By CHARLENE DEAN
PVT

The Pahrump Kiwanis will host their first New Year's Eve Party this year.

The event will start at 8 p.m., Dec. 31 in the Bob Ruud Community Center.

Corporate Secretary, Marianne Murphy said. "We are providing a smoke-free environment where people can relax and enjoy each other without having to go to a casino."

The Kiwanis members are making loads of finger foods. Murphy said, "We're having pepperoni rolls and the usual vegetable trays with dip and bowls of munchie things. One of our members is making 40 pounds of meatballs and someone else is doing little sausages. There should be plenty of food."

Dress is casual-dressy, so blue jeans and sweats won't be allowed.

The Armondo Pizzi Band will start at 9 p.m. and play through the new year. Murphy said, "They are a local group and have provided music for several events at the Preferred RV Resort behind Terribles."

Soda, beer, water and wine will be offered for sale and at midnight there will be a complimentary champagne toast. Sparkling grape juice will be served for those who do not drink.

There will be raffles held throughout the evening and random drawings for door prizes.

The proceeds from the event will go to local projects like the Salvation Army, and Special Olympics. It will also help to fund the scholarship program and building wheelchair ramps for the disabled and seniors with low income.

Tickets are $20 per person and can be purchased at Shadow Mountain Construction, Secret Sisters Boutique, Kaye's Allstate, American Family insurance or by calling 513-8952 or 209-3752


Source: http://www.pahrumpvalleytimes.com

By Adam Satariano

Dec. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Michael Klein, the owner of California hedge fund Pacificor LLC, his teenage daughter, Talia, and pilot were found dead after their plane crashed over the weekend in Panama, the Associated Press reported.

Francesca Lewis, the 12-year-old friend of Klein's daughter, who was 13, survived and is in hospital with multiple injuries, the report said, citing Panamas civil protection agency. The pilot, Edwin Lasso, was from Panama.

The plane, which had been missing since Dec. 23, was found in the jungle-covered mountains of Chiriqui province in western Panama, AP said.

The plane had taken off from Islas Secas off the Pacific coast of Panama where they were on vacation at a resort that Michael Klein owns, AP said, citing his ex-wife Kim. They were heading for Chiriqui volcano about 620 kilometers (385 miles) west of Panama City.

To contact the reporter on this story: Adam Satariano in San Francisco at asatariano1@bloomberg.net .


Source: http://www.bloomberg.com

By TIM O'MEILIA

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Monday, December 24, 2007

The star of Bethlehem is 2,000-plus years past, but the moon and Mars will do a credible stand-in tonight.

On Christmas Eve, the bright, huge, nearly full moon will take its highest track across the night sky until 2023.

Its reddish-gold traveling companion, Mars, will be at its biggest, brightest and closest to Earth until 2016 (though not as close as in 2003), a mere 55 million miles away.

The couple will brighten the sky so much that Santa won't need Rudolph's guiding nose.

"Ta da. On Christmas Eve, it (Mars) will officially be in opposition, which means that it will be directly opposite the Earth from the sun and thus will be in the sky all night long from sunset to sunrise," said Jack Horkheimer, host of the PBS show Star Gazer and director of the Miami Space Transit Planetarium.

The pair will cross the sky together and will be almost directly overhead from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Saturday at 1:08 a.m., by the way, was winter solstice, the official start of winter. Put on a sweater. Call your brother up North and ask if he's put on his snow tires yet.

Then walk the dog after dinner. Breathe in the nearly cool, almost crisp, less than 70-degree night air. Look up. See the cosmos' own Christmas lights.

Source: http://www.palmbeachpost.com

Roger Catlin | EYE ON TV

Part of the purpose of "An Unreasonable Man," an intriguing and ultimately inspiring look at consumer-advocate-turned-presidential-candidate Ralph Nader, is to disavow notions that his running as an independent in the past three presidential elections was to satisfy his own ego or desire to become a spoiler.

The feature documentary by Henriette Mantel and Steve Skrovan on tonight's "Independent Lens" (PBS, 9 p.m., check local listings) shows that Nader tried to work within the Democratic party for 20 years before he abandoned it as being not so different from the Republicans. Both seemed to him at the mercy of big corporations — the same corporations behind the Commission on Presidential Debates that made sure he wouldn't be invited to the debates (or even allowed into the building where one was held in Boston, despite having a ticket).

