At least Texas rabbits.
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Hat tip to Mark in Mexico for finding this. Mark in Mexico: Your source for news on Oaxaca and Texas killer rabbits.
Animals | Gaius Monday, 8 January , 2007 | 
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How do you know that you have a leopard in the bathroom? He is the one with the 'L' on his pyjamas and spongebag.
But for one household in the city, there really was a leopard in the bathroom - and it was not very interested in performing its ablutions.
In fact, the animal roared with rage once it discovered that it had been locked in the bathroom by frightened members of the house……
……Thousands of interested spectators converged on the house on Sunday morning once news of the trapped leopard spread.
They watched as frustrated forestry officials repeatedly attempted to lure the animal out of the bathroom and into a cage near the outside door.
But their job was made more difficult because the noisy crowd frightened the animal from coming out.
Correspondents say police were left with no choice but to fend off the onlookers with batons.
The animal was eventually tranquilised and taken away.
Read that last bit again.
Correspondents say police were left with no choice but to fend off the onlookers with batons.
The animal was eventually tranquilised and taken away.
I have a lot of fun with the "animal uprising" stories around here. I make fun of a lot of things in general. But the police attacked human beings with batons to force the curious onlookers away. The BBC even labeled that part of the report as "baton charge". Something is very, very badly out of whack here. They could have tranquilized the leopard but chose instead to beat on fellow humans to drive them back. There is so much wrong with this, I can't even wrap my head around it.
As a society, we have major problems.
They are crossing the borders in huge numbers. In the country illegally, they use precious resources that the legal residents rely on to survive. Opponents of the flood crossing the borders say that the illegals must be stopped before the situation gets completely out of hand. They worry that the very identity of the nation is at stake. They strongly support the construction of a fence on the border. Proponents of the illegal tide of immigrants say that the borders must be open to all. A fence, in their eyes, is not acceptable and must not be allowed. They say that the illegal immigrants take the dirty jobs no native wants to do.
It is an odd dilemma for forest officials of the district — torn as they are between the need to save human life and crops from marauding elephants and risking a decline in pachyderm population, as herds of them flee into neighbouring Bangladesh when chased away from the border district.
The dilemma only deepens every winter.
As the aroma of sali crops fills the air, hundreds of elephants materialise in the Barak Valley region from the neighbouring forest and even Bangladesh, to feast on the ripe grains.
After a hearty meal, the “mobs” usually target human dwellings — leaving behind a trail of destruction.
This season alone, there have been at least a dozen cases of the animals running amok in the district’s Patherkandi block. As the villagers and the district administration spend sleepless nights guarding crops and property, the elephants continue to make the most of the mellow fruitfulness.
Pathini tea estate, Longai, Veterbund and Adamtilla, for instance, seem to be their favourite haunts.
In the past 10 years at least eight villagers were trampled to death by the elephants. Fortunately, the “mob”, has spared the villagers this time……
……So, the department is now considering erecting barbed-wire fence along the Indo-Bangladesh border within the next two years to arrest “infiltration” of elephants from the neighbouring country.
The forest authorities are also planning to install solar electric batteries on the fence to keep the elephant herds from the Dhohalia forest range in Bangladesh at bay.
Volunteer squads will be formed to patrol the elephant corridors and specially-trained elephants known as kunkis will be deployed to drive away the wild tuskers.
But the most domestic tactic seems to be applying “chilli bombs” — pepper mixed with engine oil —on the fences keep herds on the either sides of the border from straying into foreign territory.
Oh, you thought we were writing about the US problems with our Southern border, didn't you? It turns out the problem is global and is not species-specific. Incidentally, the "chili option" seems to work equally well - if not more so - on African elephants:
Speaking from Liwonde National Park, Mathias Elisa - a Parks and Wildlife Department official who is responsible for education û said, - Observations conducted during chili production revealed that elephants keep diverting from areas where the…production is being done."
Elephants hate the smell of chili, especially when the stems have been burnt. It appears they…distance themselves from where the chili is growing," he added.
