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Singer Prince died because of an Opioid Overdose - BBC

오전 9:33:00
The singer Prince died of an opioid overdose, a US law enforcement official has told the Associated Press news agency.


The official, who is close to the investigation, said this was established by tests after the singer's death on 21 April.

The 57-year-old star was found dead at his estate in Minneapolis.

Detectives have also questioned a doctor who saw Prince twice in the weeks before he died.

Since Prince's death, at the age of 57, a series of reports have given insight into his drug use. The report from Minneapolis Star Tribune cited sources, detailed how those around Prince tried to get him help, but ultimately, those efforts failed. For example, Prince's staff reached out to a physician to help treat him for an addiction to prescription pain mediation, the newspaper reported.

On April 15, on his way back to his Minnesota home following a concert in Atlanta, Prince's plane made an emergency stop in Illinois. The singer was found unconscious and given a drug used to combat suspected opioid overdoses.

Prince had spoken about struggling with childhood epilepsy, and friends said he had hip trouble. His former percussionist, Sheila E., told The Associated Press that Prince suffered the effects from years of jumping off risers and speakers on stage while wearing high heels.

There was always something kind of bothering him, as it does all of us, she said. I hurt every single day. You know we like athletes, we train, and we get hurt all the time. We have so many injuries.

The singer's death came two weeks after he canceled concerts at the Fox, saying he wasn't feeling well. He then played a pair of makeup shows April 14 in that city, apologizing to the crowd shortly after coming on stage.

Source : BBC & WSB TV

Top 10 Cool Cocktails For this Hot Summer

오전 7:18:00

Feeling too hot, Juz chill up with these 10 cool cocktails in this hot summer


But when there is high heat of solstice comes along, even I make room for something ice cold—and possibly tiki. Plus, nothing makes a summer barbecue more fun than a couple of cool new cocktails. Of course, what you pour (or mix, in this case) depends on what you serve. So here are 10 concoctions—from several fine cocktail connoisseurs—that’ll serve you well this season.

RIDE THE TAI AT REDFARM (NEW YORK, NY)

“Parce Rum is inspired by the beautiful weather of Colombia and the warm hospitality of the Colombian people. ‘Parce’ is also a casual word for good friends in Colombia, therefore it’s only fitting to create a mai tai-inspired cocktail using the Rum. It’s a drink that celebrates friendship and warm summer days. It’s easy to make, refreshing for sure, and effortlessly easy to drink.” —Shawn Chen, beverage director

Ingredients:

1 oz. Parce 8-year rum

1 oz. Flor de Cana white rum

.50 oz. Domaine De Canton ginger liqueur

.50 oz. house grenadine

.75 oz. fresh orange juice

.50 oz. fresh pineapple juice

1 oz. fresh lime juice

Method: Build in shaking tin. Add all ingredients into silver tin. Shake and strain over pear diver glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with 2 slices of pineapple, orchid flower, and cocktail umbrella skewer.

GINGER SNAP AT WHISLER’S (AUSTIN, TX)

“The ginger snap is an incredibly simple yet strong drink. Aviation’s botanicals play extremely well with both the vermouth and Canton’s crisp ginger notes. A small amount of Combier helps dry out and balance the cocktail, making it the ideal summertime sipper.” —Brett Esler, bartender

Ingredients:

1.5 oz. Aviation gin

1 oz. Dolin vermouth

1 oz. Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur

1 bar spoon Combier orange liqueur

Method: Add all ingredients to a mixing glass and stir for about 20 seconds or until properly chilled. Strain into an old-fashioned glass over 1 large ice cube; express and place the lemon peel as a garnish before serving.

SHISO BOURBON AT RESTAURANT MARC FORGIONE (NEW YORK, NY)

“Our shiso bourbon is a light and refreshing bourbon cocktail perfect to sip on a hot summer day. The fresh lime juice and shiso syrup add a nice citric balance to the bourbon.” —Michael Noah, bar manager

Ingredients:

2 oz. Buffalo Trace bourbon

.75 oz. shiso-steeped simple syrup

.5 oz. fresh lime juice

Method: For the Shiso steeped simple syrup, first make a regular simple syrup. When it’s done, remove from heat and throw in a handful of shiso leaves. Let sit for 10–15 minutes to cool. To build, fill a glass with crushed ice and top with a splash of club soda. Garnish with a shiso leaf.

