Settlers at Virginia's Jamestown Colony resorted to cannibalism to survive the harsh winter of 1609, dismembering and consuming a 14-year-old English girl, the U.S. Smithsonian Institution reported on Wednesday.
This is the first direct evidence of cannibalism at Jamestown, the oldest permanent English colony in the Americas, according to the Washington-based museum and research complex.
A recent excavation at the historic site revealed not just the remains of dogs, cats and horses eaten by settlers during the cold "Starving Time" of that year, but also the bones of a girl known to researchers simply as "Jane."
Jane probably was part of a relatively prosperous household, possibly a gentleman's daughter or maidservant, said Smithsonian forensic anthropologist Douglas Owsley, who analyzed her bones after they were found by Preservation Virginia, a private nonprofit group.
Her back molars had not yet erupted, putting her age around 14 years, and there was a lot of nitrogen in her bones, indicating she ate a meat-rich English diet, Owsley said in a telephone interview.
It is not known whether Jane was killed or died of natural causes. The Smithsonian said there is no evidence of murder.
After her death, in a year when many Jamestown colonists starved, Jane's body was hacked apart by a butcher or butchers who barely knew what they were doing. She may have been chosen because others in her household were already dead and there was no one to bury her, Owsley said.
UNSKILLED CHOPPING
"There was very clear post-mortem dismemberment that involved chops to the forehead, chops to the back of the head that cracked the skull open," the scientist said.
"A puncture to the left side of the head was used to essentially lever and open the ... head to remove the brain. There are cuts all over the face and on the mandible, inside as well as out."
By 1609, Owsley said, the settlement was effectively operating under siege, with many of the male colonists killed by hostile Native Americans after venturing out.
Those who remained inside Jamestown's confines were often women, children and the sick. Those who dismembered Jane might well have been women, he said.
The cuts were "very tentative, hesitant," Owsley said. "This is not someone who's skilled in terms of kitchen work or butchery, and yet they know, out of sheer need, that this is what they have to do."
The brain, tongue, cheeks and leg muscles appear to have been eaten, with the brain probably consumed first because it decomposes soon after death, the Smithsonian said in an online announcement.
Scholars have speculated that extreme drought, hostile relations with the local Powhatan Confederacy and a lost supply ship made the Jamestown colonists desperate enough to eat humans. Writings had suggested it, but no hard physical evidence existed until now.
William Kelso, lead archeologist on the project, and his team discovered the girl's remains last summer.
"We found a deposit of refuse that contained butchered horse and dog bones," Kelso said. "That was only done in times of extreme hunger. As we excavated, we found human teeth and then a partial human skull."
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Brasilia police cancel order for World Cup raincoats
Brasilia police have canceled an order for 17,000 raincoats for use at the World Cup because next year's tournament will be played in the dry season.
"The military police made a mistake in listing the product among those to be acquired with a view to the World Cup which will be held in the dry season," said the Federal District government in a statement.
Brazilian media had criticized the plans as an example of wasteful spending by authorities, pointing out that the jackets would have cost a total of 5.35 million reais ($2.66 million).
Rainfall is very rare between May and July in Brasilia and the air humidity often drops to 30 percent.
The Brazilian capital, a planned city founded in 1960, will stage five matches at the World Cup and will also host games at the Confederations Cup in June.
The new 72,000-capacity Mane Garrincha stadium has been plagued by delays and its opening has been postponed until May 18, leaving FIFA on tenterhooks.
"The military police made a mistake in listing the product among those to be acquired with a view to the World Cup which will be held in the dry season," said the Federal District government in a statement.
Brazilian media had criticized the plans as an example of wasteful spending by authorities, pointing out that the jackets would have cost a total of 5.35 million reais ($2.66 million).
Rainfall is very rare between May and July in Brasilia and the air humidity often drops to 30 percent.
The Brazilian capital, a planned city founded in 1960, will stage five matches at the World Cup and will also host games at the Confederations Cup in June.
The new 72,000-capacity Mane Garrincha stadium has been plagued by delays and its opening has been postponed until May 18, leaving FIFA on tenterhooks.
Chechen linesman gets life ban, $16,200 fine for assault
The Russian FA (RFU) upheld a life ban for Chechen linesman Musa Kadyrov on Tuesday and fined him $16,200 for assaulting a player in a league match.
The incident occurred at the end of Sunday's reserve game in Grozny between local side Terek and Amkar Perm when a raging Kadyrov dropped his flag and ran on to the pitch, attacking Amkar defender Ilya Krichmar.
Kadyrov, seen on video pushing 18-year-old Krichmar to the ground, then kicking and punching him, was banned for life by the Chechen soccer association on Monday.
