ABUSED CAB HORSE GOES WILD

Everybody heard about the NYC cab horse who ran into a car in the middle of the city, causing mild tch-tching about this unnecessary and cruel industry. Most missed this brief follow-up in the Post:

CRASH-HANSOM OWNER STARVED HORSE The owner of the hansom cab involved in a life-threatening crash after its horse bolted has a history of abusing his animals, authorities said.
Lorenzo Riccobono, 52, is well known to animal-rights groups in Pennsylvania, where he rented horses to Amish farmers until selling his barn a few months ago.

RINGLING DITCHING TIGER ACTS?

Of course they're coming out swinging on the elephants issue, shamelessly putting propaganda in the elephants' mouths, but in the background, Ringling Bros. and
Barnum & Bailey circus seems to be phasing out the use of tigers, which would be big news.

"The three-ring format, gone. So, too, the tiger act. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus opened its national, two-year tour in Tampa on Wednesday night with its biggest format revision since the circus moved from playing under tents and into arenas half a century ago. The tiger act, a staple of the circus for years, was removed. Feld denied that protests from animal rights groups prompted the decision. Such organizations have turned almost every circus stop into an opportunity to protest, including the show's five-day run in Tampa. The groups say circus trainers mistreat animals when they teach them to perform in acts, a charge that Ringling Bros. denies. Tigers still have a role in the circus's
second touring unit, which played Tampa in 2005 and is now in the second half
of its two-year tour."

We'll watch to see how this plays out, but so far it's a good sign.

MCDONALD'S: MAD COW 'FIREWALL' NOT THERE

Here's something you don't see every day: America's biggest and most entrenched meat-based restaurant chain admitting - nay, complaining - that the government is screwing us over on beef safety. "Researchers and McDonald's Corp. (MCD) say the government isn't fully protecting animals or people from bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also known as BSE, or mad-cow disease. Stronger steps are needed to keep infection from entering the food chain for cattle, the critics wrote in comments to the Food and Drug Administration.

ATKINS "FINALLY" PUT TO REST?

Study in the current JAMA: "Postmenopausal women who ate a diet low in fat and high in fruits, vegetables and whole grains didn't gain weight over an average of nearly eight years, reported researchers from the NIH's Women's Health Initiative. In a clinical trial to see whether a low-fat, fiber rich diet could prevent cardiovascular disease or breast or colorectal cancer in more than
48,000 post-menopausal women, those on the diet lost about 2.2 kg (4.8 lbs) in
the first year, and managed to keep the weight off better than women who
ate what they wanted."

That's all fine and good. But here's the laugh line: "The findings may finally put to rest the notion - propagated by popular diets such as the Atkins, Sugarbusters, and Zone plans - that carbohydrates are the root of all dietary evil." Yeah, I'll be over here holding my breath on that one...