Scientology ties at New Village Leadership Academy stir controversy for Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith

Saturday, September 12, 2009 The Calabasas, California private elementary school New Village Leadership Academy (NVLA) opened its 2009–10 school year this week amid controversy over its connections to Scientology. The school was founded by celebrity couple Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith, who paid about US$1 million to lease the facility in 2008. Former head of …

Toyota’s US sales fall by 8.7%

Wednesday, March 3, 2010 Toyota Motor Corporation, the Japanese automobile maker, posted an overall 8.7% drop in sales in the United States for last month. This comes after recent safety recalls of its vehicles, as well as congressional investigations over Toyota’s safety standards. The model that had the highest drop in sales was the Camry …

Warmest Canadian winter on record

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 The winter of 2005/2006 has been the warmest winter in Canada since the beginning of the nationwide weather record in 1948, with average nationwide temperatures 3.9°C above the long-term average. Statistically, such a strong deviation from the average is expected to be observed only once in 100 years. While most of …

Arson charge for man who cleaned home with gasoline

Wednesday, April 8, 2009 Ernest Krajniak from Chilton, Wisconsin in the United States has been charged with arson after a lit cigarette ignited gasoline soaked clothes, setting his apartment ablaze. On Friday April 3, Krajniak, 47, cleaned his entire apartment with about five gallons of gasoline, wiping everything down with the soaked clothes. After he …

BDSM as business: Interviews with Dominatrixes

Sunday, October 28, 2007 Whether the Civil War, World War II or the Iraq War, it can be challenging to face how conflict penetrates the psyche of a nation and surfaces in the nuances of life. There are thousands—if not millions—of individuals who indulge in fantasies others would deem perverse that have their nascence in …

Search-and-rescue dog that found 9/11 survivor to be cloned

Thursday, July 3, 2008 A German shepherd who recovered the last survivor of the September 11, 2001 attacks is to be cloned. His owner, James Symington, a former police officer from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada entered an essay writing contest about why his dog should be cloned. Trakr, the 15 year old German shepherd suffering …

400 pound python seized by wildlife officials in Florida

Sunday, September 13, 2009 A “monster” Burmese python, weighing in at 400 pounds and stretching 18 feet long, was seized by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials on Friday after it was deemed unsafe in its cage near Lake Apopka, Florida. The snake, named “Delilah”, is at least 16 years old. Melvin Cheever was …