Bob Hayes, dead at 59.

The only athlete to win an Olympic gold medal and a Super Bowl ring has died. Bob Hayes was once referred to as the "fastest human alive," but preferred to be called a football player instead of a sprinter.

His battles with drugs and alcohol, and a stint in prison have kept him out of the Football Hall of Fame, which left him feeling like an outsider. He has been inducted into the Track and Field Hall of Fame. Jerry Jones inducted him into the Cowboys Ring of Fame last year.

Hayes won the gold medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics in the 100 meters with a time of 10.05 seconds. In the 400 meter relay he was clocked during his split at 8.6 seconds, with a running start. Many people consider that leg of the relay as the most explosive sprint they had ever seen.

Hayes died of Kidney failure, but has battled liver trouble and prostate cancer during his tumultuous life.

6:27:35 PM    comment []

Animal and children sanctuary damaged by fire.

Noah's Ark had a barn, trailer and feed refrigerators recently damaged by fire. No animals or children were hurt. There was almost $80,000 worth of damage, with the $20,000 in feed not covered by insurance. The fire was spontaneous combustion of newly cut hay. This is not a common occurrence, but sometimes happens. Large donations from area feed stores are helping feed the animals for now.

The sanctuary, which runs off donations, was started in 1978, and in 1994 moved to its current location in Locust Grove, Georgia, outside of Atlanta. It takes in injured, orphaned and illegally owned animals. It rehabilitates and cares for them. Most are released back into the wild and some are given a lifetime home. The children's home offers "unconditional love, food, clothing, and shelter" for neglected and abused children.

Please visit their website for information. Any donations would be greatly appreciated.

Scientists try to prove Cobb County has not evolved.

A group of parents in Cobb County, a large bedroom community of Atlanta, has been trying to get intelligent design taught in local schools. They have succeeded in have stickers applied to textbooks proclaiming that evolution is theory and not fact.

Scientists from The National Academy of Sciences are now jumping into the fray and encouraging the school board to drop its effort promoting alternate views of evolution. They maintain that intelligent design is just repackaged creationism. Their view is that "subjects are always open for discussion, but that does not mean any theory dreamed up by someone deserves equal time."

Parents and school board members from Cobb county insist they are not descended from unintelligent apes. They are still unintelligent apes.

8:57:40 AM    comment []