Has Jackson's autopsy photo been leaked?
Rumors are swirling that someone leaked a photo of the King of Pop's autopsy. The Daily Beast's Gerald Posner investigates ...

Last week I received a telephone call from a photo agent in London who I had met in 1999 while investigating the death of Princess Di for Talk magazine. Then, he had helped me chase down rumors of photos snapped immediately after the accident in the Pont Alma tunnel. In the spring of '99, surrounded by tight security in a clandestine location, I was shown low-resolution images of a dying Diana still trapped in the crumpled Mercedes. Those pictures were offered to me for $2 million. I passed. Some of the less graphic ones were finally aired in 2004 by CBS's 48 Hours. CBS was widely condemned for showing the pictures, from Diana's brother who said he was "sickened" to Prime Minister Tony Blair who called the broadcast of the grainy black-and-white images "distasteful."

But the call from London was not this time about Di. It was about Michael Jackson, and an equally distasteful photo, one supposedly snapped at Jackson's autopsy.

"There are rumors that a photo is being flashed around Los Angeles," he told me. "Supposedly was given to someone from who was at the autopsy."

If what he told me was true, it would constitute a remarkable breach of security for the Los Angeles investigators on the Jackson death probe, as well as the coroner's office where the autopsy was conducted. Since that call, The Daily Beast followed a trail through dozens of people in the U.S. and Europe and tracked down a prominent Los Angeles restaurant owner who has a high-resolution copy of what is evidently a photo from the Jackson autopsy. That person has shown it to friends on his BlackBerry, including several California-based television executives. The restaurant owner told at least one of those TV execs that the photo had been given to him by a "high-ranking police friend."

More from the Daily Beast: A campaign to quell 'This Is It' rumor?

Two of those who saw it described it to me independently, one of them saying it was "shocking." It is of Jackson, his eyes wide open, lying on his back on a metal autopsy table. The picture is of Jackson's head only, and taken from the corpse's left side, from someone who was standing, and at about a 30-degree angle toward the body. The front of the pop star's skull is shaved. His ashen face is stripped of any makeup. The lips are flat and wide, but without lipstick. A scar, which he had hidden under makeup whenever he went out, is visible on his left check. His tattooed eyebrows are the only other visible mark on his face.

One executive who saw it, although not a professional photographer, told The Daily Beast that he was certain it was "not a cellphone picture. The quality was far too good."

I traded email and text messages with the restaurant owner. "Who gave u my contact infor?" he first replied to me. He refused a personal visit when I offered to fly to Los Angeles to see him. "Thanks for ur interest, good luck to u and ur continued success," he said, trying to end any further contact.

When I continued pushing, he only replied, "Thnk u, but at this time I'm not interested." When asked whether he still had the photo, he didn't answer.

Though there's no evidence the restaurant owner has offered the photo for sale, somehow word of what he has had spread across the pond to London. The photo editors from likely British tabloids buyers of such a picture—The Sun, News of the World, or The Daily Mail—refused to say whether they had heard about a Jackson autopsy photo for sale.


However, one editor told me off the record that such a photo would fetch easily over $1 million for worldwide rights.

But no one with the photo better plan their retirement soon. If the picture is real, then the Los Angeles coroner and police might have something to say about that.

Coroner Assistant Chief Ed Winter told me that officially his office had no comment on any aspect of the Jackson autopsy, including even disclosing the number of people present at the postmortem examination, much less their names.

"I know who was there and I know what pictures were taken," he told me. If he saw a copy of the photo being flashed in Los Angeles, he could determine, he said, whether it was authentic—the left cheek scar was potentially important, as even if it was faked, there would be few people outside of Jackson's entourage who knew about that private, identifying mark.

If the picture is real, "we would conduct an internal investigation here, and one would be done in all likelihood by the police department and the district attorney."

Winter said he had heard rumors of an autopsy photo that circulated, but could never find anyone who had a copy. But he also stressed that until he saw it personally, he couldn't dismiss the chance that it was a fake worthy of a Hollywood studio's special-effects department. Not long ago, he told me that The Sun and News of the World had shown him a purported copy of a Jackson autopsy report. "If you paid for that," Winter told them, "you got taken." The Associated Press claimed to have obtained access to a copy of Jackson's autopsy last week. "When I asked them if I could see what they had," Winter told me, "they couldn't produce anything."