ROSE HILL SOUR AT COVINA (NEW YORK, NY)

“It’s like a gussied-up white lady or pisco sour! Bright, floral, frothy, and refreshing. Smoke and roses is the underpinning, which comes from the mezcal-rose cordial—with refreshing cucumber taking stage more and more as you sip, making it the perfect drink for summer.” —Ted Kilpatrick, beverage director

Ingredients:

2 oz. Hendrick’s gin

.75 oz. mezcal-rose cordial

.75 oz. lemon juice

1 egg white

2 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters

Method: Shake with ice. Then shake without ice. Fine strain into a double old fashioned (DOF) glass. Garnish with cucumber ice cube.

THE GINZA AT BLUE RIBBON BRASSERIE (NEW YORK, NY)

“The floral character and relative softness of Hendrick’s tempers the hardest edges of tequila. The tequila and cucumber, in turn, create a flavor that resembles watermelon more than anything. For anyone who swore off gin or tequila after freshman year of college, maybe it’s time to try again.” —Sam Ehrlich, wine director at Blue Ribbon and William Haugh, bartender at Blue Ribbon Brasserie

Ingredients:

1 oz. Hendrick’s gin

1 oz. blanco tequila

½ oz. fresh lemon juice

½ oz. fresh cucumber juice

½ oz. honey simple syrup

Method: Assemble all ingredients in shaker and add ice. Shake well and serve straight up, double-strained, in a coupe. Garnish with a cucumber slice. (For full aromatic effect and the most intense green color, make sure you juice the cucumbers with the skins.)

DRY WIT AT WIT AND WISDOM, THE FOUR SEASONS HOTEL BALTIMORE (BALTIMORE, MD)

“Working with vodka is like working with a blank canvas. The smooth, well-rounded flavor lets me be creative with the ingredients. The fresh herbs and green vegetables are great for summer, which is why dill and arugula just made sense to me. Adding charred lemon preserve rind gives it a refreshing twist.” —Jonathan Levy, bartender

Ingredients:

2 oz. fresh dill-infused Elit by Stolichnaya vodka

1 oz. arugula shiso blanc vermouth

.25 oz. preserved lemon brine

Method: Stir with ice. Strain and serve in a coupe. Garnish with a charred lemon and a fresh sprig of dill.

THE LAJARA AT HARVEST (CAMBRIDGE, MA)

“This cocktail is play on ‘Guadalajara.’ The drink is light in body with a lot of bright flavors—the simple syrup isn’t too heavy so it keeps the drink refreshing with a balance of a little bitterness from the orange peels, fruit from the strawberries, and just a hint of herbal from the fennel. All these flavors mellow the smokiness of the tequila.” — Brahm Callahan, beverage director at Himmel Hospitality Group

Ingredients:

2 oz. blanco tequila

1 oz. orange-strawberry-fennel simple syrup

0.5 oz. lime juice

Tonic

Method: Stir all of the ingredients together. Pour into a Collins glass and top with a splash of tonic to serve.

160 E. BOULEVARDIER AT ARETSKY’S PATROON (NEW YORK, NY)

“Built around a true classic, the boulevardier is a close relative of the negroni—the difference being the substitution of bourbon for gin. The addition of limoncello and orange bitters bring an acidic tartness reminiscent of spring, while still letting the original ingredients run the show.” —Dean Blockey, bar manager

Ingredients:

1 ½ oz. Buffalo Trace bourbon

½ oz. La Quintinye Vermouth Rouge Rouge

½ oz. Campari

½ oz. limoncello

2 dashes Angostura orange bitters

Method: Stir all of the ingredients together. Pour over ice and garnish with a dehydrated blood orange wheel to serve.

THE FORCE AT PORTER HOUSE BAR AND GRILL (NEW YORK, NY)

“This is our riff on a traditional Paloma but using Giffard Pamplemousse—a high-quality grapefruit liqueur that really makes the drink pop with a refreshing grapefruit flavor. It’s a very elevated experience.” —Brad Nugent, beverage director

Ingredients:

1 ½ oz. Cimarrón tequila

¼ oz. Del Maguey Vida mezcal

¼ oz. Giffard Crème de Pamplemousse

¼ oz. agave syrup

¾ grapefruit juice

¾ lime juice

1 oz. club soda.

Method: Salt rim of glass. In a small mixing tin combine all ingredients from the bottom up. Light ice and shake. Strain into pipe. Add club soda. Top with ice and garnish with thin lime wheel.

