Scrub jays react to their dead

[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 11-Sep-2012
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Contact: Andy Fell
ahfell@ucdavis.edu
530-752-4533
University of California - Davis

Western scrub jays summon others to screech over the body of a dead jay, according to new research from the University of California, Davis. The birds' cacophonous "funerals" can last for up to half an hour.

Anecdotal reports have suggested that other animals, including elephants, chimpanzees and birds in the crow family, react to dead of their species, said Teresa Iglesias, the UC Davis graduate student who carried out the work. But few experimental studies have explored this behavior.

The new research by Iglesias and her colleagues appears in the Aug. 27 issue of the journal Animal Behaviour.

Western scrub jays live in breeding pairs and are not particularly social birds.

"They're really territorial and not at all friendly with other scrub-jays," Iglesias said.

Working in the backyards of homes in Davis, Calif., Iglesias set up feeding tables to encourage visits from the jays. Then she videotaped their behavior when she placed a dead jay on the ground. She compared these reactions with the birds' behavior when confronted with a dead jay that had been stuffed and mounted on a perch, a stuffed horned owl, and wood painted to represent jay feathers.

On encountering a dead jay, prostrate on the ground, jays flew into a tree and began a series of loud, screeching calls that attracted other jays. The summoned birds perched on trees and fences around the body and joined in the calling. These cacophonous gatherings could last from a few seconds to as long as 30 minutes.

Jays formed similar cacophonous gatherings in response to a mounted owl, but ignored painted wood. When confronted with a mounted jay, the birds swooped in on it as if it were an intruder.

Jays typically gathered within seconds of the first bird calling, Iglesias said. If they did not, the first jay would often fly higher into a tree, apparently to call more widely.

"It looked like they were actively trying to attract attention," she said.

The purpose of the calls seems to be to alert other birds of danger, Iglesias said. But why the calls summon others, rather than warning them off, is unclear. Having more jays present might mean more eyes to locate a predator, or more numbers to drive it away, she speculates.

There might also be a learning component to the gatherings, if they help teach young jays about dangers in the environment, Iglesias said.

While reactions of animals to their dead are sometimes called "funerals," that does not imply that there is an emotional or ritual element to the behavior, Iglesias said. We simply don't know enough about the emotional life of animals to understand that.

But Iglesias isn't ruling it out. "I think there's a huge possibility that there is much more to learn about the social and emotional lives of birds," she said.

###

Co-authors of the paper are UC Davis scientists Gail Patricelli, a professor of evolution and ecology, and Richard McElreath, an associate professor of anthropology.

Their work was supported by a Gates Millennium Graduate Scholarship from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and UC Davis funds to support graduate students.


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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 11-Sep-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Andy Fell
ahfell@ucdavis.edu
530-752-4533
University of California - Davis

Western scrub jays summon others to screech over the body of a dead jay, according to new research from the University of California, Davis. The birds' cacophonous "funerals" can last for up to half an hour.

Anecdotal reports have suggested that other animals, including elephants, chimpanzees and birds in the crow family, react to dead of their species, said Teresa Iglesias, the UC Davis graduate student who carried out the work. But few experimental studies have explored this behavior.

The new research by Iglesias and her colleagues appears in the Aug. 27 issue of the journal Animal Behaviour.

Western scrub jays live in breeding pairs and are not particularly social birds.

"They're really territorial and not at all friendly with other scrub-jays," Iglesias said.

Working in the backyards of homes in Davis, Calif., Iglesias set up feeding tables to encourage visits from the jays. Then she videotaped their behavior when she placed a dead jay on the ground. She compared these reactions with the birds' behavior when confronted with a dead jay that had been stuffed and mounted on a perch, a stuffed horned owl, and wood painted to represent jay feathers.

On encountering a dead jay, prostrate on the ground, jays flew into a tree and began a series of loud, screeching calls that attracted other jays. The summoned birds perched on trees and fences around the body and joined in the calling. These cacophonous gatherings could last from a few seconds to as long as 30 minutes.

Jays formed similar cacophonous gatherings in response to a mounted owl, but ignored painted wood. When confronted with a mounted jay, the birds swooped in on it as if it were an intruder.

