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Mongabay.com recently reached Sereivathana while he was in London for the Elephant Parade—a showcase of Asian Elephants statues around the city to help raise conservation funds to save the species (to read more about the parade: Elephants march in London, trumpeting conservation).
When asked how he felt on hearing the news that he had won this year's Goldman Environmental Prize (often dubbed the 'Nobel Prize' for the environment), Sereivathana said, "my wife and I dropped tears from surprise and excitement. I sat down and remembered my childhood till the day that I started working with elephant conservation."
Tuy Sereivathana with an Asian elephant. Photo by: Tom Dusenbery.
It was there, living a decidedly rural life, that Sereivathana had his first encounter with the Asian elephant. Visiting the village, two mahouts and their domestic elephants allowed young Sereivathana to pummel them with questions. Seeing an elephant for the first time changed the course of his life.
"That night, all members of my family were sleeping deeply well except me. I imagined large groups of wild elephants with their babies in large forest. I wanted to work as an elephant protector (in that time we didn't know the word 'conservationist' yet)," writes Sereivathana.
Years later Sereivathana received a government scholarship and studied in Minsk, Belarus. On returning to Cambodia after a seven year absence, Sereivathana worked in forestry, but eventually began his lifelong dream of working with elephants when FFI granted him the opportunity.
"In 2003, two elephant experts from FFI Cambridge went to meet my boss, Mr.Chey Samith, director of department of Nature Conservation and Protection (DNCP)," Sereivathana explains. "They needed a government officer who has strong commitment on elephant conservation to cooperate with an elephant project. My chance came. I became involved with elephant conservation from that time on."
Before Sereivathana's involvement elephants were killed regularly in southwest Cambodia amid the Cardamom Mountains because they were viewed as a pest who increasingly raided farmers' crops.
Tuy Sereivathana providing crop seeds to farmers affected by human-elephant conflict. Photo courtesy of: Tuy Sereivathana
After working to gain the farmers' trust, Sereivathana implemented several low-cost measures to keep elephants away from farmers' fields, thereby mitigating conflict and ulimtately protectingthe 250 or so elephants that survived in the region.
Employing a variety of highly creative methods—including carbide explosions to scare marauding elephants, electric fences powered by solar panels, hanging hammocks and hats to confuse elephants into thinking people were there, placing chili in ropes and dung to keep elephants away, and encouraging farmers to switch to less elephant-friendly crops—Sereivathana successfully brought elephant mortalities from human conflict down to zero. In fact, not a single elephant has been killed in Cambodia since 2005, the year Sereivathana started working with FFI fulltime.
Even more than this, Sereivathana has become a local ambassador not just for elephants but for the tropical ecosystems of the Cardamom Mountains, which house a variety of rare and endangered species, including the Indochinese tiger, the pileated gibbon, the Siamese crocodile, and the wild cattle known as kouprey which may already be extinct.
"My project worked with people to stop going into the forest (where they cut trees or timbers) through providing training courses on agronomics and chicken farming," explains Sereivathana. "We also provided crop seeds, handle tractors, and made agreements with wildlife hunters and loggers."
Wild elephant raid in Vield Reahn village. Photo courtesy of: Tuy Sereivathana
"We also build trust with local community and local authority. Conservation base with human needs is one of the most important," says Sereivathana.
Along this line, Sereivathana developed a program which built four community schools inside elephant areas.
"I knew villagers [were] concerned about future of their kids (who are illiterate). We helped to create the schools and provided teachers: these are indirect ways to improve elephant conservation in the areas. The teachers choose one day per week to do education on elephant conservation or value of forest to students such as read story books about wildlife, forests, and elephants," Sereivathana says, adding that by teaching children one also reaches adults.
"When the students return home, they talk positively about elephants. It can help villagers to change their mind on elephant conservation and also bring mainstream elephant conservation to a new generation."
Asian elephants, Sereivathana says, have always been important to Cambodians: "[they] played one of the main roles in building Angkor Wat [and] many Cambodian stories and songs show very deep relationship between elephant and our culture."
It has just taken a passionate advocate like Sereivathana to remind locals to see elephants differently: not as enemies, but more like eccentric five ton neighbors.
Tuy Sereivathana in a school he helped to create. Photo courtesy of: Tuy Sereivathana
Even the dung of Asian elephants has been recently discovered to provide an important link between elephants and other forest species. Researchers have found life blooming amid the dung: fungi, insects, and even tiny frogs.
When asked what advice Sereivathana would give future Cambodian conservationists, he had this to say: "We must join as strong friends and try to improve our capacity day to day, support each other. Hopefully, many of us can show face in global community. Please don't hesitate or be shy to show our effort and achievement; especially don't feel negative about your future."
Sereivathana has proven just how much one person's dedication and passion can impact the future of one of the world's most beloved species, the Asian elephant, but more importantly he's achieved success by bettering the lives of the people who share the elephants' habitat.
Tuy Sereivathana receiving his award at the 2010 Goldman Prize ceremony. Photo courtesy of the Goldman Environmental Prize.
Related articles
Elephants march in London, trumpeting conservation
(05/17/2010) Although urban Britain is not the native habitat of the Asian elephant, the well-loved pachyderm has invaded London for the summer. Raising awareness and funds for the threatened Asian elephant, 250 fiberglass statues by different artists are being displayed all over London. At the end of the summer the elephants will be auctioned off. All the proceeds from the art parade will go to Elephant Family, a conservation organization whose mission is to save the Asian Elephant from extinction.
Conservation organization purchases vital wildlife corridor for elephants in India
(01/11/2010) On Christmas Eve, the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) completed a transaction to purchase an important wildlie corridor used by over a thousand Asian elephants (Elephas maximus). The 25.4 acre Kollegal Elephant Corridor was under private ownership, but may now be incorporated into adjacent Biligiri Ranganswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary (IFAW).
New reserve created in Cambodia with REDD in mind
(10/26/2009) Cambodia's Royal Government's Council of Ministers has declared the creation of the Seima Protection Forest, a 1,100 square miles (2,849 square kilometers) park home to tigers, elephants, and endangered primates. The park's creation was developed in part by the Wildlife Conservation Society's (WCS) "Carbon for Conservation" program, which intends to protect high-biodiversity ecosystems while raising funds through carbon sequestration schemes such as Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD).
Frogs species discovered living in elephant dung
(06/10/2009) Three different species of frogs have been discovered living in the dung of the Asian elephant in southeastern Sri Lanka. The discovery—the first time anyone has recorded frogs living in elephant droppings—has widespread conservation implications both for frogs and Asian elephants, which are in decline. "I found the frogs fortuitously during a field study about seed dispersal by elephants," Ahimsa Campos-Arceiz, a research fellow from the University of Tokyo, told Monagaby.com.
High ivory prices in Vietnam drive killing of elephants in Laos, Cambodia
(02/19/2009) Indochina's remaining elephants are at risk from surging ivory prices in Vietnam, according to a new report from the wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC.
Population of Asian elephants discovered in Malaysian park
(01/15/2009) A population of 631 Asian elephants has been documented in Malaysia's Taman Negara National Park, reports the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). The population may be the largest in Southeast Asia. Scientists from WCS and Malaysia's Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) counted elephant dung piles to estimate the protected area's population size. There were no previous scientific population surveys for elephants in the park.


