February 11, 2025New York StateComments Off on Armed cops swoop on man ‘with weapons’ in Sheffield town centre sparking evacuation as neighbours told ‘stay indoors’
ARMED police have swooped on a home in Sheffield after reports of a man with weapons.
Residents of the Gateway apartment complex on Broad Street were evacuated last night, South Yorkshire Police have confirmed.
University students at the nearby Pinnacles accommodation building have been told to stay inside their flats.
Some of those forced out of their homes were staying at the Ponds Forge sports centre.
Cops were called to the scene at just after 7pm.
In a Facebook post, the force said: “We, alongside other emergency services remain on scene at Broad Street in Sheffield.
“Just after 7pm last night (Monday 10 February) we responded to concerns for a man inside a property, alleged to have weapons and pose a risk to himself.
“Those within the building where the property is have been evacuated and those within the neighbouring buildings have been asked to stay indoors while officers conduct their work.
“The Sheffield Parkway, between Park Square roundabout and Derek Dooley Way will remain shut-please plan, and find an alternative route this morning.”
PAPolice swooped on the address last night[/caption]
February 11, 2025New York StateComments Off on I’m plagued with stomach problems and suffer outrageous loud burping – what can I do?
Getty
WINTER bugs are rife, and norovirus is proving really nasty at the moment.
Hospital admissions are at a high, hitting more than 900 daily – that’s 70 per cent up on this time last year.
Olivia WestDr Zoe Williams helps a Sun reader who’s plagued with stomach problems and outrageous burping[/caption]
Often called “the winter vomiting bug”, it’s highly contagious and can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, fever and abdominal pain.
Most people recover within a few days but it can be severe for those with weakened immune systems, the elderly and young children.
To protect yourself, always wash your hands after using the toilet and before eating. Antibacterial gels don’t work against norovirus, so please use soap and water.
If you do get sick, stay at home for at least 48 hours after your symptoms have ceased.
If symptoms worsen, seek medical advice promptly and ring NHS 111 if you are not sure.
Here’s a selection of what readers have asked me this week, and please send in your own health queries to [email protected] . . . #
Plagued by stomach problems
Q: I AM a fit and healthy 70-year-old male, except for one issue – I’m plagued with stomach problems.
I underwent an X-ray and an endoscopy and, despite being given the all-clear, I find myself burping loudly for long periods of the day.
I’ve tried omeprazole and rabeprazole lately but to no avail.
Do you have any suggestions that might help me?
A: It sounds like your burping is problematic and excessive.
The fact that you have had investigations does help rule out some of the more worrying potential causes, such as cancer, or inflammation of the lining of the stomach.
Please check if you have been tested for a bacteria called helicobacter pylori, which can cause inflammation and increase the likelihood of belching.
You could perhaps be dealing with something called gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, where stomach acid comes up out of the stomach into the oesophagus.
This can cause you to swallow more air.
However, you’ve already tried some medication which would be expected to help ease the symptoms. So what next?
Lifestyle changes can help to decrease the amount you burp.
Slow down your eating and drinking to help you swallow less gas – have a look at mindful eating approaches.
Don’t consume carbonated drinks including beer, or drink with a straw – both add extra gas to the stomach.
Avoid smoking, chewing gum and sucking on hard sweets, and if you wear dentures, make sure they fit properly.
Moving your body regularly will also be beneficial.
Walking and yoga, for example, can help release gas from the digestive tract.
Over-the-counter remedies could be worth trying out, too. Look for products that contain simeticone.
This combines the small gas bubbles in your gut to form bigger bubbles, and so allows trapped air to pass through your body more easily.
GO PRIVATE FOR CYST?
Q: I HAVE a cyst-type boil on my eyebrow that is bothering me, but the NHS won’t remove it because it’s cosmetic.
A local clinic privately charged me £40 for a consultation that lasted five minutes and then quoted me £800 to remove it.
I have had next to nothing from the NHS in my 69 years and I’m disgusted that I have been quoted this extortionate price.
What do you suggest I might be able to do?
A: I understand your frustrations, and unfortunately several years ago, due to huge financial restraints on the NHS, certain types of procedures which had previously been available were stopped as a way of saving money.
This included all procedures deemed to be cosmetic, rather than for medical need, and such things as skin lesions.
However, in your case, I have a suspicion that both the skin lesion on your eyebrow, and the left side of your nose may be basal cell carcinomas (BCC).
This is the least dangerous type of skin cancer which doesn’t spread to other parts of the body.
They are still best removed by a dermatology team as they usually continue to slowly keep growing.
If they are BCCs, they very much qualify for NHS treatment.
Of course, I am basing this purely on the pictures you have sent and the fact that your eyebrow lump has only been there for the past nine months.
I have not examined you or taken a full medical history, but I also see other signs of sun damage on your skin, such as the small brown patches on your scalp.
