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The tanker Byron D. Benson was torpedoed by a German U-boat while traveling off the coast of North Carolina in April 1942. The ship was delivering crude oil from Texas to New Jersey. Credit: National Archives and Records Administration
The Big Inch: Fueling America's WWII War Effort
Keith Martin, Librarian, NIST Research Library
If you drive north from NIST's Gaithersburg, Maryland, campus, you will soon reach the famed Mason-Dixon Line marking the border between the states of Maryland and Pennsylvania. Continue for just a few more kilometers and you'll cross over a second historic line: the Inch Line (sometimes called the Inch Lines, for reasons explained below). Contrary to its diminutive name, this line stretches more than 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) from Texas to New Jersey. Constructed during World War II, it inspired a quip that illustrates its importance: "The war was won by an Inch."
The genesis of this line can be traced back to one man and his first job at the National Bureau of Standards (NBS, now called the National Institute of Standards and Technology, or NIST).
William G. Heltzel as an NBS/NIST employee in 1918. He would later apply his metrological training to the pipeline industry. Credit: NIST Archives
Heltzel developed some of the earliest usable flow formulas, which are now considered basic to pipeline design. His research enabled the efficient pumping of petroleum through larger-diameter and much longer pipelines than previously possible. But Heltzel's work didn't have an immediate impact because there was no economic justification for such large pipelines.
No justification, that is, until the advent of World War II.
The U-Boat Problem
Required to lubricate and fuel planes, tanks and other combat machinery, oil was a key strategic commodity. Because of its tremendous importance, both the Axis and Allies naturally tried to maintain and expand their supplies while cutting off those of their enemy. In that regard, the U.S. had an advantage. At the time, the U.S. produced 60 percent of the world's crude oil while our primary foe, Nazi Germany, had limited domestic oil production. U.S. oil supplies, however, were far from the battlefield and had to be shipped over thousands of kilometers of ocean to Europe.
Even within the U.S., 95 percent of petroleum products were transported by ocean-going tankers, which carried the precious stuff from the Texas Gulf Coast to refiners and distributors in the industrialized Northeastern states. With Nazi submarines now roaming the Atlantic, the U.S. government realized that the sea shipping routes were vulnerable. Alternatives were needed.
"Building of a crude [oil] pipeline from Texas to the East might not be economically sound," Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes wrote to President Roosevelt in July 1940, "but in the event of an emergency it might be absolutely necessary."
Sea wolves: A German U-boat sinks a non-military ship, as depicted by German artist Adolf Bock in 1941. Credit: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
That emergency arrived quickly. The U.S. entered the war in December 1941, and in the month of February 1942 alone, Nazi submarines sunk 12 U.S. oil tankers along the East Coast. To protect the remaining tanker fleet, the government restricted the ships to the trans-Atlantic route, which stretched from the U.S. Northeast to Europe. While still dangerous, this route limited the tankers' time at sea and allowed them to cross the Atlantic in an easier-to-defend convoy.
To make up for the lost tankers, oil from Texas was sent to the Northeast via trains and river barges. But those means of transport could not replace the large volume of petroleum that had been shipped by sea. By one estimate, East Coast refiners had been receiving 300,000 barrels of oil daily by ship. Trains and barges were only able to deliver a combined 140,000 barrels per day, less than half the previous supply. In the battle over oil, the Nazis had struck a decisive blow.
According to historian Michael Gannon in his book Operation Drumbeat: The Dramatic True Story of Germany's First U-Boat Attacks Along the American Coast in World War II, "The U-boat assault on merchant shipping in United States waters during 1942 constituted a greater strategic setback for the Allied war effort than the defeat at Pearl Harbor."
Won by an Inch
To maintain the flow of oil, the government funded the construction of the longest and largest pipeline ever built up to that time. Officially named the War Emergency Pipeline, it passed through 10 states and connected Baytown, Texas, on the Gulf of Mexico, with Linden, New Jersey. The War Emergency Pipeline was actually two pipelines running parallel along the same route: A 24-inch (60-centimeter) diameter pipe carried crude oil while a smaller 20-inch (50-centimeter) line carried refined petroleum products.
The Big Inch pipeline being laid through Pennsylvania in 1942–43. Credit: Library of Congress
By the standards of the time, these pipes were giants. Typical pipelines of the period had diameters of no more than 8 inches (20 centimeters). In industry parlance, pipes with a diameter of more than a foot (30 cm) were called "big inch" pipes. Workers building the 24-inch-diameter War Emergency Pipeline named it "the Big Inch." The 20-inch line was amusingly dubbed "the Little Big Inch."
Completed exactly one year after construction began in June 1942, the two pipelines are collectively called the "Inch Lines." The pipelines delivered more than 500,000 barrels of oil per day for the war effort, and all of it on a land route safe from Nazi submarines.
"Without the prodigious delivery of oil from the U.S.," stated historian Keith Miller, "this global war [WWII], quite frankly, could never have been won."
The war was truly won by an Inch.
The construction of a pipeline of sufficient size and length to support the demands of the war effort relied on the earlier metrology work of William Heltzel. In fact, both Heltzel and NIST served as consultants on various aspects of the project.
Upon Heltzel's death in 1959, a petroleum industry trade publication noted that "No other development in the catalog of pipeline achievements has contributed so much to the industry as [Heltzel's] concept of rational pipeline design."
The Inch Lines continued to pump oil after the war and are still in use today. In 1998, the Inch Lines were added to the National Register of Historic Places both for their role in the war effort and as an outstanding engineering achievement.
This post originally appeared on Taking Measure, the official blog of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on March 26, 2018.
Keith Martin is a librarian at the NIST Research Library. He often comes across interesting stories from NIST's past while working with NIST scientists on their current projects.
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Dig out your lederhosen and get ready for unlimited sampling of over 150 beers featuring international, local craft, fall seasonal, marzen and oktoberfest! Stuff your face with pretzels & brauts, compete in the Stein Holding or chicken dance to the German Polka music! Must be 21+ to purchase a sampling ticket but kids 12 and under enter free!
Some of the breweries to can expect:Jailbreak, Monument City, Terrapin, Duclaw, Leinenkugels, Brewers Art, Boulevard, Charm City Meadworks, Harpoon, UFO, Jailbreak, Key, New Holland, Hofbrau, RavenBeer, Stiegl, Wyndridge, Yards, Troegs, 10 Barrel, Abita, Blue Point, Sweetwater, Magic Hat, Bold Rock Cider, Stone, Dominion, Evolution, Dogfish, Schofferhofer, Radeberger, Ommegang, 4 hands, Erdinger, Left Hand, Otter Creek, Long Trail, Southern Tier, Evil Twin & many more!!
VIP entry 2pm, GA 3pm.


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Qcells bullish on Belgium market ahead of InterSolution solar trade fair
Visit http://q-cells.com for further information
Europe's first major solar trade exhibition of 2023 – InterSolution in Ghent, Belgium – expected to capture the energised mood of a Belgian market poised for a record-breaking year.
01/23/23, 05:21 AM | Solar Power, Other Renewables | Q CELLS
[Berlin, Germany, January 23, 2023] The organisers of the 11th InterSolution exhibition have announced that this year's show - the 11th iteration of the solar trade fair, held in Ghent - will be 40% larger than last year: a reflection of the soaring solar demand in Belgium, which is a market that Qcells is extremely bullish on in 2023.
Qcells heads to the historic city of Ghent with a production portfolio spearheaded by our next-generation solar module, the Q.TRON BLK-G2+, as well as a broad suite of solar and storage solutions that should satisfy Belgian homeowner appetites.
This year, expectations are high that Belgium's solar market can join Europe's 1 GW club for the first time ever. SolarPower Europe's EU Market Outlook for Solar Power 2022 - 2026 report forecasts that Belgium will install more than 1 GW of new solar PV capacity in 2023 - having just missed that threshold in 2022.
High module demand, high module quality
A telling statistic from SolarPower Europe's market outlook is that all three of the Benelux nations are present in the EU's top five countries for solar capacity per capita in 2022. The Netherlands tops the bill, with 1,044 watts of PV installed per person, with Belgium in fourth (663 watts) and Luxembourg in fifth (629 watts). Penetration is good; in 2023, it can be even better as consumer demand continues to grow.
