Mood:  happy

Why a beautiful Christmas awaits girl James Blunt woke from coma

The girl awoken from a coma by the sound of James Blunt's song You're Beautiful is looking forward to this Christmas like no other.

Seven months after fracturing her skull in a fall from a balcony, six-year-old Claudia De'Alwis has made a full recovery.

The youngster delighted doctors and thrilled her parents with the speed and extent of her recovery following the accident in May.

Claudia was in a coma for ten days after fracturing her skull in the fall.

Doctors feared she would not survive. Even if she did, they warned, the severity of her injuries would mean she would be brain damaged or paralysed.

"Claudia is doing really well and it's the best Christmas present we could have ever hoped for," her mother Gaynor Turner yesterday.

"Personality wise we've got our daughter back and she's the same in every way as she was before.

"She knows she nearly died and we are really going to sit down and appreciate how special this Christmas actually is. Claudia has shown me a Red Indian dressing up outfit, a tool bench and monster toys that she wants Santa to bring her."

The little girl, an only child, had been playing on the landing at a friend's house on May 23 when she fell headfirst over the balcony.

She was taken to a hospital near her home in Burnley then moved to the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital in Pendlebury, where her mother and her father Paul De'Alwis, 40, remained by her bedside for ten days.

Claudia had shown no signs of movement until James Blunt's song, her favourite, came on the hospital radio.

After that, she rapidly improved, and was discharged at the end of June. She has continued to have therapy session since then.

Miss Turner, 41, said: "Claudia's doctor is really pleased with her progress. She was having therapy for her writing and her right-sided actions, but they've been so pleased with her progress that she's been signed off. Her last occupational therapy session was last week.

"People have come up to us and said they just can't believe how bad it was because of how she is now. She's going swimming and she's started going street dancing. She's doing absolutely fabulous."

Miss Turner, a bank clerk, added: "The MRI scan has revealed there is some permanent damage, but we haven't seen anything and we don't know what that will mean.

"The doctors have said that the brain takes 20 years to develop, so we might not see any changes until she is a teenager.

"Because we don't know what she was going to be like anyway, we just look at it as though she's just on a different path now."

Harrow-educated Blunt has sold more than six million copies of Back to Bedlam, the album from which the hit You're Beautiful was taken.

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UK Daily Mail ** Why a beautiful Christmas awaits girl James Blunt woke from coma

Posted by yaahoo_ at 5:01 PM EST

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Parents angered as every pupil is given halal school meals

Halal meat is being served to pupils in state schools without their knowledge, even if they believe the religious slaughter is cruel.

Parents have reacted furiously after being sent letters telling them their children's school dinners have been all-halal for 'some time'.

To conform with Jewish and Muslim religious tradition, animals are prepared for halal products by having their throats slit while conscious - a method many people believe is inhumane and which the RSPCA has condemned.

The meat was introduced at four schools in the Reading area with a high proportion of Muslim pupils. But parents of non-Muslim pupils - between 20 and 50 per cent of the schools' roll -say they were not consulted.

Coach driver Andrew Weston, 37, who has a son and daughter at St John's primary school, said: "We received a letter saying only halal meat was being served and had been for some time. I was shocked.

"The way the animals are killed for this meat is barbaric and cruel. Our children should have a choice."

Abdul Dean, ethnic minorities officer for the Christian Peoples Alliance, said: "Christian children should be given an equal chance to have non-halal meat. The school should have explained the situation to parents at the outset."

Last month, a head teacher in Rotherham caused an outcry when she said she intended to replace traditional turkey with halal chicken to create an 'integrated Christmas'. Jan Charters, head of Oakwood School, backed down after complaints by MPs.

A spokesperson for Reading Borough Council said: "The decision was taken several years ago. Schools thought it was the appropriate choice for their multi-cultural community. We are increasing options at the four schools by offering fish each day."

The other schools where only halal meat is served are New Town, Oxford Road and Alfred Sutton primary schools.

Earlier this year, an RSPCA pamphlet stated: "Muslim communities in the UK should review their slaughter practices. Research demonstrates that slaughter of any animal without stunning can cause unnecessary suffering."

Reader comments
UK Daily Mail ~ Andrew Buckwell ** Parents angered as every pupil is given halal school meals

Posted by yaahoo_ at 4:04 PM EST

Updated: Tuesday, 19 December 2006 5:10 PM EST

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DIA disputes Baker group findings

WASHINGTON -- The Defense Department's intelligence agency has issued a response to the Iraq Study Group report.

