Whitney Houston, music legend and pop icon, has died according to a statement from Houston’s publicist to the Associated Press.

Houston’s success began in the 1980s with such hits as “How Will I Know” and “Saving All My Love For You.” Yet it wasn’t until the singer chose to cover Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” for the 1992 movie, “The Bodyguard” that her musical career hit the stratosphere as an international icon.

Unfortunately, Houston’s music would eventually be overshadowed by her public battles with drugs, and her tumultuous relationship with Bobby Brown. Her addiction would also ravage her voice, once recognized as among the best in the world.

Only 48 years old, Houston’s official cause of death has not been released, and details remain unclear at the moment.

Frank Cascio, Michael Jackson’s former personal assistant, wrote the new book “My Friend Michael: An Ordinary Friendship with an Extraordinary Man,” which is scheduled to be released on Tuesday.

The book sheds light on the musician’s longstanding drug problem that escalated into his Propofol-induced death in June of 2009.

Most researchers now agree that environmental factors -­ including exposure to chemicals and pollution -­ play a significant role today in determining who gets cancer and who doesn't. (Thinkstock)

With the World Health Organization hinting that cancer could unseat heart disease as the leading cause of death around the world, it’s no surprise that per capita cancer incidence is on the rise globally. In fact, cancer is the only major cause of death that has continued to rise since 1900. While it might depend on whom you ask, most researchers now agree that environmental factors—including exposure to chemicals and pollution—play a significant role today in determining who gets cancer and who doesn’t.

A blue ribbon panel of cancer experts initially convened by President George W. Bush researched hundreds of studies and concluded in 2010 (in its 240-page report, “Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk: What We Can Do Now”) that our exposure to chemicals, pollution and radiation is to blame for the uptick in cancer deaths. “The American people—even before they are born—are bombarded continually with myriad combinations of these dangerous exposures,” the panel reported. “With the growing body of evidence linking environmental exposures to cancer, the public is becoming increasingly aware of the unacceptable burden of cancer resulting from environmental and occupational exposures that could have been prevented through appropriate national action.”

The panel cited grim statistics about cancer’s march, noting that 41 percent of Americans will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives, with 21 percent likely to die from it. Cancer researchers fear that our reliance on chemicals is the main culprit, as borne out by hundreds of studies.

To wit, a 2000 study involving the examination of health records of more than 44,000 pairs of twins across Scandinavia found that “inherited genetic factors make a minor contribution” in causing most cancers but that “the environment has the principle role in causing sporadic cancer.” A 2010 UK study, whereby researchers investigated the level of chemical exposure of more than 1,100 women during their employment history, found that those study subjects who had been exposed to various industrial chemicals and airborne hydrocarbons were at least three times more likely to get breast cancer later on than women with little or no exposure in their backgrounds.

Not everyone agrees. Writing in Forbes magazine, Henry I. Miller and Elizabeth Whelan of the industry-friendly American Council on Science and Health argue that the findings of the presidential panel are based on politics not science: “If the authors had only bothered to consult a standard textbook on cancer epidemiology, they would have learned that lifestyle factors such as smoking, obesity, excessive alcohol consumption and overexposure to sunlight—not chemicals in air, water and food—are the underlying causes of most preventable human cancers.”

While few today would doubt the health risks of such personal lifestyle factors, the President’s cancer panel nevertheless concluded that “the burgeoning number and complexity of known or suspected environmental carcinogens compel us to act to protect public health,” and urged President Obama to use the power of his office to “remove the carcinogens and other toxins from our food, water and air that needlessly increase health care costs, cripple our nation’s productivity, and devastate American lives.”

CONTACTS: President’s Cancer Panel, deainfo.nci.nih.gov/advisory/pcp/; American Council on Science and Health, www.acsh.org.

IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon had died after a horrific and fiery 15-car crash during Sunday’s Las Vegas Indy 300.

Wheldon, 33, was fatally injured when his car went airborne after hitting another car during Lap 12. He caught a part of a fence just outside the turn. He was taken by helicopter to University Medical Center, where he died.

“IndyCar is very sad to announce that Dan Wheldon has passed away from unsurvivable injuries,” said IndyCar Series CEO Randy Bernard. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family today.”

The race was canceled, and drivers performed a slow five-lap tribute to Wheldon after the news broke.

Wheldon is a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, including this year’s race. He was racing for a $5 million prize in today’s race, which he would have split with a random fan.

Drivers Pippa Mann and J.R. Hildebrand were transported to a hospital for dizziness, and Will Power because of back pain.

The race is the final one of the IndyCar season. There were 34 cars entered in the race.

Drivers were reaching high speeds of 225 mph during practice.

Wheldon was expected to replace Danica Patrick next season in the Go-Daddy Andretti Autosport car. Patrick is moving to NASCAR.

ESPN’s reporting originally included a video of the crash. The video was taken down immediately after it was reported that Wheldon had died.

The hotel the bassist died in, from wireimage.com

Former Weezer bassist, Mikey Welsh, was found dead on Saturday in his hotel room at the Raffaello in Chicago, according to a Chicago police spokeswoman.  He was 40.

The cause of death is as of yet unknown.

Hotel personnel found the musician after he failed to check out from the hotel at his scheduled time, according to CNN.

Welsh was a painter before joining Weezer at age 19.  He was with the band when they released “Green Album” in 2001, which featured the song “Hash Pipe,” one of their biggest hits.

The bassist left the band shortly after this album, citing a nervous breakdown as his downfall.

According to his Twitter, Welsh was “in weezer [sic], now I make art.”

Two weeks ago, Welsh sent an eerie tweet from his account saying that he had a dream he died in his sleep in Chicago.  The tweet said, ” dreamt i died in chicago next weekend (heart attack in my sleep). need to write my will today.”  He later said, “correction- the weekend after next.”

Police are currently conducting an autopsy investigation.

The bodies that lay just beyond my front door were rigid and still, lifeless and festooned for their final farewell. For the most part the mortuary was dead quiet, especially after hours, but every now and then it would teem with inexplicable activity.

I had just put the baby to bed for the night and was indulging in the weekly magazine I saved for that quiet time when everyone had gone home or was out picking up our newest client. Just as I had settled into my corner on the couch, the floorboard outside my door creaked with the heaviness of a footstep. With a suddenly accelerated heart rate, I awaited the next step…but it didn’t come. Either someone was standing just outside my door, or I had imagined it. A loud crashing noise shook me from my frightened anticipation. Someone must have returned and was making a raucous while transferring a new body. I slowly opened the door an inch or two, keeping the chain securely fastened. Nobody was in the hallway. Upon thorough investigation of every room, I found that the mortuary was empty, save me and the baby. Walking quickly, as if followed by death, I made my way back to the apartment, heart racing, hair raised. I watched as an orb of light followed close behind my reflection in the mirror at the end of the hallway. I raced into the apartment, quickly locked the door – chain, deadbolt and knob – and returned to my corner on the couch, knees pulled up. While I rationalized the events, trying to laugh it off, it came again…the creaking floorboard.

The first thing people ask me when they read my book or hear a bit of my unlikely life story is, “You really lived in a mortuary…with dead people?” Yes, I did. And their next question is always the same…“why?”

I was newly married at twenty years old, six months pregnant and without many options for work and a home. This particular mortuary offered both and it was an offer impossible to pass up despite its obvious flaws. Needing a home and a way to provide for my new baby trumped the trepidation I had about whom, exactly, we would be living with.

