American Airlines Flight 48 had just taken off from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport at the start of a nine-hour overnight flight to Paris on April 20 when flight attendants heard an alarming noise from the bottom of the plane. According to one source, the sound was of “vibrating, shaking, even some ripping.”
Alerted to the noise by flight attendants, the trio of pilots in the cockpit — two of them Miami-based — considered their options. One pilot got on a phone line to the dispatch center at American’s headquarters in Dallas and then to the maintenance center in Tulsa.
According to an internal memo from an unidentified flight safety official, “the pilots and TUL Tech thought [the sounds] may have been [from] a cargo shift of some sort.”
The memo added that “there were no indications in the cockpit, no warning lights or airframe vibrations felt.”
Though the plane was still a relatively short distance from takeoff, the pilots, with the support of ground technicians, elected to continue the flight.
The source (who was not on the plane but is familiar with some of the principals involved) says the flight over the Atlantic was reportedly “pretty bumpy,” both because of unstable weather and because of rumbling emanating from the bottom of the plane.
After the plane landed at Charles de Gaulle International Airport in Paris, the flight’s crew and French airport officials quickly gathered under the airplane to see a frightening scene of exposed machinery and dangling paneling. Some took pictures.
Although the company has made no announcements about the incident, scuttlebutt flew among American Airlines personnel.
Many flight employees were openly upset about the seeming recklessness of the decision to proceed with the flight — though a source at American insists there was nothing reckless about it. “If the captain had known the panel was missing, there’s no question he would have turned around,” says the source, “but given the noise was the only indication with no further warnings in the cockpit, and three hours to judge the situation before they reached the ocean, the decision wasn’t reckless. The pictures are very dramatic, but the passengers and crew weren’t in any danger.”

browardpalmbeach.com

RALEIGH, N.C. - Environmental groups and the National Park Service have reached a settlement that adds new restrictions to protect endangered species, likely ending a federal lawsuit over beach driving along parts of the Outer Banks.
The 23-page settlement involving the Cape Hatteras National Seashore was filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Raleigh. Judge Terrence Boyle must approve the settlement before it goes into effect.
The settlement allows driving on large areas of beach, but seasonally restricts vehicle use in several spots popular with both birds and fishermen.
"This agreement would improve protection of bird species that have shown alarming declines over the last decades, while also providing for the enjoyment of the seashore by all visitors," said Chris Canfield, executive director of Audubon North Carolina, one of the plaintiffs.
The settlement details areas to be restricted to protect bird and turtle nesting areas. Among its requirements: bird nesting areas can’t be made smaller to accommodate vehicles if erosion cuts off vehicle access.
"We have made every effort to accommodate the driving and the fishing" with the settlement, Canfield said. The seasonal restrictions are less severe than those originally proposed before the settlement talks began, he said.
The vice chairman of the Dare County Board of Commissioners said he wasn’t happy with the plan. "But at least it allows opportunities for access to our beaches and keeps local businesses operating," said Allen Burrus, who lives and works on Hatteras Island.
Derb Carter, attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center that filed the lawsuit, acknowledged that fishermen and birds favor the same areas for the same reason _ lots of fish.
But people were winning out over the birds. For example, only six pairs of the piping plover, an endangered species, were seen last year on the seashore. Fifteen was the highest number at the seashore since the park service began monitoring them in 1989, Carter said.

journalnow.com

Computing is essentially math on steroids. So, at first glance, it would seem no surprise that the recent report by the National Mathematics Advisory Panel would include computer-based instruction among its recommendations to address the “mediocre level” of math achievement by American students.
But the champions of computing in the classroom have hailed the math panel report as an encouraging win for their side. It suggests, they say, that computing should be seen as a valuable tool in mainstream education, like math and science, in kindergarten through high school curriculums.
“There is a real battle going on to determine the role that computing is going to play in K-12 education,” observed Robert B. Schnabel, a computer scientist at Indiana University, who is chairman of the Association for Computing Machinery’s education policy committee. “Is it going to be integrated into math and science curriculums or is it going to be more like shop?”
The debate over the appropriate place of computing in grade schools and high schools echoes the debate in universities decades ago, when computers and software were initially seen as mere plumbing. And certainly not something worth of study in its own right? A department of computer science? Why not a department of slide rules?
But over time, computer science became a science of its own, and computing is regarded as a universal tool of all sciences and many social sciences, adding new powers of simulation and measurement to mathematics.
Below the university level, however, computing is far from that stature today. But the math panel report recommends well-designed computer instruction as a way to nurture greater fluency in math and understanding of math concepts, from drill and practice to programming with visual languages like LOGO, developed in the 1960s by Seymour Papert and others at MIT and Bolt, Beranek and Newman, a research firm.

