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Dominicans Fined $96,000 For Poaching Offences
Source: Tribune242.com
By Lamech Johnson
Seventeen Dominicans were fined a collective $96,000 yesterday in Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to six poaching related charges.
Remon Sanchez, the 46-year-old captain of the 70-foot Rubi-1 fishing vessel apprehended by Royal Bahamas Defence Force officers on December 14, was fined $50,000 by Magistrate Renee McKay on the charge of "engaging in foreign fishing in the exclusive fishing zone of the Bahamas."
The alternative to the fine is one-year in custody at Her Majesty's Prison, Fox Hill.
As for 53-year-olds Reynaldo Cueva and Jose Cabrerra, who were revealed to have antecedents, they were fined $5,000 each or faced with a year in prison.
The three men, along with countrymen Ruddy cross, 43; Marca Palanco, 31; Rafael Ventura, 48; Ariel Martinez, 24; Nuily Molina, 27; Manuel Ulloa, 25; Eryemio Vasquez, 40; Esteban Berzan, 36; Carlos Acevedo; 31, Humberto Ventura, 28; Luis Santuna, 25; Eddy Aria, 38; and Joan Silberio all appeared before Magistrate McKay on six poaching related offences committed on December 14.
All 17 defendants, of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, pleaded guilty to: engaging in foreign fishing in the exclusive fishing zone of the Bahamas, possession of prohibited apparatus, possession of fresh Nassau Grouper, possession of Nassau Grouper weighing less than three pounds each, possession of clipped (egg-bearing) crawfish, and possession of crawfish measuring less than three and one quarter inches.
On the day in question, RBDF officers arrested the men on a 70-foot fishing vessel, but 33 other poachers who were on smaller skiffs, headed for the Cuban boarder to avoid capture after being spotted fishing illegally in waters near Cay Lobos.
Yesterday, attorney Jomo Campbell made a plea in mitigation on behalf of his clients and the remaining unrepresented defendants.
He said that economic hardship was a shared concern for the defendants and that "some of them, without counsel, admitted their guilt and remorse at the earliest opportunity. More....
Tokay Gecko Enlisted under Wildlife (Protection) Act
Source: E-pao.net
Taking cognizance of the impending threat to the survival of Tokay Gecko (Gecko Gecko), a lizard of Gekkoniodae family, the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India has finally provided legal protection to the species by enlisting the species under Schedule-IV of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 .
A notification to this effect was issued by the Additional Director General of Forests (WL) and Director, Wildlife Preservation, MoEF, Government of India on December 6 last, according to a statement issued by Th Ibobi Singh, Chief Wildlife Warden, Government of Manipur.
Under the same notification, the status of Hog Deer (Axis porcinus), locally known as Kharsa, has also been upgraded from Schedule-III to Schedule-I.Now the offence to this species is punishable with imprisonment for a term not less than three years but may extend up to seven years and with fine, the notification added.
Maryland Police Find 2 Bald Eagles Shot To Death During Christmas Holidays
Source: Huffingtonpost.com
By Colin Campbell
Maryland Natural Resources Police are investigating the killing of two bald eagles in Montgomery County over the past week.
The first was shot with a rifle at about 3 p.m. on Christmas Day while feeding on a deer carcass in a field that adjoins Georgia Avenue and Bordley Road in Brookville, according to a police news release.
Then, on Saturday morning, another eagle was found wounded by a bird shot near a residence on Deakins Lane in Darnestown, the release said. The bird later died of its injuries.
Investigators believe the shootings are unrelated.
Anyone with information on the shootings may call the Department of Natural Resources Communications Center, 410-260-8888. Callers who wish to remain anonymous may call the Catch-A-Poacher hotline at 1-800-635-6124, where a reward is possible.
The bald eagle was removed from the nationally protected endangered species list in 2007, and in then Maryland three years later, the release said.
Still, shooting eagles requires a permit from the U.S. Department of the Interior, and a conviction for doing so without one can carry a fine of up to $5,000 and up to a year in prison, the release said.
New Law Targets 'Trophy' Deer Poachers
Source: Petoskeynews.com
By Chris Engle
A new law to take effect in February will drastically increase the penalties for poaching trophy deer.
Signed by Gov. Rick Snyder in November, the act adds an additional $1,000 restitution fee for illegally killing an antlered deer.
Restitution is even higher if the buck has at least 8 points — $500 per point — and $750 per point if it has at least 11 points.
The base restitution for a poached deer is $1,000.
Such poachers will have their hunting privileges revoked for five years for the first offense and 10 years for a second offense. Base penalties for poaching carry a three-year revocation of hunting privileges.
The bill was introduced by Sen. Phil Pavlov, R-St. Clair, an avid hunter who said poaching hurts the efforts of the Department of Natural Resources, hunting groups and antler point restrictions which work to improve the overall deer herd.
"People put a lot of time and effort into whitetail season," Pavlov said Monday. "We want to make sure that, when the season opens, the trophies are still walking around."
Pavlov, who is the vice chairman of the Senate's Great Lakes Environmental Committee, said he looked at other states that have adopted similar laws while shaping his legislation. Those include Pennsylvania, Ohio and Western states.
He said an improved deer herd bolsters Michigan's "economic driver" of hunting and fishing tourism.
"If we're going to be a better destination for trophy hunting we need to prevent poaching," he said.
Pavlov initially considered basing fines on the Boone & Crockett score of a poached trophy but settled on the simpler point system which conservation officers can use to quickly rate an offense in the field. Antler tines longer than an inch are counted as points.
Retired conservation officer John Borkovitch, who was based out of Port Huron, testified in the Senate in support of the legislation, Pavlov said. More....
Kenya Dialogues on Wildilfe and Environmental Crime
Source: D-gies.com
As we end 2013, an important meeting has concluded among Kenya's leaders committed to curbing wildlife crime, especially poaching. The meeting took place at Amboseli National Park on December 20. John Mbaria, communications expert for the Africa Network for Animal Welfare (ANAW) reports 76 participants attended.
They represented the Judiciary, Kenya Revenue Authority, Kenya Police, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Ministry of Environment, Water & Natural Resources, Ford Foundation, Kenya Tourist Board, Mombasa and Coast Tourism Association, Lusaka Task Force, Interpol, Office of Director of Public Prosecution, South African Embassy, U.S. Embassy, Kenyans United Against Poaching and several local and international conservation non-governmental organizations (NGO's) including Lewis & Clark's College of Law of the U.S.A.
The meeting was remarkable in that for the second time this year–the first was with Wildlife Direct and KWS officials–Kenya's leadership is demonstrating a way forward to stop elephant and rhino poaching. The meeting brought renewed focus to the mutual priorities between government, the judiciary and economic interests to respond to well-planned criminal activities that go beyond the national borders of Kenya.
Poaching finances terrorism. Big rewards are paid to the end producers, the crooks selling illicit ivory and rhino horn. It was reported at this meeting that the street price for rhino horn per kilo has reached $65,000 U.S. about 5.5 million Kenya Shillings, A full grown rhino horn can weigh as much as seven kilos. Yet, the conviction and fines imposed on poachers did not exceed 40,000 Kenya Shillings, about $500 U.S.
The meeting concluded with several pages of agreed upon action steps that will be pursued by the various governmental agencies and conservation groups immediately. It is too early to boast of success but the meeting was a powerful show of the countries' resolve to do something to effectively address wildlife crime.
