Tuesday, 21 October 2014

Police Trying To Identify Remains Found in Hannah Graham Search

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Investigators are working to confirm the identity of remains found on Sunday during the search for University of Virginia student Hannah Graham, who disappeared last month.
Searches for the 18-year-old sophomore have been suspended after police found human remains in a shallow creek bed near a vacant home. Officials said it could take several days to complete the identification process.
Matthew, the only suspect in the case, is being held in the Ablemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail awaiting his Dec. 4 hearing. The Virginia resident was arrested in Galveston, Texas, on charges of abduction with intent to defile.
Matthew is being held in isolation in a 6 foot by 9 foot cell with a toilet and a sink. Superintendent Col. Martin Kumer told ABC News that Matthew sleeps on a concrete bed with a plastic covered mattress and a blanket. He can request books from the jail's library, but it isn't clear if he has yet.
Matthew, 32, worked as a technician at the University of Virginia hospital and was seen on surveillance footage with Graham shortly before she vanished.
His attorney, Jim Camblos, released a statement Sunday confirming that he had heard of the discovery of the human remains in Ablemarle County, but did not comment on the case.
PHOTO: A road closed sign blocks traffic as authorities search a rural area where human remains were discovered in Albermarle County, Va., Oct. 19, 2014.
Andrew Shurtleff/AP Photo
PHOTO: A road closed sign blocks traffic as authorities search a rural area where human remains were discovered in Albermarle County, Va., Oct. 19, 2014.
Sgt. Dale Terry of the Chesterfield Sheriff's Department said that his five person team found a skull, bones, and vertebrae that appeared long, making it consistent with a tall person's body. Graham was 5-foot-11. A pair of dark-colored pants similar to those Graham was described as wearing on the night of her disappearance were found near the remains.
The remains were found in a dried-up creek bed behind a vacant home off Old Lynchburg Road, roughly 10 miles south of where Graham was last seen in the early morning hours of Saturday Sept. 13.
The exact address has not been publicly confirmed, but it is believed to be about 3 miles away from a home where Matthew and his mother lived a few years ago.
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Natural Remedy May Dramatically Transform Sexual Enhancement Market...

