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Biologists investigate white bass die-off at Tenkiller Reservoir
2003 Habitat Donor Patch features wild turkey (photo included)
Squirrels offer a fun challenge for sportsmen of any age
As if you needed another reason to get out and enjoy a nice, sunny day this spring, here's one more - some of the state's most enjoyable hunting will soon be underway with the opening of squirrel season. Running May 15 through Jan. 31, squirrel season is one of the longest continuous hunting seasons available to Oklahoma hunters.
Once an important part of Oklahoma's hunting culture, squirrel hunting has taken a backseat to more glamorous species such as deer and turkey, but experienced hunters know the early season action is often fast paced and the weather is comfortable. Squirrels are still a popular game species, providing countless meals of squirrel stew and other dishes.
Squirrel hunting is a perfect opportunity to introduce a youngster to hunting. There is enough walking and action so kids don't get bored, plus you don't even have to get up early to be successful.
Both the gray and fox squirrel are abundant on many of the Department's wildlife management areas. A generous 10-squirrel limit offers a challenge to those going afield with a .22 caliber rifle. Other sportsmen prefer carrying a shotgun while going after squirrels. Another option that is increasing in popularity are pellet rifles, which through the years have become adequately powerful to deliver squirrels to the bag.
Public hunting opportunities abound in Oklahoma for squirrel hunters. Just about any tract of mast-producing hardwoods can be a productive area for hunters. Excellent squirrel hunting can be found on Keystone, Spavinaw Hills, Deep Fork and Canton wildlife management areas.
To hunt squirrels in Oklahoma, all you need is a resident or non-resident hunting license. Resident hunters younger than age 16 can hunt squirrels without a license. For a complete list of squirrel hunting regulations consult the "2003 Oklahoma Hunting Guide" or log on to the Department's Web site at www.wildlifedepartment.com.
International migratory bird and plant conservation day at the OKC Zoo
Flock to the Oklahoma City Zoo Saturday, May 10 for the third annual International Migratory Bird and Plant Conservation Day: Festival of Plants and Birds. Activities from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. will focus on Oklahoma's migratory bird species and the beneficial and important relationships between plants and birds.
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC), the Oklahoma City Chapter of the American Association of Zookeepers, the Oklahoma Zoological Society ZooFriends, the Zoo's Horticulture staff, the Association of Zoological Horticulture and the Audubon Society of Central Oklahoma join with the Oklahoma City Zoo for a day of fun and learning.
The festival kicks off with a free, early-morning bird count from 6:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. where participants can learn how to identify plant and wild bird species on the zoo grounds. Biologists from the ODWC's Wildlife Diversity program along with zookeepers and volunteers from the Central Oklahoma Audubon Society will be on hand to answer questions and to help with identification. Participants are encouraged to bring binoculars. Registration begins at 6 a.m. at the Zoo's main entrance.
"May is the prime time of year for viewing migratory birds. It's the peak migration season in Oklahoma and the best time of year to see everything from songbirds to shorebirds," said Mark Howery, ODWC biologist.
"Additionally, the morning bird count is a great opportunity for the novice birder to get a feel for what birding is all about. We'll spot year-round residents like the eastern bluebird and American goldfinch, but we also will see migrants like the purple martin, scissor-tailed flycatcher, indigo bunting and Baltimore oriole," Howery said.
Event activities continue from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and are free with regular Zoo admission. Interactive and educational displays, bird and garden tours, self-guided native plant tours and children's activities will be hosted by the Audubon Society of Central Oklahoma, Oklahoma Cactus and Succulent Society, the Wild Care Foundation, Wild Bird Center, Oklahoma Native Plant Society and Martin Park Nature Center/Oklahoma City Parks and Recreation.
Of the 66 different bird species spotted at the festival last year, almost half of them were migratory. There is a direct relationship between plant growth and bird migrations. Birds that winter in the neotropics (Central and South America, Mexico and the Caribbean islands) are appearing in Oklahoma during the months of April and May to find food. Longer days in the Northern Hemisphere enable plants to grow rapidly. This rapid growth attracts an abundance of insects, which draws the birds northward.
The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden is located at 2101 NE 50th Street, Oklahoma City, OK. Migrate to the American Zoo and Aquarium Association's web site at www.aza.org or to the Audubon Society of Central Oklahoma's site at www.audubon-society-of-central-ok.org or call (405) 424-3344 for more information. To register for the bird count, please call ODWC's Wildlife Diversity Program at (405) 424-0099.
QU youth camp slated June 1-6
Youngsters interested in expanding their outdoors skills can participate in the eighth annual Oklahoma COVEY Kids Camp June 1-6 at Camp Redlands in Stillwater.
The week-long camp, hosted by the Oklahoma Council of Quail Unlimited, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and local Quail Unlimited chapters, is open to all Oklahoma youngsters ages 13 to 16. According to Bob Hayes, camp coordinator, the camp teaches kids to better appreciate Oklahoma's natural resources and exposes them to wide variety of outdoor endeavors.
"This is the ninth year for the COVEY Kids camp and we feel the camp is getting better and better each year," Hayes said.
Attendees will receive professional instruction in archery, sporting clays, muzzleloading, taxidermy, dog training, radio telemetry, hunting safety, wildlife career opportunities, habitat evaluation, first aid and much more. Camp participants will also complete requirements for their Hunter Education card.
"We start the camp off with a ropes course that serves as a fun ice-breaker to help the kids meet each other and develop teamwork," Hayes said. "The rest of the camp involves different outdoor skills and instruction taught by expert volunteers who come from all over the state."
A maximum of 35 students will be selected for this year's camp. To apply, applicants must write a short essay explaining why they wish to attend, why they should be selected and what they expect to learn. It should also explain their involvement in extracurricular activities.
The camp costs $250 per person, although scholarship funds are available from local Quail Unlimited chapters. The application deadline is May 15, 2003.
For more information, contact Bob Hayes at (918) 542-1403.
Aquatic education bringing smiles to kid's faces
There is nothing quite like the smile on a child's face when he or she reels in their first fish. Each year, thousands of Oklahoma children experience that thrill, thanks to a dedicated corps of volunteer aquatic education instructors.
"The program has been a real success," said Damon Springer, coordinator of the Aquatic Resource Education Program. "We began in 1988 and about 18,000 kids go through the program each year. They learn about everything from how to cast a rod and reel to outdoor ethics. And virtually all of the clinics include a chance to catch a fish."
More than 175 clinics are held each year across the state from isolated farm ponds to parks in the heart of metropolitan areas.
"The success of the program really goes back to all the hardworking volunteers that love teaching children and love fishing," Springer said.
Individuals interested in learning more about the program can learn more by logging on to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation's Web site at www.wildlifedepartment.com or contact Damon Springer, at (405) 521-4603.
One of the program's veteran volunteers, Joe McCrary, will be featured on an upcoming edition of Outdoor Oklahoma. The program will air on OETA-The Oklahoma Network Sunday, May 18 at 8:00 a.m.
Outdoor Oklahoma features such topics as fishing, hunting, fisheries and wildlife management. The 30-minute program can be seen on OETA-The Oklahoma Network Sundays at 8:00 a.m. and Saturdays at 6:00 p.m. Outdoor Oklahoma can also be seen on the following television stations: KSBI Network (greater OKC metro area), Mondays- 5:00 p.m., Thursdays-10: 30 p.m., Saturdays-1:30 p.m., KTEN (south-central and southeastern Oklahoma) Sundays -5 a.m., KWEM (Stillwater), Wednesdays -8:00 p.m., Fridays-7:00 p.m. and Sundays-8:00 p.m.
For a complete listing of show times and channels in your viewing area, consult the Department's Web site at www.wildlifedepartment.com or your local TV guide.
Deer Seasons Set - Plan Your Vacation Now
Thanks to the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission, deer hunters now have all the information they need to fill in their fall hunting calendar. At their May 5 meeting the commissioners approved a slate of antlerless deer hunting opportunities, the last piece in Oklahoma's deer hunting regulations for this year.
Hunters in southern and southwestern Oklahoma will have additional chances to harvest an antlerless deer during the statewide deer gun season and special antlerless deer seasons. Hunters across the state will be able to use their unfilled buck license to harvest an antlerless deer on December 7. The last day of the statewide deer gun season.
The commission, for the third year in a row, also approved the special antlerless deer season for the weekends before and after Christmas. Hunters in western and southwestern will have an additional three days to head to the woods during the special antlerless deer season.
