Abby Brammell

By FIONA ROBERTS

Half the size: Alex Respess reveals his astonishing weight loss next to a cardboard cut-out showing him at his heaviest, when he weighed 459lbs


When Alex Respess's mother died after a battle with cancer, she made one last request - for her son to be happy and healthy.

And now, four years later, the 23-year-old can proudly say he fulfilled his mother's dying wish after he lost almost half his body weight in just 12 months.

He showed off his astonishing transformation on ABC's Good Morning America today, where he revealed his new 243lbs figure next to a cardboard cut-out showing him at his heaviest, 459lbs.



Before and after: Alex Respess, left, at his first weigh-in a year ago, and right, today on Good Morning America after he lost an astonishing 216lbs


The audience gasped as he held up one of his old shirts, and showed how he could now fit his whole body into one leg of a pair of shorts he wore before he shed the pounds.

Mr Respess, of Duluth, Georgia, said: 'The one thing I think [my mom] would say is she's proud of the man I've become.

'Because I'm not that kid that was overweight that she remembers - now I'm grown up.'
He added: 'Now in her memory I am happy and healthy and helping my brothers get that way too.'


Inspiration: Alex Respess pictured with his mother, Kim, who died four years ago. She told him she wanted him to be happy and healthy


Last year he was literally double the size. After a lifetime of unhealthy eating, Mr Respess, an ardent baseball fan, was too big to play, and was too mortified to go out to eat after once breaking a chair at a restaurant.

He said:' I was very introverted, I just didn't get out there, now I have the confidence to talk to anyone, to do anything.'

So, in desperation, Mr Respess wrote to personal trainer Chris Powell, who agreed to help him on ABC's Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition.

At the beginning Mr Respess was so big he had to be weighed on a freight-scale, and could only enter his bathroom door sideways.


Morbidly obese: At the beginning of the programme, Alex Respess was 459lbs, and had to be weighed using a pair of freight scales


First he travelled to Los Angeles, where he began his training - and learned how to make a healthier turkey version of his favourite bacon cheeseburger.

For the next 90 days Mr Powell lived with Mr Respess at his Duluth home, staying with him for 24 hours a day to help him meet his initial target, of losing 100lbs in just three months.

At his first weigh-in, he missed his goal - and the prize of a season ticket to his favourite baseball team, the Atlanta Braves - by just three pounds.


Astonishing transformation: Alex Respess demonstrates how he can fit inside one leg of his old shorts, left, and disappears behind an old shirt, right


Strict regime: Alex Respess meets Chris Powell, who spent the last year training him. Mr Powell even moved into his Georgia house for three months


But after Mr Powell moved out Mr Respess began to struggle, and worked out less and less. He said it gave him too much time to think about his mother's death, and he was angry about his father's impending marriage to his new fiancée.

The turning point came three days after the wedding, when Mr Powell took Mr Respess to an Army base in Georgia for a 24-hour boot camp.

He said the encouragement from the other soldiers as he trained alongside them spurred him on, and he went away with a coin to symbolise his goal: 'Get to it and fulfill your mission!'


Desperate measures: Alex Respess even let the Army shave his hair off so he could attend a 24-hour boot camp. He described it as a turning point


By January, he had lost a whopping 195lbs, and was able to undergo skin removal surgery to complete the transformation.

The end of the programme shows Mr Respess attending a ceremony with all his family and friends at a baseball field where he used to play little league - the last time he thought he made his mother proud.

He officially renamed a corner of the field Kim's Corner in her honour, and as he celebrated his 216lbs weight loss said: 'That number means a new life.'







sourc: dailymail

By FIONA ROBERTS

Half the size: Alex Respess reveals his astonishing weight loss next to a cardboard cut-out showing him at his heaviest, when he weighed 459lbs


When Alex Respess's mother died after a battle with cancer, she made one last request - for her son to be happy and healthy.

And now, four years later, the 23-year-old can proudly say he fulfilled his mother's dying wish after he lost almost half his body weight in just 12 months.

He showed off his astonishing transformation on ABC's Good Morning America today, where he revealed his new 243lbs figure next to a cardboard cut-out showing him at his heaviest, 459lbs.



Before and after: Alex Respess, left, at his first weigh-in a year ago, and right, today on Good Morning America after he lost an astonishing 216lbs


The audience gasped as he held up one of his old shirts, and showed how he could now fit his whole body into one leg of a pair of shorts he wore before he shed the pounds.

