text:
Food Traditions & Culture
Culinary Culture
Mad Cow Disease now in the U.S.
By alacarte, December 23, 2003 in Food Traditions & Culture
Anna N
Location:Oakville, Ontario, Canada
It is quite possible that the cow can and will be traced back to Canada but we should keep in mind that just because the cow may have originated in Canada the BSE might not! There's a whole lot more detective work needed here not just to trace the origin of the cow but the origin of all the feed it got throughout its lifetime. Speculation at this time is simply irresponsible.
Furthermore, the incredible panic reaction that is happening now and that happened when Canada first discovered BSE encourages what Premier Ralph Klein called the "Shoot, Shovel and Shutup" way of coping - in other words, the problem goes underground and then we are in real trouble.
Blame is not going to solve the problem. What we need to know is the true extent of BSE in both our countries and I, for one, do not believe it is limited to a single case north or south of the border. If that cow had managed to keep its legs long enough to be slaughtered chances are it would never have been tested.
Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"
...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)
"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne
Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog
My 2004 eG Blog
I'd say there's very little chance indeed that it would have been tested if it had not been a downer. And I wonder just how many downers haven't been tested prior to slaughtering.
Michael aka "Pan
Meat from mad cow sent to 8 states, Guam
In 1997, the United States banned the use of brains and spinal cords, the tissues that carry the disease, in animal feed. But authorities have acknowledged that not all cattle owners followed the rules.
I just came across this interesting bit of info from UPI -
surveys from the USDA's own Food Safety and Inspection Service going as far back as 1997 have found bits of spinal cord -which can carry the mad cow infectious agent - in meat processed by machines called advanced meat recovery systems. The infectious agent, known as a prion, can infect humans and cause a fatal brain-wasting condition called variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
The spinal tissue was thought to have been introduced into the meat in part due to the routine practice of splitting open the animal's spine during processing. Petersen said the Washington cow's spine had been split open prior to removing it from the carcass.
In 1997, after finding spinal cord tissue in ARM processed beef, the FSIS concluded: "The presence of spinal cord in meat is not expected and cannot be allowed in product produced through AMR systems" due to concerns about transmitting mad cow disease to humans.
The FSIS began to test AMR produced meat for spinal tissue in March of this year after a 2002 survey of 34 establishments producing beef products from AMR systems found that 35 percent of the samples contained spinal cord and other central nervous system-associated tissues such as dorsal root ganglia.
mb7o
Fat Guy, if you don't think it's caused by prions, what do you think it is?
I'm willing to grant that Pruisner may spend more time on promotion than research, but as pointed out in some of the links I posted earlier, research on this has actually been going on for the past 70 or more years.
On testing: Here's an interesting comment on some of what's happening in Japan:
http://joi.ito.com/archives/2003/12/28/jap...iseasecase.html
(Basically, like bureaucrats worldwide, proclimations and head-in-the-sand are often acceptable solutions.)
Of course I can't answer for Fat Guy, but keep in mind that he's not a scientist working on this. But basically, his argument as I understand it is that theories can be and have been disproven before, and this one could be disproven as a result of further scientific studies. Or, I'd add, it could be much more conclusively proven; we just don't know.
It's not that I "don't think it's caused by prions." What I think is simply that the prion theory is unproven and should be treated as such. Likewise, I think the political commitment to the prion theory has drowned out other legitimate avenues of research that might merit consideration.
One competing theory, which was swept under the rug a couple of years back in the UK, based on the work of Alan Ebringer, professor of immunology at King's College London, is that BSE is caused by bacteria:
"The scientists involved in the research claim that CJD is in fact caused by the body's own reaction to a bacterium found commonly in contaminated water and the soil.
This, they say, would explain such oddities as the fact that one of the victims of nvCJD was a vegetarian.
If they turn out to be right it would mean that the entire campaign to protect consumers by eradicating BSE - costing £3.5 bn, and wrecking the British beef industry - has been wasted."
-- http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/345990.stm
Another theory, which accepts the basic prion concept but vastly differs from Prusiner's work, is that of "transition metals," based on the work of David Brown of the University of Cambridge. Here are a couple of pieces of reading on that:
"Brown parts company here with the conventional view, altogether dismissing the notion of an "infectious" prion. He told me: "I have [published] evidence from my cell culture experiments that shows manganese can change the prion into its abnormal [and dangerous] form." This is especially the case when the supply of copper to the cell is low."
-- http://abcnews.go.com/sections/living/Seco...nion010525.html
"[brown] has provided detailed reports to the British government's hearings on mad cow disease and has published several peer-reviewed scientific papers on the subject, including data on how manganese in the environment may play a role in both mad cow disease and vCJD."
-- http://www.open2.net/truthwillout/CJD/article/cjd_brown.htm
An interesting note about the above, even though these reports can be found on the ABC News and BBC Web sites, one rarely sees any mention of any competing theories in the news media's general BSE coverage.
Obviously, I'm not intellectually or academically equipped to develop and test a theory of what causes BSE and CJD. I have to rely on what scientists say, just like everybody else. But I'm also a skeptic, and Prusiner's theories and conduct set off all my skeptic's alarms.
