It sounded ghoulish enough: a shipment of 18 frozen human heads discovered and seized by customs officials during routine X-ray screening of cargo arriving at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago.
Turns out the heads were used for medical research in Italy and were being returned for cremation inIllinois. The holdup was due to a paperwork problem.
It just so happens such shipments are commonplace, and heads — quite a few of them — crisscross the globe via airplane and delivery truck.
"Just last week, we transported eight heads, unembalmed, to Rush University Medical Center for an ophthalmology program," said Paul Dudek, vice president of the Anatomical Gift Association of Illinois, which supplies cadavers and body parts to medical schools in the state for training students.
His association sends about 450 whole cadavers to medical schools each year and also ships individual body parts, including about a dozen shipments of heads annually.
The heads are used for training in fields such as dentistry, ophthalmology and neurology, where they are used for Alzheimer's research. They are also used to train plastic surgeons and by students learning to perform facial reconstructions on accident and trauma victims, Dudek said.
Most cadavers are obtained through voluntary donation by people who designate a willingness to have their bodies benefit science upon their death, Dudek said. A much smaller proportion are the bodies of people whose families could not afford their burial and so agree to allow the state to release them for research.
The shipment to O'Hare was properly preserved, wrapped and labeled "human specimens," said Mary Paleologos, a spokeswoman for the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office, which took hold of the shipment on Monday for storage in its morgue cooler while authorities continued to investigate the paperwork.
With little information initially, news of the shipment's discovery fueled headlines and raised questions about where the shipment came from, where it was headed and why.
In the end, it turned out the shipment of three containers, which arrived in mid-December, was held up because of a mix-up with the paperwork and there was nothing suspicious about it or its destination.
The heads were originally sent from Illinois to a medical research facility in Rome and were returned to the Chicago area for disposal as part of the agreement for the order, Paleologos said.
On Tuesday, a cremation service arrived at the Medical Examiner's Office with paperwork for the specimens. Once federal authorities confirm the paperwork, the specimens will be turned over to the cremation service, she said.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection could not discuss the specific case because of privacy laws, but it said shipments of human remains into the U.S. "are not without precedent," are lawful with the right documentation and fall within the agency's "low-risk" category.
Dudek said such shipments require thorough documentation, in part because the scarcity of bodies donated to science means there is a black market for them.
"It does go on," he said of the illegal trade.
Besides medical schools, many corporations making medical instruments and appliances use cadavers for their training and research programs.
"We receive about 600 whole-body donations a year. I could easily place 750, 800," he said, explaining the short supply.
Some shipments go by air, but others end up in delivery trucks just like any other package.
"In fact, we sent out a shipment of brains to the University of Texas at Austin last week via UPS," Dudek said.
A 23-year-old contestant from Brooklyn, New York, won the title of Miss America in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
Mallory Hagan won the beauty pageant after tap dancing to James Brown's "Get Up Off of That Thing" and answering a question about whether armed guards belong in grade schools by saying we should not fight violence with violence.
Hagan defeated Miss South Carolina Ali Rogers, who took second, and Miss Oklahoma Alicia Clifton, who finished third.
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| Miss New York Mallory Hagan is crowned Miss America 2013 by Miss America 2012 Laura Kaeppeler |
She is expected to spend her title reign on a nationwide speaking tour and raising moneyfor the Children's Miracle Network, the organization's official charity.
Hagan defeated several other notable competitors who grabbed headlines this year because of their backstories
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| Two Finalist Mallory Hytes Hagan and Ali Rogers waiting for result |
Miss District of Columbia plans to undergo a preventive double mastectomy to reduce her risk of breast cancer, which killed her mother and grandmother.
Miss Montana was the pageant's first autistic contestant.Miss Iowa has Tourette's syndrome.
And Miss Maine lost more than 50 pounds (22.68 kilograms) before winning her state crown.
