In the news, Monday, October 3, 2011

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OCT 02       INDEX      OCT 04

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*from The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, WA)

This undated image provided
by WSU shows an endangered
pygmy rabbit in the wild in
Eastern Washington.

NW today: Group sues to protect pygmy rabbit

An environmental group is suing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over its decision that the tiny pygmy rabbit does not warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act. The Western Watersheds Project, based in Hailey, Idaho, said the rabbits were first identified as possibly in need of protection in 2003, and their numbers have diminished since. They contend the rabbits are suffering from loss of habitat caused in large part by livestock grazing. Environmental groups have tried for years to win protection for the rabbits, which can fit in the palm of a human hand. The latest effort ended a year ago when the Fish and Wildlife Service denied endangered species protection.

Fears fuel vaccine avoiders
False information online, media reports add to skepticism, study author says

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Law bars circumcision bans

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – California’s governor has signed a bill that that will prevent local governments from banning male circumcision.

Gov. Jerry Brown’s office announced Sunday that the Democrat signed AB768, a bill written in response to a ballot measure proposed in San Francisco.

Backers of a ban collected more than 7,700 signatures to put a measure on the November ballot in San Francisco to outlaw the circumcision of most male children. That effort was later blocked by a judge.

They had argued that circumcision is an unnecessary surgery that can lead to sexual and health problems later in life.

Those against the ban say that it is an important religious practice for many Jews and Muslims, and that it can reduce the risk of cancer and sexually transmitted diseases.

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Photos: Howard bridge, among first to cross Spokane River

October 1963: The Howard Street
Bridge is lined with barricades in
preparation for a month
of repair work.

      Beginning in 1881 and continuing for most of a century, Howard Street traffic crossed the Spokane River over a series of three bridges – dubbed the Howard, Havermale and Washington bridges – as shoppers and workers traveled downtown from the North Side. The traffic passed beneath the elevated trestle that brought trains to the depot of the Milwaukee Road and Union Pacific. Cars bumped across the tracks near the Great Northern depot, of which only the Riverfront Park Clocktower remains. The bridges were the first spans across the river, followed closely by the rickety wooden Monroe Street Bridge. Before the Howard Street project, crossing the river required fording in a shallow spot or going to Antoine Plante’s ferry landing and pulling a vehicle across the river with a rope. The bridges became pedestrian-only upon the opening Expo.

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:

Half-baked controversy
Leonard Pitts Jr.

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YOUR HEALTH

Just because something’s called “salad” doesn’t make it healthy – in fact, it can be the exact opposite. Here’s how to make your salad nutritious, tasty and filling:

Keep it colorful. A salad with iceberg lettuce, celery and cucumbers has significantly fewer vitamins than one with romaine or spinach leaves, carrots, broccoli and tomatoes.

Add lean protein. Without it, your stomach likely will be rumbling again soon. Good choices: grilled chicken breast or shrimp, lean beef, canned salmon, beans, baked tofu and hard-boiled eggs.

Sprinkle on some crunch. Add a small handful of raw almonds or walnuts (about 10) or seeds for protein and healthy fats.

Choose olive oil and vinegar or light dressings – not creamier options such as blue cheese or ranch – and limit the serving size to one or two tablespoons. Even better, dip your fork in the dressing and then in the salad.

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Dinner in Minutes: Provencal sauce makes one-pot meal
Miami Herald

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