A stabbing in Hollywood over a single dollar resulted in the death of a 23-year-old woman this week.

A young woman was stabbed to death while taking pictures on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood. Three panhandlers have been arrested for the woman’s murder.

Police say that the three suspects approached Christine Calderon, 23 as she was taking pictures at the tourist attraction. The three men demanded that Calderon pay them a dollar for taking pictures on the Walk of Fame.

When she refused, the men reportedly pinned her against a wall and stabbed her.

Mayor-elect Eric Garcetti told CBS Los Angeles: “This is barbaric behavior and I’ll be damned if we’re gonna roll things back in Hollywood when we made too much progress to see this sort of, you know, complete disrespect and disregard.”

Calderon was found at a busy intersection on Hollywood Boulevard at about 8:30 on Tuesday night. She was taken to a hospital where she later died.

UPI reports that Dustin James Kinnear, 26, was charged with murder. Jason Joel Wolstone, 33, and Brian Joseph Widdoes, 34, were charged with two counts of accessory after the fact.

The Huffington Post notes that the Walk Of Fame is a popular place for beggars and street performers. Some panhandlers demand money after taking pictures with tourists.

Hollywood Stabbing: Woman Killed On Walk Of Fame Over $1 Argument is a post from: The Inquisitr

Princess Beatrice has a reputation for showing up to royal events in giant hats with odd corners and ornamentation, and the 24-year-old who is fifth in line to the throne didn’t disappoint at a recent royal event.

She showed up to an outing at Royal Ascot along with her sister Eugenie and some other royals decked out in a gold fascinator, which for the non-fashion world is a giant flat circle of a hat that extended down around her forehead (the one pictured above is another from her silly hat collection). The outfit won praise from The Daily Mail, but to any non-royal looked like something a giant coaster.

Beatrice is best known for the giant hat she wore to the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, one that has been called the worst of all time.

While her famous family members Prince William and Kate Middleton have become ambassadors both in England and across the globe, Beatrice has a lighter workload. She’s been criticized for doing little more than showing up to royal events.

In fact, Princess Beatrice was once named the No. 2 least influential person in the world by GQ magazine.

It seems that Princess Beatrice could follow the example of her sister, Eugenie. The Daily Mail reported this week that she’s stepping out of the privilege royal life for a bit to take a real job in America. The 23-year-old has taken a position at the New York-based auction house Paddle8, part of her entry into the art world.

“Since leaving university Eugenie has been committed to working in the arts world and has done some internships but is now set to take on a permanent role at graduate level,” a friend of the Duchess of York told the Daily Mail. “From October she is going to work and live in New York, before returning to London where the company is setting up a new office.”

Eugenie, who earned a degree in art history and English literature at Newcastle, had already done work at the auction house Christie’s and at the Royal Collection in Buckingham Palace, where she’s known to work alongside and grab lunch with her fellow workers.

“She is determined to be a working woman with a full-time job,” the source said.

Princess Beatrice also showed this week that she can do more than wear silly hats. She visited Halifax, West Yorkshire, to officially open the new Trinity Academy school and paid a visit to the Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice before attending a luncheon and fashion show at The University of Huddersfield.

Pictures of Princess Beatrice in her gold fascinator can be seen here.

(Princess Beatrice photo via Wikimedia Commons)

Princess Beatrice Unveils Another Giant, Confusing Hat At Royal Outing is a post from: The Inquisitr

There is a new  trend that is taking the food and dining world by storm and it’s called Bulletproof Coffee. This type of coffee is meant to give your regular cup of joe an added kick and help you keep those energy levels up throughout the day, not to mention it’s also reported to have fat burning qualities.

What is this wonder drink you ask? Well, it’s actually coffee with butter in it.

Although it might sound impossible to get all those health benefits from “butter coffee”, the man behind the brand, David Asprey, claims that his coffee has a vast range of positive effects that “supercharge” your brain functions and help shed those extra pounds.

This latest fad is steadily gaining popularity, especially amongst “paleo” dieters. For anyone who doesn’t follow food fads simply refers to a “caveman-type eating style” that is all about consuming animal proteins and fats.