The 92nd Miss America annual show held this year at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip is the culmination of a week of preliminary competitions and months of preparations for the titleholders from all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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| Mallory Hytes Hagan |
The pageant, which started as little more than an Atlantic City bathing suit revue, broke viewership records in its heyday and bills itself as one of the world's largest scholarshipsprograms for women.
The police in Mumbai arrested Monday a 21-year-old college student Shaheen Dhada for a Facebook status update and her friendRenu Srinivasan for clicking "Like" on the update. The case is the latest in a string of recent crackdowns on Internet speech in India.
The update had criticized a general strike called by a political party, the right-wing Shiv Sena, to mourn the death Saturday of its elderly founder and patriarch, Bal Thackeray. The controversial leader has been hailed by Hindu nationalists but also criticized by liberals for leaving behind a legacy of political violence in India’s financial capital. The party has been accused of anti-Muslim violence inMumbai in 1992, and Mr. Thackeray frequently made statements against Muslims.
In her Facebook post, Ms. Dhada wrote, “Respect is earned, not given and definitely not forced. Today Mumbai shuts down due to fear and not due to respect." She also said that politicians like Thackeray are “born and die daily” and the city need not shut down for it, and that people should remember the martyrs of the Indian independence movement.Dhada and Ms. Srinivasan were arrested under section 505(2) of the Indian Penal Code that seeks to punish statements that amount to “creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes.” Additionally the two students have also been charged with Section 66A of the Information Technology Act that criminalizes online speech that is “grossly offensive or of menacing character.” Another law they have been charged with is Indian Penal Code 295A, which makes insulting or outraging religious feelings an offense. The punishment for each count is three years imprisonment each.
The arrests come in the wake of many such in India this year, a result of controversial new information technology laws. The other cases have included arrest of a resident of Chandigarh who complained on the Facebook page of Chandigarh police that they were not doing enough to find her stolen car; a cartoonist who posted work online protesting corruption scandals by the central government; and a professor in Kolkata who merely forwarded an email with a cartoon that was critical of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
While the women in the Thackeray case have been granted bail, the arrest has led to outrage on social media, with even right-wingers condemning the arrest as an assault on free speech.
Pranesh Prakash of the Center for Internet and Society in Bangalore says that the entire Information Technology Act needs a review by the government, civil society, and other stake-holders. “The current law does not have sufficient safeguards for privacy and freedom of speech and the law is being used as a tool of harassment,” Mr. Prakash says.
In a letter to the Maharashtra state government, Press Council of India chief Markandey Katju urged chief minister Prithviraj Chavan to take action against police officials who misused the laws to arrest the girls. Mr. Katju, a retired Supreme Court judge, wrote in his letter, “We are living in a democracy, not a fascist dictatorship. In fact this arrest itself appears to be a criminal act since… it is a crime to wrongfully arrest or wrongfully confine someone who has committed no crime.”
On top of the legal action against the women, street thugs exacted further punishment. A mob of Shiv Sena activists vandalized the clinic of Ms. Dhada’s uncle, Dr. Abdullah Ghaffar Dhada. Speaking on the phone from Mumbai, Dr. Dhadha says he incurred losses of two million Indian Rupees (nearly $36,500).
The update had criticized a general strike called by a political party, the right-wing Shiv Sena, to mourn the death Saturday of its elderly founder and patriarch, Bal Thackeray. The controversial leader has been hailed by Hindu nationalists but also criticized by liberals for leaving behind a legacy of political violence in India’s financial capital. The party has been accused of anti-Muslim violence inMumbai in 1992, and Mr. Thackeray frequently made statements against Muslims.
In her Facebook post, Ms. Dhada wrote, “Respect is earned, not given and definitely not forced. Today Mumbai shuts down due to fear and not due to respect." She also said that politicians like Thackeray are “born and die daily” and the city need not shut down for it, and that people should remember the martyrs of the Indian independence movement.Dhada and Ms. Srinivasan were arrested under section 505(2) of the Indian Penal Code that seeks to punish statements that amount to “creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes.” Additionally the two students have also been charged with Section 66A of the Information Technology Act that criminalizes online speech that is “grossly offensive or of menacing character.” Another law they have been charged with is Indian Penal Code 295A, which makes insulting or outraging religious feelings an offense. The punishment for each count is three years imprisonment each.