The only mortuary experience I could remember before moving into that Northern California, family-owned funeral home was the service for my 92-year-old great grandma. I was barely into the double-digits of life and trembling while my grandpa firmly held my hand and walked me to the casket to pay my respects to one of my favorite people. When I got close, I was stunned by the lack of resemblance between the pasty, soulless body in front of me and the grandma who so often leaned over to peek at my cards while smiling as if she had a secret before asking, “Do you have any 4’s?” He made me kiss her cheek and I remember the smell, of what I now know to be formaldehyde, making me sick to my stomach and the cold, stiff feel of her cheek giving me the chills.

With this my only home-of-the-dead experience and the memories still haunting, I was a tad more than terrified to walk through my new front door. But as is the case with much of the unpleasant in life, I adapted. I began venturing out into the red-carpeted hallway, long and narrow, which led into the business office, casket show-room, chapels and, of course, the embalming room.

I helped after hours since I wasn’t technically an employee, only to find that it’s after hours that the place really comes to life. I ran the vacuum over every inch of carpet, at one point hugely pregnant and later with a baby dangling from a papoose slung over my shoulders. I cleaned the bathrooms, replaced the tissue boxes, collected and documented flower cards and gradually worked my way closer and closer to that room. Once inside, I came face to face with the morbid, matter-of-fact realities of death, and eventually, I painted those faces.

The first lesson I learned is one that has helped me through many uncomfortable situations. Human beings are surprisingly superb at adapting to our environments. At first mention, the idea of living with the dead was unfathomable, and I did spend many terrified moments curled up on the couch anticipating the next haunting footstep, shadow or looming light. But with time, I actually found myself unaffected by their presence, applying their make-up with the same matter-of-fact mindset I had while filing paperwork at a law firm months before, only with more cooperative clientele. I found a way to survive circumstances that had once seemed untenable, and I reminded myself of this when later faced with some of my darkest hours. I would repeat over and over the mantra, “no matter what, I’ll survive.” This mindset helped get me through a violent and at times life-threatening marriage, divorce and custody battle. It helped get me through single-motherhood. It still helps me with the uncomfortable uncertainty of life.

Life is fleeting. This is another lesson I learned from my time with death. The ironic contrast between the death that continually passed through the mortuary doors and the new life I held in my arms was unmistakable. It was terrifying, too, as I was quickly made aware that no one is immune to this certainty. Shortly after I brought my beautiful baby home from the hospital, another mother was bringing her still-born baby to our home for a service. With empathetic grief, I clung tightly to the life I would die to protect and grappled with the inevitability we must all face. I saw many ages, races and faces come through those doors. I saw natural causes and violent tragedies. Many who work in the business find themselves so consumed by death they can’t live life. Many turn to drugs and alcohol. I can’t really blame them. If death is the end of the road, life can seem futile and cruel. Luckily, before I was overwhelmed by the unforgiving and unrelenting reality of death, I caught a glimpse of what would become the most valuable lesson of all.

Any of us can play dead. It is, in fact, recommended as a useful tool while being mauled by bears. Hollywood goes to great lengths to recreate its likeness. But, the truth is, we can’t recreate it. It is undeniable that something is missing when you look at and touch a body that once was a living, breathing person. No matter how much make-up, glue or formaldehyde you use, you will often hear the family say that the body before them is not their loved one. They are most certainly gone…but where to? What is missing that made them who they were? These questions were ever present, and as haunting as the whispers in the hallway. It had been a long time since I had considered the Christian faith I was raised with. But the questions were demanding my attention. I began seeking answers and ironically, that place of death would become the beginning of a new faith and as a result, a radically new life.

Despite the many hair-raising events I suffered while living in that mortuary, I gained a lot from my time there. It was life-changing.

So if you are planning on taking up residence in your local funeral home, I have some advice: brace yourself for what might pass you in the hallways. And be respectful of the dead and their loved ones – for it will, most definitely, be you one day.

Rebecca’s book, “All the Wrong Places” is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble online, and the Rebecca’s website in both paperback and e-book format.

Steve Jobs, legendary visionary and co-creator of Apple died Wednesday, he was 56. He is survived by his wife of 20 years, Laurene, and four children, including one from a prior relationship.

Jobs was born on February 24, 1955 and grew up in Cupertino, Calif.. which would later become Apple’s headquarters. Partnering with Steve Woszniak, the pair built their first commercial product, the Apple 1, in Jobs’ parents’ garage in 1976. He is credited with much of Apple’s modern vision and product line including the iMac, the iPhone and the iPod.

Jobs recently stepped down from his duties as chief executive in August because he could “no longer meet (his) duties and expectations.”

A toxicology report yields no conclusions in the odd death of a Boston College student in March.  The report found no narcotics in the body of Alexander Grant, who was found dead in Putnam Brook after visiting his friends at Skidmore College.

“The Grant family has made a public statement in which it is indicated that no narcotic drugs were found in Alex’s system.  We can verify the accuracy of the Grant family statement regarding the absence of any narcotic drugs in the autopsy report, however since the investigation is continuing we will not comment at this time regarding any other results,” said the Saratoga Police Department.

Grant was found in the brook after a three-day search last March.  Surveillance video from a medical office building near the brook shows Grant breaking into the building in the early morning of March 6.  Grant was shown wearing only a T-shirt, boxer shorts and a sock, and seemed very disoriented.  He injured himself during the break in, according to the Saratogian. The last time Grant was seen alive was March 5, at a friend’s party at Skidmore College.

Authorities were counting on the Toxicology report to help decipher Grant’s odd behavior, but it did not answer any questions.

Grant’s family released a statement thanking the Saratoga police for their help and support and asking those who know about Grant’s death to come forward.

“We view it as our solemn responsibility to do everything in our power to better understand this tragedy, and will continue our labors in this regard for as long as it takes to obtain the answers to which we are entitled,” said the statement.

The case is still under investigation.

A teenager was shot dead on Saturday with no provocation of the alleged killer.  Alex Sierra, 16, was fired at when a Roslindale man asked him if he was from the Villa Victoria housing development, and Sierra answered “yes.”

Ricardo Arias was arraigned today in the Boston Municipal Court for allegedly murdering Sierra, and unlawful possession of a firearm, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley.

Arias and a 16-year-old companion were seen in the area of Tremont and West Boylston on Saturday evening, asking people on the streets if they lived in “the Villa,” a reference to the housing project that had a long-standing rivalry with Mission Hill.  Investigators believe the rivalry sparked the shooting.

“The victim, Alex Sierra, was the one and only person who answered yes,” said Assistant District Attorney Amy Galatis.

The victim staggered into a barbershop after being shot, and was then transported to Boston Medical Center, where he died from the injuries.

“Once again, an innocent child has been gunned down amid the madness of a gang feud he had no part in,” Conley said. “Alex Sierra had no criminal record, he had never been arrested, he had no gang affiliation, and neither he nor his family did anything to deserve this fate.”

The suspects were apprehended through a description of their vehicle and their appearance.

According to Galatis, Arias was on a one-day-pass from the Department of Youth Services that allowed him to go to a baseball game.  He was at the DYS for unlawfully possessing a handgun in December 2010.

Arias will go to court on October 4.  His underage companion will attend a closed-door hearing at Juvenile Court.

