This past December, NDP leader Jack Layton vowed ‘to win’ cancer battle, but at this time he was unable to fulfill his very first public event since he first made the announcement that he was being treated for prostate cancer.
A Saturday appearance was to have occurred at a building where people of the Sikh faith come to worship. The Saturday event at which Layton was to have appeared was a planned celebration for a Brampton publication entitled, Road News.
According to Layton’s top spokesperson the NDP leader was simply not in the condition needed for travel at this point, but he did not say whether or not the problem was related to the prostate cancer, or to the treatment that Layton is presently receiving. This was to have been the first time for the public to have seen and heard the popular leader in more than a month.
Less than 2 months ago the headlines about “59 year old Layton vowing ‘to win’ cancer battle” were making the rounds through all media outlets in the country. Now the public is beginning to wonder whether the disease is worse than what they are being told.
Jack Layton made a personal phone call to Jagtar Shergill who was also on the roster of speakers listed for the Saturday celebration in which he made apologies for having to cancel at the last moment. Shergill arranged for the voice mail on his phone to be broadcast over the microphones so all in attendance could hear Layton’s voice as he bowed out of the event.
At this point the Layton family is hoping to keep all of the details about the prostate cancer prognosis and treatment private. Layton’s wife is Olivia Chow who is the NDP MP, and she herself is well known for having had to battle with a type of thyroid cancer in years past. According to a spokesman Jack and Olivia Layton will be attending a special fundraiser that will be held in Toronto shortly. This event is one that is being planned in celebration of the Chinese New Year. Hopefully it will also be to celebrate a new year of hope, happiness and health for Jack Layton as well.
Oscar was a kitten that was adopted by the Rhode Island facility in 2005, as part of the rehabilitation program. Oscar’s upbringing on the 3rd floor nursing home for residents with end-stage dementia is how he may have learned when a patient will pass. He paces the hallways making his rounds, sniffing the air. If he believes a patient will pass he lays down next to them.
There have been articles and a book written about Oscar. Veterinarians have theories on how it is that he knows when death is near. It is believed that Oscar can predict death is imminent within 2 hours.
A bodies dying cells give off an odor that may be familiar. Therefore lying with the patient until they pass. It is also noted that the patients Oscar has layed next to have passed from an infection, carbapenem-resistent Klebsiella pneumoniae.
Some of the patient’s relatives have asked that Oscar be removed when a patient is dying. He will wait outside meowing in protest. Almost as if he wants to be there to comfort the patient in the last hours of life. The staff at the medical facility now call family when he is seen sleeping next to a patient.
Hollywood has lost yet another talented young star. 27 year old Justin Mentell was killed when his 2005 Jeep SUV hit two trees. The accident report states Mentell veered off an embankment on highway 39, which is near Mineral Point, Wisconsin. He was not wearing his seat belt at the time of the crash and was apparently ejected from the vehicle.
The tragic accident was reported around 8:30 am Monday morning according to the Iowa County Sheriff’s department. Mentell was found near his vehicle in the rural area and pronounced dead at the scene. It is unclear when the accident actually happened. Drugs and alcohol do not appear to have played a factor in the accident. His mother believes he may have fallen asleep at the wheel.
Mentell is most famous for his role as lawyer Garrett Wells during the 2005-2006 season of Boston Legal. He grew up in the small town of Waukegan and had returned there after a few years in Hollywood. The talented man was an accomplished speed skater, actor, musician and world traveler. He was named to the US Junior National Speedskating team in 2000. He moved back to his hometown to work on his art.
Dr. Frank Ryan, the surgeon who performed a multitude of cosmetic procedures on Heidi Montag, has not had much to say. Prior to her surgeries the doctor defended the starlet saying she was making a well thought out career choice.
Her procedures included: a brow lift, Botox injections in her forehead, a revised nose job, fat injections in her cheeks, nasal folds and lips, a chin reduction, ear pinning, breast implants and buttock augmentation. All of this in 10 hours of time. Heidi later bragged saying,” the hospital usually only allows procedures that take 6 hours or less, but they let me do it.”
What happened to healthy self-esteem and the woes of addiction to surgery? An attractive young girl who has looks many girls would envy, but is insecure about her appearance. Hmmm. Did Dr. Ryan attempt to counsel Heidi prior to agreeing to do all these surgeries? Did he have any concern about doing them all at the same time? Her husband, Spencer Pratt voiced his doubts even though he thought the ultimate choice was hers. Amazing there was so little concern on the part of the medical staff. You’re young, you’re healthy, you have the money…Oh, yes, he has refused to do any more procedures on her.
Argentina’s female president Cristina Fernandez, has made some startling claims about the benefits of consuming pork products. She claims the white meat works better than Viagra for sexual stimulation. She goes on to explain she tested the theory with her husband and had some very pleasing results.
She made the announcement during a videotaped meeting with representatives from the swine industry. The meeting was held at the presidential palace and televised around the world. The country is lowering the price of pork in an effort to diversify the dominant beef loving Argentines. The self proclaimed pork addict, enjoyed a nice weekend eating pork with her husband and enjoying the effects.
