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We all know that the Avian Flu originated from people sucking faces with chickens. That is no secret; so why is it some big secret where the Swine Flu came from?
Since this blog is called ‘This Piggy’ and a Swine is a pig, I think its only fair to assume that the Swine Flu came from getting down and dirty with a filthy little bacon producing swine. If you are unfamiliar with the Swine Flu it is an STD (Swine Transmitted Disease) epidemic that is sweeping Mexico and unfortunately finding its way back to North America.
I have some pretty clear cut proof of people sucking face with pigs. If you want to know who to blame for the epidemic we no longer have to hunt for evidence as This Piggy brought it to your attention first!
Low and behold nine ‘potential’ origins of the Swine Flu.
Exhibit #9 I would point the finger at this lady, but it looks like this pig has already been cooked. She is off the hook this time.
Exhibit #8 Again, this pig seems to be lacking most of his body. Unless he is festering at the neck, chances are this woman is clean as well
Exhibit #7 I’m not 100% sure what part of the pig you need to suck to get the Swine Flu, but if it is the ear, this woman could definitely be the culprit.
Exhibit #6 The woman promised this guy she’d take his virginity if he kissed the Pig. The jokes on her if he caught the Swine flu before they did it!
Exhibit #5 This man/woman actually appears to be doing a good deed. To the best of my guessing ability it appears as though he/she is giving mouth to mouth resuscitation to this piggy. Next time he’ll/she’ll use protection!
Exhibit #4 Ladies, just because something is cute as a button doesn’t mean it can’t give you diseases. Just because somebody is good looking doesn’t mean they don’t have STD’S (Swine Transmitted Diseases)
Exhibit #3 Alcohol lowers our judgment, but just because an oversized pig is spooning you while you drool half conscious on the floor does not mean you should make out with him.
Exhibit #2 Sure, this pig may look lonely, he may look cute, but there is a reason he is in that cage woman! STDs are running wild in the pig world, don’t let it do you!
Exhibit #1 This poor kid never had a chance. This Pig stalked this baby for hours. Hey little kiddie, do you want a lollipop, just come over to my blue van… I mean… my cage. Next thing you know the baby is sucking the sweet sweet snot of the pig snout. Poor kid, he never had a chance.
I am dedicating the following story to my cat Max. Today I had to take him to the vet to be put to sleep. Over the last six months or so his health started to change and this last week he took a turn for the worse. He finally let me know it was time and I was still hanging on...until today. I couldn't watch him suffer any longer.
I got Max from a family owned pet shop late August 1992. He was the only red tabby in a litter of 6 or 8 it's a little hard to remember now. I know he was 3-4 weeks old and I could hold him in the palm of my hand. He used to sleep on my chest under the covers when he was a baby and when he got older always next to me. I toss and turn through the night and he would get up and when I settled he would lay back down. He'd also find the oddest places to take his naps.
Max loved people even children. No matter how rough they got he would put up with it and still come back for more attention. Always purring. He had a pet mouse and until a few months ago he was still playing with it every night. I tried to replace it, because the stuffing is falling out but he would have none of that. I will either keep it or place it in the garden where they will spread his ashes.
The reason I dedicated the following story to Max is because it's about a red tabby that looks exactly like Max and how his family will miss him now that he also passed away this past week.
I know "thats life" you get a pet, you love a pet and then he passes away. All I can say right now is "That's a bunch of boosheet!" So here is to you my monkey, my suger lump, my boy...there will be no other. I will miss you. Max 8/1992-4/26/2009
Our country loves pets. Correction. Our nation is crazy about pets. Americans love cats, dogs, birds, turtles, various small fuzzy creatures that run around in plastic tubing, fish and, until recently, even chimpanzees. As a nation, we breathlessly await reports on the pet predelictions of our Presidents. If he a dog or cat person? Any instances of pet abuse or suspicious behavior involving firecrackers and stray animals? I would wager that there are people who know more Presidents by their pets than their individual accomplishments (and in the case of W's Willie the cat or the terrier Miss Beazley, their only accomplishments). Fala (FDR, Checkers (Nixon), Liberty (who can forget the hysterical Chevy Chase as Ford routines on SNL?) Millie (41), Socks and Buddy (Clinton), and now Bo, the hypollergenic Portugese Waterdog, all have or will bask in the glow of their own news stories, wikipedia pages, websites, and People magazine covers.
Pets occupy a unique and special place in our lives. There are even those who say that our bond with animals is genetic, and that there is incontrovertible evidence that the rise of civilization correlates with the rise of pets -- not domesticated animals, but pets. Whether the gene that makes people amenable to pets is also related to the gene that compels us to pave over the very habitat that our animals need is debatable. But what is not debatable is that pets are part of our national identity and that whether you measure GDP, time spent, or nerves calmed, pets are part of who we are as Americans.
It stands to reason that as much as we incorporate these furry creatures into our lives (unless, for some reasons, you like the hairless Sphynx or the Peruvian Inca Orchard)that their departing causes as much trauma as the death of a family member. Fala was buried with FDR. The Egyptians would include cats in their burial (no hieroglyphs exist as to whether the cats were willing participants or not). Stroll through any cemetery and you'll find markers for pets entombed next to or with their owners. Much as been written, broadcast, and youtubed about these bonds, some touching, some bizarre, but they come from the same deep wellspring of emotional conjunction between man and beast.
I guess I'm writing this as a means to cope with the passing of my cat, Delos. Delos was a "tiger" cat, an orange striped tabby of unknown parentage. We adopted Delos as a companion to Martin, our barrel-chested Einstein of a Maine Coon, who we found did poorly whenever we left for more than a day. Our vet, Balboa Pet Hospital, had a technician who raised strays and had found a litter of newborn kittens abandoned in an alley. When the kittens reached 6 weeks, we picked the orange boy who barely fit in my cupped hand and proceeded to boldly walk up my arm to my shoulder. That was Delos. The origin of his name was quite simple. We had just returned from visit to Greece and had cruised over to Delos, a small bare rock covered in ruins that was an ancient center of religion and politics. More importantly, we were told that Delos meant "that which came from nothing" which pretty much described how he came into our lives.
Delos, July 26, 1998 - April 25, 2009
Every night for all 11 years of his life he would jump into our bed and wrap his paws around my wife's neck while mashing his nose into her cheek, setting off a thunderous rolling purr that lasted until he (or her) drifted off to sleep.
Somehow, when you get a pet, the last thing you really think about is the fact that, like any living thing, they get sick. They come down with colds, flu, allergies. And cancer. And they die. We lost Martin to a particularly virulent, horrible, and rare cancer during Christmas of 2007.
