MILAN |
Thu May 24, 2012 10:14pm EDT

MILAN (Reuters) – Italy’s former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi paid for sex during at least one party at his luxury villa outside Milan, a witness said on Thursday at a trial where he is accused of paying for sex with an underage prostitute.

Natascia Teatino told the court that a friend named Aris she had accompanied to one of the evenings had said she “received money for (sexual) relations with Berlusconi,” adding that she had not specified how much money.

“Aris told me that I could stay and have sex with Berlusconi, but I didn’t feel like staying,” Teatino said.

Berlusconi, 75, is charged with paying for sex with Moroccan-born Karima El Mahroug in 2010, when she was 17, and then abusing the powers of his office by getting her freed from police custody after she had been arrested for theft.

Prosecutors say that dozens of show girls and aspiring starlets received cash and other gifts for taking part in sex games at his Milan home. Other witnesses have also told the court of gifts of cash and jewelry for sex.

Teatino’s friend Aris is on the list of witnesses to be called.

Berlusconi, who denies the charges, says he was only helping the young women out of generosity and accuses magistrates of a politically biased campaign against him. He says his parties were “elegant, convivial dinners”.

Teatino told the court that at the end of the evening, several girls received envelopes containing money, but she remained empty-handed.

“I wasn’t paid because, as my friend Aris explained, I asked too many questions,” she said.

She also described how the evening began with a pre-dinner drink, and then she said Berlusconi handed out jewelry to the group of about 20 girls before they sat down to dinner.

“After dinner Berlusconi said “Let’s go to the bunga-bunga” and he took us to the disco room,” she said, adding that there she saw him and his associate touching the breasts and bottoms of girls wearing swimsuits or low-cut dresses.

(Reporting By Manuela D’Alessandro, writing by Catherine Hornby; Editing by Matthew Tostevin)

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Thu May 24, 2012 11:49am EDT

(Reuters) – The British company that had been auctioning what it said was a vial of the late U.S. President Ronald Reagan’s blood canceled the sale on Thursday and the owner will donate the material to the Reagan foundation, the company said.

“We have negotiated with the consignor to arrange for the item to be withdrawn from the auction and donated to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation,” PFC Auctions said in a statement.

The halt of the sale came after the foundation expressed outrage over the auction earlier this week. The vial is purported to contain blood taken from Reagan at the hospital where he was treated after a 1981 assassination attempt.

“We are very pleased with this outcome and wish to thank the consignor and PFC Auctions for their assistance in this matter,” said John Heubusch, executive director for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation.

PFC, based on the English Channel island of Guernsey, said the owner acquired the vial at a U.S. auction in February for $3,550. Before the latest auction was halted, bidding had reached $30,086, PFC said.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Doina Chiacu)

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Study analyzed electronic health records of 900,000 youth

PASADENA, Calif., May 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Children who are overweight or obese — particularly older, non-Hispanic white girls —  are more likely to have a neurological disorder known as idiopathic intracranial hypertension, a rare condition that can result in blindness, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study published in The Journal of Pediatrics.

In a cross-sectional, population-based study of 900,000 young people ages 2-19 years old, researchers found 78 cases of pediatric idiopathic intracranial hypertension. The condition occurred most frequently in overweight or obese, non-Hispanic white teenage girls — 85 percent of the children with IIH were girls 11-19, nearly half were non-Hispanic white, and 73 percent were overweight or obese.

Importantly, the study also found a strong association between IIH and increasing weight class: extremely obese adolescents were 16 times more likely than normal weight children to have IIH; moderately obese children, six times more likely; and overweight children, 3.5 times more likely.

“Childhood obesity has again been shown to be associated with a serious disease,” said study lead author Sonu M. Brara, MD, of the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center Neurology Department. “This research is the strongest evidence to date that obesity is associated with IIH in children — it also suggests that the childhood obesity epidemic is likely to lead to increased morbidity from IIH, including blindness.”

This study adds to the growing evidence base about data on the prevalence of obesity and prevention of it among children. Earlier this month, the Institute of Medicine released its Accelerating Progress in Obesity Prevention offering recommendations, strategies and action steps for stakeholders and sectors to accelerate progress in preventing obesity.

In adults, IIH is a relatively rare disorder that predominately affects overweight or obese women ages 20 to 44 with an incidence rate of 15-19 per 100,000 individuals. The disorder is characterized by increased pressure around the brain in the absence of other diseases, with symptoms including headache, blurred vision, nausea and eye-movement abnormalities. The ailment can lead to blindness in up to 10 percent of patients, particularly when not recognized and treated promptly.

