Co-pilot Andreas Lubitz Hid Illness from Germanwings; Ex-Girlfriend Says He Wanted to Make History

germanwings (Photo: Reuters/Eric Gaillard)

A French investigator stands in front of a map showing the crash site of a Germanwings Airbus A320 near Seynes-les-Alpes, in French Alps, March 27, 2015. A young German co-pilot barricaded himself alone in the cockpit of Germanwings flight 9525 and apparently set it on course to crash into an Alpine mountain, killing all 150 people on board including himself, French prosecutors said on Thursday. The pilot Andreas Lubitz, 27, who crashed a plane in the French Alps had received a sick note from doctors showing he suffered a health condition that would have prevented him flying the day of the crash, which he apparently hid from his employer, German prosecutors said.

Christian Post Report – Andreas Lubitz, the co-pilot who allegedly crashed Germanwings Flight 9525 into the French Alps this week, had been declared “unfit to work” by a doctor but he concealed that fact from his employer, prosecutors said. His ex-girlfriend said he told her he wanted to do something to be remembered in history.

“Documents with medical contents were confiscated that point towards an existing illness and corresponding treatment by doctors,” said the prosecutors’ office in Dusseldorf, the home of the 27-year-old German co-pilot, according to Reuters.

The prosecutors, who found torn-up sick notes in his house, said Lubitz had “hidden his illness from his employer and his colleagues.”

Meanwhile, German newspaper Bild quoted an ex-girlfriend of Lubitz, identified as Mary W, as saying he told her he wanted to “do something” to be remembered in history, according to Daily Mail.

“One day I will do something that will change the whole system, and then all will know my name and remember it,” she was quoted as saying about what he told her. “I never knew what he meant, but now it makes sense.”

Lubitz reportedly took a break in his training because of “burnout-syndrome,” she said.

“At night, he woke up and screamed: ‘We’re going down!’ because he had nightmares,” she added. “He knew how to hide from other people what was really going on inside.”

Lubitz was flying the Germanwings plane between Barcelona, Spain, and Dusseldorf Tuesday. Black Box audio recordings provided evidence that Lubitz locked himself inside the cockpit after the captain, Patrick S., had stepped out. Lubitz then activated the plane’s descent and reprogrammed the autopilot to change the plane’s altitude from 38,000 to 100 feet. The captain can be heard banging on the door and trying to get in, but Lubitz refuses to open the door. No sounds are heard from the co-pilot during the entire descent, beside his steady breathing.

All 150 on board were killed.

The prosecutors said they didn’t find any suicide note or evidence of a political or religious background to what happened.

A hospital in Dusseldorf said the pilot had visited for a diagnosis March 10, without giving details abut the illness. But it added he was not treated in that hospital for depression.

However, the Bild newspaper said Lubitz had suffered a “serious depressive episode” in 2009 during his training as per internal documents forwarded by Lufthansa’s Aero Medical Center to German authorities. He spent more than a year in psychiatric treatment, the newspaper added.

According to Carsten Spohr, CEO of Lufthansa, which owns Germanwings, Lubitz had passed medical and psychological testing when he was hired in 2013.

Source : Christian Post

‘The Mindy Project’ News, Update: Executive Producer Mindy Kaling Talks Potential Season 4

The Mindy Project FACEBOOK/ The Mindy Project

FOX’s “The Mindy Project”

Christian Post Report – The third season of the hit romantic comedy TV series “The Mindy Project” has just recently ended with what E! Online called an “incredibly crafted” finale episode.

Fans saw how Daniel (Chris Messina) proved to Dr. Mindy (Mindy Kaling) that she is really the one by flying over to India.

Now that it’s officially over, followers of the show were wondering what comes next for Mindy and the rest of the Shulman & Associates. Here’s what we heard:

Prior to the airing of the concluding segment, Kaling spoke to Entertainment Weekly to dish out her thoughts about the show.

“I just don’t think this is the end for (the cast),” the 35-year-old actress told EW’s Jessica Shaw and Melissa Maerz. “I feel me and the writers have so many stories to tell, and I just have a good feeling that it’s going to come back.”

And one of those stories would definitely be about Mindy and Danny as parents.

