiven, but then separated in 1995.
Clint Eastwood met Dina Ruiz in 1993, and subsequently married her on March 31, 1996.
A complete list of the gifts received by US officials from foreign leaders last year, as well as a couple dozen from previous years, were disclosed by the State Department on Thursday.
The lavish gifts include diamond-and-ruby-encrusted jewels worth $500,000 received by Hillary Clinton from the Saudi Arabian king.
Hillary Clinton’s gifts from King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz – which included a necklace, bracelet, earrings and a ring – were by far the most expensive items among the hundreds of gifts given to U.S. officials in 2012.
The gift-giving continues a long-held tradition of international diplomacy, in which the wealthy and powerful show their appreciation for one another by exchanging artwork, jewelry, electronics and other presents.
Most of the items are required to be donated to the national archives, though a few may be kept depending on their value. The Hill newspaper first reported on the gifts.
In addition to her jewels from Saudi Arabia, Hillary Clinton also received wine from Algeria; a two-piece bronze sculpture of a red chili pepper from Singapore; a cuff bracelet, necklace and earrings from Kazakhstan; caviar and a wool carpet from Azerbaijan; Cognac from Russia; gold, sapphire and diamond jewelry worth $58,000 from Brunei; and a sword from Yemen.
Among President Obama’s gifts were: Christmas mugs, coffee, and steak knives from Brunei; a basketball autographed by Chinese President Xi Jinping; a ‘silver figure representing [an] oversized coffee bean’ from Colombia; a leather wallet and tote bag from France; a porcelain vase decorated with images of the White House and Kremlin from Russia; a chest of liquor and a Coca-Cola bottle decorated with beads from Mexico; and a 41-inch saber from Mongolia.
Hillary Clinton received $500,000 diamond-and-ruby-encrusted jewels from Saudi Arabia King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz
Gifts were also given to Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, former CIA Chief David Petraeus and Chief Justice John Roberts, among others.
Joe Biden’s gifts included a silver knife and chopsticks from Mongolia, a leather cigar box from Mexico, and a female bare-breasted bust from Liberia.
In every case, officials accepted the items because “non-acceptance would cause embarrassment to donor and US”, according to a document provided by the State Department.
SAMPLING OF ITEMS RECEIVED BY US OFFICIALS:
President Barack Obama’s gifts included:
Christmas mugs, coffee, and steak knives from Brunei
Basketball autographed by Chinese President Xi Jinping
“Silver figure representing [an] oversized coffee bean” from Colombia
Leather wallet and tote bag from France
Porcelain vase decorated with images of the White House and Kremlin from Russia
Chest of liquor and a Coca-Cola bottle decorated with beads from Mexico
41-inch saber from Mongolia
Hillary Clinton’s gifts included:
Wine from Algeria
Two-piece bronze sculpture of a red chili pepper from Singapore
Cuff bracelet, necklace and earrings from Kazakhstan
Caviar and a wool carpet from Azerbaijan
Cognac from Russia
Gold, sapphire and diamond jewelry worth $58,000 from Brunei
Kristen Stewart posed for Balenciaga’s new perfume Florabotanica advert.
The image is shot in black and white, but Kristen Stewart’s back is covered with colourful flowers on a vine that wraps around her shoulders.
Kristen Stewart has been the face of Balenciaga fragrance since 2012
Kristen Stewart, 23, wears her dark locks swept into an elegant chignon and sports smoky eye make-up and shiny lip gloss.
The actress has been the face of Balenciaga fragrance since early 2012 and became involved with the fashion house due to her friendship with former creative director Nicolas Ghesquiere.
When Nicolas Ghesquiere stepped down in November and Alexander Wang took the reins, it was speculated that Kristen Stewart would be dropped as the face of the fragrance.
In 2012 Kristen Stewart told Women’s Wear Daily she felt “lucky” to be a part of Florabotanica and added: “There is something natural about it. It’s very alive.”
Kristen Stewart is currently in Berlin, filming her latest movie Sils Maria.