Servicing that demand is Qcells, which is well-positioned to lead the Belgian market in 2023 having long established a strong presence in Benelux over the past few years. Qcells' product portfolio - showcased at this week's InterSolution exhibition - offers the right mix of high quality performance, reliability and flexibility for all types of end customer: from private household to small business owner.
The Q.TRON BLK-G2+ is Qcells' latest Q.ANTUM NEO module. The Q.ANTUM NEO module technology ushers in a new phase of evolutionary advancement for Qcells, building upon Q.ANTUM Technology to deliver average cell efficiencies of more than 22%. Q.ANTUM NEO is based on a TopCON-type cell structure that incorporates passivating contact technology to reach higher efficiencies than typical PERC-type cells, using N-type wafers. The Q.TRON BLK-G2+ module is being introduced into the Benelux market in 2023.
The Qcells booth at InterSolution 2023 will also feature the company's latest range of P-type solar modules. Among them will be the Q.PEAK DUO M-G11+ series. This solar module is manufactured using larger 182 mm wafers to deliver an increased power output of 380 - 410 Wp with 108 cells. With its Q.ANTUM DUO Z Technology with zero gap cell layout, the Q.PEAK DUO M-G11 also breaks the 21% efficiency barrier, delivering a maximum module efficiency of 21.4%.
This combination of higher power, high efficiency, a 25-year inclusive product warranty and Qcells' renowned high quality standards (the module boasts long-term yield security with Anti LeTID and anti PID Technology) makes the Q.PEAK DUO M-G11 the perfect residential rooftop solar module for Benelux homeowners seeking supreme performance, whatever the weather.
Qcells will also showcase an all-black version - the Q.PEAK DUO BLK M-G11+ module - which boasts exceptional aesthetics and an efficiency of 20.8%.
Flexible and reliable battery back-up
Supporting solar's journey into the mainstream of EU energy networks are batteries. Whether for the home or in the C&I space, storage technology is an increasingly vital component of the energy transition. For attendees to InterSolution, the Qcells booth (Stand No. 8602) rewards the visitor with a demonstration of the complementary storage solutions the company offers, which includes the new Q.HOME CORE system as well as the Q.HOME ESS+ HYB-G3 battery.
The Q.HOME CORE H4 is a hybrid unit that is perfect for the Benelux market thanks to its easy configuration with any new solar installation. With an embedded PV-generator, hybrid inverter, two MPPT trackers and a maximum voltage of 800 V per tracker, this modular system can be adapted to perfectly manage the PV production of a typical household, up to 20.5 kWh.
The Q.HOME+ ESS HYB-G3, meanwhile, has been designed to make the solar-to-solar+storage journey easier than ever. A single trained installer can fit the storage system in just 30 minutes, and the smallest battery - the 3.1 kWh - is perfectly sized to suit the needs of most homes that have a solar system already installed. If you need more capacity, then you can simply scale the system up to 6.1 kWh, and so on to a maximum of 12.3 kWh. The highest inverter power rating for the three-phase system is 15 kW, which will meet the storage needs of most small businesses.
Maarten Ribbens, Head of Sales Benelux for Qcells, said: "The sunny forecast for Belgium's solar market in 2023 builds on a really strong 2022. Amid the global challenges we saw last year, one reassuring constant across Europe was the continent's unwavering support for growing its energy independence with renewables.
"Achieving greater clean energy penetration is now the main goal of most governments in Europe, and Qcells is immensely excited to play a leading part in this ongoing transition. We expect Belgium to easily surpass 1 GW of new PV capacity this year, and see high demand for many years to come - which is why Qcells has committed to growing our presence in Belgium in 2023 to ensure that demand is met with our high quality products and industry-leading service."
Come and say hi to Qcells at Stand 8602 at the InterSolution Trade Exhibition, Ghent, Belgium, January 25-26, 2023.
About Qcells
Qcells is one of the world's leading clean energy companies, recognized for its established reputation as a manufacturer of high-performance, high-quality solar cells and modules, portfolio of intelligent storage systems, and growing international pipeline of large-scale renewable energy projects. Qcells also provides renewable electricity retail services and packages to end customers the world over. The company is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea (Global Executive HQ) and Thalheim, Germany (Technology & Innovation HQ) with its diverse international manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Malaysia, China, and South Korea. Qcells offers Completely Clean Energy through the full spectrum of photovoltaic products, storage solutions, renewable electricity contracting and large-scale solar power plants. Through its growing global business network spanning Europe, North America, Asia, South America, Africa and the Middle East, Qcells provides excellent services and long-term partnerships to its customers in the utility, commercial, governmental and residential markets. For more information, visit: http://www.q-cells.com.
Safe-Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements. Among other things, the quotations from management in this press release and Qcells' operations and business outlook, contain forward-looking statements. Such statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, Qcells does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


BoxPark founder Roger Wade has revealed plans to open 20 pop-up food and drink malls in the UK over the next five years and to take the concept overseas.
In the UK, Wade said he was close to announcing a site in North London and was also in talks over opening a West London mall. Outside the capital, he is looking at cities including Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Manchester, Nottingham, Leeds and Sheffield.
The expansion will follow the food and drink model BoxPark opened in Croydon, South London, last year, rather than the mix of fashion and lifestyle stores and cafes at the first BoxPark, opened in Shoreditch, E1, in 2011.
The group is targeting areas undergoing regeneration and will promote the malls – constructed using shipping containers – with programmes of events to help drive footfall.
Wade would not name sites or partners but said he was keen to work with Stanhope, Schroder and Hammerson again after building relationships with them in Croydon. BoxPark Croydon occupies a site at Stanhope and Schroder's Ruskin Square, while Hammerson is delivering a retail-led regeneration close by with Westfield. In Europe, Wade said BoxPark had been offered a development agreement to build out malls in six major cities, with sites in South Africa and Nairobi, Kenya, also being considered with the same partner.
However, the first licensed BoxPark mall overseas is likely to be in Perth, Australia, where a local developer is keen to adopt the concept.
BoxPark's rapid expansion plan also includes a refit at Shoreditch, with the top deck and main performance area to be improved for the summer. The upper floor will become the street food focus of the venue.


May 29, 2014 - The robotics industry's highest honor, the Engelberger Robotics Award, will be presented to Dr. Rodney Brooks, Dr. Rory Cooper and Dr. Vijay Kumar at a special ceremony on Monday, June 2 in Munich, Germany. The ceremony is held in conjunction with the joint 45th International Symposium on Robotics (ISR 2014) and 8th German Conference on Robotics (ROBOTIK 2014). The ISR 2014 and ROBOTIK 2014 conference is organized as part of AUTOMATICA, the International Trade Fair for Automation and Mechatronics, June 3-6, 2014 in Munich.
Dr. Rodney Brooks will be awarded the 2014 Engelberger Award for Leadership. Dr. Brooks is the Panasonic Professor of Robotics (Emeritus) at MIT. He is a robotics entrepreneur and is currently Founder, Chairman and CTO of Rethink Robotics, Inc. His past work includes Co-Founder, former Chairman and CTO of iRobot and former Director of the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and MIT Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL).
In his 27 years on the active faculty at MIT and Stanford, Dr. Brooks carried out research in robotics, developing the behavior-based approach to robotics, the first mobile robots that could interact with people and the first humanoid robots in the U.S. Honors Dr. Brooks has received include Founding Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery. He received a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Stanford, with bachelor and master degrees from Flinders University of South Australia.
Dr. Rory Cooper will be awarded the 2014 Engelberger Award for Application. From the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Cooper is Founding Director and VA Senior Research Career Scientist of the Human Engineering Research Laboratories, a VA Rehabilitation Research and Development Center of Excellence in partnership with the University of Pittsburgh. He is also the Co-Director of the NSF Quality of Life Technology Engineering Research Center, a joint effort between the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University.
As a person with a spinal cord injury himself and a Director of the Paralyzed Veterans of America Research Foundation, Dr. Cooper knows all too well how much good can be accomplished through new technological breakthroughs in robotics. Past awards received by Dr. Cooper include the International Paralympic Scientific Achievement Award and he is a two-time winner of the RESNA Distinguished Service Award. His robots and achievements have been featured in places ranging from Popular Science to the cover of a Cheerios box, helping reach a wide public audience to garner support for his work. Dr. Cooper received a Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering with a concentration in bioengineering from University of California at Santa Barbara, with bachelor and master degrees from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
Dr. Vijay Kumar will be awarded the 2014 Engelberger Award for Education. Dr. Kumar is the UPS Foundation Professor in the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Pennsylvania. He has been on the faculty there since 1987, serving many roles including Deputy Dean for Education in the School of Engineering and Applied Science. He also served as the assistant director for robotics and cyber physical systems at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy from 2012 – 2014, where he was instrumental in the Obama Administration's National Robotics Initiative.
