Nigerian twin bomb explosions kill dozens in Jos

A recent twin bombing in Jos, Nigeria killed at least 46 people and injured many more. The bombs exploded in a market and also in a bus terminal, both part of the commercial center of the city. No group has confessed to the attack, but Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram is suspected. The city of Jos lies on the very volatile border between the Muslim north and the Christian south of Nigeria. This makes it much more susceptible to attacks. Boko Haram has been known to try to spark conflict between the two religious groups, trying to make an entirely Islamic state. Until this attack, Jos has remained fairly peaceful for about two year despite some threats from Boko Haram. Boko Haram is still under investigation for the disappearance of 200 schoolgirls from a boarding school, and they have killed more than 1,000 Nigerians in the past year.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-27493940

Flappy Bird

This summer, the famous game 'Flappy Bird' is planned to be functional once again. In an interview with CNBC, creator Dong Nguyen confirmed that the game would hit mobile app stores once again. Nguyen originally took down the extremely successful and profitable game in February because it became to addicting for people and he worried about the well-being of those playing. Soon after the cancellation of the game, devices with the game became very valuable. Now, after a long wait, the game is to come back this August. It will also be sporting the new feature of multiplayer. Nguyen also states he is working on several other games, one named Kitty Jetpack.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/gaming/2014/05/14/flappy-bird-returns/9097997/

Clip suspected in circus accident; 8 hospitalized

Just yesterday, a terrible circus accident led to the serious injury of 8 acrobats at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey circus. The acrobats were performing a hair acrobatic endeavor where they swing from an apparatus with their hair. They fell very shortly into their routine with the apparatus falling on top of them with around 3,900 spectators, many of them being children. After investigators examined the seen, they found a carabiner broken into three pieces among the wreck. The carabiner was rated at 10,000 pounds, and the acrobats were only about 1,500 pounds. It is a mystery how it happened, but it ended up severely injuring four of the eight acrobats. One acrobat broke both ankles and pierced their liver with their ribs, while another suffered intense neck and back fractures. The performers were moved into critical condition care and are being monitored closely.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/05/05/4098400/acrobats-injured-in-fall-as-circus.html

Clippers advertisers flee in midst of Sterling scandal

Richard Sterling, owner of the LA Clippers, has caused quite a stir in the basketball community. Advertisers of the popular NBA team have begun to sever their bonds to the team in response to Sterling's racial comments. In a video released by a gossip site, Sterling is seen and heard chiding a woman for "associating with black people." The woman is identified as V. Stiviano, and Sterling's comment is about Stiviano's post of herself with Earvin "Magic" Johnson on Instagram. In the height of the Clipper's rising fame, this couldn't have come at a worse time. Many corporate sponsors of the team have retracted, stating that they didn't want to be affiliated with the team. The team's advertising roster is getting smaller and smaller as well as a result of Sterling's comments. Sterling more than likely hurts the team's chances of possible new players and free agents coming to the team, which in turn could hurt ticket sales. Under the NBA Constitution, the NBA could suspend Sterling as the owner if he can be accused for "conduct prejudicial or detrimental to the association." It is interesting to see what will be done for this ugly situation.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-sterling-advertising-20140429,0,3216045.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Fbusiness%2Fsmallbusiness+(Los+Angeles+Times+-+Small+Business)#axzz30FCPcCpD

Man-eating Grizzly on Washington Island

Washington Island, a small community in northern Wisconsin, is in quite a flutter. It turns out the rumors circulating around the island were true, a large grizzly bear did exist deep in the woods. The beast was something of legend. Ancestors told of this monstrous animal, but none had encountered it. Only self-proclaimed sightings were reported. That is, until just this past week, when Washington Island native John Young was found dead in his log cabin. While on a routine trapping round, Young was checking his last trap. He came across the bear, which was feasting on Young's catch. The bear chased Young back to his cabin where it ended up killing him. Young's wife checked on her husband after he didn't return, and found him half-eaten. Truly a sad occurrence. Officials examined the scene, finding distinct bear tracks and bite marks in the victim. The image of a bear also appeared on Young's hunting camera. The evidence is undeniable. Search crews have tried tracking the bear to no avail. The beast still lurks in the heart of the forest, waiting to prey on it's next victim.

Five Missing Japanese Divers Found Alive, Police Say -- 2nd Update

Five Japanese divers that were assumed dead were found today off of the Indonesian island, Bali. The divers set out as a group of seven, two instructors and five tourists. They had been diving during stormy day, and currents and strong winds swept them away. For four days the women spent lost without food or water. Nothing is known of the whereabouts of the other two divers. The Japanese diving industry doesn't expect this incident to change their success in foreign interest too much, but this hasn't been the first time such things have occurred. At one diving site a Japanese guide and Danish tourists died, prompting more awareness of location and weather during dives.

