Youngsters inspired at Sunderland's girls' football festival

Stars from Sunderland AFC Ladies team helped to inspire the next generation of female players at the North-East's biggest girls' football festival at Farringdon Community Academy this week.
Beth Mead and Rachel Laws, who helped the Black Cats win the FA Women's Super League 2 title last year, were on hand to watch the action and participate in coaching sessions with the players taking part in the tournament.
"It's been great playing with the girls and the Foundation have organized a fantastic event which gives female players an opportunity to get involved, learn new skills and meet new people," said 19-year-old striker Mead. "It's nice to see them enjoying their football and hopefully events like this will help the women's game to grow by inspiring girls to develop and progress."The event, attended by nearly 100 players aged 6-16 years, also gave the opportunity for the youngsters to take part in a referee workshop with top female referee Lucy May as well as honing and developing their skills with coaches from the Foundation of Light, Sunderland AFC's registered charity.Each participant has been given information about local coaching sessions and clubs who are looking to recruit players, but not all of them want to play football so we've offered taster refereeing and coaching sessions too," said Helen Byrne, Foundation of Light's Lead Women's and Girls Football Development Officer. "It's important everyone is made aware of all the avenues available to them."The Premier League Girls Football programme was launched in October 2013 and aims to encourage females aged 14 and over to take part in regular football activities. Sport England have invested £2.4 million into The FA for the specific development of the female game which has allowed 87 Premier League and Football League clubs to deliver the programme.

Be pure of heart, message to youth

“Dear young men and women, in Christ you find fulfilled your every desire for goodness and happiness,” he said. “He alone can satisfy your deepest longings, which are so often clouded by deceptive worldly promises.”

While concern for the purity of air and water is laudable, “how much more do we need to protect the purity of what is most precious of all: our heart and our relationships.  This ‘human ecology’ will help us to breathe the pure air that comes from beauty, from true love, and from holiness.”


“How beautiful it is to see young people who embrace the call to dedicate themselves fully to Christ and to the service of his Church.  “Challenge yourselves, and with a pure heart do not be afraid of what God is asking of you! From your ‘yes’ to the Lord’s call, you will become new seeds of hope in the Church and in society. Never forget: God’s will is our happiness!”

Return with tears to God's loving embrace during Lent, pope says


 Lent is a journey of purification and penance, a movement that should bring one tearfully back to the loving arms of the merciful Father, Pope Francis said at an Ash Wednesday Mass that began with a procession on Rome's Aventine Hill.


When a priest places ashes on one's head or forehead, he recites: "Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return" or "Repent and believe in the Gospel."

Both, Pope Francis said, are "a reminder of the truth of human existence: We are limited creatures, sinners always in need of repentance and conversion. How important it is to listen and accept these reminders."

In his homily before the ashes were distributed, the pope encouraged Catholics to ask God for "the gift of tears in order to make our prayer and our journey of conversion more authentic and without hypocrisy."

The day's first reading, Jl 2:12-18, described the Old Testament priests weeping as they prayed that God would spare their people. "It would do us good to ask, do I cry? Does the pope cry? Do the cardinals? The bishops? Consecrated people? Priests? Do tears come when we pray?"

In the day's Gospel reading (Mt 6:1-6, 16-18), Jesus warns his disciples three times against showing off the good works they do "like the hypocrites do."

"When we do something good, almost instinctively the desire is born in us to be esteemed and admired for this good action, to get some satisfaction from it," the pope said. But Jesus "calls us to do these things without any ostentation and to trust only in God's reward."


The Lenten call to conversion, he said, means returning "to the arms of God, the tender and merciful father, to cry in that embrace, to trust him and entrust oneself to him."

During the 40 days of Lent, he said, Christians should make a greater effort to draw closer to Christ, which is why the church recommends the tools of prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

But, he said, "conversion is not just a human work. Reconciliation between us and God is possible thanks to the mercy of the Father who, out of love for us, did not hesitate to sacrifice his only-begotten son."


Pope Francis prayed that Mary would accompany Christians in their "spiritual battle against sin" and would accompany them in their Lenten journey so they could exult with her at Easter.

The operation making paralysed walk for their first time

The operation making the paralysed walk for their first time

A pioneering treatment has helped a paralysed man walk again. In the video above, the scientist who developed the therapy tells the story behind the breakthrough.

Around 2-3million people worldwide have spinal cord injury. When the spinal cord is injured every part of the body is paralysed below it and without sensation.

But now scientists have achieved a remarkable feat. For the first time a cell transplantation treatment has allowed a man paralysed from the chest down to get up from his wheelchair and walk.

