Was lucky enough to get a nice view of the lunar eclipse last night - pretty awesome!!

Skywatchers treated to total lunar eclipse



I-Reporter Jason Herrick sent in a photo of Wednesday's eclipse from Morgantown, West Virginia.


LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- The last total lunar eclipse until 2010 occurred Wednesday, with cameo appearances by Saturn and the bright star Regulus on either side of the veiled full moon.

I-Reporter Jason Herrick sent in a photo of Wednesday's eclipse from Morgantown, West Virginia.

Skywatchers viewing through a telescope had the added treat of seeing Saturn's handsome rings. They also saw Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo.

The total eclipse was seen from North and South America. People in Europe and Africa were able to see it high in the sky before dawn on Thursday.

Jack Horkheimer, host of the PBS show "Star Gazer," called the event "the moon, the lord of the rings and heart of the lion eclipse."

Wednesday's event was the last total lunar eclipse until December 20, 2010. Last year, there were two.

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the full moon passes into Earth's shadow and is blocked from the sun's rays that normally illuminate it. During an eclipse, the sun, Earth and moon line up, leaving a darkened moon visible to observers on the night side of the planet.

The moon doesn't go black because indirect sunlight still reaches it after passing through the Earth's atmosphere. Since the atmosphere filters out blue light, the indirect light that reaches the moon transforms it into a reddish or orange tinge, depending on how much dust and cloud cover are in the atmosphere at the time.

Wednesday's total eclipse phase lasted nearly an hour. West Coast skygazers missed the start of the eclipse because it occurs before the moon rises.

Unlike solar eclipses, which require protective eyewear, lunar eclipses are safe to view with the naked eye. Later this year, in August, there will be a total solar eclipse and a partial lunar eclipse.

By ROB GILLIES, Associated Press Writer
Thu Feb 21, 9:26 PM ET



TORONTO - Canada's prime minister unveiled a proposal on Thursday to withdraw his country's forces from volatile southern Afghanistan in 2011, a move that largely accedes to opposition demands amid threats of an early election.

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Stephen Harper's minority Conservative government is trying to extend past February 2009 the military operation in Kandahar province, a region that was once the Taliban's stronghold.

"It seems clear that we have moved significantly toward the kind of bipartisan consensus that can be presented to Parliament for ratification," Harper said.

Harper's government has been under growing pressure to withdraw Canada's troops as the death toll increases, now at 78 soldiers and a diplomat.

Thursday's proposal resulted from a compromise with opposition Liberals, who were against extending the mission and had threatened to force a vote aimed at toppling the government.

Parliament will vote on extending the mission next month "” a confidence vote that would trigger early elections if rejected. An agreement would avoid an early election over the issue.

The motion makes the two-year extension conditional on NATO providing more troops and equipment to back up Canadian forces in southern Kandahar. It also sets the withdrawal date at December 2011.

The motion stresses that more emphasis will be placed on training the Afghan army and police to eventually take over.

The Liberal Party had initially pushed for an end to the combat phase by next February, but last week backed off that position. They insisted, however, that the forces in Afghanistan be relegated to reconstruction roles in the war-ravaged country.

The refusal by some major European allies to send a significant number of troops to the southern front lines has opened a rift within NATO. Troops from Canada, Britain, the Netherlands and the United States have borne the brunt of a resurgence of Taliban violence in the region, with support from Denmark, Romania, Estonia and non-NATO Australia.

Harper has reached out to several key NATO allies, stressing the need for greater support for his country's troops in that area.

By F.N. D'ALESSIO, Associated Press Writer
29 minutes ago



CHICAGO - The death of a former suburban Chicago police officer's third wife has been ruled a homicide after a second autopsy showed she drowned, a prosecutor said Thursday.

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The death of Kathleen Savio four years ago was initially ruled an accident. She was found dead in her bathtub shortly before her divorce with Drew Peterson was finalized.

Savio's body was exhumed late last year after he was named a person of interest in the disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy. He has said Stacy Peterson ran off with another man, but her relatives deny any affair and say she would not have willingly left her two young children.

"We have been investigating this as a murder since reopening the case in November of last year," Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow said. "We now have a scientific basis to formally and publicly classify it as such."

Peterson, 54, has denied any involvement in either case and he has not been charged with wrongdoing. He was a sergeant and 29-year veteran in the Bolingbrook, Ill., police department when he resigned after coming under suspicion in Stacy Peterson's disappearance.

Peterson told the (Joliet) Herald-News that the ruling in Savio's death shocked him. "You're kidding me. Unbelievable. That's hard to believe," he told the newspaper.

Authorities are not prepared to name a suspect in Savio's death, but police and a grand jury are actively investigating both cases, said Charles Pelkie, a spokesman for Glasgow's office.

Peterson's attorney did not immediately return a telephone call Thursday from The Associated Press.

Savio's family members said Thursday they always believed she had been killed and the confirmation was welcome. "But it could have prevented if people would have listened to her before she was killed." her niece Melissa Doman said.

