blog-heap o' links
April 29... three tornadoes touched down in central and
southeastern Virginia Monday... at least 200 people suffered injuries...
Air Force Senior
Airman Jonathan A. V. Yelner, 24, of Lafayette, Calif., died April 29
near Bagram, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an
improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 28th Aircraft Maintenance
Squadron, Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D. defenselink.mil/ ... 23:05:56The
Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced today that the
remains of two U.S. servicemen, missing from the Korean War, have been
identified and will be returned to their families for burial with full military
honors.Army
Cpl. Robert L. Mason of Parkersburg, W.Va.Army Pfc. Joseph K. Meyer Jr., of
Wahpeton, N.D.Army Spc. David
P. McCormick, 26, of Fresno, Texas, died April 28 in Baghdad, Iraq, of
wounds suffered when his forward operating base came under rocket attack. He
was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 75th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat
Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.
INDIANAPOLIS — Hillary Clinton loves to tell the
story about how the Chinese government bought a good American company in
Indiana, laid off all its workers and moved its critical defense technology
work to China. It’s a story with a dramatic, political ending. Republican
President George W. Bush could have stopped it, but he didn’t... What
Clinton never includes in the oft-repeated tale is the role that prominent
Democrats played in selling the company and its technology to the Chinese. She
never mentions that big-time Democratic contributor George Soros helped put
together the deal to sell the company or that the sale was approved by her
husband's administration... apnews.myway.com/ ... 15:52:23
In
a defiant appearance before the Washington media, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright said
Monday that criticism surrounding his fiery sermons is an attack on the black
church and he rejected those who have labeled him unpatriotic... news.yahoo.com/ ... 15:51:04
The Republican National Committee demanded Monday that
television networks stop running a television ad by the Democratic Party that
falsely suggests John McCain wants a 100-year war in Iraq... The ad says
President Bush has talked about staying in Iraq for 50 years, then plays a clip
of McCain saying, "Maybe 100. That'd be fine with me..." McCain said:
"Maybe 100. As long as Americans are not being injured or
harmed or wounded or killed, that'd be fine with me, and I hope it would be
fine with you, if we maintain a presence in a very volatile part of the world
where al-Qaida is training, recruiting, equipping and motivating people every
single day." Democratic Party chief Howard Dean said
"there's nothing false" about the ad... 
Modesto police are blaming a scratching cat for an
accident that toppled a power pole and shut down a street for nearly an hour...
Dozens of
minor earthquakes continue to shake Reno today as a sequence of temblors entered its third month and prompted
some frazzled residents to leave their homes... The strongest aftershock Sunday
measured 3... Elsewhere across the state, three other magnitude 3-plus tembors
have struck since Friday night's 4.7 quake in Reno... apnews.myway.com/ ... 11:57:36Scientists
urged residents of northern Nevada's largest city to prepare for a bigger event
as the area continued rumbling Saturday after the largest earthquake in a
two-month-long series of temblors... More than 100 aftershocks... after a
magnitude 4.7 quake hit Friday night... recent activity is unusual because the
quakes started out small and continue to build in strength... "A magnitude 6
quake wouldn't be a scientific surprise..." Army Staff Sgt.
Shaun J. Whitehead, 24, of Commerce, Ga., died April 24 in Iskandariyah,
Iraq, of wounds suffered when he encountered an improvised explosive device
while on a dismounted patrol. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 502nd
Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air
Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky. defenselink.mil/ ... 11:49:59Army Staff Sgt.
Ronald C. Blystone, 34, of Springfield, Mo., died April 23 in Baghdad,
Iraq, from wounds suffered when he encountered small arms fire during a
dismounted patrol. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment,
1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. defenselink.mil/ ... 11:49:29Army Pfc. John T.
Bishop, 22, of Gaylord, Mich.Army 1st Lt. Timothy W. Cunningham, 26, of
College Station, TexasMarine Lance Cpl.