FROZEN MARGARITA WITH FRESH MANGO PUREE AT THE BEACH AT DREAM DOWNTOWN (NEW YORK, NY)

“Nothing screams summer like a great frozen cocktail—especially a refreshing frozen margarita. At The Beach at Dream Downtown, our frozen margarita is one of our bestsellers. And we offer a variety of summery flavors like mango, white peach, caramelized pineapple, and strawberry. It’s sweet and tangy, and the perfect sipper when hanging poolside or even batched for a backyard barbecue.” —Drew Sweeney, beverage director

Ingredients:

2 oz. Milagro Silver tequila

.75 oz. fresh lime juice

Ice

Fresh fruit, 2-3 slices (or to taste)

Method: In a blender, blend together tequila, fresh lime juice, and ice. Add fresh fruit or a fresh fruit purée of your choosing—like watermelon, sliced strawberries, or mango. Blend again for smooth consistency. Add agave, to taste. (Or you may not need to add if the fresh fruit adds enough sweetness.)

Article Credit : Karla (Travel & Food Articles)

Teacher arrested for being in relationship with 14 Years School Boy

오후 9:40:00

Alexandria Vera, 24, Teacher at Aldine Independent School was arrested Yesterday 1 June 2016 and charged with continuous sexual abuse of a school boy. A peace officer from the Aldine Independent School District in Houston was assigned to investigate that the relationship between the English teacher and 14-year-old boy.

Vera declared to the officer that she is in sexual relationship with the student began from September 2015 — when the boy was 13 years old. In Texas, as per law having sex with anyone below the age of 17, unless the age gap is less than three-year, is considered as rape.

Vera turned herself into police on 1 June and is being held in Montgomery County Jail.
In court documents provided by the district clerk’s office, Vera described her relationship with her student in detail and claimed that his parents knew and were supportive.

Vera told the investigating officer, I. J. Gonzales, that she and the student met during a summer school session in 2015.

She described the student as initially rude, but said he later started flirting with her despite her requests to stop.

When the school year started, the student was assigned to her English class and at one point she contacted him via Instagram to see if he was OK after being absent from school. He then “asked if they could hang out,” and Vera agreed.

On their first date, Vera said they “drove around” and kissed in the car. The next day, Vera said she went over to his house near the end of September 2015 when his parents weren’t home and they had sex for the first time.

In October, Vera met the student’s parents at an open house, then afterward went over to their house and was “introduced as his girlfriend.” She said the parents were “accepting of their relationship,” the court documents state, and that she was invited to family events.

Vera said she and the student “had sex on almost a daily basis at her home,” then she would drive him to his house to catch the bus to school. She also told Gonzales that they are in love.

In January, Vera said she got pregnant, but told Gonzales that the student’s family was “very supportive and excited.” However, she had an abortion after Child Protective Services showed up at school to ask Vera about her relationship with the student, the court documents state.

In January, Vera said she got pregnant, but told Gonzales that the student's family was "very supportive and excited." However, she had an abortion after Child Protective Services showed up at school to ask Vera about her relationship with the student, the court documents state.

Vera initially denied the relationship or the pregnancy to CPS, but provided her cell phone for a digital search.

Gonzales analyzed her phone, he said in the documents, and “found many messages” between Vera and the student which “were consistent with what she had disclosed.”

The student was also interviewed about the relationship and described having sexual intercourse with Vera.

Source : TBF

In Thailand Tiger Temple 40 Dead Tiger Cubs discovered in Freezer

오전 9:00:00
Image Copy Right - Standard
Heartbreaking News -Wildlife Friends Foundation discovered Forty dead tiger cubs in a freezer at Thailand’s famous Tiger Temple when they raided the Temple — which denotes animal abuse and trafficking.

Today June 1 2016, grim discovery came as Thai authorities, working alongside the Wildlife Friends Foundation, raided the temple to vacate all its live animals following allegations of animal cruelty.
The Buddhist temple, at Kanchanaburi, in west of Bangkok, is a famous tourist site, with thousands visitors per year and taking pictures with a tiger. But animal foundation have called for years for the temple to be shut down.

Along with the cubs a bear and a binturong (a vulnerable type of bearcat), were also discovered inside the freezer, along with the unidentified animal body.

“These were un registered animals with the authorities and no one knows how they met this grizzly [sic] end,” the WFFT mentioned in a statement on its FB page.

The group, which has campaigned for long years for the tourist attraction and now asked to be closed before, but now it called again for a total shutdown.

Tom Taylor, who is the assistant director of the WFFT, said to the group “wasn’t surprised” at the discovery of the bodies.

“There were lot of controversy around the temple,” he reported to the News Agency. Taylor said he made a grateful efforts, to remove the animals from the temple

Adisorn Nuchdamrong, deputy director general of the DNP, said the cubs were found in the kitchen area of the temple.