Los Angeles prosecutors and police have shown a recent tendency to pursue criminal investigations when it comes to leaked information about high-profile cases. Just during the past two weeks, news has broken that TMZ's chief, Harvey Levin, had his phone records seized by a secret warrant, as part of an official probe into how the Web site obtained details of the drunk-driving arrest and anti-Semitic outburst of Mel Gibson in 2006.

If Los Angeles prosecutors are upset about who broke the law by leaking word of Gibson's drunk driving, they are likely to be steamed at the possibility that someone may have shared an autopsy photo of the dead pop star.

Winter understands that while any potential investigation into the restaurant owner's phone records might well reveal who in the Los Angeles coroner's office or police department was the leaker, it might also force others who have copies of the picture "to go underground for the time being." That happened with the Princess Di photos. After my 1999 report that they were for sale, none ran for five years.

"No one here would ever want to see that type of picture published," Winter told The Daily Beast. "And the people that have it, if it's real, they should ask themselves how they would feel if someone printed a picture of one of their loved ones from an autopsy."


Source: The Daily Post

A new species of giant spider so big it can eat birds and bats tangled in its four-feet wide web has been discovered by scientists.

The giant arachnid, found in Madagascar and Africa, grows to more than four inches in diameter and is officially the world's biggest web spinning spider.

Named Nephila Komaci, the species of golden orb weavers usually eats insects but it can also prey on small birds, bats and even lizards.

While it is not poisonous to humans it could issue a nasty bite claim the researchers who discovered the new species while reviewing museum specimens found in the 2003 and the 1970s.

Like many spiders, it is only the females that are the giants, with males up to five times smaller than their mates.

The new species was discovered by Dr Matjaž Kuntner, at the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, along with Dr Jonathan Coddington, at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington.

More than 41,000 spider species are known to science with about 400 - 500 new species added each year.

But for some well-known varieties, such as the giant golden orb weavers, the last time a new species was discovered was in the 19th century.

Nephila spiders are renowned for being the largest web-spinning spiders. They make the largest orb webs, which often exceed three feet (1 metre) in diameter.

The team had launched several expeditions to South Africa specifically to find this species, but all were unsuccessful, suggesting that perhaps the Nephila specimen, first collected in 1978, was a hybrid or perhaps an extinct species.

However in 2003 a second specimen from Madagascar in the Naturhistorisches Museum Wien in Vienna, Austria suggested it was not a hybrid.

Finally a few years ago a South African colleague found a male and two females in Tembe Elephant Park, and it became clear that the specimens were indeed a valid new species, said the researchers.

Dr Coddington said despite its size the spider was not dangerous to people.

"Like most spiders, they eat anything they can catch," he said.

"They probably prefer fairly large insects, like grasshoppers, but will take what they can get.

"The webs are strong enough to stop small birds, bats, or the rare unlucky lizard. The web is a big tactical advantage, and it is not unusual for Nephila to kill organisms several times their size."

The new species, announced in the Public Library of Science ONE journal, was named after Dr Kuntner’s best friend Andrej Komac, who died in an accident at the time of these discoveries.

Now Dr Kuntner and Dr Coddington have urged the public to find new populations of spider in Africa or Madagascar

"We fear the species might be endangered, as its only definite habitat is a sand forest in Tembe Elephant Park,” said Dr Coddington.

Royal Philips Electronics have introduced the Mirror TV, a versatile 17-, 23- or 30-inch LCD display integrated into a mirror. The Mirror TV uses a unique polarized mirror technology, which transfers close to 100 percent of the light through the reflective surface. It is the first product created at the Philips HomeLab, the company's research incubator for future electronic products and technologies, to reach the commercial market. The Mirror TV, which was demonstrated for the media in New York and Europe today, is ideal for non-traditional viewing spaces when it is installed flush to the wall.

Philips decided to commercialize the product after testing a more sophisticated prototype with more than 200 consumers in its HomeLab research facility, a fully functioning two-bedroom home that doubles as a scientific laboratory. Philips HomeLab enables researchers to observe (with 34 hidden cameras and an observation area) how people interact with new devices. Consumers who used the Mirror TV prototype appreciated the ability to watch the news and traffic while also shaving or brushing their teeth.