The arrests come in the wake of many such in India this year, a result of controversial new information technology laws. The other cases have included arrest of a resident of Chandigarh who complained on the Facebook page of Chandigarh police that they were not doing enough to find her stolen car; a cartoonist who posted work online protesting corruption scandals by the central government; and a professor in Kolkata who merely forwarded an email with a cartoon that was critical of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
While the women in the Thackeray case have been granted bail, the arrest has led to outrage on social media, with even right-wingers condemning the arrest as an assault on free speech.
Pranesh Prakash of the Center for Internet and Society in Bangalore says that the entire Information Technology Act needs a review by the government, civil society, and other stake-holders. “The current law does not have sufficient safeguards for privacy and freedom of speech and the law is being used as a tool of harassment,” Mr. Prakash says.
In a letter to the Maharashtra state government, Press Council of India chief Markandey Katju urged chief minister Prithviraj Chavan to take action against police officials who misused the laws to arrest the girls. Mr. Katju, a retired Supreme Court judge, wrote in his letter, “We are living in a democracy, not a fascist dictatorship. In fact this arrest itself appears to be a criminal act since… it is a crime to wrongfully arrest or wrongfully confine someone who has committed no crime.”
On top of the legal action against the women, street thugs exacted further punishment. A mob of Shiv Sena activists vandalized the clinic of Ms. Dhada’s uncle, Dr. Abdullah Ghaffar Dhada. Speaking on the phone from Mumbai, Dr. Dhadha says he incurred losses of two million Indian Rupees (nearly $36,500).
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| Bilawal Bhutto |
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| Hina Rabbani Khar |
A Bangladeshi tabloid has broken news of a sensational romantic affair between Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and Bilawal Bhutto, the son of President Asif Ali Zardari. The country is said to be abuzz with news of the love affair, and the couple’s plans to marry and move to in Switzerland.
Bilawal, who is also chairman of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party, is 11 years younger than Khar, the Weekly Blitzof Bangladesh reported. Khar, 34, who is already married to millionaire businessman Firoze Gulzar and has two daughters named Annaya and Dina, is seeking a divorce.
It was also revealed that Khar sent Bilawal a greeting card on September 21 last year for his birthday with a hand-written message stating: “The foundation of our relations is eternal and soon we shall be just ourselves.”
Bilawal also received a “special gift” from Khar on Eid Ul Fitr and a flower bouquet and a hand-written greeting card stating – “We waited enough.... it’s time to give an end to our waiting. Eid Mubarak!”
She even threatened to resign from the ministry as well as membership of Pakistan Peoples Party. The report also claims that in an attempt to discourage Khar from the relationship, Zardari used government machinery against the business interests of Khar’s husband, but failed in his endeavour.
Despite Zardari’s aggressive attitude towards the unlikely romance, Bilawal appears determined to go ahead with plans to marry Khar. He too has threatened to resign from the PPP.
"He even told Zardari that he will shift to Switzerland with Khar and her daughters”, though later he told his father that Khar might “leave her daughters with her husband after the divorce”, said the report, which cites Western intelligence inputs as its source.
Sources close to the Zardari family said that Bilawal is prepared to quit politics and leave the country this year end or early 2013. Khar is also expected to resign from the ministry around the same time. Khar’s marriage began to crumble two years ago when Gulzar was caught having an affair with a female staffer.
She informed her father and they collected evidence of Gulzar’s extra-marital affairs. It was then, sources said, that Khar, who was devastated by the betrayal of her husband, allegedly attempted suicide by swallowing sleeping pills.
It was during this turbulent time of her life that the friendship between Khar and Bilawal blossomed. Bilawal Bhutto is the legal nominee of Benazir Bhutto's secret wealth, allegedly worth $ 930 million, in Switzerland, along with some properties.
