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Population Viability Analysis of the Endangered Roan Antelope in Ruma National Park, Kenya, and Implications for Management
Population viability analysis (PVA) was used to (1) establish causes of roan population decline for the past 30 years in Ruma National Park (RNP), the only park where wild roans remain in Kenya, and (2) predict the probability of roan persistence under existing and alternative management options. PVA was done using long-term data based on population dynamics, life history, climatic conditions, and expert knowledge. Poaching was identified as the main cause of roan decline in RNP. Several antipoaching and prioritized habitat management interventions to promote population recovery and sustainable conservation of roans are described. PVA predictions indicated that, without these interventions, the roan population cannot persist more than 3 decades. Furthermore, ensuring sustainable conservation of roans in RNP will boost tourism in Western Kenyan and thus alleviate poverty in this part of the country. Improved income from tourism will reduce the possible pressures from hunting and give greater incentives for local people to be actively engaged in roan conservation.
1. Introduction
One-third of the total population of roan antelope (Hippotragus equinus) of about 76,000 is now thought to occur in only 4 countries: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Zambia, and Tanzania [1]. The East African subspecies (H. equinus langheldi) has declined rapidly throughout its range, including Kenya, where it now only survives in Ruma National Park (RNP). Recent roan population decline in RNP from 100 individuals in 1979 to less than 50 currently is of serious concern to the Park management, because a population of less than 50 roan antelopes is not considered viable according to population genetic criteria [2]. Without any interventions, the roan population in RNP will eventually go extinct just as it happened in the other Kenyan protected areas in the past. In fact, the question to ask now is not if but when the extinction will occur. Population viability analysis (PVA) can be used to adequately answer this question and to provide evidence on the likely positive or negative effects of alternative management techniques on roan antelope at RNP.
PVA is a set of modelling techniques that estimates the future size and risk of population extinction [2, 3]. PVA utilizes life history or population growth rate parameters such as survival and fecundity rates as input variables to project dynamics and estimate risk of population extinction [4]. PVA can be used to (i) estimate the probability of extinction [2]; (ii) predict the future population size [5]; and (iii) assess risks and benefits of alternative interventions for population recovery [6].
PVA has been used in the past to model the viability of roan antelope populations and assess consequences of alternative management options [7]. However, some of the findings from these studies are site-specific and cannot be applied generally to areas outside the study area. Hence, further research is needed to devise more effective management interventions for sustainable conservation and management of roan antelopes. This is necessitated by the lack of adequate measures to halt roan population declines in the protected areas previously investigated. The two primary aims of this study were to (i) estimate the future population trends and likelihood of extinction of roan antelopes under the current conditions in RNP and (ii) rank the risks and benefits of management alternatives for roan population recovery.
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. The VORTEX Baseline PVA Model
There are several computer programs available for PVA, but VORTEX was used in this study as it is widely and commonly used. VORTEX is an individual-based model (IBM) that creates a representation of each animal in its memory and follows the fate of the animal through each year of its lifetime [6]. VORTEX keeps track of the sex, age, and parentage of each animal.
Demographic parameters and life history attributes used for the baseline PVA model were based on findings of previous studies on roan antelopes [7–12]. Complementary information about home ranges and age-specific mortality rates were derived from analysis of roan population and distribution data collected in RNP from 1979 to 2008 [7]. A summary of the specific parameter input data used for the baseline PVA model is presented in Table 1.
2.2. Scenarios Modelled
The VORTEX PVA model was used to simulate the population of roan antelopes in Ruma National Park (1) to replicate the observed population decline for past 30 years and (2) to project the future population viability over a 100-year period. In each of these two categories several scenarios were modelled as described below.
2.2.1. Replication of the Observed Population Decline
Simulations of the observed roan population decline for the past 30 years were done to investigate the factors responsible for the decline during that period. The baseline scenario used the roan parameters is described in Section 2.1 above.
All other scenarios were a modification of this baseline scenario. To investigate the effect of inbreeding depression, a model was simulated without the inbreeding depression component. Effects of age-specific mortalities were investigated by simulating several PVA simulation runs using varying mortality rates of 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40%. Catastrophic effects were studied by considering infrequent severe catastrophes and frequent weak catastrophes. For the infrequent and severe catastrophes scenario, the frequency of each catastrophe in the baseline scenario was halved and the severity was doubled. Likewise, for the frequent and weak catastrophes scenario, the frequency and severity of each catastrophe in the baseline scenario were doubled and halved, respectively. Simulation runs were repeated 1000 times to obtain the most likely population trajectory for each scenario.
2.2.2. Projection of the Future Population Viability
The roan population was simulated to project the population viability for the next 100 years using the baseline scenario and several scenarios of alternative management interventions. Eight management options were investigated: (1) reducing the death of adults; (2) reducing the death of calves; (3) reducing death of subadults; (4) reducing effects of fire; (5) reducing effects of drought; (6) combined interventions consisting of reduction of mortalities and severity of fires and drought; (7) restocking with more roans without changing anything else; and (8) establishing an intensively managed protected sanctuary together with restocking. Again, simulation runs were repeated 1000 times to evaluate the population persistence probabilities for each of these options. Table 2 gives a summary of the demographic parameters used by different scenarios in comparison with the baseline model. Other parameters were the same as those of the baseline model except age-specific mortalities and impacts of catastrophes on drought, fire, and floods.
Adult mortality could be reduced by increasing security patrols, establishing more security outposts, providing adequate suitable habitat through provision of adequate water supplies, controlling the number of competing grazers in the park, and initiating community development projects to alleviate poverty with the aim of reducing poaching for bush meat as a livelihood (management option 1). Calf mortality could be reduced by maintaining conducive habitat for secluding calves from predation by controlled burning (management options 2). Subadult mortality could be reduced by providing adequate suitable habitat for subadults through provision of enough water supplies and controlling the number of competing grazers in the park (management option 3). Some of the competing grazer species include the reedbuck and hartebeest, whose populations have been shown to correlate negatively with roan population in the park [15–17]. The severity and spread of fires could be reduced by implementing prescribed burning programs and increasing road fire breaks (management option 4). The effect of drought (management option 5) could be mitigated by construction of more water dams and water troughs and ensuring that water is pumped to these water points during the periods of drought. The combined intervention scenario (management option 6) assumed that all the above five interventions were to work simultaneously to reduce age-specific mortalities and effects of catastrophic fires, droughts, and floods. Management option 7 assumed running the baseline model with different initial roan population groups from restocking with 4, 6, 8, and 10 roan groups. The typical herd size for a breeding roan group is 12 individuals [10, 15].
The protected sanctuary (management option 8) would promote roan population recovery via several intensive management strategies: (i) prescribed burning; (ii) construction of more road fire breaks; (iii) construction of more water points and ensuring that water is pumped to these water points during the dry season; (iv) putting more effort in controlling poaching by increasing security patrols and establishing more security outposts; (v) limiting the number of competing grazers in the sanctuary; (vi) removal of predators from the sanctuary; (vii) improving the relationship with the surrounding local communities so that they support wildlife conservation; (viii) initiating community development projects to alleviate poverty with the aim of reducing poaching for bush meat as a livelihood; (ix) providing mineral supplements; (x) offering improved veterinary services; (xi) construction of ridges and trenches to control flooding; (xii) ensuring that the sanctuary is fenced and the fence is maintained in a functioning state; and (xiii) restocking with 4, 6, 8, and 10 roan groups. These strategies could increase the carrying capacity from 288 to 640 roans as has been proved in South Africa [18].