Jays typically gathered within seconds of the first bird calling, Iglesias said. If they did not, the first jay would often fly higher into a tree, apparently to call more widely.

"It looked like they were actively trying to attract attention," she said.

The purpose of the calls seems to be to alert other birds of danger, Iglesias said. But why the calls summon others, rather than warning them off, is unclear. Having more jays present might mean more eyes to locate a predator, or more numbers to drive it away, she speculates.

There might also be a learning component to the gatherings, if they help teach young jays about dangers in the environment, Iglesias said.

While reactions of animals to their dead are sometimes called "funerals," that does not imply that there is an emotional or ritual element to the behavior, Iglesias said. We simply don't know enough about the emotional life of animals to understand that.

But Iglesias isn't ruling it out. "I think there's a huge possibility that there is much more to learn about the social and emotional lives of birds," she said.

###

Co-authors of the paper are UC Davis scientists Gail Patricelli, a professor of evolution and ecology, and Richard McElreath, an associate professor of anthropology.

Their work was supported by a Gates Millennium Graduate Scholarship from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and UC Davis funds to support graduate students.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-09/uoc--sjr091112.php

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Tips To Help You With Commercial Real Estate | Tic Tracker

Industrial property and other commercial properties are going up on the market all the time, but this type of property does not get preferential listings like regular homes. A certain level of knowledge is required to locate profitable commercial properties. This knowledge, along with other things, is necessary in order to be successful. In this article, you will find valuable tips that can help you succeed in commercial real estate.

Build an online presence before moving into the market. Set up a LinkedIn profile or a website. Strive to improve the search engine rank of your website through search engine optimization. Your goal is to have people instantly find information about you when they type your name in to a search engine.

There are different types of commercial real estate brokers. Agents that work with tenants and landlords both are called full service brokers. There are also agents that only represent tenants. It might be more beneficial to hire a broker who works only with tenants, as he has more experience working with those searching for a property.

Lower the risk of default by eliminating as many things that can be labeled ?event of default? as you can prior to negotiating a commercial property lease. This will lessen the possibility of a lease default by your tenant. You don?t need this to happen.

TIP! Look for properties with several units. The more units that are in your building, the more money you will get from renters.

If you have two commercial properties on your short list, you should buy the larger one, if at all possible. Obtaining adequate financing is a major undertaking, whether you opt for a ten-unit apartment complex or a twenty-unit apartment complex. Also, purchasing more units is like buying in bulk. The more you buy, the cheaper each unit will be.

You should concentrate your efforts on one real estate endeavor at a time. Regardless of whether your real estate investment is a office, apartment complex, or undeveloped commercial land, it is important to concentrate your efforts on only one investment. Each kind of investment will requires a full time commitment. It is better to be a master of just one, than a novice with many.

Find a lender before you make an offer on a commercial property. Talk with your friends and other investors to create a short list of the best lenders in your area. Research and prepare for the purchase process by finding the best lender for your needs, before even selecting a property. Taking the extra time to get things lined up can help ensure that you qualify for a loan.

TIP! Take the neighborhood into account when purchasing commercial property. For example, if you?re offering high-priced goods or services, you might want to purchase property in wealthier areas where people are likely to be able to afford to buy from you.

Finding the appropriate kind of commercial property is only the first half of your work here. Learning a little bit can help you

Source: http://tictracker.com/tips-to-help-you-with-commercial-real-estate-2/

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Cheaper Oral Applications and Cost-effective Oral Care | Diet By ...

In modern present aggressive industry, most organizations wish they could provide present and potential workers with extensive oral healthcare wellness health care advantages like DBF Dental. ?Dental programs position as the third most important worker advantage, just behind wellness and health and fitness and health and fitness and old age.?18 According to Tabatha Smethwick, dentist head at Mercer Discussing with, oral protection is the ?visible advantage because on regular 75% of workers will use a good plan.?19

Dental advantages not only increase worker fulfillment and comfort, but they can also cut down enough time dropping due to oral issues. According to Dental Health in The use of the United States, ?employed grownups dropping more than 164 thousand length of work each interval due to oral condition or oral trips.?10

