Dungy resigns as Head Coach of the Colts

There was always more to Tony Dungy than a headset and a whistle.
As much as he loved the National Football League -- and understand that he loved this game hard -- Dungy was more than a master of the Cover 2 and the leader of a 53-man roster.
In his firm but polite manner, Dungy was a coaching pioneer, the first African-American coach to win the Super Bowl and a reminder that strength and passion can come in many styles. In an era of coaches with outsized egos, Dungy was the symbol of a man with his feet on the ground. And in a time when the basest aspects of hip-hop culture are glamorized to the point of worship, Dungy showed that there are other meanings of being a black man in America.
Beyond the playoff appearances and the innovations on defense, Dungy came of age in the heat of the civil rights movement. He grew up in Jackson, Mich., with parents who held advanced degrees from Michigan State, parents who themselves were pioneers. Dungy's mother, CleoMae, taught English and public speaking at Jackson High. His father, Wilbur, taught physiology at Jackson Community College.
Wilbur had also been a pilot during World War II as part of the United States Army Air Corps' Tuskegee Airmen. His father never told Dungy about the hardships of the segregated army, how blacks had been banned from flying planes at all until the Tuskegee program was implemented.
"When I was just a kid, I didn't think to ask for more details when he said, 'We taught ourselves to fly,'" Dungy writes in his memoir, Quiet Strength. "It sounded easy. The lesson, which I did not understand clearly until much later, was that you shouldn't allow external issues to be a hindrance, whether those issues are based on race or any other factor. Things will go wrong at times. You can't always control circumstances. However, you can always control your attitude, approach, and response."
When he was old enough to understand, Dungy held fast to these lessons, as a quarterback at the University of Minnesota and as a longtime NFL assistant coach who spent years being passed over for head-coaching jobs. When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hired him in 1996, a doormat was transformed into a playoff team. When the Indianapolis Colts hired him in 2002, Dungy elevated a talented team to the level of Super Bowl champion.
"People often say that teams reflect their head coach, and that can be said of Tony Dungy's teams, which are consistent winners every single year," New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick said in a statement. "Tony has been such a fixture in this league that his absence will take some getting used to. He may be leaving the sideline, but Tony will be remembered fondly for a long time."
Besides Dungy's coaching protégés, who are sprinkled throughout the league, his greater legacy may be his work outside the lines. While coaching in Tampa, he started a program called Mentors for Life, an organization aimed at uplifting area children. He also launched All Pro Dad, a program designed to help fathers interact with their children in lasting ways. more

Baby born 2 days after mother dies

Her mum would have loved her so much: Tearful words of man whose baby was born TWO DAYS after wife died
Two days after Jayne Soliman was declared brain-dead, her grieving husband saw her life-support machine turned off.
In a moment of unbelievable poignancy, he was then given their baby daughter to hold for the first time.
Doctors had kept 41-year-old Mrs Soliman's heart beating after she suffered a brain haemorrhage.
For 48 hours they pumped large doses of steroids into her body to help the baby's lungs develop.
Her mother had been declared brain dead two days before she was born. Now baby Aya Jayne, weighing little over 2lb, is in intensive care
Then they delivered baby Aya Jayne by caesarean section. At 26 weeks, she weighed just 2lb 11/2oz.
The tiny infant was placed on her mother's shoulder for a moment before being handed to her father, Mahmoud Soliman.
Aya - her name is a word from the Koran meaning miracle - is now doing well in hospital while 29-year-old Mr Soliman struggles to cope with the misery of suddenly losing his wife and the joy of becoming a father. more

George Bush's 20 worst moments

1) No WMDs
Mr Bush built his entire case for war on the claim that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction. However, he chose to ignore conflicting evidence and forever undermined not only his presidency, but the reputation of US intelligence agencies and his country in much of the world.

2) "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job"
Mr Bush could not control the weather, but he had control in naming the director of FEMA, the agency in charge of disaster mitigation. His appointee, Mike Brown, was woefully underprepared and failed to facilitate proper aid to the stranded victims of Hurricane Katrina. Despite his tragic miscues, Mr Bush famously told his pall "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job."

3) No Post-War Plan for Iraq
The outgoing president achieved his goal of ousting Saddam Hussein but had little planned for a destabilised post-Saddam Iraq. After six years, thousands of military casualties, an untold amount of Iraqi civilian deaths, and hundreds of billions of dollars spent, the war is still not over.