Burning Man Festival, the annual art, music and everything-else event, currently taking place in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, is the most popular ever than more people already on-site than attended the entire event last year.
The largest outdoor arts festival in North America is in its 27th year, with as many as 68,000 people expected to part-take in partying, debauchery and excess before it all ends for another year on Labor Day.
Described as an “experimental community”, Burning Man Festival incorporates plenty of partying plus lighting massive fire displays, donning eye-catching costumes and performing passionate dances at sunrise. Organizers stress it’s mostly up to participants to decide what Burning Man is.
Earlier this year the federal government issued a permit for 68,000 people from all over the world to gather at the sold out festival and spend up to a week in the remote desert cut off from much of the outside world.
This year’s Burning Man Festival is already the largest ever, organizers said more than 55,000 people had already arrived at Black Rock City at noon on Tuesday. That is almost as many as were present at last year’s event during its peak.
Traditionally only the hard-core burners arrived when the gates opened Monday and a crush of people often referred to as “Weekend Warriors” would show up sometime between Thursday and Saturday, reports NBC Bay Area.
By morning on Wednesday, there were 15 streets circling the temporary city created by attendees and the forecast remains free of dust storms.
The art theme of this year’s Burning Man Festival is “Cult Cargo” and focuses on a strange being called John Frum
Many have been impressed by the size and look of this year’s Man Base, a structure that houses the iconic “Man” figure burned each year near the event’s close.
Inside a flying saucer under the Man is a multi-level structure with zoetropes, a giant chandelier and views of Black Rock City. Slides serve as exits.
The art theme this year is “Cult Cargo” and focuses on a strange being called John Frum.
“He is known to us by many names, this Visitor from Elsewhere, dispenser of endless abundance and wielder of mysterious technologies: John Frum, Quetzalcoatl, Osiris, <<Bob>>,” reads the website.
“His cargo is splendid, his generosity boundless, his motives beyond our understanding. But across the ages and around the world, the stories all agree: one day he will return, bearing great gifts.
“Our theme this year asks three related questions; who is John Frum, where is he really from, and where, on spaceship Earth, are we all going?”
The biggest tradition comes at the end of the week – on September 2 – when participants will set fire to a giant wooden “man” that gives the event its name. Tickets for the event costs up to $650.
It has become a haven for hippies, artists, musicians and dancers and provides a week for people to explore artistic expression. No money is exchanged at the event; instead the festival-goers swap gifts to attain goods.
The Black Rock Desert is 120 miles north of Reno and the gathering is the largest permitted event on federal land in the US.
After it moved from San Francisco’s Baker Beach, the inaugural Burning Man in Nevada drew some 80 people in 1990. The first 1,000-plus crowd was in 1993, and attendance doubled each of the next three years before reaching 23,000 in 1999.
The crowd was capped at 50,000 under a five-year permit that expired in 2010. The new multi-year permit allows a maximum crowd of 70,000, but organizers applied for a cap of 68,000 this year.
As always, festival goers are expected to obey the ten principles: Radical Inclusion, Gifting, Decommodification, Radical Self-reliance, Radical Self-expression, Communal Effort, Civic Responsibility, Leaving No Trace, Participation and Immediacy are of the utmost importance to the community.
The British Parliament vote against military strikes in Syria is a tough blow to PM David Cameron’s domestic political fortunes.
Since taking office in 2010, David Cameron has on numerous occasions been undercut not just from opposition parties, but also from rebel elements within both his own Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats, the junior member of the U.K.’s governing coalition.
The government lost a vote – by a tally of 285 to 272 – that would have supported in principle military intervention in Syria, where Western governments have said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime carried out a deadly chemical-weapons attack on civilians last week. Members of all major parties – including David Cameron’s Tories – opposed the measure.
The British Parliament vote against military strikes in Syria is a tough blow to PM David Cameron’s domestic political fortunes
David Cameron said it is clear that the British Parliament, reflecting the view of the British people, doesn’t want to see the U.K. get involved in military action and “the government will act accordingly”.
