Tuesday, May 26, 2015


News Clips For The Day


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/boy-5-mauled-to-death-by-dog-in-chicago/

Boy, 5, mauled to death by dog in Chicago
CBS NEWS
May 26, 2015

Photograph -- The scene of a dog attack in Chicago on May 25, 2015. CBS CHICAGO

CHICAGO -- A 5-year-old boy was mauled to death by a dog Monday night in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Chicago.

The boy was attacked around 9:30 p.m, reports CBS Chicago. Neighbors called 911 after hearing his mother screaming for help.

"I heard the lady come out the house ... and the dog had her son's neck in his mouth, and she said, 'Oh, my God, can someone please help me?'" neighbor Bianca White said.

The Cook County Medical Examiner's office identified the boy as James Nevils III.

Witnesses said the attack started inside a home, and the boy's mother was able to drag the dog and her son outside, and began asking neighbors to help her get the dog off her son.

"I saw that it was a dog had mauled a baby at the neck, and like by his shoulder, and was just attacking him, and the mom was trying to get the dog off the baby, and I was just like, 'Oh my gosh, please, somebody help,'" White said.

Neighbors used sticks and rocks to try to beat away the dog, and tried to free the boy from its jaws, but the boy was lifeless when the dog finally let him go.

"We started hitting the dog with a brick. My brother got the pole, started hitting the dog with the pole," neighbor Marquies Lewis said. "I wasn't really thinking about nothing, but getting the dog off the baby."

Witnesses described the dog as a pit bull, and said they were able to kill it at the scene. Police said the dog was found dead at the scene when officers arrived. Police have not confirmed the dog's breed.

The boy was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead.

Police were conducting a death investigation, but no charges had been filed as of Tuesday morning.




“Neighbors used sticks and rocks to try to beat away the dog, and tried to free the boy from its jaws, but the boy was lifeless when the dog finally let him go. "We started hitting the dog with a brick. My brother got the pole, started hitting the dog with the pole," neighbor Marquies Lewis said. "I wasn't really thinking about nothing, but getting the dog off the baby." …. Witnesses described the dog as a pit bull, and said they were able to kill it at the scene. Police said the dog was found dead at the scene when officers arrived. Police have not confirmed the dog's breed. Neighbors used sticks and rocks to try to beat away the dog, and tried to free the boy from its jaws, but the boy was lifeless when the dog finally let him go. "We started hitting the dog with a brick. My brother got the pole, started hitting the dog with the pole," neighbor Marquies Lewis said. "I wasn't really thinking about nothing, but getting the dog off the baby. "Witnesses described the dog as a pit bull, and said they were able to kill it at the scene. Police said the dog was found dead at the scene when officers arrived. Police have not confirmed the dog's breed.”

Brown University Warrior Gene -- “Several studies have found a correlation be-tween the low-activity form of MAOA and aggression in observational and survey-based studies. Only about a third of people in Western populations have the low-activity form of MAOA. By comparison, low-activity MAOA has been reported to be much more frequent (approaching two-thirds of people) in some populations that had a history of warfare. This led to a controversy over MAOA being dubbed the ‘warrior gene.’ …. Monoamine oxidase A is an enzyme that breaks down important neurotransmitters in the brain, including dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. The enzyme is regulated by monoamine oxidase A gene (MAOA). Humans have var-ious forms of the gene, resulting in different levels of enzymatic activity. People with the low-activity form (MAOA-L) produce less of the enzyme, while the high-activity form (MAOA-H) produces more of the enzyme. Several studies have found a corre-lation between the low-activity form of MAOA and aggression in observational and survey-based studies. Only about a third of people in Western populations have the low-activity form of MAOA. By comparison, low-activity MAOA has been reported to be much more frequent (approaching two-thirds of people) in some populations that had a history of warfare. This led to a controversy over MAOA being dubbed the “warrior gene.” …. The results support previous research suggesting that MAOA influences aggressive behavior, with potentially important implications for interpersonal aggression, violence, political decision-making, and crime. The finding of genetic influences on aggression and punishment behavior also questions the re-cently proposed idea that humans are “altruistic” punishers, who willingly punish free-riders for the good of the group. These results support theories of cooperation that propose there are mixed strategies in the population. Some people may punish more than others, and there may be an underlying evolutionary logic for doing so.”

A fascinating article is found at http://www.livescience.com/22240-aggressive-dog-owners-hostility.html, which states that those humans who harbor aggressive dogs also tend to be more hostile themselves. The same can probably be said for gun worshippers. But back to dogs -- everybody knows that pit bulls, German Shepherds, Dobermans, Akitas, chows, and several other breeds have a higher incidence of aggressive attacks and killings of both people -- especially children -- and animals. Pit bulls are bred for fighting. Let’s face it. Pit bulls as a group can’t be fully trusted. In my opinion, the breed should be eradicated. A ban may not get rid of them, however. See the following article from the website www.itv.com/news on the UK which has instituted a ban on pit bulls, the one entitled “Genetics_of_Aggression” from Wikipedia, and ScienceDaily on modern updates on the theory of genetically based aggression. That is a recent scientific study on aggression in lab animals and humans. The aggression seems to result from a combination of genetic factors and brain chemicals rather than just one gene.

See also the Wikipedia website “Ancient dog breeds”. That article states “Fourteen ancient breeds of dog have been identified through advances in DNA analysis.[1] These breeds of domesticated dog show the fewest genetic differences from wolves….. Also, five pairs of breeds are closely related: 1)Alaskan Malamute and Siberian Husky, 2) Collie and Shetland Sheepdog, 3)Greyhound and Whippet, 4) Bernese Mountain Dog and Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, and finally the 5) Bull Mastiff and English Mastiff.[1]” Interestingly collies are in this group and they are generally considered to be gentle, but when I watched border collies convincing sheep to turn around and move in the opposite direction I was impressed by the crouching stance, the lowered head and the intense, bold eye contact that the collies use. The sheep are instantly intimidated and move toward the pen as the owner wants. A very recreational thing to watch is the traditional Scottish Games which are given around the world. Collie trials are always included. If I were going to buy a dog for a watchdog I would choose a male border collie and not get him neutered, causing his tendency to attack to be increased. One of the things people can do to decrease aggressiveness in a dog is to have him neutered before he is fully mature. It doesn’t hurt him at all, but it makes him more tractable.



http://www.itv.com/news/central/2015-05-25/over-160-banned-pit-bull-type-dogs-in-the-west-midlands/

Over 160 banned pit bull type dogs in the West Midlands
ITV Report
25 May 2015


Photographs -- Pit Bull Credit: BPM Media

Photograph -- Labour MP Khalid Mahmood Credit: Labour Party/The Labour Party/Press Association Images

Despite being banned following fatal attacks on children a quarter of a century ago, it was found that there were more than 160 pit bull type dogs in the West Midlands in March.

Latest figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show that these banned dogs were among around 3,000 of the breed present Britain.

Police marksmen shot dead a vicious pit bull on the loose in Richmond Road in Bearwood following fears for public safety in January, while another was contained in a garden and then taken to a specialist dog unit.

RSPCA officers previously revealed how Birmingham gangsters were training killer pit bull terriers to use as weapons, in place of knives and guns in 2007. The gang members saw the dogs as status symbols after they were glorified by rap stars using them in music videos at the time.

Labour MP Khalid Mahmood, who represents Perry Barr, called on police and the RSPCA to do more to take dangerous dogs out of households across Birmingham and the wider West Midlands.

These figures are very shocking. These animals were banned almost a quarter of a century ago yet there are still thousands recorded across the UK and 161 in the West Midlands. There has been some very high profile attacks on children and these dogs should not be kept as pets. They are simply not suitable and this is why they were banned all those years ago. The police and RSPCA need to do more to take these animals off the streets and safeguard the safety of people who live in Birmingham and the wider West Midlands.”

But an RSPCA spokesman said that clamping down on particular breeds was “unjustifiable and ineffective” blaming poor owners for problem dogs.

“We want Governments to adopt a legislative approach that recognises that any individual dog, irrespective of breed or type, can display aggression towards people, and that responsibility for this lies with the owners. Aggression as a behaviour it is [sic] very complex, whether or not a dog uses aggression is influenced by a range of factors including how they are bred, reared and experiences throughout their lifetime.”

– RSPCA spokesman

Last updated Mon 25 May 2015


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetics_of_aggression
Genetics of aggression

The field of psychology has been greatly influenced by the study of genetics. Decades of research has demonstrated that both genetic and environmental factors play a role in a variety of behaviors in humans and animals (e.g. Grigorenko & Sternberg, 2003). The genetic basis of aggression, however, remains poorly understood. Aggression is a multi-dimensional concept, but it can be generally defined as behavior that inflicts pain or harm on another.

Genetic-developmental theory states that individual differences in a continuous phenotype result from the action of a large number of genes, each exerting an effect that works with environmental factors to produce the trait.[1] This type of trait is influenced by multiple factors making it more complex and difficult to study than a simple Mendelian trait (one gene for one phenotype).

History[edit]

Past thought on genetic factors influencing aggression tended to seek answers from chromosomal abnormalities.[citation needed] Specifically, four decades ago, the XYY genotype was (erroneously) believed by many to be correlated with aggression. In 1965 and 1966, researchers at the MRC Clinical & Population Cytogenetics Research Unit led by Dr. Court Brown at Western General Hospital in Edinburgh reported finding a much higher than expected nine XYY men (2.9%) averaging almost 6 ft. tall in a survey of 314 patients at the State Hospital for Scotland; seven of the nine XYY patients were mentally retarded.[2] In their initial reports published before examining the XYY patients, the researchers suggested they might have been hospitalized because of aggressive behavior. When the XYY patients were examined, the researchers found their assumptions of aggressive behavior were incorrect. Unfortunately, many science and medicine textbooks quickly and uncritically incorporated the initial, incorrect assumptions about XYY and aggression—including psychology textbooks on aggression.[3]
The XYY genotype first gained wide notoriety in 1968 when it was raised as a part of a defense in two murder trials in Australia and France. In the United States, five attempts to use the XYY genotype as a defense were unsuccessful—in only one case in 1969 was it allowed to go to a jury—which rejected it.[4]

Results from several decades of long-term follow-up of scores of unselected XYY males identified in eight international newborn chromosome screening studies in the 1960s and 1970s have replaced pioneering but biased studies from the 1960s (that used only institutionalized XYY men), as the basis for current understanding of the XYY genotype and established that XYY males are characterized by increased height but are not characterized by aggressive behavior.[5][6] Though the link currently between genetics and aggression has turned to an aspect of genetics different from chromosomal abnormalities, it is important to understand where the research started and the direction it is moving towards today.

