Your stunning photos of the night sky

Gokhan Saymaz is a part-time professional photographer. He created this dazzling image of star trails above Esentepe, in Cyprus. Saymaz used a long exposure technique, shooting 111 frames in 30 seconds, before combining them using star trails software.

An avid astrophotographer, iReporter Carlos Soares took this photo near the Portuguese city of Braga. "This is widefield astrophotography with many targets, taken with a DSLR camera and a lens. We can see several constellations including Cygnus, the Lyra and the Eagle."

This breathtaking moonrise over the Sahara was taken by Slovenia-based photographer Iztok Medja, while in Morocco. In a former job as a nautical skipper, he would spend many night shifts gazing longingly at the sky. He says that it was while he was away from the light pollution of the city that his passion for night photography emerged.

Along with several other camera club members, iReporter Allan Qua Borebor made his way to one of the piers in Caramoan, in the Philippines, at around 11 p.m on June 30th. "The place was so quiet, so serene and so dark ... We were so lucky because a thousand stars showed up," Borebor recalls. "It was a perfect night together with friends."

Sarah Thornington is a Massachusetts-based iReporter who fell in love with the vast expanse above from a young age. On June 27, she picked up her camera and headed to the local drive-in. The night had all the conditions for a perfect shoot and Thornington watched as a couple of shooting stars (seen at the top of the image) blazed across the sky. She is already thinking about her summer stargazing bucket list -- to get "that beautiful shot of the Milky Way as it rises over the ocean."

Greg Hogan may only have been aiming his camera at the sky for the last six months but the astrophotography bug has bitten him pretty hard. "I bought a telescope for $25 at a yard sale and the first time I saw Saturn's rings, I was completely hooked," he says. "There's just so much out there that people don't realize that you can see without the equipment being expensive if you just slow down a minute and take a peek."

Jason Hullinger went to Joshua Tree National Park last December to catch the Geminid meteor shower. He set up his tripod to take 20-second exposures from about 11 p.m. Thursday to 3 a.m. Friday. He took about 500 photos and combined them with StarStaX, an image stacking and blending software for star trail photography.

Stephen Gill who loves "science, space and all things tech-y," captured this photo while vacationing in Grand Cayman with his wife on August 13 last year. "I've been out three nights in a row trying to capture a Perseid (meteor shower) since the conditions here are amazing, and finally got lucky," he said.

An enthusiastic stargazer, 39-year-old Lewis de Mesa wasn't going to miss an opportunity to snap the Camelopardalids meteor shower in May this year. Standing atop the highest peak in the United Arab Emirates, de Mesa snapped this impressive shot but wasn't thrilled by the result. "Not so much luck here in the United Arab Emirates," he said. "It wasn't that great ... Good thing I got some Milky Way goodness."

• iReporters have sent stunning photos of the night skies


• You don't need expensive equipment for impressive results


• Share your photos with CNN iReport and you could be featured on CNN

The Art of Movement is CNN's monthly show exploring the latest innovations in art, culture, science and technology.

(CNN) -- For thousands of years, man has looked to the stars in search of answers. Who are we? Why are we here? Are we alone?

The ethereal nature of the cosmos has brought inspiration to great thinkers throughout history -- Aristotle, Albert Einstein, Carl Sagan to name just a few. Through its profound beauty, the night sky has become a symbol of the possible.

Yet, too often, we get so caught up in the daily grind of work, family and friends that we fail to take a moment and appreciate the vast expanse overhead.

But not all of us.

Across the globe tonight, many will pack a duffel bag. In it: a camera, tripod, flashlights, telescope, perhaps a blanket and maybe some snacks before setting off in search of the perfect location for a late-night photo shoot.

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Among them could be Slovenia-based stargazing enthusiast and photographer, Iztok Medja. "The stars remind me that we are small and not so important as we think," he says. "But it's not the gear that makes the photo. You have to just love this stuff. And go outside and practice and learn. One day you will get something."

In Kathleen, Georgia, iReporter Greg Hogan tucks his kids in bed before grabbing his camera and stepping out into his front yard. A fairly new stargazer, he's only been snapping shots of space for the last six months but he's already besotted.

"I bought a telescope for $25 at a yard sale and the first time I saw Saturn's rings, I was completely hooked," he says. "There's just so much out there that people don't realize that you can see without the equipment being expensive, if you just slow down a minute and take a peek."

WATCH: Zero gravity training with NASA

The skies above us are a fascinating place with endless possibilities and iReporters across the globe are sharing their stories of snapping shooting stars, planets, galaxies, meteor showers and more. Explore the gallery above to view some of the best iReport astrophotography and find out the story behind these dazzling images.

Do you have a passion for astrophotography? Share your photos with iReport and you could be featured on CNN.com.