Earlier, at its March meeting, the Commission approved a statewide deer gun season beginning on the Saturday before Thanksgiving and running for 16 consecutive days (Nov. 22-Dec. 7). On many of the Department's wildlife management areas, however, the seasons will remain nine days.
A special three-day antlerless deer gun season for those under 18 years of age was also approved. The season will be held during the third weekend in October.
Deer archery season will run Oct. 1-Jan. 15 and deer muzzleloader will run Oct. 25-Nov. 2.
For complete season dates, zones and other details about the upcoming hunting seasons log on to www.wildlifedepartment.com or consult the "2003 Oklahoma Hunting Guide," which will be available this summer.
In other business, commissioners also approved regulations for private land elk hunts in Kiowa, Comanche and Caddo counties. These dates will coincide with last year's dates. Last year 200 hunters harvested 35 elk on private lands in Oklahoma. For a complete list of those dates go to the hunting link at www.wildlifedepartment.com.
Oklahoma families will want to head to their favorite fishing hole on the first full weekend in June. The commission approved a resolution to designate June 7-8 as Free Fishing Days in Oklahoma. Oklahoma was the first state in the nation to offer free fishing days 23 years ago and have since been followed by dozens of other states that have established similar free fishing days.
"Free fishing days are a great opportunity to introduce family and friends to fishing," said David Warren, information and education chief for the Wildlife Department.
State fishing licenses are not required on the free fishing days, although anglers should note that local or municipal permits may be required on those days.
Commission Chairman Lewis Stiles recognized State Representative Dale Smith of St. Louis, State Representative Joe Hutchison of Jay and State Senator Frank Shurden of Henryetta for their support of hunting, fishing and natural resources in Oklahoma.
Commissioners also voted to accept a contribution from the Oklahoma City Zoological Trust. The trust donated $3,000 as well as personnel time and other services to assist the Department with a short-grass prairie breeding bird survey.
Assistant Director Richard Hatcher gave commissioners an update on wildlife-related bills in the Oklahoma state legislature. A daily update of the progress of those bills is available on the Department's Web site at www.wildlifedepartment.com
The Wildlife Conservation Commission is the eight-member governing board of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. The Wildlife Commission establishes state hunting and fishing regulations, sets policy for the Wildlife Department, and indirectly oversees all state fish and wildlife conservation activities. Commission members are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate.
The next scheduled Commission meeting is June 2 at the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation headquarters (auditorium), at the southwest corner of 18th and North Lincoln, Oklahoma City at 9:00 a.m.
Free fishing days coming soon
Get the family together, pack a picnic lunch and round up some fishing tackle. On the first full weekend of June (June 7-8) state fishing licenses are not required for anyone, anywhere in the state.
"It's a great opportunity to get everyone together and go fishing," said David Warren, information and education chief for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. "It is a great activity for families and friends and you can make memories that will last a lifetime. One of the reasons we offer free fishing days is to allow the entire family to get out for a fishing trip together."
According to Warren, the timing for the Free Fishing Days could not be any better. Not only do the days coincide with National Fishing and Boating Week, many of Oklahoma's most sought after fish species, including bass, catfish and bluegill are active in early June.
"One of the best things about Oklahoma is that no matter where you live you don't have to travel very far to find some good fishing," Erickson said.
Although most municipalities, such as Oklahoma City, waive city licenses in celebration of Free Fishing Days, anglers should check with local authorities before fishing in city-managed waters. Those headed out for a trip will want to pick up a copy of the "2003 Oklahoma Fishing Guide" because all other statewide regulations still apply. Fishing Guides are available at Department installations and hunting and fishing license dealers across the state. The regulations are also available on the Department's Web site which also has information about fishing in Oklahoma and fishing reports from across the state. To log onto the Wildlife Department's Web site, go to www.wildlifedepartment.com.
Fourth year of testing shows no CWD in state's deer herd
For the fourth year in a row chronic wasting disease was not discovered in the state's wild deer herd.
"It's certainly good news for deer and deer hunters," said Mike Shaw, wildlife research supervisor for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.
Personnel took brain samples from 1,000 deer and elk harvested during the 2002-03 hunting season from 44 different counties.
"It is a good sample size from a large area of the state and we will continue to be vigilant in our surveillance program," Shaw said.
CWD is an infectious disease of wild and captive elk and deer that results in progressive degeneration of the brain tissue in infected animals. First recognized in 1967, CWD is not a new disease and has been found in wild herds in limited areas of several western and northern states. There is no evidence that CWD has ever been transmitted to people, livestock or other kinds of animals.
Shaw added that whitetail deer provide a significant part of the rich hunting heritage in Oklahoma, as well as significant annual economic impact on the state. A recent survey showed the total economic impact from deer hunting in Oklahoma exceeded $600 million annually.
Fisheries biologists with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation have been investigating angler reports of a large number of white bass found dead around Tenkiller Reservoir in northeast Oklahoma.
"The act of spawning can be stressful for fish weakening the immune system of the fish making them more susceptible to diseases," said Jim Burroughs, northeast region fisheries supervisor for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. "White bass migration during spawning runs concentrates populations which can promote the spread of disease between individuals."
Early last week biologists collected dead or dying white bass and sent them to fish disease specialists to determine the cause of death. A large number of white bass were observed but reports of dying largemouth bass could not be verified. Biologists will continue to investigate.
Fish specimens were taken to Dr. Toby Lowery, DVM with the Oklahoma Aquarium in Jenks. Dr. Lowery noted a bacteria on the gills and a Trichodina protozoan on the scales of the fish. Dr. Lowery believes that the bacteria could be a secondary result of the protozoan found on the specimens. Trichodina is present in the reservoir as are hundreds of other protozoans at all times and are completely harmless to humans.
According to Burroughs, white bass die-offs are not uncommon. Several Oklahoma reservoirs have experienced similar die-offs in previous years.
"Fortunately, white bass are very resilient. They reproduce in high numbers allowing anglers to harvest the state fish in most of Oklahoma's reservoirs," Burroughs said. "The high reproductive potential of the white bass allows it to quickly recover from die-offs like the one in Tenkiller Reservoir."
Other states are not immune from white bass kills. In 1999, Lake Melvern in Kansas lost an estimated 48,000 fish to a bacteria later identified as Columnaris.
State Wildlife Department officials are expecting a number of outdoor enthusiasts to purchase lifetime licenses prior to July 1 when the cost increases and have some suggestions to make the process easier for license buyers.
State law specifies that a person applying for a lifetime license must produce either a valid Oklahoma driver's license or other positive proof of identification, age and residency. To purchase a lifetime license for a child without a driver's license, the buyer must prove the person receiving the license is an Oklahoma resident. The following are some suggested documents that can be used to prove residency: current school report card, a birth certificate if the child is under one year old, or a current copy of the parent's state tax return listing the child's social security number.
The Wildlife Department's primary funding source is the sale of annual hunting and fishing licenses, and the Department does not receive any general state tax appropriations. House Bill 1419, recently signed by the governor, increases the fees for lifetime licenses beginning July 1. For example, a resident lifetime combination hunting and fishing license will go from $525 to $750. This will not generate any direct revenue (the principal of lifetime license sales cannot be spent, only the interest on those investments is eligible to be spent) but will contribute to future interest income from the lifetime license trust fund.
Individuals with questions about purchasing lifetime licenses or any other types of licenses should log onto the Department's Web site at wildlifedepartment.com or call Department headquarters at (405) 521-3851.
Farm pond fishing offers family fun
Oklahoma is home to some outstanding lakes and reservoirs encompassing thousands of miles of shoreline. However, some of the state's best fishing can be found at small, out-of-the-way farm ponds.
"As the weather is getting warmer, the fishing is getting better at farm ponds," said Barry Bolton, assistant chief of fisheries for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. "We have good reports coming in for a variety of species from small lakes and ponds around the state."
You can enjoy some great fishing with very basic equipment, so there is no excuse not to get out and enjoy the opportunity.
"Farm ponds are particularly a good bet early in the year, the fish are responding to increasing water temperatures, which usually rise quicker than they do in larger bodies of water." Bolton said. "Of course, temperatures are also rising slowly in many of our rivers and lakes, and good fishing will only get better as those temps continue to rise."
