blog-heap o' links
RESTON, Va... She had seen it on TV plenty of times, so for Erin Kemp, wrangling a stray alligator that wandered into her yard was no big deal... 
marijuana... driver... said he was transporting bottled water to Los Angeles... estimated street value of the marijuana is $1,440,900... [thanks to the wonders of the black market, brought to you by the Prohibitionist Tyranny of the United States...] thedailyobserver.ca/ ... 13:14:56...What if we could prove a general rise in the incident of illness/cancers starting from the date that cannabis became banned in our society? What if the thing that is keeping a nation of backward people like Afghanistan without modern medicine so healthy, is the THC in the blood stream? Have you ever noticed how healthy even the elderly are in that neck of the woods? Elected officials have no right playing god according to someone's moral concepts. Every other living thing does fine as we have until recently without prohibition laws... salem-news.com/ ... 13:14:14A 47-year old Portland man has received a 16-month prison sentence over a conviction for Possession and Manufacture of a Controlled Substance... marijuana... was a valid Oregon Medical Marijuana user... police say he possessed an amount far in excess of what is legal... Oregon Medical Marijuana Card that allowed him to have one and a half pounds of marijuana to treat his medical condition, and allowed him to grow up to six marijuana plants at one time"... had over 20 pounds of marijuana in his house at the time of his arrest... freep.com/ ... 13:11:56[54yo] Grosse Pointe Farms man is in critical condition one day after his family found him bleeding from his head -- and police found 50 pounds of marijuana in his basement... street value was estimated in the tens of thousands of dollars... dozens of plants in various stages... also 10 packaged bundles of marijuana in a refrigerator... His family said he has a drinking problem, which police think might have led to a fall down the stairs... freep.com/ ... 13:09:38About $700,000 worth [yeah, sure] of marijuana that was grown by a Clinton Township family in an empty storefront church in Detroit has been seized by local police... [57yo couple] and their [34yo] son... face charges of growing and conspiracy to grow marijuana and possession of marijuana.... maximum penalty of 15 years in prison... more than 200 marijuana plants... hosted.ap.org/ ... 12:57:59New Mexico has a new medical marijuana law with a twist: It requires the state to grow its own... requires New Mexico to oversee a production and distribution system for the drug... "The long-term goal is that the patients will have a safe, secure supply that doesn't mean drug dealers, that doesn't mean growing their own..." [AHHHH! More government control! AHHHHHHHH! Repeal! Repeal! Repeal!] hosted.ap.org/ ... 12:56:05Shrouded in a sweet-smelling haze, clusters of men and women unwind as they inhale fragrant tobacco from water pipes in the myriad cafes that line London's Arab quarter. But Britain is going smoke free on Sunday, and cafe regulars will soon be deprived of one of their favorite pastimes. The smoking ban applies to covered public places and brings the nation in line with the more than 35 other countries and territories... Experts say smoking bans are spreading because of soaring [group-thinky socialized] health costs... "It's going to take a big part of my social life away... I don't do pubs and this was an alternative..." "Isn't it a shame if this doesn't exist anymore," said retired lawyer Ibrahim El-Nour, raising his hands to the sky and taking a long drag of an extra-strong tobacco called saloom... hosted.ap.org/ ... 12:22:05BOGOTA, Colombia... A sharp-eyed airport inspector foiled a plot to ship 20 pounds of cocaine to Panama when he discovered the drugs stuffed inside sets of false teeth... news.bbc.co.uk/ ... 12:05:27The Senegalese authorities have found an empty sailing boat with 1.2 metric tons of cocaine on board... near the Atlantic Ocean resort of Mbour... Senegal's biggest cocaine seizure... worth some $100m on the streets of Western Europe... 
SHEBOYGAN, Wis... A man accused of stomping a pet tropical fish to death during a dispute with a girlfriend faces charges of disorderly conduct and criminal damage to property... also broke a stereo and shattered a picture window... 
LAS CRUCES, N.M... a report of animal hoarding - the fourth in the Las Cruces area since mid-May... at least 10 dogs in the front yard of the residence and 12 to 18 more in the back... two goats and numerous chickens and ducks... believe more animals are inside the home, judging by the smell coming from it... resident was not cooperative... reuters.com/ ... 12:04:32Israel... police came to take [NF], convicted of attempted murder, to a sentencing hearing... he was gone without a trace. "After we searched the house we saw that he somehow managed to take the monitor off his leg and place it around he neck of his dog, who continued to walk around the house..." 
Army Sgt. Frank M. Sandoval, 27, of Yuma, Ariz., died June 18 in Palo Alto, Calif., of wounds sustained when his unit was attacked by insurgents using small arms fire Nov. 28, 2005, in Tikrit, Iraq. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 5th Artillery, Fort Sill, Okla. defenselink.mil/ ... 22:52:22Army Staff Sgt. Daniel A. Newsome, 27, of Chicopee, Mass., died June 27 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. defenselink.mil/ ... 22:51:20Army Sgt. 1st Class Nathan L. Winder, 32, of Blanding, Utah, died June 26 in Ad Diwaniyah, Iraq, of wounds sustained from enemy small arms fire. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Lewis, Wash. defenselink.mil/ ... 11:43:18Army Capt. Darrell C. Lewis, 31, of Washington, D.C., died June 23 in Vashir City, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his unit was attacked by insurgents using rocket propelled grenades, mortars and small arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan. defenselink.mil/ ... 11:38:56Army Sgt. Joel A. Dahl, 21, of Los Lunas, N.M., died June 23 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds sustained when his unit was attacked by enemy forces using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash. defenselink.mil/ ... 11:38:24Army Pfc. Andre Craig Jr., 24, of New Haven, Conn., died June 25 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered from an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan. defenselink.mil/ ... 11:38:06Marine Cpl. Derek C. Dixon, 20, of Riverside, Ohio, died June 26 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. marijuana with two students... two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and one count of furnishing marijuana... had tutored [14yo] at her home... smoked pot with the teen on three occasions... second 14-year-old student participated one of those time... reuters.com/ ... 12:06:08Britain is proposing to remove the term "prostitute" from the criminal statutes because it carries too much stigma... a new bill that the Justice Ministry has drafted refers simply to persons who sell sex persistently -- defined as twice or more in three months... "We just wanted to remove the stigma of the label 'common prostitute'.... It's been around since 1824, so it was a bit outdated. It just wasn't really helpful to label people..." new bill introduces measures to try to get sex workers out of the industry, and in effect decriminalizes prostitution for those who are not considered persistent... ktar.com/ ... 11:33:28Phoenix police found nearly 1,500 pounds of marijuana in a residential neighborhood Wednesday night... 50 packages of marijuana... [with a prohibition-inflated grossly over-]estimated street value of around $600,000... medicalnewstoday.com/ ... 11:30:56Scientists at the Alaska Stable Isotope Facility can tell whether marijuana confiscated in a traffic stop in Fairbanks likely came from Mexico or the Matanuska Valley. They're also working on a way to determine whether it was grown indoors or out. A few more years and enough samples and they hope to have something even more precise: an elemental fingerprint that could tell police where and under what conditions a sample of marijuana was grown... [Which would all be cool and neat if it weren't for how it will serve PURITALIBAN RELIGIOUS TABOO TYRANNY!] cbs4denver.com/ ... 11:29:45DENVER... Citizens for a Safer Denver have collected enough signatures on a petition to get another marijuana initiative on the city's November ballot... would make marijuana possession by adults the city's lowest law enforcement priority... allafrica.com/ ... 11:28:00Kampala... THE days of local artistes who smoke marijuana may be numbered. The commandant of the Violent Crime Crack Unit has threatened to arrest any musician and other members of the public got smoking the weed... freep.com/ ... 11:27:29The 911 call a Dearborn cop made after he overdosed on marijuana brownies has become fodder for Internet humor... winnipegsun.com/ ... 11:26:24Winnepeg... [56yo] former longtime city cop is facing drug charges after more than a dozen marijuana plants were found in his East Kildonan home... Reached at his home, [he] said the marijuana was for personal use, not for sale... Army Sgt. Trista L. Moretti, 27, of South Plainfield, N.J., died June 25 in Nasir Lafitah, Iraq, when her unit was attacked by insurgents using indirect fire. She was assigned to the 425th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska. defenselink.mil/ ... 00:37:00Army Spc. Eric C. Palmer, 21, of Maize, Kan., died June 24 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Landstuhl, Germany, of wounds suffered when his unit was attacked by insurgents using small arms fire June 21 in Bayji, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C. defenselink.mil/ ... 00:36:28Army Sgt. Michael J. Montpetit, 31, of Honolulu, died June 22 in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident. His death is under investigation. defenselink.mil/ ... 00:36:03Army Pfc. Henry G. Byrd III, 20, of Veguita, N.M., died June 24 in Landstuhl Germany, from a non-combat related illness sustained June 18 while in Iraq. His death is under investigation. defenselink.mil/ ... 00:35:39Army Sgt. William E. Brown, 25, of Phil Campbell, Ala., died June 23 in Taji, Iraq, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with indirect fire. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Carson, Colo. defenselink.mil/ ... 00:34:57Army Spc. Dominic N. Rodriguez, 23, of Klamath Falls, Ore., died June 22 in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident. His death is under investigation. weed was legalized in New Mexico," police say a man with 67 marijuana plants in the trunk of his car told them... ktvz.com/ ... 