Delos, on the other hand, seemed invincible. He supplemented his kibble with a steady diet of bugs that he stalked in our living room, like a leopard in the Serengeti. (How the bugs got in we have no idea -- we suspect that he opened the screen door while we were away) He was a member of the family. Always there. Reliable. Cute. Playful. And above all, loving.
But no more. It began with a depressed appetite, an ultrasound that revealed an anomaly, surgery, and a biopsy that came back with the worst possible news -- the most aggressive cancer found to afflict mammals. Despite dire warnings of a four month survival rate, Delos thrived for over a year. Then, a few months ago, the downward spiral began as malignancies infiltrated his system in a way no surgery could repair.
He died Saturday, peacefully, in our arms. Without debating the merits of euthanasia, it is not a decision made lightly. It is not done for advantage or convenience. It is a gut-wrenching, soul-rending, heart-tearing decision where the only element of selfishness is that of wanting to keep your pet alive because you don't have the courage to let them go. But it is equally tortuous to watch your beloved friend try to stay alive just to be with you as well. Even when his once sleek leg muscles had lost their legendary spring, Delos figured out a unique three tier method to reach the bed (using a bookcase and chair to get to a height where he could make a 1 foot horizontal leap) so that he could continue to snuggle nightly with Kristina. Towards the end, even that became impossible, and we cradled him to and from his favorite places in the house -- the windows where he could curse the birds, to the sofas he used as his personal gromming palaces, and, at night, to our bed.
When a pet dies, you are left with a void, an emptiness that, for Martin, we still feel a year later, and for Delos, we are just beginning to experience. Some people adopt a new pet right away, others spend years recovering. I don't know where we will fall yet --the pain is too raw, the memories too real to think of anyone to replace them.
Pets are completely dependent on us for food and shelter, medicine and comfort. In exchange, they give far more in return than we could ever provide -- unconditional love. And in our crazy, stressed out, burnt-out lives, that is something irreplaceable and, indeed, indispensable. Perhaps there is more to that civilization myth than meets the eye.
(CNN) -- The United States government declared a public health emergency Sunday, April 26, 2009, as the number of identified cases of swine flu in the nation rose to 20.
The declaration is part of a "standard operating procedure" that will make available additional government resources to combat the virus, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said at the White House.
Additional cases of swine flu are expected to be reported in the coming days, added Dr. Richard Besser, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
No one has died in the U.S. from swine flu, officials said Sunday. Read full story
Click on any chart for larger view.
CLICK ON TABLE ABOVE TO SEE FULL REPORTFOR APRIL 26th
By FRANK JORDANS, Associated Press Writer Frank Jordans, Associated Press Writer – Sat Apr 25, 4:56 pm ET
GENEVA – The World Health Organization warned countries around the world Saturday to be on alert for any unusual flu outbreaks after a unique new swine flu virus was implicated in possibly dozens of human deaths in North America.
WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said the outbreak in Mexico and the United States constituted a "public health emergency of international concern."
The decision means countries around the world will be asked to step up reporting and surveillance of the disease, which she said had "pandemic potential" because it is an animal virus strain infecting people. But the agency cannot at this stage say "whether or not it will indeed cause a pandemic," she added.
Chan made the decision to declare public health emergency of international concern after consulting with influenza experts from around the world. The emergency committee was called together Saturday for the first time since it was created in 2007.
In theory, WHO could now recommend travel advisories, trade restrictions or border closures, none of which would be binding. So far it has refrained from doing so.
The agency also held off raising its pandemic alert level, citing the need for more information.
Earlier, Chan told reporters that "it would be prudent for health officials within countries to be alert to outbreaks of influenza-like illness or pneumonia, especially if these occur in months outside the usual peak influenza season."
"Another important signal is excess cases of severe or fatal flu-like illness in groups other than young children and the elderly, who are usually at highest risk during normal seasonal flu," she said.
Several Latin American and Asian countries have already started surveillance or screening at airports and other points of entry.
At least 62 people have died from severe pneumonia caused by a flu-like illness in Mexico, WHO says. Some of those who died are confirmed to have a unique flu type that is a combination of bird, pig and human viruses. The virus is genetically identical to one found in California.
U.S. authorities said eight people were infected with swine flu in California and Texas, and all recovered.
So far, no other countries have reported suspicious cases, according to WHO.
But the French government said suspected cases are likely to occur in the coming days because of global air travel. A French government crisis group began operating Saturday. The government has already closed the French school in Mexico City and provided French citizens there with detailed instructions on precautions.
Chilean authorities ordered a sanitary alert that included airport screening of passengers arriving from Mexico. No cases of the disease have been reported so far in the country, Deputy Health Minister Jeanette Vega said, but those showing symptoms will be sent to a hospital for tests.
In Peru, authorities will monitor travelers arriving from Mexico and the U.S. and people with flu-like symptoms will be evaluated by health teams, Peru's Health Ministry said.
Brazil will "intensify its health surveillance in all points of entry into the country," the Health Ministry's National Health Surveillance Agency said in a statement. Measures will also be put in place to inspect cargo and luggage, and to clean and disinfect aircraft and ships at ports of entry.
Some Asian nations enforced checks Saturday on passengers from Mexico.
Japan's biggest international airport stepped up health surveillance, while the Philippines said it may quarantine passengers with fevers who have been to Mexico. Health authorities in Thailand and Hong Kong said they were closely monitoring the situation.
Asia has fresh memories of an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, which hit countries across the region and severely crippled global air travel.
Indonesia, China, Thailand, Vietnam and other countries have also seen a number of human deaths from H5N1bird flu, the virus that researchers have until now fingered as the most likely cause of a future pandemic.
The Dutch government's Institute for Public Health and Environment has advised any traveler who returned from Mexico since April 17 and develops a fever over 101.3 degrees Fahrenheit (38.5 Celsius) within four days of arriving in the Netherlands to stay at home.
The Polish Foreign Ministry has issued a statement that recommends that Poles postpone any travel plans to regions where the outbreak has occurred until it is totally contained.
The Stockholm-based European Center for Disease Prevention and Control said earlier Saturday it shared the concerns about the swine flu cases and stood ready to lend support in any way possible.
The first case was seen in Mexico on April 13. The outbreak coincided with the President Barack Obama’s trip to Mexico City on April 16. Obama was received at Mexico’s anthropology museum in Mexico City by Felipe Solis, a distinguished archeologist who died the following day from symptoms similar to flu, Reforma newspaper reported. The newspaper didn’t confirm if Solis had swine flu or not.
A prominent Park Avenue lawyer was arrested after cops said she got so angry at her young daughters that she kicked them out of her car - and drove off. Madlyn Primoff apparently couldn't bear any more squabbling between her 10- and 12-year-old daughters Sunday and booted them out of the car in White Plains, Westchester County, authorities said.
The fedup Scarsdale mom - a partner at white-shoe firm Kaye Scholer - soon relented and let her 12-year-old daughter back in when she caught up with the family car.
