OverTheLimit

Washington (ECN) - John Travolta and family are trying their best to cope with the tragedy of losing 16-year old Jett Travolta.

John Travolta lost his 16-year old son due to a seizure he suffered while in the Bahamas.

John Travolta and family posted a message on their site Travolta.com on Sunday to reach out to fans and thank them for the support.

The note on the site stated, “We would like to extend our deepest and most heartfelt thanks to everyone who has sent their love and condolences.”

“Jett was the most wonderful son that two parents could ever ask for and lit up the lives of everyone he encountered. We are heartbroken that our time with him was so brief. We will cherish the time we had with him for the rest of our lives.”

“We have received many messages of condolence from around the world and we want to thank everyone for their prayers and support,” the message continued. “It has meant so much to us. It is a beautiful reminder of the inherent goodness of the human spirit that gives us hope for a brighter future.”

The family is reportedly doing about as good as they could be doing after the horrific event.

Washington (OTL) - Apple is rumored to reveal a brand new 17-inch MacBook Pro at MacWorld this year, with it being in a unibody case.

The unibody case means that everything would be sealed so that there would be a non-replacable battery in the MacBook Pro.

This is similar to the design that is currently used on the popular MacBook Air.

The MacBook Pro was the only laptop model to not see a new design last year as the MacBook and MacBook Air were both updated.

We will have to wait and see how much of a reality this is.  The other rumor going around is that the MacBook Pro will also feature a full touch-screen.

New York - The first few weeks of the New Year are the busiest for gyms and fitness centers worldwide. And indeed, the most common New Year resolution is to promise yourself to start going to the gym and taking care of your health and body. Most of us make this promise to ourselves every year, and not many of us indeed keep true to this promise. Even those who actually start going to a gym in January usually don’t last longer than till April, and most of the people who join at the beginning of the year drop out by summer. Of course its good to work out at least a few months during the year, taking into account how busy people are now and how little time they have. But its much better to keep working out all year long and to keep yourself in shape any season.

Even if you have never worked out before and have always been saving on your health and body, now is the time when you can get gym membership a lot cheaper than it used to be. Its possible to become a member of some luxurious fitness centers almost for free, and the monthly membership rate will be much lower than it used to. Most of the gyms, if not all of them, are now suffering from the crisis badly and have lost a lot of their members. That’s why this New Year is the time for big discounts in gyms and fitness centers. Check out your local gyms and you will see, how much the prices have gone down. And even if they haven’t, talk to the managers and be sure that you will be able to negotiate a better price with them.

So why wait any longer? Start taking care of yourself and your body right now and New Year is the time for your gym membership!

Los Angeles - While many of us may be celebrating the arrival of the New Year, it’s brought nothing but tragic tidings to actors John Travolta (Grease, Hairspray) and wife Kelly Preston (Death Sentence). Their only son, Jett, died seemly “out of the blue” early Friday morning at their vacation home in the Bahamas. The sixteen year old was discovered unconscious on the floor of the bathroom by the caretaker of the family’s home and immediately rushed to Rand Memorial Hospital via ambulance. He was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

Jett Travolta suffered from Kawasaki Disease, an illness which can cause aneurysms and inflammation in the blood vessels of young children. While the official cause of death is as yet unreleased, it has been stated that Jett suffered a seizure and collapsed, resulting in head trauma. According to Michael Ossi, the family attorney, the teenager had a long history of seizures due to his condition. No word has been disclosed as to whether or not Jett had been actively taking medication for his seizures. At the age of two, Jett had fallen grievously ill and nearly died when he was initially diagnosed with the disease. At the time it was thought that he had suffered from autism, but these claims were abruptly denied by his family.

Kelly Preston often attributed her son’s illness to the high toxicity of household cleaning supplies and fertilizers. She has since been an avid activist in promoting the safe-labeling of chemical products. The family claims that detoxification programs and the teachings of Scientology were the lead factors in the boy’s recovering health over the years. They had only just arrived for a holiday getaway on Tuesday and had no recent cause for concern when Jett collapsed in their home.

