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LOS ANGELES -- A mountain lion that wandered into an Altadena neighborhood was tranquilized Monday and removed by authorities... foxnews.com/ ... 21:56:22
Apes are cultured. Fifty years of research on gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans has shown they use tools, communicate and sometimes shake their hands just because it's cool... 
Marine Lance Cpl. Adam J. Vanalstine, 21, of Superior, Wis., died Feb. 25, from an improvised explosive device in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. defenselink.mil/ ... 19:01:37Army Sgt. Jessie Davila, 29, of Greensburg, Kan., died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Feb. 20, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Davila was assigned to the Army National Guard. defenselink.mil/ ... 19:01:11Army Staff Sgt. Curtis T. Howard II, 32, of Ann Arbor, Mich.Army Sgt. Gordon F. Misner II, 23, of Sparks, Nev.Army Spc. Thomas J. Wilwerth, 21, of Mastic, N.Y. EVERY day thousands of cats are transported to Guangdong province in southern China. They are destined not to become the pampered pets of the country’s new rich, but to be served up at the dinner table. The trade is one that merchants seem eager to keep out of the public eye in a country where pet shops have sprung up to meet a growing demand as incomes rise... sciencedaily.com/ ... 03:36:43Though some species of fish around the world's are likely to be contaminated with mercury, PCBs and other toxins, the benefits of eating seafood continue to outweigh the risks, a panel of scientists recently said at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. 
Jessica Rabbit isn't welcome in China -- and Michael Jordan shouldn't show up with any of his Looney Toons pals. In one of the more bizarre orders from China's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, TV shows and films featuring human thesps with animated companions will be banned... news.yahoo.com/ ... 12:17:04A German court on Thursday convicted a businessman of insulting Islam by printing the word "Koran" on toilet paper and offering it to mosques. The 61-year-old man, identified only as Manfred van H., was given a one-year jail sentence, suspended for five years, and ordered to complete 300 hours of community service, a district court in the western German town of Luedinghausen ruled... worldnetdaily.com/ ... 12:13:45A community college student in Massachusetts faces possible disciplinary action for shouting "Remember Chappaquiddick!" during an on-campus speech by Democrat Sen. Edward Kennedy yesterday... news.bbc.co.uk/ ... 12:13:20A Chinese man jailed over the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests has been released from jail but is severely mentally ill, his family has said. Yu Dongyue was sentenced to 20 years in jail for throwing paint at a portrait of China's former leader Mao Zedong. He was freed on Wednesday, after 17 years in prison, but family members said he did not recognise them and spoke unintelligibly. Human rights groups have alleged Yu was tortured by guards in prison... mg.co.za/ ... 12:05:12China warned outspoken Hong Kong Bishop Joseph Zen on Thursday not to mix politics and religion, after Pope Benedict XVI named him a cardinal... Army Sgt. 1st Class Amos C. Edwards, Jr., 41, of Savannah, Ga., died in Ar Rutbah, Iraq, on Feb. 17, from a non-combat related cause. Edwards was assigned to the Army National Guard. The incident is under investigation. defenselink.mil/ ... 09:53:29Army Cpt. Anthony R. Garcia, 48, of Fort Worth, Texas, died in Tikrit, Iraq, on Feb. 17, from a gun shot wound. The incident is under investigation. 