Dr. Kumar's primary research interests are specifically in multi-robot systems and micro aerial vehicles. Some of Dr. Kumar's awards include National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator award, Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching from the University of Pennsylvania and IEEE Robotics and Automation Society Distinguished Service Award. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, a Fellow of the Institution of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and a member of the National Academy of Engineering. He received his Ph.D. from the Ohio State University after completing his education from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur.
RIA is now accepting nominations for the 2015 Engelberger Robotics Awards, to be presented in Chicago, Illinois, USA in March, 2015.
Founded in 1974, RIA is a not-for-profit trade association dedicated to improving the regional, national and global competitiveness of the North American manufacturing and service sectors through promotion and enhancement of robotics and related automation. RIA represents 325 robot manufacturers, system integrators, component suppliers, end users, consulting firms, research groups, and educational institutions. The association hosts a number of events including the biennial Automate Show & Conference (March 23-26, 2015 in Chicago), the National Robot Safety Conference (October 14-16, 2014 in Ann Arbor, Michigan) and the Robotics Industry Forum (January 21-23, 2015 in Orlando, FL). RIA also provides quarterly robotics statistics and has a content-rich website, Robotics Online.


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Home Business Simplifile Joins the Arbor Day Foundation 'Time for Trees' 2019 Initiative
Simplifile Joins the Arbor Day Foundation 'Time for Trees' 2019 Initiative
(PROVO, Utah) -- NEWS: Simplifile, a leading provider of real estate document collaboration and recording technologies for lenders, settlement agents and counties, today announced that it is joining the Arbor Day Foundation for the launch of its Time for Trees(TM) initiative, a commitment to plant 100 million trees in forests and communities worldwide by 2022, alongside its partners. Simplifile has previously partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation in honor of Earth Month and has helped to plant 7,882 trees since 2014.
This year, Simplifile is sponsoring the planting of 2,289 trees with the Arbor Day Foundation. The trees will be planted in the Georgia Upper Altamaha Watershed, which the Arbor Day Foundation has identified as its greatest area of need. The Altamaha River watershed supports the largest concentration of rare species of any river in the state. More than 10 rare endangered plant and animal species are found in or along the river.
"We founded Simplifile Cares in 2015 because we wanted to be able to give back, not just to our community, but to worthy causes nationwide," said Simplifile President Paul Clifford. "Bringing together our employees, customers and communities to support the Arbor Day Foundation in its launch of the Time for Trees initiative is an honor, and we look forward to doing all we can to help drive awareness around trees as a scalable solution to the world's most critical environmental issues."
The Time for Trees initiative will leverage trees as a simple, powerful way to reverse the damage done by climate change and address the urgency of preserving the necessities of life - like clean air and water, healthy food and a livable climate - which are becoming increasingly compromised. This initiative is unique in that it will be powered by corporations, communities as well as individual citizens, showcasing the simplicity of tree planting - in one backyard or at scale. As part of this call to action, the Arbor Day Foundation is also inspiring 5 million tree planters to join in this initiative through existing partnerships and community programs.
"The Time for Trees initiative is an important step in protecting the necessities of life, but we can't do it alone. We're thrilled that partners like Simplifile are committed to coming together to drive change," said Dan Lambe, President of the Arbor Day Foundation.
To learn more about the Arbor Day Foundation's Time for Trees initiative or how to get involved, please visit https://timefortrees.org.
About Simplifile:
Simplifile, the nation's largest e-recording network, was founded in 2000 to connect settlement agents and county recorders via its e-recording service. Today Simplifile has broadened its services to include collaboration tools and post-closing visibility for mortgage lenders and settlement agents working together on real estate documents. Through Simplifile, users can securely record, share and track documents, data and fees with ease.
To learn more, visit https://simplifile.com/ or call 800.460.5657.
About Arbor Day Foundation:
Founded in 1972, the Arbor Day Foundation has grown to become the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees, with more than one million members, supporters, and valued partners. During the last 45 years, more than 300 million Arbor Day Foundation trees have been planted in neighborhoods, communities, cities and forests throughout the world. Our vision is to help others understand and use trees as a solution to many of the global issues we face today, including air quality, water quality, climate change, deforestation, poverty and hunger.
As one of the world's largest operating conservation foundations, the Arbor Day Foundation, through its members, partners and programs, educates and engages stakeholders and communities across the globe to involve themselves in its mission of planting, nurturing and celebrating trees.
More information is available at https://www.arborday.org/.
Related link: https://simplifile.com/
This version of news story was published on and is Copr. © eNewsChannels™ (eNewsChannels.com) - part of the Neotrope® News Network, USA - all rights reserved. Information is believed accurate but is not guaranteed. For questions about the above news, contact the company/org/person noted in the text and NOT this website. Published image may be sourced from third party newswire service and not created by eNewsChannels.com.
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Election 2016: Will the war be won in the west?
31 May, 2016 Election 2016: Will the war be won in the west?
The parlous position of the Western Australian economy and the plummeting approval of the state Liberal Government of Colin Barnett means the July 2 federal election could hang on half a dozen line-ball seats in the west.
Having experienced the wealth explosion that came when the mining investment boom was in full swing, the people of WA are experiencing the down side of the mining depression.
They are suffering the after-effects of policy incompetence and the fact that during the boom times the Government did nothing to build a war chest of funds to support the economy to use when things inevitably turned lower.
If only there had been something akin to a mining tax to lock in revenue from super mining profits that could have been used now to support growth and jobs when some stimulus was needed.
In 2008, the unemployment rate in WA fell below 3 per cent as the mining boom absorbed every available worker and then some into the workforce. In the past six months, the unemployment rate is hovering between 5.5 and 6 per cent. The number of people in WA with a full-time job has dropped by a disconcerting 38,300 since the peak in December 2012.
At the same time, the wealth of Western Australians is being destroyed with what is a sharp decline in house prices. According to RPData Corelogic, Perth house prices are down about 7.5 per cent from the early 2015 peak and are back to the levels prevailing five years ago.
LIVE: Follow the latest political developments on the campaign trail and where our leaders are today.
The economic bad news does not end there. Retail sales are lower than they were five months ago and state final demand has been falling for three years.
WA is in something akin to a domestic recession with the only saving grace a lift in the volume of commodities exported, which is the legacy of the increase in capacity from the prior investment boom.
With this track record on the economy, it is little wonder some seemingly safe Liberal Party seats are likely to fall at the election. Voters are not only feeling hard done by, they are genuinely doing it tough in what is probably the worst economic environment for a generation.
Because of this, WA could well be the surprise packet of the election with up to six Liberal seats at genuine risk because of these dour economic circumstances as voters vent their anger and financial hardship at the ballot box.
The Liberal-held seats of Cowan (4.5 per cent margin), Hasluck (6.0 per cent), Burt (6.1 per cent), Swan(7.3 per cent), Stirling (9.0 per cent) and Pearce (9.3 per cent) are all seats Labor not only hope to win, but are poised to win.
The betting agencies, which are offering odds on all 150 electorates including the 16 in WA, have Labor favourites in two of those six seats (Hasluck and Burt) line ball in one (Swan) and underdogs in the other three (Cowan, Stirling and Pearce).
When Labor's task is to win 19 seats nationally to gain power, three or more seats in WA after likely gains in Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia would get them very close to victory on July 2.
There are more than five weeks to polling day and there is one data reading on each of GDP and unemployment before polling day. These will not only have implications for the reading of economic conditions, but will cast a little more light on the economic management credentials of the Government and the extent of the economic downturn in WA.
The GDP result looks like it will be a little weaker than the growth recorded at the end of 2015 and all signs point to an uptick in the unemployment rate. With the national polls clearly showing a swing to Labor, any more bad news on the economy could sway a few more voters to move away from the Government, especially in WA.


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Success StoryOct/Nov 2017
Living the Sweet Life, Literally! — Yolanda Gampp
Donna Paris 2017-10-06
06 Oct 2017 By Donna Paris
0 7 10.1k
Often called the "Beyonce of cakes," Yolanda Gampp uploads a new cake video to her YouTube channel "How to Cake It" every Tuesday
Gampp's How to Cake It: A Cakebook will include detailed directions for making 21 mouth-watering, stunning cakes
The award-winning "How To Cake It" was launched 2.5 years ago and is one of the fastest growing influencer driven foods brands online
Recipes for Gampp's marvellous cake creations are available on the How to Cake It website | Recipes and photo from How to Cake It by Yolanda Gampp ©2017. Published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
Yolanda Gampp took the road less travelled to stardom, going from TV show SugarStars to the incredibly successful YouTube channel How to Cake It, which gained 1.5 million+ subscribers in its first year alone. And now, she's done what she wanted to do from the start: publish a cookbook, How to Cake It: A Cakebook with more than 3 million subscribers behind her to date.
Interview By Rebecca Alberico
Photos by Robin Gartner
You know it well: that moment of bliss when you take fork to cake. The anticipation of what's to come is so exhilarating, nothing else matters. And if novelty cake artist Yolanda Gampp is baking that cake, then one thing's for sure: she will take simple ingredients and parlay them into masterpieces that will make your jaw drop. Not just because of their amazing taste, but because the cake might look like anything from a massive PB&J sandwich, a scary shark or a Star Wars figure to a fidget spinner, a lovely teapot or a watermelon made of pink velvet cake — or anything else you can dream of. And when you bite into a piece, it's like a tasting a little bit of heaven.
IT STARTED WITH EGG CARTONS AND HER IDOL
As a child, Gampp wasn't the kind of girl who liked going outside. Instead, she preferred arts and crafts. "My mother would save every empty paper towel roll and egg carton for me," she says. "Then I couldn't wait for Mr. Dressup to come on TV because he'd often make a craft and I would want to make it with him." For her Barbies, she would transform empty spools of thread and cupcake liners into mini lamps, which she would perch on coffee tables made out of the little plastic thingies they put in the middle of a pizza boxes to stop the cheese from sticking to the top.
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As for school, nothing ever really resonated with Gampp. In high school the culinary arts didn't seem like an option — this was long before the Food Network, of course. But she knew she wanted to go into the arts, specifically OCAD in Toronto, where she lives. And then the universe intervened and directed her to chef school. "At the last minute, I decided to go to George Brown College and take the chef course — they had no cake decorating at that time, so I took culinary management, and it was probably the first time in school that I absolutely adored everything I learned," says Gampp. At the time, there was a limited amount of baking in the course — some breads and pie — but that was enough for her. "It led me to realize that baking was my true passion." She did a co-op in a bakery and they hired her right out of school.
Gampp is grateful for her father, her first idol. "He was always creative in his own right, but he did the right thing. He had a family business so that he could take care of the family and be the main breadwinner, but on the side, he always worked on his passion, which was woodworking," she says. "He was self-taught, and one of the first things he ever made me was a wooden turntable that I could ice cakes on." Just to see him pouring his heart into his passion, even though it didn't make him any money, was very inspiring for her.
When it came time for Gampp to go to post-secondary school, her mother really wanted her to go to university. "She's from a small island originally, Grenada, where she would never have had that opportunity, but she saved for me. But at the end of the day, I wanted to go to college and become a chef," says Gampp. "It was my father who said to her, 'Let Yolanda do what she wants to do.' Inevitably, that's what led me here."
"I feel like a cookbook is permanent and helpful because I loved books when I was teaching myself: I'm really proud of it – it feels like another baby to me"
HER FIRST CAKE? MMMMM, LEMON WITH BUTTERCREAM
Gampp has baked thousands of cakes. Even before going to college, she knew she liked baking. She baked her first one for a family friend turning 90 — it was a lovely lemon cake with buttercream icing and the top edge lined with fresh raspberries. She asked her father to pick her a rose from the garden, which she sugared as a spectacular final decoration. "I was so proud of what I had created."
In fact, like her father, Gampp is basically self-taught. Even though she worked at two bakeries and became very good at icing cakes quickly, she never worked. "The truth is that when I got very good at icing cakes, I felt bored and wanted to be challenged," she says. Starved for information, she started buying books at the now-defunct Cookbook Store in Yorkville. When she read about cake decorating, some involving fondant, she was fascinated. She started practising at home and baking cakes on the side for friends and family, which grew into a small business. She continued to build her portfolio ("If you say to somebody, I can make a cake that looks like a car, how do they have proof unless they see a picture of that cake?") and then, about 12 years ago, she made a cake for a birthday party. "I'll never forget it: it was a box of chocolates and somebody saw it and asked if I made bar mitzvah cakes, I said, 'Absolutely!'" So she started taking on bar mitzvahs, bat mitzvahs, wedding cakes and monumental birthday cakes, and eventually making it her full-time job and quitting the bakery.
FROM TV TO YOUTUBE
Gampp got a big break when she was approached by the creators of TV show SugarStars to create her cakes on camera. When the show wasn't renewed, however, she went back to baking cakes, but then she became pregnant. "I had to stop making cakes because I had a severely swollen ankle, and I stand so much when I work — so I had to refer all my clients to people I met," she says. "It was a rough time for me; I realized how much I missed my passion, and I think I had taken for granted the fact that a lot of people don't get to do that."
In the meantime, the show's creators kept pitching the show, but weren't getting any bites. But when Gampp's son was about eight months old, Jocelyn Mercer and Connie Contardi called her with a YouTube idea. "They said, 'Let's do it ourselves and we'll build this whole thing together.' At the time I remember thinking, 'Oh, what a great way to start again with a little video here and there,' she says. It became much bigger than that and it happened much faster than any of them could have imagined — now they have more than three million subscribers to their channel, How to Cake It, with a new cake video coming out every Tuesday.
It's a punishing schedule. "People have no idea — unless they have some experience — how long it takes to make a cake, and we take about 16 hours to shoot a video and then edit it down to a 12-minute one, so that gives you no perspective on how long it actually takes," she says. But people have always had that misconception, she adds. "Even when I took cake orders, people would call the day before for a birthday cake that looked like a Porsche and couldn't understand why I couldn't whip that up in six hours!" she laughs.
In fact, Gampp takes many hours, and sometimes days, to create one of her cakes. The Lloyd cake from The Lego Ninjago Movie took her four days to make. "That cake stressed me out," she says. "I'm not over it. I can't lie. I can't watch that video because my son is obsessed with Ninjago. All I could think was what if the cake doesn't look like Lloyd?"
Does she ever just go home and bake? "No! I never have time now, and when I do, I want to spend it with my son," she says. "I love baking pies and cookies, I love making homemade ice cream — that's my favourite thing — but there's a lot to keep up with." In addition to the YouTube channel, there are all the social media platforms like Facebook, as well as the website (www.howtocakeit.com), that have to be managed.
Speaking of her four-year-old son, he thinks his mom has the coolest job in the world. "One of the biggest side effects is that he thinks everything is cake. So when he sees a real watermelon, he says, 'Oh, a cake!'" she says. "I always show him the cakes, and he watches the episodes with my mother on her iPad, which I had to buy her just so she could watch YouTube (she has no idea how to use it otherwise)." He's a chip off the block, and he loves to play with fondant, so Gampp brings home any extra for him, along with cutters and old rolling pins.
"I know I can't do everything and I'm OK with that. I always feel like if something doesn't work out, another door opens"
AND NOW, A BOOK!
One thing she's really proud of is her cookbook, How to Cake It: A Cakebook, which is coming out this October. "It's always been my biggest dream and now it's happening," she says. "I feel like a cookbook is permanent and helpful, because I loved books when I was teaching myself. I'm really proud of it — it feels like another baby to me."
Her mission for the book was to make a lot of her bucket – list cakes. "I really just wanted to make beautiful cakes, and I want the photos to inspire people," she says. "Because there are a lot of instructions for cakes at this level, and I didn't want the words to intimidate people; I want them to be inspired when they see the pictures and think, I need to make that," she says.
For Gampp, the best part of the book is that they have included some of her fans' work. Every week, the show has a competition called Replicake, in which fans submit pictures of cakes they've made from one of Yolanda's videos. "We were blown away; it was so flattering," she says. "So we included some of these in the book." And that is why Gampp can't wait until her fans see it. "I can't wait for the fans who made it into the book to see their work and feel proud and encouraged by that," she adds.
