text:
Stefan Sinclair-Fortin
Lobster was once a poor person's food. It was used for fertilizer, fish bait and was fed to prisoners. Now it's considered a delicacy and has become a billion-dollar industry in Nova Scotia.
Livelihood lobster fishing cast adrift: How DFO's inaction has history repeating itself
Years after the controversial 1999 Marshall decision, violence calmed when a fishery officer and First Nation chief found common ground.
By Stefan Sinclair-Fortin
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St. Mary's Bay in southwestern Nova Scotia is full of lobster. It is one of the most plentiful spots within the most lucrative lobster fishing area (LFA 34, technically) in Canada. It is also—as its name suggests—a bay. Flanked by the long peninsula of Digby Neck and its islands, the bay's long, narrow body of water is relatively calm and its depth relatively shallow compared to the larger fishing area it lays in. These qualities combined make it a very attractive place to fish.
Its resources are in high demand by Indigenous and non-Indigenous fishers alike, and for more than 20 years it has seen tensions between the two communities turn from boil to simmer, to boil again. Recently, it made headlines internationally. Tensions in the area erupted into violence and destruction after the Sipekne'katik First Nation launched its own, self-regulated fishery, outside of the commercial season, based on Mi'kmaq treaty rights.
To Alex McDonald, one of the oldest still-fishing Indigenous lobster boat captains of the area, the chaos this year was nothing new.
"You know what, I've been at this so fucking long, two, three hundred non-natives come in to the wharf causing shit is nothing new," he says. "I'm so used to it, I just brush it off 'cause I know it's bullshit."
Since he was a child, McDonald has been hunting and fishing under his treaty rights his grandfather introduced him to, long before today's generation heard of the term "moderate livelihood" and even before the Supreme Court's Marshall ruling in 1999.
Last fall—before the COVID-19 pandemic, before this year's violence—I went aboard McDonald's boat to see how he fished.
McDonald working aboard the French Lilly on a calm grey morning in November, 2019.
"The water's flat as hell," McDonald says in his gruff Boston accent, as he steers his fishing boat out to sea. The 43-foot, aqua-green boat named the French Lilly leaves Saulnierville wharf in St. Mary's Bay. Its diesel engine chugs away loudly in the calm morning. A few snowflakes gently fall from the sky; some are caught by the boat's draft and follow along for a moment before moving on.
McDonald follows his GPS to where he has laid his traps. He keeps an eye on the pixelated screen of his depth finder, looking for rocky bottom where lobsters like to live. "Inside that dip would be a good spot," he says.
The French Lilly is McDonald's seventh boat, fishing its fifth season with him now in November, 2019. He has been fishing for over 20 years. Before, he worked in construction doing drywall and masonry work, and spent a period of his life working around Boston—where he got his accent. He likes fishing more than construction, and he says because he has no bad habits he was able to save up enough money to buy his first boat.
The commercial lobster fishing season here isn't scheduled to open for another 11 days, but McDonald already has traps soaking in the water. On the ocean's calm, grey horizon, three other boats are seen fishing. Like McDonald, they are all Indigenous fishers who have the right to fish year-round. Some may be fishing to feed themselves, while others, like McDonald, are fishing to sell their catch.
Livelihood fishing has a controversial past. It has been a point of tension between Indigenous and non-Indigenous fishers, with fisheries officers caught in between. It is a term created by the Supreme Court of Canada, which lacks clarity and has been left to stagnate. For over 20 years, McDonald has been navigating its murky waters.
Lobster traps are required by DFO to have biodegradable panels to prevent "ghost fishing," if the trap is lost at sea.
In 1993, Donald Marshall Jr. of the Membertou First Nation was charged with fishing and selling eels out of season and without a licence. He argued that he had the right to do so, as stated in the Peace and Friendship Treaties, signed between the Mi'kmaq and the British in the 18th century. But he was convicted in provincial court. He appealed the conviction, and in September 1999, the Supreme Court of Canada acquitted Marshall of all charges, confirming his right to support himself.
The ruling stated: "The accused's treaty rights are limited to securing 'necessaries' (which should be construed in the modern context as equivalent to a moderate livelihood)." It said a moderate livelihood is less than "the open-ended accumulation of wealth," but more than barely scraping by, as "Bare subsistence has thankfully receded over the last couple of centuries as an appropriate standard of life" for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.
Many non-Indigenous fishers were outraged by the court's ruling. Threatened by what they perceived as the unregulated access Indigenous people would have to the resource, they protested.
The West Nova Fisherman's Coalition—a group of non-Indigenous, commercial fishers—applied to the Supreme Court for a rehearing of Marshall's case. The motion was denied. However, in November 1999 the court offered a clarification of its initial ruling, stating that the federal and provincial governments had the power "to regulate the exercise of a treaty right where justified on conservation or other grounds." Those other grounds include "compelling and substantial public objectives which may include economic and regional fairness," but protecting the fishing stocks is the really important thing: "The paramount regulatory objective is conservation and responsibility for it is placed squarely on the minister responsible."
That minister was, and is, the head of the federal department of fisheries and oceans, which is also called Fisheries and Oceans Canada, but universally known as DFO. In 1999, DFO was dealing with the collapse of cod stocks in the Atlantic and attendant criticism from both conservation-minded people and commercial cod fishers; the Marshall decisions publicly added another contentious issue to its portfolio.
The court handed DFO a loosely defined responsibility, its ambiguous boundaries marked by the Indigenous right to whatever a "moderate livelihood" is, and the government's right to regulate that treaty right as long as it could claim to be acting in the interests of "conservation" or whatever "other grounds" it dared. In this legal grey area, the DFO had to decide how much fishing was too much.
At the time of the Supreme Court rulings, David Bishara was a detachment supervisor with the DFO in southern Nova Scotia. He's no longer with the department. When we speak in 2019, he is working as a marine broker, selling fishing licences and quotas. Sitting in his office, a few family photos on his cluttered desk, his memories from decades earlier are strong.
"When the ruling came out, it was basically 'OK, here we go,' and 'How is this going to be managed,'" Bishara says. "We knew there was going to be violence, we knew that there was going to be troubles between the native, non-native community; between the fishing industry and the native communities, it was expected by everyone."
Bishara remembers feeling tension in the air like electricity, as Indigenous fishers slowly began testing the waters. In the year 2000, the tension reached a peak as both sides dug in. Indigenous fishers were going to exercise their rights at all costs, and non-Indigenous fishers in disagreement were going to try to stop them.
"That's when the proverbial shit hit the fan," says Bishara. "That's when the violence, the extreme enforcement, the threats from the non-native community, the threats from the native community…that's when everything erupted everywhere."
Under pressure from the commercial fishing industry, the DFO stepped up enforcement. Indigenous fishers maintained they were within their treaty rights and pushed back. Alex McDonald was there, too, and remembers feeling like they were at war.
"They brought in the RCMP with fucking boats and everything. I mean they upped the forces big time," says McDonald. "It felt like we were on a battlefield. It was stressful, it was fucking, oh it was miserable."
One summer morning, Bishara, with a team of DFO and RCMP officers, was sent to make arrests of an Indigenous fishing crew for overfishing. It was McDonald's boat, a predecessor of the French Lilly.
Video taken by the DFO captures the incident. DFO boats surround McDonald's boat at the wharf. Indigenous fishers stand their ground, grabbing poles and wooden boards, daring the DFO to try and board. Chaos erupts: fists, bats, poles are seen swinging, and people on both sides fall into the water.
"I was one of the ones that went in the water," says Bishara. As he went to grab a young Indigenous fisher, the operator of Bishara's boat reversed in a panic, causing both Bishara and the fisher to fall into the water.
"And you know what's interesting, is the young guy that I was supposed to grab, we grabbed each other but neither one of us wanted to do anything. Neither one of us," Bishara says. "And I'm thinking, *thank God*. Thank God, because I didn't want to hit him, I didn't want to haul out my gun, I didn't want to have to do any of that stuff. I didn't even want to be there."
The people who were arrested were taken to the Digby RCMP building. As things calmed down, someone brought in coffee to share. Everyone was offered a cup, except for one person. Viewed as a ringleader and an instigator, none of the officers would approach McDonald. Looking in the room where McDonald sat, Bishara felt bad for him. He gathered his lunch of meat, cheese and pita bread, and entered the room. He told McDonald who he was, that he was Lebanese and that he felt they had a lot in common; his family had also dealt with prejudice and racism. McDonald said he had worked with Lebanese people in the United States and liked them. Sharing Bishara's lunch, they continued to chat.
After being part of many heated exchanges, Bishara could see first-hand that the DFO's strategy of intense enforcement wasn't working. He bypassed his chain of command and sent a letter straight to DFO's regional director: He wasn't willing to subject his subordinates to that level of violence and stress anymore. The regional director asked Bishara what he thought they should do.