Philips, the world's largest supplier of television display solutions for the hotel industry, initially plans to market the Mirror TV to hotels, but also sees a market for the product in customized home environments within the next few years.

"The Mirror TV is an important step forward for consumer technologies, and for Philips," said Dr. Gottfried Dutiné, CEO of Philips Consumer Electronics, "From a technology perspective, the Mirror TV craftily combines two important everyday functionalities; it's also an early example of the Philips vision of Ambient Intelligence in that the 'technology' is embedded and easy to use. Having been tested with 'real' people in the HomeLab, the Mirror TV also signifies Philips' ongoing commitment to understanding consumers-and providing products and devices that meet their needs."

Mirror TV Enhances Aesthetics and Utilizes Space Philips Mirror TV provides the solution to the ever-shrinking spaces in hotels and retail environments. The design hides the electronics, giving spaces an architecturally refined display and enhancing the upscale ambiance that hotels and retail environments strive to provide guests. At up to 30 inches, the Mirror TV could be placed on the wall as a centerpiece.

The Mirror TV introduced today can provide a range of functions beyond TV programming. In a hotel, for example, it can be used for bill payment or pay-per-view movies. It can also be used as a desktop/workstation application. Individuals can link their laptop or home PC to the Mirror TV with a special connector that enables the mirror to become an LCD monitor, providing a large display for presentations or surfing the web.

For home use, Philips is currently testing more advanced versions that could connect the user wirelessly to the mirror, providing everything from news to traffic reports and health data, such as blood pressure or weight. Or, the mirror could display a cartoon that encourages children to brush their teeth longer and more effectively. Company officials estimate that the home version may be available before 2005.

Philips has not yet announced pricing guidelines for the Mirror TV because at this early stage, each unit will be custom-built to meet the design specifications of the given space. Deliveries are expected to begin in the fourth quarter this year.

About Philips HomeLab

Philips HomeLab, in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, is an integral part of Philips' R&D process. Created one year ago to test its new technology prototypes in the most realistic possible way, HomeLab looks and feels like a regular home with modern furniture in every room, Van Gogh prints on the walls, and even a fully stocked kitchen. Temporary "residents" can stay at the facility for anywhere from four hours to two weeks, depending on the type of research being conducted. During their residence, individuals or families go about life as usual, while interacting with the new technologies Philips has installed in the facility.

The facility is essential in speeding up the time-to-market for technological innovation. HomeLab puts the consumer at the center of the product development cycle by evaluating how individuals interact with new technologies. Depending on their behavior, the researchers may decide to re-tool the prototype, scrap the concept or move ahead in the product's development.

Innovations from HomeLab are steps toward an Ambient Intelligence culture, which is how Philips envisions the future. Ambient Intelligence is defined as world in which electronics are sensitive to people's needs, personalized to their requirements, can anticipate their behavior and respond to their presence - signifying a real improvement in people's everyday lives.

PrintDreams, the developer of the Random Movement Printing technology RMPT(tm), has announced the release of PrintBrush(tm), the world's smallest and only fully format-independent printer. PrintBrush(tm).

The printer has the length of a normal ballpoint pen while its width and height are more or less equivalent to the width of a modern mobile phone. The total volume is less than 300 c.c. and weights around 350 grams. This first version of PrintBrush(tm) was designed to roughly fit into a shirt pocket while it still remains a clear potential for size and weight reduction in coming versions that will allow an even more comfortable fit.

Internet content, SMS, pictures and other information is downloaded to the PrintBrush(tm) from PDAs, mobile phones and laptop computers through a Bluetooth(tm) wireless link. Then, by following the RMPT(tm) principle, the device is hand operated by sweeping it across any type of print media, no matter its shape, size or thickness. The printout will then start to appear right behind the sweeps.

The device takes into account all thinkable parameters of the hand movement, including rotation and sudden changes of speed and acceleration. The result image on the printed media is always very much alike its digital counterpart.

Since the first prototype was showed last year at the CeBIT in Hannover, Germany, the RMPT(tm) technology has been developed fast onward. The great breakthrough came for few weeks ago when the company released its OptoNav sensor, which is an extremely accurate optical navigation sensor aimed to push further the RMPT(tm) technology into a greater level of print quality and performance.