A Revere man was arrested this morning and charged with the fatal shooting of a 22-year-old Reading man that occurred last Monday, the Boston Globe reports.

John Burke, 25, was charged with first-degree murder and illegal possession of a firearm.  This is in connection with the death of Joseph Ronan, 22, who was shot in his home on Lawrence Road.

“We allege that this defendant intentionally and purposefully shot the victim numerous times with the intent to kill him over what appears to be a drug-related dispute,” said Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone in a statement according to the Globe.

Although details are still unknown, officials believe that Burke went to meet Ronan at his home and shot him upon entering the house.

Burke will be arraigned Monday in Woburn District Court.

The Suffolk County District Attorney’s office said Wednesday that the body found decomposing under a porch in Winthrop this week was that of an adult male.

No other information has been released. Authorities do not know the man’s name.

Authorities still do not know how the man died, despite a preliminary autopsy, which was completed Wednesday.

Amy Winehouse’s family blames her abrupt withdrawal of alcohol, not drugs, for killing her. The cause of her death will not be known for weeks, pending the completion of toxicology tests.

Amy Winehouse at Kalemegdan Park in Belgrade, Serbia. This was the singer's last live concert performance before her death on July 23, 2011.

The 27-year old ignored doctors’ advice to steadily cut back from her heavy drinking. Instead of listening, she went cold turkey. Her family believes this was too much of a shock for her system.

Sam Zakhari, director of the metabolism and health effects division at the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism said, “People who drink heavily and stop suddenly may go through alcohol withdrawal, which can cause symptoms ranging from anxiety to tremors to full-blown seizures and delusions,” adding, “Sometimes, this can affect the heart, causing cardiac arrhythmia, and in rare cases, this can be fatal.”

Usually the death of abusers is due to an excessive amount of alcohol or drugs- even a combination of the two. This is a rare case where someone did die from quitting suddenly.

Winhouse also had issues with an eating disorder, destructive relationships, and abortive performances. These dangerous habits may have damaged her body to the point where she could not recover, even after quitting alcohol.

Zakhari said all alcoholics should taper off slowly and quit under a physician’s supervision to avoid severe symptoms. Prescription medications like benzodiazepines may be useful to calm the brain and counteract the stimulant effect that kicks in when the body is no longer getting a depressant, such as alcohol.

If Amy quit under the supervision of a physician, heart risks based on family history and other factors would have been considered when providing treatment.

If you have a teen struggling with a drug or alcohol addiction, consider a teen rehab as a treatment option.

Amy Winehouse performs in London last year (WireImage)

Singer Amy Winehouse was found dead in her London apartment Saturday.

She was 27.

“On arrival, officers found the body of a 27-year-old female who was pronounced dead at the scene,” a police statement said.

Winehouse had been a soulful singer whose American popularity came to a head in 2007 and early 2008. By age 24, she had already won six Grammy Awards.

But perhaps no singer in American popular culture history has appeared in the spotlight and fallen from grace so quickly as the wispy Winehouse. Her success in the United States barely established itself before her addictions got the better of her.

Winehouse battled drug addiction for years, to the point where he affected her onstage performances. She had recently been booed off stage at European concerts for stumbling around and even forgetting lyrics to her songs.

She ended up canceling her European tour after a disastrous performance in Belgrade in June.

No cause of death has been released. Police are investigating it as an “unexplained” death.

Promotional consideration:

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A 12-year-old boy collapsed and died at a soccer camp at Wachusett Regional High School yesterday, according to Holden police.

The boy was transported to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester with his parents, where he was pronounced dead.

He was identified as Joshua Thibodeau, by the Worcester District Attorney’s office.

He was attending the Zalgiris Soccer Camp, with locations in Holden and Ashburnham, as well as holding conditioning programs, individual lessons and a men’s summer soccer league, according to the Camp’s website.

Holden police and state troopers are investigating.

Wrestling superstar Macho Man Randy Savage died Friday in a car accident in Seminole, Florida, TMZ reported. He was 58 years old.

According to the source, the wrestler suffered a heart attack while he was driving his 2009 Jeep Wrangler and lost control of his vehicle and collided head-on with a tree.

Although Savage was transported to Largo Medical center, he died from his injuries.

His one-year anniversary with his new wife Lynn was earlier this month.

Savage’s wife was a passenger in the vehicle during the collision but she only had minor injuries. She was transported to a different local hospital.

It was reported that they were both wearing seat belts when the accident happened.

Macho Man was known for his trademark catchphrase “Ooooooh Yeaahhhhh.”

Phoebe Snow, known for her song “Poetry Man,” died on Tuesday of complications from a stroke that she suffered last year. She was 60.

Snow suffered a stroke in January last year, when she had finished recording a collection of songs and was rehearsing with her band to perform weekly shows at a winery in New York.

Her manager Sue Cameron said in a statement, “Our treasured icon heroically fought for almost a year-and-a-half to come back, enduring bouts of blood clots, pneumonia and congestive heart failure … until her body finally could take it no more.”

Snow released 16 albums and was nominated for a best new artist Grammy Award in 1975.

Snow leave her sister, Julie Laub, her uncle Bob Laub and several cousins.

NEW HAVEN — A Yale University student from Scituate died Wednesday morning in what appears to be a tragic laboratory accident.

Michelle Dufault, a Senior physics and astronomy student, died in Yale’s Sterling Chemistry Laboratory.

School officials did not release details on her death, the nature of the accident, or the time of the accident.

Boston.com reported that New Haven police received a 911 call at the lab around 2:30 a.m.

All labs and classes were canceled in the Sterling Laboratory. Yale University police are investigating the accident.

In an email from Yale vice president and secretary Linda Lorimer, Dufault was called “an exceptional young woman, an outstanding student and young scientist” and “a dear friend and a vibrant member of this community.”

Irvin Kershner, best known as a director of “Empire Strikes Back,” died in Los Angeles after struggling with lung cancer, Saturday. He was 87.

He was also the only person to have directed both a Star Wars movie and a James Bond movie.

Kershner leaves two sons. Funeral arrangements were not announced yet.

Two Bridgeport, Conn. firefighters have died fighting a massive house fire, according to a source briefed on the incident.

According to WTNH-TV, the city mayor’s office confirmed that the firefighters died battling a fire which broke out around 3:30 p.m. on Elmwood Avenue.

The firefighters’ names are Lieutenant Steven Velazquez and Michael Baik. Both leave children at home.

A fire source told Blast that the two firefighters were attached to Ladder 11 and were advancing an interior attack onto the third floor when they became trapped.

Initial reports indicate the house may have partially collapsed and that one of the firefighters may have called out a “mayday” over the radio.

Several other firefighters were hospitalized. No residents were hurt.

There was no immediate word on the cause of the fire.

ATLANTA – Six officers were charged Tuesday in connection with shootings that occured just days after Hurricane Katrina touched down in New Orleans in 2005, the Department of Justice reports.

The infamous Danziger bridge case — which resulted in the deaths of two civilians and the wounding of four others — reached a milestone Tuesday, as Kenneth Bowen, Robert Gisevius, Robert Faulcon and Anthony Villavaso were charged in connection with the shootings. The four cops and their supervisors, Arthur Kaufman and Gerard Dugue, were also charged with attempting to obstruct justice, a charge that stems from their efforts to cover up the incident.

