A Pilot Dies from A Propeller Accident by: Marcella Marquez

Today, a pilot form Gillespie field died after being hit in the head by a plane propeller. “The pilot and passenger were in the aircraft when the plane began to taxi out of a hanger at the west end of the airport about 8:30 a.m., said Monica Zech, spokeswoman for the city of El Cajon. (Union Tribune)” The 41-year-old pilot, whose name has not been released yet. Tried to hand crank that propeller, when the planes single engine stopped working. The pilot was taken to the hospital after the accident, there he was declared dead. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are the ones leading the investigation, on this accident. According to the FAA the plane that caused the accident is a blue and white 1974 Piper Cherokee fixed-wing plane.  A flight instructor that works in the Gillespie field said that what the pilot did is very dangerous.  According to Koch “Once engaged, the metal blades can immediately rev up to 2,000 revolutions per minute. (Union Tribune)”     

Source: http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/jan/30/pilot-injured-propeller-gillespie-field/

Cruise bookings down notably in wake of Costa accident

Carnival Cruise Company has revealed that bookings for cruises have gone down significantly since the Costa Concordia crashing. Carnival Corp., the parent company of 10 major cruise brands including Costa, Carnival, Princess and Holland America, said in a regulatory filing that bookings at its non-Costa brands declined "in the mid-teens," percentage-wise, in the 12 days after the Jan. 13 accident as compared with the same period a year ago.

            Bookings for Costa are down to although it is hard to get percentages for that.

"Costa's booking activity is difficult to interpret because of the significant re-booking activity stemming from the loss of the ship's use and related re-deployments, however we believe it to be down significantly," the company says in a 10-K regulatory filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

            "Despite these recent trends, we believe the incident will not have a significant long-term impact on our business," it says.

            Carnival also updated its estimate of the immediate financial impact of the accident. The company said costs related to loss of use of the ship for the rest of the fiscal year, insurance deductibles and other related costs could be $155 million to $175 million, or about $0.20 to $0.22 per share.

            Carnival is now determining the coast of repairing the Costa Concordia and seeing if that is even possible at this point.

By Ryan Bockmier

Source

Senate delays PIPA vote.

Senator Harry Reid and House leaders called off a scheduled vote on PIPA on January 20th. Mr. Reid, Democrat of Nevada, who also organized protest against the legislation, announced a delay in the vote via Twitter. “Counterfeiting & piracy cost 1000s of #jobs yearly. Americans rightfully expect to be fairly compensated 4 their work. I’m optimistic that we can reach compromise on Protect I.P. in coming week.” Texas Republican Lamar Smith, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, called off plans to draft his version of the antipiracy bill this February. Two days after Mr. Smith promised to move forward from this issue, Mr. Smith said in a statement: “The committee remains committed to finding a solution to the problem of online piracy that protects American intellectual property and innovation.” But he added, “The House Judiciary Committee will postpone consideration of the legislation until there is wider agreement on a solution.”

Source: http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/c/copyrights/index.html?scp=1-spot&sq=sopa&st=cse

-Adriana Lugo

Harvard finds out that the iPad can hurt your neck? By Cheyenne

 Harvard had studies that the iPad can affect the head, neck and shoulders of spending time on the tablet. People who use iPads hold the device almost at their lap, and are putting a lot of strain on the neck muscles.  Harvard says ,"If you think about your position when you are hunched over looking down, your head is hanging out over space, so you are using your neck muscles to support the weight,"  The best position to have your tablet is in a movie position so you don't have to look down or strain your neck. 

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2012/01/harvard-researchers-ergonomics-ipad.html

New Bill Looks To house the Homeless In Government Funded Stadiums by: Marcella Marquez

In Florida they have recently revisited a law that states that stadiums built with money from taxpayers must house homeless on nights when no events are happening. This law that has been ignored for the most part is 23 years old. Two legislators have taken it upon themselves to pass bills that would make the law become effective.  They seem to reaching their goal too, this past Monday “the bill passed the committee with a unanimous vote (Miami Herald).”  According to the Miami Herald the legislators say: “We have spent over $300 million supporting teams that can afford to pay a guy $7, $8, $10 million a year to throw a baseball 90 feet. I think they can pay for their stadium. I cannot believe that we’re going to cut money out of Medicaid and take it away from homeless and take it away from the poor and impoverished, and we’re continuing to support people who are billionaires.” What the bills looks to do exactly is “…force owners of sports facilities like the AmericanAirlines Arenas in Miami and Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg to refund millions of dollars and begin operating homeless shelters on off-nights. So far, the state has spent more than $270 million on constructing stadiums, with the former Dolphin Stadium receiving $37 million and AAA taking $27.5 million. (Miami Herald)” If the bill does pass it is clear the stadiums will have to pay huge amounts of money.  

Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/01/23/2604180/bill-would-enforce-law-turning.html 

Rare tornadoes hit Alabama, killing two and injuring hundereds.

Nine months after deadly tornados hit Alabama killing more than 238 people the state is again looking for victims and assessing the damage. This time though, the tornado is a rare January storm and has killed two people and left plenty more injured.

            "Right now, we are in the search-and-rescue phase," said Jennifer Ardis, press secretary to Gov. Robert Bentley, a Republican, who declared a state of emergency Monday for all 67 Alabama counties. "It's important to search and find those people that are injured. Once that is over, we will begin to move into the recovery phase."

            The worst damage caused by the storm is in Jefferson County near Birmingham.

"The storm destroyed homes, toppled trees and knocked out power," said Chief Deputy Randy Christian of the Jefferson County sheriff's office "An 82-year-old man died in his home as a result of the storm."

Another victim is a 16 year old, "died when her home took a direct hit from the storm as she and her family slept," Christian said.

More than 100 people are injured and 250-300 homes have been destroyed.

Severe thunderstorms spawned the tornados, large hail, damaging winds and flash flooding across the state.

National Weather Service meteorologists toured the state's hardest-hit areas Monday and confirmed that a tornado struck the town of Clay. Wind speeds from this tornado were estimated at 150 mph.

By Ryan Bockmier

Source

She is out there, hiding in the 2012 presidential race. She has twelve Social Security cards, benefits from four fake dead husbands, and collects food stamps while owning a Cadillac. The 'Welfare Queen' is an infamous character who has re-emerged in the year's presidential race. People are accusing the three leading Republican presidential candidates of restoring the 'Welfare Queens'. They call President Obama the "food stamp president," and declaring that America is moving towards an "entitlement society." 

What is the Welfare Queen?

Ronald Reagan invented her and Americans buy the lie. Others believe don't fall for the lie. "This image of the lazy African-American woman who refuses to get a job and keeps having kids is pretty enduring. It's always been a good way to distract the public from any meaningful conversations about poverty and inequality." The Welfare Queen is known as a legendary character in political circles.

Adriana Lugo

http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/23/politics/weflare-queen/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

A Changed Way of War in Afghanistan’s Skies

Over the past decade the way we use aircraft over the skies of Afghanistan has changed dramatically. Civilian casualties caused by haywire strikes and the increasing use of aerial drones, which can watch over potential targets for extended periods with no risk to pilots or more expensive aircraft.

            Jets with pilots still remain an important part of the war. They are menacing and versatile and because of the technology they carry.

            Cmdr. Layne McDowell has been through the war since 2001 and has seen this change happen.  In 2001 American aircraft often attacked in ways that maximized violence, including carpet bombing, dropping cluster munitions and conducting weeks of strikes with precision-guided munitions.

            “Our culture is a fangs-out, kill-kill-kill culture,” he said. “That’s how we train. And back then, the mind-set was: maximum number of enemy killed, maximum number of bombs on deck, to achieve a maximum psychological effect.”

            That kind of war is in the past. More than a decade later the most conman mission is “overwatch,” scanning the ground using inferred sensors and relaying that info to the troop on the ground.

So much has changed from when I was here the first time,” he said, looking down at Afghanistan on a six-hour flight early last week. “Now I prefer not dropping — if I can accomplish the mission other ways.”

By Ryan Bockmier

SourcNYTIMES

Couple Sentenced to many years in prison for sexual abuse by:Marcella Marquez

                    

    Although it will never be enough of a punishment, for doing this to a child. The couple Rachel and Joshua Wyly that had been sexually abusing a six year old girl have been sentenced to many years in jail. Joshua was sentenced to 30 years in jail for the raping of the minor. While his wife Rachel has been sentenced to 25 for permitting the horrible act to happen, and take pictures of it too. The victim is the daughter of Joshua’s ex-co-worker, another Navy Sailor, and had been staying under the couples care. The pictures of the girl that had been taken with a cellphone were then uploaded to Joshua’s laptop computer.  Same laptop he took with him on deployment in 2009, where another Sailor saw them and reported them. Finally in May 2010 Joshua was sentenced for rape by a military court. Rachel was sentenced this past Friday by Federal judge.  The couple’s two children are now with family in Texas.

