text:
The Jeffrey Wolf Green
School of Evolutionary Astrology
Message Board
Pluto, the evolutionary journey of the soul
Why am I here?
What are my life lessons?
. Please
Did you miss your
activation email?
Oct 13, 2015, 10:03 PM
Return to website
School of Evolutionary Astrology Message Board
Evolutionary Astrology Q&A
For All Daemon Souls and Dog Lovers
Go Down
« previous
next »
Topic: For All Daemon Souls and Dog Lovers (Read 84003 times)
Most Active Member
Posts: 28785
Re: For All Daemon Souls and Dog Lovers
Reply #15 on:
Apr 24, 2013, 08:40 AM »
Experts warn cheetahs could disappear from the wild by 2030
By Agence France-Presse
Wednesday, April 24, 2013 5:13 EDT
The cheetah, the world's fastest land animal, survived mass extinction during the last ice age 10,000 years ago.
But it has taken just the last few decades for man to place the hunter on the endangered species list, with experts warning it could disappear from the wild by 2030.
Unlike rhinos and elephants, the cheetah is not a target in Africa's poaching bloodbath. But it is the only big cat to adapt poorly in wildlife reserves as its natural habitat is increasingly wiped out.
"Cheetahs don't do well in protected wildlife reserves due to increased competition from other larger predators, such as lions and hyenas, which thrive in protected areas," Laurie Marker of the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia told AFP.
"Most protected areas are unable to maintain viable cheetah populations," she added.
In the early 20th century, the global cheetah population was around 100,000 with populations throughout Africa, the Middle East and several Asian countries.
There are barely 10,000 in the wild today, in Africa, and a small population in Iran which is critically endangered.
According to big cat NGO Panthera, cheetahs have disappeared from 77 percent of their original territory in Africa.
The International Union of the Conservation of Nature lists the southern African species as vulnerable.
"The main limitation to the survival of the species in the wild is reduction and fragmentation of habitat as well as human wildlife conflict," said Marker.
If no special measures are taken, wild cheetah will disappear by 2030, according to Panthera.
The greyhound-like cat, with its distinctive tear-stain-like facial markings and spotted golden coat, is a consistent loser in confrontations with lions or leopards which are heavier and more powerful.
Even in a good scenario, its prey will be stolen before it has a chance to feed. In the worst cases, the cheetah will be killed.
The sprinter, which reaches speeds of up to 120 kilometres per hour (74 miles per hour) needs vast open spaces with a low density of fellow carnivores to thrive.
In Africa, it is estimated that 90 percent of cheetahs live alongside humans where they are often in conflict with livestock farms.
Another handicap it faces is natural inbreeding dating back to the last ice age when the global population plunged.
As a result, according to the Cheetah Conservation Fund, every cheetah today is as closely related as if they were twins, leading to a genetic bottleneck.
This puts the cheetah in an unenviable position. To enable the mixing of genes, they need a greater range than other animals to be able to freely migrate. But as humans increasingly encroach on its environment, this has become even more difficult.
Researchers know that isolated micro-populations of threatened species lead to rapid extinction.
So in the short-term, the easily tamed animal is being raised in captivity. Private farmers, notably in South Africa, exchange individuals to maintain a healthy population.
A pioneer of this approach is the Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre near Johannesburg, which has achieved 800 births since the 1970s.
It's an encouraging figure for the survival of the species. But what lies ahead for those in the wild?
"Our research and experience shows that even wild cheetahs that have not had at least 18 months of life with a mother in their natural habitat have a difficult time being re-wilded," said the Cheetah Conservation Fund's Marker.
"They simply don't learn the survival skills necessary to sustain themselves in the wild."
"A cheetah born in captivity, one that never has the experience of living in the wild with its mother, would have virtually no chance of success if released."
Against these odds, some game farm owners are hoping for miracles.
Damien Vergnaud is one of them. In the desert-like Karoo, a few hours from Cape Town, he owns the 10,000 hectare Inverdoorn private reserve.
"We hope to soon release three cheetahs in a totally wild environment, with minimal human interaction," he told AFP.
The Cheetah Conservation Fund would like to see the cat's range boosted — not by traditional means of snapping up large areas of land, but through corridors that allow them to move freely.
"We'd like to see the cheetah's range increasing, with populations linked with each other through corridors, and even see cheetahs reintroduced to former range countries, like India," said Marker.
(51.48 KB, 615x345 - viewed 342 times.)
Most Active Member
Posts: 28785
Re: For All Daemon Souls and Dog Lovers
Reply #16 on:
Apr 27, 2013, 09:50 AM »
April 26, 2013
In Texas Blast, Horseman Died Trying to Save Creatures He Loved
By MANNY FERNANDEZ
WEST, Tex. — The emergency responders who rushed to the fire at a fertilizer plant here in the minutes before a deadly explosion gave their lives trying to protect the town's people and property. Buck Uptmor gave his for its horses.
As people around West realized that flames had broken out at the plant that night, Mr. Uptmor — a short, feisty man who spent nearly all his 45 years riding, racing and tending to horses — drove to a field to rescue some horses near the plant, friends said.
He and 11 other men died that night while serving officially or unofficially as volunteer firefighters and emergency responders. They were an unpretentious lot, not unlike the town they died saving. They were deer hunters and Nascar fans, practical jokers and backyard BB gun marksmen. They tinkered with their cars — Kevin W. Sanders, 33, had a Superman logo painted on his — and they went by their nicknames so often for so many years that their real names faded, as happened to Mr. Uptmor.
They were goateed, mustachioed McLennan County country boys, with wives and ex-wives, children and stepchildren, grown sons and newborn babies.
Cody Dragoo, 50, used to leave notes reading "I miss you" before he went out of town, so his wife, Patty, would see them when she came home. Douglas Snokhous, also 50, worked at the Central Texas Iron Works, but he was often at Donna's House of Flowers downtown, helping the owner, his wife of 13 years.
Mr. Uptmor's full name was William R. Uptmor Jr. Few called him William or Billy or Bill. He was Buck. And as those close to him prepared to gather at St. Mary's Catholic Church of the Assumption in West for his funeral on Saturday, Mr. Uptmor was given a new distinction: honorary firefighter. He was recognized as such by President Obama and other officials at a memorial service on Thursday for the 12 responders.
It was unclear where his remains were found after the explosion killed him, or what became of the horses.
At least two other people died in the blast on April 17, which left a crater 93 feet wide and 10 feet deep in one of the worst industrial disasters in Texas.
Buck Uptmor was a son, a brother, a husband and a father of three. He was also a youth baseball coach, a racehorse jockey, a bull-riding and bareback-bronco-riding rodeo cowboy, and the former drummer of the family country band Billy Uptmor and the Makers. Years ago, he found an abandoned coyote pup and raised it as a pet before it wandered away.
He studied air-conditioning at Hill College, a trade that helped him generally though not specifically in more recent years as the owner and operator of Uptmor Welding and Fencing, building fences, barns and other structures in and around West.
"You can drive around over here and look on some of these fences, it's got Uptmor on it," said Al Cinek, 64, a friend of Mr. Uptmor's. "If you knew Buck the way I knew him, he was all about friends, family, his horses. He went to rescue his horses."
The explosion was a wave of pressure so forceful that it knocked doors off hinges nearly one mile away and laid able-bodied adults flat on their backs as if pushed by an invisible hand. A Subway sandwich shop off Interstate 35 had some ceiling tiles rattle loose, unremarkable were it not for the fact that the plant was close to two miles away.
The three front steps of 304 West Ronda Street lead to a charred sort of nowhere: a roofless, wall-less jumble of blackened debris, a torn, singed page from a child's workbook the only sign that people once called this home ("One day when I went outside I saw my brother Josh," the child had written).
In a town of fewer than 3,000 residents, it was the kind of disaster that had a twofold and threefold impact on people. The chief of the West Volunteer Fire Department, George Nors Sr., 67, lost five of his men and nearly every window in his house. His neighbors — a retired chiropractor, Walt Mellgren Sr., 95, and his wife, Mary, 85 — lost their crystal near the front window, but their granddaughter lost her home and their son lost friends he had come to know in that uniquely small-town sort of way.
Their son, Walt Jr., 66, a chiropractor like his father, had an emu problem years ago. He had a large flock of the long-legged birds that he kept in his backyard but was looking to get rid of and loaded onto a trailer. Naturally, he called one of the few men in West who could corral emus — Mr. Uptmor.
"He'd do anything for anybody," Dr. Mellgren said as he stood in his parents' glass-strewn house, their Sacrament of Matrimony certificate knocked off-kilter on a wall behind him. However, the couple themselves, married 69 years, were doing fine, under the circumstances.
The other night, at the century-old Tokio Store, a bar beyond the West city limits, everybody knew somebody who had lost something, or someone. The owner is Mr. Cinek, Mr. Uptmor's friend, and he sat at a table outside telling Buck stories as a country band played inside. (Mr. Uptmor helped teach Mr. Cinek's daughter, Erin Bratayasa, now an adult, to ride a horse when she about 10 years old.)
Mr. Cinek also talked about his 84-year-old Uncle Ervin, who was in a nursing home near the plant when it exploded. His uncle survived, pulling himself out of the shattered wallboard and debris and helping an injured friend in a next-door room to safety.
A few bent elbows away stood a cousin of the Snokhous brothers — Robert, 48, and Douglas — two of the volunteer firefighters killed in the explosion. There were nurses who had helped care for the injured, and there was Mike Mellgren, 33, Dr. Mellgren's son. A chiropractor like his father and grandfather, he remembered the day Mr. Uptmor and another man helped put the emus on the trailer.
"I won't forget whenever Buck turned around and looked at me, he had gotten kicked," he said. "He would have been eviscerated if it wasn't for his coveralls. But they did their jobs. He was a real cowboy. That's what he was."
Alain Delaquérière contributed research from New York.
Buck Uptmor.jpg
(6.42 KB, 75x75 - viewed 344 times.)
Most Active Member
Posts: 28785
Re: For All Daemon Souls and Dog Lovers
Reply #17 on:
Apr 28, 2013, 07:00 AM »
Insecticide firms in secret bid to stop ban that could save bees
Last-ditch lobbying to sway vote in Brussels to halt use of killer nerve agents
Damian Carrington
The Observer, Sunday 28 April 2013
Europe is on the brink of a landmark ban on the world's most widely used insecticides, which have increasingly been linked to serious declines in bee numbers. Despite intense secret lobbying by British ministers and chemical companies against the ban, revealed in documents obtained by the Observer, a vote in Brussels on Monday is expected to lead to the suspension of the nerve agents.
Bees and other insects are vital for global food production as they pollinate three-quarters of all crops. The plummeting numbers of pollinators in recent years has been blamed on disease, loss of habitat and, increasingly, the near ubiquitous use of neonicotinoid pesticides.
The prospect of a ban has prompted a fierce behind-the-scenes campaign. In a letter released to the Observer under freedom of information rules, the environment secretary, Owen Paterson, told the chemicals company Syngenta last week that he was "extremely disappointed" by the European commission's proposed ban. He said that "the UK has been very active" in opposing it and "our efforts will continue and intensify in the coming days".
Publicly, ministers have expressed concern for bees, with David Cameron saying: "If we do not look after our bee populations, very serious consequences will follow."
The chemical companies, which make billions from the products, have also lobbied hard, with Syngenta even threatening to sue individual European Union officials involved in publishing a report that found the pesticides posed an unacceptable risk to bees, according to documents seen by the Observer. The report, from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), led the commission to propose a two-year ban on three neonicotinoids. "EFSA has provided a strong, substantive and scientific case for the suspension," a commission spokesman said.
A series of high-profile scientific studies has linked neonicotinoids to huge losses in the number of queens produced and big increases in "disappeared" bees – those that fail to return from foraging trips. Pesticide manufacturers and UK ministers have argued that the science is inconclusive and that a ban would harm food production, but conservationists say harm stemming from dying pollinators is even greater.
"It's a landmark vote," said Joan Walley MP, chairwoman of parliament's green watchdog, the environmental audit committee, whose recent report on pollinators condemned the government's "extraordinary complacency". Walley said: "You have to have scientific evidence, but you also have to have the precautionary principle – that's the heart of this debate."
A ban has been supported by petitions signed by millions of people and Paterson has received 80,000 emails, an influx that he described as a "cyber-attack". "The impact of neonicotinoids on the massive demise of our bees is clear, yet Paterson seems unable to escape the haze of sloppy science and lobbying by powerful pesticide giants," said Iain Keith of the campaign group Avaaz. "Seventy per cent of British people want these poisons banned. Paterson must reconsider or send the bees to chemical Armageddon." Andrew Pendleton of Friends of the Earth said a ban would be "a historic moment in the fight to save our bees".
A spokeswoman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: "As the proposal currently stands we could not support an outright ban. We have always been clear that a healthy bee population is our top priority, that's why decisions need to be taken using the best possible scientific evidence and we want to work with the commission to achieve this. Any action taken must be proportionate and not have any unforeseen knock-on effects."
"This plan is motivated by a quite understandable desire to save the beleaguered bee and concern about a serious decline in other important pollinator species," said the government's chief scientific adviser, Sir Mark Walport, "but it is based on a misreading of the currently available evidence." He said the EC plan was a serious "mistake".
Julian Little, a spokesman for Bayer Cropscience, said: "Call me an optimist, but I still believe the commission will see sense. There is so much field evidence to demonstrate safe use [and] an increasing number of member states who reject the apparent drive towards museum agriculture in the European Union." However, Bulgaria is the only nation known to have changed its voting intention and it will reverse its opposition.
The chemical industry has mounted an increasingly desperate lobbying effort against a ban on neonicotinoids, which have been in use for more than a decade. In March the top producers, Syngenta and Bayer, proposed a plan to support bee health, including planting more flowering margins around fields and monitoring for neonicotinoids.
However, the private lobbying began much earlier with a series of letters, obtained by Corporate Europe Observatory and given to the Observer, which were sent to commissioners in the summer of 2012, after France had proposed a unilateral ban. One Syngenta executive, mentioning in passing his recent lunch with Barack Obama, claimed that "a small group of activists and hobby bee-keepers" were behind that campaign for a ban. Another letter claims, without citing evidence, that the production of key crops would fall by "up to 40%".
At that time, the European Crop Protection Association – of which Syngenta and Bayer are members – welcomed the continuing EFSA evaluation. But in January, as the EFSA prepared to issue the damning verdict of its experts, the industry immediately turned on it. Syngenta's lawyers demanded last-minute changes to a press release to prevent "serious damage to the integrity of our product and reputation" and threatened legal action.
The EFSA stood its ground, prompting Syngenta to demand all documents, including handwritten ones, relating to the EFSA's decision and the names of individuals involved. A month later, it told EFSA officials it was considering the "identity of specific defendants" for possible court action. On a more conciliatory note, Syngenta told the EFSA it was considering "large-scale" bee-monitoring studies to "close data gaps", despite previous claims its product had been introduced only after "the most stringent regulatory work". Critics have condemned companies for keeping trial data secret.
A spokesman for Syngenta said: "No evidence from the field has ever been presented that these pesticides actually damage bee health, with the case against them resting on a few studies which identify some highly theoretical risks. Regardless of the outcome, we will continue our work with anyone who shares our goal of improving bee health, which is vital for sustainable agriculture as well as the future of our business."
In the first commission vote in March, 13 countries supported a ban, nine opposed it and five, including the UK and Germany, abstained, which meant there was not a sufficient majority for or against under voting rules, which give larger nations more votes. The result is likely to be repeated on Monday, meaning that the commission would step in and it is determined to see a ban in place.The chemical industry has warned that a ban on neonicotinoids would lead to the return of older, more harmful pesticides and crop losses. But campaigners point out that this has not happened during temporary suspensions in France, Italy and Germany and that the use of natural pest predators and crop rotation can tackle problems.
Professor David Goulson, a bee expert at the University of Sussex whose research has found harmful effects from neonicotinoids, said: "There is now a very substantial body of scientific evidence suggesting that this class of insecticides is impacting on health of wild bees, and perhaps other wildlife too. It is time for the EU's politicians to take a responsible position and support this ban."
(32.28 KB, 460x276 - viewed 357 times.)
Most Active Member
Posts: 28785
Re: For All Daemon Souls and Dog Lovers
Reply #18 on:
Apr 28, 2013, 07:04 AM »
Baby jaguars celebrate first birthdays at San Diego Zoo – video
Source: ITN
Sunday 28 April 2013
Two jaguar cubs wake up to a cake made from blood and cow's heart to celebrate their first birthdays. Tikal and his sister Maderas woo visitors at San Diego zoo as they explore presents left in their pen on Friday morning. Loss of natural habitats and demand for jaguar fur mean the cats are becoming more endangered
Most Active Member
Posts: 28785
Re: For All Daemon Souls and Dog Lovers
Reply #19 on:
Apr 29, 2013, 05:54 AM »
Chilean penguins facing extinction due to human activity
By Agence France-Presse
Sunday, April 28, 2013 16:37 EDT
AFP – Several dozen Humboldt penguins sun themselves along the coast of an islet in central Chile where the majestic birds coming here to nest once numbered in the thousands.
Humboldt penguins — which nest only in parts of Chile and Peru — over the years have become decimated by human encroachment, rat infestations and unforgiving weather currents carried by unusually warm El Nino ocean temperatures, naturalists said.
The Pajaro Nino islet, spread across a narrow channel of water from the popular resort area of Algarrobo, once drew about 2,000 of the birds during nesting season.
Today only about 500 of the birds come to this area some 120 kilometers (75 miles) west of Santiago.
"This area used to be completely filled with penguins and birds, but over time, their numbers have diminished," said Ruben Rojas, a local fisherman.
