Sightings of 'Mountain lions' puzzle experts

By Michael Risinit

A mountain lion was spotted recently by a resident in Columbia County, N.Y. (Submitted photo)

As if they had seen a ghost, those who say they've glimpsed a mountain lion in the Hudson Valley must weather disbelievers. But knowing their feline apparitions are rooted in fur and blood leaves no room for self-doubt.

"I'm absolutely positive I spotted it. It just had this enormous head, and I definitely saw the tail. The tail is what did it for me," said Diane Winne of Philipstown.

Winne, an English teacher at Tuxedo High School in Orange County, was describing what she thinks was a dead mountain lion recently on Route 6 near Harriman State Park. The tail is a telltale sign for researchers and mountain-lion aficionados: Long tail means mountain lion; short tail is bobcat or something else.

The news last month that a Patterson family spotted a possible mountain lion in their Somerset Drive yard spawned several other reports of mountain lions - also known as cougars, pumas, catamounts or panthers - from throughout the region. But state and federal wildlife authorities maintain the large cats don't exist locally, except as escaped exotic pets. The wrangling over whether they do or don't has probably gone on since the state's last known wild cougar was killed in 1894.

"Part of me likes to hope that someplace in the Northeast, there's a population of Eastern mountain lions. I'm romantically hopeful," said Fred Koontz, executive director of Teatown Lake Reservation in Yorktown and a former mammals curator at the Bronx Zoo.

The accepted fact is that, except in Florida, there isn't a population anywhere east of the Mississippi. At one time, they roamed from Michigan, eastern Canada and Maine south to South Carolina and west across Tennessee. A mountain lion shot and killed by police last spring in Chicago was traced back to animals from South Dakota. Like other experts, Koontz points out that if they called the Hudson Valley home, a few would become roadkill. In Florida, where some 80 to 100 panthers are thought to live, seven this year have been hit and killed by vehicles.

"A lot of very credible people claim that they've seen mountain lions," he said. "The thing to me that's strange is we haven't found a dead one on the roads."

Christine Belcher, who lives in Dutchess County, said she was driving near her home last month and had to stop her Honda CR-V to let three mountain lions cross Dover Furnace Road.

"It was like a momma and a couple of smaller ones with a long tail, a flat face and big ears," she said, recalling the animals that were so close she could see their whiskers. "In my mind, I called it a mountain lion."

As a college graduate, Belcher said, she went home and checked several Web sites, including National Geographic.

"I'm not a scientist, but it was definitely a mountain lion," she said.

By the spring, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service expects to release a review of the status of the Eastern cougar. The review, which began last year, is the first time the federal government has taken a collective look at the animal since placing it on the endangered list in 1982.

"There certainly have been cougars here in the East. Some people believe there is a residual population," said Mark McCollough, the biologist heading the service's review. "We can't find any evidence of that."

Once the review is published, he said, the cougar could be kept on the endangered species list or removed in recognition that it's locally extinct. It's also possible, he said, that some day Florida animals could be relocated elsewhere in the South to take advantage of more spacious habitat.

"They do seem to be coming back if you look at North America as a whole, including Florida, North Dakota, Texas," McCollough said.

Nicole Rubin, the Patterson mother who said last month that she saw a mountain lion, said several neighbors reached out after seeing The Journal News article about her feline sighting and shared similar stories. John Prophet of Patterson, who lives a mile away from Rubin, said he saw a mountain lion - "big head, big body, long, long tail - in his yard about five years ago.

"I know what I saw. It was definitely a mountain lion," Prophet said.

Winne, the teacher, said she notified the state park police about the carcass she saw later that October day, but nothing was found. The remains of a deer or a coyote, she said, would have been unwanted and still there.

"For the longest time, I wanted to put a sign there and say: 'Call me if you saw what I saw,' " Winne said. "I'm telling you, I saw what I saw. I saw that tail."

Reach Michael Risinit at mrisinit@lohud.com or 845-228-2274.

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Guinness World Record For Most Tattoos Given In 24 Hours Shattered

By Yvonne Zusel

See more shots in our Guinness World Record slide show.

