This and that | Ripple's Web

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On June 21, 1982, almost 31 years ago, Prince William was born. Prince Charles and Princess Diana are shown leaving the Lindo Wing, at St. Mary’s Hospital in London. Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, plans to give birth to her baby at the same hospital.

On display at the main gates of Buckingham Palace in London is the announcement that Diana gave birth to a son, William, at 9.03 p.m. on June 21, 1982. Charles was with her at St. Mary’s Hospital for the birth of their first child, who weighed 7lbs 1.5 ozs and had blue eyes.

Charles and Diana are photographed on September 16, 1984, following the birth of their second son, Prince Harry, at St. Mary’s Hospital.

Catherine attends a garden party in the grounds of Buckingham Palace hosted by Queen Elizabeth II on May 22, 2013.

William and Catherine arrive for a service of celebration to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation at Westminster Abbey on June 4, 2013.

President and CEO of Princess Cruises Alan Buckelew escorts Catherine stands next to an image taken of herself by Getty photographer Chris Jackson after a ship’s naming ceremony at Ocean Terminal on June 13, 2013 in Southampton. This was Catherine’s final public appearance before she gives birth.

Catherine is photographed on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the annual Trooping the Color Ceremony on June 15, 2013 in London.

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London (CNN) — Prince William’s wife, Catherine, plans to give birth to their first baby in the same hospital wing where her husband was born to Diana, Princess of Wales, almost 31 years ago, sources familiar with the plans said Wednesday.

The first details of the protocol surrounding the announcement of the birth were revealed as the Duchess of Cambridge enters the final weeks of her pregnancy.

The baby — which, regardless of gender, will be heir to the British throne — is expected to arrive in mid-July.

According to sources familiar with the plans, the birth will take place in the private Lindo Wing of St. Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, west London.

The first indication that the baby is on its way will be the announcement to the media that the Duchess of Cambridge has been admitted to the hospital in the early stages of labor, royal sources told CNN.

Duchess’ last solo event before baby

Did she let a royal secret slip?

Royal baby bump pics: Right or wrong?

The next public announcement is expected to be that of the birth.

It will be made in the form of a formal bulletin, signed by medical staff and rushed in a car with a police escort to Buckingham Palace.

There, the notice will be placed on an easel on the palace forecourt, the royal sources said. This will be the first chance for the nation and those watching around the world to find out whether the new baby is a boy or a girl.

William and Catherine don’t know the sex of their baby and want to keep the surprise until it’s born, the royal sources said. William’s grandmother Queen Elizabeth II and other members of both families will be told of the birth before the public knows.

The next announcement will be that the Duchess of Cambridge and her baby are to be discharged from the hospital.

People are already laying bets on what the newest member of the royal family will be named.

Alexandra appears to be the favorite for a girl, with George the favored name for a boy, according to UK betting websites. Diana, Elizabeth and Victoria are also popular choices with punters.

The baby will be third in line to the throne after Prince Charles and Prince William.

Paternity leave

The royal couple will probably present their baby to the world on the same doorstep where a proud Diana and Prince Charles showed off William in 1982.

It’s not yet been disclosed where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge plan to spend the days and weeks following the birth, the royal sources said.

William, who will turn 31 on Friday, is expected to be given the usual paternity leave of two weeks by the Ministry of Defence, the royal sources said. He will then return to his job as a helicopter search and rescue pilot.

The revelation of the birth details may be cause for some anxiety, given the tragedy that followed Catherine’s hospitalization late last year for acute morning sickness.

In that instance, a prank call by an Australian radio station to nursing staff at King Edward VII’s Hospital, which sparked a media frenzy after details of Catherine’s care were revealed, resulted in a nurse’s suicide.

“We would appeal to all members of the media for an appropriate degree of sensitivity, dignity and privacy in their reporting,” a royal source said.

“With the events of the King Edward Hospital still strong in our memories, we would expect any media covering the Duchess of Cambridge’s hospitalization to ensure that the normal functions of the hospital are not impeded by any media presence.”

Champagne on ice?

According to the Lindo Wing website, it has been offering private obstetric and neonatal care for mothers and babies since 1937.

The private wing operates alongside the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, which is part of the National Health Service.

“Over the years, we have gained an international reputation for clinical excellence in both obstetric and neonatal medicine which has made us the choice for thousands of mothers. But what really sets us apart is the discreet, traditional, individualised service we provide,” the Lindo Wing’s online brochure says.

According to the prices listed, a stay in the Lindo Wing doesn’t come cheap by comparison with National Health Service care, which is free at the point of delivery.

However, the mother can stay in a room with its own bath or private suite, with a range of facilities and services offered. Among them is “a comprehensive wine list should you wish to enjoy a glass of champagne and toast your baby’s arrival.”

The care package for the first 24 hours with a normal delivery starts at £4,965 ($7,777), with the price increasing for a larger room or suite, or if a forceps delivery or caesarean section is needed. An additional night’s stay costs £900 ($1,400) or more on top of that price.

Pregnant Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, names cruise ship

Magazine defends photos of pregnant, bikini-clad Duchess of Cambridge

Article source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/edition_world/~3/CT1cuII-f3E/index.html

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NewsRipplesWeb/~3/JSWg8ZFsbsQ/new-details-revealed-on-royal-baby-birth-plans

Corsair Carbide Air 540 Review

Manufacturer: Corsair
UK price (as reviewed): £117 (inc VAT)
US price (as reviewed): $140 (ex TAX)

Dual-chamber cases are nothing new. In fact, examples such as YeongYang’s cube server case is over 10 years old. As such, while it might sound harsh, a lot of the hype surrounding Corsair’s new Carbide Air 540 that dubbed it as out-of-the-box thinking is simply down to inexperience and over-excitement. However, there’s definitely something appealing about these types of cases that gets you all enthusiastic about the prospect of building a system into one.

The huge towers doing the rounds at the moment are just that – huge, and we’ve seen many instances where they literally don’t fit under a desk. By splitting a cube case into two compartments, you essentially gain the best of two worlds – enough space to build a tidy system with ample space for water-cooling hardware, and also a relatively compact case, at least in terms of depth and height.

Of course there’s no point just copying a design that was around ten years ago because it simply won’t work. These days you need SSD mounts, 140mm fan mounts and decent cable routing for starters. For this reason, Corsair has of course applied some very modern tweaks to the Carbide Air 540 that make it very much a case your modern enthusiast will be interested in. We’re particularly keen on putting Corsair’s claim of it being ‘the best air-cooling case in the world’ to the test.