Selective breeding[edit]

The heritability of aggression has been observed in many animal strains after noting that some strains of birds, dogs, fish, and mice seem to be more aggressive than other strains. Selective breeding has demonstrated that it is possible to select for genes that lead to more aggressive behavior in animals.[7] Selective breeding examples also allow researchers to understand the importance of developmental timing for genetic influences on aggressive behavior. A study done in 1983 (Cairns) produced both highly aggressive male and female strains of mice dependent on certain developmental periods to have this more aggressive behavior expressed. These mice were not observed to be more aggressive during the early and later stages of their lives, but during certain periods of time (in their middle-age period) were more violent and aggressive in their attacks on other mice.[8] Selective breeding is a quick way to select for specific traits and see those selected traits within a few generations of breeding. These characteristics make selective breeding an important tool in the study of genetics and aggressive behavior.

Molecular genetics[edit]

A number of molecular genetics studies have focused on manipulating candidate aggression genes in mice and other animals to induce effects that can be possibly applied to humans. Most studies have focused on polymorphisms of serotonin receptors, dopamine receptors, and neurotransmitter metabolizing enzymes.[1] Results of these studies have led to linkage analysis to map the serotonin-related genes and impulsive aggression. In particular, the serotonin 5-HT seems to be an influence in inter-male aggression either directly or through other molecules that use the 5-HT pathway. 5-HT normally dampens aggression in animals and humans. Mice missing specific genes for 5-HT were observed to be more aggressive than normal mice and were more rapid and violent in their attacks.[11] Other studies have been focused on neurotransmitters. Studies of a mutation in the neurotransmitter metabolizing enzyme monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) have been shown to cause a syndrome that includes violence and impulsivity in humans.[1] Studies of the molecular genetics pathways are leading to the production of pharmaceuticals to fix the pathway problems and hopefully show an observed change in aggressive behavior.[11]

A rare genetic variant causing Monoamine oxidase A deficiency has been associated with violent behavior in males.[12] In 2002 a study published by researchers at King's College London found a link between a genetic variant causing low levels of MAO-A and increased levels of antisocial behavior in people who were mistreated as children.[13] An American group studying monkeys called MAO-A a "warrior gene" in 2004.[14] A 2008 study found a similar result involving the rare 2-repeat variant of the MAO-A gene, as well as the genes DAT1 and DRD2. In all three cases, the variants of these genes were associated with an elevated risk of violent and delinquent behavior only in people who experienced certain stresses during childhood.[15]

Twin studies[edit]

Twin studies manipulate the environmental factors of behavior by examining if identical twins raised apart are different from twins raised together. Before the advancement of molecular genetics, twin studies were almost the only mode of investigation of genetic influences on personality. Heritability was estimated as twice the difference between the correlation for identical, or monozygotic, twins and that for fraternal, or dizygotic, twins. Early studies indicated that personality was fifty percent genetic. Current thinking holds that each individual picks and chooses from a range of stimuli and events largely on the basis of his genotype creating a unique set of experiences; basically meaning that people create their own environments.[10]



http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090121093343.htm

ScienceDaily
'Warrior Gene' Predicts Aggressive Behavior After Provocation
Date:January 23, 2009 Source:Brown University

Summary:People with the so-called "warrior gene" exhibit higher levels of behavioral aggression in response to provocation, according to new research. In the experiment, subjects penalized opponents by administering varying amounts of hot sauce. Share:

Individuals with the so-called "warrior gene" display higher levels of aggression in response to provocation.

Photograph -- Credit: iStockphoto/Viorika Prikhodko

Individuals with the so-called “warrior gene” display higher levels of aggression in response to provocation, according to new research co-authored by Rose McDermott, professor of political science at Brown University. In the experiment, which is the first to examine a behavioral measure of aggression in response to provocation, subjects were asked to cause physical pain to an opponent they believed had taken money from them by administering varying amounts of hot sauce.


The findings are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In addition to McDermott, the research team included Dustin Tingley of Princeton University, Jonathan Cowden of the University of California–Santa Barbara, Giovanni Frazetto from the London School of Economics, and Dominic Johnson from the University of Edinburgh. Their experiment synthesized work in psychology and behavioral economics.

Monoamine oxidase A is an enzyme that breaks down important neurotransmitters in the brain, including dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. The enzyme is regulated by monoamine oxidase A gene (MAOA). Humans have various forms of the gene, resulting in different levels of enzymatic activity. People with the low-activity form (MAOA-L) produce less of the enzyme, while the high-activity form (MAOA-H) produces more of the enzyme.

Several studies have found a correlation between the low-activity form of MAOA and aggression in observational and survey-based studies. Only about a third of people in Western populations have the low-activity form of MAOA. By comparison, low-activity MAOA has been reported to be much more frequent (approaching two-thirds of people) in some populations that had a history of warfare. This led to a controversy over MAOA being dubbed the “warrior gene.”

The PNAS paper is the first experimental test of whether MAOA-L individuals display higher levels of actual behavioral aggression in response to provocation. A total of 78 subjects took part in the experiment over networked computers (all were male students from the University of California–Santa Barbara). Each subject (A) first performed a vocabulary task in which they earned money. Then they were told that an anonymous partner (B), linked over the network, could choose to take some of their earnings away from them. The original subject (A) could then choose to punish the taker (B) by forcing them to eat unpleasantly hot (spicy) sauce — but they had to pay to do so, so administering punishment was costly. In reality, the “partner” who took money away was a computer, which allowed the researchers to control responses. No one actually ingested hot sauce.

