Scientists are developing a “stay sober” pill which may help those who get drunk too easily, by limiting the effects of alcohol on their brains.
In the researchers’ experiment, mice given the drug did not even get tipsy, despite being fed enough alcohol to make them stumble and fall over.
The research paves the way for a tablet that stops people from making fools of themselves on a night out.
The new experiment could help explain why some drinkers are “cheap dates” who start slurring their words and losing their inhibitions after one glass of wine, while others can knock back glass after glass with few ill effects.
A new “stay sober” pill is under development after University of Adelaide experiment findings
The Australian scientists who carried out the research focused on the way alcohol affects glial cells, which make up 90% of the brain.
The glial cells play a crucial role in the immune system, helping to fight infections such as meningitis.
When you think about your immune system, you probably think about it fighting off a cold. But new research from the University of Adelaide suggests that immune cells in your brain may contribute to how you respond to alcohol.
“It’s amazing to think that despite 10,000 years of using alcohol, and several decades of investigation into the way that alcohol affects the nerve cells in our brain, we are still trying to figure out exactly how it works,” says lead researcher Dr. Mark Hutchinson from the University’s School of Medical Sciences.
Although scientists know much about how alcohol affects nerve cells, there is also a growing body of evidence that alcohol triggers rapid changes in the immune system in the brain. This immune response lies behind some of the well-known alcohol-related behavioural changes, such as difficulty controlling the muscles involved in walking and talking.
In research published in the latest edition of the British Journal of Pharmacology, Dr. Mark Hutchinson’s team gave a single shot of alcohol to laboratory mice and studied the effect of blocking Toll-like receptors, a particular element of the immune system, on the behavioural changes induced by alcohol. The researchers used drugs to block these receptors. They also studied the effects of giving alcohol to mice that had been genetically altered so that they were lacking the functions of selected receptors.
Researcher Mark Hutchinson said: “When a mouse gets drunk, it is quite similar to a human that’s drunk. It can’t work its motor co-ordination properly. If you stop these immune cells from working, the animals didn’t get drunk.”
The results showed that blocking this part of the immune system, either with the drug or genetically, reduced the effects of alcohol. While the research was carried out on mice, Dr. Hutchinson’s team believes that similar treatments could also work in humans.
“Medications targeting Toll-like receptor 4 may prove beneficial in treating alcohol dependence and acute overdoses,” says Dr. Mark Hutchinson.
This work has significant implications for our understanding of the way alcohol affects us, as it is both an immunological and neuronal response. Such a shift in mindset has significant implications for identifying individuals who may have bad outcomes after consuming alcohol, and it could lead to a way of detecting people who are at greater risk of developing brain damage after long-term drinking.
Amos Richards, a hiker inspired by the film “127 Hours” nearly ended up in his own disaster movie after breaking his leg whilst walking in the same canyon where the drama took place.
Amos Richards, 64, from Concord, North Carolina, went out on his own to Little Blue John Canyon near Salt Lake City in Utah, but fell 10 ft (3 m) down a hole and hurt himself.
With a broken leg and dislocated shoulder, Amos Richards was forced to drag his body through the desert for four days until a search helicopter saw him.
Amos Richards, 64, went out on his own to Little Blue John Canyon, but fell 10 ft (3 m) down a hole and hurt himself
Amos Richards later revealed had only gone to the remote park after watching “127 Hours” in which James Franco players a climber who is forced to amputate his right arm to free himself from a boulder – after falling down a canyon at Little Blue John.
Amos Richards’ version began when he tumbled down the hole and realized the full horror of his situation – his mobile phone was not working and he only had two protein bars to keep him going.
Amos Richards fell 10 ft while hiking in the Maze district's narrow Lower Blue John Canyon,
Amos Richards also realized it would take him days to reach civilization or get back to his car but given nobody knew where he was he had to set off.
The hiker later recalled: “I was just thinking that this may be it, I may not be found.”
As he crawled along the ground Amos Richards filled his water bottles with rain as he painstakingly retraced his steps, eventually dragging himself almost five miles.
Each night Amos Richards had to sleep under the stars with no tent or a cover sheet as temperatures plunged to barely 10 C (50 F).
“I was actually following my GPS, crawling right on top of my feet print that I had hiked in on.”
Rangers at Canyonlands National Park sent out search parties when Amos Richards’ camp site was discovered unattended and two days later they found his car.
On the day four Amos Richards was tracked down by a helicopter and taken to Moab Regional Hospital, where he was treated for leg fractures, internal injuries, trauma and dehydration.
Now Amos Richards is expected to make a full recovery.
“127 Hours”, the 2010 Danny Boyle film was based on the account of climber Aron Ralston who went hiking in Little Blue John Canyon without telling anybody where he was going.
Aron Ralston’s autobiography Between a Rock and a Hard Place detailed his struggle including the awful moment he had to chop off his arm with a pocket knife or face dying in the desert.
James Franco as mountain climber Aron Ralston in Danny Boyle film 127 Hours
Paul Henderson, the assistant superintendent of Canyonlands, said the incident was “at least the third or fourth time that we’ve had issues at Blue John since the movie.”
Aron Ralston telling about his amazing climbing accident at the Tonight Show
Henderson said about Amos Richards:
“He made some of the very same mistakes that Aron Ralston did.
“He went into a very remote area and nobody knew what his travel plans where.”
Siraj Yassin Abdullah Ali, the fanatical terrorist has escaped being thrown out of the UK because it would breach his human rights.
Siraj Yassin Abdullah Ali, graded the highest possible risk to the public, was released after serving just half of his nine-year sentence for helping the July 21 bombers.
The terrorist now mingles freely among the Londoners his co-plotters tried to kill six years ago.
The UK Government officials are desperate to deport the Islamic fundamentalist back to his native Eritrea but have been told they cannot because he could face “inhumane treatment or punishment”.
Siraj Yassin Abdullah Ali was convicted of helping a gang of five Al Qaeda suicide bombers in their bid to repeat the carnage of the attacks of July 7, 2005, two weeks later.
Siraj Yassin Abdullah Ali walking free on London streets.
Graham Foulkes, whose 22-year-old son David was killed on July 7, said:
“These people were plotting to commit mass murder – what about the human rights of victims and families?
“These people had no consideration for the women and children they were trying to kill. How can they claim we should look after and support them?”
The case is the latest to highlight how human rights laws have left the authorities powerless to remove some terrorists and convicted criminals.
Imposed by unaccountable European judges, they place the rights of the most dangerous wrongdoers above the risks faced by ordinary people.
The five would-be suicide bombers were jailed for life after trying to detonate bombs at Shepherd’s Bush, Warren Street and Oval Tube stations and on a bus in Shoreditch.
Siraj Yassin Abdullah Ali, 35, knew about the potentially murderous July 21 conspiracy and helped the fanatics clear up their explosives factory.
The terrorist was jailed for 12 years in February 2008 for aiding and abetting the Al Qaeda cell. Judge Paul Worsley QC said he must have “harboured the hope” the bombers would “destroy society as we know it”.
The sentence was reduced to nine years on appeal and after time Siraj Yassin Abdullah Ali spent in jail while awaiting trial was taken into account, he was automatically released on licence several weeks ago. The terrorist is now living at a bail hostel on a leafy residential street in north-west London. He has been seen travelling on the Tube and catching buses.
With music headphones plugged into his ears and a bag slung casually across his shoulder, he appeared to be caught on camera chatting on a mobile phone.
It is understood that Siraj Yassin Abdullah Ali is being monitored around the clock and must obey a curfew and other conditions, including a ban on using the internet.
Ali is the second high-risk terrorist linked to the July 21 attacks to win the right to remain in the UK on human rights grounds in recent weeks.
Terrorist Siraj Yassin Abdullah Ali is using public transport in London
Ismail Abdurahman, 28, who hid would-be bomber Hussain Osman for three days, escaped being deported to his native Somalia after judges feared for his safety. Ismail Abdurahman is also living at a bail hostel in London despite the protests of police and Home Office officials.
The release of Ali and Abdurahman underlines the challenges faced by police, probation and MI5. There are fears that they will be stretched to the limit as they try to monitor dozens of freed fanatics in the run-up to the Olympics next year.
Research by one think-tank found that more than 230 people have been convicted of terrorist offences since 2001, but only around 100 remain in prison.
