A new study suggests that woman’s menstrual cycle affects the severity of respiratory symptoms, potentially worsening conditions such as asthma.
Norwegian researchers studied almost 4,000 women, and found worse symptoms around ovulation.
Writing in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, they said it may be possible to adapt women’s medication.
All the women studied had regular menstrual cycles lasting 28 days or less, and none were taking hormonal contraceptives.
Of those studied, 28.5% were smokers and 8% had been diagnosed with asthma.
Wheezing symptoms were worse between days 10 to 22 of cycles, with a slight dip near the point of ovulation for most.
Shortness of breath was worse on days seven to 21, again with a slight fall around ovulation.
The study found it was not just women diagnosed with asthma who experienced these symptoms and variations.
Coughing was worse following ovulation for those with asthma, those who were overweight and smokers.
When an individual woman has her period is determined by complex hormonal processes over the course of her cycle.
Throughout, levels of different hormones rise and fall – and body temperature rises around ovulation.
The researchers suggest that these fluctuations may have direct effects on airways. and indirect effects on inflammatory responses to infection.
Writing in the journal, the researchers led by Dr. Ferenc Macsali, of the Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen, Norway, said: “We found that respiratory symptoms varied significantly during the menstrual cycle.
“There were large changes in symptom incidence through the cycle for all symptoms.”
They also found “pronounced” symptom variations during the menstrual cycle in women with asthma, and say the findings suggest women might need tailored medication regimes.
“Adjustment of asthma medication to the menstrual cycle may potentially improve the efficacy of asthma treatment and reduce disability and health costs related to asthma in women.”
Dr. Ferenc Macsali added: “Our results point to the potential for individualizing therapy for respiratory diseases according to individual symptom patterns.
“Adjusting asthma medication, for example, according to a woman’s menstrual cycle might improve its efficacy and help reduce disability and the costs of care.”
South Korean city of Suwon has opened what it says is “the world’s first toilet theme park”.
The Restroom Cultural Park has a museum displaying Roman style loos, European-style bedpans, and ancient Korean flush toilets, as well as fun facts about human waste and a sculpture garden dedicated to squatting figures.
To answer the question on everyone’s mind – What the…? – we should first look at a little background on Suwon city.
This city located outside of Seoul is well known for two things. First, the great Hwaseong Fortress ranks among UNESCO’s world heritage and has ruins which run throughout the city. Second is their recently deceased mayor who was known affectionately as Mr. Toilet.
Mr. Toilet’s greatest passion was improving the conditions of Korea’s public toilets by teaching people about the importance of proper toilet maintenance. Around the time of the World Cup in Korea there was a surge of public awareness aimed at improving the conditions of public toilets spearheaded by the mayor. His crowning achievement was a house erected in 2007 in the shape of a giant toilet in Suwon which is operated by the World Toilet Organization.
South Korean city of Suwon has opened what it says is the world’s first toilet theme park
The effort was a huge success and the people of Suwon now boast many of their public restrooms as sightseeing spots. Following Mr. Toilet’s death, the citizens donated money to build this commode themed wonderland in his honor.
Details of the park are sketchy at the moment and it’s not sure if this is so much a “theme park” in the sense of roller coasters and giant mice of simply a park with many toilet related displays around.
The park is said to exhibit various public toilets, ancient roman toilets, European toilets from the Middle ages, and even a flushing toilet said to exist in Korea 1000 years ago. Also you can find some bronze statues of people doing the deuce complete with strained expressions on their faces which leads me to believe the sculptor isn’t getting enough fiber.
Author Helen Fielding has begun work on a third Bridget Jones novel, 13 years after its predecessor.
With a new film and a musical based on the singleton in the pipeline, Helen Fielding turned to the world of texting and Twitter to help her write a new “scenario for Bridget”.
“I’m having a lot of fun, and it’s very funny and it’s making me laugh,” she said.
Bridget Jones was born out of a weekly column in The Independent in 1995.
The first two books, Bridget Jones’ Diary and The Edge of Reason, sold more than 15 million copies and inspired two films, with Renee Zellweger in the starring role.
After living in Los Angeles for much of the past decade, Helen Fielding returned to London two years ago with her two children – and it was then that she rediscovered the voice of Bridget.
“After the unexpected success when it first came out, I was startled by the whole thing,” she said.
“When I first wrote it I didn’t think anyone would read it. It was just a column in the Independent, so it was very easy to write and be very honest – and then I got all self-conscious because I knew so many people would read it.”
Author Helen Fielding has begun work on a third Bridget Jones novel, 13 years after its predecessor
However, in spring of 2011, Helen Fielding hit upon a way forward.
“I had new stuff I wanted to say and things that were making me laugh,” explained Helen Fielding.
“Things that didn’t exist when I wrote the last Bridget, like emails really, and texting, the way life is lived through texting and Twitter, and a whole new idea for a phase of her life.”
“It’s more like <<number of Twitter followers: 0. Still no followers. Still no followers>>. But she has grown up,” explained Helen Fielding, who revealed the book will be set in present day London.
“My life has moved on and hers will move on too,” she said.
“She’s still trying to give up [drinking and smoking], she’s still on a diet.
“She’s trying a bit harder, and is a bit more successful, but she’s never really going to change.”
Admitting she is scared by the idea of bringing out a new book, Helen Fielding claims she is still getting great enjoyment from writing it: “If people laugh as much reading it as I am while writing it, then we’ll all be very happy.”
The second film adaptation, The Edge of Reason, was released in cinemas eight years ago, with a further film sequel Bridget Jones’ Baby due for release in early 2013.
Colin Firth and Hugh Grant are set to return as Mark Darcy and Daniel Cleaver.
Helen Fielding said it has taken a long time to get the film right, describing it as “a different, earlier story, not based on a novel – it started with some columns I wrote in the Independent about six years ago.
“I think with a third installment [of the film] the stakes are very high. We all go back a long way, we’re all really fond of each other and everyone really wants to get it right, but that means there are a lot of voices, a lot of writers.
“Getting Bridget right, I always think it’s like a little duck – in the end it needs to skim effortlessly along the surface, but underneath the legs are going really, really fast.”
The third film has been delayed over script issues – and the musical is still very much a work in progress, according to Helen Fielding.
“It’s been huge fun and will take ages because musicals do. It’s herding butterflies, people move off and then come back together again but I think it’s going to be fantastic when it does happen.”
Iraq has decided to cancel a $4.2 billion deal to buy arms from Russia because of concerns about “corruption”, an Iraqi government advisor has said.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has launched an investigation into the deal, said his spokesman.
The purchase – said to include attack helicopters and missiles – was only signed off in October.
Iraq has been rebuilding its armed forces since the end of US-led combat operations against insurgents.
Announcing the cancellation of the purchase on Saturday, a spokesman for Prime Minister Nouri Maliki told AFP news agency that “when Maliki returned from his trip to Russia, he had some suspicions of corruption, so he decided to review the whole deal”.
“There is an investigation going on, on this,” he added.
The sale would have made Moscow – the main supplier of arms to Iraq under Saddam Hussein – the country’s second-biggest arms supplier after the US.
There has been no word from Russia about the cancellations.
In early October, Nouri Maliki said in a speech that he did not want Iraq to be “part of someone else’s (arms) monopoly.”
But he faced criticism from political opponents who questioned buying from Russia, when multiple deals with the US had been signed.
One Iraqi MP suggested that counterterrorism operations – the stated aim of the purchase – required improved intelligence, and not the 30 Mi-28 attack helicopters that were reported to be part of the deal.
The contracts were announced to some fanfare on 9 October after talks between the two countries’ prime ministers near Moscow.
At the time the deal was agreed, analysts suggested that while it was clear Iraq wanted to diversify its weapons purchases, buying from Russia would only encourage the sense in Washington that the US is somehow “losing Iraq”.
Nouri Maliki – who said he was seeking “quick contracts to fight terrorism” – warned even before he left that anything he signed might be scuttled by parliament.
EU talks about 2013 budget have collapsed, after negotiators from the EU and member states were unable to agree on extra funding for 2012.
The EU Commission and European Parliament had asked for a budget rise of 6.8% in 2013.
But most governments wanted to limit the rise to just 2.8%.
The failure of the talks will dent hopes of agreement on the 2014-2020 budget, which is up for discussion later this month, correspondents say.
Friday’s dispute was over an extra 9 billion euros ($12 billion) in “emergency funding” for 2012, to cover budgets for education, infrastructure and research projects.
But Germany, France and other governments questioned the funding, and eight hours of talks produced no agreement.
