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Prof whose 'last lecture' became a sensation dies - Yahoo! News
PITTSBURGH - Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon University computer scientist whose "last lecture" about facing terminal cancer became an Internet sensation and a best-selling book, died Friday. He was 47.
Pausch died at his home in Chesapeake, Va., said Jeffrey Zaslow, a Wall Street Journal writer who co-wrote Pausch's book. Pausch and his family had moved there last fall to be closer to his wife's relatives.
Pausch was diagnosed with incurable pancreatic cancer in September 2006. His popular last lecture at Carnegie Mellon in September 2007 garnered international attention and was viewed by millions on the Internet.
In it, Pausch celebrated living the life he had always dreamed of instead of concentrating on impending death.
This man is astounding...I want very much to experience his essence via his book. PITTSBURGH - Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon University computer scientist whose "last lecture" about facing terminal cancer became ... more -
Woman sees family die on mountain
A 50-year-old woman has witnessed her husband and three children falling to their deaths while climbing near Europe's highest peak.
The Dutch woman watched as the four victims, who were roped together, fell 1,600ft (500m) down an icy slope in the French-Italian Alpine range.
The woman was treated in hospital for the effects of shock.
The family had been climbing Mont Dolent - part of the Mont Blanc massif - which is 12,500ft high.
"We think one of them slipped and pulled the others down," Oscar Tajola, head of the mountain rescue team in the Italian town of Courmayeur, told the Associated Press news agency.
The woman saw the accident as she descended the mountain alone by another route, officials said.
She later identified the bodies of her husband, who was 56, their 20-year-old son, and two daughters, aged 17 and 23, which were recovered by Italian mountain rescue workers. A 50-year-old woman has witnessed her husband and three children falling to their deaths while climbing near Europe's highest peak. ... more -
Mother and Wife in Massachusetts Facing Foreclosure Commits Suicide
From NECN.com:
"(Prat Thakkar, NECN: Taunton, MA) - In Taunton, Massachusetts police say a woman who was about to lose her home to foreclosure took her own life.
Police say 53-year-old Carlene Balderrama used her husband's high-powered rifle to kill herself Tuesday afternoon, just 90 minutes before her home was to be sold at auction.
Balderrama faxed a letter to her mortgage company saying that by the time they foreclosed on her house, she would be dead. The mortgage company notified authorities who found her body an hour later.
Police say she left a note to her family telling them to take the life insurance money to pay for the house.
Material from the Associated Press is included in this report."
This is difficult for all those families out there that are struggling to pay their mortgages and personal finances. I'm sure the public will hear more stories similar to this one. The sad part of this particular story is that the husband did not have any idea about the pending foreclosure on the home. From NECN.com: ... more -
Body in suitcase sparks serial killer fear
Indonesian police were questioning a man today on suspicion that he murdered his lover and at least four other people, a police detective said. Verry Henyanksyah was arrested last week after a dismembered male body was found in a suitcase in the capital, Jakarta, said police Colonel Carlo Tewu. He said Henyanksyah allegedly said the victim was his lover and confessed to the murder. He then led police to four other bodies buried outside his parents' home in east Java, Tewu said.
Henyanksyah told police all the victims were male and that one was a Dutch citizen, he said. The bodies, which were unearthed yesterday, were too decomposed to immediately identify them or establish their sex. Tewu said he feared Henyanksyah may have killed more people, and urged residents to inform police if they knew anyone who had contact with Henyanksyah and then disappeared.
Over the past month, Indonesia has executed four people convicted for murder, two of whom were serial killers. Indonesian police were questioning a man today on suspicion that he murdered his lover and at least four other people, a police detect... more -
What really wiped out the dinosaurs?
Dinosaurs are the most successful creatures who have ever lived on Earth; dominating the Mesozoic era for an amazing 100 million years, they had apparently cracked the problem of how to survive on our hostile planet.