The Partnership in Sustainable Natural Resource Management in Malawi, a U.S-funded group based in the commercial capital of Blantyre, has selected a number of communities to train in chili production. This follows similar ventures in South Africa and Zimbabwe, where chilis have proved effective in reducing conflict between humans and wildlife.
The National Smallholder Farmers of Malawi organisation has also provided assistance to villagers by showing them how to space, transplant and harvest chili plants. In addition, the growers have been given information about grading, storage and marketing.
Once harvested and graded, the chilis are sold to European countries particularly Holland, Spain and Italy where they are combined with paprika to make the powder used in pepper sprays.
Hmmmmmm.
(H/T to Gimlet-Eyed George for the links.)
Animals, Immigration Reform | Gaius | Comments Off
This one will make your hair stand on end. The Animal Uprising™ appears to be trying to keep its troops happy with semiannual surfing competitions. And they are happening in Tucson, Arizona of all places. No, really. Yes, we are fully aware that there are no major oceans or even actual major bodies of water near Tucson that would actually contain anything approaching surf. But you're thinking in human terms. Small, white rats don't need a large body of water.
TUCSON, Ariz. - Residents of a neighborhood next to the University of Arizona say small white rats have been swimming through sewer pipes and into their toilets.
Laura Hagen Fairbanks, spokeswoman for the county's Wastewater Management Department, said she doesn't know where the rodents come from, however they are the kind that researchers use in labs.
University representatives point out that the same type of white rats are sold in pet stores as food for snakes and other animals.
George Humphrey, spokesman for the Arizona Health Sciences Center said university researchers follow strict guidelines for their lab specimens. Lab rats are euthanized, then double-bagged in red biowaste plastic bags before they are taken to Phoenix and cremated.
"There would be no evidence that these are connected to us, and I wouldn't want that to become an urban myth," Humphrey said.
In one sighting, Wastewater Management officials said a woman saw a rat in the toilet, left the toilet seat up and put down sticky trap paper in the bathroom. Then she closed the bathroom door so the rat couldn't get into the rest of the house.
Once the rat got stuck on the paper, she threw it away.
Hagen Fairbanks said no one knows why the rats are found in only one small area of town or why they show their faces only once or twice a year.
Hey, it takes time to organize tournaments, you know. We here at Blue Crab Boulevard strongly suspect that the Animal Uprising™ will expand the contests and make a regular toilet surfing tournament circuit. Coming soon to a toilet near you! (Bet you look before you sit down. We plan on doing so.)
CBS News is reporting that an American AC-130 gunship operated by US Operations Command has attacked al Qaeda leaders in Somalia. They are the only media outlet I have seen yet that has this information and they are calling it exclusive. If true, and if the reports of major damage done by the strike are correct, al Qaeda in East Africa has been hit very, very hard.
The targets included the senior al Qaeda leader in East Africa and an al Qaeda operative wanted for his involvement in the 1998 bombings of two American embassies in Africa, Martin reports. Those terror attacks killed more than 200 people.
The AC-130 gunship is capable of firing thousands of rounds per second, and sources say a lot of bodies were seen on the ground after the strike, but there is as yet, no confirmation of the identities.
The gunship flew from its base in Dijibouti down to the southern tip of Somalia, Martin reports, where the al Qaeda operatives had fled after being chased out of the capital of Mogadishu by Ethiopian troops backed by the United States.
Once they started moving, the al Qaeda operatives became easier to track, and the U.S. military started preparing for an air strike, using unmanned aerial drones to keep them under surveillance and moving the aircraft carrier Eisenhower out of the Persian Gulf toward Somalia. But when the order was given, the mission was assigned to the AC-130 gunship operated by the U.S. Special Operations command.
If you are not familiar with the AC-130, here's a primer. If they did hit the al Qaeda leaders with this, they did a lot of damage very quickly. These things are fierce. They are descended from these of course: Your friend Above.
UPDATE: CNN now reporting that a senior Pentagon official has confirmed the strike. It happened within the last 24 hours.