Fishing is a great way to spend time with family and friends enjoying the spring weather and the beauty of Oklahoma's outdoors. Ponds, streams, rivers and lakes provide Oklahoma's sportsmen ample opportunity for a good fishing experience, but don't forget to obtain permission from the landowner. Many of these bodies of water occur in the most scenic areas of the state, offering anglers a chance to relax and enjoy the beauty of the outdoors when the action slows down.
Before heading out, anglers should consult the "2003 Oklahoma Fishing Guide" for specific species and area regulations as well as license requirements. The guides are available at fishing and hunting license vendors across the state or by logging on to the Department's Web site at www.wildlifedepartment.com.
2003 Habitat Donor Patch features wild turkey
Colorful, collectible and all the money goes to conservation - what more could you ask for? The 2003 wildlife habitat donor patch is now available and features one of Oklahoman's favorite game birds, the wild turkey.
In 1986 the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation created the wildlife habitat donor patches and caps to raise money for the land acquisition fund. Habitat patches cost $5 and caps, which come in a variety of styles and colors, can be purchased for $10. Beginning July 1, habitat patches will cost $10 and hats will cost $15.
Wildlife habitat donor patches and caps are often considered collector's items and are an important source of funding for habitat conservation. Whether you are a lifelong turkey hunter or a backyard bird watcher, the new patch is a must-have.
Purchases can be made at the Department's headquarters in Oklahoma City at the corner of 18th and North Lincoln and at the Tulsa area office located at the Oklahoma Aquarium in Jenks.
Patches and caps can also be ordered by mail through the Department's Outdoor Store. Outdoor Store order forms may be found in "Outdoor Oklahoma" magazine and on the Department's Web site: www.wildlifedepartment.com.
Other orders can be made by simply sending a cashiers check or money order to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, Attn: Habitat Donor Patches and Caps, P.O. Box 53465, Oklahoma City, OK 73152.
For more information about ordering a habitat patch or cap, call (405) 521-3852.
Editor's note: Below is a link for the accompanying photo that is 300 DPI and intended for newspaper publication. The ending link is .jpg for the photo. They will open in your browser. If you have a pc you should be able to right click, save picture as, choose the file type you want to save as and click save. The other way to save the image is to go to file in the
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Canton Lake comes full circle for one Oklahoma fisherman
Admittedly, it is not the most glamorous fish in Oklahoma. "Record smallmouth buffalo" doesn't have quite the same ring to it as a record largemouth bass or rainbow trout. However, sometimes it takes a bit of an obscure fish to bring a great story to the surface. The tale of Carl Heer, Oklahoma's newest fish record holder, is a perfect example.
Carl was born in Longdale in the mid-1930s when northwest Oklahoma was still an often dry and always tough place to scratch out a living. The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers had an ambitious plan to tame the North Canadian River near Carl's home. The impoundment would provide protection against floods, irrigation for farmers and water to drink - fishing and other recreational opportunities would be a great bonus. Still a teenager, Carl signed up on the work crew to move the earth and rocks necessary to subdue the meandering river. However, in 1944 Carl and many of his other workmates left the job site to help with a much more important project, serving our military in World War II.
Now grizzled veterans, the crews returned and finished the dam in 1948 and Canton Lake began to fill. Carl made a go of it as a farmer, but a few fickle years of weather and he was forced to sell out. Through life's funny circumstances, Carl found work and a new life in Michigan. He spent more than 40 years there, but always knew in the back of his mind that he would someday come home.
A few years ago, he did just that. Carl moved back to Isabella, OK, just a hop and skip away from his old stomping grounds. Now he spends a few days each week fishing on Canton Lake in the same areas he hunted jackrabbits 50 years ago.
He took to walleye fishing while he lived near the Great Lakes, and was happy to find a thriving population in Canton Lake. Each May, he looks forward to chasing walleye and having fun with friends at the annual Canton Walleye Rodeo.
Carl was fishing the Walleye Rodeo Saturday, May 17 when he hooked a huge fish.
"I wasn't sure what it was at first, but I thought it might be big enough to win the big fish of the day award," he said.
The way he describes the fight, it sounds more like a heavyweight-boxing match than a fishing trip.
"We'd go at it for ten or fifteen minutes then we would both rest for five minutes and then we'd do it all over again," he said.
At 37 pounds, 3.2 ounces and measuring 38 7/8 inches long, the brute was oversized for Carl's landing net.
"I only had eight-pound test line and a thin minnow hook on, but I somehow horsed him into the boat," Carl said.
Come to find out, he not only had the big fish of the day, he also had the new record smallmouth buffalo.
Maybe smallmouth buffalo don't require expensive lures or support a year-long tournament circuit, but they are an important part of Oklahoma's fish fauna, they taste great and Carl will be the first to tell you they are a lot of fun to catch. At the very least, the smallmouth buffalo should get credit for letting us know about Carl Heer, a man who gave his sweat to building the lake, served his country in hard times and is a fine representative of fishermen all across Oklahoma.
For a complete list of record fish and the procedures regarding state record fish consult the "2003 Oklahoma Fishing Guide." If you think you may have hooked a record fish it is important that you weigh the fish on an Oklahoma State Department of Agriculture certified scale and the weight is verified by a Wildlife Department employee.
Editor's note: Below is a link for the accompanying photo that is 96 DPI and intended for newspaper publication. The ending link is .jpg for the photo. They will open in your browser. If you have a pc you should be able to right click, save picture as, choose the file type you want to save as and click save. The other way to save the image is to go to file in the
toolbar, save picture as, choosing the file type you want to save as and click save.
Noodling tournaments coming this summer
It's not for the timid and it is not for those who prefer to stay dry while fishing, but noodling can be one of the most exhilarating activities a sportsman ever experiences. Noodling is the sport of fishing by hand, just a man and a fish and, of course, a healthy appetite for adventure.
Veteran hand fishermen know that the prime time is coming soon to wade into Oklahoma's rivers and lakes and come out with an armful of flatheads. The flathead catfish is the primary catfish species that can be taken legally by noodlers in Oklahoma. As temperatures warm up, flathead start searching shallow water for holes under logs, rocks and along mud banks so they can spawn. They will stay in the holes to deposit and fan their eggs until they hatch, and noodlers can pull the fish from those holes. Fork-tailed catfish including both channel and blue catfish, are classified as gamefish and must be released immediately by noodlers.
Several noodling tournaments have sprung up in recent years giving a chance for noodlers to test their skills against each other.
"No hooks, no bait, no fear," is the motto for the First Annual National Noodling Tournament, Festival and Fish Fry to be held at 7:00 p.m., Saturday, June 14. The event, hosted by the Johnston County Chamber of Commerce, will be headquartered at Scotty's Blue River One Stop, eight miles north of Tishomingo.
Contestants will vie for prizes including $500 cash for the biggest fish. Even if you don't catch the big fish of the day, you can enter to win the dubious Ugliest Noodler crown. Live bands, craft booths and a noodling queen pageant will round out the festival. For more information about the tournament, call (580) 371-2175.
For the past several years, the Pauls Valley Catfish Noodling Tournament has attracted hundreds of visitors to the south-central Oklahoma town. Once again, Bob's Pig Shop will host the event at 6:00 p.m., July 12. The event will feature a fish fry, live music, a noodling queen pageant and plenty of monstrous catfish.
For more information about the tournament, call the Pauls Valley Chamber of Commerce at (405) 238-6491 or log on to their Web site at paulsvalley.com.
Those interested in noodling in Oklahoma should be aware that the daily bag limit for noodlers is three flathead catfish. Flatheads must be a minimum of 20 inches to be kept. Additionally, noodling is a "hands-only" sport, and the possession of hooks, gafts, spears, poles or ropes with hooks attached while noodling is prohibited. For fishing regulations or to purchase a fishing license, log on to the Department's Web site atwww.wildlifedepartment.com.
One million bats stir up visitors
The nightly exodus of one million Mexican free-tailed bats attracts Oklahomans to the Selman Bat Cave near Freedom, OK. On summer evenings, clouds of beating wings swirl from the cave's entrance.
Melynda Hickman, natural resources biologist for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC), coordinates the Selman bat watch events.
"For about 20 minutes, columns of bats rise against the setting sun," Hickman said. "In addition to providing an amazing spectacle, they're an enormous economic benefit to local farmers and ranchers. We estimate they eat 10 tons (20,000 pounds) of mosquitoes, moths and beetles every night."