The younger daughter wandered around the corner to Mamaroneck Ave., where a good Samaritan spotted her in tears about 7:30 p.m., bought her ice cream and then approached a cop in a patrol car.
The officer described the girl as "very upset" and "emotional" in the police report.
Primoff reported the girl missing to Scarsdale police, who contacted White Plains cops and were told the girl was out of harm's way.
The 45-year-old mom was arrested when the family arrived at headquarters to pick up the child.
The district attorney's office said she was arraigned Tuesday on one count of endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor, and released on minimal bail.
Primoff is a partner in the Business Reorganization and Creditors' Rights Practice Group at the firm and has clients such as Bank of America, Merill Lynch and Wells Fargo, the firm's Web site said. Barry Willner, managing partner of Kaye Scholer, said in a statement, "Madlyn Primoff is a very well-respected partner at our firm, and we consider this matter to be personal and private."
A man who answered the phone at Primoff's home declined to comment.
Yowza. A mom fed up with her bickering daughters, age 10 and 12, ordered them out of the car in the downtown district of an upscale suburb, White Plains, New York. Then she drove off. They were three miles from home.
One kid made it home on her own. The other was picked up by a Good Samaritan who found her outside, upset. Now the mom has been arrested. There’s a temporary order of protection against her. And, of course, at least one psychologist has already been found and quoted by the press, warning of the deep and lasting scars that mom has inflicted on her kids.
Now, listen, I have no doubt that those kids will remember this incident for the rest of their lives. I have no doubt the mom will remember it, too. But can we give kids - and parents - a little bit of credit for resilience? The idea that a bad day, even a scary awful day, means a child is scarred for life just means that every day in every way we could be ruining our kids forever. God forbid we do or say something stupid, the gig is up. Our kids are damaged goods, the human equivalent of those dented cans of pineapple you get at the 99-store. (Or at least that I get at the 99-cent store. Is this why no one comes for dinner?)
Naturally, I do not think that this mom handled her kids in a truly optimal way. But most of us have days when we don’t. That doesn’t make us criminal parents. It makes us human parents. And kids are built to live with humans, not Robo-Mamas.
It was not physical abuse, which I don’t condone. It was not even particularly dangerous, though parents who never let their kids out of their sight will argue otherwise. What it was was a dramatic gesture - a wigged out one, indeed - but I could see myself, some day, doing something just about as dramatic. One night I was so mad my tween-age son hadn’t taken out the garbage after being asked 18 times (at least) that I said, “I’m going to scream.” And then I did. Bloody murder.
He cried hysterically for about a half hour after that, he was so shaken. So was I.
Tonight I’m sure the White Plains mom is shaken to the core. I’m sure the kids are too, especially if they think now mommy is going to Sing Sing all because they were fighting in the back seat about who was hogging the arm rest or breathing too loud. But I’m also sure that this alone is no reason to lock the mom up. The kids will be okay after some hugs, an apology from mom and also an apology from the girls for being annoying enough to drive mom up the wall.
I know, I know. Kids are supposed to be blameless. Parents are supposed to be in perfect control all the time. And it is so fun to point fingers when they’re not.
But let’s just say no one’s perfect, and dropping your kids off in a suburban shopping district and expecting them to deal is not the same as driving them into the Mojave and leaving them with a half-filled bottle of Vitamin Water.
We all have our moments. Let’s assume children and parents both can get over them, maybe even learn from them, and then go on to live decent lives.
Unlike most mothers, Michaela Dutton doesn’t run to wipe away her young son’s tears when he falls over and hurts his knee.
That’s because even a drop of water can trigger a painful burning rash on her skin.
The birth of three-year-old Mitchell triggered a rare allergy in the 21-year-old, leaving her unable to touch or drink water.
Rare: Michaela Dutton's problem began after giving birth to Mitchell, now three
She is also unable to hold her son for more than a few minutes in case he sweats on her.
Her condition, known as aquagenic urticaria, affects only one in 230million people worldwide.
If Miss Dutton’s skin comes in to contact with water, it leaves her skin weeping with red welts and blisters.
She cannot drink tea, coffee or fruit juice because they make her throat blister and swell up.
Instead she survives on copious amounts of Diet Coke, which her body tolerates, even though it contains carbonated water.
Miss Dutton said the condition has left her scared to leave the house – in case it rains. To keep herself clean, she jumps into the shower for ten seconds once a week, and has to make do with quick wipedowns using a flannel the rest of the time.
Even these brief contacts with water cause her condition to flare up.
'Burning sensation': Miss Dutton can only shower for ten seconds a week
She said yesterday: ‘The condition has placed a terrible strain on what I can do.
‘I can’t really hold Mitchell because if he sweats or dribbles or spills a drink on me I get covered in sore itchy lumps. I can’t even wipe his tears away or bathe him.
‘It’s an excruciating burning pain and is unbearable – it makes my head feel so painful I feel like shaving my head to try and get cooler.’
Doctors have been left baffled by the condition, which they believe was caused by a hormonal imbalance brought on by giving birth.
Miss Dutton, from Walsall, said the condition became apparent as soon as she had a bath for the first time a few days after she gave birth in October 2005.
Dr Adrian Morris, a urticaria specialist, said: ‘Childbirth is an interesting time in terms of urticaria. I’ve heard of some patients getting better, and others falling ill with the condition at this time.’
Miss Dutton – a full-time mother who lives with her parents, Mark, 44, and Teresa, 40 – said the condition had left her ‘a prisoner in my own body’.
She said: ‘I don’t see my friends any more because they wrongly think it’s contagious.
‘I hope me speaking out about this raises awareness of it and a cure can one day be found.’
Medical opinion is divided but the condition is thought to be caused by the release of histamine – the same substance which makes insect bites painful and itchy – in sufferers’ skin cells.
Experts at Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital tried antihistamine drugs and ultraviolet light therapy to try to increase the resilience of Miss Dutton’s skin cells to water, but so far they have had no success.
Nina Goad, from the British Association of Dermatologists, said that only around 30 cases of aquagenic urticaria had been documented worldwide.
She said: ‘The disorder is extremely rare and there is no known cure as yet.
‘We do not yet fully understand the precise mechanisms that trigger the weals.’
Fact File: Water allergy
Considering our bodies are around 60 per cent water, it seems one of life's more implausible conditions.
But aquagenic urticaria, or water allergy, is one of a number of forms of urticaria - such as aversions to the sun and extreme cold or exercise (which causes sweating, producing water) - that also causes the skin to break out in painful hives and welts.
Only around 30-40 people worldwide are thought to have been diagnosed with the condition, which was first described in 1964.
Within minutes of the skin making contact with water, rashes appear which can last for anything from 15 minutes to two hours or more.
