Since their ban, tobacco products have become the new contraband in Ohio prisons, competing with marijuana as the substance of choice. The Columbus Dispatch reported that a single cigarette sells for $10, a pack of cigarettes goes for $200 and a can of loose tobacco for $300. Prison medical personnel said one out of... »
Marie Osmond’s son Michael Blosil committed suicide Friday evening. The 18-year-old suffered from severe depression and died after jumping from his downtown Los Angeles apartment around 9 p.m. The teen left behind a note explaining that he no longer wanted to live because he felt as if he had no friends and could never fit... »
Although there is research available that suggests that religious belief helps with depression, a study at Russ University Medical Center goes one step further. According to a paper in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, belief in a concerned God can improve response to medical treatment in patients diagnosed with clinical depression. The study found... »
Releasing energy 500 times that of the recent Haitian tragedy, a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake hit south-central Chile early Saturday. Reports thus far indicate that more than 65 have been killed and numerous buildings destroyed. Of serious concern is the resulting tsunami that potentially threatens the Hawaiian Islands. Reuters reported that several buildings collapsed... »
British rock band The Rolling Stones, who have resisted releasing any archival material, plan to include 10 never-before-heard tracks in the upcoming reissue of “Exile on Main Street.” The reissue is due out in the United States on May 18 and will include new songs titled, “Plundered My Soul,” “Dancing in the Light,” “Following the River,” and... »
Indiana GOP Gov. Mitch Daniels is emerging as a favored contender for the 2012 presidential election. Politico says that as governor he has practiced the sort of fiscal conservatism that he preached as “The Blade” during his tenure as President George W. Bush’s head of the Office of Management and Budget. In many ways,... »
Vancouver police have discovered a body they believe to be that of missing Growing Pains actor Andrew Koenig. Authorities say that the body was discovered around noon Thursday in Stanley Park, a vast urban park that police have been searching since Koenig, 41, was reported missing on February 18 after he failed to return to... »
Veteran trainer Dawn Brancheau, 40, was killed by an orca (killer whale) during a show at SeaWorld’s Shamu Stadium. The stage name “Shamu” is used for all male and female orcas at SeaWorld. Authorities said that Brancheau fell into the holding tank and was then fatally injured by one of the orcas. However, park guest... »
Smoking does not necessarily lower IQ, but IQ scores drop proportionally amongst heavier smokers. At least that is the result of extensive tests compiled by Dr. Mark Weiser and his colleagues of Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, Israel. They found that young men who smoked a pack of cigarettes a day or more had... »
A shooting and fatal car crash at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona has left one man dead and a second injured after a base security officer confronted two men in a stolen car at the entrance gate. When the officer got out of his car and approached the vehicle, which had previously been... »
Genetically altered mosquitoes may dramatically reduce cases of dengue fever. The BBC reports that the illness produced by dengue fever affects up to 100 million people a year and threatens over a third of the world’s population and, most importantly, there is no vaccine or treatment available. The dengue virus is spread by... »
U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, known for his anti-establishment, libertarian stance, emerged as the winner Saturday in the annual Conservative Political Action Conference presidential straw poll. Even amidst loud boos, Paul captured 31 percent of the 2,400 votes cast in the annual contest, followed by Mitt Romney at 22 percent. Sarah Palin finished third... »
The Tiger Woods apology has drawn fire and little sympathy from about every sector of the media. Here is a sampling of some of the more outspoken commentaries: David Hinckley, in the New York Daily News: “Prisoners of war reading prepared denunciations of Western imperialism look more comfortable than Tiger Woods did Friday, apologizing for... »
Elton John has claimed Jesus was a “super-intelligent gay man” in a recent interview with a US magazine, according to the BBC. Sir Elton said in the interview: “On the cross, he forgave the people who crucified him. Jesus wanted us to be loving and forgiving. “I don’t know what makes people so cruel.... »
Toyota problems started with the accelerator, then brakes, and now may include Corolla power steering. According to Reuters, Toyota has recalled more than 6 million vehicles in the U.S. market for problems involving the accelerator pedal becoming stuck, either by a loose floor mat or because of a glitch in the pedal assembly itself. A... »
