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Jodi Arias Trial Live

2013-02-28T12:05:00.000-08:00

An Arizona woman stands accused of murdering her ex-boyfriend in a jealous rage. Jodi Arias, 32, faces the death penalty if convicted of the brutal killing of Travis Alexander, which would earn her the dubious distinction as the fourth woman on Arizona’s death row. Her sensational trial began in late January as defense attorneys Kirk Nurmi and Jennifer Willmott square off against Maricopa County State Prosecutor Juan Martinez. Arias has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and has been in custody without bail since her arrest in late summer 2008 In her direct examination she told jurors that Alexander was emotionally and physically abusive, a philanderer, and a liar. Arias’ story has changed several times since her 2008 arrest – first she told investigators that she wasn’t in Alexander’s apartment when he was killed, and then when evidence placed her at the scene she told a harrowing story of masked intruders breaking into the apartment, killing Alexander and sparing her. Now she says an abusive Travis Alexander attacked her on June 4, 2008, and that she killed him in self-defense. Will her story hold water? We will find out as Jodi Arias has decided to take the stand. Cross-examination is currently ongoing.
See all the live action Monday - Thursday on CozzaVision

77 year old Grandmother arrested by Texas police after argument escalates

2012-09-13T17:44:00.001-07:00

Police dashboard camera and a second camera attached to a Keene County, Texas, police officer captured this dramatic video of a 77 year-old grandmother talking back to the officer, who had just pulled her over for speeding.

According to a local Dallas-Ft. Worth NBC affiliate, the woman, Lynn Bedford, was travelling 66 mph in 50 mph zone, when officer Sgt. Gene Gehab pulled her over on Aug. 19.

As the officer walked up to the vehicle, the woman announced she was speeding because she had a bladder infection and had to use the bathroom.

Neither the police officer nor the woman appear to listen to the other person and the confrontation quickly escalates with the officer demanding Bedford's license and the woman telling Gehab he would have to wait a minute.

Police in Keene County don't wait for grandmothers to finish talking.

After asking Bedford for her license numerous times, and both people talking over each other, Gehab's long arm of the law opened up Bedford's door and dragged the woman out of the vehicle and pulled her onto the ground.

Bedford was charged with failure to show her license and released later that day.

The police issued a statement supporting Gehab.

"This incident has been reviewed thoroughly by the Keene Police Department and the City of Keene Administration," Alberti said in a written statement. "All parties have concluded that Sgt. Geheb did not violate any state laws or department policies, and in fact was following department policy in regards to violators not providing identification."

Apparently, exercising judgement doesn't enter into the discussion with the Keene Police Department. It seems pretty obvious that if Gehab had not been so combative from the get-go, he could have calmed the lady, followed her to the nearest bathroom and then ticketed her. That would have taken less time than hauling her in, and booking her. What do you think? Did the officer act properly?

UConn's men's basketball coach to retire

2012-09-13T13:38:00.001-07:00

After 26 years, countless magical moments and three NCAA championships, UConn men's basketball coach Jim Calhoun will retire on Thursday, according to reports in the Hartford Courant, ESPN.com and numerous other media outlets.

Calhoun, 70, who had battled health problems in recent years, will announce his retirement at a press conference at 2 p.m. Thursday. He beat cancer three times, and had spinal surgery to correct back problems last year. In August, he broke his hip after falling off his bike near his home in Madison.

In the past few years, Calhoun has drawn a suspension for recruiting violations, and the men's basketball program was barred from postseason play in 2013 because of poor academic performance.

Calhoun began his coaching career at Old Lyme High School after graduating from American International College in Springfield, MA. He coached at Northeastern University in Boston before taking over the Huskies in 1986. UConn as a university and its basketball program were literally noise in the woods before Calhoun arrived.

He finishes his career with 873 career wins, sixth all-time, and he won national titles in 1999, 2004 and 2011. During the Calhoun era, 27 of his players were drafted into the NBA. In 2005, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

According to multiple sources, Kevin Ollie, who played for Calhoun in the 1990s, will take over the program.

New York Soda Ban Approved

2012-09-13T13:04:00.001-07:00

NEW YORK CITY — Say goodbye to venti Frappuccinos, gallon movie theater slurpees and big sodas.

The city's Board of Health approved Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s ban on large sugar-sweetened drinks at its monthly meeting Thursday morning. Nine members voted for it, and one abstained.

Under the plan, all restaurants, fast-food joints, delis, movie theaters, sports stadiums and even food carts will be barred from selling sugar-sweetened drinks in cups larger than 16 ounces.

The limits will not apply to drinks sold in grocery stores, diet sodas, drinks that are more than 70-percent fruit juice, or that contain alcohol.

Dairy drinks containing more than 50 percent milk will also be allowed thanks to their redeeming nutritional qualities — though that’s little solace for Frappuccino lovers since the Starbucks treats contain far less milk than that.