The Selman Bat Cave is one of only five sites in Oklahoma visited by a maternity colony of Mexican free-tailed bats. Migrating from Central and South America, the female bats spend the summer months at Selman where they birth their young, called pups.
"By July, most of the pups are flying," Hickman said. "That doubles the number of bats emerging from the cave."
Traveling from as far as Texas, Missouri and New Mexico, more than 5,000 people have seen the exodus of one of the largest Mexican free-tailed bat colonies in America
The destruction of cave sites, human disturbance to roosting sites and the use of pesticides have resulted in the decline of free-tail's numbers.
"It's exciting to offer this unique opportunity to get close to wild bats leaving their cave in search of insects. Visitors gain a deeper appreciation of bats and of their importance to our environment and economy," Hickman said.
The bat watches begin at Alabaster Caverns State Park. From there, buses transport visitors to the Selman Bat Cave Wildlife Management Area, which is usually closed to the public. Visitors may participate in a short, interpretive nature walk led by biologists and trained volunteers while waiting for the bats' emergence.
Sponsored by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, the state's only public bat viewing occurs at 6:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday nights, July 11 through Aug. 9. Group-size is limited to 75 people per night. Adults cost $8, youth $5. Registration deadline is June 28.
A "Nature at Night" program is offered the evenings of Aug. 8 and Aug. 9. Following the bat watch, visitors explore the sandsage prairie in the dark. The program is limited to 20 adults.
To register, contact ODWC's Wildlife Diversity Program at (405) 424-0099 or log onto www.wildlifedepartment.com, click on Watchable Wildlife and follow the link to Selman Bat Cave.
The Wildlife Diversity Program of Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation works to monitor manage and promote the wildlife species in Oklahoma that are not hunted or fished.
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Passport designed to protect Blue River's scenic beauty
The Blue River in southern Oklahoma is widely known as one of the most scenic areas in the state. The tumbling waterfalls, rolling hills and excellent facilities of the Blue River Public Fishing and Hunting Area attract visitors from miles around.
Covering more than 3,000 acres, the area attracts a wide range of outdoor enthusiasts, from trout fishermen and hunters in the fall and winter to campers and picnickers in the spring and summer. Winding through the public fishing and hunting area is six miles of the Blue River. Located four miles east of Tishomingo, in Johnston County, the river is certainly the centerpiece of any visit to the area.
In an effort to protect the area's natural beauty, non-hunting and non-angling visitors will need a Blue River Conservation Passport for entering or using the Blue River Public Fishing and Hunting Area, beginning July 1.
Residents and non-residents who hold valid annual or lifetime Oklahoma hunting or fishing licenses are exempt from purchasing the passport, which will cost $21. Exemptions will also be allowed for those under 18 years of age, students on educational tours and those participating in organized events sanctioned in advance by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.
This special use permit, which does not allow any fishing or hunting privileges, will be used to maintain camping locations, upkeep roads and manage wildlife habitat. The Blue River Public Fishing and Hunting Area is one of the top trout fishing destinations in the winter and a favorite outdoor recreation place in the summer. The passport will help to ensure the area is conserved for future generations.
NWTF to host "Women in the Outdoors" event
Women from all walks of life will be given the chance to experience the thrill of outdoor activities such as camping, recreational shooting and fishing at an upcoming event sponsored by the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF).
The Oklahoma County chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation will be hosting Women in the Outdoors event June 28 at Crystal Lake in Oklahoma City. It will also allow women to develop a greater understanding of wildlife conservation and meet others who share their enthusiasm.
Space is limited. The registration deadline is June 21 or when the event is full. Registration is $45 per person. A special drawing will be held for those who get friends and family to attend.
The Women in the Outdoors program's mission is to provide hands-on, educational outdoor opportunities for women. The program is now in its fourth year, and there are more than 42,000 members.
"The Women in the Outdoors program allows the NWTF to reach an entirely new audience, one that has been overlooked in the past for outdoor sports and conservation," said Rob Keck, NWTF, chief executive officer.
Participants will be able to attend two classes. Classes offered include:
· Pistol Shooting
· Archery
· Fishing
· Shotgun Shooting
· Trailer Backing
· Boating Skills
· Dutch Oven Cooking
Women in the Outdoors events are held across the country with experts on hand to teach in a noncompetitive manner. The combination of sponsorship and local chapter support allows the NWTF to offer these programs at a low cost to participants. The cost of attending each event includes a membership in Women in the Outdoors program and a "Women in the Outdoors" magazine subscription with articles and information on a variety of outdoor adventure and activities.
For more information, contact Gary Brunsvold at (405) 354-5609 or Tres Albright at (405) 715-2412.
Elk hunt on the auction block
Harvesting a bull elk in Oklahoma is certainly a rare opportunity. Hunters now have a chance to not only bid on a fully guided bull elk hunt at Cookson Wildlife Management Area, but also help needy Oklahomans in the process. This year, for the fifth year in a row, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) is auctioning a bull elk hunt, and the proceeds will go to the Department's Hunters Against Hunger program.
Through a sealed bid auction, the hunter with the top bid has successfully harvested a trophy bull for the past four years. Last year's winner took a 6x7 bull. The hunt, which generated over $11,000 last year, is a guided three-day hunt anytime in September, October or November (subject to availability). The broken hills and rugged landscape of Cookson Hills will challenge even the seasoned elk hunter. Archery, muzzleloader or modern rifle equipment may be used. The minimum bid for this year's hunt is $7,500.
Hunters who wish to submit a bid must supply their name, address, day and evening phone numbers with their bid amount on a notarized card or letter. Bids can be dropped off at ODWC headquarters or mailed to Oklahoma Auction Elk Hunt, P.O. Box 53465 Oklahoma City, OK 73152. All bids must be received at ODWC headquarters in Oklahoma City by 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, July 1. Bidding is open to individuals and organizations. The permit may be transferred one time by the successful bidder, but may not be transferred for financial gain. Payment must be received within 10 days of notification.
"Proceeds from the elk hunt auction will assist the Department's Hunters Against Hunger program," said Alan Peoples, wildlife chief for the Department. "Through a network of statewide food banks that distribute donated venison to local shelters, the program has served meals to thousands of needy Oklahomans."
For additional information about the Hunters Against Hunger program, consult the "2003 Oklahoma Hunting Guide," or log onto the Department's Web site at www.wildlifedepartment.com.


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BROOKLYN — Cops are zeroing in on a "person of interest" in the series of three murders of Brooklyn shopkeepers, focusing on a man who showed up in surveillance footage near the two most recent killings, police sources said.
The man, whom police initially dubbed "John Doe Duffel Bag" because of the bag he was carrying, as spotted in footage taken near the Flatbush shop where 78-year-old Vahidipour Rahmatollah, was killed Friday, and police believe he also appears in footage taken near the murder of a Bensonhurst shopkeeper in August, though that video is grainier, sources said.
In at least in the most recent two cases, the killer did not take any money or merchandise before fleeing the murder scene, sources said.
The latest victim in the murders, Rahmatollah, was killed Friday between 4:30 and 7 p.m. at his store, She-She Boutique at 834 Flatbush Ave., near Linden Boulevard, in Flatbush.
He was found lying on the floor of the store with three gunshot wounds to his head and torso and $181 in his pocket, police sources said. The cash register appeared untouched.
The .22 caliber handgun that was used to kill him is the same used in the murders of Isaac Kadare on Aug. 2 and Mohamed Galebi on July 6 inside their stores in Bensonhurst and Bay Ridge, the NYPD said.
The man with the duffel bag has not been called a suspect but is one of two remaining people police are looking for in the most recent case, because they were near the scene of the murder at the time police believe it occurred.
Two security cameras along Flatbush Avenue recorded footage of the man walking north from the crime scene about 6 p.m. Nov. 16, police said. In the footage the man had a mustache and black hair with a bald spot, was wearing a long black coat and was carrying a black bag.
"If he is found and ID'd and turns out to be a legit guy, then we are back to square one," a source said Monday, as police still scoured footage for clues.
Sources said the murders may be the work of a serial killer, and in addition to the gun, some of the details in each case are similar.
All three of the victims' faces were covered when police found them, and all were reportedly Middle Eastern.
The addresses of the stores where the murders took place also all contain the number 8, which investigators were initially exploring as a link. But it was unclear if that was still the case.
A police source described the killings as well thought out because the stores didn't have surveillance, but added that they are the work of "a coward."
"What does it take to find older people, working alone in small stores and executing them?" the source said.