Therefore, all you have to do to fit in with this style of dining and drinking is to add some grass-fed butter and some MCT (which for you and me is a coconut-palm oil blend) into your hot beverage.

Apparently the added butter in Bulletproof Coffee makes a person feel full after drinking, which is probably why its claimed to help lose weight.

However, when you consider that the extra ingredient can add another 100 – 200 calories into your drink, depending on how much butter you have, it might make you slightly skeptical about trying it for yourself.

But before that puts you off, don’t forget the recent study that said you didn’t need to feel guilty about all that coffee you drink, so maybe this “butter coffee” isn’t so bad after all.

Moreover, anything has got to be better than the man who claimed that beer was his coffee and proceeded to DUI for the ninth time; at least this drink shouldn’t do that.

That being said, most things that sound too good to be true normally are, so you might want to just read about this trend and not ingest it.

Whatever you think and feel about Bulletproof Coffee, it’s probably a case of don’t knock it until you try it, though for me the the whole thing sounds a little too weird for my tastes.

[Image via Wikimedia Commons]

Bulletproof Coffee: Can Burn Fat And Make Your Smarter is a post from: The Inquisitr

Paula Deen is being fired by the Food Network.

The cooking channel announced late this afternoon that it “will not renew Paula Deen’s contract when expires it at end of month,” according to Mediaite and several other sources.

The celebrity chef has been engulfed in controversy as a result of a lawsuit filed by former employee Lisa Jackson who accused Deen and her brother of sexual harassment and using racial slurs while she worked as manager of Uncle Bubba’s Seafood and Oyster House in Savannah, Ga. The revelations emerged as a result of deposition transcripts in the case.

Representatives with the Food Network previously stated that they were evaluating the situation adding that they do “not tolerate any form of discrimination and [are] a strong proponent of diversity and inclusion.” In essence, however, the handwriting was on the wall for Paula Deen, i.e., that she would likely get her “burn notice” as it were.

Deen, 66, was supposed to appear on the Today Show this morning, but was a no-show.

Deen uploaded a YouTube apology earlier today, which since has been taken down. She replaced it with a second “helping” which is embedded above. In the video, Deen maintains that she and her family are not being portrayed fairly in the media and also says in part “I’m so sorry; yes I’ve worked hard and I’ve made mistakes, but that is no excuse, and I offer my sincere apology to those I have hurt and I hope that you forgive me because this comes from the deepest part of my heart. And I will continue work and continue to do good things for good people.” She also added that she was physically unable to make the Today Show appearance.

In additional legal problems for Paula Deen, she and the other defendants were allegedly held in contempt of court for failing to turn over a blooper reel in which she swears up a storm and even simulates a sex act. They subsequently complied with the court order, RadarOnline reports.

Are you at all surprised that the Food Network is parting ways with Paula Deen?

Statement from Food Network spokesman: “Food Network will not renew Paula Deen’s contract when it expires at the end of this month.”

— Hunter Walker (@hunterw) June 21, 2013

Added: The Food Network has yet to elaborate on its decision not to renew Deen’s contract according to Deadline Hollywood. “Today the Food Network did not say why Deen was dropped. But a media frenzy mounted over the revelations in that deposition for the lawsuit … In the document, Deen admitted that in her past she used racial slurs in her family life and tolerated racist jokes in the workplace, all of which ran counter to her beloved image.”

Paula Deen Fired By The Food Network is a post from: The Inquisitr

Robert Downey Jr. may have been signed to a $12 million deal to promote HTC smartphones, according to a rumor being floated today in The Los Angeles Times and yesterday in Bloomberg.

Hmm. According to the LAT, HTC hasn’t confirmed the rumor.

Bloomberg reporter Tim Culpan said that he had two sources who told him that Robert Downey Jr. would be getting the hefty payday for a two-year contract to help promote the underdog Taiwanese smartphone brand.

HTC has suffered an enormous collapse in popularity, allowing it to become eclipsed by Samsung, which has spent ten times as much on marketing as HTC does.

