WebProNews

Author: Val Powell

  • MLK’s Bible And Nobel Peace Prize To Be Controlled By Court

    On Wednesday, Superior Judge Robert McBurney of Fulton County ordered that Martin Luther King Jr.’s Nobel Peace Prize and Bible be stored inside a safety deposit box. Only the court will know the location and have access to the assets while King’s children sort out their differences.

    The said items are in the possession of Bernice, King’s daughter, who has been having legal disputes with her brothers, Martin Luther King III and Dexter King, over controlling the Nobel Peace Prize and the Bible. According to Bernice, her brothers are planning to sell their father’s assets. The two brothers are said to be in control of King’s estate.

    Estate of Martin Luther King Jr. Inc.’s lawyer, William Hill, stated that the Nobel Peace Prize and the Bible belong to the estate, based on an agreement that was made in 1995 wherein the heirs gave up their inheritance. However, Bernice has allegedly sequestered the items.

    Bernice’s lawyer, Eric Barnum, says that Bernice does not believe that the two items are included in his father’s estate. Moreover, she firmly states that they are treasured possessions that should never be sold. Barnum says that she is just keeping the items in question from being sold.

    The arguments of lawyers for the two sides lasted nearly three hours before the judge ordered the items to be controlled by the court instead. Both parties agreed that the judge’s provisional solution was fair while the siblings are trying to decide on what to do with the assets.

    This incident is not the first time that the King siblings have been at at odds over their father’s estate. In 2008, Dexter was sued by Martin Luther King III for using the estate’s fund for his own gains. The issue has since been settled privately.

    Bernice King speaks at press conference

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Newborn Kidnapping: Kristen Smith Is Accused Of Abducting Her Niece

    Kristen Smith, 31, was indicted last Wednesday for kidnapping Kayden Powell, her half-sister’s newborn baby.

    Brianna Marshall, Smith’s 18-year-old half-sister, woke up in the middle of the night on February 6 to find her 5-day-old son and her half-sister missing from their home. She immediately called 911 to report the incident. The authorities then called Smith on her cell phone while she was driving through Iowa and asked her to stop for questioning.

    Inside Smith’s vehicle, the baby’s car seat, stroller, and clothes were found. However, the baby was nowhere in sight. Smith denied knowing the baby’s whereabouts, but the police still took her into custody on the account of an outstanding warrant.

    Investigators also found a prosthetic pregnancy belly in Smith’s car, including Facebook messages and emails of Smith saying that she had given birth or is pregnant. The police are still conducting an ongoing investigation to get more answers about the incident.

    Police Chief Mike Horihan was the one who found the baby 29 hours later. Baby Kayden was placed inside a tote bag and left behind a gas station in below zero temperatures. The location was about 500 yards from the place where the police stopped Smith the previous night. Horihan also said that he feared for the worst. He was so surprised when the baby cried. The baby was then taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation and treatment. According to professionals in the medical field, a baby’s survival in that kind of weather is nearly impossible.

    Smith has been charged with kidnapping and she could possibly spend the rest of her life in prison on a maximum sentence. She was also charged with child endangerment for leaving the baby in the cold weather. This was Smith’s worst criminal charge. She also has criminal records in Texas, Indiana, and Wisconsin.

    Kristen Smith appears in court

    Image via YouTube

  • Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir Take Ice Dance Silver In Sochi

    Tessa Virtue and dance partner Scott Moir from Canada won silver for their performance in the ice dance event in this year’s Winter Games in Sochi. In the free dance portion, they earned 114.66 points, their best for the season. American pair Meryl Davis and Charlie White scored 116.63 points. The Canadians had an overall score of 190.99, which was not enough to best the Americans, who got 195.52 and the gold. Taking the bronze are Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsapalov of Russia, who scored 183.58 overall.

    Virtue and Moir are two-time world champions, and are Davis and White’s training partners. Both teams are top contenders in ice dancing, capturing international ice dance titles left and right. The Canadians won the event in the 2010 Winter Olympics, with the Americans getting silver. Last year, the Americans began edging out Virtue and Moir, winning the Grand Prix Final in December and the 2013 world title.

    Aside from being training partners, the two teams also share the same coach, Marina Zoueva. When you have one coach for two rival teams, things could get a little dicey.

    In an interview, Moir stated that there had been times when he and Virtue did not feel like Zoueva was on their side. He expected Zoueva to work with them like she did four years ago, but that didn’t transpire. The pair said they knew why their coach spent most of her time with the other team, but there had been differences that the Canadians had to fix on their own.