4) Permitting Torture
By stating that the Geneva Convention did not apply to "enemy combatants," Mr Bush paved the way for waterboarding, attack dogs, and other draconian interrogation tactics that will forever be associated with his presidency.

5) Ignoring Pre-9/11 Terror Memo
Just weeks before 9/11, while spending a holiday at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, Mr Bush received a memo from the CIA entitled, "Bin Laden Determined To Strike in US". While the President cannot respond to every single threat presented to the country, the timing and nature of this particular warning will forever blight his legacy.

6) "Mission Accomplished"
Mr Bush's bombastic declaration of victory in Iraq while aboard an aircraft carrier in May 2003 was premature to say the least: the vast majority of war casualties have occurred since the unfurling of the "mission accomplished" banner. He has admitted this was one of his biggest mistakes.

7) Entering Iraq without a UN mandate.
After months of deliberation, the UN Security Council could not come to an agreement over the proposed invasion of Iraq. Mr Bush impatiently led a "coalition of the willing" into the country and his decision is still considered by the UN to be illegal.

8) Insisting there was a link between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda
Mr Bush aimed to strengthen his case for war by linking the perpetrators of 9/11 to Saddam Hussein. As of today there is little to no evidence supporting his claim.

9) Failing to capture Osama bin Laden
After 9/11, Mr Bush's primary goal was to capture al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. More than seven years have passed and the only evidence of Bin Laden is a series of grainy video tapes taunting Mr Bush and the United States.

10) Abandoning the Kyoto Protocol
In 2001, Mr Bush refused to sign the Kyoto Protocol, a treaty that requires participating countries to lower their greenhouse gas emissions. He cited its effect on the economy, but the auto industry is already on the brink and global climate change is a real problem. Even merely as a sign of intent, his signature would have been helpful.

11) Refusing to let Katrina ruin his holiday
Hurricane Katrina hit towards the end of a long summer holiday for Mr Bush. His immediate response was not to view the damage personally, but at five miles high through the window of Air Force One on his way back to Washington.

12) Underestimating the cost of the war
Like a contractor's ever-inflating estimates of a home renovation, Mr Bush's original $50-$60 billion price tag on the Iraq war sounds like a steal now. The current cost is closer to $600 billion.
13) Lack of body armour for US troops
Due to the budget constraints of an expensive war, many US troops lacked proper armour for the challenges in Iraq. There have been reports of families turning to eBay to purchase protective gear for their sons and daughters stationed in the Middle East.

14) Failure to include Louisiana's coastal parishes in state of emergency plan
On August 27, 2005, two days before Hurricane Katrina hit, President Bush declared a state of emergency for parts of Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi. Not included on that list were the coastal areas of Louisiana that included New Orleans, the city hit hardest by Katrina.

15) Tax cuts for the wealthy
Believing wealthy Americans would take their fortunes to tax shelters, Mr Bush granted large tax cuts to keep their cash in the US. Critics contend it disproved the trickle down theory, as the economy headed into recession.

16) Losing focus on Afghanistan
The early campaign in Afghanistan was relatively successful. Rather than continuing the effort there however, Mr Bush quickly switched focus to Iraq. Many, including President-Elect Barack Obama, believe that a greater presence in Afghanistan would be more effective in the war on terror.

17) Limiting stem cell research
One of President Bush's earliest decisions was to restrict the research of embryonic stem cells. These types of studies have shown tremendous results in lab rats (such as reversing the course of Parkinson's in the rodents). Humans will have to wait for his policy to be annulled before seeing any benefits.

18) Appointment and backing of Alberto Gonzales
Mr Bush appointed an old Texan friend Alberto Gonzales as his Attorney General after the resignation of John Ashcroft. Widely criticised as a sycophantic foil to "Dubya", Mr Gonzales oversaw questionable US attorney dismissals and the NSA's warrantless wiretapping before eventually resigning. Along with Mike Brown, Alberto Gonzales is an example of Mr Bush's perceived penchant for surrounding himself with "yes men" rather than qualified individuals.

19) Awarding lucrative Iraq reconstruction contracts to Halliburton
Halliburton, Vice President Dick Cheney's old employer, received a large reconstruction contract in Iraq shortly after the onset of the war. Rumours of it not having to bid are unfounded, but claims of a conflict of interest remain. In addition, their exportation of the country's oil has been a largely unsuccessful endeavour.