But what caused such a successful group of animals to, around 65 million years ago at the end of the Cretaceous period, suddenly die out? (I should first point out that it is undoubtedly a good thing for us that they did!)
The debate as to what dealt such a collossal blow as to wipe out the dominant life form on our planet is a fierce one: some put it down to an asteroid impact (the most readily understandable theory to the layman, and hence the one most of us know about), but other theories include a massive volcanic erruption, or even a massive burst of radiation from the heavens.
But now a new theory, which claims to be able to explain all of the five great extinctions that we observe in the fossil record, has been published in the journal Nature.
It's autor, Shanan Peters, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, believes that a sudden rise in sea level can explain not only the extinctions themselves, but furthermore which and why specific species went extinct. Perhaps surprisingly, he believes that a FALL in sea levels, which happened at around the time the dinosaurs died out, is responsible for their extinction.
We know that around 100 million years ago, there were shallow seas across most of Europe and part of North America: when these dissappeared, the effect would have been to make the adjacent land-masses, on which the dinosaurs lived, "suddently...hot and dry", Peters says.
Although the evidence of the massive Chicxulub crater, dated to around the time of the most recent mass extinction, is hard to dismiss, the fact that other craters of similar size are observed on Earth which do NOT correspond to an extinction, suggests that there is more to the story. Gradual changes in sea level, while not as immediate and, frankly, as interesting as an impactor, provide a realistic and testable theory for the nature of the regular extinctions which take place on Earth.
The bad news, for us in the present day, is that mass extinctions can be, and probably have been, caused by RISES in sea level, which have a much more direct effect on land animals!
The take home message: keep a close eye on the oceans. Dinosaurs are the most successful creatures who have ever lived on Earth; dominating the Mesozoic era for an amazing 100 million years... more -
Canoeist's wife guilty of faking husband's death
Anne Darwin will be jailed for six years, having been convicted of assisting her husband to fake his own death in a canoe accident, in an elaborate plan to fraudulently gain life insurance benefits worth £250,000. Ms Darwin, of Hartlepool, denied her involvement in court, claiming her husband, John, coerced her to see the ruse through.
She was found guilty on separate counts of deception and money laundering, following a four-hour deliberation by the jury. Her sons were kept ignorant of their father's existence after the staged disappearance. He then lived in a room adjoining the family house for six years.
Macabre details at the link. Anne Darwin will be jailed for six years, having been convicted of assisting her husband to fake his own death in a canoe accident, in... more -
UK soldier killed in Afghanistan
According to reports, a British soldier has been killed in Afghanistan after the vehicle he was travelling in was hit by an explosive device, the Ministry of Defence has said. Another two were reportedly injured although their injuries aren't thought to be life threatening.
The injured soldiers, are serving with the Parachute Regiment's 2nd Battalion, and came under fire whilst on patrol in Southern Afghanistan. The solldier who died was with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, attached to the Parachute Regiment.
According to reports, a British soldier has been killed in Afghanistan after the vehicle he was travelling in was hit by an explosive ... more -
Estelle Getty of 'Golden Girls' dies at 84
Estelle Getty, the diminutive actress who spent 40 years struggling for success before landing a role of a lifetime in 1985 as the sarcastic octogenarian Sophia on TV's "The Golden Girls," has died. She was 84.
Getty, who suffered from advanced dementia, died at about 5:30 a.m. Tuesday at her Hollywood Boulevard home, said her son, Carl Gettleman of Santa Monica.
"She was loved throughout the world in six continents, and if they loved sitcoms in Antarctica she would have been loved on seven continents," her son said. "She was one of the most talented comedic actresses who ever lived."
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Three of its stars had already appeared in previous series: Bea Arthur in "Maude," Betty White in "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and Rue McClanahan in "Mama's Family." The last character to be cast was Sophia Petrillo, the feisty 80-something mother of Arthur's character.
