Sudbury Teen Completes Coast-To-Coast Flight

Matthew Gougeon, 16, said the flight was largely routine — with a few exceptions, including avoiding thunderstorms over Ontario. (crosscanadasolochallenge.ca)

A 16 year old from Thornbury has made history, landing in Halifax a day early on his cross-country flight.

Matthew Gougeon took off from Victoria on July 12 to begin his record-breaking trip. He wanted to be the youngest Canadian to fly coast to coast in an amphibious plane.

He landed in Halifax just before 5 last night, greeted by his grandparents and other family members.

Matthew's mom and brother accompanied Mike for the final leg of the trip. The family touched down in Collingwood Airport Thursday morning to say hello to friends and supporters before heading to Halifax.

[CBC]

Shooting Victim's Last Tweets From The Theatre

One of the victims killed in the Aurora theatre shootings was a sportswriter and television hopeful named Jessica Ghawi. Ghawi, who went by Jessica Redfield in her media work, was also present at the Eaton Center mall shooting in Toronto, about which she wrote this blog post — the final addition to her personal site before last night. (She described herself: "I specialize in sports media and snark. Not your typical sarcastic feisty redhead attempting to perfect the trifecta of class, sass, and crass. Yankee born, Texas raised, Colorado blooming.")

An excerpt:

I found out after seeing a map of the scene, that minutes later a man was standing in the same spot I just ate at and opened fire in the food court full of people. Had I had sushi, I would’ve been in the same place where one of the victims was found.

My receipt shows my purchase was made at 6:20 pm. After that purchase I said I felt funny. It wasn’t the kind of funny you feel after spending money you know you shouldn’t have spent. It was almost a panicky feeling that left my chest feeling like something was missing. A feeling that was overwhelming enough to lead me to head outside in the rain to get fresh air instead of continuing back into the food court to go shopping at SportChek. The gunshots rung out at 6:23. Had I not gone outside, I would’ve been in the midst of gunfire. ...

That’s when it really hit me. I felt nauseas. Who would go into a mall full of thousands of innocent people and open fire? Is this really the world we live in?

Ghawi, originally from San Antonio, had recently moved to Colorado to pursue her dreams of being a sportscaster. (She adopted the persona of "Pucktress" for her work at the site Busted Coverage.) Before the shooting, her last tweets were about going to see the midnight premiere of The Dark Knight.

After her death, there's been a profound outpouring of support and admiration for Redfield from other sportswriters on Twitter.

Shooting Leaves 12 Dead At 'Dark Knight Rises' Screening In Colorado

Up to 12 people are dead after a shooting at a movie theatre in suburban Denver, police said early Friday morning. (Initial reports said 14 had been killed.)

The gunfire reportedly broke out during a screening of The Dark Knight Rises. Moviegoers were in the theatre when they say the shooter “released some sort of canister. They heard a hissing sound, and some gas emerged, and the gunman opened fire,” according to Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates.

At least 50 other people have been injured, and one person arrested. Police haven’t found evidence of more than one shooter.

Local law enforcement believe a 24-year-old man named James Holmes has been identified as the singular suspect in the Denver movie theatre shooting. Police who searched the suspect’s home said it was “booby-trapped,” and that they found “buckets of ammunition” and some type of chemical.

At a news conference, the Aurora, Colorado police chief said Holmes spoke of “possible explosives in his residence. We are dealing with a potential threat.”

During their search police were trying to disarm any potentially flammable or explosive materials. The police also found four other guns at the theatre, after it was evacuated, as well as a gas mask. 

[AP]

Obama’s N.Y.C. Apartment Available

It's no Lincoln Bedroom, that’s for sure.

Remember the tiny Harlem apartment where President Obama used to lounge around in sarongs during his Columbia days, according to author David Maraniss? Well now that apartment, which an ex-girlfriend described as smelling of “running sweat, Brut spray deodorant, smoking, eating raisins, sleeping, breathing,” can be yours for the low, low price of $2,400 a month.

Quite a steal when you consider that you’d be living in such an historic setting. Daily Intel spotted an ad for the apartment on New York realty site Citi Habitats and noted that two years ago, when it was last up for grabs, rent was only $1,900.

[Daily Intel]

1 In 13 Pregnant Women Drink, New Study Finds

Up to one in 13 women are disregarding warnings from health-care professionals and drinking alcohol while pregnant, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discovered.

According to a report released Thursday, 7.6 percent of pregnant women ages 18 to 44 surveyed said they used alcohol in the past month, and 1.4 percent said they were binge drinkers—regularly consuming four or more drinks at a time.

These numbers are actually an improvement from past years, but still, women are ignoring the facts about the problems alcohol can cause for unborn children. “If you’re pregnant or even thinking about getting pregnant, stop drinking alcohol,” the March of Dimes warns.

In 2005 the surgeon general first warned women who are pregnant or may become pregnant to stay away from alcohol.

[LA Times]

Video: Brett Lawrie's Big Fall

The Blue Jays' third baseman goes over the rail and down a level trying to catch a pop up against the Yankees. The x-rays after the fall came back negative and Lawrie is currently listed as “day-to-day.”



[YouTube]

Video: A Burger King Employee Gets Sick Of It

After this idiot plays in the drive-thru, this employee lets him know how he feels.



[YouTube]

Video: Secret Agent Dog Infiltrates Kitchen

Who needs to hire James Bond or Tom Cruise with a mission this impossible? Just hire this dog to complete your tasks and you'll save some money.



[YouTube]

Video: Kitten Attack

Watch out!



[YouTube]