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Disney Wants to Hire Veterans

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Oscar Sanchez, a Marine Corps reservist, knows how to fire a cannon, but when he leaves the military, the 26-year-old wants a job in marketing.

"There's a lot of established businesses that still don't know the impact that social-media marketing could help out their business," Sanchez said. "I'd like to educate those businesses in that."

Sanchez is part of the Vet Net program at Working Wardrobes. Organizers said they teach veterans how to translate job skills learned in their enlisted life to the civilian world.

"A lot of them it's from when they're 18 to whatever age they get out, and that's the only lifestyle they know, "said Edward Gallegos, of Vet Net. "It's the only structure they know, so when you lose that structure, it's like, 'where do I go from here?'"

They may not have to go far. The Walt Disney Company is one of many employers promising to hire veterans. The goal a year ago was 1,000 employees and now the company has announced plans to hire another thousand veterans over the next two years.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates unemployment among veterans across the county has risen almost 9 percent in the last five years, as soldiers and marines return to a weak economy.

Jerri Rosen of working wardrobes said the vets who come there learn resume writing, interview skills, and sometimes that they may have to start at the bottom again.

"Our goal is to help as many as we can," Rosen said. "We're batting about an 87 percent that we're getting our veterans jobs."


Bumble Bee Foods Recalls Certain Tuna Products

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San Diego-based company Bumble Bee Foods has issued a voluntary recall on specific codes of five-ounce tuna products recently sold to consumers, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration confirms.

The recall includes specific codes of Chunk White Albacore and Chunk Light Tuna cans sold to consumers nationwide between Jan. 17 and Feb. 28, 2013.

The FDA says the company is recalling the products due to loose seals on the cans. Loose seals and seams on food products could result in contamination by organisms or pathogens, and could lead to illness if consumed.

To check which products and codes are included in this recall click here.

Consumers who have purchased any of the recalled products are advised to discard the product immediately. So far, Bumble Bee Food representatives say there have been no consumer reports of illnesses attributed to these products.

Consumers with questions about this voluntary tuna recall or reimbursements can contact Buble Bee Consumers Affairs at (800) 800-8572.
 



Photo Credit: FDA

23 Philly Schools Slated to Close

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The Philadelphia School Reform Commission voted Thursday night to save four public schools and close more than two dozen in an effort to save the cash-strapped district about $24 million per year.

School officials say many of the buildings have too many empty seats and are in poor condition. Philadelphia School Superintendent William Hite tweeted shortly after the vote.

"The decision to close schools is always difficult but now we must come together to ensure all students are safe and successful," Hite tweeted.

Opponents say the closures will hurt struggling neighborhoods, disrupt students' education and lead to blight.

Hundreds attended the School Reform Commission meeting immediately after a rally. Nineteen people were arrested on disorderly conduct charges after they tried to stop the school closure vote from taking place by blocking the doors to the auditorium. All 19 were issued a citation and later released, police said.

"These terrible attacks on our teachers, attacks on our students, we have to stand up and fight back, and that's what we were doing tonight," said retired teacher Tom Whitehorn.

Among those arrested, was Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers.

Jerry Jordan, the current president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, released a statement shortly after the vote.

“The SRC's vote to close 24 neighborhood schools is a stark illustration of how out of touch the School Reform Commission is with the parents, students, educators and communities that depend on these institutions.

School closings disrupt students' lives and disenfranchise our poorest communities. It is a misguided, poorly planned and ultimately ineffective action that will do nothing to improve education in Philadelphia.

The entire school closing process wastes time and money that would be better spent exploring what it really takes to ensure that all of our schoolchildren get what they need. Instead of starving our schools, then shutting them down, we should be fighting for adequate education funding so that every school can provide students with the materials, programs, services and extracurricular activities that define a quality public education.

The thousands of people who attended the rally at the school district building today remind us that the fight to save public education in Philadelphia is only beginning. The PFT will continue to stand with the community and demand that the SRC, school district, mayor and governor reset their priorities from cutbacks and concessions to reinvestment in our public schools. “


 

RELATED ARTICLES:

Proposed School Closings & Consolidations



Photo Credit: NBC10.com

Navy Seeks Drone Program at Point Mugu

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Amid a national debate on the use of military drones on U.S. soil, the Port Hueneme City Council voted to support the Navy's plan to move production of unmanned aircraft to Ventura County.

