Beyonce Knowles has posted a series of bikini shots from her latest holiday in Jamaica!
In-between performing her sold out world tour, the super star singer took some down time with her husband Jay Z.
Staying at the Trident Port Antonio Hotel, a luxury property featuring oceanfront villas, the pair enjoyed local water sports and spent time by the pool, as Queen Bee showed off some of her favourite swimwear.
Check out the snaps of Beyonce’s beach holiday here!
Divorce isn’t usually a happy time but you wouldn’t know it from looking at Miranda Kerr and Orlando Bloom.
The former couple have been photographed together more times since they split than the whole last year of their marriage.
Even reports Miranda was secretly dating Aussie billionaire James Packer didn’t stop the pair kissing in public on the weekend, after spending the whole day out in New York with son Flynn.
Surprisingly, Miranda and Orlando aren’t the only famous faces to have a happy break-up – all these stars are still very good friends with their exes.
Miranda Kerr and Orlando Bloom have been photographed together more often since they split than when they were married.
Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe spend most of their weekends together attending their kids’ sporting events.
Kate Winslet and Sam Mendes divorced in 2010 but they’re still close friends for the sake of their son Joe.
Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew divorced in the 1990s but still live together and have even joked about remarrying.
Michelle Bridges and Bill Moore split earlier this year but remain best friends and business partners.
Hugh Grant and Liz Hurley spent 13 years together and still consider each other “best friends” many years later.
Prince William is so close to his former love interest Isabella Calthorpe she was invited to his 2011 wedding.
Kate’s former high school boyfriend Willem Marx was also invited to the nuptials.
Kate Hudson and Chris Robinson split in 2006 after six years of marriage but are still close friends.
Bruce Willis and Demi Moore divorced in 2000 but still spend lots of time together, with and without their current partners.
Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards went through a bitter divorce in 2005 but are now best friends, with Denise even taking in Charlie’s children from a subsequent marriage.
Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton remain “best friends” years after their divorce.
Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz split in 2004 but are still very close, with Penelope sticking by Tom during his recent divorce.
Jude Law and Sadie Frost divorced in 2003 but still take holidays together as a family.
Courteney Cox and David Arquette split in 2010 but she continued to support him through several stints in rehab.
Jennifer Lopez and Marc Antony divorced in 2011 but remain close friends for the sake of their twins.
Nicole Kidman and Lenny Kravitz still socialise together despite splitting in 2003.
Madonna and Sean Penn had a tough divorce but have now become friends again, even travelling to Haiti together.
Rosie O’Donnell and Kelli Carpenter split in 2007 but still holiday together every year with their new partners.
Liz Hurley still considers ex-husband Arun Nayar her son’s father, even though they split in 2011 and the child’s biological father is billionaire Steve Bing.
Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz split in 2011 but are still photographed together nearly every month.
Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake split in 2006 but are so friendly they agreed to star in 2011 movie Bad Teacher together.
Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez split in early 2013 but say they will always “love and care” for each other.
Clint and Dina Eastwood split in August 2013 but they are still living together happily.
Fran Drescher and Peter Marc Jacobson divorced in the mid-1990s but remained so close they made a sitcom about their lives called ‘Happily Divorced’.
The Asthma Australia report also found nearly one in five women admitted they struggled to perform in the bedroom because of the condition.
The findings shine a light on an often overlooked aspect of asthma, which affects more than two million Australians. As a result, doctors are encouraging people with asthma to seek help with medication and treatment if their sex lives are suffering.
Researchers discovered asthma was impeding romance in other ways too: 37 per cent couldn’t keep up at nightclubs and bars, instead leaving early, while 33 per cent worried about wheezing at the movies or theatre.
The Live, Love Play report – to be launched as part of an interactive awareness campaign today – investigates the debilitating impact of asthma on everyday life.
It was a significant obstacle in family life, with 30 per cent of dads confessing they avoided playtime with their children because symptoms got in the way. More than a third of mums and dads said they’d run around more with their kids if they were able to – and one in six found it hard to carry their child for long.