20) Warrantless Wiretapping
Shortly after 9/11, President Bush authorised the warrantless wiretapping of certain telephone calls for the sake of national security. Eavesdropping would often top most Presidents' list of reprehensible acts but Mr Bush, supported by Congress, contended that it helped keep America safe.

Man arrested for arranging to sell his 14 year old daughter for marriage

GREENFIELD, Calif. — Police have arrested a Greenfield man for allegedly arranging to sell his 14-year-old daughter into marriage in exchange for $16,000, 100 cases of beer and several cases of meat.
Police say they only learned of the deal after 36-year-old Marcelino de Jesus Martinez went to them to get his daughter back because payment wasn't made as promised.
Martinez was arrested Sunday on suspicion of human trafficking.
Officers also arrested 18-year-old Margarito de Jesus Galindo on suspicion of statutory rape. Investigators believe the girl went willingly with Galindo, but she's under California's legal age of consent and can't legally marry.
Police say arranged marriages involving underage girls have become a problem in this small Central Coast farming community.

Man dies after accidentally shooting himself whith his rifle while driving

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- A McMinnville man has been killed by his own hunting rifle as he drove his pickup truck.
Rutherford County Sheriff's investigators said 31-year-old Joseph Lyle was found bleeding from a gunshot wound to the head after his pickup truck ran off the Manchester Highway early Thursday.

The Daily News Journal quoted a statement by Detective Sgt. Dan Goodwin of the sheriff's office, who said witnesses told officers they heard a gunshot, then the truck ran off the road.Goodwin said evidence indicated Lyle was apparently handling his loaded rifle with the safety not engaged when it inadvertently discharged.Lyle was pronounced dead a short time later at Middle Tennessee Medical Center.

Somali Pirate's Body Washes Ashore With $153,000

MOGADISHU, Somalia — The body of a Somali pirate who drowned just after receiving a huge ransom washed onshore with $153,000 in cash, a resident said Sunday, as the spokesman for another group of pirates promised to soon free a Ukrainian arms ship.
Five pirates drowned Friday when their small boat capsized after they received a reported $3 million ransom for releasing a Saudi oil tanker. Local resident Omar Abdi Hassan said one of the bodies had been found on a beach near the coastal town of Haradhere and relatives were searching for the other four.
"One of them was discovered and they are still looking for the other ones. He had $153,000 in a plastic bag in his pocket," he said Sunday.

The U.S. navy released photos of a parachute dropping a package onto the deck of the Sirius Star, and said the package was likely to be the ransom delivery.
But five of the dozens of pirates who had hijacked the tanker drowned when their small boat capsized as they returned to shore in rough weather. Three other pirates survived but also lost their share of the ransom.
Graeme Gibbon Brooks, managing director of the British company Dryad Maritime Intelligence Service Ltd, said the incident was unlikely to deter attacks.
"The loss or potential loss of the ransom means the pirates will be all the more keen to get the next ransom in," he said. "There are people lining up to be pirates."
The Sirius Star had been held near the Ukrainian cargo ship MV Faina, which was loaded with 33 Soviet-designed battle tanks and crates of small arms. The same day the Sirius Star was released, the family members of the Faina crew appealed for help, saying they were not being kept informed about the negotiations or the state of their loved ones' health. more

Couple Denied Adoption Because Hubby is 'Too Fat'

Victoria Derbyshire/BBC 5 Live
Damien and Charlotte Hall were turned down to adopt on grounds that Damien is too fat. He?s 6-foot-1, 343 pounds, with a BMI of more than 42.
A married couple has spoken of its shock after being turned down to adopt on the grounds that one of them is too fat.
Damien and Charlotte Hall approached Leeds City Council in West Yorkshire, England, about adoption after discovering that they were unable to have children of their own.
They were told that Hall’s size, at 6-foot-1, 343 pounds, made him morbidly obese, with a body mass index (BMI) of more than 42.
In a letter, the council told the couple his BMI must be below 40 before the couple could be considered as potential parents because of a risk he could become ill or even die.
“I am writing to confirm that we are unable to progress an application from you at this time. This is due to the concerns that the medical advisers have expressed regarding Mr. Hall’s weight,” the council wrote.
The couple, who have been married for 11 years, said they felt the ruling was harsh.
“The bottom line is I’m too fat. I just feel as though we were only judged on my weight and not all the other good things about us," said Hall, 37, who works in a call center.

“We don’t drink or smoke and we could give a child a happy and safe home.” more