Author: Sean Patterson

The Washington Nationals, who are finishing a four-game series with the Atlanta Braves today, are reporting that MLB TV cameraman Reuben Porras has died.

The 61-year-old Porras suffered a heart attack at Turner Field in Atlanta on Wednesday while setting up his equipment. Nationals Head Trainer Lee Kuntz and Nationals Assistant Coach John Hsu were reportedly able to revive the cameraman in the off-field media room where the incident occurred. They performed CPR and used an automated defibrillator until medical personnel arrived.

According to a Comcast Sportsnet report on the event, Kuntz was informed later that Porras had died at an Atlanta hospital. Kuntz stated that this was the first time he had to use CPR during his job, though the entire Nationals staff receives CPR training each year.

Aga Khan IV, the 49th Imam of the Nizari Ismailism branch of Shia Islam and otherwise known as Prince Shah Karim Al Husseini, has announced the engagement of his son, Prince Rahim Aga Khan.

The prince will be marrying Kendra Spears of Seattle Washington. The 24-year-old Spears is a fashion model who came to fame after winning a MySpace modeling contest sponsored by Ford Models. She will become a princess once she marries Rahim.

Prince Rahim is 42 years old and the eldest son of Aga Khan. He graduated from Brown University in 1995 and is now involved in managing his father’s business interests, which include “poverty reduction efforts” such as micro-lending through the Aga Khan Development Network.

Aga Khan revealed in a statement recently that the couple will be married in a Muslim ceremony, though a date for the wedding has not yet been determined.

Spears has tweeted her delight and thanks for the well-wishes of fans:

Follow @Kendra_Spears

Kendra Spears
@Kendra_Spears

Thank you all for the kind tweets! We’re very excited!

 Reply  ·  Retweet  ·  Favorite
5 days ago via Twitter for BlackBerry® · powered by @socialditto

It’s no secret that J.C. Penney has been losing customers over the past year.

The company hired Apple exec Ron Johnson as CEO and began turning the department store pricing model on its head. Instead of setting high prices with constant sales and coupons, the company instead decided to price its clothing at moderate to low prices and ditch the coupons. The strategy was a disaster, and J.C. Penney now finds itself with an estimated $3.5 billion in debt.

Even though the company has ousted Ron Johnson and received billions in loans, the company has a long way to go to rebuild its image with customers. To that end, J.C. Penney this week released a new ad that is an explicit apology to customers who have abandoned the store.

The ad, titled “It’s No Secret,” admits that J.C. Penney “changed” recently. It goes on to state that the company has learned from its mistakes, and will now be listening to its customers. It explicitly asks customers to “come back to J.C. Penney.”

J.C. Penney also appears to be engaging with customers quite a bit more on social network sites such as YouTube and Facebook. The store is acknowledging customer complaints and revealing information such as the fact that the St. John’s Bay brand will be coming back to J.C. Penney stores.

Naming a child is a difficult decision for expecting parents, but some don’t take it as seriously as others.

Take, for instance, the New Zealand parents who lost custody of their daughter after naming her Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii. In light of that incident and others, the country has now expanded its banned names list to include a wide variety of strange names.

According to an AFP report, the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs has issued a list of 77 banned names. The list reportedly includes the names Anal, 4Real, V8, Queen Victoria, Lucifer, Mafia No Fear, and 2nd.

The department also bans names such as King, Duke, Princess, and Justice that could convey a title. In particular, the AFP reports that Justice and intentional misspellings such as Justus or Juztice have been rejected numerous times.

The country also bans names that contain numbers or characters, such as a period. A New Zealand Herald report states that parents attempting to use a backslash between two names have been denied in the past. Parents attempting to name their child using initials have also been turned down by New Zealand officials.

The popular U.S. version of TV comedy The Office is finally ending its eight-year run.

The Office, which is the American spin-off of the British Ricky Gervais/Stephen Merchant comedy of the same name, caught on with American viewers largely due to Carell’s Michael Scott character. Carell left the show in 2011, and ratings have been falling ever since.

So, when it comes to the big finale, the question on everyone’s mind is whether Carell will be making a guest appearance as Scott. Unfortunately for long-time fans, it doesn’t appear that Carell will even be making a cameo in the final episode.

A Reuters report on a conference call with The Office Executive Producer Greg Daniels states definitively that Carell will not be a part of the finale. Daniels stated that Carell felt his final episode on the show was a good end for his character.

The final episode of The Office will air on May 16 and will be an hour long. Daniels revealed that the finale will be patterned after the the finale of the British series, in which the characters meet again after becoming famous.

Last week, those hoping to find a cure for HIV were disappointed by the failure of a U.S. clinical trial for an HIV vaccine. This week, the hope that a cure can be found may have been renewed.

