Dennis Rodman Back to North Korea

On Thursday, former NBA star and wild man Dennis Rodman landed in North Korea to help train their national basketball team. Rodman was on many of the Chicago Bulls championship teams during the Michael Jordan era, and he was known for his vibrantly colorful hair styles. This is Rodman's third trip to North Korea, and he has befriended their leader, Kim Jong Un. Rodman is helping the Korean team in an attempt to mend foreign relations between the United States and North Korea. He and many others hope that basketball can be the mediator that will somewhat decrease the tension between the two countries.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/19/world/asia/north-korea-dennis-rodman/

New Record Coldest Temp

On a plateau in eastern Antarctica, scientists recently used a satellite to detect and measure the coldest temperature ever recorded. The chilly Antarctica weather measured in at -135.8 degrees Fahrenheit. Its so cold there that if you breath, your throat and lungs have a chance of freezing. The longest someone could survive at this temperature would be about three minutes. This record low temp was recorded near Vostok, where the record high was 4 degress Fahrenheit in the middle of the summer.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2013/12/10/antarctica-cold-record/3950019/

The Future of Jameis Winston

On Thursday, the Florida state attorney Willie Meggs will announce in a press conference whether or not he finds Florida State freshman quarterback Jameis Winston to be guilty of a sexual assault felony that allegedly occurred on December 7, 2012. This season, Winston has led Florida State to a perfect 12-0 record, the #1 overall ranking, and a berth in the ACC championship game. If FSU wins that game, which will be against Duke, on Saturday, they will advance to the national championship. If Winston is found guilty, he will be unable to play for the remainder of the season. These accusations also hurt Winston's reputation concerning his Heisman trophy candidacy, which he happens to be leading at this point. Florida State's national championship hopes and Winston's Heisman dreams hang in the balance, and the whole country will know if they will come true or not on Thursday.

http://jacksonville.com/news/2013-12-04/story/prosecutor-announce-findings-winston-case-thursday

Virginia Senator Stabbed and Son Shot to Death

On Tuesday morning, Virginia Democratic State Senator Creigh Deeds was stabbed multiple times in his home. When they police arrived, they found that his 24-year-old son Gus had been shot and killed. Senator Deeds was airlifted to the University of Virginia Health System Hospital, and he is currently listed as being in critical condition. At this time, there are no suspects in the investigation, and according to local authorities, none are being sought. This means that Creigh and Gus were the only people who were involved in the incident.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-virginia-state-senator-stabbed-son-dead-20131119,0,1785152.story#axzz2l7Wmq3CO

Tavon "Wheels" Austin

Against the Indianapolis Colts last Sunday, St. Louis Rams wide receiver Tavon Austin put up 314 all-purpose yards. This huge game consisted of a 98-yard punt return touchdown, as well as a 57 and an 81 yard receiving touchdowns. Austin was drafted in the first round out of West Virginia last April, and has been seen as a player with incredible potential. In the previous two games, Austin had only two catches for 9 yards, so his big day on Sunday was quite a relief. Austin has incredible break away speed, and he has nowhere to go but up in his NFL career. So pretty much, Tavon Austin is very very fast.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/ravens-insider/bal-huge-day-for-tavon-austin-in-rams-upset-over-colts-20131111,0,2926874.story

Video: http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2013111004/2013/REG10/rams@colts#menu=highlights&tab=recap 

Starbucks to Hire Veterans and Families

Over the next 5 years, Starbucks is setting a goal to hire 10,000 veterans and active duty family members in support of the United States military. This is part of a future global expansion that will more than double the current number of Starbucks employees, from 200,000 to 500,000. This announcement results from the recent withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. This means that over the next few years, about a million people will be leaving the military and transitioning back into their normal lives. Starbucks executive say that this is a business-minded venture and well as a charity mission.

http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2022197551_starbucksmilitaryxml.html

Nelson Mandela Assassination Plot Foiled

The leader of a white supremacist group who plotted at assassinate South African president Nelson Mandela has recently been sentenced to 35 years in jail. His name was Mike du Toit, and he was also convicted for nine bombings in Johannesburg that killed one person in 2002. The group also wanted to drive all the black people out of South Africa. The trial lasted 9 years, and twenty other members of the group were sentenced to between five and thirty-five years in jail. If the plot had succeeded, South Africa could've plunged into a civil war.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-24725177