According to Bloomberg’s data, HTC sales recently posted its worst quarter ever, and market share is down 76 percent from its peak.

In a recent highly publicized deal with Jay-Z, Samsung is offering one million free downloads of his 12th studio album, Magna Carta Holy Grail, starting at 12:01 AM EST on July 4. I already posted a full report on that offer — and how you can get one of the free downloads yourself — so click right here if you want more details.

Samsung reportedly paid $5 apiece for the downloads, meaning that Jay-Z will receive a cool $5 million for the deal.

So the $12 million for Robert Downey Jr. doesn’t sound completely crazy right off the bat. However, HTC wasn’t giving out much detail. In the LAT statement, they made the rather vague comment that, “[W]e’ve said over the past several months…HTC is working to change its approach in how and where it markets its products to compete in a more effective manner.”

If the rumors are true and Robert Downey Jr. is the face of that changed marketing, the Sherlock Holmes star has had a profitable week indeed.

As The Inquisitr previously reported, the actor has just inked a deal with Marvel to return as Iron Man for the Avengers 2 and 3 sequels.

With or without HTC, the future looks bright for Robert Downey Jr.

[Robert Downey Jr. photo by s_bukley / Shutterstock.com]

Robert Downey Jr. Signed $12 Million HTC Smartphone Deal [Rumor] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Today is the first day of summer. You can tell by measuring the length of the day and checking your solar calendar. Or, you know, you could just go to Google.com.

The search engine celebrate the summer solstice today with a clever little Google Doodle featuring five little swimmers in bathing caps.

The LA Times reports that the Google Doodle commemorating the first day of summer was created by artist Christoph Niemann.

The New York-based animator also created a “First Day Of Winter” Google Doodle for people living in the southern hemisphere.

Niemann wrote on Twitter: “My first Google Doodles are live. Happy first day of Summer (north) and Winter (south).”

The summer solstice marks the longest day of the year. The days will start getting shorter starting this weekend until the winter solstice on December 21.

In addition to being the longest day of they year it is also, coincidentally, one of the brightest nights of the year. A Supermoon is growing in the sky and will peak this weekend.

Here’s today’s Google Doodle.

Here’s the Google Doodle for the first day of winter.

The summer solstice has been celebrated for centuries by different cultures. Today, hundreds of people still gather at Stonehenge to watch the sun rise.

First Day Of Summer: Google Celebrates Solstice With Doodle is a post from: The Inquisitr

In South Fork, Colorado, fire may destroy the entire town. As dry conditions and high wind fuel the massive fires, authorities are concerned that they will continue to spread.

Officials have ordered all 400 residents of South Fork to evacuate immediately. They estimate that the chance of saving the town from the blaze is “low to moderate.”

The Black Forest Fire has already claimed the lives of two and has destroyed 400 homes, making it the most destructive fire in Colorado history.

As reported by Business Insider, the fires have ravished entire neighborhoods and left hundreds of Colorado residents homeless. Animals are also a concern as many residents have evacuated ranches, bringing their animals along. For some, the animals are part of their livelihood.

As reported by 9 News, residents in South Fork, Colorado, fear the fires may wipe out their entire town. The West Fork Fire and Windy Pass fires are both threatening the small village. Those two fires alone are responsible for destroying nearly 30,000 acres.

The West Fork Fire has already hit the Rio Grande National Forest, which completely surrounds South Fork. Authorities have stated that the the West Fork and Windy Pass fires are aggressive and spreading fast. Their aggressive behavior has been referred to as “undocumented and unprecedented.”

As reported by Yahoo News, the fires are currently spreading one mile every hour.  They are now approximately seven miles away from South Fork.

South Fork is a resort town known for camping and hiking trails. It may be best known as home to the fictional “Kamp Komfort” as seen in National Lampoon’s Vacation. The memorable scene featured a dog and a picnic basket.

Authorities speculate that the fire was started by a lightening strike. The hot, dry weather, combined with numerous dead trees has made it impossible to fight from the ground. All efforts to extinguish or contain the fire from above have been fruitless.