2.2.3. Sensitivity Analysis
The projection of future population viability was repeated to test the sensitivity of age-specific mortalities and catastrophes. A shorter period of 30 years was used as this was considered of relevance to park management objectives at the moment. In the sensitivity analysis, the age-specific mortalities and severity of catastrophic fires and droughts were set from 0% to 40% at intervals of 5%. The population at 30 years for each of these scenarios was analyzed using a generalized linear model (GLM) performed with a Poisson error structure to assess which parameters are most influential in the population viability analysis.
3. Results
3.1. Replication of the Observed Population Decline
The baseline model derived from the observed roan parameters and those obtained from past studies yielded a population of 43, which is the same as the current population of roans remaining in RNP, but the model was different from the observed trend of population decline for the past 30 years (Figure 1(a)). Nevertheless, it can be used as a basis for projecting future population viability.
(a) Catastrophes and inbreeding
(b) Adult mortality
(c) Subadult mortality
(d) Calf mortality
Models that included inbreeding depression, infrequent severe catastrophes, or frequent weak catastrophes did not differ much from the baseline model (Figure 1(a)). This implies that inbreeding depression and catastrophes were not the major causes of population decline during the past 30 years.
Models with varying age-specific mortality rates seemed to correspond to the observed population in a number of years. The roan population decline from 1979 to 1989 could be attributed to high mortality rates of up to 40% in adults, subadults, or calves. Reduction of adult mortality to 10% and below caused the population to increase accordingly (Figure 1(b)).
However, reduction in mortality rates of subadults and calves to levels as low as 5% did not halt the population decline (Figures 1(c) and 1(d)). This suggests that the observed population decline for the past 30 years may have been primarily controlled by variation in adult mortalities caused by poaching of adult roans and effects of catastrophes such as drought, fire, and floods. Poaching of roans in the study area (RNP) especially using snares has been reported by several researchers over the last 35 years [15, 19–25]. This implies that years with low adult mortality could allow the population to increase and vice versa for years with high adult mortalities. For instance, population increases between 1993 and 2000 and between 2001 and 2004 may reflect a corresponding reduction in adult mortality. In fact the slight increase in roan population observed between 2001 and 2004 was attributed to increased antipoaching security efforts [23, 26].
3.2. Projection of Future Population Viability
Under the current situation (as simulated by the baseline scenario), the roan population has a 100% probability of extinction before 100 years. Extinctions are estimated to begin in 32 years (Table 3). Restocking the park with more roan groups can postpone the median time to extinction up to 48 years but it does not lower the probability of extinction (Figure 2(a), Table 3).
(a) Restocking with more roan groups
(b) Age-specific mortalities and catastrophes
(c) Protected sanctuary with intensive management
Reducing the rates of calf and subadult mortality to 5% did not have any significant change on the probability of extinction or time to extinction as compared to the baseline scenario (Figure 2(b); Table 3). However, reduction of fire and drought severity could reduce the probability of extinction and enable a persistence probability over 100 years of less than 1% and 3%, respectively (Table 3). Reduction of adult mortality to 10% changed the population growth rate from negative to positive; it caused the population to increase at a rate of 0.1% per year. Also, under this management option, the roan population showed a persistence probability of more than 86% over 100 years (Table 3). Combined management interventions could raise the population growth rate to 2.3% and the persistence probability to 99.8% over 100 years.
Intensive management of the current roan population in a protected sanctuary could raise the population growth rate to 4.3% and allow the population to persist for 100 years with a persistence probability of 100% (Table 3). Under this management option, the population will reach the carrying capacity in 65 years.
Restocking with more roan groups combined with the protected sanctuary intervention did not show any improvement in the overall population growth rate apart from reaching the carrying capacity slightly earlier (Figure 2(c)). However, restocking caused the population to reach high numbers within a short period and to reach the carrying capacity faster. For instance, at 10 years, the simulated mean population size was 130 roans for the management option with current initial population of 3 roan groups (36 individuals) and 370 roans for that with an initial population of 10 roan groups (120 individuals). Also, using the current initial population, the simulated mean population size reached carrying capacity in 65 years whereas that with 10 groups reached the same carrying capacity about 20 years earlier.
3.3. Sensitivity Analysis
Sensitivity analysis was performed for the age-specific mortalities, fire, and drought. Adult mortality was the most sensitive parameter and the most important in determining the change of the roan population (Figure 3). Maintaining adult mortality rates lower than 15% could allow the population to increase and recover. Adult mortality rates higher than 15% could cause the roan population to decrease and consequently go extinct. Maintaining the severity of catastrophic droughts at levels lower than 5% could increase the roan population at a rate lower than that caused by reduction of adult mortalities. The variation in calf and subadult mortalities as well as severity of fires had no substantial impact on the roan population dynamics; whether their effect is eliminated or increased the roan population will eventually decline to extinction.
Further analysis of the impact of these five parameters on roan population dynamics using generalized linear models showed that the adult mortality could account for 78% of the population decline (Table 4). All the other four parameters together accounted for only 18% of the decline. Examination of the regression coefficients (β) showed that drought was the second important factor responsible for roan population changes.
4. Discussion
4.1. Replication of the Observed Population Decline
Simulation to replicate the observed roan population decline helped to understand the factors responsible for the decline. Our results indicate that the most important factor affecting the roan antelope population is adult mortality, which confirms existing concerns about the increasing amount of poaching within the park. Records show that poaching in the park was heavy as early as 1970s [19] and has continued until now [22–25]. The highest rate of population decline from 1979 to 1989 coincided with a period of transition from National Reserve to National Park status [27]. This transition may have caused escalation of poaching by the local community in retaliation to eviction from the park. In Kenya, a national reserve allows limited access of its resources to local communities but national parks are strictly managed for wildlife with total exclusion of humans. Park records also show that the slight increase in roan population observed between 2001 and 2004 was attributed to increased antipoaching security efforts [23, 26]. Past studies have shown that high levels of predation, especially of adults, were responsible for roan population decline in Kruger National Park [7, 9, 25].
4.2. Projection of Future Population Viability
Projections of future roan population viability based on the baseline scenario showed a high probability that at least three decades could pass before extinction eventually occurred, even if no intervention is undertaken. However, this should not send the wrong signal that interventions are not urgently needed since extinctions have been projected to happen in the near future. In Masai Mara National Reserve, a remnant roan population of 45 (±17 SE) animals in 1971 became extinct after about two and half decades [28]. Therefore, the predicted extinction of the RNP remnant roan population of 43 animals in about three decades seems realistic. Hence, this period should be used to implement management interventions.
The projections of future population viability indicated that various management interventions can halt the population decline and cause the population to recovery to healthy levels and probably to carrying capacity. These include reduction of adult mortality, combined management interventions, and establishment of an intensively managed protected roan sanctuary. Reduction of adult mortality appears to be the most crucial intervention without which the roan population is destined to go extinct in the future. Measures for reducing adult mortality were included as part of the combined interventions and protected sanctuary management options. Adult mortality needs to be maintained at levels far below 15% for the roan population to recover. Studies in South Africa have found out that adult mortality rates of 15% or more severely restricts the recovery potential of roan antelopes [7].
Unfortunately, some management interventions such as prescribed burning, construction of more water points, and restocking under the current conditions could be a waste of time, effort, and money. Although these interventions are still important and necessary they can only be effective when combined with measures of reducing adult mortality.
4.3. Management and Conservation Implications
The next crucial stage after identification of the cause of roan population decline in RNP is to implement effective strategies that can halt the decline and propel the population to recovery. The high adult mortality rate on roan antelopes in Kenya is most likely caused by poaching [15, 19–24] and not by predation. There are no lions in RNP and the only potential predators are hyenas, which may prey on calves and not adult roans [29]. Therefore, the best interventions in this case should include methods of reducing adult mortality by controlling poaching in RNP. Such methods can involve increasing security patrols, opening more security outposts, involving the surrounding communities in management of the park, and initiating community development projects to alleviate poverty with the aim of reducing poaching for bush meat as a livelihood. Involvement of local communities has proven to be effective in curbing elephant poaching in Tanzania's Selous ecosystem [30], reducing rhino poaching in Kenya's Lewa Conservancy [31], enhancing conservation of many wildlife species in Kenya's Nakuru Wildlife Conservancy [32], and reducing human-wildlife conflicts in Kenya's nonprotected areas [33].