The values Nader learned growing up in Winsted served him as he became an effective advocate for auto safety. But he became a leader in the field after revealing in a congressional hearing that General Motors had been spying on him.

Remote Patrol
The legacy of Levi Strauss and the jeaning of America is the subject of another documentary, "American Originals — Levi's : Sewing a Legend" (CNBC, 10 p.m. and 1 a.m.), in which everyone seems to wear jeans but the host, Carl Quintanilla.

A new "Nova" (PBS, 8 p.m., check local listings) looks at the effects of the first jet war in Korea and the battles in an area known as MiG Alley.

A two-hour, fourth-season finale of "The Biggest Loser" (NBC, 9 p.m.) will include the return of all of the season's contestants and the naming of a single winner of the $250,000 prize — enough to buy a doughnut franchise. Don't be too sad to see the series go. It will be back with a couples' version Jan. 1.

A new "Boston Legal" (ABC, 10 p.m.) offers a Christmas episode.

For Holly Hunter, who just won a Golden Globe nomination, it's a first-season finale for "Saving Grace" (TNT, 10 p.m.).

Two gospel specials are rerun, "Christmas at the Cathedral" (MyNetworkTV, 8 p.m.) and "Christmas Glory" (MyNetworkTV, 9 p.m.).

"Al Roker's Christmas in New York" (Food, 8 p.m.) involves, we imagine, food. And weather.

One city's choir is eliminated in a one-hour "Clash of the Choirs" (NBC, 8 p.m.).

"Cane" (CBS, 10 p.m.) returns with a new episode after a problematic two-hour event last week not only pulled down ratings for the network, but also leaked a crucial plot point in a Chevy Silverado commercial.

The bridge between Halloween to holidays is covered in Tim Burton's "Nightmare Before Christmas" (Disney, 8 p.m.).


Late Talk
Jay Leno: Leonardo DiCaprio, Naomi Watts, the Goo Goo Dolls (rerun). Conan O'Brien: Bob Saget, Maggie Q, Shane Mauss (rerun). Carson Daly: Ali Landry, Gym Class Heroes. Jon Stewart: Bill Richardson (rerun). Stephen Colbert: Charlie LeDuff (rerun).



more in /entertainment/tv

Copyright © 2007, The Hartford Courant

Microsoft got one of the hippest commercial directors around when it chose Method Studios to make two spots promoting the Zune, Microsoft’s answer to the iPod. Dive in

If you can’t beat them, join them, was perhaps the thinking behind the two new ads released to great acclaim by the team behind the Zune, Microsoft’s answer to the Apple iPod.

Hip music promo director Patrick Daughters, whose video, 1,2,3,4, for Canadian singer Feist was used to promote Apple’s new iPod nano, was chosen to direct the two spots.

A coincidence? Yes, says the company: “The Feist video showing up in the iPod spot happened during our pre-production and had no relevance to our choosing Patrick Daughters,” they said in a statement.

“He was chosen because he shoots authentic-looking film with practical-looking effects and can achieve a sweetness to his film that we really wanted for Zune.”

That’s definitely true: the two 60-second advertisements were designed to lift the Zune from faceless iPod copy to viable iPod alternative. And judging by the resulting ads they might actually succeed.

In the first, The Ballad of Tina Pink, a woman is sitting at an outdoor café sheltering from the rain. She touches the Zune screen and dives through – Alice in Wonderland-style – into her digital life.

Once there she is thrust into an offbeat video shoot featuring fluffy giant rabbits. Taking a break in her movie-star trailer she walks into a gallery of her photos. Jumping into one – a pop concert – she crawls through the drummer’s drum kit to emerge the other side sitting on the sun like a swing, which sets in an ocean full of jellyfish.

The dreamlike sequence finishes when she touches the Zune screen from the inside and re-emerges in the café. In the second, Academy of Dreams, a young guy on a bus falls into his Zune in the same way.

He runs through a long gallery where his photos come alive before climbing a pyramid of his friends and diving off the top. It’s all about social networking and taking control of your digital life.

California-based Method Studios did the work. Producer Luisa Murray had worked with Daughters and the commissioning agency TAG/McCann Worldgroup before, but says the brief was still very challenging.




“Both spots had a hard delivery date,” she says, “but our initial reaction was definitely excitement, as it was clear this was an opportunity to work on a very creative and dynamic spot.”