"Prusiner's thesis about the link between BSE and vCJD is running out of steam. It is now five years since he won his Nobel Prize for claiming that degenerative diseases such as CJD are caused by prions — cell membrane proteins that are found in high concentration in the brain or spine. With the acceptance of his thesis, the scientific establishment threw its weight behind it. Warnings about a possible vCJD epidemic began to proliferate, with the CJD surveillance unit in Edinburgh regularly adding to the grim scenario. Estimates of a death toll of more than 100,000 in Britain were predicted. Yet what is the reality? .... The numbers are, in fact, falling, not rising."
-- http://www.land-care.org.uk/tse/current_to...es_05_12_02.htm
foodpsycho
Doesn't CJD supposedly have up to a 30 year incubation period?
The theoretical incubation period has undergone a lot of revision over the course of the nvCJD outbreak -- the fact that the number of cases started to decline rather than develop into an epidemic was a big surprise to those who had built models anticipating 100,000 or more deaths. Another issue that came as a surprise was the age distribution of nvCJD vistims: their average age of diagnosis was 28 and there were very few people over 40 diagnosed. The last time I checked in on the mathematical models, the most likely average incubation period was being pegged at 16.7 years.
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlere...gi?artid=156616
John Whiting
The most generously financed research projects are those whose unspoken object is to find ways of avoiding BSE while allowing intensive mass-production farming to continue. No instances of BSE-infected cattle have occurred on sustainably run farms with isolated livestock, and it's sophistry to suggest that this is just because the sample isn't large enough.
John Whiting, London
Whitings Writings
Top Google/MSN hit for Paris Bistros
jeff29992001
if prions can pass through the blood-brain-barrier, then that'll give more weight to "infectious prions".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/345990.stm
sorry, the BBC link is 4 years old, and besides that, the autoimmune theory has already been disproven, hence "swept under the rug" as bunk (mouse with no immune system injected with prions can still develop a form of BSE.)
here's this committee take on Ebringer's work....
"Overall the Committee considered that Professor Ebringer supported his theory by using a rather selective and limited choice of publications, and had disregarded much of the published literature. They concluded that the theory was not a good postulate for the origin of BSE and that it did not seriously challenge the prion hypothesis. "
here's a good FAQ regarding BSE in layman's terms.
BSE and vCJD FAQ
Edited December 29, 2003 by jeff29992001 (log)
Manganese effect on initial generation of prions is interesting, but not a "competing theory", except that the researcher wants to consider it that. It could be complementary, though.
That the prions could spring up where none previously exist might explain some things.
It is, however, irrefutable that feeding infected nerve tissue to beef cattle causes infection. This is something we can't test on people, or at least, shouldn't.
chezcherie
Is this so? I hadn't heard that--can anyone provide a link where I can learn more about this aspect? Thanks.
"Laughter is brightest where food is best."
www.chezcherie.com
Author of The I Love Trader Joe's Cookbook ,The I Love Trader Joe's Party Cookbook and The I Love Trader Joe's Around the World Cookbook
Search google for "clare tomkins" and CJD and you'll find about a million articles. It's certainly possible that she ate or otherwise ingested some infected byproducts, though.
Thanks, FG. I was googling while you were replying, and am now more confused---did find a great number of references to a vegetarian death, along with as many theories as to how this happened (He turned vegetarian at 18, possibly from gelatin, etc...) but this victim was male, and had a Sihk name. Is there a second vegetarian victim? Will google further...interesting thread, to be sure!
"August 22 1997
Michael Hornsby, Times Agriculture correspondent
A YOUNG woman who has been vegetarian for the past 12 years has the new strain of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease which scientists have linked to "mad cow" disease. The case is highly unusual because the first clinical case of BSE was recorded in cattle only in 1986 -- a year after Clare Tomkins, now aged 24, stopped eating meat."
-- http://www.mad-cow.org/~tom/veg.html#Vegetarian
The name of the other victim was Jorawar Gill, and apparently both "vegetarian" victims had eaten beef on an unknown number of occasions.
I also saw a reference to the fact that three victims were gardeners who (presumably?) used bone meal in their hobbies.
ankomochi
Location:Brooklyn
US Officials went to Tokyo to beg for Japanese gov't to resume the import of US Beef.
http://home.kyodo.co.jp/all/display.jsp?an=20031229210
Check out the latest meal!
Itadakimasu
R Washburn
The prion theory has achieved dominance of late, but is still a theory. I wonder how history will judge it: brilliant scientific analysis, or our generation's equivalent of phlogiston.
Shaw, the evidence for prions is at least as strong as the evidence that HIV causes AIDS. The whole idea of infectious protein (which has even been found in Yeast) was so revolutionary that the resistance against the idea has been extreme.
In fact, the only way I can see to protect our beef supply 100% from BSE is to develop a genetically modified cow that has the gene for Prp deleted. This has already been done in mice and results in a viable animal that is incapable of being infected by prions.
tryska
Location:Inside the Perimeter
this an even scarier notion than cannabilistic cows.