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Hugo-winning artist, John Picacio, is making some of his work available in a sale to benefit disaster relief for those affected by the earthquake in Oaxaca, Mexico on September 7th, and victims of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. There are five original works of art available for sale. A portion of the sale price of each one will go to the disaster relief effort of the purchaser's choice. For details of the items available, see John's blog.
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Over the past several years, my work at the University of Arkansas has changed substantially. I am the Director of the Fulbright College Honors Program, and I am still teaching within the English Department. But I also co-teach courses in Tibetan philosophy and culture with Geshe Thupten Dorjee, our monk-in-residence. For the past several years, he and I have been offering a night course in the history of non-violence that focuses on the careers of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Dalai Lama.
Together, he and I founded in 2008 the TEXT Program (an acronym for Tibetans in EXile Today), which travels each summer with fifteen students to India where we are compiling an oral history of the Tibetans who are currently living in exile. Our students, while living for three weeks in monasteries and Tibetan refugee colonies, gather the interviews, take the photographs, and record the videos that will then become part of our online archive of Tibetan history. My hope is that by involving our students in a long-term preservation project, by allowing them to contribute directly to the survival of one of the oldest and most vital cultures on the global stage, they will then begin to develop the sense of ethical responsibility that will enrich their lives and shape their careers long after they leave the University of Arkansas.
Geshe and I have also founded The Tibetan Cultural Institute of Arkansas, and although it is currently unaffiliated with the University, the Institute will provide a natural compliment to the classroom--everything from meditation to mo-mo's will be offered through the Institute, both to students enrolled at the University and to the general public.
A brief biography of Geshe Dorjee:
Geshe Thupten Dorjee was born Sonam Palden in Tibet just before the Chinese Communist invasion of 1959. He and his family escaped occupied Tibet and headed southward when he was three years old. The journey through the mountains to Bhutan was a long, arduous one for the family. On many cold Himalayan nights, they sought refuge in shelters created for animals. Much of Geshe's early life was spent in a refugee camp in Bhutan with other Tibetan exiles. Unfortunately, most members of his family died while there due to the poor living conditions and lack of medical care.
After 8 years of these difficult living conditions, Geshe and his surviving family journeyed south and settled in Southern India. At the age of 13, Geshe entered Drepung Loseling Monastery in Karnataka, South India.
Over the next 22 years, Geshe made a thorough study of the vast scriptures, principally the five foremost Buddhist philosophical subjects, i.e., Pramana (Valid Cognition), Prajnaparamita (Perfection of Wisdom), Madhyamaka (Middle Way Philosophy), Vinaya (Buddhist Ethics), and Abhidharma (Buddhist Metaphysics). Geshe was ordained a Buddhist monk by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 1986. In 1994, Geshe received the degree of Geshe Lharampa (meaning "Spiritual Guide"), the highest scholastic honor offered by a Buddhist monastic university. It is roughly equivalent to the Doctor of Philosophy, although its course of study and examination schedules are far more rigorous than the Western degree.
During his years at Drepung Loseling, Geshe taught scriptures and Tibetan grammar to the lower classes while pursuing his advanced course of study. For four years, he was supervisor of agricultural projects at the Monastery.


text: Last night I was sitting at the computer for another night .. way too late trying to get work done after a day of work. Suddenly, I feel this nudge at me. A sweet soft Georgie girl's nose is pushing at my leg. I get up and fill her water dish and back to my computer. Again, she nudges at me and begins to dance around. After a moment I recognize she is trying to get me to go into the family room with her. I go in there and she gets her jolly ball and initiates a game of play. I let go of my 'to do' list for a moment and just played. This dog is remarkable. She has a full-time job keeping me safe as a guide dog and also reminding me the importance of play, rest and relaxation. #lookupmoveforward #amazingintuitiveguidedog#georgiegirl #GDB #RPJourney