"'You're starting from the top down, start from the bottom up,'" Bishara says he told the regional director. "Honest to God, all I could think about is what my father would have said, so that's what I told him. He said, 'Do you think we can do something?' I said, 'Give me a chance and we'll see what we can do.'"
Sometime later, Bishara got in touch with McDonald, who had recently become chief of his band, the Sipekne'katik First Nation (then known as Indian Brook). He asked if they could meet. McDonald agreed. They met unofficially; Bishara didn't involve any DFO "big brass." He offered an apology and asked if they could start over. McDonald remembers this as the only time that someone from the DFO has apologized to him.
From that meeting, they agreed to remain in communication and to let each other know if they heard of any tensions that were arising. They would speak with their respective communities and try to calm things down before they had the potential to erupt into violence.
Bishara believes because of the cooperation they established, the blatant disregard and disrespect between the communities stopped. For a long period of time, the rough waters calmed, and the need for intensive enforcement disappeared.
Perhaps DFO "big brass" could have seen this detente as an opportunity to do the hard work of giving practical shape to the Supreme Court's grey area. It was a chance after one predictable crisis to figure out how to avoid the next one. But the opportunity was wasted. McDonald and Bishara moved on from their leadership roles. What exactly a "moderate livelihood" looks like remains undefined.
Seeing the relationship between the communities regress into violence and destruction in the fall of 2020 would have felt like déjà vu for Bishara, had he not seen it coming.
"About seven years ago I started to complain to DFO that this was going to blow...and that's exactly what happened," says Bishara at the end of 2020.
After leaving the DFO, he watched from the sidelines as things turned into a "horrible hornet's nest". He says he saw DFO's inaction lead to abuses of the Marshall decision. More and more lobster was caught without any management plan or regard for conservation and both Indigenous and non-Indigenous players cashed in.
"Non-native fishermen were involved, non-native buyers were involved, money was made by everybody, there were drugs involved, there was organized crime, god knows what else is involved," says Bishara.
Recorded lobster landing by value, year and fishing area.
At the wharf where McDonald docks, non-Indigenous fishers climb back and forth from the wharf to their boats, loading gear and making repairs in preparation for the opening of the season. In November 2019, They're willing to talk about livelihood fishing, so long as their names aren't mentioned.
"Then they'd burn my fucking boat. Geez man, they'd burn my fucking boat. We already had a boat burned here," says one man. "I've done all this, I've been to the media, I've had the death threats and the phone calls. Come down here, they stole everything off my fucking boat."
Tensions are already on the rise, pointing to where they will get to in the fall of 2020. A new generation of fishers and fishery officers is now having to negotiate the same grey area that their predecessors once dealt with.
"The senior advisors that were involved have retired," says Bishara "The people that have come into fisheries and oceans since then don't have a connection with the communities. They don't have an understanding. They don't know the fishing culture, they don't know the fishing industry."
The world has also changed since 1999. The technological advancements and political differences of today could be fanning the flames. A wave of right-wing populism has swept over the globe and racist opinions are more freely expressed. Internet groups and social media circulate uninformed opinions and misinformation, while algorithmically curated feeds of information relentlessly reinforce people's biases, polarizing people. The willingness to understand one another's communities and history could be shrinking, along with the middle ground needed for cooperation.
Non-Indigenous fishers are forced to the shore in the summer by DFO regulations, and watch from the wharves as Indigenous fishers haul in their catches. Some can't help but feel like they're watching helplessly as money is being taken out of their own pockets. Some argue that the playing field isn't fair. But the most-voiced concern is for conservation, the subject given so much weight by the Supreme Court.
Because there has been no framework put in place for livelihood fishing, catches have gone unrecorded. No one knows exactly how many lobsters have been taken out of the bay over the years and what the long-term effects will be. Commercial lobster landings in LFA 34 have declined since peaking 2016, leaving many non-Indigenous fishers to blame the increase of out-of-commercial season fishing they see happening in the bay.
"It's a big issue, they take more than a little of the stock. People don't know what they take out of here in the summer. The trucks go by all the time. I see the crates, it ain't good," says one fisher. "It can't take the 12 months a year."
Lobster life cycle.
Biologist Aaron MacNeil, who specializes in fisheries, conservation and statistics, says it's normal to see some fluctuation in the numbers. Though there has been a decline, he says it's not yet nearing a point of concern.
"In St. Mary's Bay the catch per unit effort is at 82 percent," says MacNeil in the fall of 2020. Catch per unit effort is a measurement scientists use to judge the health of lobster populations. In LFA 34, it is based on catch amounts recorded by commercial fishers in their logbooks. This means last year the commercial fishery brought in 82 percent of its average yearly catch from the bay—based on a 20-year moving average.
"I'm not totally discounting what fishermen are saying, fishermen are often very aware of the state of what they're looking at," says MacNeil. "But until it gets to a point where it's declined for a few more years and you're starting to get into 50 percent of a long-term average, those are the types of areas where management would tend to intervene." So a yearly catch amount would have to drop drastically compared to previous years to trigger conservation alarms.
The self-regulated moderate livelihood fishery launched by Sipekne'katik First Nation on September 17, 2020, was fishing 500 traps at its peak. Biologists have said the relatively small increase of traps being fished in the area won't have any adverse effects on the lobster population. MacNeil agrees and says it's an easy claim to make when comparing 500 traps to the almost 400,000 traps fished commercially in LFA 34—even if the 500 traps are all fished in the smaller area of St. Mary's Bay.
But more fishing happens in the bay than just Sipekne'katik's livelihood fishery. It is fished by other bands including nearby Bear River and Acadia First Nations. And in addition to livelihood fishing, the bands fish food, social, and ceremonial licences as well.
"I think part of the confusion here is that there're three fisheries operating in that bay. There're the two commercial fisheries—Native and non-Native—and then there's the food, social and ceremonial fishery," says MacNeil.
The FSC fishery allows Indigenous people to be able to fish to feed themselves, their families and their communities. Unlike livelihood fishing, it is recognized by DFO who issue fishing licences and trap identification tags to the First Nation communities. Usually an individual band member can fish up to three traps all year round. But the FSC fishery was not created to provide income to Indigenous fishers and lobster caught under an FSC licence can not be sold.
"I often hear 'you have no idea what's going on,'" says MacNeil. "What they're talking about is the size of the food, social, and ceremonial fishery. And they're right, I have no data on that, all I have is the hearsay from the non-native fishermen that there's something in the order of 8000 traps in that bay, and that could be possible. But from a scientific perspective it's very hard to comment on that."
According to the DFO, limits on FSC harvesting is negotiated between them and individual First Nations. When asked if FSC catches are recorded by DFO science, and if logbooks are used by fishers to record catches, like in the commercial fishery, a DFO spokesperson responded in an email:
"Commercial logbooks are not used to report FSC landings. DFO works with Indigenous communities to understand their FSC fishing needs and activities and to obtain catch monitoring data. Monitoring and catch reporting requirements are reflected in the conditions of the licence."
MacNeil thinks there needs to be more done to understand what is really going on in the bay.
"There's just so much rumour and not enough science. I think what this conflict highlights, is that we have very little science going on for our most important fishery," says MacNeil. "I think the time has come for DFO to put more resources into fishery-independent information about Nova Scotia lobster."
More science could also confirm or dismiss some of the many claims that fishers make, such as St. Mary's Bay being a lobster spawning ground. A theory that suggests lobsters migrate to the area to breed in the summer months is currently not supported (or dismissed) by any data MacNeil knows of.
Another less-shared point of tension felt by non-Indigenous fishers is that the amount of lobster they catch goes down during the commercial season. Fishers catch around four to five kilograms per haul during the first few weeks of fishing, and within six to eight weeks it drops down to one kilogram. The main reason why is thought to be because the lobster haven't been fished for several months, giving the populations a chance to grow. And it makes sense: There should be more lobster in the water before fishing starts, than after two months of fishing.
But this means commercial fishers are disproportionately counting on the money they earn from the higher catches landed at the beginning of the commercial season. Fishers who are heavily invested in the industry, carrying large loans with aggressive re-payment terms, fear the pre-season fishing they see happening is cutting into their earnings and is affecting their own livelihoods. Many fishers say they would be fine with livelihood fishing so long as it takes place within the commercial season.
David Bishara doesn't think a separate Indigenous commercial fishery (like the one Sipekne'katik First Nation launched in September) is the way forward. He says having two different commercial fisheries with different seasons creates a double standard that will never work. It will only lead to more tension between the communities and he thinks things will get much worse.