It’s worth getting a further check from your GP and asking them specifically to consider if they could be BCCs.
You could even send your query as an e-consult if this is quicker. The images may be helpful as your GP may be able to forward them to the dermatology team for their advice.
If it turns out to be, as you suspect, a cyst, then I would suggest to shop around for removal. A plastic surgeon will likely charge more than a GP who does minor surgical operations, who in turn will likely charge more than a private nurse who is qualified to do minor skin operations.
Please let me know how you get on.
Neck pain is so bad I cannot work
Q: I’M a 58-year-old woman and have had terrible neck pain for six years after a couple of car crashes.
Over-the-counter pain relief only partially improves things, and over the last six months the pain has become so bad that I have had to give up my job.
It has extended down my arm and across my shoulders.
An X-ray diagnosed spondylitis, so I am waiting for steroid injections. But what else can I do?
GettyA reader has been suffering terrible neck pain for years after a car crash[/caption]
A: I’m so sorry to hear that you have been suffering with what sounds like awful, debilitating pain.
The next step, steroid injections, can reduce swelling and inflammation in the area where the pain is coming from.
Some people experience significant improvement in symptoms and it could help you get your life back on track.
But not all people benefit and, if this is you, you will need to go back to the team that is caring for you to see what the next options are.
Spondylitis is another word for osteoarthritis of the spine.
It can develop with age but musculo-skeletal trauma, such as a car crash, can make it more likely.
Neck pain and/or stiffness are very common, and sometimes the bony changes can put pressure on the nerves, causing pain, numbness and tingling either in the neck itself or into either arm.
This type of nerve pain from compression is called cervical radiculopathy.
And if there is any weakness of the muscles of the hand or arm, especially if it is affecting your strength and your function, this tends to make a case higher priority. So do inform your medical team if you develop this.
Finally, when all other measures have been tried, some people may be offered surgery to the affected spine.
February 11, 2025New York StateComments Off on Watch the moment Drake ‘rants about exes’ after ex-girlfriends SZA and Serena Williams join Kendrick Lamar at Superbowl
DRAKE was on stage ranting about his exes shortly before his former girlfriends SZA and Serena Williams join Kendrick Lamar at the Super Bowl.
Kendrick, 37, left fans with their jaws on the floor when he took to the stage at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Sunday night.
GettyDrake seemingly took aim at his exes before they stepped out on stage with his enemy[/caption]
GettySZA joined Kendrick on stage to sing with the rapper[/caption]
GettySerena also made a guest appearance on stage during the Super Bowl half time show[/caption]
GettySZA sent fans while[/caption]
GettySerena was overjoyed to be on stage with Kendrick[/caption]
APKendrick Lamar performed during halftime of the NFL Super Bowl 59 football game on Sunday[/caption]
And Kendrick even took it one step further when he brought out two of Drake’s ex-girlfriends.
Drake’s former partner Serena Williams and another of his exes, hitmaker SZA, joined Kendrick on stage at the Super Bowl, with them seeming detaching them from Drake and siding with his enemy.
Just hours before Kendrick took the stage at the Super Bowl, Drake spoke out about unnamed exes during a performance in Australia on Sunday.
Slamming exes in his brutal rant, Drake said: “If you ever, in your life, gave your time, gave your energy, gave your money, gave your heart, gave your soul, gave everything that you ever had to somebody, and they f***ing played with you and wasted your time, wasted your money…”
Pacing around the stage, Drake went on: “I want you to all to turn up to this song.
“This for all y’all exes and everybody think they can play you in their f***in’ life!
“If you doin’ better than your ex, I wanna see you f***in’ turn up!”
Drake then crooned his hit You Broke My Heart, which was featured as a bonus track on the deluxe edition of his most recent LP, For All The Dogs.
BITTER TASTE
In the song, Drake can be heard singing and rapping the lyrics “You broke my heart / I had my doubts about you from the start”.
Meanwhile, in the bridge, he repeatedly sings “Yeah, f*** my ex”.
Drake and SZA reportedly had a brief romance in 2008 or 2009.
It was kept under wraps until Drake referenced it in his 2020 track Mr. Right Now, where he rapped, “Yeah, said she wanna f–k to some SZA, wait / ‘Cause I used to date SZA back in ’08.”
Meanwhile, Drake reportedly dated Serena on and off between 2011 and 2015.
DRAKE & KENDRICK FEUD TIMELINE
On October 6, 2023, Drake and J. Cole released First Person Shooter, in which J. Cole claimed that himself, Drake, and Kendrick are the “big three” of hip-hop.
On March 22, 2024, Kendrick responded to the claim of a “big three” in his verse on Metro Boomin and Future’s song Like That, where he instead stated, “It’s just big me,” and accused both rappers of sneak dissing.
