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Reports of raptor killings soared during the U.K.'s lockdown
Conservationists allege that during the pandemic, gamekeepers on grouse shooting estates have killed many protected raptors—and that the government has turned a blind eye.
Abundant throughout most of their range in Europe and Asia, hen harriers are endangered in the U.K., where fewer than 600 pairs remain, in part because they're allegedly shot by gamekeepers on shooting estates to prevent them from preying on grouse or disturbing a shoot. Satellite tagging studies allow experts to track the protected birds' whereabouts and document when they die.
ByRene Ebersole
Photographs ByAnastasia Taylor-Lind
North YorkshireGunshots shattered the morning stillness on Bransdale Estate, in England's North York Moors National Park, on April 16, 2020. "It wasn't the usual bang, bang and a pause to reload, like when men are hunting rabbits," says a witness who asked to be identified only as Helen because she fears retaliation for speaking out about the incident. "It was six or seven shots in close succession."
Peering through her binoculars, she says she saw a man grab something off the ground. "It was very clearly a large bird, grayish-brown in color, like a buzzard. The man disappeared behind that boulder," she says, pointing from where she stands on a country lane toward a large rock on the far hillside. "He reappeared empty-handed. As he made his way down the crag, he was joined by a second man. They were wearing matching outfits—tweed jackets and short trousers. You could tell they were gamekeepers."
Gamekeepers who manage wealthy estates to preserve the centuries-old tradition of grouse shooting have long been accused of illegally killing buzzards and other protected raptors. Conservationists say they kill the birds because if an aerial predator such as a hen harrier, a peregrine falcon, or an eagle soars over a grouse moor during a shoot, the grouse scatter, foiling elaborate and costly planning and disappointing clients who pay as much as $11,000 for a day of royal sport in the countryside. (Think of Lord Grantham and the Crawley men in the TV show Downton Abbey perched behind stone walls firing at birds whirring by.) What's more, some raptors gobble the grouse. For a pair of nesting hen harriers, a grouse moor is an all-you-can-eat buffet to nourish their chicks.
Left: Investigators Jack Ashton Booth (left) and Howard Jones work for the Royal Society of the Protection of Birds (RSPB) surveilling the estates where gamekeepers are suspected of killing raptors. One telltale clue: a decoy owl or falcon placed on a post to attract territorial wild raptors, which gamekeepers target as they swoop in to attack the decoy.
Right: From the top of a moor in the Forest of Bowland, Booth peers through his spotting scope for a close look at a gamekeeper suspected of killing birds of prey. Raptors are often shot just before dusk, when there are fewer potential witnesses around. Sometimes raptors die from eating poisoned bait containing farm pesticides, including some banned because they're so deadly to wild animals.
Hen harriers, abundant throughout most of their range in Europe and Asia, are endangered now in the U.K., where fewer than 600 pairs remain in an area with enough natural habitat to support more than 2,600, according to bird experts. All raptors in the U.K. are protected by the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act, under which it's illegal to intentionally kill or injure them. Nonetheless, hen harriers and other imperiled birds of prey are routinely found shot, trapped, and poisoned on or near grouse moors, including on land owned by the Crown.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), a conservation nonprofit reports a large spike in raptor persecution in 2020 while the U.K. was locked down because of COVID-19. "In a typical year across the entire U.K., we're looking at about 65 to 75 confirmed incidents of raptor persecution," says Mark Thomas, head of U.K. investigations at the organization. "It doubled during the lockdown. This was a direct response of the public being removed from the countryside. People with guns who had the motive to kill birds of prey went on a killing spree. We only know about these incidents because of specific intelligence from people based in these exact areas. We suspect the total number of incidents is far greater."
There are more birds of prey killed here than all the other counties.
ByMatthew HaganPolice inspector
After a series of poisonings of rare white-tailed eagles on grouse estates in Scotland, the Scottish government signaled recently that it will implement licensing restrictions on shooting as a measure to crack down on bird crime. The government also introduced so-called "vicarious liability" legislation to hold landowners equally responsible for bird crimes committed by their gamekeepers. (Read why poison is also a threat to Africa's wildlife.)
Thomas applauds the progress in Scotland, but he's not optimistic that England will follow. Scotland has a more progressive government, he says, and England has members of parliament who own grouse moors. "We've spent 40 years on this issue, and we've not resolved it yet," he says. "Amendments to the laws, increased penalties—if they even reach parliament—some of these things would be debated down because the normal response is the laws are tough enough."
A postmortem examination of a buzzard submitted to Scotland's Rural College Veterinary Services, in Penicuik, reveals that the bird died of blood loss resulting from multiple gunshots. It might not have died immediately, says veterinary pathologist Fiona Howie, which makes it difficult for police to pinpoint where the bird was shot, or by whom.
Caroline Middleton Gordon is a spokesperson for the Moorland Association, a landowner organization representing 860,000 acres of heather moorland in England and Wales, including the 18,000-acre Bransdale Estate. "The association has a policy of zero tolerance of raptor persecution," she says. "Anyone found guilty of such a crime would be expelled." Regarding the Bransdale incident in 2020, she says the association did a thorough investigation and no action was taken against the estate or any staff member. Moorland and other shooting organizations have pledged to report suspicious incidents involving raptors to the police immediately.
'They cover it up'
Police investigating bird crimes say that's an empty promise. "Hand on my heart, I have never heard of a single gamekeeper or estate owner picking up the phone or writing an email to the police, saying, I've got some information for you," says North Yorkshire police inspector Matthew Hagen, who chairs the Raptor Persecution Priority Delivery Group, a multiagency partnership focused on prevention, enforcement, and intelligence to tackle bird crime. "They all know what is going on, and they cover it up."
In May 2020, three gamekeepers working on Goathland Estate, part of the Queen's lands in North Yorkshire, reportedly were suspended after an animal activist group videotaped a masked man trapping a goshawk, a threatened species. In 2007, Prince Harry was among three suspects questioned by police in relation to a raptor killing on the royal family's Sandringham Estate, in Norfolk. Birdwatchers saw two hen harriers blasted from the sky, but local investigators say the case was closed because the carcasses were never found.
"This is a peculiarly British conservation issue, deeply rooted in Britain's class system," says Mark Avery, former conservation director of the RSPB, co-founder of the conservation group Wild Justice, and author of the book Inglorious: Conflict in the Uplands about raptor persecution.
Researchers are using satellite-tracking devices to help document bird crimes and identify hot spots where they're occurring. A study published in 2019 found that of 58 hen harriers tagged in the span of 10 years, 72 percent were either "confirmed to have been illegally killed or disappeared suddenly with no evidence of a tag malfunction."
North Wales Police sergeant Dewi Evans (left) and RSPB investigator Niall Owen seize a dead buzzard, along with 15 shotguns, from a shooting estate near Wrexham, in North Wales. The operation followed an earlier investigation of a dead red kite, poisoned with the toxic insecticide bendiocarb, in the same area in February 2021.
What's more, the likelihood of harriers dying or disappearing was greater in places where land was managed for grouse shooting, including within protected areas. (Unlike in other parts of the world, the U.K.'s protected areas are based more on aesthetic value than biodiversity significance.)
Hagen says he's "shocked and disgusted" at the level of raptor persecution happening in England. Out of about 30 dead raptors he collected in a six-month period before the pandemic, only one bird died of natural causes, and in every intentional killing, the main suspect was a gamekeeper.
The community members have nicknames for gamekeepers—Ginger Ninja, the Verminator—they suspect of being raptor killers. "There's a saying," Hagen says. "If it flies, it dies." Their motivation? Keeping their jobs and the extra perks, he says. "Gamekeepers get thousands of [dollars] in cash tips over a shooting season. Some of the heaviest tippers are Middle Eastern tourists. When they finish the shooting, they sometimes give their Range Rovers and guns to the gamekeepers."
Those who do get caught killing raptors suffer few consequences. During the past 30 years, more than 180 people in the U.K. have been convicted of killing birds of prey, largely on shooting estates. Six received jail sentences, and five of those were suspended. Scottish gamekeeper Alan Wilson, who in 2019 pleaded guilty to killing protected goshawks, buzzards, and other wildlife, was sentenced to 225 hours of community service.
Gunning for grouse
The roots of grouse shooting trace back to Balmoral Estate, in Scotland, bought in 1852 by Queen Victoria and her husband, Albert. The couple reveled in stalking the native red grouse—medium-size birds with reddish brown feathers and stubby black tails—on the estate's moorlands, carpeted with heather, bilberry, and sphagnum. Soon, the sport became a fashionable pastime among the Victorian aristocracy.
Those who get caught killing raptors suffer few consequences.
The season opens on August 12—the "glorious twelfth"—and lasts through December 10. During those four months, the upland moors in northern England, Scotland, and Wales echo with the cracks of shotguns and the rumbles of Range Rovers scaling hillsides. There are two styles of grouse shooting. In old-fashioned "walked-up shooting," the "guns" in their tweeds pace steadily side-by-side in a line with pointer dogs scouting in front of them. In more commercial "driven" grouse shooting, the guns stand high on the moors behind stone walls, or "butts," firing on hundreds of grouse flushed by flag-waving "beaters" who drive the birds down the valley. When the gunfire ceases, "pickers-up" work with retriever dogs to collect the fallen quarry, often to be served at fine estate dinners. Some London restaurants celebrate the glorious twelfth with special six-course menus featuring the season's first grouse—sometimes hustled down from the Yorkshire Dales that same day.
Each estate's summer red grouse population varies from year to year, depending on how many birds survive the vagaries of harsh weather, disease, and predators. Gamekeepers determine if the population is substantial enough to sustain commercial shooting, and for how many days. In some years there aren't enough birds for any shooting at all. In others, an estate may hold up to 20 shooting days or more.
A thriving hen harrier population represents a challenge for gamekeepers, partly because the birds can be polygamous. One male might have up to five female partners nesting in close proximity. Studies in the 1990s revealed that as harrier numbers grew, grouse numbers plummeted to a point where there weren't enough to support commercial shooting.
Some recent studies have focused on finding ways for driven grouse shooting and hen harriers to coexist. One technique, called diversionary feeding, allows a licensed gamekeeper to feed a pair of nesting hen harriers a daily breakfast of domestic chicks and rats to reduce predation on the wild grouse. Some sporting estates have begun using the method, and conservationists are advocating for widespread adoption.
Grouse shooting season opens on August 12—the "glorious twelfth"—and lasts through December 10. Mark Cunliff-Lister, Earl of Swinton (center), hosts grouse shooting on his 20,000-acre estate in North Yorkshire. During the past decade, two hen harriers were found dead on the Swinton Estate, but police investigators were unable to determine who shot the birds.
In commercial "driven" grouse shooting, the "guns" stand on the moors behind blinds, or "butts," firing on red grouse flushed by flag-waving "beaters" who drive the birds down the valley. When the gunfire ceases, "pickers-up" work with dogs to collect the fallen grouse.
Another method, being tested in a five-year pilot study in North Yorkshire, is called brood management. It's highly controversial because it aims to restrain hen harrier numbers on grouse moors. If an estate has a hen harrier nest within roughly six miles of another, the landowner can apply to have the chicks or eggs removed from it. The offspring are raised in captivity and released back into the wild after the nesting season ends.
Brood management "gives the criminals what they want," Avery says. "To get rid of the hen harriers while not addressing the main issue—people breaking the law by killing protected wildlife."