In the workplace, more than half of sufferers had to take time off because of uncontrolled asthma at least once a year, while 35 per cent of professionals and almost 60 per cent of senior management believed their careers had been held back by it.
The findings highlight the heavy price of uncontrolled asthma, which experts believe can be ameliorated by seeking medical help.
More than 1000 Australians with poor asthma control took part in the survey, which found 29 per cent of men and 18 per cent of women had encountered problems in the bedroom because of their condition.
Michael Cowdroy died in a car crash and his organs gave six people a second chance at life.
In Australia, the final decision about the donation of organs rests with the family, even if a patient is a registered organ donor.
More often than not, shock and grief leave family members unable to uphold the wishes of their loved one whose loss they are still trying to accept.
Here, two mothers – one who donated her son’s organs after his tragic death and one whose sick son received a life-saving transplant – share their stories.
I donated my son’s organs
Ten years ago, Annie Cowdroy received the phone call that every parents dread – her only son Michael had been in a serious car accident while driving from Sydney to Tamworth to visit his girlfriend and was now in intensive care.
The next few days at the hospital were a complete blur – days ran into nights and it was all Annie could do to keep going.
“You literally live in hope and because he looks like he’s breathing, you think, ‘Right, this is great he’s going to wake up any minute’, but of course that didn’t happen,” Annie says.
“He had irreparable brain damage so it was probably something that you wouldn’t want him to survive anyway.””
Two days later, with the consent of his parents, Annie and Peter, Michael’s life-support machine was turned off. He was 33 years old.
When the question of organ donation came up, Annie knew exactly what to say. She and Michael had discussed his wishes a few years earlier, something she was very glad of in the fog of grief that enveloped her after his death.
Six people received an organ from Michael. His heart went to a 30-year-old woman, lungs to an 18-year-old boy, right kidney to a teenage boy, left kidney and pancreas to a 50-year-old diabetic man. Half of his liver went to a three-year-old girl while the other half went to a teenage boy.
Even now, so many years later, Annie can call the DonateLife Agency any time she wants to see how the recipients of her son’s precious gifts are faring – one even sent her a letter thanking her for a second chance at life.
“It was the most beautiful letter saying he was living an incredible life,” Annie says. “He was very grateful which was great for us because that’s all we wanted to know. “We wanted him to enjoy his life and not feel he had to be in touch with us all the time because of Michael. We wanted him to have a life of his own.”
October marked a decade since Michael’s death, and in retrospect, Annie feels she spent the first five of those years in oblivion. The 10-year anniversary has really hit her, and while she celebrates Michael’s birthday each year, he’ll always be thirty-three in her mind – her gorgeous son with his quick wit, cheeky smile and twinkle in his eye. She even misses the garbage bag of dirty clothes he would drop off for her to launder every week.
And while she is quick to point out that Michael was “no angel on this earth”, there are those who would beg to differ – the individuals who received the incredible gift of life from him. Mike gave life six times over. He is loved and deeply treasured, perhaps most by those who never had the chance to say thank you.
My baby needed a liver transplant
Karen Woodley and her husband Peter can still remember how good they felt when they welcomed their second child, a son named Thomas, into the world.
He was a beautiful, strong baby, much-loved by Karen, Peter and his 17-month-old sister Tamara.
But 15 days after Tom’s birth, Karen and Peter’s lives were turned upside down. Tom was showing signs of jaundice, and what had started as a cough in the morning developed into a nasty chest infection by the end of the day, with the newborn gasping desperately for air.
Karen rushed Tom to their local hospital on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. During their stay the paediatrician observed that Tom’s skin colour was becoming more yellow by the hour.
He was transferred to the Children’s Hospital at Westmead, where tests revealed he had an incurable congenital liver disease.