The outcome marks a significant moment in British politics – it is highly unusual for a prime minister to be defeated on foreign policy and raises questions about what the U.K.’s role will be the world stage going forward.
It is also a rare setback for U.S.-U.K. relations that will spur questions about the so-called “special relationship” between the two nations. In recent decades, the U.K. has rarely if ever parted ways with the U.S. on such a significant strategic issue.
While the government doesn’t require parliamentary approval to take military action, it would now be politically difficult to do so. A further parliamentary vote had been due to take place early next week on whether the U.K. should be directly involved in that action. A spokesman for the prime minister confirmed that the U.K. now won’t take part in the Syrian action.
The outcome of the U.K. vote could make it more difficult for President Barack Obama and other Western allies – already weary from years of difficult military intervention in the Middle East – to convince their own publics of the need for intervention in Syria.
This week’s episode of Duck Dynasty was all about helping each other out.
“One of the many perks of being in the Robertson clan is that if you need help–all you gotta do is ask for it,” Jase Robertson explained of his brothers, Uncle Si and coworker John Godwin pitching in to assist in building a new fishing dock.
“It’s a great system, but like any other system – there can be people who will abuse it.”
Jase Robertson was not-so-subtly referring to Uncle Si, who preferred to “supervise” the boys from dry land during the dock installation – all while sipping on his ever-present sweet tea.
“What’s the point of having family and friends if you can’t ask them for help every once in a while?” asked Si Robertson, somewhat rhetorically.
“You’re always asking for favors, but you never help out with any favors,” groused Willie Robertson.
“I never ask for no favors,” declared John Godwin.
“Yes, you have,” protested Willie Robertson.
“I absolutely never ask for a favor,” returned John Godwin.
Back at Duck Commander Headquarters, John Godwin made a random announcement: “I’m gonna get me a hot tub.”
“A hot tub,” Jase Robertson said, with obvious disgust.
“No self-respecting man would have a hot tub.”
“I would,” said his brother Willie with a slight smile.
“That’s my point,” returned Jase Robertson.
“The man wants a hot tub, he should get a hot tub,” reasoned Willie Robertson.
Since it was clear that John Godwin had his heart set on a hot tub, Willie Robertson fired up his laptop and started to search for one online.
“There’s some cool ones – about six grand,” Willie Robertson tells John Godwin.
“What’s your budget?”
This week’s episode of Duck Dynasty was all about helping each other out
“All’s I can spend is two hundred bucks,” said John Godwin, flatly.
With such a limited budget, Willie Robertson suggested that John Godwin purchase a used hot tub. John Godwin was fine with that, as long as it had speakers.
One of the Robertson brothers did not approve of John Godwin getting any kind of hot tub – with or without speakers.
“I just want to say something on the record,” said Jase Robertson.
“I am in protest of this. This whole thing is a bad idea. You’re going to get the measles from it. Blisters, skin rashes or hepatitis.”
“When it comes to germs, Jase is a walking contradiction,” noted Willie Robertson.
“He has no problem crawling through swamps and other disgusting, stagnant bodies of water. But just the mention of a manmade place with clean, animal-free water is enough to send him on a rant for a week.”
After much discussion, Si Robertson suggested that only place that might have a hot tub within John Godwin’s budget would be a place called Squirrel’s–yes, Squirrel’s–Junkyard.
“That’s actually not a bad idea, because all he has is crap,” laughed Willie Robertson.
Meanwhile, Phil and Miss Kay Robertson have a few of the grandkids over for the afternoon, who arrive to the Robertson property “fresh from the subdivision.”
Phil Robertson is determined to teach his grandchildren “patience and resourcefulness” by gathering mayhaw berries and turning them into jelly.
“Food,” lectured Phil Robertson.
“What if everything goes south, there are no chicken nuggets, there’s no big, tall Coca-Colas and fries – what then?”
“We would survive like the walking dead,” answered Willie Robertson’s grandson, John Luke.