The Carbide Air 540′s bulk makes it look deceptively large, when in fact it’s only a couple of centimetres taller and deeper than the BitFenix Prodigy. It’s the fact that the PSU and 5.25in mounts have been shifted to the second chamber that meant Corsair could shrink the other dimensions of the case, yet there’s still loads of room to spare inside. The front panel definitely grew on us as we played with it for a few hours, too – it looks rather spartan, but in a ruggedly good way.

The front is as plastic as the inside of your average Asian-made family car, but the lop-sided features, including a huge top-to-bottom grille and front panel mean you instantly forget about this, especially as the case in general is extremely well-made and solid – there’s no rattling here. The only real issue cosmetically-speaking is the rotated 5.25in bays – the best thing to install here would be two bay reservoirs perhaps catering for two water-cooling loops in two coolant colours. Of course not all of us can be as extravagant, but it’s unlikely fan controllers or optical drives are going to look particularly attractive, or be all that practical, here.

By far our favourite feature is the huge side window and before you ask – which someone always does – no the 5.25in bays aren’t visible because they’re in the other chamber. Hooray! Coupled with the fact the PSU is hidden in the rear chamber, the Carbide Air 540 really is a tidy system-lover’s delight, because all that will be on show is the motherboard, graphics card and any cooling gear you have installed.

While the case’s design results in some features of its own, others are a little bare. There are two USB 3.0 ports, but that’s it – no fan control, no lighting and only a front dust filter. At a little over £100, you’re still getting a lot of case for your money and once again Corsair probably has the excuse that you should be considering one of its all-in-one liquid coolers with their fan control software instead.

However, little niggles like the lack of a dust filter on the bottom of the case, which has large vents beneath the hard disk mounts, and cable ties rather than anything more lavish to secure cables in the otherwise excellent cable routing system, are flies in the ointment of what is so far a very promising case.

Specifications

• Dimensions (mm) 332 x 415 x 458 (W x D x H)
• Material Steel, plastic
• Available colours Black (reviewed)
• Weight 8kg
• Front panel Power, reset, 2 x USB 3, stereo, microphone
• Drive bays 2 x external 5.25in, 2 x internal 3.5in/2.5in, 4 x internal 2.5in
• Form factor(s) EATX, ATX, micro-ATX
• Cooling 2 x 140mm/3 x 120mm front fan mounts (2 x 140mm fans included), 1 x 140mm rear fan mount (fan included), 2 x 120mm/140mm top fan mounts (fan not included)
• CPU cooler clearance 170mm
• Maximum graphics card length 320mm
• Maximum PSU length 200mm

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/bit-tech/hardware/~3/qsDU5mvZ73M/1

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GamingRipplesWeb/~3/qpQdGbe4IOU/

Editor’s note: Michele Weldon is an author, assistant professor of journalism at Northwestern University and a leader with The OpEd Project.

(CNN) — Believing that celebrity and success — even attractiveness — guarantee immunity from domestic violence is like believing famous people are magically protected from the dangers of other drivers on the road, airborne pathogens from a stranger’s sneeze, or the path of a wild fire.

Domestic violence knows no boundaries, affecting women — and some men — who meet every descriptor of race, age, socioeconomic or educational status, sexual orientation, demography, geography, ideology, disability or theology. Domestic violence is more common than breast cancer and left-handedness.

Famous or anonymous, one in four women in this country will experience domestic violence in her lifetime, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Each year in the United States, 5.3 million women experience domestic violence, at an annual cost to the American economy of $5.8 billion.

Report: Nigella Lawson choked by husband

According to the U.N. Women’s 2011-2012 annual report, “This pervasive human rights violation affects all countries and communities.” The World Health Organization reports that 15% to 71% of women ages 15 to 49 in a multicountry study had experienced intimate partner violence.

Notably, nowhere on this planet is there 0% violence against intimate partners. Nowhere on this planet is there a society immune to domestic violence. And no upscale neighborhood or celebrity-frequented restaurant is off limits.

So why should the recent public altercation between TV chef Nigella Lawson and her handsome, successful husband, Charles Saatchi, surprise anyone? In light of tabloid photographs that show Saatchi holding a tearful Lawson by the neck, it should be clear that intimate partner violence is a universal scourge. Why does the myth that intimate partner violence exists only in lower socioeconomic communities persist?

Saatchi has not been charged in connection with the incident and has denied his actions were abusive, calling the encounter a “playful tiff.” Horrified observers reportedly had a different take.

Certainly no one wishes the suffering of violence on anyone regardless of who they are. But this alleged incident provides a painful reminder that it is time to permanently dissolve the mythology that domestic violence only happens to low-income women. And it is time to take such an outrageous public display of apparent violence seriously.

Shortly after the publication of the photos, Britain’s Nick Griffin of the National Party tweeted: “If I had the opportunity to squeeze Nigella Lawson, her throat wouldn’t be my first choice.” Next, he followed up with this: “To feminist cranks whining re my ‘objectifying’ Nigella, she was happy to use her curves to sell books. Her chorizo potato soup v good btw.”

That’s about as funny as referring to a sleeveless tank top as a “wife beater” and thinking that’s OK.

Saatchi’s downplaying of the incident as “playful” to the media is also no surprise. As a survivor of domestic violence myself, and an advocate and spokesperson for nonviolence for the past 18 years, I know that sentiment is on par with the common rationalizations for domestic violence I have heard: “She asked for it. She likes it. She made me mad. She provoked me. It was her fault.”

Saatchi’s comment does not match in scope the most outrageous response I once heard from a police officer about a man who shot his wife: “She ran in front of the bullet.” But Saatchi’s flippant dismissal matches our universal misunderstanding that domestic violence is not about us. It is always about other people somewhere else.

Unfortunately, the sorority of successful and powerful women who have reportedly been victims of domestic violence includes Halle Berry, Madonna, Whitney Houston, Pamela Anderson, Mariah Carey, Tina Turner, Meredith Baxter and Rihanna.

Sometimes a batterer is the most charismatic man in the room; they are lawyers, doctors, politicians, business titans, actors, celebrities, singers and professional athletes.

I understand; domestic violence was not something I ever thought would happen to me. I married a man I knew my whole life; he was smart, handsome, kind and ambitious. We dated for three years with no hint of violence. That changed four months into our marriage. At the time, I thought I was powerful and successful enough to change him; I was not. We have been divorced 18 years.

What I learned is a partner’s behavior is not something you can control, no matter how educated you are, no matter how idyllic your life was growing up, no matter how much you dreamed your life would go well.