In a Dec. 6 report, ISG, co-chaired by former Secretary of State James Baker, said DIA maintained fewer than 10 analysts with more than two years of experience and assigned to Iraq.

The Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency disputed the assertion saying it employs more than 300 analysts well-versed in Iraq. The agency said 49 of them were assigned exclusively to Iraq.

Officials said the statement was approved by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. They said Rumsfeld has privately criticized the work of ISG, particularly its recommendations for a rapid withdrawal from Iraq.

The DIA said more than 15 percent of its analysts were devoted to supporting the U.S. military presence in Iraq.

"The Defense Intelligence Agency has more than 300 dedicated analysts focused on the many complexities of Iraq," DIA said in a statement on Dec. 12. "They include a core cadre of 49 analysts focused exclusively on the insurgency, at least half of whom have more than two years experience working this issue."

World Tribune.com ** DIA disputes Baker group findings

I suspect the DIA could contradict a lot more from the ISG report than just this. From what I understand, all of the information gathered by the ISG was gleaned in the safety of the green zone.

Posted by yaahoo_ at 3:10 PM EST

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Iraq’s Economy Is Booming

Blood and Money

In what might be called the mother of all surprises, Iraq's economy is growing strong, even booming in places.

It may sound unreal, given the daily images of carnage and chaos. But for a certain plucky breed of businessmen, there's good money to be made in Iraq. Consider Iraqna, the leading mobile-phone company. For sure, its quarterly reports seldom make for dull reading. Despite employees kidnapped, cell-phone towers bombed, storefronts shot up and a huge security budget -- up to four guards for each employee -- the company posted revenues of $333 million in 2005. This year, it's on track to take in $520 million. The U.S. State Department reports that there are now 7.1 million mobile-phone subscribers in Iraq, up from just 1.4 million two years ago. Says Wael Ziada, an analyst in Cairo who tracks Iraqna: "There will always be pockets of money and wealth, no matter how bad the situation gets."

Civil war or not, Iraq has an economy, and -- mother of all surprises -- it's doing remarkably well. Real estate is booming. Construction, retail and wholesale trade sectors are healthy, too, according to a report by Global Insight in London. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce reports 34,000 registered companies in Iraq, up from 8,000 three years ago. Sales of secondhand cars, televisions and mobile phones have all risen sharply. Estimates vary, but one from Global Insight puts GDP growth at 17 percent last year and projects 13 percent for 2006. The World Bank has it lower: at 4 percent this year. But, given all the attention paid to deteriorating security, the startling fact is that Iraq is growing at all.

How? Iraq is a crippled nation growing on the financial equivalent of steroids, with money pouring in from abroad. National oil revenues and foreign grants look set to total $41 billion this year, according to the IMF. With security improving in one key spot -- the southern oilfields -- that figure could go up.

Not too shabby, all things considered. Yes, Iraq's problems are daunting, to say the least. Unemployment runs between 30 and 50 percent. Many former state industries have all but ceased to function. As for all that money flowing in, much of it has gone to things that do little to advance the country's future. Security, for instance, gobbles up as much as a third of most companies' operating budgets, whereas what Iraq really needs are hospitals, highways and power-generating plants.

Even so, there's a vibrancy at the grass roots that is invisible in most international coverage of Iraq. Partly it's the trickle-down effect. However it's spent, whether on security or something else, money circulates. Nor are ordinary Iraqis themselves short on cash. After so many years of living under sanctions, with little to consume, many built up considerable nest eggs -- which they are now spending. That's boosted economic activity, particularly in retail. Imported goods have grown increasingly affordable, thanks to the elimination of tariffs and trade barriers. Salaries have gone up more than 100 percent since the fall of Saddam, and income-tax cuts (from 45 percent to just 15 percent) have put more cash in Iraqi pockets. "The U.S. wanted to create the conditions in which small-scale private enterprise could blossom," says Jan Randolph, head of sovereign risk at Global Insight. "In a sense, they've succeeded."

Consider some less formal indicators. Perhaps the most pervasive is the horrendous Iraqi traffic jams. Roadside bombs account for fewer backups than the sheer number of secondhand cars that have crowded onto the nation's roads -- five times as many in Baghdad as before the war. Cheap Chinese goods overflow from shop shelves, and store owners report quick turnover. Real-estate prices have risen several hundred percent, suggesting that Iraqis are more optimistic about the future than most Americans are.