“Danny as a father is really something to think about writing—I love that. And Mindy on maternity leave, Mindy on the playground with other moms. There’s so many things! And I feel like the way we see it portrayed on TV—to have it be funny and not have it be tragic—I’m really excited.”

She also commended her co-star Messina, saying that he was worthy of an Emmy.

“It’s a really romantic episode, and Chris Messina is so good in it,” she said. “This is the one I would submit for an Emmy for him because I think he doesn’t get thought about for those kinds of things but he just so deserves it.”

E! Online meanwhile cited their sources saying that with the “critical praise” and the “sincere love” shown towards “The Mindy Project,” there’s a high possibility that Fox would keep it “afloat once more.”

However the decision about the show’s future still remains in the hands of the network.

“Mindy is expected to get picked up somewhere. The show is produced by NBC Universal, so if Fox passes and does not pick it up for a fourth season, the studio has the right to pitch it anywhere. A likely new home could be Hulu, which is also owned by NBC Universal,” the site revealed.

Source : Christian Post

LG G Flex 2 vs Google Nexus 6: Comparison of Features, Specs

LG G Flex 2 vs Google Nexus 6 Youtube Screenshot/ file

LG G Flex 2 vs Google Nexus 6

Christian Post Report – LG became the talk of CES 2015 when the tech company unveiled the LG G Flex 2, a phone designed to flex and bend and can self-heal in a matter of seconds. The phone’s innovative design sent tech fans scrambling to know when the device will be available, because aside from its unique form, the phone has better specs than its predecessor.

Meanwhile, Google’s Nexus 6 is just a few months older than the G Flex 2, but the handset’s top of the line specs, big screen and premium build has made it a consistent favorite among Android phone fans.

Here, we compare the two devices:

Design:
The Nexus 6 is Google’s first supersized smartphone, and he phone measures 6.27 x 3.27 x 0.40 inches and weighs 6.49 ounces. The phone has an aluminum frame with a matte, plastic back, has curved edges, and is available in Cloud White and Midnight Blue.

Meanwhile, the LG G Flex 2 is truly one of a kind—it’s a phone with a curved shape, which flattens when it’s pressed down, but springs back to its original shape once pressure has been taken off of it. The phone measures 5.87 x 2.96 x 0.37 inches and weighs 5.36 ounces and has a self-healing coat, which makes scuffs and scratches disappear in 10 seconds. The G Flex 2 comes in Flamingo Red and Platinum Silver.

Features:
When it comes to the screens, the Google phone dominates in size and resolution as the Nexus 6 has a 6-inch display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels and pixel density of 493ppi, while the G Flex 2 has a 5.5-inch display with a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels.

The Google Nexus 6 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 quad-core processor, while the G Flex 2 has a a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 octa-core processor. Both phones run on Android 5.0 Lollipop.

The Google device has a 13MP rear camera and 2MP front camera, while the LG phone has a 13MP rear camera and 2.1MP front camera.

Price:
The LG G Flex 2 costs $600 off contract, while the Google Nexus 6 costs $750 for the 32GB model and $820 for the 64GB model.

Source : Christian Post

Buffalo Bills NFL 2015 News, Rumors: Owner Wouldn’t Mind a NFL Franchise in Toronto

Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick throws a pass against the Arizona Cardinals during the second half of their NFL football game in Phoenix, Arizona October 14, 2012. (Photo: Reuters/Ralph D. Freso)

Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick throws a pass against the Arizona Cardinals during the second half of their NFL football game in Phoenix, Arizona October 14, 2012.

Christian Post Report – Ted Pegula recently bought the NFL’s Buffalo Bills. He also owns the Buffalo Sabres of the NHL. He is committed to keeping the Bills in Buffalo but has recently said he does not mind if the NFL places a franchise in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Toronto and Buffalo are pretty close geographically and Pegula says that this question came up when he was meeting with the NFL to be approved to purchase the Bills.

Even though Pegula wouldn’t mind the NFL putting a team in Toronto actually getting to a reality where that is happen is a uphill battle. The league is now fully committed to getting at least one team moved to the Los Angeles market. Depending on what team or teams that ends up being the NFL would likely want to replace a franchise in St. Louis, and the London, England experiment continues with odds pretty good that the league will one day place a franchise there. That is three markets ahead of Toronto in line for franchises.

