Humans in Flight

wingsuit base jumping from Ali on Vimeo.

Travis' New Year's Eve Jump

CG rendering of Pastrana's New Year's Eve jump from Nitro Circus on Vimeo.

Travis takes his first visit to the site of his upcoming world record jump attempt for a healthy dose of holy-sh*t-this-is-going-to-be-huge. Also in the clip is a first-look at a CGI animation of how the jump will look when it's televised live on ESPN.

This New Year's Eve, action sports icon Travis Pastrana will star in Red Bull: New Year. No Limits., live on ESPN. Travis will attempt to shatter the world record for distance jumping in a car at the Pine Street Pier in Long Beach's Rainbow Harbor.

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UPDATE:

In Defense of Titties

Now, I know what you’re saying: “Ryan, why do you have to defend titties? Who could hate titties? I love them!” I’m not talking about those wonderful delights that have caused men to spend crazy amounts of money on dinners at the Olive Garden. I’m talking about those wonderful MMA fighters who may not be in the best possible shape. The ones who look as if they just got done with a workout of 12-ounce curls. They may have a little junk in the trunk, if you will. They’re husky. Big boned. Yep, use pretty much every line a mother uses to make her son feel better for loving to eat Cheetos for every meal. (They’re so tasty, though!)

Let’s face it: You have moobs. Man boobs. If you’ve been watching this season’s The Ultimate Fighter (and if you haven’t, what’s wrong with you? Rampage, Rashad, Kimbo!?!?), then you’ve seen Rampage continue to make fun of Darrill Schoonover by calling him “titties,” since Big D may not be the best physical specimen on Earth. But having an amazing physique doesn’t make you a good fighter. As Kenny Powers says in Eastbound and Down on HBO, “I play real sports … not trying to be the best at exercising.” So even though these guys may not have beautifully etched abs, cannonball delts, cobra-like lats, muscular thighs, and a firm bottom, it doesn’t mean they can’t scrap. (Did I really just write that sentence? Holy hell! I need to go look at pictures of hot chicks ASAP.)

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Superfoods

Superfoods for an MMA fighter prolong endurance and work capacity, help with muscle recovery and growth, and help prevent injury, which ultimately helps in and out of the cage. Here are 10 essential foods you need to add to your diet to help with your fight preparation.

(These are great for anyone, not just fighters!)

10 Most Wanted

Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, today released its 2009 list of Washington's "Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians." The list, in alphabetical order, includes:

The True Origin of Christmas

Why do people think that Christmas is wonderful? It certainly felt wonderful to me. I trusted what my parents told me. I had no reason to doubt them. They were merely teaching me what their parents had taught them. I never questioned the true origin of Christmas!

Most never reflect on why they believe what they believe or do what they do. We live in a world filled with customs, but few ever seek to understand their origin. We generally accept them without question. Most people basically do what everyone else does—because it is easy and natural!

It was 300 years after Christ before the Roman church kept Christmas, and not until the fifth century that it was mandated to be kept throughout the empire as an official festival honoring “Christ.”

December 25th was not selected because it was the birth of Christ or because it was even near it. It was selected because it coincided with the idolatrous pagan festival Saturnalia—and this celebration must be carefully examined. In any event, we do not know the exact date of Christ’s birth.

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It is also asserted that the very same astrological events (particularly Winter Solstice) that gave rise to the "pagan" practices described in the article were also the basis for the world's major religions.

The Ponzi Decade

It is fitting that we end the current decade just like we started it, with the bursting of bubbles. In the early part of the decade we were dealing with the fallout of the technology bust. That was quickly replaced by the even bigger housing bubble and that has now popped as well. The trillions lost by average Americans is incredible but in reality nothing was technically lost because the entire decade was one enormous Ponzi scheme and like all Ponzi schemes the wealth created is false. Bernard Madoff was simply the mascot of a decade built on phony money spewed out by the corporatocracy of Wall Street. What is even more troubling is how the actions taken by Wall Street are not being prosecuted in the same fashion as our justice system took on Bernard Madoff. The reason for that is the corporatocracy has legalized national bank robbery.




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Chief counterfeiter is "Man of the Year"

Aspartame alert: Diet soda destroys kidney function

(NaturalNews) Scientists from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston have revealed results from a study outlining some of the effects of artificial sweeteners on the body. Conducted on a group of 3,000 women, the results indicated that those who drank two or more artificially-sweetened beverages a day doubled their risk of more-rapid-than-normal kidney function decline.

When aspartame was first approved in the 1970s under the name "NutraSweet", studies were submitted as supposed proof that the artificial chemical was safe. The FDA initially approved the chemical in 1974 for use in a limited number of foods based upon the studies submitted by G.D. Searle Co., the company that invented aspartame.

Following a discovery made shortly thereafter by a research psychiatrist who found that aspartic acid, a primary ingredient in aspartame, caused holes to form in the brains of mice, the FDA decided to form its own internal task force to investigate the initial claims made by the Searle Co.

What the agency discovered was a series of falsified claims, compromised study results, and missing information. The claims made in favor of aspartame were so dubious and the evidence so faulty that the FDA decreed that a grand jury should investigate Searle Co.'s claims. Unfortunately, the case failed to move forward when U.S. Attorney Thomas Sullivan and Assistant U.S. Attorney William Conlon failed to initiate any legal action. Conlon was later hired by the law firm that represented Searle Co.

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No kidding

10 Health Benefits of Vinegar

Many of us are aware of the many ways that vinegar can clean just about anything, from your windows to the outflow pipes of your air conditioner. However, how many of us realize the health benefits of vinegar?

Surveillance Shocker: Sprint Received 8 MILLION Law Enforcement Requests for GPS Location Data in the Past Year

This October, Chris Soghoian — computer security researcher, oft-times journalist, and current technical consultant for the FTC's privacy protection office — attended a closed-door conference called "ISS World". ISS World — the "ISS" is for "Intelligence Support Systems for Lawful Interception, Criminal Investigations and Intelligence Gathering" — is where law enforcement and intelligence agencies consult with telco representatives and surveillance equipment manufacturers about the state of electronic surveillance technology and practice. Armed with a tape recorder, Soghoian went to the conference looking for information about the scope of the government's surveillance practices in the US. What Soghoian uncovered, as he reported on his blog this morning, is more shocking and frightening than anyone could have ever expected.

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