    Moir confessed that there had been occasions when he and Virtue had to reassess where they stood with Zoueva, and had spoken to her on numerous occasions to say that they would not be satisfied with second place. They had some unusual things happen in the past year and felt that the gold medal was being pulled away from their reach.

    Virtue and Moir have not announced their plans for the future, but stated this would be the last time they would be joining the Olympics.

    Images via Facebook

  • Prince Charles Takes Part In Saudi Sword Dance

    Prince Charles Takes Part In Saudi Sword Dance

    The Prince of Wales showed the Saudi Royal family his dance moves when he took part in the time-honored sword dance called the “Ardah” during his three-day tour of the Middle East. Dressed in traditional Arab clothing called a “thobe”, Prince Charles enthusiastically performed the dance along with other male members of the Saudi Royals to commemorate the warrior tradition of the Shammar Tribe. In modern Saudi culture, the all-male performance features hundreds of young and old Saudi males dancing, singing, and brandishing swords.

    This traditional ceremony takes place every year during the Janadriyah Festival, a 17-day event that celebrates Saudi culture and heritage. The Ardah, however, is also performed in other events such as weddings and national holidays. The dance symbolizes the importance of the warrior in the establishment of the Saudi kingdom. It is believed to have originated from the nomadic warriors’ practice of chanting with their swords to boost their courage or celebrate victory.

    The 65-year old British monarch is also due to visit Qatar after his Saudi trip. He has visited the two nations twice this year already, and his trip to Saudi Arabia marks his tenth since he first arrived in the country officially 28 years ago. Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz, who is the former head of the Saudi Intelligence Service, served as Prince Charles’ host. Abdulaziz was also appointed Second Deputy Prime Minister by King Abdullah last year.

    According to the Associated Press, Buckingham Palace released a statement confirming Prince Charles’ plans of meeting King Abdullah before heading off to his two-day visit to Qatar. Before the Prince’s arrival to Saudi Arabia, the British Ambassador Jon Jenkins said that Prince Charles intended to initiate discussions on reconciliation in the Middle Eastern region. The Prince of Wales has close ties to the Saudi Royal family. He was their guest of honor on his previous visit, which the Prince took as an opportunity to get to know the country better.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Maersk Alabama: 2 Found Dead Aboard Ship

    Maersk Alabama: 2 Found Dead Aboard Ship

    Mark Kennedy and Jeffrey Reynolds, both 44, were found dead in one of the cabins of Maersk Alabama on Tuesday. The ship was docked in Seychelles’ Port Victoria. The two bodies were discovered by one of their colleagues who checked in on them on Tuesday afternoon.

    The Maersk Alabama is famous, as it is the ship in the 2013 movie “Captain Phillips” starring Tom Hanks. The events on the film were based on the events that transpired in 2009 when pirates attempted to hijack the Maersk Alabama.

    Both Kennedy and Reynolds worked for a security services firm based in Virginia called Trident Group. According to Tom Rothrauff, the firm’s president, both men previously worked for the Navy SEALs. They were shocked to hear of the news and had completely no idea what could have happened.

    It is typical for U.S. vessels to have security personnel aboard when sailing to the East Coast of Africa as protection from pirate attacks. Many of the security contractors employed are former military personnel.

    Seychelles police said in a statement that a postmortem would be done on the bodies later in the week to determine the cause of death. Kevin Speers, senior director for Maersk Line Limited, said that both men boarded the Maersk Alabama on January 29. He also stated that the deaths were not caused by their activities on the vessel as security personnel.

    The U.S. Coast Guard will also be conducting an investigation regarding the incident, as the ship is a U.S. flagged vessel.

    The ship’s home port is in Norfolk, Virginia. The Maersk Alabama is a container ship used for the Food for Peace program of the U.S. government. It carries food aid to be delivered to East Africa. Crew members aboard the ship also show their support for the Bee Hive Children’s Home in Kenya.

    Was Captain Phillips A Hero?

    Image via Wikipedia Commons

  • ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’ Landing On Earth Soon

    Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy will soon leap out from print and into the big screen.

    It was in 1969 when Marvel first came out with the story of a team of superheroes in an alternate universe. A reboot of the comic series in 2008 introduced a modern version of the team, which is based in the mainstream Marvel Universe. The film will be based on the 2008 team.