The pioneering therapy takes the regenerative cells that repair and renew our sense of smell, and uses them to form new connections to form in the damaged spinal cord. Thanks to this, 40-year old Darek Fidyka from Poland, who suffered his injuries after a knife attack, can now walk using a frame.

The man who has spent decades developing the procedure is Professor Geoffrey Raisman, chair of neural regeneration at University College London's Institute of Neurology. In this video he describes his tireless journey behind the achievement, how it works, and why he thinks no-one should have to pay a single penny for his achievements.

SR-71 Blackbird: How to fly the world's fastest plane

During the Cold War, the US Air Force operated the world's fastest air-breathing aircraft - the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. Colonel Rich Graham tells BBC Future what made it so special.

It was a plane which flew at the edge of space; so high that most other jet engines would seize because of the lack of air. A plane that flew so fast that its airframe heated and grew during flight. A plane that, if needed, could outrun missiles launched to bring it down.

READ: Amazing stories of the Cold War's ultimate spy plane

The Lockheed SR-71 was a product of airplane maker Lockheed's Skunk Works, a secretive project which came up with some of the world's most advanced aircraft. It was designed after the loss of a U-2 spyplane over the Soviet Union in 1960 – a plane thought to fly too high to be shot down. The Blackbird would fly even higher, and at speeds of Mach 3.3 it would be fast enough to outrun any missile fired at it.

From 1966 until its last mission in 1989, the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird flew thousands of missions around the globe, photographing military installations from China to Egypt, the Arctic Circle to North Korea. 

Colonel Rich Graham flew the Blackbird from 1974 until the mid-1980s, first as a mission pilot and then as a trainer. He later took command of all Blackbird detachments – in California, Mildenhall in the UK and at Kadena on the Japanese island of Okinawa. He has also written several books about the aircraft.

Here he tells BBC Future about what made the SR-71 such a remarkable plane.

X-37B: Secrets of the US military spaceplane

Classified data

The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle is a US Air Force unmanned, space plane whose purpose is shrouded by secrecy. (Copyright: US Air Force)

As the US Air Force prepares for the third launch of its mysterious X-37B vehicle, BBC Future looks at what is known about the classified project.

In the early morning of 16 June, 2012, a top secret spaceplane made a picture perfect landing at the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. To those unfamiliar with the vehicle, it might have looked roughly similar to the US space shuttle, the manned spacecraft that shuttled astronauts into space for three decades.

But this spaceplane, called the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, is very different. While it looks like a plane, is launched on a rocket, has a cargo bay and uses some of the same technology as the shuttle, such as thermal shielding to protect it during reentry, it is smaller and unmanned. It is designed to stay in orbit for months on end and can automatically land back on Earth. Perhaps more crucially, the Boeing-designed plane is operated by the US Air Force and its mission is a closely held secret, prompting a slew of speculation about its true purpose.

Since the first X-37B was launched in 2010, amateur satellite spotters have carefully followed the robotic spacecraft’s orbit, while those unconnected with the program have speculated that the plane could be anything from an anti-satellite weapon to so-called “on demand reconnaissance,” shorthand for a spy satellite that can be placed over any country in the world. Compounding the mystery was the launch of a second vehicle in 2011, which stayed in orbit for 469 days, long exceeding the Air Force’s stated maximum requirement of 270 days for the spaceplane.

Now, a third launch is slated for 11 December, according to an Air Force spokesperson, once again ramping up the rumour mill. So, what do we actually know about the plane?

The mind-bending effects of feeling two hearts

Our top 12 stories of 2014. #9: When a man was fitted with a new heart, his mind changed in unusual ways. Why? The answer reveals a surprising truth about all our bodies, says David Robson.

Every second or so, Carlos would feel a small “bump” hitting his tummy. It was the beating of his “second heart”.

The small mechanical pump was meant to relieve the burden of his failing cardiac muscles, but Carlos (not his real name) disliked the sensation. The beat of the machine seemed to replace his pulse, a sensation that warped his body image: as the device throbbed above his navel, Carlos had the eerie feeling that his chest had dropped into the abdomen.

It was a strange, unsettling feeling. But when neuroscientist Agustin Ibanez met Carlos, he suspected even odder effects were to come. By changing the man’s heart, Ibanez thought, the doctors might have also changed their patient’s mind: Carlos would now think, feel and act differently as a result of the implant.

How come? We often talk about “following the heart”, but it is only recently that scientists have begun to show that there is literal truth in the cliche; the heaving lump of muscle contributes to our emotions and the mysterious feelings of “intuition” in a very real way. Everything from your empathy for another person’s pain to the hunch that your spouse is having an affair may originate from subtle signals in your heart and the rest of your body.