Mr Respess, of Duluth, Georgia, said: 'The one thing I think [my mom] would say is she's proud of the man I've become.

'Because I'm not that kid that was overweight that she remembers - now I'm grown up.'
He added: 'Now in her memory I am happy and healthy and helping my brothers get that way too.'


Inspiration: Alex Respess pictured with his mother, Kim, who died four years ago. She told him she wanted him to be happy and healthy


Last year he was literally double the size. After a lifetime of unhealthy eating, Mr Respess, an ardent baseball fan, was too big to play, and was too mortified to go out to eat after once breaking a chair at a restaurant.

He said:' I was very introverted, I just didn't get out there, now I have the confidence to talk to anyone, to do anything.'

So, in desperation, Mr Respess wrote to personal trainer Chris Powell, who agreed to help him on ABC's Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition.

At the beginning Mr Respess was so big he had to be weighed on a freight-scale, and could only enter his bathroom door sideways.


Morbidly obese: At the beginning of the programme, Alex Respess was 459lbs, and had to be weighed using a pair of freight scales


First he travelled to Los Angeles, where he began his training - and learned how to make a healthier turkey version of his favourite bacon cheeseburger.

For the next 90 days Mr Powell lived with Mr Respess at his Duluth home, staying with him for 24 hours a day to help him meet his initial target, of losing 100lbs in just three months.

At his first weigh-in, he missed his goal - and the prize of a season ticket to his favourite baseball team, the Atlanta Braves - by just three pounds.


Astonishing transformation: Alex Respess demonstrates how he can fit inside one leg of his old shorts, left, and disappears behind an old shirt, right


Strict regime: Alex Respess meets Chris Powell, who spent the last year training him. Mr Powell even moved into his Georgia house for three months


But after Mr Powell moved out Mr Respess began to struggle, and worked out less and less. He said it gave him too much time to think about his mother's death, and he was angry about his father's impending marriage to his new fiancée.

The turning point came three days after the wedding, when Mr Powell took Mr Respess to an Army base in Georgia for a 24-hour boot camp.

He said the encouragement from the other soldiers as he trained alongside them spurred him on, and he went away with a coin to symbolise his goal: 'Get to it and fulfill your mission!'


Desperate measures: Alex Respess even let the Army shave his hair off so he could attend a 24-hour boot camp. He described it as a turning point


By January, he had lost a whopping 195lbs, and was able to undergo skin removal surgery to complete the transformation.

The end of the programme shows Mr Respess attending a ceremony with all his family and friends at a baseball field where he used to play little league - the last time he thought he made his mother proud.

He officially renamed a corner of the field Kim's Corner in her honour, and as he celebrated his 216lbs weight loss said: 'That number means a new life.'







sourc: dailymail

By JAMES TOZER

United in public: Stacey Giggs has so far stayed with the shamed footballer and the couple are currently out of the country as further revelations come to light


Reebok declines to comment if they are standing by him following claims

Rhodri Giggs could demand paternity test over possibility footballer is son's father

Brothers' aunt describes Ryan as: ‘a dirty dog’ with ‘no morals’

Ryan and Stacey cancel plush Spanish hotel break, opting to stay in private villa


Ryan Giggs could become the ‘new Tiger Woods’ as sponsors abandon him over his

alleged philandering, marketing experts believe.

They predicted that the firms which have helped amass a £34million fortune would react unfavourably to the wrecking of his family-man image.

And they warned that, unlike the golfer who still has a long career ahead of him, 37-year-old Giggs is unlikely to have enough time to rebuild his reputation before he ends his playing days.


More to come: Natasha Giggs is understood to have signed a six-figure tabloid deal following the revelation that she had an eight-year affair with Ryan Giggs, the brother of her husband Rhodri, pictured right


Giggs’s biggest deal, which has earned him £20million, is with the sportswear giant Reebok, but it declined to respond yesterday when asked by the Mail whether it would be standing by him.

The Manchester United star’s downfall came after he was revealed to have taken out an injunction forbidding reporting of an alleged relationship with former Big Brother contestant Imogen Thomas.



Big deal: Giggs' sponsorship with sportswear company Reebok has helped to earn him £20m


Then, at the weekend, his brother Rhodri’s wife Natasha revealed that she and Giggs had an eight-year affair.