Savio, 40, had filed an order of protection in 2002 after Peterson allegedly knocked her down, ripped off a necklace and left marks on her body. She wrote in the order that she feared Peterson could kill her.

Doman declined to say who she thought was responsible for Savio's death. She said she did not want to interfere with any current investigations or leads that authorities may have.

Peterson's second wife, Vicki Connolly, has said that during their marriage, an increasingly controlling Peterson hit her and told her he could kill her and make it look like an accident.

Connolly said police sometimes came to the house when the couple were having problems, but she said the officers were friends of theirs and no reports ever were filed.

Peterson's first two marriages ended in divorce

I was following that case, and saw a documentary on it. I think it was 60 minutes or something.

I know he is innocent until proven, but it really does look like he is guilty.
She told her sister I think it was the day before that she thinks he was going to kill her. He threatened her because she wanted to leave him.

There was a lot of witnesses saying that he was abusive and the wives told people that they were scared.
Because he was a cop, paperwork was not filed.

I hope they do find out the truth.

Peterson apparently offered to go on that new show, the truth one can't remember the name. It would be interesting to see if he did, or at least go under some sort of lie detector test.

He never seems to look worried about his latest wife's disappearance. Very calm. He says that he knows she has run off with another man.

Hopefully all will be revealed in time.

Yup, saw this in the news too, very suspicious circumstances indeed.

If he were proven guilty in the future, I just hope that there are no more policemen of this kind.

US to evacuate staff from Serbia

The US embassy in Serbia has ordered the temporary evacuation of non-essential staff after protesters attacked the building in Belgrade.

About 1,000 protesters set fire to the embassy on Thursday in anger at Kosovo's declaration of independence, which the US and others recognised.

The UK, German, Croatian, Belgian and Turkish embassies were also attacked.

Both the Serbian president and PM have condemned the violence, which left one dead and more than 100 injured.

US embassy spokeswoman Rian Harris told AFP news agency: "Dependents are being temporarily ordered to depart Belgrade. We do not have confidence that Serbian authorities can provide security for our staff members."

Another spokesperson told Reuters news agency the ambassador, Cameron Munter, and core staff would remain.

The evacuation will be reassessed in seven to 10 days. Ms Harris said the embassy would reopen on Tuesday after repairs.

The US earlier lodged an official protest over the attack.

Fears remain of further violence in the wake of the declaration of secession from Serbia by Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leaders last Sunday.


Hundreds of Serbs protested on Friday in the ethnically-divided Kosovo town of Mitrovica, but apart from some scuffles and stone-throwing the rally passed off largely peacefully.

The European Union called on Serbia to protect embassies in Belgrade.

The UN Security Council condemned the attacks and the US described those responsible as "thugs".

Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci said on Friday the embassy attacks reminded him of the era of former Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic.

Mr Thaci said: "What we saw were terrible things. It was a reaction against a democratic world."

About 1,000 protesters smashed their way into the US embassy, throwing flares through a window.


There were no police protecting the embassy, but riot police later intervened, firing tear gas to disperse the crowd.

Fires raged for half an hour, and when firemen finally managed to get inside the building they found a charred body, which has not been identified. Reports suggest the body may be that of one of the intruders.

'No excuse'

Serbian President Boris Tadic called an emergency meeting of Serbia's National Security Council on Friday.


He said: "I most sharply condemn the violence, looting and arson. There is no excuse for the violence."

Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica had earlier also condemned the attack.

Russia, Serbia's key ally, said it also regretted the actions.

But foreign ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin added: "Those forces that supported Kosovo's proclamation of independence should have been aware of the consequences of such a step."

US assistant secretary of state for political affairs, Nicholas Burns, criticised Moscow's role: "They're not in Kosovo, they're not doing anything to help the Kosovars. So they're kind of on the sidelines contributing mostly unhelpfully."

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said continued violence would harm efforts to improve ties.

He said "things will have to calm down" before the EU continued talks on a preliminary deal on EU-Serbia links.


Kosovo's declaration of independence has split the international community, with many Western nations recognising the move, while China and Russia were among those opposed.

Most Serbs regard Kosovo as their religious and cultural heartland and believe the independence declaration violates international law.

Mr Kostunica has recalled Serbia's ambassador to the US over the affair.

In the coming weeks, a 2,000-strong EU mission will be deployed to help Kosovo develop its police force and judiciary.

Passengers travelling between EU countries or taking domestic flights would have to hand over a mass of personal information, including their mobile phone numbers and credit card details, as part of a new package of security measures being demanded by the British government. The data would be stored for 13 years and used to "profile" suspects.

Brussels officials are already considering controversial anti-terror plans that would collect up to 19 pieces of information on every air passenger entering or leaving the EU. Under a controversial agreement reached last summer with the US department of homeland security, the EU already supplies the same information [19 pieces] to Washington for all passengers flying between Europe and the US.