When Answers Raise More Questions
Source: Thestar.com.MY
By Isabelle Lai [Opinion\
When we are promised that enforcement action will be taken to tackle wildlife crime, we deserve to know what's really going on instead of being fed a non-answer.
Without a doubt, one of the top 10 favourite words bandied around by the authorities is "enforcement".
I can see why it is so favoured. Doesn't it convey reassuring confidence that the full might of the law is going to come down hard on wrongdoers?
But enforcement is a much more meaningful word than that. It speaks of concrete action being taken to stop the spread of something which is bad or wrong.
When we are promised that enforcement action will be taken, I think we deserve to know what's really going on instead of being fed a non-answer – which is to say, a nice, polite, reassuring answer that really doesn't answer any of our questions.
Fresh in the public's mind is illegal wildlife trade kingpin Anson Wong, whether he is really back in business and what the authorities are doing about it.
Burning questions have arisen in the wake of Al-Jazeera's 101 East's The Return of the Lizard King documentary, which provides substantial evidence that he might just have returned to his old habits.
Wong's house was shown to have an enclosure housing African Serval cats, while the worker at Rona Wildlife, a shop lot housing exotic wildlife, named him as his boss.
What was the Department of Wildlife and National Parks' (Perhilitan) reply? More....
Sri Lanka Arrests 22 Indian Fishermen
Source: Newindianexpress.com
The Sri Lanka Navy Sunday arrested 22 Indian fishermen for poaching in Sri Lankan waters, officials said.
A navy spokesman said the Indians were arrested in the northern seas and will be handed over to police, reported Xinhua.
The navy said the arrests were made after the Indian fishermen refused to return to Indian waters when they were spotted by navy boats.
Earlier this month, over 100 Indian fishermen were arrested when they entered Sri Lankan waters illegally and were remanded by a court.
According to the National Fisheries Solidarity Movement, 213 Sri Lankan fishermen and 43 fishing vessels are being held by the Indian authorities.
Fishermen from India and Sri Lanka crossing the international maritime boundary line dividing the two countries has become a sensitive political issue.
Sri Lankan fishermen say they face huge financial losses when Indian fishermen use trawlers and catch fish in Sri Lankan waters, leaving very little behind.
The Indian fishermen say they fish in the open seas and also claim rights to the sea surrounding a disputed island in Sri Lanka's north which was handed over to Colombo by New Delhi in 1974.
Efforts are underway to hold talks between Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen next month in order to settle the dispute between fishermen from both the countries.
Poachers Present Problems for Landowners
Source: Members.Jacksonville.com
By Bob McNally
David was a proud new landowner. The Jacksonville man (whose real name is not used at his request) bought his 640-acre place in rural North Florida and started fixing up the old farm house, working with his wife and kids getting everything a rural family needed and wanted.
They repaired fences, pond [filtered word\, woods roads and culverts. Put in a garden. Got fields ready for planting. Built wood duck boxes and stocked two lakes with bass and panfish.
Life was good for the new country landlord until one morning he heard a gunshot, then two, three, five and more. They were close, on his property. No one had permission to hunt, so David got in his truck and took off for the back of his square mile of paradise, while his wife nervously watched him drive away.
Ten minutes later David spotted a pickup truck alongside a county road that abutted his land. Three men were near it, two of them across a fence on David's property. A lifelong hunter, David sensed trouble, but he purposefully was unarmed as he drove up beside the men, stunned at what he saw.
Five wild hogs were dead on the ground, shot on David's land from a public roadway. The hogs were wild. But in Florida they are classified not as game animals, but private livestock, so penalties for shooting them are even more severe than illegally shooting wild game.
"Fellows, those are my hogs you got there," David said calmly.
"Them's wild pigs, no season, no limit," one of the men said fast and nervous. "Seen 'em cross the road, we pulled over and shot 'em 'fore they got to the fence — they jus' died on your side. We're fixin' to load 'em and take 'em home."
"Well, shootin' from a public road right of way isn't legal, and I sure didn't give you permission to shoot 'em on my land," David continued as he stepped out of his truck. "We better let the game warden sort this out." More....
Councilor Cited in Deer Poaching Case
Source: Registerguard.com
By Jack Moran
Six months after pleading guilty to an intoxicated-driving charge, Springfield City Councilor Dave Ralston now faces additional legal trouble in two Oregon counties.
Ralston, 58, is scheduled to appear Jan. 13 in Deschutes County Circuit Court to enter a plea to a misdemeanor charge alleging that he broke an unspecified state wildlife law.
Ralston was involved in an Oct. 6 traffic stop in which a state trooper found an illegally taken buck inside a vehicle, state police Lt. Gregg Hastings said Friday.
The criminal case arises nine years after Ralston pleaded no-contest to shooting a black tail deer out of season and then borrowing another hunter's tag to place on the carcass. He was fined nearly $600 in that case and had his hunting license suspended.
Deschutes County prosecutors could not be reached Friday for additional information on the current poaching case involving Ralston. Court records show that Ralston was not arrested after the traffic stop. He made an initial court appearance and was appointed a public defender on Nov. 6.
Ralston did not immediately return a telephone message left Friday at his home. His court-appointed attorney, Andrew Doyle of Bend, declined to comment on the case.
The Deschutes County charge isn't the only pending legal matter involving Ralston, who won re-election to a fourth four-year term on the City Council in 2012. More....
Two Caught for Poaching
A father and son were caught red-handed while trying to capture migratory birds in Bangoon area, Konchak of Mayang Imphal.
Md Abdul Kalam, 56 years, s/o (L) Amu Muslim and Md Sanayaima, 28 years, s/o Md Abdul Kalam were charged under Section 9 and Section 39 of Wildlife Protection Act in the First Information Report of Wildlife case filed by the RFO Keibul Lamjao Range number II .
They were also made to pay a compounding fee of Rs 10,000 by the Deputy Conservator od Forests, Park and Sanctuary.
Bizarre Case of 'Painted' Snake
Source: Hindustantimes.com
By Vikram Jit Singh [Admin note: Poachers are getting all too clever!\
A bizarre case of wildlife trafficking has surfaced with the Punjab Police apprehending a poacher at the Shambu barrier, Rajpura, who was carrying a 5.5-foot snake, which had been painted over with brown colour to make it resemble a Common sand boa, a species that is highly valued in the international market.
The snake, which experts have identified as an Indian rock python falling under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, had its tail lopped off so that it resembled the two-faced look of the boa. "Its eyes are covered with paint and it is in a critical condition. The tail has been chopped off cleverly and by a person who is knowledgeable in snakes as the anal orifices have not been affected by the cut. The cut in the tail has also been done in such a manner that its thickness at that point matches the size of the mouth,"' a Punjab Forests and Wildlife Preservation department official told Hindustan Times.
Punjab chief wildlife warden Dhirendra K Singh said, "It is a Wart snake, also known as an Elephant trunk snake or File snake. It is not found in this region. It is an aquatic snake, which lives in mud. It has not been painted but was covered with mud. It falls under Schedule IV of the Wildlife Act."
This was contradicted by the veterinary inspector at Patiala, Surinder Singh, who said: "The snake was a viper. It was seized by the police from Balwinder Kumar, son of Gokul Chand. Kumar lives in Ludhiana and was taking the snake there. We have booked him under Sections 9, 39, 50 and 51 of the Wildlife Act. Kumar has been sent in judicial custody. The snake has been sent to Chhatbir zoo."