00:20:18[40yo] Sherman County man has been arrested for manufacturing marijuana after a large indoor growing operation was found in the town of Wasco [Oregon]... 50 marijuana plants in a sophisticated hydroponics environment... [they're always "sophisticated"... funny, that!] also found more than three pounds of dried marijuana... additional arrests are expected... sunstar.com.ph/ ... 00:18:05BAGUIO CITY –- An estimated P2-million worth of confiscated marijuana was burned by heads and representatives of various government line agencies and non-government organizations at the Burnham Park football field Tuesday morning... held in commemoration of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, was led by Mayor-elect Reinaldo Bautista Jr., chairman of the City Anti-Drug Abuse Council, and Superintendent Oliver Emnodias, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency regional director for the Cordillera. According to Enmodias, the 50 bricks of the illegal drug marijuana or cannabis sativa burned Tuesday was confiscated in Ambabo, Tinglayan, Kalinga last April 1, while the rest or five more bricks and 22 kilos of dried marijuana included in the burning, were seized in a buy-bust operation conducted in La Trinidad, Benguet last September 16... examiner.com/ ... 00:16:21Maryland Transportation Authority Police arrested two men in Baltimore County Tuesday after a search found nearly 42 pounds of marijuana in their car. Police say an officer stopped the car for speeding and following too closely on I-95 south of White Marsh... [Test your cynicism. Pick one of the following: a. They must've been smokin' their own stash if they wee speeding and following too closely with 42 pounds in the car! b. Nobody could be that stupid; the cops 'typed them and made up charges just to pull them over...] azcentral.com/ ... 00:12:58Border officials recently seized over half a ton of marijuana from smugglers in San Luis. U.S. Customs and Border Protection valued the 1,063 pounds of marijuana at more than $1.7 million... Two men, a U.S. citizen and a Mexican citizen, gave conflicting answers to routine questions at the San Luis port of entry on Sunday... The San Luis port of entry is located near U.S. 95 and the International Border in southwestern Arizona and scans about 27,000 vehicles daily... [headline should be: Imagine all the ones they DIDN'T catch!...] iht.com/ ... 00:11:26Indonesia... Cooks in Aceh province and other regions in the north of Sumatra island say they use tiny amounts of crushed marijuana leaves or seeds as a spice in certain dishes. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Vice President Yusuf Kalla said that there was "no way" Indonesia would legalize or decriminalize marijuana as some countries in western Europe have done. "It is all right to use it as a food seasoning, but it should not be fully legalized," Kalla was quoted as saying by The Jakarta Post... Army 1st Lt. Daniel P. Riordan, 24, of St. Louis, Mo.Army Sgt. Joel A. House, 22, of Lee, MaineArmy Sgt. Jimy M. Malone, 23, of Wills Point, TexasArmy Spc. Derek A. Calhoun, 23, of Oklahoma CityArmy Staff Sgt. Michael D. Moody Jr., 31, of Richmond, Va.Army Sgt. Chris Davis, 35, of Lubbock, TexasArmy Pvt. Shane M. Stinson, 23, of Fullerton, Calif.Army Spc. Carter A. Gamble Jr., 24 of Brownstown, Ind., died June 24 in Duraiya, Iraq, of wounds suffered from enemy small arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga. defenselink.mil/ ... 14:50:33Army Pfc. Jerimiah J. Veitch, 21, of Dibble, Okla., died June 21 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle was struck with a rocket propelled grenade. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo. defenselink.mil/ ... 14:50:13Army Maj. Sid W. Brookshire, 36, of MissouriArmy Staff Sgt. Darren P. Hubbell, 38, of Tifton, Ga.Army Spc. Joe G. Charfauros Jr., 33, of Rota, Mariana IslandsArmy Pfc. David J. Bentz III, 20, of Newfield, N.J. Army Spc. Joseph P. Kenny, 20, of Veneta, Ore., died June 23 in Mosul, Iraq, of injuries suffered from a non-combat related incident. His death is under investigation. Kenny was assigned to the 27th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Bliss, Texas. defenselink.mil/ ... 14:42:04Army Sgt. Alphonso J. Montenegro II, 22, of Far Rockaway, N.Y.Army Sgt. Ryan M. Wood, 22, of Oklahoma CityArmy Pfc. Daniel J. Agami, 25, of Coconut Creek, Fla.Army Pfc. Anthony D. Hebert, 19, of Lake City, Minn.Army Pfc. Thomas R. Leemhuis, 23, of Binger, Okla. pot... behind a fake wall in the bathroom... in his motor home on Interstate 80... abkhazia.com/ ... 11:17:01Of Illegal drugs, marijuana is the most frequently used drug in the Abkhazia (breakaway province of Georgia)... Treatment programs directed at marijuana abuse are rare, partly because many who use marijuana do so in combination with other drugs, such as cocaine and alcohol. However, with more people seeking help to control marijuana abuse, [almost exclusively because they are ordered to do so by the religious-tyrannical PuriTaliban-controlled courts] research has focused on ways to overcome problems with abuse of this drug... Link Lost...Police [agents of the PuriTaliban tyranny oppressors] ask that hikers, ATV riders or anyone out and about this summer to be on the watch for weed. 
"We're trying to keep it out of kids' hands, so if you do run across it, people are leery about actually calling in and giving the information. Like I say, you can remain anonymous. We can take your tip and attempt to get the marijuana off the street," said Aaron Young of the West Virginia State Police... SAGLE, Idaho... Charlie the black lab drove his owner's car into the Pend Oreille River... hosted.ap.org/ ... 14:30:23An Oregon man has sued over a traffic accident that involved an unlikely pair of vehicles - his Lamborghini and a small plane piloted by FBI agents... propeller from the Cessna airplane mangled the driver's side of the black Lamborghini that Marlowe Treit had given himself as a 60th birthday present in 1998... on a road that goes through the Aurora Airport... 
Miami-Dade... With no rain or even clouds to warn him of the danger, death came literally out of the blue Thursday to a self-employed landscaper. The killer was a powerful bolt of lightning that cracked through perfectly clear skies... first seared a tree, then traveled and struck... David Canales, 41... standing nearby... called a "bolt from the blue" or "dry lightning" because it falls from clear, blue skies. He was pronounced dead at South Miami Hospital... the country's lightning capital. Five of the 47 people killed by lightning across the country last year were in Florida... Most lightning bolts carry a negative charge, but "bolts from the blue" have a positive charge, carry as much as 10 times the current, are hotter and last longer. The bolts normally travel horizontally away from the storm and reach farther than typical lightning, then curve to the ground... Army Spc. Karen N. Clifton, 22, of Lehigh Acres, Fla., died June 21 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when her vehicle was hit with a rocket propelled grenade. She was assigned to the 554th Military Police Company, 95th Military Police Battalion, Kaiserslautern, Germany. defenselink.mil/ ... 14:07:33Army Pfc. Raymond N. Spencer Jr., 23, of Carmichael, Calif., died June 21 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his unit was attacked by insurgents using an improvised explosive device and small arms fire. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Bliss, Texas.defenselink.mil/ ... 14:06:14Army Pfc. Jacob T. Tracy, 20, of Palestine, Ill., died June 18 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle June 17 in Baghdad, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. defenselink.mil/ ... 14:02:08Marine Sgt. Shawn P. Martin, 30, of Delmar, N.Y.Marine Staff Sgt. Stephen J. Wilson, 28, of Duluth, Ga.Army Sgt. Dustin J. Perrott, 23, of Fredericksburg, Va., died June 21, in Miri, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C. marijuana plants Thursday after a tip led them to an outdoor grow operation. The Huronia combined forces drug unit eradicated $21,000 worth of pot, which was found in a field on private property in the area of Highway 11 and County Road 93 in Oro-Medonte Township... alternet.org/ ... 13:59:32PuriTaliban Religious Taboo Propaganda Marches Onnnnn.....pot- that is terrible. The result is the same- with one you get relaxed or drunk, the other you get relaxed or high. The main reason marijuana is not legal is that it would be too easy to grow your own and how would the government get THEIR money? It would be too difficult to tax. The issue is not whether marijuana is bad for you it is "How does the government get their share"?.." mymotherlode.com/ ... 13:56:39Mokelumne Hill, Ca -- 3,600 marijuana plants were seized Friday near Hwy 26 in the Mokelumne River Canyon... Although the plants were not fully grown, the Sheriff's Department believes the plants were tended to on a daily basis. If each plant had been allowed to grow until maturity, the department says this particular marijuana crop would be valued [under PuriTaliban religious hate-crime prohibition enforcement] at over $9 million... sunstar.com.ph/ ... 13:55:26Philippines... ILLEGAL drug charges have been filed against a man accused of possessing a marijuana joint when arrested in an alley... in March, this year... police... received a telephone call that three armed men were seen... when he arrived at the place, he saw three men talking in an alley... While the men were unarmed contrary to the information police has received, one of the three was holding a partly-lit rolled paper the way marijuana smokers hold joints... thedailyobserver.ca/ ... 13:52:55Writer agrees with decriminalization of marijuana... Editorial... Humans have depended on cannabis for thousands of years. Oil dependency is new, as is the concept of making plants illegal. I agree with Rick Reimer, it's time to reconsider our priorities, and the facts about cannabis marijuana, with an open mind. From all the research I've seen, decriminalization makes sense... alaskareport.com/ ... 13:51:41Using a process called stable-isotope analysis, Alaska scientists have been working with law enforcement officials to trace marijuana to the area in which it grew... Marijuana is the most abused and widespread drug in Alaska, according to the [PuriTaliban tyranny propaganda-spewing] U.S. Drug[-warrior employment assurance] Enforcement Administration... 