The court ruled that the four cops open fired on a family on the Danizger bridge, killing a 17-year-old and wounding four others, including another 17-year-old. Minutes later, the cops shot two brothers, killing one, a 40-year-old man with severe mental disabilities, the DOJ reports.

The two supervisors, Kaufman and Dugue, are charged, along with the four cops, with using a cover up in an attempt to make the shootings seem warranted.

The DOJ reports says Kaufman brought a gun from his home, but later told investigators he found it on the bridge. The six men also allegedly met in an abandoned building to corroborate stories before meeting with investigators.

The four officers, Bowen, Gisevius, Faulcon and Villavaso, face life in prison or the death penalty. Kaufman faces 120 years, while Dugue faces a maximum of 70 years in prison.

Russia Today presenter Yulia Shapovalova ended her shift Monday morning and made her way down to the Park Kultury metro station. After entering the station, she was quickly told to evacuate by officials who, little did she know, were trying to clear out the station before a female suicide bomber detonated a charge.

In the interview, Shapovalova is visibly distraught.

Two female suicide bombers detonated bombs today, one at Lubyanka station around 7:50 a.m., and the other, about 40 minutes later, at Park Kultury station across town. Preliminary estimates place the death toll at around 40, however some have reported it being as high as 60 and even 100.

Islamic extremists from the Caucasus region, which includes Chechnya, which has long been at odds with Russian government, are being blamed for the attacks. In 2004, extremists from the region set off a bomb in Moscow’s metro station, killing at least 40 and injuring more than 130.

No groups have yet taken responsibility for the blasts.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin vowed "the terrorists will be destroyed." In a speech this morning, President Obama condemned the “heinous” terrorist attacks and pledged to stand with Russia in the fight against global violent extremism.

With files from the New York Times.

A violent storm named Xynthia struck Europe this weekend, according to CNN. At least 58 people have been killed and 60 have been injured.

France was affected the most, with at least 47 killed and nearly 500,000 households were without electricity Monday morning, CNN reports. The Boston Globe reports that Xynthia is the worst storm France has seen since 1999 when 90 people died. Three people in Spain were also killed, four in Germany, and Portugal and Belgium reported one death each. The storm had hurricane force winds, which reached up to 200 mph on the Atlantic coast.

The worst-affected areas of France are the Vendee and Charente-Maritime regions on the western coast of France, according to BBC. Residents went to their rooftops in the Vendee region and police helicopters were attempting to locate and rescue them. Heavy flooding occurred and many buildings were destroyed due to the strong winds and huge waves that battered coastal towns. Over 100 flights scheduled to go out of Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport were cancelled due to the storm, reports CNN.

French president Nicolas Sarkozy plans on visiting the Vandee region on Monday, and offers his condolences to the relatives of victims. The French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said France would formally declare the storm a natural disaster, freeing up funds to help rebuild communities. He also said “the government will, along with the local authorities, set up without delay a special plan to rebuild and strengthen the dykes.”

Xynthia moved westward causing damage in Germany and Belgium. A man in Germany was killed by a tree that fell on his car near the Black Forest area. Also in Germany, a two year old boy drowned when he was blown into a river, according to CNN. A man in southern Belgium was killed in his garden, also by a tree that had fallen. The storm was given the name Xynthia by the Meteorology Institute at the Free University of Berlin, which names all systems that affect the weather in central Europe.

Private Jhanner Tello, 29, died in Baghdad on Dec. 10 as a result of injuries sustained during a non-combat incident, according to a Fort Hood news release.

Tello, who was from Los Angeles, joined the military in 2005 as a helicopter repairman. He was then assigned to the 3rd Aviation Support Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade and 1st Cavalry Division. He had been at Fort Hood since Nov. 2005.

In Oct. 2006 Tello was deployed to Iraq. He returned from duty in Jan. 2008, but was deployed for a second round of duty this April through to his death last week.

Tello is a highly decorated soldier. He was awarded, among other medals, the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.

The circumstances surrounding his death are currently under investigation.

With its massively-played multiplayer component, Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, is one damn hot ticket on the gaming scene.

Millions of gamers play MW2 online, on PC, PS3, or Xbox 360 every day, so statistically-speaking, some crazy and unpredictable kills are bound to happen, right?

You bet!

Found on Youtube, is a video of IB RICH451 getting easily the most amazing, yet lucky, kill I’ve ever seen.

It involves a knife, a toss, and a face.

Have a look.

We’ve set the flag at the Blast offices at half-mast today as the passing of Comic-Con founder Sheldon Dorf has left us gripped with sadness but at the same time amazed and in awe of his creation.

As the Associated Press reports today, Dorf was a freelance artist and a comic book letterer, founded Comic-Con in 1970, and passed away from kidney failure at a San Diego Hospital Tuesday after almost a year of hospitalization for Diabetes.

We’ll miss you, Mr. Dorf, but the solid foundation you created continues to thrive, forever cementing your place in history.

Lou Albano, or Captain Lou, died today at the age of 76.

As gamers, we know Albano from his portrayal of Mario on the “Super Mario Bros. Super Show!,” which aired only one season 20 years ago in 1989.

But he was also a noted WWE Wrestling manager, with over 50 clients to his name, and he also appeared in Cyndi Lauper music videos, including “Girls Just Want To Have Fun”, “She Bop”, “Time After Time” and “The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough.”

Mr. Albano suffered a heart attack in 2005 and his health dwindled since then. He passed away today at home with his family.

Source: Kotaku

As ballots are counted in Afghanistan, reports have surfaced, despite the media blackout, that at least 27 people, including nine civilians, have been killed across the country in a slew of attacks on voting day, according to Global Post.

Despite the killings, voter turnout only grew as the day went on, and officials extended voting time by one hour to accommodate the crowd.

Hamid Karzai, the front-runner of the 30 presidential candidates, praised the courage of the Afghan people. “The Afghan people defied rockets, bombs and intimidation and came out to vote, that is great” he said.

He also added that 73 attacks were conducted in 15 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces. Security forces, according to Afghan officials, stopped five suicide attacks.

Scared to vote

In the morning, all over the country, polling stations stood empty. “Maybe everyone is drinking tea, or sleeping” said Abdul Mubir, manager of a polling centre in Kabul, Global Post reports.

By the afternoon it seems people emerged from their shells. Officials say more citizens began filing in around lunchtime and lines began to form outside official polling stations. By the end, turnout was apparently so strong that voting time had to be extended by one hour. In contrast, Al Jazeera reports that during the last hour of voting, a station being monitored in the capital by correspondent James Bays saw only one voter go in and out.

Despite the fairly small voting population (in comparison to larger countries) the results are not expected for several days. The deadline for the release of preliminary results is Sept. 3.

Exit polls give no indication of which candidate leads, mostly because voters are reluctant to reveal their choices so candidly. Opinions polls however suggest the possibility of a runoff election between Karzai and his main opposition Dr. Abdullah Abdullah.

Fraud

Many are already predicting fraud and fixing. Several voters, who mostly chose to remain unnamed, told reporters they have no faith in the electoral process in their country, a country heavily affected by U.S. presence and the Taliban insurgency.

Many analysts predict a win for the incumbent Karzai. His endorsements from former presidential candidates and the advances he’s made in his campaign in the past weeks have all but ensured victory.

However because Karzai needs 50 per cent of the vote for an outright victory, it is likely he will face a runoff election against Abdullah in the near future.