The team was given extensive storyboards by Daughters, says Murray. However, there were only five weeks in which to build the sets, film the spots and complete postproduction.

“Patrick’s treatment was full of great ideas – but more than could fit into a 60-second spot. We had to figure out how to fit as many of the ideas in as possible.” Louisa had several meetings with Daughters and the production designer K K Barrett.

“It was in one of these first meetings that [lead 3D artist] Laurent Ledru suggested creating an Ames Room for Tina Pink.” An Ames Room is a distorted room used to create optical illusions. Built to look square they are in fact trapezoidal with a slanted roof and floor to create illusions of height and scale.

A custom-built Ames Room was used when the character, Tina Pink, enters her dressing room to find it turned into a gallery. The pictures animate themselves – a kangaroo hops in from the Australian Outback while a Quechua Indian climbs into a picture of Machu Picchu.

Katrina Salicrup, lead 2D artist on the project explains how it was done: “The actors stood on platforms behind the frames and a green screen was placed several feet behind them to allow spatial separation and create depth as the camera moves.

“The green screens were removed in post and replaced with background imagery and several layers of CG reflection and gloss passes to make the framed scenes feel more like photographs.

“The same CG layers were also used to create the transition effect as the girl walks through the rock-concert frame on the way to the sunset sequence. The individual characters that run into frames were all shot separately and later combined in post as well.

“Finally, the light rays coming from the ceiling were added as a 2D element to add some atmosphere to the room.” The goal, says Murray, “was to do as much practically as possible.”




However, she says: “It was also clear that much could not be done practically – so we worked together to figure out the best way to complete each shot. In some cases – such as the block shot in Academy of Dreams – it was decided that to save time the shot would be entirely CG.”

The films carry Daughters’ signature style of lollipop sophistication – glamorous characters interacting in a fun way with storybook characters in a fairytale setting.

They combine CG elements with live action to create a seamless look – it is very hard to tell where the effects start and finish. Murray says the biggest challenge was to complete all of the effects in three weeks.

“Everyone knew we had to be on the same page,” she says. “Most technically challenging was cutting up our hero through the net,” says Murray.

“The transitions in both spots were also a challenge, as we had to come up with creative ways to make the spot work together smoothly as we moved between these different worlds.”

One of the most eye-catching sequences in Tina Pink is when she swims underwater surrounded by giant jellyfish. How was this done? Lead 2D artist Katrina Salicrup explains: “The shots were created using a combination of 2D and 3D elements.”

The jellyfish themselves were taken from high definition stock footage and later colour corrected, re-timed, and composited in Flame. “This shot proved deceptively challenging as far as achieving the desired colour, lighting and creation of depth. Several 2D layers and multiple-layer transfer modes were used to create the colouration and transparency of each jellyfish.

“A custom Z- depth matte was also created in Flame, along with several layers of fog and particulate, to create the illusion of depth while retaining as much detail as possible in the foreground jellyfish.”

The ethereal lighting was added next: “The glow effect was developed using both 2D and 3D elements. The jellyfish plates were match-moved in 3D in order to create central glow and rim elements that synched to the 2D elements and the audio track.

“These elements were then used in conjunction with several Flame tools and plug-ins to achieve the final glow effect.” One of the scenes the team is most proud of is the sunset. Here the character sits on the sun as it sets in the ocean.

“The sunset sequence was created almost entirely in post using both 2D and 3D elements,” says Salicrup. “The on-set shoot consisted of the actress against black being lowered, on a rig, into a swimming pool here in Los Angeles.

“Back at Method the matte painting and sun elements were created from scratch by creative director Laurent Ledru using Photoshop and Maya, and composited in Flame by me.

“The CG elements saw extensive colour grading and the addition of steam, real cotton clouds and wire filament strings to achieve a more theatrical quality.

“The water was also completely redone in post to achieve a more open feeling to the shot. Our goal was to create a beautiful, yet simple, backdrop to accentuate what the character is experiencing as she continues her journey through the Zune.”

This sequence in particular was a very collaborative effort, says Salicrup, with the director, creatives, and artists all providing “ideas, inspiration and execution”. The end result is slick, fun and photo-real.

“Overall we are most pleased with the fact that people find it difficult to discern what was done practically and what was done in post,” says Murray. “It shows a job well done.”

