PHOTOS: Film star fears her banned breast implants will kill her after her breasts ballooned to an O cup

An adult film star fears her banned breast implants will kill her after her breasts ballooned to an O cup.

Elizabeth Starr had now-illegal 'string' implants 15 years ago to boost her career - but says her life has been ruined by her super-sized chest.

Doctors have recommended she face a double mastectomy rather than live with her potentially fatal implants.

But the mother-of-two, who has endured a staggering 63 corrective procedures, says she can't face more surgery despite being at risk from blood clots and infection as it would mean the end of her career.

The  43-year-old glamour model whose breasts are still growing, said: 'I was basically the victim of an experiment and I've been paying the price for it ever since.

'Back then I had a family to support and I knew getting bigger boobs would boost my career prospects.

'Now I live day to day worrying I might be struck down by infections or blood clots - it's ruined my life.'

Ms Starr, from Los Angeles, California, was already a 32F when she opted for the polypropylene string implants in 1999.

The £3,000 procedure involved inserting synthetic string into the breasts to stimulate fluid production and growth.

But just a few days after the operation she began suffering complications.

Ms Starr, said: 'My right breast was bright red and swollen and I felt weak and shaky.

'The surgeon cut some tissue away from the breast which he thought might be infected.

'But the infection gradually ate a hole in my right breast the size of a 10-pence piece.

'The pain was unbearable.'

Elizabeth had the string implant removed from her right breast, however, the left one was already too embedded to be taken out.

She said: 'The way the implants work is they continue to grow inside you and become enmeshed in the breast tissue.

 

'Even now I have some residual string in my right breast - I don't think I'll ever be free of it all.

'I was lied to and told the operation had been approved by the medical authority, but it hadn't.'

Ms Starr was already a 32F when she opted for the polypropylene string implants in 1999

Over the next 14 years Elizabeth spent a staggering £200,000 on reconstructive operations to put right damage from the surgery.

She said: 'Over the years I've had lots of implants put in and taken out to make my right breast the same size as my left.

'The tissue in my right breast was so badly damaged that there was almost nothing left.

'One operation involved taking a muscle from my back to replace damaged tissue in my right breast.

'I've spent time recovering in oxygen tents and almost died three times.'

Now Elizabeth has a saline implant containing four litres of liquid in her right breast, to match the breast fluid in her left.

The £3,000 procedure involved inserting synthetic string into the breasts to stimulate fluid production and growth

But the risk of further complications casts a shadow over her future health.

She said: 'There is so much scar tissue in my breasts it's affecting the blood flow to the body and could cause a fatal blood clot.

'I'm a ticking time bomb because anything could happen to me - I'm so scared.'

Elizabeth already had 38F breast before opting for the string implants.

And the single mother to Jason, 23, and Nicholas, 20, hopes her story will act as a warning to women wanting to copy her look.

She said: 'If you are going to attempt to try to become as busty as I am you are putting yourself at extreme risk.

'You have to know what you are getting yourself into because it will change your life forever.

Elizabeth has a saline implant containing four litres of liquid in her right breast, to match the breast fluid in her left

The remaining string implant is causing fluid to leak into both breasts making them to balloon

'I'm in constant pain - bending down and getting dressed are difficult because my back hurts from the weight of my breasts.'

She says the remaining string implant is causing fluid to leak into both breasts making them to balloon.

For the last eight years she has been cared for by Dr Alexander Sinclair, an expert in plastic and reconstructive surgery.

Dr Sinclair said: 'Over the years I've seen cases of polypropylene string implants but I've never seen a case quite like Elizabeth's - her future is uncertain.

'I presented her case at the local medical society and the sentiment was she needed a double mastectomy.'

However, the years of operations have decimated Elizabeth's breast tissue, and she is unwilling to face more risky surgery.

She said: 'I have one option other than to live like this and that is to face a mastectomy.

'But after 63 procedures on my right breast and fighting to keep my career and my breast, I honestly don't think that I could.

'A mastectomy would take away my livelihood and I don't know what else I would do.'

'It's hard when you have been a victim of something and it's even harder when you choose a path in life where people might look down on you and think, 'she deserved it'.

'But I wouldn't wish this on anyone and I hope my story will act as a warning.'