That did not satisfy Phil Robertson, and he set out to teach the kids the finer points of mayhaw harvesting.
Back at Squirrel’s Junkyard, the boys have found a budget-appropriate – if disgusting – hot tub for John Godwin. They tow it back to John Godwin’s house, where he insisted that it be installed in the front yard so that he can “watch the cars go by.”
“What are you, a dog?” asked Willie Robertson.
John Godwin stands firm, determined that they install the hot tub in the front yard. The boys struggle to unload the hot tub off the truck, and it crashes to the ground with a thud.
“This board broke,” said John Godwin.
“That’s just cosmetic,” reassured Willie Robertson.
“That’s right,” conceded John Godwin.
“I’ll get the wood glue.”
After the “cosmetic” damage is fixed, John Godwin climbs into the hot tub.
“In all the years I’ve known Godwin, I’ve never seen him this happy,” observed Willie Robertson.
“He’s happier than a pig in mud – which is actually a fitting comparison when you consider how disgusting that water probably is.”
At the family dinner, the Robertsons gave thanks, and Willie Robertson noted: “Sometimes doing a favor a friend can be quick and easy, other times it means you’ll be spending all day at a stinkin’ junkyard. The point is, you can’t pick and choose how you help somebody. You just help them because they’ve been there to help you.”
Millions of New Yorkers will line up along Eastern Parkway for the Brooklyn Labor Day parade on Monday, September 2, 2013.
This year, the West Indian American Day Parade & Carnival continues to enjoy the distinction of being New York City’s biggest cultural festivals by far.
As in the past, count on crowds to be waving flags from Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados, Grenada, Haiti, and other Caribbean nations in a joyful expression of ethnic heritage and cultural pride.
Brooklyn Labor Day Parade is a joyful expression of ethnic heritage and cultural pride of Caribbean nations
Everyone’s invited to take part in the spectacle of thousands of marchers in colorful costumes jumping down the parade route to the sounds of reggae and calypso.
A special added-attraction: the aromas of native foods like Jamaican jerk chicken, Bajan fried flying fish, and other soul-satisfying treats at the city’s biggest street festival.
In fact, the entire Labor Day weekend is devoted to special events – with a special Kiddie Carnival on Saturday, a Dimanche Gras (Fat Sunday) celebration, and an early Monday morning (starting around 3 AM) J’Ouvert parade, a celebration of steel pan drums that kicks off the main parade beginning at 11 AM.
This Caribbean celebration, known for having lively music and lots of skin, is never short on costumed stilt dancers, floats blaring soca and calypso music, and plenty of flags from countries such as Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago. Look for vendors stationed along Eastern Parkway selling island eats like jerk chicken, curry goat and oxtail. Early risers can preparty at J’ouvert (pronounced “joo-VAY”), a predawn festival in which revelers throw powdered paint at each other. Head to Grand Army Plaza around 4 AM when the high jinks really get going.
Eastern Pkwy from Schenectady Ave to Flatbush Ave, Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Subway: 3, 4, 5 to Crown Hts-Utica Ave.
The US economy grew at an annualized pace of 2.5% in Q2 2013, the Commerce Department said in revised figures.
That was more than double the pace recorded in the previous three months, and above estimates of 2.2%.
The rise, helped by an increase in exports, is a further sign that the economy may be getting back on track.
The government had originally estimated that GDP grew at a 1.7% rate in the second quarter.
The US economy grew at an annualized pace of 2.5 percent in Q2 2013
The revised non-annualized quarter on quarter figure was 0.6%, up from an initial 0.4% estimate.
Housing and business investment, two key sectors of the economy, remained strong in the revised figures.
Housing construction grew at an annual rate of 12.9%, the fourth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth.
Meanwhile, business investment was revised up to a 16.1% rate.
The government also said data from retailers showed they had restocked their shelves at a faster pace in the April-to-June period than first thought.
The positive news could make US central bank economists more likely to begin reducing monthly bond purchases later this year.
The programme is one of the US’s last stimulus measures.