However, Punjab State Wildlife Advisory Board member Nikhil Sanger, who has rescued and dealt with thousands of snakes, is categorical. "This is a python. Illegal trade in pythons can lead up to seven years in imprisonment. The attempt by the poachers was to pass off a python as a boa by painting it and cutting off its tail, as the latter sells for lakhs of rupees. The snake is not responding to mud treatment at the Chhatbir zoo where it is being kept, indicating further that it is not an aquatic snake living in mud.
Neither has the mud come off with washing off the snake with warm water. I suspect an attempt is being made to hush up the case."
Sanger's opinion is also strengthened by the fact that the Wildlife department has not gone in for a DNA test from the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, where other animals at the zoo have been similarly tested in the past. Neither has the department asked for an expert to conduct a scale count of the snake, which would scientifically establish the species. Photo.
Religious Leaders Visit Katavi National Park to Pray For Animals
Source: Ippmedia.com
By Gerald Kitabu
A thunderous wheezing sound from a group of hippopotamuses floating on Katuma River near Sitalike village could be heard as we entered the Katavi National Park in Mpanda district, Katavi region enthralling Bishop Charles Gadi of the Dar es Salaam based Good News for All Ministry.
He braved the scotching sun capturing every event that was taking place in the River. Katuma River is the vital lifeline of the Park which feeds Lake Katavi in the north and Lake Chada in the centre as well as the huge Katisunga floodplain.
In recent years, apart from being used as the source of water for varieties of wild animals, has also become home to thousands of hippopotamuses and crocodiles.
Despite being the third largest National Park in Tanzania, Katavi national park was not even known to many people in the country.
After getting out of the vehicle to take some photos a group of journalists could see hundreds of grunting hippos murmuring and squeezing themselves into the muddy water.
It was journey full of joy, sympathies, friendship, and laughter. Casual glances at trees along the road that crossed the river from Mpanda town to Sumbawanga district, Rukwa region, journalists could see birds swaying smoothly on feeble branches preening their feathers excitedly as they prepared to play on the soft backs of the hippos.
Beautiful vegetation and green environment inside and around the national park, has attracted a variety of huge animals, plants and birds species.
As he was strolling further through tall green grasses, incredible scenery that include immense wetlands, roaring waterfalls and original miombo woodlands, where the sable antelopes often hide, were enough charm to journalists.
However, despite all the wonders that are actually key to attracting tourism in the park which earn foreign currency for the nation's economy, the national park is faced with several challenges both inside and outside it. More....
Pets Abducted for Illegal Dogfights?
Source: Gulfnews.com
By Anjana Sankar
Concerns are rising among residents that their pets are being stolen for use in the illegal sport of dogfighting.
Their suspicions strengthened after a 10-month-old pitbull, Tayson, which went missing from a Nad Al Sheba villa last week was found at a farm in Al Ruwayyah with severe injuries. The dog's eye and ear had bite marks and his right legs were broken. "My dog would have died. The wounds were so bad the vet said he must have been assaulted by other dogs for more than an hour," said pet owner F.K.
She had left Tayson with her friend Sara Waheed. "We got a call from Sara's parents on December 18 saying my dog had gone missing from the garden inside the villa. My friend and I started combing the area. We came across two teenage boys who also owned pitbulls. When we asked them if they had seen my pet, they said they had seen a pitbull and that their pets had attacked the dog. We didn't believe their story and probed further only to find out that they had taken my pet to their farm in Al Ruwayyah," she said.
F.K. said she was shocked when she saw Tayson.
"It was a heart-rending sight. It was obvious that he was used in dogfighting. He is just a baby and does not even know how to defend himself," she said, adding that she will file a police case to nail the culprits after she gets the medical reports.
This incident, along with the recovery of a Siberian Husky from a dogfighter, has sparked outrage among animal lovers and pet owners. "Many pets disappear here. We suspect they are being stolen for use in dogfighting," said Jackie Ratcliffe, managing director of K9 Friends in Dubai who has rescued dogs that were used as bait.
Exposing animals to negligence, cruelty or malnourishment is punishable by law. Penalties include imprisonment and fines.
President Kenyatta of Kenya Signs New Wildlife Law
Source: Eturbonews.com
By Wolfgang H. Thome
The conservation fraternity in Kenya had reasons to welcome Christmas as news broke yesterday in Nairobi that President Kenyatta had assented to the new Wildlife Conservation and Management Bill, making it the law of the land with immediate effect.
For years had the country's conservationists demanded that harsher penalties be imposed as often poachers, when nabbed, were released on bond or bail almost immediately as they faced minimal fines and often short prison terms, which led to a sharp increase in poaching across the country with hundreds of elephants and dozens of rhino killed.
Now, under the new law, poachers, their financiers and the traders will face substantially higher fines, confiscation of property and long prison terms, but most significantly will those nabbed at airports, in possession of blood ivory or other prohibited wildlife items, face fines of not less than a million Kenya Shillings and prison terms of not less than five years. Many smugglers have been caught over the past years at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, the majority of them Chinese citizens.
'I hope the next one caught will now be given an exemplary sentence, to pay the million shillings fine, or more, and be sent down for the full 5 years, or more, depending on how much ivory they carried. Only when we start to seriously put them away will the message take hold that when you come to Kenya, or when you transit in Kenya, DO NOT CARRY CONTRABAND. That is the only language they will understand and to protect our wildlife we need harsh sentences.
Any magistrate who now fails to impose both fines and custodial sentences must be hauled before the disciplinary committees and investigated for possible links with poaching syndicates. Let that be therefore a warning to the smugglers and to the lower judicial cadres' wrote a regular Nairobi based source when passing the information that the long awaited amendements to the law have now been put into effect.
A full overview of the new law can be found here by clicking on the link below: http://www.kenyalaw.org/kl/fileadmin/pdfdownloads/bills/2013/WildlifeCon...
Perhaps some belated relief for Kenya's beleaguered wildlife on Christmas? Time will tell.
Tanzania: Serengeti Under Threat From Livestock Keepers
Source: AllAfrica.com
By Mugini Jacob
Some livestock keepers in Tarime District, Mara Region, have continued to take their animals to graze inside the northern fringes of the Serengeti National Park (SENAPA), citing lack of grazing land in their villages.
The herders with thousands of animals come from such villages as Kegonga, Masanga, Gibasso and Mangucha. Grazing in the park has reportedly worsened relations between conservators and the villagers and no side seems to be benefiting from the crisis.
Over 500 animals were last week confiscated grazing in an area the villagers call Nyanungu Basin( Bonde la Nyanungu) inside the park. The animals included 378 cows, 91 goats, 73 sheep and 24 donkeys, according to Nyanungu Ward Executive Officer Mr Deusdatus Waikama.
"Some officials have started talks with SENAPA rangers over the fate of the animals," Mr Waikama said. Mr William Mwakilema, the SENAPA Chief Park Warden, confirmed the confiscation of the animals. Some children who were looking after the animals were also arrested.
Grazing in a national park is illegal according to the Tanzania conservation Act. "We're withholding the livestock and owners must follow legal procedures," the Chief Park Warden said. Reports from the village say every head of livestock was fined 20,000/-.
"We went to the SENAPA rangers' post where the livestock were being kept and were told that a fine for every animal is 20,000/- and it seems people have agreed to pay it, says Marwa Gisiri, a resident of Kegonga village. "We don't know when a solution will be found," he added.
