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By . Damien Gayle . PUBLISHED: . 07:35 EST, 8 August 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 09:18 EST, 8 August 2012 . Gruesome: A police Evofit of the thug who plunged a syringe into the neck of a woman on her doorstep . A thug plunged a hypodermic needle into the neck of a woman as she stood at her front door in a gruesome but apparently random attack. After knocking at the front door, the attacker issued a sinister threat to his 41-year-old victim before thrusting the syringe in her neck and running off. The woman, whose name has not been released, was rushed to hospital for treatment, where doctors tested her for hepatitis and Aids. Hypodermic needles are commonly used by heroin addicts. Used needles can harbour blood-borne diseases that can permanently affect the lives of those who contract them. She was later discharged after tests came back all clear. Today, Greater Manchester Police said officers were investigating a theory that the woman was attacked in a horrifying case of mistaken identity. The thug struck just after noon on Sunday July 29, after knocking on the door of the woman's home in Blackley, Manchester. Police said she opened it to see who it was before the man pushed and threatened her. He then speared her with the syringe before yanking it from her neck and fleeing down the street. The woman has told police she did not know the man who stabbed her - although the assault appeared to be targeted, leading to the theory that it was a case of mistaken identity. Health risk: The woman, whose name has not been released, was rushed to hospital for treatment, where doctors tested her for hepatitis and Aids . Det Con Mike Keogh from Greater Manchester Police said: 'The victim has been left shaken after her ordeal and is now frightened to open her door to anyone. 'Thankfully she was not seriously hurt and nothing was injected but we are still treating this as a serious assault. 'I would ask people to take a good look at the image and description of the offender. If you recognise him, please contact police as soon as possible so we can get him of our streets.' The man is described as being of slim build, 5ft 10in tall, clean shaven, was in his late 20s/early 30s and spoke with a local accent. He was wearing a black woolly hat, navy blue Nike tracksuit bottoms and a black coat.
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Victim tested for hepatitis and Aids but given all-clear .
Police investigating the attack issue e-fit of suspect .
They are following theory that it was mistaken identity .
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By . Sam Creighton . With two double bedrooms, a large garden and planning permission for an extension, you might think £320,000 would be a bargain for a 'quaint' Surrey cottage. However, this house in Addlestone gives more the impression of long term project than family home, complete with rusty cars and a caravan hidden somewhere in its jungle of a back yard. Despite this, in the increasingly competitive housing market, its enterprising owner was able to bump up the asking price from the original £299,950 and still attract an offer good enough for them to have stopped further viewings. The garden of the property has become completely overgrown and is strewn with abandoned vehicles . An online advert for the property, which has drummed up an offer, despite its poorly maintained state . In their online advert, property agents Townends say potential buyers have 'a rare and unique opportunity to purchase this quaint cottage set within the ever popular Poets Corner development'. The estate agents, who have been listing the property since October 2013, admit that it requires 'heavy refurbishment' but insist it is a 'real blank canvas' for people who want to put 'their own stamp on a property'. The home is also being advertised by agents Gascoigne-Pees, who uploaded their advert on March 1. This advert mentions that the house has planning permission for an extension - however, it is not known whether this is in fact the case. The sole photo of the inside of the property can, at best, be described as austere, with bare white walls and floor boards covered with worn-looking rugs. However, it does offer a glimpse of what appears to be an original Victorian fireplace. The property is described be estate agents as a 'blank canvas' and an 'opportunity' for potential buyers . Weeds have taken over the garden but the house is on a large plot that may have permission for an extension . The internal photograph of the house paints an austere picture. Agents accept it needs 'modernisation' Gascoigne-Pees, whose advert this internal photo is attached to, warn potential viewers that the property is in 'need of modernisation throughout'. The garden is the most striking part of this property. Most prospective sellers spend thousands doing up their homes, hoping to claim the money back by being able to charge more for a spick and span property. However, the owners of this cottage have let weeds run rampant in the garden and the plants seem to have claimed a VW Beetle and several motorhomes - seemingly abandoned outside - as their own. The owners have been trying to sell the property since, at least, October and have now received an offer . The property originally went on the market for £299,950 but the asking price was bumped up to £320,000 . Alex Gosling, managing director of online estate agents Housesimple.co.uk, told the Daily Star Sunday: 'I do find it amazing that the agents don't politely suggest that the vendor spends a weekend clearing that lot up.' While it is unknown how much the owner has been offered for the cottage, the average selling price for similar, nearby properties is £305,000. Both Gascoigne-Pees and Townends were unavailable for comment last night.
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House in Addlestone, Surrey originally had an asking price of £299,950 .
Estate agents described it as a 'blank canvas' but admitted it needs work .
Owner has stopped viewings after receiving an offer of £320,000 .
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We will soon be able to watch live footage of Earth from outer space thanks to HD webcams that are about to be permanently fitted to the International Space Station. The cameras blasted off from Russia today and once installed, will beam live footage of our planet to Earth. People will be able to access the live footage on a website and the webcams could be used to provide high resolution imagery of the planet for environmental monitoring and to help with humanitarian relief efforts. Scroll down for video . People will be able to access live footage of the Earth taken by the webcams on a website. Here, a simulation of what the site will look like, shows a satellite image of New York as well as a map and the what the camera has filmed . Canadian company UrtheCast's cameras were aboard a Russian Soyuz craft that launched from Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome. There are two cameras, the world's first 1-Metre Class, high-resolution Earth video camera and a medium-resolution imaging camera. The firm behind the project says that anyone will be able to see the footage via a special website and customers will also be able to buy customised pictures. Basic accounts are free and provide a live stream of imagery as the cameras fly overhead and time lapses of favourite places. Premium accounts for enable users paying a fee to track an area without sharing it with others and to monitor larger areas of interest as well as applying image processing techniques to reveal data. ‘This is the biggest milestone UrtheCast has achieved thus far,’ explained co-founder, President and Chief Operating Officer, Wade Larson. The cameras blasted off from Russia today and once installed on the International Space Station (illustrated), will beam live footage of our planet to Earth . There are two cameras, the world's first 1-Metre . Class, high-resolution Earth video camera and a medium-resolution . imaging camera. As the ISS circles the world 16 times per . day, the two cameras will constantly be rolling and capturing unique . videos and imagery of different locations underneath. Phase 1 . of the project will see two cameras facing the ground, with one having a . fixed gaze and the other one featuring maneuverability to points of . interest. ‘This will be the world’s first ever high definition, live-streaming video platform of planet Earth from the International Space Station.’ Phase 1 of the project will see two cameras facing the ground, with one having a fixed gaze and the other one featuring maneuverability to points of interest. These should be installed on the station sometime in December 2013, and are expected to go live in 2014. The company’s aim is to make Earth video data more accessible to individuals and schoolchildren, who will be able to log in on UrtheCast’s website, as well as the traditional customers of government and private companies. A recent partnership agreement with the UN will see them offer real-time information on dynamic situations such as floods and mass movements of people during humanitarian disasters. The company said this will be the world's first ever high definition, live-streaming video platform of planet Earth from the International Space Station . Two cameras will be fixed to the ISS: The world's first 1-Metre Class, high-resolution Earth video camera and a medium-resolution imaging camera . Here is an illustration of a camera filming a strip of the earth below. The cameras will be installed on the ISS sometime in December 2013 and are expected to go live in 2014 . ‘Video and still image data captured by the cameras will be downlinked to ground stations across the planet and displayed on the UrtheCast web platform, or distributed directly to exclusive partners and customers,’ the firm said. ‘UrtheCast's cameras will provide high-resolution video and imagery of Earth that will allow for monitoring of the environment, humanitarian relief, social events and agricultural land.’ Current sponsors on the high profile project include the Discovery Channel, and the firm is working with the Russian Aerospace giant RSC Energia. It is expected to take two spacewalks to install both cameras, and they will last for at least five years. The ISS circles the world 16 times a day, and UrTheCast said its cameras will be constantly rolling and capturing unique videos of different locations under its path (illustrated in orange) The company's aim is to make Earth video data more accessible to individuals and schoolchildren, who will be able to log in on UrtheCast's website .
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Canadian company UrtheCast's cameras blasted off from Russia today and once installed on the ISS, will beam live footage of our planet to Earth .
There are two cameras, the world's first .
1-Metre Class, high-resolution Earth video camera and a .
medium-resolution imaging camera .
The webcams will be used to provide high .
resolution imagery of Earth, which will be accessible online and could .
help with humanitarian relief efforts .
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14aff1aa3338887018090f54b882ab59c703338d
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The family of a surfer who had his hand and part of his arm torn off in a shark attack have launched an appeal to help fund his long road to recovery. Sean Pollard is now in a stable condition at the Royal Perth hospital after he was mauled by a shark at Wylie Bay, east of Esperance on Western Australia's south coast on Thursday. A Facebook page has been set up thanking everyone for their support, encouraging people to donate to aid in Sean's recovery and rehabilitation. Scroll down for video . Sean Pollard's family have launched an appeal for his long road to recovery . Department of Fisheries examinations have revealed that the bite marks on Sean Pollard's surfboard would indicate a Great White shark was responsible for the attack . A facebook page has been set up thanking everyone for their support, encouraging people to donate to aid in Sean Pollard's recovery and rehabilitation after he was mauled by a shark at Wylie Bay on WA's south coast on Thursday . It read, 'Upon the attack he(Sean Pollard) was airlifted to RPH in Perth by the Royal Flying Doctors for further medical treatment.' 'The time ahead will be one of many challenges and he will be needing plenty of support & assistance. To assist Sean & his family, donations either small or large will be greatly appreciated.' The appeal comes as WA fisheries have revealed bite marks on the 23 year old's surfboard, indicate a Great White shark was responsible for his injuries. The two white sharks that were killed by fisheries officers following the incident were taken to Perth for examination by the department's experts. Department of Fisheries' principal shark scientist Dr. Rory McAuley said those examinations were unable to confirm whether either shark was involved in the incident. He said while results were inconclusive, it was not uncommon for sharks to disgorge their stomach contents when they were caught. 'We have also examined the surfboard used by the man involved in the incident on Thursday and indications are that a white shark was responsible for the injuries he received,' he said. Surfer Sean Pollard lost parts of both arms in the attack near Esperance, Western Australia on Thursday . Sean Pollard was flown to Perth by the Royal Flying Doctor Service within hours of the attack on Thursday which is believed to have been caused by a Great White shark . Examinations by Fisheries scientists have revealed that the bite on Sean's surfboard was caused by a Great White shark . 'Jaw measurements will also help with future bite investigations. The first white shark caught is 3.46 metres long; the second white shark is 2.68 metres in length.' An online appeal to help in Sean's recovery has also been launched and has already raised over $5000 . 'Our team has since collected samples from both sharks including sections of vertebrae, which will assist us with our research work.' 'Now that our investigation is complete, material will be made available to other research institutions,' said Dr. McAuley. WA Premier Colin Barnett said it was necessary to kill the two white pointers because they posed an imminent threat to public safety. 'The threat is there and sadly (Thursday) just demonstrated how likely a shark attack can happen,' Mr Barnett said. 'Perth beaches are probably as safe as we can reasonably make them (but) the south west and the southern coastline is a different matter.' It was the first time white pointers - a protected species - had been killed by WA officials. Fisheries shark response unit manager Lisa Clack defended the move amid reports Mr Pollard might have been mauled by two bronze whalers, saying it was 'more likely' a white pointer was responsible. Beaches in the Wylie Bay area have now been reopened and no new shark sightings or reports in the area have been made since the incident. Caution signs at key access points will remain in place, while department vessels which have been on the water will remain on patrol. Incident: The attack occurred in scenic Wylie Bay, on Western Australia's south coast . A separate online appeal has also been launched on Indiegogo Fundraiser, encouraging everyone to give generously towards Sean's recovery. Set up by Natalie Banks, founder of the No WA sharks culls campaign, it said,'Sean's medical assistance would not have been cheap at all! Let's show how much we really do care about people!' 'Every effort is being taken to get a hold of Sean's family in terms of this fundraiser, including calling Bunbury Police, South Bunbury Football Club and certain members of the media.' 'I got involved because it's a tragic incident and because of my connections with family and those who have had shark attacks before, they need all the support they can get,' said Ms Banks. So far the appeal has raised well over its $1000 goal and is at more than $5000 with more than 100 people donating. 'Blown away by the support of the community.' 'So we've been speaking to Paul De Gelder (shark attack survivor) in Sydney to see if he'll speak to Sean, depends if Sean is willing,' she said. 'Assist (fundraising money) Paul to go from Sydney to Perth, the rest will go all to medical expenses involved in surgery he has had and the treatment he's going to need, including counselling for family.' The campaign will close on October 14. The sharks campaigner says the system has let Sean down and more needs to be done to educate people in what's happening at their popular beaches. 'In Cape Town South Africa, there's a shark spotters program, flags and alerts, to alert people of shark activity.' 'We're not doing enough of this in WA. There needs to be a national view on this, I think, how can educating people harm the public,' said Ms Banks. 'Think government needs to do more for surfers and beach goers to have greater access to devices that are proven to work..., surf smart (electronic devices on surfboards), wet suits which deter sharks, these things should be available to the public at subsidised costs.' 'Why are these products not more accessible when our premier is talking public safety issues.' For the latest detection and sighting information, beach users should check the Surf Life Saving Twitter – twitter.com/SLSWA. Report any shark sightings to Water Police on 9442 8600. Wylie Bay is located around 8km east of Esperance, on WA's south coast where the shark attack incident occurred . A Great White shark : examinations have revealed the bite marks in Sean's surfboard were likely caused by a Great White .
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Family launch facebook appeal for Sean Pollard's recovery .
Fisheries examinations have revealed bite marks on Sean's surfboard were likely caused by a Great White shark .
Results were inconclusive as to whether the two sharks killed were involved .
A separate online appeal for Sean has raised more than $5000 .
Beaches at Wylie Bay have not reopened .
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(CNN) -- A whistle-blower whose research on athletes' literacy caused a firestorm of controversy at the University of North Carolina is leaving, she told CNN on Monday. Mary Willingham said it's her choice. She said she hasn't yet turned in a final letter of resignation but simply informed her boss that she plans to leave before the end of the semester. "It's been a hostile work environment the entire year," Willingham told CNN. "I stuck it out because I wanted to make good on promises to my students, but it has not been fun." UNC spokesman Joel Curran said he was aware of Willingham's public comments, but he was "unaware as to whether or not she has formally tendered her resignation." Willingham was one of the original UNC staff members to publicly call attention to a system of "paper classes" at UNC. She told the The News & Observer newspaper in nearby Raleigh that athletes were pushed into classes that required very little work and no attendance. This year, she told CNN that during the course of her research, she personally worked with athletes who were functionally illiterate. Her research was disavowed by the university. UNC: Experts find flaws in whistle-blower's findings . UNC said three independent experts in adult literacy conducted a university-commissioned review of Willingham's research and found flaws in her claims that some athletes were reading at elementary-school levels. Willingham's research, described to CNN in January, was based on a sampling of about 180 athletes with whom Willingham worked during an eight-year period. Each had taken a 25-question reading vocabulary test on the Scholastic Abilities Test for Adults. The aptitude test used by many universities to gauge the learning level of incoming students. Last month, a Washington whistle-blower group wrote a letter to UNC, demanding the university apologize to Willingham and launch an investigation into the way it says she has been publicly smeared, most specifically by Provost Jim Dean. The group said it was possible that North Carolina whistle-blower laws were broken. Since the CNN report aired, UNC has asked for a new investigation into the yearslong paper class scandal, in which student-athletes allegedly were taking classes in which the only requirement was completing a single paper. Attorney Kenneth Wainstein, who had worked at the U.S. Justice Department for 19 years, is reviewing whether it was widely known among staff in athletics that players were sent to no-show classes where little or no work was required. U.S. Rep. Tony Cardenas, D-California, is also demanding the NCAA address why UNC was never sanctioned. Willingham told CNN that the paper classes were widely known and talked about in athletics, where she worked for seven years. She also said the paper classes were used to keep eligible some of the athletes who were reading at low levels. Some college athletes play like adults, read like 5th-graders .
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Mary Willingham said her research exposed some athletes' poor reading ability .
The University of North Carolina countered that experts found her results flawed .
Willingham said she stuck it out this long because of 'promises to my students'
She said she hasn't turned in a final letter of resignation but told her boss of her intentions .
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(CNN) -- U.S. star Mikaela Shiffrin produced a stunning slalom run to claim her first ever World Cup race victory at Are, Sweden on Thursday. The 17-year-old clocked the fastest aggregate time over two legs to see off home favorite Frida Hansdotter and championship leader Tina Maze of Slovenia. The teenager, racing in the absence of leading American Lindsey Vonn, finished with a combined time of one minute 45.36 seconds to stun her opponents. Shiffrin, who came home 00.29 seconds ahead of Hansdotter, had trailed after the first leg before roaring back to claim top spot. "I'll need for some time to be able to take this in," Shiffrin, who did not finish Wednesday's giant slalom, told reporters. "I really enjoyed myself out there. I just tried to fly and sometimes it is easier like that. I will need to calm myself down before the next race at Semmering." Shiffrin became the second youngest American to win a World Cup race, after Judy Nagel. "My mom is my biggest help. She keeps me focused and grounded. I'm sure she'll talk to me in the next couple of days to make sure my head doesn't get too big," she said. "Right now I want to hug her a lot. She'll be here for Christmas with my dad. Right now I just need to calm down and regroup." Maze, who was forced to settle for third place, was more than happy with her performance as she continued to dominate the overall standings. She said: "The second leg was very fast and I am happy with that performance before Christmas and a little break that I feel I need. I gave everything I had today and it worked out well." Maze sits top of the overall table on 919 points with Germany's Maria Hofl-Riesch second with 532 points and Kathrin Zettel of Austria third on 466 points. Shiffrin, who last year became the youngest American to win a national alpine skiing championship, heads the slalom standings by 22 points from Hofl-Riesch -- the overall World Cup champion in 2011 and a double Olympic gold medalist.
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Mikaela Shiffrin won her first ever World Cup race after finishing first in Sweden .
Teenager becomes second youngest American to win a World Cup event .
Home favorite Frida Hansdotter came second with Tina Maze of Slovenia in third .
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14b0b98ca5e376f872258431e1608953f237580b
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An openly gay former Dominican friar insisted today that homosexuality is the ‘ticking time bomb in the Catholic Church’ and that homosexual men are ‘massively over-represented’ within the Church. Mark Dowd, who is now a journalist, said research for his 2001 Channel 4 documentary Queer and Catholic suggested that at least half of people attracted into seminaries in the priesthood are gay. His comments came as the former leader of Roman Catholics in England and Wales, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, said the scandal-hit Catholic Church must undergo renewal and reform. Scroll down for video . Former friar: Mark Dowd, who is now a journalist, said research for his 2001 Channel 4 documentary Queer and Catholic had suggested at least half of people attracted into seminaries in the priesthood are gay . Mr Dowd told CNN: ‘When you have this culture of secrecy and guilt and repression, you have conditions which foster the potential for blackmail and for manipulation. ‘This is a very unhealthy stage for the church, because basically when you have secrecy, you have lies - and when you have lies, people often are put in terrible pressures of being compromised.’ Meanwhile, the Cardinal said the successor to Benedict XVI would need to be able to tackle reform of the Roman Curia, the Vatican departments which govern the 1.2billion-strong global church. Last weekend Italian newspapers published claims of homosexuality and blackmail within the Church, with one allegation centering around a secret ‘gay cabal’ of priests, reported CNN. But veteran Vatican journalist Marco Politi said this idea was ‘rubbish’, adding: ‘Here in the Vatican, there are monsignors who have love affairs, with women and with men. But they hide it.’ Mr Dowd added: ‘I've got my own experience of being in religious life myself. And I can tell you that gay men are massively, massively overrepresented in Catholic life. There's nothing wrong with that. Vatican: Italian media ran a series of stories last week about the alleged contents of a secret report prepared for the Pope by a commission of three cardinals who investigated the Vatileaks scandal last year . ‘The problem is that a lot of them are told that they are intrinsically unhealthy according to church teaching. And that's not a very appropriate state of affairs if we're talking about psychosexual health and emotional maturity.’ 'I've got my own experience of being in religious life myself. And I can tell you that gay men are massively, massively overrepresented in Catholic life' Mark Dowd, former Dominican friar . Earlier this week Britain’s most senior Roman Catholic, Cardinal Keith O’Brien, apologised for his failures after being ordered to quit by the Pope as a further sex scandal swept the church. Italian media ran stories last week about the alleged contents of a secret report prepared for the Pope by a commission of three cardinals who investigated the Vatileaks scandal last year. Paolo Gabriele, the pope's butler, was convicted of stealing personal papal documents and leaking them to the media. He was jailed and later pardoned by the pope. The documents alleged corruption in the Vatican and infighting over the running of its bank, which has been at the heart of a series of scandals in past decades. But the Vatican said the Italian media had spread 'false and damaging' reports and claimed it was an attempt to influence cardinals who will meet in a secret conclave next month to elect a new pope.
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Mark Dowd says gay men are 'massively over-represented' within Church .
Ex-Dominican friar insists half of those attracted into seminaries are gay .
Openly gay Dowd also blasts 'culture of secrecy and guilt and repression'
He researched homosexuality in Catholicism for a Channel 4 documentary .
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14b15fc7b4d19902606897bf960afce67153b452
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Energy Secretary Ed Davey is dodging his own green taxes – by switching his gas and electricity supplier to a company exempt from the charges slapped on domestic bills. The Cabinet Minister is now spared from paying the average £112-a-year ‘green duty’ added to most domestic bills after he moved his account to a firm that does not have to pay it. Last night, a senior Tory MP accused Lib Dem Mr Davey of ‘tax avoidance’ by ‘finding a way’ to escape the levies. Ed Davey is now spared from paying the average £112-a-year ‘green duty’ added to most domestic bills after he moved his account to a firm that does not have to pay it . The Mail on Sunday has highlighted the rocketing cost of the UK’s green commitments, which include cutting the power industry’s CO2 emissions by 90 per cent by 2030 and tripling the proportion of power generated from wind, solar and ‘biomass’ sources. Experts say the plan will cost in excess of £100 billion – all funded by a tariff on domestic and business consumers. Mr Davey recently changed from Sainsbury’s Energy to Green Star Energy to supply gas and electricity to his Kingston constituency home. Green Star – which, despite its name, is not an eco-certified company – does not have to pay green taxes because it is a new firm with fewer than 250,000 customers. Its average household bill is just over £1,009 a year, compared with Sainsbury’s average of £1,264 – meaning Mr Davey could potentially save about £255 annually. The average standard bill across all energy suppliers is around £1,346. Green sceptic Peter Lilley, a Tory member of the energy and climate change committee, said last night: ‘He is paying less than most people as he is not being hit with those levies, it is as simple as that. He has found a way to avoid this unfair burden on families which his own department is inflicting. It is a form of tax avoidance.’ Smaller firms also do not have to pay for the Energy Company Obligation, which costs customers about £47 a year towards the cost of funding insulation for low-income households. Mr Davey has saved around £255 by switching from Sainsbury's to Green Star Energy . And they are exempt from the Warm Homes Scheme, which offers extra support to anyone struggling to afford their energy bills, such as the elderly. However, if Mr Davey’s decision encourages enough other customers to switch to Green Star and the firm passes the 250,000 threshold, it too will be liable for the green levies. Last week it was revealed more than 900 onshore and offshore wind turbines were built in the past year, with the annual bill for green subsidies topping £3billion. Of that, an estimated £765 million went to onshore wind farms; £935 million to offshore wind farms; £800 million to biomass plants; £500 million to solar plants and £100 million to hydroelectric power. Wind power produced nine per cent of the nation’s electricity, up from six per cent in 2012. Energy firms complain that, as a result, some gas plants are left barely running, further pushing up electricity bills. The Energy Secretary made his account switch through Big Deal Energy. Mr Davey said the figures showed ‘that the Government’s investment in renewable energy is paying off’. His spokesman added: ‘Everyone knows the major energy companies got away with murder under Labour. The number of smaller players competing with the big firms has nearly trebled since 2010 and it’s right they don’t have the obligation put on them until they grow to a certain size.’
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Ed Davey recently changed from Sainsbury’s Energy to Green Star Energy to supply gas and electricity to his Kingston constituency home .
Green Star despite its name, is not an eco-certified company .
It does not have to pay green taxes because it is a new firm with fewer than 250,000 customers .
If Mr Davey’s decision encourages enough other customers to switch to Green Star, it too will be liable for the green levies .
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14b269d06a0aa629b61d617e723be01c6f3b76fc
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Savannah Guthrie has shared an adorable new photograph showing her growing daughter Vale as the little girl turns one month old. In the photograph shared to her Facebook profile on Wednesday, the 42-year-old Today show co-host grins as she hugs baby Vale, who sports a large button reading: 'One month.' After Guthrie, who has been on maternity leave since early August, posted the image, her Facebook page was inundated with warm wishes from her fans and friends. 'Gorgeous, just like her mumma!' said one, while another added: 'Enjoy your time at home with her. Miss you every morning while watching Today.' Scroll down for video . Proud: Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie has shared this image of her grinning alongside her baby daughter Vale to her Facebook page. The little girl was born on August 13 weighing a healthy 8.5 lb . Savannah responded: 'Thank you for all these sweet, sweet wishes!!' The new mom, who documented her pregnancy month-by-month with her adoring fan base, has been delighting her social media followers with regular photos and updates of Vale. Savannah and her husband, Mike Feldman, 45, welcomed their daughter on August 13. She weighed a healthy 8.5lb and measured 19.5inches. '[Vale] has blue eyes, a little bit of blondish hair and the chubbiest cheeks you’ve ever seen,' she said shortly after her birth. 'I think we found heaven in this little hospital room in New York City.' Gorgeous: Savannah has been keeping her fans updated by posting images of her growing girl. She shared this image, left, showing her daughter wearing an Eagles t-shirt, and a birthday wish to Al Roker, right . Speaking to her Today colleagues shortly after the birth of her 'cherubic, angel' baby, Savannah said she 'felt like life had just started'. She revealed: 'I can't get over the joy that she brings, it's almost inexpressible.' When asked how she and her husband came up with the name Vale, Savannah said: 'Today viewers had me convinced that we were having a boy, so when it was a girl, it was a shock. 'We had a few names on the girl list but we had not settled on it. Vale had always been on our list of names we had liked. We thought it was pretty, unique but not kooky or weird.' Happy: Savannah is pictured with her husband Mike Feldman and baby Vale just hours after she was born . Meeting the cast: Fellow co-hosts Matt Lauer and Natalie Morales meet Vale after her birth last month . She also mentioned that both she and Mike had been crying spontaneously, and that 'he doesn't even have the hormones to blame.' And it's not just Savannah who's welcomed a new addition to the family. The Today show has been experiencing a mighty baby boom this summer. On August 22, Jenna Wolfe announced that she and her partner, NBC News foreign correspondent Stephanie Gosk, are expecting a girl, due in February. And on August 20, Carson Daly and his fiancee, Siri Pinter, welcomed a daughter, London Rose Daly.
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The Today show co-host updated her Facebook profile with a grinning image of her tightly holding her newborn daughter .
Guthrie, who is on maternity leave, has been keeping fans updated on her daughter's progress since her birth on August 13 .
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By . Sarah Griffiths . PUBLISHED: . 08:14 EST, 28 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:02 EST, 28 October 2013 . Google has mapped the wreck of paddle steamer the Mary Celeste, which sank in 1864. The wreck was catalogued as part of Google Street View using images from the Catlin Seaview Survey and allows computer users to browse the remains of the ship without getting wet. The ruined vessel, also known as the Mary Celestia, rests some 55 feet below the waves off the coast of Bermuda complete with one of its huge wheels. Watch the 'sea view' below... Google has mapped the wreck of paddle steamer the Mary Celeste that sank in 1864 . Google Street View lets users view the wreck as if they are diving at the site and gives a new perspective on a piece of U.S. history. The Mary Celeste was a paddle steamer that sunk on a mission to run ammunition and supplies to the Confederate forces during the American Civil War - smuggling goods in and out of America. The vessel was 225ft long and was built in Liverpool by William C Miller & Sons, according to Google Maps Mania. Commissioned by Crenshaw and Company, a . running company in the war, the steamer played an essential role in . running goods between Bermuda, Nassau and England. Members of the public can now take a tour of the historic wreck online, which rests 55 metres under the waves . The Mary Celeste was a paddle steamer that sunk on a mission to run ammunition and supplies to the Confederate forces during the American Civil War - smuggling goods in and out of America . The British-American merchant ship was discovered abandoned in 1982 with one lifeboat missing, but the weather was fine and its crew known to be capable . The ship carried cotton out of . Wilmington, North Carolina to Bermuda, returning with war supplies and . food. Is thought to have made eight intrepid trips before it sank in . 1864. The Mary Celeste left port in Bermuda on September 14 1864 full of meat, rides and ammunition, bound for Wilmington. But the steamer never reached its destination. It is thought that the ship hit a reef and the seamen escaped with their lives, apart from the ship's cook who went back to reclaim his possessions. Google has mapped other popular dive sites: Here, Galápagos sea lions found in the waters of the Galápagos Islands, play in the water with graceful agility . The South West Breaker has also been mapped as part of Google's vast project. The reef in Bermuda is not a coral or rock formation but made from fossilised prehistoric worms. The structure is incredibly strong and can easily withstand the strong winter storms . The wreckage of the famous vessel lies 600 yards off the south coast of Bermuda and is popular with divers. As part of Google's Street View project, the search giant has also mapped other famous diving sites around the world and the images capture, divers, colourful fish and seals as well as incredible tropical reefs. A school of fish swimming in the Outer Devil's Crown, Floreana Island, Galapagos Islands. The Outer Devil's Crown is an underwater volcanic cone which provides habitat to lots of marine life . Diving at Champion, Floreana, Galapagos Islands. The small island is hope to sea turtles, seen swimming with divers in another image from Google's Street View .
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Google has mapped the wreck of the paddle steamer that sank in 1864 and played a crucial role in the American Civil War .
The search giant used images from the Catlin Seaview Survey .
The wreckage of the Mary Celeste is a popular dive site that lies close to the shore of the south coast of Bermuda, around 55 feet under the waves .
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By . Louise Boyle . PUBLISHED: . 11:28 EST, 13 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 04:05 EST, 14 December 2012 . Mick Jagger has caused outrage after making a tasteless joke at Wednesday night’s Sandy benefit where he compared the killer superstorm to London rain. During his set at Madison Square Garden, the Rolling Stones' frontman made the thoughtless remark in front of an audience including storm survivors and emergency crews who responded in the devastating aftermath. Jagger said: 'This has got to be the largest collection of old English musicians ever assembled in Madison Square Garden. But I’ve got to say, if it rains in London, you’ve got to come and help us, OK?' Scroll down for video . Superstar: Mick Jagger stretches out his arms as he performs on stage at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night . More than a few puddles: Those who had witnessed the path of destruction wreaked by Sandy, as seen here in New Jersey, were outraged by Mick Jagger's remarks which compared the super storm to London rain . Devastation: A couple walks through destroyed sections of boardwalk ripped apart by superstorm Sandy in the Rockaways area of the Queens borough of New York . The powerful storm left parts of New York City underwater and left millions of people in several states without heat or electricity for weeks. The superstorm is responsible for at least 140 deaths, including 104 in New York and New Jersey, and it destroyed or damaged 305,000 housing units in New York alone. Rebuilding is expected to reach the $70billion mark. Fans took to Twitter to express their anger and dismay at Jagger's remarks. One user, @dwbohle, tweeted: 'Wait wait wait...did Mick Jagger say if it rains in London we should help them? Was it raining during WWII?' Watch video here: Mick Jagger makes a joke about Sandy . Dismay: Twitter users expressed their disappointment at Jagger's off-the-cuff remark during the Sandy benefit . Not big fans: Many expressed outrage that Jagger's remarks had insulted New Yorkers . @JoMo274 wrote: 'I cant believe mick jagger said "if it rains in London I want you guys to come help us" what a scumbag thing to say. No1 asked for u old bag.' 'Anyone else think Jagger’s ''If it . rains in London, you guys have to help us'' line was a bit . out-of-bounds?” asked @OakParkVandy. BenPurzak68 added: 'Not a big fan of the stones. Especially after what Mick jagger said about we have to help now when it rains in London. D***.' Despite his ill-advised remarks, . Jagger and band mates Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts wowed . the crowd of thousands who had packed out Madison Square Garden in . midtown Manhattan. The . Rolling Stones, who are celebrating half a century making music, were . joined at the glittering event by legends including Bruce Springsteen, . Paul McCartney, The Who, Bon Jovi and Billy Joel. Moves like Jagger: Despite his ill-advised remarks, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and the rest of the Stones put on a rocking performance . We will rebuild: Debris is the devastated neighborhood of Breezy Point, Queens, New York . Before . Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band kicked off the show with the . Land of Hope and Dreams, the crowd were shown a video montage of how the . super storm descended on the east coast, damaging everything in its . path. Devastated residents of hardest-hit . areas like Staten Island and Far Rockaway were shown sitting on piles of rubble . with tears running down their faces as the realization they lost . everything hit home. One woman cried: 'I just want to go home, but it's . not there any more.' Swept away: In the wake of Sandy, only the flooded foundations of some homes were left like in the Staten Island neighborhood of Oakwood . But promises of 'We Will Rebuild' dominated the night as scores of music legends performed in front of . tens of thousands of people with all proceeds going to help the victims. An estimated $35million was raised in ticket sales alone. While . top artists performed on stage, actors and comedians such as James . Gandolfini, Jimmy Fallon and Jack McBrayer manned phone banks where they . accepted donations from viewers. Through television, live streams, the . radio and theater simulcasts, an estimated two billion people around the . world were given the chance to experience the concert live. Dream team: New Jersey-ites Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen perform together during the concert for Hurricane Sandy victims .
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Rolling Stones frontman made remark to global audience of two billion .
Fans expressed dismay over Jagger's 'scumbag' remark on stage at Madison Square Garden .
Storm is responsible for 140 deaths and damaged 300,000 homes .
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Thibaut Courtois denied Adam Lallana Liverpool's winner in the first leg of the Capital One Cup semi-final on Tuesday with a tremendous one-handed save - and the playmaker still can't comprehend how the Chelsea goalkeeper managed to do it. Lallana connected perfectly with a knock-down from Raheem Sterling and his strike from 25 yards seemed destined to find the left corner of the net and put Liverpool ahead, until Courtois' outstretched arm somehow managed to tip it around the post. 'I can't believe the 'keeper saved it, I was halfway on my celebration,' Lallana told Liverpool's official website. Adam Lallana's fierce drive at goal with the score at 1-1 was somehow saved by Thibaut Courtois . Courtois' display made sure that the second leg will be played with level scores next Tuesday . 'It was a fantastic save and probably one of the reasons why he got man of the match. He is world-class and Chelsea are a world-class team.' Courtois made a string of stops to keep Liverpool at bay in the second half of the game at Anfield. Despite the impressive performance from Brendan Rodgers' side, Lallana admitted there was some frustration at not being able to take an advantage into the second leg at Stamford Bridge next Tuesday. Lallana (left) is confident that Liverpool will overcome Chelsea in the second leg next week and reach the final . 'We come off the pitch disappointed but still in the game. We'll go to Stamford Bridge and we're fully confident we can go through to the final,' Lallana explained. Next up for Liverpool is another cup clash at Anfield, against Bolton Wanderers in the fourth round of the FA Cup, before the return encounter with Chelsea.
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Thibaut Courtois was man of the match in Liverpool's draw with Chelsea .
The goalkeeper made a number of saves to keep Liverpool from scoring .
His best stop was from Adam Lallana's spectacular long-range drive .
READ: Jose Mourinho asks fans for '25 percent of the Anfield's emotion'
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(CNN) -- Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday issued a sharp warning to ISIS militants, saying after the United States is done grieving the death of two American journalists, their killers will have to answer for their actions. "They should know we will follow them to the gates of hell until they are brought to justice," he forcefully told an audience at an event on the New Hampshire-Maine border. "Because hell is where they will reside. Hell is where they will reside." Biden opened his remarks in memory of Steven Sotloff, the journalist who was beheaded by ISIS militants Tuesday, two weeks after James Foley was executed in the same horrific manner on video. Foley was from New Hampshire, while Sotloff lived there for boarding school. ISIS video shows beheading of American journalist . Describing the perpetrators as "barbarians," Biden vowed that Americans would not be frightened or intimidated by the heinous acts. "We came back after 9/11. We dusted ourselves off and we made sure that Osama bin Laden would never, ever again threaten the American people," Biden said. "We came back Boston strong, blaming no one but resolve to be certain that this didn't happen again." "As a nation, we're united, and when people harm Americans, we don't retreat," he later said. "We don't forget." ISIS executions heighten fears for Western hostages . The vice president, who's mulling a 2016 presidential bid, made his remarks at the Portsmouth Naval Yard in a speech about the economy. He was accompanied on stage by U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat who's running for re-election this year. Previewing Biden's trip, the campaign for former Republican Sen. Scott Brown, who's challenging Shaheen for her seat in this year's midterms, released a Web video that shows footage of the vice president supporting President Barack Obama's foreign policy, an agenda the Brown campaign labels a "failure." 'Degrade and destroy' After Sotloff's killing, Obama faced a chorus of bipartisan calls from Congress to act more aggressively and come up with a concrete strategy to combat ISIS, beyond the already ongoing targeted air strikes. Speaking Wednesday, Obama addressed his much criticized statement last week that he has no strategy on ISIS. He said he was referring to a military strategy in Syria that "might" require congressional approval. "Our objective is clear. That is to degrade and destroy (ISIS) so it's no longer a threat," he said. "We can accomplish that. It's going to take some time, it's going to take some effort." Obama: U.S. won't back down to ISIS . The president said the world needs a regional strategy to defeat the group. "We've been putting together a strategy that was designed to do a number of things... What we have to make sure is we have a regional strategy in place," he said.
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Of the U.S. journalists' killers, vice president says, "We will follow them to the gates of hell"
"Because hell is where they will reside," he added. "Hell is where they will reside"
Biden referenced 9/11 and the Boston bombings as examples of American resolve .
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Sarah Palin today defended a photo she shared of her six-year-old son Trig standing on his service dog as she accused PETA of a 'hypocritical double standard' for criticizing her for the image. The former Alaska governor spoke about the controversy on the Today show on Tuesday after the photo was met with outrage on social media and by PETA, who described her as a 'callous woman'. She said that she thought it was appropriate to share the photo, which showed her son Trig, who has Down syndrome, standing on his dog, Jill Hadassah, so that he could reach the sink. 'Trig's service dog is a strong, trained dog that does really, really love his best buddy Trig, and they put up with each other and there was no harm at all to this dog,' she said on Tuesday. Scroll down for video . Refusing to back down: Sarah Palin appeared on the Today show on Tuesday morning to defend a photograph she had shared to Facebook showing her son standing on his service dog . She had shared the photo to her Facebook page on January 1 with a message for the new year. 'May 2015 see every stumbling block turned into a stepping stone on the path forward,' she wrote. 'Trig just reminded me. He, determined to help wash dishes with an oblivious mama not acknowledging his signs for 'up!', found me and a lazy dog blocking his way. He made his stepping stone.' PETA released a statement saying; 'It's odd that anyone — let alone a mother — would find it appropriate to post such a thing, with no apparent sympathy for the dog in the photo.' On the Today show, she slammed the organization. 'I thought, absolutely hypocritical double standard, as usual, applied to, I don't know, perhaps a constitutional conservative,' she told Savannah Guthrie. In another Facebook message, Palin had asked why PETA has never objected to the actions of other celebrities - including Ellen DeGeneres, who previously shared a similar picture, and President Obama, who admitted to eating dog when he was a child. Outrage: PETA was upset over this photo of six-year-old Trig Palin (above) standing on the family dog, Jill . Inspiring: The intial post was meant to inspire people at the start of 2015 by showing Trig's resilience . 'At least Trig didn't eat the dog,' she wrote. On the Today show on Tuesday, she defended the line when Guthrie asked if it was a cheap shot. 'Oh heck no, that was the best line in the post that I wrote,' she said. 'It was the kickoff line.' The comment was in reference to Obama's admission years ago that as a child in Indonesia he did once eat dog meat, and he later mocked Palin at the 2012 White House Correspondents' Dinner saying: 'What's the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? A pit bull is delicious.' She added on the Today show that left wing radicals 'look at him as their messiah but he as a child, probably the same age as Trig, did much worse than use the dog as a stepping stool'. In her post, Palin also asked why PETA never attacked Ellen DeGeneres - PETA's Woman of the Year in 2009 - for a photo on her Instagram page showing of a child standing on her dog to brush her teeth. That child, a little girl, does appear to be much younger and smaller thanTrig. She admitted she and the organization agree on one thing - 'respecting God's creation and critters' - but added that they probably weren't too happy that she enjoyed hunting her food. Old news: Palin says that at least her son 'didn't eat the dog,' and then goes on to say that President Obama (above) 'enjoys eating dog meat'. He once admitted he had eaten dog as a child in Indonesia . Loved: Palin insisted that the family loves all of their pets and called Trig Jill's 'best buddy' Still, she gushed about the animals the family keep in the house. 'Our pets, including Trig's best buddy Jill Hadassah, are loved, spoiled and cared for more than some people care for their fellow man whose politics may not mesh with nonsensical liberally failed ways or don't fit your flighty standards,' she wrote. On the Today show, she also explained the dog's odd name, Jill Hadassah. 'I had a roommate in college named Jill, loved her, always wanted a Jill, and then Hadassah, that's a Jewish name for Esther,' she said. 'I love in the Bible, the Book of Esther. I didn't have a sixth kid, but had a dog, and finally I got to use those names.' Dear PETA, . Chill. At least Trig didn't eat the dog. Hey, by the way, remember your 'Woman of the Year', Ellen DeGeneres? Did you get all wee-wee'd up when she posted this sweet picture? Hypocritical, much? Did you go as crazy when your heroic Man-of-Your-Lifetime, Barack Obama, revealed he actually enjoyed eating dead dog meat? Aren't you the double-standard radicals always opposing Alaska's Iditarod – the Last Great Race honoring dogs who are born to run in wide open spaces, while some of your pets 'thrive' in a concrete jungle where they're allowed outdoors to breathe and pee maybe once a day? Aren't you the same herd that opposes our commercial fishing jobs, claiming I encourage slaying and consuming wild, organic healthy protein sources called 'fish'? (I do.) Aren't you the same anti-beef screamers blogging hate from your comfy leather office chairs, wrapped in your fashionable leather belts above your kickin' new leather pumps you bought because your celebrity idols (who sport fur and crocodile purses) grinned in a tabloid wearing the exact same Louboutins exiting sleek cowhide covered limo seats on their way to some liberal fundraiser shindig at some sushi bar that features poor dead smelly roe (that I used to strip from our Bristol Bay-caught fish, and in a Dillingham cannery I packed those castoff fish eggs for you while laughing with co-workers about the suckers paying absurdly high prices to party with the throw away parts of our wild seafood)? I believe you call those discarded funky eggs 'caviar'. Yeah, you're real credible on this, PETA. A shame, because I'll bet we agree on what I hope is the true meaning of your mission – respecting God's creation and critters. Our pets, including Trig's best buddy Jill Hadassah, are loved, spoiled and cared for more than some people care for their fellow man whose politics may not mesh with nonsensical liberally failed ways or don't fit your flighty standards. Jill is a precious part of our world. So is Trig. - Sarah Palin .
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Sarah Palin posted an image to Facebook on New Year's of her son-year-old son Trig, who has Down syndrome, standing on his service dog .
PETA said the photo showed that Palin had 'no apparent sympathy for the dog,' labeling her a 'callous woman'
Palin responded on Facebook by asking PETA why they never attack other celebrities, including Ellen DeGeneres, who posted a similar photo .
She also said they support President Obama even though he had admitted to eating dog meat as a child, saying: 'At least Trig didn't eat the dog'
On Tuesday, she appeared on the Today show to defend her choice to use the photo, insisting that Trig and the dog are best friends .