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The Oklahoma Psychological Association (OPA) values the involvement of our members in impacting legislation and electing house and senate leaders that understand behavioral health issues. Because OPA Members CAN make a difference, the membership and Board of Directors voted to start a LIMITED PAC.
With 2018 being a gubernatorial election year coupled with legislative races, it is important that WE as Oklahomans and psychologists elect leaders that understand our role in the care model of those with behavioral health issues.
What is the difference between an un-limited and limited PAC?
The Oklahoma Psychological Association's mission is to promote human welfare
in Oklahoma by advancing psychology as a science and profession.
Endorsed by the Oklahoma Psychological Association


text:
Residential Moves
You Pack & Unpack
Many Portland Residential Moving Companies offer a combination of services. You pack and wrap all your personal belongings, we upload the belongings and transport to final destination and unload the belongings at the final location.
Pack & Unpack
Our Portland Movers pack up and wrap all your belongings at origin location, load our truck and take the belongings to the final destination and unload and unpack all your belongings.
Between the do-it-yourself packing to letting us handle the packing duties, we offer several combinations in between. For example, if you wish for us to pack and wrap all your belongings at the origin but would rather unpack yourself, we can fully accommodate your request. Please ask about combinations when you speak with a Northwest Movers sales assistant.
If you wish to drop off belongings at different points, we can arrange to for multiple drop off locations between pick up origin and final destination. Whether your looking for a Portland or Beaverton Moving company, we are here to help.


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Jukka K. Korpela wrote: >At least it should be named "description list", with subelements called >"item" and "description" for example. It is absurd to say that
 means >definition term and then tell people to use it to name a speaker. > > If you ask me,
 and
 are unnecessary anyway. Why not create a "description" element for lists, and allow it in ANY list? Using CSS, one could make it disappear or display in a certain way, and then people can add extra info about the list item if necessary instead of having to use a whole separate thing if they want to do descriptions. Especially considering XHTML 2.0 expects you to use
 to do a hyperlink in a navigation list now. IMO, it should be possible to do:

Item 1
 <ld>Item 1 is the first item in this list.</ld>
Item 2
 <ld>Item 2 is the second item in this list</ld>
 Admittedly, this is not a good example of how one would use the list. A better one would be something like this: <nl>
First Link
 <ld>This link takes you to the Home page of this site.</ld>
Second Link
 <ld>This link takes you to the Sitemap.</ld> </nl> You could even put link subreferences in the <ld>'s, and thus create a glossary for people who may not completely understand your terminology. Don't get rid of
, just have it use
 and <ld> instead of
 and
 (which, as has been mentioned, are actually semantically incorrect, because not every use of a DL contains terms and descriptions). -- http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/ - Get Firefox! http://www.mozilla.org/products/thunderbird/ - Reclaim Your Inbox!Received on Thursday, 26 May 2005 22:24:21 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.1 : Wednesday, 7 January 2015 15:06:10 UTC


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My favorite garden and museum in Los Angeles is The Huntington in San Marino. As part of my school's alumni weekend, several of us took a bus today to specifically see the Peter and Helen Bing Children's Garden and the relatively new Chinese Garden. One week ago today the Garden Director (we got a private tour) said it was 114, so it was far better in the rain today although the colors didn't pop as much.
Here are three photos I'm sending on the fly:
If double click this photo you will see two spiderwebs.
Every opening in the Chinese garden is another window to utter beauty.
Though my trip today was technically for my work, it definitely felt like a vacation. We also had high tea in the Tea Room, which is every bit as good as the Empress Hotel in Victoria. What a nice way to spend a rainy day.


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Last year, The Phoblographer's Chris Gampat published an article entitled: No One is Making a Bad Camera, You're Just a Bad Photographer. It's the typical rant of the typical gearhead photo blog, ragging on the person that has problems with her camera and/or lens. Why? Because Phoblo is in the know, that's why. In Chris's own words:
This year, the site is turning five years old–and we've been reviewing cameras since day one. The technology has become better and better and back then (sic) folks used to say that something is a good camera or a bad camera. To a certain point, this is still expressed in forums, in conversations amongst friends, and by people that have nothing better to do with their lives than be trolls. But I'm going to tell you the complete God's honest truth (sic) right now about the world.
Chris had me at the complete God's honest truth. And by the way, he never says anything about the world. Trust me, I read his article thrice. The conclusion I came to is that to Chris, a 'camera' is the following and only the following.
a sensor
If a sensor performs so well that real photographers can add noise if they want, then that's all that matters. If it autofocuses fast enough, then that's all that matters. If its technology is better than before, then that's all that matters.
In part, Chris is correct: no one makes bad sensors anymore. Indeed any user of any modern camera system should be able to publish amazing images, even with the kit lens. And AF is good to great on most, if not all major hardware releases. In which case, I agree with Chris's longest paragraph:
No one is making a bad camera or a bad lens or a bad light or a bad camera bag or a bad sensor. For years (yes, years) the sensors have been incredible. Too much noise at a high ISO level? Oh well, bring it into Adobe Lightroom and no one will bitch about it unless they like looking at an image at 100% all the time. But those people never go on to become better photographers and only worry about looking at lab tests all day and night. Now, more than any other time in history, it is possible for you to create a better image.
And maybe Chris is just poking fun at the people that can't get over a few points of dynamic range points. In his words, these people are trolls. But seriously, since when did cameras boil down to simple constructs of sensor and autofocus? And if it did, wouldn't the people bemoaning performance be in the right? I don't get it.
The majority of people with cameras around their necks don't read DPReview, or Rangefinder Forums; certainly they read neither your rag nor mine. If they wish something was different on their camera, it's probably with something from the below list:
1. simplicity and consistency of use
2. battery life
3. size/weight
4. start up time like right now?
The things I seethe about -- and, what in Phoblo's definition don't count in the definition of a camera -- are the following: broken interface, poor ergonomics, and especially, the constantly multiplying number of unlabelled, user-programmable buttons. Fujifilm's insistence on using two controls (one labelled and one unlabelled dial/ring) for aperture and shutter speed, could be cut down to two controls.
Sony's splitting of magnification functions between three buttons, and hyper sensitive eye-sensors that disable displays with a wayward wave of the hand, are equally as idiotic. And yet no one in the Trust me, I should know camp has a bug to bear about anything but ISO performance.
Buttons that either cannot be reached by normal thumbs, or that depress too easily, or are impossible to reach should not be turned into AF-ON buttons. Worst of all is the constantly changing interface. Camera makers should design interfaces to stand the test of simple interaction, and those interfaces should stand the test of time. Most of the problems lie in the mirrorless camp, whose main aim appears to be to make SLR cameras with out the R.
Notice how none of my complaints tick ISO performance, dynamic range, or AF boxes? I might also note that I am one of the simplest camera users out there. So is my wife. Myriad others out there merely want to take photos without having to drag along an in-the-know friend, or the manual. Hand them a camera from the same manufacturer and they want to take photos, not a 1000-level course on how to operate a camera.
Today's consumer cameras have more buttons than ever before. They are more complicated to work than ever before, and many manufacturers mate them to control schemes that change from release to release.
Bad designs exist. Bad cameras exist. And camera blogs whose sole focus is on the speed of this, or that, and draw no attention to bad design, and who place no responsibility on the manufacturer (ostensibly to procure samples and freebies), do nothing at all to improve the market. They are in fact, bad blogs.
Trust me, Chris, I've worn glasses sine I was twelve. Do the maths.