Why do you find genetically altered cows scary? I don't think there is much chance of us accidentally developing a "super cow" and having it take over the world.
The whole "Mad cow" hysteria just underscores the inability of people to assess risk. Even in the UK, with its long history of scrapie (the sheep equivalent, and likely source of BSE), there has only been a handfull of human cases of BSE. Our beef supply must be hundreds if not thousands of times safer then Britain's, yet people here are terrified of Mad cow. Personally, I am a lot more concerned about getting a lethal case of hepatitis from my green onions or catching Legionaire's disease from breathing to close to the mister in my local supermarket. Those are statistically much more serious, and immediate, threats.
well - going back to chaos theory - by making even a minute change to the natural order of things you can expect the unexpected. i'm not a big fan of tinkering with the works of Mother Nature, as it were.
altho granted some of our tinkering has come out well, such as this medioum of communication here - quite a few haven't come out so good.
penicillin, for example. it was a brilliant discovery and it saved lots of lives....of course the flip-side now is that we've got these drug-resistant superbugs.
Edited December 29, 2003 by tryska (log)
So you don't think civilization is a positive thing? Controlling and altering Nature is what Man is all about.


OUR supporters have already raised £34,302 in our appeal to raise £150,000. We are organising a workplace collection day on Wednesday 1 October. Socialist Worker supporters in Greenwich council have already collected a whopping £498. We also received £40 from Sheffield University workers and £15 from Clay Cross hospital.
We urge all of our readers to follow their lead. Groups of Socialist Worker supporters are organising fundraising events in many areas where anti-capitalists can come together, have fun, talk politics and raise money to fund the paper. There are hundreds of brilliant films around.
In Chesterfield a season of 'Fightback Films' has been organised starting with Battle of Chile and also including Bowling for Colombine and Land and Freedom. Supporters in Tottenham are organising film showings as part of Black History month.
In Hounslow there is a club night with up and coming hip-hop bands The Unpeople and GM Baby.


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CESTAT | Is Service Tax chargeable on the services rendered by the foreman in the chit fund business? Tribunal answers
Published on August 10, 2021 September 17, 2021 By Editor
Customs, Excise and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT): P. Dinesha (Judicial Member) allowed an appeal which was filed after being rejected by the Adjudicating Authority and First Appellate Authority in relation to refund claim in the chit fund business.
The appellant engaged in the chit fund business and after the introduction of negative taxation regime, they were compelled to pay Service Tax on the foreman charges collected for their chit fund activities for the period from 01-07-2012 to 31-05-2013.
The counsel for the appellant, Mr A. Niraikulam also submitted that in the case of Delhi High Court of Delhi Chit Fund Association v. Union of India, 2013 (30) S.T.R. 347 (Del.) it was ruled that Service Tax was not chargeable on the services rendered by the foreman in the chit fund business which was upheld by the Supreme Court by dismissing the Revenue's Special Leave Petition as reported in 2015 (38) S.T.R. J202 (S.C.). The appellant had filed its refund claim and the Adjudicating Authority had rejected the refund claim as being hit by the limitation of time as prescribed under Section 11B of the Central Excise Act, 1944. On first appeal, the First Appellate Authority also having rejected the appellant's appeal, the present appeal had been filed before this forum.
The Tribunal was of the opinion that the decision of the Supreme Court was the law of the land and therefore if it had held that when there was no question of liability to Service Tax, then, any amount collected under the guise of Service Tax becomes a collection of the said amount without the authority of law and the Revenue can never, therefore, claim any right over such amount; the same will have to be refunded forthwith to the concerned person.
The Tribunal held that the collection of amount, which according to the appellant was out of compulsion, being a collection without any authority of law, will have to be refunded. The Tribunal while allowing the appeal set aside the orders by the lower authorities. However. Tribunal was of the view that the application for refund was filed on 19-01-2018; the date of the judgement of the Supreme Court was 07-01-2014 so there was a clear four-year delay in filing the refund claim therefore appellant is not entitled to any interest for the delay caused by it as the appellant cannot take advantage of its own mistake of filing a delayed refund claim and thus cannot claim the interest for that delayed period during which time it slept over its rights.[Sivamurugan Chit Fund (P) Ltd. v. Commr. Of G.S.T. & CE, 2021 SCC OnLine CESTAT 371 , decided on 06-08-2021]
Suchita Shukla, Editorial Assistant has reported this brief.
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Ker HC | Claim for promotion not maintainable where employee lacks consistent record of good performance
By Bhumika Indulia Published on April 6, 2019 April 10, 2019
Madras High Court| Scope of Article 338 of the Constitution cannot be expanded for interfering with the routine administrative affairs of the employer, governed under the service rules
By Editor Published on November 7, 2022
Repudiation of claim by LIC on the ground of suppression of material facts held proper
By Editor Published on September 7, 2015 October 14, 2015

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Post EP elections – What is at stake now for the #Europewewant?
A first event was CONCORD Italia's meeting in Rome on 5 May where Italian NGOs will present their views on making a more sustainable Europe to election candidates.
