And you thought recovering US Congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords had an amazing view of today’s Space Shuttle launch. Check out this pic snapped by airplane passenger, Stephanie Gordon, as she flew into Palm Beach, FL this morning. According to Gawker, the images have been viewed more than 120,000 times since she uploaded them to Twitter.

See a full sized pic after the jump.

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Space Shuttle Endeavor has rocketed into orbit on its final mission. Led by Commander Mark Kelly, his wife, US Representative Gabrielle Giffords was in attendance four months after surviving a bullet to the head in an assassination attempt at a public event in North Tucson. (Pictured is the view from NASA’s mission control, which is similar to the view Giffords would have seen from a private launch room reserved for friends and family of the Shuttle’s crew.)

Just two hours before liftoff time (at 6:56 AZ time), Kelly posted to his Twitter account, “Launch day. We should be pulling off Earth in a couple hours.” Click here to watch a live NASA briefing about this planned 16-day mission to the International Space Station.

Image via NASA

Today, the astronauts aboard the about-to-retire Discovery Space Shuttle were woken up with a special message recorded by William Shatner. Click here to watch the Star Trek-tastic results for yourself, as NASA wraps up its penultimate Shuttle trip. Of course, the final mission will be led by Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ husband, Mark Kelly.

Image via

This is crazy! KVOA in Tucson is reporting that US Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is now standing and staring at the Catalina Mountains outside her hospital window.

Reports the TV station, “Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was able to stand on her own two feet today, with assistance, and UMC Dr. Peter Rhee confirms that ‘aggressive rehab’ has already begun for the congresswoman recovering from a traumatic brain injury.” »READ MORE

Here are a couple of quick updates on the Tragedy in Tucson:

A creepy video shot by creepy accused shooter, Jared Lee Loughner, has emerged that shows the soon-to-be-mass-murderer walking around Pima Community College, which he describes as “a genocide school.” College officials say it was the last straw in deciding to kick the troubled student out of school last fall. (See the full vid after the jump.)

Meanwhile, authorities are now saying Loughner also took pictures of himself wearing red G-string and holding a gun resembling the one used in the Safeway shooting.

On a brighter note, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ continues to make progress, and her condition has been upgraded to from “Critical” to “Serious.” Even cooler, her husband, Mark Kelly, is now tweeting out positive news about his wife’s condition. “As my wonderful wife @Rep_Giffords continues to make progress, let us all pause and reflect on this MLK day.” Click here to follow the Space Shuttle Commander yourself.

Finally, it appears Federal authorities will try the suspect in San Diego, due to the difficulty of finding an impartial jury in AZ. In the meantime, Loughner is being held at a medium-security prison outside Phoenix, is being kept away from other prisoners for his own safety and spends 23 hours a day alone in his cell.

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As chosen by you, here are the most popular stories OF ALL TIME (aka last week). Just in case you missed it.

Now that we’re a day or so removed from the horror of the killing spree in Tucson, you might be wondering how you can help? Well, the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson has some suggestions straight from Mark Kelly, the astronaut husband of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

According to a statement released late last night, Kelly says:

“Many of you have offered help. There is little that we can do but pray for those who are struggling. If you are inspired to make a positive gesture, consider two organizations that Gabby has long valued and supported: Tucson’s Community Food Bank and the American Red Cross.”

Read the full statement after the jump.

Image via Monsters & Critics

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As chosen by you, here are the most popular stories OF ALL TIME (aka last week). Just in case you missed it.

Holy bleep! Sarah Palin’s personal political committee previously listed the just-shot US Congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords, as someone who needed to be taken out! “Don’t retreat, instead- RELOAD!”, was how Palin introduced the map at left. Worse, like all of the 20 politicians listed for their support of the controversial Healthcare reform bill, Giffords’ home region was tagged with rifle cross-hairs, while the three politicians on the list who are retiring are marked in blood red.

Palin, who’s daughter, Bristol, recently bought a home in Maricopa, and has been rumored to be moving to AZ herself, posted the following on her website in response to today’s tragedy in Tucson:

“My sincere condolences are offered to the family of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and the other victims of today’s tragic shooting in Arizona. On behalf of Todd and my family, we all pray for the victims and their families, and for peace and justice.”

But Palin’s inflammatory image and words are nothing compared to the gun-crazy campaign rhetoric from Giffords’ former opponent in the November election.

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Ugh! Here’s a billboard in Tucson that was immediately taken down following last weekend’s horrible tragedy. But not before someone snapped a pic and posted it to the internet. Sigh.

