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UMSL Tritons weekly rewind
Oct/15/2018 | POSTED BY Mary Ann Mitchell
Tritons senior Maxi Roth (pictured) and junior Emma Thorngren were part of a three-way tie for second place individually as UMSL took home the team title at the Findlay Beall Classic last Sunday and Monday.
The Tritons won the team title at the Findlay Beall Classic, firing a combined score of 598 (295-303) in the Oct. 7-8 tournament for the eighth-best 54-hole score in program history. UMSL finished three strokes better than runner-up Grand Valley State in the 15-team field. Junior Emma Thorngren and senior Maxi Roth each carded a 149 to finish in a three-way tie for second place. The Tritons are at the NCAA DII National Preview this Monday and Tuesday in West Palm Beach, Florida.
UMSL went 3-0 at the Midwest Region Crossover Tournament with sweeps of Northwood and Cedarville and a four-set win over Ohio Valley. Senior Alex Miner was named to the all-tournament team, while junior Selena Nolte led the Tritons with 4.2 kills per set and a .405 hitting percentage. Freshman Megan Woll averaged 5.7 digs per set. UMSL (10-13, 3-9 Great Lakes Valley Conference) returns home this Saturday to host Maryville in conference play.
The Tritons lost a pair of 2-0 games to Bellarmine and Southern Indiana last weekend. UMSL (5-7, 4-5) is at Illinois Springfield on Friday night before hosting Quincy on Sunday in the home finale. Prior to the Quincy contest, the Tritons will honor their 10 seniors.
UMSL played to a scoreless draw against Bellarmine on Friday night before losing 1-0 to Southern Indiana on a late goal Sunday. Despite the loss, sophomore Amber Hayes made 11 saves. The Tritons (3-9-1, 2-7-1) play at Illinois Springfield on Friday night before hosting Quincy on Sunday in the home finale. Prior to the contest against Quincy, UMSL will honor its eight seniors.
Men's and Women's Swimming
The men had four first-place finishes at the Truman State Triangular last Saturday: the 400-yard medley relay team of Radoslaw Chupka, Austin Stevenson, Gabo Jimenez and Sergio Santisteban, Jimenez in the 50-yard freestyle, Chupka in the 200-yard backstroke and Stantisteban in the 500-yard freestyle. The women received runner-up finishes from Aga Blocka in the 50-yard freestyle and Mailin Gupta in the 200-yard backstroke. Both Tritons swim teams lost to the host Bulldogs at the meet but defeated Maryville. UMSL will next play host to Maryville and Lindenwood Belleville at 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 26.
Freshman Joel Sylven won his first collegiate tournament, capturing medalist honors at the Midwest Regional at Fox Run, hosted by the Tritons last Monday and Tuesday. Sylven turned in a 140 (67-73), edging Lindenwood's Carlos Abril by one stroke. As a team, UMSL earned a runner-up finish, posting a 583 (287-296). The Tritons will close out the fall portion of their schedule October 29-30 at the McDonough Cup in Orlando, Florida.
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Category: Wildlife Conservation & Education
Conserving Indian Wildlife: Protecting the Future & Preserving the Past
Posted on April 21, 2013 by Michael Hutagalung
Try to envision a world without wildlife. Due to the number of animals becoming endangered because of killings, trading, loss of habitat, deforestation and disease, chances are this thought may turn into a reality. However, thanks to concrete steps undertaken by governmental bodies and various individual organizations, it has also become a possibility, like never before, to conserve wildlife and prevent mass extinction.
Wildlife Conservation Efforts in India
India is an enchanting country profuse with wildlife. With so many species of flora and fauna, it becomes imperative to protect endangered wildlife as this is the heritage of this incredible country. Not only does the diversity of wildlife enhance the natural splendor of nature, but if it becomes extinct, will be a great loss to India as they also play an important role in supporting its living systems.
The government and various NGO's have devised various strategies and started many projects to shield endangered species:
Project Tiger: The population of the tiger is certainly shrinking all over the world and with an objective to prevent the tigers from extinction; 'Project Tiger' was launched by the Indian government in the year 1973. The main idea behind launching such a project was to create the wildlife reserves in the various parts of the country where the tigers can be protected from the hunters and their numbers could be increased through breeding.
Project Elephant: The numbers of the Asian elephant are decreasing alarmingly and taking this situation into the account, the Government of India and Ministry of Environment and Forests started 'Project Elephant' in the year 1992. The main objective of initiating this project is to offer the necessary technical and monetary help to the various states to protect and increase the population of the elephants.
Wildlife Protection Act: The Wildlife Protection Act was formulated in the year 1972 and restricted hunting of the animals in the protected areas.
Creating National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries
Over the years, the government has created wildlife sanctuaries and national parks in India to conserve wildlife. The parks contain different species of flora and fauna that captivates the attention of the people. Some of the parks contain fencing that prevents poachers from entering and hunting the animals. Many tourists throng the sanctuaries to witness the wildlife playing and roaming freely without any fear. Some of the well-known parks and sanctuaries are as follows:
Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary, Rajasthan
Bandhavgarh National Park, Madhya Pradesh
Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh
Kaziranga National Park, Assam
Corbett National Park, Uttar Pradesh
Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala
Therefore, best steps and plans must be employed to protect every species so that the next generation of Indians can cherish the natural heritage of their country in all its enchanting glory.
Anshul is a wildlife enthusiast and blogger who likes to travel to different national parks and wildlife sanctuaries all over the globe.
Posted in Wildlife Conservation & Education
A Billion Baby Turtles
Posted on April 3, 2013 by Michael Hutagalung
If you've watched Animal Planet you know that odds are generally working against sea turtles.
From the moment an egg is deposited in a sandy nest on a tropical beach, to the first time a baby turtle touches the sea, to decades later when she returns as an adult to lay her own eggs on very same beach, life is an endless series of life-and-death challenges for a sea turtle.
Nature is stacked against survival, which is why a mother turtle lays thousands of eggs during her lifetime in order to simply replace herself. Predators include dozens of species of crabs, beetles, ants, birds, fish, and sharks. Jaguars, pigs, wild dogs, and raccoons are even on the list of turtle eaters.
For millions of years, sea turtles handled it all just fine.
Yet, when you add modern humans to the mix, the balance suddenly tipped towards oblivion. Over the past century all seven species of sea turtle and their eggs have been hunted, carved, and eaten to the point that many populations are considered vulnerable to extinction. Getting caught accidentally in fishing nets and on hooks just adds to their woes. Throw in plastic pollution, boat collisions, and runaway coastal development on their nesting beaches and you've got a situation requiring intervention on a global scale.
But this isn't a bad news story. That's because over the past several decades a massive global network of sea turtle scientists, advocates, conservationists, and even lawyers has evolved to work day and night to bring them back. These heroes have been literally working around the clock, saving one egg-—one baby turtle-—at a time. At other times they'll invest months to rehabilitate a single adult animal before returning it to the ocean. Every turtle released into the ocean is a moment of joy for everyone involved. It never gets old.
Think about it—while you sleep tonight, thousands of scientists, technicians and volunteers are saving sea turtles on the beaches of the world.
These projects are run on "Turtle Time." Slow, steady, and tenacious wins the race. It takes as long as twenty-five years for a turtle to reach maturity, and return on that turtle-y kind of investment can come slowly.
Turtle people are above all patient and hard working. Many projects have been steadily protecting turtles for more than thirty years. Their work is paying off. Some turtle populations are now on the rise after nose-diving to near extinction before that.
The Black Sea Turtle Project in Michoacan, Mexico celebrated its thirtieth anniversary this year and is experiencing its best season since its inception after watching the numbers of nesting female turtles bounce along the bottom of the graph for a decade.
Its sister project, Grupo Tortuguero, working to safeguard black turtles in feeding grounds a thousand miles away in Baja, is turning fifteen in January.
Turtle hunters and poachers in Mexico have had a change of heart and are now turtle protectors and guides. Everyone reports seeing more sea turtles in the ocean and on the beaches.
Now is not the time to let up, though. To get sea turtles back to their former abundance and to restore their ecological role in the ocean this is just half time.
We know exactly what to do. We just need to continue to execute the game plan.
Along with my friends Brad Nahill at SEEtheWILD and Fabien Cousteau at Plant a Fish, we came up with the idea of the Billion Baby Turtles, an initiative to help support groups working on the sea turtle front lines. To make a million more adult turtles we need a billion more baby turtles. It's a one in a thousand situation out there, roughly speaking.
By creatively connecting individuals and small businesses with grassroots projects working to increase sea turtle production, we are helping overcome donor fatigue, burn out, and other second half challenges.
In the coming years we will collaborate widely to further expand the global sea turtle tribe, widen the base of donors through micro-philanthropy, and throw our support behind the men and women working for turtles on the front lines in their coastal communities around the world.
Forty years ago sea turtle pioneer, Dr. Archie Carr, described what it would take to save sea turtles.
"In the long run, marine turtles, like the seas themselves, will be saved only by wholehearted international cooperation at the government level. While waiting for it to materialize, the critical tactical needs seem to me to be three in number: more sanctuaries, more research, and a concerted effort by all impractical, visionary, starry-eyed, and anti-progressive organizations, all little old ladies in tennis shoes, and all persons able to see beyond the ends of their noses…"
That is almost legendary substance.
While high-level official negotiations continue, and the large agencies and organizations fight for pro-ocean and pro-turtle policies, why don't we all do our small part for sea turtles?
A billion baby sea turtles?
Why don't YOU lead one to the water?
Three Ecotourism Hot Spots in Malaysia: Dolphins, Marine Turtles, Elephants
Posted on May 21, 2012 by Michael Hutagalung
This article was first published by our friends at WHL Group, who have agreed to its republication here. View original article on The Travel Word
By Oshin Chin
Malaysia is a hard-to-rival ecotourism destination. And now, through a combination of charismatic animal species and government programs to protect them, several areas of Malaysia have found a way to regulate and harness tourism as a positive force for animal conservation. Whether it's dolphins, monkeys, turtles or elephants you're hoping to encounter (and maybe even help), Malaysia is the place to be.
