The trial centers around a $725,000 dollar donation Edwards received during his failed 2008 presidential campaign from 101-year-old Rachel Mellon, and the fact that he allegedly used that and other campaign funds to cover up the affair he was having with a staffer, Rielle Hunter, with whom he also had a child.

At the time, his wife, Elizabeth, was battling cancer. After the affair became public, she separated from her husband.  She died in December of 2010.

A key part of John Edwards’s defense is that he would have solicited money from friends and family regardless of whether he was running for president.  Because Mellon is a friend of Edwards, it’s not clear whether the money constitutes a campaign donation or a private gift from a friend.  Documents relating to the donation, including the checks themselves and a handwritten letter from Mellon to Edwards, are among the evidence in the trial. Ms. Mellon also offered to pay for Edwards’s haircuts and similar expenses, after his infamous $400 haircut drew the attention of the public.

A former Edwards aide, Patrick Young, testified in the trial under condition of immunity from prosecution.  Young was involved in the cover-up, even claiming paternity of Ms. Hunter’s child himself.  He and his wife received the checks that Mrs. Mellon wrote, rather than Edwards directly.  The defense has attacked Young’s character, claiming he kept large sums of money for himself.

Edwards initially refused to admit paternity, claiming a “one-in-three” chance that the child was his, but finally did after months of denial.

The jury adjourned this weekend after half a day of deliberations on Friday, with no sign that they were close to a verdict.  Edwards is facing charges on six felony counts, including conspiracy and illegal use of campaign funds.

If convicted, Edwards faces up to 30 years in prison, and fines up to $1.5 million, though it is unlikely he would be sentenced to the full penalty.  Because of the loosening of campaign finance laws since 2008, many experts think the prosecution will have difficulty convicting Edwards.

Soldiers leaving Iraq in 2008 | U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Erik Gudmundson

He spoke during an unannounced visit to the country, during which he and Afghani president Hamid Karzai signed an agreement outlining the terms of the drawdown.

“Today, I signed an historic agreement between the United States and Afghanistan that defines a new kind of relationship between our countries – a future in which Afghans are responsible for the security of their nation, and we build an equal partnership between two sovereign states; a future in which the war ends, and a new chapter begins,” the president said in his speech.

President Obama outlined the terms of the drawdown, emphasizing the goal of Afghani responsibility for security in the country.  He said that the transition had already begun, and that US troops would shift to a more advisory role rather than the active military role they are playing currently.  Under the terms of the pact, 23,000 troops will return home by the end of the summer, with regular drawdowns continuing after that as security is handed over to the Afghanis.  As expected, the transition should be complete by 2014.

The agreement is not, however, a full withdrawal.  Rather, the president said that the pact outlined terms of the United States’ sustained involvement in the country, suggesting a partnership designed to last at least for the next decade.

The president emphasized that while the major mission in Afghanistan is complete, there is still work to be done before the war is over.

“Still, there will be difficult days ahead,” he said. “The enormous sacrifices of our men and women are not over.”

Underscoring that point, Kabul was rocked by a suicide bombing soon after the President’s visit.  At least six people were killed in the blast.  The Taliban took credit for the attack, which targeted a compound used by United Nations workers, saying it was meant as a message and a show of strength.

The Taliban have been increasingly active in recent months, making their presence felt as the United States and NATO troops prepare to withdraw from the country.  Last month, they orchestrated a coordinated series of gun and bomb attacks throughout the country.  They are expected to be a major political factor in postwar Afghanistan.

Officials blamed an offshoot of the Taliban, the Pakistan-based Haqqani network, for the attacks. The same group, which has transformed itself from a criminal family into a notorious fighting force, was responsible for a series of assaults on the American Embassy last September.

The attacks, which were launched simultaneously at 1:45 PM local time, all began with small arms fire, followed by explosions. Taliban soldiers took up positions in buildings under construction and engaged local Afghani security forces.

While 39 attackers, some of them suicide bombers, died, according to Afghan officials, fewer than 11 Afghan security officers were killed, with few civilian casualties.  However, the attack was clearly meant more to send a message.