#dailymail.co.uk

Coronation Street star Bill Roache 'Ken Barlow' arrives at court to face trial on child sex charges

The 81-year-old soap star is accused of two counts of raping a 15-year-old in 1967 and five indecent assaults involving four girls aged between 11 or 12 and 16, allegedly committed between 1965 and 1968. Roache, who has played Ken Barlow since its first episode in 1960, walked into Preston Crown Court today with his children Linus, James and Verity, led by a team of security guards.




Arrival: Coronation Street Star Bill Roache walks to Preston Crown Court with children Linus (behind left), James (next left) and Verity (right) for the start of his trial, where he is accused of historical sexual offences



When charged with rape, Roache - who plays Ken Barlow in the ITV1 show - issued a statement in which he said he was 'astounded and deeply horrified' by the accusations.

He said: 'I strenuously deny the allegations and will now focus my full attention on fighting to preserve my innocence in the challenging times ahead.

'I would like to offer my sincere thanks to all those people who have offered me their support and good wishes at this difficult time.'

Roache later formally pleaded not guilty to the seven counts he faces.

The world's longest-serving soap actor has not appeared in the programme while the legal proceedings are ongoing.

He has been on bail since his arrest with various conditions including residence, no direct unsupervised contact with anyone under 16 and not to approach named witnesses.

The trial at Preston Crown Court is scheduled to last up to four weeks.




Support: Roache - who has played Ken Barlow for decades - arrived flanked by his security in front and his children behind





Entrance: The star's security were forced to clear path through a crowd as he arrived at Preston Crown Court this morning

#dailymail.co.uk

ALCHOHOLISM: 35 Yr Mum who drank 24 cans and seven pints a day begs to die at home

Beverley Pickorer's shocking appearance shows the devastating damage years of chronic alcohol abuse have taken as she is slowly dying from liver disease


Dying: Beverley's body has been ravaged by alcohol abuse(Ross Parry)


Her frail body destroyed by years of alcohol abuse, dying Beverley ­Pickorer lies trapped in her care home bed, unable to move at the age of just 35.

The jaundiced mum-of-four has cirrhosis of the liver, rotten teeth and cannot speak or feed herself after a decade of heavy drinking.

At her worst she would down 24 cans of lager a day plus seven pints in the pub and a bottle of perry cider.

Now she faces certain death her partner of six years, Anthony Howard, is forced to watch her fading away. She has spent the last eight months receiving palliative care in a home where most patients are pensioners.

Loyal Anthony, 31, said: “I’ve been looking after my partner for five-and-a-half years, and she’s constantly
been in and out of hospital with liver cirrhosis.

“She’s the youngest person in this care home. All she can do every day now is stay in bed. The staff come and turn her every two hours.”

Devoted: Partner Anthony wants Beverley to die at home (Ross Parry)



Anthony has released the heartbreaking pictures to warn other people of the devastating impact alcohol dependency can have.

He is also desperate to get Beverley out of the care home, so she can spend her final days at their house in Parson Cross, Sheffield.

Anthony said Beverley’s drinking problems started in her early 20s, during a series of troubled relationships. He said: “When I met her I took her drinking as part of her.

“It’s something I got used to. When she got up and had a can in her hand straight away, I got immune to it. To her it was like having a cup of tea.

"Beverley has four beautiful children, they are now aged six to 15, and they have all been taken into care because she can’t look after them.”

He said he was now fighting to get his own drink problems under control and called for more help for alcoholics: “I would not put all this on Beverley’s toes because I have had a problem with alcohol too. We would go to the pub together.

“I think the Government should do more to help alcoholics.

“They should fund more care homes that specialise in alcohol ­problems and alcohol misuse, to ­rehabilitate them and get them back into the community.

“I love Beverley to bits. She is my world. We are engaged and just waiting to get married.”

Transformed: Beverley is pictured before her body was ravaged by alcohol



Speaking of his wish to get her home, he said: “It’s tragic. We made an agreement that when she dies she would die in my arms at home, but the NHS has said it would be too expensive to care for her at home.

“They would have to pay for one carer and a nurse. She’s on a syringe driver to stop her having seizures.

"But Beverley wants to die at home, I don’t think you can deny a person that.”

Kevin Clifford, chief nurse for NHS Sheffield Clinical Commissioning Group, said that he was unable to comment on individual patients.

But he added: “We have to consider the safest and most appropriate manner in which an individual’s needs can be met.

"It is always regrettable when we have to take a decision based on a patient’s safety which doesn’t meet the hopes of their family.

"But we work with the family and endeavour to offer care that is in the best interests of the patient and agreeable to the family.”