MQ-4C Triton drones are currently produced at the Naval Air Weapons Station at China Lake. The proposal would move production about 160 miles southwest to the Naval Base Ventura County at Point Mugu.

The Triton is used for surveillance, as opposed to the weaponized drones at the center of Sen. Rand Paul's nearly 13-hour filibuster on Wednesday -- a move Port Hueneme Councilman Douglas Breeze described as politically driven.

"The fact of the matter is the military has a great success record with these drones," Breeze said. "Drones save military pilots' lives, so in my mind, it's a good thing in the hands of military."

The council voted Monday 4-0 with one member absent to support the Navy's plan, which is still undergoing an environmental assessment, Breeze said.

"I look at it as economic help for the area. It brings with it 700 jobs, along with all of the peripheral support activity," Breeze said. "Mugu has a test range off the coast where they fly the drones for testing, so it makes it more efficient for the program to be at Mugu."

Paul's filibuster, a way to delay John Brennan's confirmation as CIA director, centered on the Obama administration's initial ambiguity about using drones to kill Americans on U.S. soil. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder had said the administration wouldn't rule out such a strike.

Related: Where Rand Paul Ranks in Filibuster History | Brennan Defends Drone Policy At Senate Grilling

Following the filibuster, Holder issued an updated response: "'Does the President have the authority to use a weaponized drone to kill an American not engaged in combat on American soil?' The answer to that question is no," according to the Senator's office, which released the statement.

Brennan was confirmed Thursday following a vote in the Senate.



Photo Credit: Alan Radecki

Women Shot in Dorner Manhunt Still Suffering: Attorney

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Exactly one month after the massive manhunt for ex-LAPD Officer Christopher Dorner, time has not done much to heal the wounds of the two Torrance women caught in the crossfire as they delivered newspapers Feb. 7.

Glen Jonas, the attorney for 71-year-old Emma Hernandez and her daughter Maggie Carranza, paid a visit back to the neighborhood Thursday where the pair was mistakenly shot at by eight LAPD officers, who based on information received that morning, believed Dorner to be in the area.

The two women were in a blue Toyota pick-up truck police believed was similar to the one Dorner had been driving. Hernandez was shot in the back and has been in and out of the hospital since that morning, according to Jonas.

"I'm sorry to say that they're not doing well," said Jonas, who said he is working on an agreement with the LAPD. "They live in fear every day that they wake up and think they might get shot again."

There were 102 bullet holes in the truck, according to Jonas, who said the women still have not received a replacement truck promised by the LAPD.

"I guess there's some hiccups in the process of how you do such a donation," Jonas said.

Hernandez's family has been without a primary vehicle since the shooting, which has proven to be difficult for the family.

"They're under a major financial burden, because they're unable to work," said Jonas. "(Emma) is having a very rough time. She's got extreme fatigue, is having difficulty eating, walking, just doing anything," said Jonas. "Every day there's a concern that they're going to lose their grandmother and they're having a rough time with it."

The LAPD is continuing its internal investigation into the shooting. The officers involved are on non-field duties.



Photo Credit: AP

Alice Waters Vows to Reopen Chez Panisse

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A Berkeley icon - Chez  Panisse -  caught on fire early Friday, shocking those who love the restaurant known for its fresh, organic and expensive meals, while garnering interest and concern from across the country.

The fire at the 1517 Shattuck Avenue restaurant was reported just after 3 a.m. when someone spotted flames and called 911. It likely started a couple hours before that.

They don't have an immediate cause, but Berkeley Fire Department Acting Chief Avery Webb said investigators are looking at the electrical system to see if that sparked the fire, which appears as though it may have started under the porch. A sprinkler inside the building helped quell the damage, he said. Early estimates showed to be about $200,000.

And despite the outside of the wooden building looking burned to the core, Webb said that inside, the "damage didn't look too bad, there's not even that much smoke damage." The main beams of the restaurant are still strong, and the main dining room, the kitchen and upstairs cafe were spared.