At five weeks old, Tom underwent surgery but the operation failed. By the time he was three months old, Tom was nearing acute liver failure. His only option was a liver transplant.
As Tom’s little life hung in the balance, the Woodleys spent an agonising month on the waiting list.
Karen Woodley’s son Tom when he was sick, and on Mother’s Day this year.
Karen Woodley’s son Tom when he was sick, and on Mother’s Day this year.
Karen Woodley’s son Tom when he was sick, and on Mother’s Day this year.
“We lived in the hospital at this stage, and everything was being done to keep Tom alive – to keep his liver functioning as best as we could,” Karen says. “We just waited, day in and day out, for news of a donor.”
After four weeks of waiting, a liver finally became available. The Woodleys were ecstatic, but quickly found themselves struggling with an avalanche of conflicting emotions.
“The minute I was told, ‘There’s a liver coming for Tom’ I was ecstatic for us because my boy was going to be given another chance of life but at the same time, somebody had lost their life and there is a family grieving,” Karen says.
“It’s so hard to stay happy and cheerful for what you’re about to receive when you realise why you’re getting this gift. Emotionally, it was exhausting and confusing.”
After a 12-hour surgery, Tom emerged from the operating theatre ready to face a whole new challenge – recovery.
Nearly seven weeks later, he was finally allowed to return home, where Karen finally had time to reflect on everything that had happened.
She decided to write a thank you letter to the donor family, which was passed on by DonateLife. There was no word back for about six months, but as Thomas approached his first birthday, a note arrived. It was from the mother of the donor and revealed the liver came from a teenage boy who was killed in a car accident.
The boy had told his parents he wanted his organs to be donated, but his mother revealed she struggled with the decision until she received Karen’s letter.
“My letter gave her peace of mind that she had done the right thing with her son’s organs, and I was very grateful to hear that, because obviously we’re thankful to her for the gift that she has given to us,” Karen says.
“But to hear her words and know that we’ve had an influence in her life, and to learn that we’ve helped her through a process of the grieving, was overwhelming.”
Accompanying the mother’s letter was a very precious birthday gift for Thomas – her son’s childhood teddy bear.
“The letter was a huge part of the closure for me of that little chapter of our journey because I knew she’d received my letter and was aware that we were so, so grateful,” Karen says.
“There is a bond there, even though I’ve never seen this person, I’ve never met this person, I’ve never spoken to the person. We’ve just exchanged one letter to and fro, and I just felt this amazing connection.”
The facts about organ donation in Australia:
The Australian Organ Donor Register is the only national register for people to record their decision about becoming an organ and tissue donor for transplantation.
One organ and tissue donor can transform the lives of 10 or more people.
Only around 1 per cent of people die in hospital in the specific circumstances where organ donation is possible.
In 2012, 354 organ donors gave 1052 Australians a new chance in life.
Around 1600 people are on Australian organ transplant waiting lists.
The most important thing that helps a family’s decision is their knowing the wishes of their loved one. 44 per cent of Australians do not know or are not sure of the donation wishes of their loved ones.
In Australia the family will always be asked to confirm the donation wishes of the deceased before donation can proceed. Less than 60 per cent of families give consent for organ and tissue donation to proceed.
Australia is a world leader for successful transplant outcomes.
It’s that time of year again when we turn our attention to those endless holiday to-do lists. If you haven’t kick-started your Christmas shopping yet, UNICEF Australia has the perfect online shopping solution. By purchasing an item from UNICEF’s range of charity items online, you can send gifts of good health, education or maternal and neonatal care to where they’re needed most.
UNICEF Inspired Gifts are real on the ground items sent to more than 190 countries where UNICEF’s workers have dedicated themselves to meeting the needs of vulnerable children. With each gift, a card is sent on your behalf to your friend or loved one, telling them of the charity gift ordered in their name.
But how are these gifts actually used? Here’s UNICEF Australia’s top five selling inspired gifts and how they’re used in the field.
