Seven of Eight Pelicans Die After Wings Intentionally Broken Last Edited: Friday, 19 Sep 2008, 2:33 PM PDT Created: Friday, 19 Sep 2008, 2:33 PM PDT
Eight pelicans were intentionally injured with broken wings - seven of them died.
  Eight pelicans were intentionally injured with broken wings - seven of them died.



Huntington Beach, Calif. -- Eight pelicans have been found with intentionally broken wings on a stretch of Southern California's Bolsa Chica State Beach and seven have died.

Debbie McGuire, the director of Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach, said Friday the wings appeared to have been broken deliberately.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says it's investigating.

The wildlife center is offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to a conviction in the case.

The surviving bird, a female, is being cared for at the center.

The pelicans are believed to have been attacked during a 48-hour period beginning Monday.
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September 17, 2008

ARGAN OIL/(are-gan oil)/n./ 1. The extraction from the pulp and seed of nuts from the argan tree, found in Morocco and Algeria; /n./ 2. Typically harvested by women’s cooperatives and high in vitamin E content, argan oil has exceptional moisturizing properties and has been proven to have age-defying and skin-healing capabilities, e.g., “Do something good for your skin—and your sisters in agribusiness—and seek out products rich in argan oil.”

Try it: Kiehl’s Superbly Restorative Skin Salve with Fairly-Traded Argan Oil, $25, www.kiehls.com

Photo: Inga Spence / GettyImages

September 17, 2008

 


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NEW YORK (CNN) -- Seven months have passed since the disappearance and slaying of Santa Barbara, California, college student Brianna Denison.

Brianna Denison, 19, disappeared when she was visiting friends at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Brianna Denison, 19, disappeared when she was visiting friends at the University of Nevada, Reno.

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The 19-year-old undergraduate disappeared while visiting friends at the University of Nevada, Reno.

She was last seen sleeping on the living room sofa near an unlocked glass door of a friend's off-campus apartment after a night of partying.

Her friends awoke the next morning to find Denison missing, a small blood stain on her pillow. Her shoes, purse and cell phone were left behind.

Three weeks later, her body was found partially covered in snow in a nearby field. She'd been sexually assaulted and strangled.

But the killer left an unusual "calling card." According to authorities, he has a fetish for women's lingerie and makes it a habit to take the panties of his victims, leaving behind the previous victim's.

Along with Denison's remains, a pair of black thong panties was found. The panties did not belong to the victim and contained DNA from another, unidentified female.

Police are asking any woman who has lost a pair of black thong panties, size small, with a Pink Panther cartoon and heart design, to come forward.

Police have also been able to connect DNA found at the crime scene to a prior sexual assault that occurred December 16 and involved another university student. She managed to escape her attacker and described him in more detail to authorities. Video Watch how a serial rapist is stalking a college town »

Additionally, both crimes bear striking similarity to several other sexual assaults in the area, leading police to conclude that Denison's killer is a serial rapist who most likely lives or works in the area. The attacks all took place in close proximity to each other, during similar times of day and used similar methods.

In one of the earlier attacks, a university student was walking across a parking lot to her car when a man approached her from behind and put her in a choke hold. He pushed her to the ground and groped her. She fought him off and screamed. He kicked her in the head and then ran, dropping a couple of unopened condom packets.

In another incident, a student was attacked as she was parking her car outside her home. The assailant tried to choke her and force her inside his vehicle. He then drove her a few minutes away to a secluded area and sexually assaulted her, then beat her and drove her back to her residence.

He threatened that "he'd be back" if she told anyone. Victims describe the assailant as a white male, 28 to 40 years old, square chin, brown hair, about 5-foot-6, strong but not muscular, a small pot belly and short beard.

The vehicle associated with him is a small truck with an extended cab, automatic transmission and front bucket style seats with velour upholstery. One witness also describes seeing a baby shoe lying on the floorboard in the front passenger side of the truck. 

Police and family are asking for the public's help in bringing Brianna Denison's killer to justice.

Please call the the Reno Police Hot Line at 775-745-3521 or the Secret Witness Line at 775-322-4900. Secret Witness is offering a $2,500 reward for anonymous tips that lead to an arrest and prosecution.
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A man from Honduras reads in an "English As A Second Language" class in Miami, Florida.

A man from Honduras reads in an "English As A Second Language" class in Miami, Florida.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006 American Community Survey, approximately 80 percent -- or 223.2 million people -- of Americans use only English at home.

The remaining 20 percent -- 55.8 million people -- speak a language other than English. Add the millions of tourists visiting the country each year and you have a huge demand for workers who can communicate in more than one language.

Thankfully, bilingual workers come to the rescue. In almost every line of work the ability to speak a second language makes you a valuable asset.

Any job that requires you to interact with customers -- either in person, on the phone or online -- can use your knowledge of a second (or third) language. Think about it: Every additional customer you can speak with not only improves his or her experience but also brings in revenue to your employer.

The states with the largest percentage of citizens speaking a language other than English at home are California, New Mexico, Texas, New York and Arizona.

Spanish is by far the most popular non-English language spoken at home with roughly 34 million speakers nationwide. Still, there are millions of people speaking other languages -- including French, German, Mandarin, Arabic and lesser known languages -- that also benefit from bilingual workers.

If you speak more than one language or have thought about learning a second one, here are some industries and jobs where your skills will come in handy.

Industry: Health care
Why: Patients visiting emergency rooms and doctor's offices come from all walks of life. In fact, America's reputation as a leader in medicine attracts people from around the world, so you never know what language you'll hear when someone walks through the door.

Jobs: Registered nurse, paramedic, physician's assistant, home health aide

Industry: Hospitality Why: Spas, resorts and hotels help visitors escape their daily routine and makes them feel like royalty. Creating a little bit of paradise -- for a tourist or a local just trying to get away -- is easier when you can understand what your client is saying to you.

Jobs: Concierge, resort manager, hotel manager, desk clerk

Industry: Education
Why: One of the richer aspects of an American education is the exposure to different cultures. You can walk into most classrooms, from kindergarten through graduate levels, and find students who come from multilingual households or who are studying abroad.

Jobs: Teacher, ESL instructor, guidance counselor

Industry: Law enforcement
Why: Among the many duties of law enforcement personnel is interviewing people, either to solve crimes or to understand what's happening in a conflict. You can save a lot of time (and maybe even a life) if you don't have to wait for an interpreter.

Jobs: Police officer, investigator, security guard, probation officer, corrections officer

Industry: Customer service
Why: Every aspect of customer service involves dealing with people. Depending on where you work, you might have customers who are tourists or who come from households where English isn't spoken. Knowing more than one language means you can communicate to a larger amount of visitors, which both your employer and customers will appreciate.

Jobs: Sales clerk, demonstrator, retail store supervisor, computer support specialist, customer service representative

Industry: Social services
Why: Social service workers meet with families, adoption agencies and schools in order to ensure the well-being of children. The fewer language barriers between the worker, children and important people in their environment, the smoother things can run.

Jobs: Family social worker, substance abuse social worker, social work administration

Industry: FinanceWhy: Money doesn't only stay on one continent, so in the world of finance, whether you're a teller or the CEO of an investment bank, you're dealing with euros and yen and the languages that come with them.

Jobs: Teller, financial adviser, investment banker, accountant

Industry: Communication
Why: Whether your job is talking to the media or writing for a publication, words are your livelihood. The more you know, the better you can do your job. Whether it enables you to speak to a reporter or interview a source for a story, being bilingual makes your job easier.

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Big Hurricane AGAIN!!
CEOinIRVINE


HOUSTON, Texas (CNN) -- Federal supplies of food and water will be available by Monday evening to Houstonians affected by Hurricane Ike, officials said Sunday after Houston's mayor voiced concern about when the aid would come.

Fearing food shortages, customers line up to buy groceries in League City, Texas, on Sunday.

Fearing food shortages, customers line up to buy groceries in League City, Texas, on Sunday.

Also Sunday, a state official said nearly 2,000 people who did not evacuate for Ike have been rescued in southeastern Texas, and rescue crews were still searching areas "door by door" for anyone needing help.

"There's an effort to knock on every door, get into every place ... and see if anyone's trapped and to rescue them and, unfortunately in some cases, maybe recover them," said Steve McCraw, director of Texas Homeland Security.

Ike was blamed for at least 13 U.S. deaths by Sunday evening, including at least three in hard-hit Galveston County, Texas.

In Houston, widespread debris, power outages and flooded streets prompted the city to enact a weeklong curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Some city officials, a day after Ike lashed Texas' Gulf Coast, suggested the Federal Emergency Management Agency had been slow to deliver aid.

"We expect FEMA to deliver these supplies and we will hold them accountable," Mayor Bill White said.

But Homeland Security Secretary Allan Chertoff said 80 trucks carrying food and water were heading for Houston's Reliant Stadium, and that the items would be taken to 24 distribution points selected by city and county officials.

Twenty-four hours after Ike slammed into Galveston, Texas, packing 110-mph winds, rescuers in the area began efforts early Sunday to check on people who failed to heed mandatory evacuation orders. Photo See the destruction Ike left behind »

Among the coastal Texas residents who found themselves in trouble after Ike hit were Paul and Kathi Norton. They overslept as Ike closed in on their home, so they decided to tough it out because their evacuation route was already flooded.

Though their Crystal Beach, Texas, home, about 20 miles northeast of Galveston, was on 14-foot stilts, the couple was concerned, they told CNN affiliate KHOU-TV in Houston, Texas.

"My husband made me wear a life jacket inside our house," Kathi Norton said. "Thank God for that, or I couldn't be here."

Early Saturday, about two hours before Ike officially made landfall, high winds and rising floodwaters began battering their home. The house began collapsing, and "if the flagpole wouldn't have stopped the house, the house would've crushed us," Kathi Norton said.

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"It took the floor up, buckled down and took it right off the piling. And we dove out the door and grabbed the staircase, and we floated off," Kathi Norton told KHOU on Sunday after the couple was delivered in a National Guard helicopter to an evacuation point in Texas City, Texas. Video Watch how Crystal Beach was leveled »

Wanda Collins also stayed home as Ike approached. Collins has lived four blocks from Galveston's seawall for 30 years, and though she's seen hurricanes hit coastal Texas before, she's never had 5 feet of water collect in the garage under her home.

"I've never seen water like this," she said after the storm surge ruined everything in her garage, including a 2002 pickup truck, two Harley-Davidson motorcycles, a freezer, a washer and a dryer. iReport.com: See fire, flooding in Galveston

After weakening to a tropical depression, Ike delivered rain, high winds and flooding northward through Arkansas and the Midwest. In a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, dozens of people had to be evacuated by boat on Sunday, according to The Associated Press.

Ike's remnants were expected to continue on a northeasterly path, reaching New England by Monday morning.

The storm left Galveston without electricity, gas, water pressure and basic communications, and officials estimated those things may not be restored for a month, The Associated Press reported. See how Ike affected cities around Galveston Bay »

Homes and other buildings were flooded. Though much of the flooding receded by Sunday afternoon, sewage and sludge coated the streets. Officials encouraged those who were still there to leave. Video Watch Galveston man show damage to his home »

Jesse Segura's Galveston home started to flood as he tried to wait out Ike early Saturday. He told the Galveston County Daily News that even though the water inside was rising, he tried to sleep on two mattresses he stacked on his kitchen table.

But when water became chest-deep, he waded to his bathroom, got on top of his sink, punched his way into his attic and waited there, the Daily News reported. Later that morning, he was able to leave his house soaked and barefooted, and rescuers picked him up.

"This was a real close call to death for me," he told the Daily News. "I'll never do it again, man. I learned my lesson."

Ike also hammered residents farther inland, who helped make up the estimated 40,000 Texans seeking refuge in 250 shelters across the state, according to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. See Ike's trail of damage »

Ike, which moved through the heart of the U.S. oil industry, destroying at least 10 production platforms, federal officials said, according to the AP.

Deaths from Ike

Galveston County sheriff's Sgt. Greg Hayes said Sunday that three bodies were found in Port Bolivar, located across the narrow entrance to Galveston Bay from Galveston Island.

In Arkansas, a man was killed when a tree fell on his mobile home as the remnants of the storm swept through early Sunday, the Pointsett County sheriff said.

Four people in Louisiana -- two in Terrebonne Parish and two in Jefferson Davis Parish -- died as a result of Ike, Louisiana Chief Medical Officer Louis Cataldie said Sunday. Details about those deaths were not immediately released.

A woman died after a tree fell through her home Saturday morning in western Montgomery County, Texas, officials said. A day earlier, a 19-year-old man drowned after the storm surge swept him off a 100-foot pier near Corpus Christi, Texas.

A child died Saturday at a Houston hospital from carbon monoxide poisoning as a result of a generator running inside the family's home, according to Lindsey Klingensmith, a spokeswoman for Memorial Hermann Hospital-Texas Medical Center.

Also, a 10-year-old boy was killed Friday by a falling tree limb as his father cut down a dead tree to prepare for the storm in Montgomery County, and an elderly person died while being evacuated to a shelter in Bell County, Texas.

President Bush, who declared much of the Texas-Louisiana coast a major disaster area, said Sunday he will visit Texas on Tuesday. Track the storm »

iReporter George Ramirez, of Seabrook, Texas, about 20 miles northwest of Galveston, said he will evacuate for the next hurricane after watching boats float down the middle of his apartment complex Saturday.

"It was 12-foot swells coming over a balcony," Ramirez said. "It was scary. I'll never do it again. It was really bad."

In nearby Pearland, D.J. Knight, a mother of two, stayed home during Ike and is now at home without power. Her home is surrounded by wreckage and flooded roads.

The storm was "horrible," she said, acknowledging that she underestimated it.

"The windows looked like they would explode," Knight said. "It just wouldn't stop." Video Watch Texas residents detail Ike's fury »

More than 2.8 million customers were without power Sunday in the states hit by Ike, including 2,471,962 in Texas, the U.S. Department of Energy said. The rest were in Louisiana and Arkansas.

In Houston, though the mayor said there is no sign of contamination in the city's water, he urged residents to drink bottled water or boil any tap water they intend to drink.

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