There are various varieties of penguins that inhabit Chile, but the largest colonies of Humboldt can be found in the northern part of the country. The birds are identifiable by the distinctive black bands across their chests.
Experts have expressed alarm over the rapidly vanishing penguins. The once plentiful species is classified in Chile as "vulnerable," while in Peru, the birds have been labeled "endangered."
Alejandro Simeone, director of the Department of Ecology and Biodiversity at Andres Bello University, told AFP that there are currently fewer than 50,000 Humboldt penguins left in Chile and Peru.
"A multitude of factors threaten a species that is highly diminished relative to what once existed," Simeone said.
The beginning of their demise dates back to 1978, when the island, which is also a nature sanctuary, was joined to the mainland by a cement fill-in — a breakwater designed to protect the yachts of millionaire sailing enthusiasts.
It created in effect a 150-meter (500-foot) bridge connecting the mainland to the island, and local residents say they have seen the detrimental impact of its construction on animal and plant life.
Yachters have been accused of trying to rid the region of the birds, and video footage has surfaced showing some deliberately — and illegally — destroying penguin eggs to prevent new broods.
Rojas said the yachters don't like the excrement left behind by the birds. "They say it makes the island stink," he explained.
Prosecutors say they are investigating the alleged destruction of the penguins' eggs.
Part of the blame for the birds' gradual disappearance goes to fishermen's nets that ensnare hundreds of the birds each year.
A measure of blame also goes to the El Nino weather phenomenon and the warm water current it carries.
The frigid Humboldt current, which gives the penguin species its name, carries the birds' favorite foods, like anchovies and sardines.
El Nino currents, however, "warm the waters, making it hard for the penguins to find the fish that make up their usual diet," said Guillermo Cubillos of the Santiago National Zoo.
If the El Nino warming of the waters occurs during breeding season, many of the eggs or young die of cold and hunger, because their parents are delayed or even fail to return with food.
Rats also are seen as a major culprit. The cement breakwater that connects the islet to the mainland also has given free access to rodents, which feast on the vulnerable eggs and hatchlings of the nesting penguins.
A 2012 study found that almost half of all penguin eggs on the island were devoured, primarily by rodents, within the first 12 hours of breeding period.
(198.71 KB, 615x345 - viewed 355 times.)
Most Active Member
Posts: 28785
Re: For All Daemon Souls and Dog Lovers
Reply #20 on:
May 04, 2013, 06:57 AM »
Kitten burned in Philly recovering at Hunterdon County vet
Seth Augenstein/The Star-Ledger By Seth Augenstein/The Star-Ledger
on May 01, 2013 at 2:20 PM, updated May 01, 2013 at 6:17 PM
LEBANON — The one-pound kitten was found, burning, at a Philadelphia intersection last Thursday.
A quick-thinking Samaritan took off a coat, and smothered the flames, saving the burning 5-week-old animal's life.
Six days later, the kitten – now named Justin – is getting delicate medical attention, and he's expected to mostly recover from the second- and third-degree burns on his back and head.
The tiny kitten is eating and sleeping, and undergoing a regimen of antibiotics, wound dressings, and appetite stimulants at the Crown Veterinary Specialists in Lebanon, said Anne Trinkle, the executive director of Animal Alliance.
"He's doing remarkably well – but he's not out of the woods yet," said Trinkle, of Animal Alliance, a Lambertville-based animal-welfare non-profit, which got the cat the care he needed.
Most of Justin's ears will have to be removed, and badly-burned splotches on his back will remain bald, said Trinkle. The scorched wounds extend from the top of the feline's head down the length of his back. The scar tissue has to be carefully debrided regularly to allow the skin to continue healing, she said.
An unknown person had doused the kitten with accelerant and applied a flame – before leaving Justin to die at the intersection of F and Clearfield Streets in the Kensington section of Philadelphia, on April 25, investigators say.
burned-kitten-justin-2.jpgJustin the kitten is expected to mostly recover - but his vet bills will probably be steep. In the meantime, authorities have offered a reward for information leading to the arrest of the person who set him on fire.Courtesy of Animal Alliance
"It's just depravity," said Trinkle, who said her group handled four animals in the area who were set on fire last year alone. "It's just random violence – and it's toward something tiny that can't fight back."
The Humane Society of the United States is offering a reward of as much as $5,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the people responsible for the attack.
"This is the latest in a disturbing string of animals apparently being intentionally lit on fire," said Sarah Speed, the Humane Society's Pennsylvania state director. "This depraved act of cruelty will not be tolerated, and we hope this reward will encourage anyone with information to come forward and help bring a perpetrator to justice."
Six days later, the veternarians are describing Justin the kitten as "spunky" and "animated" – when he's not sleeping off the anesthesia and medications helping him to recover. The medical bills are likely to be steep – in the range of $5,000 to $6,000, Trinkle said. The all-volunteer group is seeking donations to make his full recovery possible. But they're confident that good-intentioned people bring that to a reality.
"He'll look like a little prize-fighter," Trinkle said. "But we're hoping he's going to have a fantastic life."
Donations are being accepted at
burned kitten.jpg
(23.81 KB, 380x272 - viewed 330 times.)
burned kitten1.jpg
(20.93 KB, 380x335 - viewed 355 times.)
Most Active Member
Posts: 28785
Re: For All Daemon Souls and Dog Lovers
Reply #21 on:
May 07, 2013, 06:32 AM »
Chinese city uses dogs to predict Earthquakes
By Agence France-Presse
Tuesday, May 7, 2013 6:59 EDT
A Chinese city is using dogs to predict earthquakes, an official said Tuesday, after state-run media reported that neighbours were complaining of nightly false alarms — in the form of barking.
China is regularly hit by seismic tremors. Around 200 people were left dead or missing by a quake in Sichuan province last month, and hundreds of thousands have been killed in major disasters in the past.
The earthquake authority of Nanchang, the capital of Jiangxi province in the east, keeps dogs since they will "act abnormally when an earthquake is coming", sometimes up to 10 days in advance, an official surnamed Song told AFP.
The bureau used the dogs at the request of the provincial government, he added, saying that chickens and ducks could be effective as well.
But neighbours are complaining on social media about the animals' nightly howling, according to the official provincial news website Dajiang.
"The compound of the Nanchang earthquake authority has I don't know how many dogs, every night at 11 pm they start barking over and over," it quoted one as saying.
Song told AFP the dogs had now been sent to a lower-level earthquake bureau in the city but denied they had been barking.
However Dajiang quoted him as saying the dogs could be muzzled to accommodate residents' concerns.
Asked if that would stop them carrying out their predictive function, he agreed and said he would ask his boss what to do about that, it reported.
(55.71 KB, 512x345 - viewed 383 times.)
Most Active Member
Posts: 28785
Re: For All Daemon Souls and Dog Lovers
Reply #22 on:
May 10, 2013, 05:53 AM »
King No More: The Tragic Plight of Lions in Africa
By Renate Nimtz-Koester
Lions are becoming a threatened species. Trophy hunters and the loss of savannah grasslands have drastically reduced the number of prides. Scientists and conservationists are calling for improved protections for lions -- even if that means fenced-in enclosures.
It's a Sunday in South Africa, and on the green lawn of the Weltevrede Lion Farm, arms reach for a white animal that could double for a cuddly stuffed animal. Visitors are being allowed to pet Lisa, an eight-week-old lion cub with unusual coloring.
Lisa was two weeks old when she was taken from her mother. "To make them manageable you have to do this," explains Christiaan, who is leading visitors on a tour of the grounds.
When cubs are born here, on this lion farm in Vrystaat, a province of South Africa, "each employee is assigned to bottle-feed one of them," says Christiaan. "You can buy a cub for 40,000 rand (€3,400, or $4,455)." A delighted visitor asks whether she can take a lion baby into her room at night. It can be arranged, promises the guide.
Lisa's father, a grown specimen with a stately mane who lives in the enclosure, can be had for about €20,000. Roughly 2,000 lions are kept in captivity in Vrystaat alone, where they are bred for a practice called "canned hunting." It's a diversion that executives at major German companies have been known to enjoy.
The king of the animals has fallen on hard times in his own kingdom. "In all of South Africa, there are almost as many lions behind bars as in the wild," says Fiona Miles of the Vrystaat chapter of the international animal rights group Four Paws, which has been unsuccessful in its efforts to protest the hunting of animals that are somewhat tame and are sometimes even drugged to keep them calm. "As a first step to ban canned hunting," Miles is calling for a moratorium on the breeding of lions.
Across the entire continent, the large African predator, a symbol of strength and majesty, is threatened with decline. Outside fenced enclosures, there is hardly any room left for Panthera leo. Scientists and conservationists warn that the king of the steppes has lost much of his habitat in the last 50 years.
Natural Threats
The main reason is the gradual disappearance of the savannah. With shrinking African grasslands, lion populations have declined dramatically. Of about 100,000 lions that roamed the continent's dry grassy plains in the 1960s, there are no more than 35,000 left today, says Stuart Pimm, a professor of conservation ecology at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. "That's a real collapse in populations."
Pimm and an international team of scientists have just published the alarming results of a new study. "Land use and the transformation of land through tremendous population growth have chopped up and destroyed the savannah," Pimm explains. Only a quarter of an ecosystem that was once larger than the United States still exists today, he says, noting that this shrinkage is almost as severe as rainforest loss.
"It's bitterly shocking," says Thomas Lovejoy, an ecologist at George Mason University in Virginia and a member of the Big Cats Initiative, whose goal is to preserve the world's big cats.
"First we have to know what needs to be protected," says Pimm. To obtain more precise figures on the population of African lions, he and his team compiled the most comprehensive collection of data on African lion populations to date. Both the local population and hunting organizations assisted in the effort. The results were published in the journal Biodiversity and Conservation.
Whereas older satellite images depicted a largely intact savannah, higher-resolution imaging technology enabled the scientists to pinpoint small fields and settlements scattered throughout the environment. "Lions can't show up there," says co-author Jason Riggio.
The scientists identified 67 individual savannah zones in which human populations are small enough to allow for the survival of the big cats. Only 10 of them, six in South Africa and four in East Africa, proved to be "bastions" that still offer lions a good chance of survival. Most of these habitats are in protected areas like the Kruger and Serengeti National Parks.
The decline of the lion began long ago. In fact, German zoologist Alfred Brehm began observing it more than a century ago. "The days when 600 lions could be brought together to fight in an arena were thousands of years ago," he concluded. During the reign of the Roman Emperor Hadrian, up to 100 lions died in a single event. Pompey the Great exhibited 600 lions, while up to 400 were sent to the arena under Caesar. "But it wasn't until the invention of guns" that the animal, a dangerous threat to livestock herds, was "pushed back and eventually exterminated" everywhere, Brehm writes in his book "Brehm's Life of Animals." Hunters, like the legendary Jules Gérard, had rid North Africa of the supposed plague of Berber lions, and Morocco's last lion was shot to death in 1920.
Trophy Hunting
South of the Sahara, man also proved to be a relentless foe of the tawny-coated predator. To this day, nomadic tribes like the Massai retaliate against the hated killers of their livestock by shooting the animals or setting out poisoned bait.
But the hunt engaged in by former colonial rulers and their successors also has other dimensions. Over a period of three years, his great-grandfather Harold "shot over 400 lions as well as numerous leopard," boasts Simon Leach, who operates Eagle Safaris in Harrismith, South Africa. On his website, Leach bills himself as a "hunter and conservationist," and notes: "Eagle Safaris continues this proud tradition and draws on the skills and expertise gained over the years." Inexperienced hunters, including those who require multiple shots to kill an animal, are just as welcome as professionals, and a hunting license is not necessary.
International conservation groups are sharply critical of trophy hunting, which they say is partly to blame for the acute plight of the lion. The business, which is booming in South Africa and Tanzania, in particular, is hastening the decline of the big cat, they warn in a petition to the United States Department of the Interior. Commenting on the extensive studies, Jeffrey Flocken of the International Fund of Animal Welfare (IFAW) says: "Many people will be shocked to know how quickly the numbers have fallen."
Flocken and his allies want to see the African lion listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), a US law designed to protect endangered animals. US citizens make up by far the largest number of trophy hunters. The lion currently has limited protection under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
Americans are especially fond of bringing home stuffed lion heads, paws and tails from Africa. Other important importers include Germany, along with Spain and France. Lion parts are also sent to other countries from the United States. The animal's bones are prized in China to make "tiger wine," which the Chinese believe has healing properties, and are used as a replacement for tiger bones, which have now become rare.
According to the petition, the body parts of at least 5,660 killed lions were traded internationally between 1999 and 2008.
The consequences of hunting tourism are often fatal for the entire pride. Hunters covet the magnificent mane and therefore primarily target older, dominant males, which leads to a rise in deadly attacks within the pride. To sire their own offspring, other male lions kill the cubs of their former rival, and sometimes even the mothers, when they try to defend the cubs.
To avoid this additional killing of lions, trophy hunters must be taught to correctly estimate the age of their prey, says wildlife biologist Craig Packer of the University of Minnesota in St. Paul. But his appeals apparently fall on deaf ears. "Mr. Lion," as the renowned lion expert is known, is not against hunting in principle, he says, but notes that quotas need to be drastically reduced.
A Disaster for Africa
If we don't act now, the African lion could become extinct, conservationists warn, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service appears to be taking them seriously. The agency is said to be reviewing the possibility of adding the lion to the ESA list, to the consternation of the African hunting and tourism industry. Such action could result in the loss of 60 percent of the trophy market, Alexander Songorwa, director of wildlife for Tanzania's tourism ministry, wrote in the New York Times. It would be a disaster for his country, he added.
At its convention in April, the organization Wildlife Ranching South Africa (WRSA) characterized efforts to list the lion under the ESA as "sabotage." The country's roughly 10,000 private farmers are proud of the "the tremendous growth in the South African wild animal industry," WRSA notes. The industry produces and offers what its trigger-happy customers covet: Kudu, buffalo, impala and other antelopes, and the more costly lions for well-heeled hunters.
Because they value tourists who prefer to shoot wildlife with their cameras over big-game hunters, lion countries Zambia and Botswana are now trying to save their main attraction. Although it generated $3 million (€2.3 million) in annual revenues, Zambia has now outlawed the hunting of lions and leopards. And in Botswana, the country's final hunting season has just begun.
Experts disagree over the best ways to help the beleaguered animal. Pimm stresses cooperation with local inhabitants, saying that they need to learn how to protect their herds more effectively, and that children should be taught how to behave around the predators while still in school.
"Mr. Lion," on the other hand, has lost patience, after 35 years of field research. He no longer believes in the peaceful coexistence between man and lion. Packer argues that it would be more effective to separate the two species by creating more fenced-in sanctuaries.
Packer fears that populations remaining outside such enclosures will be reduced by half in 20 to 40 years. To conduct their study, he and his 57 co-authors determined that it would be much cheaper to establish protective enclosures in 11 African countries than to create management programs for people. Besides, he adds, this approach is measurably far more beneficial to the threatened animal. Lion populations in enclosures, he says, have proved to be "larger and more dense."
In Vrystaat, Four Paws has erected one such enclosure to create a 1,200-hectare (2,965-acre) sanctuary for big cats. A family has just found refuge there. After being released from their shipping containers, a male lion, his lioness and two cubs are able to feel grass under their paws and the African sun on their pelts for the first time.
The four new arrivals came from a Romanian zoo, which had violated a European Union guideline that would have required it to provide the animals with 500 square meters of space by providing them with only 40. More than 80 lions that had been living a miserable existence in European circus cars and small zoos can now lead a humane life in Lionsrock. But after being raised in captivity, the animals would be lost in their ancestral habitat, says Hildegard Pirker, the attendant in charge of the animals. "Releasing them into the wild isn't an option." Their bleak existence in captivity has made the animals incapable of living in the wild.
Pirker, who is also a veterinarian, performs vasectomies to ensure that the powerful cats don't reproduce. "The surgery makes the lions infertile," says Pirker, "but it preserves their sex drive and growth of the mane."
Translated from the German by Christopher Sultan
(29.18 KB, 460x276 - viewed 339 times.)
Most Active Member
Posts: 28785
Re: For All Daemon Souls and Dog Lovers
Reply #23 on:
May 10, 2013, 05:56 AM »
Video of bicycling bear attacking monkey sparks outrage in China
By Agence France-Presse
Friday, May 10, 2013 6:36 EDT
A viral video of a bear attacking a monkey after the two fell off their bicycles at a Chinese zoo has sparked outrage among animal rights activists, but an official on Friday defended the show.
A minute-and-a-half long video surfaced this week showing the bear biting and clawing the monkey after a mock race at the Shanghai Wild Animal Park.
Keepers then pull and beat the bear with wooden sticks, prompting it to eventually release the monkey.
"The performance is pure mistreatment," Zhang Dan, co-founder of the China Animal Protection Media Saloon, was quoted as saying by the China Daily newspaper on Friday.
"It goes totally against the nature of the animal. But they cannot speak for themselves about their fear, pain, or unwillingness."
A park official confirmed the incident, which happened Sunday, to AFP but defended the show, saying the monkey was not injured and both animals had resumed performing the same act.
"The monkey and bear involved have been partners for more than five years and this kind of accident has never happened before," she told AFP.
"The performance was designed according to the animals' natural habits," she added. "Monkeys are good at climbing and imitating, while bears have good stamina, and this is an example of the zoo's initiative to keep them healthy through exercise."