The Irrawaddy Dolphins of Sarawak
Sarawak, the largest state in Malaysia, is well regarded as a hot spot for Irrawaddy dolphins (known to locals as pesut). The Irrawaddy dolphins' unusual features are its blunt, rounded head with a flexible neck, an indistinct and almost non-existent beak, a small triangular dorsal fin with a blunt tip and its long broad flippers. Irrawaddy dolphins usually swim in groups of two to six, but in Santubong and Buntal, larger groups of more than 30 have been sighted.
Since the Irrawaddy dolphin is a protected species in Sarawak, the local government has created dolphin-watching programs to control tourism and limit the number of visitors. Unfortunately, Irrawaddy dolphins are still facing great risk of extinction due to human encroachment. The biggest threat of all is entanglement in fishing nets. Dolphin-watching season runs from April to November, but due to unpredictable weather, sightings are not frequent. It is therefore best to combine a dolphin watching tour with a mangrove cruise that offers the opportunity to see a wide range of rare wildlife such as Borneo's famed proboscis monkey.
The Marine Turtles of Talang-Satang National Park
Sarawak's first marine national park, Talang-Satang, comprises four islands on the southeast coast of Sarawak. These four "Turtle Islands" are responsible for 95 percent of all the turtle landings in Sarawak. Talang-Satang National Park covers approximately 48,000 acres, including beautiful shallow reef areas surrounding the four islands. The park also includes a wildlife sanctuary, important nesting sites and fish-breeding areas, as well as rare species of hard and soft corals. Most importantly, though, it provides shelter and resting ground for sea turtles.
Marine turtles are amongst the world's longest-living creatures with many reaching more than 100 years of age. Marine turtles will only start breeding at between 30 and 50 years of age and the females usually produce eggs only once every four or five years. They also do not lay eggs on just any beach. They will migrate back to their beach of birth, which sometimes can be more than 3,000 kilometres away. Their ability to find their way back to that particular beach, deftly navigating across an ocean world of deadly predators, is considered to be one of the greatest exploits in the animal kingdom.
The peak nesting season for turtles is from April to September. Due to the decline in turtle populations and deliberate poaching of turtles' eggs, meat and shells, Sarawak Forestry has created a conservation program involving the local communities. As part of the project, turtle eggs are removed from the nests and placed in guarded hatcheries from which young hatchlings are released at night to reduce losses from predators.
In addition, some are tagged with radio tracking devices to learn more about their ecology and life cycle. Pulau Satang Besar, the largest of the four Turtle Islands, is open to visitors, but conservation takes top priority over tourism. In fact, parts of the island and surrounding sea are off-limit to visitors.
Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary
Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary is situated in Pahang, 160 kilometres from Kuala Lumpur City. To get there, take the Karak Highway toward Lancang. Before reaching the elephant sanctuary, you pass through the Che' Wong Orang Asli (aborigines) settlement, the last tribe of its kind in Malaysia.
Gandah Elephant Sanctuary was set up in 1989 and is managed by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Malaysia. Its main objective is to continue locating, subduing and then relocating wild elephants to a bigger and safer jungle reserve when their natural habitat is being encroached upon by human development. It is estimated that only 1,200 wild Asian elephants are left in Malaysia, and Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary is the only conservation centre that provides safe sanctuary for these elephants rescued from all over the Malaysian Peninsula.
Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary also looks after orphaned elephants to ensure their continued survival. At present the sanctuary houses a number of elephants brought in from Thailand, India and Myanmar. These elephants are trained and used in the process of translocating wild elephants found in problem areas throughout Malaysia. The sanctuary strives to promote public awareness of the elephants' plight in Malaysia and to educate the public on the importance of habitat and environmental preservation. Visitors are welcomed to join the elephant activities throughout the year and take part in one-of-a-kind adventures.
About the Author: Oshin Chin
Of Chinese descent and married to a Malay from Sarawak, Oshin and her husband have been living the nomadic life for ten years. They've resided in Australia, Holland, Malaysia, and currently call Brunei home. Oshin joined MegaBorneo four months ago where she works on media and PR. She's always staying active with swimming, running, cycling, trekking, marathons, duathlons, and netball.
Posted in Ecotourism in Action, Marine Tourism, Wildlife Conservation & Education
Australia is one of the world's most diverse natural places!
Posted on February 8, 2012 by Michael Hutagalung
The earth is a remarkable, exciting place, packed full of animals and plants. It is estimated that the world has 5,400+ mammals, 10.000+ species of birds, 10,000+ reptiles (and growing), 7,300+ amphibians, 950,000+ insects and around 310,000 species of higher plants.
But did you know that most of these can be found in 12 countries? These 12 are the Mega-diverse Nations (1).
12 megadiverse nations
60-70% OF THE EARTH'S SPECIES RESIDE IN THESE 12 NATIONS.
Australia (where you can play online pokies at brands like Fair go casino), Brazil, China, Colombia, Congo (DR Congo), Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru together hold 60-70% of the world's species.
Many of these nations are home to a host of endemic species – that is, species that occur nowhere else. Australia is home to 210 endemic mammals (5% of the world's total), 355 endemic birds, 616+ endemic reptiles (nearly 10% of the world's total reptiles) and 14,458 endemic plants.
Unfortunately, many of these countries are also on the UN list of the worst forest-clearing nations (2).
Worst nations for deforestation
ORANGE NATIONS ARE MEGA-DIVERSE BUT ALSO IN 20 WORST NATIONS FOR DEFORESTATION. YELLOW NATIONS ARE IN 20 WORST FOR DEFORESTATION. RED NATIONS ARE MEGA-DIVERSE BUT NOT IN WORST 20 FOR DEFORESTATION.
The worst land-clearing nations on earth are, in order (in bold are the countries that are also the mega-diverse nations):
Brazil, Indonesia, Sudan, Zambia, Mexico, Australia, Congo, Myanmar, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Argentina, Peru, Cote d'Ivoire, Malaysia, Cameroon, Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador and Angola.
Aussies, unlike most of these countries, we are a developed wealthy economy. Why are we still cutting down forest that is home to a world-class fauna and flora diversity?
Photo Story: Twelve Scenes from Patagonia's Most Threatened Terrain
Aysén is Chile's third-largest region, about the size of Tennessee, and the most sparsely populated. It's among the most remote and undisturbed areas of Patagonia, and could be changed forever by the largest hydroelectric project in the history of Chile. This is not just another forest. This is the largest river in Chile. These are among the most powerful rapids on the planet. These are the wildest and most pristine rivers within the wildest and most pristine area left on earth.
If the five proposed dams are built along the Baker and Pascua rivers, about 15,000 acres of these Patagonian lands will be underwater, gone. A 400-foot-wide swath will be cut across 1,500 miles – equal to the west coast of the United States. The 200-foot-tall transmission lines will bisect 64 communities and 14 protected areas. Once in place, the transmission lines will provide incentive to build even more dams to produce greater energy at lower cost.
There are a lot of numbers involved in this discussion. But the most telling evidence is seen in pictures like these twelve scenes below, courtesy of iLCP (The International League of Conservation Photographers), taken for their RAVE campaign to show just what will be lost forever if the dams are built.
Chilean hydropower story on Baker and Pascua rivers.
1. The site of the headwaters of the Rio Pascua where 3 dams are proposed. Before the rapids, the river widens, framing a lake with a view of Mt. Krueger and the Genelas (Twin) peaks in the distance. A tiny tributary winds its way toward the Kreuger range and the main stem of the rive
Juan Jose Soto (age 4) playing in the icy glacial waters of Lake O'Higgins
2. Juan Jose Soto, age 4, playing in the icy glacial waters of Lake O'Higgins. The dams will flood the entire area, and the spot where Juan is playing will be lost.
3. These flamingos native to the Chilean Aysén region are among the many species threatened by the dams' impending presence. P
4. The last remaining Gaucho, Erasmus Betancur 'Beta' Casanova, and his family herd the sheep and cattle that feed the staff at what was once one of the largest ranches in Chilean Patagonia. It's now becoming the new Patagonia National Park, the creation of which involves removing fences and most of the animals from the property to allow these grasslands to heal. With an influx of tourists and employees of the dam, Beta's waning future seems clear.
Rio Pascua headwaters
5. At these headwaters of Rio Pascua, lanky Cohiue trees hang over the gorge.
6. Here in the tiny town of Tortel, residents can cut the remaining cypress forest for fire wood, or as seen here, they can collect the plentiful, renewable resource of drift wood from the many beaches just a short boat ride away. Most people spend at least 1 day a week making the trip to a beach by boat, harvesting wood to heat and cook with. This isn't a way of life "born necessarily of 'eco-awareness' but just the simple fact that their families have lived and tended small subsistence farms here for generations."
glacier lake
7. Looking out between Lake Colonia and Cachet One, where glacial melting will rapidly increase if the area receives more water from the dam's flooding
8. One of five dams will be built here, where the Rio Baker splits through and feeds the rocky valley into the horizon.
Peter Hartmann, activist
9. Peter Hartmann, activist leader, standing above massive rapids. "The biggest problem is that [the project] implies destroying everything, taking everything out of the region without leaving much behind…These projects are immense, on a scale that is absolutely unmanageable for this region. They're unmanageable because this region is very fragile, ecologically, geologically as well as culturally. For example, in the area where they want to build the HidroAysén mega-project, there are as many people living there as the company is going to need to build the dams. So imagine what that means – practically doubling the area's population."
lake, Patagonia
10. Aysen's Lake General Carrera possesses a blueness matched only by the sky reflecting above.
Tortel, Chile
11. 500 people live around the port and town of Tortel, Chile, at the delta of the Baker River, downriver of where the proposed HydroAysen dams would be. Such a huge development will bring a large, rapid influx of new people, threatening the slow and peaceful way of life they maintain. There is little fishing in these waters, and boats are mostly used for transporting goods.