Economists think growth will stay at the 2.5% rate in the second half of the year, boosted by steady job gains and less drag from federal spending cuts.
Michael Jackson’s civil trial in Los Angeles revealed today that the megastar asked a doctor for propofol 10 years before he died of an overdose of the drug.
Dr. Christine Quinn told how Michael Jackson asked her to give him propofol to help him sleep.
Michael Jackson died of an overdose of the drug given to him by Dr. Conrad Murray.
His mother, Katherine Jackson, is suing promoters AEG Live for $40 billion over her son’s 2009 death. The company has denied any wrongdoing.
Conrad Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2011 over Jackson’s death. AEG, which was promoting his planned comeback concerts, denies it hired Murray.
Dr. Christine Quinn was giving evidence for the defense.
Michael Jackson asked a doctor for propofol 10 years before he died of an overdose of the drug
She said the request for propofol came after she met Michael Jackson while he was undergoing dental procedures.
Dr. Christine Quinn said she told him it was not appropriate to use the drug as a sleep aid.
She told him the sleep you get with anaesthesia “is not real sleep, not restful sleep”.
But Michael Jackson told her it had given him the best sleep he had ever had.
Nurse practitioner Cherilyn Lee also told the court that Michael Jackson had told her he needed propofol to sleep in April 2009.
She said she had warned him that it was unsafe for home use and he might not wake up.
But Michael Jackson told her that doctors had told him he would be fine as long as he was monitored.
She said “his demeanor was <<I have to have this. I have to have this to sleep. You don’t understand, I have not had a good night’s sleep>>”.
AEG Live has also called a number of Michael Jackson’s former doctors to testify.
Dr. Petros Levounis, who had been hired by AEG, told the court on Tuesday that Michael Jackson showed signs that he was shopping around to try to find a doctor who would give him opioid drugs.
Katherine Jackson’s lawyers have said Michael was not an addict.
US fast-food workers are on strike, union leaders say, in what could be one of the industry’s biggest walkouts.
Workers want to be paid $15 an hour, double the rate for many employees at fast-food chains.
In New York City, about 300 protesters flooded into a McDonald’s near the Empire State Building.
The strike comes amid calls by President Barack Obama and some lawmakers to raise the US minimum wage.
Those members of Congress suggest bringing the current rate up to $9 an hour from $7.25, previously set in 2009.
Labor Secretary Thomas Perez, who is taking a lead role in the Obama administration’s higher minimum wage push, said: “For all too many people working minimum wage jobs, the rungs on the ladder of opportunity are feeling further and further apart.”
In addition to a walkout at fast-food chains in 50 cities, employees at retail firms in some cities were expected to join, say union leaders.
Fast-food workers in dozens of US cities are on strike, in what could be one of the industry’s biggest walkouts
Workers say they cannot live on the minimum wage, which would net $15,000 a year for full-time work.
But many note they are rarely scheduled for full working weeks.
In a statement, McDonald’s and Burger King Worldwide said they do not make pay decisions at the majority of US restaurants that operate as independent franchises.
The firms have argued that raising entry-level wages would mean higher overall costs and higher prices.
A spokesman for the National Restaurant Association, a restaurant lobbying group, told the Associated Press news agency that low wages reflect the fact that most fast-food workers tend to be younger and have little work experience.
But Mary Kay Henry, of Service Employees International Union (SEIU), a labor group which is supporting the strike, says many fast-food workers are no longer only teenagers.
“The median wage [for service workers] of $9.08 an hour still falls far below the federal poverty line for a worker lucky enough to get 40 hours a week and never have to take a sick day,” Mary Kay Henry said.
The US fast-food industry has come under increasing scrutiny because part-time work, including retail and food positions, have made up most of the jobs added since the recession.
It is unclear if the strike will close any restaurants for the day, given that organizers announced the action with enough notice for managers to adjust work schedules.
Earlier this summer there was a one-day walkout by about 2,200 fast-food workers.
Former President Ronald Reagan’s family has hit out at the producers of new film The Butler for allegedly portraying him as a racist.