It’s 2:40 on Saturday morning and while most people’s nights are winding down, Hollis Cantrell’s has just begun. He’s bent over a man’s calf with his tattoo needle moving carefully but efficiently, first drawing an “A,” then a “Z.”

It’s the 521st time Cantrell has given this "AZ" tattoo since noon, and while he could probably do it, as the cliché goes, in his sleep, there’s no time for any of that. He’s still 205 tattoos away from becoming a world record holder. But Cantrell doesn’t just want to break the record for the number of tattoos given in a 24-hour period. He wants to blow it wide open.

“I want them to look in the Guinness Book at my record and the next fucking douchebag who wants to try this fucking cringes,” said Cantrell, the manager of Artistic Tattoo in Phoenix.

Breaking the record has been on Cantrell’s mind since last summer, when celebrity tattoo artist Kat Von D took the record with 400. Her ex-husband Oliver Peck broke her record shortly there after in June with 415 and that pissed Cantrell off.

“Kat Von D is already a star, she already has her own show,” he said. “Why does she have to take everything? I want to jump in the middle of their little feud. I’m going to take one back for the little guy.”

So Cantrell contacted Guinness and began looking at their strict guidelines for setting the record: The tattoos must be 1.25 x 3 inches, have a minimum of two colors, and every tattoo must be recorded for Guinness Book eligibility. Cantrell settled on the AZ tattoo, which he knew he could do quickly and was also a symbol that would appeal to most of his regular customers.

In the meantime, a tattoo artist in Tyler, Texas broke Peck’s record on Oct. 25 with 726. It changed the game slightly for Cantrell, but it didn’t faze him. He secured sponsorship from Superior Tattoo Supplies and put out the word through his network of clients, family members and longtime friends that he was looking for people willing to donate their skin to the cause. For $20, participants would get the tattoo, 50 percent off additional tattoos in 2009 and the chance to make history. A portion of the proceeds would also be donated to local non-profits.

Cantrell’s kids started pulling old Guinness Books off the shelf and looking through them.

“Next year, you’ll be in it,” they told him.

No pressure or anything.

By Friday, Cantrell is excited and ready to go. Though he has commitments from his tight-knit group though he’s still a little worried about getting extra bodies in the door, especially from 2 a.m. to 5 p.m. when temperatures—and energy levels—drop.

At 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Artistic Tattoo is buzzing with activity. Video cameras set up the night before to capture Cantrell’s every shift of the needle are turned on. Cantrell’s co-workers—many of them his friends for years and all of whom are planning on staying awake and on hand for the entire 24 hours—are rushing around, making sure everything is in place. Paramedics, who will be on standby the whole time, find their places. The tables and chairs where participants will sit or lay while they get inked are wiped down one more time, plates with premeasured vials of ink and water are being prepared, and everybody’s put their names into the "pass out pool" Whoever guesses closest to the number of people who pass out wins $150.

There are only a few people waiting in line, but Cantrell’s friend Tom Griffith, who goes by Stitch, has committed to getting 20-plus “AZs” tattooed on his legs, which should buy Cantrell some time while the line builds.

“We’re gonna take this fucking record,” Cantrell shouts as he tattoos. “Hey everybody, call everyone you know! And try to get multiples! We’re makin’ history!”

Martin Ledezma is waiting in line with his ass hanging over his boxer shorts, an AZ stenciled on each cheek. He is here to support his friend and be part of something unique.

“I like to stand out,” he says.

At 1:38, Cantrell has done 61 tattoos and says he’s feeling good. He’s still worried about getting people to come out.

“I just want to make sure I have enough fucking bodies,” he says.

The line grows steadily, and it’s notable for its diversity. There are the expected just-turned-18-year-olds, but there are also women who look old enough to be grandmothers and people of all body types and skin colors. Some, including Cantrell’s high school friend Chris Fuller, are getting their first tattoos today.

Vicki Sherwood is waiting in line with her fiancé, her son and her son’s two friends.

“We decided we were going to do it together,” she said.