Tragic: Beverley's four children are all in care after years of chronic alcoholism (Ross Parry)



Every year about 4,000 people in the UK lose their lives to cirrhosis – scarring of the liver caused by continuous damage. A further 700 people with the condition are given liver transplants.

Early signs of the illness are a loss of appetite, nausea and itchy skin. In the later stages symptoms can include jaundice and vomiting of blood.

Cirrhosis cannot be cured but its progression can be slowed down by stopping drinking and losing weight.

According to NHS figures from 2001 to 2009, there were 400 deaths a year in people aged up to 39 where alcoholic liver disease was the underlying cause.

Matt McMullen, of the Sheffield Alcohol Support Service, said ­Beverley’s situation was “very sad”.

He added: “Unfortunately it is not unheard of for someone of such a young age to be experiencing such severe problems as a result of alcohol consumption.”



#mirror.co.uk

Galway: 3-year-old boy dies after becoming trapped in a lift

Pic: Andrew Downes

 

A three-year-old boy has died after becoming trapped in a lift.
Gardaí were called to the scene at the Hynes Building on St Augustine’s Street in Galway city centre at about 3pm after the child became stuck.
It is understood no one else was trapped with the youngster.



He had been in the building with his siblings and his mother, who is originally from Nigeria but has been living in the city for a few years, when the accident happened.
Gardai, the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) and building management are to carry out investigations into the cause of the incident.
Investigations centre on whether the boy may have crawled into a gap below the lift floor as it came a stop.
Local gardaí, fire crews and ambulance and paramedic staff were called to the scene where the boy was pronounced dead and his body was removed to University Hospital Galway where a post-mortem examination was to be carried out.
The Hynes Building was closed to allow for full investigations with inspectors from the HSA and gardaí examining the scene tonight.
It houses a number of offices including some of the city’s Department of Social Protection divisions and staff, and is home to the regional RTÉ office.


#breakingnews.ie

The "Mint" countries - Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey identified as emerging economic giants

Economist Jim O'neill has recognized the "Mint" nations - Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey as rising economic goliaths.

The Today programme's Evan Davis and Newsday's Nkem Ifejika spoke to business people in Nigeria who let them know that the nation still have their crucial issues.

They demonstrated that infrastructures still remained an issue to the country's economy yet that the issues of power and electricity had been resolved.

Education was additionally noted as an issue, with the enterpreneurs explaining that it was fundamental for organizations to invest in staff.

They additionally illustrated that corruption had turned into "a cultural thing" in Nigeria.

*I find it totally preposterous and utterly ridiculous that someone would come out and say that the issue of power and electricity in Nigeria has been resolved. Even though the private sector has taken over the functions of providing electricity to Nigerians, things are still more or less the same in terms of electricity supply. There is still irregular power supply and nigerians still depend on generators for their electricity...spending alot on fuel for generators, not to talk about the devastating effects of these generator fumes on the environment.

If Nigeria could be seen as a rising giant despite these crucial setbacks, imagine where the country would be when  the issues of corruption, electricity, security and infrastructure are resolved. Something must be done!

Golden Globes Awards...Full list of winners + Red carpet photos!

 

The evening started on a rather damp note when a sewage pipe burst and the red carpet flooded at the Beverly Hilton Hotel at the 71st Golden Globes.

 

GOLDEN GLOBES 2014 WINNERS LIST

Top prize: Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years A Slave

BEST DRAMA
12 Years A Slave

BEST MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
American Hustle
BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE
Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Amy Adams, American Hustle


BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICALLeonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Frozen

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Great Beauty

BEST SCREENPLAY – MOTION PICTURE
Her - Spike Jonze

Extreme role: Matthew McConaughey was named Best Actor in a Drama for Dallas Buyers Club

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – MOTION PICTURE
Alex Ebert, All Is Lost

BEST ORIGINAL SONG – MOTION PICTURE
U2 Ordinary Love, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
Breaking Bad

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
Robin Wright, House Of Cards

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Amy Poehler, Parks & Recreation

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Andy Samberg, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
BEST MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Behind The Candelabra

Great Cate: Blanchett bagged Best Actress in a Drama for Blue Jasmine

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Elisabeth Moss, Top of the Lake

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Michael Douglas, Behind the Candelabra

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Jacqueline Bisset, Dancing on the Edge

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Jon Voight, Ray Donovan

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Brooklyn Nine-Nine

But Reese Witherspoon, Taylor Swift, Amy Adams and Amber Heard managed to brighten up any lingering soggy spirits with a rainbow of stunning gowns on Sunday night.

