Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd Thursday led mourning for Sam the koala, whose rescue from deadly bushfires inspired the nation but who has died during surgery for a sexually transmitted disease.
Rudd said he had been saddened to learn of the death of "that wonderful koala" in an operation for cysts caused by chlamydia, describing it as a tragedy.
Sam was found thirsty and severely burned in February and shot to fame when footage of her drinking bottled water offered by a fireman circulated widely on the Internet.
"The symbol of hope for so many people around the world was the great picture of that wonderful koala being fed water by one of our firefighters," Rudd said.
"I think that gave the people of the world a great sense of hope that this country, Australia, could come through those fires, as we have.
"Sam the Koala was part of the symbolism of that, and it's tragic that Sam the koala is no longer with us."
Footage of helmeted fireman Dave Tree giving Sam water scored almost 150,000 hits in two days on the Internet video site YouTube, and was shown on TV news bulletins the world over.
The cuddly marsupial died Thursday after surgery to remove cysts associated with chlamydia, said Peita Elkhorne, spokeswoman for the animal shelter where she had been living.
"(Sam) lost her fight for life today after undergoing life-saving surgery to remove cysts associated with the debilitating urogenital chlamydiosis, which affects 50 percent of the koala population," Elkhorne said.
Elkhorne said Sam's carers were "devastated with this loss" adding that she had inspired survivors of the fires and those engaged in the relief and emergency effort with her determination.
Entire towns were flattened and 173 people died when fire swept through vast tracts of bushland outside Melbourne. Millions of unique native animals, including koalas, kangaroos and wombats, were also estimated to have perished.
Rescuers had hoped to return Sam, who was of an unusual breed that is fluffier and larger than other koalas, to her home in the Strzelecki Ranges in southeast Victoria state once she had recovered from her burns.
~MSN News
Q ... Some one, PLEASE TAXIDERMISE it. He's such an Icon of Hope. Deeply saddened.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Supermodels DO NOT Diet. Ouch!
... For they are Perfect.
Heidi Klum doesn't rely on 'girdle machines' to look slim.
The German supermodel - who is currently pregnant and already raises three children with musician husband Seal - insists she gets back in shape after giving birth by simply eating healthily and exercising.
Asked about the time she modelled Victoria's Secret lingerie less than two months after having her son Henry, she replied: 'I've never really had any special girdle machines or anything like that. For me, it's really healthy foods, exercising, playing with the children and going to the park - normal things.
'I've never done diets. But I also do not sit on the couch with my feet up and eat one potato chip bag after the next and one burger after the other. I think you have to kind of do a little bit of everything.'
Despite refusing to embark on ridiculous weight-loss regimes, the 36-year-old model admits she is keen to drop her pregnancy pounds after delivering her new baby.
She explained: 'I never really put a lot of pressure on myself, but for me personally, I feel like it is always better to get into shape immediately. I feel like if I drag it out too long, I'm not going to do it.
'So for me it works to kind of get back into shape, afterwards, I feel great. I can put my normal clothes back on and it makes me happy, and it's worked so far.'
Q... so far Supermodels like Tyra and Gisele have all acknowledged healthy lifestyles and eating. No crazy dieting. No waif thin Kate Mosses.
Heidi Klum doesn't rely on 'girdle machines' to look slim.
The German supermodel - who is currently pregnant and already raises three children with musician husband Seal - insists she gets back in shape after giving birth by simply eating healthily and exercising.
Asked about the time she modelled Victoria's Secret lingerie less than two months after having her son Henry, she replied: 'I've never really had any special girdle machines or anything like that. For me, it's really healthy foods, exercising, playing with the children and going to the park - normal things.
'I've never done diets. But I also do not sit on the couch with my feet up and eat one potato chip bag after the next and one burger after the other. I think you have to kind of do a little bit of everything.'
Despite refusing to embark on ridiculous weight-loss regimes, the 36-year-old model admits she is keen to drop her pregnancy pounds after delivering her new baby.
She explained: 'I never really put a lot of pressure on myself, but for me personally, I feel like it is always better to get into shape immediately. I feel like if I drag it out too long, I'm not going to do it.
'So for me it works to kind of get back into shape, afterwards, I feel great. I can put my normal clothes back on and it makes me happy, and it's worked so far.'
Q... so far Supermodels like Tyra and Gisele have all acknowledged healthy lifestyles and eating. No crazy dieting. No waif thin Kate Mosses.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Middle East Takes the Not-so-Middle-Road to Tolerence
A masked man opened fire on a crowd outside a gay club in Tel Aviv, killing two people and wounding 11 others and striking fear into the heart of the liberal Israeli city's homosexual community.