In severe cases, such as Miss Dutton's, sufferers suffer similar symptoms in their throat if they drink water.
Although the exact triggers for the condition remain a mystery, many practitioners in the field believe that the rashes are caused by histamines - or chemicals - released by mast cells in the skin when by our bodies when we have a reaction, in this case when skin makes contact with water.
The release of the histamines then cause the welts and rashes to appear on the skin.
They can appear in various shapes and sizes anywhere on the body, triggered by water of all types (such as tap/sea/bottled) any temperature.
Others believe could be due to a toxic response when water touches the skin, or to an extreme sensitivity to ions in the water.
Antihistamine drugs or steroids usually provide some relief for the itching caused by the welts, but will not cure aquagenic urticaria.
Ultra Violet light therapy treatment of the mast cells, in an effort to make them more resilient to water and therefore less likely to release histamine in sufferers of the condition, is another experimental treatment.
It has been been tried by Miss Dutton without success.
According to the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology, urticaria can affect one in five of the population at sometime in their lives.
WELLINGTON - The U.S. Polo Association Board of Governors met Saturday in Palm Beach County and set up a committee to examine what safeguards exist for polo horses and whether the sport needs a prohibited substance policy.
The committee will review the results of the investigation into the death of 21 polo horses and develop policies to ensure the safety of polo horses, a press release said.
Executive Director Peter Rizzo said in the release that the committee will also examine policies from other equestrian organizations.
"The USPA has a tradition of promoting equine safety," Rizzo said. The USPA has a committee called the Equine Welfare Committee, but it does not have any rules about care for horses outside of actual matches.
Equine legal expert Don Dufresne said the USPA is being proactive in addressing the need for such a policy.
"They are recognizing that the safety of the horse is of utmost concern," he said.
He said it would probably take a great deal of time and thought for the association to formulate a policy that works for polo horses.
Quoting anonymous sources, La Nacion, newspaper of Argentina, reported Friday that the 21 Lechuza Caracas team horses scheduled to play in Sunday's polo match were injected with a lethal dose – 10 times the intended amount – of selenium, a trace mineral that is poisonous to horses in high doses. The newspaper reported that 0.5 mg/ml was prescribed but the compound actually contained 5 mg/ml.
Selenium is essential to good health but required only in small amounts, according to the National Institutes of Health. It is found in soil, some meats and seafood.
Franck's Pharmacy, in Ocala, has acknowledged "that a strength of an ingredient in the medication was incorrect" but would not provide any additional information.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the University of Florida's College of Veterinary Medicine and the Federal Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine declined comment Friday, citing the pending investigation.
Officials investigating the deaths said Thursday that they believed they have identified the chemical that caused the deaths but would not publicly identify it Friday, again citing the continuing investigation.
It's unclear at this point how the error occurred. The identity of the prescribing veterinarian has not been confirmed and the prescription has not been made public.
In a written statement Thursday, the Lechuza team said a Florida-licensed veterinarian wrote a prescription for a compounded substitute vitamin supplement containing vitamin B, potassium, magnesium and selenium: "Only the horses treated with the compound became sick and died within 3 hours of treatment. The horses that were not treated remain healthy and normal."
The pharmacy's statement said that "on an order from a veterinarian, Franck's Pharmacy prepared medication that was used to treat the 21 horses."
But some suggested Friday the tragedy could have been averted if the injectable vitamin compound had been sent to a third party lab before dispensing it. The compound was a substitute for Biodyl, the team said, a vitamin-mineral mix that isn't approved for use in the United States.
UPDATE: Thursday April 23, 2009
Florida pharmacy says it wrongly prepped horse meds before match
(CNN) -- A veterinary pharmacy in Florida acknowledged Thursday that it incorrectly prepared medication used to treat 21 horses who all died around the time of an international polo match last weekend.
The deaths of the ponies, witnessed in full view by spectators Sunday in a dramatic scene where horses collapsed one after another, have shaken the prestigious polo tournament at the marquee International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington, Florida.
An internal investigation by Franck's Pharmacy in Ocala, Florida, "concluded that the strength of an ingredient in the medication was incorrect. We will cooperate fully with the authorities as they continue their investigations," the company said in a statement issued Thursday afternoon.
"We extend our most sincere condolences to the horses' owners, the Lechuza Polo team and the members of the United States Polo Association. We share their grief and sadness," the pharmacy's chief operations officer, Jennifer Beckett, said in the statement.
A memorial ceremony for the horses is scheduled for Thursday at the U.S. Open Polo Championship, where officials hope to resume play after matches were postponed by rain Wednesday. The memorial service will include a brief speech and a wreath-laying on the field.
The pharmacy said it prepared medication for the horses on orders from a veterinarian.
"On an order from a veterinarian, Franck's Pharmacy prepared medication that was used to treat the 21 horses on the Lechuza Polo team," Beckett said. "As soon as we learned of the tragic incident, we conducted an internal investigation."
She said the report has been given to state authorities.
Lechuza also issued a statement to AP acknowledging that a Florida veterinarian wrote the prescription for the pharmacy to create a compound similar to Biodyl, a French-made supplement that includes vitamins and minerals and is not approved for use in the United States.
Liz Compton, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, told CNN that the agency is awaiting toxicology results from the animals and could not comment on the pharmacy's disclosure.
"Obviously, we are going to follow any and every potential lead to get to the bottom of this," she said.
The horses were trained by Lechuza Polo, a Venezuela-based team. Its captain, Juan Martin Nero, told an Argentine newspaper earlier this week that he had "no doubts" vitamins administered to the animals were at fault.
"There were five horses that did not get the vitamin, and those were the only ones that survived," Nero said.
The horses collapsed one after another in front of spectators at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington, Florida, while being prepared for a tournament Sunday. Most were dead within an hour. Post-mortem examinations done by a University of Florida laboratory found significant hemorrhaging in several horses, but the findings did not single out a specific cause
I hope this wasn't intentional. They are blaming the vitamin shot today, April 22, 2009. We will see on Friday, April 24, 2009 the test results will be in. In any case, it is very sad.
Kissimmee, UF vets will try to determine what killed polo horses
KISSIMMEE - Veterinarians in Kissimmee and Gainesville will try to determine what caused the death of 21 polo horses Sunday in Wellington.
Terrence McElroy, a spokesman with the Florida Department of Agriculture, Division of Animal Industry, said that 10 to 15 of the horses were sent to the division's main laboratory in Kissimmee.
At least 15 were sent to a similar facility at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
"It might take the better part of the week or even longer because of toxicology reports," McElroy said.
The necropsies are being performed by a team of veterinarians that have been working non-stop, McElroy said. One of them is Dr. Michael Short, a manager with the Bureau of Animal Disease Control for the agency.
Veterinarians at the Kissimmee lab were not available for comment.