Their results demonstrate that
•Low-activity MAOA subjects displayed slightly higher levels of aggression overall than high-activity MAOA subjects.
•There was strong evidence for a gene-by-environment interaction, such that MAOA is less associated with the occurrence of aggression in the low-provocation condition (when the amount of money taken was low), but significantly predicted aggression in a high-provocation situation (when the amount of money taken was high).

The results support previous research suggesting that MAOA influences aggressive behavior, with potentially important implications for interpersonal aggression, violence, political decision-making, and crime. The finding of genetic influences on aggression and punishment behavior also questions the recently proposed idea that humans are “altruistic” punishers, who willingly punish free-riders for the good of the group. These results support theories of cooperation that propose there are mixed strategies in the population. Some people may punish more than others, and there may be an underlying evolutionary logic for doing so.

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Brown University. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.





http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2015/05/25/408914842/trying-to-organize-a-marathon-an-arab-israeli-woman-runs-into-opposition

Trying To Organize A Marathon, An Arab-Israeli Woman Runs Into Opposition
Emily Harris
May 25, 2015

Photograph -- Haneen Radi, an Arab Israeli, wants to organize a marathon for her town of Tira, but was told the run couldn't include women. When she insisted, she received threats, and the back window of her car was shot out.
Emily Harris/NPR

Haneen Radi learned to run by walking.

"I used to walk," says the 36-year-old mother of four. "I saw people running and said, I'll try that."

Radi took off. In the decade since then she's finished eight marathons, and she now coaches a girls' running club with 80 members.

"I'm another person when running," Radi says. "I'm happy, I'm smiling."

A few months ago, Radi decided to organize a marathon in Tira, her hometown in northern Israel.

"I thought, I'm bringing something very nice to my society," Radi said, surrounded by supporters at a recent rally on Tira's main street. "To bring health, to bring something really good to my own people — sport."

In Tira, an Arab-Israeli town of about 25,000 people, most people are Muslim. The minarets of half a dozen mosques rise among low concrete buildings that sprawl off the main street, a two-lane road that cuts between a major highway and other small towns. The town center is a traffic circle, with city hall on one side and a hummus shop on the other.

This is where some hundred people rallied two weeks ago to support Radi and her plans for a public race. Because not everyone in town liked the idea.

"Certain people came to the municipality over here and said, 'You can do a race — but just for males, not females,' " said Radi, who refuses to name names. " 'No,' I said. 'No — you cannot put women aside.' "

Runners are not a common sight in Tira; Radi, in fact, often leaves town and drives to nearby Jewish towns to do her workouts. She says that women being seen running in snug or short sports clothes is not acceptable in Tira, whereas it's fine in neighboring Jewish areas.

Members of a Saudi women's soccer team, Rana Al Khateeb (left) and captain Rawh Abdullah, practice at a secret location in the capital Riyadh in 2012. Saudi women have had only rare opportunities to play sports. The country sent women to the Olympics for the first time in 2012 and now girls will be allowed to take physical education classes at public schools.

Saudi Girls Can Now Take Gym Class, But Not Everyone Is Happy

The women of the Afghan National Cycling Federation team train outside Kabul, the capital. They face poor road conditions, terrible traffic, lots of gawking and even threats of violence in pursuit of their sport.

Women at the rally said that's not the only way Tira's social restrictions affect them. "You wake up and think, is this OK to wear or not?" says Yoaad Shbita-Daoud, a 29-year-old patent examiner who grew up in Tira. "When I'm abroad I don't think about this. It's a closed community, and how to dress is one of the points." Shaping female behavior starts "from a young age," says Atheer Ismail, who graduated from high school in Tira. She describes her home growing up as "not religious" but still observing "societal rules."

"For example, if I want to hang out with my friends and come back late at night, my mom would say, 'Ah, but don't come too late, because what will people say?' " Ismail said. "The basic point is, someone should take care of you — a man, your brother could, your father."

The main opponents to the proposed race in Tira said they were taking care of women by pressuring the city to not let them run.

"Our religion tells us to take care of our girls' honor, so we won't let them go out and let boys look at them," said Rashad Fthelly, a member the Islamic Movement political group.

Islamic Movement leaders distributed notices against the race and asked the city council to stop it. Unknown people threatened to disrupt the race. Then, late one night, someone shot the back window of Radi's car while it was parked outside her home.

The threats of disruption didn't scare her, Radi said, "but when they shot my car I felt really afraid." Police have questioned one suspect in the shooting and let him go.

The shooting riled the town, and opinion about the marathon remained deeply divided even several weeks later. Eighty-year-old Samiyah Matar, who runs a dress shop, said it would be OK, as long as women runners wore long pants and long sleeves.

"Shorts and no sleeves is not acceptable in our religious or societal values," she said.

"When we go to Tel Aviv, or to the beach, we see people in different clothing, and nothing happens," says Rashid Mansur, who recites the call to prayer five times a day at a Tira mosque.

A middle-aged fruit vendor who wouldn't give his name blamed "bearded men" — Muslim religious leaders — whom he described as "crazy" for opposing the marathon. But devout Muslims in the town were also divided. Rashid Mansur, who calls others to pray five times a day at one of the mosques, said he had no problem with women running in public, even in sport clothes.

"When we go to Tel Aviv, or to the beach, we see people in different clothing, and nothing happens," he said.

Some opponents suggested holding essentially two races at the same time — women would run in the municipal stadium while men ran in the streets — but that would have been "meaningless," said Sameh Iraqi, deputy head of the Tira town council.

Iraqi, a Tira native, says he senses a growing interest in culture, art and sport in the community. He called the conflict over the marathon part of shifting from a town to a city.