“Under these conditions, we felt that negotiations which hadn’t really begun by six o’clock in the evening couldn’t reasonably be expected to finish during the night,” said the parliament’s lead negotiator, Alain Lamassoure.
At the European parliament, UK Conservative MEPs clashed with Parliament President Martin Schulz, a German Social Democrat, over the extra 9 billion euros shortfall for 2012.
In 2012 the budget was 129.1 billion euros, a 1.9% increase on 2011.
Among the schemes facing a shortfall this year is the Erasmus student exchange programme.
It has allowed nearly three million young Europeans to study abroad since it was launched 25 years ago.
In an open letter to EU leaders on Friday more than 100 famous Europeans, including film directors and footballers, warned that “thousands could miss out on a potentially life-changing experience”.
Friday’s talks did produce a declaration of political will to provide 670 million euros to earthquake victims in Italy, but no agreement on how to finance it, the European Parliament said.
It said that if no agreement on the 2013 budget could be reached in the next 21 days, the European Commission would look to revise its budget proposal.
The UK’s Financial Secretary to the Treasury, Greg Clark, said the EU needed to practice “fiscal discipline”.
“The UK and a number of other countries were very clear from the outset that the Commission and the European Parliament should not be asking taxpayers for billions of extra euros when the spending in member states is being reduced,” he said.
The UK government, led by the Conservatives, has also objected to a proposed increase in the multi-year budget for 2014-2020, threatening a veto if necessary.
An EU summit aimed at reaching a deal on that budget will be held on 22-23 November.
Kourtney Kardashian decided to treat her son Mason to some early Christmas presents at London’s most famous toy store, Hamleys.
The reality star treated her son Mason to a trip to Hamleys on Friday, bringing her partner Scott Disick along for the fun outing.
But Kourtney Kardashian, 33, seemed to have forgotten that she wasn’t in the States anymore, as she tried to pay for her purchases with American dollars.
Kourtney and her sister Kim Kardashian, 32, have been in London to launch their new clothing range, Kardashian Kollection.
Before the family got to the checkout, little Mason had great fun playing in the store.
The three-year old seemed particularly in awe of the store’s large model railway, getting his father Scott Disick, 29, to help him get a better look.
Kourtney Kardashian, however, looked far less impressed but played to doting mother when they came across a smaller train set.
Kourtney Kardashian treated her son Mason to a trip to Hamleys on Friday, bringing her partner Scott Disick along for the fun outing
Looking like he was in Santa’s grotto, Mason dotted around the store, picking up toys and playthings including a stuffed reindeer.
And Kourtney Kardashian’s eldest child seemed to have done pretty well out of the trip as she left with a very large Hamleys shopping bag.
But as they went to pay for the items, Mason got a little confused and gave the cashier a $100 bill instead of British pounds.
But Mason got to have one of his presents, as he carried a toy killer whale whilst the whole family made their way out of the shop.
Kourtney Kardashian’s youngest child Penelope – born back in July – must have been left with a babysitter and not her sister Kim.
Kanye West’s squeeze had left the Dorchester Hotel earlier in the day to take part in a photo shoot in Central London.
Scott Disick had only just arrived in the capital today, to support his partner with the launch of the Kardashian Kollection for Dorothy Perkins.
Last time Scott Disick visited London he wanted to gain some regal stature, so it’s no surprise that after the trip the family headed over to Buckingham Palace.
Fears are growing Matthew McConaughey is taking it too far as he continues to shed weight for a role as an AIDS victim in a forthcoming film, The Dallas Buyer’s Club.
Matthew McConaughey, 42, looked gaunt and unwell as he made his way through a Los Angeles airport as he jetted out to New Orleans on Friday.
The actor was aiming to lose 30 pounds from his already lean but muscular frame to play Ron Woodroof in The Dallas Buyer’s Club.
However, it looks like Matthew McConaughey may have lost even more than that as he shuffled through security at LAX.
He certainly looked almost unrecognizable from the snake-hipped muscleman who lit up screens this year in stripper movie Magic Mike.
The Dallas Buyer’s Club starts filming next week and follows what happened when Ron Woodroof was given six months to live after contracting the disease in 1986.He ended up spending the next six years smuggling medicine into the U.S. to help himself and fellow sufferers.
The heterosexual, homophobic electrician died in 1992 after illegally smuggling HIV drugs not approved in the States.
Jared Leto has just been cast in the film, which will also star Jennifer Garner.
He is to play Rayon, a cross-dressing fellow AIDS patient who meets Ron Woodroof in the hospital.
Demi Moore was seen this week leaving the Cryohealthcare Clinic in Los Angeles, which specializes in skin care and anti-ageing procedures.
Demi More looked fantastic and was sporting a flawless complexion, opting for casual red trousers, black top and denim shirt.
Various treatments are on offer at Cryohealthcare – but a popular one includes the Whole Body Cryotherapy (WBC).
The customer stands in a chamber, where they are blasted with icy cold air – with the clinic’s website claiming the procedure helps to increase the production of collagen and so reverse skin ageing and appearance on cellulite.
The cold also forces the body into producing heat – and so increases metabolism – with claims it can result in burning between 500 and 800 calories after a session.
Whole Body Cryotherapy helps to increase the production of collagen and so reverse skin ageing and appearance on cellulite
A host of celebs use the procedure to rejuvenate their skin – but it is also used to help with injuries, as it triggers an anti-inflammatory response.
Dancing With The Stars contestants and professionals, including Katherine Jenkins and Derek Hough, are among the big names to have used the system to treat dancing injuries. The practice was first used in Japan in 1978 to treat rheumatoid arthritis.
On Sunday, Demi Moore will turn 50 after a whirlwind year which has seen her enter rehab and come to terms with her split from Ashton Kutcher.
CIA Director David Petraeus resigned on Friday after allegedly having an affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell, it has been claimed.
The alleged affair was uncovered after the FBI launched an investigation into the biographer, Paula Broadwell, for allegedly hacking into the former general’s email, NBC News and Slate reported.
Paula Broadwell, who researched the book All In for three years, had extensive access to David Petraeus in Afghanistan. Yet sources told NBC it is unlikely she will face criminal charges after the alleged hacking, stressing that David Petraeus himself is under no investigation.
David Petraeus stepped down yesterday after confessing to cheating on his wife of 37 years, Holly – behavior he explained was “unacceptable” for a senior administration official.
He first met Paula Broadwell six years ago when he addressed students at Harvard University, where she is a researcher, and they eventually got to know each other better during mile-long runs.
Paula Broadwell, who served in the military for more than a decade, lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her radiologist husband, Dr. Scott Broadwell, and their two young sons, Lucien and Landon.
In the biography, Paula Broadwell revealed she first met David Petraeus during his visit to Harvard in spring 2006 when he was a Commander at Fort Leavenworth.
“I was among the students invited by the school to meet with the general at a dinner afterward, because of my military background,” she explained.
“I introduced myself to then–Lieutenant General Petraeus and told him about my research interests; he gave me his card and offered to put me in touch with other researchers and service members working on the same issues.”
Paul Broadwell added that this was not a one-off as he often “does a lot of mentoring”.
As she pursued her PhD in public policy in 2008, she contacted him to ask if she could interview him and they kept in touch via email.
“A few months into my research, General Petraeus, who was then leading Central Command, invited me to go for a run with him and his team along the Potomac River during one of his visits to Washington,” she wrote.
“I figured I could interview him while we ran.”
Paula Bradwell explained that, after earning varsity letters in cross-country and indoor and outdoor track, she wanted to test him to see if he could keep up with her as she interviewed him.
“Instead it became a test for me,” she said.
“As we talked during the run from the Pentagon to the Washington Monument and back, Petraeus progressively increased the pace until the talk turned to heavy breathing and we reached a six-minute-per-mile pace. It was a signature Petraeus move.”
Paula Broadwell served in the military for more than a decade, lives in Charlotte with her radiologist husband, Dr. Scott Broadwell
Promoting the book on The Daily Show with John Stewart in January, she insisted that these mile-long runs together were nothing out of the ordinary.
“This is a typical mechanism for him to get to know young people,” she said.
“He’s done it throughout his life. That was the foundation of our relationship.”
In another often awkward radio interview in January, host Don Imus said that the pair must have “obviously” liked each other.
She responded: “You know, as I said earlier, he has a number of mentees and that’s one thing that’s different when you compare him to other Senior Commanders.
“But, yeah, we had a lot of rapport. I think some of that comes from a common ground of having gone to West Point [to the U.S. Military Academy].”