Fernandez also commented that eating spicy grilled pork is more enjoyable and gratifying than popping a Viagra. Juan Uccelli is head of the association of pork producers and supports her claim. He states that Denmark and Japan have high pork consumption rates and their people “have much more harmonious sexual lives than us Argentines have.”
There are some doctors who disagree with these outrageous claims and say there is no way to prove it. Fernandez says why not give it a try before making a decision, what have you got to lose?
Prince Harry took a royal tumble during the annual Sentebale Polo Cup in Barbados. Though the prince flew off of his horse, nothing more than his pride was injured.
While competing in the charity polo match, Harry’s horse stumbled to the ground, but the prince managed to gracefully roll out of the animal’s path and quickly get back on his feet.
The 25 year-old royal let his temper rage after the fall, throwing his mallet before ripping off and punching his helmet. Later he explained the tantrum, saying that a donor had promised him $100,000 Barbados dollars for the Sentebale charity if he stayed on his horse or $50,000 Barbados dollars if he fell off.
Sentebale, which Harry cofounded in honor of his mother, is a charity that assists children with AIDS in Africa. Harry says his anger came not from the embarrassment of the fall, but from the loss of charity money, saying, “So when I fell off, I threw down my mallet and shouted: ‘What a waste of $100,000!’ I was furious with myself.”
But all’s well that ends well; the donor followed through with his $100,000 donation after realizing that the horse’s stumble caused the prince’s fall.
Starting Monday, motorists in Ontario who get caught driving with a cell-phone in their hand will receive a $155 fine.
Police officers will no longer simply be letting drivers off with a warning as they have been doing for the past three months. Instead they will start fully enforcing the provisions of Bill 118, or Ontario’s Countering Distracted Driving law which went into effect Oct. 26.
The law is designed to enhance road safety by making it illegal for drivers to talk, text, type, or e-mail using a hand-held device when driving. The legislation also prohibits the viewing of DVDs or other displays that are not directly related to driving. Drivers can however continue using hands-free headsets, such as Bluetooth devices for making or receiving calls. They will be allowed to use hand-held phones for making emergency 911 calls.
Drivers of emergency vehicles and certain commercial vehicles will also be allowed to use hand-held devices under some circumstances.
Though the law was formally passed in October, Ontario’s Provincial Police allowed a three-month grace period for drivers to get accustomed to the law. During that time, the OPP have issued more than 3,000 warnings to drivers, but did not impose fines on anyone caught driving with a hand held device.
Starting Feb. 1 that grace period is formally over. The OPP has cautioned that from that day on, they will begin to aggressively enforce the provisions of the law in a bid to cut down on what they say is the growing danger posed by drivers chatting on phones or texting on them while also traveling at high speeds.
Some people within the media are really wondering in what direction the iPod will go into next in order to make sure that consumers are still interested in purchasing one.
The new iPod tablet has proven to be a hit among computer geeks and regular consumers alike, upon closer inspection however there is even one more reason to fall in love with the iPod tablet. The new level of battery life and speed on the iPod tablet’s A4 system is apparently to die for. The technology necessary to strike this perfect first began in 2005 and people who developed the iPod in its current form are still very tight lipped about such technology.
The iPod tablet certainly maintains the sleek nature of the iPod while giving people a chance to see what they need to see on the screen. This version of the iPod does make it easier for you to select the songs you want to listen to. Information technology professionals were very excited about the unveiling of the tablet at trade shows and some were truly overwhelmed with joy. You can certainly take this version of the iPod on a long train trip and not have to worry about it running out of juice half way through the trip.
Don’t be afraid
Should buyers beware in regards to purchasing a Toyota in the midst of the company’s current recall? No, what prospective consumers need to keep in mind is that the Toyota Motor Corporation is a highly respected auto manufacturer that has been in business for over 70 successful years. Above all else, they want to fix the problem and move on.
To date Toyota has ordered the recall of just over five million vehicles over the past year due to problems with the accelerator sticking. While the numbers are extremely high, Toyota is placing a halt on production in order to focus all of their efforts on fixing the problem. In an attempt to render aid to Toyota owners that will be carless while their vehicles are being fixed, Automotive News is reporting that Toyota has contacted several dealers and instructed them to, “give any complaining customers a rental car at Toyota’s expense.”
This is just a bump in the road. Once the accelerators have been properly fixed, Toyota will return to business as usual. Car buyers should not be deterred. If a Toyota is what you want, then you just need to make sure that it has been recalled properly.
After a great appearance as a guest judge on “American Idol”, Katy Perry is considering a career change from singer/pop star to something a little more judgmental. According to Katy she totally fell in love with her role as a guest judge on “American Idol” and would consider giving up her singing career if she were offered the full time job. Though there was some back and forth with judge Kara she still had a great experience.
Katy has been said to be one of the best guest judges so far. She spoke her mind and had very constructive comments. She has been around music her whole life and not only has a great love for it but a good ear. Katy also has a personality that makes America watch with enthusiasm. She took her role as guest judge very seriously and had a great time doing it.
There have been some speculations as to whether this is just talk or if the singer/pop star is seriously considering the position. We will have to wait and see if Fox is going to take it seriously and go after the pop star to join Kara, Randy, and Ellen as a permanent Judge on “American Idol”.