Sunset in Patagonia
12. The sun sets over Aysén, taking one last glimpse before nightfall. Photo: Jeff Foott/ iLCP
The expedition team included Pulitzer Prize winner and National Geographic photographer Jack Dykinga, two-time World Press winner and Prince's Rainforest Project Award winner Daniel Beltra, award-winning filmmaker and photographer Jeff Foott, award-winning photographer Bridget Besaw, and Emmy-winning videographer Edgar Boyles.
Posted in ecoDestinations, Wildlife Conservation & Education
SEEtheWILD: Empowering travelers to become wildlife heroes
EEtheWILD – Protect Endangered Wildlife Through Conservation Travel
SEEtheWILD offers meaningful adventure vacations that help protect endangered species across the globe. After three years of successful conservation tourism projects focused on protecting sea turtles through SEETurtles.org, Dr. Wallace J. Nichols and Brad Nahill formed SEEtheWILD to support a wider variety of destinations and endangered species. Since 2008, SEE Turtles has generated more than $200,000 for local turtle conservation programs in Costa Rica, Baja Mexico and Trinidad.
SEEtheWild currently offers various adventures featuring opportunities to view and help protect Wild Cats, Bears, Birds, Turtles, Sharks, and Whales. SEEtheWILD and SEE Turtles are non-profit projects of the Ocean Foundation.
Interview with Brad Nahill, Co-Founder & Director
What makes SEEtheWILD unique?
SEEtheWILD is the world's first wildlife conservation travel website. It's the only place travelers can go to find wildlife tours and volunteer expeditions that have been evaluated by conservationists and contribute directly towards the protection of wild animals. For every trip booked through the site, at least 5 percent of the trip cost will go towards local conservation organizations, which is five times higher than the standard set by organizations like 1% For the Planet.
Tell us about what you aim to achieve through SEEtheWILD.
Our primary goal is to increase the amount of funding from tourism that goes to wildlife conservation efforts. Nature tourism generates billions of dollars for companies and governments around the world while species go extinct and non-profits struggle for funding. We also want to encourage travelers to become ambassadors for conservation when they return home by using their voice, buying habits, and spare time to advocate and volunteer for animals.
How do you think wildlife conservation travel benefits the traveler?
Seeing a wild animal in its natural habitat can be one of the most inspiring experiences in life. Hearing the shrill call of the elephant or watching an enormous whale glide by inspire emotions that no zoo or aquarium can recreate. This type of travel can help to assure travelers that their favorite animals will be there the next time they visit and that their grandchildren can have the same opportunity. Wildlife conservation travel also aims to educate people on the threats that animals face and empowers them to contribute towards ending those threats.
How are the SEEtheWILD operators selected?
We developed a list of criteria that we use to determine which tour operators truly support wildlife conservation, including strong financial support, carbon reduction, emphasis on local businesses and guides, and low impact lodging. Every operator listed on SEEtheWILD.org has gone through a comprehensive application process. We started with five US-based operators and non-profits who have demonstrated industry leading practices: Earthwatch Institute, Wildland Adventures, Maple Leaf Adventures, Reefs to Rockies, and Geographic Expeditions. Eventually we will expand to include operators and non-profits based outside of the US. You can learn more about our partnerships with travel organizations here.
How are the 'benefiting organizations' – or the conservation projects to which 5% of the tour price is donated – selected?
All of the benefiting organizations are connected with specific wildlife tours or volunteer programs. These organizations must be conducting conservation work on the focus species of the tour in the destination. In many cases, we work with our operator partners to support organizations that they trust. Where there aren't any current established relationships, we search out the most effective local organizations with the help of our colleagues in the conservation community.
Brad Nahill has worked in sea turtle conservation and ecotourism for over 10 years. While living in Costa Rica, he worked with four sea turtle nesting beaches and worked with or consulted for several ecotourism companies, including EcoTeach and Costa Rican Adventures. He helped to found the EcoTeach Foundation and worked with Rare on a project building community-based ecotourism enterprises in World Heritage sites. As co-founder of SEE Turtles and SEEtheWILD, he leads marketing efforts, including working with tour operators, giving educational presentations, fundraising,and developing promotional materials.
How children benefit from an ecotourism experience
Just because you are going on a family vacation doesn't mean that learning should take a break too. Ecotourism is full of what educators call teachable moments or, more definitively, unplanned opportunities to explain a concept that has unintentionally captured a child's interest.
Whether it is touring the rainforests of the Amazon, observing blue footed boobies throughout the Galapagos Islands, or understanding the water issues that surround the Okavango Delta in Botswana, ecotourism is a vacation experience that provides boundless opportunities to teach younger generations about the fragility of ecosystems and the significance of heritage.
Who among us has not witnessed the common occurrence while visiting the local zoo, going hiking through the wilderness, or even watching a local artistic exhibit of younger children looking with absolute wonder and amazement at the spectacle of music, art, flora or fauna? There is delight followed by an onslaught of illuminating questions about people and the natural world.
These teachable moments mark milestones for a child's personal growth and development. And, the value system that is at the core of ecotourism can be a positive influence on all age groups, not just the very young.
Specifically, children can benefit from an ecotourism vacation because the experience offers an opportunity for:
Instruction about indigenous wildlife – ecotours are not only small group tours that allow for up-close-and-personal views of nature, but ones that are generally led by a naturalist that have been trained to understand plants, birds, insects and animals of the region and their relationships to ecosystems, thereby bringing education alive.
Increased awareness about environmental degradation – an important component of ecotourism is to inform tourists about ways to minimize waste, soil erosion, air and water pollution so as not to disturb the environment – lessons that no doubt will stay with children.
Involvement with conservation efforts – whether it's helping to record sea turtle activity in Greece or understand the destructive role of invasive plant species in the wilderness, ecotourism allows for deep knowledge of the fragility of the natural world.
Focus on the depletion of natural resources – whether its learning about how an eco-lodge harnessed solar or wind power for their operations or how countries are implementing renewable bio-energy to power engines, ecotourism teaches how the impact of tourism is affecting sustainable land development, public transportation choices, and how other countries are using low-carbon technologies today.
Exposure to cultural experiences – from tasting new foods to learning phrases in a foreign language, ecotourism interprets cultural traditions and experiences that provide long-lasting impressions about the world.
Inspiration for a life's passion – while snorkeling through a coral reef or observing animals in their natural habitat in Africa, ecotourism sparks the imagination to dream about a career or even find a solution to an environmental problem
Ecotourism even offers opportunities to incorporate your family vacation with your child's science, social studies, foreign language, even art and music lesson plans. One of the most helpful and free resources available now is on the Rainforest Alliance site, which offers a Kindergarten – 8th Grade curriculum guide.
One example lesson plan for a Kindergarten student is entitled Biodiversity which challenges children to think about the diversity of local flora and fauna in local forests versus tropical forests as they classify insect and tree species, while the 8th Grade lesson plan entitled Guatemala's Changing Forest has children learning about the Maya Biosphere Reserve by analyzing maps and determining recent changes in forest cover.
Dedication to the cause of the environment and its preservation can have a long-lasting impact on the way our younger generations feel more connected to ecosystems as well as view social involvement and economic success. Not only will children establish a deeper, longer-lasting connection with the region they are visiting during an ecotour, they will learn more about how they can make a more positive impact on the world.
Irene Lane is the founder & president of Greenloons, a company dedicated to providing nature enthusiasts and wildlife conservationists worldwide with trusted information about responsible, sustainable, and certified ecotourism travel vacations and volunteer conservation efforts both in the U.S. and internationally. For more information, see: Greenloons.com.
Tourism and Biophilia: Protecting the world's remaining natural habitats
Posted on August 17, 2009 by Michael Hutagalung
As disparate as the subjects of tourism and biophilia would seem, it is apparent that in my life and countless others, they are indeed closely connected. Biophilia is a term created by my environmental hero, Edward O. Wilson, to describe the innate affinity, fascination, and awe that we humans have for other species. Judging from the rates that we visit our zoos and wildlife parks, it must be a common affliction. Yet today, many of us spend our vacations traveling to natural environments not knowing the effect tourism has on the habitats of the very species we set out to see.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Sustainable Consumption and Production Branch, tourism impacts the environment in three main ways: depletion of natural resources, pollution, and physical impacts, and that nature tourism is growing at an annual rate of 10-12 %, with most of the expansion happening in the world's remaining natural areas. One can conclude that tourism has an impact on the future of all other species. I might add our own species to that list.
I saw firsthand the importance of reconciling tourism and biophilia recently during an excursion to Kalimantan (Indo-Borneo) at the conclusion of my consultancy on the island of Java, Indonesia. I stayed at an ecolodge called Samboja in East Kalimantan, which also happens to be the location of the Wanariset Orangutan Reintroduction Center and Samboja Lestari project founded by Dr. Willie Smits.
The former is the largest primate rehabilitation program in the world. To orangutans – approx. 30,000 left – clinging to their last island home in a nation rampant with deforestation and illegal logging, it is a matter of survival of their species. Ecotourism is not yet common to this remote equatorial island but Samboja is a reason to believe that it can have a significant impact. The lodge attracts naturalists from all over the world, from birdwatchers and hikers, to botanists and city dwellers.
Many visitors volunteer for weeks, providing assistance with the various labor intensive tasks of the reforestation program. They pay a premium to stay there, and understand that their tourist dollars help provide funding for a seriously endangered fellow mammal. The general manager of the lodge, Jan Burrows, greeted his guests, including me, with the admonition, "go to bed early; turn your lights off at night, and be quiet. You are guests of the orangutans." As I thought about those words, I realized that it seemed to me like good advice for all properties bordering natural habitats.