"We view our society as going through a developmental stage," he said. "We hope light can overcome darkness."

There is no scheduled date now for the Tira marathon. Radi says she wants to keep promoting running, but because of the threats she no longer wants to take the lead in organizing the race.

Haneen Radi finishes a 14 kilometer race in the Israeli beach town of Netanya. Because of the reaction of conservative Muslims to her running clothes, she usually runs in Jewish areas.

She is still coaching the girls' running club, though, and took more than a dozen members to the Israeli beach town of Netanya recently to try their hand at racing.

Shams Pichra, 11, signed up for the 5 kilometer run in Netanya. Running is her hobby, she says, making her feel "good" and "excited."

But how did the canceling of the Tira marathon make her feel?

"It's a mistake," she says. "A marathon is not something we have to be ashamed of."




“This is where some hundred people rallied two weeks ago to support Radi and her plans for a public race. Because not everyone in town liked the idea. "Certain people came to the municipality over here and said, 'You can do a race — but just for males, not females,' " said Radi, who refuses to name names. " 'No,' I said. 'No — you can-not put women aside.' " …. Members of a Saudi women's soccer team, Rana Al Khateeb (left) and captain Rawh Abdullah, practice at a secret location in the capital Riyadh in 2012. Saudi women have had only rare opportunities to play sports. The country sent women to the Olympics for the first time in 2012 and now girls will be allowed to take physical education classes at public schools. …. Women at the rally said that's not the only way Tira's social restrictions affect them. "You wake up and think, is this OK to wear or not?" says Yoaad Shbita-Daoud, a 29-year-old patent examiner who grew up in Tira. …. "Our religion tells us to take care of our girls' honor, so we won't let them go out and let boys look at them," said Rashad Fthelly, a member the Islamic Movement political group. Islamic Movement leaders distributed notices against the race and asked the city council to stop it. Unknown people threat-ened to disrupt the race. Then, late one night, someone shot the back window of Radi's car while it was parked outside her home. The threats of disruption didn't scare her, Radi said, "but when they shot my car I felt really afraid." Police have questioned one suspect in the shooting and let him go. The shooting riled the town, and opinion about the marathon remained deeply divided even several weeks later. Eighty-year-old Samiyah Matar, who runs a dress shop, said it would be OK, as long as women runners wore long pants and long sleeves. .... He called the conflict over the marathon part of shifting from a town to a city. "We view our society as going through a developmental stage," he said. "We hope light can overcome darkness." …. Haneen Radi finishes a 14 kilometer race in the Israeli beach town of Netanya. Because of the reaction of conservative Muslims to her running clothes, she usually runs in Jewish areas.”

“A middle-aged fruit vendor who wouldn't give his name blamed "bearded men" — Muslim religious leaders — whom he described as "crazy" for opposing the marathon.” The division within the town shows that times are changing. Fundamentalists don’t have the only say in the matter in this town, at least. It is also interesting that within the Jewish areas Haneen Radi is not afraid to run in her athletic clothing. These restrictions on female behavior and dress remind me of my young years in the 1950s in a small Southern town. The lady who ran our neighborhood store told me I should go home and take off my shorts. She was in the minority in that opinion and I had not been brought up to be that conservative. Rudely, I told her to mind her own business. In one of these Arab towns a young girl would probably be afraid to be that brash, but this article shows that they are getting more freedom nowadays. The way they treat their women is the thing I dislike most about fundamentalist Islamists, but second to that is their tendency to maintain a constant state of war against their neighbors, based on religious differences which seem very minor to me. Not only do I lack respect for that kind of thing, I fear it. The Middle East and Africa are “powder kegs” in the matter of world peace and an ever present danger. I don’t want Islamic believers who come to the US to live to be mistreated for their religion, but it does have a more logical basis in my mind than the hatred of Jews who do who do nothing to others, at least in the US and Europe. Of course, the Nazis in WWII accused them of "eating babies."





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/stranded-california-couple-ate-oranges-drank-rain-water/

Stranded California couple ate oranges, drank rain water
CBS/AP
May 26, 2015

WARNER SPRINGS, Calif. - An elderly husband and wife stranded for two weeks in Southern California's high desert ate oranges and a pie and drank rain water that they collected in cups, but the 79-year-old husband died at some point before the couple's rescue, authorities said Monday.

Off-roaders found Cecil Knutson and his wife, Dianna Bedwell, 68, Sunday afternoon near a Boy Scouts camp on the Los Coyotes Indian Reservation about 65 miles northeast of San Diego, sheriff's Lt. Ken Nelson said. Bedwell wasn't able to tell authorities when her husband had died, but an autopsy to be conducted by Tuesday could help answer that question, he said.

Bedwell told authorities the couple was trying to take a shortcut and got lost in the rugged area, where their 2014 white Hyundai Sonata was obscured by trees and surrounded by brush, making it invisible to helicopters that were conducting aerial searches, Nelson said.

Knutson's body was near the car and Bedwell was inside the vehicle, he said.

"They were really off the beaten path. We were really surprised that the vehicle they were driving, a sedan, was even able to get out there," he said Monday. "It was so rural that it took two weeks for even off-roaders to find them."

The family asked for privacy in a statement posted on a Facebook page established to help with the search.

"Please continue to keep the family in your prayers," it read.

But Bedwell's son spoke briefly to the Orange County Register.

"I'm just so concerned with my mom right now," Robert Acosta told the newspaper. "To be in the middle of nowhere for two weeks is a lot given her age."

Bedwell remained hospitalized and hadn't spoken with authorities beyond an initial 10-minute interview.