Kawasaki Disease is diagnosed in over 4000 children each year, generally in males under the age of five. While the disease itself is not preventable, less then 1% of all cases of Kawasaki are fatal. Doctors have yet to discover the cause of the disease, which is particularly tricky to diagnose as there is currently no blood test with which to identify it. Symptoms often include: long lasting fever, rash, swollen limbs and lymph nodes, and a reddening of the eyes.

Jett Travolta is survived by his father John, mother Kelly, and sister Ella Bleu (aged 8). He will be laid to rest in Ocala, Florida where he can be close to the family.

New York - The financial and economic crisis has also impacted the health industry. People are now trying to save on everything they can, and their health and fitness has become one of the first things to save on. Therefore, a lot of gyms and fitness centers have been suffering for a long time already. The earnings have gone down, and some luxurious fitness centers in different parts of the United States have even filed bancrupcy. Those that are trying to survive have already figured out that the only way to retain their clients is to give special Christmas offers and membership discounts.

Most LA gyms are slashing prices. Some high-end clubs are waiving the one time initiation fees that can be as big as $500 for some clubs. Some cheaper clubs are offering 50% off discounts and even two-week or 1 month free membership or trial memberships for free. Some clubs will give you one month free membership, if you are buying a year membership, or you can get big discounts if you are already a client and want to keep your membership. Some cheap gyms offer 24×7 work time and will offer you monthly membership for as low as $30. But you still can get better deals, if you talk to fitness center managers. And try to not pay for something you will never need. There are some gums that offer a lot of services that are included in your membership. Check these services, you most likely wont need more than half of them, so why pay for them? Either discuss it with mamanger and get a limited membership for only the services you need, or find a gym, that will offer just what you need.

One of the most attractive deals is offered by some YMCA centers, where people have been able to jon the YMCA in the New Year eve for only $1! And there are a lot more to choose from. So if it’s time for you to choose your gym for the next year, dont rush it. Take some time to review all the options in your neighborhood, call the gyms and discuss your options with managers and you will find the best combination of quality and price for you.

Another optoin to save money on your gym membership, is to ask your employer or ensurance company, if they have any discounts at some gyms. Sometimes they might cover part of your membership fee, which will save you a lot of money.

So if you’ve made a New Year resolution to yourself to get fit as soon as possible, now is a good time to start working out without spending too many money. And make sure you dont joi those, who drop out by April, and keep working out all year round.

Seattle - There are many people who are planning on making their New Years resolution of quitting smoking stick this year. If this is your resolution, according the the American Lung Association, it would be best if you find a smoking cessation class, stick with it, and be ready to do whatever you have to do to kick this habit.

The side effects of quitting smoking vary from person to person. Some people may feel tired or excitable. Others are irritable, may feel lightheaded or nervous. While some experience headaches and extreme cravings for tobacco, sweets, or other items. Side effects are normal to have and usually last several weeks, but they do pass.

There are many things one can do to help ease this hard process. It is suggested to find a support system in family or friends or even a group that meets regularly. Exercise is important during this time as it helps to not only fight the weight gain that may come from quitting but to also lift your spirits and help you to feel better. Getting a balanced diet, plenty of sleep, and lots of water are other things you can do to help during this process.

Half of all adult smokers die of lung cancer. Even so, it is never, ever too late to quit and will be one of the most difficult things that someone will do in their lifetime.

It has been shown through research that smokers who decide to take the “cold turkey” approach are most likely to fail. There are many ways that someone can go about quitting as discussed above, but adding to that list some have even gone so far as to try hypnotism and prescription drugs to make the process a little bit easier.

There are also many reasons to quit smoking that you may not be aware of. It has been shown through research that smoking at middle age is related to memory loss. Smoking may cause diabetes in some. Those who smoke are also more susceptible to a bacteria that can cause pneumonia and other infections. Not only is smoking bad for your health but it can be bad for you sex life too. According to even more research it was shown that male smokers were more likely to have erectile dysfunction. Smoking also causes wrinkles, something everyone would like to avoid for as long as possible.

Everyone needs their own plan to quit smoking that is tailored to their own needs. Just remember it can be done and do not give up. You will only help to improve your quality of life.

Recently, Facebook removed photos of women breast-feeding their children, sparking a nationwide protest of the social networking site’s policies.

When the site removed pictures of women breastfeeding their newborns, after asking the women to remove the photo themselves, or face being kicked off, there was a huge backlash from the women involved as well as many outside supporters.

After the photos were removed, close to 82,000 people joined the online petition, which was cited as saying Facebook’s policy was designed to “appease the small-minded.” Protesters all changed their Facebook statuses to say, “ Hey Facebook, breast-feeding is not obscene.”

In addition to all the online protesting, there was an actual protest, staged outside the company’s headquarters in Palo Alto, California. Women came, toting signs and infants, whom they breast-fed as part of the protest activities.

Though few people showed up, those who did performed with gusto. The online “nurse-in” that was also taking place, on Saturday evening, eventually grew to include 70,000 people.

Facebook refused to change their site policies for these women, saying that they removed pictures because they violated Facebook’s terms regarding obscene, pornographic, or sexually explicit material, being defined in this case as showing the fully exposed breast, which must to include the nipple or areola to be considered “fully exposed.”

They also claimed these policies keep the site safe for all the users, many of whom are children. Many women took offense at this, saying that breast-feeding is not pornographic or obscene. In addition, many cited pictures on the site that would conventionally be considered obscene, like a close-up picture of someone in a thong, or of young girls in revealing clothing, some making out with other girls and drinking alcohol.

They claimed that Facebook does nothing about these pictures, which are much more obscene than the natural process of breast-feeding.

Facebook does have one thing going in its favor; it did not actively seek out the breast-feeding shots, but instead removed them after other users complained. However, Facebook could have saved themselves all the trouble if they had just replied to one user who emailed them asking why her pictures had been removed.

After posting another picture, she was threatened with account termination, at which point she decided to go public, claiming she felt “bullied” by the site.

Though many are surprised about Facebook’s so-called “puritan” actions, the site once again brings up the social complications of breast-feeding in public.

Washington (OTL) - A new study has found that the number of deaths resulting in patients heading into an intensive care unit or ICU was reduced when preventive antibiotics were given.

The Dutch study was led by Dr. Anne Marie de Smet from the University Medical Center Utrecht.

Researchers compared the use of two types of antibiotics treatments to standard ICU care.

They then took the patients and placed them into three groups.

They ranged in the care they received, with some taking preventive antibiotics before they went into the ICU.

What they found was that preventive use of antibiotics cut the number of deaths by 3.5% overall.

The study has been published in the January 1st issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Washington (OTL) - Even though it was freezing cold, New Years turned out to be a great night in New York City.

Times Square, New York was packed once again with an estimated one million people showing up for the big celebration.

The year 2008 is finally over and the year 2009 has kicked off.

Many traveled to New York City from around the world to take part in the festivities.

Needless to say, it was special as Bill and Hillary Clinton joined Mayor Bloomberg to send the crystal ball falling down.

The new ball this year was over 12,000 pounds and was the most advanced yet.

With the year 2008 now over, not even zero degree weather was enough to keep people away.

Washington (OTL) - According to a new survey, more people want Sarah Palin as their neighbor than Britney Spears.

The poll was conducted on Zillow.com and asked to see which celebrity people wanted as their neighbor.

What they found was that Britney Spears was the top celebrity people did NOT want as their neighbor.

Looking at it from the other end, Alaska governor Sarah Palin was the most desirable neighbor.

The poll was carried out by talking with 2,000 people in total.

20% of them stated that they did not want to live next to Britney