F-35 Lightning II

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a single-seat, single-engine, stealth-capable military strike fighter, a multi-role aircraft that can perform close air support, tactical bombing, and air-to-air combat. The F-35 is descended from the X-35 of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. Its development is being principally funded by the United States with the United Kingdom and other partner governments providing additional funding. It is being designed and built by an aerospace industry team led by Lockheed Martin with Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems as major partners. Demonstrator aircraft flew in 2000, with the production model first flying on 15 December 2006. The United States Air Force plans to acquire 1,763 aircraft.

Obama Accused of Plagiarism by Clinton Campaign

Democratic Presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) was accused of plagiarism by Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign after using a phrase from a speech given by Gov. Deval Patrick (D-MA) two years ago.

At Obama's Milwaukee Founder’s Day Dinner Saturday, he responded to Senator Clinton’s claims that he is all talk and cannot produce results with just speeches.

Obama responded, by saying to the Wisconsin Democrats:

“Don’t tell me words don’t matter! ‘I have a dream.’ Just words. ‘We hold these truths to be self evident that all me are created equal.’ Just words. ‘We have nothing to fear but fear itself.’ Just words. Just speeches. It’s true that speeches don’t solve all problems, but what is also true is if we cannot inspire the country to believe again then it doesn’t matter how many policies and plans we have and that is why I am running for president of the United States of America and that is why we just won eight elections straight, because the American people want to believe in change again. Don’t tell me words don’t matter.”

Patrick said nearly the same thing in October of 2006 when he was running for office.

Obama said that the accusation was blown out of proportion. He said that he and Patrick are friends that share ideas and speak frequently.

According to Patrick, the two are friends and Patrick has accompanied Obama on the campaign trail before.

“Sen. Obama and I are longtime friends and allies," said Patrick via statement. "We often share ideas about politics, policy and language."

"The argument in question, on the value of words in the public square, is one about which he and I have spoken frequently before," continued Patrick. "Given the recent attacks from Sen. Clinton, I applaud him [for] responding in just the way he did.”

Pa. Schools Affected By Beef Recall

The Pittsburgh school district is sitting on 12,000 pounds of beef that has been recalled.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is calling back 143 million pounds of frozen beef from a Southern California slaughterhouse that's being investigated for mistreating cattle.

The action tops a 1999 ban of 35 million pounds of ready-to-eat meats.Pittsburgh Public Schools spokeswoman Ebony Pugh said some of the beef from a Southern California slaughterhouse had already been eaten by students. But there have been no reports of illnesses.

Read more at thepittsburghchannel.com

QB Ryan Perrilloux walks off the LSU football team?

There's quite a bit of smoke coming from several LSU message boards indicating that QB Ryan Perrilloux has left the Tigers football team.

While I have to urge a HUGE grain of salt, the reports go something like this....

Due to an ongoing dispute between Perrilloux's mother and LSU -- potentially stemming from Ryan's mother trying to shake down the school -- the projected starting quarterback has cleaned out his locker and left the team. Perrilloux reportedly missed a team meeting this week, but his absence is clouded by reports that Perrilloux was attending his father's funeral.

The only aspect that does not seem to be in dispute is that Ryan Perrilloux has cleaned out his locker.

WDSU-TV in New Orleans is reporting the rumors that Perrilloux quit the team, but -- so far -- there's no comment from Perrilloux or the Tigers.

This could be exactly what the rumors say it is, or it could be a confused kid who just lost his father acting out.

Either way, I think we're nearing some kind of school record on off-the-field headlines.

Juicy website proves popular on campus, but many students fight back

The Cornell University junior was in his dorm between classes when the text message came in from a friend. Check out JuicyCampus.com, it said.

The student found his name on the website beside a rambling, filthy passage about his sexual exploits, posted by an anonymous student on campus. The young man could only hope the commentary was so ridiculous nobody would believe it.

"I thought, 'Is this going to affect my job employment? Is this going to make people on campus look at me? Are people going to talk about me behind my back?" said the student, who asked not to be identified. He also wondered about his 11-year-old sister, who is spending more time on the Internet. "What if she Googles me? What will she think about her big brother?" he said.

