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blog-heap o' links
DAPHNE, Ala. --
Worried about the safety of her family during a stormy Memorial Day trip to the
beach, Clara Jean Brown stood in her kitchen and prayed for their safe return
as a strong thunderstorm rumbled through Baldwin County, Alabama... She said
'Amen' and the room was engulfed in a huge ball of fire... lightning suddenly
exploded, blowing through the linoleum and leaving a blackened area on the
concrete. Brown wound up on the floor, dazed and disoriented by the blast but
otherwise uninjured... Fire officials think the lightning likely struck across the street from the couple's
home and traveled into the house through a water line. The lightning continued
into the couple's backyard and ripped open a small trench... today.reuters.com/ ... 15:59:10Parts of New Orleans experienced major subsidence in the three
years before Hurricane Katrina struck last summer... "What we found is that
some of the levee failures in New Orleans were places where subsidence was
highest..." In some cases the ground had subsided a minimum of 3 feet (1 meter)
which probably put the levees that were built more than 40 years ago lower than
their design level... nytimes.com/ ... 11:58:16Convinced
that tough tactics are needed, officials in hurricane-prone states are
trumpeting dire warnings about the storm season that starts on Thursday,
preaching self-reliance and prodding the public to prepare early and well.
Cities are circulating storm-preparation checklists, counties are holding
hurricane expositions at shopping malls and states are dangling carrots like
free home inspections and tax-free storm supplies in hopes of conquering
complacency. But the main strategy, it seems, is to scare the multitudes of
people who emergency officials say remain blasé even after last year's
record-breaking storm season... newsday.com/ ... 00:09:56SHANGHAI,
China -- Doctors in Shanghai on Tuesday were considering surgery options for a
two-month old boy born with an unusually well-formed third arm... Neither of
the boy's two left arms is fully functional and tests have so far been unable
to determine which was more developed... also was born with just one kidney and
may have problems that could lead to curvature of the spine... cried when
either of his left arms was touched, but smiled and responded normally to other
stimuli... newsday.com/ ... 00:06:53BURLINGTON, Wis. --
Lightning strikes at Chocolate Fest injured five people Monday and caused the
holiday weekend event to close several hours early. The lightning seemed to
strike the ground and then travel to the victims but did not hit them
directly... 
Marine Cpl. Richard
A. Bennett, 25, of Girard, Kan.Marine Capt. Nathanael J. Doring, 31, of Apple
Valley, Minn.Army Spc. Jeremy M.
Loveless, 25, of Estacada, Ore., died in Mosul, Iraq on May 29, when his
Stryker came under enemy small arms fire during combat operations. Loveless was
assigned to the Army's 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker
Brigade Combat Team, Fort Wainwright, Alaska. 
A man took his dog
for a walk near his Coral Springs home and ended up prying a 7-foot alligator
off of the pooch's head Monday.... 
found a two-foot-long ball
python in his rental car this week as he left the Ohio Valley Conference
baseball tournament in Paducah... thought it was a rubber snake someone put
there as a joke. He even gave the snake a pat and put the car into drive. As he
drove toward the exit, the snake lifted its head.... snake was captured, and
was being held until its owner comes to claim it... news.scotsman.com/ ... 10:03:44A swan has fallen in
love with a plastic swan-shaped paddle boat on a pond in the German town of
Muenster and has spent the past three weeks flirting with the vessel five times
its size... "He protects it, sits next to it all the time and chases away any
sail boats that get anywhere nearby. He thinks the boat is a strong and
attractive swan..." 
ARKADELPHIA, Ark. -- Boo
Boo... The exotic chicken that was saved from drowning by mouth-to-beak
resuscitation more than three months ago has died... "She had seizures,"
Calhoun said. "I've come to the conclusion that's what put her in the pond in
the first place..." today.reuters.com/ ...
11:30:49Australia is a nation of pet lovers but it may be loving its animals to death with pet owners passing on
rising levels of obesity by overfeeding their cats and dogs... foxnews.com/ ... 10:04:03"If this horse were a gelding
these owners would have definitely done everything to save this horse's life,"
said Dr. Dean Richardson, who pinned together the leg bones the 3-year-old
shattered in the Preakness. "If this horse could have absolutely no
reproductive value, they would have saved this horse's life..."