WASHINGTON (CNN) — A U.S. gunship has attacked suspected al Qaeda targets in southern Somalia, a senior Pentagon official said Monday.
The AC-130 flew its mission within the last 24 hours, the official told CNN. The operation was launched based on intelligence that al Qaeda operatives were in the location, but there was no immediate indication of how successful the strike had been.
Additionally, the official said, the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower has moved within striking distance of Somalia, but its jets have not been put to use.
Three al Qaeda operatives accused in the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania have been hiding in Somalia for years. The US believes they were closely tied to the Somali Islamic group - the ICU.
"We had seen intelligence evidence these three Al Qaeda operative were very much influencing the leadership of the council of the ICU — for example providing logistics, fuel and arms to the militias," said Jendayi Frazer, assistant secretary of state for African affairs
Looks like al Qaeda might have a few job openings. Expect another whining audio tape from Zawahri exhorting more volunteers to kill themselves in Somalia. Apparently, the US is willing to help them out.
UPDATE: This one is going asymptotic in the blogosphere: Hot Air, Taylor Marsh, Captain's Quarters, Gateway Pundit, SevenStripes.com, Right Voices, Ace of Spades, Austin Bay, MK Ham (pinch hitting at Michelle Malkin’s), Mac’s Mind, 186KPS, Sensible Mom, Webloggin, STACLU, Gateway Pundit, Mudville Gazette, A Blog for All, Mark My Words, Jawa Report, Counterterrorism Blog, Neptunus Lex, Opininonnation Times, Don Surber, Secular Blasphemy,
UPDATE: Washington Post is reporting some success:
Others have identified Sudani as the financier for Fazul Abdullah Mohammed and Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, believed responsible for the 1998 bombing of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. All are among the senior al-Qaeda operatives the Bush administration has charged were sheltered by Somalian Islamic fundamentalists controlling Mogadishu, the country's capital. They are believed to have fled late last month when Ethiopian troops drove the fundamentalists out of the capital and toward the Kenyan border.
[In an interview early Tuesday, Abdirizak Hassan, chief of staff for Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi, confirmed the strike. Hassan said he heard from American officials that Fazul Abdullah Mohammed had been killed, although U.S. officials said he had not been in their immediate sights. "Among the targets was Fazul," he said, "and we understand that Fazul is no more."
Hassan also said Somali officials authorized the strike. "We gave permission for actions that are more than airstrikes," Hassan said. "Whatever it means to rout these people out, we have given them permission."]
As Don Surber said, job openings but no job security.
As Don Surber said, job openings but no job security.
(T)Hugo Chavez has announced that he will nationalize Venezuela's telecommunications and electrical companies and construct Cuba South. He also wants to take over the national bank and to be given authority to legislate by executive decree. So long, Venezuela. You no longer have freedom.
"We're moving toward a socialist republic of Venezuela, and that requires a deep reform of our national constitution," Chavez said in a televised address after swearing in his new Cabinet. "We are in an existential moment of Venezuelan life. We're heading toward socialism, and nothing and no one can prevent it."
Chavez, who will be sworn in Wednesday to a third term that runs through 2013, also said he wanted a constitutional amendment to eliminate the autonomy of the Central Bank and would soon ask the National Assembly, solidly controlled by his allies, to give him greater powers to legislate by presidential decree.
The nationalization appeared likely to affect Electricidad de Caracas, owned by Arlington, Virginia-based AES Corp., and C.A. Nacional Telefonos de Venezuela, known as CANTV, the country's largest publicly traded company.
"All of that which was privatized, let it be nationalized," Chavez said, referring to "all of those sectors in an area so important and strategic for all of us as is electricity."
"The nation should recover its ownership of strategic sectors," he said.
Property seizures will undoubtedly soon be followed by secret police. Venezuela is entering a nightmare.
The Mercedes-Benz division of DaimlerChrysler is planning on introducing the Smart brand of cars in the United States beginning in 2008. The micro car has become a common sight in Europe (although the company has yet to turn a profit on the machines). These are very small.