Apart from adult mortality, the decline in roan population was also contributed by other factors such as drought, fire, and calf and subadult mortality [16, 34, 35]. Therefore, for sustainable conservation of roans in RNP to be achieved, a combined management intervention seems to be the way forward. Such intervention could include (i) measures of reducing adult mortality, (ii) establishment of more water points to alleviate effects of drought, (iii) prescribed burning to control the effects of fires, and (iv) more active manipulative management of the roan habitat. For instance, while reducing adult mortality to 10% could increase the current roan population in RNP to about 100 individuals in 30 years, employing a combined management option could propel the population to about 250 individuals over the same period.
With the current roan habitat conditions coupled with the observed habitat decline over the past 30 years, interventions in RNP under the prevailing management regime may not manage to propel the roan population to numbers that can be considered viable in isolation. Furthermore, putting all efforts of population recovery of a critically locally endangered species in one isolated population is too risky. There is need to establish other roan populations in Kenyan protected areas, where they became locally extinct in the past. Establishing an intensively managed protected sanctuary for roan antelopes in RNP can provide a "seed population" that can be used to establish several other populations in the roan's former known ranges in Kenya. This may offer a more lasting solution to the problem of roan population decline in Kenya. This concept of breeding roan antelopes in an enclosed sanctuary has already proved to be very successful in other countries [7]. In South Africa, 7 roans were placed in a fenced enclosure within the roan range in 1994 and the population grew to 41 roans by 2001 [7].
Conflicts of Interest
The author declares that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper.
The author acknowledges the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission for funding this research and appreciates the management of Ruma National Park (RNP) for providing secondary data for this research.
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How to Start a Digital Transformation
How to Build a Business Case for Digital Transformation
Lessons Learned Along the Transformation Journey


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RS Fiber Cooperative
For the continued safety of our customers and employees, our offices are open by appointment only for picking up and/or dropping off equipment. Appointments can be set up by calling (800) 628-1754.
Payments can be dropped in the payment drop box outside your local office, conveniently paid online 24/7 at rsfiber.coop/smarthub, or by calling (800) 628-1754 and following the voice prompts.
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PO Box 326
Gaylord, MN 55334
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State Senate candidate Keyes practices 'retail politics'
EAST FALMOUTH — Just past noon one recent Saturday, state Senate candidate Thomas Keyes took two fliers from his campaign volunteer's pile and knocked on a Mattapan Street door.
"I'm not selling anything," Keyes said to the man who answered. "I guess I'm selling myself."
After a brief conversation in which Keyes pitched his run for the Plymouth and Barnstable District, he turned from the door and walked briskly toward Clarence Whitney, the 82-year-old volunteer who stood on the sidewalk with a list of addresses that were must-visits.
"Retail politics is how you can really make a difference," Keyes said, walking to the next house.
Keyes' current bid for the seat occupied by Senate President Therese Murray began shortly after his first attempt to unseat her two years ago. Though he came up short, he garnered about 48 percent of the vote against a longtime incumbent.
This time, he's distributed press releases, sent out mailers and knocked on more than 8,000 doors in the district — which includes Bourne, Falmouth, Sandwich and the off-Cape towns of Pembroke, Kingston and Plymouth — detailing his platform of loosening regulations on small business and increasing transparency on Beacon Hill.
Keyes, a compliance and ethics officer from Sandwich who owns Keyes Quality Systems, has served in public positions that include Sandwich selectman and a delegate on the Barnstable County Assembly.
Throughout his campaign, he has decried a lack of transparency in the Senate. He often brings up that Murray is mentioned in an indictment of three top officials in the state probation department as having recommended several job candidates who were hired despite not being the most qualified.
The 19-page indictment charges the three probation officials with running a rigged hiring system that allegedly favored politically connected candidates for jobs or promotions.
"My opponent has been named more than anyone else in these indictments," Keyes said at a debate last week in Sandwich.
The indictment does not identify any legislators by name. It refers to five candidates sponsored by the "President of the Senate". It also has references to "a member of the Senate" and "a member of the House of Representatives."
In interviews and debates, Murray has denied any participation in the alleged rigged hiring system and chalked her hiring recommendations up to constituent service.
Keyes also found himself on the defensive about ethics last week.
A story that appeared in the State House News Service said he failed to disclose to the state ethics commission the purchase of a family home in Sandwich and a $439,000 mortgage he took from a trust owned by a friend who also donated to his campaign.
Keyes said this week the omission occurred because of a problem with the computer system in which he entered his financial disclosures.
"I take full responsibility, there was a glitch this year, but I didn't print it out to check," Keyes said of the disclosure form, noting that he corrected the form as soon as he was notified of the omission about five weeks ago. "There's nothing to hide here"
Keyes' 14 years of public service on the Cape give him a depth of knowledge of the district, he said.
"People are frustrated and people are hurting," he said in a recent interview. "(Businesses) are just over-regulated and over-pressed."
The current climate, Keyes said, is chilly toward private enterprise so he has introduced a proposal for a "small business bill of rights." The seven-point plan would place a five-year moratorium on health-care mandates and would stipulate that businesses receive a year's notice before any new taxes or fees, among other facets.
The proposal underlines his approach to improving job opportunities and the overall health of Massachusetts economy, which differs from Murray's, whose strategy is to attract bioscience and technology companies to the commonwealth.
Keyes argues that high taxes and utilities costs coupled with stringent regulation will likely lead to any companies that initially set up shop here to eventually relocate.
Strengthening the businesses already within the state borders will prove a better pathway to creating jobs, he said.
From the beginning of the year to August, Keyes has spent about $45,400 to Murray's nearly $200,000. Murray, who has been in office 20 years, claimed a $400,000 war chest in that time period, while Keyes' funds topped out at $75,000.
According to voter registration records as of August, Republicans represent 15.2 percent of the district's total registered voters; Democrats make up 24.8 percent and unenrolled voters, 60.8 percent.
Keyes continues to strategically knock on doors based on the occupant's voter registration and other indications someone could be persuaded to vote for him.
"(It's a) war of numbers," he said.
Age: 45
- Occupation: Compliance and ethics officer
- Public service experience: Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates; Sandwich Board of Selectmen; Sandwich Economic Development Committee; water quality review committee; cemetery commission; assembly of delegates standing committee on economic affairs; the 21st Century Task Force to review the Cape Cod Commission and draft operational changes to the county commissioners; president of the Cape Cod Selectmen and Councilors' Association; board of directors, member of the Massachusetts Municipal Association's Selectmen and Councilors' Association; board of trustees Sandwich Glass Museum/Sandwich Historical Society.


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It has been a dramatic few months for investors in the so-called tech unicorn stocks. Originally, a unicorn was a privately held tech company that had achieved at least a $1 billion valuation in its latest funding round. Over the past year or so, many of these unicorns are shedding the private part of the equation. They've now matured enough to launch their initial public offerings and sell stock to the masses.
And the reception has, on the whole, been chilly, to say the least. Investors have given the unicorn stocks the coldest of shoulders, with high-profile IPOs flopping left and right. The missteps of WeWork and its main backer Softbank have cast a chill over the whole tech stock space.
While the profitable tech companies will bounce back, many loss-making firms will continue to see their share prices fall. With the magic gone, it is time to take these seven unicorn stocks to sell and place them in the dump.
