Girlfriend of the man with no fat in his body speaks out about their relationship

Alice Miller, 23, met Tom Staniford, 24, online and says that they 'clicked instantly' and are now living together in London. Mr Staniford is a para-cyclist who is hoping to representing GB in the 2016 Olympics

The girlfriend of a professional para-athlete says that even though her boyfriend has one of the rarest conditions in the world, they are just a normal couple. 

Alice Miller, 23, met Tom Staniford, 24, online and says that they ‘clicked instantly’ and are now living together in London.

Mr Staniford is one of only eight people in the world with MDP syndrome, which means that since the age of 12 he has been unable to store fat under his skin or even on the soles of his feet.

He also has just 40 per cent of the muscles of an average man and has poor hearing.

Surprisingly, Mr Staniford also suffers from type 2 diabetes - a disease usually associated with obesity.

Miss Miller, who works for custom bike experts CycleFit, travelled from Sheffield, where she was then a student, all the way to Mr Staniford’s hometown, Exeter, for their first date.

 

She said: ‘We had clicked instantly online, he was so easy to talk to. He told me about his condition and I’d seen a few pictures of him but I didn’t really know what he really looked like until I met him in person.

‘I remember being worried - like any first date - but I wanted an adventure.

‘It was odd to see him in real life. His appearance did take me by surprise and he was much taller than I had expected.’ 

Mr Staniford is one of only eight people in the world with MDP syndrome, which means that since the age of 12 he has been unable to store fat under his skin or even on the soles of his feet

She added: ‘Initially, I was self-conscious because people were staring at Tom but he didn’t let it bother him and he instantly put me at ease.

‘He was so friendly and we talked for hours over a meal at the local pub. It was just like any normal first date.’

Miss Miller says the pair are just like any normal couple - apart from the fact that they don’t go clubbing or out for late night drinking sessions.

Mr Staniford explained: ‘I don’t like walking and I can’t stand for long periods because of my condition. Even without it, though, I don’t think I’d be very good at clubbing. I’m a professional athlete so need to keep healthy.’

Ms Miller says that she was self-conscious when she first started going out with Mr Staniford because people would stare at him but that he soon put her at ease with his friendly conversation

Scientists at the University of Exeter have recently discovered that Mr Staniford’s condition stems from a genetic mutation.

The new discovery may, in time, help other sufferers with the syndrome.

However, the six foot three inch tall cyclist, who weighs 66 kilos, says he has never let his condition hold him back.

And he has already proved that it is possible to live a normal life.

The law graduate has already been crowned the British National Para-Cycling Circuit Race Champion and dreams of winning gold at the Paralympics in Rio 2016.

Ms Miller says the pair are just like any normal couple - apart from the fact that they don't go clubbing or out for late night drinking sessions because Mr Staniford has to concentrate on his cycling career

Ms Miller said: ‘Living with Tom I’ve had to learn about what he eats. He has to have a controlled diet because of his diabetes and metabolism.

‘But that’s about it - he does most of the cooking and shopping and I just go along to pick out the cakes.’

She says they’ve been together long enough to know each other inside out.

She said: ‘When I look in to my future I see Tom there. We’ve been together so long that we know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and I don’t think there would ever be anything that would get in the way of that.

Mr Staniford (right, at the age of nine) recently learned that his condition stems from a genetic mutation thanks to a breakthrough by scientists at Exeter University

‘Now I don’t even notice the stares we occasionally get when we go out - Tom isn’t out of the ordinary at all.’

Mr Staniford added: ‘I am very, very fortunate to have Alice. That’s all I can say really. I’m very lucky to have her.’

The cyclist was born at a normal weight, but throughout his childhood and teenage years lost all the fat around his face and limbs.

His condition means he has no natural cushioning on his body, suffers from sore feet, and is at an increased risk of breaking bones in a fall.

Mr Staniford (pictured at the age of five) was born at a normal weight, but throughout his childhood and teenage years lost all the fat around his face and limbs

Because of the disorder, Tom has unusually high fat levels in his blood, as if he was obese. It is this that has led to him developing diabetes.

His hearing also deteriorated during childhood, and he now wears hearing aids.

Tom hopes the new diagnosis will allow him to be more accurately classified for events and help his chances of success. He is bidding to participate in the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

He said: 'In some ways, identifying the syndrome behind my symptoms shouldn't be important - a name is just a name, after all - but it is reassuring to know that there are other people with the condition and that we can lead relatively normal lives,' he said.