The Smart "fortwo" has been drawing curious crowds at the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, which opened to the press Sunday, with the words "Coming to the USA in 2008" emblazoned on its stand.
Part of the Mercedes-Benz division of German-US company DaimlerChrysler AG, the tiny car has become a familiar sight on Europe's congested roads since it was launched in 1998, although the project has yet to make a profit.
But in the United States, proud home to gas-guzzling trucks and sport utility vehicles (SUVs), the notion that such a car might prove a hit seemed laughable until only recently.
The company is banking on high gasoline prices driving demand for the economical little cars. They get over 40 MPG on the highway. Did I mention that they were very small?
At 2.5 meters long (8 feet, 2 inches) and weighing in at a mere 990 kilograms (2,180 pounds), the two-seat Smart car is about half the length and a third the weight of a Hummer, Ford Expedition or other large SUV.
The good news is that you could carry it in the back of a pickup truck as a spare. Highway superintendents all across the US are welcoming the new vehicles. They are just the right size:
Leader, Saskatchewan has ordered dozens.
The Animal Uprising™ has launched a terrifying new offensive. They are now sending their eight-legged shock troops onto airliners to bite unsuspecting passengers. That's right, it's scorpions on a plane!
The scorpion apparently crawled out of the man's carry-on knapsack on American Airlines flight 1552 from Miami to Toronto on Sunday morning, said John Hotard, a company spokesman in Fort Worth, Texas.
"We delayed the outbound flight and searched the cabin of the aircraft to see if we could find any more, which we did not," said Hotard.
He said there was no indication the scorpion was brought on the plane intentionally.
A return flight to Miami was delayed by less than an hour after touching down at the Toronto Pearson International Airport.
Hotard said the man told airline officials he was returning to Canada from a camping trip with his brother in Costa Rica, from where the scorpion likely originated.
Oh, sure. Blame the victim. Don't tell the people the truth about the animals and their terror offensive. Just wait until the spokesman is savagely stung by a sinister scorpion. He'll be singing a different tune then.
The vast expanse of the nation of Sealand is on the market. After forty years doing business in the same location, the royal family has decided it is time to sell the place. You may remember an earlier post about Sealand. The article announcing the sale does not mention that Sealand suffered a serious fire last June, however.
Apply to Prince Michael of Sealand if you want to run your own storm-tossed nation — even if it is just a wartime fort perched on two concrete towers in the North Sea.
Built in World War Two as an anti-aircraft base against German bombers, the derelict platform was taken over 40 years ago by retired army major Paddy Roy Bates who went to live there with his family.
He declared the platform, perched seven miles off the east coast of England just outside Britain's territorial waters, to be the principality of Sealand.
The self-styled Prince Roy adopted a flag, chose a national anthem and minted silver and gold coins as its currency.
The family saw off an attempt by the Royal Navy to evict them and also an attempt in 1978 by a group of German and Dutch businessmen to seize Sealand by force.
"I was held prisoner out there for three or four days and then managed to get back to England," Roy's son Michael told BBC Radio on Monday.
"I slid down a rope out of a helicopter with my father and a couple of comrades and took the place back against armed opposition. It was quite a high point in my life," he said.
Lots of pictures of Sealand as they worked on overhauling it after the fire are available. It hasn't been updated for a while, though, so there is no way of knowing where things stand today. But here's your chance to own your own country.
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From the Associated Press. I have mentioned before that when you are an expert on a subject, or at least are well versed on something, you can catch the media making factual errors. The human tendency is to shake your head at the mistakes then go on and read the next article. It doesn't cross a lot of people's minds that the next story might be just as full of error.
There was a tragic industrial accident at an Ohio power plant. A delivery driver was killed. He was delivering hydrogen gas to the plant. Here's where the error is in the AP story:
The blast killed a delivery driver who was unloading hydrogen, used as a coolant for steam generators at the Muskingum River Plant, but it wasn't immediately clear what exploded, said Melissa McHenry, a spokeswoman for American Electric Power, based in Columbus.
There was no major damage to the southeastern Ohio plant, said Washington County Sheriff Larry Mincks. About 200 people work there.
