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Craigslist Guilty Verdict: Ohio man who used Craigslist to rob, kill found guilty, could face death penalty, A self-styled street preacher accused in a deadly plot to lure men with Craigslist job offers and then rob them was found guilty of aggravated murder on Tuesday and could face the death penalty. A jury in Akron returned the verdict in the case against Richard Beasley, who was accused of killing two men from Ohio and one from Norfolk, Va. A man from South Carolina was shot but survived and testified about running for his life and hiding in the woods, scared he would bleed to death. Reported NY Daily News... The jury that convicted Beasley will return later to consider whether to recommend the death penalty for him. Prosecutors, who had asked jurors to use common sense and return a guilty verdict, labeled the 53-year-old Beasley the triggerman in the 2011 plot with a high school student he mentored. The 16-year-old student, Brogan Rafferty, was convicted and sentenced last

The San Francisco 49ers have agreed to trade quarterback Alex Smith to the Kansas City Chiefs, league sources confirmed to ESPN. Kansas City will trade its second-round pick in the 2013 draft -- the second selection (No. 34 overall) in the round -- as well as another conditional mid-round pick in 2014 to acquire Smith from San Francisco, a league source told ESPN. The 49ers now own 15 picks in the 2013 draft. As a result of the trade, the Chiefs are expected to release former starting quarterback Matt Cassel, league sources told ESPN. Cassel has two years remaining on a $63 million, six-year deal he signed with Kansas City after he was acquired in a trade from the Patriots in 2009. He failed to live up to the lofty contract, however, and was benched during the 2012 season. At this point, Smith will play under the terms of his remaining contract, which calls for a guaranteed base salary of $8.5 million in 2013. There have been no discussions between the Chiefs and Smith's represent

L-R: Peter Banks, Tony Kaye, Chris Squire, Bill Bruford, Jon Anderson - posed, group shot Peter Banks, the original guitarist for the British band Yes, died on March 7 at the age of 65, reports USA Today. A post on his official website stated that Banks died from heart failure and was found in his London home after he didn't show up to a recording session. Members of the band Yes released an official statement on their Facebook page, mourning the loss of their friend: "We are deeply saddened to learn about the passing of fellow bandmate and founding Yes member, Peter Banks. He was a huge piece of the fabric that made Yes what it is, and our thoughts, sincere condolences, and prayers are with him and his family. Peter, we shall miss you greatly." According to Rolling Stone, Banks was part of Yes for their first two albums, and was then replaced by Steve Howe. Banks would go on to form the band Flash, and released three albums with them, before going on to form t

Judge Judy Sheindlin presides over a case on the set of her syndicated show "Judge Judy." (AP} Judge Judy is reportedly being sued over some very pricey dishes she allegedly bought from one of her producers. According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Randy Douthit sold Judge Judith Sheindlin china after his split from wife Patric Jones. The suit states the tableware bought by the judge was worth more than $500,000 but she bought it for $50,000. The lawsuit claims Sheindlin and Douthit entered into a fraudulent scheme to prevent Jones from obtaining the dishes in the divorce. Jones is seeking the dishes or their value. But Judge Judy told TMZ to her knowledge no such lawsuit exists. "I have not seen any complaint by the former Mrs. Douthit, however, I don't owe this lady a cent,” she said. “And if this 50-year-old woman would spend her time more productively at trying to find a job, instead of abusing the judicial system with

A Giant African snail. Picture: Wikimedia Commons (cc) AUTHORITIES in Brisbane have destroyed a ‘baseball-sized’ Giant African snail after worries it could do severe damage to the country’s ecosystem. The snail, which can grow up to a foot (30cm) in length and weigh over two pounds (1kg), was found in a freight yard in the port city. Giant African snails are known to eat 500 different plants, fruits and crops. Australian agriculture officials were keen to avert a repeat of the last snail outbreak in 1977, when an eight-month campaign was waged to capture and destroy 300 of the snails. Australian biosecurity measures are notoriously strict, in order to protect

Workers from Florida’s Department of Agriculture are fighting a slimy and dangerous enemy: giant African land snails that have invaded a residential area in Miami-Dade County. “We have collected over a thousand so far and we have only just begun,” said Denise Feiber, Public Information Director for Florida’s Division of Plant Industry. Florida Department of Agriculture/Division of Plant Industry Investigators aren’t sure when or how the invaders slithered into town, but they are on a mission to eradicate the snails as fast as possible.  Giant African land snails can grow to be as long as 8 inches and consume at least 500 different types of plants.  They also destroy stucco and plaster. “They leave excrement all over the sides of houses. They’re very nasty,” Feiber said.  “These things are not the cute little snails that you see.” They also pose a health risk by carrying a parasite that can cause meningitis in humans. Officials realized they had a problem on their hands last

