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/ blog-heap o' links
Army Spc. Kenneth M. Cross, 21, of Superior, Wis.Army Pfc. Daniel G. Dolan, 19, of Roy, Utah. Army Spc. Joshua D. Jones, 24, of Pomeroy, Ohio, died Aug 27, in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries suffered when his HMMWV came in contact with enemy forces using small arms fire during combat operations. Jones was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. defenselink.mil/ ... 21:53:48Army Sgt. Darry Benson, 46, of Winterville, N.C., died on Aug 27, in Camp Virginia, Kuwait, from a non-combat related cause. Benson was assigned the Army National Guard's 730th Quartermaster Battalion, Ahoskie, N.C. The incident is under investigation. defenselink.mil/ ... 21:53:33Army Sgt. David J. Almazan, 27, of Van Nuys, Calif., died on Aug 27, in Hit, Iraq, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations. Almazan was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Friedberg, Germany. defenselink.mil/ ... 21:53:16Marine Lance Cpl. Donald E. Champlin, 28, of Natchitoches, La., died Aug. 28 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, from wounds received while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq, on Aug. 27. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. defenselink.mil/ ... 21:52:55Army Spc. Seth A. Hildreth, 26, of Myrtle Beach, S.C., died on Aug. 27, in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations. Hildreth was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. defenselink.mil/ ... 21:52:39Army Staff Sgt. Jeffrey J. Hansen, 31, of Cairo, Neb., died on Aug. 27, in Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Landstuhl, Germany, of injuries suffered on Aug. 21 from a vehicle accident in Balad, Iraq. Hansen was assigned to the Army National Guard 1st Squadron, 167th Cavalry Regiment, Lincoln, Neb. 
Barbara Bach... Ringo Starr's wife is spending her 60th birthday in hospital after her horse kicked her and broke her leg. Army Spc. Edgardo Zayas, 29, of Dorchester, Mass., died on Aug. 26, in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his dismounted patrol during combat operations. Zayas was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky. defenselink.mil/ ... 21:49:07Marine Cpl. David G. Weimortz, 28, of Irmo, S.C. died Aug. 26 from injuries suffered while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, N.C. 
the bumble bee... can estimate the duration of time intervals... sciencedaily.com/ ... 13:36:15Daytime Light Exposure Dynamically Enhances Brain Responses... by exposing subjects to light and imaging their brains while they subsequently perform a cognitive test, researchers have begun to identify brain regions involved in the effects on brain function of daytime light exposure... today.reuters.com/ ... 13:31:31While researchers have long shown that tall people earn more than their shorter counterparts, it's not only social discrimination that accounts for this inequality -- tall people are just smarter than their height-challenged peers, a new study finds... "As early as age three -- before schooling has had a chance to play a role -- and throughout childhood, taller children perform significantly better on cognitive tests..." For both men and women in the United States and the United Kingdom, a height advantage of four inches equated with a 10 percent increase in wages on average... early nutrition is an important predictor of intelligence and height. "Prenatal care and prenatal nutrition are just incredibly important, even more so than we already knew..." Army Pfc. William E. Thorne, 26, of Hospers, Iowa, died on Aug 24, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations. Thorne was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. defenselink.mil/ ... 23:45:23Army Sgt. Marquees A. Quick, 28, of Hoover Ala., died on Aug 19, in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, of injuries suffered while conducting security and observation operations, when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using multiple grenades. Quick was assigned to the 1st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Friedberg, Germany. defenselink.mil/ ... 23:45:06Marine Staff Sgt. Gordon G. Solomon, 35, of Fairborn, Ohio, died Aug. 24 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. defenselink.mil/ ... 23:44:48Army Sgt. Jeremy E. King, 23, of Meridian, Idaho, died on Aug. 24, in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries sustained by enemy forces using small arms fire during combat operations. King was assigned to the 8th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. defenselink.mil/ ... 23:44:30Marine Staff Sgt. Dwayne E. Williams, 28, of Baltimore, Md., died Aug. 24 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan. An American helped foil a burglary in northern England whilst watching a Beatles-related webcam over the Internet, police said on Friday... Army Spc. Thomas J. Barbieri, 24, of Gaithersburg, Md., died on Aug. 23 south of Baghdad, Iraq when his patrol encountered enemy forces small arms fire during combat operations. Barbieri was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C. defenselink.mil/ ... 20:12:00Marine Lance Cpl. James D. Hirlston, 21, of Murfreesboro, Tenn., died Aug. 23 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. defenselink.mil/ ... 20:11:49Army Cpl. Jeremiah S. Cole, 26, of Hiawatha, Kan., died in Bermel, Afghanistan, on Aug. 16 of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations. Cole was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y. defenselink.mil/ ... 20:11:29Navy Chief Petty Officer Paul J. Darga, 34, of Lansing, Mich., died Aug. 22 when his Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team was struck by an improvised explosive device while responding to a previous strike. His unit was conducting combat operations against enemy forces in the Al Anbar province, Iraq. Darga was assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit Two, serving with the 1st Marine Logistics Group. defenselink.mil/ ... 09:58:08Army Sgt 1st Class Ruben J. Villa Jr., of El Paso, Texas, died on Aug 18, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from a non-combat related cause. Villa was assigned to the Army's Area Support Group (CFLCC) , Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. The incident is under investigation. 