Ronald Reagan is played by British actor Alan Rickman in The Butler, which tells the story of black man Cecil Gaines who served in the White House for 34 years.
However, Ronald Reagan’s son claims that the portrayal implies that the former president was prejudiced against black people, when in fact he helped the cause of African-Americans and showed friendship to the real White House butler.
The Butler, which was released in the U.S. two weeks ago, follows Cecil Gaines, played by Forest Whitaker, as he experiences decades of American history at the side of multiple Presidents.
The film is based on the real-life story of Eugene Allen, who died in 2010 and served every President from Ike Eisenhower to Ronald Reagan.
Alan Rickman, known for his roles in Die Hard and the Harry Potter series, plays Ronald Reagan, while anti-war activist Jane Fonda was controversially cast as his wife Nancy.
In the film – as in real life – Ronald Reagan invites the butler to attend a state dinner as a guest instead of an employee.
But Cecil Gaines is uncomfortable with the experience, and turns against the President over Ronald Reagan’s move to lift sanctions against South Africa over the apartheid regime.
Alan Rickman as Ronald Reagan and Jane Fonda as Nancy Reagan in Lee Daniels’ The Butler
Ronald Reagan’s son Michael has launched a blistering attack on his father’s portrayal, writing in Newsmax that the film should be called The Butler from Another Planet because it is so historically inaccurate.
“Portraying Ronald Reagan as a racist because he was in favor of lifting economic sanctions against South Africa is simplistic and dishonest,” Michael Reagan wrote.
“If you knew my father, you’d know he was the last person on Earth you would call a racist.”
He pointed out that the leader had a record of friendship towards black people, having been close to a number of African-Americans during his college days.
When Ronald Reagan was governor of California, his son wrote, he more than doubled the number of black officials who had ever been appointed in the state’s history.
Michael Reagan claimed that his parents “treated Mr. Allen with the utmost respect” – unlike in the film, where Cecil Gaines’s invitation to the state dinner is implied to have been an act of tokenism.
When Eugene Allen was interviewed about his experiences in 2008, his only reminiscence of the evening was to smile as his wife recalled: “Had champagne that night.”
The film culminated with the butler’s resignation as a protest over Ronald Reagan’s opposition to South African sanctions, though there is no evidence that this was the reason for Eugene Allen’s retirement at the age of 67.
“The real story of the White House butler doesn’t imply racism at all,” Michael Reagan wrote.
“It’s simply Hollywood liberals wanting to believe something about my father that was never there.”
He added: “My father’s position on lifting the South African sanctions in the 80s had nothing to do with the narrow issue of race. It had to do with the geopolitics of the Cold War.”
Allen told his interviewer in 2008 that he was “especially fond of the Reagans”, and resolutely refused to criticize any of the Presidents he worked for.
The Butler, directed by Lee Daniels, takes a number of liberties in adapting Eugene Allen’s life story, most notably in inventing an episode in which his mother is raped and father killed by a plantation boss.
Michael Jackson, who died in June 2009, would have been 55 today.
Though the King of Pop died four years ago at the age of 50, Twitter was full of birthday greetings and retrospectives of the late singer.
Michael Jackson, who died in June 2009, would have been 55 today
Also, producer Timbaland (Timothy Zachery Mosley) hinted at a new project that could include Michael Jackson’s vocals. In a teaser initially posted on YouTube’s Revolt TV channel, Timbaland talked about being approached by Epic Records executive L.A. Reid about a project that “would be like two kings working together.” Timbaland never mentions Michael Jackson’s name, but the singer’s image appears throughout the clip, which has appeared in several third-party versions since the original was removed from YouTube.
To celebrate his August 29 birth, Sony Music Entertainment is encouraging fans to share birthday wishes — and ideas for making the world a better place — by uploading an Instagram photo or video with hashtags #MJBDay or #MjWeAreOne.
Birthday.MichaelJackson.com will employ Instagram’s API to plot your submission on an interactive map, which lets users click and see other fans’ photos and videos.