But Britain wants the system extended to sea and rail travel, to be applied to domestic flights and those between EU countries. According to a questionnaire circulated to all EU capitals by the European commission, the UK is the only country of 27 EU member states that wants the system used for "more general public policy purposes" besides fighting terrorism and organised crime.

The so-called passenger name record system, proposed by the commission and supported by most EU governments, has been denounced by civil libertarians and data protection officials as draconian and probably ineffective.

The scheme would work through national agencies collecting and processing the passenger data and then sharing it with other EU states. Britain also wants to be able to exchange the information with third parties outside the EU.

Officials in Brussels and in European capitals admit the proposed system represents a massive intrusion into European civil liberties, but insist it is a necessary part of a battery of new electronic surveillance measures being mooted in the interests of European security. These include proposals unveiled in Brussels last week for fingerprinting and collecting biometric information of all non-EU nationals entering or leaving the union.

All airlines would provide government agencies with 19 pieces of information on every passenger, including mobile phone number and credit card details. The system would work by "running the data against a combination of characteristics and behavioural patterns aimed at creating a risk assessment", according to the draft legislation.

"When a passenger fits within a certain risk assessment, he could be identified as a high-risk passenger."

A working party of European data protection officials described the proposal as "a further milestone towards a European surveillance society.

"The draft foresees the collection of a vast amount of personal data of all passengers flying into or out of the EU regardless of whether they are under suspicion or innocent travellers. These data will then be stored for a period of 13 years to allow for profiling. The profiling of all passengers envisaged by the current proposal might raise constitutional concerns in some member states."

The Liberal Democrat MEP Sarah Ludford said: "Where is this going to stop? There's no mature discussion of risk. As soon as you question something like this, you're soft on terrorism in the UK and in the EU."

Britain is pushing for a more comprehensive system based on the experience of a UK pilot scheme that has been running for the past three years. Officials say Operation Semaphore, monitoring flights from Pakistan and the Middle East, has been highly successful and has resulted in hundreds of arrests.

The scheme has seen one in every 2,200 passengers warranting further investigation, with a tenth of those "being of interest". British officials say rapists, drug smugglers and child traffickers have been arrested and want the EU scheme to cover "all fugitives from crown court justice".

But Ludford said: "If you ask the UK government how many terrorists have been picked up, I don't think you get a very straight answer."

EU officials have asked the Home Office minister Meg Hillier for information about the arrests of suspected terrorists.

Sun Feb 24, 10:34 PM ET



NEW CASSEL, N.Y. - A single mother who neighbors said was overwhelmed was accused of murder Sunday after police found her three small children dead in a bed, then tracked her down and arrested her.

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Leatrice Brewer, 27, has been charged with multiple counts of murder, Nassau County police said.

"It was a disturbing scene," Detective Lt. Kevin Smith said.

Officers were met at the two-story home by a woman who directed them to a top-floor apartment, where they found the children, Jewell Ward, 6, Michael Demesyeux, 5, and Innocent Demesyeux, 1.

Brewer wasn't home but was found later, said police, who wouldn't reveal where they arrested her. The county medical examiner's office was trying to determine how the children died.

Brewer, who cared for the children alone, had been overwhelmed, neighbors said. Cornisha Robinson said she last week saw Brewer pushing an empty stroller in the street and wondered where the children were.

"She neglected them," Robinson said. "She used to leave them in the house all the time by themselves."

Brewer was taken to a hospital for evaluation and observation, and she was to be arraigned Monday.

Her brother Robert McCord defended her.

"My sister's not crazy," he said. "She's not ballistic. This is a shock to all of us."

Relatives and friends said Brewer loved the children, whom they called "wonderful." They asked people to pray for her.

"If I had any idea that it was this bad for her, you know, I would have reached out and tried to intervene," said Suzanne Blissett, Jewell's godmother.

Blissett, crying, said Jewell was "amazing," and she called her "God's gift."

Jewell's father, Ricky Ward, said that he had tried to get custody of her but that child welfare officials had rebuffed him. The father of the two boys said something similar.

(btw she's not an immigrant) she's a u.s citizen

they should pass a law were they can revoke the citizen and just deport those criminals citizen's

Feb 26th 2.10pm

MIAMI -- Large parts of Florida, particularly the southeastern corner of the state, have been hit by sporadic power outages.

The state's largest utility, Florida Power and Light, said Tuesday that it was looking into the cause of it.

It was not immediately clear exactly how many people had been affected, but various news reports put the total at 3 million to 4.4 million.
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CNN reported that eight power plants went down, causing the power outages.

Miami and other parts of southeastern Florida were affected, but outages were also reported along the southwest coast and the northeastern part of the state.

Police officers on live television were seen directing traffic at intersections in downtown Miami. Many stoplights were out, and some stores closed because they were without power.

By mid-afternoon, most of northern downtown Miami appeared to be back to normal operation, including a campus of Miami-Dade Community College and a number of stores and businesses.