Wild Justice is lobbying for driven grouse shooting to be banned. They also want an end to habitat management that involves burning uplands to provide fresh green shoots of heather for young grouse because burning releases carbon, contributing to global warming, and increases the risk of wildfires and flooding in nearby communities.
Rather than a ban on driven shooting, the RSPB is calling for a licensing program under which an estate's shooting rights would be revoked if raptors are killed. "An estate that can't shoot can't bring in profit," Thomas says. "It would only take one or two prosecutions where licenses were removed to reduce raptor persecution."
Mark Cunliffe-Lister, the Earl of Swinton, who chairs the Moorland Association's board, says the shooting industry does a good job policing itself. We meet at Swinton Estate's ivy-covered castle, made over as a luxury hotel and spa surrounded by 20,000 acres of picturesque countryside. From there, we drive to the top of the moor, where head gamekeeper Gary Taylor lives. Taylor offers us a cup of tea, and we take a seat at the wooden picnic table outside his stone cottage. A white horse grazes in the garden as a rooster struts about.
Gary Taylor, head gamekeeper on Swinton Estate, in North Yorkshire, uses "diversionary feeding" to reduce predation by nesting hen harriers on wild red grouse. Here he's placing several mice on a t-bar for a nesting female named Betty, eager to retrieve the complimentary food for her chicks.
With red hair and a trim beard and mustache, Taylor wears a tweed flat cap, plaid shirt, wool trousers, and laced-up ankle boots. His highest priority is controlling grouse predators such as foxes, crows, and stoats. "These birds are completely wild, so it's our job to make their life a safe one," Taylor says. "What we're doing is primarily for the protection of game birds, but all the other ground-nesting birds are benefiting."
Studies show that predator control on grouse moors increases the breeding success of endangered curlews and lapwings. "The grouse shooting industry is slightly taken for granted in terms of what we've done for these wading birds," Cunliffe-Lister says. "Grouse shooting had some bad times when raptors were being controlled illegally historically, but now we're all being responsible and working a way forward, so we can still keep somebody living in this house and working up here, rather than giving up."
Satellite tracking data and stacks of police reports reveal a simple fact: Some gamekeepers are still killing hen harriers on grouse moors.
Steve Downing is a former West Yorkshire wildlife crime officer leading a team of RSPB staff and volunteers fitting hatchling hen harriers with identification bands and satellite tracking devices. I find him and two of his assistants taking stock of their gear in a parking lot at an entrance to the Forest of Bowland. Designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Bowland is a "forest" in the medieval sense of the word: a royal hunting preserve, once brimming with boar, deer, wolves, and wildcats. The team's mission is to climb to the top of a moor where a satellite-tagged hen harrier named Cyan is raising four chicks. At 26 days old, the biggest chick, a male, is nearly ready to fledge—the perfect age to receive his own transmitter.
"The satellite trackers tell us about their biology and how they move around, but we're mainly doing this because they're killed on grouse moors," says Downing, bespectacled and wearing a camouflage baseball cap. At 71, he has the endurance of a workhorse, scaling the moors daily during the height of hen harrier nesting season from late-May to mid-July.
As a biologist with Natural England, the government's advising environmental agency, Stephen Murphy (left) works closely with estate owners and gamekeepers to monitor the nesting hen harriers on their lands. Here he and gamekeeper Scott Patterson are satellite tagging a hen harrier named Amelia on land owned by the crown in the Forest of Bowland, designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
RSPB field staff Steve Downing (left) and James Bray collect a DNA swab from a hen harrier chick. With the development of a hen harrier DNA database, scientists will be able to track their lineages, providing a clearer picture of how the birds and their siblings and cousins are faring in the wild after they've fledged the nest.
We tromp through heather and bracken, past countless bleating sheep, until we finally scramble over a mound of boulders and reach the bluff, buffeted by a cold wind.
Cyan isn't happy to see us. She swoops low, chattering in alarm. We crouch in the heather, protecting our heads.
Approaching the nest, Downing and his assistant gather up the chicks two-by-two. They tuck the still flightless birds under a jacket spread on the ground to help keep them calm. Each chick is weighed, measured, cheek-swabbed for a DNA sample, and fitted with a numbered anklet and a color band to help biologists identify the birds and track their migrations.
The male chick is also outfitted with a special backpack-like harness with a $5,000 solar-powered tracking device that will report his location, elevation, acceleration, temperature, and heart rate to a satellite at regular intervals throughout the day for the next few years. "This one will be called Orion," Downing says.
Teammate Neil Morgan is a retired infantry soldier. His T-shirt has the names of more than two dozen hen harriers that have been satellite tagged in recent years. Lined up under the words "Enough Is Enough" are eight rows of crossed-out names: Sky, Chance, Hope, Blue, Bonny, Lad, among others. "These are some of the ones we've lost," he says. I count 27 names in all, not even half the tagged birds that have fallen during the decade ending in 2019.
Tagged birds do die of natural causes, but all too often, Downing says, a satellite transmitter found on a dead bird has helped document a crime. Outfitted with a transmitter in 2011, a bird named Bowland Betty fledged from the Forest of Bowland and wandered all over Scotland before coming back to the North Yorkshire Dales in May 2012. A month later, her satellite data indicated that she'd stopped moving.
This is a peculiarly British conservation issue, deeply rooted in Britain's class system.
ByMark AveryFormer conservation director of the RSPB
When Bowland Betty was found on Swinton Estate in early July, a postmortem examination revealed a fragment of lead near a fracture in her leg, confirming suspicions that she'd been shot. Still, it was impossible to determine who was the culprit, or even if she was shot on that estate, so the investigation was closed.
Six years later, the story repeated when a female hen harrier named River went offline in an area on Swinton Estate where she'd been roosting. A search party looked for her, but found nothing until five months later when her solar-powered tag suddenly released a pulse of new data, confirming that she was dead, and giving her precise location on the estate. River's heavily decomposed carcass was found less than two-and-a-half miles from her last known location. The North Yorkshire police x-rayed River's remains and found two pieces of lead shot. A reward was offered for any information about the shooter, but no one came forward.
Cunliffe-Lister says his estate has hosted many hen harriers over the years. "There have been two hen harriers found dead, sadly, in the last decade," he says. (No one at the Swinton estate was charged in either case.) "Betty was confirmed shot in the leg and suspected to have died of her injuries, but she could have flown many miles to the point where she died. River's death was inconclusive, despite being 'confirmed shot' by RSPB." He theorizes that the shot found with River's carcass may have come from a grouse that she'd eaten, or perhaps it was gathered from the ground when the forensic team collected the bird.
A satellite tracking device must be attached tightly enough that it won't fall off but not so tight that it restricts the hen harrier's movement and interferes with its success in the wild. As conservation groups call to halt raptor killings by banning or restricting driven grouse shooting, estates are taking steps to host limited numbers of hen harriers.
The Nidderdale cocktail
Police inspector Matthew Hagen worked on the River case. He says the estate's response to River's death illustrates why it's so difficult to prosecute in court where a person has to be guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. "I can assure you, it's more likely than not that River was shot on the Swinton Estate," he says. "I just can't prove it in court."
In recent years, Cunliffe-Lister has been taking steps to embrace hen harriers on his property, including erecting a bird blind for visitors to view a winter roost, diversionary feeding, and working with Natural England, the government's advising environmental agency, to implement satellite tagging and study brood management.
"They're making the right noises at the moment because it suits them," Hagen says, "but it wasn't always that way."
I join Hagen for a tour of Nidderdale, in North Yorkshire—"the number one, top-dog hot spot for raptor persecution," he says, steering his car along a twisting country lane. "There are more birds of prey killed here than all the other counties." The RSPB confirms that North Yorkshire holds a seven-year record for having the most raptor persecution incidents: 135 cases from 2011 to 2020. Not all the birds died; some were injured and released.
Pulling over to the side of the road, Hagen motions toward the hills and valleys. "We have all this habitat—woodlands, nesting sites for raptors, rabbits—but where are the birds of prey?" he asks, looking up at the sky. "There aren't any. Because people have been poisoning them, shooting them, trapping them. They're just not here."
Hagen is on the trail of a gamekeeper he believes is using a concoction of chemicals—the Nidderdale cocktail, he calls it—to kill raptors. Postmortem examinations of dead raptors have revealed a rash of poisonings all connected to a particular chemical mix. "It's really distinct," Hagen says. One of the compounds is the banned farming pesticide carbofuran, a neurotoxin especially lethal to birds and other wildlife. A quarter-teaspoon can kill a 400-pound bear in minutes.
Recently, raptor killings in Nidderdale made primetime TV news when a poisoned buzzard fell into a citizen's backyard. Then a woman's dogs experienced convulsions after coming into contact with a poison on a moorland walk. One of the dogs died. When a local citizen organized a $5,000 reward for information about who was behind the poisonings, the windows of his candy shop were egged, and he received anonymous threatening letters pushed through the mail slot.
Hagen says he knows who the poisoner is. "We've spoken to people who go to the same pub as him, and when he's had a few drinks, he's bragging about how he gets away with this," Hagen says. "He tells them the police came and raided my place, but they couldn't find anything because I have it hidden somewhere else."
The police are limited by laws that prevent them from doing covert investigations of people killing raptors because the government considers it a low-level crime. Law enforcement often benefits from evidence passed from the RSPB's investigations team, which does secret surveillance on the gamekeepers, collects incriminating video footage, and receives witness reports.
In April 2020, RSPB investigator Howard Jones notified North Yorkshire Police about an informant, Helen, who told him she'd heard gunfire and witnessed a gamekeeper with a dead buzzard on Bransdale Estate. A second anonymous witness reported that on the same date and time, she heard gunshots and saw two buzzards fall from the sky.
When the police went to Bransdale to investigate, Helen guided them to the area where she'd seen the person she believes was a gamekeeper. Executing a search warrant, the police found five dead buzzards stuffed in a hole in the ground. Medical examinations and x-rays of the birds' remains revealed that they'd been shot.
"There were six gamekeepers who work on the estate," Hagen says. "We questioned them all, and they all replied, 'No comment.' We know what happened, but we can't prove it beyond a reasonable doubt, so that's the end of it."
Harsher sentencing might lead to better prevention of bird crimes, Hagen says, but all the police can do is gather evidence and present it to the court. For him, a conviction alone is a win for wildlife. If someone's "found guilty, especially for an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, it means that we can challenge their suitability to hold a firearm," he says. "If they lose their gun license, they might lose their job, and their house provided with that job."
Back at the Harrogate Police Station, where Hagen is based, he opens an evidence freezer marked "animal." Tugging on a pair of blue latex gloves, Hagen removes a buzzard. He says a local citizen recently found the dead bird lying on a footpath. Soon it will be X-rayed, necropsied, and checked for poisons. If the bird tests positive, he'll add it to the list of likely victims caught in the crosshairs of a gamekeeper.
This story was updated on October 28, 2021, to clarify that community members have nicknames for gamekeepers. It was also updated to include reports of raptor killings on Crown lands. It was updated on November 4, 2021, to clarify that no one at the Swinton estate has been charged with wildlife crimes related to the two hen harrier deaths in 2012 and 2018.
Wildlife Watch is an investigative reporting project between National Geographic Society and National Geographic Partners focusing on wildlife crime and exploitation. Read more Wildlife Watch stories here, and learn more about National Geographic Society's nonprofit mission at natgeo.com/impact. Send tips, feedback, and story ideas to NGP.WildlifeWatch@natgeo.com.