Jordan C. Haerter, 19, of Sag Harbor, N.Y.Marine Cpl. Jonathan T. Yale, 21,
of Burkeville, Va.Army Sgt.
Guadalupe Cervantes Ramirez, 26, of Fort Irwin, Calif., died April 23 at
Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, of injuries suffered in a vehicle incident. He was
assigned to the 2nd Transportation Company (Heavy Equipment Transport),
Echelons Above Brigade Support Battalion, National Training Center Support
Brigade, Fort Irwin, Calif. The incident is under investigation. defenselink.mil/ ... 11:44:46The
Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that
the remains of 11 U.S. servicemen, missing in action from World War II, have
been identified and will be returned to their families for burial with full
military honors.Army Air Force Capt. Robert L. Coleman, of Wilmington,
Del.Army
Air Force 1st Lt. George E. Wallinder, of San Antonio, TexasArmy Air Force 2nd Lt. Kenneth L.
Cassidy, of Worcester, Mass.Army Air Force 2nd Lt. Irving Schechner, of
Brooklyn, N.Y.Army Air Force 2nd Lt. Ronald F. Ward, of Cambridge,
Mass.Army
Air Force Tech. Sgt. William L. Fraser, of Maplewood, Mo.Army Air Force Tech.
Sgt. Paul Miecias, of Piscataway, N.J.Army Air Force Tech.
Sgt. Robert C. Morgan, of Flint, Mich.Army Air Force Staff
Sgt. Albert J. Caruso, of Kearny, N.J.Army Air Force Staff
Sgt. Robert E. Frank, of Plainfield, N.J.Army Air Force Pvt. Joseph
Thompson, of Compton, CalifMarine 1st Lt.
Matthew R. Vandergrift, 28 of Littleton, Colo., died April 21 from
wounds he suffered while conducting combat operations in Basrah, Iraq. He was
assigned to 2nd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine
Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. Barack Obama... said in a Sunday television interview race
would not be a factor in November's election that could make him the first
black U.S. president... news.yahoo.com/ ... 11:47:47
President Bush poked fun at his potential successors
Saturday night, expressing surprise that none of them were in the audience at
the White House Correspondents' Association annual dinner. "Senator McCain's
not here.... He probably wanted to distance himself from me a little bit. You
know, he's not alone. Jenna's moving out too.... Hillary Clinton couldn't get
in because of sniper fire and Senator Obama's at church..." Exuding fresh confidence after her Pennsylvania primary
win, Hillary Rodham Clinton turned attention Wednesday to contests in Indiana
and North Carolina... Despite his defeat, [Obama] gained the support of
Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry, a superdelegate to the national convention... Clinton
also picked up a superdelegate, Tennessee Rep. John Tanner. And, she had raised
$3.5 million in the hours after her victory, and was on track to collect $10
million in the 24 hours since the polls closed in Pennsylvania... her best
fundraising day ever... 
monkeys before they are used on humans, does not in fact
work... news.bbc.co.uk/ ... 21:23:46A
'bionic eye' may hold the key to returning sight to people left blind by a
hereditary disease... 
A
fish species, which is all female, has survived for 70,000 years without
reproducing sexually, experts believe... The species, found in Texas and
Mexico, interacts with males of other species to trigger its reproduction
process... reuters.com/ ... 21:39:13Papayas
have extra copies of genes that make them sweet and nutritious... a study that
can help shed light on how flowering plants evolved... 
A
grizzly bear featured in the recent Will Ferrell film "Semi-Pro" and touted as
one of the "best trained" in show business has killed its handler, but
officials said on Wednesday they were puzzled by what provoked the attack...
[Could it be... bears aren't domesticated...?] hosted.ap.org/ ... 21:04:38
OLDSMAR, Fla...
69-year-old central Florida woman found an 8-foot long alligator prowling in
her kitchen late Monday night... hosted.ap.org/ ... 21:02:19
EUGENE, Ore... A pet
store owner is calling a police sergeant a hero for saving her from the coils
of a 12-foot Burmese python doing its best to turn her into a meal...