PRESCOTT, Ariz. -- A Yavapai County sheriff's deputy patrolling a senior housing development outside Prescott Wednesday spotted a 5-foot-tall marijuana plant growing between two residents' driveways... residents... told the deputy they thought the plant was "just an attractive weed, and they had been watering it because it looked so nice..." 
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- A mountain lion ran into a home Tuesday and escaped through a window about an hour later... 
a kitten got stuck behind the dashboard of a woman's SUV after climbing through a hole in the glove compartment... Army Air Corps 2nd Lt. David J. Nelson, Chicago, Ill.Army Air Corps Tech. Sgt. Henry F. Kortebein, Maspeth, N.Y.Army Air Corps Tech. Sgt. Blake A. Treece Jr., Marshall, Ark.Air Force Master Sgt. Brad A. Clemmons, 37, of Chillicothe, Ohio, died Aug. 21 when an improvised explosive device struck his vehicle. The vehicle was part of a transportation convoy enroute to Taji, Iraq. Clemmons was assigned to the 354th Civil Engineer Squadron, Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. defenselink.mil/ ... 08:07:36Army Sgt. Wakkuna A. Jackson, 21, of Jacksonville, Fla. Jackson was assigned to the 710th Combat Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y. Army Spc. Robert E. Drawl Jr., 21, of Alexandria, Va. Drawl was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y. Army Spc. Christopher F. Sitton, 21, of Montrose, Colo. Sitton was assigned to the 710th Combat Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y. Army Sgt. Gabriel G. DeRoo, 25, of Paw Paw, Mich., died on Aug. 20 in Mosul, Iraq, of injuries suffered when he encountered enemy forces using small arms fire during combat operations. DeRoo was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash. defenselink.mil/ ... 08:02:31Marine Cpl. Adam A. Galvez, 21, of Salt Lake City, UtahMarine Lance Cpl. Randy L. Newman, 21, of Bend, Ore.Navy Hospitalman Chadwick T. Kenyon, 20, of Tucson, Ariz., died Aug. 20 of injuries suffered when his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in the Al Anbar province, Iraq. Kenyon was assigned to the 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif. defenselink.mil/ ... 07:56:08Army Staff Sgt. Jeffrey S. Loa, 32, of Waianae, Hawaii, died on Aug 16 in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his dismounted patrol. Loa was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 35th Armored Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division, Baumholder, Germany. A swarm of "killer" bees attacked a man and his father as they repaired a roof in a small town in southeast Arizona, killing one man and hospitalizing the other... Africanized honey bees stung Charlie Pasley, 39, more than 300 times... swarm also attacked Pasley's father, Chuck, 62, who was reported to be in a stable condition... Army Pvt. Joseph R. Blake, 34, of Portland, Ore., died on Aug 17 in Turkalay, Afghanistan, of injuries suffered when his platoon encountered enemy forces small arms fire. Blake was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y. defenselink.mil/ ... 09:32:43Army Pfc. James J. Arellano, 19, of Cheyenne, Wyo., died on Aug 17 in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries suffered when his patrol encountered enemy forces using improvised explosive devices and small arms fire. Arellano was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. Marine Capt. John J. McKenna IV, 30, of Brooklyn, N.Y., died Aug. 16 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to Marine Forces Reserve's 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Albany, N.Y. defenselink.mil/ ... 16:21:53Marine Sgt. John P. Phillips, 29, of St. Stephen, S.C., died Aug. 16 at Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas, from wounds received while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq, on March 7. He was assigned to 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan. 