American Hustle nominee Amy looked particularly eye catching in a plunging two toned Valentino red gown teamed with a chic braided updo while Reese Witherspoon cut a simple but sophisticated sight in a sleek Calvin Klein aqua sleeveless gown.

 

A rainbow of dresses: Taylor Swift, Amy Adams, Reese Witherspoon, Amber Heard were the leading brights on the red carpet at the Golden Globes Awards at the Beverly Hilton on Sunday night
 

But Amber Heard plumped for a darker number, sporting a navy blue one shouldered Versace gown split to the thigh with her hair backcombed into an big updo.

 

The leading ladies seemed to manage to avoid getting their long gowns wet after the pipe sprayedwhat The Hollywood Reporter described as 'black sewage and water on the carpet.
Luckily, the spill was dealt with after around 15 minutes according to the report, with the Beverly Hills Fire Department finishing the job with air blowers and wet vacuums.

Lady in red: American Hustle nominee Amy Adams sported a two toned plunging gown and chic braided updo at the Golden Globes Awards on Sunday at the Beverly Hilton

Two shades of red: Amy Adams took the plunge in a sleeveless gown with full skirt at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday night

Amazing in aqua: Reese Witherspoon sported a sleek sleeveless Calvin Klein gown which showed off her svelte figure

 

Navy blue beauty: Amber Heard opted for a one Versace shouldered dress split to the thigh with big hair

Flooded: Several hotel workers had to deal with a disastrous burst sewage pipe on the carpet at around midday in Los Angeles

E! red carpet host Ryan Seacrest tweeted two snapshots of the flood. 'Huge water leak on #goldenglobes red carpet. Bev Hills fire trying to clean up: 'Could be bad for long gowns.'
Accident-prone Jennifer Lawrence managed to avoid any huge mishaps following her infamous Oscars trip last year.
She sported her favourite Christian Dior, appearing in a strapless gown with black band detail. 'I decided to shock them all,' she sarcastically said of her choice of designer, after wearing Dior to all the major award ceremonies last year.

MORE PHOTOS AFTER THE CUT...

Central African Republic: Cannibal called 'Mad Dog' drags Muslim off bus, sets him alight and eats his leg 'to avenge murder of pregnant wife'

• The victim was attacked by a militia of around 20 machete-wielding men
• Ouandja Magloire - also known as Mad Dog - reportedly ate part of the man
• Witnesses did not intervene but filmed the attack on their mobile phones
• 'The scene made many people vomit and cry out in horror,' one witness said
• Sectarian violence has been rife recently in the Central African Republic

Horrific footage has emerged of a cannibal eating the leg of a Muslim slaughtered by a rampaging Christian mob in the Central African Republic.


The victim was hauled from a bus, battered and then stabbed before being set on fire in the capital city Bangui, according to the BBC.


In the aftermath of the incident, one of his attackers grabbed hold of his leg and then began to devour it.

SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO



Violence: People throw stones at a car transporting two children of an ex-Seleka colonel at the 'UN crossroad' on Sunday in Bangui



Men brandish machets and knives to threaten Muslim people in Bangui



The cannibal, Ouandja Magloire - who also calls himself ‘Mad Dog’ - told a BBC reporter that his action was revenge for the murders of his pregnant wife, his sister-in-law and her baby.

He claimed that Muslims were responsible and he was angry with them.   

‘Mad Dog’ spotted his victim on a minibus and gathered a crowd of about 20 Christian youths who forced the bus driver to stop.

Witnesses did not intervene but recorded the footage on mobile phones, including the act of cannibalism.

Witness Jean-Sylvestre Tchya told news agency AFP: 'One of the individuals took hold of an arm and went and bought some bread and starting chewing on the flesh, along with his bread.

'The scene made many people vomit, and some cried out in horror.'

Another witness, Alain Gbabobou, said he watched a man wrapped the head up and proclaim that he would 'feast on it'.

According to The Sunday Telegraph, this may not have been an isolated incident, with a source speaking of more than one person being eaten.

An aid worker told the paper: 'They were taking machetes to people and burning the bodies and eating them.'

 

 

Graphic: Christians attack muslims in sectarian violence in CAR

Sectarian violence in the Central African Republic (CAR) has been rife in the past month and flared up again following the resignation on Friday of president Michel Djotodia, the first Muslim to rule the Christian-majority nation.