On April 5, 2024, J. Cole dropped his Kendrick diss track, 7 Minute Drill, in which he fired “warning shots” at the rapper as he accused the good kid, m.A.A.d city artist of seeking “attention” and slammed his latest music releases as “tragic.”
But on April 7, 2024, two days after releasing the Kendrick diss, J. Cole retracted his statement and backed out of the feud, as he stated he felt pressured to respond because “the world wanna see blood.”
On April 13, 2024, Drake responded to Kendrick with Push Ups, which had lyrics ridiculing Kendrick’s height and his mainstream collaborations with Taylor Swift and Maroon 5.
The track also dissed rappers Future and Rick Ross and producer Metro Boomin.
On April 19, 2024, Drake dropped another diss track, Taylor Made Freestyle, that used AI-generated voices of Snoop Dogg and the late Tupac Shakur to pressure Kendrick to respond.
On April 30, 2024, Kendrick dropped Euphoria, a six-minute diss track, in which he criticized Drake’s biracial identity, questioned the rapper’s ability as a father, and claimed that Drake is a “scam artist.”
On May 1, 2024, Drake responded to Kendrick’s diss by posting a clip from the 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You on his Instagram Story in which Julia Stiles’ character Kat lists the reasons she hates Heath Ledger’s character Patrick – mirroring a Euphoria bar where Lamar provides reasons he hates Drake.
On May 3, 2024, Kendrick dropped a second Drake diss track, 6:16 in LA in which Kendrick alleges Drake’s own team is working against him as he rapped, “Everyone inside your team is whispering that you deserve it,” and stated Drake “can’t Toosie Slide up out of this one.”
After Drake responded with his diss track Family Matters, where he called accused Kendrick of infidelity, the Humble hitmaker would release Meet the Grahams, his fourth diss track against the Canadian rapper.
“Serena briefly dated Drake around 2011 and even though it didn’t end that well, they have remained friends since,” an insider toldPage Six last summer.
DRAKE BREAKS SILENCE
This comes after he broke his social media silence with his first slew of posts since Kendrick’s Super Bowl performance of the diss track about him.
Commenting on the snaps, one person said Drake was “undefeated,” while another added: “Let them watch and enjoy.”
Kendrick and Drake have been embroiled in a bitter and very public feud since 2023.
Four months after Kendrick was announced as the halftime performer, Drake filed a lawsuit against his record label, Universal Music Group, over his rival’s diss track.
In the January 2025 suit, Drake claimed UMG “knew full well” the lyrics from Kendrick’s song accused him of being a pedophile.
GettyKendrick and SZA performed together[/caption]
APKendrick crooned his Drake diss track[/caption]
GettyDrake seemingly responded to Kendrick’s performance hours later with a slew of snaps on Instagram[/caption]
February 11, 2025New York StateComments Off on People are only just realising there’s a correct way to open sweet packets & it means they won’t fly everywhere
A MAN has revealed that we’ve been opening sweet packets all wrong.
TikTok / @sidneyrazSidney Raz shared his hack to keep sweets from spilling all over your bag[/caption]
GettyPeople were stunned they hadn’t seen the hack before[/caption]
Too many times have we been the victim of finding the pack of sweets we shoved in our bag all over the bottom completely inedible.
But now Sidney Raz has ensured we will never have to throw our sweets away again.
He tested a hack to open the pack correctly which also allows you to seal it shut and keep your sweets fresher for longer.
Taking to social media, he said: “Here’s something I didn’t know until I was in my 30s.”
Sidney got a bag of gummy bears from Haribo but instead of pulling the sides of the bag apart, he took the tab and peeled it down.
After having a few of the tasty sweets, he then sealed the bag shut by rolling it up in itself.
He then took the tab he had pulled down and thread it through the hole to create a knot to keep the bag closed.
“Pull by the tab, pull down,” he explained.
“Now let’s pretend like my daughter is eating these and seal.
“That’s fantastic.”
TikTok / @sidneyrazEven Sidney was shocked he hadn’t seen it sooner[/caption]
The clip was shared on his TikTok account @sidneyraz and went viral with over 6 million views.
People were left stunned by the savvy hack.
One person wrote: “The way I gasped then remembered I eat these in a single sitting.”
Another commented: “Now I need to go buy Haribo’s to try it.”
The 'right' way to store food
1. Use Airtight Containers
This helps to prevent exposure to air which can cause your food to go off. A glass container can help to be more hygienic and a sustainable option.
2. Label Everything
By labelling your food it helps to keep track of expiry dates and avoid food waste.
3. Store Like Items Together
This makes it easier to find what you are looking for. Use fridge dividers or reusabale bags to help section your fridge.
4. Use the Fridge and Freezer Wisely
Keep raw meat on the bottom shelf to avoid contamination, and use the freezer for longer-term storage.
5. Rotate Your Stock
Place newer items at the back and bring the older ones forward. This will mean you will be able to notice the foods that need eating first.