THE SECRET TO HER SUCCESS
There are so many secrets to Gampp's success, including a lot of hard work that she makes look easy in producing a new cake video every week. She's comfortable in front of a camera, and it shows. She's fun and bright and a little bit goofy sometimes. When she creates Lloyd from The Lego Ninjago Movie, for instance, she has no problem donning a ninja mask and openly admitting to mistakes ("I meant to cut it into three parts, but I cut it in half — but I didn't let that throw me off. I just pieced it back together and cut it into three.") She's relaxed and funny, too, but most of all, she's inspiring. She breaks down an incredibly difficult cake into achievable steps, doling out tips and encouragement along the way to make you think you can do it, too. And YouTubers respond with comments, sometimes in the thousands, like "The cake looks real!!!" "You should make a giant chipotle bowl," "Can you make a peace sign cake?" or "Honey Yolanda, I would have eaten it halfway done."
Now Gampp is simply grateful for her life. "I never thought such a big business would happen to me when I was a mother," she says. "I was always the type of person who had it all planned out: I'm going to do this, then this, then that, then I'll have a kid when I'm ready."
But, she says, being a mom now gives her a great perspective: "The craziest thing about the Internet and YouTube is that you can always get bigger, you can always grow, you can always put out more content," she adds. "But at the end of the day, I know I can't do everything and I'm OK with that. I always feel like if something doesn't work out, another door opens."
SWEET CONFESSIONS
What's your favourite cake?
I used to make chocolate banana, which was alternating layers of my Ultimate Chocolate Cake and my Banana Cake (both recipes available at www.HowtoCakeIt.com), but I would alternate the layers and fill it with vanilla Italian buttercream. There's something about it; it's so perfect to me. It's like having the perfect banana bread — but then, with some chocolate but the chocolate doesn't overpower it. It's amazing!
What's your favourite drink?
Coffee! I really love a good cup of coffee, especially with a slice of chocolate banana cake. And I think when you drink coffee with something sweet, it's very complementary.
How much cake have you consumed in your life?
I honestly can't even answer that. Somewhere in the tons. I actually love eating the hump of the cake when I level my cakes, and that was always what I ate when I levelled my cakes for clients because, otherwise, that would just get discarded. Or I would make tiny little cakes out of the hump for my mom, my sister and my friends.
What is your favourite cake of those you've created onHow to Cake It?
It's my roast Thanksgiving turkey one. However, there are a few cakes in the book that I really love and am really proud of!
What was your most memorable vacation?
This past summer I turned 40 and my husband surprised me with a trip to Iceland. That was our family trip; all three of us went. To see a gorgeous part of the world like that, with my son, was so amazing.
Jumbo Candy Apple
Whenever I walk by a display of candy apples, I always stop to look —there's just something about the colours and textures that catches my attention. So I thought it would be fun to show you how to cake a jumbo one. What I love most about this cake is that there's so much room to get creative with it. You can dress it up for a theme or a season by adding a different coloured ribbon or bows to the stick, just like real candy apples. Or, if you're giving it as a gift, you can decorate it with the recipient's favourite colours and candies.
Most of my novelty cakes are covered in fondant, but I love how with this cake, in addition to fondant that makes it look like a real apple, we use chocolate and candy to enhance the outside to make it look like the real thing — and to add a ton of yummy flavour. And the other thing that makes it the apple of my eye? It's still a pretty easy design to cake — so it will help you improve your carving skills. In fact, the hardest part about making this cake is trying not to eat all the toppings before you're done.
Click here to check out the Jumbo Candy Apple Cake recipe
Recipes and photo from How to Cake It by Yolanda Gampp ©2017. Published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
www.howtocakeit.com
location: Chateau Le Parc
wardrobe styling by Zara
Hair and Makeup by Mark Jordy Gonzales / Judy Inc.
Handmade coloured glass mosaic tiles customized by Flora Di Menna Designs and Supplied by Cercan Tiles
Tags:FooddessertAward-winningYolanda GamppTV showSugarStarsYouTube channelHow to Cake ItHow to Cake It: A CakebookMr. DressupGeorge Brown Collegeculinary managementself-taughtJocelyn MercerConnie ContardiThe Lloyd cakeThe Lego Ninjago MovieReplicakeFood Networkculinary artsBeyonce of cakesJumbo Candy Apple Cakeinfluencercake competitioncake designUltimate Chocolate CakeBanana CakeGrenada
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Home»Breaking News»US Imposes Visa Ban on Nigerians Undermining Democracy Ahead of General Elections
US Imposes Visa Ban on Nigerians Undermining Democracy Ahead of General Elections
The United States has imposed visa restrictions on individuals in Nigeria who are acting to undermine the country's democracy, according to a statement from US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken.
The statement, which was released on Wednesday, did not reveal the identities of those affected by the restrictions.
Blinken also noted that some family members of those barred from entering the United States may face the same restrictions.
He emphasized that the visa restrictions are not directed at the Nigerian people or government, but rather a reflection of the United States' commitment to assisting Nigeria's efforts to combat corruption and strengthen democracy and the rule of law.
Rijiju criticises PIL against the Center's BBC documentary ban, calling it a "waste of the Supreme Court's precious time"
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24 July, 2017 - We are delighted to welcome Brian Walsh as the latest addition to our team in Shannon, Ireland. Brian joins the Marketing Department with vast experience in both traditional & digital marketing.
After graduating from the University of Limerick, Brian spent some time in London working as a Project Co-ordinator with an Experiential Marketing Company. Upon returning to Ireland, he continued his Marketing Career with a Utilities Company based in Limerick, before taking up his current position as Marketing Executive here in Seabury Solutions.
Outside of work, Brian can be seen playing rugby with a local Limerick Rugby Club, UL Bohemians. He also has a keen interest in travelling, cooking and tennis.
From all of us here at Seabury Solutions, welcome aboard Brian, we look forward to working with you.


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Arbitration is a more formal method of settlement which includes a decision by an arbitrator. Arbitration takes the place of a trial before a judge or jury. If a person signs a contract containing a mandatory, binding arbitration agreement, they are essentially giving up the right to go to court to have their claim resolved. Because the arbitration is binding, grounds for appealing or setting aside the arbitration decision are very limited and may frequently not be available at all. They require parties to the contract to resolve disputes in binding arbitration, rather than in court before a judge and/or jury.
Negotiation allows parties to meet in order to settle a dispute and reach an agreement to the satisfaction of all parties involved. The main advantage of this form of dispute resolution is that it allows the parties themselves to control the process and solution through examination of facts, the exposure of both the common and opposing interests of the parties involved, and bargaining to resolve as many issues as possible.
Mediation provides parties in a dispute an opportunity to settle informally with the assistance of a trained third party. A mediator is not a judge and does not render a decision or impose a solution on any party; instead, the mediator helps those involved in the dispute by managing the mediation session, thus allowing them to resolve the dispute themselves. In court-referred mediation, parties may be ordered to attend a mediation session, any agreement is entirely voluntary. In the absence of agreement, the parties retain their right to take the dispute before a judge or jury.
The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available on this site are for general informational purposes only. Information on this website may not constitute the most up-to-date legal or other information. This website contains links to other third-party websites. Such links are only for the convenience of the reader, user or browser.
Readers of this website should contact their attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular legal matter. No reader, user, or browser of this site should act or refrain from acting on the basis of information on this site without first seeking legal advice from counsel in the relevant jurisdiction. Only your individual attorney can provide assurances that the information contained herein – and your interpretation of it – is applicable or appropriate to your particular situation. Use of, and access to, this website or any of the links or resources contained within the site do not create an attorney-client relationship between the reader, user, or browser and website authors, contributors, law firm, and their respective employees. The views expressed at, or through, this site are those of the individual authors writing in their individual capacities. All liability with respect to actions taken or not taken based on the contents of this site are hereby expressly disclaimed. The content on this posting is provided "as is;" no representations are made that the content is error-free.


I like the colors! Tibetans definitely get points over Chinese for their use of color in everyday life.
It was a beautiful place. I remember thinking at the time, no wonder they are such spiritual people. How can you not be when you live under the sapphire blue sky next to the snow covered peaks.
Conversely, maybe it's because they're a spiritual, thoughtful people that their home is still untouched. There are so many ruined places in China and the US.