Recent images of tigers being mistreated at parks in China's northwestern province of Jilin and the eastern province of Zhejiang have also caused anger, state media said earlier this month.
China has no laws specifically against cruelty to animals and zoo visitors and staff members are sometimes able to abuse captive creatures without sanction.
"China needs national legislation on animal abuse," the China Daily quoted Hua Ning of the International Fund for Animal Welfare as saying.
The Shanghai park has previously locked horns with activists over performances featuring animals, including acts such as monkeys climbing poles and elephants playing football.
The latest video appears to have been first posted on a Chinese video-sharing site and went global after it was posted to LiveLeak and the Huffington Post.
bear and monkey.jpg
(58.91 KB, 613x344 - viewed 371 times.)
Most Active Member
Posts: 28785
Re: For All Daemon Souls and Dog Lovers
Reply #24 on:
May 14, 2013, 05:58 AM »
US windfarms avoiding prosecution for eagle deaths
More than 83,000 hunting birds are killed by windfarms each year but no wind energy company has been fined
Associated Press
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 14 May 2013 11.33 BST
The Obama administration has never fined or prosecuted a windfarm for killing eagles and other protected bird species, shielding the industry from liability and helping keep the scope of the deaths secret, an Associated Press investigation has found.
More than 573,000 birds are killed by the country's windfarms each year, including 83,000 hunting birds such as hawks, falcons and eagles, according to an estimate published in March in the peer-reviewed Wildlife Society Bulletin.
Each death is federal crime, a charge that the Obama administration has used to prosecute oil companies when birds drown in their waste pits, and power companies when birds are electrocuted by their power lines. No wind energy company has been prosecuted, even those that repeatedly flout the law.
Wind power, a pollution-free energy intended to ease global warming, is a cornerstone of President Barack Obama's energy plan. His administration has championed a $1bn-a-year tax break to the industry that has nearly doubled the amount of wind power in his first term.
"It is the rationale that we have to get off of carbon, we have to get off of fossil fuels, that allows them to justify this," said Tom Dougherty, a long-time environmentalist who worked for nearly 20 years for the National Wildlife Federation in the West, until his retirement in 2008. "But at what cost? In this case, the cost is too high."
Documents and emails obtained by The Associated Press offer glimpses of the problem: 14 deaths at seven facilities in California, five each in New Mexico and Oregon, one in Washington state and another in Nevada, where an eagle was found with a hole in its neck, exposing the bone.
One of the deadliest places in the country for golden eagles is Wyoming, where federal officials said windfarms had killed more than four dozen golden eagles since 2009, predominantly in the southeastern part of the state. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to disclose the figures. Getting precise figures is impossible because many companies aren't required to disclose how many birds they kill. And when they do, experts say, the data can be unreliable.
When companies voluntarily report deaths, the Obama administration in many cases refuses to make the information public, saying it belongs to the energy companies or that revealing it would expose trade secrets or implicate ongoing enforcement investigations.
Nearly all the birds being killed are protected under federal environmental laws, which prosecutors have used to generate tens of millions of dollars in fines and settlements from businesses, including oil and gas companies, over the past five years.
"What it boils down to is this: If you electrocute an eagle, that is bad, but if you chop it to pieces, that is OK," said Tim Eicher, a former US Fish and Wildlife Service enforcement agent.
The Fish and Wildlife Service says it is investigating 18 bird-death cases involving wind-power facilities and seven have been referred to the Justice Department. A spokesman for the Justice Department declined to discuss the status of those cases.
In its defence, the wind-energy industry points out that more eagles are killed each year by cars, electrocutions and poisoning than by turbines. Dan Ashe, the Fish and Wildlife Service's director, said that his agency always has made clear to wind companies that if they kill birds they would still be liable.
"We are not allowing them to do it. They do it," he said of the bird deaths. "And we will successfully prosecute wind companies if they are in significant noncompliance."
Windfarms are clusters of turbines as tall as 30-story buildings, with spinning rotors the size of jetliners.
Flying eagles behave like drivers texting on their cell phones – they don't look up. As they scan for food, they don't notice the industrial turbine blades until it's too late.
Former interior secretary Ken Salazar, in an interview with the AP before his departure, denied any preferential treatment for wind. Interior Department officials said that criminal prosecution, regardless of the industry, is always a "last resort".
"There's still additional work to be done with eagles and other avian species, but we are working on it very hard," Salazar said. "We will get to the right balance."
Meanwhile, the Obama administration has proposed a rule that would give wind-energy companies potentially decades of shelter from prosecution for killing eagles. The regulation is currently under review at the White House.
The proposal, made at the urging of the wind-energy industry, would allow companies to apply for 30-year permits to kill a set number of bald or golden eagles. Previously, companies were only eligible for five-year permits.
"It's basically guaranteeing a black box for 30 years, and they're saying 'trust us for oversight'. This is not the path forward," said Katie Umekubo, a renewable energy attorney with the Natural Resources Defence Council, who argued in private meetings with the industry and government leaders that the 30-year permit needed an in-depth environmental review.
But the eagle rule is not the first time the administration has made concessions for the wind-energy industry.
Last year, over objections from some of its own wildlife investigators and biologists, the Interior Department updated its guidelines and provided more cover for wind companies that violate the law.
Under both the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, the death of a single bird without a permit is illegal.
But under the Obama administration's new guidelines, wind-energy companies don't face additional scrutiny until they have a "significant adverse impact" on wildlife or habitat.
That rare exception for one industry substantially weakened the government's ability to enforce the law and ignited controversy inside the Interior Department.
"US Fish and Wildlife Service does not do this for the electric utility industry or other industries," Kevin Kritz, a government wildlife biologist in the Rocky Mountain region wrote in internal agency comments in September 2011. "Other industries will want to be judged on a similar standard."
The Obama administration, however, repeatedly overruled its own experts. In the end, the wind energy industry, which was part of the committee that drafted and edited the guidelines, got almost everything it wanted.
"Clearly, there was a bias to wind energy in their favor because they are a renewable source of energy, and justifiably so," said Rob Manes, who runs the Kansas office for The Nature Conservancy and who served on the committee. "We need renewable energy in this country."
(21.77 KB, 460x276 - viewed 383 times.)
Most Active Member
Posts: 28785
Re: For All Daemon Souls and Dog Lovers
Reply #25 on:
May 16, 2013, 05:56 AM »
Feline Fate: Brigitta the Wheelchair Cat Adopts Lost Kittens
Brigitta the cat became the victim of animal cruelty when someone shot at her for fun, paralyzing her hind legs. A German animal lover took her in, building a cat wheelchair and paying for an operation. Now Brigitta is repaying her kindness -- by adopting two abandoned kittens.
Fate was cruel to Brigitta, the brave, tabby-and-white cat with big friendly green eyes. She was trotting along in her native Bulgaria when someone playing a brutal, callous game fired an air gun at her. The pellet lodged in her spine and paralyzed her hind legs.
All her nine lives seemed to be over. A vet wanted to put her out of her misery. But then German animal lover Angie Heuer heard about the case via Facebook. Heuer, who runs a charity for stray cats, brought Brigitta to Germany for medical attention.
Her local vet wanted to put Brigitta down as well. But Heuer refused. "There was no need for that," she told public broadcaster NDR.
Heuer constructed a pink wheelchair for Brigitta, enabling her to move about with relative ease by pulling herself along on her front legs. Thanks to her guardian angel, Brigitta has gotten a second lease on life in her new home town of Celle near Hanover.
"She's enjoying life, she's happy and confident," said Heuer. "She's great." Even without the wheelchair, Brigitta manages to get about by dragging herself along on her backside.
"She does what she wants," said Heuer. "When she wants to get down the stairs, she just hobbles down. And when she hears her food is ready, she's even faster."
Heuer paid €1,000 ($1,300) for an operation to remove the projectile from Brigitta's spine. But she will never regain the use of her hind legs.
Brigitta hasn't just found a new lease on life but a new role as well -- as an adoptive mother to two abandoned kittens just two weeks old. "I offered the babies to three other cats but they didn't want them," said Heuer.
But Brigitta accepted the kittens as her own. She can't feed them, but she nuzzles and licks them affectionately. "She's got a task now. That's what she needed," said Heuer, looking with fondness and pride at the cat she has saved.
(39.89 KB, 520x250 - viewed 361 times.)
(113.3 KB, 850x558 - viewed 375 times.)
(116.19 KB, 850x552 - viewed 412 times.)
(98.33 KB, 850x526 - viewed 340 times.)
Most Active Member
Posts: 28785
Re: For All Daemon Souls and Dog Lovers
Reply #26 on:
May 22, 2013, 06:32 AM »
Bison Baby: First Wisent Born in German Wild
After being released into the wild in Germany just last month, a herd of wisents has welcomed its first calf. The first European bison to be born free in Germany in centuries has been named "Quintus," and appears to be healthy.
For the first time in centuries, a European bison, or wisent, has been born in the wild in Germany, conservationists announced on Tuesday. The calf, which arrived early this month, belongs to a herd that was released in April.
The young wisent seems "perky," said Jochen Born, a ranger at Wisent Welt Wittgenstein, the forest sanctuary surrounding the western German town of Bad Berleberg that is home to the animals. But any hikers hoping to catch a glimpse of the typically shy bison should keep their distance, he added, because the species is known for fiercely protecting its young.
The calf is the fifth to be born since the sanctuary began its project to reintroduce European bison to their native habitat. The fact that it was born outside of a corral in the Rothaar Mountain region is a "great success," its website said.
The powerful animals were hunted to extinction in the wild long ago, and all of the roughly 3,000 wisents alive today are the descendants of only about a dozen original animals that survived in zoos. Most of today's wild European bison population lives in the forest in eastern Poland. In Germany, Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, 78, one of the most important forest owners in the country, hopes to prove that active species conservation can be combined with forestry.
Years of scientific study preceded the release of the herd of nine wisents. However, one question still remains: Whether the bison, which are one of Europe's largest animals and can weigh up to a metric ton, pose a danger to hikers or mountain bikers. A popular hiking trail called the Rothaarstieg passes directly through the area where they have been reintroduced, though encounters are unlikely due to their shyness.
(64.61 KB, 860x320 - viewed 361 times.)
Most Active Member
Posts: 28785
Re: For All Daemon Souls and Dog Lovers
Reply #27 on:
May 22, 2013, 06:37 AM »
Animal astronauts return from space mission – video
A Russian space capsule containing mice, geckos, gerbils, snails and fish returns to Earth after a month-long mission in space. The Bion-M craft orbited at a height of 575km (360 miles). Scientists hope the mission will allow them to study the effect of microgravity on animals' bodies. Half of the mice died in space, as did eight gerbils
Most Active Member
Posts: 28785
Re: For All Daemon Souls and Dog Lovers
Reply #28 on:
May 28, 2013, 07:16 AM »
Scientists warn that mass badger hunt could cause an illegal extermination of the whole population
By Damian Carrington, The Guardian
Monday, May 27, 2013 16:30 EDT
England's highly controversial badger culls risk illegally wiping out every badger in the cull zones because the animals' numbers are so poorly known, according to one of the UK's leading badger experts.
The culls, intended to curb tuberculosis in cattle, are authorised to begin on 1 June but could prove unworkable because of the uncertainty over badger numbers, said Prof Rosie Woodroffe, at the Zoological Society of London.
The government is determined to have an impact on the disease which in 2012 meant that more than 37,000 cattle had to be slaughtered at a cost to the taxpayer of £100m. But the costs of carrying out and policing the culls will mount as animal rights campaigners mobilise to disrupt the night-time shoots and last-minute legal challenges loom.
The two pilot culls in Gloucestershire and Somerset were postponed in October after farmers' low estimates of badger numbers were rejected in favour of higher government numbers. Now the population estimates have been reduced again, after further government study.
Sources have told the Guardian that David Cameron has made clear to the environment secretary, Owen Paterson, that another U-turn on the culls is unacceptable and that Paterson's job is at stake. An insider said that key officials in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) are "pale with worry".
Paterson has remained steadfast on the cull and told the Sunday Times that it could run for decades: "We want to reduce the incidence of disease to less than 0.2% of herds a year. It will take 20-25 years of hard culling to get to that."
Woodroffe said: "The difficulty of counting badgers is the Achilles heel of the policy." Woodroffe was a key member of the team that spent a decade and £50m culling 11,000 badgers before concluding that culling could make "no meaningful contribution" to reducing bovine TB. She said: "Badger numbers halted the cull in October and could still be the thing which makes the cull unworkable. That is completely plausible."
Prof Ian Boyd, chief scientific adviser at Defra, said: "The numbers are not precise; there is uncertainty. If the [licence] criteria are not met, we will need to think again about what we are doing, whether we move to a different approach to culling, or to vaccination. But we cannot allow the status quo to continue. We have lost control of this disease in the UK."
The government has approved two pilot culls to determine whether the untested method of shooting free-running badgers can kill sufficient numbers and do so safely and humanely. Killing at least 70% of badgers in a cull zone is crucial, as the previous decade-long trial showed, otherwise fleeing badgers cause TB in cattle to rise.
But, according to Woodroffe, there are serious uncertainties in the population estimates in the two cull zones. According to the government's own figures, farmers in Gloucestershire must kill between 2,856 and 2,932 badgers, but the estimate of the population ranges much more widely, from 2,657 to 4,079. Even worse, according to Woodroffe, is that there is a 40% chance the real population lies outside even that range.
If the real population is below the minimum cull target of 2,856, farmers could kill every badger in the area – breaking the strict condition of the licence that forbids local extinctions – while simultaneously failing to kill enough badgers to satisfy the terms of that same licence. The situation is the same in Somerset, where between 2,061 and 2,162 badgers must be culled, but the population estimate ranges from 1,972 to 2,932.
"The new badger population estimates make use of the best available data and provide robust estimates," said a Defra spokesman. "Scientific evidence and the experience of other countries shows that culling can have a positive effect in helping to reduce bovine TB."
The Badger Trust, which unsuccessfully attempted to stop the culling through judicial review in July 2012, is concerned about the uncertainty in badger numbers. In a letter to the government's licensing body, Natural England, the trust's lawyers noted that badger populations vary through the seasons and from year to year. "There has been a fatal failure to factor this into the cull targets," their letter said. Ministers had ignored advice from own independent expert panel to repeat October's surveys this spring. "The Badger Trust is continuing to consider its legal options," said Jeff Hayden, a director of the trust.
The trust's legal letter also said it was "reckless and irrational" to proceed with culling when the costs used in the government's original cost-benefit assessment had been far exceeded. The initial assessment had concluded that the costs actually outweighed the benefits, and at least £1m of additional costs for badger surveying has been incurred since then. The Defra spokesman said: "The pilots will test our and the farming industry's cost assumptions [and] this will inform our decision on wider roll-out of the policy."
Activists are gearing up to disrupt the pilot culls, using vuvuzelas and bright torches to frighten badgers away. "Whenever it happens we'll be ready – it'll be like an army," said Joe Thomas of Bristol Hunt Saboteurs. "The number of new volunteers has been astronomical and they are not your normal animal-rights people, it's everyday, ordinary people who are preparing to help."
The Defra spokesman said: "Those opposed to culling have the right to undertake peaceful protest. However, those licensed to cull badgers must also be allowed to undertake lawful activity without fear of harm or intimidation."
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media 2013
(238.19 KB, 615x345 - viewed 350 times.)
Most Active Member
Posts: 28785
Re: For All Daemon Souls and Dog Lovers
Reply #29 on:
May 29, 2013, 09:09 AM »
Originally published May 28, 2013 at 10:23 PM
Seattle Times
Horse stuck in ravine rescued through 'telepathy'
A missing horse was rescued from a deep ravine in Redmond after a horse communicator helped locate her.
By Brian M. Rosenthal
Officials executed a difficult horse rescue on Tuesday, lifting an 800-pound Norwegian fjord out of a deep Redmond ravine without any injuries.
But the most incredible part, says the stable's owner, is how caretakers found the horse — with the help of a telepathic animal communicator.
Gemma, a 4-year-old with a history of escaping and other behavior problems, apparently got out of her stall at the Saddle Rock Stables, in the 24000 block of Northeast 115th Street, and slipped 70 feet into a steep ravine nearby before settling on a ledge.
Owner Barbara Linstedt said caretakers searched for her for hours before getting connected to acclaimed horse communicator Joan Ranquet on Monday night.
Ranquet apparently communicated via telepathy with Gemma and determined she was in a tight space near shrubbery and could hear road noise and water, Linstedt said.
Linstedt knew that meant the shelf in the ravine.
She and the others looked there and immediately saw Gemma.
Rescuers waited until the morning to move in.
They got the horse out Tuesday afternoon by putting a helmet and harness on her, setting up pulleys and pulling her up.
About 60 rescuers from nine state agencies and nonprofits participated in the effort, which was led by the Washington State Animal Response Team.
Gemma was reportedly doing well Tuesday night.
"It's amazing," Linstedt said. "It's an absolute miracle that we found her and got her out."
horse rescue.jpg
(16.18 KB, 296x191 - viewed 355 times.)
Go Up
« previous
next »
Jump to:
Please select a destination:
=> Evolutionary Astrology Q&A
=> Astrología Evolutiva - Foro en Español
Study Materials
=> Message Board Archives
=> Misc.
===> In the News
Powered by SMF 1.1.14
SMF © 2006-2011, Simple Machines LLC
design by Crip


