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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - A spacewalking astronaut accidentally let go of her tool bag Tuesday after a grease gun inside it exploded, and helplessly watched as the tote and everything inside floated away. It was one of the largest items ever to be lost by a spacewalker, and occurred during an unprecedented attempt to clean and lube a gummed-up joint on a solar panel. Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper was just starting to work on the joint when the mishap occurred. She said her grease gun exploded, getting the dark gray stuff all over a camera and her gloves. While wiping off...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq, Oct. 24, 2008 – Rawan, a 5-year-old Iraqi girl, bounced on the couch and clapped her tiny hands, evoking laughter from those watching her. Army Spc. Michael Kim of New York City, a member of the 415th Civil Affairs Company, holds Rawan, a 5-year-old Iraqi girl with a congenital heart disease, during her visit to the civil-military operations center on Forward Operating Base Kalsu, Iraq, Oct. 9, 2008. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Michel Sauret  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. From the color of her blue lips, she looked as though she...

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35, Orlando) -- She's only 12 years old but Ashleigh Jones is feeling the heat of this election year. That’s because the seventh grader at New Smyrna Beach Middle School was called a racist by classmates for wearing a pro-Sarah Palin t-shirt. Jones is volunteering at the Republican Headquarters in New Smyrna Beach. The Palin t-shirt was a gift from her fellow volunteers. But when she wore it to school she learned just how tough politics can be. “Some of the students were calling me racist because I was Caucasian,” she said. “I wanted the...

LOS ANGELES -- Police are asking for the public's help to find the man who repeatedly punched a 16-year-old girl in the face at a McDonald's restaurant in South Los Angeles. (VIDEO AT LINK) The victim was attacked while in line at the McDonalds at 7123 Crenshaw Boulevard at about 10:15 a.m. on Sept. 14, 2008. Police say the suspect and the teen got into an argument about who was first in line, and he struck her repeatedly in the face. Anyone with information about the man's identity is urged to call detectives at the LAPD's 77th Street Division at...

From barelypolitical.com http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1msrwpsSd8

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A 60-year old Saudi man has agreed to postpone his marriage to a 10-year old girl after protests from a human rights group. The elderly man decided to take a second wife in a challenge with the girl’s father, who said he was afraid of his first wife and dared him to take a second one. But the man agreed to postpone his marriage after the Saudi National Human Rights Association sent a letter to the Emir of Hail, a city in northwestern Saudi Arabia, AlArabiya.net reported on Sunday, citing Saudi newspaper Al-Madina. The report did not say for how...

Swedish tax authorities have informed a couple in Stockholm that they may not keep the name Elvis for their five-month old daughter.

6/2/2008 - BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan (AFPN) -- Representing a group of Americans who want to assist in the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan, the commander of the Air Force Reserve Command presented several boxes of donated items to a 10-year-old Afghan girl and her village here May 30. Lt. Gen. John Bradley, on behalf of his wife Jan, presented housewares, clothing, shoes, toys and toiletries collected specifically for Lamia and the residents of Shakal Village, located near Bagram. General Bradley met Lamia this past winter while delivering humanitarian aid to her village. "She (Lamia) came up to me, pointed...

A 14-year-old Boise, Idaho, girl has disappeared and is believed to be in danger after meeting a 27-year-old man on the Internet. Police say the girl may be in the Seattle area with the man, who is wanted on a kidnapping warrant. The girl, Saddie "Elaine" Julian, was last seen Wednesday morning. Authorities are asking for the public's help in locating her. She is described as 5 feet tall, weighing 90 pounds, with pale skin, long red hair and a thin build. According to police, Saddie developed an online relationship with Morgan Douglas Jones, 27, of Birmingham, Ala., while playing...

MIAMI (April 23) - A Vietnamese girl with a 16-pound facial tumor is in Miami awaiting surgery to restore her ability to eat and speak. Fifteen-year-old Lai Thi Dao suffers from a Schwannoma tumor that has been growing since she was 3. The tumor has severely disfigured her face and kept her from ever attending school. Doctors at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center say the tumor threatens to suffocate Lai. They will remove it in a 10-hour surgery on April 29. Schwannoma tumors are usually benign. Lai's doctors say the size of her tumor is extremely rare and...