Of her reported rival, she added: “He is married to Holly Petraeus, who is a wonderful Military spouse and done so much for their children and for children of fallen soldiers, I respect her immensely.”
The book’s description explains Paul Broadwell conducted research for three years and was “afforded extensive access by General Petraeus, his mentors, his subordinates and his longtime friends”. Its website adds Paula Broadwell was embedded in Afghanistan with David Petraeus for a year between July 2010 and 2011.
Paula Broadwell graduated with honors from the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, and came top of her class in physical fitness. David Petraeus also attended the academy and married his wife Holly there.
She has more than a decade of military service and nearly two decades of work in counterterrorism and counterinsurgency.
Paula Broadwell is studying for her PhD at Kings College in London, and is also a research associate at Harvard University’s Center for Public Leadership. For her studies and the biography, she spent most of 2011 in Afghanistan as an embedded author.
As well as contributing to book chapters, appearing on television interviews and writing opinion pieces for The New York Times and the Boston Globe about leadership and women in defense, she has also worked as a model and demonstrator for KRISS, a .45 caliber machine gun manufacturer.
Last week, Paula Broadwell wrote an article entitled David Petraeus’s Rules for Living in Newsweek.
One read: “We all will make mistakes. The key is to recognize them and admit them, to learn from them, and to take off the rear view mirrors – drive on and avoid making them again.”
David Petraeus had been sworn in as head of the CIA in September 2011 after serving as head of the coalition forces first in Iraq and then in Afghanistan.
President Barack Obama accepted David Petraeus’ resignation but described him as “one of the outstanding General officers of his generation” as he added: “By any measure, through his lifetime of service David Petraeus has made our country safer and stronger.”
Deputy director Michael Morell will serve as acting head of the agency until a permanent replacement for David Petraeus is appointed.
In his resignation letter addressed to CIA agents, david Petraeus wrote that “such behavior is unacceptable” for a senior administration official.
The fact of an affair would not in itself normally merit a resignation, unless the affair created a security risk, for instance if it was with a foreigner or a journalist. Blackmail would also be an issue, though publicly admitting the affair would prevent that.
An affair with a subordinate CIA employee might make a resignation almost inevitable – or it is possible that David Petraeus stepped down because he felt his leadership and integrity had been compromised.
One of the most puzzling aspects of the resignation is its proximity to next week’s congressional hearings on Benghazi, which David Petraeus has said he will not now attend, even though being out of office would not preclude his doing so.
David Petraeus admitted he had shown “extremely poor judgement” in the letter he sent to his CIA colleagues confirming that he was stepping down.
He added that it had been “the greatest of privileges” to work at the agency, saying: “Teddy Roosevelt once observed that life’s greatest gift is the opportunity to work hard at work worth doing.”
David Petraeus, 60, has been married to Holly, née Knowlton, since 1975, after they meet when he was a military cadet at West Point and she was the daughter of the academy’s superintendent.
When he was sworn in as director of the CIA by Vice President Joe Biden, Holly held the Bible on which he swore his oath of office.
Holly Petraeus is head of the Office of Servicemember Affairs, a department of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau which is responsible for ensuring members of the military are not taken advantage of by banks and other financial businesses.
The official offered his resignation to Barack Obama on Thursday, and the President accepted the offer on Friday.
Barack Obama issued a statement thanking David Petraeus for his “extraordinary service”, saying he had “served with characteristic intellectual rigor, dedication, and patriotism”.
Kim Kardashian showed off her new fashion range, Kardashian Kollection, on the model she knows best – herself.
Kim Kardashian, 32, stopped traffic as she showed off her curvy body in the red Kardashian Kollection dress on Thursday, in London.
And at just £40 ($60), proves you don’t need to spend a fortune to looks a million dollars.
Kim Kardashian was returning to the Dorchester Hotel, in London after having made an appearance on ITV1’s Lorrain Live show.
The sultry star packed her famous derriere into the tight fitting dress as she stepped out of her chauffeur driven car.
Kim Kardashian’s dress, which will be available from Dorothy Perkins, was low cut enough to show off an ample amount of her cleavage.
She teamed the raunchy frock with a pair of nude color heels and made a quick dash inside her hotel for a well earned break.
Her older sister, Kourtney Kardashian, 33, was also looked stylish but a lot more covered up in a light floaty knee-length dress which she teamed with a black blazer.
Earlier in the morning, Kim and Kourtney Kardashian stopped by the ITV London studios for a chat with Kate Garraway, for The Lorraine Show on Daybreak.
Discussing the fashion line, she gave her thoughts on the Duchess of Cambridge. She told Kate Garraway: “I think Kate is very stylish and it’s ridiculous to assume you would wear something once and never wear it again.”
“You can wear things to different occasions around different people,” added Kourtney Kardashian.
Kim Kardashian stopped traffic as she showed off her curvy body in the red Kardashian Kollection dress in London
And bizarrely Kate Garraway compared the Duchess’s recent nude photo trials to the Kardashians chosen life in the spotlight.
Kim Kardashian said: “We don’t have the cameras all the time we take holidays and you want that to be private so we do struggle with the boundaries of whether to have the cameras around.”
And Kourtney Kardashian defended her decision to screen the rather graphic birth of daughter Penelope Scotland.
She explained: “I did give birth on camera, but it actually was our own home video I didn’t have cameramen and lighting guys in the room with me.
“It was a private moment. I wanted to see what it is and I loved the experience. Before I gave birth I was terrified because of all the screaming I had seen in the movies. But it doesn’t have to be like that.
“So because I thought my experience was beautiful I wanted to share that.”
Kim Kardashian tweeted afterwards: “Just left The Lorraine Show with @KourtneyKardash. Was a lot of fun! Now 15min nap time.”
The girls, who will be joined by younger sister Khloe on Saturday for a signing at Westfield London from 12:30 p.m., have had a busy few days in London as they promote their new fashion range, Kardashian Kollection.
Kim and Kourtney launched their Kardashian Kollection with a glamorous party at the London’s exclusive Aqua club, while wearing clothes from the range on Thursday night.
Before they arrived a range of Kardashian lookalike models, sporting the look of long brown locks and fierce smoky eye-make-up, paraded around in the outfits designed by the reality TV stars.
The girls said they have been very impressed with British fashion since being in the UK and can’t wait to see girls wearing the Kardashian Kollection.
Kourtney Kardashian said: “It’s not like matchy-matchy, everyone in the same thing, it’s very different.”
Kim added: “It’s amazing. I think they have such great style, very effortless and chic, that’s why we’re really excited to launch here in the UK.”
The girls also got to meet some of the X Factor finalists, although they probably didn’t know who any of them were.
Rita Ora appears to be having a bad week as she suffered a wardrobe malfunction while meeting fans in Munich, Germany on Thursday, just one day after accidentally flashing her nipple on stage in London.
The star took time to meet her devotees outside the city’s Charles Hotel and she may have given them more of an eyeful than they’d hoped by exposing her bra.
Rita Ora wore a silky suit with a red floral pattern and gave herself some height by wearing a pair of gold wedge trainers.
She completed her look with some simple gold jewellery and painted her lips a bright red color to match the pattern on her outfit.
And while print on Rita Ora’s clothes made her stand out from the crowd, she attracted some extra attention as her underwear was left on show by the plunging neckline of her jacket.
The fashion boob was the second from the singer this week after her energetic on-stage dancing led to her nipple being exposed.
Rita Ora met fans outside the Charles Hotel in Munich on Thursday and her bra was left exposed throughout the meeting
Rita Ora took to the stage in London on Wednesday night and the excitement of performing in her hometown seemed to get to the star.
She attempted to tease fans by wearing a tight white biker suit but instead gave them an eyeful at the Red Bull Culture Clash event at the city’s Wembley Arena.
However, the garment unzipped in front of thousands of fans and her right nipple was left on show.
Rita Ora carried on with the show regardless but later admitted she was left red faced by the situation.
Taking to Twitter on Thursday, she wrote: “Yes. Its true. I got straight off a moterbike from O2 to Wembley I didn’t have time to change and then all of a sudden the zip got lower….
“And lower I rushed on stage and pop! It happened, f**k! Sorry guys. (How embarrassing) apologized! Dispite that, amazing show! 🙂 LOL.”
Kirstie Alley recently admitted to falling in love with Patrick Swayze during the filming of their 1985 telemovie North and South.
Now, Kirstie Alley has revealed details about how she propositioned her late co-star, who she claims rejected her at the time because she was “drunk”.