Ed Ewing

Source: http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk

Kolkata, Dec 16 Bijoligrill Aerated Water Co Pvt Ltd, which re-launched its ice-cream soda on Sunday, is looking at more than three-fold growth in a year.

The company took over the brand and also the factory at New Alipore from the Barik brothers in March last year.

Manoj K Sarkar, director of the company, said: "Bijoligrill products have been among the most popular in the eastern region since 1978. The brand has ruled the market and Bengali taste buds for more than 25 years." The company will soon start exhaustive advertisement campaigns.

The Bariks stopped production in October 2005 owing to funds crunch and management issues.

Ice-cream soda, which contributes 60% of the revenue for the present company, will be the biggest revenue driver in the next few years.

Unlike float or ice cream mixed with soda,

Bijoligrill's speciality is ice cream-flavoured soda. Spencers originally brought the recipe from England.

"We do not face any competition from multinational players as we are the only company in the ice-cream soda market," said Manoj Sarkar. The company is eyeing a turnover of Rs 10 crore by 2008-09.

"We have invested Rs 3 crore for the plant's modernisation. The new fully automatic composite plant is capable of producing 15,000 crates a day," said managing director Kuntal Sarkar. The factory produces 200 crates of plain soda and 1,000 crates of ice-cream soda a day.

The company is talking to old customers like the Indian Railways and the ministry of defence. It has also planned to introduce orange, lemon and pineapple flavours in the sparkling water category by January.

The company has also planned to launch tender coconut water, processed and packed in 300-ml cans, under the Bijoligrill brand name by February. The product, already in the market under the brand name of Benfresh Tender Coconut Water, is mainly exported to the US and European Markets

Source: http://www.financialexpress.com

The Neti Pot naturally cleanses, refreshes, and protects the nasal passages, one of our body's first lines of defense against illness.

In the U.S., sinus problems is the #1 reason people see a doctor. With increasing pollution and chemicals in our environment, there is an enormous rise in the number of people who suffer various forms of nasal congestion and respiratory illnesses. Alternative health practitioners throughout the world recommend the regular practice of nasal cleansing using a saline solution as part of a regular regimen of health and wellness, a basic health-maintenance activity equal to flossing your teeth. Neti pot is a gentle, safe, efficient way to deliver a good cleansing dose of saline to the nose.

Although the practice of nasal irrigation originated in India, today there are numerous people in Europe and the United States who use neti pot as part of their daily routine.

People practice Neti on a daily basis to help keep their sinuses clean and to make their breathing easier and more free. Once they try it, most people find Neti to be a soothing and pleasant experience.

If, like a lot of people, you find that your nasal passages are blocked because of pollution, pollen, dust and other irritants, you may find this simple nasal irrigation technique to be of invaluable benefit to you.

The practice of nasal cleansing - known as Neti - has been used by practitioners of Ayurveda and Yoga in India for thousands of years. Neti is one of the 6 purification techniques performed prior to practicing yoga as a way of preparing the body for the yoga practice.

While there exist advanced techniques using various herbal oils and herbs, the simplest Neti technique uses water for the irrigation process. Lukewarm water is used to gently cleanse the nasal passages. A soothing, gentle stream of salt water, the same concentration as tears, flows through your nose, washing away pollens, mucus, viruses and bacteria. Use of a neti pot is recommended to ease this process.

Many health practitioners consider the nasal passages to be the doorway for most diseases. The nasal passage, with its finely-tuned mechanism of hairs and mucus membranes, which are intended to catch and restrain foreign entities from entering our bodies, actually is one of the ways nature protects us from diseases. Unfortunately, this filtering mechanism can become overloaded through high exposure to pollution, chemicals, fragrances, pollen and dust. Cleansing this filter regularly allows it to operate more efficiently.

A simple yet very powerful technique, neti works wonders for chronic sinusitis, and allergies. It has a remarkable effect on upper respiratory tract infections, especially hay fever. In fact, neti is so beneficial that responses usually change from "YUK, there is no way I am ever going to try that" to "WOW. That is fantastic. I am hooked for life" after just one trial.

Your neti pot should be right for YOUR nostrils: Choose a neti pot with a smoothly tapered conical tip at the spout end. This facilitates support on the nostril walls of varying sizes. More importantly, this minimizes spillage as it 'plugs' the inlet nostril.

How neti is done

A neti pot is filled with warm, slightly salted water and the spout of the pot is inserted into one nostril. The position of the head and pot are adjusted to allow the water to flow out of the other nostril.

