Bush was told by wife to choose between fatherhood and booze

London, May 26 (ANI): Former American President George W Bush’s new book ‘Decision Points’ starts with an anecdote about his wife trying to convince him to quit drinking and choose fatherhood over alcohol.

The former leader admitted it was the crucial moment that triggered his journey to presidency.

He confessed that he asked himself whether he loved booze more than his wife, Laura.

Speaking at the American Wind Energy Association conference in Dallas, he said that the book focuses on some of the most important decisions he has made in his life.

“The sad thing is you don”t get do-overs. You”ve got to make the calls. I got some right. I got some wrong,” the Telegraph quoted him, as saying.

Bush hopes to place readers in his shoes by sharing his experience as the President.

He added: “I don”t think you can come to a definitive conclusion about a presidency until the passage of time. I want to put you in my position.”

He admitted that life had changed after his exit from the White House.

Recollecting a moment when he was walking his dog Barney through his new neighbourhood in Dallas, he said: “There I was. Former president of the United States, with a plastic bag in my hand, picking up what I had been dodging for eight solid years.”

The book is set due to be out in November. (ANI)

Partying Kiwi mum, 26, leaves baby in unlocked car for 5hrs

Wellington, May 20 (ANI): A Kiwi woman left her 3-week-old daughter sleeping in an unlocked car for five hours as she went on a booze binge at a nearby house.

Her 5-year-old son is also said to have been in her Subaru Legacy station wagon. The boy reportedly went to find his mother and fell asleep at the house, reports the New Zealand Herald.

The occupants of a house in Tourmalin Place, in the South Auckland suburb of Wiri, called cops on Wednesday night to say the car parked in their driveway had a baby inside.

According to detective Senior Sergeant Dave Pizzini, the residents knew who the woman was, even though they didn”t know her personally.

Cops found the woman, 26, at a house about 50m away.

She was “in an extremely intoxicated state, to the extent she had to be assisted to walk back to her car”.

Her son was asleep in a bedroom at the house but the woman had no clue about his whereabouts, Pizzini said.

The two children will remain in the care of a Child, Youth and Family foster family over the next few days while the incident is investigated.

The mother appeared in court on two charges of abandoning a child aged under 6, which carries a maximum penalty of seven years” imprisonment. (ANI)

LiLo makes bail for missed court hearing, avoids jail

New York, May 21 (ANI): Lindsay Lohan, who was issued a warrant for missing a mandatory court hearing, escaped an arrest by making bail.

Los Angeles Superior Court spokesman Allan Parachini said a bond was posted for the 23-year-old but her lawyers preemptively handled the troubled starlet’s bail.

The “Mean Girls” actress had made an excuse of not being able to attend the court hearing because she had lost her passport in France at the Cannes Festival.

Earlier, Superior Court Judge Marsha Revel had lashed out at Lohan — ordering her to cough up 100,000 dollars to stay out of jail and submit to stringent drug and booze testing, reports the New York Post.

“If she wanted to be here, she could have been here,’’ said Revel, who ordered Lohan to steer clear of all alcohol and booze once she touches down on US soil. ‘‘She was ordered to be here — and she”s not here.’’

The judge has issued an order that Lohan will have to wear a booze-sensing ankle bracelet and submit to weekly, random drug tests, as soon as she makes bail.

‘‘If they can do it more often [than once a week] fine,’’ Revel said.

Although Lilo’s lawyer stuck by her, she admitted she wasn’t aware of her travel plans.

“She has a life as an actress,”” Shawn Chapman Holley said. “She doesn’t consult with me with what she has to do with her business.”

LA County Sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore said bench warrants like the one handed down by Revel are typically enforced when the fugitive is busted for another crime such as a traffic stop.

‘‘She will be treated just like everyone else who is entered into the system for a warrant, a bail of 100,000 dollars,’’ he said.

But the lawman wouldn”t rule out the chance that Lohan could be arrested.

‘‘As soon as the person is notified or recognized by law enforcement, that person is subject to immediate arrest,’’ Whitmore said. “That is potentially a possibility.” (ANI)

Keith Richards develops lemon passion after dumping vodka!

London, May 15 (ANI): ‘Rolling Stones’ guitarist Keith Richards has revealed his passion for citrus fruits.

The veteran rocker has grown a tree after planting pips from a lemon he bought in a supermarket.