Under Article 3 of both the European Convention on Human Rights, and Labour’s Human Rights Act, individuals are protected against torture, inhuman or degrading treatment.
The clause allows foreign terror suspects to fight deportation on the grounds that they would be tortured in their home countries if returned.
Tory MP Priti Patel said: ‘This is yet another example of how we have got to abolish this appalling human rights legislation that allows terrorists and violent criminals to waltz out of prison and stay in our country.
“They should be deported instantly back to where they came from.”
Solicitor Cliff Tibber, who represents the families of several July 7 victims, said: “There is no doubt it is uncomfortable for the families to see someone like this back on the streets after what feels like an extremely short period of time.”
A UK Border Agency spokesman said: “We will do everything we can to remove this individual from the UK and are extremely disappointed by the court’s decision to grant bail, which we vigorously opposed.
“In the meantime, we are working closely with public protection agencies to ensure that appropriate monitoring is in place.”
An UK Ministry of Justice spokesman insisted that public protection remains “top priority” and that serious offenders face “strict” controls and conditions.
Rhonda Cook from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, JoAnn Merrigan of WSAV News in Savannah and Greg Bluestein of the Associated Press, who all have covered more than 20 executions between them in the past, were three of five reporters allowed to watch the controversial death of Troy Davis at Georgia State Prison last night.
Troy Davis, who murdered an off-duty police officer, was executed by lethal injection after a tense four-hour delay. Here is what the reporters witnessed:
Rhonda Cook, Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Just after 10:30 Wednesday night two words stopped the conversation among reporters instantly.
“Y’all ready?” a correctional officer asked.
We were moments away from witnessing an execution. Media witnesses are as much a part of the execution process as the officers who escort the inmate to the death chamber or the officers who strap the condemned to a gurney.
Troy Davis was put to death in Jackson, Georgia, last night
Wednesday, we were there as unbiased witnesses, sitting on the back row. Our seats were behind those there on behalf of the condemned and those who prosecuted or arrested Troy Davis for the 1989 murder of Savannah police officer Mark Allen MacPhail. The dead officer’s son and namesake, Mark MacPhail Jr., and his brother, William MacPhail, were there for the family.
We spoke little from that moment on, the five reporters selected to witness the execution.
As the officer called our names, we lined up and left the room where we had waited for so long, oblivious to the last-ditch effort to spare Davis and the police presence and protests beyond the prison’s walls.
In the death chamber, we took our seats on the last of three pews.
Warden Carl Humphrey began the process by reading the execution order signed by Chatham County Judge Penny Haas Freesmann. “The court having sentenced defendant Troy Anthony Davis on the third day of September, 1991, to be executed….”
Then he asked Davis if he has any final words.
Yes, the condemned man said and he raised his head so he could look at Mark MacPhail Jr., who was an infant when his father was murdered, and William MacPhail, the dead officer’s brother.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Davis said.
Mark MacPhail, who was leaning forward, and his uncle did not move. They stared at the man who killed their loved one.
“I did not personally kill your son, father and brother,” Davis said. “I am innocent.”
He asked his family and friends to continue to search for the truth.
And to the prison officials he said: “May God have mercy on your souls. May God bless your souls.”
He then lowered his head. He turned down an offer for a prayer.
Within minutes, Troy Anthony Davis slipped out of consciousness and in 14 minutes he was dead.
A three-drug cocktail ended his life. First pentobarbital put Davis in a drug-induced coma. The paralytic pancuronium bromide was second. Potassium chloride stopped Davis’ heart.
“The court ordered execution of Troy Anthony Davis was carried out in accordance with the laws of the state of Georgia,” the warden announced.
Curtains in the death chamber were closed and we were quickly ushered out.
Waiting for us at the media staging area was a line of correctional officers, deputy sheriffs and state troopers blocking protesters from crossing Georgia Highway 36 onto prison property and hoards of local, national and international reporters waiting for the reporters who witnessed the execution to describe what happened.
He went peacefully, one of the reporters said
Greg Bluestein, Associated Press:
It didn’t take long to notice Troy Davis’ execution was different from the others I’ve covered. As I drove up to the prison, I could see the crowds of protesters and a group of at least 50 reporters.
I’ve covered about 10 executions in Georgia. None of them are easy. This was by far the most unusual.
There were four reporters besides me there to witness the execution.
We ended up waiting for more than four hours in a sombre prison break room. We made small talk and speculated about whether the U.S. Supreme Court could intervene. At times, it was silent.
Around 10:30 p.m., a guard walked in and said: “You ready?”
Execution chamber at Georgia State Prison in Jackson, where Troy Davis was sedated, strapped to a gurney and given a lethal injection
We were led into a white van and, after passing through several security checkpoints, we were delivered to the squat white building on the edge of the prison that serves as the death chamber. We watched the slain officer’s son, Mark MacPhail Jr., enter the building. Behind him, Jason Ewart, the condemned man’s attorney, walked in. A county coroner’s van rolled up.
By the time we were inside, officials had already strapped Davis to the gurney. There was a glass window with a curtain separating Davis from the witnesses, who sat in three rows of seats. There were about 20 of us.
Davis searched for Ewart, who nodded slightly when they locked eyes. MacPhail Jr., sitting in the front row, focused on Davis.
When it was time to deliver his last words, Davis’ seized the moment, speaking quickly and confidently.
He told the MacPhail family he was not responsible for the death. “I am innocent. The incident that happened that night is not my fault,” he said.
Davis urged his supporters to “continue to fight the fight.” And just before the lethal drugs coursed through his veins, he offered a message to his executioners: “God have mercy on your souls.”
Davis blinked his eyes rapidly. He squeezed them tight. The curtain closed.
JoAnn Merrigan, WSAV News:
Prison officials arrived to take me to the prison at 5:45pm. I arrived at the State Prison in Jackson, Georgia at 5:50pm.
At 6:02, I was taken into a waiting room where I stayed for around four hours with no knowledge of what was going on. Every so often, someone would come in and say the execution had been delayed.
Around 9:00pm, I went to the bathroom and heard some people talking.
Around 10:20pm, an official came and brought me out into a hallway where I was told to stop. Three men, including the warden, were walking around. Attorney General Sam Olens was also there. He walked quickly one way, then the other. Then the prison official said it was time to go around 10:25pm.
I got into a car with three attorneys from the Attorney General’s office, and rode along with a caravan of cars to a building. The drive took around two minutes, and we arrived at 10:27pm.
I walked into the room and sat in the front row, about a dozen people were also in the room. The room had a window showing the execution chamber.
Two men came in, the warden and another man.
Then five guards escorted in Troy Davis and laid him down on the gurney. He appeared calm at this time.
The five guards began methodically strapping in Davis. They started with each foot first, then each knee, then each arm.
A fifth strap was laid across Davis’s shoulders.
At this point, Davis picked up his head to look around the room. I was about four to five feet from the window.
Two women then came in with heart monitoring equipment and strapped it to his chest. No one in the room spoke.
The two women then put a syringe into each arm, the left first then the right. Long tubes connected the needles through two holes in the cement wall. I understand that tubes were connected to two intravenous drips containing the chemicals.
At this point, Davis raised his head for a second time to look at the room beyond the window.
Two guards then placed surgical tape around Davis’s fingertips, strapping them to the gurney.
The bed was then raised to an upright angle, facing the crowd. I could see him clearly, being only four to five feet from the window.
I then moved to the back of the room. At this point, the family of Officer Mark MacPhail, including Billy MacPhail the brother, and Mark MacPhail Jr, the son, entered the room and sat in the front row.
There were also other witnesses, totalling eight people, who also sat in the front row.
Defence attorneys Jason Ewart and Thomas Ruffin came in and sat in the second row with others.
At this point, other media witnesses were brought in and they sat in the back row with me. A total of around 30 people were in the room.
About 15 minutes had passed since I first entered the room.
A microphone was turned on and the warden said, ‘We are here for the execution of Troy Anthony Davis with all witnesses present.’ He also asked that the witnesses remain silent. He then asked Davis if he had anything he wanted to say. Davis replied: “Yes.”
Davis said: “I want to address the members of the MacPhail family. Despite the situation we are all in, you think I’ve killed your father, your brother, your husband, I’m not the person, I’m innocent, what happened was not my fault, I did not have a gun that night, I did not shoot your family member. I’m so sorry for your loss, I really am. I hope you will finally see the truth and others will, too. To my family and supporters, thank you for your prayers and continue to pray. For those about to take my life, I forgive you. God bless you all.”