He says he doesn't dispute Indigenous people's treaty rights, but thinks a balance needs to be met. Even though the DFO has so far failed miserably to meet the needs for Indigenous people, it's still the DFO's responsibility to step up and make a fishery that will work for everyone. He thinks if the government didn't let things slide for so long the situation today could have been better.
"They've done an extremely poor job of managing it," says Bishara. "It's just poor gutless bureaucrats and they've failed the rest of the country. The fishermen I know, on both sides, are good people and all want the same thing...they want a roof over their head, they want food, they want to share in the bounty, they want to provide for their families."
But McDonald says Indigenous fishers will always need their own time to fish; two months outside of the commercial season, away from non-Indigenous fishers will always be necessary. He says he has experienced harassment and vandalism of his gear even when he's fished with a commercial licence during the regular season.
"They still cut your traps, they still 'whoo whoo' on the radio, they still cause shit at the wharf for being Indian, so either way it's very hard for us to fish amongst them," says McDonald. "The prejudice is there, and it will always be there. You can't stop it."
At the wharf, McDonald tries to maintain good relations by making it less obvious he's been out fishing. When docked, all fishing gear is kept out of sight, to not rub it in that he's fishing outside the commercial season. On this day last fall, it seems to be working.
"That green boat right there, he does everything like he's supposed to. He was just here talking to me, I know him pretty good," said another fisher. "He goes out once or twice a week. He could go out every day if he wanted to, but he doesn't."
Herring and mackerel are used to bait lobster traps.
A pungent smell, like sulfur and rot, wafts into the boat's cabin. McDonald's deckhand has begun preparing bait for the traps. He stuffs small mesh sacs with dead mackerel and herring.
"He don't want to be mentioned and I don't blame him. Keeps life simple for him," says McDonald. "Let's see if that single trap is there." He steers his boat to what he calls his test trap, not too far from the wharf. Whether the trap is testing the lobster population or the DFO isn't clear.
The deckhand spots the small buoy and points it out. "OK, good eye, good eye," says McDonald. "The tide's coming in too, so we'll have to work fast." The deckhand grabs the buoy from the water and wraps the rope it's attached to around the wheel of the electric hauler. It pulls the line up with speed.
The trap emerges from the water. It appears to be in a state of decay, rusting and growing seaweed. About 10 lobsters are inside. "That's a small catch, but this trap doesn't fish well," McDonald says. "It never did, that's why we don't care about it. They can take it if they want."
The deckhand opens the hatch of the trap and quickly removes the lobsters, placing them in large plastic bins. The empty bait sack is replaced with a full one and the trap is dropped back into the water.
The lobsters are then measured, and the undersized juveniles are tossed back in the water. Female lobsters carrying eggs are v-notched and thrown back too. V-notching is a conservation technique used by lobster fishers—they cut a "V" shape into the lobster's tail, harmless to the lobster—which notifies other fishers who might catch it later that it's a fertile female who once carried eggs, and should be thrown back so it can continue to populate. Only the lobsters that are large enough, carry no eggs and are not v-notched are kept by McDonald and his deckhand. Rubber bands are put around their claws.
McDonald believes conservation is important. "There should be something put in place you know what I mean. A hundred percent, I believe that," he says. But how could a livelihood fishery be managed, what would it look like? "It would look like the very first ones we did," says McDonald. "I wrote them."
In November 2019, McDonald is fishing 15 traps. Sipekne'katik's moderate livelihood fishery, launched in September 2020, allows up to 50 traps per boat.
Set far back from the ocean is the small white bungalow where McDonald lives. Inside, he makes a cup of green tea and sits down at his kitchen table with his take-out lunch of fish and chips.
Beside him on the table is a case thick with paper. He starts to fish through the documents, pulling out management plans, commissioned aquaculture studies and correspondence letters between his band and the DFO dating back to 1997. "We were fishing under that prior to Marshall," he says.
Before Marshall won his case in 1999, members of the Sipekne'katik First Nation, who were confident he would win, drafted their first management plan to deal with livelihood fishing. The plan included trap numbers per boat, boat sizes and the minimum size of a catchable lobster. It outlined how the plan would be enforced, and how the band would work with DFO to enforce it.
(In the fall of 2020, I asked McDonald about the Sipekne'katik's management plan that is currently being used for their self-regulated fishery. He said it looks very similar to these plans drafted years ago.)
But after the Marshall ruling, the DFO never agreed to work with any of the proposed management plans, and no new government framework was created to address the need for livelihood fishing. Instead, DFO tried to absorb First Nation fishing into the existing commercial fishery. A controversial buyback program was created by the government, benefiting many non-Indigenous fishers: Commercial licences were bought back from retiring fishers, as well as their used gear, at inflated prices. The gear and licences, as well as money, were offered to the First Nations communities in the Maritimes, in exchange for signed agreements that they would fish under the DFO's rules. Many communities that were strapped for cash jumped on the opportunity. But some, including the Sipekne'katik First Nation, refused to sign.
Eventually the government gave Sipekne'katik a relatively small number of commercial licences. These licences are owned communally and leased by the band to fishers per fishing season. Sometimes they are leased to non-Indigenous fishers, which has been a contentious issue within the band. Though this system does bring back revenue to the band, the limited number of licences, and high prices they're leased for, limits access to individual band members and falls short of meeting everyone's needs.
An abandoned trap dragged up from the depths of St. Mary's Bay.
Commercially fished lobster traps need identification tags issued by the DFO to be attached to them. In November of 2019, McDonald fishes with no tags attached to his traps. Any traps without government-issued tags are un-authorized in the eyes of a DFO officer, as there has been no framework created to deal with livelihood fishing. (This year the Sipekne'katik First Nation has issued its own tags for its self-regulated fishery. But until it finds a place within the government's fisheries act, their tags will remain un-authorized.)
If a DFO boat happens to find McDonald's traps, they will be seized, and their catch dumped back into the water. If his traps are found by certain non-Indigenous fishers, the lines may be cut, making it very difficult for him to retrieve them from the ocean floor. If they are found by certain other Indigenous fishers, the catches may be robbed. "Sometimes we're our worst enemies," says McDonald.
So, to try and avoid all of this, McDonald's buoys, which mark his traps, are small. They're about the size of a softball and are dark in colour; on the ocean's surface they're virtually impossible to see from a distance. Other than randomly running a boat into one, they can only be found through the markers on McDonald's GPS.
As McDonald approaches the area where he has laid his second set of traps, there's a problem—he can't find his buoy. He circles the boat around. "We're only at 17 fathoms, we should see it," he says. Because his buoys are undersized, sometimes they become submerged by the bay's massive tidal swings, as the strong currents can hold them down. He circles his boat around his GPS marker, positioning his boat broadside between the incoming tide and where the buoy is supposed to be. This is a technique that's supposed to block the push of the current for a moment, allowing the buoy to pop up to the surface. But it doesn't.
"The DFO could have cleaned me out," he says. Giving up on the lost buoy, McDonald steers towards his final line of traps.
But again, there's no sign of his buoy. "We should be right on top of it." He circles his boat around, nothing. Then a second time, still nothing. "Get the grapple, let's do this shit," he says to his deckhand. The deckhand hauls out a heavy box. I ask what it is. "A lot of work, that's what this is." From the box he pulls out something that looks like a medieval weapon. It's heavy and looks to be made of cast iron; a cone, covered with hooks, about the length of a person's forearm. Attached to a line, it's dropped into the water and dragged across the bottom, about 20 fathoms down. McDonald is fishing for his own fishing gear.
Eventually the grapple catches something and the line becomes tight. It's hauled up, and out of the depths comes a yellow trap in poor condition. Overgrown with seaweed, its line has been cut, but it's not McDonald's. Tangled up with the neglected trap is McDonald's line, leading to the first of his 10 traps. "You see what we have to resort to, dragging this shit up!" The tangled mess of lines is sorted, and McDonald's traps are hauled up one by one. The old trap is tossed back into the water. McDonald says that he doesn't like the idea of adding more plastic into the ocean, but the old trap will create a small artificial reef, benefiting lobster and other sea life.
McDonald points to the buoy that was supposed to be on the surface marking his traps. It's dark and small, not much larger than a clenched fist. One small part of the difficulties and dangerous tactics he has to endure, just to continue doing something he's always had the right to do. "Cowboys and Indians, it's the way it's always been."
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text:
Ben Hardy, właśc. Ben Jones (ur. 2 stycznia 1991 w Bournemouth) – brytyjski aktor filmowy i telewizyjny. Zagrał m.in. w filmach X-Men: Apocalypse oraz w Bohemian Rhapsody o rockowym zespole Queen w roli perkusisty Rogera Taylora.