And the man who feels two hearts offered Ibanez, who is based at Favaloro University in Buenos Aires, a unique opportunity to test those ideas.

Banks to allow account access using fingerprint tech

Apple's TouchID, now to be used to access banking apps, was criticised after hackers managed to breach it

Two banks are allowing their customers to access accounts on their smartphones using fingerprint recognition technology, in a UK industry first.

RBS and NatWest customers must activate the feature with their security information, but would only need to use Apple's Touch ID thereafter.

The banks said that, after three failed login attempts, customers would have to re-enter their passcodes.

But a security expert expressed concern that Touch ID is not secure enough.

The banks, both part of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group, said that the feature would be available on the iPhone 5s, 6 and 6 Plus. Customers would have to enable the feature using their existing login details.

Some of the in-app features used to pay money that required additional verification would continue to do so and limits were set on new payments, the banks said.

Top 10 most read books in the world!!!

At the bottom of the list is The Diary of Anne Frank, with 27 million copies sold. Next on the ladder is the financial book Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, which is considered to be the most important financial book ever written. The author interviewed more than forty millionaires to offer up readers their knowledge on how to be successful and rich. So it's no surprise that this book is on the top 10.
That's closely followed by Margaret Mitchell's classic Gone With The Wind, which has sold over 30 million copies, just beating Hill's book by 3 million. Unsurprisingly, the next tome on the scale is the vampire teen series Twilight (well, you knew it was going to feature somewhere), with 43 million copies. To be honest, we're shocked it hasn't done more than that.
Number six on the list, is Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, followed by Paulo Coehlo's The Alchemist, and then Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. In the top three, J K Rowling takes third spot, with Harry Potter, and the second most read book is Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung, which is a selection of his speeches and writings when her was leader of the Chinese Communist Party. It was published from 1964 to about 1976 and widely distributed during the Cultural Revolution. Finally, the number one most read book in the world is the Holy Bible with a whopping, 3,900 million copies sold.
However, seeing as this was published in 2012, there's a high chance that one book may have knocked at least one off the list now. Of course we talking about E L James erotic novel, Fifty Shades of Grey. It's reported the series has now sold over 100 million copies.

Discover your treasure, share it with others, pope tells young people

 Everyone is born with a treasure chest of gifts and talents that they need to discover and share, Pope Francis told a group of young people with disabilities who explained to him how technology has brought them joy and helps them communicate.

Young people from six countries shared their stories with the pope and asked him questions during a Google Hangout, a live video conversation online.

  '' You help us understand that life is a beautiful treasure that has meaning only if we share," the pope told the young people.

Alicia, a 16-year-old amateur filmmaker from Spain, asked Pope Francis if he, too, likes to take photographs and upload them to his computer.

"Do you want me to tell you the truth," he asked the young woman with Down syndrome. "I am a disaster with machines. I don't know how to deal with a computer. It's embarrassing, isn't it?"
 
"What do you do when you face something difficult?" Bauer asked the pope.

"First, I try not to get angry, stay calm. Then I try to figure out how to do it, to overcome the difficulty. If that is not possible, I try to endure it until I have the possibility of overcoming it," he said. "We should not be afraid of difficulty. We are capable of overcoming anything, but we need time to understand, intelligence and courage to keep moving forward."


When you communicate with each other, giving the best of what you have inside and receiving the best from others, this is very important. When we do not communicate we are left alone with our limitations and this is bad for us."

Pope Francis ended the conversation with the young people by telling them and the thousands of other children watching online around the world, "All of you have a chest, a box, and inside there is a treasure. Your job is to open the chest, discover the treasure, develop it, give it to others and receive from others the treasures they offer."

Some people discover their treasure quickly, the pope said, but sometimes "it's like playing treasure hunt because it is not found easily. But once you find it, share it."

"Each one of us has a treasure inside," he said. "If we keep it there, closed up, it will stay there. If we share it with others, the treasure will multiply with the treasures that come from others. What I want to ask of you is that you do not hide the treasure that each of you has."

Lil Wayne Reportedly Suing Birdman & Cash Money for $51 Million

The beef between Lil Wayne and Birdman’s Cash Money Records has taken yet another turn for the worse.

TMZ is reporting that Lil Wayne has filed a $51 million lawsuit against his longtime rap mentor and surrogate father Bryan “Birdman” Williams and his Cash Money label on claims that they violated their longtime contractual agreement by not releasing ‘Tha Carter V.’

Wayne’s lawsuit also claims Birdman violated the terms of their deal by withholding tens of millions of dollars owed to him for the oft-delayed project. Since Cash Money refuses to pay up, Wayne believes it is within his power to cancel the contract.