The warden then read the death warrant. Davis looked out at the crowd, and though he seemed calm, it did appear he was somewhat scared.
The room was very quiet when the injections began.
First, Davis received an injection of pentobarbital, a sedative. Second, he received an injection of pancuronium bromide, a muscle relaxer. Lastly, he was injected with potassium chloride to induce cardiac arrest.
After a short amount of time, Davis yawned then closed his eyes.
The room was quiet and all I heard was my pencil moving over paper.
A woman then came in and checked his eyes, then there was a ‘beep.’ Mark MacPhail Jr was leaning towards the window.
The microphone was turned on again, and two doctors entered the room wearing long white coats.
One doctor checked his pulse and placed a stethoscope on his chest. Then the second doctor performed the same procedure. At the end, the second doctor looked at the first and nodded his head.
The warden then said: “At 11:08 September 21st, the court ordered execution of Troy Davis was carried out in accordance with the laws of Georgia.”
I was escorted out of the room and saw a black Butts County coroner’s van of outside the building.
About 30 to 35 minutes had passed by the time I entered the room, until the time Davis was pronounced.
A report of Alzheimer’s disease International (ADI) published in 2009, said there were 35.6 million people were with dementia and Alzheimer’s and it was expected that the number would increase to 65.7 million by 2030.
Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia that is a collective name for progressive degenerative brain syndromes. They affect memory, thinking, behavior, intellect, personality and emotion. Symptoms may include loss of memory, difficulty in finding the right words or understanding what people are saying, difficulty in performing previously routine tasks, personality and mood change. In the last stage of Alzheimer’s a person is totally dependent of care-givers and might have swallowing difficulties, is very thin and dies of infections or other diseases.
Although age, family history, and genes play a major role in determining Alzheimer’s risk, there are several ways to prevent Alzheimer’s or slower its progression.
Sleep. Getting enough sleep helps to consolidate memory, and an afternoon nap might lock-in long-term memoires faster. Sleep deprivation could stimulate the production of amyloid plaques and cause the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Lack of sleep also affects hormones’ balance and metabolism, leading to diabetes, weight gain, and making a person to look older. Sleeping less than eight hours a night also increases risk of heart attack, stroke, and depression and weakens immune system, so one gets cold much easier.
Getting enough sleep is a way to lower Alzheimer’s risk.
Music. The capacity for music tends to be affected by Alzheimer’s disease differently than other brain functions. “It appears that words to a song get encoded in a different place in the brain than the words we use in speech, and it appears that people with Alzheimer’s actually preserve the music, and the words that go to music, long after much of the rest of the brain is not functioning well,” said Elaine Bearer, professor of neuroscience at the University of New Mexico. Also listening to relaxing melodies, singing or playing an instrument keep the brain in a good shape.
Intellectual activities. People who keep their brains active may be at less risk of developing Alzheimer’s. Reading, engaging in a hobby such as playing bridge or chess, or doing crosswords and word puzzles may help to reduce risk.
Wine. A glass of wine a day appears to reduce the risk of cognitive decline that occurs with normal aging as well as Alzheimer’s. A study found that those who had a drink a day through the years had about a 25% lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s in old age compared with those who didn’t drink at all. Heavier drinking increased the risk of cognitive decline more than non-drinking. A glass of wine could also prevent heart and vascular illness and help you to relax and sleep better. However, if you have Alzheimer’s, a liver condition, or other diseases that get worsen by alcohol, you should avoid it.
Stop smoking. Smokers have a 72% greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s found the researchers from the University of California, San Francisco after excluding studies sponsored by the tobacco industry. Industry-funded studies found that smokers had a lower risk. Besides lowering lung cancer’s risk, quitting smoking also can help you to sleep better, thinking more clear, being relaxed. Stopping smoking improves your complexion, reduces your wrinkles, and lowers heart attack and stroke’s risks.
Control blood sugar. A Japanese study showed that diabetes could raise Alzheimer’s risk up to three times. Those with higher than normal blood sugar levels, or prediabetes, also have a higher risk. High blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia) could be reverse through eight hours a night sleep, weight loss, daily walks, and a reduction in sweets and other processed foods.
Control cholesterol levels. High cholesterol levels are associated with changes in the brain that are hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease. A study that examined the brains on autopsy found that participants who had high total cholesterol levels (over 224 mg/dL) in mid- to late life were seven times more likely than those with low cholesterol (under 173 mg/dL) to have the beta-amyloid plaques in their brain when they died a decade or two later. Eating low-fat or fat-free dairy products and limiting your intake of red meat can help lower cholesterol levels. The onion and garlic consumed daily are great helpers in prevention of atherosclerosis, by reducing cholesterol level. Also the goal can be reached through weight loss and daily exercise.
Weight loss. Losing weight can also prevent the Alzheimer’s since a study showed that obesity duration increased type 2 diabetes risk, and other study said the diabetes could raise the risk of Alzheimer’s.
Exercise. A daily walk is good for the brain, and getting yourself sweaty several times a week is even better. Studies have shown that aerobic exercise (brisk walking, biking, swimming, or dancing) can reduce the risk of dementia and slow the progression of Alzheimer’s.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia in old age. After the age of 65, at every five years, the number of people with Alzheimer’s doubles.
Alzheimer’s is common in people over 65, but can affects younger people too.
US Against Alzheimer’s said one in eight 65-year-old already has the disease, which has no effective treatment, and is ultimately fatal.
Although Alzheimer’s appears in people over 65, like legendary crooner Glenn Campbell (75), early-onset dementia can be found in younger persons, like basketball coach Pat Summitt (59).
Ashton Kutcher Two and a Half Men début had been the subject of a slew of Hollywood hype after it was announced he would be replacing the fired Charlie Sheen.
It seems the critics are a little mixed on Ashton Kutcher‘s performance after he made his first appearance on the hit comedy show last night.
According to the New York Daily News, Ashton Kutcher, who spent much of the time on last night’s show naked while playing Walden Schmidt billionaire, “just needs to work on being funny.”
“By the last third of the show, the writers had clearly decided that walking around naked was Walden’s best shot at a laugh.”
Ashton Kutcher's character, Walden Schmidt is a dumped billionaire who has attempted to commit suicide
The Wall Street Journal reviewer wrote:
“Kutcher is intense and doesn’t do dead pan well at all. But he’s way hotter naked, and he’s naked a lot,” they said, adding that “Kutcher seems sort of frozen in place, humourless.”
Other commentators seemed to enjoy what Ashton Kutcher brought to the show, although some had reservations about his comic timing.
“The fact is that Kutcher, despite having spent so much time over the past few years branding and Tweeting himself, is a good comic actor,” wrote People in its review. “Not great.”
Entertainment Weekly wrote:
“Kutcher’s performance was good, nearly as poker-faced fine as Sheen’s was.”
“It’s easy to see how Kutcher is going to fit into the ensemble.
“He’s part-contrast-to-Charlie (he ordered ginger ale, not liquor, while out at a bar with Alan), and part-Charlie-2.0 (he beds women with ease, but in a nice, horny-puppy-dog kind of way).”
Ashton Kutcher's character bonded with Jon Cryer's character Alan Harper
However, other reviewers were kinder about Ashton Kutcher debut, who made his entrance as dumped husband Walden Schmidt soaking wet on the deck of Alan Harper’s Malibu beach house after trying to commit suicide in the ocean.
“With Kutcher loosely playing himself as a savant ladies’ man, it’s likely that Charlie Harper – or Sheen – won’t be missed,” said Fox News.
Charlie Sheen was famously fired from the smash hit TV comedy after falling out with its creator Chuck Lorre.
“Filling the void left by a well established character isn’t easy, but Kutcher mostly succeeded,” wrote The Chicago Sun Times.
“At times his character seemed a bit like Lennie petting the rabbits in Of Mice and Men, but give him a few episodes, and he should settle in nicely.”
The Los Angeles Times, meanwhile, said the show, which opened with Sheen’s character Charlie Harper’s funeral, was a ‘promising beginning.’
“Kutcher brings a softness as well as a sense of rude health – he was naked for much of the show – to a series that could often be brittle and sour, misanthropic and misogynistic, and temperamentally middle-aged.
