September 24, 2005
Suffering from a rash? Drive a Toyota
Sept. 22, 2005 That could well be Toyota Motor Corp.’s next slogan, if the world’s second-largest automaker succeeds in offering cars with a medicated cloth seat cover designed to help heal rashes….
…Toyota is also looking at a steering wheel that could help diabetics by allowing them to measure their blood sugar levels by simply gripping the wheel…
… the wheel, in conjunction with other technology, will also be able to gauge a driver’s temperament and blood pressure, adjusting the color of the headlights on the car to warn others of the driver’s mental state.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9439612/
Mexico tests slimming powers of tequila's agave
Sep 22 Scientists from Mexico's tequila producing region say juice extracted from the blue agave plant, best known when distilled into the fiery spirit, may help dieters shed pounds and cut cholesterol… agave's possible health benefits are lost when the plant is distilled into alcohol.
"The structure of agave contains, among other things, substances known as fructans," Dr Jorge Segura, who is leading the investigation, told Reuters on Thursday. "Fructans reduce cholesterol (and) alter the absorption of fat in the intestine, at least in animals." …Inulin, a type of fructan, is a carbohydrate found in many plants, including asparagus. Some scientists believe inulin helps weight loss…
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050922/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_mexico_tequila
Gator found tied to palm tree at Pensacola Beach
PENSACOLA BEACH, Fla. — John Jackson didn't panic when he saw a six-foot alligator between his home and his neighbor's house Friday…The gator was tied to a palm tree. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers later picked up the reptile and released it back into the wild… construction workers nearby tied the gator to the tree until authorities could get ther…the construction workers would not be charged with taking a gator without a permit.
"They did not hurt him, did not harm him," Kirkland said. "We don't encourage people to capture alligators but there was no intent to commit a crime." …Kirkland said alligators, although fresh water creatures, sometimes find their way to the beach…"That's just to be expected," he said. "Welcome to Florida."
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/state/content/gen/ap/FL_Tied_Gator.html
Prosecutors see 'CSI effect' in white-collar cases
Sep 24 Jurors schooled in crime investigations through watching TV dramas expect prosecutors to show them sophisticated forensic evidence -- even in white-collar trials -- making it tough for the government to prove cases, two federal prosecutors said on Friday.
Alice Martin, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, said that the so-called "CSI effect" -- a reference to the hit CBS television show about gruesome crime scene investigations -- hurt her case against HealthSouth Corp. founder Richard Scrushy.
Jurors in post-verdict interviews "said, 'we needed a fingerprint on one of the documents or we needed him (Scrushy) to say the word 'fraud' on the audiotape"' that was secretly recorded by a former HealthSouth finance chief, Martin said at a white-collar crime conference at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington.
"They said, 'they always do fingerprints on TV," she said.
David Anders, an assistant U.S. attorney in Manhattan who prosecuted ex-WorldCom CEO Bernard Ebbers and former investment banker Frank Quattrone, also told the conference that jurors expect forensic-type evidence in white-collar cases… http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050924/en_nm/television_csi_dc&printer=1;_ylt=AuqEpMcWUEEKzaZ8Zu5yJyPK.nQA;_ylu=X3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-
Cherokees vote to display Ten Commandments
September 24, 2005 … the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians…tribal council is making plans to mount a copy of the Ten Commandments in the council house where government meetings are held, and possibly display them throughout other public buildings in Cherokee.
…The idea was introduced by Councilwoman Angela Kephart last month. She said the tribe should display the Ten Commandments out of respect and devotion to God. The motion passed unanimously.
…There is no First Amendment issue involved, and even if the American Civil Liberties Union wanted to make one, it can't. The U.S. Constitution does not apply to Cherokee, nor to any other Native American tribe for that matter, according to Cherokee's Attorney General David Nash.
"We are a sovereign nation and we can pretty much post anything we want in our council chambers," said Kephart. "For once the federal government is not going to tell us what to do. We can feel good about it because we are standing up for God. The more it becomes controversial, the more we need to stand firm."
…Posting the Ten Commandments doesn't prevent others from practicing their religion, explained Nash. "Anybody can practice any religion they want to practice," Nash said.
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=46488
'Dangerous' rapist is given Viagra behind bars
23 September 2005 Spain-BARCELONA — A dangerous convicted rapist is being given Viagra while in jail to help him re-start his love life once he gets out of prison…
A consultant urologist prescribed the drug so the rapist, named only S.C.C. by the newspaper, so he could have a sexual life when he left prison with the women who were coming to visit him behind bars.
…Sources also disclosed that this was not only case of a sex offender being given the drug…
It is part of a programme by the regional Catalan government or Generalitat…A spokesman for the justice department in Catalonia said: "This is totally legal and is administered like any other drug to someone who is sick in jail in line with the law."
