George Lindsey; Dead at 83

George Lindsey, the actor who made Goober Pyle famous, has died at the age of 83.

Born in Alabama, he graduated college in 1952 and then served in the Air Force for three years. He then went to acting school and was on Broadway. Lindsey would go on to appear on many TV shows and in some movies, including voicing for Disney.

But it was his portrayal of Goober for which he was, and will always be, remembered by the public. Lindsey played the character of Goober from 1964-1968 on The Andy Griffith Show, 1968-1971 on Mayberry RFD, and on Hee Haw from 1971-1993.


During an interview in 1985 he said, "America has grown up with me. Goober is every man; everyone finds something to like about ol' Goober. There's a residual effect of knowing I've made America laugh. I'm not the only one, but I've contributed something."

Hollande Wins French Election

Socialist Francois Hollande has won the French election. He beat incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy with 50.8% of the votes. Sarkozy took 49.2%, clearly a closer race than the French and international press had previously suggested.

Segolene Royal, who lost to Sarkozy in the 2007 election, and is the mother of Hollande's four children, said that she has a "feeling of profound joy to see millions and millions of French renew the tie to the left. The French can be confident. We will need everyone to help the country recover."

Hollande has pledged to greatly increase government spending, despite the country's huge debts. He also plans to increase the size of the government, promoting more control over the country's infrastructure. His plans also include the down sizing of the French military, and pulling it out of foreign commitments.

South Korea Attempting to Stop Smuggling of Flesh Capsules

South Korean customs officials are strengthening inspections in efforts to stop the smuggling of human flesh capsules.

Since August of 2011, when the first capsules were found, authorities have caught 17,451 capsules in thirty-five attempts to smuggle them into South Korea.

The Chinese pills are made from the crushed bodies of dead babies and infants, and taken by men hoping to increase their sexual performance. They are often contaminated with bacteria and other disease carrying organisms.

Remembering: The Hindenburg

The Hindenburg was the fastest, largest, and most luxurious blimp. More than eight hundred feet long, it could travel eight thousand miles, carrying ninety-seven passengers, with speeds nearing one hundred miles per hour. It was filled with hydrogen, instead of the safer helium, for better handling. During 1936 it handled ten cross Atlantic journeys.

On May 6, 1937 it was flying into Lakehurst, New Jersey. Weather conditions delayed it's arrival from morning to evening. When it was finally cleared for docking, the captain brought the ship in way too fast, and an emergency reverse was required.

Within moments of the reverse, leaking gas was noticed by the crew. Moments later there was fire, and then the whole ship was ablaze. Spectators awaiting the arrival said they could feel the heat from a mile away. Thirty-five of the ninety-seven people on board, died from the fire or in attempts to jump from the blimp; one grounds crew man also lost his life.

On WLS radio, announcer Herbert Morrison, gave a live account of the disaster, one which still rings through history. Cameras were rolling as well, so some of it was recorded visually for posterity.

Remembering: The Four Minute Mile

May 6, 1954 Roger Bannister does what had thought to be impossible. On that day he ran the mile in under four minutes, with a time of 3:59.4.

Born March 23, 1929 in Middlesex, England, his family was poor, and he had wanted to study medicine, so he ran trying for scholarships. Oxford gave him one, and there he went.

He caused a stir, when he declined an offer to run the 1500 meter in the 1948 London Olympics. To him studying was more important. Running in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, he placed fourth. After taking ridicule from the English press over not being first, he decided to go after the four minute record.

At the annual Amateur Athletic Association in Oxford, Bannister showed the world what he was capable of. In August at the British Empire Games in Vancouver, British Columbia he would do it again with 3:58.8.

After finishing at Oxford he became a neurologist and a neuroscience researcher. Later he served as director of the National Hospital for Nervous Diseases in London. In 1975, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.

Remembering: Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo is celebrated in the United States as a day to drink and celebrate Mexican culture. Vancouver, British Colombia, Canada; the Cayman Islands; Malta; and Brisbane, Queensland, Australia all celebrate it as well. Yet in Mexico, only a small area of Puebla does.

The origin of any kind of cinco de Mayo celebration starts in 1862. In 1861, the French began invading Mexico. On May 5, 1862 an 8,000 strong French army, that was extremely well equipped, was badly beaten by a poorly equipped Mexican army of around 4,000, in the state of Puebla.

The area celebrated the French loss, but over a year later France had conquered Mexico City and established Maximilian I as Emperor of Mexico. Though in 1867 Mexico ousted Maximilian and had him executed. Mexico once was again free.

Yet cinco de Mayo had spread. Mexican immigrants in California celebrated it, and continued to do so every year. In the 1940s the Chicano movement helped spread it further across the US, and the civil rights movements in the 50s and 60s did so as well. Then in the 1980s beer companies started capitalizing on the celebration and it became instituted as an American drinking holiday.

Since then it has grown bigger each year, and spread internationally. Tis now one of the top drinking days in the US, and almost comparable to St. Patrick's Day. On cinco de Mayo, most Americans celebrate being Mexican, or at least drinking Mexican beers, even if in Mexico it is just another day.

Super Moon Almost Here

Saturday night will be the showoff event for the moon, as it reaches, it's "super" point.