“His presence might allow Cryer to play some sweeter, less strident notes, though it is up to Lorre, of course, to make that, or let that, happen.”
However, the viewing public were clearly less fussy than the critics on Ashton Kutcher, with a whopping 28 million tuning in – the largest ever audience for the show, which is in its ninth season.
Ashton Kutcher tweeted his gratitude to his fans today, posting:
“I owe you guys big time for showing up for us last night. Hope you were entertained. We’ll be there every Monday for you.”
And even Charlie Sheen found the episode funny, writing on his Twitter account:
“Surrounded by friends and watching the premier of Two and a Half Men,’ he tweeted. ‘Odd… But cool..! So far a lot of laughs!! Nice…”
A major security breach at Sydney Airport has caused long delays for about 2000 Qantas airlines passengers.
Two persons walked through an exit door at the Qantas-owned T3 domestic terminal on Sydney Airport, in Australia, this morning, bypassing security checks.
The incident forced the evacuation of the terminal and rescreening of about 2000 passengers who had already been checked in and, in some cases, boarded aircraft. This is the second major security breach at Sydney Airport in the last five months.
A major security breach at Sydney Airport has caused long delays for about 2000 Qantas airlines passengers
“It’s our terminal so we’re sticking our hands up on this one,” a Qantas airline spokesman told Fairfax Radio Network.
“It was obviously very frustrating for the passengers and we’re extremely sorry for the inconvenience caused.
“Our hands were tied once those two passengers got through.
“We had to get every single passenger out of that area and backthrough the gates.”
Qantas spokeswoman Olivia Wirth said 12 flights were delayed and 2000 passenges affected by the security breach.
Olivia Wirth said they had notified the Australian Federal Police and a full investigation would be carried out.
The security breach caused delays of several hours for some flights leaving Sydney Airport and some minor delays for inbound aircraft.
According to Qantas airlines, by 3:00 pm (AEST) flight schedules were returning to normal.
Australian Federal Police officers carried out a sweep on post-security check areas of T3 domestic terminal using bomb and firearm detection dogs.
A similar incident happened at Sydney Airport T2 exactly five months ago, on April, when a power failure caused a security screening checkpoint to fail, leading to 16 passengers walking through without screening and Sydney Airport ordered the rescreening of the entire terminal.
Another similar security breach happened at Melbourne Airport on April 7.
Earlier in the day, paramedics from Sydney Airport were called to treat people on an incoming international flight who suffered burns when a hot drink was spilled. The accident happened when the plane dropped suddenly as it hit the turbulence, sending a coffee cart flying into the air.
According to ambulance spokeswoman, paramedics assessed five passengers and three crew on their arrival.
Three persons suffered minor burns but no one needed to be taken to hospital.
Chariot singer Gavin DeGraw will begin a tour on October 9 with American Idol seven season winner, David Cook and Swedish alternative rock band, Carolina Liar.
Gavin DeGraw starts fall tour in October.
The tour starts in State College, Pennsylvania and ends in Orlando, Florida on November 12. David Cook will co-headline Gavin DeGraw in all cities, except Orlando. Carolina Liar will open for them in Columbus, Ohio on October 10 and will be special guest in all cities but York, Pennsylvania, Cleveland, Ohio, Greenville, South Carolina.The tickets are available from September 16, but a pre-sale started on Wednesday.
David Cook will perform from his new album This Loud Morning. The Last Goodbye single was very well received as well as Fade Into Me. Cook’s The Time of My Life went platinum.
From September 14, Gavin DeGraw new album Sweeter (which will be release on September 20 on RCA Records) can be pre-ordered at walmart.com.
Gavin DeGraw fourth studio album has a “wide variety of styles” which due to his wide range of musical influences. Gavin enjoys “classic soul music, rock, modern rock and certain types of just beat rhythm music” and the ten tracks are “really a combination of all the stuff.”
Gavin DeGraw will play melodies from Sweeter on the tour. Not Over You( (not related with his ex-girlfriend he said) is “a soulful majestic ballad” (Entertainment Weekly), a“hot single” and his “welcome return” to the airwaves (People Magazine).
Gavin DeGraw Sweeter will be released on September 20.
Gavin DeGraw debut album Chariot sold more than 1 million copies, earned platinum certification and had three hits: I Don’t Want To Be, Follow Through, Chariot. In Love With A Girl, and the gold-certified We Belong Together are the hits from his second album. DeGraw had a tour with rockers Maroon 5 and Train over the summer.
Gavin DeGraw interrupted the summer tour on August 8 because early in the morning he was beaten by three men and hit by a car, had a broken nose, concussion and bruises and was admitted to the hospital for a day.
The piano player told Today that the scars were mainly internal (poor memory regarding that night). Singer said he had been out for a drink with friends and had been walking home down a street in New York’s East Village. Three persons said something to him (“the tone was weird”) and “the lights went out.” Still no arrest has been made.
“I was very bloody, which caused me to panic, which made it that much worse. I am told I got clipped by a taxi. My head was so rocked from the concussion that my balance was off and my vision was blurred. The 911 call was, ‘Hey, I just saw this guy get hit by a taxi.’ Whether I got clipped by it, or possibly went up to it to say ‘can you help me?’ (I don’t know).”
Gavin DeGraw making of a Video "NOT OVER YOU" (Photo by Brad Barket/PictureGroup)
Gavin DeGraw said he had other priorities than his voice affected by broken nose, to meet his family at his mother’s 60th birthday the next week.
“We were all supposed to meet in Nashville for a show, and just seeing their faces after this was really the worst thing. But then after realizing how bad off I was by the looks on their faces, that’s when I started concentrating on my voice and thinking I could have trouble.”
Serena Williams has been fined $2,000 for verbal outburst against chair umpire Eva Asderaki during Sunday’s U.S. Open women’s final.
In a statement of U.S. Open organizers, Brian Earley said the fine was for the code violation of verbal abuse.
“This fine is consistent with similar offenses at Grand Slam events,” the statement said.
“After independently reviewing the incident which served as the basis for the code violation, and taking into account the level of fine imposed by the U.S. Open referee, the Grand Slam Committee Director has determined that Ms. Williams’ conduct, while verbally abusive, does not rise to the level of a major offense under the Grand Slam Code of Conduct.”
Serena Williams was fined $2,000 for verbal outburst against chair umpire Eva Asderaki
The incident happened in the first game of the second set, when Serena Williams appeared to have hit a winning forehand against eventual champion Australian Samantha Stosur.
Serena Williams yelled “come on” in celebration before the ball landed. Samantha Stosur barely was able to touch the ball, but the winner was taken away because of the hindrance rule that allows for a point penalty if the “hindrance” is considered to be on purpose.
After the point penalty, which ended up giving the game to Samantha Stosur, Serena Williams launched into a verbal attack against Greek chair umpire, Eva Asderaki.
During the next changeover and the break, Serena Williams was heard to say:
“What a loser,” “You’re a hater,” “A code violation because I expressed who I am? Really. Don’t even look at me. I promise you, don’t look at me. … Don’t look my way.” And, in a comment that could be interpreted as threatening, she said, “If you ever see me walking down the hall, walk the other way.”
Serena Williams was technically still under two-year probation in major tournaments as a result of her obscene outburst during her 2009 U.S. Open semifinal loss to Kim Clijsters
The $2,000 fine Serena Williams received wasn’t even the largest issued so far at the Open. Men’s doubles players Mike Bryan was fined $10,000 for an “off court” incident after he and brother Bob Bryan lost in the first round. Because Mike Bryan can still appeal the fine, a U.S. Open official said, the nature of the offense would not be disclosed.
Serena Williams was technically still under two-year probation in major tournaments as a result of her obscene outburst during her 2009 U.S. Open semifinal loss to Kim Clijsters.
If Sunday’s incident had been deemed “major,” Serena Williams could have been suspended from the 2012 U.S. Open.
Serena Williams got very angry and launched a verbal attack on an umpire during the U.S. Open final on Sunday, calling her “loser” and “unattractive inside”.
Serena Williams had received a code violation for yelling “come on” after battling to hang on to her serve during the start of the second set against Australian Samantha Stosur.
The ball had not yet reached Samantha Stosur and, under grand slam rules, a deliberate hindrance, such as an intentional shout during a point, sees the perpetrator lose the point.