As the time passes, Cantrell becomes more focused but still jokes around.

“All I want out of this whole fucking experience is to tattoo a midget, so somebody tell a midget to get out here,” he says. The shop busts into laughter.

The count is 198 at 5:40 p.m. After almost six hours of tattooing, Cantrell is 20 minutes away from taking his first break. And nobody has passed out...yet.

Michael Loudermilk, whose wife, Mary, has already gotten AZs all down her leg, is getting his own legs stenciled with the letters.

“It’s nice because my daughter’s name is Arianna and my son’s name is Zach, so it has a double meaning,” he says.

At 6 p.m., Cantrell takes a 15 minute break. He opens and closes his hands a few times to get them out of their cramped position. His wife comes over to rub his back. He eats a peanut butter granola bar and is ready to go again. Six more hours will pass before he takes his next break.

A little after midnight, somebody passes out after getting a tattoo on his neck. The woman next to him gets woozy and passes out for a moment, and the Pass Out Pool number stands at two.

At 2:10 a.m., Cantrell has given 508 tattoos. Joseph Villarreal waits for his turn. He came by after hearing about the Cantrell’s quest at a party.

“I just heard about it today. As soon as I heard it was an AZ tattoo I said, ‘I’m there,’” he says. “I have to represent. And hopefully he’ll set the record.”

At the rate he is going, most people in the shop agree Cantrell will do just that by 8 a.m.

The line starts dwindling around 4, which is when the reserves step in. Adolph Bohn waited until it got slow to have Cantrell tattoo 74 "AZs" on his back, which took an hour and 15 minutes.

“It tickled a little,” he admits.

At 7:30, volunteers stand outside with signs advertising free tattoos. The $20 price has been dropped. Now, Cantrell just wants to break the damn record.

The count is 693 at 7:45. At 8:02, he is 25 away from tying the record. At 8:57 a.m., Cantrell raises his arms in the air as everyone in the shop finds their fourth or fifth winds and clap and cheer. Cantrell has done 727 tattoos, breaking the record with 3 and a half hours to spare.

“Did we beat Kat Von D and Oliver Peck?” he asks. “That’s all I care about.”

He also cares somewhat about his threat to make other comers to the title of Fastest Tattoo Artist in the World cringe when they see his number. So he keeps going. Every muscle is his back is in pain, and he compares his hand to a lobster claw.

“Hollis, you’re a fucking genius!” someone in the crowd gathered around the tattoo tables yells. “Man, you’re getting laid tonight!”

Cantrell tattoos steadily for the next couple of hours. At 11:30, he strips down to his boxer shorts and performs tattoo 801—his last—on his own thigh to the cheers of his friends. He has decided to stop about 25 minutes early, with a few people still waiting in line, who he promises he will get to on another day. Right now, all this record breaker wants to do is sleep.

He says if you took a hammer to his hands right now, he would not feel it. He likens the way he feels to being on speed. He tears up when asked what kept him going when he felt like he wanted to stop: his daughters. He did it for them and the 30 plus people in the store who stayed up with him through the night, many of whom he’s known for 16 years. Not to mention the slew of people who came by to support him by getting tattoos.

So would he do it all again if someone comes along in the next few months and breaks his new record?

“Yeah, why not?” Cantrell answers. He has a grin on his tired face, and you can see him already start to think about it.

Original here

A War of Words Between Cuban and the S.E.C.

Updated 3:29 p.m.: The Mark Cuban insider-trading case has just become very strange very quickly.

Hours after the Securities and Exchange Commission said that it was charging the voluble owner of the Dallas Mavericks with illegally trading on confidential information related to Mamma.com, a search engine company, Mr. Cuban fired off his own salvo. In a press release (and blog post), Mr. Cuban accused the S.E.C. of prosecutorial misconduct.

What did he mean, exactly? A person close to Mr. Cuban told DealBook that an S.E.C. employee had sent Mr. Cuban e-mails several times over the last year or so, accusing him of being unpatriotic. The bone of contention was Mr. Cuban’s involvement with “Loose Change,” a documentary that accuses the Bush administration of engineering the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks as a pretext for the Iraq war.