While the Toronto market is certainly big enough to support a NFL team the city had a very lukewarm reaction to the Bills playing one preseason and one regular season game there the past few years. A NFL franchise would face serious competition from the Toronto Maple leafs in the NHL and the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL. Many Americans don’t view the CFL as serious competition for the NFL but in Canada the CFL is immensely popular and has been for nearly a century.

With some 8.5 million people in the greater Toronto area, it is a market that is very attractive to the NFL. However. Given the popularity of the CFL and the almost religious like following for professional hockey it has to be asked if Toronto is a place where the NFL can thrive.

Source : Christian Post

George R.R. Martin Shrugs Off Attempts to Pressure Him Into Finishing ‘The Winds of Winter’

George R.R. Martin Reuters/File

George R.R. Martin, author of the “Song of Ice and Fire” fantasy series that is the basis of the television series “Game of Thrones”

Christian Post Report – Novelist George R. R. Martin is resisting all pressure from fans, editors and TV networks to finish up the sixth book in his popular fantasy series, “A Song of Fire and Ice.”

George R.R. Martin, recalcitrant author of the best-selling epic book series, “A Song of Fire and Ice,” has refused to be hurried into completing “The Winds of Winter,” the highly anticipated sixth novel in “A Song of Fire and Ice.”

Despite feeling the heat to complete the long anticipated sixth novel, the author has insisted on producing his best work and has ignored the pressure from all sides.

“There is more pressure every year,” The Star quoted Martin as admitting during the San Francisco premiere of season five of “The Game of Thrones.” “The main thing is to make the book as good as I can possibly make it.”

The Winds of Winter The Winds of Winter/Facebook

The Winds of Winter, #6 book of ASOIAF. Facebook. March 19, 2015.

So far, only five of the seven-book series have been published, with the release of the fifth novel, “A Dance with Dragons” occurring together with the first airing of HBO’s Emmy award-winning TV adaptation of the series. By the end of season five, the show will have run out of material based on the books.

Martin insists that in 50 years, no one will care about the length of time between books, as long as the works have been well-written enough to stand the test of time, which he reiterates remains his goal when writing each of his novels.

Martin, 66, had earlier announced he would not be attending the San Diego Comic-Con and Saratoga Springs World Fantasy Convention to concentrate on finishing “The Winds of Winter,” referring to the uncompleted sixth book as the “Son of Kong” — a monkey on his back.

He also admitted his indifference towards the television cult phenomenon of spoilers, a concept he still doesn’t understand, saying spoilers should have no place in people deciding to watch a movie, TV show, or read a book.

Source : Christian Post

‘Spider-Man’ News, Casting Rumors: 16-Year-Old Mateus Ward May Be New Webslinger

Spider-Man FACEBOOK/ Spider-Man

Spider-Man

Christian Post Report – Marvel is set to start filming “Captain America: Civil War” in a few weeks. If the new Spider-Man is supposed to make his appearance in the movie, reports are saying that Marvel should have found the right actor for the role as early as now.

After Sony and Marvel struck a deal to bring in Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a lot of speculation has been going on about how Sony will reboot the Spider-Man franchise. The deal effectively killed “The Amazing Spider-Man” series of movies and booted out actor Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker. One rumor was that the reboot will follow the “Ultimate Spider-Man” storyline and bring in Miles Morales as the new Spider-Man.

Yet another rumor was that Marvel and Sony will work with a retelling of the origins story of the web-crawler, with a young teenage Peter Parker. If reports are to be believed, this may just be the direction Sony and Marvel are taking.

According to a report in BadAss Digest, Marvel is supposedly casting young actors for the role of Spider-Man. In particular, the report mentions that 16-year-old Mateus Ward, a relative unknown in the movie industry secretly auditioned for the part. Ward is better known for his acting on TV, in the series “Hostages” and “Murder in the First.”

Casting a younger actor supposedly signifies that Marvel and Sony are thinking of the long-term, since there are still plans for solo Spider-Man movies in a few years. A report in Screen Rant confirms this observation, that whoever will play Spider-Man must do so for years to come. This same actor will have to reprise the role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and in the Spider-Man films of Sony.