The plan, which requires no other authorization than the Board of Health's vote, has elicited outrage from many, including representatives of the beverage industry which launched an aggressive million-dollar lobbying campaign against the restrictions, accusing Bloomberg of running a Nanny State.

Bubble tea purveyors and deli owners also worry the ban could severely damage business.

Bloomberg argues the ban would be a huge blow against obesity in the city.

The mayor and his Health Commissioner Thomas Farley insist the plan will eventually gain favor, just like the smoking ban in bars and restaurants.

Customers who really want more sugar-filled soda can simply order extra servings, they said.

"We've heard these claims of pending apocalypse before when we proposed bold public health initiatives, and they have been proven false," Samantha Levine, a Bloomberg spokeswoman, said in a statement.

"Critics predicted the end of tourism and that businesses would sink when we banned smoking in bars and restaurants, yet we've grown tourism to record levels and the restaurant and bar industry continues to grow," she said.

A recent Quinnipiac University poll found the plan has fallen flat with New Yorkers, with 51 percent of those polled opposed.

Once approved, restaurants will have nine months to comply with the limits before facing $200 fines.

Opponents say they are weighing their legal options.

Bill Gates wants to reinvent the toilet

2012-08-14T19:36:00.001-07:00

You might not want to pack a picnic lunch for this summer event.

Researchers from China, Switzerland, Britain, the Netherlands, Canada and California have flocked to Seattle this week for the "Reinvent the Toilet Fair," a two-day showcase hosted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Forget the bathroom humor. This is serious sh*t.

In a YouTube video calling for a "toilet revolution," the foundation called for "new ideas to help reduce disease and find new ways to turn crap into valuable stuff, like fuel, fertilizer, and fresh water."

The problem was put succinctly by Bill Gates, the Microsoft founder and philanthropist, in a tweet this week: "4 out of 10 people don’t have a safe way to poop - that’s 2.6 billion!"

Gates took on the mission of building a better toilet a year ago. As he recently told the Times of India, 1.5 million children die each year due to severe diarrhea caused by poor sanitation because they lack the kind of toilets that affluent countries take for granted.

"Finding a new toilet design that is as good as the flush toilet should be possible. It does not exist now," Gates said. "That's why we have been putting in money asking people to design a new toilet."

And not just any kind of toilet. As All Things Digital explained, "The toilets have to be hygienic and sustainable, discharge no pollutants, generate energy, recover nutrients and only need a tiny amount of water. Oh yeah, and they also need to have a cost of operation of a nickel per person per day."

In other words, "Reinventing the Toilet" was no job for a plumber.

Last year, the Gates Foundation awarded $400,000 in grants to eight universities to help them develop a better way to go. On Tuesday, the grant recipients gathered to report their progress.

"Two-hundred years ago we had the invention of the flush toilet and we've really not done anything in the engineering of the toilet since then," Carl Hensman, who heads the foundation's water sanitation and hygiene program, told MyNorthwest.com. He described one suggested method called "hydrothermal carbonization."

That's "a really big term that really represents a pressure cooker," he said. "What you do is take the fecal material and the urine and you'll essentially cook it under pressure and the material you get out of that has an energy you can use to fuel your cooker or you can actually use it as a fertilizer as well."

A team at Cal Tech wants to use solar power to break down feces and urine into hydrogen gas that could then be used as a backup power source at night.

At Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, scientists have another idea: microwave human waste into electricity.

Hensman said he hopes the various ideas can be combined to find one ultimate solution that can be put into practice in the field.

"There are pieces of each of their technologies that can be combined,"he said. "That's what we're really looking for is how can we pull everybody together to sort the solution out."

Nasa's Panoramic views of Mars

2012-08-14T19:16:00.001-07:00

Junk Drawer items ignite, blamed for house fire

2012-08-14T12:42:00.000-07:00

We all know we should clean out our junk drawers, but the real reason has nothing to do with getting organized. A 9 volt battery in a messy junk drawer is being blamed for a recent house fire in Amherst, New Hampshire, and the state's fire marshal is warning people to take a good look at the stuff they stash away.

"The potential is there," Londonderry, New Hampshire, Fire Chief Kevin MacCaffrie told CBS News in Boston. "There are a lot of things in a normal junk drawer that do burn, and apparently the ignition source was a 9 volt battery."

The battery that sparked the Amherst house fire had been stored in the kitchen junk drawer inside a plastic bag filled with other batteries, the fire marshal's office said in a statement.

"The 9 volt battery rubbed against another battery and ignited the fire," the statement read. The fire spread to Post-It Notes, paper, and other flammable items in the drawer and "produced smoke throughout the first floor of the home."

The drawer, which the homeowner said had just been reorganized, also contained spare keys, a cigarette lighter, paper clips, and eye glass cleaner "along with everything else that you find in a 'junk' drawer," the fire marshal's office said.

