Friday, July 27, 2007

 

Daily Update 07/27/2007

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I am planning on posting daily things that I find interesting on the internet. I hope you enjoy these items as much as I do. Most topics posted on this page will be completely random. Just various stories and news tidbits I have discovered today. If you have a chance please check out this free poker ebook at http://www.legendsofamerica.com/poker.html

My Favorite Featured Story
Brought to you by Yahoo

America's space agency was shaken Thursday by two startling and unrelated reports: One involved claims that astronauts were drunk before flying. The other was news from NASA itself that a worker had sabotaged a computer set for delivery to the international space station.

It was just another jolt for an operation that has had a rocky year from the start, beginning with the arrest of an astronaut accused of attacking a rival in a love triangle.

"It's going to shake up the world, I'll tell you that," retired NASA executive Seymour Himmel said of the latest news. "There will be congressional hearings that you will not be able to avoid."

News of the two latest bombshells broke within just a few hours of each other Thursday afternoon.

Aviation Week & Space Technology reported on its Web site that a special panel studying astronaut health found that on two occasions, astronauts were allowed to fly after flight surgeons and other astronauts warned they were so drunk they posed a safety risk.

The independent panel also found "heavy use of alcohol" before launch — within the standard 12-hour "bottle-to-throttle" rule, the magazine reported.

A NASA official confirmed the report contains such details, but said they were from anonymous interviews and not substantiated. The official asked that his name not be used because NASA will discuss the health report on Friday.

The Aviation Week story did not say how long ago the alleged incidents took place, nor did it say whether it involved pilots or other crew members.

At a news conference to discuss the upcoming space shuttle launch set for Aug. 7, NASA's space operations chief was asked repeatedly about the drunken astronaut report.

The manager, Bill Gerstenmaier, would only say that he had never seen an intoxicated astronaut before flight or been involved in any disciplinary action related to that.

But Gerstenmaier had more news. He revealed that an employee for a NASA subcontractor had cut the wires in a computer that was about to be loaded into the shuttle Endeavour for launch.

The subcontractor, which he wouldn't name, contacted NASA 1 1/2 weeks ago, as soon as it learned that another computer had been damaged deliberately, Gerstenmaier said. Had the contractor not discovered the problem, NASA would have uncovered it by testing the computer before launch, Gerstenmaier said. Safety was not an issue, he added.

He refused to speculate on the worker's motive. He also wouldn't say where the sabotage occurred. He said it did not happen in Florida and had nothing to do with an ongoing strike at the Kennedy Space Center by a machinists' union.

NASA hopes to fix the computer in time for launch next month. It's intended to be installed inside the space station to collect data from strain gauges on a major outside beam.

Former shuttle commander Eileen Collins was as stunned as anyone to learn of the astronaut alcohol claims in the upcoming health report.

"I'm anxious to hear more details because this is very out of character from anything I have ever experienced," she said.

Collins worries this will hurt the image of the astronauts, at least in the short term. "I hope people can really look at the good things astronauts do," she said.

Astronaut Jeffrey Williams, who spent six months on the space station last year, said he's never seen or heard of anything like this. As for the effect this may have on astronaut morale, especially so close to a shuttle flight, he said, "We're trained to deal with things so we deal with them without much emotion."

Himmel, who retired in 1981 as associate director for what is now Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, wasn't surprised to learn the information was anonymous.

"Let's face it. Astronauts are a bunch of brothers and sisters, OK, and they'll cover each other's backsides because they're part of the team," he said. "And who knows what the role of the particular ones was to be. If he was just to sit in the middle seat somewhere and just be a passenger, you kind of say, 'Well, gee, I hope he doesn't vomit on the way up.'"

The independent panel reviewing astronaut health and NASA's psychological screening process was created following the arrest in February of former space shuttle flier Lisa Nowak. None of the panel members returned phone calls or e-mails from The Associated Press.

Nowak is accused of attacking the girlfriend of a fellow astronaut — her romantic rival — with pepper spray in a parking lot at Orlando International Airport. Fired by NASA in March, she has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted kidnapping, battery and burglary with assault.

The scandal was followed by a freak hailstorm that tore into a space shuttle on the launch pad that set back the year's flight schedule. Then there was a shooting at Johnson Space Center in Houston by an employee who ultimately killed himself.

Himmel questions whether any screening or rules could weed out astronauts like Nowak. "I have personal friends who are psychiatrists and they say, 'Look, we don't know what the hell goes on and you can't really evaluate somebody overnight,'" he said.