There's even a positive spin to be put on corruption. Money stolen from government coffers or siphoned from U.S. aid projects does not just disappear. Again, says Farid Abolfathi, a Global Insight analyst, it's the "trickledown" effect. Such "underground activity" is the most dynamic part of Iraq's economy, he says. "It might not be viewed as respectable. But in reality, that's what puts money in the hands of the little people."

Meanwhile, Iraq's official economic institutions are making progress, improbable as that might sound in the context of savage sectarian violence and a seemingly complete breakdown of leadership and law. Yet it's a fact. A government often accused of being no government at all has somehow managed to take its first steps to liberalize the highly centralized economy of the Saddam era. Iraq has a debt-relief deal with the IMF that requires Baghdad to end subsidies and open up its gas-import market. Earlier this year the government made the first hesitant steps, axing fuel subsidies -- and sending prices from a few cents a liter to around 14. "This has become one important way of institutionally engaging with Iraq," says economist Colin Rowat at the University of Birmingham. "If you lose that engagement, then that means a lot more people have given up on Iraq."

It goes without saying: real progress won't be seen until the security situation clears up. Iraq still lacks a functioning banking system. Though there's an increasing awareness of Iraq as a potential emerging market, foreign investors won't make serious commitments until they are assured a measure of stability. Local moneymen are scarcely more bullish on the long term. In Iraq's nascent bond market, buyers have so far been willing to invest in local-currency Treasury bills with terms up to six months, max.

Iraqna isn't the only success story. There is also Nipal, a money-transfer service that is the backbone of Iraq's cash economy, as well as a slew of successful construction firms in Kurdistan. Such companies are not waiting for Iraq's political crisis to resolve itself. Yet imagine how they would prosper if it did, and how quickly they would be joined by others. As things stand, Iraqna faces extraordinary difficulties. It builds towers but lives in constant fear that they will be blown up. It has to be careful about whom it hires, or where it assigns people to work. Whether Sunni or Shia, it doesn't matter; criminal gangs and militias regularly try to kidnap employees to hold them hostage for ransom, regardless of ethnicity. As for long-range planning? Forget it, says Ziada, the Cairo analyst. "It's a terrible situation for any company."

But again, that's the remarkable thing. In a business climate that is inhospitable, to say the least, companies like Iraqna are thriving. The withdrawal of a certain great power could drastically reduce the foreign money flow, and knock the crippled economy flat.

With Michael Hastings in Baghdad
MSNBC.com ~ Newsweek International - Silvia Spring ** Iraq’s Economy Is Booming

Oh my Gawd!!! The MSM will ignore anything that does not fit their agenda as long as they possibly can... The lamestream libtard media just couldn't hide this I guess.

I guess I could cut the MSM a little slack.. It's tough to catch these details from the green zone and the bar of the El Rasheed. Now if there were some bad news to be found in the prosperity...

Posted by yaahoo_ at 1:20 AM EST

Updated: Tuesday, 19 December 2006 5:46 AM EST

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'Peace' Advocates Vandalize Cars at Army Recruiting Station

By Mary Katharine Ham

Yep, folks, this is my hometown area once again. Down here in the Triangle, we support the justice system by dragging innocent young men with solid alibis through a year-long rape case while hiding exculpatory evidence. And, we support the troops with cans of spray paint!

Police charged five protesters on Friday during the second demonstration in a month outside the new Army recruiting station.

"We thought it was important to not have this recruiting station open quietly," said Emily McFarlane, a UNC-Chapel Hill junior who helped organize the protest at the Army Career Center, 1502 E. Franklin St.

Quiet it was not:

In addition to the protests, two government cars parked outside the recruiting station were vandalized with spray painted messages, "Go home!" on one and "Not welcome!" on the other.

"Go home," troops that we totally support. You're "not welcome," good men and women of the armed services, whose service we appreciate so sincerely even though we don't necessarily support your mission in Iraq. Riiight. Tell me more about it.

And, the Chamber of Commerce, which holds a ribbon-cutting ceremony for any new member that requests it, wussed out of this one, citing safety concerns posed by thuggish lefties.

