Mereja

Author: Amanda Crum

  • Amber Rose: Baby Sebastian Is Here!

    Amber Rose has seemed very pregnant for a very long time to many of her fans, so it was with a huge welcome that she and fiance Wiz Khalifa announced on Twitter that their baby boy had come into the world.

    Sebastian “The Bash” Taylor Thomaz was born on Thursday, March 21st and immediately charmed his parents, who tweeted about their precious gift and received well-wishes from all manner of celebrity friends.

    Rose, who garnered fame as a model of unconventional beauty with her closely cropped, platinum hair, reportedly told her fiance that after giving birth, she wanted some very specific things.

    “My wife said she just wants a Jack & coke, a cheesesteak, and a cigarette,” he said. “That’s why I’m marrying that woman!”

    wiz khalifa

  • Monster Goldfish Found Breeding In Lake Tahoe

    Monster goldfish have been found in Lake Tahoe, and as benign as that sounds, researchers say the creatures could pose a threat to the other aquatic life there.

    While looking for invasive wildlife in the lake, researcher Christine Ngai was part of a team who found the monstrous fish on a routine scan of the waters. She says they were surprised by the find.

    “You just see this bright golden orange thing starting to float up, and you’re like, “What is that?” And then you take a net and scoop it up and it’s like, “It’s a goldfish!” Ngai said.

    The fish, experts say, were most likely dumped there from aquariums; it’s a growing problem across the nation that has seen numerous species native to their environments put in danger as they’re consumed by the goldfish.

    Despite the extreme cold temperatures of the lake, the goldfish are not only surviving in their new environment, they are actually breeding in it. This could also be a problem, because goldfish excrete certain nutrients that cause bacteria to murk up the water–not good for a tourist attraction.

    “Oftentimes people think, ‘Well, gee, if I just dumped in one fish, that’s not going to make a difference,’” Pamela Schofield, an ecologist at the U.S. Geological Survey, said. “But it can with goldfish because of the way they eat — they root around in the sediment and that suspends the sediment up in the water.”

    In short, don’t dump your fish. It’s suggested that if you want to get rid of some, get in touch with the local wildlife authority.

  • Three Sisters Killed: Children Raped In India, Bodies Dumped

    Three sisters were raped, killed, and dumped in a well in India on Valentine’s Day; their bodies were found two days after their grandfather reported that they hadn’t returned home from school.

    The girls, aged between five and eleven years old, are the latest victims in a wave of sexual violence to sweep India. After the brutal rape and murder of a young woman on a bus in New Delhi, more and more citizens are speaking out against the violence aimed at women and girls there. After the sisters were found, thousands of people from Murmadi, Lakhani reportedly blocked the highway in a protest, demanding justice be done.

    The family of the girls say that the Police Inspector, Prakash Munde, was partially to blame for a delay in a search for the girls; he has since been suspended. The government has awarded the children’s mother a financial compensation, but she refused, saying instead she wanted them to use it to find the murderers.

    “When my granddaughters did not return home on February 14, we searched around and at 9 p.m., we went to the Lakhani police station to lodge a complaint. But our complaint was registered only at 1.30 am next day,” the girls’ grandfather–who helped raise them–said.

    Police have organized several investigation teams for the case and, as of this week, had three suspects in custody for interrogation. But, they say, that doesn’t mean the men are the suspects. They are also looking at people who knew the family, saying they suspect the girls knew their killers.

  • Lou Myers Dies: “A Different World” Actor Was 77

    Lou Myers, who played gruff but lovable Mr. Gaines on “A Different World”, has died. He was 77 years old.

    Myers also appeared on “The Cosby Show”–from which “A Different World” was spun off–and often credited Bill Cosby with helping him get a foot in the door in the acting world. He later appeared on Broadway in productions of The First Breeze of Summer, The Piano Lesson, Oprah Winfrey’s Color Purple and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

    The West Virginia native also took on several film roles, appearing in flicks like “Tin Cup” and “The Wedding Planner”, and he also sang jazz and blues with a touring company called “Negro Music In Vogue”. His achievements on screen and stage earned him a place in the Appalachian Education Initiative’s list of 50 “Outstanding Creative Artists” from the state of West Virginia.

