AT THE END OF THE DAY

2012-02-05T21:26:00.001-07:00

Police say the fire that engulfed Josh Powell's home in Washington state Sunday, apparently killing him and his two young sons, was deliberately set -- and as far as they're concerned, that concludes the long-running investigation into the disappearance of Powell's wife, Susan.

"This is not a tragedy. This is a double homicide," Pierce County Sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer told The Los Angeles Times.

Josh Powell had been a person of interest in the disappearance of his wife, then a 28-year-old stockbroker who vanished from their former home in Utah in December 2009. He had denied any involvement, brushing off questions about why he took the boys camping in the middle of the night during a snowstorm on the night his wife vanished.

"This is a guy who murdered his two kids, and probably murdered his wife. I don't know what Utah police think, but as far as we're concerned, this is pretty close to a confession to the crime," Troyer said.

Powell had been seeking the return of the couple's two boys, 5-year-old Braden and 7-year-old Charles, who had been living, on court orders, with Susan Powell's parents since September.

A social worker was delivering them to Josh Powell's home near Fredrickson, Wash., for what was to have been a supervised afternoon visit. Police said Powell let the boys in but then barricaded the door against the social worker. The social worker immediately called a supervisor, saying she smelled gas, and at that point the home exploded into a hot, fast-burning fire.

2012-01-12T08:15:00.003-07:00

It was very emotional yesterday watching the funeral of slain Ogden Police Department officer Jared Francom. I was amazed at the outpouring of community spirit and law enforcement camaraderie, which touched my heart. It was wonderful to see both so evident. My thoughts are with his widow and their young children for their tremendous loss. I wish them peace as they fight through this very difficult and heart-wrenching time. I also feel for my friends in the Ogden PD. The funeral also made me remember more vividly the service of my friend Myles Prebble who died while involved in a marijuana recovery operation when he fell from a helicopter and was killed from the fall. Law Enforcement is a difficult and sometimes unappreciated job, but so necessary in this nasty world we live in. So Jared, rest in peace, and in the knowledge your colleagues will not forget you, or any of our other fallen.

Go Mitt, Go!

2012-01-12T08:03:00.001-07:00

I like Mitt Romney and hope he does well, but this cartoon is dang funny and deserves another look.

Ted Turner's 11 Voluntary Initiatives

2012-01-10T07:32:00.000-07:00

Here are CNN CEO Ted Turner's 11 Voluntary Initiatives... more good food for thought. These were recorded by Sir Richard Branson, who further asks, "How would you change or add to these?"

I promise to care for planet earth and all living things thereon, especially my fellow human beings
I promise to treat all persons everywhere with dignity, respect and friendliness
I promise to have no more than one or two children
I promise to use my best efforts to help save what is left of our natural world in its undisturbed state and to restore degraded areas
I promise to use as little of our non-renewable resources as possible
I promise to minimize my use of toxic chemicals, pesticides and other poisons and to encourage others to do the same
I promise to contribute to those less fortunate, to help them become self-sufficient and enjoy the benefits of a decent life including clean air, and water, adequate food, health care, housing, education and individual rights
I reject the use of force, in particular military force, and I support United Nations arbitration of international disputes
I support doing everything we can to reduce the dangers from nuclear biological or chemical weapons and ultimately the elimination of all weapons of mass destruction
I support the United Nations and its efforts to improve the conditions of the planet
I support clean renewable energy and a rapid move to eliminate carbon emissions

I WOULD ...

2012-01-08T14:55:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share some expressions of humanity and kindness from a very wise man, George Albert Smith:

I would be a friend to the friendless and find joy in ministering to the needs of the poor.
I would visit the sick and the afflicted and inspire in them a desire for faith to be healed.
I would teach the truth to the understanding and blessing of all mankind.
I would seek out the erring one and try to win him back to a righteous and happy life.
I would not seek to force people to live up to my ideals, but rather loive them into doing the thing that is right.
I would live with the masses and help to solve their problems that their earth life may be happy.
I would avoid the publicity of high positions and discourage the flattery of thoughtless friends.
I wound not knowlingly wound the feeling of any, not even one who may have wronged me, but would seek to do him good and make him my friend.
I would overcome the tendency to selfishness and jealousy and rejoice in the successes of all the children of my Heavenly father.
I would not be an enemy to a living soul.

Weirdness!

2012-01-05T17:14:00.000-07:00

Investigators are trying to determine why a woman caused $10,000 worth of damage to a large expressionist painting at the Clyfford Still Museum in Denver, Colorado by punching and scratching it, then removing her pants and sliding down the artwork. Carmen Tisch, 36, faces charges of criminal mischief in the December 29 attack on the painting, said district attorney spokeswoman Lynn Kimbrough. The painting, referred to as 1957-J-No. 2, is valued at more than $30 million. The large montage of black, white and burnt orange swaths with a sliver of yellow is from Still's middle period. Yikes.

New Years Resolution I Aim to Obtain

2012-01-02T16:27:00.003-07:00

I will told old this year! Like 56 years old. I know there is something I have to do if I want to stick around with my beautiful wife for many years. I have to get more healthy within the limitations of what has already happened to me with my diabetes and already beating cancer. So I need to eat healthier, lose weight and get fit (well, at least fitter) because I am simply not. My Dad died of a heart attack when he was 57 and his dad died of a heart attack when he was 61. It ain't gonna happen to me because I have too much to lose and have to many things left to accomplish. I need more time to grind off many of my rough edges for a start. So 25 pounds or 11 kilos off this year, and it will stay off. Smarter in what I eat and when I eat it, and I need to use this altitude to become more aerobically capable. So here's to a new year and a newer me.

Painful Lesson: Shot in the buttocks by best friend!

2011-12-01T12:16:00.001-07:00

Excitement turned to pain after a man suddenly received a shotgun blast to the buttocks while bird hunting with several companions Sunday. Piper the yellow labrador was the trigger dog behind the blast the sent his 46-year-old hunting companion to the hospital. Somehow, caught up in the excitement of the hunt, Piper set off the shotgun that struck Brigham City native Robert Cottingham in the lower back and buttocks. Box Elder County Sherriff's Chief Deputy Kevin Potter says that Cottingham was hunting with his son and brother-in-law at the north end of the Great Salt Lake near a bird refuge sometime before noon. While the hunting crew was retrieving a wounded duck from the water, a 12-gauge shotgun was left resting inside the hunting boat they were using.

Cottingham says that the dog was in a marshy area of the lake and jumped into the boat hitting the 12-gauge in such a way that it discharged and shot him from about 6 feet. Cottingham says that some of the blast was absorbed by a duck decoy onboard and that decoy may have saved his life. A medical helicopter was called initially, but canceled after Cottingham was treated by medics at the scene. He was taken to the hospital where 27 birdshot pellets were removed from his backside, yet several pellets could not be taken out. Cottingham is expected to make a full recovery. Cottingham says that he is normally very aware when it comes to gun safety and, as a take away lesson from this, to never become complacent with a loaded weapon and of course to always use the firearm's safety.

Guilty conscience

2011-05-05T09:50:00.004-06:00

Authorities in New York say a 21-year-old man who jumped into the Hudson River to escape police got all wet for nothing. The man was riding in a car Wednesday afternoon when it was pulled over by police in Rensselaer, across the Hudson River from Albany. Police say he bolted from the car's passenger side and ran toward the river, where he jumped in near a bridge. The current carried him about 250 feet down river before he was able to grab onto a branch. Police soon arrived and pulled him from the 50-degree water. Authorities say the man thought there was a warrant out for his arrest. But police say there was no warrant. He was taken to an Albany hospital for an examination. I hope the extended frolic in the water soaked some sense into him.

Suspect cuffed to chair escapes from NY police

2011-04-27T09:04:00.007-06:00

If you're in Buffalo, New York, and see a man handcuffed to a chair, call the police. They'd like the chair back, along with the guy shackled to it. Authorities are looking for a robbery suspect who escaped from a Buffalo police station by slipping out a back door while handcuffed to a chair. Police say that 58-year-old John Caesar of Buffalo was taken into custody Tuesday for questioning in connection with the theft of money from the Anchor Bar, the restaurant known for inventing the city's famous chicken wings. Officials say Caesar was handcuffed to a chair in a police station when he escaped around 4 p.m. Police say the chair is missing and Caesar may still be handcuffed to it. (I bet he took the chair because it had wheels on it and that made his escape so much quicker. I would check the freeway heading into Canada!).

Birthdaze

2011-02-21T14:38:00.003-07:00

It was my birthday yesterday, number 55, which officially makes me a fossil. If I was the speed limit, in some places I would already be at my maximum... yikes. If I was in the National Football League, I would be the world's smallest linebacker. What an achievement.

A Change in Terrorism Threat Levels

2011-02-15T08:23:00.003-07:00

THE ENGLISH are feeling the pinch in relation to recent terrorist threats and have therefore raised their security level from "Miffed" to "Peeved." Soon, though, security levels may be raised yet again to "Irritated" or even "A Bit Cross." The English have not been "A Bit Cross" since the blitz in 1940 when tea supplies nearly ran out.

TERRORISTS have been re-categorized from "Tiresome" to "A Bloody Nuisance." The last time the British issued a "Bloody Nuisance" warning level was in 1588, when threatened by the Spanish Armada.

THE SCOTS have raised their threat level from "Pissed Off" to "Let's get the Bastards." They don't have any other levels. This is the reason they have been used on the front line of the British army for the last 300 years.

THE FRENCH government announced yesterday that it has raised its terror alert level from "Run" to "Hide." The only two higher levels in France are "Collaborate" and "Surrender." The rise was precipitated by a recent fire that destroyed France's white flag factory, effectively paralyzing the country's military capability.

ITALY has increased the alert level from "Shout Loudly and Excitedly" to "Elaborate Military Posturing." Two more levels remain: "Ineffective Combat Operations" and "Change Sides."

THE GERMANS have increased their alert state from "Disdainful Arrogance" to "Dress in Uniform and Sing Marching Songs." They also have two higher levels: "Invade a Neighbor" and "Lose."

BELGIANS, on the other hand, are all on holiday as usual; the only threat they are worried about is NATO pulling out of Brussels .