Stocks to Sell: Uber (UBER)
While being outright bearish on Lyft (NASDAQ:LYFT), I've been closer to neutral on Uber (NYSE:UBER). My more balanced outlook of UBER stock has not paid off, in fact, Uber is looking like just as big of a fiasco in the making as Lyft has been so far.
I never saw a path to a sustainable business for Lyft, as it is the No. 2 player in the U.S. market and has little else going on to bring in profits while the war with Uber drags on in its home market. On the other hand, Uber's additional lines of business and international operations were supposed to differentiate it from Lyft.
But that hasn't happened. The food delivery business is looking worse and worse on an almost weekly basis. Read on for more about that. And given the problems with Softbank and unicorn stocks, it looks like Uber is having to give up on many of its international ambitions. For example, it just abandoned $40 million expansion plans in Colombia as it continues to hunker down and try to slow down its cash burn.
Ultimately, with no great core business yet, UBER stock looks primed for more losses. The public market just isn't willing to fund endless loss-making operations anymore. Uber's management wanted to build a global empire. It is having grave trouble doing that, and the consequences for its stock price could be dramatic.
Slack (WORK)
Softbank has plenty of other question marks beyond just Uber and WeWork. Softbank invested hundreds of millions in another real estate technology company, Compass. Executives are now fleeing Compass as well. Softbank's hotel investment, Oyo, is led by an unseasoned 25-year-old CEO. Oyo is now facing operational shortfalls and collusion allegations in India. Softbank's investment in "Uber for Pets" site Wag also appears to be a dog; Softbank invested $300 million last year, and now the whole site is reportedly on the auction block at a massive mark-down.
Those investments are still private though; it appears that stock investors will dodge a bullet on those. Let's not lose track of Softbank's other big bummer that is already public: Slack (NYSE:WORK). At first blush, Slack seems like a reasonable business concept. People need tools to help improve workplace efficiency; there is certainly room for something more targeted than e-mail.
It's not clear that a workplace messaging app alone is a strong standalone business platform though. Companies like Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) are quickly veering into Slack's space with their own offerings that include top-notch communications services as part of a broader package of workplace software. Over the long term, it's hard to see Slack as a viable independent company, and with valuations plummeting for unicorns and software-as-a-service companies, WORK stock could end up much lower by the time it eventually gets acquired.
Chewy (CHWY)
As mentioned above, Softbank's dog-walking-on-demand site Wag appears to be a bust. Leading pet insurance firm Trupanion (NASDAQ:TRUP), is down 40% this summer as its business model comes under increasing scrutiny. Thus, it stands to reason that you might want to sell online pet products site Chewy (NYSE:CHWY), while there's still some meat on that bone.
Sure, CHWY stock is down by a third since it started trading. So it's already getting fairly cheap, right? Not so fast. For one thing, Chewy is still selling for nearly 2.5x sales. That's extremely expensive for a money-losing niche e-commerce play. During its pre-Amazon Web Services days, even Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) traded cheaper than this on a sales basis. And rival sites like Overstock (NASDAQ:OSTK) historically traded for less than 1x sales.
Chewy also has negative book value and very little cash; there's hardly anything here besides revenue growth to get excited about. But again, this is a retail company, not a software one. You can always get more revenues by cutting prices. That doesn't necessarily lead to a profitable or sustainable business, however. With investors shunning money-losing unicorns, CHWY stock should get thrown to the wolves.
SmileDirectClub (SDC)
SmileDirectClub (NASDAQ:SDC) is already down from $16 following its IPO to $11 now. But it could get drilled some more in coming months. The company is known for its great marketing and publicity campaigns. The actual business, orthodontics by mail, doesn't look so bright, though. In fact, short seller Hindenberg Research says the company may be engaged in some crooked behavior.
Hindenberg wrote that: "Financially, the company is another profitless, cash incinerating 'unicorn' that we believe has significant added financial headwinds to face as a result of regulatory, legal and customer satisfaction liabilities." To that point, legal action has been taken against SmileDirectClub in many states, suggesting it is performing unlicensed medical work. Consumers have complained about unacceptable product results.
And even if the company overcomes those hurdles, investors may still be disappointed. The addressable market for cheap clear aligners that can only make modest cosmetic changes is probably not that large and will almost certainly not displace the market for traditional braces or Align's (NASDAQ:ALGN) more sophisticated Invisalign product anytime soon. Once SmileDirectClub's successful marketing blitz wears off, SDC stock should trade much lower.
Virgin Galactic (SPCE)
Next up, we have Virgin Galactic (NYSE:SPCE). Space tourism is admittedly a very cool concept for a company. Like SpaceX, however, I'm not sure that SPCE stock should be publicly traded at this point. Elon Musk has referred to Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) stockholders as "millions of little tyrants" in the past, showing his frustration with managing a long-term growth company to the needs of analysts and traders focused on quarterly earnings reports.
With SpaceX, Musk is even less enthused about the possibility of having public shareholders. SpaceX's Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell said last year that the company would never "go public until we're flying regularly to Mars." Virgin Galactic, by contrast, has already decided to go public long before showing meaningful revenue or concrete signs that its business plan will work.
This means that Virgin Galactic has to please investors now, even though the payoff will be many years from now, if ever. And should Virgin Galactic experience a shuttle crash or other safety mishap, expect SPCE stock to plummet to nearly zero in short order. Virgin Galactic came public via a SPAC – a Special Purpose Acquisition Company. This is a method of going public when you have a less reputable company that might struggle to withstand the professional analyst scrutiny of a typical IPO process.
That appears to be the case with SPCE stock. It's one thing to get folks excited about space tourism now, it's another to keep SPCE stock up through years of slow progress and operating losses. I expect Virgin Galactic stock to head lower as buzz fades, and there's the possibility of a sudden plunge lower if any safety issues arise.
Grubhub (GRUB)
Grubhub (NASDAQ:GRUB) stock just finished off a most frightful October, with shares falling 40% on a disastrous earnings report. So why is it on this list of unicorn stocks to sell? Simple: even after losing nearly half its value, GRUB stock is still in deep trouble.
When GRUB stock was flying high, investors assumed they owned a clear industry leader that would achieve rising profit margins and customer usage over time. Instead, venture capital — including Softbank — has flooded the space with cheap money, giving rivals like Uber Eats, DoorDash and Postmates endless funds with which to fight for customers. As a result, according to Grubhub management, customers are getting "promiscuous" and using a variety of delivery services. When customers aren't loyal to a platform, you have to spend more on marketing and lower prices, which destroys your earnings.
Like with Uber itself, you aren't going to have a sustainable profitable business here until there is some form of consistent pricing power. Right now, you don't have that. These companies are offering service at an unsustainable price point, resulting in losses for everyone involved. The only way to win, as far as delivery goes, is to use the service as a customer while avoid or selling short the food delivery app stocks.
Beyond Meat (BYND)
Speaking of food, our last unicorn stock to sell is another formerly trendy food offering that has now started to go stale. Beyond Meat (NASDAQ:BYND) thrilled speculators earlier this year with a jaw-dropping run. BYND stock shot up as much as eight-fold from its original IPO price of $25 per share. People started to dream of Beyond Meat becoming the next big food company.
Reality struck back hard and fast though. To Beyond Meat's credit, they actually delivered a relatively strong earnings report recently. But it wasn't nearly enough to justify the ludicrously optimistic assumptions that people had built into Beyond Meat's stock price. At its peak, Beyond Meat was priced near the same market cap as century-old packaged foods companies with dozens of times more revenues as Beyond Meat.
