Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell has proposed replacing the state's gasoline tax with an increase in the sales tax and a new annual fee for hybrid and electric cars. link

Keep those oil profits rolling in.

LEICESTER, England -- In one of Britain's most dramatic modern archaeological finds, researchers here announced on Monday that skeletal remains found under a parking lot in this English Midlands city were those of King Richard III, for centuries the most widely reviled of English monarchs, paving the way for a possible reassessment of his brief but violent reign.

Richard Buckley, the lead archaeologist on a project to identify the bones, told reporters that tests and research since the remains were discovered last September proved "beyond reasonable doubt" that the "individual exhumed" from a makeshift grave under the parking lot was "indeed Richard III, the last Plantagenet king of England."

SNIP

Since at least the late 18th century, scholars have debated whether Richard was the victim of a campaign of denigration by the Tudor monarchs who succeeded him. His supporters argue that he was a decent king, harsh in the ways of his time, but a proponent of groundbreaking measures to help the poor, extend protections to suspected criminals and ease bans on the printing and selling of books.

But his detractors cast Richard's 26 months on the throne as one of England's grimmest periods, its excesses captured in his alleged role in the murder in the Tower of London of two young princes -- his own nephews -- to rid himself of potential rivals.

Shakespeare told the king's story in "Richard III," depicting him as an evil, scheming hunchback whose death at 32 ended the War of the Roses and more than three centuries of Plantagenet rule, bookended England's Middle Ages, and proved a prelude to the triumphs of the Tudors and Elizabethans.

In Shakespeare's account, Richard was killed after being unhorsed on the battlefield, crying: "A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse."

Gold Medal Sizzling Fajitas

Chicken Fajitas with a Yogurt/Avocado Sauce

Make a small incision in the skin to squeeze the juice out. You can also insert a straw in the opening to drink the juice directly.

I did find the pomegranate juice at Whole Foods, and put it in the Vitamix with some lime juice, strawberries, watermelon and ice. Then I filled champagne glasses 2/3 full with champagne and added the juice on the top and it was really good.  

Then there was salad (arugula, celery, strawberries and cucumber with pine nuts), and for appetizers, guacamole and chips,  and brie cheese with strawberries, with warm honey drizzled on top, and now I'm exhausted.

GLEN ROSE, Texas (AP) -- Former Navy SEAL and American Sniper author Chris Kyle was fatally shot along with another man Saturday on a Texas gun range, a sheriff told local newspapers.

Erath County Sheriff Tommy Bryant said Kyle, 38, and a second man were found dead at Rough Creek Lodge's shooting range west of Glen Rose, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and Stephenville Empire-Tribune. Glen Rose is about 50 miles southwest of Fort Worth.
....
Witnesses told sheriff's investigators that a gunman opened fire on the men around 3:30 p.m. Saturday, then fled in a pickup truck belonging to one of the victims, according to the Star-Telegram.
link

A man shot and killed himself Thursday evening at a Timonium gun shop and firing range, according to Baltimore County police spokesman Cpl. John Wachter.

Police responded to a 911 call regarding a shooting at the Continental Arms firing range a little after 5 p.m., Thursday.

It was determined at the scene that the man died of a self-inflicted gun shot wound. Two police cruisers remained in the upper parking lot on Deereco Road as of 6 p.m.

There were no other injuries reported.

Individuals seeking to rent a gun at Continental Arms must first provide a driver's license or some other form of government-issued identification. First time range shooters must also read over the rules and regulations of the range before obtaining a gun, in addition to filling out paperwork.

Patrons are often quizzed verbally on the rules, Patch has observed on a number of occasions.

Additionally, all ammunition used at the range must be purchased there.

So, the evidence piles up: whatever it is people want to do, they'll find a way to do it, so let's just stop all this effort to reduce the deaths and injuries from guns, okay?  It's pointless.

said there had been many pieces to the "puzzle" solved to find bin Laden, ... "Yes, some of it came from some of the tactics that were used at that time - interrogation tactics that were used," said Panetta, ... "I think we could have gotten Bin Laden without that," Panetta added in response to a question about what the interviewer called enhanced interrogation or torture... Panetta did not elaborate on how this might have been done, but said most of the intelligence used to find bin Laden had been stitched together without resort to enhanced interrogation.

I suspect more like a case of "I loved my name in the news so much that I'm considering getting it out there again". What better way to make a boring special election fun. Go for it Tagg.