While formerly popular stag group destinations like Prague and Riga have gotten more expensive (and seen a backlash against stags in some respects), Sofia, and Bulgaria in general, has remained not only affordable, but with its large selection of bars and clubs, mostly situated around the Old Town, great nightlife, and general friendly atmosphere and hospitality, Sofia is the ideal place to head to for your stag or hen night.
Above: Getting hitched? Head to Sofia first!
Of course, a stag or hen weekend is about much more than just getting wasted, and Sofia has plenty of places to both play (such as the Kokolandia amusement park or Casino London) and relax. If you're looking for accommodation in Sofia check out our hotel directory, or book a hostel room right from our hostels page. Make your choices wisely, though, as you want this to be a weekend to remember - even if you can't remember every moment of it!


From the creative mind of Miniatures Tim comes the dangerous streets of Hab Blok; where robotic voices and plasma discharges signal it's time to stay indoors and pray for heroes to save you.
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Congress just slammed the 'gay purge' in Chechnya. What's Trump's breaking point?
Robbie Couch
It's been seven months to the day since The New York Times published an alarming report about state-sanctioned violence targeting queer men in Chechnya.
The Times, citing Moscow-based newspaper Novaya Gazeta, had reported men believed to be gay or bisexual were being arrested and killed en masse by Chechen officials. At least 100 people — but likely many, many more — have been swept up in the region's "gay purge."
Russia police arrest an LGBTQ activist in 2015. Photo by Dmitry Serebryakov/AFP/Getty Images.
The situation, it seems, hasn't improved.
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has denied any wrongdoing, claiming, incredulously, the region doesn't even have any LGBTQ people. Human rights groups in and around Chechnya have said the arrests, torturing, and killings have continued throughout the summer and early fall. Last week, reports surfaced that Russian singer Zelimkhan Bakayev — who'd visited Chechnya for a wedding in August — went missing; some have speculated he may be dead.
Finally, Congress is speaking up.
On Oct. 30, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution slamming Chechnya for allowing its gay purge to continue.
The measure follows a nearly identical and unanimously approved resolution passed in the House in June, calling on Chechen officials to stop targeting queer men and bring those accountable to justice. Admittedly, these measures are largely symbolic, but they're important nonetheless: They help keep the issue on the world's radar and legitimize the claims that the violence is actually happening — despite Chechen and Russian officials deflecting responsibility.
Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts (foreground), who, along with Sen. Pat Toomey, introduced the resolution on Chechnya to his colleagues. Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.
Calling for officials to end the purge immediately, the Senate's resolution puts pressure on Russia (which oversees semi-independent Chechnya) to protect the rights of all of its citizens, while also demanding the U.S. continues to condemn the abuses until justice is served.
It's that last part that's particularly noteworthy.
While both chambers of Congress have spoken out on Chechnya, Trump has remained silent.
Many other world leaders — including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — have strongly condemned Chechnya's gay purge and taken concrete steps to help Chechens in need.
So why — seven months after we first learned this abuse is taking place — is Trump still remaining silent?
Photo by Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images.
There's no good answer, really.
The president hasn't been an ally to gay Americans, of course, but the Congressional resolutions gained support from even the staunchest anti-LGBTQ legislators in the House and Senate. Some have pointed to the president's cozy relationship with Vladimir Putin, speculating that Trump is hesitant to rock the boat with the Russian president by confronting him on Chechnya. Whatever the reason, his indifference on the matter is sending a clear message.
"If Chechnya has indeed begun persecuting gay men, as international reports suggest, it is precisely because the government recognizes that the U.S. won't organize any opposition," Samar Habib wrote for The Washington Post in May.
Here's how you can help.
Share stories like this with family and friends. Let your reps know you appreciate them taking action and demand that they put pressure on the president to do the same. Support LGBTQ advocacy groups pressuring Trump to speak up. Tweet at Trump. Write and call his White House. Force him to confront this issue.
Trump's silence may be overwhelming, but so are the voices demanding he act.
donald trump gay men chechnya anti-lgbtq violence us congress us senate us house