A spokesman for Miami-Dade County's Department of Emergency Management said no injuries had been reported.

He said the county was partially activating its emergency operations center.

Officials at the U.S. courthouse complex said there was just a brief outage there.

At Miami International Airport, a generator was being used, and no delays were reported.

Israel: No Promised Land for Africans

Published: 2/26/08, 4:06 PM EDT
By ARON HELLER

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) - Sitting on a thin mattress in an underground bomb shelter that reeked of urine, Tasfa Mara said he's happy where he is. The 24-year-old Eritrean escaped forced conscription, beatings and a treacherous trek across three countries before reaching his promised land.

"Only Israel safe," he said in patchy English, his hands and feet heavily bandaged from lacerations he suffered on the barbed-wire barricade between Egypt and Israel when crossing last week. "All African countries the same."

Mara may not have a safe haven much longer. This week Israel plans to begin deporting thousands of African migrants who have slipped in through the porous southern border with Egypt. It remains unclear how the expulsions will be carried out and where Israel will send them.

Founded six decades ago in the wake of the Nazi genocide, Israel finds itself torn between a sense of duty to help people fleeing persecution and fears of an onslaught of illegal immigrants. The result has been a confused policy.

The Africans began trickling into Israel in 2005, after neighboring Egypt violently quashed a demonstration by Sudanese refugees, in which at least 27 were killed. The number of new arrivals has surged in recent months as word spread of safety and job opportunities in Israel.

More than 7,000 have entered the country illegally in just over a year, including more than 2,000 this year alone, said Michael Bavly, a representative in Israel of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

The vast majority hail from Eritrea, where the U.N. says men are often forced into military service, and Sudan, where 2.5 million people have died in a 22-year civil war. Some of the Sudanese have come from the western region of Darfur, where fighting has killed more than 200,000 people and displaced 2.5 million since February 2003.

Israel took in many of the early arrivals, providing shelter and even arranging menial jobs in hotels and on kibbutz collective farms. It recently granted temporary residency status to 600 refugees from Darfur, and gave work permits to about 2,000 others from Eritrea whose lives would be endangered if sent home.

But Israel has vowed the rest will be deported, claiming they are in the country purely for economic opportunities. On Sunday, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert directed authorities to expel 4,500 Africans, including people from Ivory Coast, Ghana and Nigeria, by the end of the week.
Since its independence in 1948, Israel has granted automatic citizenship to Jews, including many from Ethiopia. In recent years, however, it also has opened its doors to others, including tens of thousands of workers from Asia and Africa to fill a void left by Palestinian laborers banned from entering following the outbreak of fighting in 2000. Israel has about 7 million people, and the foreign workers traditionally do grueling manual jobs that Israelis are reluctant to do. The new Africans have quickly joined this work force.

Olmert's office declined to discuss its expulsion order. But officials said privately it would be difficult, if not impossible, to carry out the order in the coming days.

Just finding them will be difficult. Newly arrived Africans are scattered in shelters, while earlier migrants have moved into apartments in Tel Aviv and elsewhere.

In addition, the U.N. says most of the Africans are formally seeking asylum, entitling them to a lengthy legal review. Even if an order is approved, it's unclear where Israel can send them.

Egypt, the most likely destination, has made clear it does not want them. Last year, Israel sent 48 African refugees, mostly from Darfur, to Egypt after receiving assurances they would not be harmed. Twenty of those "asked to leave," an Egyptian Foreign Ministry official said, without saying where they went.

"Egypt is dealing with the refugees in line with the international law and for humanitarian purposes," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. "Israel has no right to return them."

Human Rights Watch said the Israeli and Egyptian actions were "unconscionable," because the migrants faced likely persecution in Sudan because of their time in Israel, which is considered an enemy country.

Israeli advocates charge government policy has been inconsistent.

Shevy Korzen, executive director of the Hot line for Migrant Workers in Tel Aviv, said imposing an arbitrary quota was "ridiculous" and the government was obliged to let the U.N. evaluate each case.

"There are personal considerations, religious considerations and gender considerations," she said. "Israel is bound to international conventions."On Monday, immigration police raided several Tel Aviv shelters and detained more than 200 migrants, many of whom were shipped to squalid prisons. Israel's prison authority denied an AP request to visit the main holding area, located in a remote desert location.

Sabine Hadad, a spokeswoman for Israel's Interior Ministry, said those with permits would be released, and those whose refugee status is being reviewed by the U.N. would get a limited stay.

Mara and his friends escaped the police raid Monday, then returned to the dilapidated shelter, nearly empty after the roundup.

Speaking in broken English and pointing to his bandaged hands, Mara said he had nowhere else to go. "Eritrea bad. Egypt bad. Sudan bad," he said. He declined to discuss his past, saying only that two of his six traveling companions were shot down by Egyptian troops near the border with Israel.

Egyptian troops have killed at least six Africans since late January, according to Amnesty International. Last week, the human rights group accused Egypt of using "excessive force."