When it comes to those regular, rectangular 9 volt batteries, the problem is that both the positive and the negative contact points are on the same end. If those contact points touch a paper clip, a key, or the clip on a pen, it can generate heat; leave it there long enough and it could start a fire.

MacCafferie demonstrated how a paper clip touching the contact points of a 9 volt battery could scorch a square of tissue in minutes. A wad of steel wool glowed orange and set paper on fire in just seconds when it rubbed up against a 9 volt battery.

In this case, the homeowners didn't lose everything -- "We were fortunate not have been away for the weekend," they told the fire department, which did not release their names -- but their experience has led fire officials around the country to issue junk drawer warnings. And, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department, there are several other typical household items that can turn into fire hazards:

Electrical outlets, when overloaded with extension cords
Lithium batteries, when stored in the same place as clothing
Clothes dryers, when too much lint gets caught in the vent or filter
Space heaters, when placed too close to curtains, sheets, or other flammable materials
Overheated laptop computers, when left on soft surfaces (like a bed or a tablecloth)
Extra gasoline cans, when stored near dirty rags in the garage
Fireplaces, when there is too much soot build-up

And if you must store your batteries in your junk drawer, officials at several different fire departments told Yahoo! Shine that the best way to prevent them from sparking a fire is to wrap the ends in electrical tape or keep them in their original packages.

Nasa's Mars Rover lands on Mars, makes history

2012-08-06T17:48:00.004-07:00

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — The robotic explorer Curiosity's daring plunge through the pink skies of Mars was more than perfect. It landed with spectacular style, said a NASA scientist, describing the first images of its mechanical gymnastics.

Hours after NASA learned the rover had arrived on target, engineers and scientists got the first glimpses of the intricate maneuvers it made to hit the Martian soil safely.

"It's a spectacular image," said NASA research scientist Luther Beegle. The photo, taken from an orbiting Mars spacecraft, shows Curiosity dangling from its supersonic parachute as it descended.

Extraordinary efforts were needed for the landing because the rover weighs one ton, and the Martian atmosphere is very thin, not offering much friction to slow the spacecraft down.

More images, including video of the landing and beautiful color shots of Mars, will follow in days to come. It will be weeks before Curiosity starts digging into the red planet's past.

Cheers and applause echoed through the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory late Sunday after signals from space indicated Curiosity had survived the harrowing plunge.

"Touchdown confirmed," said engineer Allen Chen. "We're safe on Mars." Minutes after the landing signal reached Earth at 10:32 p.m. PDT, Curiosity beamed back the first black-and-white pictures from inside the crater showing its wheel and its shadow, cast by the afternoon sun.

"We landed in a nice flat spot. Beautiful, really beautiful," said engineer Adam Steltzner, who led the team that devised the tricky landing routine.

It was NASA's seventh landing on Earth's neighbor; many other attempts by the U.S. and other countries to zip past, circle or set down on Mars have gone awry.

The arrival was an engineering tour de force, debuting never-before-tried acrobatics packed into "seven minutes of terror" as Curiosity sliced through the Martian atmosphere at 13,000 mph.

In a Hollywood-style finish, cables delicately lowered the rover to the ground at a snail-paced 2 mph. A video camera was set to capture the most dramatic moments — which would give Earthlings their first glimpse of a touchdown on another world.

JPL Director Charles Elachi compared the team to Olympic athletes.

"This team came back with the gold," he said.

The extraterrestrial feat injected a much-needed boost to NASA, which is debating whether it can afford another robotic Mars landing this decade. At a budget-busting $2.5 billion, Curiosity is the priciest gamble yet, which scientists hope will pay off with a bonanza of discoveries and pave the way for astronaut landings.

"The wheels of Curiosity have begun to blaze the trail for human footprints on Mars," said NASA chief Charles Bolden.

President Barack Obama lauded the landing in a statement, calling it "an unprecedented feat of technology that will stand as a point of national pride far into the future."

Over the next two years, Curiosity will drive over to a mountain rising from the crater floor, poke into rocks and scoop up rust-tinted soil to see if the region ever had the right environment for microscopic organisms to thrive. It's the latest chapter in the long-running quest to find out whether primitive life arose early in the planet's history.

The voyage to Mars took more than eight months and spanned 352 million miles.

NASA's last Mars rovers, twins Spirit and Opportunity, weighed much less and were easier to land back in 2004, cocooned in air bags.

Curiosity relied on a series of braking tricks, similar to those used by the space shuttle, a heat shield and a supersonic parachute to slow down as it punched through the atmosphere.

And in a new twist, engineers came up with a way to lower the rover by cable from a hovering rocket-powered backpack. At touchdown, the cords cut and the rocket stage crashed a distance away.

