- Peyton Manning couldn’t bring a Super Bowl victory or even
a single playoff win to Denver in his first season, but maybe the future Hall
of Famer can bring in some more help to get the Broncos closer to a
championship next season. Having already talked several of his former receivers
into signing in Denver and being part of the team’s revamped offense last
season, Manning is now going to work on longtime Colts teammate and newly
minted free-agent defensive end Dwight Freeney. Freeney, one of the top pass rushers
in the NFL for most of the past decade, was cut by the Colts this week. The
release ended Freeney’s 11-year run in Indianapolis, during which time he
recorded 107.5 sacks. The move was a cost-cutting one and Freeney could still
have some value in the right system, a fact Manning knows well. Freeney said
during a TV interview this week that Manning already has begun the
recruiting process to bring him to Denver. “He sent me a text and he just said,
‘Hey man, don’t worry, come play with me in Denver,” Freeney said. “I don’t
know how serious it was but, you know, it’s good to hear some of your former
teammates still follow you, they care and they want to see you succeed.” Joining
a team that won 13 games and was the top seed in the AFC entering the playoffs
seems like a quality landing spot, so would Freeney consider joining the
Broncos? “I think they’ve got a couple good pass rushers over there, I don’t
know if they have room for me,” Freeney said. Standout defensive end Elvis
Dumervil and linebacker Von Miller notwithstanding, the Broncos could clearly
use another pass rusher and if Freeney is amenable to the idea, Denver might be
his best option……..
- Too often, Estonia gets laughed at by the rest of the
world. The tiny Baltic nation that many cannot even locate on a map (find
Finland and head due southeast) doesn’t receive much respect, but maybe that
will change now that it has become the first country in the world to install a
nationwide system of fast chargers for electrical vehicles. The system is the
work of engineering group ABB, whose crews produced and installed the 165
chargers. Construction was financed from the government's sale of 10 million
surplus CO2 emission permits to Japan's Mitsubishi Corporation and the entire
effort is part of a push to reduce carbon emissions across Europe. The Estonian
government and Mitsubishi reach an agreement in 2011 for the system and as part
of the deal, the automaker will also provide the government with more that 500
electric cars and the financing of a subsidiary system for people to purchase
electric cars. "Now is the time to really press the pedal and move forward
in electrical mobility. We have proved that there is a real possibility to set
up a network in a country, and there are no technical barriers," Jarmo
Tuisk, head of the program. Like other nations hoping for a takeoff in the
popularity of electric cars, Estonia has seen a disappointing lack of
enthusiasm for the alternative-fuel rides because of high driving costs and
their short range from a single charge. The government is hoping that a network
of fast chargers strategically placed along roads and in towns will alleviate
drivers’ fear of running out of power during their journeys. As part of the
system, a nationwide unified payment system has also been created for the
country of 1.2 million. All of this may seem excessive for a nation with just 619
all-electric cars, but Tuisk said that with the national charging network in
place he hoped the number of electrical vehicles owned individuals or companies
would double this year………
- Science never ceases to amaze and sometimes, it even
amazes by doing things that benefit something other than their research budget.
