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    Showing posts with label USA NEWS. Show all posts

    Google creates controversy with Cesar Chavez doodle

    Google’s decision to mark Easter Sunday with a doodle of leftist icon Cesar Chavez atop its search engine angered some users in what they see as a snub of Jesus on the day Christians mark his resurrection.

    Google defended the decision by saying it reserves the spot for historical figures and events, but a review of its past doodles shows it has never honored Jesus on Christmas or Easter, despite his historical and spiritual significance to billions around the world.

    “I thought the Chavez-google thing was a hoax or an early April Fool's Day prank,” Fox News contributor Dana Perino tweeted. “ ... are they just going to leave that up there all day?”

    The Daily Caller website also chimed in, noting the establishing ties between Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt and the Obama administration.

    “While Google frequently decorates its logo to celebrate various holidays and special events, it is unclear why the company chose specifically to honor Chavez’s birthday, instead of Easter Sunday,” the website read.

    How the US oil, gas boom could shake up global order


    Without fanfare, China passed the United States in December to become the world's leading importer of oil – the first time in nearly 40 years that the U.S. didn’t own that dubious distinction. That same month, North Dakota, Ohio and Pennsylvania together produced 1.5 million barrels of oil a day -- more than Iran exported.
    America’s drive for energy independence

    As those data points demonstrate, a dramatic shift is occurring in how energy is being produced and consumed around the world – one that could lead to far-reaching changes in the geopolitical order.

    U.S. policy makers, intelligence analysts and other experts are beginning to grapple with the ramifications of such a change, which could bring with it both great benefits for the U.S. and potentially dangerous consequences, including the risk of upheaval in countries and regions heavily dependent on oil exports.

    But many experts say the U.S. would be the big winner, in position to reshape its foreign policy and boost its global influence.

    "People already are looking at the U.S. differently, seeing the U.S. as much more competitive in the world,” said energy analyst and author Dan Yergin, saying that he first noticed the change in the world view of the U.S. at the World Economic Forum in January in Davos, Switzerland.
    Slideshow: Drilling down and out in Texas

    Watch a drilling crew at work near the small town of Garden City, Texas, as they drill an oil well that eventually will extend more than a mile deep and a mile sideways in the Permian Basin.

    As detailed in the first two installments of Power Shift, an NBC News/CNBC special report, the United States is reaping the benefits of an energy boom created by new drilling technologies that have unlocked vast domestic oil and natural gas reserves. Coupled with decreasing demand due to energy efficiency and continued cultivation of alternative energy sources, an increasing number of experts believe the U.S. could achieve energy independence by the end of the decade – realizing a dream born during the gas crisis of 1973.

    But who would be the global winners and losers in such a scenario?

    Most U.S. policy makers and experts agree that the U.S. and its allies – particularly its North American neighbors -- would be the biggest beneficiaries.

    Boom helps Iran sanctions stick
    In fact, they say, the West already has realized one major benefit: the success of international sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program.

    Carlos Pascual, the State Department’s coordinator for international energy affairs, noted last month at the CERAWEEK energy conference in Houston that increased U.S. oil production, coupled with a boost in exports from Iraq and Libya, has kept oil prices stable despite the loss, because of sanctions, of up to 1.5 million barrels a day in Iranian exports.

    “What this has taught us, and helped underscore, is that within the world we live in today, hard security issues and energy policy issues have become fundamentally intertwined,” he said.

    Authorities say 4 hurt when driver crashes into Calif. Walmart, assaults people in store

    A man in a large red sedan hit two cars in the parking lot of a San Jose Walmart before ramming the car through the front of the store then assaulting customers inside, officials said. The attack injured four people, one of them seriously.

    The man crashed the Oldsmobile Cutlass through the storefront near the pharmacy Sunday and collided with a beer display before stopping, police and witnesses said.

    The unidentified driver then got out of his car and used a blunt object to attack people, San Jose police Officer Albert Morales said. The driver was arrested when officers arrived.

    Investigators have not determined how fast the driver -- described as a man in his 30s -- was going at the time of the crash but the car went about 20 feet into the Walmart Supercenter that had about 70 people inside in San Jose, Morales said.

