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A Tuscaloosa man with a history of breaking into locally-owned small businesses has struck again, according to Tuscaloosa Police Department spokesman Sgt. Brent Blankley.
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A Tuscaloosa man with a history of breaking into locally-owned small businesses has struck again, according to Tuscaloosa Police Department spokesman Sgt. Brent Blankley .
Police found Michael Jones trying to break into The Waysider restaurant on Greensboro Avenue early Thursday morning, Blankley said, and after examining the evidence in 17 recent cases, believe Jones is responsible.
Michael Jones has been charged with 17 counts burglary.Jones is being held at the Tuscaloosa County Jail on 17 charges of burglary and one of robbery. TPD investigators say Jones targeted local laundromats, restaurants and hair salons. Earlier this week, the department released a photo of a man breaking into and stealing money from Hooligan's on University Boulevard. Police say that man is Jones. Last week, police released a photo of a man, who has since been identified as Jones, robbing the clerk at Soap & Suds on 10th Avenue. Early Thursday morning, an officer working the overnight shift heard an alarm sound for a couple of seconds. He noticed The Waysider restaurant was completely dark, so he pulled in to investigate further, Blankley said. The officer called for backup after seeing someone run from the corner of the business. Officers blanketed the area and captured Jones near 15th Street and Queen City Avenue. Investigators, Blankley said, discovered someone cut the phone lines at The Waysider and pulled the power meter from the building.
Police say the man pictured is Michael Jones breaking into Hooligan's on Oct. 23. He has since been charged with 17 counts of burglary.Jones is also accused of breaking into Renovation Beauty Salon in August; Threads and Heads Embroidery, Ruan Thai, One Stop Laundry, Shoe Show and 4th and 23rd in September and The Queen restaurant, Divas Styling Salon, Rama Jama's, The Bear Trap, El Rincon, Car Quest Auto Parts, Nails Unlimited and Fletcher Supply in October. Jones, who, according to court records, has served time, plead guilty to 1998 break-ins of Tut's Pizza, Crimson Cafe and a Thai restaurant. In May 2012, he was charged with taking cash, coins and candy from Cleansing Tide. He plead guilty and was released on April 5 without having to post bond. According to sentencing documents included in that court file, Jones' prior convictions would have qualified him to spend four to 10 years in prison. He failed to appear at a court hearing scheduled for Monday to discuss his application for probation. Court records also indicate a fugitive warrant was issued for Jones in April. He had been charged with stealing a vehicle in Georgia and failed to show up for scheduled court hearings there. Georgia declined to extradite him. Jones remained in the Tuscaloosa County Jail Friday with bail set at $315,000.
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PER: Potchefstroomse Elektroniese Regsblad
versão On-line ISSN 1727-3781
PER vol.16 no.5 Potchefstroom Mai. 2013
A customary right to fish when fish are sparse: managing conflicting claims between customary rights and environmental rights
L Feris
BA Law (Stell), LLB (Stell), LLM (Georgetown), LLD (Stell). Professor of Law, University of Cape Town. Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
This contribution considers the potential conflicts that may arise between customary rights and environmental rights in the face of dwindling marine resources. It sets the scene by reflecting on some of the common themes present in indigenous claims to marine resource by communities who were subjected to colonisation. In doing so it analyses the South African judgment, S v Gongqose Case No. E382/10 (unreported), which alluded to the existence of a customary right to fishing, a concept that has until now remained unexplored in South African law. This discussion is followed by a brief overview of the rapidly declining state of marine resources, worldwide and in South Africa. The note then considers the relationship between customary law and marine resources and some of the challenges in meeting rights-based customary claims to marine resources against the need to conserve a dwindling resource. It concludes by offering possibilities for reconciliation.
Keywords: Custom; Customary law; Customary rights; Marine resources; Conservation; Environment.
1 Introduction
Access to and the use of natural resources by indigenous communities has received considerable international attention. In the context of marine resources, indigenous claims to subsistence fishing rights have, in several countries,1 given rise to the recognition of aboriginal rights, the establishment of aboriginal title, the conclusion of treaties, the creation of reserves and the carving out of fishing rights. These entitlements have enabled indigenous communities to access both freshwater and marine resources and maintain traditional subsistence economies.
This, however, is only one part of the story, as over-exploitation of fisheries (primarily as a result of commercial fishing) and the collapse or near collapse of key marine resources has also grabbed international attention. In the wake of pending disaster more and more governments are utilising measures such as the creation of marine protected areas to conserve and manage key marine species in order to ensure long-term sustainable utilisation. What happens, though, when an indigenous community attempts to exercise its customary right to fish and the nearest access to marine resources is located in a marine protected area?
This contribution addresses the potential conflict that may arise between customary rights and environmental rights in the face of dwindling natural resources and the need to find a balanced approach. The article starts out by reflecting on some of the common themes present in indigenous claims to natural resources, in particular marine resource claims by communities who were subjected to colonisation. In doing so it analyses a South African judgment State v David Gongqoze,2 which alluded to the existence of a customary right to fishing, a concept that until now has remained unexplored in South African law. This discussion is followed by a brief overview of the rapidly declining state of marine resources worldwide and in South Africa. Consideration is subsequently given to some of the challenges in meeting customary claims in the context of the need for conservation. It concludes by offering possibilities for reconciliation.
2. Claiming the fish - common themes in the narrative?
2.1 Customary rights to fishing - international perspectives
In researching indigenous claims3 to fishing rights, one cainot but note the common themes present in the history of countries marked with colonisation. In countries such as the United States of America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa these common themes relate to natural resources and speak of a struggle between indigenous communities and colonisers over access to natural resources, including land, wildlife and marine resources.4 On the one hand colonisers laid claim to the riches that attracted them to these new destinations while indigenous people strove to maintain food security, traditional subsistence economies and lifestyles. Over and above subsistence fishing, indigenous communities were also engaged in commercial fishing, trading fish with other groups and with new settlers for food, raw materials and manufactured goods,5 and had their own economic interests to protect. In the end, however, the narrative details systematic dispossession of these resources from indigenous communities and the ultimate elimination of possessory interests and any legally protected uses of almost all natural resources, including marine resources.6
There is also evidence of common themes related to customary practices of indigenous communities that go beyond the imperatives of subsistence and food security. It shows that indigenous communities have had longstanding and deeply rooted traditional ties not only to land, but also to the ocean and the resources it offers. In other words, the evidence points to the more transcendent realm of identity and animation. Research shows that some indigenous communities believe that fishing is integral to the cultural continuity of their communities and that, beyond economic self-sufficiency, the act of fishing is itself fundamentally linked to the spiritual identities of indigenous people.7 It thus speaks of a deeply rooted cultural link to marine resources and the dispossession of the fishing interests of indigenous people was, therefore, not only a dispossession of commercial interest, but also of cultural interest.
The narrative diverges to some extent when one witnesses the outcome of these struggles. In some of these countries, eventual legal protection of possessory interests resulted from protracted legal disputes where rights to access and harvest fish were eventually addressed through the recognition of aboriginal title by way of negotiated treaties,8 legislation9 and/or court rulings.10 In South Africa, however, until very recently there has not been formal recognition of indigenous communities' rights over marine resources. In fact, legislation addressing access rights to fishing11 has remained remarkably silent on customary rights related to fishing. Section 19 of the Marine Living Resources Act provides for subsistence fishing and gives the Minister the power to establish zones where subsistence fishers may fish and declare a specified community to be a fishing community with the concomitant rights.12 Until now the recognition of subsistence fishers has been slow and has happened on an ad hoc basis.13 It has also occurred in the absence of a policy that situates subsistence fisheries in a customary law context.14
2.2 Customary rights to fishing - S v Gongqose
S v Gongqose, a case on illegal fishing in the magistrate's court for the district of Willowvale in the Eastern Cape, provided an unexpected opportunity to reflect on customary practices related to fishing and the extent to which such practices carve out a legal basis for constitutionally protected customary rights to fishing. David Gongqoze and two others were jointly charged, inter alia, with "entering a national wildlife reserve area (Dwesa-Cwebe Nature Reserve) without authorization" and "fishing or attempting to fish in a marine protected area in contravention of section 43(2)(a) of the Marine Living Resources Act (MLRA)", which prohibits fishing in a marine protected area (MPA). In their defence the accused relied on their customary right to fish and provided evidence thereto. The defence also made the case that the establishment of an MPA has impacted negatively on the capacity of the Dwesa and Cwebe communities and other such communities to practise their system of customary law rules in respect of marine resources.
Much like the indigenous fishing communities of the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, the Dwesa and Cwebe communities were systematically stripped of access to natural resources and the ability to exercise related customary rights. The Xhosa communities of which Gongqoze is a member were forcibly removed from Dwesa-Cwebe not once, but twice. The first removal occurred after Dwesa and Cwebe were declared state forests and during the period 1900 to 1950 the Dwesa and Cwebe communities were removed from the state forest and relocated to land adjacent to reserves.15 The people, however, continued to use the land and its resources as before. The Transkei Nature Conservation Act came into force in 1971 and restricted fishing except in tidal waters, and the Dwesa-Cwebe nature reserve was established in 1975 under the same Act, at which point community rights were rescinded and access was restricted.16
The second forced removal took place from 1970 to 1989 as part of what was called "betterment plaining"17 and was carried out in line with apartheid policies and without consultation, due process or compensation.18 In 1981 the area was proclaimed a State Protected Nature Reserve with authorities halting all access by local communities.19 In 2000 the marine reserve was declared a marine protected area in terms of section 43 of the Marine Living Resources Act (MLRA),20 and 'no take' regulations were imposed, which had the effect of completely baining fishing. In 2000 and as part of a land claim settlement the communities engaged in negotiations with the state, culminating in their retention of the Dwesa-Cwebe Reserve in perpetuity as a conservation area in the national interest, in partnership with the State, subject to the terms of a settlement agreement.21 Despite substantial benefits22 from the land claim, the communities at Dwesa-Cwebe are now statistically some of the poorest in the country and the socio-economic and substantive quality of life of these residents demand that they be given access to natural resources such as marine resources.23
In an unusual magistrate's court ruling, the court assessed the case against its historic background and, in view of the expert evidence related to the customary practices of the community, considered whether the customary right to fish negated the unlawfulness of the conduct required for a conviction. The defence in Gongqose furthermore made the argument that the Hobeni community enjoys a constitutionally protected customary right of access to marine resources in the reserve as protected by section 31(1) of the Constitution, which protects the rights of communities to enjoy their culture. The defence argued that the absolute ban on fishing and the harvesting of marine resources in the Reserve amounted to a complete extinguishment of the customary rights of the communities of Hobeni to practice their customs in that specific geographical area.
