Space shuttle Endeavour landed safely at California's Edwards Air Force Base on Sunday afternoon despite poor weather, according to CNN
NASA waved off two landing opportunities in Florida because of bad weather.
Endeavour's 15-day space trip began November 14 and included four space walks, according to The New York Times.
Protests continued in several California cities, including San Francisco, Palm Springs and Long Beach, over Proposition 8, outlawing same-sex marriage, according to CNN. The ballot results were 52.5 percent to 47.5 percent on Tuesday.
"This is a temporary defeat," Lorri Jean, chief executive of the Los Angels Gay and Lesbian Center told Mercury News. "I don't have the slightest doubt in my mind that we ultimately will win the freedom to marry, and that it will be the law of the land in this country, not in just these few states."
Seven Puget Sound killer whales are missing and presumed dead, according to The New York Times“This is a disaster,� said Ken Balcomb, a senior scientist at the Center for Whale Research, on San Juan Island. “The population drop is worse than the stock market.�
Low numbers of chinook salmon, a prime food for these whales, may be a factor in the unusual number of deaths this year, according to CNN Pollution and decline in prey are mammal's biggest threats, who were listed as endangered in 2005.
While infant death in the U.S declined 2 percent in 2006, the rate still remains well above other developed nations who pay less for health care, according to The New York Times. In 1960, the U.S ranked 12th lowest in the world for infant mortality, but by 2004 the ranking dropped to 29th lowest.
Premature birth and low birth weight are by far the biggest causes of infant death, according to The Los Angeles Times.
"We as a nation place less emphasis on primary care and prevention than a lot of these other industrialized democracies do that have lower rates than we do," said Dr. Ann O'Malley of the Center for Studying Health System Change, a Washington-based research group.
Obama insults fly everywhere at McCain rally's, shouting "terrorist", "treason", "liar", and even "off with his head", according to the Associated Press. Palin told supporters Friday in Ohio at a fundraiser "it's not negative and it's not mean-spirited" in regards to accusations on Obama's associations.
According to MinnPost, McCain repeatedly defended his political opponent. When one man said “We’re scared of an Obama presidency.� He said he was concerned about someone who associated with “domestic terrorists like (1960s radical William) Ayers.� McCain responded, “First of all, I want to be president of the United States and obviously, I don’t want Senator Obama to be. But, I have to tell you, he is a decent person, and a person you do not have to be scared of as president of the United States.� The audience responded with boos, which then McCain told them they must be respectful in this election and respect Obama.
O.J Simpson was convicted on 12 counts of armed robbery and kidnapping Friday night, according to The Pioneer Press. Simpson, 61, could face a life time of prison. Simpson and Clarence Stewart were both convicted of robbing two memorabilia dealers at gun point at a hotel.
Simpson claimed in the robbery case that he was trying to reclaim the items stolen from him, according to The Star Tribune. He was famously acquitted in 1995 for murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson in Los Angeles.
A medvac helicopter carrying accident victims to a nearby hostpital in District Heights, Maryland crashed, killing four of the five passengers early Sunday morning, according to The Star Tribune. The two police officers aboard, one of whom was the pilot, an accident victim, Mark Brady, spokesman for the Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department, and a 17-year-old woman all died.
Patient Jordan Wells, 18, survived the crash and is in critical condition, according to CNN.
"This is a devastating tragedy," Col. Terrence Sheridan, superintendent of the Maryland State Police said. "We have had crashes before but never with four dead. This is the worst."
A new federal study of an X-ray alternative to colonoscopies is effective at finding most cancers. Many experts believe this new method will boost screening rates by 50% according to The Star Tribune. This "virtual conoloscopy" identified nine out of 10 people who had cancer and large growths, yet is better at ruling out cancer than detecting it.
Where colonoscopies can cost up to $3,000, the X-ray only costs $300 to $500 and is considered being covered by Medicare, according to The Minnesota Daily. The X-ray is recommended every five years, versus every 10 years for traditional colonoscopies and involve repeated exposure to radiation.
A hurricane expected to touch down late Friday or early Saturday, according to The Minnesota Dailyhttp://mndaily.com/content/cars-trucks-stream-inland-texas-ike-nears in Texas lead to the order for nearly 1 million people to evacuate their homes in search of safety.
The Star Tribunehttp://www.startribune.com/nation/28379079.html?elr=KArks:DCiUMEaPc:UiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiU reported on staff at a public housing complex leaving the residents during Hurricane Ike. However, a Federal Emergency Management Agency task force came in to check on the residents and of 260 people, only 50 left to seek shelter at a convention center.
Jenna's Bush's new book titled "Ana's Story" is about a 17 year-old HIV positive single mother from Panama that Bush met as an intern with Unicef. According to Star Tribune, Bush held her first televised interview with Diane Sawyer on ABC's 20/20 Friday night. NYT reports, "I think she’s bothered that people have made judgments about her without knowing much about her,� said Ms. Bush’s editor, Kate Jackson. “But that is not her reason for doing this. She has continually said, ‘This is not about me; this is about Ana.’ I think if she wanted people to know anything about her, it is that she’s a very capable writer, and a teacher.�
I am confused to see much of what NYT wrote written in The Star Tribune's article. This is a possible case of plagarism.
According to The Star Tribune, Illinois senator and presidential candidate Barack Obama has a plan to have Iraqi troops pulledout by 2008. His plan calls for troops to be pulled out starting "immediately at a pace of one to two brigades per month" and allowing more Iraqi refugges into America.
The Pioneer Press's article also brings up Republican John McCain's strategy of winning over voters who believe troops should stay the course. "Hilary Clinton also weighed in, sending Bush a letter urging him to bring troops home faster and not to use his prime-time speech to declare new succeses in Iraq.", the Pioneer Press.