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A slew of big news stories have hit the wires this morning. Here they are all in one clump, for obvious reasons.
A new Mount Everest record is scheduled to be set, as Bob “Gnarly” Goldstein aims to be the first man to mountain bike to the summit. According to an interview with , Goldstein reckons that the trip back down the 29,029-foot mountain will be worth the agony of ascent.
Three time Mens's Pro World kayak champion EJ Jackson announced his retirement today. According to his , the 47-year-old, who was previously making a bid for the 2011 World Championships, will re-focus his energies on frisbee golf, fishing, and beer.
Several yeti sightings have spurred officials in west Siberia to launch a scientific institute dedicated to studying the ape-like mythological creatures. Scientist Igor Burstev , “we think the yeti is a separate branch of human evolution. It lives in harmony with nature.” 30 scientists are already studying the creature and could streamline research at the new institute.
Animal Planet announced a two hour show on the cobra that escaped from the Bronx Zoo. The cobra’s been to Wall Street, to Ellis Island and the Empire State Building. Now it’s coming to Animal Planet. The network announces today : SNAKE ON THE TOWN, a special two-hour documentary to air this spring about the newly recaptured venomous cobra, , and her very public whirlwind tour of New York City.
And if you believe those, here's an even better one from last April 1st.
They are cuddly and (mostly) harmless, but vacationers in Florida have nothing but complaints about the recent arrival of in the Everglades National Park. Campers report being awakened mid-night to the furry animals invading sleeping bags, and scientists are growing concerned about the marsupial's effect on the Everglade's fragile ecosystem.
“I couldn’t believe my eyes,” remembers Carla Sommers, who says she woke up inside her RV in the Everglades this past January to discover a koala had wrapped its tiny arms around her body and was snoring soundly. “He was just so cute and looked so darn comfortable sleeping there beside me. No one has hugged me like that in years.”
–Ali Taylor Lange