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MONTCLAIR - With his wife leading the way, a blindfolded Lance Cpl. David Battle made it up the stairs of one of the area's largest wedding ring stores Friday night. The 19-year-old soldier, who had chosen his own ring over an injured finger while fighting insurgents in Iraq, was now headed for the surprise of a lifetime - a secret his wife, Devann Battle, had struggled to keep from him all week. Ironically, the ring he fought so hard to save on the battlefield last month was lost in a medical camp in Fallujah, where doctors worked to stabilize the...

VICTORVILLE, Calif. - When Marine Lance Cpl. David Battle learned he'd either have to sacrifice his ring finger or the wedding band he wore, he told doctors at a field hospital in Iraq to cut off the finger. The 19-year-old former high school football star suffered a mangled left hand and serious wounds to his legs in a Nov. 13 fire fight in Fallujah. Battle, who is recovering at his parents' home in this desert city 80 miles northeast of Los Angeles, came under attack as he and fellow Marines entered a building. Eleven other Marines were wounded. Doctors were...

Nov 10, 2004 (VIENNA, Austria) — Austrian authorities said Wednesday they busted a group of older men dubbed the "Grandpa Gang" who allegedly were involved in selling cocaine. An undisclosed number of suspects ranging in age from 55 to 70 were detained by police on suspicion of involvement in the ring, including the alleged leader, a 58-year-old man whose name was not released, Vienna police said in a statement. Police arrested the suspects in a raid on a penthouse apartment in downtown Vienna, where they also seized cocaine with an estimated street value of more than $260,000. Authorities said the...

Spiral ring reveals ancient complex machines 19:00 10 June 04 NewScientist.com news service Distinctive spiral patterns carved into a small jade ring show that China was using complex machines more than 2500 years ago, says a Harvard graduate student in physics. The spiral-patterned ring is 27 millimetres in diameter and was probably a body ornament (Image: Science) The ring was among the goods found in high-status graves from China's "Spring and Autumn Period" from 771 to 475 BC. Most archaeological attention has focused on larger and more spectacular jade and bronze artifacts. But Peter Lu identified the patterns on the...

BEIJING, May 20 (Xinhuanet) -- Residents in Changsha, Capital of central China's Hunan Province have enjoyed the golden opportunity to see an atmospheric wonder: a solar halo. Yesterday, the sun was wrapped by a grey and black band and the sight looked more beautiful as colorful rings appeared outside the ring. The spectacular sight lasted three and half hours in the city. Meteorological experts make it clear the solar halo can not foretell good or ill luck since it is only an atmospheric phenomenon. Solar halos indicate the increase of steam and the coming of low pressure. (CRIENGLISH.com)

Briton key suspect in nuclear ring Man accused of smuggling parts tells Guardian: 'I was framed' Owen Bowcott, Ian Traynor in Zagreb, John Aglionby in Jakarta and Suzanne Goldenberg in Washington Thursday February 12, 2004 The Guardian (UK) A Middle East-based British businessman has emerged as a key suspect in a secret network supplying Libya, Iran and North Korea with equipment to build nuclear bombs. Speaking for the first time yesterday, Paul Griffin denied that his company played any part in shipping prohibited material from the Far East. He told the Guardian: "We have been framed." His comments came as...

Police Find Major Child-Porn Ring Sun Feb 8, 2:44 PM ET By SUSAN SKILES LUKE, Associated Press Writer MOUNT VERNON, Ill. - Soon after a 13-year-old runaway told police she had posed for pornography in a ramshackle apartment, police knocked on its rickety door. What they found inside stopped them cold. Computers and CDs in the apartment held an enormous collection of child pornography. That led them to a child-porn ring they say involved a staff member of a boarding school for the learning disabled, a middle-school basketball coach and at least four others. Six men have been charged so...