THE SPANISH are all excited to see their new submarines ready to deploy. These beautifully designed subs have glass bottoms so the new Spanish navy can get a really good look at the old Spanish navy.

AUSTRALIA, meanwhile, has raised its security level from "No worries" to "She'll be right, Mate!" Two more escalation levels remain: "Crikey! I think we'll need to cancel the barbie this weekend!" and "The barbie is canceled." So far no situation has ever warranted use of the final escalation level.

--- John Cleese - British writer, actor and tall person

Why did the chicken cross the road?

2011-02-14T17:10:00.003-07:00

SARAH PALIN: The chicken crossed the road because, gosh-darn it, he's a maverick!
BARACK OBAMA: The chicken crossed the road because it was time for change! The chicken wanted change!
JOHN McCAIN: My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.
HILLARY CLINTON: When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure right from Day One that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn't about me.
GEORGE W. BUSH: We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.
DICK CHENEY: Where's my gun?
COLIN POWELL: Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road.
BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with that chicken.
AL GORE: I invented the chicken.
JOHN KERRY: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.
AL SHARPTON: Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens up in here.
DR. PHIL: The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on this side of the road before it goes after the problem on the other side of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his current problems before adding new problems.
OPRAH: Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so badly. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a NEW CAR so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.
NANCY GRACE: That chicken crossed the road because he's guilty! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.
PAT BUCHANAN: To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.
MARTHA STEWART: No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going. I had a standing order at the Farmer's Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information.
DR. SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.
ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die in the rain, alone.
JERRY FALWELL: Because the chicken was gay! Can't you people see the plain truth? That's why they call it the 'other side.' Yes, my friends, that chicken is gay. And if you eat that chicken, you will become gay too. I say we boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the Liberal media whitewashes with seemingly harmless phrases like 'the other side.' That chicken should not be crossing the road. It's as plain and as simple as that.
GRANDPA: In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.
BARBARA WALTERS: Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its lifelong dream of crossing the road.
ARISTOTLE: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.
JOHN LENNON: Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.
BILL GATES: I have just released eChicken2011, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your checkbook. Internet Explorer is an integral part of eChicken2011. This new platform is much more stable and will never reboot.
ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?
COLONEL SANDERS: Did I miss one?

Brainless Behind the Wheel

2011-02-14T14:06:00.005-07:00

The first thing to say has to be that speeding down an Interstate at 118 miles per hour is probably a stupid to do. The second thing to say is that videotaping yourself while doing it is really, really stupid. But, police in Marion County, Ore., say that's what Stanislav Bakanov was caught doing Saturday. The Oregonian writes:

"When asked why he was driving so fast, Bakanov told Marion County Deputy Ryan Postlewait his explanation was going to sound stupid, but that he was making a video to post on YouTube. Bakanov then played back the video of his driving for the deputy. It contained footage of his speedometer with the needle pegged near the top of the dial. It also showed footage of Postlewait's patrol car pulling Bakanov over. Bakanov had fashioned a mount on the windshield to hold the camera while he drove."

The 118 mph referred to earlier, by the way, is what officer Postlewait says he "clocked" Bakanov's 2005 BMW M3 doing. The reference in the Oregonian story to the needle getting near "the top of the dial" is downright scary: The latest M3s have speedometers that go up to 200 mph (though we suspect the car didn't get really close to that; no car we've ever driven seemed capable of getting to its speedometer's limit). And yes, we know that lots of folks have had a camera pointed at their speedometers as they've topped 100 mph.

Walmart Layton: Bureaucratic stupidity at its worst

2011-02-10T09:29:00.003-07:00

I read a newspaper story today, and bearing in mind how often reports get things wrong, was still horrified at the actions of super-retailer Walmart in Layton, Utah. The point of this episode is that the employees didn't make the environment dangerous, the ARMED SHOPLIFTER did. These gentlemen did what any right thinking citizen/employees would do. They REMOVED the danger. For them to be fired for their actions is a complete travesty of justice. Walmart may well lose customers over this incident, customers like me, and I hope they do! Read on...

The shoplifter smashed Gabriel Stewart up against a wall. It didn't take him long to realize that pressure against his lower back was from a loaded gun held by a desperate man who didn't want to go to jail. The gunman had a firm grip on Stewart's shoulder, telling him and three of his Walmart co-workers, "Don't make me do this." "Absolutely, time stopped," Stewart told KSL News. "I didn't know what to do." Instantly, Shawn Ray and Justin Richins kicked into gear, spinning the gunman around. Lori Poulsen ripped the gun away and secured it. They all held onto the man until police arrived minutes later. The four Layton Walmart employees felt it was mission accomplished. Police officers told them they had done everything right.

But a week later, all four were fired from their jobs. Walmart said their actions had violated company policy and put their fellow workers and shoppers at risk. It was the afternoon of Jan. 13 when employees at the store saw Trent Allen Longton unwrap a Netbook computer in the electronics section and stuff it under his clothes. Asset protection coordinator Poulsen met him at the door and ushered him back to the loss prevention room to confront him. Not long after, Ray and Richins -- both asset protection associates -- filtered in, followed by Stewart, an assistant manager, to witness.

Moments after he pulled out the small laptop, the workers say Longton also pulled out a handgun and charged toward the closed office door. Ray, Richins and Stewart were in the way. He grabbed Stewart as his way to get out. The four believe their quick actions to disarm and secure the man helped prevent what could have been a tragic event. They held the man until a police officer arrived, who wrote in his report that the gunman was taken to the ground in his and citizens' "best interest and safety."

Awesome Chocolate!

2011-02-07T13:43:00.003-07:00

Food of the gods—and that's merely the formal name of the plant that yields the seductive lusciousness of theobroma cacao, otherwise known as chocolate. Its cocoa-bearing seeds were so prized that the Aztecs of Mexico used them as currency. In the modern world, chocolate is more often a currency of love and affection. Yet, as science sinks its teeth into the links between what we eat and the state of our health, it is serving up some particularly sweet reasons to savor the confection. Cocoa turns out to be rich in a specific class of antioxidants that boost blood flow to both the heart and the brain. Researchers have found that chocolate processed to retain high levels of these antioxidants known as flavanols helps even healthy adults shift their mental resources to quickly and accurately meet the demands of complex cognitive tasks. OF COURSE it's good for you. Bring it on!

Pittsburgh Bets A Renoir On Super Bowl Victory

2011-02-06T16:50:00.003-07:00

Among the stranger bets being waged on Super Bowl Sunday is whether Fergie will wear shorts during the halftime show. Another bets on the color of the winner's Gatorade dump. Those bets aren't strictly legal in most states, but there's nothing to stop a few hometown art museums from making a friendly wager. The Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh has bet a Renoir that the Steelers will win Sunday. The Milwaukee Art Museum took that bet — and put up a rare Caillebotte in return. "Our docents were extremely upset," Milwaukee Art Museum Director Daniel Keegan tells NPR's Linda Wertheimer. "They said, 'How could you possibly think of giving up the Caillebotte?' I said, 'That's the point — we have no intention of giving it up.'" Artsy people are really strange, don't you think?

Things that make you go ... HMMMMM!

2011-01-31T11:35:00.002-07:00

A "Black Widow" suicide bomber planned a terrorist attack in central Moscow on New Year's Eve but was killed when an unexpected text message set off her bomb too early, according to Russian security sources. The unnamed woman, who is thought to be part of the same group that struck Moscow's Domodedovo airport on Monday, intended to detonate a suicide belt near Red Square on New Year's Eve in an attack that could have killed hundreds. Security sources believe a message from her mobile phone operator wishing her a happy new year received just hours before the planned attack triggered her suicide belt, killing her at a safe house.

Climber survives a 1,00 foot mountain slide

2011-01-31T08:13:00.002-07:00

Some of the headlines make it sound like Adam Potter plunged 1,000 feet and managed to come away with minor injuries. That's not exactly the way things (dare we say it?) went down Saturday on Scotland's Sgurr Choinnich Mor (that's a mountain). But he's still got a story that sounds more like it would have happened to Harry Potter than to a landfill manager from Glasgow. As Scotland's Daily Record writes, the 36-year-old Potter was near the summit of the 3,589-foot mountain when he lost his footing. "I slipped and then I kept falling," Potter told the Record. "I tried to slow myself down on the ice and snow. I was jabbing my feet, my hands or anything to try to slow myself down, but each time I lost speed I would go over a bit of cliff. "I would get all that speed back up again. That went on for 1000 feet." Eventually, he came to a stop. By the time rescuers got to Potter, he was standing up, looking at a map, and trying to figure out where he'd landed. Potter has some broken bones in his back and some scrapes on his face. But overall, he's in pretty good shape. And Potter still plans to have a go at Mount Everest in March.

Norwegian Boy Fends Off Wolves with Mobile Phone Music

2011-01-24T21:07:00.000-07:00

A 13-year-old Norwegian boy avoided what could have potentially been a tragic experience recently by fending off a pack of wolves with music playing on his phone. Walter Eikrem of Rakkedstad, Norway was walking home from school when he came across the pack. Instead of fleeing the scene, Walter chose another method to scare off the potentially ferocious animals by turning to the one defense mechanism he had on hand -- his cell phone.As he strolled home, he had been listening to Creed’s “Overcome.”

Thinking fast, he turned up the volume in an attempt to scare them away. Luckily, it worked, and the wolves scampered off – leaving the boy unscathed. “They didn’t really get scared,” Walter said after the experience. “They just turned around and simply trotted away.” It will never be known if the music is what truly turned the wolves away. Perhaps it was just a coincidence, and the wolves had no interest in attacking the young boy, or it’s possible that Creed’s music is that bad that it even frightens wild animals.

Mother Nature Bites Burglars

2011-01-04T16:13:00.001-07:00

Even if they're convicted of burglarizing a Roosevelt business and running from police, it's unlikely two Colorado men will face a penalty more severe than the one meted out over the weekend by Mother Nature. That's because the pair suffered frostbite injuries so severe doctors may have to amputate some of their fingers and toes, according to Uintah County Sheriff's Chief Deputy John Laursen. The incident began Saturday about 3:20 a.m. when Bureau of Indian Affairs police officers asked sheriff's deputies for help with a vehicle pursuit. Deputies and Utah Highway Patrol troopers responded to the request, and authorities located the empty vehicle at an oil field location south of Ouray.