The court acknowledged the existence of customary marine practices with respect to the Dwesa Cwebe MPA and acknowledged that these practices are in conflict with the Marine Living Resources Act.24 In doing so it took cognisance of the argument by the defence that customary law may be regulated by way of statute but that such a statute cainot by implication negate customary rights, unless it clearly states its intention to this effect. The court thus concluded that "the absolute ban on fishing and/or harvesting of marine resources in the Reserve amounts to a complete extinguishment of the customary rights of the communities of Dwesa and Cwebe to practice these customs in that specific geographical area" and "the fact that such extinguishment occurred without consultation is also irrefutable."25 In reference to the customary rights argument the court stated that "whether the provisions of the Marine Living Resources Act 18 of 1998 in so far as section 43 is concerned would survive a test of constitutional validity is debatable to say the least."26 The court could not however, pronounce on the constitutional validity of the Marine Living Resources Act, as magistrates' courts lack the jurisdictional capacity to do so. It thus convicted all three accused. In making the pronouncement that the ban on fishing extinguished the customary rights of the accused the court did not allude to the conservation considerations underlying the establishment of the MPA and the ban on fishing. These considerations require some attention.
3 When fish are scarce
Centuries-long divergent claims to access to marine resources have now had an impact on the very resource that is at the heart of these struggles. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), global fish food supply has grown dramatically in the last five decades, with an average growth rate of 3.2 per cent per year in the period 1961-2009, outpacing the increase of 1.7 per cent per year in the world's population.27 In essence the FAO report surmises that the declining global marine catch over the last few years together with the increased percentage of overexploited fish stocks and the decreased proportion of non-fully exploited species around the world means that the state of the world's marine fisheries is worsening, and that this has had a negative impact on fishery production. Scientists now believe that "global limits to exploitation have been reached and that recovery of depleted stocks must become a cornerstone of fisheries management".28
South African fisheries are in a similarly dire situation and many of South Africa's inshore marine resources are already overexploited or have collapsed, with a few being fully exploited.29 This is mainly due to the accessibility of the resources to a wide range of marine user groups including commercial fishers and recreational fishers, as well as all types of illegal harvesting or poaching.30 We are thus faced with competing claims to access fisheries in the context of a fast dwindling resource.
In response, a range of fisheries management practices are relied upon in an attempt to halt the rapid decline of fish stocks. This includes the establishment of MPAs, in essence a tool to conserve biodiversity and to help rebuild the productivity of the oceans.
The Dwesa-Cwebe MPA,31 adjacent to the Dwesa-Cwebe Nature Reserve, represents one of 21 MPAs in South Africa and is deemed to be of vital importance for a number of reasons, including its role as an important habitat for various fish species. This includes its role as a spawning area of the white steenbras; its role as one of only two breeding sites for the white steenbras and a breeding site for the equally threatened red steenbras; and its role as a nursery area for a number of other fish species.32 During testimony in Gonqgose an expert witness strongly cautioned against the opening of MPAs and advised that the opening of protected areas has historically proven disastrous as the large breeding fish get taken first, leading to an inevitable decline in spawning and the hatching of new stock.
In some respects Gongqose reflects the ultimate conundrum. On the one hand, the history of the area reflects the colonial tale of dispossession of access to natural resources. On the other hand, it presents the need to adopt and implement stringent measures aimed at protecting a threatened natural resource. This gives rise to a clash of rights: on the one hand there is a group's right to exercise customary practices, and on the other hand broader public interest rights to environmental sustainability.33 These clashes are not uncommon in jurisdictions subject to indigenous claims to fishing rights.
Marrying resource constraints and custom
4.1 The nature of customary rights to marine resources
Neither our legislation nor our courts have until now addressed the exercise of customary rights related to marine resources. It is thus unclear what the nature and scope of such rights would be, how they might relate to access to resources, and ultimately when in conflict with conservation aims, how those conservation aims must be delineated and how the opposing interests must be balanced.
In the leading Canadian case on aboriginal rights to fishing R v Van der Peet,34 the court had to assess whether salmon lawfully caught under a so-called native food fish licence, which excluded commercial sale, fell outside of the constitutionally protected aboriginal right.35 In denying the right to commercial sale the court held that "[T]o be an aboriginal right an activity must be an element of a practice, custom or tradition integral to the distinctive culture of the aboriginal group claiming the right."36 It argued that aboriginal rights related only to those activities which were of central significance to the aboriginal community before colonial contact and stated that the claimant must "demonstrate, in other words, that the practice, custom or tradition was one of the things which made the culture of the society distinctive - that it was one of the things that truly made the society what it was".37
An earlier dissenting opinion in Van der Peet at the British Columbia Court of Appeal level embraced a more flexible view of custom and stated that the description of aboriginal rights should "relate the custom to the significance of the custom in the lives of the aboriginal people in question. If the fishing for salmon was what defined the culture of the society and made possible the cycle of the lives of its members, then it would be possible to describe the aboriginal right as a right to live from the salmon resource and continue to make salmon a focus of the sustainment of the lives of the people."38 Thus, custom is what the members of the community believe and define it to be. However, one may also argue that the need to adequately and accurately validate the existence of custom weighs especially heavy when the custom relates to the use of natural resources.
In terms of South African law, customary law can be divided into statutory and non-statutory law. Statutory customary law refers to those customary traditions and practices that have been embodied in legislation such as the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act.39 Non-statutory customary law, on the other hand, refers to uncodified traditions and practices that do not originate from legislation but can be accessed through written or oral sources.40 It is this latter form of customary law that applies to the fishing practices of the Hobeni, as there are no statutory sources related to these practices. It must be said, however, that the nature of custom or customary practice is such that it makes the task of ascertaining customary law challenging. It is common cause that customary practices may differ from place to place and may change constantly over time. Customary practices are also somewhat ambiguous in that they are "uneasily poised on the boundary between law and fact".41 This makes it difficult for courts to ascertain customary law and in the absence of precedent or written texts, courts rely on witness testimony.42
In Gongqose the fishing practices of the Hobeni community were accepted as customary law as ascertained by the oral testimony of two expert witnesses, both of whom had worked extensively with the Hobeni community. The accused testified that they were raised as fishermen and were taught the skills and traditions of fishing by their fathers, who in turn had been taught these skills and traditions by their fathers. The accused also testified to customs and traditions relating to the allocation of fishing spots over the generations and the reliance on the sea for many traditional customs practised by the men and woman of his community. A medical healer testified to the customary rituals relating to the sea and the intrinsic value of that specific piece of the coast to ancestral rituals. Additional evidence of the customary link to the sea was provided by expert witnesses who reiterated that harvesting marine resources went beyond subsistence and material need and constituted part of the culture and custom of many communities.
Ultimately, the court has the power (and discretion) to declare a traditional practice as law. In doing so it needs to make a judgement call with respect to the authenticity and persuasiveness of the evidence presented in support of the existence of such a custom. In Gongqose, as was stated in the dissenting opinion in the Canadian case of Van der Peet, the evidence spoke of the significance of the custom in the lives of the community in question and the significance of the resource to the sustainment of the lives of the people.
4.2 The relationship between customary law and natural resources
A further question is the role of customary law in respect of access to natural resources. This issue was first addressed in Alexkor Ltd and Another v Richtersveld Community.43 A community of indigenous people, the Richtersveld community successfully instituted a claim for the restoration of land. The court found that the content of the land rights held by the community must be determined by reference to the history and the usages of the community of the Richtersveld. Evidence presented in the case showed a history of prospecting in minerals by the community and conduct that was consistent with ownership of the minerals being vested in the community.
In the light of the evidence and of the findings by the lower courts, the Constitutional Court took the view that the real character of the title that the Richtersveld community possessed in the subject land prior to annexation was a right of communal ownership under indigenous law. The content of that right included the right to exclusive occupation and use of the subject land by members of the community. The community had the right to use its water, to use its land for grazing and hunting and to exploit its natural resources, above and beneath the surface. The court thus awarded the land claim inclusive of mineral resources and the right to claim compensation for past use in terms of a settlement agreement.44
Alexkor thus confirms that customary law may serve as the basis for claims to natural resources and reiterates the importance of customary law as an integral part of our law. The case is furthermore evident of the need to bring about some sense of restitution in the face of historic deprivations of ownership, the use of and access to natural resources. It is also clear that access to natural resources must be properly placed in a historical context that speaks to traditions and the usage of natural resources. The history of the Dwesa-Cwebe communities, as in the case of the Richtersveld community, clearly indicates the existence of long-term utilisation of marine resources for food security as well as for other cultural practices linked to the ocean. Most importantly, Alexkor demonstrates the legal validity of customary claims to natural resources and that customary law, like any other source of law such as common law, provides the legal basis for claims to access and use.