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Fun with Foil encouraged creativity through the use of an everyday household item - aluminum foil. Unlikely and engaging results came from participants working outside of their comfort zones.
The Creative Mind Initiative (CMI) produces creativity workshops, designed by Richard Fishman and carried out with a team of undergraduate students from Brown University, for the IE Brown Executive MBA program. These workshops take an innovative approach to education that allows business-oriented minds to discover new and collaborative ways of thinking and working. Participants leave with a fresh perspective on how to go about problem-solving in their careers.


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Late next Monday night we will see the first of 4 lunar eclipses in a row - what is known as a "lunar tetrad" - and the best news is that all four events over the next few years will be visible from North America.
Here are eclipse times in California:
Pacific Daylight Time (April 14-15, 2014) Partial umbral eclipse begins: 10:58 p.m. PDT on April 14 Total eclipse begins: 12:07 a.m. PDT on April 15 Greatest eclipse: 12:46 a.m. PDT Total eclipse ends: 1:25 a.m. PDT Partial eclipse ends: 2:33 a.m. PDT
I enjoyed success shooting the last lunar eclipse visible from Truckee in December 2012:
The next image is a combination of 15 images - 14 shots of the moon made equally spaced at 10 minutes, and 1 "plate" of the foreground shot at the end of the event.
On April 14th, the eclipse and the kind of sequence photograph possible will be completely different, as the moon will pass through the Earth's shadow from West to East, in the middle of the night, as opposed to at dawn as it did in 2011 in the above photograph. It will be around 40 degrees in elevation above the horizon (remember - 45 degrees is half way to the zenith, or directly overhead).
What will the 2014 eclipse look like as a sequence? Well, I intend to find out! As any reader of this blog knows, I am a big proponent of pre-visualization. Luckily for us in 2014, we have a variety of digital tools at our disposal to help us understand the movements of celestial bodies. I use Sky Safari Pro ($39.99 - Apple Store or Google Play)and the excellent free PC app Stellarium.
How do I do that?
Practice the night before! I plan to go out and photograph the moon Sunday night just to see where it's going to be in the sky with relation to the foreground where I plan to shoot it. Remember the moon rises about 47 minutes later each night. So that means to shoot Sunday night you'll want to be shooting from 10 pm to 1:30 am (for the actual eclipse you'll want to be shooting from 11 to 2:30 am).
I'm going to shoot more frequently this time, so I have more moons in my photo. The above shot from 2011 was every 10 minutes at 46 mm with a 24-70mm lens. I'm going to shoot every 5 minutes this year, with my 16-35mm lens at 20-35 (?). It will be a bit tricky to determine the composition, but that's why I'm going to test it out Sunday night!
I won't go into details about how to gauge proper exposure for the different portions of the eclipse - Mr. Eclipse has this information in an excellent and easy to use table:
The big question you need to ask yourself is - are you going to create a landscape photo with the moon in it (i.e. a sequence) or do you have specialized telescopic equipment to shoot the moon itself. Personally, I like the sequence shot as it shows the moon in relation to the landscape. I also don't own any telescope gear...
Whatever approach you take - remember - BRACKET!!!! When making a sequence later in Photoshop, as long as you take your bracketed exposures quickly, you will be able to combine everything at equal intervals so the spacing works out fine.
Good luck! Feel free to post questions in the comments or as always, shoot me an email.
Additional Resources to Learn More:
Nikon's "How to Photograph a Lunar Eclipse"
Mr. Eclipse's "How to Photograph a Lunar Eclipse"