Putting to rest rumors of an affair, Kirstie Alley, 61, recalls in her new book, The Art of Men, telling the married actor: “I want to make love with you. I just don’t care anymore, let’s just do it.”
In her new book, The Art of Men, Kirstie Alley says it all unfolded after a night of partying with the late actor, who had completely charmed her on set.
The actress says she never cheated on her husband at the time, Parker Stevenson. But she considered it.
Patrick Swayze, who was married to his wife of 34 years, Lisa Niemi, didn’t accept her offer, however.
Brushing off her advances, Kirstie Alley recalls him telling her: “No. Come on, you’re drunk. Kirstie, you don’t really want to do it. You’re not that kind of girl.”
Kirstie Alley earlier this week claimed the two shared an “intense attraction” when they first met.
On Monday night’s Entertainment Tonight, Kirstie Alley said she tried to avoid “going down that road” but they ultimately fell in love.
“Both of us were married. We did not have an affair,” the actress said.
“But again, I think what I did was worse.
“Because I think when you fall in love with someone when you’re married you jeopardize your own marriage and their marriage. It’s doubly bad.”
Patrick Swayze died from pancreatic cancer in 2009.
Kirstie Alley recently admitted to falling in love with Patrick Swayze during the filming of their 1985 telemovie North and South
Kirstie Alley also told Entertainment Tonight that although she’s friends with Patrick Swayze’s widow, who asked Alley to speak at her husband’s funeral, she is uncertain if Lisa Niemi is aware of their relationship.
Her revelations come after she described Look Who’s Talking Now co-star John Travolta in a shock interview on 20/20 with Barbara Walters last Friday.
Kirstie Alley was married Parker Stevenson at the time, and John Travolta was single when the shot the movie, which was released in 1989.
She told Barbara Walters her attraction to John Travolta was dynamic, adding: “It took all the power I had not to run off with him,” insisting they, too, did not have an affair.
Kirstie Alley went on to make two sequels with John Travolta, Look Who’s Talking Too and Look Who’s Talking Now!
John Travolta married actress Kelly Preston in 1991, and the trio have remained close friends, she says.
Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Thursday night, Kirstie Alley said of their attraction: “The only good part of it is I didn’t turn it into a sexual relationship, which is really good. Because for me if I have sex with someone, I have to marry them.”
“My mother told me I would be a w***e if I didn’t marry someone I had sex with, so I was trying not to be a w***e.”
“Once you have sex with somebody else – I thank God I’m not that girl. But I wrote this story because it’s about men who influenced my life that I really love deeply… I’m proud of us. We chose not to.”
She also writes in her memoir Cheers co-star Woody Harrelson incessantly insisted they sleep together, in a “half joking and half serious” manner.
“We’re not sleeping together, I would say, half wishing I wasn’t married so we could,” she writes.
Woody Harrelson was not married when he portrayed naive barman Woody Boyd in the bar based comedy series from 1985 to 1993.
The actress was married to Bob Alley for seven years, starting in 1970.
Kirstie Alley tied the knot with second husband, The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries star Parker Stevenson in 1983.
They divorced in 1997, and shared custody of their two adopted children.
CIA director David Petraeus has resigned from his post after admitting an extramarital affair.
In a statement, David Petraeus said he had submitted his resignation to President Barack Obama, and that he had shown “extremely poor judgement”.
He described his behavior as “unacceptable” for the leader of the nation’s main intelligence agency.
David Petraeus became CIA boss in 2011 after heading international forces in Iraq, then in Afghanistan.
He was the highest-profile military officer of the post-9/11 years, winning plaudits for his role running the “surge” in Iraq and implementing a counter-insurgency strategy in Afghanistan.
David Petraeus’ resignation came just three days after President Barack Obama’s re-election, and prompted a flurry of statements from the White House, intelligence community and General Petraeus himself.
Announcing his decision to stand down, the former general was full of contrition.
“After being married for over 37 years, I showed extremely poor judgment by engaging in an extra-marital affair,” David Petraeus said in a statement.
“Such behavior is unacceptable, both as a husband and as the leader of an organization such as ours. This afternoon, the president graciously accepted my resignation.”
Barack Obama’s statement said Mr Petraeus had “provided extraordinary service to the United States for decades”, citing both his time as CIA director and service to the military.
“By any measure, through his lifetime of service David Petraeus has made our country safer and stronger.”
“Going forward, my thoughts and prayers are with Dave and Holly Petraeus, who has done so much to help military families through her own work.”
CIA deputy director Michael Morell will serve as acting director of the agency, the White House confirmed.
James Clapper, director of national intelligence, thanked David Petraeus for his decades of service: “Dave’s decision to step down represents the loss of one of our nation’s most respected public servants.
“I have spent more than five decades serving our country-in uniform and out-and of all the exceptional men and women I have worked with over the years, I can honestly say that Dave Petraeus stands out as one of our nation’s great patriots.”
CIA director David Petraeus has been married to Holly since 1975
David Petraeus is believed to have feared that his infidelity would eventually become public, and therefore took the decision to quit before he was forced out.
Extra-marital affairs are considered particularly damaging for intelligence officials due to the confidential nature of their work and the risk they could leak national security secrets.
David Petraeus, 60, has been married to Holly, née Knowlton, since 1975, after they meet when he was a military cadet at West Point and she was the daughter of the academy’s superintendent.
When he was sworn in as director of the CIA by Vice President Joe Biden, Holly held the Bible on which he swore his oath of office.
David Howell Petraeus is a retired U.S. Army four-star general and the most celebrated American soldier of his time.
Known as a scholar and a warrior, the West Point graduate is admired as much for his intellect as his tactical ability and charisma on the battlefield.
He oversaw the crafting of the successful 2006 U.S. counterinsurgency measures in Iraq and accepted without hesitation Barack Obama’s request to leave Central Command in 2010 and lend his expertise to the failing international effort in Afghanistan.
Spending 37 years in the military, David Petraeus retired from service and took up his post as director of the CIA on September 6, 2011.
Born in Cornwall-on-Hudson in New York in 1952, David Petraeus is the son of small town librarian Miriam and Sixtus, a sea captain who had emigrated from the Netherlands.
Immediately upon his graduation from high school in 1970 he enrolled as a cadet at West Point Military Academy where he served with distinction – graduating in the top five of his class in 1974.
Just after his graduation he married Holly Knowlton, daughter of West Point superintendent General William A. Knowlton.
Despite his close working relationship with Barack Obama and other Democratic officials, David Petraeus was spoken of as a possible running mate for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney this year.
Former model Lauren Scruggs screamed “I am so ugly!” in a fit of rage as she struggled to come to the enormity of her horrific injuries after walking into a plane propeller.
In her memoir, Lauren Scruggs says that she started yelling: “My life is ruined! No one will ever love me!” as she was consumed with “primal, uncontrollable” anger.
The book also details the moment she looked at herself in the mirror naked for the first time since the accident and collapsed in a “storm of mourning” after staring at the dent in her shaven skull with titanium plates in it, the scar down her face, her sagging lip, her missing left eye, her missing left hand and four cracked teeth.
Lauren Scruggs tells her story in her memoir Still Lolo, published next week.
The book is the first time the 24-year-old fashion blogger has spoken in depth of the moment she walked into a spinning airplane propeller in December last year – and her slow, agonizing recovery.
By January, Lauren Scruggs was on her way to recovery but suddenly found she was suffering from mood swings which she had never encountered before.
Lauren Scruggs writes: “From out of nowhere this phantom rage rushed over me. I was absolutely primal, uncontrollable.
“I started yelling: <<My life is ruined! No one will ever love me! I am so ugly!>>”
Lauren Scruggs was eventually calmed down by relatives, but the pain still burned inside her.
Earlier in January she had stood in front of a mirror naked for the first time since the accident, staring at her body for a full ten minutes.
She looks at everything including the eye which had to be removed and her missing left arm.
Still Lolo A Spinning Propeller, a Horrific Accident, and a Family’s Journey of Hope, by Lauren Scruggs and published by Tyndale House is out on November 15
Lauren Scruggs writes: “From deep within me a storm of mourning brewed and broke forth.
“I climbed into the shower and the storm hit and the rain fell all around me.
“Then I crumpled onto the floor of the shower and sobbed.”
The accident which changed her life happened after she and family friend Curt Richmond had gone out in a small plane to see the Christmas lights above his Dallas home.
In the dramatic 911 call placed at 8:43 p.m. on December 3, a woman can be heard saying: “A girl walked into an airplane prop – I need an ambulance immediately. I think it cut her hand off.”