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Home > Journals > Journal of Herpetology > Volume 39 > Issue 2
Journal of Herpetology
VOL. 39 · NO. 2 | June 2005
CONTENTS (24)
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New Species of Pseudoeurycea (Caudata: Plethodontidae) from the Mountains of the Mixteca Region of Oaxaca, Mexico
Luis Canseco-Márquez, Guadalupe Gutiérrez-Mayén
39(2), 181-185, (1 June 2005)https://doi.org/10.1670/207-03A
A new terrestrial species of Pseudoeurycea is described from the mountains of the Mixteca region of Oaxaca. Compared with other members of the genus, the new species is relatively slender and short-legged. The background color of the dorsum of this species is dark gray with reddish-brown spots. The Mixteca region of Oaxaca has long been poorly explored biologically, and the knowledge of the distribution of its salamanders is scarce. Herein, we present new information regarding salamanders species in this region.
New Species of Ischnocnema (Anura: Leptodactylidae) from the Andes of Bolivia
José M. Padial, Steffen Reichle, Ignacio De la Riva
A new species of Ischnocnema is described from cloud forests in the Andes of northwestern Bolivia (La Paz Department). The new species can be distinguished from all other Ischnocnema except Ischnocnema sanctaecrucis by the presence of a pale sacral stripe from the level of the caudal tip of the coccyx to the level of the sacrum, well-developed occipital and sacral folds, rounded narrow terminal discs 1.3 times as wide as the corresponding phalange, and dorsal skin moderately warty. It can be distinguished from I. sanctaecrucis, also of the Bolivian cloud forests, by having head longer than wide, well-marked occipital and sacral folds, longer subacuminate to rounded snout, ventral regions mostly cream with little brown mottling, and dorsal region without reddish to scarlet mottling or spots. The new species shares some characteristics with other species of Ischnocnema and members of the Eleutherodactylus discoidalis group, and it appears closely related to I. sanctaecrucis.
Tree Buttress Microhabitat Use by a Neotropical Leaf-Litter Herpetofauna
Steven M. Whitfield, Maya S. F. Pierce
We assessed the importance of tree buttresses as a microhabitat for leaf-litter amphibians and reptiles in a tropical wet forest in Costa Rica by making comparisons of species richness and abundance between pairs of 4 × 4 m leaf-litter quadrats. One quadrat in each pair contained a central buttressed tree, and the other did not. Both abundance and species richness of the herpetofauna were much greater in plots containing buttressed trees; higher species richness in buttress plots was attributed solely to greater abundance in these plots. Buttress and nonbuttress plots contained a similar species composition, and we found particularly strong use of this microhabitat by the scincid lizard Sphenomorphus cherriei. Our results indicate that the microhabitat provided by tree buttresses forms a site of generalized high abundance for the leaf-litter herpetofauna and may contribute to localized high abundance of at least one species.
Application of Skeletochronology to a Population of Pelobates cultripes (Anura: Pelobatidae) from Portugal
Maria Helena Leclair, Raymond Leclair, Julie Gallant
We applied skeletochronology to a sample of Iberian spadefoot toads, Pelobates cultripes, from Serra da Arriça, an agro-forestal area in south-central Portugal marked by cool, rainy winters and hot, dry summers. These environmental conditions allow winter activities but constrain toads to a 12–16 week aestivation period. Lines of arrested growth (LAGs) in phalanges were easily readable albeit, unexpectedly, of varying distinctiveness. Double LAGs were scarce as predicted from the observation of a simple seasonal activity cycle. Limited endosteal resorption did not affect any LAG. Age of adult females ranged from 2–7 yr (N = 40) and that of adult males from 2–8 yr (N = 20). Mean adult snout–vent length (males, 52.8 mm; females, 54.2 mm) and growth rate were lower compared to other Iberian populations of spadefoot toads. However, von Bertalanffy growth curves predict much larger body sizes and greater longevity. We hypothesize that reduced growth rate is a consequence of lengthy, harsh summer conditions. Reduced longevity of spadefoot toads in the study area is probably related to local mortality factors, mainly road kill and land ploughing. Predictions of a postponement of age at sexual maturity at a smaller body size when conditions of reduced feeding and growth rate prevail were only weakly satisfied.
New Species of Lampropeltis (Serpentes: Colubridae) from the Sierra Madre Occidental, México
Robert W. Bryson Jr, James R. Dixon, David Lazcano
39(2), 207-214, (1 June 2005)https://doi.org/10.1670/85-04A
We describe a new species of Lampropeltis from the Pacific versant of the Sierra Madre Occidental in western México based on external morphology, scutellation, and molecular data. This species appears to be closely related to Lampropeltis pyromelana and Lampropeltis mexicana. Divergence may have resulted from geographic isolation on the west side of the Continental Divide in the Sierra Madre Occidental and subsequent adaptation to a unique ecological region.
Patterns of Snake Predation at Songbird Nests in Missouri and Texas
Mike M. Stake, Frank R. Thompson, John Faaborg, Dirk E. Burhans
Snakes are frequent predators of eggs and nestlings, but general patterns of snake predation at bird nests are not well known. We reviewed 84 video observations of snakes visiting nests of four songbird species in Texas and Missouri to identify patterns of predatory behavior. Eastern Ratsnakes (Elaphe obsoleta) were the most common species, and coachwhips, racers, kingsnakes, and a garter snake also were recorded. Snakes almost always removed all nest contents during a single visit but sometimes force-fledged nestlings that were old enough to escape. During many visits late in the nestling period, snakes pinned their prey in the nest while feeding, thereby preventing many of the young from escaping. Snakes spent an average of 13 min and 23 sec at each nest (1 min and 52 sec before striking), and the duration of nocturnal visits exceeded the duration of diurnal visits. Snakes sometimes returned to empty nests after they caused failure but only after nestlings were depredated. Visits by Texas Ratsnakes (Elaphe obsoleta lindheimeri) were mostly nocturnal, whereas visits by Black Ratsnakes (Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta), coachwhips, racers, and kingsnakes were diurnal. Snake predation increased as the nesting cycle progressed with the highest rate occurring in the last few days of the nestling period. Increased predation at the end of the nestling period suggests that avian activity (i.e., feeding visits, nest defense, and nestling movement) contributes to the foraging success of snakes at our sites.
Vocalizations and Reproductive Behavior of Male Pickerel Frogs, Rana palustris
Mac F. Given
I performed playback trials with and recorded vocalizations of male Pickerel Frogs, Rana palustris, in 1992–1993 and 1998–2000 at sites in Delaware and Pennsylvania. I also conducted a mark-recapture study of one population throughout its 1998 breeding season at the Ashland Nature Center, Delaware. Rana palustris had a prolonged breeding season with chorusing occurring over more than one month on nights that the air temperature was at least 8°C. Individual males during the breeding season participated in most choruses, were faithful to specific calling sites, and lost body mass. In the playback trials, I recorded male vocalizations during control conditions and after the playback of one conspecific advertisement call. Males had a complex vocal repertoire consisting of at least three call types: an advertisement call and two additional calls ("snicker" and "growl") that were elicited by the playback stimulus or exchanged during natural male-male interactions. The three call types had distinct combinations of duration and pulse rate, and the snicker and growl had similar dominant frequencies that were significantly lower than those of the advertisement call. All males in the playback trials eventually returned to advertisement calling; however, these calls differed from the calls emitted during the control period in that they had shorter durations, longer rise times, and a shift of energy toward lower frequencies. Several males responded to the stimulus by emitting a series of underwater calls before returning to the water's surface and calling into the air. Overall, R. palustris has a complex communication system in terms of number of call types, the ability to alter call properties, and the ability to vocalize in both air and underwater.
Revision of the Genus Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Sauria: Gekkonidae), from the Mentawai and Adjacent Archipelagos off Western Sumatra, Indonesia, with the Description of Four New Species
Indraneil Das
Four new species of Cnemaspis are described from the Mentawai and adjacent archipelagos along the northwest to the southwest coast of Sumatra, Republic of Indonesia, and one each from Simeulue, Nias, Siberut, and Enggano. These populations were allocated by earlier workers to Cnemaspis kandiana (Kelaart, 1852), a Sri Lankan highland endemic. The high levels of endemicity of the fauna of these islands have been attributed to their geographical isolation, historical lack of aridity, and effects of glacial emergence of the Sunda Shelf caused by its maritime climate.