The villagers claim that Nyanungu basin is their land and they have the right to graze their animals there. "Nyanungu basin is the centre of the crisis. Villagers are now seeing as their option for life but it is an important part of Serengeti National Park.
It is an ideal area for wildebeest migration. This is a big problem," a senior official with the Tarime District Council who declined to be named said. He said the villagers must be educated to fall in love with conservation instead of relying on large number of cows when they don't have grazing land.
Some villagers complain that Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA), a body responsible for conservation and protection of 16 national parks has of late put a fresh borders that have absorbed Nyanungu basin to be part of the park. More....
Poaching Steadily Increasing
Source: Newsleader.com
By Laura Peters
Jeremy Keegan respects the deer, turkey and squirrels he hunts and the land he hunts them on.
The Timberville man believes in following the rules, but, he also knows that not everyone agrees.
"People that I know and respect ... all share a respect for the animals that we hunt and the environment that we hunt in," he said. "We understand that not only is it benefiting us, but it's benefiting Virginia and Virginia wildlife, and that we're helping control the populations and we are following the regulations in order to protect the animals and the environment.
"I'm not willing to go outside the boundaries of the law to feed my family, and some people are," Keegan said. "I also think that some people don't care that much about the laws."
And that's why poaching is an increasing problem that is robbing hunters of legitimate prey, circumventing state efforts to manage wildlife and too often scarring the countryside with the carcases of illegally killed animals.
Virginia Conservation Police Offier Chance Bobbs said the number of calls his agency has been getting from the public about poachers has been steadily increasing.
Driving down back roads in Augusta County, many motorists can see what poachers have left behind. The mangled remnants of deer, sometimes in bags, but often simply dumped in the open.
Calls spike in November, but really are heavy throughout the fall and early winter. Arrests also are tough to predict.
"It really fluctuates every year," he said. "It all depends how good the information is. If we go out on our own and things happen in front of us, we catch them all. But, if we get little bits of information, we don't always get enough evidence to charge somebody."
Bobbs said it's helpful for people to call in and give as much information as possible. But, a lot of people fear retaliation. Bobbs said there is an anonymous tip line.
But aside from investigating a report of someone actively poaching, the police work too often starts with a carcass and it's up to him to back track from there to find the poacher. More....
Man Pleads Guilty to Illegally Killing Buck Mule Deer West of Cody
Source: Projects.registerguard.com
Wildlife officials say a Michigan man has pleaded guilty to illegally killing a buck mule deer west of Cody.
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department said in a news release Monday that Stephen Kovacs recently acknowledged killing the animal without a license. Kovacs, who was ordered to pay $750 in fines and $4,000 in restitution, will lose all hunting, fishing and trapping privileges for the next three years.
North Cody Game Warden Travis Crane says he saw Kovacs shoot the deer in the Wall Creek drainage on the North Fork of the Shoshone River on Nov. 6. At the time, Kovacs denied shooting the animal, but tracks matching the tread pattern of his boots were found near the carcass and casings matching a round from Kovacs' rifle were found nearby.
Bay Anglers Warned to Steer Clear of Federal Waters for Rockfish
Source: Dailypress.com
By Tamara Dietrich
Virginia anglers love their rockfish.
So much so that massive overfishing here and along the East Coast in the '70s and '80s brought the population to the brink of collapse and forced fishing bans in state and federal waters.
Soon the stock began to recover, and Virginia lifted its ban after a few years. But the U.S. Coast Guard is reminding the public it's still illegal to catch or even possess rockfish in federal waters that begin three nautical miles off the coast and stretch out to 200 miles, an area called the Exclusive Economic Zone.
"They're federally protected," explained Lt. Scott Williams, spokesman for U.S. Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads. "Boaters, whether they're commercial fishermen or recreational fishermen, could be subject to fines if they were to catch Atlantic striped bass in that Exclusive Economic Zone."
Rockfish are also known as Atlantic striped bass, or stripers
The Coast Guard says it's stepping up enforcement efforts, and established a hotline at 757-398-6399 for the public to anonymously report suspected striped bass poachers.
Callers are asked to describe the activity they witnessed, those involved and the location and time of the suspected offense. Violators are subject to civil fines.
While Virginia allows licensed recreational and commercial fishing for striped bass in its waters, its marine patrol officers are deputized to enforce poaching laws in federal waters.
John Bull at the Virginia Marine Resources Commission said they don't have striped bass poaching figures because summonses don't distinguish one fish species from another.
But an Interstate Watershed Task Force investigation last year found that Virginia and Maryland fishermen took more than a million pounds of striped bass illegally from the Chesapeake Bay between 2003 and 2009.
That investigation led to the convictions of 19 individuals and three corporations, and resulted in 140 months of cumulative prison time, 58 years of cumulative supervised release and more than $1.6 million in fines and restitution.
'Made in Virginia'
The Atlantic striped bass is an iconic species in the Chesapeake Bay, distinguished by the dark stripes running horizontally along its metallic sides. It's a popular sport fish for anglers and an important food source for larger fish and fish-eating birds. More....
U.S. Operation Crash: Zhifei Li Pleads Guilty to Rhino Horn, Ivory Trafficking
Source: Annamiticus.com
By Rhishja Cota-Larson
Chinese national Zhifei Li has pleaded guilty to orchestrating an illegal operation which smuggled 30 rhinoceros horns and numerous objects made from rhino horn and elephant ivory worth more than $4.5 million from the United States to China.
Li, who owns an antiques business called "Overseas Treasure Finding" in Shandong, China, was arrested in January 2013. He pleaded guilty to:
One count of conspiracy to smuggle and violate the Lacey Act;
Seven counts of smuggling;
One count of illegal wildlife trafficking in violation of the Lacey Act;
Two counts of making false wildlife documents.
"Li sold whole rhino horns to factories where they would be carved into fake antiques. The leftover pieces from the carving process were sold for alleged 'medicinal' purposes even though rhino horn is made of compressed keratin, the same material in human hair and nails and has no proven medical efficacy."
Li purchased rhino horns in Florida, where he was attending the Original Miami Beach Antique Show. Not only did Li purchase two black rhino horns from an undercover USFWS agent, he asked the officer to procure additional rhino horns and mail them to Hong Kong. In 2011 and 2012, Li arranged the shipment of rhino horns to addresses in Hong Kong in order to facilitate the smuggling of horns to mainland China. The rhino horns were concealed with duct tape and hidden inside porcelain vases. Li also arranged the smuggling of ivory carvings to China, falsely labeled as "wood carvings" as well as two elephant tusks weighing more than 100 pounds, which were labeled as "automobile parts".
According to court documents, Li worked with at least three co-conspirators. He wired hundreds of thousands of dollars to one of them, while the other two co-conspirators purchased rhino horns from various sources, including an auction house in Missouri.
"Li admitted that he was the 'boss' of three antique dealers in the United States whom he paid to help obtain wildlife items and smuggle them to him via Hong Kong."
In December 2010, Li advised a co-conspirator to respond to an internet advertisement offering rhino horn for sale. The co-conspirator was subsequently provided with photos of rhino horns, as well as the rhino from which the horns were procured, from an individual in Cameroon.
Then in March 2011, Li's co-conspirator wired approximately $16,000 to Cameroon for the purpose of obtaining two rhino horns. The seller "promised" to bring additional horns into the United States.
Between February 2011 and February 2012, Li and his co-conspirators conducted various rhino horn transactions in Miami and Ormond Beach, Florida, and Wanaque, Ridgefield, and Little Ferry, New Jersey. From April 2012 through January 2013, Li facilitated illegal rhino horn deals in Texas. More....