“They should’ve come with a description,” penned a third.
Meanwhile a fourth said: “I am so mad I am 38 and JUST learning this.”
“How do you think I feel learning this today when I’m 52,” claimed a fifth.
Someone else added: “I didn’t know you weren’t supposed to eat them all in one sitting.”
Fabulous will pay for your exclusive stories. Just email: [email protected] and pop EXCLUSIVE in the subject line.
February 11, 2025New York StateComments Off on I tried my luck with Temu for the first time with some mirrors from my room but was mortified when I saw my reflection
WE all love a cheap bargain – but one woman has left people in stitches after her Temu mirrors ended up being a major fail.
The online shopper and TikToker only known as @ktl.x explained that this was her first time ordering from the mega retailer Temu – and it’s safe to say, it’s unlikely she’ll snap up any goodies from them ever again.
TikTok /@ktl.xOne online shopper decided to see what Temu was all about – but it’s safe to say, it’s unlikely she’ll shop from there ever again[/caption]
TikTok /@ktl.xThe customer was left mortified after she saw her relfection[/caption]
Keen to spruce up her home, the woman decided to purchase a pack of numerous self-adhesive mirrors, which sell for as little as 59p on the website.
According to the TikToker, the pack came with a whopping 40 sheets of the mirrors , which she began attaching to the bedroom wall one by one.
But although things looked a bit off even after applying the first square sheet, the Temu customer remained hopeful, as she ”wanted to see the full end result”.
Unfortunately, it did not go to plan, as @ktl.x was mortified when she finally saw her reflection on the purse-friendly product.
Sharing the epic fail on TikTok, the woman said: ”When it’s your first time ordering from Temu.
”So I go on Temu and I buy these, you get 40 in a pack and obviously, they’re mirrors.
”This is what they look like…” the horrified online shopper said, before revealing the hilarious reflection with her face totally distoreted.
Left in hysterics, the woman captioned the video: ”Great confidence building with@Temuthink I’ll stick to the shop mirrors!
”The laughs I’ve had making this funky mirror.”
According to the customer, she had checked the reviews online – but after the epic fail, she is convinced that they were ”lies”.
Since being posted on the platform, the video has racked up more than 500k views, with hundreds flooding to comments in stitches.
One joked: ”like the mirrors in a wacky house.”
A fellow shopper confessed that they too had had the same issue when ordering the self-adhesive mirrors a few years ago.
”i fell victim to this in 2020.”
Why is Temu so cheap?
TEMU exploded onto the scene in late 2022, with people all over social media raving about the low prices.
The company is a Chinese-owned digital marketplace – essentially an online shopping app where people are connected to the retailer directly while the app takes care of the shipping element.
The frenzy over the app is not completely unfounded either as it offers a wide variety of products, including fashion, make-up, electronics and furniture.
According to a report from the US House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, Temu takes advantage of a trade loophole that allows the company to ship duty-free goods directly to the US.
The loophole is called the de minimis exception and it means they can ship goods valued up to $800 (£643) to the US without it being inspected or taxed by US customs.
Temu connects customers directly to manufacturers and only manages how the items are sent to customers.
It means Chinese vendors can essentially sell their products directly to customers and ship it without building a network of warehouses across the globe.
By doing this, they cut down on huge costs and ensure the product itself isn’t marked up extra.
While many of the products seen on the Temu app are from brands with extensive, original collections, many more are dupes of designer brands.
Others, meanwhile, raced to offer a helping hand, explaining why things had gone so horribly wrong.
”U put them on wrong i had the same problem but u have to make sure there’s no overlap at all and it’s fully aligned and it’s the same sides.”
Someone else chimed in, writing: ”Did you see how the would look on a completely flat surface?
”If they’re ok then maybe stick them to a sheet of wood first then on the wall.”
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February 11, 2025New York StateComments Off on Shoppers celebrate ‘no spend Jan’ ending as they race to Primark for latest viral set & it’s perfect for chilly mornings
SHOPPERS are rushing to their local Primark to celebrate the end of ‘No Spend January’ by snapping up the retailer’s latest viral set.
Kasia Logan stumbled upon Primark’s newest loungewear collection, with all pieces priced at £10 or less – ideal for those chilly mornings.
PrimarkPrimark has a new lounge-wear ribbed set that has just landed in stores[/caption]
Whilst browsing, Kasia shared a video of the stylish new arrival on her TikTok page, sparking excitement among her 35.5k followers.
Now, other shoppers are eager to head to their nearest store to grab the set for themselves.
Kasia encouraged her followers to “run to Primark for their new ribbed set,” which includes a ribbed cardigan priced at £6, a ribbed stretch bralette for £3, and matching flared leggings for £10.
After filming the new fashionable goods, Kasia immediately put it in her basket.
Her video gained lots of attention with many rushing to the comments section to share their thoughts.
