Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Debunking Another Facebook Hoax! Jackie Chan is Alive and Well!

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Jackie Chan proves Internet death hoax is a bunch of hooey
Of all the social media fueled celebrity death rumors in recent years, Jackie Chan's alleged death probably ranks in the most believable category; after all, the guy holds a Guinness Book of World Records title for the most stunts of any living actor. Still, we are pleased to report
that rumors earlier this month claiming Chan had moved on to the great "Fists of Fury" in the sky are false


Sunday, June 23, 2013

Tight Rope Walk Across Arizona Canyon: Wallenda Does It Again!

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Famed daredevil and tightrope walker Nik Wallenda successfully crossed the Little Colorado River Gorge in Arizona tonight, without using either a tether or a safety harness.
Wallenda walked along a quarter-mile stretch of two-inch steel cable, 1,500 feet in the air.
"I've had a dream to be the first person in the world to walk a tight rope directly above the Grand Canyon," Wallenda said in a video statement on his website, where he announced his intended feat.
But despite his claim that he would be crossing the Grand Canyon, Wallenda, 34, of Sarasota, Fla., actually walked over a gorge near the canyon.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Surveillance Drones Over U.S. Soil: Big Brother is Still Watching You

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The United States uses drones for surveillance in some limited law enforcement situations, FBI Director Robert Mueller said on Wednesday, sparking additional debate about President Barack Obama's use of domestic surveillance.
The acknowledgement came in response to questions from U.S. senators who said they wanted to know more about the federal government's increasing use of unmanned aircraft.
"Does the FBI use drones for surveillance on U.S. soil?" Republican Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa asked during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
"Yes," Mueller said, adding that the use was in "a very, very minimal way and very seldom."

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Women In Space: Female Astronauts Gain Equality

Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman to fly in space
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On Monday, NASA announced that eight new astronauts would be joining the U.S. space program. Of the eight new recruits, four are women—marking the first time NASA has selected an equal number of men and women for an incoming astronaut class. (See National Geographic's space-exploration time line.)
Headlines around the world have touted the gender parity.
It's "one giant leap for womankind," the Houston Business Journal proclaimed.
"Now that's what I'm talking about," tweeted a senior adviser to the President.
"One small step for woman," said the Daily Mail.


Wednesday, June 12, 2013

NASCAR: Jason Leffler Dies After Sprint Car Accident

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NASCAR driver Jason Leffler died after he crashed during a sprint car race Wednesday night at Bridgeport Speedway in New Jersey.

Leffler, a 37-year-old native of Long Beach, was pronounced dead at about 6 p.m. PDT, the New Jersey State Police reported. His sprint car, a small open-wheel vehicle raced on dirt tracks, was heavily damaged, and he had to be extricated from the wreck.
Bridgeport Speedway, located near Camden, N.J., is a five-eights-mile, high-banked dirt oval. The speedway postponed the rest of the racing schedule for Wednesday night.
Leffler, who twice won on NASCAR's second-tier Nationwide Series, made his first Sprint Cup start of the year on Sunday at Pocono Raceway, finishing last in the Race for the Poconos 400.
He made 73 starts in the Sprint Cup Series, beginning with the 2001 Daytona 500, and 294 starts in the Nationwide Series, beginning with the 1999 Kroger 200.
Leffler was a three-time national champion for USAC midgets and was the 1998 USAC Silver Crown national champion. He was inducted into the National Midget Racing Hall of Fame in 2003

Near Earth Flyby: Huge Asteroid has a Moon!

Click image for more on asteroid 1988 QE2 and its moon at Science.com

A newly released video of a giant asteroid's Earth flyby last week reveals key details about the enigmatic space rock  and its attendant moon.
The enormous asteroid 1998 QE2sailed past our planet at a distance of 3.6 million miles (5.8 million kilometers) on May 31, making its closest approach for at least the next two centuries.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Food the Condemned Chose as Their Last Meal before Execution

From the web pages of 'Criminal Library' is an interesting slideshow of what condemned inmates picked for their last meal. Some choices are very unusual and surprising!



 Stanley Allison Baker Jr.: Two 16-ounce ribeyes, one pound turkey breast (sliced thin), twelve strips of bacon, two large hamburgers with mayo, onion and lettuce, two large baked potatoes with butter, sour cream, cheese and chives, four slices of cheese or one-half pound of grated cheddar cheese, chef salad with blue cheese dressing, two ears of corn on the cob, one pint of mint chocolate chip ice cream and four vanilla Cokes or Mr. Pibb


Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Blacks Arrested for Marijuana Far More Often Than Whites

 Black people are arrested for possessing marijuana far more often than white people, even though marijuana use by both races is about the same, the American Civil Liberties Union reports in a new study.
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The ACLU's analysis of federal crime data, released Tuesday, found marijuana arrest rates for black people were 3.73 times greater than those for white people nationally in 2010. In some counties, the arrest rate was 10 to 30 times greater for blacks. In two Alabama counties, 100 percent of those arrested for marijuana possession were black, the ACLU said

Monday, June 3, 2013

Father, Son Storm Chasers Killed by Tornado That Took 13 Lives in Oklahoma city

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Three veteran storm chasers died doing what they loved: roaming the Great Plains in search of dangerous storms like the one inOklahoma that ended their final pursuit.
Tim Samaras, his son Paul and colleague Carl Young died Friday night when an EF3 tornado with winds up to 165 mph turned on them near El Reno, Okla. After years of sharing dramatic videos with television viewers and weather researchers, they died chasing a storm that killed 13 in Oklahoma City and its suburbs.