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore... A valve on a truck hauling animal waste from a Klamath Falls processing plant broke, spilling 4,000 pounds of pig blood... 
The US House of Representatives has voted to overturn a ban on aid to overseas groups practising abortion. The move was approved by 223 votes to 201, but it is unlikely to be signed by President George W Bush... news.bbc.co.uk/ ... 00:40:56The Taleban do not pose a threat to long-term stability in Afghanistan, President Hamid Karzai has said... dismissed threats from the militant group that it plans to step up attacks on the capital, Kabul... hosted.ap.org/ ... 00:26:18Lebanon's defense minister declared victory Thursday over the Fatah Islam militant group, saying it had been crushed after a monthlong military assault on its stronghold in a northern refugee camp and only mopping up remained... Sheik Mohammed Haj of the Palestinian Scholars Association, a mediator who met with the militant group's leaders in recent days, said Fatah Islam "has declared a cease-fire and will comply with the Lebanese army's decision to end military operations..." hosted.ap.org/ ... 00:25:11during an operation to build schools and clinics and improve ties with tribal elders in Ghazni - the first time such an effort has been led by the U.S.-trained Afghan army... A NATO vehicle rolled over a mine in eastern Afghanistan Thursday, triggering a blast that killed one soldier... Four others were wounded... 
Marine researchers are warning about a growing number of dolphin bite cases in Sarasota County... wild dolphins are becoming more aggressive because boaters are feeding them... newsday.com/ ... 01:22:53A missing dog up for sale on an animal rescue Web site led Suffolk County police to a Medford house where they found more than 50 dogs in "deplorable condition" Wednesday... house was littered with trash or debris, and animal feces and urine, and that there was no water in the dogs' dishes... Three people at the house... were arrested... charged with animal cruelty... possession of stolen property... an employee of Bide-a-Wee animal shelter... was charged with grand larceny for allegedly stealing the dog... marijuana seedlings had been planted below artificial lighting and an elaborate audio-video surveillance system were among the discoveries made when narcotics detectives used a search warrant to raid a home... loaded sawed-off shotgun, drug paraphernalia and quantities of crack cocaine, heroin, marijuana and ecstasy were also found inside the first-floor bedroom of [19yo] resident... a loaded handgun was found outside on a table near where [resident] and several friends were swimming in a pool... eurekareporter.com/ ... 01:45:34A man burning sulfur to prevent mildew caused by his indoor marijuana-growing operation Tuesday afternoon created a hazard for residents and firefighters... a cleaning crew in an adjacent apartment heard a smoke detector sounding. Workers entering the apartment discovered a strong odor and a haze coming from a bedroom. They backed out and phoned 911... "The tenant did not take into account the life safety hazard he created for his neighbors," said AFPD Assistant Chief Ed Trigeiro. The tenant left the building for two hours while the sulfur burned, Trigeiro said, creating a significant hazard in the older apartment complex, which did not have fire sprinklers installed... [Illegal and dangerous grow operations of this kind are less likely to exist under liberty.] wiltonvillager.com/ ... 01:43:49Boucher fears legalizing marijuana for medical purposes could lead to looser drug policies overall, which she said would send the wrong message to children... kvoa.com/ ... 01:41:57TUCSON, Ariz. -- A former U.S. Border Patrol agent convicted of stealing marijuana while on duty in 2005 has been sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison and ordered to pay a $30,000 fine... [Even with repeal, corrupt public officials will be tempted to the quick and dirty buck in some more sinister area, but at least we won't have prohibitionist tyranny.] bbsnews.net/ ... 01:40:44With the U.S. House of Representatives expected to consider a medical marijuana amendment within weeks, Rhode Island legislators have resoundingly overridden a gubernatorial veto to make that state's medical marijuana law permanent. Today's 58-11 House vote follows a 29-4 Senate vote to override on Wednesday... palmbeachpost.com/ ... 01:39:53PORT ST. LUCIE — A 20-year-old ended up in jail Wednesday when the police officer [an agent of the insidious forces of oppression] whom he asked for directions noticed a marijuana "blunt" tucked behind his ear... abclocal.go.com/ ... 01:38:30EDINBURG, TX... 2,000 pounds of marijuana in a warehouse... caught fire... took more than 35 firefighters about half an hour to extinguish Wednesday's blaze with 1,000 gallons of water and five gallons of chemical suppressant... firefighters were exposed to so much marijuana smoke they would not be able to pass a drug test, despite the air packs they wore... hosted.ap.org/ ... 00:28:31A former Mexican governor... Mario Villanueva, the former governor of the Caribbean state of Quintana Roo... freed after six years behind bars was immediately re-arrested Thursday on a U.S. extradition request in which he is accused of helping smuggle 200 tons of cocaine into the United States... [You can repeal all the stupid prohibitions... and corrupt public officials will find other ways to profit at the expense of others.] boston.com/ ... 00:13:57A Harvard medical resident wants sunbathers to pay attention to yet another threat: collapsing sand holes that he says have killed dozens of young people in the past two decades... a pastime as innocent as building a sandcastle could lead to a family tragedy... 
a shark appeared at a depth of 3,600m (12,000ft) - far deeper than sharks are usually found... giant boulders litter part of the sea-floor after being transported dozens of kilometres from the coast... 
Rats are gnawing at beer cans and making holes in caps of whisky bottles stored in police storehouses in eastern India and apparently getting drunk... 
A zookeeper who was fatally attacked by a jaguar had violated the rules by opening the door to the animal's cage.... Denver Zoo Vice President Craig Piper said the February death of Ashlee Pfaff was caused by "human error...." deseretnews.com/ ... 11:54:25GREAT FALLS, Mont... State bear managers seeking to capture and collar female grizzly bears as part of a population count recently trapped a 7 foot, 6 inch male grizzly that weighed 750 pounds after a winter of hibernation... took two scales and a hydraulic crane to weigh the 8-year-old bruin... had 3 1/2-inch claws... neck circumference of 4 feet... hasn't reached its full size. "He's got some growing to do..." 
It took two fire trucks, five firefighters, several animal rescuers and about 250 gallons of water to rescue a kitten that refused to come out of a West Virginia storm sewer drain... Firefighters have rescued iguanas off of telephone poles, snakes out of sewer pipes and cats out of trees.... "Firefighters will go try to save anything..." news.yahoo.com/ ... 11:51:55SCOTTSVILLE, Ky. - A barn fire at an award-winning American Saddlebred farm in south-central Kentucky killed 24 horses... 3-T Farm in Allen County... Army Sgt. 1st Class William A. Zapfe, 35, of Muldraugh, Ky.Army Pfc. Joshua S. Modgling, 22, of Las VegasArmy Spc. Darryl W. Linder, 23, of Hickory, N.C., died June 19 in Baqubah, Iraq, of wounds suffered from an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. defenselink.mil/ ... 22:33:11Army Sgt. Derek T. Roberts, 24, of Gold River, Calif.Army Spc. Val J. Borm, 21, of Sidney, Neb.Army Spc. Farid Elazzouzi, of Paterson, N.J. Army Sgt. Eric L. Snell, 35, of Trenton, N.J., died June 18 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his unit came in contact with insurgents using small arms fire in Baghdad, Iraq. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo. defenselink.mil/ ... 22:30:35Army Pfc. Larry Parks Jr., 24, of Altoona, Penn., died June 18 in Arab Jabor, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga. defenselink.mil/ ... 22:30:00Army Sgt. Richard K. Parker, 26, of Phillips, Maine, died June 14 in Scania, Iraq, from wounds suffered on June 13 when improvised explosive devices detonated near his vehicle during combat operations. He was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 152nd Field Artillery Regiment, Maine Army National Guard, Waterville, Maine. defenselink.mil/ ... 10:54:12Army Capt. Joshua E. Steele, 26, of North Henderson, Ill., assigned to the 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division (Transition Team), Fort Riley, Kan.Army Sgt. 1st Class Christopher D. Henderson, 35, of Hillsboro, Ore., assigned to the 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division (Transition Team), Fort Riley, Kan.Army Sgt. 1st Class John M. Hennen, 26, of Vinton, La., assigned to the Louisiana National Guard's 3rd Battalion, 156th Infantry Regiment, Lake Charles, La.Army 1st Lt. Frank B. Walkup, IV, 23, of Woodbury, Tenn., died June 16 in Kirkuk, Iraq, from injuries sustained in Rashaad Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his position during dismounted operations. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. defenselink.mil/ ... 10:49:13Army Staff Sgt. Roy P. Lewsader, Jr., 36, of Belleville, Ill., died June 16, in Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan, from wounds suffered when his vehicle was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade. He was assigned to 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan. defenselink.mil/ ... 10:48:33Army Sgt. Danny R. Soto, 24, of Houston, TexasArmy Spc. Zachary A. Grass, 22, of Beach City, OhioArmy Pfc. Michael P. Pittman, 34, of Davenport, Iowa, died June 15 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device and small arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan. marijuana growing operation in the woods nearby, resulting in a second arrest... Nine mature plants, 19 starter plants, and 78.8 grams of dried marijuana were seized. Had the marijuana grown to maturation and been harvested, Hensley estimated the street value at $10,000... [yeah, yeah...] philly.com/ ... 11:28:58The nation's drug czar... urged schools to embrace random student drug testing... [PURITALIBAN TYRANNY! REPEAL DRUG PROHIBITIONS! REPEAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS! REPEAL DRUG CZARNAZI!] medicalnewstoday.com/ ... 11:27:46John P. Walters, Director of National Drug Control Policy, today released a new Special Report showing that teens who use drugs are more likely to engage in violent and delinquent behavior and join gangs... [YOUR TAX DOLLARS (if you pay taxes) ARE FUNDING THIS INSANE PURITALIBAN PROPAGANDA! STOP THE INSANITY! REPEAL! REPEAL! REPEAL!!!] visaliatimesdelta.com/ ... 11:26:41Tulare County Sheriff’s Department deputies Tuesday discovered and destroyed 399 marijuana-garden plants with a potential street value of $1.59 million... [propaganda achieved at an incalculable cost to society] leadercall.com/ ... 11:25:50A routine traffic stop [is there really any such thing anymore? was there ever?] by the Jones County Sheriff’s Office netted two arrests and the confiscation of more than seven pounds of marijuana... Deputy... became suspicious when the driver... could not produce a driver’s license... [oh, clue, kids: be sure to carry ID when you're driving contraband around!] "We estimated this has a street value of around $8,000..." [Only because of Prohib, bud!] minotdailynews.com/ ... 