Wczesne życie
Hardy urodził się w Bournemouth w Dorset  i dorastał w Sherborne. Uczęszczał do szkoły podstawowej Sherborne Abbey, a następnie do Gryphon School. Jako uczeń w Gryphon School Hardy zagrał sierżanta Francisa Troya w szkolnej adaptacji książki Z dala od zgiełku.

Kariera
W 2012 roku Ben grał Arthura Wellesleya w przedstawieniu Davida Hare'a The Judas Kiss razem z Rupertem Everettem. Początkowo sztuka była grana w Hampstead Theatre od września do października 2012 roku, jednak w styczniu 2013 po otrzymaniu pozytywnych recenzji z występów w Bath, Richmond, Brighton i Cambridge zaczęto ją wystawiać w Duke of York's Theatre należącym do West Endu.

19 kwietnia 2013 roku Hardy ogłosił, że chciałby zagrać Petera Beale w długo działającej operze mydlanej BBC EastEnders, przejmując tę rolę po Thomasie Law, który wcielał się w postać w latach 2006-2010. Ben powiedział: "Jestem bardzo podekscytowany dołączeniem do fantastycznej obsady EastEnders — show, które moja rodzina ogląda od lat. Nie mogę się doczekać kiedy będę chodzić w butach postaci z taką ilością historii i kiedy tam utknę″. W serialu po raz pierwszy pojawił się 7 czerwca 2013. 19 listopada 2014 Hardy ogłosił, że opuszcza produkcję. Ostatni odcinek z jego udziałem swoją premierę miał 24 lutego 2015.