The NYPD has asked the FBI to put together a profile of the killer, using details from the murders to illustrate a type of person the force should be looking for, sources said.
"Earlier this evening, the New York Police Department formally requested the FBI's assistance with a series of homicides in Brooklyn, New York over the last five months," FBI Supervisory Special Agent Martin Feely said in a statement Monday night. "The FBI will be providing assistance, to include expertise from the Behavioral Analysis Unit. The New York Police Department remains the lead investigative agency."
Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes said Monday that it was unclear whether the murders were committed by a serial killer.
"There's certain things that would indicate that it falls into the category of serial killing," Hynes said in a press conference. "[But there's] nothing about the victims that would suggest anything other than they were just the victims of a random execution."
The FBI, though, defines a serial killer more broadly, as someone who kills two or more people in "separate events."
On Sunday, police released surveillance footage of four people they wanted to question in the latest killing, including the man with the duffel bag.
Two were cleared of any involvement in the murder: a young woman who was filmed running down Flatbush Avenue after having stolen some perfume from a street cart, and a young man who chased after her, sources said.
Police are still looking to question the man with the duffel bag, along with a woman who was recorded in the area about 6 p.m. wearing glasses, a long black coat and a white scarf. Neither is considered a suspect.
Detectives were also interested in finding a man who was on his phone near the scene of the Isaac Kadare murder and was overheard threatening to "kill someone," but he hasn't emerged in either of the other shopkeeper murders.
Hynes said he is confident investigators will be able to find the killer.
"There's no one more effective than the NYPD detectives," Hynes said. "Maybe it's the theater of opportunity you have in New York City, but they're the very best. They're like Sherlock Holmes."
The NYPD is offering a reward of $22,000 in each of the homicides for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible. On Monday, City Councilman David G. Greenfield and State Senator Martin Golden increased the reward to $40,000.
Anyone with information may call the Crime Stoppers hotline in confidence at 1-800-577 -TIPS.

subset: commoncrawl


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Preparing for Lent
As you begin to observe this season of repentance and reflection, please use this gallery of Bible verses and questions as a regular part of your Lenten devotions. You''ll find an Ash Wednesday reading, and a reading for each Sunday in Lent.
Excerpted from Sacred Space for Lent 2009 by the Jesuit Communication
© 2009 by Ave Maria Press,
P.O. Box 428 , Notre


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|2nd Lt. Nolan George Hikel, Far Left; Others Unidentified
When I searched N.G. Hikel on Ancestry.com I discovered that according to U.S. Veteran's Gravesites, ca 1775-2006, Nolan G. Hikel was a colonel in the United States Army, that he served in World War II and in Korea, and that he is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. You can see a photo of his grave, thanks to a Find A Grave photographer, here. I also found his photo in University of New Hampshire yearbook photos which are also available on Ancestry. The image of the man in the yearbook photos confirms that the young officer on the far left in the photo above is Nolan George Hikel. He is also the officer on the far right in the photograph below.
I'm glad to have discovered the identity of at least one man in my father's CCC photos! If you are related to Nolan George Hikel and can tell me about his experience with Company 1181 of the CCCs in Campton and Thornton, NH I'd love to hear from you!
|2nd Lt. Nolan George Hikel, Far Right; Others Unidentified
Other Posts You Might Like:
A Comedy of Errors: My Family in the Census (Part 1 of 3)
Books of Interest - St-Denis: A French-Canadian Parish
Letters and Photos and Stuff, Oh My!: Sorting Through a Loved One's Estate (Part 1)
"Frisky" - Wordless Wednesday


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Saturday, July 28, 2007
It Isn't X vs Y
People have taken my posts on Seaside and Rails as if they were discussions of Seaside vs. Rails. That just isn't the case; in fact it's silly. What it's really about is that there are design differences between these two frameworks, and while I don't think either one is the answer, I do think both are way better than everything else out there that I know about.
Rails' assumption that building REST into your app at such a level that APIs are almost auto-generated by default is the right way to do things; Seaside's decision to give Web app developers the same kind of power that desktop developers have is also the right way to do things.
When you look at Rubinius, it's entirely possible Avi Bryant's hypothetical Ruby virtual machine could in fact happen very soon. At that point, features of Seaside which were previously only available via Smalltalk will become available to Rails. At the same time, Gemstone is doing work to make Seaside applications much easier to deploy. Object databases like Gemstone's are pretty much necessary if you want to handle particular problem spaces, such as warehousing and inventory systems. Object DBs already exist for Java, so JRuby will make object databases available to Rails applications, which means you could use Rails for gigantic enterprise problems suited to object DBs. But if you did that, you'd need to rewrite ActiveRecord, since object databases give you active records by definition.
Basically, I'm indulging in some amateur futurism here, and there's lots of interesting things happening on that horizon.
3 comments:
Liked the post. In a post I did recently I talked about a speech Alan Kay gave 10 years ago where he was talking about the semantic web. His conception of it was to make every object a server, and therefore each object should have its own URL. It actually maps fairly well to the way RoR does things, if you implement the notion that each page in a Rails app. corresponds to a unique object. When he said that it sounded a lot like what I've heard described about REST. He even went so far as to say each object should have its own IP. Yikes! From what I've heard the internet actually ran out of IP addresses a while ago, and has managed to keep going by some sort of IP virtualization mechanism.ReplyDelete
What's interesting is that Kay likes the internet fine, but is not so keen on the whole HTML browser paradigm. He said in his speech that this just recapitulates platform lock-in similar to MS-DOS, not in the sense of a particular browser being dominant, but that the browser itself, as a platform, is dominant. It defines and confines what protocol can be used on the client.
His notion of the web was that clients would download the software necessary to interpret/render the data, and presumably the data formats would be simple. In my estimation this would've required a whole different operating system architecture.
Kind of rethought what I said. In the case of creating aggregate pages, where each object is part of a page, this would fit in Kay's model if each component had its own URL, and could be accessed independently of a particular page or application. This fits very well with the idea of mashups.ReplyDelete
I think ActiveRecord, as it is currently constructed, may turn out to be Rails's biggest liability in the long run. As it already takes us so close to a fully object-based entity model, why not just take the logical next step, to a real object database backend (say, CouchDb or something like GemStone)?ReplyDelete
This would mean not having to put up with DRY violation (your schema, associations and constraints spread out over the RDBMS itself, the Rails model, and your migrations) and indeed eliminating any other vestigial remains of the object-relational impedance mismatch.
I think that forcibly stuffing all our data into RDBMSes is equivalent to pushing bits around using machine language. Time to raise the abstraction level, maybe - but can Rails survive the paradigm shift?


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Biodiesel Research
Reuse Redefined
The Dickinson College Biodiesel Program is both a production and educational facility that has committed itself to both generating viable fuel and researching both the quality, safety, and end use for this product. Here we have highlighted some of the more prominent research & academic projects of our Biodiesel Interns.
Soap Making
One apparently viable option for re-use of the glycerol byproduct is refinement into a crude soap. Biodiesel glycerol soap has proven to be effective as a hand and body- washing agent, as well as for industrial degreasing, floor cleaning, stain removal from clothing, and dish washing. Our project expended significant effort over the past few years to refine recipes for liquid and bar soap, test market it to a variety of end users, and streamline the process for sustainable soap production.
WGAL television news story about Dickinson Biodiesel's soap-making efforts.
Safety Training
Sam Parker ('12) created and designed safety-training protocols for all employees and volunteers in the shop. Each intern is required to go through Lab Safety Training, Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasures Training, Fire Extinguisher Training, Review of the Safety Handbook, and Shop Safety Tour.
Quality Testing
Sam Parker ('12) was instrumental in designing quality standards that match the American Society for Testing and Material (ASTM). These lab tests ensure that high quality, professional fuel is the byproduct of our production process.
Glycerol Composting
Composting of biodiesel glycerol has long been promoted by members of the grassroots biodiesel community as a means of byproduct disposal. Beginning in 2007, student intern projects were used as a teaching tool for upper-division biology students, while attempting to gather useful information for biodiesel producers seeking a responsible method for byproduct disposal through composting. Students Alison Dethoff '08 and Jamie Panunzio '09 led the successive research projects, assisted by Sarah Gold '10 and Kelli Maurer '10.