    One person suffered what Morales described as serious injuries. He did not know the extent of the injuries to the three other people but said they were not life-threatening. The injured included a store employee.

    There was no immediate word about what motivated the suspect.

    Customer Sharon Kaye told the San Jose Mercury News the driver sideswiped her car as he made several runs around the parking lot before driving between poles at the entrance and crashing into the store.

    "At first, I thought I may have done something to anger him while driving," she said. "But then I realized he was out to get into the store."

    After the crash, the entrance to the Walmart was roped off with yellow police tape, and workers put up large boards covering the automatic doors where the car had entered.

    A Walmart spokeswoman told the Mercury News that the store remained shut down for several hours, and an employee was among those hurt.

    U.S. face-transplant recipient marries burn victim report

    Face-transplant recipient Dallas Wiens married a fellow burn victim on Saturday in the same church where his face was melted in an electrical accident, the Dallas Morning News reported.

    In 2011, Wiens received the first full face transplant ever performed in the United States.

    Wiens, 27, was married to Jamie Nash of Garland, Texas, at Ridglea Baptist Church in Fort Worth before 150 people, the newspaper said on its website.

    "I am blessed beyond measure that you have chosen me, and I love you with all of my heart," the daily quoted Wiens as telling Nash.

    Wiens, a Fort Worth native, met Nash in 2011 at Dallas' Parkland Memorial Hospital, where they attended the same support group for burn victims.

    Nash, 29, was burned over 70 percent of her body in a one-car accident in June 2010. Today she speaks at schools and churches about the perils of texting while driving.

    Wiens was in a cherry picker painting the Ridglea church in November 2008 when his left temple touched a high-voltage wire. His face was burned to the skull and he was left sightless.

    Wiens was unconscious at Parkland hospital for three months and underwent more than 20 major surgeries.

    It is the second marriage for both Wiens and Nash. Wiens has a 5-year-old daughter, and Nash has a 10-year-old daughter and a son, 6.

    Italy court Amanda Knox to be retried for Meredith Kercher murder

    Amanda Knox was ordered to stand trial again for the murder of her roommate by Italy's top criminal court on Tuesday, but there appeared to be little the country could do to force her to return for the new hearings.

    The Court of Cassation, Italy's final court of appeal, overturned the acquittals of both Knox and her then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito over the 2007 killing of British student Meredith Kercher.

    In a statement responding to the decision, Knox slammed prosecutors and vowed to fight on.

    "It was painful to receive the news that the Italian Supreme Court decided to send my case back for revision when the prosecution's theory of my involvement in Meredith's murder has been repeatedly revealed to be completely unfounded and unfair,”said Knox, who is now aged 25 and living in the Seattle area.

    “I believe that any questions as to my innocence must be examined by an objective investigation and a capable prosecution,” she added. “The prosecution responsible for the many discrepancies in their work must be made to answer for them, for Raffaele's sake, my sake, and most especially for the sake of Meredith's family. Our hearts go out to them.”

    Theodore Simon, one of Amanda Knox's attorneys, discusses the Italian supreme court's stunning decision to overturn her acquittal saying "we fully expect she will be exonerated."

    Knox said that she and her family would “face this continuing legal battle as we always have, confident in the truth and with our heads held high in the face of wrongful accusations and unreasonable adversity."

    Kercher, 21, died from knife wounds in an apartment that she shared with Knox in Perugia, Italy.

    Prosecutors argued that Knox and Sollecito killed her after a drug-fueled sexual assault in a case that drew worldwide attention.

    Thrill seeker dies at towering Corona Arch, made famous by YouTube videos

    Southeastern Utah’s Corona Arch, a towering geological feature glorified last year on YouTube as the “World’s largest Rope Swing,” has claimed the life of a 22-year-old thrill seeker. Kyle Lee Stocking died Sunday while trying to swing from the 140-foot-high arch, which has experienced a surge in popularity during the past year because of YouTube videos and sharing of videos on social media.