11:23:21Two North Dakota farmers were issued licenses to grow industrial hemp in February. They’re still waiting to plant a seed. Now, the farmers, Dave Monson and Wayne Hauge, have filed a lawsuit against the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, which hasn’t yet acted on the request. Hemp is legal to grow in North Dakota under state law, but a federal law still bans anyone from growing hemp, which is a cousin or marijuana. Federal officials say because hemp contains even a trace amount of tetahydrocannabinol, or THC, a banned substance, it falls under federal anti-drug rules. Supporters of industrial hemp say it is safe because it doesn’t contain enough THC to produce a high... [While reasonable people say, REPEAL! REPEAL! REPEAL!] countercurrents.org/ ... 11:22:31King Hemp By Rand Cliffordpot in your car without getting caught. This fall he will release a second one on how to keep police from raiding your home for marijuana. Now for the kicker: Cooper is a former narcotics officer once considered among the top cops in Texas, where more marijuana is seized each year than in any other state. The formerly straight-laced lawman has become a shaggy-haired militant for the legalization of weed... left law enforcement a decade ago. "I will do anything legal to frustrate law enforcement's efforts to place American citizens in jail for nonviolent drug offenses." Federal drug agents said his tips won't keep them from finding your stash, and they advise drug users to save their $20 and use it to help post bail... chron.com/ ... 11:18:43Connecticut's governor, a cancer survivor, vetoed a bill that would have allowed people with certain serious illnesses to use marijuana, saying it was fraught with problems and sent a mixed message to children... Army Cpl. Dustin R. Brisky, 26, of Round Rock, Texas, died June 14 in Tallil, Iraq, of wounds suffered from an explosion. He was assigned to the Army Reserve's 952nd Engineer Company, Paris, Texas. The unit was attached to the 92nd Engineer Battalion, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga. defenselink.mil/ ... 23:42:34Army Staff Sgt. Michael A. Bechert, 24, of New Castle, Ind., died on 14 June in San Antonio, Texas of wounds suffered when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device on May 30 in Baghdad, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2d Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Schweinfurt, Germany. 
SYDNEY, Australia... Australian customs officials... discovered two snakes and three lizards stuffed inside three [gnome] garden figurines... A day later, officials at the same facility... found five snakes and five lizards stuffed inside pottery figures and other ornaments... It is illegal to bring live reptiles into Australia without a license... hosted.ap.org/ ... 23:33:22Reptile experts removed an 8-foot-long, 170-pound alligator from the basement of a Buffalo home and planned to drive it to a Florida sanctuary in the back of a minivan... It is illegal in New York to own an alligator without a permit, but officials said the man who raised it will not face charges because he turned himself in. The man had built an indoor pond in his basement. He also owns more than 20 lizards and large snakes... hosted.ap.org/ ... 23:13:36
The first skull of the earliest known ancestor of the giant panda was been discovered in China... at least 2 million years old... formally known as Ailuropoda microta, or "pygmy giant panda," would have been about three feet long, compared to the modern giant panda, which averages in excess of five feet. Previously this animal had been known only by a few teeth and bones, but a skull had never been found... hosted.ap.org/ ... 23:12:43State Game and Fish officials will help staff members at Carlsbad Caverns National Park remove exotic fish and amphibians from the pond at Rattlesnake Springs... aimed at restoring native species, including the roundnose minnow and greenthroat darter. Non-native species that will be removed include the green sunfish, the largemouth bass and the bullfrog. "The predatory nature of the non-native species is having a significant effect on the native species in the pond.... The smaller native fishes are having a difficult time surviving..." hosted.ap.org/ ... 23:10:46
One of three turtles at the new Georgia Sea Turtle Center had surgery on Monday, only two days after the center opened... surgical team implanted bone screws and attached an external fixation device to stabilize Nick's head injury... Georgia's first facility devoted to sea turtle rehabilitation... hosted.ap.org/ ... 23:09:59What is believed to be the first giant manta ray born in captivity has arrived at a southern Japanese aquarium... the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, more than a year after its parents mated... the baby manta, rolled up like a tube, came sliding out of the mother manta, then quickly spread its fins and began swimming around... hosted.ap.org/ ... 23:07:20Eighty-four Siberian tigers, among the world's rarest animals, have been born since March at a northeastern China breeding center... 13 more pregnant Siberian tigers were expected to give birth to a total of 20 to 30 cubs by October... Fewer than 400 Siberian tigers - also known as Amur, Manchurian or Ussuri tiger - are believed to survive in the wild, about 20 of them in China and the rest in Russia... the largest tiger species, weighing up to 600 pounds... in danger from poachers who want hides and bones for traditional Chinese medicine... hosted.ap.org/ ... 11:32:49A rare turtle has hatched at the Tennessee Aquarium, one of only three places in the United States that display the endangered species... A Beal's four-eyed turtle, named for two white spots on the back of its head that look like a pair of eyes... hosted.ap.org/ ... 11:32:28
Elephants emerged safer and tigers won a vote of support, but sharks and corals failed to win protection at a two-week wildlife trade conference that ended Friday... breitbart.com/ ... 00:16:48LOS ANGELES... Four dead dolphins have washed ashore with fatal bullet wounds and fifth with lacerations on its pectoral fin, said authorities who have offered a reward for information on the slayings... Air Force Maj. Kevin H. Sonnenberg, 42, of McClure, Ohio, died June 15 when his jet crashed five miles north of Balad Air Base, Iraq. He was assigned to the 112th Fighter Squadron, Toledo, Ohio. The cause of the crash is under investigation. defenselink.mil/ ... 00:29:01Army Master Sgt. Arthur L. Lilley, 35, of Smithfield, Pa., died June 15, in Shkin, Afghanistan, from wounds suffered from enemy small arms fire. He was assigned to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg, N.C. defenselink.mil/ ... 00:28:37Army Pfc. Casey S. Carriker, 20, of Hoquiam, Wash., died June 13 in Kirkuk, Iraq, from injuries suffered from a non-combat related incident. His death is under investigation. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. defenselink.mil/ ... 00:28:16Army Spc. Josiah W. Hollopeter, 27, of San Diego, Calif., died June 14 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his unit was attacked by insurgents using small arms fire in Al Muqdadiyah, Iraq. He was assigned to the 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. defenselink.mil/ ... 00:27:56The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and returned to his family for burial with full military honors.Army Pvt. Lawrence P. Burkett, U.S. Army, of Jefferson, N.C. He will be buried Saturday in Jefferson.... In early December 1944, Burkett was a member of Company A, 357th Infantry Regiment, 90th Infantry Division. The 90th ID had been assigned the task of breaching the southern portion of the enemy's "West Wall" near the German city of Saarbrücken. The 357th was occupying a bridgehead in the Dillingen Forest near the Saar River when the Germans launched a strong counterattack. The 357th suffered many casualties and on Dec. 11, Burkett was among those listed as missing in action. In May 2006, U.S. officials were notified that a German citizen had found and dug up the remains of a possible American soldier in a wartime fighting trench in the Dillingen Forest near Saarbrücken. The U.S. officials traveled to the site and collected the remains and associated evidence, including Burkett's identification tags and his social security card. In September 2006, a team from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) excavated the burial site in the Dillingen Forest and recovered additional human remains and material evidence.... marijuana being grown inside normal-looking homes using artificial sunlight... Many new caretakers of this crop are recent arrivals recruited by the lure of making easy money... newly-arrived immigrants have become common caretakers of the illegal crop... mlive.com/ ... 00:21:20Michigan State Police troopers acting on a tip Thursday night discovered 88 pounds of marijuana during a traffic stop... [At least they didn't use the "routine traffic stop" propaganda.] after receiving information from the Southwest Enforcement Team, a multijurisdictional drug unit, that a large amount of marijuana was being brought into the state from Arizona... A man and woman from Arizona were arrested... stopthedrugwar.org/ ... 00:19:49A bill that would legalize the use of medical marijuana in New York state passed the General Assembly Wednesday night on a 92-52 vote, but now the Republican-dominated Senate is balking. Although Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno (R-Brunswick) sounded agreeable at a Wednesday morning news conference, just hours later he was criticizing the bill as unworkable and vowing to introduce competing legislation. With the clock ticking toward adjournment of the legislature next week, the move could kill the legislation this year. Even if the Senate passed its own bill, there is little time left reconcile differences, and the lawmakers face other pressing matters... allheadlinenews.com/ ... 00:19:06Wawota, Sask... After doing some research on marijuana, a 15 year old Saskatchewan student decided there were some benefits from the drug and he discussed it with his schoolmates. School officials at Wawota Parkland high School don't agree and the student says they have threatened to call the police or take legal action... kjct8.com/ ... 00:18:08CENTENNIAL, Colo... A former Marine is challenging the state's medical marijuana law, saying marijuana helps him deal with injuries suffered during Operation Desert Storm. Thirty-8-year-old Kevin Dickes (dix) of Aurora pleaded NOT guilty in Arapahoe County District Court yesterday to a charge of marijuana cultivation, after police said they seized 71 plants from his home in April. The state's medical marijuana law approved by voters in 2000 allows patients under a doctor's care, who get a medical marijuana card, to legally possess up to two ounces of pot, or six plants... A provision in the law could allow for more plants... courttv.com/ ... 00:17:06WICHITA, Kan... Police arrested a man for marijuana possession, but not before officers had to save him from choking after he apparently tried to hide the drugs by swallowing them... as one of the officers approached the driver's side, "he noticed the driver was choking on a large Baggie" of marijuana... was passing out when one of the officers reached down his throat and pulled the Baggie out... Air Force Lt. Col. Glade L. Felix, 52, of Lake Park, Ga., died June 11 at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. His death is under investigation. Felix was assigned to the 622nd Aeromedical Staging Squadron, Robins Air Force Base, Ga. defenselink.mil/ ... 03:21:02Army Spc. Damon G. Legrand, 27, of Lakeside, Calif., died June 12 in Baqubah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with anti-tank mines, rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire in Baghdad, Iraq. He was assigned to the 571st Military Police Company, 504th Military Police Battalion, 42nd Military Police Brigade, Fort Lewis, Wash. defenselink.mil/ ... 03:20:31Marine Lance Cpl. Johnny R. Strong, 21, of Waco, Texas., died June 12 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Twentynine Palms, Calif. 
