Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Marvel's First Gay Superhero is Getting Married

In a comic set to come out next week, One of Marvel's superheroes is going to get married. However there is an unusual twist for comic books, in that thhe superhero, Northstar, is gay. Marvel was the first major comic book company to have an openly gay superhero fetaured in some of its comics. Northstar was a strong comic for Marvel throughout the 80's and 90's but his sales dropped drasticly after it was revealed that he was gay. Marvel is using this character to promote AIDS and mental health awareness, as these issues have been blended into the story of Northstar. When asked his opinion on the comic slated to come out Conor Kilpatrick said, "(I) believe the issue is a perfect fit for Marvel: The X-Men have been, from the beginning, an allegory for civil rights, so it makes sense that in a time when gay rights is such a front-burner issue in American society that Marvel Comics would face it head-on with their X-Men characters.” The new comic is certain to have a lot of media and fan attention surrounding it.



http://geekout.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/23/marvel-invites-you-to-a-super-marriage/?hpt=hp_bn10

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Winners and Losers in the Real Life Game of Asteroids

It was 65.5 years ago when the dinosaurs lost to the asteroids in the game of life. The story goes that an asteroid that was 6 miles across impacted the earth and left a dark cloud of debris over the earth that cooled temperatures and caused the dinosaurs to become extinct. However scientists think that there may have been a different explanation as to why these dinosaurs died out. Scientists have found that the Hadrosauridae family of dinosaurs were already on their way to extinction before the large asteroid hit the earth. This includes the famous duck billed dinosaurs and the triceratops. So, unlike before, the asteroid impact may not have wiped out all of the dinosaurs equally, but some dinos may have been weakened already, while others may have lived longer after the impact.

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2113743,00.html?hpt=hp_t3#ixzz1to2vM2qS

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Raffi Torres Hit on Blackhawks Legend Marian Hossa

During last night's Game 3, the tense game between the Phoenex Coyotes and the Chicago Blacks became an all out brawl. Raffi Torres, a player known for his dirty checks, blindsided Winger Marian Hossa, leaving his feet while checking and also checked crossways. Rules have been put in place to try and inhibit checks like these, because they are notorious for causing serious injury. In this case, Torres's shoulder hit Hossa in the jaw, and caused him to fly backward and hit his head on the ice. Hossa remained mostly motionless on the ice and play was stopped immediately. Hossa was then put onto a backboard and taken off the ice no more than a few seconds after the hit. Even though there was no penalty called, a hefty fine and suspension will be in place for Torres, as he has been known for his grudge with the Chicago and even had a similar incident last year when he took out defenseman Brent Seabrook for 2 games. The game turned into an all out brawl when some of the Blackhawks players heard others laughing at Hossa being taken off on a backboard. The ensuing scrum lasted five minutes and many players dropped the helmets and gloves to settle their differences. Games 4-7 definitely will be exciting now. 


http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/raffi-torres-defends-marian-hossa-hit-hockey-play-055621976.html

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Local Boy Finds Lottery Ticket in Back yard

16 year old David Reinhardt of Fish Creek Wisconsin, found one of the missing Megamillions tickets in his back yard after returning from a trip to Florida. The teen said that the ticket must have blown away from its original owner in Illinois, and that it was just by chance that it ended up in his yard. Some officials have been speculating that Reinhardt built a ticket catcher when he heard that the ticket was on the loose, however he claimed to in Florida at the time. The investigation will continue and Reinhardt could face up to a year in jail for tampering with inter-state lottery results. The Megamillions people have decided to allow Reinhardt to keep his share of the 670 million dollar purse. When asked what he was going to do with the money he replied "well, I have a pool, a boat, and a plenty of recreational vehicles, I have pretty much everything I could want so I probably will share some of it with my less fortunate friends,then donate the rest to charity." Either way it looks to be a good time to get to know the one they call Front Row Dave Reinhardt.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

NFL Hands Down Saints Penalties

After the original scandal in which it came to the attention of NFL officials that the Saints front office put bounties on the heads of many of the NFL's most famous and crucial players, the NFL has finally released the punishments that their team must face. The team's defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams has been suspended indefinitely from the league. This is one of the most harsh punishments that the NFL has ever handed out. Sean Payton, the head coach, also has been suspended from the team for a year in which he is not able to have any contact with the team's office or its players. Many wonder how the Saints will do in next years season as Sean Payton no doubt has a major effect on the team's performance. The team was also fined 5 Million Dollars. The cash bounties that were offered to injure such players as Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre, not only violated the league's rules on saftey, but also put th team past its salary cap. For now, the comissioner of the NFL has yet to hand out the punishments for the 22-27 players involved, but these most likely will be some of the most severe the league has ever seen when such marquis players like Aaron Rodgers and Cam Newton are involved.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/peter_king/03/21/saints.discipline/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Washington Monument Shrinking

During a recent inspection of the Washington Monument, officials realized that last year's earthquake may have done more than some cosmetic damage. NGS surveyors noticed that the monument had sunk into the ground by two millimeters and shifted to one side. The monument was completed in 1884 and the obelisk has sunk 2 inches into the ground since its completion. The monument has been closed to the public since last year's 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit the Washington D.C. region. However, Surveyors think that the earthquake may have only caused 1mm of loss while the rest is do to the monument's natural sinking. 7.5 million dollars was donated by the Carlyle Group for the repairs of the monument to begin.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/14/us/washington-monument/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Drug Testing on Soldiers During Vietnam War

During the late 1960's some soldiers arrived to a surprise at their bases. When they were expecting to see your typical base when they arrived they saw something that looked more like a hospital. The Army took advantage of the fact that most of these medical centers were close to the soldiers home and offered them weekends at their home, an offer that many soldiers would take. The soldiers however, were not informed on what their assignment was truthfully going to be. They were told that they were going to be testing special new field jackets and weapons but drugs were never mentioned. One soldier arrived and decided that his paperwork was not affiliated with what his assignment was supposed to be. The personell were also wearing lab coats. The soldiers were told that they had volunteered, that if they tried to get out of it they would go to jail, and that they were going to Vietnam either way. It turns out that these soldiers were testing potentially lethal nerve gasses,incapitating agents, narcotics and LSD for war purposes. Many of these soldiers left the camps with addictions to these drugs and attained health problems like Parkinson's disease that would plauge them for the rest of their lives. Many of these soldiers are now suing the VA for these actions.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/01/health/human-test-subjects/index.html?hpt=hp_c1