The black-clad gunman unloaded a pistol on the young group of gays and lesbians at the entrance to the centre in the heart of Israel's beachside commercial capital late Saturday and then fled, police and witnesses said.
A teenage girl and a man in his 20s were killed on the spot and three people suffered serious wounds, police said, adding that a manhunt has been launched for the assailant.
"All indications point that this was a criminal incident and not a terror attack, which was most likely deliberately directed against the gay and lesbian community," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP.
Thousands of people gathered in the city centre overnight to protest at the attack, some waving rainbow banners and lighting candles for the victims.
"Our (gay) community won't let itself be frightened, it will stand up to those who threaten it with heads held high and with pride, we will respond to war with war," left-wing opposition Meretz party MP Nitzan Horowitz said.
The victims were identified Liz Tarabushi, 17 and Yaniv Katz, 26.
Police have imposed a complete blackout on details of the inquiry, but investigators were seen sifting through evidence at the scene while bloodied victims were taken by stretcher into ambulances.
Tel Aviv police chief Shahar Ayalon ordered the closure of a nearby gay bar and urged such establishments to remain vigilant.
"We are only at the first stage of the investigation, we continue our search and we are not sure of the motive of this attack since the centre has not received any threats recently," Ayalon said.
If the motive is confirmed, it would be the worst homophobic attack against Israel's gay and lesbian community.
"It is not surprising that such a crime can be committed given the incitement of hatred against the homosexual community," the president of Tel Aviv's gay and lesbian community, Mai Pelem, told reporters.
Pelem was referring to verbal attacks against gays from the religious community in Israel, where homosexuals, particularly men, often encounter hostility from ultra-Orthodox Jews who consider sexuality an "abomination."
In the past, swastikas have been painted at the entrance to the centre in an attempt to stigmatise homosexuals.
"In our worst nightmares we could not have imagined that the hatred against our community, which is hurting nobody, could go this far," the head of Israel's gay and lesbian national association, Mike Hamel, told journalists.
Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch also said he believed the attack had homophobic motives and promised the police would do everything possible to arrest the gunman, military radio reported.
"Tel Aviv-Jaffa has always been a bastion for pluralism, tolerance and openness, Tel Aviv mayor Ron Huldai said in a statement.
"But no one will manage change the city's character. We will continue to offer the gay community a warm house in our city and fight for everyone's right to live according to his faith and beliefs."
In 2005, an ultra-Orthodox Jew stabbed three participants of the gay pride parade. He was later sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Israel repealed a ban on consensual same-sex sexual acts in 1988 and certain rights of gay or lesbian couples have since been recognised by the courts.
~MSN
Q
The black-clad gunman unloaded a pistol on the young group of gays and lesbians at the entrance to the centre in the heart of Israel's beachside commercial capital late Saturday and then fled, police and witnesses said.
A teenage girl and a man in his 20s were killed on the spot and three people suffered serious wounds, police said, adding that a manhunt has been launched for the assailant.
"All indications point that this was a criminal incident and not a terror attack, which was most likely deliberately directed against the gay and lesbian community," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP.
Thousands of people gathered in the city centre overnight to protest at the attack, some waving rainbow banners and lighting candles for the victims.
"Our (gay) community won't let itself be frightened, it will stand up to those who threaten it with heads held high and with pride, we will respond to war with war," left-wing opposition Meretz party MP Nitzan Horowitz said.
The victims were identified Liz Tarabushi, 17 and Yaniv Katz, 26.
Police have imposed a complete blackout on details of the inquiry, but investigators were seen sifting through evidence at the scene while bloodied victims were taken by stretcher into ambulances.
Tel Aviv police chief Shahar Ayalon ordered the closure of a nearby gay bar and urged such establishments to remain vigilant.
"We are only at the first stage of the investigation, we continue our search and we are not sure of the motive of this attack since the centre has not received any threats recently," Ayalon said.
If the motive is confirmed, it would be the worst homophobic attack against Israel's gay and lesbian community.
"It is not surprising that such a crime can be committed given the incitement of hatred against the homosexual community," the president of Tel Aviv's gay and lesbian community, Mai Pelem, told reporters.
Pelem was referring to verbal attacks against gays from the religious community in Israel, where homosexuals, particularly men, often encounter hostility from ultra-Orthodox Jews who consider sexuality an "abomination."
In the past, swastikas have been painted at the entrance to the centre in an attempt to stigmatise homosexuals.