One wrote: “Yeah it’s very nice.”
Whilst a second shopper, who explained that she bought the set herself, added: “I paid £19 altogether for all three pieces.”
Kasia replied: “I think that’s such a good price!”
Another person revealed that they tried to head to their store but couldn’t find these, and wrote: “My Primark hasn’t got these.”
To which Kasia suggested: “Try Primark click and collect online!”
Kasia also revealed in the comment section: “No spend jan is over now for me.”
This isn’t the only thing that fashion fans are racing to get their hands on.
AS someone who’s no stranger to grabbing a last-minute outfit from Primark for a night out, it’s about time that celebrities started catching on too.
For as long as I’ve been heading out, Primark has been my go-to for those “I have nothing to wear” moments, rushing in at the last minute to find something perfect.
And I’m definitely not alone – on any Friday or Saturday night, you’ll find plenty of shoppers doing the same thing, right before closing time.
But no matter what, Primark always delivers.
Now, Rita Ora is leading the charge, showing that you can snag a designer-worthy look without spending a fortune at high-end stores.
While Rita’s not rushing in last minute for a red carpet outfit, she’s proving you can achieve the same high-impact style for much less.
Looking stunning in her tailored suit alongside her mum Vera, Rita fit right in among the other A-listers dripping in Prada, Dior, and Victoria Beckham – if anything, she looked even better than some of the guests at The Fashion Awards.
With Myleene Klass and Roxy Horner already jumping on the Primark bandwagon, I’m sure more stars will be following suit soon enough.
February 11, 2025New York StateComments Off on Black Sabbath at Villa Park – tickets, packages, seating plan & HUGE line up
OZZY Osbourne’s final show has been described as “the greatest heavy metal show ever” and promises to be a who’s who of rock giants.
The original members of Black Sabbath will say a final farewell to rock’s greatest hell-raiser this summer in their native Birmingham.
AFPBlack Sabbath’s final gig is being held at Villa Park[/caption]
Bringing one of the great performing careers to a close with a final gig, Ozzy – infamous the world over for relieving various bats and doves of their heads – will be joined by guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward for the charity show at Villa Park on July 5.
Tickets for the gig – which has been dubbed Back to the Beginning – go on pre-sale at 10am on Tuesday, February 11. General ticket sales start at 10am on Friday, February 14 and are available from:
This is the first time the full band has reunited in 20 years. Many fans feared the reunion show would never happen, not only because of their combined age of 303, but also due to fractious inter-band relations.
A line-up of metal greats
The supporting line-up is a who’s who of metal greats, including Metallica, Below, Slayer, Pantera and many more. The concert’s musical director, Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, promises it will be “the greatest heavy metal show ever”.
Other stars who will perform include Duff McKagan and Frank Bello from Anthrax, Fred Durst from Limp Bizkit and The Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan.
Disturbed’s David Draiman, Jake E Lee and Jonathan Davis from Korn are lined up to play, while Mike Bordin from Faith No More will be there too.
Pre-sale tickets are available from 10am on Tuesday, February 11, 2025Rex
The rapper sampled Black Sabbath’s song Iron Man on his album Vultures last year.
Sharon criticised him for using the song after he was told he could not. On whether Kanye – who legally changed his name to Ye – would be welcome at the gig, Sharon said: “No, not at all. I wouldn’t have him anywhere near.”
GettyThe general ticket sale starts at 10am on Friday, February 14, 2025[/caption]
Ticket packages and how much they cost
Ticket prices have not been announced yet so we won’t know exactly how much general sale tickets are priced at until they go on sale. But the prices of hospitality packages at Villa Park has been revealed – and prices start at £445.
Platinum box package
Ticket cost: £795 per person, excluding VAT. (Minimum of 12 guests.)
What you get:
Exclusive pre-show access to Villa’s hospitality suites
Private reserved box for 12 guests
Pre-show access to your executive box
Premium padded seating outside the box to view the concert
Food served throughout the day from gates opening
Brunch, afternoon tea/snacks, and evening street food served to the private box
Two inclusive beers, wines or soft drinks
Tea and coffee available throughout the day
Seated ticket located within Trinity Road Stand
Post-event lounge access for 30 minutes after the last act
Platinum restaurant package
Ticket cost: £795 per person, excluding VAT.
Exclusive pre-show access to one of Villa’s hospitality suites
Private reserved table
Food served throughout the day from gates opening
Brunch, afternoon tea/snacks and evening street food
Two inclusive beers, wines or soft drinks
Tea and coffee available throughout the day
Post-event lounge access for 30 minutes post-last act
Reserved padded seat within the Trinity Road Stand (Oak Room & Legends Lounge) or Doug Ellis Stand (The Aston or 150 Club)
Gold package
Price: £595 per person, excluding VAT.