bits.blogs.nytimes.com

Now, Lowery, his staff and the Maverick players can only wonder what might have been after learning Monday that NAU had replaced president Richard Buckles and decided to drop its sports programs.
“That’s the hardest thing,” Lowery said Tuesday. “It wasn’t losing a job or losing money or anything like that. It was not to see this team that we built for next year have a chance to compete together.
“We had put a very special group here together and we thought we had a real chance again,” he said.
Lowery and his players learned of their program’s demise Monday, just as spring drills were getting underway.
A storied NAU rodeo program will also come to an end, but the 35-member Maverick men’s and women’s teams will have a last hurrah, finishing the spring season with the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyo., in June.
“You’ve got to go on and make the best of it,” said 14-year NAU rodeo coach Glen Lammers, who, like Lowery, learned of the university’s decision on Monday and informed his athletes that day.
“It was sad at the meeting,” Lammers said. “We’re like a family. These kids pulled together and that’s what we’ll do to see it through.”
Rodeo team member Mica Wade of Hiko, Nev., said she learned of Buckles’ dismissal on Friday while working in the university’s student success office.
“I kind of knew something was going to happen,” she said. “I didn’t expect athletics to be dropped by any means.”
Lammers said the NAU rodeo program has been in existence for almost a half-century, producing numerous collegiate and professional champions.
“They have a passion for this program,” Lammers said. “Their hearts are in it.”
The current team will compete at five rodeos this spring, starting at South Dakota State University on April 11-13, and including the Black Hills State University Yellow Jacket Stampede on April 24-25 and the final Maverick Stampede on April 26-27.

rapidcityjournal.com

The turnaround came courtesy of the North Carolina native’s participation in the fifth season of "American Idol." Pickler’s pageant looks, Southern charm, and big voice made her a favorite of the show’s infamous prickly judge, Simon Cowell. She came in sixth in the singing competition, but landed a record deal soon after leaving the show.
Her aptly titled debut,
Small Town Girl, featuring five songs co-written by the singer, was released in October 2006 and has sold more than 700,000 copies to date. Singles such as "Red High Heels" and "I Wonder" also helped her get a nomination for Top New Female Vocalist at the Academy of Country Music Awards.
She’ll be up for four awards at April’s Country Music Television Awards. And tonight she’ll be at FedExForum, opening for Rascal Flatts. She spoke to The Commercial Appeal from the road earlier this week.
Q: I heard you were not feeling well. Are you better?
A: Yeah. I thought I had the flu, but I have a sinus infection and an ear infection. I’m on the road with Rascal Flatts right now, but last week I ended up canceling a show in Florida, and the next night I just cut my set in half. But I’m so much better than I was when I got my antibiotics. So I’m still kicking.
Q: You’re still touring behind your first record,
Small Town Girl. When can we expect the follow-up?
A: We are actually in the middle of trying to figure out the album’s release date, but we’re thinking at the end of summer or first of fall. I’m so excited about the new album. I’ve been writing a lot and doing studio work.
Q: How many songs on the record have you written?
A: So far all but two, but who knows?… I might end up writing the whole album or writing half of it or maybe one song or none at all. But this is my favorite part of the whole process for sure, writing and listening to songs and figuring out how I can make them come to life.

commercialappeal.com

If you watch television, the song has by now become unmistakable: A spare piano chord, a breathy voice and opening lines flecked with biblical references before an uplifting chorus kicks in. This is “Hallelujah,” a 23-year-old song that has become the most trafficked tune of the soundtrack era, setting the mood for dozens of TV shows and films.
Last week, the no-longer cult classic achieved loftier status. Its most popular cover version, released by the late Jeff Buckley in 1994, zoomed to No. 1 on the iTunes download chart, thanks to that ultimate signifier of 21st Century ubiquity, a performance by an “American Idol” competitor. At the same time, Leonard Cohen, the song’s enigmatic 73-year-old composer, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, serenaded with a version of the song by popular Irish balladeer Damien Rice.
“This is a watershed moment,” said Michael Barthel, a Syracuse University graduate student who last year presented an academic paper on the song’s staying power. “Every generation discovers ‘Hallelujah,’ and right now, a whole new generation of people is discovering it.”
How does a rock-era song becomes a standard at a moment when radio play is hopelessly fragmented and pop songs are more beat-driven than lyrical? More often than not, it’s delivered in the background of a wordless montage featuring life, death, or heartache. Among the TV shows that have given “Hallelujah” prominent play are “House,” “The West Wing,” “Cold Case,” “The L Word,” “Nip/Tuck,” “Lost” and “Ugly Betty.” With its somber tone, “Hallelujah” has been used to dramatize real-life tragedy, including episodes of “Without a Trace” and “Third Watch” centered on Sept. 11.
“It’s so emotional and has a slow build and definitely can pack a punch,” said Alyson Vidoli, music coordinator for GO Music Services, which finds music for “House,” “Dexter” and several other shows.