"In our worst nightmares we could not have imagined that the hatred against our community, which is hurting nobody, could go this far," the head of Israel's gay and lesbian national association, Mike Hamel, told journalists.
Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch also said he believed the attack had homophobic motives and promised the police would do everything possible to arrest the gunman, military radio reported.
"Tel Aviv-Jaffa has always been a bastion for pluralism, tolerance and openness, Tel Aviv mayor Ron Huldai said in a statement.
"But no one will manage change the city's character. We will continue to offer the gay community a warm house in our city and fight for everyone's right to live according to his faith and beliefs."
In 2005, an ultra-Orthodox Jew stabbed three participants of the gay pride parade. He was later sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Israel repealed a ban on consensual same-sex sexual acts in 1988 and certain rights of gay or lesbian couples have since been recognised by the courts.
~MSN
Q
Friday, July 31, 2009
Queen of the Night to take over King of Pop
Whitney Houston is set to take over Michael Jackson's London shows.
The the multi platinum best selling artist has a new record due out this year, and is being lined up for 23 of the dates the 'King of Pop' - who died of a suspected cardiac arrest on June 25 - was due to perform at The O2 arena early next year.
'Whitney Houston has been on the O2 arena wish-list for a while - she has the voice and hits to sell the arena out several times over.'
Michael had been scheduled to play 50 dates at the venue starting earlier this month and stretching into next year.
If the plan goes ahead, Whitney, could stage shows in January, February and March 2010.
She is expected to play greatest hits sets as well as her new material.
Whitney's 'I Look to You' comes out in August, and is her first new studio LP in the last few years.
~ MSN Entertainment
Q .... It's only right and fitting since Whitney's album 'The Bodyguard' is the world's 2nd biggest selling album after Michael's 'Thriller'.
The the multi platinum best selling artist has a new record due out this year, and is being lined up for 23 of the dates the 'King of Pop' - who died of a suspected cardiac arrest on June 25 - was due to perform at The O2 arena early next year.
'Whitney Houston has been on the O2 arena wish-list for a while - she has the voice and hits to sell the arena out several times over.'
Michael had been scheduled to play 50 dates at the venue starting earlier this month and stretching into next year.
If the plan goes ahead, Whitney, could stage shows in January, February and March 2010.
She is expected to play greatest hits sets as well as her new material.
Whitney's 'I Look to You' comes out in August, and is her first new studio LP in the last few years.
~ MSN Entertainment
Q .... It's only right and fitting since Whitney's album 'The Bodyguard' is the world's 2nd biggest selling album after Michael's 'Thriller'.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Still Fabulous?
Tanning beds now rank alongside cigarettes and asbestos as a top-level cancer threat, the World Health Organisation's cancer research agency announced Wednesday.
Classified in 1992 and a "probable" cancer agent, research since then has left no doubt that soaking up UV rays at tanning salons significantly enhances the chances of developing the disease, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) found.
"The use of sunbeds is carcinogenic to humans. It causes melanoma of the skin, and melanoma of the eye," said Vincent Cogliano, an IARC researcher who led the new assessment.
"I cannot see any reason why a healthy person should use them," he told AFP by phone.
The risk of melanoma -- the most lethal form of skin cancer -- increases by 75 percent when use of tanning devices starts before the age of 30, according to the findings, published in the British medical journal The Lancet Oncology.
The link between artificial tanning devices and cancer is not new. The WHO and national health agencies have long cautioned against using sunbeds, much as they have warned about the ill effects of overexposure to the sun.
But threshold of scientific proof is high, and required additional research on animals as well as epidemiological studies of cancer rates among humans before sunbeds could be labeled -- along with tobacco, asbestos and alcohol -- as a carcinogen.
Cogliano said it is not the IARC's role to issue recommendations, but that he hoped the new evaluation would focus attention on the issue.
"We are not a regulatory agency. We publish the scientific results so that the public health agencies can take action as they see fit."
Physicians hailed the decision, and called for tighter regulations for the multi-billion dollar tanning industry.
"We welcome the recognition that sunbeds are carcinogenic," said Nina Goad, spokeswoman for the British Association of Dermatologists.
"It is high time that steps were taken to regulate the industry, to prevent children using sunbeds, and to ensure that sunbeds are subject to health warnings like other known carcinogens."
"We have been trying for a long time to call the attention of the government to the potential risks," said George Reuter, head of France's National Union of Dermatologists.
The tubes emitting UV rays vary in intensity and can "become more dangerous over time," highlighting the need for stricter oversight, he told AFP.