Now, he disclosed on a US TV chat show that it has produced citrus fruit “bigger than grapefruits”, reports the Sun.

The star – who gave up his favourite tipple vodka when he quit booze at the start of the year – even germinated the tree””s flowers by hand.

“Somebody told me that in the winter, when the flowers come up, you””ve got to germinate them,” he told chat show host Jimmy Fallon.

“So I end up with a little paintbrush, going round every flower. I wanted John Belushi””s bee outfit.

“I had nothing else to do – so what do you do when you””ve got nothing to do?” he explained. (ANI

Frequent booze tied to faster HIV disease progression

Washington, May 14 (ANI): HIV disease progresses faster in infected individuals who down two or more alcoholic drinks a day, claims a new study.

The study has been published in AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

The article, entitled “Alcohol Use Accelerates HIV Disease Progression,” clearly demonstrates that frequent alcohol use, defined as two or more drinks daily, is associated with declining CD4+ cell counts (which indicate a weakened immune system) in individuals with HIV disease who either are or are not receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Based on the results of a 30-month prospective study, the authors, Marianna Baum, Carlin Rafie, Sabrina Sales, and Adriana Campa, from Florida International University (Miami), Shenghan Lai, from Johns Hopkins University, and John Bryan Page, from University of Miami, Florida, conclude that alcohol has a direct effect on CD4 cells and that the accelerated decline in CD4+ cell counts in frequent alcohol users is not simply due to poorer adherence to ART in this population. (ANI)

Kate Moss ‘wants to have a baby with Jamie Hince’

London, May 13 (ANI): Kate Moss is trying to clean up her act so that she can start trying for a baby with Kills guitarist Jamie Hince, it has emerged.

In fact, the stunner has hired a hypnotherapist to help her kick booze and fags, reports The Sun.

A pal said: “Kate is aware that she smokes heavily and probably drinks a little too much. So she has been to see a Harley Street therapist to help her break those habits.

“Jamie is keen to start a family and Kate knows that it would be wise to try to conquer her vices before she gets pregnant again.

“She”s really been enjoying her sessions and has already begun to see the benefits.

“Her daughter Lilahas been hinting that she wants a sibling and Jamie has made it clear that he”d love to be a dad.

“Now Kate is coming round to the idea of having another child and the first step on the process is to cut out her bad habits.” (ANI)

Anthony Hopkins’ saviour reveals how he beat booze by aiding others

London, May 10 (ANI): The man who helped save Sir Anthony Hopkins battle his booze nightmare has revealed how he came to the star’s rescue.

Clancy Imislund, a former alcoholic who helps the homeless battle their addictions in Los Angeles, has spoken of how he came to the Oscar-winning actor’s aid when he was still coming to terms with life without alcohol after quitting the bottle in the mid-Seventies.

“I knew he was an actor but he wasn’t as big then as he is now. I’d just been straight a lot longer than him and decided I’d teach him the little technical things to help you get through the problems of everyday life without wanting to take a swig of the strong stuff,” the Daily Express quoted Clancy, 83, as saying.

The Welshman’s drink problem took hold when his stage and film career started taking off in the Sixties.

And the actor finally took things in his hands after his move to the US in December 1975 when, after waking up hundreds of miles away from his home in an Arizona hotel room with no recollection of how he got there, he decided to quit the bottle for good.

Hopkins went on to join Alcoholics Anonymous and it was there that he met Clancy, who offered him a piece of advice that ensured he would not fall off the wagon.

Clancy is a former advertising executive whose career was wrecked by drink before he rebuilt his life to become managing director of the Midnight Mission.

“The thing with alcoholism is that it makes you very self-obsessed, it’s all ‘me, me, me,’” explained Clancy.

“Put 10 guys in a room and, by next week, maybe six will be gone. But I could tell Tony really wanted to stick with it. So I told him if he really wanted to help himself, the only way to do it was to help others,” he added.

Hopkins, now 72, went on to become a volunteer at the Midnight Mission.

Each Christmas he hands out presents to the homeless and has even taken time out to teach free acting classes.