And no matter if you are a vibrant, internationally successful best-selling author and chef.

Though she and her children have moved out of their family home, Lawson has yet to publicly comment on the situation. We don’t know whether she views herself as a victim of domestic violence, but those photographs tell a story we need to keep repeating.

So many of us who believe the myths of domestic violence don’t tell because we are ashamed to tell. We believe as successful women we are immune, that it happens to others. Millions of women around the globe in all manner of circumstances think they cannot say the truth about the violence in their lives because they will die of embarrassment.

But we all need to remember, in the most severe cases, it is never embarrassment that kills them.

Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/17/living/opinion-lawson-alleged-abuse/index.html?eref=edition

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NewsRipplesWeb/~3/gzzZiWouvYI/rich-arent-immune-to-abuse

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In many parts of the world there is no better time to work on your mojo than on the longest day of the year. In Belarus girls and boys take the opportunity to celebrate the midnight sun on Ivan Kupala Day by bathing in lakes.

During the Swedish national holiday of Midsommar the usually cool, calm and collected Swedes turn to their raucous Viking roots and consume a copious amount of vodka and dance around — according to some — a rather phallic-looking Maypole. Perhaps unsurprisingly research shows a lot of babies are born nine months after the festivities.

During the Greek solstice celebration Klidonas, bachelors across the country try to impress single ladies by building tall fires and jumping over them. According to custom, anyone who jumps the flames three times is rewarded with a good year ahead but more importantly a likely date for the evening.

In Eastern Europe the solstice celebrations fall on Ivan Kupala Day, a holiday that has romantic connotations for many Slavs, “kupala” is derived from the same word as “cupid”. In Ukraine it is common for girls to put wreathes on a river to attract eligible bachelors.

In neighboring Belarus girls place candle offerings into rivers as they celebrate Ivan Kupala Day. The pagan tradition has been accepted into the Orthodox Christian calendar.

One of the largest solstice celebrations in the world takes place at the 5000 year-old Stonehenge, where thousands gather each year to bring in the summer season.

Pagans and neo-druids treat the solstice like the ultimate marriage ceremony. Many couples go to Stonehenge on the Salisbury Plain to confirm their love on the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

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How do you welcome summer? Share your experience with us.

(CNN) — In the Northern Hemisphere, the summer solstice has a history of stirring libidos, and it’s no wonder. The longest day of the year tends to kick off the start of the summer season and with it, the harvest. So it should come as no surprise that the solstice is linked to fertility — both of the vegetal and human variety.

“A lot of children are born nine months after Midsummer in Sweden,” says Jan-Öjvind Swahn, a Swedish ethnologist and the author of several books on the subject.

Midsummer is the Scandinavian holiday celebrating the summer solstice, which this year falls on June 21. Swedish traditions include dancing around a Maypole — a symbol which some view as phallic — and feasting on herring and copious amounts of vodka.

“Drinking is the most typical Midsummer tradition. There are historical pictures of people drinking to the point where they can’t go on anymore,” says Swahn. While the libations have a hand in the subsequent baby boom, Swahn points out that even without the booze, Midsummer is a time rich in romantic ritual.

Read more: The science behind a solar eclipse

“There used to be a tradition among unmarried girls, where if they ate something very salty during Midsummer, or else collected several different kinds of flowers and put these under their pillow when they slept, they would dream of their future husbands,” he says.

There is a similar mythology about dreaming of one’s future spouse in parts of Greece. There, as in many European countries, the pagan solstice got co-opted by Christianity and rebranded as St. John’s Day. Still, in many villages in the country’s north, the ancient rites are still celebrated.

One of the oldest rituals is called Klidonas, and involves local virgins gathering water from the sea. The village’s unmarried women all place a personal belonging in the pot and leave it under a fig tree overnight, where — folklore has it — the magic of the day imbues the objects with prophetic powers, and the girls in question dream of their future husbands.

The next day, all the women in the village gather, and take turns pulling out objects and reciting rhyming couplets that are meant to predict the romantic fortunes of the item’s owner. These days, however, the festival is more an excuse for the community of women to exchange bawdy jokes.

“In my village, the older women always seem to come up with the dirtiest rhymes,” says Eleni Fanariotou, who has filmed the custom. Later in the day, the sexes mingle and take turns jumping over a bonfire. Anyone who succeeds in jumping over the flames three times is meant to have a wish granted. Fanariotou says the festival often results in coupling.

Read more: 5 real-life wonderlands

“It’s a good time to meet someone, because all the young people in the village go, and it’s a good opportunity to socialize. Plus, all the men like to show off, and make the biggest fire they can to jump through.”

In Eastern Europe, the solstice celebrations fall on Ivan Kupala Day — a holiday that has romantic connotations for many Slavs (“kupala” is derived from the same word as “cupid”).

“It was once believed that Kupala night was a time for people to fall in love, and that those celebrating it would be happy and prosperous throughout the year,” recalls Agnieszka Bigaj, from the Polish tourist board. It used to be that young, unmarried women would float floral wreaths in the river where eager bachelors on the other side would try to catching the flowers. she adds.

According to Polish folklore, the man and woman in question would become a couple. Bonfires are also a large feature of the holiday, and it’s tradition for a couple to leap through the flames together while holding hands — if they don’t let go, it is said their love will last.

Test your knowledge of New Year customs

One of the largest solstice celebrations in the world, though, takes place at Stonehenge, where thousands gather each year to bring in the summer season. While for many the event is an excuse to party in the lead up to the Glastonbury Festival, there is also a strong contingent of pagans and neo-druids who treat the day like the ultimate marriage ceremony.

“All druid rituals have an element of fertility, and the solstice is no exception,” says King Arthur Pendragon, a senior archdruid. “We celebrate the union of the male and female deities — the sun and the Earth — on the longest day of the year.”

Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/13/world/summer-solstice-world-celebrations-sex/index.html?eref=edition

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NewsRipplesWeb/~3/0bVHsDFF9CQ/summer-solstice-all-about-sex

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In many parts of the world there is no better time to work on your mojo than on the longest day of the year. In Belarus girls and boys take the opportunity to celebrate the midnight sun on Ivan Kupala Day by bathing in lakes.

During the Swedish national holiday of Midsommar the usually cool, calm and collected Swedes turn to their raucous Viking roots and consume a copious amount of vodka and dance around — according to some — a rather phallic-looking Maypole. Perhaps unsurprisingly research shows a lot of babies are born nine months after the festivities.