A latest analysis from NADP reveals that only 56% of the U.S. inhabitants have insurance.11 Therefore, cost-effective oral healthcare wellness health care alternatives are highly popular by both organizations and workers. ?To meet worker demand, more organizations added oral to the advantages selection these days. One of the final holdouts, the got, will provide oral advantages to workers in 2006.?20

?Seven out of ten organizations (71%) provide oral advantages, often using them as the determining factor in choosing and keeping workers.?18 The analysis that the larger a business is, the more likely they are to provide oral advantages. ?Among organizations with at least 10 workers, 56% provided oral protection in 2003. Just one interval later, that figures out improved to 67%, according to a yearly analysis of employer-sponsored wellness and health and fitness and health and fitness programs by Mercer Human Source Discussing with. Dental special deals among large organizations (500 organizations and up) hopped from 90% to 96% of organizations.?20

Source: http://vividirecto.com/Diet/cheaper-oral-applications-and-cost-effective-oral-care.html

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Professional Web Design: Some great benefits of Utilizing ...

As the Internet grows more and more central to be able to some people?s existence, for most companies to succeed, they must have an on the internet profile. Many businesses, especially smaller than average local business owners, would not have the opportunity to generate their unique web sites and be sure that individuals are able to find all of them. What?s promising for the kids is always that there are numerous regarding professional web design services that may create a website for the children and also flip it properly.

Firms that utilize skilled website creative designers have the ability to have got sites developed that incorporate search engine optimization (Search engine marketing) in the start, possess mistake no cost html coding and a straightforward to utilize website cms. Nearly all web site companies also help the clientele select and also purchase a domain name and set up hosting companies. This permits small businesses to focus on jogging their organization whilst a website design and style program creates an affordable but professional internet site for the children.

Even when an individual features a slick as well as simple to understand web site, when folks are not able to discover their whereabouts, your website will a firm no real. The advantage of using skilled design solutions is always that many are now making websites which are SEO pleasant. Exactly how documents along with directories are generally called will surely have an effect on how nicely a website will browsing serp results, as well as HTML coding also can play a role. By simply creating a website with SEO at heart, jetski from key website overhauls in the future.

The majority of professional web design firms also support the clientele in site variety, signing up and finding hosting with the site. Even though website assortment and signing up could be fairly simple, locating dependable as well as affordable hosting is usually a concern. This is also true in the event the organization promises to generate a web-based outlet that allows these to sell their products on-line. These kinds of web sites have to have a number of internet hosting add-ons and also safety adjustments, and without them the site is not going to purpose correctly.

Yet another main benefit from utilizing a web design services are that it makes certain the corporation?s web site appears expert and polished. Many people vacationing in an internet site seems untidy or perhaps is full of broken back links as well as rule it doesn?t function won?t get this website, or even the enterprise that will is the owner of this, seriously. For that reason, it is crucial that corporations have a web site that makes a great impression and is well developed.

Recently, numerous style organizations have begun to provide Search engine optimisation and online advertising and marketing services as a part of their particular web page design offers. This provides smaller businesses an all in one program that can create, develop and advertise their internet site on the net. As well as making sure web sites get higher internet search engine outcome rankings, these services also have started to offer support inside developing pay-per-click advertising campaigns and support creating social media marketing tactics.

A lot more people are employing the world wide web to find companies and also solutions every day. Pertaining to local and small enterprises to achieve success, they must be certain individuals will get all of them on the web. Making use of skilled web page design businesses to enable them to create an online presence could ensure that they may be workable in today?s Internet-centric world.

The article?s about having a professional web design company to build your site. Here you?ll get an Affordable Web Design.

Source: http://answers.beatthebrochure.com/professional-web-design-some-great-benefits-of-utilizing-professional-web-design/36858

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A Vegan Life?Or not so much :( | Homemade Served Here

Sometimes in life, things just don?t work. I know I get frustrated when I want something to happen and I just can?t make it work, even when I try ? really, really try ? hard and so it goes for me and the vegan diet.? Now, I am not saying that I am abandoning the idea completely because I am not.? I want as much of our diet as possible to come from plants, and plants alone and I will keep working on that goal but I will share some of the issues that I have begun to endure after a few months on eating just about 100% vegan.? I will also share how I tried to adjust to deal with these things and I apologize in advance if you came here looking just for a recipe and instead were subjected to my chatter about my body?s rejection of being vegan.

First up, mouth sores.? Lots of them.? I had ulcers all the time.? I changed my toothpaste, toothbrush, etc because I couldn?t get rid of them.? Then, by chance, I came upon an article about B12 deficiency in vegans and vegetarians leading to mouth ulcers.? I got a B12 supplement and the ulcers were gone in 2 days and haven?t returned?.problem solved, right?? Well, not exactly because?

My body hates taking vitamins.?? I usually just get sick.? But on B12?I became an irritable, grouchy monster with zilch for patience.? It was like the time I couldn?t be on estrogen replacement right after my hysterectomy.? Nobody wanted to live with that ? I didn?t continue to subject my family to that version of me then, and I wasn?t interested in doing it now.? And being vegan meant a whole realm of vitamins that needed to be taken to compensate for everything my body wasn?t getting via the food. Calcium, iron, and now B12 in addition to my daily estrogen and multivitamin.? I mean, isn?t the point of all of this to eat well and let the body work naturally?

The need for processed foods.? Okay, so maybe, just maybe, there is a way to do this without vitamins or processed foods containing the vitamins, but I seriously couldn?t find a way to make it work.? I?d love (civil, please) thoughts and ideas on this.? So, if I don?t want to take B12, I need to buy soy milk fortified with B12 instead of drinking my homemade almond milk that I love.? Hmm.? Things like that just weren?t making sense anymore.? I don?t want to use veganaise if I can make my own mayonnaise here and eat something unprocessed.? Or give up a healthy drink like almond milk because I need to get B12 from something that it?s been fortified with in a factory.? I think you know what I mean.

So?is there a way to live vegan and eat only whole foods and still be able to keep up a running and biking schedule and have no vitamins or supplements?? For me, at least, the answer is no.? And I have to do what?s best for my body.? So I will add an occasional egg or some milk to a recipe and not try to strip everything down to the plant essentials and see how I feel.? Maybe, just maybe I can find that perfect balance. I am still not interested in eating any meat and I?ve been a vegetarian for so many years that I know my body well enough to know what it needs.

First big step last night?

Quinoa Burgers?and they have egg and cheese in them.

Makes 6-7 patties

Ingredients

  • 2 c cooked quinoa
  • 3/4 c bread crumbs
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 c shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 t garlic powder
  • 1/2 t onion powder
  • 1t seasoning salt

Directions

  1. Mix all ingredients well until mixture is holding together ? it will seem crumbly but will firm up in the pan while cooking
  2. Preheat pan lightly coated in oil to medium high and put patties in pan.
  3. Cook for about 5 minutes the first side, or until browned, and then flip and cook the other side until browned.
  4. Serve alone or on a bun.

These were a nice re-entry into eating non-vegan because they were still whole foods that I made.? I?m looking forward to retaining as much of the vegan recipes as I can but being sure to add in enough sources of iron and b12 to better support my lifestyle.? I am doing this to be healthy, and whatever that means is the direction I?m headed in.? :)

?

Source: http://www.homemadeservedhere.com/2012/09/07/a-vegan-life-or-not-so-much/

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Bishop's conviction intensifies calls to step down

Bishop Robert Finn of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph appears in court during in a bench trial Thursday, Sept. 6, 2012 at the Jackson County Courthouse in Kansas City, Mo. Following a short non-jury trial, Jackson County Circuit Court Judge John Torrence convicted Finn of one misdemeanor count of failing to report suspicions of child abuse but acquitted him on another count of failing to report. (AP Photo/The Kansas City Star, Tammy Ljungblad, Pool)\

Bishop Robert Finn of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph appears in court during in a bench trial Thursday, Sept. 6, 2012 at the Jackson County Courthouse in Kansas City, Mo. Following a short non-jury trial, Jackson County Circuit Court Judge John Torrence convicted Finn of one misdemeanor count of failing to report suspicions of child abuse but acquitted him on another count of failing to report. (AP Photo/The Kansas City Star, Tammy Ljungblad, Pool)\