Greece: Wednesday 21st of May 2014 from 14:00 to 17:00 pm, Hellenic Platform representatives will participate in the event "European Dialogue Forum: Create your agenda of European elections candidates"organised by the Institute of Research and Training on European Affairs (I.R.T.E.A) in collaboration with cultural center IANOS (Stadiou 24, Athens).


So, Bob Conge (Plaseebo) posted up these two darkened photos to his blog accompanied by the phrase "Coming Soon The Misfits". It appears that "The Misfits" name might comes from the various figures that were used to make each figure. But I guess we'll just have to wait to hear all of the details.
Patrick Fatica will be releasing 13 limited edition Dye Infused Metal Prints on Wednesday August 1st 2012 at Noon ET. Each print is a series of 20 pieces on a silver metal surface.
"They are very luminous and the finish displays a shimmery affect that is very remarkable. This print is made by infusing dyes directly into specially coated metal sheets. The metal prints take on a magical luminescence. Because the image is infused into the surface and not on it, the archival qualities of this unique process are unparalleled. It is also Waterproof & scratch-resistant."
They'll be available in Patrick's store at www.FaticaArsenal.com for either $35.00 or $45.00 each.
Hot Toys has released all of the pertinent details about their sixth scale Iron Man Mark VII Limited Edition Collectible Figure from The Avengers film. The movie-accurate Mark VII collectible is crafted based on the image of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark and features plenty of light-up functions.
Sideshow Collectibles currently has the figure available for pre-order at $249.99, with an anticipated shipping date of March 2013.
If you're not aware of the Breaking Gifs project...you should be. It's a Breaking Bad Art Project featuring prints and various other goodies. Well, they have teamed up with Vannen Watches and Tristan Eaton to produce a limited run of watches inspired by the AMC show. The result is what you see above - what I'm calling the Lavandería Brillante watch. It's a theme based on Gus's superlab laundry cover business. Several of these were given away today, but I have a hunch that Vannen might release some to the public.
Selina Briggs (The Jelly Empire) is offering up a glimpse at the Tuttz Collection that she has been working on with Argonaut Resins. In addition to the Tuttz resins, she's also showing off the new Zombie Jellybot 2.0 figures (each has an articulated head). These are slated to go up for sale on her shop on Saturday August 4th 2012 at 6:00PM ET.
The Jai & Jai Gallery has released its first exclusive art figure - Stubbs + LuLu. Produced by Pretty In Plastic, the 4.5" tall Stubbs + LuLu figures are limited to only 60 pieces worldwide (even though they look the same, there are two different sculpts). Each figure - based on Chow Chow dogs - comes packaged in a handcrafted bamboo box. They are currently available from Jai & Jai for either $235.00 or $135.00 (depending on the colorway you're looking to purchase).
Squid Kids Ink has released their Mini 10-Doh! Series 1. These 3.5" tall mini figures will remind you of playing the old NES on your parents' console TV. The series consists of 16 designs from 12 different artists.
Look for these to retail around $10.00 each. For wholesale inquiries, contact DKE Toys.
The Loyal Subjects have released another version of Joe Ledbetter's 10" tall wooden Burger Bunny.The third colorway of four, the Frozen Burger Bunny is limited to a run of 50 pieces. Remember...this is made of wood, so the $300.00 price tag shouldn't be that surprising. And there's a separate shipping and handling charge included.
Jason Freeny is showing off his hand sculpted, life sized metamorphosis of a toilet plunger evolving into a man eating critter..."Industrial Evolution". This isn't trick photography or Photoshopped, and Jason has actually documented the entire process over on his Facebook page.
Andi Green has released the second plush from her book – Wince, Don't Feed The WorryBug. The WorryBug is the sixth plush delivered from the pages from Green's Worry Woo Monsters series of books (which currently sits at five books).
The WorryBug loves to make you worry. Why? Because worries are its favorite treat. And the more you worry… the more it will eat! It loves to push your worry button, hoping that one worry will lead to another. So to all of you worriers: DON'T FEED THE WORRYBUG or your worries will grow!
The WorryBug has two tags. The first is the basic tag featuring The Worry Woos logo. The second tag actually doubles as a bookmark (it's thicker than a normal tag). It has a photo of the plush on the front, with an illustrated WorryBug and short bio on the back.
Even though you might not be able to tell, The WorryBug is in scale with his pal Wince. You can see him with Wince in the book image below, and they're very similar in plush form. This smaller size might also attribute to why The WorryBug runs $12.99 (other WorryWoos run $21.50).
In my opinion, The WorryBug is the cutest of the plush Worry Woo Monsters. Some of the other characters might have a leg up as illustrations, but I think the smaller size lends itself well to this specific Woo.
And I think that kids will also love The Worry Bug plush. Even though it's a collectible, the real audience of Andi Green's Wince, Don't Feed The WorryBug and the accompanying plush toys will be the little ones. And not only will they be read a great story at bedtime, but now they can play with the characters from the book.


text:
Arab Actors' Hopes...