This just isn't any other fire at any other restaurant.

The icon that Chez Panisse is to foodies around the globe, quickly drew the attention of news agencies spanning from the Los Angeles Times to the New York Times. Olympic swimmer Natalie Coughlin, who lives in the East Bay, tweeted she was "so sad to hear about the fire at #ChezPanisse! Such an iconic Berkeley restaurant. Absolutely love that place."

And diners who had traveled long distances to eat there were definitely disappointed.

Carol Esch of New Jersey planned to eat at Chez Panisse with her friends for lunch on Friday.  She was shocked to arrive and find it burned. 

"I came across the country to come here,"  Esch said. "It was on my bucket list to come here for lunch today.  I'm so sad, really so sad."

Chez Panisse is owned by Alice Waters, who showed up on scene about 6 a.m. and was seen hugging her general manager. She was obviously shocked. And she said she was glad she didn't listen to her first instincts about not putting in a downstairs sprinkler.

With tears choking her words, she told a group of reporters that she had mixed emotions.

"I'm sad, very sad," she said, before quickly switching gears and adding, "Right now I just feel lucky." (To see some of her interview, click here.)

The chef and activist opened Chez Panisse in 1971, and she remembers another fire in 1982.

Since then, Waters has worked beyond the restaurant to promote cooking and eating healthy, locally grown food. She often works with schools to promote good eating with young children.

The menus at Chez Panisse are always changing. Her current one boasts delicacies such as Six Hog Island Sweetwater oysters on the half shell with mignonette sauce ($16) in her moderately priced cafe. And Friday's fixed-price dinner was going for $100; the main dish would have been Becker Lane Farm pork loin grilled with cumin, artichokes, rapini and white beans azafran.

Waters is one of the most influential figures on the American food scene. And people from near and far flock to Chez Panisse for special occasions. Chez Panisse was recognized as the Best Restaurant in America by Gourmet Magazine in 2000, and since then, has won several more awards.

When the restaurant will re-open is unclear, though Waters told a group of reporters that it certainly will. In fact, she said she was thinking about using this opportunity to possibly expand.

 "It's really important that we rebuild," she said. "I'm sure we will have the complete support of the insurance company."

To see some of Alice Water's raw video this morning click here:
 

View more videos at: http://nbcbayarea.com.

 

NBC Bay Area's Jodi Hernandez contributed to this report. Contact Lisa Fernandez at 408-432-4758 or lisa.fernandez@nbcuni.com.
 



Photo Credit: Jodi Hernandez

Coroner: Lion That Killed Intern May Have Escaped Cage

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A lion that killed a 24-year-old female volunteer intern may have escaped its cage before the attack, the Fresno County Coroner said on Thursday.

Dianna Hanson began a six-month internship in January at Project Survival’s Cat Haven sanctuary in Dunlap, Calif. She died Wednesday after an adult male African lion attacked her.

An autopsy showed Hanson died instantly of a broken neck, likely from a swipe of the lion's paw. The coroner said other injuries to Hanson's body happened after she died.

Before the coroner's report on Thursday, it was unclear why Hanson was so close to the big cat. The lion escaping from its cage while Hanson cleaned the main enclosure could explain that, though officials said the investigation is still ongoing.

More: Father: Lion Attack Victim Had "Her Dream Job" at Sanctuary

Hanson -- who celebrated her 24th birthday in February -- was remembered by her colleagues as "vivacious."

"Her passion for working with these animals was contagious. Dianna performed her regular scheduled duties, which included cleaning enclosures," Cat Haven founder Dale Anderson said, reading from a prepared statement Thursday.

Authorities said the 24-year-old's body was found inside the African lion enclosure.

The lion – named Cous Cous – may have broken free from his cage to kill Hanson inside a cleaning enclosure, NBC affiliate KSEE 24 News reports, citing the coroner.

The animal was shot and killed after the attack, according to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Department.

Before her internship at the sanctuary, Hanson had previous zoo keeper experience, including with big cats. Her family said it was Hanson's dream to one day with the animals, and the victim's colleagues said that passion shined through her work.

"She was doing what she loved and she did it with joy everyday she worked here," Wendy Dabbas, president of Cat Haven, said through tears Thursday.

"She’s going to be missed. I’m so sorry this has happened."

Cous Cous lived at the sanctuary since he was a cub and shared a habitat with Pely, a female lion who could be heard making deep, bark-like noises inside her enclosure on Thursday.

Anderson said the animal was nearby at the time of the attack, and is likely making those sounds because she is stressed.

Cat Haven was closed for its regular winter hours at the time of the attack, authorities said. The Sheriff's Department and state wildlife officials will both investigate the incident.

Fans Revolt After Delay in Taco Bell's Cool Ranch Doritos Launch

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Taco Bell fans have lost their cool about Cool Ranch Doritos Locos tacos.

The fast food chain announced on Facebook this week that it would launch its Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Tacos on Wednesday, a day earlier than expected. But fans have taken to Taco Bell's Facebook page to lob complaints that employees at their local restaurants said it will not be available until Thursday.

"The Taco Bell in Greenville, IL was not selling them," one Facebook fan wrote. "Drove out there to be disappointed."

Some had lofty lunch plans at Taco Bell only to be let down.

"After inviting about 50 colleagues to join me for lunch today," Andrew Parks wrote. "We were told we would have to wait until tomorrow."

The California-based company officially launched the item on Thursday after fans revolted and issued an apology.

“We apologize to those fans who couldn’t buy it a day early,” the company said.

The highly-anticipated taco was inspired by the success of its predecessor the Nacho Cheese taco, which was Taco Bell's most successful product in its 51-year history. 

The new offering boasts a shell made out of Doritos Cool Ranch chips on the outside with beef, lettuce and cheese on the inside.

Taco Bell hyped up the Cool Ranch debute with social media and exclusive previews for fans in New York, Dallas and Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Taco Bell is owned by Yum! Brands Inc. which also owns PIzza Hut and KFC.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Lightning Bolt "Lit Up the Sky" Before House Fire

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Firefighters worked through steady rain early Friday to extinguish a non-injury fire that started after a lightning strike and burned the attic of a house in Mar Vista.

A neighbor said he was outside when he saw flames after a lightning strike and thunder clap.

"I saw the lighting and heard the thunder, and they both occurred at the same moment," said the man who identified himself as Elliot. "It lit up the sky pretty intensely. It was intense, loud thunder. I've never heard it this loud."

The fire was reported at about 1 a.m. in the 3400 block of South Moore Street (map). About 30 firefighters knocked down the fire in about 15 minutes.
 

Lakers v. Raptors: Howard's Defense In Spotlight

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The Los Angeles Lakers hit the hardwood Friday night for the first time since pulling off a miraculous 25-point comeback in New Orleans. After enjoying a day off on Thursday, the Lakers resume their race for the playoffs against the Toronto Raptors at Staples Center on Friday evening.

Prior to a win in Phoenix on Wednesday, the Raptors had lost five games in a row. The Raptors have been a streaky bunch as of late. Directly before the five-game losing streak, the Raptors were winners in six of seven games.

Fortunately for the Lakers, the Raptors are more accustomed to losing streaks than winning streaks, and consequently, Toronto is 14 games below .500 and not much of a threat to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference.

Just as the Raptors are ninth in the East, the Los Angeles Lakers are ninth in the West.

Unlike the Raptors, the Lakers do not have a losing record. With only 20 games remaining in the NBA season, the Lakers are in the background “photobombing” the playoff picture. Only a game and a half back of Utah for the eighth seed and only four games back of Golden State for the sixth seed, the Lakers suddenly have new life as long as they keep winning games.

Although the Lakers lost to the Raptors away from home, Friday night is one of the games LA is expected to win. That hardly means the Lakers will win, but if they want to get in the foreground of the Western Conference playoff picture, they need to win these types of games against “lesser” opponents.

The Raptors are 9-22 on the road this season, so the Lakers are the favorites on Friday.

After the dominant fourth quarter in New Orleans, Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant appear to be on the same page on the floor. Howard’s mobility and defensive impact has been visibly improved following the All-Star break, and Bryant’s focus and determination have only sharpened as the season has progressed.