chicagotribune.com

American Idol contestant David Hernandez attends the American Idol Top 12 Party at the Pacific Design Center on March 6, 2008 in West Hollywood, California. Hernadez was the first to be eliminated from the Top 12. ( Kevin Winter, Getty Images / March 7, 2008)
Hmmm. Sure. Why not. Last night’s “AI” ejection could be considered a “surprise” but not a big one, and certainly not a shocker: David Hernandez is out of ” American Idol.”
The surprise? Only that he has genuine talent and even up until last week could have been considered a top six contender.
But after Tuesday’s oddball destruction of the Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing There” (off “Please Please Me”) he moved quickly out of contender status.
Hernandez - who landed in the bottom three with Kristy Lee Cook (who also murdered a Beatles classic, “8 Days a Week”) and Syesha Mercado - didn’t look too surprised when his name came up, and neither did the judges.
He earned a little notoriety a couple of weeks ago, when an Associated Press story described a pre-”Idol” vocation as a male stripper. “Idol” producers shrugged, though viewers probably didn’t.
He has a little bit more notoriety now - as the first to be voted off the top 12.

read_more

Here’s a concert announcement that should grab your attention.
Redstone Arsenal’s Department of Morale, Welfare and Recreation and The Times are bringing in country stars Taylor Swift, Rodney Atkins and former “American Idol” contestant Kellie Pickler for a concert May 24 at the arsenal’s parade grounds.
Tickets for the show, which starts at 7:30 p.m., go on sale March 31 and are $20 through April 4. The tickets go to $25 April 4-May 23 and $30 at the gate. A VIP ticket is $68.
Swift is one of the hottest country acts out there. Her self-titled debut, which featured the hit “Tim McGraw,” ranked among the top 10 sellers for 2007 in all genres and has sold more than 2.4 million copies. Her first three singles have collectively been purchased another 2.7 million times. She was nominated this year for a Grammy for Best New Artist. Her latest hits include “Our Song” and “Teardrops on My Guitar.”
Atkins, from Knoxville, has had hits with songs like “Sing Along,” “Honesty (Write Me a List),” and probably his two biggest, “If You’re Going Through Hell (Before the Devil Even Knows)” and “Watching You.” Each spent four weeks at No. 1 on the country charts and were also named as the No. 1 country song of the year by Billboard magazine (”If You’re Going Through Hell” in 2006 and “Watching You” in 2007).

