An expert has called 15-year-old William Gadoury’s claims about discovering a Mayan city ‘junk science’.
Earlier this week the Canadian teen made headlines when he said he happened upon an ancient Mayan site deep inside the Yucatán forest using nothing more than Google Maps, ancient Central American star charts and satellite images he had requested from the Canadian Space Agency.
William’s theorized correlations between the stars and the location of Mayan cities appeared to be supported by satellite imagery and the youngster was on his way to solidifying himself as a digital-Indiana-Jones-type until he drew skepticism from famed anthropologist, David Stuart.
Stuart, who was himself a Mesoamerican child prodigy after he interpreted a syllable in the Mayan language that had stumped researchers before him at just 15, has dismissed the Quebec boy’s find as “false” and called out experts who went to the press before checking his claims.
Dr Stuart took to Facebook to say after trying to ignore the claims, once the news made it to the BBC he felt it was time to say the science behind the find was bogus.
“The whole thing is a mess – a terrible example of junk science hitting the internet in free-fall,” said Dr Stuart who is the David and Linda Schele Professor of Mesoamerican Art and Writing at the University of Texas at Austin.
“The ancient Maya didn’t plot their ancient cities according to constellations. Seeing such patterns is a Rorschach process, since sites are everywhere, and so are stars.”
While it was claimed Gadoury’s find was a “city” – a site containing a pyramid and about 30 other structures, which the teen named ‘K’aak Chi’ or Mayan for ‘Mouth of Fire’ – Stuart says it’s something far less exciting.
“The square feature that was found on Google Earth is indeed man-made, but it’s an old fallow cornfield, or milpa,” he said.
Dr Stuart said that William was not the blame for the inaccuracies, saying he was “clearly smart and enthusiastic about archaeology and the Maya,” and it was the experts who should be more cautious.
“What steams me most here is the irresponsibility of ‘experts’ who sought the media exposure,” he said on his Facebook page.
Liz Ellis endured five rounds of IVF and three miscarriages before she finally gave birth to her miracle baby – but just days after she arrived home, massive blood loss triggered a midnight rush to hospital and a battle to save her life.
Liz opens up about her terrifying post-baby health crisis in the June issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly.
A week after bringing baby Austin home, Liz was in the bathroom of her Byron Bay farmhouse when she started bleeding.
“I went to the toilet and there was blood all over the place,” she says. “It was as though someone had been murdered in our bathroom
“One the ride to hospital I could feel myself bleeding and I kept thinking, ‘I don’t want to die, I can’t die – I have two children to care for!’”
By the time she got to hospital, Liz had lost about 1.5 litres of blood. Fortunately, doctors managed to stabilise her and before long, she was home with her beloved children again.
Read more of the this story and see all the gorgeous pictures of baby Austin in the June issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly, on sale Thursday.
A married Indian couple have welcomed to the world a healthy baby boy, Arman.
It was the first child for the 72-year-old woman Daljinder Kaur and her 79-year-old husband Mohinder Singh Gill.
Mrs Kaur went through multiple rounds of IVF for the miracle baby and gave birth by caesarean section last month. Little Arman weighed in at just 2kg.
She gave birth at the National Fertility Centre in Haryana, a facility that offers fertility treatment to women after menopause.
While Daljinder’s exact birth date is unknown to her, she says she is seven years younger than her husband, making her the world’s oldest mum.
Both farmers from Amritsar in Punjab, she and her husband had given up hope of having a child of their own and viewed it as a holy curse that they could never conceive.
She told the UK Telegraph: “Everyone asked me to adopt a baby but I never wanted to. Now I have my own child.”
**Trending video: Blake Lively shares her parenting tricks
Russell Crowe famously mused “I didn’t get married to get divorced!”, and now it seems he is ready to put a ring back on his finger.
This week the actor, who just celebrated his 52nd birthday (on Jimmy Fallon’s talk show no less), will feature in The Sunday Telegraph‘s Sunday Style magazine.
According to the glossy weekend mag, the Kiwi-born star will candidly discuss “how fatherhood has changed his life, and why, after four years, he’s finally looking for love again.”
Russell was married to his wife Danielle for nearly a decade.