Officers found the four individuals hiding outside in an area where there was 18 inches of snow on the ground and the temperature was at least minus-20 degrees Fahrenheit, Laursen said. "All four suspects were suffering from various frostbite injuries," he said. Steven Leslie Wright, Nicole Lynn Beyer, Nicholas Pacheco and Christian Rowls, all from Grand Junction, Colo., were transported to Uintah Basin Medical Center in Roosevelt."It is believed that two of the people who ran suffered extreme frostbite and may lose fingers and toes," Laursen said."I've never seen frostbite like that before," Rowley said. "I went in last night and their fingers are starting to split open."

Santa Claus Takes Down Mafia Suspect in Sicily

2010-12-27T10:16:00.001-07:00

Santa Claus can do it all: deliver presents, climb down chimneys, fly through the Christmas sky in his sleigh. And, as it happens, he can also make arrests. On Thursday, he busted a suspected member of the Sicilian mafia. Santa Claus, as every child is aware, knows if you've been naughty or nice. In Italy, apparently, Santa also knows if you are a member of the mafia. And he might arrest you if you're not careful. That, at least, would appear to be the lesson of a rather unusual arrest in the Sicilian town of Catania. A policeman dressed in a Santa Claus outfit was part of a Thursday sting operation to apprehend a suspected member of the appropriately named Santapaola mafia clan.

The 37-year-old suspect was nabbed as he came out of a store where he was thought to have collected monthly protection money. The store's owner had allegedly been forced to pay €260 per month for the past 10 years. The suspected mafioso had been under observation for several weeks. The undercover Santa was waiting in the parking lot carrying a basket full of sweets -- which he carefully placed on the roof of the suspect's car as he made the arrest. According to media accounts of the arrest, the shopkeeper gave Santa a big hug following the arrest.

Good on you for giving back

2010-12-09T16:57:00.001-07:00

Another 17 of America's richest people, including Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, junk bond pioneer Michael Milken and AOL co-founder Steve Case, have promised to give away most of their wealth. At 26, Zuckerberg has put himself on the map not only as one of the world's youngest billionaires, but also as a prominent newcomer to the world of philanthropy. Earlier this year, he pledged $100 million over five years to the Newark, N.J. school system.I wish there were more like him.

Different continent, same cop, same ticket

2010-12-08T09:24:00.001-07:00

Man caught speeding by same policeman at opposite ends of the globe. A man living in New Zealand has been caught speeding by the same policeman who booked him when he was living in England. The speeding driver was nabbed in London two years ago, then moved to New Zealand only to be caught by the same police officer for the same offence. The New Zealand Herald reports the unidentified man was caught speeding near Leithfield in New Zealand’s South Island in September by Constable Andy Flitton – but it wasn’t the first time the two had met under such circumstances. The former London policeman had booked the man two years earlier before migrating to New Zealand – only to repeat the process. The NZ Herald reports that Flitton was writing out the speeding ticket when the man started asking him questions. "He asked if I had worked in London, I said 'yes'. He asked if I used to operate the laser gun on the A5 in North London, I said 'yes'," Flitton was quoted as telling the newspaper. "And he said 'I thought it was you, you gave me my last speeding ticket there two years ago'." The speeding driver had apparently only been living in New Zealand for two weeks before he was booked.

Julian Assange feels abandoned by Australia

2010-12-06T15:11:00.006-07:00

Seriously Julian... what did you expect? A welcome home party and a couple of fat shrimp on the barby? The WikiLeaks founder says he's been all but "abandoned" by his home country. Assange spoke out during an online Q&A with the Guardian, the British newspaper, this weekend. "I am an Australian citizen and I miss my country a great deal," he wrote. Comparing his plight to that of David Hicks, a fellow Australian who was detained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on terror charges, Assange accused Aussie officials of pandering to the United States. "Are we all to be treated like David Hicks at the first possible opportunity merely so that Australian politicians and diplomats can be invited to the best US embassy cocktail parties," he wrote. The government hit back saying Assange is entitled to return home whenever he pleases. If he doesn't, he will be offered the same consular support available to all Australian citizens abroad, they said. But that's hardly a welcome mat. Australia's prime minister, Julia Gillard, has called WikiLeaks' latest document dump "an illegal thing to do" and vowed to cooperate with America's investigation. Don't snivel man, you released the stuff, so now pay the piper.

Man Kills Girlfriend and Hides the Body, All While Still in Prison

2010-12-06T14:47:00.002-07:00

This is one of the most bizarre stories from crime news in a while. Jackson Conquet was serving time in a Peruvian prison when his 22-year-old girlfriend, Leslie Paredes, came to visit him. While in his cell, Paredes tried to end their relationship and then an enraged Conquet grabbed her and strangled her. He then hid her body beneath a cement bench he'd fashioned. What's so utterly bizarre about the crime (apart from the fact that it took place from one of the last places you'd think a woman would be hurt by her partner) is that her body remained undiscovered for months. It wasn't until guards noticed a "strong smell" coming from Conquet's cell that they investigated and discovered Paredes' remains. Police have no explanation for how no one could have noticed that Paredes did not emerge from Conquet's room after their visit. Things that make you go... hmmmmmm!

Gordon Gee, Ohio State, and the BCS Joke

2010-11-24T12:15:00.006-07:00

Even if TCU and Boise State run the table, they still don't deserve to be in the Bowl Championship Series title game, Ohio State president E. Gordon Gee said Wednesday. In an interview with The Associated Press, the president at the university with the largest athletic program in the country said that TCU and Boise State do not face a difficult enough schedule to play in the national championship game.

Mr. Gee, you are simply another (education-based) politician, with an agenda, whohas no credibility to say anything on the BCS. You have a vested interest in keeping things the way they are, not because they are right or moral, but because they benefit YOU and your SCHOOL. The BCS system is reprehensible and morally bankrupt. It is not fair, and favors, the rich established, so-called elite universities. Please zip it, you have nothing meaningful to add to the debate. You are simply afraid of Boise States and TCU, because they would kick your butts!

The only way to make the national championship for real, is to have it open to everyone. Period. This can only be accomplished by doing away with the Bowl Championship Series, which is a joke, and replace it with a zone based championship such as NCAA basketball has with the Sweet 16, Top 8 and Final 4 series. Until this is done, BCS remains a biased and unfair system.

Unearthing the Past

2010-11-20T22:35:00.003-07:00

If I was in my current occupation, one which I truly enjoy, I would have been an archaeologist. Nothing to do with Indiana Jones because I was interested in the subject from High School, almost a decade before the fedora-wearing and whip-toting, Jones was around. Archaeology or paleontology, I probably couldn't make up my mind, and similar. They go with my love of history but seem more hands-on and 'in the field' types of studies.

For example, I was totally mesmerized by the finds of Dr. Louis Leakey in Kenya and Tanzania. I could imagine myself out on the African grasslands or mountains digging into my own history. I thought it was cool. Two days ago British archaeologists announced they had uncovered an ancient Roman landscape beneath a park in west London, with a Roman road evidence of a settlement, and unusual burials among the finds. My family comes from England, so this too fires my imagination. I wonder how good I might have been with a trowel and a little whisk broom in the trenches, if I had chosen a different path.

'American empire' will disappear, infamous British double agent forecasts

2010-11-20T21:37:00.001-07:00

George Blake, a British double agent, has forecast that the "American empire" will crumble, and predicted that every country in the world will one day embrace communism. In a rare interview given on his 88th birthday, the former Soviet agent said he had no regrets and expressed no remorse for betraying Britain or its intelligence service. Blake, who calls himself Georgy Ivanovich in Moscow, said he still had no time for American foreign policy. "The American empire will disappear because everyone who lives by the sword dies from the sword," he told the daily Izvestia newspaper.

Blake was a member of MI6, the British Secret Intelligence Service, from 1944. In 1951, he became an agent for the Soviet Union -- and in the following decade is thought to have betrayed up to 400 of his colleagues. He was arrested in 1960 and jailed for 42 years -- only to escape from Wormwood Scrubs in 1966 before fleeing to Russia. In the interview, Blake admitted that the Soviet Union in which he arrived in the 1960s did not live up to his high-minded communist ideals. But he made it clear he had not lost the faith.

"I understand now that the Soviet project was doomed. The problem was not the Russians but human nature. Humankind was not sufficiently moral to build such a society," he said. He was confident that time was on communism's side. "One day, I believe that the majority of governments will voluntarily choose the communist model. Without violence, revolution or terror. Maybe it sounds like a Utopia, but I believe in it." Sounds like Utopia does it George... it sounds like a traitors' pipedream and maybe that you need to say something nice so the Russians keep paying your pension.

No attempt at rescue for trapped NZ miners tonight

2010-11-19T23:59:00.005-07:00

There will be no attempt to rescue 29 miners trapped in the West Coast's Pike River Coal Mine tonight. Tasman District police area commander Superintendent Gary Knowles told One News the last sampling of mine quality air was taken at 4pm, with no further samplings until tomorrow morning. It means a second night underground for the miners. Mr Knowles said the mine air quality was still unsuitable for a rescue attempt.

Meanwhile, police have confirmed the nationalities of the 29 trapped workers. There are 24 New Zealanders, two Australians, two British citizens and one South African. The identities of three of the New Zealanders are known - Greymouth District councillor Milton Osborne, promising rugby league player Blair Sims and Ben Rockhouse, whose brother, Daniel, escaped after the blast. No word has been heard from the miners since the blast so our thoughts and prayers are for their safety, families and rescuers.

How Bizarre, How Bizarre!

2010-11-17T08:22:00.001-07:00

Now this is what I call community policing. A man foiled his own kidnapping by crashing his pickup truck into a Unified Police Department precinct building in Salt Lake City Tuesday night, and officers soon after rescued his hostage wife at their home. The woman, who had been bound, was shaken but otherwise unharmed, UPD Lt. Don Hutson said Wednesday. Two suspects — one in the crashed truck and another arrested after he fled the victim’s home and allegedly hit in a car — were being held in Salt Lake County Jail on multiple felony counts. “This was just downright bizarre,” Hutson said. “It really was like something out of a movie.”