Samboja Lodge is about a one-hour drive from the main airport in Balikpapan, the capital city. The paved road ends several miles before Samboja, and the tropical setting is unmistakable as you near the Samboja Lestari compound. The ecolodge is mostly built from local natural materials, including its impressive roof from a local sugar palm fiber. Its structure is so nestled into the natural setting that it is barely visible from only a few meters away and sunlight drips slowly through the dense vegetation onto its facade. Due to its tropical setting, the open dining and lounge areas offer unbelievable sights of a rainforest landscape.
The 24 rooms all have abundant views of the jungle setting, which is the reforestation project, and all offer spectacular natural sightseeing. My room was luxurious with a king size bed and extended height ceilings that I shared with a gecko for the night. Water was to be spared as noted in a sign near the bathroom so I limited my showers to several minutes in total.
The premium tower rooms located above mine provided views of the six islands that host the orangutans in their various stages of rehabilitation. The observation tower, one level up from the rooms, peered slightly over the jungle canopy and offered stunning topical views but at a distance also revealed signs of forest clearing.
Kalimantan is irreversibly creating orangutan orphans by cutting teak, mahogany, ramin and meranti at illegal rates estimated as high as 75%. While most of the wood is cut and burned for fuel wood or for government sponsored palm oil plantations, some is sent to other nations, and some ultimately is turned into furniture that ends up in hospitality applications. No teak headboard from Kalimantan could ever be priced high enough to warrant exterminating orangutans from the wild.
Any manufacturer that does not pay attention to its chain of supply may be complicit to the devastation of a habitat like that in Kalimantan. Samboja is one of the few examples in Indonesia where native minds have realized the potential of ecotourism. My guide, Firdaus Yamani, of Borneo Discovery Tours, explained that ecotourism is still as incomprehensible to the majority of the natives as is the notion of irreplaceable biodiversity. In fact, many Indonesians have yet to realize the value of the wood that gets cut.
On my last day at the lodge, I took an early morning guided hike through the jungles of Samboja. This excursion took me on a bridge between the tiny islands and brought me to an emotional confrontation with an orangutan that was on one of the islands designated for impending release. Her wide, curious eyes bespoke wisdom we could sense and her movements were most human-like, as that of a young girl watching an intruder from the porch.
But this was no porch. This is the last island of her existence; her last hope; a final reminder for me of the importance of ecotourism to the few remaining natural places of the world. And while orangutans only occupy a small portion of Kalimantan as solitary nomadic creatures, the third largest island in the world, unoccupied space is essential to their survival.
Edward O. Wilson said in his autobiography, Naturalist, "Earth, in the dazzling variety of its life, is still a little-known planet." As we revisit some of the remaining biologically diverse and unchanged habitats of our little-known planet, we must support those ecotourism projects that have the most positive effect on local habitats, and realize that our affinity for other species should directly influence how we build in these fragile environments. Ecotourism can become a powerful ally in the preservation of our remaining natural habitats and in the growth of sustainable hospitality worldwide.
About the Author: David Mahood is the V.P. of Sustainable Hospitality, NEWH, and the principal of Olive Designs. He is a sustainable manufacturing consultant to the hospitality industry and lecturer on the topic of sustainable hospitality and a contributor to publications dedicated to sustainable furnishings. He also serves as the co-chair of the standards committee of the Sustainable Furniture Council, and is a sponsor of the Nexus Green Building Resource Center, located in Boston, MA.
EASY ECOTOURISM TIPS: 10 Simple Steps To More Sustainable Travel
Adventures with The Awesome Lady, Fiji
A Typical Day at Pura Vida House
Digging Deep into Vietnamese History at the Cu Chi Tunnels
climate change and tourism
Community Based Tourism
ecoDestinations
Ecotourism in Action
Ecotourism Then and Now
Indigenous Communities
Local & Slow Travel Stories
Mountains & Adventures
Responsible Travel Tips
Sustaining Destinations
TIES Members News and Projects
Wildlife Conservation & Education

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
VanBuuren
About Runn Records
M-Town Reggae
BeneluXXL Reggae Contest
Panache Culture
Panache Culture brings Reggae music into a new dimension
pure reggae with oriental influences and sounds from North Africa
Panache Culture is a mix of musical styles: pure reggae with oriental influences and sounds from North Africa.
The group addresses various themes of life and both those who give them a positive energy and those who provoke envy of revolt, it is also their way of making us travel through a new musical world. Panache Culture brings Reggae music into a new dimension.
A Roots-Rock-Reggae vibration from an original musical combination with multiple influences.
Panache Culture is also enriched by various collaborations as Backing Band with Jamaican artists of international fame such as: Earl 16, Mickey Spice, Dawe Congo, Prezident Brown, Anthony B, Rico Rodriguez, Black Steel, Macka B and all the artists of Barry O'Hare, X-Rated.
This band can boast of working with the best of them, including Mad Professor, this genius of sound, who not only mixed the first two Panache Culture albums: "Tell them" and "Travel in a dream", but also produced the 'Moroccan sunrise' album, with its dubby drum & bass touch and exotic accents of an intriguing reggae cocktail, dance, berber-trance and vibes without borders.
It's also the same sound that can be found on "Roots experience".
This band can boast of working with the best of them, including Mad Professor
After four albums and collaborations with big names of Reggae, Panache Culture has directed "The Speech", a 16 titles in French.
In 2009, the band composed and produced the soundtrack for the Belgian film "Aller-retour". (Produced and directed by Mohamed Hamra, bassist of the group)
Currently, Panache Culture is working on a new album, in collaboration with the famous Jamaican trombonist, Matic Horns aka Henry 'Buttons' Tenyue (London) and Stepper Guillaume (Paris).
In recent years, Panache Culture has paid special tribute to Bob Marley entitled "Panache Play Bob" which is the happiness of the reggae festivals throughout Europe.
Also note that one of the first studio specializes in reggae sound was set up in Liege by the group and that it already makes reference in the middle of the Reggae.
Jo Mersa Marley
Jah Mason
RUNN Records, Maastricht, the Netherlands runn@runn.nl
Copyright © 2021 DIJKSTRA DESIGN All rights reserved.


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Cast : James Garner, Eva Marie Saint, Yves Montand	Screenplay : Robert Alan Aurthur	Release : December 21, 1966	Director : John Frankenheimer	Genre : Action, Adventure, Drama	Country : USA	Stream Now	Tim's Rating : Bang for your Buck :
Grand Prix (1966)
Blockbuster History: Racing movies
Every week this summer, we'll be taking an historical tour of the Hollywood blockbuster by examining an older film that is in some way a spiritual precursor to one of the weekend's wide releases. This week: Pixar has, for reasons best not examined too closely, returned to the world of talking race cars with Cars 3. As the most racing-heavy film of the Cars trilogy, it seemed like a good reason to return to one of the greatest depictions of fast cars that the movies have given us.
Grand Prix is a three-hour monster of mid-'60s indulgence, dated in every way: story content, visual style, editing scheme. I should hate it a lot, and in fact I love it, more or less unreservedly, for a wholly biased reason: this is the ne plus ultra of movies about Formula One racing, or probably any other form of car racing for that matter. Not merely for the excellence of the footage captured, but for the splendidly gaudy setting the footage has been jeweled into: Grand Prix was one of the last of the 70mm Cinerama epics, the most unapologetic hypertrophic of all film exhibition formats.* And even as we are now stuck watching it on our televisions (though, for God's sake, the biggest television you can manage! None of this "watch it on a tablet" bullshit, if you please), you can still feel the scale of it seeping through.
The film is an attempt to capture the entire span of a season of F1 racing, both the sport itself (is car racing a "sport"? I feel like it's not, but I know people define it that way), and the personal travails of four particular racers: the hotheaded American Pete Aron (James Garner), the aging Frenchman Jean-Pierre Sarti (Yves Montand), the arrogant Italian Nino Barlini (Antonio Sabàto, Sr.), and the British Scott Stoddard (Brian Bedford), living in the shade of his dead brother's racing legacy, who gets in a bad accident early in the film and spends the rest of the time wracked with fear and doubt. Through several major races, we follow these men's attempts to dominate the fast-paced, dangerous competition, navigate the corporate politics that were finalising their control over the sport, and most importantly, cope with the romantic struggles their self-centered lifestyles inevitably generate. These include Sarti's increasingly sterile marriage to Monique (Geneviève Page) and his affair with American journalist Louise Frederickson (Eva Marie Saint); Stoddard's distance from his wife, Pat (Jessica Walter), sharpened by his accident, leading to her affair with Aron.
There's little doubt that Grand Prix could be cleaned up quite a bit by substantially reducing the amount of time spend on the racer's personal lives. One thinks of the other great European car racing movie, the 1971 Steve McQueen vehicle Le Mans (which was at one point in direct production competition with this film), which minimises its human characters the point that the film is more of an abstraction than a story, an automotive ballet staged for the camera eye. And Grand Prix has substantially better footage than Le Mans, captured by cinematographer Lionel Lindon and director John Frankenheimer by placing the camera to the sides of drivers (the actors mostly did their own stuntwork), on the noses of cars, behind wheels, giving us not just the overwhelming sense of incredible speed on a track that speeds by at a terrifying pace, but the necessary physical context so that we're always queasily aware of the car, and the precarious act of driving under these extreme, intense circumstances.
But paring Grand Prix down to just the racing would, simply put, not have left the film Frankenheimer found interesting: he wanted to set the world of racing against the chewy melodrama of the human stories, the better to give us a global sense of The Life of a Racer. The result is something like the Titanic of the 1960s: a melodramatic spectacle that would surely be "better" if the melodrama were diluted, but at the cost of the film's distinct, lumpy, wonderfully appealing soul. Grand Prix is one of those movies that wants to include just everything, not matter how overstuffed and overreaching that leaves it. It is a passionately earnest thing, trying to capture the whole human experience through the lens of racing, and its stumbles are more endearing than a more proficient, chilly film could achieve. Less romantically, we might simply note that the impact of every race benefits from the slow, saggy patches in between.