"PrintDreams business model is to license RMPT(tm) technology to OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) that will develop, manufacture and distribute the final products under own brand name. We have during the last year established contacts with global manufacturers that recognize the potential in RMPT(tm) based printer products for various applications. The PrintBrush(tm) represents an essential step in our go to market plan by demonstrating performance and functionality that meets user expectation for a truly mobile printer. We are expecting the first RMPT(tm) based printer products to be launched on the market early 2005" says CEO PrintDreams Jan Erik Hedborg.

Previous studies had claimed an asteroid impact produced devastating climate changes and rising sea levels which caused the mass extinctions over the earth's 4.5 billion year existence.

But a team of American geologists and toxicologists claim algae commonly found naturally around the world could be the culprit that led to the demise of the dinosaurs.

They say the current environmental conditions show significant similarities to times when previous mass extinctions occurred and warned that levels of toxic algae are increasing.

During the summer scientists warned of toxic in algae blooms in lakes and ponds in the North West and West Midlands.

Current thinking blames either climate changes, sea level, volcanic activity, or asteroids as primary causes for deaths of more than 50 percent of life on Earth.

However geologist James Castle and ecotoxicologist John Rodgers of Clemson University said they all contributed - but killer algae was the final straw.

The researchers spent two years analyzing data from ancient algal deposits — stromatolite structures.

They found evidence that blue-green algae, which produce poisons and deplete oxygen, were present in sufficient quantities to kill off untold numbers of plants and animals living on land or in the sea.

Their research presented to the Geological Society of America goes against the perceived theories of what caused five major extinctions and a number of minor die-offs during the 545-plus million years.

During this period life with "hard parts" — skeletons and shells — has flourished and left fossils known by the Greek Phanerozoic for "visible life."

Studying fossil remains, they claimed asteroid-caused extinction was not proven.

Mr Castle said: "The fossil record indicates that mass extinctions ... occurred in response to environmental changes at the end of the Cretaceous period.

"However, these extinctions occurred more gradually than expected if caused solely by a catastrophic event.

"This hypothesis gives us cause for concern and underscores the importance of careful and strategic monitoring as we move into an era of global climate change."

They warn the level of "modern toxin-producing algae is presently increasing, and their geographic distribution is expanding...."

Mr Rodgers added: "Scientists from around the world have been sending us data that support our hypothesis and our concern about the future.

"I look forward to the debate this work will generate. I hope it helps focus attention on climate change and the consequences we may face."

Outbreaks of blue green algal blooms are common in lakes and waterways around the world with four-mile long Bala Lake - which is known as Llyn Tegid in Welsh - in Gwynedd, being the latest affected region.

It produces toxins when it blooms causing humans or animals who come into contact with it to develop rashes or become ill if they drink it.

But it can kill fish due to lack of oxygen in the water, and toxins can kill fish, animals and birds.

The scientists' theory "Hypothesis for the role of toxin-producing algae in Phanerozoic mass extinctions based on evidence from the geologic record and modern environment" was published in journal Environmental Geosciences.

Sony Ericsson's Xperia handsets are due a successor, and it seems version 3 isn't too far off. The official Twitter account of Ericsson Labs (which isn't part of Sony Ericsson, technically) has been retweeting a rumour that the handset will be announced in November.
The Xperia 3 is expected to be powered by Android and has been codenamed Rachael by Sony Ericsson. It's rumoured to contain an 8-megapixel camera, 3.5mm headphone jack, 800x400 display and microSD card expansion slot.
Some spy shots have leaked out too, which marry up with spy shots seen in the past of the handset. We'll find out for sure next month, and if you stay tuned to Pocket-lint then you'll be the first to know.

George Geeson has been dubbed 'Britain's safest driver' as he has never had a speeding ticket or caused an accident during 84 years of motoring.
The 99-year-old reckons he has clocked up almost a million miles during his driving career which began in 1925 with a Model T Ford - before formal tests were even invented.
He has only ever been involved in one accident - when another motorist shunted into the back of his car in 1958.