    Myers reportedly had been ill for several weeks and was in and out of the hospital with pneumonia complications earlier this month. After his heart stopped on Tuesday, doctors were able to revive him, but he went into a coma and passed away a short time later.

  • Vegas Strip Shooting Ends In Fiery Crash; 3 Dead

    A shootout on the Vegas Strip turned deadly for a driver and two innocent people who were in the wrong place at the wrong time early Thursday morning.

    Vegas police say a suspect in a black Range Rover began shooting at the driver of a Maserati in front of Bally’s Hotel and Casino; the driver was killed, and the Maserati crashed into a taxi, causing an explosion and the death of the taxi driver and a passenger.

    “There was a loud bang and I hear two other booms. I looked out my window at Caesars Palace … and could see a fireball,” said witness John Lamb.

    One report says that there were five cars involved in the shootout/crash, and that several people were injured. Investigators are still at the scene of the crash and say they are looking for a black Range Rover with dark tinted windows and distinctive black rims. They don’t believe anyone else was shooting.

  • Shia LaBeouf Quits Play Because Of Alec Baldwin

    Shia LaBeouf has certainly become vocal about what he wants in the past year, and has moved far past his Disney Channel roots into full-frontal nudity/acid trip/Baldwin feud territory.

    Since last summer, LaBeouf has been trying hard to make a name for himself that isn’t tied to his child acting past, appearing in a Sigur Ros video wherein he does interpretive dance and shows us his anatomy and then following that up with a part in a Lars Von Trier film that depicts graphic sex scenes. Later, he admitted that he readied himself for another film, “The Necessary Death Of Charlie Countryman”, by tripping on acid.

    Now, LaBeouf is adding another link to the crazy chain by quitting a Broadway production of The Orphans less than a month before the show premieres because he doesn’t get along with Alec Baldwin–which in itself isn’t too hard to believe–and then posting emails between himself and the director on Twitter.

    In one email, he prefaces an apology by talking about what makes a man a man and mentions Mark McGuire as a shining example of what not to do.

    “A man owns up. That’s why Mark McGuire is not a man. A man grasps his mistakes. He lays claim to who he is, and what he was, whether he likes them or not,” he wrote.

    The show’s director, Daniel Sullivan, said, “Alec is who he is. You are who you are. You two are incompatible. I should have known it. This one will haunt me. You tried to warn me. You said you were a different breed. I didn’t get it.”

    LaBeouf also tweeted about putting his hand through a wall while rehearsing the show, so now we’re all curious as to what exactly happened on that stage. A source told The Daily News that LaBeouf is inexperienced onstage “and treated the role like he was an action star on a movie set”.

    See his audition here.

    shia labeouf quits

  • Woman, 104, Lies About Age For Facebook

    A woman who will turn 105 years old in April is having to lie about her age on Facebook because the site doesn’t allow user birthdays to surpass a certain point.

    Marguerite Joseph says she uses Facebook mostly to stay in touch with family which is scattered across the country, but is frustrated by the fact that she has to input her age as 99 due to a glitch in the system. Mrs. Joseph’s granddaughter, Gail Marlow, helps her update her profile on the site and responds to messages since her grandmother is legally blind. She says when she tries to update Mrs. Joseph’s birthdate to 1908, it’s automatically changed to 1928.

    “All of our family members always asked how grandma was doing on my Facebook page,” said Marlow. “So I decided I would set up a page of her own so she could stay connected to her family in Canada…every time I tried to change the settings to the right year, Facebook always came back with an unknown error message and would send us right back to a year she wasn’t born in. I would love to see her real age on Facebook, I mean in April she’s going to be 105. It’s special.”

    Marlow says she’s messaged Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, about the issue. Facebook released a statement soon after regarding the glitch.

    “We’ve recently discovered an issue whereby some Facebook users may be unable to enter a birthday before 1910. We are working on a fix for this and we apologize for the inconvenience.”