He admitted that the drug was being given to other sex offenders but said it was part of a prison programme…"They are deprived of their liberty but not of other rights, like treatment for sicknesses or illnesses." …the urologist connected with the prison had drawn up a list of offenders who suffered from erectile problems or impotence and had given a number of them the Viagra drug.
http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=81&story_id=23924&name=%27Dangerous%27+rapist+is+given+Viagra+behind+bars
Court: Man falsely accused cannot sue
Pierre South Dakota— A split state Supreme Court has refused to reinstate a lawsuit filed by a former Sturgis man who was falsely accused of rape and kidnapping after three children made up a story.
… cannot sue…because Lehrkamp had probable cause to arrest Heib based on what the officer knew at the time of the arrest… The two dissenting justices said Heib should be allowed to continue his lawsuit so a jury could examine the facts and determine whether Lehrkamp had probable cause for arresting Heib.
Court records say two girls, ages 12 and 13, and an 11-year-old boy skipped school Dec. 9, 1997, and rode around with four other youths. They made up the story about kidnapping and rape to cover up the fact that they skipped school…The two girls and the boy told law officers they had been kidnapped that morning and that two girls were raped by an 18-year-old man with the aid of another man they later identified as Heib, who was then 19.
Heib told authorities he had left his house early that morning and went with a friend to eat breakfast at a fast-food restaurant. He then went to an optometrist's office and to work at a building supply store until 3 p.m…His story was backed up by witnesses at the restaurant, the optometrist's office and the building-supply store…
…He spent 86 days in jail, where another prisoner severely beat him. He was put in isolation to protect him from other prisoners who believed he was a sexual pervert, and he had to wear a bulletproof vest to a court appearance because of death threats…Heib also lost his job, his vehicle and his home.
One of the girls later admitted that the accusations were made up...At the time of the arrest, the children had related substantially similar stories, the high court said. Medical examinations appeared to back up the allegations of sexual assault, but that was later explained when one of the girls said they had sex with their boyfriends that afternoon, the majority opinion said.
"Fortunately, the children's lies were uncovered," he wrote. To the extent that the two men were not wrongfully convicted, the system worked, "but it did not work fast enough," Konenkamp wrote.
http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2005/09/23/news/local/news04.txt
New 'Hobbit' disease link claim
Scientists are to present new evidence that the tiny human species dubbed "The Hobbit" may not be what it seems.
The researchers say their findings strongly support an idea that the 1m- (3ft-) tall female skeleton from Indonesia is a diseased modern human.
Their claims have been aired in a BBC Horizon programme screened on Thursday…Indonesian anthropologist Teuku Jacob controversially took possession of the remains and declared them to be those of a modern human with the condition microcephaly.
This disorder is characterised by a small brain, but it can also be associated with dwarfism, as well as abnormalities of the face and jaw. For this reason, some scientists believe the condition could cause a modern human to look primitive in evolutionary terms.
Jacob was soon joined by a handful of researchers in the belief that the discovery team had happened upon nothing more than a member of our own species with a rare disease.
But another piece of evidence challenging the discoverers' claims has come from one of the oldest anatomical collections in the world…Ann MacLarnon of Roehampton University, UK, has discovered the skull of a microcephalic in the vaults of London's Royal College of Surgeons with a brain that matches that of the Hobbit for size.
"It showed that we really could demonstrate with a specimen that [microcephaly] could explain the Hobbit's small brain," she told Horizon… http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4268122.stm
Gov. Blanco's Approval Rating in Free Fall
Sept. 22, 2005 The bottom has fallen out of Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco's poll numbers, with her approval rating tumbling sharply in the wake of the Hurricane Katrina crisis. Survey USA found that Gov. Blanco's favorability rating has dropped by a whopping nine points among Louisianans, from 50 to 41 percent since the last survey in August. Gov. Blanco's negative numbers have shot up by an even higher margin - 13 points. 56 percent give her a thumbs down.
Meanwhile, the same survey found that in Mississippi, which was also devastated by Katrina, Gov. Haley Barbour's approval rating is way up - to 58 percent.
http://newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/9/22/235631.shtml
NY Times Credit Rating Sinks
Sept. 23, 2005 It’s been a bad week for the New York Times Co. – one day after announcing that it would cut 500 jobs over the coming months, the company learned that Standard & Poor’s Rating Service has put its long-term debt on "credit watch with negative implications.” ...The job cuts came on top of 200 layoffs earlier this year at the company
"The Credit Watch listing reflects New York Times’ lower earnings guidance due to a softer than expected advertising revenue climate,” said S&P credit analyst Donald Wong.
http://newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/9/23/94925.shtml
http://www.freewill-predestination.com
Sept. 22, 2005 That could well be Toyota Motor Corp.’s next slogan, if the world’s second-largest automaker succeeds in offering cars with a medicated cloth seat cover designed to help heal rashes….