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From testosterone replacement to drugs like Viagra, sexual enhancement is a multibillion-dollar business in the United States.
But Chris Kilham, who refers to himself professionally as the medicine hunter, is hoping to introduce a natural, safer alternative that also works for women and could blow the market wide open.
“You take people who have low libido, you give them tongkat ali,” Kilham, 62, of Leverett, Massachusetts, told ABC News’ “Nightline” of the herb.
“It’s Chinese New Year’s fireworks in their pants. It works.”
Kilham works for the French company Naturex, the largest botanical extract manufacturer in North America, which sells processed herbs to most major brands. He scours the globe investigating natural remedies to make people younger, stronger and sexier, such as tongkat ali.
The herb tongkat ali is a rare, ancient remedy that is already successful in Malaysia. With items such as tongkat ali-infused chocolate, Kilham said, it is the single most highly prized plant in Malaysia. He wants to make the herb a household name in the United States.
“Every bit is highly scientific research,” Kilham said. “This is primary research. Native people won’t take an herb for hundreds of years if it doesn’t work.”
California mom Alisa Roberts, 34, is one of the few Americans who actually managed to get her hands on tongkat ali.
“After having my first child, I just noticed that I didn’t want to have sex,” Roberts told “Nightline.” “Even just the thought of it made me feel exhausted.”
Roberts scoured the Internet in search of exotic remedies, and came across tongkat ali. “It was coined the herbal Viagra, so it kind of piqued my interest,” she said.
Within five days of ingesting the pill form of tongkat ali, Roberts said her husband noticed something was different about her.
“I just felt like I had more desire for him,” Roberts said.
Kilham has convinced Naturex that it’ll make millions off tongkat ali, but finding a reliable source that can sustain the U.S. appetite could be a challenge.
The root of the tongkat kali tree, not the bark or leaves, is what has the medicinal component, but no one has actually figured out how to successfully farm it.
In addition, the Malaysian forest, which is home to the tongkat ali tree, is protected by law. Only indigenous people are allowed to harvest its natural resources.
“Are we damaging the wild’s supply? Are we harvesting just enough that it’s sustainable? This is the one remaining unanswered question for me,” Kilham said.
Tongkati ali does not treat erectile dysfunction, so it is not a replacement for Viagra, which can increase blood flow.
But Ong Boon Kean, a senior researcher at the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia, has studied the effects of tongkat ali and said it can actually boost low testosterone and sperm count.
“There are lots of different ways to get a sexual function, but certainly boosting testosterone is one of them,” Kean told “Nightline.”
Kilhem said restoring that vital hormone is key to the herb’s success in both men and women. The science is shaky, but there are several studies, some of them industry-sponsored, that support the claims.
While it is not a substitute for Viagra, Kilhem said tongkat ali is a safe, long-term alternative to attaining a healthier sex drive.
“People are disillusioned with pharmaceuticals. The safety part is just so startlingly evident,” Kilham said.
Over 100,000 people die every year from the proper use of prescription medications. But herbs do have their own set of risks.
Critics complain that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration oversight of the industry is far too lenient, relying on manufacturers to self-police.
“Herbal supplements are not drugs so they should not be regulated like drugs,” Naturex sales director David Yvergniaux told “Nightline.”
Yvergniaux said applying pharmaceutical standards to herbal medicine would make supplements unaffordable.
“Those products have been used for hundreds of years,” he said. “Traditional use is the best proof for safety, but what we do on top of this is make sure it has no contaminants.”
Yvergniaux sees a huge market for tongkat ali. “It’s a natural easy and affordable way to, you know, to regain your manhood in a way,” he said.
Naturex’s taking a chance on tongkat ali means Roberts, the California mom who’s now a libido blogger, won’t have to search far for a natural remedy.
“For every ailment,” she said, “there is a herb, and people are starting to pay attention.”
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Obama Admits His Credit Card Got Rejected...

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"I went to a restaurant up in New York during the UN General Assembly and my credit card was rejected. It turned out I guess I don't use it enough, so they thought there was some fraud going on," he explained, as he signed as executive order to tighten security on debit and credit cards that transmit federal benefits. "Fortunately, Michelle had hers.
"I was trying to explain to the waitress, 'No, I really think that I've been paying my bills,'" he joked.
"See, even I'm affected by this."
View photo
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AP obama credit card kab 141017 16x9 608 Obama Admits His Credit Card Got Rejected
President Barack Obama scrutinizes his credit card as he jokes with the staff while ordering barbecue at Franklin …
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Monday, 20 October 2014