Read more at princegeorgecitizen.com

Carol Burnett

Carol Creighton Burnett (born April 26, 1933 in San Antonio, Texas) is an Emmy Award-winning actress, comedian, singer, dancer, and writer. Burnett started her career in New York. After becoming a hit on Broadway, she debuted on television. After successful appearances on The Garry Moore Show, Carol moved to Los Angeles and began an eleven-year run on the highly acclaimed The Carol Burnett Show which was aired on CBS television from 1967 to 1978. With roots in vaudeville, The Carol Burnett Show was a variety show combining comedy sketches, song, and dance. The comedy sketches ranged from movie parodies to character pieces which featured the many talents of Burnett herself who created and played several well-known and distinctive characters.

iPods banned for Robie Creek race

BOISE - Plan to run the Race to Robie Creek? Get ready for a nice peaceful jaunt. For the first time, personal music devices -- including the ubiquitous iPod -- will be outlawed.

The 2008 event is set for April 19 - starting near Fort Boise, over Aldape summitt and ending at Robie Creek Park in Boise County.

The event's website notes the change - and puts the blame on USA Track & Field - the orginization that sanctions the race, and provides insurance.

Race organizer Brian Rencher told the Associated Press that the change is a safety issue.

"Race officials don't ban headphones to be mean to runners — it's for their own safety and that of everyone else in the race," says Gerweck, a member of the USATF Long Distance Running sub-comittee studying enforcement of the ban.

In case you're curious - cell phones, TVs, DVD players and computers are also banned on the race course. So don't tote along your computer.

Registration for the race begins Monday. There are 2,431 spots available, which are expected to sell out quickly.

Lindsay Lohan taking it all off for the New York Magazine

Lindsay Lohan is naked again, this time remaking the famous Marilyn Monroe nude photo shoot entitled "The Last Sitting" for the New York Magazine. Wearing nothing but a blond wig and covered by a pink scarf, the pop star is gracing the cover of the latest issue of the New York Magazine. The photo shoot, where Lindsay Lohan appears topless on all pictures, was done by famed photographer Bert Stern, who also shot Monroe’s "The Last Sitting" in 1962. Monroe was found dead from an apparent drugs overdose just six weeks after the famous shoot.

"I didn’t have to put much thought into it. I mean, Bert Stern? Doing a Marilyn shoot? When is that ever going to come up? It’s really an honor," said the young pop star, who has always been a big fan of Monroe, Lohan even purchased an apartment where Marilyn once lived.

“Hot Dog Eater” Kobayashi Iwamura

MLB proved it has a sense of humor when the Philadelphia Phillies pulled off an elaborate prank, orchestrated by pitcher Brett Myers, and “punk’d” second year rookie Kyle Kendrick.

Kendrick was called into manager Charlie Manuel’s office on Saturday and told that he had been traded to Japan for a player named “Kobayashi Iwamura,” a fictitious name which means “hot dog eater.”

The media, who was also involved in the ruse, asks Kendrick questions about being traded, as the stunned 23-year-old responds as best he can.

Oil Refinery Explosion in Big Spring, Texas Leaves Workers Scrambling

An early morning explosion at an oil refinery owned by Dallas-based Alon USA in the west Texas town of Big Spring left employees scrambling for safety.

The explosion was felt by several of the houses and buildings in the area as it shook through the small town.

More than 170 employees work at the refinery but there have been no reports of injuries related to the explosion.

Big Spring is located about 280 miles west of Dallas.

Star Ron Lester Has Lost Over 350 Pounds

Ron Lester, best known for his role as the portly offensive lineman Billy Bob in 1999's "Varsity Blues", has lost almost 350 pounds.

Lester, 37, tipped the scale at 509 pounds by the time he was 30 years old. Lester had been obese since the age of 5.

By late 2001, Lester successfully lost over 250 pounds. He made an appearance on The Montel Williams Show weighing around 173 pounds. He has had a gastric bypass surgery and 14 plastic surgeries to tighten and remove excess skin.