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Cesc Fabregas faces Arsenal for the first time since leaving the Emirates this weekend as Chelsea host the Gunners at Stamford Bridge. We asked Arsenal fan site Highbury House just what the supporters feel about a former captain and hero lining up for their bitter rivals against them, especially since he's been playing so well. If you wanted a symbol of the divide among Arsenal supporters at the moment then you will find no better example than Cesc Fabregas. There is an on-going debate, both within the Emirates and on the numerous websites devoted to the club, about Arsene Wenger and his continued tenure and Barcelona’s sale of Fabregas to Chelsea has rubbed salt into those wounds. For many of us, Cesc epitomised the great things Wenger achieved over so many years. He was the lingering ember, still smouldering in Barcelona, that so many Arsenal fans believed could re-ignite Wenger's reign and breathe quality back into a central midfield that had become dull. Cesc Fabregas (right) will line up for Jose Mourinho's high-flying Chelsea against Arsenal this weekend . Fabregas has been the driving force behind Chelsea's improved creativity and goal scoring this season . He never spoke badly of the club, even after forcing the move that hurt so many of us. I could see why he wanted to go at the time, though. Barcelona had exerted a strong pull under Pep Guardiola and it was Cesc's homeland. All the rumours about him refusing to play for us in pre-season and feigning injury were disturbing for sure but fans’ forgiveness tends to be in proportion to the player's quality and nobody could dispute Cesc had that in abundance. After the FA Cup success the word was that Wenger would push the boat out in the summer and sign the players that just about everybody in football knew we needed. So, when it became clear that the golden boy was available and Arsenal had a clause in his contract of sale that gave the club the right of first refusal, at a discount price, then what was the problem? Sign him, Arsene. The problem was that our manager didn't see it that way at all. Arsene Wenger played a key role in shaping Fabregas at Arsenal into the talented player you see today . Fabregas became club captain at Arsenal and is pictured here celebrating a goal with Robin van Persie . After several attempts Fabregas finally left Arsenal to return his boyhood club Barcelona in summer 2011 . Now, whether this was for purely footballing reasons in that he didn't want to inhibit the growth of Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey or, as Cesc has said, because of the presence of Mesut Ozil. Or was it a bit of rather ill-judged payback for some shoddy behaviour against the man who had made him the great player he undoubtedly is? But the awful fact of the matter is that Arsenal said no and took a percentage of the transfer fee to, of all clubs, Chelsea. Fabregas is showing the midfield creativity at Chelsea that Arsenal would have benefited from this season . Will Wenger's decision not to resign Fabregas come back to haunt Arsenal at Stamford Bridge this weekend? Those of us who have watched Mourinho's team through gritted teeth this season couldn't have failed to have noticed that he is doing rather well for them. In fact, he puts the opposition under pressure just about every time he gets the ball in their half. Unfortunately for us and in my opinion, Cesc was exactly the player we needed and as Wenger seems to see Ozil as a left-winger I really can't see the sense in not signing him. The sudden drop in Ramsey's form and his subsequent two-month injury, plus the inconsistent nature of Jack's game has made the decision look worse and worse with each passing day. But, not to sign him and at the same time strengthening Sunday¹s opponents, Mourinho¹s Chelsea? Crazy and for some of us, painful too. Follow Highbury House on Twitter @Highbury_House .
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Cesc Fabregas faces Arsenal for the first time since leaving the Emirates .
The Spaniard signed for Chelsea in a £30m deal in the summer .
Arsene Wenger decided against taking up option to bring Fabregas back .
Fabregas has started the season in top form for Jose Mourinho .
Arsenal fan site Highbury House believes Wenger was wrong to pass up chance to resign Fabregas and that seeing him star for Chelsea is painful .
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14b6c7c6e9971f9f7d7f0663a294dcb93cbc1dd0
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(CNN) -- In Masai culture, it is traditional to open a conversation with "Casserian engeri," which means "And how are the children?" The prominent value that the Masai place on the well-being of their children has me thinking about the well-being of our own children here in America. We rejoice with those who crossed the stage to receive their high school diplomas last spring, and look forward to the accomplishments of those who start school soon. Indeed, our children are doing well. For the first time in our nation's history, 80% of young Americans graduated from high school on time, according to the 2014 Building a GradNation. This is a significant achievement for those young graduates and our country as a whole. At that rate of increase, we can and should push forward to the goal of 90% on-time high school graduation by 2020. Four successive presidents have set forth this goal, and at last we are on track. But this statistic tells only a piece of the story about the well-being of our children. It disregards too quickly the remaining 20% -- about 800,000 young people per year -- who don't graduate on time. What happens to them? Why are these young people not progressing, despite all of our best efforts? Who are they? And what must we do to help them stay on track and thrive as contributors to the economy of our country? Over the past year, America's Promise Alliance has been seeking those answers, right from the source. Our Center for Promise at Tufts University interviewed hundreds of young people who did not graduate on time or at all. And then we surveyed thousands of young people from all 50 states. So, how are our children? Their responses, compiled and analyzed in the report "Don't Call Them Dropouts," are heartbreaking, humbling and ultimately hopeful. So many young people described the circumstances in which they grew up, environments made toxic by physical and emotional abuse, exposure to extreme violence, family stress and caretaking responsibilities. Young people have many reasons for leaving school, not all of them related to boredom or lack of motivation. Many leave because of complex and challenging life circumstances that, without proper adult support, make leaving school look like the only option. In the wake of leaving school without graduating, many showed tremendous optimism and a drive to achieve adult success. They want for themselves what we want for them: more education, a solid job, a strong family, a stable place to live. With this backdrop, it's no surprise that many of the people we interviewed took exception to the term "dropout." They don't feel that they "dropped out" or, worse, quit. They simply made a decision to change the course of their lives. Nothing will be easy about increasing our national high school graduation rates. However, for the sake of our nation's future, we must not forget about the potential that exists in 20% of our nation's students. Yes, all students need high quality schools with strong teachers and strong curricula, but they also need environments where they are heard. Set preconceptions and assumptions aside, and just listen hard. Try to understand their experiences and perspective, however challenging. Show them, in some way, that you care about their future. For our young adults with the highest needs, more schools should incorporate an early warning system to identify students whose attendance, behavior and course performance suggest that they need extra support to stay in school. Communities should consider how to create similar early-warning supports and systems beyond the school building for young adults affected by risk factors like a death in the family, an incarcerated parent or housing instability. As good stewards of our communities, we must help provide the support that our young people need for success, and that means learning from one another. With proven and promising examples of success happening all across the country, in and out of the classroom, we must create more opportunities for school systems and communities to collaborate with one another. It's in that sharing, that great progress can be made. The question "How are our children?" is the right one to be asking. But, let's not be afraid of the challenging and complex answers that comes with it. At graduation season, and every day, let's celebrate our high achievers while giving equal care to those young people taking the less common road.
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For the first time, 80% of young Americans graduated from high school on time .
Alma Powell: We can't disregard the well-being of the 20% who didn't .
Powell: Many of them object to the term "dropout"; they just decided to change course .
She says we must offer support, identify them early, show we care about their futures .
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Billy Joe Saunders is set to fight for the vacant WBO world middleweight title, according to the sanctioning body’s president. Saunders, who is ranked No 2 with the organisation, looked to have been overlooked after light-middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade announced his intention to move up a division. But not only will the 25-year-old from Hatfield get his opportunity, he is also likely to have home advantage against Russia’s Matvey Korobov. Billy Joe Saunders was lined up to fight Chris Eubank Jnr in London on October 25 . A tweet from the World Boxing Organisation president shows that Saunders may now fight Korobov . Matvey Korobov (right) fought for Russia in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games . WBO president Paco Valcarvcel tweeted: ‘Demetrius Andrade will defend WBO 154lbs title. Looks like Korobov-Saunders will take place in England for the vacant 160lbs belt.’ The title is vacant after previous champion Peter Quillin refused to face Korobov, who lives in Florida. The 31-year-old has won all 24 of his professional fights, four more than his prospective opponent. Saunders had been expected to fight bitter British rival Chris Eubank Jnr in London on October 25 but revealed last week that Eubank Jnr had not signed the contract. A deadline imposed by Saunders passed without an announcement, but it seems he will swerve the domestic dust-up for his chance of world honours. Billy Joe Saunders (right) exchanges blows with Emanuel Blandamura in their European Middleweight bout . Korobov stretches his neck during the men's middleweight round of 16 match during the Beijing Olympics .
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Billy Joe Saunders was originally meant to fight Chris Eubank Jnr on October 25 but revealed that Eubank Jnr had not signed the contract .
Now it appears that Saunders will instead fight Russian Matvey Korobov in London, according the World Boxing Organisation president on Twitter .
31-year-old Korobov has won all 24 of his professional fights, four more than his prospective opponent .
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Usain Bolt's injury-plagued 2014 may have allowed American Justin Gatlin to slip in and take advantage to become the world's top sprinter, but the Jamaican speedster showed he is still the sport's undisputed king of cool. In a week that has seen him strike his famed 'lightning bolt' pose in front of a packed Times Square in New York, Bolt was in a more relaxed mood on Monday morning whilst sharing some downtime with fellow athlete and close friend Edino Steele. In a one-take shot the pair were filmed showing off their latest handshake, which consisted of around 30 combinations. Usain Bolt (left) and friend Edino Steele (right) begin their routine with a standard handshake . The Jamaican sprinting duo act as if pausing for thought mid-way through the video posted on Bolt's Instagram . The pair's handshake combination consisted of around 30 moves, including a backwards low five (pictured) Posting the video to his Instagram, the six-time Olympic gold medalist wrote: 'Friendship is different hand shake is on point @edinosteele credit to the camera lady @miss_gabymolina #greatness #happiness #manofsteele #ForeverFaster.' After announcing that he plans to retire in 2017, with the World Championship 100 metres final in London pencilled in as his last individual race, Bolt is relishing the prospect of a fightback as he declared himself fit for the new season. ‘I live for competition. I thrive on competition. I live to compete against the best,' he told Sportsmail's Matt Lawton in an exclusive interview on Friday. ‘My main aim now is to stay injury free this season so I go into Rio in peak form; at my best. Because in the past I’ve suffered these [injury] setbacks.’ Bolt shows off his famous celebration in New York's Times Square during a sponsor promotion . Usain Bolt, pictured during the 200m final at London 2012, has revealed he plans to retire in 2017 .
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Usain Bolt posted the handshake with friend Edino Steele to his Instagram .
The Jamaican sprinter announced he has plans to retire in London in 2017 .
But Bolt is looking forward to preparing himself for a comeback from injury .
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After paying five homeless people outside his studio in Manila to help chew 700 pieces of bubble gum, Louie Cordero began to wonder what he had undertaken in the name of art. "Well, it certainly took longer than I imagined it would, and they thought it would, too" he recalls. After two days of aching jaws, the potent mix of gum, spittle and resin went to create one of Cordero's larger-than-life sculptures; a bright green figure that is part tribal warrior, part horror flick monster, but all Cordero's imagination. It is now starting to turn brown as the sugar in the gum oxidizes, but Cordero is still turning his wild machinations of surreal, twisted biomorphic figures into sculptures and paintings, and is one of a group of contemporary artists from the Philippines turning heads with a vibrancy and unique Filipino vision. Awash with tubes of bright acrylic paint, Cordero's studio in the Cubao area of Manila has been his main base for around 10 years and is situated just a few minutes away from the stadium where Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier had their "Thriller in Manila" bout in 1975. Working on two new pieces for this month's Hong Kong International Art Fair while sipping industrial strength coffee, Cordero admits that while his attitude to his work hasn't really altered in a decade, local artists are seemingly starting to punch above their weight. "Things have changed a lot in terms of financial gain and artistic gain. For new artists, they have a thing about doing it in the international scene or being represented. Now it's a career that has to be strategized," he says. "In Manila there used to be more artist run galleries. Now big galleries are here and looking for the new artist that wants to sell for big money. Every week now there's like three openings, before it used to be one show per month." It's a long way from the 34-year-old's life when he graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts. Back then he couldn't afford paint so spent days drawing comic strips (one of which has gained a cult following in the Philippines and Japan) or taking illustration jobs to pay the bills. Joining with friends and contemporaries he also ran artist spaces for impromptu exhibitions. Since then he's moved on to feature in joint exhibitions in Hong Kong and prominent solo shows including one in New York in 2010. Inspired by an explosive mix of comic art, pop culture and gore-fest films, Cordero also retains a strong Filipino flavor in his art, drawing on everything from jeepney art, turbulent politics and the almost inescapable impact of religion in Philippine society. "We've been occupied and colonized by American and Spanish so most of the artists here contemplate on that concept or hang-ups from it, especially the Catholic influence that we get from school age upwards," he says. Playing with religious imagery can still cause huge controversy in the Philippines. Last year a collage by artist Mideo Cruz at the Cultural Center of the Philippines depicted Jesus with a wooden penis glued to his face. It was condemned by church groups and even attracted the ire of former first lady Imelda Marcos. The resulting furor led to the exhibition being closed. Cordero admits to gleefully prodding the country's cultural soft spots when he was younger with a 2001 piece that mixed in Jesus and Ronald McDonald, but thinks Cruz was just unlucky. "He was the center of the whole nation's tensions. When I started I was like that, now I'm not so scandalous with my work; it's more like you're young and full of angst, and you're very idealistic. "If you're dealing with religion, it's very sad because people, priests and politicians will condemn you if you touch on that sensibility. You can do it, but it can become a circus. "It's fine if you do it just for art people, but for the common people, still not that many go to art exhibition. You need that sensation for people to go." If the public's tastes are not so Catholic in the Philippines, art collectors are starting to wake up to the breadth and diversity of work by contemporary Filipino artists. Last month a painting by Filipino artist Ronald Ventura entitled "Grayground" sold at Sotheby's in Hong Kong for $1.1 million, making it the first piece by a contemporary Southeast Asian artist to fetch more than $1 million. "If Ventura's work is going for over $1million, and the likes of (established 19th century painter) Juan Luna couldn't meet its reserve price, there's something going on (in the art market)," says independent curator and Cordero's partner Isabel Ching. Next door to Cordero's studio is a fabrication workshop run by Jeremy Guiab, where Cordero's latest projects - thrones made of fiberglass bones and twisted totem polls - are being made. A gold mine of curios and industrial oddities, it's also a hub for local artists, from those fresh out of art school to longer-serving artists like Romeo Lee. "I've been around since the 1980s. Filipinos started in a struggle, now it's the new generation's chance, and they're smart," says Lee. "But for the old generation like me, I'll keep going, and I'm happy if someone now wants to pay more for my art." With an increasing interest in the work of Cordero and his contemporaries like Nona Garcia and predecessors like Manuel Ocampo, has come a desire from collectors to know where they come from, says Magnus Renfrew, director of Hong Kong International Art Fair, . "It's relatively early days for the international profile of art from the Philippines," says Renfrew. "But it is becoming more and more the case that collectors are willing to engage with artists from a wide variety of cultural and aesthetic backgrounds." Among the sparks of spot-welding and smell of resin in the workshop, Cordero is content to continue to mix things up in his own work regardless of the changing tastes of collectors or galleries. "I don't know what I'm doing; it's the challenge. That's the reason I do art: to keep challenging myself and saying this is what I want to do."
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Manila-based artists finding their feet on the international stage .
Louie Cordero's visceral paintings and sculptures full of Philippine culture .
Unique mix of cultures and history creates diverse group of artists, says Cordero .
International art collectors more open to Philippine art, says head of Hong Kong Art Fair .
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By . Rob Cooper . PUBLISHED: . 08:18 EST, 27 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:47 EST, 27 May 2013 . A taxi driver who drove onto a beach had to be rescued by holidaymakers after being stranded by the incoming tide. Polish driver Krzysztof Tomaszek was seen driving through the waves as the water surrounded his vehicle. Concerned members of the public went and rescued him from the Ford Mondeo on Brean beach in Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset. Rescue: This is the dramatic moment a member of the public rushes over to the vehicle on Brean beach and drags the driver out . Hauled out: The car is steadied as Kryxdztof Tomaszek gets out of his sinking vehicle in Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, yesterday afternoon . Dave Borton said he called the coastguard after seeing the car was being swamped by water on Sunday evening. 'I was concerned for his safety - he . was trying to drive the car to safety through the waves even though the . sea had totally surrounded the vehicle,' he said. 'I . called the Coastguard and, with the help of another holidaymaker, we . managed to get him out of the car and then a few of his belongings.' Mr Tomaszekwho was shaken and cold but otherwise unhurt, thanked those who came to his rescue. Rising tide: Members of the public called in the coastguard after seeing the car get stuck in the water . Abandoned at sunset: The sinking Ford Mondeo taxi is a write off and will have to be scrapped . Rescued: Polish taxi driver Krzysztof Tomaszek (left) after he was dragged out of his trapped vehicle on Brean beach, Somerset . He said: 'I drove onto the beach at 4.30pm and when I bought my parking ticket someone said I could stay until the beach closed at 8pm, but I was unaware that there was a very high tide.' 'We went off for a walk and I was shocked to come back and find the car surrounded by the sea. 'I managed to get in and tried to drive it away but the engine kept cutting out and two guys helped me out of the car by opening the driver's door and getting some belongings out. They were just great.' Sunk: A small crowd of people look at the trapped vehicle on Brean beach after the rescue . Brean's beach warden and Coastguards from Burnham-On-Sea were quickly on the scene but there was nothing that could be done to save the vehicle. Beach motorists have again been advised to check tide times before using the beach. Brean beach is the second longest stretch of sand in Europe and lies on the north Somerset coast which has some of the fastest and highest tidal ranges in the world. Rescuer: Holidaymaker Dave Borton was one of two holidaymakers who helped the driver get out of his sinking taxi . Rescue: Coastguards who were called to the scene in Burnham-on-Sea, although the rescue was carried out by members of the public .
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Polish driver Kryxdztof Tomaszek rescued from his Ford Mondeo .
He was still trying to drive on as water lapped around the vehicle .
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Stylist to the stars Clare Harries narrowly avoided a prison sentence after admitting twice driving while four times the drink-drive limit . A stylist to the stars crashed her car while nearly four times the drink-drive limit twice in the same week. Clare Harries, 50, of Tufnell Park, north London, was told she 'could have killed someone' by a judge today, who described the case as one of the worst he had ever seen. The Chelsea School of Art graduate has worked with a celebrity clientele which includes stars Bruce Willis, Daniel Radcliffe, Jude Law, Angelina Jolie and Emma Watson. But she was sentenced to four months imprisonment, suspended for two years, today and disqualified from driving for five years. Hammersmith Magistrates Court District Judge Paul Goldspring said: 'Someone who is this many times over the legal limit is just about as dangerous as anybody on the road. I can't think of a case that ticks as many aggravating boxes.' Described as 'one of the most respected and experienced stylists working in the industry today' Harries specialises in film and TV shoots; photo shoots, award ceremonies, including the Oscars, and is also a style consultant and interior designer. The mother-of-two pleaded guilty to driving her blue Mercedes in Oxford Street on October 15 with 133 microgrammes of alcohol to every 100 millilitres of breath - the legal limit is 35. She also admitted driving in Wood Green, north London on October 20 with 141 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath. Simon Sherriff, defending, said: 'She is on the surface a woman, who two years ago, was apparently a busy working single-mother. That was a social facade and hidden from virtually everybody, under the ice, there was a slow decline of physical and mental health.' The court heard Harries was involved in a collision in Orchard Street in the West End before driving off and being pulled over in Oxford Street in the first incident. She was then invlved in a second incident, in which she hit a parked car in Hornsey, north London and pulled over in nearby Wood Green after again driving off. When police caught up with her the car was stationary with the engine running, the lights on the front tyre was flat and Harries was gripping the steering wheel and staring blankly ahead. Harris (centre) twice drove off after collisions with other cars, but was pulled over by police and tested . In 2013, Harries - who a son aged fifteen and a daughter aged seventeen - was convicted of being in charge of a vehicle while over the alcohol limit and was fined and given ten penalty points. Mr Sherriff told the court: 'One of her friends tells me you would not believe this is the same woman as two years ago. 'The marriage to her first husband was an unhealthy relationship that led to divorce and after the collapse of her marriage to her second husband she lost the family home in March and is in rented accommodation, which she hopes to get out of. 'Social services will take over if there is an immediate custodial sentence and the house she is renting for the children will go. 'There would be a long-term detrimental effect on the children if she goes to prison and they will lose their accommodation. In this case that would be the punishment of the innocent.' Harries counted Emma Watson and Angelina Jolie (pictured recently) among her clients early in their careers . He added: 'On the first occasion the officers state she was in a confused state. She is on this medication and it effected her capacity. 'The surgery a month before seems the most likely trigger to these offences. The hair that broke the donkey's back.' District Judge Goldspring told a tearful Harries: 'There is an issue regarding your thought process around vehicles when you have had alcohol. 'If you get into a car this much over the limit that car becomes a lethal weapon and to compound it there was a road traffic accident. You could have killed someone. 'Within five days you were back in the car over the limit and placed yourself and other road users in great peril. These readings are up there with the highest this court has ever heard of. 'It's a difficult case to sentence. The easiest thing in the world would be to send you to prison, but I have considered carefully the effect your behaviour has had on the children. 'The loss of their mother to custody and then being taken into care would be devastating and they are at an age where they may never recover from it.'
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Clare Harries once counted Bruce Willis and Jude Law among her clients .
But court hears she suffered a 'slow decline' after collapse of marriages .
She admitted twice driving in London at four times the drink-drive limit .
Court told on both occasion she drove off after collisions with other cars .
Judge says hers is one of the worst cases of drink-driving he's ever seen .
But he agrees to suspend her prison term for the sake of her two children .
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By . Mark Duell . Last updated at 7:49 AM on 9th February 2012 . One posing craze was meant to honour an NFL player fast becoming a hero among fans of every team for his open faith and no-nonsense playing style. The other isn’t quite as complimentary. Americans aren’t letting New England Patriots veteran quarterback Tom Brady, 34, forget how his side lost 21-17 to New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI on Sunday in Indianapolis, Indiana. The ‘Bradying’ craze sees people photographed sitting with their arms between their outstretched legs and their faces pointing to the ground - and it’s sweeping the U.S. as fast as ‘Tebowing’. Hilarious: The 'Bradying' craze sees people photographed sitting with their arms between their outstretched legs and their faces pointing to the ground and it’s sweeping the U.S. as fast as 'Tebowing' Strange locations: 'Bradying' is catching on, with fans uploading their pictures to a website, which carries the motto: 'It's all about winning. And hair. And winning hair. Upload your best Bradying photo' Crestfallen: Americans aren't letting New England Patriots veteran quarterback Tom Brady, 34, forget how his side lost 21-17 to New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI on Sunday in Indianapolis, Indiana . That craze, which honoured Denver . Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, 24, and started last October, is still . going strong after actor Alec Baldwin mimicked it on Saturday at an NFL . awards ceremony. But now . ‘Bradying’ is catching on, with fans uploading their pictures to a . website, which carries the motto: ‘It's all about winning. And hair. And . winning hair. Upload your best Bradying photo’. Brady’s . Patriots lost the dramatic game on Sunday and a picture of him looking . crestfallen, sitting with his hands between his legs, went viral and was . mocked relentlessly by Giants fans. The . craze comes after Brady’s wife Gisele Bundchen was taunted by fans in . New York and Boston, Massachusetts, where the Patriots are based, for . blaming his team-mates for Sunday’s defeat. Familiar theme: Brady was also pictured in the same position in other games against the Miami Dolphins last December, left, and the Baltimore Ravens in January 2010 . Out in the cold: Brady’s Patriots lost the dramatic gameand a picture of him looking crestfallen is being copied . Other craze: 'Tebowing', which honoured Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, 24, and started last October, is still going strong. Tebow is pictured here in a game against the New England Patriots last month . Many in Boston are angry with the supermodel after she yelled that her husband can't ‘f***ing throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time’. She faced criticism from Giants players too. 'Even if both make you laugh a bit, I think the motives behind Tebowing are more pure and will last much further down the road. Tebowing isn't just a meme with pictures on a website' Jared Kleinstein, Tebowing.com . But Tebowing.com creator Jared Kleinstein told the Huffington Post he doesn’t believe ‘Bradying’ will be a long-running craze, because it intends to mock rather than praise a quarterback. ‘Even if both make you laugh a bit, I think the motives behind Tebowing are more pure and will last much further down the road,’ he said. ‘Tebowing isn't just a meme with pictures on a website.’ ‘It’s a humbled position - shoulders down, head down - that’s all about being humbled,’ former Army expert on body language and interrogation Greg Hartley told the New York Post. The 'Tebowing' craze, which saw people mimic Tebow by dropping to their knees in a prayer pose, followed 'planking', where men and women lied down down on odd objects and in strange places.
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New England Patriots lost 21-17 to New York Giants in Super Bowl game .
Americans mimic Tom Brady, 34, sitting on floor with hands between legs .
People post pictures of themselves pulling post to 'Bradying' website .
Comes after 'Tebowing' in honour of Denver Broncos' Tim Tebow, 24 .
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NEW YORK (CNN) -- After arguing with her husband, Liza Murphy walked out of their home in Emerson, New Jersey, leaving behind her purse, her cigarettes, her cell phone and her three children, her husband told police. There has been no sign of her since August 19, 2007. Liza Murphy has been missing from her home in Emerson, New Jersey, since August 19, 2007. Murphy's friends and family reported her missing the next day. "In my heart, I fear the worst, that my daughter is gone," said her mother, Sophia Stellatos. Police searched extensively for Murphy, especially around a reservoir not far from her home, but they found nothing. Cadaver dogs caught her scent near the George Washington Bridge, but the trail went cold, police told the family. Deepening the mystery, her husband, Joe Murphy, tried to take his own life a few days after his wife disappeared by walking into oncoming traffic and throwing himself in front of a fire truck, police say. He was hospitalized and recovered from his injuries, but police say he hired a lawyer and is no longer cooperating with investigators. His lawyer said Murphy, an Irish immigrant, has nothing to hide from the authorities. He said his client has no criminal record and no history of violence. Attorney Joseph Rem added that there was no physical violence in the marriage. According to her family, Liza Murphy, 42, was not the type of person to take off on her own without letting her family know. Watch an update » . "She would never leave her three children behind voluntarily," her mother insisted. "What doesn't make sense is Liza leaving her house without her purse, cell phone, wallet, keys or cigarettes," she added. "She was a heavy smoker, and if she took off after a fight for a walk to cool off, she definitely wouldn't leave without her cigarettes!" Liza Murphy and her husband were having marital problems, her family said. Stellatos described Joe Murphy as possessive of his wife, never allowing her to go out with her friends. She said he was even jealous if she spent time with her parents. Rem pointed out that his client has not been named as a suspect or a person of interest in the case. He said police have not asked to speak to his client recently. Liza Murphy's children are 15, 13 and 10 years old now. Joe Murphy has full custody of them, and the Stellatoses have not seen their grandchildren since shortly before their daughter disappeared. Murphy and her children had spent the week before her disappearance visiting with her parents, who live about 125 miles away. They returned the Friday before Murphy's disappearance. Police say both the Murphy home and their vehicles have been processed for forensics, but they found no evidence of foul play or struggle. Liza Murphy had been suffering from depression and was on medication for fibromyalgia, a painful condition that affects the muscles and soft tissues. Police say she may have been accosted after she left home, still stewing over the argument. The police seek the public's help in this case. Anyone with information leading to the whereabouts of Liza Murphy or the arrest of the person responsible for her disappearance is asked to call the Emerson Police Department's tip line at 201-262-2800.
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Woman disappeared after argument with husband .
Husband tried to kill himself after disappearance, denies involvement .
Cadaver dogs detected Liza Murphy's scent near George Washington Bridge .
Know something? Call 201-262-2800 .
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14bc3dcbe3f12bf84b9e38c3cfcda99ed48001fd
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By . Sarah Griffiths . PUBLISHED: . 12:04 EST, 8 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 15:33 EST, 8 August 2013 . U.S. engineers have photographed water droplets using a high-speed camera mounted directly above the real liquid beads to investigate how they behave. They found that a moving - or 'oscillated - drop of water can form over 30 different shapes, including a 'standing wave pattern' and an 'azimuthal wave pattern' Experts took the photographs by shining a light through mesh holes and photographing the light that reflected off the drop's surface as it moved. Scroll down for video . Engineers at Cornell University found an oscillated drop of water can form over 30 different shapes, including an azimuthal wave pattern (pictured). The images were captured on a high speed camera . Just two of the different shapes the water droplets create. The scientists said their study stands out because of the high-quality imaging we were able to capture of these oscillating droplets . The researchers believe their results could provide a fundamental insight into . how droplets behave and that their study could have applications in everything from inkjet . printing to microfluidics. Susan Daniel, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Cornell University, led the study,which is published in Physical Review E. Graduate student Chun-Ti Chang designed and performed the experiments, which involved a high-speed, high-resolution camera, while Paul Steen, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, and his former student, Josh Bostwick, led the theoretical portion of the study. Professor Daniel said: 'What is really special about this study is the high-quality imaging we were able to capture of these oscillating droplets.' The droplets were captured when A light was shined through mesh holes . and deflection of the drop's surface refracts the light, which is seen . as a deformation of the mesh and is photographed by a high-speed camera . The researchers mechanically oscillated the drops at varying frequencies to observe and record their movements. Here, the movement of a 'zonal' shaped droplet is captured at regular intervals in milliseconds . 'We created an imaging platform where we could look at the drop from the top, to enable us to see the characteristic shapes better than anyone has before.' The imaging platform, which Chang has named the 'Omniview' because of the different angles at which the droplet can be observed, consists of a glass slide, the droplet sitting on top and a 50-micron-square metal mesh, like a window screen, underneath. A light is shined through the mesh holes and deflection of the drop's surface refracts the light, which is seen as a deformation of the mesh and captured by a high-speed camera. The engineers created a special imaging platform to allow them to view water droplets from above, using a high-spreed camera. They discovered over 30 distinct shapes, three of which are pictured . The researchers mechanically oscillated the drops at varying frequencies to observe and record their movements. The oscillation can be likened to when a violin string is plucked. Certain natural frequencies correspond to a given length of string, the same way certain frequencies correspond to the shape of a drop of a specific size. The researchers created a detailed table of droplet shapes according to frequency, as well as comparing these results to previous theoretical predictions involving the dynamics of oscillating droplets. Deirdre Costello (left) and Professor Daniel (right) examine droplets on a silicon wafer treated with a gradient chemical coating. The engineers created an imaging platform where they could look at the drop from the top, to enable them to see the characteristic shapes better than anyone has before . Classical theories don't capture the dynamics entirely, but new predictions, made by collaborators Professor Steen and Mr Bostwick, take into account the physical effect of the solid substrate in contact with the droplet and match the images in the photo album. The researchers also observed that some of the droplets take on multiple shapes when vibrated with a single driving frequency, much like physicists observing two different energy states simultaneously in an excited molecule. Professor Daniel said: 'Without the high-speed imaging, we wouldn't have been able to see the drops exhibiting these kinds of mixed behaviors.' The engineers believe that their study of the behaviour of water droplets (pictured) will inform better methods of printing as the spread of a drop as it touches a surface will dictate image resolution. NASA, who part-funded the study, is interested in understanding how droplets on surfaces move in low gravity . The detailed, clear table of oscillating drop modes should lend insight into further fundamental studies, as well as a host of applications, according to the engineers. For example, NASA is interested in understanding how droplets on surfaces move in low gravity. The research might also prove useful in developing better printers as in high-resolution printing, the spread of a drop as it touches a surface will dictate image resolution. The surface chemistry of the roller, printer and ink will have profound effects on the technology.
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U.S. engineers discovered moving water droplets can form 30 shapes .
The researchers from Cornell University made an imaging platform to .
look at drops from above in order to identify different shapes .
They believe their research shows .
how droplets behave and could have applications in everything from inkjet .
printing to microfluidics .
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14bd449df731b31b7bcd91f98f6939e544ca6067
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(CNN) -- Robin Dehaven usually replaces windows. On Thursday morning, after a small plane crashed into an Austin, Texas, office building, he was breaking them, having rushed into the burning structure to help people escape. Dehaven, an Army veteran who works for a glass company, was driving to a job when he witnessed the plane crash. With the building in flames and emergency personnel still minutes away, Dehaven drove his truck to the parking lot. People in the building were trapped, screaming for help. "[Other people who'd gathered] said they needed my ladders on my truck, because there were people stuck on the second floor," Dehaven told CNN's "The Situation Room." He took a ladder off his truck and put it up to a window of a smoke-filled area where five people were trapped. "The people were kind of in a panic, wanting to get out quickly, of course, so I climbed up into the building with them," Dehaven said. He then broke a nearby window under which the ladder could have better footing, and he helped the five escape, he said. See iReport photos and videos from the scene . Dehaven was one of several people who rushed to the site to help, local reports and the Texas governor's office said. "In true Texas form, first responders and everyday citizens responded to today's plane crash with selfless acts of heroism, securing the area, evacuating the building and controlling the fire, and are to be commended," Texas Gov. Rick Perry said in a written statement Thursday. Authorities said they believe pilot Joseph Andrew Stack III, 53, of Austin, intentionally crashed the small aircraft into the building, where nearly 200 Internal Revenue Service employees worked. Authorities said Stack apparently had a grudge against the IRS. The remains of two people were found in the building after the crash, and 13 other people were injured -- one seriously -- authorities said. The identities of the dead weren't released as of Thursday evening. Witnesses described a scene of panic, fire and smoke. Lyric Olivarez, who was working in a nearby building, told CNN affiliate KXAN that she felt her building shake when the plane crashed. "It sounded like an explosion, but it felt like an earthquake," Olivarez said. "Someone came into our office and said there was a bomb in the building next door. We had no idea it was a plane at the time." When she and others ran outside, they saw the neighboring building in flames. "People on the second and third floors were busting out windows, screaming, 'Help me! Help me! Get me out of here!' waving handkerchiefs or whatever they could find," Olivarez told KXAN. "Not before long, the entire parking lot was filled with smoke, and people praying and crying," she said. "I just saw smoke and flames," said CNN iReporter Mike Ernest. "I could not believe what I was seeing. It was just smoke and flames everywhere." Dehaven said that as he was driving before the crash, he could see the plane flying low, approaching the building. "I saw it turn and start heading down like it was diving to come in for a landing, but there's no landing [strip]," he said. "So I knew it was going to crash." He said his 6½ years in the Army, with two tours in Iraq, helped him Thursday. "I've had some experience in triage and battlefield, with ... gunfire," he said. "My first thought [was] maybe I can help, because I'm more used to dealing with traumatic situations like that. "I have a clear head and a calm head to try to help those people, and luckily I did."
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Army vet was driving work truck when he saw plane hit building .
Robin Dehaven used ladder from his truck to reach trapped workers .
He and other bystanders helped people out of burning building .
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14bedb638135cf38a97361ef7f2d89df4b9d76ce
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(CNN)Mark Zuckerberg likes to make resolutions for the New Year. Once he decided he must only eat meat that he had killed himself -- an admirable, if quirky, resolution for any vigorous young man with a rifle. Another time he decided to learn Mandarin Chinese -- not a simple task. I wonder how that turned out? Now he's vowed to start a book club, hoping to channel the reading attention of the millions who follow him on Facebook. I like his latest idea a lot: Anything that gets people reading and talking about books is a good thing. If I were Mr. Zuckerberg, I would aim for books that can be read slowly and carefully by busy people in their spare time, choosing ones with the capacity to enlarge their sense of what it means to be human and to live respectfully and generously among others. Which ones would you pick? Here are 10 books that have meant a good deal to me -- a mix of fiction and nonfiction: . 1."Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," by Mark Twain. This is the primary text of American literature, high on any serious list of world classics. It's a book about the American soul, about race and community, and about the urgent need to "light out for the territory." As Huck and Jim float down the Mississippi on their quest for freedom, they take every reader of this truly great novel with them, forever. 2."The Death of Ivan Ilyich," by Leo Tolstoy. Written after Tolstoy's conversion to his own idiosyncratic version of Christianity, this short Russian novel brings us face to face with mortality. Each of us, sooner or later, will die. In the process of dying, Tolstoy's lead character comes to terms with his life and its meaning, which is made all the more vivid as it fades. 3."July's People," by Nadine Gordimer. This slim, intense novel appeared in 1981, not so long before apartheid had ended in South Africa. It imagined a violent finale to that conflict between blacks and whites -- an ending that (fortunately) didn't materialize. Yet this novel remains a strong evocation of cultural and racial differences; the sort of book that helps to explain racial divides that continues to haunt us. 4."Walden," by Henry David Thoreau. Another great American book, one that makes the vital connection between spirit and nature. It's an autobiographical masterpiece as well; the story of one man's quest for meaning in the wilderness. It's a wry, touching, eloquent evocation of human consciousness as well as conscience. Nobody can afford NOT to read this book slowly, carefully, more than once. 5."Things Fall Apart," by Chinua Achebe. This fine African novel has been justifiably chosen by millions of readers as a book that gloriously summons the social, cultural and intensely personal situation of modern Africans living in the wake of colonial power. Achebe saw his fellow Nigerians as individuals caught in a web of social relations, delineated here with clarity and confidence. 6."Tao Te Ching," by Laozi, translated by Stephen Mitchell. This Chinese classic is one of the most influential books I have encountered in half a century of reading. The art of living is beautifully unfolded here in 81 tiny chapters. The author invites us to conform to the Tao itself, the universal principle of being, and his book teaches us how to live with ourselves and with others, how to govern a nation, a family, ourselves. It is a book to live with and learn from, decade after decade. 7."Pilgrim at Tinker Creek," by Annie Dillard. This lovely work of American autobiography is about paying attention to one's surroundings. Dillard explores the natural world around her home in the Blue Ridge Mountains, moving through the seasons, coming to terms with her own solitude, her sense of vocation as a writer, and her understanding of what faith means. It's a book that should be read in tandem with Thoreau's "Walden." 8."What Is God?" by Jacob Needleman. A philosopher and religious scholar, Needleman writes about his own spiritual journey from atheism to a more complex understanding of the source of all being. Needleman asks: "Who is wise?" His answer is: "one who learn from everything and everyone." This book asks, even answers, many of the basic questions about being human, drawing on a wide range of religious traditions. 9."Of Woman Born: Motherhood as Experience and Institution," by Adrienne Rich. Published in 1976, this eloquent meditation on motherhood is told from the viewpoint of one of the finest American poets of the 20th century. It's a landmark study, a foundational book in modern feminist thought, and well worth reading, then rereading. 10."One Hundred Years of Solitude," by Gabriel García Márquez. The longest book on my list, but nobody can afford to ignore it. My old mentor, the Scottish poet Alastair Reid, used to say that anyone who hasn't read this book is still an intellectual virgin. Márquez tells the story of a single family in a remote village in Colombia. But this story is the human story writ small, the story of history itself, with its inevitable repetitions, its recurring ghosts, grounded in the nearly untranslatable poetry of human feeling.
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Jay Parini: Zuckerberg starting book club. He should read books that illuminate humanity .
He says classics by Twain, Gordimer, Tolstoy, Achebe, Dillard among 10 must-reads .
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Cadbury is to stop selling chocolate bars aimed at individuals containing more than 250 calories as part of a government anti-obesity initiative. The former British favourite, controversially bought by American-owned confectionary firm Mondelez International in 2010, will phase out its most calorific bars as part of a drive by the Department of Health to crack down on obesity. The Dairy Milk bar and a half, Dairy Milk Whole Nut bar and a half, and Dairy Milk Fruit and Nut bar and a half, are among the products affected. These are all aimed at individuals. Axed: The Dairy Milk bar and a half (pictured) is among the products affected by the announcement . Individual bar: The Dairy Milk Whole Nut bar and a half (pictured) is also affected by the changes . No more: The Dairy Milk Fruit and Nut bar and a half (pictured) will also be phased out by Mondelez International . Family-sized bars are not affected by the change because they are meant for sharing, thus do not fall under the initiative. Earlier this year, hundreds of foods and drinks companies were asked to outline moves they will make to help people make healthier choices as part of the Department of Health’s voluntary Responsibility Deal. Mondelez said at least two other food brands it owns could be altered in size, indicating that a corresponding price decrease for those items could be on the cards. It did not say which but the company also produces popular products like Philadelphia cheese spread and Belvita breakfast biscuits. In a statement the firm said: ‘Mondelez International knows it has a part to play in helping people lead healthier lives. ‘One way do to this is to help consumers reduce their calorie intake, which is why we signed the calorie reduction pledge. ‘As . part of this pledge, we have committed that, by the end of 2015, all . our single serve (bars) confectionery products will be 250 calories or . less.’ The Department of Health’s anti-obesity deal with food firms has been criticised because it is voluntary. Alterations: Mondelez said at least two other food brands it owns could be altered in size, indicating that a corresponding price decrease for those items could happen. The Bournville site in Birmingham is pictured . As a result, Coca-Cola, Kellogg, Danone have so far ignored requests to lower the number of calories in their products. Ministers aim to cut the calories consumed in England by five billion per day. Sainsbury, Kraft Foods, Nestlé, Tate & Lyle and Unilever, have also failed to join the joint pledge on calorie reduction. Public Health Minister Jane Ellison . welcomed the food companies which did co-operate with its health . initiative, but said more efforts were needed. 'Whilst it is very encouraging to see so many companies getting behind the Responsibility Deal, we know there remains more to be done' Jane Ellison, Public Health Minister . She said: ‘Whilst it is very encouraging to see so many companies getting behind the Responsibility Deal, we know there remains more to be done. ‘We cannot credibly tackle the major public health challenges our country faces without engaging with the companies that play such a big part in people’s lives and it is vital that momentum is maintained.’ In the UK, 67 per cent of men and 57 per cent of women are either overweight or obese, according to the Global Burden of Disease study. More than one in four children are overweight or obese, and more girls are overweight than boys. In 2012 the Cadbury’s single Dairy Mail shrunk by eight per cent in size from 49g to 45g. Despite the reduction in size, the price of the bars has increased by a penny to 60p. In 2011 Cadbury reduced the size of the 140g bar of Dairy Milk to 120g, losing the equivalent of two chunks.
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Dairy Milk, Whole Nut and Fruit and Nut bar and a half products affected .
Former British favourite bought by US-owned confectionary firm in 2010 .
Company says at least two other brands it owns could be altered in size .
Public Health Minister says: This is encouraging but more must be done .
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By . Sophie Jane Evans . Scientists have claimed there has never been life on Mars - because the red planet is too cold. They believe ancient riverbeds on the planet were created by brief warm spells following volcanic eruptions, asteroid impacts and changes in orbit. But these would not have lasted long enough to allow organisms to develop, they said. No life on Mars? Scientists have claimed there has never been life on Mars - because the planet is too cold . Water-carved channels: They believe ancient riverbeds on the planet were created by brief warm spells following volcanic eruptions, asteroid impacts and changes in orbit. Above, gully channels in a crater on Mars . Researchers studied hundreds of craters at Aeolis Dorsa, a 3.6 billion year old region near the Curiosity rover . landing site. Their findings, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, suggest the atmospheric pressure on Mars was insufficient to heat . the surface above freezing when water would have flowed. They challenge the . explanation that the liquid was caused by the planet having a dense . atmosphere rich with greenhouse gases. Planetary . experts analysed high resolution digital images of 319 small craters . taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) to work out the atmospheric . pressure at the time they were formed. Evidence of life? But the warm periods would not have lasted long enough to allow organisms to develop, they said. Above, rock layers on Mars, which have been previously cited as evidence that it was once habitable . Gathering evidence: Researchers carried out a study of craters at Aeolis Dorsa, a 3.6 billion year old region near the Curiosity rover landing site. Above, Curiosity, which has been operational on Mars since August 2012 . They said that . heat and enormous stress on an object that penetrates a thick . atmosphere causes it to break apart. But if the atmosphere is thinner, smaller objects . are able to reach the surface. Dr . Edwin Kite, of Princeton University, New Jersey, said that whether a . meteoroid survives transit through the Martian . atmosphere and forms a crater depends on the . density of the air it must penetrate. Ready to launch: Planetary experts analysed high resolution digital images of 319 small craters taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (pictured) Therefore, the size of the smallest craters in Mars's river deposits yields . information of the atmospheric pressure on the planet at around the time the rivers . flowed. Dr Kite said: 'The . minimum size of craters serves as a proxy for ancient pressure of . planetary atmospheres, because thinner atmospheres permit smaller . objects to reach the surface at high velocities and form craters.' Researchers compared the size of the craters to numerous computer . simulations over a range of atmospheric pressures. They concluded the . atmospheric pressure on Mars would have been much greater than it is today - but would have been less than required to warm the surface above . freezing. Instead, the flow of liquid on Mars must have formed . over a relatively short time - not allowing enough time for . the extended warm, wet conditions necessary for life to arise, they said. Dr Kite . said if his researchers' findings are correct, then a dense atmosphere rich in greenhouse gases and water is 'ruled out, and long term average . temperatures [on Mars] were most likely below freezing'. Astrobiologist . Dr Sanjoy Som, of NASA Ames Research Centre in California, said this . new field of geology is adding much needed constraints to our . understanding of planetary atmospheres. Dr . Som, who reviewed the study for the journal, said: 'The longevity of . stable liquid water on the ancient Martian surface may prove to be a key . factor in considering whether life could have taken hold early in the . planet's history. 'Applying the impact crater proxy to more ancient and diverse Martian deposits may help to further unravel the history of Mars.' Mystery: It comes just weeks after a white speck of 'light' (circled) was captured on Mars by Curiosity rover - leading some to believe that life is thriving on the planet. But Nasa said the bright spot was not that unusual . It comes just weeks after a strange white speck of 'light' was captured on Mars by Curiosity rover - leading some to believe that life is currently thriving on the planet. UFO blogger Scott Waring claimed the photograph suggests there are intelligent creatures living underground. But Nasa later announced the bright spot was not that unusual - and could even be a 'glint from a rock surface reflecting the sun'.