    The main hero and head honcho of Guardians of the Galaxy is Peter Quill (superhero name: Star-Lord), who was taken from Earth when he was 9 years old and was raised in space ever since. He captains the spacecraft Milano, and has in his possession a mysterious orb, which turns out to be a powerful artifact that can blow up the galaxy into smithereens.

    The other members of the team include Drax the Destroyer (unassuming human name: Arthur Douglas), who very much does what his name implies; aliens Groot and Rocket Raccoon, the indomitable tag team you’d want to have on your side at all times; and Gamora, who has “connections” to galactic bad boy Thanos.

    Director James Gunn says the film will not only be about the things sci-fi geeks will find worthwhile, but will also have some elements of romance, drama, and humor thrown in. After all, even Guardians of the Galaxy have emotions and complex relationships. Quill, who did retain some of the 1980s culture within him, is definitely someone to watch.

    Chris Pratt, who plays the lead role, says that Quill’s background makes for an odd mix of “youthful vibrancy and cluelessness in a childlike man.” He adds, “But he is willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good.”

    A 20-second trailer was released on Wednesday, showing four of the film’s characters: Groot, voiced by Vin Diesel; Peter Quill, played by Chris Pratt; Korath, acted out by Djimon Hounsou; and Gamora, played by Zoe Saldana. Also starring are Glenn Close, Benicio Del Toro, Bradley Cooper, and Dave Bautista.

    http://youtu.be/ZGmYYzPl71s

    Guardians of the Galaxy, the tenth installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, will join the ranks of the Avengers and Iron Man films, and premieres August 1.

    Image via YouTube

  • John Travolta Reveals Grief Over Son’s Death

    In a recent interview with Barry Norman of BBC, John Travolta revealed the devastating grief he felt over the death of his son, Jett, who died in 2009. The 60-year-old actor said that it was the worst thing that has ever happened to him and he didn’t know if he was ever going to get through it.

    Travolta’s son, then 16 years old, died when he hit his head on a bathtub after a seizure. The accident happened while the family was vacationing in the Bahamas. It was only after their son’s death that Travolta and wife Kelly Preston revealed that Jett had autism, since the Church of Scientology does not accept that the condition exists. Travolta has been a member of the church since the 1970s.

    In the interview, Travolta also mentioned that he was so overcome with grief that it took him all the strength he had to get better. He also showed his appreciation for his friends in Scientology who supported him daily for two years in order to help him manage his pain and loss.

    A couple of years after Jett’s death, Travolta and Preston welcomed another member to the family with the birth of their youngest son, Benjamin, who is now 3 years old. They also have a 13-year-old daughter named Ella.

    The 90-minute interview also tackled his career, including his hitman role in Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 film, Pulp Fiction. The role gave Travolta his second Oscar nomination, following his 1978 nomination for Saturday Night Fever.

    The actor has an upcoming biopic in 2015 wherein he plays the role of John Gotti Sr., who was a mobster in New York City. Travolta also mentioned his interest to act in the next James Bond film as the villain, and has already had a casual meeting with the film’s producer, Barbara Broccoli.

    http://youtu.be/pAqdunooUk0

    Image via YouTube

  • Charles Hamelin Stays Positive After Another Fall

    Canadian speed skater Charles Hamelin was hopeful at the beginning of this year’s Winter Olympics in Sochi. He felt confident, and he was being touted as the skater everyone should watch out for. He was in the running for medals in all four of the men’s short track events—that is, until the unfortunate happened, and he started falling.

    Hamelin was expected to rack up medals from the men’s 5000-meter relay, and the 500m, 1000m, and 1500m heats. After falling in the 1000m and 500m events, he was only able to take the gold for the 1500m. In the semifinals of the 5000m relay, his team fell as well.

    While he only managed to snag one gold, he doesn’t think of it as disappointing; after all, he was able to prove that a Canadian can race against the world’s best in one of the toughest events in speed skating. The 1500m event was often noted as the Canadians’ weak spot, and Hamelin was able to show the world what a misconception that is.

    This year, Hamelin first fell in the 1000m event, and again during the 500m heats on Tuesday. Up until that point, he was feeling good and he had everything under control. There had been observations that the quality of the ice at the Iceberg Skating Palace was not suited for short track skating—it was over-watered and overused—but Hamelin refused to blame the ice. He said he never had a bad feeling about it. Besides, he wasn’t the only one on it.