Dr. John Harvey, assistant dean of the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, confirmed that the school had received 15 dead horses.
Harvey said the necropsy process is much like an autopsy: The body is checked for visible lesions before being dissected. Fluid and tissue samples are collected after a preparation process that takes two to three days.
"The suspicion here is toxins because of how sudden these animals died," Harvey said. "But since we don't know what we're looking for, there are literally thousands of things we can test for. It could be like looking for a needle in a haystack."
Harvey hopes that the clue needed by his team and the scientists in Kissimmee will come from the site where the horses were kept.
"We need to see what ties these animals together," Harvey said. "Did they eat the same thing? Did they receive any injections? We need to test those things. It could actually be easier to find what the horses were exposed to on the site than to find it on the animals."
Even performance-enhancement drugs are not the guaranteed culprit, he said.
"What people give horses for enhancement typically doesn't kill this way," said Harvey, whose facility tests for performance-enhancement drugs in several equestrian events, including the Kentucky Derby.
"People give horses caffeine, cocaine and many other things. We're set up to screen for those, but it might be of no value," he said.
Pleeeaaase! It's a movie for G.. sake. Well it gets the movie some free media attention. UM....I'm curious, did Ron Howard put Bill Donahue up to it???
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Director Ron Howard on Tuesday defended his film adaptation of " The Da Vinci Code" author Dan Brown 's "Angels & Demons" from criticism that it smears the Roman Catholic Church, heightening an ongoing battle over fictional depictions of the Vatican.
Howard, who also directed the 2006 movie adaptation of "The Da Vinci Code," posted a blog at The Huffington Post website saying that neither he nor his new movie "Angels & Demons," which debuts in May and stars Tom Hanks, are anti-Catholic.
"And let me be a little controversial: I believe Catholics, including most in the hierarchy of the Church , will enjoy the movie for what it is: an exciting mystery, set in the awe-inspiring beauty of Rome," Howard wrote.
Howard's post came in response to an opinion piece in the New York Daily News by Bill Donahue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, last week. Donahue accused Brown and Howard of "smearing the Catholic Church with fabulously bogus tales."
Last year, the Catholic Church refused to let "Angels & Demons" be filmed in churches in Rome because of the Vatican's outrage over "The Da Vinci Code."
Howard's drama "Frost/Nixon" was nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards this year, but lost to "Slumdog Millionaire." His other films include "A Beautiful Mind," which won the best picture Oscar and best directing Oscar for 2001, as well as 1995's "Apollo 13."
Brown this week announced that his follow-up novel to "The Da Vinci Code" will be released in September and is titled "The Lost Symbol."
Who's The Angel? Who's The Demon?
22 April 2009 2:39 AM, PDT | From Studio Briefing
A full-scale battle has been joined between producer-director Ron Howard
on one side and William Donohue, head of the Catholic League, the
largest Catholic lay organization in the U.S., with about 100,000
members. On Tuesday Howard accused Donohue of being on a
"mission" to smear him by portraying him and his upcoming movie,
Angels & Demons, as anti-Catholic without having actually seen
the movie. In a commentary posted on the liberal Huffington Post
blog, Howard wrote, "Let me be clear: neither I nor Angels &
Demons are anti-Catholic. And let me be a little controversial:
I believe Catholics, including most in the hierarchy of the Church,
will enjoy the movie for what it is: an exciting mystery." Responding
to Donohue's charges that the movie -- and the Dan Brown book on
which it was based -- are replete with "lies" about the Catholic
Church, Howard responded, "It would be a lie if we had ever
suggested our movie is anything other than a work of fiction," and
he acknowledged that he, like other classic filmmakers, had taken
"liberties with reality." He concluded: "I know faith is believing
without seeing (and a boycott would be disbelieving without seeing).
But I don't expect William Donohue to have faith in me, so I encourage
him to see Angels & Demons for himself." Donohue wasted no time
responding. "Howard must be delusional if he thinks Vatican officials
are going to like his propaganda -- they denied him the right to film
on their grounds." And he implied that either the Church or the
Catholic League may have planted a spy among the movie's crew.
"We know from a Canadian priest who hung out with Howard's
crew last summer in Rome (dressed in civilian clothes) just how
much they hate Catholicism." Donohue did not identify the priest,
nor did he indicate what the priest had learned about the crew's
For 20 years, Kent Johnston patrolled the streets of East County, taught defensive tactics at the academy and worked transport for high risk suspects as a deputy for the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department.
Six years into retirement, the Thousand Oaks resident and one-time chef, wants to go into business for himself running a medical marijuana dispensary. He’d like to set up shop in Westlake Village.
It’s a location that could serve patients in Ventura County, he said, many of whom drive into Los Angeles County for medical marijuana.
“I’m a businessman,” Johnston said. “I see an opportunity. There’s a niche I want to fill. I want to thrive.”
Sgt. Ken Crocker of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department’s Lost Hills Station, which patrols Westlake Village, said he is not aware of any dispensaries in the area. In Ventura County, a number of cities, including Simi Valley, have blocked dispensaries from opening. The city of Los Angeles has a moratorium in place for new dispensaries until it hashes out recommendations on how to accommodate them. Dispensaries that were in operation and properly licensed before a 2007 deadline are allowed to remain in operation.
Johnston will go before the Westlake Village City Council tonight to ask the council to put the issue on an upcoming agenda so a formal discussion and ultimately a decision on medical marijuana dispensaries can take place. He also hopes the council doesn’t swiftly enact a moratorium blocking dispensaries before hearing out his proposal. Cities throughout the state have enacted temporary moratoriums or temporary bans that prohibit dispensaries from opening.
Simi Valley cited federal law and the potential adverse effects of dispensaries in deciding to ban them in 2006.
Proposition 215 — The Compassionate Use Act of 1996 — encourages “the federal and state governments to implement a plan to provide for the safe and affordable distribution of marijuana to all patients in medical need of marijuana.”
“I would like to get it recognized, legal and licensed by the city,” said Johnston, sitting in the living room of his Thousand Oaks home. “I would ask them where would they like us to be. Where would they like to hide us.”
The Canoga Park model
The dispensary would be modeled after Discount Co-op in Canoga Park, where Johnston works as an apprentice and where he purchases his own medical marijuana for the digestive disease diverticulitis, as well as fibromyalgia and several other conditions, he said he has. Johnston received his first doctor’s recommendation for medical marijuana three years ago and it has been renewed twice.
Medical marijuana users are required to have a doctor’s recommendation and counties are required to issue medical marijuana identification cards to patients who want them.
At the co-op, one of 70 licensed to operate in the city of Los Angeles and owned by Chris Patel, customers buy their marijuana and leave. Johnston is not interested in a cafe- setting, that allows customers to smoke and linger.