The nuclear-powered Curiosity, the size of a small car, is packed with scientific tools, cameras and a weather station. It sports a robotic arm with a power drill, a laser that can zap distant rocks, a chemistry lab to sniff for the chemical building blocks of life and a detector to measure dangerous radiation on the surface.

It also tracked radiation levels during the journey to help NASA better understand the risks astronauts could face on a future manned trip.

There will be several weeks of health checkups before the six-wheel rover takes its first short drive and flexes its robotic arm.

The landing site near Mars' equator was picked because there are signs of past water everywhere, meeting one of the requirements for life as we know it. Inside Gale Crater is a 3-mile-high mountain, and images from space show the base appears rich in minerals that formed in the presence of water.

Previous trips to Mars have uncovered ice near the Martian north pole and evidence that water once flowed when the planet was wetter and toastier unlike today's harsh, frigid desert environment.

Curiosity's goal: to scour for basic ingredients essential for life including carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur and oxygen. It's not equipped to search for living or fossil microorganisms.

The mission comes as NASA retools its Mars exploration strategy. Faced with tough economic times, the space agency pulled out of partnership with the European Space Agency to land a rock-collecting rover in 2018. The Europeans have since teamed with the

Russians as NASA decides on a new roadmap.

Despite Mars' reputation as a spacecraft graveyard, humans continue their love affair with the planet, lobbing spacecraft in search of clues about its early history. Out of more than three dozen attempts — flybys, orbiters and landings — by the U.S., Soviet Union, Europe and Japan since the 1960s, more than half have ended disastrously.

One NASA rover that defied expectations is Opportunity, which is still busy wheeling around the rim of a crater in the Martian southern hemisphere eight years later.

Opening Ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics

2012-07-27T18:06:00.002-07:00

The 2012 London Olympics begin with a dazzling opening ceremony complete with James Bond, the Beatles and the Queen.

Honoring the Victims of Aurora, Colo. shooting

2012-07-20T18:54:00.001-07:00

Roger Federer Defeats Andy Murray In Wimbledon Men's Singles Final

2012-07-08T19:22:00.003-07:00

WIMBLEDON, England — A Grand Slam title drought did indeed end in Sunday's historic and riveting Wimbledon final, only it was Roger Federer's lengthy-for-him gap between trophies that came to a close, rather than Britain's 76-year wait for a homegrown men's champion.

Making sure everyone knows he is still as capable as ever of brilliance on a tennis court – particularly one made of grass, and with a roof overhead – Federer came back to beat Andy Murray 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 indoors on Centre Court for a record-tying seventh championship at the All England Club.

"It feels nice," Federer said, clutching the gold trophy only Pete Sampras has held as many times in the modern era. "It's like it never left me."

The victory also increased Federer's record total to 17 major titles after being stuck on No. 16 for 2 1/2 years, and clinched a return to the top of the ATP rankings, overtaking Novak Djokovic, after an absence of a little more than two years. Federer's 286th week at No. 1 ties Sampras for the most in history.

"He doesn't want to stop now. He knows he's going to continue to play well and try to break seven, and he could very well end up with eight or nine Wimbledons," Sampras said in a telephone interview. "I just think he's that much better than the other guys on grass, and he loves the court the way I loved that court. He's a great champion, a classy champion, and I'm really happy for him."

After a record seven consecutive Wimbledon finals from 2003-09, winning the first six, Federer lost in the quarterfinals in 2010 and 2011, then wasted two match points and a two-set lead against Djokovic in the U.S. Open semifinals last year, raising questions about whether he might be slipping.

"A couple tough moments for me the last couple years, I guess," Federer said. "So I really almost didn't try to picture myself with the trophy or try to think too far ahead, really."

After losing in the semifinals each of the previous three years, Murray was the first British man to reach the final at Wimbledon since Bunny Austin in 1938, and was trying to become the hosts' first male title winner since Fred Perry in 1936.

Alas, Murray dropped to 0-4 in Grand Slam finals, three against Federer. Only one other man lost the first four major title matches of his career: Ivan Lendl, who is coaching Murray now and sat in his guest box with chin planted on left palm, as expressionless as he was during his playing career. While Lendl never did win Wimbledon, perhaps Murray can take solace from knowing his coach did end up with eight Grand Slam titles."I'm getting closer," Murray told the crowd afterward, his voice cracking and tears flowing.

"Everybody always talks about the pressure of playing at Wimbledon, how tough it is," he said. "It's not the people watching; they make it so much easier to play. The support has been incredible, so thank you."

The Scotland native was urged on by 15,000 or so of his closest friends in person, along with thousands more watching on a large video screen a short walk away across the ground – not to mention the millions watching the broadcast on the BBC.

The afternoon's first roar from those in attendance came when Murray jogged to the baseline for the prematch warmup; there even were cheers when his first practice stroke clipped the top of the net and went over.

Any omen would do.