Read one of the purported e-mails — which copies Christopher Cox, the S.E.C. chairman, and was obtained from this person — after the jump.

In a statement, an S.E.C. spokesman told DealBook that the insider-trading investigation was run out of the commission’s Washington headquarters. Mr. Norris worked out of a regional office and had no role in or knowledge of the investigation. He was “referred for disciplinary action,” the spokesman said.

Furthermore, Mr. Cox did not correspond with Mr. Cuban and recused himself from the commission vote on whether to bring up charges.

From: Norris, Jeffrey B.
Sent: Saturday, May 05, 2007 2:27 PM
To: Mark Cuban
Cc: Cox, Christopher

Subject: RE: “Lose Change”

I AM SHARING THIS WITH CHAIRMAN COX. NEITHER HE NOR THE COMMISSION ENDORSE MY OPINIONS, BUT IN LIGHT OF YOUR THREAT, I THOUGHT SHOULD SEND THIS TO HIM.

Mark:

If this upsets you, I wonder how George Bush feels. I assume that Mr. Cox would view your involvement with “Loose Change” much as I do. After all, he served his country as a Republican Congressman from Orange County for nearly 20 years and was appointed by President Bush. If you feel like sharing my thoughts with Chairman Cox, be my guest.

Previously, I thought you were merely foolish and naïve. Now, however, I see that you are also a hypocrite. I guess your belief in free speech has severe limitations. If someone else is the victim of an absurd conspiracy theory, you defend your right to participate in smearing the good name of of a patriot like President Bush. But, when you are the subject of a parody of the attack you have endorsed, you suddenly issue threats.

I think I will e-mail this to Chairman Cox myself. I think he will enjoy it. I’m sure he is also a Laker fan.

Since Chairman Cox may not know the background, I will explain. Mark Cuban is the owner of the Dallas Mavericks and has participated in distributing the vicious and absurd documentary, “Loose Change,” which posits that President Bush planned the demolition of the World Trade Center as a pretext for going to war against Iraq. We have had some past exchanges about my opinion the Mr. Cuban’s support for this project is irresponsible and immoral. Below, I parodied his position that every opinion, no matter how absurd and vicious, deserves to be broadly disseminated.

–Michael J. de la Merced

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MySpace hoax case about big issues, petty feud

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- The case of U.S. vs. Lori Drew is viewed in legal circles as landmark Internet law, but as outlined in government documents with its neighborhood feuds and a teen's suicide, it reads more like a plotline for a made-for-TV drama.

Megan Meier, 13, hanged herself in her bedroom after being targeted in a MySpace hoax.

In fact, as the judge has noted, the case of the 49-year-old Missouri woman accused of taunting a 13-year-old girl on the Internet to the point where she committed suicide has already inspired an episode of "Law & Order."

U.S. District Judge George Wu said he considered a defense motion to exclude evidence of the suicide from the trial that begins Tuesday.

But he finally decided it would be futile since people being called for jury duty most likely know about it.

Instead, he said he would instruct the jurors that the case is about whether Drew violated the terms of service of the MySpace social networking site, not about whether she caused the suicide of Megan Meier.

Drew has pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy and three counts of accessing computers without authorization. Each count carries a potential sentence of five years in prison.

Drew's lawyer, Dean Steward, argued that no matter what the judge tells the jury, once they hear the story, they will not see it as a case about violating rules in cyberspace.

"They will conclude it's about the tragic death of a young girl," he said. "The jury is going to end up thinking that Lori Drew is being tried for the death of Megan Meier."

Not so, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Krause, but his memorandum presents a compelling narrative of discord and death in the town of O'Fallon, Missouri.

The saga began years ago when the Drew and Meier families were friends in the St. Louis suburb. Their daughters were the same age, attended school together and were friends.

Megan, who is referred to in court documents as M.T.M. because she was a minor, spent time with the Drews and traveled with them, the prosecutor said.