Ms Miller said: 'When I look in to my future I see Tom there. We've been together so long that we know each other very well. I don't think there would ever be anything that would get in the way of that'

‘What could prove crucial, though, is enabling me to be properly classified in competitions so that I am not competing at an unfair disadvantage against others.

'I hope to be able to compete for Great Britain in the 2016 Paralympics and this finding could make a real difference to my chances.'

Professor Andrew Hattersley, a Wellcome Trust senior investigator, said: 'Tom's condition has been a puzzle to us for many years. We could see the symptoms, including the very unusual case of type 2 diabetes in someone with no obvious body fat, but did not know what was causing them.

'We had to look at 30 million base pairs (chemical components of DNA) in Tom's DNA, and similar numbers in his family members and other patients, to identify the single mutation. This would not have been feasible even a couple of years ago.'

Culled from DAILY MAIL

Horror as two brothers are strangled to death in their sleep by 16-foot PYTHON which crawled into their bed room at night

Two small brothers, age 5 and 7, have been tragically strangled to death in their sleep in Canada, by a  massive 16-foot python that escaped from a pet store below the apartment where the children were staying the night. 

The first pictures have emerged of little Connor and Noah Barth, who were sleeping soundly when the 100-pound African Rock Python fell from the ceiling and attacked them. 

The boys were spending the night with Jean-Claude Savoie, who lives above the Reptile Ocean pet store that he owns in the tiny New Brunswick city of Campbellton. Reptile Ocean is home to a veritable menagerie of exotic animals, including crocodiles, tarantulas, tortoises and at numerous snakes. 

Mr Savoie described to Global News how he walked into the living room and found the two boys dead about 6.30am on Monday. He found the snake coiled in a hole nearby. 

He said the creeping serpent slithered upstairs into his apartment through the ventilation ducts and creeped into the ceiling. 

Curious: Noah and Connor, seen here handling a corn snake called Mr Slithers, were fascinated by animals, a neighbor tells MailOnline

Big snake: This anaconda is believed to be one of the very large snakes Jean-Claude Savoie kept at his Reptile Ocean pet shop

It then fell through the ceiling and dropped onto the small boys from above. Mr Savoie said he believes the snake coiled around both children and crushed them as they slept together on the floor.

The National Post reports that the snake was a 14 to 16-foot African rock python that even its owner said was 'vicious' and was rarely handled. 

Tim Thomas, a former Reptile Ocean employee, told the newspaper that when he learned of the tragedy, he immediately called Mr Savoie's best friend, Mandy Trecartin, who told him it was her boys who were killed. 

 

Neighbor Diane Fournier confirmed to MailOnline that it was Connor and Noah who had been killed. 

She described how she often saw the brothers happily playing together outside. They were fascinated by animals, she said, and often came over to pet her dog. 

'The kids were always playing and laughing. They were really full of joy and lots of energy,' she said.

Shocked: Jean-Claude Savoie, who describes himself as mother Mandy Trecartin's best friend, said he has no idea how the snake slithered into the room where the boys were staying

Safe: Mandy Trecartin had left her two sons with her best friend Jean-Claude Savoie. She lives in the apartment behind the pet store

Horror: The snake escaped from Reptile Ocean, a pet shop in the small city of Campbellton, New Brunswick. It crawled into an apartment above the store 

Facebook photos show both of the boys handling a small corn snake - called Mr Slithers - owned by their mother. 

Ms Fournier told MailIOnline that Mr Savoie operated Reptile Ocean as both a pet shop and as a zoo. 

He kept numerous snakes and lizards and small crocodiles to sell, but he hosted tour groups. 

'He always had kids going in there to visit like school kids and groups,' she said.

Ms Fournier said she she herself has touched the snake that is believed to have killed the boys. He often showed it off and kept it in a locked cage, she said. 

The boys are brothers, the children of Mr Savoie's best friend. He said they often sleep over at his apartment. 

'I thought they were sleeping until I (saw) the hole in the ceiling. I turned the lights on and I (saw) this horrific scene,' he said.

'(The snake) went through a ventilation system. I don’t understand how it did it. It went through the ceiling... and the snake fell through the living room from the ceiling,' he said.

The snake in question was an African Rock Python, said to be 14 to 16 feet long. Even the owner admitted it was 'vicious'

The snake is not usually handled by anyone in the store and Mr Savoie said he does not know how it escaped its cage in the pet shop.

He said he has owned the giant snake for more than a decade.

'My body is in shock. I don't know what to think,' he told Global News. 

The horrifying deaths of the two children shocked residents of the small city of 7,400 in northern New Brunswick.

'It’s very nerve-wracking. If one got out, how many else got out,' Ms Fournier said. 