As for astronauts who might overindulge before flight, if they're former fighter or test pilots, "it's a pretty hard-living bunch and it's a very emotionally intense thing," Himmel said. He said an old NASA colleague who worked closely with test pilots once told him, "Some of these guys are damn near on a razor's edge when they fly and in their home lives.

"The thing is that no matter how hard anybody tries, or no matter what system you devise to preclude something, there's always somebody who will find a way to louse it up," Himmel said. "There's no perfect system."


My Favorite Story Trash News Story
Brought to you by TMZ

NFL stud Matt Leinart has scored himself another high profile job -- but TMZ has learned the pretty boy QB is busting his ass to make sure his new Hollywood gig doesn't interfere with his daddy duties.

A spy on the L.A. set of a new Adam Sandler project has confirmed that Leinart landed an acting role in the untitled flick, featuring "Scary Movie" star Anna Faris. While sources claim Leinart is serious about the part, we're told that he's only shooting on days he's not scheduled to visit his 9-month-old son with baby mama Brynn Cameron, and when he's free from any football obligations with the Arizona Cardinals. But according to Brynn, Leinart's "Hollywood stuff" is taking his focus away from being a good parent, as she complained to the Ventura County Star, "It's kind of hard for me as the mom ... he comes and goes whenever he wants."

When contacted by TMZ, Leinart's rep wouldn't talk about the movie, but assured the Cardinal faithful that "Matt is focused right now on his way to training camp. He has a job to do with the Arizona Cardinals. That's all we have to say about that."

As TMZ first reported, Leinart is embroiled in a nasty legal battle with his Cameron, who is asking for more than $30K a month in child support from the $50 million-contract jock.

My Favorite Press Release Today
Brought to you The Open Press

CelebPoker player Cort Kibler-Melby walked away from the recent 2007 WSOP Event in Las Vegas as the highest ranking European and nearly $100,000 richer.

London, UK (PRWEB) July 27, 2007 -- The Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas was the venue for the 49th leg of the 2007 World Series of Poker and the final $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em event on this year's schedule. With a turnout of 3,151 players, the occasion became the largest, non-main event, tournament in World Series of Poker history.

The tournament, which ran from June 30th to July 2nd, ranked as the third largest live poker tournament of all time with only the WSOP main events of 2005 and 2006 attracting more players. This was also the busiest day in WSOP history in terms of total number of tournament entries within a 24-hour period.

As a consequence, many new names registered themselves on the final leader board. In fact, of the top 324 finishers who made it into the money, only two players had previously won a WSOP gold bracelet and neither of these made it onto the final table.

One of these new names was CelebPoker player Cort Kibler-Melby. After battling through qualifying, he took his seat on the final table ... an outstanding achievement considering the level of competition and quality of poker being played. Kibler-Melby eventually finished in sixth place behind eventual winner Ghandrasekhar Billavara from California, who took home a cheque for a cool $722,914 after five hours of intense play. Kibler-Melby was delighted with his work, and his cheque for $96,755, and is now aiming to take Europe by storm and continue to fly the flag for CelebPoker.

Dave Donovan, CelebPoker CEO, said:
"We are so excited about Cort's achievement and really pleased for him. It is another clear indication of the calibre of poker player that CelebPoker is associated with. We have some of the best online, and live tournament, players in the world as part of the CelebPoker network. Cort is a tremendous player and a fantastic ambassador for our company… we wish him well as he targets the WSOP Europe Event, in London, this September."


My Favorite Spam e-mail of the day
I don’t know about you but I am consistently getting spam e-mail. Some of these e-mails totally crack me up. I’ve decided to post my favorite spam e-mail daily.

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My Weather: Kansas City
Brought to you by the NOAA

Today: A few isolated thunderstorms developing this afternoon under partly cloudy skies. High near 90F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%.

Tonight: Widely scattered showers or a thunderstorm this evening. Then partly cloudy. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.

Tomorrow: A few showers early with isolated thunderstorms developing later in the day. High near 85F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.

Tomorrow night: Partly cloudy skies. Low 69F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.

Sunday: Isolated thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 80s and lows in the upper 60s.

Monday: Mix of sun and clouds. Highs in the upper 80s and lows in the upper 60s.

Tuesday: Sunshine. Highs in the low 90s and lows in the upper 60s.

My Daily Horoscope (Virgo)
Brought to you by Yahoo Astrology

Quickie:
If you are looking for a new romance, look in your office. A coworker is interested.

Overview:
When your heart is in charge, you make all the right decisions. Occasionally, though, your ego gets in the way like a poorly trained administrative assistant. Remember to listen to your best source of information.

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