Bishop Robert Finn of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph addresses the judge during in a bench trial Thursday, Sept. 6, 2012 at the Jackson County Courthouse in Kansas City, Mo. Following a short non-jury trial, Jackson County Circuit Court Judge John Torrence convicted Finn of one misdemeanor count of failing to report suspicions of child abuse but acquitted him on another count of failing to report. (AP Photo/The Kansas City Star, Tammy Ljungblad, Pool)

Bishop Robert Finn of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph appears during a bench trial Thursday, Sept. 6, 2012 at the Jackson County Courthouse in Kansas City, Mo. Following a short non-jury trial, Jackson County Circuit Court Judge John Torrence convicted Finn of one misdemeanor count of failing to report suspicions of child abuse but acquitted him on another count of failing to report. (AP Photo/The Kansas City Star, Tammy Ljungblad, Pool)

(AP) ? Calls for Bishop Robert Finn's resignation intensified a day after he became the highest-ranking U.S. church official to be convicted of a crime related to the child sexual abuse scandal.

Soon after a Missouri judge found Finn guilty Thursday of one misdemeanor count of failing to report suspected child sexual abuse to the state, unhappy Roman Catholics began discussing ways to get the bishop out of office on a Facebook page titled "Bishop Finn Must Go."

Among the posts was one that listed contact information for the Vatican and urged parishioners to voice their displeasure with Finn at the highest levels. Pope Benedict XVI alone has authority over bishops. Through the decades-long abuse scandal, only one U.S. bishop has stepped down over his failures to stop abusive clergy: Cardinal Bernard Law, who in 2002 resigned as head of the Archdiocese of Boston.

Jackson County Judge John M. Torrence sentenced Finn to two years of supervised probation. If the bishop abides by a set of stipulations from the judge, the conviction will be wiped from his record in 2014.

"Now that our justice system says he's guilty, he has lost his ability to lead our diocese," Patricia Rotert, a Catholic church member in Kansas City, said Friday. "He's lost his credibility. There is turmoil and angst around him and I don't think he can bring people together."

Finn's attorneys would not comment on the bishop's future in the church, saying it was a legal matter.

However, Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph spokesman Jack Smith indicated that Finn wasn't going anywhere.

"The bishop looks forward to continuing to perform his duties, including carrying out the important obligations placed on him by the court," Smith said in an emailed statement Friday.

Finn's conviction comes four years after the church paid $10 million to settle 47 pending sexual abuse claims against the diocese and 12 of its priests. When announcing that deal in 2008, Finn apologized for the abuse that occurred at the hands of current and former clergy members, and promised that steps were being taken to make sure such abuse never happened again.

The diocese posted an update about the 2008 settlement on its website in June 2011 stating that Finn had written 118 letters of apology to plaintiffs or their families. That same month, Finn apologized for not responding to warnings the diocese received a year earlier from a parish principal detailing suspicious behavior by the Rev. Shawn Ratigan around children.

Instead of reading the memo and looking into the claims, Finn left it up to subordinates to handle the matter. He later admitted it was a year before he finally read a five-page document that a parish elementary school principal wrote detailing suspicious activities by Ratigan around children.

Finn also was informed of nude photos of children found on Ratigan's laptop computer in December 2010, but instead of turning them over to police, Finn sent Ratigan to live at a convent in Independence, Mo.

Monsignor Robert Murphy turned the photos over to police in May 2011 ? against Finn's wishes, according to court documents ? after Ratigan continued to violate Finn's orders to stay away from children and not take any pictures of them.

Ratigan pleaded guilty last month to five child pornography counts, but hasn't been sentenced. Prosecutors have requested he spend the rest of his life in prison.

Finn apologized again Thursday in court for the pain his failure to report Ratigan caused.

The bishop has avoided facing charges in Missouri's Clay County, where Ratigan was charged, after reaching a settlement in November 2011. For five years, Finn must report to the Clay County prosecutor directly each month about any suspected child abuse in the diocese's facilities in the county.