Maryland beekeepers have lost 45 percent of their bees since last year - but the death toll is likely attributable to weather, not a national trend of mysterious die-offs, Maryland's top bee inspector said Wednesday. An unusually warm November and December likely caused high fatalities in the state's 8,200 bee colonies... hosted.ap.org/ ... 02:54:59Georgia Aquarium officials say it may be months before they know what caused Wednesday's death of another whale shark, the second this year at the only facility outside Asia that displays the huge, rare fish... Army Pvt. William C. Johnson, 22, of Oxford, N.C., died June 12 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered from an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan. defenselink.mil/ ... 00:52:20Army Pfc. Cameron K. Payne, 22, of Corona, Calif., died June 11 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered from an improvised explosive device that detonated near his vehicle during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan. marijuana grow operation. If the homeowner doesn’t permit the inspection, fire officials – sometimes escorted by police – return to enter the home. Fire Chief... will continue to operate "status quo" for the foreseeable future. He wouldn’t comment on the case before the courts... courant.com/ ... 12:00:32An Enfield couple [45 & 44yo] arrested in September on charges of [doing nothing worse than] growing marijuana in their home were granted special probation Tuesday... accelerated rehabilitation... ordered... [by the PuriTaliban Religious Morals Tyrants] to undergo substance abuse evaluations, random urinalysis tests and perform 100 hours of community service during their two-year probations... Under acceleration rehabilitation, a defendant who completes the probationary period successfully has his record expunged... [And why are these Taboo Bullies imposing these invasive and unpleasant tortures upon this couple? Because...] Police found [a mere] 20 marijuana plants in the basement in various stages of maturation, special lights, irrigation and heating capacity to grow the plants... [And how could the Taboo Priests have found this private operation?] After receiving information about a possible marijuana growing operation... [Some pigeon turned them in, someone who caved in to the threats of the PuriTaliban Establishment Tyrants.] shreveporttimes.com/ ... 11:51:52MANSFIELD... [Agents of PuriTanical oppression] are seeing an increase in reports of marijuana plant cultivation in recent weeks... led to the [unjust incarceration] of five people and [religious] arrest warrants being issued for at least two more... "Right now we’re finding plants from 6 inches to about a foot. We usually don’t get many calls until the plants get much bigger and visible. But we’ve been getting calls on these smaller plants. We’re not complaining..." [said an official Tyrant Priest].... wistv.com/ ... 11:48:07AIKEN, SC... [Agents of the PuriTaliban oppressor regeime] arrested [a 51yo] Aiken man Monday night and seized [his] 29 marijuana plants growing behind his home. ...ranging from one to three feet tall... They also seized a handgun [which he was not accused of using for anything illegal, but it is made illegal in the demented minds of the PuriTaliban oppressor regeime].... A stranded deaf Atlantic bottlenose dolphin delivered her calf Monday at a marine mammal rehabilitation center in the Florida Keys. The unnamed calf is approximately 42 inches long and weighs about 30 pounds... The calf's mother, Castaway, has been vocalizing to the calf and the baby has answered back... Castaway cannot process the calf's return sounds. "Castaway's vocalizations are not normal," Lingenfelser said. "She speaks in a monotone, similar to the way that people who cannot hear speak..." officials installed a dolphin "chat line" of sorts, electronically connecting Castaway's habitat with a lagoon at Dolphins Plus, a research and interactive educational facility a few miles away. Underwater speakers and microphones were installed at both locations and connected via phone lines donated by AT&T Florida. Officials hope the calf will develop communications' skills by speaking to dolphins at Dolphins Plus when the system is fully turned on soon... Army Sgt. Dariek E. Dehn, 32, of Spangle, Wash., died June 2 in Sharkat, Iraq, of wounds suffered from an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. defenselink.mil/ ... 11:02:53Army Sgt. Cory M. Endlich, 23, of Massillon, Ohio, died June 9 in Taji, Iraq, of wounds suffered from enemy small arms fire. He was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, Wash. defenselink.mil/ ... 11:02:31Army Pvt. Scott A. Miller, 20, of Casper, Wyo., died June 9 in Baqubah, Iraq, of wounds suffered from enemy small arms fire. He was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, Wash. defenselink.mil/ ... 11:02:10Army Staff Sgt. Brian M. Long, 32, of Burns, Wyo., died June 10 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered from an explosive ordnance. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, Wash. defenselink.mil/ ... 11:01:48Army Sgt. Charles E. Wyckoff Jr., 28, of Chula Vista, Calif., died June 6 in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered from enemy small arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C. defenselink.mil/ ... 11:00:04Air Force Airman 1st Class Eric M. Barnes, 20, of Lorain, Ohio, died June 10 as result of an improvised explosive device attack on an Air Force convoy about 100 miles south of Baghdad, Iraq. He was assigned to the 90th Logistics Readiness Squadron, F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo. The Chatham County Sheriff’s Office Marijuana Eradication Team and an Army National Guard Air Unit conducted a marijuana eradication operation on June 5. Officers located 52 plants in three plots just off Highway 64 near Bower’s Store Road. All plants were ranging in size from 6 to 12 inches... Estimated value of 52 marijuana plants at maturity is $100,000... [Enforcement priests for the lying, propagandizing prohibitionist PuriTalibanical tyrants attacked Mother Nature on June 5. The terrorists located 52 plants... ranging in size from 6 to 12 inches... and bragged about their accomplishment as being worth a tenth of a million dollars, and the mooing masses believed these stupid but alarming lies by the religious zealot-terrorists.] pr-inside.com/ ... 11:51:25SINGAPORE... Two Africans appeared in a Singapore court Tuesday, accused of trafficking more than 14 kilograms (31 pounds) of marijuana -- about 28 times the amount that draws a mandatory death sentence by hanging... tcpalm.com/ ... 11:50:26A Port St. Lucie teen who in 2003 accused a county firefighter of spiking firehouse brownies with a laxative was arrested Sunday after a deputy said he found bits of marijuana in his mouth during a routine traffic stop... [wwwhhhaaattt!?!? How "routine" is it to check someone's MOUTH during a traffic stop?] nervous behavior prompted a search of the vehicle, which revealed two bags of marijuana that appeared to have been chewed open... [oh. idiot teen.] thewhig.com/ ... 11:48:12Provincial police seized $900,000 worth of marijuana when they stopped a car for speeding in Loyalist Township on Saturday... 39 kilograms of marijuana and $6,230 in cash... ksdk.com/ ... 11:47:44Knox County, Texas... It started out as an early Saturday morning traffic stop in Knox County, Texas. However, when it was all said and done, Munday Police had seized 131.5 lbs of marijuana... [Police say 44yo's] behavior led them to inspect the truck... 8 yr. old granddaughter was a passenger... nysun.com/ ... 11:46:04New York State lawmakers are expected to approve legislation allowing the use of marijuana for medical purposes. The Democrat-led Assembly could pass a medical marijuana bill as early as this week... Two men were arrested Saturday on suspicion of harassing a dolphin known locally as "Dave" off the Kent coast in southeast England... reuters.com/ ... 23:19:12Ten of Nepal's 250 endangered elephants are suffering from tuberculosis in a national park and the disease is threatening to spread to humans and other wildlife... reuters.com/ ... 23:17:21
National park rangers in the Democratic Republic of Congo are battling to save a 2-month-old gorilla found clinging to its dead mother, who was shot dead through the back of the head... the young mountain gorilla, born on April 15 and named Ndakasi by conservationists, had accepted baby formula from a feeding bottle. Mountain gorillas usually suckle for up to three years in the wild... Only 700 mountain gorillas survive in the wild, more than half of them in... eastern Congo's Virunga National Park... At least two have been killed and eaten already this year by rebels living off the land as militia fighting drags on despite the official end of Congo's five-year war in 2003, in which violence, hunger and disease killed around 4 million people... news.bbc.co.uk/ ... 23:15:54Nations have agreed to ban international trade in... sawfish... The spectacular rostra, or snouts, can fetch prices of more than $1,000 (£500), and all species of the fish are critically endangered. Australia secured a small exemption allowing live exports for aquaria... hosted.ap.org/ ... 23:12:01
A thousand-pound, 6-year-old beluga whale arrived at a Tacoma Aquarium early Sunday after a flight on a chartered military transport plane from Chicago. Qannik, an Inuit name for snowflake, traveled tucked inside an enormous, foam-padded tank in the DC-8 plane for a cross-country flight that cost $84,000... entire cost to move the beluga from Chicago's John G. Shedd Aquarium to his new home was nearly $120,000... The aquarium kept the timing of Qannik's move under wraps to stave off protests... Some animal rights activists argue whales should not be held in captivity, and they oppose airlifting the marine mammals... 