While Ward has not been confirmed as the one who has been cast to play Peter Parker, this rumor still confirms Marvel’s move to cast 16 to 17 year old actors for the part.

Source : Christian Post

‘The Crow’ Remake News: Jack Huston to Star as ‘The Crow’

The Crow 1994 Trailer screenshot YouTube/File

A screenshot of The Crow 1994 movie.

Christian Post Report – “The Crow” is making a comeback. The undead avenger Eric Draven will be played by actor Jack Huston, who recently played the facially disfigured Richard Harrow in “Boardwalk Empire.” The movie is a remake of the 1994 film that originally starred the late Brandon Lee as the Crow.

Jack Huston is also set to play Judah Ben-Hur in the remake of “Ben-Hur” by Paramount and MGM, as well as star in “The Longest Ride” and “Pride, Prejudice and Zombies,” according to a Variety report.

Aside from Huston, it has also been reported that Jessica Findlay Brown was cast as Draven’s fiancé, Shelly Webster.

“The Crow” is based on the graphic novel of Jason O’Barr of the same title, first published in 1989. It follows the story of Eric Draven, a musician who rises from the dead to avenge his death and that of his fiancé in the hands of local thugs who worked for a local gang boss.

The remake will be directed by Corin Hardy, who signed on December 2014, after F Javier Gutierrez said he was committed to directing “The Ring 3.” Hardy is known for his 2015 thriller “The Hallow” in the Sundance Film Festival.

The film will be produced by Edward Pressman, Kevin Misher, Relativity’s Ryan Kavanaugh, Jeff Most and Jeff Waxman. Pressman was involved in the 1994 movie. Jason O’Barr is a creative consultant for the reboot. The film’s Executive Producers include Gutierrez, Tucker Tooley, Bob and Harvey Weinstein and Dan Farah.

Production is scheduled to start in the latter part of 2015. The remake has been in the making since 2008, when one director announced his interest to do a different kind of reboot. Since then, the project has had several directors and actors attached to it, including Bradley Cooper, Channing Tatum, Mark Wahlberg, Ryan Gosling, James McAvoy and Luke Evans.

The 1994 original film is also known as a tribute to the actor Brandon Lee, who was killed during an unfortunate incident while filming.

Source : Christian Post

‘Metal Gear Solid 5 The Phantom Pain News’: Release Date, New Watch Trailer and Hideo Kojima Update (Video)

Metal Gear Solid 5 The Phantom Pain Hideo Kojima/Twitter

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain new visual poster. Hideo Kojima Twitter. March 9, 2015.

Christian Post Report – Kojima Productions has just revealed “Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain” fall release date, announced the game’s Collector’s Edition pre-order availability, and revealed a new wristwatch.

Hideo Kojima, “Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain” producer has revealed the official Sept.15 release date for the action adventure stealth game, and announced its Collector’s Edition and premium package has been made ready for pre-order.

In a tweet he posted on his social media account, Kojima put particular emphasis on Snake, as well as clues pointing towards the real time healing game mechanic that has been absent from the game since “Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater” in 2004.

The tweet shows an image of protagonist Snake riding the Helicopter with a dark green IV drip attached to his prosthetic arm, leading to speculations this may not be an ordinary intravenous blood transfusion, but may be a special kind of lubricating fuel to power up his prosthesis with extraordinary strength.

Metal Gear Solid 5 The Phantom Pain Hideo Kojima/Twitter

Snake on an IV drip in a helicopter. Hideo Kojima’s Twitter. March 10, 2015.

For fans who pre-order the Collector’s Edition that comes complete with Snake’s bionic arm, they will also be receiving color schemes, gold weapons, three cardboard boxes, Four Snake costume changes, a set of four weapons with shields, and other collector’s memorabilia.

While Amazon’s Collector’s Edition stock has sold out after it was listed as on sale at $99 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, fans of the game may still pre-order their set from Game U.K., at £99.99, and from EBGames Australia for AU$249.99.

According to Kojima, who has admitted to being exhausted on Twitter, “Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain” is to be his last game in the series. There has been news of organizational restructuring involving Konami and the games developer, following rumors of Kojima having abandoned the game mid-development. However, the games producer has released a statement on Konami’s website reassuring fans he is still 100 percent involved in creating the “greatest game I’ve directed to date.”