A male voice can also be heard moaning and crying and when asked what part of her body was hit, he says: “We don’t know, we haven’t turned her over.”
In her own words, Lauren Scruggs deals with the incident in the briefest terms.
She writes: “I remember the sky was black; we were on the dark side of the plane.
“It was December 3, 2011, and after that split second, I remember absolutely nothing.”
The memoir includes chapters by Lauren Scruggs’ family, including her mother Cheryl who was among the first on the scene.
In her dramatic account she describes the moment when she realized something was terribly wrong.
Cheryl Scruggs writes that as the paramedics were packing Lauren into the stretcher, she asked: “Why is my hand white?”
“I can’t see it! I can’t see it!’ Her shirt was over her hand.”
Lauren Scruggs was rushed to Parkland Hospital in Dallas where doctors stabilized her condition, and allowed Cheryl and Lauren’s father Jeff in to see her for the first time.
In those early days Cheryl Scruggs wrote on her blog how the only way to keep her daughter from agonizing pain was to keep her distracted but that when she tried to sleep it came “ferociously at times”.
In the book, Lauren Scruggs tells her side and how she regains consciousness, begins to walk again and two months later is well enough to return to editing her fashion blog, Lolo.
In April this year, Lauren Scruggs stepped out in public for the first time showing off her amputated arm as she sat in a Dallas cafe with friends.
Over the summer she Tweeted to her 12,500 followers that she “surfed the afternoon away” during a “great day” out.
As she regained her strength, Lauren Scruggs recently posted a photo on Instagram of her showing off her incredibly realistic looking prosthetic limb in public and is preparing to appear on Katie Couric’s ABC show, NBC’s Today programme and has done and interview with People magazine, all out next week to talk about her ordeal.
She has also had to work out how to live and function with her impairment – including learning how to drive a car stick shift.
Despite all that she has been though, Lauren writes in the memoir that her trama has given her a ‘new perspective’ on the world.
She has taken a long look at her life and has realized “there was so much more to my life than being worried about how I looked”.
The Secret Service was forced to foil repeated assassination attempts on Barack Obama and Mitt Romney during this year’s election campaign, it has been claimed.
An article in GQ made the startling assertion that “several assassination plots were nipped in the bud” by agents during the course of the campaign.
However, some are now skeptical about the claims, insisting that there were no more than a handful of attempts on the lives of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney this year.
Barack Obama, who has long been considered at risk from violent extremism partly because of his historic status as America’s first black President, is protected by a vast Secret Service detail at all times.
Mitt Romney was given official protection in January, as he was beginning to close in on the position of Republican presidential nominee.
His Secret Service detail was withdrawn early on Wednesday morning, just hours after he conceded defeat to Barack Obama.
The moment Mitt Romney’s agents left his side was detailed by GQ‘s Marc Ambinder, who reported that they were called off with the order: “Javelin, Jockey details, all posts, discontinue.”
He also dropped in the tantalizing tidbit: “Protectees were protected 100 per cent of the time. Several assassination plots were nipped in the bud.”
The Secret Service was forced to foil repeated assassination attempts on Mitt Romney and Barack Obama during election campaign
Over the past year, a number of people were reported to have been investigated by the Secret Service for issuing threats to either Barack Obama or Mitt Romney.
While most of these threats turned out to be little more than ill-advised tweets born from frustration, a few warranted a more robust response.
Most notably, a group of four soldiers from Georgia hatched a convoluted plot to kill the President and overthrow the federal government.
However, Marc Ambinder’s comments led some to assume that he had information about other threats which were not already public knowledge.
He told Politicker: “There was that guy who shot at the White House from across the ellipse, and then the soldiers arrested for plotting the assassination of the president and others.”
But he added that he did not possess any inside information, defending his description of the multiple foiled threats.
Marc Ambinder later tweeted: “Press folks, please stop bothering the Secret Service. If there are/were other plots, they sure as hell didn’t tell me about them.”
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who has been under fire from conservatives for his effusive praise of Barack Obama after Hurricane Sandy, telephoned the president after his election win but only sent an email to Mitt Romney, it was revealed today.
Chris Christie told reporters at a press conference on Thursday that he had talked to Barack Obama.
“We didn’t have a political strategy discussion,” he said.
“I said, <<Congratulations on your win last night, Mr. President>>, he said, <<Thank you>>.”
Asked about whether he had spoken to Mitt Romney, Chris Christie said: “No. We exchanged emails last night. We haven’t spoken on the phone yet.”
Chris Christie, who is up for re-election in New Jersey next year and is a likely 2016 presidential candidate, is partly blamed by some senior Mitt Romney aides for the Republican nominee’s defeat.
They believe that his outspoken commendations of Barack Obama helped create an aura of bipartisan appeal that was invaluable.
Stuart Stevens, Mitt Romney’s top strategist, has said that Mitt Romney was “winning this race by five or six points before Sandy” but “came out of Sandy one or two behind”.
Part of Mitt Romney’s post-Sandy drop was due to his being all but absent from the television screens for three to four days. But conservatives have been quick to condemn Chris Christie, a one-time vice-presidential possibility for Mitt Romney, for what they regard as a deliberate undermining of the former Massachusetts governor.
When Chris Christie was asked at the time by Fox News if Mitt Romney had any plans to visit New Jersey, he said: “I have no idea, nor am I the least bit concerned or interested. I’ve got a job to do here in New Jersey that’s much bigger than presidential politics, and I could care less about any of that stuff.”
Governor Chris Christie telephoned Barack Obama after his election win but only sent an email to Mitt Romney
In an opinion article entitled “Excommunicating Chris Christie”, Brett Decker of the Washington Times blasted Chris Christie as a moderate on guns, climate change and social issues and as being either “politically tone-deaf” or “purposely” trying to help Barack Obama.
“Mr. Christie handed Mr. Obama a big gift in the form of photo-ops, public hugs and gratuitously complimentary statements about the opposing party’s standard bearer.”
On Wednesday, Chris Christie appeared to be at pains to deny that he had been anything other than completely supportive of Mitt Romney.
“I wouldn’t call what I did an embrace of Barack Obama,” he said at a Wednesday press conference.
“I know that’s become the wording of it, but the fact of the matter is, you know, I’m a guy who tells the truth all the time.
“And if the president of the United States did something good, I was gonna say he did something good and give him credit for it.
“But it doesn’t take away for a minute the fact that I was the first governor to endorse Mitt Romney, that I travelled literally tens of thousands of miles for him, raised tens of millions of dollars for him and worked harder, I think, than any other surrogate in America other than Paul Ryan, who became his running mate.”
According to the Huffington Post, Chris Christie declined an invitation by Romney to an event in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, some three miles away across the Delaware river from Trenton, New Jersey’s capital, in the final week of the campaign.
While this was seen by some as a snub, the political downside of Chris Christie appearing at a political rally when many in New Jersey were still suffering extreme hardship after Hurricane Sandy would have made any appearance unlikely.
Responding to the story, Chris Christie lambasted the “know-nothing, disgruntled Romney staffers” who had made the accusation.
He added that he had told Mitt Romney before Hurricane Sandy hit that he would probably not be available for the rest of the campaign.
“I said to him, <<Listen, Mitt, if this storm hits the way I think it’s going to, I’m off the campaign trail from here to Election Day>>,” he recalled.
“And he said to me, <<Chris, of course. That’s what you have to do. Do your job. Don’t worry about me. I’ll take care of things>>.
“So all this other noise, I think, is coming from know-nothing, disgruntled Romney staffers who, you know, don’t like the fact that I said nice things about the president of the United States. Well, that’s too bad for them.”
Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian convicted of the massacre of 77 people last year, has said he is being held in “inhumane” conditions.
Anders Behring Breivik complained in a letter to the prison service that his coffee is served cold, he does not have enough butter for his bread, and he is not allowed moisturizer.
He is serving a minimum 21-year sentence for the bombings and shootings in Oslo and Utoeya island last July.
The Norwegian authorities have not commented on the letter.
However, his lawyer has confirmed that the details of the 27-page document leaked to Norway’s VG newspaper are authentic.
Anders Behring Breivik is being held in almost complete isolation – 23 hours a day, he says – at Ila prison outside Oslo.
His cell includes three sections, one to sleep, one for study and a third for exercise – each measuring 8 sq m (86 sq ft).
Anders Behring Breivik complained in a letter to the prison service that his coffee is served cold, he does not have enough butter for his bread, and he is not allowed moisturizer
In the letter, he complains that the cell is poorly decorated and has no view.
