6A - Monday, February 17, 2014 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Snake-handling pastor dies from reptile bite Man refused medical treatment after bitten during church service MIDDLESBORO, Ky. (AP) - Jamie Coots, a snake-handling Kentucky pastor who appeared on the National Geographic television reality show "Snake Salvation," died Saturday after being bitten by a snake. Coots was handling a rattlesnake during a Saturday night service at his Full Gospel TabernacleinJesus Name Church in Middlesboro when he was bit, -another preacher, Cody Winn, told WBIR-TV. "Jamie went across the floor. He had one of the rattlers in his hand, he came over and he was standing beside me. It was plain view, it just turned its head and bit him in the back of the hand ... within a second," Winn said. When an amhilance arrived at the church at 8:30 p.m., they were told Coots had gone home, the Middlesboro Police Department said in a news release. Contacted at his house, Coots refused medi- cal treatment. Emergency workers left about 9:10 p.m. When they returned about an hour later, Coots was dead from a venomous snake bite, police said. In January 2013, Coots was caught transporting three rattlesnakes and two copperheads through Knoxville, Tenn. Wildlife officials confiscated the snakes, and Coots pleaded guilty to illegally wildlife possession. He was given one year of unsupervised probation. Coots said then he needed the snakes for religious reasons, citing a Bible passage in the book of Mark that reads, in part: "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." Coots said he took the passage at face value. "We literally believe they want us to take up snakes," Coots told The Associated Press in February 2013. "We've been serpent han- dling for the past 20 or 21 years." After he was bitten Saturday night, Coots dropped the snakes, but then picked them back up and con- tinued on. Within minutes, Winn said Coots headed to the bathroom. His son, Cody, told the television station his dad had been bit eight times before, but never had such a severe reaction. Cody Coots said he thought the bite would be just like all the others. "We're going to go home, he's going to lay on the couch, he's going to hurt, he's going to pray for a while and he's going to get better. That's what happened every other time, except this time was just so quick and it was crazy, it was really crazy," Cody Coots said. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, left and Israeli Labor party lawmaker Hilik Bar attend a meeting with adelegation of mostly Israeli university students and activists at the presidential headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Sunday. 0 0 Palestinian president shows flexibility on refugee issue Four South Korean tourists killed in Sinai bus bombing First visitor attack in a decade may be linked to al-Qaida CAIRO (AP) - An explosion tore through a bus filled with South Korean sightseers in the Sinai Peninsula on Sunday, killing at least four people and raising fears that Islamic militants have renewed a bloody campaign to wreck Egypt's tourism industry. The bombing near the tip of the Red Sea's Gulf of Aqaba was the first attack against tourists in Sinai in nearly a decade. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. But the blast bore the hallmarks of attacks blamed on the al-Qaida-linked militant groups that have been battling government forces in Sinai's restive north for years. At least three South Korean tourists were killed and 12 seriously wounded, according to Egyptian security officials. The Egyptian bus driver was also among the dead, the officials said. "I am deeply saddened by the incident," Tourism Minister Hesham Zazou told state TV. The Egyptian presidency called the attack a "despicable act of cowardice" and vowed to bring the culprits to justice. Egypt's vital tourism sector, which normally accounts for about 11 percent of the economy and 20 percent of all foreign currency revenue, has been badly hit by the deadly turmoil that has roiled the country since the 2011 revolt that overthrew ruler Hosni Mubarak. Sunday's blast came as signs of a slow recovery in the industry were emerging, especially at Red Sea resorts in Sinailike Sharm el-Sheik. "The sad consequence for Egypt is that this takes the tourism industry and devastates it for years into the future," said Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. Egyptian security officials said they believe the blast was caused by either a car bomb or a roadside bomb that was detonated by remote control. Rescue workers found the remains of four and perhaps five people, according to Khaled Abu Hashem, the head of ambulance services in southern Sinai. In Seoul, the foreign