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Premier Banker Unlicensed 1
- Employer
- Wells Fargo
- Location
- Baltimore, MD
- Posted
- May 17, 2018
- Closes
- May 21, 2018
- Function
- Accountant, IT
- Industry
- Financial Services and Banking
- Career Level
- Experienced (Non-Manager)
- Hours
- Full Time
Job DescriptionAt Wells Fargo, we want to satisfy our customers' financial needs and help them succeed financially. We're looking for talented people who will put our customers at the center of everything we do. Join our diverse and inclusive team where you'll feel valued and inspired to contribute your unique skills and experience.Help us build a better Wells Fargo. It all begins with outstanding talent. It all begins with you.Community Banking operates one of the most extensive banking franchises in the country, serving customers through approximately 6,000 branches and 13,000 ATMs in 39 states and the District of Columbia. Our group includes Business Strategy and Administration; Customer and Branch Experience; Customer Remediation Office; Distribution Strategy Group; Regional Banking; Regional Services; and Customer Segments, and serves mass market, affluent, and small business customers. Our focus is on delivering an exceptional experience for our customers and providing the products and services that will help them realize their financial hopes and dreams.Provides full-balance sheet banking to affluent and affluent-away customers and manages a portfolio of complex account relationships. Consults with customers regarding their financial needs and recommends appropriate financial services to meet those financial needs. Personally fulfills product and service needs in the Regional Bank and makes appropriate introductions to partners for products in other lines of business.For the portfolio of relationships managed, resolves inquiries and service requests, opens and services accounts within authorized limits and creates Customer Management Program (CMP) activity plans and follows up on scheduled contacts. Continually builds a network of internal partners and external sources and resources to further enhance the customer experience and meet customer's financial needs. Models appropriate segmentation strategy for the branch team and supports the branch manager's Customer Connection Plan (CCP) so that affluent and affluent away customers are provided the opportunity to interact with the most appropriate banker.This SAFE position has customer contact and job duties which may include the offering/negotiating of terms and/or taking an application for a dwelling secured transaction. As such, this position requires compliance with the SAFE Mortgage Licensing Act of 2008 and all related regulations. Ongoing employment is contingent upon meeting all such requirements, including acceptable background investigation results. Individuals in a SAFE position also must meet the Loan Originator requirements under Regulation Z (LO) outlined in the job expectations below.Required Qualifications2+ years of financial services industry experience, through work or military, in one or a combination of the following: corporate banking, corporate lending, consumer banking, consumer lending, business banking, small business, mortgage lending, investments, brokerage, or private banking; or 1+ year experience in a licensed financial services positionDesired QualificationsExperience assessing customer needs and recommending products/services to fulfill those needsExperience solving customer problemsGood communication skills including speaking clearly, succinctly, and accurately while using a pleasant tone and common conversational courtesiesHigh motivation with ability to successfully meet team objectives while maintaining individual performanceExperience identifying additional opportunities to recommend products and services to customersExperience mentoring and educating other branch team membersRelevant military experience including working with military protocol and instructions, enlisted evaluations, officer/leadership reportingRelevant military experience including working in personnel benefits management, processing military personnel orders or transitions, wartime readiness operations, human resources or military recruitingBusiness development experienceCredit experienceFINRA registration including Series 6 (or FINRA recognized equivalents)FINRA registration including Series 63 (or FINRA recognized equivalents)FINRA registration including Series 65 (or FINRA recognized equivalents)FINRA registration including Series 66 (or FINRA recognized equivalents)FINRA registration including Series 7 (or FINRA recognized equivalents)Job ExpectationsRegistration for FINRA Series 7 and 63 or 7 and 66 must be completed within a specified period of time, determined by number of licenses to be obtained, not to exceed 110 business days from study program start date. FINRA recognized equivalents will be accepted.State Life Insurance license requirements must be completed within a specified period of time not to exceed 110 business days. Compliance with state law requirements is required.Registration for FINRA Series 65 must be completed when required by the state in which the position is located. FINRA recognized equivalents will be accepted. Obtaining and/or maintaining appropriate Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) license(s) is required for ongoing employment in this position. In addition state registration, specific product licenses or SAFE licensing may apply. Additional requirements include meeting enhanced financial fitness and criminal background standards. Wells Fargo will initiate the FINRA review process at the time of offer acceptance.This position requires SAFE registration at the time of employment. Wells Fargo will initiate the SAFE registration process immediately after your employment start date. The Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System (NMLS) web site ( ) provides the MU4R questions and registration required for employment in this position.Individuals in Loan Originator (LO) positions must meet the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau qualification requirements and comply with related Wells Fargo policies. The LO qualification requirements include meeting applicable financial responsibility, character, general financial fitness and criminal background standards. A current credit report will be used to assess your financial responsibility and credit fitness, however, a credit score is not included as part of the evaluation. Successful candidates must also meet ongoing regulatory requirements including additional screening, if necessary.Street AddressMD-Baltimore: 1515 Reisterstown Rd - Baltimore, MDDisclaimerAll offers for employment with Wells Fargo are contingent upon the candidate having successfully completed a criminal background check. Wells Fargo will consider qualified candidates with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable local, state and Federal law, including Section 19 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act.Relevant military experience is considered for veterans and transitioning service men and women.Wells Fargo is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer, Minority/Female/Disabled/Veteran/Gender Identity/Sexual Orientation.


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ReleasesBack to
Jymie Merritt
The second of two CDs that greatly expand the original Three Blind Mice LP captures the all-star Jazz Messengers sextet of 1961-62 at two separate concerts. The five extended performances, which consist of four group originals (including "Mosaic" and "Ping Pong") and "It's Only a Paper Moon," include many strong solos from trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, trombonist Curtis Fuller, tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter and pianist Cedar Walton, all future bandleaders. Both of the CD volumes are highly recommended. ~ Scott Yanow


text:
DENVER Kenneth Faried scored 19 points and grabbed 19 rebounds,and the Denver Nuggets rallied for a 108-105 win over the slumping Orlando Magic on Wednesday night.
Ty Lawson also finished with 19 points, including a three-point play with 1:27 remaining that gave the Nuggets the lead for good and sent them to their third win in a row.
Orlando just cant get on track since Glen Davis went out with a sprained left shoulder, dropping a 10th consecutive game in the big mans absence. He currently isnt with the team but it was hoped he might rejoin them at some point during the current four-game trip.
Jameer Nelson led the Magic with 20 points, while Arron Afflalo added 12 against his former team before fouling out late in the game.


text:
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text:
I need animator for my video starting and ending parts
Budget $10-30 USD
I am planning to start a small online store so, I would like to have a like 3 more or less starting for the videos of products that I make and I would like to have a like 3 to 5 seconds ending part. These starting and ending parts are what you need to make and I need in total it will not be more than 10 seconds, it should be something less than that because people don't like long starting or ending. So, the shorter the better.
Show me your previous similar work and don't just through your portfolio rather show me only the videos that you are proud of. And based on your work I will have a discussion with you to see if you can do my work or not.
I can't offer high price because I am not living in a economy of USA :-)
Thanks for bidding.
24 freelancers are bidding on average $105 for this job
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text:
Story highlights
- Thankfully, there have been a few new tech ideas that have yet to find an audience
- Tech writers: It's a good thing that Google's Project Glass isn't off the ground
- Web CEO: We're not ready for a Siri that actually works
The turkey has been stuffed and so have our arteries; our now-corpulent bodies have crawled over corpses in a consumerism-driven fit of of lust and now, finally, we're back to rot at our desks, wistfully gazing toward the glimmering mirage on the horizon known as "Christmas."
As you look out on that coupon- and candy-trimmed future, we're sure you're reflecting on all that has gone by this year: All the milestones and memories. All the mistakes and monstrosities.
Well, dear ones, so have we -- and, being tech writers, those reflections have naturally turned Web/mobile-ward. Sure, there have been tons of exciting innovations unleashed upon the masses this past year, but there's also a passel of new ideas that we're glad never caught on.
In order to compile a list of said ideas, we tapped some the tech scene's finest for their input. Check it:
1) "As awesome as 4K (or 'Ultra HD,' as the tech wants to be called now) will be (So. Many. Pixels.), I can't help but shake the feeling that the same problems that snuck up on people with the spread of plain-ol' HD are just going to get worse. Not even spray-on HD makeup will be strong enough to cover up all of the pores. There's going to be a lot of angry reality TV show participants."