So far it has claimed around 1,000 lives, with the reports of cannibalism bringing to mind the macabre tales associated with Jean Bedel Bokassa, who ruled the CAR with an iron fist between 1966 and 1979.

He was regarded by many as a brutal dictator and was accused of eating human flesh, incorporating it in meals for visiting officials and feeding slain opponents to animals.

He died in 1996 and received a posthumous pardon in 2010.

Some Christian fighters believe that human flesh makes them invincible and put chunks of it in amulets that they wear.



#dailymail.co.uk
#bbc

Kim Kardashian 'in tears' over taking Kanye West's surname ......''She will be known as Kim West. My wife will bear my name only!" - Kanye West insists

Rap-star Kanye West has reportedly insisted his fiancee drop her famous last name when they tie the knot


Down time: Kim Kardashian and Kanye West get food to go in Beverly Hills
Splash



She's built an empire on her name but reality star Kim Kardashian could be set to drop her surname when she weds rapper Kanye West.

According to the National Enquirer magazine, Kanye has insisted Kim drop 'Kardashian' entirely when they tie the knot.

The glamorous star previously said she will be known as Kim Kardashian-West.

The spat with rapper Kanye apparently caused upset among Kim's family including mother Kris during a recent get-together.

A source told the National Enquirer magazine: "Everyone at the table gave a thumbs up, except for Kanye.

"He sat quiet and stern-faced, then blurted forcefully, 'She will be known as Kim West. My wife will bear my name only!"

The source added: "By the end of the night Kim was in tears because all the way home he kept ranting that he was furious about her even considering to keep the Kardashian name."

Kimye, who got engaged in October, are parents to seven-month-old daughter North, known as Nori.

They have recently been snapped enjoying a festive break on the slopes with family in Utah.

 #nationalenquirer
#mirror.co.uk

Girls speak out against the harmful tradition of Breast Ironing in Cameroon

If given a safe environment and platform to assert themselves, girls will lead the fight to overcome breast ironing. Photograph: Tobin Jones/AFP/Getty Images


Elizabeth Mbu kept her secret for 16 years. Aged 11, her mother kneaded her naked, developing breasts with a hot stone twice a week to stop them growing. "Each time I cried as it was really painful," she says. "I didn't understand what was going on, but it was very difficult to speak about." Her mother continued the practice for a year, causing permanent damage.

Now aged 29, Elizabeth is a member of Came women and girls development organisation (Came W&G), which encourages girls to advocate against the practice of breast ironing in Cameroon. Research from 2006 suggests it affects 24% of Cameroonian girls as young as nine. Yet the practice is a closely guarded secret between mothers and daughters. "Mothers say it's normal to do it, because it prevents the girl getting pregnant early and dropping out of school, or being raped," explains Elizabeth. "When they see their girl growing breasts, they think they will attract boys – they are protecting their girls."

Mothers' concerns about teenage pregnancy are not unfounded. A UN Population Fund report found 30% of girls in Cameroon aged 20 to 24 surveyed in 2010 had given birth before they were 18. Only 39% enrol in secondary education.

Came W&G focuses on empowering girls to break their silence. Elizabeth and others organise community meetings in the capital Yaoundé, where they share their physical and mental traumas. The group lobbies traditional leaders and government representatives for change, and carries out door-knocking to persuade mothers and young victims. "It's not an easy thing to talk about publicly," says Elizabeth. "At the beginning I was nervous and cried. Girls are afraid to talk because of how people will see them or talk about their parents. But when they see you explaining your situation they get courage."

Breast-ironing victim Nchang Kazua, 28, campaigns for Came W&G in Bamenda. "Mothers are often bitter about us telling them it's bad because they think it's traditional," she explains. "The girls' testimonies can convince them of the future damage the action will cause." As well as scarring from burning-hot stones or pestles, women report problems with breastfeeding and a loss of confidence.

Came W&G's chair Margaret Nyuydzewira says mobilising younger generations is key to ending breast ironing. She wants to break into the women's associations common in Cameroonian society that help spread the practice. "We need to empower young girls to talk, advocate and sensitise the mothers, as well as traditional leaders to make laws banning breast ironing," she says.