In addition to the money and his freedom, Wayne also reportedly wants the judge to give him joint ownership of all Young Money recordings, including tracks from Drake, Nicki Minaj, Tyga and several others … plus he wants to take his Young Money artists with him so that they remain under his control.

If Birdman pays up, however, Wayne’s camp will allow Cash Money to release C5.

Wayne said Birdman promised him $8 million when he started recording the album in December 2013, and another $2 million when he completed the album a year later, but so far, he hasn’t received a penny for the project.

Drake drops surprise album on unsuspecting internet

Drake has been a busy boy. The rapper and ex-Degrassi star, who appeared in 15-minute art film Jungle, released earlier in the day, has just put out an unexpected album via Twitter. Drake linked to the collection, titled "If You're Reading This It's Too Late" via Twitter just before midnight ET. The project is 17 tracks long, features collaborations with Lil Wayne, Travi$ Scott, and PartyNextDoor, and is available on Spotify, SoundCloud, and on iTunes for $12.99.

Drizzy's appearance in Jungle earlier in the day, in which he walked around Toronto to the tune of new music, tipped off some fans to the imminent reveal of something Drake-related on the horizon. The surprise album drop is still a pleasant shock to fans, but it's certainly not unprecedented — the tactic was used most successfully by Beyoncé, whose self-titled fifth album captivated the internet when it launched without fanfare on iTunes in December 2013.

"If You're Reading This It's Too Late" comes almost six years ago to the day that Drake released his critically acclaimed mixtape, 2009's "So Far Gone." Back in July last year, he announced that his next album would be titled "Views From The 6," a reference to his nickname for his hometown of Toronto, which the rapper drops throughout Too Late. It's not yet obvious whether this latest release is that album renamed, or a stopgap until his next studio release.
Correction: Drake's "Views From The 6" refers to Toronto's boroughs, rather than the number of years since his last mixtape. Thanks to Twitter user Robonto and The Verge's unofficial Drake editor Micah Singleton for pointing that out.

Texas College football player, 21, charged with murder of transgender woman 'he was dating'

• Carlton Ray Champion, Jr, 21, of Longview, Texas, was charged on Monday with the first-degree murder of 24-year-old Tyrone Lee Underwood
• Underwood was found with gunshot wounds on January 26 in a crashed car and pronounced dead at the scene
• The murder suspect's father, Carlton Champion Sr, told police his son had planned to meet the victim, believing he was female, for a sexual favor

A Texas College football player has been charged with the first-degree murder of a transgender woman that he was reportedly dating.

Carlton Ray Champion, Jr, 21, of Longview, Texas, was charged on Monday with the murder of 24-year-old Tyrone Lee Underwood. 

Underwood was found with gunshot wounds on January 26 in the driver's seat of a car that had crashed into a pole when injuries caused the victim to lose control.

Underwood, who first responders said appeared to be a woman, was declared dead at the scene.  

According to KLTV, Champion and Underwood were in a relationship prior to the murder. 

Investigators found electronic evidence that the pair had planned to meet at the time Underwood was murdered around 2.30am. 

Social media also revealed documentation of the couple's sexual relationship.  

However, the murder suspect's father, Carlton Champion Sr, told police that his son had planned to meet the victim, believing he was a female for a sexual favor, People reported.

However police do not believe this to be the case and said the accused and victim had known each other for several weeks and had a sexual relationship.

Underwood had allegedly taken to social media and accused the college football player of seeing someone else before the fatal shooting. 

It is unclear where the 24-year-old transgender woman was shot.  However police believe that at some point Champion was in the car and that shots were fired both in and outside the car. 

Underwood's roommate told police said she had been dating a man called 'Carlton' for a few weeks. 

Champion Jr was arrested on January 29 by Tyler police department for violating his probation and held without bond at the Gregg County Jail.

The 21-year-old initially told police that he had not contacted Underwood after 11pm of the night of the shooting and did not leave his dorm. 

However text messages revealed that they had been in touch later and had planned to meet up. 

Blood was found on Champion's jacket, according to the arrest affidavit.  

The murder suspect has not entered a plea and was being held on $1million bond.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2949682/Texas-College-football-player-21-charged-murder-transgender-woman-dating.html#ixzz3RdyCLa6Q
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Fifty Shades of Grey Movie Banned in ‪#‎Kenya and Uganda

Fifty Shades of Grey Movie Banned in Kenya and Uganda

The Kenyan and Ugandan Film and Classification Board have banned the highly anticipated film, Fifty Shades of Grey