“It’s funny. We have film nights here and one time we showed Silence Of The Lambs. So as a surprise I asked Tony to come down and tap a few people on the shoulder at the end and say ‘Hello’ in that voice he does. You should have seen their faces. They were like, ‘Arrggh!’ He got a real kick out of that,” said Clancy. (ANI)

Gordon Ramsay sued for unpaid wine bill

London, May 5 (ANI): TV chef Gordon Ramsay has been slapped with a lawsuit over an allegedly unpaid wine bill.

The Hell’s Kitchen star was forced to shut shop and file for bankruptcy in 2009 because of the economic downturn.

Despite staying aboard by pumping 5 million pounds of his own to pay debt collectors, his business empire has crashed because of a series of bills and legal issues.

And now, he’s facing a lawsuit from a U.S. wine merchant, Wineberry America LLC, for failing to settle a 27,267-pound bill for a shipment of booze delivery to his New York restaurant, The London NYC.

The suit names Ramsay, The London NYC and his equity backers the Blackstone Group as defendants. (ANI)

Jack Tweed ‘sleeps with glamour model after a night out’

London, May 03 (ANI): Just days after vowing to change his wild ways, Jack Tweed has ended up sleeping with a scantily clad model it has emerged.

Tweed went to bed with the glamour model at a pal’s luxury flat in London’s swanky Mayfair soon after he made an emotional visit to dead wife Jade Goody’s grave to apologise for his bedroom frolics, reports the Daily Star.

Jack has publicly admitted to being a “fool” and vowed to change his raunchy lifestyle so that he could regain access to Jade’s children, Bobby, six, and Freddy, five.

But he slipped between the sheets with a glamour model after yet another booze orgy on the London club circuit.

A source said: “He’s like: ‘I’ve been in jail for how long?

“I haven’t had sex in ages and all these birds wanna sh*g me. I’m a 22-year-old guy and I want to get on with my life.

“He is going to play the field. This is the first girl since the court case, but it won’t be the last. I’m sure there’ll just be loads now,” the source added.

Jack’s spokesman said: “Jack was out with a group of eight people. They all went back to a friend’s house and slept over.” (ANI)

Jack Tweed ‘to celebrate freedom with orgy of booze and sex in Spain’

London, April 28 (ANI): After being cleared of rape, Jack Tweed is planning to celebrate his freedom with an orgy of booze and sex in Spain.

Jack says he wants to lead a normal life and party hard.

“I just want to lead a normal life. I want to graft, earn some money and have a holiday,” said Jack.

Jack, 22, and his mates will be joined by a group of sexy girls, led by model Lauren Pope, 26, reports The Daily Star.

His friends claim that he is desperate to go on a holiday for a trip after being stuck in the UK for the past two years as he was jailed in September 2008 for attacking a 16-year-old boy with a golf club.

Jack was recently accused of raping a 19-year-old student along with one of his friend but was released by jury. (ANI)

Computer games ‘as addictive as booze, drugs’

Melbourne, Apr 28 (ANI): Computer games can be as costly and debilitating as drug and alcohol dependence.

In a study by the Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, conducted online among 1945 participants, 8 per cent were identified as problem gamers.

The volunteers who were part of the study admitted to gaming for extended periods, had fewer friends in real life and had even lost a significant relationship due to excessive play, reports The Herald Sun.

Other problems extended to craving more play time, and restlessness or irritability if they couldn”t get back to the controller.

Psychiatrist Guy Porter, who co-wrote a paper based on the survey”s findings for the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, said: “Any pleasurable activity has the potential to become addictive or to form a repetitive pattern of use.

“Games are very enjoyable and provide a very positive experience for most people who use them.

“But there are a small number of people out there – those who are playing for eight hours plus a day – who have got a problem with it.” (ANI)

Jordan fuels pregnancy rumours with baby party

London, April 26 (ANI): Glamour model Katie Price a.k.a Jordan and her husband Alex Reid held a ‘BaByQ’ party for close friends amidst rumors that the couple are expecting their first child.

Katie threw the party after reunited with her ‘two babies’ Junior, four, and Princess, two, after being apart for more than two weeks, reports The Daily Star.

And sccording to sources, Katie did not booze and went to bed by 8 pm sparking rumours that she is expecting a child.

The 31-year-old media personality had earlier admitted that she is desperate to have another child.

“Kate had a BBQ with some close friends and family because the weather was nice and she had been away from two of the children be- cause of the volcano. It was a nice way to spend time with close friends and family,” Katie’s representative said.