Pre-show access to an exclusive hospitality lounge
Reserved padded seat
Food served throughout the day from gates opening
Brunch, afternoon tea/snacks and evening street food
Two inclusive beers, wines or soft drinks
Tea and coffee available throughout the day
Seated ticket within the Doug Ellis Stand or Trinity Road stand
Post-event lounge access for 30 minutes post-last act
Silver package
Price: £445 per person, excluding VAT.
Pre-show access to The Terrace View
One course evening street food served from the kitchen; additional catering available to purchase
Two inclusive beers, wines or soft drinks
Located in Holte Upper Stand
Post-event lounge access for 30 minutes post-last act
Everything you need to know about Black Sabbath
Inspired by the industrial sounds of their hometown, Black Sabbath have sold a reported 75 million albums worldwide and arguably remain the most influential rock bands in history; their first eight albums featured Ozzy, and included the UK number one Paranoid.
Ozzy left for a solo career in 1979 – to be replaced by various vocalists, including Deep Purple’s Ian Gillan – but was brought back into the band in 1997.
The last time the original line-up performed was on the 2005 Ozzfest tour, but Ward left the group shortly after citing a contract disagreement. Ozzy later publicly chastised Ward on Facebook stating the drummer wasn’t “capable” of doing the album and tour and calling on him to “stop playing the victim and be honest with yourself and our fans”.
Their final album, 13, was released in 2013 with Brad Wilk, drummer with Rage Against The Machine, filling in for Ward.
Ozzy’s health battles
In 2022, Ozzy had spinal surgery after a 2019 fall while a 2023 tour was cancelled as he recuperated. It is perhaps fitting that his final gig will be at the home of Aston Villa in the area of Birmingham where he grew up before forming Black Sabbath in 1968.
While it has not yet been confirmed what the setup will look like at Villa Park, the stadium has a capacity of more than 42,000 across four stands.
February 11, 2025New York StateComments Off on I’m a tech expert and lost nearly 4st with three gadgets – dieting was so much easier and I didn’t even have to run
TECH can’t solve all of our problems – but it helped me shed nearly four stone over the summer, so I can’t complain.
I’m The Sun’s technology editor so I spend a lot of time testing gadgets, but I didn’t spend enough time moving it turned out – and I was ballooning without realising it.
Sean KeachThe Sun’s Sean Keach before and after his impressive weight loss[/caption]
Sean KeachAlmost everything physical that I do feels easier now that I’ve shifted the weight[/caption]
Then I stepped on the scale one day and, suddenly horrified, I vowed to trim the fat.
In February 2024, my weight had crept up to 15st, nearly 210lbs. I was a men’s large clothing size, and my BMI was officially overweight.
Seven months later, by the end of that September, I’d dropped 50lb to just over 11st – 160lb – and could fit comfortably into a men’s medium.
It wasn’t all tech, of course. I ate less food and moved more. But I’m convinced it would’ve been way harder without gadgets.
The thing about losing weight is that it’s simple, but definitely not easy.
We all know how it works: burn more calories than you consume.
But in a world where inhaling a slab of cake is much more tempting than getting up for a 6am run, the calories often win.
As it happens, I love cake and I don’t love running, so I was already on the back foot. And my back foot was getting heavier by the day.
I also wasn’t about to squirt Ozempic into my thigh or book a flight to Turkey for a nip-tuck.
So here’s how I got the weight off… with a little help from technology.
GADGET #1 – AN APPLE WATCH
First up is the Apple Watch. Important note here: it doesn’t need to be an Apple Watch.
But it does have to be something that tracks heart rate and calories – not just steps.
I used an Apple Watch Series 9 (and then the Series 10 when it came out in September), but any decent Fitbit, Garmin, Samsung, or Google watch with a heart-rate monitor will do.
Sean KeachI wear my Apple Watch all through the day, charge it before bed, and then put it back on for sleep-tracking too[/caption]
The Apple Watch Series 10 starts at £399, but there’s a cheaper Apple Watch SE out for £219. And you can bag some Fitbit models for even less.
It’s that heart measurement that allows watches to make a fairly decent guess at how many calories you’re burning each day.
I found this massively useful for two reasons.
Firstly, knowing my calories burned let me work out how many I could comfortably eat. Yum.
Secondly, it’s bloody motivational. The Apple Watch does a great job of this with its “Move” ring that monitors how many calories you’ve burned throughout the day.
Sean KeachMy Apple Watch tracked my weight loss from around 15st right down to 11st[/caption]
If you stack this on top of your basal metabolic rate (BMR), which is how many calories you burn simply by existing, then you have a total number for each day.
Eat less than that big number and the weight goes down.
How quickly I was losing the weight would depend on the gap between what I was eating and that big number.
Looking back, I was probably losing in the region of 1lb to 1.5lbs a week, which is about right for healthy weight loss.
Trying to close your Apple Watch Move ring is great fun, and basically turns movement into a game.