According to a report from The Telegraph, Danish researchers believe they are close to an affordable cure for the HIV virus.

Doctors at Aarhus University Hospital are now conducting clinical trials of a technique that proved successful in the lab earlier this year. The technique involves removing the HIV virus from cell DNA, allowing the body’s immune system to attack it.

Dr. Ole Søgaard, a member of the research team, is so confident in the prospect of a cure that he told The Telegraph he is “almost certain” their technique will be successful in releasing the “resevoirs” of HIV found in DNA. However, he also cautioned that getting a patient’s immune system to attack the exposed virus could be a challenge.

For now, the clinical trial only has 15 patients. It will be expanded if any of the patients is found to be cured of HIV.

The Guinness World Record holder for the longest-serving soap actor has now been charged with rape.

According to a BBC News report, 81-year-old William Roache has been charged with two counts of rape. Roache plays Ken Barlow on the long-running British soap opera Coronation Street. He has appeared in the series since its first episode in 1960.

Roache is accused of raping a 15-year-old girl in 1967. The first hearing on the charges is scheduled for May 14.

Roach has issued a statement through his lawyers, saying:

“I am astounded and deeply horrified by the extraordinary events of the last 24 hours. I strenuously deny the allegations and will now focus my full attention on fighting to preserve my innocence in the challenging times ahead.

“I would like to offer my sincere thanks to all those people who have offered me their support and good wishes at this difficult time.”

A spokesperson for ITV told the BBC that Roache will not be appearing on Coronation Street until the legal matter is settled.

In November 2012, a Montana animal trainer was mauled and killed by a bear while cleaning its cage. 24-year-old Benjamin Cloutier was an animal trainer at Animals of Montana, which trains animals for photography, TV, and Movies.

Now, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is issuing fines against Animals of Montana in connection with the incident. In particular, the business has been cited for “allowing employees to have unrestricted, direct contact with grizzly bears.” OSHA has also cited Animals of Montana for a violation related to failing “to report an occupational fatality within eight hours.” The citations carry $9,000 in fines.

“This is a tragedy that could have – and should have – been prevented,” said Jeff Funke, OSHA’s Billings-area director. “The use of a secondary holding area while cleaning cages is standard practice when working with animals capable of being dangerous to workers responsible for their care.”

According to its website, Animals of Montana prides itself in over 20 years of experience raising and training animals. The Facebook post below shows the bear, named Griz, that was responsible for the attack on Cloutier. Griz was put down immediately following the incident.

Animals of Montana, Inc.221 days ago

Happy Weekend to all! Troy and “Griz” sharing some quality time together

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Back in March, rap star Lil Wayne was hospitalized after suffering what was reported to be multiple seizures. That episode followed one in October 2012 when the rapper’s plane flight was diverted after he began suffering seizure-like symptoms.

This week, Lil Wayne is back in the hospital after suffering another seizure. A TMZ report states that the 30-year-old was taken to Ceadars-Sinai in Los Angeles on Tuesday. He was treated for the episode and released early on Wednesday morning.

Lil Wayne reassured fans this afternoon, tweeting out a short message conveying his thanks for supportive messages:

Follow @LilTunechi

Lil Wayne WEEZY F
@LilTunechi

I’m fine. Thank u

 Reply  ·  Retweet  ·  Favorite
1 hour ago via Twitter for iPhone · powered by @socialditto

Lil Wayne’s previous trip to Cedars-Sinai was more serious, with doctors labeling him as being in critical condition. He spent nearly one week in the hospital’s intensive care unit, and his mother flew in to make medical decisions on his behalf. TMZ reported on that occasion that the rapper had to have his stomach pumped multiple times to remove drugs.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev was gunned down during a shootout with police just hours after authorities released photos of him and his brother, Dzhokhar, as the main suspects of the Boston Marathon bombings. Now, in addition to more suspects being arrested, even more details about the Tsarnaevs’ life in the U.S. have come to light.

The Boston Herald is reporting that Tsarnaev family were receiving over $100,000 in government assistance. The benefits reportedly included food stamps and Section 8 housing credits. An unnamed “person with knowledge of documents handed over to a legislative committee today” told the Herald that the amount of the benefits was “stunning.”

The documents were examined by the Massachusetts House Post Audit and Oversight Committee, which met on Monday. The committee called in Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) officials to testify about the assistance the Tsarnaev family was receiving. DTA officials told the Herald that they are also conducting their own internal investigation into the Tsarnaev family.

Shortly after Tsarnaev’s death, it was revealed that the suspected bomber was married to 26-year-old Katherine Russell of Rhode Island. He was also the father of a 3-year-old girl. His brother and alleged co-bomber, Dzhokhar, is currently behind bars in a federal prison hospital.