"However, their relationship was, at times, rocky," the document notes. "On ... occasions, M.T.M. feuded with defendant's daughter."

Megan's mother, Christina Meier, confided in Drew that she was concerned for her daughter's mental health and felt she was "particularly vulnerable," Krause said.

Eventually, the girls drifted apart and in 2005, Megan transferred to a new school.

In the summer of 2006, Drew became concerned that Megan was spreading malicious rumors on MySpace about her daughter. The mother discussed the matter with her daughter and her 18-year-old assistant, Ashley Grills, the document said.

The three plotted to invent "an attractive male teenager" on MySpace and approach Megan using the false identity. They allegedly planned to find out what she was saying about Drew's daughter.

Grills, who is expected to testify as the government's star witness, has said she warned they would get in trouble if unmasked. But she said Drew assured her that "many people created fake identities on the Internet."

Prosecutors declined to comment on whether Grills has been given immunity in exchange for her testimony.

"Josh Evans" was born on MySpace on September 20, 2006, and was introduced as a new boy in town who was homeschooled and lonely.

The document said "he" contacted Megan, who quickly became smitten. After some innocent messages, Drew encouraged her co-conspirators to have him "flirt" with Megan.

Complications arose when another neighborhood girl obtained the password for the "Josh Evans" account and sent messages to Megan saying Josh no longer wanted to be friends with her. A dispute erupted and on Oct. 16, 2006, Grills typed a message telling Megan "that the world would be a better place without (her) in it."

Megan ran upstairs and her mother found her about 20 minutes later hanging in her closet. She died the next day in the hospital.

Steward said outside court that part of Drew's defense would be that she was not at home when the message was sent.

Grills said during an interview with the ABC's "Good Morning America" last spring that she wrote the message to Megan in an effort to end the online relationship with "Josh" because Grills felt the joke had gone too far.

When she learned of the suicide, Drew told her "co-schemers" to delete the MySpace account, Krause wrote. She called the other girl who had become part of the MySpace conversation and told her to "keep her mouth shut" and to "stay off the MySpace."

Megan's death was investigated by Missouri authorities, but no state charges were filed because no laws appeared to apply to the case. But in California, U.S. Attorney Thomas P. O'Brien, noting that MySpace was headquartered in Los Angeles, found a statute that seemed to apply.

O'Brien said this was the first time the federal statute on accessing protected computers has been used in a social-networking case. It had been used in the past to address computer hacking.

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Woman Addicted to Surgery Injects Oil Into Her Face

Hang Mioku, who had her first plastic surgery at the age of 28, is a cosmetic surgery addict who has let her obsession with surgeries ruin her life.

After her first plastic surgery, her addiction led her to Japan where she received additional operations on her face, which eventually became enlarged and deformed.

Eventually the surgeons she was visiting told her that they would no longer perform operations on her and suggested she seek help for her addiction.

Upon, returning home to Korea, Mioku was so deformed that her own family could no longer recognize her.

After searching for someone who would perform more surgeries on here, she found a local Korean doctor who provided her with silicone, which she would self inject into her face with a needle.

Mioku was so addicted to plastic surgery, she would even inject cooking oil into her face when the silicone supply ran out.

Recently, Mioku was featured on a Korean TV show for her addiction and deformities. Many viewers sent in money to help her get additional surgeries to help reduce the size of her face.

Having seen the error in her decisions, Mioku only wishes she could go back and have her original face back.

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Girl accidentally killed by father

MARYSVILLE, Wash., Nov. 17 (UPI) -- A Washington man who told officers he fatally shot his 6-year-old daughter while cleaning a gun had been drinking heavily, court records indicate.

Snohomish County sheriff's deputies arrested 42-year-old Richard Peters of Marysville following the Sunday night shooting while they considered whether to file felony first-degree manslaughter charges, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported Monday.

Peters called 911 after the shooting, around 7:30 p.m. His daughter, Stormy Peters, was rushed to Seattle Children's Hospital but she died there, the newspaper said.