RINGO STARR lyrics - "Early 1970..." meltingpot.fortunecity.com/ ... 20:00:03Ringo Starr discography [just because I was there...] AVENAL, Calif. --Administrators at Avenal State Prison said they will have to kill more than 100 cats that have sneaked in and reproduced inside the facility. The felines have become a health nuisance for the prison. The state has cited the prison for unsafe working conditions because of cat urine and feces... Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew R. Barnes, 20, of West Monroe, La.Marine Cpl. Rusty L. Washam, 21, of Huntsville, Tenn. Both Marines died Feb. 14, when a suicide car bomber attacked their vehicle near Al Qa'im, Iraq. defenselink.mil/ ... 22:13:45Army Cpl. Andrew J. Kemple, 23, of Cambridge, Minn., died in Tikrit, Iraq on Feb. 12, when his HMMWV came under small arms fire during combat operations. Army Spc. Felipe J. Garcia Villareal, 26, of Burke, Va., died at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 12, of injuries sustained in Ramadi, Iraq on Feb. 9, when his tent caught fire. The incident is under investigation. defenselink.mil/ ... 15:51:46Marine Lance Cpl. Michael S. Probst, 26, of Irvine, Calif., died Feb. 14 from an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations near Abu Ghraib, Iraq. Marine Pfc. Matthew L. Bertolino, 20, of Hampstead, N.H., died Feb. 9, when the vehicle he was traveling in was involved in a rollover while operating as part of a combat patrol near Jalalabad, Afghanistan. The accident is currently under investigation. defenselink.mil/ ... 21:20:12Marine Cpl. Brandon S. Schuck, 21, of Safford, Ariz., died Feb. 6 from an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Baghdadi, Iraq.Marine N.C. Pfc. Jacob D. Spann, 21, of Columbus, Ohio, died Feb. 6 from wounds sustained as a result of an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Hit, Iraq.Marine N.C. Lance Cpl. Steven L. Phillips, 27, of Chesapeake, Va., died Feb. 7 from a non-hostile vehicle accident while conducting combat operations against enemy forces near Al Qaim, Iraq. The accident is under investigation. defenselink.mil/ ... 21:19:09Army Spc. Roberto L. Martinez Salazar, 21, of Long Beach, Calif., died in Mosul, Iraq on Feb. 4, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his up-armored HMMWV during patrol operations. defenselink.mil/ ... 00:04:48Army Spc. Allen D. Kokesh Jr., 21, of Yankton, S. D., died at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, on Feb. 7 of injuries sustained in Baghdad, Iraq, on Dec. 4 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV. Kokesh was assigned to the Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 147th Field Artillery, Yankton, S. D. defenselink.mil/ ... 00:03:04Marine Cpl. Brandon S. Schuck, 21, of Safford, Ariz., died Feb. 6 from an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Baghdadi, Iraq.Marine Pfc. Jacob D. Spann, 21, of Columbus, Ohio, died Feb. 6 from wounds sustained as a result of an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Hit, Iraq.Marine Lance Cpl. Steven L. Phillips, 27, of Chesapeake, Va., died Feb. 7 from a non-hostile vehicle accident while conducting combat operations against enemy forces near Al Qaim, Iraq. The accident is under investigation. defenselink.mil/ ... 00:01:19Army Spc. Roberto L. Martinez Salazar, 21, of Long Beach, Calif., died in Mosul, Iraq on Feb. 4, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his up-armored HMMWV during patrol operations. Army Spc. Sergio A. Mercedes Saez, 23, of New York, N.Y., died in Baghdad, Iraq on Feb. 5, when the HMMWV in which he was riding accidentally rolled over into a canal. The incident is under investigation. defenselink.mil/ ... 10:22:01Army Staff Sgt. Christopher R. Morningstar, 27, of San Antonio, TexasArmy Sgt. Jeremiah J. Boehmer, 22, of Parkston, S.D. Army Spc. Jesse M. Zamora, 22, of Las Cruces, N.M., died in Bayji, Iraq, on Feb. 3, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV. defenselink.mil/ ... 18:43:51Army Sgt. 1st Class Lance S. Cornett, 33, of London, Ky., died in the vicinity of Ar Ramadi, Iraq, on Feb. 3, of injuries sustained earlier that day while engaging enemy forces. defenselink.mil/ ... 18:43:29Army 1st. Lt. Simon T. Cox, Jr., 30, of Texas, died in Taji, Iraq, on Feb. 2, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his M2A3 Bradley. 
abcnews.go.com/ ... 08:49:54Syrians set fire to the Danish and Norwegian embassies on Saturday as protests over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad.... Iran... said it was reviewing trade ties with countries that have published such caricatures... no one was hurt as the embassy was closed... Demonstrators also set the Norwegian embassy ablaze... Police fired teargas to disperse protesters there and also used water hoses to hold back others from storming the French embassy. Riot police were deployed to protect the U.S. mission... [I guess they were all just anxious to PROVE THE CARTOONIST RIGHT!] "The principle of diplomatic relations is that diplomats can work safely and the fact that this has been broken is extremely serious," Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere told a news conference in Oslo... 