Both associations stopped short of calling for an outright ban.
"The solution is to inform the public, not to outlaw sunbeds," said Reuter, adding that many dermatologists in France tell their patients not to exceed 10 sessions in year.
Those who use the devices to stay tanned year round are especially at risk, he added.
"People have the right to make their own health choices. Other known carcinogens are not banned, so I don't think you want to set a precedent with sunbeds," Goad said by phone.
Sunbeds are more common in northern Europe and the United States than most other regions. According to a survey conducted last year, some 14 million Germans aged 18 to 45 use them, with a quarter starting before the age of 17.
Earlier studies indicate that nearly a quarter of the adult population in many European countries -- including France, Belgium, Germany and Sweden -- have used sunbeds, which emit a higher concentration of UV rays than sunlight.
The sunbed association, and industry lobby group based in Britain, disputed the IARC's reclassification of tanning devices as carcinogenic to humans.
"The relationship between UV exposure and an increased risk of developing skin cancer is only likely to arise where over-exposure -- i.e. burning -- has taken place," it said in a statement.
Classified in 1992 and a "probable" cancer agent, research since then has left no doubt that soaking up UV rays at tanning salons significantly enhances the chances of developing the disease, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) found.
"The use of sunbeds is carcinogenic to humans. It causes melanoma of the skin, and melanoma of the eye," said Vincent Cogliano, an IARC researcher who led the new assessment.
"I cannot see any reason why a healthy person should use them," he told AFP by phone.
The risk of melanoma -- the most lethal form of skin cancer -- increases by 75 percent when use of tanning devices starts before the age of 30, according to the findings, published in the British medical journal The Lancet Oncology.
The link between artificial tanning devices and cancer is not new. The WHO and national health agencies have long cautioned against using sunbeds, much as they have warned about the ill effects of overexposure to the sun.
But threshold of scientific proof is high, and required additional research on animals as well as epidemiological studies of cancer rates among humans before sunbeds could be labeled -- along with tobacco, asbestos and alcohol -- as a carcinogen.
Cogliano said it is not the IARC's role to issue recommendations, but that he hoped the new evaluation would focus attention on the issue.
"We are not a regulatory agency. We publish the scientific results so that the public health agencies can take action as they see fit."
Physicians hailed the decision, and called for tighter regulations for the multi-billion dollar tanning industry.
"We welcome the recognition that sunbeds are carcinogenic," said Nina Goad, spokeswoman for the British Association of Dermatologists.
"It is high time that steps were taken to regulate the industry, to prevent children using sunbeds, and to ensure that sunbeds are subject to health warnings like other known carcinogens."
"We have been trying for a long time to call the attention of the government to the potential risks," said George Reuter, head of France's National Union of Dermatologists.
The tubes emitting UV rays vary in intensity and can "become more dangerous over time," highlighting the need for stricter oversight, he told AFP.
Both associations stopped short of calling for an outright ban.
"The solution is to inform the public, not to outlaw sunbeds," said Reuter, adding that many dermatologists in France tell their patients not to exceed 10 sessions in year.
Those who use the devices to stay tanned year round are especially at risk, he added.
"People have the right to make their own health choices. Other known carcinogens are not banned, so I don't think you want to set a precedent with sunbeds," Goad said by phone.
Sunbeds are more common in northern Europe and the United States than most other regions. According to a survey conducted last year, some 14 million Germans aged 18 to 45 use them, with a quarter starting before the age of 17.
Earlier studies indicate that nearly a quarter of the adult population in many European countries -- including France, Belgium, Germany and Sweden -- have used sunbeds, which emit a higher concentration of UV rays than sunlight.
The sunbed association, and industry lobby group based in Britain, disputed the IARC's reclassification of tanning devices as carcinogenic to humans.
"The relationship between UV exposure and an increased risk of developing skin cancer is only likely to arise where over-exposure -- i.e. burning -- has taken place," it said in a statement.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Some Nose None the Better
Michael Jackson's nose was missing as he lay in state.
An eyewitness claims he saw the 'Beat It' singer's body on an autopsy table of a Los Angeles morgue with part of his face completely disappeared.
The witness said: 'The prosthesis he normally attached to his damaged nose was missing, revealing bits of cartilage surrounding a small dark hole.'
Jackson - who died a month ago today of a suspected cardiac arrest - was believed to have had a number of surgical operations change the shape of his nose, which eventually eroded it away. He was also thought to be obsessed with plastic surgery and altering his appearance.