The nonprofit Discount Co-op is tucked into the farthest corner in the back of a strip mall with a chicken joint, storefront church and door-maker in a rough-around-the edges neighborhood. The black glass door has “DC” on it and a doorbell rings whenever someone pushes it open.
A man in a black “DC Security” T-shirt buzzes visitors through a locked metal gate and into a waiting room with two overstuffed, brown suede couches, a large screen TV and a table covered with pamphlets about medical marijuana and related magazines. Patients show their original doctor’s recommendation and driver’s license, sign in and are admitted into a room with glass display cases filled with jars of medical marijuana with names like “Purple Master” and “DC Super OG.”
Patel estimates one in five of his customers is from Ventura County.
“Our location is protected like a bank,” Johnston said, adding the dispensary has not been the target of any crimes. “We have everything that a bank has.”
Obtaining a permit
Johnston went to Westlake Village’s City Hall last week, ready to do what was necessary to open his dispensary, preferably tucked into a nondescript, possibly light industrial part of town.
He turned to Westlake Village after reading a news story quoting the mayor saying there was potential for a dispensary to open if it followed the city’s ordinances. The mayor, Robert Slavin, added he was a proponent for state rights.
Slavin did not return a call for comment.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced last month that the U.S. Justice Department would not prosecute medical marijuana dispensaries that follow the laws of the state where they do business. Currently, 13 states have laws allowing the use of medical marijuana.
California’s 1996 voter- approved act allows patients with a variety of illnesses to legally use marijuana medicinally, provided they have a doctor’s authorization. State lawmakers passed SB 420 that went into effect in 2004, which clarifies Proposition 215 by limiting where medical marijuana can be smoked. It also established a statewide voluntary identification card system and addresses parameters for patients growing medicinal marijuana and possessing it.
Johnston, along with dozens of others, called or visited Westlake Village and quickly learned the city does not have ordinances on the books regarding medical marijuana. The city’s municipal code has categories of uses, such as retail services, that are allowed in particular zones. If a use is not listed, the planning director can determine if it can fit into an existing use.
“The city’s official position is this is a non-permitted use,” Senior Planner Scott Wolfe said. “And until the City Council wants to change this, that is the approach we have to take.”
Wolfe has immersed himself in a crash course on medical marijuana dispensaries since the city began receiving a deluge of calls from interested, would-be proprietors. In the past four years, the city has received one or two calls about opening a dispensary. Following Holder’s announcement, the calls increased to two or three a week and then exploded to five or six calls a day following the mayor’s comments.
‘I never went into narcotics’
Johnston has an attorney at the ready and is lining up a real estate agent, he said.
“I should put my career where my heart is,” Johnston said. “I am good at identifying, caring for and selling marijuana.”
He first smoked marijuana at 13 and described himself as an occasional user when he applied to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Academy. Johnston said he didn’t smoke for the 20 years he was with the agency.
“I kept myself in a position where I never had to go against my beliefs,” Johnston said. “I never went into narcotics.”
Johnston stood behind the counter holding a large jar of marijuana under a bright magnifying light for Moorpark resident Nyssa Dunning, who works for an eating disorder treatment center. Dunning said she has polycystic ovarian syndrome and gastroesophageal reflux disease. She was taking up to six prescription pills a day to control her heath problems, including a medication to control vomiting, which can cause serious muscle spasms. She experienced a spasm while in Mexico.
It was after that incident that Dunning said she began talking to her doctor about medical marijuana.
“I couldn’t take it anymore. My liver was shot. I was throwing up,” she said, adding she supported Johnston’s efforts for a dispensary that would be closer to her home. “You know you are dealing with a legitimate business. Something like this is really vital for me.”
For now, Dunning continues to travel to the San Fernando Valley. While smoking medical marijuana hurts her throat, Dunning said she no longer experiences the harsh side effects of the other medication she was on and it has alleviated her symptoms.
Retired sheriff’s deputy and fledging entrepreneur Kent Johnston of Thousand Oaks didn’t get the welcome he hoped for Wednesday night when he went before the Westlake Village City Council to inform officials of his intent to pursue opening a medical marijuana facility within the city.
While the city does not specifically have an ordinance or moratorium on medical marijuana facilities, Planning Director Robert Theobald said this type of issue has surfaced several times before and the city’s municipals codes do not allow for those types of establishments.
“The city’s policy and position has been that such facilities are not permitted by our zoning ordinance,” Theobald said. “If you see the zone you are talking about listed as a permitted use either generally or specifically, you can do it. If it is not listed as a specific use, it is prohibited.”
City attorney Terence Boga reiterated Theobald’s assertions, citing court cases in Corona and Anaheim.
“The courts have upheld ordinances such as ours that exclude these types of uses from the jurisdiction,” Boga said.
Johnston looked to Westlake Village as a possible location for a dispensary after reading a news article that suggested Westlake Village Mayor Robert Slavin, a proponent of states’ rights, was open to the possibility of this type of establishment if it was in line with the city’s ordinances.
“Politically, I don’t like Washington dictating items to the state. I am a strong believer in local control and community standards,” Slavin said. “That is not to be interpreted as an endorsement of a cannabis club. People try to make a connection between the two when one does not exist.”
When asked if he sees a facility like the one proposed by Johnston coming to fruition in the city of Westlake Village, Slavin said it didn’t seem likely. “Whatever our municipal code dictates is what we have to follow,” he said. “After hearing our city attorney and planning director the only way this could happen is if we change the municipal code. My sense is that the community and the council would not be in favor of this.”
Traffic Dispute Gets Out Of Hand As Victim Gets 100 Stitches To Head, Tells CBS 2 HD: 'I Thought I Was Dying'
By JOSH LANDIS, CBS 2 HD News NEW YORK (CBS) ―
Jack Zaiback is dealing with 100 stiches to his face and head after angry sushi chef allegedly attacked him during a road rage incident on Staten Island on Jan. 23, 2009.
Jack Zaiman showed CBS 2 HD the extent of his injuries, which include being slashed across his ear, on his face and on the top of his head.
A wild road rage incident on Staten Island could've been a scene right out of a movie.
An angry sushi chef is accused of slicing up another driver during a dispute on the side of the road. But as CBS 2 HD found out, both drivers are facing charges.
"I thought I was dying," Jack Zaiback said. "I actually said a couple of prayers in the EMS."
One minute Zaiback was driving to work; the next, he said, he was fighting off a knife-wielding sushi chef.
"What he did to Mr. Zaiback was he treated him like a slab of tuna. I'll put it that way," attorney Alex Grosshtern said.
Zaiback, 23, was commuting from Brooklyn to a cell phone store he owns in New Jersey when he crossed paths with 37-year-old Yao Zhou and an incident of road rage went off the deep end.
The two men were driving south here on the Western Shore Expressway. Zaiback said he pulled over after accidentally cutting off Zhou. That's when he said Zhou started cutting him.