    It must have been a bad stroke of luck for the speed skater, but he was very professional about it—he let out his anguish and frustration in private, and went on to cheer his girlfriend, fellow speed skater Marianne St-Gelais during her speed skating events. He beamed with pride and said he was happy for the women’s team, who won silver in the 3000m relay. That’s a kind of sportsmanship you don’t see every day.

    Hamelin wins gold in men’s 1500m short track

    http://youtu.be/k3IjXha9EkM

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Ethiopian Airlines Co-Pilot Hijacks Flight To Rome

    Early Monday morning, Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 767-300 was bound for Rome when it was hijacked by a co-pilot identified as Hailemedehin Abera Tagegn. The hijacker waited for the pilot to take a toilet break then locked himself inside the cockpit.

    Tagegn steered the plane to Geneva, Switzerland seeking asylum. He then announced via radio that he would land in Geneva for emergency re-fuelling, and set off the alarm for a hijacking alert. In response to the alarm, French military jet and at least two Italian fighter jets escorted the hijacked plane as it flew through Europe. The plane eventually landed at the Geneva International Airport.

    According to the Swiss police, the hijacker parked the plane on the taxiway before opening the cockpit window and descending the tarmac with the use of a rope. He willingly surrendered to the police and identified himself as the hijacker and co-pilot. Reports also indicate that the hijacker was unarmed and all 202 passengers and crew on the plane were safe. Geneva International Airport was shut down during the incident, but was re-opened the same day.

    Many of the plane’s passengers were shaken by the events that transpired. Francesco Cuomo, one of the passengers of the plane said that Tagegn spoke through the speakers and threatened to crash the plane.

    Swiss police’s spokesperson Philippe Grangean said that the Tagegn wanted to seek asylum in Switzerland, as he feels threatened in Ethiopia and feared being persecuted.

    Tagegn can face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of hostage-taking. During a news conference in Ethiopia, Information Minister Redwan Hussein stated that the hijacker had no criminal record whatsoever and had been serving as a co-pilot for Ethiopian Airlines for 5 years. Ethiopia will seek extradition of Tagegn.

    This is not the first time an Ethiopian Airlines flight was hijacked. A flight was also hijacked by 3 Ethiopians in 1996. The hijackers were seeking Asylum in Australia, but the plane ran out of fuel and went down in the Indian Ocean killing 125.

    Image via YouTube

  • Lamar Odom Continues Basketball Career In Spain

    Lamar Odom, 34, has just signed a two-month contract with Spanish basketball team Laboral Kutxa.

    The former forward for the Los Angeles Lakers also has the chance to extend the contract for the remaining season which allows him to fill in for an injured player. Details for these types of contracts typically give veteran players the chance to go back and play for the NBA if an opportunity comes knocking. According to reports, Odom is committed to playing the remainder of the season with Spain before going back to the NBA.

    Joseasn Querejeta, president for Laboral Kutxa, stated that they are happy to have Odom on their team. They have been working on recruiting the player for the past few days and feel that he is the perfect player to help them win.

    Laboral Kutxa currently places ninth among the 18 teams in the Spanish league, and is presently in last place in the Euroleague. Other NBA players who have played for the Spanish team include Tiago Splitter, Jose Calderon, and Goran Dragic.

    Odom nearly got the chance to return to the NBA last November when Doc Rivers, the new coach for the Los Angeles Clippers, approached him and assessed his playing. However, the Clippers signed off with three other players – Sasha Vujacic, Hedo Turkoglu, and Stephen Jackson – leaving Odom out of the game.

    Odom has been out of the NBA since last summer. He was the talk of the town with rumors circulating about his mental state, sobriety, and his recent divorce from reality television star Khloe Kardashian, which was finalized late last year. The basketball star also pleaded guilty to a DUI charge last December.

    The new recruit for Laboral Kutxa will make his debut on the court when the team plays against Valladolid.

    http://youtu.be/WfbKkda17lM

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Edward Snowden Elected Rector At University Of Glasgow

    Edward Snowden, who made headlines last year for revealing details about U.S. phone and Internet surveillance, is now the student rector at UK’s Glasgow University. The post is a symbolic one, and is decided by a student election. As rector, Snowden represents the student populace and is expected to work with the student representative council, bring student concerns to the attention of university management, and attend the university court.