Who that love may be is currently uncertain.
Of course, Russell’s most prolific relationship was with Aussie actress and singer, Danielle Spencer.
The couple were married for nine years before parting ways in 2012.
Despite their split, the duo have remained close for the sake of their two boys, Tennyson, nine, and Charles, 12.
Watch Russell surprise Danielle on Dancing With The Stars back in 2012 in the player below. Post continues…
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In fact for some time, many believed the pair would reconcile, with the former bad boy regularly citing his love and admiration for the mother of his kids.
“Technically we’re married. We are separated and discussing what that means,” the actor admitted to News.com.au just a year ago.
Around the same time, the pretty blonde echoed her former beau’s comments, telling The Telegraph that, “Obviously, I want to be on the best of terms with Russell.”
“We have kids together; we’ve been friends since we’ve been teenagers.”
The most telling comment came when she described the nature of their relationship, admitting, “We’ve been on and off and in and out of each of other’s lives for a very long time.”
Danielle and Rusty called time on their marriage in 2012.
If that’s not enough to sway you into thinking Rusty wanted to get back with his ex, then his chat with the UK’s Sunday Times, may provide a bit more insight into the brooding footy club owner.
“Once I commit to something, I stick with it, so you never know… I’ve loved Danielle Spencer since 1989; that’s never going to change.”
He may have loved the 46-year-old for the better part of two decades, but that hasn’t stopped The Good Guys heartthrob from enjoying the company of many other A-list ladies.
Over the years, the Oscar winner has been linked to everyone from burlesque beauty Dita Von Teese, actress Kim Basinger, Jennifer Connelly, local star Peta Wilson, Heather Graham and even Nicole Kidman!
He’s a man with a type… Peta Wilson, Heather Graham and Kim Basinger have all been linked to the star.
But brunettes Jennifer Connelly and Dita Von Teese also get an honourable mention!
As he gears up to star in the new Mummy revival beside Nic’s ex Tom Cruise, Russell joked to ET things may be a little awkward.
“I was really good friends with Tom from probably about ’92 or so until he got divorced,” he said.
Before showcasing his trademark humour, “When he got divorced, I was part of Nicole [Kidman]’s settlement and so we didn’t see each other.”
“Just friends” is Rusty’s favourite saying, especially when it comes to Nicole Kidman.
But it was Russell’s penchant for blondes that really had him smitten.
Who could ever forget the one before the one (aka his marriage to Danielle).
Yes, we’re talking about ’90s sweetheart, Meg Ryan, whom he dated from 1999-2001.
Clearly a delightful ex, following their split, Russell went on record saying, “Meg Ryan is a beautiful and courageous woman.”
The way we were… Now this was a Hollywood romance for the ages.
“I grieve the loss of her companionship but I’ve not lost the friendship. We talk all the time and that was what our connection was about. She has a wonderful mind and we just like a chat.”
With an attitude like that, it’s no surprise someone would want to snatch Russell up.
Most recently, he was linked to Julie Burgess, who is the mum of NRL players Sam, George, Tom and Luke – but both are adamant they’re just friends.
Rusty with another mate, Julie Burgess.
Not helping her stance on the matter, Julie did tell the UK media, “Russell loves being part of our family; he likes to look after us!”
After four years he may be a little rusty, but he’s funny, adored by millions and an all-round a pretty good bloke – we think Russell Crowe is more than ready to dive back into the romance pool.
Russell was immortalised in Sex and the City when Carrie and Miranda revealed that Mr Crowe was king of their fantasies.
After years of feeling self-conscious about her “wonky boobs” former Big Brother star Skye Wheatley headed off to Thailand last January for her “Bangkok boob job”.
She was beyond excited to finally be getting the cleavage of her dreams, and her Instagram account has since presented her as a body confident 22-year-old woman who loves to pose in skimpy outfits.
However, Skye reveals to NW that, despite appearances, her breast implants have left her devastated.
“I wanted to get them done so they would be symmetrical and because my right boob was a whole cup size smaller than the left one. They look OK in a bikini, but they’re really terrible underneath because I’ve now got a double bubble in the right one and they’re still different sizes – they’ve just swapped around,” she tells us.