Two Arrests in Connection with Cougar Poaching
Source: ABC10up.com
By Mike Hoey
Two downstate suspects have been arrested for illegally killing a cougar in Schoolcraft County.
Michigan DNR officials believe that the trail camera photo seen here shows the cougar that was killed. The photo was taken in Luce County on December 8th.
The DNR says it received a tip that the cougar was killed last week at a hunting camp in northeastern Schoolcraft County. Conservation officers and other DNR personnel found evidence of the cougar's death. They arrested two suspects from downstate Bay County.
The DNR says after its investigation is complete, it will turn the case over to the Schoolcraft County Prosecutor's office. The cougar is an endangered species in Michigan, and the penalty for poaching one is up to 90 days in jail and $2,500 in fines.
The DNR is also asking anyone with information about this case, or any other poaching case, to either call its toll-free Report All Poaching hotline at 1-800-292-7800 or to click here. Tips can be reported anonymously, and information leading to an arrest and conviction is eligible for a cash reward from the state Game and Fish Protection Fund.
Dillon Husband, Wife Plead Not Guilty to Poaching Charges
Source: Ravallirepublic.com
By Kelley Christensen
A Dillon couple facing several felony counts of poaching game pleaded not guilty in Dillon district court Thursday morning.
Charles "Bill" Foster is charged with six counts of felony possession of game animals, one count of felony tampering with evidence, three counts of misdemeanor unlawful possession of game animals and one count of misdemeanor unlawful possession of game fish.
His wife, Sally Foster, is charged with six counts of felony possession of game animals, three counts of misdemeanor unlawful possession of game animals, one count of misdemeanor unlawful possession of game fish and one count of misdemeanor fishing without a license.
The Fosters were released on their own recognizance Thursday, with the conditions that they give their hunting rifle to a third party until after their trial, that they not discuss the case with friends or family members, and that they not hunt or fish or accompany any person doing so until after the trial.
No trial date has been set at this time.
The Fosters were summoned by the court after a yearlong undercover investigation into the couple and their friends that covered evidence stretching back to 2003. Wildlife officials say the Fosters routinely harvested more than their hunting tags allowed, or allowed out-of-state visitors to shoot deer using their tags.
The Fosters possessed 23 illegally harvested deer and elk since 2007, wildlife officials said, and are charged with other misdemeanors for deer poached before 2007. The Fosters also illegally possessed more than 65 game fish over the limit.
The couple could face jail time, fines and a loss of hunting privileges.
Residents Saddened: White Deer Poached
Source: Whotv.com
By Andy Fales
Wildlife lovers near Prairie City have had watchful eyes on some very unique animals, this fall. But what they've found in a field south of Colfax, is something no one wanted to see.
At more than 450,000 heads state-wide, there might be more deer now than ever.
But white ones are something special.
"Yeah, we've been watching the white deer for about five or six years, now," said Vance Van Houweling, a resident of rural Jasper County.
"It's kind of a majestic thing to see—the white deer," said John Foster of Jasper County, "it's just neat."
Full or partial-albino deer are extremely rare, but somehow, this area had several.
There was one in particular the community watched his rack reach ten points this fall.
"The kids would come running in the house and talk about seeing him on the way home," Foster smiled.
"Everybody enjoyed it—the whole town knew about it," Van Houweling said.
Watching the albino deer from afar had been a favorite activity, but no one had really every seen one up close—that is, until last weekend.
Hunters working a fence line suddenly stumbled across it. It's since been partially eaten by coyotes and someone has sawed off the antlers, but there's no doubt, this is one of those big males, and even for hunters, it was a shocking sight.
"I felt pretty disgusted, " Van Houweling said, "you watch something like that and everybody says it's going to be neat to see what he turns out to be, next year, and then you come to find out that somebody poached him and they just cut the horns off."
The kill is poaching. In 1987, Iowa made it illegal to kill white deer. More....
Mob Men Caught Poaching Paua
Source: Stuff.co.nz
By Anna Williams
A group of Mongrel Mob members have been caught leaving the Marlborough Sounds with two sacks of undersized paua.
An anonymous call was made to a poaching hotline about a group of men seen diving for paua at Hakahaka Bay in Port Underwood on Tuesday.
They were seen leaving with two full sacks.
Sergeant Kris Payne, of Picton, said police stopped five men and a child in a car on Waikawa Rd, Picton. The men were known Mongrel Mob members from Blenheim and Picton. They told police they had caught the paua for a funeral at a marae.
The legal size of paua is 12.5 centimetres and the daily legal limit without a permit is 10 per person.
Mr Payne said he could tell by looking at their catch that they were undersized.
Ministry for Primary Industries district compliance manager Ian Bright said the men had 103 paua between them. Of those, 91 were undersized. The smallest was 9.5cm.
The men did not have a permit, Mr Bright said.
Anyone caught with up to two times the legal limit of paua, like the Mongrel Mob members, could be fined $250. Equipment could be confiscated for more serious issues.
Anyone who wants to report illegal poaching can call the poaching hotline on 0800 4 POACHER (0800 476 224).
Dillon Couple Charged with Felony Poaching
Source: MTstandard.com
A Dillon couple and 15 of their friends and relatives have been charged with poaching crimes after a sweeping investigation revealed they illegally harvested dozens of animals over the past decade.
Charles "Bill" Foster and his wife, Sally, will make their initial appearance Thursday in Dillon district court. Authorities say they poached more than 20 deer and elk over the course of four hunting seasons and possessed more than 65 game fish over the limit.
The charges cap a year-long undercover investigation into the couple and their friends that combed evidence stretching back to 2003. Wildlife officials say the Fosters routinely harvested more than their hunting tags allowed, or allowed out-of-state visitors to shoot deer using their tags.
"Given the volume of game animals and fish unlawfully taken, this is a fairly serious matter," said Jim Kropp, the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks top law enforcement official.
The Fosters could not be reached for comment Wednesday, and their lawyer, David Vicevich of Butte, declined to comment.
Bill Foster is charged with six counts of felony possession of game animals, one count of felony tampering with evidence, three counts of misdemeanor unlawful possession of game animals, and one count of misdemeanor unlawful possession of game fish.
Sally Foster is charged with six counts of felony possession of game animals, three counts of misdemeanor unlawful possession of game animals, one count of misdemeanor unlawful possession of game fish, and one count of misdemeanor fishing without a license.
The Fosters possessed 23 illegally harvested deer and elk since 2007, wildlife officials said, and are charged with other misdemeanors for deer poached before 2007.
The couple could face jail time, fines and a loss of hunting privileges. Kropp said Montana is one of the few states that will send people to prison for poaching, and that the state takes poaching seriously.
"In Montana there's a lot of public resources," Kropp said. "It's a destination station for people who want to hunt." More....
Ivory Shipped as Chocolate
Source: Timeslive.co.za
By Schalk Mouton
This is one of the latest ways of smuggling wildlife products from South Africa to countries such as China and Taiwan.
Tom Milliken, leader of the global elephant and rhino programme for Traffic, an international organisation that monitors illegal trading in wildlife, said yesterday South Africa was a key transit point on the ivory smuggling route.
On Friday a 58-year-old Chinese woman was arrested at OR Tambo International Airport carrying 40kg of ivory wrapped in tin foil, brown paper and clothes.
She was in transit from Mozambique to Hong Kong.
