Remembering: VJ Day

On September 2, 1945 a Japanese delegation came aboard the USS Missouri.

The delegation was led by Japanese foreign minister Mamoru Shigemitsu and the chief of staff of the Japanese army Yoshijiro Umezu.

Aboard the ship they met with General Douglas MacArthur and Admiral Chester Nimitz.

The four men would sign the "instrument of surrender" which formally ended World War II, as Japan surrendered unconditionally.

Fighting had ended August 15, but it took two weeks for all the formal arrangements to be made.

Pirates Kill Hostage to Send Message

Somalian pirates capture the MV Orna in December of 2010, and have had it ever since.

They have been demanding ransom for the ship, the cargo, and the crew ever since, but their demands have gone unanswered.

Now they have gone to a level that they had managed to not cross.

A pirate leader stated that they have killed one of the hostages, and wounded another, to show that they can no longer be taken for granted.

Til now they had avoided purposefully killing anyone, and stuck to being purely financial.

Often crews had been eventually released whether ransom was paid or not.

A European Union fleet, as well as Russian, US, and other country's forces patrol the area, seeking out the pirates.

The patrols have been partially successful, as pirate raids have been cut in half, and several times naval vessels have fought off attacks on ships or rescued the ships once they had been taken.

Best Beer Ad Ever?

Carlton Draught beer has been running an ad campaign of "Made From Beer". The Australian brewery's commercials have become increasingly acclaimed, but their latest has some calling it the best beer commercial ever.

Caltron's GM of marketing, Andrew Meldrum, said that, "At Carlton, we believe that beer ads should be fun. With the 'Made from beer' campaign we've always set out to remind us all not to take ourselves too seriously, and we try to do it in a way that puts a smile on people's faces."

In the "Beer Chase" four bank robbers go to the wrong bar for their celebration. From there it quickly turns into a classic 80's Hollywood car chase, though something is missing.

We found the commercial to be entertaining, though not necessarily the best beer commericial ever. What do you think?

Eleven Now Dead From Legionnaires in Quebec

An eleventh person has now died from legionnaires disease, in Quebec City, Quebec.

One hundred and sixty-nine people have come down with the illness since July.


Smokers, those with respiratory illness, and people with immune deficiency are at the highest risk from the disease.

Stagnant water in highrise cooling systems is believed to be the source of the bacteria.

Once there, the bacteria spreads via water droplets, through ventilation.

So far the city has inspected and cleaned one hundred and thirty cooling systems, throughout the city.

The public health department reports that owners of many buildings have refused or failed to respond to inspection requests.

Maurice Jones-Drew To End 38 Day Holdout

Maurice Jones-Drew, who has sat out the entire Jacksonville Jaguar training camp, is expected to return today after a thirty-eight day hiatus; according to ESPN's Adam Schefter:

Here we go: MJD returning to Jaguars today. Carry on.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 2, 2012

Jones-Drew has been trying to renegotiate his five year, thirty-one million dollar contract. He has been paid twenty-one million in the first three years of his contract, but wants to be paid in line with the other top running backs in the league. Adrian Peterson was recently signed to a seven year, one hundred million dollar contract; and Chris Johnson, LeSean McCoy, Arian Foster, and Matt Forte all have received new contracts higher than that of Maurice's current contract.

 Rashad Jennings, another Jaguar running back, confirmed ESPN's report of an MJD return on Twitter:

Just shared some love with @jones_drew32in the locker room. Glad to see you back - Let's work brah!
— Rashad Jennings (@RashadJennings) September 2, 2012

At a fine of up to thirty thousand dollars a day, and sixty thousand for a mandatory mini-camp, Jones-Drew could be fined up to $2.1 million for time missed in the off-season. If Maurice had chosen to sit out during the regular season he could have lost up to $261,765 per week, or the base salary of $4.45 million for the entire season. 

The Jaguars open the season this coming weekend at Minnesota. Jones-Drew is expected to play but will likely not be starting. Entering his seventh year as a Jaguar, Jones-Drew led the NFL in rushing in 2011 with 1,606 yards.

7 Year Old Girl Recovering From Bubonic Plague

A seven year old girl from Pagosa Springs, Colorado is recovering after contracting the bubonic plague.

Doctors expect that she will see a full recovery, as she was brought to them in time for treatment.

She is believed to have caught it near during a family camping trip to Cimarrona Campground.

It was the first case, of the deadly disease, in Colorado since 2006.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that on average there are seven occurrences every year.

Symptoms of the plague appear in humans two to six days after being bitten by an infected flea, rodent, or cat.

Officials say that it shows the importance of never touching dead or dying animals, and being careful with live ones.

Iran and North Korea Expanding Cooperation

Iran and North Korea have announced a renewed cooperation in science and technology.

According to Iranian state media they "will cooperate in research, student exchanges and joint laboratories, and in the fields of information technology, engineering, biotechnology, renewable energy, the environment, sustainable development of agriculture and food technology".
 Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said, "The Islamic Republic of Iran and North Korea have common enemies, because the arrogant powers do not accept independent states".

Both countries were marked by US President George W. Bush as being in the "axis of evil", and evidence of their secretly working together has come out from time to time.

South Africa Dropping Murder Charges Against Miners

South Africa's top prosecutor has announced that murder charges will be dropped against miners that had been striking.

Two hundred and seventy miners had been charged with the murder of thirty-four of their number, after police fired into their rioting mass.

The decision had been ridiculed by civil rights groups and governments from around the world.

Charges of attempted murder would also be dropped, but the charges of public violence and others will stay.

Thousands of miners are still striking, demanding that the government double their wages.

Miners who weren't striking, as well as police, had been killed by the strikers before the mass shooting, which police say was in self defense.

Teen Rescued Safely After Kidnapping

Saturday morning police in Las Vegas, Nevada teamed with officers from Henderson in the apprehension of two kidnappers.

On Friday morning, a seventeen year old girl responded to a knock on the door, only to be dragged out of it by the two men that were outside.

Neighbors and her family chased after the abductors, calling 911 as they went.

Within hours the family received a ransom call and an Amber alert was issued.

Tips from various people led the police to an apartment building in Las Vegas, where they came, warrants in hand, looking for the girl and her captors.

In three separate apartments they found the two suspects and the girl, who was unharmed.

Police arrested thirty year old Cesar Sanchez and Alejandro Manuel Sanchez-Sanchez, twenty five, on counts of kidnapping, extortion, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, and conspiracy to commit extortion.

There will be no bail in their case.

Hobbit Trilogy Dates Released

To many fans it came as very disappointing news that The Hobbit would be split into three parts, instead of the planned two.

But at least some good news has come now as we find when each of the trilogy will be released.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will still be coming out December 14, 2012, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is due out December 13, 2013, and The Hobbit: There and Back Again has been announced for July 18, 2014.

Good news then that we'll not have to wait even two full years to see movie.

3D lovers are sure to be excited that the films will all be available in it, and traditionalists fear not regular 2D is still happening as well as IMAX.

For those who aren't aware The Hobbit was the book, by J. R. R. Tolkien, that takes place before The Lord of The Rings trilogy.

It contains the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, Frodo's uncle, the hobbit who turned 111 near the beginning of The Fellowship of The Ring, and who had been the previous owner of the ring.