Football Hall of Famer, TV star Olsen dies at 69
March 12, 2010
(AP/Yahoo) – Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen, who helped form one of the NFL’s greatest defensive lines before embarking on a successful career in television, died Thursday after a battle with cancer. He was 69.
Attorney: Pa. officers with Roethlisberger at club
March 11, 2010
PITTSBURGH (AP/Yahoo)– Two off-duty Pennsylvania law enforcement officers were with Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger at the Georgia nightclub where a woman accused him of sexual assault, and the two men didn’t see anything inappropriate, an attorney for one of them said Wednesday.
Anthony Barravecchio, an officer on the force in the Pittsburgh suburb of Coraopolis, and Pennsylvania Trooper Ed Joyner were among about eight people with Roethlisberger celebrating his birthday at the club, attorney Michael Santicola said. Santicola said the men were there because they are friends of the two-time Super Bowl winner.
“They were not there in their official capacity,” said Santicola, who represents Barravecchio but said Joyner is also a longtime friend.
Police are investigating the 20-year-old college student’s claim that Roethlisberger sexually assaulted her early last Friday at the club in Milledgeville, Ga. Roethlisberger has not been charged, and his attorney disputes the woman’s claim.
Santicola, who’s based in western Pennsylvania, said both of the law enforcement officers who were with Roethlisberger are cooperating fully with the investigation, but say they saw nothing inappropriate.
Chocolate-powered racecar makes sustainability sexy
March 10, 2010
BOSTON (Reuters Life!) – Fueled by leftover chocolate and with components made from carrots, potato starch and flax, the world’s first sustainable Formula 3 racing car has a top speed of 135 miles per hour and can go from zero to 60 in 2.5 seconds.
Sound nuts? Not yet — brake pads made from cashews are still under development.
Meet Lola, the England’s University of Warwick’s blend of muscle and eco-friendliness and the world’s first racing car retrofitted with renewable and sustainable materials.
Researchers from the British university showed off their prize possession at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) energy conference in Boston.
“She’s incredibly green, taking materials that would otherwise have ended up in a landfill. It lets people engage with recycling without the finger-wagging,” said Kerry Kirwan, one of the car’s designers at the university.
“The public has really taken the car to its heart, because she’s fun,” he said.
Many of the car’s components would more usually be found at a farmer’s market — or in a trash bin, since most of the materials are actually industrial waste.
De Niro signs up to play football icon Lombardi
March 10, 2010
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – He has played killers and cops in the movies, and two-time Oscar winner Robert De Niro may soon take on the role of iconic U.S. football coach Vince Lombardi in a film backed by sports television network ESPN.
The cable TV network’s division, ESPN Films, said it signed De Niro to portray Lombardi as he took the Green Bay Packers from worst to first in the National Football League.
Eric Roth (“Forrest Gump”) has been hired to work on a screenplay starting in 1959 when Lombardi was given his first chance to be an NFL coach by taking over the lowly Packers.
Over the years, the coach’s hard-nosed approach helped lead the team to three straight NFL championships and victories in the first two Super Bowls. The Packers dominated football throughout much of 1960s.
Lombardi died in 1970 at age 57, and since 1971, the trophy awarded to the Super Bowl winner has been named the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