The British, tennis enthusiasts and otherwise, searched for signs everywhere. Murray turned 25 in May, just as Perry had turned 25 in May 1934, shortly before he won his first of three consecutive Wimbledon titles; 2012 is Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee, celebrating her 60-year reign, just as 1977, when Virginia Wade won the Wimbledon women's championship, was the Silver Jubilee, marking 25 years on the throne; on Saturday night, Jonathan Marray (paired with Frederik Nielsen of Denmark) became the first Brit to win a men's doubles title at Wimbledon since – yes, that's right – 1936.

Royalty – real and of a celebrity nature – began arriving more than a half-hour beforehand: Prince William's wife, Kate, and her sister, Pippa Middleton; British Prime Minister David Cameron; soccer star David Beckham and his wife, former Spice Girl Victoria. Also present in the Royal Box: Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, who wants Scotland to break away from Britain.

Early on, every point Murray won earned cheers as though the ultimate outcome had been decided. Every miss, even a first-serve fault, drew moans of "A," as though their lad had lost any chance.

Murray got off to a glorious start. Federer, appearing in his 24th Grand Slam final, appeared the tenser of the two, amazingly enough, and when he sailed a swinging forehand volley long to get broken in the opening game, spectators rose to their feet and waved their Scottish and Union Jack flags.

That said, they do appreciate greatness here, and so Federer's best offerings drew applause, too. There was plenty of clapping and yelling to go around for both men, who produced extremely high-quality play, filled with lengthy exchanges, superb shotmaking and deft volleying – all befitting the setting and the stakes.

Murray's second break helped him take the opening set, and things were even as could be for much of the second, until deuce at 5-5. From there, Federer stepped up, in large part by winning 43 of the 57 points on his serve the rest of the way. He saved all five break points he faced after the first set.

After holding for 6-5 in the second, Federer broke. At 30-all, he won a 17-stroke point with a drop volley that Murray got to but sailed a lob attempt long. And then Federer carved – caressed, really – another drop volley, this one bouncing to the side after it landed for a winner, impossible to reach, closing a 20-stroke exchange.

"Roger did a good job in the second set, turning the momentum around, and really changing things a lot," said his coach, Paul Annacone, who also worked with Sampras.

A real key switch happened at 1-all in the third, when a drizzle transformed into heavy showers, causing a 40-minute delay while the retractable cover was moved over the court. The roof was installed before the 2009 tournament; this was its first use for a singles final.

Until then, Federer had won 86 points, Murray 85. Under the roof – with no wind to alter trajectories, allowing the third-seeded Swiss star to make pure, explosive contact with the ball – Federer won 65 points, Murray 52.

"The way the court plays is a bit different," the fourth-seeded Murray said. "I think he served very well when the roof closed. He served better."

The most monumental game, though, came with Murray serving and trailing 3-2 in the third. It was chock-full: 10 deuces, six break points for Federer, three falls to the turf by Murray, all spread over roughly 20 gloriously intense minutes.

Murray went up 40-love, then began to crack as Federer walloped two backhand returns to 40-30. On the next point, Federer conjured up another beautiful drop shot and Murray tumbled head-over-heels while giving chase; both Federer and the chair umpire went over to check on him. A few points later, Murray did a somersault at the baseline when he slipped going after a lob. And on it went. At the 10th deuce, Federer sent another lob over Murray, who hit the deck yet again, but got up in time to see the ball plop on the baseline. This set up Federer's sixth break point, the last he would need – in the game and the set, certainly, but also in the match and the tournament, it seemed.

He converted it with an inside-out forehand that landed in a corner, and Murray could only push his reply into the net.

There would be no more shifts of control, no reasons for Federer to doubt – or for Murray and his legion of backers to believe.

The final break for Federer made it 3-2 in the fourth, when he flicked a cross-court backhand passing winner that was powerful and perfect. Federer made a rare show of strong emotion, shaking his right fist and bellowing. That, essentially, was that, no matter how many times the fans were going to sing their choruses of "An-dy! An-dy!" and "Mur-ray! Mur-ray!"

Federer only needed to hold serve three more times, and he did, then crumbled to the court when Murray sailed one last forehand wide.

"This is, I guess, how you want to win Wimbledon – by going after your shots, believing you can do it," Federer said, "and that's what I was able to do today."

He most definitely is back to being the best at what he does.

Federer turns 31 on Aug. 8, and is the first thirtysomething man to win Wimbledon since Arthur Ashe in 1975.

No matter. He and Sampras – and, by now, plenty of others – see no reason why Federer can't keep adding to all of his records.

"I'm so happy I'm at the age I am right now, because I had such a great run and I know there's still more possible. To enjoy it right now, it's very different than when I was 20 or 25," said Federer, whose twin daughters, wearing matching black-and-white dresses and frilly socks, applauded from his guest box during the trophy ceremony.

"I'm at a much more stable place in my life. I wouldn't want anything to change," he added. "So this is very, very special right now."