And those competitors aren't playing around. Rivals like Kellogg (NYSE:K), Tyson Foods (NYSE:TSN) and Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL) have been quick to launch their own plant-based alternatives. Fellow plant-based meat unicorn Impossible Foods is also bringing heavy competitive fire. Beyond Meat has a hot product that consumers love. But it has no moat or sustainable advantage. As such, it was never worth the many billions of dollars of value that speculators bid it up to. And BYND stock will keep coming down as insiders start being able to sell stock freely and traders move on to the next promising consumer trend.
At the time of this writing, Ian Bezek owned HRL stock and held no positions in any of the other aforementioned securities. You can reach him on Twitter at @irbezek.


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ABC headquarters provides opportunity to invest in regional powerhouse
ABC's Pilbra headquarters has hit the market, providing a perfect opportunity to invest in regional Western Australia. Located at 183-184/26 Sharpe…
Ray White Commercial (WA) is pleased to welcome hospitality and tourism property mogul Phil Zoiti to their team in Perth.
Mr Zoiti, who was born and bred in the small Western Australia country town Merredin, has more than two decades experience in the industry and joins as Hotel and Tourism Associate.
He said he was delighted to join the Ray White Commercial (WA) team and said the opportunity perfectly complemented what he wanted from his next professional step.
"After having meetings with the Ray White teams, I walked away feeling very comfortable and I was confident this was the company I wanted my next role to be at," Mr Zoiti said.
"Through various conversations I could tell there is a great culture within the team and their plans for the future very much aligned with my own.
"The support and communication along the way has been fantastic and I'm excited to use my expertise to add value in the hotel and tourism industry."
Over the past 20 years Mr Zoiti has had an extensive career in the hospitality and tourism industry in both agency and operations.
Mr Zoiti said he developed an extensive understanding of the operational parameters across a broad range of hospitality and leisure properties and gained specialised knowledge in dealing with a unique hybrid of business and property.
"The real estate and hospitality industry has been a large part of my life and it has taught me a lot down the years. I look forward to this translating in to my new role," he said.
"I've managed a broad range of assets from caravan parks and hotel complexes through to pubs and taverns. My heart is in WA and to me, it's particularly compelling to see the opportunities that are available statewide.
"I've heard the phrase 'work-life balance' many times in my career but this is the first time I feel I can make a positive impact and be able to spend valuable time with my family."
Ray White Commercial (WA) Director/Sales and Leasing Manager Stephen Harrison said he was pleased to welcome someone with such experience in the industry to the team.
"Hotels and tourism is a very specialised property sector. We see there being a huge opportunity to effectively service our clients who hold assets of this nature," Mr Harrison said.
"It's incredibly difficult to find professionals who are true experts in the field, so we're delighted to have Phil on the team, someone who has such extensive experience and credentials in both hospitality agency and operation."
ABC's Pilbra headquarters has hit the market, providing a perfect opportunity to invest in regional Western Australia. Located at 183-184/26 Sharpe…
A fully-leased showroom and bulky goods complex has sold to an eastern states investor for $5.75 million. Located at 68-70 Beechboro…


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University of Cambridge > Talks.cam > Bristol-Myers Squibb Lecture Theatre, Department of Chemistry, Lensfield Road
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Government Incentives for Startups
Government Incentives for Startups
Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a slew of incentives to boost startups in January as part of the Startup India Initiative. A corpus of Rs. 10,000 Crore corpus for innovation-driven enterprises, an Rs. 500 crore per year credit guarantee mechanism and 3-year break from paying income tax on profits were introduced. Capital gains tax exemption for start-ups was also introduced along with a range of incentives which are enumerated below.
Action Plan for Startups
An action plan to help entrepreneurs so that they play a transformative role in India's development was unveiled. Businesses to date had to comply with various central and state laws pertaining to labour and the environment. Non-compliance with these laws would result in severe penalties and fines. In order to do away with these complex procedures, startups would now be able to self-certify their compliance requirements with nine labour and environmental laws without being inspected periodically as is the norm currently and receive faster approvals. Compliance would be checked only if there is a written complaint against the startup.
Startups will obtain an 80 per cent rebate in patent registration fees compared to other companies to protect intellectual property. Startups are high-risk ventures and about 90 per cent of startups fail currently. In case, a startup fails, working off a faster exit arrangement is also take place in case an entrepreneur wants to close his business. A business would be able to wind up within 3 months and for this purpose, suitable provisions will be made in the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Bill in the parliament.
Tax Exemption
'Entrepreneur-friendly taxation regime' would be introduced for startups to ease the tax burden on them. Tax exemption under three different schemes has provided as part of the action plan. According to Budget 2016, it has been proposed to insert a new Section 54EE to provide an exemption from capital gains tax if the long term capital gains proceeds are invested by an assessee in units of specified funds subject to the condition that the amount remains invested for three years failing which the exemption shall be withdrawn. It permits the limit of investment in the units of the fund is up to Rs. 50 lakhs. It also proposes to amend section 54GB so as to provide relief to an individual willing to set up a company by selling a residential property to invest the shares of such company. The section would provide that long term capital gains arising on account of transfer of a residential property is tax-free if the investments of such capital gains in subscription of shares of a company which qualifies to be an eligible start-up.
A startup would be eligible to obtain these exemptions only after obtaining certification from the Inter-Ministerial Board, which has been instituted for this purpose. This board would assess the innovative nature of the business to grant the exemptions. A detailed note on the eligibility criteria for startups. In order to provisions that are in sync with the current trend of startups wherein the usage of technology is primarily with computer software and hardware for the core asset base owing to the nature of the business activity, on amending section 54GB in which the expression "new asset" includes computers or computer software in case of technology-driven start-ups so certified by the Inter-Ministerial Board of Certification.
Other Incentives
Other incentives include a new scheme for intellectual property rights protection and faster registration of patents. The government also intends to set up facilitation centres for the provision of free legal advice and other support to small business to help them with compliance requirements. Procurement norms are also proposed to be relaxed in order to ensure that startups are able to participate and compete with established businesses. Policies to enable women entrepreneurs, sector-specific incubators and the establishment of bio clusters for the biotech sector are some of the other highlights. Incubators investments that are above the fair market value are exempt in line with the current exemption available to venture capital funds to invest in startups above the FMV. Funding support upto Rs. 10 crores to set up new incubators while individual states and the private sector would provide 40 per cent and 20 per cent respectively.
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IndiaFilings is India's largest online compliance services platform dedicated to helping people start and grow their business, at an affordable cost. We were started in 2014 with the mission of making it easier for Entrepreneurs to start their business. We have since helped start and operate tens of thousands of businesses by offering a range of business services. Our aim is to help the entrepreneur on the legal and regulatory requirements, and be a partner throughout the business lifecycle, offering support at every stage to ensure the business remains compliant and continually growing.


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Documents and Awards » George Nader
"World War II" Four War Ration Books with Stamps and Case
Price: $ 275.00 (Documents and Awards » George Nader)
Four World war II ration stamp books with stamps and case. Issued to George Nader during the War. George was a Communacations Officer and was stationed on Johnson Island in the Pacific. These were very personal to the people they were given to.
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Inpatient Rehabilitation
Inpatient Rehabilitation
At Providence St. Elias Inpatient Rehab Facility, we offer intensive rehabilitation care so you can return home as quickly and safely as possible. At our 30-bed facility we take a medically based, multispecialty approach. A doctor who specializes in rehabilitative care leads your team, ensuring responsive, highly focused care.
Care plans typically include physical, occupational and other neurological and rehabilitative therapies for a range of conditions. We assist with stroke, brain and spine injury, heart and lung disease and congenital deformities. We also provide one-to-one support and care after joint replacement, major surgery, amputation or traumatic injuries.