The red curtain on the central balcony, called the Loggia of the Blessings of Saint Peter's Basilica, where the new pope will appear after being elected in the conclave is seen at the Vatican Roman Catholic cardinals prayed for divine help on Tuesday, hours before a conclave to elect a new pope to tackle the daunting problems facing the Church at one of the most difficult periods in its history. The cardinals, including the 115 aged under 80 who will vote for the next pope, filed into St. Peter's Basilica as choirs sang at the ritual solemn Mass that precedes a conclave. They prayed that God would inspire them to choose the right man to replace Pope Benedict, who abdicated abruptly last month saying he was not strong enough to confront the woes of a Church whose 1.2 billion members look to Rome for leadership. The Mass was the last event for the cardinals as a group before they enter the Sistine Chapel on Tuesday afternoon and make their choice for the next pontiff be

Prosecutors say a 12-year-old boy has admitted making a prank 911 call that drew police to Ashton Kutcher's home. The Los Angeles District Attorney's Office says the boy admitted responsibility for making a false bomb threat and computer intrusion. He will be sentenced at a later date. Prosecutors say the boy is also accused of making false 911 calls involving Justin Bieber's house and a bank. Those charges will likely be dismissed, but the district attorney's office says the allegations will be considered when the boy is sentenced. The boy's identity has not been released. His calls were among several targeting celebrities in the Los Angeles area in recent months in a practice known as "swatting." The pranks are intended to draw large police responses, including SWAT teams.

Longest female legs: Lady with long Legs The longest female legs measuring 132 cm (51.9 in) belong to Svetlana Pankratova according to Guinness World Records. Svetlana, who is a 6-foot-5 Russian native is, as one can expect, an assistant coach for the George Mason High School girls’ basketball team. Before becoming a coach in Falls Church, the woman with the longest legs in the world “also played basketball in Portugal, Israel, and Spain before retiring in 2000,” wrote CBS DC in a news report on March 11, 2013. When Svetlana Pankratova, who was born on April 29, 1971, grew up in Volgograd in Russia, she was already the tallest one in kindergarten and since children were arranged from tallest to shortest, the little kindergarten girl with the longest legs was always at the head of the line. While having the longest legs was an advantage in kindergarten, it became a disadvantage in high school. Svetlana says that life as a teen with the longest legs “wasn’t easy because kids do

An Indiana woman who wanted to honor her late husband with a headstone that captured his interests in sports and the outdoors is suing a Catholic church for refusing to install it. Shannon Carr spent $9,600 on the black granite headstone to mark the grave of her husband, Jason Carr, who died in an August 2009 automobile accident. The headstone is shaped like a couch and features images of a deer, a dog and color logos of NASCAR and the Indianapolis Colts. Distinctive: The headstone is shaped like a couch and features images of a deer, a dog and color logos of NASCAR and the Indianapolis Colts Row: Shannon Carr spent $9,600 on the black granite headstone to mark the grave of her husband, Jason Carr, who died in an August 2009 automobile accident. Now she's suing the church that won't let her put it up The Rev. Jonathan Meyer, priest at St. Joseph Catholic Church, notified the monument maker that the headstone didn't meet the cemetery

Paris Jackson Gets NFL Cheerleading Offer Michael Jackson’s daughter was recently offered a job cheering for the Philadelphia Eagles. Eagles cheer director Barbara Zaun said: “We think Paris will make a great Eagle cheerleader. We thought that she had a lot of poise, confidence and enthusiasm in her cheer performance … Paris has that ‘wow factor’ that makes a great cheerleader.” Paris was probably flattered by the NFL offer but, unfortunately, it will be a few years until she can cheer on the sidelines in Philadelphia. Paris is only 14-years-old and NFL cheerleaders have to be older than 18. Zaun added: “She is already very comfortable with the limelight … So we think she would definitely stand out and impress the judges…We hope that she will try out for the team and be an Eagles cheerleader!” Here’s a video of Paris Jackson with her high school cheerleading team. Do you spot anything special? Or, you know, could the Eagles be making their offer based on the fact that Paris i