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Chronology of Rescue by Vatican Diplomats in Budapest, Hungary
Angelo Rotta is appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Budapest, Hungary.
November 20-24, 1940
Hungary, Romania and Slovakia join the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis.
Early 1941
Pope Pius XII receives repeated reports through diplomatic and private channels concerning the mass killing of Jews in Poland and the deportations to the murder camps in other parts of Nazi occupied Europe.
Early 1942
The Pope receives continued, detailed reports about anti-Jewish pogroms, and that deportees are destined for death. Various cardinals, bishops and papal nuncios stationed in Eastern Europe confirm reports. Vatican does not respond.
Cardinal Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, as Papal Nuncio to Greece and Turkey, participates in the aid and rescue of thousands of Jews in Eastern Europe. He works with other Nuncios, including Monsignor Angelo Rotta in Hungary. He also works with US Ambassador in Turkey Laurence A. Steinhardt and Raymond Courvoiser, International Red Cross Director in Turkey. Among the Jews saved by Roncalli are Slovakian Jews caught in Hungary and Slovakia, Jews trapped in Transnistra, a Romanian-administered territory, and Jews in Budapest. He distributes, by diplomatic pouch to Vatican representatives, various Vatican documents that place Jews under the protection of the Holy See. He also works with the Agency for Palestine and distributes their immigration certificates. After the war, Roncalli makes a statement that he was in part able to help 24,000 Jews.
March 13, 1942
Vatican Nuncio in Budapest, Angelo Rotta, forwards an appeal from the World Jewish Congress requesting the Pope to persuade Slovakian leader and Catholic Monsignor Tiso to cancel the deportation of Slovakian Jews. A subsequent note of protest to the Slovak government from the Vatican Secretary of State is ignored.
March 21, 1942
Rotta sends a second appeal to Tiso. The chief rabbi of Budapest asks Rotta to petition the Pope to intervene on behalf of Jews with the Slovakian government: "at least to alleviate as much as possible the sad lot of these unfortunate people, among whom there are many women and children, destined in large part to a certain death."
April 17, 1942
Rotta sends a note to the Vatican. The note is from a woman expressing gratitude for the Vatican's intervention in Slovakia.
July 1942
The Vatican is reminded that its silence is "endangering its moral prestige and is undermining faith both in the church and in the Holy Father himself."
August 1942
Reports about the gassings at Belzec, near Lublin, are relayed to the Vatican. Jewish agencies send memoranda outlining the murder in Poland.
September 1942
Several Vatican diplomats request that Pope Pius XII end his public silence on Nazi atrocities against Jews. The Pope declines to take direct action to help Jews who are being murdered. He states: "The Holy See has done, is doing, and will do all in its power to help."
February 26, 1943
Papal Nuncio Angelo Rotta in Budapest reports to the Vatican that there are 27,000 Jews remaining in Slovakia. Many of them are converts who are in danger of being deported.
March 6, 1943
Vatican Secretary of State Maglione orders Monsignor Burzio to check Rotta's report and to make every effort to prevent the deportations of Jews.
April 17, 1943
Hitler summons Hungarian Regent Admiral Horthy to Salzburg, Austria, to urge him to allow the Jews of Hungary to be 'resettled.' Horthy refuses: "The Jews cannot be exterminated or beaten to death."
April 19-30, 1943
Bermuda Conference: British and American representatives meet in Bermuda to discuss rescue options, but fail to come up with any significant possibilities.
January 22, 1944
President Roosevelt establishes the War Refugee Board (WRB) in response to the failure of the Allies to protect Jews from extermination. The WRB is charged with "taking all measures within its power to rescue the victims of enemy oppression who are in imminent danger of death." Raoul Wallenberg is later selected for a mission to protect Hungarian Jews from deportation.
February 14, 1944
Josef Winniger, an officer in the German intelligence, tells Jewish leaders in Budapest of a plan for German occupation of Hungary.
March 19, 1944
Germany occupies Hungary and immediately implements anti-Jewish decrees; places the Hungarian government at the disposal of Adolf Eichmann, architect of the Final Solution. Consul Lutz challenges Eichmann and begins to issue thousands of additional Schutzpässe. Lutz appeals to the neutral legations of Sweden, Spain, Portugal and the Vatican for a united front against the deportations of the Hungarian Jews.
March 20, 1944
Eichmann orders the establishment of Judenrat (councils) for Hungarian Jews.
March 23-May 15, 1944
Monsignor Angelo Rotta, the Apostolic delegate of the Vatican (Dean of the diplomatic corps in Budapest) takes the leadership among the diplomatic corps in protesting the deportation and murders of the Jews to the newly established Sztójay government. Rotta urges the churches of Hungary to protest and intervene on behalf of Jews.
March 24, 1944
Roosevelt sends warning to Hungarian officials against mistreating the Jews.
US War Refugee Board urges the Pope to use influence to protect Hungarian Jews.
April 5, 1944
Jews of Hungary forced to wear the star; Jewish businesses and bank accounts confiscated; Jews placed in ghettoes.
April 7, 1944
The Auschwitz Protocols: Two Jewish prisoners, Alfred Wetzler and Rudolf Vrba, escape Auschwitz and reach Slovakia with detailed information about the mass murder of Jews in the camp. Their report (supplemented by information brought by two more escapees) reaches the free world in June.
April 28, 1944
Deportations of Hungarian Jews from the ghettoes in the countryside to Auschwitz begin.
May 15-July 9, 1944
More than 438,000 Hungarian Jews from the countryside are deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau, where most of them are gassed. It takes 148 trains to carry them there.
May 15, 1944
Dean of the diplomatic corps in Budapest and Papal Nuncio Angelo Rotta sends note condemning actions of the Sztójay government. This note is the first note by the Vatican to officially protest the deportation of Jews presented by a representative of the Pope. In addition, Rotta sends a personal note to Sztójay, pleading on behalf of the Jews of Budapest.
May 27, 1944
Rotta receives responses from Nazi puppet government that deportations were "humane and for labor abroad."
June 6, 1944
D-Day: Allied invasion at Normandy, France, opens second front.
June 19, 1944
The contents of the Auschwitz Protocols is widely publicized, revealing the murder of Jews in Auschwitz.
Late June 1944
In response to the release of the Auschwitz Protocols, President Roosevelt, the King of Sweden, the Pope and the ICRC decide to protest the persecution of Jews in Hungary.
June 24, 1944
Jews in Budapest ordered to wear the yellow Star of David.
June 25, 1944
Pope Pius XII sends telegram to Hungarian Regent Horthy to stop persecution of "a large segment of the Hungarian people because of their race." The Pope does not specifically mention Jews.
June 27, 1944
US government issues warning to Hungarian government and people regarding treatment of Hungarian Jews.
Summer 1944
The Pope refuses to intervene on behalf of the surviving Jews of Hungary.
July 1944
The Archbishop of Canterbury in England appeals to Hungarian government to stop deportation of Jews.
July 6, 1944
Angelo Rotta confronts Sztojay regarding the treatment of Jews, which he calls "abominable."
July 7, 1944