The tiny island of Guam is proof of this fact and scientists are currently
helping the small U.S. territory deal with a very big problem. For more
than 60 years, Guam has dealt with the nuisence that is the brown tree snake
and many of the island native bird species are extinct because of this menacing
reptile, which reached the island's thick jungles by hitching rides from the
South Pacific on U.S. military ships shortly after World War II. As many as 2
million of the snakes are believed to live on the island, so scientists have
come up with an interesting solution for the problem: dead mice laced with
painkillers. These toxic mice are about to rain down on Guam's jungle canopy in
the hopes that the snakes will eat them and die, thereby ending their reign of
terror that includes biting residents and even knocking out electricity by
slithering onto power lines. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife
Services branch is watching the experiment closely and if the plan works, it
could use the strategy in other areas as well. "We are taking this to a
new phase," said Daniel Vice, assistant state director of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services in Hawaii, Guam, and the Pacific
Islands. "There really is no other place in the world with a snake problem
like Guam." Brown snakes are usually a few feet long, but can grow to as
long as 10 feet and are known to climb power poles and wires, causing
blackouts, or slither into homes and bite people, including babies. Their venom
is not lethal to humans, but the threat of a brown snake bite has become a
discouragement for tourists who might otherwise visit the island. Will dropping
toxic mice from the sky as bait work? The mice will be pumped full of acetaminophen,
which is harmless to humans, and their lifeless bodies should be perfect fodder
for these hungry snakes. The mice drop is targeted to hit snakes near Guam's
sprawling Andersen Air Force Base, which is surrounded by heavy foliage. If it
fails and the snakes infiltrate the base, it could be their ticket off the
island and allow them to infest other areas in the region. Here’s hoping the
plan to drop the mice, attached to device with streamers designed to catch in
the branches of the forest foliage where the snakes live and feed, works well………..
- She may be the perpetual third wheel in the on-again,
off-again girl-pop outfit that is Destiny’s Child, so take it easy on Michelle
Williams before mocking her for signing a deal to star in her own reality show,
titled “My Sister’s Keeper.” For some odd reason, a production company called Entertainment
One believes people will want to watch a series that follows Williams and her
sisters as she prepares to release her new gospel solo album. Then again, this
type of show seemed to be Entertainment One’s thing, as it also produces a
reality show starring gospel duo Mary Mary. The project is a self-serving one
for the company, whose music division will release Williams’ album. "Working
together on my new gospel album and television series, I am excited to share
with everyone a behind-the-scenes look at the inspiration and journey of
recording for the album, performing, fun family times and other unforgettable
experiences out together with my dear sisters," the singer said in a
statement. Entertainment One didn’t offer any word as to whether Beyonce
Knowles and Kelly Rowland, Williams’ sometimes-running mates in Destiny’s
Child, will make an appearance at any point in the series, but after their
truly forgettable and overrated performance during Knowles' halftime show at
the Super Bowl, seeing the trio back together any time soon will be far sooner
than anyone outside their immediate families want to see. Williams has released
two previous solo albums and has even inspired f the infamous Poor Michelle
blog, which bills itself as "a compilation of all the times Michelle
Williams got the short end of the Destiny's Child stick,” so at least a few
people will watch her new show…..maybe…….
- Because there aren't enough crazy cat ladies in the world
to take care of every abandoned or stray feline, someone needs to step up and
tend to Fluffy or Elmo the tabby cat’s daily needs. Corrections officials in
the state of Washington have come up with a unique solution to this issue and their
plan is already in place at the Silver
Star Unit at Larch Corrections Center in the city of Yacolt. So far, the
program is small and features five cats that reside at the prison as part of a
cat adoption program coordinated with the West Columbia Gorge Humane Society.
Approved inmates socialize the cats and get them ready to be adopted,
theoretically learning new skills in the process. Men like Jerry Warfield are
tasked with taking care of the cats on a daily basis and he is currently caring
for a cat named Jinx, who previously lived in a hoarding situation. "When
she came, she did nothing but hide," he said. "She went straight
underneath the bed, and she wouldn't come out for nothing. First couple of
days, she didn't want to come out to eat." Weeks after arriving, Jinx
allows Warfield to carry her around the unit and spends much of her day
climbing onto several perches mounted on the walls of his room. "She'll
make somebody a really good pet," Warfield said. "Someone that will
love her and pay attention to her." Most of the cats in the program were
rescued from neglectful or abusive situations and ironically, living in a
prison is a nice respite for them. Each cat lives with two inmates in a room
equipped with scratching posts and a litter box and the inmates feed and care
for the animals and help them overcome behavioral issues. Officials hope these
inmates along their own road to rehabilitation so they are better people upon
their release. To be eligible to work in the program, the inmates must have a
history of good behavior with the Department of Corrections and no violent
crimes or animal abuse in their history………
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