The South Fork Colorado fire is sure to cause some degree of devastation. Unfortunately, authorities cannot predict exactly how bad it will be.

[Image via Facebook]

South Fork: Colorado Fire May Destroy Entire Town is a post from: The Inquisitr

A woman was thrown off a cliff by her romantic rival in Peru and it was all caught on video.

But don’t worry, you’re not about to watch someone falling to their death. According to CBS, the woman who was thrown off the cliff only fell about 20 feet. She survived the fall but did suffer some cuts and bruises.

DNA India reports that a surveillance camera captured a lovers squabble in Arequipa, Peru. The website reports that Lissette Lupo Mamani caught her husband, Renzo Zanabria Huanca,on a date with another woman, Sandra Bruna Morales.

Lissette confronts her husband about his affair and when she finishes yelling at him she starts to fight Sandra. Renzo, the chivalrous fellow that he is, walks away from the confrontation as his wife drags Sandra across the ground.

Lissette than throws the other woman off of the cliff.

Renzo admitted to cheating on his wife to America TV but Sandra denies that she was involved with the man. Sandra said that Renzo was harassing her and that she was not romantically involved with him.

Here’s the video of the woman getting thrown off the cliff.

What do you think the most shocking part of this video is? Is it that Rezno was allegedly having an affair? That Lissette pushed his lover off a cliff? Or is that Rezno just walks away and lets his wife attempt to murder someone?

Woman Thrown Off Cliff After Wife Catches Husband Cheating [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

The owner thinks they’re smart but his dog tells all its dog friends that it walks the “lazy loser” every day.

Name Your Dog ‘Five Miles’ So You Can Lie About Your Workouts is a post from: The Inquisitr

NSA leaker Edward Snowden has been formally charged with espionage, theft, and conversion of government property.

Federal prosecutors have also asked Hong Kong to detain Snowden on a provisional arrest warrant, according to the Washington Post citing unnamed officials, which would be a precursor to a formal request for extradition.

The criminal complaint reportedly was filed under seal in the US federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia where Snowden’s former employer has its headquarters. “The US and Hong Kong have an extradition treaty in place, although Snowden can contest it in court. Prosecutors now have 60 days to file an indictment and seek to have him returned back to the US. Of course, nothing is set in stone as Snowden will most likely contest the charges and the order,” The Next Web explains.

Although Hong Kong operates semi-autonomously from the mainland Chinese government, Beijing can veto a decision by Hong Kong officials to agree to extradite a fugitive.

Snowden, the contractor who leaked the details of the massive National Security Agency PRISM domestic spying program, fled to Hong Kong from Hawaii last month, and on June 9 outed himself as the source of the bombshell revelation about internet surveillance. He previously stated that he headed to Hong Kong because of the city’s tradition of free speech.

In a recent interview wiht a Hong Kong news outlet, Snowden, 29 ,insisted that “I’m neither traitor nor hero. I’m an American.” Added Snowden: “People who think I made a mistake in picking HK as a location misunderstand my intentions. I am not here to hide from justice; I am here to reveal criminality.”  As far as extradition to the US on criminal felony charges is concerned, he maintained that “My intention is to ask the courts and people of Hong Kong to decide my fate. I have been given no reason to doubt your system.’”

Do you think Edward Snowden is a traitor or a hero — or somewhere in between?

Edward Snowden Charged With Espionage [Report] is a post from: The Inquisitr

A Republican Super Pac has just launched a campaign, “Stop Hillary 2016,” in order to keep former Secretary of State and former First Lady Hillary Clinton from becoming the President of the United States.

The Super Pac, America Rising, is run by Mitt Romney’s former campaign manager Matt Rhoades. The Huffington Post reports that former RNC strategists Tim Miller and Joe Pounder are also involved in the “Stop Hillary 2016” campaign.

The website reads: “America Rising was formed to prevent Americans from ever having to see another Clinton in the White House. We’ve seen what a President Hillary Clinton would be like from her time as Secretary of State. We can’t afford another Clinton administration after eight years of President Obama.”