The drama began when two men, armed with handguns, burst into the Millcreek home of the owner of Monarch Coin in South Salt Lake and took the couple captive. One man, identified as Dashawn Hinton, 19, of Salt Lake City, allegedly took the husband at gunpoint in his truck and ordered him to drive west on 3900 South. Hutson said Wednesday that the husband allegedly was believed to have been ordered to drive first to an ATM and then to his shop at 211 E. 3900 South. However, as the victim drove near the UPD precinct at 1580 E. 3900 South, he veered the truck toward the building and rammed into it to get the officers’ attention.

Anwar Al-Awlaki Sounds Off Again

2010-11-09T16:10:00.001-07:00

A US-born cleric linked to attacks by Al-Qaeda in Yemen on US targets called for Muslims around the world to kill Americans in a new video posted on extremist websites Monday. Anwar Al-Awlaki, 39, is one of the most prominent English-language radical clerics and his sermons advocating jihad, or holy war, against the United States have influenced militants involved in several attacks or attempted attacks on US soil. Yemeni officials say he may have blessed the recent mail bomb plot, though he may not have taken an active part in it. In his 23-minute message in Arabic, Al-Awlaki said because all Americans are the enemy, clerics don’t need to issue any special fatwas or religious rulings allowing them to be killed. He was dressed in a traditional Yemeni white robe and a turban and wore round spectacles and a dagger while he sat behind a desk. "Don’t consult with anybody in killing the Americans,” he said. “Fighting the devil doesn’t require consultation or prayers seeking divine guidance. They are the party of the devils,” he added. It is “either us or them.”

Four genuine responses to his rant from readers of the Arab World newspaper however, are very interesting:
Waseem - "Foolish man, who made him a cleric. An ignoramus with deviant beliefs."
Tariq - "If this idiot wants Americans killed then why doesn't he come out of hiding and do it himself? Does he think we Muslims are his puppets? It is he and the likes of him that should be killed so the rest of us could live in peace."
Almir - "Wake up people, he is a C.I.A agent. two months after September 11, 2001 he had a meeting at the Pentagon,. do your research?? turn to Allah and you will be safe, this is the reason the whole world is playing with Arabs."
Musso - "Another US Product !!! What an idiot ! So many of us must be cursing him..."

The Iran Pot Calling the French Kettle, Black!

2010-11-09T15:35:00.005-07:00

Iran has warned its citizens against travelling to France, because of what it says is a "serious level" of unrest in the country. The Iranian foreign ministry said France was a country in crisis following recent protests against the government's pensions reforms. Official news agency IRNA quoted an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman yesterday as saying: "We think the crisis in France has reached a serious level, and we advise all our nationals who plan to travel to this country to take necessary precautions. Not that many can travel anyway.

"Our compatriots have been informed of the travel warning via the Foreign Ministry website and the Iranian Embassy in Paris." The warning came hours after France and the UK called on all countries to follow the EU's lead by implementing "stringent, targeted sanctions" against Iran. The warning came hours after France and the UK called on all countries to follow the EU's lead by implementing "stringent, targeted sanctions" against Iran. Seriously! Iran just shoots you instead.

Well done Weston, Missouri!

2010-11-07T20:49:00.005-07:00

Members of a small Missouri town banded together Saturday to block a controversial pastor and members of his Westboro Baptist Church from protesting the funeral of a fallen U.S. soldier, Fox4kc.com reports. Hundreds of residents in Weston, Mo. -- as well as people as far away as California and Australia -- rallied in support of Sgt. First Class C.J. Sadell, who died from injuries suffered during a surprise attack in Afghanistan. The residents sought to block Fred Phelps, leader of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., and his followers from picketing Sadell’s funeral, according to the station.

Phelps' church has been the subject of intense criticism for holding more than 44,000 pickets at funerals and other events – including the services of fallen service members. Citing their First Amendment right to protest, Phelps' followers say they use funerals as an “available public platform” to “deliver the message that there is a consequence for sin.” Phelps is openly opposed to homosexuality and all government policies they he says supports homosexuals. Military funerals are no place for this kind of protest whether or not the constitution allows it; and Weston residents have sent a loud, clear message to the most un-christianlike Westboro Baptists.

Child survives eight-floor fall onto Awning

2010-11-02T14:59:00.000-06:00

French police say an 18-month-old boy has survived a fall from an eighth-floor window of a Paris apartment by bouncing off an awning and into someone's arms, apparently uninjured. Police say they have detained the parents of the baby boy for questioning. According to police, the parents had gone for a stroll on Monday, a French holiday, and left the 18-month-old with his three-year-old sister in the family apartment in eastern Paris. Police said on Tuesday the little boy somehow had access to an open window and fell out. He hit an awning of a ground-floor restaurant then bounced into the arms of a passer-by. They said no injuries were uncovered by initial medical exams.

Cops face it all!

2010-10-21T08:18:00.001-06:00

A 300-pound chimpanzee that broke free from its chains has been captured after briefly wandering around a Kansas City neighborhood and smashing out the window of a police car. Police Captain Rich Lockhart said the department got a call about noon Tuesday that a primate was on the loose a few miles from the Kansas City Zoo. Lockhart says the ape was actually a pet that escaped from its chains. Lockhart says efforts to shoot the animal, named Sueko, with a tranquilizer dart failed. The chimp climbed on a patrol car and struck the passenger-side window with its fist before running off. Its owner was eventually able to coax it into a cage. Lockhart says the owner has been cited for having a dangerous animal within city limits. True story, the photo is fake though!

Push to kill mobile phone 'bill shock'

2010-10-18T10:59:00.003-06:00

Mobile carriers would be forced to notify customers before slugging them with excess usage fees and other extra charges under tough new rules being considered by the Australian government and regulators. The US communications regulator, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), has proposed new laws aimed at dramatically reducing "bill shock". These have been supported by Australian regulators but the mobile industry is already fighting back against any extra regulations. The changes, expected to come into force within months, will require carriers to alert consumers when they near their monthly quota for voice, text and data services. The alerts, sent by text or voice message, would also apply to other extra charges such as international roaming fees. About time government acted for the people that elect them instead of their big business buddies!

An ex-NFL linesman who sings a mean aria

2010-10-18T09:52:00.004-06:00

The music was always there for him. Even when Ta’u Pupu’a spent almost every waking hour lifting weights, studying game film and playing his way into the National Football League, the music was there. It had soared into his heart when he was a boy, cascading down from his brother’s bedroom, and never left. So once football decided it was done with him, spitting him out in the cruel and unforgiving way it often does, Pupu’a turned back to the music.

Embraced it, and chased it. Now, after all these years, the music is just about the only thing that concerns him. The bel canto is his Belichick, the aria his snap count. Now, the one-time defensive lineman who defied astounding odds to reach the NFL from a small Utah college is a heralded opera tenor on the verge of an equally improbable and wondrous international career — touched by some of the biggest names in the business — and he does not have much use for shoulder pads anymore. “I just want to sing,” he says. “That will make me happy.”

War on Capitol Hill?

2010-10-07T13:31:00.003-06:00

A Republican majority in Congress would mean "hand-to-hand combat" on Capitol Hill for the next two years, threatening policies Democrats have enacted to stabilize the economy, President Obama warned Wednesday.

"The reason we won in 2008 is because young people, African Americans, Latinos -- people who traditionally don't vote in high numbers -- voted in record numbers. We've got to have that same kind of turnout in this election," he said. "If we think that we can just vote one time, then we have a nice party at Obama's inauguration, and then we can kind of sit back and suddenly everything's going to change – that's just not how it works."

The real problem with the assertion is that it's just as likely to be the opposite of the truth. Both parties and sadly most politicians are completely untrustworthy. They are more interested in lining their own pockets and staying in power than helping the people. Where are the Washingtons and the Lincolns today?

Sickening, and we are so self-righteous!

2010-10-01T22:51:00.003-06:00

Picking through musty files in a Pennsylvania archive, a Wellesley College professor made a heart-stopping discovery: US government scientists in the 1940s deliberately infected hundreds of Guatemalans with syphilis and gonorrhea in experiments conducted without the subjects’ permission. Medical historian Susan M. Reverby happened upon the documents four or five years ago while researching the infamous Tuskegee syphilis study and later shared her findings with US government officials.

The unethical research was not publicly disclosed until yesterday, when President Obama and two Cabinet secretaries apologized to Guatemala’s government and people and pledged to never repeat the mistakes of the past — an era when it was not uncommon for doctors to experiment on patients without their consent. Even so, Reverby found in the files a story of almost singular exploitation and deception, conducted in a foreign land because, the nation’s surgeon general at the time acknowledged, it could not have been done in the United States.

Stephen Hawking's Big Clang-er

2010-09-24T18:23:00.006-06:00

One of my modern day heroes, theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, has finally said something that I disagree with. He said that God did not create the Universe. Ok Dr. Hawking is not perfect, nor is he prescient, but he tripped over a BIG boulder with that statement. Hawking says in his new book Grand Design that God is irrelevant and our universe followed inevitably from the laws of nature. The only problem with this argument is that God created the laws of the Universe and governs the universe. God is real and always will be. No matter how intelligent Hawking is, he can't do away with God by the stroke of a pen.

Some moron wants to burn the Koran

2010-09-08T19:10:00.005-06:00

I haven't written here since March simply because I didn't have the time and so many other things seemed to have priority. But I have to say something about Dove World Outreach Center church pastor Terry Jones and his intention to set alight the holy book of the Muslim church on 9/11/2010. Now there's a Christian act if I have ever heard of one, Mr. Jones. Oh yes, I was definitely being sarcastic.

No doubt the ninth anniversary of 9/11 will be emotional. It will bring back many terrible memories. But please thinking that burning the Koran will something be a cathartic release of all out pent up dislike of those despicable acts and their consequences. It simply won't do and it is absolutely stupid to think it will. To burn the Koran is a terrible thing to do.

If Christ himself stood before us, do you think for a minute that he would condone such an act? Not in any way! Not in this life or the next. 9/11 was committed by a bunch of murdering thugs who happened to be from one specific religion. And MOST people in that religion think the acts they committed were despicable just like we do. So why don't we just alieneate very other one and burn their holy book. Pastor Jones and those that follow his lead are no more Christian than a Genghis Khan.