Police said an autopsy Tuesday will confirm the exact cause of death, though officials believe the boys were crushed to death by the snake. 

Mr Savoie said he captured the snake and turned it over to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who are examining the creature.

An RCMP spokeswoman said the major crimes unit is investigating the case and will determine whether any criminal charges should be filed against the owner.

Culled from DAILY MAIL

LinkedIn accused of sexism after it takes down profile of a girl and referred to her as being 'too pretty to be a web developer'

LinkedIn, the job social networking site, has found itself at the center of a sexism storm after it pulled down ad posts of a woman they deemed too attractive to be a real-life web-engineer.

The controversy began when developer networking platform Toptal posted a series of advertisements onto LinkedIn aimed at the web-engineering sector.

However, LinkedIn quickly disabled the ads with no explanation and requested images 'related to the product', which caused a furious response from Toptal's CEO.

Rejected: This picture of Argentinian web developer Florencia Antara (left and right) was removed from LinkedIn over the weekend and then allowed to be re-posted after accusations of sexism were leveled 

Spam-Like: This is how the advertisement appeared on LinkedIn - leading some to compare it to a mass spam email using attractive women to get traffic

'The fact of the matter is: members of the tech community (LinkedIn users) saw it as impossible that our female engineers could actually be engineers, and a leader of the tech community (LinkedIn) agreed with them,' wrote Toptal's CEO, Taso Du Val in a blog post according to The Daily Dot.

'Unfortunately we're banned from showing anything except 100 percent, all make software advertisements from now on and so, that's what you'll be getting.'

 

At first, Toptal had simply sent the same advertisements back to LinkedIn, including that of Argentinian web developer Florencia Antara, but LinkedIn barred them until they had made the necessary changes.

'Today was a disappointing day at Toptal. We saw extreme sexism within the tech community, from an industry leader and advertising partner that we work with quite extensively: LinkedIn,' wrote Du Val in a post entitled 'In Defence of Female Engineers.'

Outraged: Toptal CEO Taso Du Val made his displeasure at LinkedIn known though a blog post entitled 'In Defense of Female Engineers'

In response, a spokesperson for LinkedIn, which bills itself as the 'World's Largest Professional Network', said the ads were rejected in a mistake caused by a review at their customer service team.

'We have taken the necessary measures to approve the previously rejected ads, and TopTal can now run them on our platform as intended,' they said.

However, the initial decision by LinkedIn provoked a furious response from readers of Du Val's blog.

'LinkedIn appears to be engaging in slut-shaming ,and nerd oppression because no female engineer could look good. Engineers must be slide rule nerds,' wrote one reader in support of Du Val.

Toptal also used an image of actress Amanda Schull to represent their female engineers - which they later deleted

However, the issue became complicated when it was pointed out that Toptal did not use actual images of every engineer they were advertising.

They used a mixture of stock photography and the real pictures of software engineers with portfolios on their website - including a picture of actress Amanda Schull, who appears in the USA Network television drama series 'Suits'.

In the immediate aftermath of the sexism controversy, Toptal deleted this profile online and were unrepentant in their defense.

'And even if they were only stock photography, who cares?' wrote Du Val. 'The point is, they're perfectly fine and represent normal professional people.'

Once the profile using Schull's image was removed, the only remaining example of a woman in Toptal's advertisements was Argentinian Antara. 

'Florencia Antara is 100 percent authentic,' said Du Val, pointing out the picture used in her ad was from her own profile.

Regardless, many commentators were sided with LinkedIn, despite criticizing the web giant for blocking the ads.

Some said that the issue was more of false representation by Toptal and pointed out that the ads gave off a 'spam' vibe.

LinkedIn describes itself as the 'World's Largest Professional Network' for those looking to make contacts within their respective industries

'Imagine if someone saw this ad while looking over your shoulder, didn't look very closely, and all they saw was a pretty face and '$1800-2800/wk,' commented on blog posting.

Indeed, some felt that the images were simply to overt, even if they were the true representative of Antara.

'What's with the bra strap showing? How does that help emphasize her abilities as a developer?' said Macman 851. 

'Why is she staring at the camera as if she is about to make love to it? 

'The images are a bit suggestive and I would like to kindly turn the tables and ask you why you felt you needed to portray these women in such a sexually suggestive light than a professional light.'

Another wrote: 'I don't think it's the fact that the women are intrinsically attractive, but rather the fact that they're consciously choosing the pose/makeup/lighting in order the emulate the design language of the adultFriendFinder-style ads ... The fact that most of the copy could apply equally well to sex trafficking doesn't help much either.'