ministry said in a text message that 31 passengers from a church in Jincheon were being led by a South Korean tour guide. Two of its citizens were killed and nine wounded, the ministry added. Abass said he doesn't want Israel overwhelmed RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) - The Palestinian president on Sunday reassured a group of young Israeli activists visiting his West Bank compound that he has no intention of flooding Israel with Palestinian refugees - his most ambitious attempt yet to directly influence Israeli public opinion over the heads of a largely hard-line Israeli leadership. President Mahmoud Abbas made a series of conciliatory statements on some of the most sensitive issues in peace talks, including alleged Palestinian incitement against Israel and recognition of Jewish suffering in the Holocaust, as he sought to rally support for U.S.-backed peace efforts. Abbas delivered his message at a sensitive time in the peace talks. The sides have been conducting behind-the-scenes negotiations for nearly seven months. With an April target date approaching, there have been no signs of progress. The talks have been marred by finger pointing, with both sides accusing each other of hindering the negotiations with 1 1 1 1 1 121 2 2 2, 2' 2 2' 31 3 3, 3! 3' 31 31 RELEASE DATE- Monday, February 17,2014 Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis ACROSS DOWN 32 Cake decorator 44 What haste 1 Tubers rich in 1 Discipline asnt 33 lcolar's deg. maes beaecarotene mats 30Tina Fey attribute 45 Fall boomer 5 Wasn't indecisive 2 Many an 36 Joumeyto 46 Andean alpacakin 10 Bouillabisse, e.g. Bgyptian Mecca 47 U. of Maryland 4Taken bymouth, 3 Red Planet 37 Longtime team as medication explorer Yugoslav 48 Leaves out 5 Mrs. Gorbachev 4 Shifty president 52 Fast foodrtycoon 6 Dancer-turned- 5 Borneo 39 Shade provider Ray spy Mata primates 40 Hazy 53 Vegging out 7 Favorite Hall of 6 "Sit!" 42 Tried to hitlin 56 Weed killer Famer of the 7 10 percent paintball 57 39-Down with preh Sn church donation 43 Except if cones 9 Tablet with a 0 Oppositest ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: "'mini' sersion HNH 0 Tummym les 9Periodbeforethe L I S A B ON B T U P F OR 1 Egyptian cross Renaissance A T 0 N 0 M Y S 0 A V E with a top loop 10 Avoid as duty P L E A S U c U I S E S 2 Black belt activity 11 Spanishfinger A NN T 4 Favorite Hall of food Famer oftthe 7th 12Verse writer's 0 M G OB B Y I D 0 U.S. president? muse P T ETA S BS BO UT 7 Opposite of vain 13 Add a lane to, as c L U B M I I R H O N B 8 "How awful!" a highway L E I A K A E L 9 Greets with a 18 Animal houses a L I T S N B H M A T H hand gesture 23 Back woe c H A P S A A I IS A A C p Hoks sidekick 25 Paradise lost H A Y B I N 0 0 L I 3ChapSlickltarget 26 Leap 4Forewaming 27 Mother lto baby B E B O No N S c c 0 1 ) Visisthe mail 29Bowluover 5SIT1 5 00NBI H A N I S 7 Computer 30 emalepig TA TBR LONDONBY support person, 31 Bubbly citrus IS N E A K A E A C 0 9 end seate drink xwordeditor@aol.com 0217/14 rigid demands. Speaking to some 300 Israeli university students and activists, Abbas signaled new flexibility in one of the thorniest issues of the conflict: Palestinian refugees' "right of return" to lost properties in what is now Israel. "I am not looking to drown Israel with millions of refugees to change its nature," Abbas said. "We want to put the problem on the table and find a creative solu- tion... you will be satisfied and we will be satisfied." The fate of the Palestinian refugees is one of the most emotional issues in the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. Some 700,000 Palestinians either fled or were expelled from their homes during the war sur- rounding Israel's establishment in 1948. Today, the number of refugees and their descendants number about 5 million people, spread mostly throughout the West Bank, Gaza Strip and neigh- boring Arab countries. In Israel, there is a broad consensus against accepting a large-scale resettling of these refugees in any future peace deal, fearing they would dilute Israel's Jewish character. Israeli leaders have long demanded that the Palestinian leadership publicly renounce the right of return, and say refugees should be resettled in a future Palestinian state or offered compensation. In Palestinian society, though, there is an overwhelming demand for refugees to be able to return home. Abbas is himself is a refugee from what is now Safed in northern Israel, though he has said he has no intention of seekingto live there. The refugee issue is one of the Palestinians' most important cards in the peace talks, and something that is unlikely to be addressed until the final stage of negotiations. Taysir Nasrallah, the head of a committee representing