    Standing out is the “World’s Largest Rope Swing,” a video (posted above) that has garnered more than 17 million views since it was uploaded on Feb. 15, 2012. (A behind-the-scenes video from the same group garnered nearly 1 million views.)

    Because of this popularity surge, the Salt Lake Tribune reports, the destination has come to be known as the “Granddaddy of All Cheap Thrills,” and that climbers recently adapted their gear specifically for swinging like a pendulum from the sandstone arch.

    Lt. Kim Neil of the Grand County Sheriff’s Office told the Tribune that the length of rope used by Stocking was “miscalculated and when he swung under the arch, he struck the ground … receiving fatal injuries.”

    Because of its popularity and the obvious danger factor, Corona Arch, which is located on state and federal land near Moab, has been made off-limits to commercial outfitters specializing in extreme rope-swinging.

    However, it remains open to private individuals for hiking and climbing.

    Bloomberg, mayor group tout big gun control push

    A new $12 million television ad campaign from Mayors Against Illegal Guns will push senators in key states to back gun control efforts, including comprehensive background checks.

    New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the ad buy Saturday — just days after Senate Democrats touted stronger background checks while acknowledging insufficient support to restore a ban on assault-style weapons to federal gun control legislation.

    "These ads bring the voices of Americans — who overwhelmingly support comprehensive and enforceable background checks — into the discussion to move senators to immediately take action to prevent gun violence," Bloomberg said in a statement issued by the group he co-founded in 2006.

    The two ads posted on the group's website, called "Responsible" and "Family," show a gun owner holding a rifle while sitting on the back of a pickup truck.

    In one ad, the man says he'll defend the Second Amendment but adds "with rights come responsibilities." The ad then urges viewers to tell Congress to support background checks.

    In the other ad, the man, a hunter, says "background checks have nothing to do with taking guns away from anyone." The man then says closing loopholes will stop criminals and the mentally ill from obtaining weapons.

    The Senate is scheduled to debate federal gun control legislation next month. On March 28, the group plans for more than 100 events nationwide in support of passing gun control legislation that includes background checks.

    Mayors Against Illegal Guns and other gun-control advocates frequently cite a mid-1990s study that suggests about 40 percent of U.S. gun transfers were conducted by private sellers not subject to federal background checks. Based on 2011 FBI data, the group estimates 6.6 million firearms transfers are made without a background check for the receiver.

    A spokesman for Bloomberg could not immediately say if the $12 million was coming from Bloomberg or the mayor's political action committee, Independence USA. The New York Times, which first reported the ad campaign Saturday night, said Bloomberg was bankrolling the ad buy.

    A spokesman for the National Rifle Association blasted Bloomberg and the new ads, saying NRA members and supporters would be calling senators directly and urging them to vote against proposed gun control legislation.

    "What Michael Bloomberg is trying to do is ... intimidate senators into not listening to constituents and instead pledge their allegiance to him and his money," said spokesman Andrew Arulanandam.

    Jailed 23 years, NY man is freed, has heart attack

     A New York City man whose murder conviction was overturned after 23 years in prison has suffered a heart attack on his second day of freedom.

    David Ranta's lawyer tells The New York Times (http://nyti.ms/102uUVo ) the former inmate had a serious heart attack Friday night and is being treated at a New York hospital.

    Ranta walked out of jail Thursday after a judge threw out his conviction in the 1990 killing of a Brooklyn rabbi.

    Brooklyn prosecutors had recently concluded Ranta's prosecution in the death of Rabbi Chaskel Werzberger was fatally flawed.

    Werzberger was killed by a bandit fleeing a botched robbery. One witness said a police lineup that helped convict Ranta had been rigged.

    Ranta is 58. He told reporters Thursday that his new freedom was emotionally overwhelming.