WATCH: Driving Curiosity on the Red Planet

Study: Better to smoke than be fat

• Extreme obesity shortens your life more than smoking


• A simple blood test may help doctors predict Alzheimer's disease


• Scientists say people over 55 should be considered for live kidney donation

(CNN) -- Here's a roundup of five medical studies published this week that might give you new insights into your health, mind and body. Remember, correlation is not causation -- so if a study finds a connection between two things, it doesn't mean that one causes the other.

Extreme obesity shortens your life more than smoking

Journal: PLOS Medicine

It's not going to come as a surprise that obesity shortens your life by contributing to heart disease, strokes, diabetes and other diseases. But how many years are lost?

Researchers from the National Cancer Institute compared normal weight smokers to extremely obese non-smokers. They found the smokers lived longer on average.

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Healthy weight smokers lost about nine years of their lives. Non-smoking adults who were extremely obese -- defined as having a BMI of 55 to 55.9 -- lost nearly 14 years on average.

Researchers analyzed 20 large studies, which included more than 9,500 extremely obese adults and more than 300,000 people with a normal BMI. Participants came from the United States, Sweden and Australia.

The findings, published Tuesday in PLOS Medicine, highlight the need to develop more effective ways to combat the growing public health problem of extreme obesity, the authors write.

Simple blood test may predict Alzheimer's

Journal: Alzheimer's & Dementia

According to the Alzheimer's Association, 44 million people live with dementia worldwide. That number is expected to triple in just 35 years.

Alzheimer's is usually diagnosed when the disease has progressed. While there's no cure, early detection could lead to early intervention, which may slow the disease. And a simple blood test could be the key, according new study published Thursday in Alzheimer's & Dementia, a journal of the Alzheimer's Association.

Researchers used blood samples from 1,148 people. Ten proteins in the blood were found to predict whether people with mild cognitive impairment would develop Alzheimer's within a year.

As promising this new test appears to be, the Alzheimer's Association says it isn't ready for the doctor's office yet. "To give the findings credibility, they need to be replicated by other researchers in larger, more diverse populations. "

Over 55? You too can donate a kidney

Journal: American Journal of Transplantation

People in need of a kidney often wait years for a deceased donor match. Another option is a live kidney donation. But many times potential live donors are excluded because of their age. It's been thought that older live kidney donors have a higher risk of heart disease after donating their organ.

That's not true anymore, according to a new study in the American Journal of Transplantation.

Researchers matched 3,368 older donors with older healthy non-donors and followed them for nearly eight years. They found that kidney donors older than 55 are at no greater risk for death or cardiovascular disease than non-donors.

Combo approach may help smokers quit

Journal: JAMA

Smokers looking to quit often use either a medication named Chantix or nicotine patches, hoping it will help reduce withdrawal symptoms.

But a combination of those two methods improves the odds you'll quit smoking on the short term, according to a study published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study was funded by the companies that make Chantix and nicotine patches.

Tell us your storyWe love to hear from our audience. Follow @CNNHealth on Twitter and Facebook for the latest health news and let us know what we're missing.

Researchers randomly assigned 446 smokers to either take Chantix and a nicotine patch, or Chantix plus a placebo patch. Treatment continued for 14 weeks.

Twelve weeks later, 55% of those who took both medications were still not smoking, compared to 41% of those on Chantix alone.

After six months, the numbers were 49% and 32.6% respectively.

The researchers also found a greater incidence of nausea, disturbed sleep, skin reactions and depression in the combination group. They say safety and long-term efficacy needs to be assessed by further studies.

Don't pressure your doctor after a concussion

Journal: Neurology

After a concussion, doctors often receive pressure from their young patients, families and coaches to give an athlete the "all-clear" as soon as possible.

But that's dangerous, says the American Academy of Neurology. The reason: Concussions are linked to long-term impairments in brain function. A new position statement published in the journal Neurology on Wednesday calls for doctors to only give an athlete the "all-clear" to play when medically ready.

"Physicians should be thoughtful about athletes going back to field after brain injury," says neurologist Dr. Daniel Larriviere, one of the study authors.

Doctors caring for athletes with sports-related concussions should have adequate training and experience and also educate patients and their families about the dangers of concussion, the authors conclude. The Academy is also calling for a national registry the will require mandatory reporting of concussions.

A new angle on stopping Obamacare

• House Republicans say they'll sue President Obama over his health care reforms


• Is it a constitutional challenge or election-year politics?


• Legal experts argue over who is right


• Challenges exist to getting a lawsuit before a judge

Washington (CNN) -- They tried in Congress, at the ballot box and in the Supreme Court, but Republicans have been unable to stop Obamacare.

Now they have a new angle: suing President Barack Obama over changes in enforcing his signature health care reforms.

House Speaker John Boehner framed the issue as a matter of presidential overreach when he announced the focus of the lawsuit on Thursday.

