NFLer faces domestic violence charge

Police released this mugshot of Ray McDonald after his arrest on felony domestic violence charges.

• NEW: "The truth will come out," Ray McDonald tells CNN affiliate KTVU


• The 49ers' defensive lineman was arrested on domestic violence charges


• The team says it is taking the matter seriously


• NFL increased standard punishments for domestic violence on Thursday

(CNN) -- The National Football League's new domestic violence policy will be tested just three days after it was implemented by Commissioner Roger Goodell.

San Jose, California, police arrested the San Francisco 49ers' starting defensive end Ray McDonald on Sunday on felony domestic violence charges.

Police say they responded at 2:48 a.m. to a reported incident, and after "the domestic violence allegation was substantiated," they took the 6-foot-3, 290 pound lineman into custody and booked him.

CNN affiliate KTVU reports that several of McDonald's 49er teammates were at his house at the time of the arrest.

"The 49ers organization is aware of the recent reports regarding Ray McDonald and we take such matters seriously. As we continue to gather the facts, we will reserve further comment," team General Manager Trent Baalke said in a statement.

After he posted bail and was released from jail later Sunday, McDonald told KTVU he couldn't say much about what happened.

"The truth will come out," he said. "Everybody knows what kind of person I am....a good-hearted person."

This isn't McDonald's first brush with the law, according to KTVU. The station says in 2010, McDonald was arrested for an outstanding warrant stemming from a DUI arrest.

Goodell announced on Thursday that the league was instituting a six-game unpaid ban for personnel who violate the league's policy on domestic violence.

A second domestic violence incident would be punished by a lifetime ban from the league, Goodell said in a letter and memo to the owners of the league's 32 teams.

The NFL had endured relentless criticism after only suspending Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice for two games, several months after video showed Rice dragging his unconscious fiancee -- whom he later married -- from an elevator.

Without referring to Rice by name, Goodell acknowledged in his letter that he made the wrong decision in that case.

"I didn't get it right. Simply put, we have to do better. And we will," he wrote.

The NFL Players Association responded on Thursday to Goodell's enhanced penalties

"We were informed [Thursday] of the NFL's decision to increase penalties on domestic violence offenders under the Personal Conduct Policy for all NFL employees. As we do in all disciplinary matters, if we believe that players' due process rights are infringed upon during the course of discipline, we will assert and defend our members' rights," said the association's statement.

McDonald, 29, is expected to play a key role in the 49ers defense this coming season. The team has already lost outside linebacker Aldon Smith, arguably its best defensive player, to a nine-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse and personal conduct policies.

McDonald has played almost all of the 49ers' games since 2008. He was drafted out of the University of Florida in 2007.

CNN's Steve Almasy, Rachel Nichols, Jill Martin and Adam Shivers contributed to this report.

Mallorca fiesta tragedy, teenager electrocuted whilst urinating

A TEENAGE reveler has sadly died whilst partying at a festival in Mallorca.

The 18-year-old died at a music festival in Bunyola, Mallorca in the early hours of Saturday morning, 31^st August. The circumstances surrounding the young mans death are still being investigated, but reports indicate he died after being electrocuted whilst urinating against a lamp-post.

Emergency services attended the scene but were unable to revive the reveler.

The tragedy occurred at one of Mallorca’s biggest music festivals attracting party-goers to enjoy the live music, DJ’s and fiesta celebrations in what is normally a quiet town of approximately 6,000 in population.

Mayor Jaume Isern of Bunyola has offered his condolences to the teenager’s family.

The festival and celebrations were cancelled following the death of the teenager.

A full investigation is underway; early indication’s suggest a possibility that the stream or urine would have served as a conductor allowing electricity to pass from the lamp-post to the reach the victims body.

Be a cowboy, save a horse

Mustangs were introduced to the New World by the Spanish in 1493.

In the Great Basin of the United States, it's estimated that 40,000 mustangs still roam free.

Federal protection laws aren't popular with many ranchers, who consider the horses a pest that threatens the environmental integrity of the range.

The new Mustang Monument: Wild Horse Eco Resort hopes to provide a sanctuary for up to 1,000 wild horses and a chance for tourists to connect with them.

About 600 wild horses currently roam freely in a 4,000-acre enclave on the ranch.

Experienced riders can saddle up and head out with the Mustang Monument resort's resident cowboys.

Each of the resort's 10 reclaimed wood cottages, and 10 live-in teepees, have double beds and artisan bric-a-brac.

If Pottery Barn and Vogue were to elope West, the Mustang Monument is where they'd come.

Members of the local Lumbee tribe are on hand to teach Native American crafts and perform sacred dance and traditional singing.

Meals are served in an enormous hand-painted teepee that includes a saloon with saddle stools and a porch with a perfect view of the grazing herd.