Army Pvt. Ronald
R. Harrison, 25, of Morris Plains, N.J., died April 22 at Forward Operating
Base Falcon near Baghdad, Iraq, of a non-combat related injury. He was assigned
to the 703rd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry
Division, Fort Stewart, Ga. The incident is under investigation. defenselink.mil/ ... 22:46:15Army Spc. Steven
J. Christofferson, 20, of Cudahy, Wis.Army Sgt. Adam J. Kohlhaas, 26, of
Perryville, Mo.Navy Petty Officer
1st Class Cherie L. Morton, 40, of Bakersfield, Calif., died April 20 in
Galali, Muharraq, Bahrain. She was assigned to Naval Security Force, Naval
Support Activity Bahrain. The cause of death is under investigation. defenselink.mil/ ... 22:44:49Navy Airman
Apprentice Adrian M. Campos, 22, of El Paso, Texas, was found dead in
Dubai on April 21 due to a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to
Helicopter Sea Combat Support Squadron 22, which was attached to the USNS
Arctic. The incident is under investigation. defenselink.mil/ ... 22:43:47Army Spc.
Benjamin K. Brosh, 22, of Colorado Springs, Colo., died April 18 at
Forward Operating Base Anaconda in Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered in Paliwoda,
Iraq, when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. He was
assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat
Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky. defenselink.mil/ ... 22:43:34Army Spc. Lance
O. Eakes, 25, of Apex, N.C., died April 18 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds
suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. He was
assigned to the 1132nd Military Police Company, North Carolina Army National
Guard, Rocky Mount, N.C. 
Now,
with soaring gas prices bleeding us for every dollar inflating all prices, we
need a cheap (renewable) fuel and energy source more than ever. Imagine hemp
gas. The price of it would not be sky high since we have a limitless supply of
hempen energy. Federal (guarded) hemp fields could be farmed and directed to
produce a cheap/clean gasoline. Hemp fibers and oil were utilized during WWII
for rope-moorings, parachutes and lubrication. Why not use hemp gasoline NOW
when we are at another critical point in time? Why does hemp technology remain
clandestine?.. The truth is governments only care about themselves; we are
their enemy and they need to control us (because we have the numbers) any way
they can…with religion, bogus science, television, news, propaganda,
commercials or via the abolition of MARIJUANA... 
A
two-year-old pet lion was on the loose in Canada's backwoods near the nation's
capital Wednesday, sparking a hunt by police... Schools and day-cares in the
region were alerted and asked to keep children indoors... 
ORLANDO, Fla. -- A SeaWorld dolphin died after it collided
with another dolphin during an aerial show trick performed in front of a
crowd... 
SOLANA BEACH, Calif... triathlete David Martin... 66,
died on the beach Friday morning after a shark, presumed to be a great white,
lifted him out of the water with his legs in its jaws, leaving deep lacerations
and shredding Martin's black wetsuit... likelihood of finding the shark that
attacked Martin was slim... almost certainly a great white that may have been
12 feet to 17 feet long...
Authorities removed 
Scraps of protein from the bones of a 68 million-year-old
dinosaur and a mastodon carcass confirm their places in the family tree of life
on Earth, researchers reported on Thursday. The same team that established
Tyrannosaurus rex is a distant relative of chickens filled in more gaps,
showing that the dinosaur was far more closely related to living birds than to
alligators. And a 500,000-year-old mastodon is clearly a close relative of
elephants... 
Like soldiers in combat
zones, birds operate a sentry system to ensure their comrades are safe from
attack. By singing a "watchman's song", the pied babbler tells its group mates
they are free to forage for food in Africa's Kalahari desert... 
Hundreds of villagers have flocked to a remote Indian
village to see a baby girl who was saved by stray dogs after she was abandoned
in a mound of mud by her mother...