What A Trip!...Or....What? A Trip?

It seems that some people can't keep their feet where they belong, outside of the football field.  A few weekends ago, coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers put his foot onto the field of play, which interfered with Baltimore Ravens kick returner Jacoby Jones during a 73-yard return.  Last weekend in the college game, Oklahoma Sooner linebacker Eric Striker scored a touchdown on a fumble return, and then was almost tripped by - believe it or not - a cheerleader.

Read the story at CBS Sports.

The Early History Of Islam

Jay Smith gives a lecture on the early Arab conquests and history of Islam.  (H/T luchadora)

Pearl Harbor

On December 7th, 1941, Japanese naval forces attacked the American bases at Pearl Harbor and Hickam Field, leading to the United States declaring war on Japan and entering World War II.  The U.S. Navy sustained heavy losses, but fortunately much of the Pacific fleet, including several carriers, was not in port that day.  Today, the U.S.S. Arizona sits where she was sunk, a solemn reminder of the "date which will live in infamy".  Of course, much has been written about that day, and many have noted the anniversary.  Here's something I just ran across, 20 photos of the attack on Pearl Harbor from Poor Richard's News.

The Twelve Days Of Obama

This parody of The Twelve Days Of Christmas was uploaded onto YouTube in December of 2008, after Senator Obama had won the presidential election, but before he was inaugurated.  Even so, it seems describe Obama's policies during his presidency pretty well.  It was written by Edward Daley, who calls himself "DarcPrynce", and performed by Daley and an internet radio host known as David Cholesterol.

Virginia Tech Gets New President

The Virginia Tech Board of Visitors has appointed Timothy D. Sands as its new president, to succeed current president Charles Steger.  Dr. Sands is an alumnus of the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees.  He is currently the executive vice president for academic affairs and provost at Purdue University.  After his academic career, he worked for Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory and Bell Communications Research, Inc. (Bellcore), before returning to his alma mater as a professor, and later joining the faculty at Purdue.

Read more at WLJA, Roanoke(dot)com, The Washington Post, jconline, WDBJ7(dot)com and the Virginia Tech website.

Nelson Mandela 1918-2013

Nelson Mandela, who led South Africa's transition out of the apartheid era and became the country's first black president, died earlier today at the age of 95 in his home in Johannesburg.  Jacob Zuma, the current South African president, announced Mandela's death in a nationally televised address.  Mandela had been suffering from a lung infection, which caused him to spend three months in a Pretoria hospital.

Rolihlahla Mandela, whose first name means "pulling the branch of a tree", was born in the Transkei region of South Africa, on July 18, 1918.  A primary school teacher gave him the name Nelson.  He was also known by his clan name Madiba.  His campaigns against the white minority South African government included periods of both nonviolence and armed struggle.  In 1964, he was convicted of conspiring to overthrow the government by violence.  He spent 27 years in prison, including 18 on Robben Island, a maximum security facility just off Cape Town.  After being released in 1990, he was elected president of the African National Congress, which he had first joined in 1942.  He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize along with President Frederik Willem De Klerk in 1993.  Mandela was elected president of South Africa in 1994, serving until his retirement in 1999.

Mandela will be given a full state funeral.  Flags in the United States will be flown at half-staff in his honor.

Read more at Fox News, CNN, the Chicago Tribune, BBC News, NBC News and CBC News.

Researchers Find Huge Japanese Submarine

A Japanese submarine, captured by the U.S. Navy at the end of World War II and later scuttled to keep its technology away from the Soviet Union, has been re-discovered off the southwest coast of Oahu by the Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory at the University of Hawaii.  The sub, named I-400, was about 400 feet long and carried three folding-wing seaplanes.

Read the story at CNN.

A Great Version Of "Little Drummer Boy"

These vocalists are the Pentatonix, and this is awesome.  Be sure to use your headphones.

Muslims Mistakenly Attack Muslims

Via Jihadwatch:

About two weeks ago, three Arab youths attacked the family of Rashuan Salman, themselves Arabs, who were driving to Jerusalem near Sur Baher, apparently thinking that they were Jews.  According to Salman, the attackers tried to pull the family out of the car.  Only when Salman's wife asked the attackers - in Arabic - to leave them alone, did they break off the attack.

Read the story at ynetnews.

The Amazing Last Play Of The 2013 Iron Bowl

The annual football game between Alabama and Auburn is known as the Iron Bowl.  In this year's contest, with the score tied at 28-28 and one second left on the clock, Alabama decided to try a long field goal.  A successful kick would win the game without having to go into overtime.  As it turned out, they avoided overtime, but not in the way they intended.  Go here for the recap and box score and here for the radio call of the play, by Rod Bramblett, the Voice of the Auburn Tigers.

UPDATE:  Here's a different view of the play, combined with Bramblett's audio: