Pictured: Giant blue whale washed onto California beach after being struck and killed by passing ship
By Mail Foreign Service
Last updated at 11:10 AM on 22nd October 2009
This the tragic sight of the largest mammal in the world - a majestic blue whale - washed ashore after being struck and killed by a passing ship.
The 70-foot female was found on the Northern California coast on Monday night with two gashes on her back - one that was eight feet long.
She was spotted on the shore near Fort Bragg in Mendocino County hours after an ocean survey vessel reported hitting a whale a few miles away, said Joe Cordaro, a wildlife biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's marine fisheries service.
Students from California State University, Humboldt, examined the whale's massive body as it lay on its side in a rocky cove.
'I was personally jazzed just to see the animal,' said Thor Holmes, a lecturer in mammology at the school. He has examined other whale species that washed ashore but never a blue whale.
The whale had two gashes on its back - at least one of which was deep enough to cut through the blubber down to the vertebral column, Holmes said. One gash was eight feet long.
It otherwise appeared to be in good health.
It's unusual for blue whales to wash ashore, Cordaro said. Last week, another blue whale washed up in Monterey County after being hit by a ship.
Before that, the last time a blue whale washed onto a California beach was 2007.
The whales are 'usually far offshore, deep water animals,' Cordaro said.
Although blue whales are considered endangered, experts say they have recently made a comeback and now number several thousand.
Some blue whales feed in the waters off Central and Northern California this time of year then migrate elsewhere to breed, said Dawn Goley, an associate professor of zoology at the Humboldt campus.
Researchers have taken skin and blubber samples from the beached animal to see what contaminants it may have been exposed to and what population group it comes from.
Florida Police Confirm Body in Landfill Is That of Missing Girl
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Florida police have tentatively identified a child's body found in a landfill as that of a missing 7-year-old girl who vanished while walking home from school on Monday.
Sheriff Rick Beseler said that the identification was based on clothing on the body and a birthmark that matched an "odd-shaped" mark on Somer Thompson's left shin.
The partially covered body was found in a Georgia landfill near the Florida state line, after investigators followed garbage trucks leaving the neighborhood where Somer disappeared.
Beseler said investigators searched through 100 tons of garbage before finding the body.
"We were able to make a positive identification," Beseler said. "Based on a birthmark on the lower extremity and clothing the child was wearing. I gave the mother the sad news that we had made an identification of the body."
Beseler told reporters it was the hardest call he has ever had to make.
Somer's father, Samuel Thompson, said on Wednesday he believed it was likely his daughter.
"I'm angry. I'm so angry. I'm so hurt," Thompson told Florida Times-Union as he wept. "My baby daughter laying in trash. Discarded like a piece of trash. God help the sons of bitches who hurt my daughter. They better find them."
Few other details about the body, such as a possible cause of death, were released. An autopsy is planned by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for Thursday morning, at which time the coroner can officially identify the body.
"We hope to learn the cause and manner of the death that will assist us in the criminal investigation we are actively undertaking at this time," Beseler said. "The early discovery will be tremendously helpful in this investigation to help find the person or people responsible for the death of this beautiful child."
Beseler said at a news conference he still fears for the community until a suspect is apprehended. He wouldn't talk about what evidence police have recovered, or whether investigators believe the crime was committed by one or more people.
A crowd of about 150 people, some crying, gathered across the street from Somer's home on Wednesday, many clutching their children tightly. Others placed flowers under a tree.
"We are all devastated," said Tonya Jennings, a grandmother who lived three doors away and often saw the girl and her siblings come home from school. "I knew her."
Somer vanished on her mile-long walk home from school Monday in Orange Park, a suburb of Jacksonville. She was squabbling with another child, and her sister told her to stop. The girl got upset, walked ahead of the group and wasn't seen again.
The area where the girl disappeared is a heavily populated residential area with homes, apartment complexes and condominiums.
Somer's mother, Diena Thompson, said earlier Wednesday that she assumed someone had her daughter. Police suspected foul play after first investigating whether she had fallen into something or gotten lost.
People are encouraged to call the tip line at (877) 227-6911 with any additional tips and information that may help the murder investigation.
Hands up... and pray! Astonishing moment armed robber breaks down in tears and begs for victim's forgiveness
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 12:01 PM on 22nd October 2009
This is the astonishing moment an armed robber is overcome by guilt - and tearfully starts praying for his victim's forgiveness.
CCTV footage captured the robber walk into a cash advance store in Indianapolis and point the gun at the teller's head.
But instead of keeping her silence, the brave teller began speaking to the robber - and moments later she had him in tears and down on his knees.
The hooded assailant marches into the Indianapolis shop with a gun
The pair prayed together before the victim approached her assailant, leaned over and hugged him.
The worker at the cash advance store speaks to the armed robber 
As she begins to pray, the assailant gets down on his knees
Police say the armed robber spent nearly 10 minutes on his knees praying with a clerk at an Indianapolis check-cashing business before fleeing with just $20 from the register.
Security video clearly revealed the man's face during the holdup on Monday, and a man surrendered the next day on a preliminary charge of robbery.
The thief told his victim he had a two-year-old child to support and asked for help overcoming his hardships
The victim leans over the thief and gives him a hug
Police say the incident first took an unusual turn after the gunman came around the counter and the clerk started crying and speaking about God.
The man confided in his victim that he had a two-year-old child to support and appealed to her to pray for him to overcome his hardships.
Clad in a hoodie, the robber walks across the cash advance store in full view
CCTV clearly reveals the armed robber's face
Police say the man removed the bullet from his gun and gave it to the clerk before taking her mobile phone and the money.
Gregory Smith, 23, has been charged with robbery, pointing a firearm and having a handgun without a licence.
Arizona Sweat Lodge Survivor Recounts Horrific Ordeal
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — A woman who took part in an Arizona sweat lodge ceremony tells The Associated Press that the spiritual guru who led the event pushed participants too far in what was supposed to be a life-expanding experience that culminated with people vomiting and passing out on the floor.
Texas resident Beverley Bunn is the first participant in the tragic incident to speak out publicly about the events that led up to the deaths. The 43-year-old told the AP in a series of interviews this week that by the time the sweat lodge ceremony began, the participants had undergone days of physically and mentally strenuous events that included fasting. In one game, guru James Arthur Ray even played God.
Within an hour of entering the sweat lodge on the evening of Oct. 8, people began vomiting, gasping for air and collapsing. Yet Bunn says Ray continually urged everyone to stay inside. The ceremony was broken up into 15-minute "rounds," with the entrance flap to the lodge opened briefly and more heated rocks brought inside between sessions.
"I can't get her to move. I can't get her to wake up," Bunn recalls hearing from two sides of the 415-square-foot sweat lodge. Ray's response: "Leave her alone, she'll be dealt with in the next round."
By that time, Bunn had already crawled to a spot near the opening of the sweat lodge, praying for the door to stay open as long as possible between rounds so that she could breathe in fresh air.
At one point, someone lifted up the back of the tent, shining light in the otherwise pitch-black enclosure. Ray demanded to know who was letting the light in and committing a "sacrilegious act," Bunn said.
The account marks a significant revelation in the investigation because it portrays Ray as driving participants to stay in the lodge despite signs all around him that the situation had gone horribly awry. Until now, few details had surfaced about Ray's actions inside in the sweat lodge.
Investigators are considering bringing charges against Ray in a case that has cast a harsh spotlight on him and his self-help empire as he led dozens of people into the sweat lodge during a five-day retreat that cost more than $9,000 per person. He has hired his own investigative team to try to determine what went wrong.
Ray led the group in chants and prayers during the ceremony, Bunn said. People were not physically forced to stay inside but chided by Ray if they wanted to leave as he told them they were stronger than their bodies and weakness could be overcome.
Bunn lasted the entire two hours, but nearly two dozen others suffered serious injuries that sent them to the hospital.
Kirby Brown, 38, of Westtown, N.Y., and James Shore, 40, of Milwaukee, died upon arrival at a hospital. Liz Neuman, 49, of Prior Lake, Minn., lingered in a coma for more than a week before dying.
Sheriff's investigators in Arizona's Yavapai County are treating the deaths as homicides but have yet to determine the cause.
Investigators are looking into the construction of the sweat lodge, the fact that people had fallen ill at previous sweat ceremonies led by Ray and questionable medical care on site as they try to determine whether criminal negligence contributed to the deaths and illnesses.
Authorities have said a nurse hired by Ray was directing rescue efforts including CPR when emergency crews arrived. Ray is the primary focus of the probe but others also are being investigated, Sheriff Steve Waugh has said.
"I too want to know what happened that caused this horrible tragedy," Ray wrote on his Web site Tuesday.
He vowed to continue with his work.
"I have taken heat for that decision, but if I choose to lock myself in my home, I am sure I would be criticized for hiding and not practicing what I preach," he wrote.
Maid 'tied up in toilet for two days'
From correspondents in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Agence France-Presse
October 22, 2009 05:06pm
A MALAYSIAN couple have been arrested for allegedly severely beating their Indonesian maid and leaving her bound and locked up in a toilet for two nights, police say.
Indonesia has put a ban on sending domestic workers to Malaysia while the neighbours attempt to negotiate a deal on salaries and conditions, aimed at ending a string of appalling abuse cases.
In the latest incident, a market vendor and his wife are accused of viciously beating their 36-year-old maid Mautik Hani, from Surabaya in Indonesia, who was found locked up in their house.
District police chief Mohamad Mat Yusop said today the man, aged in his 30s, surrendered to police yesterday while his 29-year-old wife was arrested on Tuesday.
Newspaper reports have said that Ms Hani was found, tied up around her hands and legs, by another Indonesian cleaner hired to replace her.
She had noticed a foul smell coming from a locked bathroom.
"When she was found, she was in the toilet at the back of the house. Her left eye was swollen, her right leg had a big wound that exposed the bone, and she had bruises all over her body,'' Chief Mohamad said.
He said she was still being treated in hospital for her injuries.
The New Straits Times newspaper said that Ms Hani had been abused by her employers almost daily during the two months she worked at their home.
Malaysia - one of Asia's largest importers of labour - depends heavily on domestic workers, mainly from Indonesia, but has no laws governing their working conditions.
Currently Indonesian maids typically work seven days a week for as little as 400 ringgit ($121.57).
Man arrested for making coffee in own home while naked
An American man who made coffee in his own home while nude is facing charges of indecent exposure.
Published: 12:40PM BST 22 Oct 2009
Eric Williamson, from Springfield, Virginia, was brewing coffee in his kitchen when a woman and a seven-year-old boy walked past the window and saw him.
The woman complained to police who arrested Williamson shortly after the incident on Monday morning.
Williamson, 29, insisted he did nothing wrong and that any exposure of his private parts were accidental.
"Yes I wasn't wearing any clothes but I was alone, in my own home and just got out of bed. It was dark and I had no idea anyone was outside looking in at me," he said.
Williamson, who has a five-year-old daughter, added: "I am a loving dad. Any of my friends and anyone knows that and there is not a chance on this planet I would ever, ever, ever do anything like that to a kid.
"I never had a conversation with anyone, never saw anyone. Didn't cross my mind, came and got coffee. I mean if I stood and seemed comfortable in my kitchen possibly it's natural. It's my kitchen," he insisted.
A spokesman for Fairfax county police, Mary Ann Jennings, said Williamson was arrested because officers believed he wanted to be seen naked by the public.
The 29-year-old faces up to a year in jail and a $2,000 fine if he is convicted. He is fighting the charge and seeking damages from police.
New Zealand town cancels rabbit-throwing contest
A rural town in New Zealand has been forced to cancel its annual rabbit-throwing competition after complaints from animal rights groups.
Published: 7:00AM BST 22 Oct 2009
In the contest, which is held each year to coincide with the start of the pig hunt, children see how far they can throw a dead rabbit.
But the RSPCA said the rabbit-throw sent a message to children that dead animals were fun and could legitimately be used as a form of
Charles Cadwallader, animal cruelty inspector, said the rabbit-throw was also cruel.
"Do you throw your dead grandmother around for a joke at her funeral?" he said.
However, not everyone in the town agrees with the ban.
The organiser of the pig hunt, Jo Moriarty, said the decision to can the event was political correctness gone mad.
"You know, the children of the community here are fantastic, they love their animals," she told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Ms Moriarty said children communities like Waiau had a better respect for animals because they are brought up with them.
Rabbits are considered to be pests in New Zealand.
The country has more than 30 million wild rabbits, which cause an estimated $22 million worth of damage. In Waiau there are farmers employed full time for rabbit eradication
Nude food calendar is tasty
By CHARLOTTE MARTIN
Published: Today
PASS the sauce please!
What a catch ... fish dishy
Move over Jamie Oliver, there's a new Naked Chef in town ... and this one is good enough to eat.
Whether you're a foodie or a nudie, you better ask for a Babette Gastronomic Calendar in your stocking this Xmas.
It features snaps of naked ladies covering their credentials with spaghetti, onions, shrimps and sausages (no sniggering please).