Hungarian Regent Miklós Horthy reassumes power, temporarily halts deportation of Jews; there are 200,000 Jews left in Budapest; they are concentrated into two ghettoes; Lutz and other neutral diplomats place Jews under their diplomatic protection in over 100 safe houses; Nazi and Arrow Cross gangs continue to raid and murder in these areas.
July 13, 1944
Rotta intercedes on behalf of those interned for political, religious or racial reasons and demands that they be treated in accord with the Geneva conventions and have relief supplies sent through the Red Cross.
July 18, 1944
Horthy announces deportation of Jews will be halted in Hungary.
July 19, 1944
Cardinal Angelo Roncalli, Vatican Nuncio in Turkey, future Pope John XXIII, appeals to Hungarian Regent Horthy on behalf of 5,000 Hungarian Jews with Palestine visas. Roncalli provides Vatican certificates for Jews in hiding.
July 20, 1944
Attempted assassination of Hitler by opposition forces in Germany fails.
July 28, 1944
Rotta sends a protest to Prime Minister Stojay in which he questions the "good faith" of the Hungarian government in allowing "viciousness" toward the Jews.
August 21, 1944
Neutral diplomatic legations of the Vatican, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland in Budapest protest the resumption of deportations of Jews to Auschwitz. These legations begin to issue thousands of protective passes to Jews in danger of deportation.
Rotta and Verolino present a note to Lajos Reményi-Schneller, the deputy prime minister, stating: "It is the human duty of the representatives of the neutral countries to protest against these actions, which are opposed to all Christian and humane feelings. The representatives of the neutral powers herewith request the Hungarian Government to forbid these cruelties, which ought never to have started."
August 22, 1944
Horthy tells Lajos Reményi-Schneller there will be no more deportations and if this is opposed, the Hungarian government will be in conflict with Germany.
August 23, 1944
Horthy informs Eichmann that he will not cooperate with the deportation of Hungarian Jews.
August 24, 1944
Eichmann forced to leave Budapest, takes refuge with Laszlo Endre at Velem.
October 6, 1944
Soviet Army enters Hungary.
October 15, 1944
Admiral Horthy tries to sue for peace with Soviet Union. Horthy is soon arrested by Nazi puppet government. Hungarian Arrow Cross and Nazis introduce new reign of terror and murder tens of thousands of Budapest Jews.
Death marches to Austria are instituted. Lutz, Wallenberg, Perlasca, Born and Rotta are largely successful in stopping death marches and protecting their safe houses.
Rotta and Verolino give permission to Sandor Ujváry, a volunteer with the International Red Cross, to distribute hundreds of blank Vatican protective papers and baptismal certificates to Jewish refugees. Ujváry is successful in helping hundreds of Jews escape from death marches. Rotta congratulates him, saying: "My son, your action pleases God…as you are rescuing innocent people. I grant you absolution n advance. Continue your work to the glory of God!"
The Vatican office works with young Budapest Zionists who disguise themselves as "envoys from the Vatican." They dress up as clerics and nuns, giving food and medicine to the Jewish marchers.
A Lazarist priest, Father Köhler, distributes Vatican protective passes authorized by Rotta. Köhler demands that the Arrow Cross free Jewish marchers who are in bad condition. Father Köhler helps free 4,700 marchers, who return to Budapest. The Arrow Cross attacks and threatens Father Köhler for his efforts on behalf of Jews. He tells the Arrow Cross, "I am not afraid of you. Shoot if you dare!"
Rotta is authorized to issue 2,500 safe passes, but quickly issues more than 15,000. During this period, Rotta establishes Vatican-protected safe houses for Jews holding his safe pass in the international ghetto.
October 17, 1944
Eichmann returns to Budapest. His second deportation action from Budapest begins.
Mid October, 1944
Tibor Baranski, a 22-year old theology student, volunteers to operate under the Vatican to protect Jews. Baranski is named Executive Director of the Jewish Protection Movement under Rotta and Verolino's supervision. He distributes hundreds of Vatican protective papers and is tireless in protecting Jews in the Vatican apartments. He is successful in saving hundreds of Jews. His work ends on December 30, 1944, when the Russians capture him. (He is later honored with the title Righteous Among the Nations.)
October 20, 1944
SS troops under Eichmann round up 22,000 Jews in Hungary for deportation.
October 21, 1944
Rotta meets separately with Szálasi. Szálasi promises that Jews will not be deported or murdered. Rotta also demands that forced labor for Jews should be only under the most humane conditions, and that Vatican protective papers should continue to be honored.
October 27, 1944
Hungarian Regent Horthy resigns.
October 30, 1944
Because of the continued protests of Rotta and Born, the Vatican and the other foreign legations' protective passes are honored by the Hungarian government, and the safe houses are relatively protected.
November 8, 1944
Beginning of death marches of approximately 40,000 Jews from Budapest to Austria.
Rotta authorizes pre-signed blank safe conduct passes, used for rescuing Jews bound for deportation and death marches. Thousands of Jews are saved by the Vatican safe passes. Rotta extends Vatican protection to the Jewish children in the ghettoes.
Rotta supplies Jews with baptismal certificates and hides them in convents, monasteries and church buildings.
November 13, 1944
In Budapest, a ghetto is set up for Jews without international protection.
November 17, 1944
Rotta and Swedish Minister Danielsson, on behalf of the neutral states, request the Szàlasi government cease the deportations and death marches and observe the neutral status of protected Jews and their safe houses.
November 26-29, 1944
Pest ghetto, with 63,000 Jews, is established. The ghetto contains 293 houses and apartments, with up to 14 persons per room.
The Nazis and the Arrow Cross violate the Vatican safe houses eight times.
December 23, 1944
Eichmann flees Budapest.
January 5, 1945
Last deportation of Jews from Hungary to Auschwitz-Birkenau.
January 16, 1945
Soviets liberate Budapest. House to house fighting and artillery severely damage Budapest. It takes nearly a month to fully liberate Budapest.
January 1945
Archbishop Angelo Rotta is expelled from Budapest by the Soviet occupation force.
January 17, 1945
Auschwitz is closed and evacuated, 66,000 prisoners are taken away on a death march.
January 27, 1945
Soviet troops enter and liberate Auschwitz concentration camp. Seven thousand prisoners are free. Only a handful of them are Jewish.
April 30, 1945
Hitler commits suicide in his bunker in Berlin.
May 8, 1945
V-E Day: Germany surrenders; end of Third Reich.
November 16, 1945
Hungarian Prime Minister Zoltán Tildy asks for the resumption of diplomatic relations with the Vatican and the return of Angelo Rotta. Rotta never returns.
Tibor Báránszky says of Rotta: "The Nuncio performed with extraordinary dedication to the saving of Jews. He was not a young man [Rotta was past seventy] and he was not a healthy individual; yet, he never stopped working until late in the night."
Angelo Rotta dies in retirement in Rome, Italy, at age 92.
Angelo Rotta, the Vatican Nuncio in Budapest, is awarded Righteous Among the Nations medal.
Ambassador Per Anger tells the Visas for Life staff of the heroic efforts of Father Gennaro Verolino, assistant to Angelo Rotta.
Archbishop Gennaro Verolino celebrates his 98th birthday. He is the last living diplomat who saved Jews during the Holocaust.
He is nominated for Righteous Among the Nations by the Visas for Life: The Righteous and Honorable Diplomats Project.
Archbishop Verolino receives the Per Anger Award. The award is given by Elena Anger, wife of Per Anger.
Updated November 5, 2017