During the Greek solstice celebration Klidonas, bachelors across the country try to impress single ladies by building tall fires and jumping over them. According to custom, anyone who jumps the flames three times is rewarded with a good year ahead but more importantly a likely date for the evening.

In Eastern Europe the solstice celebrations fall on Ivan Kupala Day, a holiday that has romantic connotations for many Slavs, “kupala” is derived from the same word as “cupid”. In Ukraine it is common for girls to put wreathes on a river to attract eligible bachelors.

In neighboring Belarus girls place candle offerings into rivers as they celebrate Ivan Kupala Day. The pagan tradition has been accepted into the Orthodox Christian calendar.

One of the largest solstice celebrations in the world takes place at the 5000 year-old Stonehenge, where thousands gather each year to bring in the summer season.

Pagans and neo-druids treat the solstice like the ultimate marriage ceremony. Many couples go to Stonehenge on the Salisbury Plain to confirm their love on the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

How do you welcome summer? Share your experience with us.

(CNN) — In the Northern Hemisphere, the summer solstice has a history of stirring libidos, and it’s no wonder. The longest day of the year tends to kick off the start of the summer season and with it, the harvest. So it should come as no surprise that the solstice is linked to fertility — both of the vegetal and human variety.

“A lot of children are born nine months after Midsummer in Sweden,” says Jan-Öjvind Swahn, a Swedish ethnologist and the author of several books on the subject.

Midsummer is the Scandinavian holiday celebrating the summer solstice, which this year falls on June 21. Swedish traditions include dancing around a Maypole — a symbol which some view as phallic — and feasting on herring and copious amounts of vodka.

“Drinking is the most typical Midsummer tradition. There are historical pictures of people drinking to the point where they can’t go on anymore,” says Swahn. While the libations have a hand in the subsequent baby boom, Swahn points out that even without the booze, Midsummer is a time rich in romantic ritual.

Read more: The science behind a solar eclipse

“There used to be a tradition among unmarried girls, where if they ate something very salty during Midsummer, or else collected several different kinds of flowers and put these under their pillow when they slept, they would dream of their future husbands,” he says.

There is a similar mythology about dreaming of one’s future spouse in parts of Greece. There, as in many European countries, the pagan solstice got co-opted by Christianity and rebranded as St. John’s Day. Still, in many villages in the country’s north, the ancient rites are still celebrated.

One of the oldest rituals is called Klidonas, and involves local virgins gathering water from the sea. The village’s unmarried women all place a personal belonging in the pot and leave it under a fig tree overnight, where — folklore has it — the magic of the day imbues the objects with prophetic powers, and the girls in question dream of their future husbands.

The next day, all the women in the village gather, and take turns pulling out objects and reciting rhyming couplets that are meant to predict the romantic fortunes of the item’s owner. These days, however, the festival is more an excuse for the community of women to exchange bawdy jokes.

“In my village, the older women always seem to come up with the dirtiest rhymes,” says Eleni Fanariotou, who has filmed the custom. Later in the day, the sexes mingle and take turns jumping over a bonfire. Anyone who succeeds in jumping over the flames three times is meant to have a wish granted. Fanariotou says the festival often results in coupling.

Read more: 5 real-life wonderlands

“It’s a good time to meet someone, because all the young people in the village go, and it’s a good opportunity to socialize. Plus, all the men like to show off, and make the biggest fire they can to jump through.”

In Eastern Europe, the solstice celebrations fall on Ivan Kupala Day — a holiday that has romantic connotations for many Slavs (“kupala” is derived from the same word as “cupid”).

“It was once believed that Kupala night was a time for people to fall in love, and that those celebrating it would be happy and prosperous throughout the year,” recalls Agnieszka Bigaj, from the Polish tourist board. It used to be that young, unmarried women would float floral wreaths in the river where eager bachelors on the other side would try to catching the flowers. she adds.

According to Polish folklore, the man and woman in question would become a couple. Bonfires are also a large feature of the holiday, and it’s tradition for a couple to leap through the flames together while holding hands — if they don’t let go, it is said their love will last.

Test your knowledge of New Year customs

One of the largest solstice celebrations in the world, though, takes place at Stonehenge, where thousands gather each year to bring in the summer season. While for many the event is an excuse to party in the lead up to the Glastonbury Festival, there is also a strong contingent of pagans and neo-druids who treat the day like the ultimate marriage ceremony.

“All druid rituals have an element of fertility, and the solstice is no exception,” says King Arthur Pendragon, a senior archdruid. “We celebrate the union of the male and female deities — the sun and the Earth — on the longest day of the year.”

Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/13/world/summer-solstice-world-celebrations-sex/index.html?eref=edition

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NewsRipplesWeb/~3/0bVHsDFF9CQ/summer-solstice-all-about-sex

BodyMedia Fit

Time to assess the last of the four activity trackers I’ve been living with for over two months, the BodyMedia Fit.

If you’re serious about tracking every calorie burned as accurately as possible, this makes the other trackers look like toys. But it’s also the least comfortable to wear, and monthly subscription fees may also put some off.

BodyMedia sells two versions of the Fit. The “Core” version for $120 lacks Bluetooth and so can’t talk directly to apps on your iPhone or
Android device. The “Link” version sells for $150 and does have Bluetooth connectivity. I’ve been using the Link version, which BodyMedia provided me with.

BodyMedia Fit, shown worn on upper arm

(Credit:
BodyMedia)

The device is notably different from the other trackers in that you wear it around your upper arm, secured with a cloth strap. You charge it using a mini-USB cable, and it holds the charge for several days. Data is also synced through the cable to your
Mac or PC and, in turn, into the web-based Activity Manager. You can also sync to your phone and also see real-time data, as you exercise.

Beyond the up-front price, you’ll pay $7 per month for access to the Online Activity Manager that’s necessary to pull data off your device. You get three months included, and it’s cheaper if you buy a year ($60) or two years ($90) at a time. Over a two-year period, that puts the Link’s price at around $240, compared to $100 to $150 for the other bands. Also, 24 Hour Fitness partners with BodyMedia to sell its own version of the Link. That’s currently $40 less and comes with six months subscription included. It’s an option to consider, because it’s exactly the same product and works the same way.

The idea of a monthly subscription does grate on me. I far prefer the other bands, where your device doesn’t effectively become useless if you stop subscribing. Of course, Fitbit charges $50 per year if you want access to the “Premium” features of its online tool. Still, if you don’t go the premium route, a Fitbit still works. With BodyMedia, if you don’t subscribe, you data doesn’t come off the device.