Army Staff Sgt.
Christian Longsworth, 26, of Newark, N.J., died in Oruzgan province,
Afghanistan, on May 19, from wounds sustained when his convoy came under enemy
small arms fire during combat operations. Longsworth was assigned to the 3rd
Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg, N.C. defenselink.mil/ ... 10:24:59Navy Petty Officer Third
Class Lee Hamilton Deal, 23, of West Monroe, La., died May 17, as a
result of enemy action in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was operationally
assigned to Regimental Combat Team-5, I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward),
and permanently assigned to 2nd Marine Division Fleet Marine Force Atlantic,
Camp Lejeune, N.C. 
Having a
cat in the home may put babies at 50 per cent greater risk of developing
rashes....
ANGELS CAMP, Calif. -- Veteran
and rookie frog jockeys faced off Sunday in the Calaveras County Fair and Frog
Jump Jubilee, an annual gathering in California's gold country that honors a
short story by Mark Twain and some spry amphibians. A leggy California bull
frog named Claussen's Cruiser sprang out 19-feet, 7 3/4-inches, earning top
honors for itself and $750 for veteran frog jockey Mike Nash... Army Chief Warrant
Officer 4, John W. Engeman, 45, of East North Port, N.Y.Army Master Sgt.
Robert H. West, 37, of Elyria, Ohio Army Staff Sgt.
Santiago M. Halsel, 32, of Bowling Green, Ky., died of injuries
sustained in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 16, when an improvised explosive device
detonated while he was conducting a dismounted clearance mission during combat
operations. Halsel was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment,
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell,
Ky. Army Capt. Shane R.
Mahaffee, 36, of Alexandria, Va., died on May 15, in Landstuhl Regional
Medical Center, Landstuhl, of injuries sustained on May 5, when an improvised
explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combatpatrol operations in Al
Hillah, Iraq. Mahaffee was assigned to the Army Reserve's 489th Civil Affairs
Battalion, Knoxville, Tenn. defenselink.mil/ ... 11:21:58Army Maj. Matthew W.
Worrell, 34, of Lewisville, Texas.Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 Jamie D. Weeks, 47
of Daleville, Ala. Army Staff Sgt.
Marion Flint Jr., 29, of Baltimore, Md.Army Pfc. Grant A. Dampier, 25, of
Merrill, Wis. 
it could
end up being the biggest divorce case in British history... today.reuters.com/ ...
10:51:31Former Beatle Paul McCartney and his second wife Heather Mills are
to separate after four years of marriage, the couple confirmed in a statement
on Wednesday, blaming media intrusion into their private life... [Uh... did
you not know Paul was famous when you married him?...] The Daily Mirror
reported on Wednesday that the split had come about because the singer could no
longer cope with the couple's bitter rows... The Mirror speculated that Mills
could receive 200 million pounds ($376 million) out of McCartney's fortune,
estimated at 825 million pounds... Army Spc. Brandon L.
Teeters, 21, of Lafayette, La., died on May 12, in Ludwigshafen, Germany,
of injuries sustained on April 20, when an improvised explosive device
detonated near his Bradley Fighting Vehicle during combat operations in
Baghdad, Iraq. Teeters was assigned to the 8th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment,
4th Brigade Combat Team, Fort Hood, Texas. defenselink.mil/ ... 10:25:01Marine Lance Cpl.
Jose S. Marin-Dominguez Jr., 22, of Liberal, Kan.Marine Lance Cpl.
Hatak Yuka Keyu M. Yearby, 21, of Overbrook, Okla.Army Pfc. Eric D.
Clark, 22, of Pleasant Prairie, Wis.Army Pfc. Stephen P. Snowberger
III, 18, of Lopez, Pa. Marine Lance Cpl.
Adam C. Conboy, 21, of Philadelphia, Pa., died May 12, as a result of a
non-hostile incident in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to the 3rd
Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary
Force, Marine Corps Base Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. defenselink.mil/ ... 10:18:57Army Spc. Armer N.
Burkart, 26, of Rockville, Md., died of injuries sustained in Baghdad,
Iraq, on May 11, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV
during combat patrol operations. Burkart was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 71st
Cavalry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y. defenselink.mil/ ... 10:18:33Army Spc. Ronald W.