When life sets you back, the specialists at the Providence St. Elias Hospital Rehabilitation help you to move forward again toward better health and independence.
We treat people who are recovering from these and other conditions or disorders:
- Amputation
- Arthritis
- Brain and nerve diseases and disorders
- Burns
- Congenital deformities
- Degenerative diseases and disorders
- Heart and lung disease
- Hip fractures
- Joint inflammation
- Joint replacements
- Movement disorders
- Major multiple trauma injuries
- Multiple sclerosis
- Muscle, bone and skeletal disorders
- Muscular dystrophy
- Neurological disease
- Neuropathy
- Parkinson's disease
- Spinal cord injuries
- Stroke
- Traumatic brain injury
- Vasculitis
At St. Elias Hospital, we provide intensive, active and coordinated treatments, including physical and occupational therapy, speech-language pathology and prosthetics/orthotics therapy for adjusting to an artificial leg, knee brace or other assistive devices. We work with your primary care doctor and physiatrist or other specialists.
Our multi-specialty rehabilitative team provides comprehensive treatment for neurological and cardiopulmonary (heart and lung) conditions, brain and spinal cord injuries, degenerative disease and bone fractures. We also assist with post-surgical recovery from hip and other major joint procedures, amputations and complex accidental trauma.
After an extended illness or surgery, your rehabilitative treatment may be complicated by related serious health conditions. Many of our patients require extensive medical attention and therapies before they're stable enough to qualify for admission to an inpatient rehabilitation facility. We work across specialties to stabilize and manage wide-ranging medical conditions.
Whatever your condition, our goal is to:
- Help you achieve your highest level of functioning and independence
- Help you manage pain and resolve your medical problems
- Prevent future complications
Your doctor and care providers will work together to develop and guide an individualized care plan for you. You'll receive physical, occupational and speech therapy if needed for at least three hours a day, five days a week.
Your treatment may include these and other therapies and services:
- Diet and nutritional guidance from registered dietitian
- Exercise therapy
- Neurologist-guided therapy
- Occupational therapy
- Orthopedic surgeon consults
- Orthotics consulting
- Physical medicine and rehabilitation physician consults
- Physical therapy
- Speech therapy
If you are currently hospitalized, you or your care provider can contact us about sending an electronic medical record for an inpatient rehabilitation consult. If you need home care, please contact our referral hotline at 907-565-CARE.
What is acute rehabilitation?Acute rehabilitation is a medically based, multispecialty approach to treating needs related to stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, neuromuscular disorders, amputation and orthopedic conditions. Our team works to improve abilities, including physical and cognitive function (thinking, memory and other skills), language and communication. We help you gain independence in daily activities and self-care skills such as dressing, grooming, swallowing and eating.
Who can go to this rehab facility?
We can help if you need and will actively participate in intensive, active, coordinated therapies such as physical, occupational and/or speech therapy. Our services can help if you've had an amputation and need help learning how to function well with an artificial limb.
We'll also help if you've been fitted with supportive or assistive devices, such as crutches or a wheelchair, or if you want to learn about home safety devices and other ways to prevent falls or make it easier and safer to get around.
When can I begin rehabilitation?Evidence shows that the sooner you start rehabilitation, the better results you are likely to have. St. Elias nurses, coordinators and practitioners work with referring hospitals and doctors to ensure the earliest possible start to rehabilitation. We base admission on your medical history, your ability to participate in three hours of therapy daily, and whether therapies are likely to help you improve significantly within a reasonable time.
Do I need a minimum qualifying hospital stay before admission?No minimum hospital stay is necessary. You can come from a hospital, residential setting or home, including the home of a friend or family member, or an assisted living facility. You must have a need for close medical supervision by a doctor for managing a medical condition.
Are there restrictions on what diagnosis I need to be admitted?
There are no strict limitations, however the following diagnoses are approved by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid due to the proven benefits of this intense level of care:
- Active, severe or advanced arthritis, including polyarticular rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and seronegative arthropathies
- Amputation
- Brain injury
- Burns
- Congenital deformity
- Hip fracture
- Knee or hip joint replacement
- Major multiple trauma
- Neurological disorders (multiple sclerosis, motor neuron, polyneuropathy, muscular dystrophy and Parkinson's disease)
- Spinal cord injury
- Stroke
- Systemic vasculitides (chronic blood vessel inflammation) with joint inflammation
How long will I stay in inpatient rehabilitation?Most people stay about two weeks. Your needs and continued progress determine how long you stay. Your care manager and care team work with your family or caregivers to coordinate a safe, timely and successful return home.
What kinds of therapy will I receive?You'll receive physical, occupational or speech therapy for a minimum of three hours a day for five days a week. We tailor your therapy to your needs and goals. Rehabilitation is an active process that takes up your entire day. If you're hospitalized, you will practice the skills and strategies you learn in therapy when you are in your hospital room. You also participate in activities outside of therapy hours, including weekends.
Who provides care and treatment during my rehabilitation stay?At Providence St. Elias, a doctor specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation leads your team, which includes specialized nurses, physical, occupational, speech and respiratory therapists, social workers, dieticians, pharmacists and others.
How do I get more information or a referral?For referrals from the community, please contact our Referral Hotline 907-565-CARE. Practitioners can make a referral through the EPIC electronic medical system for an inpatient rehabilitation consult. Our nurse liaisons are frequently on-site at all the area hospitals. They attend daily rounds and are available for your referral.
Our therapists hold a variety of advanced certifications and training, including these and other areas of specialization:
- Brain injury
- Clinical neurologic physical therapy
- Lymphedema
- Modified barium swallow impairment
- Vestibular (balance and dizziness) therapy
Your care team may include many clinical professionals and specialists, including these and other care providers:
- Case managers
- Dieticians
- Hospitalists
- Intensivists
- Neurologists
- Nurse liaisons
- Nurse practitioners
- Occupational therapists
- Orthopedic surgeons
- Otolaryngologists
- Pharmacists
- Physiatrists
- Physical therapists
- Physician assistants
- Podiatrists
- Primary care doctors
- Psychologists
- Pulmonologists
- Radiologists
- Rehabilitation nurses
- Respiratory therapists
- Sleep medicine practitioners
- Social workers
- Speech-language therapists
- Urologists


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We were saddened to report earlier this week about an elderly lady of 85, whose window was smashed by youths at Birdsfield Drive.
To make life a little cheerier and to relieve her shock, we have arranged for a bunch of flowers to be sent to this lady, via her granddaughter. This is possible, thanks to the kind people who have been buying the Blantyre Telegraph newspaper. The more people who buy it, the more good causes we can support. Well done to you all!
Blantyre Telegraph costs just £1 and can be bought at Family Shopper, Premier Mo's, Royal Bank of Scotland or Blantyre Library.
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Whether you're a budding new player or have been more casual in the past and want to get better at Fortnite, the following 4 tips should help you get on the path toward improving your skills.
1. Learn from your mistakes
As one of the biggest games on the planet right now, Fortnite has also one of the largest player bases. This means that you'll encounter way more players of all skill levels than in any other game under the sun. Because the game has also been around for a few years, it's far more likely that you'll run into experienced players.
This makes Fortnite tough to improve in, especially considering the game doesn't tell you much about why you lose and how to get better.
Nobody likes losing, especially in video games for some reason. No matter how much you spin your losses, you've got to accept one fact: you've likely made mistakes that led you to lose. Even in a straightforward game like Fortnite, making mistakes happen and the best way to get better is to learn from them.
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Check out our Beginners Guide for all Fortnite topics
Instead of blaming the gun you picked up or the fact that your opponent was using some weird trick, think about how you approached the fight.
- The main reason most players end up losing early on in the game is that they dive into firefights with multiple opponents.