Clinton hasn’t announced that she’d be running in the 2016 election, which according to the NY Daily News is 1,236 days away, but America Rising is making sure that the GOP will be ready if she does declare her intention.

Of course, America Rising isn’t the only group that expects Hillary Clinton to run for the presidency in 2016.

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) recently said: “It’s important that we start early, building a grassroots army from the ground up, and effectively using the tools of the Internet –- all things that President Obama did so successfully –- so that if Hillary does decide to run, we’ll be ready to help her win.”

This isn’t the first time that a potential candidate has seen opposition before entering the race. Karl Rove’s Super Pac actually made an attack ad against Ashley Judd before she made an official announcement about running for a senate seat.

Stop Hillary 2016: Super Pac Aims To Keep Clinton Out Of Office is a post from: The Inquisitr

Wesley Warren Jnr is furious after an operation to remove his 140 testicles reduced the size of his penis to just one inch.

Wesley decided to go through the 13-hour procedure because he was forced to wear a hoodie to support his testicles, was unable to have sex, and was in horrible pain from carrying such a heavy load.

However, Wesley has now revealed that he fears he will be unable to ever have a relationship with a woman, because he is so embarrassed by the size of his penis.

He told The Sun, “I know the majority of people are probably expecting me to express extreme happiness and glee that my life has been transformed since the sac has been removed – but it’s not as simple as that.”

Warren then added, “I do feel a great sense of comfort that the weight is no longer between my legs. It got to the point that it was a danger to my health. But when I look down at what’s here now it’s not the same as what it was. It’s totally different.”

He also went on to state, “My natural look prior to the growth is not what came out of surgery. What came out of surgery is a nub an inch long and it doesn’t get any larger. I’m grateful to have been pulled out of the fire, I was getting burned, but now I’m dealing with the first degree burns. I’m still disfigured.”

Warren admitted, “I can’t even think about getting into a relationship. It would take someone very patient or very insane to want to have me in their life.”

Warren Wesley began to suffer from the embarrassing illness in June 2008, after he squashed his genitals whilst in his sleep. After being prescribed antibiotics to reduce the injury, his testicles wouldn’t stop growing.

What do you think of Warren Wesley’s problems?

140 Pound Testicles Man Now Has 1 Inch Penis After Operation is a post from: The Inquisitr

Drew Brees was in a car accident today and may not be able to play in the NFL next season… That was the story that floated around the internet today, but don’t worry Saints fans, your QB is perfectly fine.

Brees took to Twitter this afternoon to assure his fans that he was not in a car accident, that he didn’t break his legs, and that he was perfectly healthy.

Brees writes:

“I am fine. Not sure where the car accident story came from. It is not true. I appreciate everyone’s concern but I am ALL GOOD!”

The story was posted on a bogus website, Global Associated News, that frequently posts death hoaxes. GAN apparently decided to tone down their hoax machine to “severely injured” instead of “dead” in order to create a more plausible story for Brees.

GAN allows users to create their own fake news stories by filling in the blanks to a story template. It’s kind of like Mad Libs accept involves real people, starts real rumors, and fools thousands of people.

The fake Drew Brees car accident story reads: “A spokesperson for the New Orleans highway safety authority has confirmed that Drew Brees has broken both of his legs in a traffic altercation … The accident involved a 2012 BMW driven by Drew Brees and a 76 year old female driver in a 2010 Audi.”

I am fine. Not sure where the car accident story came from. It is not true. I appreciate everyone’s concern but I am ALL GOOD!

— Drew Brees (@drewbrees) June 21, 2013

[Image Via Lets Move]

Drew Brees Car Accident Story Is Fake, Says Saints QB is a post from: The Inquisitr

Michael Jackson went without REM sleep for 60 days, and he might have been dead in less than 80 days if he’d continued to take nightly injections of the drug Dr. Conrad Murray gave him for insomnia.