    Mrs. Joseph isn’t the only person to have a problem putting down their correct age on the social media site; last year, 105-year old Maria Colunia Seguar-Metzgar had the same issue.

    Images: Facebook

    Mrs. Joseph at 16

    woman, 104, lies about age

  • Couple Finds $11,000 On Bridge, Return It

    A California couple who were having a romantic Valentine’s date in San Francisco got more than they bargained for when a trip to the Golden Gate Bridge turned up a windfall.

    Carlos and Barbara Landeros said they found a camera bag unattended at Vista Point and, because the iconic spot was so crowded with tourists, decided to stand guard over it in the hopes that someone would come and claim it. After almost an hour, no one had come forward.

    Barbara and her husband decided to look inside the bag and were astonished to find not only camera equipment, but a huge wad of cash and credit cards. The total amount of money inside was $11,060.

    “I got nervous at first, it could be drug money,” Barbara said. “I was scared.”

    Rather than keep the money for themselves, the couple turned the bag in to the police. The credit cards were traced to a Chinese man who was on a trip to California with some family, and it turned out the money belonged to different members. The man was ecstatic, to say the least, when he got the call about their property and sent the couple a reward for being honest. He was given the bag on his last day of the trip.

    Barbara Landeros said she is a big believer in Karma and is glad they decided to do the right thing. Besides, she says, it would have haunted her had the owner not been found.

    “So my heart is rested now because the people got their money and their bag,” she said.

  • Blind MLB Pitcher Gets Rave Reviews At Training Camp

    Juan Sandoval is one of the brightest talents to take the field at training camp for the Tampa Bay Rays, but his arm isn’t the only thing the other guys are curious about; behind the sunglasses he usually wears is a right eye rendered completely blind by a tragic act of violence.

    When Rays starter Matt Moore asked whether Sandoval could be accurate with only partial vision, Jake McGee–Sandoval’s throwing partner during training–assured him he is.

    “You can’t even tell when you’re playing catch. He’s got a really good arm. Comes out strong. And it jumps.”

    Sandoval says that despite overcoming the physical pain and heartbreak from losing the eye–and retraining himself on how to pitch and catch–he doesn’t want to be looked at any differently on the field. He’s there to do one thing, and according to those who have seen him on the field, he does it awesomely.

    “What happened is not something I’m carrying all the time, wearing on my chest so people can know,” Sandoval said. “I don’t think about it. I’m just a normal player here. I don’t know how many – 50 players here? I’m one of 50 in the clubhouse. I’m a normal person, a normal player. I don’t like coaches or nobody giving me credit – or limits.”

    Sandoval’s story is incredible, though, which makes it difficult for anyone who meets him to not be completely impressed by how far he’s come. In 2006, Sandoval was at a restaurant with his wife when a man who had been kicked out of the establishment returned with a shotgun to get revenge. The blast hit Sandoval, who was just 25 years old at the time, in the right eye with three buckshot pellets. The next year would be spent in a slow recovery, and the doctors gave him the difficult news: he would never see out of the eye again despite a 7-hour long surgery.

    He began slowly retraining himself, getting his bearings in order to throw and catch accurately with only half his eyesight, and later spent time in the Mexican League after being rejected by multiple organizations. But eventually, his talent would catch up to him, and it got him noticed.

    “I’m betting this: The fact that he has limited vision is why he hasn’t been signed,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “Because when you look at body, arm stroke, results the last couple years, he should’ve been signed now. Somebody would’ve given him a chance if he had two fine eyes.”

    It looks like that chance could very well be on its way, as things are looking great for Sandoval as he trains with the team.

  • Mario Lopez’ Daughter To Be A Big Sister

    Mario Lopez is all set to be a proud papa once more, announcing on “Extra” recently that he and wife Courtney are preparing to add to their family.

    The couple already have a daughter, Gia, who is 2 years old and excited to become a big sister. The toddler appeared with Lopez when he made the announcement, wearing a “Big Sister” t-shirt.

    “I am the happiest father in the world. We cannot wait to welcome baby Lopez number two into our lives,” Lopez said.