Seven people were arrested in a "planned operation" at Hong Kong International Airport yesterday. About 160kg of tusks and worked ivory was found in the check-in baggage of 14 passengers.
According to Hong Kong authorities, the smugglers were on flights from Johannesburg and Dubai. The four men and three women appeared in court on Friday and yesterday.
One of them was sentenced to four months in prison. The rest were fined between $30000 and $80000 (R310000 to R828000) each.
The Chinese woman arrested in Johannesburg is expected to appear in the Kempton Park Magistrate's Court today.
Milliken said there was evidence that most of the ivory poached in the Caprivi Strip in Namibia and elsewhere in Southern Africa was being shipped through South Africa. More....


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Using LinkedIn to source passive talent direct
Home » Using LinkedIn to source passive talent direct
Using LinkedIn to source passive talent direct2013-04-242015-10-29https://www.graylink.biz/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/graylink_logo_std_sansstrap-90.pnggraylinkhttps://www.graylink.biz/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/graylink_logo_std_sansstrap-90.png200px200px
In the third part of our series "Lets get serious about social recruitment" we focus on LinkedIn as a social recruiting platform.
LinkedIn is the preferred choice for talent searching with research out of the US revealing 93% of recruiters visit this network before going anywhere else.
Founded a decade ago, LinkedIn is the world's largest business-oriented social network with more than 200 million members in over 200 countries and territories. It targets professionals defined as individuals with careers built on distinctive qualifications. The depth of information LinkedIn collects on its members and strong search function makes it ideal to source white-collar, mid to senior level talent.
In South Africa, LinkedIn has 2.3 million members. Of these, there are 2 344 business development directors, 20 395 senior engineers and 14 425 marketing managers. A search of marketing managers can further be refined to target 5 658 females, of which 2 887 are Johannesburg-based, and even zero-in on prospects at specific companies like Unilever, SABMiller and Brandhouse.
Since LinkedIn first launched its hiring solutions over five years ago, it has steadily evolved its toolset over time. Here is an introduction of the latest tools LinkedIn has to offer from a social recruitment tool perspective:
1. Recruiter enables HRs to expand search beyond personal connections to access the entire LinkedIn network. Using powerful filters and LinkedIn's advanced search interface HRs can zero-in on the ideal candidates even faster. HRs can view the names and full profiles of contacts outside their own network and use InMail messages to contact top talent directly. HR team activities can further be synchronized with shared profiles, searches, projects and candidate notes to build, track and manage talent in a healthy pipeline.
2. Jobs help HRs put jobs in front of the right candidates. Using sophisticated algorithms to match jobs and profile data, Linkedin automatically targets the most relevant candidates with jobs. HRs can share personalised jobs with top talent when candidates visit their LinkedIn home pages, on employees' profile pages, or on the company's Career Pages. Great candidates can be driven to high priority roles with a Sponsored Jobs placement or HRs can bid for premium placement of jobs in LinkedIn's personalised job recommendations. Jobs can also be distributed to thousands of other websites as they are shared across social media networks.
3. Career Pages lets HRs create a customised career site to show off your employer brand and culture, as part of your social recruitment strategy. Using images, video, employee testimonials and more, companies can create a hub that tells a rich story about who you are as a company. Every time a relevant candidate logs in to their LinkedIn home page they will see a recruitment ad encouraging them to follow the company. Based on their LinkedIn profiles, the Career Page experience can be tailored to each viewer with dynamic messaging. This includes automatically showing each visitor to your Career Page the jobts that are most relevant them.
4. Work With Us allows HRs to own the advertising space on the LinkedIn profiles of current employees. By reaching candidates in the context of their trusted relationships with your existing employees, this transfers a subconscious endorsement of the advert. Companies can display jobs personalised to each viewer using personal details and granular targeting capabilities to spotlight a company for the kind of candidate it is trying to reach. For example, an investment firm could feature an actuary's photo and name in an advert with the job title, fund manager, and say, "dear John, picture yourself with this job." In addition to LinkedIn features, companies can also create custom ad content to grow their follower base and showcase career opportunities.
Many HR recruiters are now using LinkedIn to market current job openings to active job seekers. Others are also using LinkedIn to find and engage passive candidates, who are not trying to change jobs but would be open to an offer. By exposing them to a strong employer brand message that stays in the back of their minds, HR recruiters can fill job openings quicker when top talent leaves the company.
One of the biggest mistakes HRs can make is to post jobs on personal profiles to avoid paying for LinkedIn Premium to access the hiring solutions. Candidates quickly start viewing the untargeted, irrelevant job posts as spam, while they only reach a fraction of South Africa's total talent database. The failure of such campaigns is an inadequate reflection of LinkedIn, which is very effective when used correctly.
While LinkedIn was founded as professional social network to bring people together, it has done a lot of work on its hiring solutions – now its biggest source of income.
Over the past year, LinkedIn's corporate clients grew by more than 40% to about 13,700 by late 2012. About 82% of Fortune 100 companies now use LinkedIn Recruiter and 10 000 companies worldwide use LinkedIn's social recruitment products and services.
With Graylink's new appointment as official LinkedIn EMEA Talent Solutions Partner in the South Africa market, local HR recruiters will now also have access to on-the-ground advice on how to get the most from these powerful solutions.
Contact us for more information on how LinkedIn's Talent Solutions can help your business.
Applicant tracking systems & why a sourcing strategy alone is not enough
The Dangers of Using a Personal LinkedIn Profile for Recruitment
Let's get serious about social recruiting – Preparing for the journeyBlog, Recruitment Marketing, Social Recruiting
From Paper Mess to Recruiting Success, Meet LinkedIn's CheckIn productSocial Recruiting

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
One Hysterical Night (bra Bom na Parte) é uma comédia cinematográfica norte-americana de 1929, dirigida por William James Craft e estrelada por Reginald Denny, Nora Lane, Walter Brennan e Peter Gawthorne.

Elenco
Reginald Denny - William 'Napoleon' Judd
Nora Lane - Nurse Josephine
E. J. Ratcliffe - Wellington
Fritz Feld - Paganini
Slim Summerville - Robin Hood
Joyzelle Joyner - Salome
Jules Cowles - William Tell
Walter Brennan - Paul Revere
Henry Otto - Doutor Hayden
Margaret Campbell - sra. Bixby
Peter Gawthorne - sr. Bixby
Rolfe Sedan - Arthur Bixby

Filmes dirigidos por William James Craft
Representações de Napoleão Bonaparte no cinema
Filmes dos Estados Unidos de 1929
Filmes de comédia dos Estados Unidos
Filmes em língua inglesa
Filmes em preto e branco
Filmes da Universal Pictures

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Learner-Centered Assessment: Social Studies and History.
This subscription provides group access for one year to a Video and handouts that provide a grounding an Learner-Centered Assessment focused on Social Studies and History. This allows grade-level teams, departments, and/or individual teacher to assess and improve the balance and authenticity of their current assessment repertoire.


This was a doodle I did while waiting for some friends at the bar. I showed up about 30 minutes early and asked the waiter for a pen and started doodling on my napkin. It just all flowed out and I liked it so much I kept it.


The Crescent Moon Short Talisman Necklace features an original Sequin-designed talisman charm. Soooo easy to wear and pack for your next festival or getaway.
Pendant drop length is 1".
Chain measures 15" with lobster claw clasp and a 3" extender, and includes Sequin tag.
Designed & manufactured in the USA with components from around the world.