The RFU's disciplinary committee upheld the decision, banning Kadyrov from any involvement in the game, and fined him 500,000 roubles ($16,200) for a "direct attack on players which could have caused a real risk to their health".
"Kadyrov must pay the fine out of his own pocket," committee head Artur Grigoryants told reporters.
Kadyrov told local media that he would not appeal against the ban.
Krichmar was suspended for four matches and fined $490 for 'unsportsmanlike conduct', effectively banning him for the rest of the season with only four games left.
The incident occurred at the end of Sunday's reserve game in Grozny between local side Terek and Amkar Perm when a raging Kadyrov dropped his flag and ran on to the pitch, attacking Amkar defender Ilya Krichmar.
Kadyrov, seen on video pushing 18-year-old Krichmar to the ground, then kicking and punching him, was banned for life by the Chechen soccer association on Monday.
The RFU's disciplinary committee upheld the decision, banning Kadyrov from any involvement in the game, and fined him 500,000 roubles ($16,200) for a "direct attack on players which could have caused a real risk to their health".
"Kadyrov must pay the fine out of his own pocket," committee head Artur Grigoryants told reporters.
Kadyrov told local media that he would not appeal against the ban.
Krichmar was suspended for four matches and fined $490 for 'unsportsmanlike conduct', effectively banning him for the rest of the season with only four games left.
California woman accused of planting poisoned juice at Starbucks
A northern California woman has been arrested on suspicion of spiking orange juice bottles with a deadly dose of rubbing alcohol and stocking the bottles at a Starbucks coffee shop, law enforcement officials said on Tuesday.
Ramineh Behbehanian, 50, was arrested at her San Jose home on Monday night and booked into the Santa Clara County Jail on charges of attempted murder and poisoning, San Jose Police Sergeant Jason Dwyer said.
Behbehanian is accused of carrying two bottles of tainted juice into a Starbucks outlet in San Jose on Monday, pulling them from her bag and placing them in the display case of a cooler stocked with various beverages.
A customer saw the woman and what appeared to be her suspicious behavior and alerted the store's employees, but police say Behbehanian fled the shop when she overheard the conversation between the customer and employees. Another Starbucks patron followed Behbehanian outside and recorded the woman's license plate as she drove away, Dwyer said.
San Jose police and firefighters were called to the coffee shop, which was quickly evacuated. Hazardous materials inspectors tested the contents of the two bottles in question and found they contained a mixture of orange juice and isopropyl alcohol, or rubbing alcohol.
"According to the fire department, both of the bottles contained a lethal dose of alcohol," Dwyer said.
The store closed early to aid in the investigation, and all of the bottled drinks in the display case were destroyed, Starbucks spokesman Zack Hutson said. All nearby Starbucks stores also were directed to check the seals on beverage bottles in their inventory as a precaution, but no evidence of additional tampering was found, he added.
"We're immensely grateful to the vigilant customer who did the right thing by immediately alerting our store partners after witnessing the suspicious behavior," Hutson said.
Dwyer said a motive for the alleged tampering was under investigation. He said he could not release additional details about the case.
Ramineh Behbehanian, 50, was arrested at her San Jose home on Monday night and booked into the Santa Clara County Jail on charges of attempted murder and poisoning, San Jose Police Sergeant Jason Dwyer said.
Behbehanian is accused of carrying two bottles of tainted juice into a Starbucks outlet in San Jose on Monday, pulling them from her bag and placing them in the display case of a cooler stocked with various beverages.
A customer saw the woman and what appeared to be her suspicious behavior and alerted the store's employees, but police say Behbehanian fled the shop when she overheard the conversation between the customer and employees. Another Starbucks patron followed Behbehanian outside and recorded the woman's license plate as she drove away, Dwyer said.
San Jose police and firefighters were called to the coffee shop, which was quickly evacuated. Hazardous materials inspectors tested the contents of the two bottles in question and found they contained a mixture of orange juice and isopropyl alcohol, or rubbing alcohol.
"According to the fire department, both of the bottles contained a lethal dose of alcohol," Dwyer said.
The store closed early to aid in the investigation, and all of the bottled drinks in the display case were destroyed, Starbucks spokesman Zack Hutson said. All nearby Starbucks stores also were directed to check the seals on beverage bottles in their inventory as a precaution, but no evidence of additional tampering was found, he added.
"We're immensely grateful to the vigilant customer who did the right thing by immediately alerting our store partners after witnessing the suspicious behavior," Hutson said.
Dwyer said a motive for the alleged tampering was under investigation. He said he could not release additional details about the case.