Serena Williams' outburst on umpire, calling her "loser" and "unattractive inside"
Serena Williams, who lost the US Open final with 6-2 6-3, will find out today whether the run-in with officialdom will lead to a sanction after she refused to apologize for the outburst.
Sunday incident follows Serena Williams’ infamous verbal attack on a lineswoman which cost her a point penalty at US Open semi-final against Kim Clijsters in 2009.
Serena Williams was given a hefty fine and was still playing under a two-year suspended ban.
On Sunday, Serena Williams was being outplayed by Samantha Stosur at Arthur Ashe Stadium and had already lost the first set when she let out a huge cry.
Eva Asderaki, the Greek chair umpire then told Williams the point would go to Stosur because she had committed an intentional hindrance.
Serena Williams asked for a replay but when the umpire refused, she accused Eva Asderaki of being involved in the 2009 incident.
Serena Williams asked for a replay but when the umpire refused, she accused Eva Asderaki of being involved in the 2009 incident
Pointing her finger, Serena Williams yelled:
“Aren’t you the one that screwed me over last time here? Yeah you are.
“Seriously, you have it out for me?
“I promise you, that’s not cool. That’s totally not cool.
“I truly despise you.”
Serena Williams continued her tirade during the break, sitting in a chair while drinking water, she warned the umpire:
“If you ever see me walking down the hall, look the other way because you’re out of control.
“You’re a hater and you’re just unattractive inside.
“Who would do such a thing? And I never complain. Wow. What a loser.
“You get a code violation because I express who I am. We’re in America last I checked.
“Can I get a water? Or am I going to get violated for a water?
“Really, don’t even look at me. I promise you don’t look at me… Don’t look my way.”
Chair umpire, Eva Asderaki didn’t respond as she listened to the rant.
Serena Williams hugged Samantha Stosur after the match but then immediately walked off, ignoring Eva Asderaki as Stosur reached up to the umpire’s chair to shake her hand.
Serena Williams also refused to apologize and was unwilling to discuss the incident during the press conference.
She told reporters laughing:
“I don’t even remember what I said, I’m sorry.
“It was just so intense out there. It’s the final for me. I guess I’ll see it on YouTube. I don’t know. I was just in the zone. I think everyone when they play kind of zones out.”
Instead, Serena Williams spoke highly of her opponent, saying:
“She was cracking ’em today. She definitely hit hard and just went for broke.
“And I think sometimes, a lot of people were putting me as the favorite and I definitely was trying not to put myself as the favorite. I was like <<It’s anyone’s game>> as you can see after the result today.”
The United States Tennis Association will decide today whether to fine Serena Williams.
The US Open organizers said in a statement yesterday: “Any impact this code violation might have on Serena Williams’ Grand Slam probation would require the incident being ruled a major event. That determination will be made by the Grand Slam Committee Director.”
Samantha Stosur won US Open final
The match was Samantha Stosur’s first at Arthur Ashe Stadium where she secured a maiden grand slam title.
Samantha stosur, 27, became the first Australian woman to win a grand slam title since Evonne Goolagong in 1980.
Samantha Stosur said it was intimidating playing against Serena Williams.
“She’s probably the best player of at least my generation of playing. Not only is she big in stature and all that, she’s got a huge game.
“But it kind of becomes more irrelevant and becomes about the task on that day, playing the match.”
Stosur added of her win: “I’m still kind of speechless. I can’t actually believe I won this tournament.
“I’ve played matches where I feel like I can’t miss a ball, and it’s fantastic, but to do it under these circumstances in this kind of final against a player like Serena, for sure I’m going to think it’s one of the best days of my career.”
Not very long ago not one person had actually heard of a “Global Positioning System” (GPS).
Today you can scarcely buy a car that doesn’t have one.Not surprisingly, developments in technology never stop, and GPS’s today are substantially smaller and more powerful than ever before.You can bring your GPS everywhere you go, be it boating, driving a car or walking.You will discover only a couple of GPS manufacturers with as much prominence in the industry as Garmin.We have now taken a good, close look at the Garmin 1450LMTGPS, a very small unit, in hope of aiding you with your purchasing decision.
One thing that has been inconvenient years ago was initially having to update your GPS database each and every year.With the introduction of the Garmin 1450LMT, that difficulty is solved. It features no cost map and traffic revisions for the life of the unit.This means you are going to save a ton of hard earned cash on updates, which are not inexpensive.Better yet, you’ll receive Garmin’s “ecoRoute” system updates integrated as well.The ecoRoute system enables you to choose a route that could offer the best gasoline savings.You spend less time And also cash!
Garmin’s 1450LMT features a gorgeous, good sized touchscreen display (5″ diagonal).
Garmin 1450 LMT - Free Maps/Traffic
You can quickly check out your travel directions at many numerous map levels.And you should not worry, urban direction-finding is also well designed and integrated.The 1450LMT features street-to-street and also door-to-door navigation so you can get around the city with full confidence.With the stroke of a finger you will find where your stops are for community transport like buses and subways, and exactly where crosswalks are if you’re walking.You’re going to be real glad you have this product the next time you’re in a unexpected new city trying to determine how best to get around.
My 1450LMT frequently had this problem. You have the option of using a "via point" to tell the GPS to route you via a certain highway. However, if you use a highway intersection as your "via point", the software invariably dumps you off the highway for some random maneuvers before putting you back on your way. I though this one was kinda funny (magenta is my route).
Any getaway can be made far more pleasant simply via proper and effective planning.Garmin’s 1450LMT offers you features for route arranging.The unit enables you to plan (and save) as many as 10 various routes, showing excellent previews and important points along the way for all.Should you be considering on a lot of stops, it’s easy to sort out and save the most suitable routes to accomplish this.When you plan a long journey, there are wonderful tools to take care of that too.There is certainly enough capacity to retain up to 10,000 sights, all of which will be stored instantly.You’ll have a log of your gasoline consumption for further research and future planning.
Garmin 1450LMT - Free Lifetime Maps And Traffic
This targeted article is meant to be concise and to the point, so we cannot go into all the other wonderful features of the 1450LMY.
EcoRoute, as an example, will give you quite possibly the most fuel-efficient recommendations to any destination.Better yet, it keeps gas usage records, as well as other crucial information.This 1450LMT GPS by Garmin can be as flexible and handy as they come, and can be a enormously useful and fun tool for vacationing anywhere.Crossing time zones is taken care of with computerized updates and modifications.Obviously, this product comes highly recommended mostly because of its numerous benefits and features. It’s a great one!
The family of Marian Graham, the mother of five murdered in Turkey, near Izmir, have spoken for the first time of their “absolute devastation”.
Marian Graham, 52, was found stabbed to death on August 18 alongside her best friend Cathy Dinsmore in a remote wooded area close to the city of Izmir, near Kusadasi in Turkey.
Marian Graham 15-year-old daughter Shannon, whose boyfriend, Recep Cetin, has been arrested for the brutal double murder, has revealed that the Turkish youth had NEVER asked her to marry him.
Shannon Graham revelation explodes claims that Cetin murdered the women after Marian refused to allow him to marry Shannon. In her eyewitness account of the events of the fateful night, Shannon details how Recep Cetin – known as Alex – cynically tried to cover his tracks with an extraordinary claim he had been kidnapped by the Turkish Mafia.
Marian Graham and her daughter Shannon.
With the approval of her elder siblings, Shannon explained in detail what happened on the day of the double murder.
Alex, who worked in a Kusadasi restaurant called Victoria, was sharing an apartment that Marian, Shannon and Cathy had been staying in since July 16.
On Thursday, August 18, Alex had organized for Shannon to go on a boat trip with a friend.
“The boat trip was for 9 o’clock,” said Shannon.
“But Alex and I woke at 7.30 because he had to be in work for 8 a.m. I went in to Mum to get her to tie my bikini. We left and I went down to Alex’s restaurant to wait for my friend. Alex was cleaning the restaurant and when 9 o’clock came, Alex and I started making our way over to the boat. That’s where I met my friend Sandy. Me, Sandy and Alex went up onto the top of the boat. He stayed with us for about 30 minutes and we took pictures and stuff like that. He told me to ring him during the day to let him know how I was getting on. There were no signs that day, nothing unusual. It was all normal.”
Later, while enjoying her boat trip, Shannon decided to call Alex.
“I first rang him at 12 o’clock but his phone was off,” she said.