Following the All-Star break, the Lakers have won six of eight. Both their losses were excusable considering they were away from home against top teams—Denver and Oklahoma City.

If the Lakers keep taking care of business against the minions, they should end up in the playoffs and may even finish higher than most people expected only two weeks ago. Taking care of business means the Lakers need to win at home against the 24-38 Toronto Raptors on Friday night.

Also, seeing some more of that Dwight defense would be nice.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Man Arrested For Stealing 5,000 Boxes of Thin Mints

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A monster thief nearly made off with a big bite of one state’s Girl Scout cookie supply.

On Thursday, a South Carolina man was charged with stealing more than 5,000 boxes of Thin Mints and Shortbreads, The Associated Press reported.

Police fingered 37-year old Christopher Maurice Morton as the alleged cookie culprit who took $19,000 worth of Girl Scout cookies from a Spartanburg, S.C., warehouse.

The owner of Carey Moving and Storage reported more than 450 cases missing after an inventory was conducted on Feb. 26.

There wasn’t a trail of crumbs, but authorities were led to Morton, a truck driver at the warehouse.

Master Deputy Kevin Bobo said Morton has since been fired and charged with "breach of trust more than $10,000."

The plan behind the cookie heist still remains a mystery. But, Bobo said Greenville County sheriff deputies recovered 352 cases from behind an abandoned business.

It’s unclear what happened to the nearly 100 other cases of cookie loot.

 



Photo Credit: Getty Images

School Board Member Gets 14 Years in Sex-Ring Case

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A former Moreno Valley Unified School Board member convicted of 23 felonies, including pimping and pandering, was sentenced on Friday to serve more than 14 years in state prison.

A Riverside Superior Court judge sentenced Mike Luis Rios, 42, to serve 14 years, four months during a hearing on in a Riverside courtroom on Friday. Once Rios has served half the time, he will be eligible for parole.

A jury found Rios guilty on Feb. 8 of 12 counts of pimping, six counts of insurance fraud, and five pandering counts. The jury did not convict him on two rape charges.

Pandering is the attempt to get someone to work as a prostitute while pimping is deriving
proceeds from someone working as a prostitute.

Officials are expected next week to discuss removing Rios from the school board and whether a special election will be held to replace him. He continued to serve as a member, participating in meetings up to and during his trial.

Rios was arrested in the case on April 4, 2012 outside his Moreno Valley home.

He was charged with three counts of pimping and six counts of pandering, accusing him of persuading or encouraging four women and two underage girls to work for him as prostitutes.

Prosecutors said that three adult women worked for Rios as prostitutes. One other adult woman and two juvenile girls who he tried to have work for him as prostitutes did not, prosecutors said.

Rios told the Riverside Press-Enterprise in a phone interview from jail that someone was falsely accusing him of crimes to prevent him from running for Moreno Valley City Council.

The insurance fraud counts involve Rios filing false insurance claims following a vehicle accident.

Rios has another pending case in which he is charged with two counts of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and influencing testimony by bribe.

That case is pending trial and the next court date is for a trial readiness conference on April 12.
 

European Union Mulls Porn Ban

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Sunbathing topless or nude is widely accepted in Europe, but the same type of nudity may become illegal in Europe, if its found on the Internet.

The European Parliament on Tuesday will vote on a proposal that could lay the groundwork for banning pornography across all media - including the Internet, The International Herald Tribune reported.

If the European Parliament passes the measure, the proposal could influence Europe’s law-making body, the European Commission, which could then decide whether or not to draft actual legislation that would ban Internet pornography, the Tribune noted.

Free speech critics fear that if adopted, such a law could restrict civil liberties and freedom of expression in the 27-member state bloc. They are also concerned with the report's vague language.

Called the “report on eliminating gender stereotypes in the EU,” the proposal states that there is an "increasingly noticeable tendency...to show provocatively dressed women, in sexual poses." It also notes that pornography is becoming ubiquitous and is "slipping into our everyday lives as an evermore universally accepted, often idealized, cultural element," according to CNET. It was introduced by left-leaning parliamentarian Kartika Liotard of the Netherlands.