"In 2013, the President changed the health care law without a vote of Congress, effectively creating his own law by literally waiving the employer mandate and the penalties for failing to comply with it," Boehner said in a statement.

"That's not the way our system of government was designed to work. No president should have the power to make laws on his or her own," he said.

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Obama and Democrats called that premise malarkey.

"You're going to sue me for doing my job? OK," the President told an applauding crowd Thursday in Austin, Texas, using the opportunity to take a jab at congressional dysfunction he blames on Republican obstruction.

"Think about that," Obama said. "You're going to use taxpayer money to sue me for doing my job while you don't do your job."

The issue blends constitutional debate on the balance of government powers with the partisan fervor of election-year politics. Here are some questions that help provide a deeper look:

1) What's this all about, anyway?

Obama and Democrats passed the Affordable Care Act in 2010 with no Republican votes. Ever since, the political right has tried to derail the law nicknamed Obamacare, with affection by the President and derision by his foes.

Conservatives despise the measure that requires Americans obtain health insurance as part of reforms intended to lower the overall cost of U.S. health care, calling it an unworkable government expansion.

Lawsuits challenging it as unconstitutional wound their way through the appeals process to the Supreme Court, which ruled it legal in 2012.

Republicans led by presidential nominee Mitt Romney ran against it that year, making repeal of Obamacare a major campaign promise. Voters re-elected Obama and kept Democrats in control of the Senate, while Republicans maintained their House majority.

House Republicans have voted more than 40 times to repeal or dismantle the law, but their efforts never advanced in the Senate.

Now Boehner and his GOP colleagues are focusing on Obama's 2013 decision to delay a provision in the health care law that requires employers with more than 50 workers provide them with health insurance.

The so-called employer mandate originally was to take effect on January 1, but the administration's move put it off for a year to allow more time for the transition. Another revision in February further extended the mandate's phase-in.

2) Thanks, but what's it really about?

Election-year politics, mostly.

Republicans contend Obama has routinely expanded his executive powers through presidential orders and other actions that usurp the authority of Congress granted by the Constitution.

As examples, they cite a decision to stop deporting some young undocumented immigrants, as well as the employer mandate revision.

Until now, none of the grievances reached the level of a lawsuit by the GOP-controlled House against the President.

Thursday's announcement of the Obamacare focus came less than four months before congressional elections that Republicans hope will generate a huge conservative turnout to hold their House majority and seize control of the Senate.

Boehner denied any political motive, telling reporters "it's not about Republicans versus Democrats."

"This is about the legislative branch that's being disadvantaged by the executive branch," he said, adding: "What we're talking about here are places where the President is basically rewriting law to make it fit his own needs."

On Friday, White House spokesman Josh Earnest called the move "a taxpayer-funded political stunt" that he said failed to reflect the nation's priorities.

3) So did Obama overreach?

Depends to whom you talk.

George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley told the House Judiciary Committee in December that delaying the employer mandate provision of the health care law "crossed the constitutional line."

Noting the original start date for the mandate was "a matter of considerable debate within Congress during deliberations," Turley said "no express power" existed for the President to change it.

Not so, countered Simon Lazarus, senior counsel of the at the progressive-minded Constitutional Accountability Center.

"These critics fault the Obama administration for making necessary adjustments in timing and matching enforcement priorities with resources and practical, humanitarian and other exigencies," Lazarus told the same December hearing. "But exercising presidential judgment in carrying laws into execution is precisely what the Constitution requires."

4) Typical lawyers. Please make it simple for me.

The question is whether Obama exercised more power than allowed in changing how the health care law works.

Reihan Salam, a conservative CNN political commentator, noted the Supreme Court recently voted 9-0 against Obama over recess appointments he made without congressional approval.

"There are many people who agree that this president has gone too far in abusing his executive power," Salam said Friday. "That's not about Democrats and Republicans. That's about our system of government."

Democrats point out the lawsuit challenges a presidential action similar to steps taken by Obama's predecessors, such as GOP President George W. Bush's waiving of penalties for impoverished senior citizens who missed the deadline for enrolling in Medicare Part D in 2006.

"Presidents get to deal with the implementation of these laws through the administrative process," said Democratic strategist and CNN Contributor Donna Brazile.

Ironically, House Republicans voted last year to delay the employer mandate just like Obama eventually did, but they are now planning to challenge Obama for it in court. Senate Democrats never took up the matter because it would have reopened debate on the health care law as the administration prepared to fully implement it.

Asked about such an apparent reversal, Republicans say they were right back then and now, because Congress -- not the President -- is supposed to make such a change.

5) So what happens next?

The House Rules Committee will hold a hearing next week on the proposal to sue Obama, with the GOP-led panel expected to approve it.

However, legal experts say challenges remain to getting the case before a judge.