Raging official assaults player in Russian reserve soccer match
Match officials often face a torrent of abuse from angry players and on some occasions the attacks can turn violent.
Rarely are the roles reversed, yet Chechen linesman Musa Kadyrov lost his composure in a Russian fixture on Sunday and launched a vicious assault on one of the players.
The incident occurred at the end of a Russian league reserve game in Grozny between Amkar Perm and local side Terek when a raging Kadyrov dropped his flag and ran onto the pitch, attacking startled defender Ilya Krichmar.
"The ref blew the final whistle and I started walking to our bench, when suddenly someone came from behind, pushed me to the ground and began kicking and punching me," the 18-year-old Amkar player told reporters.
"Terek players then joined the attack. Someone grabbed me by the throat, another hit me... bloodying my face.
"Thank God, my team mates came to the rescue. Special thanks to Vlasov from Terek. We had known each other from a youth academy in St Petersburg and he helped me escape."
Kadyrov said Krichmar had insulted him but the player denied the allegation.
"We weren't happy with the officiating, words had been exchanged but I had never said anything personal about him or his mother," he said. "I know how sensitive Chechen people are."
Former FIFA referee Alexei Spirin, who was working as an assessor of Sunday's match, was left shocked by the episode.
"In all my refereeing career I have never seen anything like it. This guy (Kadyrov) should not be a referee," Spirin said.
"He had no clue about rules, even worse, attacked a player. On a scale of one to 10, I'd give him a zero and I'm writing a special report. He should not be allowed to officiate again."
Krichmar was asked if he would attend the Russian Cup final in Grozny on June 1 if invited by Chechen officials.
"No, I would not go. I could still feel some hatred there after the (Chechen) war, although we had no problem with security in Grozny," Krichmar said. "We always had bodyguards with machine guns around us. The food was good as well, but..."
Sunday's incident was the latest in a series of violent attacks on players in Russian soccer.
Krasnodar striker Spartak Gogniyev suffered a broken nose and fractured ribs after being attacked by Terek officials at a reserve game in Grozny in November 2011.
Gogniyev was handed a six-game ban and $1,600 fine by the Russian FA for pushing the referee. The world players' union FIFPro, however, slammed the decision to punish the player.
Former Montenegro striker Nikola Nikezic lodged a complaint with FIFA and UEFA in 2011, saying he had been forced to end his contract with Kuban Krasnodar after being beaten up and threatened with a gun.
Rarely are the roles reversed, yet Chechen linesman Musa Kadyrov lost his composure in a Russian fixture on Sunday and launched a vicious assault on one of the players.
The incident occurred at the end of a Russian league reserve game in Grozny between Amkar Perm and local side Terek when a raging Kadyrov dropped his flag and ran onto the pitch, attacking startled defender Ilya Krichmar.
"The ref blew the final whistle and I started walking to our bench, when suddenly someone came from behind, pushed me to the ground and began kicking and punching me," the 18-year-old Amkar player told reporters.
"Terek players then joined the attack. Someone grabbed me by the throat, another hit me... bloodying my face.
"Thank God, my team mates came to the rescue. Special thanks to Vlasov from Terek. We had known each other from a youth academy in St Petersburg and he helped me escape."
Kadyrov said Krichmar had insulted him but the player denied the allegation.
"We weren't happy with the officiating, words had been exchanged but I had never said anything personal about him or his mother," he said. "I know how sensitive Chechen people are."
Former FIFA referee Alexei Spirin, who was working as an assessor of Sunday's match, was left shocked by the episode.
"In all my refereeing career I have never seen anything like it. This guy (Kadyrov) should not be a referee," Spirin said.
"He had no clue about rules, even worse, attacked a player. On a scale of one to 10, I'd give him a zero and I'm writing a special report. He should not be allowed to officiate again."
Krichmar was asked if he would attend the Russian Cup final in Grozny on June 1 if invited by Chechen officials.
"No, I would not go. I could still feel some hatred there after the (Chechen) war, although we had no problem with security in Grozny," Krichmar said. "We always had bodyguards with machine guns around us. The food was good as well, but..."
Sunday's incident was the latest in a series of violent attacks on players in Russian soccer.
Krasnodar striker Spartak Gogniyev suffered a broken nose and fractured ribs after being attacked by Terek officials at a reserve game in Grozny in November 2011.
Gogniyev was handed a six-game ban and $1,600 fine by the Russian FA for pushing the referee. The world players' union FIFPro, however, slammed the decision to punish the player.
Former Montenegro striker Nikola Nikezic lodged a complaint with FIFA and UEFA in 2011, saying he had been forced to end his contract with Kuban Krasnodar after being beaten up and threatened with a gun.