Trees are down around the metro and across Minnesota after a day of strong storms... Wisconsin Rapids, near Stevens Point, is reporting a lot of damage after baseball sized hail hit the area, damaging buildings, vehicles and trees. A tornado may have touched down there as well... A tornado touched down near Elizabeth in western Minnesota as thunderstorms swept across Otter Tail County on Thursday... no immediate reports of injuries... marijuana case can be tried in civil court — a step that would open up law enforcement to fighting lawsuits from people who have plants confiscated or destroyed. "This is new ground we're breaking," Judge Barbara Roberts said at the beginning of the discussion Friday morning... madison.com/ ... 13:23:28"Dying people shouldn't be denied basic liberty," makes many good points, but before physician-assisted suicide is considered, other options should first be available, like legal access to medical marijuana... antiguasun.com/ ... 13:23:03...The marijuana lobbyists are ignoring the results of the latest research that shows the relationship between marijuana and schizophrenia... [Which is that people who support prohibition are blatantly certifiably illogical, inconsistent, and bipolar.] tricities.com/ ... 13:21:39Officers seize over $28,000.00 worth of marijuana from a TriCities motel room... 12 pounds... Police arrested four men... One of the suspects... is wanted in South Florida for allegedly distributing cocaine... mediatakeout.com/ ... 13:20:26NOOOOOO!!! AMSTERDAM TO BAN MARIJUANA SMOKING!!!.. Bush greeted as hero in Albania... Army Sgt. 1st Class Greg L. Sutton, 38, of Spring Lake, N.C., died June 6 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 212th Military Transition Team, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan. defenselink.mil/ ... 21:28:25Air Force Senior Airman William N. Newman, 23, of Kingston Springs, Tenn., died June 7 south of Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered from an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the Explosive Ordinance Disposal Team of the 15th Civil Engineer Squadron, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. defenselink.mil/ ... 21:27:53Army Pfc. Timothy R. Vimoto, 19, of Fort Campbell, Ky., died June 5 in Korengal Valley, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when his unit was attacked by insurgents using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne) 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Camp Ederle, Italy. defenselink.mil/ ... 21:27:21Army Sgt. Matthew Soper, 25, of Kalamazoo, Mich., died June 6 in Bayji, Iraq, of wounds suffered from an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1461st Transportation Company (Combat Heavy Equipment), Michigan Army National Guard, Jackson, Mich. defenselink.mil/ ... 21:26:44Army Sgt. Kimel L. Watt, 21, of Brooklyn, N.Y., died June 3 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Schweinfurt, Germany. defenselink.mil/ ... 21:26:11Army Pfc. Justin A. Verdeja, 20, of La Puente, Calif., died June 5 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his unit was attacked by insurgents using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo. defenselink.mil/ ... 21:25:38Army Pfc. Shawn D. Gajdos, 25, of Grand Rapids, Mich., died June 6 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his unit was attacked by insurgents using improvised explosive devices and small arms fire. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan. defenselink.mil/ ... 21:24:10Army Staff Sgt. Timothy B. Cole Jr., 28, of Missouri City, Texas, died June 6 in As Sadah, Iraq, of wounds suffered from an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C. California may become the only U.S. state to require the sterilization of pets under a bill passed by the state Assembly, pitting dog and cat lovers against animal rights activists... Breeders, as well as owners of guide dogs, could obtain exemptions... At least 500,000 animals each year are killed in the most populous U.S. state, imposing an unacceptable "humanitarian" cost on California, said Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, the Democrat promoting the bill... [Identifying the problem doesn't mean you have the right solution...! How about taxing kittens & puppies? ACH! Shh. Don't give them any ideas...!] hosted.ap.org/ ... 19:31:15["YUCK!" Warning]SEATTLE... A young Asian elephant that had delighted visitors at the Woodland Park Zoo since her birth died Friday, about a week after she began showing signs of abdominal pain... hosted.ap.org/ ... 19:19:41
the jellyfish - faces a new enemy in Spain under a plan to create an armada of recreational boaters to spot the stinging blobs along the coast and summon help... devised to counter an exponential rise in jellyfish populations in many areas off Spain, the world's second most popular tourist destination... "Relations with Italy are "pretty darn solid," Bush said. Prodi agreed. "We basically agree on how the future of the world should look, should be," the Italian leader said. The president went to the Vatican for his first meeting with the pope, who has lamented the "continual slaughter" in Iraq and concluded that "nothing positive comes from Iraq." The pope asked Bush about his talks in Germany with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a time of deep strain between Moscow and Washington. "The dialogue with Putin was also good?" the pope asked. "I'll tell you in a minute," Bush said... Army Staff Sgt. Juan F. Campos, 27, of McAllen, Texas, died June 1 at Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, of wounds sustained when his unit was attacked by insurgents using improvised explosive devices and rocket propelled grenades May 14 in Baghdad, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Schweinfurt, Germany. defenselink.mil/ ... 12:02:56Army Spc. Jacob M. Lowell, 22, of New Lenox, Ill., died June 2 near Gowardesh, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using a rocket propelled grenade and small arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Air Assault), 173rd Airborne Brigade, Camp Ederle, Italy. Marijuana contains compounds called cannabinoids, that researchers have found not only stimulate the growth of new neurons, but also ease the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Cannabinoids are also naturally produced in the body. Now, researchers conducting a new study on cannabinoids have found that in mice, it can relieve some of the swollen, itchy agony of allergic skin reactions... [And how do we know this now?] The researchers noted that the tags that contained nickel caused the mice without the proteins to keep scratching around that are till the area became raw and covered with sores... [um... great!] forbes.com/ ... 12:27:26Transplanted blood cells from umbilical cords appear to give better results than the bone marrow transplants that have been standard for leukemia patients... hosted.ap.org/ ... 11:45:14A new meningitis vaccine offers hope to end devastating epidemics that have plagued West Africa the last century... protects against meningitis A, the deadliest form of the disease and seen primarily in Africa... developed by the Meningitis Vaccine Project, a partnership of the World Health Organization, the Seattle-based non-profit PATH and the Serum Institute of India... 
