Thursday, January 04, 2007

They're Here!, Law of the Land, -and- Just the Facts


They're Here! - mysterious object crashes through roof in New Jersey
Law of the Land - court rules boy has dad and 2 moms
Just the Facts - scientists warn about celebrity mumbo-jumbo

On this day in history: January 4, 1997 - Rumors run rampant through Israel, particularly over talk radio, that a UFO will land at Tel Aviv on the following day. The predictions are purported to have been made by spoonbender Uri Geller. Thousands flock to the beaches, but no saucers.

Born on this day in history: January 4, 1935 - Floyd Patterson (1935 - ____) boxer. He won the heavyweight title by defeating Archie Moore, 1956; first to gain the title a second time in a rematch with Ingemar Johansson.

VIDEOS: The videos are now available via the link "Amazing and Amusing Videos" in the Links section, below the visitor counter.

The 2006 Darwin Awards: Two students who died after climbing into a huge helium-filled balloon for the "buzz" of inhaling the gas have been named the winners of the 2006 Darwin Awards. Jason Ackerman and Sara Rydman, both 21, were discovered with their feet sticking out of a deflated balloon used to advertise property in LakeView, South Florida. The two apparently pulled the balloon out of the sky and squeezed themselves inside, where they died of oxygen starvation.

The awards are named in honor of Charles Darwin and given out every year to people "who have improved the gene pool by removing themselves from it."

This year's runner-up was a man who flew his copper wire-bound kite during a thunder storm. The 26-year-old, from Belize, died after the kite sent a fatal bolt of lightning through his body. He was an electrician.

In third place was a Brazilian who tried to dismantle a rocket-propelled grenade by driving back and forth over it with his car. When the weapon failed to break up, he attacked it with a sledgehammer. The explosion killed him and destroyed six cars and his workplace.