No, the "story" material isn't all that good, owing mostly to the trite nature of the characters, particularly the women (though this doesn't stop Walter from giving the best performance in the film by a long stretch; she's clever and hurt and too smart to let the men in the film see it directly, but she signals it to us through twitches of facial expression and body language). Montand's performance is satisfyingly autumnal and weary, but of course that would be true even in a more streamlined version of the movie. Still, the comparison with Le Mans says it all: that film is beautiful and concise, a little experiment in depicting racing that has an art film's disinterest in our opinion of it; Grand Prix is a by-God Epic, something bigger than just a movie; it is an investment and an experience, and it wouldn't have that without huge streamers of interpersonal torment to give it some human heft . It's the strategy of not just Titanic but all of the great bloody big disaster movies of the '70s, only none of them were near as good at it as Grand Prix.
Anyway, the human material is a bit of a distraction, I can't pretend otherwise. The film's life blood lies in pure sensory overload, in its depiction of cars and racing. Frankenheimer was a car buff, and you tell instantly that we're in for a movie besotted with adoration of cars: the credits start in white text on a black, then we track back to find that the black has been the inside of a tailpipe, and the next several minutes are an orgasmic celebration of the bits and piece of a car and the bits and pieces of the drivers responsible for them. Somewhere in this sequence, the most important credit in the whole movie crops up: "Visual consultant, montages, and titles: Saul Bass". Bass isn't one of the three credited editors (who won an exceptionally well-earned Oscar for their work, as did the sound editors and sound recordists), but you can see his influence in the way the races are pieced together as geometric objects, cut according to the logic of movement rather than the reality of space. You can see it even more in the film's extensive reliance on split-screens, sometimes split-screens by the dozens. Never in all of the 1960s addiction to split-screens can I think of another film that uses them so pointedly well: to show us different things happening simultaneously on the same car, to show us a memory playing out at the same time the race is happening (and here's where the sound editing and mixing become important, as well). During the credits, with its kaleidoscopic fragmentation of the frame into tiny repeated pieces, the split-screens imply the constancy of each image: one wrench tightening one nut is race prep, but a whole grid of wrenches tightening nuts plunges us right into the all-pervading importance of that action; the nut must always be tightened, infinitely, lest tragedy occurs.
The graphic pleasure of looking at parts of cars, at cars on the road, at landscapes speeding by, is the best thing Grand Prix offers; turning a high-speed death-defying stunt into a collection of beautiful pictures assembled with visceral effectiveness, whether it's in the quick cutting between steps in a driver's action, or letting the road pass by for dozens of seconds. And while that's happening, Maurice Jarre's score skips by, adding an impossible amount of depth and resonance to the film. He's basically written only one motif, which is re-orchestrated throughout the movie, and can be any number of things: a triumphant, almost militaristic march; a dreamy, soft cushion for lovers, or at the beginning, a tentative, prodding bit of tension, coiling itself up to spring into fast movement. For that's the one thing all incarnations of the score have in common: they propel the movie forward.
It would be easy to write Grand Prix off as nothing but empty-headed thrill-ride spectacle, though unfair. It is the best empty-headed thrill ride of the 1960s, and if you can make allowances for how dated it looks in the cinematography, it would stack up just fine to the vast majority of things made since. But even then, the dated quality is part of the film's charm. This is a movie profoundly of the '60s, in its look, its split-screen, and especially in its reeling sense of European glamor. For what is Formula One but the classy-as-fuck Franco-Italian version of racing, the kind that was popular at the height of the Jet Set, of art cinema, of sexual liberation? Grand Prix's global all-star cast (Adolfo Celi and Mifune Toshiro are to be found alongside those I've already named), its ardor for European landcapes, its all-encompassing sophistication, put-on or authentic or whatever, make it a prime example of '60s America's lust for '60s Europe, and one whose Continental allure remains seductive more than half of a century later.
*Actually, that title should probably be reserved for three-strip Cinerama, but only two narrative features were ever filmed in that format, and neither one of them is particularly interesting.
Categories: blockbuster history, love stories, sports, trash and melodrama
Cars 3 (2017)
Twin Peaks: Episode 10


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AREASChevron
PARTS / SALE / WANTEDChevron
Club Regalia
Parts for Sale (not by club)
Cars or Parts Wanted
RESOURCESChevron
CONTACTChevron
History of the Triumph Stag
The Triumph Stag is one of those cars that is better appreciated today than during its short production lifetime and that is because modern technology has found ways of fixing most of the problems that afflicted the Stag when new. There is also no getting away from the fact that they are a very stylish 4-seater convertible.
The Stag was conceptualized somewhere in the mid 60's and styled by Giovanni Michelotti who had worked on several Triumph designs. Harry Webster, the Engineering Director, wanted to produce a car to compete with the 280SL but using as many Triumph 2000 parts as possible.
The first Stag prototype had a shortened wheelbase, a roll bar and concealed lights. It didn't look, from a styling point of view, at all similar to the Stag we know today and it also had a 6-cylinder engine.
To compete with Mercedes, Harry added a fully adjustable steering column, which lead to all sorts of problems later on as far as complying with US regulations was concerned. He wanted up-market trim and pressed steel wheels with cast alloy and wire wheels as options, manual and power steering, a 14-gallon petrol tank, plus manual/overdrive or automatic gearbox options.
The car was primarily intended for the US market and American acceptance had been seen as crucial. It was late in 1970 when the Stag was finally on the market in the UK but due to US regulation compliance it didn't get to the American market until 1971.
Harry Colley was the Senior Development Engineer responsible for the development of the Stag from 1st prototype until 1974 and by the middle of 1971 had his hands full solving the major problems, which gained the car such a bad reputation. It was reckoned they were losing about £1,000 on every car sold in the States with an almost automatic engine change within 2-3 thousand miles. There were overheating problems, soft tops leaked and water was getting into the boot just to name a few. The UK cars were experiencing similar problems although not so severe.
Even though British Leyland didn't pump any real money into the development of the Stag or in solving it's problems over the 7 years of it's production, the car did evolve. The first cars, which enthusiasts call MKI's were made between 1970 and February 1973 when the MKII model was introduced. The MKII had a number of mechanical and cosmetic differences. Although cars remained MKII's (as far as Triumph were concerned) until production ended in June 1977, the '76 and '77 models were sufficiently different to represent a third phase in the cars development.
The first Stags were offered with soft top, hard top or both. Manual transmission was standard and usually came with optional overdrive. Automatic transmission was optional and was more popular. These first cars had their tail panels painted in the body colour. January 1972 saw changes including stainless steel sill trim strips, a thermostatically controlled engine air intake and re-designed cooling system. MKII's sills and tail panels were painted in matt black, twin pinstripes were added and 5 spoke alloy wheels became an option. From October '76 the last major change was the fitting of a Borg Warner type 65 gearbox on cars with automatic transmission.
Triumph's aim was to have sales of 12,000 Stags a year but this was never achieved. The best year was 1973 when sales peaked at 5508. Even the introduction of the Stag to Australia couldn't reverse the trend; though Australia went on to become the Stag's best overseas market. In total only 25,939 Stags were built in the 7 years of it's production. In the end, UK sales outnumbered exports by about two to one, which is why, the UK Stag Club is the biggest single model car club in the world.


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Q: How do you block users on Firebase? I'm using Firebase for my app and was wondering how to block certain users. I see on the Auth tab of the console, there are "delete" and "disable" options. What do those do? I haven't been able to find documentation on that. Will one of those allow me to block a user?
What I mean by blocking a user is for the ".read": "auth != null" rule to prevent him from accessing data on the database

A: The disable feature consist in preventing that user to authenticate. So if he tries to authenticate he will fail with error code INVALID_CREDENTIALS and he won't have access to the data that has the ".read": "auth != null" rule. It works like he is deleted but the admin still have the power to reactivate the user account.
If you want to build a list of "blocked users" that will be able to authenticate but will have restricted access, you can store the blocked ids in a node on your firebase database like /databaseRoot/blockedUsers and then work with the security and rules.
".read": "auth != null && !root.child('blockedUsers').hasChild(auth.uid)"

blockedUsers could look like the tree bellow but you could also add some other info under the userId such as the date this user was blocked.
/databaseRoot
    /blockedUsers
       userId1 : true
       userId2 : true

Adding the user to this list will depend on your necessity. You can do it manually by accessing the firebase console and adding the user id to the node. Or, if you want to block an user based on an event on the application, you could simply call something like
ref.child('blockedUsers').child(userIdToBlock).set(true);

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The first step is to download and install the PostgreSQL server. This step changes depending on your operating system (OS). Select your OS in the tabs below.
You can download Windows binary files of PostgreSQL server latest version, which include the graphical interface pgAdminIII, from https://www.postgresql.org/download/windows/. Currently (2016/06/13), there are two providers: EnterpriseDB and BigSQL. BigSQL provides a much richer installation of the server with a lot of complements that are intended for developers and that will be useless for a low profile user. Hence, I recommend to use binary files from EnterpriseDB. The file name should looks like postgresql-XXXX-windows-YYY.exe (Xs indicate the version number and Ys the computer architecture: x86 or x64).
Installation wizard starts with a double click on the binary file (as any other Windows program). Then, it allows you to change the values for different configuration parameters: installation directory, data directory, or the communication port. You can change those or use the default values. It is important to remember those values (specially if you change them). Next, the installation wizard ask you for a password (has to be filled twice). This password is for a special user of the database called "postgres". This user is the default superuser or administrator of the database server. User "postgres" can create new users, databases, etc. It is important to provide a password for security reasons and to remember it, otherwise you won't be able to make any operation with the server.
Installation windows to specify PostgreSQL installation folder.
Installation windows to specify PostgreSQL data folder.
Installation windows to specify the password for postgres user.
Installation windows to specify communication port number.
Installation windows to specify regional configuration for the server.
Note that the directory address has to be separated by semicolumn (;) from the rest of directories in your system path. Note also that X.X has to be changed to match the version of PostgreSQL you installed.