Aktor w 2016 zadebiutował na wielkim ekranie występując w filmie Bryana Singera pt. X-Men: Apocalypse gdzie zagrał skrzydlatego mutanta Archangela. Wkrótce potem został obsadzony w roli pisarza Johna Williama Polidori w filmie Mary Shelley w reżyserii Haify Al-Mansour u boku takich aktorów jak Douglas Booth czy Elle Fanning. Hardy w późniejszym czasie wcielił się także w strażaka Wade'a Parkera, który w 2013 roku stracił życie w pożarze nieopodal Yarnell w dramacie akcji Josepha Kosinskiego Tylko dla odważnych.

W kwietniu 2018 roku wystąpił w głównej roli Waltera Hartrighta w filmie The Woman in White będącym adaptacją książki Wilkie Collinsa pt. Kobieta w bieli.

Ben Hardy wcielił się też w rolę perkusisty rockowego zespołu Queen — Rogera Taylora w filmie biograficznym z 2018 roku Bohemian Rhapsody za co został nominowany do nagrody Gildii Aktorów Ekranowych za "Wybitny występ zespołu aktorskiego w filmie kinowym″ podczas 25. ceremonii wręczenia tychże nagród.

Filmografia

Filmy

Telewizja

Przypisy

Linki zewnętrzne

Brytyjscy aktorzy filmowi
Brytyjscy aktorzy telewizyjni
Urodzeni w 1991
Ludzie urodzeni w Bournemouth

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Mark Zuckerberg hasn't said he wants to be president. But if someone were to run for office, that someone might want to line up a few things to prepare for the possibility. A few things that Facebook's CEO has done. Uncanny, right?
To be clear, setting the table doesn't mean Zuckerberg plans to sink his teeth into electoral politics. But he's made some moves in the past few days that have restarted the speculation. On Tuesday, in his annual (and annually publicized) New Years resolution announcement, Zuckerberg vowed to travel to 30 US states to ensure he will have visited and met people from all fifty by the end of 2017. Campaigning much?
A week earlier on Christmas Day, Zuckerberg said in a Facebook comment that though he once went through a period where he "questioned" religious matters, he broke through his skepticism and now believes religion to be very important. Given that its accepted wisdom in American politics that someone who is not religious can never be elected president of the United States, could this be #positioning?
Now let's be serious: Zuckerberg probably isnt going to run for president. Sure, hell be older than 35 by the next election rolls around. (The constitutionally mandated minimum age to hold the office, for those of you not paying attention in history class.) But if he did, he has made sure he could still have control over Facebook while holding public office.
In June during Facebooks annual meeting, company shareholders voted to approve a restructuring of Facebook stock that would ensure Zuckerberg keeps his majority ownership even if the company issues more shares. Zuckerberg pushed this plan to enable him to give away much of his vast wealth via his and his wifes philanthropic organization, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, while still retaining control of the company he co-founded. Of course, If Zuckerberg dies, gets fired, or leaves the company on his own, he'll still lose control.
The idea of Zuckerberg running for office seems plausible in many ways. As the CEO of a very large and powerful technology company, Zuckerberg is well-practiced in the art of PRa necessary skill for any politician. And Zuckerberg already promotes many of Facebook's projects, as well as his own, as taking on issues of public interesteverything from the immigration reform lobbying group he backs to Facebook's ambitious plan to connect the whole world using new wireless antennas, lasers, and satellites.
Even Zuckerbergs philanthropic organizationusually a pastime for retired billionaires and ex-presidentsseeks to cure, prevent, or at least manage all disease within the lifetimes of today's children. As Facebook CEO, Zuckerberg isnt just the most recognizable representative of the companyhe truly is behind every decision the company makes, including when it grapples with very public fiascos, like the ongoing fake news crisis and allegations of conservative bias on the platform. Oh, and Facebook itself is no stranger to using its influence (and dollars) to stay close to the government.
Yes, Mark Zuckerberg probably isnt going to run for president. And maybe he shouldn't. If he did, that would mean the person running for leader of the free world would also control the platform where 44 percent of American adults now get their newsa platform that has the potential to decisively influence the electorate's views of the candidates. If he won, that fundamental conflict of interest would become even more pronounced. Media barons have occupied high office before. But a social media baron as president would be an unprecedented experiment in politics and the power to control perceptions.