To Know More about Hina Rabbani Khar see Below:
Hina Rabbani Khar was born on January 19, 1977 in Multan. Proud of her ancestral village and all that life gave her, Hina is a buoyantly zestful lady. A graduate of ‘University of Massachusetts - USA’, she has all that it takes to be a leader. A businesswoman by profession, she graduated with a B.Sc. (Hons) from Lahore University of Management Sciences in 1999, and received her M.Sc. degree in Management from University of Massachusetts, U.S.A in 2001.
She has her roots in Village ‘Khar Gharbi’ located in Tehsil Kot Addu, and politically affiliated now with PPPP. She got elected as Member of National Assembly (MNA) in 2008 elections from NA-177, Muzaffargarh-II for the second time. Earlier, she won the elections in 2002 from the platform of PML-Q and was the Parliamentary Secretary for Economic Affairs and Statistics.
Hina Rabbani Khar remained Pakistan’s State Minister for Economic Affairs. The State Ministers report directly to the Prime Minister and hold specific portfolios. In Hina’s case, she was responsible for international (multilateral and bilateral) grants and loans. Her Ministry’s the official signatory for any project that is launched in Pakistan with foreign financial assistance. Her father, Ghulam Rabbani Khar, drove Hina into politics, setting her on a different path from the hotel management career she had been pursuing with great zeal. She is a co-owner of the Polo Lounge, an upscale, popular restaurant located on the Lahore Polo Grounds.
She feels that being in the Federal Government is as good as it can get. She has no issues, whatsoever, with being a woman. In fact, she feels that it is more positive than negative as one gets a lot more recognition and opportunities, and a lot of it has to do with how professional the person is. Her age did matter at times, because by any standard, she is quite very young to be in such a position. However her rich work experience and on-the-job training helped her and above all she took herself seriously; so did everyone else. She regards President Musharraf and Ex-Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz as leaders of great worth. To her both these leaders are highly educated and professional and they surely made a difference.
Elaborating on the policies of President Musharraf, she expressed her regard for President Musharraf as a visionary leader. She acknowledged the people of Pakistan as resilient and strong but detested few segments of our society: who adopt a western culture and regard it as something good. She feels that there has been a huge revolution in the last few years. She graduated in 1999 from LUMS and then left for USA. In these six years, she feels that there has been a paradigm shift. The society has moved towards modernization and westernization. Hina Khar feels that today it is hard to distinguish Pakistan's urban citizens from the Westerners. However, she opined that it can be done with sophistication, if at all it’s necessary. She cannot stand people who are not proud to be Pakistanis, whether they are here in Pakistan or settled abroad. She hates people changing their names to be ‘vilayati’ (foreign) and acquired accents and other things of the sort. She believes we have to understand and accept the culture we're living in and be proud of it to really stand out on our own. Emulating selective aspects of another culture doesn't really translate into true social progress.
She is a proud Pakistani and regards this very feeling as her most treasured asset. She really feels proud of whatever God has given her: her family, her village, her background, and everything. She feels that Pakistan has a great deal to offer. She loves trekking. She recollected her visit to Nanga Parbat and K2 (with the ‘LUMS Adventure Society’) with joyfulness; nostalgia gripped her and she appreciated the diversity of the landscape and the hospitality of people as enough to warm one’s heart towards this country. In Pakistan, people and places make you feel welcome. Freedom of expression is also a thing, unique to Pakistan. She said that even in the remotest areas, one can sit at a railway station to have tea with the porters and have a real conversation with them. Then, during the elections process, when she visited her constituents, she found them to be hospitable in spite of their limited means. A guy earning Rs.3000 a month will lay out a feast for his guests. It all speaks to the generous and warm nature of our culture, which is definitely something we should be proud of!
She considers herself extremely lucky. She is happy for the way her mind is constantly challenged in terms of working hours, the changes she can make, and the room for innovation is just tremendous. She has been able to make some changes that aren’t very popular, but in the long term they are great for Pakistan, e.g. in the telecommunications and banking sectors. However she feels that on the flip side, there are no guarantees in the political field, so she did not comment on how much control she has over making it a lifelong career. She regards working with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and President Musharraf as one of the biggest factors in her sense of pride for Pakistan.