Ubuntu, and most Linux distributions, include PostgreSQL server in their package repositories. Hence, installing PostgreSQL server is straightforward with the default package manager of the distribution. In Ubuntu, you can use Synaptic to search for the postgresql package and the pgAdminIII package. Installing these two packages should install the server and all necessary dependencies, and setup the required configuration. Here, the installation will create a superuser (or administrator) account called "postgres" in the server and will ask you to specify a password for this user. It is important to provide a password for security reasons and remember it, otherwise you won't be able to make any operation with the server.
Now you have to download the lastest version of the EPD for Postgres from http://www.europeanpollendatabase.net/data/downloads/. Save the file epd-postgres-distribution.zip in a specific folder of your choice and unzip the file. Now you should have four files dumpall_epd_db.sql.gz, dump_epd_db_schema_only.sql, dumps_epd_all_tables.zip, and README. The file dumpall_epd_db.sql.gz is also compressed and has to be uncompressed to obtain the file dumpall_epd_db.sql.
These two steps can be done from the command line or from the graphical user interface pgAdminIII.
Once you are in the command line, use command cd to change to the same directory you unzipped the database files.
Then, use the psql command to start working with the PostgreSQL server, which will change the prompt to let you know you are in a PostgreSQL prompt. Specifically, you specify that want to connect to the server with the superuser -U postgres and the address of the server (-h localhost).
First, you should create two specific users in your local PostgreSQL server: wwwadm and epd. These two users are defined in the original EPD database server and are required to properly dump the data into the database in your local server. Users in PostgreSQL are also know as roles. To create a new role for the server we use the CREATE ROLE command, with the argument WITH PASSWORD to specify the desired password for each user. You can use any password of your choice, but do not forget these passwords.
Now, you can create a database for the EPD with the CREATE DATABASE command. In the example, we created a database called epd but you can select a different name if you want. Note that commands in postgresql prompt end with semicolom ;.
pgAdminIII is a graphical user interface to manage PostgreSQL servers. It eases basic operations with PostgreSQL databases for no-advanced users that are used to work with the command line. It is also usefull to visually inspect tables in the database. If you want to give it a try or use it instead of the command line, you should look for pgAdminIII in your system and run it.
The program interface have three different parts: a side bar pannel in the left (Object browser) with the structure of the server and all its elements (databases, users, etc) and two pannels at the right. The right upper pannel provides details (Properties, Statistics, Dependencies, and Dependents) for the element that is selected in the left pannel and the right bottom pannel (SQL pane) shows text details of the selected element in SQL language.
To create new users (or roles) you have to right click on Login Roles element in the Object browser pannel and, then, left click on New Login Role.... A new window popup. In the first tab of the window (Properties) you have to provide a Role name, which is just the name for the new user. Here, you have to write epd. In the next tab (Definition) you have to provide twice the password for the new user. You can use any password of your choice. Do not change any other option in this window and click Ok.
Repeat the same proccess to create a new role called wwwadm.
To create a new database you have to right click in Databases element in the Object browser pannel and, then, left click on New Database.... A new window popup. In the first tab of the window (Properties) you have to provide a Name for the database. You can use any name of you choice, but it is a good practice to provide an informative name (e.g., epd). Do not change any other option and click Ok.
Dumping EPD data into the DDBB server requires to use the command line, and cannot be accomplished in pgAdminIII. To do so, once you are in the command line, use the cd command to move into the same folder you downloaded and uncompressed the EPD database for PostgreSQL. Then, you use the psql command to connect to the epd database in the PostgreSQL server as the postgres user. In the same line of code you use the < symbol to parse all the dumpall_epd_db.sql script for PostgreSQL into the database you just created (epd).
Now, you can use the database from the pgAdminIII software or using the EPDr package for R.


This is Nessie. She is a loving cat, super lazy and just chills all day. She is great with kids, but not with dogs. She's scared of them which is why I need to rehome her.
Beautiful kittens, ready in about a month. All kinds of colors. Are tame as I handle them every day.


From the road, the house is hidden from view. Once you pass through the gate and the car tires gently roll down the unpaved rock road swinging around the bend and curving slightly toward vast olive groves and vineyards, Villa Oliveto appears. Then your gaze alternates from the villa to the opposite direction, past the orchards and hills to an impressive structure standing proudly in the distance. What is it? Yes, it is "Il Duomo di Firenze," designed by Filippo Brunelleschi! And in the late afternoon, past farmlands and rolling hills, the glorious Tuscan light illuminates Florentine landmarks as if guided by a higher power.
To describe the villa as a charming restored farmhouse is an understatement of grand proportion. The stunning two-story property is comprised of a formal entry, fully stocked kitchen with an adjacent formal dining area, two generous entertaining areas with fireplaces on the ground and upstairs level, five bedrooms with luxury linens (two king, two queen and one twin), six baths as well as a relaxing sauna and hammam (Turkish bath).
The exterior boasts a solar-heated saltwater pool ringed by umbrellas and loungers along with two outdoor dining areas (one covered and includes a barbeque and the other located on the terrace). The Villa is bordered by large private gardens, a cobblestone patio in front transforms into a late night dance floor and adjoining olive groves.
Villa Oliveto is quiet and tranquil. No crowds. Living here is peaceful and relaxing. Hiking through the olive groves rejuvenate the mind, body, and spirit.
Eight adults (most new acquaintances to one another) were giddy with excitement at this auspicious gathering! For the next 7 days, we remained elated as we fully embraced "La Dolce Villa" as our Italian home. Some days we broke into small groups and scoped out the local area, chatting as we strolled under the shade of the olive trees. We met a pair of darling donkeys who were tucked away on the edge of the property. Our group quickly became fast friends. One couple began each day with a quick plunge into the pool! We enjoyed Restorative Yoga in the upstairs living room with the tall windows opens wide to let in the afternoon breeze. As the sun began to set, we gathered for Apericena under the umbrellas or vine-covered pergola and shared our daily adventures – a pre-dawn photo shoot in Florence, bike touring around Florence, visiting a winery and discovering ancient towns, museum hopping, and gelato sampling.
The evening's escapades commenced in the chef's kitchen which contained every conceivable gadget, pot, pan, stemware, and china. This backdrop allowed the serious cooks to create fabulous dinners while the mischievous assistants maximized merriment when grating the Parmesan Reggiano or mixing the villa's official apéritif, "Aperol Spritz," made of Prosecco, Aperol and soda water over ice. Pre-dinner deliberation regarding wine for the evening was serious and thoughtful. Even setting a lovely dinner table became an artful presentation with candles and wildflowers from the garden. We embraced the Tuscan reverence for preparing and sharing meals with good friends.
The villa is located in Bagno a Ripoli which overlooks the Arno Valley and the rolling hills of Tuscany. The postcard-perfect landscape includes olive groves, abundant vineyards and cypress-lined roads. Castles are sprinkled around the area like medieval jewels.
Tuscany or Toscana is a region located in central Italy that stretches from the Apennine Alps to the Tyrrhenian Sea. The characteristic landscape is a blend of gently rolling hills leading to sharply peaked mountains that pose a barrier between Tuscany and regions to the south. People have inhabited this beautiful part of the world for thousands of years. Ruins of the ancient Etruscan civilization (which predated the Roman Empire) are scattered throughout the back roads.
Tuscany has two distinct appearances – the art cities like Florence, Siena, Lucca and Pisa as well as the countryside sprinkled with small towns, villages, castles, villas, and vineyards.
The word "Tuscan" evolved from "Etruscan" and now serves as a marketing modifier, a cultural indicator, and even a lifestyle choice. The word "Tuscan" influences the design, fashion, decor, epicurean lifestyle and evokes a "Bella Vita" or "good life" philosophy.
The Etruscan tribes settled in the area about 1000 BCE and credited for teaching the Romans the art of civilization, including war and conquest. The Romans were good students because their strength and power grew and the Etruscans eventually vanished. The Romans built the cities of Florence, Pisa, Lucca, and Siena and connected them by roads allowing the movement of goods and the military. The Barbarian Invasion brought about the end of the Western Roman Empire and the walled Tuscan cities transitioned into city-states. As Charlemagne's Holy Roman Empire grew in power, rich Tuscany became a region of great desire. Today's tourists enjoy the ruins of magnificent walled cities, monasteries and fortified castles that were constructed during this time to fend off invaders.
Matilda, detail of a miniature from Vita Mathildis by Donizo of Canossa, 12th century; in the Vatican Library (Vat. Lat. 4922).Courtesy of the Bibliotech Apostolica Vaticana.
In 1089, at the age of 43, the Great Countess, Matilda (the most powerful woman in Italy, at the time) married the 17-year-old Welf V, Duke of Bavaria and Carinthia. She sometimes fought in armor at the head of her troops in the wars between the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor. Matilda finally made peace with Henry V and donated her territorial possessions to him. However, she had already gifted them to the Pope, an act that later provoked controversy between papacy and empire. The House of Medici was the Italian family that ruled Florence and later Tuscany during most of the period from 1434 to 1737. They first attained immense wealth and political power in Florence through their success in commerce and banking. With the rise to power of Cosimo de' Medici (or Cosimo the Elder), the family's support of the arts and humanities transformed Florence into the cradle of the Renaissance, a cultural flowering rivaled only by that of ancient Greece. Walk the streets of Florence and you see the remnants of Medici power and wealth on display. The house of Medici funded the work of masters like Botticelli, Da Vinci, Galileo, and Michelangelo. Seems like just about everyone wants a Tuscan Villa! Napoleon Bonaparte made his mark by conquering the region in 1807 and gifting it to his sister, Maria Anna Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi Levoy who became the Grand Duchess of Tuscany.
Before you take off on an excursion be sure to schedule time each day for "Meriggiare" which roughly means "to escape the heat of the midday sun by resting in the shade." Savoring a scoop or two of gelato is an excellent example of Meriggiare!