When she auditioned, Getty was appearing on stage in Hollywood as the carping Jewish mother in Harvey Fierstein's play "Torch Song Trilogy." In her early 60s, she flunked her "Golden Girls" test twice because it was believed she didn't look old enough to play 80.
"I could understand that," she told an interviewer a year after the show debuted. "I walk fast, I move fast, I talk fast."
She came prepared for the third audition, however, wearing dowdy clothes and telling an NBC makeup artist, "To you this is just a job. To me it's my entire career down the toilet unless you make me look 80." The artist did, Getty got the job and won two Emmys.
It culminated a long struggle for success during which Getty worked low-paying office jobs to help support her family while she tried to make it as a stage actress.
"I knew I could be seduced by success in another field, so I'd say, 'Don't promote me, please,'" she recalled.
She also appeared in small parts in a handful of films and TV movies during that time, including "Tootsie," "Deadly Force" and "Victims for Victims: The Theresa Saldana Story."
After her success in "The Golden Girls," other roles came her way. She played Cher's mother in "Mask," Sylvester Stallone's in "Stop or My Mom Will Shoot" and Barry Manilow's in the TV film "Copacabana." Other credits included "Mannequin" and "Stuart Little" (as the voice of Grandma Estelle).
"The Golden Girls," which ran from 1985 to 1992, was an immediate hit, and Sophia, who began as a minor character, soon evolved into a major one.
Audiences particularly loved the verbal zingers Getty would hurl at the other three. When McClanahan's libidinous character Blanche once complained that her life was an open book, Sophia shot back, "Your life's an open blouse."
Getty had gained a knack for one-liners in her late teens when she did standup comedy at a Catskills hotel. Female comedians were rare in those days, however, and she bombed.
Undeterred, she continued to pursue a career in entertainment, and while her parents were encouraging, her father also insisted that she learn office skills so she would have something to fall back on.
Born Estelle Scher to Polish immigrants in New York, Getty fell in love with theater when she saw a vaudeville show at age 4.
She married New York businessman Arthur Gettleman (the source of her stage name) in 1947, and they had two sons, Carl and Barry. The marriage prevailed despite her long absences on the road and in "The Golden Girls."
Getty was evasive about her height, acknowledging only that she was "under 5 feet and under 100 pounds."
In addition to her son Carl, Getty is survived by son Barry Gettleman, of Miami; a brother, David Scher of London; and a sister, Rosilyn Howard of Las Vegas. Estelle Getty, the diminutive actress who spent 40 years struggling for success before landing a role of a lifetime in 1985 as the sar... more -
Man "killed by electric wee"
The bad news is a man got electrocuted when he urinated on a live train track at a London station. On the other hand, it gave the Metro newspaper an eye-poppingly enticing headline opportunity. Swings and roundabouts, eh? The bad news is a man got electrocuted when he urinated on a live train track at a London station. On the other hand, it gave the Metr... more
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United Kingdom Talk Tuesday 22nd July2008
Tuesday's edition of my three times a week talk show.Watch
the show here on CURRENT TV on Tues, Thurs & Sats.
Today's show is dedicated to Uncle Michael Hayes.R.I.P.10th July 2008.
The excitement is building.
Sinning in advance.
Looking around in Lincolnshire.
Speaking at a funeral.
Why the dark glasses ?
Blip TV.
Congratulations Ryan.
Man From Atlantis.
A clean hospital.
Where's my cushion ?
Hi to Kayleigh, Rocky, Granite & Pebbles.Oh - I nearly forgot - Judith LOL.
Don't throw things away.
Slipping into holiday mode.
Soap problems.
Stargate.
Fish in little bowls.
Driving & mobile phones.
A plastic globe.
Electric car news from Joe.
Shall I undo another button ?
Tiny car park.
My arms.
The shopping list is ready.
