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The reality of human frailty in the face of such daring acts of impossible athleticism sunk in hard. We hope and pray that he makes a full recovery My love affair with the circus started as a child in Romania when a caravan coming all the way from Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, or Hungary would set up the big tent in an open field not far from the concrete grey cluster of high-rise communist era apartments we lived in. We were so dazzled by the lights, the bright and happy colors, the clowns, the caged tigers and the lumbering giant elephants, the...

As the grand re-opening of the refurbished Al. Ringling Theatre nears, take a look back at its construction more than 100 years ago in this collection of Centennial Tales columns written by Sauk County Historical Society President Paul Wolter.

Could this be the biggest find since the Dead Sea Scrolls? Seventy metal books found in cave in Jordan could change our view of Biblical history By Fiona Macrae Last updated at 11:35 AM on 30th March 2011 For scholars of faith and history, it is a treasure trove too precious for price. This ancient collection of 70 tiny books, their lead pages bound with wire, could unlock some of the secrets of the earliest days of Christianity. Academics are divided as to their authenticity but say that if verified, they could prove as pivotal as the discovery of the...

The New York Daily News reported yesterday that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), always on the lookout for a media stunt, delivered a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture demanding the government refuse to renew the exhibitor license of the Ringling Bros. circus. Looks like the media whiz-kids at PETA screwed this one up, though. The same newspaper reports today in a follow up article that the USDA already renewed Ringling’s permit—last week. Oops. This attempted offensive strategy is just the latest from animal rights groups like PETA and the so-called “Humane Society” of the...

Listen to the awful but really funny song of an Iranian parade in Teheran. With that type of horrible song, you don't need anything else to understand why Iran is losing the War on Terror. Its soldiers should be so demoralized !!

Even a half hour after Ron Paul's "Revolution" rally ended in downtown Manchester, there was a crowd larger than other candidates could only hope to draw. The campaign estimated that as many as 800 people showed up as the Texas congressman kicked off a canvassing effort in New Hampshire's three largest cities. The campaign gave out buttons asking: "Who is Ron Paul?" But who are Ron Paul's supporters? "I think they're new to the process," said Paul's son, Rand Paul. "We definitely have Democrats that are crossing over, Libertarians crossing over, Independents crossing over. And I think the people that...

Sorry but I'm all out of Buffalo Bill Pics :( But Here are some Ringling Bros. Pics in Maine circa 1910. This is a great collection of pics. I have to try to let my stepdad let me keep these. What's really cool about these is that there are photographer Notes as to the F-Stop and all of that 'Stuff' on the back I'm trying to preserve them for an historical record :)

The circus arrived Tuesday bringing clowns, elephants, high-wire acts -- and a more aggressive attitude against animal rights protesters. Dogged by activists for years -- and pretty much taking it -- Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey is defending its handling of animals in brochures distributed to circus fans, at its Web site -- www.ringling.com -- and by incorporating fightin' word language in first-strike press materials. Tonight, the circus is allowing media to tour its animal stables at the Allstate Arena, a first. In advance of the circus' arrival, in a letter to Chicago media, Ringling's local publicist warned of...

23 people - and one goat - spill out of overloaded taxiby SHARIKA REGCHAND A minibus taxi carrying 17 adults, six children and a goat was impounded in Commercial Road on Saturday. Senior Provincial Traffic Inspector Zain Mahomed said traffic officials stopped the taxi, which was en route to the Transkei, when they noticed that the sliding door was not closed properly. He said a passenger was sitting on top of luggage and holding a goat with its head sticking out of the door. The taxi was impounded and taken to the Mkondeni testing grounds where it was found to...