Two Venezuelan diplomats were expelled from the United States, a U.S. official said Monday. Diplomatic tensions between the United States and Venezuela showed no signs of slowing Monday as the State Department announced that two Venezuelan diplomats had been expelled. Orlando Jose Montanez Olivares and Victor Camacaro Mata were declared personae non gratae and ordered to leave the country in response to the South American nation's decision to kick out two U.S. officials last week, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters. "Around the world, when our people are thrown out unjustly, we're going to take reciprocal action," she said. "We need to do that to protect our own people." The expulsion of the Venezuelan diplomats comes after Venezuelan officials -- just hours before announcing President Hugo Chavez's death last week -- said they were expelling two U.S. Embassy officials and accused them of plotting to destabilize

Clone Wars canceled "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" has been canceled ... at least, on Cartoon Network. Though Lucasfilm announced the series will no longer air on the channel, the company said new "Clone Wars" content will be produced ... and distributed elsewhere. "After five highly successful and critically acclaimed seasons of 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars,' we feel the time has come to wind down the series," Lucasfilm said on its website. The company is also delaying the launch of "Star Wars: Detours," a comedy series that was in the works before Disney purchased Lucasfilm and announced plans to launch a new trilogy. It's not all bad news for "Star Wars" fans. "We are exploring a whole new 'Star Wars' series set in a time period previously untouched in 'Star Wars' films or television programming," Lucasfilm said. "You can expect more details in the months to come." Talk of a live-acti

Ellen DeGeneres Show UPDATED: The daytime talker has been picked up on all ten NBC owned and operated stations and 179 additional stations. The Ellen DeGeneres Show has been renewed through the 2016-17 season in 96 percent of the country. The renewal includes all ten NBC owned and operated stations and 179 additional stations. Nationally, Ellen is tied with Dr. Phil for the No. 1 syndicated talk show this season among the key women 25-54 demographic. And Ellen is No. 1 in the time period with that demo in seven of NBC’s key markets including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. The show is up 13 percent year-over-year among women 25-54 and is pulling in 3.2 million viewers on average, its most-watched season since 2005-06. It’s been a rocky year for daytime. Freshman talkers hosted by Ricki Lake and Jeff Probst have been canceled. Anderson Cooper’s revamped Anderson Live will not make it past its second season. And there is a major overhaul in store for The View next season wi

Africans were asked what an African pope would mean for the continent and for them personally What are your thoughts on who the next Pope could, or should be? Tell us Thousands of Africans have expressed their hopes that the next pope will be the first from their continent -- with a majority believing it would mean the Catholic Church becoming more conservative. The survey of 20,000 people, conducted on mobile phones across 11 nations, also exposed big divisions among Africans about the future direction of the church, including faith, homosexuality and race. "An African pope will bring about more unity on the continent and confidence in Africans," said one woman from Zimbabwe, while a young Nigerian man polled said an African pope "will eradicate immoralities, such as same-sex marriage." Mobile phone use has skyrocketed in Africa, climbing from 9.2 million subscribers in 2000 to more than 648 million subscribers in 2011 -- more users than the U.S. or

Longest female legs Northern Virginia is, it increasingly appears, rich in genetically-gifted world record-holders. Arlingtonian Annie Hawkins-Turner -- her stage name is Norma Stitz -- has the Guinness Book of World Records' record for world's largest natural breasts. A few miles away lives the woman with the world's longest legs. As the Washington Post noted on Monday, the Guinness record-holder for women's longest legs is a Falls Church basketball coach. Svetlana Pankratova's legs are, according to Guinness, almost 4 feet, 4 inches long. (At 6 feet, 5 inches tall, she's not the world's tallest woman, however; the woman certified as Guinness' tallest living woman, 7-feet-7-inch tall Yao Defen, died in November.) In her Guinness photo, Pankratova's shown sitting on the steps of the National Gallery of Art in London, wearing a blue mini-dress and heels. In other photos from that same shoot, the world's smallest man -- He Pingping,

The second production model F-35A Lightning II aircraft flies above the compass rose of Rogers Dry Lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base, California in this image distributed by the U.S. Air Force dated May 13, 2011. One of two F-35 fighter jets headed to a Nevada air base made an unscheduled landing in Lubbock, Texas on Monday after a caution light came on in the cockpit, according to a Pentagon spokesman and the plane's manufacturer, Lockheed Martin Corp. The next-generation stealth fighter was flying from the Lockheed plant in Fort Worth, Texas to Nellis Air Force Base near Las Vegas on Monday afternoon, when a caution warning light came on, requiring the pilot to land at the nearest airport, said Lockheed spokesman Michael Rein. He said the pilot landed safely. The second plane landed as planned at the Nevada air base, joining two other aircraft that arrived there last week, where they will be used for operational testing and evaluation of the new warplane. A team of Loc