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Novartis to demerge underperforming eyecare business Alcon
For the past few years, Novartis (NVS) has been concentrating more on the development of new drugs by bringing innovation and technology into operations. The company's efforts in that direction got a major boost when Vas Narasimhan took charge as the new CEO last year.
Under the new leadership, the Swiss pharmaceuticals giant is currently on the path of transformation, with an increased focus on specialized therapeutic solutions including gene-therapy and neuroscience, while pursuing eternal tie-ups to venture into underexplored areas of drug development such as research in disease-related proteins.
Today, Novartis announced a plan to spin off its eye care division Alcon, in line with a strategy formulated by Narasimhan to overhaul the product portfolio. While the value of the new entity is not known, it is expected that Alcon will be spun off next year.
It is learned that the company decided to get rid of Alcon after efforts to bring it to profitability failed, amidst falling revenues. It was widely speculated that Novartis would make a final attempt to salvage Alcon by taking it public.
While the value of the new entity is not known, it is expected that Alcon will be spun off next year
The demerger of Alcon, a relatively weaker performer among the various business divisions, marks a departure from the earlier strategy of reducing the dependence of branded drugs through diversification. Interestingly, the conditions that once made drugmakers look for alternative avenues – competition from generic versions of branded products and delays in the development of new drugs – remain broadly unchanged.
Separately, the company said it intends to use the proceeds from the recent sale of its stake in GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to repurchase shares worth $5 billion. The $13-billion transaction was announced last month.
Earlier this year, Novartis acquired AveXis (AVXS), a pharma firm engaged in the development of drugs for rare diseases, for $8.7 billion, taking forward its strategy to bring new drugs to the market.
Shares of Novartis gained nearly 4% since the announcement, continuing the upward movement that started earlier this week after hitting a multi-year low.
CL Earnings: Key quarterly highlights from Colgate-Palmolive Company's Q4 2022 financial results
Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE: CL) reported fourth quarter 2022 earnings results today. Net sales increased 5% year-over-year to $4.62 billion. Organic sales growth was 8.5%. Net income attributable to Colgate-Palmolive Company was
Key highlights from Chevron Corporation's (CVX) Q4 2022 earnings results
Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) reported fourth quarter 2022 earnings results today. Total revenues and other income were $56.4 billion compared to $48.1 billion in the year-ago period. Net income attributable
AXP Earnings: All you need to know about American Express' Q4 2022 earnings results
American Express Company (NYSE: AXP) reported fourth quarter 2022 earnings results. Consolidated total revenues net of interest expense were $14.2 billion, up 17% from a year ago. Net income was
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Fish (in inglese, "pesce") può riferirsi a:

Agronomia
 Fish – cultivar di peperoncino della specie Capsicum annuum

Associazioni
FISH - Federazione italiana per il superamento dell'handicap

Film
 Fish – cortometraggio del 1916 diretto da Bert Williams

Geografia
 Fish River – in Sudafrica, nella Provincia del Capo Orientale
 Fish River – in Australia, nel Nuovo Galles del Sud
 Fish River – in Namibia, dà anche il nome al celebre Fish River Canyon
 Fish River – nel Maine, Stati Uniti

Informatica
Friendly interactive shell – shell utilizzata dai sistemi operativi Unix-like
Files transferred over shell protocol – protocollo di trasferimento dati

Musica
Fish (cantante) – cantante britannico
Fish o Big Fish – disc jockey e beatmaker italiano
 Fish – soprannome di Chris Squire, bassista degli Yes
 Fish – soprannome di Jon Fishman, batterista dei Phish
 The Fish – traccia dell'album Fragile degli Yes del 1971
 Fish – traccia dell'album Steps in Time dei King del 1984

Personaggi immaginari
 Fish – personaggio della serie manga e anime I Cavalieri dello zodiaco, cavaliere della costellazione dei Pesci

Persone
Albert Fish – serial killer statunitense
Bobby Fish, pseudonimo di Robert Fish – wrestler statunitense
Bubble Fish, nome d'arte di Robert Gitelman – disc-jockey israeliano
Erik Fish – ex nuotatore canadese
Fred Fish – programmatore statunitense
Frederick Samuel Fish – imprenditore, politico e avvocato statunitense
Ginger Fish, all'anagrafe Kenneth Robert Wilson – batterista statunitense
Graeme Fish – pattinatore di velocità su ghiaccio canadese
Hamilton Fish – politico statunitense, figlio di Nicholas
Hamilton Fish IV – politico statunitense, bisnipote di Hamilton
Jennifer Fish – ex pattinatrice di velocità su ghiaccio statunitense
Mardy Fish – tennista statunitense
Mark Fish – ex calciatore sudafricano
Matt Fish – ex cestista statunitense
Nancy Fish – attrice statunitense
Nicholas Fish – ufficiale statunitense
Nicholas Fish II – diplomatico statunitense, figlio di Hamilton
Phil Fish, pseudonimo di Philippe Poisson – autore di videogiochi canadese
Rhiannon Fish – attrice australiana con cittadinanza canadese
Stanley Fish – insegnante, filosofo e critico letterario statunitense

Scienza
 FISH – Ibridazione fluorescente in situ (dall'acronimo di Fluorescent in situ hybridization), tecnica per la localizzazione dei geni