text:
- Northern New York Newspapers
- Watertown
- Ogdensburg
- Massena-Potsdam
- Lowville
- Carthage
- Malone
- NNY Business
- NNY Living
- NNY Ads
CARTHAGE As the buzzer sounded, Jeff Ventiquattro threw his fist in the air, turned to his bench and the crowd and screamed, We win.
That monkey that had been on his back and the back of every player on the Carthage boys basketball team for the last month finally jumped off on Saturday at Carthage High School.
Peyton McLaurin went 8-for-8 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter, and the Comets used a balanced attack from its starting five to hand South Jefferson its first loss of the year, 66-60, in a crossover game between the Frontier Leagues elite.
It was a gut-check win, said Ventiquattro, whose team has won nine straight games. South Jeff always plays tough, hard-nosed basketball. We needed that, to get pushed around a little bit. I wanted to see how the kids responded and they responded very well.
Carthage went 20-for-34 from the floor, 8-for-13 from beyond the 3-point arc, and 18-for-22 at the free throw line to improve to 11-1 overall and 7-1 in league play.
Its only loss came at the hands of the Spartans on Dec. 6.
Wed do anything to win this game, Carthage junior Walter Jeter said.
Ben Martin, the Comets only senior, scored a team-best 15 points. Jeter and Andrew Smith added 14 apiece, McLaurin finished with 12 and Keyan Pinnock provided nine.
Martins 15 points were a season high. He scored just three points in the first meeting.
Hes my only senior and he led us (today), Ventiquattro said.
McLaurin, the Comets leading scorer at more than 17 points per game, was held scoreless until midway through the third quarter and had just two points entering the fourth.
But the 6-foot-3 sophomore point guard sank every one of his free-throw attempts in the final quarter to seal the game.
Down the stretch, hes such a good free-throw shooter that we want the ball in his hands no matter what kind of game hes having prior to that, Ventiquattro said. He realizes that his supporting cast is really, really good.
Tom Bassett scored a game-high 25 points and Jacob Worden added 19, on 9-for-12 shooting, for South Jefferson (11-1, 10-1). The senior duo combined for all but two of South Jeffersons points in the first half.
Carthage came out strong, jumping out to an early lead and holding the Spartans off the rest of the way. It ended the first quarter up by six, and the score was even through the final three quarters.
Once you have the momentum in the game, you just have to keep it, Martin said.
I really thought in the first half we executed real well, and we came up empty, South Jefferson coach Fred Piche said. We built ourselves a hole, and in the second half they shot well, everybody stepped out and hit a three.
The Spartans were in an unfamiliar position, playing from behind the entire game. All but two of their wins this season were decided by double digits.
Adversity is always good if you turn it into a positive thing, and we will, Piche said. The guys were very positive in the locker room, they realized they ran into a team that was hot. Theyre a good a group of kids. Theyll come back and work hard on Monday.
Thousands of readers like you have made Northern New York Newspapers the number one ranked website* for local news and sports coverage in the north country.
You can continue on to this article in a few seconds, or you can visit one of our websites:

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I'm running IIS on my winxp machine in order to test my sites before uploading them.
I've downloaded and installed Mysql. I've downloaded and installed PHP.
I've downloaded and tried to install phpmyadmin and it all seemed to go well.
But when I try to access my localhose/phpmyadmin/index.php I get an error message that 'Mysql said Access denied' and suggesting it is probably because I need a config file and might want to use the setp script to create one.
But when I click on the 'setup script' I get a page with one welcome and two warnings. One warning says that it 'cannot load or save configuration'
and telling me to create a web server writable dir as described in the documentation.
Well I've done that. But all this is still happening.
I've also created a 'config' directory in the root of phpmyadmin.
I've given the web server (IIS) read/write access to it (I think... via IUSR ?)
I've copied the sample config file over to that directory and renamed it config.php
I DON'T know how to properly edit that file.
This is how it currently looks:
/* $Id: config.sample.inc.php,v 18.104.22.168 2006/08/28 08:14:14 nijel Exp $ */
// vim: expandtab sw=4 ts=4 sts=4:
* phpMyAdmin sample configuration, you can use it as base for
* manual configuration. For easier setup you can use scripts/setup.php
* All directives are explained in Documentation.html and on phpMyAdmin
* wiki <http://wiki.cihar.com>.
* This is needed for cookie based authentication to encrypt password in
* cookie
$cfg['blowfish_secret'] = ''; /* YOU MUST FILL IN THIS FOR COOKIE AUTH! */
* Servers configuration
$i = 0;
* First server
/* Authentication type */
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['auth_type'] = 'cookie';
/* Server parameters */
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['host'] = 'localhost';
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['connect_type'] = 'tcp';
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['compress'] = false;
/* Select mysqli if your server has it */
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['extension'] = 'mysql';
/* User for advanced features */
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['controluser'] = 'pmausr';
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['controlpass'] = 'pmapass';
/* Advanced phpMyAdmin features */
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['pmadb'] = 'phpmyadmin';
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['bookmarktable'] = 'pma_bookmark';
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['relation'] = 'pma_relation';
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['table_info'] = 'pma_table_info';
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['table_coords'] = 'pma_table_coords';
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['pdf_pages'] = 'pma_pdf_pages';
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['column_info'] = 'pma_column_info';
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['history'] = 'pma_history';
* End of servers configuration
* Directories for saving/loading files from server
$cfg['UploadDir'] = '';
$cfg['SaveDir'] = '';
Can anyone help?