She is said to have regularly slept with the £80,000-a-week star until April this year, during which time she and Rhodri had a son who will be five this summer.


Struggle: Marketing experts have said that Giggs will find it extremely difficult to recover his image in the time he has left in his playing career


The alleged affair raises the prospect that Rhodri could now demand a paternity test to examine the possibility that his brother is actually the father of the child.

‘He looks just like Rhodri – but then the two brothers also look very similar,’ a friend was quoted as saying.

The boy was born in August 2006, two months before Ryan and Stacey Giggs’s own son was born.

DNA testing experts confirmed that there would be sufficient markers in samples from brothers who were not genetically identical twins to establish paternity.

Rhodri fled abroad yesterday after apparently telling friends that his marriage is over.

Meanwhile, Ryan was due to stay, with wife Stacey, at their favourite hotel in Spain.

But the couple cancelled their room at the plush Marbella Club and are now believed to have switched to a more private villa.

A source at the exclusive resort told The Sun: 'Their booking was suddenly cancelled. It's a shock to hear of the trouble in their marriage.'


Serial adulterer: Tiger Woods lost several sponsorship deals when his affairs came to light


It was reported at the weekend that 28-year-old Natasha decided to speak out from a sense of betrayal after Giggs took out his ill-fated injunction to keep his alleged affair with Miss Thomas secret.

Marketing experts said firms would now be loth to associate themselves with him.

Along with Reebok, Giggs signed deals to publicise the Swiss watch firms Patek
Philippe and Cyma, car manufacturer Citroen and phone company Saudi Telecom.


Fleeing abroad: A tired looking Rhodri was driven from his £170,000 terrace home yesterday by his best friend, the actor Will Mellor


‘A little like Tiger Woods, he had this untouchable air about him, almost Mr Perfect – he was seen as a model professional and a really good guy.

‘Once that image goes, he’s likely to find his whole unique selling point has gone, too.’


Before the storm: Rhodri Giggs and his wife Natasha enjoy a meal on holiday



The Giggs boys: Rhodri, left, with brother Ryan as children. Rhodri is three years younger than his brother


source: dailymail

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Making history: Two of the climbers ascend the 'Wine Bottle' rock for the first time in Chad's remote Ennedi desert after travelling hundreds of miles across desert


If you blinked, you might miss these two intrepid climbers, looking like ants in a giant rock garden.

But they made history by being the first mountaineers to ascend an awesome formation in a remote part of Chad.

Untouched by humans, this is the stunning desert home to the stacks, arches and 1,000 feet walls of rock that dominate the Ennedi Plateau - long regarded as the holy grail of the climbing community.

'It's fair to say we were like kids in a candy store', said climber and photographer Jimmy Chin. 'This was like finding a new continent for climbers, literally. I was stunned at the rugged nature of the landscape.'


Climbing: James Pearson is seen making the first ascent of the 'Citadel' formation in the Ennedi desert in Chad


He travelled last December with a crack team from his home in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to the 20,000 square miles of virgin African climbing territory in central Chad that are reminiscent of Utah's Monument Valley.

Equipped with three trucks and provisions for three weeks, Jimmy, 38, and his team slept in the desert and braved armed bandits - just so they could make each climb there the first.

After flying 8,000 miles to the country, the team spent four days driving hundreds of miles across the desert on dirt roads to reach the remote and almost inaccessible Ennedi Plateau.

Occasionally, they would cross paths with nomadic camel troupes.


Is it much further? James Pearson climbing the Arch of Bishekele with the backdrop of the stunning Ennedi desert


'There was some element of a long shot about this, but you know if you go on a trip with Mark it is going to be difficult, it is going to pose problems, it is going to question you as a climber.'

Likening the journey into the wastelands of the plateau as like travelling back in time, Jimmy and the team came across the local people who spent their days hiding from the 38-degree heat in straw huts.

'Even in December the temperature was extreme,' said Jimmy. 'In summer the thermometer can exceed 47 degrees. '

Able to support themselves with petrol, food and shelter the adventurers were stunned when the open expanse of the desert exploded into the land that time forgot.

'Visually it was just like the canyon lands of Utah,' explained Jimmy.


Swinging time: An awesome shot of Alex Honnold and James Pearson rappelling off the Arch of Bishekele after climbing to the top


'We saw arches, stacks and walls that we knew had never been ascended before. This was a dream scenario, there was unlimited potential there.