Nyuydzewira wants to set up groups in Cameroon's 10 regions. She needs more funding to deliver advocacy training, but finds it hard to gain support. Nyuydzewira compares the situation to progress on female genital mutilation (FGM). "Look at the resources now committed for FGM – but is still has a long way to go," she says. "With breast ironing we have not even started yet. I tell the girls – you are not going to see results now, but as you keep talking things will change."

Came W&G is one of few organisations challenging breast ironing in Cameroon. Plan International works with girls on other advocacy projects. Its local PR and communication advisor Jaire Moutcheu says girls speaking publicly about issues such as early childhood marriage and rape have a strong impact. "It's down to those girls' testimonies that we were able to reinforce our relationship with the ministry of women's empowerment and family last year," she says. Following an event to mark the International Day of the Girl Child in 2012, the Cameroonian government department signed a joint action agreement with Plan. "The testimonies enabled them to understand that our work in the field is concrete," says Moutcheu.

She advises other NGOs to talk through girls' testimonies with them in detail before public events, and also to gain parental consent and arrange meetings with rights advisors and psycho-social support workers.

The youth outreach programme also focuses on empowering Cameroonian girls. Partnered with charity VSO, it provides civic education and mentoring to encourage women's participation. Programme officer Patience Agwenjang says parents can hinder girl's participation in such programmes. "They fear they will become rebels," she says. "Most of the girls receive insults or intimidation while carrying out public engagements." However, Agwenjang says by continuing the training, girls improve their communication skills and can assert themselves.

One mother says Came W&G's young advocates have already convinced her. "When I found out breast ironing was wrong, I told my daughter I was trying to do the right thing," says Magdalen Obi from Mutengene, who joined Came W&G as a result. "She understood and is not angry with me." Mother and daughter now share their story with other women by giving talks to local organisations and groups. "We tell them this is the wrong thing to do," she says.





#theguardian
#Gabriella Jozwiak is a freelance journalist specialising in issues affecting children and young people. She is the Africa programmes support volunteer at Y Care International. Follow @GabriellaJ on Twitter

Wife of a Palestinian prisoner in an Israeli jail gives birth to baby from sperm smuggled into Gaza

Hana al-Za'anin conceived al-Hassan using sperm smuggled out of an Israeli jail where her husband is serving a 12-year sentence. Photograph: Suhaib Salem/Reuters


The wife of a Palestinian prisoner in an Israeli jail gave birth on Friday to a boy born from sperm smuggled into Gaza, her family said, the first successful pregnancy of its kind in the embattled coastal enclave.

The procedure follows several similar cases last year in the West Bank, and Palestinians view such births as an act of defiance against Israel's jail policies.

"I am tired and very, very happy," said mother Hana al-Za'anin, hours after baby al-Hassan was delivered. Speaking from a hospital bed in Gaza City, she told Reuters that Israel had banned her from visiting her husband since his arrest in 2006, citing unspecified "security reasons."

Most of Gaza's 1.8 million people are barred from entering Israel for the same reason, although it allows some merchants and seriously ill people to enter.

Gaza has been run by the Islamist group Hamas since 2007. Israel has enforced a blockade on the territory and has fought two wars in the territory since the party took control.

Al-Za'anin declined to say how the sperm was conveyed out of prison, but said its journey to a medical lab in Gaza, where two specialists were waiting for it, took about six hours.

Her husband, Tamer, was arrested in an Israeli army incursion into the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun and jailed for 12 years for belonging to the Islamic Jihad militant group. "Today a hero was born to a hero," the prisoner's 22-year-old brother Tareq, a hairdresser, said.

Israel regards 5,000 or so Palestinian prisoners in its jails, many imprisoned for killing civilians, as terrorists.


#theguardian

Doctors Pull Cockroach From Man's Ear

Don't bug out, but I think you have a large cockroach in your ear canal ...

Doctors in Australia came to the aid of a man this week who realized a large cockroach had crawled into his ear. Hendrik Helmer, of Darwin, Australia, told radio station 105.7 ABC Darwin he first noticed something was wrong when he woke up early in the morning with acute pain in his right ear.

Somehow, Helmer sensed a creepy crawler was to blame, although he wasn't yet sure exactly what it was.

"I was hoping it was not a poisonous spider," Helmer told the station. "I was hoping it didn't bite me."

As the pain worsened, Helmer attempted first to suck the creature out with a vacuum cleaner, and then to flush it out with water.

"Whatever was in my ear didn't like it at all," he noted.

Helmer eventually gave up and rushed to the Royal Darwin Hospital, where he was forced to wait 10 extremely painful minutes for the creature to die before a doctor could extract it.