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Maid of Pharaoh's Daughter
January 26, 2014 Ahmed	2 Comments
It is mentioned in the book Raudatus Safa that Pharaoh's daughter had a maid who was under her command and who used to comb her hair, etc. She had believed in Musa alayhis salam. However, she did not expose her iman out of fear for Pharaoh.
Once while she was combing Pharaoh's daughter's hair, the comb fell from her hand. When she bent down to pick it up, she recited Bismillah. The daughter asked her: "What was it you recited just now? Whose name is that?" She replied: "it is the name of the one who created your father and also gave him a kingdom." She became astonished and remarked: "Is there anyone greater than my father!" Saying this she ran out to her father, and related the entire incident him.
Pharaoh became extremely angry, called for the maid, and threatened her.
However she unhesitatingly said: "Do whatever you wish, I will not leave my iman."
Nails were fastened to her hands and feet and thereafter hot ash and embers were placed on her. When this had no effect on her, a child who was in her lap was taken and thrown into the fire. While the child was in the fire, it said: "Mother! Be patient and don't ever leave your iman."
She remained steadfast on her iman until she was also thrown into that fire.
Source: Bahesti Zewar
Imaan
Bi Safiyyah – Mother of Maulana Ilyas Dehlvi
June 24, 2013 Ahmed	1 Comment
Bi Saffiyah was an excellent reciter and memoriser of the Holy Qur'an. She had memorised the Holy Book during her son Yahya's suckling and she had a command on memory that few could stand to contest. She had the habit of going through the Qur'an Al-Majid once daily during the month of Ramadan and thus would complete 30 repititions of the Noble Book. It was also her practice to perform the household duties and the recitation simultaneously. Her daily practice other than Ramadan was that she would recite:
Durood shareef 5000 times
Ism Dhat (One of Allahs names chosen on the virtue of its meaning) 5000 times
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم (in the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful) 900 times
يا مغنى (O Enricher, Provider to His slaves) 1100 tiimes
استغفار (I beg Thine pardon, Mighty Lord) 500 times
حسبى الله ونعم الوكيل (Allah sufficeth me! Most excellent is He in whom we trust) 500 times
سبحان الله (Glory be to Allah) 200 times
الحمد للله (Praise be to Allah) 200 times
لااله الا الله (There is no God but Allah) 200 times
الله اكبر (Allah is the Greatest) 200 times
افوض امر الى الله (I confide my cause unto Allah) 100 times
حسبنا الله ونعم الوكيل (Allah is sufficient for us, Most excellent is He in whom we trust) 100 times
رب انى مغلوب فانتصر (My Lord, I am vanquished, so give me help) 100 times
رب انى مسنى الضر وانت ارحم الراحمين (My Lord, Lo adversity afficeth me, and thou are Most Merciful of all who show mercy) 100 times
لااله الا انت سبحنك انى كنت من الظلمين (There is no God save Thee, Be Thou Glorified! Lo! I have been a wrong doer) 100 times
and, moreover she would recite some part of the Holy Qur'an.
Source: Leading Ladies, who made a difference in the lives of others
Subhanallah such an amazing example of a Pious Woman from Modern history, not only did she engage in Dhikr of Allah, but she would also fulfill her household chores and reared her children with an islamic upbringing. May Allah give us the ability to tread in the footsteps of our pious predecessors, generate the love of Allah in our hearts, obtain nearness to our Lord and live our lives in accoradance to the Shariah. Ameen
BiosWomen
Hazrat Maryam
Hazrat Maryam`s (Alayhas-Salam) respectable parents are Hazrat Emraan and Hazrat Hannah. In her old age, Hazrat Hannah (Alayhas-Salam) was expecting a child. With the birth of a son in mind, she made an oath to Allah that the child to be born would be freed from all worldly affairs and specially dedicated to Allah's service. Almighty Allah blessed her with a daughter, who was to be the mother of Hazrat Isa (Peace Be Upon Him), Hazrat Maryam (Alayhas-Salam), the chosen one among the women.
The Holy Quraan says:
Behold! When the wife of Imraan said: "O my Lord! I do dedicate unto Thee what is in my womb for Thy service. So accept this of me; for thou Hearest and Knowest all things." When she delivered, she said: "O my Lord! Behold! I am delivered of a female child!" (Surah Ale-Emraan:35-36)
Hazrat Maryam's (Alayhas-Salam) Childhood
Thus Hazrat Maryam (Alayhas-Salam) was born. She could not be devoted to temple service as her mother had intended, due to being a female. This was under the Mosaic Law at the time. However, as the new born was marked out for a special destiny to be the mother of the miracle-child Hazrat Isa Peace Be Upon Him, she was accepted for the service of Almighty Allah.
Hazrat Maryam's (Alayhas-Salam) Miracle
Hazrat Maryam (Alayhas-Salam) grew up under Allah's special protection. Her sustenance came from Allah, and her upbringing was indeed a pure one.
The Holy Quraan, most beautifully testifies this childhood miracle of Hazrat Maryam (Alayhas-Salam):
"Right graciously did her Lord accept her, He made her grow in purity and beauty, to the care of Zakariyya (Alayhis-Salaam) was she assigned, every time he (Zakariyya) entered (her) chamber to see her, he found her supplied with sustenance. He said: "O Maryam! Whence (comes) this to you?" She said: "From Allah. For Allah provides sustenance to whom He pleases without measure." (Surah Ale-Emraan:37)
Hazrat Zakariyya Peace Be Upon Him looked after Hazrat Maryam (Alayhas-Salam) whilst she was in the service of Allah.
Birth of Hazrat Isa Peace Be Upon Him
So Hazrat Maryam (Alayhas-Salam) grew up in a very pious religious environment, always remaining busy in the worship of her Creator Almighty Allah. Then followed the miraculous birth of Hazrat Isa Peace Be Upon Him.
Hazrat Maryam (Alayhas-Salam), the mother of Hazrat Isa Peace Be Upon Him was unique, in that she gave birth to a son by a special miracle, without the intervention of the customary physical means. This of course does not mean that she was more than human, any more than her son was more than inhuman. She had as much need to pray to Almighty Allah as anyone else.
May Almighty Allah give us all the true and proper understanding of Hazrat Maryam (Alayhas-Salam).
Source: Inter-Islam
Daughter of Namrud
February 28, 2010 admin	4 Comments
Namrud was the oppressive king who threw Ibrahim (A.S.) into the fire. His daughter, Ru'dah, was watching the scene from above. She noticed that the fire was having no effect on Ibrahim (A.S.). She shouted and asked him the reason for this.
Ibrahim (A.S.) replied: "Allah has saved me from this calamity through the blessing of iman."
She replied: "If you permit me, I will also come into the fire."
He replied: "Recite Lâ ilâha illallâhu Ibrahim khalîlullâh (translation: There is none worthy of worship except Allah and Ibrahim is the close friend of Allah).
She recited this kalimah and immediately dived into the fire. The fire had no effect on her as well. She then came out of the fire and went and rebuked and censured her father. He subjected her to great difficulties but she remained steadfast on her iman.
Lesson: Glory be to Allah! How courageous she was that she did not abandon her iman even when in difficulty! O women! You should also be strong-willed at the time of difficulties and do not act contrary to the Deen even if it equals a hair's breadth.
Fatimah Khanum, The Princess
May 24, 2009 admin	3 Comments
Seven centuries had passed since afore said Zubaydah canal was created and now it was in its worst with the passage of time despite being looked after by the subsequent rulers. Almost all the wells and springs had gone dried and dead and Zubaydah canal was filled with shifting sand and stones and its concrete wall was broken here and there and water was no more once again. It was the year 965H (1557 A.D) when all those days had returned which had urged Zubaydah to come to the rescue.
Fortunately another Zubaydah had come in to the world in the shape of the Turk princess Fatimah Khanum, daughter of the great 'Uthman ruler Sultan Salim. When the things came to her knowledge, she under took to solve the problem once for all. She assigned the task to her trusted aide Ibrahim ibn Takrim to restore the canal and extend it to Makkah to bring it in to the easy reach of every Makkan and the pilgrims.
The repair of the canal proved not very difficult and it was done positively with the help of Egyptian, Syrian and the Yemenite engineers and the masons. But ahead, a huge rock whose length was not less than two thousand feet and the width more than fifty had stopped their advance.
Ibrahim, the chief of the project lost his heart, as it looked quite impossible to turn aside or to break through the gigantic rock. Fatimah Kanum was informed of the failure. But the resolute princess stood to her previous order. She reprimanded her assignee and told him in clear words that nothing could hamper the human courage and determination.
The inspiring order of the princess invigorated the entire arena. In those days neither the dynamite was invented yet, nor were the titanic machines of today, which blow out the sky rising mountains. The only method to cut the stone was to heat them up to a very high degree and then cut them with sharp tools.
It took hundreds of workers long ten years to make a break through, after having been burnt millions tons of fuel and spending thousands of arduous days and nights. It came at last that auspicious day when in 979H (1571 A.D) the proud rock was conquered which, years before looked duly insurmountable.
The water began to flow up to Makkah. No one could imagine the delight of the Makkans that day. The event was celebrated fervently with the participation of the government and the masses. All, the bigs and smalls of the project were rewarded beyond their expectations. The Princess came to be called empress Zubaydah Thani (the second).
(Monthly Al-Hasanat, Rampur – India)
Zubaydah, the Empress
Umm Ja'far, Zubaydah was the darling queen of fifth Abbasid Caliph Harun ar-Rashid (170H, 786 A.D to 193H, 809 A.D). Her name was Amatul Aziz but she came to be known as Zubaydah. Her grandfather Abu Ja'far Mansur who had endearly named her Zubaydah, made very special arrangements for her education. Very competent and highly qualified teachers and scholars were hired. Zubaydah, herself was very intelligent and right-minded. She obtained education with great interest and developed an attachment with the Quran and Hadith, which persisted for the entire of her life. She excelled in Arabic literature as well as other fields of learning. Her erudition could be compared with those of the celebrated scholars of her days.
Zubaydah was a very graceful lady. She was kind hearted, generous and literary minded. Though her living was regal and her magnificence and splendour was unparalleled in the precincts of the royalties. On the one hand thousands of dinars were spent on her single dress, her footwears were studded with diamonds and pearls and her palaces were lighted with candles of amber. Her kitchen expenditures were more than ten thousand dirhams daily. Hundreds of people would live on her kitchen.
On the other hand her life was a decent example of a devout Muslim woman. She had engaged one hundred slave girls who would recite the Holy Quran constantly. Her palaces perpetually echoed with the voices of the recitation. She was very respectful to the literate. Some of them were granted regular stipends. She was very punctual in prayers and the fastings. She went on Hajj a number of times. Once she made the journey to the holy land on foot.
She took great interest in the projects of public welfare and would spend on them generously. She built inns and lodges on the way from Iraq to Makkah and dug the wells for pilgrims and travellers. The road was lost from time to time as the storms and strong winds would often carry along the sand and dust and spread all around, leaving all the area a vast desert and the travellers wandered about, unable to find the road. The queen, Zubaydah cost hundreds of thousands of dinars to erect the stonewall along both sides of the road to block the winds carrying sand. She built a number of grand mosques, as well.
She also dug a big canal from the mount of Lebanon to Beirut to provide water for the people of the area. But her monumental work which would become a legend in the days to come was the construction of the Zubaydah Canal a landmark in the history of hydro engineering. It is stated that years before the Caliphate of Harun ar-Rashid was established, there was acute shortage of water in Makkah. Local inhabitants and the pilgrims were equally in great distress. Sometimes a small waterskin would cost up to ten dirhams and big one for a gold coin. A time came when the scarcity of water endangered the lives of people and the livestock and it was taken very seriously, if the proper arrangements were not made, hundreds of thousands lives would be lost.
The officials reported the gravity of the situation to the empress. She resolved to solve the problem by ensuring persistent supply of water to Makkans and the pilgrims. She summoned the hydro engineers and the master architects and ordered them to find out some springs in the mountainous suburbs of Makkah.
After months of maneuvering and surveying they succeeded, at last, to find two springs, one on the way to Taif at the distance of 25 kilometers from Makkah and the other in the hills of Kara in the valley of Noman. But to bring water to Makkah was an uphill task. Ranges of mountains were a real hurdle. But the ambitious empress ordered the project to be implemented and assured the men that she was ready to pay a gold coin for every stroke of the pick.
The work started and with tireless efforts of three years, thousands of workers and warders made possible, which once seemed impossible. They maneuvered the canal through the hilly valleys by cutting open the hearts of the imposing mountains. The bill of the gigantic project rose to seventy Lacs gold dinars. When the documents of accounts were produced to the empress, she was seated in her palace, at the bank of the river Tigris. She did not even cast an eye at the documents and directed the papers to be thrown in to the Tigris and said, "I have left these accounts to be settled on the Accountability Day, as, all I have done, is to seek favours from Allah. If any amount is owing on my account, I am ready to pay and if anyone else owes to me, I write it off."
In addition to all emoluments and dues, empress Zubaydah gave away prizes and bestowals generously to all the people of the project and ordered the event to be celebrated.
As for the Zubaydah Canal, actually two separate canals were dug from both the fountains, which were merged somewhere in the hills into a single Canal, which runs up to Arafat and Mina. Along the banks of the canal, tanks were made at proper places to store the water of rains, whichever to supplement the canal water. The base of the canal was concreted to prevent the sepage of water. A considerable part of the canal was covered to keep the water unpolluted from the sand-storms which was a frequented event of the area.
In the beginning the canal came to be named 'Aynal Mashash but later it was attributed to Zubaydah. The 33 kilometers long canal flowing by the Mount of Arafat, made its tail end at Chah Znbaydah. a site, at few kilometers from Makkah. The empress intended to extend it to Makkah, but some unconquerable hurdles blocked the way. But still the water came in to the reach of the Makkans.
(Mashahir Niswan).
Biossuburbs of makkah
Fatimah bint Abdul Malik
Fatimah bint Abdul Malik was a highly placed woman of first century Hijrah. She was wife of the great Banu Umayyad Caliph Umar ibn Abdul Aziz and daughter of Abdul Malik ibn Marwan. She was raised in palatial atmosphere like princesses and she was familiar with the royal culture.
Umar ibn Abdul Aziz, himself a man of great beauty was regarded one of the few who greatly were mindful of their get-up. His diet and dress were equally worthy of royalty. But after he had to take over the charge of the Caliphate, he gave up all princely practices. He turned his mouth away from the superb and delicious cuisine. The pulses were started to be cooked daily and all the people of his household were sick with the pulses.
One day a servant complained his matron that he was fed up with the pulses. She silenced him to tell that his master, the Commander of the Faithful, too ate the same and they themselves, as well.
Once the Caliph praised the taste of Lebanon-honey before her. She sent word to ruler of Lebanon, Ibn Ma'di Karb. He immediately sent the honey. When it was served before the Caliph, he questioned his wife if she had ordered for that. She answered in affirmative and the Caliph sold out the honey and deposited the price in Baytal Mal (state exchequer).
Once a woman came from Iraq to get approved the allowance for her orphan daughters. She saw the first lady baking bread herself and sat near her. She was looking at the house and then said regretfully that she had come to find some favours from that house but it, itself is in the worst. The Caliph's wife said, "your homes are cared for, at the cost of ours." Then she inquired about her problems and put her case before the Caliph who approved the allowance forthwith.
When 'Umar ibn Abdul Aziz fell ill with mortal disease, his brother in law Muslima ibn Abdul Malik came to inquire about his health. He saw the Commander of the Faithful wearing a worn Kameez (long shirt). He took aside his sister and asked her to change the Kameez of the Commander of the Faithful. She told her astonished brother that the ruler of the greatest empire of the time had only that shirt.
Fatimah was a woman who was born with a silver spoon in her mouth and was bred with royal manners. But she withdrew from that sort of life to the will and wish of her husband and lived her life poorly. She lived long after her husband but she persisted to live simply. The noted Turk writer Dhehni Afindi writes, "Fatimah bint Abdul Malik ibn Marwan was known Dhatid Khimar (the woman of shawl).
She was a lady of great piety and reverence. Her tomb is in Busra (Syria) where her devotees pay visits frequently.
(Serah 'Umar ibn Abdul Aziz, Taha'in Tarikh Islam).
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Crestview Lady Cougars hunting for a three-peat in Firelands Conference
Jake Furr
OLIVESBURG - The Crestview Lady Cougars don't rebuild; they reload.
In 2019, they will have to prove that to be true as they let go of six seniors from last year's 19-3 district runner-up team. They bring back five starters who all earned varsity letters last season for the Firelands Conference champs.
The biggest loss to replace is 2018 Mansfield News Journal pitcher of the year, Kennedy Hickey. She and catcher Caitlynn Frontz were the 1-2 combo in the circle and behind the plate, but the Lady Cougars have high hopes for their replacements.
"We will be without our three-year combination of Kennedy Hickey and Caitlynn Frontz at pitcher and catcher," Crestview coach Aaron Goon said. "We do return experience at those positions in Kylie Ringler and Paige Schaefer, but this will be the first time they are counted on in an everyday role in those positions. This year we will have a few more new faces than last season as we look to replace four starting positions. How those girls make the transition to varsity will have a lot to do with our success this season."
Schaefer is a senior who was an honorable mention All-FC player a year ago when she hit .316 with 20 RBI. Ringler is a sophomore who went 3-0 last season with a 0.56 earned run average with 36 strikeouts in six starts in the circle. She was a second team All-FC player after hitting .432 with 28 RBI. Needless to say, the Lady Cougars reloaded in those two very important positions.
Sophomore Lindsey Them or freshman Mary Leeper will take over at first base for their first varsity experience while senior Natalie Restille will be back at second base. She was a first team All-FC player and honorable mention All-Northwest District player a year ago after hitting .426 with 14 RBI. Sophomore Zoe Metzger is back at third after seeing limited action as a freshman. She hit .333 last season.
Senior Clare Robertson is also back at short stop after earning first team All-FC as a junior. She hit .433 last season with 24 RBI.
Juniors Ashlie Hicks and Alyssa Derr make up the corner outfield positions in their first varsity action while sophomore Autumn Bailey is back in centerfield after earning first team All-FC and second team All-Northwest District as a freshman. She hit .424 last season with 14 RBI and 29 steals.
"We have several girls that received all-conference honors returning this season including first team selections Natalie Restille, Clare Robertson, and Autumn Bailey; second team selection Kylie Ringler; and honorable mention selection Paige Schaefer," Goon said. "All of these girls could have great offensive seasons and Kylie has the opportunity to be one of the top pitchers in the area and conference."
Them and Restille could also see time in the circle this season depending on matchups.
Junior BrookeLyn Johnson and Leeper will see their first varsity action as well. Johnson is a utility infielder and could see time behind the plate while Leeper is a first base/catcher combo type player.
"Our biggest x-factor this year should be our pitching and our experience," Goon said. "We return a good core group of players, but how the new players fit in will determine our level of success. We lost all-state pitcher Kennedy Hickey, but Kylie Ringler should step right in and be excellent in the circle as well. We need to replace our first and third base positions as well as our corner outfielders, but we shouldn't have a problem in those positions with the experience we have and the talent coming up."
Goon is in his third year as head coach and has compiled a 46-19 record which includes two consecutive Firelands Conference championships. Three-peating is goal No. 1.
"Our first goal is to repeat as Firelands Conference champions,' Goon said. "Our next goal is to win Sectionals and Districts and try to advance all the way to the state tournament. To achieve this goal we are going to need our new starters to come in and play solid defense and contribute offensively. Our league is going to be tough, but if we play well we should be right near the top."
The Lady Cougars enter the season with a target on their backs and rightfully so as they captured the last two FC titles.
"Our league is going to be very tough this season," Goon said. "Monroeville returns an all-state pitcher and some key offensive weapons, South Central, Plymouth and New London are always tough. St. Paul looks to be much improved and Mapleton and Western Reserve should be better this season also."
The Lady Cougars kick off their season at 11 a.m on Saturday, March 23 at Black River.
jfurr@gannett.com
Twitter: @JakeFurr11