Palestinian refugees, said "no one can concede" their rights and said Abbas' comments were politically motivated. "We will retain these rights no matter how long it would take us to achieve them," he said. Kerry is expected back in the region in the coming weeks with a proposed outline of a final peace deal. By hosting the Israeli delegation, Abbaswasattempting to reach out to the Israeli public, where skepticism about reaching an agreement remains high. Sitting in front of a large poster of a dove soaring over the ancient walled city of Jerusalem with a Palestinian flag attached to its wings, Abbas ran through a list of oft-repeated Israeli max- ims questioningthe Palestinians' readiness to make peace. Addressing a common Israeli notion that the Palestinian leader speaks moderately to Israelis and foreign leaders but takes a tougher tone with his own people, Abbas said, "We don't have two languages. We speak in one language. we have nothing to hide." As for the common saying by Israeli leaders that the country does not have a true partner for peace, Abbas said, "I am your partner." Israeli leaders often accuse the Palestinians of promoting incitement and hatred in textbooks and official media. "This is true. It exists," Abbas said regarding incitement, without elaborating as to what kind. But he said Israel refused an offer to establish a joint commit- tee with the Palestinians and the U.S. to address incitement in both Israeli and Palestinian societies. Abbas seeks the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip - territories captured by Israel in 1967 - for a Palestinian state alongside Israel. He has said he would be willing to alter the border with "land swaps" to allow Israel to keep some of the Jewish settlements it has built. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to retain parts of the West Bank and opposes any division of east Jerusalem, home to sensitive religious sites. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, and Hamas militants subsequently seized control of the area. The Hamas takeover, which was followed by years of rocket attacks on Israel, has raised fears that the West Bank could follow a similar path if Israel withdraws. Abbas said Palestinians seek a demilitarized state, which he said proves Palestinians do not seek violence with Israel. He also rejected claims that a book he published in the 1980s denied the Holocaust. "I know millions of Jews were killed in the Holocaust," he said. While claiming east Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital, Abbas said he wants it to function alongside Israel's capital, keeping Jerusalem as one undivided city. "What is the problem with that? This is coexistence," Abbas said. As for claims in Israel that he rejected a generous peace offer from former Israeli Prime Min- ister Ehud Olmert in 2008,Abbas said peace talks fell through because "Olmert fell" out of power. Olmert resigned amid corruption allegations. "We had to go back to square one," he said. In a question and answer ses- sion, Israelis asked repeatedly if he would be willing to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, one of Netanyahu's key demands. Abbas has rejected the demand, saying it would undercut the rights of refugees and Israel's own Arab minority. But he said if Israel received such official recognition from the United Nations, he would accept it as well. The audience of young Israelis, mostly affiliated with dovish political parties and coexistence activities, greeted Abbas' comments with multiple bursts of applause. Israeli Labor party lawmaker Hilik Bar, who organized the event, called the meeting "unprecedented." It was only a decade ago that the Muqataa, the Palestinian government headquarters where they were visiting, was under siege by the Israeli army. Today, the army keeps Ramallah, the administrative and financial capital of the West Bank, off-limits to Israeli Jewish citizens, making Sunday's trip a firstvisit for many of the Israelis, who took photos of themselves next to Palestinian flags inside the Muqataa. "You need to pinch yourself," Amir Rosenthal, 26, a philosophy and economy student at the University of Haifa, said about meeting Abbas. "It's real. He's friendly, he wants peace, and I'm here in Ramallah." SPRING BREAK-SPI, TX. Sleep 6 ppl. Next 10 water park. Ph/txt 24/7: 866-943-6362 ext. 3. condorental@bor- der-tech.com for rental. LIVE CONCERTS BEACH PARTIES 800-648-4849 r. 1 1.88A M Opnhsmr ' NORTH CAMPUS B-2 Bdrm, t Riverfraat/Heat/Water/Parkig. ! www.HRPAA.com 996-4992 t $1485 FOR A FULL 2 bedroom at For- est Glen Apts. Price includes FREE HEAT, 1 parking spot and furniture. $1485 for the whole apartment! 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