Practice this phrase until it rolls off your tongue and then say it like you mean it! "Non tutte le ciambelle riescono col buco" which means "Things don't always turn out as planned" and literally translates to "Not all doughnuts come out with a hole." This philosophy will serve you well as you get lost in the hills on the way to your destination.
The Tuscan region is populated with small and large wineries. Best to make contact before you plan to visit. The enormous Antinori Winery and beautiful Il Borro (owned by the Ferragamo family) are two famous ones but there are many small, family owned and operated establishments that welcome visitors. And if you get lost along the way, remember … Non tutte le ciambelle riescono col buco!
Fiesole is where the Florentine aristocracy retired to escape the heat of the big city. This small town hides a wealth of surprises like 8th century BCE Etruscan walls, ancient Roman baths, the very hill where Leonardo da Vinci experimented with the concept of flight and a Roman amphitheater which serves as the stage for the Estate Fiesolana summer events.
If your day trips include driving, you will need to refuel yourself and your ride. Along the Autostrada you might spot the occasional red-and-white Autogrill, (Italy's answer to fast food) and it's worth a stop. Not only do they have everything you need, many travelers boldly proclaim that Autogrill makes the best 1 Euro espresso in Italy! Once you and your auto are full, back you go on your merry way to the marvelous countryside filled with green grass and trees merging with blue sky, violet and golden wildflowers, terracotta villas and slate farmhouses. A drive along the Tuscan back roads is a visual feast!
Tip – Unless you have lived in the region, do yourself and your passengers a favor – double the time your navigation system estimates the trip will take. These country roads are an adventure! And, if you happen to arrive early and find the perfect place to park, celebrate with gelato or espresso!
If your day trips include driving, you will need to refuel yourself and your ride. Along the Autostrada you might spot the occasional red-and-white Autogrill, (Italy's answer to fast food) and it's worth a stop. Not only do they have everything you need, many travelers boldly proclaim that Autogrill makes the best 1 Euro espresso in Italy! Once you and your auto are full, back you go on your merry way to the marvelous countryside filled with green grass and trees merging with blue sky, violet and golden wildflowers, terracotta villas, and slate farmhouses. A drive along the Tuscan back roads is a visual feast!
Sometimes you zig when you should zag! Make a mantra of these wise words from Frances Mayes in Under the Tuscan Sun, "My idea of heaven still is to drive the gravel farm roads of Umbria and Tuscany, very pleasantly lost." Tip – Unless you have lived in the region, do yourself and your passengers a favor – double the time your navigation system estimates the trip will take. These country roads are an adventure! And, if you happen to arrive early and find the perfect place to park, celebrate with gelato or espresso!
One morning we arrived in Florence before sunrise and well in advance of the crowds. During these quiet hours, the city of the Medici belongs to the early risers. Walking the streets you sense the city slowly waking up as townspeople ride their vespas and bicycles to work. If you walk by the Duomo at dawn, you might glimpse nuns walking quietly to their morning prayers. It is a magical city in the morning light.
A successful visit requires planning. The city of Florence is congested regardless of the time of year. Tip – Pre-purchase tickets to view Michelangelo's David at L'Accademia and at the Uffizi as well as current exhibitions. If museums and cultural tours are your main objective, stay close to the old town so that walking or hopping a bus to your destination is easy. If you are new to Florence (and even if you visited on the cheap 20 years ago and have fond memories of lugging a backpack on public transportation in a much smaller city) stay in a central location. Yes! It will be more expensive than the outskirts. Driving in Florence is challenging, parking is stressful, costly and time-consuming. If you insist on driving, arriving in town early (before 7 am) on weekdays is a useful strategy but you pay for the luxury of in town parking. On Sundays, parking is free throughout the city which means everyone wants a parking space! So on Sunday, arrive by 9 am and prepare to walk.
Tip – Arrive at museums and "jump the line" tours 30 minutes ahead of scheduled entry time. Be prepared to stand in line anyway (just not as long). Carefully read instructions on your ticket about entry the day before. Sometimes you need to exchange your computer ticket for a different one and this will likely mean going out of your way to a kiosk. A conscientious concierge can likely get tickets and reservations for you if you plan ahead.
There are two sides of Tuscany, the cities, and the country. Why not enjoy both? There is no place like Florence due to its unique character, though the crowds tend to be large. And the Tuscan hills have an incomparable charm derived from people who lived and died defending the fertile hills for thousands of years. Ribbons of road ramble through olive groves, vineyards, castles, palaces, and villages. Every small hamlet has a cafe to welcome visitors and locals. If you stop, you will likely create a memory.
Sharing this part of the world with close friends is a wonderful way to experience Tuscany. We hope you enjoy these images of the beautiful Tuscan region. Hopefully, they will inspire you to visit this wonderful and unique part of our world.
As you can tell, Rick and Cheryl aren't your average travelers. They aspire to learn and understand each place they voyage off to. Interested in learning some of their recommendations and hearing some of their spectacular stories? Click the link below to be inspired by more of Rick and Cheryl's explorations around the world.
Check out Rick and Cheryl's "Travel is Beautiful" blog here.
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Gangster State
by PIETER-LOUIS MYBURGH
In spite of Cyril Ramaphosa's 'new dawn', there are powerful forces in the ruling party that risk losing everything if corruption and state capture finally do come to an end. At the centre of the old guard's fightback efforts is Ace Magashule, a man viewed by some as South Africa's most dangerous politician.
In this explosive book, invistigative journalist Pieter-Louis Myburgh ventures deeper than ever before into Magashule's murky dealings, from his time as a struggle activist in the 1980s to his powerful rule as premier of the Free State province for nearly a decade, and his rise to one of the ANC's most influential positions.
Sifting through heaps of records, documents and exclusive source interviews, Myburgh explores Magashule's relationship with the notorious Gupta family and other tender moguls; investigates government projects costing billions that enriched his friends and family but failed the poor; reveals how he was about to be arrested by the Scorpions before their disbandment in the late 2000s; and exposes the methods used to keep him in power in the Free State and to secure him the post of ANC secretary general.
Most tellingly, Myburgh pieces together a pack of leaked emails and documents to reveal shocking new details on a massive Free State government contract and Magashule's dealings with a businessman who was gunned down in Sandton in 2017. These files seem to lay bare the methods of a man who usually operated without leaving a trace.
Fanyana Talks to the Animals
by HARRY CRONJE
Publisher: STRUIK PUBLISHERS
Fanyana is a little boy who lives in Africa and, because he is very poor, makes a toy crocodile out of clay. The crocodile, called Makulu, magically comes to life when a lion is about to have Fanyana for his dinner. Makulu then instructs Fanyana to help the animals and even befriend the nasty lion. Fanyana Talks to the Animals is a charming book of children's verse in which Fanyana does exactly what Makulu saya and helps many with their problems.
Harry Cronje's children, who live overseas, asked him to read stories on tape for his grandchildren so that they would recognise and remember his voice. He decided to write the stories himself and the Fanyana rhymes were the result. This is his first publication.
Charming verses featuring both African and farm animals
Suitable for children aged three to seven
Beautifully illustrated in colour
This Incredible Land
by WENDY WATSON
Publisher: DAVID PHILIP 2007
From prehistory to the first settlers, from colonialism to apartheid, and from the turbulent transition to the first two decades of democracy, This Incredible Land takes you swiftly through the most important events of South Africa's tempestous and terrific past.
Clear and chronologically-structured, this book is a perfect primer on the most significant political, social and economic events in South African history.
A must read for scholars and students, and an enriching experience for tourists and citizens, this is a book for any and every history-lover's shelf.
Melusi's Everyday Zulu
by MELUSI TSHABALALA
Publisher: JONATHAN BALL PUBLISHERS 2018
Six days a week, Melusi Tshabalala, creative professional and entrepreneur posts a new isiZulu word on his Melusi's Everyday Zulu Facebook page and tells a story to help bring the word to life. His off-beat sense of humour, razor-sharp social observations and frank political commentary not only teach his followers isiZulu words and expressions, but also offer insight into the world Melusi inhabits as a 21st-century Zulu man.
Melusi's Everyday Zulu holds up a mirror that shows South African society in all its flaws and its sheer humanity. He pokes fun at our differences and makes us laugh at ourselves and each other. His fans love him for his honesty and commitment to pointing out subtle and overt forms of prejudice and racism.
Most importantly, he shows the power of words and that there's um'Zulu in all of us!
by CHARLES ABRAHAMS
Charles Abrahams has spearheaded class-action lawsuits to defend the vulnerable and oppressed, but as a child he experienced oppression himself in the most visceral way.
In this remarkable memoir, Charles recounts his poverty stricken youth on the Cape Flats, amidst habitual gang fights and domestic violence. In the tiny home home he shared with ten siblings, his father abused his mother, while at school he and other learners were brutalised by teachers and subjected to inferior "Bantu Education".
Growing increasingly resilient and resistant, Charles joined the school boycotts of the late 1980s, educated himself through relentless reading, and succeeded in studying at university and qualifying as a lawyer. He made a living defending local gangsters, until a scholarship took him to the Netherlands to study international law. There in the seedy streets of Amsterdam, he confronted the racial and sexual scars of his past.
Charles returned to South Africa determined to us class-action lawsuits as a weapon of social justice. He sued multinationals in New York for fixing the price of bread, and secured a R5-billion settlement from South Africa's goldmining industry for miners suffering from silicosis and tuberculosis.
Class Action is the honest, insightful and inspiring story of a man who wrestled with oppression and resolved to keep fighting it.
How Many Ways Can You Say Hello?
by REFILOE MOAHLOLI
Publisher: PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE 2017
Sara's first day of school is full of surprises, but the biggest one of all is that there is more than one way to say hello. To find out what they are, during the holidays she sets off on a journey around the country in a hot air balloon.