“I’m even more self-conscious than I was before I had the surgery.”
The Gold Coast native was expecting to get her asymmetrical 10B/C breasts transformed into matching D-cups, hence her disappointment.
“They told me they were confident they would be able to get the size right, but two days after the surgery, I saw them in the mirror and they looked so different to what I’d hoped for,” says Skye.
Now, one year after the surgery, as she prepares to have her implants removed, Skye’s decided to warn other women about the dangers of breast-implant procedures
and opting to have them done abroad…
You’ve always seemed so confident about your body – why did you decide to have a boob job in the first place?
My right boob was a B-cup and the left boob was a C-cup. They just looked weird. Men had brought it to my attention, but I just wanted to get them sorted for me mostly.
What happened when you got to Thailand?
I had the consultation and the consultant told me they would put a certain amount of filling in my left boob and a higher amount in the right to even them out.
How did you feel after the surgery?
I woke up in so much pain. I had no idea a breast procedure would be so painful. I felt like a massive truck had been dropped on my chest.
I was in hospital for two days after the surgery with the bandages on and it was all so traumatic. I couldn’t even get up to go to the toilet I was in so much pain.
How did your mum feel about you getting the operation?
Mum was so stressed out about it and begged me not to go to Thailand. I didn’t really do much research, I didn’t pay enough attention to the complications and what could go wrong. I should have got them done in Australia and I wish I had got a few different opinions first. If you’ve got naturally symmetrical boobs, it’s going to be easier, but mine were more complex.
What was it like getting the bandages off?
When I finally got to take the bandages off, I just gasped and said, “This lump!” I was told, “That’s fine, it will go away in a month. You just need to massage it.” The surgeon was confident that once a bit of time had passed, I’d worn my compression bra and done all the massages that the lump would be gone and everything would be perfect.
The surgeon told us you didn’t follow recommendations for post-operative care. Did you do everything they told you to do?
Yes, I did wear the bra, even though it was really ugly, and I did all the massage, but the bubble just didn’t go away.
To find out what happened next, and what Skye’s doing about it now, pick up this week’s issue of NW, on sale now.
A new study from Denmark has found that being overweight might not be the health disaster that we’ve been led to believe.
The study, which was published in JAMA, found that people who were “moderately” overweight had lower rates of early death than people who were in the “normal weight”, “underweight” and “obese” categories.
Researchers from Copenhagen University looked at the height, weight and death rates of thousands of people at three different time periods since the 1970s.
They found that during the mid-1970s, those with the lowest death rates were a “normal weight” and the “obese” faced a 30% higher risk of early death. But now the threat to people’s survival from being obese was now almost negligible.
The authors of the study say the most likely explanation is that health systems are now much better at treating obesity-linked conditions, such as high cholesterol and blood pressure.
Lead investigator Prof Borge Nordestgaard said: “Our results should not be interpreted as suggesting that now people can eat as much as they like, or that so-called normal-weight individuals should eat more to become overweight.
“That said, maybe overweight people need not be quite as worried about their weight as before.”
Zoe Nicholson is a dietitian and owner of figureate consulting. She is also the co-founder of the moderation movement, who promote the principals of health at every size. She is not at all surprised by the JAMA study.
“There is lots of evidence to show that people can live long and healthy lives in larger bodies,” she says.
In fact, Zoe says that in some circumstances, having some extra body weight can actually be an advantage. For example, if an older person who has extra body weight has a fall, they are likely to recover faster than a person with no extra weight. “This is because the extra fat assists the body to heal as well as providing extra energy reserves at a time they’re needed,” she explains.
Although BMI is still wildly used, Zoe says that it’s not an accurate way to measure a person’s health.
“We’ve been high jacked with the idea that weight is a measurement of someone’s health – but what is much more important is a person’s physical fitness, mental health and social connectivity” she says.
And in terms of physical fitness, Zoe says that you don’t need to be participating in vigorous exercise to be in good health.
“Our bodies are meant to move – they don’t need to be running marathons they just have to move in all the ways you enjoy,” she explains.
Zoe believes that we have over simplified health to be about weight. Instead she says we should be focusing on changing health behaviors.