Minooka Park in Jemison is scheduled to undergo expansion after receiving a Recreational Trails Program grant.
The Cawaco Resource, Conservation and Development Council presented a $10,000 grant to the Chilton County Parks and Recreation Board, which was used to match a $150,000 Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs grant and a $27,400 grant from the Chilton County Commission to help cover the estimated cost of the project, according to a Cawaco press release.
Cawaco RC&D is an organization that supports educational and community development projects in Central Alabama.
"It takes a big team to get something like that to happen," said Drayton Cosby with Cawaco.
Commissioners Steve Langston, Jimmie Hardee and Joe Headley were joined by Sen. Cam Ward, Rep. Jimmy Martin, Rep. April Weaver and members of the Chilton County Extension Office during the Cawaco grant presentation on Aug. 29.
According to Arrington, 83 acres has been purchased and will be home to several trails, including the possibility of a more suited beginner loop.
The park's current beginner loop is only one mile long.
"It's a hidden jewel out here," Ward said about the park.
The goal for the new section of trails is to be wider and more conducive for riding side-by-side ATVs. "We're looking forward to bringing in new riders," Arrington said.
Arrington hopes to have the project completed by next spring. The additional land puts the park at roughly 450 total acres.
My oldest daughter just turned sixteen. She's driving, and as a dad, it's a thrilling, but scary moment in life — this week, she started the tenth grade, and the reality is that during the school year, she spends nearly as much time at school as she does around home. For young people like my daughter, those hours at school are shaped primarily by their fellow students and their teachers.
If everything turns out right, a young person will enter Alabama's schools around the age of five or six, and by the time they graduate at seventeen or eighteen, they will have a solid grasp of the fundamentals of mathematics, history, American and English literature, biology, and chemistry, among other subjects. We entrust teachers with the awesome responsibility of educating our young people about the basic structure of the universe - to understand and reason through, for instance, the process of photosynthesis – so that they can think analytically when confronted with any type of problem. That's an incredible responsibility; and to teach such important knowledge to students who, well, haven't yet achieved full impulse control, is no small task.
We trust our teachers to impart knowledge and facts, but we also expect our teachers to model virtuous behavior before our young people, because knowledge isn't the same thing as wisdom, and we want our kids to become responsible adults. The best teachers can not only clearly communicate lessons on the history of the Civil Rights movement, but can also talk about, and model in person, the virtues of courage and perseverance that animated heroes like Rosa Parks.
Facts are stubborn things, as the British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher once said, and what she meant by that is that the world is governed by certain unalterable truths, including, for instance, the truth that a free market economy lifts more people out of poverty than socialism does. Teachers turn this knowledge into wisdom by showing students the link between effort and reward: the harder you work, the better grades you will get, and the harder you work once you graduate, the more opportunities you will have in the workplace.
Great teachers impart knowledge, model wisdom, and often they do so at a great cost to themselves: growing up, the best teachers I had were the ones who were willing to stay a few minutes after class to answer my fifteenth question how to solve a quadratic equation. Many teachers often sacrifice time and effort beyond what's required — the clock often begins before eight, rarely stops at five, and every hour in-between is dedicated to their craft.
As a state senator, I am committed to ensuring that our schools are well-funded and that our teachers are competitively paid. Nothing is more important to the future of Alabama than supporting education policies that work — and as in business or sports, personnel is policy. I am grateful to the great teachers we have, and I promise to always have your back in Montgomery. Thanks for all that you do — the impact that you have on my daughter and thousands of other students is life-changing.
HELENA–Joe Tucker Park will see some improvements to the boundless playground equipment, thanks to a grant that was approved at the Monday, July 9 Helena City Council Meeting.
The Community Development Fund Grant comes to Helena in the amount of $8,000 from the Alabama Association of Resource Conservation and Development. The grant was discovered by State Sen. Cam Ward, R-Alabaster while serving on the appropriations committee. Ward felt that the city of Helena could put the grant to use and called Helena Mayor Mark Hall to see if there was a need.
The city of Helena knew that several of the boundless playground equipment would need to be replaced at Joe Tucker Park totaling close to $10,000 and the grant will help fill that need.
In other business, the Helena Council approved Resolution 07092018 with the Shelby County Highway Department for a caution light service agreement at Shelby County 91 at Hillsboro Parkway, approved funds for the 2018 10U Helena Rage All-Star Team for competing in the 2018 All-Star World Series in Gulf Shores and approved changes to member of the Helena Historical Preservation Committee.
ALABASTER – On May 8, Dr. Stanley Michael "Doc" Mahan was honored for his lifetime of service and commitment to the community of Brierfield, Montevallo and the surrounding areas by having a bridge near Montevallo named in his honor.
Mahan's family settled in the Brierfield area off of Highway 139 more than 200 years ago. Mahan founded his dentistry, located along Highway 139 above Mahan Creek, in 1966. He spent the last 50 years serving the community as a dentist before retiring to his current home at Shelby Ridge in Alabaster.
On May 8, Dr. Mahan was honored by state Sen. Cam Ward, R-Alabaster, and state Rep. April Weaver, R-Brierfield, at a ceremony at Shelby Ridge with commemorative plaques signed by Gov. Kay Ivey naming the bridge that runs above Mahan Creek on Highway 139 the Mike "Doc" Mahan Bridge.
A teary Dr. Mahan accepted his awards in front of his family, his dental staff and the staff at Shelby Ridge who currently care for him. He reminisced about his time serving the community in many different capacities and thanked his wife, Linda, for all her support throughout the years.
Dr. Mahan received his undergraduate degrees from Auburn University and the University of Montevallo before pursuing his DMD at the University of Alabama, where he graduated in 1966. In addition to his dental practice, he has also served as adjunct faculty at the University of Alabama and the University of Montevallo. He has also served in many different dentistry honor societies, local fire departments and been a faithful member of the Montevallo First United Methodist Church.
No one makes it through life without regrets. The split-second decision we wish we could take back, the risk we never should have taken, the people we failed to prioritize—these are the moments that open our eyes to our need for a fresh start. Unfortunately, not everyone gets a second chance. Right now, there are 22,401 adults in Alabama's prison system. Ninety percent or more of these men and women will be released after paying their debt to society. When they are, they will find second chances hard to come by. This is not only an issue in Alabama. It is estimated that 65 million Americans—or one in four adults—have a criminal record. Everyone makes mistakes in life, so each of us deserves a second chance. That's why our legislature resolved that April would be Second Chance Month in Alabama. This resolution is another step in the effort to reform our prison system. It's time for our state to begin removing unnecessary barriers for people who have paid for their crimes. The Council of State Governments has found that returning citizens face more than 48,000 legal barriers to housing, education, employment, and more. Shouldn't we want people to get a job and become law abiding taxpaying citizens? Preventing former inmates from getting a job just doesn't make sense. Then there's the long shadow of a criminal record. Men and women who have a criminal record face social stigma from others in their communities, and the shame associated with spending time in prison. They have a difficult time finding a place to live, getting a driver's license, or insuring a vehicle. Many businesses write off an applicant with criminal background regardless of whether they have paid their debt and done everything that has been asked of them. Christians believe in loving their neighbors by treating them the way we would wish to be treated ourselves. If you faced rebuilding a life, including your career and relationships, you would want someone to offer you a second chance—not because they pity you, but because they value you as a fellow person. Jesus didn't turn anyone away, no matter what bad decisions they had made in the past. We can learn from that lesson. It's harder to extend love and chances to people when they have fallen, but the reality is we have all fallen in different ways. Alabama is ready to start unlocking second chances for people with a criminal record, because our state's citizens understand the costs of a high recidivism rate. If we truly want to lower our recidivism and crime rates, let's give people a fair opportunity to get back on their feet. It's much cheaper to help someone find a job than to reincarcerate them. Remember, the vast majority of incarcerated men and women in our state will be released. Unlocking second chances saves taxpayers money and reduces the recidivism rate by keeping men and women out of prison, stimulates the economy by getting former prisoners back to work, and develops safer, flourishing communities. Let's build a culture of second chances in Alabama that reflects the God-given dignity and potential of all individuals. Cam Ward, a Republican, represents the 14th District in the Alabama State Senate.