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Cover Girl Sues Dating ServiceUPDATED: 2:36 pm PDT April 23, 2008 LOS ANGELES -- Supermodel Marisa Miller sued a nationwide dating service and its owner for allegedly using her photo to promote his business without her consent, court papers obtained Wednesday show. Marisa Miller, the cover girl for February's Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, filed suit Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court against DNA Diamonds and its owner, Jason Itzler, who supposedly bragged about being "king of all pimps." Miller's allegations include misappropriation of image and likeness, invasion of privacy and unjust enrichment. She is seeking unspecified general,...

4/15/2008 - TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFPN) -- Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines working the Tyndall Air Force Base air show Saturday recently an unexpected surprise that caught many off guard. Hard at work on the flightline in the blazing sun, many troops were stopped by the voice of an 11-year-old girl thanking each military member for his or her service. Along with the "thank-you" came a goodie bag. The little girl handing out the "doses of appreciation" was Bailey Reese, founder and president of Hero Hugs, an organization based on recognizing and appreciating America's troops. Hero Hugs is...

Nojoud Muhammed Nasser YT Photo by Hamed Thabet SANA’A, April 9 - An eight-year-old girl decided last week to go the Sana’a West Court to prosecute her father, who forced her to marry a 30-year-old man. Nojoud Muhammed Nasser arrived at court by herself on Wednesday, April 2, looking for a judge to handle her case against her father, Muhammed Nasser, who forced her two months ago to marry Faez Ali Thamer, a man 22 years her senior. The child also asked for a divorce, accusing her husband of sexual and domestic abuse. According to Yemeni law, Nojoud cannot prosecute,...

ERIE, Pa. - Two young girls accused of brutally attacking another girl on a playground are too emotionally immature to understand the criminal charges against them and the charges should be dismissed, their attorneys said. The girls, ages 10 and 11, face aggravated assault and other charges for the attack on another 10-year-old girl at an elementary school playground the evening of April 3. The girls are accused of stomping on the victim and breaking her hip, police said. Erie County Public Defender Tony Logue says he will ask a Juvenile Court judge to dismiss criminal charges against the 10-year-old...

World's smallest girl proud of her tiny size By Kate Day Last Updated: 2:44am BST 07/04/2008 At just 1ft 11 in tall, she is dwarfed by her neighbour's baby, but Jyoti Amge is 15 years old. How About That? Because news doesn't have to be serious The teenager, who is the world's smallest girl according to the Indian Book of Records, has a form of dwarfism called achondroplasia. Now fully grown, she weighs just 11 lb. Jyoti Amge with a neighbour's 13-month old baby and with her school friends Far from being unhappy about her tiny size, Jyoti says that...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE ZORMAT, Afghanistan, March 14, 2008 – An Afghan girl who survived a Feb. 26 tribal shoot-out that killed several members of her family is doing well today, thanks to the efforts of soldiers here. Army Staff Sgt. Landon B. Powell, head medic, Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 4th Squadron, 73rd Calvary Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Forward Operating Base Zormat, Afghanistan, sends a medical evacuation request for a girl who had been shot in a tribal conflict, Feb. 26, 2008. Photo by Spc. Nathan W. Hutchison, USA  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “I...

HADITHA, Iraq – A two-year-old Iraqi girl returned to Haditha March 7 after undergoing open-heart surgery at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt University. Ala Thabit Fattah, the girl’s father, and several family members traveled with Marines to Baghdad International Airport to meet Amenah, who departed Iraq Jan. 22 with his wife. “I am very happy. I was very worried that my daughter would not come home alive,” Fattah said. “I am very grateful for the great treatment the American people gave to my family.” The family then flew to Al Asad Airbase in Al Anbar Province, where...

Doctors Amazed by Carly Fleishman's Ability to Describe the Disorder From the InsideCarly Fleischman has severe autism and is unable to speak a word. But thanks to years of expensive and intensive therapy, this 13-year-old has made a remarkable breakthrough. Two years ago, working with pictures and symbols on a computer keyboard, she started typing and spelling out words. The computer became her voice. "All of a sudden these words started to pour out of her, and it was an exciting moment because we didn't realize she had all these words," said speech pathologist Barbara Nash. "It was one of...

So, did the “Obama Girl” actually vote for Barack Obama on Tuesday? Actually, no. Last summer, the amateur music video “I Got a Crush on Obama” was a Web hit, splashing a seductive performance by a 26-year-old model named Amber Lee Ettinger across millions of screens and prompting deep thoughts about candidates and sex appeal, the YouTube generation of voters, viral marketing and so forth. On Tuesday night, City Room ran into Ms. Ettinger at an election-watching party in Greenwich Village and asked how things went at the polls. “I didn’t get a chance to vote today because I’m not...