Douglas Ernst
Articles by Douglas Ernst
The indestructible drone: Roll cage makes GimBall perfect for disaster sites
War-torn countries and disaster areas that need to observed by officials require sturdy drones. That's where the nearly indestructible GimBall comes into play. Published July 1, 2014
Super Samaritan: Minn. Guardsman bent car door in half to save driver from burning vehicle
Call him the Super Samaritan. Minnesota Air National Guardsman Robert Renning saved a man from a burning vehicle by bending a car door in half. Published July 1, 2014
ISIL recruits ‘underwear bomb’ creator: Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri pledges allegiance to terrorist army
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant have recruited a notable new member — the suspected creator of the "underwear bomb." Published July 1, 2014
Apple CEO Tim Cook seemingly ‘outed’ by CNBC host
A CNBC panel sat in stunned silence on Friday when a co-host seemingly "outed" Apple CEO Tim Cook as gay on Friday. Published June 27, 2014
Man uses drones to monitor L.A. police
A California man decided to turn the fear that drones will be abused by law enforcement officials on its head by using the technology to monitor police behavior. Published June 27, 2014
Amy Adams gives first-class airline ticket to U.S. soldier
"American Hustle" star Amy Adams quietly gave her first-class seat on a Friday flight to a soldier, but her gesture didn't stay secret for long. Published June 27, 2014
Life imitates art: ‘Hunger Games’ salute becomes criminal offense in Thailand
Life is imitating art in Thailand. Unfortunately for Thai protesters, it's the illegal three-fingered salute from the "Hunger Games" books and film series. Published June 27, 2014
Army vets blast PC police for attacking Apache, Chinook helicopters as racist
Veterans aren't happy with a recent charges that the Apache, Comanche, Chinook, Lakota, Cheyenne and Kiowa military vehicles are a slur against American Indians. Published June 27, 2014
Hashtag jihad: ISIL vows U.S. terror with #CalamityWillBefallUS
State Department spokesman Jen Psaki once urged Russia to live up to "the promise of hashtag" on Twitter. Now, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is using hashtags to promise upcoming terrorist attacks on American soil. Published June 27, 2014
Artillery shell crashes through Okla. man’s home: ‘You would not believe how huge this thing is’
The owner of Oklahoma's Fast Machine Gun Shoot has some explaining to do. A 105mm artillery round from a World War II era howitzer crashed though a man's home — three miles from the gun range. Published June 26, 2014
Feds: Calif. wind farm’s giant blades can kill eagles and no one will face prosecution
The federal government is issuing a special permit to a wind farm just outside San Francisco that will allow investors to avoid prosecution over eagle deaths caused by giant blades or electrocution. Published June 26, 2014
Iraq’s $1B parliamentary complex moves forward as nation implodes, ISIL advances
Sunni Islamic radicals have taken over large swathes Iraq and have the capital city of Baghdad surrounded, but that hasn't stopped the secretary general of Iraq's parliament, Ayad Namik Majid, from saying a $1 billion parliamentary complex will move forward. Published June 26, 2014
‘Facebook’ for finding terrorists: Company hopes to make ‘tracking bad guys’ easy
There are a lot of terrorist for intelligence analysts to track. A Florida company seeks to make that task easier with a Facebook-like program that will allow individuals raised on social media to find their man. Published June 26, 2014
White House ending anti-terror task force in Philippines
The Obama administration is putting an end to an elite task force of military trainers who were sent to the Philippines roughly one year after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Published June 26, 2014
Iraqi army may pre-emptively open Haditha Dam floodgates as ISIL closes in
The dam in Iraq may literally be about to burst. Sunni radicals from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant are closing in on the country's second-largest dam. Officials fear that the terrorist army will use it as a weapon, so they're preparing to preemptively open the flood gates — on them. Published June 25, 2014
Stealth bombing until 2058: B-2 receiving massive upgrade for future missions
The Air Force is going to make sure everyone's favorite bat-winged bomber stays stealth through 2058. The B-2 Spirit will be included in upcoming modernization planning being conducted by the Pentagon. Published June 25, 2014
Jon Stewart: IRS, federal government behavior ‘borders on criminal idiocy’
Comedian Jon Stewart isn't impressed with the Internal Revenue Service's story that it simply lost Lois Lerner emails during a 2011 hard drive crash, saying that the government's behavior "across all platforms borders on criminal idiocy." Published June 25, 2014
Marvel vs. Bill O’Reilly: Spider-Man nemesis J. Jonah Jameson turned into Fox News caricature
Spider-Man's long-time detractor J. Jonah Jameson is getting a new job at "The Fact Channel," and he's starting to use language remarkably familiar to Fox News host Bill O'Reilly. Published June 25, 2014
Baghdad surrounded: ‘Nightmare scenario’ unfolding as ISIL takes key supply routes
Baghdad is surrounded by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and at least two key supply routes are under the Sunni radical organization's control. Published June 24, 2014
Syrian warplanes strike inside Iraq in effort to derail ISIL advance
At least 50 people died in western Iraq on Tuesday due to Syrian airstrikes. For the past two days, Bashar Assad's regime has assisted Iraq as it struggles to stem the tide of Sunni radicals advancing across the country. Published June 24, 2014