It has been about a year since the Cawaco Resource Conservation and Development Council awarded Jemison City Park with a grant to fund park improvements, and on April 11, Cawaco RC&D and its supporters returned to survey the impact.
Cawaco RC&D supports education and community development projects across Central Alabama.
"We appreciate the money, and have done the best we could with it," Commissioner Steve Langson said.
Present for the announcement were Senator Cam Ward, Representatives Jimmy Martin and April Weaver, Programs Manager Patti Pennington, Langston and City Administrator Shannon Welch.
Since the park received the $5,000 check, it has added a portable softball fence, replaced the wood in the ballpark dugout and bleachers and upgraded the press box, according to Langston.
"Then we put some stuff in the park down under the trees, just for a little bit of [aesthetic] purposes," he said.
"Y'all took a little money and went a long way with it," Drayton Cosby of Cawaco RC&D said.
Langston said the portable softball fence has had the greatest impact.
"Our grant cycle is still open, and parks and recreation is still one of our top priorities," she said.
For more information about Cawaco RC&D, visit cawaco.org.
Jemison Intermediate sixth graders have been enjoying new Chromebooks, thanks to a $2,910 grant awarded to science teacher Katie Maddox.
The grant was funded by the Cawaco Resource, Conservation and Development (RC&D) Council, which is a nonprofit organization that supports educational and community development projects throughout Central Alabama.
The Council, together with Senator Cam Ward and Representatives Jimmy Martin and April Weaver, presented an announcement check to Maddox on April 11 at the school.
Maddox shared the impact the grant has had on her classroom.
Maddox said she had hoped to supply to her classroom with enough Chromebooks for students to share in groups of two or three.
Much has changed since then, and school technology upgrades now offer a Chromebook-student ratio of almost 1 to 1, according to Maddox and Principal D.J. Nix.
Maddox said she uses the Chromebooks in her classroom on a daily basis to regularly access Google Classroom, AMSTI learning programs and other research programs.
Maddox said companies that offer digital textbooks can better accommodate Spanish-speaking students with simplified scientific terms and translation options.
Reading levels can also be adjusted for students' needs.
Ward said the state has created a fund to meet the technological upgrade needs for schools.
"Tablets are there now, but I daresay we'll all look back in 10 years and say, 'Remember those old tablets we used to use?' It'll just keep evolving," Ward said.
Thorsby has been raising money since the start of the school year in hopes of getting a new digital sign out in front of the school.
The effort received some more help when Sen. Cam Ward donated $2,500 toward the fund during a check presentation on April 4.
According to Clements, the new sign will open up an avenue of options for how the school shares information and gets across its news to residents.
Digital signs have been installed at other schools throughout the county in recent years.
Dr. Kris Wood is a Thorsby alum and has been helping to spearhead the idea of a new sign for more than a year.
"Aside from everybody saying it looks nice, what we want is a better way to communicate with stakeholders in the community," Clements said.
The school currently calls out to parents and leaves a message about schedule changes. However, callouts are subject to people missing the message.
The digital sign would give the school another alternative to relay messages and a backup plan to the callouts.
An advantage of the sign is that it will allow for multiple upcoming events and news to be advertised on a rotating basis.
The sign will have the option to be changed remotely, which will mean eliminating the process of climbing up a ladder and manually changing the letters.
Alumni and community businesses have stepped up to provide donations, while Marika Porter has been in charge of a pair of fundraisers as a member of the school staff.
The fundraisers included selling fleece pullovers and cookie dough.
Donors will have their name run on the digital sign as often as possible, as a show of thanks for their support of Thorsby High School.
Anyone looking to make a donation or to get involved can contact the school at (205) 280-4880.
April is National Autism Awareness Month and as the father of a child on the autism spectrum, I know firsthand the importance of raising awareness for the 50,000 Alabamians impacted by autism.
Affecting one in every 68 people, autism has become the country's fastest growing developmental disability. I have spent the past decade advocating to raise awareness so that families like mine have access to the best resources for their loved ones with autism spectrum disorders.
My daughter Riley was a non-verbal three-year-old when we learned that she was on the autism spectrum. At the time, we knew very little about autism and were unsure how her life, and our family, would be impacted with this new reality. After enrolling Riley in an early intervention program and therapy participation, her social skills improved remarkably.
In the twelve years since we first received the diagnosis, I have been continually amazed at the progress Riley has made. One of my proudest moments as a father was listening to my now 15-year-old daughter share her story with the Senate Judiciary committee meeting last year. With all eyes and ears on her, Riley revealed how support services from the Autism Society of Alabama (ASA), in addition to therapy, helped her overcome many of the struggles that children with autism face.
Through advocacy efforts, my family and I have become heavily involved with the Autism Society of Alabama, the state's leading source of education and resources for autism. The ASA seeks to improve services for families of those on the autism spectrum because every individual has inherent worth and dignity, and deserves accessible, individualized, comprehensive services.
This April, Alabamians have the opportunity to support individuals and families affected by autism through many programs available through the ASA.
The ASA will host several Funky Fun Run events in cities across the state during national Autism Awareness Month, bringing runners and walkers together for an enjoyable event sporting their favorite retro wear and wigs. With more than 50,000 children and adults affected by autism in Alabama alone, fundraisers like the Funky Fun Run help provide educational resources, parent networking groups, collaborative agency efforts and so much more.
Those who are unable to participate in the run, can make a monetary donation to support an Angel for Autism. These loving tributes honor and remember those affected by autism spectrum disorder to help provide family camps, regional conferences and personal assistance in accessing autism resources.
By supporting a walk, volunteering or donating this April, there are countless ways to support the ASA's mission. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of Alabamians affected by autism and help contribute to the incredible work of the Autism Society of Alabama.
Cam Ward is a Republican member of the Alabama Senate and has represented District 14 since 2010. He and his wife Lindsey currently reside in Alabaster with his daughter, Riley.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Senator Cam Ward (R-Alabaster) has introduced a bill in the Alabama Senate that will require that victims of sexual assault be given a written notification of their civil rights.
Under Senate Bill 388, survivors of sexual assault can receive information that details their rights to consult confidentially with a counselor during any evidentiary interview with a law enforcement officer or attorney; the bill specifics that they retain such rights even if they had waived them in a previous examination.
Forensic testing will also be required within a certain time frame for victims of sexual assault, if the victim consents to the test. The submission of a sexual assault kit that allows an examiner to collect biological evidence from an alleged victim will be also be required.
Ward's bill will also establish the Rights of Survivors of Sexual Assault Task Force to ensure that the requirements detailed in this act are properly followed and reported.
This bill does not require any victims to consent to any part of the process that this act details.
Senate Bill 388 would require the Attorney General's office to work with the task force and other authorities to create a sexual assault kit tracking system, compile data, and submit reports to the Legislature.


Our Optician and Manager, Larry Burger, is a Florida Licensed Optician with over 16 years experience.
The Eye Gallery can be found in the areas finest shopping destination – The Destin Commons.
Whether you are looking for the latest in fashion sunglasses, classic styles or today's hippest prescription eyewear, The Eye Gallery is your destination in the Florida Panhandle. Exclusive brands such as Chanel, Loree Rodkin, Chrome Hearts and many others help us to accentuate your natural good looks. The Destin staff specializes in creating custom prescription eyewear matching the latest in frames, lenses and manufacturing technology at our onsite full service lab to provide you with perfect eyewear and flawless vision. We are proud to have the largest selection of Sunglasses in the area, from fashion lines like Prada to sport lines such as Oakley, Maui Jim and Kaenon.


'Let me take you to the airport,' he sounded genuinely concerned. 'You will be in the sea and in the sun and with a beer in half an hour. This thing you are doing, it will take all day.
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