Responses of Resident Male Dendrobates pumilio to Territory Intruders
Emily A. Gardner, Brent M. Graves
Male Dendrobates pumilio are territorial, and vocalize in the presence of intruders. Territory displays are energetically expensive, and residents should modify display behavior according to costs and benefits associated with social contexts of intrusions by conspecifics. Activity censuses found no significant difference in the proportions of male and female D. pumilio found at various times of day, but a higher proportion of animals that were active at 0730 were male. Resident males exhibited a significantly greater mean call group duration when faced with male intruders in the morning than in the afternoon but did not respond differently to male or female intruders. This may reflect greater potential benefits of repelling territorial intruders in the morning than in the afternoon and use of the same territorial displays to defend territory boundaries as well as to attract potential mates. No significant differences were found in responses of resident males to familiar and unfamiliar conspecifics, which suggests that both neighbors and strangers may compete with residents for territory and mates.
Habitat of Origin and Changes in Water Chemistry Influence Development of Western Chorus Frogs
Nicole M. Gerlanc, Glennis A. Kaufman
A variety of biotic and abiotic variables have been shown to affect length of larval period and size of juveniles at metamorphosis in amphibians. However, influence of water quality on phenotypic plasticity of growth and development of tadpoles generally has received less attention. We examined how abiotic factors in the larval environment change over time and how these changes affect the growth and development of larval amphibians. Western Chorus Frogs, Pseudacris triseriata, in tallgrass prairie breed in ephemeral aquatic habitats including intermittent streams and bison wallows. Our objectives were to determine whether abiotic factors in the larval environment of P. triseriata changed predictably as pools dried and to determine whether these changes affected growth and development of tadpoles when the environment was simulated in the laboratory. In our field studies, pH increased gradually in wallows, whereas ammonium increased in streams, as each habitat dried. In the laboratory, we examined the effects of increased levels of pH and ammonium on growth and development of tadpoles collected from both wallows and streams. Tadpoles collected from streams metamorphosed significantly faster in the high ammonium treatment than tadpoles from wallows. In contrast, tadpoles from wallows metamorphosed faster in the high pH treatment than tadpoles collected from streams. Growth rates of tadpoles from streams were not significantly affected by high pH, whereas those from wallows were not significantly affected by high ammonium treatments. We suggest that changes in abiotic factors over the course of the larval period may influence developmental rate and that natal habitat may determine how tadpoles respond to changes in abiotic factors.
Application of the Evolutionary Species Concept to Parthenogenetic Entities: Comparison of Postformational Divergence in Two Clones of Aspidoscelis tesselata and between Aspidoscelis cozumela and Aspidoscelis maslini (Squamata: Teiidae)
Harry L. Taylor, James M. Walker, James E. Cordes, Glenn J. Manning
KEYWORDS: Parthenogenesis, life history, histocompatibility, postformational evolution, Evolutionary species concept
Sumner Lake State Park, De Baca County, New Mexico, is the only known locality where three pattern classes of diploid, parthenogenetic Aspidoscelis tesselata (Sumner C, Sumner D, and Sumner E) coexist in syntopy. Reciprocal skin transplants confirmed that the pronounced phenotypic differences between Sumner C and Sumner E represent postformational genetic changes rather than separate hybridization origins. Sumner D is meristically indistinguishable from Sumner C and is considered to be a recent mutational derivative of the latter. In contrast, Sumner E is distinctly different from Sumner C in multivariate meristic characters and several important life-history characteristics. Discordant patterns of phenotypic variation characterize many geographically disjunct groups of A. tesselata classified as pattern class E, thus defying a cohesive diagnosis. Therefore, based on the evolutionary species concept (ESC), we consider Sumner C and Sumner E to be divergent clonal groups in the same species. We contrast this example with a parthenogenetic complex on the Yucatán Peninsula in which formal recognition of Aspidoscelis maslini and Aspidoscelis cozumela can be accommodated under the ESC.
Aquatic Habitat Use Relative to Home Range and Seasonal Movement of Eastern Box Turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina: Emydidae) in Eastern Tennessee
Bridget M. Donaldson, Arthur C. Echternacht
39(2), 278-284, (1 June 2005)https://doi.org/10.1670/0022-1511(2005)039[0278:AHURTH]2.0.CO;2
The literature on Eastern Box Turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina: Emydidae) often characterizes them as terrestrial with only anecdotal references to their aquatic habits. The rapid decline in many populations of box turtles suggests an urgent need to assess all aspects of their habitat requirements. In this study, trailing devices and radio transmitters were used to determine seasonal movements and the extent to which turtles used aquatic habitats within their home ranges. Home range sizes averaged 1.88 ± 0.49 ha via minimum convex polygon analysis, and 2.26 ± 0.76 ha via 95% fixed kernel analysis. Kernel estimators were more effective at representing uneven home range use, often demonstrating the extensive use of water. A total of 131 turtles were found in two small temporary ponds from June through August. Individuals remained in the ponds for up to 23 consecutive days. As many as 32 turtles were found at one time in one of these ponds. Turtles often extended their home ranges by means of abrupt linear movements toward water in response to high temperature and low precipitation. Wet areas have a significant influence on Eastern Box Turtle life history. Box turtles should be considered in wetland area conservation decisions where appropriate.
Prevalence and Colonization of Placobdella on Two Species of Freshwater Turtles (Graptemys geographica and Sternotherus odoratus)
Travis J. Ryan, Anjanette Lambert
39(2), 284-287, (1 June 2005)https://doi.org/10.1670/180-04N
It is generally accepted that bottom-dwelling turtles have a higher ectoparasite load than turtles that bask aerially because of effects of desiccation on ectoparasites, especially with regard to leeches. We compared number of leeches (primarily Placobdella parasitica) on field-caught Common Musk Turtles (Sternotherus odoratus) and Common Map Turtles (Graptemys geographica). The bottom-dwelling species S. odoratus had more than 20 times the number of leeches than the aerial-basking species G. geographica. We then exposed cleaned (leech-free) turtles to leeches in mesocosms (cattle tanks) to measure the rate of colonization. In this experiment, S. odoratus had more than four times the number of leeches as G. geographica after 24 h of exposure, even though G. geographica were unable to bask under these experimental conditions. We suggest that desiccation threat alone does not explain the species-specific differences in leech loads on aquatic turtles.
Toe-Clipping Dramatically Reduces Clinging Performance in a Pad-Bearing Lizard (Anolis carolinensis)
Natasha Bloch, Duncan J. Irschick
39(2), 288-293, (1 June 2005)https://doi.org/10.1670/97-04N
Toe-clipping is a simple and widely used method for permanently marking small lizards. Although some studies have shown negligible effects of toe-clipping on locomotor performance and survival in terrestrial lizards, less is known about effects of toe-clipping on arboreal lizards. We evaluated effects of toe-clipping on clinging performance of the small arboreal, pad-bearing lizard Anolis carolinensis. We also examined how clinging ability scaled with size within this species. We measured clinging ability in the same lizards with unclipped toes and with one (two toes clipped total) and two toes (four toes clipped total) clipped per each forelimb. We found that clinging ability decreased dramatically even after clipping only two toes (about a 40% decline) and even more dramatically after clipping four toes (about a 60% decline). We also found that clinging ability scales isometrically with body size within unclipped anoles. Because clinging ability was measured on a smooth substrate and was not influenced directly by claws, toe-clipping appears to directly affect toepad function. Toe-clipping may affect clinging ability because of the severing of a tendon that plays a key role in toepad function. Thus, we suggest that researchers should be cautious before applying toe-clipping as a marking technique to pad-bearing lizards.
Facial Lesions in Turtles, Observations on Prevalence, Reoccurrence, and Multiple Origins
James L. Christiansen, John M. Grzybowski, Brian P. Rinner
We present the first report of aural abscesses in Ornate Box Turtles, Terrapene ornata, and of an epidermal inclusion cyst in Painted Turtles, Chrysemys picta. These observations were made in a mark-recapture study in eastern Iowa conducted over 25 yr. Detailed records of facial lesions in these species have been maintained for the last 12 yr. The prevalence of aural abscesses is lower than that reported for Eastern Box Turtles, Terrapene carolina. Aural abscesses tend to develop in Ornate Box Turtles at least 13 years old and are more common in females than males. The cysts sometimes spontaneously resolve but, in one instance, returned after being expelled in the field. In Ornate Box Turtles, they arise in the middle ear and displace the tympanum and its cartilaginous inner coat outward. Infection sometimes results in reactive bone formation with distortion of the cranium. A similar appearing lesion in a Painted Turtle arose in the skin covering the tympanum, and a second arose anterior to the ear. These were epidermal inclusion cysts and not abscessed.
