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Showing posts from April 19, 2013

This man survived the Boston Marathon blasts by seconds

A man who narrowly missed twin bomb blasts while running the Boston Marathon barely avoided disaster again two days later when he was rocked by the explosion at a West, Texas, fertilizer plant. Joe Berti, 43, could be considered the unluckiest man in the world for being so close to both horrific disasters. Instead, he feels fortunate that he escaped from both tragedies unscathed. 'I was just like, "I can't believe this!"' said Mr Berti, who said he had never witnessed an explosion before. Then he thought: 'I just want to get out of here and get away from all these explosions.' Unlucky? Joe Berti survived the Boston Marathon bombings by only 30 seconds. Two days later he saw - and felt - the blast in West, Texas Unlucky: Joe Berti snapped this photo as he drove through West, Texas, two days after he narrowly missed the blast radius at the Boston Marathon His wife fears he is becoming a magnet for disaster. 'We need to keep him moving. Maybe he ju

Artist who designed Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon album cover dies aged 69

He was the man behind one of the most famous pieces of album cover artwork ever produced. Graphic artist Storm Thorgerson, who produced the illustration of light refracted through a prism for Pink Floyd’s 1973 album Dark Side Of The Moon, died yesterday aged 69 after a battle with cancer. A long-term collaborator with Pink Floyd and a childhood friend of its members, Mr Thorgerson also created covers for multi-million selling albums by Led Zeppelin, Muse and Peter Gabriel. Passed away: Graphic artist Storm Thorgerson (left), who produced the illustration of light refracted through a prism for Pink Floyd's 1973 album Dark Side Of The Moon (right), died aged 69 after a battle with cancer Other works: Thorgerson, a long-term collaborator with Pink Floyd and a childhood friend of its members created the cover art for their 1994 album Division Bell (left) and 1975 record Wish You Were Here (right) A statement on Pink Floyd’s website said: ‘We are saddened by the news that l

A beaming George H.W. Bush poses for a photo

Former President George H. W. Bush donned American flag socks to a ceremony Wednesday, where he gleefully posed for a photo with the newly-announced Houston Texans cheerleaders. The 88-year-old - who paired his flashy socks with a blue shirt and beige suit - was on hand to give a presidential congratulations to the 34 women who were selected for the competitive squad. And he couldn't help but grin from ear to ear as he presented roses to each of the cheerleaders, some of whom had visited him while he was unwell in the hospital earlier this year. Scroll down for video All smiles: Former President George H. W. Bush grinned from ear to ear as he met with the Houston Texans cheerleaders at their training facility on Wednesday Stars and stripes: Ever the patriot, he paired his summery beige suit with American flag socks that stood out during the photo op The 41st president had been in poor health recently after a lingering cough associated with bronchitis landed him in a Houston

RICHARD KAY: By George! Asda guru, 72, has a new girl

With seven children and three ex-wives behind him — his last divorce cost him an estimated £34 million — you might suppose that fashion genius George Davies would be happy to steer clear of the opposite sex. But now at 72 and four years on from wife number three, Fiona — the former chief executive of his Per Una clothing range — George, I can reveal, has found love again. The man behind Next and George @Asda — he sold Per Una to Marks & Spencer for £125 million in 2004 — is stepping out with Sarah Clark, an energetic mother of two, three decades his junior. Back in love: After three wives and seven children George Davies has found love again ‘They met last June and are very happy together. He seems much more settled in himself,’ says a friend. ‘He’s certainly lost none of his romantic zeal.’ The couple were introduced when fitness instructor Sarah, who is in her early 40s, was involved in Cheltenham Fashion Week and organised a schools’ catwalk show at Gloucestershire College,

Dallas fire captain and married father of three who 'rushed to the scene'

PUBLISHED: 21:54 GMT, 18 April 2013 | UPDATED: 09:59 GMT, 19 April 2013 [header links] Victim: Capt. Kenny Harris, 52, wasn't on duty the night of the explosion, but he rushed to the scene to lend a hand to the volunteer firefighters battling the blaze at West Fertilizer Co. A Dallas fire captain and father of three is among the fatalities of Wednesday night's powerful explosion at a fertilizer plant that rocked the small town of West, Texas. Capt. Kenny Harris, 52, wasn't on duty the night of the explosion, but he rushed to the scene to lend a hand to the volunteer firefighters battling the blaze at West Fertilizer Co. 'Captain Harris rushed to the scene compelled to provide assistance to his community during this crisis,' said Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings. 'I want to express my deepest condolences to his family, friends and co-workers.' A married father of three grown sons, Harris had worked for the city of Dallas for nearly 31 years. He is one of half

