Remembering: Hail and Lightning Kill 1,000 English Soldiers

April 13, 1360, while burning the suburbs of Paris, and preparing to march on Chartes, English troops find themselves in the middle of a storm. The storm, reportedly came out of nowhere, making the day "foul with mist, lightning, and hail".

As lightning struck killing some troops, hail fell killing hundreds of others. Around 1,000 English troops, including two of the leaders, were killed by the storm.

The heavy losses from the storm, were seen as a sign from God, that He was against the war, and England sued for peace. A treaty was signed on May 8, ending the first part of Hundred Years' War, which had began in 1337.

The war would renew in 1369, when the French attacked English holdings in Brittany. The second phase would last until 1453.

Bounty for Vampires in India

The villages surrounding the Indian town of Dharmapuri, are being threatened by vampires. Or so say the villagers who's cows have been mysteriously dying off.

Because of the threat, streets are empty from dusk on, and holy symbols have been painted on walls and doors to keep vampires away.

In response, government officials have offered a reward of one lakh of rupees, or nearly $2000, to anyone who can bring them a dead vampire.

O. Jayaraman, who announced the reward said, "It is a big hoax. Anti-socials whose illegal night activities such as bootlegging and liquor brewing have been disturbed are spreading rumours and killing cattle".

Colorado Sheriff Deputies Accused of Shooting Keg

Three Park County deputies have been suspended while accusations that they shot a keg at an under age party are being investigated.

Last weekend, the officers found a group of teens partying in a remote area of the Pike National Forest. Several of the teens were ticketed for underage drinking.

But according to some of the highschoolers, and their parents, two of the deputies fired a total of three shots at a chain that was holding a keg of beer to a tree.

Undersheriff Monte Gore says he has asked the Teller County Sheriff's Office to investigate the incident, to avoid conflict of interests.

Coup in Guinea-Bissau

Late Thursday night government troops seized part of the country's capital, including the ruling party's headquarters and the national radio and TV stations. So far the army has not made any official statements.

Outgoing prime minister and presidential hopeful, Carlos Gomes Junior's home came under attack, and he was kidnapped by some of the troops. His location is unknown. Nor is the where abouts of Raimundo Pereira, the country's interim president, known.

After the loud night, filled with military vehicles, gunshots, and explosions; the streets have been very quiet, with many people deciding to stay home.

Soldiers have taken up stations around foreign embassies, including the UN offices. They appear to be keeping anyone from seeking refuge on in the embassies.

The Economic Community of West African States, as well as other nations, have condemned the coup, calling for the return of order and law.

Remembering: Fort Sumter

April 12, 1861 the Civil War begins as Confederate forces fire on the US held Fort Sumter in South Carolina.

South Carolina seceded on December 20, 1860, the first state to do so. On January 9, Star of The West, a supply ship, attempted to reach the fort, but warning shots were fired, and the ship fled.

On February 15, the Confederate Congress declared that all Union forts must be "either by negotiation or force". Major Robert Anderson, commander of Fort Sumter, refused their demand of surrender.

By April 6, Sumter was the last federal installation that hadn't been coerced into surrender or been seized. Lincoln sent word to the South that a ship would be sent, with nothing but food in it. There would be no reinforcements, no ammunition, just humanitarian aid.

The South's answer was sent April 12 at 4:30am, as the Confederate guns unleashed. They would fire on the fort for thirty-three straight hours. Over four thousand shells were fired by the time the fort surrendered.

The war between the states had begun, and would last until April 8, 1865.

Nebraska Could Continue Keystone XL

The Keystone XL Pipeline might have been attacked by the federal government, but that doesn't seem to be stopping it from continuing. Already Oklahoma and Texas have decided to finish their parts of it.

Now Nebraska may give it the go ahead as well. The state government has a vote before that it would allow the Department of Environmental Quality to evaluate the social, environmental and economic impact of any proposed route.

If the bill passes, then the department could submit a route to the state. At which point the state could then give it a full go ahead. Opponents of the pipeline are worried, because the Department of Environmental Quality has never told Governor Dave Heineman, no. The Governor is a big supporter of the pipeline.

Standoff in The South China Sea

BRP Gregorio de Pilar

On Sunday, a Philippine Navy surveillance aircraft spotted eight Chinese fishing boats in Philippine waters. The BRP Gregorio de Pilar was dispatched. Tuesday upon boarding one of the vessels it's inspection crew found "large amounts of illegally collected corals, giant clams and live sharks" in the boat's compartments.


The inspection team returned and reported. Before the Gregorio de Pilar could begin making arrests, two Chinese maritime surveillance ships showed up, and placed themselves between the fishing boats and the Gregorio de Pilar.


With this began the standoff. The Philippines have protested to the Chinese government, but China responded by stating that the area is Chinese territory. This despite the area being recognized as belonging to the Philippines by UN treaty. China in fact claims almost the whole South China Sea to be theirs.

Wednesday the Philippines dispatched a coast guard vessel to join the Gregorio de Pilar. By the time it arrived on Thursday, a third Chinese vessel had arrived. Latest reports from the BBC state that the Gregorio de Pilar has pulled back, but the Philippine government would not state why.


The Philippines are scheduled to undergo naval operations with the US Navy, April 16-27, near the area.

Plague Spreading Through Bats

A mysterious plague has been killing off bats in alarming numbers. First discovered in 2007 "white nose syndrome" has spread from Albany, New York into nineteen states and three provinces.

The disease has been named for the white that begins to cover the bats face, ears, and wings. The fungus then begins to eat through the membranes of the wings, tail, and ears. As it spreads through each bat, it appears to mess with their mental stability and instincts.

So far it is estimated that 5.5 million bats have been lost to the plague. Nothing has yet been effective in stopping it's spread.

This is of grave concern as bats have an important role in the food chain. Just one million bats eats at least 540 tons of insects a year. Many of those insects will now survive to eat more crops, gardens, and trees; upsetting the balance even more.

Amazon Begins Trade In of CDs

On Wednesday, Amazon announced an expansion to their trade in program. For the last few years customers have been allowed to trade in movies, textbooks, video games, and electronics. When Amazon receives them, they put an amount of credit into the person's account.

Well now you can turn in your old CDs as well. On Amazon there's a list of CDs that they'll accept, and the amount they'll give you for them. Once you've found one you want to remove from your collection, print a shipping label and packing slip and ship the discs for free.

In a press release, Amazon said, "Through customer feedback we've learned that a lot of customers are interested in trading in their used CDs to upgrade to something new."

Betty White Joins Twitter

Betty White joined Twitter on Tuesday starting right off with, "Hello Twitter! And they said it would never happen. Oh wait, that was me."

She then continued to promote her new show and tease Ryan Seacrest, "Hey @RyanSeacrest -- my new show airs tomorrow and I hear we're in the same time slot. I've always dreamed of sharing a night with you..."

Attitude and humor is exactly what we expected from the 90 year old, and whenever she does tweet we'll be sure to be entertained.

You can follow the star on Twitter at @BettyMWhite.