Email :
chris@unitedkingdomtalk.co.uk
WWW.UNITEDKINGDOMTALK.CO.UK Tuesday's edition of my three times a week talk show.Watch the show here on CURRENT TV on Tues, Thurs & Sats. ... more -
Firefighter killed by gun shot on the scene
Ryan Hummert, 22, a firefighter in Maplewood, Missouri (suburb of St. Louis) was responding to a call about a pick up truck that was in flames. He arrived to the scene to help save lives and by a horrible twist of fate his life was taken. Not by the fire but by a gunman hiding in a house across the street. Two other policemen were then shot but only Ryan's shot was fatal. The gunman set the car on fire to lure firemen and cops there to shoot them and then set the house he was in on fire which is to believed to be his own. There is no known motive and it has not yet been determined whether the gunman killed himself in his burning house or ran away. This has been a horrible event for the St. Louis area and all those who knew and loved Ryan. Please keep his family and friends in mind and in prayers. Ryan Hummert, 22, a firefighter in Maplewood, Missouri (suburb of St. Louis) was responding to a call about a pick up truck that was i... more
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Missouri Man Ambushes Authorities; Kills Paramedic
Ryan Hummert, 22, was shot as he got out of a fire truck on Zephyr near Big Bend Blvd. According to officials, Hummert and his fellow firefighters were responding to a vehicle fire. When they arrived on scene, someone began firing shots at them. Hummert was hit.
Firefighters were pinned behind their fire truck for several hours. The gunman also shot two police officers who responded to the scene. One of those officers was treated and released. Hummert was pronounced dead at an area hospital.
(Taken from Fox 2 News- Saint Louis)
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http://www.kmov.com/video/topvideo-index.html?nvid=2651...
Check the video in the link for more details. I can say as a resident that this is one of the largest shows of police force in a long time. Possibly ever. The gunman has been presumed dead, reportedly inside the burning house while it was on fire.
When you live in a small town, you never expect something like this to happen. More often than not, however, it seems more and more violence has spilled over to the suburbs of America. I would like to know your opinions on this situation, as well as your opinions on violence in America. Ryan Hummert, 22, was shot as he got out of a fire truck on Zephyr near Big Bend Blvd. According to officials, Hummert and his fellow... more -
41 dead in Pakistan shoot outs
Clashes between paramilitary troops and militants in SW Pakistan have killed at least 41 people, according to the state news agecy.
The area is rich in natural gas, and there has been much fighting between military forces and insurgents vying for self rule. Clashes between paramilitary troops and militants in SW Pakistan have killed at least 41 people, according to the state news agecy. ... more -
Would Batman be as successful without the death of Heath?
I am a film student and saw Batman at midnight of the opening day and thought it was very well done, incredible actually.
But I am not a huge fan of comic book movies and from my stand point I know I wouldn't have cared to see it in theaters if it weren't for the sad death of Heath. And I really think he deserves a huge consideration for the Oscar, hands down. It was incredible.
But my question remains, would this be as successful ($155 million in the first weekend!!) or even as 'incredible' without his death?
I honestly don't believe it would have been...
I am a film student and saw Batman at midnight of the opening day and thought it was very well done, incredible actually. ... more -
Corpse in Pennsylvania baby mystery tentatively identified
The body of a woman found tied up with her uterus cut open inside a Pennsylvania apartment has been tentatively identified.
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner's office told CNN late Saturday the body is that of Kia Johnson. Authorities will use dental records to definitely confirm the identity.
The partially eviscerated body of the woman was found at the apartment of a Pennsylvania woman who arrived at a hospital with a newborn infant earlier in the week.
A placenta was found at the scene, the Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, medical examiner said.
The body "was in a state of moderate decomposition" and the woman had been dead for about two days, Medical Examiner Karl Williams said in a written statement.
The woman's hands and feet were bound by duct tape. The cause of death remains undetermined, Williams said.
Drugs were found at the scene, and authorities are awaiting toxicology results to determine whether the woman was sedated, he said. It's unclear whether the woman was alive when the infant was taken, he added.