"I said for years that we wouldn't be in the mess we were in today if about 30 bishops had said 'I made a mistake, I'm sorry, I take full responsibility and I resign,'" said the Rev. Thomas J. Reese, a senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University. "I think we're at a state in the life of the church when a bishop is convicted of a misdemeanor, found guilty of not doing what he was supposed to do, I think he should resign for the good of the diocese and the good of the church."

Support for Finn's resignation is far from unanimous. Some say they agree he made a mistake, but it's not one that should force him out, especially with even more stringent safeguards in place to protect children.

"There's always been fights in the church, and there will continue to be fights in the church," said Kansas City parishioner Bruce Burkhart, a member of the Serra Club, which supports and promotes priests.

"I think people may walk away, but that's their business," he said. "If they think their children are any more safe in public schools, or in another church setting where people are working with youth, the data indicate they're not. The Catholic Church in America is probably now today the safest place for children."

While Finn is the highest-ranking Catholic official to be charged in the U.S. with shielding an abusive priest, Albany Law School professor Timothy Lytton said the June conviction of Monsignor William Lynn in Philadelphia broke the ice on criminal convictions against members of the Catholic hierarchy.

Lynn, who supervised other clergy as an aide to the cardinal, was convicted of felony child endangerment and became the first U.S. church official sent to prison for his handling of abuse complaints. He is appealing his three- to six-year sentence.

Still, Finn's conviction is significant because it proves Lynn's criminal prosecution was not an isolated event, but instead something that is likely to embolden prosecutors to go after church leaders who fail to protect children.

"Kansas City might mark a trend," Lytton said. "It's no longer good enough to just file civil suits; criminal justice may be much quicker to get involved. Kansas City normalizes this kind of reaction to the scandal."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-09-07-Catholic%20Bishop%20Charged/id-267deb18a5bf4cb788d917aecdace067

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Best Set Plays by Zak Boisvert of Iona College

Best Set Plays by Zak Boisvert of Iona College

With school officially underway across the country, I wanted to shoot you a quick note with some X?s & O?s and some other coaching links. Attached is a packet I put together of some of the best set plays I?ve seen over the last month or so. A couple of actions I really like that with some sets that I think can get you some baskets as the season goes along.

Zak Boisvert

?

Click on the pdf link to download the basketball plays for your basketball playbooks:

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hoopscoop/~3/ALAjl-r3ybw/

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Florida Tycoon Selling Off Dakotas Cattle Ranch

FORT YATES, ND -

A Florida real estate tycoon who owns a controversial bison ranch in the Dakotas is selling a separate cattle ranch.

Maurice Wilder's 12,000-acre Wilder Cattle Ranch is to be sold at auction on Sept. 14. Auctioneer Adam Karrels says he is not aware of any plans to sell the 35,000-acre bison ranch that straddles the North Dakota-South Dakota border.

Relations between Wilder and ranchers in the Dakotas have been strained for years. The bison ranch has sparked complaints and lawsuits over animals allegedly running loose and causing problems for neighbors. Last year, authorities impounded more than 3,000 of Wilder's bison after reports of starving animals. Wilder paid $57,000 for feed and expenses after the impoundment ended and took about 850 bison to auction.

? 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. Material may not be redistributed.

Source: http://www.keloland.com/newsdetail.cfm/florida-tycoon-selling-off-dakotas-cattle-ranch/?id=136800

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Quincy Jones denies casino mogul made threats

FILE - In this April 27, 2011 file photo, Steve Wynn is interviewed in Las Vegas. Wynn and porn producer Joe Francis faced off before jurors Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, with the casino mogul denying that he threatened to kill the "Girls Gone Wild" founder and saying the accusation is threatening his upscale casinos. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, File)

FILE - In this April 27, 2011 file photo, Steve Wynn is interviewed in Las Vegas. Wynn and porn producer Joe Francis faced off before jurors Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, with the casino mogul denying that he threatened to kill the "Girls Gone Wild" founder and saying the accusation is threatening his upscale casinos. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, File)