Total CEO de Margerie killed in Moscow business jet accident

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The chief executive of French oil major Total, Christophe de Margerie, was killed when a business jet collided with a snow plough during takeoff at Moscow's Vnukovo International Airport, the company and airport officials said.
The collision occurred late on Monday, just minutes before midnight Moscow time, the airport said in a statement. The Dassault Falcon business jet carrying de Margerie had been due to travel to Paris.
"Total confirms with deep regret and great sadness that Chairman and CEO Christophe de Margerie died just after 10 p.m. (Paris time) on October 20 in a private plane crash at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow, following a collision with a snow removal machine," the company said in a statement.
The plane's three crew also died, said Total, France's second-biggest listed company with a market value of 102 billion euros.
There was no immediate word on the cause of the collision. Visibility was 350 meters (1,150 feet) at the time, the airport said, adding that civil aviation authorities had launched an investigation.
Vnukovo is Moscow's oldest and third biggest airport. Located southwest of the capital, it is used by President Vladimir Putin and other government officials.
De Margerie, 63, was on a list of attendees at a Russian government meeting on foreign investment in Gorki, near Moscow, on Monday. With his distinctive bushy mustache and outspoken manner, he was one of the most recognizable figures among the world's top oil executives.
"France is losing an extraordinary business leader who turned Total into a world giant," French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said in a statement.
"France is losing a great industry captain and a patriot."
POTENTIAL SUCCESSORS
A graduate of the Ecole Superieure de Commerce business school in Paris, de Margerie became chief executive officer of Total in February 2007, taking on the additional role of chairman in May 2010, after previously running its exploration and production division.
De Margerie said in July that he should be judged based on new projects launched under his watch, such as a string of African fields. He also said then that Total would seek a successor from within the company rather than an outsider.
Philippe Boisseau, head of Total's new energy division, and Patrick Pouyanne, who was tasked with reducing the group's exposure to unprofitable European refining sectors, have long been seen as potential successors.
A staunch defender of Russia and its energy policies amid the conflict in Ukraine, de Margerie told Reuters in a July interview that Europe should stop thinking about cutting its dependence on Russian gas and focus instead on making those deliveries safer.
He said tension between the West and Russia were pushing Moscow closer to China, as illustrated by a $400 billion deal to supply Beijing with gas that was clinched in May.
"Are we going to build a new Berlin Wall?" he said in the interview.
"Russia is a partner and we shouldn't waste time protecting ourselves from a neighbor ... What we are looking to do is not to be too dependent on any country, no matter which. Not from Russia, which has saved us on numerous occasions."
Total is one of the majors most exposed to Russia, where its output will double to represent more than a tenth of its global portfolio by 2020.
A TOP INVESTOR IN RUSSIA
Total is also one of the top foreign investors in Russia, but its future there grew cloudy after the July 17 downing of a Malaysian passenger airliner over Ukrainian territory held by pro-Russian rebels worsened the oil-rich country's relations with the West and raised the threat of deeper sanctions.
Total said last month that sanctions would not stop it working on the Yamal project, a $27 billion joint venture investment to tap vast natural gas reserves in northwest Siberia that aims to double Russia's stake in the fast-growing market for liquefied natural gas. De Margerie said then that Europe could not live without Russian gas, adding there was no reason to do so.
Total is the fourth largest by market value of the western world's top oil companies behind Exxon, Royal Dutch Shell and Chevron. Russia accounted for about 9 percent of Total's oil and gas output in 2013.
The oil company had forecast in April that Russia would become its biggest source of oil and gas by 2020 due to its partnership with Russian energy company Novatek and the Yamal project.
Like other big oil companies, Total has been under pressure from shareholders to cut costs and raise dividends as rising costs in the industry and weaker oil prices squeeze profitability.
The company last month said it would step up asset sales and overhaul exploration after cutting its oil output targets.
Total, which has struggled with production outages in Libya, Kazakhstan and Nigeria, launched a "high-risk, high-reward" drilling strategy two years ago. But this has had disappointing results as high-cost investments did not lead to large discoveries.
Russia has a patchy air-safety record.
In December 2012, a Russian airliner flying without passengers broke into pieces after it slid off the runway and crashed onto a highway outside Vnukovo Airport upon landing, killing four of the eight crew on board.
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Fashion designer Oscar de la Renta dies at 82

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Oscar de la Renta, the worldly gentleman designer who shaped the wardrobe of socialites, first ladies and Hollywood stars for more than four decades, has died. He was 82.
De la Renta died at home Monday evening in Connecticut surrounded by family, friends and "more than a few dogs," according to a handwritten statement signed by his stepdaughter Eliza Reed Bolen and her husband, Alex Bolen. The statement did not specify a cause of death, but de la Renta had spoken in the past of having cancer.
"While our hearts are broken by the idea of life without Oscar, he is still very much with us. Oscar's hard work, his intelligence and his love of life are at the heart of our company," the statement said. "All that we have done, and all that we will do, is informed by his values and his spirit. Through Oscar's example we know the way forward. We will make Oscar very proud of us by continuing in an even stronger way the work that Oscar loved so much."
The late '60s and early '70s were a defining moment in U.S. fashion as New York-based designers carved out a look of their own that was finally taken seriously by Europeans. De la Renta and his peers, including the late Bill Blass, Halston and Geoffrey Beene, defined American style — and their influence is still spotted today.
De la Renta's specialty was eveningwear, though he also was known for chic daytime suits favored by the women who would gather at the Four Seasons or Le Cirque at lunchtime. His signature looks were voluminous skirts, exquisite embroideries and rich colors.
Most recently, Amal Alamuddin wore a de la Renta-designed wedding dress when she married George Clooney. And earlier this month, first lady Michelle Obama notably wore a de la Renta dress for the first time. De la Renta had criticized her several years ago, for wearing foreign designers.