Gebur, 23, of Delavan, Ill., died of injuries sustained in Baghdad, Iraq,
on May 13, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during
combat operations. Gebur was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry
Regiment, 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. 
Yahoo Inc.'s Web site
unveiled a new look Tuesday... first facelift to Yahoo's home page since
September 2004... breitbart.com/ ... 13:38:34Sony
Corp. will release the first laptop capable of playing, editing and recording
next-generation, high-definition videos in the Blu-ray DVD format... 
Israeli man: I'm being
stalked by crow... subjected to ongoing attacks by violent raven after the
bird's chick fell into his garden. "I'm forced to leave house with helmet and
parasol.... I need help. I don't have a life anymore. I live like in
Hitchcock's movie 'The Birds'..." wftv.com/ ... 10:03:50MARION COUNTY, Fla. -- Alligator traps
were set Monday morning for the seven to nine foot gator that killed a
23-year-old woman in the Ocala National Forest. She was snorkeling Sunday
afternoon at the Juniper Creek run. Her friends tried to save her, but were
hurt themselves... "They risked their life. They did everything they could.
They were jabbing at eyes and trying to pry its jaws..." Marine Lance Cpl.
Jason K. Burnett, 20, of St. Cloud, Fla.Marine Lance Cpl. David J.
Grames-Sanchez, 22, of Fort Wayne, Ind.Marine 2nd Lt. Michael L. Licalzi,
24, of Garden City, N.Y.Marine Cpl. Steve Vahaviolos, 21, of Airmont, N.Y.Army Staff Sgt.
Emmanuel L. Legaspi, 38, of Las Vegas, Nev., died of injuries sustained
in Tal Afar, Iraq, on May 7, when his unit came under enemy small arms fire
during combat operations. Legaspi was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 36th
Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Friedberg,
Germany. 
After telling an
audience that young people today "think work is a four-letter word," Sen.
Hillary Rodham Clinton said she apologized to her daughter... news.ft.com/ ...
10:00:50China’s scientific establishment has been shaken by the
sacking of a dean at one its most prestigious universities... dean of the
Microelectronics School... also the general manager of the Hanxin Sci-Tech, the
company that produced the chips... for falsely claiming to have invented a
much-praised “indigenous” computer chip... 
Finally, a silver lining in all of that salt
water that flooded parts of Louisiana during hurricanes Katrina and Rita: A lot
of pesky fire ants died... apparently don’t mix well with salt water...
They are found in all 64 Louisiana parishes. Researchers have found more than
1,500 fire ant mounds per acre in places... When it floods in their native
ranges in South America, they will create a floating
“ball” in hopes some will survive.... the "ball" survival
reaction to flooding doesn’t seem to work when the water is salty... in
concentrations of 3 percent or greater.... “That’s pretty
dramatic...” LSU Agriculture Center entomologist and Professor Linda
Hooper-Bui... said as she watched a ball of fire ants
floating in a bucket of salty water quickly disintegrate, sink and
drown. In a freshwater bucket next to it, the ball was still working...
could be a chemical reaction, such as the salt drawing moisture from their
bodies, or it could be a change in the water surface tension... news.bbc.co.uk/ ... 14:47:17A new public health
campaign in Switzerland... features fencers and ice hockey players
enthusiastically pursuing their sport.... stark naked... 
Google Inc.... is adding a
new tool to make it easier to share information through its online search
engine and enabling users to download mini-applications, or "widgets," designed
to become fixtures on a computer screen. Google also said it's planning to
introduce an online notebook for its users to paste and save search engine
results. The notebook, to be displayed as a small window in the right hand
corner of a computer screen, won't be available until next week... sci-tech-today.com/ ...
10:38:18The Future of Digital Entertainment By Barry Levine... Now that Yahoo CEO Terry Semel has put paid
to the rumours that Microsoft was looking to acquire its search business, three
things are clear. One is that Microsoft felt a need to ramp up its search
business fast. Secondly, the next couple of years are going to bear witness to
a three-way battle royale for internet dominance. Thirdly, Google has Microsoft
scared to death... 