"Snakes will only attack if they're cornered. None of these snakes was cornered. They were going after people. In real like, they're trying to get away." A few snakes, he says, such as the rattlesnake or water moccasin, will not always retreat, confident in their ability to defend themselves, but they still attack humans only when the human gets into their space and they feel threatened. But what about all those stories we've heard to the contrary? "One thing is true of all urban legends," Cole says, "They stories always happened to a friend of a friend, never to you..." dnaindia.com/ ... 11:42:04The earth's ozone layer is finally on the mend after decades of damage, two U.N. agencies reported on Friday. [Oh! Good news about the ozone!]However, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the U.N. Environmental Programme (UNEP) said the protective layer, which filters dangerous solar radiation, was recovering more slowly than experts had originally hoped... [Oh.. never mind...] The same brain machinery that responds to the active substance in marijuana provides a central "on-demand" protection against seizures, researchers have found. They said their discoveries suggest that the "endocannabinoid" system might constitute a prime target for drugs against seizures of epilepsy and other neurodegenerative diseases... telegraph.co.uk/ ... 07:35:24Surgeons have used bone from a teenager's pelvis to recreate the fingers she lost in a car crash... medpagetoday.com/ ... 06:54:45Methicillin-resistant bacteria are taking emergency room doctors back to the pre-penicillin days, when skin infections were lanced and drained... Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection has become the most common cause of skin and soft tissue infections seen in metropolitan emergency departments, and half-century-old therapeutic approaches are being revisited to combat it... 
Online dating is planned for orangutans... [headline of the day] hosted.ap.org/ ... 15:25:58The baboons got stressed, the lions got fat and zoo officials worry the antelopes might have heart attacks. After 34 days in indoor shelters, many of the animals at the Haifa Zoo got a breath of outdoor air - if not a taste of freedom - for the first time on Tuesday. Zoo officials moved all the carnivores, bears and monkeys indoors at the start of the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, both to protect them from rocket strikes and to keep an errant missile on a retaining wall from setting them loose into Israel's third-largest city... Army Staff Sgt. Michael C. Lloyd, 24, of San Antonio, TexasArmy Staff Sgt. Kevin L. Zeigler, 31, of Overland Park, Kan. Army Staff Sgt. Kenneth A. Jenkins, 25, of Fouke, Ark., died in Balad, Iraq of injuries sustained on Aug. 12, when he came in contact with enemy forces using small arms fire during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq. Jenkins was assigned to the Army's 3rd Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. 
A Cape Town lifesaver whose foot was bitten off by a shark at the weekend was in a serious but "satisfactory" condition on Monday... Army 1st. Sgt. Aaron D. Jagger, 43, of Hillsdale, Mich.Army Spc. Ignacio Ramirez, 22, of Henderson, Nev.Army Spc. Shane W. Woods, 23, of Palmer, Alaska Army Spc. Rogelio R. Garza, Jr., 26, of Corpus Christi, TexasArmy Pfc. Andrew R. Small, 19, of Wiscasset, MaineArmy Pfc. James P. White, Jr., 19, of Huber Heights, Ohio 
An Iraqi insurgent group said it attacked U.S. forces near Baghdad by setting off explosives attached to a dog... Dead dogs stuffed with explosives have been used against U.S. troops in Iraq. It was not clear from the video, posted on a site frequently used by Islamist militants, whether the animal was alive or dead... Army Sgt. David M. Hierholzer, 27, of Lewisburg, Tenn., died on July 24 in Pesch, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained when his platoon encountered enemy forces small arms fire. Hierholzer was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y. defenselink.mil/ ... 14:29:18Army Sgt. Robert P. Kassin, 29, of Las Vegas, Nev., died on July 16 at Larzab Base, Afghanistan, when his platoon encountered enemy forces small arms fire during combat operations. Kassin was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Polk, La. defenselink.mil/ ... 