    The announcement coincides with another big announcement released this week: Lopez has been invited back as co-host of “The X-Factor”, while Khloe Kardashian has not. The news comes after some viewers complained about the chemistry the pair had, saying Kardashian seemed uncomfortable and awkward onstage.

    video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player

  • Kim K. Pregnancy Shoot: Pics Posted On Instagram

    Kim Kardashian may be the exact literal opposite of Kate Middleton in every way. The reality star recently posed for DuJour Magazine and wasn’t afraid to show off her “baby bump” in the process, wearing a bikini and throwing in a bit of old-Hollywood glamour in black-and-white shots with a flower in her hair.

    Kardashian, who has been in the headlines quite a bit recently owing to a nasty divorce that just won’t die as well as the baby news (rapper Kanye West is the father), posted some of the pics on Instagram as a teaser for her fans. Have a look below.

    Images: DuJour Magazine/Kim Kardashian/Instagram

    kim k pregnancy shoot

    kim k pregnancy shoot

    kim k pregnancy shoot

  • Fifth Beckham Baby: David Says Maybe

    David Beckham and wife Victoria have been speaking publicly recently about the possibility of expanding their brood, and it’s pretty adorable.

    Of course, it’s hard to hate on anything Mr. and Mrs. Posh do, since they have magically discovered how not to alienate people despite being impossibly gorgeous and impossibly rich. The couple’s fan base is eager to hear more about a fifth Beckham child, especially after Victoria was overhead talking about a “Paris baby” during New York Fashion Week and commenting on how she’d love to have another little girl.

    After three boys, the Beckhams finally got a little princess when Harper was born in 2011, and they both reportedly want another.

    “Harper is 7 months now. I can’t even look at her without welling up. After having three boys, you just assume that you’re going to have another boy, but when we got told she was a little girl, it was amazing,” David said last year. He was hinting even then that while they weren’t actively thinking about having another baby, it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.

    “We might have one more or two more, you never know. We’re not thinking about it yet, but if it happens, great… we’re busy people and we’re enjoying the four kids that we’ve got already and we’re lucky, we’re lucky to have four healthy children.”

  • Taylor Swift Sued For Keeping Millions After Canceled Event

    Taylor Swift has always seemed like an untouchable princess in the world of celebrities; she may have a long list of boyfriends and songs about said boyfriends, but in the end it doesn’t matter because she’s Taylor Swift. She has long, Venus-like hair and probably never does anything as gauche as perspire or belch. That’s why, when news made it’s way around the web that she was being sued, her collective fan base perked their ears up like a confused Scooby-Doo.

    Swift is indeed being sued by Florida-based FIRE USA, Inc., a ticket company which claims she accepted $2.5 million in advance of a concert in Canada that was eventually canceled and then never rescheduled a performance. Their claims came only after they were on the receiving end of another lawsuit by Evo Merchant Services, a credit card company looking to cover the losses they suffered after thousands of ticket holders demanded refunds.

    Reps for Swift say she didn’t make a deal with the ticket company, however, and that she hasn’t seen the lawsuit yet. It might be a while before this one is resolved.

    Of course, there are some–including One Direction fans–who appear to be unsympathetic…

  • Trump Threatens Suit Over “Dump Trump” Petition

    “Trump threatens” seems to be a headline we’re seeing a lot of these days. Whether it’s a threat to sue Bill Maher over a joke or a threat to drop a bombshell about President Obama, the tycoon hasn’t been afraid to speak out about his opinions…or promise to do something about them.

    The latest story in the Trump saga is that he’s threatening to sue a man who began a petition back in December to get Macy’s to drop the millionaire from their ads. Trump’s lawyers sent a letter to the petition’s creator, Angelo Carusone, demanding that he drop it or face a lawsuit to the tune of $25 million.

    “While you claim to be merely exercising or right to free speech, your egregious, premeditated and illegal conduct far exceeds anything protected by the Constitution. Rather than simply engage in lawful protest, you have apparently made it your mission to interfere with and intentionally disrupt Mr. Trump’s longstanding and well-established business relationship with Macy’s as well as his contractual dealings with other third parties through mob-like bullying and coercion,” the letter reportedly states.