    Snowden was nominated by a group of students who had received his prior approval through his legal representative. The group stated that Glasgow University has a tradition of making noteworthy and relevant statements through their rectors. Electing Snowden to the post was their way of showing him and other whistleblowers that they stand in solidarity with them and their cause—in this case, the opposition to surveillance, the immoral and pervasive intrusion by the state into the private lives of its people.

    “Whistleblowers should be honored and they’re heroes rather than traitors,” Lubna Nowak said in an interview. She is part of the student group who nominated Snowden to the post.

    The other nominees to the post were author Alan Bissett, local clergyman Kelvin Holdsworth, and champion cyclist Graeme Obree. Snowden succeeds former Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy. Previous Glasgow University student rectors include Mordechai Vanunu and Winnie Mandela.

    Snowden will hold the post for three years, after which there will be another round of nominations for the next rector. This year’s election was done using a single transferable vote system. During the first round, he received 3,124 votes, and got 3,347 in the second round of voting.

    Snowden, a former analyst for the United States National Security Agency, became known for disclosing classified documents to the media. The documents revealed that the NSA had been running surveillance on Internet use and telecommunications on a global scale. He has been granted temporary asylum in Russia after fleeing the US in May 2013.

    Edward Snowden is elected as rector

    Image via YouTube

  • Mavis Gallant: Fiction Writer Dies At 91

    Mavis Gallant: Fiction Writer Dies At 91

    Mavis Gallant, best known for her short stories in The New Yorker, died in her Paris home on Tuesday. She was 91. Her agent Georges Borchardt confirmed her passing, saying that she had succumbed to various ailments that had taken her in and out of hospitals for the past three years.

    Gallant was born Mavis Leslie Young in Montreal, Canada to a British father and an American mother. At the age of four, she was sent to boarding school. After her father died when she was ten, her mother married another man and left Canada, leaving the young Mavis with a guardian. However, she was not informed about her father’s death, and believed he would come for her. It would be several years until she knew the truth. In a 2012 interview, she confessed that in many of her stories, someone has vanished, “and it’s often the father.”

    Her first foray into writing was as a feature writer for Montreal’s The Standard. Her experience as a journalist gave her the opportunity to be keenly aware of how people behaved, and to look into the human condition. Her experience and observations would later provide her with the rich and insightful content characteristic of her stories.

    When she left journalism in 1950, she tried her hand at writing fiction. The New Yorker accepted her story “Madeline’s Birthday.” It would be her first of many stories for the publication—114 in all. Interestingly, she did not know her story was accepted, and only found out when she was reading the magazine in a library and saw her name there. She then decided to make a living from her writing, moving from city to city, finally settling in Paris. Her stories resonated with issues of abandonment and displacement, with characters that did not fall in love but went on with their lives nonetheless.

    Aside from short fiction, Gallant also wrote novels and essays. Her marriage to musician John Gallant ended in divorce after five years, and she had no children.

    Image via YouTube

  • Bob Casale: ‘Devo’ Guitarist Dies Of Heart Failure

    Bob Casale, guitarist and one of the original members of the new wave band Devo, died on Monday of complications leading to heart failure. Casale was 61 years old.

    Devo was formed in 1972. They are famous for their hit song, “Whip It”, which has formed a cult following over the years. Casale was one of the original members of the band alongside his brother Gerald Casale, Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh, and Alan Myers. Fans of the band called Casale by the nickname “Bob 2”, as he played beside the other Bob, Bob Mothersbaugh, during their performances.

    His brother has issued a statement through a Facebook post saying that his brother was a very talented audio engineer and performer, willing to give more than he could at all times, and always stayed level-headed.

    Image of Bob Casale

    (image)

    Devo has been actively touring the past few years and have performed at the Winter Olympics held in Canada in 2010. They also performed at the Coachella Music Festival in California the same year.

    The band released their ninth studio album in 2010 entitled “Something for Everybody”. This was the band’s first album in 20 years, the last being “Smooth Noodle Maps”, which was released in 1990.

    Mark Mothersbaugh, Devo’s co-founder and vocalist, said that they are saddened by Bob Casale’s sudden death. He also said that Casale was an integral part of Devo and has collaborated with him for about 70 shows and films. Mothersbaugh also said that Casale worked on diverse projects, such as sound for Wes Anderson films and the animated show for kids, Rugrats.

    Gerald Casale said that his brother was excited about the prospect of playing with Devo again. His sudden death was a shock to everyone.

    Alan Myers, an original member of the band who played the drums for 10 years for Devo, also died last year.