FILE - In this Nov. 16, 2010 file phtoo Joe Francis arrives at a screening of the film "The Next Three Days," in Los Angeles. Steve Wynn and Francis faced off before jurors Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, with the casino mogul denying that he threatened to kill the "Girls Gone Wild" founder and saying the accusation is threatening his upscale casinos. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

Music mogul, Quincy Jones testifies in court Thursday Sept. 6, 2012 in Los Angeles during a slander trial against Steve Wynn. Jones testified Thursday that he never told "Girls Gone Wild" creator Joe Francis that casino mogul Steve Wynn had threatened to kill the soft-porn producer and have him buried in the desert.(AP Photo/Nick Ut)

Music mogul, Quincy Jones testifies in court Thursday Sept. 6, 2012 in Los Angeles during a slander trial against Steve Wynn. Jones testified Thursday that he never told "Girls Gone Wild" creator Joe Francis that casino mogul Steve Wynn had threatened to kill the soft-porn producer and have him buried in the desert.(AP Photo/Nick Ut)

(AP) ? Music mogul Quincy Jones testified Thursday that he never told "Girls Gone Wild" creator Joe Francis that casino mogul Steve Wynn had threatened to kill the soft-porn producer and have him buried in the desert.

The Grammy-winning record producer shook his head repeatedly under questioning before a jury as an attorney described Francis' accusations, which Jones called fiction.

Francis says Jones told him that Wynn had threatened to hit him over the head with a shovel and have him buried in the desert. Francis also says Jones showed him a stack of emails supposedly detailing the threats. Francis said under oath that Jones told him Wynn was a gangster and "old Vegas."

"That sounds like a line from 'Scarface,'" Jones said. He added that he would like to see the emails Francis claims he displayed.

Francis acknowledges he never read the emails and didn't ask Jones, who is his next-door neighbor, to let him read them.

Wynn has vehemently denied he ever threatened Francis. Wynn has testified that Francis' comments are damaging to his reputation and could hurt business at his Las Vegas resorts, the Wynn and Encore.

He told jurors Tuesday that he had never sent an email in his life, and Jones said he hadn't ever seen one sent by Wynn.

Jones was one of the final witnesses in a three-day trial that has given jurors some insight into how Las Vegas works, administratively at least. Witnesses have described the invasive and complicated vetting process that casino executives such as Wynn must complete, and a casino boss threatening a patron over a debt would almost surely prompt an investigation, an expert testified Thursday. A Wynn worker also testified about how high-roller patrons are similarly vetted financially to ensure they can pay back their gambling losses, a process that failed in Francis' case.

The trial has also featured testimony about Francis' messy legal troubles, which have included being jailed in Florida and later in Nevada on tax evasion allegations.

Jones has played a prominent role in both Wynn and Francis' lives, maintaining a close friendship with the casino boss for more than 35 years and attempting to bail Francis out of a Florida jail several years ago.

Wynn's attorney Barry Langberg asked multiple questions about Francis' accusations. Jones alternated between appearing taken aback by the statements attributed to him to smiling and shaking his head. "Absolutely not," he repeatedly said when Langberg asked about whether Wynn had ever conveyed a threat toward Francis.

Jones said he attempted to mediate a dispute between Francis and Wynn's casino over $2 million in gambling losses.

"I was trying to just make peace," Jones said, adding that he wanted Francis to "do what he should have done in the first place."

"If you lose the money, you pay the money," Jones said. "That's ridiculous."

Jones has won multiple Grammy awards for his work with artists such as Michael Jackson and the superstar 1985 collaboration "We Are the World."

He was initially a reluctant witness, citing doctor's orders for why he was unable to testify during the case. He said he wasn't really feeling well after taking the witness stand Thursday morning, but laughed and cracked several jokes while testifying.

When asked about Francis and their relationship, Jones said he tried to bail his neighbor out of a Panama City, Fla., jail after he was arrested on suspicion of filming underage girls. Jones said he had traveled to Mexico and the Middle East with Francis for events, but acknowledged it could be a lot of work at times.

"A lot of drama," Jones said of Francis.

Closing arguments in the case will begin Friday.

___

Anthony McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-09-06-Steve%20Wynn-Slander%20Trial/id-a4f73b70e80c46dba98ddbb0e9112fe4

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