When I Was Young

Michael Jackson via last.fm

And if this is true, what is the underlying reason? Conspiracy with the business benefactors?

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Doc regularly drugged singer to sleep: Official

LOS ANGELES - Michael Jackson's personal doctor gave him a powerful anaesthetic through an intravenous drip to help him sleep, and the authorities believe the drug caused the pop singer's death, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.

The official said Jackson regularly received the anaesthetic propofol - commonly known by the brand name Diprivan - and relied on it like an alarm clock.

A doctor would administer it when Jackson went to sleep, then stop the IV drip when the singer wanted to wake up.

Michael Jackson's physician Dr Conrad Murray

On June 25, the day Jackson died, Dr Conrad Murray (picture) gave him the drug through an IV sometime after midnight, the official said. Dr Murray later tried to revive the singer when he was found unconscious in his bedroom.

However, according to the doctor's lawyer, Mr Edward Chernoff, Dr Murray "didn't prescribe or administer anything that should have killed Michael Jackson".

When asked about the law enforcement official's statements he said: "We will not be commenting on rumours, innuendo or unnamed sources."

Toxicology reports are still pending, but investigators are working under the theory that propofol caused Jackson's heart to stop, the official said.

Jackson is believed to have been using the drug for about two years, and investigators are trying to determine how many other doctors administered it, the official added.

Using propofol to sleep exceeds the drug's intended purpose. The drug can depress breathing and lower heart rates and blood pressure. Because of the risks, propofol is supposed to be administered only in medical settings by trained personnel.

Dr Murray, 51, has been identified in court papers as the subject of a manslaughter investigation, and authorities last week raided his office and a storage unit in Houston.

The police say Dr Murray is cooperating and have not labelled him a suspect.

Dr Murray became Jackson's personal physician in May and was to accompany him to London for a series of concerts starting in July.

Meanwhile, the official also provided a glimpse into how the pop star was living in the weeks before he died, describing the room in which Jackson slept in his rented Beverly Hills mansion as outfitted with oxygen tanks and an IV drip.

Another of his bedrooms was in shambles, with clothes and other items strewn about and handwritten notes stuck on the walls. One read: "Children are sweet and innocent".

Police also found propofol and other drugs in the home. AP

From TODAY, World – Wednesday, 29-Jul-2009

Image via Wikipedia

06/15/2009 | 10:16 AM

GRIMENTZ, Switzerland – Furie and Cigale eye each other warily, take a step forward and lock horns.

It's an ancient ritual, one that plays out each summer high in the Swiss Alps, as cows battle to be queen and villagers come to watch.

Judges record every fight as spectators sit on the surrounding mountainside, sipping local wines and cheering their family herd. But it is the cows who choose who to fight and who will reign supreme at the end of the season.

"They've been doing this ever since my grandparents were young, and even before that," says Marthe Vianin, once the proud owner of several fighting cows. "It's hundreds of years old."

Vianin, in her sixties, has come to watch her son's two cows — Tzardon and Bamby — take on champions from other herds.

Down in the corral, Bergamote faces off a challenge from Berkane with a fierce stare and a tussle of horns. No harm done. Still, there are clearly some seasoned fighters in this contest, judging from the scars they bear from past battles.

Locals insist the bovine power-struggle is both humane and irrepressible.

"It's very rare for them to hurt themselves," says Vianin.

The fighting season starts in early June, when cows are taken up to pastures 9,000-feet (2,700-meters) high and encounter rival herds. What follows are a hundred days of grazing on lush Alpine meadows — and lots of fighting.

Black, with short legs and built more like bulls than cows, the Herens breed found in the southern canton (state) of Valais is naturally competitive and will always establish their own hierarchy. Natural leaders distinguish themselves in battle, where strength and determination are key.

In the fall, the herds' return to the valley is marked by a celebration. Owners decorate their cows with flowers and giant bells and they parade through the village, led, of course, by the queen.

"It's a beautiful thing to see," says Trisha Cochrane from London, who owns a vacation home in the village of Grimentz.

There is no prize money for the winner, but owners can fetch a handsome price — up to $30,000 (euro21,000) — if they choose to sell a queen.

Most important, says local Albert Salamin, is the respect.

The winner's owner is "king of the village for the year. He's more respected than the mayor," Salamin says to laughs from bystanders.

The Salamin brothers have several cows in competition, but Albert admits only his brother Armand's prize heifer Bolero stands a real chance this year.

Cow fighting is still taken seriously, but it's largely a hobby and a cherished tradition for most villagers, who have long since stopped living off the land.

Four-wheel drive cars and all-year tourism have changed life in these remote Alpine valleys, bringing prosperity and making cattle-rearing less appealing to a younger generation.

"Even 40 years ago, most families got much of what they needed from three or four cows," says Salamin. "Milk, cheese, meat, the cows provided it all." - AP

From GMANews.tv; see the source article here.

Third attack in six months, Hong Kong believes culprit could be the same person

05:55 AM Jun 10, 2009

Victims of the acid attack receiving treatment by the roadside. AP

HONG KONG - Residents ventured out unafraid yesterday as police searched for suspects behind a third acid attack that injured 24 people in one of the city's most densely-populated shopping districts.

The latest attack on Monday night dominated headlines in Hong Kong, with several newspapers showing photos of victims washing off the acid on the roadside.

Police said a bottle filled with a corrosive liquid was hurled into a crowd in the busy Mongkok district, injuring 24 people. None of the victims, aged four to 49, were seriously burned.

It is the third such attack in six months in the neighbourhood, and 100 people have since been hurt.

On the same street last month, 30 people suffered burns when two plastic bottles filled with acid were thrown down into a crowd. Another 46 were injured in a similar attack in the same neighbourhood in December.

There were no signs the attacks had sparked widespread panic in the city of 7 million, as locals mostly went about their business.

But in Mongkok - a shopping hotspot that attracts thousands of people daily - some shoppers were staying away.

Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang condemned the attack, saying it was "cold blooded and evil" and that the assailant was "scum of the society".

Police superintendent Edward Leung was quoted as saying in the South China Morning Post yesterday that it was possible the same person had carried out all three attacks.

He added in a radio interview that officers were reviewing surveillance footage taken by cameras recently installed to monitor the area of the attacks.

Investigators have also posted a HK$900,000 ($170,000) reward for information leading to an arrest. - AP

From TODAY, World – Wednesday, 10-Jun-2009

Image via Wikipedia

Moms, are you a 'control freak'… do you see yourself in your daughters?

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06/04/2009 | 06:40 AM

ADELANTO, Calif. – Authorities arrested a woman for allegedly trying to kidnap her daughter's boyfriend and haul him away to Northern California. A sheriff's spokeswoman said Tuesday that two women went to the young man's home on Saturday afternoon and tried to tie him up with duct tape.

The victim told authorities the women said they were taking him to get him away from one of the women's 21-year-old daughter. Authorities said both women were arrested on suspicion of attempted kidnapping.

Officials said the girlfriend was later arrested for investigation of dissuading a witness and extortion for allegedly trying to get her boyfriend to recant his statements on the kidnapping to authorities. - AP

From GMANews.tv; see the source article here.