Israeli defense officials said the army is working to fortify the border to stop the flow of infiltrators, which now number about 50 a day. Defense Minister Ehud Barak inspected the border Tuesday and vowed to build a 45-mile fence - covering roughly one-third of the border - within two years.

The African migrants said they paid about $750 to human traffickers to cross into Israel. Once inside, they were rounded up by army patrols, who either placed them in prison or released them. Many were bused to Tel Aviv, where volunteers often helped them.

Tel Aviv has embraced them warmly. Most Darfurians now live in apartments, enjoy the city's welfare services and their children attend its schools. Volunteers have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars and helped arrange thousands of work permits.

"They have been through such traumas. Their motivation is not to come here, it is to escape their fate at home," said Yael Dayan, deputy mayor of Tel Aviv. "Whoever gets here, we take them in, but the government has to decide on a policy ... It will not happen by itself."

Israel is not a common destination for refugees, but the late Prime Minister Menachem Begin set a precedent in 1977 when he offered asylum to nearly 400 Vietnamese boat people. Human rights groups and high-profile figures like Nobel laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel have urged the Israeli government to give Darfurians fleeing genocide a home.

Yassin Moussa, 30, arrived in Israel from Darfur 2 1/2 years ago. After spending 16 months in detention, today he coordinates relief efforts for the new migrants, arranging housing and employment.

Moussa witnessed the execution of his father and uncles and was separated from his mother, sisters and wife when he fled Darfur. He does not know their whereabouts, or if they survived.

Today, he navigates the streets of Tel Aviv with ease, cell phone in hand, communicating easily in Hebrew. "I feel like an Israeli," he said.

LOS ANGELES - Court documents show that Pamela Anderson is seeking an annulment, rather than a divorce, from husband Rick Salomon. The actress is seeking to annul the two-month marriage based on fraud. No other details were available, and Anderson's publicist did not immediately return an e-mail request for comment Tuesday.

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In court papers filed in Los Angeles on Friday, Anderson asked the court not to award spousal support and to keep her and Salomon's income and property separate. On Monday, Anderson filed a request to have a retired judge handle the annulment proceedings "” a common practice in celebrity split-ups as it keeps matters private and out of the court.

Anderson and Salomon, both 40, were married Oct. 6 in Las Vegas and separated Dec. 13. He's best known for making a *** videotape with then-girlfriend Paris Hilton and was previously married to actress Shannen Doherty.

Anderson was previously married to singer Kid Rock and Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee

Earthquake rocks large parts of Britain

Earthquake shakes Britain, causing damage to buildings and at least one injury


Firemen in Hull, northern England, deal with fallen chimney stacks after the earthquake hit early Wednesday.


LONDON, England (CNN) -- An earthquake shook Britain early Wednesday, causing damage to buildings and leaving at least one person injured.

Firemen in Hull, northern England, deal with fallen chimney stacks after the earthquake hit early Wednesday.

1 of 2 The British Geological Survey put the preliminary magnitude for the earthquake at 5.3, according to the British Press Association.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake measured 4.7.

Emergency services across England received calls following the incident, many from people who woke up to find their homes shaking.

Ambulance officials said a man from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, required hospital treatment after a chimney collapsed and fell into his bedroom.

The quake struck at around 0100 GMT and was centered about 200 kilometers (125 miles) north of London, the British Geological Survey said.

Julian Bukits, of the organization, called it the most powerful quake in Britain since a 5.4 quake hit North Wales in 1984.

"This was a very large earthquake in UK terms," he told The Associated Press. "This one has been felt throughout the whole of England and southern Scotland."

"It felt pretty scary," Haydn Jones of Nottingham, who lives in a third-floor apartment, told CNN. He said he had lived abroad in Japan and knew immediately what it was, but felt that a lot of those in England "didn't really know what was going on." Watch images of the damage caused by the quake »

Jones likened the feeling to "someone very big and angry jumping on the ceiling below you, rather than the floor."

He believed the shaking lasted about 10 seconds, but said, "time sort of stands still for you."

Earthquakes frequently hit Britain -- between 200 and 300 annually, according to the British Geological Survey, although most have a magnitude of less than 2.

Earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.0 to 4.9 hit mainland Britain about once every two years and strike beneath the North Sea about once per year.

Britain's strongest recorded quake was the North Sea quake of June 7, 1931, with a magnitude of 6.1. It was felt across the British isles and in northwestern Germany. The quake killed one person.


The most powerful onshore quakes occurred on July 19, 1984, in north Wales (magnitude 5.1) and on April 2, 1990, along the Welsh border with England (5.1 magnitude.)

A 4.6 magnitude quake in Colchester on April 22, 1884, was Britain's most damaging earthquake, knocking spires from churches and masonry from roofs. Turrets and parapets also fell, and brick walls and chimneys collapsed. Two people were killed.

Wow the quakes this year are kind of strange, wonder if this is a sign of things.