For example, House Republicans must establish legal standing to file such a lawsuit, which means proving that Obama's action harmed the legislature as an institution.

Meanwhile, the partisan carping and finger-pointing will continue in Washington.

CNN's Jim Acosta and Dana Davidsen contributed to this report.

Ready for your July 'cold snap'?

• Parts of the Upper Midwest will see lows in the 40s next week


• Temperatures to dip 10 to 20 degrees below normal in parts of the U.S.


• A typhoon rippled the jet stream, which will allow cool Canadian air to drop south

(CNN) -- Blame Canada, and especially Typhoon Neoguri: Next week isn't going to feel very much like summer in parts of the United States.

Lows in the 40s will bring out the blankets in parts of the Upper Midwest as temperatures dip 10 to 20 degrees below normal. Other regions also will be a little cooler, if not as drastically.

Why? Neoguri, the storm that hit Japan this week, made the jet stream wavier than usual, and starting Monday, the stream will dip into the Midwest, allowing cool Canadian air to drop south, CNN meteorologist Indra Petersons said.

A sampling:

• Marquette, Michigan, could see a low of 45 on Tuesday morning, and it might reach only 58 on Monday and 57 on Tuesday -- a departure from July averages in the mid-70s.

• Minneapolis, which is used to July highs in the mid-80s, might get up to 65 on Monday, 70 on Tuesday and 75 on Wednesday.

• Chicago could see highs of 78 on Monday, 67 on Tuesday and 72 on Wednesday. Highs in the mid-80s are average.

Outside the Midwest, the weather won't be particularly cool, but it won't be scorching, either:

• Washington will be baking on Monday (93) but might get up to only 81 on Wednesday.

• New York City could see highs of 81 on Tuesday and 78 on Wednesday.

• Charlotte, North Carolina, which is used to July highs in the upper 80s, should be in the low 80s Wednesday.

Space junk creates fireball in sky

• Fireball seen shooting through sky above southern Australia Thursday night


• Astronomers said it was third-stage of Soyuz rocket which launched on July 8


• Fireball was object re-entering atmosphere, creating a fiery tail

(CNN) -- A fireball the size of a small truck, which shot through the sky over Australia Thursday night, was space junk from Russia's Soyuz rocket, astronomers said.

More accurately, it was "object 40077," the third stage of the Soyuz rocket which was launched from Kazakhstan on Tuesday.

It was hurtling around the Earth at some 18,000 mph, or almost 29,000 kilometers per hour.

"What you're seeing in that fireball is it slowing down really fast. It's belly-flopping on the world's atmosphere at 18,000 miles an hour. That really hurts," said Jonathan McDowell, astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

Residents who saw the fireball initially guessed it was a meteor. Some feared it was a plane crash and called emergency services. Photos started popping on Twitter with the hashtag #meteor.

"Just saw the biggest meteor I've ever seen, going all way across the sky heading North, amazing!" Justin Nicholas tweeted.

Steven Wright: "At first I thought it was a low-flying jet with some wild vapor trails, because it was moving that fast."

I don't want to panic anyone, but... #Meteor #Melbourne #MelbMeteor http://ift.tt/1oPamPo

— Leon Sjogren (@Leonsjogren) July 10, 2014

Steve Wright was on the rooftop of a car park trying to take a photo of the Melbourne Star -- the city's giant Ferris wheel -- when he saw the fireball streaking through the sky.

"I had no idea what it was, and at first I thought it was a low flying jet with some wild vapor trails, because it was moving that fast," he told CNN. "But because there was no sound, and it didn't make sense to see a vapor tail it behind the plane at night, I knew it had to be something else."

My #meteor shot from last night. No idea what is was when I saw it. Very cool sight #Melbourne @theage http://ift.tt/1jzXm13

— Steven Wright (@regularsteven) July 11, 2014

While the fireball came as a surprise to residents, McDowell said astronomers had an early warning.

Russia launched its Soyuz rocket on July 8 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, carrying the Meteor-M2 weather satellite and other smaller satellites.

The projected path of the third stage of the rocket showed it moving northbound between Melbourne and Canberra.

Here is the Russ. rocket stage before launch -this is the actual one that burnt up over NSW @EstherHjHan @cosmicpinot http://ift.tt/1q2BT3D

— Jonathan McDowell (@planet4589) July 10, 2014

"They're not usually seen because most of the Earth is either ocean -- or very sparsely inhabited. And of course, if it comes down in the daytime, you may not notice as easily," McDowell said.

"You get reports like this a few times a year. Maybe once or twice a year, but it happens much more often."