Citing court documents filed in Snohomish County Superior Court, the newspaper said Richard Peters told police he had asked his daughter to bring his Colt .45-caliber pistol from his room. He said he had unloaded the magazine but for some reason the gun fired.

Police said Richard Peters told an investigator he "must have" pulled the trigger. He told a detective he had been drinking "double vodkas" while he and his wife cleaned the guns, and court documents indicated he said he was probably too drunk to drive.

An 8-year-old sibling, an infant and the girl's mother also were in the residence at the time of the shooting, authorities said. Richard Peters was ordered held on $50,000 bail.

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RCMP grill applicants on bestiality, drugs

JIM BRONSKILL

THE CANADIAN PRESS

OTTAWA — So you want to be a Mountie? Be prepared for a polygraph test in which you'll be asked whether you've had sex with animals, the worst thing you've done while drunk, and if you've ever seriously thought about committing suicide.

The RCMP says the candid questionnaire is a crucial tool for screening out people unfit to wear the red serge in the post-9-11 era, when terrorists and other serious criminals are trying to infiltrate the police force.

A newly declassified RCMP assessment of the polygraph program's privacy implications says the force was “not doing a sufficient job” of weeding out unworthy applicants.

“Internal Affairs Branch reports that at any given time 40-50 members are suspended and a majority of these cases are related to criminal activity.”

The Canadian Press obtained a copy of the privacy impact assessment through the Access to Information Act, along with a list of dozens of often highly personal questions put to prospective Mounties.

They cover criminal behaviour of various kinds, involvement with drugs and alcohol, use of firearms and personal associations. Among them:

– Have you ever been involved in a domestic dispute?

– Do you associate with anyone who uses illegal drugs?

– What is the worst thing anyone is going to say you have done to them?

– Have you ever engaged in bestiality?

The Halifax Regional Municipality recently said it was reviewing the way it uses lie detectors to screen applicants for certain jobs, amid public controversy over polygraph queries of a similarly personal nature.

But the Mounties, who quietly introduced polygraph screening of applicants in November of 2005, say the electronic tests help the force keep pace with other Canadian police services that use the technique.

“It is just one tool, but that tool is helping us to ensure that we have the right people coming to our organization,” said Superintendent Glen Siegersma, director of the RCMP's national recruiting program.

“It's important that we gather as much information as we can from individuals that are applying to take on this position of trust with Canadians.”

A polygraph machine records changes in a person's blood pressure and heart rate, revealing stress that indicates – at least in theory – that they fear being caught in a lie.

In April of 2003, the RCMP began assessing the program's privacy dimensions, consulting with the federal privacy commissioner's office in August that year.

“The RCMP has no other valid test available to confirm the truthfulness of an applicant, which speaks to their honesty and integrity,” the assessment says.

It notes some early polygraph exams had been carried out on applicants who lived abroad – circumstances that made the lie-detector test necessary because the Mounties could not conduct in-person field investigations into the person's background.

These initial tests by the force's Truth Verification Section turned up eyebrow-raising disclosures, including the admission of one applicant that he'd used the services of a prostitute at least 100 times, most recently on the day of the RCMP interview.

Another applicant admitted accompanying a friend across the Canada-U.S. border to sell drugs on a number of occasions, says the assessment.

Anne-Marie Hayden, a spokeswoman for the privacy commissioner, said the ombudsman initially had several concerns about the program, including lack of clarity as to its objectives, the general accuracy and reliability of polygraph tests, the scope and intrusiveness of the questions, and who might have access to the test results.

The consultations prompted the RCMP to address the issues and drop questions concerning applicants' sexual fantasies, tenant-landlord disputes, involvement in certain groups and associations, and details of credit history, she said.

“They updated the questionnaire to make it less intrusive.”

Staff Sergeant Bob Meredith, an official representative for rank-and-file Mounties in dealings with management, said there's a fine line as to what constitutes an appropriate question.

“I think that any employer that's going down that road's got to be careful what they're asking so that they're not infringing on people's rights.”

Superintendent Siegersma said it's too early to tell whether the polygraph tests are effectively reducing the number of Mounties suspended from duty due to criminal activity.

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