4.3 Customary law in the light of resource constraints: the quest for balance
Unlike mineral resources, marine resources are not viewed as resources that are available for exclusive or optimal use. In fact, they are resources that require prudent management to ensure long-term sustainability and availability to a variety of different users including the present and future traditional users. Applying Alexkor to cases involving customary access to natural resources thus requires a more nuanced understanding of the type of resource and the requirements for sustainable management of such resource and ultimately how sustainable management can take account of access claims grounded in customary law. In assessing customary rights claims to access marine resources one will thus have to balance such claims against the counter-demand of resource conservation.
As stated above, the defence in Gongqose primarily relied on a rights-based argument, that the Hobeni community enjoys a constitutionally protected customary right of access to marine resources in the reserve as protected by section 31(1) of the Constitution and that the absolute ban on fishing and the harvesting of marine resources in the Reserve amounted to a complete extinguishment of those customary rights. In accepting this argument the court expressed its doubts as to whether the provision that established the MPA, section 43 of the MLRA, would survive a test of constitutional validity. The issue of constitutional validity requires, however, a bit more reflection.
In this respect, as with all rights-based claims, one needs to consider when and under what circumstances rights in the Bill of Rights may be circumscribed. Section 36 of the Bill or Rights sets out specific criteria for justifiable restrictions on these rights;45 the primary requirements being that the limitation must be limited only in terms of law of general application and that the limitation is reasonable and justifiable in an open and democratic society based on human dignity, equality and freedom. The latter requirement is instructive. In essence, it lays down a proportionality requirement, in terms of which it must be shown that the law in question (the Marine Living Resources Act) serves a constitutionally acceptable purpose and that there is sufficient proportionality between the infringement and the purpose that the law is designed to achieve.46
Section 43 of the Marine Living Resources Act was enacted to promote the goal of marine conservation, a purpose that is explicitly mandated by section 24 of the Constitution.47 The court in Gongqose made only one reference to section 24 and refrained from considering its applicability in the matter. Section 24 places a mandate on the state to take certain measures in order to secure the ecologically sustainable development and use of natural resources. The environmental right places, therefore, a very clear constitutional duty on the government to ensure that natural resources such as marine resources are managed in a mainer which acknowledges the economic interests in fisheries, but at the same time ensures that ecosystems and species are protected to ensure long-term viability. The enactment of the Marine Living Resources Act is in line with this obligation and serves a constitutional purpose. The Act was established to provide for the conservation of the marine ecosystem, the long-term sustainable utilisation of marine living resources, and the orderly access to exploitation, utilisation and protection of certain marine living resources.48
In line with these stated objectives, the Marine Living Resources Act provides for an array of fisheries management tools such as the determination of allowable catches,49 access to marine resources by way of quotas and permits,50 harvesting methods51 and marine protected areas. Section 43 gives the Minister the power to declare an area to be a marine protected area with the following aims:
(a) for the protection of fauna and flora or a particular species of fauna or flora and the physical features on which they depend;
(b) to facilitate fishery management by protecting spawning stock, allowing stock recovery, enhancing stock abundance in adjacent areas, and providing pristine communities for research; or
(c) to diminish any conflict that may arise from competing uses in that area.
In terms of section 43 Dwesa-Cwebe was declared a marine protected area, and in accordance with section 43(b), with the specific function of safeguarding the spawning and breeding site of a threatened fish species. This objective must play a central role in any balancing of the competing interests of conservation and custom. Central to section 43 is the need to safeguard a species and its associated ecosystem beyond immediate needs to ensure viability for future generations. As such it safeguards national and perhaps even global interests in dynamic marine ecosystems. In Christian Education South Africa v Minister of Education,52 which dealt with the right to practice religion and an independent school's right to use corporal punishment, the court suggested that when balancing conflicting rights more weight may be given to a right that aims to protect interests at a national level, an approach that suggests that the scales may weigh more heavily on the side of the sustainable management of fisheries in Dwesa-Cwebe.
One must bear in mind, however, that a proper balancing of competing interests requires a consideration of all such interests. It is not clear that at the time of the declaration of the MPA all competing interests had indeed been taken into account.53 In particular, it is not evident that the customary interests of the Hobeni community was a factor taken into consideration. This makes an enquiry into the reasonableness and justifiability of the declaration of the MPA and the ban on fishing a challenging enterprise. When engaging in a section 36 proportionality enquiry the court would rely as per section 36 on a set of relevant factors including:
(a) the nature of the right;
(b) the importance of the purpose of the limitation;
(c) the nature and extent of the limitation;
(d) the relation between the limitation and its purpose; and
(e) less restrictive means to achieve the purpose.
The state may be hard-pressed to alleviate the burden of some of the factors set out in section 36. For example, with respect to (e) the state will need to show that there are no alternative and less restrictive measures to protect the marine species in the Dwesa-Cwebe MPA that would at the same time permit the Hobeni community to practice its customary rights. If the same purpose can be achieved by means that are less restrictive of the community's customary rights, the limiting law will not be considered unreasonable and unjustifiable.54 This would require the state to show not only that its prioritisation of conservation at the time was based on scientific evidence, but also that its action was informed by all uses of the MPA, including the traditional use and the customary practices of the community. Whilst the latter may be difficult to show, scientific evidence may provide some rationale for the declaration of a no-take MPA. For instance it has been argued that once fishing is resumed in marine reserves, stocks of animals which have accumulated over time are very rapidly depleted and a WWF report estimated that the natural capital (fish stocks) accumulated over forty years in the Tsitsikamma MPA would be fished down in approximately 33 fishing days if a section of the MPA was opened to fishing.55 On the other hand would the same result occur if the MPA was closed only during the breeding period of the White Steenbras, therefore providing access for the community, whilst preserving conservation aims? At the end of the day though, it is not the function of the Court to second-guess the wisdom of policy choices made by the legislature.56 It would grant a margin of discretion to the state, but one would argue that such discretion would come into play only if the state could show that it had considered all the relevant circumstances that would influence its decision.
5 Towards reconciliation
Gongqose in some ways represents an extreme example of the conflict between custom and conservation. Not all customary rights to fishing would involve no-take marine protected areas and extremely threatened marine resources. However, to simply accept that section 43 amounts to a 'complete extinguishment' of the customary rights of the community without considering the broader aims and purposes of section 43 is to take an approach that pits the community against nature in a way that suggests a separation between human beings and the environment and does not take into account the environmental interests of the community itself. The court states that:57
This court cainot be blind to the reality that the plain and simple truth is that while these marine resource extractions may not include long term benefits for communities or the environment itself they in reality only need to benefit the community from day to day to have an enormous immediate benefit to those utilizing them to survive. What in essence is the undeniable truth is that this impoverished community is starving today and the children of the area require education now and for them the future is of little consequence.
While one acknowledges the food security requirements of the community, attending to short-term needs only is not sustainable. Such a view supports the convention that fisheries can be managed only in a way that implies human 'apartness' from nature and superiority over other living things. This view is inconsistent with the interdependence of people and nature, and the principle that people live subject to the constraints of the natural world.58
In fact, one could argue that the goal of the sustainable management of threatened marine species in the Dwesa-Cwebe MPA not only preserves the national interest in marine conservation but also favours the communities of Dwesa and Cwebe by conserving the marine ecosystem for the use and benefit of future generations of the community. The Canadian case, Kruger v The Queen, is instructive in this regard. The court noted that "without some conservation measures the ability of Indians or others to hunt for food would become a moot issue in consequence of the destruction of the resource".59 The communities of Hobeni have traditionally relied on the MPA for a myriad of uses, including food security. Sustainable management of the Dwesa-Cwebe MPA would in the long run ensure a more viable resource supply, but such management needs also to take cognisance of customary rights and practices.
The nature of the conflict between customary and environmental rights is such that it requires a different approach. Current fisheries management has been criticised, such criticism including the statement that "fishing rights have been construed narrowly to mean the right to harvest, a right that is seen as separate and distinct from management of the resource".60 This is an approach that favours the economic exploitation of natural resources wherein exploitation and management are generally conceived as separate activities: users of the resource are expected to apply their legal rights to compete and prosper and, in so doing, to behave according to market pressures, while the responsibility for preventing overuse lies with public institutions and regulatory agencies.61
Arguments are thus now made for a community-based approach to fisheries management that actively involves indigenous communities. It is based on the principles of stewardship and utilising cultural practices and traditional knowledge related to fisheries management to enhance the management process.62 Local communities thus become involved not only in stock assessment and monitoring but also in compliance and enforcement. In essence, it requires the involvement of the community in a way that instils not only a right to harvest, but also a duty to manage the resources for future generations. Thus, "when communities become stewards, a large percentage of the community residents as well as fishermen enforce the system as fundamental to the values of the society, or at least of the local community".63 This is certainly a compelling model, provided that one has accurately and comprehensively distilled the content and meaning of the cultural practices of a particular community in the context of fishing.
South Africa has recently adopted a small-scale fisheries sector policy64 which, in its own words, 'recognises and draws on age-old local traditions and practices of catching, harvesting and managing marine living resources among Small-Scale fishers. At the same time, the new approach seeks to address the ecological sustainability of the resource, the progressive realisation of socio-economic human rights within affected communities, and current economic realities.'65 The policy thus proposes a range of management instruments and tools that could be used in the small-scale fishing sector. These include the assessment of the status of marine living resources; management plans; demarcating areas that are prioritised for small-scale fishers; and agreements that would implement these management tools.
It is not clear, however, that the policy at this point envisages the inclusion of local communities or the utilisation of traditional knowledge in the actual management of marine resources such as the assessment of stock. It is also not clear how or whether existing no-take MPAs such as Dwesa-Cwebe will be considered in the demarcation of small-scale fishing community areas designed to provide for co-management. The policy is, however, a first step in actively involving indigenous communities in the actual management and conservation of marine resources.