Ultimately, even though Du Val was satisfied that the advertisements, bar Amandad Schull's picture profile were readmitted, he felt it did not explain the original decision by LinkedIn to remove the ads only with the women.

Culled from DAILY MAIL

Man caught his wife having sex with his father in their son's bedroom

Timothy John

Betrayed husband Timothy John 'TJ' Brewer has been charged after beating his father and hitting his wife in a booze-fueled rage after allegedly catching them having sex in his son's bedroom last month.

Caught in a bizarre family love triangle, 33-year-old Brewer allegedly found his wife Logan Rae Brewer 'on top of his dad', respected Moab fire chief Wesley 'Corky' Brewer, after they had dinner at TJ's Utah home on July 11. 

Furious at their love tryst, TJ 'backhanded' his wife and pointed a gun at her, before 'pistol whipping' his father, who later stabbed himself.

According to police documents published by TPM, the trouble started when Logan went upstairs after dinner - during which they had all been drinking - to put one of her children to bed. 

Realizing he was alone in the house, TJ, a 12-year veteran of the Moab sheriff's office, went upstairs to find his wife. 

Deseret News reports Brewer told investigators he found his son's bedroom door locked, got into the room, and 'lost it' when he found his father and wife in bed together.

Logan told officers her husband beat his father, then left the bedroom and returned with a handgun he had just loaded. 

'She stated TJ hit her, backhanded her, and pointed a handgun at her face,' an officer wrote. 'She believed he was going to shoot her.' 

Betrayal: Timothy John 'TJ' Brewer, right, has been charged for beating his father Wesley 'Corky' Brewer after catching him in bed with his wife

Infidelity: Timothy John 'TJ' Brewer allegedly backhanded his wife Logan Brewer after catching her 'on top of' his father

Logan raced to her parents’ house after the altercation, while Corky returned to his own home to 'find a firearm.'

However when his distressed wife, Cindy Brewer, tried to hide the gun in the car, Corky allegedly 'grabbed a butcher knife and stabbed himself two times, puncturing a lung and slicing his liver'. 

Cindy pulled the kitchen knife out before Corky was rushed to Moab Regional Hospital. He was too injured to talk to police and eventually had to be flown to a Colorado hospital for surgery. 

TJ and Corky were among several law enforcement officers in the extended Brewer family, which includes multiple police officers and local sheriff’s deputies.

In happier times: TJ Brewer (back left) and wife Logan with their children

TPM reports the sheriff's deputy went to the hospital to 'kill' his father, and was initially confronted by his uncle, Curt Brewer, who is also a sheriff’s deputy, in the parking lot. 

When police arrived, intoxicated TJ was not wearing a shirt or shoes and 'stated several times that he wanted to kill his dad, that he wanted his gun to ‘finish the job'.'

Police wrote in their report: 'TJ made numerous remarks to each officer and deputy that arrived, about all of us being stupid, dumb asses, and at one point stated we needed to call someone with a brain to come and talk with him.'

Deseret News also reported that TJ, who worked in the narcotics unit of the sheriff's office, allegedly hit an officer.

Unbelievable: Moab Fire Chief Wesley 'Corky' Brewer stabbed himself after his son caught him having sex with his daughter-in-law

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, officers accompanied TJ home so he could check on his children, breaking down on the way saying he had lost everything. 

TJ was arrested and charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, two counts of domestic violence in front a child, assault on a police officer, intoxication, and disorderly conduct by Grand County officers. 

However, because of the Brewers' law enforcement ties in Grand County, the investigation was passed onto the Utah County Sheriff’s Office who reduced the charges to two class A misdemeanors - assault and assault against a peace officer.

The Utah Attorney General is also prosecuting the case rather than the local district attorney.

Violent: Police say TJ Brewer went to Moab Regional Hospital to 'kill' his father, Wesley 'Corky' Brewer

TPM reports TJ was released from the San Juan County Jail on bail on July 15.

He is forbidden from drinking alcohol, contacting his father and wife, and he must be supervised when he visits his children. 

TJ resigned from the Grand County Sheriff’s Department and is next due in court on Tuesday. If convicted, he faces up to two years in prison. 

Corky also resigned from the fire department where he had been chief since 1989.

Deseret News reports TJ'S wife will refuse to testify against her husband if called to do so, filing notice she intends to assert spousal privilege .

Culled from DAILY MAIL

How West Germany sponsored doping scheme for its world cup finalists for decades

West Germany lost to England (pictured) in the 1966 World Cup final. A report has suggested some of the German players may have been doped

West Germany's footballers who played in the 1966 World Cup Final against England may have been injected with drugs as part of a government-funded doping scheme, a study has suggested.