Picnics on the grasslands are a highlight of the resort.

The ranch is adjacent to the Ruby Mountains and three hours north of Great Basin National Park.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

• An estimated 40,000 mustangs still roam free in the Great Basin of the United States


• Mustang Monument: Wild Horse Eco Resort is a sanctuary for up to 1,000 wild horses


• Visitors can connect with mustangs at the resort, which also offers hiking, abseiling and gambling

(CNN) -- There is, perhaps, no greater living symbol of the untamed, pioneer spirit of the American West than the wild mustang.

In the Great Basin of the United States -- a vast, empty, desert plain that stretches across most of Nevada and includes parts of Utah, Idaho, Oregon and California -- it's estimated that 40,000 mustangs still roam free.

They're regarded by many as part of the national heritage and a treasure for people the world over to enjoy.

"They're sensual," says Madeleine Pickens, owner of Nevada's new Mustang Monument: Wild Horse Eco Resort. "When you come across a wild bunch, it's euphoria."

Her new resort provides a sanctuary for some of these horses while also offering a deluxe stay for those interested in discovering a little more about this American icon.

MORE: 15 of the world's great horse treks

History of the Mustang

Though some dispute the claim, scholars generally believe that mustangs were introduced to the New World by the Spanish in 1493, having been brought over by Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas.

When Native Americans first saw them, they called them "big dogs."

But soon they became an essential component of the life of America's first people and are still considered sacred by many tribes.

In the 19th century, horses of all types, of course, played an essential role in the westward expansion and modernization of America.

Future uncertain

Wild horses are protected under federal law.

But protection policies aren't popular with everyone who lives and works in the West.

Ranchers view mustangs as a threat to their livelihood.

"They're feral," says a former mustanger -- the term used for cowboys charged with controlling their numbers. "Without a natural predator, their presence is unsustainable and bad for the environment."

Charged with maintaining the ecological balance of public grazing land, the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has found itself in the middle of disputes related to mustangs and wild horses. (Often used generically to describe any wild horse, "mustang" is derived from the Spanish term "mustengo," which means "ownerless beast" or "stray horse.")

In April, according to The Salt Lake Tribune, Iron County officials in Utah drafted a letter to the BLM in effect telling the government that if it didn't remove wild horses from their land, local residents would do the job themselves.

In June, a suit brought against the federal government by the Nevada Association of Counties and Nevada Farm Bureau Federation demanded that the BLM accelerate roundups of mustangs there, as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

In Nevada, the BLM agreed with ranchers that wild herds threaten the range, but also said it doesn't have the resources to conduct the popular roundups.

Roundups

Roundups of free roaming horses destined for short term holding pens -- or worse, illegal poaching for sale to slaughterhouses -- have become regular occurrences.

Animal rights groups argue that many of these "gatherings" are unnecessarily cruel, leaving many animals wounded or dead.

They contend that the level that has been set for a sustainable number of wild horses on the land, and reports of their negative impact on the environment, have been skewed in the favor of opposing human interest groups.

Although the BLM adopts a portion of roundup animals to new homes, costs for keeping them are escalating.

In 2013, $46.2 million was spent keeping roughly 50,000 wild horses in short- and long-term holding pens.

MORE: The Indian horses bred to fight elephants

Seed of a solution

Mustang Monument: Wild Horse Eco-Resort is a new boutique, luxury ranch that may offer a partial solution.

The brainchild of billionaire businesswoman, philanthropist and former wife of oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens, Madeleine Pickens, the new ranch is designed to provide a sanctuary for up to a thousand wild horses and a chance for tourists to connect with this iconic symbol of America.

By eliminating expensive holding pens, Pickens says that her ranch alone can save taxpayers as much as $2.5 million a year, while allowing the horses to roam free.

Cowboy experiences are available at the Mustang Monument ranch.

Mustang Monument

Each of the resort's 10 reclaimed wood cottages and 10 live-in teepees have been designed with luxuriously rustic interiors, double beds and artisan bric-a-brac -- if Pottery Barn and Vogue were to elope West, this is where they'd honeymoon.

Meals are served in an enormous hand-painted teepee, there's a saloon with saddle bar stools, high-end gambling tables and a porch for cocktails with a perfect view of the grazing herd.

"It's good for your soul," resident cowboy Clay Naninni says. "Just to watch them run."

Six hundred wild horses roam in a 4,000-acre enclave at the front of the ranch.

Experienced riders can saddle up and head out with resident cowboys, Clay Nannini and Marcus Morrison, for a high adrenalin gallop into the herd that feels, according to Clay, "like riding into thunder."

For others, there are gentle trots and 4x4 wild horse safaris in search of nearby free-roaming bands, old gold mining settlements and luxurious picnics in mountain valleys.