“I highly doubt that there are worse detention facilities in Norway,” he writes.
Among his other complaints are:
• the handcuffs he wears when being moved around the prison “are too sharp and “cut in his wrist”
• the cell is too cold, forcing him to wear three layers of clothes
• he has to rush his morning shave and brushing of teeth
• light and television switches are outside the cell, so he has to ask for help to change channel or sleep.
Ila is an all-male institution which “houses some of the country’s most dangerous men”, its website says.
However, it differs markedly from other maximum security jails in western Europe. The staff is a half-and-half mix of men and women and none are armed.
Anders Behring Breivik massacred 77 people, most of them teenagers at a youth camp run by Norway’s governing Labour Party.
His 21-year sentence can be indefinitely extended for as long as he is considered a danger to society.
It’s been a long slog of a campaign and many Americans – whether their favored candidate won or lost – are just relieved it’s over. Here are 10 signs Election Day has been and gone.
1. No-one cares about Ohio
Once every four years, the state finds itself at the centre of the political universe, before dropping off the map. Ohio is often the butt of American jokes – seen as the embodiment of a Midwestern backwater. But as the election draws near, the world’s media descends, and commentators talk breathlessly about how “it’s all about Ohio”.
“People enjoy it,” says Fred Andrle, a former talk show host in Ohio. Most of the time, “we are considered fly-over people”.
Ohio law student Andrew Gordon-Seifert, 24, appreciated the attention – not least from the candidates themselves. But he says: “There’s a sentiment of cynicism – they realized how important we are to getting elected, but will they be there for us in the future?”
2. Mattress ads back on television
There were more than one million campaign ad airings in this presidential campaign – almost double that in 2008 and 2004. It has been a bonanza in terms of ad revenues for TV stations, but now the adverts have returned to staple subjects like mattresses, a dog’s arthritis or erectile dysfunction. Answering the phone has become a whole lot easier for those in swing states too – if there is a call, it is probably a real person.
3. The polling addicts are in detox
There are lots of “poll junkies” out there, says self-confessed addict Daniel Hamermesh, who teaches economics at the University of Texas at Austin and Royal Holloway in London. With a habit of checking the latest polls at least four times a day, he set himself the target of going cold turkey up to Election Day. He lasted just three days.
“I fell off the damn wagon,” he says.
But with the election over, he says he’s coping fine: “The thing that caused the addiction is gone – it’s as if there has been a tobacco blight, and the tobacco is gone,” he says.
“My wife is happy to have me back more full-time.”
4. All the news is about this cliff thing
Lots of things get put on ice during election season, but this one will have to come out of the freezer soon. The “fiscal cliff” refers to a deadline of December 31st for Congress to agree on spending levels and tax rates. The Fitch ratings agency recently called it the “single biggest near-term threat to a global economic recovery”. The word “bipartisanship” is one that has come out of the deep-freeze in the last couple of days. It will be needed.
Ten signs Election Day is over
5. You only read Buzzfeed for pictures of cats
Once upon a time, Buzzfeed was a site devoted to cats playing the piano, photos of kids with weird haircuts, and 90s nostalgia. But then Politico whiz-kid Ben Smith came on board just in time for the drama of the 2012 election. Suddenly the site known for articles like This Grandma And Her Cat Are The Cutest Best Friends Ever and 9 Most Controversial Salads was a must-read for political junkies, with trenchant articles from a stable of talented reporters, putting forward a mix of breaking scoops and in-depth features. They’re probably still doing all that stuff, but now that the election is over, you’re more interested in those salads.
6. Joe Biden stops emailing you
You can open your inbox without it being full of emails from the candidates or their campaign teams, usually exhorting you to dig deep into your pockets or give up some time to get people out to vote.
Mitt Romney’s final email on Election Day began with the words: “Friend, Polls are open for a few more hours. Your vote, and your outreach efforts, will determine the outcome. America’s future is up to you.”
7. Celebrities go back to selling you their perfume, not their political views
Celebrity endorsements have been a staple in American politics for some time, and this year was no exception. Barack Obama managed to muster a longer line-up, with more A-listers, but the celebrity moment of the campaign definitely goes to Clint Eastwood for his soliloquy to an empty chair at the Republican National Convention. That may well be remembered, but the B-and-C-listers will vanish back into oblivion.
8. Election tat is piling up
It will be decades before the bog-standard mugs, badges, bumper stickers and posters of this campaign gain any significant value as collectors’ items, says Steve Ferber an expert on political memorabilia. Campaigns have begun to charge for things which used to be given away for free, he says. There has also been an “amazing increase” in buyers from abroad, he says – especially from the UK, Germany and Australia, who are keen on Barack Obama items.
9. You can say what you like on Facebook
Election time can create some awkward moments with friends and family on the other side of the political divide. Student Andrew Gordon-Seifert says most of the political chat among his friends was on Facebook, and things could get testy at times, with inflammatory political posts, and angry ripostes. He took care about what he would say politically – both online and in person – to keep the temperature down. Now it’s over, “we can get back to not being so divided”, he says.
10. The talk is all about 2016
In-between the fierce recriminations and soul-searching among the Republican Party, is speculation on who will run for the presidency in 2016 (Hillary Clinton versus Jeb Bush, is Politico‘s prediction). This future-gazing actually begins a few days before Election Day, says Karlyn Bowman with the conservative think tank, American Enterprise Institute.
“We’re polled out. Everyone is so exhausted, that people just want to turn to something new,” she says.
Many who live and breathe politics are now – with their source of sustenance suddenly gone – feeling a little deflated now, she says.
But the main sentiment is a kind of collective phew: “Everyone will say a prayer – not just for Thanksgiving, but that the campaign is over.”
President Barack Obama will make a statement on the economy later, setting the stage for a political showdown over a looming budget crisis.
Barack Obama is expected to discuss the so-called fiscal cliff, a package of tax rises and spending cuts due early next year unless Congress acts.
Budget analysts warn the US will tip into recession unless a deal is struck.
Barack Obama has repeatedly called for the wealthy to pay more taxes, but such a plan is anathema to Republicans.
The fiscal cliff would see Bush-era tax cuts expire at the end of 2012, combined with automatic, across-the-board reductions to military and domestic spending.
The International Monetary Fund has repeatedly warned that failure by US lawmakers to reach a deal would deepen uncertainty over the global economy.
Investor concerns over the issue have been partly blamed for two straight days of losses on financial markets.
John Boehner, leader of the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, told ABC News on Thursday: “Raising tax rates is unacceptable.
“Frankly, it couldn’t even pass the House. I’m not sure it could pass the Senate.”
John Boehner reiterated his opposition to tax rises in a news conference on Friday morning.
He spoke shortly before Barack Obama was due to deliver his statement from the East Room of the White House at 13:05.
Barack Obama is expected to discuss the so-called fiscal cliff, a package of tax rises and spending cuts due early next year unless Congress acts
The president’s statement could set the tone for his second-term working relationship with Republicans, whom he has battled repeatedly over the last four years.
A White House official said the president’s oft-stated call for tax rises on the wealthy has been vindicated by his resounding victory over Republican challenger Mitt Romney in Tuesday’s election.
“One of the messages that was sent by the American people throughout this campaign is … [they] clearly chose the president’s view of making sure that the wealthiest Americans are asked to do a little bit more in the context of reducing our deficit in a balanced way,” senior White House adviser David Plouffe was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying.
Barack Obama’s position has been that taxes should rise on earnings above $250,000.
John Boehner says his party is willing to countenance cutting loopholes and special exemptions, but only in exchange for an overhaul of the tax code.
Republican lawmakers also want cuts to federal healthcare programmes such as Medicare, Medicaid and food-stamp assistance for the poor.
A Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report published on Thursday warned that the US economy would fall back into recession if no deal were struck on the fiscal cliff.
The analysis projected that the package of tax rises and spending cuts would cut the ballooning US deficit by $503 billion through to next September, but also shrink the economy by 0.5% and cost millions of jobs.
Meanwhile, as Barack Obama turns his attention to shaping a second term in office his administration is expected to undergo a shake-up in the coming weeks.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defence Secretary Leon Panetta and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner are among those expected to leave their posts.
Speculation has been swirling in Washington over possible replacements, with Democratic Senator John Kerry among those tipped as a substitute for Hillary Clinton.
Meanwhile, Republicans are trying to find out what went wrong their presidential election campaign.
The party’s officials said they would poll voters extensively in battleground states, as well as holding focus groups and discussions with supporters.
