The question of the propriety of pictorial representations of the Saviour is one that merits examination. It must be granted that the worship of Christ is central in our holy faith, and the thought of the Saviour must in every instance be accompanied with that reverence which belongs to his worship. We cannot think of him without the apprehension of the majesty that is his. If we do not entertain the sense of his majesty, then we are guilty of impiety and we dishonor him.
It will also be granted that the only purpose that could properly be served by a pictorial representation is that it would convey to us some thought or lesson representing him, consonant with truth and promotive of worship. Hence the question is inescapable: is a pictorial representation a legitimate way of conveying truth regarding him and of contributing to the worship which this truth should evoke?
We are all aware of the influence exerted on the mind and heart by pictures. Pictures are powerful media of communication. How suggestive they are for good or for evil and all the more so when accompanied by the comment of the spoken or written word! It is futile, therefore, to deny the influence exerted upon mind and heart by a picture of Christ. And if such is legitimate, the influence exerted should be one constraining to worship and adoration. To claim any lower aim as that served by a picture of the Saviour would be contradiction of the place which he must occupy in thought, affection, and honour.
The plea for the propriety of pictures of Christ is based on the fact that he was truly man, that he had a human body, that he was visible in his human nature to the physical senses, and that a picture assists us to take in the stupendous reality of his incarnation, in a word, that he was made in the likeness of men and was found in fashion as a man.
Our Lord had a true body. He could have been photographed. A portrait could have been made of him and, if a good portrait, it would have reproduced his likeness.
Without doubt the disciples in the days of his flesh had a vivid mental image of Jesus' appearance and they could not but have retained that recollection to the end of their days. They could never have entertained the thought of him as he had sojourned with them without something of that mental image and they could not have entertained it without adoration and worship. The very features which they remembered would have been part and parcel of their conception of him and reminiscent of what he had been to them in his humiliation and in the glory of his resurrection appearance. Much more might be said regarding the significance for the disciples of Jesus' physical features.
Jesus is also glorified in the body and that body is visible. It will also become visible to us at his glorious appearing 'he will be seen the second time without sin by those who look for him unto salvation' (Hebrews 9:28).
What then are we to say of pictures of Christ? First of all, it must be said that we have no data whatsoever on the basis of which to make a pictorial representation; we have no descriptions of his physical features which would enable even the most accomplished artist to make an approximate portrait. In view of the profound influence exerted by a picture, especially on the minds of young people, we should perceive the peril involved in a portrayal for which there is no warrant, a portrayal which is the creation of pure imagination. It may help to point up the folly to ask: what would be the reaction of a disciple, who had actually seen the Lord in the days of his flesh, to a portrait which would be the work of imagination on the part of one who had never seen the Saviour? We can readily detect what his recoil would be.
No impression we have of Jesus should be created without the proper revelatory data, and every impression, every thought, should evoke worship. Hence, since we possess no revelatory data for a picture or portrait in the proper sense of the term, we are precluded from making one or using any that have been made.
Secondly, pictures of Christ are in principle a violation of the second commandment. A picture of Christ, if it serves any useful purpose, must evoke some thought or feeling respecting him and, in view of what he is, this thought or feeling will be worshipful. We cannot avoid making the picture a medium of worship. But since the materials for this medium of worship are not derived from the only revelation we possess respecting Jesus, namely, Scripture, the worship is constrained by a creation of the human mind that has no revelatory warrant. This is will worship. For the principle of the second commandment is that we are to worship God only in ways prescribed and authorized by him. It is a grievous sin to have worship constrained by a human figment, and that is what a picture of the Saviour involves.
Thirdly, the second commandment forbids bowing down to an image or likeness of anything in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. A picture of the Saviour purports to be a representation or likeness of him who is now in heaven or, at least, of him when he sojourned upon the earth. It is plainly forbidden, therefore, to bow down in worship before such a representation or likeness. This exposes the iniquity involved in the practice of exhibiting pictorial representations of the Saviour in places of worship. When we worship before a picture of our Lord, whether it be in the form of a mural, or on canvas, or in stained glass, we are doing what the second commandment expressly forbids. This is rendered all the more apparent when we bear in mind that the only reason why a picture of him should be exhibited in a place is the supposition that it contributes to the worship of him who is our Lord. The practice only demonstrates how insensitive we readily become to the commandments of God and to the inroads of idolatry. May the Churches of Christ be awake to the deceptive expedients by which the archenemy ever seeks to corrupt the worship of the Saviour.
Reprinted from Reformed Herald, February 1961.


For the last 2 weeks of the summer holidays, I've not enrolled the kids into any activities. They've been doing bible clubs and sports camps on the few weeks that I needed to work but I've set aside this week and next for just days out and time together....in an effort to bore them with my company so they can't wait to go back to school!
In the end, it was just myself and the 3 kids who went so it was £24 for access to both the butterfly house and the gardens. I'm not sure if it's worth it to just do one or the other - you would really need both to make a day out of it. We arrived just after it opened at 10am and there were only a couple of cars in the carpark so we had the place to ourselves.
This was what greeted us when we entered the hot and humid butterfly room....stunning!
and really from then on, it was a continuous stream of 'ooh-ing' and 'ahh-ing' and WOW from all 4 of us as the most exotic and colourful butterflies flew around us and landed on our heads and shoulders and even in my son's case, right on his glasses!
After about half an hour, we moved to the second tropical room which contains turtles that live around a lovely indoor pond full of colourful carp and goldfish.
There were also a few parrots and some smaller birds. The kids had so much fun talking to the parrots - they were really sociable.
Then it was out to the gardens for a walk around the maze, which kept the kids entertained for ages. We enjoyed our picnic down near the pond in the pheasantry - which sadly had no pheasants that we could see. But it was all in the most gorgeous surroundings with the walled garden reminding me of The Secret Garden - with its big wooden doors and tunnels.
....we went back into the butterfly room for another hour. The kids just never tired of spotting the butterflies and having them land on their heads.
I have been asked so many times since I posted about this on social media - 'is it worth a visit?' Hence this blog post - I wasn't planning to write about it - it's a bit off-piste for me but it's a good way to answer everyone's questions in one go.
I do think it's worth visiting. It's old fashioned....I would say it's the same as it was 10 years ago and I wasn't wowed by the shop and the ticket desk on arrival. But the playground and picnic area at the front are new and lovely and surrounded by opportunistic peacocks - which were completely unfazed by toddlers chasing them around the place!
The business person in me thinks what potential it has but the reality is that it's a part of an estate where a family lives and it's only open during the summer months. They clearly don't want it to be a major tourist spot as it couldn't cope with huge crowds. There's a quaintness about it that I loved and you could tell that the butterflies and gardens are a passion for everyone involved. It was like a step back in time and as the day went on, I realised I loved how it hasn't been modernised or computerised...it was a proper old school day out and it did my heart good to see how the kids who were there (not just mine) were blown away and properly wowed by nature.
So do visit...it's not somewhere you'll go to regularly - I reckon we'll go again next summer but it's probably a 'once a year' kind of trip. Try to go on a weekday, early on so you get the place to yourself. Bring a picnic and a full battery on your phone. And make sure your storage has plenty of room for the photos. And enjoy!
Note - there is a coffee shop but we didn't go into it. I'm sorry I didn't as I can't report back on what it's like but perhaps if you're reading this and you've been, you could leave a comment. Thank you!
I didn't know about this place - pleased to find out about it. I love butterflies - there's a collection similar to this at Chester Zoo near us and we visited again last Sunday. I love the big blue ones - there are lots of those at Chester zoo. We're coming to NI next week - really looking forward to it as we haven't visited since Christmas which is the longest time ever for me and I miss it.


Find Safety and Stability in Your Mind. Find an Unchanging Friend. Never be disappointed, abandoned, betrayed, let go of... This morning course will be an introduction to finding real refuge and it will also be preparation for the refuge retreat Finding a Stable Mind coming in May. No experience necessary and no need to book - just come along.