Zaiback said Zhou first approached the car, but when Zaiback tried exchanging license and insurance information, the attack began.
"He kept trying to reach for my neck and he actually got me right here," Zaiback said pointing. "He did it like seven, eight times."
Zaiback received 100 stitches.
Police have filed assault charges against Zhou and Zaiback, but Zaiback's lawyer said his client's wounds should convince the court his client is a victim.
"This could have easily been a homicide and in my opinion should be charged as attempted murder," Grosshtern said.
Zhou's lawyer declined to speak on camera but told CBS 2 HD there are two sides to every story and, "the truth will come out in time."
Zaiback said he sees meaning in his brush with death.
"I guess God did make a miracle," he said. "Maybe he's trying to make me wake up to something that I'm not doing the right way."
But, he said he has no idea what struck a sushi chef's raw nerve that day.
Zaiback said if it weren't for a passing highway NYPD unit that intervened he could have been killed.
Both men are due in court next month.
Woman burnt to death after setting her own car alight in road-rage incident
Simon de Bruxelles
From Times Online
September 22, 2008
It was the ultimate expression of road rage. A furious woman driver died after ramming another vehicle and spinning her wheels so fast that her own car burst into flames.
Serena Sutton-Smith, 54, burnt to death after refusing to get out of her Vauxhall Nova as she sat with her foot flat on the accelerator.
She spun the wheels so fast that her tyres disintegrated and the metal rims sent a shower of sparks into the engine, igniting the brake fluid and setting the car on fire.
Appalled onlookers urged her to get out of the car as the flames licked around her but she told them to “F*** off”, an inquest in Gloucester was told.
The road-rage attack took place on a quiet country road in the Cotswolds between Weston sub Edge and Mickleton in Gloucestershire. The inquest heard that Paula Small was driving her Fiat Punto when Ms Sutton-Smith emerged from a side road without stopping, causing her to swerve to avoid a collision. Mrs Small was forced on the grass verge and she flashed her lights as Ms Sutton-Smith passed her.
Ms Sutton-Smith then pulled over and Mrs Small stopped a short way in front of her. She was getting out when the Vauxhall Nova rammed her car.
Mrs Small said: “I opened my door and put my foot out but as I was getting out there was a bang and I hit my head on the door frame. I was frozen with terror.” As neighbours came to investigate they saw Ms Sutton-Smith sitting with a furious expression, revving her engine and spinning her wheels.
Nicholas Willmore told the inquest that he was in his workshop at Cottage Farm Antiques when his mother alerted him to what was happening outside. As he walked across the road to the two cars he saw smoke coming from the engine of the Nova.
Paula Small He said: “There was a deafening sound of an engine running as though someone had a foot stuck on the accelerator.
“The car’s front wheels were spinning and there was loads of revving. I could see a biggish person at the wheel and there was movement in the car. Flames were coming from underneath the car and I thought the person might be trapped inside although I couldn’t hear any shouting.
“I opened the driver’s door wide. It opened easily. The person looked at me, it was a big built woman. I said ’You’ve got to get out of the car. It’s going to burst into flames’.
May 16, 2008 12:08 am US/Eastern
Road Rage: L.I. Taxi Driver Shot In Face
Cabbies Tell CBS 2 HD Gangs, Guns, Bad Attitudes Are Common In Hempstead After Midnight
A Nassau County taxi driver was seriously injured after being shot in the face in a case of extreme road rage earlyThursday morning.
The shooting happened right outside the bus terminal at the Long Island Rail Road station in Hempstead around 1:15 a.m. Police say three taxi drivers were talking in the middle of the street when a man driving a Toyota Corolla pulled up behind them.
One of the taxi drivers apparently had his car situated in such a way that it was blocking the street when the Corolla approached, causing the motorist to become enraged.
Police say words were exchanged, there were hard feelings, and the man in the Toyota got out of the car and made a menacing gesture before driving off.
"About 10 minutes later, this man returns in his car, encounters the taxi driver he had the problem with and fires one round, striking him in the jaw, and then fled off," said Nassau Co. Lt. Raymond Cote.
"It was a situation of extreme road rage and, unfortunately, our victim was extremely injured."
The wounded driver, who works for Taxi Latino, has been an employee for only a few months.
"He's a hard-working gentleman out there making a living. It's a terrible situation," said taxi owner Larry Clessinger.
The gunman is said to be a black man in his late 20s, about 5-foot-10, with a medium build, short hair, in a light-colored, possibly gray Corolla.
"We're still looking for the shooter who is out there, armed and dangerous," said Cote.
Fellow cab drivers who work the area where the shooting took place told CBS 2 HD they often fear for their lives while they try to make an honest living.
"I lock my doors and don't talk to many people, you know, strangers," said Bob Vernon, a driver from Wantagh. "Yeah, yeah, it's pretty bad."
Added driver Marvin Sinkler: "It's really getting real dangerous out here. Gangs, guns, attitudes of people who don't want nothing in life."
Miss North Carolina USA Kristen Dalton was crowned Miss USA 2009 on Sunday, beating out 50 other beauty queens in the live pageant televised from Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas
The 22-year-old aspiring motivational speaker and entertainer from Wilmington edged out first runner-up Miss California USA Carrie Prejean, of San Diego, and second runner-up Miss Arizona USA Alicia-Monique Blanco, of Phoenix.
"It feels really natural," Dalton said of her win. "I've worked so be here and this has been my lifelong dream and it's finally here. And whoever knew you could win in a turquoise gown?"
Contestants from all 50 states and the District of Columbia competed in the pageant, aired live on NBC. Contestants were judged by their performance in swimsuit and evening gown modeling contests and their responses to a question asked onstage; unlike the rival Miss America pageant, Miss USA contestants do not perform a talent.
The top 15 contestants worked the stage in white string bikinis designed by pop star Jessica Simpson's swimwear line. Rocker Kevin Rudolf performed his song "Let it Rock," followed by The Veronicas, who performed their single "Untouched" as the top 10 beauties showed off their choice of glittering evening gowns.
Dalton's was a flowing, blue Grecian number that stood out among a series of white gowns.
Her title comes with a year's use of a New York apartment, a public relations team, a two-year scholarship at the New York Film Academy and an undisclosed salary.
She also will go to the Bahamas in August to compete in the Miss Universe pageant, where American beauties haven't been lucky in recent years. Both Miss USA 2008 Crystle Stewart and her predecessor, Rachel Smith, wiped out on stage during the evening gown competition, becoming accidental YouTube stars.
Asked about the tumble during the show on Sunday, Stewart said it was a lesson in bouncing back from defeat.
"I think it was a true test of my character," said the 27-year-old Texan, who worked to raise awareness for breast cancer as she traveled the globe promoting the beauty contest.