    Devo: “Whip It”

    http://youtu.be/IIEVqFB4WUo

    Main image via CNN, Twitter, image of Casale via Facebook

  • Johnny Weir Is Not Afraid To Be In Anti-Gay Russia

    American figure skater Johnny Weir, known for his flair and outlandishness on and off the ice, is having the time of his life. After retiring from the sport as a competitor, he now works as the NBC’s figure skating analyst with fellow skater Tara Lipinski.

    NBC was quick to get him as expert analyst for their coverage of the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. According to NBC Olympics Executive Produce Jim Bell, they did so because of Weir’s knowledge of the sport and the competitors, and of course, his candid and fearless views. “We are thrilled to have Johnny’s perspective on the competition,” Bell added. Weir affirmed this, saying that NBC hired him knowing full well about the kind of statements he liked to make.

    The task may sound easy for the opinionated Weir, but he admits it was a difficult transition. For one thing, he would be giving commentary on people he knows and respects, and another—the hardest part—he would also have to talk about those he doesn’t like. “I have to find a way to be genuine, to perform with my voice,” he said.

    Weir’s on-air work provided viewers with just the right amount of technical expertise to make them understand what’s happening on the ice. He doesn’t fill the performance with commentary, and just speaks when he has something to add. He and co-analyst Lipinski have an obvious camaraderie that can be easily seen (and heard) during the show.

    Weir is openly gay and is critical of Russia’s anti-gay law. He is not afraid. According to him, “Part of being afraid is not knowing, and I know Russia.” Indeed he does, being a self-proclaimed Russophile. He even taught himself to read and speak Russian. He doesn’t feel an obligation to tone down his glitzy appearance, even joking that he had packed three suitcases the size of a small car to Sochi.

    Weir never imagined he would love broadcasting as much as skating, and he hopes he could continue doing so even after this year’s Winter Olympics.

    Image via YouTube

  • H.L. Hunley: 150th Anniversary Of Sunken Submarine

    It has been more than a century since the H.L. Hunley sank to the bottom of the sea during the American Civil War, but the series of events that led to its death remain a mystery. The historic Confederate vessel is the first submarine ever to sink an enemy ship.

    On February 17, 1864, the H.L. Hunley fulfilled its mission of raiding the Union ship Housatonic in order to strengthen the Confederate forces as they tried to breach the blockade that was suppressing Charleston. The Hunley was successful in subduing the Housatonic, but it sank along with it in the process.

    When the Hunley was recovered from the sea some 15 years ago, scientists and historians began speculating that the sinking was caused by a detonated torpedo, loose hatch, or even an enemy shot that bore a hole in the Hunley’s viewing port. The crew’s well-preserved remains were also found in their respective stations instead of areas near escape hatches, which would have been expected in an emergency situation.

    A notable artifact found in the ship’s remains is a gold coin that belonged to Lieutenant George Dixon, who was the Hunley’s commander. The coin was said to have saved Dixon’s life when it deflected a bullet during the Battle of Shiloh. Uniform buttons that belonged to the crewmembers were also recovered among the debris.

    A year ago, members of The Hunley Project made a major development in determining the real reason the ship’s crew members failed to return from their mission. Scientists examined the spar of the ship and found its deformed state to be a result of some form of explosion. As a result, they believe that the Hunley was close enough to the Housatonic to cause the sub’s crew to be knocked out by the power of the explosion.

    Civil War re-enactors gathered on Monday evening at Breach Inlet to hold a memorial service in honor of the Hunley sub’s crew, as well as the Union sailors who died along with them.

    http://youtu.be/L_eb0mRm8CM

    Image via YouTube

  • Matteo Renzi To Lead New Italian Government

    Last Friday, Enrico Letta resigned as Italy’s prime minister after he was ousted from the position in a vote engineered by Matteo Renzi, his party rival, for delaying reform programs. As a result, President Giorgio Napolitano has tasked Renzi to take over Letta’s position. Renzi will be sworn in to be Italy’s prime minister within the next two days.

    Renzi has been the mayor of Florence since 2009. At just 39 years old, he will be Italy’s the youngest prime minister ever. At his age, he is just 2 months younger than Benito Mussolini, who ruled as Italy’s prime minister in 1922.

    With the news, Italy is willing to gamble on the young politician who is known to have a fresh perspective when it comes to the political caste. Renzi is also known as “The Scrapper” or “Il Rottamatore” for his ability to act on scrapping Italy’s political formation. He has very little political baggage and has the demeanor of a simple man with great ambition. He has high hopes for Italy’s reform, but still remains untested with the people as he will be appointed to position rather than being voted in place. Renzi will be the 3rd prime minister to be appointed.

    Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta steps down

    Renzi hopes that he has the support of the Italian people in his plans for implementing reforms faster in order to speed up the economy’s growth.

    Italians have given their piece on the issue. Some support Renzi’s innovative ideas and think that he has the determination to follow through with his plans for Italy. However, others are a bit doubtful of his policies and the way he got the position of prime minister.

    Renzi has now been given the power to make changes in Italy’s political system, and Italians just have to wait for results and hope that the new Italian government will have answers for problems the country is currently facing.

    Who is Matteo Renzi?

    Image via YouTube

  • Mac Bohonnon Of The U.S. Places Fifth In Aerial Finals At Sochi

    Sochi saw a lone aerials representative for the U.S. team in 18-year-old Mac Bohonnon. The young freestyle skier may not have bagged a medal, but his performance was nothing short of impressive.

    The first-time Olympian finished fifth in the aerials final, besting seven other contenders. The fact that he was the only U.S. athlete competing for his country in the event did not deter him from giving a confident and solid performance. Teammates Ashley Caldwell and Emily Cook gave their support to Bohonnon by watching him from the bleachers and giving commentary with TV announcers.

    The Connecticut native donned a lucky charm of sorts – a silver necklace with a skier pendant, which is identical to the one that belonged to a former teammate who passed away. The deceased teammate was Jaret “Speedy” Peterson who died in July 2011. Bohonnon said that he had Peterson in his thoughts as he competed in the aerials event.

    The RosaKhutorExtremePark was packed with pressure and excitement as the aerial skiers displayed their high-flying stunts to a roaring crowd. Gold medalist Anton Kushnir of Belarus proved yet again why Belarus is considered home to aerial champions by executing a remarkable routine that included two double full jumps and a full jump. Belarus nabbed the gold medals in all men’s and women’s aerial events.

    Bohonnon is not fazed by the results of the competition, and considers it a start of better things to come. His competitors are much older than he is, with Kushnir and Australian Dave Morris at 29 years old, and another Belarusian Dmitri Dashinki at 36 years old. Bohonnon said that he has grown much more confident about his skills after being able to compete against the best aerial skiers in the world, whom he has idolized for many years. He is now looking forward to earning a medal – possibly the gold one – in the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.

    Image via MacBohonnon.com

  • Ray Rice: Ravens Running Back Arrested In Atlantic City

    Ray Rice, running back for the Baltimore Ravens, was arrested at the Revel Casino in Atlantic City, NJ, early morning last Saturday. Rice was there with his fiancée, Janay Palmer. Both were charged with simple assault – domestic violence after an incident involving minor physical altercation. Rice has been dating Palmer since 2008 and they have a 2-year-old daughter, Rayven.

    According to the Atlantic City Police Department, Rice and Palmer were brought to a holding facility at around 3 a.m. on Saturday. They were released the same day with a summons to appear in front of the court.

    The surveillance footage from the casino proved that the couple was having an argument. Based on the complaint summons that was released, Rice and Palmer struck each other using their hands, and a simple assault complaint was signed by the responding officer against the two. There was no need for medical assistance, as the altercation ended with no physical injuries on both parties.

    On Sunday night, The Ravens stated that they knew about the incident involving Rice and his fiancée. They have already spoken with Rice and know that he and his fiancée went home together after being released from detention.

    Michael Diamondstein, a Philadelphia-based attorney, was hired to help with Rice’s case. Diamondstein said that they have not seen the charging documents and cannot give anything specific about the incident, but they are positive that the evidence will be in Rice’s favor.

    Ozzie Newsome, the Ravens general manager, also stated at a news conference that Rice still plays a big part for the plans in 2014.

    The running back still has time to sort things out before the training camp starts in the spring. In 2012, Rice signed a $35 million contract with Baltimore for 5 years. This year marks the third year of Rice’s deal with the team.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Meryl Davis And Charlie White: U.S. Ice Dancers Win Gold In Sochi

    American ice dancing pair Meryl Davis and Charlie White made their nation proud by winning the gold in the Winter Olympics in Sochi. It is the first gold for Team USA in ice dancing; they had previously won silver four years ago in Vancouver. They also won bronze in this year’s new team event.