6 Conclusion
It is evident that indigenous communities throughout the world share a common desire to maintain traditional and cultural practices related to marine resources. Often, as is the case in Dwesa and Cwebe, marine resources play an important role in food security and day-to-day subsistence. At the same time marine resources are the subject of competing claims from other sectors and as a result are now under severe threat of depletion. Ironically, the scarcity of marine resources resulted not from those that engage in subsistence living, but rather as a result of large-scale commercial fishing.
Gongqose reminds us that these claims are real and that they are most likely, as in other parts of the world situated in historic dispossession and denial of rights, unequal treatment and as a result, dire poverty. In negotiating these conflicts one must, therefore, find a way of reconciling customary and environmental rights that would refrain from situating indigenous communities as separate from the environment and conservation, but would rather make them an integral part of marine resource management.
African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights Report of the African Commission's Working Group of Experts on Indigenous Populations/Communities (ACHPR Banjul 2005) [ Links ]
Bennett TW Customary Law in South Africa (Juta Cape Town 2007) [ Links ]
Blumm M "Native Fishing Rights and Environmental Protection in North America and New Zealand: A Comparative Analysis of Profits A Prendre and Habitat Servitudes" 1989-1990 Wis Int'l L J 1-4 [ Links ]
Charlton G Constitutional Conflicts and Aboriginal Rights: Hunting, Fishing and Gathering Rights in Canada, New Zealand and the United States (PhD-thesis University of Auckland 2009) [ Links ]
Cheadle H "Limitation of Rights" in Cheadle H, Davis D and Haysom N (eds) South African Constitutional Law: The Bill of Rights (LexisNexis Durban 2013) ch 3 [ Links ]
Cornell S "Indigenous Peoples, Poverty, and Self-Determination in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States" in Eversole R, McNeish J and Cimadamore AD Indigenous Peoples and Poverty: An International Perspective (Zed Books London 2005) ch 11 [ Links ]
Currie I and De Waal J The Bill of Rights Handbook 5th ed (Juta Cape Town 2006) [ Links ]
Fabricius C and Koch E "The Fundamentals of Community-Based Natural Resource Management" in Fabricius C and Koch E (eds) Rights, Resources and Rural Development: Community-Based Natural Resource Management in Southern Africa (Earthscan London 2004) 3-43 [ Links ]
United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation The State of World Fisheries And Aquaculture (FAO Rome 2012) [ Links ]
Fay D "Land Tenure, Land Use, and Land Reform at Dwesa-Cwebe, South Africa: Local Transformations and the Limits of the State" 2009 World Development 1424-1433 [ Links ]
Notzke C Aboriginal Peoples and Natural Resources in Canada (Captus Press North York 1994) [ Links ]
Ntshona Z et al "From land rights to environmental entitlements: Community discontent in the 'successful' Dwesa-Cwebe land claim in South Africa" 2010 Development Southern Africa 353-361 [ Links ]
Palmer R, Timmermans H and Fay D (eds) From Conflict to Negotiation: Nature-Based Development on the South African Wild Coast (HSRC Pretoria 2000) [ Links ]
Pinkerton E and Weinstein M Fisheries That Work: Sustainability Through Community-Based Management (David Suzuki Foundation Vancouver 1995) [ Links ]
Sowman M "Subsistence and small-scale fisheries in South Africa: A ten-year review" 2006 Marine Policy 60-73 [ Links ]
Wachira Mukundi G The Constitutional and Legislative Protection of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: Country Report of the Research Project by the International Labour Organization and the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (Centre for Human Rights Pretoria 2009) [ Links ]
Walter E, M'Gonigle M and McKay C "Fishing Around the Law: The Pacific Salmon Management System as a 'Structural Infringement' of Aboriginal Rights" 2000 McGill L J 263-314 [ Links ]
Wicomb W and Smith H "Customary communities as 'peoples' and their customary tenure as 'culture': What we can do with the Endorois decision" 2011 AHRLJ 422-446 [ Links ]
Wilkinson C Messages from Frank's Landing: A Story of Salmon, Treaties, and the Indian Way (University of Washington Press Seattle 2000) [ Links ]
Worm B and Branch TA "The Future of Fish" 2012 Trends in Ecology and Evolution 594-599 [ Links ]
World Wide Fund for Nature Sanlam Living Waters Partnership Report on Proposed Opening of Tsitsikamma MPA to Fishing (WWF Cape Town 2004) [ Links ]
Register of case law
Alexkor Ltd v Richtersveld Community 2004 5 SA 460 (CC)
Christian Education South Africa v Minister of Education 1998 12 BCLR 1449 (CC)
Kruger v The Queen 1978 1 SCR 104
Mabo v Queensland (No 2) 1992 175 CLR 1
R v Van der Peet 1993 80 BCLR (2d) 75
R v Van der Peet 1996 2 SCR 507
S v Gongqose Case No. E382/10 (unreported)
Setteement Agreement in terms of Section 42D of the Restitution of Land Rights Act 22 of 1994: The Dwesa-Cwebe Community Land Restitution Claim
Te Weehi v Regional Fisheries Officer 1986 1 NZLR 680
United States v Washington 384 F Supp 312 (WD Wash 1974)
United States v Washington (Phase I) 506 F Supp 187 (WD Wash 1980)
Register of legislation
Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996
Canadian Constitution Act, 1982
Marine Living Resources Act 18 of 1998
Recognition of Customary Marriages Act 120 of 1998
Restitution of Land Rights Act 22 of 1994
Torres Strait Fisheries Act, 1984
Register of international instruments
Torres Strait Treaty (1978)
Register of government publications
GN R1429 in GG 21948 of 29 December 2000
GN 474 in GG 35455 of 20 June 2012 (Policy for the Small Scale Fisheries Sector in South Africa (2012))
Register of internet sources
Traffic 2010 Removal of Trade Controls Signals Bleak Future for Abalone www.traffic.org/home/2010/6/4/removal-of-trade-controls-signals-bleakfuture-for-abalone.html [date of use May 2013] [ Links ]
World Wide Fund for Nature Date Unknown Marine Protected Areas www.wwf.org.za/what_we_do/marine/mpas/ [date of use May 2013] [ Links ]
World Wide Fund for Nature 2011 Fisheries: Facts and Trends in South Africa www.wwf.org.za/media_room/publications/?7004/fisheries-facts-and-trends [date of use May 2013] [ Links ]
List of abbreviations
ACHPR African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights
AHRLJ African Human Rights Law Journal
FAO United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation
McGill L J McGill Law Journal
MLRA Marine Living Resources Act
MPA Marine protected area
Wis Int'l L J Wisconsin International Law Journal
WWF World Wide Fund for Nature
1 This includes countries such as the United States of America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway.
2 S v Gongqose Case No. E382/10 (unreported) (Gongqoze).
3 At the outset it should be made clear that the concept of "indigenous communities" is a complex one in the South African context. While the term "indigenous" is often used in a broad sense to refer to the languages and legal customs of the black African population, the term is perhaps more accurate in relation to the San and Khoi people who self-identify as such in line with the criteria proposed by the African Commission's Working Group of Experts on Indigenous Populations/Communities, whose emphasis is on self-identification. See Wachira Mukundi Constitutional and Legislative Protection 1; ACHPR Report 15-17; 89. See also Wicomb and Smith 2011 AHRLJ 422-446. In this note the broader sense of the concept "indigenous" will be intended.
4 See for instance Cornell "Indigenous Peoples". See also Fabricius and Koch "Fundamentals of Community-Based Natural Resource Management"; Palmer, Timmermans and Fay From Conflict to Negotiation; Sowman 2006 Marine Policy 60-73.
5 Blumm 1989-1990 Wis Int'l L J 4.
6 Charlton Constitutional Conflicts 20.
7 See for example Wilkinson Messages from Frank's Landing.
8 As has been the case in the US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
9 In Australia, for example, the Torres Strait Fisheries Act, 1984 implements the Torres Stratt Treaty (1978), which provides for traditional fishing.
10 See for instance Te Weehi v Regional Fisheries Officer 1986 1 NZLR 680; Mabo v Queens/and (No 2) 1992 175 CLR 1; United States v Washington 384 F Supp 312 (WD Wash 1974).
11 Marine Living Resources Act 18 of 1998 (MLRA).
12 Up until the promulgation of the MLRA the only categories of fishers that received legal recognition were commercial and recreational fishers.
13 Sowman 2006 Marine Policy 60-73.
14 This may now be remedied through the small-scale fisheries sector policy referred to later in this contribution.
15 Setteement Agreement in terms of Section 42D of the Restitution of Land Rights Act 22 of 1994: The Dwesa-Cwebe Community Land Restitution Claim (on file with the author), (hereafter Dwesa-Cwebe-Settlement Agreement) 6.
16 Gongqoze 4.
17 For more information on the policy of "betterment plaining", see Fay 2009 World Development 1424-1433.
18 Dwesa-Cwebe Setteement Agreement 6.
19 Gongqoze 4.
20 GN R1429 in GG 21948 of 29 December 2000.
21 Dwesa-Cwebe Settlement Agreement 6. In terms of the agreement 5,283 hectares was restored in full ownership to the claimants, consisting of the Dwesa and Cwebe Nature Reserves, the Haven Hotel and a number of holiday cottages. Clause 6.1 of the Agreement determined that the Dwesa-Cwebe reserves were to be protected as a national protected area in perpetuity. Clause 8.1 furthermore provided for a Community Agreement in terms of which the Reserve was to be co-managed with the Trust representing the claimant communities for an initial period of 21 years. This was not, however, given effect to.
22 In terms of clause 9 of the Dwesa-Cwebe Setteement Agreement an amount of R2.1 million was to be paid to the community in exchange for leasing the land in perpetuity as a protected area and R1.6 million as compensation under the Restitution of Land Rights Act 22 of 1994 for choosing not to take physical occupation of the land. The 2,382 households involved in the claim would also receive in excess of R10 million in the form of grants.