text:
Rocky McIntosh Visits Jets
The Jets currently have 88 players on their roster. Room for two more. I'm told, per source, that one of those players will be a punter. Thus, that leaves room for one skill position player. Could it be a linebacker?
According to ESPN 980 in Washington, D.C., former second round pick by the Washington Redskins, Rocky McIntosh, recently came to the Jets facility for a workout. McIntosh has experience playing both outside linebacker and right inside linebacker. Furthermore, after he lost his starting job last season, he was relegated to special teams.
We will keep you up to date if anything becomes of this, but right now it seems this was just Tannenbaum leaving "no stone unturned," as McIntosh left without a contract. He also visited the Minnesota Vikings.


text:
Employment Law Issues for Health Care Employers
OFCCPs New Veteran/Disability Regulations Are Now in Effect. Are You Ready?
Should an employer have a written social media policy?
Employer Social Media Policies – Interview with Mitch Danzig, Member, Member, Mintz Levin
Two Key Elements Every Social Media Policy Should Include
Corporate Law Report: Global HR, Textual Harassment, Working Interviews, and Other Workplace Issues
What Next for the NLRB?
Corporate Law Report: Managing Cyber Risks, BYOD, Obama's NLRB Crisis, Iran Sanctions, and More
The Corporate Law Report: First-to-File Patents, Hiring for Cultural Fit, Roth Conversions Post-Fiscal Cliff, and Global Corporate Insights
Corporate Law Report: Economic Espionage Act, Top FCPA Enforcement Actions, Trademark Audits, and More
How Employers Should Address the Growing Use of Social Media
On Thursday, June 26, 2014, the Supreme Court issued its long-awaited Noel Canning decision (NLRB v. Noel Canning, 572 U.S. ____ (2014)), and invalidated President Obama's January 2012 appointments of three individuals to the...more
A comprehensive summary of the most significant previously-issued NLRB decisions up for reconsideration now that the U.S. Supreme Court has declared President Obama's recess NLRB appointments unconstitutional....more
Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act ("NLRA" or the "Act"), 29 USC § 157, protects both union and non-union employees who form, join and assist labor unions, participate in collective bargaining, and engage in "other...more
Social media policies. Chances are your company has one, is in the process of drafting one, or is worried about not having one. Employees continue to gripe about their jobs and their bosses on Facebook, as states like...more
In Noel Canning v. NLRB, the D.C. Circuit Court recently ruled that President Obama lacked the authority to make three recess appointments to the five-member National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), rendering the recess...more
The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued an order on January 25, 2013, which struck, as unconstitutional, President Obama's recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board...more
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) recently issued a pair of decisions helping to clarify the limits on employers' ability to (1) discipline employees for their social media activities and (2) implement confidentiality...more
President Obama's re-election, a newly active NLRB, and important decisions pending before the Supreme Court promise to make 2013 an interesting year in labor and employment law – domestically and internationally. Here is a...more
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has attracted attention in recent years for its scrutiny of employer rules and policies regulating conduct of employees – including employees who are not represented by unions or...more
The National Labor Relations Board recently issued two rulings on employer social media policies that can be construed as favorable to employees. As a result, it is recommended that employers take the time to specifically...more
This article addresses two recent National Labor Relations Board decisions. The first found the electronic posting rules of Costco Wholesale Corp. overly broad. The second found a "courtesy rule" of car dealership Karl Knauz...more
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has continued its aggressive attack on employers in the healthcare industry and nonunion employers generally. With a membership majority that is widely recognized as being pro-union,...more
On September 28, 2012, the National Labor and Relations Board ("NLRB") issued its second decision involving an employee's use of social media. ...more
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) recently issued a decision with significant impact upon employer policies that apply to employee use of social media. [Costco Wholesale Corporation, 358 NLRB No. 106 (Sept. 7,...more
Social media and other employer policies continue to draw close scrutiny from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Recently, the NLRB issued its first binding decision involving employees' rights under a common social...more
The National Labor Relations Board ("NLRB") recently issued its first two rulings on employer social media policies and its first ruling on an employee's termination due to posts on Facebook. These rulings are significant for...more
Between the summer of 2011 and the spring of 2012, the Acting General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Lafe Solomon, published three Advice Memos that expressed his views on the application of the...more
On October 1, 2012, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued another decision addressing the intersection between the National Labor Relations Act (the Act), social media, and handbook policies prohibiting...more
Continuing its aggressive foray into nonunion workplaces, the NLRB has weighed in on social media and employee handbook issues, finding certain language to be unlawful under Section 8(a)(1) of the National Labor Relations...more
On September 7, 2012, in a decision that is likely to have wide-ranging implications for companies' social media policies, the NLRB issued a decision finding that Costco's policy prohibiting defamatory statements about the...more
In its first-ever decision on an employer's social media policy, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has found Costco Wholesale Corp.'s policy to be overly broad and unenforceable in the case Costco Wholesale...more
On Tuesday, just weeks after the National Labor Relations Board issued its first decision on an employer's social media policy in Costco Wholesale Corp., an administrative law judge joined in the Board's efforts to scrutinize...more
If you have a provision similar to the one below in any of your employee agreements, handbooks, etc. or are considering including one, make sure you read the rest of this article....more
A panel of the National Labor Relations Board has found that electronic posting rules issued by Costco Wholesale Corporation violated the National Labor Relations Act. The Board panel largely followed guidance issued...more
In its first ruling on an employer's social media policy, the National Labor Relations Board found that Costco Wholesale Corporation's social media policy in its employee handbook violated the National Labor Relations Act....more
Your first step to building a free, personalized, morning email brief covering pertinent authors and topics on JD Supra:
Sign up to create your digest using LinkedIn*
Back to Top
Copyright ©