Arab Actors Hope for Change in Hollywood Stereotypes (A 12/12/2004 story).
With the emergence of one actually convincing (incredibly enough) arab-american champion within the ranks of the bad actor-cladden WWE (one who claims to be fighting back for all the post 9/11 anti-arab backlash in America's heartland...),
it is interesting to see that more and more arab actors are clamoring for their rights too - although not as loudly as the WWE's resident Arab now...
DUBAI (Reuters) - Sayed Badreya doesn't act very well, but then he never really had to -- Hollywood has only ever wanted him to look crazy like a terrorist.
Now the Egyptian actor who played the bad guy in films like "The Insider," "Three Kings" and "Executive Decision" has got his own back with comic drama "T for Terrorist."
(Luminous Whimsical Note: you mean, there are other Egyptian actors in Hollywood... besides Omar Sharif?!?). (*lol*)
Badreya plays a bit-part actor who looses his temper at a director's demands for more and more wild-eyed looks in a "terrorism scene." So he holds up the set at gunpoint and forces the pasty-faced director to play the gun toting lunatic.
But it turns out to be a dream and the short film ends as a resigned Badreya resumes work with: "On your knees, you stinking Americans! In the name of Allah I will kill you all!"
The $30,000 film, which has toured the U.S. festival circuit over the past year, was shown this weekend at the Dubai International Film Festival as part of movies focusing on East-West relations.
Badreya, a large man with bulging eyes and a beard, saw the film as evidence that Hollywood was beginning to question the stereotypes of Arabs it often projects.
"There is a movement in Hollywood to allow us to tell our own story, because there is no Arabic story on the screen," he told a seminar, adding that the actors, including well-known Arab-American Tony Shalhoub, had taken part for free.
"There is no Arabic story on the screen. The Americans and Europeans tell our story, and if Americans and Europeans tell our story it's not going to come up smelling of falafel."
Arabs and Muslims have complained of ill-feeling toward them in the United States after the September 11 attacks in 2001. Anti-U.S. sentiment is strong in the region because of the Iraq war and perceived U.S. support for Israel against the Palestinians.
Center stage at the festival was taken by films about the Arab world but made outside the region, usually by non-Arabs.
Leading Egyptian actor Hussein Fahmy said the ailing Arab cinema industry had become incapable of promoting its own self-image to the rest of the world.
"Eventually all we'll have left is American and Indian cinema because they alone have the power to distribute films in their theaters. Producers see big returns," he said, adding that in the Arab world "we're all losing money in movies."
Hollywood actors who made the journey to the glitzy Gulf city of Dubai said the Arab world was still low down on Hollywood's priority list for re-evaluation.
"Middle East film makers are not the only people that have a problem getting their films across," "The Grudge" star Sarah Michelle Geller told reporters.
"To this day a woman cannot open an action movie like Tom Cruise can or a comedy movie like Jim Carrey can."
But "T for Terrorism" director Hesham Issawi saw hope in Hollywood: "They don't hate Arabs, that's not true really. They don't know us, so it's more about ignorance than hate."
Wow... if they had told me, weeks or even months after 9/11, that within a relative short period of time they would make a comedy/drama titled "T for Terrorism" - I would not have believed it! What is next - an Irwin Allenesque "9/11 -The Movie" blockbuster film... directed by Oliver Stone and starring... Tom Cruise and Sayed Badreya as one of the most visible suicide plane hijackers - if not Osama himself!
Coming to theaters in 2009...
Chaste America... pfffffftttt...!!!
Another sign of the end of times or what...?!?
U.S. study says fewer teens having sex Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Fewer teens are engaging in sexual activity than in the past, and those that do are more likely to use contraceptives, the government said Friday.
The National Center for Health Statistics said that for girls aged 15 to 17 the percentage who had ever had intercourse declined from 38 percent in 1995 to 30 percent in 2002.
For boys, the agency said, the decline was 43 percent to 31 percent.
"There is much good news in these results," Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said in a statement. "More teenagers are avoiding or postponing sexual activity, which can lead to sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancy or emotional and societal responsibilities for which they are not prepared."
In addition, the agency said that when teens do have intercourse, 79 percent reported using contraception in 1991-2002 compared with 61 percent in the 1980's. The agency said the increase in contraception is consistent with a decline in teen pregnancy.
The report was based on data collected by the center, a part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth and the previous survey conducted in 1995.
While there was a drop in sexual activity at ages 15 to 17, the share of never-married females aged 18-19 who had ever had intercourse was 69 percent in 2002, up from 68 percent in 1995.
By contrast, for 18- and 19-year-old boys the share dropped from 75 percent in 1995 to 64 percent in 2002.
Teen girls' first sexual partners are most commonly boys one to three years older than they are, usually a steady boyfriend, the report said.
In a separate report, the agency said that for women aged 15 to 44, the leading methods of contraception in the United States in 2002 were the oral contraceptive pill, 11.7 million women; female sterilization, 10.3 million; the male condom, 6.9 million; male sterilization, 3.5 million, and the Depo-Provera injectable, 2.0 million.