text:
Deputations Ask For Plebiscite
City Council continues to get a piece of the public's mind when it comes to holding a public vote on the proposed event centre. Several organizations came out to ask the City to make the event centre a question on the municipal election ballot. Andy Wolff thinks having a question on the upcoming ballot would result in a higher voter turnout. Another group of residents who are in favour of the Event Centre also came out to show their support to Council.
Planning Meeting At City Council
The City is giving the go-ahead to a proposed six storey building on a piece of land that currently houses the Cumberland Cineplex. City lawmakers approved the rezoning application at their meeting last night that will allow property developers to knock down the former cinema and build the new mixed use building. Some neighbours shared their concerns with the City over the loss of the view of the Sleeping Giant. Meanwhile, City Council is going to take some time before officially green lighting Nadin Contracting's request to change the allowed uses of two pieces of Arthur Street West property. The company says there's a high demand for large lots serviced by the City in the rural parts of town. Norm Nadin says there subdivision is a good project and one the City should get behind. Council is expected to approve a new resolution supporting the development at another council meeting.
Weldon Is Back In T.Bay
Thunder Bay's Para Olympian Robbi Weldon is back from Sochi, Russia. Her flight arrived Monday night at the Thunder Bay Airport. She says she's happy with her performances noting she's still suffering from injuries she sustained last year. Weldon was welcomed by her friends and family. She says it was fantastic to visit Russia and the Russian people were very gracious.
Hospital Gets 2 Million For Research Projects
Local orthopedic surgeons are giving 2 million dollars to the local hospital for a orthopedic research program. The money will go towards a variety of research projects including one that will look at diabetes patients and how many in the Northwest need to have limbs amputated. Officials say this is one of the largest donations in the hospital's history.
Rags Spontaneously Combust
The City's Fire Service is deeming the cause of a house fire on Park Row Friday night as spontaneous combustion. They say improperly discarded oily rags just caught fire on their own. Damage to the home is estimated at over 50-thousand dollars. No one was home at the time of the fire.
Sears Robbed Of Jewelry
City Police are releasing a picture of a man they say is responsible for a break, enter and theft to the Sears store on the weekend. Officers arrived at the east entrance to the store on Sunday just before 4:30 a.m. to find that two exterior glass doors had been smashed. Someone had robbed the store of jewelry. The suspect is described as a man with a medium build, wearing a two tone greenish brown jacket and a beige baseball hat. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Crime Stoppers.
Labels: Video supplied
OPP Cruiser In Weekend Mishap
A 31 year old Thunder Bay man is charged with impaired driving after police say his vehicle slammed into an OPP cruiser on the weekend. They say it happened on Highway 61 and Arthur Street just before 3 in the morning Saturday as the cruiser went through a green light when it collided with a truck making a left turn. There are no injuries to report.
Beardy Helps People Get Screened
Ontario Regional Chief Stan Beardy is doing his part to help get more people screened for cancer. His cancer story is in a new cancer awareness video for the Thunder Bay Regional Health Centre. The moral of the video is that a commitment to cancer screening saved Beardy's life because his cancer was caught early.
Early Detection - The Path to a Good Life from Apple Wagon Films on Vimeo.
War Amps Campaign Underway
War Amps key tags are being mailed out to people in Ontario. Spokesperson Jamie Lunn says that 3.7 million of them are being distributed throughout the province. As for northwestern Ontario, we won't receive them until next month. She says they will begin distribution in the "P" postal code at the end of April.
Money from donations is used to help war amputees in Canada.
Winter Opening Hailed As Success
The experimental winter opening of the Chippewa Park Wildlife Exhibit is being hailed as a success. City spokesperson Lorraine Lortie-Krawczuk says attendance was more than expected and she hopes it means the exhibit will be open again next winter. Lortie-Krawczuk says response to the winter opening was fantastic.
Harbour Clean-Up On The Agenda
The Lake Superior Remedial Action Plan group is holding a public meeting this Wednesday to talk about how they plan to get the Mercury contamination out of the Thunder Bay Harbour. Cole Engineering will present several options for getting the mercury out of the 55 acres of harbour. RAP Spokesperson Jim Bailey says they'll also discuss who is going to pay for the clean up.
Ice Breaking To Start This Week
The United States Coast Guard Ice breaker "Alder" is expected in the Thunder Bay harbour today. Ice breaking operations are to start sometime this week but that could change with little or no notice.
The "Alder" will be plowing through the ice to get the port ready for the new shipping season.
Greenstone Expo Is On
Greenstone is looking to expand its mining workforce. The community is back with its second "Grow Greenstone" Expo at the Victoria Inn today and tomorrow. Mayor Renald Beaulieu says the expo will provide businesses from across Canada a chance to network with community and mining industry officials.
This year's event will focus heavily on the Ring of Fire project and other mining activities across the Northwest.
Council To Decide Building's Fate
Council will look at a proposal tonight that would see the development of a 6-storey building at the site of the former Cumberland Cineplex. The site is currently zoned to prevent buildings from being over 3-storeys. Councillor Andrew Foulds thinks amending the by-law would do the area some good and will be supporting it. A two storey building currently at the location would be demolished.