23 See Ntshona 2010 Development Southern Africa 353-361 for a narrative on the inability of successful land claimants to enjoy livelihood benefits from their newly acquired land rights.
24 Gongqose 23.
25 Gongqose 23.
26 Gongqose 23.
27 FAO State of Wordd Fisheries 3.
28 Worm and Branch 2012 Trends in Ecology and Evolution 599.
29 WWF 2011 www.wwf.org.za.
30 Traffic 2010 www.traffic.org.
31 It is 14 km long and extends 6 km out to sea from the high-water mark.
32 WWF Date Unknown www.wwf.org.za.
33 United States v Washington (Phase I) 506 F Supp 187 (WD Wash 1980).
34 R v Van der Peet 1996 2 SCR 507.
35 Section 35(1) of the Canadian Constitution Act, 1982 states that: "[T]he existing aboriginal and treaty rights of the aboriginal peoples of Canada are hereby recognized and affirmed".
36 R v Van der Peet 1996 2 SCR 507 549.
37 R v Van der Peet 1996 2 SCR 507 553.
38 R v Van der Peet 1993 80 BCLR (2d) 75.
39 Recognition of Customary Marriages Act 120 of 1998.
40 For an overview of customary law in South Africa, see Bennett Customary Law.
41 Bennett Customary Law 144.
42 The courts have not indicated how many witnesses are required or whether they should have certain types of qualifications. However, the testimony of traditional rulers is preferred as they are actively engaged in applying customary law in traditional court structures. Bennett Customary Law 49.
43 Alexkor Ltd v Richtersveld Community 2004 5 SA 460 (CC).
44 The settlement included 194 600 ha being given to the community, including an 84 000 ha coastal strip of diamond-bearing land mined by Alexkor; an 'extraordinary reparation payment' of R190-million to a community-owned investment company; a R50-million development grant and also transfer of Alexkor's farming operations to the community. Alexkor and the community are to enter into a joint mining venture, in which Alexkor will hold a 51 per cent interest, to which the state will contribute up to R200-million in capitalisation. The mine-owned town of Alexander Bay will be transferred to the community, and Alexkor will pay R45-million to continue housing its staff there for a period of ten years.
45 S 36 of the Constitution states that: '(1) The rights in the Bill of Rights may be limited only in terms of law of general application to the extent that the limitation is reasonable and justifiable in an open and democratic society based on human dignity, equality and freedom, taking into account all relevant factors, including- (a) the nature of the right; (b) the importance of the purpose of the limitation; (c) the nature and extent of the limitation; (d) the relation between the limitation and its purpose; and (e) less restrictive means to achieve the purpose. (2) Except as provided in subsection (1) or in any other provision of the Constitution, no law may limit any right entrenched in the Bill of Rights.'
46 Currie and De Waal Bill of Rights Handbook.
47 Section 24 of the Constitution provides as follows: 'Everyone has the right - (a) to an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being; and (b) to have the environment protected, for the benefit of present and future generations, through reasonable legislative and other measures that (i) prevent pollution and ecological degradation; (ii) promote conservation; and (iii) secure ecologically sustainable development and use of natural resources while promoting justifiable economic and social development.'
48 Preamble to the MLRA.
49 S 14 of the MLRA.
50 Ss 18, 19 and 20 of the MLRA.
51 Chapter 5 of the MLRA.
52 Christian Education South Africa v Minister of Education 1998 12 BCLR 1449 (CC).
53 As evidenced by oral testimony during the case.
54 Cheadle "Limitation of Rights".
55 WWF Sanlam Living Waters Partnership Report (on file with the author).
56 Currie and De Waal Bill of Rights Handbook 170.
57 Gongqose 14.
58 Notzke Aboriginal Peoples 2.
59 Kruger v The Queen 1978 1 SCR 104 112.
60 Walter, M'Gonigle and McKay 2000 McGill L J 267.
61 Walter, M'Gonigle and McKay 2000 McGill L J 267.
62 See for example Pinkerton and Weinstein Fisheries That Work.
63 Pinkerton and Weinstein Fisheries That Work 16.
64 GN 474 in GG 35455 of 20 June 2012 (Policy for the Small Scale Fisheries Sector in South Africa (2012)).
65 Policy for the Small Scale Fisheries Sector in South Africa (2012) 27.

subset: commoncrawl


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text: Description Ultimate Financial Forecaster is financial projection software for predicting the fiscal future of an organization and creating reports and charts based on its revenue and expense data. Users create the data by answering monthly income and expenditure questions or by importing it from QuickBooks. This donation licenses a single user to use Ultimate Financial Forecaster 3.0. It includes 30 days of free customer support, after which the rate is $35 a call. The application can create reports for balance sheets, cash plans, expense budgets, ratio analyses, break even analyses, expenses by category, and more. Users can also create 2D and 3D line and bar graphs to accompany reports. All reports and graphs are automatically generated for a 36-month period and can be printed in either yearly or summary formats. Ultimate Financial Forecaster also includes a database with hundreds of resources for contacting banks, idea protection agencies, and economic development departments. For organizations interested in writing an entire business plan, Atlas Business Solutions offers an upgrade to the Ultimate Business Planner application at a reduced rate of $49. This application includes all the functionality of Ultimate Financial Forecaster along with step-by-step instructions and advice for writing a business plan. Choose Carefully The administrative fee for this product is not refundable, and the product cannot be exchanged. Obtaining This Product When TechSoup approves your request, we will send a message to your organization email address with instructions for obtaining and activating this product.


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It's a busy day. We start off with a MB soil-touch test, just planting the MB on the soil to see if the contact switches trip -- not that there's anything wrong with Opportunity's MB, but this exercises most of the same software path that's a possible culprit in the Spirit MB contact problem. Whether we see the same problem on Opportunity or not, we'll help narrow down our suspects.
After that, we're driving, putting some distance between us and Cabo Corrientes. The first part of the drive uses Visual Target Tracking, a new R9.2 flight software feature we're still checking out. After that, it's a cool 30m of autonav toward the Cape of Good Hope. You know, the one on Mars, not the original.
We need the help of the main VTT developer, Won Kim, to be sure we're doing today's part of the VTT checkout right. I am quickly reminded that research guys aren't used to ops -- they don't have the sense that you gotta do stuff and make decisions right now because there's a tactical deadline, and if you miss it, you blow a sol. So they aren't in the constant hurry that characterizes the rest of us. They dither. They optimize. They tweak.
They drive me nuts.
So I put him with Terry. Which isn't mean; it's a brilliant (ahem) solution because Terry himself comes from that world but understands this one, so he can speak Won's language and still get things done on time.
And it works out just that way. Despite some early delays, we're mindful of the hard 14:30 deadline that Matt Keuneke spells out for us, and we meet it with room to spare. Hell, we're ready at 14:00. It's almost embarrassing.
Since we have all this extra time, maybe we can afford to dither, and optimize, and tweak. Or, come to think of it, let's not.
[Next post: sol 1105 (Opportunity sol 1125), March 3.]
Opportunity Sol 1101 (Spirit Sol 1121)
Posted by Scott Maxwell at 15:41
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Sunday, July 16, 2017
July 16 - The Carmelite Martyrs of Compiegne
Constance was only one of the sixteen women who were now facing their own imminent deaths at the hands of those who were the self-proclaimed enlightened minds of a new world order. Yet, she was the youngest and least experienced of all of the women. Constance was still in her novitiate with the Carmelite order when they had been arrested and dragged before a judge to answer charges of treason, espionage, and fanaticism.Thus, Constance was distressed that she would face death without having ever professed her vows as a nun. However, the prioress of the community--Teresa--invited Constance to profess her vows with the community as the older and more experienced women reconsecrated themselves in service to God at the foot of the guillotine. Having finally become a full member of that sacred community, Constance was more than willing to ascend the steps to the revolution's enlightened butchery, but first she knelt before her prioress and asked for permission to go and die as a martyr for their common Lord Jesus.When Teresa granted her permission, Constance stood quickly and walked confidently up the stairs while singing the hymn "Laudate Dominum omnes gentes"--"All peoples praise the Lord." Fifteen other voices joined with her as Constance set her own neck in the path of the suspended blade but the rest of the crowd remained deathly silent. Once the blade had fallen and made Constance a martyr, there were only fifteen voices left to sing the hymn.
The women had once lived peaceful lives in a cloistered community of service and devotion. They fed the poor, treated the sick, and offered love to their enemies. But, in 1792 there had been a revolution in France that overthrew the absolute monarchy and aristocracy that strongly favored Roman Catholic clergy and monastics. In the aftermath of that upheaval, the new leaders had favored a viciously anti-religious government that discounted all expressions of faith regardless of their goodness or peacefulness. They ruled by more modern ideas and according to the teachings of those thinkers we call members of "the Enlightenment."The nuns of Compiegne had not fought against the revolutionaries and had, in fact, helped to reduce oppression upon the poor and hurting but in the aftermath of the revolution their vows of allegiance to Jesus Christ meant that they were targets for elimination. At first, they were simply outlawed but they continued to meet in secret in spite of the commands of the new government. Eventually, they were arrested and tried. In accordance with the demands of Robespierre, their trial and sentencing happened in less than twenty-four hours. The charges were trumped up and they were eventually found guilty of the catch-all crime for those the revolutionaries detested: "fanaticism."