-- Seth Porges, Co-founder of Cloth
2) "A Siri that actually works. As a human society, we're not ready yet for an intelligent being that lives inside our phones. Sure, Siri can fetch you the weather and add appointments to your calendar, but it can't communicate with another Siri and find the best time for that conference call. There isn't real artificial intelligence that lives and breathes inside our phones yet. Siri, and Google Now and other apps can synthesize and retrieve data, but ultimately they cannot decide for us. Yet."
-- Ben Huh, CEO of the Cheezburger Network
3) "AirBnB for drones."
-- Ian Hogarth, CEO & Co-founder of Songkick
4) "I am glad that the automatic, pervasive check-in hasn't yet become a reality. You can see the beginnings of it with Path's auto-stamp of where you are when you open the app (unless you disable it, which most seem to do), but it isn't part of mainstream social media platforms like Facebook and foursquare. Yet."
-- Leslie Bradshaw, President, Chief Operating Officer & Co-Founder of JESS3
5) "HotOrNot-enabled vanity mirror."
-- Aaron Koblin, Data Arts Team, Creative Lab at Google
6) "Twitter going AdWords and showing me ads based on what I'm tweeting about. That could be interesting on some days, vile on others."
-- Caryn Rose, Director of Product Development at Billboard.com
7) "Google's Project Glass. Google originally promised that it would ship beta versions to developers at the end of 2012, but as of Nov. 26, those who pre-ordered are still waiting. Good thing, too. While Project Glass sounds super-cool on the surface, the idea is also kind of creepy. Not only do the glasses look weird on everyone who isn't a runway model, I can't help but find the overall idea distracting. Plus, can you imagine how difficult it's going to be walking across a busy street, dealing with people not just engrossed in their cell phones, but literally looking ahead and focused on inanimate objects?"
-- Christina Warren, Senior Tech Analyst at Mashable
8) "Software that can predict a hit song."
-- Tim Westergren, Co-founder of Pandora Radio
9) The ability to see who looked at your profile on Facebook. We can only imagine the carnage that would ensue if our collective stalking history were unleashed unto the world. Zuckerberg have mercy on our souls.
-- Brenna & Andi


text:
I just noticed that the time change on TORC isn't working.
Unfortunately, I live in a state that does the Daylight Savings Time. We turned our clocks back an hour earlier this month.
I have "Yes" checked in my profile where it says "DST in Effect?" but TORC is still an hour ahead of me.
For example, right now it's 2:41 pm my time. TORC says it's 3:41.
Any suggestions on how to fix it?


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October 23, 2008
Dean Roellke Speaks About Ayers *Mads Exclusive*
"Just as Barack Obama has been extraordinarily clear about his involvement with Professor Ayers, I wish to be clear about Vassar's brief association with Mr. Ayers. No one with whom I interact is supportive of Mr. Ayers' actions years ago (at the time, Barack Obama was 8 years old, I was 5 years old).
Please take the time to better understand Mr. Ayers' contributions to the field of education--it is those contributions that brought him to Vassar.
Here is a summary of Mr. Ayers' work at Vassar (excerpted from my grant report to the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations who supported our urban education outreach work)...
With support from both the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations and the Vassar College Dean of the Faculty Office, we were able to appoint William Ayers as a visiting professor of Urban Education for the 2005-06 academic year. Mr. Ayers has conducted a series of all campus events, including the Elaine Lipschutz Lecture on Multicultural Education in the Fall. For CETE alumni currently teaching in New York City, we sponsored "An Evening with Bill Ayers," a dinner and lecture designed to celebrate the accomplishments of urban teachers from Vassar, Smith, Barnard, Swarthmore and other highly selective liberal arts colleges. We held this event at Bank Street College of Education and are looking forward to planning a similar event in the 2006-07 academic year. The dinner was attended by 30 students and faculty from CETE institutions and over 150 educators participated in the lecture component of the program. Mr. Ayers is also conducting a weekly urban education reform seminar with over 40 students enrolled. For the 2006-07 academic year, we have already secured John Merrow, Peabody Award Winner and education correspondent for NEWSHOUR with Jim Lehrer to play a similar role. Though Mr. Merrow will not teach a course for us, his expertise in urban education and public policy debates will be highly valued by both our current students and our alumnae/i.
I hope this is helpful to those who may misinterpret my support for Mr. Ayers.
Sincerely yours,
Chris Roellke
Professor of Education and Acting Dean of the College."
24 comments:
- Anonymous said...
this doesn't change my opinion. i don't agree with the outward endorsement of this man by someone so high up in our college's administration.
- Anonymous said...
why not?
- Anonymous said...
you can endorse someone's ability as an educator without endorsing their past (misguided) actions
- Anonymous said...
- Anonymous said...
the endorsement is not about his time as an educator. it is endorsing him as a public figure. and because this is a liberal college, the dean can sign this kind of thing and get away with it for the most part. and god forbid students say they think it is unacceptable or terrible! i still think this is horrible. Ayers has a disgusting past, and just because he taught some good classes here doesn't mean that he should be endorsed publicly by the dean of our school. i don't care about the work he did at vassar, i believe he has had a negative impact on our world today and is someone that NO ONE should endorse - let alone my dean.
just stating my individual / conservative *gasp* opinion on the matter.
- Anonymous said...
the united states military is publically endorsed. i dont hear anyone saying that THAT is unacceptable and terrible... disgusting. Just because his name is talked up by the McCain campaign and in the newspapers doesn't mean he's the only one with a negative impact on the world today.
- Anonymous said...
even if someone has a dangerous past, does that automatically mean we can not learn from them? can you not learn from a bomber, murderer, terrorist? maybe vassar should only hire robots. oh, wait, then again, if we get veterans to come its OKAY!!!!! because they were the terrorists on OUR side.
- Anonymous said...
veterans are terrorists? really?
- Anonymous said...
there's a reason people have a past. yes, i believe if someone has a past like Bill Ayers does, they should not be endorsed like this. yes, we can learn from them. we can learn how NOT to act. you can't just forget people's pasts .. especially because it wasn't a minor thing. that's why presidents are impeached, why there are jails and why certain people could never run for president or any other public office. your past matters. you just can't brush it aside because you were a good teacher once. i'm sorry, i support Obama but i would never support Ayers.his past is just too scary, the dean's attempt at explaining the good he once did in teaching does not make me forget everything else i know about him.
- Anonymous said...
People like you make me question being a democrat. I have no problem with the dean supporting Ayers (as long as he condemns Ayers' past actions), but you seriously need to shut the fuck up. What the hell is your problem? Seriously, what is it?
- Anonymous said...
it's not the "good he once did in teaching," it's the good he continues to do as a notable and respected scholar. It's like current students getting arrested at an ACT OUT protest and even 40 years later, when they are professors, some people still believing their activist past prohibits them from ever deserving respect.
Admit it - you had never heard of Ayers until the McCain campaign painted him as a terrorist. There is more than one way to look at this issue and I'm proud that our administrators have stepped up to provide a different perspective.
- Anonymous said...
no civilian casualties occurred as a result of the weatherman bombings.
- Anonymous said...
For the record--the educator statement--as of 10/24, over 3000 scholars/educators/citizens have signed...
EDUCATOR STATEMENT - 3247 Current Endorsements -
We write to support our colleague Professor William Ayers, Distinguished Professor of Education and Senior University Scholar at the University of Illinois at Chicago, who is currently under determined and sustained political attack. Ayers is a nationally known scholar, member of the Faculty Senate at UIC, Vice President-elect of the American Educational Research Association, and sought after as a speaker and visiting scholar by other universities because of his exemplary scholarship, teaching, and service. Throughout the 20 years that he has been a valued faculty member at UIC, he has taught, advised, mentored, and supported hundreds of undergraduate, Masters and Ph.D. students. He has pushed them to take seriously their responsibilities as educators in a democracy – to promote critical inquiry, dialogue, and debate; to encourage questioning and independent thinking; to value the full humanity of every person and to work for access and equity. Helping educators develop the capacity and ethical commitment to these responsibilities is at the core of what we do, and as a teacher he has always embraced debate and multiple perspectives.