CBS Los Angeles reports Bedwell was talking but confused when she was rescued. She asked the ATV riders to check on her husband, apparently unsure whether he was alive.

The husband and wife, who were diabetic, were last seen on surveillance footage leaving the Valley View Casino in Valley Center, about 25 miles west of the wilderness camp, on May 10. Authorities said the two were planning on going to their son's home in the Palm Springs area for a Mother's Day dinner but they didn't show up there or return to their Orange County home in Fullerton.

Knutson and Bedwell were both retired school bus drivers and were married for more than 25 years, the Register reported.




“Off-roaders found Cecil Knutson and his wife, Dianna Bedwell, 68, Sunday afternoon near a Boy Scouts camp on the Los Coyotes Indian Reservation about 65 miles northeast of San Diego, sheriff's Lt. Ken Nelson said. Bedwell wasn't able to tell authorities when her husband had died, but an autopsy to be conducted by Tuesday could help answer that question, he said. Bedwell told authorities the couple was trying to take a shortcut and got lost in the rugged area, where their 2014 white Hyundai Sonata was obscured by trees and surrounded by brush, making it invisible to helicopters that were conducting aerial searches, Nelson said. Knutson's body was near the car and Bedwell was inside the vehicle, he said. …. "Please continue to keep the family in your prayers," it read. But Bedwell's son spoke briefly to the Orange County Register. "I'm just so concerned with my mom right now," Robert Acosta told the newspaper. "To be in the middle of nowhere for two weeks is a lot given her age." Bedwell remained hospitalized and hadn't spoken with authorities beyond an initial 10-minute interview. CBS Los Angeles reports Bedwell was talking but confused when she was rescued. She asked the ATV riders to check on her husband, apparently unsure whether he was alive.”

This is very sad, especially for elderly people to face such harrowing conditions, and the woman who is a survivor is not in a very good physical condition according to this article. It’s good they had oranges, which have a good deal of moisture in them, but it hardly seems to me that there would be enough rain water to help them very much. I always carry a map in my car, and I very rarely “take a short cut.” I prefer to go on the route I know best, even if I’m in a hurry. My sister always carries bottled water in her car. I should probably do that, too, if I ever take another long road trip.





SCARY VIRUS -- TWO ARTICLES


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-rabies-strain-discovered-in-new-mexico/

New rabies strain discovered in New Mexico
AP May 19, 2015

Play video -- California Girl survives rabies without treatment

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- A new strain of rabies has been discovered in southern New Mexico, federal and state health officials confirmed Tuesday.

While it doesn't present any more of a public health threat than the known strains of the potentially fatal disease, the discovery is generating curiosity in scientific circles because it's the first new strain to be found in the United States in several years.

"It's exciting. It's related to another bat strain. It's similar but unique, so the question is what's the reservoir for this strain," state public health veterinarian Paul Ettestad said.

When scientists talk about the reservoir, they are referring to animals known to host the virus. In many cases, that can be bats, skunks or raccoons. Those animals usually aren't tested because it's assumed they have regular strains of rabies.

Tests are done when it shows up in other animals, including dogs, cats, horses and foxes, Ettestad said.

That was the case when a 78-year-old Lincoln County woman was bitten by a rabid fox in April. Genetic testing at a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lab in Atlanta confirmed the strain was one that never before had been identified.

State officials suspect the rabid fox came in contact with an infected bat that was carrying the strain. "It has probably been out there for some time. We just haven't looked that hard for it and by chance we found it," Ettestad said of the new strain.

New Mexico health and wildlife officials have been tracking rabies in the fox population since 2007, when a separate strain found in Arizona gray foxes crossed into New Mexico.

The Health Department will continue working with state wildlife officers to collect foxes that are found dead along roadways in Lincoln County as well as freshly dead bats in hopes of determining where the newly identified strain is coming from, Ettestad said.

About 100,000 animals are tested for rabies each year in the U.S. Of the roughly 6,000 that are positive, only a fraction are tested to determine the type of strain.

So far this year, New Mexico has had only two confirmed rabies cases - a bat from Dona Ana County and the fox from Lincoln County. The state isn't considered a hot zone for rabies and in fact ranks near the bottom when it comes to the number of cases reported each year.

The virus infects the central nervous system. Early symptoms in people can include fever, headache and general weakness or discomfort.

State health officials warned people to stay away from wild or unfamiliar animals and advised parents to teach their children to never touch a bat or other wild animal.





"While it doesn't present any more of a public health threat than the known strains of the potentially fatal disease, the discovery is generating curiosity in scientific circles because it's the first new strain to be found in the United States in several years. "It's exciting. It's related to another bat strain. It's similar but unique, so the question is what's the reservoir for this strain," state public health veterinarian Paul Ettestad said. …. Tests are done when it shows up in other animals, including dogs, cats, hors-es and foxes, Ettestad said. That was the case when a 78-year-old Lincoln County woman was bitten by a rabid fox in April. Genetic testing at a U.S. Centers for Dis-ease Control and Prevention lab in Atlanta confirmed the strain was one that never before had been identified. State officials suspect the rabid fox came in contact with an infected bat that was carrying the strain. "It has probably been out there for some time. We just haven't looked that hard for it and by chance we found it," Et-testad said of the new strain. …. State health officials warned people to stay away from wild or unfamiliar animals and advised parents to teach their children to never touch a bat or other wild animal. …. About 100,000 animals are tested for rabies each year in the U.S. Of the roughly 6,000 that are positive, only a fraction are tested to determine the type of strain.”