[Gawker]

Neighbor: Loughner’s Parents Devastated [AZ Daily Star] 

Yup, Verizon Finally Gets an iPhone [MSNBC]

Chinese Test Stealth Jet [WSJ]

Gabrielle Gifford’s Recovery Chances Boosted [Phx New Times]

The Facebook Folk Singer [Gawker]

Shooting Suspect Smirks in Court Appearance [AZ Central]

Now that we’re a day or so removed from the horror of the killing spree in Tucson, you might be wondering how you can help? Well, the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson has some suggestions straight from Mark Kelly, the astronaut husband of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

According to a statement released late last night, Kelly says:

“Many of you have offered help. There is little that we can do but pray for those who are struggling. If you are inspired to make a positive gesture, consider two organizations that Gabby has long valued and supported: Tucson’s Community Food Bank and the American Red Cross.”

Read the full statement after the jump.

Image via Monsters & Critics

»READ MORE

Here’s an odd little nugget that’s come to light following the terrible tragedy in Tucson. Turns out that wounded US Congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords, is related to actress Gwyneth Paltrow. According to ET, Giffords and Paltrow are cousins, but the two have never met. The actress released a statement to ET on the tragedy, saying, “Although I have never had the pleasure of meeting congresswoman Giffords, my thoughts and prayers are with her and her family as well as the other victims of this horrible act of senseless violence.”

Meanwhile, “One Tree Hill” actress, Sophia Bush, has also been personally touched by the tragedy, as she’s a cousin to the nine-year-old victim, Christina Taylor Green.

Pastor Hate-filled provocateur, Fred Phelps emerged from his den of awfulness to post a YouTube video about the horrible tragedy in Tucson. In case you’re not familiar with this dirtbag, he’s the same guy who protests the funerals of dead American soldiers because he interprets the Bible as….

Oh who cares, he’s a horrible, horrible person. And naturally, he’ll be coming to AZ to ‘protest’ the funerals of the victims. See the video yourself (if you can stomach it) after the jump.

Image via the AP

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Sheriff IDs Four People Who Disarmed Suspect [AZ Central]

Note in Shooter’s Safe: ‘I Planned Ahead’ [CNN]

A Single, Terrifying Moment: Shots Fired, a Scuffle and Some Luck [NY Times]

According to ESPN, the nine-year-old girl tragically killed in the Tucson mass shooting is the granddaughter of former Major League Baseball player and manager, Dallas Green. Christina Taylor Green, who was gunned down in a truly awful tragedy involving US Congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords, reportedly was only at the political Q&A because she’d recently been elected to her school’s student council.

So, so sad.

Holy bleep! Sarah Palin’s personal political committee previously listed the just-shot US Congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords, as someone who needed to be taken out! “Don’t retreat, instead- RELOAD!”, was how Palin introduced the map at left. Worse, like all of the 20 politicians listed for their support of the controversial Healthcare reform bill, Giffords’ home region was tagged with rifle cross-hairs, while the three politicians on the list who are retiring are marked in blood red.

Palin, who’s daughter, Bristol, recently bought a home in Maricopa, and has been rumored to be moving to AZ herself, posted the following on her website in response to today’s tragedy in Tucson:

“My sincere condolences are offered to the family of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and the other victims of today’s tragic shooting in Arizona. On behalf of Todd and my family, we all pray for the victims and their families, and for peace and justice.”

But Palin’s inflammatory image and words are nothing compared to the gun-crazy campaign rhetoric from Giffords’ former opponent in the November election.

»READ MORE

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) poses with House Speaker John Boehner on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.

Horrible breaking news out of Tucson as Congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords died was shot in the head after a gunman started shooting at a political event hosted outside a Safeway in northwest Tucson. The 40-year-old Democrat, who was first elected to the US Congress in 2006, was talking to a couple around 10 am as part of her “Congress on Your Corner” events, when the suspect, now named as Jared Lee Loughner, 22, shot her at point blank range and then started firing indiscriminately at bystanders and passersby, according to report on NPR.

Here is the presumed MySpace profile (now removed) of the suspect, who also apparently created several YouTube videos.

Giffords, who was married to astronaut, Mike Kelly, a Desert Storm veteran,  also has two step-children.

Image via NPR

Stay tuned for updates. Here are some sources for more info:

AZ Central, CNN, Politico, Tucson Citizen