1. Measles vaccines
Measles is a leading cause of death among young children, with an estimated 430 people dying each day from measles. Vaccination campaigns try to reach every child with measles and provide vaccinations as well as deworming medicine and vitamin A. Vaccinations are so important in countries like Guinea-Bissau, where a lack of sanitation, clean water and health facilities mean children are more susceptible to illnesses such as measles.
2. Polio vaccines
This year, Syria experienced its first polio outbreak in 14 years. Conflict and crisis often increases the risk of diseases like polio re-emerging, due to the collapse of health systems, lack of hygiene, lack of access for vaccinators and massive movements of refugees. UNICEF has launched mass polio immunisation campaigns in Syria and surrounding countries, going door-to-door and school-to-school to immunise children.
3. Story books
Every child loves a storybook. In Sierra Leone, UNICEF is using storybooks to help support children recover from years of civil war. Not only are they educational tools for many children whose education has been disrupted, they also support the reintegration of children who may have previously been involved in combat.
4. Micronutrient powder
Micronutrients are poured over a child’s food to enrich their diet and provide them with all the nutrients they need to grow healthy and strong. A lack of micronutrients can cause anaemia, birth defects and can affect a child’s growth development. In Bangladesh, a plain rice diet with few vegetables has a big impact on children’s health. UNICEF not only provides micronutrients to mothers, but provides training on healthy food and how to prepare it.
5. Footballs
Soccer fosters friendships and provides an active outlet for children living in camps, such as those internally displaced people in Haiti. A simple soccer ball not only brings children together but teaches teamwork.
Still searching the net for your Christmas presents? Give a gift that changes lives this Christmas. Browse the UNICEF Inspired Gift range.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will arrive in Australia for the first time later this month – but unfortunately this royal couple is made of wax.
Madame Tussauds’ famous waxworks of William and Kate touch down in Sydney on December 19 for a three-month stay.
The figures, dressed in the outfits the real royals wore to the London premiere of Warhorse in 2012, will be on display in Madame Tussauds Sydney in Darling Harbour for the summer months before travelling to other cities.
Spot the difference! The waxworks (right) and the real thing (left).
The waxwork royal couple will call Sydney home for three months.
The waxworks cost more than $230,000 each.
They took a team of artists four months to complete.
Kate’s hair alone took six weeks and was crafted from thousands of strands of human hair.
Australia is one of the first stops in a multi-country tour.
The figures have been on display in the royal room at Madame Tussauds London since April 2012.
It’s not the first time William has been made into a wax figure – this older model is still on display in London.
Lead researcher and geriatrician Associate Professor Jacqueline Close writes about what we need to do to ensure equality in care for these patients whose voices often go unheard.
Having had the privilege of practicing medicine and providing care to some of the most frail members of our society for 20 years, I never cease to be amazed at the diversity of hip fracture patients, each bringing with them a unique set of challenges and opportunities.
A hip fracture following a fall can be anything from a simple trip in an otherwise healthy and active person, to an event that signals the end of independent living or a terminal event in someone already nearing the end of their life.
Such is the intellectual challenge of providing care for a diverse range of our older population where patient preferences, priorities and expectations must be married with the science to optimise what is a traumatic and painful life experience for any older person.
Whilst individualised care is what we strive to deliver, there are clearly a number of systems and processes that must be in place to underpin service provision so as to give every individual the best chance of gaining meaning functional recovery.
Take time to surgical intervention as an example. The surgery offered to hip fracture patients is one of the best forms of pain relief for this condition. Unless there are medical problems that can be improved then there is no justification for delaying surgery and the scientific evidence would lead us to believe that potential harm comes from delay in the form of pressure sores, pneumonia and clots in the legs and lungs.
From a humane and scientific viewpoint it is unacceptable that surgery is delayed yet evidence from various sites across Australia highlight marked variation in achievement of the goal of timely access to surgery.