One user on Twitter couldn't let the relatively rare opportunity pass without using it as an excuse to join the latest meme involving Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

RT @occupy_now: Breaking: #Meteor seen over Melbourne tonight #abbotting #climatechange http://ift.tt/1jzXm1e #auspol #toadyfarts

— Electric Cars (@CoolElectricCar) July 10, 2014

The Australian leader released an image earlier this week striking a pose with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

PM Abe wearing his gift from Australia - RM Williams boots. Both proud to be wearing them today #RMs http://ift.tt/1w5q8qv

— Tony Abbott (@TonyAbbottMHR) July 9, 2014

Around 1,000 of these types of space junk have re-entered orbit since the start of the space age, McDowell said.

"It's possible that some of the pieces might reach the ground but most of it would melt away."

Cops: Prostitute linked to 2nd death

• In Georgia incident, Tichelman described her boyfriend as overdosing


• Forrest Timothy Hayes, 51, was found dead on his California yacht in November


• Police say Alix Tichelman, 26, was seen on video footage on yacht


• Authorities say she injected Hayes with heroin and left casually as he was dying

(CNN) -- The death of a Google executive on a yacht is raising new questions about the death of a nightclub owner on the other side of the country -- because of the possible role an alleged prostitute played in each case.

Alix Catherine Tichelman, 26, appeared in court Wednesday in Santa Cruz, California, where she faces a series of charges in the death of Forrest Timothy Hayes, 51. The married father of five was found dead in November on his 50-foot yacht. Authorities say Tichelman gave him an injection of heroin and then, as he began to die, she sipped her wine, gathered her belongings, and walked away.

She has not entered a plea.

Two months before Hayes died, Dean Riopelle, whom Tichelman identified online as her boyfriend, died at his home in Milton, Georgia. Tichelman was there at the time, and she called 911.

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"Her story was: She was in the shower, heard a large crash, and then found him unconscious on the floor," Capt. Shawn McCarty of Milton police told CNN Thursday.

"I think my boyfriend overdosed or something, he, like, he won't respond," she said in the brief call, shortly before hanging up.

The dispatcher called Tichelman back. Asked why she thought it was an overdose, Tichelman responded, "Because there's nothing else it could be." Asked whether it was accidental or intentional, she replied, "definitely accidental." He was taking painkillers and "drinking a lot too," she said.

The call cut off. The dispatcher tried at least twice more, but the phone rang and went to voicemail.

The medical examiner ruled Riopelle's death an accidental overdose from heroin and alcohol. "At the time, we never thought anything different," McCarty said.

Riopelle owned the Masquerade Nightclub in Atlanta and played in a local band.

A former band mate doubts Riopelle overdosed. "There is no way that guy did heroin, no freaking way," Allen Vine told CNN affiliate KRON.

Vine said he met Tichelman shortly after Riopelle started dating her.

"He was in no shape or form, any kind of user for heroin or drugs or anything," Vine said. "He was health conscious."

Now authorities are taking a new look at that death "to make sure there's nothing (else) to it," McCarty said.

Tichelman also was arrested last year in Atlanta and charged with battery and false report of a crime. The details of that incident were unclear.

Death of Google Glass executive

Hayes, 51, had an "ongoing prostitution relationship" with Tichelman, authorities say.

Online, Tichelman has boasted of having more than 200 client relationships.

Security footage from Hayes' yacht shows her administer the injection and what happened afterward, as he was dying, police say.

"Rather than provide first aid or call 911, Ms. Tichelman proceeds to gather her belongings including the heroin and needles," the police statement reads, adding that Tichelman stepped over Hayes' body several times.

The video also shows Tichelman leaving the boat and then reaching back to lower a blind, concealing the victim's body from outside view, police say.

How heroin kills you

At court Wednesday in Santa Cruz, she was charged with manslaughter, administering heroin to another person, administering bodily harm, moving heroin across county lines, possession of heroin, destroying or concealing evidence, and prostitution. A public defender asked that her arraignment be postponed until July 16.

Police came across Tichelman in the course of investigating the death of Hayes, a Google executive who, reports say, worked on the Google Glass project, among others.

Authorities became concerned that she planned to leave the state, so detectives posing as a potential client lured her to an "upscale location" for a July 4 session costing $1,000. She was arrested when she arrived.

Google did not return messages seeking comment. Apple, where reports say Hayes previously worked, declined comment.

"I was really devastated when I heard about it," Todd Zion, who worked at Google for a short time under Hayes, told The San Francisco Chronicle. "He was a great boss. I never had a chance to thank him."

'Nice to talk with someone about killing sprees'

Tichelman describes herself as a model, makeup artist and writer on what appears to be her Facebook page. It says she formerly worked at Larry Flynt's Hustler Club and studied journalism at Georgia State University in Atlanta.

"It's really nice to talk with someone about killing sprees and murdering people in cold blood...and they love it too," a June 28 post on the page reads. "No judgement (sic). Yay! F**k all of that positivity bullsh**. Take a look around you. Life is hard and then you die."