Chin up, Georgie Porgie, those tears just prove you're human

There were a lot of unforgettable moments during Lady Thatcher’s splendidly British send off. That flawless reading by granddaughter Amanda Thatcher, the Pippa of the funeral. The ­concentration and strain etched on the faces of the pallbearers as they carried the coffin up and down the 24 steps of St Paul’s. The Queen just being the Queen. The Bishop of London’s tremendous speech. And of course — blub! — George Osborne’s tears. Unsurprisingly, some frenemies have derided the Chancellor for becoming emotional during the service. What a big girl’s blouse, some said. After all, he apparently only met Mrs T once. Whereas many on the Left insisted: ‘We’re the ones who should be ­crying, not him, after what he has done to this country blah blah blah.’ On and on and on. Same old stuck record. Let’s give the cry-baby Tory boy a bash. All of it misplaced. All so unfair. All unkind. So dry your eyes, Georgie Porgie. Chin up and blow your nose. For the truth is that a great number of people, in

Did Jimmy Savile abuse 1,350 victims… treble

Jimmy Savile could have sexually abused up to 1,350 victims, treble the number who have come forward so far, the police officer that exposed him said today. Operation Yewtree, which is looking into allegations of sex crimes against the former DJ and presenter, as well as a host of other celebrities, has recorded 450 complaints against him. But former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Peter Spindler, who led Yewtree until earlier this year, told an NSPCC conference that as well as those who came forward there were 'probably double, treble who haven't'. Paedophile: There have been 450 complaints of sexual abuse by Jimmy Savile - but it is alleged there could have been three times as many victims, according to former Met Chief Superintendent Peter Spindler (right) 'My best guess is that there are many other victims who won't have come forward because they don't want to talk about it,' he told The Sun. 'They've dealt with it, they've put it i

Convicted paedophile, 23, attacked a sleeping five-year-old girl

A paedophile molested a sleeping five-year-old girl after his sex-offenders treatment was cancelled. Daniel Veness, 23, was ordered to get urgent help after he was caught with 600 vile child pornography pictures on his computer. But a lack of 'resources' meant that the scheme was scrapped. Veness, of Lowestoft, Suffolk, filmed himself carrying out the sickening sex attack on the little girl as she slept. He was jailed for two years eight months yesterday. Judge David Goodin branded the pervert a danger to young girls. The judge said it was 'a matter of great regret' that two years in to a three-year order Veness's treatment programme had not started. Judge Goodin said this was initially because the offender had been on holiday. But since then Veness had been given two start dates in March and October 2012 which had been called off because of 'insufficient resources'. The paedophile was arrested in January after a shocked friend told police he had seen porno

Judge attacks porn websites after rapist, 14, hooked on online sex sites attacks a four-year-old girl

A judge yesterday condemned online porn after a 14-year-old boy who was ‘obsessed’ with sex websites raped a four-year-old girl. The boy was given free rein by his parents to watch graphic material on hi-tech gadgets such as his Xbox console and iPod. But in an unusual move, Lord Burns directly linked the teenager’s exposure to porn to the sex attack. He also criticised the boy’s parents who, even after the offence, allowed their son to carry on accessing the internet with virtually no form of restriction. The case comes amid the Daily Mail’s on-going Block Online Porn campaign to protect children from graphic images. Scotland’s top sex crimes prosecutor, Alison Di Rollo, has recently warned that online filth is fuelling a rise in sex offending by children. The 14-year-old, who was spared a custodial sentence, forced the girl to perform a sex act on him at his home during the school holidays. She later told the boy’s mother, a childminder, what had happened. The youth initially denied

Man obsessed with pipe bombs lost several fingers

A man lost several fingers when a home-made pipe bomb exploded, causing the entire street to be evacuated. Martin Middleton, 26, called 999 and was later picked up by paramedics after apparently fleeing the house he shares with his fiancee. About 40 homes had to be evacuated after the explosion in Bolton, Greater Manchester, in January this year, while police and bomb disposal teams searched the area. His fiancee Kay Emerson escaped uninjured. Previously, Middleton had posted a pencil drawing of a tattoo design that he wanted, depicting an exploding bomb with the word 'kaboom' in the middle, on his Facebook page. But he told friends: 'mum wont let me have a pipe bomb on my arm i get it done'. Middleton, from the Tonge Fold area of the town, yesterday pleaded guilty to causing an explosion likely to endanger life or injure property. David Toal, defending, said: 'He acknowledges that there was some forseeability for harm, but there was no intention that is in the par

'Inspirational, dignified fighter': Hillsborough justice

One of the leading campaigners in the fight for justice for the Hillsborough victims has died aged 62. Anne Williams, whose 15-year-old son Kevin was one of the 96 Liverpool fans who perished in the 1989 tragedy, had been suffering from cancer. It was her 24-year fight to get her son’s inquest verdict of accidental death overturned that is credited with leading to fresh hearings for those who died. Campaign: Anne Williams helped fight for justice over the Hillsborough disaster, which killed her son Kevin Long-running battle: Anne Williams in 1999 when she published her book about the Hillsborough disaster Tireless campaigner: Mrs Williams with Lord Justice Stuart Smith on the steps of the Maritime Museum in Liverpool She established from witnesses at the Sheffield stadium that – despite the coroner’s assertion that all fans were dead by 3.15pm – Kevin was still alive and could have been saved. She appealed to three different attorney generals for a new inquest, only to