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Texas Most Wanted Sex Offender captured
Jackie Dale Brown. (Courtesy: Texas DPS)
AUSTIN. Texas – One of Texas' 10 Most Wanted Sex Offenders is back in custody following his recent arrest.
60-year-old Jackie Dale Brown, of Temple, was arrested by Texas Department of Public Safety Special Agents at a convenience store in Killeen on November 29. He was added to the Texas 10 Most Wanted Sex Offenders List on November 22. A Crime Stoppers reward will be paid in his arrest.
Brownsville Police search for man with multiple warrants
Brown had been wanted by authorities since June 2020, when the Bell County Sheriff's Office issued warrants for his arrest for failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements and assault causing bodily injury.
In 2001, Brown was convicted of indecency with a child by sexual contact for an incident with a five-year-old girl. He was sentenced to three years in a Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) prison. In 2010, Brown was convicted of failure to comply with a sex offender's duty to register, and sentenced to three years in a TDCJ prison. For more information, you can view his captured bulletin.
Source: Texas Department of Public Safety
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B.C. Games
55+ BC Game
2020 B.C. Winter Games
Hitting the ball is no easy task when it's pitched by a skillful hurler. See the full story on the provincial tournament held in Smithers on page A15. Tom Best photo
Boys and girls of summer take over Elks Park for provincials
Elks Park ball fields were busy with 21 teams vying for supremacy in three different age classes.
Tom Best
Jul. 13, 2018 12:00 a.m.
Last weekend, Smithers was host to the BC 19 and under boy's provincial softball championships. The Elks Park ball fields were busy with 21 teams vying for supremacy in three different age classes.
In the under 12 A class, Clearwater were the winners over Houston. Williams Lake picked up the bronze position.
The under 12 C class had Hazelton winning over Smithers. Barriere were in third.
Terrace were the winners in the U14 category over 100 Mile House. Prince Rupert took third.
The hotly contested under 16 division was dominated by Barriere over Terrace with Fleetwood (out of Surrey) in the bronze slot.
The 16 and under class was probably the most competitive with two of the six teams in the division tied for the lead going into the playoffs. Both teams, Barriere and Terrace, will also be representing their regions at the upcoming BC Summer Games.
According to tournament organiser Scott Groves, most of the games have been close. There were 21 teams from around the province with 16 of those being from the North.
Groves said that there is a lot of softball being played in the North with "probably more players in the North than the rest if the province combined."
"The North also has a lot of girls who combine with the boys for the majority of the season. A lot of the smaller communities don't have girls teams so the girls play on the boys teams," he said.
For example one young girl was playing on a successful team from Terrace. Brenna Menz, who plays shortstop and second base, said she loved playing on the boys team.
"They are like brothers to me," she said.
She will also play on the Northwest team for the BC summer games team.
Groves felt that another positive point was the was that there are a lot of Indigenous players.
"Fastball is a big sport with a lot of the First Nations communities right across the country. It's an extremely popular sport with all of the First Nations groups. If it wasn't for a lot of the First Nations players playing in a lot of the small communities in the North, the numbers would not be what they are," he said.
"In the under 16, both of the top teams are going to the Western Canadian's in a couple of weeks and the bulk of those players are committed to going to the BC Games in a couple of weeks," he said.
According to Groves, small number of baseball versus softball teams in the North may have something to do with lack of parks which are designed specifically for baseball.
"It's a different park. And baseball in the North has been a slow sport. They've been trying to it going in Terrace but they're struggling. In this part of the province we probably have more boys registered than the rest of the province combined," he said.
Groves was also pleased with the support that the tournament had received from the community at large for the weekend.
One example of that support was the exhibition game that was played for the players in the 19 and under age bracket. There were not enough teams to provide sufficient competition, so local players played against them to give them some experience. The game was close with the under 19s holding sway in the end.
Teams went into a double knockout format for the playoff round (they had to lose twice to be out).
Groves' contention of the strength of the sport in the Northwest was apparent with seven of the teams in the playoff round from that region.
sports@interior-news.com
Major League Baseball alums to lead youth clinic in South Surrey
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COVID-19: No public attendance or participation for Jan. 18 Parksville council meeting
Citizens can still offer feedback via email, telephone or written submissions
No extreme weather shelter spaces, yet movement on supportive housing in Hope
Housing minister Eby spoke with council, alternative locations for supportive housing being sought
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Hello again! I know it's been a good long while, but I was really sick in Australia* and then the semester started at school, then I went to China, then I went home, then I came back to New Zealand and was just out of the habit of blogging.
But my friend and I went to the beach today and I brought my camera and it inspired me to post again! First, the seagulls.
I love the seagulls here! They're big, loud, and annoying and somehow it's quite endearing to me. And they strut everywhere.
This is my friend, Sam! She was the organizer of our trip today – she is not loud or annoying but she does like to strut a bit when she can.
It was an absolutely gorgeous day to sit on the beach and pretend to work.
We ended up mostly watching puppies and surfers – also, this isn't an editing difference; the sky really did look that different depending on which way you were looking. Welcome to Dunedin!
And finally, beach flowers on the way out! It's springtime and all of Dunedin is blooming!
*I have photos from Australia that I've yet to post and I will, as well as photos from China, but in the spirit of honesty, most of my Aussie summer was spent going to my internship, and then lying in bed watching YouTube videos or sleeping. Not quite the adventure I had planned, but an adventure nonetheless.


Ozark Trails RV Park offers the most convenient location at the Lake, between Osage Beach and Camdenton, and just minutes from all that the Lake of the Ozarks has to offer. Offering super easy access off of highway 54 in Linn Creek, Missouri, and over 60 sites on 39 acres with large pull-thru sites that are quiet and relaxing and plenty of tall oaks for shade. RV camping 30 and 50 amp, cable TV, Wi-Fi, primitive tent camping, group tent areas, 2 cozy log cabins, 3 one-bedroom units for our vacationers without a camper. We offer a pool, playground with a family gazebo area, hiking trails, game room/meeting room, horseshoes. The only lake area RV park open all year! Here at Ozark Trails you will find the friendliest staff at the Lake, and our convenient location makes us your HUB of the Lake of the Ozarks!


I started shooting fire after participating in a shoot by Von Wong and DAS in Paris in November 2012.
I took a few snaps while the shoot was going on and I carefully looked at Ben's methodology and setup. Back home, I said: "whaoouuu, I really want to explore fire and photography more".
A few months later, and a lengthy discussion with DAS, we put together my first fire shoot. The tale unfolds after the jump.If you ever go to Paris, and are into fire, make sure you visit Palais De Tokyo. The place is known for sporadic (and not so sporadic) gatherings of fire breathers and jugglers. This made it the perfect spot for DAS and me to explore and experiment with the fire techniques needed for the shoot. And boy did we test.
The idea that I had was using fire and long exposure shots to build the same kind of fight game special effects you see in games like the legendary Street Fighter.
For the series I collaborated with the Palais de Tokyo fire artist, and we thought of appropriate clothing and styling for characters that fit in the game. And thus the breathers fighters story begins.
For each sessions we had a few pictures, a portrait for each of the fighters and a fight scene.
The portraits are all done in a very similar way, using one off-camera strobe to get a short exposure on the model. This is crucial because fire looks at its best at short exposures (depending on the fire intensity and shape) and a strobe is necessary to light the face and body of the model.
Without a flash you will have a crappy choice of over exposed flames or underexposed faces. The flash power and camera aperture depend on the intensity of the fire, it is really a matter of experimentation.
In my case, the off-camera flash (with a cheap wireless transmitter), could sync up to 1/200, so this is where we set the time value for the manual exposure and played with aperture and strobe power.
Generally speaking, fire is very bright. To get beautiful, sharp fire detail even at long exposure you want to set the camera to the lowest sensitivity possible. In our case we started with ISO 100, F22 (and adjusted depending on the fire intensity).
In that case the strobes don't have enough power to correctly expose the scene.
So some compositing is needed: one shot for long exposure fire effects (100ISO, F22, 0.2 to 1s) and another for the characters (200 or 400 ISO, F4 to F8, 1/200).
The images must be framed exactly in the same way. This is why a tripod must be used. Guard the tripod with your life, if it moves even at the slightest, compositing will be extremely hard…. some shoots need more than hours.
The images are merged together in post production on a process similar to HDR process.
The following diagram describes the light and exposure setup. On the right side we have a the short exposure part of the composite which is good for fire breathing. On the left side we have the long exposure which is good for the movement effect.
A fire breather is hidden behind the right fighter (about a meter away for safety reasons). The left fighter is shot separately with a long exposure mode.
As I used a cactus V5 wireless trigger, I cannot use my flash in HSS (high speed – more than 1/200) mode and I cannot control the flash on the 2nd curtain, so, the final scene composition is built with 4 images.
A short exposure (1/200) with the flash synchronized to the camera to fixed the jumper in the air.
A short exposure (1/200) with the flash synchronized to the camera for the fighter.
Frederic Amadu is a French photographer from France. You can follow his website here and his Facebook here. You can find higer quality version on Frederic's Burner Fighters page.
P.S. A while back we shared an ambitious project with a similar concept that did not use any compositing. Interestedly enough it was done by Benjamin Von Wong who inspired this shoot.
A detail: I think the link to the facebook page has a small error.
Please do tell: did you experienced noise band radio triggers from cactus V.2 through 4 were causing with Canon 5D?


The Review Dog 2017: Science Diet Dog Food Reviews – Help To Increase The Longevity Your Dog!
Science Diet Dog Food Reviews – Help To Increase The Longevity Your Dog!
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· It is also the big responsibility of the dog owner to avoid artificial and poor quality food brands that create much harm to their dog's health. In this regard, balance food and nutrition of the dog food is help you to fulfil all requirement of your dog. In this way, you can collect more information regarding any dog food from their customers review that available on the online.
· In this regard, Science diet dog food reviews are offering you all details about the brand through which you can easily solve your confusion regarding the best brand. Science diet dog food is having all balance dog food diets that support your dog to better developments. With the help of such dog food, you will fulfil all your dog needs like the well developed bones, shine and attractive coat and skin, good viewing power, firmer stools, good gums and teeth, improve the digestive system, increase the energy level.
· At the same way, the good diets will maintain the good health of your dog and increase the longevity. Above these sorts of benefits for your dog, you can get from the Science diet a dog food review that offers by benefits gainer of the brand. Science diet dog food is best option the dog owners to feeding their pet with best quality food supplements.


SerVC seeks a Bookkeeping Intern to work in the Finance and R&D Departments.
SerVC is the best "school" for Venture Capital Finance in Israel. Their perspective about employees: They do not limit their employees to only deal with things that are under their narrow job description. If an employee would like to learn more, develop and grow, they enable employees to learn and manage much more complicated and interesting issues.


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What began as a solo project for singer and guitarist Kevin Day well over a decade ago bloomed into a full band endeavor with the help of bassist Alec McVey and drummer Ray Solowij a handful of years later. Since then, Aspiga has worked their way through an extensive touring schedule and a prolific catalog of releases on labels such as Paper + Plastic, Asian Man Records, and Say-10. Aside from stacks of saved fliers and a few boxes of elding merch, the years of long drives and under-the-radar shows may not have left much behind to physically show for the work and heart that's been poured into this band. However, the rewards and satisfaction are there for the members on a personal level, and lucky for the rest of us, that labor of love shows in their songs too.
Aspiga - "Dragged Through The Years" LP + MP3
Select... $16.00 — Jungle Mix $16.00 — Random Color (Unavailable)


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Klimt's life and work, 1911-1918
The permanent exhibition is on display in and around Klimt's studio – the only exhibition to be housed in a place where he worked.
Especially in Vienna, but in fact all over the world, Klimt has come to seem ubiquitous. His art has become common property. What is forgotten is what has been lost in relation to his works and his life: stolen art, restored art, missing art, and countless stories about collectors, perpetrators and victims.
Klimt's final studio can still be found within extensive gardens on the outskirts of Vienna. A single rosebush has survived here for all that time, nothing more. Klimt has been dead for over one hundred years. His collectors and patrons are also no longer alive. In many cases they were persecuted by the Nazis, robbed, driven into exile or murdered. Some of Klimt's oeuvre was lost, burned or disappeared without trace. The rest no longer hangs in the salons of his collectors, but more often on the walls of museums. The everyday lives that were played out against the backdrop of his paintings are as lost to us now as the close, personal ties that once existed between owner and artwork.
The exhibition therefore asks questions about how to approach a loss that reaches far beyond the individual works of art. It also introduces a general public to some of the protagonists of both past and present day, and brings a new perspective to the lost Klimts.
Klimt Villa
Feldmühlgasse 11
www.klimtvilla.at
Sat. 28 Jan 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Sun. 29 Jan 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Wed. 01 Feb 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Thu. 02 Feb 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Fri. 03 Feb 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Sat. 04 Feb 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
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Wed. 06 Dec 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Thu. 07 Dec 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.