As each woman climbed the steps that led to her death and martyrdom there was one less voice singing the hymns that sustained them and spoke beautifully of the faith that motivated their actions. The crowd remained silent as they watched each woman approach their death with courage and forgive their executioners. Their song became a trio and then a duet but it had lost none of its passion. Finally, it was a solo performance by Teresa, the prioress of a community of martyrs. Teresa ascended the stairs and followed in the footsteps of Constance and all the other faithful women who had died in the last few hours. She continued the song they had shared. When Teresa finished the song, she offered forgiveness to the executioner and surrendered her neck to the guillotine with a quiet prayer. The lever was pulled and the blade, having not grown tired of carnage, rushed to kill Teresa and reunite her with her sisters in the presence of God.With the death of the last nun, the crowd remained silent and began to leave that place with doubts in their mind--who would claim such savagery as enlightened when it was covered over in the blood of sixteen innocent and loving women? As they left the place, one of the crowd observed, "Look at them and see if they do not have the air of angels! By my faith, if these women did not all go straight to Paradise, then no one is there!" As the crowd left, perhaps some went away humming the hymn the women had sung and left behind for the crowd as an inheritance of a Kingdom-not-of-this-world.
Posted by Joshua Hearne at 7:00 AM
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Sixth Annual Cook Grandfather-Father-Son Baseball Roadtrip – Game 3, Twins at Tigers (5/26/2013)
On May 26, 2013, we woke up in Windsor, Ontario. We had one more baseball game scheduled for the 2013 Cook Grandfather-Father-Son Baseball Roadtrip, and it was waiting across the river from us, back at Comerica Park.
The game was scheduled for a 1:08 p.m. start time. We decided to do breakfast back in the good ol' U.S. of A. so we hopped in the car, motored through the Tunnel to U.S.A. and crossed the border for the final time on our trip:
We had no clue what we would do for breakfast. We thought maybe we would pass a nice looking restaurant on our way to the stadium. I wasn't sure how the morning would go if we didn't get to eat anything until the ballpark opened around 11:30. But we were there before we knew it and didn't find any breakfast. Oh, well…we'd figure something out…
We parked in the stadium lot directly across the street from the batters' eye. Tim caught some pop flies…
…before we set out to see the ballpark.
Because we were running late the day before, we hadn't gotten a chance for my dad to see the outside of the ballpark. We headed to the LF corner and circled around toward the 3B side. Here are some sights along the way:
From top right and moving in the shape of a "W": (1) Tim and my dad are standing just outside of the LF gate with Ford Field (home of the Detroit Lions) behind them; (2) walking down the street from LF toward the home plate end of the ballpark, we walked by the ferris wheel; (3) circling around the corner just passed the ferris wheel, Tim and my dad in front of a fancy tiger door; (4) a little further down the side walk, Tim and Kellan posed with a fancy tile Tiger "D"; and (5) just passed the players' entrance, Tim posed with a plaque for Ty Cobb the "Greatest Tiger of All, A Genius in Spikes."
As we kept walking, we circled the next corner and found ourselves outside the coolest ballpark gate in all of Major League Baseball:
This gate is so big and bold and awesome that it is pretty much impossible to get all of the awesomeness into one picture, so here are some more:
Hey, guess what!? See those windows below the two tigers in the photo above to the right? Well, inside those windows is a diner…
…where we were able to feast on pancakes and bacon! Hooray! Isn't it great when things work out?
After breakfast, we headed to the coolest gate in all of baseball and set our stuff down first in line. And then we played catch a whole bunch. Eventually, I started throwing pop flies to Tim and this was the result:
In case that doesn't make sense, I was throwing pop flies over the Comerica Park sign to Tim our by the big tiger. It was actually quite difficult to throw the ball straight up and over that sign and still make it land out where Tim was standing.
Once the crowd got too big for us to continue playing catch, we hung out by the gate. Tim passed time by climbing on these support bars…
…while Kellan sat with my dad and looked at pictures on his cellphone.
Upon entering the stadium, the boys both collected their give-away Tigers baseball cards sets, and then we headed down to the field. We were the first people entering the 1B foul territory seats. As we walked down the aisle, there were 4-5 Twins coaches sitting on the wall. I was sure they would walk away as they saw *the fans* approaching, but they stayed put. Tim, Kellan and I walked up behind them and I asked them collectively, "Any Twins coaches interested in getting a picture with some Mariners fans!?"
The closest coach to us was Rick Anderson:
And he was, indeed, interested in meeting and getting a picture with some Mariners fans. We chatted for a minute or two. He grew up in Everett, Washington, just north of where I grew up and my folks live, and he went to Mariner High School and used to play sports against Edmonds High School and Woodway High School back in the day. My freshman year, Edmonds and Woodway combined to create the world famous Edmonds-Woodway High School!!!
Rick was a nice dude. And, as we parted ways, he handed us one of the two baseballs he was holding.
Thanks, Rick!
After we chatted with Rick, the other coaches started to disperse. One of the Twins' bullpen catchers started to head toward the dugout. On his way, he tossed two baseballs into the crowd, one to us and one to my dad.
Thanks, unknown bullpen catcher guy!
The field was not set up for BP, which was no surprise. There were no Twins out playing catch. But several sets of Tigers were playing catch on the 3B side. So we headed over there.
Because Prince Fielder had spent all those years in Milwaukee, we brought Tim's cheese head with us. Prince wasn't out on the field, but Tim decided to put on the cheesehead when we headed to Tigers side.
As this picture shows…
…, a some Tigers were playing catch in LF and there was a random stray ball sitting in shallow LF.
As a Tigers coach, Mike Rojas, walked in from the bullpen toward the dugout holding his fungo bat, I called out to him and pointed at the ball in LF. He walked over to it, shouted "CHEESEHEAD!" and gave Tim perfect bounce pass.
Tim caught the ball and admired its *different* logo:
Turns out it was a AAA International League baseball…
…, the second minor league baseball we have snagged at a Major League ballpark.
Sundays at Comerica Park are kids days. That means kids run the bases after the game, and kids ride the rides for free. It was time for some rides. We headed over to the ferris wheel:
We got there just in time. There was a short line, and two minutes later is what 3-4 times as long.
Here are some random view from the ferris wheel:
Pretty cool how the "Tigers" sign pops over the upper deck from the top of the ferris wheel?
All of us Cook boys had fun on there:
When we got off of the ferris wheel, we took a quick stroll through the "Beer Hall"…
…just to see what it looked like in there. At the entrance way of the ferris wheel area there is a fountain with a big baseball on top of it. And Kellan loved it:
Like the day before, we headed over to Twins bullpen to watch the pitchers warm up. While standing around of there, they kept showing this cool graphic on the big screen:
Today's Twins battery was Mike Pelfrey…
…and Ryan Doumit.
Hey, check out the cool hat the police officer guarding the bullpen was wearing:
And check out Ryan Doumit's fancy finger nail stickers:
(I think those are stickers).
By the way, I should mention that Pelfrey was going up against Max Scherzer and his perfect 6-0 record. So he had a tall task before him.
While we were over at the bullpen, Kellan fell asleep on my shoulders…
…and he was sleeping hard.
The game was about to start. Tim wanted to get some ice cream so he and my dad headed over to the Big Cat food court. Kellan and I headed to the cross-aisle so I could lean against the back wall while Kellan slept on my shoulders.
Kellan slept hard through the top of the first and the first out of the bottom of the first. But then the stadium exploded when Torii Hunter hit a solo homerun…
…and Tim was rudely awakened.
Since Kellan was awake, we decided to go join Tim and my dad for the ice cream:
And then it was time for Kellan's first ride on the tiger-go-round:
(Somehow, Kellan and Tim were nowhere near each other on the tiger-go-round and I was with Kellan, so I didn't get any decent pictures of Tim on the tiger-go-round).
Our seats at this game were at the back of the bleachers in deep RCF, and we ended up sitting in those seats for a grant total of zero seconds. After ice cream, I asked my dad if he wanted to check out the SRO area in the cross-aisle where Kellan and I had spent a lot of time the day before, and he was interested. So this is where we spent a bunch of time during this game:
Hey, check out the drink holder that guy had to tote around the ballpark? Talk about awkward to carry!
Here's what our view of home plate looked like:
By the way, the Tigers crowd booed Mauer like crazy every time he came to bat at both of our games in Detroit.
Tim is possibly the most skilled friend maker in the entire world. He is never shies away from talking to other kids of any age. So he had a great time chatting up this little guy standing next to us:
He kid's mom was thrilled that we came and stood next to them. Apparently, the boy wasn't doing well standing there with his parents, but he started having a great time when Tim started chatting with him. They talked about their respective little league teams and, you know, other kid stuff.
Remember that ball the fan gave to Tim two games (and days) ago in Toronto? Remember we gave it to my dad? Well, my dad ended up giving it to this kid. And he was excited to have it.
We were standing in the cross aisle just above the perfect spot for trying to get a third out ball from the Twins. With two outs in the bottom of one inning, I mentioned to Tim that he should get in position to run down to the bottom when the inning ended to try to get a third out ball. He misunderstood what I was saying and just cruised down the steps. He settled in here:
And he was essentially all alone in absolutely the best possible spot when Justin Morneau ended the inning at first base. But, sadly, Morneau walked right at Tim and then tossed the ball to a bunch of adults a little a few rows back and a couple seats over from Tim:
Oh, well.
Tim only made that one attempt, and then we went off to explore the upper deck a bit. For some reason, my dad, Tim and Kellan walked the upper deck holding hands like this:
We popped into the seating area just in time to watch Torii Hunter at bat:
And then it was time for lunch. We headed back to the Big Cat court. Hot dogs were on the menu. Tim and Kellan feasted on standard hot dogs…
…and I had an extremely tasty Chicago Dog.
After lunch, we headed back to the SRO in the cross-aisle:
I took that panorama during the seventh inning streak, which means I have missed some scoring. By this point, the score as 6-1 Tigers, which ended up being the final score. The scoring high light came in the bottom of the sixth inning when pinch-hitter Avisail hit a bases loaded, 2-out, 3 run triple.