14:27:21Marine Lance Cpl. Jeremy Z. Long, 18, of Sun Valley, Nev., died Aug. 10, while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif. defenselink.mil/ ... 14:27:03Army Sgt. Steven P. Mennemeyer, 26, of Granite City, Ill.Army Sgt. Jeffery S. Brown, 25, of Trinity Center, Calif. They were declared Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown on Aug. 8, when their UH-60 Blackhawk crashed into a lake in the vicinity of Korean Village in Rubtbah, Iraq. Their remains were recovered on Aug. 9 and 10, respectively. Both soldiers were assigned to the 82nd Medical Company (Air Ambulance), Fort Riley, Kan. defenselink.mil/ ... 14:26:33Army Staff Sgt. Tracy L. Melvin, 31, of Seattle, Wash., died of injuries sustained on Aug. 6, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. Melvin was assigned to the Army's 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division, Baumholder, Germany. defenselink.mil/ ... 14:26:13Army Cpl. Edward F. Blazejewski, of Elizabeth, N.J, missing in action from the Korean War-- remains have been identified and returned to his family for burial with full military honors. He is to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C. on Friday. Blazejewski was assigned to Medical Company, 8th Cavalry Regiment, when his unit came under heavy artillery attack by Chinese forces near Unsan, North Korea, on Nov. 1, 1950. During the attack, Cpl. Blazejewski and other soldiers killed in action were left behind when their unit moved to a previous defensive position. A U.S. soldier who had been held as a prisoner of war by the North Koreans told debriefers that Blazejewski and others had been killed by a grenade explosion.... defenselink.mil/ ... 14:22:44Marine Sgt. John H. Branic, of Madera, Pa., missing in action from World War II, has been identified and is being returned to his family for burial with full military honors. He is He is to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. Branic was a platoon leader for L Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division on Aug. 19, 1942, when a Japanese force overran his defensive position on Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. During the attack, Branic was killed, but the Marines of L Company counterattacked and succeeded in driving the Japanese back. The location of Branic's remains was not reported to headquarters, as the L Company executive officer was also killed.... defenselink.mil/ ... 14:20:45Army Staff Sgt. Stephen A. Seale, 25, of Grafton, W.V.Army Sgt. Carlton A. Clark, 22, of South Royalton, Vt.Army Cpl. Jose Zamora, 24, of Sunland Park, N.M. Army Spc. Brian J. Kubik, 20, of Harker Heights, Texas, died on Aug 5 in Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Landstuhl, Germany, of injuries suffered on Aug 2 when his unit encountered enemy small arms fire in Baghdad, Iraq. Kubik was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky. defenselink.mil/ ... 14:19:44Army Sgt. Leroy Segura Jr., 23, of Clovis, N.M., died on Aug 4, in Habbaniyah, Iraq, of injuries suffered from a HMMWV accident. Segura was assigned to the 362nd Engineer Company, 54th Engineer Battalion, Fort Benning, Ga. defenselink.mil/ ... 14:19:20Army Staff Sgt. Clint J. Storey, 30, of Enid, Okla.Army Sgt. Bradley H. Beste, 22, of Naperville, Ill.Army Staff Sgt. Daniel A. Suplee, 39, of Ocala, Fla., died on Aug 3 at James A. Haley Veterans Hospital, Tampa, Fla., of injuries sustained on Apr 1 in Kabul, Afghanistan, when his HMMWV was involved in a traffic accident. Suplee was assigned to the National Guard 153rd Cavalry Squadron, Ocala, Fla. defenselink.mil/ ... 14:17:43Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Marc A. Lee, 28, of Hood River, Ore., was killed on Aug. 2 during combat operations while on patrol in Ramadi, Iraq. Lee was an aviation ordnanceman and a member of a West Coast-based SEAL Team. defenselink.mil/ ... 14:17:27Marine Lance Cpl. Kurt E. Dechen, 24, of Springfield, Vt., died Aug. 3 from wounds received while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, while attached to Regimental Combat Team 5, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif. defenselink.mil/ ... 14:17:10Marine Sgt. George M. Ulloa Jr., 23, of Austin, Texas, died Aug. 3 from wounds suffered while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. defenselink.mil/ ... 