If there is a YouTube moment from Sunday's show, it may be Miss California's answer to a question about legalizing same-sex marriage. The tall blonde stumbled some before giving an answer that appeared to please the pageant audience.
"We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage," Prejean said. "And you know what, I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that's how I was raised."
Some in the audience cheered, others booed. The answer sparked a shouting match in the lobby after the show.
"It's ugly," said Scott Ihrig, a gay man, who attended the pageant with his partner. "I think it's ridiculous that she got first runner-up. That is not the value of 95 percent of the people in this audience. Look around this audience and tell me how many gay men there are."
Charmaine Koonce, the mother of Miss New Mexico USA Bianca Carla, argued back.
"In the Bible it says marriage is between Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve!"
The pageant had enjoyed a scandal-free year until earlier this month, when Miss Universe 2008 Dayana Mendoza was skewered for a blog posting from a trip to Guantanamo Bay. The entry described having "aloooot of fun" at a base that houses the notorious military prison; it was later deleted from the pageant's Web site.
Miss Wyoming USA Cynthia Pate, of Casper, Wyo., was voted Miss Congeniality by her fellow contestants. Jessi Pierson, of Milton, W.Va., was voted Miss Photogenic through an online contest on the Miss Universe Web site.
Organizers said Sunday's show kicks off "Green Week" at NBC. As part of the environmental awareness campaign, the Miss USA crown was designed by a jeweler that specializes in conflict-free and eco-friendly jewels. The crown from Diamond Nexus Labs of Franklin, Wis., is worth $202,000.
Last night E Online Tweeted Sneak Peek: Transformers: Rise of the Fallen : Director Michael Bay offers first look at a two-minute scene from..with a link to their website. COME ON E if you are going to promote a movie you could at least get the name right, it's Revenge not Rise of the fallen. People commented on error and today the page is down. Hopefully next time they will get it right. And Paramount Stopped the release also.
Ninjas. Serial killers. Boba Fett. Gastrointestinal functions.
In Transformers lore, the mechanical jaguar Ravage has been a villain favorite since the 1980s for his stealthy tactics and deadly force. Ever since a four-legged mechanical beast prowled through the trailer for summer's sequel, Revenge of The Fallen, fans have been awaiting more word about the feline-ish Decepticon. As more robots in the June 24 movie are revealed, Ravage comes into focus.
"In the spirit of 'more than meets the eye,' Ravage isn't just lethal because of his sharp teeth," says screenwriter Alex Kurtzman. "There's actually another skill set Ravage has that didn't exist before, so there's going to be a surprise for fans."
This version of the cat already looks far different from the original, with a single glowing red eye and a swinging, mace-like tail, but his role will be similar to the 1980s cartoon and Hasbro toy — the ultimate spy.
Ravage often was dispatched to monitor the heroic Autobots and their human allies, reporting back to the Decepticons by transforming into a cassette tape and replaying his recordings through the larger robot master Soundwave, who switched into a Walkman-sized tape deck. (How a giant robot became a small piece of sound equipment was a comical hole in logic never fully explained.)
The cassette tape transformation is gone, of course; Ravage doesn't turn into anything. But Soundwave will appear, again serving as an evil communications expert but this time in the form of an orbiting space satellite.
"They are still connected," fellow screenwriter Roberto Orci says of Soundwave and his pet. "But rather than trying to hold onto a notion as antiquated as an audiotape, which some members of our audience have maybe never laid eyes on, we wanted to go a new way."
And Ravage, as before, won't speak like the other Transformers.
"We wanted to stay true to the idea that Decepticons who take visual clues from beasts maintain that," says Orci. "It would be strange to have a talking jaguar, or a scorpion with an English accent."
Filmmaker Michael Bay has ensured that Ravage has lots of company, including many redesigned favorite robots from the original 1980s incarnation, in the new film.
"We have big guys, some little guys. We have a lot of littler ones, too. Little weirder ones," Bay says. Like the Insecticons, which were giant bugs in the original series and Hasbro toy line, but are now tiny creepy-crawly infiltrators.
Bay, who collects the Vanguard Award Thursday night at ShoWest, offers a peek at others joining Optimus Prime and Bumblebee for another rock-'em, sock-'em robo-brawl.
AUTOBOTS (the good guys)
Jetfire:
As in the original, this fighter plane crash-landed on Earth a long time ago, and he will become a reformed Decepticon now fighting for the humans. His alternate form is the SR-71 Blackbird, the outdated but still-sleek Cold War spy plane.
"He's old, craggy, forgetful ... doesn't work very well. Can't transform very well, because he's very geriatric. They get stuck with him a lot," Bay says. "He knows the plan of the bad guys, but he forgets all the good parts of the plan."
New recruits:
Sideswipe, a candy-apple red Lamborghini in the original, joins the cast this time as General Motor's silver Corvette Stingray concept car. Jolt is a new foot soldier, played in four-wheel form by the Volt, a forthcoming Chevy hybrid plug-in. Two of GM's other concept cars (the Trax and Beat) play The Twins, nicknamed Skids and Mudflap.
"Some of the junior Transformers are just dumb," Bay says with a laugh. "But it's great for kids because they're like the Little Engine That Could. They're (screw)-ups, but they get really heroic at the end."
For the gals:
Arcee is the only female and turns up as Megan Fox's hot-pink motorcycle. Co-screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci say she was in an early draft of the first movie. "But we felt we needed to win the audience over before asking for that suspension of disbelief: a feminine alien robot," Kurtzman says.
DECEPTICONS (the bad guys)
The title character:
The Fallen is an ancient robot, sort of the Transformers' version of Lucifer. He's one of the original robot aliens, and his defiance and arrogance led to his banishment into another dimension.
The screenwriters say that The Fallen holds the key to life on both Earth and Cybertron, the Transformers' home planet.
Other troublemakers:
A smaller, but no less malevolent Decepticon is known as The Doctor — a spider-like droid that transforms into various implements of torture and has a not-so-nice encounter with star Shia LaBeouf.
Then there's a giant one called Demolishor, and another tinier one with the sportier name of Wheelie.
Constructicons:
These seven robots — Scavenger, Scrapper, Hightower, Longhaul, Rampage, Overload and Mixmaster — transform into construction machinery, but also link up with one another to form one gigantic robot stomper named Devastator.
"He's made of vehicles designed to build, and he turns into is someone who loves to destroy," Orci says. "He is an agent of absolute chaos."
Bay says Devastator is the crème de la smash and got a uncharacteristic reaction out of the film's executive producer already.
"Spielberg saw it and said, 'This is (expletive) awesome!' " Bay says, and adds: "It's always nice when you can make him swear."
Also I enjoyed the Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 Transformer Trailer
May 16, 2008 12:08 am US/Eastern 