FBI warning on DNS Malware

2012-07-06T13:29:00.001-07:00

Fetal Development Video Shows How Face Forms In Womb

2012-07-05T17:22:00.000-07:00

Former ruler of Egypt Hosni Mubarak reportedly on life support

2012-06-19T16:18:00.003-07:00

CAIRO, June 19 (Reuters) - Hosni Mubarak, who ruled Egypt for three decades until overthrown by last year, was on life support in hospital, military officials said on Tuesday, but they denied a report he was clinically dead.

Earlier the state news agency, amid high tension over the election of a new president, quoted medical sources as saying the former head of state, aged 84, was "clinically dead". That description was used also to Reuters by a hospital source.
But three sources in the military and security services, which retain control following the revolt, said Mubarak was being kept alive and said they would not use the expression "clinically dead" to describe his condition.

General Said Abbas, a member of the ruling military council, told Reuters, that Mubarak had suffered a stroke but added: "Any talk of him being clinically dead is nonsense."

Another military source said: "He is completely unconscious. He is using artificial respiration."

A security source also gave the same account and said: "It is still early to say that he is clinically dead."

The confusion over the state of health of the former leader came as his long-time opponents in the Muslim Brotherhood claimed victory over a candidate drawn from military elite in a presidential election held at the weekend.

Results have not been published, and supporters of Ahmed Shafik, Mubarak's former prime minister who was running against the Islamist Mohamed Morsy, said it was he who had won.

State news agency MENA had earlier cited medical sources to say that Mubarak was clinically dead. His heart had stopped beating and could not be revived.

Later, however, the agency, citing medical sources, said a medical team was still trying treat a blood clot on the brain, adding that he had not left the intensive care unit at Tora prison, where he had been held since being sentenced to life imprisonment on June 2 for his role in the deaths of protesters.

Rodney King Dead at age 47

2012-06-17T20:35:00.005-07:00

King was declared dead at a hospital after his fiancée called 911 at 5:25 a.m. to say she found him submerged in the pool at his home in Rialto, about an hour's drive from Los Angeles. Officers found King in the deep end of the pool, pulled him out and tried unsuccessfully to revive him with CPR.

An autopsy was expected to determine the cause of death within two days; police found no alcohol or drug paraphernalia near the pool and said foul play wasn't suspected. King's next-door neighbor, Sandra Gardea, said that around 3 a.m., she heard music and someone "really crying, like really deep emotions. ... Like tired or sad, you know?"

"I then heard someone say, 'OK, Please stop. Go inside the house.' ... We heard quiet for a few minutes Then after that we heard a splash in the back."Rodney King was pulled from the bottom of a pool and is dead at age 47.

Sea creatures hitch a ride on dock to U.S. from Japan Tsunami

2012-06-08T19:40:00.000-07:00

When the tsunami hit the northern coast of Japan last year, the waves ripped four dock floats the size of freight train boxcars from their pilings in the fishing port of Misawa and turned them over to the whims of wind and currents.

One floated up on a nearby island. Two have not been seen again. But one made an incredible journey across 5,000 miles of ocean that ended this week on a popular Oregon beach.

Along for the ride were hundreds of millions of individual organisms, including a tiny species of crab, a species of algae, and a little starfish all native to Japan that have scientists concerned if they get a chance to spread out on the West Coast.

"This is a very clear threat," said John Chapman, a research scientist at Oregon State University's Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, Ore., where the dock washed up early Tuesday. "... It's incredibly difficult to predict what will happen next."

A dozen volunteers scraped the dock clean of marine organisms and sterilized it with torches Thursday to prevent the spread of invasive species, said Chris Havel, spokesman for the state Department of Parks and Recreation, which is overseeing the dock's fate.

The volunteers removed a ton and a half of material from the dock, and buried it above the high-water line, Havel said.

Biologists have identified one species of seaweed, known as wakame, that is native to Japan and has established in Southern California but has not yet been seen in Oregon, he said.

Bizarre looking Chinese Crested Dog thought to be mutant pig

2012-06-08T18:38:00.002-07:00

When a pink and plump Chinese Crested dog with odd brown spots and a shock of white hair was seen wandering XinXiang, China, many citizens mistook the bizarre-looking dog for some sort of mutant pig, according to the (U.K.) Daily Mail.

With several research centers and a medical school nearby, passersby who spotted the peculiar dog were concerned it was an escapee from some dangerous lab experiment. One bystander even described the animal as an obvious "genetic experiment" on a pig that had been botched.

Residents realized they could stop cowering in fear when police arrived and reported that the supposed mutant was actually a rare breed of canine, the Chinese Crested. Authorities said that the breed is not typical for the area and is usually rather expensive.

Not surprisingly, Chinese Cresteds often compete in the annual World's Ugliest Dog Competition at the Sonoma Marin Fair in California. Last year's winner, Yoda, was a Chinese Crested, as were many previous winners of the contest. Perhaps the "mutant pig" will one day find appreciation and stardom in the U.S.