    But Carusone isn’t buying it, especially as he began the petition months ago and Trump seemed not to be fazed by it. When asked about the petition November, Trump said, “The fact is that there’s a large group of people who like Donald Trump and what Donald Trump says. I have no regrets.”

    Carusone replied to Trump’s letter with one of his own, saying, Your letter repeatedly asserts, without any factual basis, that Carusone has exaggerated the extent to which members of the public have endorsed his boycott effort; you also contend, again without being specific, that Carusone casts Trump in a false light. There is a well-established First Amendment right to advocate a boycott over policy-related objections … I have no reason to believe that there is a tort of exaggerating the public support for a political campaign. If there were such a tort, I imagine that most candidates for public office, no doubt including your client, would be liable at one point or another.”

  • Chuck E. Cheese Killer Denied Execution Appeal

    The man dubbed the “Chuck E. Cheese” killer has been denied a chance to avoid the death penalty once again, meaning an execution date is imminent.

    The Colorado Supreme Court rejected Nathan Dunlap’s appeal, which was based on a lack of evidence regarding his mental state being introduced in his 1993 trial. Dunlap, who was 19 at the time, walked into a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant and shot four of his former co-workers to death; he also shot a fifth employee, who survived and later named Dunlap as the shooter. Dunlap was convicted of first-degree murder, attempted murder, robbery, theft and burglary and has made several attempts to have his death sentence overturned. According to attorneys, this was his last chance.

    An execution date can’t come soon enough for the families of the slain; Bob Crowell, whose 19-year old daughter Sylvia was one of the victims, said he just wanted to see it come to an end after so many years.

    “It left a big hole in our family, of course,” he said. “And 13 1/2 years is way longer than the process should take. Slow justice is no justice. Don’t get me wrong. I am not a violent type guy. I just think the public deserves justice.”

  • Women Hid Boy For 8 Years, Convicted Of Kidnapping

    Two Texas women who allegedly abducted an 8-month old boy and kept him out of the public eye for eight years have been convicted.

    Gloria Walker and her daughter, Krystle Tanner, were sentenced to prison on Tuesday–30 years for injury to a child/eight years for kidnapping for Walker, and eight years for kidnapping/eight years for reckless injury to a child for Tanner. Both sentences will be served concurrently.

    Walker and Tanner were accused of kidnapping Miguel Morin when he was an infant, then hiding him by keeping him out of school and denying him medical care for the next eight years. Their defense argued that Miguel’s mother had given him away to the women after neglecting him, but the jury didn’t buy it.

    “If Ms. Walker and Ms. Tanner had a right to little Miguel, why wasn’t he in school?” District Attorney Kevin Dutton said during his closing arguments. “Why didn’t you get the rest of his immunizations? Why didn’t you take him to the dentist? They knew they didn’t have that right. They knew they couldn’t put that baby out in the public eye.”

    The women were caught after an investigation of Tanner, whose own infant tested positive for marijuana in 2010. She was linked to Miguel–who had been renamed Jaquan at that point–because she used to babysit him. The mother/daughter pair still insist they did nothing wrong and voiced their innocence as they were taken away from the courtroom yesterday.

    “Justice is not served. We have not hurt no child. We loved and cared for him,” Walker said.

  • Down Syndrome Death Ruled Homicide By Asphyxiation

    When 26-year old Robert Saylor went to the movies last month to see “Zero Dark Thirty”, he liked it so much he wanted to stay in the theater for another showing. Saylor, who was living with Down syndrome, garnered the attention of theater managers, who called police when he wouldn’t leave without buying another ticket. The responding officers forcibly removed him from the theater and, in the process, Saylor was forced to the ground and handcuffed. Officers say he suffered a “medical emergency” which required them to remove the cuffs and seek help. He was pronounced dead shortly after.

    It is believed that Saylor succumbed to “positional asphyxia”, which can be caused during an arrest if a suspect is forced to the ground and, in a panicked state, struggle and can’t catch their breath. However, sheriff’s office spokesperson Cpl. Jennifer Bailey said in a statement that it’s important for them to gather all the details about the cause of death before moving on with the case. For now, the officers involved are still actively working, but they may be put on administrative leave.