'You are talking about 200ft high stacks, 1,000ft high walls, all there ready to be climbed.'

Faced with an enormous amount of choice, Jimmy and his team approached the Ennedi methodically. 'We decided to climb the 12 most impressive features we could see in the three weeks we had.

'We climbed the fabled Aloba Arch, which at 700ft tall and 300ft wide is the tallest free standing arch in the world.'

In the middle of their ground-breaking tour, the team faced off against possibly their greatest challenge - bandits.


Ready to rock: Crack climber Mark Synnott racking up gear for the ascent in the Ennedi desert which is located in a remote North African region of Chad


Jimmy said: 'At one point after a climb, all of us but James were confronted by a gang of four armed with ten-inch daggers.They were trying to edge us away from our cars, which were still some distance away.

'They were gesturing for our cameras and equipment, dressed in head scarves and they were extremely aggressive. James appeared on the scene off the side of one of the rock formations and I indicated to him to run back to the cars.

'I managed to document over 5,000 photographs during my time there and it was one of the pleasures of my life to be the first to explore such pristine and virgin climbing routes.'



Base camp: One of the climbing team gazes at the stars during the four-day drive across the desert to the Ennedi Plateau in Chad

source: dailymail

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Spectacular: A time-lapse photo shows lightning bolts striking around the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcanic chain in Patagonia


Flames reach up to the heavens as lightening flashes criss-cross the sky.

These extraordinary images show the full force of Mother Nature as a Chilean volcano erupts for the first time in 50 years.

Ash has been thrown six miles up into the sky and the South American government has ordered the evacuation of thousands of residents.

Winds fanned the ash toward neighbouring Argentina, darkening the sky in the ski resort city of San Carlos de Bariloche, in the centre of the country, and its airport has also been closed.



Nature's force: Lightning and volcanic fire is seen amid and underneath a towering cloud of ash. Puyehue volcano erupted for the first time in half a century on June 4


Incredible lighting bolts strike around the plume of volcanic ash and smoke


The dramatic scenes above the volcano makes an incredible cloud formation as smoke rises several miles into the air


The eruption in the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcanic chain, about 575 miles south of the capital, Santiago, also prompted authorities to close a busy border crossing into Argentina.

It was not immediately clear which of the chain's four volcanoes had erupted because of ash cover and weather conditions. The chain last saw a major eruption in 1960.
Local media said the smell of sulphur hung in the air and there was constant seismic activity.

'The Cordon Caulle (volcanic range) has entered an eruptive process, with an explosion resulting in a 10-kilometre-high gas column,' the state emergency office ONEMI said.


Above cloud level the plume looks like a nuclear bomb has just exploded with its mushroom cloud bursting towards the skies


As a precaution, the government said it was evacuating 3,500 people from the surrounding area.

This development is the latest volcanic activity to affect the country. Three years ago, Chile's Chaiten volcano erupted spectacularly for the first time in thousands of years, spewing molten rock and a vast cloud of ash that reached the stratosphere and was visible from space.

It also drifted over neighbouring Argentina, coating towns. Chile's Llaima volcano, one of South America's most active, also erupted that year and again in 2009.

Chile's chain of about 2,000 volcanoes is the world's second largest after Indonesia. Some 50 to 60 are on record as having erupted, and 500 are potentially active.


The ash makes driving hazardous as it creates a thick layer on people's cars



One could be forgiven for thinking this was a wintry scene covered in snow, but in fact it is all ash


It was the latest in a series of volcanic eruptions in Chile in recent years.

Chile's Chaiten volcano erupted spectacularly in 2008 for the first time in thousands of years, spewing molten rock and a vast cloud of ash that reached the stratosphere.

The ash also swelled a nearby river and ravaged a nearby town of the same name.
The ash cloud from Chaiten coated towns in Argentina and was visible from space.

Chile's Llaima volcano, one of South America's most active, erupted in 2008 and 2009.

Chile's chain of about 2,000 volcanoes is the world's second largest after Indonesia. Some 50 to 60 are on record as having erupted, and 500 are potentially active.