To show their commitment to their upcoming title, Konami has also revealed a teaser for the game’s own “Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain” wristwatch. The special silver toned timepiece makes its debut on Snake’s wrist in close shots of gameplay clips, and is shown in actual photos on the trailer. It is expected to retail for $360 when it is launched, reportedly together with the game’s release date.

Source : Christian Post

German Magazine Reveals New ‘Witcher 3’ Details, Including Geralt’s Growing Beard (VIDEO)

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt YouTube Screenshot/GameSpot

YouTube Screengrab: “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt”

Christian Post Report – New details have emerged on the upcoming “Witcher” title, with new information for fans awaiting the third installment of the action role playing game.

CD Projeckt Red has released new information via a German gaming magazine on their upcoming “Witcher 3” video game, set for launch in May 19 this year for Windows, PS4 and Xbox One.

Fans of the series eagerly awaiting the third installment received news from German publication, Gamestar.de that the new video game will feature four difficulty levels, have different sizes for cities, and more sequences involving the Ciri character.

Among some of the surprise details included Geralt’s beard, which will be growing over time as players progress into the game.

“The beard grows as time passes and when Geralt moves between locations.” Michal Platkow-Gilewski, the Polish developer’s communications head told Eurogamer. “The beard has several ‘states’ and these states determine its length – the longest is really long but it’s not Gandalf-long.”

This kind of realism depicting the passage of time has fans eagerly anticipating actual gameplay to experience the effect for themselves. However, they will still be able to set Geralt’s usual unchanged look without the growing beard, should they choose to set this option with the DLC.

This is a rare occurrence in video game history, where a character actually exhibits hair growth to portray the passage of time within the game environment.

Other details include the addition of 25 smaller towns and two big and heavily populated cities – Novigrad and Oxenfurt, where the game characters will see plenty of action.

The character Ciri will have around five to 10 linear-action type of adventures, with no inventory or skill tree, but with more heavy action adventures compared to Geralt’s own quests.

Other smaller details will be added, such as Roach eating apples from a basket, powerful mutagens inflicting as much as 40 percent damage, RDR-like horse races with options to buy upgraded equine equipment, a shorter game loading time for PC, and a fully customizable heads-up display.

Source : Christian Post

MacBook Retina 2015 vs. Microsoft Surface Pro 4: Can Microsoft Topple Apple in the Ultraportable Device Category?

MacBook Air and Microsoft Surface Pro 3 YouTube Screenshot/Surface

YouTube Screengrab: The MacBook Air and Microsoft Surface Pro 3 compared in this video

Christian Post Report – It’s been two weeks already since the new MacBook 2015 was announced, and yet there is still a lot of buzz surrounding the new ultraportable laptop from Apple.

Speaking of ultraportable, another upcoming device that has been under the radar of tech enthusiasts for months is the Microsoft Surface Pro 4. Last year, the Redmond, Wash.-based manufacturer developed the great device with the Surface Pro 3. It enabled users to seamlessly transfer from working on a tablet to a laptop.

This time around, Microsoft will certainly bring its A-game to the table in order to beat the new MacBook.

According to a report by Yibada, the upcoming device is rumored to come in two versions – a 12-inch and 14-inch model — in order to compete with Apple’s other MacBooks.

Remember, the Cupertino manufacturer also launched new versions of its MacBook Air and Pro, so Microsoft thought of another version to provide users some alternatives.

In the report, the Microsoft tablet will boast a 2160 x 1440 resolution for both versions of the device. This will directly rival the new MacBook’s Retina display.

Based on previous rumors, the upcoming device will run on an Intel Core M Broadwell chipset as well, like the Macbook 2015.

However, a report indicated that the Intel Core M chip that will run on the Surface Pro 4 will be a newer and potentially better and faster version.

In spite all of these rumors, the battle between the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 and the MacBook 2015 will boil down to buyer preferences.

Consumers who prefer a traditional laptop notebook might stick with the ultra-thin MacBook, while those who love using the touch screens of tablets may find the Surface interesting.

Source : Christian Post