Source:http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Navy-Sailor-Charged-in-Minor-Rape-Case-Joshua-Wyly-137346448.html 

             

Mother gets daughter back after living on the streets By Cheyenne

On April 20, A woman name Michelle Mitchell was a Las Vegas prostitute living on the streets. She had a hard time trying to keep her daughter Sonia from her being taking away. She was taken way at the age of five. Michelle had Miracle at 16 and lost custody of her at 17. Michelle has done crack and cocaine for two decades.  When Michelle was sixteen she said "I did whatever I did for boys to like me and I drank because it was easier for me to do that."She grew up in a neglectful family and had parents who did a lot of drugs. On January 6, Michelle was clean for five months and got her daughter back. When Michelle and Miracle met the both gave each other big hugs and had little tears. Mitchell said "I miss you" and her daughter said "I miss you too".
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-vegas-prostitute-20111231,0,5612130.story

Exotic Bird and Owner Reunite by:Marcella Marquez

After more than 72 hours of having left home, Cranium an East African crowned crane will return to its owner.  Cranium was found in Encinitas in the driveway, of a woman that had gone out to walk her dogs. She became scared when the strange bird honked at her, so she got into her garage and called county animal experts for help. Since these types of cranes live usually in the savannas of Africa, and they don’t migrate. That thought the bird might belong to someone that lived close by. Hap Hansen, the owner was on a business convention when the bird flew over his six foot fence. After discovering that no laws have been broken with Hansen having the exotic bird. He has arranged to pick up the bird this Tuesday.

Source: Union Tribune http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/jan/09/anyone-lose-african-crowned-crane/

Woman survived 365 ft bungee fall !

The woman who survived the near death fall into a crocodile-infester river after a bungee cord snapped was able to comment on her life threatening adventure and even said she would try it again. Her name is Erin Langworthy, at the age of 22 she is a student from Australia. On December 31st on a trip in the Zambezi River at Victoria Falls, the worlds largest waterfall, Erin decided to bungee jump but her plans went terribly wrong. Erin leaped towards the water with her legs tied together by the bungee cord. The cord was meant to snap up, instead the cord snapped sending her underwater. "She was supposed to come right back out and she never did, so it was crazy," her friend Rebecca Johnson, who captured the falls footage from the bridge and told Good Morning America. Erin blacked out once she hit the water, so her friend had to explain everything that happened. Erin got stuck by the cord but eventually managed to swim to the side of the river. It was later she was told that the river was filled with crocodiles. Erin was put in the hospital due to a fractured collar bone and cuts and bruises along her arms and legs. Her most serious injury was damage on both lungs. Erin wasn't told that anything dangerous could happen. The bungee company are still trying to investigate how the chord managed to brake. "We are treating this incident with the upmost seriousness and our aim now is to learn what we can from this and apply that knowledge so as to ensure that there is no reoccurrence," the company said.


Adriana Lugo
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/01/woman-survives-plunge-after-bungee-line-snaps-video/

Guest sues Starwood; Says Man Entered her locked Hotel Room.

While on a business trip in Helsinki, 30-year-old female former investment banker living in New York says she was the victim of a sexual assault inside her locked luxury hotel room, a new lawsuit filed in New York charges.

The incident allegedly occurred on Jan. 15, 2011, at the Hotel Kamp, which is part of Starwood's high-end Luxury Collection group of hotels.

The evening of the 15^th the man allegedly man sexual advances at the woman. She had to tell him many times that she was not interested. At around 4 am the woman found the same mane in her bed.

Although I was still sleepy, I bolted out of bed when he attacked me and I feel fortunate to have been able to get out of the room and escape from him," Alison Fournier says in her statement.

Gloria Allred, the lawyer who recently represented a woman who allegedly had an affair with Herman Cain is representing Alison in this case.

The lawsuit claims the man got into the locked by telling the front desk that he was her husband and got locked out of the room – this was a lie. He was given a key despite not giving an ID or other personal information.

No arrest was ever made, Allred says, because hotel staff "made no effort after the assault to immediately call the police or report these events to law enforcement."

Fournier left Finland within hours of the assault, as did the perpetrator. In order for an arrest to be made, Fournier was later told; both she and the man would need to return to Finland.