Johnny Manzeil Will Play vs Vanderbilt

In a 45-41 loss to Auburn last Saturday, Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manzeil injured his right shoulder after being tackled by two Auburn players. Manzeil's backup Matt Joeckel finished the drive, and Manzeil returned to the game shortly after. Despite the injury and the loss, Manzeil finished the game with 454 total yards and four total touchdowns. During Monday's practice, it was reported that Manzeil was in a sling, but it was later discovered that this was only a precautionary measure to prevent him from throwing. Apparently, Manzeil is "fine to play" and will be a full participant in next Saturday's game against Vanderbilt.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/eye-on-college-football/24122438/texas-am-qb-johnny-manziel-out-of-sling-will-play-vs-vanderbilt

Lost Hunter Found

On Saturday, a man was rescued from the Mendocino National Forest in California after being lost in the woods for over 2 weeks. He was knocked unconscious after hitting his head during a deer-hunting trip. After he was rescued, it was found that he had a lighter, and also a rifle that he had used to shoot squirrels and other small animals for food. His overall diet during his ordeal consisted of squirrels, lizards, berries, algae, and a snake. When Gene Penaflor was finally rescued, he was over 3 miles from where he was last seen by his hunting partner. This was truly an incredible feat to survive for 19 days in the wilderness.

http://www.kusi.com/story/23686108/hunter-found-after-days-in-calif-forest-had-rifle

Fancy New Phones

In the next month,Samsung is expected to unveil the world's first curved-screen phone, the Galaxy Round. This phone will have a plastic screen instead of the traditional glass screen, with a slightly concave curvature to it. I'm not sure exactly what the purpose of this is, but it sounds very intriguing. Also, a flexible display version of the Galaxy Note 3 is expected to be released later this year. The word "flexible" is not a phone that can bend and flex, it is just curved so it can fit better to the contours of people's faces. This seems very unnecessary, but we will see.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57606282-94/samsung-to-unveil-galaxy-round-flexible-display-phone-report/

Olympic Toorch

The torch for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games has begun its trip from Greece to Sochi, Russia. The torch was lit on September 29 in the Temple of Hera in Olympia, Greece. It will take the torch approximately 123 days to travel along its 40,000 mile route to Sochi. The torch will visit various locations such as the International Space Station, Lake Baikal, and Mt, Elbrus(the highest mountain in Europe). One of the first bearers of the torch was hockey player Alex Ovechkin. The ceremony was in the wake of the scandal involving anti-homosexual propaganda and legislations.

The End of the VW Bus

December 21st, 2013 will marl the end of sixty-three years of production for the Volkswagen Transporter van. Globally, over 10 million of these VW "buses" have been produced. The Transporter has always been known for its extraordinary durability, but it also breaks down frequently. This flaw was never a big deal though, as the engine is simply built and very easy to repair. The bus is deeply rooted in music history. It appeared on album cover for Bob Dylan and The Beach Boys. It also was the vehicle of choice for the thousands of fans who followed The Grateful Dead across the country. There is also a rumor that Steve Jobs sold his Transporter in order to buy the circuit board he used to build his first computer. Needless to say, the VW bus will be dearly missed, and will live on in our hearts for generations to come.

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/vws-hippie-hauler-ending-its-long-strange-trip-4B11231364

Syria: Chuck Norris Makes His Voice Heard

Last week, The Chuck Norris made his opinion heard on the matter of Syria. He wrote a column for WorlNetDaily saying that he believes Syrian President Bashar Assad wants the US to bomb Syria. He believes Assad purposely used the chemical weapons to provoke the US to strike, which would raise tensions between the US and the rest of the Middle East. He urges President Obama and Congress to "quit taking the bait" and realize that the US bombing Syria is all part of Assad's plan to entrench the US in the affairs of the Middle East. I personally think that Chuck Norris might be on to something here.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/09/chuck-norris-syria-president-bashar-assad_n_3895163.html

New Apple IPhone to be Unveiled Tuesday

       Apple is expected to unveil their new model of the IPhone in a presentation at their headquarters this Tuesday. There are high expectations for this new model, as Apple has been under pressure lately to keep up with the rapid advancement of many Android smartphones. Some of the new features will include a fingerprint scanner to bolster the security, and there have also been reports of a champagne gold and a graphite color.Another apparent possibility is that Apple will introduce a lower-end 5C model along with the regular 5S. Needless to say, the release of this new IPhone will make a significant impact on the smartphone market.

9/4 Weird Frog

   

 An interesting discovery has been made concerning a species of tiny frogs, called the Gardiner's frog, that were originally believed to be deaf because they had no ears or eardrums. Using x-rays, researchers in Paris have discovered that these peculiar little frog actually hear using their mouths. The frogs receive the sound through their heads, and special tissues in the mouth detect and amplify the frequencies, then send them to the inner ear. To prove this assertion, scientists used loudspeakers in the rainforest to play the croaking sound of the Gardiner's frog, and the male frogs responded to the call.