Headlines

[Dark Knight]

Gang busted in Animal House
4:00AM Tuesday Oct 21, 2008

MEXICO CITY - Authorities said yesterday they had arrested more than a dozen members of an alleged drug-trafficking ring in a wealthy neighbourhood of Mexico City, seizing weapons, vehicles - and lions.

Eleven Colombians, a US citizen, two Mexicans and an Uruguayan were detained during a raid on a sprawling mansion in Desierto de los Leones, organised-crime prosecutor Marisela Morales told a news conference.

Morales identified the gang's leader as Teodoro Fino Restrepo, who allegedly arranged for seaborne cocaine shipments from Colombia to Mexico's Beltran Leyva cartel.

Also detained in the police raid was US citizen Raul Munoz Montalvo, of Texas. Police did not release the name of his hometown, and no one from the US Embassy in Mexico was available to comment.

All the suspects were being held on suspicion of drug trafficking, money laundering and organised-crime activities, Morales said.

Nine Mexicans working as waiters and disk jockeys were briefly held and released.

Authorities had been investigating the group since 2005, the prosecutor said.

"This is important, because it breaks a logistic link in the chainthat supplies Mexican cartelswith cocaine," she said.

The mansion, with walls, ceilings and furniture made almost entirely of ornately carved wood, appeared to have been used by the traffickers for parties at nights and weekends, authorities said.

Those who received invitations were picked up in vehicles with blacked-out windows to prevent them from seeing where they were going.

The mansion was equipped with a private zoo housing a collection of animals including two lions and two tigers - including an albino one.

Police turned the animals over to prosecutors. It was not clear what they planned to do with them.

- AP

from http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/ar ... d=10538551

The thing to do with the animals would be to put them in a public Zoo...

[Dark Knight]

Iraq puppy makes its way onto American soil
1:37PM Tuesday Oct 21, 2008

CHANTILLY, Virginia - A black puppy decked out in a red, white and blue bandanna jumped out of his crate and wagged his tail at the airport Monday, three flights and two days after leaving Iraq en route to his new home with a US soldier.

Army Spc. Gwen Beberg of Minneapolis says she couldn't have made it through her 13-month deployment without Ratchet, who she and another soldier rescued from a burning pile of trash in May.

Ratchet, wearing a dog-bone-shaped collar with its name, will spend two nights in a kennel before flying to Minneapolis, where Beberg's parents will pick him up. Beberg is scheduled to return home next month.

"I'm very excited that Ratchet will be waiting for me when I get home from Iraq! Words can't describe it," Beberg said in an email to friends and family. "I hope that Ratchet's story will inspire people to continue the efforts to bring more service members' animals home from Iraq and Afghanistan."

The dog was rescued by Baghdad Pups, run by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals International. The group, which has now brought 63 animals to the U.S., says the effort both saves dogs and cats and helps soldiers who benefit from the bond with the animals.

The military bars troops from caring for pets while on duty or taking them home, citing reasons such as health issues and difficulties in caring for the animals. The military didn't prevent Ratchet from leaving but said it wouldn't be responsible for transportation.

Baghdad Pups coordinator Terri Crisp, who brought the puppy back from Iraq, said animals adopted by soldiers help them get through difficult times.

"I hope Ratchet and his story will lead to some dialogue with the military," Crisp said as she stroked the puppy.

Ratchet flew on a charter flight to Kuwait, then flew commercial from Kuwait to Amsterdam and on to Washington. Eagan, Minnesota-based Northwest Airlines picked up the cost of the last two legs.

Ratchet frolicked on a grassy patch outside the airport before heading off to Clocktower Animal Hospital in Herndon, Virginia, for a checkup and some shots.

"Your tail's wagging!" said Dr. Chris Carskaddan, the veterinarian, as he greeted the dog. "So cute."

Ratchet didn't bark at all, but let out a whimper during the shots. Afterward, Carskaddan declared the dog "extremely healthy."

- AP

from http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/ar ... d=10538661

[Ariel]

Awwwww. I just love these heart warming stories.

[Dark Knight]

Elephant to go to non-existent sanctuary. Sanctuary to be built somewhere, sometime in the future.

LA Zoo gets to keep "elephant enclosure to nowhere"

Stars' pet project leaves elephant out in the cold
4:00AM Friday Dec 05, 2008
Guy Adams

An elephant called Billy, with friends in high places in Hollywood, was at the centre of a bitter custody battle yesterday as Los Angeles council prepared to halt work on his new state-of-the art enclosure at the city's zoo.