Christian Engström, member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Sweden's Pirate Party, said the wording of the proposal is very similar to an older resolution which was passed in 1997 and called for “statutory measures to prevent any form of pornography in the media and in advertising and for a ban on advertising for pornographic products and sex tourism."

The problem with the new one though, Engström said, is that it adds stricter language and the inclusion of Internet-based traffic, which wasn’t a big issue back in 1997, according to the Tribune. Now online porn is pervasive.

Since the bill includes ban of porn in "any media," Engström said it could include the Web, social networks, emails, and even the photos that European citizens upload, CNET reported.

It also calls for the establishment of regulatory agencies with "a mandate to impose effective sanctions on companies and individuals promoting the sexualization of girls," according to The Huffington Post.

"To a certain extent, the exact meaning on this proposed ban on pornography is unclear, since neither the 1997 resolution nor the text we will be voting on next week contains any definition of what is meant by 'in the media,'" Engström pointed out.

Wired U.K. argues that the ban ultimately won't become law, but still hedges its bet.

 

 



Photo Credit: AP

Time to Spring Forward for Daylight Saving Sunday

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It's time to "spring forward" Sunday for the annual ritual of re-setting our clocks for Daylight Saving Time.

While we're losing an hour of sleep beginning on March 10 at 2 a.m., we gain an extra hour of daylight. Arizona, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands do not participate in DST.

While some may be thrilled for the extra hour of sunlight, others call DST "archaic" and think the practice should be eliminated. A petition now circulating on the White House "We the People" crowdsourcing website asks the government to do away with DST.

"The original reasons for the policies are no longer applicable, and the most cited reason for keeping DST (energy savings) has never been shown to be true," the petition reads. "Some industries still like DST (like sporting equipment retailers), but there are many more who dislike the changed hours (like television)."

The petition was created on March 5 and had 7,611 signatures as of Friday afternoon.

Daylight savings last until Nov. 3 when clocks "fall" back for the fall season.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Researchers Find Fabled Viking Sunstone

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A rough, whitish block recovered from an Elizabethan shipwreck may be a sunstone, the fabled crystal believed by some to have helped Vikings and other medieval seafarers navigate the high seas, researchers say.

In a paper published earlier this week, a Franco-British group argued that the Alderney Crystal — a chunk of Icelandic calcite found amid a 16th century wreck at the bottom of the English Channel — worked as a kind of solar compass, allowing sailors to determine the position of the sun even when it was hidden by heavy cloud, masked by fog, or below the horizon.

That's because of a property known as birefringence, which splits light beams in a way that can reveal the direction of their source with a high degree of accuracy. Vikings may not have grasped the physics behind the phenomenon, but that wouldn't present a problem.

"You don't have to understand how it works," said Albert Le Floch, of the University in Rennes in western France. "Using it is basically easy."

Vikings were expert navigators — using the sun, stars, mountains and even migratory whales to help guide them across the sea — but some have wondered at their ability to travel the long stretches of open water between Greenland, Iceland, and Newfoundland in modern-day Canada.

Le Floch is one of several who've suggested that calcite crystals were used as navigational aids for long summer days in which the sun might be hidden behind the clouds. He said the use of such crystals may have persisted into the 16th century, by which time magnetic compasses were widely used but often malfunctioned.

Le Floch noted that one Icelandic legend — the Saga of St. Olaf — appears to refer to such a crystal when it says that Olaf used a "sunstone" to verify the position of the sun on a snowy day.

But that's it. Few other medieval references to sunstones have been found, and no such crystals have ever been recovered from Viking tombs or ships. Until the Alderney Crystal was recovered in 2002, there had been little if any hard evidence to back the theory.

Many specialists are still skeptical. Donna Heddle, the director of the Center for Nordic Studies at Scotland's University of the Highlands and Islands, described the solar compass hypothesis as speculative.

"There's no solid evidence that that device was used by Norse navigators," she said Friday. "There's never been one found in a Viking boat. One cannot help but feel that if there were such things they would be found in graves."

She acknowledged that the crystal came from Iceland and was found near a navigation tool, but said it might just as easily have been used as a magnifying device as a solar compass.

Le Floch argued that one of the reasons why no stones have been found before is that calcite degrades quickly — it's vulnerable to acid, sea salts, and to heat. The Alderney Crystal was originally transparent, but the sea water had turned it a milky white.