“This is a message to those foreign commanders who claim that the Taliban lost momentum,” Zabiullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, said. “We just showed that we are here and we will launch and stage attacks whenever we want.”

NATO is preparing to hand over security to the Afghani government, a move that should see foreign troops—including Americans—out of the country by 2014.  In spite of NATO efforts to quash it, the Taliban is expected to be a major player in the new, independent Afghanistan, and the attacks call into question both NATO intelligence operations, and the ability of local security forces to fight off the Taliban once foreign troops leave.

President Hamid Karzai, who is from the same area of Afghanistan where the Taliban is based, has come under heavy fire domestically both for his administration’s corruption, and for his outreach efforts to the Taliban, who are reviled by many Afghans. In a speech on Tuesday, he denounced the attacks and praised the actions of the Afghan security forces, while speaking regretfully of the loss of life on both sides.  He also defended his outreach to the Taliban, who he has sometimes called his brothers, and outlined his vision of the future of an independent Afghanistan.

In the meantime, Australia, the largest non-NATO troop presence in the country, also announced Tuesday that it would pull its soldiers out sooner than scheduled. The country will begin withdrawing its soldiers as soon as Karzai declares Afghanistan capable of defending itself, which he is expected to do within a month.  Australia has had troops in the country since 2001, and the war has been increasingly unpopular with the Australian public.

F/A-18C Hornet launching | US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Benjamin Crossley

Both pilots managed to eject safely before the crash, which occurred just after takeoff.  NBC news reported that the pilots as well as 5 civilians had been taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.  In the meantime, video surfaced showing the apartment building on fire. Residents described hearing a series of explosions followed by flames, and said that the pilots were bloodied and in shock, but seemed not to have suffered any serious injuries.

Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms released a statement Friday afternoon urging people to avoid the crash site, and applauding local agencies for their work in the aftermath of the accident. Authorities were still searching the damaged apartments for victims, but remained optimistic that no fatalities occurred.

According to the Associated Press, the jet dumped a large amount of fuel in the moments before it crashed, meaning there was a relatively small amount of fuel on board at the time of the impact. That action likely prevented the damage from being much worse. It was unclear whether the fuel was dumped on purpose or as a result of a malfunction.

Bruce Nedelka, EMS division chief in Virginia Beach, said that if the fuel hadn’t been dumped, the crash would have caused “an absolute massive, massive fireball and fire…. With all of that jet fuel dumped, it was much less than what it could have been.”

The plane took off from nearby Naval Air Station Oceana, less than ten miles from the crash site. The pilot team included a student and an instructor, although it was not immediately known how experienced the student pilot was. The Navy has blamed the crash on mechanical malfunction rather than pilot error.

In 2008, an F-18 on a training run crashed into two homes outside of San Diego, killing 4 members of a family. The plane was malfunctioning, but the pilot also missed an opportunity for an emergency landing.  He ejected safely but had to watch his plane destroy the homes as he parachuted to the ground.

Martin, who is black, was followed and shot in the gated community of Sanford, FL by George Zimmerman, a white neighborhood watch leader. Martin was on his way home from a convenience store when he was killed. Zimmerman, who has not been charged with anything, claims he thought Martin was armed.

“If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon,” Obama said, weighing in on the controversy for the first time. “And I think they are right to expect that all of us as Americans are going to take this with the seriousness it deserves and that we’re going to get to the bottom of exactly what happened.”

A federal investigation into the shooting is underway. Meanwhile, Sanford police chief Bill Lee has recused himself from the investigation after a vote of no-confidence from the Sanford City Commission over his handling of the incident. Lee and the local police have come under intense criticism for failing to arrest Zimmerman.

The self-styled watch leader had been the subject of numerous complaints from his neighbors about his overzealous approach to law enforcement, but police failed to act on the complaints.

Zimmerman called 911 immediately prior to the shooting, insisting that Martin was acting suspicious. The call shows that he followed Martin against the objections of the 911 operator on the line.

The case has thrown a harsh spotlight on Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law, which essentially allows a person to act with deadly force if they feel threatened by another. Under the law, a judge can dismiss charges without bringing a case to trial. Proponents of the law insist that Martin is still culpable and should be prosecuted.

The incident has ignited a firestorm of near-unanimous outrage across the country. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney called Martin’s death “a tragedy” while calling for an investigation.

Rep. Allen West (R-FL) was more direct. In a statement posted online, West called the case “an outrage” and declared that Zimmerman “certainly should not be walking free.”

At the time of his death Martin was wearing a hooded sweatshirt—a detail that prompted Miami Heat superstar Dwyane Wade to post a picture of himself wearing a hoodie to his Facebook account; later, the entire Heat team wore hoodies for a group photo that LeBron James tweeted—and carrying a can of iced tea and a pack of Skittles. He was not armed.

March 6, 2012's X class solar flare | NASA image

The radiation hit the earth at an angle and so the effect was minimized, according to Joe Kunches,  a spokesman for the NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, speaking in a press conference with reporters, though disruption could still occur.  Friday morning, the atmosphere was still undergoing a massive geomagnetic storm caused by the solar event.

The storm started in the middle of the week, but was relatively mild.  Lately, however, the orientation of the Earth’s magnetic field has shifted relative to the incoming radiation, allowing the coronal mass ejections (CMEs) to deposit radiation and magnetic energy more directly at the Earth.  In other words, what was a glancing blow is now more of a direct hit.

CMEs and solar flares are related but distinct phenomena. According to NASA, solar flares are an eruption of solar radiation associated with sunspots on the star’s surface, and can last for minutes or hours. Coronal Mass Ejections, by contrast, are essentially bubbles of gas and electromagnetic radiation that are released based on variations in the sun’s magnetic fields. Often, CMEs occur in conjunction with solar flares, as was the case on Tuesday.

While no damage has yet occurred from March 6th’s solar flares, scientists caution that disruption could still happen with future events.  The sun is approaching a period of volatility known as “solar maximum” that only occurs every 11 years.  Moreover, the region of the sun where the eruptions occurred will be facing the Earth for a week or more, and further flares and CMEs could hit the atmosphere more directly.  Most industries in the United States that might be affected, such as airliners and the military, were all prepared for the worst going into Tuesdays event.  The solar storms ongoing are much less severe than was expected and have had virtually no effect on the Earth’s surface.

So far, though one European satellite orbiting Venus has been damaged, the tangible effects of the events have been limited mostly to spectacular manifestations of the aurora borealis.

After the New Orleans Hornets beat the New York Knicks 89-85, snapping the Knicks’ 7 game win streak, the headline “A Chink In The Armor?” appeared on ESPN’s mobile site, accompanied by a picture of point guard sensation Jeremy Lin, who is Asian-American.

Lin, an undrafted second-year player out of Harvard, was on the verge of being waived when he was inserted into a game against the New Jersey Nets on February 4th.  Lin scored 25 points and dished out 7 assists, sparking a seemingly hopeless Knicks team to victory and earning a spot in the starting lineup in the process.  Lin became an overnight sensation—the phenomenon dubbed ‘Linsanity—and a hero to Asian-Americans who have few role models in American sports.

Since bursting onto the scene, Lin has led the Knicks to a 8-1 record, and seems to add to his legend every night. He hit the game-winning three at the buzzer against Toronto, scored 38 against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, and led several memorable comebacks, including Sunday’s victory against the defending champion Dallas Mavericks, when he scored 28 points and dished out 14 assists. He has revitalized the Knicks franchise, even boosting the stock of MSG, the company which owns the team.

Though Lin has electrified basketball fans everywhere, there has been a darker side to Linsanity, as Lin has been faced with racism, veiled or outright, from some fans and the media. The most high-profile of these incidents was the ESPN headline.

The headline was greeted by an online firestorm and ESPN removed it within half an hour of its going online at around 2:30 am Saturday. ESPN acted quickly to fire the headline writer, and release a statement apologizing to Lin and to the Asian-American community.

We again apologize, especially to Mr. Lin. His accomplishments are a source of great pride to the Asian-American community, including the Asian-American employees at ESPN. Through self-examination, improved editorial practices and controls, and response to constructive criticism, we will be better in the future.

Anthony Federico, the fired editor, called the headline an “honest mistake” but also said he understood why he was axed.  ”ESPN did what they had to do,” he said.

“This had nothing to do with me being cute or punny,” he told the New York Daily News. ”I’m so sorry that I offended people. I’m so sorry if I offended Jeremy.”

ESPN also suspended radio anchor Max Bretos, who used the same phrase during an interview, for 30 days. Bretos has since apologized.

When allegations of molestation hit in 1998, Sandusky was a prominent local figure, a favorite to replace Paterno and a key director behind Penn State’s famous Linebacker U, which helped the Nittany Lions win two national championships in the 1980s. These early allegations accused Jerry Sandusky of showering in the nude and hugging a young boy in the locker room showers. Campus law enforcement conducted an investigation, child protection agencies were aware of the situation and the local prosecutor was given evidence, but no charges were brought. Individuals involved with the case claimed Sandusky admitted it was inappropriate and said he wouldn’t do it again. To make matters stranger, the local DA Ray Gricar, who received evidence in 1998 and tried but failed to bring charges, disappeared in 2005. His laptop was pulled from a local river, but the body was never found.

Despite the awareness of these allegations, the case was closed, and Sandusky retired with his dignity intact. Although Sandusky was retired, he wasn’t finished grooming victims. In fact, the abuse increased. Sandusky continued to coach high school football as a volunteer and managed his charitable foundation for at-risk youths. The Second Mile spends millions of dollars every year on sports programs for at-risk youth. The organization’s board of directors includes Joe Paterno, Arnold Palmer and several NFL greats. This small detail is part of the mounting evidence that suggests Paterno put friendship, business and other matters before the safety of the children and young boys that were in his care.

Sandusky committed at least 40 sexually inappropriate acts against young male victims while simultaneously exercising bad taste. An individual identified as Victim Four accompanied Sandusky and his wife to the 1999 Alamo Bowl. In the year 2000, the abuse continued with at least two janitors witnessing Sandusky perform forced oral sex on Victim Eight, who was approximately 12 years old. One janitor reported the incident, but the other, a temporary employee, never made a report or any effort to protect the young victim from further acts of sexual abuse.

Meanwhile, Sandusky continued to exploit his access to underage males by anally raping a ten-year-old boy in the Penn State locker room. Fortunately, graduate assistant John McQueary happened to be in the Lasch Football Building at 9:30 pm while the acts of abuse and “rhythmic slapping sounds” occurred. A month after attempting to report the incident to Paterno and school officials, McQueary is told that Sandusky was forced to relinquish his locker room keys and that the incidents had been reported to The Second Mile, an organization whose directorial board also includes Paterno. McQueary has received a lot of heat for not reporting the incident to police, but it was the higher-ups who weren’t listening. McQueary was never questioned by university police or any other investigative body. At this point, it seems that Penn State simply refused to listen and acknowledge the problem, or they were actively participating in a cover-up because the abuse continued for several more years.

The first victim to come forward was a local high school student abused by Sandusky between 2005 and 2008. The victim’s mom reported the incidents of sexual assault to the high school, and Sandusky was banned from the district. Victim One also claimed Sandusky invited him to his home for at least one overnight stay. The courage of one parent’s action led to an official Grand Jury investigation in 2009 where John McQueary, Joe Paterno and athletic director Tim Curley were called as witnesses. During the 18-month investigation, Sandusky ceased to perform daily activities related to The Second Mile as if he were anticipating that the case was about to explode. However, Sandusky claimed he needed time off for family matters. After a lengthy investigation, Sandusky was arrested on November 5, 2011, for 40 counts of criminal activity. Sandusky, 67, was released on $100,000 bail.

Throughout this arrest and the previous incidents, Sandusky has denied all responsibility. In the Happy Valley, one thing is certain. The officials there have become pretty proficient at passing the buck and pointing fingers at fellow directors. After a long discussion, the school’s board of trustees came to the only logical conclusion given the circumstances and allegations against Sandusky and individuals that failed to report the incidents. Penn State’s board of trustees voted to fire head coach Joe Paterno and Graham Spanier, the university president. This surprising breakthrough came hours after Paterno’s public statement where he said he was going to finish out his 46th season with three games left.

The most surprising part at this stage of the story is who remains on Paterno’s side. It appears that many students want JoePa to come back for the end of the season. Paterno shook hands with students and players, including many that were crying. As many as 5,000 students are participating in riots on campus. Underclassmen marched with picket signs reading “JoePa or Bust,” “We Heart JoePa” and “We Want Joe Back.” The crowd was filled with anger, sadness and a dash of disbelief, but others were growing violent. There was a substantial law enforcement presence surrounded by a throng of protesters that were migrating toward Beaver Stadium. A news truck was tipped over by the crowd, and students began throwing bottles, rocks and anything within reach. Injury reports began to roll in as well. The Penn State student body is throttled by the firing on their beloved coach, and they are making their opinions known.

Penn State has already appointed defensive coordinator Tom Bradley to serve as the football team’s interim coach while Rodney Erickson will serve as the interim school president. In his public statement, Paterno shared his sorrow and devastation saying the tragedy was one of the biggest sorrows of his life, and he would have done more in hindsight. Unfortunately, it seems as though Paterno wishes he could have done more to keep his job and protect the reputation of the Penn State football program by reporting incidents of abuse to law enforcement authorities.

Sports writers have been urging Paterno to retire for years, and now it appears they were right. After several on-field injuries where Paterno was hit by players and suffered a broken leg, hip injuries and shoulder injuries, Paterno began coaching off the field from media boxes. With a coach who currently employs such a hands-off approach, it’s not entirely surprising that Paterno didn’t do more to bring potentially embarrassing allegations into the open. According to reports, Paterno was notified of his firing by phone after 60 years of distinguished service for the university.

Although Paterno’s abrupt dismissal was not a fitting end for such a legendary college football coach of all time, it was appropriate for this situation. This unfortunate conclusion to Paterno’s career could have been avoided numerous ways. After many errors regarding the criminal actions of one sexual predator, Penn State has made the first coherent decision and fulfilled their obligation to rid themselves of the people who didn’t handle the situation in a legally and morally sound way.

By moving into the future and out of the Paterno-era, Penn State is taking steps to recover their tarnished reputation and restore the status of their football program. With the same blind-to-crime directors running the school and its football program, who would want to subject themselves or their children to an environment where sexual abuse was allowed to exist and proliferate? The entire nation and people around the world will continue to watch as this dire situation evolves and Penn State attempts to restore their reputation.

Unfortunately, this is not the case all the time especially when it comes to sports and working in the heat.  For some reasons humans like to think they are invincible, and the second before they realize they aren’t it can be too late.  In the past week there have been three deaths in Georgia caused by heat, claiming the life of two students and a coach. Between 1999 and 2003, there were 3,442 reported deaths resulting from exposure to extreme heat, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Thats four years where so many had to lose their lives because of the heat?

Photo provided by Sister72

Clearly there is a break down somewhere.  There have been guidelines set into place in school districts that coaches abide by to keep their players safe during the pre-season.  However, there are no actual rules protecting high schools students from heat related incidents.  No doubt that there is room for improvement here, but that is not the only issue.

One of the biggest issues is the lack of knowledge of what heat stroke actually is.  Kids aren’t aware that they are in severe danger because it doesn’t feel like such a departure from being mildly dehydrated.  When peoples’ muscles start cramping, your legs become weak, and vision is blurry, it’s time to seek help.  People need to understand what it is, in order to avoid it.

Overall, these tragic incidents, which are absolutely preventable, are not being given enough attention.  The need to become educated about the dangers of heat has never been more clear.