They need to take into account women aged 45 to 69 (...) - it seems that they are taking over from the once out-of-control teens... and making up for lost time?
Men aged 15 to 99 are always takers - everybody knows that! Thus, no need for any "study/report" on THAT particular side of things...!
Sparrows name that tune from song snippets
LONDON - Baby songbirds can sing a complete melody after hearing only snippets of the tune, researchers have found. They say the findings could offer clues about how humans learn to talk.
Scientists played a recording of several verses to white-crowned sparrows. Then only the overlapping parts of the verse were played back to the young birds.
White-crowned sparrows like this one helped scientists to understand how birds learn to sing. (Courtesy: Franz Goller, University of Utah)
The sparrows were able to learn the entire song, ABCDE, just from the overlapping pieces, such as AB, BC, CD, DE.
When the birds heard the overlapping parts in reverse order, they sang the song completely backwards as EDCBA, the researchers found.
There are parallels between how songbirds learn to sing and how humans learn to speak, said Gary Rose, a biology professor at the University of Utah.
"Like humans, songbirds learn particular regional dialects, so they represent excellent opportunities to study the physiological basis of language," said Rose, the principal author of the study in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature.
"If we can understand something about how song is represented in their brains, then maybe we can better understand how speech learning occurs in humans and, when it goes awry, how we might go about fixing it."
Rose's team found young songbirds lay down a long-term memory or template of a song that they later use to sing.
The new findings imply that since the template represents sequence information, it doesn't need to represent the whole song.
"[The results] add confidence to the view that over the next decade there will be dramatic progress in tackling the fundamental physiological questions about the song system, said Daniel Margoliash of the University of Chicago in a commentary accompanying the study.
Written by CBC News Online staff
And, as usual, the scientific eggheads missed out completely on the obvious and the practical of the whole thing, while they were on the subject with them birdies - how to get them to shut their yaps!!! LOL
The Story of a Son...
A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had
everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would
often sit together and admire the great works of art.
When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very
courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father
was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.
About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the
door.
A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He
said, "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son
gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to
safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He
often talked about you, and your love for art" The young man held out
this package. "I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist,
but I think your son would have wanted you to have this."
The father opened the package It was a portrait of his son, painted by
the young man. He stared in awe! at the way the soldier had captured the
personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the
eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man
and offered to pay him for the picture. "Oh, no sir, I could never repay
what your son did for me. It's a gift."
The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came
to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed
them any of the other great works he had collected.
The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his
paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the
great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their
On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his
gavel. "We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will
bid for this picture?"
Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, "We want to see the
famous paintings. Skip this one"
But the auctioneer persisted. "Will somebody bid for this painting. Who
will start the bidding? $100, $200?"
Another voice angrily. "We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!"
But still the auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! Who'll take the
son?"
Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the
longtime gardener of the man and his son. "I'll give $10 for the
painting." Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.
"We have $10, who will bid $20?"
"Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters."
"$10 is the bid, won't someone bid $20?"
The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son.
They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.
The auctioneer pounded the gavel. "Going once, twice, SOLD for $10.!"
A man sitting on the second row shouted, "Now let's get on with the
collection!"
The auctioneer laid down his gavel. "I'm sorry, the auction is over."
"What about the paintings?"
"I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a
secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that
stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be
auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate,
including the paintings.
The man who took the son gets everything!"
God gave His son 2,000 years ago to die on the cross. Much like the
auctioneer, His message today is: "The son, the son, who'll take the
Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.
FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON,THAT WHOSOEVER
BELIEVETH IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE.
Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one's youth.
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;
They shall not be ashamed,
But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.
Psalm 127:3-5 NKJV
PASS IT ON... Jesus is the reason for the season!
"Sure ain't "Santa"... eh?" - Anonymous
But he's so cuuuuute, mom...!
How many young ladies are unfortunately lured to make the wrong choice when time
comes for them to choose a mate...?
How many wind up choosing... their murderer? Most though choose merely a "doomed-to-wind-up-divorced" mate... And that is tragic enough in itself... Unless you buy into the crap Larry King uses to justify his masculine rendition of the Elizabeth Taylor ways... in other words, "serial monogamy"... sheesh!
It is just like collecting palimony suits and alimony debt - and liking it! Makes very little sense to me!
So many jerks though "get the girl"... that it is appalling!
Even more appalling, of course, is their treatment of the girl afterwards...
Case in point... "not-so-great" (as it turned out - indubitably) Scott here...
Peterson jury recommends death sentence CTV.ca News Staff
Ending a trial that has gripped America for nearly two years, the jury that convicted Scott Peterson of murdering his wife and unborn baby has recommended he be executed for the crimes.
Court clerk Marylin Morton read the sentence Monday afternoon.
"We the jury ... fix the penalty at death," the clerk said in an audio-only feed from the San Mateo County Courthouse.
The California jury of six men and six women reached its unanimous decision after three days of deliberation, broken by a weekend break during which they remained sequestered at a local hotel.