The Resurrection of Winnie Mandela
by SISONKE MSIMANG
The Resurrection of Winnie Mandela charts the rise and fall and rise of a woman who battled the apartheid regime with uncommon ferocity. Sisonke Msimang urgues that Winnie Mandela's involvement in violence was a function of her polotical views rather than a descent into madness; that she was a warrior, not a witc; and that, like many men involved in revolution, she fought fire with fire. Bu Ma Winnie's heroism was complicated, and her violence compromised her. In telling Ma Winnie
Round/Rectangle Magnets
The Sword and the Pen
by ALLISTER SPARKS
Publisher: JONATHAN BALL PUBLISHERS
Allister Sparks joined his first newspaper at age 17 and was pitched headlong into the vortex of South Africa's stormy politics. The Sword and the Pen is the story of how as a journalist he observed, chronicled and participated in his country's unfolding drama for more than 66 years, covering events from the premiership of DF Malan to the presidency of Jacob Zuma, witnessing at close range the rise and fall of apartheid and the rise and crisis of the new South Africa.
In trenchant prose, Sparks has written a remarkable account of both a life lived to its full as well as the surrounding narrative of South Africa from the birth of apartheid, the rise of political opposition, the dawn of democracy, right through to the crisis we are experiencing today.
Unpresidented
by PAIGE NICK
Publisher: N&B BOOKS
It's 2020, and ex-President Jeremiah Gejeyishwebisa Muza has just been released from prison on medical parole, with a dangerously infected ingrown toenail. Now hes back home with his two remaining wives, a skinny dog, a rapidly dwindling entourage, and a fire pool to maintain. Plus the municipality is demanding he pays a vast outstanding rates bill. But Muza has plans - big ones - that include a memoir of alternative facts being ghostwritten by disgraced journo Matthew Stone. Will Stone meet his deadline, as his publisher, agent and drug dealer all breathe down his neck? Will Muza pay the money in time and succeed in his plans to conquer the world? Will his long-suffering parole officer stay one jump ahead of him? And which side is he limping on today?
This blistering contemporary South African satire has it all: tindering wives, recipes for chicken soup, and absolutely no sacred cows. Th perfect laugh-till-you-cry read.
Few countries in transition have managed to get a grip on their public finances as well as South Africa did after 1994. Now, just more than 20 years later, the nation's credibility and the democratic project lie in tatters as we teeter on the brink of a political and fiscal cliff.
Business confidence and investment have evaporated along with clean, accountable government, causing South Africa to be downgraded to junk status, crushing the country's growth potential and pushing it towards a debt trap.
How did we land up in this mess, and can we pullback from the brink?
Claire Bisseker, the award-winning economics editor of the Financial Mail, unpacks the crisis in this accessible and highly readable guide to what makes our economy tick.
A Simple Man
by RONNIE KASRILS
Publisher: JACANA MEDIA
Ronnie Kasrils's insights in A Simple Man into Jacob Zuma, both shocking and revelatory, are vividly illuminated through this story, from their shared history in the underground to Kasrils's time as minister if intelligence and his views on South Africa now. Our understanding of Zuma the struggle hero, now perceived as having sold his soul to the devil, becomes clearer through this narrative.
This fast-paced, thriller-style memoir outlines the tumultuous years that saw Mbeki's overthrow and replacement by Zuma, Nkandlagate, the growing militarisation of the police and the Marikana Massacre, the outrageous appointment of flunkies to high office, the "state capture" report and his relationship with the Guptas. We relive the Schabir Shaik corruption trial, Kasrils's relationship with Fezeka Kuzwayo (Khwezi), Zuma's rape trial accuser, the email and spy tapes saga, conspiracy and betrayal.
Books (166) Fridge Magnets (5) Clothing, Attire (5) DVDs (1) Souvenirs (1) CDs (14) Bags (5) USB Flash Sticks (1) Key Rings (3) Mugs (4) Wristbands (2) Postcards (2) Artwork (1) Posters (1)


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The Doctrine of Christian Domination, the Apache People, and Oak Flat
Oak Flat and Pope Alexander VI's Papal Decree of Domination in U.S. Law
The Oceti Sakowin (Great Sioux Nation) Territory
2021-04-07T14:31:23-08002021-02-02T17:55:34-08002020-12-10T23:07:34-0800
ORIGINAL FREE NATIONS
CUTTING EDGE RESEARCH FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' LIBERATION
Water is Life for Everyone!
Original Nations Anthem
Was the United States Founded As a Democracy?0
federal Indian law
In his splendid book The Lawless Law of Nations (1925), Sterling E. Edmunds says that governments may be defined as "groups of men possessing arbitrary power over other men." (p. 426) If Edmunds is right, the idea of "self-government" is not a remedy of much merit for American Indians, for such a system would
A View of Slavery and White Domination0
Ever since the election of Donald J. Trump as President of the United States, a renewed focus has been placed on "white supremacy" and "white nationalism" and their role in the early origins of the United States. As a result of the 400 year commemoration of the arrival of the first slave ship in Virginia
The Crown ("Corona") Virus and the Business of America1
The Doctrine of Christian Domination, the Apache People, and Oak Flat0
doctrine of discovery, federal Indian law, History, Legal, News, Politics, Religion
By Steven Newcomb (Shawnee/Lenape) The Apache Stronghold case, regarding the Apache Sacred Site (Chi' Chil Bildagoteel) called "Oak Flat," is now before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The case has created global publicity, and a number of Christian church groups have filed amicus curiae ("friend of the court") briefs. Those briefs support the Apache
Oak Flat and Pope Alexander VI's Papal Decree of Domination in U.S. Law0
Steven Newcomb (Shawnee/Lenape) Prior to the invasion of this continent ("North America") by representatives of the monarchs of Western Christendom, the original nations and peoples of the continent, such as the Apache, were living their own free and independent way of life. We can think back on the thousands of years during which no Christian
The Oceti Sakowin (Great Sioux Nation) Territory0
What "#LandBack" Leaves Out of Focus "A return to an earlier or normal condition" is one definition of the word "back." In relation to land and Native nations or peoples, the word "back" is often expressed as, "they should give the land back to the Indians." "#LandBack" has now become a popular meme among some
"Conquest" is Another Word for Domination0
War—or the act or state of exerting violence against another—is the context for the word conquest. Another way of understanding "a conquest" is, "having achieved a victory over or triumphed over an enemy." To triumph or surmount is 'to gain the upperhand over, to have won mastery or dominance over.' In other words, conquest is
The 1977 UN Conference On "Indigenous Populations"0
The International Indian Treaty Council's Intervention In September of 1977, representatives of Indigenous nations and peoples from around the world traveled to the Palace of Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. They went there to attend the International NGO [Non-Governmental Organization] Conference on Discrimination Against Indigenous Populations held at the UN Palais des Nations, in Geneva, Switzerland.
Truth and Lie Commissions0
There's been no friendship between Native nations And the domination system For us to patch back together, There's been no harmony with the colonizers To try and restore. Just a genocidal desire by the dominators For our nations to exist no more. For them it's business as usual And its nothing unusual For them to
Face to Face with Pope Francis to Get the Inter Caetera Papal Bull Revoked
Culture, Religion
The Biblical Basis of federal Indian law & policy
Biblical, Legal, Religion
Toward a Future of Colonial Freedom
Research of the Doctrine of Christian Discovery
Archive, Biblical, Culture, doctrine of discovery, Legal, News, Politics, Religion
"Conquest" is Another Word for Domination
Steven Newcomb
© Copyright Original Free Nations.


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Hop aboard our TA Adventure Bus at our Toronto Pick Up/Drop Off location (Keele TTC Station and Yorkmills Kiss and Ride location) and sit back and relax as we head to Claireville Ranch for a truly unique adventure! After mounting our horses we'll head down Claireville Conservation Areas scenic trails until we arrive at a traditional trailside breakfast made up of Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Hashbrowns, "Claireville" Beans and more!
A great way to learn something new & enjoy Ontario's great outdoors!
Difficulty: Beginner but fun for all!
Breakfast Trail Ride Horseback Riding Day Trip Transport Included* Regular $89.95 + Tax. Special $69.95 + Tax.
Helmets may be rented on site (for an additional $6 cash) though are not required for anyone 18+ Years of Age.
Proper footwear is required for safety reasons for all activities involving horses and ponies.
We recommend riding/cowboy boots or hiking boots as the most appropriate.
Rubber boots or fully closed running shoes are acceptable as well.
If you do not have any of these we do have some rubber boots available to borrow at no charge so don't worry if your decision to come for a ride is spontaneous and you don't have your boots with you! Just bring some socks and we'll do our best to find something that works for you.
Loose articles such as purses, cell phones, cameras are not permitted on the trail rides.
Please lock all valuables in your trunk or leave them with us in the designated area. Such items can be easily lost when riding, as the movement of the horse causes them to work their way out of even the deepest pockets, where they will fall unnoticed onto the trail to be stepped on, or into the VERY long grass, never to be seen again.
We are not responsible for lost or damaged items. Anything held in your hand while riding will impair your ability to properly control your horse and is therefore considered a safety hazard.
We will be happy to assist you with taking pictures either before or after your ride whenever time permits, as we know that capturing these memories is important to you.
Meet us at either of our 2 Pick Up/Drop Off locations in Toronto Keele & York Mills TTC Subway Station. After boarding our Adventure Bus sit back and relax as we take you to Claireville Ranch! Upon arrival we'll sign our waivers and get a brief orientation from Claireville's experienced staff before we mount our Horses and begin the ride for one hour through the wooded trails. We'll arrive at the breakfast area, where you'll hitch your horse, then get served a delicious cowboy breakfast which has been prepared for you over an open fire. Then we'll leave the breakfast area and ride for another hour. Upon completion our Adventure Bus will drive you back to Toronto!
IMPORTANT! Must wear closed to footwear!
Pick Up: 7:30 am Sharp Drop Off: 3 pm Approx.
Pick Up: 7:55 am Sharp Drop Off: 2:30 pm Approx.