A lengthy suicide note written on the website embeddedart.com, attributed to Joseph Andrew “Joe” Stack, the pilot who crashed his small plane into the Echelon building at 9430 Research Blvd., in Austin, TX this morning, has been taken down. (Read the suicide manifesto in it’s entirety below) A message on the site now reads:... »
Undeterred by strong objections from the Chinese government, President Obama will meet the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, at the White House on Thursday. CNN reports that the meeting has the potential to further complicate Sino-U.S. tensions, rising in recent months and that China has warned that it will certainly damage ties... »
A small plane clipped transmission lines shortly after takeoff and crashed into an East Palo Alto neighborhood Wednesday, setting at least two homes on fire, officials and witnesses said. At least three people were killed. The twin-engine Cessna 310 had departed in heavy fog from Palo Alto Airport for Hawthorne in Southern California when... »
As it has for decades, aspirin continues to amaze the medical world with its record of successfully fighting and preventing serious, often fatal disease. According to Reuters, a study of more than 4,000 nurses showed that those who took aspirin — usually to prevent heart disease — had a 50 percent lower risk of... »
Indiana Democrats are in a state of total panic over Tamyra D’Ippolito. The filing deadline for candidates to fill retiring Sen. Evan Bayh seat is Friday. Right now, the only person who has begun the required signature process to get on the May 4 Indiana Democratic primary ballot is Tamyra D’Ippolito, a political unknown that... »
Mitt Romney was assaulted by a passenger on a flight from Vancouver to Los Angeles. Romney and his wife were returning from a weekend at the Vancouver Olympics when the altercation took place. According to Fox News, Romney simply asked a passenger who was seated and reclining in front of his wife, Ann, to... »
Evan Bayh, another key Democrat, will not seek re-election this November. In a move which surprised both Democrats and Republicans, Evan Bayh, two-term senator from Indiana, has announced that he will not run for re-election when his term expires this year. Known as a moderate Democrat, Bayh indicated that he has tired of partisan... »
Iran is rapidly evolving into a military dictatorship. Speaking to students in Qatar, U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton stated that, “We see that the government of Iran, the supreme leader, the president, the parliament, is being supplanted and that Iran is moving toward a military dictatorship. That is our view.” Asked if Washington... »
It now appears that Amy Bishop Anderson shot and killed her brother 24 years ago. According to CNN, the biology professor charged in the shooting deaths Friday of three faculty members at the University of Alabama in Huntsville also fatally shot her brother at her home in Braintree, Massachusetts in 1986. Braintree Police Chief... »
Jaycee Dugard’s journal captures her plaintiff pleas for freedom after suffering 18 years of sexual and psychological abuse. Six years ago she wrote referring to her captor, Phillip Gardo, “How can I ever tell him I want to be free. Free to come and go as I please … free to say I have a... »
Once again, gunfire has errupted on a U.S. college campus, this time killing three and injuring three more. The BBC reported that Amy Bishop was apprehended outside a science building at the University of Alabama in Huntsville after opening fire at a faculty meeting. Local media reports in Huntsville say the shooting happened after... »
Former President Bill Clinton was hospitalized at New York-Presbyterian Hospital today after complaining of chest pains. Clinton, 63, had quadruple bypass surgery at the same hospital in 2004, and six months later had surgery to remove fluid and scar tissue from his left chest cavity. The former President underwent stent surgery this afternoon and... »
Former Texas Rep. Charlie Wilson, known as “Good Time Charlie” for his hard partying, womanizing ways, died Wednesday at Memorial Medical Center-Lufkin at age 76. The Democrat, who represented Texas’ 2nd Congressional District in the House from 1973 to 1996, was having difficulty breathing after a meeting in east Texas, and was pronounced dead... »
Widespread protests are expected to erupt in Iran on Thursday when the nation observes the anniversary of the revolution. In anticipation of a repeat of prior demonstrations, over the past weeks Iranian security officials have lashed out with massive arrests across the country in an effort to neutralize the political opposition and silence critical... »
“Miss Me Yet”, one of the most “googled” phrases of the week connects to a gaggle of stories and postings about the single billboard in rural Minnesota which shows a picture of former President George W. Bush with the words: “Miss Me Yet?” This, in turn, generated additional news articles and exploded into nationwide... »