'Fatwa’ condemns al-Qaeda terrorism

2010-03-03T07:34:00.004-07:00

A leading Muslim scholar with a large following in Britain on Tuesday issued a fatwa — or Islamic religious ruling — condemning global terrorism and suicide bombings in a “direct challenge to al-Qaeda’s violent ideology.” Pakistan-born Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, the founder of the global Minhaj-ul-Quran movement, made his formal proclamation of a fatwa, or religious edict, at a news conference in London.

The 600-page fatwa says that “suicide bombings and attacks against civilian targets are not only condemned by Islam, but render the perpetrators totally out of the fold of Islam, in other words, to be unbelievers.” Mr. Qadri described the al-Qaeda movement as an “old evil with a new name” and said he believed that the overwhelming majority of young Muslims in Britain had not yet been radicalized and would “think again” on reading his proclamation.

Haiti With 'Earthquake Weapon'

2010-03-02T16:31:00.003-07:00

The United States apparently possesses an "earthquake weapon" that set off the catastrophic quake in Haiti and killed 200,000 innocents. Don't believe it's true? Just ask Hugo Chavez. Citing an alleged report from Russia's Northern Fleet, the Venezuelan strongman's state mouthpiece ViVe TV shot out a press release saying the 7.0 magnitude Haiti quake was caused by a U.S. test of an experimental shockwave system that can also create "weather anomalies to cause floods, droughts and hurricanes." He's a megalomanic psychopath, what more would you expect!

Publicans furious over Good Friday rugby match

2010-03-02T11:45:00.002-07:00

Furious publicans will be hit in the pocket after a high-profile clash between Ireland's biggest rugby rivals was scheduled to take place on Good Friday. The Magners' league rugby clash between Munster and Leinster will be held in Thomond Park stadium in Limerick on April 2, it was confirmed last night. Those attending the game will be able to buy alcohol at the new stadium. But publicans in the city will not be in a position to garner any business from the 26,000 people expected to attend the match. The fixture is a sell-out. Heaven forbid that the rugby union has to get permission of the local pubs to hold provincial match. What next??? What a joke!!!

The Germans are at it again, this time snorting...

2010-03-02T07:43:00.001-07:00

German police detained a nightclub reveller they caught trying to snort amphetamines off the top of their unmarked patrol car. The 26-year-old began lining up the powdered drugs on the roof of the car in a disco car park, when the two police officers surprised him, a Nuremberg police spokesman said on Tuesday. The man had no idea the normal looking vehicle belonged to the police, and it was coincidence that the officers – who were walking by their parked car – discovered him just as he was about to take the drugs. “He's got horrible luck,” said Bert Rauenbusch, police spokesman in the southern German city.

German man caught robbing same bank twice in 24 hours

2010-03-01T17:04:00.000-07:00

A German robber held up the same bank in Hamburg twice within 24 hours just a week after being released from jail -- for the same crime. A police spokesperson said on Friday the 50-year-old man went into a savings bank in the centre of the northern port city and flashed a pistol, saying: "I was here yesterday, and I want money again today!" The repeat offender made off with €450 ($600) but with the help of video surveillance cameras, police were able to detain him three hours later. They said he had been in jail for robbing banks in Hamburg in 2002 and 2004. Look we all know about recidivism, repeat offenders and lightning striking in the same place, but this is ridiculous!

Marie Osmond's Son Dies

2010-03-01T15:55:00.003-07:00

There is tragedy all around the world. Not only are we reeling from devastating earthquakes in Haiti and Chile but I heard on the radio this morning that Marie Osmond's adopted son Michael died over the weekend and appears to have committed suicide. I also read that this young man suffered badly from depression. Depression is so debilitating and so hard to cure. I have family and friends who suffer from it so this and have a small number of people that I love who have wanted to commit suicide and took steps to do so. A good friend who was once my supervisor took his life in Auckland, New Zealand about 15 years ago and this has always left a sadness in me. I wish I could have done more to help him, he was such a good man. My heart goes out to all those who suffer from this terrible illness and my thoughts are especially with the Osmond family at this time.

Chile Battles Lawlessness, Desperation After Massive Earthquake

2010-03-01T14:35:00.002-07:00

Chilean authorities are struggling to maintain order, distribute supplies, and rescue survivors after Saturday's powerful earthquake that killed more than 700 people and damaged or destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes and buildings. President Michelle Bachelet is attempting to rally her nation in the face of tragedy and devastation, while appealing to the international community for assistance. Shock and grief have given way to desperation and lawlessness in some areas hardest-hit by the 8.8-magnitude earthquake. Many looters made off with food and basic supplies. Others saw an opportunity for large-scale theft, carrying away home appliances on their backs. My heart goes out to the Chilean people as I had a very fine friend from Santiago that I used to flat with in Sydney. I hope he and his family is well. This quake became even more personal as my daughter, who lives on a Pacific island atoll with her husband and children, were evacuated from their home at 6a.m. due to a possible tsunami bearing down on them. I am am truly thankful that nothing happened.

Chelsea wuz robbed!

2010-02-26T18:55:00.003-07:00

I am sitting on my couch at my home watching a repeat of the Chelsea versus Inter Milan right now. The first half has just ended and right before it, Kalou was denied a perfectly obvious penalty, that happened right in front of the referee. I can't believe it myself, and before you jump on your soapbox I am not a Chelsea fan! I am a Tottenham Hotspur fan from across the other side of London, so back off! Chelsea ended up losing 2-1 on the day, and they are still ok because the match was at the San Siro and Chelsea scored an away goal. But they should not be in a position where they can lose because of a terrible call from the ref.

Pompey goes into financial administration

2010-02-25T13:05:00.002-07:00

Portsmouth will become the first English Premier League club to go into financial administration in an embarrassing landmark for the world's richest league. Four undisclosed groups reported to be interested in the club failed to prove they had the funds to buy it from Balram Chainrai by a deadline set by insolvency specialist As a result of entering financial administration, a form of bankruptcy protection, Portsmouth will be docked nine points, leaving the club bottom of the league with just seven - 16 points behind the team above it. Accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young will issue a detailed statement outlining how the club will be restructured to prevent it going into liquidation and made attractive for a potential buyer.By going into administration, a winding up order from the government's Revenue and Customs authority over unpaid tax will be suspended. Portsmouth, an 112-year-old club that has already had four separate owners this season, reportedly has debts of 70 million pounds ($A120.72 million). Another sad day, as this was the club that my later father followed and I was so happy when they made into the Premier League. To go out tlike this is atrocious.

Lydia Lassila wins Australia's second gold

2010-02-25T12:35:00.003-07:00

Diminutive Lydia Lassila emerged from the Cypress Mountain mist to land two mighty spinning, twisting jumps, and with them Australia's second gold medal of these Winter Games, now the country's most successful. What a great follow-on from Alisa Camplin in Salt Lake City. Lassila's gold was like her mid-air somersaults, triply destined. It was the medal she had always believed would be hers one day, first as a gymnast, for the past 10 years as aerialist who at first was too gung-ho for own wellbeing, but is now complete. Go girls!

Cricket Star Breaks an 'Impossible' Record

2010-02-25T09:22:00.004-07:00

India's Sachin Tendulkar scored a double-hundred against South Africa in a one-day match on Feb. 24, 2010. For the 1.5 billion people who follow cricket — making it, by some reckoning, the world's second most popular sport after soccer — it was a moment to match Roger Bannister's 4-min. mile in 1954. It was entirely appropriate that the record should fall to Tendulkar, 36, the greatest run scorer of all time, as he roars into the autumn of a storied career. Cricketers very rarely play into their 40s, and most are long past their record-breaking age at 35. But the Little Master, as his fans know him, is as bright at twilight as he was at noon: he's ratcheted up a string of recent big scores in both the five-day "Test" and one-day versions of the sport, giving a new generation of bowlers the privilege of a Tendulkar thrashing. I have had the privilege of seeing this wonderful cricket player, and he's as good a man off the field as he is on it, and that is rare.

Sad day as Eagles release Brian Westbrook

2010-02-23T12:39:00.004-07:00

The Philadelphia Eagles announced they will release one of my favourite players, running back Brian Westbrook, less than 24 hours after LaDainian Tomlinson was cut by the Chargers. "Brian is one of the greatest Eagles of all time and he is even a better person and leader," said head coach Andy Reid on the team's website. "In my mind, there has not been a more versatile running back that the NFL has seen. I had a conversation with Brian this morning to let him know. This is by far the most difficult part of this job. We wanted to make this move now in order to maximize Brian's chances of landing with another NFL team."

Westbrook will leave with more yards from scrimimage (9,785) than anyone in Eagles history. His best year came in 2007 when he rushed for a career-best 1,333 yards while catching 90 balls for 771 yards; his 2,104 yards from scrimmaged paced the league that year. But Westbrook suffered through the least productive season since his rookie year in 2009, a victim of recurring concussion problems. He played in just eight games and managed just 455 yards from scrimimage. I understand why it happened but that doesn't make it any easier to take. Brian was the heart and soul of the team. All the fans will miss you Brian.

Toyota Boasted Saving $100M on Recall

2010-02-21T20:03:00.002-07:00

Toyota officials claimed they saved the company $100 million by successfully negotiating with the government on a limited recall of floor mats in some Toyota and Lexus vehicles, according to new documents shared with congressional investigators. The savings are listed under the title, "Wins for Toyota — Safety Group." The document cites millions of dollars in other savings by delaying safety regulations, avoiding defect investigations and slowing down other industry requirements. I wonder what Congress should do about it, let's see... maybe, make them pay.

Eat you heart out... Kitt!

2010-02-21T19:53:00.003-07:00

Whoah, check THIS out, the new Mercedes Carlsson C25... rooooooooowrrrr.