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Scientists claim ancient riverbeds on Mars were created by warm spells .
These arose from volcanic eruptions, asteroid impacts and orbit changes .
But they would not have lasted long enough to allow organisms to develop .
Study was carried out on craters at 3.6billion-year-old Aeolis Dorsa region .
Comes just weeks after mysterious light was caught on camera on Mars .
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In a bold political and legal move, the Obama administration formally expressed its support for same-sex marriage in California, setting up a high stakes political and constitutional showdown at the U.S. Supreme Court over a fast-evolving and contentious issue. In a broadly worded legal brief on Thursday that senior government sources said had President Barack Obama's personal input and blessing, the Justice Department asserted gay and lesbian couples in the nation's most populous state have the same "equal protection" right to wed and that voters there were not empowered to ban it. "Use of a voter initiative to promote democratic self-governance cannot save a law like Proposition 8 that would otherwise violate equal protection," said the brief. "Prejudice may not however be the basis for differential treatment under the law." California's 2008 Proposition 8 referendum revoked the right of same-sex couples to wed after lawmakers and the state courts previously allowed it. While the administration weighed in on the situation in California, it specifically refused to argue the constitutional right for same-sex couples to wed there should be extended to the 41 states that currently define marriage as between one man and one woman. The justices will hear the case in March. "The government seeks to vindicate the defining constitutional ideal of equal treatment under the law," said Attorney General Eric Holder. "Throughout history, we have seen the unjust consequences of decisions and policies rooted in discrimination." "The issues before the Supreme Court in this case and the Defense of Marriage Act case are not just important to the tens of thousands Americans who are being denied equal benefits and rights under our laws, but to our nation as a whole," Holder added. The White House was not expected to issue a separate statement. The California matter and another appeal over the federal Defense of Marriage Act will produce blockbuster rulings from the justices in coming months. Same-sex marriage could be a defining moment in Obama's presidency, similar to the political impact last year when the Supreme Court upheld the health care reform law he spearheaded. He must decide how much political capital to expend in coming months when expressing his views and those of the executive branch. Gay rights groups had privately urged Obama and his top aides to go beyond his previous personal rhetoric in support of the right to marry and come down "on the side of history." Opinion: 2013 -- A year for big issues in the courts . Obama has already faced strong opposition on the issue from many Republican state and congressional lawmakers, as well as social conservatives. The justices will hear oral arguments in the Proposition 8 case March 26, with a ruling due by the last week of June. The separate case over the Defense of Marriage Act involves a 1996 law that says for federal purposes, marriage is defined as only between one man and one woman. That means federal tax, Social Security, pension, and bankruptcy benefits, and family medical leave protections do not apply to gay and lesbian couples. That case will be argued March 27. But it is the California case where the high court is being asked to establish the constitutional "equal protection" right. The administration is not a party in the appeal and was not required to weigh in, but it decided to file an amicus or "friend of the court" brief. It is rare for a president to be personally involved in the legal and political considerations in a high court appeal, and sources say he spent a good deal of time reading up on the issue and articulating his views privately. Much of the legal reasoning in any government brief would reflect in large part his personal thinking, gained from his years as a former constitutional law professor. Obama administration weighs in on defense of marriage law . There are about approximately 120,000 legally married same-sex couples in the United States. The administration, in its brief, also hinted that so-called "civil union" laws in California and seven other states may be unconstitutional. In what some have labeled the "eight-state strategy," the Justice Department argues civil union and domestic partnership laws in California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, and Rhode Island may be unconstitutional and that they should go all the way and grant them full marriage rights. "The object of California's establishment of the legal relationship of domestic partnership is to grant committed same-sex couples rights equivalent to those accorded a married couple. but Proposition 8, by depriving same-sex couples of the right to marry, denies them the dignity, respect, and stature accorded similarly situated opposite-sex couples under state law," the court brief said. Such civil union laws in most cases provide the same rights of marriage under state law, without actually calling it that. Dozens of advocacy groups on both sides of the issue have bombarded the high court with briefs, including a coalition of national Republicans, business, faith, and military leaders supporting same-sex marriage. Among the prominent conservative names lending their view: former Utah governor and presidential candidate Jon Huntsman, Hewlitt-Packard chief executive and former California gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman, U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Florida), and actor Clint Eastwood. "As a Republican, I believe in protecting individual freedoms and that everyone, including gay and lesbian Americans, has a constitutional right to be treated equally under the law," said former Rep. Jim Kolbe. California state officials, including Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat, also weighed in to oppose Proposition 8. "California's interests in protecting all of its children are best served by allowing these same-sex couples to enjoy the same benefits of marriage as opposite-sex couples," state Attorney General Kamala Harris said of the estimated 50,000 youngsters being raised by gay and lesbian couples in the state. Obama has had an evolving position on gay rights, once supporting only civil unions. But in his inaugural address last month, he raised expectations, and perhaps signaled his impending legal views, when offering sweeping rhetoric. "Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law-- for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well." Opinion: Gay Americans pay more taxes for fewer rights . In February, a federal appeals court in San Francisco ruled the California measure unconstitutional. In its split decision, the panel found that Proposition 8 "works a meaningful harm to gays and lesbians" by denying their right to civil marriage. The Supreme Court has discretion to rule narrowly or broadly on the aspects of the legal and procedural questions raised. Eastwood inks support for same-sex marriage .
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Obama administration files formal brief in same-sex marriage appeal .
Brief says that gay and lesbian couples have equal protection right to wed .
But administration refuses to argue that right should be extended .
Two same-sex marriage cases now before the Supreme Court .
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14c179649a86d85e95b4fdb427cb0b0bcd7d7aef
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By . Paul Collins . PUBLISHED: . 09:38 EST, 23 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 10:26 EST, 23 January 2014 . Wayne Rooney's agent has been locked in talks with Manchester United chief executive Ed Woodward over a new deal for the England star. Rooney, who has 18 months left to run on his contract, has attracted interest from Chelsea and Spanish giants Real Madrid. The forward's agent Paul Stretford was at United's Carrington training base on Wednesday before returning on Thursday morning to hold further discussions, with Rooney's Old Trafford future topping the agenda. In the driving seat: Wayne Rooney and Paul Stretford held discussions with Ed Woodward over a new deal . In demand: Rooney has attracted interest from Chelsea and Spanish giants Real Madrid . United will resist any attempts by Madrid to force through a deal for the 28-year-old, who, as revealed by Sportsmail earlier this week, is on a list of three centre forward targets for the La Liga club this summer. Rooney is wanted by Carlo Ancelotti, with the former Chelsea boss also interested in Manchester City's Sergio Aguero and Monaco striker Radamel Falcao. When informed at the weekend that Chelsea's Jose Mourinho had predicted Rooney would be sold abroad this summer, United manager David Moyes said: 'I disagree'. United, who were dumped out of the Capital One Cup by Sunderland on penalties on Wednesday night, will be boosted by the imminent £37million arrival of Juan Mata from Chelsea who arrived at Carrington on Thursday morning. Uncertain: The England international's future remains in the balance - although United are keen for him to sign . Mata will undergo a medical at Bridgewater Hospital ahead of the move, which will be a club record fee for the Premier League champions. But earlier this week, United legend Gary Neville questioned the signing of Mata. The Sky Sports pundit does not believe the Spaniard, who fell out of favour under Mourinho at Stamford Bridge, fits in with the 'typical philosophy' of United. In a series of tweets, England's assistant manager said: 'Does he fit in with what I would call the typical philosophy of Manchester United? I would say no. 'Positives of signing a player like him are obvious-lift everyone (spark) creativity, knows PL, 4th place chances go up - fantastic player.' On the move: Juan Mata will join Manchester United in a £37million deal from rivals Chelsea . Then, on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football show, Neville added: 'The first question, I think, is where are you going to play? Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie are up top if they are fit so where are you going to play him? Are you going to play him off the left or off the right? 'Maybe they have to change the philosophy and maybe that's what David Moyes is thinking. Maybe he wants to play narrow wide players and maybe a three in midfield. 'They would have to change to accommodate Juan Mata in the way they normally play. They normally play with wide players. 'He's obviously a fantastic football player, there's no doubt about that, but one thing it does do, I suppose, is that David Moyes, Manchester United and Ed Woodward need to sign a big player. 'They need to make a noise and if they get him in it will attract potentially other players - and they need three or four players. 'What it could be is the start of something to lead to other things, but typically I wouldn't say he fits.'
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Wayne Rooney has 18 months left to run on his Manchester United deal .
Rooney's agent Paul Stretford held discussions with United chief executive Ed Woodward at the club's Carrington training base .
The England star, 28, has attracted interest from Chelsea and Real Madrid .
United legend Gary Neville has questioned whether Rooney and new £37milllion arrival Juan Mata can play in the same side .
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(CNN) -- Chris Lighty, who managed several of hip hop's biggest artists, apparently shot himself to death in his Bronx, New York, apartment Thursday morning, a New York police spokesman said. Lighty, 44, was found with a gunshot wound to his head and a semi-automatic firearm next to his body at 11:30 a.m., the police spokesman said. While the death appears to be a suicide, police investigators will wait until the medical examiner's report before closing their investigation, the spokesman said. Lighty founded Violator Records & Management, which counts Mariah Carey, Soulja Boy, 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes, and Diddy among their artist. Rapper 50 Cent, in a statement sent to CNN, said he was "deeply saddened by the loss of my dear friend and business partner." "Chris has been an important part of my business and personal growth for a decade," 50 Cent said. "He was a good friend and advisor who helped me develop as an artist and businessman. My prayers are with his family. He will be greatly missed." CNN's Jane Caffrey contributed to this report.
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Lighty, 44, was found with a gunshot wound to his head and a gun near by .
Investigators will wait until the medical examiner's report before concluding it was suicide .
Rapper 50 Cent says he's "deeply saddened" by word Lighty is dead .
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14c366353b9348c74622757dd83d7e662991b1cf
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(CNN) -- European leaders are under pressure from the U.S. to step up the EU sanctions against Russia, following the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. The U.S. announced expanded sanctions targeting two banks, two energy companies, Ukraine separatists and defense companies last week, before the plane, carrying 298 civilians including 80 children, was shot down above a rebel-controlled area in Ukraine. EU leaders also said they intended to increase sanctions. But in the past the EU has been reluctant to impose U.S.-style sanctions on key sectors of Russian economy. Many European countries rely on Russian energy and exports to the country. Explore the maps here to see just how dependent the EU is on Russia. Read more: An isolated Russia's best friend . Sanctions on Russia: Would World Cup boycott hit harder? Opinion: Europe must increase sanctions on Russia . Viewing this on mobile? Click here to view the map.
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European foreign ministers are in Brussels to discuss potential further sanctions against Russia .
The U.S. has announced more sanctions. EU leaders said they intend to increase sanctions .
EU was previously reluctant to follow the U.S. lead due to its economic links with Russia .
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14c380a4e41b4cb934713a3568ee87b2db0d21c1
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Brad, Texas (CNN) -- Authorities were working on plans Friday for residents who were forced to flee a wildfire in northern Texas to return home, a day after firefighters made progress battling the blaze that destroyed dozens of homes. The blaze in Palo Pinto County scorched 6,200 acres by Thursday, according to the Texas Forest Service. The fire is burning near the resort of Possum Kingdom Lake, near the town of Brad, about 100 miles west of Dallas. "We feel much better about this fire today," as the blaze is now 50% contained, said John Nichols, a spokesman for the Forest Service. He said evacuations were lifted for some residents forced to evacuate the fire, which was driven by high temperatures and dry winds. The wildfire has destroyed 40 homes and nine RVs since it began Tuesday, the Forest Service said Thursday. Firefighters were receiving support from aerial tankers and helicopters. Authorities are mapping out plans to allow residents to return to their homes, said Palo Pinto County Sheriff Ira Mercer. Authorities also are trying to open the lake for the Labor Day holiday, he said. On Wednesday, evacuations were ordered in several communities on the north side of the lake after the fire charged over a ridge and approached a dam on the lake, CNN affiliate WFAA reported. The wildfire was moving so fast that the Forest Service pulled out of its command observation post, telling journalists and onlookers to get out of the way of the fire. "My house is right through here, though it may be gone," Tom Hardeston told WFAA as he watched the fire. Nearby ranchers battled to save their herds from the encroaching fire. "I'm just moving them from pasture to pasture," Cindi McCoy told WFAA, referring to her livestock. "As one pasture burns, I'm moving them back to that one and bring(ing) them back around." The weather forecast continued to predict mostly dry weather for the area for Friday, with high temperatures from the mid-90s into the 100s, the Forest Service said. Texas is experiencing the worst fire season in state history. Since fire season began last November, a record 3.5 million acres have burned. Hot and dry weather combined with a historic drought have made conditions ripe for rapid fire growth. In the past seven days, the Forest Service has responded to 224 fires burning a combined 31,541 acres. Meanwhile, in neighboring Oklahoma, firefighters were battling hot spots Thursday from a wildfire in northeast Oklahoma City, Fire Chief Keith Bryant said. National Guard helicopters were assisting, Bryant said. The blaze was one of two large brush fires that had covered more than 16 square miles on the city's north and south sides Wednesday, forcing some evacuations and closure of Interstate 40 and the Turner Turnpike. Both roads were later reopened, CNN affiliate KOCO said. CNN's Dave Alsup contributed to this report.
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A wildfire in northern Texas is 50% contained, the authorities say .
The wildfire has destroyed 40 homes, a fire official says .
Some evacuations have been lifted, an official says .
Firefighters are still battling hot spots in Oklahoma City .
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14c38ce9078967567b2101333c613a540ee351b5
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By . Sean Poulter . PUBLISHED: . 09:35 EST, 16 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:26 EST, 18 September 2013 . If you want to know what the latest ‘It Bag’ is, the one on Angelina Jolie’s arm is usually a pretty good place to start. At the moment that’s Louis Vuitton’s Capucines handbag, which is selling out across Europe as fashionistas flock to get their hands on one. But would-be buyers have to have deep pockets – it costs up to £3,250. Assistants at the Louis Vuitton shop in New Bond Street, London, said the bags had sold out. They are unlikely to be back in stock until the end of the month, and then in small numbers – prompting suspicions the shortage may be a marketing ruse. But is it worth the wait – and the cash? Fashion writer NICOLE MOWBRAY gives her verdict … . A-list fan: Angelina Jolie has been spotted with a Capucine . After parting with a significant amount of cash for this season’s must-have bag, it’s more than a little galling when it becomes noticeably ‘last season’. It’s even worse when the design pops up everywhere, thanks to labels and prints now being notoriously easy to fake. Louis Vuitton, with its much-copied tan and brown monogram design, must have felt the latter particularly keenly. Which explains why, with the understated Capucines, the French label is turning the emphasis away from trends and back to timeless style. The bag is named after the Rue des Capucines in Paris, where Louis Vuitton opened his first shop in 1854. With it, the brand seems to be celebrating craftsmanship rather than the brash logos for which it has been known of late. Creating a buzz: Louis Vuitton launched the £3,000 Capucine bag earlier this year with the help of Michelle Williams . Waiting list: There's currently only one of the Capucine bags displayed as a sample in Louis Vuitton's London's New Bond Street store . Indeed, the success of the bag marks a . turnaround for the brand, which has been struggling to win back its . reputation as an upmarket and exclusive label. The . Capucines is made with full-grain Taurillon calf-leather, which comes . from the top layer of a hide. It is subjected to minimal chemical . processing (which can weaken it) and so is known for its quality, . durability and signature texture. This . is the same leather used by Hermes – which is famous for still . operating long waiting lists for its coveted Kelly and Birkin bags, . decades after they launched. In demand: Michelle Williams models the different colours of the bag - but for others who want to get their hands on it, there's currently a waiting list at stores across Europe . Assistants . in Louis Vuitton stores have suggested the brand is also using Hermes’s . tactic of ‘drip-feeding’ limited numbers of the Capucines into shops, . to encourage demand. So . there we have it. Those with serious money to spend – the Capucines . costs £3,000 in medium, and £3,250 in large – will be making a serious . style understatement this season. If . you’d like to follow suit for less, take a look at Raoul. The label . offers bags which are just as nice, at a tenth of the price. Or, on the high street, Zara has a classic leather bag with a simple metal tab for a much more purse-friendly £109. Jolie's must-have: The fact one of the world's most beautiful women has the bag makes it even more desirable to fashionistas . Hard to get: The bag comes in a variety of colours but is currently unavailable to buy via the fashion house's website . How to wear: Angelina demonstrates how the bag can be worn with the distinctive flap tucked in for easier access, left, or folded over the top .
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French fashion house repositioning themselves as exclusive brand .
Launched Capucine leather handbags in June .
Michelle Williams was face of campaign .
Angelina Jolie has been seen with the £3,000 bag .
Louis Vuitton boutiques across Europe have reported shortages .
All have long waiting-lists with stock not expected till October .
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14c440ba332ccc4c44e99ce30eb06f8ed0f20bf8
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An ex-marine who endured 214 days in a Mexican prison after accidentally carrying loaded rifles across the U.S. border said he was treated 'like some kind of animal in a cage' and that his ordeal drove him to a suicide attempt. Marine Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi, 26, described how spending nearly seven months in the Mexican jail drove him to try to take his own life with a smashed lightbulb after an escape attempt failed. Speaking to Fox News in his first interview since being released last month, Tahmooressi said prison guards beat him when he was caught trying to break out. They then stripped him naked and left him strapped to the post of a bunk bed in the cold for eight or nine hours. Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi was interviewed by Fox News after his October 31 release . He told On The Record host Greta Van Susteren: 'I felt like guards outside were having fun with the whole thing, like they were mocking me outside, making fun of me, so that was hard. So I'm like some kind of animal in a cage here … like I don't even have life in me.' Two or three days later Mr Tahmooressi said he tried to take his own life by breaking a lightbulb over the toilet and stabbing himself in the neck. 'I was looking at these light bulbs as my way out,' he said. But the guards heard the bulb smash and took Mr Tahmooressi to the prison hospital, where he was given medical treatment and put on a drip. 'I got revived, I came back,' he said. Wrong way: Mr Tahmooressi said he took a wrong turn on a California freeway that funneled him into a Tijuana port of entry with no way to turn back . The retired serviceman spoke exclusively to On The Record host Greta Van Susteren about how his ordeal . Tahmooressi was jailed in March for crossing the border with loaded guns, in a case that led U.S. politicians to bring intense pressure on Mexico to release him. He said he made the decision to try to escape because he became 'extremely afraid' for his life in the prison. 'I was very afraid. I felt like it would be the last night of my life right there, that these guys were going to kill me,' he said. 'That these guys were going to brutally kill me, I was thinking. I built up strength to run away because I thought running away was my only hope to get away from a situation like that.' Tahmooressi described having his arms and legs handcuffed to a bed because he 'wasn't a (well) behaved prisoner'. Mr Tahmooressi (L) talks to U.S. immigration offices at the San Ysidro border crossing between San Diego and Tijuana, October 31 . 'I believe they did it because they were afraid of me, afraid that I might do something again and really end up doing something like successfully killing myself or harming somebody and that they would get in trouble for it by not being able to control the situation,' he said. Mr Tahmooressi said he mistakenly wound up at a border crossing point in Tijuana and accidentally traveled into Mexico . At the time, Tahmooressi had loaded firearms in his truck. The weapons were purchased legally in the U.S., but it is illegal to cross into Mexico with guns. He was initially taken to La Mesa jail where he was put in a cell with 20 other prisoners. Mr Tahmooressi said that as an American he was feeling particularly vulnerable. 'So they see my weakness and I think they started taking advantage of my weakness, just to maybe have fun with me', he added. 'Or maybe they feel threatened by me because I was this odd-out guy, you know, kind of keeping to himself over there.' He was finally freed on the night of October 31 and reunited with his mother, Jill, and then boarded a flight to Florida in San Diego. The retired Marine said that at one point during his captivity he felt a shift in the Mexican corrections officers' attitude toward him. Homecoming: This image taken from a video shows Mr Tahmooressi waving after arriving in Miami, Florida, after his release . Overjoyed: Mr Tahmooressi, 26, is reunited with his mother, Jill, after spending 214 days languishing in a Mexican jail . 'I was thinking, 'Hopefully these guys would be considerate and caring and understanding'… but I started feeling the things just… something shift there. 'They were very helpful and then it shifted, and then I knew this could be bad.' Mr Tahmooressi, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, also revealed that he had been subjected to beatings, but he was unfazed by the violence. 'It was actually joyful to take that beating. I was happy to take that beating. I knew the beating was coming,' he recalled. 'They [fellow inmates] were telling me stories about the guards, about how if someone acts up or does something wrong, they get beat, so already I knew it was going to happen to me, so I was glad as can be to take that beating. Mr Tahmooressi, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, had tried to kill himself while in jail . The former Marine (center) is pictured last week at the airport with his mother (far left) and former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson (second left) 'I was like, bring it, just bring it on.' When asked by Greta Van Susteren why he had the firearms in the vehicle when he crossed the border Mr Tahmooressi replied: 'Because I like guns,' 'I enjoy guns, he added. 'You know, I grew up liking guns [...] It's like, you're stressed out and some people go and smoke a cigarette but some people go to the gun range and go shoot their gun and relieve some stress.' Mr Tahmooressi's detention brought calls for his freedom from US politicians, veterans groups and social media campaigns. A US congressional committee held a hearing on the case. In Mexico, possession of weapons restricted for use by the Army is a federal crime, and the country has been tightening up its border checks to stop the flow of US weapons that have been used by drug cartels. Mr Tahmooressi said he was beaten in jail by the guards, but he was glad to take the beating . In his truck when he crossed the US-Mexico border in March, Mr Tahmooressi was carrying a rifle, shotgun, pistol and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. His attorney, Fernando Benitez, argued that Mr Tahmooressi carries loaded guns with him because his weapons make him feel safer. He added that the veteran is often distracted, which could have contributed to him becoming lost. In his order, a Mexican judge did not make a determination on the illegal arms charges against Mr Tahmooressi but freed him because of his mental state, according to a statement from Mexico's embassy in the US.
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Andrew Tahmooressi, 26, attempted suicide after a failed escape bid .
Described being beaten and strapped naked to a bunk .
Andrew Tahmooressi was released October 31 and returned to Florida .
The 26-year-old crossed border in March with loaded guns in his truck .
He was arrested on weapons charges spent nearly seven months in jail .
Marine veteran, who served in Afghanistan, said he crossed by accident .
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Tortured: Celeste Fronsman, 29, was found at the side of an Ohio road with visible burns, and the passerby who discovered her moaning could tell she had been raped . A woman was found naked and burned with a rope wrapped around her neck after she was raped and tortured before being left for dead at the side of a rural Ohio road. Celeste Fronsman was found by a passerby around 8.30am on Sunday who immediately called police after spotting the moaning woman. 'I have a woman right here, she's burned severely, she's been raped and she's been beat up,' the man told the 911 operator. She was rushed to Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center where she later died. Local CBS affiliate WBNS reported that the investigation is still underway but police believe that there was a definite motive behind the attack. 'This was not a random act,' Muskinngum County Sheriff Matt Lutz said at a news conference addressing the case. 'There was a vehicle that we were looking for that interested us. We found that last night in the Canton area. There are some people of interest to us that we are currently looking for.' The names of the potential suspects or the make of their car have not been publicly released. Police records received by MailOnline show that Ms Fronsman had an extensive criminal history, including a rap sheet with 25 arrests over the past nine years. Since 2003, she was arrested for a plethora of crimes including prostitution, drug possession and five counts of domestic violence. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Scene: Ms Fronsman was found on the side of this remote road in the Zanesville area of Muskingum County . Questionable circumstances: Ms Fronsman (left) was arrested 25 times in the past 9 years with varying charges including prostitution, domestic violence and drug possession, before she was found in this field (right) Her father told the Columbus Dispatch that he last saw his daughter when she and a friend borrowed his truck, promising to return shortly. The father, whose name has not been released, said that he contacted authorities that morning. 'This is a vicious animal,' he said of the murderer at large. 'They ought to be taken off the street and put away.' Evidence: Empty gasoline containers were removed from the scene by investigators . Not a random act: Sheriff Matt Lutz said the crime was the most gruesome he had seen in his career . The sheriff agreed, and the investigation continues as crime scene examiners were seen removing empty gas containers from the dumpsite. 'This is one of the most gruesome things I have ever seen in 23 and a half years in law enforcement,' Mr Lutz said. 'I can't imagine the pain that this lady went through.' WATCH THE VIDEO HERE .
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Celeste Fronsman, 29, died shortly after being taken to hospital Sunday .
Police say 'gruesome' crime was not a random attack .
Fronsman had a criminal record with 25 arrests over the past nine years .
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This is the moment a New Jersey driver gets spooked in the dark after being brought to a halt by two cones blocking the road. Ivan Tukhtin, 24, was traveling along the I-78 just after midnight on Sunday morning when he spotted the suspicious scene. Dash camera footage shows him slowing down to avoid the cones, when all of a sudden a man wearing a hoodie comes out of the shadows. Scroll down for video . Caught on camera: This is the moment a New Jersey driver gets spooked in the dark after being brought to a halt by two cones blocking the road . Something lurking: Ivan Tukhtin, 24, was traveling along the I-78 just after midnight on Sunday morning when he spotted the suspicious scene . Spooky: Dash camera footage shows him slowing down to avoid the cones, when all of a sudden a man wearing a hoodie comes out of the shadows . Ominous feeling: After a brief conversation with the man, Mr Tukhtin speeds off weaving around the cones . Mr Tukhtin is heard asking if he can help with something. The man replies 'yes' before walking over to the driver's door. At that point Mr Tukhtin accelerates and speeds off, weaving around the cones. He said he didn't think there was anything sinister about the man until he saw him reach into his pockets. 'Scary to think what could have happened,' he reflected. The third-year law student later pulled over and called 911 to report the incident. State police captain Stephen Jones told ABC News that the cones were gone by the time officers responded. However, they found the man Mr Tukhtin saw along with another man and learned their car had run out of gas. It's believed they were using the cones to get help. Both were arrested, with 37-year-old Kareem Walston from Orange, New Jersey, facing charges for driving under the influence and 36-year-old Hashen Clark from Jersey City for hindering. The incident remains under investigation.
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Ivan Tukhtin, 24, was traveling along the I-78 just after midnight on Sunday morning when he spotted cones blocking the road .
Dash camera footage shows him slowing down to avoid them, when all of a sudden a man wearing a hoodie comes out of the shadows .
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Syrian rebels have killed at least 190 civilians and taken 200 hostages as the country's bitter civil war rages, Human Rights Watch claimed today. As a chemical watchdog won the Nobel Peace Prize today for overseeing the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons stockpile, government forces and rebels clashed across the country with conventional weapons. HRW said many of the dead had been executed by militant groups, some linked to al Qaeda, who overran army positions at dawn on August 4 and then moved into 10 villages nearby where members of President Bashar al-Assad's Alawite sect lived. Scroll down for video . The besieged area of Homs is one the many areas of Syria to be destroyed by the bitter war between government forces and rebels . Smoke rises after a mortar shell hits a residential area during fighting between Syrian government forces and rebels in Maaret al-Numan in the Idlib province . In its first government-sanctioned trip into Syria during the 2-1/2-year conflict, New York-based HRW has documented a series of sectarian mass killings by Assad's foes during a broader campaign in which Western-backed rebels took part. In some cases, entire families were executed or gunned down as they fled, according to a report titled 'You Can Still See Their Blood'. HRW identified five rebel groups instrumental to funding, organising, planning and carrying out the Latakia attacks, including the al Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant groups, as well as the Islamist group Ahrar al-Sham and another unit of foreign jihadi fighters. These groups publicised their involvement through videos and statements, some of which were used to corroborate the HRW report. The operation appeared to have been largely financed by private Gulf-based donors, HRW said. A man runs past barricades used as protection from snipers loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in Homs. The HRW has documented a series of mass killings by Assad's foes during a broader campaign in which Western-backed rebels took part . An opposition fighter aims his weapon during rebels' attack over Syrian government forces. The conflict erupted in 2011 when mainly peaceful protests against four decades of Assad family rule were put down with force . It is unclear to what extent the Free Syrian Army (FSA), the armed wing of the main opposition coalition which is openly supported by the United States, Britain, France and Sunni Muslim Gulf states, played. In a video posted on August 11 and apparently filmed in Latakia, FSA chief Salim Idriss said the body was participating in the offensive 'to a great extent.' But HRW researcher Lama Fakih, who spent several days in Latakia province in September and spoke to residents, soldiers, militiamen, doctors and officials, said she could not confirm if the FSA were present on August 4 when the atrocities took place. Assad's forces are also accused by rights groups of committing atrocities and using incendiary and cluster bombs in populated areas . Assad's forces are also accused by rights groups of committing atrocities and using incendiary and cluster bombs in populated areas. They have carried out sectarian attacks, including killing up to 450 civilians in two massacres in mainly Sunni Muslim areas in May, according to U.N. officials. The opposition and rights groups accuse Damascus of a chemical weapons strike in a Damascus suburb on August 21 that killed hundreds of civilians. The government blames the attack on rebels. Not all 20 rebel groups mentioned in the HRW report were available to comment. Syrian National Coalition spokesman Khaled Saleh said the SNC condemns all human rights abuses and if any had been committed by rebels affiliated with the coalition, they would face justice. A member of the Sunni Islamist Ahrar al-Sham said its fighters had killed no civilians in the offensive. The scale and organisation of the attacks on civilians suggest premeditation and make them a crime against humanity, HRW said, rather than isolated war crimes reported during the Syrian civil war. The United Nations says the conflict has killed more than 100,000 people in two-and-a-half years. Syria's mainly Sunni Muslim rebels are battling to overthrow Assad, whose Alawite sect is an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam and accounts for about 12 percent of Syria's 23 million people. The conflict erupted in 2011 when mainly peaceful protests against four decades of Assad family rule were put down with force. As the war rages, the global chemical weapons watchdog charged with destroying chemical weapons stockpile won the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize today. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), a relatively small organisation with a modest budget, dispatched 27 of its experts after a sarin gas attack killed more than 1,400 people in August. Their deployment, supported by the United Nations, helped avert a U.S. strike against President Bashar al-Assad. The OPCW's mission was unprecedented in taking place during a civil war that has riven the country and killed more than 100,000 people.
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HRW said villagers executed by militant groups, some linked to al Qaeda .
Rebel groups overran army positions and moved into villages nearby where members of President Bashar al-Assad's Alawite sect lived, HRW claims .
HRW identified five rebel groups instrumental to funding, organising, planning and carrying out the Latakia attacks .
Assad's forces are also accused by rights groups of committing atrocities .
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(CNN) -- With more than 2,400 Ebola deaths in Liberia alone, the killer virus may not sound like the most obvious subject to write a song about. But health officials are using all means at their disposal to educate Liberians on how to contain the spread of the disease. The United Nations Children's Fund -- UNICEF -- has worked with local musicians to produce a song "Ebola is Real," which urges Liberians to take measures against the disease, such as washing their hands. The chorus runs: "Ebola is real, it's time to protect yourself, Ebola is real, protect your family, Ebola is real, protect your community." Near the song's end, the musicians say Ebola is a severe disease that spreads fast. While it can't be cured, they explain, the symptoms of the virus can be treated and explain that the only way of catching Ebola is through direct contact with bodily fluids such as blood, saliva and sweat. "For our traditional people, when somebody die, don't touch the body with your bare hand -- you can call a health worker closer to you to help you to bury the body but wearing protective clothes and gloves," the song continues, saying the message is from Liberia's Ministry of Health and partners. UNICEF spokesman Christophe Boulierac said music is "an integral part of life" in Liberia and across Africa. "Everything from elections to polio campaigns have used songs," he said. "We used songs as a medium of getting out the information to a wide segment of the population, through the best medium available in Liberia -- radio." UNICEF chose to work with Liberia's cultural ambassador Julie Endee and some well known musicians. The style of music is a popular form in Liberia known as Hipco and the song has been very successful, playing on radios across the country, Boulierac said. "Some people even use it as a ring tone," he said. "My colleague in Sierra Leone has heard it play in street side stalls." CNN's Nima Elbagir is in Liberia covering the outbreak. Elbagir recalled hearing "Ebola is Real" being played during an earlier visit and said it was very popular and instrumental in getting the public healthcare message across. Susan Krenn, director at the John Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (CCP), spoke to CNN from Nigeria, where she was working on the launch of a weekly television series "Newman Street." Newman Street is aimed at addressing the topics of family planning and malaria. "There is a whole communication science behind this," Krenn said. "One of the things we really emphasize is that the entertainment has to be of very high quality. You really want to attract people to whatever the piece is because it's something they really want to listen to, or want to watch, because it's entertainment," she said. "This type of programing really allows you to use creativity and pull people in for the value of the entertainment, while a communication plan allows us to weave messaging in." The entertainment vehicle itself could get people talking about an issue and get them to adopt certain behaviors, she said. "One of the beauties of entertainment education is that your reach is phenomenal ... you're impacting a huge number of people." The CCP has been involved in entertainment education for nearly three decades. In 1988 it released two family planning songs and music videos -- "Choices" and "Wait for Me" -- in Nigeria. "Someone actually made a remake of ('Wait for Me')," Krenn said. "It's incredible to see the long life these things have." The center has gone on to release many more songs but Krenn said it used entertainment within a wider communications strategy. In the case of "Newman Street," the series was being used as a "national overlay," she said. Krenn said there were a number of family planning and malaria programs in different states and cities in Nigeria's four main languages. At a more local level, CCP's strategy included radio and working with service providers. CCP was also involved in Liberia, Krenn said, trying to monitor and help coordinate the communication interventions there. "With so many different entities, one of biggest needs is communication. We really need to find out where the gaps are," she said.
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The Ebola virus has killed more than 2,400 people in Liberia .
UNICEF and local musicians created a popular song with a health message .
Lyrics include "Ebola is real, it's time to protect yourself"
A John Hopkins group is also using entertainment for health education .
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By . Elliott Bretland . Follow @@EllBretland . Louis van Gaal got off to a perfect start as Manchester United manager with a 7-0 victory. New boy Ander Herrera, signed from Athletic Bilbao for £24million this summer, stole the show with an impressive display in midfield as he created chance after chance for his new team-mates. Danny Welbeck opened the scoring from distance before Wayne Rooney scored a brace to give Man United a 3-0 lead at half-time. The second half saw 20-year-old defender Reece James score twice before Ashley Young also scored two in the final minutes courtesy of Herrera assists. Click here to read Ian Ladyman's match report from Pasadena . Host commentator . Louis van Gaal lands his first trophy as Manchester United manager... the Chevrolet Cup! What a performance from the Red Devils and in particular Ander Herrera. The Spaniard was the star performer in the middle of the park with some exquisite passing. What a signing he could prove to be! The 24-year-old deserves his Man-of-the-Match award. Great finish by Young but once again it's Herrera with a wonderful through ball. Ashley Young latches on to a perfectly-timed through ball from Herrera and places the ball into an empty net after the goalkeeper rushed out. James may be a defender but he certainly knows how to shoot. The 20-year-old was first to react after Kagawa was denied by the onrushing Galaxy goalkeeper and passed the ball into the net from outside the area with his left boot. The Japan international did well to control the ball and turn in the box to beat his defender but was unable to curl his shot on target. The defender looks to have hurt his shoulder and has been replaced by Charlie Rugg. Manchester United frontman Juan Mata shield the ball from LA Galaxy defender AJ DeLaGarza . After claiming the second 45 minutes hadn't really got going Manchester United score right on cue through 20-year-old defender Reece James. Sportsmail's Ian Ladyman: In traditional pre-season fashion, United made a host of changes at half-time with only Herrera and Fletcher surviving from the starting eleven. Indeed such were the changes that Fletcher – captain for the night – found himself pushed in to the centre of defence so that Van Gaal could persist with his three-man back line. Not that any of this has done much to change the pattern of play. United are still dominating the play and scored their fourth goal on the hour when Ashley Young crossed low from the left and young left-back Reece James marked his debut with a goal from 12 yards. As is the case with many of these friendly matches when both sides make a host of changes at half-time. Sportsmail's Chris Wheeler: David Beckham and Patrice Evra were surprise guests at Manchester United’s Los Angeles training base on Tuesday.Beckham, who has returned to live in London with his family after five-and-a-half years in California, is back in town for United’s first game on their pre-season tour of the United States against another of his former teams, LA Galaxy.He met up with new United boss Louis van Gaal and some of the players and is expected to attend the Chevrolet Cup match at the Rosebowl on Wednesday.Click the above link to read the full story. Great start to Louis van Gaal's tenure at the club as the Red Devils lead 3-0 at the break. Sportsmail's Ian Ladyman: Tommy Meyer has somehow managed to fall over when trying to clear a routine low cross from Welbeck which has allowed Rooney to score his second, and United’s third, from just six yards. Half-time here in California and United’s pre-season is up and running in some style. Sportsmail's Ian Ladyman: Lots of love on social media tonight for Ander Herrera and United’s new signing is having a nice game. It was Antonio Valencia advancing from wing-back who won the penalty that has just given United their second goal, however. Valencia worried AJ DeLaGarza and when he went past him and crossed from the right the Galaxy player lifted his arm to concede a penalty. There were plenty of complaints from Galaxy players but it was a clear handball and Wayne Rooney converted the penalty with his right foot. Click the above link to read what Louis van Gaal had to say during Tuesday's press conference. New boys Shaw and Herrera also made an appearance. Sportsmail's Ian Ladyman: Robbie Keane is playing for Galaxy tonight and he has looked to operate in the spaces in between United’s back three. He hasn’t really had much joy but he did get in behind Phil Jones in the 30th minute, only for the United central defender to get a toe on the ball as Keane was about to shoot. Keane thought he was being held by his opponent and appealed for a penalty but from where I am sitting he was never going to get it. This really is a superb setting for a football match, by the way. The stadium isn’t quite full but there seems to be well over 60,000 in the ground. ...and if the game ends in a draw then both clubs will share the trophy. Very old school like with the Charity Shield. Galaxy left-back AJ DeLaGarza (what a great name) marauds forward and lets fly from 25 yards out but Man United's Spanish goalkeeper gets down to his right to deny the Guam international. It may only be a friendly but the Red Devils look lively. Herrera has been particularly impressive with his neat, tidy passing. Only fifteen minutes gone here at the Rose Bowl in beautiful Pasadena and already Manchester United have their first goal under Louis van Gaal. A bustling run from Juan Mata saw the ball break 20 yards from goal and Danny Welbeck swept it in off the post with a first time shot with his right foot. United had started brightly before that, Juan Mata bringing a save from Galaxy goalkeeper Jamie Penedo from a similar distance. Interesting also here that Van Gaal has sent United out to play with three central defenders, as he did with Holland in the World Cup. Juan Mata lays the ball off to Welbeck who shoots from 20 yards out and sees his effort canon off the post and into the back of the net! The first goal of the Van Gaal era! Just two players who start tonight under Louis van Gaal appeared in David Moyes' first friendly as manager - Danny Welbeck and Jonny Evans. but the Spaniard's shot is tipped over the bar. Bright start from the £24million midfield man. Luke Shaw and Ander Herrera both starting with midfielder Darren Fletcher preferred as captain over Wayne Rooney. Manchester United starting XI: De Gea, Smalling, Jones, Evans, Valencia, Fletcher (c), Herrera, Shaw, Mata, Welbeck, Rooney.
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Ashley Young scores brace courtesy of assists from Ander Herrera .
Defender Reece James fires home to score Red Devils' fourth goal before scoring side's fifth .
Wayne Rooney scores his second to give Man United 3-0 lead at half time .
Rooney scores from the penalty spot to double Man United's advantage .
Danny Welbeck scores first goal of the Van Gaal era to give Red Devils the lead on 13 minutes .
Frontman unleashed an effort from 20 yards which hit the net via the post .
United face Galaxy at Pasadena Rose Bowl .
Van Gaal set to be in United dugout for first time .
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(CNN) -- Global wine production is booming with vineyards springing up everywhere from China to the United States, Chile and New Zealand. But when a recent report authored by Morgan Stanley Research predicted a looming global wine shortage, vinophiles took to social media to express their dismay over the bleak news. The report stated that the international demand for wine outweighed production by 300 million cases in 2012 -- dropping to its lowest point in over 40 years. With worldwide consumption jumping by 1% last year, the researchers concluded demand could overtake supply in the coming years pushing the price of wine up. As the viticulture chaos ensued, France's International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV) released their very own forecast report that countered Morgan Stanley's analysis. While Morgan Stanley's figures weren't incorrect, per se, their forecast did not take into account 2013's production levels which actually show a return to 2006 production levels, a healthy state of production for the industry. What's more -- Spain, Italy, France and Chile produced record wine levels in 2013. "It's how you interpret those figures. For all intents and purposes, for those of us in the West who are consumers, no -- there is not going to be a wine shortage," says Felicity Carter, editor-in-chief of Meininger's Wine Business International magazine. "The question is whether there is going to be a wine shortage for consumers in markets that are extremely price sensitive -- like parts of Eastern Europe -- because the cheaper wine that they drink will be diverted to bulk up wine that goes into big consumption markets." Carter echoes the OIV report pointing to the significant increase in production in EU countries like Croatia, Greece, Hungary and Romania and if vineyards from these areas could find stronger distribution avenues within the international market, there will be plentiful bottles to go around. With poor wine harvests in recent years thanks to erratic weather from climate change, Carter acknowledges this could impact wine production levels. While consumers are not going to see a drastic price difference when purchasing wine from supermarkets, she says it all depends on the region of wine. "The Burgundy harvest and the Bordeaux harvest this year have been abysmal ... If you wanted wine from the 2013 Burgundy or some parts of France, you're going to have a big problem. You will probably pay a lot more for those wines," she explains. "The question is can you substitute other types of wine for those? Now, the answer is yes." She adds: "Morgan Stanley, by the way, were not wrong in what they said. They did use very good figures and they do know what they are talking about but the world of wine is just so complex."
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World is facing a significant wine shortage, according to Morgan Stanley report .
Industry experts release global production report countering Morgan Stanley findings .
Old world wines continue to stabilize after poor harvests in recent years, say experts .