A potential
world record hammerhead shark was caught on Wednesday in Boca Grande Pass...
reuters.myway.com/ ... 22:16:16A
Texas teenager who was bitten by a bat while he slept in his home has died of
rabies... tampabays10.com/ ... 22:11:09Sunrise, FL -
Wildlife officers captured a gator in Sunrise this morning that they believe is
responsible for fatally attacking a woman... nine-foot, six-inch alligator...
found under the bridge where 28-year-old Yovy Suarez Jimenez was last seen
jogging... two human arms inside the gator's belly. They are analyzing teeth
marks on the arms to confirm a match....Army Staff Sgt. Dale
J. Kelly Jr., 48, of Richmond, MaineArmy Staff Sgt. David M. Veverka,
25, of Jamestown, Pa.Marine Sgt.
Alessandro Carbonaro, 28, of Bethesda, Md., died May 10, at Landstuhl
Regional Medical Center, Germany, from wounds received while conducting combat
operations against enemy forces in Al Anbar province, Iraq, on May 1. He was
assigned to 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine
Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. defenselink.mil/ ... 18:02:43The
Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that
the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have
been identified and returned to his family for burial with full military
honors.Army
Corporal Henry D. Connell of Springfield, Mass. will be buried in his
hometown on Saturday.Army Staff Sgt.
Gregory A. Wagner, 35, of Mitchell, S.D., died of injuries sustained in
Baghdad, Iraq, on May 8, when an improvised fire projectile struck his HMMWV
during combat operation. Wagner was assigned to the Army National Guard's 1st
Battalion, 147th Field Artillery, Yankton, S.D. defenselink.mil/ ... 16:21:04Marine Lance Cpl.
Leon B. Deraps, 19, of Jamestown, Mo., died May 6 while conducting
combat operations against enemy forces in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was
assigned to the 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I
Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.Marine Cpl. Cory L. Palmer, 21, of
Seaford, Del., died May 6 at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, from
wounds received while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Al
Anbar province, Iraq, on May 1. He was assigned to the 2nd Reconnaissance
Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune,
N.C. defenselink.mil/ ... 16:20:26Marine Sgt. Matthew
J. Fenton, 24, of Little Ferry, N.J., died May 6 at National Naval Medical
Center, Bethesda, Md., from wounds received while conducting combat operations
against enemy forces in Al Anbar province, Iraq on April 26. He was assigned to
Marine Forces Reserve's Inspector and Instructor Staff, 1st Battalion, 25th
Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Fort Devens, Mass. defenselink.mil/ ... 12:22:02Army 1st. Sgt. Carlos
N. Saenz, 46, of Las Vegas, Nev.Army Spc. Teodoro Torres, 29, of Las Vegas,
Nev.Army Sgt.
Nathan J. Vacho, 29, of Janesville, Wis. Navy Ensign Leland L. Davis, Jackson, Miss.Navy Ensign Robert F.
Keller, Wichita, Kan.Navy Seaman 2nd Class Elwin Alford, Bogalusa, La.Navy Seaman 2nd Class
Dee Hall, Syria, Okla.Navy Aviation Machinist Mate John H. Hathaway,
Lafayette, Ind.Navy Aviation Radioman 2nd Class Robert A. Smith, Glen Dive,
Mont.Navy
Aviation Pilot 3rd Class Albert J. Gyorfi, Wilbur, Wash.Army Air Force pilot Capt. Douglas R. Wight of
Westfield, N.J.;Army Air Force co-pilot 1st Lt. Herbert W. Evans of Rapid
City S.D.;Army
Air Force crew chief Cpl. John W. Hanlon of Arnett, Okla.; andArmy Air Force radio
operator Pfc. Gerald L. Rugers, Jr., of Tacoma, Wash.Army Pfc. Benjamin T.
Zieske, 20, of Concord, Calif., died of injuries sustained in Kirkuk, Iraq
on May 3, when an improvised explosive device detonated during a dismounted
combat patrol. Zieske was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry
Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort
Campbell, Ky. defenselink.mil/ ... 19:07:13Army Pvt. Alva L.
Gaylord, 25, of Carrollton, Mo., died of injuries sustained in Qasr Ar
Riyy, Iraq on May 5, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his
RG-31 Mine Protected Vehicle during a combat clearing operation. Gaylord was
assigned to the Army National Guard's 110th Engineer Battalion, Kansas City,
Mo. And in the
end, a judge ruled in favor of Apple Computer... hinged on a U.K. judge's
interpretation of a 1991 agreement that forbade the computer company from
distributing music on physical media, such as tapes or CDs, according to legal
experts... likely to be challenged on appeal... Marine Sgt. Elisha R.