Here's something I really like about Comerica Park's new scoreboard:
The "Tigers" sign at the top of the scoreboard is an HD (well, I'm just guessing that it's HD) screen so they can play video clips on the word "TIGERS." That tiger above to the right isn't new, I thought threw it in as an extra bonus.
I'm throwing this in as a bonus too:
"Cowboy" Joe West! He's not the most beloved figure in baseball, but (1) I find him entertaining, (2) he's never done anything (that I can recall) to hurt the Mariners unfairly, and (3) he's been really nice to us. So I like him.
While hanging out in the cross-aisle, I took the opportunity to take an extreme close-up of Tim:
We ended the game behind the plate…
…but did not come away with an umpire ball.
The game ended in a somewhat frustrating fashion. Kellan, who is a super nice, lovable and usually easy going boy, is still in his "terrible twos." Sometimes he can pitch a big old fit for no reason. And that's just what he did at the end of the game. That's no telling what started it, but he screamed and cried for a while, starting right before the game ended and it continued while we got in line for kids' run the bases.
By the way, here is where we got in line…
…and he had to walk all the way around the inside of the stadium to the LF, and then exit the stadium, so we could enter a tunnel under the RF bleachers before finally entering the field in the RF corner¸ very near where we started standing in line here.
While Kellan continued to cry and whine and carry on, Tim made friends with another local kid:
They chatted all the way around the stadium.
The thing that finally calmed Kellan down was when I spoke to Colleen on the phone and she told me to tell him that she wanted him to run *really fast* around the bases. When he heard that, he settled down and was like "okay, I gotta get ready to run really fast for mommy!"
After entering the field down the RF line, I got a picture of the boys by this Comerica Park sign:
And then I started filming with my camera. I planned to film Kellan running around the bases, but, incredibly, (not realizing I already had the video running) I turned *off* the video right when Kellan hit first base and I turned it back *on* right after he touched home plate.
Aye, aye, aye…
Luckily, my dad got a couple pictures as we neared home plate…
…and I took one of the boys from behind on my cellphone as Kellan and Tim were approaching the plate.
After running the bases, we got a group picture…
…and couple more photos:
We had a long drive ahead of us. We would be driving back into Pennsylvania, but not all the way to our house. But we didn't let that stop us from taking a quick side trip on the way out of town:
When we were in Canada, I told Tim we would go to a Tim Horton's, but we totally forgot to do so. Luckily, I remembered this just before we passed what ended up being the last Tim Horton's I saw on our trip. Check out what we got:
Tim was in Tim heaven!
And then we drove until around 11pm…
…when we got to our hotel in DuBois, PA (a very nice, new Fairfield Inn) the boys both woke up and were wide awake again. As Tim looked at his new Tigers baseball cards (a very nice set), Kellan took a late night bath.
When it hit midnight, it was officially my dad's birthday! We were still all wide awake, so I decided we should give my dad a birthday gift that we'd had packed away in our luggage all weekend:
When he opened it, the gift appeared simply to be a commemorative 2013 All-Star Game ball, but he soon realized that there was a baseball ticket tucked into the display case with the ball.
The ticket was for the subway series (Mets vs. Yankees) at Citi Field, and game time was less than twenty hours away…so we had to head to bed!
Bonus birthday roadtrip baseball to come! (Oh, did I mention that, after crossing the Jays and Tigers off the list on this trip, the only teams my dad had never seen play a home game were the Mets and Rangers?)
2013 C&S Fan Stats
10 Games
15 Teams – Mariners, Royals, Phillies, Red Sox, Rays, Orioles, Yankees, Dodgers, Reds, Nationals, Marlins, Pirates, Blue Jays, Twins, Tigers
18 Ice Cream Helmets – Phillies (jumbo) 2, Red Sox 2, Yankees 2, Orioles 2, Nationals 2, Pirates 2, Blue Jays 2, Tigers 4
45 Baseballs – Mariners 6, Royals 4, Phillies 9, Rays 2, Orioles 5, Dodgers 1, Umpires 2, Reds 4, Nationals 1, Marlins 4, Pirates 1, Blue Jays 2, Twins 3, Tigers 1
8 Stadiums – Citizens Bank Park 2, Fenway Park, Yankee Stadium, Camden Yards, Nationals Park, PNC Park, Rogers Centre, Comerica Park
16 Player+ Photos – Oliver Perez, Lucas Luetge, Hisashi Iwakuma, Carter Capps, Daniel Nava, Alex Wilson, Andrew Bailey, Pedro Ciriaco, Mike Carp, Koji Uehara, Will Middlebrooks, Joel Hanrahan, Jonny Gomes, Alfredo Aceves, Clayton Mortensen, Rick Anderson
5 Autographs – Hisashi Iwakuma (English & Japanese), Carter Capps, Ryan Hanigan, Jesus Tiamo


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Shirley MacLaine and Christopher Plummer star as two people who, at the end of the road, discover that it's never too late to love and make dreams come true.
94 minutes; PG-13
Magnolia at the Modern is an ongoing series featuring critically acclaimed films. Tickets are $9; $7 for Modern members; $6 for Reel People. The Sunday noon show time is half price. Advance sales begin two hours prior to each show.


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Ultimate Gaming Signs Up as First Customer
SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - Jan 22, 2013) - As the mobile gaming industry continues to grow and app revenues for 2012 are reported to have hit $10 billion, CAMS (Central Account Management System) and Locaid have partnered to develop an industry leading, location-based solution that will support the collection, identification and management of critical player information to meet the strict regulations of the gaming industry.
This past November, CAMS became the first service provider approved for a Class 2 gaming license in the state of Nevada allowing the company to provide services for geo-location, patron identification and payment processing in a combined offer. Locaid's Location-as-a-Service (LaaS) solution has quickly become the gaming industry standard for secure device location that meets the extremely rigorous requirements of state lottery administrators and gaming regulators. Together the companies will provide a 360° location solution for the mobile gaming industry as it continues to grow.
"Location is critical to the mobile gaming industry and as the industry continues to grow the number of customers will increase and regulations will become more complex," said Locaid President and CEO Rip Gerber. "The location solution with CAMS not only meets today's strict requirements but is scalable and flexible to support the needs of mobile gaming companies as their customer bases expand."
"CAMS supports the creation of a safe and secure payment environment for casinos, lotteries, brands, and players and helps meet or exceed regulatory and compliance requirements," said CAMS Chief Executive Officer Matthew Katz. "We are excited to be working with Locaid to ensure that all of the necessary safeguards are in place and our combined capabilities will assist our customers with every facet of their online gaming businesses."
About CAMS, LLC or Central Account Management System
CAMS is a multi-tenant Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution powered by Verifi, Inc. offering lottery, poker, gaming and online wagering operators the ability to collect, identify and manage critical player information. It assists merchants and operators by monitoring and incorporating internal and external regulation policies, facilitating payment deposits and withdrawals and helps enforce operator business rules. The CAMS platform provides all of this within a white label solution that is customized for each site. CAMS, LLC is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. For more information, please call 323.655.5789 or visit www.CentralAMS.com.
Locaid is the world's largest Location-as-a-Service (LaaS) company. We operate a location privacy platform that allows mobile developers to locate over nine billion devices, including over 380 million mobile phones, for enterprise authentication, fraud management, consumer location services and opt-in mobile marketing. Locaid locates smartphones, feature phones, tablets and any mobile device on leading wireless carriers including América Móvil, AT&T, Cricket, Rogers, Sprint, T-Mobile, TELUS and Verizon Wireless. Locaid also helps shape and enforce location privacy policies via leadership roles on governing associations including the CTIA, MMA and IAPP. The largest financial institutions, mobile marketers, M2M platforms and mobile service providers get network location from Locaid. Location Matters™. Locate us at http://www.loc-aid.com, @locaid and www.facebook.com/Locaid.
Contact Information:
Kate Gallagher
Locaid Corporate Communications
Rob Banchich
Director of Marketing


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Military Banner Honorees
What is the Cost of Each Banner?
The cost of each banner is $256, which includes an 18" x 48" commemorative banner for the family to take home. There is a limit of one per service person.
Where Will the Banners Be Displayed?
The military banners will be on display continuously at available locations along portions of Grand Avenue, Chino Hills Parkway, Soquel Canyon, and Butterfield Ranch Road. The banners will be installed by the City and removed when the banner is damaged or the service person is no longer in the military. The City will not be responsible for replacing banners that are stolen, damaged or destroyed due to sun, weather, age, vandalism or any act of nature beyond our control such as high winds. Timing of the banner installation and removal will be at the City's discretion.


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Girl whose 6 family members were killed looks for hope amid her horror
HOUSTON, Texas — Cassidy Stay has seen the worst — the brutal killings of her parents and siblings, ages 4 to 13, in their Texas home.
On Saturday, the 15-year-old quoted Dumbledore, the wise man from the Harry Potter series, in hopes of finding some good amid the horror.
"Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times," Cassidy said, citing J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," "if one only remembers to turn on the light."
The remarks — at a public memorial for her family — were the teenager's first public comments since she emerged as the lone survivor from the carnage in her family's Spring home.
Authorities say that Ronald Lee Haskell barged into residence on Wednesday demanding to know the whereabouts of his estranged wife.
She was not there, but the Stay family was. And soon, in a barrage of bullets, six of them were dead.
They included Cassidy Stay's parents, Stephen and Katie, as well as her 7- and 9-year-old sisters and 4- and 13-year-old brothers.
Cassidy was targeted as well, with the Harris County Sheriff's Office indicating the shooting left her in critical condition. By Saturday, though, she was not only out of the hospital but standing tall, wiping away tears as people remembered her parents and siblings and offered support to her.
Thanking the first responders, doctors and nurses who'd helped her, the teenager said, "I am feeling a lot better and am on a very straightforward path to a full recovery."