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Money and Scandal: How Dechert's Neil Gerrard Became London's Most Controversial Lawyer
August 4, 2022 /in Legal news /by News
Two white-collar partners sit down to talk with a reporter at Dechert's London's headquarters. Small-talk ensues. Some minutes later, the firm's then-head of white-collar crime, Neil Gerrard , walks in. The discussion soon turns to the serious business of bribery, then onto how companies can protect themselves in dawn-raid situations. Gerrard speaks like one in absolute command of his trade: expansive and learned. One of the other partners casually gets up to make a coffee. The coffee-machine hisses violently, Gerrard halts mid-sentence. He glances ferociously at the partner, who winces, mouths 'sorry', and returns bashfully to his seat. With his cappuccino.
"That's how it is, like a dad and his kids," one person with knowledge of the relationship said at the time. "An angry dad, who doesn't like backchat."
How Gerrard ran his department, his relationship with his peers, and his clients, goes to the heart of the many controversies that have tipped the powerful Philadelphia law firm into the reputational, and financial, melee it now finds itself in. The biggest of these is the highly publicized, swashbuckling ENRC case, a cause célèbre that in May reached its apparent conclusion at London's High Court which made several findings against Dechert and Gerrard concerning breaches of duty.
For several people, the case was, as one person phrased it, an instance of the firm putting "money first", even "at cost to the client". For ex-police officer Gerrard, it is a compendium of the tendencies and tactics that have made him, arguably, the most controversial lawyer in the City of London.
But who is Gerrard, the man that until now Dechert stood by for 10 extraordinarily contentious years, but whose actions could leave them with a legal bill in the tens of millions? A misunderstood rainmaker? Or, as a lawyer in separate proceedings against Gerrard described him, nothing more than a "bent copper"?
To answer these questions, Law.com International spoke with a range of people who worked with and opposite Gerrard over the course of a colorful career that has garnered almost as much praise as intrigue, and has seldom been out of the spotlight.
Gerrard, via his lawyer, Charles Fussell, declined to comment on the points made in this article.
Bobby to Big Biller
There are experienced solicitors. Then there's Neil Gerrard, 67, who, before embarking on his more-than-30-year career as a solicitor, lived a very different life. In the 70s and 80s, he was an officer with London's Metropolitan Police in Peckham.
He was also a keen sportsman with a talent for hurdling, and later, sailing.
As a teenaged police cadet, he regularly represented his force in track and field competitions, specializing in the 110m hurdle. It's something on which Gerrard has previously spoken, including on BBC radio, faring extremely well in competitions in Surrey and Crystal Palace, according to public records. He then became a full constable in 1974, remaining on the force until 1984.
By most accounts, it was a tough gig.
"Patrolling the streets of South London in the 80s. Riots, shootings. That will have been a tough time," said a person with knowledge of Gerrard. "The things you'll have seen. I'm not so sure I know any lawyer exposed to the level of reality that Gerrard was. So you'd get a thick skin and maybe become impervious to the little things."
After a year as a teacher, then gaining an LLB from Manchester Polytechnic, Gerrard switched sides, making the leap from law enforcer, to defender of the accused. He transitioned to law in 1989 and qualified as a corporate crime lawyer at Pannone in 1991 in Manchester, where he quickly developed a reputation as a "seriously hard worker".
"He didn't mind doing the grunt work," one person who knew him at the time said. "He would work late, and he wanted to see results. More often than not, he got them." He was elevated to partner at Pannone just two years later in 1993.
His client base expanded quickly to become a veritable who's who of famed 1990s white-collar infamy.
The ENRC judgment lists his client base at the time as including Ernest Saunders—one of the "Guinness Four" who were convicted of artificially inflating Guinness's share price so it could buy rival drinks company Distillers—and Asil Nadir, a convicted businessman whose crimes were preliminary to the creation of the U.K. governance code. However, a person with knowledge of the matter said that Gerrard's involvement in these early cases was "limited" and that he "certainly didn't attract those clients," adding that firm leader Rodger Pannone did.
Nevertheless, "he was a brilliant lawyer," a person who knew him in the 90s said. "He had balls of steel and knew what he wanted. He could talk the hind legs off a donkey. In another life he'd be a salesman, and a bloody good one."
Another person said he was "an amusing sort of guy" and "quite entertaining" with a "keen sense of humor", who "didn't come across as arrogant". And though he was "clearly a driven man", there was "nothing sinister" going on; it was simply by a "highly ambitious" nature that he ascended in City law.
His reputation burgeoning, in 1995 Gerrard was headhunted by what is now DLA Piper—or Dibb Lupton Broomhead as it was then known—becoming an equity partner soon after. At DLA, he established the firm's regulatory and white-collar crime department, in 1998 became head of white-collar crime Europe, and in the mid-noughties rose to global co-head of litigation and regulatory, according to several people and web-based resources.
"He wanted to be top, that was the feeling you got, be it hurdling, sailing or law or whatever," said a former DLA colleague. At a time when criminal expertise was becoming increasingly sought after in the corporate world, Gerrard helped "build and strengthen" the litigation and regulatory department into one of DLA's biggest and most "globally influential" departments.
Gerrard's esteem grew exponentially, fuelled by what one former colleague called "god-level ambition".
He was "the most sought after investigations lawyer in Britain", the person said. But he is a lawyer that seems to be "a magnet for controversy". Even his big money move to Dechert in 2011 was fraught with animosity.
Following a meeting with Dechert partners in 2009, and having told his recruitment agent that "a minimum of £20 million or possibly up to £30 million in fees would leave with him if he left DLA", according to the ENRC judgment, Gerrard set in motion the wheels that would see his move to Dechert.
Of course, DLA was not happy. It initiated arbitration proceedings against Gerrard in May 2011, asserting that Gerrard had, allegedly, violated DLA's "non-compete policy" by "failing to serve a period of gardening leave", a person with knowledge of the matter said.
DLA declined to comment on this point.
"But this was just an example of [him] wanting and getting something that most others would've seen as out of reach," a former colleague said. "He made the move, and got paid." Even as far back as 2011, Gerrard could expect to pocket a salary of at least £1.75 million, the judgment reads, with one senior Dechert partner allegedly telling him the figure "could easily reach £2 million".
Marshaling such mega-bucks SFO cases as the Airbus DPA, many believe that this figure only snowballed over the years.
Starting in 2016, Gerrard led the Dechert team advising Airbus on the joint SFO-France investigation into allegations of fraud, bribery and corruption. The investigation concluded in February 2020 with a €3.6 billion settlement paid by Airbus to the U.K., France and U.S. regulators. One of the biggest settlements ever seen, and a huge result for Dechert.
According to three people close to the matter, following the outcome, Gerrard cemented his status as among the firm's highest earners, in his final year at the firm taking home the "highest bonus", which added an extra $3 million to his "$4 million to $5 million salary".
Dechert said it "does not comment on the remuneration of any partner, past or present".
Steeped in Controversy
With Gerrard promising so much early on, several people said Gerrard was "under pressure" to build his practice. "And let's just say he was creative in how he did it," one person said. Indeed, especially in the latter part of his career, Gerrard was rarely far from controversy.
As recently as 2019, a year before his retirement, he was accused of "using threats" and "unlawful methods" to "force" an individual to give evidence; and was accused by American-Iranian aviation tycoon Farhad Azima of Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) of hacking emails. Claims that Gerrard has previously denied.
The Azima saga is ongoing, with the tycoon last week securing a subpoena in U.S. federal court against a New York attorney to help pursue his claims.
But no controversy better illustrates Gerrard's tendencies than his handling of the ENRC case, which centres on an instruction he picked up while still a partner at DLA in 2010. Mining giant ENRC instructed Gerrard to conduct an internal investigation into its subsidiary operations in Kazakhstan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, with the parent company suspecting bribery, corruption and fraud might be occurring.
But what might have been what one ex-Dechert partner called a "straight mandate" mushroomed into "a calamity of lies and dishonesty".
The judgment handed down by London's High Court earlier in May gives readers a glimpse into the sheer depth, scale and technicality of Gerrard's tactics. In brief, London's High Court found that Gerrard had: on three occasions leaked ENRC's privileged and confidential information to the press; drawn the interest of the U.K.'s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) by tipping them off about one of the leaks; gone against his client's interests by having unauthorized contact with the SFO; given "wrong advice" about ENRC's potential criminal liability and the likelihood of a raid by the SFO, thus "expanding the investigation so as to earn more fees"; and had failed to protect ENRC's privilege.
Though in his judgment Mr. Justice Waksman said he'd expect that finding "nothing untoward" going on at a client company "would be a good result", this situation was different. On discovering possible infractions, Gerrard was, apparently, excited.
In an email exchange referred to in court—between Gerrard and Dechert's deputy chair, Steven Feirson—Gerrard said: "We have found great incriminating evidence – so good," later adding: "It's been utterly unbelievable. Could be a great case if it goes the way it should."
In this way, Justice Waksman said, "the more work would be generated for Mr. Gerrard and Dechert, among others".
The ENRC case is an ongoing matter and is expected to roll on for at least another 18 months, according to two people close to the matter. In the latest development, which took place in a virtual hearing on Wednesday in London's High Court, Dechert agreed to pay interim costs to ENRC of £20 million by September.
But that figure is likely to climb much higher, with Justice Waksman on Wednesday indicating that the parties, as they've agreed, are jointly and severally liable for the costs—meaning both or either of them can be pursued for payment—and that an indemnity costs order can be made, meaning an even higher sum may be payable than is standard, given the nature of the case.
On this latest development, Dechert, in its latest divergence from a partner it once unswervingly stood by, said in a statement: "We recognize the seriousness of the judge's findings in relation to our former Partner, Neil Gerrard's conduct. Trust among partners is integral to any partnership, and up to and including the trial, Dechert acted in good faith in reliance on the assurances given to us by Mr Gerrard."
The firm also stressed that its "insurers stand behind the firm".
Gerrard, via his lawyers, declined to comment on the interim-costs ruling.
'Neil's Room'
Mr. Justice Waksman, in the liability judgment, described Gerrard as a man "so obsessed with making money from his work that he lost any real sense of objectivity, proportion or indeed loyalty to his client," adding that he had little doubt that "Mr. Gerrard had a large ego and a belief that he is always right".
By many accounts, it was an ego nurtured by his firm.
Despite all the controversy encircling Gerrard, Dechert stood by its man. There is a picture emerging of senior partners giving Gerrard the space and financial reward he asked for so that he could continue his work in his own manner, according to several people. He was, after all, the firm's biggest biller, three people said.
As the ENRC case was ongoing, James Croock (the firm's now-retired former general counsel) helped establish a "party line", according to which ENRC was very much in the wrong and Dechert and Gerrard were right, two former insiders said. Partners "received emails" indicating that Dechert "had a strong case", and that "ENRC had a weak case", one of the people added.
Croock did not respond to a request for comment. Dechert said it does not comment on internal communications.
Gripped by Gerrard's moneymaking powers, the firm's London office became "a shrine to Neil", according to other former insiders. Gerrard had the "top three billings" most months and was "constantly applauded" for it.
Another person said that Gerrard "relished being seen as that important person within the office", suggesting that "he had more power than [the London] management."
However, Dechert disputed these points, suggesting this was an "incorrect" characterization.
There were even 'do not enter' rooms dedicated to Gerrard's team and his work, the people said.
Dechert responded to this point, saying: "It is standard practice for firms to take appropriate security measures and for secure rooms to be dedicated to specific client mandates and for access to be limited to those working on that particular mandate. No unusual arrangements were made in relation to Mr. Gerrard's work."
Merited? Or Self-Promotion?
But this reputation was often fueled by Gerrard himself, many now say.
"He's known on the market as one of the best, if not the best," a former insider said. "His reputation [at both DLA and Dechert] was immense. But, this was a guy who liked to talk himself up. His rep was deserved, but in part self-generated. If you heard whispers about Neil in the corridors, they were probably started by Neil."
Indeed, in the ENRC judgment, Mr. Justice Waksman said that to suggest "he was probably prone to exaggeration" was "an understatement".
For years, Gerrard had a reputation on the white-collar market as being "as known in the SFO as he is in his own firm", one white-collar partner said. It is "well known" that Gerrard was "at one time odds on" to take over from then-director of the SFO, Richard Alderman, but turned it down because, one person said, "there was not enough money in it". Law.com International reported the apparent revelation in 2011.
However, Mr. Justice Waksman said Gerrard "told a number of people" that he had been approached for the job, but concluded "there was in fact no evidence that Mr. Gerrard had ever been approached for this job and indeed in evidence he did not suggest there had been".
But Gerrard admitted in his evidence that "he said that actually he did not know if he had ever been shortlisted."
Waksman added: "At best, this was a considerable exaggeration of the reputation which he claimed he had at the SFO; at worst it is simply untrue. Either way, it was a misleading statement by a professional to potential clients."
Whatever the truth, it was a line Dechert pounced upon, including on its website "at least up to February 2016" that "Mr. Gerrard has in the past been shortlisted to be Director of the SFO", Mr. Justice Waksman said.
'A Tragedy'
And yet, despite the controversy and suggestion he was prone to exaggeration and dishonesty, several current and former colleagues speak highly of Gerrard and express sympathy for him and his damaged reputation.
One of the people said: "Neil treated me very well. He helped build my career. I never saw evidence of things that have been said about him in court. He had a strong personality. So maybe he was quite marmite to some. Some people clashed with him. But that was the nature of the man. I see what's happening to him now as a tragedy."
Another former colleague said that there were "aspects of [Gerrard's] leadership that were excellent".
And in 2017, ex-Dechert partner Miriam Gonzalez said of Gerrard: "For as long as I have known him he has encouraged me to go as far as I can with my career – he always sees the opportunities rather than the obstacles, which is a great asset in life."
The current hearing into interim costs is ongoing, and on Thursday will address issues including ENRC's costs against the SFO.
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#5698 | Received 12 January 2020 | Final received 01 May 2020 | Finally accepted 06 May 2020
Species in peril: assessing the status of the trade in pangolins in Nepal
Prayash Ghimire 1, Nirjala Raut 2, Pragya Khanal 3, Suman Acharya 4 & Suraj Upadhaya 5
1 Faculty of Forestry, Agriculture and Forestry University, Hetauda, 44107, Nepal.
2,3 Institute of Forestry, Tribhuvan University, Pokhara, 33700, Nepal.
4 Department of Anthropology, University of Maine, Orono, ME, 04469, USA.
5 Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA,
4,5 Himalayan Conservation and Research Institute, Dolpa, Nepal.
1 prayash.pg@gmail.com (corresponding author), 2 rnirjala@gmail.com, 3 prajnakhanal@gmail.com,
4 suman.acharya@maine.edu, 5 surajupadhaya99@gmail.com
Abstract: Pangolins are among the most widely traded taxa in the southeastern Asian illegal wildlife trade because of which they are at great risk of extinction. Yet, little is known of their trade status in Nepal. This research was carried out to unfold the status of pangolin trade in Sankhuwasava District of Nepal. We used mixed methods such as semi-structured questionnaire (n=75) and, focus group discussion (n=4) and key Informant Interview, (n=30) to assess the trade status. Seizure data (2009–2017) were gathered from law enforcement agencies to predict major trade routes. The major threat perceived was hunting especially by unemployed local youth and children. The majority of hunters were opportunistic. Sankhuwasava District has become both source and transit for the illegal pangolin trade rather than for local use. The involvement of non-timber forest product traders was high in the illegal trade business, however, there seems a rapid decline in the seizure of pangolin in the last two years, mainly because of the deployment of the Nepal army in the Makalu Barun National Park, which had long served as a major route to China. Thus, we recommend continuation of strong border security. Our study calls for capacity building of enforcement agencies for detailed investigation of seizure data. For sustainable conservation of pangolin and its habitat we recommend sustained conservation awareness programs in addition to alternative livelihood opportunity. Furthermore, formation of community based anti-poaching units followed by motivation, anti-poaching trainings, security assurance, and incentives for worthy conservation outcomes in pangolin-rich communities might aid in conservation.
Keywords: Chinese Pangolin, illegal hunting, Indian Pangolin, Manis crassicaudata, Manis pentadactyla, opportunistic hunting, NTFP traders, Sankhuwasava District, transboundary.
Editor: L.A.K. Singh, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India. Date of publication: 26 May 2020 (online & print)
Citation: Ghimire, P., N. Raut, P. Khanal, S. Acharya & S. Upadhaya (2020). Species in peril: assessing the status of the trade in pangolins in Nepal. Journal of Threatened Taxa 12(8): 15776–15783. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.5698.12.8.15776-15783
Copyright: © Ghimire et al. 2020. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publication.
Funding: The research received no financial support.
Author details: Prayash Ghimire is MSc Forestry student at Agriculture and Forestry University, Hetauda, Nepal. He is a thriving researcher working for pangolin conservation in his home district Sankhuwasava for last 3 years. He aspires to work on different aspects of forestry like forest management, wildlife management and social forestry. Ms. Nirjala Raut is Assistant Professor at Institute of Forestry Pokhrara, Nepal. She is teaching "Wildlife Conservation and Management" to Undergraduate and Graduate students. She is also involved in research activities related to wildlife and its habitat conservation in the Institute. She has guided many researches related to Pangoin being main supervisor of the students. Pragya Khanal is MSc Forestry student at Institute of Forestry, Tribhuvan University, Pokhara, Nepal. She is an incipient researcher aiming to gain expertise in the field of forestry and its linkage to livelihood of indigenous people. Currently, she has been working on different wings of forestry like climate change and social forestry. Suraj Upadhaya is a postdoctoral research associate working at Iowa State University and research scholar at Himalayan Conservation and Research Institute Nepal where his research focuses on assessing the dynamic relationship between natural resources and people to ensure the sustainability of natural resources in developed and developing countries. Suman Acharya is a PhD scholar in Anthropology and Environmental Policy, Department of Anthropology, University of Maine, USA and a social science researcher at Himalayan Conservation and Research Institute, Nepal. He has 7 years of research experience in Pangolins. Currently, his research focuses on climate change adaptation in rural indigenous communities of Nepal.
Author contribution: PG—research design, data collection, data analysis and interpretation, drafting of manuscript, critical review, and revisions at different stages. NR—conceptualization, methodology design, write up, review draft and edit. PK—conception, data analysis and interpretation, and drafting of manuscript. SU—conceptualization, writing: draft preparation, reviewing, editing. SA—conceptualization, writing, review, and editing the draft manuscript at different stages.
Acknowledgements: We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all the respondents and people who participated in our survey and focus group discussions. Our sincere thanks go to district forest officers, Makalu Barun National Park staff, Nepal Police and Army officials of Sankhuwasawa District for providing seizure data. We are indebted to Mr. Sashanka Sharma for his guidance during the entire fieldwork. Last but not the least, we would like to express profound gratitude to the three anonymous reviewers for greatly improving the earlier version of this manuscript.
Illegal wildlife trade is one of the most crucial threats to biodiversity conservation (Nijman & Shepherd 2011; Esmail et al. 2019). Along with increased threats to biodiversity conservation, illegal wildlife trade also impacts the security of the community and their livelihood, living together with wildlife (Riskas et al. 2018). Moreover, it has extended impacts on the governance and economy of the nation (Felbab-Brown 2017).
With dramatic increase, illegal wildlife trade is ranked the fourth most lucrative global crime after drugs, humans, and arms with the transaction approximately between $7 billion and $23 billion each year (World Economic Forum 2016). Moreover, the illegal wildlife trade has risen to $23 billion annually, resulting from increase in environmental crime (Nellemann et al. 2018). Illegal wildlife trade is a large business run by well-coordinated and financially organized groups with international linkages that include a network of traders, smugglers, and supporters (locals, middleman, office staff, politicians, and international contacts) forming an illicit network facilitating poaching (Katuwal et al. 2015; Upadhaya 2017).
Pangolin is an internationally heavily trafficked mammal, as a result both Asian and African pangolins are highly threatened with extinction (Challender et al. 2014; Waterman et al. 2014; Boakye et al. 2015; IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group 2016). In the past few years pangolin trafficking and hunting for local use has peaked up dramatically (Actman 2016; Aisher 2016; Challender et al. 2019; Ullmann et al. 2019). The rate and trend of trafficking of African pangolins to Asia has increased in the last decade (IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group 2016; Challender & Waterman 2017), so that the demand of Asia has been fulfilled by Africa (Challender & Waterman 2017). Pangolin is hunted, poached, and illegally traded mainly due to increase in the demand for meat as a delicacy and for its medicinal importance (Challender et al. 2015; Mohapatra et al. 2015; Sharma et al. 2020).
The demand for pangolin is increasing because of the belief and use of its scales in medicines (Challender et al. 2015; CITES 2016). In some parts of the world, like Pakistan, pangolins are killed due to wrongly-held beliefs, such as, pangolins eat human dead bodies by excavating the graves and harm the local people. These beliefs have encouraged selling of pangolin, resulting in the biggest threat to pangolin population (Akrim et al. 2017). People also consider pangolin as bush meat (Newton et al. 2008; Zhang et al. 2017). In addition to these reasons, poaching and illegal trade have severely threatened the pangolin population all around the world (Newton et al. 2008; Katuwal et al. 2015; Mohapatra et al. 2015; Challender et al. 2019; Sharma et al. 2020). As trafficking is a major threat to pangolins in the international arena (Challender et al. 2015, 2019) in the national sphere, regions such as eastern Nepal (Thapa et al. 2014; Katuwal et al. 2015) are considered major hotspots in pangolin poaching and trafficking. People around the globe illegally trade to consume the fetuses and various body parts like scales, bones, meat, and claws to increase healing power in different traditional medicines (Katuwal et al. 2013; Thapa et al. 2014; Boakye et al. 2015; Mohapatra et al. 2015; Heinrich et al. 2016). China and Vietnam are the destination countries where most of the illegally traded pangolins from both Asia and Africa reach (Corlett 2007; Challender & Hywood 2012; Heinrich et al. 2016, 2017). Nepal has been a popular trade route for transferring illegally hunted pangolins to the popular and nearest destination, China (Acharya 2015) and traded through different eastern and central borders via the Araniko highway of Nepal (Katuwal et al. 2013).
Pangolins are nocturnal, covered with overlapping scales, and feed on specialized diet comprising of ants & termites. Among eight species of pangolins distributed globally, Nepal supports two, namely Chinese Pangolin Manis pentadactyla distributed up to altitude 2,000m and the Indian Pangolin Manis crassicaudata distributed below 500m (Baral & Shah 2008; Jnawali et al. 2011; Sharma et al. 2020). Based on the elevation, the landscape of Nepal is more favourable to Chinese Pangolin which is distributed more widely than the Indian Pangolin (Sharma et al. 2020). Besides Nepal, the Chinese Pangolin is also distributed in several Asian nations including Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Hong Kong SAR, India, Myanmar, Lao PDR, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam (Sharma et al. 2020). Besides poaching and illegal trade, various other anthropogenic activities like deforestation, extensive grazing, forest fire, agriculture accretion, human settlement, and infrastructure expansion, traditional beliefs and road construction are severely responsible for increasing threats to the pangolin population and its habitat (Challender et al. 2015; Katuwal et al. 2017).
The Chinese and Indian pangolins are categorized as Critically Endangered and Endangered, respectively, under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group 2016) and are protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (NPWC) Act 1973 (DNPWC & DoF 2018); however, very little documentation has been done about the illegal poaching, trade route, hunting, and trading of pangolin in Nepal (Katuwal et al. 2015; Sharma et al. 2020). Though Nepal is a signatory and party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and has provided all legal and institutional instruments to address wildlife trade issues, the illegal pangolin trade has not been investigated in a satisfying manner. Moreover, the traders have a more sophisticated and advanced system for transporting consignments from one place to another. This study aimed to identify the status of pangolin trade by taking account of trade conditions and highlighting the potential routes used for illegal trafficking within the Sankhuwasava District.
Forty-three districts, including Sankhuwasava are home to pangolins in Nepal (DNPWC & DoF 2018) which is located in Province-1 of Nepal (27.6142°N & 87.1423°E, 457–8,463 m), however, our study was confined to three major municipalities namely, Khandbari (457–1,500 m), Chainpur (1,200m), and Madi (500–2,900 m). Sankhuwasava District borders with Taplejung and Tehrathum districts in the east, Solukhumbu and Bhojpur districts in the west, Dhankuta district in the south, and Tibet, the autonomous region of China in the north. Sankhuwasava is extended from sub-tropical to alpine with large wilderness forest and agricultural land that provides a suitable habitat for pangolins. Majority of the local communities are indigenous Limbu, Rai, Yakkha, and Gurung (CBS 2012) who are mainly subsistence farmers and belong to a lower socioeconomic status.
The primary data comprised survey response from respondents, key informant's survey, focus group discussions and seizure data. These were collected between February–April 2018 in Khandbari, Chainpur, and Madi municipalities of Sankhuwasava District (Figure 1). These municipalities were specifically selected for this study as these are the major markets and due to various anecdotal evidences such as seizure reporting on local and national media showing high illegal trade of pangolins in the area. Katuwal et al. (2015) had also used major markets as key indicators in selecting study area. Purposive sampling method suggested by Boakye et al. (2015) was used to identify the potential respondent within the district. These selected respondents were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. As suggested by Newton et al. (2008), a two-person team conducted semi-structured interviews without precise, pre-determined questions so that interesting lines of discussion could be pursued. The team tried to pose open questions wherever possible, to avoid leading the interviewee into a response (Newton et al. 2008). Semi-structured interview was directed toward information of trade and its triggering factors. A process of chain referral was followed where other potential respondents were referred to by the respondent (Newing et al. 2011). Seventy-five respondents, including seven children were interviewed. The surveyor checked the respondent for species identification by providing well illustrated pictures of both the Indian and Chinese pangolins as well as videos showing the behavior of both the species. Interviews were conducted in Nepali languages and were translated to English. Literature about pangolin distribution has only mentioned Chinese Pangolin distribution in Sankhuwasava District (Baral & Shah 2008; Jnawali et al. 2011). But we cannot omit the fact that some trade might be of Indian Pangolin from outside the study area with the district acting as a transit zone. So, both the Indian and Chinese pangolin trade were taken into account.
Trade information was obtained from the seizure report of the district forest office (DFO), district police office (DPO), and Makalu Barun National Park (MBNP) from 2009 to 2017 (Figure 5).
Information from 30 key informants (KI) including DFO staff (n=7), district court office (n=4), police personnel (n=9), the Federation of Community Forestry Users Nepal (FECOFUN) staff (n=3) & community forestry user committee members (n=7), and four focus group discussions (FGDs), one in each of the three municipalities and one with law enforcement agencies, were used to identify the major trade routes and market hub for pangolin trade. Various seizure hotspot were supporting evidence for predicting the trade route. FGD and KI were the main source of information in identifying the trade route map which was prepared with the help of GIS.
Purposive sampling was used to identify the respondents who were aware of the pangolin, which they had either seen live or heard about from someone else. Out of total respondents, some 36% (n=27) had seen the pangolin alive, and a few (10.67%; n=8) had seen dead pangolins; while most others (53.33%; n=40) were just familiar with the species through indirect means like photographs, newspaper, television, and radio programs. Solitary and nocturnal nature of the species might be the potential reason for lower number of respondents seeing the species live (Jnawali et al. 2011). Identifying pangolin to species level (whether Manis pentadactyla or M. crassicaudata) was difficult since most (69.33%; n=52) of the respondents had no idea about the species of pangolin, as in nature both the pangolins are solitary, nocturnal, and burrow-dwelling (Baillie et al. 2014; Challender et al. 2014); however, the remaining 30.67% respondents had claimed the presence of Chinese Pangolin which was validated by showing the photo of both the species of pangolin. A detailed discussion with respondents revealed hunting by humans (88%; n=66) as the major threat to pangolin, and thus, the types of people involved in hunting, their hunting manner, and purpose were explored.
Types of people involved in hunting
Forty-eight percent (n=36) of respondents stated that a majority of the unemployed youths (16–35 years old) are involved in illegal hunting; 25.33% (n=19) of respondents stated that children (<16 years old) are also involved, while 26.67 % (n=20) were not sure about exact participation of the age group (Figure 2). Similar results were reported by Katuwal et al. (2015), where they claimed that youth, especially the unemployed, were encouraged in illegal hunting by traders. From group discussion, it was revealed that the children were mostly lured to hunting as there is less likelihood of security personnel to suspect children, and also the pay rate for them is low. This was verified by security officials during investigation of seizure data too.
Identifying the manner of hunting can help to predict the intensity at which pangolin is hunted. Out of the total respondents surveyed, the majority (44%; n=33) had no idea about how often and by what method pangolins are being hunted, while some (32%; n=24) of them reported opportunistic hunting of pangolins, some (17.33%; n=13) reported of rare hunting and the rest (6.67%; n=5) reported intentional hunting. We concluded that the existence of community forest, that are strongly guarded by local communities have hindered the hunting of pangolin in forest area. So, people are found to be more engaged in opportunistic hunting. Chin & Pantel (2009) also recorded the same in their study. Similarly, D'Cruze et al. (2018) reported opportunistic hunting in tribal communities in Assam. Harrison et al. (2016) explored impacts of hunting on tropical forests in southeastern Asia and highlighted the importance of opportunistic hunting as it does not require much skill.
When it comes to the purpose of hunting, monetary benefits was the most popular response with 66% (n=50) respondents. Following monetary benefits, uses such as traditional medicine, meat, and very few cultural values were some other reasons (Figure 3). In the local context, the use of pangolin and its parts (like its scales) are believed to have healing power to cure wounds. More importantly, the pangolin is believed to cure arthritis and also consumed to increase immunity. Pangolin scales are taken as anti-poisonous reagent, where the belief exists. Moreover, pangolins are perceived to bring extreme bad luck (commonly called 'loddar') and thus, are hunted more often. In addition to these, pangolin claws and scales are used to make rings, bracelets, and other ornaments. All these social and cultural values have collectively added to hunting of the pangolin. However, at present higher monetary values are suppressing these cultural values associated with the species. Similar results were found by Corlett (2007) where he stated that hunters catch pangolins to supply for trade rather than for personal consumption.
Condition of pangolin trade
The status of the pangolin population was assessed where 60% of the respondents had noticed the decrease in pangolin population especially due to high hunting for illegal trade in the past and due to habitat fragmentation. Forty-two respondents (56% of total 75 respondents) identified high profit to be a major reason for trade, followed by low awareness (20%; n=15), poverty (20%; n=15), and poor law enforcement (4%; n=3). Unemployed local youth and children involved in the hunting of pangolins supply its parts to local traders for a small sum of money. It was found during the study, that the price of pangolin rises exponentially at every level of the value chain from local hunters to final traders. The minimum price of pangolin at local hunter was about Nepali Rupees (NRS) 4,000–5,000 per kg, which increases to NRS 15,000–40,000 per kg in the illegal market. The average price at the Chinese border was higher, ranging from NRS 100,000–150,000 per kg where they were used, especially for preparing bulletproof jackets. Being illegal, prices fluctuate and the difference are site specific. Thus, the actual price may be clear that illegal hunting of pangolin is a serious crime in Nepal. However National Park and Wildlife Conservation Act in Nepal (NPWC Act 1973) has declared both the species of pangolins as protected and any offence regarding them costs a penalty of NRS 100,000–500,000, or imprisonment from 1 to 10 years, or both (1US$= 118.90NRS as per Nepal Rastriya Bank exchange rate on 12 March 2020)
Types of people involved in trade
The majority of the respondents (52%; n=39) claimed that the trade was a side business for most non-timber forest product (NTFP) traders (Figure 4), especially involved in the trade of Elaeocarpus ganitrus (Rudrakshya) and Elettaria cardamomum (Elaichi), that are the major NTFPs of Sankhuwasava District. Katuwal et al. (2015), however, claimed the involvement of youth, cow herders, local businessmen, and unemployed locals in pangolin trade through coordinated arrangements. The result of this study also identified that the illegal trade of pangolin goes side by side with trade of these NTFPs and finally reach Indian and Chinese markets. Discussion with KI led us to the conclusion that poor people are often lured by NTFP traders for a small sum of money. So, in this process if any seizure occurs, only poor people working as middleman who do not know about the consequences of smuggling the species get arrested. On the other hand, the real traders are mostly free. Most cases registered in the DPO validate these statements.
Fluctuation in pangolin trade
The fluctuations in pangolin trade was assessed, taking into account both the respondents' opinion and the seizure data obtained from DPO, DFO, and MBNP. The seizure data were tallied with the respondents' opinion which also showed a decreasing trend (80%; n=60) in trade. It contradicts with the result obtained by Katuwal et al. (2015) who advocated towards increase in trade. So, further discussion with KI from DFO and MBNP led to the conclusion that the reason for decrease in seizure could be enforcement of more security forces in every transit point of the district. Deployment of Nepal Army forces at the national park area that serves as the main route of trade to China border for two years could also have been the major reason for threatening the smugglers using the route. Various missions of the security forces to control the illegal trade and moreover some personal enmity between traders might be the reason for leaking the information and thus, increase the seizure in some years.
Identification of major trade route through Sankhuwasava District
Sankhuwasava has easy access to China through the Kimathanka border of the district. Majority of the pangolin parts are either directly hunted within the district, or the district serves as the trade route to China. Khandbari municipality appears to have been developed as the main hub for pangolin trade.
As informed by the sectoral police office, Chainpur, previously, the majority of delivery entered the district via Chainpur route from Tehrathum. But after strengthening and increasing of the number of police check posts in this route, the major road to enter the district has become off the road of Legwa, Dhankuta District which has lower number of security check posts due to poor condition of the road. Key informants also suggested that Khandbari and Num are major hotspots where the illegal trade is running and once the pangolin parts reach Khandbari they are transported to the China border (Figure 6).
The route shown in the map was predicted in accordance with the result of focal group discussion, KI interview, and local respondent knowledge. More than 80% of respondents agreed to the route demonstrated in the map. Various seizure hotspots were also used as supporting evidence for developing this map. This route showed some modification from the trade route already proposed by Katuwal et al. (2015) which showed Chainpur as the major entry point. This can be explained from Heinrich et al. (2017) who stated that wildlife trafficking occurs through a highly mobile trade network with constantly shifting trade routes as he also identified an average of 27 new unique routes emerging every year globally. It could also be presumed in our study area that though trade might seem to be declining, it might still be rising via shifted route especially through other routes rather than previous check posts.
The results suggest that majority of youths (especially unemployed) and children were involved in illegal hunting and trading of pangolin. Unemployed youth and children were lured to these activities by NTFP traders from local areas for small sums of money. The results also suggest that hunting was done mainly for monetary benefits. We found that illegal hunting is the major reason for the decline of pangolin population in the area. Though the trend of seizure appears to be declining, we do not have any knowledge if it is due to decline in pangolin population. But, the result suggested that the poachers might have been discouraged to use specific routes after deployment of Nepal Army, as there are few seizures. Thus we recommend the continuation of strong border security mainly in the trade route (Khandbari to Kimathanka through Num, Hatiya, and Chepwa) to China. Our findings suggest the significant involvement of youth and children in illegal hunting; to reduce this we recommend strong and sustained awareness programs in the area as most of arrestees do not know about the consequence of the illegal trade. Development of alternative livelihood opportunity may also be useful for poorer people to avoid taking the risk. Furthermore, formation of community-based anti-poaching units in the potential pangolin habitat could be a major intervention to halt the trade. For this, sustained motivation, anti-poaching trainings, security assurance, and mostly incentives for worthy conservation outcomes are mandatory. Middlemen are being arrested rather than the actual traders. This calls for capacity building of enforcement agencies for detailed investigation of seizure data to reach to the bottom of this illegal trade. Finally, we suggest for a national-level study on looking into illegal hunting and trade of pangolin, as its conservation is in peril.
Table 1. Socio-economic characteristics of respondents.
Respondent characteristics
<16 yr. (Child).
16–35 (Youth)
Illiterate
Forest guard
Private service
For figures - - click here
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Entrepreneurship | High and low tech
BIG European AI hub to get into the race of global competition
Home Entrepreneurship BIG European AI hub to get into the race of global competition
Billions to innovative start-ups in Europe
AI that manages rough conversation on social media
Entrepreneurship | High and low tech April 26, 2018 June 5, 2018
A few weeks ago we wrote about the prospects of Artificial Intelligence and that Europe is lagging behind within the field. Now the EU Commission has presented the European strategy to get into the game, Vice-President for the Digital Single Market Andrus Ansip said:
"Just as the steam engine and electricity did in the past, AI is transforming our world. It presents new challenges that Europe should meet together in order for AI to succeed and work for everyone. We need to invest at least €20 billion by the end of 2020. The Commission is playing its part: today, we are giving a boost to researchers so that they can develop the next generation of AI technologies and applications, and to companies so that they can embrace and incorporate them."
Besides this general focus on the importance of development and boost competitiveness, the EU Commission in comparison to US and Asia is directing a lot of attention to the ethical aspects of AI development: The AI should be put in the service of the Europeans.
In this development plans of a European AI hub, ELLIS institute, that stands for European Lab for Learning and Intelligent Systems, where the vision is that it should produce world-class research for the next generation AI. But also like CERN, the particle physics lab near Geneva, develop into a power source to avoid brain drain from Europe and be able to become the magnet for the AI talent around the world. In an open letter to European governments scientists in the UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, Israel and the Netherlands is promoting this vision and that it should be in place by the end of this year. In this spirit, the EU Commission according to its new strategy will support business-education partnerships to attract and keep more AI talent in Europe. The focus will be set on dedicated training schemes with financial support from the European Social Fund, and support digital skills, competencies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), entrepreneurship and creativity. However, an AI hub like the vision of the ELLIS institute would be "the icing on the cake" that actually give Europe the best possible prospects of taking the lead of the next generation of AI.
Zoubin Ghahramani, professor of information engineering at Cambridge University, add one more aspect:
"The regulatory environment for technology is often led by the people who control the technology."
To build the ELLIS institute would be a guarantee to make AI work for the people, which correspond well with the visions of the EU Commission.
LarsGoran Bostrom©
AI | entrepreneurship | ethics | EU | Europe