"The most important thing right now is to identify this individual," said James Morton, assistant superintendent of Allegheny County Police.
He said investigators are seeking dental records to help with the identification process.
The body was found Friday at an apartment in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, belonging to a woman with a history of attempting to steal newborns, according to court records obtained by Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Andrea Curry-Demus, 38, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child, a felony, and dealing in infant children, a misdemeanor. Court records show that she was arraigned on the felony charge Friday and is next set to appear in court on Thursday. She is being held at the Allegheny County Jail, WTAE reported.
According to a criminal complaint, Curry-Demus was taken by ambulance to a local hospital Wednesday with the baby, claiming it was hers. Tests at the hospital proved that she was not the mother, and police were notified.
Curry-Demus told Grande she had suffered a miscarriage in June and "did not want her mother to get upset." The body of a woman found tied up with her uterus cut open inside a Pennsylvania apartment has been tentatively identified. ... more -
What's the eco footprint of death?
"What’s the ecological cost of contemporary burial?
Each year in the U.S.’s 22,500 cemeteries we bury roughly:
827,060 gallons of embalming fluid
90,272 tons of steel (caskets)
2,700 tons of copper and bronze (caskets)
1,636,000 tons of reinforced concrete (vaults)
14,000 tons of steel (vaults)
30-plus million board feet of hardwoods (much tropical; caskets)
Emissions and pesticide use:
Though we haven’t found good figures for emissions (from lawn mowing, trimming, etc.) or synthetic pesticide and fertilizer use, it’s got to be mega-tons each year. (Depending on the type of mower used, cutting grass for one hour emits as much pollution as driving a car from 100 to 650 miles.)
The average cemetery buries 1,000 gallons of embalming fluid, 97.5 tons of steel, 2,028 tons of concrete, and 56,250 board feet of high quality wood in just one acre of green.
The ecological cost of cremation:
Each cremation releases between .8 and 5.9 grams of mercury as bodies are burned. This amounts to somewhere between 1,000 and 7,800 pounds of mercury each year. Seventy-five percent goes into the air and the rest settles into the ground and water.
Cremation removes the body from the cycle of nature, keeping it from nourishing new life. We prefer earth burial.
You could drive about 4,800 miles on the energy equivalent of the energy used to cremate someone—and to the moon and back 83 times on the energy from all cremations in one year in the U.S.
Cremations of Tompkins County residents during the past year released between 1.2 and 6.8 pounds of mercury into the atmosphere. This estimate is based on a 20% statewide cremation rate—though the county’s rate is probably higher.
Your body is a natural resource, rich with life-sustaining nutrients. Your choice for natural burial is a choice for natural renewal and growth—a way to give back to the earth that sustains us all." "What’s the ecological cost of contemporary burial? Each year in the U.S.’s 22,500 cemeteries we bury roughly: ... more -
Half a million plastic coffins?
Well, apparently the Government is expecting a half million people to die relatively soon, and the Atlanta Airport is a major airline traffic hub, probably the biggest in the country, which means Georgia is a prime base to conduct military operations and coordination. It is also the home of the CDC, the Center for Disease Control. I don’t want to alarm anyone, but usually you don’t buy 500,000 plastic coffins Well, apparently the Government is expecting a half million people to die relatively soon, and the Atlanta Airport is a major airline ... more
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Attorney: Husband Didn't Kill Jogger
The attorney for Brad Cooper, the husband of the North Carolina mother whose body was found Monday, defended his client's innocence in a press conference today, asserting that the grieving father of two "did not kill his wife."
Brad Cooper "is not a suspect, not a person of interest, and he has been very, very clear with the police: He did not kill his wife," said attorney Seth Blum, according to North Carolina's News & Observer. "The bizarre and unsupported theories floating around television and the Internet have made it impossible for us to sit quietly and to say nothing."
Repeated calls to Brad Cooper's lawyer by ABCNews.com were not immediately returned.