The highlight: rattling down to a private meadow in an old wagon to serve breakfast to the herd.

Being surrounded by 600 wild, staring eyes and stamping hooves is a rare thrill.

MORE: 6 best places to be a cowboy (for a while)

Other guest experiences

Mustangs may be the ranch's raison d'etre, but there's more than horses here.

Hiking, abseiling, gambling tables, lasso lessons, an in-teepee spa and more are on offer.

Former Navy Seal and director of operations, Monty Heath, can also take you out on a high-powered ATV.

When an ex-special forces operative insists on doing the driving, you know he's not going skimp on screams.

Two brothers from the local Lumbee tribe are on hand to teach Native American crafts -- from learning how to make beaded jewelry to creating medicine wheels, dream catchers and more.

Each night there's storytelling by the fire and performances of sacred dance and traditional falsetto singing.

"Horses are sacred to our people," the Native singers say. "We treat them as human beings."

The eco lodge -- where Vogue meets Pottery Barn.

Things to do: The Ruby Mountains

The Ruby Mountains may be Nevada's best kept secret.

The 80-mile range is right on the doorstep of the ranch and offers some of the finest outdoor opportunities in the state.

Lamoille Canyon is one of the most popular locations and is filled with fast flowing rivers, beaver dams and idyllic fishing and camping spots.

The 35-mile Ruby Crest Trail is a great way to see some of the best parts of the range and usually takes about three days to hike.

MORE: Horse reiki and bull sperm hair masks: 9 bizarre spa treatments

Things to do: Great Basin National Park

Great Basin National Park -- a 77,000-acre wilderness of glacier moraines, sagebrush meadows and forests of spruce, aspen and juniper -- is located three hours south of the ranch.

You can hike to the 13,000-foot summit of Wheeler Peak, find pristine alpine lakes and descend deep into the Lehman Caves, a mesmerizing underground complex of stalactites and stalagmites.

The park is most famously home to an ancient grove of bristlecone pines, the oldest living organism on Earth, whose roots were already in the ground when the Great Pyramids of Egypt were being built.

More information can be found on the Great Basin National Park website.

Mustang Monument: Wild Horse Eco Resort , outside of Wells, Nevada; +1 858 759 5507; $1,000 per teepee per night and $1,500 per cottage per night, including full board and all activities.

Aaron Millar is a travel writer who has traveled extensively in North and Central America. He blogs at The Blue Dot Perspective.

Airline seat reclining sparks skirmish

What are the most annoying habits on airplanes? We kick off with number 20 -- abusing overhead bin space. You folded your suit coat nicely and placed your hat in the allotted overhead space. Too bad Bin Hog just mangled it all while shoving his suitcase, stroller and shopping bags into a space meant for one personal item.

Airplane movies: the opiate of the flying masses. Except when your hyperactive neighbor takes 30 minutes to decide between "Grown Ups 2" or something a little less cerebral. Such behavior earns "passengers who take too long to pick a movie" the number 19 spot on our "most annoying" list.

Coming in at spot 18 -- compulsive leg-shaking. The fidgety leg-shaker isn't all that common, but still annoying when encountered at altitude.

Annoying behavior number 17? Boarding ahead of group number. Most airlines have a system for getting hundreds of passengers aboard in the least amount of time. That's why we schlep on as part of Group A or B or C. Just because you drew the short straw on this one doesn't give you the right to pretend to be dyslexic.

What's more annoying than people rushing to board the plane? Babies crying. Are we really blaming babies for doing what babies do naturally? Sure, as long as they're your kids, and not ours.

"I'd learn some bladder control if I was in the window seat," runs the unspoken complaint. Number 15 on our list -- those who get huffy when you leave your seat.

"Hey, we just landed. ... can you hear me? ... we just landed ... I'm on the runway ... can you hear me now? ... We just landed ... " Annoying behavior number 14: Those who can't bear to wait to deplane before yacking on their cell phones.

We get it -- airlines have cut back on food service, forcing us all to bring our own snacks and meals onboard. But did you really have to clean out the back of your refrigerator? Bringing aboard stinky food isn't just annoying, it's gross too.

Hey, we're trying to read here. Number 12 on the rude behavior list: people who don't know how to use their inside voices on planes.

Coming in at number 11 -- elbow wars. Do you often find yourself elbowing someone else's arm off what should be a shared space? That's armrest hegemony. And it's annoying.

Praise God, the middle seat is empty! Til the guy next to you employs annoying behavior number 10 and lays claim to the no man's land of the middle seat with a book, coat or inflatable neck support. Or long appendage.

Thanks for sharing your globules of diseased saliva. This lonely gentleman may have the only sensible approach to dealing with those who practice annoying behavior number nine -- germ sharing.