text:
After Delhi and Mumbai, Karachi is home to the region's largest and most diverse art scene. Due to the lack of formal documentation, this fact has never been highlighted with confidence. KBT's seminal research in the form of KAD attempts to investigate the nuance of this fact and paves the way to understanding the scale and melange of art practices that exist within the city.
Research for this project commenced in June 2016 and since then, the KAD team has worked through three summers, alongside research interns who compiled and updated comprehensive and inclusive information on members with an active art practice. To ensure the veracity of the data, triangulation was used as a validation strategy. Both primary and secondary sources of data were utilized for information. Where information was missing or lacking, available data was used.
All final lists were reviewed by a panel of experts to ensure transparency and authenticity of information and the research process.
Location based representation of
Artists on KAD
Gender based representation of
Contemprary Visual Artists on KAD
Art Critics & Writers on KAD
Calligraphers on KAD
Truck Artists on KAD
Karachi /Non Karachi based distribution of
Art Galleries on KAD in Percentage
Location wise distribution of Karachi based
Art Galleries on KAD
Pakistani Artists & Professionals No Longer in this World
Timeline 2006 – 2019
Ismail Gulgee
Gulgee was an eminent Pakistani painter and sculptor with a strength in portraiture, abstract painting and calligraphy. He is the recipient of several national awards including Pride of Performance and Sitara-e-Imtiaz.
Asim Butt
Asim Butt was a painter with a practice rooted in activism. His works includes painting, public art & performance art.
Usman Ghauri
Usman Ghauri was an artist and educator with a diverse practice including painting, sculpture and print making.
A. R. Nagori
Prof. Abdul Rahi Nagori was an eminent Pakistani painter & educator with a body of work exploring socio-political themes. He was also the recipient of President's Pride of Performance Award in 2010.
Shafi Aqeel
Shafi Aqeel was an art critic, Journalist and Writer known for his columns on art and literature in the national urdu newspaper Daily Jang.
Shahid Sajjad
Shahid Sajjad was an internationally acclaimed sculptor who worked with equal facility in wood and bronze. He introduced the Lost Wax Bronze casting technique in art in Pakistan. His work includes large scale national public art projects.
Imran Mir
Imran Mir was an artist, sculptor, designer and advertising trendsetter whose innovations shaped his persona and influenced his peers.
Mansur Salim
Mansur Salim had an experimental practice that pushed boundaries of medium & genre. He was the among the pioneers of Installation Art in Pakistan. He was also a painter, researcher & educator.
Akbar Naqvi
Akbar Naqvi was an eminent art critic and author of several books on art history, including the influential book Image and Identity: Fifty Years of Painting and Sculpture in Pakistan and monographs on Sadequain & Shahid Sajjad.
Saira Sheikh
Saira Sheikh was an artist and an art educator with a practice which was critical and ground breaking.
Ibne Kaleem
Hafiz M. Iqbal Khan Ahsan Nizam, known as IBN-E-KALEEM was a calligrapher and inventor of Khat-e-Ra'ana. He earned the title of Khattat Haft Qalam – master of 7 calligraphic styles and was acclaimed internationally.
Tassaduq Sohail
Tassaduq Sohail was an acclaimed artist who regularly exhibited nationally and internationally. There is a gallery dedicated to his works in the National Museum, Karachi.
Anwar Muraj
Anwar Muraj was a journalist who wrote prolifically on art and culture. He has contributed cultural commentaries to several books on Karachi.
Better known as Ustaad Shahid belonged to the second generation of Truck Artists. He trained many of the well known truck artists today including Phoolji.
Inam Raja
Inam Raja was devoted to Illustration and was a prolific Digest Artist. He was an integral part of the local digest culture.
Shakeel Siddiqui
Shakeel Siddiqui was a prominent painter who introduced Hyper Realism in Pakistan. His extensive body of work is currently with collectors in Pakistan and Abroad. He was also an educator and curator.
Madiha Aijaz
Madiha Aijaz was an artist and educator with a practice in photography and film. She is known for her book Call to Conscience and her documentary These Silences Are All the Words.
Jamil Naqsh
Jamil Naqsh was among Pakistan's most prominent artists. He was the recipient of many awards and exhibited in Pakistan and Internationally. There is a museum dedicated to his work in Karachi.
Neini Rafi
Nadia Faisal, also known as Neini Rafi, was an entertainment journalist who through her extensive coverage of art exhibitions via media bought art into the public domain.
Truck Artists
Art Libraries


Actors, David Henrie and Jake T. Austin, have led fans to believe Wizards of Waverly Place is set to make a return after he posted several teases on social media.
David Henrie has teased the possibility of his hit Disney Channel show, Wizards of Waverly Place making a return, after he posted a few hints on his social media.
The actor, who starred as Justin Russo, recently shared a post on Twitter written by a fan which read as "Raven is back, the Jonas brothers are back, Hannah Montana is back. I think we all know who's turn it is", sharing the opening title card.
David accompanied the post with the thinking face emoji, and later shared a picture to his Instagram Story of him at Disney's upcoming streaming service, Disney+, saying "Let's do this".
Other cast members, including Jake T. Austin and Maria Canals-Barrera also shared the post.
Wizards of Waverly Place also starred Selena Gomez, and ended in January 2012. Since the Disney Channel series ended, Selena went on to star in movies alongside Adam Sandler, James Franco and Zac Efron.
She is currently set to release her latest movie, The Dead Don't Die, after the trailer dropped earlier this week.


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Things are accelerating in Denmark
Things are accelerating here in Denmark. Daily articles about 3G protests in all newspapers. The 3G case has turned into a big scandal for this government.
All the political parties have now demanded a hearing (public information meeting) in Parliament with the 2 responsible ministers (Science/IT Technology and Health) on the 3G scandal and health effects. The ministers had to agree to this. We have asked that experts from abroad should be invited.
Our goal nr. 1. "The 3 G masts should be closed now and no more masts be built, until research has shown results", has started to be fulfilled:
The mayor and the local authorities of many of the largest towns (Copenhagen, Aalborg and several others) have decided that no new masts will be raised on all public buildings until there is certainty that they are harmless. Their decision was based on, that if their citizens were concerned, then their fears should be taken seriously. Every day more towns are joining. Now the town councils will try to find out if they also can stop the mast building on private properties.
The director of the telephone company TDC said, this was a drastic and unwise decision. The local authorities can only stop the masts for a very short time, because part of the licence agreement was, that they should cover at least 30% of the country with 3G masts by 2004. In Sweden the phone companies had sued the town councils in court for stopping the building of masts and they, the companies, had won these cases. However, as a token of goodwill, he was willing to inform the people where the new masts are going to be raised!
As to our other goal:2. "The ICNIRP standard has to be reviewed drastically and
3. New lower safety standards for radiation also in Denmark"
The largest newspaper that started the debate has now been writing daily the past two weeks about the issue: i.e. the wrong basis for the ICNIRP standard ("spherical cow" concept) - the lower standards in countries as Italy and Switzerland - non-thermal effects etc.
This week all the schools in Denmark are taking part in a project to make a newspaper on the theme "Brave new world". Many classes have chosen the subject "Mobil phones - are they dangerous and why?" I have been contacted all week, given personal and telephone interviews to numerous classes from schools all over the country. The kids do a very good job and take it very seriously, I am surprised how sensible they are. It is going to be a competition between all the different schools. So their articles will be distributed to all schools and hopefully read by many parents too.