“I thought his battery was dead. I rang him again at 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. but it was still off. The trip finished at 4.30 and we went back to Alex’s restaurant, round the corner. I thought Alex would have finished his break by then. I asked his boss where he was and he said he wasn’t back from his break. So we waited.”
At 5 p.m., when Alex still failed to show up, Shannon left and went to another restaurant with her friend.
“Then Alex rang me,” Shannon said.
“He was panicking on the phone. He said, <<Come home now – there’s a problem>>.
“I said, <<What’s the matter?>> and he said, <<I’ll tell when you come home>>. Then he rang again and said, <<Where are you?>> and I said, <<I’m waiting for the bus. Why, what’s the problem?>>. He said, <<Me, mum and Cathy’s been kidnapped but I got away>>. Just as he said that, the bus came. When we got to our house, I saw Alex lying outside in the garden. His hand was all bloody. He was shaking. I asked him to explain.”
“He said, <<Me, mum and Cathy were walking to the supermarket and a big car, like a jeep, stopped and these three big Mafia men came out.>>
“I asked him what they looked like and he said they had long hair and moustaches. He said they first took Cathy and that Cathy was in the car pulling her hair and screaming but mum kept grabbing onto Alex so they wouldn’t take her. Alex kept grabbing onto mum and that’s when the kidnappers sliced his hand.”
Recep Cetin told Shannon he woke up in a “ditch” close to where it happened. He claimed he was making his way back to the house when a taxi driver saw him and took him home.
“All the neighbours were there at that stage,” said Shannon.
“I took Alex into the house because he wanted to change out of his clothes. He said he didn’t own them and I had never seen them before. He said the kidnappers changed him into them. We went up to the bedroom and I put his own clothes on him. Then I put the clothes the kidnappers put on him into a bag and I took them downstairs for the police.”
Both Shannon Graham and Recep Cetin (Alex) were taken to the hospital and later to the police station.
“That was the last time I saw him,” Shannon said. She still had no idea that her mother and friend were dead.
“The next day, Friday, me, Alex’s dad and the taxi driver got into a police car. We first went to the hospital but then we went to Izmir. A translator asked me what happened and I told him. After that, we went to the court house and a girl from the Irish embassy told me that mum and Cathy had been found in a forest. She told me that they had been killed. I was so shocked. I was crying. I couldn’t believe it. I was trying to ring my brothers and sisters because I didn’t think they knew.”
Shannon Graham and Recep Cetin who has been charged for Shannon's mother stabbing
Along with Shannon’s father, Raymond McGuinness, from whom Marian separated 10 years ago, her brother David flew to Kusadasi to bring his little sister home.
Shannon Graham and her mother had been going to Turkey for the past eight years, with Cathy Dinsmore joining them for the last three.
Every summer, Shannon, Marian and Cathy excitedly booked their flights for Turkey.
“We stayed there all summer,” said Shannon. “It was something I looked forward to. Cathy did too. When we first went, we stayed in a little apartment beside Ladies’ Beach, then sometimes we stayed in the town but this year, we just rented. We were all well known in Turkey. Mum knew everyone and everyone got on with her. We used to go on trips, go to the shops and off to the swimming pool. We made friends and it was like home from home. I had a second life out there.”
It was during one such holiday that Shannon Graham met Recep Cetin, who would later become her first real boyfriend. But contrary to press reports, she had not been sharing an apartment with him since she was 12.
“I started going out with him more than a year ago,” she said.
“But I first met him four years ago. Mummy knew him for the same length of time. I wanted to go out with him two years ago but Mummy wouldn’t let me because I was too young. She said okay last year so we started going out.”
According to Shannon and her sisters, Marian Graham “trusted” her daughter’s boyfriend.
‘”he was with him a lot of the time,” said Shannon.
“We always went into his family’s restaurant where he worked. Alex and my mummy got on great. He called her Mum. He used to kiss her on the cheek and say, “Goodnight, Mum.”
Shannon Graham insisted reports last week suggesting that Alex had been violent towards her were “totally untrue”. “We argued, like most couples but he never hit me,” she said.
“My mum wouldn’t have let me stay with him if he did. One day we were in the living room and Alex and I were upstairs. Mum thought I was crying but really I was laughing. She was downstairs with Sandy and Sandy said she never saw her jump off the sofa as quick because she thought something was wrong.”
More significantly, the Shannon Graham dismissed claims that Recep Cetin (Alex) had asked to marry her and that her mum had refused.
“That’s why I would just love to know why he did it,” said Shannon
“The marriage part isn’t true. The first thing I heard of that was in the papers. He didn’t ask me to marry him and to my knowledge he didn’t ask my mother either.
“I was wearing Mummy’s ring on my engagement finger when I came home but that has nothing to do with him. He didn’t ask me to marry him.”
On the day of the murders, Marian, Shannon and Cathy had planned to book their tickets home after Shannon returned from the boat trip. They were due to return to Newry this week.
“Mum was supposed to have dinner ready for me when I got back,” said Shannon.
“She wasn’t going anywhere that day. Alex must have planned the shopping trip when he left me. She was sick that morning – she had an upset stomach and would have said if she was going out. Alex just planned that at the last minute. He probably just said, <<Shannon’s away, we’ll do something instead of sitting around the house>>. The last thing she said when I was going out that morning was, <<Give me a kiss and take care>>. She was so affectionate. She loved you to cuddle her a lot.”
For Shannon Graham, who plans to return to school next week, the loss of her mother was difficult to articulate.
“I was always with my mum,” she said. “We went everywhere together. In Turkey, during the day we went to the beach or the pool and at night we went to restaurants – that was our wee routine. I was the baby so I was spoiled but Mummy was strict in some ways. I knew not to cross her but she would have done anything for me. She would have spent her last £20 on me.”
Shannon continued to tell the story:
“I wanted to speak to Alex but the police wouldn’t let me, she said.
“The only thing I wanted to know was why he did it, because I don’t know why he did what he did. When I heard what he did, I couldn’t believe it. He never asked me to marry him so why did he do it? What was going through his mind? Did he ever think twice about what he was actually doing? Did he ever think to stop? And why did he lie to my face about what happened?”
When asked if she ever go back to Turkey, Shannon Graham said:
“I have been going to Turkey for nine years and have good memories there with Mummy.”
“There was a place in town Mum loved. She would sit at the summer seat by the water for hours and hours… I would nag her and try and get her to leave. My memory of her sitting there is a happy one. That’s what I think of when I think of her… happy in Turkey.”
Hurricane Irene hit Atlantic beach of North Carolina and one man was killed outside his home this morning.
The man was hit by a tree limb that blew down while he was walking around his house this morning in a rural area of Nash County, where winds were roaring at more than 60 mph, county Emergency Management Director Brian Brantley told the Associated Press.
Hurricane Irene hit Atlantic Beach, Cape Fear and the Outer Banks of North Carolina with Category 1 winds and rain and made landfall in Nags Head, North Carolina.
Hurricane Irene hit Atlantic Beach, Cape Fear and the Outer Banks of North Carolina with Category 1 winds and rain and made landfall in Nags Head
The center of hurricane hit the coast of North Carolina near Cape Lookout with Category 1-force winds of 85 mph.
Hurricane warnings for the next 48 hours have been issued for North Carolina, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, coastal Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
Until now, eastern North Carolina has already seen three tornadoes in the past few days, and the majority of the state and areas of Maryland and Virginia are under tornado watches through Sunday.
Stacy town, on the coast of North Carolina, is seeing 93 mph wind gusts this morning.
The far end of the fishing pier in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina collapsed overnight.
The 100-foot long pier is still standing, but its end has disappeared into the ocean.
About 200,000 homes in North Carolina are experiencing power outages, according to Power Energy.
Winds up to 85 mph have ripped power lines from their poles, causing many of the shortages.
“Our crews are restoring service as quickly as possible, where it is safe to do so,” Power Energy tweeted.
The hardest hit areas were Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina.
Gavin DeGraw resumed the tour with rockers Maroon 5 and Train on [googlead tip=”vertical_mic” aliniat=”dreapta”]Wednesday, August 24, fifteen days after he was attacked by three men an hit by a car.
On Sunday night (August 7) the singer went out for a drink, then left his friends around four o’clock in the morning. Police said several people assaulted him on the street. They cut his face and broke his nose, then run away. Gavin DeGraw rose up and as he was walking, a cab struck him.