    ___

    Information from: The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com

    At Least 200,000 People Want CNN to Apologize for Its Sympathetic Steubenville Coverage

     Remember the CNN broadcast a few days ago, when Candy Crowley and friends bemoaned the fates of the Steubenville rapists? That didn't go over well, and nearly a quarter million people want the network to do something about it. In the two days since the verdict was read, a Change.org petition asking for CNN to make an on-air apology — okay, several on-air apologies —  has gained over 215,000 signatures and looked to be on track to reach the self-assigned goal of 300,000 in a matter of hours. In other words, a lot of people are not happy with how CNN covered the Steubenville trial, and they're not going to forget about it any time soon.

    If you're just catching up on CNN's Steubenville coverage, you've come to the right place. We've been following the Steubenville rape case closely for a months now and know all too well how divisive its been. The trial and immediate (and ongoing) aftermath turned nothing short of nasty at times, which is precisely why many news organization handled the verdict with kid gloves. The formula for fair coverage was pretty simple. Step one: stick to the facts. Step two: don't sympathize with convicted rapists. Step three: definitely, absolutely, don't even think about revealing the identity of the victim on national television.

    As we pointed out the night of the verdict on Sunday, CNN didn't do so well with those simple steps. Fact-wise, few had complaints about CNN telling the truth. It was how they told it that's stirred nationwide anger. In correspondent Poppy Harlow's report from Steubenville (above), she waxed compassionate in speaking about how the convicted rapists "that had promising futures, star football players, very good students, literally watched as they believed their lives fell apart." The whole segment more or less follows that vein of reasoning with the other two on-air personalities saying similar things, and the Internet was not happy about that. Then CNN revealed the name of the victim on air, with MSNBC and Fox News to follow.

    So now people want CNN to formally apologize. A lot of people want this. The petition's stated request — "apologize on-air, several times over the course of the next week, at the start of every hour" — is a little extreme. At a basic level, however, it's hard to understand why CNN wouldn't feel compelled to address the backlash. Then again, CNN doesn't do everything right, well, ever.

    Jay Leno calls NBC 'extinct' in latest monologue joke

    With a report in the New York Times today confirming the network has promised Jimmy Fallon that he will succeed Jay Leno as the next host of the iconic late-night program, fans of talk-show intrigue will doubtless tune in to see if Leno has a reaction tonight.

    Though we’re told the host did not directly address the Fallon news in Wednesday’s taping, he did once again take a shot at NBC’s low ratings. “According to several reports, scientists say they are getting closer and closer to being able to do Jurassic Park-style cloning of extinct species,” Leno told his audience. “Imagine that. Things that were once thought to be extinct could be brought back from the dead. So there’s hope for NBC. It could turn around.”

    On Monday, he compared his NBC bosses to “snakes.” While on Tuesday night, he took a swipe at the ratings.  Guests tonight include Vanessa Hudgens and Chris O’Dowd with musical guest Gary Clark Jr.

    NBC plans to move The Tonight Show from Burbank, Calif. to New York, where Fallon currently tapes his Late Night show. There is also talk of Tonight returning to a 90-minute format. It’s unclear when an official announcement will take place (NBC “categorically” denied an initial report about the decision). For now, NBC is only confirming that it is building a brand new set for Fallon.

    7 Marines killed in explosion during training exercise at Army depot in Nevada

    Seven U.S. Marines were killed and at least seven wounded when a mortar exploded during a live-fire training exercise overnight at an Army munitions depot in the Nevada desert, military officials told NBC News.

    There were conflicting reports about what happened. According to one account, a 60-millimeter mortar shell exploded in a tube as Marines were preparing to fire it. Another account said that the shell exploded as Marines were picking it up to load it.

    The accident happened just before 10 p.m. Monday at Hawthorne Army Depot, a 230-square-mile ammunition storage and training facility just east of the California line.

    The injured were taken to two hospitals. Stacy Kendall, a spokeswoman for Renown Regional Medical Center, a trauma center about 100 miles away in Reno, said the injuries included traumas and fractures.

    The Marines were part of the 2nd Marine Division, a ground combat force based at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

    The depot’s website says it is a training facility for the Army, Navy and Marines, including Special Operations forces preparing to deploy to the Middle East. The site says that the facility offers a “realistic simulation of the situation in Afghanistan” because of the mountainous desert terrain.