The technique is not as uncomfortable or difficult as you may think at first. You will be pleasantly surprised at this simple and effective practice for maintaining your health.

Once learnt, neti can be done in about 3 minutes and is easily integrated into a daily routine of body cleansing such as showering or brushing your teeth.

Neti pot instructions:

1. Prepare the saline solution with lukewarm water and fill the neti pot. Hot water is irritating and dangerous. Cool water is not soothing.

2. Tilt your head to the side as shown in the picture at the beginning of this article...

3. Insert spout of neti pot gently into the raised nostril creating a seal between the neti pot and the nostril. If it drains out of your mouth, lower your forehead in relation to your chin. Relax. If you are calm, the water flows right through. But if you aren't, it just won't flow. If you keep breathing through your mouth, relaxed, the water should gently flow through the nose on its own. There's no forcing it.

4. Raise the neti pot slowly to develop a steady flow of saline solution through the upper nostril and out the lower nostril.

5. During the process breathe through your mouth.

6. When you're done, exhale firmly several times to clear the nasal passages.

7. Reverse the tilt of your head and repeat the process on the other side.

Marc Leduc is the publisher of Healingdaily.com and these statements are not approved by the US FDA.

Source: http://www.emaxhealth.com

Justin Fatica Wants to 'Shock the World, One Person at a Time'

by JOHN DONVAN and JULIA HOPPOCK

Jumping up and down, getting hit by chairs and telling girls they are fat is hardly the image of a Catholic preacher. But for Justin Fatica, a 29-year-old unordained priest and leader of a nonprofit called Hard as Nails Ministries, that is exactly the point.

Fatica targets teens with his preaching, and his methods of spreading his brand of the Catholic message have brought him both admiration and criticism.

Fatica said he found Christ at the age of 17, on a Saturday afternoon when he stepped out of confession. This moment planted the seeds for what he believes is his mission to grab the attention of young people and spread the Catholic faith. While he acknowledges that he is "not the smartest tool in the shed," he believes that he has been chosen to preach Catholicism to young people in this way.


A graduate of Seton Hall University, Fatica went on to teach at Catholic schools before before becoming one of the founders and directors of Ministry for Hard as Nails. The organization's Web site states its vision is to "bring the message of Jesus Christ in intense and dynamic ways."

"I was born for this era," Fatica said. "And there's something big that God wants to do with me -- I gotta do something great."

His speeches are untraditional at best. He's passionate, performs stunts, and is brutally honest and aggressive in his message.

Fatica explained that his tough, "in your face" methods are the most effective way to prove he is serious about his faith as well as inspire young people in today's culture.

"I'm in your face with how proud I am," Fatica said. "You know, of the young people and how God, how proud God is of them."

Fatica's "rough and tough" style doesn't seem to come from his parents, who are gentle and fairly well off. However, Fatica scoffs at the notion that his style is anything but authentic.

"Whatever, people just call it a schtick," he said. "I call it, I spent 10 years in Jersey, you know, hanging out with a bunch of characters."

He is a true believer and he makes no excuses, and in spite of that, or perhaps because of it Fatica knows connects with people, particularly kids.The kids who come to his meetings often don't know what they are in for, but Fatica believes this works in his favor.

"I don't know if they are expecting old fuddy priests," Fatica said. "But what I do know is they don't expect me coming in there and shakin' it up."


Shock Tactics
Fatica shakes things up by going to extreme measures. For example, one of his signature moves in a sermon is having someone hit him in the back with a chair while he proclaims his love for Jesus. He believes that he has to "shock the world, one person at a time."

His tactics are also a type of social commentary. "Look at the culture we live in," Fatica said, explaining why he gets hit in the back with chairs. "You are asking me this question because I'm a religious guy. Why don't you go out and get WWE in the line and ask them every day?" Fatica shocks people in this way not only to grab young people's attention, but to demonstrate suffering and sin.


"It's really about love, St. Francis, to show people that he sinned," Fatica said. "Jesus went through it for us, that suffering. We should start caring about it. But when we sin, it hurts Christ, it hurts ourselves and it hurts others."

His message can seem to contradict his methods. He frequently points to overweight women in the crowd and tells them "you're fat," often resulting in the young women crying or getting upset. Again, Fatica says he's just trying to prove a point by demonstrating the "sins" he believes we all commit.

