Our Future: Did WALL-E Guess Right?

The Mayans have predicted the end of the world for this Friday. Some huge disaster (a firestorm, the next Ice Age, what have you) is supposed to happen and the entire human race is going to be wiped out. Or...is it? A select few might possibly be spared from peril and board a jumbo jet much like the one in the classic Disney movie, WALL-E. Who wouldn't want their own hovering chair to sit in all day without taking a single step for the rest of their life, or a little robot to clean every possible surface for you? While this lifestyle seems flawless, Earth will become a barren wasteland and will not be able support plant, animal, or human life. That is, until a cute little garbage-plucking rust bucket saves the planet by discovering a budding plant.

Oldest Cold Case Closed After More Than 50 Years

Maria Ridulph vanished from her neighborhood street corner fifty five years ago. Jack Daniel McCullough was identified a couple of years ago, who went as John Tessier at the time. He was 17 years old when he kidnapped Maria. McCullough claimed he was framed by corrupt police, however, he was recently convicted of the abduction and murder of Maria. He was never a suspect because his alibi was that he was miles away at the time and left Sycamore, the town in which the kidnapping occurred, to join the Air Force and eventually the Army.The case went cold, but citizens of the town remembered Maria by putting up a monument in her honor. Maria Ridulph's mother, on her death bed, told Maria's younger sister that "John did it, and you have to tell someone" and the case was finally reopened in 2008. Investigators say this is the oldest cold case to be given a trial and lead to a conviction.


http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/10/justice/oldest-cold-case-sentencing/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

Typhoon Bopha Draws Close to Philippines

Citizens of the Philippines continue to wait in the darkness for the arrival of Typhoon Bopha that is rumored to be worse than a storm that occurred in 2011 that had more than 1,200 deaths. Millions of people are in Bopha's path, in areas unprepared and remote. The typhoon is becoming a super storm with sustained winds of about 150 miles per hour, which is the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane. Sendong, the storm in 2011, had half that wind speed and that is why people are fearing the worst. Flash floods, landslides, homes getting blasted by high winds, uprooted trees, and power outages are expected. The storm is supposed to make landfall around 8 A.M. Tuesday. (7 P.M. Monday our time)



http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/03/world/asia/philippines-typhoon/index.html?hpt=wo_c2

Syrian Shelling Kills 10 Children

A viral YouTube video was posted showing a variety of gruesome and depressing images of Syrian children killed by shelling on Sunday in a Damascus playground. Such images include two little girls, both dead, two more bodies, and adults carrying other limp children. The video quickly spread via social media. The children were playing on the playground when cluster bombs from warplanes struck them. Some residents believe the attack was issued by the government because rebels took over a military airport that was nearby, however, the real cause of the shelling is unknown. The violence continued Monday, with about 140 reported deaths across the country.



http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/26/world/meast/syria-civil-war/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

Massive Explosion in Indianapolis

Saturday night, November 10th, an explosion rattled the homes of 80 residents of Indianapolis' Southside. Two adults were killed and seven others wounded and taken to the hospital both from the explosion itself and fires related. Bonnie Hensley, a fire department spokesperson, claimed two houses next to each other blew up, but the cause was unknown, as there were no reports of gas leakages prior to the explosion. Some locals were out of town, preventing further bloodshed. At one point during the night an estimated 70 firefighters were on site to control and prevent fires, however, their primary concern was evacuating the area. 200 people were herded into Mary Bryan Elementary School, where they were checked by doctors and paramedics.


http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/11/us/indiana-houses-explode/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

Young Boy Killed at Pittsburgh Zoo

On Sunday, November 4, a boy of about three years old was at the Pittsburgh Zoo looking at the exhibit of the African painted dogs. He fell off the observation area, which is 14 feet above the enclosure, into the exhibit with the dogs, where he was killed by them. "Pittsburgh police and emergency teams immediately responded to the situation, but there was nothing that could be done," said the zoo's president, Barbara Baker. The incident occurred around 11:45 a.m. and other visitors reported to staff members, who moved seven dogs out of the enclosure, but there were still four in there. The four dogs did not respond to the efforts and one was even shot and killed by a police officer. The Pittsburgh Zoo and its affiliated aquarium are currently closed.



http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/11/04/zoo-animals-kill-small-child/?hpt=hp_t3

First a Superstorm, Now a Fire

Eighty homes have been torched due to a fire that spread throughout a flooded neighborhood in Queens, New York early Tuesday morning. About 200 firefighters tried to contain the flame, but high winds from the superstorm and downed power lines made this very difficult, not to mention highly dangerous. Steve Mastrandrea, resident of the neighborhood said, “I was trying to give a helping hand and got trapped. We couldn’t help anybody, I couldn’t even help myself.” Not even “the Perfect Storm”, the nor’easter that was occurring along with Hurricane Grace in 1991, could compare to Hurricane Sandy. It is bad enough that are two extremely dangerous storms happening in unison, there is a destructive fire that was spreading as well. 

http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/30/us/new-york-storm-fires/index.html?hpt=hp_bn1