Kill. Everyday we read or hear of soldiers or civilians caught in the deadly crossfire of war, of the young or elderly falling victim to one of the horrible illnesses that plagues our fragile planet and of children who lose their lives because they cannot feed themselves or their families cannot feed them.

The word “kill”, “die”, “death” and “dead” are thrown around in mainstream media these days as if they have no meaning. Those who read the news regularly need only a few months to become completely desensitized, I for one find it hard to associate the words with anything unless I see the actual killing or death occur.

It’s like that feeling you get when you look at the same word for a really long time. After a little while it just looks like odd scribbles on a page.

It’s horrible, I know. But so many of us are now like this. Death and destruction are commonplaces in our modern world, wars happen, they come and go like anything else, kids starve and die. It’s a fact of life.

The word “death” is used so often in the media that it has been stripped of everything except its literal meaning: to cease to exist. Really, depending on the context, the word can suggest a plethora of possibilities surrounding the death itself. War (whether founded or unfounded), corruption, greed, lust, hate, torture or worst of all, the most egregious crime man can commit: murder.

Before becoming interested in journalism these words meant something to me. But now, after having studied the craft for a few years and being the media monitor that I now am, they’ve lost everything but their literal meanings.

It’s not that I hate journalism for desensitizing me; I actually thank it for teaching me that these things happen. Murders, killings, deaths, destruction, bombs, war, hate, greed, corruption – all of it is part of life, our society’s gritty underbelly that isn’t hidden under the belly, thanks to journalism.

So, perhaps until I (fingers crossed) succeed in the field and become the traveling international reporter I so desire to become, I will see these words, this language, as representative of normal, everyday occurrences. After I see it firsthand, I know my opinion is likely to change.

Until then.

A lot of stories that come out of Africa, no matter how engaging or urgent, get swept under the media’s rug. They get them, assess them and dismiss them.

It’s an obvious truth, most people know that a lot happens on the continent that doesn’t get picked up or spotlighted. Hell, a lot happens in the U.S. that doesn’t get spotlighted so why should we care, right?

In an age of western media where Archie marrying Veronica is a top story (I can’t believe he’s not choosing Betty!), there just isn’t room for tales from the Dark Continent, even though they tend to sometimes be the most newsworthy international exposƒ©.

But that’s OK right? I mean, who wants to hear about horrible, daunting and depressing news when you can read about a historically pimp redhead choosing the brunette with the trust fund? (I’m actually distraught over his choice.)

There obviously has to be some kind of balance, but when stories like the one I’m about to tell you come out, they deserve some attention, even if the next Archie comic development involves Jughead losing his legendary, bejeweled crown for good.

A whole area of the world is ignored and while the problem the people face can sometimes be overwhelming and hard for us to even comprehend, they are still real people, facing real problems and they deserve some real attention and aid.

That may sound hypocritical, since I don’t talk about African news very much on Terra, or report on it very much for Blast. But we’ve been trained by our media to ignore them because they seemingly always have some problem they need help with.

But those constant problems arise from their lack of global attention. In other words, they always have a problem because we ignore them. It’s become a vicious, ruthless cycle that is destined to continue repeating itself with no impending solution, just the looming possibility of it getting worse.

It’s hard to keep track of everything that’s going on the world. North Korea is losing its mind, Sri Lanka has been reduced to wasteland in some areas, Archie is marrying Veronica (I’m not letting that one go), and the U.S. has more crises than you can count on all fingers and toes.

Add another continent and the news landscape becomes too vast, and rightfully so. So it’s understandable. But even if you don’t read too much about the AIDS crisis, the genocide, the malaria, the new, stronger Ebola-like virus “Lujo”, or even the hunger; read this.

Forty-eight albino people have been killed in Tanzania over the last 18 months. No one has been convicted. The killings aren’t random; these Albino people are not just a group caught in a mass genocide. Actually, it is believed by some that their body parts can be used to make magic potions more effective. The albinos must now live in constant fear of being slaughtered.

The violence isn’t solely in Tanzania; last November a six-year-old girl was found dead in Burundi, the BBC reports. All her limbs and her head had been chopped off. Only her bloody torso was found.

In the same month, in Tanzania, two women were hacked with machetes after the attackers failed to find their true targets, children. One of the women was hiding in a refugee camp used to protect people with albinism from this kind of violence. The attackers were looking for her two-year-old child, planning to saw off the baby’s limbs for a potion.

Eleven men have been accused, though none convicted. They were charged with murder and trafficking the limbs to potential buyers. The prosecution also claimed the men dug up buried albino people and harvested their bodies for limbs.

All charges were dropped due to a lack of evidence.

Albinism affects just one in 20,000 people worldwide, though the number of albino people in Tanzania is much higher. Though only 4,000 people are registered as albinos in the country, the number is believed to be as high as 173,000, the BBC reports.

Due to illness and scheduling conflicts last night, I only caught the second half of the “Grey’s Anatomy” season finale when it first went live on air. Though I rewatched the entire two hour special this morning, I knew before Izzie went into surgery to remove her brain tumor that she would survive (albeit with some memory issues), I knew Bailey was facing divorce while she was giddy over “Leo,” and I knew George was going to be John Doe before he even enlisted for the army.

But after rewatching the second hour, and then rerewatching the last minute of the show several times, I came to a startling conclusion that contradicts everything I have said up until this point: I don’t want Izzie or George to die.

This revelation could come from several sources. Maybe it was the catch in Meredith’s voice when she said “Oh god!” and look of horror in her eyes when she realized John Doe was George. Maybe it was the beautiful moment when Izzie walked into the elevator dressed in her pretty pink prom dress in a reenactment of the season two finale, but the doors opened to find George waiting for her in full army garb. Or maybe it was the realization that, despite all my personal feelings against Katherine Heigl, “Grey’s” simply wouldn’t be “Grey’s” without Izzie and George.

There has been some debate after the final scene whether George and Izzie will actually end up being dead. For those who missed the culminating season five episodes, Derek was able to remove Izzie’s entire brain tumor and she had just recovered her memory when she coded in Alex’s arms while George turned out to be the John Doe who was hit by a bus saving a woman from a similar face and had his face smashed in beyond recognition. The show ended with a cliffhanger that did not definitively clarify whether both characters lived or died.

The elevator scene, which has recurred in various forms since the second season, symbolizes both characters’ deaths in this episode, but also suggests that Izzie and George are not dead yet. The elevator doors open and Izzie smiles at George in a “this is the way it’s supposed to be” kind of way. However, while the Chief ignores her Do-Not-Resuscitate and allows Bailey, Christina and Alex to try to bring Izzie back to life, Prom-Dress-Izzie has a worried look come over her face that George’s face mirrors. She does not step off the elevator to join George, which means that she is on the brink of death and the resuscitation revives her and she lives, or she could end up passing in to the great beyond in the season six premiere.

My guess is show creator Shonda Rhimes left this season open ended to see the fan response. She has been adamant this entire season that Katherine Heigl and T.R. Knight will not be leaving the show, so this feels like a way to gauge the fans’ response to Izzie and George’s “death” and see if people actually care if the two stay on the show. Not to toot my own horn, but I was unsurprised during my first viewing last night of Heigl and Knight’s seemingly tidy exits from the show. But after rewatching the episode this morning, I was surprised by how much I really did care especially about George. Plus, by killing off two major characters, “Grey’s” will become more of a soap opera than a primetime drama, and one “General Hospital” is more than enough.

