Saturday, April 18, 2009

High School Football Rematch With 30 Year Olds

Not sure if this is a good idea or a bad one. It should be entertaining, but there could be a lot of injuries -- and not just pride. Fifteen years ago two Pennsylvania high school football teams -- big rivals -- battled and finished in a tie. Now, Gatorade has reassembled the two teams to play each other and finally settle the question who is better. It sounds crazy, but I think the idea would appeal to a lot of guys who, whether they want to admit it or not, high school was the best time of their life and it's only going to downhill from here. They want to recapture the glory days, but it's not really possible. Even if life is good now, most of them would probably love to strap on the pads again. It'll be interesting to see how it turns out.

A different kind of high school reunion

Michael Vick Reality Show

Apparently, Michael Vick is trying to land a lucrative reality TV show. It makes sense, since by all accounts the man is in debt up to his eyeballs and needs cash quickly. It remains to be seen if he will be accepted back into the NFL, and if not, then he had better hope the reality show pays off. I'm not sure how he would be received by fans after a return to the NFL -- you can bet there will be PETA protesters outside of the stadium, at the very least. I can't definitely see America tuning into to watch his tv show though. People wouldn't perceive watching his show as 'supporting' him, even though in a sense they would be. American TV loves a train wreck, and the very public collapse of Vick kept eyes glued to the tube. Will they tune in for his rise from rock bottom?


Michael Vick Reality Show

Monday, April 13, 2009

Pilot Dies in Mid Flight, Passenger Lands Plane Safely

Like something out of Airplane, although surely (Shirley?) not as funny, a flight in Florida lost its pilot in mid flight yesterday. Details are sketchy at this point, but apparently the plane was on autopilot and climbing to around 10,000 feet when the captain prepared for a whole different kind of departure.

With a total of only six people on board, you would think the flight would be doomed. Luckily, one of the passengers was actually a licensed pilot (though only for single engine planes). With the help of air traffic control and a friend who knew the cockpit layout of the double engine plane, he was able to land safely.

Quite a story, and with a happy ending for all except the pilot -- but it could have been a lot worse!

Hero Passenger Takes Control of Aircraft Midflight

Friday, April 10, 2009

Colorado Bans Woman's Tofu License Plate

News out of Colorado today is the the DMV has come down hard on a tofu lover. This vegan princess loves to extol the virtues of her pure lifestyle, right down to a personalized license plate. Because, really, what says you care about the environment more than an oversized gas guzzling smog belching SUV with a personalized plate telling everyone how awesome you are?

Well, the problem arose because some people misinterpreted the license plate itself. Some think it might be professing love for something other than tofu? Take a look for yourself!



For those who can't see the video, the license plate in question is "ILVTOFU"

Man Kills Friend in Video Game and Real Life

Police have arrested a twenty five year old on suspicion of murder after getting a report of shots fired in a San Carlos (California) apartment.

The suspect, Clinton Echols, is an enlistee in the Navy and serves on the USS Ronald Reagan, an aircraft carrier stationed in San Diego. The victim in the case, Luis Urbina, was a twenty year old also part of the crew of the aircraft carrier.

Per reports, the two were playing a war based video game when tempers flared and the action got out of control, first in the game and then in real life.

Apparently Echols pointed a loaded gun in a threatening manner towards Urbina, and the gun went off (possibly unintentionally). Because of the delay in reporting the accident and other inconsistencies, Echols was apprehended for further questioning.

This isn't the first time video games have led to violence, but in this tragic case one player lost a whole lot more than a game. :(

Video Game Violence

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Rare Shark, Caught and Eaten

Filipino fishermen are in the news today for a double whammy. Not only did they manage to catch an extremely rare and endangered shark, they decided he'd make a delicious meal as well! The story goes that the titan (fourteen feet long) was captured at sea and apparently died en route back to shore. To get a fish that size into the boat, well, it's likely they had to club him a few times at the least. Anyone who's been on deck with a flopping fish of any size knows it can get really dangerous really quickly.

The shark ended up weighing 1100 pounds and was fed to local villagers over a series of days in a huge feast. Megamouth sharks are so unusual, only forty have ever been caught, and when they were first discovered, scientists had to come up with an entirely new classification scheme since they were so unlike anything they'd seen before. No word yet as to how he tasted!

Rare shark caught, then fileted, marinated, and grilled.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Graziano Busted For Putting Out a Hit on Ex

Another development in the sad story of John Graziano. Graziano, you might remember, was the U.S. Marine and close friend of Nick Bollea (Hulk Hogan's son) who was tragically injured in a car accident.

Now, Graziano's father, Edward, has been arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit murder with the target being his ex-wife. Could their tale be any sadder? It is common for parents of a killed or severely injured child to go through tough marital times; in fact, more couples get divorced than make it through something like that. Perhaps because of the media spotlight and the extra attention, the trauma for this family was even worse than usual.

Even so, there's no real explanation for what has led to this. How much might Debra Graziano's life have been worth to the hitman (actually an undercover policeman)? Well, to add to the pathetic mess, $2100, and wait for it... a gift card to Papa John's. It's a crazy world.