"We will miss Oscar's generous and warm personality, his charm, and his wonderful talents." Bush said in a statement. "My daughters and I have many fond memories of visits with Oscar, who designed our favorite clothes, including Jenna's wedding dress. We will always remember him as the man who made women look and feel beautiful."
First lady Laura Bush wore an icy blue gown by de la Renta to the 2005 inaugural ball and Hillary Rodham Clinton wore a gold de la Renta in 1997. On the red carpet at the Academy Awards, Penelope Cruz and Sandra Bullock were among the celebrities to don his feminine and opulent gowns. His clothes even were woven into episodes of "Sex and the City" with style icon character Carrie Bradshaw dropping his name — and comparing his designs to poetry.
De la Renta's path to New York's Seventh Avenue took an unlikely route: He left his native Dominican Republic at age 18 to study painting in Spain but soon became sidetracked by fashion. The wife of the U.S. Ambassador to Spain saw some of his sketches and asked him to make a dress for her daughter — a dress that landed on the cover of Life magazine.
That led to an apprenticeship with Cristobal Balenciaga, and then de la Renta moved to France to work for couture house Lanvin. By 1963, he was working for Elizabeth Arden couture in New York and in 1965 had launched his own label.
He told the AP in 2004 that his Hispanic roots worked their way into his designs.
"I like light, color, luminosity. I like things full of color and vibrant," he said.
And while de la Renta made Manhattan his primary home, he often visited the Dominican Republic and kept a home there. Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour was a frequent visitor and she has said traveling with him was like traveling with the president. "He's a superstar," she said.
He also had a country home in northwestern Connecticut. Gardening and dancing were among his favorite diversions from work. "I'm a very restless person. I'm always doing something. The creative process never stops," he said.
As a designer, De la Renta always catered to his socialite friends and neighbors — as the designer and his wife, Annette, were fixtures on the black-tie charity circuit — but he did make occasional efforts to reach the masses, including launching a mid-priced line in 2004 and developing a dozen or so perfumes, the first, called Oscar, was introduced in 1977 and more recently, Rosamor.
He was an avid patron of the arts, serving as a board member of The Metropolitan Opera and Carnegie Hall, among others, and he devoted considerable time to children's charity, including New Yorkers for Children. He also helped fund schools and day-care centers in La Romana and Punta Cana in his native country.
The Dominican Republic honored de la Renta with the order al Merito de Juan Pablo Duarte and the order of Cristobol Colon. Here in the U.S., he received the Coty American Fashion Critics Award twice, was named womenswear designer of the year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 2000 and also received a lifetime achievement award from the CFDA — an organization for which he served as president in the 1980s.
In addition to his own label, de la Renta spearheaded the Pierre Balmain collection from 1993-2002, marking the first time an American designed for a French couture house, and he was awarded the French Legion d'Honneur as a Commandeur. He also received the Gold Medal Award from the king and queen of Spain.
De la Renta gave up the title of chief executive of his company in 2004, handing over business duties to the Bolens, but he remained active on the design end, continuing to show his collections during New York Fashion Week.
De la Renta also is survived by an adopted son, Moises, a designer at the company.
De la Renta's first wife, French Vogue editor Francoise de Langlade, died in 1983.
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Celebrities gone nuts.....Make some money rain!!!!!

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If you're anything like us (and Details Network contributors) just a picture of a motorcycle can bring to mind visions of being on the open road, wind screaming through your hair, tires eating up mile after mile of glorious asphalt. Which is why we've assembled some of the most beautiful two-wheeled wonders they've put on the Network in recent months—for the escapism of it all. 


Big Machines



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