Caught in the sunlight: Beautiful but deadly, the toxic cloud turns fiery red in the sunshine as the eruption continues to belch ash skyward


Smiling lightning: As molten rock and gases are ejected from the core of the volcano below, what appears to be a 'have a nice day' face is formed from the electrically charged air


Protection: One man wears a gas mask to avoid breathing in ash


As darkness falls the centre of the Argentinian town looks like it could be a wintry wonderland in the Austrian mountains



A car drives through a street covered by ash from Chile's Puyehue volcano - 100 miles to the west - in the Argentine resort city of San Carlos de Bariloche


PUYEHUE VOLCANO - Threat To Thousands From Chilean Volcano


source: dailymail

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Uncovered: David Martines believes he has found a structure on the surface of Mars - by looking at Google Mars


We have all heard of little green men from Mars.

But now an American 'armchair astronaut' claims to have discovered a mysterious structure on the surface of the red planet - by looking on Google earth.

David Martines, whose YouTube video of the 'station' has racked up over 200,000 hits so far, claims to have randomly uncovered the picture while scanning the surface of the planet one day.


The white dot in the centre of the screen has set the blogosphere alight with rumours of a secret base


Describing the 'structure' as a living quarters with red and blue stripes on it, to the untrained eye it looks nothing more than a white splodge on an otherwise unblemished red landscape.

He even lists the co-ordinates 49'19.73"N 29 33'06.53"W so others can go see the anomaly for themselves.

In a pre recorded 'fly by' video of the object, Mr Martines describes what he thinks the station might be.

He said: 'This is a video of something I discovered on Google Mars quite by accident.

'I call it Bio-station Alpha, because I'm just assuming that something lives in it or has lived in it.


NASA and Google have both yet to respond to the 'finding', circled here


'It's very unusual in that it's quite large, it's over 700 feet long and 150 feet wide, it looks like it's a cylinder or made up of cylinders.

'It could be a power station or it could be a biological containment or it could be a glorified garage - hope it's not a weapon.

'Whoever put it up there had a purpose I'm sure. I couldn't imagine what the purpose was. I couldn't imagine why anybody would want to live on Mars.

'It could be a way station for weary space travellers. It could also belong to NASA, I don't know that they would admit that.

'I don't know if they could pull off such a project without all the people seeing all the material going up there. I sort of doubt NASA has anything to do with this.
'I don't know if NASA even knows about this.'


The infamous 'Face on Mars' image from 1976 caused a huge stir when it was released


The 'discovery' is similar to that of the infamous 'face on Mars'

Uncovered by the Viking 1 probe in 1976, a quirk of geography threw shadows over a small hill on the Cydonia region of Mars, making the inanimate rock look like a carved face.

The picture was heralded as proof of an alien civilisation by some but was dismissed as a mere trick of the light by scientists at NASA.

MailOnline has tried to contact both NASA and Goggle for a response to the image, but neither has replied.


Bio Station Alpha on Mars. The latest discovery by David Martines. Original Video


Interview with David Martines, the creator of the Utube video Bio Station Alpha.



source: dailymail

By RICHARD HARTLEY-PARKINSON

Bedraggled: Dogs from across the US flock to the beach to take part in the event


Hundreds of people took to a beach in the US over the weekend to cheer on a dog race of a different kind.

Rather than going for 'walkies' these incredible canines enjoy going for 'surfies' as they take part in the sixth annual Loews Coronado Bay Resort Surf Dog competition.

More than 60 dogs from across the country took part in the competition where they had 10 minutes to catch two decent waves.


The competition is in its sixth year at the Loews Coronado Bay resort


Taking a tumble: One unfortunate pooch goes for an early bath after falling off his board


They were then judged on their confidence level, length of ride and overall ability to 'grip it and rip it'. The winners then get the ultimate holiday at the resort along with exclusive bragging rights to being the best dog surfer.

There are three categories for small dogs, large dogs and tandem dogs. The most decorated dog was Abbie Girl, an Australian Kelpie, which won the small dog category and came third in the tandems section.

Money from the event goest to donorschoose.org where school teachers in San Diego can post classroom needs and request and receive funding for school supplies from private sponsors.


Despite its size, this young dog manages to keep control of its oversized surfboard


Champion: Happy with his days work, this dog sits on the beach enjoying the sun and all the attention


Three's not a crowd on this surfboard while another dog rests on its owners shoulders before heading into the water to catch more waves


Dogs and their owners competed in the annual Surf Dog Competition at the weekend


Surf dog Ricochet - Loews Coronado Bay Resort Surf competition


Dogs take to the waves for Californian surfing competition



source: dailymail