Wed, 24/11/2010 - 06:07 by Prince damin
Washington -- The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration issued the first-ever license for a commercial spacecraft to re-enter Earth's atmosphere from orbit, officials say.
The license will allow the California-based company SpaceX to complete the first operational flight of the Dragon spacecraft during a NASA demonstration mission set for a Dec. 7 launch, Florida Today reported.
After its launch from Cape Canaveral atop a Falcon 9 rocket, the Dragon will orbit the planet twice before re-entering and splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off Southern California.
"The flight of Dragon will be an important step toward commercial cargo delivery to the International Space Station," NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden said in a statement.
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Wed, 24/11/2010 - 05:50 by Prince damin
San Jose, Calif. -- Animal groups in California said they are seeking homes for more than 1,000 rats discovered in a man's home during the filming of a reality TV show.
Rescuers said the rats, currently housed at Andy's Pet Shop in San Jose, were seized from a man's home during filming for an episode of A&E's "Hoarders," and will be spayed or neutered and adopted in pairs, KTVU-TV, Oakland, Calif., reported Tuesday.
"We had three litters born last night, two the night before," said Andy's Pet Shop manager Zoe Thoel. "So it's been nuts. Our estimate is about 1,000 to 1,200 without the new babies being born."
The rats were removed from a Los Angeles home and trucked to San Jose in a "climate controlled" vehicle, the San Jose Mercury News reported.
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Mon, 22/11/2010 - 21:32 by Samia Sehgal
Justin Bieber dominated this year's American Music Awards, taking home four big music prizes last night. The Canadian singing sensation was the biggest winner at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California, where he beat out such veteran artists like Eminem, Lady Gaga and Usher.
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Mon, 22/11/2010 - 10:58 by Prince damin
Staten Island, N.Y. -- A California-based company has a new blue-haired doll that is creating Cabbage Patch-like hysteria reminiscent of the 1980s, shoppers said.
"Adorable Mittens Fluff 'N' Stuff" is one of eight dolls in the "Sew magical -- Sew cute" Lalaloopsy line, and sells for about $25, if you can find one, the New York Post reported.
The doll was already sold out at many toy stores, and entrepreneurs were selling them on the Internet for as much as $89. It is being sold by MGA Entertainment, a $2 billion a year toy manufacturer best known for its 'Bratz' dolls.
One million of the dolls were produced, but finding one is a challenge, shoppers said.
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Mon, 22/11/2010 - 10:54 by Prince damin
Los Angeles -- William Self, the producer and television executive who produced John Wayne's last movie, has died in California, his daughter said.
Self, 89, died Monday at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center as a result of a heart attack Nov. 11, his daughter Barbara Malone said in a Los Angeles Times report.
Self was in charge of television production at 20th Century-Fox in the 1960s and early '70s when its roster of shows included "Mash," "Batman," and "Peyton Place."
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Sat, 20/11/2010 - 08:06 by Prince damin
Anaheim, Calif. -- Officials with the Disneyland theme park in California said the Thanksgiving turkey pardoned by the president will not appear at the park this year.
The theme park said the turkey, which in previous years served as a grand marshal of the Thanksgiving parade, will not appear at Disneyland this year following its pardon by President Barack Obama, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.
"This year, Disney officials decided that the turkeys don't fit with the parks' new promotional theme, called Let the Memories Begin, which is based on visitors' memories," Disneyland spokeswoman Suzi Brown said.
Copyright 2010 United Press International, Inc. (UPI).
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Fri, 19/11/2010 - 10:14 by Prince damin
Sacramento -- Fast food chain Burger King said an employee and a manager from a California location are being fired after a profane note was written on a customer's receipt.
Denise Wilson, a spokeswoman for the company, apologized to Francisco Perez after his receipt from the Sacramento location bore a profane four-letter word beginning with "f," KCRA-TV, Sacramento, reported Thursday.
"Burger King Corp. and the franchisee that owns and operates this restaurant deeply regret that this incident occurred," Wilson said in a statement. "The franchisee has taken immediate corrective action and both the manager and employee are being terminated. The franchisee will be reaching out to the guest directly."
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Sat, 13/11/2010 - 22:36 by Prince damin
Washington -- U.S. safety regulators said California firm Giant Bicycle Inc. was recalling 370 bicycles due to problems with frames cracking.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission said 2011 model year Anthem Giant Bicycles have frames that can crack at the junction of the seat post and the top tube, which poses a safety risk for riders.
The Newbury Park, Calif., company imported the bicycles from Taiwan. They were sold in small, medium and large sizes at Giant Bicycle dealers nationwide during August 2010 for between $2,200 and $3,500 apiece.
Consumers were advised to stop riding the bicycles and contact an authorized Giant Bicycle dealer for a free in inspection and repair.
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Fri, 12/11/2010 - 09:42 by Prince damin
Alameda, Calif. -- Police in California said they reunited an 80-year-old woman with her dog, which was stolen from her during a robbery while she was walking the canine.
Alameda police said a Stockton woman saw an image of the 6-year-old Yorkshire terrier on the news Wednesday and recognized it as the canine she had purchased from a man and a woman for $20, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Thursday.
The woman took the dog, Deuce, to police, who verified the animal's identity and returned him to owner Helen Bignone.
Investigators said the man and woman who sold the dog did not appear to know it was stolen during an Oct. 30 robbery perpetrated by two male suspects.
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Wed, 10/11/2010 - 10:07 by Prince damin
Riverside, Calif. -- An FBI agent testified accused California fraudster James Duncan told a friend he had deposited $6 million of ill-gotten gains in offshore bank accounts.
Agent Nhan Ly said at a preliminary hearing that a friend of Duncan's named Russel Leonard had told him he had gone with Duncan to Malta, where Duncan and fellow defendant Hendrix Montecastro made bank deposits. In addition, Ly said Leonard heard Duncan claim he had deposited millions of dollars in Cayman Island accounts, The (Riverside, Calif.) Press-Enterprise reported Tuesday.
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Mon, 08/11/2010 - 09:46 by Samia Sehgal
Lindsay Lohan is getting bored at the Betty Ford Center, it seems. The actress was allowed to take a break to go out and indulge in some retail therapy on Tuesday.
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Sat, 06/11/2010 - 07:51 by Prince damin
Mojave, Calif. -- Aerospace designer Burt Rutan, the man behind the SpaceShipTwo spacecraft destined to take tourists to space, has announced his retirement in California.
Rutan, 66, is the founder of the aerospace research firm Scaled Composites, located at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California, where he is currently chief technical officer, SPACE.com reported.
Subsequent to his retirement, Rutan will assume the title of founder and chairman emeritus.
Rutan has been in California's Antelope Valley for 45 years, initially first as a flight test engineer for the Air Force. In 1974 he started the Rutan Aircraft Factory to create experimental aircraft for homebuilders.
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