The profile includes numerous modeling shots of Tichelman, some of them in provocative poses. By midafternoon Wednesday, the page appeared to have been deleted.

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CNN's Augie Martin and Josh Levs contributed to this report.

Google killing: Who is Alix Tichelman?

• Alix Catherine Tichelman, 26, is accused in the death of a Google executive in California


• She's lived in Atlanta and describes herself online as a makeup artist, writer and model


• Tichelman loves monkeys, Marilyn Manson, her mom and the TV show "Dexter"

(CNN) -- A makeup artist, writer and model who loves monkeys and struggles with demons.

Police: Escort was 'callous'

That's how Alix Catherine Tichelman, 26, describes herself on various social media sites.

Police: Escort may have killed before

Cops: Prostitute killed exec with heroin

A Facebook profile shows modeling shots of Tichelman in varying states of undress and examples of her poetry. It gives a glimpse into the life of the woman, an alleged prostitute who is accused in the death of a Google executive.

Tichelman appeared in court Wednesday in Santa Cruz, California, where she faces a series of charges in the death of Forrest Timothy Hayes, 51. The married father of five was found dead in November on his 50-foot yacht.

Authorities say Tichelman gave him an injection of heroin and then, as he began to die, she sipped her wine, gathered her belongings and walked away.

She has not entered a plea.

Not much is known about Tichelman, but her presence on social media offers some clues. For example, she went to high school in Duluth, just north of Atlanta, and studied journalism at Georgia State University.

Another one of her Facebook profiles says she worked at Larry Flynt's Hustler Club and as an exotic dancer in San Francisco.

"life is great. i am seriously blessed as a motherf*****. a great boyfriend, nice house, monkeys, loving family...doesn't get any better than this i don't think," Tichelman posted in January 2013.

She strikes a more somber note in her poetry, which is posted to one of her Facebook profiles.

Tichelman talked about drugs in one piece, dated November 2012, entitled "heroin." It reads:

"this private downward spiral-this suffocating blackhole

makes you feel so warm inside,

yet makes your heart so cold.

each day takes it's toll,

your thoughts become emotionless,

your soul feels too old.

the demons whispers to me ever so lightly,

he never let's go of his hold,

taking everything from me,

I'll end up dying alone."

'My beloved Dean!'

On Facebook and Twitter, Tichelman posted photographs and messages about a former boyfriend, Dean Riopelle, a club owner in Atlanta.

Riopelle died at his home in Milton, Georgia, just two months before Hayes, the Google executive.

The medical examiner ruled Riopelle's death an accidental overdose from heroin and alcohol. "At the time, we never thought anything different," Capt. Shawn McCarty of Milton police told CNN on Thursday.

Now authorities are taking a new look at that death "to make sure there's nothing (else) to it," he said.

Tichelman also was arrested last year in Atlanta and charged with battery and false report of a crime. The details of that incident were unclear.

"I don't have to forgive, but that doesn't mean I can't let it go. Knowing that my life is better than theirs, i have an amazing boyfriend who takes care of me, and a sound and clear conscience when I go to sleep at night. Priceless," Tichelman wrote on Facebook in June 2012.

The same month, she posted a smiling photograph of her and Riopelle, as well as a photograph of a ring.

"thank you to my beloved Dean! ** black & white diamond promise ring ** always and forever," she wrote in a post to accompany the image.

Monkeys and Marilyn Manson

Her boyfriend wasn't the only thing Tichelman loved.

On Facebook and Twitter, she talked about her love for the TV show "Dexter," her mom, Marilyn Manson and monkeys. Several photographs show her cuddling and playing with the tiny creatures.

"Dexter is so frealin' (sic) good! Can't believe I haven't watched it earlier. #lovableserialkiller," Tichelman tweeted in November 2012.

Many of her posts are fun and light-hearted. She wrote about working on a novel, modeling projects, setting up a makeup tutorial and her preference for steak and potatoes over turkey and stuffing for Thanksgiving.

In the tutorial, posted to YouTube, Tichelman stares straight at the camera as she applies eye makeup. She wears lingerie, which shows off tattoos across her chest and arms. Candles, flowers and stuffed animals can be seen in the background.

"I will be thin and pure like a glass cup. Empty. Pure as light. Music. I move my hands over my body - my shoulders, my collarbone, my rib cage, my hip bones like part of an animal skull, my small thighs. In the mirror my face is pale and my eyes look bruised.

"My hair is pale and thin and the light comes through. I could be a lot younger than twenty four. I could be a child still, untouched," Tichelman wrote on Facebook in April 2012, posting a quote that has appeared on a number of online sites.

In other posts, she sounds angry and unforgiving, as she does in this note, posted to Facebook in May 2012. It reads, in part:

"Sick of the lies and all the pain you have given me,

Wrapped up in a bow like I thought it was supposed to be

But now you're laying in a box, waiting to suffocate,

Saving your last breath as you scratch at your coffin case.

I know I'm crazy, but vengeance is mine,

The dirt that pours in your mouth into your eyes,

Never thought I would see you so surprised

Cause im watching up above as you choke on the dirt

Bury the lies and the memories cause all you've done is hurt."

CNN's Doug Gross, Amanda Watts and Vivian Kuo contributed to this report.

Germany kicks out top U.S. spy chief

• Leading German officials openly express disgust over new spying allegations


• The finance minister calls alleged U.S. spying "daft," says it makes him want to cry


• Allegations of NSA spying trigger special prosecutors' panel on foreign cyberspying


• The new allegations land on top of an investigation into NSA spying on Chancellor Merkel

(CNN) -- Germany's government has asked America's top spy chief stationed in the country to leave.

It's a punitive gesture usually reserved for adversarial nations in times of crisis and only very rarely for an ally, particularly a very close one.

But allegations of American spying have seriously injured German trust, Chancellor Angela Merkel has said. And it's time for a reset.

Germany let loose the diplomatic slap, reminiscent of a Cold War rebuke, after news of two new possible U.S. espionage cases broke back to back in a week's time.

Two Germans -- one working at a German intelligence agency, the other in the Ministry of Defense -- are suspected of spying for the United States.

Will spying row ruin US-German relations?

Local media report that both cases involve stolen official German documents.

The U.S. official shown the door is based in Berlin at the U.S. Embassy, which followed up on Friday's announcement with a distanced note to journalists:

"The U.S. Embassy has seen the reports that Germany has asked the U.S. Mission Germany's intelligence chief to leave the country. As a standard practice, we will not comment on intelligence matters."

'So much stupidity'

Top German government officials have candidly spoken about the decision to expel the U.S. official as they poured their disappointment over alleged U.S. spying into microphones and cameras for days.

Most pointedly, Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble casually described the alleged U.S. actions as "daft" before a television talk show audience. "One can only cry over so much stupidity," he said.

He based his remarks on the essential value of Germany's cooperation with U.S. intelligence agencies to fight international terrorism and complained that spying spoils the relationship.

Legal action

The latest allegations weigh densely on ties already burdened since Edward Snowden leaked indications that the National Security Agency tapped into Merkel's own cell phone.

They have seemingly undone any of Washington's diplomatic smoothing over previously alleged NSA intrusions.

One of the new cases has landed on top of an existing investigation on federal prosecutors' desks into the possible spying on Merkel.

The NSA scandal has also prompted prosecutors to set up a new special committee to investigate and criminally prosecute cyberspying by foreign intelligence.

Merkel deferred to the pending results of those investigations, but it didn't stop her from expressing on Thursday the disappointment she feels over the suspected acts.

"From a common sense standpoint, in my opinion, spying on allies is, in the end, a waste of energy. We have so many problems, and we should, I find, concentrate on the essentials."

ISIS, Syria, terrorism -- all take priority over spying on each other, she said. And trust between allies is vital.

Privacy is sacred

To understand Germany's particular hurt over spying allegations, one need only to look at the country's history in the 20th century, when oppressive fascist and communist regimes spied on citizens in order to persecute them.

During the Cold War, high-level spy scandals stoked division between then divided democratic West Germany and communist East Germany.

The scandals triggered government shakedowns and deep public outrage in the West.

As a result of the Nazi past, democratic, postwar Germany has instituted very strict privacy laws that prohibit government agencies, companies and private individuals from gathering or passing even simple information about citizens without their express consent. Or in criminal cases, without probable cause.

Data protection is so sacred in Germany that advertisers there are prevented from profiling prospective consumers.

Top U.S., German diplomats to meet

Amid the new allegations, the top U.S. and German diplomats are expected to meet in Vienna, Austria, this weekend during multination negotiations about the future of Iran's nuclear program, a senior U.S. State Department official said.

While the official said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and German Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier will touch on topics such as the Middle East and Ukraine, it'd be hard to imagine the two ignoring the spy issue.

Across the Atlantic in Washington, the new allegations have also raised the eyebrows of some elected officials.

"I am concerned that we are sending the wrong message to a key ally," said Democratic Sen. Mark Udall of Colorado.

Otherwise, administration officials have countered their German counterparts' candor with lips as sealed as those at the U.S. Embassy in Berlin.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest declined to comment on the reported intelligence activity as a matter of policy, to protect American national security and "intelligence assets."

"I'm not going to have anything more to add on that front," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told a journalist who asked if reports of Germany booting the U.S. intelligence official were true.

German journalists who contacted Washington officials for comment on the cases, when news of them first broke, reported receiving e-mail replies containing only two words, which they included in their articles in the original English:

"No comment."