The troops can face down IEDs in Iraq, but the Chapel Hill Chamber of Commerce can't handle a handful of SDSers and "Raging Grannies" to come out and show support for them? Lame.

Of course, it's not as it campus lefties have a reputation for utterly "peaceful" protests, but a bit of backbone in the face of these thugs would be much appreciated and much applauded by the mostly silent majority of sane people in the Triangle.

Luckily someone had some backbone. Check out the classy side of this protest:

Veteran Al Meyer, 86, came from his home in Hillsborough to support the new station.

"I just wanted to let [the protesters] know there are other people around who don't share their opinion," said Meyer, who served for eight years in the Mighty Eighth Air Corps in England.

"There are so many nations that don't like us anymore," he said. "We've got to be strong and take actions people don't like, and make sure we still have a good ol' USA."

I think I may take some cookies over to Franklin Street while I'm home for Christmas. I'm sure the folks working in those recruiting centers would be glad to find that there are many people in the Triangle who think they're more than welcome in our town.

Chapel Hill anti-troops flashback, courtesy of Michelle Malkin. The newspaper didn't run any pictures of this most recent vandalism. Anyone back home got pictures? Send them along if you do.

And, people wonder how I became conservative. Sheesh.

Townhall.com Blog ~ Mary Katharine Ham ** 'Peace' Advocates Vandalize Cars at Army Recruiting Station

Posted by yaahoo_ at 12:01 AM EST

Updated: Tuesday, 19 December 2006 5:45 AM EST

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The perils of electing an egomaniacal jerk

It's never exactly been a secret that James Webb is a jerk. But even before he takes his place in the Senate, this fact is becoming common knowledge. First, he turned a kind inquiry about his son from President Bush into a confrontation. Given the president's unpopularity, Webb figured he could get some mileage out of his boorish conduct, which he proceeded to publicize.

However, Webb doesn't figure to get much mileage from stiffing veterans in Virginia Beach. Webb promised to appear at a Veterans' Day event there, but pulled out at the last minute on the theory that attending would have "eaten up an entire weekend." Webb then purported to be "perplexed" because the veterans weren't sufficiently understanding of his circumstances.

According to the Virginian-Pilot, reaction from veterans ranged from disappointment to fury. Said Patrick Callahan, combat vet and president of a local Vietnam Veterans of America chapter, "ditching us was uncalled for and it will not be forgiven."

Power Line ~ Paul Mirengoff ** The perils of electing an egomaniacal jerk

Webb got what HE wanted... the veterans' votes. Now he tells them to go fly a kite.
Typical democrat asshole.

Posted by yaahoo_ at 2:27 AM EST

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Madison Liberal Talk Radio Cancellation Protest, The Mic FM

UNHINGED ON PARADE

Madison Lefties Plan Libtalk 'Funeral Procession'

Determined to save their failed liberal talk radio station, Madison's so- called "progressive" community has already resorted to several of its usual noisy "hey hey, ho ho!" tactics.

With those efforts having so far failed to convince station management to keep "The Mic" as a libtalker, given weak ad sales and mediocre ratings, activists are now looking to escalate their campaign.

We've covered some of their past antics here.

In addition to enlisting the help of US Senator Russ Feingold (D- Wisconsin) and other Democrat Party honchos, lefties are hoping a planned "funeral procession" stunt on Wednesday will do the trick.

From the Capital Times:

'Funeral procession' for progressive talk planned March to Clear Channel set Wednesday
By Kevin Lynch

Efforts to resuscitate the progressive talk radio format of "The Mic" WXXM-FM/ 92.1 have failed so far. Concerned listeners now plan a "funeral procession" as the Jan. 1 end of the format nears.

The march will begin at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Brittingham Park near the intersection of South Park Street and West Washington Avenue and head down Fish Hatchery Road to the Clear Channel Madison offices.

A 420-page petition of more than 5,500 signatures to keep "The Mic" on the air will be delivered to Jeff Tyler, Clear Channel vice president of marketing, by activists Valerie Walasek, Gary Tipler and businesswoman Barbara Wright.

Despite the petition and a rally at the High Noon Saloon on Dec. 12 to demonstrate advertising support for the station's political talk forum, Clear Channel still plans to change the format to sports talk with an emphasis on prep sports and the University of Wisconsin. It also will feature syndicated sports personalities Jim Rome and Dan Patrick.