- If you're doing this a lot then you can try taking the stealth route and sneaking up from behind enemies while they're too busy fighting someone else.
- Some players also lose because of where they're landing. In this case, choose landing spots that won't be crowded.
Whatever mistakes you're making, there's always a solution that can help you not make them repeatedly. The fewer mistakes you make, the better you'll become at Fortnite.
2. Experiment with gear
The beauty of Fortnite is that you can switch up your weapons and gear as you go. This also means, though, that you're not always going to get the gun you favor.
That's why it's important in Fortnite to get used to using as many of the weapons as you can.
When you're still new to the game, the best approach is to just pick up what you see in front of you and experiment. Use every new weapon you encounter as an opportunity to learn how it works.
The biggest mistake lower-level players make is that they get comfortable with a specific weapon or they tend to choose specific types of guns because that's what they play in other games. Fortnite behaves differently. As such, it's like the rifle you keep picking up isn't the same as the one you use in CoD.
Experiment with as many weapons as you can and see which ones feel the best.
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Even if worst comes to worst, and you can't find a weapon you like in a single game, you'll still be ready to handle pretty much anything the game gives you in the long run.
3. Practice your fort building
There's a reason the game is called Fortnite and it has nothing to do with calendar weeks.
The game's main claim to fame is that you can use materials to build Forts. In the game's PvE side, Forts are an integral part of fending off zombies. In Battle Royale, though, they serve multiple purposes.
For starters, you can instantly build walls at any time to give yourself some cover.
You can also build quick structures that allow you to gain an advantage over your opponents. This is something you'll have to get used to doing as soon as possible if you want to get better at Fortnite. Make sure you're always finding opportunities to gather resources and build. Once it becomes second nature, you'll find your game will improve a lot faster.
4. Be more patient and play the game
Fortnite is a game where the more patient players are typically the ones that do better and even make it to Victory Royale.
You have to remember that Fortnite is a game of survival at its heart.
- You don't have to get into firefights you're not geared for.
- It's not a game where the person with the most kills wins.
- It's the last person standing.
- If that means letting the rest kill each other while you hang back and chill, then all the better.
What makes Fortnite fun (besides the cool dances) is that you can play any way you choose. So, why not try being more passive or sneakier? These more patient approaches will show you there are more ways to get results in Fortnite.
Pretty new to Fortnite? Also, check out these 5 quick tips for beginners »


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Hook up the CWB Connelly Triple Threat 3-Person Towable Tube to your boat, hop in with some buddies, and ride the wake. The Triple Threat is a partially-covered, 3-rider cockpit-style tube with a rounded bow for effortless starts, large side gussets for extra stability, and a low center of gravity for safe riding. The large squared-off stern keeps the inner tube stable on turns and in rough conditions.
Get on the water quickly. This large, 66- by 90-inch inner tube comes with Boston valves for easy inflation. The quick-connect tube rope attaches to your boat's tow rope in seconds. This inflatable water tube keeps you comfortable as you ride with 6 padded handles with knuckle guards, seat cushions, and a mesh bottom that drains excess water.Made to last summer-after-summer, this boat towable tube sports a 840D nylon cover and heavy duty air bladder. Hold on tight and enjoy summer boating at the lake with this 3-person inflatable inner tube. Partially covered, 3-rider cockpit-style inner tube with 6 padded handles with knuckle guards, seat cushions, and a mesh bottom that drains excess water. Large, measures 66 inches long by 90 inches wide (deflated), and comes pre-assembled. Get started quickly with easy-to-inflate Boston air valves and quick-connect tube rope attachments. Made to last with 840D nylon cover and heavy duty air bladder. Includes peel and stick repair kit. Boston valves make for easy and quick inflation. Dimensions, deflated (L x W): 66 x 90 inches. Cancelling Your Order: Your order is important to us and will be processed immediately. Select the reason for the return. The item "CWB Connelly Triple Threat 3 Person Inflatable Boat Towable Water Inner Tube" is in sale since Friday, March 6, 2020. This item is in the category "Sporting Goods\Water Sports\Wakeboarding & Waterskiing\Tubing & Towables". The seller is "vm-express" and is located in Lincoln, Nebraska. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, Japan, China, Sweden, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, South africa, Thailand, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Bahamas, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Saudi arabia, Ukraine, United arab emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Croatia, Malaysia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa rica, Panama, Trinidad and tobago, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Antigua and barbuda, Aruba, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Saint kitts and nevis, Saint lucia, Montserrat, Turks and caicos islands, Barbados, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Brunei darussalam, Bolivia, Ecuador, Egypt, French guiana, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, Iceland, Jersey, Jordan, Cambodia, Cayman islands, Liechtenstein, Sri lanka, Luxembourg, Monaco, Macao, Martinique, Maldives, Nicaragua, Oman, Peru, Pakistan, Paraguay, Reunion, Viet nam, Uruguay.


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This section is from the book "An Illustrated Flora Of The Northern United States, Canada And The British Possessions Vol2", by Nathaniel Lord Britton, Addison Brown. Also available from Amazon: An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. 3 Volume Set..
Fig. 2616
Vicia caroliniana Walt. Fl. Car. 182. 1788.
Vicia parviflora Michx. Fl. Bor. Am. 2: 69. 1803.
Perennial, glabrous or nearly so, trailing or climbing, slender, 2°-3° long. Stipules linear or oblong, entire, 2" - 3" long; leaves short-petioled; leaflets 8-18, oblong or linear-oblong, entire, obtuse or emarginate, or sometimes acutish and mucronate, 6"-10" long, 1 1/2"-5" wide; peduncles equalling or shorter than the leaves; racemes loosely 8-20-flowered; flowers nearly white, 4"-5" long, the keel bluish-tipped; pod glabrous, 8"-14" long, short-stalked, 5-8-seeded.
River-banks and cliffs, Ontario to Minnesota, south to Georgia, Mississippi and Kansas. Ascends to 3500 feet in Virginia. May-July.
Fig. 2617
Vicia micrantha Nutt.; T- & G. Fl. N. A. 1: 271. 1838.
Perennial (or sometimes annual?), glabrous, stems very slender, 1°-2° long. Leaflets 2-5 pairs, narrowly linear to linear-oblong, thin, 1/2'-1 1/2' long, 1"-2" wide, obtuse, acutish or emarginate, or those of the lower leaves obo-vate, oval, or even obcordate, usually shorter; peduncles 4"-15" long, 1-2-flowered; flowers 2"-3" long, purplish; pod slightly pubescent or glabrous, about 1' long, 2 1/2" wide, 6-12-seeded; seeds compressed.
On prairies and in thickets, Missouri (?), Arkansas to Tennessee, Alabama and Texas. April-May.
Fig. 2618
Vicia ludoviciana Nutt.; T. & G. Fl. N A. 1: 271. 1838.
Perennial, glabrous, or the young parts pubescent; stem rather stout, angled, 1 1/2°-3° long. Leaflets 4 or 5 pairs, elliptic, oval or obovate, thin, 6"-10" long, 2"-4" wide, obtuse or emarginate; stipules very narrow, rarely over 3" long, linear, or half-sagittate; peduncles shorter than the leaves, or about equalling them, or longer, 2-6-flowered (rarely I-flowered); flowers 3"-4" long, bluish; pod 1' long, or rather more, 3"-5" wide, glabrous, 4-6-seeded, the seeds compressed.
Missouri to Texas, Louisiana and Florida. April-May.
Fig. 2619
Ervum tetraspermum L. Sp. Pl. 738. 1753.
Vicia tetrasperma Moench, Meth. 148. 1794.