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'Hemlock Grove' season 2 premieres

It's July and it's expected to be steamy, right? Get ready for Netflix and Amazon to make it even hotter with their new streaming releases. A new enemy surfaces in Season 2 of the Netflix original series, "Hemlock Grove," which premieres July 11. (Netflix)

Halle Berry plays a mom who brings something back from outer space in the new CBS sci-fi series "Extant," which also premieres this month on Amazon.

"Under the Dome" (2013) - Season 2 of this other CBS/Amazon series based on the work of horror writer Stephen King, stars Colin Ford, Britt Robertson and Mackenzie Lintz. The new season that premiered this week has already taken some shocking turns. (Amazon)

"Basic Instinct" (1992) - Prepare to cross and uncross your legs for this thriller starring Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone. (Netflix)

"Louis C.K: Hilarious"(2010) - Louis C.K. brings his special brand of humor in this concert film. (Amazon)

"Annie Hall" (1977) - Diane Keaton and Woody Allen play lovers in this classic New York City film. They were a couple at one point in real life too. (Amazon)

"Philadelphia" (1993) - Tom Hanks won an Oscar for his performance as a man stricken with AIDS who employs Denzel Washington's character to represent him in a wrongful termination suit. (Netflix)

"Bad Santa" (2003) - Billy Bob Thornton, the late Bernie Mac, and Tony Cox appear in this movie about a crew that uses the good will of the holidays for their own means. (Netflix, Amazon)

"Legends of the Fall" (1994) - A long haired Brad Pitt stars in this drama about a family dealing with life during World War 1. (Netflix)

"Fever Pitch" (1997) - If the World Cup isn't enough for you, check out Colin Firth as a diehard Arsenal soccer fan who thinks he doesn't have time for romance. (Netflix)

"12 Angry Men" (1957) - Henry Fonda, Jack Klugman, Lee J. Cobb, and E.G. Marshall are among the cast of this film about a jury that must decide the fate of a teen accused of killing his father. (Netflix)

"The Karate Kid" (1984), "The Karate Kid II" (1986), and "The Karate Kid III" (1989) - William Zabka and Ralph Macchio butt heads in the teen drama "The Karate Kid" that has become a cult classic and yielded spin-offs. (Netflix)

"Knights of Sidonia" (2014) - The first season of Netflix's first animated series centers on a heroic pilot's rise from obscurity. (Netflix)

"Brody Stevens: Enjoy It" (2013) - Season 1 follows Zach Galifianakis and his buddy, comedian Brody Stevens on his road to mental health in Comedy Central's first (relatively) dramatic series. (Amazon)

"Primal Fear" (1996) - RIchard Gere stars as a defense attorney in this courtroom drama about a case that may not be as open-and-shut as it seems. (Netflix, Amazon)

"Funny Face" (1957) - Audrey Hepburn dances with Fred Astaire in this lovable musical. (Netflix)

"City of God" (2002) - Zé Pequeno is one of the young men featured in this excellent film about drugs, poverty and crime in Rio de Janeiro. (Netflix, Amazon)

"Dead Man Walking" (1995) - Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon star in this death row drama based on a true story. (Netflix)

"Gandhi" (1982) - Sir Ben Kingsley won a best actor Oscar for his role in this biopic about Mahatma Gandhi. (Netflix)

"Hitch" (2005) - Will Smith and Eva Mendes star in this sexy film about a reporter and and a love expert. (Netflix)

"Patton" (1970) - The late George C.Scott stars as the legendary Gen. Patton in this epic war film. (Netflix, Amazon)

"Homefront" (2013) - Jason Statham, James Franco and Winona Ryder star in this film about a widowed ex-DEA agent who tangles with a drug gang. (Netflix)

"Under the Tuscan Sun" (2003) - Diane Lane and Raoul Bova star in this slice of romance about a woman who flees to Tuscany after her life becomes upended. (Netflix)

"The Manchurian Candidate" (2004) - Denzel Washington stars in this remake of a classic 1962 film about political intrigue.

"Boyz N the Hood" (1991) - Writer/director John Singleton broke ground with this urban drama which starred Cuba Gooding Jr., Laurence Fishburne and rapper-turned-actor Ice Cube. (Netflix)

"The Parent Trap" 1998 - Relive the good old days of a precious child star, Lindsay Lohan, who plays a set of identical twins who meet at camp.

"Out of the Furnace" (2013) - Christian Bale stars in this drama about a pair of working-class brothers desperate to flee the poverty of the Rust Belt. (Netflix)

"Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" (1991) - The gang from the original "Star Trek" battle for peace and prosperity in this sci-fi film. (Netflix)

"The Master" (2012) - Joaquin Phoenix and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman star in this drama about a veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder who links up with a charismatic religious leader. (Netflix)

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