MaoBah - Interesting Health Topics, Celebrity News and Informational News

Michael Jackson, the charismatic musician who came to be known as The "King of Pop,’ has died at the age of 50.

 TMZ was the first to report the news, which has now been confirmed by Los Angeles Times and the Associated Press. According to reports, the pop legend suffered a cardiac arrest this afternoon and medics were unable to revive him. A TMZ source said Jackson was dead when paramedics arrived, while the Times says he was in a deep coma upon arrival.

According to a new research, vinyl floors can emit chemicals called phthalates and children who live in homes which have them are more likely to have autism. The study found an apparent connection between an environmental chemical and autism. The scientists were surprised by their finding because their research was not designed to focus on autism. As part of research investigating allergies and indoor pollutants, families were asked questions about flooring as part of research. The scientists found that four environmental factors are associated with autism: mother’s smoking, condensation on windows, family economic problems and vinyl flooring.

Infants and toddlers who have lived in places with vinyl floors are twice likely to have autism five years later.

Authorities said on Tuesday that a red notebook of 33 pencil drawings by Pablo Picasso has been stolen from a specially locked glass case in the Paris museum that bears the painter’s name. The book is said to be worth 8 million euros. The theft took place around Tuesday morning at the Picasso Museum; the glass case where the artifact was kept can only be opened with a specific instrument.

A police official who prefers to be unnamed says that a museum employee discovered the notebook missing Tuesday morning from display case. To make matters worse, there was no surveillance system in the room where the notebook was displayed. According to the Culture Ministry, the stolen shiny red sketchbook with the word "Album" inscribed in gold on the front dated from 1917 to 1924. The Picasso Museum is dedicated to the Spanish-born painter who was a founder of the Cubist movement and is the leading 20th-century artist.

In August 2007, French investigators recovered two Picasso paintings and a drawing worth a total of more than $66 million stolen from the home of the artist’s granddaughter in an overnight heist six months earlier. Two of three suspects were carrying the rolled-up canvases as police closed in. An art dealer tipped off the police after the theft at the luxury Paris apartment of Diana Widmaier-Picasso and suspected the thieves were looking to sell their loot.

In 1994, seven Picasso paintings worth around $44 million were stolen from a Zurich gallery. They were recovered in 2000, and a Swiss man and two Italians were jailed for larceny. The stolen paintings included Picasso’s "Seated Woman," and "Christ of Montmartre," which had been stolen from the gallery before, in the year 1991.

The market for stolen art is valued billions of dollars yearly.

Actor of the 1970s TV series "Kung Fu" David Carradine was found dead in Bankok. According to a new report, he was found hanged in his hotel room and was believe to have committed suicide.

A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy confirmed his death. David Carradine was 72 years old. The spokesman said that the embassy was informed by Thai authorities that Carradine died either late Wednesday or early Thursday, but could not provide further details out of consideration for his family.

It said Carradine was in Bangkok to shoot a movie and had been staying at the hotel since Tuesday. After failing to appear for a meal with the rest of the film crew on Wednesday, Carradine could not be contacted and his body was found by a hotel maid at 10:00 a.m. Thursday morning. The name of the movie is still not available.

A preliminary police investigation said that he had hanged himself using a cord for the room’s curtains and there is no sign that he has been assaulted.

I was going through the news today and found some funny news. A robbery took place at a convenience store in Long Island, New York. The store’s owner thwarted a robbery but ended up taking pity on the perpetrator who said that he couldn’t feed his family. The owner, whose name is Mohammad Sohail gave the man $40 and a loaf of bread.

A video posted by the Newsday newspaper on its website showed a masked man carrying a bat as he entered a convenience store after midnight and demanded money.

But when Mohammad Sohail pulled out a rifle, the masked man dropped to his knees and looked like he was begging for forgiveness.

"He said ‘I am sorry, I have no money, no job, my family is hungry,’" Sohail told the TV station. "Then I feel bad for him … I take $40 for him."

Sohail said he was not planning to press charges.

Click here to watch the video.