Beyond the not-so-startling cliffhanger ending, there were some other great moments from the season five finale. Highest amongst those was the long awaited MerDer wedding. Signing their marriage contract on a borrowed blue Post-It that was placed in Meredith’s locker was the sweet and fitting wedding the couple deserved.

But even more than that was the realization that Dark-And-Twisty Meredith really is gone. Meredith slipped under my radar this season after Ellen Pompeo was overshadowed by the great characters of Callie, Bailey, Christina and Sloan, not to mention the season-long Izzie drama, but she reemerged this episode with Christina — and the rest of the audience — realizing that Meredith’s proclamation at the end of season four that she was “all whole and healed” was true. By finally marrying Derek and Meredith and by resolving both characters’ emotional dramas, it felt like Shonda’s way of tying a nice pretty bow on five seasons of serious ups and downs. Hopefully the couple will remain happy and that bow won’t be untied to create unnecessary drama. Sadly, MerDer has run its course.

The best character resolution this finale though was by far that of Christina Yang. Though her awkward declaration of “I love you” to Hunt was uncomfortable to watch, seeing her willingly play the role of Maid of Honor to Meredith when she found out MerDer was going to get married in City Hall and then hugging Meredith when all along they have not been “hugging people” showed how far both characters have come since season one. Christina has always been the somewhat cold, logical, ambitiously badass surgeon, so it’s nice to see she’s developed a softer side. It just gives Sandra Oh an even more fantastic character to play.

One character I wish wasn’t going to face serious emotional trauma is Miranda Bailey, who last season almost went through the dissolution of her marriage and, in a final-hour moment, turns out actually is going to be faced with divorce. Bailey has always been the strong and emotionally healthy doctor in the hospital, so when her seemingly happy marriage with husband Tucker was torn to shreds last season, the resulting unhappiness for one of the few remaining complete characters felt like the writers had gone too far. Bailey’s marital issues have been glossed over this season and the show is better for it. The fact she will be a single mother and have to give up the pediatric fellowship she fought for is sure to be heartbreaking season six drama.

And poor Alex Karev. He is a man I never want to see cry again (kind of like Ewan McGregor at the end of “Moulin Rouge”), but his admission to Izzie that they only got married because they both thought she was going to be dead in week was something I’m glad the writers allowed audience members to hear. Because that is what their marriage was. Could Alex and Izzie actually pull off a life of happiness? I don’t think so.

So now we have four months to wait until we find out if Izzie and George are really dead “" or less than that until we find out who signed on as a full-time cast member. My guess is that, unlike Isaiah Washington’s rapid exit, Heigl and Knight will return for the season six premiere and subsequent episodes, regardless of if their characters die or not. There will undoubtedly be magnificent, beautiful funerals to send of both beloved characters.

But both deaths don’t feel like they’re set in stone. So for those of you like me who don’t want Izzie and George to remain dead, make your voices heard to Shonda and the other “Grey’s” creators “" her responses on Twitter “Grey’s Anatomy” fan pages show that she is listening. And we all know they won’t be the first “Grey’s” characters to return from the dead.

What did you think of last night’s “Grey’s Anatomy” finale? Did you expect George to be John Doe? What about the Sloan and Lexie drama? Do you think George and Izzie will stay dead? Leave your thoughts below!

You can catch Grey’s on DirecTV with these direct SAT TV offers.

It looks like ABC will be featuring the deaths of not one but two young, blonde doctors during next week’s season finales. Izzie Stevens, played by “27 Dresses” star Katherine Heigl, veritably signed her death warrant by marrying fellow doctor Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) in a surprising wedding twist during last night’s penultimate episode. After all, we can’t have two happily – or unhappily – married couples on the show at any given time.

Last night’s episode (the show’s 100th) was hinted in previews to be the long awaited marriage between lead characters Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) and Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey). From the start – showing a cancer-ravaged Izzie complete with pasty skin and a bandana covering her head – we realize that is not the case.

Izzie’s opening monologue discussed how it was the ordinary days that become the extraordinary ones that stay with you forever. “Grey’s” hundredth episode was like that: it started out ordinary (or at least not excitement-worthy) and ended in one of the most pleasant moments in “Grey’s” history – Izzie and Alex’s wedding.

Those who find the upcoming and inevitable death of Izzie Stevens a surprise should have been paying closer attention to the strife occurring off-camera between Heigl and “Grey’s” creator Shonda Rhimes. Heigl and best friend T.R. Knight who plays George on the show have been reported to have asked off the show on numerous occasions before their contracts expired. Rhimes has denied allegations and said that Heigl would not be leaving the show, but at this point those claims seem unlikely.

Before last year’s Emmy nominations, Heigl (who had won the Emmy in 2007 for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series) preemptively refused an Emmy nomination for her role on “Grey’s” because she felt she was not “given the material this season to warrant an Emmy nomination.”

Undoubtedly, Izzie’s melanoma diagnosis and the hallucination insanity that occurred before it (can anyone say Denny Duquette?) is a great role for Heigl to be playing. But it became poignantly clear last night how disillusioned with her talent Heigl was when she smited a possible Emmy nom — before she was even nominated. What Heigl seemed to have failed to realize is that it is not the content that earns the Emmy, but the actors and actresses performing the content. What has earned Chandra Wilson‚  (Bailey) and Sandra Oh (Christina) repeated Emmy nominations while star Ellen Pompeo has not received one is how they create their characters from the content they are given, not by just reading the lines.

Yes, this season Heigl has been given a great character to play, but her vanity as an actress has diluted the character of Izzie. Telling the show’s creator that she needs to step up her game while Heigl does not step up her own is the biggest disgrace to a show that can be done. Heigl’s hissy fit might have earned her a lead role on “Grey’s” fifth season, but honestly, I am glad to see her go.

That said, last night’s episode of “Grey’s,” entitled “What A Difference A Day Makes,” thankfully avoided all the typical jump-the-shark moments the show employs in its pivotal episodes. There were no ferry crashes, train collisions or bombs in patients and, while Jeffrey Dean Morgan did make his return as ghost Denny, the medical aspect of the show was balanced evenly with the relationship aspect. What the episode did center around was death, and lots of it.

Turns out Izzie’s opening monologue was directed to Denny Duquette, a hallucination she had been having that resulted in her discovering she had a tumor in earlier episodes. Denny’s reappearance meant a new tumor and, after much searching, it was located by Derek and Bailey on Izzie’s temporal lobe. Bailey comments on how small the tumor is, and Derek responds only with a very sad “I wish there was something I could do for her.” To you optimists out there, I’m sticking to my theory. There will be no “Grey’s” miracle for this one. Izzie Stevens is dunzo.

Meanwhile in the pit, Callie (Sara Ramirez) is trying to balance the eight dying college students who were in a car accident on their way to graduation with her relationship with pediatric surgeon Arizona (Jessica Capshaw). The odds don’t weigh in her favor as seven of the eight students die in one of the most moving and well-edited “Grey’s” moments in a while. Alex has the one surviving student tell him her graduation speech – today is the day we begin the rest of our lives – while shots of the other students being zipped up in body bags are interwoven with Derek and Bailey discovering Izzie’s new tumor. I’m telling you, metaphors define “Grey’s,” and this metaphor says Izzie does not stand a chance.