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Criticizing for the sake of criticism...
That seems to sum up some of the "religious people" I know. And yes, I just used the word "religious" on purpose.
It seems like a trend has developed amongst us Christians. Where anytime someone does something good or noble or vocal for the cause of Christ - we criticize, we judge and we look to dethrone them from whatever lofty pedestal some people have placed them on. Lately the person under the microscope has been Tim Tebow. But just recently another example of this is the, "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus" guy - Jefferson Bethke.
Tim Tebow, well known for his bold and steadfast faith in Jesus Christ, has had many criticisms against him. And no, I don't mean the ones about his football skills. I'm talking about the statements I hear from other Christians saying things like, "He shouldn't be praying in public!" and "He's not the only Christian to ever play football!" Statements like these are meant to "dethrone" Tebow from the inspiring platform God has given him as a pro-athlete. Instead of criticizing, we should be celebrating that many are taking note of his godly character and desiring to emulate it. What is so wrong about this? Especially, when in 1 Corinthians 4:16 we read that Paul is asking other believers to imitate him as he imitates Christ! Imitation is not wrong, as long as that person is imitating Christ-likeness. And from what I read, hear and see about Tim Tebow - I believe he is doing just that. Jefferson Bethke just posted a very inspiring spoken word on "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus" that has almost 7 million views in three days!! He breaks down the difference between saying one thing and doing another and what REAL Christianity is all about. I found it encouraging and a breath of fresh air to hear. But as usual, anytime a Christian has some kind of success in being vocal for Christ - there is criticism. Claims that he was misusing the word 'religion' were brought up today. It was expected, but not at the extent that I began hearing. It almost seemed like the ones doing the critiquing were trying to prove that they were more "theologically sound" than the average viewer. But why go to such extremes to do it? Claims that Jefferson was "off-base" led me to check out more of his videos, in which I found him to be very ON-base! This guy is for real. I read his Twitter and he is already thanking his "critics" and humbly, acknowledging that he "has a lot to learn" and "appreciates the rebuke/encouragement." Great response from him. But a poor response from so many other Christians trying to squash his platform. All of it has me thinking, why do we do this? Is it because we have seen so many other Christians fall under the pressure of their platforms? Are we afraid that these men will not live up to what they claim to preach? Well, here are my thoughts... GOOD! Be afraid. They WILL fail! None of us are perfect and never will be. I think it is incredible that God has given Tim Tebow and Jefferson Bethke these platforms and His word is being proclaimed through them! Amen! We should never credit man for something that God is doing. But instead of criticizing, we should join in promoting the name of Jesus Christ through these vessels that are being used by Him.