Hydrogen gas, while highly explosive, is used at the plant because it has a high capacity for heat and is more efficient than using air to cool generators.
Hydrogen is used to cool the generator at a power plant. As in the part that makes the electricity. Coal plants do not have steam generators, they have boilers. This is the type of factual error that I spend a lot of time blogging about. Things like this are not unimportant.
(Incidentally, what exploded is almost certainly the hydrogen (or to be precise, the hydrogen-oxygen mixture, hydrogen must have oxygen present to burn). Unless this plant is laid out in a completely different way than any I have been at, the hydrogen fill should have been isolated from everything else. The main tank is usually a fair distance from the plant.)
Indian authorities have foiled a clever plot of the Animal Uprising™. With help from human accomplices, the animals were trying to smuggle thousands of suicide turtles across the Indian subcontinent.
The turtles were found packed into sacks in a house in Jaswant Nagar town in Uttar Pradesh state about 200 km (125 miles) west of the state capital, Lucknow, and are estimated to have a street value of about $23,600.
Police said they had arrested five men believed to be planning to ship the turtles to the eastern state of West Bengal, and possibly other Asian countries such as Thailand and Malaysia, where eating them is believed to stimulate sexual desire.
"Preliminary investigations suggest that a large chunk of the contraband finds its way to Southeast Asian countries, where turtle meat is converted into crunchy chips for convenient consumption," said Ram Kumar, police chief of Etawah district in Uttar Pradesh.
What is clever about this you ask? Simple. The animals are the ones who started the rumors about crunchy turtle chip increasing sexual desire. They actually work the opposite way and decrease people's desire. It's bilogical warfare!
Well, at least people over a wide area are saying they smell gas.
"The smell is there. We don't know the source of it," said New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in his daily news conference.
But Bloomberg said the levels of natural gas around the city were not dangerous, according to sensors.
The Port Authority said it believes the gas leak is coming from Bleecker Street.
Law enforcement sources told WNBC.com that this does not appear to be an act of terror.
"It is still early but there is no indication of terrorism and there is no credible intelligence to suggest any imminent threat to the homeland or to New York at this time," said Russ Knocke, spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security.
He said the agency is closely monitoring the situation and talking with the local authorities, who are the lead in the matter.
Having seen something like this before, let me make an educated guess. Natural gas does not have an odor. So to allow people to be able to tell there is natural gas present in case of a leak, utilities add an odorant to the gas. This substance is called methyl mercaptan and it stinks to high heaven. The mercaptan is added at a metering station. Quantities added are carefully calibrated so that the mercaptan will be destroyed when the natural gas is burned. I have seen the result when one of the meters stuck and far too much mercaptan was added to the gas. There was so much, that it did not get destroyed in the combustion process. Pretty soon, people all over whole sections of the city I lived in were calling and reporting gas leaks.
I'd be about willing to bet that this is exactly what is happening in New York right now.
Inmate. It's what's for dinner.
PARIS, Jan 5 (Reuters Life!) - A French prisoner who killed his cellmate "very probably" ate some of the victim's body parts, a prosecutor in the northern town of Rouen said on Friday.
The victim's body was discovered in a prison cell on Wednesday, with a large wound to the chest. The alleged killer, who shared the cell, told investigators he had removed and eaten his victim's heart.
Investigators initially discounted the possibility of cannibalism after the victim's heart was "found intact in its usual place and in its membrane which was also intact," Rouen state prosecutor Joseph Schmit said in a statement.
There were, however, other bits missing and unaccounted for. I wonder if the diner had some fava beans and a nice chianti to go with dinner. (Oh boy, am I gonna hear about this one from my daughter-in-law!)
Cheese Eating Surrender Monkeys, Crime, World news | Gaius | Comments Off
I had no idea Jules Crittenden has an uncle who is a columnist for the Toronto Sun. I guess it runs in the family, eh? (Couldn't resist using the "eh", sorry.) Jules has links to three of Peter Worthington's columns that are worth reading.
Blogosphere, Media | Gaius | Comments Off
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