    The duo, who both hail from Michigan, scored in the free dance portion with 116.63 points and finished with 195.52, enough to beat Canadians Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, who won the event in 2010. The Canadian pair, who also happened to be the American team’s training partners in Detroit, scored 190.99 points. Winning bronze are Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov from Russia, and at fourth place are Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat from France.

    The pair’s intricate choreography and superb technical skills were brilliantly showcased. They glided and spun across the ice to the music from “Scheherazade,” ending their dance with White on one knee, and Davis resting her head on his back.

    They have been asked about their chemistry, and whether it extends off the ice. In a 2012 interview, White said that they get asked about it a lot, and while awkward, they have become used to it. For them, it is central to their sport to show they are in love on the ice, which makes it easy for the audience to think they are a couple even after they’ve taken off their skates.

    Dancing together for more than half of their lives is also a big factor in making them feel comfortable with each other, which is obvious in their intimacy on the ice, and the spirit with which they danced. The 27-year-old Davis and 26-year-old White were first paired together as kids—when Davis was 10 and White, 9. They had been skating together ever since, and it definitely showed in their performance on Monday during the ice dancing finals.

    http://youtu.be/hkqMcm3HUmM

    Image via YouTube

  • Eva Samkova: Czech Snowboarder Wins Gold In Sochi

    The 21-year-old snowboarder from the Czech Republic put on an impressive performance as she dominated her rivals in the snowboard cross event at the Sochi Olympics. The mustachioed Eva Samkova bested 33-year-old Canadian Dominique Maltais who got the silver medal, and 19-year-old Chloe Trespeuch from France.

    The camera attached to Samkova’s helmet was meant to give TV viewers a better image of the exciting sport, but all it managed to capture was a smooth course and the sound of a cheering crowd. She dominated in all of her races and proceeded to claim her first Olympic gold medal.

    Wearing her trademark mustache, which she paints on her upper lip before a competition for “good luck”, Samkova credits her entire team for her victory. She said that the wax technicians used the magic of physics to transform her board into a speed machine.

    A three-time junior world champion, Samkova said that she has always dreamed of competing at the Olympics ever since she started watching the games as a young girl. Now that she has a gold medal, she is relishing the experience along with her co-victors.

    Crowd favorite and expected winner, Lindsey Jacobellis finished last in the semifinal race, which qualified her for the “small” finals. Jacobellis was enjoying a comfortable lead in the semifinal heat when she made a sudden crash on a turn. While she won the small finals, Jacobellis could not hide her disappointment with the turn of events.

    According to American contender Faye Gulini, the massive Russian cross course was extremely tough and quite daunting. Another American snowboarder Jackie Hernandez suffered a serious head injury during the seeding race, which caused her a concussion. Fortunately, she was able to watch teammate Gulini as she finished fourth in the final race, just behind French snowboarder Trespeuch.

    Video clip from Sochi

    Image via YouTube

  • Groupon Calls Alexander Hamilton “President”

    Never learn U.S. history from Groupon. That’s the lesson everyone learned when the day-of-the-deal website declared Alexander Hamilton a U.S. president.

    February 17 marks Presidents Day and the birthday of the first president, George Washington. Groupon celebrated the day with a promotion that takes $10 off from purchases above $40, but that’s not all. They also said that they are doing the promotion to honor President Alexander Hamilton.

    What got people talking is that Alexander Hamilton appears on the $10 bill, but was never elected as president of the U.S. He is considered one of the founding fathers of the country, and was the first Secretary of Treasury. Hamilton also contributed to the establishment of a national bank and the economic policies during Washington’s time in the White House.

    The Groupon promotion garnered a flurry of reactions from the Twitter world, with most tweets saying that Groupon must be joking. Others assumed that it was just a publicity stunt. Aside from the news articles about Groupon, there were thousands of tweets about Groupon and their promotion. However, not all the tweets had a positive note.

     

     

    A spokesperson for Groupon then stated that it is their goal for customers to save cash, and saving $10 from their promotion was no laughing matter. He also said that the “mistake” was intentional and that they wanted to create a humorous promotional post for Presidents Day. A lot of businesses also have promotional posts, but they wanted to be set apart from those and get the attention of customers everywhere. The spokesperson also said that the promotion was a big success, since it got a lot of exposure.

    Groupon wanted to be talked about and that’s what they got based on the exposure they received on Twitter – negative or positive – due to a deliberate “mistake”.

    Image via Wikipedia Commons