Gas Prices Expected to Decrease by Thanksgiving

This predicted drop in gas prices is music to the Thanksgiving traveler's ears. The national average for a gallon of regular gas is currently $3.67, a 3.8% drop over the past eleven days. However, experts say that price could very well drop 30 more cents by November 22nd, which means the estimated national average would be $3.35. Over the Christmas holidays, prices are expected to stay low- around $3.25 to $3.45. Others agree with the claim that gas prices will drop, though not as steeply. The decrease in prices is mainly due to the season change. Americans are driving less because the summer season is now over.


http://money.cnn.com/2012/10/22/news/economy/gas-prices/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

Space Shuttle Endeavour's New Home

On Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles, California, the space shuttle Endeavour rolled to its final home at the California Science Center, where it will soon go on public display. The journey was twelve miles, from the Los Angeles International Airport to the center, and took more than two days to complete. Trees and traffic signs were obstacles for the space shuttle and had to be removed to allow it to get by. The shuttle was so carefully navigated through some parts of the streets that the distance between one of the wings and a tree was barely that of the width of a credit card. So, after 22-year career and 25 missions, Endeavour will be on display in a pavilion built just for the shuttle.


http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/14/us/shuttle-endeavour/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

California squirrel tests positive for plague

On Tuesday, a squirrel in California was tested positive for exposure to the bacteria that causes the plague. This is the first known positive test in over ten years. The squirrel was exposed to fleas that were carrying the bacterium Yersinia pestis. The infected squirrel doesn't pose any harm to the county of Riverside, California, but environmental health program chief Dottie Merki says, "We do want them to be educated so they can protect their families and their pets." Routine tests are done because the plague is endemic to that area and more are to follow. Humans are at risk of exposure from handling infected animals or being bitten by fleas that live on rodents with the bacteria.


http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/09/us/california-squirrel-plague/index.html?hpt=us_c2

Bo Johnson Stole Victory from Defeat

At approximately 3:30 in the morning on Friday, September 28, Door County's famously inspirational 13-year-old boy, Bo Johnson passed away. In October of 2011, Bo was diagnosed with Extramedulary Acute Myeloid Leukemia after a jet ski accident. After nearly one whole year of fighting the disease, doctors informed Bo and Annika Johnson that there was nothing more to do and that Bo would soon be facing the end to his life. Bo made the choice to return home to spend his last few weeks surrounded by friends and family. He made it to some sports events and even spoke at Gibraltar's Welcome-Back assemblies. The Make a Wish Foundation gave Bo and friends the opportunity of a lifetime- sending them to a Green Bay Packer game where Bo met Jordy Nelson, Donald Driver, Aaron Rodgers, and more. By this time the community had been painted orange. The orange continued to spread when each high school class was sent outside to tie up orange ribbon during Homecoming Week. Bo lost his battle to leukemia, but he "stole victory from defeat."

Ravens' Torrey Smith's Brother Dies

Early Sunday morning, Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith discovered that his brother, Tevin, had been killed in a motorcycle crash just hours before. Smith then drove to his home state, Virginia, to be with his family in this time of need. After returning home for a short while, Torrey made the decision to reunite with his team and participate in that night's game, which they won 31-30. Smith played the game for his late brother by scoring two touchdowns and completing 127 yards. Before the game started, a moment of silence was dedicated to Trevin, to which Torrey said, "That touched me right there, the fact that the organization took the time out to honor my brother, one of my family members, who had absolutely nothing to do with this program besides me." We can all learn a lesson or two from Torrey's story: to cherish the time you have with family and friends.



http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/09/24/ravens-torrey-smith-has-inspiring-game-hours-after-brothers-death/?hpt=us_t2

21-year-old Cruise Ship Passenger Goes Overboard

On Sunday night, a 21 year old passenger aboard the Allure of the Seas went overboard. The Bartlett, Tennessee woman plunged into the water 47 miles east of Fort Lauderdale, Florida as another passenger saw. When the woman went overboard, the captain of the ship turned around to look for her. Cameras on the cruise caught the woman falling on tape and the ship's GPS system marked the location of her fall. Before the Coast Guard took over the search, two other cruise ships that were nearby stopped by to help with the search. The search area is currently around 320 square miles and four Coast Guard crews are involved.

Two Tornadoes Strike Two Different New York Boroughs

Over the weekend, severe weather hit New York City as a cold front brought heavy rains, strong winds, and even a couple of tornadoes. What started out as a waterspout with 70 mile per hour winds turned into a land tornado in a Queens neighborhood. The tornado quickly dissipated, but not before traveling approximately 600 yards knocking down trees and power lines and damaging buildings in its path. Nine miles north, in Brooklyn, another tornado touched down. It passed through at 11:30 a.m., was about 50 yards wide, and covered half a mile. This twister reached winds of 110 miles per hour and was considered an EF1 on a scale of EF0 to EF5. The severe weather caused the U.S. Open men's and women's tennis matches to be postponed.

Life is a Beach: 21 beached whales in Florida

On the morning of Saturday, September first, twenty one pilot whales, two of which being calves, were found stranded on an Atlantic coast beach in Fort Pierce, Florida. Two of the whales died of natural causes and the remaining whales were examined to see if they could be assisted back into the ocean, where they belong. Pilot whales are supposedly very intelligent and they often beach themselves in areas around the world, however the cause of this occurrence is unknown since they typically live in deeper parts of the ocean. There is speculation that the cause of this beaching could once again be the work of parasites that affect the brains of pilot whales and make them go off course.

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