And you can set your target of how many calories you want to burn as high or low as you like.
I started out with it set at around 500 calories, but I’ve since bumped it up to 750 now that I exercise more regularly.
You’ll work out pretty quickly what a reasonable amount of movement is for yourself. If you’ve got an active job, you might already be well on your way.
Sean KeachBeing able to log my movement every day with the Apple Watch made losing weight much easier[/caption]
Sean KeachMy head size shrank significantly between these two headshots for work[/caption]
The good news is that almost everything you do adds to the ring, even just walking to the kitchen to make a cup of tea. Brilliant.
GADGET #2 – WITHINGS SMART SCALE
I also had a little help from France. No, I didn’t start guzzling entire bottles of wine in the hope that grapes would sort me out.
There’s a French company called Withings that makes health gadgets – including “smart” weighing scales. For your body, not baking.
Sean KeachThe Withings Body Comp scale was a massive help when it came to tracking my weight loss[/caption]
Sean KeachI was able to use data from the Withings scale to measure my body fat percentage over time – tracking it from over 23% to around 12 or 13%[/caption]
It’s difficult to eyeball how much fat I was dropping (if any), so a scale was essential.
Part of the faff of weighing yourself is having to take note of it.
You can write it down or manually log it in an app, but I found even that was a pain.
What’s great about the Withings Body Comp scale (£179.95) is that it beams your daily weight straight into your apps for you.
So it’ll pop up in the Withings app, and then automatically sync to the iPhone’s Health app too.
If I’m putting in all of this effort, I want the freedom to be as lazy as possible with monitoring it.
What’s great about these scales is that they also measure your body fat percentage.
That’s a record of the percentage of your body that’s made up of fat (versus muscle or bone or water).
DON’T JUST FOCUS ON WEIGHT – TOP TRAINER REVEALS STATS TO WATCH
The Sun spoke to Ollie Thompson (@olliethompsonhealth), one of the UK’s top personal trainers and founder of Welltolead, who revealed how weight isn’t the only stat worth watching…
If you’re like most people, you probably focus too much on the number on the scale when it comes to getting fit.
But weight alone doesn’t tell the full story, and obsessing over it can hide the progress you’re actually making.
Instead, grab a fitness tracker and start paying attention to a few other stats that reveal more about your fitness.
Stat #1 – Body fat percentage
This shows how much of your body is made up of fat compared to lean mass.
Tracking it is a great way to see which way your body composition is going, whether you’re building muscle and gaining some fat or purely losing fat.
The gold standard of tracking this will be something like a DEXA scan, but you can also use fat calipers or a smart scale to give you a number to work with.
Stat #2 – Resting heart rate
A lower resting heart rate can be a sign that your heart is getting stronger and more efficient.
This crucial stat is easy to track with a smartwatch or fitness wearable and can provide you with a clear measure of your cardiovascular health.
If you’re doing your cardio, you should see your resting heart rate (RHR) gradually drop.
Stat #3 – Heart rate variability (HRV)
This measures the tiny variations in time between heartbeats, controlled by your autonomic nervous system.
A higher HRV shows your parasympathetic system (the ‘rest and digest’ side) is active, meaning you’re well-recovered.
A lower HRV can signal stress, overtraining, or poor recovery.
Sleep, nutrition, and hydration also impact HRV, so it’s more than just your workouts.
You can track it with a smartwatch, but don’t compare your HRV to others – it’s your personal baseline that matters.
Focus on the trends over time to gauge your recovery status.
When I started, it was about 24.5%. These days, it’s between 12% and 13%.
Whether it’s bang-on accurate or not doesn’t particularly matter – because all I really needed was to see a rough trend of it going downwards.
Maybe I’m actually now 11% or 15%. The actual number isn’t the point. I just know that the line was pointing down and not up.
It’s worth noting that weight can shoot up or down depending on a load of things: the water I’ve drank, the food I’ve eaten, and even whether I’ve been to the loo.
Sean KeachI didn’t realise how my weight had crept upwards – it’s only looking back that I can see the difference[/caption]
Sean KeachI would’ve found it much harder to lose the weight without a bit of help from tech[/caption]
So day to day, it wouldn’t really look like much was happening on the scales.
But then when I would step back (figuratively, by changing Week to Month on the app), I could see a clear downwards trend for both weight and body fat.
It was reassuring, and very motivational. I was on track for fitness greatness. Or at least a new pair of jeans with a smaller waist.
Aside from logging your weight and body composition, the scales can also check up on the health of your sweat glands and even the condition of your arteries.
That’s great but one health crisis at a time, please.
GADGET #3 – PELOTON BIKE
I can’t tell you enough how important riding on my gym’s Peloton Bike was.
Sure, I dieted – and you absolutely can’t outrun (or outride) a bad diet.
But the Peloton got me moving in a consistent way like never before.