    “He just loved unconditionally everybody,” Patti Saylor, Robert’s mother, said. “He has never had anyone put their hands on him in his life. He would not have been doing anything threatening to anybody.”

    Saylor said her son had no pre-existing medical conditions that would have contributed to his death.

  • Toddler Trapped In Washing Machine Has To Be Cut Out

    A toddler in China found herself in a precarious position recently when she was left to play unsupervised at the home of a family friend.

    The girl somehow climbed into a washing machine and got herself stuck from the waist down, prompting her mother to call the fire department to help get her out. When their attempts failed, the men were forced to literally cut her out of the machine, saving the day. They allegedly distracted the little girl with candy to calm her nerves, but no doubt her mother needed more reassurance than she did.

    Watch the rescue below:

  • Family Of 7 Kidnapped By Islamic Extremists

    A French family of seven was kidnapped at gunpoint on Tuesday in Cameroon by a group being identified as Islamic extremists. Authorities say they have helicopters flying over the area in an attempt to locate the family, who are tourists.

    Witnesses said the family’s vehicle got stuck in the sand, and while they were prone, a group of armed men rode up on motorbikes and forced them to leave the vehicle. Many saw the whole thing, but were frightened into inaction because the men threatened to kill them. The family includes three adults and four children, but names and ages haven’t been given at this time.

    Officials say a natural wildlife preserve often attracts tourists to the region, which make it a prime target for kidnappings for ransom and other crimes. French president Francois Hollande says that French tourists are putting themselves in a dangerous situation by visiting West Africa, because the country is engaged in a military campaign there to expose jihadists and stop them from a northern takeover.

    “I see the hand of (Nigerian militants) Boko Haram in that part of Cameroon. France is in Mali, and it will continue until its mission is completed,” Hollande said.

    On Sunday, another kidnapping claimed seven victims in nearby Nigeria, for which the al-Qaida-linked group Ansaru took responsibility. That group has yet to be found. A statement from the group said the kidnappings were in retaliation for “the transgression and atrocities done to the religion of Allah by the European countries in many places, such as Afghanistan and Mali.”

  • Girl Catches Fire In Hospital: Hand Sanitizer Involved?

    A girl who mysteriously caught fire while in the hospital for a head injury is making headlines this week, although the incident happened earlier this month.

    Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland, Oregon held a press conference this week wherein they talked about 11-year old Ireland Lane, who suffered third-degree burns on a large portion of her body after her shirt mysteriously ignited in her hospital room. She jumped out of bed and ran from the room, where her father reportedly smothered the flames. Unfortunately, the fire caused serious injury to the girl, burning her chest, neck, arms, and earlobes on the very day she was to be released from the hospital. She is, however, expected to recover and is undergoing skin grafts to repair the damage.

    Officials say they are investigating whether Ireland’s use of hand sanitizer to clean off a rolling bedside table–on which she had been painting a wooden box as a departing gift for her nurses–paired with static electricity to ignite a spark.

    Amazingly, Ireland is also a cancer survivor. Her father says he is overwhelmed by how strong his daughter is.

    “She’s quite a tough one. She’s been through more than any child I’ve ever heard of, and to still walk around with a smile on her face and enjoy the things of the day that are going on, and be a kid is to me pretty amazing,” Stephen Lane said.

    This isn’t the first time hand sanitizer has been blamed for igniting flames, but investigators say they’ve never heard of the alcohol-based product causing a fire of this magnitude. There has been speculation that Ireland may have used a large amount of the sanitizer and then wiped her hands on her shirt before it was dry. Stephen Lane worries that more people don’t understand the risks of using similar products.

    “As readily available as hand sanitizer is nowadays, and how everybody sends it to school with their kids, it makes me much more worried,” he said.

    3M, the company that makes the brand of sanitizer used at the hospital, doesn’t want customers to worry.

    “When used as directed, it is entirely safe,” said spokeswoman Donna Fleming Runyon.