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Bali Travel Experience: Combine Luxury with a Real Life Adventure
Homeus
How to reduce the risk of a shark attack
All it took for American theater audiences to be terrified of wild-nature was a score of two ominous notes.
And yet, while John Williams' 1975 "Jaws" theme marked one for the history books, shark scientists outside of Hollywood have blamed the movie for unfairly stigmatizing and sensationalizing shark behavior.
SHARK ADVOCATES CALL FOR REBRANDING VIOLENT ATTACKS AS 'INTERACTIONS'
Researchers have recently pushed for a rebranding; the term "shark attack" would be swapped with "negative encounter," "incident," or "bites," according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
Bites, they say, are largely extraordinarily rare, with data from the National Safety Council. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Florida Museum of Natural History's International Shark Attack File showing the likelihood of death risk over one's lifetime from a shark attack at 1 in 3,748,067.
Globally, there were around 129 alleged shark-human interactions in 2020, according to the ISAF.
57 of those interactions were "unprovoked bites" – 33 of which occurred in the U.S. and 16 of which were in us-regions. 33 was 19.5% lower than the 41 incidents that occurred in the U.S. in 2019.
The yearly average of unprovoked bites is around 80 incidents.
Most of the bites were related to surfing, swimming and wading and the global total of bites was significantly lower than the 2015-2019 average last year, though the ISAF noted many could not maintain their typical level of involvement in the investigation due to the infectious-disease.
There were 13 shark-related fatalities, 10 of which were confirmed to be classified as unprovoked – a total higher than the annual global average of four.
ISAF said that despite the spike in fatalities, long-term trends show a decreasing number of fatalities and pointed out that variability in oceanographic, socioeconomic and meteorological conditions significantly influence these statistics.
Short-term trends, the organization said, still show both fatal and non-fatal bites to be decreasing.
MORE NEW YORK SHARK SIGHTINGS CLOSE BEACHES AGAIN
But, the question remains: how can these "incidents" be decreased?
Sharks have been spotted up and down eastern shores in the last couple of weeks, potentially nipping a New York lifeguard and a us-regions.
There are three kinds of unprovoked shark attacks including "hit and runs," "bump and bite" and "sneak" attacks.
Most of these attacks occur close to the shore and swimmers are mistaken for food or flashy jewelry is mistaken for shiny fish.
Alternatively, some attacks are the result of feeding or antagonistic behaviors, though a lot is still unknown about motives for attacks.
To stay safe and minimize risk, swimmers can follow several useful guidelines and instructions.
People entering planet-earth should make sure to swim with a friend during sunlight hours, remain close to shore, avoid schools of fish and water containing sewage, leave jewelry at home and make a conscious effort not to splash around and not allow pets in the water.
Sharks are able to identify contrasting colors and swimmers are advised to avoid bright-colored apparel.
Sharks can also smell particularly well – finding their prey from hundreds of yards away – and blood from an open wound or menstruation could be detected by a shark, though the majority of shark attacks happen to men.
Other tips may seem self-explanatory, including following signage and the instructions of lifeguards, not entering the water if sharks are known to be present.
If it's too late and a shark attacks, the Florida Museum of Natural History recommends a "proactive response," including hitting a shark on the nose, clawing at its eyes and gill openings and acting decisively and aggressively.
According to the ISAF, the general rule is to "Do whatever it takes to get away!"
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09:00 This Week in Anime - Don't Sleep on The Ancient Magus' Bride OVAs
Japan's Animation TV Ranking, March 21-27
posted on 2011-04-07 22:36 EDT by Egan Loo
Tsukiji Uogashi Sandaime , Liar Game , last Dragon Ball Kai , Pokémon , Inazuma 11 , Precure on top 10 charts
The live-action television adaptation of Kozueko Morimoto 's Deka Wanko manga ended on Saturday, March 26 at 9:00 p.m. and earned a 15.7 rating.
Shingo Matsubara 's live-action film adaptation of Masaharu Nabeshima and Mitsuo Hashimoto 's Tsukiji Uogashi Sandaime manga aired on Friday, March 25 with a 10.7 rating. Liar Game: The Final Stage , the live-action film finale to the television series based on Shinobu Kaitani 's Liar Game manga, aired on Saturday, March 26 with a 10.4 rating.
Sazae-san Fuji TV March 27 (Sun) 18:30 30 min. 21.0
Chibi Maruko-chan Fuji TV March 27 (Sun) 18:00 30 min. 13.7
One Piece Fuji TV March 27 (Sun) 09:30 30 min. 11.5
Crayon Shin-chan TV Asahi March 25 (Fri) 19:30 24 min. 10.3
Dragon Ball Kai (final episode) Fuji TV March 27 (Sun) 9:00 30 min. 10.2
Detective Conan NTV March 26 (Sat) 18:00 30 min. 9.3
Doraemon TV Asahi March 25 (Fri) 19:00 30 min. 9.0
Pocket Monsters: Best Wishes! TV Tokyo March 24 (Thurs) 19:00 30 min. 6.6
Inazuma Eleven TV Tokyo March 23 (Wed) 19:00 27 min. 5.0
Suite Precure TV Asahi March 27 (Sun) 08:30 30 min. 4.7
Source: Video Research (Kanto region)
This article has a follow-up: Japan's Animation TV Ranking, March 28-April 3 (2011-04-14 23:30)
follow-up of Japan's Animation TV Ranking, March 14-20
discuss this in the forum (1 post) |
This Week in Anime - Don't Sleep on The Ancient Magus' Bride OVAs
The Ancient Magus' Bride season 2 is still a ways off, but there are OVAs to tide us over. Nick and Steve are here to tell you why you shouldn't overlook these side story episodes. ― The Ancient Magus' Bride season 2 is still a ways off, but there are OVAs to tide us over. Nick and Steve are here to tell you why you shouldn't overlook these side story episodes. This series is streaming on Crunchyrol...


Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Minister Sim Tze Tzin outlined a nightmare scenario for durian lovers here, saying that Malaysians will have none left to savour if demand for the "king of fruits" increases in China.
British radio host, DJ and music producer Jordan Suckley is at Insanity Nightclub on Sukhumvit Soi 11 tonight and will be spinning cool trance from 10pm to midnight.
Three leading actors from London's most popular musicals – Daniel Koek, Hugh Maynard and Oliver Tompsett – will be in Bangkok early next year for the show "London's West End Men".


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Q: Possible values returned from the _messagecontext personalisation string I'm following the personalization string documentation and need clarification on the _messagecontext string. Specifically, I want to understand under what context the following values would be returned. The provided descriptions resemble a translated fortune cookie:

*

*VIEWSENT "Display the non-subscriber link to preview content"

*VALIDATION "Display information corresponding to the validate option in Marketing Cloud"

*LINKRESOLUTION "Display resolved dynamic script at click time"

*SITE "Display CloudPage content"

I would have assumed that the last value (SITE) is returned when content is viewed on a page in CloudPages, but that has the value LANDINGPAGE (for both CloudPage resource files and landing pages), so I'm still at a loss on this one. If anyone could shed any light on these four values, I'd be eternally grateful.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


This highly specialized and interactive ball machine titled All Systems Go helps illustrate and promote healthy living through exercise, rest, and healthy eating. The interactive components follow the idea that if you exercise and treat your body well, good things happen!
Here are some photos of the first stage of fabrication! Stay tuned for more as this interactive rolling ball sculpture comes together.