paraplegic hunting season

DEM OFERS SPECIAL DEER SEASON FOR PARAPLEGICS/DOUBLE AMPUTEES
PROVIDENCE - A special deer hunting season for hunters who are paraplegics, or double amputees, will be offered by the Department of Environmental Management on Prudence Island from October 12 to October 15.
DEM's Division of Fish and Wildlife has offered this opportunity for over 30 years. According to Lori Suprock, a supervising wildlife biologist at DEM, the program continues to be very popular, offering an average of 10-12 participants the experience of big game hunting. DEM alters the general deer hunting regulations during the special hunt to allow the use of vehicles and other mechanized devices that would ordinarily be prohibited. Paraplegic hunters are also permitted to use shotguns on the island, where taking deer is otherwise restricted to archery hunting.
This year, participants will be able to take advantage of habitat improvements DEM has made on the island. Forest succession had taken over many of the roadways that hunters needed for access with their wheel chairs. Firebreaks, lane ways and fields have recently been brush cut. In addition, the Divisions of Forest Environment and Fish and Wildlife conducted a prescribed burn last spring to set back succession and open up field systems.
As in the past, hunters taking advantage of the special season must hold valid hunting licenses and must have taken hunter education courses. Hunters are permitted to bring assistants who need not be licensed, but who may not hunt or carry a firearm. All deer harvested during the special hunt must be checked prior to leaving the island.

Long Live the King

NUKU'ALOFA (AFP) - Tonga's Siaosi Tupou V was crowned king of his tiny South Pacific nation Friday in a lavish, pomp-filled ceremony attended by royalty from around the world alongside Tongans in traditional dress.
The sovereign of Polynesia's last monarchy sat on a huge golden throne, dressed in silk knee-breeches and a regal cloak trimmed with white ermine for the coronation ceremony, held in Nuku'alofa's Centenary Free Wesleyan Church.
Church bells tolled and a 21-cannon salute rang out as the 60-year-old king was crowned, two years after the death of his father, Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, who reigned for 41 years.
Around 1,000 guests filled the church and hundreds more sat outside trying to catch a glimpse of the king, known as George Tupou V in English.
Japan's Crown Prince Naruhito, Thai Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn and Britain's Duke and Duchess of Gloucester were guests of honour along with regional political leaders and Tongans wearing traditional woven mats around their waists.
Paul Ilavalu, a member of the choir that performed at the ceremony, said the country saw the coronation as a new beginning.
"We are all proud and we are happy to see our king crowned and we wish he will lead us to a new life and a new prosperity," he said.
Originally scheduled for last year, the coronation was delayed as Nuku'alofa reeled from the impact of a November 2006 riot sparked by a political rally in which eight people were killed and dozens of buildings looted and burned.
Since taking power in 2006, Siaosi has backed political reforms in the semi-feudal state, where nearly a quarter of the 115,000 population live under the poverty line.
He has also tried to shake off his reputation as an eccentric figure whose tastes include elaborate uniforms, colonial-era pith helmets, and monocles.
The king entered the church to a fanfare of horns followed by bearers carrying the regal symbols of power of crown, royal sceptre and ring, his three-metre (10-foot)-long train carried by two child pages.
Anglican Archbishop of Polynesia Jabez Bryce anointed the monarch with oil, and later placed the crown on his head.
The Fijian-based archbishop performed all of the rituals that involved touching the king, because protocol forbids Tongans from having physical contact with their monarch.
The archbishop wished the king "a long and glorious course of ruling a temporal kingdom wisely, justly and religiously" as guests fanned themselves in the tropical heat.
Hymns and music were performed by a 370-member local choir and orchestra in a service reflecting the nation's strict Christianity.
"If you went for no other reason, you would go for the singing," said New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, describing the coronation as an "important episode in the life of Tonga."
American guest James R. Prescott praised the clockwork precision of the ceremony and described it as a "once in a lifetime experience."
The king left the church followed by his mother, 82-year-old Queen Halaevalu Mata'aho, in the royal cloak she wore for her husband's coronation in 1967.
Outside, the gathered crowd cheered as Siosi removed his crown to climb into his restored British Humber limousine for the short journey back to the palace.
Flag-waving school children cheered him along the road laid with ornately painted tapa cloth, made from the bark of the mulberry tree.
The western-style coronation came two days after Siaosi was installed in an ancient Tongan ceremony, in which more than 200 nobles and chiefs presented dozens of slaughtered pigs and hundreds of baskets of food in tribute.
Siaosi was offered a bowl of kava, a mild narcotic drink made from plant roots, to signify his sovereignty over Tonga, a country spread over 170 islands.
Around 5,000 Tongans living overseas returned for the celebrations, which also include a ball, charity concert, fireworks display and military parade.

Wax Winehouse

Amy no no no Winehouse has been immortalized in wax! Madame Troussaud's in London has unveiled a beehived wax figure of the awardwinning "soul" singer this week. Her tats have been lovingly reproduced as has her fab do and micro mini.

Do you take this man?

The Massachusetts Senate today passed a bill that would repeal a 1913 state law that prevents gay and lesbian couples from most other states from marrying in Massachusetts.
The bill, which had the support of Senate President Therese Murray, passed with no objections on a voice vote. Proponents of the repeal called the 1913 law archaic and discriminatory.
"There are very few laws on the books that I can say that I'm ashamed that they're on the books," said State Senator Mark Montigny, a New Bedford Democrat. He said he opposed the law because of the "immorality of discrimination."
"This is a very simple law, contrived in shame, and it exists in shame and we ought to wipe it off the books," he said.
"The 1913 law is a shadow, a terrible shadow. It represents a segregationist past that is best put to rest and put to rest quickly," said Senator Harriette Chandler, a Worcester Democrat.
The law originated when lawmakers in many states were trying to prevent interracial couples from crossing state lines to marry. It fell into obscurity for decades. But it received new attention in 2004, when Republican Governor Mitt Romney invoked it after gay marriage was legalized in Massachusetts to prevent out-of-state gay and lesbian couples from marrying here and forcing their home states to consider recognizing Massachusetts marriage law.
“The Massachusetts Senate has no right to infringe on the internal issues of how other states define marriage but that’s exactly what they voted today to do,” Kris Mineau, president, Massachusetts Family Institute, which opposed the repeal, said in a statement after the vote.
The bill now heads to the House, where Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi has already expressed support. Supporters said they expected the bill to pass the House and be signed by Governor Deval Patrick by the end of the month. "If that bill comes to me, I will sign it and sign it proudly," Patrick said Monday.

Wonka Lives!

PARIS (Reuters) - A French air hostess will become one of Europe's pioneer space tourists after picking a chocolate wrapper out of the rubbish and finding a winning number in a competition to fly to the upper reaches of the earth's atmosphere.
Mathilde Epron, 32, said she had bought a Kit Kat chocolate bar at her local supermarket but initially threw the wrapper in the bin, telling herself that "it's only others who win."
Two hours later, thinking back to the competition, she decided to try her luck and fished the wrapper out of the bin, only to find a code marked inside.
"For someone who works in air travel it's really a dream come true," she told France Info radio.
A spokeswoman for Nestle in France confirmed that Epron had won the prize to take a flight on a four-seater, fighter-sized aircraft built by Rocketplane, a company that builds aircraft intended to provide cheap flights into space.
She will receive four days of astronaut training in Oklahoma City in the United States before boarding the Rocketplane XP aircraft which will reach an altitude of 100 km (60 miles) and allow a five-minute experience of weightlessness.

"WTF Fry Her" said the liberal and Roman Polanski

A follower of Charles Manson who stabbed pregnant actress Sharon Tate to death nearly 40 years ago but is dying of brain cancer in a California prison was denied compassionate release Tuesday.
The California Board of Parole released its unanimous decision on the release of Susan Atkins hours after a 90-minute hearing, during which it heard impassioned pleas from both sides.
"Obviously, it was too hot of a potato for them to handle," said one of Atkins' attorney, Eric P. Lampel. "Of course we're disappointed. There's no basis for denying this."
Lampel filed a motion July 10 with Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge David Wesley asking for his client's release no matter what the parole board recommended. No hearing has been set, Lampel said after the hearing.
"We're going to be able to make the case in court. We'll take it to the next step," he said after being informed of the board's decision by The Associated Press.
Atkins' doctors and officials at the women's prison in Corona made the request in March because of her deteriorating health. She also has had her left leg amputated and is paralyzed on her right side, her husband, James Whitehouse, told the California Board of Parole Hearings.
Whitehouse, also acting as one of Atkins' attorneys, had argued that his wife was so debilitated that she could not even sit up in bed. He told the parole board there was no longer a reason to keep her incarcerated.
"She literally can't snap her fingers," he said. "She can put sentences together three or four times a day, but that's the extent of it."
He said doctors have given her three months to live. Atkins, in a hospital near the Southern California prison where she was housed for nearly 40 years, did not attend Tuesday's hearing.
The request for compassionate leave generated opposition from relatives of the victims, the state corrections department, Los Angeles County prosecutors and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
"Those kinds of crimes are just so unbelievable that I am not for compassionate release in that case," Schwarzenegger said Tuesday before the parole board issued its decision.
Atkins, Manson and two other cult members, Patricia Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten, were tried for the 1969 cult killings of Tate; Leno and Rosemary La Bianca; and four others. Tate, the wife of filmmaker Roman Polanski, was 8 1/2 months pregnant.
Sharon Tate's sister, Debra Tate, the last surviving member of her immediate family, sent a letter to the board opposing Atkins' release.
"She is a cold-blooded woman who to this day has not displayed any remorse," wrote Tate, who lives in the Los Angeles area.
The defendants maintained their innocence throughout the trial. Once convicted, the women confessed to the killings during the penalty phase.
On the stand, Atkins recounted her role in stabbing Tate, who pleaded for the life of her unborn baby. Atkins claimed she was on LSD at the time but did not apologize for the crime until a parole hearing years later.
Her brother, Steve Atkins, told the parole board Tuesday that he and his sister had been abused as children.
"After Susan got in with Manson, she was lost to me," he said. "Please let us be with Susan in private in her last days, to pray with her and give our last good-byes."
The defendants were sentenced to death, but their terms were commuted to life sentences when the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily ruled the death penalty unconstitutional. Manson and the two other women remain in state prison.
Atkins has spent 37 years in the California Institution for Women, where she has been held longer than any other female inmate in state history. She was transferred to the hospital in March.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley said that's where she ought to remain. In a letter to the parole board, Cooley said the nature of Atkins' crimes alone should rule out any release.
He noted that after Atkins stabbed Tate, she tasted her blood and used it to write the word "Pig" on the victim's door.
Los Angeles County prosecutor Patrick Sequeira said the board made the right decision because of the crime Atkins committed. He said he informed Debra Tate and two other relatives of the victims.
"They are both relieved and pleased with the decision," Sequeira said. "It obviously doesn't take away the pain for them."
He said it's unclear whether a Los Angeles County judge can consider the compassionate release request from Atkins' attorneys without a recommendation from the parole board.
Compassionate releases are rare in California, with just 10 of 60 requests granted last year, Corrections Department spokeswoman Terry Thornton said.
Atkins' medical treatment and paying for prison guards to watch over her has cost state taxpayers more than $1.4 million since March, according to the corrections department.
Atkins, 60, has been denied parole 12 times.

Cellulitis for 500 Alex

Cellulitis (sel-u-LI-tis) is a common, potentially serious bacterial skin infection. Cellulitis appears as a swollen, red area of skin that feels hot and tender, and it may spread rapidly.
Skin on lower legs is most commonly affected, though cellulitis can occur anywhere on your body or face. Infections on the face are more common in children and older adults. Cellulitis may affect only your skin's surface — or, cellulitis may also affect tissues underlying your skin and can spread to your lymph nodes and bloodstream.
Left untreated, the spreading infection may rapidly turn life-threatening. That's why it's important to seek immediate medical attention if cellulitis symptoms occur.