text:
Installation Guide
Local Navigation
Configuring minimum Microsoft SQL Server permissions for the Windows account that is used to run the BlackBerry MVS
The Windows account that you use when you run the BlackBerry Mobile Voice System setup application must have Microsoft SQL Server permissions. However, the setup application requires more permissions to install or upgrade the BlackBerry MVS software than are required to run the BlackBerry MVS. The setup application requires the additional permissions so that it can update the BlackBerry Configuration Database with BlackBerry MVS information.
After the installation or upgrade process completes, you can change the Microsoft SQL Server permissions of the Windows account to the Microsoft SQL Server permissions that the BlackBerry MVS requires to run. When you change the Microsoft SQL Server permissions of the Windows account, you can use Microsoft SQL Server security to restrict the operations that the Windows account can perform on the BlackBerry Configuration Database.
The following table describes the Microsoft SQL Server permissions for the setup application and the Windows account that the BlackBerry MVS uses to run.


text:
Sixty years ago, director Yoji Yamada was assistant director on Yasujiro Ozu's Tokyo Story, a moving family portrait set just after World War Two. Yamada has just completed a remake of this timeless classic updating the story of the ageing couple to present-day Japan.
In his novel Anna Karenina about 19th century Russian society, Leo Tolstoy wrote, "All happy families are alike but an unhappy family is unhappy after its own fashion." This sentiment could well be taken as the theme of both the original Tokyo Story and its updated remake Tokyo Family. An ageing couple, Shukichi and Tomiko decide to leave their quiet lives in the country to pay a visit to their children and grandchildren in Tokyo. Once there, they discover that neither their oldest son, a doctor named Koichi, nor their eldest daughter, Shigeko who runs a beauty parlor, has time for them. Both are too busy attending to their everyday concerns. Even the youngest son goes his own way. The old couple feel lonely and bewildered in the fast-paced metropolis.
Director Yamada has said. "When I was young, I thought Tokyo Story's story line was so old fashioned. But as I've made numbers of films over the years, I have come to realize how great it is." In fact, family is a recurring theme throughout director Yamada's work and it could be claimed that Tokyo Family represents both an homage to Tokyo Story and a compilation of Yamada's work capturing the modern Japanese family.
Initially the production was scheduled to start in April 2011 but the earthquake and subsequent tsunami of that year delayed it for almost 12 months and production re-started in March 2012 with shooting completed at the end of May. Although the disaster is not mentioned directly in the film, the raw scars that still inform everyday life permeate it.
One of the difficulties of a remake is that locations change over time. In the original Tokyo Story, the old couple lived in the city of Onomichi but now the bullet train stops here and people can get there very quickly. In order to create a sense of distance the old couple's house had to be set on an island where a small ferry was the only form of transportation. After considerable scouting, DP Masashi Chikamori, JSC discovered some old Japanese-style houses on the island of Osaki-Kamijima He says that "there are several villages on the island slopes and the view of the bay looking towards the shipyard provided some really beautiful shots." Producer Takashi Yajima agrees. He says that "for one of the very last shots of the film we photographed the Seto Inland Sea from the top of a hill on Osaki-Kamijima. We were very lucky to get those shots during the fine weather as it was almost entering the rainy season."
Tokyo Family was shot using an ARRI 535B camera equipped with Zeiss Ultra Prime lenses and two KODAK film stocks, KODAK VISION3 250D Color Negative Film 5207 and 500T 5219. DP Chikamori explains his visual approach, "The original film Tokyo Story was shot on black and white film stocks and was quite high contrast. You can't use the same approach to today's modern story using color film. Black and white cinematography requires a different lighting balance; for example the key light for face tones requires 1.5 times that of incident light. The beauty of black and white and color cinematography are two different things. Tokyo Story's high contrast look was not suitable for Tokyo Family's story telling. I've always liked low camera positions and other original viewpoints and I used several of these in the movie but no panning shots.
"One particularly memorable scene for me," he continues "took place in a hospital when the lead actor is told his wife is dying. Instead of taking the scene from a distance, I did the opposite and went in close up. When I know an actor will deliver a great performance, I think it's good to shoot close up instead of being modest. There are times when you must make decisions and challenge and that shot was one of those moments."
Both cinematographer Chikamori and producer Yajima are enthusiastic about KODAK film stocks. Chikamori says, "Film has great mobility. It's light and you can start shooting anywhere very quickly. The electric viewfinder on a digital system has got switches here and there and too many settings to deal with. If you set something incorrectly, you can become disorientated and lose track of your shooting criteria. With an optical finder, I know with some certainty what kind of image is forming."
Yajima says, "To me what's good about film is that it exists physically. Digital files and devices always hold potential risk of crushed or lost files. When an image is recorded on film, it's solid and when it's stored under the proper conditions, it takes care of the archival problem too. I think film is still the most superior media in terms of archiving."
Tokyo Family was shown to considerable acclaim in the Special Gala section of the Berlin Film Festival in February this year.
Download as PDF