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By . Ryan Gorman . PUBLISHED: . 17:48 EST, 11 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 19:57 EST, 11 July 2013 . Wanted for amassing a collection of photos and images numbering in the hundreds and suspected in a sex attack last year, authorities had Stanley Simms in their grasp, even questioning him while searching his home.But Simms, 47, of Sunrise, FL, simply walked away after cops searched his home, according to reports. Not seen since June 7, the day police seized his pornography-rich computer, he is also considered a suspect in a sexual assault investigation dating back to last year, officials said.“We want to get him off the streets,” Jim Marshall, spokesman at the FBI’s Miami division, told local media. On the run: The FBI is asking for the public's help in finding accused pedophile Stanley Simms, 47, of Sunrise, FL . The computer found by law enforcement during a June 7 search of Simms’ home held over 200 child pornography files, according to the Sun-Sentinal. It was originally found sharing both movies and pictures on a file-sharing network in September, the paper reported.Simms told investigators the files were downloaded by accident during a June 7 search of his home, according to the paper, which also reported the officials declined to comment this week on why Simms was allowed to leave his home later that afternoon without being arrested – despite a federal warrant being issued for his arrest that day. Federal officials also have questions for the accused pedophile about an incident in which a south Florida woman was allegedly drugged and sexually assaulted in December, the Miami Herald reported.Known to frequent ‘adult entertainment clubs’ in south Florida, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Simms is said to drive a green/gray BMW and/or a purple pickup truck. Pervert: Simms, seen here with a relative's young baby, was found by the FBI to be in possession of hundreds of child pornography files . ‘If there’s someone out there who has information on where [Simms] is, please call the FBI, call the local police. Don’t approach him yourself,’ Marshall’s statement continued. Attempts by Mail Online to reach the FBI’s Miami office were unsuccessful. This is not the first time the feds have asked for help tracking down a suspected pedophile. On the lam: Simms left his home June 7, the same day investigators discovered his trove of kiddie porn and issued a warrant for his arrest, he hasn't been seen since . In May, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials asked for help finding a man seen committing graphic sexual assaults against a young girl estimated to be between seven and nine-years-old in four separate videos filmed the prior month.The videos were so graphic the images had to be ‘sanitized’ before they were able to be released to the public. John Doe: This man is wanted by officials for filming graphic sexual attacks on a young girl and sharing them online . Identified as ‘John Doe,’ the only leads investigators have to go on are a Frito-Lay Rold Gold thin pretzels bag seen in the videos and music equipment strewn all over the room where the depraved acts were filmed. Rold Gold pretzels are available only in the U.S. and Canada, and the packaging – in English – is seen only in the States, according to officials.Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Stanley Simms is urged to call the FBI’s Miami field office at (305) 944-9101 . ICE also urges anyone with information about the identity or whereabouts of the the man to the right to call 1-866-347-2423 from the U.S. and Canada, or 1-802-872- 6199 from anywhere else in the world.
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Stanley Simms has been missing since June 7, when investigators let him leave his home after discovering child pornography on his computer while executing a search warrant .
The computer held over 200 images and movies .
Simms is also wanted for questioning in an alleged sexual assault that happened in December .
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14ca8f98879af6cc92b809b4e68925935948c3cb
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(CNN) -- Police have arrested a man in the killing of Auburn University freshman Lauren Burk, who died this week, according to the Auburn, Alabama, assistant police chief. Courtney Larrell Lockhart, 23, of Smiths, Alabama, is charged with capital murder during a kidnapping, capital murder during a robbery, and capital murder during an attempted rape, Tommy Dawson said Saturday. The Phenix City Police Department took Lockhart into custody on Friday, police said. Phenix City is about 35 miles southeast of Auburn. Burk, 18, from Marietta, Georgia, was found shot on North College Street, a few miles north of campus, on Tuesday night. She died later at a hospital. Minutes after police responded to the call reporting an injured person and found Burk, they found a car -- which turned out to be Burk's -- on fire in a campus parking lot. Dawson told reporters Friday that authorities think gasoline or another accelerant was used to ignite Burk's car, and police were investigating whether a gas can found in downtown Auburn was connected. Police want to investigate every possible lead, Dawson said. Authorities were still on patrol in the east Alabama campus, he said. The university's Web site said a campus-wide memorial service will be held Monday. The site carried a message from Burk's father, James, which said: "The Burk family was so proud to have Lauren as an Auburn University student. We want to extend our deepest gratitude and appreciation for Auburn University, the city of Auburn and the Auburn Police Department. We feel very close to your community. We appreciate what everyone is doing for us and Lauren." Also on Friday, police released pictures of a 2001 Honda Civic similar to Burk's car. Authorities asked anyone who thinks they might have seen the car on Tuesday to contact them. Police are continuing to interview people, Dawson said. A student at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill -- Eve Carson, 22, of Athens, Georgia -- was also shot to death this week, on early Wednesday. Authorities in Chapel Hill said Friday they had been in contact with Auburn police but did not believe the two cases were connected. Watch CNN's Nancy Grace discuss the two killings of college women from Georgia » . Burk's family, in a statement read Friday to reporters by family friend Kathy Singleton, expressed their gratitude for the thoughts and prayers offered, but asked for privacy "so that they may grieve for their loss as well as celebrate Lauren's life." Those wishing to honor Burk could do so by donating to her favorite charities, Singleton said -- The Invisible Child and the American Kidney Foundation. Donations can be made at any Wachovia Bank to the Lauren Burk Memorial Fund. E-mail to a friend .
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Courtney Larrell Lockhart, 23, charged with three counts of capital murder .
Auburn University student Lauren Burk found shot Tuesday, died at hospital .
Burk's car found minutes later engulfed in flames in campus parking lot .
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By . Mark Duell . PUBLISHED: . 21:45 EST, 14 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 21:45 EST, 14 April 2013 . With tears in his eyes as he holds roses in his left hand, Petro Mischtschuk poignantly stands on the grounds of a Second World War concentration camp where more than 50,000 people lost their lives. The 87-year-old Ukrainian survivor of the appalling Buchenwald yesterday laid flowers at a ceremony marking the 68th anniversary of the liberation of the camp outside Weimar, eastern Germany. Jews, non-Jewish Poles and Slovenes, religious and political prisoners, Roma and Sinti, Jehovah's Witnesses, criminals, homosexuals, and prisoners of war died in the camp between 1937 and 1945. Emotional: Former Nazi concentration camp survivor Petro Mischtschuk, 87, cries while holding roses in his hand during a commemoration for the 68th anniversary of the liberation of Buchenwald in Germany . Survivor: Former detainee Wiktor Karpus, from Kiev, lays down a white rose at the memorial site for the Buchenwald concentration camp near Weimar in central Germany yesterday . Roses laid: More than 50.000 prisoners - Jews, non-Jewish Poles and Slovenes, religious and political prisoners, Roma and Sinti, Jehovah's Witnesses, criminals, homosexuals, and prisoners of war - died there . Commemorative: A white rose lies on a memorial stone at the site of Buchenwald concentration camp . Remembrance: A red carnation on the gate of the memorial site for Buchenwald concentration camp . Some 21,000 prisoners were freed by . U.S. forces in April 1945 - but 28,000 were evacuated by the Germans in . the days prior to the liberation, a third of whom died from exhaustion . or being shot. Around . 250,000 people from across Europe were kept in Buchenwald from when it . opened in July 1937 until the liberation on April 11 in 1945, according . to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. It . was one of the largest concentration camps in Germany, although women . were not taken there until late 1943. It was surrounded by an . electrified barbed-wire fence, watchtowers and sentries. Most . of the early inmates were political prisoners, but following the . Kristallnacht attacks in 1938 almost 10,000 Jews were sent to Buchenwald . and subjected to astonishingly cruel treatment. In respect: Mr Mischtschuk lays flowers during a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the camp's liberation . Walking away: Mr Mischtschuk cries after laying down a rose during commemoration ceremonies yesterday . Never forgotten: Mr Mischtschuk (left) lays flowers during a ceremony marking the anniversary of liberation . Memories: Mr Karpus stands in observance during a ceremony marking the 68th anniversary of the liberation . Free: Inmates of the concentration camp Buchenwald near Weimar, Germany, march to receive treatment at an American hospital after the camp is liberated by General Patton's 3rd U.S. Army troops, in April 1945 . Medical experiments were carried out on inmates from 1941 - some of which involved testing the effectiveness of vaccines and attempting to ‘cure’ homosexuality through hormonal transplants. There were 112,000 prisoners there by February 1945 and it became an important source of forced labour for the Nazis, who opened a rail siding connected to enable the movement of war supplies. The SS shot prisoners in the stables and hanged others in the crematorium. Shocking scenes were witnessed by U.S. forces when they entered the camp in April, finding starving survivors and corpses. It is thought the SS killed at least 56,000 male prisoners at Buchenwald, 11,000 of whom were Jews.
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Ceremony held for anniversary of liberation outside Weimar, Germany .
At least 56,000 men, including 11,000 Jews, died there from 1937-1945 .
Around 250,000 people from across Europe were kept in Buchenwald .
Forced labour source for Nazis who carried out medical experiments .
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14ceee275f283e9da2aec11b5c031fc07264f47d
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Iran's efforts to develop its nuclear program have been stymied by a raft of challenges from international sanctions and set back by the 2010 Stuxnet cyberattack, two new reports from a Washington nuclear think tank conclude. The reports by former weapons inspector David Albright's Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) say Iran has been forced to use inferior parts and weaker metals, according to officials the group has spoken to at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), because sanctions have limited access to needed materials. "Ten years after the start of construction at the Natanz enrichment site, the probability that Iran will build tens of thousands of centrifuges seems remote based on their faulty performance," one of the reports notes. "Even with advanced centrifuges, Iran may be blocked by sanctions from building advanced centrifuges in large enough numbers." The Natanz enrichment site was crippled when a computer virus attacked a portion of the centrifuges. But the ISIS report notes enrichment numbers have rebounded to a higher level than before Stuxnet, after a brief dip. The IAEA noted in recent reports, however, that not all the centrifuges are necessarily enriching. Albright's report says that the Stuxnet worm may have decreased the lifespan of aging centrifuges, even if they were not broken right away, by forcing them to spin at altered speeds. However, despite the challenges, based on ISIS assessment of Iran's production of enriched uranium, the report concludes the Iranians have more than enough for the stated goal of providing for its research reactor, and Iran appears on a trajectory "to producing weapons-grade uranium for nuclear weapons."
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New reports cite the effects of international sanctions on Iran's nuclear efforts .
A cyberattack also had a crippling effect on an enrichment site .
But Iran has more than enough enriched uranium for its research reactor .
Reports: Iran appears on a trajectory "to producing weapons-grade uranium"
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14cf4319b06d399078fb0b1447d19bc80742cb23
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In the shadow of the iPhone 5 reveal, Apple rolled out updates to its most enduring mobile product, the iPod, on Wednesday. They include a bigger, yet lighter and thinner, iPod Touch that mirrors the stretched-out new iPhone and a bigger screen on the tiny iPod Nano. The new Touch is 6.1 millimeters thick, making it the thinnest Touch yet, and weighs in at a dainty 3.1 ounces. Siri, Apple's voice-activated "digital assistant," is also making her way to the iPod Touch, and that's not the only way Apple's premier iPod, which some already called an iPhone without the phone, is getting closer to its smartphone cousin. In addition to the same screen update, it will run Apple's latest operating system, iOS 6. It will have the same processor as the iPhone 4S and it adds a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, featuring auto-focus and a flash. The Nano got more svelte as well. It's down to 5 millimeters thick, which makes it the thinnest iPod yet. But it's also getting a bigger, 2.5-inch touchscreen display. Favored for exercise, the Nano will come with fitness features like a built-in pedometer and support for Nike+. It also has an FM radio feature that allows users to pause and resume music. Like the iPhone 5, both new iPods will come with new, smaller inputs, but, unlike the phone, they won't come equipped with an adapter that will let users convert their old Apple cords. Along with the new iPods comes an advance in how folks will listen to them. After coining the term "earbuds," Apple has moved on and showed off EarPods on Wednesday. They're round, unlike the flatter earbud, and have two grills for sound in each one. They'll come with the new Touch, Nano and iPhone 5 and be sold separately for $29. Pre-orders for the iPod Touch begin Friday. The 32GB model will sell for $299 and the 64GB model is $399. It will be available in pink, yellow, blue, black, slate and a white and silver combo. The 16GB Nano will be available in October for $149. It comes in pink, yellow, blue, green, purple, silver and slate. In recent years, iPods have been largely overshadowed as smartphones and tablets emerged as the mobile tech of choice. But they've been massive for Apple, selling more than 350 million units since being introduced in 2001, when they were credited with helping a flailing Apple launch an epic turnaround. They quietly remain relevant, developers say. "The iPod Touch is an underappreciated part of the Apple ecosystem -- particularly for the youth and education markets," said Brendan Cahill, CEO of outdoor-lifestyle app NatureShare. Dave Castelnuovo, the co-creator of popular iOS game "Pocket God," said Wednesday that more than 50% of the game's player base uses an iPod Touch. "A large group of users still use the second-generation iPod Touch, which was holding back our implementation of new features," he said. "I believe that these users were not upgrading the new hardware because there hasn't been a substantial iPod Touch iteration until now. With the larger screen, new design and assortment of colors, I think we're going to see a very large adoption of the new hardware."
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Apple on Wednesday unveils a new, upgraded line of iPods .
iPod Touch mirrors upgrades on iPhone 5 .
Nano gets thinner, but with a bigger 2.5-inch touch screen .
Overshadowed by iPhone, iPad, iPods are still relevant, developers say .
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(CNN) -- For some survivors of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, escaping the inferno of the doomed rig made them feel like they'd cheated death. But living with the scars of what they witnessed that night, and the memory of the 11 men who perished when the rig exploded off the coast of Louisiana a year ago, has in many ways taken their lives away. "I remember feeling invincible when it first happened. I remember driving in my truck on the way home after the rig exploded and (I) pushed the gas (pedal) to the floor and never let off it," says Daniel Barron. But the high Barron felt from surviving didn't last long. "You have that guilty conscience of, 'Okay, I made it, that's great, but then these guys didn't.' Was there something I could have done to save more people?" Barron says his guilt is compounded by physical and mental issues that are a result of the disaster. He suffers from memory loss, and has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, according to medical records provided to CNN. He witnessed one of his good friends, whom he calls a "fallen brother," die right in front of him when a second explosion rocked the rig. "It literally picked him up . . . like a child would throw a toy . . . and he ended up bouncing off of the pedestal for the crane," he told CNN's Anderson Cooper shortly after the disaster. "Just to see him get blown up like that, I mean, it was, it's heart-wrenching," Barron said. Barron says one night, the psychological pain and the guilt of surviving when so many friends did not, became overwhelming. "I had a 6-shot pistol and I just wanted it to be over," he says. His wife discovered him playing Russian roulette and persuaded him to hand over the gun before it was too late. Douglas Brown, one of Barron's fellow survivors, also speaks of the guilt of surviving the disaster. "I am thankful that I, I made it out alive but a lot of times, I don't -- there's a lot of times where I feel I should, I should have died there too, along with my friends," Brown said. Like Barron, Brown has been diagnosed with multiple mental issues including PTSD, traumatic brain injury, depression and anxiety, according to medical records. A third survivor, Matthew Jacobs, says he thinks of the 11 victims of the Deepwater Horizon every day and wakes up screaming from nightmares where he's re-living the explosions. "It's something that I just can't quit, you know, get out of my head," he says. Jacobs first told the story of his harrowing escape to Cooper in the weeks after the disaster. He expected to die as his lifeboat, which was being lowered 75 feet down from the rig, was filling with smoke and started to free-fall after another explosion. "I prayed for my family to let God know that I love my wife and that I love my kids," he said. In the year since, Jacobs and his wife have started divorce proceedings because of his mental issues including, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, he says. Those mental issues are also corroborated by medical records provided to CNN. All three survivors say their physical and mental injuries have left them unable to work and they're suing their employer Transocean for lost wages and pain and suffering. While technically still employees, they have not set foot on a rig since the disaster and their employer stopped paying their salaries last December. They accuse Transocean of valuing profits over safety prior to the accident, and of valuing minimizing monetary losses over the welfare of its employees after it. In a statement, Transocean responded to their allegations writing: "From the first hours, Transocean has focused on providing support for its employees and the families of those who were lost aboard the Deepwater Horizon, including continued full pay and benefits for eight months following the incident and professional counseling for those in need. Today, more than one third of the Deepwater Horizon crew are back to work at Transocean and the entire company continues to be inspired by their courage and commitment." Transocean still pays for some of the three survivors' health care costs and gives them a small monthly stipend for room and board as required by law. The survivors were offered an additional six months of pay to drop any claims, but they declined, according to legal records provided to CNN. On the anniversary of the disaster, the survivors say they hope to one day put the accident behind them but also hope people never forget the 11 men who died that night on the Deepwater Horizon. "I would ask people just to remember them and pray for their families, because I know those families are still suffering," Brown says. Watch Anderson Cooper 360° weeknights 10pm ET. For the latest from AC360° click here.
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Survivors say the scars from the disaster have taken their lives away .
Medical records: Survivors have been diagnosed with multiple mental issues .
One says he wakes up screaming from nightmares .
Transocean says its focus is on providing support for employees .
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14cf56c7005fd7166a6fd76266cf0b6a20365558
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West Ham manager Sam Allardyce will not be making any more new signings before the transfer window closes on Friday night. Allardyce, who boosted his squad with Italian pair Marco Borriello and Antonio Nocerino signing loan deals until the end of the season last week, was unsuccessful with a £3million-plus bid for Leeds and Scotland forward Ross McCormack. The Hammers boss was tipped to go back in with an improved offer but said: 'I don't expect to be too busy now. Those two signings (Borriello and Nocerino) reach our 25-man squad limit so I don't see us doing any more business. Any more for any more? West ham manager Sam Allardyce says he's satisfied with his two new signings . Raring to go: Fit-again West Ham striker Andy Carroll trains ahead of the Chelsea match . Loan star: Antonio Nocerino (right) was put through his paces in training after signing for the rest of the season . 'If one is flagged up that is an outstanding quality player that would make a difference immediately, then we would do something, but the likelihood of that is very slim.' Borriello has swapped Roma for a Premier League survival scrap, while Nocerino has traded AC Milan for the east end. Seven-cap Borriello, 31, is a striker with close to a hundred career goals to his name, accrued at the likes of Milan, Juventus, Genoa and Roma. He joined the capital club in the summer of 2010 amid rumours of interest from Manchester City, while he won the title with Juventus during a 2012 loan spell. Cool head: Nocerino scored a penalty against England during the Euro 2012 quarter-final shootout . Nocerino, 28, has also been drafted in to help the Hammers in their battle to earn Premier League survival, with Allardyce's men currently in the relegation zone. Capped 15 times by Italy, Nocerino is known to English fans for scoring a penalty against England at Euro 2012. The ex-Juventus and Palermo man has been a bit-part player this season having previously been a key man for the club he joined in the summer of 2011. Speaking ahead of Wednesday's trip across London to play Chelsea, Allardyce said: 'Antonio is very excited to play in the Premier League. He's very excited and wants to get into the Italy squad for the World Cup. 'Milan took Michael Essien from Chelsea which left the door open for Antonio to come in. Tough test: Sam Allardyce is preparing his West ham side to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday . 'He is fine to be selected as soon as possible but Marco needs a bit of time as he hasn't played a game for six weeks. 'Antonio is your box-to-box midfield player and has the quality of finding space. Playing at the top level in Italy brings a great deal of experience to go with the talent he has got. He is an intelligent footballer. 'Marco, it is about getting him on the field and talking about nothing else other than scoring goals. We need somebody in that box to be productive and to start scoring, someone who only needs one or two chances. At the moment we are needing six or seven.' West Ham sit third-bottom in the Premier League while Chelsea are in third, just two points behind leaders Arsenal. Allardyce said: 'Jose (Mourinho) has made Chelsea very difficult to break down again and that frees up their quality players to make an impact. But West Brom should have beaten them earlier in the season, so if we play to our best we can get a good result.' On a roll: Chelsea warmed up for the West Ham clash by beating Stoke thanks to Oscar's superb free-kick . No chance: Asmir Begovic in the Stoke goal could not get near Oscar's free-kick for Chelsea's winner .
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Allardyce signed Borriello and Nocerino until the end of the season .
Hammers boss expected to go back in for Leeds forward McCormack .
Initial bid for McCormack was £3m rising to £4m based on appearances .
Relegation-threatened Hammers face Chelsea on Wednesday .
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14d021c72f5be055eb5f980c8e6a5bf837f62973
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Madrid (CNN) -- The conveyer belt of a baggage carousel that killed a 5-month-old at an airport in Spain was not moving when his mother set him on it, a Spanish Civil Guard spokesman in Madrid said Friday. But soon afterward it started moving, and the child was carried to the end, where his head was injured by the carousel's rollers, said the Civil Guard spokesman, who by custom is not identified. The infant's mother, an American, arrived at the Alicante airport late Wednesday on a flight from London's Gatwick airport with her baby boy and another young child, said a spokeswoman for Spain's airport authority, AENA. The father, who is Canadian, was already there waiting at the Alicante airport, she added. An unidentified security guard at the airport told CNN affiliate Atlas she didn't see the incident, but was told that "the mother apparently put (the baby) down on the conveyer belt when she went to reach for something. He was crushed by the conveyer belt and it killed him." With the baby bleeding, officials summoned airport medical personnel, who rushed to the scene but were unable to revive the infant, the Civil Guard spokesman said. The carousel for oversized luggage is a flat, black rubber-type belt that moves in only one direction, ending with a series of horizontal rollers that slow the luggage to a stop, for pickup. It's several feet long and passengers can stand on either side of it or at the receiving end, said the airport spokeswoman, who by custom is not identified. The Civil Guard spokesman said the baby's weight activated the motionless conveyor belt and started it moving, but the airport spokeswoman, citing a baggage worker, said Friday that the belt is not activated by weight. A day earlier, the spokeswoman said the conveyor belt is activated only when oversized bags are sent out on it for pickup. "I don't know what happened," the airport spokeswoman said. "The Civil Guard will determine that after the investigation." After the baby was pronounced dead, the family had to wait for a judge to arrive, by Spanish law, so that the body could be moved. Civil Guards took statements from the parents at the airport, the airport spokeswoman said. The Civil Guard says it is treating the incident as an accident. The baggage belt for oversized luggage -- which includes infant car seats and baby strollers -- is at one end of a large baggage claims hall at the Alicante airport, which handles 9 million passengers a year, the spokeswoman said. The baggage carousel is in a secure area, and passengers go through it to claim their bags before they exit into the public arrivals hall. The father of the baby would not have had access to that area, the airport spokeswoman said. Civil Guard and National Police spokesmen in Alicante confirmed the nationalities of the mother and father as American and Canadian, respectively. Spanish newspaper El Pais reported the family had come to the Alicante area, on Spain's Mediterranean coast, for vacation, but authorities would not immediately confirm that.
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The conveyer belt did not start moving until after the mother placed her baby on it .
The child was fatally injured by the carousel's rollers, authorities say .
The mother, an American, also had another young child with her .
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14d0c3accb1e3e0dc2619e79a64edd569e804655
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By . Kerry Mcdermott . PUBLISHED: . 05:55 EST, 3 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 08:15 EST, 3 January 2013 . Her former lover is steeling himself for battle as the Italian election race heats up, but Silvio Berlusconi's ex-girlfriend Nicole Minetti is enjoying a far more relaxed start to the new year. The bikini-clad politician, 26, was spotted soaking up the sunshine and splashing in the waves on holiday in Miami, Florida. Back in Italy, 76-year-old billionaire Berlusconi is preparing to seek election as the country's prime minister for a fourth time. Sunshine break: Italian showgirl turned politician Nicole Minetti wore a bright yellow bikini as she soaked up the sun at Miami Beach, Florida . Miss Minetti has declared her opinion that Berlusconi's new fiance, 27-year-old television presenter Francesca Pascale, would make an 'excellent' first lady, as the countdown to next month's election begins. The 26-year-old, whose mother is English, was thrust into the limelight by her association with Italy's former leader. After being appointed as a councillor for Berlusconi's People of Freedom Party in Lombardy despite having no apparent political experience, Miss Minetti was caught up in Italy's notorious 'Bunga Bunga' scandal when she was accused of supplying escorts for the former leader's lavish parties. She was also embroiled in the 'Caso Ruby' scandal when it was discovered she owned four flats which were occupied by show girls. The qualified dental hygienist, who has re-launched her career as a fashion model, is also being investigated over allegations she improperly requested state reimbursements for €27,000 (£22,000) in spa treatments, hotels and dinners. Ex: Half-English Miss Minetti is the former girlfriend of Silvio Berlusconi . Holiday: The politician was accompanied by a group of male friends as she sunbathed and swam in the sea . Miami: Miss Minetti, whose mother is from Newcastle, enjoys a dip in the ocean . Former lover: Her ex Silvio Berlusconi is planning a return to Italian politics . Surf: The 26-year-old, seen splashing in the waves in Miami, recently relaunched her career as a fashion model . The upcoming election in Italy was triggered when Mario Monti stepped down after his budget was approved in December. Berlusconi's People of Freedom Party . had withdrawn its support for Mr Monti, who had taken over as head of a . technical government in November 2011. Mr Monti, 69, has now abandoned his . mediator role to enter politics in his own right and lead a centrist . alliance to fight the election due to be held at the end of February. The respected economist is now in a . three-way race with the Democratic Party on the left and his former . allies in Berlusconi's People of Freedom Party on the right. Berlusconi has harshly criticised his decision to enter the race, and insisted Mr Monti lacks credibility. His rival retaliated by saying . Berlusconi's view represented the 'judgement of a person who has . demonstrated a certain volatility in judgement'. Controversy: Miss Minetti was appointed as a regional councillor in Lombardy, Italy, by Silvio Berlusconi . Florida sunshine: Miss Minetti has spent the festive period relaxing in Florida . Political battle: Miss Minetti's former boyfriend Silvio Berlusconi is preparing to fight the upcoming election in Italy .
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Silvio Berlusconi's former girlfriend has been soaking up the sunshine in Miami, Florida, U.S.
The 26-year-old became embroiled in the 'Bunga Bunga' scandal after being accused of supplying escorts for the former PM's lavish parties .
Her ex is preparing to seek office once again in Italian elections next month .
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14d1d7189873baf204663c73c5e36a24c42cda08
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By . Chris Parsons . Last updated at 12:26 PM on 18th November 2011 . A brave cancer sufferer who filmed herself asking Hollywood star Joseph Gordon-Levitt out on a date has become an internet sensation. Pretty brunette Lindsey Miller, who suffers from pancreatic neuroendcrine cancer, decided to solve her dating crisis by asking the Inception star out for a coffee in a YouTube video. Despite saying she finds it hard to explain her cancerous tumour to potential dates, the 26-year-old plucked up the courage to ask out long-term crush Joseph in a video which has become an unlikely web hit. Scroll down for video . Request: Cancer sufferer Lindsey Miller asked out Hollywood star Joseph Gordon-Levitt, right, in a YouTube video which has received over 250,000 hits . The YouTube video, entitled 'Will Joseph Gordon-Levitt Have Coffee With Me?' of Lindsey asking out the 30-year-old star has now been viewed over 250,000 times. Lindsey decided to ask Joseph for a date after watching his latest film '50/50', in which Gordon-Levitt plays a 27-year-old who is suddenly diagnosed with cancer. The story is based on the personal struggles with the disease by the movie's writer Will Reiser. In the 38-second video, she says: 'I think I identify with your character more than most people because I'm 26 and I have cancer. Empathy: Lindsey Miller said she could identify with Joseph Gordon-Levitt in 'cancer comedy' '50/50', where he plays a man diagnosed with the disease . 'Even though I look healthy, dating has been a little difficult because I'm not sure how to explain what I have been going through. 'But after a year of living with this I have decided to get back on the dating scene, and I would like my first date to be with you. 'Maybe you can call it my 'make a wish', but let's not be over dramatic. 'Just a cup of coffee with you would make me happy.' Lindsey was diagnosed with cancer last year, she had surgery in December 2010 to remove half of her pancreas and liver, her spleen and gallbladder and she is currently on an oral chemotherapy medication. Lindsey said of the video: 'After seeing Joseph Gordon-Levitt's performance and seeing and reading some of his subsequent interviews about the film I thought 'this guy gets it'. 'And I thought 'he's cute, I wonder if I could ever run into him somewhere'. But even though I live in LA, it seemed impossible to find him.' Best-known: The 30-year-old actor is widely recognised for his role alongside Leonardo Di Caprio in Inception . Star factor: Another of Gordon-Levitt's big parts saw him in the leading role alongside Zooey Deschanel in '500 Days of Summer' 'For most of the past year I have been selectively telling people about my diagnosis. 'In August, I started this blog, so a few more people found out. This weekend, I 'came out' as a cancer liver on Facebook and I got tons (sic) of well wishes from old friends and acquaintances alike. 'One thing I really miss about being healthy is that I always had the freedom to do what I wanted without really having to plan ahead. 'Life is short. So I thought, 'why not?'' Despite the video being viewed over 257,000 times and Lindsey receiving widespread support on Twitter, there was no indication as yet of a response from Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
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YouTube video viewed 250,000 times in three days .
Hollywood star plays cancer sufferer in film 50/50 .
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14d235eb877c49fad959d1c87ed1227666fe583b
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Editor's note: Pedro A. Noguera is a professor at New York University and director of the Metropolitan Center for Urban Education. He is editor of "Unfinished Business: Closing the Achievement Gap in Our Nation's Schools" and author of "The Trouble With Black Boys: And Other Reflections on Race, Equity and the Future of Public Education." Pedro Noguera says Obama needs to be wary of alienating teachers who can be his allies on education reform. (CNN) -- President Obama has made it clear from the earliest days of his presidency that he intended to make education a high priority for his administration. He reaffirmed that commitment Tuesday when he addressed schoolchildren on the topic. In one of his first presidential addresses, he made a special appeal to students at risk of dropping out: "... [D]ropping out of high school is no longer an option. It's not just quitting on yourself, it's quitting on your country, and this country needs and values the talents of every American." The president's commitment to education is truly remarkable, considering the enormous array of policy challenges confronting the administration. From health care and the economic crisis, to global warming and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the administration is beset by controversies that will not be easily resolved. The fact that the president and his education secretary, Arne Duncan, have not allowed education to be ignored or placed on the back burner says a great deal about their recognition of its central importance to our nation. However, as the administration navigates its way into the policy debates that are swirling over the future of education, it would be wise for it to proceed with caution. The administration has already staked out positions on a number of issues -- charter schools and merit pay for teachers being two of the big ones -- which run the risk of generating additional controversy in the polarized debates over how to reform education. If these issues and the stimulus money being made available under the Race to the Top (RTT) program are not handled carefully, conflict and even paralysis are likely to ensue. The president may even inadvertently alienate an important core constituency that he will surely need in the years ahead -- public school teachers. The current policy debates over the direction of education are typically presented as battles between the reformers, led by school superintendents like Joel Klein of New York and Michelle Rhee of Washington, D.C., and the defenders of the status quo, most often presented as the powerful teacher unions and other elements of the education establishment. While anyone familiar with the current debates knows that the differences between the two sides are real and profound, a protracted battle over the direction of education reform is not a good thing either for the administration or for those who genuinely want to see improvement in public education. Instead of choosing sides, it would be wise for the administration to do all it can to find common ground between the opposing camps as it formulates new policy initiatives. For example, instead of requiring states to adopt some form of merit pay for teachers -- a measure to which both the teachers' unions, the National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers, have already declared their opposition -- the administration could encourage states to adopt school-based formulas that reward increases in student achievement. This is similar, though not identical, to the approach taken in New York City, one that encourages collaboration among teachers and recognizes the importance of evidence that children are learning. Similarly, rather than touting charter schools as the solution to public education, the administration should treat the best charters as models of innovation that provide educators with the flexibility to implement new strategies. This is a subtle but important distinction that has been lacking in many of the administration's pronouncements about charter schools. Unlike the public schools, many charter schools find ways to avoid serving the most disadvantaged students, and their teachers often work a longer day and longer school year without a contract. Moreover, many of the best charters are subsidized by private philanthropists and are able to spend considerably more per pupil than traditional public schools. These facts should not be used to negate the accomplishments of the excellent charter schools that have emerged in many large cities. In fact, it is far more likely that struggling public schools in these same cities would be more open to learning from the charters' accomplishments if they were not cast as competitors. Finally, the president has championed the idea of "promise neighborhoods" as a way to increase the availability of social services to children in high poverty communities, using as a model the Harlem Childrens Zone. If this initiative is to result in lasting benefits to children, it will need to be combined with creative approaches to reforming urban public schools that re-formulate how we think about standards and focus attention more intently on how to deliver quality instruction to children. With dropout rates at over 50 percent in several of our nation's cities, the administration must realize that tinkering at the margins with No Child Left Behind will not deliver the change we need. The president entered office promising to bring a new kind of politics to the nation, an approach that focused on finding common ground among diverse constituencies to solve the pressing problems of our time. In areas like health care, energy, the economy and foreign policy, this new approach has not yet gained traction. However, it is not too late for the president to unite the nation around a common effort to improve public education. For this to happen, he will need to keep above the fray and stay focused on a strategy that sends a clear message to all constituencies that working together to improve public education is in our national interest. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Pedro A. Noguera.
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Pedro Noguera: It's good that Obama is emphasizing education's importance .
He says president needs to be wary of taking sides on volatile issues .
He says merit pay and charter schools could alienate key allies .
Noguera: Obama needs teachers on his side to improve schools .
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14d3956645561cd790383dcade57dfba413d3e4a
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New York (CNN) -- Dumpster-lined streets and sidewalks strewn with destroyed art hint at the damage Hurricane Sandy wreaked on New York's most important art district last week; but as electricity slowly returns and flood waters recede, the impact of the "super storm" is still uncertain in New York's downtown Chelsea neighborhood. "Chelsea is the center of America for contemporary art," Zach Feuer, owner of Zach Feuer gallery, told CNN. "This is a big cultural loss." The destruction has left the contemporary and modern art world reeling, and as the recovery effort continues the massive creative and monetary toll is rising fast. "I would not be surprised if, when it's all said and done, the damage that is done to our art world will be in the hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars in unrecoverable work," gallery owner Leo Koenig said. The storm that broke records -- and hearts . What caused so much damage? When the surge from Hurricane Sandy pushed water levels to record highs on Monday night, flooding from the Hudson River quickly filled basements and street level facilities that are used primarily for art storage and exhibitions in Chelsea. In many cases, precautionary sandbags and sealants were washed away easily, and even works that were elevated high on the wall were soaked by morning. As the storm subsided, gallery owners and managers returned early on Tuesday, but much of the permanent damage had already been done. Gallery owner Derek Eller returned to his building but couldn't operate his electric gate because of the power outage. From a back window he was able to see boxes on the ground floor that had floated up when flooding in his 1,800-square-foot basement nearly reached the ceiling. "It's a disaster, pieces are lost forever," Eller said after emerging from his still-soaked basement. "We have been saving works over the past three days." Storm victims' latest adversary: Cold . Koenig sealed the bottom of the entrance to his space in preparation for the hurricane. "My common sense told me that if there was a foot and a half of water standing on 23rd Street, the world was about to end," he said. But when Koenig opened his doors the following day, water trapped in the gallery all night by the sealant came gushing out onto the sidewalk. While many returned to find their collections in ruins, some witnessed the wreckage as it unfolded. "The surge came in and broke through the door, and knocked me down," Silas Seandel, a sculptor who lives above his studio, told CNN. "[It] threw me and thousands of pounds of steel, and bronze, and sheets, all the way to the back door." Remarkably, Seandel was able to return to higher ground and wait out the storm. From Eller's basement to those barely affected, galleries and conservators seem to agree that the priority right now is recovering as much work as possible and keeping it dry. "The conservators were here immediately, there are trucks leaving with art constantly to get repaired," said Feuer, who estimates millions of dollars in damage to his gallery alone. "The mold is kind of our biggest race, so there's a speed issue." Other galleries have had to perform restorations on their own, reaching out to artists and conservators for insight during this crucial time. Marisa Newman, co-owner of Newman Popiashvili Gallery, gathered as much work as she could and raced uptown to her parents' home on Tuesday, knowing they still had power. Opinion: Sandy shouts climate change . "I used their apartment for art triage," Newman recounted, "I brought as much there, and we just cracked open all the frames, got everything out so they would just dry." Newman is now using the space above her gallery to hold and restore other works. To further assist this process, the Museum of Modern Art and conservators from the American Institute for Conservation Collections Emergency Response Team, are offering official guidelines and "a free public presentation on recovering wet art and cultural materials," according to an official release from MoMA. Despite the chaos, this generally competitive community has worked tirelessly to come together and ease the blow that Sandy has dealt, providing each other with generators, food and everything in between. "This kind of event brings back the human factor to it," said Emilio Steinberger, senior director at the gallery Haunch of Venison. "These are artists, these are dealers, people put their heart and soul into the art world and they're moving to save it, and put things back together." How to help . This sentiment seems to be echoing through the galleries of the damaged neighborhood, and many have been adamant that Chelsea's art culture will not only recover but maintain its prestigious position within the art world. Seandel, who has worked and held exhibits in the same studio since 1978, has already insisted that he will repair and refinish all damaged works. "I'm 75 years old, but I feel I've still got a lot of life in me, my work is still in demand all over the world," Seandel said. "The thing about the New York gallery community is that it's an industry full of extremely intelligent, extremely capable people," gallery owner Cristin Tierney said. "So, I really believe that as dire as things are now, we're going to bounce back." Photos: New York recovers from Sandy . CNN's Crista Giuliani contributed to this report.
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One gallery owner anticipates losses to the art world in the "hundreds of millions"
"Chelsea is the center of America for contemporary art," another says .
Flooding from the Hudson River quickly filled basements and street-level facilities .
Sculptor says he and thousands of pounds of metal were knocked down by the surge .
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14d4943e636b0174dd37583c58d9ac78435a0952
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A mother whose weight ballooned to 19st after snacking on crisps and chocolate every two hours has shed more than nine stone. Rachel Baker, 32, from Addlestone, Surrey, had gained weight steadily since her teens, eating big meals including frozen ready meals and takeaways and frequently snacking on crisps, chocolate and fizzy drinks. Her weight crept up to 19 stone after giving birth to son, and she realised that she couldn’t bend down to tie her shoelaces without getting breathless. Her doctor had also warned that her body mass index (BMI) was 'off the chart'. Rachel Baker, 32, has gone down from a size 22 (left) to a slim size 8 (right) after realising she was so obese she was breathless tying her own shoelaces . Ms Baker said before losing the weight (left) she loved toast, frozen ready meals, roast dinners and desserts, whereas now (right) she eats porridge, soup and fresh fish with vegetables . Ms Baker was always overweight as a teenager, but after putting on three stone after the birth of her son, now two, her weight spiralled out of control. She became so obese a doctor said her BMI was 'off the scale' A doctor told her she was so obese that her BMI, previously 43 before her pregnancy, was now off the scale, and this spurred her to lose weight through the LighterLife diet plan and taking more exercise. LighterLife is a diet plan in which food is replaced with ready-mixed packs or shakes which contain all the nutrients a person's body would need in a day, but totalling only 600 calories. Ms Baker also attended weekly weighing and counselling sessions which helped her learn how to cook healthy meals, avoid the urge to eat and keep the weight off long-term. Since shedding the weight 11 months ago Ms Baker says she is able to race around with her son and now has achieved her goal of looking elegant while driving a carriage. Mrs Baker said: 'I realised I was holding my breath to do up my shoes and the shock of this was my lowest point. ‘I had the big tire around my middle. It was pressing on my chest so I couldn’t breathe. ‘Then I thought “I wonder how heavy I am”. 'I wasn't paying attention because I was running around after my son. I was looking after him but not after myself. ‘My son is young and active and I didn’t want to miss any moments while he was playing sports or running around outside’ Ms Baker said she had been overweight since her teenage years. She said: ‘I’ve always been bigger. I remember being 13 in secondary school and having meetings with the school dietitian because I was bigger than I was supposed to be. Ms Baker decided to join LighterLife's weight loss programme and through changing her diet and carrying out exercise, she managed to lose nearly 10 stone in under a year . A doctor said Ms Baker's BMI, which was over 43, was so high it was 'off the scale'. A healthy BMI is between 18.5 and 25 . BEFORE: . Breakfast: Two slices of toast with buttered jam . Mid-morning: Packet of crisps or chocolate bar and some fruit . 11am: Another similar snack . Lunch: Two rounds of sandwiches with corned beef, egg mayonnaise or tuna mayonaise, a pack of crisps, a yoghurt, a chocolate or Frusli bar . 2pm: Another snack, typically like crisps or ypghurt, . 4pm: Crackers with cream cheese . Dinner: A big dinner, such as pasta and sauce with cheese, spaghetti bolognaise, lasagne, frozen southern fried chicken with chips and peas, frozen chip shop fish, or a chicken Korma curry with rice and peshwari naan. Always had a dessert like bread and butter pudding, slice of cheesecake or half a tub of Haagen Daz ice cream . On weekends, Ms Baker would always eat a full roast dinner . 8pm: A snack such as biscuits, a chocolate bar or crisps . Drinks: Tea with milk throughout the dayFizzy drinks such as diet coke . AFTER: . Breakfast: A controlled amount of porridge oats and soya light milk . Black coffees, leaf teas . Mid-morning: Tub of carrot sticks, tub of grapes, tub of trail mix (sunflower, pumpkin seeds, almonds, crushed walnuts and small amounts if dried fruit) Lunch: Soup or salad with sweet chilli sauce . Dinner: Fish such as haddock, plaice or salmon baked in olive oil with peas, a pulse mix or some broccoli. Malteasers as a dessert . ‘I was always conscious that I was bigger than my friends.’ At age 22, she decided to lose weight and went to the gym, even running a 5km Race for Life. But after the birth of her son she could no longer maintain such an exercise regime. She said her pregnancy weight, combined with a lack of exercise and a near-addiction to unhealthy food, meant her weight began to soar. She said: ‘I love food, I love Italians, Chinese, Mexican, Indian. ‘I always ate dessert, that was the pleasing part of the meal. ‘My intake was high but my exercise was low. ‘Then I got pregnant and put on an extra three stone. The amount of food that went into my body was just incredible.' She added she didn’t realise her weight was so high: ‘When you put on a couple of pounds a month, you don’t notice. 'If your jeans get a bit tight you don’t really notice, you just wear something else in your wardrobe.’ The moment she realised she was breathless bending down to tie her laces was the ‘trigger’ moment. After this she went to her GP, who confirmed that her BMI, which was 43 before she became pregnant, was now so high it was ‘off the scale’. Ms Baker was officially classed as 'morbidly obese' at over 43, well outside the healthy range of 18.5 to 25. She looked around for a weight loss programme . ‘I was conscious of Pauline Quirke’s story. That’s when I found LighterLife. 'I went for a consultation and I liked the weekly group sessions. After I’d done a couple of weeks I didn’t worry about not being with my family. I enjoyed it, it was time for me. 'We didn’t talk about dieting and calories and food. It was like life lessons. It was about identifying the eating triggers. We did things like worry trees. 'So we resolved our life issues so we didn’t need food to solve it. 'Tiredness was a big factor for me. I had a time between 7 and 8, after dinner, child in bed, and that time was snack time. 'I would pick up something that I wouldn’t need for nutrition.' Sticking to the diet, she managed to lose between two and six pounds a week, eventually shedding almost 10 stone. Ms Baker’s hobby is horse carriage driving and so she decided to set herself a goal of losing weight so she could feel graceful at the reins. She said: ‘I have been driving carriages for two and a half years. I show my mother’s horse and drive around the country showing the horse. ‘When I was getting to the end of the season, I was going into a new class where I needed a sense of elegance. She has finally achieved her goal of looking elegant while carrying out her hobby of horse carriage driving. Before her weight loss she says she felt 'cumbersome', 'like a workman' and struggled getting on the horse . Before losing weight Ms Baker said she would have struggled sitting down cross-legged for a picnic, but with her trim physique she is able to enjoy picnics with her son . ‘I felt very cumbersome. I felt like a workman like rather than elegant. I found it hard to get on and off the horse which is embarrassing. ‘So I aimed to start the year confident and elegant, with a lovely hat. To feel as if I belonged more. And now I do!’ One of the greatest joys of losing weight is that she is now able to play with her son, she said. ‘My son loves picnics but I would have struggled to sit cross legged before on the ground, and my knees would hurt getting up. Now I can have a picnic without worrying.' She added: ‘Now I run around with my son, I race him while he’s on the bike. He always says "chase me chase me!" and I can now.’ Ms Baker said: ‘Now I run around with my son, I race him while he’s on the bike. He always says "chase me chase me!" and I can now’
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Rachel Baker, 32, had been overweight since her teens due to a bad diet .
She 'loves food' and as an adult, ate ready meals, takeaways and snacks .
Before the birth of her son, her BMI was classed as 'obese' at 43 .
After gaining three stone, a GP told her it was now 'off the scale'
She also realised she was breathless tying up her laces .
Decided to lose weight and joined the LighterLife diet plan .
Diet plan involves replacing food with 600-calorie-a-day nutrition packs .
Lost over 9st, going from a size 22 to a slim size 8 in under a year .
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14d4a457e39d9e2d3aecba8f58c7c6d62a1d3e89
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By . Graham Smith . Last updated at 3:22 PM on 20th January 2012 . A teenager who became the youngest person in Britain to have a full sex change is hoping to be crowned Miss England. After four suicide attempts, Jackie Green, 18, from Leeds, underwent surgery to become a woman on her 16th birthday. Ever since she was a toddler, Jackie - who was . born a boy and named Jack - always acted like a girl . and insisted on wearing feminine clothes and playing with girls’ toys. Teenage dreams: Jackie Green, pictured on TV show Lorraine Live today, hopes to be crowned Miss England just two years after she underwent a full sex change operation . Her parents came to terms with the . fact she was really a girl trapped inside a boy’s body and spent, in . total, £28,000 on her treatment. At her lowest point, the teenager even threatened to cut off her own genitals with a knife. Now Jackie has her sights set on a model future as she dreams of a place in the Miss England semi-finals. She said: 'It’s a little strange because there are so many other really gorgeous girls in the competition. 'It would be amazing to win and I just hope it makes other people see that there is a lot more to life than getting bullied.' New life: Jackie Green was the youngest person in Britain to undergo a sex change two years ago . Prayers answered: Jackie, pictured just before surgery, had her operation on her 16th birthday in Thailand . She added: 'When I was younger I never really . had anyone else to look up to in the same position. I would have never . imagined this, not in a million years.' Her supportive mother Susie added: 'If she went on to win I would be very proud of her. 'She has stuck herself out there and knew she would get flak for it. Some comments on websites haven’t . been very kind but she is aware of that and thinks why should that stop . me, I’m the same as anyone else.' Jackie is currently leading the public vote in her heat of the popular beauty contest. When she was Jack: Jackie, pictured with her mother Susie (left) , knew she was a girl trapped in a boy's body from an early age. She now dreams of following in the footsteps of Miss England 2011 Alize Mounter (right) The top three will then go through to a . judging panel before a lucky model is given the coveted spot in the . semi-finals of Miss England. A spokesman for the competition said: 'There's not much we could do legally to stop her entering. 'We did agonise over it, but as she is a woman she fits the bill and is an affable young lady.' Jackie underwent a seven-hour sex change operation in Thailand, where under 18s can have the surgery, two years ago. After years of bullying and torment, she now claims to lead a normal life and has a boyfriend.
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Jackie Green - formerly Jack - underwent surgery to become a woman in Thailand on her 16th birthday .
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14d515ed48458997b6e6e0057a2ef431da1b22d2
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(CNN) -- The head of European football has told players not to walk off the pitch if they are racially abused, saying any decision to stop a match should be left to the referee. UEFA president Michel Platini's comments come just one week after AC Milan striker Mario Balotelli, who was subjected to "monkey chants" in a recent match against Roma, told CNN he would leave the pitch if he was abused in future. Balotelli's teammate Kevin-Prince Boateng walked off the field during an exhibition match against a fourth division team in January and while Platini support's Boateng's decision, it is a situation he is keen not to see repeated. "It's not a matter for the player to regulate the game and to stop the game; it's a matter for the referee," Platini, who has been president of European football's governing body since 2007, told CNN in an exclusive interview. "It's not normal that people in 2013 are being insulted about their color, about the difference of color. It's not normal. It's very tough for the player on the field." But Platini fears that if a team is "not happy" and is losing a match its players could decide to leave the field for reasons that might having nothing to do with racist abuse. On Thursday, UEFA announced a raft of new racism regulations -- part closures of stadiums, match abandonments and full stadium closures in the event of discriminatory chanting. Clubs would be handed a fine of $65,000, a figure which has drawn criticism as being too meager for football teams which are multi-million dollar businesses. But Platini defended the severity of that financial sanction. "It's not a question of money," explained the Frenchman, who said clubs are often left in a difficult position when trying to deal with fans who attend games armed with political agendas. In the past Platini has also faced criticism for his stance on goal-line technology (GLT), with the Frenchman often portrayed as a "luddite" for opposing the use of a system which FIFA has embraced. GLT debuted at last year's Club World Cup and is set for another run out in June's FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil. But the 57-year-old Platini defended his position, insisting money should be spent on developing the game at grassroots level rather than GLT. "It will cost me $67 million to have GLT," continued Platini, who was crowned European Footballer of the Year in 1984. "I have to put it in all the games in the Champions League and all the games in the Europa League. I have to put it in Kazakhstan, in Manchester and in Turkey. "It costs me $67 million, for one goal, two goals a year? I prefer to invest that for the use football in the grassroots." Championed as a possible successor to FIFA president Sepp Blatter at the next election in 2015, Platini would not be drawn on whether he has ambitions to succeed the 77-year-old Swiss. "He will be 79," said Platini. referring to how old Blatter will be at FIFA's next presidential elections. "If he thinks it's time to stop, it's up to him." If Platini does succeed Blatter as head of football's global governing body, one item on his agenda will be the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, particularly with regard to what time of the year that tournament should be staged. Fears have been raised over playing the tournament in its usual June-July slot, which would see players compete in high temperatures. Platini has long been an advocate of playing the tournament in the European winter, a proposal which has been met with staunch opposition as it would disrupt the traditional season for Europe's major leagues. "If I am president of FIFA or not president of FIFA," declared Platini, "I will always support we have to play in winter."
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Michel Platini urges players not to walk off the pitch if racially abused .
The UEFA president insists the decision to stop a match rests with referees .
The Frenchman also reiterates his stance against goal-line technology .
Platini remains behind the Qatar World Cup in 2022 being played in winter .
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14d742a0abb53d89ff9d7ea0044b36bae766165d
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By . Sara Malm . PUBLISHED: . 04:21 EST, 21 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 06:08 EST, 21 January 2013 . Victim: Kayla Ann Hendrickson was found shot to death along Highway 6 . A 16-year-old girl found killed on a motorway died of gunshot wounds, Oregon state police said. Kayla Ann Hendrickson, from Beaverton, Oregon was found dead along the Highway 6 east of Tillamook, late Friday night. The only suspect involved in her death, Jacob Allen Green, 24, reportedly shot himself in his car the following day. According to police Ms Hendrickson and Mr Green, from Newport, knew each other. Mr Green, who worked for a Newport area logging company, shot himself in . his parked car in Humboldt County, California. He later died in hospital and is so far the only suspect in . the investigation into Kayla Ann’s death. His vehicle matched the one seen by witnesses on Highway 6 around 10.15pm Friday night. It was described as an unknown make or model late 1980′s to early 1990′s . full-size pickup was observed stopped on the north side shoulder of the . westbound lane on Highway 6 between milepost 18 and 19. Two people, a man and woman, were seen along the highway near the car. About 25 minutes later another witness reported ‘suspicious . circumstances’ at the same spot, where the responding state trooper . later found Kayla Ann Hendrickson’s body. Oregon state police said in a statement that Mr Green 'shot himself and died later at an area hospital. 'The joint investigation between Humboldt County Sheriff's Office and Tillamook County Major Crime Team confirmed the deceased male is known to Hendrickson and is tentatively believed to be involved with her death.' Police ask that anyone with information about the case, including anyone . who was traveling in the area at that time, call state police at . 800-452-7888. Investigation: Police are still investigating the two deaths although it has been established they knew each other (file photo)
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Kayla Ann Hendrickson, 16, was found dead by Highway 6 on Friday night .
Suspect Jacob Allen Green, 24, shot himself in his car the next day .
Green was the only suspect and later died in hospital .
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14d77743a81bc566a32bbd892d1ee522b000a1f6
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By . Emily Allen . PUBLISHED: . 07:11 EST, 18 July 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 14:37 EST, 18 July 2012 . A nurse stabbed her four-year-old daughter to death and tried to kill herself by drinking bleach after she faced the sack for leaking patient details to an accident 'cash for claims' law firm. Dawn Makin, 33, who is now permanently wheelchair bound following her attempted suicide, had been unmasked as a health centre 'mole' after she secretly fed confidential data to her boyfriend who was trying to sign up patients for a personal injury litigation company. But as health bosses investigated the scandal, Makin who faced losing her job, stabbed Chloe Burke to death and then cut her wrists and drank toxic fluid, believed to be bleach, in a bid to kill herself. Today, at Preston Crown Court, she wept as she pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished . responsibility after her 'not guilty to murder' plea was accepted by the . prosecution. In court: Wheel-chair bound Dawn Makin arrives at Preston Crown Court for the hearing today. She is pictured right in a Facebook picture with her four-year-old daughter Chloe who she stabbed to death . She was found unconscious next to . Chloe's body at their family home in Fairfield, Bury, Greater Manchester . when a worried relative alerted a neighbour. Makin . was rushed to hospital in a critical condition and later regained . partial consciousness but for several months was deemed to be too ill to . be interviewed by police. She . was charged with murder ten months later but is now confined to a . wheelchair and is living under 24 hour care in a hospital rehabilitation unit. Tests revealed Chloe died from multiple stab wounds. She will be sentenced next month following the preparation of two reports from forensic psychiatrists and was remanded on bail. Guilty: Dawn Makin, left, was charged with murder 10 months after Chloe, right, was found dead. She now lives under 24 hour care in a rehabilitation unit and cried as she appeared in court pleading guilty to manslaughter . Lawyers are expected to read out personal statements from Chloe’s family and submit graphic photos of the death scene and the little girl's injuries at the next hearing. Chloe’s father Michael Burke was not in court. The tragedy occurred after Makin was warned she she faced facing disciplinary action and the sack for illegally accessing a computer at the Moorgate Primary Care walk-in centre where she worked in Bury. She had earlier been placed under investigation by the Information Commissioner’s Office for leaking patient details to boyfriend Martin Campbell who worked at the time as an agent for personal injuries claim firm Direct Assist. Crime scene: Forensic officers at the home where Chloe's body was found. Ms Makin cut her wrists and drank toxic fluids. She was found unconscious next to her daughter when a worried relative alerted a neighbour . Campbell, 34, obtained names and telephones of 29 accident victims who had been treated at the walk in centre then called them himself in an attempted to sign them up and increase his pay check over a four-month period from December 2009. He was caught when patients started to complain to NHS Bury, saying that a man had called them about their injuries and encouraged them to make a personal injury claim. NHS Bury then investigated and found the files had been accessed without legitimate reason by Makin. Chloe’s body was discovered in February last year after her grandmother, Sheila Makin, raised the alarm following failed attempts to contact her. A neighbour broke down the door and made the discovery. In court Makin wore a black short sleeved top with silver sequins, a green army style jacket with hood, white leggings, grey sandals, pink handbag. She spoke to confirm her name and to plead guilty to the charge. Investigation: A review of Chloe's death is due to be carried out by child protection experts in Bury . Prosecutor Mr Peter Wright QC said: . 'This is a case in which both experts express opinions but they agree . that this is a case where the defendant at the time was suffering from a . medical condition. 'It was a . medical condition that subsequently impaired her ability to do one or . more things mentioned in the act. Both were satisfied it provides an . explanation for the defendant’s actions. 'The . family of Chloe, the grandparents and natural father and those . interested parties have all been informed that this was the view taken . after careful consideration and understand the reasoning behind the . acceptance of the plea.' Adjourning . the case Judge Anthony Russell QC replied: 'I’m sure they do understand . the position is a very difficult one for everyone.' Makin . did not attend Chloe’s funeral at St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in . Bury the following April in an hour long service which heard the . youngster described as a 'little princess.' Police outside Ms Makin's home. She had been unmasked as a health centre . 'mole' after she secretly fed confidential data to her boyfriend who was . trying to sign up patients for a personal injury litigation company . Campbell, of Bury, was fined £1,050 plus £1,175 costs in June last year after he admitted seven counts of breaching the Data Protection Act and asked for 22 other offences to be considered. At the time Information Commissioner Christopher Graham said: 'People’s medical information is some of their most sensitive data and they rightly expect health workers only to access it when there is a legitimate business need. 'Abusing this trust for personal gain is clearly wrong and potentially very distressing for those affected. 'Martin Campbell would have known that obtaining the information was unlawful and yet he put his greed ahead of people’s privacy rights. 'Where greed and breach of trust meet then the results, as in this case, can be tragic.' A full review of the issues surrounding Chloe’s death is due to be carried out by child protection experts in Bury.
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Dawn Making stabbed her daughter Chloe to death, slit her own wrists and drank toxic fluid to try and kill herself .
She was found unconscious next to her daughter's body after a worried relative alerted a neighbour .
The 33-year-old is permanently wheelchair bound and lives under 24 hour care in a rehabilitation unit .
She admitted manslaughter after pleading not guilty to murder .
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14d7b4942d3f0ef0eb4d5da28d8dd11bda7aea61
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By . Emma Innes . PUBLISHED: . 07:30 EST, 5 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:31 EST, 5 November 2013 . Girls are going through puberty earlier and earlier, a new study has found. This is thought to be because of increasing rates of childhood obesity . Girls are going through puberty earlier and earlier, a new study has found. This is thought to be because of increasing rates of childhood obesity. U.S. researchers have found that white girls start to develop breasts at about nine and a half - a few months earlier than in the 1990s. African American girls, on the other hand, now start to develop breasts just before they turn nine, on average. The researchers studied data from 1,200 American girls who were enrolled in the study between the ages of six and eight. At each check-up, experts assessed the girls’ breast development. They found African American girls first show signs of breast development at eight years and 10 months, on average. Hispanic girls first show signs of breast development at nine years and four months on average, and white and Asian girls at nine years and eight months. For white girls, they found that puberty is now hitting about four months earlier than in a 1997 study that also measured breast development. They also discovered that heavier girls tend to start developing breasts at a younger age. As a result, Dr Frank Biro and his colleagues at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Centre in Ohio wrote in the journal Paediatrics that rising obesity rates seem to be a ‘prime driver’ behind breast development starting earlier. There are a number of theories as to why obesity might be linked to earlier onset of puberty. Researchers at Oregon State University believe it could be because diet plays havoc with the body clock which, in turn, changes the balance of hormones in the body. Another theory is that carrying excess fat tissue encourages the body to produces hormones which kick start puberty. However, Dr Anders Juul, head of the Department of Growth and Reproduction at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, Denmark, has carried out research which suggests obesity is not behind the earlier development of breasts. He believes exercise levels and chemicals in the environment play a role in causing the onset of puberty. African American girls now start to develop breasts just before they turn nine, on average, while white girls start to develop breasts at about nine and a half. This is a few months earlier than in the 1990s . The researchers believe that maturing at a younger age could come with long-term risks for some girls. For instance, those who hit puberty earlier could be at higher risk of breast and other cancers because their bodies spend more years making, and being exposed to, oestrogen. They also tend to start having sex or using drugs and alcohol at younger ages and are more likely to become depressed or develop low self-esteem, they said. ‘You've got a 10-year-old who looks like a 14-year-old. We interact with kids based on the way that they look,’ Dr Biro said. ‘Kids interact with each other that way also.’ ‘One of the things the parents of these early maturing kids need to do is they need to monitor them more closely,’ he told Reuters Health. ‘That includes talking about sex earlier.’ But Dr Juul said parents shouldn't be overly worried ,as the data about early puberty and problems down the line come from studies that asked women when they first got their period and this was not measured in this study. ‘I think the scary part is not (for) the actual girl, because we don't know what it means for her,’ he told Reuters Health. ‘It is a warning that something is influencing our child population and it calls for concern and continued studies.’
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African American girls now start to develop breasts at eight years and ten months, on average, and white girls at nine years and eight months .
This is about four months earlier than in the 1990s .
Heavier girls start to develop breasts at an earlier age than slim girls .
This could be because carrying excess fat tissue encourages the body to produce the hormones that kick start puberty earlier .
Early puberty has been linked to an increased risk of some cancers .
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14d8bdd7751402250b15c6b8f7011ae6130892c5
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Abuja, Nigeria (CNN) -- There is a predictable pattern that ensues following any tragic news in Nigeria. There is at first a collective sense of shock and grief. There follows official visits to the scene of the tragedy. Families are condoled and money is doled out in compensation. A period of mourning is inevitably announced. In a country where nothing happens quickly, committees and investigative panels will then be set up with remarkable alacrity. Months will pass. And then nothing. The result is always the same. Rhetoric, followed by vacuous proclamations but ultimately, inaction. The banal sequence has already begun playing out with news of Sunday's fatal air crash in Lagos which claimed over 150 lives. This time, however, Nigerians are demanding answers. Accidents do happen of course but the memories of January's mass protests are fresh and there lingers a suspicion of government negligence. It is far too early to determine the outcome of the crash but early indications are that this was an entirely avoidable disaster. See also: Nigerians no longer 'suffering and smiling' The investigation must begin with Dana Air, operators of the ill fated Boeing MD-83. The irony is that the Indian-owned airline has quite a decent track record since they began operations in Nigeria four years ago. With a modest number of four aircraft in its fleet, the airline had grown at a reasonable pace and had just taken delivery of another Boeing MD-83 in May. A strong focus on domestic services and competitive fares had seen Dana Air become the airline of choice for many regular fliers. There were signs, however, in the last six months that standards had begun to slip. First came the irregular take-off times. Dana flights, once paragons of punctuality, started taking off late or sometimes not at all. The delays were quite often without reason. On 15 May this year, I waited with other passengers for over six hours to board as engineers addressed a mechanical problem on one of its planes. On a separate occasion, we were to board the last Dana Flight out of Lagos to Abuja. The flight was canceled and no explanation given. There was no offer of compensation either. Dana Air has also faced accusations of penny-pinching. Even before Sunday's crash, there had been suggestions that Dana's four aircraft were being overworked. See also: iReport images from Lagos . On Sunday alone, the aircraft with registration number 5N-RAM was already on its fourth trip of the day and scheduled to make another one. In May, the same aircraft had to make two unscheduled air returns following reports of engine failure, according to a Dana Air station manager in Lagos. Whatever the outcome of the investigation, the omens are not good for Dana Air. No Nigerian airline has ever fully recovered from an air disaster. EAS Airlines, Bellview, SoSoLiso and ADC Air were all Nigerian airlines with decent sized fleets and considerable goodwill just ten years ago. Their names all became obsolete pretty quickly following a spate of crashes between 2002 and 2006. The government has taken the step of withdrawing their operational license and ground Dana aircraft whilst an inquiry takes place. Even in the event of continued operations, there would have been a likely slump in passenger bookings which will harm the airline. The investigation must go beyond Dana and extend to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). The main regulator of the country's airline industry will need to face some tough questions as well. Did they do enough to minimize the chance of such a crash? The Dana Air was 22 years old, which is not exactly ancient in aviation terms but given that Nigerian law prohibits aircraft over the age of 20 from operating, who fell asleep at the switch? Besides at that age, any aircraft would require maintenance checks to be as regular as they are vigorous. Separate eyewitness accounts of leaking hydraulics on the MD-83 do not suggest that this was the case. This time around the Nigerian public is in no mood for obfuscation or cover-ups. The last major air incident in Nigeria was in October 2006 when an ADC airlines flight crashed near Abuja and killed 96 on board. The outcome of the subsequent investigation was never revealed but now there is a growing demand that such information is shared with the public. Following that crash, the government grounded all commercial aircraft and revoked the licenses of many. Air worthiness became a paramount issue and as a result the slack operators were forced to tighten up. Those that could not shape up exited the scene. On that occasion it took over 500 deaths in five years to shake the government into action. If laxity has started to creep back into Nigeria's aviation sector, one hopes that it will not take a similar rash of incidents to ensure that safety standards are being consistently met. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Terfa Tilley-Gyado.
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Gyado says there were signs that Dana Air standards had slipped in the last six months .
The airline faces accusations of penny-pinching and aircraft overuse .
Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, the country's airline industry regulator must be questioned too .
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KHARTOUM, Sudan (CNN) -- Hundreds of angry protesters, some waving ceremonial swords from trucks equipped with loud speakers, gathered Friday outside the presidential palace to denounce a teacher whose class named a teddy bear "Mohammed" -- some calling for her execution. An undated amateur photo of Gillian Gibbons, who has been found guilty of insulting religion. The protesters, which witnesses said numbered close to 1,000, swore to fight in the name of their prophet. Gillian Gibbons, 54, was given 15 days in jail late Thursday after she was convicted of insulting religion. She was cleared of charges of inciting hatred and showing contempt for religious beliefs, her lawyer, Ali Ajeb, said. Ajeb said they planned to appeal the sentence, which begins from the date she was detained, Nov. 25. Including Friday, she has 10 more days in jail. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said he was "extremely disappointed" that the charges were not dismissed. Meanwhile senior British lawmakers were en route to Khartoum to try to secure Gibbons' early release. The two members of the House of Lords were set to arrive in Khartoum about 5 a.m. Saturday (9 p.m. Friday ET), Time magazine reporter Sam Dealey told CNN, citing British and Sudanese sources. They will meet with government ministers and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, he said. Sources close to the British government and the Republican Palace in Sudan say it is expected that a deal will be reached, and Gibbons will be released, Dealey said. Visas for the two, he said, were granted "in record time ... by Sudanese standards." Friday's demonstrations began as worshippers spilled out of mosques in the capital after Friday prayers. They marched to the palace, which is on the same street as Unity High School, where Gibbons taught grade school students. Those who named the bear were 7 years old. A heavy police presence was maintained outside the school, but no demonstrators were there. Watch men brandish knives, shout » . Armed with swords and sticks, the protesters shouted: "By soul, by blood, I will fight for the Prophet Mohammad." Western journalists who attempted to talk to the protesters were ushered away by men in plain clothes. Gibbons is being held in a women's prison in the Omdurman district of Khartoum, and she will be deported at the end of her prison term, British consular officials told CNN. British Embassy staff said they were giving the teacher -- from the northern British city of Liverpool -- full consular assistance. In leaflets distributed earlier this week by Muslim groups, the protesters promised a "popular release of anger" at Friday's protests. The leaflets condemned Gibbons as an "infidel" and accused her of "the pollution of children's mentality" by her actions. Omer Mohammed Ahmed Siddig, the Sudanese ambassador to Britain, was summoned for a second time to meet with the British foreign secretary late Thursday after the court's ruling. Miliband also spoke to the Sudanese acting foreign minister for 15 minutes on the telephone during the meeting, the British Foreign Office said. "Our priority now is to ensure Ms. Gibbons' welfare and we will continue to provide consular assistance to her," Miliband said in a statement. The Foreign Office said there would be further talks with the Sudanese government Friday. Gibbons was arrested Sunday after she asked her class to name the stuffed animal as part of a school project, the Foreign Office said. She had faced charges under Article 125 of Sudan's constitution, the law relating to insulting religion and inciting hatred. She could have received a sentence of 40 lashes, a fine or jail term of up to a year, according to the Foreign Office. British newspapers condemned Gibbons' conviction, with the Daily Telegraph calling for the recall of the British ambassador from Khartoum and sanctions against the heads of the Sudanese government. Watch a report on reactions to the verdict » . In an editorial, the tabloid newspaper, The Sun, said Gibbons' jailing was a "grotesque insult to Islam" and called Gibbons "an innocent abroad." Four vans filled with riot police were waiting outside the courthouse at Thursday's hearing, but there were no disturbances. Staff from Gibbons' school, including director Robert Boulos, were present. Defense counsel later confirmed that the complaint against Gibbons came from Sarah Khawad, a secretary at the school. Gibbons has been working at the school, popular with wealthy Sudanese and expatriates, since August, after leaving her position as deputy head teacher at a primary school in Liverpool this summer, Boulos said. He said Gibbons asked the children to pick their favorite name for the new class mascot, which she was using to aid lessons about animals and their habitats. E-mail to a friend .
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Some demonstrators demand execution of Gillian Gibbons, 54 .
Gibbons found guilty of insulting religion, sentenced to 15 days in jail .
Teacher arrested after her class named teddy bear "Mohammed"
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London (CNN) -- India has launched a rocket it hopes will allow it to join an elite group of space explorers to Mars. The country's space research organization (ISRO) launched its orbiter to the Red Planet on Tuesday -- only NASA, the former Soviet Union and the Europeans have previously been successful in operating probes from Mars. Japan made an attempt with the Nozomi orbiter in 1998 but it failed to reach the planet and a Chinese probe was lost along with the Russian Phobos-Grunt mission in January 2012. The UK's Beagle 2 probe separated from the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter in 2003 but nothing was ever heard from the lander. It will take 10 months for India's Mars Orbiter Mission to reach the Red Planet after lifting off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre near Chennai. The probe will explore the planet's surface features, minerals and atmosphere. ISRO is hoping to discover more about the loss of water from Mars, map the sources of methane gas, as well as collecting data about the two moons Phobos and Deimos. But ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan told CNN that one of the biggest technological challenges was just getting there. Many missions have failed to reach the planet while others have crashed on the surface or contact has been lost before the probes could send back data. India's space program launched its first Earth satellite in 1975 and put an unmanned probe into orbit around the Moon in 2008. It plans to launch its own manned spaceflight in 2016, though an Indian cosmonaut, Rakesh Sharma, flew aboard a Soviet space mission in 1984. The U.S. is aiming to build on the success of a series of robots that have roamed the surface of the Red Planet when it launches its own orbiter mission called Maven -- Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution spacecraft -- scheduled to launch on November 18. The European Space Agency is working with the Russians on an ExoMars rover that is due to start its mission in 2018. But private companies are also proposing trips to the Red Planet -- and some of them are only one-way. The Mars One project wants to colonize Earth's neighbor, beginning in 2022 and the Inspire Mars Foundation wants to launch a man and a woman on a 501-day round-trip in 2018 without ever touching down. Is India's Mars mission fueling Asian space race? Explore Mars discoveries with CNN's interactive map . More on future Mars missions . CNN Mars full coverage .
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Only NASA, the former Soviet Union and Europeans have succeeded with Mars probes .
India's spacecraft will explore the planet's surface features, minerals and atmosphere .
ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan says one of the biggest technological challenges is just getting there .
NASA is due to launch its MAVEN probe to Mars later in November .
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(CNN) -- The new coach of Penn State's embattled football program acknowledged criticism from alumni over his hiring, vowing to work to earn their trust and saluting the team's iconic former head coach Joe Paterno. Bill O'Brien's selection as the Nittany Lions' next coach has stirred the ire of some former Penn State football players, angry that he didn't attend the university and had never before been a head coach. He becomes the 15th head football coach in the program's 125-year history after replacing interim coach Tom Bradley, a former player and longtime coach at Penn State. Bradley himself stepped in after school trustees fired Paterno in November after he didn't go far enough in reporting an alleged child sex abuse scandal involving former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky. O'Brien, most recently the offensive coordinator for the NFL's New England Patriots, said Saturday he is aware of the "controversy," though he predicted that "in time, we will find that we have more common interests and goals than not." "We admire one's loyalties to Penn State, Penn State football, its grand tradition, coach Paterno and all his football staffs," O'Brien said. "We respectfully request the opportunity to earn your trust through communication and ... through our (shared) abilities, ethics, beliefs, work ethics and commitment to Penn State." A riot erupted on the Pennsylvania school's campus after Paterno was dismissed, days after Sandusky was arrested and accused of sexually abusing young boys. Paterno, 84, who his family has said is being treated for lung cancer, left the program as the all-time winningest football coach in Division I history. O'Brien said Saturday that "there will never be enough words to say what he did for this program -- as far as wins, as far as off-the-field (by) graduating student-athletes every single year." The new coach said he hadn't met yet with predecessor, but he looked "forward to that as soon as I can." SI: Many Penn State alumni angry over choice . Paterno himself issued a statement Saturday, after news broke about O'Brien's selection. He referenced the fact that both men attended and played football at Brown University. "I understand Bill O'Brien has been named head coach and I want to congratulate him on his appointment," Paterno said. "I don't know Bill, but I respect his coaching record, and I am particularly pleased we share a connection to my alma mater, Brown." Paterno defended the program under his watch, against criticisms that it made winning and control of the program the top priorities over developing student-athletes. "Despite recent commentary to the contrary, Penn State football has always been about more than winning," he said. 'I came to Penn State with the simple but unshakeable view that this great institution could and should have a football program that is both fiercely competitive and deeply committed to education and community service. "The proof of our success is the hundreds of former players who have graduated and gone on to become great husbands, fathers, businessmen and community leaders. I am hopeful this tradition will continue." Patriots head coach Bill Belichick lauded O'Brien in a statement Saturday, calling him an "inspirational leader" for the team. "Bill O'Brien has met every personal and professional challenge head on with great passion and competitiveness," Belichick said. "This is a great match between a storied program and a old-school football coach. Bill will be up to the task." Penn State's quarterback, Matt McGloin said earlier this week that he and other players are "excited" for a "fresh start." McGloin told CNN affiliate WBRE that he hopes the selection of O'Brien will help "erase some of the things that have happened in the past year." "It should be exciting for everyone," said McGloin, acknowledging that some Penn State alumni have voiced dissatisfaction with the move since O'Brien didn't attend the State College school. "The most important thing is that the players are happy." The Penn State program is still reeling from the abuse allegations that surfaced this fall. Prosecutors have said that Sandusky sexually molested at least eight boys, some of them in Penn State facilities, over a 14-year period. That includes a 2002 shower incident in which a former Penn State graduate assistant, Mike McQueary, said he saw Sandusky possibly sodomizing a boy, saying that what he saw was "extremely sexual in nature," according to grand jury testimony. He told Paterno, who told then-athletic director Tim Curley, according to a grand jury report. Law enforcement authorities, however, didn't become aware of that allegation until years later. Curley and Gary Schultz, a university vice president who oversaw campus police, are charged with perjury and failing to report suspected child sexual abuse related to the 2002 incident. O'Brien did not mention the sex abuse scandal in his opening remarks Saturday. He did say that the "standard for Penn State football remains very high." "There is so much pride in Penn State, and we will never take that for granted," he said. According to his biography on Patriots.com, the NFL team's official website, the Nittany Lions' new football coach grew up in Dorchester, Massachusetts. O'Brien began his coaching career at Brown, his alma mater, before going on to take jobs at Georgia Tech, Maryland and Duke. He joined the Patriots in 2007 as a coaching assistant, rapidly rising up the ranks in the subsequent years. "The Penn State football program has a great legacy and has contributed enormously to our university community," university President Rodney A. Erickson said in a statement. "A program of this caliber requires a special kind of leader -- a leader who will embrace that legacy and maintain the university's commitment to excellence on the field and in the classroom. We have that leader in Coach O'Brien, and I look forward to working with him in his new role." CNN's Susan Candiotti contributed to this report.
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NEW: Bill O'Brien acknowledges criticism of his hiring and vows to earn alumni's trust .
NEW: He praises iconic, and recently fired, Penn State coach Joe Paterno .
Paterno himself says that he respects O'Brien's coaching record .
Patriots coach Bill Belichick lauds O'Brien, saying he and Penn State are a "great match"
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A father has been arrested after allegedly stabbing to death his five-month-old baby daughter and a family friend and critically injuring two others in a domestic-related knife attack at a Wisconsin home. The suspect, who is yet to be identified, reportedly fatally stabbed his defenseless daughter as she lay in her crib at her mother's duplex in Milwaukee at around 8.30am on Friday. He also knifed to death a 39-year-old man, described by police as a family friend, as well as seriously wounding the baby's 19-year-old mother and her new boyfriend, 22, it is alleged. Incredibly, the woman - the suspect's ex-girlfriend - managed to call 911 as she was being attacked, alerting police to the 'domestic violence incident', the force's chief, Edward Flynn, said. Scroll down for video . Tragic: A father has been arrested after allegedly stabbing to death his five-month-old daughter and a family friend and critically injuring two others in a domestic-related knife attack at this Wisconsin home (pictured) Officers rushed to the duplex, situated near 39th Street and Clybourn, and discovered the baby girl lying dead in her crib. The male victim was also found unresponsive in the property. Meanwhile, the child's mother and her partner were taken to a Milwaukee area hospital, where the woman underwent surgery. The pair are currently undergoing further treatment at the facility. During the raid, police found the suspect residing in the bathroom of the duplex, with several superficial stab wounds on his body. He was arrested at the scene and treated for his injuries. 'The offender, the man we've arrested, is apparently the ex-boyfriend (of the mother) and father of the dead baby,' Chief Flynn said on Friday morning. 'The young man who was stabbed is someone who very recently established a relationship with the mother of the baby. Obviously the mother of the baby has been seriously wounded. 'Also murdered was an older man in the apartment who was basically a friend of the family.' Police chief: The suspect reportedly fatally stabbed his daughter as she lay in her crib. He then killed a 39-year-old man and seriously wounded the baby's mother, 19, and her new boyfriend, 22, it is said. Above, Police Chief Edward Flynn (pictured) said the man has now been arrested and police are not seeking other suspects . Scene: Officers rushed to the duplex, situated near 39th Street and Clybourn, and discovered the baby girl lying dead in her crib. The male victim was also found unresponsive. Above, police outside the property . Chief Flynn said the baby's parents had experienced a troubled relationship. 'We have learned from the people at the scene that there previous incidents of domestic violence, but none have ever been reported to us,' he said. The alleged homicides are among 13 to have taken place in Milwaukee since the start of the year, compared to one homicide in January 2014. 'This was not on our radar screen and it is those that tend to be the most volatile,' Chief Flynn told Fox 6. 'And when one of these erupts into deadly violence, the results are tragic.' Mayor: Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett (pictured) joined Flynn at the crime scene to denounce the violence . Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett joined Flynn at the crime scene to denounce the violence. 'As mayor, it is very frustrating to have a month like we have had in her the city of Milwaukee as it pertains to violence. Usually January is our least violent month of the year,' Mr Barrett said. Chief Flynn said police are not seeking any other suspects in the stabbings. The suspect and victims involved are yet to be formally named. An investigation is ongoing.
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Suspect allegedly stabbed to death five-month-old daughter in her crib'
Also 'murdered man, 39, and stabbed ex-girlfriend and her new partner'
Woman managed to call 911 as she was being attacked Friday morning .
She and her boyfriend are undergoing treatment at a Wisconsin hospital .
Suspect, who is yet to be identified by police, was arrested at the scene .
'Domestic violence-related' incident occurred at a duplex in Milwaukee .
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(CNN) -- The institution of marriage is unique. It is the one institution that binds women and men together to form a family, and this serves broad societal purposes. In California, a U.S. District Court Judge last week overturned Proposition 8, the California Marriage Protection Act. It was passed in November 2008 by California voters to recognize "only marriage between a man and a woman." The majority of Californians, including two-thirds of the state's black voters, have just had their core civil right -- the right to vote -- stripped from them by an openly gay federal judge who has misread history and the Constitution to impose his views on the state's people. The implicit comparison Judge Vaughn Walker made between racism and opposition to same-sex marriage is particularly offensive to me and to all who remember the reality of Jim Crow. It is not bigotry, it is biology that discriminates between same-sex couples and opposite-sex couples. A marriage requires a husband and a wife, because these unions are necessary to make new life and connect children to their mother and father. Judge Walker's decision will not stand the test of time and history. Congress and the Supreme Court must act to protect all Americans' right to vote for marriage. Advocates of making same-sex marriage a legally recognized right claim that this will have no impact on traditional marriage -- that it can peacefully coexist alongside traditional marriage. On the contrary, it will have profound impacts. It will create a conflict for people of faith (and nonreligious people as well) who fervently believe in traditional man-woman marriage and the law. The Bible is so clear in its support of heterosexual marriage there is little need for us to go through an exhaustive definition of biblical marriage versus the types of unions allowed by law today. The Scriptures say in Genesis 2:24 that a man is to leave his family and cleave to his wife. This concept is repeated in Matthew 19:5 and Mark 10:7. All the scriptures in the Bible concerning marriage presuppose heterosexual marriage. We can teach our kids that there are important spiritual and societal reasons to believe in traditional marriage and oppose same-sex marriage. But if same-sex marriage becomes legally recognized across the country, our kids will be told that gay marriage is a civil rights issue and that those who oppose it are akin to the racists of history who opposed interracial marriage and supported slavery. We can teach our children at home that marriage is between a man and a woman, but our children's public schools will teach them that marriage includes same-sex couples. Both would be "equal marriages" under the law. What might this look like? In Massachusetts, where a ruling legalized same-sex marriage in 2004, kids in public schools are reading books depicting same-sex families. At a California charter school in 2008, kindergartners' parents objected when a school newsletter alerted them to "National Coming Out Day;" a parent told a local ABC-TV affiliate that a teacher at the school screened a film to kindergartners the previous year showing gay families. These kinds of ill-advised social experiments may produce a host of unexpected consequences. If gay marriage is allowed, the nation will soon begin to experience an increased degradation of the nuclear family -- resulting in fewer kids being raised by both a mom and a dad. Beyond that, those of us who believe in traditional marriage and are in a regulated profession -- such as counselor, physician, attorney or accountant -- and act in concert with our beliefs, may be vulnerable to losing our professional license and our livelihood. We can be a religious charity faithfully fulfilling our mission by serving our community, such as by providing adoption and other services, but if we refuse to provide those services to a same-sex couple, we have the choice of abandoning our beliefs or ending our mission. In 2003, Adoption.com was sued by two California homosexual men, who claimed illegal discrimination because the agency refused to serve homosexual couples. The agency lost the lawsuit and no longer serves adoptive parents in California. An even more substantive danger lies in the consequences of gay marriage on the next generation. Redefining marriage redefines family. Changing the concept of family will change both the definition and the pattern of parenting. What will the landscape of America look like if same-sex marriage is legalized across our nation? Social scientists report what most Americans have always known: Both boys and girls are deeply affected in biological and psychological ways by the presence of their fathers. If the American family loses the presence of the birth dad in the home, there will be huge consequences to the growth and stability of the next generation of children in that family. For example, repeatedly, scholarly studies focused on adolescence show that early onset of puberty in girls is associated with negative psychological, social, and health problems including depression, alcohol consumption, and higher teenage pregnancy. An eight-year study of girls and their families showed that a father's presence in the home, with appropriate involvement in his children's lives, contributed to daughters' reaching puberty at a later age. Despite the incredible adaptability of children, our entire culture should advocate for family structures that promote the most positive environments for coming generations. In addition to fighting the marriage redefinition, leaders from all sectors of our culture, including our churches, must work hard at improving heterosexual marriages. Counseling, modeling, and interventions are needed to help ailing marriages. Both battles must be fought if our families, which are the incubators of future societal greatness, are to be protected. Let's set our sights high. Let's not fall victim to the circling argument of our opposition. We simply need an army of bipartisan leaders to strategize, organize, and prioritize the protection of marriage. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Harry R. Jackson, Jr.
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Bishop Harry Jackson: The institution of marriage is unique in our society .
The institution serves broad societal purposes, Jackson writes .
Jackson: Gay marriage will lead to degradation of the nuclear family .
Family structures that promote positive environments should be culture's aim, he says .
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14dc4f7acb9feae8cc936c424476d8af6c497334
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By . Niamh O'doherty . PUBLISHED: . 05:21 EST, 15 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 06:12 EST, 15 December 2012 . A French bell foundry in Normandy has cast the final bronze bell of eight huge replacements bound for the . north tower of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The bell, called Anne-Genevieve, was cast using medieval methods at Cornille Havard in Villedieu-les-Poeles on Friday. The 12th-century Gothic cathedral will inaugurate its set of nine new bells in February, one of the highlights in a . series of events marking the . beginning of the cathedral's 850th anniversary. Foundry workers ignite escaping gases after the molten metal is poured into the bronze bell mould for Anne-Genevieve . Workers stoking a furnace to melt the copper and tin mixture to cast the bronze bell . Foundry worker Virgine Basseti cleans Gabriel, one of the new bells bound for Notre Dame Cathedral . After the . revolution, the north tower's bells were replaced in 1856, but they will . replaced again with bells made of better quality metal that will . produce a clearer sound. Some of the bells were taken out of . use when it was discovered that ringing them caused the building to . shake, threatening its structural integrity. The new bells will be inaugurated in February 2013 and will sound on Palm Sunday, a month later. Archbishop Andre Vingt-Trois and Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe joined thousands . of dignitaries, tourists and Parisians on Wednesday for a ceremony and . Mass marking the beginning of year-long commemoration of Notre Dame . Cathedral's 850th anniversary. Bishop Bernard Lagoutte (centre, on left) and Father Frank Bajada (centre, on right) bless the casting of Anne-Genevieve at the bell foundry . Employees control the red hot metal as it flows into the mould to cast the bell . Anne-Genevieve and the other new bells will be inaugurated in Notre Dame, right, in February 2013 and will sound on Palm Sunday, a month later . Each year, 14 million tourists visit the cathedral, which holds five Masses a day during the week, and seven on Sunday. The structure took nearly 90 years to build . Speaking outside the cathedral before . celebrating Mass on Wednesday, the archbishop said Notre Dame de Paris . is 'a symbol for Parisians and for people across the world.' After the Mass, French Interior . Minister Manuel Valls spoke in front of the huge wooden doors of the . cathedral's Portal of the Last Judgment. Noting . that the cathedral had survived the reigns of '80 kings, two emperors . and five republics,' Valls said the cathedral's 850th anniversary 'is . moving for all who see in its towers the image of France in all its . greatness.' Each year, 14 million tourists visit the cathedral, which holds five Masses a day during the week, and seven on Sunday. The structure took nearly 90 years to build. Last September, the largest of the nine new bells was cast at a foundry in Holland. The six-ton bell, named Marie, was cast in a blend of copper and tin using a centuries-old formula at Holland's Royal Eijsbouts Bell Foundry. After the revolution, the north tower's bells were replaced in 1856, but they will replaced again with bells made of better quality metal that will produce a clearer sound . Many of the original bells were removed during the French Revolution. It is thought the looted bells were melted down to make cannon balls . Gabriel, one of the replacement bells. The largest remaining bell, Emmanuel, has been tolled to mark the end of the First and Second Wars, the liberation of the city in 1944, and the September 11, 2001 attacks on the Twin Towers in New York . French Interior Minister Manuel Valls said the cathedral's 850th anniversary 'is moving for all who see in its towers the image of France in all its greatness' Marie will be a long-awaited replacement . for a much older bell of the same name that was removed during the . French Revolution, when insurgents took over the cathedral and removed . all of its bells except the largest one, which is called Emmanuel. It is . thought the looted bells were melted down to make cannon balls. Emmanuel has been tolled to mark the end of the First and Second Wars, the liberation of the city in 1944, and major state occasions, as well as ringing on the hour. It was also rung on September 11, 2001 after the attacks on the Twin Towers in New York. The foundry worked with the Technical University of Eindhoven to create computer software that would allow the foundry to design a bell as well as hear it. The shape of the bell determines how it sounds. The idea is to make music from the cathedral sound as it did before the French Revolution. Experts have found manuscripts indicating what note the original bell would have produced.
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Many of the original bells were looted during the French Revolution .
It is thought the looted bells were melted down to make cannon balls .
Medieval foundry in Normandy tasked with making new bells .
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14de0f90cbd9cb70bd885fb04e41e9f8c38849c8
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(CNN) -- U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel will bring a "tough-minded" and "pragmatic" approach to the White House when he becomes President-elect Barack Obama's chief of staff, according to people who know the Chicago, Illinois, native. Rep. Rahm Emanuel has experience in the White House, on Wall Street and on Capitol Hill. Emanuel, a former top aide to President Clinton, has accepted the position in the new administration, Obama confirmed in a statement Thursday. "I announce this appointment first because the chief of staff is central to the ability of a president and administration to accomplish an agenda," Obama said. "And no one I know is better at getting things done than Rahm Emanuel." In the job, Emanuel would oversee the White House staff. The chief of staff is usually involved in all the major decisions that the president makes and is responsible for making sure the administration carries out the president's wishes. Watch Emanuel call himself "fortunate" » . The chief of staff also often is involved in negotiations with congressional leaders when major legislation is under consideration. Jim Manley, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, called Emanuel: "An excellent choice." "Rahm knows the Hill. And he knows the White House. He is a brilliant strategic thinker and someone who knows how to get things done," Manley said. Manley also rejected the idea that Emanuel is a true partisan that could not work with Republicans. "That's ridiculous. Rahm understands politics is the art of compromise. He's got a deeply held set of views but he also understands to get things done you have to compromise," he said. After leaving the Clinton White House, Emanuel, 48, was an investment banker on Wall Street and later was elected to the House of Representatives in 2002 from a heavily Democratic Chicago district. He quickly rose to become the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House. Watch what Emanuel brings to the White House » . It is Emanuel's combination of experiences -- plus his strong personal relationship with Obama -- that would make him a strong chief of staff, said CNN political analyst Paul Begala, a fellow Clinton veteran. "He has spent more time in the White House than President-elect Obama has. That matters a lot. It is a special place with its own rhythms," Begala said. See who Obama may be considering for his Cabinet » . "But, maybe most importantly, he's got the relationship. He has known Barack and Michelle Obama for a number of years." Before reports emerged that he had accepted the position, Emanuel told WLS-TV in Chicago that he had to consider the possible impact on his family. Watch how Obama is starting his transition » . "I have a lot to weigh: the basis of public service, which I have given my life to, a career choice. And most importantly, what I want to do as a parent," Emanuel said in an interview that aired Wednesday. Emanuel added: "This is not a professional choice. This is a personal choice about what my wife and I want to do for our family, as much as what to do with my career." Emanuel's at-times blunt approach would ensure the White House runs smoothly for the new president, said Mack McLarty, Clinton's former chief of staff. Watch as McLarty calls Emanuel an "excellent choice" » . "Rahm is high energy. He's direct. He's a tough-minded pragmatist. So I think the years have been good to him in that regard," McLarty said. "I think the high-energy directness will serve him well. "Rahm, like a lot of us, made mistakes, but he quickly corrected them." However, the lawmaker's direct style has ruffled a number of feathers in Washington, and Emanuel is known as one of the toughest partisan fighters on Capitol Hill. After reports that Emanuel had agreed to be Obama's chief of staff on Thursday, the top Republican in the House, Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio, questioned the president-elect's pick. Election T-shirt: Obama inspires historic victory . "This is an ironic choice for a president-elect who has promised to change Washington, make politics more civil and govern from the center," Boehner said. According to a 2006 profile of Emanuel in Fortune magazine, Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma warned his fellow Republicans of Emanuel's ferocity in a letter two years ago. "He's dangerous," Cole told Fortune then. "He has a closing intensity. When he's got a political kill in sight, he's absolutely relentless." But David Gergen, a CNN senior political analyst who has worked in five administrations, said the contrasting styles between Obama and Emanuel could help the new president get things done in Washington. "They are obviously setting up a good cop/bad cop routine in the White House. ... Barack Obama can be the good guy," Gergen said. iReport.com: Who should be in Obama's cabinet? Emanuel has made a career of being the tough guy. In the 2006 Fortune profile, Begala described Emanuel's aggressive style as a "cross between a hemorrhoid and a toothache." "I love Rahm, but that's a small group of us," he told Fortune. CNN's Ted Barrett and Don Lemon contributed to this report.
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NEW: Rahm Emanuel will be White House chief of staff, Barack Obama says .
Emanuel's direct style has ruffled some feathers on Capitol Hill .
House minority leader calls pick "ironic" for candidate who ran on change .
Emanuel is a veteran of Clinton White House, Wall Street and Congress .
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14de1aa4d1e15692cc0cde3a6f6938f4f9ff9063
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David Moyes' first home game as the new Manchester United manager will be against Jose Mourinho's Chelsea. Barclays Premier League champions United face a nightmare start to the 2013-14 season with trips to bitter rivals Liverpool and Manchester City in the opening five games. United begin at League Cup winners Swansea on August 17, before the returning Mourinho's Chelsea visit Old Trafford the following weekend. A match at Liverpool follows for United on August 31 before a visit to City in the fifth game of the season on September 21. Scroll down for all the 2013/14 Barclays Premier League and club-by-club fixtures . Arsenal v Aston Villa . Chelsea v Hull City . Crystal Palace v Tottenham Hotspur . Liverpool v Stoke City . Manchester City v Newcastle United . Norwich City v Everton . Sunderland v Fulham . Swansea City v Manchester United . West Bromwich Albion v Southampton . West Ham United v Cardiff City . Champions: Man United will look to successfully defend their title this season under new boss David Moyes . Baptism of fire: Moyes faces Chelsea and Liverpool in his opening three games . Mourinho's men kick off the campaign . with a match against newly-promoted Hull at Stamford Bridge, while there . are also home games for fellow Champions League hopefuls Manchester . City and Arsenal. Manuel Pellegrini's reign as City . boss starts with a home match against Newcastle, who confirmed Joe . Kinnear as their director of football yesterday. Arsenal are at home to . Aston Villa. The north-London clash is the start . of a testing opening to the season for Villa, who have a home match . against Liverpool and a trip to Chelsea in the following two games. Crystal Palace's first game back in . the top flight is against Tottenham at Selhurst Park. Cardiff - . Championship winners last season - start their campaign at West Ham then . have home games against Manchester City and Everton. Roberto Martinez's first competitive . match as Toffees manager is at Norwich, while Merseyside rivals . Liverpool start with a home game against Mark Hughes' Stoke. Elsewhere, Paolo Di Canio's . Sunderland start with a home match against Fulham, while West Brom face . Southampton at the Hawthorns. Hull's fans will relish their festive . programme, with Manchester United heading to the KC Stadium on Boxing . Day, while Manchester City against Liverpool is another tasty-looking . December 26 encounter. London calling: Palace welcome Spurs to Selhurst Park on August 17 . The season wraps up on May 11, with three of the expected title chasers finishing on the road. Chelsea head to Cardiff, Manchester . United go to Southampton and Arsenal are at Norwich, with Manchester . City at home to West Ham. Norwich-bound: Roberto Martinez starts his Everton career at Carrow Road . With excitement for the new season . buiding already, footballers past and present expressed their opinions . on the fixture list on Twitter. In response to fans worrying that . their team's game will be last on Match of the Day come August 17, . presenter and former England star Gary Lineker tweeted: 'Hahaha wish it . started this Saturday. Last is the new first. #MOTDrunningorder.' Cardiff City v Chelsea . Fulham v Crystal Palace . Hull City v Everton . Liverpool v Newcastle United . Manchester City v West Ham United . Norwich City v Arsenal . Southampton v Manchester United . Sunderland v Swansea City . Tottenham Hotspur v Aston Villa . West Bromwich Albion v Stoke City . Home comforts: Newly-promoted Hull (left) and Cardiff (right) are both at home on the final day . And ex-Newcastle midfielder revealed . his concern for the Magpies' season, tweeting: 'Just looking at fixtures . now. Not the easiest start for the Toon. Going to be a tough start for . Pardew. Season never finished well #pressure.' Meanwhile, the FA Cup final will have . its own day in the football calendar next year on Saturday May 17, the . Football Association has announced. The Premier League season finishes . the previous weekend. Debut: Manuel Pellegrini manages in the Premier League for the first time with Man City . Aug 17: Arsenal v Aston VillaChelsea v Hull CityCrystal Palace v Tottenham HotspurLiverpool v Stoke CityManchester City v Newcastle UnitedNorwich City v EvertonSunderland v FulhamSwansea City v Manchester UnitedWest Bromwich Albion v SouthamptonWest Ham United v Cardiff City . Aug 24: Aston Villa v LiverpoolCardiff City v Manchester CityEverton v West Bromwich AlbionFulham v ArsenalHull City v Norwich CityManchester United v ChelseaNewcastle United v West Ham UnitedSouthampton v SunderlandStoke City v Crystal PalaceTottenham Hotspur v Swansea City . Aug 31: Arsenal v Tottenham HotspurCardiff City v EvertonChelsea v Aston VillaCrystal Palace v SunderlandLiverpool v Manchester UnitedManchester City v Hull CityNewcastle United v FulhamNorwich City v SouthamptonWest Bromwich Albion v Swansea CityWest Ham United v Stoke City . Sep 14: Aston Villa v Newcastle UnitedEverton v ChelseaFulham v West Bromwich AlbionHull City v Cardiff CityManchester United v Crystal PalaceSouthampton v West Ham UnitedStoke City v Manchester CitySunderland v ArsenalSwansea City v LiverpoolTottenham Hotspur v Norwich CitySep 21: Arsenal v Stoke CityCardiff City v Tottenham HotspurChelsea v FulhamCrystal Palace v Swansea CityLiverpool v SouthamptonManchester City v Manchester UnitedNewcastle United v Hull CityNorwich City v Aston VillaWest Bromwich Albion v SunderlandWest Ham United v EvertonSep 28: Aston Villa v Manchester CityEverton v Newcastle UnitedFulham v Cardiff CityHull City v West Ham UnitedManchester United v West Bromwich AlbionSouthampton v Crystal PalaceStoke City v Norwich CitySunderland v LiverpoolSwansea City v ArsenalTottenham Hotspur v Chelsea . Oct 5: Cardiff City v Newcastle UnitedFulham v Stoke CityHull City v Aston VillaLiverpool v Crystal PalaceManchester City v EvertonNorwich City v ChelseaSouthampton v Swansea CitySunderland v Manchester UnitedTottenham Hotspur v West Ham UnitedWest Bromwich Albion v ArsenalOct 19: Arsenal v Norwich CityAston Villa v Tottenham HotspurChelsea v Cardiff CityCrystal Palace v FulhamEverton v Hull CityManchester United v SouthamptonNewcastle United v LiverpoolStoke City v West Bromwich AlbionSwansea City v SunderlandWest Ham United v Manchester CityOct 26: Aston Villa v EvertonChelsea v Manchester CityCrystal Palace v ArsenalLiverpool v West Bromwich AlbionManchester United v Stoke CityNorwich City v Cardiff CitySouthampton v FulhamSunderland v Newcastle UnitedSwansea City v West Ham UnitedTottenham Hotspur v Hull City . Nov 2: Arsenal v LiverpoolCardiff City v Swansea CityEverton v Tottenham HotspurFulham v Manchester UnitedHull City v SunderlandManchester City v Norwich CityNewcastle United v ChelseaStoke City v SouthamptonWest Bromwich Albion v Crystal PalaceWest Ham United v Aston VillaNov 9: Aston Villa v Cardiff CityChelsea v West Bromwich AlbionCrystal Palace v EvertonLiverpool v FulhamManchester United v ArsenalNorwich City v West Ham UnitedSouthampton v Hull CitySunderland v Manchester CitySwansea City v Stoke CityTottenham Hotspur v Newcastle UnitedNov 23: Arsenal v SouthamptonCardiff City v Manchester UnitedEverton v LiverpoolFulham v Swansea CityHull City v Crystal PalaceManchester City v Tottenham HotspurNewcastle United v Norwich CityStoke City v SunderlandWest Bromwich Albion v Aston VillaWest Ham United v ChelseaNov 30: Aston Villa v SunderlandCardiff City v ArsenalChelsea v SouthamptonEverton v Stoke CityHull City v LiverpoolManchester City v Swansea CityNewcastle United v West Bromwich AlbionNorwich City v Crystal PalaceTottenham Hotspur v Manchester UnitedWest Ham United v Fulham . Dec 3: Arsenal v Hull CityCrystal Palace v West Ham UnitedLiverpool v Norwich CityManchester United v EvertonSouthampton v Aston VillaStoke City v Cardiff CitySunderland v ChelseaSwansea City v Newcastle UnitedWest Bromwich Albion v Manchester CityDec 4: Fulham v Tottenham HotspurDec 7: Arsenal v EvertonCrystal Palace v Cardiff CityFulham v Aston VillaLiverpool v West Ham UnitedManchester United v Newcastle UnitedSouthampton v Manchester CityStoke City v ChelseaSunderland v Tottenham HotspurSwansea City v Hull CityWest Bromwich Albion v Norwich CityDec 14: Aston Villa v Manchester UnitedCardiff City v West Bromwich AlbionChelsea v Crystal PalaceEverton v FulhamHull City v Stoke CityManchester City v ArsenalNewcastle United v SouthamptonNorwich City v Swansea CityTottenham Hotspur v LiverpoolWest Ham United v SunderlandDec 21: Arsenal v ChelseaCrystal Palace v Newcastle UnitedFulham v Manchester CityLiverpool v Cardiff CityManchester United v West Ham UnitedSouthampton v Tottenham HotspurStoke City v Aston VillaSunderland v Norwich CitySwansea City v EvertonWest Bromwich Albion v Hull CityDec 26: Aston Villa v Crystal PalaceCardiff City v SouthamptonChelsea v Swansea CityEverton v SunderlandHull City v Manchester UnitedManchester City v LiverpoolNewcastle United v Stoke CityNorwich City v FulhamTottenham Hotspur v West Bromwich AlbionWest Ham United v ArsenalDec 28: Aston Villa v Swansea CityCardiff City v SunderlandChelsea v LiverpoolEverton v SouthamptonHull City v FulhamManchester City v Crystal PalaceNewcastle United v ArsenalNorwich City v Manchester UnitedTottenham Hotspur v Stoke CityWest Ham United v West Bromwich Albion . Jan 1: Arsenal v Cardiff CityCrystal Palace v Norwich CityFulham v West Ham UnitedLiverpool v Hull CityManchester United v Tottenham HotspurSouthampton v ChelseaStoke City v EvertonSunderland v Aston VillaSwansea City v Manchester CityWest Bromwich Albion v Newcastle UnitedJan 11: Aston Villa v ArsenalCardiff City v West Ham UnitedEverton v Norwich CityFulham v SunderlandHull City v ChelseaManchester United v Swansea CityNewcastle United v Manchester CitySouthampton v West Bromwich AlbionStoke City v LiverpoolTottenham Hotspur v Crystal PalaceJan 18: Arsenal v FulhamChelsea v Manchester UnitedCrystal Palace v Stoke CityLiverpool v Aston VillaManchester City v Cardiff CityNorwich City v Hull CitySunderland v SouthamptonSwansea City v Tottenham HotspurWest Bromwich Albion v EvertonWest Ham United v Newcastle UnitedJan 28: Aston Villa v West Bromwich AlbionCrystal Palace v Hull CityLiverpool v EvertonManchester United v Cardiff CityNorwich City v Newcastle UnitedSouthampton v ArsenalSunderland v Stoke CitySwansea City v FulhamJan 29: Chelsea v West Ham UnitedTottenham Hotspur v Manchester City . Feb 1: Arsenal v Crystal PalaceCardiff City v Norwich CityEverton v Aston VillaFulham v SouthamptonHull City v Tottenham HotspurManchester City v ChelseaNewcastle United v SunderlandStoke City v Manchester UnitedWest Bromwich Albion v LiverpoolWest Ham United v Swansea CityFeb 8: Aston Villa v West Ham UnitedChelsea v Newcastle UnitedCrystal Palace v West Bromwich AlbionLiverpool v ArsenalManchester United v FulhamNorwich City v Manchester CitySouthampton v Stoke CitySunderland v Hull CitySwansea City v Cardiff CityTottenham Hotspur v EvertonFeb 11: Arsenal v Manchester UnitedCardiff City v Aston VillaHull City v SouthamptonStoke City v Swansea CityWest Bromwich Albion v ChelseaWest Ham United v Norwich CityFeb 12: Everton v Crystal PalaceFulham v LiverpoolManchester City v SunderlandNewcastle United v Tottenham HotspurFeb 22: Arsenal v SunderlandCardiff City v Hull CityChelsea v EvertonCrystal Palace v Manchester UnitedLiverpool v Swansea CityManchester City v Stoke CityNewcastle United v Aston VillaNorwich City v Tottenham HotspurWest Bromwich Albion v FulhamWest Ham United v Southampton . Mar 1: Aston Villa v Norwich CityEverton v West Ham UnitedFulham v ChelseaHull City v Newcastle UnitedManchester United v Manchester CitySouthampton v LiverpoolStoke City v ArsenalSunderland v West Bromwich AlbionSwansea City v Crystal PalaceTottenham Hotspur v Cardiff CityMar 8: Arsenal v Swansea CityCardiff City v FulhamChelsea v Tottenham HotspurCrystal Palace v SouthamptonLiverpool v SunderlandManchester City v Aston VillaNewcastle United v EvertonNorwich City v Stoke CityWest Bromwich Albion v Manchester UnitedWest Ham United v Hull CityMar 15: Aston Villa v ChelseaEverton v Cardiff CityFulham v Newcastle UnitedHull City v Manchester CityManchester United v LiverpoolSouthampton v Norwich CityStoke City v West Ham UnitedSunderland v Crystal PalaceSwansea City v West Bromwich AlbionTottenham Hotspur v ArsenalMar 22: Aston Villa v Stoke CityCardiff City v LiverpoolChelsea v ArsenalEverton v Swansea CityHull City v West Bromwich AlbionManchester City v FulhamNewcastle United v Crystal PalaceNorwich City v SunderlandTottenham Hotspur v SouthamptonWest Ham United v Manchester UnitedMar 29: Arsenal v Manchester CityCrystal Palace v ChelseaFulham v EvertonLiverpool v Tottenham HotspurManchester United v Aston VillaSouthampton v Newcastle UnitedStoke City v Hull CitySunderland v West Ham UnitedSwansea City v Norwich CityWest Bromwich Albion v Cardiff City . Apr 5: Aston Villa v FulhamCardiff City v Crystal PalaceChelsea v Stoke CityEverton v ArsenalHull City v Swansea CityManchester City v SouthamptonNewcastle United v Manchester UnitedNorwich City v West Bromwich AlbionTottenham Hotspur v SunderlandWest Ham United v LiverpoolApr 12: Arsenal v West Ham UnitedCrystal Palace v Aston VillaFulham v Norwich CityLiverpool v Manchester CityManchester United v Hull CitySouthampton v Cardiff CityStoke City v Newcastle UnitedSunderland v EvertonSwansea City v ChelseaWest Bromwich Albion v Tottenham HotspurApr 19: Aston Villa v SouthamptonCardiff City v Stoke CityChelsea v SunderlandEverton v Manchester UnitedHull City v ArsenalManchester City v West Bromwich AlbionNewcastle United v Swansea CityNorwich City v LiverpoolTottenham Hotspur v FulhamWest Ham United v Crystal PalaceApr 26: Arsenal v Newcastle UnitedCrystal Palace v Manchester CityFulham v Hull CityLiverpool v ChelseaManchester United v Norwich CitySouthampton v EvertonStoke City v Tottenham HotspurSunderland v Cardiff CitySwansea City v Aston VillaWest Bromwich Albion v West Ham United . May 3: Arsenal v West Bromwich AlbionAston Villa v Hull CityChelsea v Norwich CityCrystal Palace v LiverpoolEverton v Manchester CityManchester United v SunderlandNewcastle United v Cardiff CityStoke City v FulhamSwansea City v SouthamptonWest Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur11 May: Cardiff City v ChelseaFulham v Crystal PalaceHull City v EvertonLiverpool v Newcastle UnitedManchester City v West Ham UnitedNorwich City v ArsenalSouthampton v Manchester UnitedSunderland v Swansea CityTottenham Hotspur v Aston VillaWest Bromwich Albion v Stoke City . *All fixtures subject to change due to TV scheduling .
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Premier League fixtures for 2013-14 season announced .
Man United face Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City in opening five games .
Play-off winners Crystal Palace start with London derby at home to Spurs .
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The story of Lady Godiva’s naked ride through the streets of Coventry has been a cornerstone of British folklore for 1,000 years. But now a Belgian chocolate manufacturer has sparked outrage by claiming it has exclusive rights to both her name and the famous image of her on top of a horse. The situation was exposed when lawyers acting for the confectionery giant fired a warning letter to a pub called The Lady Godiva last week, warning that it was infringing on its ‘intellectual property’. Owner Glen Simons was given a 90-day ultimatum to change his bar’s name and remove all references to the 11th Century noblewoman, whose daring protest at oppressive taxes has become the stuff of legend. Scroll down for video . A Belgian chocolate manufacturer has sparked outrage by claiming it has exclusive rights to both the name and image of Lady Godiva on top of a horse (above, Maureen O'Hara in 1955 film Lady Godiva of Coventry) Historians reacted with shock that her name had been allowed to fall into the hands of a foreign firm without anyone apparently noticing. Colin Walker, vice-chairman of the Coventry Society, said: ‘This is an absolute travesty. No one should be allowed to hijack the identity of historical figures for their own commercial interests. ‘When I was in Belgium recently I thought it was a bit of a cheek that they were selling chocolates with Lady Godiva on the box, but I never thought it would come to this. ‘If the Belgians try to enforce this in Coventry, there will be angry protests. We are very proud of Lady Godiva, and she is known and loved around the world.’ The Mail on Sunday has discovered that Godiva Chocolatier successfully filed a patent on Lady Godiva’s identity in 2007. It appears on the register of the Intellectual Property Office in London, the official body for trademark applications, alongside several versions of the woman-on-a-horse image. Legal experts said it would have been relatively easy for the company to stake its claim for a fee of about £1,000. It would have no obligation to consult interested parties before going ahead. The Lady Godiva Pub in Geneva - where owner Glen Simons is having a dispute about the name of the pub with Godiva Chocolatiers based in Belgium . Colin Walker, vice-chairman of the Coventry Society, said: ‘This is an absolute travesty. No one should be allowed to hijack the identity of historical figures for their own commercial interests . Mr Simons, who set up his British-themed pub in Geneva seven years ago, was warned that its name might cause ‘confusion’ with the confectioner. But he said: ‘My pub has nothing to do with chocolates so I don’t see how anyone could be confused.’ The 55-year-old, who was born in Britain but moved to Switzerland for family reasons, said he would fight the legal threat in a David-and-Goliath battle. ‘I wanted to name the pub after a woman who was part of England’s heritage and I could think of no one better or more famous than Lady Godiva,’ he added. ‘As well as the sign outside, we’ve got her name engraved on the windows and front door. It would cost a fortune to remove them. My regulars are absolutely furious. I am not going to back down. This has been the Lady Godiva pub for seven years and that’s how it’s going to stay.’ Godiva was the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and the story goes that she went naked to protest against her husband’s taxes on his tenants. The term Peeping Tom originates from a tailor who was reputedly struck blind after ignoring a decree that no townsfolk should watch her feat. The Belgian brand is actually owned by Turkey’s Ulker Group, which paid more than £500 million for the company in 2007. Managers at its Brussels headquarters refused to disclose how many other Godiva-named businesses had been sent warning letters. Managers at its Brussels headquarters refused to disclose how many other Godiva-named businesses had been sent warning letters . In a statement last night, marketing director Adele Santarelli said: ‘Godiva is one of the world’s most well-known brands with a unique reputation, heritage and name. In addition to our chocolates and the shops that sell them, we also have a growing line of Godiva cafes. Clearly, it is important for us to ensure that consumers are not confused by a place serving food and drink using the Godiva name and imagery when that place has nothing to do with us.’ But this explanation cut no ice with Pru Porretta, who has taken the role of Lady Godiva in annual processions commemorating Coventry’s most celebrated daughter. ‘The Draps family, who founded the Godiva company, came over here to see the parade years ago and fell in love with Lady Godiva,’ she said. ‘They sell their chocolates with a leaflet in the box which is supposed to tell the story but it’s full of mistakes. It’s so sad to hear they are trying to keep the name to themselves. It doesn’t leave a sweet taste in the mouth, does it?’
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Confectionery giant's lawyers have sent warning letter to Lady Godiva pub .
Owner Glen Simons given 90-day ultimatum to remove any references to her .
Godiva famously rode horse naked into Coventry opposing oppressive tax .
Locals warns 'if Belgians try to enforce this in Coventry, there'll be protests'
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UKIP is on course to take enough Tory votes to put Ed Miliband in power next year, according to a poll of marginal constituencies. The survey of ten Conservative-held seats suggests the anti-EU party could tip the balance in favour of Labour in all but two of them. The findings will reinforce the central Tory message that Ukip voters risk handing the election to Mr Miliband, who has effectively ruled out holding a referendum on EU membership. New polling shows voters deserting the Tories for Ukip will put Ed Miliband within touching distance of No10 . But the poll, conducted for former Tory treasurer Lord Ashcroft, is not all good news for Mr Miliband. It suggests he may have less chance of winning than he hopes because in seats where Ukip is performing really well there are fewer voters switching directly to Labour from Tory. Lord Ashcroft questioned more than 1,000 voters in Conservative-held constituencies where Labour came second in 2010. The survey found a overall 5 per cent swing to Labour in these marginals – enough to snatch nine of them (Brentford & Isleworth, Brighton Kemptown, Corby, Enfield North, Halesowen & Rowley Regis, Hastings & Rye, Hove, Ipswich and Nuneaton). But where Ukip is doing well, Labour might not achieve a 5 per cent swing, because voters who might otherwise have switched straight from blue to red have opted instead for Ukip. Lord Ashcroft said that, coupled with previous surveys in more marginal Tory-held constituencies, the results suggested at least 29 seats would fall to Labour if the findings were repeated at the general election. But he said the swing varied ‘significantly’ depending on the Ukip presence in each seat, with a strong showing from Nigel Farage’s party enough to deny Mr Miliband a lead in Pudsey and Gloucester and threaten his chances in Halesowen. ‘Though nine of these seats would change hands on the basis of these snapshots, Labour will not feel comfortable in many of them,’ said Lord Ashcroft. Labour leader Ed Miliband is on course to win the next election, according to a poll of marginal seats carried out by former Tory treasurer Lord Ashcroft . Prime Minister David Cameron has lost crucial swing voters to Labour in marginal constituencies which hold the key to winning the next election . ‘Though Labour led by ten points in Enfield North and 13 points in Brentford, they were ahead by less than five points in Brighton Kemptown, Hove, Halesowen & Rowley Regis and Nuneaton. ‘Swings to Labour appear to be related to the Ukip presence, which varied significantly from one seat to the next. ‘Nigel Farage’s party scored just 7 per cent in Brentford & Isleworth, where Labour’s share was up 11 points since 2010, but 24 per cent in Halesowen, where Labour were down by two points, though still just ahead.’ The findings will fuel concern in Mr Miliband’s party that complacency about the impact on Labour of the Ukip surge could rob them of victory next year. The Lib Dem vote had fallen by more than half in nearly all seats surveyed, with just 23 per cent of those who voted Lib Dem in 2010 saying they would do so again. In Corby the poll took into account the 2012 by-election. The seat had been won by the Tories in 2010 but went Labour when Louise Mensch resigned in 2012. The poll predicts Labour will hold the seat. Meanwhile, a separate poll by Ipsos Mori revealed proposed tax cuts are the most popular policies to emerge from the recent party conference season.
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Nine out of 11 marginal Tory seats are likely to vote for Labour in 2015 .
In each of the constituencies Labour finished second to the Tories in 2010 .
Survey by Lord Ashcroft found an overall 5% swing from Tories to Labour .
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A fearless teenager has snapped these vertigo-inducing pictures while dangling 700ft in the air from some of London’s tallest skyscrapers. Harry Gallagher, 17, from Essex was able to dodge security to scale the likes of the ‘Walkie Talkie’, the ‘Cheesegrater’ and the unfinished London Pinnacle. The adrenaline junkie and his friends, who do not use safety equipment or harnesses, treat the scaffolds surrounding multimillion pound towers as their own urban climbing frames. Scroll down for video . Harry Gallagher and his friends (pictured his friend Johnny on a crane over Canary Wharf) have scaled dozens of London's tallest skyscrapers to capture photographs . They are part of a growing community of cityscape adventurers known as Urban Explorers and prefer to use the huge cranes bestriding buildings to capture views of the capital. Last month Mr Gallagher, who is also a free-runner, mounted a crane taller than the under-construction Baltimore Tower at the Isle of Dogs, which will be almost 500ft when it is completed. He said: ‘We’d been planning it for weeks, every little detail like what time we should arrive - we ended up at the bottom of the crane at 4am. ‘There was security there but I was still surprised how easy it was. His legs can be seen dangling as he sits on top of a huge crane overlooking London to capture a series of photographs. He is part of group known as Urban Explorers . Harry Gallagher pictured on top of St Thomas' Hospital beside The Shard, which stands at almost 1000ft and is currently the tallest building in the European Union . ‘The view was amazing. We could see all of Canary Wharf and all over the rest of London. We stayed up there for three hours but I wanted to spend the rest of the summer there.’ His death-defying stunts are similar to the ‘skywalkers’ of Russia and Ukraine who hang from the edges of buildings, but the retail assistant insists he is more interested in taking photographs. He added: ‘For skywalkers it’s about the risk, to climb towers and balance. We go up to enjoy the experience and to take photos. ‘As far as hobbies go, it’s just as dangerous as other extreme sports like motor sports, skiing or snowboarding. ‘I feel perfectly safe whenever I climb because I’ve been training for a long time. I have been free running for seven years and I think that has given me strength and, importantly, balance. Harry and his friends observe the London skyline after scaling a huge building that over looks the 'Walkie Talkie' (left) and The Shard (right) The group have been able to evade security and without any safety equipment climb massive towers in order to capture these breath-taking images of the capital . ‘When I am at the top, I’m constantly making sure my hands have got a tight grip. I don’t move until I know I am secure.’ Mr Gallagher, who also favours extinct rail lines and disused reservoirs for climbs, explained the last thing to do is to think about slipping and plummeting whilst hundreds of feet above the ground. He said: ‘I understand that I might not be setting the best example. ‘My theory is that if I can do it at 10ft I can do it at 100ft or 40 stories. But I would be lying if I said I don’t think about falling. But if you think you will fall, you will fall. The key is to think positive.’ Despite evading security in dozens of cases, not all climbs have been successful as he discovered after his first and only run in with police while climbing the frame of plush new apartments in Vauxhall, south London. One of harry's friends lies inside the cab of a crane as it overlooks London. They were arrested six months ago for attempting to climb apartments in Vauxhall . His friend Johnny is seen at the end of a crane snapping photographs overlooking Canary Wharf on a bleak misty morning in the capital. Harry says his mother refuses to look at the images they capture and is 'not happy' about his high-climbing hobby . He explained: ‘We were arrested about six months ago - within about 30 minutes of starting the climb we were in the back of a police car. ‘There were cars, a helicopter and police dogs looking for us. ‘Luckily on that occasion the charges were dropped. I found if you respect the police, they respect you.’ Mr Gallagher and his friends have seen security being tightened up in recent times but he says he isn't worried about getting caught again. 'If I'm doing it to capture pictures and not to be destructive I think the police can understand.' But the teenager’s toughest challenge has been convincing his mother to look at his impressive portfolio of photographs. He said: ‘My mum knows what I’m doing. It was almost impossible for her not to find out because I was out all night. ‘But she doesn’t want to hear about it. I can’t say she is happy about it and she doesn’t want to see any of the photos.’ Harry stands on a narrow bar of a crane to take this vertigo-inducing image. He has been free running - or leaping from tall buildings - for seven years .
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Harry Gallagher, 17, has scaled iconic London buildings such as 'Walkie Talkie', 'Cheesegrater' and Pinnacle .
Avoiding security and without safety equipment he has climbed cranes to capture series of amazing photos .
Teenager and his friends are part of a growing community of cityscape adventurers known as Urban Explorers .
They choose to climb huge cranes next to new buildings in construction or disused rail lines and reservoirs .
Six months ago he was arrested as he attempted to scale frame of new apartments in Vauxhall, south London .
He says his toughest challenge is to convince his mother to see photos who 'doesn't want to hear about it'
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By . Sarah Griffiths . You may think that people living 100 years ago in cities of smog and steam-powered machinery could scarcely imagine our modern world today. And yet old postcards drawn by artists reveal scarily accurate predictions of 21st century gadgets from the vacuum cleaner and FaceTime, to large submarines. The intriguing colour sketches, called En L’An 2000 (In the Year 2000), look strangely familiar despite being created between 1899 and 1910. The future is calling: Over 100 years ago, French artists drawing scenes for cigar boxes dreamed up futuristic gadgets such as this cine-phono-telegraph, which allows people to speak over the telephone and see each other on a screen at the same time - much like Skype and Apple's FaceTime . The quirky cards show a host of recognisable scenes including one picture, called Correspondance Cinema-Phono-Telegraphique, which depicts a man relaxing in a chair while he makes a video phone call - akin to Skype or Apple's FaceTime, which people rely on today. The mechanical forerunner to the iPod – an automated orchestra - is included in the scenes, as well as a futuristic dictation machine designed to allow important businessmen to dictate notes and letters without the need for a secretary. Face to face: The old postcards drawn by artists over 100 years ago reveal scarily accurate predictions of 21st century gadgets - including video phone calls, such as FaceTime (pictured) Skating on thin ice? The French artists envisioned a snowmobile which would allow people to explore Antarctica and see the penguins (pictured). Today, numerous vehicles can traverse the hostile icy terrain and holidays are even offered for tourists to see the wildlife and vast icebergs . Music to our ears: The mechanical forerunner to the iPod - an automated orchestra, is pictured. Automatons and music boxes were popular in the 19th century, but a system to provide enough volume for a theatre (pictured) was a dream . Meals on wheels: As soon as the weather is warm enough, a stream of RVs and caravans can be found trundling down to the seaside and scenic spots. But this was a novel idea 100 years ago and the artists imagined a literal mobile home, complete with a chimney, fine dining on a balcony and a mobile garden . Another image, entitled A bord d’un Paquebot sous-marin, shows a couple observing marine life through a giant window which bears more than a slight resemblance to the aquariums we have today – or perhaps the underwater observatory which is currently home to Fabien Cousteau who is living underwater for a month. Dreaming of another age of exploration, . the artists also penned scenes of people living in a submarine, . travelling from Paris to Peking by train and using a snowmobile to see . the penguins of the South Pole. All at sea: Shipwrecks and accidents still happen today, but the artists envisioned a specially-equipped flying machine that could reach sailors in peril in even the worst weather conditions (pictured) A high flier: Today, search and rescue helicopters patrol remote coastlines and can swoop down and hover close to the water's surface to rescue marooned sailors, as well as people stuck on rocky headland (pictured) Back to the future: This postcard shows a couple waterskiing - or even using skis that work a little like Back to the Future's hover boards. Interestingly, while the leisure equipment is futuristic, the people are still wearing traditional clothing of the 19th century . Great Scott! Scientists are still working on creating technology that flies like the hover board seen in Back to the Future 2 (pictured) and they can now levitate and tiny particles . Take this down: No important businessman or industrialist would be without his own mechanical Dictaphone in the year 2,000, according to the artists. Here, a high flier talks to a machine to record his thoughts instead of using a secretary - a process we have been familiar with for several decades . Another drawing, entitled Les Patins Cloches a Eau, shows a couple water-skiing in an image, which wouldn’t look entirely out of place today if it wasn’t for the vintage clothing. They even resemble the hoverboards from the film Back to the Future. In a different scene, called Un Frotteur electrique, a happy maid watches as an electronically-powered broom sweeps the floor in a historic vision of the vacuum cleaner. Life aquatic: This image, entitled A bord d'un Paquebot sous-marin, shows a couple observing marine life through a giant window, which bears more than a slight resemblance to the aquariums we have today, or even underwater laboratories used for studying marine animals . Getting their skates on: This image, entitled Auto-Patins a Roues, is a vision of futuristic powered roller skating, where each skate has a motor attached. The artist who drew the scene even foresaw accidents - as seen when wearing similar gadgets that exist today . Wheely great: They may not look like the powered roller skates in the 19th century picture, but these modern skates let people glide along with no effort at all as they are battery powered . How illuminating: This scene, Un Palais oceanien, shows a futuristic exploration of the underwater world by means of a submarine shining beams of light in the darkness. Today, navies around the world use submarines that can stay under water for months and personal vessels allow individuals to explore the sea floor . Sketches of gadgets designed to make womens’ lives easier, also include a kitchen full of machines, some of which we take for granted. For example, most modern kitchens have ovens, blenders and drinks makers, and soon we could be doing our grocery shopping directly from a smart fridge or using a smart cooker. The postcards were originally published in France and distributed inside cigar boxes. Interestingly, while the artists dreamed up whimsical machines, there were more conservative when it came to people's clothes, as the figures in the drawings are dressed in their 19th century finest. The dream clean machine: This postcard shows a happy maid watching as an electronically powered broom sweep the floor. It would appear that the artists predicted the invention of the modern vacuum cleaner - although did not foresee that most families would be cleaning their houses themselves . All abroad for the year 2,000: Dreaming of an age of exploration, the artists penned scenes of people living in a submarine and travelling from Paris to Peking by train (pictured). The engine has a nose that resembles a fighter jet . Full steam ahead: The 19th century may be regarded by some as the golden age of rail travel, when steam engines meant that more people could travel longer distances more comfortably. But today, trains can cross continents and Russian Railways offers a journey from Paris to Beijing (formerly known as Peking). We are even working on concepts like Hyperloop which could travel at 760 mph (1,220 km/h) Voila! Artists seem to have predicted the voicemail. A Missive phonographique - or futuristic recorded message, is brought on a tray by a servant (pictured). Today the service comes neatly built in to most phones . They were created by a variety of artists including Jean Marc Côté, and were designed to show visions of the world 100 years into the future. At least 87 different cards were produced with sets being printed in 1899, 1900 and finally in 1910. This is the news: In the future, French artists imagined that people could listen to the newspaper - much like a radio news bulletin. They did not predict the television or MailOnline though for keeping people up to date with what's going on in the world . Floating like a butterfly: Un Hydroplane - a futuristic hydroplane, can be seen skimming along the surface of the sea. Today, we still use this method of transportation and it has been adapted for land too . A kitchen fit for Heston Blumenthal? The French artists imagined a world where people did less of the chores themselves and kitchen were packed with gadgets. Most modern kitchens have ovens and drinks makers (pictured) and soon we could be doing our grocery shopping directly from a smart fridge . The appliance of science: Our kitchens are getting smarter all the time with ovens (pictured) able to be turned on using phone apps, or able to offer recipes, while fridges can use Wi-Fi connections to order groceries .
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Sketches called En L’An 2000 were drawn between 1899 and 1910 in France .
Artists predicted 21st century gadgets such as the iPod and ski mobiles .
While the gadgets are futuristic, people's clothing in the scenes remained traditional - and women wear dresses while water-skiing .
Postcards were originally published in France and included in cigar boxes .
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ISTANBUL, Turkey (CNN) -- Police used pepper gas and water cannons to disperse crowds of demonstrators who took to the streets Tuesday to protest a meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. A protester fires a catapult at police during demonstrations in Istanbul. Some protesters broke shop windows in and around Taksim Square before scurrying for cover as police armored cars hosed them with water. Taksim Square, in downtown Istanbul, is blocks from the site of the IMF meeting. Delegates are in the city to discuss ways to battle poverty and to strategize ways to prevent a repeat of last year's global economic crisis. Though Turkey is one of the world's 20 wealthiest economies, a huge income gap exists. The latest government statistics show that nearly one in five Turks lives below the poverty line, despite the country's economy enjoying steady growth for much of the past decade. Watch CNN reporter overwhelmed by tear gas » . Over the past year, the economic crisis has pummeled Turkey's export-driven industries, pushing unemployment to record highs. See images of protests » . The downturn has hit everyone from Istanbul's garbage pickers, who say there is less useful trash to scavenge, to Istanbul's cabbies, who complain that fewer customers can afford rides. iReport: Send your photos, videos . On Thursday, a protester threw a shoe at the IMF director, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, at the end of a question-and-answer session Thursday at a university in Istanbul. The shoe missed. Other demonstrators at Bilgi University unfurled a banner and chanted, "Go away, IMF. You're stealing money."
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Police use water cannons to disperse anti-IMF protesters in Istanbul .
Some protesters broke shop windows in and around Taksim Square .
IMF delegates are in the city to discus ways to battle poverty .
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The anxiety had niggled away at me for a week. I knew what I had to do - I just didn't know if I had the courage to do it. Standing at the front door of my friend Sarah's idyllic cottage in the Gloucestershire countryside, I realised I couldn't put the moment off any longer. After I knocked, I could hear her singing in the hallway as she approached to open the door. Momentarily, I considered heading back down the garden path and leaving before she could see me. My heart was hammering with nerves. Dilemma: What would you do if you saw your friend's husband with another woman? Then the door was flung open and my friend, whom I had known for more than 20 years, was hugging me in greeting, eagerly accepting the bottle of red wine I proffered and ushering me inside for what she thought would be one of our regular girlie evenings. 'Is Tim around?' I asked, trying to sound casual. She told me he wasn't. Her husband of several years was 'working late'. 'He works such long hours,' she said. 'But I shouldn't complain; he wants to build an extension and we need the money. Still, at least we can have a proper catch-up without interruption.' I winced, for I had a very good reason to believe Tim was doing anything but working at that precise moment. I knew he was having an affair. This knowledge presented me with one of the most painful and destructive decisions I have ever had to make, and one that still leaves me confused. For as I have learned to my cost, there is never a correct way to tell your friend that her husband is being unfaithful. It's not good to talk: Sharing a secret didn't work out well for Sonia (posed by models) At a Christmas drinks party and then at a barbecue at their house, I'd picked up the frisson between Tim and a neighbour. The flirtatious twiddling with her hair, the way she held his gaze a little too long, the touching of his sleeve and the way she laughed at his jokes just a little too enthusiastically (Tim, who is a quantity surveyor, is not that funny) set every alarm bell ringing. Yet Sarah was oblivious. She described the woman, a divorcee, as a friend with whom she and Tim shared evenings out. Of course, I didn't say anything about my suspicions. Then one evening I'd been to the village pub with a colleague when I spotted Tim kissing this woman in his car. He didn't see me, and so I scurried away to worry about what to do next. I tried to imagine what I'd want if the circumstances were reversed. Though in a relationship now, I was single for many years after splitting with the father of my 16-year-old daughter when she was a baby. Trust and honesty are extremely important to me and I'd like to think my friends wouldn't stand by and let me be duped and ridiculed if I ever found myself with someone unfaithful. Yet the other side of the argument was equally persuasive: it was their business, their marriage. Why should I interfere? What swayed me was imagining how I'd feel if I found out Sarah had withheld information from me. I would not consider her a true friend. I decided I had no choice: I had to tell her the truth. 'I need to tell you something,' I said, my voice cracking. 'I don't know how to say this...' 'Say it,' she demanded. 'I think Tim has cheated.' She let out a yelp like a wounded animal before bursting into tears. I hated being the messenger of her misery and kept saying: 'I wish it wasn't me who had to tell you.' We talked for hours and she drained every last detail out of me: where the car was parked, the time of evening, what she was wearing, what he was wearing. Sarah called me the next day. She had confronted Tim when he arrived home at midnight and he had admitted everything. Apparently, it had started as a drunken flirtation, but 'got out of hand' and they had been having an affair for a few months. He blamed work stress and said it was 'only sex'. He said he still loved Sarah and they agreed to work on their marriage. I respected her decision, even though I struggled to understand it, and for the next few weeks my friendship with Sarah seemed to continue as normal. Coffee and cake dates are over: Being honest with her friend cost Sonia her friendship (posed by models) We met several times and talked on the phone as well as exchanging emails and texts. Then one morning, a month after I had told her about Tim, I received an email from her. It said simply: 'I'm sorry, Sonia, but we can't be friends any more. Tim and I are making a go of our marriage. It isn't easy obviously and, unfortunately, having you around is a permanent reminder of what happened.' She was dumping me. I was shocked and very hurt. What would cause her to do this? Was she angry that I had been honest with her? Had I committed an enormous social faux pas by reporting on Tim? Baffled, I spoke to various friends - without revealing Sarah's name, - and discovered this extreme reaction is common. Apparently, if you inform someone their partner is having an affair, you can become the scapegoat: all the pain, resentment and heartbreak gets transferred onto you. I didn't want to lose my friend, so I rang her. Despite my pleas that I had her best interests at heart, she was adamant. 'If you hadn't told me it would have fizzled out and I would have been none the wiser. As it is, you have created massive problems in our marriage by interfering. Please don't contact me again.' I was left confused and hurt. I struggled to understand how she had 'kept' Tim, her betrayer, while chucking me. Counsellors say this is a survival technique when people are trying to save their marriage. If you're in a happy marriage with most of your needs met and your partner cheated, would you want to know the details? Many don't want to know. For people like Sarah, it feels simpler and easier to live in the lie of infidelity. Normal, blinkered life can then resume. It's been a year since Sarah ended our friendship. I moved to London and have heard nothing more from her. We didn't exchange birthday and Christmas cards. Mutual acquaintances tell me she and Tim are still married and that life continues normally - ostensibly at least. I expect in time Sarah will want to renew her friendship with me, either after Tim strays again or when she sees him for the weak-willed, untrustworthy snake he is. And I will forgive her - of course, I will. However, this whole experience has convinced me that I will think very, very hard about revealing an affair should such a situation arise again. I tried to do the right thing but, for my dear friend, it was the wrong thing. When it comes to affairs of the heart, honesty might not always be the best policy. Some names have been changed.
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Sonia caught her friend's husband with another woman .
When she revealed the affair, it was her friendship that was over .
She became the scapegoat .
Now believes honesty isn't always best policy .
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14e2ccc36e68b3faa8876fc47039857b351a55e5
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He seemed somewhat out of place amid the traditional, old-fashioned ceremony of Changing the Guard. But this heavily armed soldier in combat fatigues proved every bit as much of an attraction to the camera-wielding tourists at Horse Guards Parade in London yesterday. Troops with machine guns have been deployed alongside their red-clad sword-bearing comrades as a security measure following the shooting of a ceremonial guard outside the Canadian parliament. On guard: Armed soldiers carrying assault rifles were seen on the streets of Westminster yesterday as the military boosted security measures in the aftermath of the attack on the Canadian parliament last week . Duty: Soldiers from The Blues and Royals dressed in camouflage uniforms and carrying assault rifles were photographed walking past tourists gathered outside the entrance to Horse Guards Parade yesterday . Thousands of visitors gather at Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall each morning to witness Changing the Guard. The entrance, part of the Buckingham Palace estate and open to the public during the day, is usually guarded by two men in tunic on horseback and two on foot. But the buildings are also the headquarters of the Army’s London District and provide accommodation for soldiers in the Queen’s Life Guard, a unit which carries out ceremonial duties and performs on state occasions. Attraction: Although popular with tourists, Horse Guards Parade is a working military barracks where soldiers, including The Life Guards - one of whom is seen in here the red tunic - live and work . Vigilent: As with other military bases, soldiers are permanently on guard at the entrance but since Monday these troops from the Household Cavalry Regiment have been more prominent . Senior officers made the decision to deploy armed troops there after Corporal Nathan Cirillo, 24, was shot dead by an Islamist fanatic a week ago while on unarmed guard duty at the National War Memorial in Ottawa. His killer, Muslim convert Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, was shot dead by Kevin Vickers, the Sergeant-At-Arms, when he stormed the parliament, firing a shot into the door of the room where Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was hiding in a cupboard. Yesterday, a senior Army source said: ‘A decision was made by the local commander. They’ve probably looked at what happened in Canada and thought, “I’ll stick someone out there with a rifle as a bit of a deterrent in case anyone has got bad ideas”. ‘It’s a long time since there was an armed guard at Horse Guards Parade.’ Threat: The UK's terror threat level was raised from 'substantial' to 'severe' - meaning an attack is highly likely - in late August amid fears of a terrorist strike linked to Islamic State or another extremist group . Alert: The MoD said security security arrangements were regularly reviewed at all of its establishments . A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: ‘The MoD routinely reviews the security arrangements at all of its establishments. Clearly we do not comment publicly on the substance of these.’ The security review comes as Westminster is on high alert in case of a terrorist attack on Parliament. MPs are being told to consider fitting their constituency offices with panic buttons and designating a ‘safe room’ in their homes. They are also being briefed on the security plans in case of an attack on the Commons. ‘In the event of an incident involving firearms or other weapons, the police will take operational control. Firearms officers are deployed on the parliamentary estate and will respond to such incidents,’ the advice says. ‘If you hear gunfire, move away; but consider barricading yourself and others in a room if danger is close.’ Scotland Yard is already reviewing the Prime Minister’s security after a jogger ran into David Cameron on Monday as he left Leeds Civic Hall, sparking a major alert. Last night a Metropolitan Police spokesman declined to comment on whether police security arrangements had been stepped up in the wake of the Canadian attack.
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Soldiers with assault rifles seen outside entrance to Horse Guards Parade .
Increased presence comes after a soldier was shot dead in Canada .
Corporal Nathan Cirillo was killed as he stood guard at a war memorial .
Decision to deploy armed guards at the entrance made by local commanders .
MoD regularly reviews security arrangements at all of its establishments .
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14e3679ff80e1d255f5996318a4b904c95eb81a4
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It was at the center of a controversial Rolling Stone article about a brutal gang rape. But that didn't stop a wave of spring rush hopefuls from attending the newly-reinstated University of Virginia fraternity Phi Kappa Psi's open-house event on Thursday, according to reports. During the event, the group's centrally-located house was apparently 'crowded and lively', with hordes of undergraduates hoping to impress the fraternity's members and leaders. One UVA freshman, who attended the open house but wished to remain anonymous, said: 'I can definitely affirm it was crowded and lively. It was the last house I hit and I still had to wait in line.' Controversy: A wave of spring rush hopefuls attended the newly-reinstated University of Virginia fraternity Phi Kappa Psi's open-house event on Thursday, according to reports. Above, protesters are pictured outside the fraternity after it appeared at the center of a controversial Rolling Stone article about a brutal gang rape . Meanwhile, a female freshman said that as she walked through campus during the spring sorority rush on Thursday, it appeared that Phi Psi's house 'was the busiest frat I saw that night'. In an email to New York magazine on Friday, fraternity president, Stephen Scipione, confirmed: 'We had a good crowd last night'. But he added: 'It’s far too early to judge rush this year.' On Monday, police announced that they had been unable to confirm that an alleged gang rape occurred at Phi Psi's house, as described in the controversial Rolling Stone article. The story detailed the graphic claims of an unnamed UVA junior who said she was gang-raped by seven men in an apparent initiation ritual at the fraternity in 2012. Brothers: On Friday, Phi Psi president, Stephen Scipione (left), confirmed: 'We had a good crowd last night'. Right, fraternity member, David Fontenot, 22, said the group 'knew the Rolling Stone story was not true' But in an email to the Associated Press, Charlottesville Police Captain Gary Pleasants said: 'The statement reads that we did not find any substantive basis to confirm the allegations occurred at Phi Kappa Psi, not that we said the assault did not occur. We are still investigating.' Following Monday's verdict, the school declared it had reinstated the group and its activities after consulting with the police force about the findings of their investigation. Speaking about Thursday's open-house event, Matt, a freshman who did not rush Phi Psi, said he thought it would have been unfair if the house had been 'deserted' due to the allegations. Anonymous: Since the article's publication, the UVA junior (pictured) who accused the fraternity of gang rape has seen her allegations widely discredited . 'I personally didn’t avoid it because of that. There could have been people that would have because of that, but if they could vocalize that, it’d be an unpopular opinion,' he said. He added that his friend, who had rushed the fraternity, had told him the place was 'packed'. After the Rolling Stone article was published in November, the magazine issued a statement noting discrepancies in the story and apologizing to those involved in the fraternity. Despite its apology, campus and fraternity leaders were put under pressure to adopt reforms as protesters gathered outside Phi Psi's house, with many calling for the end of all Greek Life. The building was gratified with statements like 'UVA Center for Rape Studies' and 'Suspend Us!'. Fearing for their safety, most fraternity members fled the house, booking hotel rooms. Meanwhile, police launched an investigation into the alleged assault at the request of the university. 'We knew that the Rolling Stone story was not true,' said 22-year-old fraternity member David Fontenot, a senior from McLean, Virginia, recalling the aftermath of the article's publication. On Monday, Cpt Pleasants said that although university officials were not presented a written report on the police investigation into Phi Psi, they were updated via a telephone call. 'We just didn't find any reasons to keep sanctions on that particular fraternity right now,' he told the AP in a telephone interview. While the school temporarily suspended fraternities' and sororities' social activities, administrators vowed to take an extensive look at improving safety on campus. Central location: On Monday, Charlottesville Police announced that they had been unable to confirm that an alleged gang rape occurred at Phi Psi's house (pictured). However, an investigation is said to be ongoing . Phi Psi was the first fraternity to agree to new rules, some of which address alcohol distribution at parties. Officials want to make it less likely for drugs to be slipped into drinks. 'We believe that in the midst of this ordeal, there is an opportunity to move forward with important safety improvements,' Mr Scipione, a 21-year-old junior from Richmond, said last week. 'This has prompted us to take a closer look at ourselves and what role organizations like ours may play in this problem. It's opened all of our eyes to the problem of sexual assault. 'Now it's time to do something about it. As a fraternity, we are going to continue discussing that need in the coming weeks.' Other fraternities had a Friday deadline to sign new agreements with the university that were developed by the school's Inter-Fraternity Council in a bid to keep students at parties safer. Among them: Kegs of beer and pre-made mixes of liquor and punch will be banned; beer must be served in closed cans, and food and water must be made available. The female freshman who walked past Phi Psi's fraternity house on Thursday night said the absence of strong pre-mixed drinks will likely make parties less popular for young female students. Because of this, 'I think there’s going to be more pregaming,' she told New York magazine.
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Wave of hopefuls reportedly attended Phi Kappa Psi's open-house event .
One undergraduate said: 'It was crowded and lively. I had to wait in line'
Fraternity president,Stephen Scipione, affirmed: 'We had a good crowd'
Event on Thursday came just three days after fraternity was reinstated .
It had been at the center of Rolling Stone article about brutal gang rape .
Police declared they were unable to confirm female junior's allegations .
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14e3768b190d456ecbdc69e05ae5151af26b52a9
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By . Sarah Griffiths . High speed cameras allow researchers to see things that they would normally miss, from the beating wings of a hummingbird to how a boat cuts through water. Now researchers in Japan have developed what they believe is the world’s fastest camera, which can take 4.4 trillion images a second. The device uses a new technique to take high-speed images so it can capture chemical reactions and heat conduction, which were impossible to photograph before. Researchers in Japan have developed what they believe is the world’s fastest camera, which can take 4.4 trillion images a second. The large machine contains a pulse source, temporal and spatial mapping devices and an image sensor (illustrated) to take high resolution photographs at the rate of 4.4 trillion frames a second . The new camera uses a technique called motion-based femtophotography to capture movement. It visually maps the movement of an object over time in a ‘burst stream’ of timed photographs organised in the correct sequence, to show an object’s ‘time varying spatial profile’. The device claims to be 1,000 times faster than the previous ‘fastest’ camera, while still being able to produce high resolution images. The previous fastest cameras used a ‘pump-probe process’ where light is pumped at the object being photographed and then ‘probed’ for absorption by a laser, in order to collect vital data used to construct an image. Up until now, the fastest cameras used a ‘pump-probe process’, where light is pumped at the object being photographed and then probed for absorption by a laser, in order to collect vital data used to construct an image, Phys.org reported. But this technique relies on repetitive measurements to construct an image. Instead, the new camera uses a technique called motion-based femtophotography to capture movement. The camera visually maps the movement of an object over time in a ‘burst stream’ of timed photographs organised in the correct sequence, to show an object’s ‘time varying spatial profile,’ according to the journal Nature Photonics. It was developed by scientists at the University of Tokyo and Keio University in Japan. The new camera will make it possible for scientists to capture chemical reactions and heat conduction that occurs at a sixth of the speed of light. One day it could also be used in medicine and to gain new insights into the manufacturing of computer chips (pictured) including their tiny semiconductors . The device claims to be 1,000 times faster than the previous ‘fastest’ camera. It has high pixel resolution of 450 x 450 pixels to provide scientists with a lot of detail about the object they are photographing. The new camera is called Sequentially Timed All-optical Mapping Photography (Stamp) and will be used to capture chemical reactions and heat conduction that occurs at a sixth of the speed of light. It has taken three years to develop and the next step is make the device smaller, as it measures around three square feet (one square metre). The experts who developed the machine believe it could one day be used in medicine and to gain new insights into the manufacturing of semiconductors, for example. The computer chip components are tiny and by looking at detailed images of the manufacturing process, experts might be able to spot opportunities to make efficiencies.
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Scientists from the University of Tokyo and Keio University in Japan created the camera, which uses a technique called motion-based femtophotography .
It maps the movement of an object over time into a ‘burst stream’ of photos .
Camera takes high resolution images at the rate of 4.4 trillion per second but is not compact, measuring around 3ft or one metre in length .
Will be used to examine chemical reactions and heat conduction .
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14e3b796cce30cbd7cdae63ccf3b690d1eea23b2
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A mother-of-two who once weighed 24 stone and hated her size thought her life would be transformed when she had a gastric wrap to help her slim down. But while the weight loss surgery - similar to having a gastric band - did help Melissa Foreman shed 12st, it didn't leave her with the body of her dreams. Instead the 44-year-old, who lives in Sidcup, London, was left with rolls of unsightly saggy skin on her thighs and stomach. Scroll down for video . Melissa, left, when she weighed 24st thanks to a daily diet of 5000 calories. She's now 11st 5lb, right, following surgery to have her stomach stapled and other operations to have excess skin removed . She told MailOnline: 'My body looked like a deflated balloon. I was a fraud as my body in clothes didn't match what was underneath, I hated it.' Writing in a blog post about her experience, she said she felt 'humiliated' about her appearance and when she saw herself in the mirror, she thought 'there could not be any possible way to come back to anything remotely normal looking'. Melissa had originally gained weight growing up in California where she couldn't resist sweet treats and fast food. She said: 'I was a big child who hid food. It was my best friend and worst enemy. I went from a fat child to a fatter teenager to a morbidly obese adult. 'On a typical day, I would skip breakfast. Then lunch could easily consist of two Big Macs and large fries. 'Dinner was large takeaway or home-cooked massive portions of fat-laden foods. Snacking on crisps and biscuits in between. I was easily consuming 5,000 calories a day.' Melissa hated the saggy skin she was left with on her stomach and thighs after she lost 12st . Now she has a new body after going under the knife again to have 'several pounds' of the skin removed . Melissa's intake of calories was more than double the recommended daily amount for a woman so her weight soared to 24st. In 2009 when she was 38 years old, she had twins and said becoming a mother made her realise she had to do something to improve her health. 'I wanted to be an active mum that could run after them. I already felt at a disadvantage being an older mum. I didn't want to make my life shorter with obesity,' she explained. Melissa researched her options and decided to travel to the Czech Republic for a developing weight loss surgery called a gastric wrap. It involves keyhole surgery to stitch the stomach wall to make it smaller so there is less capacity for food. It works on the same principle as a gastric bypass but is slightly less invasive as a gastric bypass involves a surgical procedure in which the stomach is divided into a small upper pouch and a much larger lower pouch, and then the small intestine is rearranged to connect to both. Following the surgery, Melissa gradually lost weight over the following 18 months. The surgery meant she couldn't eat as much as she could before and she also started going for more healthy food options. She also started exercising as she felt more comfortable running as she became lighter. Melissa, pictured recovering from her skin removal surgery, said the pain was all worth it . But while she was gradually becoming healthier, she was left with a constant reminder of her obese past thanks to her saggy excess skin. So she decided to go under the knife once again in order to have it removed by cosmetic surgeon Paul Baguley. She said: 'The process was done in two stages over three months. The recovery was hard as I was covered in staples and stitches. But, it was not nearly as bad I thought it would be. The pain was worth it. Through plastic surgery I could have the body I worked so hard to get. 'Like a magic wand being run across my body, the evidence of my obesity was erased. Mr Baguley removed several pounds of skin. Where it had creped, my body is now taut and contoured.' Melissa now weighs 11st 5lb and is happy to show off her figure on her blog as she writes to support other people trying to deal with weight and self-esteem issues. She said: 'The new me can run, the new me will live longer and the new me can do anything! I have been extremely lucky that with the intervention of an amazing surgeon, I could be brand new. 'Now in retrospect looking at my pictures (when I had saggy skin), particularly my thighs and stomach, the results are unbelievable. I am not ashamed of those pictures any more. It is a bit like looking at a discarded cocoon now. 'Although not perfect, I am very happy with the butterfly I have become no matter how oddly I fly now and then.'
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Melissa Foreman, 44, from London, reached 24st 5,000 calories-a-day diet .
After having twins, she wanted to be a healthier, more active mother .
Left with rolls of saggy skin after shedding 12st with weight loss surgery .
US-born mum had ops to remove skin and is now 11st 5lb with taut tummy .
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By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 05:44 EST, 22 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 07:56 EST, 22 November 2012 . Callous Sharon Greaves duped an elderly man out of his life savings. She has been jailed for more than three years . A drug addict conwoman left a . 'proud' pensioner penniless after duping her way into his affections and . pretending they would get married. Sick Sharon Greaves, 52, preyed . on 89-year-old George Girt, convincing him they were in a relationship . and persuading him to lavish her with hundreds of pounds worth of . clothes for a phantom wedding. Entangling the victim in a web of . deception, Greaves also conned the pensioner into taking out a £1,000 . loan for the fake ceremony. But in reality the career criminal, . who had 74 previous offences on her record, spent the cash on drugs, . leaving Mr Girt with virtually nothing and at his 'lowest point'. He . was forced to move out of his home and in with his daughters. A judge at Preston Crown Court yesterday jailed Greaves for three years and two months after she admitted six counts of theft. In . a statement read out to the court, Mr Girt told how the heartless . criminal had changed his life. 'I was at my lowest point,' he said. 'I am a proud man from a generation who doesn’t ask for help. I had to swallow my pride and ask my daughter for help.' Greaves . - branded 'remorseless' by police - befriended the pensioner while . living opposite him in Layton, Lancs. Although the pair never started a . physical relationship, Greaves convinced her victim her intentions were . genuine. The court heard . Greaves told a pack of lies, twice cancelling the 'wedding' but . convincing the victim the ceremony would finally go ahead on March 31 . last year. But no registry office had been booked and by that time Mr Girt had handed over nearly £3,000. Saul . Brody, prosecuting, said: 'It is the Crown’s case that she deliberately . targeted him. She got herself into his affections, firstly visiting and . spending time with him and thereafter, developing a relationship with . him.' Callous Sharon Greaves was jailed at Preston Crown Court for swindling an old man out of thousands of pounds . Detective Constable Marc Armstrong, who led the investigation, said: 'It’s had a devastating impact on him and his family’s lives and Greaves has shown no remorse for what she did. 'It isn’t just the financial loss, the main thing to him is the loss of his independence, because he has had to move in with his daughters. 'He had lived in Blackpool for 11 years and enjoyed where he lived but it’s all been taken away from him because he thought he had found someone he could spend his last years with.' Greaves sobbed in the dock as her barrister Peter Horgan described her long struggle with drugs. He said: 'For 20 years she has struggled with a drug addiction. In recent times she has lost the support of her husband which had an impact upon her.' Mr Girt is believed to have relocated to North Wales.
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Sharon Greaves, 52, pretended she would marry vulnerable OAP .
The conwoman, from Layton, Lancs, duped victim out of nearly £3,000 .
She spent money on drugs and left him penniless .
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Brown Ideye’s proposed move to Qatar club Al Gharafa has taken an intriguing twist with West Bromwich Albion now willing to lower their demands for the striker from £6million to an initial €5million – around £3.8million. Negotiations are ongoing and they suggest frantic work is taking place to recoup cash for a fresh face at centre-forward. A short-term package of greater expense than chairman Jeremy Peace would usually countenance could be put together for the right player – given the huge financial reward of staying in the Premier League. West Brom record signing Brown Ideye (left) has been made available for an initial £3.8million . Tony Pulis is looking at West Ham's Carlton Cole (left) and Liverpool's Rickie Lambert as replacements . Albion paid a club record £10m for Ideye from Dinamo Kiev but were discussing a transfer with Qatari club, Al Gharafa, on Sunday night. Manager Tony Pulis made enquiries for West Ham striker Carlton Cole as he laid the groundwork for Ideye's departure. West Ham, however, are reluctant to let Cole go without having a replacement. Andy Carroll also picked up an injury in Saturday's defeat to Liverpool. Rickie Lambert of Liverpool remains an alternative option for Albion. Burnley made a £2million offer for Albion's Scotland international Graham Dorrans with a deal possibly rising to £4m on Burnley staying up. Manager Tony Pulis gives Saido Berahino instructions during West Brom's 3-0 defeat by Tottenham . The Baggies are still in discussions to sign Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher . Albion boss Pulis is continuing discussions over a move for Darren Fletcher of Manchester United and has Tottenham's Etienne Capoue as an alternative loan target. Pulis also wants a winger and is keen on Swansea left-back Neil Taylor and Swansea will look to replace him with Norwich's Martin Olsson if they can agree on a £5m fee. West Ham, wary of late interest in Winston Reid from Tottenham and Arsenal, have made enquiries for Dnipro's Czech Republic defender Ondrej Mazuch. Tottenham have not made Reid an offer.
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West Brom lower demands for Brown Ideye from £6million to an initial £3.8m .
The Baggies brought Ideye in last summer for a record £10m fee .
The Nigerian has scored two goals in 17 matches so far this season .
Tony Pulis looking at West Ham's Carlton Cole or Liverpool striker Rickie Lambert as a potential replacement .
Baggies are also chasing Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher .
CLICK HERE to see how transfer deadline day unfolded .
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(CNN) -- Earlier this year, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, expressed support for raising taxes only on households earning $1 million or more, a higher threshold than the $250,000 dividing line backed by President Obama. Eventually, Schumer and Pelosi declared their support for the president's position. But the $1 million proposal might serve as the basis for a bipartisan agreement. A number of Republicans, led by Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tennessee, have called for raising tax revenue by capping deductions at $50,000, a proposal that would leave virtually all middle-income households untouched while substantially raising average tax rates on households in the top 2% of the income distribution. A deduction cap is expected to raise roughly $800 billion in revenue above current policy, which is only half of the $1.6 trillion the Obama administration hopes to raise from high-earners. It is, however, an amount that many congressional Republicans appear to have deemed acceptable. Politics: The road to fiscal cliff paved with good intentions . One of the central problems with a deduction cap, however, is that it is likely to be opposed by politically influential charitable organizations, which recognize that it will greatly undermine the incentive for high earners to make large charitable donations. Moreover, President Obama has insisted that tax rates on high earners will have to increase, though he has not made an explicit commitment to the Clinton-era statutory top rate of 39.6% (which compares to today's top rate of 35%). So, is there a way out of this impasse? Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, along with Reps. Tom Cole, R-Oklahoma, Bob Dold, R-Illinois, and Mary Bono Mack, R-California, have called on congressional Republicans to back legislation that would extend all the Bush-era tax cuts except for the high-income rate reductions, which would be allowed to expire. This remains a minority view among congressional Republicans, but it may well gain support in light of the popularity of allowing the high-income rate reductions to expire. Another possibility is that congressional Republicans will embrace the Schumer-Pelosi proposal. That is, rather than embrace expiration for the high-income rate reductions for households earning $250,000 or more, they would accept it for households earning $1 million or more. This would shield a large, politically influential constituency of affluent households, a disproportionately large share of whom live in high-cost metropolitan areas in blue states, while allowing Democrats and Republicans to take a politically popular stand. Opinion: A tax we could learn to love . To raise somewhat more revenue, this threshold could be set at $500,000 or $410,000, the latter of which would more precisely target the top 1% of households by annual income. Rather than set the tax rate for this new top bracket at 39.6%, Congress could set a rate of 36% or 37%, a face-saving gesture that would contribute to an appearance of moderation. Back in 2007, Alan Viard, a tax economist at the right-of-center American Enterprise Institute, offered a detailed explanation of why increasing taxes on high-income households alone is unlikely to raise enough revenue to reach ambitious deficit reduction goals. At the time, he estimated that raising $1 trillion in additional revenue relative to the Bush-era tax code from households earning $1 million or more ($500,000 for singles) would require raising the tax rate from 35% to 57%. If the goal of a millionaire's tax bracket is not to raise revenue in the most efficient manner but rather to make a political point, as seems at least somewhat plausible, it is easy to imagine it as the basis of a political compromise. The Obama administration is eager to secure more fiscal stimulus for the coming year in light of sluggish global economic growth. So a tax compromise that raises relatively little revenue is arguably desirable, at least in the short term, as it would help forestall an economic contraction. Homes, cars, jobs: Americans already making big decisions over fiscal cliff . If some small number of Republican senators from swing states are willing to cross the aisle to back a millionaire's tax bracket, President Obama will be able to claim he has a bipartisan consensus in favor of his broad approach to resolving the fiscal cliff. This in turn will make it very difficult for House Republicans to resist. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Reihan Salam.
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Earlier this year Sen. Schumer, Rep. Pelosi proposed raising taxes on millionaires .
Reihan Salam says their idea of a higher threshold than Obama's $250,000 could work .
Salam: It wouldn't raise as much money, but would be more politically palatable .
He says another plus is that it wouldn't risk as much of an economic slowdown .
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By . Alex Ward . PUBLISHED: . 04:09 EST, 20 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:24 EST, 20 February 2013 . The stepmother of a 13-year-old boy who died after he was beaten and kept in a dog cage has been sentenced to 35 years in jail. Kimberly Kubina, 47, pleaded guilty to felony neglect over teenager Christian Choate’s death, whose severely malnourished body was found in a shallow grave at a mobile home park in Gary, Indiana shortly after he was reported missing in May 2011. Kubina’s former husband Riley Choate, 40, of Hammond, Indiana was also sentenced to 80 years in prison last month. Kept in a dog cage: Kimberly Kubina (right) was sentenced to 35 years for the death of stepson Christian Choate (left) who was beaten for several years and kept in a cage for as long as a year before he died . Investigators said the boy was beaten for several years and kept in a cage for as long as a year before he died at the age of 13 in early 2009. His disappearance went unreported until Lake County police unearthed his body in May, 2011 from a shallow grave. The Lake County Coroner's Office determined he died of blunt force trauma injuries and a skull fracture. Kubina told the Lake Superior Court that she was remorseful for not stopping the abuse involving her stepson. She said that Choate was intimidating and violent and that she feared that the other children, including several nephews and nieces, she was looking after would be taken away by the welfare authorities. Father's son: Christian's father and Kubina's former husband Riley Choate was sentenced to 80 years in jail last month over his involvement in the boy's death . She said in court, according to the Chicago Sun-Times: ‘In our house, whatever Riley said was law.’ The woman told the judge that she . suffered nightmares about what had happened and that the other children, . who had seen the abuse, were emotionally scarred. Christian was kept in a dog cage and . Kubina told the court in May that she told his sister to only feed him . Asian noodles while locked up as punishment for 'molesting' his younger . step-brother. The . unidentified sister was not the only one to know about the horrible . suffering that the boy endured, and up to 13 people are thought to have . known about the torture without alerting the police. Court . records state that the father, Riley Choate, has admitted burying . Christian's body under a storage shed with a Bible across his chest but . denied causing the boy's death. Kubina, the stepmother, repeatedly has denied any wrongdoing, court and Indiana Department of Child Services records show. Originally, she told police she thought Christian had gone to live with his biological mother. Only . one person claims to have taken her concerns to the authorities, . according to the state's Department of Child Services records. Investigators . say the boy was beaten for several years and kept in a cage for as long . as a year before he died at the age of 13 in early 2009. Both Choate and Kubina had pleaded not guilty to all charges surrounding Christian’s death originally. Intimidating and violent: Kubina told the court: 'In our house, whatever Riley said was law,' after Christian's severely malnourished body was found in a shallow grave at a mobile home park in Gary, Indiana . Choate made a deal with prosecutors . to plead guilty to some charges in return for a lessened sentence and to . avoid a jury trial. He pleaded guilty to felony charges including . moving a body after death and neglect of a dependent causing death. In return for the guilty pleas, prosecutors dropped charges of murder, battery, criminal confinement and obstruction of justice. Choate . himself addressed the judge before learning his fate in January, . saying: 'All my actions will haunt me forever. I loved my son.' Kubina was given a similar deal for testifying against her former husband. Kubina's sister, Belinda Bradburn, told The Times she witnessed abuse once while visiting her sister and the children when they lived in Merrillville. She said she saw Riley Choate hit Christian in the arm. 'When that happened, I just said, "Kim, I'm leaving. This is kind of ridiculous that he would just hit a kid, and you need to do something about this",' Bradburn recalled. Body placement: Choate has admitted burying Christian's body under a storage shed. Kubina told the Lake Superior Court that she was remorseful for not stopping the abuse involving her stepson . In December MailOnline reported that Christian wrote letters from his squalid prison about how he wanted his life to end. He wrote: ‘I want to die’ on the paper given to him by his stepmother to scribble down how he felt. In the handwritten notes, he said he simply wanted to be liked by his family - even if they were ‘abusing’ him. Christian writes how he had to steal food when he was hungry because his family allegedly would not feed him. He would only be let out to clean the house and was almost never allowed outside. ‘Christian wrote of why nobody liked him and how he just wanted to be liked by his family,’ DCS records state. ‘Christian stated that he wanted to die because nobody liked the way he 'acted.' The records continue: 'Christian's writings detail a very sad, depressed child who often wondered when someone, anyone, was going to come check on him and give him food or liquid. Christian often stated he was hungry or thirsty.’
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Kimberly Kubina pleaded guilty to felony neglect over the boy's death .
Christian Choate's malnourished body was found in a shallow grave .
His father, Riley Choate, was sentenced to 80 years in prison last month .
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By . Pete Jenson . Follow @@petejenson . Lionel Messi’s failure to have any impact against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night and coach Gerardo Martino’s inability to do anything about it dominated the inquest into Barcelona’s dismal Champions League exit. 'He ran only one mile more than goalkeeper Pinto' ran one headline as post-match statistics revealed the Argentine had covered 4.2 miles during the game - half that of Atletico matchwinner Koke. 'We weren’t really interested in Leo having a lot of participation in the game' were the words that will come back to haunt Martino after the 1-0 defeat. He had been asked why Messi saw so little of the ball in Atletico's win. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Messi stopped and searched at airport on way to Atletico clash . Down and out: Lionel Messi was subdued as Barcelona crashed out of the Champions League to Atletico . One dimensional: Messi was restricted to the right wing rather than the roaming role he is used to . Comparison: Goalkeeper Jose Pinto covered just slightly less ground than Messi at the Vicente Calderon . 'We really only wanted him to have one-on-one opportunities down the right-hand side,' said the coach effectively ripping up the Pep Guardiola blueprint that has made Messi Barca’s fulcrum over the last six years. The coach also underwhelmed when asked about the pattern of games against Atletico Madrid this season. In five matches Barca have scored twice and been unable to beat Diego Simeone’s team. 'I see no reason why the next match will be any different,' said Martino to the exasperation of most Barcelona supporters. That next game against Atletico will be Barca’s last match of the domestic season and one they will probably need to win to retain their title. Under fire: Barcelona boss Gerardo Martino was criticised for his deployment of Messi on Wednesday night . Over and out: Barcelona missed out on a place in the Champions League semi-finals to their Spanish rivals . Messi has failed to scored against Atletico in the five matches played and finished woefully from several opportunities in the Calderon on Wednesday night but the Argentine is the least of Barcelona’s problems. They need to rebuild in defensive and goalkeeping positions but are prevented from doing so by their year-long transfer ban. Supporters will now put the club under huge pressure to bring in a new coach or even call elections and vote in a new president. Only a win in next week’s Copa del Rey final will calm their supporters, but with Gerard Pique struggling for fitness and Victor Valdes definitely out their defensive frailties will mean they start the game as clear underdogs. For the first time since 2011, Messi . has gone four games without scoring; the more revealing statistic, . however, is the distance he covered on Wednesday night. There seem to be . only two possible reasons behind a perceived lack of effort - one is . that he was hampering an injury, the other is that he wants to keep as . much in reserve for Argentina’s World Cup campaign. Many . players have appeared to do the same in recent years: Brazil legend . Rivaldo had his worst season at Barca before excelling at the 2002 World . Cup; and Zinedine Zidane was player of the tournament in 2006 after a . relatively low-key finish to Real Madrid’s domestic season. Messi . has never quite replicated his Barcelona form on the international . stage. For a player who has it all for his club, an end-of-season rest . may an attempt to go for broke in Brazil. Isaac Williams . Winner: Koke fired home the only goal of the game after five minutes to send Atletico into the last four . Marching on: Koke celebrates his winning goal with former Barcelona forward David Villa .
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Lionel Messi ran 4.2 miles during the 1-0 Champions League loss to Atletico .
Coach Gerardo Martino was unable to affect the situation .
Barcelona have played Atletico five times this season and not won .
The Madrid side went through to the semi-finals 2-1 on aggregate .
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SEASIDE, Oregon (CNN) -- One day in 1957, when Jeff Daly was 6 years old, his little sister, Molly, disappeared. Jeff Daly's efforts to find his sister, Molly, led to a new Oregon law about records for institutions for the disabled. Every night at dinner, he would ask his parents the same question, "Where's Molly?" Every night, he says, he received the same answer: "Stop asking about Molly." Decades later, Daly learned that his parents had sent Molly to a state institution nine days before her third birthday. Nearly 50 years later, Daly found his sister and made a documentary about his search. "Since the movie, literally hundreds of people have come up to us and said, 'I had a [relative] that I remember my family talking about that was sent away. Do you know how we can find out about that person?'" says Daly. Interactive: Watch Jeff Daly tell more about his and Molly's story » . An increasing number of people are trying to reconnect with family members sent to live in institutions decades ago, advocates for the disabled say. The Arc, a national advocacy organization for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, has created a new online family registry and search service, the FindFamily Registry, to help with such reunions. Through the registry, The ArcLink, a family services venture associated with The Arc, is compiling a database of information from family members seeking loved ones, as well as from caregivers hoping to find relatives of the people they're caring for. From that database, ArcLink staff will work to make connections. To prevent abuse, The ArcLink will carefully screen people seeking information. When a match is found, both parties will be notified. It's unknown exactly how many children were institutionalized in the last century. In 1967, at the height of institutionalization, as many as 100,000 children were housed in 162 state facilities across the U.S., according to Charlie Lakin, a professor at the University of Minnesota who studies the history of institutionalization. Other experts put the number of institutions as high as 200. Guest blog: Reflections on what is 'different.' Most of the people sent to institutions had some sort of developmental disability -- Down syndrome, retardation, cerebral palsy or autism, for example. Some also were sent to institutions because they were viewed as "slow." Many had other kinds of secondary disabilities, such as being in a wheelchair. In a few cases, able-bodied people also ended up in state facilities because their families could not support them financially. Watch how Daly answered the question: "Where's Molly?" » . Conditions could be horrific, Lakin said. Residents were sometimes restrained in leather cuffs or straitjackets, overly sedated, isolated for long periods of time, and in many cases, sterilized. Many had little or no contact with their families. Read the first-person story of a mom's love for her disabled son. Such treatment was considered appropriate. Over the 19th centuries and 20th centuries, society's treatment of people with intellectual disabilities changed. From an early mission of training "productive workers" who would return to their communities, state schools for the disabled evolved into often overcrowded permanent homes, as fear and stigma colored public attitudes about people who were different. Many parents also didn't have the means or support system to keep a child with a disability at home. There was no "mainstreaming" of children with disabilities in schools. Interactive: How attitudes toward people with intellectual disabilities have changed » . In the 1960s, under President John F. Kennedy, who himself had an intellectually handicapped sister, new federal laws boosted funding for resources and research on intellectual disabilities. In the 1970s, after a series of lawsuits in federal courts led to a push toward independent living for people with intellectual disabilities, the institutions began closing. Most residents were sent to smaller group homes. As difficult as it is for modern-day parents to fathom, parents sent children away under the advice of their doctors, historians say. "Back then, the standard physician message to parents with a disabled infant was, 'You can't handle this. Give the baby to the state, and don't worry about it,' " says Elbert Johns, president of The ArcLink, which provides information about services and service providers and technology resources to families of the developmentally disabled. Bill Lynch, executive director of the Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities, says it's hard to appreciate the culture of decades ago. "There was a lot of shame on the part of these families," he said. "There was such a huge stigma to disability. We're still getting over that." Many who try to reconnect do so against the wishes of the parents of the disabled child, who still feel that shame, Johns says. "There was once a motivation on the part of families to dump and forget," Johns says. "The parents made a major life decision decades ago, and now somebody's questioning that." But he said when people do reach out, "that reconnection is pretty precious." Molly's medical records indicate that she was born with a club foot and a lazy eye, which was left blind after surgery. When she was around 2, records show, doctors amended her diagnosis to "profoundly retarded," a characterization that Daly doubts but has no proof to contradict. Daly says his father tried to stay connected to Molly and visited her at Fairview, the Oregon state institution where she had gone to live. But because Molly became so upset each time he left, the staff asked him to stop coming, Daly says. Daly says his own search for Molly, which he recounts in the documentary "Where's Molly?" was relatively easy. Even though his parents wouldn't talk about Molly after she left, his father kept meticulous records. In 2004, after his parents had died, Daly found the phone number for the group home where Molly was sent after Fairview closed in 2000. "He left clues for us. He left us little bits of information that gave us the ability to find Molly," he says. "I know he wanted me to find Molly." E-mail to a friend . Elizabeth Cohen is a correspondent with CNN Medical News. Senior producer Jennifer Pifer contributed to this report.
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People increasingly seek reunions with once-institutionalized relatives .
Most sent to institutions had some form of developmental disability .
In 1967, as many as 100,000 children were housed in 162 state facilities in U.S.
Advocacy group The Arc creates online registry, search service, to help reunions .
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By . Tamara Cohen . PUBLISHED: . 18:00 EST, 16 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 18:49 EST, 16 October 2013 . Victor: Elanor Laing won the Deputy Speaker position by 257 votes to 240 . Tory MP Eleanor Laing has been elected Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, beating six other candidates. The Conservative MP for Epping Forest, the favourite for the role, saw off Conservative Brian Binley by 257 votes to 240. She will join John Bercow’s team after Nigel Evans stood down to fight sex offence charges last month, and will be one of three deputies to stand in for Mr Bercow. The position carries a salary premium of £36,360 on top of an MP’s salary, so she will receive a total of £102,098 a year. Miss Laing, who was a shadow justice minister in 2009, was forced to pay back £25,000 in the MPs’ expenses scandal and saw off an attempt to have her deselected as MP for Epping Forest. She won a vote of confidence from her local party after anger that she sold her state-funded second home for a £1million profit without paying capital gains tax by calling it her ‘primary residence’. After an outcry, she offered to pay back the money as a ‘moral gesture’. Miss Laing said yesterday: ‘May I also . on behalf of all the candidates who took part thank each of the other . candidates for the demure and pleasant way in which this election has . been conducted, and may I thank the House for placing their confidence . in me to let me become part of your team.’ Mr Bercow said yesterday: . ‘I congratulate the honourable lady warmly, and I may say on behalf of . my colleagues and myself that we all greatly look forward to working . with her.’ As a Conservative, Mr Evans could only be replaced by another . governing-party MP under Commons rules - although no Lib Dems applied. Ahead of the election, Miss Laing spoke of the Commons’ ‘vital, essential role as a forum for national debate’, adding: ‘I would like to be part of the Speaker’s team, not just to keep order in the chamber but to stand up for the rights of the backbenches... against overbearing governments.’ Excited: Speaker John Bercow said he was looking forward to working with Miss Laing . This week she expressed sympathy for more family-friendly hours in parliament, which can sit past 10pm, but did not make a firm pledge to change them. There were six rounds of voting as no MP managed to get over 50 per cent. Henry . Bellingham came third with a final tally of 156 votes, Gary Streeter . fourth with 95, and former transport minister Simon Burns fifth with 70 . votes. David Amess was sixth with 28 and former I’m a Celebrity . contestant Nadine Dorries came last, gaining 13 votes in the first . round.
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Miss Laing, MP for Epping Forest, won the election by 257 votes to 240 .
She will replace Nigel Evans, who stepped down to fight sex offence charges .
Miss Laing triumphed despite being caught up in the 2009 expenses scandal .
Her position carries a salary premium of £36,360 .
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By . Hayley O'keeffe . PUBLISHED: . 05:53 EST, 26 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:59 EST, 26 October 2013 . A disabled man died after he plunged head first down a flight of stairs in his wheelchair after drunkenly leaving through the wrong door. Council worker David Henley had drunk ten pints with friends in a hotel but took an exit leading to six steps instead of a wheelchair ramp. An inquest heard the 43 year-old, who was born with spina bifida, made his fatal mistake despite being a regular visitor to the Grange Moor Hotel in Maidstone, Kent. The Grange Moor Hotel, where Mr Henley suffered fatal injuries after using the wrong door in his wheelchair . He was found by hotel guests, but medics were unable to save him and he died from vomiting and bleeding which entered his lungs and airways. Mr Henley, a transport officer for Kent County Council, was found to be almost three times over the legal drink-drive limit after the accident in February 2012. He had been enjoying a drink with work colleagues when he left to meet a waiting taxi and the accident happened. Coroner Alison Grief heard there was no sign on the door he mistakenly opened, but that did not constitute a health and safety issue. Archbishop's Palace in Maidstone, where coroner Alison Grief recorded a verdict of accidental death . The hotel had previously been given a clean bill of health by safety inspectors who noted that more signage to an exit ramp would be useful, but it was no major cause for concern. Hotel director Hsaio Gibbons, said: "It was established that the hotel has met all the requirements of all the rules and regulations and was not in breach in respect of the incident. 'As to the unfortunate death of Mr Henley, it was difficult to understand what had happened. 'We and the police looked through the CCTV footage again and again but could not understand why Mr Henley didn't exit the entrance from which he arrived. 'Instead, he went through the doorway which consists of inner doors and outer doors leading to half-a-dozen steps. 'Both sets of doors are all with clear glass panels so guests can see the steps the other side of the outer doors. 'He somehow managed to open two sets of the double doors and fell down the steps. 'In any normal fall, one might suffer slight injuries as there were only six steps. 'Inexplicably, Mr Henley did not survive his fall and died at the nearby hospital a few hours later.' Miss Grief, coroner for Mid-Kent and Medway, recorded a verdict that Mr Henley died by accident. She said: 'I am satisfied that his death was the result of tragic circumstances following an enjoyable evening he had.' After the inquest Mr Henley's mother Christine Henley, 65, said: 'For us the matter is closed. 'Everyone that night had a lot to drink. 'Nobody could have prevented it - it was an accident and he died after a happy evening surrounded by good friends.'
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Council worker David Henley had drunk ten pints of beer with friends .
Used wrong door when leaving to meet taxi and plunged down flight of stairs .
Hotel had been given clean bill of health by safety officials in inspection .
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A £25billion rival to the Panama Canal could be built across Nicaragua – funded entirely by the Chinese. The hugely ambitious engineering project would give China control of a vital waterway to challenge the one completed by the US in Panama nearly 100 years ago. Legislation paving the way for a new canal was given the go-ahead by Nicaraguan politicians on Monday night and is expected to be approved by the National Assembly tomorrow. A concession to build a canal across Nicaragua linking the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, likely to go through the waters of Lake Nicaragua, are expected to be awarded to a Chinese company . Five of the six proposed routes for the new canal pass through the giant Lake Nicaragua . The canal would cross the Central . American country – one of the poorest in the region – from the Caribbean . coast in the east to the Pacific coast in the west. It would thus compete directly with . the 48-mile Panama Canal further south which gives ships a fast route . between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. About 130 miles of waterway would . have to be dug, and 40,000 construction jobs could be created over the . 11 years estimated for completion, according to the project’s . supporters. When finished, they believe it could . capture 4.5 per cent of world maritime freight traffic and double . Nicaragua’s per capita gross domestic product. A China-based consortium would . finance the construction in return for a majority share in earnings from . the potentially lucrative new shipping route. Daniel Ortega, Nicaragua’s socialist president, is backing the waterway enthusiastically. But many outside observers and Ortega . opponents point out that nearly every key detail remains a mystery, . from the exact sources of the funding to Nicaragua’s share of the . profits and the precise route. Critics have also been asking whether . Central America needs two canals, even in an age of growing world . trade. Panama’s is already being expanded to take bigger ships. Feasibility studies have indicated . six potential routes across Nicaragua, many connecting with Lake . Nicaragua in the west, but the legislation does not indicate which one . would be dug. The government plans to grant the . Chinese HK Nicaragua Canal Development Investment Co Ltd a concession . for an initial 50 years, with the possibility of extending it another . 50. Construction of a Nicaraguan canal . would mark the end of a saga dating back to the 19th century when US . shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt won the right to . build a waterway across the country but gave up amid political turmoil. Rival: A Panamax container ship moves through the Panama Canal on its way to the Atlantic Ocean . Other US interests then studied . building a canal in Nicaragua before settling on Panama where an attempt . by the French to build a canal had ended in failure. The US took over . and completed the job in 1914. The canal was owned by the US until 1999 when it was handed over to the Panamanian government. A second waterway linking the Atlantic with the Pacific has long been in the planning, however. The steady increase in shipping since the opening of the Panama Canal means there is plenty of financial incentive. And with the emergence of China as a . resource-hungry economic superpower, the route is now more likely than . ever to become a reality. The construction of canal locks and gates for the Panama Canal. Panama, in 1913 . French workers using a U.S.-made Sleven dredging machine to dig near Empire, Panama, during the early construction of the Panama Canal . Jaime Incer, an environmentalist and . adviser to the presidency on environmental issues, said authorities . should be defining a specific route for the canal before approving a . concession. 'There are at . least six proposed routes and five of them include Lake Nicaragua, but . there is nothing definite, that's all part of the unknown,' he said. Deputy . Foreign Minister Manuel Coronel, who is chairman of the country's Grand . Canal Authority, said Monday that he had no doubt the Chinese company . would carry out the project. When the 48-mile long Panama Canal was finally finished in 1914 it was described as the 'eighth wonder of the world' and observers said it would have an impact akin to 'shifting the nations on a map'. The international waterway allowed ships to pass between the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean, . saving about 8,000 miles from a journey around the southern . tip of South America, Cape Horn. The canal makes the trip from the east coast to the west coast of the U.S. much shorter than the route taken around the tip of South America prior to 1914. Though traffic continues to increase through the canal, many oil supertankers and military battleships and aircraft carriers can not fit through the canal. There's even a class of ships known as Panamax, those built to the maximum capacity of the Panama canal and its locks. It takes approximately fifteen hours to traverse the canal through its three sets of locks (about half the time is spent waiting due to traffic). Ships passing through the canal from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean actually move from the northwest to the southeast, due to the east-west orientation of the Isthmus of Panama. 'It's . a very serious company, very responsible and recognized,' Coronel said. 'To doubt (the company) is to oppose the project for political rather . than realistic issues.' The . Hong Kong-registered company has said that it is willing to fully study . the technological, economic, environmental and social impact of the . project. 'This is a great . project that has the potential to transform international trade and . bring significant economic and social benefits to Nicaragua, their . neighbors and Latin America,' company spokesman Ronald Maclean-Abaroa . said Monday on the group's website. Under the deal, the Chinese company would pay Nicaragua $10million annually during the first decade, then pay it a share of canal revenues - an amount that would begin at 1 per cent and rise to an unspecified percentage over the life of the concession. After completing the concession, the Chinese company would have to turn over to Nicaragua all buildings and other canal infrastructure. Jose Aguerri, who heads an association of Nicaraguan chambers of commerce, said the lack of details released about the project would slow investment. 'Until you define the path that the canal will have, it will be difficult to attract investment to the area because there is no legal certainty,' Aguirre said after meeting with committee members. Another Hong Kong-based company has been operating port facilities on both ends of the Panama Canal. The Nicaraguan canal's construction would mark the end of a long push that began at least as far back as the 19th century when U.S. industrialist Cornelius Vanderbilt won the right to build a waterway across the country but gave up amid political turmoil. Other U.S. interests then studied building a canal in Nicaragua before settling on Panama as the crossing point. Panama is nearing the end of a seven-year, $5.2billion expansion project to allow bigger ships to use its waterway. That project is scheduled to be finished next year.
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Proposal fast-tracked through the ruling party-controlled congress .
It happened despite a lack of details about the huge project .
Supporters claim the canal could double the GDP of Nicaragua .
But route hasn't been set out, or funding arrangements with China .
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By . Louise Cheer for Daily Mail Australia . Men are more likely to make women hot under the collar by switching on a blender than turning on a power tool, according to new research. A team of neuroscientists were flown in from London to conduct scientific testing on 20 Australian couples to determine what domestic duties aroused women the most. While their male partners were performing activities from traditional do-it-yourself tasks and drilling to cake mixing, coffee-making and blending, their female counterparts had their mental, emotional and physiological responses monitored. Scroll down for video . New research has found women are more aroused by their man cooking in the kitchen than using power tools . The research - which is the first of its kind in Australia - was commissioned by home appliances brand Sunbeam. It was found that female partners were more aroused when their significant others were making a cup of coffee or whipping up a cake (57.5 per cent) than using a power drill or a saw (55 per cent). Additionally, women were happier when their man was cooking than helping around the house, including ironing and building flat-pack furniture. The research also showed that seven out of 10 women likened receiving a home-made coffee from their partner to receiving a gift or a loving embrace. The research commissioned by Sunbeam had neuroscientists do scientific testing on 20 Australian couples . While their male partners were performing activities, their female counterparts had their mental, emotional and physiological responses monitored . Sexologist and relationship expert Dr Nikki Goldstein said she was not surprised by the findings. 'As a woman, I agree with the research,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'But it will surprise some men because I think a lot of men think women are turned on by men doing masculine activities.' Dr Goldstein said seeing men in the kitchen showed off their creativity, especially with the rise of more male celebrity chefs like Curtis Stone. The women were more aroused when their significant others were making a cup of coffee or whipping up a cake (57.5 per cent) than using a power drill or a saw (55 per cent) The research also showed that seven out of 10 women likened receiving a home-made coffee from their partner to receiving a gift or a loving embrace . 'They’re thinking outside the box and I think that is very appealing to a women,' she said. 'Men can say "I care about you, I love you" but when they make something tangible like a coffee, it shows them they care.' Dr Goldstein also advised couples to spend more time together in the kitchen to strengthen their bond. 'I think it’s good for couples to get in the kitchen together because they can share what happened during their day and experience something together,' she said.
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The new research was carried out on 20 real-life Australian couples .
Reactions of female partners were monitored by London neuroscientists .
They were more turned on when their partner was making a cup of coffee .
This was compared to their significant others ironing, drilling or sawing .
Seven out of 10 women likened receiving a home-made coffee to receiving a gift .
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A plunging neckline closing three inches below a woman's cleavage is the new super-low-cut trend being worn by the the biggest names on the red carpet. At one time, a pair of silicone breasts were the ultimate accessory when it came to pulling off the look - just look to Katie Price and Pamela Anderson for proof. But fast forward a few years and it seems the silicone trend is officially out. Scroll down for video . The likes of (L-R) Kate Hudson, Jennifer Lawrence and Sienna Miller have all been embracing a more natural silhouette on the red carpet, proving that the pert silicone breasts of yesteryear are out of fashion . Kate's Versace plunging diamante cut out gown . Beauty! Visit site . The resounding theme of the night might have been ‘pale and interesting,’ but that notion couldn’t have been any further from the truth in Kate Hudson’s case since she left our eyeballs popping out of our heads. The Hollywood screen siren flaunted her all natural, gym-honed physique in a white plunging gown featuring diamante side cut outs and a halter neck design by Versace. Reminiscent of that Liz Hurley safety pin dress all those years ago with its flesh flashing cut and hourglass silhouette; Kate exudes Hollywood sex appeal with a fashionista edge. She was hands down the sexiest female of the 2015 Golden Globes. Donatella Versace is the master of crafting gowns that bare a great deal of skin whilst eschewing a tacky aesthetic; With Kate’s sleek updo, natural make-up and limited accessories, she absolutely nails it with her refined demeanor. And we can learn a lesson or two from Kate's gown because a white maxi will never go out of style. So take your pick from the fashion edit below to emulate Miss Hudson's winning look. Asos petite open back maxi dress with strap detail . Visit site . Indah revel hand crochet cut away maxi at Revolve . Visit site . Indah cutout maxi (reduced to $63) Visit site . Lanvin ruched silk-blend tulle gown . Visit site . The likes of Jennifer Lawrence, Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson, who was rumoured - but never confirmed - to have had a small enhancement from an AA to a B back in 2010, and Sienna Miller have been championing a more natural silhouette as they take to the red carpet in their daring dresses - and clinical stats back it up. Transform Cosmetic Group has seen a trend in people requesting more modest implants over the last five years, with the most requested cup size now being a C. Speaking about the trend for going silicone-free, Mark Norfolk, Clinical Director at Transform, said: 'We’ve seen a real trend in people requesting more natural looks when opting for cosmetic surgery and non-surgical procedures. 'Over the last four-five years, requests have evolved significantly. For instance, we are seeing an increasing number of women opting for more modest breast implants. 'In fact, over the last year, we’ve found that a third of patients are asking for a full cup C and the most requested cup sizes currently, are a C or D and not the larger implants that we’ve seen in the past. Jennifer Aniston, pictured at last month's SAG Awards, is just one of a growing number of A-listers embracing a natural silhouette. It seems it's rubbing off on the public with Transform Cosmetic Group noting a trend in more people requesting more modest implants over the last five years . Indeed, Victoria Beckham admitted in 2014 that she underwent breast augmentation after giving birth to her first son, Brooklyn, in 1999. She then made the decision to reverse the treatment taking her from artificial 34DDs to 34Bs. 'I don't have them anymore,' she told Allure magazine in 2014, after reportedly seeing an old photo of herself with a fuller chest. 'I think I may have purchased them. Or they got removed, one or the other.' When asked if they had been removed, the mother-of-four replied: 'Yeah'. Katie Price, with her award for Cover Girl Of The Decade at the Loaded magazine 10th Birthday Awards in 2004 and, right, Pamela Anderson in 2002, both underwent breast augmentations . In December 2014, Katie reduced her cup size by five, taking her down to a C . Plastic surgeon superfan Heidi Montag also underwent a reduction in 2013. The Hills star went under the knife in Los Angeles to get her F-Cup breasts reduced down to a size C. And it seems the stars are influencing the British public. Mark added: 'Celebrities have a huge influence on ladies' fashion and beauty choices and they are certainly influencing this trend. With the likes and popularity of Victoria Beckham and the Duchess of Cambridge, who both have a more natural look, it seems that the women of the UK are following suit and going for a more sophisticated kind of beauty.' Dr Patrick Mallucci from the Cadogan Clinic agrees and thinks the natural look is 'long overdue'. He said: 'There is a definite change in the emphasis on "look" in breast augmentation. Natural breast enlargement is the new buzz word. All of the research I have done on breast beauty indicates that the natural breast is universally preferred by both men, women and across cultures. 'It is changing the way in which women are approaching the issue of breast augmentation and how we are encouraging surgeons to approach the way they deliver their surgery. It is a healthy change which is long overdue.' Victoria Beckham, left, in 2007 and, right, in 2014, admitted that she underwent breast augmentation after giving birth to her first son, Broocklyn, in 1999 . One surgeon believes that with the popularity of Duchess of Cambridge, who embraces a more natural look, it seems that the women of the UK are following suit and going for a more sophisticated kind of beauty .
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Stars shunning silicone for natural breasts despite plunging cleavage trend .
Katie Price and Pamela Anderson championed fake breasts a decade ago .
Brits requesting more modest implants over the last five years .
Most requested cup size is now a C .
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By . Hugo Gye . PUBLISHED: . 07:42 EST, 28 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:18 EST, 28 January 2013 . A closeted gay man who embezzled £170,000 from his employer has claimed that he used the money to pay off his wife after she started blackmailing him over his sexuality. Christopher Brown is facing jail after being found guilty of exploiting his position as a finance director to write himself dozens of company cheques. He told a court he stole the money in desperation when his then wife Mandy threatened to out him after she discovered he had been calling gay chatlines. Brown, 54, claimed he spent the stolen funds on private school fees for the couple's son as well as buying his wife a ring and a new car. Theft: Christopher Brown, left, claimed he stole company money because he was being blackmailed by his then wife Mandy after she discovered he was gay . Mrs Brown said she 'completely denied' her ex-husband's version of events, and has not faced any police action over his allegations. Bournemouth Crown Court heard that Brown joined luxury home entertainment firm Dawsons in 1980, and worked there for more than two decades. In 1997 Mrs Brown, his second wife, discovered a telephone bill which showed how he was regularly calling gay chatlines, the court heard. He alleged that she had threatened to expose his double life unless he agreed to 'excessive spending' on their son's education and pricey gifts for her. 'I was desperate not to leave the family so I got into this financial mess,' Brown said. Employer: Brown worked for luxury electronics retailer Dawsons, pictured, for 23 years . The couple eventually split in 2003, at which point Brown left his job and moved from Lymington, Hampshire to France, where he opened a bed and breakfast with his male lover. Soon afterwards Dawsons, which sells high-end products from brands such as Bang & Olufsen, discovered that £170,000 had disappeared from its accounts. Brown refused to return to the UK for questioning, and a European Arrest Warrant for him was issued in 2009. He was arrested by French police in October 2011, and extradited to Britain in April last year. Court: Brown faces prison time when he is sentenced next month at Bournemouth Crown Court, pictured . He denied stealing the money from Dawsons, insisting he had only ever intended to borrow it and claiming he had already repaid £120,000. But he was found guilty on four counts of theft today, and a judge warned him that he should expect a prison sentence. Brown was bailed ahead of sentencing, on condition that his first wife agreed to a £100,000 surety. He is also subject to a curfew, has had to surrender his passport and must report to Lymington police station every week.
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Christopher Brown spent money from company cheques on school fees .
Claimed his wife threatened to out him if he did not lavish spending on her .
Faces jail after being found guilty of theft .
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By . Simon Cable Showbusiness Correspondent . PUBLISHED: . 17:30 EST, 16 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 03:33 EST, 17 January 2014 . The 43-year-old said she hasn't been as slim since before the birth of her youngest child . Staying trim could hardly have been a problem for Susanna Reid, a busy working mother who also finds the time to compete in marathons. But the addition of Strictly Come Dancing to her hectic schedule has left her at her fittest for nearly a decade – and she says she’s lost a stone in weight to boot. The BBC news presenter who is performing in the Strictly live tour which opens tonight, said she hasn’t been so slim since before she had her youngest son eight years ago, thanks to the gruelling training sessions and energetic routines with dance partner Kevin Clifton. Miss Reid, 43, said: ‘It’s extraordinary how it affects your body, because you are training for such intense, long periods each day. ‘You are never going to be able to do that again, unless you become a . professional dancer, but it is just amazing how fit it makes you. ‘I would say that all in all, I lost about a stone in weight. 'It means that for Kevin, at the beginning of the series we weren’t doing much lifting. Suddenly there appeared to be all these lifts and no one knew why. It was because I was a stone lighter.’ ‘I’m sure if I had thought about it, I could have adapted my diet too, but in the end I just ate what I could, when I could.’ Since she started training for the show in September, she has revealed that her arms have become stronger and more toned, as have her thighs, while her stomach is much flatter. She said recently: ‘Parts of me that were fleshy seem to be disappearing. Other parts remain fleshy, and it’s a shame I don’t have choice which bits go and which bits stay.’ The newsreader who abstains from eating meat but includes fish in her diet, began training for the dance contest in September last year. She made it through to the final of the show alongside model Abbey Clancy, singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor and actress Natalie Gumede last month. As the show progressed Miss Reid and her dance partner Kevin Clifton began to incorporate more lifts into their routines as a result of her losing weight . The mother-of-three said the support of her husband and family allowed her to devote more time to dance rehearsals . She was forced to undergo daily . rehearsal sessions while commuting between the BBC’s Salford studio, . where she presents BBC Breakfast, and London where she lives with her . long-term partner Dominic Cotton and their three children, who are aged . eight, nine and 11. During the show, Miss Reid continued to present BBC Breakfast during the week, returning to London each morning after the show to see her children. She would then travel back to Manchester every evening in time to present the following day’s show. In between she also found time to rehearse, labelling Thursdays ‘smash it Thursday’ when she underwent the longest and hardest sessions ahead of Saturday night’s Strictly performances. Speaking of how she juggled such a hectic work schedule with family life, she said: ‘I am hugely lucky and blessed that I have a partner who is incredibly supportive. 'He himself has a very demanding job, but a very supportive employer and he was able to step in.‘He has always been brilliant and we’ve shared the parenting, but he just took over. The 43-year-old continued to present BBC Breakfast throughout the show, travelling between Manchester and London to allow herself time with her children . Reid will appear alongside Natalie Gumede and Abbey Clancey in the Strictly Come Dancing tour which begins on Friday evening . 'The family have been brilliant, the grandparents helped out and we’ve relied a lot on friends to arrange play dates for the children. 'I do what any working mum does and I just get on with it.’ Miss Reid is now taking part in the Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour, which begins in Birmingham this evening.
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The 43-year-old said her arms, legs and stomach were more toned .
Miss Reid said help from her husband and family allowed her to commit to gruelling rehearsals .
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Alan Pardew suffered his first defeat as Crystal Palace manager in frustrating fashion as his side failed to respond to conceding an early goal against Everton. It was bitty, gritty and grinding from Everton. There were delayed free kicks and balls pettily poked away when the whistle had gone. But that is exactly what is required for the relegation battle manager Roberto Martinez admitted his team are now in. And it worked. VIDEO Scroll down for Sportsmail's Big Match Stats: Crystal Palace 0-1 Everton . Everton striker Romelu Lukaku (left) performs his customary scoring celebration after netting the opening goal on two minutes . Lukaku bundled home after Eagles keeper Julian Speroni spilled Steven Naismith's cross to open the scoring for the visitors . Lukaku celebrates his opening goal with Scotland international Naismith who provided the cross after a mistake by Damien Delaney . Lukaku recognises the Everton supporters at the final whistle as team-mates celebrate the 1-0 victory in the background . Crystal Palace (4-4-2): Speroni 5.5; Ward 6, Dann 6, Delaney 6, Kelly 6 (Zaha 65' 6); Puncheon 7, Ledley 6, McArthur 6, Gayle 6.5; Chamakh 6 (Mutch 25' 6), Sanogo 6 (Murray 72' 6). Subs not used: Hangeland, Mariappa, Campbell, Hennessey. Manager: Alan Pardew 5.5 . Everton (4-2-3-1): Joel 6.5; Coleman 6, Stones 7, Jagielka 7.5, Baines 6; Besic 6.5, Barry 6; Mirallas 5.5 (Oviedo 68' 6), Naismith 6.5, McGeady 6.5; Lukaku 7 (Kone 90'). Subs not used: Griffiths, Gibson, , Distin, Barkley, Alcaraz. Manager: Roberto Martinez 7 . Booked: Oviedo, Joel, Lukaku . Referee: Roger East 7.5 . MOTM: Jagielka . Steven Naismith pounced on a an error by Damien Delaney to set up Romelu Lukaku for the winner - CLICK HERE for more stats from our brilliant Matchzone . Pardew and counterpart Martinez had barely taken up position on the edge of their technical areas when Romelu Lukaku bundled the ball in from close range. Given the contrasting fortunes of the sides in recent times — Palace on the back of four wins since Pardew took over and Everton with just one victory in 13 — the visitor’s early lead was a shock. Only two minutes were on the clock when Steven Naismith was played down the right and had time to power in a low ball. Crystal Palace goalkeeper Julian Speroni could only palm the cross into the sliding Lukaku. He was lucky, the ball cannoned off his knee and went in. Three minutes later, parity was almost restored when Dwight Gayle cleverly flicked the ball past Joel Robles in Everton’s goal. The effort was bouncing over the line until Phil Jagielka rushed back to clear. ‘Whoever invented that goal-line technology needs a kick up the bum,’ joked Palace manager Pardew afterwards. The resulting corner fell to Yaya Sanogo, whose low shot was destined for the bottom-right corner but the strike was cleared again. Everton forwards Lukaku and Naismith go through their gameplan ahead of the match at Selhurst Park . Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew applauds the fans before kick-off, having won his first four games since returning to the London club . Naismith takes the ball from Jason Puncheon of Crystal Palace before setting off on Everton's first attack in the opening minutes . Lukaku wheels away after reacting to Speroni's attempted save to hand Everton an unexpected early lead . Lukaku races to the sidelines to celebrate the opening goal with Everton team-mates Aiden McGeady (centre) and Kevin Mirallas . The Belgium international sinks to his knees and points to the sky in his customary goal scoring celebration . Lukaku heads back to the centre circle after scoring his seventh Premier League goal of the season . Pardew said last week, following the FA Cup fourth-round win over Southampton, that he would have sleepless nights deciding who to play up front after Gayle, Marouane Chamakh and loan signing Sanogo had all scored. He opted to throw them all into the melting pot which resulted in early Palace pressure, despite going behind. But Pardew’s hand was forced 21 minutes into the match, regardless of his intentions, when Chamakh leapt to head the ball and instead smacked into the back of Seamus Coleman’s skull. Blood spurted from Chamakh’s nose and his face and hands were covered in claret as the striker was carried off on a stretcher. ‘He’s got a broken nose, we fear,’ said Pardew. ‘Fingers crossed he doesn’t get my cold. He wasn’t concussed, but it was a heavy blow to the nose with a cut on it as well.’ Jordan Mutch came on to make his debut following a £5.75million move from Queens Park Rangers on Thursday. Palace proceeded to dominate possession as Everton retreated into their defensive shell for the remainder of the first half and well into the second. Palace’s next good chance came in the 57th minute when Gayle delivered an inviting ball into the box from the left-hand side and Sanogo got a head to it but directed his effort just wide. Their attacks continued to flow —without managing to click in the final third — and so did the blood, this time Scott Dann going down with a cut above the right eye and blood gushing after clashing with Lukaku. Everton manager Roberto Martinez shouts instructions from the sidelines as the visitors strive to get their season back on track . Crystal Palace almost equalised immediately but Dwight Gayle had his shot cleared off the line by Everton captain Phil Jagielka (right) Arsenal loanee Yaya Sanogo (left) is paid close attention to by Jagielka as Crystal Palace respond well to falling behind . But for all Palace’s dominance without end product, Everton had the clearer chances of the second half. They almost added to their lead on 78 minutes when Aiden McGeady played an angled ball between defence and goalkeeper and Lukaku came sliding in again but could not connect with the ball. With three minutes remaining, McGeady then bent an effort towards the left corner of the goal but Speroni pulled off a diving, one-handed save. ‘We don’t live in a hermetic chamber,’ said manager Martinez. ‘We know we’re playing catch-up in the league. We want to be in a better position.We had to be perfect to get the three points because we played a team full of confidence who have been scoring goals. ‘Eight in the last three games — that shows you the form they had. It was very professional, strong intent from the beginning to win the game. ‘When you score early you’re going to be tested and you have to defend the box well, but we managed the game very well.’ Eagles forward Marouane Chamakh was left bruised and bloodied after an accidental clash of heads with Seamus Coleman . New signing Jordan Mutch (centre) was handed his Crystal Palace debut after coming on for the injured Chamakh . Everton goalscorer Lukaku runs with the ball as Damien Delaney (left) of Crystal Palace prepares to lunge in . In form Eagles striker Dwight Gayle attempts an ambitious overhead kick as the hosts chase the game in the second half . Lukaku takes off his shirt and throws it to Everton's travelling fans after bringing an end to their winless run .
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Everton defeated Crystal Palace 1-0 in their Barclays Premier League clash at Selhurst Park .
Romelu Lukaku scored the winner by bundling home from a Steven Naismith cross after only two minutes .
New manager Alan Pardew had won his previous four games since returning as Eagles manager .
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14ee16d218943c45aa6a6c5705012b3d2411593c
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By . Katherine Faulkner . Last updated at 1:21 AM on 14th December 2011 . Celebrations: Corey Brown, 20, escaped being tagged so he can go out for his 21st birthday and over Christmas . A judge agreed not to fit a criminal with an electronic tag because of his 21st birthday plans – and that only a ‘tyrant’ would impose such a punishment. Corey Brown had been ordered to do 150 hours of community service for his role in the theft of a pensioner’s car, but when he failed to turn up for the work sessions five times he was hauled back into court to be given a curfew and an electronic tag. But he was spared after complaining that the punishment would ruin his plans for a night out on his 21st birthday. Recorder David Hall told a stunned courtroom: ‘It would be a tyrant who tagged someone on their 21st birthday and at Christmas.’ Turning to Brown– who had sat smirking throughout the hearing at Warwick Crown Court – Recorder Hall then said: ‘If I give you seven more hours [of community service] to do, and you keep out of trouble, is that a fair deal?’ Brown, from Bedworth, Warwickshire, simply nodded, and then walked free from court. Yesterday, victims’ groups reacted furiously to the decision, saying it would ‘undermine confidence in the criminal justice system’. In March, Brown was given a 36-week jail sentence, suspended for two years, and 150 hours’ community service after he was caught with the keys of a Lexus that had been stolen from a 70-year-old woman. The £30,000 car had been used in a series of raids on shops in the Coundon area of Coventry in November last year. When police raided Brown’s home, they discovered the keys hidden in his bedpost. Brown admitted handling stolen goods. Punishment: Corey Brown, 20, escaped with seven hours additional unpaid work after repeatedly missing probation sessions . But after failing to turn up for his . community service placements on five occasions, on Monday he was brought . back into court – which could have seen him sent straight to prison to . carry out his original 36-week sentence. The court heard that Brown, who lives . with his grandmother, had also missed three sessions of a ‘Thinking . Skills’ programme that he had been ordered to complete. Despite this, . his lawyer asked the court to be lenient, because Brown was about to . celebrate his birthday. Annabel Hamilton, defending, told the . court: ‘He is very reluctant to have a curfew because of his 21st . birthday and Christmas coming up.’ To the astonishment of court staff, . Recorder Hall agreed to go easy on Brown, and told him he would not be . fitted with a tag – which alerts police if offenders leave their homes . during curfew hours. And Brown – who has already been to prison three times – admitted that even he was surprised he had been let off. He said: ‘I was expecting to get a . tag for missing my probation dates. Technically, they should have . activated my prison sentence. But the judge told me I’d done well so . far. He said he didn’t see the point. ‘Thanks to the judge, I can enjoy a few drinks for my birthday, instead of being stuck in with my gran or in prison.’ When asked why he had not turned up . to do his community service, he replied: ‘I don’t know; just didn’t . think about it. I didn’t care. ‘I suppose I did see the whole thing as a bit of a joke.’ As he prepared to celebrate his 21st . birthday yesterday, Brown added: ‘I’ve been to jail three times and I . haven’t learned a thing. ‘I’ve already told the judge that . jail doesn’t work for me. What’s the point of sending me to prison now?’ Javed Khan, chief executive of Victim Support, said: ‘Tough community . sentences can work in stopping reoffending, but there need to be . consequences if offenders repeatedly break them. ‘If that means disrupting a criminal’s enjoyment of the festive season, then so be it. ‘Otherwise decisions like these could undermine victims’ confidence in the justice system.’ A court insider said: ‘It was obvious the judge was feeling warm-hearted in the run-up to Christmas. ‘But it did leave the solicitors a little surprised, considering the defendant’s record.’
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Corey Brown, 20, who was caught with the keys to a £30k car, repeatedly failed to turn up for unpaid work .
Recorder David Hall refuses to give him an electronic tag - and instead adds an extra seven hours to his community punishment .
Brown says he saw punishment as a 'bit of a joke'
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14effa203487d4a72823fcb9a3f9083fac11cf70
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By . Chris Greenwood . The leaking of secret surveillance techniques by Edward Snowden has made the world a more dangerous place, a top officer warned last night. Cressida Dick said the former US National Security Agency contractor’s disclosures, printed by The Guardian newspaper, caused ‘enormous damage’ and ‘hand[ed] the advantage to terrorists’. The Scotland Yard Assistant Commissioner added: ‘The so-called Snowden revelations have made our work more difficult. The actions he took helped to signal to people who may try to do us harm how to avoid surveillance and other techniques. Former CIA agent Edward Snowden made the world a more dangerous place . through leaking secret surveillance techniques, a top officer has warned . ‘In my view that is not going to make the world safer, it is going to make it more dangerous. It has affected public confidence in our abilities to do a job that I believe we do carefully, proportionately and using our powers sparingly within the law.’ Speaking to a meeting of police chiefs in her last days as Britain’s top counter-terrorism officer, Miss Dick said the police were ‘staring into the abyss’ because of a political deadlock over access to sensitive internet communications. Terrorists and other top-level criminals were taking advantage of rapidly changing technology to evade the security services. Cressida Dick, Scotland Yard Assistant Commissioner, told police chiefs that the leaks had affected public confidence in police abilities . Politicians must get to grips with laws allowing police to use so-called ‘communications data’, Miss Dick said, adding that terrorist investigations will be hampered unless police and spies can retain data, including internet browsing and emails. She said: ‘I believe that as technology changes, we are beginning to stare into the abyss. Make no mistake, continuing erosion of this capability without the necessary legislative changes will severely impact on our ability to continue terrorist investigations.’ Asked about the outbreak of extreme violence in Iraq, Miss Dick said the security services were watching the ‘ghastly conflagration’ closely. She said: ‘It is clearly an enormous world-changing event which will have all sorts of ramifications and it may or may not heighten the risk to the UK of terrorism.’ She added that police had no information yet that British jihadists have travelled from Syria to join the wave of barbaric Islamist fighters. But she said police were conscious that hundreds of Britons fighting the regime of Bashar al-Assad could move and threaten other areas in the world. Miss Dick also appealed to the Government to leave terrorism units in the hands of police forces, including the Met, rather than hand them to the National Crime Agency. She said a ‘messy divorce’ risked making the police response to complex terrorist threats less effective and more difficult to co-ordinate.
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Former CIA agent Edward Snowden leaked secret surveillance techniques .
Scotland Yard's Cressida Dick said his actions caused 'enormous damage'
The assistant commissioner said it 'hands the advantage to terrorists'
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14f0a1517217b272e76088f38e82bae295311a1b
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(CNN)Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie married over the weekend in France, a representative for Jolie confirmed Thursday. The couple, who are the parents of six children, have been together for almost a decade. They got married Saturday in a small, private ceremony in a chapel at Château Miraval in the village of Correns. Pitt and Jolie have been the source of speculation about their relationship almost since the beginning. Tongues first started wagging after the pair met on the set of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" in the summer of 2004, when Pitt was still married to actress Jennifer Aniston. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt to co-star in 'By the Sea' In January 2005, Pitt and Aniston announced that they were splitting. Aniston filed for divorce in March 2005. The following month, photos surfaced of Pitt, Jolie and her adopted son Maddox together in Kenya. Jolie later adopted daughter Zahara from an orphanage in Ethiopia and in early 2006 she announced that she and Pitt were expecting a baby. Shortly thereafter, Pitt was granted the right to legally adopt Maddox and Zahara. Their daughter Shiloh was born in May 2006 and son Pax was adopted from an orphanage in Vietnam in March 2007. Jolie gave birth to twins Vivienne and Knox in July 2008. The couple announced their engagement in 2012. Pitt and Jolie recently told People that the wedding would be a family affair. "We are discussing it with the children and how they imagine it might be," Jolie said. "Which is verging on hysterical, how kids envision a wedding...They will, in a way, be the wedding planner. It's going to be Disney or paintball -- one or the other!" According to a statement from the family "Angelina was walked down the aisle by her eldest sons Maddox and Pax. Zahara and Vivienne threw petals, gathered from the garden. Shiloh and Knox were the ring bearers." "In the days before coming to France, and as citizens of California, Brad and Angelina filled out their paperwork and obtained a marriage licence from a local judge, who also travelled to France to conduct the ceremony at Chateau Miraval," the statement said. "They are therefore married under Californian law." Brad Pitt: Angelina is 'sexy as ever' The uniting of Pitt and Jolie in matrimony has been one of the most anticipated marriages in Hollywood. In 2006 Pitt told Esquire magazine that he and Jolie would not marry until "everyone else in the country who wants to be married is legally able." He reaffirmed their commitment to marriage equality in a 2011 interview with People. "Thanks to the tireless work of so many, someday soon this discrimination will end and every American will be able to enjoy their equal right to marriage," Pitt said in a statement to the magazine following the legalization of same-sex marriage in New York State. CNN's Rachel Wells contributed to this report.
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The couple married in France over the weekend .
They are the parents of six children .
Pitt and Jolie have been together for almost a decade .
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14f0d6fdeecd117a6d00dcc01416758768902d32
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Memory swipes: Samantha McDonald says she has been abducted by aliens . A British woman claims she has been abducted by aliens on repeated visits since she first made contact with them in the 1990s. Samantha McDonald told a sceptical Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby on This Morning how she has experienced supernatural activity from the early 1990s until last year. She describes her extraterrestrial visitors as 'the reptilians' and 'the greys' - who she believes are working together. She said: 'I've asked them what they want with me and . they have said they had come to take me and my family. What they were . after was my energy and soul essence. 'I don't know why they keep coming . back to me. I think it is to do with my energies as I'm into healing and . meditation.' When asked to describe what happens when she's taken, Samantha said she has no recollection of her ordeals. She explained: 'You don't . always remember the abductions because you have memory swipes. You just . feel like you have been somewhere but you don't actually remember it.' When Phillip queried if this is what most of us what describe as a dream she replied: 'No definitely not. I've woken up with marks all over my body and been possessed - . sometimes to the point of mind control - where thoughts come into your head . that are not your own. I can't explain it any other way.' She added that she has woken up to find her body covered in needle marks, scratches and bruises after an abduction. While she hasn't had a visit for the past year, Samantha said she doesn't fear a return. 'I've been through so much already I try to take it in my stride,' she said. She revealed that she believes her other-worldly experiences have also led to her being put under surveillance on Earth, stating she often has black helicopters over her home and has been followed by police cars. ''I think they are trying to send the message, "we are watching you, you better be careful"', Samantha said of the not so subtle surveillance. Samantha appeared on the ITV show as part of their 'supernatural week' along with Joanne Summerscales, founder of the AMMACH Project (which stands for Anomalous Mind Management Abductee Contactee Helpline). Scroll down for video . Not alone: Joanne Summerscales, left, has said Samantha is not alone in her experience of extraterrestrials and so she has set up a support group to help them . Joanne said that through her work on the project, which is designed to support those 'usually ridiculed by mainstream "conventionals"' she has found many common threads in experience of those who say they have been abducted by aliens. Like Samantha claims, many say they have woken up to find themselves covered in unexplained injuries and seem to be under surveillance. 'It's really common. The frequency of helicopter sightings over people who have had alien abductions is phenomenal,' she said. Joanne said she didn't believe sleep paralysis was an explanation for why people feel they have experienced alien abduction, even though the symptoms of the condition include an temporary inability to move, a feeling someone is in the room, hallucinations and sometimes unconsciously self harming. Unexplained injuries: Samantha says she has woken up covered in needle marks and bruises following her abductions . Supernatural: Other This Morning viewers said they have experienced UFOs . Joanne . said some of these people have been examined by MRI scans and black . light frequency 48 hours after their experience and this has shown . florescent marks such as handprints on their bodies. She said she is never incredulous about the supernatural stories people tell her. 'We have to treat people who say this has happened to them with respect,' she said. 'I don't believe in aliens, I know about them, so it's not about believing but knowing.' During the rest of the week, This Morning will meet a number of people who claim to have had supernatural experiences - from ghost sightings to telekinesis. Ahead of the special week, the show asked viewers for their views on the supernatural. Their survey of 1500 men and women found that almost one in three think they may have seen a UFO and the same number think they have seen a ghost. Nearly one in five had visited a medium but almost half of them felt cheated by the person claiming to have psychic powers. A third say they have experienced items vanishing or moving or odd bumps in the night. Sixty per cent don't believe it's possible to move an object with the power of your mind but 20 per cent believe you can have sex with ghosts. The results also revealed that Samantha isn't the only one to feel a victim of alien abduction, as four per cent said it had also happened to them. A . spokesman from This Morning said: 'Our viewers are fascinated by the . supernatural and these survey results show that many have had an . encounter with a ghost, seen UFO's and would like to make contact with . the dead. 'During . the week our hosts - some reluctantly - will explore the supernatural . world more closely with experts and will also try to find evidence of . the afterlife themselves.' Indeed, a phone in from viewers later in the today's show revealed others have had experiences of UFOs. One said they had seen a strange flying object while driving late at night while another said they had seen crop circles and believed aliens were trying to communicate with us via our food. Supernatural Week is on ITV's This Morning each day this week from 10.30am. For more details visit www.itv.com/thismorning .
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Samantha McDonald said aliens have visited her since the 1990s .
She doesn't remember experiences as she has her 'memory wiped'
But she wakes up with injuries including needle marks .
Survey finds one in three Brits have seen UFO .
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14f18aaa79787025776a68c19f439cdaafbe8ac0
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(CNN)President Obama admitted Friday that his basketball game is suffering and he prefers golf nowadays, but for Attorney General Eric Holder it's nothing but net. In a town hall event Friday, President Obama said he's fallen a long way from his days "dominating" the court. "I'll be honest with you, my game is a little broke," Obama said. "I've been a little busy, and what happens is that, sort of, the risk-reward ratio starts shifting." Holder, however, is seen sinking the ball with ease in a YouTube video posted Friday. On Thursday, Holder was in San Francisco to visit the Willie Mays Boys & Girls Club, where he played a pickup game with local police officers and teens. As Holder finishes up his six-year term, expected to be replaced by attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch, he doesn't seem too worried about his skills. "I'm finished, guys," Holder said as he high-fived another player after his shot. "I'm going out on top." White House adviser Valerie Jarrett tweeted out the video, challenging Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who played basketball while attending Harvard, to show his own skills. Obama, on the other hand, was thinking back to his 2008 campaign for the presidency, when he would squeeze in pickup games whenever he could. At a campaign event in 2008 he played a three-on-three game refereed by WNBA star Tamika Catchings. When asked about the possibility of playing Catchings in a one-on-one game, he was less than confident. "She was a witness to my domination on the court, but when it comes to me playing her one-on-one, at this point I'm not sure." The President probably remembers all too well when one basketball game resulted in an injury. In 2010, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said the President received a dozen stitches after getting hit with an errant elbow during a Friday morning basketball game with White House aide Reggie Love and others at Fort McNair military base in Washington. Although there's been no sign of any other recent basketball-related injuries, the President said he's wary of taking the risk. "The chances of an Achilles tear or an ACL injury is increasing each month, and then the satisfaction I get from playing diminishes because I'm so bad," the President said. "I think golf, likelihood of injury much lower. But I still love the game. I still love the game." Catchings, however, is ready. Friday afternoon she tweeted: "I'm game LOL"
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President Obama says he leans more toward playing golf these days .
Meanwhile, outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder draws oohs and ahhs on the basketball court .
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14f3f9e26715e93702431696f348fdd699fa7387
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(CNN)The first major storm of 2015 is amounting to just about every kind of ornery mess by Old Man Winter. This weekend's storms will threaten havoc everywhere east of the Rockies with possible record cold, rain, snow and even tornadoes. Even West Texas was receiving heavy flurries Saturday, with up to 6 inches near Amarillo, where vehicles struggled to gain traction on ice and packed snow. In all, 55 million people in 24 states were facing winter storm watches, warnings and advisories Saturday. Freezing rain and snow is falling or is expected to descend on a vast swath from the Northern Rockies to the Great Plains toward New England. Storms are to soak the Southeast and may produce a few tornadoes and hail affecting 10 million people on the Gulf Coast from Louisiana to Alabama, CNN meteorologist Michael Guy said. The Northern Plains and surrounding states are expected to feel "the coldest outbreak of arctic air" since last winter, said another CNN meteorologist, Karen Maginnis. Wind-chill factors could become dangerous at minus-30 degrees in those plains. The National Weather Service predicted the storm "will produce a variety of hazardous weather as it moves from the lower Mississippi Valley towards the Great Lakes this weekend." "A swath of wintry precipitation is forecast from the Plains to the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic on Saturday, while severe storms and heavy rain are possible in parts of the Gulf Coast into the mid-South," the service added. More than half the country is to be whipsawed by a front moving up from the Gulf on Saturday and then by another down from Canada on Sunday, the service said. A Saturday storm is expected to deliver rain and thunderstorms from the lower Mississippi Valley to the Northeast. That moisture is expected to translate to snow in the upper Great Lakes and the Northeast. On Sunday, that rain is projected to intensify to a heavy downfall over the Mid-Atlantic coast and southern New England, the service said. Meanwhile, a Canadian cold front will drop over the Great Plains to the Gulf of Mexico by Sunday morning, the service projected. "The system will produce snow over the Northern High Plains/Rockies to parts of the Upper Mississippi Valley that will move southward to the Central Rockies/Plains by Saturday evening," the service said. Even the Northwest will be affected and could receive moderate to heavy rain along the coast and snow in the intermountain regions, forecasters say.
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"The coldest outbreak of arctic air" since last winter may threaten Northern Plains .
Snow, freezing rain will fall in Northern Rockies, Great Plains, toward New England .
Tornadoes could hit Gulf Coast as rains should soak Southeast .
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14f42d116b19157349d07a9bc31e30eec28a56e7
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An incredibly offensive selection of costumes offers men the chance to dress up as 'fat women' this Halloween. The costume collections, which are available through a variety of online retailers, including Amazon.com, feature designs such as 'Tinker Belly', 'sexy fat cheerleader' and 'fat fairy' - there's even a 'fat lap dancer'. Many of the outfits are designed and sold by online costume retailer Fun World, who proudly feature the costumes in the 'humorous' category of their website. Fun or offensive? Two of the fat women costumes available include a 'sexy fat cheerleader' or a 'plus size Miss Oktoberfest' Bad-taste Baywatch: Many of the costumes, including this take on popular TV show Baywatch, are sold on Amazon.com . Other brands such as Smiffy's, Rubie's Costume Company and Forum Novelties, all offer their own takes on the offensive costume trend. Lisa Wade, professor of sociology at Occidental College, expressed her outrage at the outfits in a piece on The Huffington Post. 'An excellent piece of evidence that femininity is hilarious or ridiculous in U.S. culture, or even frightening or disgusting, is the fact that men use the category "woman" as a Halloween costume,' she wrote. 'Many costume manufacturers (or homemade costume makers, for that matter) add fat hatred to the mix. Because there is nothing more disgusting and hilarious, we are told, than a fat woman. 'Except, perhaps, a fat woman who fails to be properly humiliated.' Earlier this week, Walmart came under fire after describing its plus size women's Halloween range as 'Fat Girl Costumes'. It is believed that an employee working for the store, which later apologized for the incident, posted the offensive description on its website in error. Hardly kid-friendly: This Tinker Belly costume is unlikely to prove a hit with fans of the original Disney character . Bad taste: Many of the outfits, including this stripper costume (left), are designed and sold by online costume retailer Fun World, who proudly feature the costumes in the 'humorous' category of their website . 'This never should have been on our site,' a spokesperson for Walmart told MailOnline. 'It is unacceptable, and we apologize. 'We worked to remove it as soon as possible and we will ensure this never happens again.' Wonder Woman, The Queen of Hearts, a witch and a female vampire were among the costumes in the section. The retailer removed the rude category after it sparked an outcry on social media. 'Stay classy Walmart,' wrote Autumn Mochi, while Dave Jones commented: '... and that's how you get fired as a Walmart web developer.' Fat girl costumes: Earlier this week Walmart came under fire for describing their plus size women's costumes as 'Fat Girl Costumes'
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Available outfits include a 'sexy fat cheerleader' and 'Tinker Belly'
The disrespectful dress-up items can be bought from a number of popular online retailers including Amazon.com .
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14f4dfa3b780f0e8cbcee3ab9e281d4723e8b138
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By . Bianca London . PUBLISHED: . 09:46 EST, 8 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 04:18 EST, 9 July 2013 . From spinning to Zumba classes, there are always new ways to try and make the dreaded exercise regime more fun. And now, a new exercise device that has taken America by storm has landed in the UK and the makers claim that it could revolutionise the way people work out. Hydrofit is a bath-like contraption that contains an exercise bike or treadmill and power jets that massage you whilst you cycle or walk within the water. Water workout: The new Hydrofit bikes promise to burn 600 calories an hour by allowing users to cycle in the water whilst being massaged by jets . Each individual bike or treadmill is situated within a hydro-massage bathtub with sixteen water jets generating a steady release of oxygen atoms to promote natural exfoliation and skin rejuvenation. Like any other exercise bike, the . Hydrofit targets the lower body, offering a workout to the quadriceps and . buttocks, with general overall benefit to cardiovascular health. Effective: Makers say that the hydro-massage jets stimulates the breakdown of cellulite and creation of muscle tissue, detoxing and encouraging lymphatic draining and improving metabolism . But its makers say that the machines, based in the Hydrofit Centre in Chelsea, London, offer many benefits that regular bike workouts cannot. They say that the hydro-massage jets stimulate the breakdown of cellulite and creation of muscle tissue, detoxing and encouraging . lymphatic draining and improving metabolism. Using the Hydrofit promises to burn a minimum of 300 Calories in 30 minutes and claims to encourage a reduction in cellulite through a process of exfoliation and massage. Entertainment: The water only comes up to your waist so each individual pod has a TV, music device and also has a Bluetooth headset for making private phone calls . The makers of Hydrofit maintain that the concept has been designed to make a user's biking/jogging/walking experience 'enjoyable, pleasant and fun'. The water only comes up to your waist so each individual pod allows users to watch TV, listen to music and also has a Bluetooth headset for making private phone calls. While it is aimed at those who want to get fit, the makers also say it is good for joint recovery and muscle development so recommend it for use alongside physiotherapy treatment. Hydrofit Centre, 278 Fulham Road, SW10 London 0207 352 2546 http://www.hydrofit.co.uk/ .
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Hydrofit is a pod containing an exercise bike or treadmill submerged in water .
Power jets claim to massage legs and banish cellulite whilst working out .
Users burn at least 300 calories in 30 minutes .
Craze started in U.S. and has now landed in luxury Chelsea gym .
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