A report by German researchers claims that West Germany's athletes were systematically doped with government backing during the 1970s, and possibly as early as the 1950s.

Leaked extracts from the unpublished 800-page report titled 'Doping in Germany from 1950 to today' were published by German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung on Saturday.

Three West German players were found to have traces of the banned stimulant ephedrine in tests after the 1966 final. (There is no suggestion that any players pictured knew about or were involved in doping)

According to the report, one unnamed interior minister said at the time: 'Our athletes should have the same conditions and services as the Eastern Bloc athletes.'

Researchers said West German doping did not evolve as a response to East Germany's systematic doping under the Communist government, but operated parallel to it.

The report claimed that for many years the state financed experiments with performance-enhancing substances such as anabolic steroids, testosterone, oestrogen or the blood-doping agent EPO. It did not say when the experiments ended. 

It stated that an unspecified number of footballers in the 1954 World Cup-winning team received 'Vitamin C' injections, which were actually the methamphetamine Pervitin - commonly known as speed.

Amphetamines were used by German soldiers during World War II and their continued use in German football from the end of the 1940s became 'normal', according to the study. 

As well as researchers finding alleged evidence of drugs being used by the 1954 World Cup team, they also said 'traces' of the banned stimulant ephedrine was found in three unnamed German players at the 1966 World Cup.

But it was claimed the drug could have accidentally been taken when players used a decongestant for colds.

England beat West Germany 4-2 in the final at Wembley Stadium in 1966

England beat West Germany 4-2 in the final, with Geoff Hurst scoring England's disputed third goal. 

Sueddeutsche Zeitung also said that German athletes received around 1,200 injections of Berolase and thioctacid at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. 

The substances were not banned at the time and were supposed to improve performance, but their effects had been untested.

Women and children were also doped with anabolic steroids, despite concerns over their long-term effects, the report said.

A Dr Joseph Keul of Freiburg, who died in 2000, allegedly tested the effects of anabolic steroids on boys as young as 11.

The report was put together by researchers at Berlin's Humboldt University on behalf of the German Olympic Sports Confederation, with Giselher Spitzer as the project leader. 

It was completed in April, but has yet to be published because of privacy concerns and legal issues over naming athletes, doctors and politicians. 

West Germany's World Cup-winning 1954 team were injected with 'Vitamin C' which was actually speed, the report claimed. (There is no suggestion that any players pictured knew about or were involved in doping)

The report claimed the conditions for 'systemic doping' were laid in 1970 when the Federal Institute of Sport Science (BISp) was founded under jurisdiction of the Interior Ministry, which is still responsible for sports, but that doping in Germany existed long before.

The BISp provided funding for research into doping substances for years, with sports medicine facilities in Freiburg, Cologne and Saarbruecken among the main recipients, the report said. 

'There's a systemic connection between research and forbidden substances and in using them for athletes,' Spitzer, the project leader for the report, told The Associated Press. 'That's why we call it systemic doping.'

The Interior Ministry said it has a 'great interest in completely clearing up and evaluating the doping past in both parts of Germany'.

German Athletics president Clemens Prokop called for names to be revealed, 'especially of those who are still involved in sport'.

Last Tuesday, the Main-Post and Maerkische Oderzeitung newspapers reported that the BISp funded experiments in Freiburg on the performance of anabolic steroids before the 1972 Olympic Games, citing a file from the Federal Archives in Koblenz. 

THE DOPING SCANDAL ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BERLIN WALL

Drugged: Shot-putter Heidi Krieger was systematically doped from the age of 16

East Germany carried out a doping programme on its athletes for decades.

Drugs, largely anabolic steriods, were given to athletes, often without their knowledge. Trainers and coaches gave pills and injections to sportsmen and women, many of whom were told they were just vitamins.

The drugs caused fast muscle build-up and quick recovery times, leading to the country seeing huge success at the Olympic Games of the 1970s and 80s and other international events.

But the steroids had severe side-effects including causing heart problems, cancer and infertility. Around 800 athletes are believed to have developed serious problems as a result of the doping.

Shot-putter Heidi Krieger (pictured aged 21) was systematically drugged with anabolic steriods from the age of 16. She did not know she was being drugged and developed many male characteristics.

At the age of 31, the shot-putter underwent a sex change to become a man named Andreas. 

Krieger had retired by the age of 24, in part because of the damage caused to his body from lifting huge weights while on steroids.

Culled from DAILY MAIL