Which brings us to the wedding. Sure, let’s ignore the fact Alex never officially asks Izzie if she would like to marry him – the wedding was great. Izzie had been planning the MerDer wedding replete with a poofy white princess wedding dress and a giant church which, as we all know from Dark-And-Twisty-Meredith days, is much more Izzie’s dream than Meredith and Derek’s, so it was surprisingly fitting when Izzie walked down the aisle with George steadying her weak walk as she went.

Alex and Izzie getting married was perfect, but much like Alex’s plan to artificially inseminate Izzie’s embryos when she first went in to cancer treatment, it was a futile attempt to preserve what is left of Izzie’s life instead of a thought through plan for the future. Alex’s and Izzie’s wedding was the long-awaited “Grey’s” wedding (I still wish Christina and Burke had gotten together in season three), but their marriage is something that would never last a year.

Plus, there is one marriage that desperately needs to last – that of Meredith and Derek. The couple that defined the show with “pick me, choose me, love me” has steadily been losing the interesting value of the show, being replaced with the ill-fated Christina/Hunt (Kevin McKidd) romance and the absolutely adorable Lexie (Chyler Leigh)/Sloan (Eric Dane) relationship. As Izzie said in last night’s episode before the wedding swap, Meredith and Derek are the two people least interested in getting married of all time. And as a result, I find myself wondering, do I really care?

So what do we have to look forward to in next week’s two hour season finale? The MerDer wedding, to be sure, but in what form I can’t guess. I’m hoping a private ceremony with only their close friends – and no Thatcher Grey – to honor Meredith and Derek’s wishes, especially since Izzie has gotten an epic albeit quick wedding out of her system.

The last appearance of Denny Duquette as he guides Izzie through death and off to heaven. Izzie is going to die, and it is going to be shot and presented in a way that tells you to feel sad. Whether you actually feel sad is up to your personal relationship with the character of Izzie Stevens. I know my apartment is making a skull and cross bones cake to celebrate the event.

I don’t think there will be an epic accident in this season’s finale – I hope Shonda Rhimes learned her lesson with those sweeps-catering obnoxious drama-fests when they didn’t draw in the ratings or dedication she wanted. This episode should, and hopefully will, focus around Meredith and Derek getting married and Izzie dying.

George leaving Seattle’s Grace. T.R. Knight has been almost nonexistent this season on “Grey’s,” with his last true storyline on the show being the ill-fated Gizzie match-up in season four. He has come back somewhat to the forefront as a great trauma surgeon, but is lacking any substantial reason for remaining on the show. If Heigl is leaving, then Knight is sure to follow, because the two-peas-in-a-pod friendship that held such a great dynamic both on and off screen is sure to follow the other out the door. I’m guessing Izzie’s death and the seven deaths George was unable to prevent will prompt George to transfer to a different hospital.

If both Heigl and Knight do leave the show, then two fifths of the original “Grey’s” interns will be gone from the show, completely shifting its dynamic to newcomers Lexie, Callie, Sloan and Hunt. If the dynamic does shift in such a way, don’t be surprised if in the next couple seasons Meredith and Derek decide to retire and Lexie becomes the title Grey in “Grey’s Anatomy.” She always felt like the back-up plan on the show anyways. But the question is, will “Grey’s” still be “Grey’s”?

Oh, and if you’re wondering who the other doctor most likely to be offed is, check out “Lost”s two hour season finale. She’s another one I can’t wait to leave.

Hey Blast readers, how do you feel about the Izzie/Alex wedding? Will you still watch the show if Heigl and Knight leave? Are you at all excited about the MerDer wedding? Leave us your thoughts!

Hunger and malnutrition are serious issues in African society. Several African nations shamefully boast outrageous starvation and poverty rates, however there are parts of one nation that are in even worse shape. India.

Labelled as a “national shame” by its own prime minister, India’s malnutrition rates are rising during unprecedented economic growth. Perhaps that is the problem, the middle class and rich get richer, while the poor stay poor and in some cases, get even poorer.

Its neighbor, China, is experiencing a similarly remarkable economic advancement. But they’ve used their new money to help reduce malnutrition in several areas, reducing the number of children under the age of five who are suffering from starvation to seven per cent, one of the major forms of measurement of malnutrition.

In India, a shocking 42.5 per cent of children under the age of 5 suffer from malnutrition, a number that reveals a severe governmental failure.

As Somini Sengupta reports in the New York Times, there is no easy explanation for this problem. There are several contributing factors though: a disconnect between a large democratic government and the people who need it most, a lack of money being spent on children’s nutrition programs, and an overall negligent attitude towards health programs.

The Times reports that while India runs the largest child feeding program in the world, the program is severely flawed. India’s soup kitchens set up in low-income neighbourhoods help, but do not provide the nutrition necessary for pregnant women and children under two.

To its credit, India does ensure all children are immunized for preventable disease, however, malnutrition can make one more susceptible to diseases that could be prevented by nutrition. Malnutrition can also hinder development and growth for life, preventing Indian children from reaching their full intellectual and physical potentials.

India has a lot to do to fix its hunger problem, and it won’t happen soon. The first thing would be to make health a top priority among government again. The prime minister calls the situation a‚ ”national shame.” He can begin to reverse the trend, if only he could make his government operate like a democracy that acts on its words.

An employee of the State Garden produce market in Chelsea was killed Friday when an elevator fell on him.

The 35-year-old was working in the elevator shaft when rigging meant to keep the elevator in place apparently gave way and crushed him at about 4 p.m.

Police do not expect foul play, but state police and Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley are investigating the case.

Investigators from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration have also responded to the Beacham Street scene in Chelsea, authorities said.

Authorities have arrested and are questioning a 20-year-old man suspected of carrying out a horrible killing spree at a day care center in Dendermonde, Belgium, the star tribune reports.

The suspect has been accused of stabbing two babies and one female worker to death, as well as seriously wounding at least 12 others, 10 of whom were children.

Horrified parents rushed to nearby Our Lady Hospital to tend to their injured children. Health care workers gave detailed accounts of finding and rescuing crying, slashed babies.

Dr. Ignace Demeyer, leader of emergency services at Our Lady Hospital, told media that of the 10 injured babies, six underwent surgery. He added that at the time of his press conference, all the babies were in stable condition.

“This was a particularly violent attack. All the kids had multiple stab wounds on their legs, arms and all over their bodies,” said Demeyer.

Mayor Piet Buyse offered his condolences to the families of the injured babies, and also condemned the brutal killings.

“An act of great brutality has happened here against our weakest citizens,” he said. “The whole city is united in support for the parents who are in deep grief.”

Prosecutor Christian De Four told media that the attacker rode his bike up to the center around 10 a.m., entered, and immediately began slashing children.

The attacker, after the rampage, supposedly left the center, got back on his bike, and rode away before being arrested shortly after at a nearby supermarket.

The suspect is a man local police say has a history of mental illness. No kidding.

The suspect has yet to officially be charged and is currently being held in custody.

Even though we all know Israel officially crossed the line a long time ago, attacking the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in Gaza cements their status as being absolutely out of their minds.

Israel’s military fired shells at the agency on Thursday, because, they claim, Hamas militants were firing on them from near the compound and then ran inside to take cover.‚ 

The solution? Strike UN headquarters…

UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon said that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told him the strike was a “grave mistake,” the New York Times reports. The secretary general, who visited Israel on Thursday to try and press for a ceasefire, told media he expressed “strong protest and outrage” toward Israel.