…Toyota is also looking at a steering wheel that could help diabetics by allowing them to measure their blood sugar levels by simply gripping the wheel…
… the wheel, in conjunction with other technology, will also be able to gauge a driver’s temperament and blood pressure, adjusting the color of the headlights on the car to warn others of the driver’s mental state.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9439612/
Mexico tests slimming powers of tequila's agave
Sep 22 Scientists from Mexico's tequila producing region say juice extracted from the blue agave plant, best known when distilled into the fiery spirit, may help dieters shed pounds and cut cholesterol… agave's possible health benefits are lost when the plant is distilled into alcohol.
"The structure of agave contains, among other things, substances known as fructans," Dr Jorge Segura, who is leading the investigation, told Reuters on Thursday. "Fructans reduce cholesterol (and) alter the absorption of fat in the intestine, at least in animals." …Inulin, a type of fructan, is a carbohydrate found in many plants, including asparagus. Some scientists believe inulin helps weight loss…
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050922/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_mexico_tequila
Gator found tied to palm tree at Pensacola Beach
PENSACOLA BEACH, Fla. — John Jackson didn't panic when he saw a six-foot alligator between his home and his neighbor's house Friday…The gator was tied to a palm tree. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers later picked up the reptile and released it back into the wild… construction workers nearby tied the gator to the tree until authorities could get ther…the construction workers would not be charged with taking a gator without a permit.
"They did not hurt him, did not harm him," Kirkland said. "We don't encourage people to capture alligators but there was no intent to commit a crime." …Kirkland said alligators, although fresh water creatures, sometimes find their way to the beach…"That's just to be expected," he said. "Welcome to Florida."
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/state/content/gen/ap/FL_Tied_Gator.html
Prosecutors see 'CSI effect' in white-collar cases
Sep 24 Jurors schooled in crime investigations through watching TV dramas expect prosecutors to show them sophisticated forensic evidence -- even in white-collar trials -- making it tough for the government to prove cases, two federal prosecutors said on Friday.
Alice Martin, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, said that the so-called "CSI effect" -- a reference to the hit CBS television show about gruesome crime scene investigations -- hurt her case against HealthSouth Corp. founder Richard Scrushy.
Jurors in post-verdict interviews "said, 'we needed a fingerprint on one of the documents or we needed him (Scrushy) to say the word 'fraud' on the audiotape"' that was secretly recorded by a former HealthSouth finance chief, Martin said at a white-collar crime conference at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington.
"They said, 'they always do fingerprints on TV," she said.
David Anders, an assistant U.S. attorney in Manhattan who prosecuted ex-WorldCom CEO Bernard Ebbers and former investment banker Frank Quattrone, also told the conference that jurors expect forensic-type evidence in white-collar cases… http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050924/en_nm/television_csi_dc&printer=1;_ylt=AuqEpMcWUEEKzaZ8Zu5yJyPK.nQA;_ylu=X3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-
Cherokees vote to display Ten Commandments
September 24, 2005 … the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians…tribal council is making plans to mount a copy of the Ten Commandments in the council house where government meetings are held, and possibly display them throughout other public buildings in Cherokee.
…The idea was introduced by Councilwoman Angela Kephart last month. She said the tribe should display the Ten Commandments out of respect and devotion to God. The motion passed unanimously.
…There is no First Amendment issue involved, and even if the American Civil Liberties Union wanted to make one, it can't. The U.S. Constitution does not apply to Cherokee, nor to any other Native American tribe for that matter, according to Cherokee's Attorney General David Nash.
"We are a sovereign nation and we can pretty much post anything we want in our council chambers," said Kephart. "For once the federal government is not going to tell us what to do. We can feel good about it because we are standing up for God. The more it becomes controversial, the more we need to stand firm."
…Posting the Ten Commandments doesn't prevent others from practicing their religion, explained Nash. "Anybody can practice any religion they want to practice," Nash said.
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=46488
'Dangerous' rapist is given Viagra behind bars
23 September 2005 Spain-BARCELONA — A dangerous convicted rapist is being given Viagra while in jail to help him re-start his love life once he gets out of prison…
A consultant urologist prescribed the drug so the rapist, named only S.C.C. by the newspaper, so he could have a sexual life when he left prison with the women who were coming to visit him behind bars.
…Sources also disclosed that this was not only case of a sex offender being given the drug…
It is part of a programme by the regional Catalan government or Generalitat…A spokesman for the justice department in Catalonia said: "This is totally legal and is administered like any other drug to someone who is sick in jail in line with the law."