In an interview with The Associated Press published in The Capital Times on Wednesday, Tyler said Clear Channel would explore ways to continue progressive talk in Madison.

"Our company sales team embraced the station, the format and enthusiasm we all had for the station and its role in the community," Tyler said. "However, there are many advertisers, local and national, who have been at conflict with the programming or stay away from controversial programming."

The station has cancelled its local progressive talk shows, but it still airs programming from Air America, and other nationally broadcast talk hosts, including Al Franken, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Rev. Jesse Jackson, Ed Schultz and Stephanie Miller.

Miller and Schultz have addressed their concerns about losing the progressive talk format in Madison. Miller recently read a letter from Walasek to Tyler on her program. Schultz noted in The Capital Times that "The Mic" posted a 3.7 percent of the market share in the summer Arbitron rankings, good for 11th place.

What isn't helping the cause is their ongoing habit of blaming local management for the station's failure, claiming that the sales and promotional efforts were lackluster.

And while they point to The Mic's supposed strong ratings, one question hasn't been answered: in a city as far to the left as Madison, why hasn't their libtalker been number one with a bullet?

No Time: David A Lunde
Technorati tags: the mic fm madison feingold us senate libtalk progressives democrats al franken air america talk radio wisconsin

The Radio Equalizer ~ Brian Maloney ** Madison Liberal Talk Radio Cancellation Protest

Posted by yaahoo_ at 4:32 AM EST

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John Edwards to Enter 2008 Race

Former Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards intends to enter the 2008 race for the White House, two Democratic officials said Saturday.

Edwards, who represented North Carolina in the Senate for six years, plans to make the campaign announcement late this month from the New Orleans neighborhood hit hardest by Hurricane Katrina last year and slow to recover from the storm.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they did not want to pre-empt Edwards' announcement.

As Edwards enters the crowded field, the Lower Ninth Ward provides a stark backdrop to highlight his signature issue - that economic inequality means that the country is divided into "two Americas."

Edwards also plans to travel from New Orleans through the four early presidential nominating states - Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina - as part of an announcement tour between Christmas and New Year's Day.

Among Democrats, Sens. Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois are drawing the most attention almost two years before the actual vote.

Edwards, however, is in a strong position as the leading candidate in Iowa. He was a top fundraiser in the race for the nomination in 2004 before he became Democratic Sen. John Kerry's running mate.

Since the Democrats' loss to President Bush, Edwards has worked to build support for a repeat presidential bid. He has a retooled agenda that is more openly progressive and has spent time building relationships with labor leaders and traveling overseas to build his foreign policy credentials beyond his one term in the Senate.

Edwards' spokesman, David Ginsberg, would not confirm or deny that Edwards planned to announce he would run in 2008.

Ginsberg said Edwards would make an announcement about his future when he is ready.

Word leaked about Edwards' plans just hours after Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh announced he would not seek the presidency in 2008. Bayh had been a leading candidate in early fundraising and, like Edwards, based much of his appeal on his electability. Bayh and Edwards, friends who went running together daily when they were in the Senate, each won election in Republican-leaning states.

Bayh and some other hopefuls have struggled to build their name recognition against the drawing power of Clinton and Obama. Edwards, however, does not have that problem.

He is well known from the 2004 campaign and his profile has risen this year as he and his wife, Elizabeth, went on nationwide tours to promote their books.

A poll of Iowa Democrats that was published Thursday in the Des Moines Register showed Edwards with 36 percent support, more than Clinton's 16 percent and Obama's 13 percent combined.

Edwards' campaign plans include an aggressive fundraising effort to prove that he belongs in the top tier of contenders. Because he currently does not hold federal office, Edwards does not have a war chest like some of his rivals. In fact, he has several hundred thousands of dollars of debt from his 2004 presidential campaign.

News Max.com ~ Associated Press ** John Edwards to Enter 2008 Race
Related: John Edwards Showcases a 'Progressive' Agenda

Posted by yaahoo_ at 8:02 PM EST

Updated: Saturday, 16 December 2006 8:08 PM EST

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Idiotic remarks on Tim Johnson from The View's Joy Behar...