<p>PILOT MOUNTAIN, N.C. (AP) - As soon as a group of fellow bikers pulled the handlebars out of his abdomen after his motorcycle crash, Brian Shipwash wanted to do one more thing in case he died.</p> <p>So he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box, broken and blood-spattered, with a ring inside and asked Shandra Miller to marry him.</p>

WASHINGTON - (KRT) - Like all U.S. Naval Academy graduates, Kevin Shaeffer (Class of '94) and his wife, Blanca (Class of `95), had heard stories about class rings and "ring knockers," the Annapolis graduates who wear them. They're part of service academy lore: stories of soldiers and sailors, killed or wounded in action, whose rings were recovered by buddies, or whose rings were lost and rediscovered. Now the Navy couple has its own story. On Sept. 11, 2001, when a badly burned Kevin Shaeffer, barely conscious, arrived at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, a medical team worked feverishly to save...

Wednesday, July 23, 2003 11:01 PM EST People: Kobe Buys Wife $4 Million Ring Making up to one’s spouse for adultery can be very expensive, especially if there is a rape allegation mixed in. People Magazine will be reporting in editions out this weekend that Kobe Bryant just days after holding an emotional press conference where he admitted to infidelity, the basketball star bought his wife Vanessa a diamond ring for $4 million. No doubt, Bryant has a few bucks to splurge. Aside from millions in endorsement fees from firma like Nike and McDonalds, Bryant has one of the biggest...

<p>The state attorney general calls efforts to recall Gov. Gray Davis "a profound threat to democracy." The lieutenant governor calls it an "expensive perversion" of the recall process. The state treasurer describes it as an "odious use" of the system.</p>

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2003 May 16 A Tale of Two Nebulae Credit & Copyright: Brian Lula Explanation: This colorful telescopic view towards the northern constellation Lyra reveals dim outer regions around M57, popularly known as the Ring Nebula. While modern astronomers still refer to M57 as a planetary nebula, at one light-year across M57 is not a planet but the gaseous shroud of a dying sun-like star. Roughly the same apparent...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2003 March 22 M57: The Ring Nebula Credit: H. Bond et al., Hubble Heritage Team (STScI / AURA), NASA Explanation: Except for the rings of Saturn, the Ring Nebula (M57) is probably the most famous celestial band. This planetary nebula's simple, graceful appearance is thought to be due to perspective -- our view from planet Earth looking straight into what is actually a barrel-shaped cloud of gas shrugged...

A leading German literature professor says that reading Tolkien's Lord of the Rings could help prevent war. Thomas Kullmann, a 42-year-old professor from the University of Osnabrueck, said: "If adults read children's literature more often then we would probably live in a much more peaceful world. "Fairy tales and other works for children may not be one-to-one with reality but they help excite the imagination. They give the reader new ideas that could even help solve political problems. "Children's books can definitely help adults rethink a situation and help them assess political situations on a higher and even wiser level."...

December 4, 2002, Charlie Rose (PBS) -- Viggo Mortenson. He is the actor who plays Strider (Aragorn of Arathorn) in the Ring Trilogy. He is, he says, an American. He appeared on this program with Peter Jackson, the director and Elijah Wood, who is Frodo. Wearing a t-shirt that he made himself, which said "No more blood for oil....(snip)For Complete Article, Please Click Here.

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 September 9 Hoag's Object: A Strange Ring Galaxy Credit: R. Lucas (STScI/AURA), Hubble Heritage Team, NASA Explanation: Is this one galaxy or two? This question came to light in 1950 when astronomer Art Hoag chanced upon this unusual extragalactic object. On the outside is a ring dominated by bright blue stars, while near the center lies a ball of much redder stars that are likely much older....

  FReeper Sleuths! Gary Condit and the Mystery of the Chandra Levy Pinky Ring! From the New York Post:"Police believe this missing tiny pinkie ring could be the key to solving the Chandra Levy murder case. A gift from her mother, Susan in 1998, it was one of the 24-year-old Bureau of Prisons intern's most cherished possessions and her family has said she wore it constantly. The 14-carat gold ring was bought for $416 and has two diamond chips and the initials "CL" inscribed. But it was not among the personal items found during the extensive police search of the...