Serious tracking
Previously in this series, I’ve shared how various exercises have been tracked by the different devices I’ve been wearing. I’ll also share more in my next and final installment, the overall comparison. But the BodyMedia Fit always registers the most calories burned, sometimes significantly more than the others.

Perhaps the best example of this was when I went to a 45-minute spin session recently. I do this once a year with my wife, so she can demonstrate how very out-of-shape I am compared with her. Spin is hard, but you wouldn’t know that if you used one of the other trackers:

The Nike FuelBand thinks I burned 42 calories; the
Jawbone Up registered 66, and the Fitbit Flex counted 85. That four-to-nine times less than the 372 the BodyMedia registered. And given the amount of sweat pouring off of me, I’m pretty sure the BodyMedia was the closest to getting it right.

The other trackers all acknowledge that they’re not perfect, especially for activities where your body might be mostly stationary. Weight-lifting, bike riding, paddleboarding — if your entire body isn’t moving, then the accelerometers they depend on can’t register your activity so well.

The BodyMedia device has an accelerometer and more, sensors that rest on your skin to measure sweat and skin temperature. This why it can be so much more precise about what you’re doing.

Viewing the data
Your activity data flows into a nice online activity manager, where you can also do things like log food, see your sleep, and check on steps:

BodyMedia Activity Manager

One of the things I absolutely love about the interface is that you can select any time period, highlight it, and then get the amount of calories burned during that time. For example, here’s the zoom-in on my spin session:

Zooming in on an activity

My other devices don’t allow this type of granularity. Want to know how much you burned in an activity with the Jawbone Up? If you didn’t set the timer, you’re out of luck. Fitbit will give you estimates for every 15 minutes, but it’s pretty inconvenient to add all those up — and you better have remembered when your exercise started. Nike gives you an hour-by-hour summary, which is less useful and — worse — isn’t in calories but instead in “NikeFuel.”

There is an option to add “off-body” activities, if you weren’t wearing your armband during a particular exercise. Both the Fitbit and the Up have a similar feature. But I never needed to use it, since I was constantly wearing the Fit, plus it seemed to be doing a great job of accurately tracking what I was burning. For the others, this feature is more needed as a way to catch them up to what they might miss.

Logging food, sleep and weight
As with the Fitbit and Jawbone Up, the BodyMedia Fit allows you to log what you’ve eaten. In my testing, I’ve found keeping track of the food I’ve consumed one of the very best ways to lose weight. I’ve also found it continues to be a pain, regardless of what device you use. But the Fit, like the others, does try to make it easier.

Logging food with the BodyMedia Fit

As you can see above, the Fit’s Activity Manager remembers frequent foods that you’ve logged for particular meal times. You can also add custom foods or combine several foods into a recipe, for frequent use.

Also like the Fitbit and the Up, the Fit will track your sleep, logging how much it actually thinks you’ve slept versus your “lying down” time:

Sleep tracking with BodyMedia Fit

As I’ve written before, I find the sleep tracking more a novelty than an essential with these trackers, but if you want it, the Fit does have it. Better, you don’t have to put it into sleep tracking mode, as you required with the Fitbit and the Up. The Fit just figures out when you’re sleeping.

As for weight, if you have a Withings wireless scale, that can link to your Fit’s Activity Manager and track your weight automatically. BodyMedia sent me the latest Withings Smart Body Analyzer to use with the Fit. It worked very well, as seamlessly as my Fitbit Aria scale sends to my Fitbit account.

Goals and motivation
The other trackers I’ve used all have various ways they try to encourage you to make progress by socially interacting or comparing with others. The Fit has none of that. You’re not going to be sharing your stats with others, at least not with anything native to the device and its software, though a range of third-party apps may help, if that’s what you’re after.

As with the Jawbone Up, there’s also no direct display you can look at to see if you’re hitting a particular goal. I continue to love that type of feature with the Nike and Fitbit Flex trackers, where a button push or tap gives me an indication on the device itself if I need to do more work to hit my daily goal.

On the other hand, I really appreciated what felt like were sensible weight loss goals that the device’s Activity Manager allows to be set. I’ve been wanting to lose about 10 to 15 pounds for ages. In a few steps, it outlined what I needed to cut my calories to and increase my burn to, in order to lose that weight:

Weight goals in BodyMedia Fit’s Activity Tracker

I especially liked the options to extend over longer periods of time. I like to eat. So cutting back a little and losing only a half-pound per week may be more sensible and realistic for me. But it’s also nice to understand how much longer it will take to reach my goal. Maybe I want more pain for a shorter period of time. If so, those options are also presented.

Comfort, the next version and unexpected surprises
One of the biggest drawbacks to the Fit is that it’s not particularly comfortable. It’s never painful to wear. Sometimes I would even forget I had it on. But usually, I was aware I was wearing it. Several times during the day, I’d move it slightly on my arm, to give a break to the particular place the sensors were touching. When I took it off, I knew it was off and felt a bit more relaxed.

Overall, I’ve figured that’s the price you pay for the better accuracy that the Fit delivers. But even BodyMedia seems to know it could use something better. The “Core 2″ is due out (PDF) later this year, likely in September, BodyMedia told me. It will be smaller than the Fit, waterproof, and have a more “jewelry-like” bands — several, actually, to choose from:

BodyMedia Core 2

(Credit:
BodyMedia)

I’ll certainly be interested in the next version. As for the current one, aside from the comfort issue, the cloth band I used unexpectedly broke when I was slipping it off my arm one day. BodyMedia quickly sent me a replacement. If I’d purchased the Fit, I imagine it would have been covered under the warranty. New bands are $13, so it’s not a huge expense, but it wasn’t reassuring to have happen.

Broken band, small crack

More concerning was a small crack that appeared on the back of my sensor unit. It hasn’t prevented it from working, but when I mentioned it to BodyMedia, I was asked if I used sunscreen. Yes, often. It turns out that sunscreen may have this effect on the device, so the company warns against having the Fit in contact with skin coated this way.

For me, once I knew, it was easy to avoid. The band is worn on my upper arm, which is usually covered by my shirt sleeve. I just stopped going so high in applying sunscreen to my arm. But a device that’s more resistant to sunscreen would be nice.

Love the accuracy but not casual enough?
Overall, if I was seriously trying to lose a lot of weight or make major changes to improve my fitness, I can see why the BodyMedia Fit would be very useful. Or, if I really were trying to do the “quantified self” thing, the Fit is far more likely to actually quantify accurately the body data some want compared to other popular activity trackers I’ve tried.