"They said they had never pulled an insect this large out of someone's ear," Helmer told 105.7 ABC Darwin.

While horrifying, Helmer's experience is not unique. Following a case last year where doctors found mites and mite eggs in a 70-year-old Taiwanese man's ear, Dr. Ian Storper, director of otology at the New York Head & Neck Institute at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, told Fox News that he's seen multiple cases of in-ear cockroaches over the years.

"It's much more common to see a cockroach in the ear," Storper told Fox, claiming to have seen a "few dozen" such cases over his career. Apparently, part of the problem is that the bugs often have little trouble getting into the ear, but then are unable to walk backwards in order to get out.

Strangely, Helmer's experience is actually quite typical of this situation, according to another doctor who spoke with Fox News.

"Patients with cockroaches in their ear always show up at 2 a.m.," Dr. Richard Nelson, vice chair of emergency medicine at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, told Fox. "They wake up with sudden onset of ear pain."

Helmer should probably be thankful his midnight invader was only a cockroach. Last August, photos surfaced online of a Chinese patient who went to the hospital complaining of an itchy ear, only to discover that a spider had been living in there for five days.Shudder....




#huffingtonpost

Lose weight with the HAND DIET: Measure food portions using just your fingers, thumbs and palm

• A portion of meat should be no bigger than the palm of your hand
• Carbs such as pasta should be no bigger than a clenched fist
• A serving of butter is the size of a fingertip, cheese less than two fingers
• Recent research found portion sizes have doubled in 20 years
• Many people eat FIVE times the recommended serving of pasta, for example

 If you like to pile your plate high, then this revealing graphic is likely to depress you. But it could also help you lose weight on the so-called 'hand diet'.
It shows exactly how much of certain foods we should be eating - and it's probably a lot less than you think.
Experts say that a lack of portion control is one of the main reasons so many of us are overweight - with many of us eating way more than we should be.

Experts say that a lack of portion control is one of the main reasons so many of us are overweight - with many of us eating way more than we should be

For instance, a portion of meat should be no bigger than the palm of your hand - and carbs no bigger than a clenched fist.
When it comes to butter, the maximum amount you should be spreading on a slice of bread is the size of a finger tip.
The information comes from the website Guard Your Health.
The American Cancer Society says that many of us regularly eat way bigger portions than we should - for example, up to five times the recommended portion size of pasta.
Research has continually shown that when bigger portions are served, we eat them, because of the 'must clear plate' mentality.

HOW NORMAL PORTION SIZES LOOK

•    1 oz. meat: size of a matchbox
•    3 oz. meat: size of a deck of cards or bar of soap -- the recommended portion for a meal

•    8 oz. meat: size of a thin paperback book

•    3 oz. fish: size of a cheque book

•    1 oz. cheese: size of 4 dice

•    Medium potato: size of a computer mouse

•    2 tbs. peanut butter: a ping pong ball

•    ½ cup pasta: size of a tennis ball

•    Average bagel: size of a hockey puck

Source: American Cancer Society

Even a decade ago, researchers at New York University's Department of Nutrition and Food Studies found that food portions were consistently larger than in previous years.

 

They found that cookies were as much as seven times standard portion sizes, while muffins weighed in at over three times standard portion sizes.
In their book, The Gastric Mind Band, Martin and Marion Shirran provide eye-opening examples of how portion control can make a huge difference to the waistline.
They say: 'Spread butter on your toast, but be aware that a teaspoon of ­butter (enough for a thin layer) is 37 ­calories, but a ­tablespoon (a ­generous covering) is three times as much (111 calories).
'Put dressing on your salad, but learn to weight the vinegar in favour of the oil. A teaspoon of oil may be 45 ­calories, but a tablespoon is 135. That one extra tablespoon of oil every day amounts to a stone weight gain over a year.
'Switch to sweetener in your tea or ­coffee. Cutting out two spoons of sugar in your tea three times a day creates an annual calorie deficit of 37,000 calories, which could be enough to shed more than 11lb.