All citizens, but particularly teachers and scholars, are called upon to challenge orthodoxy, dogma, and mindless complacency, to be skeptical of authoritative claims, to interrogate and trouble the given and the taken-for-granted. Without critical dialogue and dissent we would likely be burning witches and enslaving our fellow human beings to this day. The growth of knowledge, insight, and understanding--- the possibility of change--- depends on that kind of effort, and the inevitable clash of ideas that follows should be celebrated and nourished rather than crushed. Teachers have a heavy responsibility, a moral obligation, to organize classrooms as sites of open discussion, free of coercion or intimidation. By all accounts Professor Ayers meets this standard. His classes are fully enrolled, and students welcome the exchange of views that he encourages.
The current characterizations of Professor Ayers---"unrepentant terrorist," "lunatic leftist"---are unrecognizable to those who know or work with him. It's true that Professor Ayers participated passionately in the civil rights and antiwar movements of the 1960s, as did hundreds of thousands of Americans. His participation in political activity 40 years ago is history; what is most relevant now is his continued engagement in progressive causes, and his exemplary contribution---including publishing 16 books--- to the field of education. The current attacks appear as part of a pattern of "exposés" and assaults designed to intimidate free thinking and stifle critical dialogue. Like crusades against high school and elementary teachers, and faculty at UCLA, Columbia, DePaul, and the University of Colorado, the attacks on and the character assassination of Ayers threaten the university as a space of open inquiry and debate, and threaten schools as places of compassion, imagination, curiosity, and free thought. They serve as warnings that anyone who voices perspectives and advances questions that challenge orthodoxy and political power may become a target, and this, then, casts a chill over free speech and inquiry and the spirit of democracy.
We, the undersigned, stand on the side of education as an enterprise devoted to human inquiry, enlightenment, and liberation. We oppose the demonization of Professor William Ayers.
- Anonymous said...
oh please. why is everyone actually assuming his research and work in education is any better. look up his work and youll see its the same boring "radical' stuff you saw from the columbus day protests. "the poor brown people have been exploited by capitalism and the whites, education should be radical and include things like ebonics". exactly!
- Anonymous said...
Wow to 3:54. I guess capitalism is nice so long as you're on the beneficiary side of things, right?
- Anonymous said...
from a brief search on the internet one finds this additional defense of Ayers...in all this hoopla, it is important to consider some of the historical context...
"...it's important to remember that while three members of the Weather Underground died at their own hands because of a failed bomb they were constructing, no one else died at their hands. The group scrupulously worked to make sure that their attacks were on property, not people.
It's also important to remember that they were targeting a government that was engaged in a criminal war against a peasant country half a world away, that had killed nearly two million Indochinese people, most of them civilians, and that was well on the way to pointlessly sending 58,000 American troops to their deaths.
The actions of the Weather Underground may have been misguided and quixotic, but they were not terrorists in the sense of trying to cause mass terror among the American public, in the way that Al Qaeda terrorists or other terror groups indiscriminately attack civilians. They were much more carefully targeting the levers of power, and in effect, trying to "bring the war home."
While many in the anti-war movement condemned the actions of the Weather Underground, I would argue that they, like the militant Black Panthers, performed an invaluable role by sending a loud, clear message to the nation's ruling elite that if they continued the war, things would get worse at home.
Their actions made the peaceful mass protests against the Indochina War far more potent, because they forced the ruling elite in the US to have to ponder what would happen if those masses turned to the same kind of violent measures against them.
Ayers has long since earned the nation's respect, whatever one may think of his youthful radicalism, by devoting his life to the challenge of helping educate those who have a hard time breaking the cycle of poverty and ignorance, which makes it obscene to criticize Obama for sharing a boardroom with him (Obama was 8 when Ayers was in the Weathermen back in 1970).
But Ayers and his comrades should also be honored for having been willing to go the extra mile and put their lives on the line to end a criminal war."
We could use that kind of courage and militancy today in the anti-war movement--not in the form of another underground bombing campaign, but certainly in the form of a willingness put ourselves on the line to blockade and undermine an American imperial war machine that has chewed up the lives of tens of thousands of young Americans and killed over a million innocent Iraqis.
Five years into a war with no end in Iraq, it's clear that just going about our business, and making periodic marches along the boulevards of Washington, New York or San Francisco is not enough.
- Anonymous said...
11:22-I have friends in the military. You should watch what you say.
- Anonymous said...
I attended a dinner at which Dean Roellke brought Ayers in to speak with future teachers. And what did they hear from the man? That all children deserve a good education. That teaching is hard and in spite of the regular disappointments and frustrations, it is worthy career that reflects optimism and hope. He urged the young teachers, from Vassar, Brown, Williams, Swarthmore, Barnard, Bank Street, etc., to reach deep and find ways to reproduce the challenging curriculum that they had benefited from en route to their lives in higher education. Did he espouse "terrorism" or bombing? No. Did he begin by asking students how their teaching was going and what questions they had? Yes. He inspired the teachers. I heard him speak to another group of teachers. The same. I heard him a third time a few years later. This time he was promoting a young man, a teacher who worked for a year with his elementary students to study, document their needs, and to get a new school built. I didn't find myself running for cover at that meeting. No. Just thankful that the old "washed up terrorist" finds time and time again to support young people in doing the difficult work of teaching. Try it. It's hard work. Never boring. Dean Roellke did well by Vassar in this case.
- Anonymous said...
I support Dean Roellke and Bill Ayers.
3:54 - sorry to make assumptions about you, but you will NEVER know what it's like to be a person of color or a person of less privilege. Hopefully there's still time to educate you.
Vassar Alum '08
- Anonymous said...
whoa, 11:27. you're apparently lucky enough to have never known a member of the armed forces. i have several friends and family members who HAVE served, served during wartime, and guess what: they AREN'T terrorists. the military is a great way to spread the wealth around...people from lower-incomes can join and have opportunities that would've otherwise been lost to them (think a good career, free college, health care). it's not as if everyone who joins the military is a bloodthirsty baby killer with designs on taking down poorer, weaker nations. get real.
and ESPECIALLY keep in mind that they're under orders, they aren't making those calls themselves...ayers, however, was allowed to make his own decisions. if you want to call anyone 'terrorist,' maybe you should look to the ones in washington who mobilized the military to begin with. jeez. just have some fucking respect and don't make judgement calls on people & a system you clearly don't understand.
- Anonymous said...
So basically Bill Ayers, despite his well-publicized prior horrendous actions, managed to work his way through the levels of academia to his current respected position at a prominent university. Sounds like the quintessential American hard-work-and-perseverance story to me. Good for him.
As for Mr. Roellke's endorsement: some of you people are acting as though he's endorsing Mr. Ayers' bombing. If, as of right now, he is providing a service to the academic community, and is overall an asset, then he deserves some commendation. That's all there is to it. He's providing an interesting and diversified voice to the scholastic dialogue.
Now if you believe that he is not providing an interesting and/or diversified voice, then by all means object to Mr. Roellke's position. Don't disregard a person's input because of his past poor (incredibly poor) judgments, though; that would be completely contrary to the tenets of both scholasticism and the United States of America.
- Anonymous said...
I can't say that I learned with Ayers at Vassar, as I had already graduated. I know him only through his books on Urban Education. It was his books, and many others from Chris Rollke's Urban Education Reform syllabus, that helped me to choose to devote myself to the students of New York City's public schools, first as teacher and now as an educational consultant. I have the utmost respect for Dean Rollke and for the choices he's made to bring unique and compelling voices to Vassar's campus.
-Vassar College Alum, '99
- Anonymous said...
As an alum from '01, I cannot speak to William Ayers's classroom capabilities. I can, however, speak knowledgeably about Chris Roellke, both as a professor and friend. Dr. Roellke's teaching, including his amazing ability to articulate and facilitate discussions about controversial and complex issues, was unparalleled at Vassar. I know him to be extremely thoughtful, fair-minded, and dedicated to education. You all are very lucky to have this man in such an important position (though I lament that some of you may not get to know him in the classroom), and I would ask you to consider showing more respect for and trust in his decision to endorse Ayers.
- Vassar College Alum, 2001
- Anonymous said...
Bill Ayers is a HIGHLY respected author, researcher, and member of the national educational community. He is from Chicago and if Barack Obama had been involved in urban education in Chicago and had NOT heard of and served the public in some capacity with Bill Ayers, people in the educational community in Chicago would have been wondering why. At the time Obama first met Ayers, it would have been absurd for him to say "well... he used to be a terrorist..." Chicagoans would not have been happy. I'm a graduate of Vassar and also attended the Bank Street College of Education. Chris Roellke has served Vassar and the educational community well and there is no reason to be concerned over his endorsement of Ayers's philosophy of education.