Sean KeachThe Peloton Bike has made me look forward to exercise[/caption]
It is genuinely an incredible machine. If you’ve struggled to enjoy exercise previously, go try a Peloton and come back to me. Please. It might genuinely change your life.
If you’re not familiar with Peloton Bike, it’s basically an indoor cycling machine with a big touchscreen attached.
You’ve got a big red knob in the middle that makes it harder or easier to pedal.
And the screen is filled with a friendly (and uber-toned) cast of fitness instructors who will guide you on your workout.
Sean KeachThere’s an ever-growing library of workouts to try out – and if you don’t enjoy one instructor, you can always check out another[/caption]
Maybe it’s a beginner ride, a ‘90s pop classics climb, or a high-intensity interval session set to thrashing death metal.
There’s seemingly no end of genres and ride styles, with thousands of classes to choose from.
The instructor will tell you which way to turn the knob to set the resistance during the ride.
And then you’ll follow instructions on how fast to pedal, which is logged as cadence on the screen.
WEIGHT A MINUTE...THIS IS GREAT!
STAYING motivated is hard, The Sun's Sean Keach writes, even with the help of gadgets…
The problem with gaining unwanted weight is that it usually doesn’t happen all at once.
It’s a slow thickening over months and years – until one day you realise you’re now very thick indeed, and have a lot of work to do.
That’s daunting. I remember the sinking feeling. I was 210lbs at 6ft, giving me a BMI of 28.5 – firmly in the “overweight” category.
And if it took months to gain, it was probably going to take months to lose, I thought.
But I had to remind myself that it wouldn’t just be six or seven months of pure misery. There would be wins along the way.
Thankfully I was right. I felt stairs become easier to climb and brisk walks could be brisker still.
Jumpers and shirts that were just a little too tight suddenly looked how I’d hoped they would.
Once-tight jeans were now loose, giving me a nice excuse to buy a fresh pair. They were knackered anyway.
All of this – plus taking regular progress pictures and tracking the pounds – was fantastic motivation.
So whether you’ve got weeks, months, or years ahead, just remember that there’s plenty of joy to be had on the journey – long before you hit your goal.
You can follow leaderboards on the panel if you like, or just swipe them away and cycle alone.
There are also scenic rides with no instructors, if you prefer. I’ll often slap my AirPods in with a bit of dance music and pretend that I’m cycling through the Alps or even the streets of London.
It’s immensely addictive.
For a start, it’s just good fun. Sometimes it can feel like you’re just dancing – but without the faff, cost, and deep next-morning regret of going to a nightclub.
Sean KeachMy resting heart rate dropped significantly – a sign of that my fitness was improving – once I started using a Peloton Bike[/caption]
But it’s also very easy to see how you’re progressing. You can tell you’re getting better. And you get better pretty fast.
It was shocking to see how my resting heart rate fell through the floor once I started using a Peloton.
That might sound bad, but it’s a good thing. It means my heart isn’t having to work as hard to keep me alive.
Before Peloton, my daily average RHR was about 63bpm. Now it’s around 49-50bpm each day. You’re welcome, heart.
It’s also low impact as a type of exercise. I don’t hate running, but I’m not obsessed with that smashing feeling in my knees as I heave my body weight into the ground over and over again on a treadmill or the pavement.
For most of the time on Peloton, you’re just sitting, moving your legs in a smooth rotation. Sometimes you might stand up and ride for a bit, but it still feels less physically brutal versus sprinting around the park.
I’ve never been chased by a dog on the Peloton, either. Or rained on.
Of course all of the calories burned get logged via my fitness tracker and then onto my phone.
So it’s very easy to tell what I’ve done that day and work out whether I’m on track.
Sean KeachPeloton is best known for its cycling equipment, like the bike seen here, but runners can try the ‘Tread’ too[/caption]
The problem with the Peloton versus the other two gadgets I used is the cost. A Peloton Bike will set you back £1,599, which isn’t cheap.
You can knock a bit of money off by buying a used one, which comes in at £1,299.
And there are pay-over-time options if that’s easier.
The thrifty option is just to check if one of your local gyms has one.
But you might find that you’re better off paying monthly for a Peloton Bike instead, because then you don’t have to leave your house and you can always flog it if you get bored.
Another cheap option is to snap up a regular indoor bike and pay for a Peloton subscription to run your workouts. It won’t be as synced up, but it’s a nice way to save. And if money is really tight, you can find plenty of free guided workouts on YouTube.
What the Peloton Bike has done for my health feels, to me, almost priceless. I now use it almost every day. It’s so fun that I easily burn hundreds of calories per ride without an ounce of misery.
Of course even with all the gadgets in the world, you’ll still need to watch what you eat to shed unwanted weight.
But these gadgets made it so much easier to move in the right direction that I think it probably would’ve taken twice as long without them.