He admitted that the drug was being given to other sex offenders but said it was part of a prison programme…"They are deprived of their liberty but not of other rights, like treatment for sicknesses or illnesses." …the urologist connected with the prison had drawn up a list of offenders who suffered from erectile problems or impotence and had given a number of them the Viagra drug.
http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=81&story_id=23924&name=%27Dangerous%27+rapist+is+given+Viagra+behind+bars
Court: Man falsely accused cannot sue
Pierre South Dakota— A split state Supreme Court has refused to reinstate a lawsuit filed by a former Sturgis man who was falsely accused of rape and kidnapping after three children made up a story.
… cannot sue…because Lehrkamp had probable cause to arrest Heib based on what the officer knew at the time of the arrest… The two dissenting justices said Heib should be allowed to continue his lawsuit so a jury could examine the facts and determine whether Lehrkamp had probable cause for arresting Heib.
Court records say two girls, ages 12 and 13, and an 11-year-old boy skipped school Dec. 9, 1997, and rode around with four other youths. They made up the story about kidnapping and rape to cover up the fact that they skipped school…The two girls and the boy told law officers they had been kidnapped that morning and that two girls were raped by an 18-year-old man with the aid of another man they later identified as Heib, who was then 19.
Heib told authorities he had left his house early that morning and went with a friend to eat breakfast at a fast-food restaurant. He then went to an optometrist's office and to work at a building supply store until 3 p.m…His story was backed up by witnesses at the restaurant, the optometrist's office and the building-supply store…
…He spent 86 days in jail, where another prisoner severely beat him. He was put in isolation to protect him from other prisoners who believed he was a sexual pervert, and he had to wear a bulletproof vest to a court appearance because of death threats…Heib also lost his job, his vehicle and his home.
One of the girls later admitted that the accusations were made up...At the time of the arrest, the children had related substantially similar stories, the high court said. Medical examinations appeared to back up the allegations of sexual assault, but that was later explained when one of the girls said they had sex with their boyfriends that afternoon, the majority opinion said.
"Fortunately, the children's lies were uncovered," he wrote. To the extent that the two men were not wrongfully convicted, the system worked, "but it did not work fast enough," Konenkamp wrote.
http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2005/09/23/news/local/news04.txt
New 'Hobbit' disease link claim
Scientists are to present new evidence that the tiny human species dubbed "The Hobbit" may not be what it seems.
The researchers say their findings strongly support an idea that the 1m- (3ft-) tall female skeleton from Indonesia is a diseased modern human.
Their claims have been aired in a BBC Horizon programme screened on Thursday…Indonesian anthropologist Teuku Jacob controversially took possession of the remains and declared them to be those of a modern human with the condition microcephaly.
This disorder is characterised by a small brain, but it can also be associated with dwarfism, as well as abnormalities of the face and jaw. For this reason, some scientists believe the condition could cause a modern human to look primitive in evolutionary terms.
Jacob was soon joined by a handful of researchers in the belief that the discovery team had happened upon nothing more than a member of our own species with a rare disease.
But another piece of evidence challenging the discoverers' claims has come from one of the oldest anatomical collections in the world…Ann MacLarnon of Roehampton University, UK, has discovered the skull of a microcephalic in the vaults of London's Royal College of Surgeons with a brain that matches that of the Hobbit for size.
"It showed that we really could demonstrate with a specimen that [microcephaly] could explain the Hobbit's small brain," she told Horizon… http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4268122.stm
Gov. Blanco's Approval Rating in Free Fall
Sept. 22, 2005 The bottom has fallen out of Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco's poll numbers, with her approval rating tumbling sharply in the wake of the Hurricane Katrina crisis. Survey USA found that Gov. Blanco's favorability rating has dropped by a whopping nine points among Louisianans, from 50 to 41 percent since the last survey in August. Gov. Blanco's negative numbers have shot up by an even higher margin - 13 points. 56 percent give her a thumbs down.
Meanwhile, the same survey found that in Mississippi, which was also devastated by Katrina, Gov. Haley Barbour's approval rating is way up - to 58 percent.
http://newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/9/22/235631.shtml
NY Times Credit Rating Sinks
Sept. 23, 2005 It’s been a bad week for the New York Times Co. – one day after announcing that it would cut 500 jobs over the coming months, the company learned that Standard & Poor’s Rating Service has put its long-term debt on "credit watch with negative implications.” ...The job cuts came on top of 200 layoffs earlier this year at the company
"The Credit Watch listing reflects New York Times’ lower earnings guidance due to a softer than expected advertising revenue climate,” said S&P credit analyst Donald Wong.
http://newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/9/23/94925.shtml
http://www.freewill-predestination.com
posted by David Bennett | 7:15 PM
<< Home