Some hospitals, including my own, prioritise the care of these patients to ensure that they are not “bumped” from operating theatre lists or repeatedly fasted and immobilised in the anticipation of surgery that then gets cancelled.
Another important area that impacts on outcome is who looks after these people. A hip fracture is rarely a fatal event. It is the medical conditions and complications that have the most influence of the final outcome, yet traditionally orthopaedic surgeons have been primarily responsible for care.
Orthopaedic surgeons are high skilled individuals whose strengths are in identifying and treating the fracture. However, few would claim to have the same level of expertise in the management of the conditions most likely to cause a poor outcome – heart failure, infection, delirium and dementia.
Evidence from our own research as well as from other centres across the world show that hip fracture patients do better when their care is provided in partnership by orthopaedic surgeons and geriatricians – fewer complications and fewer deaths.
Again this practice is not widespread across Australia but the picture is slowly changing and will be helped by the development of a national guideline for hip fracture care which is currently out for public consultation. Equally important will be the work being undertaken in some states in Australia.
Western Australia has already introduced a financial incentive to reward hospitals that provide high quality care against a number of agreed indicators whilst New South Wales is on the verge of releasing a set of standards of care for hip fracture.
Both these options offer a real opportunity to improve care of a population whose voice is not often heard.
Assoc Prof Jacqui Close trained as a geriatrician at King’s College Hospital in London. She moved to Sydney in 2006 and now combines a clinical and academic career at the Prince of Wales Hospital and Neuroscience Research Australia.
As well as her Academy Award-winning acting career Gwyneth Paltrow has tried her hand at blogging, and is now set to step into Oprah's shoes hosting a tear-jerking series focused on inspiring women.
Paltrow and her friend and trainer Tracy Anderson become life coaches and interviewers as they meet and are tearily touched by women who have overcome adversity.
“We’re inspired by women who have restarted their lives using health and fitness,” the 40-year-old film star says in the Restart Project promotional clip.
In the one-minute video, Gwyneth is seen embracing women after hearing their stories while giving sympathetic looks, and crying “you’re amazing” through tears.
Anderson describes the project as an opportunity to share the stories of women “who are incredible examples for other people”.
“They’re not focused on getting into their skinny jeans. They’re focused on healing themselves from the inside out,” the A-list trainer says.
The 38-year-old trainer is also seen comforting guests as they are brought to tears after sharing their stories.
The restart project, which will air on AOL on is a new concept for the celebrity pair who have previously collaborated in opening a blow dry bar in LA and have long been supporters of each other’s business endeavours.
Prince Harry on the Walking With the Wounded trek.
Harry is taking part in a charity trek across the Antarctic with a team of wounded soldiers for Walking With the Wounded, while at the same time another group, the Row2Recovery team, prepare to sail 3,000 nautical miles from the Canary Island to Antigua.
Wrapped up in his snow jacket and huddled inside a tent in the freezing cold, Harry took time out to offer support to the team of rowers, also including wounded servicemen, but the encouraging chat quickly turned to playful ribbing, AAP reports.
“It’s minus 30 here – apparently it’s plus 30 where you are!” Harry said to rowing team captain James Kayll.
Harry and his team have faced a few setbacks thanks to poor weather conditions, forcing them to delay the start of their race. So when Kayll pointed out his row would be “a little bit further than your walk”, Harry was quick on the defence.
“Yeah, but rowing 3000 miles is a hell of a lot easier than walking 300km by the way. FYI.”
The Prince told rowers to have “a really good time” and playfully warned them to “avoid the occasional great white shark coming underneath the boat”.
In an audio blog recorded yesterday from his base camp, Harry reported “all is good”, on the trek, but noted the team’s setbacks.
“There’s been a bit of bad luck here and there… time is quite tight on us now, it’s starting to hit us,” he said.
“A few people are starting to get a little bit worried, understandably so.
“But other than that, all is good. Godspeed.”
Prince Harry and his team are on the third day of their scheduled 16-day charity trek raising money for military charities.
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