Kathleen Zelman, Director of Nutrition for the health website WebMD, has drawn up another way to manage portion sizes

'Have ice cream occasionally, but just one scoop (about 150 calories) and never eat it straight from the tub. Enjoy a few nuts with a drink, but stop at one or two (a small 4oz bag will set you back 600 calories).'
Kathleen Zelman, Director of Nutrition for the health website WebMD, has drawn up another way to manage portion sizes.
For example, she says that a pancake should be no bigger than a CD, a bagel should be the size of a can of tuna and a serving of mayonnaise the size of a poker chip.
A serving of chocolate should be the size of a dental floss package, a portion of hummus the size of a golf ball and a three-cup serving of popcorn the size of three baseballs.
Late last year the British Heart Foundation (BHF) warned that Britain’s supermarkets are ‘out of control’ when it comes to portion sizes.

 

 

Bagels have increased by 24 per cent in the last 20 years, while a curry ready meal is 53 per cent bigger

Despite the deepening obesity crisis portion sizes continue to rise, and are now double the size they were in 1993.
An average chicken curry and rice ready meal is now 53 per cent larger than in 1993, and a shepherd’s pie meal is about double the size.
Crumpets and garlic bread are from 20 to 30 per cent bigger now, while an average bagel has increased in size by 24 per cent.
To gain a pound in weight, a person need only consume an additional 3,500 calories and the massive increase in portion sizes explains why so many people are unwittingly putting on excess pounds.
As well as fuelling the growing obesity problem, the BHF said that oversized food portions were also contributing to heart disease, currently the UK's single biggest killer.

 

 

 

#dailymail.co.uk

  

Whitney Houston's daughter Bobbi Kristina reveals she's tied the knot with 'brother' fiancé Nick Gordon

Bobbi Kristina Brown and Nick Gordon have reportedly tied the knot.
Taking to Twitter on Thursday, the daughter of the late Whitney Houston shared her happy news along with a photo of her hand over Nick's as the pair showed off their wedding bling.
'#HappilyMarried So #Inlove if you didn't get it the first time that is,' she informed her more than 129,000 followers.

'#HappilyMarried So #Inlove if you didn't get it the first time that is': Bobbi Kristina Brown revealed on Twitter on Thursday that she and finacé Nick Gordon have tied the knot

On-again, off-again: The couple - pictured here in November - were first engaged in October 2012, before calling time on their relationship and eventually reconciling and renewing their commitment in July 2013

The 20-year-old announced her engagement to her long-time friend in October 2012, during her family's short-lived Lifetime reality series The Houstons: On Our Own, which depicted the fallout from the legendary singer's death on February 11, 2012.
However, the couple called it quits soon after, before reconciling and recommitting to their engagement in July 2013.
'YES, we me nick are engaged. I'm tired of hearing people say "eww your engaged to your brother" or "if Whitney was still alive would we be together or would she approve of this,"' Bobbi Kristina wrote on her Facebook page at the time.

'Just upgraded the ring and added two bands  #blingbling': On September 16, Nick revealed that he had added to his fiancée's already impressive custom-made Neil Lane sparkler

She was, of course, referring to the fact that 24-year-old Nick had lived with her and her mother and the pair were so close they shared a sibling-like bond - though the couple are in no way related.

Meanwhile, on September 16, Nick tweeted that he had 'just upgraded the ring and added two bands  #blingbling' along with a photo of his fiancée's impressive engagement ring - a custom-made Neil Lane sparkler.
The hefty diamond dazzler sits pride of place on the aspiring singer's ring finger in the sepia photo, which also reveals Nick's own simple bronze band.

The 20-year-old couldn't contain her smile as she showed off her upgraded bling on September 21

 

 

 

 

 

#dailymail.co.uk

Sylvester Stallone quits Twitter to 'stay out of trouble'

 

 

Tweet that: Bruce Wilis and Sylvester Stallone
GETTY



Sylvester Stallone has stopped using Twitter to stay out of trouble.

The actor, 67, previously used the social networking site to have a pop at his former Expendables co-star Bruce Willis, 58, calling him “greedy” and “lazy”.

Now, following the outburst in August, he admits to taking a back seat because he doesn’t want to be “an idiot”.

His last tweet was on October 22.

Sylvester, who is starring in new film Grudge Match with Robert de Niro, said: “Everytime I use social media I really get in trouble.

"I think George Clooney says it best. You’ve got to be an idiot if you use Twitter and you wake up in the morning sober and you realise your career is over.

“You’ve got to be really really careful you dont think you’re a genius up there in the middle of the night.

“I’m just really into the iPhone, I’ve got to figure out how the camera works, people say why don’t you get an instagram but isn’t it for younger people?”

De Niro, 70, added: “I can text and email.”

#mirror.co.uk