“If people are eating intuitively, being physically active and socially engaged then we know that those people can improve risk factor for disease. Research shows that blood sugar reduces, Cholesterol reduces, blood pressure reduces, and all of this happens independent of weight loss,” she explains.
On the flipside, Zoe says that when we focus on size then the issue becomes a vicious circle.
“When people are made to feel bad about their bodies they are less likely to look after them.”
Beyonce’s latest album might have been titled Lemonade, but it seems as if another fruit has stolen her attention.
Watermelon not only had a starring role in her hit song Drunk in Love, but now the juicy fruit also plays a shining part in her health regime.
The mother-of-one announced earlier this week that she has bought a large stake in WTRMLN WTR, a cold-pressed bottle of watermelon juice containing only three ingredients; watermelon rind and flesh and lemon juice.
“I invested in WTRMLN WTR because it’s the future of clean, natural hydration,” the star announced in a press release.
“This is more than an investment in a brand, it’s an investment in female leaders, fitness, American farmers, and the health of people and our planet.”
The fresh juice boasts only 3, mouth-watering ingredients.
The juice, which is referred to as a “sexy workout partner” and “bedroom friend”, promises to aid in the body’s muscular performance and recovery as it contains one third of your daily required dose of potassium – a mineral necessary for the function of all cells, tissues and organs.
The pink liquid also boasts ample amount of L-citrulline, an amino acid that aids in body’s cardiovascular health as well as lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that benefits respiratory health.
We understand why Beyonce loves this product! When you’re dancing as well as singing, the body sure needs some extra energy. Check out the Queen Bey do both with ease in the video player below! Post continues…
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Although fresh and healthy, Molly Kimball, a New Orleans-based dietician, has shared a particular health concern with Huffington Post about Bey’s new favourite beverage.
Whilst it’s true that the manufacturers add no artificial sugars into the product, a cup of watermelon in its juiced form still contains 12 grams of natural sugars. “And there’s not a lot of fiber in here to balance that out,” says the expert.
Sugar aside, the drink is lacking one very important electrolyte that is often lost in exercise; salt.
“The main electrolyte you’re losing during a sweaty workout is sodium.”
“If you’re losing a large volume of sweat during exercise, this [drink] won’t give you the sodium you need.”
The star, who admitted that she retains a vegan diet, has maintained a healthy figure throughout her career.
So what’s the takeaway?
Molly described WTRMLN WTR as a great option for those with a sweet tooth or a fab replacement for a fizzy drink.
She recommends pairing the juice with some protein such as nuts or a boiled egg in order to balance out the nutritional properties within the beverage, but not rely on it solely to replenish electrolytes lost in exercise.
We’re not sure about you, but after all of that we think these little juices would go very well on crushed ice with mint and vodka.
Woman's Day's very own Deputy Editor, Claire Isaac, is in Sweden for Eurovision where she chatted to the other Aussie making waves in the song contest.
Dami Im may be the Aussie that everyone is watching this weekend as Eurovision kicks off, but behind the scenes Alex Zabotto Bentley is another Australian making waves.
He’s a well respected stylist and a creative director – he’s worked with Lady Gaga, Prince and Kylie among others – and now he’s working with the Maltese entrant, Ira Losco, for Eurovision.
And, things just got even more exciting for Alex after Ira got through to the finals of Eurovision following a killer performance during Tuesday night’s semi-final.
Claire sat down for an exclusive chat with the man behind the magic of Ira’s costumes.
It’s not just Dami representing the nation in Stockholm.
2014 Eurovision winner Conchita and Guy Sebastian announced that Dami Im will represent Australia at this year’s competition.
Claire: How did it happen?
Alex: Well, Stephane Boko, who is one of the creative directors of Cirque du Soleil was asked to be part of the Maltese delegation to coordinate the performance and because I have worked with the people I have, and understand stage performance and taking stage outfit to a different level to enhance the performance, I got asked to do the role of creative director on this.
The first thing was to work on the video clip for her song Walk On Water. I worked with Australian designers and some Australian/Maltese designers and we flew to Malta and shot the video and it has been really well received. It became obvious we had the same sensibilities and they trusted my judgement and then they asked me to do the show.