Le Floch's paper — written with Guy Ropars, Jacques Lucas, and a group of Britons from the Alderney Maritime Trust — appeared Wednesday in the Proceedings of the Royal Society A.



Photo Credit: AP

Viewer Video: Hail in the Hollywood Hills

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NBC4 viewer Jason Kinnard sent us this video of hail in the Hollywood Hills recorded on Friday, March 8, 2013.

400+ Students, Staff at Cal Poly Urged to Get Tested for TB

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A student at Cal Poly Pomona has become infected with tuberculosis and campus officials are alerting the 375 students and 20 faculty who may have had repeated contact with the student to get a TB skin test, campus officials said on Friday.

Students can receive free TB testing through Student Health Services.

Priority will be given to those who are contacted directly. Faculty and staff can receive testing through their regular health care provider.

The student did not live on campus. He attended classes in physics, engineering, computer science, and ethnic and women’s studies during the fall and winter quarters.

He has withdrawn from his classes this quarter and is receiving treatment. He tested positively for the disease at a hospital, said campus physician Dr. Timothy Moody.

His prognosis is good at this time.

For more information, call Student Health Services at (909) 869-4000.

What You Should Know About Tuberculosis
Q: What is TB?
A: TB, or tuberculosis, is a serious infectious disease that usually affects the lungs, but can attack any part of the body, including the internal organs and the spine.

Q: How is it spread?
A: If you have TB, you can infect others by speaking, coughing, laughing, singing or sneezing. Tiny droplets with TB germs are dispersed into the air and can be inhaled by others. It is NOT spread by shaking hands, sharing food or drink, contact with bed linens or toilet seats, sharing toothbrushes or kissing.

Q: What are the symptoms?
A: The symptoms of TB can include: A bad cough lasting three weeks or more; chest pains; coughing up blood or sputum; weakness or fatigue; weight loss; no appetite; chills; fever; night sweats

Q: Who was likely exposed?
A: Emails will be sent this week to those who had classes with the infected student. However, free testing is also available at Student Health Services for other students who are concerned that they might have been exposed, even if they have not been contacted by the university.

Q: Where can I go to get tested?
A: Students can go to Student Health Services in Building 46 to be tested.

Q: How much does it cost and what do I have to do to prepare?
A: The test is free for students.

Children Rescued After Deadly Shooting

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Three young children who were in a Watts home when their father shot and fatally wounded their mother were rescued by police on Friday.

In a poignant moment an officer in riot gear could be seen carrying a child who was cradling a baby out of the home, away from the deadly scene at dawn on Friday. (Watch the video above.)

The standoff began around 3 a.m. when officers responded to a call of shots fired near Grape Street just north of Imperial Highway.

Police found a man shot in a pickup truck and encountered a gunman, who ran into a house and started shooting from inside for up to an hour, police said.

The gunman retreated and continued to shoot at police from within a home for up to an hour, police said.

Two children eventually ran outside of the house and told police that their father had shot their mother, police said.

SWAT officers entered the home around 5 a.m. and found the gunman dead and the woman gravely wounded, police said. She died at a hospital, officials said.

Police initially said the gunman died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds, but later said they were not sure.

The man in the truck also died.

Three children, who had been inside the house, were not harmed, Deputy Chief Bob Green of the Los Angeles Police Department.

The children, ages 8, 3 and 1, were taken into the care of children's services.



Photo Credit: OnSceneTV

Alice Waters Vows to Reopen Chez Panisse

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Iconic restaurant Chez Panisse, the California brainchild of renowned chef and local food guru Alice Waters, caught fire early Friday, shocking fans and foodies nationwide.

The fire at the Berkeley, Calif. restaurant was reported just after 3 a.m. local time, when someone spotted flames and called 911. It likely started a couple hours before that.

They don't have an immediate cause, but Berkeley Fire Department Acting Chief Avery Webb said investigators are looking at the electrical system to see if that sparked the fire, which appears as though it may have started under the porch. A sprinkler inside the building helped quell the damage, he said. Early estimates indicate the damage may be about $200,000. 