14:16:54Army Sgt. Joshua A. Ford, 20, of Wayne, Neb., died on July 31 during combat operations in Al Numaniyah, Iraq. Ford was assigned to the Army National Guard 189th Transportation Company, 485th Corps Support Battalion, Norfolk, Neb. defenselink.mil/ ... 14:16:42Army Spc. Hai Ming Hsia, 37, of New York, N.Y., died Aug. 1 during combat operations in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. Hsia was assigned to the 6th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division, Baumholder, Germany. defenselink.mil/ ... 14:16:25Marine Cpl. Joseph A. Tomci, 21, of Stow, Ohio, died Aug. 2 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. defenselink.mil/ ... 14:16:04Army Sgt. Dustin D. Laird, 23, of Martin, Tenn., died on Aug. 2, in Al Qaim, Iraq, of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMMV during combat operations in Rawah, Iraq, on Aug. 1. Laird was assigned to the Army National Guard 913th Engineer Company, 46th Engineer Battalion, Union City, Tenn. defenselink.mil/ ... 14:15:47Army Sgt. Ryan D. Jopek, 20, of Merrill, Wis., died in Tikrit, Iraq on Aug. 2 of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his convoy. Jopek was assigned to the Army National Guard's 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry Regiment, Waupun, Wis. defenselink.mil/ ... 14:14:02Marine Pfc. Jason Hanson, 21, of Forks, Wash., died July 29 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif. defenselink.mil/ ... 14:13:50Marine Cpl. Phillip E. Baucus, 28, of Wolf Creek, Mont., died July 29 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif. defenselink.mil/ ... 14:13:32Marine Lance Cpl. Anthony E. Butterfield, 19, of Clovis, Calif.Marine Sgt. Christian B. Williams, 27, of Winter Haven, Fla.Marine Lance Cpl. James W. Higgins, 22, of Frederick, Md., died July 27 from wounds received while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.Marine Lance Cpl. Adam R. Murray, 21, of Cordova, Tenn., died July 27 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.Marine Cpl. Timothy D. Roos, 21, of Cincinnati, Ohio, died July 27 from wounds received while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.Marine Pfc. Enrique C. Sanchez, 21, of Garner, N.C., died July 27 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. defenselink.mil/ ... 14:11:52Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Edward A. Koth, 30, of Towson, Md., died July 26 at Camp Victory, Iraq, after ordnance exploded during a disposal operation. Koth was assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit Eight, serving with Multinational Corps Iraq in Baghdad. The incident is under investigation. defenselink.mil/ ... 14:10:11Army Spc. Andrew Velez, 22, of Lubbock, Texas, died on July 25 in Sharona, Afghanistan, from a non-combat related injury. Velez was assigned to the Corps Support Battalion, Theater Support Command, Fort Irwin, Calif. This incident is under investigation. defenselink.mil/ ... 14:06:39Army Staff Sgt. Christopher W. Swanson, 25, of Rose Haven, Md., died on July 22 in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, of injuries sustained when his patrol encountered enemy forces small arms fire. Swanson was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division, Baumholder, Germany. defenselink.mil/ ... 14:06:06Army Capt. Jason M. West, 28, of Pittsburg, Pa., died on July 24 in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, when he encountered enemy forces using small arms fire. West was assigned to the 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, Friedberg, Germany. 
A man riding a personal watercraft on the Suwannee River was injured after a 4-foot-long sturgeon jumped out of the water and hit him... [Nature is beginning to fight back....] girlfriend was riding another watercraft behind him and was able to get to Fessenden and hold his head above water... A 31-year-old woman was hospitalized in April after a 3-foot-long sturgeon jumped into a boat... also on the Suwannee River...hosted.ap.org/ ... 09:35:51
Spanish authorities Tuesday warned of a massive invasion of jellyfish along the country's eastern coast over the coming days and advised bathers on the best ways to treat stings... 