Robin Gibb Funeral: Crowds Line Streets To Bid Farewell

2012-06-08T18:33:00.000-07:00

THAME, England — Surviving Bee Gee Barry Gibb lamented the loss of his brother, telling mourners on Friday that he would miss Robin Gibb's "magnificent mind and his beautiful heart."

He said Robin's death from cancer last month at age 62 means that he would now be reunited with his late twin brother Maurice, who died in 2003.

"They were both beautiful," Barry Gibb said. "And now they're together. They're actually together."

Many mourners at St. Mary's Church wept as Robin's coffin was brought into the church while the Bee Gees classic "How Deep is Your Love" was played.

Robin's widow Dwina and his elderly mother Barbara were close behind.

Barbara Gibb has outlived three of her four sons. Singer Andy Gibb, who had a successful solo career, died in 1988.

The Bee Gees, known for soaring harmonies and disco tunes, were one of the most popular bands in history. Robin Gibb also enjoyed success as a solo artist and as a songwriter.

Crowds of mourners lined the streets of the southern English town before the service as a glass-sided horse-drawn carriage pulled Robin Gibb's coffin to the church. The cortege was followed by Robin's two Irish wolfhounds, Ollie and Missy, along with friends and family.

Barry Gibb told the congregation that his late brother Robin's humor was always present, even in times of tension between the two."We were laughing all the way," Barry Gibb said. "Sometimes crying. God knows how much we argued. Even right up to the end we found conflict with each other, which now means nothing."

Guests filed out of the church to the sound of the Bee Gees' song "I Started A Joke," which includes the line: "Till I finally died, which started the whole world living." Gibb was then buried in the churchyard, with a piper playing "Ellan Vannin," the unofficial anthem of the Isle of Man, where the Bee Gees were born. Mourners tossed red roses into the grave.

Brad Pitt movie "World War Z" rewrites delay release

2012-06-08T18:27:00.001-07:00

Paramount has brought on "Prometheus" screenwriter Damon Lindelof to retool the Brad Pitt-led adaptation of Max Brooks' famed zombie novel -- with specific focus being placed on the film's third act. That would par for the Hollywood-blockbuster course, except for one small detail: "World War Z" finished filming last year.

THR.com broke the news of Lindelof's hire, while noting that "World War Z" will undergo "significant reshoots" likely starting this fall.

For Paramount, this is the second high-profile film to require major post-production changes. Last month, "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" was moved from its June 29 release date to March 29, 2013. The studio line was that "G.I. Joe" was being retrofitted into 3D to help with overseas revenues, but Deadline.com reported that test audiences were unhappy with Channing Tatum's brief role in the film. His part could be expanded with additional reshoots, but Tatum hadn't heard about any last week at the MTV Movie Awards.

"I don't know. Truly," Tatum said. "I haven't seen the movie. I did my part and then all this stuff is going on, so they haven't come to talk to me about anything. They talk about a lot of stuff; who knows if it's the industry or the actual studio? You never know."

As for "World War Z," the film was initially scheduled to hit theaters on Dec. 21, but was moved to next June earlier this year. That would give director Marc Forster plenty of time to work in the new ending that Lindelof writes, but whether the director gets the chance is certainly up for debate. As Badass Digest writer Devin Faraci notes, "It's hard to believe [he'll] be allowed to keep screwing the movies up in costly overtime."

No Triple Crown this year; I'll Have Another will not run

2012-06-08T18:18:00.004-07:00

I’ll Have Another will not run in Saturday’s Belmont Stakes—in fact, the colt who had a chance to become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978 will be retired.

Tendinitis in I’ll Have Another’s left-front foot was the reason for the decision to pull the horse from the Belmont—and ultimately call an end to his racing career—trainer Doug O’Neill said at a Friday afternoon press conference at Belmont Park.

I'll Have Another was walked by a groom behind O'Neill and his owner, Paul Reddam, while the two addressed the media.

“It was unanimous to retire him,” Reddam said. O’Neill added of his horse’s injury, “Could he run and compete? Yes. Would it be in his best interest? No.”

I'll Have Another could have raced in the Belmont Stakes with the tendinitis in his left-front leg, but trainer Doug O'Neill said it would not be in the horse's best interests. (AP Photo)

After an early Friday morning gallop, O'Neill declared I'll Have Another "fit and ready to go," but the trainer later noticed that the horse’s left-front foot was tender.

“He galloped great yesterday and then in the afternoon he had a little bit of swelling in his left front leg," O’Neill said earlier on The Dan Patrick Show. "This morning he looked perfect. I took him out and I just did a little something with him, and after training that swelling came back. I had the vet come over. He scanned his left front leg and he’s got the start of some tendinitis in that front leg. So he’s not 100 percent, and we ain’t taking any chances and (are) pulling him out."