And despite the outside of the wooden building looking burned to the core, Webb said that inside, the "damage didn't look too bad, there's not even that much smoke damage." The main beams of the restaurant are still strong, and the main dining room, the kitchen and upstairs café were spared.

Owner Alice Waters, a major force behind the local and organic food movement, said she hoped the café section of the restaurant would be open for next weekend.

The fire at the beloved, trend-setting restaurant quickly drew the attention of news agencies spanning from the Los Angeles Times to the New York Times.

Waters showed up on scene about 6 a.m. local time and hugged her general manager. She was obviously shocked. And she said she was glad she didn't listen to her first instincts about not putting in a downstairs sprinkler.

With tears choking her words, she told a group of reporters that she was swimming in a sea of emotions.

"I'm sad, very sad," she said, before quickly switching gears. "Right now I just feel lucky," she added. (To see some of her interview, click here.)

The chef and activist opened Chez Panisse in 1971, and she remembers another fire in 1982.

Since then, Waters has worked beyond the restaurant to promote cooking and eating healthy, locally grown food. She often works with schools to promote good eating with young children.

The menus at Chez Panisse are always changing. Her current one boasts delicacies like six Hog Island Sweetwater oysters on the half-shell with mignonette sauce ($16) in her moderately priced café.

Friday's fixed-price dinner was going for $100. The main dish would have been Becker Lane Farm pork loin grilled with cumin, artichokes, rapini and white beans azafran.

Waters is one of the most influential figures on the American food scene. And people from near and far flock to Chez Panisse for special occasions. Chez Panisse was recognized as the best restaurant in America by the late Gourmet magazine in 2000 and since then has won several more awards.

When the restaurant will re-open is unclear, though Waters told a group of reporters that it certainly will. In fact, she said she was thinking about possibly using this opportunity to expand.

"It's really important that we rebuild," she said. "I'm sure we will have the complete support of the insurance company."

To see some of Alice Waters' raw video this morning, click here:
 

View more videos at: http://nbcbayarea.com.

 

Contact Lisa Fernandez at 408-432-4758 or lisa.fernandez@nbcuni.com.
 



Photo Credit: NBC Bay Area

SJPD Arrest Girlfriend, Victim Found Under Pile of Blankets

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San Jose police arrested the girlfriend of an elderly man with dementia who had been missing for a month and was found Thursday morning in his own apartment, stabbed to death under a pile of linens and blankets.

Sgt. Jason Dwyer on Friday said investigators believe Stanley Jacobson, 69,  had been dead for about a month, and they arrested his girlfriend, Regina Butler, 47, on charges of murder.

She had been wanted for questioning in a financial fraud investigation. And Dwyer said she possibly had been trying to defraud Jacobson of some insurance money.

Jacobson was last seen on Feb. 5,  and reported missing by his granddaughter on Feb. 18.  The public appeal on Feb. 26 was that he had dementia and was at risk. Police were seeking Butler at that time, too.

Dwyer said the grandaughter had visited Jacobson's Hilltop Manor Senior Apartments complex on Ironwood Drive several times in the last month, but hadn't found him. Even the police department's missing unit investigators went inside the apartment as late as Feb. 22 and took pictures inside, never realizing that the man's body was there, under a heap of blankets and laundry.

Then on Thursday, Jacobson's granddaughter stopped by the apartment again and spotted Butler there. She called police. Butler stayed and talked to detectives, who arrested her about 11:30 a.m.

Dwyer added that the pile of laundry and linens was so high inside the apartment that the material seemed to have masked any odor from the decaying body, which may have been there since either Feb. 5 or 8.

Jacobson is San Jose's eighth homicide of the year. Last year at this time there were six.

Jacobson had been known to his friends as "the Magician," and were shocked to learn that their buddy had not been missing, he had been dead.

"We've been looking everywhere for him for the last three to four weeks," Mike Christian, Jacobson's friend and neighbor said on Thursday night. "So this is a shock. I mean just total shock that this happened."

Related stories:

San Jose Police Investigate Homicide by Church on the Hill

SJPD Make Arrest in Missing-Man-Turned-Homicide

NBC Bay Area's George Kiriyama contributed to this report.


 

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