"It was quite exciting," Soljacic... (pronounced soul-ya-CHEECH)... said. The process is "very reproducible," he added. "We can just go to the lab and do it whenever we want..." at least one benefit could be that if devices can get their power through the air, they might not need batteries and their attendant toxic chemicals... The MIT system is about 40 percent to 45 percent efficient - meaning that most of the energy from the charging device doesn't make it to the light bulb. Soljacic believes it needs to become twice as efficient to be on par with the old-fashioned way portable gadgets get their batteries charged... copper coils that relay the power are almost 2 feet wide for now... the 7-foot range of this wireless handoff could be increased - presumably so that one charging device could automatically power all the gadgets in a room... MIT team stresses that the "magnetic coupling" process involved in WiTricity is safe on humans and other living things... in the initial experiments on the light bulb, nothing bad happened to the cell phones, electronic equipment and credit cards in the room - though more research on that is needed... news.bbc.co.uk/ ... 11:28:11US researchers have successfully tested an experimental system to deliver power to devices without the need for wires... made a 60W light bulb glow from a distance of 2m (7ft)... hosted.ap.org/ ... 11:17:35A group of scientists in Japan have developed a humanoid that acts like a toddler to better understand child development... designed to move just like a real child aged between one and three years old. CB2, 4.3 feet tall and weighing 73 pounds, changes facial expressions and crawls on the floor. The robot's movements are smooth fitted with 56 actuators in lieu of muscle. It has 197 sensors for touch, small cameras working as eyes, and an audio sensor. CB2 can also speak using an artificial vocal cord... China is considering lifting a ban on trade in tiger parts, believed to cure anything from rheumatism to laziness, despite growing fears that the move could wipe out the endangered big cat... hosted.ap.org/ ... 11:15:30Biologists who have been working for years to reintroduce the endangered northern aplomado falcon to its historic range across the Southwest said Thursday they have spotted baby birds in a trio of nests in southern New Mexico and West Texas... marijuana law permanent. Now, supporters of the bill are urging the legislature to act swiftly to override that veto, and legislative leaders have signaled they will do just that. The measure passed both chambers with margins sufficient for an override if no members change their minds... "As I said in my veto message in 2005," Carcieri reminded the legislative leaders in his latest veto mesage, "I support efforts to provide effective pain management to persons suffering from debilitating conditions, but not in a way that violates federal law and ignores the drug approval process as established by the Food and Drug Administration." Allowing medical marijuana would lead to an increase in criminal activity and drug use, he worried, and patients could still be arrested by the feds. The "bottom line," Carcieri said, is that "this legislation would give vulnerable Rhode Island citizens a false sense of security regarding the legality and safety of producing, distributing and using marijuana, a substance which is neither legal under federal law nor regulated in any way by any government agency..." nynews.com/ ... 12:39:20...25-year-old Bronx man pulled over for a broken windshield was arrested on drug-related charges... had a small amount of cocaine and marijuana... charged with fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a felony, and unlawful possession of marijuana, a misdemeanor... also ticketed for the traffic violation... thetimesherald.com/ ... 12:37:5136-year-old man... a U.S. citizen who had been living in Waterloo, Ontario... was arraigned... border guards found more than 13 pounds of marijuana hidden inside a spare tire of his sports-utility vehicle... "The spare tire was not fully inflated, and the rim was mounted on the tire backwards..." estimated street value between $13,000 and $19,000... [Hey that's kinda low, isn't it? Now let's review, kids: Mount the tire frontwards and fully inflate it.] contracostatimes.com/ ... 12:34:32Dear Gary: I have problems that I don't need to go into, but I smoke marijuana. I have a card to purchase it "legally." I have an old tomcat that loves for me to blow a little smoke his way. I never force any on him; it is his own choice. He comes up to me when I'm smoking and waits for it... After he has his smoke, he acts like a kitten and walks better than he usually does, which is not very good... visaliatimesdelta.com/ ... 12:33:12...marijuana garden with approximately 1,700 plants was destroyed by Tulare County Sheriff’s Department detectives on Wednesday and three suspects were taken into custody... if allowed to mature, would have a street value of $6.8 million... [Are you sure it's not $7 billion? or gazillion...? ...? ...!#$%(&$$(!!] sunstar.com.ph/ ... 12:31:51...Youth Council chairman Ringi dela Cerna of Dalaupon Tayasan in jail after he was caught growing marijuana in his land. Dela Cerna told police that all he knows is that marijuana is a medicinal plant for stomachache... At least 47 seedlings were uprooted during the joint operation of the PNP Provincial Command, Ayungon police, 705th Mobile Group and the 61st IB of the Philippine Army in Tayasan... 
sold out... "for her silence, Hillary was rewarded. And she has been the second-largest recipient in the Senate of healthcare industry contributions..." apnews.myway.com/ ... 12:06:56Presidential contender John Edwards on Thursday disputed Democratic rival Hillary Rodham Clinton's claim that the U.S. is safer since Sept. 11 and contended GOP candidate Rudy Giuliani will never win if he embraces President Bush's policies... Army Sgt. Andrews J. Higgins, 28, of Hayward, Calif., died June 5 in Baqubah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, Wash. defenselink.mil/ ... 11:58:02Army Sgt. Caleb P. Christopher, 25, of Chandler, Ariz., died June 3 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. defenselink.mil/ ... 11:57:23Army Staff Sgt. Greg P. Gagarin, 38, of Los AngelesArmy Sgt. James C. Akin, 23, of Albuquerque, N.M.Army Sgt. Tyler J. Kritz, 21, of Eagle River, Wis.Army Sgt. Robert A. Surber, 24, of Inverness, Fla. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Ryan A. Balmer, 33, of Mishawaka, Ind.Air Force Staff Sgt. Matthew J. Kuglics, 25, of North Canton, Ohio. 
The US military is developing a robot with a teddy bear-style head to help carry injured soldiers away from the battlefield. The Battlefield Extraction Assist Robot (BEAR) can scoop up even the heaviest of casualties and transport them over long distances over rough terrain. New Scientist magazine reports that the "friendly appearance" of the robot is designed to put the wounded at ease... cannabis gathered outside the Lakeport City Hall calling on safe and legal access to medicine for patients. I applaud their efforts. The City of Lakeport needs to repeal the ban on medical cannabis cultivation to ensure the safety and accessibility for patients... Banning cultivation of legal medicine limits safe and legal access for patients. A rigid policy that bans cultivation of medical cannabis deprives qualified patients of the medicine promised them by the Compassionate Use Act... It is crucial that medical cannabis be readily accessible to patients throughout and across our community... Mendocino County supervisors voted 4-1 in favor of seeking legalization as a way of regulating and taxing marijuana... [WAIT! This isn't just some medical marijuana exception crap -- this is the real thing! Repeal! Repeal! Repeal!] Supervisor Mike Delbar, who cast the lone dissenting vote, said he is not happy with the image Mendocino County is gaining. He added he is concerned about what will happen to local youths if they grow up seeing marijuana use and cultivation as normal... [Think of the cchhhillldrennnn. Well, they won't be fearing the law and dealing in the black market, among other advantages, if it's as normal as alcohol.] lsj.com/ ... 10:36:55An effort to legalize marijuana for medical use in Michigan cleared a key procedural hurdle Wednesday... [Watching paint dry is an exciting evening compared to watching the PuriTaliban religious tyrants slowly debate releasing just a little of their prohibitionist tyranny.] nj.com/ ... 10:24:52BETHLEHEM TWP... Two men were arrested Wednesday after police found more than a half-pound of marijuana in their car... dozens of small bags of marijuana totaling 245 grams... Police stopped the dark-colored Volvo sedan... because the passenger-side tail light was out. When police approached the car they said there was a strong odor of marijuana coming from it... [Hey, kids! When dealing, make sure your car is in perfect running condition, drive perfectly, and don't sample your product.] marijuana in his vehicle -- a street value of about $2 million... routine traffic violation... drug dog detected marijuana in the pickup... [routine stop... yeah...] reformer.com/ ... 12:15:55Vermont legislators who worked on passage of a 2007 bill expanding access to marijuana for medical purposes are to be commended. But there is a bigger issue that needs to be dealt with. Of all the so-called street drugs, marijuana is the one that should be legalized for a variety of reasons. Quite simply, marijuana has many positive effects and very few bad side effects. Chronic use or abuse of any drug will do bad things and marijuana is no exception. Smoking is bad for the lungs and long-term use of the drug can cause memory impairment. My research leads me to believe that there has never been a case of marijuana overdose. It is one of the few "drugs" that the human body cannot be poisoned by during one session of use, unless you consider increased somnolence or excessive appetite overdose symptoms. In fact, there may be a case to have marijuana not be called a drug in the street, illegal abuse, sense. In order to understand why marijuana is illegal in the United States it is important to look at the history of the big scare created when America's first drug czar, Harry Anslinger, waged war against the drug... timesonline.co.uk/ ... 12:12:57Doctors are to investigate the health risks of smoking cannabis after evidence of severe lung disease in young people who use the drug... Onn Min Kon, a consultant physician of respiratory medicine at St Mary’s Hospital in London, has reported seeing many young cannibis smokers with lung diseases such as emphysema, which is normally diagnosed only in older tobacco smokers. "I’ve got a collection of young people who have lungs that look like they’re 65-year-olds..." [Are these exclusive cannibis smokers? Or do they also do nicotine, or maybe crack? Did the PuriTaliban religious oppressor government fund this study? Here's more propaganda:] In a 2002 report, the British Lung Foundation estimated that three to four cannabis cigarettes a day were associated with the same amount of damage to the lungs as 20 or more tobacco cigarettes a day... philly.com/ ... 12:10:01...Philadelphia man accused of distributing marijuana in northern and western Montgomery County to customers who paid about $300 an ounce... hydroponically grown in Canada... "It's somebody who can afford a more high-end product," Montgomery County [PuriTalibanical Oppressor] District Attorney Bruce Castor said Monday... district attorney's Drug Task Force confiscated 25 pounds of marijuana with a street value of about $125,000, and seized $247,450 from the trunk of [victim's] car and two apartments in Philadelphia... timesheraldonline.com/ ... 12:06:52Police arrested Vallejo resident... charges of cultivating marijuana after finding 90 pot plants inside a garage... malfunction in the specialized lighting... suspected of causing the garage to catch fire... [and of course] plants have an estimated street value of between $130,000 and $160,000.... wmcstations.com/ ... 12:05:00MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark... [26yo] man... called police after employees at a Mountain Home motel refused to give him a refund when he decided NOT to stay there... arrested... after finding an outstanding warrant for his arrest for a felony marijuana delivery charge... more than five ounces of marijuana in the pocket of a fishing vest... [Hint: Don't call the police!] thedesertsun.com/ ... 12:01:55The La Quinta City Council voted 5-0 Tuesday to ban medical marijuana dispensaries, making La Quinta the second valley city following Palm Desert to ban the dispensaries outright. State law permits the seriously ill to aquire medical marijuana, while federal law prohibits it. Most council members said they supported the rights of California's medical marijuana users, but voted for the ban in support of federal law... 