The review would not attempt to alter the party’s ideological base, Republican National Committee spokesman Sean Spicer told the Washington Post.
“This is no different than a patient going to see a doctor,” Sean Spicer said.
What is the fiscal cliff?
• Under a deal reached last year between President Barack Obama and the Republican-controlled Congress, existing stimulus measures – mostly tax cuts – will expire on 1 January 2013
• Cuts to defence, education and other government spending will then automatically come into force – the “fiscal cliff” – unless Congress acts
• The economy does not have the momentum to absorb the shock from going over the fiscal cliff without going into recession
A train carrying liquid fuel has crashed and burst into flames near Kantbalu, central Burma, killing at least 25 people and injuring dozens.
The train was travelling from central Mandalay to Myiktyina in the north, when it crashed near Kantbalu.
Officials said the train had come off the tracks, then a fire broke out in fuel storage tanks.
Many of those killed were believed to be local residents who had gathered at the scene.
Burma’s information ministry said locals had been attempting to collect the spilled fuel. It posted images on its website of burnt out carriages and what appeared to be charred bodies.
Emergency officials said 83 people had been taken to hospital and that another two of those had later died.
The government put the number injured at 62.
A train carrying liquid fuel has crashed and burst into flames near Kantbalu, central Burma, killing at least 25 people and injuring dozens
2012 Black Friday sales will have Wal-Mart throwing open their doors earlier than ever before.
Opening at 8:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, two hours earlier than last year, the world’s largest retailer says they hope to relieve shoppers’ anxiety while also guaranteeing three of their most popular items for a special one hour.
If lined up inside the store between 10:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, those three items guaranteed are: an Apple iPad 2 with Wi-Fi for $399 plus a $74 Wal-Mart gift card; an Emerson 32-inch LCD TV for $148, down from the original $228; and an LG Blu-ray Disc player for $38, about half off the original price.
If those inside during that one-hour window find the product sold out, Wal-Mart will offer a guarantee card for the item.
The item must be paid for by midnight and registered online. The product will then be shipped to the store where it was purchased for the customer to pick up before December 25.
“We know it’s frustrating for customers to shop on Black Friday and not get the items they want,” said Duncan MacNaughton, chief merchandising and marketing officer at Wal-Mart’s U.S. division.
To satisfy customers’ demands for coveted items, Wal-Mart “bought very deep” on products that matter to its customers, he said.
Duncan MacNaughton declined to offer details but he told reporters on Wednesday the discounter is offering sharper discounts and broader, deeper assortments for the kickoff and the rest of the season compared to years past. For example, Wal-Mart doubled the number of tablet computers it’s bringing in for the winter holidays.
2012 Black Friday sales will have Wal-Mart throwing open their doors earlier than ever before
The stepped-up strategy comes as Wal-Mart, based in Bentonville, Arkansas, is counting on keeping its momentum going at its U.S. business, which started roaring back late last year after struggling during a more than two-year slump.
It’s critical for the holiday shopping season, which accounts for as much as 40% of a retailer’s annual sales.
Wal-Mart’s strategy raises the competitive stakes for the start of the holiday season.
American retailers have increasingly expanded their hours on Black Friday to get ahead of the competition, but now the kickoff is creeping earlier into Thanksgiving Day.
Starting with the 8:00 p.m. sale on Thanksgiving, Wal-Mart will have two more rounds of sales that will also include a consumer electronics sale two hours later and a sale at 5:00 a.m. on Friday.
Last year, Target, Best Buy, Macy’s and Kohl’s were closed on Thanksgiving and kicked off Black Friday sales at the stroke of midnight, their earliest starts ever. Best Buy Co Inc, Macy’s and Kohl’s all plan to open at midnight again, while Target has not given its plans yet.
Sears Holdings Corp’s (SHLD.O) Sears and Kmart stores will be open on Thanksgiving Day. Last year, Sears kept its discount chain Kmart open on Thanksgiving but the Sears chain was closed.
This year, Sears stores will open at 8:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day and stay open overnight until 10:00 p.m. on Black Friday. Kmart has been open on Thanksgiving for the last 21 years.
In 2011, Wal-Mart began with deals on toys, home items and clothing at 10:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving, followed by electronics deals at midnight and other offers at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, November 25.
Most Wal-Mart stores will be open on Thanksgiving, unless they are required to close by local or state law.
Wal-Mart has faced protests in various U.S. cities lately and some workers have planned to walk off the job on Black Friday. Such actions are being sponsored by groups including a contingent of workers called OUR Wal-Mart that receives union support.
On Thursday, November 22nd, America celebrates Thanksgiving, the traditional harvest feast which dates back to 1621.
Check the list below for the best ways to give thanks, whether it’s on a traditional plantation or with giant helium balloons.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, New York City
There is always something going on in the city that never sleeps. But on November 22nd, all eyes turn skyward and the city turns out for one event and one event only.
The Macy’s Parade is not only attended by hundreds of thousands of people but is televised throughout the USA.
Broadway is transformed into a colorful extravaganza as floats and falloons (half-way between a float and a balloon) march together.
Barbie, Mickey Mouse and Big Bird will mingle with Uncle Sam, Santa Claus and Thanksgiving’s own Tom Turkey to parade through Times Square and down the Avenue of the Americas.
Marching bands, the Radio City Rockettes and cast members from Broadway shows will also perform alongside them.
The first notes of the Let’s Have A Parade tune which opens the event, have now come to signal the official beginning of the Christmas season in New York. www.macys.com
Plimoth Plantation, Plymouth, Massachusetts
Although Thanksgiving is now better known as a festival involving giant balloons and music, there is a more authentic way to commemorate America’s forefathers.
For a taste of history and the real meaning of Thanksgiving it is best to head to Massachussetts, the birthplace of the holiday.
At the Plimoth Plantation, visitors can board the Mayflower II, which recreated the original Pilgrims’ journey in the 1950s and now forms part of a special exhibition about the voyage.
Actors dressed as Pilgrims and the indigenous Wampanoag people will guide you through the story of the first Thanksgiving.
Visitors also have the chance to explore a traditional 1627 English village, the crafts centre and, in true Thanksgiving spirit, there are a multitude of different places to eat the traditional turkey dinner.
If you’re travelling with children, this could make a great and interactive day out. www.plimoth.org
National Football League (NFL), Dallas, Texas and Detroit, Michigan
It may not be what the Pilgrims imagined their legacy to be, but one extremely popular way to celebrate Thanksgiving is by watching the classic battles between some of America’s most loved football teams.
It is not unusual for the family to settle down and watch what is referred to as Turkey Bowl as different teams – which normally include the Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys – fight it out.
For visitors to the country, this could be the perfect opportunity to indulge in a truly American pastime and try and learn the rules of a baffling game.
If you thought the Macy’s parade was big then prepare yourself for the inflatable extravaganza that takes over Chicago.
One of the city’s most popular events since it started in 1934, the parade regularly pulls in crowds of 400,000.
It was first created as a way to help people feel better during the Great Depression of the 1930s so visitors to the city this Thanksgiving may feel a strange irony given the current economic climate.
Observers and balloon holders on State Street will both be hoping the Windy City does not live up to its name that day. www.chicagofestivals.org
Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in New York City
Sales shopping in Orlando, New York and Boston
Like all great celebrations, Thanksgiving would not be a true national holiday without some cut-price bargains to encourage people to part with their cash.
And sales are particularly worthwhile at the outlet stores that are so popular with visitors to the US.
Some of the biggest outlets are Woodbury Common Premium Outlets in New York, Orlando Premium Outlets, Florida and Wrentham Village Premium Outlets in both New York and Boston.
So any shopaholics in these malls over Thanksgiving may well want to take advantage of some serious bargains.
Discounts of between 25 and 65% are offered on designer items in their Midnight Madness sale event (which actually starts at 9:00 p.m.).
The reductions will then go on for the next three days until, stuffed with turkey and shopped out, bargain hunters can survey their hoard before beginning the diet to fit back into them. www.premiumoutlets.com
Turkey bowling, Oregon
Beyond the grand parades and American football, there are actually a lot of smaller Thanksgiving celebrations taking place throughout the country.
Anyone enjoying West Coast hospitality in Oregon may want to head to one of the nation’s quirkier events.
According to these Oregon residents, nothing says Thanksgiving like bowling a Turkey.
In a new take on Turkey Bowl, Hood River offers a train ride out into the state’s most breathtaking scenery where people can enjoy a traditional holiday meal at a rural restaurant before starting on the real festivities.