"What I'm trying to do is shake them up and help them realize that's how we do treat people," Fatica said. "We put them in a class, put them in categories: 'You're gay, you're fat, you're Catholic.' And we need to start respecting people for who they are, not about what we think they are, and why everybody is important. And that's why I do it."

Fatica, admits, however, that sometimes this point gets misinterpreted. "I might get some e-mails saying that, they say I'm a jerk for this."


Taking the Message Too Far?
It was these kinds of shocking methods that attracted the attention of journalist David Holbrooke, who has followed Fatica for years and is now making a documentary on him that is premiering on HBO. From the first moment he saw Fatica in action, Holbrooke said he was compelled.

"We found him at Soulfest, at a Christian rock festival in New Hampshire, and he jumped out," said Holbrooke. "He was so emotive, he was like … no filters, and right away I thought he was as compelling as anybody I'd ever met."

Holbrooke wasn't just captivated by his shocking methods but by his complexity -- he understands what Fatica is trying to do.

"He's got a real message of love," said Holbrooke. "I think in his heart he's really trying to do what he can do to move this ball forward, that there are kids in trouble, and they've largely been abandoned by society."

While Fatica acknowledges that this message of love and devotion could be taken to extremes, and possibly even be destructive, he believes it is a risk worth taking.


"No matter what experience we go to, somebody could passionately take a message, and go with it," Fatica said. "Whether with sports, no matter what we go through, people can engage a passion where they go to the extreme and it can hurt their life. And I do, of course worry about those things."

The documentary shows one instance in which a young man is so impassioned by Fatica's message that he reacts physically -- jumping up and down and dislocating his shoulder in the excitement.

Holbrooke said he was concerned that people might take Fatica's message or methods too far, which, he believed, was all the more reason to document it.

"They're going to get caught up in the fire and take this too far along," said Holbrooke. "And that made me nervous, and I wanted to be able to show that."

Despite varying opinion on Fatica's controversial tactics, it is clear that he aims to help people in his own, perhaps bizarre, way.

"Well, I know God's proud of me and that makes me know I'm proud of myself," he said. "I'm proud for every human that I've met because the humans I meet, no matter who they are, they always teach me something."

Source: http://www.abcnews.go.com

THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN
MONTE VISTA - Should SkyFuel decide to locate a 1,000-megawatt solar power plant near Del Norte, the company hopes to use a new technology that would make solar power cheaper and easier to get to market.

The Department of Energy awarded the company a $435,000 grant at the end of last month to continue research on its Linear Power Tower.

The system uses a Fresnel-lens style array of mirrors, the same style of lens commonly used in flattened magnifying glasses, stop lights and lighthouses, said William Felsher, vice president of project sales for the company. The style would allow the company to lay its panels out flat close to the ground in a North-South configuration, and tilt them side to side to catch the sun's daily journey from East to West across the sky. The system is cheaper and easier to maintain than systems using smaller, pole-mounted mirrors, which each must have their own motors and mounting gear.

The long thin panels reflect the sun's light toward a single horizontal "tower" to gather the heat.

The company believes that the power towers, along with the high temperature and storage capabilities of molten salt, will make its power less expensive and easier to distribute to market. The company says a five-gallon bucket of molten salt can store the energy needed for a person for an entire day.

SkyFuel hopes to build the power tower by 2011.

- Matt Hildner

Source: http://www.chieftain.com/

Source: www.dnaindia.com

Deepak Gidwani

LUCKNOW: The mysterious death of 16 gharials in the Chambal Wildlife Sanctuary spread over 5,000 sq km along the Chambal river has foxed the UP forest department (UPFD).

The unprecedented deaths are a first in the history of the sanctuary established in 1978.

The sanctuary falls in two other states (Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh) as well and is known as an unrivalled haven for the endangered gharial. There are over 1,000 gharials in the sanctuary.

“We can’t say with certainty what may have caused the deaths,” UP’s chief wildlife warden DNS Suman told DNA. The post-mortem report lists liver cirrhosis and lung damage as the immediate causes. But UPFD doctors are clueless.

“It might be due to fungal, bacterial or viral infection. We are also not ruling out acute water pollution as the cause of the deaths,” Suman said. Viscera of the gharials have been sent for examination to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Bareilly, while water samples have been sent for forensic examination.