(Image courtesy the comment/Johannes Hirn)

Deutsche Telekom, the parent company of T-Mobile USA, today announced that the merger of T-Mobile and MetroPCS Communications is complete. The two companies will now be known under the name T-Mobile US, and stock in the company has begun trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol TMUS.

The new T-Mobile US board of directors will have 11 members, which will include two board members from MetroPCS. Tim Höttges, the CFO of Deutsche Telekom, will be the board’s chairman.

“The combination of T-Mobile and MetroPCS creates an even stronger disruptive force in the U.S. wireless market,” said John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile US. “Together, as America’s ‘Un-carrier’, we’ll continue our legacy of marketplace innovation by tearing up the old playbook and rewriting the rules of wireless to benefit consumers.”

The newly rebranded carrier is still the fourth-largest carrier in the U.S. but now has 43 million subscribers, putting it closer to Sprint Nextel’s subscriber numbers. T-Mobile estimates that the companies’ combined 2012 financial results would have reflected $24.8 billion in revenue.

“By uniting T-Mobile and MetroPCS, we have created a dynamic new player in the wireless industry that has the right strategy and management team in place to compete successfully in today’s marketplace,” said Höttges. “We look forward to realizing the tremendous potential of the new T-Mobile.”

Sprint Nextel today announced that it is still planning to shut down the Nextel National Network by the end of June.

The company has stated that June 29 will be the final day of full Nextel iDEN network service. On Sunday, June 30, iDEN phones will not receive voice or data. Sprint stated the equipment that powers the network will be switched off that day “in rapid succession.” The Nextel push-to-talk service will be converted to Sprint’s CDMA network.

By the time the shutdown comes, Nextel customers will have had just over one year to prepare for it. In addition to the letters and emails Sprint has already sent throughout the year, the company will also be sending text messages and using “other communications tactics” in the days leading up to the shutdown.

“Our shutdown communications are meant to give customers more than enough lead time to plan their migration,” said Bob Azzi, SVP of the network division at Sprint. “This has been especially important for public safety, first responders, health care users and others who rely on the service to protect and preserve people’s lives. We strongly urge customers to migrate now, rather than wait until the last minute.”

Sprint has been losing large numbers of subscribers who are leaving the Nextel platform. The wireless carrier is currently in talks for a $20 billion merger with SoftBank, though it is also entertaining a $25 billion offer from Dish Network.

Last year, the Walt Disney Company bought Lucasfilm and announced that Star Wars: Episode VII will be coming in 2015. Other Star Wars films, will also be coming in the future, including spin-offs. Since that time, Star Wars fans have debated and speculated on where the new movies will take the franchise and whether the original movies’ stars will (or should) make an appearance.

Now, the rumors and teasing that Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher may return to their roles as Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa have been addressed by one of the actors.

Fisher spoke during a panel at the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo this weekend, telling the crowd how much fun it was to choke Jabba the Hut in Return of the Jedi. According to a Calgary Herald report on the event, Fisher joked about starring in the upcoming Disney Star Wars movie. From the report:

“I like being bought by Disney, because they never wanted to buy me before,” she said during a talk at the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo. “I’m glad they are doing a new movie because they are sending a trainer to my house so I can get in really good shape. So I’m really eating a lot of sugar in advance, as you can see. By the time I really get down to it I will have eaten everything.”

Though Fisher could have been joking, her appearance in the next Star Wars movie is all but confirmed at this point. Her social media followers will no doubt be watching closely to see whether Disney’s trainer can whip the 57-year-old author into slave bikini shape.

Carrie Fisher182 days ago

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With an entire decade of Major League Baseball scandals, Olympic athletes losing medals, and Lance Armstrong having his life’s work erased, Americans couldn’t be blamed for assuming that up-and-coming athletes have learned from the mistakes of others. Unfortunately, they would be wrong.

The Associated Press today has reported that a minor league player has been suspended 50 games for using steroids.

According to the report, Brandon Brown tested positive for Stanozolol, a synthetic anabolic steroid. Brown is currently a free agent, and his 50-game ban will begin when (and if) he signs with a new team. He is one of 18 minor league athletes who have been suspended just this year following drug tests.

Brown had most recently played third and second base for the Class A minor league Savannah Sand Gnats, a team which is affiliated with the New York Mets. According to Baseball Reference, Brown hit .222 with 34 RBIs in his last season with the Sand Gnats.

With a tipping point in the U.S. gay rights debate seemingly reached, even Republican politicians seem to be shifting their positions. In March, Republican U.S. Senator Rob Portman had a “change of heart” after learning his son is gay, and now supports gay marriage. This week Paul Ryan, a U.S. representative from Wisconsin and former vice presidential candidate, revealed that his position on at least some gay rights issues has become moderated.

