• Firing four bullets into a man’s chest is, by definition, violent. If it can also be clinical and sterile, then that also happened in this execution.
• Salt Lake Tribune reporter Nate Carlisle • Describing what he saw as Ronnie Lee Gardner was killed by firing squad last night in Utah. The first-person account of the execution, which is the first Carlisle ever witnessed, is a gripping read. Instead of slumping over after being shot, like the guards expected he would, Gardner clenched his fist. Then de-clenched it. “At the time, I interpreted this as Gardner suffering — clenching his fist in an effort to fight the pain,” Carlisle wrote. “As I write this, I don’t know whether that’s true. It could have just been reflexes or some other process the body begins after a major trauma. Scientists do not know much about what a person shot through the heart feels.” No matter your thoughts on capital punishment, this is gripping. source

• Utah’s governor denied Ronnie Lee Gardner’s stay request. Gardner, who was convicted of killing two people – one of them during a courthouse escape attempt in 1985 – has spent most of his 49 years in prison or on death row, including nearly all of his adult life. He chose the firing squad. He’s likely the last person in the U.S. who will die by firing squad, as Utah outlawed the high-profile practice in 2004. He’s also likely the first person who eats steak and lobster with 7UP. That was his last meal. source

• 
• A musician firstDean, who died last night at 81, started his career as a country musician. His biggest hit, “Big Bad John,” went to the top of the charts in 1961. He later became an actor, and even starred in a James Bond movie.

  Crimes committed in his nameLater, he got into the sausage-making business, building a popular brand off his image. Eventually, he sold his company to Sara Lee, who eventually got sick of this old man hanging around and kicked him out. Then they started making crap like the stuff to the left. Pancakes? Sausages? Chocolate chips? At least now that he’s dead, he can roll in his grave. source

• 1st His first child, Thembikele, died in a car crash in 1969.
• 2nd His second child, Thembikele, lived only nine months.
• 3rd His third child, Makgatho, died of an AIDS-related illness.
• 4th His marriage to Winnie Mandela ended in 1996 after 38 years. source

• yes The tabloid Globe printed copies of the deathbed photo of Gary Coleman that Shannon Price sold them.
• no We’re not going to show them on this site because – let’s face it – it’s morally reprehensible. source

• Dear God, woman, were you just waiting for him to die? Shannon Price, the ex-wife of the former child star who called the shots at the hospital, reportedly had professional photos taken of Coleman just before his death, which she then sold to the tabloids. If that doesn’t scream classless, we don’t know what does. As you might guess, his mom finds this unbelievable too. This guy had a terrible life, and his death was equally terrible. Why exploit him? source

• 116+ killed in the fire in densely-populated Dhaka source

• The guy is synonymous with college basketball. The former UCLA coach, who won ten titles helming the Bruins over 27 years, died today at 99. Some other key stats about the dude:

• 19 number of conference titles Wooden won over his tenure
• 88 number of games Wooden won in a row over four seasons
• three number of All-American honors he earned as a player source

Off-the-court pride

• I think that’s the factor from which i have received the greatest satisfaction and pleasure. The fact that practically all of my players did get their degrees and practically all of them have done well in whatever their chosen profession might be.
• John Wooden • Regarding what he was most proud of in his basketball coaching career. He’s from a different era – an era where players went to school the whole term. Wooden might as well be chiseled out of history. The legend earned his place in basketball history the old-fashioned way. Through hard work. source