After a long campaign by animal rights activists and film stars, including Goldie Hawn and Halle Berry, council members looked set to suspend construction of a US$42 million ($79 million) luxury "Pachyderm Forest" which he was supposed to move into next year.

Instead, they ruled that 23-year-old Billy must be transferred to a 25ha
"sanctuary" in upstate California, where he can stretch his legs and interact with other elephants without being plagued by the foot problems and psychological trauma that blighted many predecessors at LA Zoo.

But the sanctuary does not exist, and no one seems to know where it may
eventually be sited, who will own the facility, or how long it will take to construct.

In the meantime, Billy, an Asian bull elephant, will be forced to make do with somewhat substandard temporary accommodation.

The City of Los Angeles has been left with a US$12 million bill for a half-built (and now useless) 2.5ha elephant enclosure.

The bizarre state of affairs, which comes at a time when the city is facing a US$110 million deficit, is the latest development in a decades-old controversy surrounding the keeping of African and Asian
elephants in the heart of smog-drenched California.

A dozen of the animals have died since LA Zoo began keeping them in 1968, many under 20. They can live to age 70 in the wild. Activists claim that their existing 0.5ha pen harms their physical and mental
health and shortens their lives. Critics say Billy is exhibiting signs of stress.

The zoo insists its elephant accommodation has been vastly improved in
recent years.

The controversy had been brewing for several years. LA Mayor Antonio
Villaraigosa halted construction in 2005, so a study could be carried out into its future. The council approved the "Pachyderm Forest" in 2006. The apparent change of heart follows a decision by activists to use celebrity supporters to lobby council members to vote for the
elephant enclosure to be scrapped.

Councillor Herb Wesson told colleagues that he needed time to consider
where his loyalties lay before casting his vote, after receiving an early-morning phone call from the actress Halle Berry. "I have some
further questions and I am not prepared to vote today. Halle Berry calling me had nothing to do with it," he said.

To many residents the expensive controversy leaves a bad taste in the
mouth.

Some have nicknamed the now-defunct "Pachyderm Forest" the "elephant enclosure to nowhere". Others have joked that it represents a literal white elephant.

- INDEPENDENT

from http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/ar ... d=10546617

[Xyster]

Man behind bars after hitting woman in face with cheeseburger

A Vero Beach, Florida man is behind bars after hitting his girlfriend several times with a cheeseburger.

The victim told sheriff's deputies that she was eating with boyfriend Vincent Gonzales in her car when the two began arguing.

When she threw his drink out of the car window, he retaliated by hitting her in the face with a cheeseburger.

He then pulled her from the car and struck her with the sandwich several more times.

Gonzales with charged with battery and domestic violence.

His bond has been set at $1,000.

[Dark Knight]

Heavy metal used to 'calm' teen elephants
Thursday, November 27, 2008

Soft rock, hard rock, heavy rock – there are lots of different types of rock music. But now zookeepers think they may have discovered a new genre – trunk rock.

Staff looking after a trio of African elephants are playing them heavy metal music to improve their behaviour.

Keepers say the troublesome teenage giants are instantly calmed down when they hear the twangs of rock legends such as Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Metallica and, er, Def Leopard.

But turn off the anthems during their morning eating and bathing ritual and stroppy adolescents Jack, Lataba and Five throw tantrums and start pacing.

'The elephants love it. It's just such a good distraction for them and a good way to keep them calm,' said keeper Bob Lawrence.

The trio have been played soothing music during their two-hour morning ritual for the past ten years.

But only recently have staff at West Midlands Safari Park in Bewdley, Worcestershire, discovered rock tunes have the biggest calming effect.

'They could probably pick out the bands they like better than me,' said Mr Lawrence. But he didn't reveal whether or not Status Quo songs started a stampede...

Some songs the elephants might enjoy listening to:

Tusk – Fleetwood Mac
Ebony And Ivory – Paul McCartney and Steve Wonder
Welcome To The Jungle – Guns N' Roses
Shades of Grey – The Monkees
Born To Be Wild – Steppenwolf
Zooropa – U2
Wild Thing – The Troggs
The Memory Remains – Metallica
The Number Of The Beast – Iron Maiden

from http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.htm ... page_id=34

[Dark Knight]

On Queen St in downtown Auckland, New Zealand there is a large Santa, that is on the corner of a building, the current owners of the large Santa, Whitcoulls are giving him to Heart of the City, but should he be retired?