The good news in this article is that only some 6,000 out of 100,000 animals tested annually are found to be rabid. Even so, I was always conscious of the problem, and never was one to touch wild animals. I read a very good and informational book on rabies called “Mad Dog.” Rather than being intentionally dramatic it was a wildlife study, scientific and including much detail. Unfortunately I can’t find it on Google today, and it really was years ago, so maybe it’s out of print. I did find one that would be as interesting or more so, however, by Bill Wasick and Monica Murphy called “Rabid: A Cultural History of the World's Most Diabolical Virus,” published in 2012 by Penguin. Google describes it in this way -- “Charts the history, science and cultural mythology of rabies, documenting how before its vaccine the disease caused fatal brain infections and sparked the creations of famous monsters including werewolves, vampires and zombies.” In case you have the courage for such a book, it can be found on Amazon for $8.94 in hardback. I love exciting things, so I just or-dered this and another called “The Voice Of The Dodo.”





http://lacrossetribune.com/news/local/state-and-regional/rabies-survivor-has-second-brush-with-disease/article_a5d27138-fb8a-11e2-a5fd-0019bb2963f4.html

Rabies survivor has second brush with disease
The Associated Press
August 02, 2013

FOND DU LAC, Wis. — A Wisconsin woman who was the first person known to survive rabies without a vaccine had a second brush with the disease this week when her dogs chewed on an infected bat.

Jeanna Giese was bitten by a rabid bat in 2004 at a Fond du Lac church. She survived after a doctor at Children’s Hospital and the Medical College of Wisconsin used an experimental mixture of drugs and a medically induced coma to treat the disease.

Giese told The Reporter Media she spotted a bat Tuesday morning when she went to the enclosure that holds two of her three Siberian huskies. The bat’s body was covered with bite marks from the dogs.

Giese sent the bat to the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, which confirmed the animal was infected. She also took her dogs, who had already been vaccinated, to a veterinarian for rabies booster shots. The dogs will be quarantined for 60 days at her home as required by state law.

“How many people in the entire world can honestly say that a rabid bat has affected their lives twice in nine years?” Giese asked.

Giese, who became interested in sled dog racing after seeing a demonstration in eighth grade, said the quarantine will put a dent in her training schedule. She had hoped to take the dogs on trails at a mushing center near Malone in a few weeks.

While only two of Giese’s three dogs were in the pen with the bat, she took no chances and had all of them treated.

“I’m just glad that they didn’t eat the bat, otherwise I might not have known that they had been exposed,” Giese said.

She often speaks to school children about rabies and emphasizes the need for even vaccinating indoor pets.

“People don’t realize that small animals like bats, chipmunks or squirrels can get into your house and that your cat can escape outside and you have no idea where it’s been,” she said. “And if your animals are outside, you need to supervise them.”




Rabies is about 98% fatal once symptoms develop, but some people do survive. “Jeanna Giese was bitten by a rabid bat in 2004 at a Fond du Lac church. She survived after a doctor at Children’s Hospital and the Medical College of Wisconsin used an experimental mixture of drugs and a medically induced coma to treat the disease.” Ms. Giese then recently found yet another rabid bat on her property and sent it off to be tested. Her three dogs, which were exposed, have had booster shots for rabies and are under a 60 day quarantine. I read in the book “Mad Dog” that the bite from a wild animal may be able to overcome the immunity given by the shots. That may be due to variations from one virus to another which develops naturally by the process of mutation. The same thing occurs in many bacteria cultures when too many antibiotics are used in our society and the new strains have achieved a tolerance to most of the available drugs. One very interesting article on TV was called “The Rise Of The Superbugs.” This occurs especially in hospital environments. Too many people go into a hospital because they have a broken leg and end up dying from some bizarre disease. They try, I’m sure, to keep the hospitals totally clean, but it is after all a concentration of serious illness of many kinds.

The news stories this last year about Ebola pointed up a few cases of survival with some simple traditional fever treatments such as having the patient drink gallons of a mixture of sugar and water to keep the patient hydrated, so the human body can then defeat some terrible diseases thanks to our wonderful immunity system. Many times Ebola deaths occur due to dehydration induced by all the vomiting, but if that can be prevented the patient’s “white corpuscles,” as they used to be called, can win their war against the viruses or bacteria. In the above case her doctor used “experimental” drug combinations and put the lady into a coma, and her body defeated what is probably the worst virus on earth. Thank God for good, intelligent healthcare providers, from shamans to nurses to highly professionalized physicians. I don’t want to be a doctor, but it would be very interesting work.





http://www.npr.org/2015/05/24/409286734/its-for-you-to-know-that-you-forgive-says-holocaust-survivor

'It's For You To Know That You Forgive,' Says Holocaust Survivor
NPR STAFF
MAY 24, 2015

Photograph -- Holocaust survivor Eva Kor meets former Auschwitz guard Oskar Groening, whom she says she forgives for his crimes.

Around this time 70 years ago, following the liberation of Nazi concentration camps in Europe, the world was coming to grips with the scale of the holocaust, and how to deal with crimes so horrendous, they're almost incomprehensible.

That process is still ongoing.

Right now in Germany, a 93-year-old former Nazi who served at Auschwitz is on trial. Holocaust survivor Eva Kor flew to Germany to testify about her experience in the camp.

"If there would be hell on Earth, Auschwitz looked to me like that and in some way it was," Kor says. "Within 30 minutes, my whole family was gone. ... I was left orphaned not knowing really what will become of us."