Blum described his client as a "very private man" who is not "accustomed to the hot glare of the media spotlight," the paper reported.
"Brad Cooper is also a man in mourning," said Blum. "He's lost his wife. He is grieving. Different people grieve in different ways. Mr. Cooper wishes to mourn privately. He does not want to do it at press conferences."
Speculation about Cooper's involvement in his wife's death has grown during recent days and peaked Thursday when custody of the Cooper's two young children was taken away from the husband after his wife's family said he posed a danger to the children.
The parents and sister of Nancy Cooper won custody of the Cooper's two young children after alleging that her husband was abusive toward his wife and kids before she was killed, according to a custody petition obtained by ABCNews.com Thursday.
According to the petition filed in Wake County, N.C., Wednesday by Cooper's mother and father, Garry and Donna Rentz, and her identical twin sister, Krista Lister, Brad Cooper would routinely deny his wife money needed for grocery shopping and was unfaithful to her in the months leading up to her murder.
Brad Cooper "engaged in a pattern of emotional abuse," "frequently yelled at Nancy Cooper and belittled her in the presence of the minor children," and was unfaithful to her in the months leading up to her death, according to the petition.
When her husband would allegedly withhold financial support from Cooper, the mother would become so desperate for cash that she was forced to borrow money from family members, according to the petition.
Cooper's family also claims that Brad Cooper is "mentally unstable" and threatened to commit suicide in the winter of 2008.
Brad Cooper has not been named a suspect or a person of interest in his wife's murder, police said.
In a press conference Thursday, Cary, N.C., police announced that Cooper's family had succeeded in retaining custody of the children after filing an emergency custody petition. "Late yesterday custody of Nancy and Brad's two children, Isabella and Gabriella, was officially transferred to [Nancy's family]," said Bazemore.
"This custody issue is a private civil matter,"said Bazemore, who declined to take any questions from reporters, citing an agreement with the district attorney's office. "It was not initiated by the town of Cary and was not a part of the investigation into Nancy's murder."
Despite investigators' combing of the Cooper's home, authorities have still not made any arrests in connection with the homicide.
"We have still not named a suspect or a person of interest," Bazemore said. "Everyone in this case is still cooperating."
Brad Cooper, Nancy's husband, was not present at the press conference, but his attorney released a statement on his behalf saying that Brad is devastated by his wife's death and that he'll continue to cooperate with law enforcement to bring his wife's killer or killers to justice.
On Wednesday, authorities investigating the Cooper murder obtained a search warrant for Cooper's home as well as permission to take forensic evidence from Brad Cooper. The attorney for Brad Cooper, the husband of the North Carolina mother whose body was found Monday, defended his client's innocence in... more -
Feel good story of the day: Panda adopted by cat chokes to death on milk
Remember this touching story a few weeks ago? A baby red panda which was rejected by its mother was touchingly adopted by a house cat, cute right?
Well, tragically, it was annouced today that the cub died after "its windpipe filled with milk", indicating that it choked to death.
"The zoo had hoped the panda would be able to suckle from the cat for three months before moving onto a diet of bamboo and fruit", but unfortunately it didn't get that far.
Take away message: "Life's a bitch" ... Remember this touching story a few weeks ago? A baby red panda which was rejected by its mother was touchingly adopted by a house cat,... more -
Corpse Stolen From Bloomfield Mausoleum
"A corpse has been stolen out of a Bloomfield mausoleum, according to police.
Police said the corpse was entombed in the mausoleum in the mid-1930s.
The theft occurred at the Mt. St. Benedicts Cemetery during the overnight hours on Wednesday, police said.
Cemetery workers discovered the theft around 6:30 a.m. on Thursday.
Bloomfield police, as well as the State Major Crime Squad, are investigating the theft.
Police said more information would be released after family members were notified."
WTF?!? "A corpse has been stolen out of a Bloomfield mausoleum, according to police. ... more
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