Is Santa running out of time?
4:00AM Thursday Dec 11, 2008
By Vaimoana Tapaleao

A mass of Santas descended on Auckland last night - but the city's most famed Father Christmas is in the firing line.

While 300 Santas and the odd Rudolph raised money for children's health charity Cure Kids with a fun run, city leaders were toying with the idea of getting rid of the Whitcoulls Santa.

Alex Swny, head of lobby group Heart of the City, wants the public to decide if the 48-year-old stays.

The 25-metre statue has been a fixture on the corner of Queen St and Victoria St during the festive season since 1998. In his prime in 1960, he was perched outside the Farmers store on Hobson St, inviting customers inside with a beckoning finger and a friendly wink. But Mr Swny said many people were not so keen on the Queen St Santa, because of his "seedy actions".

"We liked him, but people were saying that the finger ... and the winking eye was a bit seedy."

Funded by Whitcoulls, the giant Santa costs $55,000 a year, going towards resource consent, installation and storage fees among the costs.

Next year Heart of the City will take ownership. Mr Swney said the group will look to modernise Auckland CBD's decorations.

"The question is: does Santa fit with all that? We want Aucklanders to tell us if they think Santa should stay or take a well-earned retirement."

Mr Swny said he hoped it would help to carry on:

"He's 48 - he needs to get to 100. It's too easy to walk away from heritage things."

As for the fun run, winner Michael Petrina - one of the few reindeer in the race - beat the first Santa by at least two minutes. "Well, Rudolph is at the front of the sleigh," he said.

What do you think?

Should the Whitcoulls Santa go?

From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/artic ... d=10547539

"We liked him, but people were saying that the finger ... and the winking eye was a bit seedy."

I don't think of that as even a bit seedy, and I think he should stay.....

[Boikat]

Coolness. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28179392/

Watched it and this afternoon. Wish I had brought my camera.

[Dark Knight]

The University of Utah Seismograph Stations reports that a notable swarm of earthquakes has been underway since December 26 beneath Yellowstone Lake in Yellowstone National Park, three to six miles south-southeast of Fishing Bridge, Wyoming. This energetic sequence of events was most intense on December 27, when the largest number of events of magnitude 3 and larger occurred.

The largest of the earthquakes was a magnitude 3.9 (revised from magnitude 3.8 ) at 10:15 pm MST on Dec. 27. The sequence has included nine events of magnitude 3 to 3.9 and approximately 24 of magnitude 2 to 3 at the time of this release. A total of more than 250 events large enough to be located have occurred in this swarm. Reliable depths of the larger events are up to a few miles. Visitors and National Park Service (NPS) employees in the Yellowstone Lake area reported feeling the largest of these earthquakes.

Earthquakes are a common occurrence in the Yellowstone National Park area, an active volcanic-tectonic area averaging 1,000 to 2,000 earthquakes a year. Yellowstone's 10,000 geysers and hot springs are the result of this geologic activity. A summary of Yellowstone's volcanic history is available on the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory web site (listed below). This December 2008 earthquake sequence is the most intense in this area for some years and is centered on the east side of the Yellowstone caldera. Scientists cannot identify any causative fault or other feature without further analysis. Seismologists continue to monitor and analyze the data and will issue new information if the situation warrants it.
from http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/yvo/

[Dark Knight]

Road building in a designated wilderness area on the U.S.-Mexico border by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), they waived the laws to expedite border wall construction.
>>> http://www.defenders.org/newsroom/press ... s_area.php

And:

Bush administration rushes to strip protections from Northern Rockies wolves
http://www.defenders.org/newsroom/press ... wolves.php

[Ariel]

The border is a neccesary thing Wolfy. We have thousands of people in the country illegally and stealing people's social security numbers, they are taking up more and more jobs, there are citizens who have been on lists for subsidized housing for years becase illegals are living there instead. It's a mess here in the states.

[Dark Knight]

Unprecedented Northeast Bat Die-off Spreading Rapidly

The deaths have spread to at least 8 US states

Full story Here: http://www.earthfiles.com/news.php?ID=1 ... nvironment