But for me, I just want to lose a few pounds and be a little more active. I don’t need precise metrics. I need that “nudge” to be more active that the Fitbit Flex or the Nike FuelBand seem to provide better.

The combination of having the BodyMedia Fit with other devices has been very nice, however. Being able to use the Fit as a reality check on the others has helped me better understand what they track and how I might manually log particular activities to improve what the Fitbit and the Up record, if I wanted to (Nike doesn’t allow for manual logging).

Those looking for a middle ground with the Fit’s accuracy and the comfort of the others might consider both. That’s pricey. You’re buying two devices. But you’d be getting the best of both worlds.

Alternatively, stay tuned. The Core 2 might turn out to be a more comfortable device, when it arrives. Plus, the purchase of BodyMedia by Jawbone in April may lead to a more accurate Up or similar device, in the future.

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cnet/pRza/~3/THbAtz2HPho/

BodyMedia Fit

Time to assess the last of the four activity trackers I’ve been living with for over two months, the BodyMedia Fit.

If you’re serious about tracking every calorie burned as accurately as possible, this makes the other trackers look like toys. But it’s also the least comfortable to wear, and monthly subscription fees may also put some off.

BodyMedia sells two versions of the Fit. The “Core” version for $120 lacks Bluetooth and so can’t talk directly to apps on your iPhone or
Android device. The “Link” version sells for $150 and does have Bluetooth connectivity. I’ve been using the Link version, which BodyMedia provided me with.

BodyMedia Fit, shown worn on upper arm

(Credit:
BodyMedia)

The device is notably different from the other trackers in that you wear it around your upper arm, secured with a cloth strap. You charge it using a mini-USB cable, and it holds the charge for several days. Data is also synced through the cable to your
Mac or PC and, in turn, into the web-based Activity Manager. You can also sync to your phone and also see real-time data, as you exercise.

Beyond the up-front price, you’ll pay $7 per month for access to the Online Activity Manager that’s necessary to pull data off your device. You get three months included, and it’s cheaper if you buy a year ($60) or two years ($90) at a time. Over a two-year period, that puts the Link’s price at around $240, compared to $100 to $150 for the other bands. Also, 24 Hour Fitness partners with BodyMedia to sell its own version of the Link. That’s currently $40 less and comes with six months subscription included. It’s an option to consider, because it’s exactly the same product and works the same way.

The idea of a monthly subscription does grate on me. I far prefer the other bands, where your device doesn’t effectively become useless if you stop subscribing. Of course, Fitbit charges $50 per year if you want access to the “Premium” features of its online tool. Still, if you don’t go the premium route, a Fitbit still works. With BodyMedia, if you don’t subscribe, you data doesn’t come off the device.

Serious tracking
Previously in this series, I’ve shared how various exercises have been tracked by the different devices I’ve been wearing. I’ll also share more in my next and final installment, the overall comparison. But the BodyMedia Fit always registers the most calories burned, sometimes significantly more than the others.

Perhaps the best example of this was when I went to a 45-minute spin session recently. I do this once a year with my wife, so she can demonstrate how very out-of-shape I am compared with her. Spin is hard, but you wouldn’t know that if you used one of the other trackers:

The Nike FuelBand thinks I burned 42 calories; the
Jawbone Up registered 66, and the Fitbit Flex counted 85. That four-to-nine times less than the 372 the BodyMedia registered. And given the amount of sweat pouring off of me, I’m pretty sure the BodyMedia was the closest to getting it right.

The other trackers all acknowledge that they’re not perfect, especially for activities where your body might be mostly stationary. Weight-lifting, bike riding, paddleboarding — if your entire body isn’t moving, then the accelerometers they depend on can’t register your activity so well.

The BodyMedia device has an accelerometer and more, sensors that rest on your skin to measure sweat and skin temperature. This why it can be so much more precise about what you’re doing.

Viewing the data
Your activity data flows into a nice online activity manager, where you can also do things like log food, see your sleep, and check on steps:

BodyMedia Activity Manager

One of the things I absolutely love about the interface is that you can select any time period, highlight it, and then get the amount of calories burned during that time. For example, here’s the zoom-in on my spin session:

Zooming in on an activity

My other devices don’t allow this type of granularity. Want to know how much you burned in an activity with the Jawbone Up? If you didn’t set the timer, you’re out of luck. Fitbit will give you estimates for every 15 minutes, but it’s pretty inconvenient to add all those up — and you better have remembered when your exercise started. Nike gives you an hour-by-hour summary, which is less useful and — worse — isn’t in calories but instead in “NikeFuel.”

There is an option to add “off-body” activities, if you weren’t wearing your armband during a particular exercise. Both the Fitbit and the Up have a similar feature. But I never needed to use it, since I was constantly wearing the Fit, plus it seemed to be doing a great job of accurately tracking what I was burning. For the others, this feature is more needed as a way to catch them up to what they might miss.

Logging food, sleep and weight
As with the Fitbit and Jawbone Up, the BodyMedia Fit allows you to log what you’ve eaten. In my testing, I’ve found keeping track of the food I’ve consumed one of the very best ways to lose weight. I’ve also found it continues to be a pain, regardless of what device you use. But the Fit, like the others, does try to make it easier.

Logging food with the BodyMedia Fit

As you can see above, the Fit’s Activity Manager remembers frequent foods that you’ve logged for particular meal times. You can also add custom foods or combine several foods into a recipe, for frequent use.

Also like the Fitbit and the Up, the Fit will track your sleep, logging how much it actually thinks you’ve slept versus your “lying down” time:

Sleep tracking with BodyMedia Fit

As I’ve written before, I find the sleep tracking more a novelty than an essential with these trackers, but if you want it, the Fit does have it. Better, you don’t have to put it into sleep tracking mode, as you required with the Fitbit and the Up. The Fit just figures out when you’re sleeping.

As for weight, if you have a Withings wireless scale, that can link to your Fit’s Activity Manager and track your weight automatically. BodyMedia sent me the latest Withings Smart Body Analyzer to use with the Fit. It worked very well, as seamlessly as my Fitbit Aria scale sends to my Fitbit account.

Goals and motivation
The other trackers I’ve used all have various ways they try to encourage you to make progress by socially interacting or comparing with others. The Fit has none of that. You’re not going to be sharing your stats with others, at least not with anything native to the device and its software, though a range of third-party apps may help, if that’s what you’re after.

As with the Jawbone Up, there’s also no direct display you can look at to see if you’re hitting a particular goal. I continue to love that type of feature with the Nike and Fitbit Flex trackers, where a button push or tap gives me an indication on the device itself if I need to do more work to hit my daily goal.