Hina Rabbani Khar has travelled to USA, UK, Germany, Netherlands, U.A.E, Saudi Arabia and Singapore. She is single and enjoys riding, reading and travelling. She is also a member of the Young Parliamentarians Forum (YPF) Pakistan.
She is articulate, brilliant, enterprising, and very far-sighted even at such a young age. Moreover, she is humble, approachable, professional, and knows her job very well. At the end of the day, if we have more people like her in our government, perhaps Pakistan’s positive image won’t need any marketing beyond simply introducing them to the world.
Apple is set to finally unveil its sixth generation iPhone, aka "iPhone 5," at a special media event in San Francisco Wednesday.
The Cupertino-based company has announced that the event is scheduled to be held at 10 a.m. Pacific Time (1 p.m. ET) at the Yerba Buena Center for Arts in San Francisco.
The latest round of rumors about the most anticipated features of the next generation iPhone has set the tech world on fire with Apple enthusiasts around the world going crazy about the new version of the company's flagship handset.
If rumors are to be believed, iPhone 5, or whatever Apple eventually decides to name it, will come with a larger 4-inch screen with the new in-cell touch technology. It will also likely feature a uni-body design and a new smaller 9-pin dock connector, replacing the existing 30-pin one.
Apple is also highly expected to introduce the next version of its mobile operating system, iOS 6, along with the new iPhone. As announced by the company before, iOS 6 would bring a lot of new exciting features, including the 3D mapping, native Facebook integration and many more, to the supporting hardware.
Earlier reports also suggested that iOS 6 would be pre-installed on iPhone 5 and would be completely scalable to a larger 640 x 1136 display.
Other much talked-about iPhone 5 features include a much-improved processor, 4G LTE technology, Near Field Communication (NFC), 1GB RAM, liquidmetal casing, a much-improved battery life, an 8 megapixel (or even higher) rear camera and a 2 megapixel front-facing camera for video chatting.
iPhone 5 is Here! CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STREAMING
In 2010, Apple streamed the iPod music event in September and the "Back to the Mac" event a month later using its HTTP Live Streaming technology that requires a Mac or iOS device running Safari.
However, the company didn't provide any live stream for the iPad 2 launch, iOS 5 preview, iPhone 4S launch last year and the new iPad launch in March. Although it seems that there won't be a public live stream of the next iPhone event, we've spotted a USTREAM page saying that it will be offering live coverage of Apple's Sept. 12 event.
The Cupertino-based company has announced that the event is scheduled to be held at 10 a.m. Pacific Time (1 p.m. ET) at the Yerba Buena Center for Arts in San Francisco.
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| Iphone 5 |
If rumors are to be believed, iPhone 5, or whatever Apple eventually decides to name it, will come with a larger 4-inch screen with the new in-cell touch technology. It will also likely feature a uni-body design and a new smaller 9-pin dock connector, replacing the existing 30-pin one.
Apple is also highly expected to introduce the next version of its mobile operating system, iOS 6, along with the new iPhone. As announced by the company before, iOS 6 would bring a lot of new exciting features, including the 3D mapping, native Facebook integration and many more, to the supporting hardware.
Earlier reports also suggested that iOS 6 would be pre-installed on iPhone 5 and would be completely scalable to a larger 640 x 1136 display.
Other much talked-about iPhone 5 features include a much-improved processor, 4G LTE technology, Near Field Communication (NFC), 1GB RAM, liquidmetal casing, a much-improved battery life, an 8 megapixel (or even higher) rear camera and a 2 megapixel front-facing camera for video chatting.
iPhone 5 is Here! CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STREAMING
In 2010, Apple streamed the iPod music event in September and the "Back to the Mac" event a month later using its HTTP Live Streaming technology that requires a Mac or iOS device running Safari.
However, the company didn't provide any live stream for the iPad 2 launch, iOS 5 preview, iPhone 4S launch last year and the new iPad launch in March. Although it seems that there won't be a public live stream of the next iPhone event, we've spotted a USTREAM page saying that it will be offering live coverage of Apple's Sept. 12 event.
Blocked mountain roads were hampering rescue efforts after twin earthquakes struck southwestern China and killed at least 80 people, leaving officials worried Saturday that the death toll could rise further.
More than 100,000 residents were evacuated after Friday's quakes toppled thousands of houses and sent boulders cascading across roads in a remote mountainous area along the borders of Guizhou and Yunnan provinces.
The damage was preventing rescuers from reaching outlying towns, and communications were disrupted after the midday quakes hit in a region of small farms and mines where some of China's poorest people live. Weather forecasts Saturday said there was a chance of rain over the next three days, which could hamper rescue work.
But there was some good news, with state television reporting that four babies had been born in temporary hospitals set up since the quakes hit.
The first magnitude-5.6 quake struck just before 11:30 a.m. Friday and was followed by an equally strong quake shortly after noon, joined by dozens of aftershocks. Though of moderate strength, the quakes were shallow, which often causes more damage.
The state-run Xinhua News Agency said Saturday that 80 people had died in the quakes. It said earlier that hundreds had been hurt, but did not immediately give a new injury toll Saturday.
Hardest hit was Yiliang County, where all but one of the deaths occurred, according to the Yunnan provincial government's official website. Another 730 people in the area were injured, Xinhua said. Yiliang's high population density, flimsy building construction and landslide-prone hillsides were blamed for the relatively high death toll.
China Central Television showed roads littered with rocks and boulders and pillars of dust rising over hilltops from the landslides. One image taken just as one quake struck showed people running out of a supermarket as the ground shook.
Other footage showed villages of blue tents being set up for the evacuated, as well as hundreds of people crowding into a school athletic field in Yiliang's county seat, a sizable city spread along a river in a valley.
Though quakes occur in the area frequently, buildings in rural areas and China's fast-growing smaller cities and towns are often constructed poorly. A magnitude-7.9 quake that hit Sichuan province, just north of Yunnan, in 2008 killed nearly 90,000 people, with many of the deaths blamed on poorly built structures, including schools.
Xinhua quoted Yunnan's civil affairs department as saying Friday's quakes destroyed 6,650 houses and damaged 430,000 others. Besides the 100,000 residents already evacuated, another 100,000 were in need of relocation, the department said.
"The hardest part of the rescue will be handling traffic," Li Fuchun, head of Luozehe township in Yiliang, was quoted as saying by Xinhua. "Roads are blocked and rescuers have to climb mountains to reach hard-hit villages."
That included a village near a zinc mine in Luozehe. "It is scary. My brother was killed by falling rocks," miner Peng Zhuwen told Xinhua. "The aftershocks struck again and again. We are so scared."
The government has sent thousands of tents, blankets and containers of water into the area, and the Red Cross spokesman for East Asia, Francis Markus, said 2,000 quilts, 2,000 jackets and 500 tents were being rushed to the area, which is largely inhabited by members of the Yi ethnic minority.
He said the use of light construction materials would likely create far more injuries than deaths.
A government official in Jiaokui town said a large number of houses had collapsed.
"The casualty number is still being compiled. I don't know what it was like for the other towns, but my town got hit badly," he said. Like many Chinese officials, he refused to give his name.
Mobile phone services were down and regular phone lines disrupted. Phones were cut off to clinics in four villages in Qiaoshan, another town in Yiliang, which has about half a million people.
Authorities sent thousands of tents, blankets and coats to the area, Xinhua said.
It said that so far no deaths had been reported in neighboring Guizhou, but that homes had been damaged or destroyed there.
Friday's quakes were relatively shallow, about 10 kilometers (six miles) deep, creating an intense shaking even at a lower magnitude.
By comparison, the magnitude-7.6 quake in Costa Rica this week was 40 kilometers (25 miles) below the surface, a fact that, combined with strict building codes, kept damage and deaths to a minimum.