    A Marines spokesman said that the dead would be identified publicly 24 hours after their next of kin were notified.

    “We send our prayers and condolences to the families of Marines involved in this tragic incident. We remain focused on ensuring that they are supported through this difficult time,” said Maj. Gen. Raymond C. Fox, commanding general of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, which includes the 2nd Division. “We mourn their loss, and it is with heavy hearts we remember their courage and sacrifice.”

    Mark Burnett says 'weird things happened' on 'The Bible' set

    Last Sunday, the first installment of History’s five-part miniseries The Bible beat everything on television with a massive 13.1 million viewers, making it cable’s most-watched entertainment telecast this year.

    For producer Mark Burnett, who worked on the ten-hour special with wife Roma Downey, the success of The Bible isn’t all that surprising. “It will be, over the next 40 or 50 years, the most watched thing that Roma and I have ever made,” he told EW, quite confidently, back in January.

    At the time, Burnett gushed about shooting the series. “I really believe what I’m going to tell you right now,” he said. “The hand of God was on this…. the edit came together perfectly, the actors came together perfectly, it just comes to life.” But Burnett wasn’t just speaking about how well the practicalities of production had gone. “Weird things happened during filming,” he said. “Everybody would look at each other like, “Whoa.”

    Here are a few of the “weird things” he was talking about:

    A mighty desert wind
    “There’s a scene with Jesus and Nicodemus, when Nicodemus comes to Jesus in the night. It’s a very still night, not a breath of wind, and we’re on the edge of the Sahara desert in a palm grove in an oasis… Jesus says, ‘The Holy Spirit is like the wind.’ At that moment, a wind, like as if a 747 was taking off, blew his hair, almost blew the set over and sustained for 20 seconds across the desert, and the actors didn’t break — they kept going. And everything stopped. Everyone just looked at everyone like, ‘What just happened?’”

    The missing frock
    “We had hundreds of craftsmen working [on making costumes], and the most important costume was Jesus’ costume. Every time, at the end of the day, the costume’s got to be taken away to be maintained. So when we were doing the baptism scenes, it’s completely immersed in water. During it, a portion of the costume came away. We shot this in a giant reservoir on the edge of the Sahara desert, so we’re never going to find this again. It’s really bad. Every time you lose something, you’ve got five months ahead, and you can’t replicate these costumes. Four days later, a kid showed up from many, many, many miles away, who had been seeking us through the desert to return this to us. He didn’t know what it was why he should seek us, but he felt he had to return it.”

    FBI to investigate hate crime reports at Oberlin College

    The FBI has opened an investigation into possible civil rights violations after reports of hate speech at Oberlin College in Ohio, one of the first U.S. schools to integrate black and white students, a school spokesman said on Friday.

    The investigation by the FBI's Cleveland office follows Oberlin's decision to suspend classes and activities for the day on Monday and hold campus-wide discussions after a report that a person wearing a Ku Klux Klan costume was seen near its Afrikan Heritage House residence hall.

    "Based on the college's ongoing conversations with them and the evolution of our investigation, the FBI is initiating an investigation of the bias incidents that have occurred on the campus," Oberlin spokesman Scott Wargo said in an email.

    A school-wide Peace Week had just begun when Oberlin canceled classes for the day.

    School officials said in a letter to parents on Monday that they were investigating incidents of hate speech on campus over the last several weeks, "including racist, anti-Semitic, and homophobic defacing of posters that were advertising events and programming."

    The letter to parents also said offensive postings had appeared via untraceable accounts on popular social media sites.

    Wargo said Oberlin was "cooperating closely with the FBI in its investigation."

    FBI Special Agent Vicki Anderson said she could not confirm or deny any ongoing investigations because of the agency's policy.

    Man gets back class ring 40 years after losing it

    MyFoxAtlanta.com reports that Richard Hale lost his prized ring in 1972, when he was a recent high school graduate. Hale initially gave the ring to his then-girlfriend and now-wife Betty Ann to wear. "I was scared I was going to lose it," she told MyFoxAtlanta.com. "So I gave it back to him, and he loses it."