A 6.5-foot saltwater crocodile leapt out of a roadside culvert and slammed into the side of a passing car... Army 1st Lt. Garrison C. Avery, 23, of Lincoln, Neb.Army Spc. Marlon A. Bustamante, 25, of Corona, N.Y.Army Pfc. Caesar S. Viglienzone, 21, of Santa Rosa, Calif. Army Spc. Walter B. Howard, II, 35, of Rochester, Mich., died in Balad, Iraq, on Feb. 2, of injuries sustained earlier that day in Ashraf, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his M1 Abrams tank. defenselink.mil/ ... 23:41:22Marine Pfc. Sean T. Cardelli, 20, of Downers Grove, Ill., died Feb. 1 from enemy small arms fire while conducting combat operations near Fallujah, Iraq. defenselink.mil/ ... 23:40:40Army Spc. Anthony C. Owens, 21, of Conway, S.C., died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Feb. 1, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces using grenades and small arms fire. defenselink.mil/ ... 23:40:11Army Pfc. Scott A. Messer, 26, of Ashland, Ky., died in Ashraf, Iraq, on Feb. 2, when his HMMWV accidentally rolled over during convoy operations. The incident is under investigation. 
A giant owl was captured yesterday after terrorising a tranquil village in a spate of attacks on dogs... at least five dogs have been repeatedly targeted by the European eagle owl... an amateur falconer, was able to cast a net over the huge bird of prey and catch it... Earlier in the day, 84-year-old Jack Simmons had to wade in with a broom handle to fend off the bird, which has a wingspan of more than 5ft, after it swooped from a roof and tried to grab Heidi, his 13-year-old miniature wire-haired dachshund... The bird is believed to have escaped from an aviary, although the BBC reported in November that a few eagle owls were now breeding in the wild for the first time in centuries... abcnews.go.com/ ... 11:07:31"We think we have traced the origin of the spread of the amphibian chytrid fungus to the 'frog' pregnancy test for women, which was widely used from the 1930s to the 1960s..." The African clawed frog itself shows no clinical symptoms of the disease, which means it is the perfect vector: a carrier which does not die from the fungus... 
Bessy the Burmese python is recovering in an animal shelter after spending two weeks dodging searchers and an infrared camera in a 57,000-square-foot apartment complex... 
The reputation that elephants have for never forgetting has been given a chilling new twist by experts who believe that a generation of pachiderms may taking revenge on humans for the breakdown of elephant society. The New Scientist reports today that elephants appear to be attacking human settlements as vengeance for years of abuse by people... equivalent of post-traumatic stress disorder... Many herds lost their matriarch and had to make do with inexperienced "teenage mothers". Combined with a lack of older bulls, this appears to have created a generation of "teenage delinquent" elephants... 
Bowling Green, Ky... Western Kentucky University fraternity party early Thursday... police officers found... a live goat stuffed into a storage room... with no food or water, standing in its own urine and feces... Officials aren't sure why the goat was in the storage room and don't know how long the goat had been held captive. Some of the students told police the goat was going to be used in a hazing ritual... as a prank, to make some pledges think they would have to have sex with it... The fraternity has been ordered to stop all activities during an investigation... 
Peter Benchley, whose novel "Jaws" terrorized millions of swimmers even as the author himself became an advocate for the conservation of sharks, has died at age 65... 
Meat from whales caught under Japan's "research" programme is so abundant that it is being sold as pet food... 
Two passenger planes of Macedonia's national carrier MAT were stacked above Skopje airport until a pack of stray dogs could be cleared from the runway to let them land safely... 
saved her brother's exotic chicken, Boo Boo, by administering "mouth-to-beak" resuscitation on the fowl after it was found floating face down in the family's pond... said she was pleased to find that the bird she saved was an "exotic," and not just an ordinary chicken...