My friend in London said he felt the quake and it has been reported that a great portion of England felt it too.

Good thing Mike isn't there lol

I agree with you SprintG - it's most probably the effect of global warming. My mom was saying that the weather in the Phil. was getting awry too.

And yes, Mob Boss already had enough of his share of earthquakes.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/02/29/ricin.hotel/index.html

Police: Man in critical condition after exposure to ricin



(CNN) -- A man who stayed in a Las Vegas hotel room where ricin was found is in critical condition at a hospital, where he has been since February 14, said Kathy Suey, deputy chief of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

A man is in critical condition after exposure to ricin at a Las Vegas, Nevada, hotel.

Suey said the man called for medical help on February 14, saying he was suffering from respiratory distress, and was transported to the hospital.

A friend or relative of his who came to remove his belongings from the room found the ricin on Thursday, she said.

Police don't suspect foul play in the poisoning, CNN affiliate KLAS reported. The FBI said it was treating the case as a criminal investigation and terrorism was not suspected.

Tests confirm the substance found in the room was ricin, police said.

The reason the substance was in the room is a mystery.

"We don't know who [the ricin] belongs to or why it would be here at this time," said Capt. Joe Lombardo of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

As little as 500 micrograms of the toxin -- an amount the size of the head of a pin -- can kill an adult. Watch how a minute amount of ricin can kill »

Authorities were called to an Extended Stay America hotel around 3 p.m. PT Thursday after a man brought a bag with a small container to the manager's office. The man said he found it while retrieving items from a hotel room.

The substance is "100 percent ricin," Lombardo said.

Symptoms of ricin poisoning can include anything from difficulty breathing, fever, cough, nausea and sweating to severe vomiting and dehydration.

"We did have enough ricin to be of concern," Lombardo said. Watch police discuss the ricin discovery »

Ricin
Poison made from castor beans
Can be inhaled, swallowed or injected
Prevents cells of a person's body making proteins, can cause death
No antidote
Used in cancer treatment and bone marrow transplants

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Lombardo said areas of the hotel exposed to the toxin have been decontaminated.

Police said they don't know how many people have stayed in the room recently.

The discovery of ricin alarms law-enforcement agencies because authorities in several countries have investigated links between suspect extremists and ricin.

Ricin is a poison that can be made from waste left over after processing castor beans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The toxin can come in the form of a mist or pellet and can be dissolved in water or weak acid, according to the CDC. The agency also said the toxin works by getting inside the cells of a person's body and preventing the cells from making the proteins they need.

Lombardo said authorities found castor beans in the room and also powder in a small vial. He said ricin is not illegal to own, but it's illegal if processed to be used for poisoning someone.

Ricin has limited medical uses -- it can be used to kill cancer cells and bone marrow transplants.

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Notable ricin cases
KLAS: Deadly poison found in Vegas hotel room
CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, said that while a small amount can kill somebody if injected, tons of it would be needed to use as a mass terrorism tool.

Gupta said there are three ways of exposure to ricin: inhalation, ingestion or injections. If inhaled, people may develop fever, a cough, nausea, fluid in the lungs and organ failure.

There is no specific test for exposure and no antidote once exposed, he said.


There have been other reported cases involving ricin in the United States. In January 2005, the FBI arrested an Ocala, Florida, man with no known ties to terrorists or extremists after agents found ricin in the home he lives in with his mother.

Ricin was found in February 2004 in the mailroom of the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington. The mailroom handles correspondence addressed to U.S. lawmakers.

Update:

Poisonous Vial Discovery at Las Vegas Motel May Be Part of Murder Plot, 1 Man in Critical Condition

Friday, February 29, 2008

LAS VEGAS "” Detectives may be looking at the discovery of a poison-infested vial at a Las Vegas motel as a murder plot that has left one man gravely ill, FOX News has learned.

The toxin known as ricin turned up at the Extended Stay America Motel, leaving one person in critical condition and in the hospital, with some reports suggesting that he may be in a coma. No one else has exhibited signs of ricin poisoning to date, police said Friday.

Local coverage and video from FOX 5 Las Vegas

Law enforcement officials told FOX that the Las Vegas Police Department is leading the probe and the investigation appears to be focusing on a possible murder plot of some kind. Las Vegas authorities wouldn't confirm that during a Friday afternoon news conference.

"We don't have a lot of specific information," said Kathy Suey, deputy chief of the Las Vegas police Homeland Security division.

One of those exposed to the ricin is in critical condition and might be comatose, according to some accounts, after the vial of ricin was found in his room.

Police on Friday would not confirm The Associated Press report that the man "” whose identity wasn't released "” was in a coma, but did say he was very sick.

"Right now, we don't know (whether he's conscious)," Suey told reporters. "We know he is in critical condition and he's unable to speak with us right now."

Suey said the man, whom she described in his 40s or 50s, lived in the hotel room where the ricin was found and went to the hospital Feb. 14 complaining of respiratory distress. He has been there ever since.

