(CNN) — A rising Canadian folk singer was killed by coyotes this week in a national park in Nova Scotia, a park spokesman said Thursday.

Taylor Mitchell, 19, was at the beginning of the Skyline Trail in Cape Breton Highlands National Park on Tuesday afternoon when she was attacked, according to Chip Bird, the Parks Canada field unit superintendent for Cape Breton. Bird said hikers saw the coyotes attacking Mitchell and called 911. She was airlifted to a hospital in Halifax, where she died about 12 hours later, he said. Mitchell was recently nominated for Young Performer of the Year honors by Canadian Folk Music Awards. She was touring the Maritime provinces and had a break between gigs to go hiking Tuesday, her manager, Lisa Weitz, said in an e-mail.

“She loved the woods and had a deep affinity for their beauty and serenity,” she wrote.
(…)
Bird said the area where the attack occurred is popular and well traveled. It remained closed, and park authorities had shot one coyote believed to be involved. A pathologist will test the animal’s body for diseases that might have triggered the attack, he said.

Searches for other aggressive animals in the park continue, he said.

Coyotes attacking humans? That’s a new one on me.

Walmart Shopping List
1. Socks
2. Paper towels
3. Batteries
4. Casket
5. Toothpaste

Although I intend to be cremated, at the low price Walmart’s charging, were I looking for an interesting coffee table…

There are other models available, too.

Not content to put the mom and pop stores out of business, the Bentonville, Ark., behemoth now wants to bury funeral homes. This is not some kind of zany Halloween marketing hoax — at least that we know of. Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, is now selling … discount coffins. In the “For the Home” (?) area on the Wal-Mart website, feast your eyes on its entire line of inexpensive caskets and even urns, for all of your bereavement needs.

The prices of the Wal-Mart caskets are to die for. All but one of the coffins sells for under $2,000. The deluxe Sienna Bronze model sells for a still bargain-basement — in casket terms — price of $2,899. One of the least expensive model is the still lovely Lady de Guadalupe Steel Casket (see above) at $895. Another design sports a carving of “The Last Supper” by Leonardo da Vinci.

#143 No Agenda For Thursday October 29th 2009

Obama Sells Out To China