Piano Men Rock Salt Lake

2010-02-21T18:36:00.005-07:00

Last Friday night I had the pleasure of working the Elton John - Billy Joel Face to Face Tour concert at Energy Solutions Arena. While my music tastes have changed over the years for the harder side, Sir Elton and Billy put on a truly great show. I absolutely enjoyed it even though I was actually working at the time. They played for well over three hours and the parts where they performed together were awesome. It was especially poignant for me as I was supposed to attend an Elton John concert Western Springs Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand in 1986 but my father died the day before. So seeing him 24 years later was something that I had always wanted. It made me remember my Dad, whom I still miss very much all these years later. Good times. (Photo courtesy of the Salt Lake Tribune)

Torah Birght wins Australia's first gold medal at Whistler

2010-02-18T20:48:00.004-07:00

Under pressure after falling on her first run, Australian snowboarder Torah Bright strung five technically superior jumps together on her second attempt and landed them all, propelling her to a gold medal in the women's halfpipe tonight at the Vancouver Olympics. Bright, 23, scored 45 points to defeat defending champion Hannah Teter by 2.6. Way to go Aussie girl, you've done us proud.

Ex-NYC Police Commissioner Gets 4-Year Prison Sentence

2010-02-18T13:05:00.002-07:00

Former New York City police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, who was hailed as a hero alongside former Mayor Rudy Giuliani after the Sept. 11 terror attacks and nearly became chief of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, was sentenced to four years behind bars Thursday for eight felonies. Kerik admitted in November that he lied to the White House, filed false taxes and committed other crimes. "The fact that Mr. Kerik would use that event (9/11) for personal gain and aggrandizement is a dark place in the soul for me," said federal Judge Stephen Robinson. An apologetic Kerik said before the sentence was pronounced: "Allow me to return to my wife and two little girls as soon as possible." Kerik was "the chief law enforcement law enforcement officer for the biggest and grandest city this nation has," Robinson said. The crimes were committed "in the process of attempting to become a cabinet level position in the government of the United States."

Snow brings out the best in people

2010-02-18T12:35:00.000-07:00

Lindsey Vonn gets downhill skiing gold despite a major shin injury

2010-02-17T17:29:00.006-07:00

Lindsey Vonn lived up to expectations and won the Olympic downhill today. This is a totally amazing result considering she was badly injured only two weeks ago. It shows that despite pain and difficulty that a great attitude and hard work can get you through and ordeal. In a race characterized by several crashes - including one to Swede Anja Paerson — Vonn's bruised right shin proved to be no problem as she sped down Franz's Downhill in 1 minute, 44.19 seconds. "This is everything I've wanted and hoped for," Vonn said, her voice choked with emotion. Mancuso finished 0.56 seconds behind, and Elisabeth Goergl of Austria took the bronze medal, 1.46 seconds back. Maria Riesch of Germany, Vonn's best friend and usual rival of late, finished eighth. It's the third time two Americans have finished 1-2 in an Olympic Alpine race, and the first time in 26 years.

Tracking software leads to suspect in computer theft

2010-02-17T09:31:00.002-07:00

A man accused of stealing computers was caught with the help of tracking software. Ultimately, his past mug shot led to a new round of charges. A customer stole two laptops from the EZ Rent-to-Own store at 2974 W. 3500 South in Salt Lake City on Dec. 10. However, tracking software was loaded on the computers. A store employee later noticed someone logging onto the Internet with the stolen computers. The thief apparently was searching the Salt Lake County jail website for a mug shot of 41-year-old Shane Ellis Caster. The employee recognized that mug shot as the customer who stole the computers. Caster was arrested and charged with retail theft.I love it when stupid criminals basically catch themselves. It makes my day!

Park bosses ban daredevil squirrel

2010-02-15T21:21:00.003-07:00

A theme park has been forced to ban a daredevil squirrel from one of its rides as its antics posed a health and safety risk, it said. The rodent was said to be causing headaches for operators at Alton Towers by getting in the way of improvement work on an attraction at the resort. Workers noticed it riding the revamped Sonic Spinball roller coaster as it was tested in the mornings and joining visitors who were offered an early go on it before the official opening. The grey-haired animal was also caught stealing food from the workers. A spokeswoman for the Staffordshire theme park said: "It was getting in the way of builders who were painting. They couldn't carry on because they would end up with paw prints in the paint." He only wanted a fun ride, poor little guy.

Canada hails a new sporting hero, who dedicated his win to sick brother

2010-02-15T19:00:00.002-07:00

Canada has acclaimed a new sporting hero in Alexandre Bilodeau after his gold medal in men's moguls ended the nation's victory drought at the third Olympic Games on Canadian soil. The victory was celebrated by Canadian media in early reaction, and was hailed by British Columbia's premier Gordon Campbell as "one of the greatest moments in Canadian sports history."Not long after his victory, 22-year-old Bilodeau appeared on Canada's host broadcaster CTV with his family, including older brother Frederic, 28, who suffers from cerebral palsy and was named by the freestyle skier as his inspiration. "This is what sport can offer at its very best, a glimpse of triumphs that are enormous and of national significance, intimate and tender at the same time, and so it was here," a CTV correspondent wrote in its online edition. The Toronto Star said Canada had "a new sports hero" who had "forever cemented his name in the Canadian sports hall of fame." Now this is the kind of competitor who deserves to be a hero, a man with a real heart.

Furious Melbourne plan get-square

2010-02-15T16:30:00.005-07:00

Melbourne Victory aren't using the word ''revenge'' in public but the reigning champions are privately planning harsh retribution against Sydney FC on Thursday night after striker Robbie Kruse was left with a suspected broken leg following a horror tackle from Terry McFlynn at the weekend. McFlynn was last night cleared by the match review panel of any wrongdoing, although Ernie Merrick, the Melbourne coach, was enraged the incident wasn't dealt with immediately by the referee, Matthew Breeze, who deemed the offence worthy only of a yellow card.

Two comments here! One, I saw the tackle a number of times and all it deserved was a yellow card. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be from the reaction. The fact that Robbie got a broken leg out of it is tragic, something that NONE of us wanted to see. But let's face it, the tackle was run-of-the-mill, it just had a disastrous result. Second, a 'revenge' plan rarely works, and usually backfires badly on the team seeking it. Not good for anyone, team, country or football. Get well soon Robbie!

Dalai Lama in Washington

2010-02-15T13:06:00.008-07:00

China has responded to the scheduling of this coming Thursday's meeting between President Obama and the Dalai Lama -- and they want it canceled. "We urge the U.S. side to fully understand the high sensitivity of Tibet-related issues, honor its commitment to recognizing Tibet as part of China and opposing 'Tibet independence,'" said China Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu. The Obama-Dalai Lama meeting is one of several sources of tension between the U.S. and China, a list that includes new arms sales to Taiwan, Chinese currency manipulation and evidence of Chinese hack attacks on Google. This kind of situation provides a difficult question for lovers of freedom and truth... on the one hand, one should always keep commitments, keep one's word. BUT, Tibet is NOT China, it is a not a province of a dictatorship, but a sovereign country in its own right, stolen from its people who have a right to govern themselves. Keep the meeting on President Obama, this is one of the things I agree with you about.

U.S. Takes Back America's Cup In 2-Race Showdown

2010-02-14T22:18:00.005-07:00

Larry Ellison's space-age trimaran BMW Oracle won back the America's Cup for the United States by speeding across the Mediterranean and routing two-time defending champion Alinghi of Switzerland in a two-race sweep. The 65-year-old software tycoon was on board his incredibly fast craft Sunday, after sitting out Race 1 due to a weight limit. His victory over rival Ernesto Bertarelli sends the oldest trophy in international sports to San Francisco's Golden Gate Yacht Club. BMW Oracle Racing owner Larry Ellison raises the America's Cup trophy after sweeping rival Alinghi. The two billionaires have been locked in a tumultuous legal fight for two and a half years, and it looked for a while like the result of this race was going to be contested off the water. While I am happy that such a beautiful yacht, has won the Cup, and that it was chaired by a Kiwi, Sir Russell Coutts the CEO and skippered by an Aussie, James Spithill, this is a series that should have been contested by a multi-nation fleet in Valencia. That such a historic race can be hijacked by two spoiled billionaires in a deal cooked up in a court of law, instead of on the water, is a travesty.

Sydney FC win A-League Minor Premiership

2010-02-14T22:05:00.002-07:00

THE minor premiership, a place in the Asian Champions League and the defeat of their biggest rivals on the biggest stage, all sealed with one of the best goals ever seen in the A-League. Truly, this was a day to savour for Sydney FC. The Sydney Football Stadium pulsated with passion, colour and tension, and while it wasn't a final, it certainly felt like it. Karol Kisel got Sydney going with an ambitious lob midway through the first half, and while Melbourne only needed a draw to retain top spot, John Aloisi sealed all three points with a breathtaking strike just after half-time.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie sue over split claim

2010-02-08T13:17:00.005-07:00

Celebrity couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have begun legal action against a British tabloid that reported they were going to split, a lawyer acting on their behalf confirmed on Monday. Keith Schillings, of London-based Schillings lawyers, said in a statement that the couple had begun legal proceedings against the News of The World, a Sunday tabloid and Britain’s highest selling newspaper. He said the newspaper had made ‘‘false and intrusive allegations’’ when it reported on January 24 that Pitt and Jolie had agreed to separate, to divide assets worth 205 million pounds ($US320 million, $A367.69 million) and had made arrangements regarding the custody of their six children. Good on you guys, the world sorely needs these rumour-mongering idiots to get a hefty financial smack upside the dead.

A rare faily-tale ending

2010-02-08T07:22:00.002-07:00

When the New Orleans Saints won the NFL Superbowl last night they reached a number of milestones. Firstly, they won on their first trip to the big game, second, they overcame the equal largest come-from-behind deficit in Superbowl history, which was 10 points. They overcame a very inauspicious and tentative start to come alive in the second quarter and then turn the game with an on-side kick play to start the second half. But the big news, like in many feel good victories is that a devastated city and struggling state now has something real to cherish and some sustained momentum in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Like my colleague said on the drive to work this morning, Sean Payton, the head coach deserved the MVP even more than Drew Brees because of his astute coaching and gutsy calls. It was a great game and a wonderful result, and victory again for the underdog in adverse conditions.

Accused con man used Morse code to order murders

2010-02-03T11:59:00.009-07:00

New details have emerged in federal court about the alleged plan by a Lindon, Utah man to have four of his former investors killed. Jeffrey Lane Mowen appeared Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul M. Warner, seeking a release from custody pending his trial on charges of wire fraud, solicitation to commit a crime of violence, witness tampering and retaliating against a witness. But federal prosecutors told Warner that while Mowen was in the Davis County Jail, he attempted to have four former investors murdered by a white supremacist to prevent them from testifying against him.