The children and adolescents in the study were enrolled in the Kaiser Permanente Southern California integrated health plan from 2007 to 2009. The study included measured height and weight and diagnosis of IIH.

“Our findings may help improve the early diagnosis and treatment of IIH in young patients,” said Dr. Brara. “Overweight and obese children appear to have more IIH symptoms at onset than normal weight children. We suggest that clinicians carefully screen adolescents who are overweight or obese and present with symptoms of IIH, such as headache, blurred vision and eye-movement abnormalities.”

According to recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations, extreme obesity is defined as more than 1.2 times the 95th percentile, which is based on body mass index. Obesity is defined as more than the 95th percentile, while overweight is defined as more than the 85th percentile. Body mass index is a reliable indicator of body fatness and calculated based on height and weight. BMI percentiles are the most commonly used indicator to assess the size and growth patterns of individual children. The percentile indicates the relative position of the child’s BMI number among children of the same sex and age.

This study was funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. It is part of the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Children’s Health Study and its ongoing work to identify and treat childhood obesity through research and community programs.

Researchers at Kaiser Permanente announced in February study findings that the prevalence of asthma among children and adolescents who are overweight or obese varies widely by race and ethnicity. The study also found that the association between childhood asthma and increasing BMI is strongest in Hispanics and weakest in African Americans.

In 2011, Kaiser Permanente announced a study that used electronic health records of more than 700,000 patients to determine that children who are overweight or obese have a significantly higher prevalence of psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin.

Other study authors included Corinna Koebnick, PhD, of the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research and Evaluation; Amy H. Porter, MD, of the Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park Medical Center; and Annette Langer-Gould, MD, PhD, of the Department of Research and Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California and Southern California Permanente Medical Group, Los Angeles Medical Center, Neurology Department.

About the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research and Evaluation
The Department of Research Evaluation (R E) conducts high quality, innovative research into disease etiology, prevention, treatment and care delivery. Investigators conduct epidemiology, health sciences, and behavioral research as well as clinical trials. Areas of interest include diabetes and obesity, cancer, HIV/AIDS, cardiovascular disease, aging and cognition, pregnancy outcomes, women’s and children’s health, quality and safety, and pharmacoepidemiology. Located in Pasadena, Calif., the department focuses on translating research to practice quickly to benefit the health and lives of Kaiser Permanente Southern California members and the general population. Visit www.kp.org/research.

About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve more than 9 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: www.kp.org/newscenter.

For more information:
Albert Martinez, albert.martinez@kp.org, 415.637.3081
Sandra Hernandez-Millett, sandra.d.hernandez-millett@kp.org, 626.405.5384

SOURCE Kaiser Permanente

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NINE-YEAR OLD FROM SALVADOR FLOWN IN TO SEE HERO DEFEND BELT AT UFC® 146: THE HEAVYWEIGHTS

LAS VEGAS, May 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – Reigning UFC® heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos may be wrapped in UFC gold now, but there was a time where he was just another poor kid from Brazil, dreaming of one day becoming a fighter and making a better life for himself.

Nicknamed ‘Cigano’ after a character in a Brazilian soap opera he resembled, dos Santos grew up in poverty in Cacador, southern Brazil. He gravitated to the judo and jiu-jitsu fighters who trained in a local gym, and fantasized about becoming a martial artist. Dos Santos chased this dream all the way to the neon lights of Las Vegas, where on Saturday night he headlines the huge UFC® 146 Pay-Per-View as the most dangerous mixed martial artist on earth.

Now it is dos Santos who inspires other kids’ dreams. As he made his final preparations before flying to Vegas for his bout with two-time champ Frank Mir, dos Santos was taken aside by Breno Luis Ferreira, a nine-year-old boy who, for months on end, had shown up to the champion’s gym in Salvador to watch his hero train.

The champion said: “As soon as school ends, Breno always appears. We love having him in the gym. He’s been coming to the gym so often now he’s become a little friend. We call him the Little Guy. After my last sparring session before flying to the US, he asked me why I had to fight in Vegas, and when I explained he said he wanted to come to help me win.

“He didn’t have a passport, his mother didn’t have a passport but I was a little guy once and people helped me. If we could make the little guy’s dream come true, if we were able somehow, why wouldn’t we?”

Two dozen officials and worked on two continents to get everything in order for Breno, his mother Simone and 16-year-old brother Pedro Gabriel to travel to the US in time to be Octagonside for Saturday’s event. They touched down at Las Vegas‘ McCarran International Airport on Wednesday and were checked in to a MGM hotel room bigger than their home in Salvador.