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Artist Statement
Mountains have been a traditional subject for Chinese landscape paintings since the eleventh century. These mountains have always been my love and painting these bones of the earth has provided with a joy and endless fascination both with the paintings themselves and with the connection with my heritage that they provide. For over twenty years I studied with the Master C. C. Wang of New York City until his death in 2003. Mr. Wang taught me about both Chinese landscape painting and the brushwork upon which it is based and which provides the backbone for my painting. Mr. Wang instilled in me a love for this brushwork and its uniqueness to the Chinese tradition. Since 2003 I have begun to develop my own style by merging some of the Western tradition for colors and the black ink brushwork of traditional Chinese paintings. The use of colors has given me an additional dimension with which I can give a stronger emotional content while still retaining the traditional character of the work. My new direction is an exciting journey and provides a new perspective on these traditional subjects.


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The petty cash system/
A petty cash system is a set of policies, procedures, controls, and forms that a company uses to dispense cash for various miscellaneous needs, such as office supplies and services. The basic process of setting up a petty cash system is:
- Location. Decide upon the locations where petty cash funds will be installed. There may be a single one for the entire company, or perhaps one per building or department.
- Funding. Decide upon the size of the petty cash fund at each location. This is typically in the range of $100 to $500. Given the high risk of petty cash theft, it is generally better not to create excessively large petty cash funds, even though smaller ones must be replenished more frequently.
- Custodian. Appoint petty cash custodians. These are usually administrative staff who are on-site most of the day, and who have sufficient clerical skills to maintain the necessary amount of record keeping with a high degree of accuracy.
- Boxes. Set up locked petty cash boxes or locked desk drawers, including a supply of petty cash vouchers. It may be necessary to create an alarm that will sound if a box or drawer is improperly accessed.
- Vouchers. Purchase a set of petty cash vouchers from an office supply store. There is no need to create a custom form.
- Fund petty cash boxes. Shift the designated amount of cash to each petty cash box, and record the transfer in the general ledger as a movement of cash to a separate petty cash account.
- Training. Train the petty cash custodians in how to evaluate requests for petty cash, how to fill out vouchers in exchange for cash payments, and when to request replacement cash when cash levels are low.
- Reconciliation. Enact a procedure whereby an accounting person periodically examines the amount of cash and receipts in each petty cash box to see if the total matches the original amount of funding established for the box, and to reconcile any variances.
- Replenishment and recordation. Enact a procedure whereby the cashier replenishes the amount of cash in each petty cash box, as requested by the petty cash custodians. This also involves summarizing and recording all expenditures in the general ledger.
The petty cash system must incorporate a sufficient number of controls to mitigate the risks that petty cash will be stolen, or that it will be granted for improper reimbursement requests, or that petty cash expenditures are improperly recorded. You should periodically review the control problems that have arisen, to see if the system of controls should be adjusted to reduce the risk of loss.
The petty cash system has been replaced in many companies by procurement cards, which are credit cards controlled by the business. Procurement cards have the singular advantage of removing readily-accessible cash from the company premises. Another alternative is to have employees purchase items with their own funds and then reimburse the employees with expense reports. If the latter option is used, encourage employees to submit expense reports frequently, so that they are not funding company expenditures for long. This also means that submitted expense reports should be processed as quickly as possible.
Related Courses
Bookkeeping Guidebook
Corporate Cash Management
How to Audit Cash
Optimal Accounting for Cash


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Here in Wisconsin, two legislators have proposed a bill that would "allow students and faculty to carry concealed guns inside public university and college buildings."
To clarify, though, there's already a law that allows that. Wisconsin has a "carrying concealed weapon law" that has been on the books for almost three years. However, that law allows business or property owners to limit or prohibit the carrying of concealed weapons on its premises. Most, maybe all, public universities in Wisconsin have prohibited weapons on their campus.
In other words, this law doesn't actually allow people to carry concealed guns so much as it bans public universities from being able to do what everyone else gets to do, prohibit weapons on their property.
Almost everyone reading this knows this is a terrible idea so I'm going to skip that for now and focus on what we should do about it (see my talking points below for some ammunition- pun intended).
- Write the two legislators, Jesse Kremer and Devin LeMahieu, and tell them this is a terrible idea.
- Write your own legislators (you can find them here) to tell them this is a terrible idea.
- Write these three legislators, Chris Taylor, Terese Berceau, and Melissa Sargent, to thank them for countering with a bill banning weapons on Wisconsin campuses.
- Write letters to the editor, explaining the multitude of reasons why this is a bad idea.
- If you work on a college campus in Wisconsin, encourage your various governance bodies to pass resolutions opposing this terrible idea.
Ok, so here are some talking points:
- Guns do not make people safer in self-defense situations. This is not an opinion. It's a fact (and here's the recent study that proves it).
- The more guns in an area, the higher the rate of gun violence. Again, not an opinion (and here is the data that proves it).
- Gun access increases the suicide rate. This point is often lost in the gun debate but it's really important. Access to guns is a significant predictor of suicide (and if they say, those people who kill themselves with a gun will just kill themselves some other way if they don't have a gun, point to the chart on the right and say, "No, they won't, and this is not an opinion, it's a fact").
- College campuses are supposed to be safe environments where people challenge themselves and each other. We share controversial ideas, and engage in the stressful, emotional process that is learning. For all the ways that learning is wonderful and colleges are extraordinarily special places, there's also the fact that sometimes what goes on here hurts. Sometimes people fail. Sometimes we offend each other. Sometimes we get angry at each other. And we need to be able to feel those things without the threat of danger. Adding a gun to that mix of emotions and stress is a terrible mistake.


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This tool not only allows you to listen to our Web Radio stations conveniently but it will poll periodically for breaking news and all latest sermon additions!
When there are any new sermons or news headlines, the tray tool will play a short audio signal and blink in the tray.
The following image shows what the tray tool displays! Enjoy! Please note: You need to have the files: MSVCRT.dll and Windows Media Player installed.
I ask God to feed me and listen to GREAT PREACHING, from faithful Presbyterians. This is more than a tool. This is a place for a pastor to sit at the feet of others and be fed.
Gods' richest blessings on Sermon Audio. Grace, Joy, and Peace,Clint
Keep up the great service
Gob Bless the works of your hand!
Daniel Mkongo


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Bill Payments
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Grow Your Groundwork is the next step for those of you who have taken Hoop Foundations & Flow and desire more. In this series, we will build on to your foundational movements, introduce more transitions and dive even deeper in exploring your unique self-expression through the hoop.
Bring a friend, each save $10 off the series! Limited space, pre-registration is required.