Although 2016 was a difficult year for economies on the continent, the outlook for the years ahead is cause for optimism. Provided we focus on the right things, Africa has the potential to become the most entrepreneurial, forward-thinking continent in the world.
One of the most important things we need to do to shape a sustainable future is to invest in a resilient entrepreneurial culture, especially among the youth, who make up a large and growing portion of Africa's population. We know that African youth aged 15 to 24 will double to around 450 million by 2055 which brings both opportunities and challenges, especially for job creation and entrepreneurship.
(TOP: Eric Kinoti, founder, Shade Systems and one of Forbes' 40 most promising African entrepreneurs under 40).
Africa's economic growth in 2016 was the lowest in over a decade, yet many companies – African and international – continue to invest in new markets across the continent in an effort to localise their operations and tap into Africa's growth potential. Going hand in hand with this trend is an upsurge in African entrepreneurship due to a combination of push-pull factors.
On the one hand, Africa is broadening and diversifying in terms of resources and trade currencies, creating more 'space' and new opportunities for entrepreneurs. On the other, high unemployment is forcing people to start their own businesses which solves their immediate goal of providing for themselves and their families.
Entrepreneurial potential is particularly powerful when it has the support of both the public and private sectors. Look at Uganda for instance, it has one of the largest populations under 30 in Africa, with between 62 percent and 83 percent unemployed. Uganda, which is kept afloat by the government's entrepreneurial strategy, is today the world's most entrepreneurial country.
Government-stimulated entrepreneurial growth is also evident in Kenya, where the Youth Enterprise Development Fund and Uwezo Fund have been established to support young entrepreneurs. This is greatly needed, given that many financial institutions in Kenya expect young people to provide collateral, yet only a few investors are ready to invest in young people's ideas, according to Kenyan entrepreneur Eric Kinoti, listed as one of Forbes' 40 most promising African entrepreneurs under 40. Despite the well-known funding gap that young entrepreneurs often face, Africa's millennial entrepreneurs are building bigger businesses than their older counterparts.
The under-35-year-old entrepreneur is also more likely to be driven by purpose over profit – the desire to contribute to the greater good. What's more, nearly half of millennial entrepreneurs (47 percent) are women.
Indeed, African entrepreneurship appears to be undergoing a transformation and is referred to as "feminisation" of entrepreneurship. Traditionally entrepreneurs have been men, the gender gap is disappearing in African countries like Angola, Botswana, Nigeria, South Africa and Zambia.
The 2017 Mastercard Index of Women's Entrepreneurship (MIWE) tells a similar story. In fact, when it comes to women business ownership, it shows two African countries topping the list of 54 countries around the world. Right at the top is Uganda, where 34.8 percent of businesses are women owned, with Botswana right behind at 34.6 percent. That level of ownership is significantly higher than in US, the UK and Germany, to mention a few.
The Index results revealed some important insights into what drives female entrepreneurs in developing countries: resilience, determination and the desire to provide for their families and communities. The findings reinforce that women entrepreneurs are the backbone of economic growth and powerful engines of development and financial inclusion, especially in Africa.
Large, well-established companies are well aware that their own success ultimately depends on the success of small and emerging businesses. So what are companies like Mastercard doing to help small business grow?
We are facilitating financial inclusion through the introduction of relevant technologies that is helping to modernise the payment sector, with specific focus on mobile. Connected mobile devices is opening up access to cheaper banking and financial services, creating efficiencies in supply chains and opening up new markets. Masterpass QR takes advantage of this and helps connect merchants and consumers more easily, and more securely.
Interventions such as the Mastercard Start Path programme is changing the way we engage with start-ups, allowing these businesses to gain access to mentorship, and the Mastercard network of experience in order to build and grow fresh ideas. What underpins this engagement is the support these smaller business owner gain, which helps them to not only stabilize their business but also expand seeking out new opportunities.
For micro businesses, such as those that we support through initiatives such as Youth for Technology Foundation for example, require much more meaningful and intensive support. Financial literacy training for example helps these women business owners to receive assistance with the basics to build a stronger foundation for their business. Supporting these female entrepreneurs is vital to their sustained growth, as they become self-sufficient and better able to provide for themselves and their families. This has a positive impact on their immediate community as well, with knowledge transfer and employment opportunities being created.
Other partnerships like those with Mercy Corps and UN Women in Africa, is allowing for this level of financial literacy to filter to those most in need, and it is women who are most receptive as they see the long term benefits. The Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth is specifically focused on ensuring the empowerment of the youth and women through these types of meaningful interventions.
Investing in women and the youth is smart business.
(Daniel Monehin is Mastercard's Division President for Sub-Saharan Africa).


Sheikh Saud Al Mojeb, Attorney General of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and member of the supreme anti-corruption committee formed by Royal Order on Saturday by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, announced on Sunday that the committee was undertaking its measures in accordance to the law.
"The government of Saudi Arabia is undertaking these measures in accordance with its laws and regulations in a manner appropriate to the nature of the crimes," he stressed.
"There is an independent judicial process underway, which will be fully respected," declared the attorney general.
"The establishment of the committee formalizes an ongoing process of existing investigations that needs to be concluded with due diligence and in accordance with the law. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty, and everyone's legal rights will be preserved.
"These actions were taken as a result of widespread consultations among the committee's relevant bodies that comprise the heads of the National Anti-Corruption Commission; the Control and Investigation Board; the General Auditing Bureau; as well as the Attorney General at the Public Prosecutor's Office; and the head of the Presidency of State Security. Committee membership stretches across all relevant government offices to ensure proper checks and balances.
"This is part of an overhaul to ensure transparency, openness and good governance," concluded the statement.