Prosecutors claim that in one instance, Mowen used Morse code to dictate a letter to a fellow inmate ordering the slayings. The inmate taking the dictation was working with authorities. He was wearing a recording device that captured Mowen tapping out the hit list, prosecutors said. There are in fact TWO morals to this story; 1) be careful who you blab your innermost thoughts to, and 2) if you are going to be that stupid at least use a mechanism that can't be traced. So many DUMB criminals!!!

How good is Roger Federer? Australian Open Champion again, 16 majors down!

2010-02-02T15:38:00.004-07:00

So it has come to this in the world of big-time tennis: You're 28 years old, absolutely in your prime, cherishing the game -- and you're some kind of mythical superhero, a miracle of longevity and commitment. Roger Federer's path to greatness is a throwback, a reminder of more sensible times in the sport, when players competed well into their 30s without losing their talent or motivation. "I'm flabbergasted to know what still motivates Federer," Pat Cash told reporters in Melbourne. "I certainly couldn't keep it up. There must be a real challenge there. He showed he still has stuff to prove to himself and to match up with the young guys."Make no mistake, Federer is special in ways few can comprehend. He'll own at least 20 majors by the time he's done, and some of his other accomplishments -- such as reaching 23 consecutive major semifinals -- border on the surreal. Let's just hope that Federer is remembered, as well, for allowing himself to reap the rich rewards of maturity.

Road crash turns into 238-pound pot bust

2010-02-02T08:10:00.003-07:00

Tracks in the snow leading from a crashed car to the nearby bridge overpass on New Mexico's I-40 just didn't look right to officers. State police say that officers patrolling the stretch near Tucumcari Saturday found that 40-year-old Henry Alan Lowe of El Paso, Texas, had lost control of his sedan and crashed into a snow pile. Then they noticed tracks leading back and forth from the trunk to the bridge. They allege that partially hidden under the overpass were large plastic wrapped bundles and inside was about 238 pounds of raw marijuana with an estimated street value of more than $642,000. Police say Lowe was arrested after treated for a gash to his head. Moral of the story: Don't smoke your own dope while driving on the highway!!!

Egypt win Africa Cup of Nations

2010-01-31T18:23:00.002-07:00

Substitute Mohamed ‘Gedo’ Nagui scored in the 85th minute at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations final to defeat Ghana 1-0 on Sunday in Luanda. It is the Pharaohs’ seventh continental trophy and third on the trot, which is a new Cup of Nations record. Well done Pharoahs and congratulations to my mates from Egypt, that I had many years of soccer fun with.

Serena Williams wins Australian Open

2010-01-30T14:47:00.002-07:00

Steely-eyed Serena Williams stared down Justin Henin to spoil the Belgian’s fairytale comeback and claim a modern-day record fifth Australian Open crown on Saturday night. In the first-ever grand slam final featuring the two most successful women’s players of their generation, Williams’s awesome power won over Henin’s grace and style as the world No.1 carved out a gutsy 6-4 3-6 6-2 victory at Rod Laver Arena. The two-hour, seven-minute triumph gave Williams a perfect five-from-five record in finals at Melbourne Park and eclipsed the four Open titles that Margaret Smith Court, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, Steffi Graf and Monica Seles each won in the professional era.

Australia defeat Pakistan by 25 runs in under-19 World Cup final

2010-01-30T14:30:00.000-07:00

Australia have heaped more cricketing misery on Pakistan, this time at the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand, Mitchell Marsh's men winning the final by 25 runs. The star for Australia was pace bowler Josh Hazelwood who took 4-30, including the final scalp of Raza Hasan, in a man-of-the-match performance after his side were forced to defend a lowly 207. Luke Doran contributed 3-32 as Pakistan were dismissed for 182 with 20 balls remaining. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie... Oi, Oi, Oi!

Kurt Warner calls an end to NFL career

2010-01-30T14:12:00.002-07:00

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner has announced his retirement from a fairytale NFL career. Warner, 38, announced his retirement after a dozen years in the NFL - a league in which he rose from gridiron obscurity to become a potential Hall of Famer. Warner took the lowly St Louis Rams to the Super Bowl twice - winning the NFL's championship spectacular in the 1999/2000 season. He surprised again in leading Arizona to the Super Bowl a year ago, where the Cardinals fell to Pittsburgh. Kurt, you are a legend, and I will do everything in my power to make sure you are elected to the NFL Hall of Fame (which of course is nothing, but it's the thought that counts).

Vikes and Favre lose a heartbreaker

2010-01-24T22:44:00.002-07:00

Battered and beaten, Brett Favre(notes) limped off the field for perhaps the final time. His head down, the pained look on his face was brought on as much by a head-scratching turnover as it was by a bone-crunching hit from Bobby McCray. With the NFC championship game tied, the Minnesota Vikings close to field goal range and mere seconds left, Favre made the kind of mistake he had avoided all season. He committed the No. 1 no-no for an NFL quarterback when he threw the ball late and back over the middle toward Sidney Rice(notes), and Tracy Porter(notes) stepped in front to intercept the pass Sunday. New Orleans won the coin toss in overtime, and before Favre could take the field, Drew Brees(notes) drove them into position for Garrett Hartley’s(notes) winning field goal that gave the Saints a 31-28 victory and their first Super Bowl berth. So close and yet so far!

Celebrate Australians 'of substance', not celebrity, Adam Gilchrist urges

2010-01-24T18:01:00.006-07:00

Australia Day Council chairman Adam Gilchrist has urged the nation to abandon its obsession with celebrity culture in favour of "Australians of substance". More than 30 former Australians of the Year last night gathered for a commemorative dinner at Parliament House in Canberra with Governor-General Quentin Bryce to mark the 50th anniversary of the awards. Personally I could not agree more, what a great message.

Racing driver Jack Brabham, one of the earliest winners of the title, mixed with Aboriginal advocates Mick Dodson and Lowitja O'Donoghue in the black-tie clad, bemedalled throng; entrepreneur and adventurer Dick Smith with Nobel laureate Peter Doherty. Soldiers, sportsmen and scientists were there -- and everyone in between. "How important these men and women are to us in imagining who we are and we might be," Ms Bryce said, "in giving us picture, never a prescription, of what it means to be Australian. Gilchrist praised the winners as "role models of substance" and a bulwark against the culture of celebrity.

Togo Soccer Team Leaves Tournament After Gun Attack

2010-01-09T20:23:00.001-07:00

Hosting the African Cup of Nations was Angola's chance to show it is recovering from decades of war, but tragedy struck as gunmen sprayed bullets at Togo's national team, killing three people and forcing its withdrawal from the soccer tournament. Africa's main soccer tournament was expected to open as planned on Sunday, even though players from other countries expressed shock at the ambush on the Togo team bus as it traveled through Angola's restive oil-rich Cabinda province. Man, it's tough playing soccer in Africa!

Mexico Cartel Stitches Rival's Face on Soccer Ball

2010-01-09T18:50:00.002-07:00

The body of 36-year-old Hugo Hernandez was left on the streets of Los Mochis in seven pieces as a chilling threat to members of the Juarez drus cartel. A note read: ''Happy New Year, because this will be your last.'' To drive home the point, the assailants skinned Hernandez's face and stitched it onto a soccer ball. It's tough working in Mexico!

Aussies do it to Pakistan again

2010-01-07T21:01:00.000-07:00

Australia pulled off a stunning second Test victory over Pakistan at the SCG, bowling the tourists out for 139 to win by 36 runs and clinch the series. Chasing a modest 176 to secure their first win over Australia in 14 years, the tourists collapsed badly under intense pressure from the ever-improving Australia attack.

Spinner Nathan Hauritz took five for 53, including an astonishing caught and bowled to claim captain Mohammad Yousuf, with Mitchell Johnson claiming three for 27. Doug Bollinger chipped in with two wickets while Peter Siddle bowled his heart out without reward after his earlier heroics with the bat had helped bring Australia back from the dead.

The hosts trailed by 206 runs on the first innings but revived their hopes with 381 second-innings runs, largely thanks to 97 from Shane Watson and an unlikely 123-run ninth-wicket partnership between Mike Hussey (134 not out) and Siddle (38). Only twice in 132 years has Australia come back from a bigger deficit to snatch victory.

Nathan Hauritz picks up first five-wicket haul as Australia beat Pakistan at MCG

2009-12-30T22:52:00.004-07:00

Just what I like to see... Australia humbled Pakistan today by 170 runs in the first Test at the MCG on the back of improving off-spinner Nathan Hauritz's maiden five-wicket haul. Hauritz took the two remaining wickets in his first over after lunch to finish with 5-101 as Pakistan crashed to 251 in their second innings. Hauritz had Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf caught at short leg off the pad for 61 and five balls later had Saeed Ajmal (10) caught from a skied slog. Australia had set Pakistan 422 runs to win. I wish I could have been in Melbourne to see the last day!

Former Ku Klux Klan Member Ordained In Black Church

2009-12-28T16:48:00.009-07:00

A former officer of the Ku Klux Klan has changed his ways and was ordained in San Diego so he could serve as a minister in one of the country's largest black denominations. Former imperial wizard Johnny Lee Clary said in a statement he was authorized by the Church of God in Christ to participate in the ministry of racial healing and conduct evangelism campaigns, according to reports.

Clark joined the KKK Youth when he was younger, then later became a national spokesman for the White Knights of the KKK. According to Clary's web site, he started reevaluating his life and eventually embraced religion. Clary changed his view on the world and racism. Clary said in a statement that he has learned good friends come in many colors. Clary now sees racism as a cancer, and says he wants to bring people together and not tear them apart. Absolutely amazing!

Alfa Romeo wins the Sydney to Hobart yacht race

2009-12-28T14:50:00.002-07:00

The New Zealand supermaxi Alfa Romeo and its crew outsailed and outmanoeuvred the best supermaxis and the most experienced navigators in the world to storm across the finish line of the Rolex Sydney to Hobart in first place last night. The triumphant skipper, Neville Crichton, embraced his yacht's 146th victory in ocean racing since its launch in 2005 with an ecstasy fuelled by beating his arch rivals - Mark Richards on Wild Oats XI and Mike Slade on ICAP Leopard - in a light wind race that was the most unpredictable in years.