The approximately 12 hours they actually spent weighing a life sentence without parole against death by lethal injection was almost double the time it took them to reach a guilty verdict in Peterson's murder trial.
The 32-year-old former fertilizer salesman was convicted on Nov. 12, of first-degree murder in the death of his wife and second-degree murder in connection with their unborn child.
Prosecutors claim Peterson somehow suffocated Laci at their Modesto California home and dumped her body in San Francisco Bay on or around Christmas Eve, 2002.
Laci, who was seven-and-a-half months pregnant when she died, washed ashore about four months later. She was found just miles from the spot where Peterson claims he was fishing the day she was reported missing.
Police later picked him up in the San Diego area, with his hair bleached blond and $15,000 US in cash. When police questioned him about his activities that day, they said he couldn't remember what he had been fishing for.
During a sensational trial that has been a staple of tabloids across the U.S., prosecutors painted Peterson as a liar and philanderer. Peterson's attorneys acknowledged his affair with a woman named Amber Frey, but maintained he was framed for his wife's death. The prosecution's case, they argued, hinged on a web of circumstantial evidence and a single narrative from Modesto Detective Craig Grogan.
In the seven-day penalty phase of his trial, defense attorneys called 39 witnesses while prosecutors called just four of Laci's relatives.
Throughout his trial, Peterson never took the stand.
San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Alfred A. Delucchi, who will formally sentence Peterson on Feb. 25, can reduce the jury's recommendation to life in prison with no chance of parole. Had the jury recommended life, he would not have been able to impose a capital sentence.
Maybe one day the girls out there will quit falling for the WRONGEST party...
Basing themselves solely on appearances - and the act the guy puts on.
Speaking of which, I did base myself -partly- on Peterson for the execrable
villainous machiavellian type on my blogged novel, a NaNoWriMo Winner (although I, unlike others, did not bother to download the damn anthropomorphically ridiculous little icon that certifies the victory... !!!). Having admitted so, Peterson was really nothing more than the outer hull of the character in said novel - because, as a main antagonistic character, Peterson sucks. I had to add a lot of layers to him, heavy doses of evil were injected into the character, to spare the reader any ill-advised sympathy for THIS devil (such sympathy is ALWAYS ill-advised to begin with anyway...!). I had to put in a twist for the macabre - otherwise, a mundane and all-around charmer (cause he's so cute) real monster such as Scottie here would have STILL gained some fans somewhere...! When even rotten to the core dirty scoundrels out there have no respect for his intrinsic incompetence, the layman (and some easylaywomen too...) would actually STILL TAKE FOR THE GUY...! (Hey - they got a Superman to play him for his TV movie biopic... did they not? When a Daredevil is actually closer to being his true physical resemblance... But Bennifer costs too much now - his ego has become such a huge star now and all - hey, the Red Sox WON!). Peterson, thus, is a monster and a loser so very well wrapped up - in a sugar bear package, no less! He would be the most pathetic villain in any kind of drama; even "bat-villains" had more sensible plans when they went up against Adam West and Burt Ward than this guy displayed going about his "plan"... Truly pathetic... And a sad, sad thing that he almost succeeded anyway, while being so profoundly inept... not to mention heartless and hideous.
Ineptitude is not just for cops though - it is for criminals too.
The awful truth...
And now, for some all-american bashing...
Christmas in Washington
The Supreme Court ruled there cannot be a nativity scene in Washington, DC
this Christmas.
This isn't for any religious or constitutional reason, they simply have not
been able to find three wise men and a virgin in the nation's capitol.
There was no problem however finding enough asses to fill the stable.
ROTFLMAO Ahh... the key to a really good laugh - when it rings TRUE!
// posted by Luminous (\ô/) Luciano™ @ 10:37 AM 0 luminous comments
Supreme is not the word...
Supreme Court approves same-sex marriage (CTV.ca News Staff)
with luminous commentary interspersed in there... read on...!!!
The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that the government has the right to legalize same-sex marriage, but it didn't say whether the current definition of marriage is unconstitutional. (Nothing like some suspense to hook the crowds, eh?).
The court's ruling, which was unanimous in a vote of 9-0, is in reference to four questions on the federal government's proposed legislation changing the definition of marriage. (Irony - some of my favorite all-time scores have been 9-0 finals. Boston Bruins 9 Buffalo Sabres 0 for one... Lop-sided affairs are never good though in a long-term optic; after that game, the next one always starts at 0-0 y'know...!).
The court said today that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms clearly protects religious freedoms, but that times have changed and that the legal definition of marriage should also change. (Hey - the climate is also changing... so let's all adopt a polar bear and set the creature up real cozy in our backyards... eh?).
"Several centuries ago, it would have been understood that marriage be available only to opposite-sex couples." (Duh...)
"The recognition of same-sex marriage in several Canadian jurisdictions as well as two European countries belies the assertion that the same is true today."
Prime Minister Paul Martin applauded the decision, and said the government would now move forward with the legislation. He said the bill would be tabled in the House of Commons after the holiday break.