She said it wasn't clear whether or not the ricin belonged to him or whether it was there without his knowledge.

"We don't know whether he was in possession of the ricin," Suey said. "That's part of the investigation. ... We don't know an awful lot right now."

She added that the investigation was looking at whether the man might have been carrying the ricin and targeting someone, or whether he was a victim. No one else has fallen ill.

"So far, we don't have anyone else exhibiting any signs of being affected by this ricin," she said.

Federal and local officials also said there doesn't appear to be a terrorism connection in the case, but identifying the sender and receiver of the package had taken top priority.

"This is not a terror incident at this point," said police Capt. Joseph Lombardo.

A hospital spokeswoman said that there was no danger of the man spreading anything to other patients.

"The patient who has been exposed is not contagious to anyone else, as ricin has to be injected, ingested or inhaled. We are following the universal blood-borne pathogen protocols and cooperating with investigators at this time," said Spring Valley Hospital spokeswoman Naomi Jones.

Jones said the hospital was not shut down and people there were not at risk of exposure.

Authorities were called to the Vegas motel on Thursday and retrieved a package from the motel manager that was determined to be a chemical or controlled substance, Officer Ramone Denby said.

The investigation of the apparent ricin didn't begin until Thursday, after another man brought a vial found in his room to the motel manager and police were ultimately called to the Extended Stay America Motel several blocks west of the Las Vegas Strip.

Two preliminary tests indicate it contained ricin, Denby said. Results from further tests by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a second local lab are expected Friday, according to investigators.

"Ricin has no medical uses other than cancer research," Lombardo said at a news conference Thursday night. "An individual citizen other than being involved in cancer research or cancer prevention would not have any legal means or proper means of having that."

An expert in ricin told FOX News that the field tests done at the hotel were considered primitive, and the forthcoming CDC results would be the most reliable. Those could be completed within as little as 24 hours.

Police cordoned off the area and isolated the room where the substance was found. The motel rents out rooms to occupants, according to Suey, and detectives' first concern was decontaminating the area and making sure everyone was safe and the situation was under control

Seven other people including the motel manager and some police officers were taken to hospitals for examination but none have shown any signs of being affected by ricin, Suey said.

The motel room had been unoccupied for the past week. Someone who knew the sick man found the ricin in the room and brought it to the apartment manager, Suey said.

"He claimed to be a relative. We haven't confirmed that yet whether he is a relative or a friend," she said.

The manager had begun an eviction because the sick man hadn't paid his bill, and the friend or relative had gone to retrieve his items, she said.

Police said they had spent 12 hours on containing and cleaning up the site.

"My understanding is cleanup has been done. There should not be a threat to anybody at this time," said Dr. Lawrence Sands, chief health officer of the Southern Nevada Health District.

Suey said there were several pets in the room when officers arrived. A dog was found dead but the animal had gone at least a week without food or water, Suey said, and she did not attribute the death to ricin.

Three motel employees and another person were quarantined and decontaminated at the site, then taken to hospitals for further testing, Denby said. All appeared to be in good condition, he said. Three police officers who had been exposed were also taken to hospitals.

It takes between six and eight hours for someone exposed to ricin to show signs of contamination.

Homeland Security officials joined local police in the investigation. Officials from the FBI, Las Vegas Health District, a hazardous materials team and the National Guard also were at the scene.

Ricin is made from the waste left over from processing castor beans and can be extremely lethal. As little as 500 micrograms, or about the size of the head of a pin, can kill a human, according to the CDC.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ProudUSC,

updated 8:14 a.m. EST, Fri February 29, 2008

Iraq approves execution of 'Chemical Ali'


Ali Hassan al-Majeed listens to evidence at his trial in Baghdad in January 2007.


BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The cousin of Saddam Hussein, known by the nickname "Chemical Ali" for his role in a chemical weapons attack on Iraqi Kurds in the 1980s, will be executed, Iraqi officials said Friday.

Ali Hassan al-Majeed's execution should happen within 30 days, according to a high-ranking official in the office of Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi, a Sunni.

The execution was approved by Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, and the two vice presidents, al-Hashimi and Adel Abdul Mahdi, a Shiite, according to a member of parliament speaking on condition of anonymity.

Iraqi law requires the three members of the country's presidency council to sign the execution warrant.

Al-Majeed will be executed for his role in a crackdown that killed at least 100,000 Iraqi Kurds, including a 1988 attack with poisonous gas and chemical agents that killed 5,000 people in the village of Halabja.

Four months ago, a spokesman for the Iraqi government said during a visit to the White House that "Chemical Ali" would be executed "in the coming days."

In June, the Iraqi High Tribunal sentenced al-Majeed and two others to death for their parts in the 1980s military offensive against Kurdish villages in northern Iraq known as the Anfal campaign -- Anfal is Arabic for "spoils" of war.

"[Al-Majeed] oversaw an eight-phase military campaign in which thousands of Kurdish villagers were gassed," Miranda Sissons of the International Center for Transnational Justice has said.

Sissons observed the Iraqi tribunal that convicted al-Majeed.

"The survivors who weren't shot or gassed were herded up into prisons and then taken to kinds of concentration camps," she said.

The Associated Press reported that the presidency council didn't approve the executions of two other convicted officials in the Anfal campaign -- Sultan Hashem Ahmed and Hussein Rashid.

Harry withdrawn from Afghanistan

Prince Harry has been withdrawn from Afghanistan after news of his secret deployment leaked out.

The 23-year-old royal, who has spent the last 10 weeks serving in Helmand Province, is flying back to the UK amid concerns for his safety.

The move follows the collapse of a news blackout deal over his tour of duty, which was broken by foreign media.

There had been fears the prince, who is third in line to the throne, could become a target for the Taleban.

In a statement, the Ministry of Defence described the reporting of Harry's deployment by foreign media as "regrettable" but said that contingency plans for such a leak were in place.

Prince Harry, in an interview recorded in Afghanistan prior to his withdrawal, said he had enjoyed being away from the press and England.

"I don't want to sit around Windsor, because I generally don't like England that much and it's nice to be away from all the press and the papers.....," he said.


It added that while the prince should have returned "in a matter of weeks" with his Household Cavalry regiment battlegroup, the situation had now "clearly changed".

Brigadier Andrew Mackay, Commander of Task Force Helmand, said Harry had been "deployed in the field, conducting operations against the Taleban" at the time of the decision.

He continued: "He has seen service both in the south of Helmand and in the north. More recently he took part in a major operation to disrupt Taleban lines of communication."

'Risks'

Chief of the Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, in consultation with head of the Army, General Sir Richard Dannatt, had taken the final decision to withdraw Harry immediately, the statement said.

"This decision has been taken primarily on the basis that the worldwide media coverage of Prince Harry in Afghanistan could impact on the security of those who are deployed there, as well as the risks to him as an individual soldier," it added.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown paid tribute to the prince and said Britain owed him a "debt of gratitude" for his service in Afghanistan, but he added that it was correct to bring Harry back to the UK.


"Security considerations come first. That has been the deciding factor which was made by our defence staff and I think that everybody will respect that is the right decision."

He thanked Harry, a second lieutenant, for the "professionalism and dedication he has shown", and said the decision to bring him home was a reminder of the "difficulties and challenges" the armed forces faced on active duty.

Conservative leader David Cameron agreed that it was "right" to withdraw the prince from Afghanistan, but said everyone in Britain should be "proud of what he has done".

"It's incredibly tough out there. He's obviously shown great courage and bravery as all our soldiers do out there.

"And what they do is really important, not just for the future of Afghanistan but for the safety of our country too."

'Dangerous tasks'

A member of the Household Cavalry, Prince Harry was based in a former madrassa along with a Gurkha regiment.

Work involved calling up allied air cover in support of ground forces and going out on foot patrols.

Defence Secretary Des Browne also commended Harry, saying the prince was "an example of a generation of young people" who were "prepared to take on these very serious and dangerous tasks for our security".

The Queen, opening the Queen's Court Care Home in Windsor, said she believed he had done "a good job in a very difficult climate".


The prince's deployment was subject to a news blackout deal struck between the MoD and newspapers and broadcasters in the UK and abroad.

It is understood that the news was first leaked in an Australian publication in January but only after it appeared on the influential US website, The Drudge Report, did the deal break down.

In exchange for not reporting the prince's deployment, some media organisations were granted access to the prince in Afghanistan for interviews and filming.

The prince's withdrawal is the second major blow to his army career.

Last year, a planned tour to Iraq had to be cancelled at the last minute because of a security risk.

I saw this tv last night, showing part of a documentary or something that is due to air soon.

I thought..how stupid was that, surely now that would be a security risk, let alone a target and might put himself and others are more risk.

Friday, February 29, 2008


Federal judge dismisses challenge to DOD anthrax vaccine program
Jaime Jansen at 11:24 AM ET



A federal judge Friday dismissed a lawsuit brought by members of the US military against the US Department of Defense (DOD) that sought to make an anthrax vaccine optional rather than mandatory. The military personnel had challenged a finding by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that the vaccine was safe, but Judge Rosemary Collyer of the US District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that the FDA had "considered the relevant data and articulated an explanation" of why the vaccine was safe

In 2005, the Bush administration asked the US DC Circuit Court of Appeals to reinstate the DOD's mandatory anthrax vaccination program . The anthrax was labeled for use by individuals who are at high risk for exposure to the disease, but the Bush administration argued that that definition is broad enough to include military personnel. In October 2004, a US federal district court ordered the DOD to suspend its mandatory vaccination program because the vaccine had not received proper approval by the FDA. In March 2005, a federal district court ruled that DOD could administer anthrax vaccinations on a voluntary basis.