Christopher Gunness, a spokesman for the Relief and Works Agency, told media that Israel had been provided with the coordinates for all UN facilities in Gaza, which could signal another attack forthcoming.

This strike came as Israeli military push further into Gaza, forcing thousands of residents to frantically flee their homes.

Many other buildings were hit in the city’s center, including a building housing several media organizations.

This isn’t the first time Israel has attacked a UN facility in the 20-day offensive. Earlier, a shell landed just outside a UN school in Norther Gaza, killing at least 40 Palestinians.

Israel, in a feeble attempt to justify the deaths, said that they were being fired at from just a yard away from the school, and that one of their retaliation strikes fell “off the mark,” the New York Times reports.

On a more positive note,‚ Egypt‚ has confirmed major breakthroughs in their attempt to pass an interim ceasefire that could now be less than a week away. Amos Gilad, a senior Israeli defense official, went to‚ Egypt‚ recently to further the talks, according to the New York Times.

The death toll in Gaza has officially surpassed 1000.

Eighteen days and no end in sight. On Sunday Israeli troops pushed further into Gaza, as Israeli officials said they were closing in on accomplishing‚ their‚ objective of breaking Hamas, the New York Times reports.

Nearly 1000 Palestinians have been killed (including almost 300 children) and more than 4000 have been injured by the attacks‚ perpetrated‚ by Israel’s military forces.

The UN recently approved a resolution to condemning Israel for “mass violations of human rights of the Palestinian people.” ‚ Hear hear.

The resolution also accuses Israel of‚ targeting‚ civilians and medical facilities, something Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has categorically denied since launching the offensive.

President Bush recently called for Hamas to stop attacking Israel in order for a “sustainable ceasefire” to come into place. Bush hasn’t been exactly secretive when expressing his support for Israel,‚ however‚ his reluctance to condemn their actions (minus saying that they should be mindful of “innocent folks”…) is pretty‚ appalling.

Israel’s disregard for Palestinian civilians is obviously‚ disappointing. So much for the concept of moral‚ universalism. Protecting civilians should be a number one priority for them if they truly‚ believe‚ the war should be waged on Hamas and Hamas alone.

Israel is blasting Gaza to pieces, and saying their target is only Hamas and they want to make sure‚ civilian‚ deaths are minimal? Unbelievable and disgusting. Almost 400 women and children are dead and Israel says they are closer to reaching their goal than ever before.

Accomplishing a goal by these means is no victory. Israel has created a humanitarian disaster in Israel that has escalated to a point that is out of proportion with the damage that Hamas has inflicting on Israel.

Israel’s attacks on Gaza‚ strengthened‚ Friday after bombs killed a top Hamas commander, African Free Press reports.‚ The attacks, now entering their seventh day, have resulted in the deaths of at least 420 and more than 2000 injuries. The UN has said that nearly 25 per cent of the dead are civilians.

As tanks and troops position themselves outside Gaza, it seems a ground attack is‚ imminent. Even more‚ imminent‚ after word got out that troops were allowing‚ foreigners‚ in Gaza to leave Friday.‚ If any‚ foreigners‚ were to die as a result of the attacks, it could cause an‚ international‚ conflict.

According to CNN, soldiers are waiting for the go ahead to launch a ground assault.

President Bush recently blamed Hamas, and only Hamas, for this conflict between the two. He cited Hamas’ renewal of rocket attacks into Israel last month as the cause of the recent rift.

“In response to these attacks on their people, the leaders of Israel have‚ launched military operations on Hamas positions in Gaza,” said Bush in a radio address to air Saturday, CNN reports. “As a part of their strategy, Hamas terrorists often hide within the civilian population, which puts innocent Palestinians at risk.”

Tonight is a quieter night than the past six, CNN reports that less rockets are being fired this evening. This however, is no sign of a slowdown.‚ The number of troops positioned outside Gaza makes it very unlikely that a ground assault will not be launched at some point, if the conflict persists.

In a poll released this New Year’s Eve, of the 1,000 Americans questioned, 44 per cent said Israel was right to take military action against Palestinians, while 41 per cent said Israel should have‚ attempted‚ a peaceful diplomatic solution. Fifteen per cent were undecided.

Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Samuel Hicks, assigned to the Pittsburgh FBI Office, was shot and killed Wednesday while serving a federal search warrant on a suspected drug distribution ring.

One suspect is in custody, the FBI said in a statement.

Hicks, 33, joined the FBI in March 2007. The University of Pittsburgh graduate formally served as a Baltimore police officer. He leaves wife and three-year-old son.

“This is a real tragedy with the loss of such a talented agent who made the ultimate sacrifice for his country when putting on a badge and accepting the responsibility for protecting our nation,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael A. Rodriguez. “The FBI family mourns alongside Agent Hicks’ family. We ask that the media and the public respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time.”

FBI Director Robert S. Mueller echoed.

“The loss of Sam Hicks is a tragedy,” said Mueller. “Our hearts and prayers go out to Sam’s family and the members of the Pittsburgh Field Office.”

Authorities are still searching for singer/actress Jennifer Hudson’s nephew, who has been missing since Hudson’s mother and brother were shot to death in their Chicago home Friday afternoon.

William Balfour, Hudson’s sister’s estranged husband, was arrested Friday as the main suspect in the deaths, but seven-year-old Julian King has not been seen since the bodies of Darnell Donerson, 57, and Jason Hudson, 29, were found Friday afternoon.

An Amber Alert was issued Friday naming Balfour as a suspect in the double homicide. He has not been charged yet, law enforcement sources told the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times.

A family member found the bodies at the Donerson’s home Friday afternoon. Donerson was found shot in the living room while Jason Hudson was found in the bedroom, police said.

Authorities described the shooting as domestic violence and said at least one of the victims suffered defensive wounds, Yahoo! News reported.

The Cook County medical examiner’s office has said autopsies for Donerson and Jason Hudson were pending.

Records from the Illinois Department of Corrections show Balfour, 27, is on parole and spent nearly seven years in prison for attempted murder, vehicular hijacking and possessing a stolen vehicle, Yahoo! News reported. Public records show one of Balfour’s addresses as the home where Donerson and Jason Hudson were shot.

Jennifer Hudson won an Academy Award for best supporting actress in 2007 for her role in “Dreamgirls,” and her self-titled debut album is a top seller. She was featured in this year’s “Sex and the City” movie and is also starring in “The Secret Life of Bees,” which is in theaters now.

In an interview last year with Vogue, Hudson credited her mother with encouraging her to audition for “American Idol,” which launched her career.

People need to get a life. When you get to the point when you hate smack talk so much that you have to kill someone, you deserve whatever punishment you receive. Ivonne Hernandez, 43, is about to find out exactly what that punishment is. Hernandez answered some “Yankees suck” chants outside a New Hampshire bar by running Matthew Beaudoin down with her car and killing him.

“She never braked, and she accelerated at a high speed for about 200 feet. She went directly at this group of people,” prosecutor Susan Morrell said of Ivonne Hernandez, who is charged with reckless second-degree murder in the death of Beaudoin, 29.

“She indicated to police that she wanted to scare this group of people. She thought they would get out of the way,” Morrell said.

Well, they didn’t. Arrested on the scene, Hernandez admitted that she was drinking, but refused a breath-alcohol test. The charges include aggravated drunken driving and she has being held without bail.