Parker, 21, of Taberg, N.Y., died May 4, while conducting combat operations
against enemy forces in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st
Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force,
Camp Pendleton, Calif. defenselink.mil/ ... 06:17:01Army Staff Sgt. Gavin
B. Reinke, 32, of Pueblo, Colo.Army Spc. Bryan L. Quinton, 24, of Sand Springs,
Okla. Army Pfc. Christopher
M. Eckhardt, 19, of Phoenix, Ariz., died in Taji, Iraq on May 3, from a
non-combat related cause. Eckhardt was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 42nd
Field Artillery, 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. The
incident is under investigation. Marine Capt. Brian S.
Letendre, 27, of Woodbridge, Va. died May 3 while conducting combat
operations against enemy forces in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to
the Marine Forces Reserve's Inspector and Instructor Staff, 1st Battalion, 25th
Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Plainville, Conn. Marine Cpl. Stephen
R. Bixler, 20, of Suffield, Conn. Bixler died May 4 while conducting combat
operations against enemy forces in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to
the 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary
Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. defenselink.mil/ ... 00:11:52Army Sgt. Joseph E.
Proctor, 38, of Indianapolis, Ind., died May 3 in Tammin, Iraq when a
suicide, vehicle-borne, improvised explosive device detonated near his
observation post during dismounted combat patrol operations. Proctor was
assigned to the Army National Guard's 638th Battalion (Aviation), Shelbyville,
Ind. Alarm
usually accompanies changes to Google's algorithms, as the new rankings can
cause websites to be demoted, or disappear entirely. But four months on from
the introduction of "Big Daddy," it's clear that the problem is more serious
than any previous revision - and it's getting worse... Webmasters now report
sites not being crawled for weeks, with Google SERPS (search engine results
pages) returning old pages, and failing to return results for phrases that used
to bear fruitful results. "Some sites have lost 99 per cent of their indexed
pages," reports one member of the Webmaster World forum. "Many cache dates go
back to 2004 January." Others report long-extinct pages showing up as
"Supplemental Results..." "Those machines are full,"
he said. "We have a huge machine crisis." And there's at least some anecdotal
evidence to support the theory that hardware limitations are to blame...
lingering in the background is the question of whether the explosion of junk
content - estimates put robot-generated spam consists of anywhere between
one-fifth and one-third of the Google index - can be tamed?.. prnewswire.com/ ... 10:26:11694
million people, age 15+, used the Internet worldwide from all locations in
March 2006, representing 14 percent of the world's total population
within this age group. This number marks the first worldwide universe estimate
based on a consistent methodology across all countries..... 
Medford OR ...[21yo father
&19yo mother] found the rodent near a creek... believed the rat was a
domestic breed... brought it home... kept it in a cage in the room where they
slept with the [6mo] baby... next morning they found that the rat had escaped... the boy.. had from 100 to 200 bites all
over his body... being treated for infected wounds. A second child at
the home was placed in foster care. The parents are being held in the Jackson
County Jail on criminal mistreatment allegations... Marine Lance Cpl.
Robert L. Moscillo, 21, of Salem, N.H., died May 1 while conducting
combat operations against enemy forces in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was
assigned to the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine
Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif. defenselink.mil/ ... 14:47:25Army Cpl. Robbie G.
Light, 21, of Kingsport, Tenn., died of injuries sustained in Baghdad, Iraq
on May 1, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his M1A2 Abrams
tank during combat operations. Light was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 67th
Armored Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood,
Texas. 