That’s the horrifying testimony that a Harvard Medical School sleep expert, Dr. Charles Czeisler, gave Friday in the wrongful death civil jury trial that Jackson’s mother Katherine has brought against his concert promoter AEG Live.

Her attorneys believe that AEG Live was negligent and contributed to Michael Jackson’s unexpected death at age 50 on June 25, 2009 by hiring Dr. Conrad Murray, a cardiologist, instead of a sleep expert to treat Jackson’s insomnia. Murray injected Jackson with a surgical anesthetic called propofol for 60 nights in a row before trying to wean him off the medication, which most experts agree he should have never received in the first place.

Jackson died three days later.

Murray has already been convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the crime and is serving four years in prison.

According to a lengthy CNN report, Dr. Czeisler testified Friday that the drug had never been given to a human for such a length of time. Although a person who receives propofol thinks that they got a refreshing night’s sleep, they are not capable of experiencing a form of sleep called Rapid Eye Movement (REM) which is associated with memory and learning.

Rats deprived of REM sleep in about six weeks. Dr. Czeisler believes that a human would have died within 80 days:

“It would be like eating some sort of cellulose pellets instead of dinner. Your stomach would be full, and you would not be hungry, but it would be zero calories and not fulfill any of your nutrition needs.”

As the trial enters its eighth week, The Los Angeles Times predicted that stars like Prince and Diana Ross may soon be called to testify about Michael Jackson’s condition in the last days of his life.

The fact that Michael Jackson went without REM sleep for 60 days may explain many of the symptoms friends witnessed in the days leading up to his death.

[Michael Jackson photo by OrguzJackson via Wikimedia]

Michael Jackson Without REM Sleep For 60 Days, Expert Testifies is a post from: The Inquisitr

There’s more good news for everybody pulling for Sarah Murnaghan, the brave 10-year-old girl who had to fight for a life-saving double-lung transplant. On Friday, she awoke from her coma and she can now respond to questions by nodding yes or no.

Within days of receiving the lung transplant on June 12, Sarah Murnaghan’s mother Janet said that she would go quiet in the media so that the family could focus on Sarah’s recovery. Tracy Simon, a family spokeswoman, shared the good news about Sarah’s awakening with the Associated Press and NBC News this morning.

Two days earlier, Sarah had already recovered enough to allow the medical team to remove a special breathing machine and replace it with a simple ventilator.

Both reports said that Sarah is frustrated that she can’t speak yet, but she seemed to be doing well overall.

She has cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease that formerly killed most patients in childhood. Modern medical techniques like transplants have shifted the average age of death from six months in 1959 to over 37 years in 2008.

As I previously reported, a technicality in the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) rules had prevented Sarah from ranking highly on a waiting list to receive a pair of modified adult lungs, even though she was medically qualified.

If she had been 12, she would have been at the top of the list, based on the urgency of her need. Since she was under age 12, she could not be considered until everyone on the list aged 12 and up had been offered the lungs — even if many of those patients didn’t have urgent conditions.

She had been living at Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia since February and was expected to die within weeks, if not days, if she didn’t receive a lung transplant.

Federal Judge Michael Baylston ruled earlier this month that Sarah’s birthdate be changed in the computer records to give her an older birthdate. In that way, she immediately went to the top of the list, putting Sarah Murnaghan in line for the life-saving operation.

[Sarah Murnaghan photo by Janet Ruddock Murnaghan via Facebook]

Sarah Murnaghan: 10-Year-Old Lung Transplant Pioneer Awakes From Coma is a post from: The Inquisitr

US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has apologized for asking a professor of Indian heritage if he was a member of the Taliban.

The incident occurred at the University of Nebraska on Wednesday during a Q&A session. Chuck Hagel represented Nebraska in the US Senate for two terms. In January, he was nominated as Defense Secretary by President Obama and was confirmed in February although the nomination was initially subject to a Senate filibuster, the first time in American history that a nominee for Secretary of Defense was held up in that manner.

Following his speech at the university, the secretary had just answered a question about the planned US-Taliban peace talks when Prof. Robin Ghandi rose to ask Hagel a question.