Yankees Brokeback-Mountain, During today's Yankees-Cardinals spring training game, play-by-play announcer Jon Sciambi attempted to start a conversation about how old and bad the Yankees are with his broadcast partner, Doug Glanville. Things got weird in a hurry, because Doug Glanville has either never seen Brokeback Mountain, or he has no idea how analogies work. Reported Yahoo! NEWS... There are many things you can say about the 2013 New York Yankees. They're injured, beat-up, aging, not the favorites in the AL East anymore, etc. But here's one thing that nobody said about them until now: They're like "Brokeback Mountain." That's the expert analysis of ESPN's Doug Glanville, who was calling the Yankees/Cardinals game on Monday. His full quote: "They have basically Brokeback Mountain going over here. I mean everybody's on the disabled list or hurt in some form or fashion." Brokeback Mountain, of course, is the 2005 Oscar-nominated film

This undated publicity photo provided by the Switkes Family shows character actor, Willy Switkes, who had minor roles in “Tootsie,” “Taxi Driver,” and dozens of other films. His niece Ellen Switkes says he died of colon cancer on Thursday, March 7, 2013, at a hospice in Rockville, Md. He was 83. A character actor who had minor roles in “Tootsie,” ‘’Taxi Driver” and dozens of other films has died. Willy Switkes (SWIT’-kehs) was 83. His niece Ellen Switkes says he died of colon cancer on Thursday at a hospice in Rockville, Md. Willy Switkes was a native of Washington, D.C., and a longtime New York City resident. He appeared in Broadway productions of “The Cherry Orchard” and “A Thousand Clowns” and was an understudy to Buster Keaton during a 1960 tour of “Once Upon a Mattress.” His other films include “The French Connection” and “Bananas.” His characters often were unidentified, such as his “man at cab” credit for “Tootsie,” in which he’s thrown from a taxi after trying

In this undated photo provided by NBC, Valerie Harper, right, poses with Savannah Guthrie of NBC's "Today" at Harper's home in Los Angele Valerie Harper had announced recent week that she is having incurable brain cancer, but she wants everyone to know she's feeling great. "I'm alive. I'm feeling good. I'm trying to live every moment as much as I can." Since her announcement last week, Harper tells USA TODAY, "the phone has not stopped, or the texts, or the e-mails. It's incredible." But she worries that people "have a picture of me in a bed or a wheelchair or in trouble. Three months may be accurate (for her life expectancy), but it is not the whole truth. I could have a seizure within a week because of the nature of this cancer," or, she says, she could live much longer. "I can't say it's terminal. I'm saying it's incurable so far, but we're all terminal. No one is getting out of this

Irish flag and Ameican Flag Well-Known pub from Florida had been forced to remove Irish country flag after officials said it’s against the law to fly nothing other than an American flag. The owners of Culhane’s Irish Pub in northeast Florida said they were shocked to receive a citation for flying the Irish flag but have removed it to comply with a local ordinance banning commercial display of non-U.S. flags. The four sisters who own Culhane's Irish Pub in Atlantic Beach said Friday they would apply for a temporary permit allowing them to at least fly the green, white and orange Irish flag on St. Patrick's Day, March 17. "St. Patrick's Day is huge for us," said Aine Culhane, who owns the pub with sisters Mary Jane, Michelle and Lynda. They showed Reuters a copy of a citation issued by code enforcement officers for the City of Atlantic Beach on February 20, giving them 24 hours to "cease display of flags other than American flag." The Culhanes said th

Ashton Kutcher A 12-year-young teen boy was admitted to targeting Ashton Kutcher's home in a burglary prank. Law enforcement rushed to the star's Arrowhead Drive mansion after receiving a distress call from a person who claimed they were the victim of a violent home invasion robbery. The 'swatting' prank last October cost Los Angeles taxpayers more than $US10,000 ($12,000) in wasted police manpower and other resources. According to TMZ, the youngster "confessed to two felony counts in connection with swatting pranks [a deliberate attempt to trick an emergency service into dispatching a response team] against Ashton and a bank, including making a false report in an emergency and computer intrusion". The un-named boy was also charged with targeting pop superstar Justin Bieber, but did not admit to that count. A representative for the district attorney told TMZ the charge will likely be dismissed when he is sentenced. It was previously claimed that the boy