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- The
case of a cat accused of viciously attacking several neighbors is going to
trial... neighbors said Lewis' long claws, along with catlike stealth, have
allowed the cat to attack at least a half dozen people and ambush the Avon lady
as she was getting out of her car... newsday.com/ ... 22:19:59SACRAMENTO,
Calif... The long-haired black cat was given to Sacramento's Animal Care
Services last week, where an employee scanned him for a microchip, a routine
procedure... used to track down Allison MacEwan of Seattle, who said she placed
newspaper ads and went door-to-door with fliers in a futile search for her lost
cat a decade ago. Officials on Wednesday said they aren't sure how the cat
wound up in Sacramento... Army Staff Sgt. Mark
A. Wall, 27, of Alden, Iowa, died in Mosul, Iraq, on April 27, from a
non-combat related cause. Wall was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry
Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Fort Wainwright, Alaska. defenselink.mil/ ... 20:21:54Army 1st Sgt. Bobby
Mendez, 38, of Brooklyn, N.Y., died of injuries sustained in Baghdad, Iraq,
on April 27, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV
during combat operations. Mendez was assigned to the 2nd Special Troops
Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. defenselink.mil/ ... 13:41:18Marine Sgt. Edward G.
Davis III, 31, of Antioch, Ill., died April 28 while conducting combat
operations against enemy forces in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to
3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary
Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif. Army Staff Sgt.
Bryant A. Herlem, 37, of Copperas Cove, TexasArmy Sgt. Jose Gomez, 23, of
Corona, N.Y. Army Sgt. Matthew A.
Webber, 23, of Kalamazoo, Mich., died on April 27, in the Brooke Army
Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas, of injuries sustained when an improvised
explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations in
Habbaniyah, Iraq, on Nov.21, 2005. Webber was assigned to the Army National
Guard's 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry Regiment (Mechanized), Saginaw, Mich.
defenselink.mil/ ... 23:33:10Army Sgt. Steve M.
Sakoda, 29, of Hilo, Hawaii, died of injuries sustained in Baghdad, Iraq,
on April 29, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV
during combat operations. Sakoda was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 75th Cavalry
Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort
Campbell, Ky. defenselink.mil/ ... 23:32:45Marine Cpl. Brandon
M. Hardy, 25, of Cochranville, Pa.Marine Sgt. Lea R. Mills, 21, of
Brooksville, Fla.
Two species of cichlid fish swimming in East
Africa's tropical Lake Victoria are brilliantly hued because females chose the
brightest male partners, according to new research. Although the females of
both species resemble each other, with drab gray-brown coloring, the males look
completely different... 
A buzzing noise behind the walls
of a family's new home in Houston led to the discovery of more than 200,000
bees swarming inside the structure... Beekeepers said the bees had likely been
in the walls for at least a year... 
When humans and chimpanzees
split up along the path of evolution, they carried on having sex for as long as
4m years, geneticists claim today. The revelation suggests that the history of
humanity may be far more complex than scientists appreciated... after parting
company up to 10m years ago early humans and chimps continued to swap genes by
interbreeding, until a final split much later. The study suggests the species
split for good probably less than 5.4m years ago... 
One to three cups of coffee a day may protect people from
heart disease and strokes, according to research which contradicts numerous
studies that have suggested that coffee is bad for you... reduced risk of
cardiovascular disease by about 30 per cent in women who had a moderate intake
of coffee... up to 60 per cent of antioxidants in the diet may come from
coffee. Antioxidants protect cells from damage and reduce the inflammation that
encourages arteries to narrow. Active parts of coffee include caffeine and
polyphenols. Polyphenols are also found in red wine and they too have been
linked to a reduction in the risk of cardiovascular diseases in people who
drink one to three glasses of red wine a day... a Scottish survey of 11,000 men
and women found that coffee drinking was associated with a reduction in deaths
from all causes... 
Tornadoes swept through two North Texas towns after dark, reducing
houses to bare concrete slabs in a path of destruction that left three people
dead and 10 injured... Another tornado in the Texas Panhandle town of Childress
knocked down a wall at the local high school, and broken power lines sparked
treetop fires... Gas lines were broken and downed trees blocked roads... In
southeast Oklahoma, three tornadoes touched down and the region was pelted with
hail, but no severe damage or injuries were immediately reported... Storms also
raked Arkansas early Wednesday, toppling trees, damaging roofs and downing
power lines. A FedEx truck was blown into the median of Interstate 530...
Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, is looking to control the
rights to the famous yellow smiley face, at least when it comes to the
marketplace... the true designer is in dispute, though there are several claims
to the throne... 
Building security cameras
captured the male goat butting glass doors repeatedly at Hickey Elementary
School in Plano [TX] on Sunday....