The forest department is perplexed as no other species living in the Chambal region, including crocodiles, turtkes and dolphins, has been affected. “If the gharial deaths are due to infection, other species would have also been affected,” said a senior official.

Most of the gharials were found dead over a stretch of about 12 km near the Sahson Ghat in Etawah district of UP. Twelve corpses were found on the UP side and four on the MP side of the sanctuary. The first dead gharial was spotted by fishermen last Saturday.

“Forest department officials are to be blamed for the deaths,” says Rajiv Chauhan, secretary, Society for Conservation of Nature, an NGO working for the conservation of the gharial. It is no secret that rampant fishing goes on in the Chambal sanctuary despite a ban.

Worse, the fishermen cut off the protruding snouts of the gharials or kill them when they get entangled in fishing nets. Besides, fishing also cuts into the gharials’ food supplies.

Meanwhile, UPFD officials have alerted their counterparts in MP and Rajasthan and a full-scale combing operation has been launched to map the extent of damage. But considering that the sanctuary is spread over 400 km, the task could take longer than anticipated.

g_deepak@dnaindia.net

Forensic analysis of document fails to authenticate link to Alamo hero
By JANET ELLIOTT
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau

AUSTIN — The state is backing out of a deal to spend half a million dollars for a purported letter from Davy Crockett after a forensic analysis could not guarantee its authenticity.

The Texas Historical Commission on Friday received an e-mail containing preliminary results and decided to return the document to the seller, Ray Simpson of Houston's Simpson Galleries.

Debbi Head, a commission spokeswoman, said the paper was consistent with that produced in the 1830s. But irregularities such as an uneven edge, indentations and particulates on the document raised questions about its authenticity.

The examiners did not determine that the letter was a fake or a true copy done for legal purposes in the 19th century, Head said.

"They simply were unable to determine authentication," she said.

The letter was said to be the last written by Crockett before his death at the Alamo in March 1836. It describes his hopes of making a fortune in Texas, "the garden spot of the world."

The state had planned to spend $550,000 from the state historic artifact fund for the letter, though it would have received $60,000 of that amount back under the agreement reached with Simpson.


Doubts about 'treasure'
The state had 120 days from acquisition of the document to authenticate or return it. Simpson never received any money from the state for the letter.

The letter was unveiled by Gov. Rick Perry and Historical Commission Chairman John L. Nau III with much fanfare at a September news conference at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. Perry said at the time that it was "truly a state treasure."

But historical document experts raised doubts about its authenticity. They said the grammar was too correct and the penmanship too polished for the frontiersman's hand.

Perry said in a statement Friday that the state believed the document would be a rare, historic acquisition for Texas.

"Although that proved not to be the case, the Texas Historical Commission acted appropriately and followed the proper channels of due diligence after pursuing the potential purchase of the letter," he said.

Simpson said he could not comment until he has seen the report. He said that he is not disagreeing with the expert's opinion but hopes that further review could determine that the letter was written by Crockett.

"We are still hoping that it is the real deal," he said. "If not, we need to find out where it came from and exactly what it is."


Final report coming
The commission paid $17,000 to Federal Forensic Associates Inc. of Raleigh, N.C. to analyze the paper and ink.

The commission received the analysts' 10-page report by e-mail Friday, but Head said they could not release it because it is considered a draft. She said the final report would be released when it is delivered to the commission's office next week.

Nau said in September that the Simpson family discovered the letter in a file folder in mid-August and contacted state officials. Simpson said he believes his late grandfather, William Simpson, purchased the letter from Crockett's great-great-grandson in 1986.

janet.elliott@chron.com

Police aim to shut down Ontario shop

By William Lundquist
Argus Observer
Wednesday, December 5, 2007 10:46 AM PST



Pictured above are some of the products displayed for sale at the Old School shop in downtown Ontario. Police maintain the items are drug paraphernalia while the owner said she sells only tobacco accessories and art.
Ontario - Ontario Police Chief Mike Kee said Tuesday he hopes to force what he asserts to be a downtown drug paraphernalia shop, Old School, to operate within the Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) by filing a civil complaint in Malheur County Circuit Court.

“Where we would like to get is to a point where what she’s doing is authorized by the law” he said. “It’s all I can do.”

The owner of Old School and the defendant in the complaint, Victoria Miller, said she has always operated within the law. And, she said, she thinks of her business as a tobacco accessory and art shop, not one that sells drug paraphernalia.