On-line registration open until 6 PM! Celebrate the season with Boston area alum and Dean David Schmittlein. Mix, mingle and enjoy the view at the historic Omni Parker House in downtown Boston - dinner and drinks included.
On-line registration will remain open until 6 PM however if you are registering after 1 PM you must bring a copy of your receipt to the door. We look forward to seeing you.
... a total of 92 guests.


I"m making some T-shirt Yarn out of old T-shirts for Amy at Manely Recycled! It's been fun learning what you can do with old T-shirts, I feel productive doing something watching TV with hubby before going to bed, and SAP just loves playing with "Mommy's Balls!" as she has come to call them!
SAP playing with "Mommy's Balls"!
Cool! What are they for, and how do you make them?!
You can use them for knitting etc, I'm not sure exactly what Amy uses it for but she uses them to make her ponies, which are made from ALL recycled materials!
That's awesome Melissa! Thank you for the mention. I still love the "mommy balls" lol!


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La benserazide (Ro 4-4602) è un inibitore della DOPA decarbossilasi ad azione periferica che non è in grado di attraversare la barriera emato-encefalica.

È utilizzato nel trattamento della malattia di Parkinson in combinazione con la L-dopa (levodopa). È utilizzata anche per il trattamento della sindrome delle gambe senza riposo.

La levodopa è un precursore del neurotrasmettitore dopamina che viene somministrato per aumentare i suoi livelli nel sistema nervoso centrale, tuttavia la maggior parte della levodopa è decarbossilata a dopamina prima che raggiunga il cervello e, poiché la dopamina non è in grado di attraversare la barriera emato-encefalica, questo si traduce in minor guadagno terapeutica con forti effetti collaterali periferici.

La benserazide inibisce la decarbossilazione e, poiché la stessa non può attraversare la barriera emato-encefalica, questo permette alla dopamina di incrementare i propri livelli solo nel cervello. Gli effetti avversi periferici causati dalla dopamina, come ad esempio la vasocostrizione, nausea e aritmia, sono ridotti al minimo, tuttavia la benserazide non può ridurre gli effetti collaterali causati a livello centrale dalla levodopa, in particolare le discinesie.

La benserazide ha scarso effetto terapeutico da sola, e il suo effetto si registra con l'uso sinergico in combinazione con la levodopa.

Agenti antiparkinsoniani

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Asagena semideserta is a species of cobweb spider in the family Theridiidae. It is found in Kazakhstan and Mongolia.

References

Theridiidae
Spiders described in 2005
Spiders of Asia


Facing it, always facing it, that's the way to get through. Face it. – Joseph Conrad 366 Hearts books full of favourite hearts and quotes.
You are here to risk your heart. "Life will break you. Nobody can protect you from that, and living alone won't either, for solitude will also break you with it's yearning. You have to love. You have to feel. It is the reason you are here on earth. You are here to risk your heart….


Advertising is expensive and, next to creating your product, probably the most critical and expensive investment for developing and growing a successful business.
Some businesses see advertising as their way to growth but I know this is often a gross oversimplification. And the reason is, advertising done wrong can be the biggest waste of money which can often leave the company without working capital.
It's quite simple – the best ideas mean nothing without connecting with the marketplace. In fact it's so critical to make this connection, that Steve jobs gave 30% of Apple to a venture capitalist who invested less than $100,000 to support their initial marketing campaign. Without Steve's understanding that advertising has to be done right and risking 30% of his company to get the right individual's know-how, we probably wouldn't have Apple today, despite the brilliance of their products.
The lesson is brutal in its simplicity.
Understand your marketplace and the need for the right advertising campaign to connect to with it and then fund it – almost at any cost. If you can't fund the proper advertising campaign then you need to find the funds, which may well mean dilute your shareholding.
If your company can effectively use social media, then count yourself lucky. At least for the moment while the phenomena lasts! Being able to effectively use social media is one way to reasonably easily put your message in front of your market place.
Many of us however do not have an audience keyed into any of the current social media platforms and if this is you, then you are up for an expensive campaign which could be your make or break.
The problem with advertising in marketplaces other than social media is overcoming the saturation of consumer products information which confuses everyone. When I say saturation, there are now over 4000 books published every day and the amount of printed knowledge doubles every four years. So when you consider that as a species we hate confusion, you can see why it's so hard to shine your product's light through this marketing fog.
Whichever advertising platform you use, it's critical to make people aware of your point of difference.
It must be simple – and strike the reader as a good idea – immediately!
Repetition is critical – you must 'keep on message' and continue to relentlessly push your point of difference.
I have been reading Jack Trout's excellent 'Differentiate or Die' again and borrowed from his cautionary comment about creativity where he explains that advertising agents and marketers love being creative, (after all, this is how they win their coveted industry awards). The trouble is, this means they like to change the message often and sometimes not reflect your need for a simple, logical and repetitive message.
Launching a new range can be far better than trying to adapt an existing one.
In 2001 on the launch of their environmentally friendly car, Honda put it in the body of their successful and long established Civic Hybrid. Swing over to Toyota who, with a similar performing model, created a clearly identifiable Prius that many critics said did nothing better than the Honda. But the Prius success story is now a legend. People wanted to be recognised as driving the friendly vehicle despite its odd looks. There may be a lesson for you here.
It's important to maintain focus. But even the largest companies drop the ball – A beverage company was well known but they blew because they've became creative and tried to replace it with their new versions in new bottles.
So you see the bad news is advertising is not always successful, and certainly not overnight. Also reference the phenomena of light beer taking close to 10 years to gain a foothold in the market in Australia despite all the RBTs outside the pubs every night.
I hope this information helps you exploit your point of difference so you can get on the road and grow your business and harness more raving fans.
So get your act together, set a budget, and then get out there and make it happen. And when you hit the sweet spot at all costs stick to your message and don't let your creative advertisers make the change too soon!
To find out details of our Franchise Weekend Workshops, to grab a free copy of my book: 'Should I Franchise My Business?' or to schedule a free consultation, simply visit my website and go to http://franchisesimply.com.au or call 1300 960 136.


text:
/ Columbia Encyclopedia
/ Medicine
/ Biographies
/ Medicine: Biographies
/ Spock, Benjamin McLane
Spock, Benjamin McLane
Enter your search terms:
Spock, Benjamin McLane, 1903–98, American author and pediatrician, b. New Haven, Conn., educ. Yale (B.A., 1925) and Columbia Univ. College of Physicians and Surgeons (M.D., 1929). In 1946, Dr. Spock published The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care (later Baby and Child Care), offering parents and child-care personnel authoritative scientific and pediatric information on the care and upbringing of children, while dispelling many of the pejorative and oppressive methods of the past. The book has been a best seller for years. He was professor of child development at Western Reserve Univ.) from 1955 until 1967, when he resigned to devote himself to the campaign against the Vietnam War. In 1972 he was the presidential candidate of the People's Party, a coalition of pacifists and populists. Among his other writings are A Baby's First Year (1954), Feeding Your Baby and Child (1955), Decent and Indecent (1970), and Raising Children in a Difficult Time (1974, rev. ed. 1985).
See his autobiography (1989); biographies by L. Z. Bloom (1972) and T. Maier (1998).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Medicine: Biographies


text:
Q: Django models - how to map specific subgroup clusters to their exclusive mother groups I have got 2 database tables I would like to model in Django
The first table is named Groups and is limited to 7 specific choices, A B C D E F G. I've done that.
The second table is named Subgroup and is limited to 39 specific choices, numbered 1 to 39, in clusters of different sizes. Each cluster should map to only one specific group. I can't move here.
How do I set up the second model to reflect the relationship so that whenever a user chooses, say subgroup option 8, the correct foreign key used refers to B in the example, or whenever choosing subgroup option 29 the foreign key used refers to F? It should be impossible to map subgroup 15 to group G, for example.
Assume the mapping should be:
A:  1- 5, B:  6-13, C: 14-16, D: 17-20
E: 21-26, F: 27-30, G: 31-35 and H: 36-39