Ira Losco of Malta performs a powerful rendition of Walk On Water.
And we can’t wait to see what designs Alex brings to the table.
Claire: What does it mean to be a style director for a Eurovision contestant?
Alex: What we do in terms of style direction is to make that person the best they can ever look. I want Ira to feel and look beautiful – she
is really a gorgeous woman, and a sex symbol and a big star in Malta, and it’s really been one of the most difficult yet most gratifying projects of my life.
As for Australia’s involvement in the competition as an entrant, Alex is delighted with our Dami.
Alex: Dami’s a knockout, I love her a lot, and Steven Khalil has done an amazing job with her dress. Australia is like a melting pot, it’s like a miniature Europe, it’s very valid that we’re involved and can vote – it’s really exciting for anyone who has any form of ethnicity in their blood, it’s exciting for us to be able to vote and support our home countries!
Claire: And who is your favourite to win?
Alex: I really believe there is a wealth of talent here… though of course at this point of the competition definitely my heart lies with Ira and Dami. But there is so much amazing talent. I walk around and hear them doing their vocal training in Russian or French or whatever, it’s wild. For a boy from the ‘burbs who grew up watching Eurovision, to be standing on the stage, it’s amazing!
Eurovision will be screened on SBS on Friday 13, Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 May
The luxurious, insanely big Caribbean property of the late Prince has gone on the market for a cool $12 million.
The music legend’s retreat is in the Turks and Caicos on a peninsula on the atoll of Providenciales – once named the world’s best island. It has 10 bedrooms, two private beaches and even a purple driveway.
The Purple Rain singer bought the property in 2010 as a getaway from his Paisley Park home.
The luxury home has a tennis court, gym, home theatre, pool, boat dock, tropical gardens, a two-storey guest house, plus a three-bedroom house for staff.
In her first appearance on the show since her marriage crisis hit headlines, Sharon Osbourne looked calm and composed as she confirmed she had indeed kicked Ozzy out of the house.
The Black Sabbath rocker is alleged to have cheated on his wife of almost 34 years with hairstylist Michelle Pugh. When the news was revealed earlier this week, a spokesperson for the couple confirmed Ozzy had moved out of their LA home – but Sharon has now revealed that Ozzy has since returned and she has moved out.
Today she returned to The Talk after taking a personal day, to clarify her feelings about the split.
“He’s given me an unbelievable life and he’s given me three gorgeous children and I love him,” she said, adding that she was still making up her mind as to whether the rift was permanent.
“I’m just trying to take it all in… and process it.”
Despite the stress of the split, Sharon went on to say that she was “doing great”.
“I really, really am. I’m honestly empowered and I have found this inner strength and I’m like, ‘What’s next’.”
In a cheeky touch, the star was sipping on lemonade as she made the statements – a cheeky nod to Beyonce’s hugely popular album which documents infidelity, Lemonade.
Ozzy himself released a statement about the rumours yesterday, denying any claims that a relapse was to blame for the separation.
“I have been sober for three and a quarter years,” he told E! News. “I have not touched drugs or alcohol in that time. Any reports that I am not sober are completely inaccurate.”
Sharon addressed the split saying she is “doing great”
Ozzy, 67, and Sharon, 63, first met in the ’70s just as Black Sabbath was beginning to rise to fame.
Sharon – the daughter of a music promoter and rock and roll entrepreneur – later became Ozzy’s manager, and was widely credited for breathing new life into his heavy metal career by establishing the Ozzfest summer touring festival.
The couple have had their fair share of ups and downs during their marriage, with Sharon revealing earlier this year that she had caught two of the children’s nannies “in bed with Ozzy” at different times.
“He’s out of his mind and he’s calling them his first wife, he’s calling them me,” she revealed, explaining that her husband hadn’t been sober at the time.
The split news came weeks after Sharon revealed she was bisexual, adding that it was too late to experiment now.
In 2013, they went on a temporary break after Ozzy had a relapse after years of staying sober, with Sharon telling her The Talk co-hosts at the time that she “never knew that he was using prescription drugs.”
“I knew he was drinking occasionally, but I didn’t realise to the extent,” she revealed.
Ozzy has also spoken out, saying he’s been sober for three year.
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