Unfortunately, her family isn't coming back.
Reminders of this were everywhere, including a board that had hearts with their names. Cassidy mentioned them too, right after quoting Dumbledore.
"I know that my Mom, Dad, Brian, Emily, Becca and Zach are in a much better place, and that I will be able to see them again one day," she said at the gathering.
Grandfather: Cassidy saved 20 lives
At the same ceremony outside Lemm Elementary School in Spring, Roger Lyon remembered his daughter Katie, his son-in-law and grandchildren, saying, "We will miss them in the morning and in the evening."
"The best way, we think, (to move on) is to concentrate on the living, to cling to hope of life that has emerged in this terrible darkness."
He was talking about Cassidy.
Lyon then recounted what the teenager had done — how she'd been shot and how she'd seen her parents and siblings shot. After all that, her grandfather said Cassidy "had the presence of mind to remain quiet and to play dead."
Once the coast was clear, the teen got up, called police "and told them we were in danger."
"Without her courage and quick thinking, we might be mourning the deaths of 20 — yes, I said 20 — people today, including myself and nearly all of our children and grandchildren," Lyon added, crediting Cassidy for alerting authorities who headed off Ronald Lee Haskell and arrested him after a three-hour long standoff.
While in the hospital, Cassidy talked about angels she'd learned in Sunday school are sent to "protect his children in times of great need," according to Lyon.
"After she had been shot on Wednesday, she said it felt as though the angels were there with her, putting their hands over her mouth — whispering to her to be quiet," her grandfather said. "'I was quiet when I needed to be quiet,' she told us."
Between the balloons being released into the sky in the Stay family's memory, in between all of the tears and the hugs among those in the crowd who knew them, there were many reminders of Cassidy's actions — and not just from her grandfather — on Saturday.
Her name, after all, was among those on the board with those of her slain family members.
Hers was the only heart that wasn't red. And it was the only one with extra words added: "Our hero."


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Mike Simmons has been involved in astronomy education and public outreach for more than 35 years. He has led and founded outreach organizations that share the work of astronomers and telescopic views of the sky with the public. He is a writer and photographer who has contributed to various publications, including Scientific American, Astronomy and Sky and Telescope, and he regularly gives presentations on astronomy.
Recognizing astronomy as a universal interest that transcends cultural differences, Mike founded Astronomers Without Borders in 2006. He now serves as President of this effort to unite astronomy and space enthusiasts around the world through those common interests. Mike and Astronomers Without Borders held leadership roles in the International Year of Astronomy 2009, a UN-declared year that sought to bring astronomy to the public worldwide while conveying its importance to our common heritage and experiences. Minor Planet Simmons was named in his honor in 2003, in part for his "varied outreach activities in astronomy".
Astronomers Without Borders is based on a simple truth — when we look up at the sky, no matter where we are, we know others are doing the same thing from other countries around the world. At similar latitudes the sky is identical regardless of where you are. And we all share the same wonder of the starry night sky, the planets and the entire Universe beyond. That wonder is part of the traditions of every culture, passed down through time. It will certainly be a part of our future as well.
But there's more to it than the beauty of the Milky Way's thousands of stars seen from a dark location. When we look up we're looking outward, into our cosmic neighborhood. With a telescope we see even further into the cosmic hinterlands. For adventurers who long to see what lies on the other side of every hill, the Universe offers unlimited mysteries.
The Universe — all that you see when you look up at the stars — is where we live. The Earth is one small part of it. If you've ever wanted to travel in space, just drive to a dark location, look up and take a look around. You're there, orbiting around our galaxy along with the rest of the inhabitants of Spaceship Earth.
The World at Night is a great demonstration of how we all share that magnificent view of the night sky. The team of expert landscape astrophotographers assembled by project founder Babak Tafreshi has imaged the night sky from locations worldwide, showing a blanket of stars above historic, cultural and natural landmarks with stunning results. Whether it's a church, mosque, or synagogue in the earthly foreground, the sky above is the same. We can change details of the orb we live on but the rest of the Universe hovers beyond our reach, untouched, practically unchanging.
This is the idea behind Astronomers Without Borders and the source of our slogan, One People, One Sky. The earthly view of the heavens is also strikingly similar to what some astronauts experience from their perch in orbit. Frank White coined the term, "The Overview Effect," in his book of the same name to describe the sensation astronauts often experience seeing the Earth hanging in space among the stars and other planets, without any apparent borders between us. I've told Frank I consider our view of the night sky to be the overview effect for the rest of us — those of us who will never travel out of Earth's atmosphere — and he agrees. When we connect with someone in a distant land, far beyond our horizon, and they're seeing the same sky we do (offset by time as the Earth rotates), the sensation of One People, One Sky is reinforced. The overview effect may not be as easy to visualize as from space — or as fun as being weightless — but it's there just the same.
I started Astronomers Without Borders after visiting countries like Iran and Iraq, and meeting people who are far more like us than they are different. They have the same needs, wishes and problems as anyone else. I've given many presentations on astronomy in those countries to astronomy clubs in the US, and the focus inevitably turns to the difficulties others have in pursuing our common activities. Equipment we take for granted is difficult or impossible to acquire in many countries. Dark skies are out of reach without transportation. The result is sympathy for the situation of our colleagues and a desire to help. There's nothing political about it — it's nature, our common heritage. And it's there for everyone, an unlimited resource. Why shouldn't we all share in it equally? The political and other issues that seem so important most of the time just become irrelevant, at least for that moment. This is purely people to people interaction of the most basic sort.
Astronomers Without Borders now has participants in most of the world's countries, with global programs that bring people together as never before. All based on our living on one planet, looking up at the same sky. An American amateur astronomer with the latest computerized gear and a student in a poor country may have different activities during the night but in the end they're there for the same reason. And they say remarkably similar things about the wonders of the night sky. After all, we're all looking out from the same place — Earth — and traveling together through the stars.


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MONTREAL, QUÉBEC--(Marketwire - Nov. 22, 2012) - Amex Exploration Inc. (TSX VENTURE:AMX) ("Amex" or the "Corporation") is pleased to announce that it has closed a non-brokered private placement consisting of (i) 667,000 common shares of the Corporation issued on a flow-through basis at an issue price of $0.25 per Flow-Through Share, and (ii) 75,500 common shares of the Corporation issued on a non flow-through basis at an issue price of $0.20 per Common Share, each non flow thru share comprise one common share purchase warrant entitling the holder thereof to acquire one additional common share of Amex at $0.25 per share for a period of 18 months following the closing date for aggregate gross proceeds to the Corporation of $ 181,850.
In connection with the Private Placement, Amex paid a Finder's fee equal to 8% of the net proceed to EMD Financial Inc. ("EMD"), a non-related party to the Corporation, and also granted to EMD 59,400 agent's options (the "Agent's Options"); each Agent's Option entitling the holder thereof to acquire one common share of Amex at a price of $0.25 per common share for a period of 24 months following the closing date of the Private Placement.
The net proceeds from the sale of the Flow-Through Shares will be used by the Corporation to finance the Corporation's exploration program on its properties located in the Province of Quebec, and the net proceeds from the sale of the Common Shares will be used by the Corporation for general working capital purposes.
All securities issued pursuant to the Private Placement are subject to a 4-month and one day hold period, expiring on March 23 2013. The Private Placement is subject to the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals, including the final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.
Amex Exploration Inc. is a junior mining exploration company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange whose primary objective is to develop and bring into production viable gold and base metal deposits.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Contact Information:


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As the title suggests, it will be an all time ODI draft where the performances will be based on performances in ODIs only. The requirement needed for a player to be eligible for the draft is that he should have played at least 50 ODIs.
Time-limit for a pick would be six hours or depending upon what all the registrants agree with. All those who are interested in playing it, please register. After we have twelve or sixteen people interested in in playing the draft including me, we will start.


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A cartograph of Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay : Golden Gate International Exposition
Description: Pictorial map showing the layout of the Golden Gate International Exposition, 1939 - 1940 in San Francisco, California. The map is a bird's-eye view of the exposition area with north oriented in the upper-left. An index to the buildings is included in the lower-left corner. On the reverse, there is an additional index on the left and maps showing enlarged areas of the island as well as routes around the exposition area. The detail maps include the "Pacific Area," "International Court," "La Plaza Area," and the routes that are part of the "Elephant Train Transportation on Treasure Island."
Date: 1940
Creator: Taylor, Ruth
Item Type: Refine your search to only Map


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The following is cross-posted from the National Journal's Education Experts blog:
This week's introduction says that, when it comes to President Obama's preschool proposal, "the only problem, as always, is that these investments cost money." These proposals certainly would cost money – dollars Washington doesn't have – but even discussing cost is seriously jumping the gun. The fact is that right now, regardless of cost, there is almost no meaningful evidence to support massive expansion of federal pre-school efforts. Indeed, the evidence calls much more loudly for the opposite.
Start with the biggest federal pre-K initiative, Head Start. It costs about $8 billion per year, and what are its lasting effects? According to the latest random-assignment, federal assessments, there essentially aren't any. The program has demonstrated no meaningful, lasting benefits, and is therefore a failure.
How about Early Head Start, which involves children ages 0 to 3? It is a much newer program than its big brother, but it, too, provides no evidence of overall, lasting benefits. As a 2010 random-assignment, federal study concludes:
The impact analyses show that for the overall sample, the positive effects of Early Head Start for children and parents did not continue when children were in fifth grade…. It appears that the modest impacts across multiple domains that were observed in earlier waves of follow-up did not persist by the time children were in fifth grade.
There were, to be fair, some lasting positive effects found for some subgroups, but there were also negative effects. And for the "highest-risk" children – the ones the program is most supposed to help – the outcomes were awful: