Erik Gates, of Mythbusters Fame, Dies in Freak Accident

Posted By: Mark Whittington

Erik Gates, who is most famous for having appeared on several episodes of Mythbusters in his capacity as a rocketry expert, died in a freak accident when he apparently fell off a roof where he was working through a skylight thirty feet to his death.

Erik Gates owned a firm called Gateco Electric and was working on a site owned by Xirrus Inc., the President and CEO of which is his brother, Dirk Gates. Both Erik and Dirk Gates were active in amateur rocketry and ran a website Gates Brother Rocketry.

Erik Gates was able to use his expertise in rocketry to appear as a guest expert on four Mythbuster episodes.

The first was the pilot, when the Mythbusters tested an urban legend about a man who strapped a rocket to the back of his pickup truck and fired it off. According to the legend, the man smacked into the side of a mountain, unable to stop or turn.

The second episode was about the Ming Dynasty Astronaut, which explored the story of a Medieval Chinese inventor who strapped a number of rockets to a chair, sat it in, and then ignited the rockets to fly through the air.

The third episode explored the bullet proofing properties of water. Also the episode tested whether a person on a swing could swing three hundred and sixty degrees all the way around. At one point rockets were attached to a test dummy on the swing to make it swing all the way around.

The last episode Erik Gates was on concerned the Confederate rocket. There is a story that during the closing days of the American Civil War, the Confederates were working on a rocket with which to bombard Washington DC. The result was that, using technology available at the time, the Confederates could not have hit Washington from Richmond.

Mariners acquire outfielder in deal with Cubs for Silva

SEATTLE -- The Mariners' offseason renovation got a lot busier Friday, when Seattle pulled off a trade full of intrigue and potential but not without a few question marks.

The Mariners acquired volatile outfielder Milton Bradley from the Cubs in exchange for right-hander Carlos Silva, swapping similar high-salary contracts in the hopes that a change of venue will get Seattle the stellar on-field performance Bradley has produced at times in his up-and-down career -- without the temper flareups that have caused problems with umpires and fans and in various clubhouses.

"We have been looking to add offense to our club and in Milton have a player who has always gotten on base and has the ability to drive in runs," Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik said. "He is passionate about winning, as we are, and we believe he'll be a good fit here."

From a payroll perspective, it's almost a wash. Silva has two years remaining on a four-year, $48 million contract that he got prior to the 2008 season from former Mariners general manager Bill Bavasi, and Bradley is owed $21 million over two years -- $9 million in 2010 and $12 million in 2011. Silva has $25 million remaining -- $11.5 million in both 2010 and '11 and a $2 million buyout on a 2012 option. According to SI.com, the Cubs will also net $6 million over two years on the deal.

Silva has been a big disappointment for Seattle, going 4-15 in 28 starts in 2008 and 1-3 with a 8.60 ERA in eight games (six starts) in an injury-riddled 2009. Silva projected to be a long reliever on the 2010 roster.

Meanwhile, Bradley, a 31-year-old switch-hitter who projects to start in left field and occasionally at designated hitter, batted .257 with 12 homers and 40 RBIs and put up an on-base percentage of .378 for the Cubs in 2009. But he was suspended for the final 15 games for detrimental conduct. Bradley, who also has had run-ins with umpires, teammates and managers during stints with the Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Dodgers and Cubs, also has shined in stints with Oakland in 2006 and with Texas in 2008.

Bradley led the American League in OBP (.436) and on-base-plus-slugging (.999) in 2008 with the Rangers, and was third in batting average (.321) that season. He has a career OBP of .390 in the AL and started at DH in the 2008 All-Star Game.

Doug Miller is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Man Wins lottery Leaves Wife (Photo) Campbell home Foreclosed; $19 million Jackpot

There was a report on Local 10 on TV about a South Florida man who won the lottery and left his wife who had their home foreclosed on. Apparently now, the wife now will be put on the streets in less than a week.

According to reports, the woman's name is Donna Campbell. Campbell was given to this passing Tuesday evening to leave her home that she once shared with her departed husband.

Her husband, Arnim Ramdass, is said to have won $19 million in a June 2007 lottery jackpot. He kept it secret from his wife apparently, and one day took off with his money so he wouldn't have to share. Since leaving, Ramdass has not payed the mortgage on their home. According to reports, Ramdass has completely disappeared with all the money. His wife though, is determined to find him and get divorced and half the money. She's been spending the last few days packing up her things. A moving company decided to move in and help Campbell after seeing her story on Local 10.

You can bet that the husband is running as fast as he can. It's obvious he has no intention of sharing that money. But there could be other circumstances we don't know about as of yet. (c) tPC

By : Jack Ryan

Original Post : http://www.postchronicle.com/news/original/article_212273790.shtml

Cuomo announces GMA departure

December 10, 2009 (WLS) -- Diane Sawyer isn't the only one leaving "Good Morning America" this week.

On Thursday morning, co-host and anchor Chris Cuomo announced he, too, would be leaving ABC's daily morning show. His last day will be Firday, the same as Sawyer's

"I am leaving my position as news anchor tomorrow," Cuomo said. "I have been blessed to be at 'GMA.' I thank all of you."

Cuomo will now anchor "20/20" with Elizabeth Vargas and continue on as a reporter for ABC News.

"It is a dream job for a journalist like me," Cuomo said. "But it was a very difficult decision because I'm leaving a special place and crew and all of you."

A network executive who spoke on condition of anonymity because the executive was not authorized to talk about hiring said Tuesday JuJu Chang has been offered Cuomo's current job as newsreader at "Good Morning America."

The personnel changes mean it's likely that George Stephanopoulos will be announced as Diane Sawyer's successor on "Good Morning America" within days.

Original Post Here

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
(Copyright ©2009 WLS-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

News: Brewers sign Randy Wolf

by Matthew Cerrone

The Brewers and free-agent LHP Randy Wolf have agreed to a three-year deal, according to Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com.

…according to multiple reports, the Mets had interest in wolf, but were only willing to commit a two-year deal to him… which, is one more than he usually signs… so, good for him having some security in his career…

…for all the ripping the Omar Minaya takes for overpaying, or unnecessarily going all-in, for mediocre talent, the Brewers giving a three-year deal to wolf, Chone Figgins getting four full years, the Phillies giving two years to Brian Schneider and Ivan Rodriguez getting two years from the Nationals, not too mention $7.5 million from the Cardinals for Brad Penny, and, i’d say, at this point, he isn’t alone…

John Daly Weight Loss

John Daly Weight Loss is the latest buzz. Two-time major winner John Daly’s latest bid to resurrect his career is for his own benefit and not to prove his detractors wrong, the American said on Wednesday. Daly, 43, is rehabilitating by losing weight and trying to give up a diet and lifestyle that saw him balloon to nearly 280 pounds less than three months ago. Daly, who is famously known as ‘Wild Thing’ on tour, underwent gastric band surgery in February to reduce the size of his stomach and consequently the amount of food he could eat. John Daly Weight Loss
This has resulted in the massive weight loss – including losing a whole stone in the past two weeks. Surprisingly, the change in weight has had an equally dramatic on Daly’s golf, with the man who has always advocated a ‘grip it and rip it’ mentality recently complaining of a lack of feeling in his hands.