The party was named ‘BaByQ’ since Katie had visited a top baby clinic for the second time.

Hours after returning from Egypt, the couple dashed to London’s posh Portland Hospital.

Brooding Katie never made her want of getting pregnant and start a family with Alex a secret. (ANI)

Nobody scrutinised Humphrey Bogart: Hasselhoff says of his alcohol addiction

London, April 24 (ANI): David Hasselhoff is so tired of the attention being paid to his alcohol related problems that he said in the olden days getting drunk used to be “normal” in Hollywood.

Hasselhoff, 57, has endured a public battle with booze for years and has been taken to hospital on several occasions, including for alcohol poisoning in October 2007.

But he is so put off by the scrutiny he is getting that he said no one ever gave screen legend Humphrey Bogart any grief.

“Back then things were different,” the Sun quoted Hasselhoff, who is currently in Germany to promote his autobiography ‘Making Waves’, as telling Bunte magazine.

“Back then every star smoked and drank. Think of Richard Burton or Humphrey Bogart.

“But nobody scrutinised them. Every kind of consumption was normal,” he added. (ANI)

V8 Supercars organizers ban bare breasts at Gold Coast 600 motor racing carnival

Sydney, Apr 24(ANI): V8 Supercars Chairman Tony Cochrane insists that the face of the Gold Coast’s motor racing carnival would undergo a significant change this year, as the organizers are trying to shed the event’s seedy, booze-fueled reputation and lure more families.

As part of the transformation, event organizers have even shortened the track to avoid nearby buildings, where women often bared their breasts during the event.

“We got rid of a lot of the high-rise buildings that didn’t do a very good job of policing the behaviour,” The Australian quoted Cochrane, as saying.

“We are not having any ratbag behaviour. We will have designated alcohol zones and family friendly areas where you can’t take alcohol and we’ll work closer with police and security,” he added.

The season began on February 19 at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit and will finish on December 5 at the Homebush Street Circuit in New South Wales.

The series is currently being led by reigning champion Jamie Whincup after he won all six off-shore races at the Yas V8 400, the Desert 400 and the Hamilton 400. (ANI)

Goa rape-murder victim Scarlett Keeling’s stepfather found dead in UK

London, Apr 17(ANI): Murdered British teenager Scarlett Keeling’s stepfather has been found dead at his flat in Torquay, Devon, a year after admitting he would “drink himself to death”.

Adam Foster, father of two of Scarlett’s younger siblings, was pronounced dead by paramedics on Monday after they went to his Victoria Road home.

Investigating officer Judith Dunn said that a cause of death has not been established, although a postmortem examination has taken place.

Foster, who helped raise Scarlett from the age of seven, had turned to booze after the 15-year-old was raped and killed in Goa in February 2008, The Sun reports.

Anjuna Beach shack workers Samson D’Souza and Placido Carvalho, who were arrested over charges of culpable homicide, sexual assault and destroying evidence, are on bail at present.

Scarlett had been on a six-month holiday in India with her mother, Fiona Mackeown, and other family members.

The initial police investigation concluded she drowned accidentally, but a second postmortem revealed the teenager had been attacked and raped.

A report from the government’s chief pathologist concluded that she had been held underwater for five to 10 minutes. (ANI)

Goa rape-murder victim Scarlett Keeling’s stepfather found dead in UK

London, Apr 17(ANI): Murdered British teenager Scarlett Keeling’s stepfather has been found dead at his flat in Torquay, Devon, a year after admitting he would “drink himself to death”.

Adam Foster, father of two of Scarlett’s younger siblings, was pronounced dead by paramedics on Monday after they went to his Victoria Road home.

Investigating officer Judith Dunn said that a cause of death has not been established, although a postmortem examination has taken place.

Foster, who helped raise Scarlett from the age of seven, had turned to booze after the 15-year-old was raped and killed in Goa in February 2008, The Sun reports.

Anjuna Beach shack workers Samson D’Souza and Placido Carvalho, who were arrested over charges of culpable homicide, sexual assault and destroying evidence, are on bail at present.

Scarlett had been on a six-month holiday in India with her mother, Fiona Mackeown, and other family members.

The initial police investigation concluded she drowned accidentally, but a second postmortem revealed the teenager had been attacked and raped.

A report from the government’s chief pathologist concluded that she had been held underwater for five to 10 minutes. (ANI)

Brit men prefer to spend cash on moisturizer rather than booze!

