Free Republic

Four people were injured tonight and around 21 others were left hanging 30ft in the air when a roller coaster at Six Flags in Los Angeles derailed. Los Angeles County Fire Department first responders were called to Six Flags Magic Mountain in Santa Clarita just before 6 p.m. after ride operators said the attraction that hits 55 mph had smashed into a tree. Rescue crews discovered the terrified passengers clinging to the amusement park ride, according to KTLA. They were using heavy equipment to extract the thrillseekers.

Pickup trucks customized to spew black smoke into the air are quickly becoming the newest weapon in the culture wars. "Coal Rollers" are diesel trucks modified with chimneys and equipment that can force extra fuel into the engine causing dark black smoke to pour out of the chimney stacks. These modifications are not new, but as Slate's Dave Weigel pointed out on Thursday, "rolling coal" has begun to take on a political dimension with pickup drivers increasingly viewing their smokestacks as a form of protest against environmentalists and Obama administration emissions regulations. Last month, Vocativ noted many coal rollers focus...

GRAND PRAIRIE (CBSDFW.COM) – A shooter opened fire at a skating rink during a private family event Saturday night, killing five and wounding four before turning the gun on himself, Grand Prairie Police spokesman John Brimmer said.

OKLAHOMA CITY, March 10, 2010 – Some soldiers will do almost anything to stay in shape. Left to right, roller derby teammates Army Sgt. Karli Wahkahquah, Army 1st Lt. Kristin Sloan and Army 1st Lt. Jessica duMonceaux, all members of the Oklahoma Army National Guard, proudly show off their dainty, powder blue Thunderbirds -- symbolic of the parent 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team under which they serve. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Darren D. Heusel  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Three soldiers from the Oklahoma Army National Guard are lacing up their roller skates, strapping on elbow...

"Batman the Ride" at Six Flags Over Georgia. It was the second Batman ride-related death at the Cobb County park. According to the police and a statement from the amusement park, the boy and a friend climbed over two 6-foot fences -- the park perimeter fence and a second one surrounding the ride -- to get to the roller coaster. Park officials said there were numerous signs warning would-be intruders of the danger. The victim was decapitated when the ride struck him, police said. The youth was not identified. "The areas where the individuals entered were clearly marked with signs...

NEW YORK — Ian Culhane won $10,000 for designing a 7-foot-tall toy roller coaster. Not bad for a 10-year-old. "It's money for college," the aspiring engineer from Olympia, Wash., said Thursday about the savings bond. Ian's creation was on display at the Toys "R" Us store in Times Square, where he accepted the prize from the president of K'NEX Brands, a building toy company in Hatfield, Pa. The boy, who first started playing with building sets when he was 4, was one of thousands of children ages 6 to 12 who entered the annual contest. Ian began the project last...

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- A 13-year-old Orlando boy was hospitalized this weekend after falling from a roller coaster ride while acting on a dare from a friend, according to a statement from Cypress Gardens Sunday. Martin Llamas remained in intensive care at St. Joseph's Children's Hospital in Tampa, hospital officials said. He had been airlifted there Saturday after falling from the Triple Hurricane roller coaster at the Polk County theme park. Hospital officials did not comment on his injuries. According to a preliminary investigation, Llamas was facing the cars behind him as the ride approached a sharp right turn, said Carrie...

The mine roller offers soldiers protection against improvised explosive devices. It was built by mechanics from 2nd Battalion, 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment at Forward Operating Base Lagman, Afghanistan. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Vincent Fusco Mine Roller Offers Protection for Troops With some old-fashioned ingenuity, unwanted equipment and creative minds, the U.S. soldiers created a unique machine to combat improvised explosive devices. By U.S. Army Pfc. Vincent Fusco 20th Public Affairs Detachment FORWARD OPERATING BASE LAGMAN, Afghanistan, Jan. 12, 2006 — A trailer pushed by a Humvee may look strange, but there's a reason why this cart is put...

First female commander, phobic of roller coasters, leads next shuttle mission By Marcia Dunn, Associated Press Sunday, May 01, 2005 SPACE CENTER, Houston - Sometime in July, Eileen Collins, commander of the next space shuttle mission, will strap herself into a rocketship loaded with explosive fuel and fearlessly shoot from zero to 1,000 mph in a minute flat. Just don't ask her to get on a roller coaster. Collins - the first woman to pilot a shuttle and now the first female commander - will preside over NASA's return to space more than two years after the Columbia tragedy. Known...

JACKSON, N.J. -- Six Flags Great Adventure is opening the world's tallest and fastest roller coaster this spring -- a thrill ride that accelerates to 128 mph in 3.5 seconds and rises 456 feet off the ground. Plans for Kingda Ka, which is expected to be the cornerstone of new development at the central New Jersey amusement park, were to be unveiled Wednesday. The current speed and height record holder is "Top Thrill Dragster" at Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. Made by Intamin -- the same company Six Flags hired to build Kingda Ka -- Dragster shoots riders...