“I sell nothing illegal,” Miller said. “I don’t understand this. I have done nothing illegal. Everything I sell here is for tobacco use only.”

The difference of opinion may boil down to a few key words in the Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS). The civil complaint asserts Miller sold, delivered and possessed with intent to sell numerous products constituting drug paraphernalia.

Miller conceded she does sell vaporizers and other medical devices to those who hold state cards allowing them to use marijuana under Oregon’s medical marijuana laws.

The civil complaint also asserts Miller knew that at least some of the drug paraphernalia would be used to unlawfully cultivate, produce, test, contain or introduce into the human body a controlled substance.

“We do believe she is knowingly doing these things,” Kee said. “She can’t deliver or possess these items if she knows they are to be used for marijuana.”

Miller said she knew nothing of the sort.


She said she is not responsible for what people do with the products they buy once they leave her store.

“If I sold a gun and somebody went out and killed someone, would I be responsible?” she asked.

The civil complaint seeks a penalty of $10,000, the highest allowed under ORS 475.525. If collected, the money would go to the state to be used for drug abuse prevention and adolescent treatment.

The complaint also asks that Miller not be allowed to sell, deliver or possess any drug paraphernalia, and that she pay the city’s legal fees in the case. If the city loses, it would have to pay Miller’s legal fees, though she said Tuesday she intends to sue for a lot more.


Kee said the focus on Old School began after he received several complaints from downtown merchants about suspicious activity when the store opened in May 2006 a few doors down from its present location.

He said his department began an investigation, and the building’s landlord asked Miller to move. Since the move, Kee said, he continues to receive calls from downtown businesses concerned about Miller’s customers loitering around the shop, though Kee said there is no law against that. He said the customers and activity of Old School are just “out of character” with Ontario’s downtown.

Miller said she sees it differently.

“I promote a lot of business for Ontario,” she said.

She explained that 90 percent of her customers come from Idaho, where the kind of glass pipes she sells are illegal, but also from all over the Northwest and even Alaska. Those customers shop and eat in the downtown area, she said.

“My store brings business to Ontario,” Miller said.

She said she wondered why Kee was targeting her shop, when New Vizions, just down the street, sells the same kind of pipes, plus items she considers pornographic and will not allow in her store. Kee said he did investigate New Vizions, and what he learned convinced the city’s attorneys in the case to not file a civil complaint about that business right now, though he did not rule out some kind of legal action in the future.

“They do things differently from Old School,” Kee said of New Vizions. “Their business practices are somewhat different than Old School.”

Kee said he did not want to elaborate on those differences for fear his comments would inadvertently help Miller’s defense attorney.

Under ORS 475.525, many of the items in Old School would be defined as drug paraphernalia if they were used with marijuana, but Miller said they are sold only to be used for legal substances like tobacco or cloves. She said she could legally sell an herb called salvia in Oregon, but does not because it is illegal in Louisiana.

According to the ORS, several factors are at play in deciding what is or is not drug paraphernalia. Those factors include: instructions provided with the object concerning its use; materials accompanying the object which explain or depict its use; national and local advertising concerning its use; how the object is displayed for sale; the existence and scope of legitimate uses for the object in the community and any expert testimony that may be introduced concerning its use. The ORS said its provisions do not apply to people registered under Oregon’s medical marijuana law.

Miller said she has spoken with Kee in the past and tried to address all his concerns.

She said he objected to the fake marijuana leis she sold, so she threw them away.

He objected to legal magazines like “High Times” and “Cannabis Culture” being displayed close to the pipes, so she moved them to the back of the store.

He objected to the synthetic urine she sells because it could be used to throw off a drug test, so she put it in a secure glass case.

Miller said because she put all her tobacco products behind the counter, she could legally allow unaccompanied juveniles in her store, but she refuses to let anyone under the age of 18 in without an adult and checks identifications carefully.

What the store does offer, Miller said, is glass art and pipes by world-renowned artists Maurice Braun and Bob Snodgrass, shirts, some tobacco products and posters. She said she refuses to sell any products that could conceivably be used with meth.

“Meth destroyed my brother,” Miller said. “To me, it’s the worst drug in the world.”

As for herself, Miller said, “I’ve never used illegal drugs. I don’t recommend that anyone do. They’re illegal for a reason.”

Source: www.argusobserver.com