Air Force Has Secret Space Shuttle

2012-06-07T13:55:00.002-07:00

We were told that the Space Shuttle program was dead. NASA's shuttle program is finished, but the U.S. Air Force has a ship orbiting the planet right now. What is in it? That is a secret.

'Vampire' skeletons found in Bulgaria

2012-06-05T14:43:00.002-07:00

Archaeologists in Bulgaria have unearthed two skeletons from the Middle Ages pierced through the chest with iron rods to keep them from turning into vampires, the head of the history museum said.

"These two skeletons stabbed with rods illustrate a practice which was common in some Bulgarian villages up until the first decade of the 20th century," said national history museum chief Bozhidar Dimitrov after the recent find in the Black Sea town of Sozopol.

According to pagan beliefs, people who were considered bad during their lifetimes might turn into vampires after death unless stabbed in the chest with an iron or wooden rod before being buried.
People believed the rod would also pin them down in their graves to prevent them from leaving at midnight and terrorising the living, the historian explained.

The practice was common, Dimitrov added, saying some 100 similar burials had already been found in Bulgaria.

Archaeologist Petar Balabanov, who in 2004 unearthed six nailed-down skeletons at a site near the eastern town of Debelt, said the pagan rite was also practiced in neighbouring Serbia and other Balkan countries.

Vampire legends are widespread across the Balkans. The most famous is that of Romanian count Vlad the Impaler, known as Dracula, who staked his war enemies and drank their blood.

'Big Bird' on the Sun?

2012-06-04T15:09:00.001-07:00

The rubber chicken's Twitter feed is part of NASA's social media outreach efforts. Officials pasted a picture of the "Sesame Street" character next to the 'Big Bird' coronal hole for comparison. The image of Big Bird on the sun is an example of pareidolia, which is the tendency of the human brain to recognize animals or other prominent shapes in vague or random images. This view of an elephant's head on Mars is another example.

Coronal holes are associated with "open" magnetic field lines, which extend out into interplanetary space rather than arc back to the solar surface. Coronal holes are often found near the sun's poles, Camilla added, and the high-speed solar wind — a stream of charged particles flowing from the sun's upper atmosphere — is known to originate in them.

The super-speedy solar wind from the 'Big Bird' coronal hole will reach Earth between June 5 and June 7, Camilla said.

After remaining relatively quiet for several years, the sun has entered an active phase of its 11-year solar cycle, firing off a number of strong flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) — huge clouds of solar plasma — in the past several months.

CMEs that hit Earth inject large amounts of energy into the planet's magnetic field, spawning potentially devastating geomagnetic storms that can disrupt GPS signals, radio communications and power grids for days, researchers say. These storms can also super-charge the northern and southern lights, generating brilliant shows for skywatchers at high latitudes.

Experts think the current cycle, known as Solar Cycle 24, will peak in 2013.

The $850 million SDO spacecraft launched in February 2010. The probe's five-year mission is the cornerstone of a NASA science program called Living with a Star, which aims to help researchers better understand aspects of the sun-Earth system that affect our lives and society.

Where did all The Drive-In Theater go?

2012-06-04T14:54:00.003-07:00

Now most drive-ins are gone. Others have remained as spooky abandoned lots that offer the photographers in this article's gallery the chance to lend atmosphere to their images. Visiting a dead drive-in theater is a bit like visiting a ghost town. It leaves you wondering about the people who used to spend time there.

Unlike with ghost towns, many of us can remember being one of those people. I remember going to the DeAnza Drive-in in Tucson, Arizona. My friend and I used to put a futon on top of her VW van and watch movies under the Arizona starlight. The DeAnza is gone now, and all that's left is a webpage of memories.

But don't despair, movie fans, there's hope. The remaining drive-ins are keeping the flame lit. There are places like Hollywood Drive-in, which has been showing movies on Route 66 near Troy, New York, since 1952. New technologies like video projection are making it easier to open up drive-ins in any location where there's a blank wall or the space for a screen. My favorite indie cinema, Ragtag Cinema in Columbia, Missouri, has done some outdoor shows in a nearby parking lot. Check out the photo gallery to see a cool Belgian drive-in using an inflatable screen.

Transit Of Venus (VIDEO) see it tomorrow

2012-06-04T14:22:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow is the big day. Time to dust off your eclipse glasses, binoculars and posterboard, or pinhole camera and witness the transit of Venus, a once in a lifetime event! (Actually, it's a twice in a lifetime event, but if you missed it eight years ago, this is your last chance!) To help prepare, I reached out to Phil Plait, the "Bad Astronomer." He gave me the inside scoop, including how and when to witness this rare astronomical occurrence. He also filled me in on its historical significance and how it may help astrophysicists learn more about planets outside of our own solar system. To learn more, watch the video.