Rare Abyssinian lion cubs are being poisoned at a zoo in Ethiopia and sold to taxidermists because there isn't enough money to care for the animals, the facility's administrator said Wednesday. Famous for their black manes, the lions are revered in Ethiopia, adorning statues and the national currency. Wildlife experts estimate only 1,000 of the animals, which are smaller than other lions, remain in the wild. “These animals are the pride of our country, but our only alternative right now is to send them to the taxidermist,” said Muhedin Abdulaziz, who heads the Lion Zoo in the capital, Addis Ababa. The zoo costs about $6,000 to run each month, but gets only $5,000 in entrance fees, he said. Taxidermists pay $170 for a dead cub, which is stuffed and resold, Abdulaziz said. Hunters also kill wild lions for their skins, which can fetch $1,000.... http://www.cbsnews.com censor News |
Editor - 21:51:00 11-22-06 |
New human gene map shows unexpected differences |
One person's DNA code can be as much as 10 % different from another's, researchers said on Wednesday in a finding that questions the idea that everyone on Earth is 99.9 % identical genetically. They said their new version of the human genetic map, or "book of life," fills in many missing pages and chapters to explain how genes are involved in common diseases. "This important work will help identify genetic causes of many diseases," Dr. Mark Walport, director of Britain's Wellcome Trust, said in a statement. Instead of showing single variations in human DNA that make people unique, the map looks at differences in duplications and deletions of large DNA segments known as copy number variants or CNVs, which can help explain why some people are susceptible to illnesses such as AIDS and others are not. "We're a patchwork of DNA sequences, gains and losses," Dr. Charles Lee of the Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts told a news conference... http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061122/ts_nm/science_genes_dc
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Editor - 21:44:00 11-22-06 |
Washington Man's Backyard Fence of Toilets and Bathtubs Upsets Neighbors |
Some people use scarecrows to chase away birds, or garlic to block vampires. Rick Froebe uses toilets to repel golfers. Froebe has erected a backyard "fence" made of seven old toilets, a few used bathtubs and some broken-down water heaters, all designed to prevent golfers from the adjacent Lakeview Golf & Country Club from approaching his yard. While critics say Froebe is acting out in a dispute with the golf course and other neighbors, the plumber insists his fence is not meant to be offensive. "It's plumber art," Froebe, 52, said. Besides, he added, "It's not like this is Pebble Beach. This is Lakeview." On Monday, three scarecrow-like dummies sat on toilets and looked on as golfers finished their putts on the 354-yard, par-4 first hole. The old commodes, bathtubs and water heaters first appeared on Halloween. Froebe, co-owner of Coulee Dam/Ephrata Plumbing, used to belong to the golf club, but resigned in May in a dispute with other members. ... http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2674278
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Editor - 21:19:00 11-22-06 |
Abu Ghraib officer waits on court-martial ruling The only U.S. officer charged in Iraq prison scandal awaits Army’s decision |
Eleven U.S. soldiers — all of them from the enlisted ranks — have been convicted in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, with the harshest sentence a 10-year prison term handed out to a corporal. A general and other officers have received reprimands or demotions that ended or blighted their careers.But only one officer — Jordan, a 50-year-old Army reservist who ran the interrogation center at the Iraqi prison — faces criminal charges. And unless some startling new information comes to light, it appears that this is as high up the chain of command as criminal charges will go. Military prosecutors have put Jordan in this solitary position for one reason: They believe he is the man who allowed Abu Ghraib to happen. Jordan has not been accused of personally torturing or humiliating prisoners. ... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15854381/
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Editor - 20:57:00 11-22-06 |
Cops Defend Shooting 92-Year-Old Woman Elderly Atlanta Woman Dies After Shootout With Cops, Who Say She Shot At Them First |
Assistant Chief Alan Dreher said the officers had a legal warrant & "knocked & announced" before they forced open the door. He said they were justified in shooting once they were fired upon. As the plainclothes Atlanta police officers approached the house about 7 p.m., "as we have it right now, the female opened fire on the officers. The officers returned fire, & struck & killed her," Dreher said. One of the police officers was hit in the arm, another in a thigh and the third in a shoulder. The officers were taken to a hospital for treatment, & all 3 were conscious & alert, police said. If you think the Cops wouldn’t lie, carefully reread what they said above. They couldn’t even tell a plausible lie. So what else are they lying about? Could they have shot themselves (in very safe places) in an attempt to cover up this killing? It’s hard to justify shooting an old woman by mistake. Or the old woman was just a crack shot to hit 3 cops, but bad enough to only wound them?... http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/11/22/national/main2205048.shtml?source=RSSattr=U.S._2205048
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Editor - 18:48:00 11-22-06 |
Guantanamo prisoner alleges botched medical procedures |
A detainee at Guantanamo Bay who needs a medical procedure on his heart said Tuesday he doesn't want it performed there because operations on other detainees have been botched — an accusation the base commander denied.Saifullah Paracha, a multimillionaire Pakistani businessman held at Guantanamo, "believes that two prisoners have lost their vocal cords after routine tonsillectomies, that a prisoner lost part of his leg because of a surgical sponge left in him which became infected, and that a prisoner lost a testicle from similar neglect," said Gaillard T. Hunt, his attorney.Hunt said in an e-mail to The Associated Press that Paracha made these allegations Tuesday in a phone call that was monitored by the military. It is rare for attorneys to be permitted to speak with Guantanamo Bay detainees by phone, but a U.S. Department of Justice attorney has said Paracha should be encouraged to undergo a cardiac catheterization.... http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/11/22/news/CB_GEN_Guantanamo_Heart_Procedure.php
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Editor - 18:28:00 11-22-06 |
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