Meanwhile the Ministry of Science/IT Technology is working very hard to discredit me. Their chief phoned the Dean of the Faculty and the head of the my department late at night to enquire about me. Their Minister is very angry, because his Ministry had not supplied him with the relevant information. So when he met the press and other media, they made a fool of him. Among other things they wanted to know who had appointed me as Denmark's representative at EU's COST project. The dean could not answer this question and I was out of the country. So he sent them my extensive CV and that kept them quiet. Then when I came home, I supplied him with the document which was an official letter from that same ministry to their EU ambassador in Brussels, in which they proposed me as Denmark's COST representative, signed by the head of the department!
Sianette Kwee.
Re: EHS Volunteers Needed for U.K. Government funded Cellphone Testing
Dear Klaus
Many thanks for spreading the word about our study.
As Sheila and Imelda mentioned, we are indeed keen to speak to anyone who is sensitive to mobile phones and who might like to take part in our experiment.
Just to clarify, though, volunteers do NOT need to be current mobile phone users. People who are sensitive to mobiles but do not currently use them are also more than welcome to take part.
Study Co-ordinator: King's College London Mobile Phone Study
Email: g.rubin@iop.kcl.ac.uk
Can "fundamental" properties of matter be artificially changed/altered?
(1) Can *fundamental* properties of substances be changed by external artificial means?
Part of my thesis as a grad student in chemical engineering was predicting the temperature profile of a rod with convective & radiative losses. One end was embedded in a furnace and the rest was exposed to the air. My model was subsequently used by another grad student whose project was to verify that the thermal conductivity of the metal (rod) could be changed by applying ultrasonics to it. (I suspect this would facilitate improvements in some manufacturing process of the company that was sponsoring the research grant.) They already qualitatively knew this happened but needed to quantify and tabulate the results.
Along the same lines, I seem to recall reading that certain EM fields could even change the decay rate of a radioactive substance. If that is true, then could it apply to a decay that produced an anti-particle? Artificially increase the decay rate and use the anti-particles immediately in an annihilation reaction to generate heat/energy (i.e., better than a battery or fuel cell; a pseudo "Element-115"?).
What other so-called "fundamental" properties can be changed/altered via external means?
(2) Although we are by being human and are quick to criticize things we don't understand, it appears there was a sound "method to their madness" of the scientists, politicians, military planners and engineers involved in the Manhattan Project.
Check out Carey Sublette's detailed "Chronology of Nuclear Weapons" at
http://www.stealthskater.com/Nuke.htm#Chronology .
"Microwave" Cooking
Food prepared in the microwave oven leads to changes in the blood
But the disruption of the water molecules is so intense that they are literally torn apart and become structurally deformed. Chemists even have a name for this phenomenon: structural "isomerism." The energy fields of what we eat-and our own bioelectric energy fields as well-were never meant to go through this kind of incredibly rapid, chaotic polarity switching. Exposure to microwave ovens causes all cells to lose their delicate electrical charge. You may also recall from the section on Water in this chapter that when the electrical charge (carried by the electrolytes) of an organism is damaged, the organism breaks down and malfunctions…
see further under http://www.buergerwelle.de/pdf/microwave_cooking.pdf
Big brother or the mark of the beast?
Sierra Times
by Becky Blanton
If homeland security's extreme precautions against terrorists haven't gotten under your skin, look again. That's just what they're about to do -- with VeriChips. A VeriChip is a rice-sized radio frequency identification microchip designed for tracking everything from products to people. The company who created the chip (Applied Digital Solutions) has announced that organizations in Brazil and Mexico have begun implanting the chips in children. ... Depending on the public's response, some American's can expect to find VeriChips being offered in the U.S. as part of a child-identification program very soon.
http://www.sierratimes.com/03/10/28/article_tn_blanton.htm
Ozone counters carbon storage and other stories
Trees soak up and store carbon dioxide, buffering rising levels of industrial emissions tied to global warming. However, a new study finds that high concentrations of ozone, a main ingredient in smog, greatly impede this process. In effect, one form of pollution is blocking the planet's ability to deal with another.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-10-30/s_9741.asp
Help Greenpeace USA
Greenpeace wants to bring its ship, the Esperanza, to the Port of Miami for supplies and to bring people from the Miami area on board to discuss our efforts to protect the Amazon rainforest.
We have been denied permission to carry press or visitors in our inflatables to and from shore.
The Port of Miami and Mayor's office is being inundated by calls from people objecting to the decision to refuse us entry. So much so, they are NOT taking calls and only faxes..."
To read the full account see: http://act.greenpeace.org//1066893677/1067341641
Don't let the Port of Miami keep Greenpeace out and silence our voices. Contact the authorities in Miami and tell them that they should allow the Esperanza to dock in Miami!
http://www.greenpeaceusa.org/bin/view.fpl/10048/action_id/196.html
You can read more about the current situation and the Bush administration's attempts to shut us down here:
http://www.greenpeaceusa.org/bin/view.fpl/8154/article/877.html
HELP STOP GENETICALLY ENGINEERED WHEAT
Monsanto and other big biotech companies are tinkering with a mainstay of Canadian farming and a staple food for many people around the world - wheat. Monsanto, in collaboration with the government of Canada, is developing genetically engineered (GE) wheat that is designed to resist its "Roundup Ready" herbicide when applied to a farmer's field to kill weeds. The company plans to bring it to market by 2005 or so. Other biotechnology companies are developing different genetically engineered wheat varieties.
There has been intense opposition to GE wheat in Canada and amongst many of Canada's major wheat purchasers. Greenpeace is petitioning the Canadian government to halt this program and is eager to get international signatories to show the breadth of opposition to genetically manipulated food. So far the petition has about 6500 signatories from over 55 countries.
If possible, please sign this petition before 5 November (although later signatures are also welcome):
http://www.greenpeace.ca/e/action/wheat/


Litter boxes are best placed under or near the hedgehog's wheel. Most hedgehogs will pee and poop on their wheel as they run, and this is not something that can be prevented. Wheels will need to be cleaned daily – this is a fact of hedgehog ownership. Shortcuts (such as placing something on the wheel) should NOT be used as these can easily trip and injure the hedgehog. A good quality wheel is easy to clean if it is done in the morning before it dries completely or if you leave it to soak for a few minutes. If you don't have a sink or tub where you can leave a dirty wheel to soak, you can still let the wheel soak by spraying 50/50 vinegar/water onto it & tilting it up so the dirty solution doesn't run off the wheel.
The first rule to remember when training a hedgehog to do anything is that they are highly trainable if they want to be. This is hardly surprising considering the intelligence and complex range of emotions and personalities that are displayed in these creatures. In other words, if they want to be trained to use a litter box, they will use it, but no amount of training will convince some of the less than "civilized" hedgehogs out there!
Just because your pet refuses to use a box at first doesn't necessarily mean that they fit into this category, however. Some hedgehogs catch on rather quickly, while others take more time. So, remember to always be patient. There just are not any hard and fast rules when it comes to hedgehog training.
The main key to training is to move any poop that is outside of the litter box into the litter box so the hedgehog notices where the waste is. Sometimes this will encourage them to recognize the litter box as where they should eliminate, and they'll react accordingly. Otherwise, there isn't any way to really train or force a hedgehog to use a litter box. If they use it, great! If they don't, you'll likely have to resign yourself to the fact and possibly clean the cage more often (particularly if you're using liners).