read_more

Well, it has come to that time of the year when American Idol begins its quest for the next “big thing” or like Randy would say, “a hot one”. It’s down to the top 24, 12 men and 12 women competing on the most popular reality TV series we might ever see. It was the men’s turn on Tuesday night to show America what they have to offer.
*Readers note* This piece is dead serious. We truly like American Idol. Call it a guilty pleasure. Call it whatever you want. It’s legit.
David Hernandez – AKA “Livan”. He started the show off with some pizzaz and surprisingly all 3 judges agreed that Livan came out with a bang. Simon hated him on audition night but was a little surprised on opening night with his solid performance which might mean he will continue to surprise. Q drafted him 4th overall in our American Idol fantasy draft.
Chikezie – AKA “Jacuzzi”. Simon calls him “Jacuzzi” after he gets done singing a great song horribly and says, “Jacuzzi, Chikezie, same thing”. You know you’re screwed when Simon doesn’t give one shit about calling you the wrong name. This one name shit doesn’t get you votes in this league and is a potential one and done. On a side note, he’s been cut from auditions in past years and somebody who ever get cut from their audition doesn’t stand a prayer. Also was the only colored man in the competition and even Randy said he was terrible. He unsurprisingly went un-drafted.
David Cook – AKA “Dane Cook”. One of those outcasts type of guys who sang well but kind of went unnoticed which Simon says is always a bad thing. The judges pretty much said he was benchmark but expected him to be around next week. “Pain don’t hurt” is his favorite quote so I can respect him for now until he gets voted off. I drafted him 6th as my sleeper pick this year.
Jason Yeager – AKA “Yag Bomb”. He’s 28 years old and can’t see him having more than 3 friends with Taylor Hicks being one of them. A complete dink for being 28 years old and one older guy who had absolutely no stage presence at all. Judges didn’t have anything good to say and is one of my choices to go home the first week. Any three of us would’ve been crazy to draft this no talent pussy.
Robbie Carrico – AKA “Rock of Love”. This Brett Michaels-like singer was a “hot one” and seems to be an early candidate for a top 5 finish. The judges thought he did his own thing on state and did it well which can be a rarity on opening night. Simon is a little confused to what type of singer he is so hopefully Robbie takes his advice and finds his genre ASAP. He’s our Bo Bice this year and if guys don’t step up, he’ll be one of the last guys remaining. Q drafted him 3rd overall with his 1st pick.
David Archuleta – AKA “Danny” (Watch “The Score” to see the “Danny” reference). This 17-year-old youngster is phenomenal on stage but might be the worst interview this show has come across. Winning American Idol might require some interview skills so hopefully somebody sits this kid down to help him out because he doesn’t have a chance right now. The fans might hear some George W. Bush lines if this kid doesn’t seek help soon. His best bet might be just to smile on stage and let no sounds come out of his mouth. I chose him #1 overall for his singing abilities. Please help parents!
Danny Noriega – AKA “Mitch Kramer” (See: “Dazed and Confused”). His hair is straight from the 70’s and some of the tightest pants known to man. I believe his pants had something to do with Simon absolutely shredding this kid like Jim Rome put it to Jim “Chris” Everett. He is definitely not straight, which fine, but this about as blatantly obvious one male could be. His musical influence is Fantasia from a previous American Idol which also gives him no chance of winning this contest. We know you love those tight pants so you might as well keep them on for tomorrow night’s show and also the elimination show because Simon already hates you. Mitchy went un-drafted.
Luke Menard – AKA “GQ”. He probably doesn’t even dress that GQ but one of the only guys who wore something relatively normal. Luke is 29 years old and being that old makes it very tough to get a lot of votes because the voters are usually under the age of 21. The age isn’t going to be his problem though because he sang like he was getting butt-plugged in the county jail shower. His favorite quote is “Don’t fight. But if you have to…hit first and hit hard”. OK tough guy, you are the farthest from the fighting type so chill out and pray you aren’t gone on Thursday.
Colton Berry – AKA “Fuzz”. He has hair like our very own TK writer “Fuzz,” which I don’t know is a good or bad thing. The fans saw him sitting Indian style on the couch about 3” away from Seacrest so he’s got that great male vibe going for him as well. I enjoy the name Colton but the judges nor myself enjoyed his singing. He tried very hard and it was almost like when the Vikings drafted Chris Hovan and the analysis was “He has a great motor”. This type of person tries extremely hard but just isn’t that good as was the case with Hovan. The judges didn’t like him early but could be a late bloomer in my mind because he’ll get the teeny votes. He went un-drafted.
Garrett Haley – AKA “Steel Dragon” (See: “Rockstar”). “Go Big or go home” is his favorite quote which is classic but he was head over heels the worst singer on opening night. The kid was like a fucking mannequin on stage and didn’t know how to speak after his performance. I would be very surprised if he was still around for week 2. If he is, we can count on “2 and BBQ” for him because there is no way he gets by week 2.
Jason Castro – AKA “Bobby Marley”. His age of 20 is the perfect age to win this competition and his stage presence was outstanding. He has a great voice and does his own thing on stage with the long thick dreadlocks. Simon of course enjoyed him because he was wearing some sort of v-neck which Simon rocks every damn show. More v-necks will equal more votes for this tool shed. He was drafted 2nd overall by Fuzz.
Michael Johns – AKA “Desmond” (See: Lost) or “Jimmy Johns”. This Aussie-accent mother fucker is old but he can belt out some serious notes. The women will go crazy over his accent so he’ll some serious text message votes from every female out there. I don’t know if this over-exaggerated accent will win him the competition but he’s an early frontrunner for the crown. He was drafted 5th overall by Fuzz.
As you can see, Fuzz, Q and I took 2 dudes that we gave nicknames to and all will select two chicks after tonight’s performances. The first night was a successful one with all 3 of us prancing around like 9 year old girls. Yes, even for the dudes. Moment of the night goes to Simon ripping Paula into shreds every opportunity he got. I would’ve as well since she was 2 lines of cocaine away from holy shit. Honestly Paula, do yourself a favor and check yourself in.

bleacherreport.com