London, Mar 30 (ANI): British men prefer to spend money on moisturizer rather than booze, a study has found.

According to the survey, almost half of blokes would give up nights out drinking in favour of face creams, aftershave or a good razor, reports The Daily Star.

And a quarter spend as much on their looks as their girlfriends, according to a survey by Gillette.

Mike Shallcross, deputy editor of Men’s Health Magazine, said: “The findings are just further proof that British blokes have moved on from the old lager lout stereotype.”

As per the study, men in the UK are now spending 920million pounds a year on grooming products. (ANI)

Teen alcoholics causing an underage-drinking epidemic in Britain

London, Mar 29 (ANI): Britain is battling an underage-drinking epidemic, with thousands of under-18s being enrolled into rehab every year, according to medical experts and politicians.

New figures show that 8,000 under-18s are being admitted to A&E every year for drink-related problems.

Most of the teenagers only drink at weekends and it”s because, they think “it”s fun”.

Experts have found that adolescents are drinking to get drunk and so vodka is their tipple of choice.

“It is cheap and it gets you f***ed quicker,” the Sun quoted one Manchester teenager as saying.

However, they are not very keen on alcopops, for they don”t drink them as they don”t contain enough alcohol.

Troubled teens drink more often.

The drunk kids take huge risks with their safety. In fact, one girl jumped into the canal and another boy ran into a wall.

The teenagers say they feel free, uninhibited and brave.

These youngsters save their pocket money, or have Saturday jobs and then pool it all together to buy the cheapest alcohol on sale.

They also get cash from their parents by saying it is for the cinema or a McDonald”s.

To get their hands on the booze, the underage drinkers have fake IDs, older friends or they hang around outside off-licences asking people to buy it.

They say one in five people will buy booze for them.

Sometimes parents even buy their children alcohol because they know they will drink it anyway and want to have some measure of control.

The teenagers use the word “confidence” a lot when talking about why they drink.

They think that it makes them tell the truth, which they think would not be possible if they are sober. (ANI)

Chastened Flintoff now happier dropping kids to school than getting Punter out

Dubai, Mar 27(ANI): England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, the swashbuckling hero of the cricket field and star of famous booze-fuelled escapades, has sobered up to enjoy time with his family and his new interest in horse racing in Dubai.

Flintoff admits that he has identified his responsibilities, and explains that dismissing Australian skipper Ricky Ponting is nothing compared to getting the kids to school on time.

“There are different challenges in life. As much as getting Ricky out or getting a few runs was good, I’m far happier taking my kids to school,” The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Flintoff, as saying.

“It’s far, far more rewarding to see my kids grow up as opposed to doing some of the dodgy celebrations at Edgbaston or Lord’s or wherever it may be,” he added.

The 32-year-old also believes that cricket has allowed him to understand what is good for him and how he should enjoy his life.

“The thing about the cricket I found is that you can go out on the cricket field in front of 20 to 100,000 people and milk it. It’s something I’ve enjoyed. The adrenaline starts, the excitement. It’s almost theatre and you go out there and perform,” Flintoff said.

“But the other side is that I’m quite happy going home and closing the door and not seeing anyone, just spending time with my family and doing normal things at home with my mates. Cricket has allowed me the best of both worlds,” he added.

Talking about his new interest in horse racing, Flintoff said that he owns racehorses with his manager Andrew Chandler and golfer Lee Westwood.

“I don’t know a great deal about the finer things of horse racing, however I enjoy the event and I enjoy the day out. It’s become something completely different to what I”ve been used to,” he said. (ANI)

‘Eat and drink less, exercise more to prevent breast cancer’

London, Mar 26 (ANI): Women should eat less, cut down on booze and exercise more to prevent breast cancer, says an expert.

According to Carlo La Vecchia, head of epidemiology at the University of Milan, females should eat more fruit and vegetables and less fat and red meat, drink less alcohol and do more exercise, reports The Daily Express.

The expert told a cancer conference: “What can be achieved with breast cancer screening has been achieved.

“It’s time to move on to other things. It’s hard to lose weight, but it’s not impossible. The benefit is worth it.”

Ian Manley, a spokesman for Breast Cancer Care, said: “We would never want women to feel responsible for their breast cancer. It’s a complex disease.” (ANI)