Get well coach!

2009-12-27T18:48:00.004-07:00

Yesterday the best coach in American college football, Urban Meyer, announced he was quitting the Florida Gators due to health reasons. Today it seems that stance has been modified to an indefinite leave of absence to bolster his failing health, with a view to leading the team next season. Urban is the former coach of the Utah Running Utes, taking them to an undefeated season in 2004 and becoming the first BCS busters in the process. Since then he has taken the Gators to two national championships in 5 years. Coach, just get better fast, the world of college football is much poorer without you, and I wish you all the best in a speedy recovery.

Merry Christmas All

2009-12-25T23:40:00.003-07:00

I would like to take the last few minutes of Christmas Day to do two important things. Firstly, to celebrate the birth of the baby Jesus who came into the world to save his brothers and sister and lead us back to the heavenly parents that gave us breath. Without Christ, Christmas would have no meaning. Secondly to thank a loving God for the family I have been blessed with, from my parents, to my wife, children, grandchildren and last but not least, caring friends. For a day of blessings, I am truly thankful. Merry Christmas all, with wishes for a successful, prosperous and edifying New Year.

'Balloon Boy' Parents Get Jail Time, 4 Years Probation

2009-12-23T11:42:00.002-07:00

A Colorado judge sentenced 'Balloon Boy' father Richard Heene to 90 days in jail and four years probation today. Larimer County District Judge Stephen Schapanski prohibited Richard Heene from receiving any form of financial benefit, whether through the media, a book, or articles he might write stemming from the balloon hoax. The judge also required him to turn over quarterly bank statements to make sure he's not making money off this incident. His wife also got 20 days jail time. With their $42,000 or more restitution to pay, this is a great result for these two idiots. Brilliant.

All Blacks close decade with 100 wins

2009-12-22T11:31:00.000-07:00

The All Blacks will close the year as the best team of the decade, winning 24 more games than any other side, and scoring 133 more tries than the second best attacking nation. It has essentially been the perfect ten years for the New Zealand rugby team, with the exception of one small trophy.

It will not be until 2011 that the All Blacks will be able to rectify the only caveat that currently blemishes their ever impressive record; with three World Cups “available” over the next ten years.

While some use all manner of vernacular in regards to New Zealand’s World Cup campaigns, such as failed expectations or even chokes, one of the main reasons that so much hype surrounds the All Blacks tilts at World Championship glory is because of their outstanding record before, after and in between these tournaments.

Indian Man loses wife at cards

2009-12-17T20:36:00.002-07:00

An Indian husband has gambled his wife away after he lost a game of cards. The woman reportedly managed to escape from the house of the man who "won" her and complained to the police. The incident occurred in the village of Billauchpura around 250 miles from the city of Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh.

A police spokesman said: "The woman, who approached us on Tuesday, has alleged that her husband Raheesu had used her as a stake after he lost all his money while gambling." But Raheesu also lost that game to a man known only as Feroz, to whose home he later forced his wife to go.

The police said both men were on the run and they were making efforts to find them. M.P. Singh, additional superintendent of police, has ordered an inquiry into the incident. He said: "The case is a shocking one. We have initiated an inquiry into the matter and promise to take strict action against those behind the incident."

This truly boggles the mind. At least the poor wife knows she's better off without her man!

Afghanistan Rekindled

2009-12-02T20:40:00.005-07:00

US President Barack Obama is going to send 30,000 extra troops to Afghanistan, prolonging the war, and putting more lives at risk. He also has set a time for withdrawal, one that is many, many years too late, even if it is only 18 months away. President Obama as well as his predecessor George W. Bush, both avoided history instead of learning from it. Here are some interesting thoughts:

Even if there is a withdrawal at the stated time, it will be almost to a month, the same length of stay as the Russian who went home in defeat in 1989.
A former commander of Soviet forces in Afghanistan has warned history is being repeated in the war-ravaged country as the United States and its allies become increasingly mired in an "unwinnable war."
The allies should have left when the Taliban were first defeated, and let the Afghans run their own country. Trying to build Afghanistan into something it is never going to be is futile and naive.
If the Taliban had become belligerent again, then they could have been defeated again in an appropriate, short, sharp reminder.
Afghanistan is about as important as invading Somalia or other backwater. Leave them alone and spend our hard earned taxes on poverty and education.

Doctors thought he was in a coma, but he was in fact conscious

2009-11-24T13:21:00.003-07:00

For 23 torturous years, Rom Houben says he lay trapped in his paralysed body, aware of what was going on around him but unable to tell anyone or even cry out. The car crash victim had been diagnosed as being in a vegetative state but appears to have been conscious the whole time. An expert using a specialised type of brain scan that was not available in the 1980s finally realised it, and unlocked Mr Houben's mind again. Mr Houben, 46, is now communicating with one finger and a special touchscreen on his wheelchair.

"Powerlessness. Utter powerlessness. At first I was angry, then I learnt to live with it," he said, punching the message into the screen during an interview with the Belgian RTBF network, aired on Monday. He has called his rescue his "renaissance". I cannot imagine what torture this man went through. My thoughts are with him for a decent recovery, not just of health but of his life.

FIFA invites ridicule by denying Irish request for replay

2009-11-22T00:13:00.003-07:00

FIFA has rejected a request by the Irish soccer authorities for a World Cup replay following the debacle of the match in which the winning goal was scored through a blatant hand ball. The fact that the incident could be seen by every person in the stadium except for the referee and his two assistants, who completely missed is incredulous. But worse is the situation where FIFA appears to have kowtowed to the French officials who rejected a fair call for a replay, it really is mind boggling.

FIFA seriously needs to show more leadership and the world world that something this important is not merely "swept under the rug" as the cliche goes. The rejection of a replay is pathetic and immoral. I would also caution those who wish to label Thierry Henry as a cheat, that they are way off the mark, as he is and always was a man of integrity. He has further demonstrated this by backing the call for a replay. Having said all of this, the most important thing to be done here is for FIFA to stop hiding behind rules and just do the right thing. Ensure that a fair result is always the case.

Stinky Robber

2009-11-17T15:49:00.002-07:00

Authorities in Florida are searching for an alleged bank robber with "notably bad breath" who asked a teller to fill an orange Halloween bag with cash. The Broward County sheriff's office says the man wore sunglasses when he held up the TD Bank branch in South Florida on Monday morning. I wonder if it was disguise to throw people off???

'Dumb' American criminals attempt robbery with ‘permanent marker pen disguises’

2009-10-30T14:26:00.000-06:00

Two hapless robbers in America, Matthew McNelly and Joey Miller, have been arrested with the "worst disguises ever" after trying to hide their faces with permanent marker pen. McNelly, 23, and Miller, 20 were arrested by armed police in Carroll, Iowa, last Friday after witnesses reported seeing two men trying to break into an apartment with fake beards and "masks" scrawled on their faces.

Police responding to a call about the attempted burglary later pulled over a car matching the alleged suspects' vehicle. When they stopped their 1994 Buick Roadmaster, bewildered police discovered the drunk hapless pair – nicknamed “dumb and dumber” – complete with makeshift disguises.

Three Cheers for Citizen Power

2009-10-28T09:20:00.000-06:00

A murder suspect who left his car running in a Florida street couldn't get away because a woman took the keys from the ignition. Now, 28-year-old Paul Gayle is being held at the Broward County Jail on charges of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and armed burglary.

Police say a woman walking her dog called 911 Tuesday, telling the dispatcher she heard screams from inside a home so she took the keys from the running car because she wanted police to check the vehicle.

The unidentified woman stayed on the line with the 911 operator until officers arrived and arrested Gayle. Officers found Hasting Clarke dead inside the Coconut Creek home. Authorities said Clarke and Gayle had been fighting over Clarke's former girlfriend.

Cricket forges strong bonds in friendship

2009-10-20T12:48:00.004-06:00

In a story that illustrates how interethnic and international relations should be handled, former Indian cricketer and commentator Ravi Shastri, rushed to the side of his fellow commentator and former Pakistani cricket captain Wasim Akram when Akram's wife was rushed to hospital in Chennai in critical condition. Huma was admitted to the Apollo Hospitals on advice from doctors on board the Singapore-bound air ambulance where she received necessary intensive medical attention. Hospital sources said Huma suffered a multiple organ failure and she was put on ventilator support. The two colleagues stayed together for two hours while Akram's wife received the initial treatment she needed. In a region known for deep seated hatreds, this is a wonderful example of respect and friendship from two former masters of cricket, and a great message to the rest of the world.

Madonna the neighbour from hell

2009-10-20T12:34:00.003-06:00

Apparently, Madonna is the "neighbour from hell" and been accused of using her New York home as a rehearsal studio. The singer has infuriated Karen George - who lives above Madonna in the apartment block overlooking Central Park - with her alleged "blaring music and stomping". George has filed a lawsuit against the 51-year-old pop star in Manhattan Supreme Court, complaining of "unreasonably high-decibel, amplified music and vibrations pouring through walls, ceilings and radiators". The lawsuit states: "Madonna and one or more of her invited guests repeatedly dance and train... to unreasonably high-decibel, amplified music, causing noise and vibration to pour through the walls, ceilings and radiators. It constantly amazes me the things that 'celebrities' will do just because they think they can.

Sam Stosur wins first WTA title

2009-10-18T19:40:00.004-06:00

I am very happy that tennis World No. 15, fellow Australian Samantha Stosur, has won her first WTA tour title. She has been playing really well the last couple of years and deserves her win and her position in the women's game. Way to rock them Sammy!

Congratulations Ghana

2009-10-17T16:33:00.002-06:00

Ghana held on with 10 men to beat Brazil in a penalty shoot-out to become the first African team to win the Under-20 World Cup on Friday and end a decade of South American dominance. What a wonderful result for football and for Africa. The final finished 0-0 after extra time at Cairo International Stadium, and Ghana's Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu scored the winning penalty to make it 4-3 after Brazil's Maicon missed a chance to win it at 3-2. Agyemang-Badu's confident shot uncorked wild scenes of jubilation by Ghana's players and staff, and their fans among the 68 000-strong crowd. Agyemang-Badu peeled off his shirt and thumped his chest as Brazil's dejected players fell to the ground in disbelief.