"We are proceeding because quite simply we believe in the Charter of Rights and the guarantee it provides to equality," Martin said in a statement read to reporters in Ottawa. (Hmm... equality equates mediocrity... no?).
He said it was a decision he has personally struggled with "but fundamentally it comes down to the equality rights under the Charter."
Three of the questions were put forth by the government under former prime minister Jean Chrétien in July 2003. (Ah... Chrétien - the most popular halloween mask of recent years... AND Robin Williams' favorite Canadian!).
First question: Does Parliament have the exclusive legislative authority to change the legal definition of marriage?
Supreme Court's answer: Yes
Luminous Ruling: Wrong answer... Besides, any legislative authority one can think of has limited scope when one deals with such things... if you know what I mean... now, DO you know what I mean...?
Second question: Is extending the capacity to marry persons of the same sex consistent with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms?
Luminous Ruling: Why not also ask if the Charter of Rights and Freedoms has any rhyme or reason while you're at it...? What's next - people who want to jump off bridges will be allowed to do so - because we ought to respect their "rights and freedoms" too...?!?
Third question: Are religious leaders protected under the Charter of Rights from having to marry same-sex couples?
Luminous Ruling: religious leaders have more common sense anyway...!
They need not to be "protected"...!!! (If some newstyle odd couple
would threaten to sue them for not officiating in such an "union",
a truly capable religious leader would clamor, high and mighty, "hey
you cannot sue me - I work for a Higher Office - above your
pettifogger's reach...!". End of story I say...! Besides... why
do gays want the religious blessing now...? They sneered at all
that the Pope had to say about sex, saying he has NO sex life -duh
really?- and now they want his blessing? Puh-leeze...).
After taking over from the Chrétien government, Prime Minister Paul Martin added a fourth question:
Fourth question: Is the traditional definition of marriage between a man and a woman constitutional?
Supreme Court's answer: The Court exercises its discretion not to answer this question.
Luminous Ruling: I will dare answer this... not a Supreme Coward like those old geezers there... Anything BIBLICAL can damn sure be perceived as CONSTITUTIONAL... only a peabrain like Paulie there is not sure about THAT...!!!
Oh - and the So-called Supreme Court judges as well... of course!
Calling the decision a "huge victory" for the Conservative position, Opposition Leader Stephen Harper said he is encouraged by the court's muted rebuke of how the federal government has handled the issue. (Hmm... if that is being conservative, one can shudder at the thought of what REALLY being liberal can entail...).
"We're encouraged also by the fact that the government was effectively chastised by the court for not appealing lower court decisions." (Ok, but... like... how low can you go with this appeal after appeal crap... hmm? ;).
Justice Minister Irwin Cotler rejected that assessment, saying the court went as far as it could to support the draft bill, and is now handing it over to Parliament.
(Hmm... sounds like shady dealings somehow... eh?).
"They can't direct us as to what we should now do but they've gone as far as they could legitimately go," Cotler said. (Thank Goodness they can't go much further, yeah...!).
He said the court is essentially affirming the decisions handed down by lower courts in seven jurisdictions that ruled that the traditional definition of marriage is unconstitutional. (The clouds are gathering on the horizon thus...).
"Now it's up to us to assume the responsibilities as a government, and happily we've got the Supreme court's support to assume that responsibility." (Happily? Oh joy... We are having a gay old time - aren't we? LOL).
Martin will hold a "two-line whip" on the vote, meaning cabinet ministers will have to vote for the bill. However, backbench MPs will be free to vote as they choose. (Nothing like a two-line whip to split up the party in two - welcome extra dose of dissension in the already well-divided ranks! Whip it good now...!!!).
"Individual members of Parliament should be and will be free to vote as they see fit. However, the position of the government is definitive. For that reason, cabinet members will be required to vote in favour of the legislation," Martin said. (The position of the government has to be definitive for it to be able to usurp, in style and mere appearance, the omnipotence and omniscience it does not, cannot and will never have in a million years... or million elections! In other words, government does NOT equal God! Somebody please tell Paulie...).
Political analysts suggest the bill will likely pass, but only by a small margin. (No 9-0 score there... proof that they still have some brain cells left when they are at Parliament... Those that get to preside in the Supreme Court are the only ones who lose them almost completely overnight...).
The move toward legalizing gay marriage began in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec. (A recognized triumverate of d.c.a. - debauchery, crime and assorted activities...!). Rulings in those provinces were followed by similar court decisions in Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan, and the Yukon. (Three likely sheep-mentality provinces... and one surprising territory to jump on THIS bandwagon. And no - my American "friends" - the Yukon is NOT Canada's Yucca Mountain... ok?).
If the legislation eventually passes in Parliament, Canada would be among the first countries to officially recognize gay and lesbian marriages.
They wish - any dubious "honor" is craved by Canada it seems... first in nothing, practically... The country really suffers from a bad case of trying to measure up to its big great sibling... But really now, who are they kidding here...? Several countries in the world have "officially recognized" this sort of union... If you want to be truly original, Canada, try and be the first to legalize pot! I know some folks who will see their business boom as a result... right Timmy? ;)
LOL ROTFL


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