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Education/Youth
Tuesday, 19/1/2021
Edu/Youth
World Indonesia halts search for missing AirAsia plane as night falls
facebook google+ twitter search
Indonesia halts search for missing AirAsia plane as night falls
Reuters/TN News
JAKARTA - Sunday, December 28, 2014 23:37 Email Print
Search on for Missing AirAsia Aircraft With 162 on Board
Malaysia Air search zone spreads on analysis of final nosedive
First truckload of wreckage from MH17 removed from crash site
Malaysia Airlines sees first lawsuit on missing Flight MH370
Family members of passengers on board AirAsia flight QZ8501 wait for information inside the AirAsia crisis centre at Juanda Airport inSurabaya, East Java December 28, 2014 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Photo credit: Reuters
Indonesia called off until first light a search for an AirAsia plane carrying 162 people from Indonesia's Surabaya to Singapore, which went missing on Sunday just after pilots requested a change in course to avoid bad weather.I
There was no distress call issued by Flight QZ8501, operated by Indonesian AirAsia, 49 percent owned by Malaysia-based budget carrier AirAsia, which has had no crashes since it started flying in 2002.
Singapore said it would send two planes to join the search for the missing Airbus A320-200 early on Monday, while the United States, Malaysia, Britain, South Korea, Australia and India offered help, from planes and navy boats to experts and investigators.
"We are deeply shocked and saddened by this incident," said Sunu Widyatmoko, CEO of AirAsia Indonesia. "We are cooperating with the relevant authorities to the fullest extent to determine the cause of this incident."
On board were 155 Indonesians, three South Koreans and one each from Singapore, Malaysia and Britain, plus a French pilot.
The pilot "was requesting deviation due to en-route weather before communication with the aircraft was lost", the airline said.
The pilots were experienced and the plane last underwent maintenance in mid-November, it said. The aircraft had accumulated about 23,000 flight hours in some 13,600 flights, according to Airbus.
QZ8501 fell out of contact with Jakarta air traffic control at 6:17 a.m. (2317 GMT Saturday). It was roughly halfway between Surabaya and Singapore when it went missing in bad weather, somewhere from Tanjung Pandan on Indonesia's Belitung island to Pontianak, in West Kalimantan, Borneo.
Malaysia AirAsia chief Tony Fernandes went to Surabaya to update dozens of relatives of passengers who waited anxiously. The carrier swapped its distinctive bright red logo for a grey background on its website and social media accounts.
"This is my worst nightmare," Fernandes said on Twitter. "But there's no stopping", he said of the search.
The incident caps a disastrous year for Malaysia-affiliated airlines. Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 went missing on March 8 on a trip from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 passengers and crew on board and has not been found.
On July 17, the same airline's Flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board.
Orion aircraft was on standby if needed.
Praying for passengers
Family members of passengers on board AirAsia flight QZ8501 wait for information inside the AirAsia crisis center at Juanda Airport inSurabaya, East Java December 28, 2014 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Photo credit: Reuters
Indonesia President Joko Widodo urged his people to pray for the safety of the passengers and crew. During his Sunday address at St. Peter's Square in the Vatican, Pope Francis said those on board were in his prayers.
The head of Indonesia's transport safety committee expressed hope of locating QZ8501 quickly and said it was too soon to detect the so-called electronic pings from its black box recorder.
"We are using our capacity to search on sea and land," Tatang Kurniadi told a news conference in Jakarta.
"Until now, we have not found out how the plane fell or what kind of emergency it was."
There was bad weather over Belitung at the time and the aircraft had been flying at 32,000 feet before asking to fly at 38,000 feet to avoid clouds.
Malaysia was sending vessels and a C130 aircraft while Singapore had also sent a C130. Australia had a P3 Orion aircraft on standby and India offered three navy boats.
Louise Sidharta was at Singapore's Changi Airport waiting for her fiancée to return from a family holiday.
"It was supposed to be their last vacation before we got married," she said.
A man named Purnomo told TVOne in Surabaya of his lucky escape. "I should have been on the flight ... but this morning I had an emergency. I had my passport in hand."
Like all affiliates of AirAsia, which include Thailand, the Philippines and India, Indonesia AirAsia operates Airbus jets, of which it has 30 of the A320 model.
AirAsia has ordered several hundred jets from the European planemaker, making it one of its most important customers. The missing plane has been in service for just over six years, according to airfleets.net.
Indonesian officials from the civil aviation authority and transport safety committee, which are responsible for crash investgiations, arrived in Surabaya on Sunday. A transport ministry official said Indonesia would handle the probe.
"The aircraft was registered in Indonesia and it looks to be missing over Indonesian territory, so we will lead the investigation," said the official, who asked not to be named as he was not authorized to speak to media.
"We have the expertise to do this."
More :
Air Asia Singapore Indonesia Surabay QZ 8501 flight Malaysia Airlines
Britain's Libya intervention flawed, ex-PM Cameron to blame: lawmakers
"The UK's actions in Libya were part of an ill-conceived intervention, the results of which are still playing out today."
Record new U.S. military aid deal for Israel to be signed in days: sources
China issues highest typhoon alert as Meranti makes landfall
Heroin, nazis, and Agent Orange: inside the $66 billion merger of the year
Rice: aid deal is "win-win" for U.S., Israel
Obama meets Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi
DNC hacked again
Part of coverage onMissing AirAsia flight QZ8501
Indonesia to call off search for AirAsia crash victims
Divers may have found crashed AirAsia co-pilot's body
Six more AirAsia crash victims found: Indonesian official
Pilots disabled critical computers moments before AirAsia crash
French co-pilot flying AirAsia jet before crash-investigators
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Tha Tallinn na phrìomh-bhaile agus am baile as motha ann an Eastòinia. Tha e suidhichte aig a' Mhuir Baltach - ri taobh a' Chamais Shuòmaidh. Tha Tallinn 529km air falbh bho Vilnius (Liotuàinia), 905km bho Mhosgo (An Ruis), 279km bho Riga (An Laitbhe) agus 1041km bho Bherlin (A' Ghearmailt). Taobh a-staigh na dùthcha, tha e 165km air falbh bho Tartu, 118km bho Phärnu, 196km bho Narva, 144km bho Kohtla-Järve agus 129km bho Viljandi.
Air a tharraing à "https://gd.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tallinn&oldid=515523"
Chaidh an duilleag seo a dheasachadh 20 dhen Chèitean 2016 aig 13:08 turas mu dheireadh.


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Q: Android TextView tween animation doesn't scale properly I can't seem to figure out this one. I'm working on an android project where I have created a tween animation that scales the TextView a number of times. My animation resource is defined as follows...
<set xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:interpolator="@android:anim/decelerate_interpolator">

    <scale android:fromXScale="1" android:fromYScale="1"
        android:toXScale="2" android:toYScale="2"
        android:pivotX="50%" android:pivotY="50%"
        android:duration="500"
        android:startOffset="0"/>

    <scale android:fromXScale="2" android:fromYScale="2"
        android:toXScale="1" android:toYScale="1"
        android:pivotX="50%" android:pivotY="50%"
        android:duration="500"
        android:startOffset="500"/>

    <scale android:fromXScale="1" android:fromYScale="1"
        android:toXScale="2" android:toYScale="2"
        android:pivotX="50%" android:pivotY="50%"
        android:duration="500"
        android:startOffset="1000"/>

    <scale android:fromXScale="2" android:fromYScale="2"
        android:toXScale="1" android:toYScale="1"
        android:pivotX="50%" android:pivotY="50%"
        android:duration="500"
        android:startOffset="1500"/>

</set>

The TextView to which the animation is applied is defined in an xml layout resource file inside a RelativeLayout as follows...
<TextView
            android:id="@+id/textView1"
            android:text="@string/textView1Text"
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:textColor="@color/text_color"
            android:shadowColor="@color/text_shadow_color"
            android:shadowDx="0.0"
            android:shadowDy="0.0"
            android:shadowRadius="20.0"
            android:textSize="@dimen/text_size_large"
            android:layout_centerInParent="true"/>

Then, the animation is initialized and loaded from an activity...
animation1 = AnimationUtils.loadAnimation(this, R.anim.textview_grow_shrink);
textView1.startAnimation(growShrinkAnimation);

I think the code explains the intention which is scaling the TextView from big to small and viceversa
The problem
While the animation does start and runs as intended it seems that scaling is out of proportion while the animation is running. The TextView seems to grow way too big out of the screen boundaries until the animation stops and the TextView goes back to its initial state.
I have no idea if the initial size of the text has anything to do with this weird behaviour. The textSize property is set to 36sp through a value resource (text_size_large) set in the dimens resource file
Question
Has anybody had this problem before? Is it something obvious I'm missing? How can I get this to work as expected?
I've tried Googling using several keywords but the articles that popped up where slightly unrelated.
Cheers

A: After some hours of desperation looking for a solution I still don't know what was going wrong and I believe there was a combination of issues I was having:

*

*starting the animation on the activity's onCreate method. Moving this operation to a Handler's postDelayed fixed the scaling issue

*I have the feeling the Animations API is buggy as many posts suggested
I resorted to using a single animation rather than using a set based on some article suggesting issues with animation sets...
<scale xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:interpolator="@android:anim/accelerate_decelerate_interpolator"
    android:fromXScale="1.0"
    android:fromYScale="1.0"
    android:toYScale="0.9"
    android:toXScale="0.9"
    android:pivotX="50%"
    android:pivotY="50%"
    android:repeatCount="infinite"
    android:repeatMode="reverse"
    android:duration="700"
    android:startOffset="0" />


Harford County officials blame Freddy Gray's death and the city's past history of unrest for why it's "not safe" to visit.
Students from Harford County won't be visiting Baltimore any time soon to soak up the city's rich culture. The school district, which is 80 percent white, has a ban on sending their kids to Charm City.
School officials "pointed to unrest in the city following the death of Freddie Gray, which took place last April," Think Progress wrote.
Jillian Lader, a spokesperson from the school district that is 80 percent white, said that the ban is justified, especially with the current trial against the officers who killed Gray.
"Information we received from various law enforcement agencies… following the riots and relating to potential issues that may occur during the first and subsequent trials," she said.
We would love to see this "information" Ms. Lader is talking about.
However, there is a caveat: Students can attend certain sporting events in Baltimore given that they are in a "more controlled environments" and only if they have "playoff implications," the Baltimore Sun pointed out.
Ironically, school districts surrounding Harford County don't seem to have this same bad taste in their mouth about Baltimore. While they suspended trips last April, their ban has been fully lifted and students have been sent into the city with "no issue," Think Progress noted.
Not everyone is happy with the school's decision to segregate their children from the city that is 63 percent African-American.
"I'd like to get some common sense inserted into this policy, and I'd like for the Board of Education to explain to the student body what their policy is and why. They're really doing a disservice to their students when they instill this fear and mistrust of Baltimore City residents," Scott McGill Sr., whose attends a Harford County school, told the Baltimore Sun.
Even elected politicians have criticized the school for its racially motivated policy.
"When I heard about this continuing ban on school travel to Baltimore, I was, frankly, totally flummoxed. It seems so outrageous as to be actually sad," Brooke Lierman, a Maryland delegate who represents Baltimore, told the Baltimore Sun.
There's nothing wrong with wanting to protect your children, but there is something wrong when what drives that desire is rooted in steep racial stereotypes about Black people being inherently violent seeking to harm "innocent" white people. When you breed fear and perpetuate more bias, it's you that is putting your children in harm's way, not us.