The moon will be 221,802 miles away from Earth Saturday night, the average distance is 238,855 according to NASA, that’s 17,053 miles closer.

Which means the moon will appear fourteen percent larger and thirty percent brighter than other full moons this year.

Perigree, when the moon is closest to the Earth in its monthly rotation, will happen exactly one minute after the moon reaches it's fullest status, which is determined when the moon, sun, and Earth line up perfectly.

The best time to take pictures will be at moon rise, due to the optical illusion of the moon appearing bigger at the horizon.

The UN Balance of Power Could Change in 2012

A unique thing is happening in 2012. Four out of the five permanent members, nick-named the P5, of the United Nations Security Council have major elections this year.

These five countries; China, Russia, United State of America, United Kingdom and France; all have the power to veto any Council resolution no matter how much support it may have. Only one country needs to provide a veto to stop any "substantive" draft.

The four countries with elections are Russia, France, the UK, and the US.


Russia

At this point in time, Russia has already undergone its election, putting Vladamir Putin in charge. While this is not a major shift in Russia's current international outlook, Putin will certain be bolder in his initiatives and will give Russia a fiercer voice.

Russia continues to crawl forward in its actions to separate Eastern Europe into its own protective sphere; note the separatist regions as well as the missile defense problems, not to mention the quest for a EurAsia Union; that will only be sped up now that Putin has resumed control.


France

France is about to have their elections and currently the race is too close to call. Nicolas Sarkozy the current Presidential incumbent hails from the Union for a Popular Movement party which is the center-right political group in France. This party, and Sarkozy in particular, has advocated greater alignment with the United States.

His opponent, Francois Hollande, from the Socialist Party will probably be less supportive of America. He has very little foreign policy experience to begin with and has already announced his intentions to speed up the French troop withdraw from Afghanistan. The French Socialist Party aligns itself heavily with the Europeans Socialists who push for more Pro-European Union policies.


Great Britain

The U. K. could be up for a serious shuffle, as well. With the recession hitting Britain as badly as the U. S., most voters want someone to blame. That person may as well be David Cameron. If local elections show any kind of trend, Cameron and his Conservative Party will not fair well.  The Labor Party seems to be gaining traction.

While the U. K. has a long standing alliance with America, The Labor Party's focus has been more on human rights and an alignment with the European Socialists. This means a more isolated EU and more "aid" styled missions instead of defense.

This also could affect the "EU plot", just revealed today, with the EU's super-president and the desire to "scrap" Britain. While Cameron's administration has been less Euro-friendly, the article implies that the current government is not taking steps to prevent a dictator style EU. However, a Labor Party candidate would be much happier to become deeper involved with the European Union.


The United States of America

The United States also has a big election coming up, one that looks just as close as the French. They have suffered through their own economic recession, and had more than their fair share of interceding in foreign affairs. The current President Obama, with minimal foreign policy experience has received mixed reviews at best from the population, but overall his stance could not be considered "strong".

Romney, the Republican opposition, would most likely command a more typically conservative foreign policy which would put the US back on strong defense. While the change in the outlook on international relations might not be drastic, it would still be a change.


China

China will remain stable throughout this year. However, as the other Party chess pieces move around, China will continue to make alliances. China's current foreign policy can best be described as whatever is economically good for them. Bailing out America's debt? Check. Supplying N. Korea under the table? Invisible Check. It doesn't matter either way. And now with the developing story involving the blind activist, Chen Gaungcheng, the tedious relationship the US has with them, can certainly be seen.



 Any shift in power, and we've already seen one in Russia, can lead to instability within the P5. This is an important year internationally, one that needs to be watched more closely as we chose our moves on the world stage. Human rights and the future of the EU will be fresh on the minds of the winners at the end of 2012.

Stabbing in Aurora Leaves One Dead

Around 4:30 Thursday afternoon, a fight broke out on an RTD bus, as it approached the intersection of Smoky Hill and Chambers.

According to police two men went after one man in the back of the bus. The man on his own stabbed both of the other men. One of them was stabbed in the chest, stumbled off the by then stopped bus and collapsed. The other man, pushed the knife wielder into the bus's windshield, which broke, and then ran into a nearby bar, for help, having suffered cuts to his hands.

Both the men who'd been stabbed, were taken to a nearby hospital, where the one was pronounced dead. The man with the knife is in police custody.

It is unknown, at this time, whether the man pulled the knife in self defense, or if the men went after him because he had pulled the knife.

Police have not released names, but did say all three men were between twenty and thirty years of age. None of the other ten passengers, or the driver were injured.

Russia Threatens Against European Missile Defense

Russia has threatened to use "destructive force preemptively" if the US continues it's plans to build a missile shield in Central Europe.

A fresh set of talks began Thursday, between Russia and NATO, but already Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said the talks were "close to a dead end".

Moscow believes that any kind of missile interceptor system would be a threat to their own security.

The US and her allies state that the system would primarily be to defend against Iranian and North Korean threats.

Ever since 2000, when President George W. Bush proposed a missile defense system in Europe, Russia and the US have argued over it. In 2008, President Obama scrapped the plan.

However, in 2010, Poland and the US signed an agreement to house a missile defense base at Poland's Redzikowo airstrip.