FORT BRAGG, N.C. -- Three soldiers were injured by lightning that struck a nearby tree during a Special Forces training session... The soldiers had taken precautions against lightning, including turning off all electronic equipment and moving weapons... freep.com/ ... 10:38:02A U.S. Army private on Tuesday described the ever-present fear of death gripping his unit, whose members stand accused of raping and murdering a 14-year-old girl and killing her family. "You're just walking a death walk..." bloomberg.com/ ... 10:37:26U.S. forces were searching for two crew members from a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter that went down in Iraq's al-Anbar province. An investigation is under way into what caused the helicopter from the U.S. 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing to come down yesterday, though "the incident does not appear to be a result of enemy action..." CHICAGO -- The Lincoln Park Zoo has paid a $3,000 fine after federal authorities ruled it was to blame for a gorilla attack on a zookeeper and the deaths of several monkeys last year... The zoo did not have proper barriers in place at the gorilla habitat and didn't have adequate enclosures for the monkeys... the three monkeys died after eating leaves from a yew tree just outside their habitat... today.reuters.com/ ... 09:35:14Sport hunting of mountain lions in the American West does not reduce the number of attacks by the animals, also called cougars and pumas, against man and livestock... "What we would like to see is that states manage them according to science, and not just some, you know, idea that you can somehow randomly shoot them for fun and cause anybody or anything to be any safer..." wral.com/ ... 09:34:38Four of 25 penguins being driven from the Indianapolis Zoo to a Texas aquariaum died as a result of a crash Tuesday morning near Marshall, Texas... Two zoo staffers, who alternated time driving the truck, suffered minor injuries. One of the animals, a rockhopper penguin, died in the crash. The other three, gentoo penguins, were hit by other vehicles after the wreck... conditions of the fish and inveterbrates in the truck were not immediately known... A common parasite found in cats may be affecting human behavior on a mass scale... "In populations where this parasite is very common, mass personality modification could result in cultural change. The geographic variation in the latent prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii may explain a substantial proportion of human population differences we see in cultural aspects that relate to ego, money, material possessions, work and rules...." Evidence for subtle long-term effects on an individual's personality... inspired Lafferty to explore whether a shift in the average, or aggregate, personality of a population might occur where Toxoplasma has infected a higher proportion of individuals. Infection with Toxoplasma varies considerably from one population to another; in some countries it is very rare, while in others nearly all adults are infected... Toxoplasma is associated with different, often opposite, behavioral changes in men and women, but both genders exhibit guilt proneness (a form of neuroticism)... countries with high Toxoplasma prevalence had a higher aggregate neuroticism score... western nations with high prevalence also scored higher in the 'neurotic' cultural dimensions of 'masculine' sex roles and uncertainty avoidance... "...Different responses to the parasite by men and women could lead to many additional cultural effects that are, as yet, difficult to analyze..." Cultural practices of food preparation such as rare or undercooked meats, or poor hygiene, can increase exposure to infection, as can having cats as pets... "This is not to say that the cultural dimensions associated with T. gondii are necessarily undesirable.... After all, they add to our cultural diversity...." sciencedaily.com/ ... 10:11:59Regulatory T cells, which function like immune system police, learn early in life what to protect, and that may include viruses, bacteria and tumors, researchers have shown... sciencedaily.com/ ... 10:11:35Exposure to new experiences improves memory... 
An Ohio State University astronomer and his colleagues have determined that the Triangulum Galaxy, otherwise known as M33, is actually about 15 percent farther away from our galaxy than previously measured... implies that the Hubble constant, a number that astronomers rely on to calculate a host of factors -- including the size and age of the universe -- could be significantly off the mark as well... the universe could be 15 percent bigger and 15 percent older than any previous calculations suggested... news.bbc.co.uk/ ... 08:32:39A pair of strange new worlds that blur the boundaries between planets and stars have been discovered beyond our Solar System... A few dozen such objects have been identified in recent years but this is the first set of "twins..." Dubbed "planemos", they circle each other rather than orbiting a star. Their existence challenges current theories about the formation of planets and stars... appear to have been forged from a contracting gas cloud, in a similar way to stars, but are much too cool to be true stars. And while they have similar masses to many of the giant planets discovered beyond our Solar System... they are not thought to be true planets either... have similar spectra and colours, suggesting that they formed at the same time about a million years ago... A county in southwestern China has killed as many as 50,000 dogs in a government campaign ordered after three people died from rabies... newsday.com/ ... 11:59:15A school bus carrying about 50 children plunged into a canal in northern India on Tuesday, killing at least six children... bus had swerved toward the edge of the road to let another vehicle pass when the driver appeared to lose control and the vehicle toppled into the canal in the village of Kheri Gujjar, about 40 miles north of New Delhi... Marijuana’s key ingredient -- called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) -- may make it hard for a fertilized egg to implant in the womb, says the study in The Journal of Clinical Investigation... [This is why the hippies had no babies....?] VanderbiltUniversity’s Haibin Wang, PhD, and colleagues studied mice, not people. But they write that their findings have "high clinical importance" for women. The bottom line from Wang’s study: If you’re trying to get pregnant, abstaining from marijuana may be important for pregnancy success... 
pumped THC into some of the female mice for four or five days... [egad!] THC docked on chemical receptors usually occupied by another compound called anandamide... High anandamide levels disrupt the fine chemical balance needed for a fertilized egg to move safely to the womb... [Didn't see any actual statistics in this article, only that the THC-poisoned mice were more "likely"....] newsday.com/ ... 12:26:20A provincial governor said Tuesday that 45 people from his predominantly Shiite region have been kidnapped in a Sunni area of western Iraq while en route by bus out of the country. ...were traveling in six buses when they were waylaid near the insurgent stronghold of Ramadi -- the main land route to both Syria and Jordan... newsday.com/ ... 12:25:25Colombia... ex-paramilitary fighters seeking to benefit from reduced sentences under a government amnesty are leading authorities to clandestine graves in vast areas they once controlled... some victims' relatives, previously terrorized into silence, are now mustering the courage to signal the location of burial grounds... newsday.com/ ... 12:04:23Nearly 40 years after a schoolboy was stabbed to death in southern England... Police theorized that Lyon, a student at the posh Brighton and Hove Grammar school, was targeted by local youths because of his uniform... Investigators hope to trace a family that emigrated to Canada shortly Lyon was found dead... left the country abruptly after the murder and at the time had a teenage son... unlikely breakthrough in the case began four years ago, when a crew of workmen stumbled upon a locked storeroom at a Brighton police station and found key evidence, including the murder weapon, which had previously been misplaced... newsday.com/ ... 11:55:38GASTON, N.C. -- A driver accused of shooting an 11-year-old boy to death during a roadside argument with the child's stepfather was arrested while on the run in Virginia... the two men didn't know each other... The boy's mother got out of the car, apparently trying to quell the situation. ...[boy] was shot in the forehead when he got out to try to talk his mother into getting back into the car with him... pleaded, "Please don't let me die," as he lay on the dirt road... bullet scratched the side of [step-father's] head.... newsday.com/ ... 11:52:52JOHNSON CITY, Texas -- Four monks pleaded not guilty to charges alleging a boy was sexually assaulted at a Texas monastery that draws thousands of visitors every year... Authorities raided the Christ of the Hills Monastery last week in search of "instruments of child abuse..." The four monks, plus another serving a 10-year prison sentence for indecency with a minor, were charged after a young man claimed he had been assaulted at the monastery beginning in 1993, when he was a teenager. ...another accuser has come forward, and others could follow... charges also are possible with regard to the monastery's main attraction: an image of the Virgin Mary that has been said to cry tears of myrrh, seen as a sign of divine intervention. The icon has brought in thousands of visitors and their donations to the monastery... In an effort to keep monkeys out of the New Delhi subways, authorities have called in one of the few animals known to scare the creatures — a fierce-looking primate called the langur... dailyinterlake.com/ ... 13:01:08
Montana.... Josh Bryant will never forget his 11th birthday, when he came nose to snout with a 5-foot... 60-pound alligator... in Kalispell... McGuire, 11, nodded. His father had plunged in the water with a stick, grabbed the alligator by the tail and swung it onto the bank. "This was right out of ‘Crocodile Dundee,’ I swear," Bryant said. Four men held it down and tied its jaws shut with fish stringer, then put it in a canoe and dragged it up to the road. Someone produced a knife and tried to slit the animal’s throat. Still it didn’t die... 
The surviving members of the Beatles are to sue music companies EMI and Capitol Records. They claim the record companies used fraudulent schemes to "pocket millions of dollars" due to the band... want at least £13.2m ($25m) in damages... also seek to reclaim rights to all the Liverpool band's master recordings... 
has spoken for the first time about why he attempted to blow up a jet and murder the 198 people on board... "I am not crazy as they suggest, but I knew exactly what I was doing.... Of course I would have been sad to have those people die, but I knew that my cause was just and righteous. It was the will of Allah that I did not succeed..." In 2003 he was sentenced in a Boston court to 110 years without parole... 
Earlier this year it was revealed how Al Qaeda terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui and Reid also planned to hijack a plane and fly it into the White House days after September 11...
Kenyan villagers tasted sweet revenge on Sunday, feasting on a marauding elephant that slipped into a septic tank as it tried to eat bananas from a local farm... 
CONTROVERSIAL research claiming dolphins are marine dimwits rather than among the most intelligent of animals has split Australian scientists... a South African academic's research... 
On Wednesday, Google removed a text link to its comparison-shopping site, Froogle, and replaced it with one pointing to Google Video...