text:
42 U.S. Code § 2210h - Radiation source protection
(a) Definitions
In this section:
(1) Code of conduct
The term "Code of Conduct" means the code entitled the "Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources", approved by the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency and dated September 8, 2003.
(2) Radiation source
The term "radiation source" means—
(b) Commission approval
Not later than 180 days after August 8, 2005, the Commission shall issue regulations prohibiting a person from—
(1) exporting a radiation source, unless the Commission has specifically determined under section 2077 or 2112 of this title, consistent with the Code of Conduct, with respect to the exportation, that—
(A) the recipient of the radiation source may receive and possess the radiation source under the laws and regulations of the country of the recipient;
(B) the recipient country has the appropriate technical and administrative capability, resources, and regulatory structure to ensure that the radiation source will be managed in a safe and secure manner; and
(2) importing a radiation source, unless the Commission has determined, with respect to the importation, that—
(3) selling or otherwise transferring ownership of a radiation source, unless the Commission—
(A) has determined that the licensee has verified that the proposed recipient is authorized under law to receive the radiation source; and
(c) Tracking system
(A) Not later than 1 year after August 8, 2005, the Commission shall issue regulations establishing a mandatory tracking system for radiation sources in the United States.
(B) In establishing the tracking system under subparagraph (A), the Commission shall coordinate with the Secretary of Transportation to ensure compatibility, to the maximum extent practicable, between the tracking system and any system established by the Secretary of Transportation to track the shipment of radiation sources.
(2) The tracking system under paragraph (1) shall—
(C) require reporting within 24 hours of any loss of control of, or accountability for, a radiation source; and
(d) Penalty
A violation of a regulation issued under subsection (a) or (b) of this section shall be punishable by a civil penalty not to exceed $1,000,000.
(e) National Academy of Sciences study
(1) Not later than 60 days after August 8, 2005, the Commission shall enter into an arrangement with the National Academy of Sciences under which the National Academy of Sciences shall conduct a study of industrial, research, and commercial uses for radiation sources.
(2) The study under paragraph (1) shall include a review of uses of radiation sources in existence on the date on which the study is conducted, including an identification of any industrial or other process that—
(A) uses a radiation source that could be replaced with an economically and technically equivalent (or improved) process that does not require the use of a radiation source; or
(f) Task force on radiation source protection and security
(1) There is established a task force on radiation source protection and security (referred to in this section as the "task force").
(B) The membership of the task force shall consist of the following:
(A) The task force, in consultation with Federal, State, and local agencies, the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors, and the Organization of Agreement States, and after public notice and an opportunity for comment, shall evaluate, and provide recommendations relating to, the security of radiation sources in the United States from potential terrorist threats, including acts of sabotage, theft, or use of a radiation source in a radiological dispersal device.
(B) Not later than 1 year after August 8, 2005, and not less than once every 4 years thereafter, the task force shall submit to Congress and the President a report, in unclassified form with a classified annex if necessary, providing recommendations, including recommendations for appropriate regulatory and legislative changes, for—
(i) a list of additional radiation sources that should be required to be secured under this chapter, based on the potential attractiveness of the sources to terrorists and the extent of the threat to public health and safety of the sources, taking into consideration—
(V) for radioactive materials with a medical use, the availability of the sources to physicians and patients for medical treatment; and
(ii) the establishment of, or modifications to, a national system for recovery of lost or stolen radiation sources;
(iii) the storage of radiation sources that are not used in a safe and secure manner as of the date on which the report is submitted;
(v) the establishment of, or modifications to, a national system (including user fees and other methods) to provide for the proper disposal of radiation sources secured under this chapter;
(vi) modifications to export controls on radiation sources to ensure that foreign recipients of radiation sources are able and willing to adequately control radiation sources from the United States;
(I) any alternative technologies available as of the date on which the report is submitted that may perform some or all of the functions performed by devices or processes that employ radiation sources; and
(II) the establishment of appropriate regulations and incentives for the replacement of the devices and processes described in subclause (I)—
(aa) with alternative technologies in order to reduce the number of radiation sources in the United States; or
(viii) the creation of, or modifications to, procedures for improving the security of use, transportation, and storage of radiation sources, including—
(I) periodic audits or inspections by the Commission to ensure that radiation sources are properly secured and can be fully accounted for;
(III) increased fines for violations of Commission regulations relating to security and safety measures applicable to licensees that possess radiation sources;
(IV) criminal and security background checks for certain individuals with access to radiation sources (including individuals involved with transporting radiation sources);
(V) requirements for effective and timely exchanges of information relating to the results of criminal and security background checks between the Commission and any State with which the Commission has entered into an agreement under section 2021 (b) of this title;
(VI) assurances of the physical security of facilities that contain radiation sources (including facilities used to temporarily store radiation sources being transported); and
(g) Action by Commission
Not later than 60 days after the date of receipt by Congress and the President of a report under subsection (f)(3)(B) of this section, the Commission, in accordance with the recommendations of the task force, shall—
(1) take any action the Commission determines to be appropriate, including revising the system of the Commission for licensing radiation sources; and
Source(Aug. 1, 1946, ch. 724, title I, § 170H, as added Pub. L. 109–58, title VI, § 651(d)(1),Aug. 8, 2005, 119 Stat. 802; amended Pub. L. 109–295, title VI, § 612(c),Oct. 4, 2006, 120 Stat. 1410.)
Change of Name
"Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency" substituted for "Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency" in subsec. (f)(2)(B)(ix) on authority of section 612(c) ofPub. L. 109–295, set out as a note under section 313 of Title 6, Domestic Security. Any reference to the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency in title VI of Pub. L. 109–295or an amendment by title VI to be considered to refer and apply to the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency until Mar. 31, 2007, see section 612(f)(2) ofPub. L. 109–295, set out as a note under section 313 of Title 6.
LII has no control over and does not endorse any external Internet site that contains links to or references LII.


text:
|Print Page
As in past years, Price City's Community Progress Committee will be hard at it looking for great yards in town and also wanting to reward people for their hard work.
The committee hopes to encourage community pride and participation in make the community a more beautiful place in which to live and visit.
Yards are judged by their "curb appeal" which follows these criteria.
Neatness, clean and orderly.
Most beautiful.
Display of water conservation.
Well trimmed curb and gutter.
Clean parking strips.
Price City is divided into four quadrants. Each qaudrant has a set of judges who nominate a yard of the month for June 26-30, July 24-30 and August 21-25. The winners are selected and turned into Chairperson Delores Sandoval. Each winner then receives a visit from a city official who presents them with an "All Spruced Up" sign to display in their yard for approximately one month. Winners also receive a smaller version of the sign as a keepsake.
Yards can only qualify for "Spruce It Up" every other year. Previous year winners do qualify for an award entitled "On-Going Excellence Award." These winners are based on the same criteria as the "All Spruced Up" yards.
|Print Page


text:
Video 1
Video 2
Video 3
About Helicopter Big Bear:
Have you always wanted to fly but didnt know where to get started or who to get in contact with? Well let us welcome you to a aerial flight around the Big Bear Mountains with Helicopter Big Bear. We are Big Bear's most unique attraction and activity that really makes you want to come back and explore even further. HELICOPTER BIG BEAR located inside the Terminal Building at the Big Bear City Airport offers Sightseeing Flights from the vantage point of a helicopter cockpit.
Witness the beauty the San Bernardino Mountains and Big Bear area has to offer with an aerial view like no other, featuring the scenic countryside, Landmarks, Points of Interest, surroundings and Real Estate. Our helicopter sightseeing flights are a combination of excitement, relaxation, and just plain fun to those seeking knowledge of the Big Bear area.
Our flights are also considered to be one of the most romantic ways to make a first date memorable. A Valentine's Day or Anniversary date flight will create memories for a lifetime. Helicopter date flights have been featured countless times on popular television shows to highlight exotic locations while establishing and bonding new relationships. Flying is also a great idea for special occasions such as vacation activities, holidays, birthdays, Mother's & Father's day, graduations, family reunions or a great activity for guests when visiting your mountain Home. This is possibly the PERFECT GIFT for any occasion, especially with Gift Certificates are available. Many will claim that flight is the number one Bucket List item to check off, why not get yours checked off as soon as possible.
Whether its your first flight or one of many, make sure to give Helicopter Big Bear a go, you wont regret it. Also, good news!!! We are open year round. Feel free to select a tour that peaks your interest by clicking
. Dont forget to bring your camera, the family, your friends, those fun employees or that special someone. Come experience flight, the right way.
Meet Our Staff:
Roy A. Harding
Owner / Chief Pilot
FAA Pilot Certificate number:
Pilot Ratings:
• Rotorcraft Airline Transport Pilot
• Certified Flight Instructor
• Certified Instrument Flight Instructor
• 17 Years as active Pilot
• Approximately 3000 Flight Hours
Adam Haidinyak
Helicopter Tour Pilot / Flight Instructor
FAA Pilot Certificate number:
Pilot Ratings:
• Commercial Rotorcraft
• Certified Flight Instructor CFI / II
Jennifer Harding
Operations Coordinator
FAA Pilot Certificate number:
Pilot Ratings:
• Private Airplane
• Single engine land w/ instrument
Our pilots goals and objectives:
• To continue to learn and gain knowledge on each and every flight.
• To maintain top physical and mental fitness, health and preparedness.
• To understand passengers anticipatory thought process of flight and teach fundamentals of aviation to all interested.
• To provide a safe, relaxing, stimulating environment to all passengers' onboard aircraft.
• To maintain top pilot proficiency.
• To respect and be courteous to all other pilots, nature and property owners.
• To display the best customer service possible with a goal of 100% satisfaction.
Website Designed, Hosted & Maintained By:


text:
NBA All-Star Concert and Performances 2013
Rapper B.o.B performs during the Sprint NBA All-Star Pregame Concert... News PhotoB.O.B,Basketball - NBA Pro,Basketball - Sport,George R. Brown Convention Center,Gulf Coast States,Horizontal,Houston,NBA,NBA All-Star Weekend,Performance,Sport,Texas,USAPhotographer Gregory ShamusCollection: National Basketball Association 2013 NBAEHOUSTON, TX - FEBRUARY 17: Rapper B.o.B performs during the Sprint NBA All-Star Pregame Concert in Sprint Arena during the NBA All-Star Weekend on February 17, 2013 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2013 NBAE (Photo by Gregory Shamus/NBAE via Getty Images)


text:
© Jemella LTD
Alice Olson
Senior Stylist
Hair by Alice
Senior Stylist
Hair by Alice
ghd spotlight 2View full collection View all collections
ghd spotlight 2 (1 of 6)
This is my summer hair creation. I combined the waterfall braid with rope braids and connected them to the upsyle in the back. This style could be worn to summer parties, beach days or even for a wedding.
Credits: photo by:ichael and Carina Photography, make up: Theresa Little
(5 of 5)
Get the look
ghd V Gold Classic styler


text:
Moving to Devon
Devon is an attractive and beautiful county and a great place to live and work. The county is strategically placed to take advantage of excellent transport and communications links including Exeter Airport and motorway links to the north of England and Scotland.
We've put together some information resources to help you plan your move. If we've missed anything out that you think would be useful, do let us know.


text:
Product Test: Flashlight Friend
You can buy the Flashlight Friend at Walgreens for $19.99. It is a stuffed animal and flashlight all in one. You can pick from a variety of animals and colors. Our tester, Marissa really liked this product and found it very easy to work. Just push the tummy for the light to come on and or off. It has an auto shut off after ten minutes.


text:
Search results for 'hair'
Cricket Static Free Fast Flo Vent Hairbrush$7.95Cricket Static Free Fast Flo Vent Brush is designed for more comfortable styling. Learn More
Juveker Hair Thickening Shampoo
Regular Price: $30.00
Special Price: $14.95
Out of stockThis shampoo contains a unique formula for the care of fine, thinning, or falling hair. Learn More


text:
COMSOL, Inc. is seeking an Applications Engineer with a specialty in Structural Mechanics to join its Boston office. We are seeking an individual with a strong background in the finite element method, solid mechanics, and numerical methods. A background in any kind of nonlinear material modeling (elastoplasticity, viscoelasticity, hyperelasticity, viscoplasticity, etc…), contact modeling, or fatigue modeling is desirable, as well as any experience in multiphysics analysis.
COMSOL is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
COMSOL is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Any information you
volunteer below is for compliance with government regulations and guidelines only.


text:
Primary tabs
Fri Apr 26
11:45 am to 1:15 pm 457 Melvill Hall Pippin Center
University Relations Event
6:00 pm to 9:00 pm 457 Melvill Hall Pippin Center
Hear research presentations from current students and recent alumni. All welcome--students, alumni, parents, community. The program begins at 6pm in the Pippin Conference Center/Melvill...