Matt Lauer on Ann Curry Matt Lauer on Ann Curry, Popular TV network NBC's $25-million dollar person and gazer of Anne Hathaway crotch shots, Matt Lauer, is finally speaking up about Ann Curry's Today show ouster, conveniently telling Howard Kurtz at The Daily Beast that he really didn't want to see Curry pushed out so unceremoniously by NBC executives. What, did you really think Lauer and NBC were going to take this rare interview opportunity with their most useful mouthpiece to look inside the world of the second-highest rated morning show and tell you that he hated his longtime co-host's guts and that everything was doomed? Kurtz's story opens up with a scene of faux sword-falling, that amounts to Lauer, who had apparently been feeling bad about being cast as the bad guy (again and again) amidst Curry's ouster, doing his best Charlie Brown impersonation:     Lauer was feeling down. Week after week, he was getting pummeled by the press for the sinking

Wonder drug: Aspirin can also now reportedly help to protect against skin cancer, as well as cutting the risk of stomach and bowel cancers for regular users Medical Attention and the medicine Aspirin could help protect women from skin cancer, a study claims. Researchers had researched and found that the longer the painkiller is taken, the lower the risk of developing melanoma. The study of data from almost 60,000 women over 12 years found that regular aspirin users were 21 per cent less likely to develop skin cancer than non-users. But those who had taken it for five or more years were 30 per cent less likely to develop melanoma. Data for men was not part of the study. Every year, around 13,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with malignant melanoma, and 2,200 die from the disease, which is thought to be caused primarily by intense sunbathing or frequent use of sunbeds. Aspirin has been dubbed the wonder drug, with a recent study claiming that it cut the risk of

A handout photo courtesy of Stan Dammel shows an aerial view of the crash site in Lincoln County, Washington where a Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler, a twin engine electronic warfare aircraft went down in a field in eastern Washington March 11, 2013. The Military plane from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island Crashed badly into the Eastern Washington on Monday morning, and all three crew members on board died in the deadly incident took place, Navy authorities said. The E/A-6B Prowler was reported to have crashed at about 8:45 a.m. Monday, Whidbey Island officials said. The Navy informed Congress that the wingman of the crashed plane reported that no parachutes were deployed. "First responders are on the scene and have reported finding partial remains of the mishap aircrew," the Navy informed Congress. "All three onboard are presumed dead." The identities of the crew were not immediately available. The Prowler was "engaged in a low-level navigation train

A bus driver dubbed "The Punisher" is ramming bad drivers to teach them a lesson on the roads of Russia. A Russian man called the “The Punisher”. The Punisher targets drivers, So, Punisher has taken the law into his own hands. And, as a result, he has become a folk hero in Russia. He is known as "the Punisher" after the ruthless comic vigilante who dispenses brutal justice. Volkov has been in more than 100 traffic accidents, though "accidents" may be a misnomer........heraldsun.com.au He's caused most of them with his in your face - or in your rear-end - driving style. If someone cuts him off, Volkov just smashes into them.To ram home his point, he then posts the dashcam video of his exploits online. Wham! Volkov runs his bus right into the car's rear-end. Picture: Alexei Volkov, via YouTube. His YouTube channel has had hundreds of thousands of hits - and we mean hits. In an inteview, Volkov boasted that the courts have taken his sid

Chipper Jones and girlfriend Taylor Higgins at the state capitol building in Atlanta on Tuesday. He received accolades from legislators. Has anybody got the Contact number of the Chipper Jones?? Because The New York Yankees are looking for him. It's no secret that with Alex Rodriguez sidelined until at least the All-Star break because of hip surgery, the Yankees are in need of some help on offense. General Manager Brian Cashman on Monday said there is one guy he wouldn't mind bringing aboard to help: Chipper Jones, who retired after last season after a 19-season career with the Atlanta Braves. But Cashman said he did not have a working telephone number for Jones’ agent, B.B. Abbott, so he told the reporters they could report his interest through Twitter as a way of letting Jones know. “Get it out there,” Cashman said. “I would sign him in a heartbeat. He can play third base, first base, DH. He would be perfect.” It didn't take long for Jones to respond via Twitter:

SUV in fatal Ohio crash was stolen Investigation team on Monday tried to piece together what eight teenagers crammed into an allegedly stolen SUV were up to before the vehicle flipped over into a pond, killing six of them. Authorities gave few details on where the group of friends had been and why they were out around daybreak Sunday, speeding down a two-lane road. On Monday, the SUV's owner met with police and filed a stolen-car report; police said none of the teens were related to the owner or had asked to use the vehicle. While the father of one of the dead said the teenagers were coming home from a sleepover at a friend's house, the mother of another boy killed said that her son and his best friend had lied about staying over at each other's homes that evening. She said she thinks they went to a party. "If only he had listened," said Lisa Williamson, mother of 14-year-old Brandon Murray. "I told him, 'Don't you go nowhere.' But they'r