    Hale said he accidentally tossed the ring from his car in 1972 and hadn't seen it since. Until now. His brother apparently saw the ring on Facebook and passed on the information to Hale.

    Ellen Ramey had found it all those years ago. She told MyFoxAtlanta.com that she had always hoped to get the ring back to its owner. "My mother had a class ring," Ramey said. "I wore it to school and lost it, and it just stayed in my mind that it was important that these people get their ring back."

    Ramey and Hale connected on Facebook, and now the ring is back with Hale, who puts it on at night when he gets home from work.

    Darby Township boy, Bailey O'Neill, dies after school fight

     A 6th grader from the Darby Township School has died, two months since his altercation with another student.

    One day after he turned 12 years old this weekend, the parents of Delaware County 6th grader Bailey O'Neill took him off life support.

    "No more phone calls from him. No more hanging out. No one to say 'Daddy.' It's the worse feeling," father Rob O'Neill said.


    The Darby Township School student was placed into a medically induced coma in January after having violent seizures.

    Days before, Bailey's father says he was the victim of a bully and got into a school yard fight suffering a broken nose and concussion.

    "He didn't want to fight that day. He wanted to walk away. And that's it. He wanted to walk away. It shouldn't have ever happened," Rob said.

    Delaware County District Attorney Jack Whelan says at the least there could be possible simple assault charges against one of the two students involved.

    He's working to find out if bullying was a factor and he's waiting on autopsy results to figure out what killed this seemingly healthy boy.

    "I would hate to see anyone rush to judgment before really knowing the complete story of what occurred," Whelan said.

    Bailey's story renewed the call for action against bullying.

    His father has received support on his Battle for Bailey Facebook page and he's received calls from all over including the Philadelphia Flyers.

    Local nonprofit Teach Anti-Bullying says the statistics are staggering but under reported. 34 percent of US students say they've been bullied during school.

    "The dialogue has to be collaborative and those key players are your law enforcement in the community, your educators from the school board to the teachers in the classroom and the parents," Caludio V. Cerull of Teach Anti-Bullying said.

    The Delaware County District Attorney's Office says it has opened an active criminal investigation.

    Southeast Delco School District officials have said the district is cooperating with the investigation.

    On Friday, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., there will be a public visitation for Bailey at the Cavanagh Funeral Home in Norwood.

    The following is a statement from the Southeast Delco School District:

    Dear Southeast Delco School Community,

    Late yesterday, we were informed about the death of Bailey O'Neill. Bailey was a sixth grade student at Darby Township School. Our school community is deeply saddened by this loss. Our condolences are with Bailey's family and friends during this very difficult time.

    One of Most Polluted Neighborhoods Awaits Cleanup

     Just across the East River from midtown Manhattan's shimmering skyscrapers sits one of the nation's most polluted neighborhoods, fouled by generations of industrial waste, overflow from the city's sewage system and an underground oil leak bigger than the Exxon Valdez spill.

    It's easy to see - and smell - the filth in and around Newtown Creek, which runs through an area of working-class homes, warehouses and industrial lots straddling Brooklyn and Queens. The odor of petroleum mixes with the smell of sewage, particularly on rainy days when the city's treatment plants can't handle the volume and municipal pipes send trash and human waste straight into the creek.

    Oily, rainbow-slicked water is filled with soda cans, plastic bottles, raw sewage and decaying food. Ditched vehicles are stuck in the mud on the banks. And what was once a creek teeming with fish, surrounded by marshland, is now a dull gray waterway that cannot sustain life.

    "It's the byproduct of our society," says environmentalist John Lipscomb of the Riverkeeper clean-water advocacy group. "What was originally a watershed is now a sewage shed."

    After generations of neglect, the first, small steps are being taken in a multi-pronged cleanup that could take at least a dozen years and cost hundreds of millions of dollars. But even the most hopeful officials acknowledge the watershed may never be clear of all pollutants.

    There was a time when Newtown Creek was the city's industrial mecca. The Rockefellers operated the nation's first modern refineries on its banks in the late 1800s. Others quickly sprang up.