Osteology of Bufo sternosignatus Günther, 1858 (Anura: Bufonidae) with Comments on Phylogenetic Implications
Claudia M. Vélez-Rodríguez
39(2), 299-303, (1 June 2005)https://doi.org/10.1670/31-04W
Osteological characters are used to infer the phylogenetic relationships of the Venezuelan toad, Bufo sternosignatus. The species does not have a ventrolateral process on the quadratojugal, a synapomorphy for the especies of the B. typhonius clade and is associated to B. humboldti a species of the B. granulosus group.
Recent Occurrence and Dietary Habits of Boa constrictor on Aruba, Dutch West Indies
John S. Quick, Howard K. Reinert, Eric R. de Cuba, R. Andrew Odum
Boa constrictor was first documented on the island of Aruba in April of 1999. By the end of December, 2003, 273 B. constrictor had been captured. These snakes ranged in size from neonates (0.30 m total length) to large adults (2.8 m total length) and included at least two gravid females. Boa constrictor is currently distributed islandwide with the highest frequency of occurrence in the southern and southeastern portions of the island. The increasing frequency of occurrence, extensive distribution, and size diversity of B. constrictor indicate that a large, reproductively successful population is established on Aruba. The diet of the B. constrictor on Aruba was determined from the examination of stomach content and scat samples (N = 47). Birds comprised 40.4%, lizards 34.6% and mammals 25.0% of 52 separate prey items identified. A correlation was found between snake total length and prey mass (r(28) = 0.49, P < 0.01) suggesting an ontogenetic shift in the diet at a total length of approximately 1.0 m. In view of the diverse diet and increasing population of B. constrictor, there is concern about the potential impact of this invasive predator on the Aruban fauna. A government instituted euthanization program for all captured B. constrictor has proven ineffective at controlling the population.
Spatial Ecology of a Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus) Population in East Texas
Eric D. Roth
Radio-telemetry was used to study spatial ecology of a Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus) population in eastern Texas. I examined effects of sex, reproductive state, and body size on spatial use within a riparian habitat. Snakes inhabited a relatively linear environment, restricting movements to the vicinity of the stream. Males occupied larger home ranges than both gravid and nongravid females. Gravid females exhibited marginally larger home ranges than nongravid females, but any effects attributable to reproductive state were relatively small when compared to sex differences in spatial use. Body size was positively correlated with home-range size but did not account for observed home-range differences among population subunits.
Cues Used by Raccoons to Find Turtle Nests: Effects of Flags, Human Scent, and Diamond-Backed Terrapin Sign
Russell L. Burke, Christine M. Schneider, Michael T. Dolinger
We simulated nests constructed in an area heavily used by ovipositing Diamond-backed Terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin) and foraging raccoons (Procyon lotor), to investigate the cues used by raccoons to locate terrapin nests. Marking nests with flags did not increase predation rates, and human scent decreased predation rates. Raccoons seemed to locate nests based on soil disturbance, ocean-water scent, or a combination of these cues.
Sex Differences in Body Size and Ectoparasite Load in the Ball Python, Python regius
Fabien Aubret, Xavier Bonnet, Mathews Harris, Stéphanie Maumelat
Sexual dimorphism in body size, body condition (body mass relative to body size), and relative head size was investigated on 1250 field-caught Python regius (Togo, western Africa). Sexual dimorphism was often undetectable in neonates. By contrast, sexual dimorphism was apparent for many traits in adults. Adult females were larger and had a higher body condition than males; they also had longer jaws relative to their body size. This suggests that females and males follow different growth trajectories from birth to adulthood. In support of this, neonate females had a higher postnatal growth rate than males. Fecundity was strongly correlated with body size in females; a larger body size may be favored by fecundity selection in this sex. Our data show that females mature at a large body size: 95 cm in snout–vent length (SVL). The estimated external parasite load (number of ticks) was higher in adult males than females, perhaps because males encounter more ticks during movements.
Microbial Fermentation in Juvenile and Adult Pond Slider Turtles, Trachemys scripta
Sarah S. Bouchard, Karen A. Bjorndal
Herbivorous reptiles use microbial gut symbionts to digest plant material. These symbionts ferment cell wall components, producing short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), which the host uses as an energy source. In reptiles, fermentation usually occurs in the large intestine; however, the freshwater Florida Red-Bellied Cooter, Pseudemys nelsoni, has both small and large intestine fermentation. Although small intestine fermentation has not been found in other chelonians, no other freshwater turtles have been examined. We measured SCFA concentrations in the digestive tracts of juvenile and adult Pond Sliders, Trachemys scripta. Like many other turtles, T. scripta experiences an ontogenetic diet shift from carnivory to herbivory, and it is unknown whether juveniles can digest plant material. We determined whether (1) this species harbors small intestine fermentation, (2) juveniles possess SCFA concentrations comparable to other herbivorous reptiles, and (3) a change in relative fermentation chamber capacity accompanies the diet shift. We fed turtles a plant diet for five weeks and then measured SCFA concentrations in their gastrointestinal tracts and the mass of gastrointestinal tract contents. Both juveniles and adults had SCFA concentrations comparable to other herbivorous reptiles; however, they did not have significant small intestine fermentation. Additionally, there was no difference between the relative masses of juvenile and adult fermentation chamber contents. Therefore, the ontogenetic diet shift in T. scripta is not accompanied by a change in relative gut capacity.
The Function of Tail Displays in Male Rainbow Skinks (Carlia jarnoldae)
Tracy Langkilde, Lin Schwarzkopf, Ross A. Alford
39(2), 325-328, (1 June 2005)https://doi.org/10.1670/0022-1511(2005)039[0325:TFOTDI]2.0.CO;2
A single display may be used in more than one context and, as such, may convey different information to different receivers. Tail displays in lizards are often performed in several contexts, and appear to have many functions that vary both within and between species. We examined the function of tail displays in a small scincid lizard, Carlia jarnoldae, capable of tail autotomy. We quantified the use of these displays by resident males by observing them in one of four controlled contexts: alone, with a conspecific male, with a conspecific female, or with a predator. We also compared the number of resident versus intruder males that performed tail displays. We found that resident males performed tail displays in all experimental contexts, but most frequently in the presence of a conspecific male and a predator. In contrast, intruder males almost never performed tail displays. The results suggest that tail displays may play important roles in male social interactions and in signaling to predators.
Comparative Data on Epiphyseal Development in the Family Varanidae
Vivian de Buffrénil, Ivan Ineich, Wolfgang Böhme
39(2), 328-335, (1 June 2005)https://doi.org/10.1670/0022-1511(2005)039[0328:CDOEDI]2.0.CO;2
Radiographic and histologic examination of long bone epiphyses in 25 species of Varanoidea (including one Heloderma species) reveals a qualitative difference in epiphyseal development between small and large species. In small monitor lizards, most of them belonging to the subgenus Odatria, metaphyseal plates tend to disappear completely, with fusion of primary and secondary epiphyseal ossification centers in adults that reach an individual body length close to the maximum known for their species. Epiphyseal fusion results in a complete and irreversible arrest of growth. This observation falsifies the previously accepted conclusion that the monitor lizards as a whole have a continuous growth. Conversely, in larger species, morphologically complete growth plates remain present in most (but not all) specimens, including very large adults. Although this feature is not firm evidence of a continuous growth, it nevertheless suggests that large species maintain active growth during ontogeny over a longer period than small species.
Temporal Differences in Activity Patterns of Male and Female Texas Horned Lizards (Phrynosoma cornutum) in Southern Texas
Beth A. Moeller, Eric C. Hellgren, Donald C. Ruthven, Richard T. Kazmaier, David R. Synatzske
39(2), 336-339, (1 June 2005)https://doi.org/10.1670/0022-1511(2005)039[0336:TDIAPO]2.0.CO;2
The Texas Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) is a species of special conservation concern in Texas and the southwestern United States.This study was designed to compare capture rates of adult female and male Texas Horned Lizards by time and month. Horned lizards were captured by road cruising at Chaparral Wildlife Management Area in southern Texas. We found a female bias in morning capture rates compared with evening capture rates. These sex-specific differences in timing of activity may indicate an important difference in physiological constraints on the sexes. Sex-biased movement patterns must be accounted for in population sampling and plans to conserve this imperiled species.


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