The witness added: 'Jackson's face - which he had so painfully reworked and concealed from the public for decades now - lay out in the open undisguised under the harsh lights.'
One of the 'King Of Pop's former housekeepers has previously told how the singer kept a number of false noses, which he applied using plasters and glue.
Adrian McManus said: 'In his closet he had a jar of fake noses and stage glue, which he told me he used for disguises. But some were similar to his real nose, just without the hole.'
Reasons for Jackson's fascination with surgery are unclear, though he has hinted it was because he was bullied as a child. Other sources said he was desperate not to look like his father, Joe Jackson, whom he had accused of hitting him as a youngster and aking fun of his appearance. ~MSN
Q
An eyewitness claims he saw the 'Beat It' singer's body on an autopsy table of a Los Angeles morgue with part of his face completely disappeared.
The witness said: 'The prosthesis he normally attached to his damaged nose was missing, revealing bits of cartilage surrounding a small dark hole.'
Jackson - who died a month ago today of a suspected cardiac arrest - was believed to have had a number of surgical operations change the shape of his nose, which eventually eroded it away. He was also thought to be obsessed with plastic surgery and altering his appearance.
The witness added: 'Jackson's face - which he had so painfully reworked and concealed from the public for decades now - lay out in the open undisguised under the harsh lights.'
One of the 'King Of Pop's former housekeepers has previously told how the singer kept a number of false noses, which he applied using plasters and glue.
Adrian McManus said: 'In his closet he had a jar of fake noses and stage glue, which he told me he used for disguises. But some were similar to his real nose, just without the hole.'
Reasons for Jackson's fascination with surgery are unclear, though he has hinted it was because he was bullied as a child. Other sources said he was desperate not to look like his father, Joe Jackson, whom he had accused of hitting him as a youngster and aking fun of his appearance. ~MSN
Q
Serves Her Right to doubt the Rights of Others
Anti-gay Singapore professor cancels NYU stint after uproar
A Singaporean law professor has pulled out of a teaching stint at New York University after her hardline anti-gay views triggered a backlash on campus, school officials said.
Richard Revesz, dean of New York University's law school, said Thio Li-ann had informed him she would not be teaching during the fall semester because of "controversy surrounding her views regarding homosexuality and gay rights."
"She explained that she was disappointed by what she called the atmosphere of hostility by some members of our community towards her views and by the low enrolments in her classes," he said in a statement seen Friday.
Thio -- a former appointed member of parliament and a current professor at the National University of Singapore, which has an exchange programme with NYU -- could not immediately be reached for comment.
The 41-year-old was due to teach courses on human rights law and constitutionalism in Asia at NYU during the fall semester starting in September.
Singapore's Straits Times said NYU students were outraged after learning that Thio had said in a parliamentary debate in 2007 that repealing a colonial-era law making sex between men a criminal offence "would subvert social morality, the common good and undermine our liberties."
More than 800 members of the NYU community signed a petition against Thio after gay rights activists circulated copies of her speech, it said.
Revesz said he was not aware of the anti-gay speech when NYU made the offer to Thio, and both courses have now been cancelled as a result of her pullout.
In Singapore, sex between men is still a criminal offence punishable by up to two years in prison under a law dating back to British colonial rule, although it is rarely enforced.
AFP
Q
A Singaporean law professor has pulled out of a teaching stint at New York University after her hardline anti-gay views triggered a backlash on campus, school officials said.
Richard Revesz, dean of New York University's law school, said Thio Li-ann had informed him she would not be teaching during the fall semester because of "controversy surrounding her views regarding homosexuality and gay rights."
"She explained that she was disappointed by what she called the atmosphere of hostility by some members of our community towards her views and by the low enrolments in her classes," he said in a statement seen Friday.
Thio -- a former appointed member of parliament and a current professor at the National University of Singapore, which has an exchange programme with NYU -- could not immediately be reached for comment.
The 41-year-old was due to teach courses on human rights law and constitutionalism in Asia at NYU during the fall semester starting in September.
Singapore's Straits Times said NYU students were outraged after learning that Thio had said in a parliamentary debate in 2007 that repealing a colonial-era law making sex between men a criminal offence "would subvert social morality, the common good and undermine our liberties."
More than 800 members of the NYU community signed a petition against Thio after gay rights activists circulated copies of her speech, it said.
Revesz said he was not aware of the anti-gay speech when NYU made the offer to Thio, and both courses have now been cancelled as a result of her pullout.
In Singapore, sex between men is still a criminal offence punishable by up to two years in prison under a law dating back to British colonial rule, although it is rarely enforced.
AFP
Q
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