Kor says she was "between life and death" and used in brutal medical experiments. She and her sister Miriam were among the thousands of twins subjected to horrendous experiments by the infamous Dr. Josef Mengele.

Eva became gravely sick, and says Mengele examined her and declared that had only two weeks to live.

"I knew he was right, but I refused to die," she says. In 1985, she found out that had she died, Mengele would have killed Miriam with an injection to the heart in order to do comparative autopsies.

"My diseased organs and Miriam was the control. I spoiled the experiment," she says.

Seventy years after all of this, she was approached to testify in the trial against former Auschwitz guard Oskar Groening. At first, she wasn't sure she wanted to, but an attorney convinced her. But she says she thought it would be a "unique experience" to face one of the guards from Auschwitz.

"[To] tell him what I think and also hear what he has to say in a German court," she says.

Kor says the experience for her, a survivor of Auschwitz who used to be called a "dirty Jew," to sit in a German court and be treated with respect by German judges and attorneys and the German court system was a little bit surreal.

"I could at times pinch myself."

Oskar Groening has been called "The Accountant of Auschwitz." He managed the money and valuables stolen from the concentration camp victims. Now 93 years old, he is charged with 300,000 counts of accessory to murder, but once said that he was "just a small cog in the killing machine ... not a perpetrator."

Kor talked with Groening after her testimony, wanting to thank him for acknowledging his crimes. She decided she wanted a picture with him, and as she proceeded to talk with Groening, he grabbed her and pulled her in for a hug and a kiss.

"[It] surprised me, but I recovered from it," she says.

Holocaust survivor Eva Kor meets former Auschwitz guard Oskar Groening, whom she says she forgives for his crimes.
Courtesy of CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center
The photo of Kor seeming to embrace the former Nazi shocked a lot of people.
And some — including some fellow survivors — were upset by an interview on German TV in which Eva spoke of forgiveness. She says her comments were translated incorrectly.

"There have been rumors that I have asked to stop prosecution of all Nazis and that is 100 percent incorrect," she says. "On the contrary, I want all Nazis to come forward and be prosecuted and stand trial and bear witness to help us, the survivors, and the world with the truth."

But if she were the judge, she wouldn't throw Groening in a prison cell.
She'd make him travel the country to talk to young neo-Nazis, and tell them what he saw and that the Nazi regime should never come back.

For Kor, forgiveness does not mean that the perpetrators are absolved of their crimes. She is the founder of the CANDLES (Children of Auschwitz Nazi Deadly Lab Experiments Survivors) Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Terre Haute, Ind., and she speaks across the country about her experience and the power of forgiveness.

"My forgiveness ... has nothing to do with the perpetrator, has nothing to do with any religion, it is my act of self-healing, self-liberation and self-empowerment," she says. "I had no power over my life up to the time that I discovered that I could forgive, and I still do not understand why people think it's wrong."

Kor says that when a victim chooses to forgive, they take the power back from their tormentors. But that it is their choice to make.

"They can take a piece of paper and a pen and write a letter to someone who hurt them," she says. "Please do not mail it to that person. It's for you to know that you forgive, and you can go on with your life without the burden and pain that the Nazis or anybody else ever imposed on you."




“But if she were the judge, she wouldn't throw Groening in a prison cell. She'd make him travel the country to talk to young neo-Nazis, and tell them what he saw and that the Nazi regime should never come back. For Kor, forgiveness does not mean that the perpetrators are absolved of their crimes. She is the founder of the CANDLES (Children of Auschwitz Nazi Deadly Lab Experiments Survivors) Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Terre Haute, Ind., and she speaks across the country about her experience and the power of forgiveness. …. Seventy years after all of this, she was approached to testify in the trial against former Auschwitz guard Oskar Groening. At first, she wasn't sure she wanted to, but an attorney convinced her. But she says she thought it would be a "unique experience" to face one of the guards from Auschwitz. "[To] tell him what I think and also hear what he has to say in a German court," she says. Kor says the experience for her, a survivor of Auschwitz who used to be called a "dirty Jew," to sit in a German court and be treated with respect by German judges and attorneys and the German court system was a little bit surreal. "I could at times pinch myself."

Unfortunately people can do evil things without evil intent. Some of these people who truly “believe” that blind loyalty and compliance with authority is a good trait, or at least a forgivable one, have no desire to do wrong, but just a warped idea of what is right. That kind of thing is the main reason for my view that being a strong, logical and independent thinker is a greater virtue to me than following traditions or abiding slavishly by “the group ethos.” I don’t want to be “a patriot” as they so often abuse or kill others for this very reason. I want to stand up as an individual against blind and unintelligent mob action. That takes courage, as mobs can be very dangerous to anyone who interferes with their behavior. What I do believe in is a just and well-written set of laws that bring such “patriots” to justice when they commit crimes against humanity, as the Nazis did in 1939, and as private individuals in the US, Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere do to this day, and without feeling any guilt at all. Antisemitism and other Xenophobic feelings are on the rise now, as the “conservative” viewpoint comes again to power in many parts of the Western world. I don’t consider that to be truly “conservative” at all, but rather the views of a radical right group of fanatics. Some do openly call themselves neo-Nazis, while some merely think they are following a religious faith to its greatest logical extent. Hitler was no “conservative,” and neither are some of our modern day Tea Partiers. It’s an ongoing war, instead, that we progressives have yet to win. That's why I think my voice, to the degree that it is heard, is sometimes helpful in pointing out the fair and just route for Americans to follow. At least, I hope so.