Bleep, bloop, blorp. Funny how some of the most irritating things on the planet can be called "games." Even more irritating are people who play them, on a plane, with the sound turned on.

"Sir, is that a ... carry-on?" Annoying behavior number seven: Wielding huge suitcases as carry-ons.

Here we've regressed to the time before the invention of the queue. Don't you just hate people who rush from the back of the plane in an attempt to disembark first?

Another annoying behavior that also falls into the gross category -- cutting fingernails inflight. Toenails are also trimmed at 30,000 feet, but that would have been a really offensive picture.

"Feet nudism" is a common complaint, earning it the number 4 spot on our list. Appalling side note: people who actually go to the bathroom on the airplane in their bare feet.

We've all encountered the toilet hogger. What are they doing in there, you wonder as you hover cross-legged by the door. Certainly not being considerate of other people.

Annoying travel behavior number two: recliners. Aviation engineers, listen up: No one likes the recline button! Time to reinvent the plane seat.

"He kicked someone's seat-back." Airplane Irritant No. 1 -- seat-back kicking -- invites a violent response.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

• Airline passengers who recline their seats are facing blowback in the air


• Two flights have allegedly been diverted in the past week over reclining disputes


• A third flight was diverted when two passengers allegedly got drunk and threatened the flight

(CNN) -- Inching into another passenger's knee space has some fliers itching for a fight.

In the second serious airline legroom argument reported this week, a reportedly irate passenger caused a flight from Miami to Paris to divert to Boston on Wednesday.

Paris resident Edmund Alexandre, 60, was charged in U.S. federal court Thursday with interfering with an airline flight crew. Interfering with flight crew members is a violation of federal law and carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. (The passenger's name has also been spelled "Edmond" Alexandre in court documents.)

About two hours after American Airlines Flight 62 had departed Miami on Wednesday, Alexandre allegedly "began arguing with another passenger and became disruptive," according to a press statement from Carmen Ortiz, U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. Alexandre was also charged under state law.

After a crew member asked him to calm down and walked away, "Alexandre allegedly began raising his voice again, followed the crew member towards the back of the plane, and grabbed the crew member's arm," according to Ortiz's statement.

At that time federal air marshals on the flight broke cover and subdued and restrained Alexandre, according to an FBI agent's affidavit. The flight was diverted to Boston Logan International Airport, where he was arrested.

Alexandre complained of high blood pressure and issues with diabetes, according to the affidavit, and was transferred to Massachusetts General Hospital.

It's been a tense week for passengers on both sides of the right-to-recline debate.

This device caused an in-flight fight

A United Airlines flight from Newark to Denver was diverted on August 24 after two passengers argued over one passenger's use of a "Knee Defender," a device that blocks reclining.

Should the Knee Defender be banned?

Water was thrown and the passengers, both 48, were removed from the flight in Chicago, according to a federal law enforcement source, speaking on background. The passengers were not arrested.

It seems at least one of the passengers was not completely satisfied with the extra space in the Economy Plus section where they were seated, which provides United passengers up to 5 inches of extra legroom compared with standard coach seats.

Aviation blogger Benet Wilson is surprised there haven't been more incidents in the air as travelers face long security checkpoint lines at more crowded airports as well as less space and fewer amenities on planes.

"As airlines try and squeeze as many seats into economy as possible, that decreases seat pitch which can be uncomfortable for someone like me, who is 5'3"," wrote Wilson via email.

"But imagine being a foot taller squeezed into that same space. It doesn't help that the FAA doesn't have an official rule on using (seat blocking devices), instead deferring to passengers and airlines. So I feel the situation will get worse before it gets better."

The core problem is definitely the airlines packing too many seats too close together into a tight space, said veteran flight attendant Heather Poole, author of "Cruising Attitude: Tales of Crashpads, Crew Drama, and Crazy Passengers at 35,000 Feet."

"That said, this doesn't give anyone the right to act childish," Poole wrote via email. "To react in such a way that the crew feels the need to divert a flight to have a passenger removed is a really big deal."

In a disagreement where legroom tension does not appear to have been a factor, a couple of drunken women partied a little too hard on a Canadian flight bound for Cuba this week and found their plans of sunny, sandy beaches replaced with arrests and a court appearance.

The two women on Sunwing Airlines Flight 656 from Toronto to Varadero, Cuba, apparently broke out their duty-free booze on Wednesday, lit up a cigarette in a passenger jet bathroom and got "into a physical altercation with each other," the airline said.

They also allegedly threatened to do something to the plane, which triggered Canadian military jet escorts and an immediate return trip home. A judge granted the two women bail on Thursday after they were charged with disturbing a flight.

The crew didn't actually believe the women could do any damage, "given their condition," Sunwing said, but procedure called for the captain to make a U-turn and head back to Toronto Pearson International Airport.