Bahar Thinks GOP Tried to Kill Johnson

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: It's comical today, folks, to listen to the Drive-By Media worry and speculate about not the fate of Tim Johnson. Now they're worried about the 82-year-old Daniel Akaka and Daniel In No Way, the two senators from Hawaii, both Democrats. Now we're worried about the health of Sheets Byrd, 89 years old in West Virginia. They're worried about this. This one-seat majority is very tenuous. They're also worried that one of these Democrats might be cajoled into switching parties. As you know, those nasty, rascally Republicans, they'll do anything to get their power back. Even the Democrat Underground, people are even speculating that the Republicans found a way to poison Tim Johnson just as they were behind the death of Paul Wellstone. It's extended now to beyond the blogs.

Yesterday that blithering idiot Joy Behar actually raised the possibility -- did the Republicans do something to him? Is there something they could have done? Do we have the bite? Let me look. Yes. Audio sound bites three and four. We'll go to The View yesterday discussing Tim Johnson. Dari Alexander, one of the guest info babes on the program said, "The Democrats took over in November by 51-49 majority, and now if he has to resign it will make things 50-50 because the governor of that state's a Republican and in charge of putting an interim --"

BEHAR: Is there such a thing as man made stroke? In other words, did someone do this to him? (Laughter.)

HASSELBACK: Why does everything coming from the liberal perspective have to be conspiracy?

RUSH: They're applauding it!

BEHAR: I know what this party is capable of.

RUSH: The audience thought she was making a joke or maybe not. The audience of that -- this is a different planet, and it has been on that show for a long, long time. But she raises the possibility, in other words, did someone do this to him? Then Elisabeth Hasselbeck said, "Why does everything coming from the liberal perspective have to be conspiracy?" "I know what that party is capable of." Behar then got another question. "Well, the thing that's sad about this is, it takes a political angle when a guy is critically ill."

BEHAR: But there are millions and millions of people who depend upon this Congress, people in the world and people in this country. His illness is -- is sad, but it's not as important in the overall scheme.

RUSH: Now, here is a liberal. These are the people that are kind and patient and tolerant and compassionate and understanding, and she just admits she doesn't give a rat's rear end about Tim Johnson. No, what's more important is her liberal wacko buddies maintaining control of the Senate. Remember, there's another great story here in the stack, too. You know, the Congressional Black Caucus has lodged a complaint to Nancy Pelosi, there aren't enough African-American staffers in Congress on the Democrat side. The Republicans have plenty of African-American staffers. They're cool. It's the Democrats. So all of these stereotypes about liberalism, "They are the tolerant ones and they're not racists, they're not bigots, they're not homophobes. They are kind and understanding and tolerant, patient, and so forth, good people." It's, frankly, in most cases, it is just the opposite.

END TRANSCRIPT

Read the Background Material...
(MRC: Joy Behar Suggests GOP Caused Senator Tim Johnson's Illness)
(AP: Sen. Johnson Responsive After Surgery)
*Note: Links to content outside RushLimbaugh.com usually become inactive over time.
Rush Limbaugh.com ** Bahar Thinks GOP Tried to Kill Johnson

Posted by yaahoo_ at 7:09 PM EST

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Ukraine babies in stem cell probe

Healthy new-born babies may have been killed in Ukraine to feed a flourishing international trade in stem cells, evidence obtained by the BBC suggests.

Disturbing video footage of post-mortem examinations on dismembered tiny bodies raises serious questions about what happened to them.

Ukraine has become the self-styled stem cell capital of the world.

There is a trade in stem cells from aborted foetuses, amid unproven claims they can help fight many diseases.

But now there are claims that stem cells are also being harvested from live babies.

Wall of silence
The BBC has spoken to mothers from the city of Kharkiv who say they gave birth to healthy babies, only to have them taken by maternity staff.

In 2003 the authorities agreed to exhume around 30 bodies of foetuses and full-term babies from a cemetery used by maternity hospital number six.

One campaigner was allowed into the autopsy to gather video evidence. She has given that footage to the BBC and Council of Europe.

In its report, the Council describes a general culture of trafficking of children snatched at birth, and a wall of silence from hospital staff upwards over their fate.

The pictures show organs, including brains, have been stripped - and some bodies dismembered.

A senior British forensic pathologist says he is very concerned to see bodies in pieces - as that is not standard post-mortem practice.

It could possibly be a result of harvesting stem cells from bone marrow.

Hospital number six denies the allegations.

BBC News ~ Matthew Hill ** Ukraine babies in stem cell probe

Posted by yaahoo_ at 7:49 AM EST

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