On the other hand, I really appreciated what felt like were sensible weight loss goals that the device’s Activity Manager allows to be set. I’ve been wanting to lose about 10 to 15 pounds for ages. In a few steps, it outlined what I needed to cut my calories to and increase my burn to, in order to lose that weight:

Weight goals in BodyMedia Fit’s Activity Tracker

I especially liked the options to extend over longer periods of time. I like to eat. So cutting back a little and losing only a half-pound per week may be more sensible and realistic for me. But it’s also nice to understand how much longer it will take to reach my goal. Maybe I want more pain for a shorter period of time. If so, those options are also presented.

Comfort, the next version and unexpected surprises
One of the biggest drawbacks to the Fit is that it’s not particularly comfortable. It’s never painful to wear. Sometimes I would even forget I had it on. But usually, I was aware I was wearing it. Several times during the day, I’d move it slightly on my arm, to give a break to the particular place the sensors were touching. When I took it off, I knew it was off and felt a bit more relaxed.

Overall, I’ve figured that’s the price you pay for the better accuracy that the Fit delivers. But even BodyMedia seems to know it could use something better. The “Core 2″ is due out (PDF) later this year, likely in September, BodyMedia told me. It will be smaller than the Fit, waterproof, and have a more “jewelry-like” bands — several, actually, to choose from:

BodyMedia Core 2

(Credit:
BodyMedia)

I’ll certainly be interested in the next version. As for the current one, aside from the comfort issue, the cloth band I used unexpectedly broke when I was slipping it off my arm one day. BodyMedia quickly sent me a replacement. If I’d purchased the Fit, I imagine it would have been covered under the warranty. New bands are $13, so it’s not a huge expense, but it wasn’t reassuring to have happen.

Broken band, small crack

More concerning was a small crack that appeared on the back of my sensor unit. It hasn’t prevented it from working, but when I mentioned it to BodyMedia, I was asked if I used sunscreen. Yes, often. It turns out that sunscreen may have this effect on the device, so the company warns against having the Fit in contact with skin coated this way.

For me, once I knew, it was easy to avoid. The band is worn on my upper arm, which is usually covered by my shirt sleeve. I just stopped going so high in applying sunscreen to my arm. But a device that’s more resistant to sunscreen would be nice.

Love the accuracy but not casual enough?
Overall, if I was seriously trying to lose a lot of weight or make major changes to improve my fitness, I can see why the BodyMedia Fit would be very useful. Or, if I really were trying to do the “quantified self” thing, the Fit is far more likely to actually quantify accurately the body data some want compared to other popular activity trackers I’ve tried.

But for me, I just want to lose a few pounds and be a little more active. I don’t need precise metrics. I need that “nudge” to be more active that the Fitbit Flex or the Nike FuelBand seem to provide better.

The combination of having the BodyMedia Fit with other devices has been very nice, however. Being able to use the Fit as a reality check on the others has helped me better understand what they track and how I might manually log particular activities to improve what the Fitbit and the Up record, if I wanted to (Nike doesn’t allow for manual logging).

Those looking for a middle ground with the Fit’s accuracy and the comfort of the others might consider both. That’s pricey. You’re buying two devices. But you’d be getting the best of both worlds.

Alternatively, stay tuned. The Core 2 might turn out to be a more comfortable device, when it arrives. Plus, the purchase of BodyMedia by Jawbone in April may lead to a more accurate Up or similar device, in the future.

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cnet/pRza/~3/THbAtz2HPho/

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In many parts of the world there is no better time to work on your mojo than on the longest day of the year. In Belarus girls and boys take the opportunity to celebrate the midnight sun on Ivan Kupala Day by bathing in lakes.

During the Swedish national holiday of Midsommar the usually cool, calm and collected Swedes turn to their raucous Viking roots and consume a copious amount of vodka and dance around — according to some — a rather phallic-looking Maypole. Perhaps unsurprisingly research shows a lot of babies are born nine months after the festivities.

During the Greek solstice celebration Klidonas, bachelors across the country try to impress single ladies by building tall fires and jumping over them. According to custom, anyone who jumps the flames three times is rewarded with a good year ahead but more importantly a likely date for the evening.

In Eastern Europe the solstice celebrations fall on Ivan Kupala Day, a holiday that has romantic connotations for many Slavs, “kupala” is derived from the same word as “cupid”. In Ukraine it is common for girls to put wreathes on a river to attract eligible bachelors.

In neighboring Belarus girls place candle offerings into rivers as they celebrate Ivan Kupala Day. The pagan tradition has been accepted into the Orthodox Christian calendar.

One of the largest solstice celebrations in the world takes place at the 5000 year-old Stonehenge, where thousands gather each year to bring in the summer season.

Pagans and neo-druids treat the solstice like the ultimate marriage ceremony. Many couples go to Stonehenge on the Salisbury Plain to confirm their love on the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

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How do you welcome summer? Share your experience with us.

(CNN) — In the Northern Hemisphere, the summer solstice has a history of stirring libidos, and it’s no wonder. The longest day of the year tends to kick off the start of the summer season and with it, the harvest. So it should come as no surprise that the solstice is linked to fertility — both of the vegetal and human variety.

“A lot of children are born nine months after Midsummer in Sweden,” says Jan-Öjvind Swahn, a Swedish ethnologist and the author of several books on the subject.

Midsummer is the Scandinavian holiday celebrating the summer solstice, which this year falls on June 21. Swedish traditions include dancing around a Maypole — a symbol which some view as phallic — and feasting on herring and copious amounts of vodka.

“Drinking is the most typical Midsummer tradition. There are historical pictures of people drinking to the point where they can’t go on anymore,” says Swahn. While the libations have a hand in the subsequent baby boom, Swahn points out that even without the booze, Midsummer is a time rich in romantic ritual.

Read more: The science behind a solar eclipse

“There used to be a tradition among unmarried girls, where if they ate something very salty during Midsummer, or else collected several different kinds of flowers and put these under their pillow when they slept, they would dream of their future husbands,” he says.

There is a similar mythology about dreaming of one’s future spouse in parts of Greece. There, as in many European countries, the pagan solstice got co-opted by Christianity and rebranded as St. John’s Day. Still, in many villages in the country’s north, the ancient rites are still celebrated.

One of the oldest rituals is called Klidonas, and involves local virgins gathering water from the sea. The village’s unmarried women all place a personal belonging in the pot and leave it under a fig tree overnight, where — folklore has it — the magic of the day imbues the objects with prophetic powers, and the girls in question dream of their future husbands.