Mother forced daughter, 14, into sperm insemination: UK court
A mother who persuaded her adopted teenage daughter to become pregnant by artificial insemination because she wanted a baby for herself has been jailed for five years in Britain, in a case that raises concern over how easily donor sperm can be obtained.
Previously secret court documents showed that the daughter, a virgin, was made to inseminate herself alone in her bedroom seven times over a two-year period starting in 2008 when she was 14, using syringes of semen bought online by the mother from sperm bank Cryos in Denmark.
She eventually became pregnant at 16 and gave birth at 17. The extraordinary circumstances of her pregnancy came to light after midwives became suspicious of the mother because she was trying to prevent her daughter from bonding with the new baby.
"We don't want any of that attachment thing," the mother said when a midwife suggested that the girl might want to breastfeed. After several such incidents the midwives alerted social services and police got involved in July 2011.
In a ruling made in March 2012 but only published now after the conclusion of the mother's criminal trial, High Court Judge Peter Jackson described "an abiding sense of disbelief that a parent could behave in such a wicked and selfish way towards a vulnerable child".
The judge also raised questions about the international trade in donor sperm, noting that "there were no effective checks on a person's ability to obtain sperm from Cryos".
There is no law in Britain to stop someone from buying donor sperm on the Internet and using it at home without supervision.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) said it was "shocked and appalled by this dreadful case" and would be discussing with the Department of Health the issues raised relating to the donation of sperm.
Described in the judgment as having "an exceptionally forceful personality", the mother wanted to be the sole influence in the lives of her daughters, whom she schooled at home behind drawn curtains and kept isolated from the world.
The mother, who was imprisoned for child cruelty, had three adopted daughters but desperately wanted a fourth and was distraught when authorities told her in 2007 that she would not receive approval for a further adoption.
Instead, she persuaded the eldest of her three daughters to embark on a program of artificial insemination to provide her with a baby to raise as her own.
The mother wanted the child to be a girl and made her daughter use acid douches containing vinegar or lemon juice in the belief that this would influence an unborn child's gender.
The daughter said she allowed her body to be used by her mother because she loved her. In a Mother's Day card written in 2009, the daughter pasted a photo of a positive pregnancy test and promised that she would give her mother that.
Cryos declined to comment on the case or on its procedures. In a section on home insemination, the sperm bank's website says: "In EU the goods can freely be moved from country to country, however, Cryos cannot know the rules in all countries so the recipient is responsible for the legality of imports."
Previously secret court documents showed that the daughter, a virgin, was made to inseminate herself alone in her bedroom seven times over a two-year period starting in 2008 when she was 14, using syringes of semen bought online by the mother from sperm bank Cryos in Denmark.
She eventually became pregnant at 16 and gave birth at 17. The extraordinary circumstances of her pregnancy came to light after midwives became suspicious of the mother because she was trying to prevent her daughter from bonding with the new baby.
"We don't want any of that attachment thing," the mother said when a midwife suggested that the girl might want to breastfeed. After several such incidents the midwives alerted social services and police got involved in July 2011.
In a ruling made in March 2012 but only published now after the conclusion of the mother's criminal trial, High Court Judge Peter Jackson described "an abiding sense of disbelief that a parent could behave in such a wicked and selfish way towards a vulnerable child".
The judge also raised questions about the international trade in donor sperm, noting that "there were no effective checks on a person's ability to obtain sperm from Cryos".
There is no law in Britain to stop someone from buying donor sperm on the Internet and using it at home without supervision.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) said it was "shocked and appalled by this dreadful case" and would be discussing with the Department of Health the issues raised relating to the donation of sperm.
Described in the judgment as having "an exceptionally forceful personality", the mother wanted to be the sole influence in the lives of her daughters, whom she schooled at home behind drawn curtains and kept isolated from the world.
The mother, who was imprisoned for child cruelty, had three adopted daughters but desperately wanted a fourth and was distraught when authorities told her in 2007 that she would not receive approval for a further adoption.
Instead, she persuaded the eldest of her three daughters to embark on a program of artificial insemination to provide her with a baby to raise as her own.
The mother wanted the child to be a girl and made her daughter use acid douches containing vinegar or lemon juice in the belief that this would influence an unborn child's gender.
The daughter said she allowed her body to be used by her mother because she loved her. In a Mother's Day card written in 2009, the daughter pasted a photo of a positive pregnancy test and promised that she would give her mother that.
Cryos declined to comment on the case or on its procedures. In a section on home insemination, the sperm bank's website says: "In EU the goods can freely be moved from country to country, however, Cryos cannot know the rules in all countries so the recipient is responsible for the legality of imports."
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