    For much of the 20th century, the neighborhood teemed with commercial vessels and factories that made products as varied as fertilizers, chemicals, lumber and glue. Their oil and other hazardous waste was either dumped or leaked into the creek, bit by bit, accumulating at the bottom.

    The first sign of the looming ecological disaster came on Oct. 5, 1950, when petroleum gases from the hidden spill seeped into the sewer and caught fire, causing an explosion that blew dozens of manhole covers three stories into the air, shattering windows in hundreds of buildings and ripping a street open. Three people were injured.

    Mississippi mayoral candidate found dead person taken into custody

    The body of a candidate for mayor of Clarksdale, Miss., was found about 15 miles west of town Wednesday, and a person was in custody, sheriff's officials said.

    Authorities had been searching for Marco McMillian, 34, since Tuesday morning, when his sport-utility vehicle was involved in a head-on collision in Coahoma County, the county sheriff's office said in a statement.

    But McMillian wasn't in the vehicle, authorities said. The driver of his vehicle, identified as Lawrence Reed, 22, of Clarksdale, was airlifted to a hospital in Memphis, Tenn., about 60 miles away, NBC station WMC of Memphis reported.

    There was no immediate report on the cause of death, according tothe Coahoma County coroner's office.

    The sheriff's department declined to say whether Reed was the "person of interest" who was taken into custody or whether the action was taken in connection with McMillian's death or as a separate part of the accident investigation. The department said no further information would be immediately provided "due to the fact this is an ongoing investigation."

    Watch US News videos on NBCNews.com

    McMillian — who was chief executive of MWM & Associates, a consultant to nonprofit organizations — was widely noted as one of the first openly gay candidates for public office in Mississippi.

    His campaign spokesman, Jarod Keith, told the Clarion-Ledger newspaper of Jackson, Miss., that McMillian's sexuality was never an issue in the campaign.

    The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, a national advocate for gay political candidates, tweeted Wednesday:

    "Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Marco McMillian, one of the 1st viable openly #LGBT candidates in Mississippi."

    In a statement Wednesday, McMillian's campaign said: "Words cannot describe our grief at the loss of our dear friend, Marco McMillian. The shocking news of Marco's death is beyond difficult for us to process."

    Two of McMillian's opponents — who, like McMillian, are Democrats — said they, too, were shocked and saddened by the development.

    Missing California Cyclists Found on a Boat in South America

     A young California couple thought to be missing for a month while on a cycling trip through South America has been located on a boat and were surprised to hear of the search for them, according to Peru's tourism minister.

    The couple was found on a slow-moving boat and are expected to arrive at the Ecuador and Peru border Wednesday where they will have access to a phone, according to Miguel Antezana, the communications director of Peru's Foreign Commerce and Tourism Ministry.

    The families and friends of Garrett Hand and Jamie Neal, both 25, had been concerned about the couple who had not been heard from in over a month.

    The couple was found on the Napo River at a place called Angoteros, according to Antezana. There, they spoke to the police and were surprised by all of the questions. They eventually asked what was going on and the police told them that they were considered missing persons.

    The ministry is sending people with video cameras to the location where the boat is going to dock to show that they are alive and well.

    Antezana said that it appears that the couple simply did not want to communicate with their families because they could have done so in Iquitos.

    Earlier today, Hand's mother told "Good Morning America" that they family had checked his bank records and found there was no bank activity since Jan. 25, the same day as the couple's last Facebook post.

    "How is my son traveling without getting any money?" Francine Fitzgerald asked. "How is my son eating?"

    The couple embarked on their journey at the end of November, or early December.

    As the couple cycled through the continent, they frequently posted updates and photos on Facebook, chronicling their journey. They posted photos of camping, the wildlife and the people they met along the way.

    The last post was on Jan. 25 and said, "Finally found Kraft Mac 'n' cheese in South America! Stoked LOL." The couple had not been heard from since, which worried their families and friends.

    "They would post sometimes several times a day, pictures telling us where they were and then we all noticed that his postings stopped," Fitzgerald said on "Good Morning America."