Source

Drunken father throws son off Harbor by Cheyenne

Last year on August 28, 2011, a father who was dunk threw his 7 years old son off the harbor in New port Harvard and is now pleading guilty. Sloan Briles, who was a former Marine, said he was guilty for killing his son. Today he is sentence to 180 days in Veterans Administration residential treatment program and one year in a child abusers treatment program.  Briles was heavily intoxicated with his girlfriend when he poked his son in the chest and slapped him in the face, making him cry, according to the district attorney's office. The boy asked his father to stop, but he picked the child up and threw him about 10 feet over the side of a boat, said the captain of the boat. The captin tried to avoid hitting the boy, and the captain threw the boy a life ring. Briles then jumped into the water to avoid angry passengers while passengers on another boat helped the child out of the water, authorities reported.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/01/drunk-father-who-threw-son-in-newport-harbor-pleads-guilty-.html

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

   If you happened to be awake at 3am Wednesday morning, then you might have wondered what was going on in the sky. The stars twinkling, streaks of light, shooting stars it was all a result of a Quadrantid Meteor Shower. The Quadrantid Showers are often the most intense showers of they year, yet the shortest of them all. 
Quadrantids are a northern-hemisphere phenomenon, because of the direction they come. Quadrantid Showers occur when the Earth passes through a narrow trail of debris left by an asteroid called 2003 EH1, which is why they are the shortest. The shower lasted from 3 a.m., till dawn. "What you're seeing are tiny particles, some no larger than grains of sand, plunging into the atmosphere at speeds of up to 90,000 mph. They typically burn up -- a quick and spectacular death -- about 50 miles overhead." said Ned Potter a reported for abc news. 


Adriana Lugo
Site: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/quadrantid-meteor-shower-2012-shooting-stars-wednesday-dawn/story?id=15279375#.TwSSUUJFuso

Los Angeles Police Arrest Suspect in Car Arsons By Ryan Bockmier

After four days of continuous car fires in Los Angles California suspect Harry Burkhart, 24, was taken into custody around 3:00am on Sunset Boulevard on the outskirts of Hollywood close to a drug store. He was charged for arson at around 6:00am and held without bail.

          “A serial arsonist has, I believe, been caught,” Sheriff Lee Baca of Los Angeles County, standing in front of television cameras, said at a news conference attended by a parade of elected officials.

Sheriff Baca called the suspect “Perhaps the most dangerous arsonist in the county of Los Angeles that I can recall.”

The attacks began early Friday morning and continued the next three nights. In the end, 52 cars were set on fire. Since many of the cars were in carports or garages, a number of apartment buildings sustained serious damage as well.

Shervin Lalezary, a reserve sheriff’s deputy who works for $1 a year, spotted the suspect and stopped him at Sunset Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue. He was introduced to considerable applause at the news conference on Monday evening as he described the stop. “As soon as I put on my lights and initiated a traffic stop of the suspect vehicle, I had an L.A.P.D. vehicle behind me ready to go,” he said.

Source: nytimes.com 

Nick Cannon has kidney failure? By Cheyenne Mello

Nick Cannon was in the hospitalized with his wife Mariah Carey from a mild kidney failure. He tweeted a picture of him in the hospital then, after a kid-centric holiday in Aspen.

"We're trying to be as festive as possible under the circumstances but please keep Nick in your thoughts because this is very painful," Said Mariah She also "They tried to kick me out of the hospital, but a diva gets what a diva wants”,

 I know, we could be in a lot worse places but the truth is as long as we're together, we're OK. I'm not trying to make light out of the situation because it's a serious moment that's very tough on all of us so please keep us and our family in your prayers." Nick Cannon now can’t host Americas got Talent until further more.

 26 million of Americans suffer from chronic kidney disease, according to the National Kidney Foundation, which notes that early detection can help prevent the disease from progressing to kidney failure. African Americans, Hispanics, Pacific Islanders, Native Americans and seniors are at increased risk of kidney disease, the foundation says. George Lopez and Tracy Morgan are among the celebs that’ve had kidney transplants.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/gossip/2012/01/nick-cannon-mariah-carey-mild-kidney-failure-aspen-holiday.html



Shooting in Coronado no knew details by:Marcella Marquez

It has been two days since the shooting, in Coronado California that resulted in the death of four people. Yet there are no new details about the apparent murder-suicide. The only things known about this case is that two of the victims where the Reis siblings. Navy Pilot Davis Reis, and his sister Karen Reis 24, she played Volleyball for UCSD. Of the other two victims one were a 25 year old former navy employee, and a 31 year old man who lived in Chula Vista.  The shooting occurred in the morning of Sunday January 1, reports a local resident she also adds that she hears seven gunshots. Sheriff homicide detectives of Coronado believe one of the four victims was also the shooter. 

Source: http://www.fox5sandiego.com/news/kswb-coronado-killings-2-navy-sailors-among-4-dead-in-coronado-20120102,0,6396746.story