He was admitted at Bellevue Hospital, New York, with concussion, broken nose, black eyes and cuts. Next day the rocker was released from the hospital and wrote on Twitter that he could not clearly remember the incident.
Gavin DeGraw resumed the tour 15 days after he was beaten and hit by car
Several days later the artist said to VH1: “Instead of checking in from the tour, I’m writing as I recover at home.[…] I can’t wait to get back out on tour and look forward to seeing you on the road sometime soon.”
[googlead tip=”lista_mica” aliniat=”stanga”]On August 23 Gavin DeGraw told People that he was healing fine. He had a swollen face and some fractures in cheekbone, eyes and nose, but two weeks later everything would return to normal, just a mark from stitches on the nose would remain. Almost everything because Gavin said he had a different sensation breathing through his nose and the concussion had caused him memory troubles and dizziness.
“I had a night off, and I met up with some friends at the bar I own with my brother. We had a few drinks. I put my friends in a cab and I walked home because I live pretty close. I remember maybe three guys said something to me and I didn’t appreciate it, and I guess I let them know I didn’t appreciate it. They weren’t exactly on the debate team, so I ended up with a tube down my throat,” Gavin DeGraw said.
He said he had not been drunk, he just had had a few drinks with his friends at the bar he owns[googlead tip=”patrat_mic” aliniat=”dreapta”] with his brother Joey, “The National Underground”, in Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
Police will analyze the footage of the crossroad (6th Street and First Avenue) where Gavin was beaten and hit by a taxi, but probably it will take a while until the attackers will be found.
Gavin next concerts will take place in Syracuse, Holmdel and Orlando.
In May Gavin DeGraw launched “Not Over You” single and another album, “Sweeter”, is scheduled to be released on September this year.
Todd Green, a Silver Wings Wingwalking Team stuntman, has died after falling about 60 metres (200 feet) at the Selfridge Air National Guard Base Air Show in Harrison Charter Township, about 32 km (20 miles) northeast of Detroit, Michigan.
[googlead tip=”vertical_mare” aliniat=”stanga”] Wing walker, Todd Green was trying to move from a plane to a helicopter when he fell at the Selfridge Air National Guard Base Air Show, according to the air base spokesman, Technical Sergeant Dan Heaton.
The horrible accident happened while wing walker Todd Green was flying on John Mohr’s Stearman aircraft during a stunt at the air show. An ambulance brought stuntman Todd Green to Mount Clemens Regional Medical Centre.
Diane Kish, Mount Clemens Regional Medical Centre spokeswoman said the stuntman died from lethal injuries during accident. [googlead tip=”patrat_mare” aliniat=”stanga”]
Wing walker Todd Green fell 200 feet to death at the Selfridge Air National Guard Base Air Show in Harrison Charter Township, Michigan.
Few minutes before wing walker Todd Green’s fall, the air show announcer told the public address system mentioned winds were becoming a factor in the performance, reminding the audience about the inherent risk of danger in the stunt manoeuvres.
Some people from the audience, who saw the stuntman’s fall thought it was part of the show, but quickly learned from the announcer that something had gone wrong, The Macomb Daily of Mount Clemens reported.
Jennifer Bradley from Linden attended the show accompanied by her sons, ages 7 and 11, when the fall happened.
“There were lots of tears,” Jennifer Bradley told the newspaper.
“We sat and prayed together.”
Republican Candice Miller, who lives in Harrison Township, also was watching as Todd Green fell and told the newspaper she watched the stuntman perform on Saturday, the day before his death.
“It was very surreal,” Candice Miller said of the fall.
“It takes a moment to get your mind around what just happened. I know he was a big part of this show, a lot of people came just to see him.”
Wing walker Todd Green was a Michigan native, started performing aerial stunts over 25 years ago. Todd was the son of prominent aerial stuntman Eddie Green. He left behind his wife, Dawn, his son Tyler and his stepson Derrick.
[googlead tip=”lista_mare” aliniat=”stanga”]
“During his 45 year career as a stuntman, Eddie performed with pilots Harold Krier, Bill Barber, Bob Barden and Jimmy Franklin,” the Silver Wings Wingwalking Team posted on its website, adding that Todd Green “continues the tradition his father founded.”
Lenny Kravitz lived in a trailer for the last two years on the Eleuthera Island, [googlead tip=”patrat_mic” aliniat=”dreapta”] in Bahamas, where he was inspired to create his new album “Black and White America.”
Since he was a child, Lenny Kravitz used to change the house place. Therefore, the musician sold his New York house and lives in recreational vehicles, being ready to move wherever and whenever he wants.
Lenny Kravitz, 47, told Female First about his experience living in trailer on the Eleuthera Island, Bahamas, in the last two years. Eleuthera is Lenny’s mother birthplace and he found there the inspiration to create his new tropical album, “Black and White America.”
“I live in a trailer on the beach, low key with a dog, a hammock and a jeep I bought when my first album came out. I wake up at night hearing music, I hear it walking down the road in the trees, so it’s conducive to creativity.”
[googlead tip=”lista_medie” aliniat=”stanga”]Lenny Kravitz, who recently sold his New York house, finds Eleuthera as being the place where he feels “the most at home” and admits living in a trailer is more comfortable than in a house.
Lenny Kravitz was inspired for his new tropical album Black and White America while he stayed in a trailer on Bahamas beach
“It is the place I feel the most at home. I’ve been there on and off since I was five and lived there the last two years.”
Currently, Lenny’s trailer is parked on the beach in Bahamas.
Lenny Kravitz has a permanent home in Paris, but he chooses to live in the trailer.
Lenny Kravitz- whose father is Jewish – said he grew up feeling good with being mixed race, but was shocked by people’s attitudes when he first launched his music career.
[youtube aEmll2jNnBo]
Lenny explained:
“I had a very healthy childhood experience of being bi-racial. But when I first came out in the music industry I was always told I wasn’t black enough or white enough and I didn’t fit a box or category. I found that interesting. “
“But I’m not just one thing, and not many of us are.”
[googlead tip=”lista_medie” aliniat=”stanga”]Early Monday morning Gavin DeGraw, musician, was admitted at Bellevue Hospital, New York. He was beaten by a group of men and he was hit by a cab.
TMZ was the first website that reported this awful incident and mentioned that DeGraw was under observation at the hospital. According to New York Post, on Sunday night Gavin went out for a drink, then left his friends around four o’clock in the morning. Police said several people assaulted him on the street. They cut his face and broke his nose, then run away. DeGraw rose up and as he was walking, a cab struck him causing him mild injuries. It did not seem to be a robbery, NY Post sources said. It could be an argument that started the fight, said others (CBS New York). Anyway there were no arrests until now.
Still no further information could be found regarding Gavin’s current status.[googlead tip=”vertical_mic” aliniat=”dreapta”] Apparentely the wounds were not severe. On Gavin DeGraw‘s official website the schedule is the same. He had planned to sing in Saratoga Springs, NY at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, as part of his summer tour, Tuesday night, August 9.
Also a news posted on August 8, 2011, 1:19 pm says:
“Want to hang out with Gavin this Wednesday, August 10, at 5:30pm EST? Then head on over to LiveStream at that appointed day and time for a one-of-a-kind LIVE webcast, featuring performances and casual banter from Gavin. […]”
However, probably he will have to cancel his agreements.
Gavin DeGraw with Students at The Art Institute of Portland
[googlead tip=”patrat_mic” aliniat=”stanga”] The singer-songwriter is also famous for his songs “In Love with a Girl”, “Follow Through” ,”I Don’t Want to Be”. The last mentioned song is featured as the theme song for One Tree Hill, the TV drama.
This summer he performed as opening star for Maroon 5 and Train, star rockers. On May 2011 he launched “Not Over You” single and another album, “Sweeter”, is scheduled to be released on September this year.
Gavin DeGraw and his brother Joey own a venue in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. That bar was opened because they wanted a meeting place for friends, musicians, good music-lovers.
After last weekend two nights of violence and looting following protests at Mark Duggan’s death on Thursday, London Police and residents are again bracing themselves for disruption.
The today riots began in Hackney with a small blaze of a terraced house, but the flames quickly spread and appeared to have engulfed all three floors.
