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2004-06-12 Home Front: Politix

Endangered Mouse That Cost Builders Millions Never Existed

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Posted by Super Hose 2004-06-12 00:52|| || Front Page|| [4 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 After six years of regulations and restrictions that have cost builders, local governments and landowners on the western fringe of the Great Plains as much as $100 million by some estimates, new research suggests the Preble's mouse in fact never existed. It instead seems to be genetically identical to one of its cousins, the Bear Lodge meadow jumping mouse, which is considered common enough not to need protection.

"If we've shown that the mouse doesn't exist, what happens to all that has been set aside? Because that's been a huge economic burden," wondered Brian Garber, assistant director of governmental relations for the Colorado Contractors Association.

The Preble's mouse was established as a distinct subspecies by a study 50 years ago that was cited in the 1998 decision to declare it threatened.

The man who did the 1954 study, Philip Krutzsch, now a professor emeritus with the University of Arizona, had examined the skulls of three mice and the skins of 11 others. It was an acceptable level of scrutiny at the time but "an extremely weak inference by today's standards," said Rob Roy Ramey II, curator at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and project leader on the new DNA research that overturns Krutzsch's conclusion.

Ramey and his colleagues analyzed mitochondrial DNA, the cell's genetic code, from several of the 12 subspecies of meadow jumping mice, which range from the Pacific to Atlantic and as far south as Georgia.

They also repeated Krutzsch's skeleton measurements, using more specimens, mainly from university and museum collections, and more accurate tools. They concluded that the Preble's mouse is actually a Bear Lodge meadow jumping mouse, not a separate subspecies.

This is a f**kin' duh moment.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Main Entry: amok
Function: adverb
1 : in a murderously frenzied state
2 a : in a violently raging manner
Â Â b : in an undisciplined, uncontrolled, or faulty manner

Posted by .com 2004-06-12 2:52:10 AM|| 2004-06-12 2:52:10 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 Amok is the only Malay derived word in general use in the english.

Amok - to rush out in a state of frenzy, as the Malays sometimes do under the influence of ``bhang,'' and attack every one that comes in the way; to assail recklessly and indiscriminately.

bhang - A preparation from the leaves and seed capsules of the cannabis plant, smoked, chewed, eaten, or infused and drunk to obtain mild euphoria.

Helps explain a lot of what we read at RB.

Posted by Phil B 2004-06-12 3:34:51 AM|| 2004-06-12 3:34:51 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 So amokker = berserker. Lol! Cool. Sign 'em up, load 'em up, and let 'em work it out as Police in Sadr City - the locals didn't do so well - and that was against Tater's Twitters...

Posted by .com 2004-06-12 4:13:50 AM|| 2004-06-12 4:13:50 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 Has Carl Hiassen moved west? read his novel, Native Tongue, for a similar story.

Posted by Eric Jablow 2004-06-12 9:28:09 AM|| 2004-06-12 9:28:09 AM|| Front Page Top

#5 bhang users running amok!What a load!
Guess you do not know any pot heads,Phil.
Pot heads tend to be the most lethargic humans on the planet.Euphoric people don't generally run aok.

Posted by Raptor 2004-06-12 10:10:44 AM|| 2004-06-12 10:10:44 AM|| Front Page Top

#6 Here's a fairly strong argument for using "amuck" instead of "amok," as the English understanding of "amok" has departed from the Malay understanding and use of the term. Precision in language, and more culturally appropriate too... :)
Seems in Malay, "amok" refers to a violent rage in which the person is still in control of calm, calculating, reason.
http://www.fpbahasa.ukm.my/journal/20020204.htm

Posted by therien 2004-06-12 11:32:33 AM|| 2004-06-12 11:32:33 AM|| Front Page Top

#7 anyone know the origins of "amucky4doo"?

Posted by Frank G 2004-06-12 11:38:21 AM|| 2004-06-12 11:38:21 AM|| Front Page Top

#8 Phil - Beg to differ. The expression "So long!" derives from the Malay "Salang" (<- Arabic "Salaam")

Posted by Fred 2004-06-12 1:10:43 PM|| 2004-06-12 1:10:43 PM|| Front Page Top

#9 "amok", "amuck", Malaysians, culturally appropriate....

This is why I prefer "apeshit", an upright English term of known etymology and well-understood connotation.

Posted by Atomic Conspiracy 2004-06-12 11:27:38 PM|| 2004-06-12 11:27:38 PM|| Front Page Top

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