According to a Think Progress report, Ryan spoke with citizens at a Town Hall-style meeting in Janesville, Wisconsin on Monday and fielded a question about gay marriage. Though Ryan stated he is still opposed to gay marriage, he told his audience that he supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would ban employers from discriminating in hiring based on sexual orientation. Ryan also stated that he now supports gay adoption, though he voted against it early in his political career.

“I do believe that if there are children who are orphans, who do not have a loving person or couple, you know, I think if a person wants to love and raise a child they ought to be able to do that,” said Ryan. “Period.”

A tiny humanoid skeleton found in Chile’s Atacama Desert has been hailed by UFO conspiracists for years as proof of extraterrestrial life. Now, actual science has proven that the skeleton, as with all currently known life, originated on Earth.

According to a LiveScience report, researchers at the Stanford School of Medicine have used DNA testing on the fossilized skeleton. Despite the figure being only 6 inches long, the testing revealed that it comes from a human who was 6 to 8 years old when they died.

The researchers have not yet determined what deformities may have led to the obviously strange skeletal figure. The age of the skeleton has also not yet been determined, though the current estimate is that the person it belonged to died “at least a few decades ago.”

The tiny skeleton is featured prominently in a new documentary by noted UFO conspiracist Steven Greer, titled Sirius.

Judging from the movie’s trailer, Greer isn’t too interested in proving that extraterrestrials exist – he takes that as a given. Instead, he seeks to expose a purported conspiracy of corporate interests and oil conglomerates to keep alien technology a secret

Netflix users may find their Instant Watch queues a bit lighter today. Nearly 2,000 movie titles on the popular streaming video service are set to expire today.

Originally, Slate had reported that the movies set to disappear were from MGM and United Artists, and are set to move over to the new Warner Archive Instant streaming service. Warner Bros has since denied this, and a Netflix spokesperson has stated that the movies were part of a contract the company had with Epix.

Regardless of where they are going, Netflix users today will not be able to stream movies such as Adaptation, and Big Daddy.

In other Netflix news, the company is pushing forward with its original programming initiatives. The release date of the next Netflix original series has just been announced.

Orange is the New Black will premiere on July 11, with thirteen one-hour episodes being released all at once. Starring Jason Biggs and Laura Prepon, the comedy series follows a “Brooklynite” sent to women’s prison who must deal with her new eccentric inmates.

Since the death of Tamerlan Tsarnaev and the capture of Dzhokar Tsarnaev, the American public has been able to stop holding its breath, confident that authorities have found those responsible for the Boston Marathon bombing and that justice will be served. Now, a DNA test on some of the bomb material found at the scene has uncovered female DNA, leading to authorities taking a harder look at the Tsarnaev’s female associates and family members.

A Wall Street Journal report on the revelation cites unnamed “U.S. officials” as stating the source of the DNA has not been determined. In fact, those same officials have said that the DNA may have come from many different sources, including store clerks or even bombing victims.

Soon after Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed in a shootout with police, his life in the U.S. began to be revealed, including his wife, Katherine Russell, and his 3-year-old daughter. According to the Journal report, FBI agents this week took a DNA sample from Russell to see if it matches the DNA found on the bomb material. Russell has been staying with her parents since the bombing, and is being guarded by the FBI.

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On Monday, a Boeing 747-400 civillian cargo plane crashed during takeoff at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. According to a report from The Aviation Herald, the plane was carrying five military vehicles bound for Dubai. The seven crew members on board the flight died during the fiery crash.

Now, as morbid as it may be, a video of the plane crash has hit the web. It shows what the U.S. military has already stated – that the crash was not due to combat. The footage, which is from the dashboard camera of a nearby vehicle, shows that the plane’s nose was somehow pitched too high, resulting in the horrific crash. No official cause for the crash has yet been released.

Konomi today announced that the next DLC for Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance will be out on May 14 for Xbox 360 and May 15 for PlayStation 3. The North American price for the content hasn’t yet been revealed, but the European price will be €6.99 or 560 Microsoft Points.

Titled Blade Wolf, the DLC will feature a campaign side-story that revolves around LQ-84i, one of the bosses in the main game. The story will take place before the dog-like mech’s encounter with Raiden, when LQ-84i is working for another main game boss, Mistral.

The gameplay will feature LQ-84i’s special abilities and weapons, implying that players will get to step into the mech’s shoes as they uncover the origins of the so-called “Blade Wolf.” Konami has promised “multiple hours of gameplay,” “countless” enemies, and a new boss battle to conquer.

Konami has released some preview images for the Blade Wolf DLC which can be seen below. If nothing else, the new DLC will help occupy Metal Gear fans during their wait for The Phantom Pain.