Annual, glabrous or nearly so, weak, slender, 6'-24' long. Stipules linear, long-auriculate at the base; leaves short-petioled; leaflets thin, 6-12, linear or linear-oblong, obtuse or acutish, commonly mucronulate, 6"-8" long; peduncles filiform, equalling or shorter than the leaves, 1-6-flowered; flowers pale blue or purplish, 2"-3" long; pod 4"-6' long, glabrous, 3-6-seeded.
In meadows and waste places. Nova Scotia to Ontario, Florida and Mississippi. Guadeloupe. Naturalized from Europe. Native also of northern Asia. June-Sept.
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Man killed in Chico fire identified
Andrew Binion
CHICO — The man who died Tuesday morning in a fatal fire at a trailer near Bremerton was identified as Ryan D. Anderson, 37, and fire investigators found the cause of the fire was an improperly discarded lit tobacco product.
Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue firefighters were called to the trailer in the 4200 block of NW Country Lane, off Chico Way, at 11:14 a.m. and found the residence engulfed in flames. Anderson's body was found inside near a door.
Kitsap County Assistant Fire Marshal Tina Turner said the cause of the blaze was the improperly discarded lit cigarette or cigar and started near a recliner.
Coroner Greg Sandstrom said Anderson died from smoke inhalation and ruled his death accidental.


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The arms industry's reach is growing unabated as wealthy nations militarise their borders in the face of the growing refugee crises.
The profits of the military-industrial complex are growing alongside the global refugee crisis. The same industry that has fueled and prolonged war and conflict around the world through weapons sales is also seeing an increase in profits as countries continue to amp up border security against millions of asylum-seekers.
The arms industry, along with its political backing, has reinforced the narrative that the refugee crisis is a security threat, rather than a humanitarian problem, and what is the solution to that? Buy the latest security technology.
Militarised borders today include the deployment of troops, ships, aircraft and drones; the patrolling of land, sea and air as well as digital surveillance and physical walls - against the world's most vulnerable people.
The hyper-securitisation of borders has been called a new kind of global aparthied, protecting privilege and power, by independent research and campaign groups Centre Delàs d'Estudis per la Pau, Transnational Institute, Stop Wapenhandel and Stop the Wall Campaign in their report, "A Walled World Towards a Global Apartheid".
According to the report's findings, there are about 63 physical walls worldwide, with about 60 percent of the world's population living in a country that has built walls on its borders. Including the deployment of military troops along with their weaponry puts the number of barriers in the hundreds.
"We see security as something that's a zero-sum game, that we are safe when others aren't. There needs to be a focus on responsibility, on how we, for instance, in the West are sustaining conflicts and profiting from them," Parliamentary Coordinator at Campaign Against Arms Trade Katie Fallon told TRT World.
The expansion of militarised borders mainly took place after the September 11 attacks. The Walled World report says that the event "provided security discourse on migration and borders with the perfect setting for its expansion."
Border security became less about protecting national economies and identities and more about the heavy defence against the threat of terrorism. Fostered by the politics of fear, a greater link grew between asylum-seekers and insecurity.
Fortress Europe
Even as the vast majority of refugees from the Global South are hosted by neighbouring countries, some of the most heavily armed borders are within the European Union.
In September 2018, the European Commission set out to strengthen the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex. In a proposal it argued that original regulations "had entered into force in record time after the 2015 migration crisis," leaving "more...to be done to ensure, as part of a comprehensive approach on migration, the effective control of EU external borders."
Under updated regulations made in December 2019, the agency can give binding advice to member states to strengthen border security measures and start operations in non-EU-countries, expanding the externalisation of European border control.
"Pushing borders out so that refugees are another country's responsibility has been one of the most dangerous policies because it pushes responsibility away and it makes any kind of commitments that countries have already made or legal obligations that they already have, unnecessary to implement," Fallon explained.
On its website, Frontex describes itself as one of the EU's fastest growing agencies and says that it will soon grow even bigger.
"We are developing Europe's first uniformed service – Frontex standing corps. Trained by the best and equipped with the latest that technology has to offer. Frontex border and coast guards are ready for tomorrow's challenges at the borders, helping to ensure their proper functioning."
The European Court of Auditors referred to Frontex as a pivotal element in achieving integrated border management of the EU's external frontiers in its January 2020 audit.
The European Commission's latest proposal, which covers the next seven-year-budget for the EU (2021-2027), has allocated about $14.1 billion to Europe's Integrated Border Management Fund of which about $8.5 billion is reserved for Frontex.
About $2.5 billion of Frontex's budget will be set aside for purchasing or leasing military equipment such as helicopters, patrol vessels and drones.
The $14.1 billion budget is a sharp increase from the EU's 2007-2013 External Borders Fund, which was about $2 billion, and its 2014-2020 Internal Security Fund - about $3 billion.
Frontex's subsidy from the Commission has grown significantly over the years from about $267 million in 2016 and $362 million in 2020.
The beneficiaries of intensifying and expanding border security are also some of the biggest arms exporters to the Middle East and North Africa region, fueling the conflicts that add to the crisis.
Frontex has awarded contracts for drone surveillance services in the Mediterranean to Europe's Airbus, Italian arms company Leonardo, French arms and security company Thales, and Israel's Elbit Systems and Israeli Aerospace Industries.
In early December 2020, EU lawmakers grilled Frontex's executive director Fabrice Leggeri and called for his resignation over an investigation in October by several international media outlets.
Allegations pointed to publicly available data, including video footage, which suggested Frontex was involved in illegally pushing back migrants trying to enter Greece from Turkey through the Aegean Sea. Pushbacks of asylum-seekers violate several international human rights conventions.
In October of this year MEPs of the European Parliament asked for part of the Frontex 2022 budget to be frozen and only made available once the agency fulfils a number of specific conditions.
The conditions include recruiting 20 missing fundamental rights monitors and three deputy executive directors who must be qualified to fill the positions, setting up a mechanism for reporting serious incidents on the EU's external borders and a functioning fundamental rights monitoring system.
Nonetheless, the agency's expansion of power across borders continues and is proving increasingly dangerous for refugees and has forced many to take on more dangerous journeys, often pushing people into the hands of smugglers.
Vicious cycle
Countries like the US, France, Germany, the UK and Canada, which claim to hold the highest values towards human rights and the sanctity of life, continue to sell arms to countries in clear violation of International Humanitarian Law (IHL).
"States like the UK are selling arms to Saudi, these arms are then being used in violations of international humanitarian law and there's no accountability for the people who are being affected by it. Yet they can't get justice and this really weakens the idea of the rule of law in the first place," Fallon said.
The financial gains attained by the highly lucrative business of arms sales form an obstacle for the implementation of stricter regulations and policy change.
The Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) will be challenging the UK government's arms exports to Saudi Arabia in a second judicial review this summer.
In accordance with EU and UK regulation, it is illegal to grant an export licence if there is a clear risk that the items may be used in a serious violation of IHL.
While CAAT's first judicial review resulted in about a six month pause in the granting of new licences, the government determined in July 2020 that any violations of international law were isolated incidents, as opposed to a pattern, and the granting of licences went ahead as normal.
"This phrase, isolated incidents, is not in the criteria. It's not in any legal materials before they came up with this concept. So it really comes down to a lack of political will. And unfortunately, the UK is an outlier among other European countries...There's been no hesitation at all at any point in the war in Yemen to stop selling arms to Saudi," Fallon told TRT World.
"In our second judicial review we'll be arguing for more information about how the government took that decision and why they think there are no violations of IHL."
As arms exports and imports continue practically unregulated and the refugee crisis grows, military and security companies continue lobbying for more interventions, more militarised borders and even more invasive and expensive technologies in the process.
"Unless we really start to acknowledge and address the role that the military industry and global elites are playing in sustaining these conflicts in the first place, I don't think we will see this crisis abate."