Monday, 18 January 2010

Sandra Bullock's $1 million aid donation for Haiti disaster




  • Sandra Bullock has donated $1 million (£600,000) to help the survivors of the Haiti Port Au Prince earthquake.
  • The kind-hearted actress donated the sum after hearing that three Doctors Without Borders' emergency centres have been damaged by the huge earthquake that has killed up to 50,000 people.
  • Bullock said in a statement, "I wanted to ensure that my donation would be used immediately to meet the needs of the Haitian people affected by this catastrophic event."
  • Other film stars who have donated money to aid Haiti include Ben Stiller, Tyler Perry, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

Thursday, 14 January 2010

Fizzy Phone: Mobile Runs On Coca-Cola

  • Bulky mobile phone chargers could soon be a thing of the past with handsets running on soft drinks instead.
  • Daizi Zheng designed the 'greenphone', which is powered by Coca-Cola, as part of her final university project.
  • The Central Saint Martins graduate came up with the concept for Finnish mobile phone manufacturer Nokia.
  • Ms Zheng said the prototype could run up to four times longer than a traditional lithium ion battery and has the potential to be fully biodegradable.
  • The greenphone's bio battery generates electricity using enzymes to catalyse sugar in the drink.
  • As the battery dies out, only water and oxygen are left behind.
  • Unfortunately, Nokia will not be developing the greenphone prototype further in the near future.
  • Ms Zheng told Sky News: "At the time they wanted something to bring out within the next two years and thought my design was too futuristic."
  • But she added that bio batteries are being developed by large electronics companies and may be on the market in the next five years.

Friday, 8 January 2010

Michael Jackson's Doctor Faces Charge Over Death

  • Michael Jackson's doctor looks set to be charged over the singer's death, according to the website TMZ.
  • Los Angeles police will present their case against Dr Conrad Murray to the District Attorney's office within weeks, the celebrity site said.
  • LAPD sources are quoted as saying Dr Murray will most likely face a charge of involuntary manslaughter which requires proof of gross negligence.
  • Jackson died suddenly last June, aged 50, at his LA home while under the care of Dr Murray.
  • The pop superstar had been due to launch a series of concerts at London's 02 Arena just days later.
  • Miranda Sevcik, a spokeswoman for Dr Murray, and his lawyer, Edward Chernoff, said he has no comment.
  • Both insisted the doctor had not prescribed or administered anything that should have killed Michael Jackson, according to the Associated Press news agency.
  • Authorities have apparently also lined up medical expert witnesses who will testify about the normal standard of care expected in a situation such as Jackson's, the source told AP.

Michael Jackson's 911 Call Delayed For 'Over An Hour

  • Michael Jackson's private doctor waited over an hour to call emergency services when he realised the singer was not breathing, according to newly-released documents.
  • Police filed the documents to support their request to search a Las Vegas pharmacy in August.
  • They provide new insight into what happened on June 25, when the 50-year-old "King of Pop" went into cardiac arrest and died.
  • They state that Jackson's physician Conrad Murray told authorities he administered the anaesthetic propofol after trying other medications to help Jackson sleep, and after Jackson's "repeated demands" for the drug.
  • Jackson went into cardiac arrest within 20 minutes of that injection, while Murray had stepped out to use the bathroom, the doctor told authorities a few days after the death.
  • By Murray's own account to police, he did not call for help until 12:22 pm, more than an hour after he realised Jackson was not breathing.
  • Telephone records show that Murray used his mobile phone for 47 minutes, with three different callers, from 11:18am to 12:05pm, a period during which the doctor said he was conducting CPR.
  • Murray did not mention this to the interviewing detectives, the documents state.
    Police have not disclosed to whom they believe Murray spoke in those calls.
  • Police found medication bottles for at least eight different sedatives by Jackson's bed and around his home.
  • Dr Murray, 56, has not been charged with a crime, but the details in these documents show authorities were suspicious of his behaviour, even as they took Jackson to UCLA Medical Center to try to revive him.
  • Murray was asked to sign the death certificate but vanished from the hospital premises.
    "Upon arrival at UCLA Medical Center, neither the coroner's investigators nor detectives could locate Murray to re-interview him," according to the documents.
  • Repeated attempts to contact him were unsuccessful.
  • Propofol is usually used in medical settings by anaesthesia professionals to render patients unconscious for surgery. Officials say it is not meant for use as a sleep agent.
  • However, the milky liquid drug is not regulated as a controlled substance in the US.
  • Jackson went into cardiac arrest after Dr Murray injected him with propofol