'I've always been careful. Even the one accident I did have was down to somebody else,' he said.
'We used to think that 60mph was very fast but now people seem to drive at 100mph and that's too fast for me.
'Over the years I would say I have probably driven more than 800,000 or 900,000 miles. But now I just enjoy going back and forth to the shops.'
The former garage owner, of South Witham in Lincolnshire, now drives a Peugeot 106 but he has fond memories of the first car he bought - a Willys-Overland Whippet - purchased for £2.50 in 1935. He described the American, second-hand blue Whippet as a 'wonderful' car, despite having wooden-spoked wheels, a poor braking system and a starting handle to fire up the engine. His son Robert also has a clean licence - after being taught to drive by his father.
'It must run in the family,' the 62-year-old retired thatcher said. 'Dad has always enjoyed driving and we're very impressed he is still going.'

The idea for the underwater wedding ceremony belongs to the couple, who are passionate divers themselves. On September 14th, Antoaneta and Alexander gave their vows 2 meters below the sea surface near Kiten.
The ceremony took about 15 minutes, completely underwater.
A special underwater photography team captured every moment of the event.
Guests of the couple were also provided with the necessary equipment to attend the wedding.
While this ceremony doesn’t have the status of a real marriage, the couple made sure to marry officially beforehand.

A white man was seated next to a little black girl on the airplane when he turned to her and said, "Let's talk. I've heard that flights go quicker if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger."

The little girl, who had just opened her coloring book, closed it slowly and said to the man, "What would you like to talk about?"

"Oh, I don't know," said the man. "Since you are black, do you think that So-called President Elect Barak Obama is qualified for the job?" and he smiles.

"OK", she said. 'That could be an interesting topic. But let me ask you a question first. A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat the same stuff - grass -. Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns out a flat patty, and a horse produces clumps of dried grass. Why do you suppose that is?"

The man, visibly surprised by the little girl's intelligence, thinks about it and says, "Hmmm, I have no idea."


To which the little girl replies, "Do you really feel qualified to discuss President Barack Obama ..... when you don't know shit"!

In Case You Didn't Know

MOPED is the short term for 'Motorized Pedaling'.

POP MUSIC is 'Popular Music' shortened.

BUS is the short term for 'Omnibus' that means everybody.

FORTNIGHT comes from 'Fourteen Nights' (Two Weeks).

DRAWING ROOM was actually a 'withdrawing room' where people withdrew after Dinner. Later the prefix 'with' was dropped.

NEWS refers to information from Four directions N, E, W and S.

AG-MARK, which some products bear, stems from 'Agricultural Marketing'.

JOURNAL is a diary that tells about 'Journey for a day' during each Day's business.

QUEUE comes from 'Queen's Quest'..
Long back a long row of people waiting to see the Queen. Someone made the comment Queen's Quest.

TIPS come from 'To Insure Prompt Service'.
In olden days to get Prompt service from servants in an inn, travelers used to drop coins in a Box on which was written 'To Insure Prompt Service'. This gave rise to the custom of Tips.

JEEP is a vehicle with unique Gear system. It was invented during World War II (1939-1945). It was named 'General Purpose Vehicle (GP)'. GP was changed into JEEP later.

The FBI had an opening for an assassin. After all the background checks, interviews and testing were done, there were 3 finalists; two men and a woman.

For the final test, the FBI agents took one of the men to a large metal door and handed him a gun. "We must know that you will follow our instructions no matter what the circumstances. Inside the room you will find your wife sitting in a chair . . .. Kill her!!"

The man said, "You can't be serious. I could never shoot my wife."

The agent said, "Then you're not the right man for this job. Take your wife and go home."

The second man was given the same instructions. He took the gun and went into the room. All was quiet for about 5 minutes. The man came out with tears in his eyes, "I tried, but I can't kill my wife." The agent said, "You don't have what it takes. Take your wife home."

Finally, it was the woman's turn. She was given the same instructions, to kill her husband. She took the gun and went into the room. Shots were heard, one after another. They heard screaming, crashing, banging on the walls. After a few minutes, all was quiet. The door opened slowly and there stood the woman, wiping the sweat from her brow.

"This gun was loaded with false bullets" she said. "I had to beat him to death with the chair!!"

MORAL: Women are extremely determined. Don't mess with them!