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20140217-703237.html

Deadly Winter Storm Devastates Southeastern US, Heads North

An intense winter storm has formed in the Southeastern United States, devastating transportation conditions and power lines. Heavy snow, freezing rain, and large build-ups of ice have interrupted the daily commutes of citizens all over the Southeast. This storm has caused thousands of flights to be canceled, many out of Atlanta. Ice accumulations have built up on power lines and tree branches, breaking them and the source of electricity. It has been reported that more than 25 centimeters of snow have fallen, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency has dispatched teams to aid in the area. Thousands of people have been stripped of power because of the powerful storm, and it has already begun to move northward into the Northeast.

http://www.voanews.com/content/reu-storm-with-deadly-ice-snow-slams-southeastern-united-states/1849893.html

Castaway claims he drifted 13 months in Pacific

Just today, a castaway was found on an atoll of the Marshall Islands, claiming he drifted at sea for 13 months straight. The mysterious castaway is Jose Ivan Alvarengo, a native of El Salvador that had been living in Mexico. Alvarengo tell that he and a teenage companion were out on a day-long fishing trip, when currents and a storm took them off course, and took one of their engines. 13 months later, he was found on the Marshall Islands' atoll, Ebon. In a hospital bed interview, he tells that he survived on fish, birds, and turtles he caught, and drinking rainwater. He said that his teenage companion died because he refused to eat raw birds, and no information is known about what happened to his body. If Alvarengo story is true, he would have traveled about 5,000 miles, wandering his way across the Pacific Ocean. This truly is an amazing feat of survival.

Snowden Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

The government keeps quite a close eye on us, as former member of the CIA and contractor for the NSA, Edward Snowden, revealed to everyone. Snowden prompted the well-known NSA leaks, providing information about the intricate surveillance system the NSA maintains on the entire world. There is divided opinion about whether his actions were right, some calling him a hero, and some calling him a criminal. In the eyes of Norwegian politicians, Snorre Valen and Bård Vegar Solhjell, Snowden would be considered a revolutionary. So much so that Valen, Norway's former environment and education minister from the Socialist Left Party, and Solhjell, a fellow parliament member, nominated Snowden for the Nobel Peace Prize. They believe that however detrimental the information released is to governments in the short term, it will enable to work towards a more peaceful world order. The information has stirred much debate, and made people rethink about the trust relationship between citizens and the government, re-opening the emphasis on this subject. These Swedish politicians are not the only ones with this opinion about Snowden, but they might have a difficult time winning him the prize. Nominations for the Nobel Prizes are due the first of February, and the final awards are announced on October 10.

http://www.voanews.com/content/snowden-nominated-for-nobel-peace-prize/1840391.html

Russians seeking black widows as possible Games threat

As the Olympic Games approach, much preparation is being held in Sochi, Russia. One of the main concerns for Russia during this time is to make sure their security is effective. Although their efforts are thorough, it is believed that a possible female suicide bomber could have already slipped past officials. The woman is recorded to be the widow of an Islamic militant that was killed by Russian forces last year. This woman is referred to be a "black widow", so named because they are harder to detect and can change the way they look with makeup and clothes. Several militant groups in the Caucasus are known to use "black widows". To prevent against any trouble, 40,000 security Russian and American personnel have been dispatched for the games. They will remain on on watch, but it is expected that nothing serious will happen.

How A Little Caffeine Can Boost Your Memory

A new study in Nature Neuroscience has discovered that consuming caffeine after attempting to memorize something will allow more to be memorized per session. The experiment took not regular caffeine consumers and had them memorize a series of pictures, afterwards giving them a caffeine pill. The next day they were asked to remember these pictures in detail, and the group that had been given the caffeine did considerably better than those that had not been given the pill. The key factor of this test was that the caffeine was administered after the period of memorization instead of before, which can cause anxiety and lack of focus. Scientists must delve deeper into the uses of this caffeine on the memory that can be held, which may lead to advancements against Alzheimer's disease and other memory loss.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2014/01/13/how-a-little-caffeine-can-boost-your-memory/

Deadly blast hits south Beirut neighborhood

As the civil war in Syria rages on, conflicts have meandered their way in its smaller neighbor, Lebanon. Over the past few months, bombs have exploded over the country targeting Shiite Hezbollah strongholds, most recently in Beirut. Just today, a car bomb exploded in front of a Hezbollah stronghold in the Lebanese capital city, leaving five people dead and around 20 injured. Several cars were ignited in the blast, and the front face of the nearby buildings and store windows were damaged. Other bombings such as this that have targeted politicians have occurred in already delicate Lebanon in the past few months, threatening to tear the country apart, just as it has happened in Syria.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/01/02/bomb-beirut-lebanon-syria/4287507/