When Hagel lamely asked, “you’re not a member of the Taliban, are you?”,  the response was awkward silence in the room.

A Pentagon spokesman subsequently issued this statement: “Absolutely no slight toward any individual in the audience was intended. That’s the last thing the Secretary would do under any circumstance, in this or any other setting. He didn’t know who would be called next to pose a question.”

Hagel subsequently called the professor directly to apologize, the London Telegraph reports. “Secretary Hagel did reach out to the professor a few hours after the speech and had a very good discussion. He wanted to leave no impression that this joke was directed at anyone in particular, including the professor … He expressed regret for any trouble that this caused to the professor.”

Professor Ghandi apparently took no offense to the remark and issued a statement that “I was honored to attend Secretary of Defense Hagel’s speech on Wednesday. I was able to ask a question and thoroughly enjoyed his answer. Before I rose to ask a question, there was apparently some confusion that did not involve me.”

According to the Times of India, “Gandhi is an assistant professor of information assurance at the University of Nebraska’s College of Information Science and Technology. A university spokesman said Gandhi was born in India.”

Was Hagel’s joke inappropriate or just not funny? Watch the video and decide for yourself.

Chuck Hagel Apologizes For Taliban ‘Joke’ [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Enough with all this talk about ugly dogs. Let’s talk about adorable cats. Have you ever seen a poodle cat?

The animal has existed for several years but it was only recently classified as its own genetically distinct breed.

According to the Mother Nature Network, researchers at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna recently concluded that the poodle cat isn’t just a breeding an anomaly. The breed is known as Selkirk Rex and is a distinct curly haired cat breed distinct from other Rex breeds.

Gemini notes that many believe that the first Selkirk Rex was born in 1987 to a feral cat in Montana. The kitten was one of five but looked a little different than its brothers and sisters. The kitten had curly hair and quickly garnered the attention of Persian breeder Jeri Newman.

Nine generations of poodle cats have been born over the last 25 years and has now been scientifically declared it’s own breed.

The cat has been an acceptable cat breed in the International Cat Association since 1992. It was also recognized by the American Cat Fanciers Association in1998 and the Cat Fanciers’ Association in 2000. So the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna’s recently conclusion isn’t exactly groundbreaking.

Still, it gives us an excuse to look at some poodle cats.

You can see a video about poodle cats here.

Poodle Cats Exist And They’re Adorable is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Red Sox closer dilemma took a turn for the worse this week as Andrew Bailey blew a save for the fourth time this season on Thursday night. Bailey gave up a crucial two-run home run to Jhonny Peralta which gave the Detroit Tigers a 4-3 comeback win over the Red Sox.

In response to Bailey’s ninth inning struggles on the mound, Red Sox manager John Farrell decided Friday that right-handed reliever Koji Uehara will now take over as the new closer.

“I can’t say there won’t be the need that we use other guys, but where we are today, Koji will close out if we get in that situation tonight,” Farrell said before Friday’s game against the Tigers. “I think we’re very confident when he walks out to the mound. He’s had success in closing opportunities, so there’s not only an element of dependability but success in the past that we’re turning to.”

The Red Sox closer move will end Bailey’s reign after finishing with eight saves in 12 opportunities. Uehara has 13 holds on the season in relief and he also has one save that came on May 17 against the Minnesota Twins.

The 38-year-old Japanese pitcher has never been a true closer, though he did finish with 13 saves in 15 opportunities in 2010 with the Baltimore Orioles.

“I’m not going to change anything,” Uehara said about the switch through his translator on Friday. “I’ll do my best about going on with my business.”

Koji Uehara was originally the Red Sox go-to set-up man this season before Farrell made the decision to move him into the closer role on Friday. The team doesn’t have many options, but Farrell is still confident in his ball club.

When Uehara needs rest or isn’t available, Farrell said he has “confidence” in Junichi Tazawa or Andrew Miller to fill-in. Do you think the Red Sox closer dilemma will hurt the club as they look to hang on to the AL East?