The next day, all the women in the village gather, and take turns pulling out objects and reciting rhyming couplets that are meant to predict the romantic fortunes of the item’s owner. These days, however, the festival is more an excuse for the community of women to exchange bawdy jokes.

“In my village, the older women always seem to come up with the dirtiest rhymes,” says Eleni Fanariotou, who has filmed the custom. Later in the day, the sexes mingle and take turns jumping over a bonfire. Anyone who succeeds in jumping over the flames three times is meant to have a wish granted. Fanariotou says the festival often results in coupling.

Read more: 5 real-life wonderlands

“It’s a good time to meet someone, because all the young people in the village go, and it’s a good opportunity to socialize. Plus, all the men like to show off, and make the biggest fire they can to jump through.”

In Eastern Europe, the solstice celebrations fall on Ivan Kupala Day — a holiday that has romantic connotations for many Slavs (“kupala” is derived from the same word as “cupid”).

“It was once believed that Kupala night was a time for people to fall in love, and that those celebrating it would be happy and prosperous throughout the year,” recalls Agnieszka Bigaj, from the Polish tourist board. It used to be that young, unmarried women would float floral wreaths in the river where eager bachelors on the other side would try to catching the flowers. she adds.

According to Polish folklore, the man and woman in question would become a couple. Bonfires are also a large feature of the holiday, and it’s tradition for a couple to leap through the flames together while holding hands — if they don’t let go, it is said their love will last.

Test your knowledge of New Year customs

One of the largest solstice celebrations in the world, though, takes place at Stonehenge, where thousands gather each year to bring in the summer season. While for many the event is an excuse to party in the lead up to the Glastonbury Festival, there is also a strong contingent of pagans and neo-druids who treat the day like the ultimate marriage ceremony.

“All druid rituals have an element of fertility, and the solstice is no exception,” says King Arthur Pendragon, a senior archdruid. “We celebrate the union of the male and female deities — the sun and the Earth — on the longest day of the year.”

Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/13/world/summer-solstice-world-celebrations-sex/index.html?eref=edition

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NewsRipplesWeb/~3/78vVXmZ23hQ/sexy-solstice

(CNN) — Amid British tabloid reports over the weekend that celebrity chef Nigella Lawson was grabbed around the neck by her husband, Charles Saatchi, London police said Monday that a man accepted a warning related to the case.

London’s Metropolitan Police say a 70-year-old man “accepted a caution for assault” at a police station on Monday afternoon.

Police did not name the man, but several UK media outlets named him as Saatchi.

“Officers from the community safety unit at Westminster were aware of the Sunday People article which published on Sunday 16th June and carried out an investigation,” a Metropolitan Police spokesman told CNN.

“This afternoon Monday 17th June, a 70-year-old man voluntarily attended a central London police station and accepted a caution for assault,” the spokesman said.

CNN contacted Saatchi’s company for comment but has not received a response.

According to a UK government website, a caution is issued for minor crimes.

“Cautions are given to adults aged 18 or over for minor crimes – eg writing graffiti on a bus shelter,” the website says.

“You have to admit an offence and agree to be cautioned. If you don’t agree, you can be arrested and charged.

“A caution is not a criminal conviction, but it could be used as evidence of bad character if you go to court for another crime.”

Sunday People, part of the stable of tabloids published by the Mirror Group, published the photos Sunday of Lawson and Saatchi at a restaurant.

The tabloid’s website includes the caption: “Nigella Lawson attacked in public by Charles Saatchi.”

Earlier a representative for Lawson confirmed that the chef and her children had moved out of their home. Saatchi also denied the reports of an attack in another British newspaper.

“About a week ago, we were sitting outside a restaurant having an intense debate about the children, and I held Nigella’s neck repeatedly while attempting to emphasize my point,” Saatchi, an art dealer and former advertising mogul, told The Evening Standard.

“There was no grip, it was a playful tiff. The pictures are horrific but give a far more drastic and violent impression of what took place. Nigella’s tears were because we both hate arguing, not because she had been hurt,” he added. “We had made up by the time we were home. The paparazzi were congregated outside our house after the story broke yesterday morning, so I told Nigella to take the kids off till the dust settled.”

The restaurant involved told CNN that its employees did not witness any such incident.

Lawson’s Facebook page is filled with messages from fans expressing their support for her.

Lawson is known as the “queen of food porn.” She has written numerous successful cookbooks and hosted TV shows.

Watch a CNN interview with Nigella Lawson

CNN’s Richard Greene and Bharati Naik contributed to this report.

Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/17/world/uk-lawson-inquiry/index.html?eref=edition

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NewsRipplesWeb/~3/03sR48VVn6M/nigella-lawson

(CNN) — Celebrity chef Nigella Lawson and her children have moved out of their home as her husband denies a report that he attacked her.

In response to a tabloid’s photos showing Charles Saatchi reaching his hand across a table and apparently holding her neck, Saatchi told another newspaper Monday that there was no attack.

“About a week ago, we were sitting outside a restaurant having an intense debate about the children, and I held Nigella’s neck repeatedly while attempting to emphasize my point,” Saatchi, an art dealer and former advertising mogul, told The Evening Standard.

“There was no grip, it was a playful tiff. The pictures are horrific but give a far more drastic and violent impression of what took place. Nigella’s tears were because we both hate arguing, not because she had been hurt,” he added. “We had made up by the time we were home. The paparazzi were congregated outside our house after the story broke yesterday morning, so I told Nigella to take the kids off till the dust settled.”

Lawson’s spokesman said only, “Nigella and her children have moved out of the family home.”

Sunday People, part of the stable of tabloids published by the Mirror Group, published the photos Sunday of Lawson and Saatchi at a restaurant.

The tabloid’s website includes the caption: “Nigella Lawson attacked in public by Charles Saatchi.”

Police have not received a complaint of an assault.

In a statement, London’s Metropolitan Police said they are making inquiries to determine “whether an investigation is necessary.”

The restaurant involved told CNN that its employees did not witness any such incident.

Lawson’s Facebook page is filled with messages from fans expressing their support for her.

Lawson is known as the “queen of food porn.” She has written numerous successful cookbooks and hosted TV shows.

Watch a CNN interview with Nigella Lawson

CNN’s Richard Greene and Bharati Naik contributed to this report.

Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/17/world/uk-lawson-inquiry/index.html?eref=edition

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NewsRipplesWeb/~3/-ZKF2Nmp-kc/nigella-lawsons-husband-denies-attack