He confirmed authorities were working on to remove the other 87 tigers which is alive. The temple, officially known as Wat Pa Luangta Bua Yannasampanno, has closed for tourism.

On the temple’s official Facebook page, temple officials denied claims the live animals were being removed on grounds of animal cruelty, instead alleging that many of the injuries seen in videos shown by the DWP of the tigers removed so far were the result of the department’s own mishandling.
Taylor said the confiscated tigers would be rehoused in two wildlife centers, elsewhere in Thailand. They would not be released to the wild, because as they been bred and reared in captivity they were unlikely to survive.

Most recently, a Nat Geo investigation claimed to have found proof that the temple authorities was illegally trading live animals as well as tigers.

The temple authorities has denied that. Now the team's only concerns about the survival of the alive tiger. In the past years the animal’s numbers have fallen because of deforestation, trafficking, and poaching. Before a century years roughly 100,000 tigers are roamed in about 30 Asian countries — today that numbers  placed at 3,200 in just 11 countries.

Reference News Article - Nat Geo, Buzz Feed & Reuters 

Anaya Ellick Girl with No Hands have Won National Handwriting Contest

오전 6:18:00

People may look at Anaya Ellick and see a child who'll have a lifetime of challenges. But a second look at her reveals a girl who's providing a lifetime of inspiration.

Anaya, 7, was born with no hands and doesn't use prosthetics, yet earlier this week she won a national handwriting contest.

In order to write, Anaya holds a pencil between her arms and stands at her desk to get the right angle for writing.

Talk about an amazing, inspiring story. This young girl by the name of Anaya Ellick has not only surprised those around her, but also the judges at a handwriting competition.

ABC7 Los Angeles reports that the seven-year-old won the Nicholas Maxim Special Award for Excellence in Manuscript Penmanship at the Zaner-Bloser National Handwriting Contest. Using her forearms to write, she won top amongst 50 other contestants from the U.S.

The first grader attends Greenbrier Christian Academy in Virginia, and the school’s superintendent, Ron White says that “She inspires everyone around her because you wonder how does she do this. And it’s not like she’s struggling to do this. Where we see an obstacle, she sees an opportunity.”

Article : CNN & Google News

Lionel Messi's Tax Evation Charges May Send him to Jail

오전 12:29:00

The opening of Spain’s criminal tax trial against Argentinian Foot Ball Sportsmen Lionel Messi of FC Barca, May 31st 2016 has plenty of star power. Messi earns over $50 million a year in salary and bonus, along with that $20 million from endorsements. Messi Topping as #4 in the list of highest earning athletes around the world according to Forbes. He also has more number of Golden Ball and other plenty awards. Yet he still faces tax evasion suites that might send him to jail, along with his dad Mr. Jorge Horacio Messi.

The pair are accused of using a chain of shell companies in Belize and Uruguay to avoid paying taxes on 4.16 million euros ($4.7 million) of Messi’s income from image rights from 2007-09. They face three counts of tax fraud, which could mean 22-and-a half months of jail if they are found guilty. There would also be fines based on the amounts allegedly defrauded. Jail still seems unlikely, but the stakes are still huge. It did not help that Messi’s name came up again in the Panama Papers.

For Americans, and increasingly for just about everyone worldwide, the key today is transparency. Few could have predicted the Armageddon that changed Swiss banking. In 2009, the IRS and Department of Justice sliced through the Gordian knot of bank secrecy, netting account holder names and a $780 million penalty from UBS. Credit Suisse’s $2.6 billion fine  and U.S. felony tax charge was an astounding hit. All Swiss banks have fallen into line or closed.

Spanish prosecutors seem focused on secrecy. They say the scheme relied upon hiding the names of the real owners of companies registered in the UK, Switzerland, Uruguay and Belize. Americans are particularly unable to hide anywhere for any reason. FATCA—the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act—requires foreign banks to reveal American accounts holding over $50,000. Already in U.S. administrative cases with the IRS and tax prosecutions, trusts and companies are under fire.

The IRS and DOJ use these common devices to enhance the willfulness that may be present. In many ways, the cover-up is worse than the crime. Such layers can make innocent activity willful, meaning penalties or jail. A key element in Messi’s case is the clandestine nature of the tiered arrangement. The deal was structured to keep his name hidden. The Spanish prosecutor alleges that money was routed through U.K. and Swiss companies and then to companies in Uruguay and Belize. The reason? To make it opaque.

Article : Robert Forbes
 
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