    "Come home," Hand's sister Larkin McGowan pleaded on "GMA." "Your family needs you in California with us."

    The U.S. State Department said that according to their families, Hand and Neal had been traveling from Cusco to Lima, Peru, and were expected to arrive in Lima on Jan. 26.

    Pregame dunk routine might stop

     LeBron James may consider grounding his popular dunking warm-up routine before Miami Heat games if the criticism keeps coming his way.

    The league's reigning three-time MVP said Tuesday he never intended for his acrobatic dunking display in the Heat's layup line to become a potential distraction that apparently has given some critics a chance to slam him.

    James has been executing contest-worthy dunks during warmups, but has been unwilling throughout his career to participate in the league's dunk contest during All-Star Weekend despite pressure from fans and former players.

    "Maybe I should stop because it's making a lot of people mad about what I do," James said after he scored a season-high 40 points and had a career-high 16 assists in Tuesday's double-overtime win against Sacramento. "They're like, 'Well, if you can do it in warmups, why don't you (want to) be in the dunk contest? Stop it.' "

    Videos that fans have taken of James in the layup line have gone viral on the Internet in recent days. One clip taken before Sunday's home game against Cleveland showed James whipping the ball behind his back, then between his legs before he tossed it off the backboard for a dunk over 6-foot-10 teammate Rashard Lewis.

    James was in the act again before Tuesday's game, when he lobbed the ball into the air, caught it off the bounce and shifted the ball between his legs before slamming it through the rim. The Heat have a reputation for late-arriving crowds, but more fans have filled into the arena's lower bowl before games with cell phones or video recorders in hand waiting for James to take the court before games.

    The Heat have started to stream video of James' pregame dunks on the team's official website, and owner Micky Arison has used Twitter to encourage fans to arrive to games early if they want to see the show James puts on.

    James said Tuesday he wasn't aware of how popular the routine has grown, because it's something he's always done. More Heat players have gotten involved, including Chris Andersen, Mike Miller, Ray Allen, Norris Cole and Mario Chalmers, who has been James' stiffest competition of late.

    American Foods Chockfull of Ingredients Banned in Other Countries

         preservatives, flavorings, colors and other ingredients -- are added to foods in the United States.

        While each of these substances are legal to use in the US, whether or not they are safe for long-term consumption -- by themselves or in combination -- is a different story altogether. Many have been deemed too harmful to use in other countries.

        When you consider that about 90 percent of the money Americans spend on food goes toward processed foods loaded with these additives, it’s no wonder most people are carrying a hefty toxic load that can wreak havoc on their health.

        A list of ingredients that are banned across the globe but still allowed for use in America recently made the news. The list is featured in the new book, Rich Food, Poor Food, authored by nutritionist Mira Calton and her husband Jayson.

        The banned ingredients include various food dyes, the fat substitute Olestra, brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate (aka brominanted flour), Azodicarbonamide, BHA, BHT, rBGH, rBST, and arsenic.

        Seeing that the overall health of Americans is so much lower than other industrialized countries, you can’t help but wonder whether toxic ingredients such as these might play a role in our unhealthy conditions.

        Meanwhile, Russia has announced that it plans to extend a ban on U.S. beef, pork and turkey imports coming into effect this month, due to the feed additive ractopamine in the meats. Ractopamine is a growth stimulant banned in several countries, including Russia.

    Processed Foods Depend on Additives

        When foods are processed, not only are valuable nutrients lost and fibers removed, but the textures and natural variation and flavors are also lost. After processing, what's left behind is a bland, uninteresting "pseudo-food" that most people wouldn’t want to eat.

        So at this point, food manufacturers must add back in the nutrients, flavor, color and texture to processed foods in order to make them palatable, and this is why they become loaded with food additives.

        Most commonly, additives are included to slow spoilage, prevent fats and oils from going rancid, prevent fruits from turning brown, fortify or enrich the food with synthetic vitamins and minerals to replace the natural ones that were lost during processing, and improve taste, texture and appearance. When reading product packages, here are some of the most common food additives1 to watch out for:

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