Local police officers said shops in Hackney began closing their shutters after hearing “rumours”of trouble initially emanating from BlackBerry Messenger exchanges. Most of the stores had locked up by early afternoon as support officers began arriving in increasing numbers in the vicinity of Hackney Central railway station and three masked youths riding bicycles appeared on the main shopping thoroughfare of Mare Street.
After last weekend two nights of violence and looting following protests at Mark Duggan’s death on Thursday, London Police and residents are again bracing themselves for disruption
The new street violence started shortly after a large group of police detained two men against the wall of Hackney’s Old Town Hall
The new street violence started shortly after a large group of police detained two men against the wall of Hackney’s Old Town Hall building, now a betting shop, and a crowd gathered to watch, many of them photographing the events. After some brief skirmishes and an angry verbal tirade against a police cluster by a young woman in the graveyard to the rear of the betting shop, an officer shouted to a colleague to “get the Natos,” a reference to riot helmets.
Groups of rioters began attacking the officers at about 16:20 p.m. local time, throwing rocks and a bin at officers.
A line of riot police was confronting people, some of them masked, while police helicopters were flying low overhead.
Some of the youths tried to rush the police line, they were throwing rocks. The police pushed back, sending the crowds running down Mare Street.
Some of the youths tried to rush the police line, they were throwing rocks. The police pushed back, sending the crowds running down Mare Street.
Police vehicles and officers in helmets holding riot shields eventually blocked off access to Mare Street south of its pedestrian Narrow Way section and the railway bridge, as buses backed up along adjoining Amhurst Road.
The rioters were about 100 running battles with police at the Bethnal Green end of Mare Street
The rioters were about 100 running battles with police at the Bethnal Green end of Mare Street. Youths were looting shops, including the boarded-up Texaco garage. Bottle banks on Mare Street have been upended to provide ammunition for launching at police. Many of them were walking around with spoils of their looting, swigging from bottles of Martell.
Pale, the owner of the looted Texaco garage on Mare Street said:
“They just barged in, took everything … that’s 24 years of my life gone. I’ve never seen anything like that. I didn’t try to stop them, my life is worth more than that.”
Even the Co-operative Funeral Care Home on Mare Street was boarded up – next door they are looting the Cash X-Change.
Reactions of the viewers varied from a man telling an officer moving a youth on to:
“Get your hands off him, pig!”
to an afterschool club worker declaring to police that
“These kids shouldn’t be out here, they should be back in their yard,”
and saying that if she was in charge of dealing with rioters she’d “tear gas their asses”.
Traffic was backed up, buses were stopped, most of them being empty and hit by stones. Police cars were also being smashed by youths, who were armed with wooden poles and metal bars. Looters also smashed their way into shops, including a JD Sports store, before police lines dispersed the group. Planks of wood taken from a lorry were then hurled towards riot officers.
Trains were not stopping at Hackney Central and buses are being diverted from the area.
Looters smashed their way into shops
Violence has also broken out in Peckham, South London, where a bus has been torched on Peckham High Street.
In nearby Lewisham, a trail of bins and a number of vehicles were on fire.
At 7 p.m., local time, police have regained control of Mare Street.
A large numbers of masked youths were still in the area at that moment. Car burned out on Ellingfort road off Mare Street.
A policeman says they were busy “sterilizing the area”.
Boris Johnson, London’s mayor cut short his holiday to return to the city, where more than 200 people have been arrested and 35 officers injured.
Home Secretary, Theresa May also returned early from holiday, to meet Acting Metropolitan Police (Met) Commissioner Tim Godwin and other senior officers.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Stephen Kavanagh said they discussed the police response to the violence.
“They were looking at preparations for tonight (Monday) to make sure any violence is dealt with quickly.”
Theresa May condemned the riots as “sheer criminality” and said those responsible would “face the consequences of their actions”.
“The riots in Tottenham on Saturday night and the subsequent disturbances in other parts of London are totally unacceptable.”
She also paid tribute to the bravery of police officers and urged local communities “to work constructively with the police to help them bring these criminals to justice”.
Theresa May said at least 215 people had been arrested and 25 people charged.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Stephen Kavanagh said there were “significant resources” on the streets, with a third more officers on duty than on Sunday.
He added:
“What we can see is that the Metropolitan Police are getting police officers there in numbers”.
“When we have large numbers of criminals intent on that type of violence, we can only do that, get lots of officers there quickly and try to protect local businesses and local people.”
He also admitted relations with the family of the man shot dead by police could have been handled better.
In addition, Stephen Kavanagh said:
“I want to apologise to the Duggan family because I think both the IPCC (Independent Police Complaints Commission) and the Metropolitan Police could have managed that family’s needs more effectively.”
BLACKSBURG, Va. — Virginia Tech campus lockdown was lifted Thursday afternoon after a thorough police search for a person carrying a gun was not successful. The police released a press statement at 3:15pm about the Virginia Tech armed gun man.
Precisely the same Virginia Tech campus was the scene of the most harmful mass killing by a solitary gunman in U.S. history – the April 16, 2007, firing spree by Seung-Hui Cho which killed 33 individuals and injured 25 other people prior to the gunman committing suicide.
This time Virginia Tech responded extremely fast so as not to be criticized for reacting too slow, like it happened in the last case.
Possible gunman Virginia Tech Lockdown
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Virginia Tech’s website posted a warning at 9:37AM this morning warning to stay inside and call police for help.
“Person with gun reported near Dietrick. Stay inside. Secure doors. Emergency personnel responding. Call 911 for help.”
“The campus alert is lifted. There will continue to be a large police presence on campus today,” the Virginia Tech Newswebsite said in a notice posted at 2:41 p.m. “Police have not received nor discovered additional information about a person possibly carrying a weapon beyond that reported this morning.”
Police released this sketch of the man they believe might have been seen carrying a handgun on campus. (Source: Virginia Tech Website)
The 2,600-acre campus, was locked down completely at 9:37 a.m. after three teenage girls informed the law enforcement authorities they had spotted a suspect man wondering on campus carrying what appeared to be a weapon covered by a cloth or covering of some sort. The girs were attending a Higher Achievement Program camp on campus. [googlead tip=”patrat_mare”]
“He was walking fast in the direction of the volleyball courts. He was wearing a blue and white striped shirt (stripes were vertical), gray shorts and brown sandals. The subject had no facial hair or glasses.”, Virginia Tech Police Chief Wendell Flinchum said.
Virginia Tech Lockdown - Larry Hincker - associate VP for University Press Relations
“Out of an abundance of caution,” as Larry Hincker, associate VP for University press relations, put it, the university asked students and employees to stay inside and secure doors. For the rest of the day classes were canceled.
Police officers checked the grounds and discovered nobody fitting that description.
“They gave us a good description. We felt it was best course of action to issue a campus alert,” Flinchum said.
“I think the girls believed what they reported. The officers believed they (the girls) believed what was reported and that’s the information they went with.”
Flinchum informed us the witnesses reported seeing the suspect near Dietrick Hall, a three-story dining facility. This facility is very close to the dorm where the mass shootings happened in 2007.
Richard Tagle, Higher Achievement CEO, mentioned several 9 to 14 teens were on campus for the camp and Thursday was the final day.
Flinchum commented that the police did not receive any additional sightings of the guy. [googlead tip=”lista_mare”]
Virginia Tech Lockdown Dietrich Hall
Virginia Tech’s Website was very informative throughout the whole situation, continually updating people on campus. The University was fined by the federal authorities in Match after a court ruling that administrator violated campus safety laws by waiting too long to inform the employees and the students that there was a probable threat after the first two students were killed in 2007. The killings took place in West Ambler Johnston Hall, which is a dormitory facility near the dining hall.
Virginia Tech University waited more than two hours before sending out an email that day, at the same time Cho – the killer – was already chaining the door shut for a classroom building where he killed an additional 30 students and himself.
There was also an alert in 2008, when a cartridge coming from a nail gun made some sounds similar to gunfire, again near the dormitory. This was the first time the new alert system was activated after the shooting in 2007. This system includes sending text messages and emails as well as other methods to warn the students and faculty members of potential danger.
It’s not illegal to carry a gun on campus grounds. “A public university generally cannot prohibit open or concealed carry of a firearm on campus grounds,” Virginia attorney general’s office said. Any university can ban the carrying of guns inside campus buildings or at public events. Virginia Tech University and other universities cannot ban gun owners who have valid permits for carrying a concealed gun, even inside campus buildings.
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