[Image via Keith Allison]

Red Sox Closer Switch: Koji Uehara Takes Over For Andrew Bailey is a post from: The Inquisitr

A fiery Ohio air show crash this afternoon at the Dayton Air Show involved a stunt plane with at least one wing walker and pilot aboard, and the condition of both individuals is not currently known.

The Ohio air show crash occurred at the Vectren Air Show near Dayton. No one on the ground was hurt when the stunt plane burst into flames, and several news sources say the fire has been put out:

“A fire dispatcher confirmed a crash Saturday to The Associated Press but had no other information … The Dayton Daily News and several TV stations say the plane burst into flames when it hit the ground. A fire truck extinguished the blaze.”

Cleveland.com quotes witness Shawn Warwick of New Knoxville as saying that wing walker Jane Wicker was the other person aboard the craft:

“I noticed it was upside down really close to the ground. She was sitting on the bottom of the plane … I saw it just go right into the ground and explode.”

Wife Cara adds:

“I came back and everybody was just in shock.”

Aboard the plane at the time of the Ohio air show crash were Wicker and a pilot, reportedly Charlie Schwenker.

Below is a video of Jane Wicker’s wing walking before today’s accident:

Video and images of the fiery Dayton Air Show crash began to circulate on Twitter (editor’s note: we removed the Dayton air show crash video when fatalities were announced), and the air show was canceled for the day after the accident:

BREAKING: @rhonda2245: 2 dead after #DaytonAirShow plane crash involving wing walker Jane Wicker/@joelmenken GRAPHIC http://t.co/hzgOE1S84E

— NewsBreaker (@NewsBreaker) June 22, 2013

Photo: Seconds before Jane Wicker’s plane crashed at Dayton, Ohio air show – http://t.co/Ree96E8rR7 pic.twitter.com/ZnGr4rdpoA

— Matthew Keys (@MatthewKeysLive) June 22, 2013

Update, 2:22 PM: Air show officials confirm that Jane Wicker and her pilot were killed in the crash.

Dayton airport official confirms two fatalities after air show crash.

— Matthew Keys (@MatthewKeysLive) June 22, 2013

Director of Aviation for the city of Dayton Terrence Slaybaugh says two people were killed at the Vectren Air Show, but has not officially identified the victims.

Dayton Air Show Crash: Wing Walker Jane Wicker, Pilot Killed [Video, Update] is a post from: The Inquisitr

A tiger housed at an Indian animal rescue shelter attacked a caretaker who had been cleaning its cage CNN reported.

The woman, Marissa Dub, is in critical condition after the attack Friday at the Exotic Feline Rescue Center in Center Point, Indiana.

While the facility confirmed the incident, they wouldn’t provide specific details saying they didn’t want to include the media.

The Clay County Sheriff’s Office provided more details on the attack during a statement to the public.

“The victim was cleaning cages when a worker nearby heard her screaming,” Sheriff Rob Gambill said in a statement.

“When the employee ran over to help, she discovered the tiger had her head in its mouth.”

CNN’s report continued on to say:

“Joe Taft, the director of the facility, sprayed the 18-year-old tiger named Raja in the face with a hose to loosen its grip before it was eventually lured away with food.

“The victim, who is in her early twenties, was air-lifted to an Indianapolis hospital.”

This isn’t the only animal attack this week. Reports of the Dieter Zorn, the snake expert being bitten and kill and of the multiple bear attacks have been circling around.

Dub, 21, was working at the Exotic Feline Rescue Center in Center Point, about 60 miles outside of Indianapolis according to the Examiner.

This is the biggest wild life refuge of its kind in the U.S., caring for felines that have been abused, neglected or just not wanted anymore.

The tiger had reportedly escaped from its holding area because a door had not been properly shut, and then made its move on Dub.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which regulates the care of exotic animals, will make a decision on the tiger’s fate. This is the first injury from one of the wild animals at this center since opening in 1991 according to the Examiner.

[Image via Huffington Post]

Tiger Attacks Indiana Woman is a post from: The Inquisitr