I know that it's awful that President Ford passed away. My condolences are with his family. But - he was NINETY-THREE. Why did the news feel it necessary to not only break into the show I was watching and tell me about it and then go on to talk for an hour about him? If I wanted to watch a special about him, I would have scheduled it to Tivo.

I liked President Ford. He seemed like an amiable man who was real and approachable. So I most certainly don't mean anything against him or his family in my comments but come on - seriously. Why do they have to drive everyone crazy with this stuff? Sheesh.

Wiccan lawsuit's goal: Acceptance
By SCOTT BAUER, Associated Press WriterThu Dec 21, 10:35 AM ET

With an estimated 400,000 members nationwide, and a high-profile fight with the federal government over veterans' grave markers, Wiccans are moving into a more prominent place in the religious landscape.

Selena Fox is leading the way.

A Wiccan priestess and founder of Circle Sanctuary, a 200-acre nature center in the Wisconsin woods about 30 miles west of Madison, Fox battles for acceptance of the so-called neo-pagan religion.

Though they are often equated with witches, many Wiccans reject the label because of the baggage it brings.

Fox, whose graying hair flows midway down her purple dress and matching cape, exudes more hippie-esque charm than any kind of Hollywood-conjured witchery. She embraces the task of fighting discrimination against Wiccans.

"Spirituality should be something that lifts the spirit," she said.

Fox, a 57-year-old psychotherapist, wants to make clear that Wiccans do not worship the devil or engage in Satanism. She doesn't cast spells, ride a broomstick or wear a pointy black hat.
The golden rule for Wiccans is, "And it harm none, do what you will."

A nature-based religion, the Wiccan faith is founded on respect for the earth, nature and the cycle of the seasons.

A "yule tree," which looks identical to a Christmas tree, sits in a corner of the 100-year-old red dairy barn Fox has converted into an office, meeting room and spiritual center.

"We worship the divine and we do that by recognizing that the divine permeates all of life," Fox said.

The highest profile fight in Wiccans' struggle for recognition is with the federal government over its refusal to allow pentacles on grave markers issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The pentacle, a symbol of Wiccans, is a five-pointed star representing earth, air, fire, water and spirit. Variations of it that are not part of the Wiccan belief have been used in horror movies as a sign of the devil.

Last month, Americans United for Separation of Church and State sued the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on behalf of Circle Sanctuary and others arguing that the VA is violating the constitutional rights of Wiccans.

Buried at Circle Sanctuary's cemetery are the remains of two soldiers — a Vietnam veteran from Ohio, and Jerome Birnbaum, a Korean War veteran. There also is a memorial to Nevada National Guard Sgt. Patrick Stewart, who was killed in Afghanistan last year.

The widows of Stewart and Birnbaum are part of the lawsuit.

Fox and others say not including the pentacle on the list of accepted grave marker symbols is especially maddening because the Army Chaplain handbook has listed ways to accommodate Wiccans since 1978 and about 1,800 active-duty service members identify themselves as Wiccans, according to 2005 Defense Department statistics.

Fox said the VA's lack of acceptance of the pentacle points to prejudice.

"I didn't want to have to sue the government to try to get the U.S. Constitution upheld," Fox said. "It's discrimination. There's no other explanation I can think of."

A spokesman for the VA had no comment, citing the ongoing litigation.

People are attracted to the Wiccan religion for its devotion to nature and incorporation of both male and female deities, said Nikki Bado-Fralick, an assistant professor of religion and women's studies at Iowa State University.

She estimates the number of Wiccans nationwide has increased from about 40,000 in the late 1970s to around 400,000 today.

The Census Bureau, based on a survey in which people self-report their religion, put the number at a more modest 134,000 as of 2001. Fox said she thinks that number is low because many Wiccans fear reporting their religion.

"Oh lord, everyone thinks you worship the devil," said Joey Bunbury, a 39-year-old property manager from Madison and a Wiccan for about a decade. "People don't understand."

Some Wiccans use the name good witch, pagan or neo-pagan, to describe their spirituality, but others say there's just too much of a negative connotation and prefer to be called Wiccans.

"There's a misinterpretation that says if you say you're pagan or Wiccan, you're weird," said Jerrie Hildebrand, an ordained Wiccan minister living in Salem, Mass. "Most of us look like Joe or Jane America and you'd never know."

Hildebrand is assistant director of the Lady Liberty League, a group headed by Fox that addresses discrimination.

She said the group receives more than 100 complaints a year, and only a handful ever get amicably resolved.

Complaints range from school children being told they can't wear jewelry with Wiccan symbols to workers who face harassment.
___

On the Net: Circle Sanctuary: http://www.circlesanctuary.or

Copyright © 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

I'm going to bet that the Tiger attack had something to do with the fact that animals are completely freaked and totally intune with impending earthquakes. It seems almost a given to me but I'm just kooky that way.

Dec 22, 2006 10:54 pm US/Pacific
East Bay Quake Jolts Bay Area
(CBS 5 / AP / BCN) BERKELEY An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 3.7 was felt across the Bay Area Friday night. There were no immediate reports of injury or damage.The quake was centered in the Berkeley Hills and struck at 10:49 p.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.A small earthquake rattled the Bay Area Wednesday evening and was centered in the same area.Wednesday's earthquake struck at 7:12 p.m., had a preliminary magnitude of 3.7 and was centered in the Berkeley Hills, about 2 miles east of the Claremont hotel, according to the USGS.Both quakes occurred on the Hayward Fault, which geologists believe is due for a large quake in the potentially lethal 6.7 to 7.0 range.

Tiger mauls trainer at SF Zoo
By TERENCE CHEA, Associated Press Writer

A 350-pound Siberian tiger that mauled an experienced San Francisco Zoo keeper so badly she could lose her arm had no history of violence, prompting an investigation into what led to the vicious attack.

The tiger would likely remain on view Saturday, zoo officials said, even as the woman underwent emergency surgery to save her lacerated limb.

At least 50 visitors were at the zoo's big cat exhibit, called the Lion House, when the tiger, Tatiana, reached through her cage's iron bars and grabbed the keeper Friday afternoon, said Robert Jenkins, the zoo's director of animal care.

"We're still trying to figure out what happened and why it happened," Jenkins said.

The woman was rushed into surgery at San Francisco General Hospital and remained hospitalized Friday night. Her family requested that details of her condition not be released at this time, zoo and hospital officials said.

"My understanding is the injuries are not life-threatening, but perhaps limb-threatening," Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White said.

The trainer has been an animal keeper at the zoo since 1997. Her main job is taking care of the zoo's four lions and three tigers, Jenkins said.

The attack happened during a regular 2 p.m. public feeding, during which keepers typically deliver a meal of fortified horse meat through a small slot.

"No matter how familiar you get with these animals, they're still wild animals," Jenkins said. "You have to have a healthy respect for them and be aware of what can happen."

The 3-year-old tiger arrived at the San Francisco Zoo from the Denver Zoo more than a year ago. There were no previous incidents of aggression against humans involving Tatiana, said Ana Bowie, a Denver Zoo spokeswoman.

The mauling was the first attack of its kind against a human at San Francisco Zoo, Jenkins said.

According to its Web site, San Francisco Zoo is one of the only zoos in the U.S. where visitors can see big cat feedings.

Copyright © 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.