General consensus: Captain Kangaroo never jumped the shark Forest guards in western India are using cell phones with ringtones of cows mooing, goats bleating and roosters crowing to attract leopards that have wandered into human settlements... rather than use methods such as live bait like goats tied to trees to lure the leopards, which then fall into large pits dug by guards, officials say they have found a safer method to trap the cats... orest guards have downloaded the sounds of over a dozen animals as ringtones on their mobiles which they attach to speakers and fix behind a cage. They then play the ringtone continuously for up to two hours until the curious leopard appears and moves into the cage looking for its easy meal... reuters.com/ ... 22:45:02Four highly endangered red ibises have been taken back into captivity in China, after two days of free living made them lose their appetite... despite being set free in an area chosen for its rich array of foods including frogs, locusts and loaches, they did not eat enough... Another 12 of the group of 26 have not been seen for five days... hosted.ap.org/ ... 22:44:16An environmental group asked the federal government Tuesday to ban a class of toxic chemical compounds that are found in industrial and household detergents and are believed to cause male fish to develop female characteristics. The Sierra Club also asked the Environmental Protection Agency to bar the use of these products in areas where wastewater treatment plants aren't equipped to remove nonylphenol ethoxylates, or NPEs... news.bbc.co.uk/ ... 22:42:06A species of bird which has not been seen in Greater London for 141 years has reappeared. A squacco heron was last spotted at the Kingsbury Reservoir, in north-west London, in 1866... one was seen there last week... hosted.ap.org/ ... 11:42:25Indonesia is returning 17 rare pygmy kangaroos to the Papuan rain forest after rescuing and acquiring them in recent years from illegal traders and private zoos... they will face predators such as giant pythons and local poachers who eat their meat or sell their hides... hosted.ap.org/ ... 11:18:45A frog with fluorescent purple markings and 12 kinds of dung beetles were among two dozen new species discovered in the remote plateaus of eastern Suriname... The study was financed by Suriname Aluminum Company LLC and BHP Billiton Maatschappij Suriname. Suriname Aluminum, which has a government concession to explore gold in the area, will include the data in its environmental assessment study... About 80 percent of Suriname is covered with dense rainforest. Thousands of Brazilians and Surinamese are believed to work in illegal gold mining, creating mercury pollution that has threatened the health of Amerindians and Maroons in Suriname's interior... marijuana in the trunk of a car he was driving... following a routine traffic stop... license plate bulb out... [yeah, sure, you can always believe that... plus a little profiling, perhaps...] [Driver] "thought he was in Ohio. He had been lost for a while..." His overall demeanor made [officer] suspicious. That led to a search of the car... [Hint to drug smugglers: Stay awake enough to at least know what state you're driving in...] shreveporttimes.com/ ... 12:44:10Shreveport police uncovered a large marijuana-growing operation in the attic of a home in the 100 block of East Ratcliff Street late Thursday... [35yo charged with] manufacturing, cultivating and distributing marijuana, as well as unlawful possession of prescription narcotics and having a weapon during the commission of a drug crime... Aided by a drug-sniffing dog, officers found marijuana plants and about 30 to 40 pounds of harvested marijuana that had been grown and was being prepared for distribution. The street value of the drugs is estaimated at $200,000 to $300,000... pe.com/ ... 12:43:07Border patrol agents seized more than a ton of marijuana in two stops this week near the Imperial Sand Dunes... stopped a 26-year-old Mexican man who illegally crossed the border with 1,088 pounds of marijuana stacked in the bed of his truck... [propagandistically] estimated to be worth $870,800... arrested a different 26-year-old man Monday after catching him with 1,217 pounds of the drug in a stolen pickup truck... Army Sgt. Chadrick O. Domino, 23, of Ennis, Texas, died May 31 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when he encountered enemy small arms fire while on dismounted patrol. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, Wash. defenselink.mil/ ... 12:34:32Army 1st Lt. Kile G. West, 23, of Pasadena, TexasArmy Sgt. Anthony D. Ewing, 22, of Phoenix, Ariz.Army Cpl. Zachary D. Baker, 24, of Vilonia, Ark.Army Cpl. James E. Summers, III, 21, of Bourbon, Mo.Army Spc. Alexandre A. Alexeev, 23, of Wilmington, Calif. Army Sgt. Bacilio E. Cuellar, 24, of Odessa, TexasArmy Spc. James E. Lundin, 20, of Bellport N.Y.Army Pfc. Joshua M. Moore, 20, of Russellville, Ky. Army Pfc. Matthew E. Baylis, 20, of Oakdale, N.Y., died May 31 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered on May 30 when his dismounted patrol encountered enemy small arms fire. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo. defenselink.mil/ ... 12:31:52Army Cpl. Jonathan A. Markham, 22, of Bedford, Texas, died May 29 in Abu Sayda, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his dismounted position. He was assigned to the 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. defenselink.mil/ ... 12:31:31Army Pfc. Matthew A. Bean, 22, of Pembroke, Mass., died May 31 at the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Md., of wounds suffered on May 19 in Lutifiyah, Iraq, when he was struck by enemy small arms fire. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y. KIEV, Ukraine... An animal trainer who brought a crocodile to the beach to drum up interest in a circus got some unwelcome publicity when it broke free and made off into the Azov Sea... mouth was taped shut, and that it has been seen swimming in the sea... hosted.ap.org/ ... 10:38:41The International Whaling Commission passed a resolution Thursday that upholds a 21-year moratorium on commercial whaling... Pro-whaling factions lobbied hard against the resolution, saying it would fuel the already tense relations between pro- and anti-whaling nations... Pro-whaling nations, including Japan, Norway and Iceland, say populations have rebounded and the ban is no longer necessary. Norway and Iceland do not recognize the ban and conduct commercial whaling... hosted.ap.org/ ... 10:37:41A decision to be made this weekend on whether to allow the sale of 60 tons of elephant ivory is exposing rifts between nongovernment agencies dedicated to defending the diversity of plants and animals... The 171-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES, begins a 12-day conference on Sunday. It will consider amending its lists of trade restrictions on a range of species, from the American bobcat to the European eel and several South American cacti... marijuana. Four people were arrested, including three women, in the two investigations. In one raid, nearly 800 pounds of marijuana was found in Bailey and Kenly, and another 15 pounds was seized in Sharpsburg... Nash County Sheriff Dick Jenkins said... "This is a pretty big one..." stamfordadvocate.com/ ... 12:13:53HARTFORD - The state Senate, in a 23-13 bipartisan vote, last night approved a bill to legalize the medical use of marijuana to relieve the suffering of patients with debilitating conditions such as cancer or AIDS. The legislation, approved May 23 by the House, 89-58, heads to Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell for her signature... "She'll read it thoroughly and think it over," Rell spokesman Adam Liegeot said... A 2004 University of Connecticut poll showed 83 percent of respondents backed allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana in such cases... toledoblade.com/ ... 12:12:41Wood County sheriff’s deputies and Bowling Green police said they found about 80 pounds of suspected marijuana while searching a pickup they stopped on I-75 just north of Bowling Green early yesterday... street value of about $96,000...[only bbbbecause of the puritalibanical insanity of prohibition!] starbanner.com/ ... 12:11:06[Male,] 59, was driving on Interstate 75 in Marion County when an FHP trooper pulled him over for an alleged window tint violation. At the stop a K-9 alerted for marijuana and a trooper searched the Ford Windstar and found a small amount of marijuana. Agents of the Ocala/Marion County Multi-Agency Drug Enforcement Team were called out. They were able to track down a utilities bill to a home in Marion Oaks. No one was at the home... but agents smelled a "strong odor of fresh marijuana" coming from the home. They got a search warrant and found 53 plans [I think they meant "plants"] at the home, along with lights, fans and tools needed to grow marijuana... marijuana... license [check] revealed he was wanted for past drug violations upstate... [25yo female] passenger... also arrested and charged... english.people.com.cn/ ... 11:14:21Almost half of Rotterdam's coffee shops, where marijuana can be sold, have been told to close down because they are located within 250 meters... Rotterdam authorities said Thursday that secondary school children and college students should not be exposed to the temptation of smoking marijuana... a consequence of the new Dutch coffee shop policy which is to take effect on January 1 2009... As of that date, no soft drugs -- such as marijuana, which are considered to be only psychologically addictive -- can be sold within 250 meters of schools... [This kind of law needs... the Penn & Teller treatment...] 
Wal-Mart... West Monroe [La.] man... carried a 42-inch Sanyo Plasma TV to a self-checkout aisle after switching the original price tag of $984 with one for only $4.88. Wal-Mart Loss Prevention officers witnessed the alleged transaction and called police... 
UPPER TOWNSHIP, N.J... turtle... [65yo] woman who swerved to avoid hitting the reptile... lost control of her car, crashed through a guardrail and tumbled down an embankment before the car flipped over onto its roof... was wearing a seat belt and was not critically injured... 
US scientists have identified the genes behind silk spun by the black widow spider, which they say could help make super-strong body armour... [but sticky?] 
YOKO Ono has spoken for the first time about how John Lennon talked her round after she considered aborting their only son, Sean. The 74-year-old artist says she was unsure whether to have the baby because she did not want to "burden" Lennon, with whom she had just been reunited after an 18-month split... "...he said, 'Of course we are gonna keep,' like he was really upset with my remark. And I thought, 'Well let's go ahead with this.'..." Ono also reveals that the former Beatle's insistence on going home to see his five-year-old son on the night he was murdered may have cost him his life... 
Beatles fans will probably have to wait until next year before they can buy the Fab Four's tunes from online retailers such as Apple Inc.'s iTunes store, George Harrison's widow said on Friday... [Ironically, for all the fuss, ALL of the Beatles' recorded, live, demo, and outtake cuts, as a group, as the Threetles, and as individuals or with other performers, have been available in various quality digital forms on the Internet for many years, if you know where to look.]