Man fights aliens, then pops the question

Ross Savedra fought aliens to rescue his girlfriend, then popped the question in an out-of-this-world proposal. Savedra, 32, staged his elaborate proposal Sunday afternoon for Ariana Ash, 23, with the help for family members and Roswell’s UFO Museum.Savedra and Ash were touring the museum when a silver-suited, masked alien from an exhibit called “alien autopsy” suddenly abducted Ash from in front of a group of tourists. Savedra dashed through the crowd, fought two aliens and rescued her. Then he dropped to his knees, presented her a ring and asked her to marry him. They embraced in a cloud of shiny colored confetti tossed by onlookers and were applauded by tourists who had been tipped off by the aliens ? Ash’s brother-in-law and stepfather.

“By the way, everyone, she said yes,” Julie Shuster, the museum’s director, announced over the sound system. – yahoo

Smallest One Man Helicopter

I’ve heard the counterrotating blades idea before… in connection with a man made “UFO” designed around 1955. I see it works.

“The GEN H-4 requires approximately 30-40 hours to assemble the pre-manufactured parts. ” – byu

Empty weight? Max takeoff weight? Endurance? Cruising speed? Ceiling? VNE?

155 lb (70 kg) 420 lb (190 kg) Approx. 60 min. (Depending on payload) 55 mph (100 km/h) 10,000 ft (3,000m) (estimate) 120 mph (200 km/h)

Man Flies in Homemade Plane. Power Source: 160 AA Batteries

A manned plane powered by conventional batteries took off from Tokyo on Sunday – and flew for 59 seconds. The one-man, glider-like plane took off from a private airport and reached a height of 5.2m (16ft). It was powered by 160 AA batteries, which are commonly used in portable CD players and cameras. … “I was careful at take-off as it was very difficult,” said pilot Tomohiro Kamiya, a senior member at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. He added: “As it soared 5m, people on the ground looked so small to me. – bbc

US Heat Wave: Can the Power Grids Hold?

Here’s a pic of my car thermometer showing the outside temperature yesterday. The heat was brutal.

“As the US heat wave ramps up and goes nationwide, many are expressing concern wondering if the nation’s power grid can hold as American’s turn down the thermostat and crank up the air conditioning.

A report from Reuters notes that PJM Interconnection, the largest U.S. interconnected power grid operator on Tuesday has called for energy-saving measures, but it has stopped short of projecting a new record for power demand. …

Scores of communities Monday reported temperatures of more than 100 degrees: Redding, Calif., about 160 miles north of Sacramento, reached 110 degrees;”

“Calif. Governor Schwarzenegger ordered state agencies, departments, boards and commissions to implement energy conservation plans and reduce the state’s use of electricity at peak hours by 25 percent for the rest of the week” – yuba

Another Tsunami: 350+ people killed, 34,000+ displaced

“Monday’s quake struck at 3:24 p.m. about 150 miles beneath the ocean floor, causing tall buildings to sway hundreds of miles away in the capital, Jakarta. ” – forbes

” At least 350 people were killed after a tsunami smashed into fishing villages and resorts on Indonesia’s Java island following a strong undersea earthquake.

At least four non-Indonesians were among the dead, 131 people were missing and 34,013 people were displaced, officials said. The U.S. Geological Survey rated the undersea quake’s magnitude at 7.7. with its epicentre about 180 kms off the hardest hit spot on Java’s southern coast. The U.S.-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the quake would not trigger “a destructive widespread tsunami threat”, but could cause some local tsunamis.” – more

Friday: July 21: Xeno to Play Benefit for Victim of Assault

Ricky Dickerson is a Sacramento area man who was savagely beaten by a group of men when attempting to help a woman in a park. I’m playing a benefit to help Ricky’s family this Friday. (Note: Event is SOLD OUT, but you can donate. Info: here (pdf) )

Date: Friday, July 21
Time: 6:00 PM
Place: 2197 Chase Drive, Cordova Community Center, Rancho Cordova.

“Dickerson, 37, was severely beaten by a group of men during an unprovoked attack May 11 at Hagan Park, investigators say. Almost two months later, he remains in a Folsom-area long-term care hospital, his condition listed as unresponsive.” – readmore

I spoke to a reporter from the Sacramento Bee who said the four suspects are in jail at this time and this seems to be a random act of violence with no gang component according to what he has been told by police. I’m told that police will be on hand at this benefit.