This competition sees people bowling five, 10 or 20 lb turkeys in the hope of winning a variety of prizes. Taking place over the Thanksgiving weekend and costing $32 for an adult ticket and $20 for children, the day out could really add an interesting twist to the traditional Thanksgiving activities.
Skiing Thanksgiving World Cup, Aspen
Not everyone has the Thanksgiving holidays off – in fact some women will be working very hard in Aspen.
Aspiring skiers can pick up some tips watching the slalom and giant slalom events from the bleachers before heading off to try their ski legs for the first runs of the season. www.aspensnowmass.com
Turkey pardon, Washington and the pardoned turkey’s parade, Disneyland California
If you are in the Washington area and think you have a hope of swinging an invite to the White House, you may want to head there the week before Thanksgiving.
Traditionally the President holds a lighthearted gathering and pardons a turkey which is saved from becoming dinner and sent to live its life in peace.
But if, like the rest of us, it is unlikely you will be calling in at the White House, you can always catch a glimpse of the lucky turkey at Disneyland in California.
After the presidential touch grants turkeys their freedom, they are sent down to take part in the Thanksgiving Disney Parade.
They lead the spectacular parade as grand marshalls, joined by all of the familiar faces we associate with Disney. Once their duties are done, they are free to live out their days in the Frontierland part of the park. Find out more about Disneyland holidays here.
Several American businesses reacted to the news of President Barack Obama’s re-election with both anger and despair, as one McDonald’s location hung the US flag at half-mast and upside-down.
Some diners at the Follansbee restaurant in West Virginia could not believe their eyes when the say the flag on the day after Barack Obama secured more electoral votes than Republican rival Mitt Romney.
An upside-down flag is a “signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property”, according to federal law.
Mitt Romney won West Virginia in Tuesday night’s election – and its five electoral votes.
Karen Mezan, the McDonald’s franchise owner, said in an emailed statement to WTOV-TV: “Unfortunately, a flag cable broke and during the process of trying the fix the flag, it was inadvertently turned upside down.
“It wasn’t noticed that the flag was upside down until a customer inquired about it. We are working on fixing the flag right now. It’s important to note that this was an accident, not intentional.”
Follansbee McDonald’s restaurant hung the US flag at half-mast and upside-down
While US flag flew in reverse in West Virginia, a Florida real estate mogul backed down from a pledge to lay off some or all of his 8,000 in protest of Barack Obama’s victory.
Instead, David Siegel says he gave all of his workers a raise this week, to help them cope with new taxes and regulations that he believes the president will heap on in his second term.
David Siegel is perhaps known for his ambitious attempts to build the largest house in the world outside Orlando, Florida.
Modeled after the Palace of Versailles in France, he hopes it will be worth $100 million when it’s completed.
The property magnate’s 1,400-word rant was largely copied from a chain email which circulated around the time of the 2008 presidential election, according to Gawker.
David Siegel told Bloomberg BusinessWeek on Wednesday, the day after the election, that he hadn’t laid off anyone – yet.
“I’m going to work my hardest to keep the company going and expand the best I can. We’ll see what happens,” he said.
He added that he had given all employees in his company a raise, at least five per cent, to “help them handle the additional burdens the government will put on them”.
Last month, David Siegel told his workers that the company was performing well, saying: “The economy doesn’t currently pose a threat to your job.
“What does threaten your job however, is another 4 years of the same Presidential administration. Of course, as your employer, I can’t tell you whom to vote for, and I certainly wouldn’t interfere with your right to vote for whomever you choose. In fact, I encourage you to vote for whomever you think will serve your interests the best.”
He added: “So where am I going with all this? It’s quite simple. If any new taxes are levied on me, or my company, as our current president plans, I will have no choice but to reduce the size of this company.
“Rather than grow this company I will be forced to cut back. This means fewer jobs, less benefits and certainly less opportunity for everyone.
“So, when you make your decision to vote, ask yourself, which candidate understands the economics of business ownership and who doesn’t? Whose policies will endanger your job?
“Answer those questions and you should know who might be the one capable of protecting and saving your job.”
The 77-year-old starred alongside his wife Jackie, 46, in a documentary film titled Queen of Versailles, chronicling the construction of the 30-bedroom house and the struggles of David Siegel’s company during the financial crisis and recession.
The flamboyant businessman has previously boasted of using his employees for political ends.
He apparently surveyed his 8,000 workers before the 2000 election, and encouraged only those who supported George W. Bush to vote – an act which he believes brought the Republican victory in Florida, and therefore in the race as a whole.
In Bedford, Virginia, Lyons Jewelers posted a massive sign in the store window saying: “Closed to mourn the loss of the America that our forefathers endowed to us.”
WDBJ-TV reports that the store also had a sign that said “Shame on the U.S. and Virginia” and one that read “Lyons will reopen tomorrow to continue the fight against a president who seeks my demise”.
Also on Wednesday, a man who claimed to own a business in Las Vegas called into a local radio station to announce he had fired 20% of his staff.
The man, who called a talk radio program on KXNT, gave his name only as “Dave” and said “elections have consequences”.
He claimed that Tuesday night’s victory for the Democratic president was the tipping point for him to decide that he needed to cut back his business to save money.
He said he had 114 employees and that he sacked 22 of them.
“I explained to them a month ago that if Obama gets in office that the regulations for Obamacare are gonna hurt our business, and I’m gonna have to make provisions to make sure I have enough money to cover the payroll taxes, the additional health care I’m gonna have to do, and I explained that to them and I said you do what you feel like in your heart you need to do, but I’m just letting you know as a warning this is things I have to think of as a business owner,” he said.
Wrapping gifts is one of the most fun parts of Christmas, but somehow making it just right can leave many of us in a mess.
So to make it easier this year.
How to get the paper right
Thicker paper isn’t necessarily better. It can work well on larger gifts, but for small or awkwardly-shaped ones it’s difficult to get around corners. For these presents, use brown paper which is thin but tough, this also means you’ll have a blank canvas to add ribbons, bows or decorations to.
The biggest mistake most people make when wrapping presents is using too much paper.
How to work out how much to use
The biggest mistake people make is to use too much paper. An excess just means the gift will be bulky and harder to wrap. Pull the paper taut around the present (but never tape it to the gift as this might damage it), and cut just enough to overlap, then move it to one side of the paper so you can trim the side edge too. A lot of people just fold in the extra paper here rather than cutting it off, but it’s much harder to get it looking neat.
How to match up patterns
It’s best to avoid striped patterns as they’re tricky to line up. Instead, go for a small alternative pattern like spots, rather than large patterns that don’t repeat very often, then it won’t be so obvious where the join is.
How to be tidy with the tape
Ideally you should use double-sided tape for a professional finish. But if you only have regular tape, use small pieces and then cover it with a ribbon. Avoid decorative tape as it’s harder to get right and if you make a mistake it will be really noticeable.
How to get around corners
Crease each edge of the paper as you go along, so the folds are all sharp. Cutting the paper to fit beforehand means there won’t be an excess of paper to deal with here, so simply fold the top edge down and crease, then each corner in and finally the bottom up, turning the edge under neatly and securing with double-sided tape to get a polished finish.
Wrapping gifts is one of the most fun parts of Christmas, but somehow making it just right can leave many of us in a mess
How to do ribbons right
Just wrap the ribbon once around the gift then tying it in a bow. If you avoid doing a crossover around the gift it will look neater, plus you only use half as much ribbon. If you just can’t get the bow right, use a wide ribbon, then you can simply tie a loose knot and cut the ends at sharp angles instead. It looks just as good.
How to get the perfect finishing touches
With simple paper you can decorate the finished gift with fresh foliage such as rosemary, laurel, bay and ivy – and they smell lovely too. You can use also sticks and feathers, and even add nuts and dried fruit to the ribbon using a glue gun. And finally to the gift tag… Strung gift tags are best, slip them under the bow and they won’t get pulled off accidentally. And writing names in metallic pen on large leaves is a great way to get a gift tag on a budget. Quick tips on how to deal with…
Round tin of chocolates: Start with a tube of thin paper around the tin and pleat both sides in to the centre.
Bottle of wine: Use tissue. Place in the centre of a few sheets of tissue, then gather the tissue around it, tying a ribbon around the neck. Child’s micro scooter: For large awkward shapes use a paper tablecloth. Place the item in the centre, gather the sides above the top and secure with ribbon.
Socks and other soft items: Wrap them as a cracker with paper and add ribbons and decorations
Gift basket: Place the item in the centre of a large sheet of clear cellophane (available from florists), pull up sides and tie a large ribbon around the top.