Speaking through a translator, Breno said: “It’s just so exciting being here in Las Vegas. Even to get to sit on an airplane was like a dream. I could see all things out of the window, big buildings and we were really high above them, flying like a dream. Our room here is so nice and everyone is being so nice to me, but I’m here to help Cigano defend his title.”

“Cigano is the strongest man in the world. He can defeat anybody even though he is nice. He will beat Frank Mir on Saturday. I’ve seen him in the gym and he will win with a left hook followed by a big right uppercut. This will be in the first round.”

Dos Santos is happy to have his friend in town. He said: “He really likes to watch and he’s fun to have around. He’s not shy at all. He’s a mischievous kid, he’s always laughing.”

“Before I left for Las Vegas, he jumped into the ring and shouted ‘Now I am a Junior dos Santos! The UFC champion! I am Cigano! I will knock you all out!’ and he challenged the other kids to a pretend fight. He is a little louder than the real ‘Cigano’ but he is so excited every time he is in the gym.”

“At this point in my career, I can be a motivation and role model for these little guys from home. The kids see that all the fighters from the gym have good cars; they can see that hard work does lead to something good in life.”

Please find below video package of Breno’s trip thus far:

YOUTUBE CLIP: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhzFhLMBQck

EMBEDABLE CODE: iframe width=”853″ height=”480″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/o2_56XyWMME” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen/iframe

UFC® 146: DOS SANTOS vs. MIR will be available live on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on UFC.TV, iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN, and in Canada on BellTV, Shaw Communications, Sasktel, and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.99 US/$49.99 CAN for Standard Definition and $54.99 US/$59.99 CAN for High Definition.

Reigning UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos will defend his crown against former two-time champion Frank Mir and former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez – now fully healed from his knee injury – returns to action against the dangerous Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva.

Plus, on the first ever all-heavyweight UFC card, Roy Nelson takes on Dave Herman, unbeaten heavies Stipe Miocic and Shane Del Rosario collide, and 6ft 11.5inch Stefan Struve takes on KO specialist Lavar Johnson.

ABOUT THE ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP^®

Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world.  In 2011, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, which now airs on FX in an exciting new live format.

In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 149 countries and territories, to nearly one billion homes worldwide, in 20 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions and in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and in Quebec through Interbox. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with over two million followers on Twitter.  Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs, an internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, the best-selling UFC Undisputed® video game franchise distributed by THQ, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel and trading cards.

SOURCE Ultimate Fighting Championship

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Happy Jump reminds customers that the coming of summer means more opportunities for family fun and more cash-generating possibilities for children’s party professionals

LOS ANGELES, May 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – As spring becomes summer, the children’s party business moves into a higher gear. Vacation season and warmer temperatures reliably increase the number of opportunities for recreational events as families seek outdoor fun. The premier suppliers of bounce house and other inflatable products for family oriented celebrations, Happy Jump, Inc., is recommending that its customers in the party organizing field take advantage of the season when consumers seek new and exciting ways to enjoy the weather and their summer vacations.

The fact of the matter is that the summer offers a host of marketing opportunities for party organizing businesses. With the benefit of a little outreach and a bit of informal consumer research into local tastes and preferences, party organizers can take maximum advantage of the increased interest in outdoor fun. Research is a good idea because, when it comes to recreational opportunities for summer time events, there are any number of variables. These may include cultural preferences that vary from region to region, as well as weather patterns. Not every area reaches the warmest temperatures at the exact same time.

When the daily temperatures do start to peak, inflatable water slides are an obvious type of summer fun. Parents see these products a great way to allow children to simultaneously cool off and blow off steam and children enjoy having the equivalent of a water park attraction in their back yard. Happy Jump, Inc. offers a selection of over thirty water slides. These include traditional gravity-based slides as well as “slip and slide” style products featuring Hawaiian and tropical themes. The futuristic look featured on such products as the Mega-Twister Slide and the Wild Tunnel Water Slide is also guaranteed to generate excitement among both children and adults.

Of course, other inflatable products remain as popular during summer as the rest of the year.  Moonwalks and Bounce Houses of all kinds remain a sure bet for warm weather recreation. Happy Jump makes sure that all of its inflatable products are thoughtfully and imaginatively designed so as to maximize their appeal to children as well as adults. The selection of engaging, child-friendly themes featured on moonwalks includes a princess castle, football, birthday cake, space travel, undersea fun, and much more.

Naturally, all Happy Jumps product offer every available safety feature, so that big summer fun for kids can also be the safest possible summer fun.

For details on all kinds of inflatable products that can help you take your party organizing business to the next level, please visit www.HappyJump.com today.

PR submitted by www.Cyberset.com

SOURCE Happy Jump, Inc.

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